R1: https://www.reddit.com/r/noveltranslations/comments/xsnu8t/its_always_the_little_girls/iqmxky1/?context=10000
Xianxia is a genre of fiction from China, mostly posted on the web, which is absolute garbage on a wide variety of levels. It stars martial arts monk types, who spend all their time cultivating chi so they can perfect themselves and become stronger so they can ascend to the next realm and do the same thing again. These monks take every unethical shortcut possible and are absolutely psychotic, murderous assholes.
In the first post, apparently the main character of one of these noticed someone from a planet of trillions looking at them funny. The character wants to hold the entire planet accountable (presumably threatening to kill them all). This is about course for the genre, maybe slightly worse than normal. The poster is making fun of the character for this, or maybe the author for not treating this as bad, I dunno.
In the second post, someone admits that this is the draw for them in the worst way possible.
It's definitely a super trashy genre but I wouldn't say "unethical shortcuts" is the standard for the main characters. There are some series where the MC is a good guy like 永恒圣王/Eternal Saint King where the dude
spoiler
almost exhausts his lifespan trying to invent a method that will allow the general population to cultivate
It's also not without value in terms of social commentary in the typical dynamic of the orthodox sects which generally end up being hypocritical oppressors vs demonic sects which the downtrodden have no choice but to turn to.
The nature of the setting does lend itself to aristocratic social structure as individuals are capable of accumulating reality warping actual power which I can understand but unfortunately there's often a lot of other reactionary elements in terms of gender dynamic, nationalism in thinly veiled real-world parables, treatment of queer characters, etc
I've always just been a fan of the high fantasy concept of a consistent power system available to everyone as opposed to superheroes, but it sucks that Xianxia in general just sucks lmao. Wish I could read one by a leftist, preferably with an actual editor instead of retconning shit every 50 chapters and having no idea what to do for an overall plot.
Is that subreddit something I'm not online enough to understand.
based on the memes of this subreddit, i would not willingly read the works within this literary genre/millieu. is there actually anything good there or is it all kinda trashy wish fulfillment fantasy stuff?
e: jesus christ
Is this cultivation fiction? If it is, just go read Beware of Chicken to get the satirical comedy version of it.
BoC is great and pretty wholesome, but I don't know if it will hit the same if you don't know the tropes it is subverting.
