When did WWX fall in love--before he died, or after he was resurrected?
I propose a third option: both are true.
I'm very firmly in the camp of WWX being head over heels pretty much right from the start, but that ignores a lot of the emotional growth between the two of them after his resurrection. On the other hand, calling that growth "falling in love" ignores his obvious feelings right from the start, and also just doesn't seem like what's going on. His thoughts and feelings about LWJ don't really change all that much.
But here's what does change: WWX starts thinking about himself.
He starts putting himself and his needs into the equation. He goes from seeing LWJ as a trustworthy and good paragon of virtue to seeing him as someone he personally trusts. From objectively the most handsome person in existence to someone he personally really wants to sleep with finds handsome.
So it's not that he fell in love after resurrection--he loved LWJ right from the start--but also he did fall in love after resurrection, because that's when he started thinking about LWJ as someone he could be with. Not that he didn't want to be with him before; instead, he didn't have a concept of personally wanting (being able to want, being allowed to want, being allowed to have) anyone at all.
lan wangji is a funny character because wei wuxian jokes about eating his pet rabbits on the regular and lan wangji just accepts it, but if lan xichen ever told the exact same joke, lan wangji would just go ๐ Xiongzhang That Isn't Funny ๐
When someone brings out the novel artwork as 'proof' WWXs og body didn't have scars all over his back from YZYs canonical abuse... You know you're dealing with an idiot.
Yes, the art is pretty and a nice addition. But it's not canon and it hardly depicts it either... We have artwork in the novel that shows WWX in red and black during his youth when he would have been wearing Jiang clan purple. He only starts wearing black post burial mounds escape. So that's incorrect...
We have novel art depicting WWX with glowing red eyes... Also not canonically true either. Nor are his tits ever particularly out, but most give his YLLZ era a plunge neckline so low you might be able to see the hint of his garden path if you look close enough!
If you're using mostly fan generated artwork - who have been clearly influenced by the CQL and donghua or their own personal headcanons and preferences - you're a moron and wasting my time.
โUh, yeah,โ Wei Wuxian said. He felt his back, which was LINED WITH OLD AND NEW WELTS. He couldnโt help but ask the question heโd been dwelling on. โReally, this must be the greatest injustice in all of history. Why am I always the only one getting hit whenever something happens?โ
7S translation
Wei WuXian, โUh-huh, thatโs right.โ He felt his back, COVERED IN SCARS BOTH OLD AND NEW, and still couldnโt hold back the question heโd be thinking about, โHow awfully unfair. Why is it that Iโm the only one who gets beaten up, whenever something happens?โ
ExR translation
YZY whipped and abused WWX whenever she was in residence at Lotus Pier. Considering she was apparently barely there and the detailed description of new and old scars (wounds/welts*/injuries - whatever you want to fucking call it!! It's all the same!!!) we see in the extras, she must have harmed him any chance she got while she was back. We see her lashing him (and him alone!) for the most tenuous of "reasons"... The fact it states he was covered in scars both new and old shows historical abuse spanning some time - most likely since he arrived at LP at the age of nine!!!
So don't go pulling that bullshit on me when we're talking about canon FACTS. Especially when people cherry pick the text to conveniently show what they want and omit the stuff that shows they're talking from their ass.
*An English lesson for those struggling with 7S translation choice for the scars on WWXs back...
The term "welts" doesn't JUST mean a swollen bruise like mark on the skin or an itchy raised bump. It's a technical term used for injuries and scars left behind from being whipped or beaten hard and heavily with something. While I'm not a fan of their word choices, this is technically correct in the sense the marks are classified as welts as defined above.
โlan xichen deserved better than jin guangyaoโ
lan xichen deserved to be loved by someone who could find him at his lowest and nurse him back to health despite the danger it would put themselves in. someone who lan xichen would have such a connection with they could talk hours and hours into the night together. someone who would never, ever think of hurting him.
My favorite part of Lan Wangji's character arc is the way he goes from wanting not to be seen for who he is, even if it is lonely, to being determined to show everyone who he is and daring them to judge him.
This poor fifteen year old boy, totally overwhelmed with romantic thoughts about another man, while everyone he knew informed him that this person would never be accepted in his life. This eighteen to nineteen year old, plagued with the need to keep his affections a secret. The twenty year old who turned away from it due to the opinions of his uncle and elder brother.
The twenty two year old who lost the love of his life and faced punishment from his clan for daring to love someone they disapproved of... then went back and told them he didn't care: "This child of the Yiling Patriarch is now mine, thanks. I don't care if you punish me, I'm done cutting off the people I love for your sake."
Turned into a thirty five year old who shackled this man to himself for everyone to see. He became a person who refused to waver in his commitment to stand by them, despite the consequences. Ultimately, he told those same family members that if they had a problem with his spouse, he didn't have to be their family anymore.
He became strong enough to support his spouse through experiencing the judgment of a 'family' member who refused to accept him.
And through this journey, he found the security of self that allowed him to love freely and take chances. Self-acceptance allowed him to build the life he wanted--to share the safety he built for himself with the people he valued the most.
Baggy shirt ๐ค๐ค
This idea that none of the great clans could offer the Wen Remnants protection because it would lead to war is so ridiculous.
People always throw out this excuse to defend Jiang Cheng, Lan Xichen, and Nie Mingjue for their involvement and complicity in the Wen Remnants massacre, but it's a complete bullshit.
For the Jin Clan to declare war on another great clan, they would need a solid, irrefutable justification. Look at Wei Wuxian: he wasnโt part of the gentry, had no support after cutting ties with the Jiang Clan, and his reputation was already down in the drain. Yet even with all of that, it still took the death of Jin Zixuan, the clan's heir, for the Jin Clan to finally have a strong enough justification to declare war against him. Declaring war on another great clan would require far more than that.
Taking in the Wen Remnants and supporting Wei Wuxian wouldnโt have sparked a war. At most, it would have strained diplomatic relations and potentially broken a few alliances and the Jin Clan would no doubt apply political pressure. But that's as far as it would goโthere would be no full-blown war.
Happy birthday to my beautiful princess ๐ฅน๐๐๐
this is part of a collab I did with @fushiglow ๐โโ๏ธ๐๐๐๐ ily
Please take a look!
merji and foxxian with a-yuan for @mdzs-rabbithole !!
commissions here