#or that hurting wwx was something so unimportant as to be forgotten :(

[llycaons]

I rag on jc a lot but I think ppl should keep in mind he was in a difficult position in the flashback arc. and he's never been a risktaker. sure, he could have given his starving brother and his commune some money during his visit since they're apparently on the same page. he could have offered to take a-yuan, literal toddler, away from near certain death. he could have defended the wens more using his political power. he could have even used to his debt to them to justify why he would defend a bunch of wens. and it's upsetting to see this because there really are fifty-odd elders here who are absolutely innocent and jc is the only one with the political power and any reason to make a real difference in their extermination campaign

but he was a teenager with a lot of unprocessed trauma and emotional issues being actively manipulated by older cultivators, he had an incredibly important responsibility to his dead parents and to his family, and neither he nor wwx were willing or able to talk it out, and I hate to say this but wwx made choices that did not make it easier...at a certain point pushing blame around seems like like exercise in futility. wwx and wen ning at least, would have been targeted by the jins anyway. I don't think jc could have stopped it without destroying his own sect, he wasn't an experienced or powerful or politically savvy enough leader. and I don't think it's fair to reduce his motivation down to personal self-interest or wanting to maintain his political status or his privilege, which is what a lot of haters seem to be doing

so yeah he definitely could have done more, but it's more his postres actions that really piss me off. for one, it's frustrating how he only cares about how he feels and rarely extends any empathy and compassion to anyone else. very self-centered...that's why I like lwj so much more postres, since he actually underwent self-reflection and examined his actions and then changed his behavior and worked to improve his sect. thats why a lot of people like him, including wwx! but I honestly find 1:1 comparisons of them reductive because they're in very different situations. even if that's kind of the point of their characters

jc is like...hes a very well-written and compelling character and I get why people want him to have done better than he did. and there's a lot to be said for jc not having the social and material support structure, and the tools to handle his emotions, that lwj had his entire life. imo it's not productive to blame jc when they're in such different positions, and I think its unfortunate that hardcore haters only focus on the ends and not examine the process with some compassion. lwj did what he could, but he was protected by his sect and elders as jc wasn't. the tradeoff is that he legitimately had very little power in his sect to do anything on a larger scale even though he wanted to. we see how much he was punished for even visiting wwx, not to mention his three YEARS of seclusion after attacking his elders. giving wq money, leaving cultivation meetings he didn't approve of, speaking for the wens right before they turned themselves in, and saving a-yuan...these were small things (except saving a-yuan, actually that was huge), but they mattered. wen ning remembered. and jc could have done some of them had he wanted to

something that impedes the discussion is that I think both the story and the fans are encouraged to think of skill as a moral triumph. wen ning refutes this mindset a little, but of lot of jc criticisms seem to imply that being bad at cultivation means he's then a bad person. it's something that frustrates me about the story, and another reason I love wen ning. I prefer to analyze how characters react to being poor at a certain desired skill, and what commentary on the social structure the text is providing

[ibijau]

85. “children shouldn’t play with guns.” “who said I was playing?" For XXC and WWX! Because WWX is the older one. 😁

Of course the one time Wei Wuxian decides to go somewhere without any backup, he gets robbed.

Well, it’s an attempt at it, anyway. Wei Wuxian has seen better. The three men who cornered him have very shoddy swords, the kind he could easily bend in two even without a golden core. They’re also shaking as if they’re (rightfully) more afraid of him than he is of them, which might be because they’re starting to realise he’s not just some idle count’s son, but a fully realised cultivator.

Well, kind of. He’s got all the signs of a cultivator, even if he doesn’t exactly have the powers anymore.

Which is where Wei Wuxian’s current problem lies. On the one hand, it would be overkill to use demonic cultivation against civilians, and create the exact sort of trouble that Jiang Cheng is almost begging him daily to stay out of. On the other hand, without it, he’s a little unsure how well he’ll manage against three men who will think they’re fighting for their lives and won’t restrain their blows because, well, cultivators have to be hit hard to feel anything, right?

This situation is a mess, and Wei Wuxian knows he’ll have to count on his suave charm and diplomacy to get him out of this without scratches.

Which is to say, he’s not getting out of this without a few scratches.

“Excuse me?”

Wei Wuxian and the three robbers startle at hearing a young, gentle voice coming from above them. They look up, only to discover a boy who can’t be more than twelve or thirteen, sitting on a roof and peering down at them curiously.

“Scram!” one of the robbers shouts at him. “Or we’ll deal with you after!”

The boy doesn’t even blink, but he tilts his head slightly, just like a bird.

“Why are you threatening this man?” he asks. “Did he wrong you?”

The robbers exchange glances at the stupid question. Wei Wuxian almost wants to laugh that a kid that age could be so naive as to misread the situation this badly. He doesn’t, because unlike the three men menacing him, he has noticed the very fancy sword at the boy’s side, one that clashes with his clean but humble clothes.

“Listen kid, this isn’t your business!” One of the men says, the one Wei Wuxian has guessed must be the leader. “Fuck off and don’t mess with us again.”

The boy’s eyes narrow and fall on Wei Wuxian who shrugs.

“Kid, they’re trying to rob me,” he explains. “It’s fine. They’re not as tough as they look.”

“Oh. So they really are the villains here,” the boy says with a nod. “I thought so, but I preferred to make sure. I didn’t want to make a mistake.”

Without a second of hesitation, he jumps down from the roof, landing lightly between Wei Wuxian and his would-be aggressors, confirming that he’s trained in cultivation. He even seems to have a pretty high level already for his age. When he unsheathes his sword in one smooth movement, even Wei Wuxian has to admit that this kid looks a little cool, enough to make him somewhat envious.

“Children shouldn’t play with swords,” he can’t resist mocking.

“Who said I was playing?” the boy calmly replies, turning briefly to smile at him. “Don’t worry, sir. I will apprehend those ruffians, they won’t be able to harm you.”

Wei Wuxian would laugh at that kid’s quiet assurance, but one of the men launches himself at the boy who easily parries and hits his hand with the flat of his sword, making him drop his shitty weapon. The other two men are just as quickly and easily disposed of. Before Wei Wuxian can even figure out what’s happening, the three robbers are on the ground, groaning in pain while the kid takes out some rope to tie their hands.

“It’s fine now sir,” he tells Wei Wuxian with that calm smile that’s starting to feel unsettling. “You are safe. Although, might I trouble you by asking you to come with me and these men to the local magistrate’s mansion? These men are already wanted for their crimes, but I’m sure it would not hurt if there could be one more testimony against them.”

“I’m actually kind of busy,” Wei Wuxian replies. “I was on my way to meet someone when they decided to waste my time. But thanks for the help, uh…”

“I am Xiao Xingchen,” the boy announces. “I understand. This ordeal must have already been a great inconvenience to you, sir. I won’t keep you any longer.”

It’s a funny name, but that seems to be a funny kid anyway, so Wei Wuxian doesn’t question it. He’s really about to be late to meet some rogue cultivators who have written about joining Yunmeng Jiang anyway, so he just thanks the boy one more time and dashes away.

It’s only later, when he reaches the inn where he’s supposed to meet those cultivators, that Wei Wuxian realises he has no idea which sect Xiao Xingchen might belong to. His swordsmanship was impeccable, especially for someone so young, but it’s not a style that Wei Wuxian recognises even though he’s always been very proud of being good at guessing that. And Xiao Xingchen must come from a sect of some sort, there’s a certain something to his posture that rogue cultivators don’t often have, an air of belonging.

Ah, well. It’s probably nothing important.

It’s so unimportant, in fact, that by the time his conversation with the rogue cultivators gets really going, Wei Wuxian has already half forgotten this odd kid with the pretty sword.