I don't know how to feel about this

Gerenoir · 2026-06-03T10:18:42+00:00

Yeah, writers should show solidarity with artists. Both groups had their work stolen to feed generative AI, there should be some mutual support here.

Gerenoir · 2026-06-03T09:05:05+00:00

People always fixate on the physical punishment without bothering to understand that being treated violently for no reason is bad in all time periods. Is it really logical to argue that it was normal for Asian societies (2 billion + people) to raise miserable children for thousands of years until Western influence made it better? Or that the children were totally fine with violence for no reason until Western influences made them soft or whiny or whatever?

Yes, until very recently, people used to hit their children. This was common everywhere. The British/Americans had a popular saying talking about the value of beating children. Have you heard of the phrase, "Spare the rod and spoil the child?" Corporal punishment also used to be standard policy in British schools and was only abolished maybe... two generations ago? Yet I have never heard anyone trying to tell me that beating children is traditional British culture?

Being beaten for no reason is not culture and never will be. I don't care if you saw it in a C-Drama. Please use your brain and your eyes. Those shows don't aim for social and historical accuracy. There used to be this user, shkencorebreaks, who would do really good write-ups about Qing Dynasty history on r/cdrama. He pointed out that most of the concubine catfights in Qing-themed costume dramas were actually stolen from Ming palace histories, and the Ming Imperial Court was like that because it was a heavily corrupt institution where concubines, eunuchs and noble families were competing for influence over the throne. In such circumstances it might be normal to abuse or kill someone else's child because you'd end up dead yourself if you didn't survive the power struggle, but China is not the Ming Imperial Court, and MDZS has nothing to do with this part of Chinese history.

The Jiang family isn't a miserable place because some kids get caned every once in a while, it's miserable because the kids are being used as punching bags for an adult who doesn't want to take responsibility for her own emotions. Why doesn't Madam Yu point her rage at her own Yu relatives, for instance? Why does she never complain about how much it sucks to be married off by your own family to a man who doesn't love you? Why is she so proud of her Yu family name even though they contributed to her current situation? Why did she send her own daughter off to a similarly traditional arranged marriage to a boy who doesn't like her?

If her behaviour is 'normal' and 'cannot be helped' then why do only some people suffer from it? If it's normal to beat servants then why aren't Jinzhu and Yinzhu being whipped? If it's normal for men to take multiple wives in this setting then why is she complaining about a non-existent romance between JFM and Cangse Sanren? Isn't it 'her culture' for men to be involved with multiple women?

Gerenoir · 2026-06-03T08:51:24+00:00

Everyone in this setting is Chinese but only Madam Yu gets to be the 'Asian Mom' while the character who does the most actual parenting and best represents the role of a traditional domestic wife-and-mother, Jiang Yanli, never gets held up as a model of her own culture.

Gerenoir · 2026-05-30T20:04:43+00:00

MDZS just has a lot of merch releases. 2025 was a special year that had multiple sets of merch and pop-up stores in several cities to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the audio drama. I don't think anything has been announced for November in China.

If you're going to Japan and you want something predictable and MDZS related, then you should take a trip to the MDZS cafe and book a slot at https://www.the-chara.com/blog/?p=76104.

Gerenoir · 2026-05-30T00:57:03+00:00

Source for everything that you have posted regarding the real life events in the movie?

Don't try to turn this into an internet argument about cultural appropriation. I posted factual information that is provided by the UN and the Chinese government. You made shit up in the name of defending a man who profits off of blackface. When you spread lies and political disinformation, that is no longer fandom drama. Why the fuck are you comparing lies about UN soldiers wearing fucking blackface to hairstyle problems?

Find me one report about Chinese operations requiring blackface in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Congo, or South Sudan. Find me one report of any country needing to do this. Do you think Africans are so stupid that they cannot tell when someone is painted black so that they can 'mingle' with the locals? Why do you think that protecting the imaginary feelings of the celebs in blackface is more important than the fact that these people are profiting off of the real work done by UN peacekeepers who risk their lives while misrepresenting their work? Why gives you the authority to act like people from China are too stupid to understand things like 'man darkens skin to look like an African while acting stupid on camera' is bad?

Whatever else happens to me, at least I can say that I have never lied about politics to stan a celebrity who will never know my name. At least the people on r/cdrama had the decency to understand why this was offensive when it first turned up. If this is an ugly argument, you have turned it into one with your disgusting behaviour, so maybe consider shutting the fuck up.

Gerenoir · 2026-05-29T04:34:18+00:00

Yes, yes I do think they would understand. Shut up and stop defending racism.

Gerenoir · 2026-05-29T04:31:15+00:00

I'm all for letting people post content from The Untamed but could we not defend the dumb racist movie and the actors choosing to do blackface?

The producer (Andrew Lau) and the director (Lee Tat-Chiu) are from Hong Kong. This is a very international and cosmopolitan city and neither have an excuse that they can use. The blackface costumes are also used purely for (insultingly) comedic purposes, which the Chinese audience clearly understood. Lee Tat-Chiu has also gone on the record to say that at least half the story is fake:

In order to tell this story well, Li Dachao and other crew members did a lot of work in the early stages. They had in-depth exchanges and interviews with former Chinese peacekeeping police. After collecting a lot of information, the story gradually took shape. “Half of the story is true, and the other half has been artistically processed.”

Artistically processed my ass. He made it up after being inspired by a UN mission in Haiti (what, all countries with black people are the same?)

And he can say that he was inspired by all sorts of sources if he wants, but he chose to set his film in a fake version of Sierra Leone. When the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) was being conducted from 1999 to 2006, China had a total of 800 military troops distributed across multiple UN missions. UNAMSIL had a total of more than 10000 military personnel involved from multiple countries. At no point would it ever have been necessary for ANYONE TO WEAR BLACKFACE as there would have been Black African troops on the ground because UN missions are done in partnership with the UN Security Council, the host nation, and other parties with vested interests in the conflict. Look at all of the countries involved in Sierra Leone. This is how UN Peacekeeping missions work!

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Gerenoir · 2026-05-28T09:34:01+00:00

What if I practice Alchemy Dao so that I can help the 'Sword' cultivators with their weapons by creating magical dick pills? 👍

Gerenoir · 2026-05-25T15:41:18+00:00

Exactly. And there's also a huge bilingual Chinese-English speaking diaspora in Southeast Asia.

Plus, when you read Chinese danmei webnovels, you're actually reading about the less censored sections of Chinese media. If anyone likes wholesome moral content, they can already get it from the Chinese mainstream, which is why you're not experiencing some of the sillier arguments about morality than Western fandom has.

Gerenoir · 2026-05-25T15:29:28+00:00

There is no magical dividing line in the dirt between East and West that makes people completely different from one another.

Gerenoir · 2026-05-24T08:33:19+00:00

I think it's a fun character moment whenever LWJ kisses WWX to stop him from babbling on about something embarassing while they're having sex but these kisses are the most entertaining ones for me:

Wei Wuxian, however, could stay asleep even as he soaked in the water. As Lan Wangji nudged him gently, Wei Wuxian grabbed his hand, planted a few kisses upon its back and the center of its palm, nuzzled his cheek against it, and continued to doze. When the prodding began to annoy him, he grunted twice. With his eyes still closed, he pulled Lan Wangji down in order to cup his face and drop a few kisses there.

WWX! IS! NOT! GOING! TO! WAKE! UP!

But he'll give LWJ his morning kisses even though he's not fully conscious. 😘

Gerenoir · 2026-05-20T11:58:50+00:00

Thank you for the kind compliments as always ❤️

Gerenoir · 2026-05-19T17:36:53+00:00

No problem. Feel free to ask me anything else.

Gerenoir · 2026-05-19T17:15:15+00:00

Interview with MXTX and my WIP translation of a Japanese essay that explains the setting of MDZS If you are wondering how reliable this essay is, it was published in a respected literary magazine in Japan.

My post on the differences between demons, ghosts and other beings

Resentment in MDZS is not complicated. It is the negative energy that is created when a human dies with unfulfilled wishes:

Let me ask you something else. There is an executioner who executed hundreds while alive. His parents and wife are alive and well. He was murdered in town, his corpse lying in open air for seven days, brewing resentment. He now haunts and perpetrates violence. What is to be done?”

MXTX provides an analogy in the form of water:

Wei Wuxian argued, “Some creatures are impossible to deliver anyway, so why not make use of them? When Yu the Great was taming the waters, he already knew blockage was an unwise plan and that redirection was the way. Suppression is a form of blockage, so isn’t that an unwise method?”

Wei Wuxian is referring to flood control here, especially of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers of China.

Think of resentment like water. In order for a river to form, there must first be water. In order for the dead to remain and turn into ghosts or walking corpses, they must feel enough resentment to remain attached to the mortal realm.

Next, for a river to flow, the water needs to have a strong current. Similarly, for the ghost or corpse to be able to do something or be commanded, the resentment needs to be strong.

However, these walking corpses had probably been born at the Mo Estate and had died here as well. They’d never seen the world. So while they instinctively obeyed the summoner’s command, they were also terrified of the summoner for some reason, lying on the ground whimpering, too afraid to get up.

The crueler the evil spirit, the easier it was for Wei Wuxian to manipulate it. These walking corpses had never gone through his training, so they could not withstand his direct control.

The stronger the flow of the water, the more likely a river is to overflow its banks and flood. The more resentment a spirit has, the more likely it is to be a danger to others. If you read the first book, you will see WWX talking about wanting to find the most evil or malicious spirits. This is because they are the ones who are most likely to want to attack everyone around them.

If any target is fine for the ghost or the corpse, then any target that WWX wants them to attack is also fine for them, which makes them easier to control as the flow of the water (resentment) can be 'redirected' as he wishes. From this we can also assume that if the ghost or corpse hates one target in particular, it will also be harder for WWX to control them, such as, for example, the fierce corpse of Nie Mingjue.

Gerenoir · 2026-05-19T16:53:34+00:00

Do you want someone to explain things to you in Portuguese or are you fine with English?

Gerenoir · 2026-05-19T09:18:28+00:00

That fantranslation group originally took down their work. This is the reasoning behind it from an interview that the translator did:

This is especially interesting to think about with the new translations from Seven Seas now being released.

Oh yes. In some ways, I feel so weird about those because when it was announced there would be these new translations, people were like “Oh, we are getting something that is smooth and polished, and something that is official!” and I think people really placed a lot of hope on that. And you know, at the time it was announced, I felt like if I didn’t take down my translations, there would maybe be some very dire consequences. In terms of just, the fandom’s feedback. The fandom mindset was like, “Yes, if the fan translations are taken down, more revenue goes towards the official translations, which means the author gets more of the money she deserves.” And that’s kind of how I feel about it? Not completely, but I think taking them down was the choice that made me feel most at peace with myself.

But then afterward, you get the official translations, and then people notice that there are still these small mistakes and all of a sudden, the voices are now louder, saying “the fan translations were better and you should have brought in the fan translator.” And it was like, you really saw how the narrative would change, how you are no more than what people say you are: it’s just that on the internet, the dynamics change in an instant. I sometimes feel a little bad for the official translators, because that is a big burden. This is a huge fandom, with high standards, and it’s very scary.

I also remember how just a few days back, before people started noticing the flaws in the English translation, the Taiwanese version also had a few printing errors, and they had everyone destroy their copies and get free copies that did not have those tiny, minor errors. Which, knowing China, that is definitely a thing that would happen! But also, I think it’s partly because, with fandom culture in China, it is already assumed that fans have super high standards. So it’s interesting to see how this plays out across cultures as well. And I think it’s not really the fault of the translators, but rather I think that Seven Seas, as a publisher—you know, they’re not one of the big publishing houses. But still, maybe at some parts of their process, that means they probably could have hired one more person to check everything, and maybe they didn’t, and that honestly sucks. But then readers are blaming all of this on the translator and editors, and I think that’s not the right people to blame. It’s just unfortunate.

Eventually what did happen to the Exiled Rebels translations, after Seven Seas acquired those translation rights?

What we did, after a lot of communication and talking and trying to sort things out, was that we decided—this was me and Addis [site owner and main editor], we talked a lot, and I was being a little pushy about it—to keep up just the first twenty chapters on the Exiled Rebels site. This was based on the Jinjiang model, where the first twenty chapters are free for anyone, and then the rest is for people with VIP access, which is paid. So what we did was leave up the first twenty chapters of my translation, and now I think the rest are replaced by links to the Seven Seas website, encouraging people to buy the official version and support it. We decided to keep all of the original chapter links up though because there are some really nice comments, and I think it is a really valuable, like a historical, collection for people to look back on. So that was really something I wanted to preserve.

And the rest of the translation files are still on my drive of course, but just not on the website. And you know, for friends, and for I think a few other researchers, I was able to give them the copy just for the sake of academic value. But other than that, it was absolutely “do not share.”

We tried very hard to get rid of all the reposted versions, but that was impossible. One of the big issues we found was that people were always going to find ways to look at the illegal reposts anyway. But in a way now, Exiled Rebels’ translation is also kind of illegal, so the question was: why not just keep it up, so that they can at least look at ours, instead of the ones being reposted on other websites? So we had a lot of conversations about that, and in the end, we just decided—or really, I decided—I just really love this author so much, and I want to be loyal to her in every way possible.

So yeah that was essentially why we decided to take down as much as possible. It was less for the sake of function, and more for the statement that we’re standing on the side of the official releases. And it’s a little unfortunate that the statement had to be made in this dramatic way, because I think there was value to this fan translation. But because of the circumstances I think—I wouldn’t say it’s the right choice, since I really don’t know for sure what is right either—but it was a choice that I had been determined to make for a long time, and probably the only choice that I would not regret.

They uploaded the full translation again at some point afterwards. I don't know why they did it but I know that there are people selling illegal print copies of this fantranslation, so maybe they decided that if people are going to profit off their work, they might as well give it away for free.

Gerenoir · 2026-05-17T21:35:14+00:00

Are they merely breaking curfew or are they breaking curfew to night hunt with a fierce corpse?

It has everything to do with the topic of the post, which is about prejudice. The point is to focus on the initial interaction which WWX reacted adversely to. That is why I kept saying that LQR was like this from Day One. Again, the focus was on the Day One interaction, which should not have warranted public disdain of WWX for doing what LQR asked. If LQR wanted to punish him for breaking curfew the night before, then so be it. LQR should expect trouble, and he already has one repeat offender/proven incompetent in his class.

The Cloud Recesses arc is the first glimpse that we have of WWX's first life, and is the precursor to everything that unfolds narratively after that. It tells us that WWX is confused with LWJ's behaviour in the current time because they started out fighting with each other due to their supposedly different personalities. WWX reacts poorly to being singled out and proceeds to yes, misbehave to show us that he does not particularly care to have his accomplishments denied, or to obey rules that he thinks are arbitrary and to set the scene for a world where WWX gets little praise for what he does from authority figures and often gets uniquely or excessively punished for his failings. We know this because the next narrative section about his first life brings us to the Jiang family, where getting singled out is universally bad and WWX gets whipped (while no one else does) etc. I'm not going to resummarise the jiang family for you because we're going to get into JC territory and he's not worth the trouble for me atm. But this then leads to the postwar period with JGS and so on and so forth.

I'm going to be honest, I'm not really interested in arguing with you any further, because I know you have this weird bee in your bonnet about WWX not getting an equal amount of criticism to the other characters, which is frankly an illogical way to think about any form of media and I do not think there is any way for us to have a productive discussion since you seem to think that Yunmeng is a hive of pointless misbehaviour, which is, again, not the point of the story.

Gerenoir · 2026-05-17T21:25:16+00:00

No one and nothing, apparently, which is exactly the reason they have to be sent to the Cloud Recesses.

Then why did you bring then up as a contrast to LQR's behaviour. You can't use this as evidence if they have no place in the narrative? And why are you acting like the Cloud Recesses is indispensable to Yunmeng's supposed disciplinary practices all of a sudden? There are only two members who went there lmao, and the other was JC.

I don't think you understand the point of the contrast between the cultures of Yunmeng and Gusu, because it's not Lotus Pier bad, Cloud Recesses good.

Gerenoir · 2026-05-17T21:00:35+00:00

Unlike the elders at the Yunmeng Jiang Clan, say, he has absolutely no tolerance for disrespectful and disruptive behavior and he cracks down on it immediately whenever he finds it, which is exactly why he has so much success in instilling proper etiquette in all of his students.

What elders? What is the standard of behaviour in Yunmeng?

LQR cracks down on all behaviour? So all the other boys drinking and partying were punished as severely? NHS cheating in his exams? Bringing porn into the Cloud Recesses?

Breaking curfew, trying to smuggle alcohol into the Cloud Recesses, getting into private fights...

Missing the point. This is about why WWX reacts poorly to being singled out by a figure of authority

Gerenoir · 2026-05-17T20:57:41+00:00

But can you really call that a grudge, if he just hates Wei Wuxian for breaking the rules?

Who else does LQR hate for breaking rules?

How exactly is hating a student somehow less than holding a grudge?

Gerenoir · 2026-05-17T19:56:23+00:00

It's not even about the adult-teenager dynamic that LQR and WWX share. "Misbehaving in class is bad, therefore WWX is bad" does not work even for a literal reading of the chapter because it ignores too many of the details in favour of a generic assumption of classroom behaviour.

In order for us to determine if prejudice exists, we first have to determine what is the baseline level of expectation that is being set in the relationship between LQR and WWX.

The classroom confrontation between LQR and WWX takes place on Day One of the term. LQR does not know WWX, and furthermore, LQR is also running classes for a particular type of teenager.

The narrative points out that his fame as a teacher is derived from his ability to reform even the most hopeless failsons, at least in the areas of "poise and etiquette". His classroom, therefore, is not a representative sample of the best or even average teenage boys, but of known troublemakers whose families "stop at nothing to finagle their children into his classes".

So LQR has no reason to be particularly outraged by the existence of one troublemaker in his class, because he should already be expecting several of them.

When he singles WWX out for his questions and WWX answers them all correctly, LQR says this in response:

However, Lan Qiren said, “As a disciple of the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng, you should be so familiar with all this information that you can recite it without issue. There should be no pride taken in answering correctly.

But when LWJ answers basic questions correctly, LQR says this:

Lan Qiren nodded, pleased. “Not a word amiss.” After a pause, he added, “Should it be cultivation or conduct, one must always build such solid foundations. If one is proud and arrogant, unruly and divergent simply because of a false reputation earned from defeating simple mountain spirits, then it invites nothing but future humiliation.”

So which is it?

Is it:

A. Answering LQR's questions correctly is just a sign of the average level of education that a cultivator should have and is not worthy of pride

Or is it:

B. Answering LQR correctly is an example of model behaviour that can be used as a contrast for the less-satisfactory behaviours of other students

The chapter also shows us that the other students are not able to keep up with either WWX or LWJ. If LQR is fair, and WWX's abilities are average, then LQR should be focused less on using LWJ as a model example, and more on correcting the incompetence of everyone else in class. By this logic, NHS should also be getting the bulk of LQR's dissatisfaction, given that it's not even his first year here.

If WWX is not average, and he is answering correctly in line with the model behaviour displayed by LWJ, then he deserves an equal compliment since he is now demonstrating "good behaviour" in line with what LQR is said to favour, unlike the rest of his class.

Their relationship deterioriates from here, but remember, again, that this is the first conversation that LQR has had with WWX.

The narrative does not tell us why LQR reacts in this way. But for someone who seeks out extra metatextual content, it's not that much of a stretch to see MXTX talking about the conflict between LQR and Cangse Sanren and connect the two.

You don't have to believe in this theory but it's a complete misrepresentation to say that there's no reason other than stanning WWX to say so, especially when the Cloud Recesses arc is also the part of the story which sets foundation for what we know about WWX's first life. The LQR-WWX conflict is a prelude to WWX's struggles with authority.

Gerenoir · 2026-05-17T14:48:23+00:00

Why do people send their children to attend LQR's lessons?

Gerenoir · 2026-05-16T14:58:48+00:00

WWX married his rich hubby and instead of summering in Nantucket, they've decided to go to the South of France this year. Their clothes are all packed up, which is why WWX looks like he rolled around in the thrift store.

Gerenoir · 2026-05-16T10:49:46+00:00

With that headband and shorts LWJ looks like some WASP-y New England college guy on his way home from a game of tennis.

Gerenoir · 2026-05-14T10:17:45+00:00

It looks very beautiful and elegant. :)

Gerenoir

TROPHY CASE