[well, the translation seems better than the mdzs one but that doesn't say much 😬 it's accurate enough to the general meaning but so much nuance is lost when it could've been preserved, to say nothing of the inaccuracies of the endnotes, as well as the transliterations of terms that should've and could've been translated.]

(edit: i can't believe i ??? forgot to talk about the stupidest translation i've ever seen omg. what the everloving hell made them translate 妈呀 as "mommy"?? gcc is swearing in fear, not calling for his mother?? don't do my boy like that)

i can definitely see why this is one of priest's older novels. the pacing is a little strange at times, especially in the webnovel version, and she uses certain phrases that strike me as oddly clunky, though it could very well be a product of its time, given the fact that it was written 14 years ago. i remain endlessly fascinated by the changes she chose to make to the print edition, particularly in terms of censoring zyl's swearing (likely for censorship reasons), editing out some of the sid's funnier lines, and the general development of weilan's relationship. i think the overall arc of their relationship flows better in the print edition, but she also removed many scenes and lines that i think would've enriched it.

regardless, i don't feel particularly invested in weilan's relationship. i think they're cute, and my heart aches for shen wei, but i don't find myself thinking about them much or at all when i'm not reading about them. i do still have over half the webnovel to go, so maybe their relationship will grow on me. after all, where priest's writing really shines is in her understanding of humanity and what drives us to the extremes of emotion: hatred, anger, empathy, guilt, and, most of all, love. i have faith in her ability to make me feel something more for weilan by the end of the novel.