If you’re part of the western audience like me, and a live action or Donghua fan (also like me), do not let what fans who have not read the novel, or even fans who have but have negative things to say about it deter you from reading it for yourself. The novel is too good of a story, and a message, for you to pass it by. Read for yourself, understand characters, for yourself, understand the story for yourself.
Fans aren’t wrong when they say there are stuff in the live action and donghua that are misinterpreted or changed so I highly recommend reading the novel.
Another thing, it will or may be hard to shed what you’ve been taught, it might be hard not to compare (?) the characters and story to what you know, or your beliefs in order to understand the story better but try not to. I say that because even though you’re trying to use what you know to understand these very different people better, it may do more harm than good and you may find yourself putting things on the characters and the story to better understand for yourself.
It’s very, very important to remind yourself that this is a story from a Chinese standpoint. You’re reading a story about a different country, with a different culture, and a different language (which is also incredibly important as translation errors occur). You can’t use western logic.
The language part is so important. If you purchase the novel (in parts via Seven Seas) you’d think after reading you have a good or good enough grasp on the story. You don’t. Things in Chinese have a different meaning to English, and you’ll misunderstand some things due to translation errors. So, I also recommend finding fans who can translate and explain things well and/ or if you’re unsure or curious about anything.
Metas are also great help. These will help you understand the characters and story better especially if things go over your head (like me). I think the great thing about metas as well is that you will always learn something new. There’s different perspectives you that can see the story from. However, not every meta is good. Some people just chat shit about characters like WWX and LWJ for example, and get an inflated ego since so many agree with them and think they did something right. My advice is, if you truly want to understand, find people who will keep it real, who you can learn from even if the truth burns you. People whose metas challenge you.
A few I know of if you want to learn and understand more:
ladypfenix
mxtxfanatic
jiangwayinscatmom
mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess
wutheringskies
I hope my points came across well. If you decide to give the novel a try, happy reading. You’re in for a ride.
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the scene where drunk Lan Wangji lays down to sleep and says "It's 9 o'clock" is funny because "haha he always goes to bed when it's 9 o'clock" but it's even funnier if drunk Wangji interpreted "I'm going to bed" as "that must mean it's 9 o'clock" when it's actually like 2:13am or something. Drunk Wangji claiming it's 9 o'clock with FULL conviction as he goes to bed, no matter what time it actually is, because if he's going to bed that must mean it's 9 o'clock. And Wei Wuxian PISSING himself struggling to contain his laughter
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