Wuxia by a western author

[TheUnsaid]

First things first, I'm an adult content creator primarily.
My writing experience mostly comes from writing 3D adult videos.
They're not the best due to technical limitations, but it was really good practice for persiflage.

With that out of the way, I'd like to write a semi-adult Wuxia, but I don't know if I should. Wuxia is innately tied to chinese mythology and focuses heavily on that society and culture. I have cursory knowledge from reading quite a few and reading wiki's, and I'm willing to do more research in order to write a good story.

That being said, it's more extreme than an American writing a story that takes place in Japan with characters that have Japanese names, and I'm not sure if I should tackle it that way.

Or maybe I should take the Avatar the Last Airbender approach and just retool the society so much that the chinese influence is practically gone?

What do you guys think? What wuxia elements would you consider core to wuxia to the point that it can be moved to a "general cultural" environment and still feel like a wuxia?

 

[Maromar]

The core of Wuxia lies in the translation of its name "martial heroes". A focus on super powerful/supernatural fighters with a magic system more directly influenced by Chinese myth and lore is as little and as much as many will ask. Typical tropes besides that need only apply as far as you're willing to indulge/play with/rely on them. Don't be afraid to write the genres of another culture as long as you make an earnest attempt, and don't let anyone bully you out of doing it.

 

[TheUnsaid]

The core of Wuxia lies in the translation of its name "martial heroes". A focus on super powerful/supernatural fighters with a magic system more directly influenced by Chinese myth and lore is as little and as much as many will ask. Typical tropes besides that need only apply as far as you're willing to indulge/play with/rely on them. Don't be afraid to write the genres of another culture as long as you make an earnest attempt, and don't let anyone bully you out of doing it.

But will it feel like wuxia if the characters don't have chinese names, or have the chinese culture as its direct backdrop?

I know a lot of people don't consider Avatar the Last Airbender wuxia when it clearly is to me, and that's because it lacks those two things.

 

[Okay]

You should have the ‘inner energy’, sort of like the cultivation type that you would find in Xuanhuan and Xianxia novels. And Chinese names. And martial arts. That’s a must, in my opinion, for Wuxia novels.

 

[TheUnsaid]

And Chinese names.

Oof. Names are important. I'm really struggling with this in particular.

You should have the ‘inner energy’, sort of like the cultivation type that you would find in Xuanhuan and Xianxia novels.

Oh I love that stuff.

And martial arts.

Hell yeah. Big fan of reading martial combat. I'm pretty sure I could do it well if I wrote it.

 

[K5Rakitan]

Write the story you want to read, and someone else will also love it!

 

[Okay]

Some surnames I know are: Qian, Sun, Li, Zhao, Zhou, Wu, Zheng, Wang, Feng, Chen, Chu, Wei, Jiang, Shen, Han, Yang

 

[CupcakeNinja]

First things first, I'm an adult content creator primarily.
My writing experience mostly comes from writing 3D adult videos.
They're not the best due to technical limitations, but it was really good practice for persiflage.

With that out of the way, I'd like to write a semi-adult Wuxia, but I don't know if I should. Wuxia is innately tied to chinese mythology and focuses heavily on that society and culture. I have cursory knowledge from reading quite a few and reading wiki's, and I'm willing to do more research in order to write a good story.

That being said, it's more extreme than an American writing a story that takes place in Japan with characters that have Japanese names, and I'm not sure if I should tackle it that way.

Or maybe I should take the Avatar the Last Airbender approach and just retool the society so much that the chinese influence is practically gone?

What do you guys think? What wuxia elements would you consider core to wuxia to the point that it can be moved to a "general cultural" environment and still feel like a wuxia?

Liaten buddy, it's not that hard. Just make the setting ancient China with a fantasy flair, and the plot is "evil young master fucks jade beauty to steal her special physique "
What does that mean? In wuxia and xianxia stories, women can be born with special "physiques" that allow them to cultivate faster. Get more powerful faster. Like "Extreme Yin Body" or "Jade Flower Body" or whatever you wanna call it. Point is, taking their virginity allows men to steal this physique. And let's the men have that same power. It's like talent stealing and it's common that evil young masters rape women with these special constitutions to take their talents.

Theres your premise right there. Doesnt even have to be rape.

 

[TheUnsaid]

Write the story you want to read, and someone else will also love it!

I just don't want to offend anyone, and I'm curious about what you guys think are the "core" of wuxia.

Liaten buddy, it's not that hard. Just make the setting ancient China with a fantasy flair, and the plot is "evil young master fucks jade beauty to steal her special physique "
What does that mean? In wuxia and xianxia stories, women can be born with special "physiques" that allow them to cultivate faster. Get more powerful faster. Like "Extreme Yin Body" or "Jade Flower Body" or whatever you wanna call it. Point is, taking their virginity allows men to steal this physique. And let's the men have that same power. It's like talent stealing and it's common that evil young masters rape women with these special constitutions to take their talents.

Theres your premise right there. Doesnt even have to be rape.

I'm not into rape.
Much more into reverse rape than I am into regular rape, and am just bigger into guys making the girls fall in love with them through their personality and desire to make them happy.

I think the evil young master angle is kind of boring. My favorite Xianxia are the ones that move on from that, have some political intrigue in the background and have a curious protagonist who's as interested in the world as I the reader am. You know like Immortal Devil Transformation.

 

[Okay]

I would say the ‘core’ is the martial arts.

 

[greyblob]

First things first, I'm an adult content creator primarily.
My writing experience mostly comes from writing 3D adult videos.
They're not the best due to technical limitations, but it was really good practice for persiflage.

With that out of the way, I'd like to write a semi-adult Wuxia, but I don't know if I should. Wuxia is innately tied to chinese mythology and focuses heavily on that society and culture. I have cursory knowledge from reading quite a few and reading wiki's, and I'm willing to do more research in order to write a good story.

That being said, it's more extreme than an American writing a story that takes place in Japan with characters that have Japanese names, and I'm not sure if I should tackle it that way.

Or maybe I should take the Avatar the Last Airbender approach and just retool the society so much that the chinese influence is practically gone?

What do you guys think? What wuxia elements would you consider core to wuxia to the point that it can be moved to a "general cultural" environment and still feel like a wuxia?

This is off topic but how much times do these videos take to make?

Also this video is gorgeous.

 

[Maromar]

I just don't want to offend anyone, and I'm curious about what you guys think are the "core" of wuxia.

Even if you tried your hardest to offend people, you'd fall short of how offensive some Chinese novels (and other Western novels for that matter) can be. If you want, you can get a sensitivity reader and proceed with conscious steps. It'll be enough.

And if someone takes offence even after you did everything you could, amend what you can, but don't shut down. You'll find that some people are offended by non-issues, however. You don't have to appease that kind of reader.

But will it feel like wuxia if the characters don't have chinese names, or have the chinese culture as its direct backdrop?

I know a lot of people don't consider Avatar the Last Airbender wuxia when it clearly is to me, and that's because it lacks those two things.

The genre will show in your writing style and certain aspects of the action/plot delivery. If you've consumed a large amount of Wuxia, chances are it'll bleed through your non-Wuxia work, too.

 

[TheUnsaid]

This is off topic but how much times do these videos take to make?

Also this video is gorgeous.

View attachment 9350

The 2D ones, are just me making video versions of Minus8's animations.
I did nothing regarding those. I just got his permission to make video versions pretty early, because he didn't have the capability.

The 3D ones it depends. Some I've written in a month. Others in a few weeks, but the directing took a bit longer.

Even if you tried your hardest to offend people, you'd fall short of how offensive some Chinese novels (and other Western novels for that matter) can be. If you want, you can get a sensitivity reader and proceed with conscious steps. It'll be enough.

And if someone takes offence even after you did everything you could, amend what you can, but don't shut down. You'll find that some people are offended by non-issues, however. You don't have to appease that kind of reader.

Very practical mindset. Yeah... You're right. I think I'm thinking too hard before diving in the pool.
Most Wuxia stories have very shitty rapey protagonists with terrible morals. It won't take much work to surpass that.

I would say the ‘core’ is the martial arts.

There's gotta be more to it than that... Seriously, or any shounen action series would be a wuxia.

 

[KoyukiMegumi]

Write it! Kitty knows someone out there will love it! Though... Always make sure to do research! That will always improve your story. I do not know what wuxia is, so I can't help! *Especially in biology and stuff.*

 

[Okay]

I agree with Maromar. It’s probably impossible you’ll be the person who writes the most offensive story out there. Even if you do offend someone, keep writing anyways
Wuxia is basically martial arts with an ancient china setting.
And the inner powers!
And the setting! Like a mystical sect setting! Or the ancient China setting! You don’t really have to research it! Just know what the buildings or villages look like!
Or you can watch a Wuxia series!

 

[CupcakeNinja]

I just don't want to offend anyone, and I'm curious about what you guys think are the "core" of wuxia.

I'm not into rape.
Much more into reverse rape than I am into regular rape, and am just bigger into guys making the girls fall in love with them through their personality and desire to make them happy.

I think the evil young master angle is kind of boring. My favorite Xianxia are the ones that move on from that, have some political intrigue in the background and have a curious protagonist who's as interested in the world as I the reader am. You know like Immortal Devil Transformation.

Then do that? What's the hard bit about this? It's not like Wuxia stories adhere very strictly to Chinese culture anyway.

 

[TheUnsaid]

I agree with Maromar. It’s probably impossible you’ll be the person who writes the most offensive story out there. Even if you do offend someone, keep writing anyways
Wuxia is basically martial arts with an ancient china setting.
And the inner powers!
And the setting! Like a mystical sect setting! Or the ancient China setting! You don’t really have to research it! Just know what the buildings or villages look like!
Or you can watch a Wuxia series!

Lol those edits. I feel you though.

It's not like Wuxia stories adhere very strictly to Chinese culture anyway.

They do though.
In, Against the Gods, the marriage ceremony is specifically designed the way it is due to china's culture, and the marriage certificate even becomes a plot element.
The value set of the average family is conscious of traditional chinese culture in regards to when men are to take a respectful stance or are allowed to take an overbearing stance.
Even the types of professions that the characters in the world have are conscious of the culture.

 

[Akivien]

Some surnames I know are: Qian, Sun, Li, Zhao, Zhou, Wu, Zheng, Wang, Feng, Chen, Chu, Wei, Jiang, Shen, Han, Yang

Lin yu chen and chu!!!

 

[FeverDream]

I believe it can work, and work well, IF you focus more on the cultivation part of the story instead of Wuxia in general. Have you ever heard about "progression fantasy"? It's a genre of books that have some really cool cultivation stories. You should check it out.

 

[winglessdragon]

I think the cradle series is basically that