It’s Funny But Pretty It’s Only Funny If It Happens To Other Peoples

there is something to be said about how the the two major “socially inferior” characters—wei wuxian and jin guangyao—were shown to be extremely skilled at people-reading and cognizant of the social, hm, dynamics throughout the story. not in the same exact way, of course. wei wuxian’s social competence was about knowing how to approach people and endear them to him and knowing what to ask to receive what he wants, usually in terms of information. jin guangyao was amazing at anticipating other people’s needs and what they want to hear and thereby delivering things in a way that would placate them.

i bring this point up because these were two characters granted the least amount of social grace and yet the expectation was that they must maintain the niceties or be deemed singularly arrogant (we see this happen with wei wuxian because he does end up going openly against the sects; where behaviour previously considered unobtrusive is now labelled as attitude problems lol). i mean, while i do commend wei wuxian’s attempt to present his request about the wen remnants to jin guangshan with politeness, it’s also so bafflingly out-of-place in a situation where he’s rightfully calling out the unfair atrocities the wen remnants were being subjected to. jin guangyao’s entire character is built on his specific method of rising through ranks using his honeyed tongue and ability to not let the naysayers get to him. “son of a servant” and “son of a prostitute” are thrown at them and these tags can reduce everything good they have done for the cultivation society in the blink of an eye because they are, infact, considered to be valid criticism of their character. it’s the dichotomy of it where jiang cheng and nie mingjue and jin guangshan can be crude and aggressive and predatory and receive, at most, hushed criticism but have their authority intact, while wei wuxian and jin guangyao’s very standing is threatened by the callback to their social status. how they are forced to be so aware of people and their ways of thinking and make all these interpersonal considerations while the other characters are allowed to be way less self-aware about their behaviours in social settings because their position was never threatened to begin with. how wei wuxian’s “manipulative” abilities and jin guangyao’s “cunning” were products of their treatment by the cultivation world in the first place.

Lool petty king

never forget that odysseus had a daily cry on calypso’s beach for the entire 7 years he was there

Me: *Goes through ao3 tag*

Me: *Reaches the end*

Me: *Goes through ao3 tag with lower standards*

Me: You know how when you were a kid and you’d wish that you’d get sick or injured in a way that would justify why you didn’t live up to your potential?

Everybody, apparently: No?

evan 'buck' buckley core

compilation

Thinking about Wymack putting up with Neil, alone, during his senior year. None of the other foxes are there to deal with his antics. Kevin isn’t there to talk about everything Exy related. Andrew isn’t there to keep him grounded and sane. Allison and Nicky aren’t pushing him out of his comfort zone with his style, appearance, etc. Matt isn’t there to be a friend. Dan can’t help him captain his team. Aaron isn’t there to annoy him. Renee isn’t there with her gentle, reassuring smile.

I know that some of the freshman from the EC become Neil’s friends, but it isn’t the same as the OG Foxes.

So, he turns to one of the few people he trusts, Dad Wymack™️. Neil joins him in his office for lunch and tells him all about Andrew’s most recent Exy game. “Did you see how many saves Andrew made last night?” 38. It was beautiful.” *heart eyes* Coach returns his attention to the paperwork he was working on when Neil walked in. He half listens as the striker explains a movie that Nicky said he needed to watch to understand current trends.

After a game night, Neil goes home with Wymack, who now lives together with Abby, and stays for dinner with the couple, yapping about everything that plagued him that day. “I talked to Andrew last night and he was telling me about this drill his pro team does at practice. He thinks it’s stupid, of course, but I think it could help us get through the other team’s defense easier.” He goes on to explain the drill between bites of pasta and sauce.

When Neil leaves, Coach looks at Abby, feeling slightly dumbfounded, “I never knew the kid could say so many words in such a short time.” Abby lets out a chuckle.

“I don’t get any paperwork finished anymore with him around so much.” He explains with fake annoyance. She gives him a soft smile, “He just misses Andrew and the rest of our Foxes. I think it’s says a lot that he trusts you with the details of his private life. We all know how hard that is for him.”

Dad Wymack sits in his thought for a quiet minute, thinking back to the locker room in Millport with the brown-haired, brown-eyed boy who was scared to live. To the airport before the new year with the red-haired, blue-eyed boy who was fighting for his family. To a cheap motel in Baltimore with a boy covered in scars who fought to stay and live. Neil has come a long way and Wymack’s chest swells with pride and love for the striker.

Two days later, on Monday, Neil shows up right on time for Wymack’s lunch hour, but the older man doesn’t mind the sound of Neil’s chattering over their shared lunch. “Allison told me my hair is getting too long, but the shampoo she sent me is making my curls look “delicious”. I don’t know what she means by that, how hair can look edible, but Andrew says not to worry about it. Speaking of Andrew, do you know how much he has been bench pressing in the gym? He’s up to—“

Wymack lets out a quiet, exasperated sigh as he leans back in his chair, accepting his fate for the next year as Neil continues talking. He may act annoyed about his new lunch time guest, but it means a lot that Neil feels safe with him, even if that means learning about pop culture and Neil’s distaste for broccoli.