[taps mic] [clears throat] lwj's grieving can be portrayed in all forms because not one form of grief is "superior" in any way. he can still be powerful, independent, amazing while going through loss and trying to cope in whatever shape that takes.

[takes a sip of water] [continues going in a softer tone] being human and having emotions does not make someone weaker. he can suffer while trying to cope, attending to his duties, raising a child. he also doesn't have to be perfect in order to be strong.

lwj is a fictional character but grief is a real thing and nobody should be judged by how they feel about tragic loss, judging whether someone "moved on" or not as a sense of how much they're worth is utterly pointless and dumb

if you watched cql you can literally see wwx immediately spiralling into oblivion after tragic loss to the point of self destruction and nobody judges that.

now why lwj staying alive, suffering through loss and coping would mean he is weaker? NEITHER of them are.

as someone who has been through a lot of tragic shit: this ranking thing on how strong someone is by how "unaffected" they are by tragedy is DUMB AS FUUUUUUCK especially because when you seem the most unbothered is when you're not properly addressing what happened.

saving sentimental items is valid as fuck. playing inquiry is logical in his position (have you seen the first paragraphs of the book? everyone was trying to find wwx's soul for a decade). missing terribly the love of his life is human.

it doesn't make lwj any less powerful

imo lwj is strong AS FUCK precisely because he is very clearly holding a huge weight regarding grief his entire life AND STILL he turns into this powerful cultivator who raises a child forms a marriage and works for what he believes in.

chefs kiss. absolutely unstoppable.