#i like to believe that it takes jc always certain deliberation to go down a certain path which also makes him overthink the outcome so any

[ctl-yuejie]

loyalty and compassion

[crossdressingdeath]

Phoenix Mountain serves a purpose for so many things that it’s once of my favourite moments in the novel. It told us about the soup incident and that JZX will stand up for a servant, but while good intentions he only knew one side which was good foreshadowing for his death. Good intentions but not understanding the full picture. We see how much WWX loved JYL and she loved him and they make it clear it’s a familial bond and they always stood up for the other.

We get JC showing up after the conflict happens and only hears people talking about how arrogant and disrespectful WWX had just been acting and JC takes their word for it. Maybe he doesn’t fully believe them but he lets their words influence him way too easily.

We even get a privilege aspect to it, right after we find out while WWX took a third of the prey, JGY doesn’t reveal until after everyones scatted that NMJ had killed over of the prey and LWJ takes note of it. So while everyone got on WWX’s case of taking a third, no one dared to say anything about NMJ and if we say they didn’t know, JGY still didn’t bring it up until everyone was gone and LXC even laughs saying that’s how NMJ is. So while NMJ gets a pass, WWX gets the brunt of it. Not that LXC was one of the people going after WWX, but it shows how no one went “well that’s how he is” and laugh it off for WWX like for NMJ.

There’s no much that happens in this flashback and I love it, I always pick up new details I missed whenever I reread it.

Yeah, Phoenix Mountain has so much going for it! It’s great! It does a good job of summing up WWX’s position, too; he’s got JYL’s support and (although he doesn’t know it) LWJ’s love, but the rest of the world will target him even if he’s not doing anything different from what they’re doing and JC will side with the people telling lies about him despite the fact that there’s no reason for him to believe them.

You know, I didn’t even really notice the fact that NMJ basically does the same fucking thing WWX did but JGY doesn’t even mention it until everyone’s gone and everyone who does hear that NMJ also took a solid third of the prey just... laughs it off. It’s only a problem because it’s an inconvenience that JGY has to overcome, which is easy enough to do just by increasing the size of the hunting grounds; what can you do about it, NMJ’s just like that, we can hardly stop him from being a badass! But when WWX does the same thing, just using the demonic cultivation that the sects praised all throughout the war instead of a sword, he’s arrogant, it’s improper, how dare he “cheat” like that. JYL is the only person to call them out on the fact that WWX didn’t break any rules or do anything wrong, just used all the tools at his disposal; they didn’t complain about NMJ going all out with his sword and killing everything he could, so from a purely objective standpoint there is no reason for them to complain about WWX using demonic cultivation. Of course, the real reason is that they think WWX is too powerful; reading deeper, the real real reason is that... WWX is, as far as the sects are concerned, a commoner. He’s reaching above his station. The mere son of a servant has no right to embarrass the sects so thoroughly. It’s fine for NMJ to take a third of the prey, he’s a sect leader, but WWX? WWX is nobody. None of these high fancy nobles want to face the fact that this nobody son of a servant is stronger than any of them, and in fact probably stronger than most of them put together. 

And since WWX is the power behind the Jiang sect and less power behind the Jiang sect makes it easier for JGS to shove his boot down JC’s throat (no, I am not done with the “JC is a Jin bootlicker” comments and I likely never will be), that makes him a target even beyond him being the son of a servant. It’s not just the sects making a point of targeting him in particular, the Jins are also push for him to be seen as a target. Note that JGY deliberately waits for everyone to leave before saying that NMJ did pretty much the same thing WWX did; anyone who might have gotten as upset about NMJ as they did about WWX is gone when NMJ’s actions come up. The whole targeting of WWX is actually fairly brilliant on the part of the Jins; they combine JC’s blatant disregard for and unwillingness to defend his brother with societal beliefs on people climbing up the social ladder into what is essentially the perfect storm; all they needed was the opportunity to unleash it, which WWX and to a certain extent WQ unwittingly give them when she goes to him for help with the Wens. It’s... horrible and evil, but brilliant.

[thorndale-industries]

//It’s time for another loud rambling session for my verse, and today’s topic will be Stanton Dowd and his goals, roles and motivations in my verse as they are currently in my story as I have settled on making the Knights Templar more tradtional.

The thing is: Dowd is the only Council member without any dirty laundry we know about (I don’t count Rand as is pretty much a blank page). We do know that he blackmails people (with money or intel) to reach certain goals, but they are primarily ordered by Lucius himself - we don’t know a lot about him, we don’t know how “bad” he is compared to the others. Lucius is an old, power hungry man who wants to become immortal so he can rule forever and is to blame for things like 9/11, Morgan abuses the power he has the moment Lucius goes into the cryo pod, lying to his former master and deliberately lying to him to remain the leader, Beth abuses her own daughter and powerful men for her own personal gain. But Stanton? We don’t know. The only really personal thing we know about him is that he might suffer from a form of Agoraphobia as he can’t leave NYC due to unknown reasons. 

This, combined with the way he talks in DX1, might lead to the assumption that he might be the only “honest” man left who truly believes in the Illuminati’s and Knights Templar’s goals and rules, as he is also the only one ever mentioning their ranks, traditions and way of life. While talking to Morgan and Lucius it becomes obvious they only want to “help” JC so they can gain power again, Dowd seems rather interested in the world itself.

"Stanton Dowd comes from old, old money. These days, unfortunately, he doesn't actually have much of that old, old money... he just comes from it. Of course, for a family like Dowd's, "poor" is a relative term. It means they had to sell the yacht and one of the smaller castles, and they're down to their last railroad. Stanton Dowd isn't going to be boiling his Gucci loafers any time soon. Still, it's been a long and rather sudden fall.

The Dowds are also big noises in the secret ranks of the Illuminati... have been for generations. Stanton is no exception, having made it all the way to that organization's mysterious ruling council of five. Of course, these days even being a Prima Illuminatus doesn't mean as much as it used to.

Despite being poor, cut off from the seats of power, and just recently taken sick with the fatal gray death, Stanton Dowd always retains the unflappable charm and elan of the born aristocrat." - This description is taken from the official DX Prima Guide, and it also kinde gives away that vibe I was talkin about, doesn’t?

Now let’s talk about younger Dowd around HR and MD, why he seems to be pushy about the Knights Templar’s control since Beth complains about this in Black Light and what he might be after. At this point, I will mix up canon with my own verse, so proceed with caution.

I think Dowd’s prime motivation to become more powerful is not a personal one like of the other Prima Illuminati, but instead he wants to return to what they Order used to be, as he sees how it’s becoming more fractured due to personal fights and tensions. He sees how the Council is falling apart because of the power struggles, that this makes them weaker and ineffective, so he tries to bring back the things to what they once were and what they are supposed to be - and this is why he expands the Templars, making them more powerful, as he wants to take over himself. 

In DX1 he seems to mourn the loss of tradition that once came with the Order, how Page destroyed a centuries old system Dowd obviously was a proud part of - his coat openly displays the red iron cross, the Templar’s symbol. 

Because all of this, I think this is exactly the direction I will take in my verse reboot. Gillian is a part of the Templar, born into it, so Dowd will be naturally someone she will have to deal with a lot  and I am sure Stanton will try to work with her closely to reach his goal. He appears to be rather obedient to Lucius, doesn’t disobey him openly in MD but he seems a tad aggressive in HR (he is the one saying “We cannot afford to wait! America’s science board ...”) but this might be because the two leading members are not part of this conversation according to the official log files: Lucius and Morgan are not listed as present. He is a cautions, clever man, he wouldn’t reveal his intentions too openly and might even try to come of as an ally waiting for the others to “kill each other” so he can take over in peace.  So far, again not counting Rand, he is the only Council member we never see in action. He doesn’t talk in the books like Lucius, Morgan and Beth, he doesn’t show his face or speak in MD, we don’t see his face in HR and his voice is distorted and the only traces he ever leaves are in hidden messages.

Dowd is someone I will have a lot of fun to work on. 

[crossdressingdeath]

I find it really strange how LXC has more haters than JC. Overall I do think he’s pretty well liked, but I have seen way more criticism for him than for JC, which is weird. Because I feel like you can find legitimate explanations for a lot of LXC’s choices, whereas the same can’t be said for JC. Let’s look at LXC’s supposed crimes. Trusting JGY? Well, I don’t think we can complain about that, and then at the same time 1/10

breath turn around and support LWJ for always standing up for WWX because...look, I get that it's not exactly the same thing. And it's REALLY not the same thing because it ultimately turned out that JGY couldn't be trusted, but the thing is, LXC genuinely didn't know that at the time! This guy was a very close friend of his! He believed in him! JGY had saved his life in the past! And just like LWJ always supports his loved ones without a second thought, LXC is doing the same thing. Because, 2/10

in this eyes, JGY hasn't really given him any reason not to trust him. The guy is a very good manipulator, and when you are that close to someone, you WANT to believe the best in them. LXC is not an idiot, he is the victim of someone else's manipulations, and it's not like pretty much everyone in the cultivation world suspected anything either. The only one who was actively trying to take down JGY was NHS, who KNEW that the man had murdered his brother. I have no doubt that if LXC had 3/10

been aware of it, he would never have supported him. Not only that - as soon as there is any doubt about JGY's intentions, the man takes an objective stance! He agrees to listen to the evidence! He isn't just blindly denying what's in front of him, regardless of what that would mean for his own feelings; but of course he isn't going to blindly denounce JGY with no proof because this is his closest friend. And while he obviously trusts his brother, he also knows that LWJ's priority is 4/10

WWX, who LXC really doesn't have any reason to trust at that point? We know WWX, LWJ knows WWX, but LXC and him really haven't had that many interactions, on top of his current reputation in the cultivation world. The fact that LXC is so willing to help and hide WWX, despite knowing the dangers it might cause for his sect, and all because he trusts his brother is...a very big thing. It's more than JC would EVER do for WWX. I've also seen criticism for LWJ's punishment, which I honestly 5/10

don't understand because a) the Lan clan also has elders which probably had a big say in the punishment too, and b) LWJ DID commit a crime! It wasn't just him protecting WWX, it was him injuring dozens of members of the Lan sect! Sure, we know why he did it, but just how would it look to the rest of the sect if LXC had just excused that behaviour? Or to the rest of the world? What would it do to his brother's place in the sect if he hadn't been punished for it? I really don't think LWJ 6/10

could have gotten out of that without some form of punishment, and if LXC even had the sole say over it after all (which I highly doubt he would have with no repercussions) that was probably the best alternative to banishment, or perhaps even worse. I've seen criticism (and this is so, so strange) over him blindly accepting the story about his mother, which is so stupid because...LWJ also accepted it, LXC has no way of finding out anything about his mother, and WE as readers know nothing 7/10

about his mother! For all we know, she COULD have been in the wrong, or his parents could have had a completely different relationship from how other people perceive it; we just don't know enough to make a judgement. And then finally, I see people criticizing his behaviour towards WWX. Okay, I kind of do find this annoying too - I was frustrated when he essentially blamed WWX for LWJ's actions, because honestly, LWJ is a grown man who can make his own decisions, but...I also kind of 8/10

understand this. Because this is his BROTHER, and of course he's going to be protective or resentful when he's hurt, it's just a natural reaction to have. It's only natural, and people can't be objective all the time. And also, I think a lot of his annoyance came from him thinking that WWX knew about his brother's feelings, and was essentially mocking them by pretending to flirt with him, and honestly, from an outsiders perspective it would kind of look like that. Despite his own feelings, 9/10

He still supports LWJ in all his decisions though. It’s just so weird that there is so much criticism for LXX, when you can understand his supposed mistakes a lot more than someone like JC. But then, JC pretty much gets no criticism from the fandom. I’ve actually seen people who can’t stand LXC, but then support JC at the same time, and that is so, so weird. 10/10

The thing is, LXC has just as much reason to trust JGY as LWJ does to trust WWX. We as readers know that WWX is in the right, but LWJ, in-universe, doesn’t. He himself admits that he believes and wants to help WWX because he loves him, not because he’s certain he’s in the right. There’s actually a lot less evidence against JGY than there is against WWX for a lot of the story! Evidence that LXC as an in-universe character with his level of knowledge would have access to, I mean. LXC himself points this out; LWJ believes JGY has done these terrible things because WWX said so, not because they have physical proof; at this point in the story it very much is WWX’s word against JGY’s, so doesn’t LXC have the right to give JGY the benefit of the doubt and trust him the way LWJ trusts WWX? And even saying that, the moment he has reason to distrust JGY he revokes his access to the Cloud Recesses and is clearly upset at the idea that he could have misjudged the situation so badly. And remember, JGY’s reputation was impeccable before WWX accused him (origins aside); LXC had no reason to doubt him, but he still did, because WWX said he should and LWJ trusted WWX’s judgement. Can you imagine any other character in this novel immediately searching for evidence and acting as soon as that evidence was uncovered even when that evidence proved their long-held beliefs wrong?

And re the punishment, it was punishment for attacking the elders, not necessarily for helping WWX; thirty-three lashes for thirty-three elders badly injured. LXC couldn’t have just... let LWJ get away with attacking the elders of their clan, that would’ve been a political disaster within their sect even keeping the whole thing a secret from other sects. And honestly? Between helping the cultivation world’s enemy number one and gravely injuring the clan’s elders, it wouldn’t surprise me if LWJ could’ve been executed. Any other sect leader probably would’ve executed him for aiding WWX, but LXC couldn’t do that to his brother. Instead he sent the elders who most respected LWJ to apprehend him and bring him back before anyone else realized what he was doing. Was the whipping severe? Definitely. But considering what other punishments were on the table, I’d argue LXC was downright merciful. LWJ clearly thinks it was justified, or at least understandable, and while that doesn’t necessarily mean it was okay (I mean, WWX insists JC repeatedly trying to kill him is totally fine), I do think that should be considered. LWJ knew he would be punished when he went back; a big part of the novel is accountability for one’s actions, and I’d argue this is a part of that theme. 

LXC believing the story about his mother is like... what else is he supposed to do? As you say, LWJ also seems to believe it. They have no reason to doubt it! The certainty suggests that no one (not the sect’s elders, not their uncle, not even their mother) ever brought up the possibility of it being false! When all evidence suggests that something is true and you can’t find anything to disprove it, insisting it’s false anyway will only hurt you! Of course he believes the only story anyone has ever told him when not even the woman it’s about suggested it was a lie! Leave him alone!

And the whole thing with WWX is fairly explicitly him thinking WWX knew LWJ was in love with him and chose to toy with his feelings just for fun. And also making his brother miserable for 13 years, which granted wasn’t really WWX’s fault, but we can’t fault a brother for seizing upon the most obvious target to blame for his baby brother’s suffering. From the outside it really does look like WWX was just toying with LWJ, after all; we know better because we’re in WWX’s head and know that he doesn’t know LWJ’s in love with him, and WWX corrects his behaviour as soon as he realizes, but until WWX tells them he doesn’t remember LWJ’s confession LXC has no reason to believe he’s not being pointlessly cruel. And thinking someone is deliberately using your brother’s feelings to hurt him probably makes it considerably easier to believe that person is to blame for all your brother’s suffering. I do think LXC will get past his resentment of WWX given time! His hatred of WWX is an immediate reaction to the suffering of someone he loves. You know, like JC’s desire to murder all the Wens for the fall of Lotus Pier, except considerably less genocidal and considerably more likely to be gotten over.

As for why people make excuses for JC but talk shit about LXC... I don’t know. How fandoms pick their favourite characters has always been something of a mystery to me.