Chapter 98-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
[Am I the only one who thinks Percy is OOC in the latest plot...]
Seeing this title, Tang Mingxi keenly sensed that the male protagonist, Percy, was at the center of a controversy in this new update. Although she was only interested in Ye Zheng's plotline, the drama of a "rival fans" downfall was equally appealing!
She quickly switched back to the manga app, not wanting to miss any chance to see the "rival fans" make a fool of themselves.
As soon as she switched to the manga app, a splash screen suddenly popped up, showing a black-haired, green-eyed young man smiling and extending a hand toward the screen. Tang Mingxi stared for a moment, then quickly took a screenshot. This was the splash screen event reward for the previous [Most Popular Female Character] poll.
The thought of those people who hated Ye Zheng, as well as the Zhao Mei stans who didn't acknowledge Ye Zheng, getting hit in the face with this as soon as they opened the manga app today—and it was a result they themselves had voted for—made Tang Mingxi unable to resist a secret snicker.
The more she looked at Zhao Mei on the screen, the better-looking he seemed. Ye Zheng's male disguise completely crushed popular "mango faces" like Percy and Sykes. The "Ye Zheng antis" were truly blessed to see such a handsome splash screen!
In high spirits, she clicked into the new update for King of the Demonic Domain.
The new chapter picked up from the previous one where Ye Zheng's identity was revealed and she drew the sword. The people lined the streets, cheering, while the protagonist team watched it all in shock.
Several days passed, and the group still couldn't digest this shocking reversal. As soon as Percy went out, he heard voices praising the Saintess everywhere. The image of Zhao Mei from the past gradually overlapped with the portraits of the Saintess hanging high on the streets.
Seeing this, Tang Mingxi felt something was off about the plot. The creator repeatedly emphasized the contrast between the past and present, making it seem as if Ye Zheng was some big liar, even though Zhao Mei had never denied being Ye Zheng!
There was also a close-up shot in the manga of a Saintess portrait. The black-haired, black-eyed young woman had her hands crossed over her heart in a very gentle and harmless posture, yet her eyes held a coldness, as if her smile didn't reach them.
Tang Mingxi, struck by the image, immediately took a screenshot, while thinking indignantly: Although she really liked the occasional "gloomy vibe" from Ye Zheng, the creator's deliberate magnification of this scene was practically sticking an "I'm the villain" label right on Ye Zheng's forehead.
But Ye Zheng clearly hadn't done anything to wrong the protagonist team. As Zhao Mei, she had even helped them a lot. She obtained the divine sword through her own ability, so how did that make her a villain?
Tang Mingxi was dissatisfied with the creator's handling of Ye Zheng. She continued reading, becoming even more annoyed with the creator.
Just as the Cloud-Soaring Squad's atmosphere was low, Lucy went missing.
Something had happened in her hometown, the West District. Lucy left without saying goodbye, quietly leaving the team. Percy and the others held the letter Lucy left behind, their expressions heavy.
Tang Mingxi knew with her toes what would happen next. Percy and his team would definitely go to the West District to find Lucy, help her solve the crisis there, show off the Cloud-Soaring Squad's "team spirit", and earn a "protecting a companion" "highlight". Weren't these the standard tropes in "shounen manga"? Lucy was just a "plot device character" to introduce difficulties, and she'd probably even get flamed by readers for holding the team back.
But the following plot development made Tang Mingxi's jaw drop. Percy actually chose not to go find Lucy!
She curiously scrolled down. In the following plot, the creator depicted Percy's psychological struggle at length—how he agonized between the personal emotion of saving a companion and the grand desire to fulfill his mission. The long-winded inner monologue made Tang Mingxi want to skip it.
She flipped to the last page. Roy said that Ye Zheng and Sykes were going to the West District together, and Percy, after complex deliberation, decided to also go to the West District to bring Lucy back.
Tang Mingxi finally understood what the hot post on the forum was all about.
[#1: Am I the only one who thinks Percy is OOC in the latest plot...]
[#2: Declaration: I'm a Percy stan, been following since the manga first started serializing. I feel terrible after reading the new plot. Is my understanding of Percy wrong, or is Old Uncle's portrayal OOC? Given the deep bond between the squad members, Percy should have run off to the West District to find Lucy the moment he heard she was missing. He's always been a brave hero who would sacrifice himself for others. He'd save even a stranger without hesitation, let alone Lucy!]
[#3: You're the one who's blind. Did you even read the delicate and conflicted psychological depiction of Percy that followed?]
[#4: I was also a bit surprised when I saw Percy first decide not to save Lucy, but after reading the description later, I actually feel like Percy's character has been solidified. Mindless hot-bloodedness is what's flat and boring.]
[#5: Anyone "pretending to be a fan" (pipimhei, pretending to be a fan of a character to anti another character) to slander the character, please delete your post. Anyone can call themselves a Percy mom fan now? How can you be a Percy stan if you don't even understand Percy?]
[#6: Hmm... The OP said what I was afraid to say. To the few posters above, don't coddle him too much. You think you're coddling Percy, but you're actually coddling Old Uncle. What's wrong with pointing out OOC?]
[#7: OP is so weird. If it's OOC, you should blame Old Uncle. Why are you dragging the characters , may I ask?]
[#8: You Percy mom fans have an absolutely superior mentality. The plot has already collapsed this badly, and you can still lie with your eyes open. Is anyone going to care about whether our Lucy lives or dies?]
[#9: Percy stans who think there's no problem with the plot, please let me get to know you. I'm going to sell you insurance when I'm old.]
[#10: What's the point of attacking Percy stans? Aren't Percy and Percy stans the biggest victims of this plot?]
[#11: You're right, but our Lucy has just been so lightly forgotten by everyone...]
[#12: Lucy mom fans, how dare you show your faces. In the end, if Lucy hadn't run off, the Cloud-Soaring Squad wouldn't have faced this dilemma!]
[#13: Percy's ideal has always been to protect his hometown, the lower district. How is that OOC? It's human nature to struggle between friendship and ideals. Anyway, after reading this plot, I love him even more. Percy has become more fleshed-out.]
[#14: Percy stans are so good at "cognitive dissonance" (zuoyounao-hubo, literally 'left and right brain fighting'). One second it's "it's OOC, don't drag the characters," the next it's "our baby boy has grown flesh and blood." Can you perform your rhetoric from last week when you were flaming Ye Zheng?]
[#15: Absolutely double standards. Many people are afraid to say it, but the Percy this time is just low. He can't even protect his companion, yet he wants to achieve some grand ideal. So ridiculous.]
[#16: The poster above is so daring. Protect you!]
[#17: How daring! How dare you say that about our fleshed-out "male-centric protagonist". You don't want to live?]
[#18: Finally know who's fanning the flames. You Ye Zheng stans don't even hide your affiliation when you're stirring up drama. They're so stupid, it's reassuring. Percy stans, don't let them lead the public opinion.]
[#19: Can a passerby speak? The feeling of this plot is just weird. Instead of silencing others passersby here, you should go to Old Uncle's account to protest.]
[#20: Everyone, please come and analyze the joke in #19. "ID: Zheng-Dragon-Heavenly-Maiden (Zheng-Long-Tian-Nv)", "Passerby"]
[#21: What true passersby? They're all "Zheng-passersby" (Zheng sounds similar to zhen, which means true, a pun on Zheng-passersby and true passersby). Our Percy mom fans are just too gentle and kind. Anyone can step on us.]
...
The "Zheng-passerby" Tang Mingxi scoffed as she read. This tactic of diverting attention was really simple and effective. The controversy about Percy himself was easily shifted to a fight between character stans.
And what did this have to do with them, the Ye Zheng mom fans, or Ye Zheng? Anyone who didn't know better would think Ye Zheng held a gun to Percy's head and forced him to make that choice.
[#162: I support the OP. Our Lucy really invested her feelings in the wrong person. She thought everyone was good friends, but it turns out she was the one who could be easily abandoned.]
[#163: Lucy stans are the least qualified to blame Percy. Who's been dragging the Cloud-Soaring Squad down this whole time? Who is it? I won't say.]
[#164: Oh my god. Is it that our Lucy doesn't want to contribute? She's been constantly marginalized by Old Uncle, and now she's being blamed for not contributing enough?]
[#165: Dad fans are forever young, forever masters of flexible double standards. When it's time to flame a female character, our usually "flat" and "soulless" baby girls suddenly becomes vivid and fleshed-out.]
[#166: LMAO. There are less than five Lucy mom fans in existence. The moment it's time to flame Percy, a whole bunch of them appear. Ye Zheng mom fans, stop hiding behind other girls' fanbases. You all are the most misogynistic.]
[#167: I'm really confused. If there's a problem with the plot, shouldn't we be flaming the creator? Why are all the Percy stans flaming other irrelevant female 2D characters and their stans?]
[#168: That's just how the revered "baby boy" is. Can't be flamed. Our "Emperor Perc (the Per in Percy sounds like pei, which means losing money, so here is a pun on Percy's name and 'to lose money') has arrived, everyone get out of the way!]
[#169: Calling someone "unprofitable" (peiqianhuo, 'money-loser')? Who's the "unprofitable" one? A certain someone's fans have been hyping up the "sword-snatching highlight" and calling her the breakout number one person in King of the Demonic Domain. The officials even promoted her with a splash screen. And this is all her merch sales? (Attaches spreadsheet comparing merch sales)]
[#170: Your Percy's plot time is more than ten times that of Ye Zheng's, but his merch sales are only double hers. That's such a low rate of return. How dare you make spreadsheets and pull out data for it?]
[#171: We know you "Emperor Perc" fans were severely triggered by our Zheng's gorgeous splash screen. Since that's the case, let's all enjoy it again (Attaches Ye Zheng's splash screen promo image)]
[#172: "Emperor Perc" fans, you should be on your knees thanking us. We Ye Zheng stans are very busy today. We haven't even finished appreciating the Saintess's extra mini-manga, and we still have to take time out of our day to give you the time of day.]
...
[#284: To all Percy mom fans, please understand. We Lucy stans are very grateful for the Captain's care all this time. Besides, Percy did decide to go save Lucy in the end.]
[#285: The poster above really thinks all us Lucy mom fans are dead. Next time a baby boy mom fan pretends to be a Lucy mom fan and kneel-slides (huagui, abjectly apologizes) on our behalf, please show proof of identity (Attaches photo of large-volume Lucy merch purchase)]
[#286: I originally had a pretty good impression of Lucy, but this time I've straight-up become an anti. Fans are like their faves, her fans are just as ungrateful as she is. With Lucy's abilities, she's not even qualified to stand with Percy. It's just that my son is too kind and willing to carry dead weight.]
[#287: Suspecting Percy stans couldn't win against Ye Zheng mom fans, so they're starting to whitewash their baby boy by bullying an unpopular female character. Poor Lucy, a plot device character both inside and outside the manga.]
Tang Mingxi didn't have a strong impression of Lucy, but compared to the three guys in the Cloud-Soaring Squad, Lucy was much cuter. Plus, when Ye Zheng was Zhao Mei, she had gotten along well with Lucy. Tang Mingxi couldn't help but feel a sense of affection by association.
This post discussing whether Percy was OOC had completely derailed into a character stan free-for-all. Many Percy stans, in order to prove that Percy's actions were fine, had actually started blaming Lucy to divert everyone's focus. Their thick-skinned audacity was infuriating.
Tang Mingxi's eyes rolled. A wicked idea formed in her mind.
She opened Weibo and clicked into Lucy's Super Topic. Although this Super Topic was very dead, Lucy still had a small group of true-love fans who would diligently organize her plotlines.
Tang Mingxi saved a few images, then clicked back into the forum. Her usual ID, SoWhatIfIHateTheWholeWorld, was already recognizable to the Percy stans. She specially switched to another account and published a new post.
[Am I the only one who can't stand Lucy?]
[#1: Am I the only one who can't stand Lucy? I used to coddle her purely because she was a member of the Cloud-Soaring Squad, but in reality, she's just so hard to comment on.]
[#2: In this new plot, she's just so selfish. Why is everyone blaming Percy? Percy was totally dragged down by her.]
[#3: She was useless in the previous plots too, still insisting on wearing a dress during battle to look pretty. Who is she trying to impress? Everyone else is fighting monsters, and she's there pulling at her skirt (Attaches image of Lucy's early-manga outfit)]
[#4: In the Labyrinth Demonic Domain, if her butterflies had been the least bit useful, Percy would have gotten the sword long ago. This woman is the most useless character in "our Gui" (ni-Gui, 'this manga'), bar none (Attaches plot image)]
Tang Mingxi trolled as a rival fan for four posts in a row. After posting, she looked them over and over, suddenly feeling a bit of regret. The bait was too obvious and too idiotic. What if the Percy stans saw at a glance that she was trolling?
She refreshed the page, and several replies quickly flooded the post.
[#5: Oh my god, protect! Finally, someone dares to say it. I was afraid I'd get a misogyny warning if I said anything.]
[#6: It's the truth. Lucy is just a classic energetic, brainless pretty girl trope from a male-oriented genre. As a female reader, isn't it normal to hate this kind of stereotyped character?]
[#7: She's triggering my intolerance for stupidity. What's the point of her going back alone except to create a moral dilemma for her teammates?]
[#8: Everyone is flaming Percy for not saving her, but why must Percy save her? If Percy gives up everything to save her, and then they lose the competition, are you all going to flame Percy for being a brainless, sanctimonious fool?]
[#9: Enough. Stop making my son clean up after his stupid teammates. Percy has to save people and take the blame. He's literally the biggest scapegoat king in this manga.]
[#10: My heart ached seeing this update. When has Percy ever been so conflicted? They completely ignore Percy's pain to flame him.]
...
Tang Mingxi hadn't expected the Percy stans to take the bait so smoothly. No one saw that she was intentionally reverse-hyping(fanchao, trolling to provoke a backlash). They were genuinely picking Lucy apart, looking like they had been holding it in for a long time. The replies were increasing rapidly.
"...What shocking logic."
She marveled.
Soon, passersby other than Percy stans were also attracted by the extremely provocative title and were shocked by the malice directed at Lucy. Different voices began to emerge in the post.
[#52: Are you guys serious? You can find fault with a cute girl like Lucy?]
[#53: Ummm, excuse me, if something happened to your family, would you still be in the mood to compete? There's nothing wrong with Lucy's choice.]
[#54: Isn't it true that she dragged her teammates down? Taking ten thousand steps back, this was her own choice. What right do you have to morally blackmail Percy into giving up the competition to save her?]
[#55: Congratulations, Percy stans. You've been promoted to the most unreasonable group in this manga. The problem with Percy is clearly OOC. When you were hyping him, you said Percy was a rare, righteous protagonist in this era, a true savior. And then this savior can calmly continue competing after his companion goes missing? You all really think that's not a problem?]
[#56: I'm so dumbfounded by you fellow fans. Anyway, I'm quitting the fandom. Here's my proof, don't say I'm a rival fan fanning the flames (Attaches photo of Percy merch purchase receipts)]
[#57: The bond of the Cloud-Soaring Squad is a crucial part of Percy's character design. Hesitating for so long over whether to save Lucy... he's already disqualified. This is the first time I've been disappointed in the protagonist after following King of the Demonic Domain for so long.]
[#58: Lucy mom fans are really going to cry. Did Lucy wear a dress in battle because she wanted to, or because the creator wanted her to? Don't you all have a clue? In the Labyrinth, Yu Tianming used his S-rank ability to suppress her C-rank ability, which is why the butterflies fell. Lucy's expression was so self-reproachful afterward, and you're still using that image to judge her? Is Lucy useless, or does King of the Demonic Domain just love sidelining her and using her as a plot device character to create conflict? Don't you really know?]
[#59: My precious Lucy, my heart aches for you. Got triggered and went to the official website to buy a bunch of badges, tell the dead officials, we Lucy mom fans are not cowards!]
...
The accusations, so excessive that even passersby couldn't stand it, successfully flipped the post's public opinion. Most readers could see the problem with Percy this time. Madly slinging mud at the female character only made the rational readers rebel.
[#172: Saw the recommendation from the Lucy mom fan and successfully joined the fandom! Facing unknown dangers all by herself, our Lucy is truly a brave little girl.]
[#173: A Ye Zheng mom fan from next door also bought some Lucy merch to show support. The two precious girls got along so well before. The badges look so cute placed together.]
[#174: Oh my god, I used to ship ZhaoLu(Zhao Mei and Lucy). I was constantly bullied by the PerMei shippers. So happy to see the Percy stans' downfall.]
[#175: I'm a ZhaoLu shipping girl too, hahaha, still devastated. My BG ship got drastically changed to GL, and I still haven't readjusted myself from it. But I won't allow anyone to bully either of them!]
[#176: Aiyo, the male-centric protagonist stans finally got their-comeuppance. Thought they had a guaranteed win by bullying an unpopular girl, but ended up getting mocked by everyone hahaha.]
[#177: Lucy mom fans are about to die laughing. You thought you'd hit cotton by kicking us—huh, how did we turn into an iron plate? Are your feet okay?]
Hiding her contributions and fame, Tang Mingxi silently switched her account, feeling secretly thrilled. The domineering male-centric protagonist stans had finally been defeated, and they had even drawn away the firepower originally aimed at Ye Zheng. The Percy stans were starting to split internally, with no energy left to target Ye Zheng.
And so, Tang Mingxi opened the extra chapter [A Saintess's Day] again. The bullet comments on the manga had increased, and they were very friendly. As a Ye Zheng stan used to intense fan wars, this was the first time Tang Mingxi had seen such a harmonious comment section. It gave her a sense of peaceful and happy times.
She held her phone, suddenly pouting. This extra chapter also featured Zhao Mei's form. Should she tempt Li Yixin to come and appreciate it too?
Originally, the Ye Zheng fans and Zhao Mei fans were at each other's throats. She and Li Yixin had both quickly readjusted to their rival-fan identities. Now, they had a perfect chance to become fellow fans.
Author's Note:
Oh my god, a Weibo Super Topic with only 200 people actually has new fan-content every day. All the sensei are so talented!
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