Elise:
Xiang Liu is such a tragic character.
I found this really good quote on Tumblr.
"yes yes characters doomed by the narrative always slap BUT what about characters saved by the narrative? characters who have already given up hope and don't know they have a happy ending? characters who believe they are a lost cause, characters who feel irredeemable, characters who think there's nothing left for them, but the narrative does provide a way out? what about the characters who don't expect anything good, who don't even remember how to wish for it anymore, who get the things they need anyway? what about the characters who actively run from being saved getting saved in a way they can't stop or control. what about being saved by the narrative!!!"
I wish the narrative provided XL a way out.... 😭😭😭
Hmmmm. That's an interesting point. I mean, we see XL as tragic, but do you think he does? Because in some ways, the narrative did offer XL something that he didn't have before, which is love. He was given hope and it changed his life and I think, how he thought about himself.
I don't think the narrative could have saved in a fashion that we want, a happy ending or even surviving. I mean the title of the book / show is Lost You Forever, where XL is the YOU in the title.
That's also why I find folks saying that XY didn't love XL ridiculous. I mean, it is RIGHT there in the title. It isn't Lost the Guy I Didn't Care About. It's Lost THE Love Forever. And it applies to both CX and XY. They both lost the love of their lives.