#link click theory

[inkinthetypewriter]

so i looked up “the eye” on tiktok to see if the intro was there and found this:

BOOKS ARRANGED IN MORSE CODE???

assuming black books are dashes and white books are dots, this is what it says,

STUDIO LAN DOES NOT FUCK AROUND WITH SYMBOLISM AND THE BOOKS ARE BEHIND LIU XIAO THIS MEANS SOMETHING

whoever spotted this first is a genius fr

[ilovereadingandstuff]

I 100% believe now, after rewatching Bridon arc and some s2 episodes, that Lu Guang is the protagonist of the story.

And that's the whole ordeal is about him against the world...basically.

Him trying to achive his goal: saving Cheng Xiaoshi of his destined death in the timeline

BY using his lovers' bestie's time-traveling powers + his own photo-reading powers + the whole knowledge he has

AGAINST!!

Liu Xiao and his, as i said in another post, his army of pawns: Vein, Xia Fei, Qian Jin, Li Tianchen...

and, also, most probable option: Cheng Xiaoshi's mother.

Edit: Need to add about that new guy Jae Lee??? swear to god, if it weren't because of u guys screaming for him over his appearance, i wouldn't have notice him.

So yeah...

he's fucking doomed to the starters of whatever s3 is gonna bring to him.

[sonchop]

okay, just hear me out!!

since cheng xiaoshi's mother is also a time traveler and wants to save her husband by changing the past, WHAT IF her actions GREATLY influenced the development of events? i mean, of course they did, but what if cheng xiaoshi WASN'T SUPPOSED TO DIE in THE VERY FIRST timeline?

what if it was his mother's attempts to prevent her husband's death that led to this series of events??? to xiaoshi's death??????

JUST IMAGINE. it's the first time she's changed the past, SO liu xiao & co start looking for her AND cheng xiaoshi's father (because SHE is looking for him)

is that why they find cheng xiaoshi and everything leads to vein killing him?????? AND THEN lu guang jumps in time, trying to stop it.

WHAT IF he doesn't succeed precisely because cheng xiaoshi's mother dives in a few years before him and changes events there, condemning him to failure in advance???

WHAT IF THE ONLY WAY to save cheng xiaoshi is to give up saving his father??

imagine a conversation between lu guang and cheng xiaoshi's mother. she proves that if her son and lu guang don't interfere, she will save her husband and everyone will live happily, and lu guang tells her about cheng xiaoshi's death. aaaaand they both understand HOW to prevent it. a choice between a husband and a child. and it seems to me that she would have chosen a husband (seriously, it feels like both parents consider their goal and each other more important than their son..)

NOW IMAGINE she apologizes to lu guang and promises to save cheng xiaoshi as soon as she saves her husband and then disappears, and Lu Guang now has a certain enemy. not the whole flow of time, but the mother of the one he is trying to save. aand now he knows who needs to be stopped in order to achieve his goal.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS?

[neo--queen--serenity]

When I rewatched the Bridon Arc, I noticed that each time Lu Guang has a nightmare (once in episode 3, and again in episode 4), his watch is stuck on the exact time and date that he chose to abandon his original timeline to try to save Cheng Xiaoshi. More specifically, it's the date and time that he associates with Cheng Xiaoshi’s death: September 13, at 00:05.

[nonoweid-blog]

Link click fandom, I finally join you on Tumblr because I have made an awful discovery at 1am and I need to share it.

I've always wondered what those scribbly red lines are when Lu Guang has those flashbacks of Cheng Xiaoshi dying in his arms ? So I decided to finally investigate and I'm astounded that there actually IS something we can see

Slowed the clip down, but if you focus very closely on just the red lines, you can see Lu Guang screaming while in tears 😭

A very ironic thing, considering that 2 minutes before I discovered it I was talking to one of my best friends about the fact we've never seen him cry ☠☠ the instant karma I got

[luguangssandwich]

I'm rlly tired rn so idk if any of this will make sense but I've done some sleuthing and rewatched the episode, now with the highly likely chance that Cheng Xiaoshi has dived back too. Hear me out:

Xiaoshi definitely did dive, and I think it started from the moment we saw his face in black and white at 4:59 PM:

And I think he stays until the Vivian arc fades out after they ran away (that was at 3:45 AM according to the clock in the room) I think he left as soon as they were safe and before the 12 hour limit passed. After that, he is back to the same, more naive and youthful person (who doesn't know about Lu Guang's powers) we have seen before the above. Everything he does in between those 12 hours is completely in line with his late S1 and S2 behaviour, I found it extremely uncanny and interesting to watch with this in mind!

Other bits that I found particularly interesting was the conversation after he pulled Lu Guang back to the studio. Qiao Ling asks what they should have for dinner and Cheng Xiaoshi suggests hot pot. We know this is his signature food, but I found Qiao Ling's response odd, because in the original Chinese subtitles she asks him if he's sick, because nobody eats hot pot during such a hot day. It felt odd because she made it seem out of character for him?

There's also CXS bossing Lu Guang around - at this point in time they know each other for a very brief amount of time, but the way he asks all these things of him feels like a future timeline in which they've already gotten extremely used and comfortable as partners and living together.

With this in mind, calling him "Guangguang" doesn't feel like it came out of nowhere anymore.

A few other pieces of dialogue I found extremely sus:

Even Lu Guang is surprised by his out of character behaviour at this point (but also vice versa!).

Now, the way he behaves during the date - I wouldn't say it's completely out of character for a future CXS to act out of his own wits. I don't think this guy's been on a single date in his life lol of course he would freak the hell out in such a situation, during previous dives he at least had the safety of possessing someone else. His empathy never fails so he tries to be kind and guide Vivian home, something a future Cheng Xiaoshi would do as well.

But what REALLY tipped me off is that there is no way a non-possessed CXS would've known that LG would know where he is at this moment in time, because he wasn't told until after this scene that he took a photo. I don't think the Vivian arc happened before (and it's possible it was triggered directly by the changed node when CXS dragged LG back to the studio). Cheng Xiaoshi had no idea Lu Guang would ACTUALLY SHOW UP IN PERSON tho (my guy at this point are u actually even surprised?) and probably just thought he'd call the cops, seeing how surprised he was at Lu Guang's appearance.

I'm gonna post the screenshot of Cheng Xiaoshi with golden eyes again because it really baffles my mind.

I don't know if any of this makes sense and I'd love to hear your thoughts!!

[you-huo]

link click shorts opening and the dance it was inspired by

the animators even got the straight faced unwavering eye contact

[floafl]

Glasses metaphor in Link Click

So we've all seen and wondered about Lu Guang's rose glasses, i believe part of the metaphor in these glasses was hinted at this episode via cheng xiaoshi

with both blue and red tinted glasses, someone with 3d glasses can see the full depth intended by a picture. each color filtering out specific hues and only making sense when combined

this scene of cheng xiaoshi immediately whips around and shows us Lu Guang in his uni-colored glasses again, reminding us of them while he gives us his explanation for what is occuring

Lu Guang's glasses are a metaphor for him not being able to see the full depth of the situation. he only see's one side, leading him to filter out certain colors that would be obvious otherwise. he is possibly stuck in how he views their powers and this entire arc.

Lu Guang's glasses have been a metaphor for his skewed POV of the situation the whole time.

[egoitsharu]

¿Did you know that LC characters are represented with flowers?

Checking the wiki I noticed that detail, the characters of Bridon Arc represent a flower

Cheng Xiaoshi is associated with the flower "Bellis". In the language of flowers, Bellis perennis, commonly known as the common daisy or bellis, symbolizes innocence, purity and loyal love. It can also represent new beginnings and love that overcomes difficulties. Additionally, in some cultures, they can also be associated with youth and joy.

Lu Guang is associated with the flower "Forget-Me-Not". It symbolizes eternal memory, true love and fidelity. It is associated with memory and affection towards someone special, even from a distance or after their departure. It also has a meaning in friendship and unwavering loyalty.

Qiao Ling with the "Hyacinth" flower. Hyacinth has different meanings depending on its color, but in general it symbolizes play, joy and rebirth. The hyacinth is a flower with many nuances in its symbolism, depending on the context and color.

Liu Xiao is associated with the "Spiderwort" flower. The Spiderwort (Tradescantia) symbolizes adaptability, resilience, and long-lasting love. It is associated with the ability to overcome challenges due to its resilient nature and ability to flourish in different conditions. It also represents ephemeral beauty, as its flowers typically last only a day before wilting. In some cultures, this flower is believed to have spiritual significance related to renewal and connection with nature.

Xia Fei is associated with the "Sunflower". The Sunflower symbolizes worship, happiness, energy, and loyalty. Because of its ability to follow the sun (heliotropism), it represents the search for light, positivity, and devotion. It is also associated with strength and longevity, as it is a resilient and vibrant flower.

Vein is associated with the flower "Dahlia". The Dahlia symbolizes elegance, strength, creativity and commitment. In the language of flowers, it is associated with dignity and determination, reflecting the ability to face changes with grace. It can also represent passion and the eternal bond in love, which is why it is common in weddings and romantic events.

Wang Qing is represented with the flower "Datura". Datura, also known as devil's trumpet or thorn apple flower, has an ambiguous and mysterious symbolism. Because of its exotic beauty and its connection to the forbidden, Datura represents both temptation and enlightenment.

[sarshles-cheescake-li]

My favourite analysis on Lu Guang's answer to the animal riddle is that he said detective, partly because he sees himself as guilty, by @curapicas (2025). (thanks muninnhuginn for finding the link!) However, I posit another answer: everyone.

You can set a forest aflame with a match, sure, but that doesn't cause devastation on the scale of lifeless charcoal. Where I live, our forest are born to be burned. Pockets of wildfire open up cracks in the canopy, letting sun shine on young trees; nutrients are released back into soil; the jack pine tree needs fire to reproduce (Natural Resources Canada, 2024). Wildfires have become an issue for us recently for one major reason: mismanagement.

Forest fires are bound to happen. Delay it endlessly, leave thousand of acres of standing, old wood, and that's when a forest fire becomes truly ravenous. Was it any one creature's fault? The fault of the elephant for dutifully putting out small sparks whenever they were seen? The fox for watching the forest grow thick and overcrowded without speaking up? The rabbits for planting the grasses that they adore as food? No one could have seen it coming, yet, everyone could. It wasn't anyone's fault. It was everyone's fault. It was a tragedy. It was an inevitability. Lu Guang would know: he's been fighting that inevitable fire for years.

A forest fire, and a death node. Never any one singular person to blame, one single factor that caused the fire: always a collision of dozens of entangled threads. Cheng Xiaoshi's death was never caused by one singular person, and the fire was never set by any one creature. The animals of the forest, in their attempts to make the forest a better home for themselves, set the stage for it to burn. The people who love and are loved by Cheng Xiaoshi, in their actions to protect him, attract the attention of executioners. 引火上身。*

Fundamentally, it's the same as Cheng Xiaoshi's answer -- that sometimes lightning strikes your life, and that's that. Only, Cheng Xiaoshi says 'it wasn't anyone's fault, no one did anything to start it'. Lu Guang, and maybe Vein, too, say 'they were all at fault, no one did anything to prevent it'. Lu Guang answers everyone, because he has come to see disasters as not the result of a singular person's actions, but rather a product of everyone's decisions. Even though Vein may not be a time traveler well-versed in the crowdfunded nature of tragedies, he still may well be cynical enough to write off the idea of innocent victims.

Lastly, consider that Lu Guang doesn't plot Vein's death because it would prevent him from killing Cheng Xiaoshi. He does it because it creates a new node; a new fire. Controlled burning**.

*Meaning "to attract fire onto one's own body." An idiom for when you cause your own problems, especially by attracting the attention or ire of others.

**An actual forest management technique where you set small, controlled fires, which clear out the dead wood and fulfill the same purposes as a big fire without it getting out of hand. Many Indigenous peoples have been doing it since forever. (BC Wildfire Service, 2022)

BC Wildfire Service. (2022, May 5). How cultural burning enhances landscapes and lives. Government of British Columbia. https://blog.gov.bc.ca/bcwildfire/how-cultural-burning-enhances-landscapes-and-lives/

Curapicas. (2025, February 5). Why I think Lu Guang's answer to the riddle was the detective:. Tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/curapicas/774647863305256960/why-i-think-lu-guangs-answer-to-the-riddle-was

Natural Resources Canada. (2024, August 1). Why forests need fires, insects and diseases. Government of Canada. https://natural-resources.canada.ca/our-natural-resources/forests/insects-disturbances/why-forests-need-fires-insects-and-diseases/13081

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Theory: LX intended for CXS to dive to save LG

Preface and disclaimer: this is kind of an out-there theory; more a few loose thoughts that I found interesting to think on - I fully expect that some or all of this will turn out to be totally wrong. Link Click loves showing us scenes only to later have them be revealed as either a) shown out of order, or b) recontextualized by further info we weren't initially privy to. I fully expect this will be the case in s3.

For now though, concerning Cheng Xiaoshi's death, Yingdu arc is what we have to work with. And there's a particular scene that really, really bothers me: the very opening confrontation against Vein.

(Actually, there's a lot that bothers me. There are multiple timeline inconsistencies that can't simply be explained by animation error - the most egregious is CXS figuring out his powers by diving alone when he had to figure that out in s1, well after the point many timeline changes had already occurred that would directly lead to the events of s2, our current timeline. It makes my head hurt. That's why this post is not about the inconsistencies, even though it bothers me that I cannot come up with a good explanation for this atm. My best guess is that multiple possibilities or potentials are collapsing in on a singular timeline due to LX, SYY and/or LG's actions but I really don't know. Whatever. On with the theory.)

Let's start with a key assumption. If this assumption is proven to be wrong later, then the theory very much falls apart, but I feel fairly confident about this for now.

Assumption: CXS's death scene from Yingdu episode 1 is the original timeline, as is the dive back to the basketball court.

The reason I think this is from both a narrative standpoint and a character one. From a narrative standpoint, it makes sense to show us either the first timeline or the most recent one after s2's cliffhanger ending. These are the timelines that actually have consequences for our story. Here, we see a lot of focus given to the transfer of Cheng Xiaoshi's power, and his dying request of Lu Guang. This dying request, to save everyone, is referenced in a later nightmare sequence, where Lu Guang is reminded that everyone has died. I don't think it makes much sense to focus on Cheng Xiaoshi's final words in a repeated timeline, unless they were framed as something Lu Guang has clearly heard before, which, they weren't.

Which brings me to the main reason I believe this is the original timeline: Lu Guang's reaction.

He's in shock for much of the events here - doesn't look at all like he knows or knew what was about to happen. If this wasn't the original timeline, I would expect him to look more desperate and sad than shocked. His reaction after diving also doesn't make much sense to me if this isn't the first dive he's attempted. Again, I'd expect him to look more haunted and sullen if this is a repeat. Instead, he looks around at his clothes and at his surroundings for a bit before getting hit by the ball, sees Cheng Xiaoshi, gasps and immediately tears up. <- Not the reaction I'd expect from a man used to diving.

Hopefully, you either agree with me or can at least suspend your disbelief enough to hear me out.

Let's go over what's odd about the initial Vein confrontation, yes?

Vein never actually shoots or even aims at Cheng Xiaoshi

"This is the punishment for you changing the past."

Vein doesn't finish off Lu Guang afterwards

Point 1: Vein knocks Cheng Xiaoshi back and twirls his gun. A few seconds pass in which Vein does not aim at Cheng Xiaoshi at all, just stands there, maybe to make sure he stays down. Lu Guang rounds the corner and Vein immediately fires a shot at him.

If Vein wanted to kill Cheng Xiaoshi, he could've already done it here. He's fast. He fired that shot at Lu Guang in a split second. The implication here is that Cheng Xiaoshi was not the target - the target was Lu Guang.

Point 2: Vein tells Lu Guang that his actions are punishment for changing the past. If we go by the assumption that this is the original timeline, this... doesn't make much sense. Lu Guang doesn't have the power to change the past without Cheng Xiaoshi's ability. It suggests that Vein is not after them here because of Lu Guang's attempt(s) to save Cheng Xiaoshi, but for some other deviation.

Conclusion? This is a shared punishment. In the original timeline, it seems very likely that Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi made some kind of change, or changes, to the past. <- This may actually explain why Lu Guang in the current timeline is so adamant about Cheng Xiaoshi not changing anything.

It is possible that the combination of their powers resulted in some kind of significant deviation, or else that they were mistaken for or had the blame pinned on them for someone else's actions. Either way, Vein seems to only gun for one of them, but it's not the one I'd expect.

After all, if this is a punishment for changing the timeline (and presumably, you wouldn't want them changing anything else), why wouldn't you shoot the guy who actually... makes the changes? Why try to shoot Lu Guang?

Well... maybe you would if you actually wanted the exact opposite outcome.

Vein misses Lu Guang several times in this scene. It's a little strange, given that he's been backed into a corner and his attempt to fight back does him no good at all. You can see in his fight against Shao Yuanyuan/Wang Qing in episode 6 that he does have good aim and is actually fairly efficient with his objectives. You could say he's toying with him, and maybe so! Vein clearly loves a good fight. Much like Liu Xiao, he has the vibe of a "hunter". But Vein also is stated to have a certain set of principles. To me, it feels like he's putting on a show.

This brings me back to the main question: why didn't he try to shoot Cheng Xiaoshi? Why kill everyone connected with them and attempt to kill Lu Guang, ostensibly as "punishment", when Cheng Xiaoshi is the one who can actually dive?

Point 3: Lu Guang helps Cheng Xiaoshi into the darkroom and locks the door. Vein fires a shot but then just kind of... stands there, grimacing. He doesn't even try to break the door down, which I'm sure he easily could. <-This is the weirdest part of the scene.

I don't think this was supposed to happen. I don't think Cheng Xiaoshi was intended to take that bullet.

I think Vein put on that show, wanting Cheng Xiaoshi to see him shoot Lu Guang. I don't think Vein expected Cheng Xiaoshi to dive in front and die.

You could say that Vein just decided to wait outside for Lu Guang to come out instead of exerting energy, but that's strange because in the time afterwards, from 23:11 on September 12th when they stumbled into the darkroom to just a little before 00:05 on September 13th when he leaves, Lu Guang gets injured, but is left alive, and Vein is nowhere to be seen. There is absolutely no way Lu Guang was able to fend off Vein, and the only other possible sign of a continued skirmish is more blood on the photo and its positioning (this could be an animation error, truthfully - everything else in the scene is the same as before - but if it is an error then that helps my point even more - there are no further signs of struggle).

The police didn't arrive and force Vein to leave. The implication is Vein left Lu Guang alive after waiting patiently outside the door for him to come out. Why? Why wait?

Well, one possible explanation: he didn't want to interrupt the power transfer.

Think about it. Why leave one alive, but kill everyone else? If it was to avoid them making changes, only one of the pair with the actual powers needs to die. Not everyone connected to them. This situation seems explicitly orchestrated to make it so Cheng Xiaoshi cannot resist diving back. I suspect he was already intending to - if you look at the scene where Lu Guang glances down at the shattered photo, his breath hitches - I suspect Qiao Ling is already dead and they know that.

Cheng Xiaoshi's last request is to save everyone, since he is now unable to - he cannot take the shot himself, so he passes the ball to the person he trusts most. And I think this was the goal all along. In a situation like this, how could he not try to save them? Especially if, as I suspect, the rules regarding past and future weren't made quite as strict in this timeline as they are in the current one.

Except this didn't go quite according to plan, because in epic Cheng Xiaoshi fashion, he did something that wasn't anticipated and died in Lu Guang's stead. Not ideal, clearly, from Vein's reaction, but it doesn't actually matter.

All that matters is that one of them dives back. The outcome is the same.

Why kill everyone, but leave one alive, and with a power that will allow them and inevitably tempt them to try to save their loved ones? The most obvious answer is if this is exactly the outcome you wanted.

--

Now, why do I say Liu Xiao intended this if the main actor here was Vein? Well, for one, Vein doesn't seem aware in Yingdu arc of changes to the timeline, except in this scene. Needless to say, he is definitely not privy to Lu Guang having future knowledge - Lu Guang is suspicious to him, but it does not seem to occur to Vein that he could be from the future. This information likely comes from Liu Xiao, who Vein works with during the arc to obtain Cheng Weimin's book and who unzips his body bag at the end of the season. Out of anyone who could've orchestrated this, our favourite puppeteer manipulator is the most likely candidate.

I won't claim to know what's going on with Liu Xiao, nor what his goals actually are, but I suspect he has at least some future knowledge or is somehow able to catch glimpses of parallel lines. He comes across as much older in the flashbacks with him and Li Tianchen as children. There is an odd bit in Yingdu episode 2 during the roulette scene where there is a flash to the gun killing him. Metaphor or vision? It's hard to say.

Interestingly, in the Bridon pv, Liu Xiao looks back at Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang in the airport and smiles but does not approach them. Lu Guang even mentions that they didn't run into Liu Xiao in the past timeline.

At the end of episode 1, in the current timeline, Liu Xiao says "Finally, we can start the game." It implies that all the pieces are finally in place. This may be why he approaches Cheng Xiaoshi in the airport and asked Xia Fei to trail him, expecting him to have dived back from the future.

I suspect his knowledge isn't perfect. Liu Xiao is a gambler. He's not like Lu Guang, who needs to have perfect control and anticipate every outcome. He wasn't really paying much attention to Lu Guang at all until he noticed something strange - ostensibly his heartbeat. Again, I suspect the person he intended to have dive was Cheng Xiaoshi. Lu Guang was not expected - but he can still work with this, and clearly does, because at no point does it seem like any of Lu Guang's actions or knowledge disrupted his plans. Instead, it seems like everything is going smoothly because of his actions.

Everything Lu Guang does, including his decision to stall Vein and try to get him killed, seems to work out in Liu Xiao's favour. I suspect, inadvertently, that Lu Guang is doing exactly what he wants him to. Lu Guang's only real moment of "masterminding" is therefore implied to have been anticipated. Liu Xiao smiles when Xia Fei receives the call about Vein's "death", as if he knew.

"You might have seen something interesting."

It checks out. This frame from Train Trail during his verse says "the puppets are standing" over everyone's silhouettes - including Lu Guang. Lu Guang is also frequently shown as either trapped or drowning in official art and in Yingdu - if he was intended to be a mastermind on equal footing with Liu Xiao, I really don't think we'd see so much of his feelings of helplessness, nor his repeated assertions that he essentially has no idea what he's doing and doesn't actually expect the outcome to change. Liu Xiao doesn't seem to have any such compunctions or concerns in this sense.

If Lu Guang does turn out to have been essentially manipulated into this situation, it would follow a particular pattern seen in Link Click. There are characters who enact control over others but are ultimately being puppeteered or manipulated (Liu Min trying to control what is said about him comes to mind, as does Li Tianchen's literal control, to an extent), as well as characters who, through desperation and/or love, and the limited options available to them in their shitty situations, become complicit in something immoral and suffer for it (Emma taking the money from Zhu, Li Tianxi being the other half of the remote control, Vivian becoming a scammer). If Liu Xiao really did orchestrate Lu Guang's dive, then Lu Guang would follow both these patterns, as a puppet with the power of future knowledge that can (and perhaps has) hurt others, and as a victim who made a desperate choice and is now trapped by its consequences.

One last bit of evidence - this time explicitly about Liu Xiao.

^Everyone is familiar with 091305 by now. September 13th at 12:05 am. The date and time Lu Guang dived back from. However, something interesting here: the year is blurred out.

Moreover, I see people say sometimes that this is Cheng Xiaoshi's death date - it isn't. Remember the time from when they were in the darkroom? Cheng Xiaoshi's death occurred on September 12th, just a little past 11:11 pm.

Here's one last fun thing before I close out this post:

Liu Xiao, why does the date on your Tetris game-over say September 12th, 2024 when Yingdu arc takes place in 2019? I wonder whose game-over this could be?

[hyxsn]

fuck the person who

1) made the headcanon that lu guang and cheng xiaoshi were dating in the first timeline and

2) made the headcanon that lu guang is easily flustered by cheng xiaoshi's antics in the first timeline

because you ruined my life,

now i cant stop thinking about how innocent and tender their love was. i cant stop thinking about them meeting each other at the basketball court for the first time. i cant stop thinking about them anticipating the next time they meet at the court. their eyes meeting as they pass each other in the school hallways. their declarations of love and their first kiss.

i cant stop thinking about cheng xiaoshi giving lu guang gifts regularly, and lu guang giving gifts back. i cant stop thinking about the days they spent just coexisting in silence, their comfort space expanding to the two of them. i cant stop thinking about the endless conversations that fall out of cheng xiaoshi, and how lu guang would listen and remember every single word and detail from him. i cant stop thinking about every time they saw either one hurt, theyd drop everything to make sure the other is okay.

i cant stop thinking about cheng xiaoshi holding lu guang, and how lu guang would initially get flustered before slowly getting used to it. how lu guangs cold skin would be warmed by the skin of cheng xiaoshi's. how his body would feel unfamiliar without cheng xiaoshi touching him. how they look at each other as they share their first times together.

i cant stop thinking about cheng xiaoshi convincing lu guang to move in with him. i cant stop thinking about the dates, the shared meals, the boba teas, the sunsets and sunrises they watched together. i cant stop thinking about how happy they were, how clueless they were, how much lu guang had smiled the moment cheng xiaoshi entered his life.

i cant stop thinking about lu guangs reaction when it dawns on him that cheng xiaoshi, the first and final love of his life, was dying in his arms so suddenly, the promises cheng xiaoshi made to spend his future with him by his side shattering as he watches the life from cheng xiaoshi's eyes fade.

oh, to have love like that.

[sonchop]

yk, I think it's really funny (I'm about to cry) that in the s1 ep11 - s2 ep1, when cheng xiaoshi sees lu guang dying, he keeps his mind clear, fights well with the possessed qiao ling, not letting the red eyes guy harm her at the same time worries about lu guang and, as we later find out, also remembers the info (like he was able to tell the most important moments without hesitation). i mean, lu guang does look pretty dead at this moment, but xiaoshi is still holding up well, wow

meanwhile, lu guang, when he sees qian jin hurting xiaoshi... well, he's not just scared af, he immediately, I would even say, mindlessly rushes at qian jin (not even checking on xiaoshi lol (I think he understands that this shoot will not kill him but still-)

usually lu guang is the one who keeps his mind clear and calm in all situations, when cheng xiaoshi very often acts rashly and thoughtlessly driven by emotions (even if in the season 2 he is a little more rational)

but when danger threatens dear people..

lu guang is the one who will be ready to kill for someone who is dear to his heart, aaand xiaoshi is able to pull himself together and act consistently

I think it might also work with the "go back in time and save a life" thingie, like xiaoshi is able to resist his wish to dive back in time and save his bf, even if it kills him inside and all this because of lu guang's words and his own understanding what his actions may entail

(we don't know what he would do if he saw lu guang's dead body, but the fact is that he cannot allow himself to do something so serious with the flow of time)

while lu guang is ready to become the main hypocrite in the world, make irreparable changes in the flow of time, and take this sin upon himself, if only cheng xiaoshi would live.

so I wonder if this is because lu guang has already witnessed several deaths of cheng xiaoshi or is he initially more protective and emotional, but he's really good at hiding it?

[xia01i]

what i find really interesting is that when qiao ling was possessed, she talked about punishment and the "game" restarting due to breaking the "rules"

but you know the only other character that really talks about punishment:

which is odd to me, meaning that the Red Eyes we saw in S1 cannot be the same red eyes as in S2, because if that truly was the case, Li Tianchen technically should enjoy killing and know about this "game" or so-called punishment throughout S2. Moreover, the killing styles are different since Li Tianchen kills others through suicide and specifically remembers his first kill as such.

however, i find it interesting when Red Eyes makes these claims because throughout S2, we never see Li Tianchen address this ever again or try to take Cheng Xiaoshi's powers via death which we see when qiao ling gets hers from li tianxi or when cheng xiaoshi died in the previous timelines. this means that Red Eyes already knows of the existence of other powers, i.e., probably lu guang, and how to take them as well; either from their own knowledge, or perhaps someone else (i'm looking at you, liu xiao). it could also explain lu guang's surprise when he learns about "someone having the ability possess spirits" as he probably never reached this far into a dive (assuming this actually takes place in 22/10/2021). this is also supported by the fact that in the yingdu/bridon arc when lu guang had a nightmare, cheng xiaoshi didn't say anything about the xu shanshan case.

and the only way to reset the "game" is technically to kill off the one who keeps doing that and the one who possesses the powers to dive back in time.

[yingdu-lover]

lmao

probably jae lee is not a new character but that one shadow character whose activities were introduced even before our three protagonists consolidated their presence in season 1 (before S1 because it was character preview)

remember how their character profiles were introduced/represented like this

so people going "auwuwuuw neki neki nekki uwuwuw i am not a fan of new characters, main story and main characters are getting diminished-" 🫩🫩 *inserts making ridiculous face emojis*

[thepeculiarauthor]

we got another two years prob till link click season 3 so i'm gon talk about everything i love about this series thanks

human trafficking rep. holy shit. a more realistic approach to the mental trauma involved for all parties.

the VAs slapped, regardless of what sub/dub you pick, they all slayed

suicide awareness. so many shows shy away from this when trauma/etc are very real and suicide is often faced as an option. link click takes this and goes "hell no. live. FUXKING LIVE NO MATTER WHAT" and it's 11/10. you're loved. please. stay.

the bonds. not a lot of fiction anymore just shows GENUINE relationships. it's either abusive shit or fluffy shit -- neither are 'good' or realistic. but link click comes along and has functioning adult relationships that Still have issues and problems and arguments and disagreements bUT love is still present in those relationships bc they're healthy

it's also a reminder that genuine love / relationships aren't based on what you can give, etc. (as adults i think we forget this often and we feel we have to deserve a relationship; link click says f this)

a big theme of the story is making mistakes!!!!! so many fictional stories either 1) take the 'aw i messed up again:(' approach or 'my mc can do NOTHING incorrect or wrong ever' and they suck, lol. link click is a great balance of yes, we messed up, but we move forward.

link click also is a solid example of "yeah, sometimes life is shit! you try your best! it doesn't always matter!!!" but not in a "so d/e" way but in a "even so, still try, still love, because knowing you can't control shouldn't instill fear but bravery"

LING IS A POSITIVE FEMALE CHARACTER THAT DOESNT CONSTANTLY HAVE TO SHIT ON MEN TO BE IN THE STORY --

death and grief handled in a realistic way tbh

the occasional laugh and smile and just the humor is pure

the tension and intrigue is the best written and portrayed i've seen and i'll die on this hill sorry

the concept of time travel is popular, but i haven't found anything to tackle the emotional / MORAL consequences like link click has. "SHOULD you change the past? IS IT OK to change the past?" we've all seen "oh no we changed the past we must fix it!!!" but I've never seen "the past, the present, and the future are heartbreaking and gut-wrenching and stunning and precious and beautiful as they are" but HUMAN NATURE remains and our desires continue to be to remove the heartbreak and pain. is that morally wrong or not?

ANYWAY this will prob be part 1 of more but please lmk what you think lol