noinobonoto

[noinobonoto]

#genshin impact

[noinobonoto]

#genshin impact

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#genshin impact #i love her

[noinobonoto]

biblically accurate arlecchino !!! 🥀

#genshin impact #arlecchino my beloved

[noinobonoto]

goodnight everyone (:

do your daily click

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donate to:

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[noinobonoto]

ON GHOSTS AND DEMONS: Wei Wuxian's "demonic" cultivation?

There are a few big misconceptions I have repeatedly seen in English-speaking fandom about things that are fundamental to the story of MDZS. One of them is this—

Wei Wuxian is not a demonic cultivator.

To prove this, let's take a deep dive into the original Chinese text of MDZS.

(Adapted from my original gdoc posted on Twitter on May 27, 2022. All translations my own unless otherwise stated.)

Demon vs. ghost

Let's start from the very basics. In addition to orthodox cultivation using spiritual energy and a golden core, there are two other forms of cultivation that are mentioned in the novel:

魔道 (mó dào), or “demon cultivation/path.”

鬼道 (guǐ dào), or “ghost cultivation/path.”

To be clear, 魔 mo "demons" and 鬼 gui "ghosts" (and thus their respective cultivation/paths) are not interchangeable because of the in-universe worldbuilding within MDZS. Using the characters in the term 妖魔鬼怪 "monsters," MXTX created four distinct categories of beings, each of which has a strict definition in the novel. From chapter 4 (jjwxc ch 13):

妖者非人之活物所化; 魔者生人所化; 鬼者死者所化; 怪者非人之死物所化。 Yāo (妖) are transformed from non-human living beings; mó (魔) are transformed from living people; guǐ (鬼) are transformed from the deceased; guài (怪) are transformed from non-human dead beings.

And of course, WWX hoards all the ghost-type pokemon monsters at the Phoenix Mountain tournament, and he only exerts control over corpses, spirits, and the like (aka people who have already died). (As opposed to Xue Yang, who appears to have been actively trying to make 魔 "demons" out of living people with those "living corpses" of his, perhaps.) (And, ironically, in order to avoid showing necromancy / zombies on screen, CQL technically does show WWX practicing demon cultivation because everyone is "supposedly alive" even when they're corpses? Which is, funnily enough, far worse morally in the MDZS universe, lol.)

So, intuitively at least, we know that WWX must be practicing ghost cultivation—now let's look at some concrete examples from the book.

Running the numbers

1) 魔道 (mó dào) means “demon cultivation.” As such, it must use living humans.

魔道 appears one (1) time in the novel.

Yes, once. The only time it appears is in the term 魔道祖师 modao zushi, or the namesake of the novel, in chapter 2. This is a title the general public has given him through rumors:

魏无羡好歹也被人叫了这么多年无上邪尊啦、魔道祖师啦之类的称号，这种一看就知道不是什么好东西的阵法，他自然了如指掌。 Wei Wuxian wasn’t called titles like “The Evil Overlord,” “The Founder of Demon Cultivation,” and so on over the years by others for nothing—he knew these sorts of obviously shady formations like the back of his hand.

2) 鬼道 (guǐ dào) means “ghost cultivation.” As such, it must use dead humans. 

鬼道 appears 12 times in the novel.

Here is the first instance that 鬼道 appears, which I believe is the first time Wei Wuxian's method of cultivation is properly introduced. From chapter 3 (jjwxc ch 8):

蓝忘机 […] 对魏无羡修鬼道一事极不认可。 Lan Wangji […] had never approved of the fact that Wei Wuxian practiced ghost cultivation.

Here's another quote from chapter 15 (jjwxc ch 71) for funsies:

蓝忘机看着他，似乎一眼就看出他只是随口敷衍，吸了一口气，道：“魏婴。” Lan Wangji looked at him as if he saw through his half-hearted bluff. He took in a breath, then said, “Wei Ying.” 他执拗地道：“鬼道损身，损心性。” He stubbornly continued, “Ghost cultivation harms one’s body, and harms one’s nature.”

3) 邪魔歪道 (xiemowaidao) means heretical path/immoral methods/evil practices/underhanded means/etc—e.g., lying, cheating, stealing, bribery, and so on.

It appears ~24 times in the novel.

I mention this last term because it is often used to refer to Wei Wuxian's cultivation, but as a pejorative. Every instance of 邪魔歪道 is said by or to quote someone looking down upon Wei Wuxian’s cultivation (Jin Zixun, Jin Ling, etc.) and referring to it derogatorily, whereas every instance of 鬼道 guidao/ghost dao is said by someone discussing it neutrally and/or factually (Lan Jingyi, Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian himself, random cultivators at discussion conferences, the narration, etc.). Here is a pertinent example with Jin Ling (derogatory) and Lan Jingyi (neutral) in chapter 9 (jjwxc ch 43):

金凌怒道：“是在谈论薛洋，我说的不对吗？薛洋干了什么？他是个禽兽不如的人渣，魏婴比他更让人恶心！什么叫‘不能一概而论’？这种邪魔歪道留在世上就是祸害，就是该统统都杀光，死光，灭绝！” “We are discussing Xue Yang,” Jin Ling said angrily. “Am I wrong? What did Xue Yang do? He’s scum that’s lower than a beast, and Wei Ying is even more disgusting than him! What do you mean ‘don’t make sweeping generalizations?’ As long as those practicing this kind of demonic, heretical path are alive, they’ll continue to bring disaster. We should slaughter all of them, kill all of them, annihilate them once and for all!” 温宁动了动，魏无羡摆手示意他静止。只听蓝景仪也加入了，嚷道：“你发这么大火干什么？思追又没说魏无羡不该杀，他只是说修鬼道的也不一定全都是薛洋这种人，你有必要乱摔东西吗？那个我还没吃呢……” Wen Ning shuffled around. Wei Wuxian gestured at him to stay still, only to hear Lan Jingyi also join the fray, bellowing, “Why are you getting so riled up? It’s not like Sizhui said Wei Wuxian shouldn’t have been killed. All he said was that people who practice ghost cultivation aren’t necessarily all like Xue Yang. Do you have to go around breaking things? I didn’t even get to eat any of that yet…”

Tl;dr—Wei Wuxian does not 修魔道 practice demon cultivation. When Wei Wuxian’s craft is discussed in a neutral and factual manner, it is referred to as 鬼道 ghost dao. 

In fact, Wei Wuxian’s imitators are also referred to explicitly as 鬼道修士 ghost cultivators.

魏无羡早就听说过，这些年来江澄到处抓疑似夺舍重生的鬼道修士，把这些人通通押回莲花坞严刑拷打。 Wei Wuxian had heard a while back that over the past few years, Jiang Cheng had gone around snatching any ghost cultivator suspected of being possessed or reborn, detaining them in Lotus Pier to interrogate them using torture.

So why the confusion?

Of course, there is the matter of the novel's title, which I will get into in a second. But the real issue is a matter of translation.

The idea that WWX uses "demonic cultivation" is a misconception in English-speaking fandom due to issues with the translation of terminology. Of note, EXR actually did translate 鬼道 guidao as "ghostly path" most of the time, though there were at least 3 instances of "demonic" and 1 instance of "dark," especially regarding the first few.

However, this misconception was perpetuated (and arguably worsened) by 7S's official translation, which not only mistranslated additional terms as "demonic cultivation/path" (at least in book 1), but also consistently mistranslated every instance of 鬼道 as "demonic cultivation/path."

So why is this book called 魔道祖师, commonly translated as "Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation?"

One possibility is one posed in Chinese-language meta online, which often cites that WWX himself is a sort of 魔 demon. While this may be true—after all, he can hear the voices of the dead—it doesn't quite explain the fact that the title sets him up to be the 祖师 or "founder."

My take is that this novel is very much concerned with hearsay vs. truth. This is one of the many monikers WWX is given by the public, who collectively view him as evil. (Also of note is that the non-cultivator public is not aware of all the nuances that cultivators learn re: distinctions between the 妖魔鬼怪 monsters.) In the quote from earlier, note that the first title we're given is actually 无上邪尊 “The Evil Overlord,” then 魔道祖师 "The Founder of Demon Cultivation." Like, what can that be other than MXTX telling us, "please take both of these with a HUGE grain of salt, lol."

(And not only the title, but the very first line—"魏无羡死了。" / "Wei Wuxian is dead."—is a lie.)

I think the title is genius, honestly. It intentionally makes readers come into the novel with preconceived notions that Wei Wuxian practices 魔道 demon cultivation and evil techniques—just like the public in the story. What better way to tell a story warning about the dangers of how easy it is to fall for misinformation and jump to incorrect conclusions?

(Though, in our case, perhaps it worked a little too well.)

#good post #sigh #i feel like we're having this conversation at least once a month #no wei wuxian is not a demonic cultivator and never practices demonic cultivation #he practices the ghost cultivation. that he created. he's the founder. #and no he doesn't pull anyone from the reincarnation cycle #it's annoying how popular this fanon is #mdzs

[noinobonoto]

foxxian and his precious kit a-yuan!!! (i rlly love all the foxxian/dragonji stuff in the fandom eek)

#mdzs

[noinobonoto]

You can donate to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund for as little as $1.00.

There is a fee you can choose to apply to cover processing.

Which if you choose to do leaves you with a total of ~$1.35 (USD) depending on the type of card you have.

PCRF has a score of 97% on Charity Navigator.

Adults and children alike are currently dying in Palestine due to starvation. (World Health Organization Link)

The Gaza Strip is one of two places in the entire world that is categorized as Phase 5 (the highest phase) on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification scale.

So even if you think it isn't enough, remember that donating even as little as $1.35 helps! It's $1.35 they wouldn't have had otherwise. So donate if you can. 🇵🇸

[noinobonoto]

with bds calling for an official boycott of eurovision, one of the things they have asked is for “supporters to launch creative, strategic initiatives that can pressure broadcasters to withdraw” and so i encourage all those whose countries are participating in eurovision to find out how to contact your national broadcaster to make a complaint. for those living in countries who dont broadcast eurovision i know u can still send a complaint to the bbc if ur outside the uk for one

this is the message i have been sending, feel free to translate it/use it as a template/improve it/etc:

Dear sir/ma'am,

In 2022, following the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine, pressure was applied to the Eurovision Song Contest to bar Russia from competing that year and all years since. It was widely rightfully agreed that the invasion was worthy of strong condemnation and that Russia should be given no avenues to rehabilitate its public image.

In October 2023, the state of Israel began a military campaign against the people of the already occupied Gaza Strip in Palestine. In a disproportionate, atrocious response to the Hamas attack on the 7th of October 2023, Israeli forces have murdered over 30,000 Palestinians and displaced almost 2 million from their homes. Palestinian civilians (journalists and doctors included), entirely unaffiliated with the Hamas party Israel claims to target, have been targeted and killed indiscriminately. Stripped of basic necessities like food, water and electricity by Israel, with intent vocalised by multiple Israeli forces to eliminate Gaza and the Palestinian people, this is no less than a genocide.

Thus Israel, much like Russia, should not be permitted to compete in a contest that has been used repeatedly to maintain its pristine public image while it brutally oppresses Palestine. Especially when it has been charged with genocide explicitly by South Africa, a case that took place in the ICJ, thoroughly elucidating the crimes committed by the Israeli state, a charge agreed upon by several countries and genocide scholars alike.

The BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement has called for a complete boycott of Eurovision by broadcasters, artists and viewers and I ask that the BBC comply with this - abstain from broadcasting the Eurovision Song Contest and withdraw this years entry to the contest.

Thank you.

[noinobonoto]

BOYCOTT ISRAEL

Got this flyer from a pro-Palestine march today. Make sure to boycott all these businesses that are funding the genocide Israel is still committing in Gaza right now.

[noinobonoto]

🍉🍉🍉

arab.org - clicks generate funds that go to gaza

gazaesims.com - purchase e-sim cards for gazans without internet

gofundme.com/f/careforgaza - sends funds to displaced families in gaza

piousprojects.org/campaign/2712 - provides hygiene kits for women/girls in gaza

[noinobonoto]

They are already selling data to midjourney, and it's very likely your work is already being used to train their models because you have to OPT OUT of this, not opt in. Very scummy of them to roll this out unannounced.

[noinobonoto]

once in a blue moon wangxians hehahehe

#mdzs

[noinobonoto]

hi if it’s okay i saw you were boosting fundraisers for Gaza and wanted to check if you’d be willing to boost this spreadsheet put together by Jenan Matari on IG. i made this post just cause she’s on IG and while she’s got a huge following there i kno some ppl just dont use certain platforms and wanted to spread it around here since its a huge list of folks in need for various reasons. i dont have a big following myself but still wanted to try. i understand its not just one person so any vetting is more difficult to do so understandable if you dont want to spread it around tho: https://www.tumblr.com/nonbinarymerbabe/741436918492987392/jenanmatari-posted-this-on-ig-she-and-a-friend

Here's the list:

Kareem Abu Samra: Legitimate fundraiser. Link. (43k out of 77k needed in USD)

Natasha Matar. Unsure, tried to contact the person in charge, the message bounced. Check if Jenan Matari herself has verified it or posted about it. Link.

Haya Hijazi: Legitimate fundraiser. Link. (108k out of 120k needed in Euros)

Amer Qudaih: Legitimate fundraiser. Link. (5k out of 10k needed in USD)

Rashida Alfaoimy: I think legitimate fundraiser. Link. (12k out of 85k needed in USD)

Ula El Hindi: This one's already verified by GoFundMe since it is being organized and sponsored by a verified NGO. Link. (4k out of 15k needed in Euros)

Muhammad Safi: Legitimate fundraiser. Link. (2k out of 30k needed in British pounds)

Yazan Khalaf: Legitimate fundraiser. Link. (3k out of 50k needed in USD.)

Afaf Masoud: Legitimate fundraiser. Link. (14k out of 40k needed in Euros)

Islam Daher: Not enough info to verify. Doesn't look like a scam. Link.

Qasim Alkafarneh: Not enough info to verify. Doesn't look like a scam. Link.

Motasem Khayal: Not enough info to verify. Doesn't look like a scam. Link.

Mohammed Abu Malan: I think legitimate fundraiser. Link. (1k out of 26k needed in Euros.)

Ahmed Saleh: I think legitimate fundraiser. Link. (5k out of 50k needed in Euros)

Salwa Zarifa: Not enough info to verify. Doesn't look like a scam. Link.

Al Ghandour family: Legitimate fundraiser. Link. (27k out of 100k needed in USD)

Motasem Quffa: Legitimate fundraiser. Link. (4k out of 10k needed in Euros)

Adel Al-Zaharna: Legitimate fundraiser. Link. (goal reached, likely still needs sustained support for survival until they can exist)

Mahmoud Al-Gharabli: Legitimate fundraiser. Link. (29k out of 57k needed in USD)

In conclusion, most of these are legit, and none of these are verifiably scams. The ones that I haven't been able to verify can still very well be legit.

For all those who want to check the rest themselves, here's the list.

If you're going to contact any of the representatives of the fundraisers that I couldn't verify, PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL. You never know what's happening with their friends or family. I'm not an ultimate authority on this either, this is just what I can tell to the best of my ability.

[noinobonoto]

#guess what it's almost 4 am

[noinobonoto]

Wei Wuxian by 生长痛芝zero

#mdzs #save me wei wuxian save me

[noinobonoto]

All Jellycat Birdlings

(Goldfinch, Swallow, Cardinal, Pigeon, Mallard, Blue Jay, Dove, Puffin, Robin, Kingfisher, Blue Tit, Woodpecker and Wren)

Ko-fi / Instagram