Chapter 193-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
This post quickly attracted many people with similar feelings. Since Ye Zheng's appearance, discussions about King of the Demonic Domain's female character portrayal had been increasing, with the vast majority taking a critical stance. But today, someone openly expressed opposition to this critical atmosphere.
[To be fair, do you want the Emperor to die in childbirth? Then you'd say it's stealing women's reproductive ability. In some people's eyes, whatever you do is misogynistic.]
[Maternal love is what most people can relate to. If it were a father sacrificing, I wouldn't be as moved. How has praising maternal love wronged you?]
[You shout about women's freedom, but every day you're paternalistically disciplining women about what they should be. Women can clearly be warriors, mothers, love beauty, and do anything.]
[Ye Zheng, who kills ruthlessly for justice, is an awakened strong female lead, but the former Empress, who sacrificed herself to save the country and people without harming anyone, gets called a blood bag tool character. Do Zheng fans' values really have no problems?]
...
Li Yixin also came across this post. She felt confused about the former Empress's portrayal, so she clicked into all related posts.
When browsing the new chapter's plot about the former Empress and the Emperor father and son, she frowned the whole time. She felt no emotion, only an indescribable strangeness.
Li Yixin had a low threshold for tears and was easily moved. Every time she saw plots in movies or anime about mothers or wives sacrificing themselves, her eyes would well up with tears. But this time, she even doubted whether she had become numb from studying.
She quickly figured out the reason. Similar plots had actually appeared in the West District's Hope Project arc. At that time, she had genuinely admired those women who voluntarily devoted themselves to the Hope Project, considering them great and righteous.
But at the end of the West District plot, Ye Zheng harshly awakened her—why is the path for women to achieve righteousness always dying behind men? Why can't these powerful women save the world while alive?
This time, the former Empress's story was just packaged more sophisticatedly in the name of maternal love. The essence was exactly the same as the West District arc. As fellow fans put it, using tragic women to decorate men's heroic medals.
The post was full of fierce arguments. The focus was no longer on what Ye Zheng or Zheng fans did. About maternal love and female character portrayal, everyone had their own views. Many male readers expressed "I'm a guy and I see no problem" and "Sykes's mom is the real saint, Ye Zheng is a fake saint."
Li Yixin scrolled through this post, feeling extremely irritated. She exited and refreshed the homepage, discovering a new post.
[Before praising her as a great mother, please treat her as a person first.] [hot]
[#1: Before praising her as a great mother, please treat her as a person first.]
[#2: The "her" here can be the former Empress, or any woman in entertainment works and the real world. Every time you praise how noble and selfless maternal love is, the shackles mothers bear become heavier. The more sacred and great the title of "mother," the more a woman's social identity is weakened, until she becomes a flawless, wholly devoted mother.]
[#3: Society praises mothers as omnipotent superheroes for their children, "women are weak, but mothers are strong," but why are these strong mothers always the ones being sacrificed, only able to live in gray memories?]
[#4: You say mothers are great superheroes, but why is there no superhero mother fighting bravely to protect her child and save the world? There's only the mother dying because of her superhero son, after which the son embarks on a path of salvation or destruction?]
[#5: A mother's "highlight" is always in death and on the road to death. But the spotlight on a great mother's corpse isn't a highlight—it's bloodsucking fangs. Even in death, she's still a tool for men's self-pity and self-justification—look how pitiful he is, he lost his mother!]
[#6: But if people really cherished mothers so much, how could they die in works in various ways? They even sincerely believe that the moment of a mother's death is the greatest highlight of her life?]
[#7: In entertainment works, fathers and sons are separated by a thousand misunderstandings and ten thousand conflicts, reconciling through struggle and adventure. Mothers are forever the warmest harbor. She can understand her husband's ambitions and her child's rebellion. People are grateful for a mother's tolerance, but no one cares about a mother's ambitions or her shadow side, so she truly becomes a vague harbor.]
[#8: Women have the freedom to sacrifice, to return to family, to love beauty. But the premise of freedom is having a choice. Are you sure society has given women other options? If the answer is yes, then so many mothers wouldn't die one after another in artistic works.]
The comment section of this post was surprisingly harmonious. Except for a very few troublemakers, everyone's discussion was relatively peaceful and comfortable. Perhaps the text itself was a threshold.
...
[#196: Well said. Actually, to judge whether a female character's portrayal is good, just look at male viewers' attitudes. If they praise a female character, something's definitely wrong with her.]
[#197: King of the Demonic Domain is typical male-pandering literature. Things everyone mocks in real life—how did they become acceptable wrapped in a 2D male skin?]
[#198: Men's moms are like men's morals—vague and fleeting. They're brought out for display when needed, but most of the time they can't even remember them.]
[#199: My mom is ordinary, but I can feel her love for me from many small details. People who keep saying mother sacrifice is a highlight—I can hardly imagine their attitude toward their own mothers...]
After reading the OP's post, Li Yixin suddenly thought of her own mother.
For a long time during adolescence, she hated her mother who constantly hovered around her. Her every move would attract her mother's attention and inquiries. That kind of maternal love made her feel suffocated. Why couldn't her mother work like her father? Why did she always have to control her?
During that time, she preferred her father. He didn't manage so much. His care outside of work was always just right, and he wouldn't constantly argue with her over small things.
Because of some trivial matter, she once yelled at her mother, "Why do you care so much? Mind your own business!"
She had said even harsher things.
After her emotions subsided, she always felt regret, but couldn't bring herself to apologize to her mother. Perhaps even if she apologized, she wouldn't know what to say. Sourness blocked her throat.
But now, Li Yixin's adolescence was almost over. She finally had some thoughts.
Back then, what she really wanted to say wasn't "mind your own business," but "Mom, you deserve a broader life."
*
Tang Mingxi saw the post next door naming Ye Zheng to slander her. She stopped pretending and started cursing directly.
[#1: Anyone else feel like Sykes won't live much longer?]
[#2: This little boy who loves his mother so much deserves to clock out early with a lunch box.]
[#3: Don't delete my post or curse me, okay? Old Uncle said we can discuss which important character will die. I vote for Sykes. What about you all?]
Seeing this title, Zheng fans who had been holding in their anger arrived even before Sykes fans.
[#46: Darkening boy, stand at attention!]
[#47: I vote for Percy because I'm a subordinate duo CP fan. Please stay locked together wherever you go~]
[#48: Sykes thinks he's so oppressed and suffering so he darkens. Staying in this cruel world is too much pressure for our fragile little boy (crying emoji)]
[#49: His inheritance rights were shaken a bit and he darkens. I think the one with the most reason to darken is Sykes's sister. She never even had inheritance rights. Doesn't that deserve a major darkening?]
[#50: I vote for Sykes. Hope the world will no longer have the disgusting SyZheng ship...]
[#51: Our Steam Empire bot has initiated exile voting. Sykes was elected number one most deserving to go offline character with high votes.]
[#52: So authoritative? Old Uncle must respect our Steam Empire's voting results.]
[#53: I hereby announce the dissolution of King of the Demonic Domain. I will join the more authoritative organization called Steam Empire.]
...
[#108: You're all joking, but I actually think it's possible? Sykes is going to darken and destroy the world. Ye Zheng definitely can't let him succeed. Male characters who offend our Empress Ye all either die or disappear.]
[#109: Zheng fans' dream offline, cursing characters is really your traditional skill. My son has so much development, Creator's designated second male lead. Your girl is more likely to go offline, okay?]
[#110: The one cursing characters is someone else. Next door they're all guessing it's Lucy, saying she'll sacrifice herself in the West District to protect her teammates. Can your big male lead not move forward without women's corpses paving the way?]
[#111: Poor Lucy, a little girl. Sure enough, Sykes is most suitable to go offline.]
[#112: Friendly reminder—the last male character who appeared grandly and confidently thought he could beat Ye Zheng, his merch price has already crashed through the earth's core.]
[#113: OP is obviously joking. Sykes fans, don't curse. Let's respect women's freedom to joke about male characters.]
[#114: Stop trying to discipline us Zheng fans. Who will protect our three-dimensional women's freedom to curse 2D men?]
...
[#427: Okay, our floor count has surpassed next door. It seems in the forum poll, Sykes also won the honor of "most likely to go offline character." Old Uncle, please don't go against public opinion!]
Zheng fans in the forum only treated this post as trolling. After all, everyone knew in their hearts that the Creator spent so much effort developing Sykes—how could he let him go offline easily?
Tang Mingxi felt satisfied with a hint of regret and turned off her phone.
Author's Note:
An elder in the family had a birthday celebration and I was busy until very late, so tonight's update is late. Apologies to those staying up late...
Comments
Post a Comment