[ SECRET POST #5551 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #5551 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


01.
[Iron Widow, by Xiran Jay Zhao]



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02.



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03.
[Venom]


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04. https://i.imgur.com/M0aDyxc.png
[OP warned for NSFW image]


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05.



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06. [SPOILERS for In Sound Mind]
























Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 00 secrets from Secret Submission Post #794.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

01. https://i.imgur.com/9q4XqaN.png
[Iron Widow, by Xiran Jay Zhao]

[(Anonymous)]

The author actually addressed this question, since it apparently comes up a lot: https://www.tiktok.com/@xiranjayzhao/video/7065056992443878662

[(Anonymous)]

... not sure that clears it up for me. She cites Chinese literary history and points to historical figures being included in other narratives, but that isn't what she's doing. She's just taking the names of famous people and using them for her OCs.

[(Anonymous)]

There's at least 50 anime that do this exact thing (OCs named after historical figures, not fictionalized versions of real people) so I could not possibly care less.

[(Anonymous)]

I. I mean. I would legit love that story you made up there. Damnit, now I'm sad it doesn't exist. :/

[(Anonymous)]

Right? Westerners should get in on this.

[(Anonymous)]

/shrug Sure. As long as you understand that the Elizabeth Tudor in that made-up example wouldn't be the historical Elizabeth Tudor, but the author's OC that just happens to have the same name.

[(Anonymous)]

I mean Abraham Lincoln: vampire hunter exists, so it's not as if no one does this, it's just kind of uncommon.

[(Anonymous)]

That's not a good analogy. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a vampire AU of the real life Lincoln. That isn't what Zhao is doing, she's taking the names of historical figures and applying them to her original characters.

[(Anonymous)]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Abe Lincoln in Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter is supposed to be the historical Abe Lincoln who served as the 16th president, no? So that's not the same thing.

[(Anonymous)]

Also, the movies Pocahontas and Anastasia.

[(Anonymous)]

So...Nobunaga the Fool, basically? A lesser known anime which features characters named Oda Nobunaga, Jeanne D'Arc and Leonardo Da Vinci fighting King Arthur and Julius Caesar in space (sadly it is nowhere near as awesome as that description makes it sound).

[pantswarrior]

...That's too bad, because it actually does sound awesome.

But then again, there is the TOS episode "The Savage Curtain" which could be described almost identically and is also sort of... not awesome.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm pretty sure that somewhere in all the hype around this before it came out, they said that the characters/story were "inspired by" the historical figures.

[(Anonymous)]

I'd like to thank the recent secrets about this book for taking it off my TBR.

[(Anonymous)]

It's a good book. The last secret was full of complaints that patently aren't true, but if I'd believed it I probably would have skipped the book too, so I'm glad it popped up after I'd read it.

But if you're taking it off your TBR because the secrets highlight things that don't interest you, fair.

[(Anonymous)]

LOL. I mean, it wasn't an awful read, just a slightly frustrating, underwhelming one. But I won't be reccing it to any friends despite the awesome cover art.

[(Anonymous)]

Listening to the opinions of Fandom Secrets about something you haven't tried out yet is never the way to go. This community lacks decent reading/viewing comprehension and that leads to garbage opinions.

[(Anonymous)]

I didn't know they were named after historical figures until after I read it. I didn't know it was supposed to be AU either. I assumed it was our universe, post-apocalyptic. I was actually relieved when I learned about the real Wu Zetian, because before I wasn't confident that the author viewed her main character as the amoral anti-hero that she is. Finding out she's inspired by a historical figure who was indisputably not a good person (admired, but not good) made me rest assured that the author was aware.

[(Anonymous)]

I do have knowledge of Chinese ancient history but have not read this book, so before coming to the comments I was thinking, "Okay but if one of the characters is named Wu Zetian or something I'm not gonna be able to take anything seriously." ...and here we are. (And it's the lead??)

[(Anonymous)]

I'm getting major CinemaSins vibes from this secret.

[(Anonymous)]

How so?

[(Anonymous)]

But using famous names is just campy fun. I don't know about this book, if it's serious, it's no good. But if it's a fun fantasy it's charming

[(Anonymous)]

Okay so I'm confused. Every online media outlet reporting on this book seems to claim that the story is an actual re-imagining of that particular Chinese Empress. It literally says "historical reimagination of Wu Zetian" in many articles. Which would put this in line with Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Journey to the West and such, as mentioned elsewhere in these comments. Not weird.

BUT this secret and other comments seem to indicate that the story is NOT an AU of the historical figure but something entirely original? And that it also name-drops other historical figures? From the same time period? From different time periods?

Like, which is the case? Weird or not weird? Or is the book a re-imagining of Wu Zetian that ALSO features AU historical figures from totally different periods of history for no reason? Because that would be the weirdest case, like you're trying to have things both ways.

[bookblather]

For the record, Xiran Jay Zhao uses they/them pronouns.