#or add something to someone else's post

[zumer-feygele]

...Just found out a fandom acquaintance I really liked and respected died last night

[sleepiestoken]

🌈 happy pride 🌈

[fluffydeoxys]

OC stuff is dangerous wdym you just think about that guy and you feel things. You made that thing and it’s come such a long way like they’ve grown and fleshed out and you’re proud of them. And there’s an indescribable feeling of pride and tenderness and passion and fondness. That ☝️thingie is My Thing and I love them

[withthewindinherfootsteps]

Wei Wuxian and Narrative Agency – Part Three

For Xiantober Day Five: Past and Present, in which the author gets very unhinged about what parts of the past are shown and how that’s affected by the present!

(Part One | Part Two | Full version on AO3)

The Power of Agency: Shaping the Narrative

When I've discussed Wei Wuxian's agency previously, I’ve talked about how what’s shown and omitted tells us about a character, and we’ve talked about the character himself. Though this is a niche topic, it’s not necessarily something out of the ordinary to analyse, and we can assume everything up to here has been in some way intentional.

This? Linking structure to a character’s in-universe preferences?

This is where we get unhinged.

Before I start, let’s quickly establish something which will be important later: although Wei Wuxian is the central character, MDZS isn’t strictly from his POV. While omitting events a character doesn’t like to dwell on and concealing things the character wishes to hide is common in books with only one narrator, MDZS has multiple narrators which it switches between relatively quickly. This includes Wei Wuxian, but it also includes nearly every major character that appears in the story, and omniscient narrator as well. As a default, this format doesn’t lead to this deliberate shaping and omission because of one character’s preferences, since we have many other sources of information and events – which is what makes Wei Wuxian’s influence over the narrative and structure so interesting. We could have access to a lot more information, and access to it at different times, than we do (and that’s not an insult, quite the opposite!).

To begin: we’ve established that times such as Wei Wuxian’s time on the streets, his three months in the Burial Mounds and his loss in the Siege aren’t shown because Wei Wuxian has little agency there. But that’s not the only special thing about them. They’re also the three most traumatic times in his life, and so moments Wei Wuxian himself either can’t remember, or doesn’t like to dwell on.

This is why discussing Wei Wuxian’s treatment of tragedy in his life was important. Firstly, it shows he doesn’t focus on the tragedy in his life, so the idea that the narrative not focusing on this tragedy relates to his character has merit; secondly, it affirms that this is not a passive trait, but a choice. Therefore, when the narrative omits events due to this aspect of Wei Wuxian, it’s respecting not only a character detail – which would be cool by itself – but also an active decision. One that shapes the story it’s made in.

In other words, its very structure is respecting Wei Wuxian’s agency!

Now, of course there are flashbacks to other moments of his past he probably wouldn’t like to dwell on, too. But within the structure, they’re only shown when Wei Wuxian is thinking about them (or when he has reason to)!

Wei WuXian hadn’t woken up yet. His eyes were still tightly shut, yet his hand didn’t let go either. He seemed to be dreaming, muttering, “… Don’t… Don’t be angry…” Lan WangJi seemed somewhat surprised. His voice was gentle, “I am not angry.” Wei WuXian, “… Oh.” Hearing this, as though he finally felt assured, his fingers loosened. Lan WangJi sat beside Wei WuXian for a while. Seeing that he was motionless again, he was about to stand up when Wei WuXian grabbed him with his other hand, hugging his arm and refusing to let go. He shouted, “I’ll go with you, quick, take me back to your sect!” Chapter 63, EXR translation

Which, of course, is him dwelling on…

Lan WangJi spoke one word at a time, “Go back to Gusu with me.” Hearing this, both Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng were surprised. Quickly afterward, Wei WuXian laughed, “Go back to Gusu with you? To the Cloud Recesses? Why go there?” He immediately seemed to realize, “Oh. I forgot. Your uncle Lan QiRen hates crooked people like me. You’re his proudest disciple, so of course you’re the same as him, haha. I refuse.” Chapter 62, EXR translation

…the painful flashback immediately preceding this. The third set of flashbacks (which are also painful) are a similar case. Look at the contex:

He lifted the bottom of his robe, revealing a prosthetic leg made of wood, “This leg of mine was destroyed by you, that night in the Nightless City (…)” (…) “Wei WuXian, I won’t ask you if you remember or not. Both of my parents died by your hands. You owe too many people. You definitely won’t remember them either. But, I, Fang MengChen, will never forget! And never forgive you!” (…) “In the fight at Qiongqi Path, my son was strangled to death by your dog Wen Ning!” “My shixiong died by poison, his entire body festering due to your cruel curse!” Chapter 68 (immediately preceding the flashbacks), EXR translation

And Wei Wuxian’s own thoughts and words:

Wei WuXian looked at the cultivators before the Demon-Slaughtering Cave. Their expressions were the absolute same as those of the cultivators from the night of the pledge conference, pouring their wine on the ground as they took the pledge to scatter the ashes of the Wen Sect’s remnants and him.  (…) Wei WuXian, “Now it’s time to ask just whom it is that treasures it so much. It’s like Wen Ning. Back then, some certain sects or so were scared to death of the Ghost General. They said they’d kill him on the surface, but behind their backs they hid him for over ten years. How strange. Who was the one that said his ashes had been scattered back then?” Chapter 79 (immediately succeeding the flashbacks), EXR translation 

Once again, Wei Wuxian’s own thoughts relate to the flashbacks we’ve just been shown. And, as I previously mentioned, though all the events which are shown are tragic, they’re also events which Wei Wuxian’s own choices and actions shaped – which he has this to say about:

“The things I did, not only do you remember them, I remember them too. You won’t forget them, and they’ll stay even longer in my mind!” Chapter 82, EXR

Admittedly, this applies more to the third set of flashbacks than the second (which is still fitting as the third set was the most recent), as in the second, although he still had agency within and influence over his circumstances, the majority of the pain was caused by others’ actions (excluding, of course, the Golden Core transfer… which is something we know stays for a long time in his mind, albeit with a caveat we’ll soon discuss). But it’s still important to note – especially considering that otherwise, focusing on this very painful time in his life wouldn’t seem like something very in-character for Wei Wuxian to do.

Of course, this can all just be explained by good writing. It is best to insert flashbacks when they’re relevant to the characters and events in the present day! But it is interesting to compare these to the start of the (not painful) Gusu flashbacks, which open this way:

At a later time, Wei WuXian pondered upon the reason why his relationship with Lan WangJi wasn’t good. Getting to the root of the matter, everything started when he was fifteen, coming to the GusuLan Sect with Jiang Cheng to study for three months. Chapter 13, EXR

Again, considering the circumstances around which these flashbacks take place – returning to the Cloud Recesses for the first time since the lectures, and meeting Lan Wangji once more – it makes complete sense for Wei Wuxian to be thinking about these events*. So it does fit the pattern of Wei Wuxian dwelling on something, thus leading to the narrative dwelling on it, too (and being shaped by his thoughts)… but there’s another layer to this. Importantly, it is the only flashback where Wei Wuxian’s present thoughts don’t lead to this happening, with his thoughts at an unspecified future time leading to it, instead. I like to interpret this as the text saying that, since these events aren’t something Wei Wuxian wouldn’t focus on in normal circumstances, he can dwell on them at any time. Therefore, they’re free to come up in the narrative at any time as well, even if he’s not dwelling on them in the present moment!

So, to summarise: Wei Wuxian’s decision not to focus on the painful times in his life directly influences the narrative to not focus on these times. When painful times are brought up and shown to us, it’s in the context of him thinking about them in the present day, and even then, his most painful moments still aren’t shown to us. His agency in this regard is still respected by the narrative structure.

This is the main way his agency influences the structure of the narrative, but I’d like to talk about the revealing and concealing of information, too. For example, I said I’d talk about the Golden Core transfer – though Wei Wuxian does think about this many times, as evidenced by his internal narration in Chapter 103. But unlike everything we’re shown through the flashbacks, this is something Wei Wuxian is actively trying to hide from others. And the narrative respects this choice (Wei Wuxian’s agency, again), never reveals it even when it would be relevant in the flashbacks, and we find out not through narration, but through a character’s dialogue!

And to clarify – I know these aspects may not be in the book for this exact reason. Showing flashbacks in relevant moments is good writing, concealing an important plot point you want to do a reveal for is necessary writing, and MXTX has said she didn’t want to write about Wei Wuxian’s time in the Burial Mounds, due to not liking to write transformation sequences (and also because it would not be pleasant at all, which likely also applies to Wei Wuxian’s death). That doesn’t prevent it from also being intentional – MXTX’s intelligence is shown in many aspects of this book, and there’s nothing disproving it – but there’s no proof for either option, so I won’t pretend there is. I bring this up because I know this feels like I’m overanalysing, as I feel that way as well.

But, whether it’s intentional or not, it exists in the text, and I adore it – so, regardless, it’s something I’ll explore. Because taking this into account… We aren't just told about Wei Wuxian having agency, we aren’t just shown it in the text, we aren’t even just shown it through which parts of his past are shown and hidden in the structure of the text (as I talked about in Part One). The parts of the past that are shown and hidden also have an in-universe reason for being shown and hidden, this reason being the choices he makes! Agency is the ability of a character to influence the story they’re in, but Wei Wuxian’s agency, as a property of a character who only exists in-universe, shapes the out-of-universe structure as well! That’s how we’re shown its importance! How cool is that?

At The End Of The Road: Summary and Final Thoughts

In this essay, we’ve covered how important Wei Wuxian’s agency is not only to the events of the plot, but to the structure of the narrative as well. The narrative omits periods in which Wei Wuxian has little or no agency, in favour of showing us periods in which he does, even when important events happened in the former. This indicates that who Wei Wuxian is without agency isn’t important enough to be shown to the audience, and therefore that his agency is an integral aspect of his character in MDZS. We’ve discussed how both in-universe and out-of-universe, tragedy does not define him – out-of-universe, the tragic events in Wei Wuxian’s life are used not to build sympathy but rather to show his strength of character and who he still is despite going through them; and in-universe, he chooses not to focus on the negativity and resentment caused by his circumstances or others’ actions, instead staying true to his moral compass and enjoying his life in the present day. Finally, we’ve also explored how this choice is another reason for the omission of certain events from the narrative, resulting in his agency shaping the story in a very literal way – it affects the out-of-universe structure, as well.

It’s quite fitting, for a story whose essence is about defying a conventional narrative – that of righteous clans rising up and defeating a great evil – and about a character who defies many conventional narratives on his own – that of status defining how skilled you could be, that for a golden core being necessary for cultivation and other paths being unavailable, that of a tragic but complete story of someone killed for staying true to their moral code (instead, that character returns to life and has a happy ending) – to have its own narrative play a role in such an important and interesting way.

(Or, if an image would be preferable:)

Thank you for reading!

(Part One | Part Two | Full version on AO3)

--

*This strong relation to the present day circumstances is another reason I love the flashback placement so much (and why I think it’s such a loss both screen adaptions altered it so strongly)! 

[nikolas-ghostbusters-fixation]

Something I've been thinking a lot about lately is how everyone thought Egon had gone insane. What Happened that made them think that. They've fought a gigantic Stay Puft Marshmellow Man TWICE (counting the 2009 video game because iirc it's canon? Correct me if I'm wrong), fought an interdimensional god, fought a blood thirsty ruler that killed thousands and was hated by all that was trapped in a painting (and managed to get in to beat him by making THE STATUE OF LIBERTY start walking down the street with slime that reacted purely based on vibes), found an underground abandoned transit system full of the moodslime, had a bathtub try to eat Dana and her baby, fought a giant murderous black widow lady, fought the fisherman ghost who turned an entire hotel floor into the bottom of a ocean, and that's not even mentioning them getting trapped on an island that randomly raised up from underwater that had been abandoned for decades created by Ivor Shandor who worshipped Gozer. So what did he do or say that made everyone else think he'd gone insane?? All I can think is maybe he was acting strange / eratic before, but he's always been like that to some degree.

I don't know. It's something that I've been thinking about. The correct answer is 'it's not that deep and they needed a reason that the others weren't together anymore and weren't aware of Egons death or know what was going on,' but also. What Was He Saying that prompted everyone, including Ray, to think he lost his mind when he'd been right almost every time before that.

I'm genuinely so curious as to what he was up to before this. What was he doing. What insane idea was working on prior to this or was he even working on anything at all??

Also want to clarify this post isn't negative 😭 I really love the newer movies and their lore / the newer storyline / characters, I just like thinking about small stupid things like this. Gives me something to think about / speculate about / figure out an answer to.

[wafflesrisa]

What was the Batshit insanity from Red Bull?

Oh there’s been a lot going on. I think it’s time to gather a rough list of evidence going towards Daniel signing for RBR in 2025:

Laurent Mekies saying he’s “not worried” about Yuki and Daniel but also saying that VCARB intends to return to a team for juniors. Pair that with the fact Lawson’s contract expires 15 September and you’ve got a more than zero chance Mekies is considering a 2025 Liam-Yuki lineup at VCARB. As for Daniel… :)

Helmut Marko admitting that Checo isn’t good enough for RBR to win the constructors

Both VCARB and RBR social media admins going hard on the maxiel agenda in the run up to the Azerbaijan GP

Daniel’s Instagram post with a clip of the Monster’s Inc “put it back where it came from” scene and then a photo of himself with a statue of Sully from 2018 when he was still at RBR.

There’s also a load of info we know around how Checo’s camp squeezed their way into salvaging Checo’s seat for the rest of the 2024 season in the aftermath of Zandvoort. We know it was because of sponsorship for the Mexican GP. Checo has managed to keep his seat for the rest of the 2024 season but 2025 is up for grabs

Although a lot of the above evidence is circumstantial I think it isn’t too delusional to conclude that Daniel has signed something but he can’t talk about it yet 👀

[camels-pen]

you ever think about post-wano sanji blaming everything on his mutation?

It starts out small, of course. A day when nothing seems to go right and he feels little else other than rage. He considers that the mutation stuck around, that it was amplifying his anger somehow. He considers it, but ultimately let's the thought drift away as nonsense.

Then he considers it again when they have a calm day out at sea. He doesn't feel the need to put on flairs for the girls when he serves their snacks, and he doesn't feel the need to kick the three idiots when they come to the kitchen whining for their own snacks. Sanji serves them with a flourish and not a single complaint.

A third time. He drags his feet the whole day, feeling like a pile of cement bricks. He can't muster any feelings at all, just goes through the motions of the day. He can't even really remember it. This time scares him the most.

And just. On and on like that. And his suspicions grow more every day. He finds an excuse for it in everything.

Banged his finger and only cussed a little? Mutation.

Accidentally kicked Luffy overboard? Mutation.

Can't bring himself to insult Mosshead one day? Absolutely mutation.

It's a never ending spiral of existential fear.

He didn't want to lose his emotions. He didn't want to be like those Germa bastards.

He didn't want to hurt his friends.

(I wonder what lengths he would go to ensure that.)

[charlesreedscoolhat]

Charles: and how do I contact you in the future?

Johannes: you don't 🌟 bye you soggy bitch ✨️🕺✨️🕺🟨🟨🟨

[chai-dye]

*touches screen dramatically* v5 is almost here...

[0809sysblings]

Amane is a character that is super easy to misinterpret. If you try to take her at face value, you are not going to get very far. And not cause she's deceitful or lying. But I think it is because she says what she thinks she believes. And, in my opinion, what should be given the most attention is not if she actually believes what she's saying or not, but why she would believe what she's saying. That will give you a lot more insight into her character and a lot more to work with, I think.

[wewontbesleeping]

sometimes I’ll write a personal post and post it and I have to quick check my blog bc I’m afraid I somehow accidentally did not actually make a new post and instead added on to an existing post on the dash and look like an insane person. just talking nonsense on an unrelated post.

[marmotsomsierost]

you have had your squishy food. you have some left in your bowl.

yes, that bowl.

no i am not giving you more squishy food. you bolted 3/4 of the squishy food and then ignored your kibble in favor of excavating dog food from under the couch and eating it despite knowing that it swells up in your stomach and then the combo of too much squishy food and dog kibble means you horked it all up downstairs.

sierra ate it in the .4 milliseconds before i could get there.

then she rolled in it. now she stinks of cat foodgurgitation and zelda keeps trying to chew on her.

no.

you're 19 years old, old man. long past old enough to know better.

[gay--dog]

sometimes its hard to ask for advice about mental illness cause youll ask somethin like "how do i get out of the hell dimension" & the person youre talking to will be like "how did you even get to the fucking hell dimension" & youll have to respond like "man i dont know my brain just puts me in the hell dimension & then convinces me im actually better off burning in a pit of lava. it just does that sometimes i didnt think it was that bad" & then youll just realize youre actually so much more fucked mentally than you thought & they probably feel bad for your sad lil pathetic ass now

[graveravers]

Long unfocused rant abt the yandere trope (and how its affected bpd overtime)

I'll never hate myself for being mentally unwell as a kid but and I'll never regret that I latched onto harmful things to feel normal and to validate how I was, but I will advocated for the like denormalization of those things or at least having those things in spaces where minors can access it.

When you're a child desperately trying to figure out whats wrong with you and whether or not the way you think and feel is normal you'll take anything that people seem to like and support. for me that was the yandere trope, and it mostly only made me worst for the longest time. yes it eventually lead me to finding out abt bpd but only starting with the stigma. I didnt realize/find out that it was something to be worked through until I was in junior year of hs. and I found out abt yandere trope all the way in 6th grade.

While the yandere trope most likely wasnt invented based off of bpd its very very hard to say that it doesnt effect and up hold a stigma around it nowadays. it pushes harmful stereotypes about mental illnesses and the main one that gets it is bpd. shit like 'i want an obsessive partner' 'I want a partner thatd do anything for me' 'I want a girl like (anime girl that fits the yandere trope here ex. himiko toga or misa)!' has become stupid common

ive seen yandere aus for ships making a comeback lately and when I point out how we shouldnt be bringing it back people excuse it with 'its just fictional' or 'its not hurting anybody' when it has a long history of doing so. not to mention we hate 'booktok' girlies for liking basically the equivalent of the yandere trope in their books (those theirs is typically more sexual obviously) with like stalker or possessive male characters but at least they keep their shit in adult spaces (most of the time...)

let me get back to the bpd thing. for so long it was the closest thing younger people with bpd had to explaining how they were and it was HEAVILY romanticized and even came with a little made up disorder called 'obsessive love disorder' that some people STILL used to this day. ive come across accounts on both tumblr and twitter where its basically people feeding and feeding and feeding into the users bpd and shitty thoughts that come with it when it comes to love.

my cat distracted me and ive kind of lost what little focus I had on this subject but I hope at least a few people get what I mean when I say that the yandere trope and tropes like it have had a severe effect on people with bpd and that its not something that should be popularized and romanticized again AT THE VERY LEAST not in spaces where minors have easy access.

[sharkdays]

been meaning to mention this but i kept forgetting: i think it's interesting how most of the characters have some signature catchphrase when they tera

for friede and lizardon it's "surpass your potential"

for amethio and ceruledge it's "follow your own path"

[batsplat]

deeply compelled by this photo