Ooh if you do write that meta I'm so there and this is exactly what I use Dreamwidth for! I love talking about this stuff.
The whole thing of SQX losing access to their female form at the end of the story is Really Horrific if you think about it for a few seconds (like a lot of things that happen in MXTX's work...) there's so much gender horror to work with there! I'd love to see that kind of thing explored more.
And YES gender is performance and all that! I've read some really great takes where Shen Yuan is a trans woman who hasn't realized it yet, who transmigrates into cis woman SQQ and is like oh NO I have to pretend to be a woman now, and after years of that finally figures it out at some point down the line.
I got to about 80 chapters of Clear and Muddy Loss of Love and sadly couldn't stick with it! I couldn't be brought to care about the rest of the characters other than the main couple and it turns out it's not just that I tend to like stories with a strong ensemble cast but it's kind of a make or break for me. I've gathered the gist of the rest of their story though and I'm super in awe of the whole female emperor thing. Maybe one day I'll finish watching Empress of China but there are. so many episodes and they are. so, so long. And look there's some great examples of girl aggression in the insane harem politics and hidden plots to try to poison people or turn others against them.
If the whole girl aggression thing keeps haunting you I really do recommend Odd Girl Out, it's a fast and easy read because a lot of it is comprised of anecdotes. It's slightly of its time but still completely relevant and it put words to a lot of things I'd vaguely thought about, like how because girls are socialized to be caretakers and taught that their value comes from their relationships with others, one way girl aggression comes out as threatening to sever connections. It's, you know, emotional abuse. Love to see it in fiction!
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The whole thing of SQX losing access to their female form at the end of the story is Really Horrific if you think about it for a few seconds (like a lot of things that happen in MXTX's work...) there's so much gender horror to work with there! I'd love to see that kind of thing explored more.
And YES gender is performance and all that! I've read some really great takes where Shen Yuan is a trans woman who hasn't realized it yet, who transmigrates into cis woman SQQ and is like oh NO I have to pretend to be a woman now, and after years of that finally figures it out at some point down the line.
I got to about 80 chapters of Clear and Muddy Loss of Love and sadly couldn't stick with it! I couldn't be brought to care about the rest of the characters other than the main couple and it turns out it's not just that I tend to like stories with a strong ensemble cast but it's kind of a make or break for me. I've gathered the gist of the rest of their story though and I'm super in awe of the whole female emperor thing. Maybe one day I'll finish watching Empress of China but there are. so many episodes and they are. so, so long. And look there's some great examples of girl aggression in the insane harem politics and hidden plots to try to poison people or turn others against them.
If the whole girl aggression thing keeps haunting you I really do recommend Odd Girl Out, it's a fast and easy read because a lot of it is comprised of anecdotes. It's slightly of its time but still completely relevant and it put words to a lot of things I'd vaguely thought about, like how because girls are socialized to be caretakers and taught that their value comes from their relationships with others, one way girl aggression comes out as threatening to sever connections. It's, you know, emotional abuse. Love to see it in fiction!