"I can easily imagine people judging them by their appearance and misunderstanding them (assuming they do have any sentience), and banishing them "for the sake of the kids" or whatever. It would only take a few incidents."

Oh, yeah, I could see that. Like, it was never that malicious to begin with, just misguided, and now no one thinks about it anymore. (The execution still doesn't sit right with me though, if they're sentient. But maybe at least this could be blamed on the regime? Maybe they were just locked up before and people defended themselves when any Youchu escaped, but there were no 'formal' executions? It's not like the regime doesn't execute people.)

"And maybe the youchu didn't originally view Dixingren as "people" either -- the misunderstanding could go both ways. You know? (Ha, now I'm imagining a Tarzan-like figure -- a Dixingren who was raised by youchu, trying to return to regular Dixingren society...)"

Both of these ideas are so cool! And if the misunderstanding goes both ways, it's even easier to end up there - easier to be seen as dangerous because your existence itself is already threatening, and obviously easier to overreact and attack (which both sides did, I'm assuming).

> "That's a very good and important and necessary category of fics"

"Haha, is it though?"

It really is! Leave no corner of canon unexplored! :D :D