Xiao Xingchen is an interesting character, but he’s not entirely unique in his disposition and subsequent downfall. The most obvious parallel is the one that Wei Wuxian makes between himself and Xiao Xingchen (“In that moment, Wei Wuxian saw himself in Xiao Xingchen…” pg. 156). However, Xiao Xingchen has a lot in common with Xie Lian, specifically his first ascension and fall. Everything that Xue Yang says to Xiao Xingchen in their final confrontation can be said of Xie Lian.
Xue Yang says, “if you don’t know how this works works, then don’t enter it” (153). This sums up the criticism Xie Lian largely received when interfering in the Xianle/Yong’an war. He didn’t understand that you can’t walk away from a war with no casualties, and he didn’t understand how to effectively govern a kingdom. Furthermore, the Holy Temple in which he trained was literally on a mountain, much like Xiao Xingchen’s origins.
Xue Yang says, “save the world! What a joke, you can’t even save yourself!” and “you’ve accomplished nothing! Failed utterly! You only have yourself to blame! You reap what you sow!” (156). This is fairly self-explanatory in the context of Xie Lian’s first fall from grace and the period of struggle directly after.
The fact that Xiao Xingchen parallels two of the MXTX protagonists is interesting. I very vaguely remember hearing that the Xiao Xingchen story was something MXTX had come up with in high school. Then, it makes sense that his character is as such, and might point to somewhat formulaic (not that it’s bad) writing on the part of MXTX.
Thought complete, goodbye.
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My friend and I are doing a Silent Hill RP, and they’re using Mo Dao Xu Shi’s Xue Yang, so I’ve come up with some traumatizing shit for him, a giant carriage abomination that charges backwards blindly, crushing anything that is in it’s way, such as the broken canine monster to the right. This one can hardly moved due to all of its many thin bones being snapped or crushed, and it cries like a hurt child. The bottom is a candy-head, with it’s multiple coloured eyes, sits still with the head visible, the gelatinous clear head giving the illusion of a bag of circular candies. It’s blood is bright candy red, clear, and can leave a burning rash on the skin.
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The other ad I done for Treasure Zine~ Based on various Chinese vintage ads! My fav for obvious reason <3
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Whenever I think about xuexiao, I always ponder over to which extent Xue Yang was aware of his own emotions. Did he even comprehend that he is capable of loving someone or has he been experiencing something wild without ever stopping to reflect on it? Whatever the answer is, I like to believe that there was a stage somewhere in first half of their domestic bliss, where Xue Yang was completely oblivious. He got to the point where he didn’t want to see Xiao Xingchen sad and always tried to cheer him up, but his sole reasoning behind it was “daozhang looks prettier when he smiles”. And yet the “prettiest” moment Xue Yang’s brain has registered was when he told a joke that made Xiao Xingchen laugh (with lots of wheezing and snorting) so hard he fell off the bench he was sitting on.
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Been ruminating on possible permutations of yi city again recently and honestly I think due to his guilt complex Xiao Xingchen might have an easier time 'forgiving' (put in quotes bc forgiveness as a concept is not always entirely applicable to xuexiao) Xue Yang for tricking him into killing Song Lan, compared to if Xue Yang just straight-up killed Song Lan himself. What are your thoughts on this?
oh hmmmm. been turning this one around in my head for a bit (since you sent this ask) and thinking, because I think...hm. I don't know that "forgive" is the word I'd use here, even in the loosest sense. I actually don't think that, when it comes to Xiao Xingchen's feelings about how he was tricked into killing Song Lan, he even ever processes to the point of feeling anything coherent about Xue Yang's role in it. I think he gets as far as "my beloved companion is dead" > "I'm responsible for his beloved companion's death" and never takes the extra step to "Xue Yang is responsible for me killing my beloved companion." which is what destroys him! or at least a big chunk of what does. not what Xue Yang did (or not just that) but what Xiao Xingchen did.
this is not to say I don't think Xiao Xingchen is very upset (understatement) by what Xue Yang has done, or that he doesn't recognize his culpability. just that I think in that moment Xiao Xingchen is much more preoccupied with his own culpability than anything else.
I do think that Xue Yang's responsibility for Song Lan's death is one of the highest hurdles to clear in any speculative scenario where things aren't immediately cut off by Xiao Xingchen's death, in terms of, like, any kind of continuing relationship between Xiao Xingchen and Xue Yang that's not solely antagonistic. more even than the other murders, though I think Xiao Xingchen would feel a little bad about that. if Song Lan is conscious and independent I think that can mitigate some of the anger, but I don't think it erases it.
but I also think that Xiao Xingchen would not view Xue Yang's actions as a mitigating factor in his own guilt. for Xiao Xingchen, the fact that Xue Yang manipulated him into killing Song Lan by mistake vanishes in the enormity of the fact that he killed Song Lan. the argument that could be made that Xiao Xingchen was nothing more than Xue Yang's weapon, and as culpable as a weapon would be (the same argument Wei Wuxian makes about Wen Ning, actually), wouldn't mean anything to Xiao Xingchen in terms of absolution.
I don't think Song Lan would feel that way. but Xiao Xingchen would, and I don't know that there'd be any talking him out of it. possibly he could live with it, given compelling enough reasons to do so, but he would never forgive himself, or believe that he wasn't at fault.
so I guess...it's not so much that Xiao Xingchen forgives or doesn't forgive Xue Yang, it's that the blame he would place on Xue Yang about Song Lan's death is completely drowned by the blame he places on himself.
I think if it had just been a matter of the murdered villagers, that might not be the case. I think, with that knowledge, Xiao Xingchen would be more capable of separating out his own responsibility from Xue Yang's (though...still not great). But everything with Xiao Xingchen's Song Lan feelings, particularly his preexisting Song Lan guilt feelings, is so big and personal and cuts so deep that Xiao Xingchen can't make those distinctions anymore.
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Once again thinking about CQL’s insistence that A-Qing is totally alive. She’s not even a puppet. They just want us to accept her as a normal girl. Sure, she bleeds continually from the eyes and mouth and resides in an abandoned town blanketed with poisonous fog, and she still looks and is treated like a young teen despite being in her 20s according to the professed timeline, but she’s DEFINITELY not a ghost, no sir. She’s fine!
Super alive behavior. 🤗
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