Spiritual Weapon: moving forward (looking back)

[keeperofseeds]

Title: moving forward (looking back)
Author: keeperofseeds
Word Count/Drabble Type: 200/double drabble
Character(s)/Ship(s): Wen Ning & Jiang Cheng
Rating/Warnings: gen
Summary: Wen Ning has a lot of feelings during the Lotus Pier confrontation with Jiang Cheng
Author's Notes: "It was worth the wound" was shameless snagged from an ACD Sherlock Holmes story. My brain suddenly really loved the idea of Wen Ning as this Watson figure taking on battles for the more intellectual Holmes like Wei Wuxian.
AO3 link

~~~

Zidian unfurled and Wen Ning felt its sting as he was thrown back. He falls back onto the smooth wood of the pier, new planks, built after the war. Built with borrowed strength, he thinks.

He rises, holding Suibian out to Sect Leader Jiang, but is struck down again.

Secrets burning in the empty pit of his stomach, fire licking up his throat, the truth kept hidden for years now begs to be shared. Sect Leader's threats wash over him, the burning of Zidian against deadened flesh slowing his steps, but not stopping him. He holds the sword out again.

It was worth the wound, worth many wounds to do this. To stand and protect Wei-gongzi. Even when he didn't know he needed protecting. The debt between them ever unbalanced. The score unknown in these new times, this extra time they've both been granted. He's seen the high cost of secrets and words unsaid. He steels his heart and blocks Sect Leader Jiang's view of Wei-gongzi and lets this fire drive him forward. Words spilling out in ways they never would have before. He lays plain the deception. Lays Wei Wuxian's secret bare. Suibian shakes in the Sect Leader's hands.

Comments

[elwendell]

This is great! I particularly love the double reference to fire in the first sentence of the third para, but the whole thing is good.

[keeperofseeds]

Thanks! I really like the idea of playing with the image and metaphors of fire for Wen Ning. Between his clan and the war and family's fate it's sad but interesting to me. This idea of him rising from the ashes and to keep surviving after everything.

[aroberuka]

This is a really great character piece. One thing I love about this scene is that even in anger, Wen Ning is very much in control of himself and his actions- the anger is there, but it's not explosive-, and I found that in this fic as well, with the focus on his thoughts & resolve. The third paragraph especially really pulls off the awesomeness of Wen Ning's Implacable Walk.

Also "Built with borrowed strength, he thinks." hit hard, as did Wen Ning's determination to protect Wei Wuxian ;__; for good or bad, those two have had such an big impact on Wen Ning's life, and with just a couple sentences you've managed to summarize both relationships in a way that also contrasts them nicely. I love it.

[keeperofseeds]

Yessssss! That's it! He's so focused and controlled and determined in the scene and I'm glad it came across for this.

& I almost didn't keep "Built with borrowed strength" in! Like, I really like JC as a character too and it feels kinda mean? But I also think its something that makes sense thought in anger or by Wen Ning who is so loyal and protective of WWX, esp after the core transfer. So Wen Ning can have some bitterness, as a treat.

[ranalore]

Mod here. Could I ask you to put this and your next drabble behind cut-tags, please? Anything longer than a single drabble needs to be behind a cut-tag. Thank you.

[keeperofseeds]

Ah sorry! I originally tried to but it’s been so long since I used DW I couldn’t figure out how to get it to work! Copy/pasting text in the little *insert text here* box didn’t seem to keep the text all there.

Do you by chance have a link or something with info on how to like, html code it or something?

[ranalore]

Not to worry. The code is < cut > insert your text here < /cut >, with the spaces removed between the brackets and the terms inside. If you'd like the text of your cut to say something specific, rather than the generic "Read more," you simply use < cut text="Text you want your cut to read." >, and then < /cut > again at the end of your work.

The relevant part of DW's FAQ is this entry. It just took me a few minutes to find that, too, so it's not the most obvious information on the site. I hope between it and my above explanation, though, you're able to get cut tags to work for you. Please let me know if you still have difficulty even after reading the article and following the instructions.

[keeperofseeds]

That seemed to work! Thanks for the help :)