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PaperclipPerfector  6d ago (text post)   2791 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 26, 2026

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When even the Chinese Communist Party says, “whoah, there, you’re creepin’ a bit”, I’m not sure that this is an unsparing look at how life really is as opposed to the fantasy of a rather nasty person who likes the aesthetic of power.

It's not an unsparing look at how life really is, it's a look at how life could be in a deeply alien world. It explicitly says that 'this doesn't work on Earth because one man can't stand above many on pure power alone'. There's social commentary to an extent about the role of individuals and society but it's not Earth society. This is another world treated on its own terms, an extreme world because extremes are where things break down.

There are some universal thematic lessons but it's more stuff about persevering and treading one's path and not getting tied down by the expectations of others, desires for freedom.

Also, it didn't get banned for being excessively gruesome but because the author seemed to reference real political figures, which is a big no-no apparently. You certainly can't have anyone called Xi Xingping in your web serial. Truly inexplicable authorial decisions...

Fair, and I apologise for the mischaracterisation.

I wouldn't take the CCP's criticism as principled opposition to the values exhibited in the novel.

Now the thing with WtC is that it still has all those ruthless things and people, it's just that the protagonist has the cheat power to become stronger than everyone without resorting to doing things the hard and nasty way. It is also plainly stated in RY that Fang Yuan also tried to do things the nice way in his original life, it just didn't work out. I'd say both novels present their worlds and the way their dwellers react to those worlds consistently. It is also telling that, while Fang Yuan's antics are captivating for the pure number go up appeal, it's all the other major characters who are actually interesting people.

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