FGEP Rant: Lin Wanyue and Gender

So, I just started reading FGEP and it’s SOOO good, I don’t even have the words to describe how much I love this book. Particularly, I love how the author writes Lin Wanyue’s gender. I really love the way she exercises her agency in choosing her gender presentation. For us, now, we have so much tradition, so much queer activism, so much gender theory to bring us clarity. But she was just a lone woman who’d lost her entire family…I think that it’s incredible that she didn’t succumb to life and fall into heteronormativity.

So here are a couple of things about her:

1) I don’t think masculinity was ever forced on her, or something that she had to adopt just to survive in the military. I think that’s what always came naturally to her. Instead, I think it was cishet expectations which were forced on her which made her compare her looks with Li Xian and then gave her some kind of guilt, like “I am a woman, shouldn’t I also be like her”. It’s more like compulsory femininity to me.

2) I also really loved her connection with Lin Feixing. Brother and sister connected on such a deep level to the point that (as I see it) they become each other’s alter-egos? In that sense, LWY didn’t “steal” LFX’s identity. She /became/ LFX to cope with his death. (This is my personal interpretation tho)

3) I don’t know the ending of this book, but I really hope she doesn’t return to being a femme presenting person post-resolution. Not that there’s something wrong to be femme presenting, I love and support my femmes fully. But it’s just that masc representation is so little. I really hope she stays the way she is.

4) I’m also very curious about her pronouns. I know western standards don’t apply to this situation, but if anyone has any insight, or headcanons, I’d be happy to hear them.

Overall, that’s just the point of the post. I’d really love to talk about LWY’s gender, any theories, insight, headcanons that you might have. (I hope I don’t offend anyone with the way I’ve phrased my questions. If I do, know that it’s entirely unintentional)

Looking to hear your thoughts <3