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i feel like a lot of my characterization of jiang yanli is just me projecting, then looking over what i wrote down and going "yeah that seems about right" because . Eerily similar family dynamics + Life as a whole
you've heard me wheedle on abt how jyl was raised in an abusive household and you're like, unna, no, yu ziyuan loved her, but that's probably a Conditional love yknow? its odd to think that yzy would unconditionally love her children. jfm doesnt care abt her lmao
ok so. jyl is like what threeish years older than jc? IF (and that's a very big if, folks) jfm and yzy loved her, she can't remember it well. if they DID love her, suddenly, little toddler jyl doesn't have that affection anymore—it's turned towards her brother. cue jealousy?
or.
jyl never experienced parental love, and when jc is born, she could b jealous of how much love her parents give to him, but doesn't fuss or anything. her parents may not love her, but they anger easily. she does love jc and breaks into his nursery more than once to cuddle
jyl never experienced parental love, and when jc is born, she could b jealous of how much love her parents give to him, but doesn't fuss or anything. her parents may not love her, but they anger easily. she does love jc and breaks into his nursery more than once to cuddle
and as they grow up, the jiang parents would focus a lot on little jc (future sect leader) instead of jyl (bred to be a wife) and like. that fucking sucks. their way of abuse is through neglect. like, they pay attention to her only when she throws a tantrum, but it's not GOOD.
they get angry at her, and oh no, she does not want that. by the time she's like, five, she's figured out that there is no way that she wants her parents focusing on her. its easier for her to follow her nanny and do as her like idk sewing instructor asks of her
she associates attention w/Bad Things. jc most certainly does not. he PREENS whenever jfm pats him on the head. he does so much to get an approving smile from yzy. jyl knows that one day their parents are going to snap and so tries to keep her brother with her all the time
and jc adores her ok? hes never had to experience their parents favoring her over him and it's 100% the reason why they have such a good relationship, trust me. jyl is obviously a great sister but even if she wasnt trying to protect him he'd adore her bc. he gets the attention
and then wwx arrives. he doesn't know the rules that jyl makes sure that jc knows (don't make a-niang angry, don't be loud or rude or make your presence known whenever you don't have an accomplishment to boast about) and jyl Panics, gives extra attention to wwx like a good jiejie
and oh my god, jc hates it. it's one thing for his father to prefer wwx, but it's an entirely other thing w/his jie. that's what marks yunmeng bros relationship, in the beginning—jc is so jealous that this newcomer gets jyl's attention.
eventually jyl impresses upon wwx The Rules and lets go of him but too late. damage done. she tells jc that it was only to teach him the ropes of navigating The Jiang Parents but nope, he's not hearing any of it. hes just now experiencing what jyl went thru at his birth
(though she doesnt remember it well) and combo'd with jyl "preferring" wwx over him.. hello insecurities. and jyl KNOWS not to do what her parents did, obviously. she's like "jc will understand why im spending extra time with wy rn, it's to teach him The Rules"
she doesn't realize that it seems like she's also abandoning jc until he kicks wwx out of their room, and then she ends up doting on jc for a week but too late—damage done. he's Experienced Insecurities.
she then spends the rest of her teens trying to compensate for those like two days; essentially parenting her little brothers and doing her v best to keep them away from her parents, but now theyre starting to cultivate
and she isnt physically there to mitigate the effects of 1 (one) jiang fengmian, which just goes to fuck up the yunmeng bros even more.
aka my essay on why "jyl never preferred wwx more, y'all are mad stupid if u think she does as her parents did w/her to jc"
aka my essay on why "jyl never preferred wwx more, y'all are mad stupid if u think she does as her parents did w/her to jc"
because!! she KNOWS what jc is going through!! but she can't dote on him more bcs wwx is new and he doesnt know the rules and yzy hates him and she's only nine—leave the girl alone. shes doing her best
(if ur gonna tell me that she ran onto a battlefield bc she loved wwx more, dont. jyl just lost her fiance and could potentially lose a brother and what do u expect her to do. i always saw the "it's not ur fault" thing as like, "i didn't die bc of u, don't blame yourself" so...)
god this thread ended up a lot longer than i expected but yeah. jiang yanli is a sister first and foremost and being in a household like that means you either are loyal to yourself or are loyal to your siblings, and she's, well, yeah. girlie is fucked up too.
