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Hey so S2E9 'Three Stroires' was fucking bonkers

LETS TALK ABOUT IT

The episode is DENSE AS ALL HELL with things to talk about, the three main things being

The titles

The art style and style of storytelling

The dialogue (or lack thereof)

Lets speedrun some analysis notes of our three favourite members of the worst found family ever!!

Storytelling Styles

All three stories are emotionally driven and told in dramatic styles without realism, though all for differing reasons.

QJ mimics the over-the-top Shakespearean reminiscent of his wife, believing himself to be the main character of a tragedy. Though this style of story telling is obviously campy and corny, it's also presented in a way where it's not immediately clear to the viewers that this isn't actually real -- it's a fabrication of the canon within the canon as a reflection of QJ's delusions.

LTC mimics QJ, however, his disposition leads to him seeing everything as a Greek Comedy as opposed to perma-victim QJ's Greek Tragedy. It also reflects LTC ultimately leaning into and revelling in killing other people as part of his hunter ethos and evolution. LTC's style does not need to be realistic because LTC isn't looking for meaning in his story, but for an experience that's enjoyable and satisfying.

QJ and LTC's style complement each other with both being able to come together to tell a more cohesive narrative overall, although each does so by focusing on themselves more than anyone else.

LTX is a silent cartoon telling of her life story, quite literally the story that's gone untold, bar the words of the gossiping crows (people with frivolous and passing interest in her life writing their own stories about the events she goes through). Her story telling style is a reflection of her mindset and being trapped cognitively as a child for all time, and is further indication that her personhood wasn't allowed to independently grow since becoming an orphan.

LTX's story is outside of QJ and LTC's narrative because she cannot speak, and thus her story does not matter. No dramatisation of reality to paint a certain picture is needed, nor is her story seen or understood in either of theirs. Her story is insular and disconnected from theirs because her personhood is disconnected from theirs.

LTX's story is told through the lens of LTC and LX's worldview: that the world is made up of beasts and hunters. There is only ever one human character (likely LX himself rather than QJ, based on how visually loyal everyone else's designs are) while LTX watches LTC straddle the line between animal (his nature) and human (his will).

Story Titles

QJ's part being called the "Inevitable Tragedy" is a reference to how he is the creator of his own misfortune as it was never based in reality but his own unchecked paranoia.

LTC's part is called the Fortuitous Comedy is because it was fortuitous for QJ to find out about the twins' powers before anyone else via Tianchen's confession and subsequent laughter. It could also be due to LTC reaching his perceived hunter-status by the fortuitous case of Deng being Liu Min's first requested kill (for the same reason LTC hates Deng, no less).

LTX's title being the "Sibling's Fairy Tale" is rather self explanatory, much like the character herself if you took the damn time to talk to her. It's childish, stuck in the past (trauma), focused on her brother and the other light of her life: their late-mother. Another piece of insight that I remembered hearing is that fairy tales don't always have happy endings, but they always have a moral to learn from. In this sense, Xixi's story is thematically the most important because no character has put that moral into practice (confronting the worst aspects of those you love, refusing to look away from the secrets they hide while you stay in a peaceful dream with their softness).

Additional Notes

QJ caring for the twins in Part II is a reflection of LTC being gaslit about reality (reinforced by QJ's fatherly love being absent in LTX's story), as well as a reflection of his sense of self and human autonomy only beginning and flourishing due to the circumstances QJ provided

LTX's story suggests that most of the time she spends with LTC involves her napping in some form, or that most of her time in general was slept away as if she was trapped in some strange dream.

The only betrayal even hinted at is LTC's betrayal of LTX's morality, a twist that literally shatters LTX's childlike world and forces her hurdling into reality. This is the only betrayal because the twins are the only two who have trust in one another among the three.

Someone else made a point about how even when the foxboy picks up the bow and arrow, he remains a fox. In LTX's eyes, her brother can act as a hunter but he's still a beast and that's not a bad thing.

The fact that most people are 'beasts' and there's only one human in all of LTX's worldview really is some solid symbolism and messaging, especially considering LTX is socially classified as an undesirable a la her disabilities. It's peak reclamation and pride in Oneself.

[chubphoe-linkclick]

These mugshots of the twins where Tianxi's fighting to make a smile versus Tianchen's dead AHA serious face done giving a fuck. Like why can I hear the photographer going "now say cheese!"

I can totally imagine they got a lil' bit of systemic trauma during their case being handled, even if it was only briefly.

[translation curtosy of google translate images]

[chubphoe-linkclick]

it's literally that rick and morty meme

cmon they're identical

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Rewatched all of link click with my younger sibling and hoo boy still not prepared for the pain aNYWAY - sketches from the musical and a redraw of Qiao Ling, my beloved ❤️

[chubphoe-linkclick]

These parallel shots of Tianchen and Tianxi running as they each throw away everything that ever mattered to them are killing me

The fact that they use lighting to say 'Tianxi dies and goes to heaven while Tianchen descends into further into a living hell' is killing me

Like fuck man, I just wanted to watch some noodle lesbians.

[chubphoe-linkclick]

Still in full denial, even tho im constantly drawing her like this

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Rare moment of Qian Jin looking over his two pink hatchlings as they rest in the nest together

His paternal instincts tell him to get them some McDonalds on the way home

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Li Tianchen is portrayed as an overly protective big brother during his opening scene, not even being okay with someone he doesn't know patting Li Tianxi's head despite their mother being right there.

His outward hostility makes a lot more sense when you know that their neighbour was someone he saw gossiping about their mother, later to be overheard by their father and result in another beating, something Tianchen has never forgiven his neighbours for.

You think he's being a little asshole (and makes Tianchen a much more easy to dislike character at this point), but shit now it makes a lot more sense!

[chubphoe-linkclick]

So I was gonna make a post all "Who the fuck is 'that woman; because Liu Min isn't paralysed by this point in time so it sure as hell ain't Emma."

But an acquaintence of mine pointed out that (since this is the three-stories episode) the events are non-literal. It's very likely that Tianchen literally just did not process that Liu Min was disabled and this is just Tianchen's memory of ✨the vibes ✨ from their meeting.

It also solves the question of whatever the heck happened here, since it was likely the incident with Emma after all!

[chubphoe-linkclick]

living in fear that Qian Jin and Xiao Li (captain police officer dude) are actually a parallel to Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi. Captain Xiao's haircut when he was younger might just be a coincidence.

S2E3:

We also got those noodle lesbians foreshadowing for LG and CXS, where the more analytic, calculating one loses their way as they become overly focused on the means to achieve the duo's goal to the point that they forget the heart of it. Then the empathetic one is hurt they've lost their way and just want their other half to come back.

So it could still go either way!! please the noodle lesbian way

[chubphoe-linkclick]

thinking about how much i identify with tianchen in this moment (i am manic and would hold lu guang so tightly that it'd cause serious damage)

[chubphoe-linkclick]

I finished rewatching Season 2.

Status update:

(get ready to be drip fed tonnes of shitposts and analyses)

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we were robbed of so many sweet twin interactions

I KNOW CHENG XIAOSHI IS XIXI RIGHT NOW, BUT LOOK AT THEM!! Li Tianchen would never with anyone else.

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If Qiao Ling did inherit Li Tianxi's power, then she could find out whether Cheng Xiaoshi's parents are still alive, where they are, and why they left.

Honestly thinking about it, Tianxi's power steamrolls for solving missing person's cases in general. Now I'm wondering how her power works when you try to view people who are already dead.

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Something about the fact that Li Tianchen is SO overprotective that even his mother feels awkward about it just sends me places

LIKE THE FACT THAT HE ALSO TOOK THE BAGS AWAY FROM THE DUDE AND INSISTED ON CARRYING BOTH HIMSELF, NOT EVEN SHARING IT WITH HIS MUM LIKE-

LITTLE BOY CALM DOWN!!

[chubphoe-linkclick]

what a lovely mother-daughter duo, they look so happy together

i sure hope nothing bad happens to them