#;; stronger than any! (self promo)

[eerna]

A video of Totk gameplay just dropped ! I can't wait for this game to be released, I want to know more about the story, and more importantly if Link and Zelda are okay thank you very much haha but the new gameplay displayed looks so fun, can't wait to play with it !

Nice!!!! I'm glad!!!!!!! I'm gonna try to stick to my decision to not watch any gameplay footage until I get to experience it myself, but I'm super stoked and same~~

[neritence]

Sugar,

Spice,

And paying the Price.

N'eah Politan, Knight of the Spectral Dusk, part of the Holy Knights Dragoon of Sanbreque from Final Fantasy XVI. As portrayed by Kuroki. 

Semi-Selective, 25 y/o mun, OC + canon + crossover friendly. Currently under construction. Follows from @.wyvern-flames

Like, reblog, or follow if interested!

[howtotrainyouragents]

Agent H's Movie Reactions

Ladybug and Cat Noir the Movie

A reimagining of how Ladybug and Chat Noir, and their secret identities Marinette and Adrien, met, fell in love, and saved the world

-I was trying so hard to make this a non-comparison reaction and judge it on it's own basis, but there's just too little in the actual movie and too much to actually say so here we go lol

-Truly I think the weakest part of this movie is just the script. The dialogue is so generic, it's almost soulless. It has to directly say what the characters feel at all times and has to give the most basic children's movie messages as the answer. For ex, that scene where she meets Tikki, and Tikki just speedruns the explanations is so bad bc like, the reveal of the power is an important part of any superhero story, and them speedrunning it is like "lol, we don't care, you know the deal, let's just move past it" which is bad for immersing yourself in the story

-Marinette is so generic here, it was annoying to me. And she keeps talking about her dreams and fears but what are your dreams and fears?? All she is just timid and awkward here (which makes sense why people are goo gah over this version)

-Personally, I don't like the idea that your old self is bad and you have to get rid of it but that's just me

-Marinette wears a tank top underneath the jacket??? she’s just like me fr

-That poll going around that was like, What was the message of the movie? I thought that was a joke and there was obviously a correct answer. But oh no. They genuinely just changed the message of the movie like every twenty minutes

-What was the point of making the Ladybug and Cat rivals if Ladynoir immediately solve working together like the second time they meet. And what does the "stronger together" mean, like was it making their superpowers literally stronger or was it just teamwork is better?

-Everyone just felt mean to each other? Like Adrienette/Ladynoir, but also like Marinette wouldn't be so mean to her dad? And Alya teasing her about being friendless? And Chat Noir could be seen as joking around but they don't give that impression enough, so he comes off as kind of just a jerk.

-Chat Noir is adorable until he speaks. I love that little arms-flailing run from the gargoyle in the church

-Also I need that dialogue scene of "I have nine lives, razor-sharp sense, etc." to be like a meme picture set please

-HE HAS LITTLE GLITTER ON HIS MASK :(((

-Yeah, I have no idea why Marinette likes Adrien other than he's hot when they first meet. (And I have no idea what his deal is. Why was he sitting lonely in the library? How does he know Chloe? How does he know Nino and no one else? No explanations!!)

I have no idea why Chat Noir likes Ladybug other than she saved his life. Like, okay, and? This movie seems to think that the only good acts is saving someone from danger, and all the million good tiny acts that the characters do in the show that fundamentally are a part of who they are isn't important

-Some of the Ladynoir banter was a little more banter-is-cool-right-right? than characters-actually-talking-and-bantering

-That being said, I AM NOT IMMUNE TO LADYNOIR

-The animation is gorgeous HOLY FUCK. I could watch these scenes all day. And I don't really mind, with some exceptions (ALYA. MARINETTE'S DAD), the character designs

-I did scream at seeing Luka. But upon a closer look, wtf did they do to him

-I liked Chloe's design in the promos, but I don't actually like it that much here, her hair is too stringy

-*Me cradling show!Plagg and whispering* "Who did this to you? Who hurt you like this? I will kill them all for you." (No, but seriously, No Plagg's galaxy design? The fart jokes? The not-caring-about Adrien?)

-I can't believe they've made me say this, but I think I prefer Hawkmoth's show design? His face is a little too expressive here (esp when Gabriel's really isn't), and it weirds me out

-I do think it's cute to have all the classmates and side character cameos

-There was some shots that just felt confusing, like I'm not sure where they wanted my focus to be

-Some of the back and forth scenes could've been edited a little sharper

-Hahaha, I like that they unnecessarily amped up the yoyo design

-If they were really doing such big-budget animation, they should've gone for it and given the characters new outfits and all each day. I'd pay for it

-I was THIS close to just skipping all the songs. And honestly I should've, they (except maybe the Ladynoir falling in love song?) didn't add anything to the story.

-I always love Lou singing for Marinette, but the contrast between Cristina's speaking and Lou's singing is SO BAD WHO APPROVED THIS

-Girl, you can't have a self-realization song in the middle of a fair on fire

-This movie owes me money for making me watch Gabriel sing. It was a fun song, but you owe me reparations

-"A she-ro!" Boooo! Negative points for trying too hard! Haha, Also Ladybug literally wasn't doing anything atm when Alya said that

-Nino having a crush on Alya is so cute

-Adrien sad boi hours

-“Evil Miraculous” Nooroo doesn’t deserve this slander :(

-Master Fu was, uh, a lot

-Also, they keep harping on, You have to save the world!! (Oh my goodness why was Tikki so serious) Which like makes me appreciate how the show smartly keeps it's stakes reasonable and contained to Paris bc that's such an easy pitfall for superhero genres to fall into

-Ladybug and Chat Noir didn’t even save the day??

-Sheesh, and you guys were mad thinking season 5 finale gave Gabriel a redemption (which it didn't)??

-YES YOU ARE RIGHT ADRIEN WOULD CRY LEARNING MARINETTE IS LADYBUG

-WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE THIS ENTIRE FUCKING FANFIC MOVIE AND THEY DON'T EVEN KISS

-Look, Adrien deserves to tell his dad off, but this Adrien doesn't because it doesn't feel built up or paid off at all

-Dude. The reveal of Emilie doesn’t mean anything in this version of the story

-People who love the show will hate the movie and people who hate the show will love the movie

[seffien]

any headcannons for your agents?

oh plenty, but let me keep it as short as i can

cap'n 3 (real name junko 'jun' ishikawa):

country kid who was entranced by inkopolis plaza's unusual (to her) look

was originally super cheerful and peppy before Various Incidents

very creative, but none of the adults in her life ever appreciated it

likes to draw (doesn't do it much now) and bought a bass guitar during the events of splat 1 because she loved squid squad that much

became suuuper close with gramps and the squid sisters (as a matter of fact, the 'jun' nickname came from marie) bc her own 'family' was. um.

being sanitized kind of ruined her a bit. her left eye is a slightly lighter shade than her other one to this day, and the sanitization gave her memory loss, an aversion to food, and general odd behavior for a while

looks menacing, is really kind of tired and also shy

gave 4 her old agent outfit (cape included) since she didn't really need it anymore

still cannot believe she's the captain

very different from her younger, happier, more awake self, but she tries not to think about that.

agent 4 (real name naoki 'masu' masuda):

parents wanted her to be a prodigy, and the pressure they put on her made her snap and run away. most pre-inkopolis square memories are deeply repressed

basically no one gave a shit about her when she first moved to inkopolis except for the splat 2 promo kid with the black v-neck tee. they're still kinda sorta friends

liked flow because she felt like she cared (and she actually kinda did)

pushes herself way too hard, somewhat self-conscious

got a few injuries during hero mode and was hesitant to let marie patch em up

straight up did not speak until callie got saved. still doesn't really talk much.

her and marie weren't super besties at first, the only reason they ever clicked was because they were both sad loners with negative self-esteem

'masu' came from eight, and she's kind of fond of the nickname

agent 8 (real name emiko 'miko' yamasaki):

marina found her real name in the octarian records seen in that one chat room session

actually was in a few kettles, was not very good

never wanted to fight, always wanted to write (poetry, specifically)

learned inkling from 4 and eventually 3

kept thinking 4's first name was masuda (it isn't.)

did not like going outside when she first arrived to the surface

wasn't an artist, but tended to draw hypothetical mem cakes of people she deemed important, like 3 and 4

smiles to cover up The Internal Suffering, almost no one ever buys it because a) it looks very fake and b) she never holds it. as soon as a stranger disappears, so does the smile

along with 3, callie, and marie, she consistently reminds 4 that she's stronger than she thinks and that she matters and isn't useless

terrifyingly good in turf and ranked, even won a championship that off the hook basically begged her to enter. she got a trophy and still thought 'cool i guess. no big deal.'

works at ammo knights in splat 3, and since she knows a thing or two about wounds n stuff from her time in the army, she's also the crew's medic

new 3 (real name veronika 'ronnie' yamada):

chill, goes with the flow, probably the happiest out of all the agents (not even that happy, it's a low bar to clear)

everyman when it comes to every mode (tableturf, turf, ranked, what have you)

cheers up people she's played with between matches if they're sad

oblivious to hiro's sort of obvious crush on her

barely redesigns her locker, and when they do, it's usually to add a sticker

used a fake ID to play turf in the splat 1 days, was tall for her age around that time. she still feels kinda guilty about it

waved back to deep cut post-RotM

found shiver chilling in the alternan ocean with master mega a few days after the events of RotM, got to pet him

a character who's just kind of. well. there

adopted kid of an inkling and an octoling, literally lived in a cabin in the woods. she's still in contact with them

resting face looks like smash ultimate young link's

steph and her are both acquaintances and besties. acquaintabesties. steph took care of them while they were sick and they took care of steph after she slosher machined her way into muscle atrophy (not actually, thankfully)

has a walkman and a boombox. doesn't even care what's official, just buys things from in-universe eBay

[wafflesetc]

I’m extremely worried about what Gwen will do to Upstead later this season. I lost so much of my trust in her these last episodes. I want Jay to come back even if it’s only offscreen and them together, but she seems to go for dramatics now instead of in character. I don’t know what to think. Anything you can say to help ease my thoughts?

I apologize if this is a little longer than you thought you were going to get. I've also been sitting on this for a few days because I wanted the initial high/anger/confusion/just general wave of intake to be over.

This is slightly multi-layered and I think that it's important to take that into account when answering something like this. I can totally understand why you say you lost your trust in Gwen over these last few episodes. I'm inclined to agree to a portion of losing some distrust in Gwen. I particularly didn't love the airport goodbye scene with Voight. Of all the three of is final episodes, him saying he wanted to be like Voight to me was one of the most out of character things we've ever heard from Jay. @spiridakosstyle had a really great post about there here.

Now, I don't know what happened and I don't know how three episodes was decided, but they had 10 years worth of a character and 5 years of a partnership/relationship to wrap up. Gwen had to do that all while still maintaining the regular timeline for a regular season for the show. I'm not defending her, I'm just saying that there are a lot of factors into timing and pacing. Do I think they did it right? No, I don't think that it was paced right. The first two episodes were strangely paced to me with how the third episode went down. I still enjoyed the episodes, but I question some of the timeline choices that were made and why they were made.

I think the biggest factor in all of this to be honest is the fact that he's not dead- he is just, temporarily relocating. I made a long post on my mostly coherent thoughts on the episode. I am not going to rehash it in this answer, but I do suggest reading it. In short, aside from the fact I didn't love the pacing, I think Jay is on a journey of self-healing.

I put this in a tweet a few days ago, "Growth is hard, it always is—and in order for a relationship to grow, each person has to grow. Sometimes healing is a solo journey, having your person support you. It doesn’t mean they love each other any less. In the end, he’ll be stronger & they’ll be stronger."

I'm believing that's where they were going with the exit choice they made for him. I don't love the military exit... I would have preferred some sort of promotion or transfer. (I'm also still wondering why we didn't get the dress blues scene that were in the promo pics?) But... at the end of the day, Jay Halstead was a beloved and valuable asset for a decade. They spent half of his character arc involving Hailey into his work life and personal life on the show. I firmly don't believe they are going to do anything too drastic to the relationship.

With the show up for renewal next year and contracts of the cast in question, there are no doubt a lot of avenues that they can go down. While I am leaning towards the side Tracy is probably not going to renew, just given the scenario we've seen played out before our eyes and nothing actually factual from her or NBC/Wolf, she could chose to stay. Maintaining the marriage isn't necessarily that hard- a mention of a text here, ending her on a Skype/FaceTime with him, a mention of him to Kev or Ruz, etc. There are ways to keep him and them alive, without him being there. It's just a matter of continuance, and I'm ehh on that because the show doesn't have the greatest track record. But I will say, we've sing the ring on her hand in BTS. We've got no real reason to panic.

10 years of a character, 5 years of a partnership/relationship that was undoubtedly a HUGE draw for the audience- I don't see them being too dumb with something like that, that draws in the $$$$.

So as far as their relationship I hold on to this:

“Besides, I’m going where you go.”

“We’re good and we’re always gonna be good.”

“I’m not going anywhere Hailey, really I’m not.”

“Where you go, I go.”

These statements they have said to each other over the years are so powerful- Jay Halstead is a man of his word, he promised to love her in sorry & in joy... They are just more in an 'in sorrow' type of moment. I firmly believe they are going to be okay.

And as far as Gwen, I'm not gong to comment too much because all I know is I wouldn't want to be in her shoes. One character's integrity was more important than another one's on his exit and still having to please fans every week... It's got to be hard. So, time will tell.

[dorozco]

The Colorful World of Drag and Gender Expression in RuPaul's Drag Race

Drag is a colorful and expressive art form that has a big impact on questioning and examining conventional ideas about gender. Drag, at its foundation, showcases a range of gender expressions, challenging the limitations of traditional gender identities. Drag performers demonstrate the fluidity and versatility of gender presentation by embodying a range of gender roles. They challenge social standards with their acts and provide a powerful reflection on the performative aspect of gender itself. Drag is a space where people can explore and embrace their gender identity in a fluid and dynamic fashion, celebrating the opportunity to express oneself outside of binary gender standards. It acts as an obvious and empowering reminder that gender is a varied and multidimensional construct rather than a fixed one. American Drag Queen, Rupaul, has continuously devoted time to placing attention on Drag, most notably through his show, "RuPaul's Drag Race." Here are two of the show's unforgettable Drag Queens:

Morgan McMichaels

Thomas White accidentally fell into drag in 2001, but soon realized how much of an impact it had on the LGBTQ community. Inspired by the transforming potential of drag, Thomas created Morgan McMichaels, Thomas' alter persona.

In the Southern California drag scene, Morgan has gained recognition for her captivating stage presence and extraordinary ability to play a variety of characters, including Pink, Joan Collins, and David Bowie.

Although Morgan did not win any of the seasons she competed in on RuPaul's Drag Race or All Stars, her talent, competitive spirit, sass, and real honesty won her a lot of respect from fans. Her consistent work ethic has brought her several opportunities, including the chance to perform with industry legends such as Lady Gaga.

Morgan McMichaels appears in this unique promo moment from Season 2 and radiates a powerful aura. She has a strong presence while being completely covered in black, save for the white item that is interwoven with white ribbon underneath her black outfit. She is dressed in a chic, short black dress that skillfully straddles the boundaries between conventional gender-based fashion standards. She boldly wears tall, striking black high-heeled boots that go well with this bold outfit, enhancing her stature and self-assurance.

Accentuating her fierce ensemble, Morgan accessorizes her powerful suit with statement earrings that dangle and swing with every deliberate movement, giving the entire look an extra dose of intensity. Her makeup is amazing; it draws attention to her eyes with a seductive black smoky eye that makes her gaze stronger and gives off an air of strength and determination. Every aspect of her look comes together to produce a powerful portrayal that defies gender norms and highlights Morgan McMichaels' daring style.

2. Delta Work

"You are not Delta Burke, you are Delta Work!"

Gabriel A. Villarreal, better known by the stage name Delta Work, is a well-known American drag performer who gained notoriety for participating in RuPaul's Drag Race Season 3. Among her many achievements is the Primetime Emmy Award she received for Outstanding Hairstyling for the program. Prior to taking over as host of Very Delta, she co-hosted the podcast Very That.

After meeting Miss Coco Peru and starting her drag career, Delta took on her character while playing Delta Burke, getting the nickname "Delta Work." Although Delta finished seventh in the competition following a memorable lip sync with Manila Luzon, she continued to participate in the following seasons as a guest, audience member, and even as RuPaul's personal wig stylist.

"Very Delta," a podcast hosted by Delta that has been a mainstay in the drag world for more than 20 years, debuted in 2022 and features LGBTQ+ guests discussing major subjects. Acclaimed for her captivating demeanor, adept lip-sync skills, and remarkable live performances, continues to contribute to the Drag Race culture, leaving an an enduring impression. 

This stunning "Best Assets" runway ensemble from Season 3 by Delta Work amazes audiences with a brilliantly designed appearance. Delta purposefully draws attention to her silhouette by embracing and accentuating her curves. 

Dressed in a stunning black mermaid tail gown, the material shimmers gently beneath the runway lights, highlighting Delta's "Best Assets" with irresistible charm. Her contours are perfectly hugged by the gown, creating a stunning experience. Her bold, long, sparkly earrings, which hang gently and give even more glitz to her costume, perfectly match her outfit.

Although her deliberate attention to highlighting her figure may go against popular belief, Delta unapologetically displays her attractiveness and confidence through drag. Her onstage presence pushes boundaries, demonstrating drag's ability to reimagine beauty standards and captivate audiences with its unique talent. Delta Work shines with beauty, and she utilizes drag to show the world.

- -

References:

[youarethespecial-archive]

♥ Imma make a proper promo for it later, buuuut my new blog is @iamthebeacon ! Yaay,, ♥

[morningtomes]

*:･ﾟ✧ (quietly jazz hands in the direction of my fandomless oc with a feh summoner verse)

[pvnsys]

tag drop... let’s try this again bc i think i figured out the issue with my tags before

[caffernnn]

One last thought before free final stroke releases. Everyone has said that if Haru has to choose between his bonds and a race or “swimming on a larger scale” he would choose his bonds and I think that too, but what if he doesn’t? 🤔 I would hate for KA to do that, but I can’t help thinking about it. Would love to hear you thoughts about it if you have any.

Buckle up, buttercup! I have perhaps too many thoughts on this one 😅

Okay so here’s the thing: I’ve definitely been sipping on the free!verse “friendship is magic and those special bonds can conquer anything” juice, but I can see Haru or one of the other main pro swimmers we’ll be following (Rin, Ikuya, etc) putting swimming first… at least in the first movie. Out of everyone to take on that possible arc, it feels like Haru is the main one left to isolate, break, and have to be reminded of who he swims for.

(This one got lengthy; read more under the cut) 🏊✨

This is a pattern in Free! that has been explored over and over. Haru has a teammate, rival, or friend that gets so lost in their own head that they refuse to let anyone reach them and try to put swimming and solitude first. Then, Haru and company step in with a race, a relay, pool time in general to show them that they’re so much stronger when they realize they’re not alone. They hug it out, the audience cries; rinse, repeat.

From the promos, it sets the stage for a specific emphasis on these six. Going through the characters like a checklist for this Free!verse rite of passage, it feels clear who is most likely going to be the next one to take on the cycle.

(Note: I’m going to refer to the pattern described earlier as “the cycle” moving forward)

Painting it with a broad stroke, most of the characters on this list have taken their respective turns moving through the cycle.

- (Season One) Rin is, like, the king of this lesson. The whole first season was more or less dedicated to showing how he got so fixated on being a viable competitor that he forgot one of the main things that drew both him and his dad towards swimming in the first place: communicating and connecting with people in the water. That’s something Rin knows not to take for granted, and that’s shown through his immense character growth since season one. I think I stated in a past FS theory post how I’m curious about how Rin will handle the pressures and demands of finally reaching the world stage. With that said, he’s also not the main one I’m worried about taking on the main cycle.

- (Season Two) Sousuke paid his dues when he wrecked his shoulder overworking himself. He put success above everything to his own detriment, and he’s lucky that ignoring his own hurt while embracing his Samezuka team didn’t cause irreparable damage. We should watch him closely while he prepares to make his return to swimming because he’s at risk of overextending himself, but he’s had a good amount of time to sit with the firsthand consequences of trying to “do it all on his own,” so he’s not the one I’m primarily worried about.

- (Season Three) Ikuya’s whole journey in DttF was about him coming into his own and realizing his worth. The Iwatobi guys play a big part in this, their efforts in reconciliation starting to help him break out of his stubbornness and inferiority complex. He’s learning by the end of the season how to open up again (and actually appreciate Hiyori, but that’s another conversation) and see himself as an equal counterpart to the people he’s put on pedestals (Haru, Natsuya). His growth is still new, and I’d argue he’s the one who most recently completed his trek through the cycle. I’m sure he’ll inevitably have his own hardships highlighted in the movie, but he’s still riding off the high of freshly finding his inspiration/motivation again that I don’t see his narrative being the focal point.

- (High Speed/Starting Days) Makoto had his own primary trek through the cycle way back in junior high. This is probably one of the points where the dichotomy of the proposed choice (swimming vs. bonds) is most explicitly highlighted. Nao’s question of “do you enjoy swimming or are you here for Haru” is one of the earliest instances where the idea of choosing between success and relationships is explored. Makoto distances himself so much because the question feels loaded and leading - Is it a bad thing to swim because his friend is there? Shouldn’t he want to “grow up” and have merit-driven goals? Even if he doesn’t want to, would he be okay letting Haru go in the pursuit of maturing? Is that really a choice he has to make? Makoto’s eventual conclusion that he loves both swimming and Haru, that both are intertwined into driving him forward, sets the stage for the rest of the series, honestly. I can’t deny the foreshadowing putting Makoto in a potential position of influence in FS, but it’s because of how tied he is to the pro swimmers that’ll inevitably take narrative priority.

- Asahi is a wild card in this framework, but still fits in as a guiding light and a possible outside perspective that could be vital in the story (if he doesn’t get overlooked). He’s someone who hasn’t necessarily been put through the cycle, but he’s a good example of someone who’s a shining light, rowdy and driven and arguably secure in his determination that he’ll make the most out any opportunity by finding his place on any team and taking on the world at his own pace. I’d love to see a side story exploring Asahi’s journey in more detail, because he’s such a unique position as someone who worked on channeling his own self-esteem early on and built new teams every time he had to move. Just from how they’re likely to prioritize characters, especially now that we’re in the endgame, I wouldn’t put my money on Asahi taking center stage.

And then there’s Haru. The unwilling protagonist. The one who played a part in everyone else’s turns through the cycle, his status as a teammate/rival/prodigy/friend launching them into the pitfalls before inspiring them to come back towards the light. He’s grown throughout every season bolstered by the question of why he swims, but I’d argue that now is his time to face the cycle head-on. This is when the idea of improving his times, of winning, hold more value to him than they ever have before. That’s why I think when Ryuuji and other competitors (Kaede, Albert) start telling him that he has to make a choice between loneliness and mediocrity, pushing him towards the path of isolation, it’s going to hit hard. His declaration to have everything he wants, to hold his friends close while taking on the world, is going to be seriously put to the test.

That’s what makes the most sense to me at this point. The story started with Haru, and now it ends with Haru. Will he have to make an unthinkable choice and have to sacrifice one of the vital parts of his dreams? Will he find a way to prove everyone wrong and have it all? I’m excited to find out.

[neritence]

Tags, lots of tags! Forgot many tags but meh

[puppy-phum]

#10YearPromise - pingxie blabberings

bc i wasn’t able to answer these questions throughout the week (as i’ve been traveling around while being extremely busy), i decided to just collect all of my answers under one post! i never tire talking about pingxie so this was extremely enjoyable ♥ am also practicing some very shameless self promo in this so be prepared!

thank you for @laireshi​ for organizing this event (i take it’s you alone? am not sure, sorry for my laziness) and being amazing in general ^^ i won’t be able to join as i am still very busy and summer is always pure chaos for me, so i can only hope that other ppl have fun! if you are not aware of 10 Year Promise Pingxie Exchange, you can find the original announcement post here. join in if you have the time and inspiration ^^ 

and then to my answers which i will be placing under the cut bc i don’t want to flood anyone’s dash with me going bonkers over these two idiots. enjoy tho if you decide to read this :’D ♥

I. What made you ship pingxie?

Back when I got into Reboot bc of ZYL (as has happened to many ppl probably) and then saw stuff about pingxie once I started going through that drama’s tag on tumblr, my first thought about them was that they had to be a crack ship. The way Reboot portrays them as well as their actors and their huuuge age difference affected this a lot, and I was actually cackling at them bc all their moments in Reboot made me just go “oh, socialist brotherhood at its best” in my head. But then I finished watching Reboot’s 1st season (as the 2nd one wasn’t out yet) and started reading some fics. I learned more about them and the canon storyline. I learned how damn devoted they are to each other, and after that, many moments in Reboot gained new meaning in my eyes. So, I think what made me ship pingxie was a mix of Reboot (especially the hallucination moment where Xiaoge dies and Wu Xie loses it bc that’s my jam as I later on became to notice) and then the amazing fics I dug out during that time. After that the love grew stronger as I watched the other dramas, and these days I’m a lost cause. I feel like I spend most of my awake time thinking about these two and their love. They are amazing. I cry rivers for them.

II. Which pingxie version is your favorite?

After finding pingxie, I fell in love with them properly during TLT2. There is just something about that stage of their relationship for me, the stage where both of them are still very tentative about everything but they have deep down accepted that they’re tied now. Wu Xie is figuring out so many things, coming to terms with being betrayed by his uncle and slowly realizing that something bigger is going on behind the scenes. Meanwhile, Xiaoge is learning how to trust Wu Xie and how to accept that he cannot leave this naïve boy behind. It feels very fragile, and I have so many emotions about TLT2 bc of this. Xiaoge is so soft and feels very multilayered. Wu Xie is still his naïve self but is slowly gaining some sharper edges as he comes to face the cruel world. I like how Cheng Yi and Hou Minghao have portrayed this dynamic. Also, TLT2 is just very extra with all the pingxie scenes, who would be able to resist loving them? So, I have to admit that my favorite pingxie is these two, tho Ultimate Note comes very, very close.

III. What’s your favorite pingxie headcanon?

Headcanons are a bit hard for me as I don’t know enough of the canon. I have not read the novels so most of the story I’ve just patched together from all the bits I’ve read from somewhere (here, on twt, in fics) and through the scenes the dramas have shown me. I feel like the whole world is lowkey made of headcanons for me :’D But hmm, my favorite pingxie headcanon… I’d say there are two and then one bonus bc it’s more a Wu Xie related headcanon than just pingxie. The first one is that the pingxie confession happens after the Bronze Gate. It feels like the only moment when they’re both ready for such a thing. I’d say Xiaoge comes to realize his own feelings a lot earlier and he might tell something to unconscious Wu Xie before leaving for ten years, but he will not actually leave Wu Xie with such a burden. He doesn’t want to ask anything when it sounds like he doesn’t even believe that Wu Xie will be willing to wait for him, and I’d say that for him, his feelings are going to be fine even if Wu Xie never learns about them. He might even wish that Wu Xie never learns about them bc he’s not able to promise much as an immortal and amnesiac being (he outlives Wu Xie, most likely forgets him). For Wu Xie however, I’d say he needs time. He really is way too naïve and I’d say that he needs those ten years to realize that he’s in love with his best friend. I dunno who confesses first after Xiaoge returns but I think that only after that decade their relationship is “mature” enough to hold the weight of a confession (even if I also love to play around with the thought of them getting together during the events of Ultimate Note bc that drama offered many good chances for that). Another headcanon for me is that Xiaoge will find a way to die when Wu Xie does. After learning about them more, I feel like Reboot implies this too. Xiaoge is very accepting of Wu Xie’s death but in the last moments, when he really thinks that this is going to be it for Wu Xie, he hesitates. We see a spark of desperation there, and I’ve come to think that his initial plan, the plan he came up with once he got that call from Wu Xie and knew he would join Wu Xie on his last adventure, was to see this through for Wu Xie’s sake and then leave and die alone. I don’t know how much there would be left for Zhang Qiling after Wu Xie is gone. I feel like this is also what Wu Xie fears. But would he really resent Xiaoge for joining him in death after living such a long and hard life? I’d say no and I’d say that even Pangzi accepts this as one of the most likely outcomes. The bonus one then feels very personal to me. I don’t usually talk about this bc I feel so unsure of even mentioning this but I’ve seen others with similar thoughts so am sharing! I’ve never before gotten any vibes about a character’s sexuality in a drama I’ve watched but Reboot Wu Xie looked at me once in the eye and all I could hear was my brain yelling “asexual”. So, that is just my personal headcanon for Wu Xie. He’s ace and proud of it. He can flirt etc. but sex makes him go naah. He doesn’t need it or want it. He can appreciate beauty and hot ppl without wanting to sleep with them and I think his relationship with Xiaoge fits very well into this. I don’t have any personal experiences with being ace but I feel like Wu Xie has read the name once, shrugged and gone, “guess that’s me” and continued on with his life. He’s badass like that and I love him for it. (take a very relevant meme lol from this post)

IV. What’s the ideal pingxie date?

Ah, christ. I dunno if I’ve ever thought about them going on a date? In the middle of tomb raiding, hospital trips and fighting against powers bigger than themselves, I’ve rarely seen any time for them to do something like that lol. But after Ultimate Note, I’ve thought about star gazing a lot. Just them, the infinite night sky and some lonely hilltop. They would probably take a blanket with them, huddle together and talk about things in hushed voices. Wu Xie would go on a ramble about all the constellations and their meanings and mythology behind them and Xiaoge would just nod at him and watch Wu Xie talking. Maybe he would offer some tidbits in the middle of the rambling, making Wu Xie smile brightly. It would be relaxing and comfortable and loving. They would make out a lil bit. Would maybe lie down and play with each other’s hair. All their worries would feel insignificant. Wu Xie would fall asleep for a moment and Xiaoge would wake him up with a kiss to get him moving again so that they don’t need to sleep on the cold ground. They would return home and drink something warm and then go to sleep, cuddled together and happy. relevant edit x

V. What’s your favorite pingxie getting together scenario?

I guess I already talked about this a bit but let me elaborate then! As said, I’d see it happening after the Bronze Gate. I am not sure if it would be right away (they’re both going through so much trauma at that point) or if it would happen after Reboot (maybe we would still need Wu Xie almost dying for them to get their shit together), but I’d say it happens in a rush either way. It’s one of those “I have to tell you something before it’s too late” -type of moments. Or one of those “Bc I love you, you idiot!” -type of moments. I feel like I keep thinking that maybe Wu Xie would have to confess first bc as said, Xiaoge wouldn’t like to burden Wu Xie with his feelings when there’s so little he can give in the sense of normalcy. But then again, I have written a oneshot where Xiaoge is the first one to confess and that always feels better for me. That at some point Xiaoge feels secure enough to tell Wu Xie about his own feelings. That he feels confident and comfortable enough to say it out loud while still expecting nothing in return bc he knows that Wu Xie won’t abandon him either way. But no matter how that happens, I always see it as this dam breaking. The emotions finally become too strong. Something happens that reminds them that life is too short. Something happens that makes them finally talk it out and ah, Pangzi can finally take a break, what a joy

VI. What’s your favorite pingxie moment?

Every adaptation has its own good moments so let me make a list (like I saw someone else do too):

The Lost Tomb:

Xiaoge rescues Wu Xie from the shibie

Wu Xie worrying over unconscious Xiaoge plus taking care of him in the hotel room

The Pingxie MomentTM aka Xiaoge saving Wu Xie from falling and then cradling the boy to his chest while thumb rubbing his shoulder

The Lost Tomb 2:

Xiaoge revealed to be Baldie and Wu Xie yelling at him about it

Lowkey the whole underwater tomb arc bc holy shit that’s gay

Wu Xie losing it when Xiaoge doesn’t come up from the underwater tomb, diving after him and then almost dying himself + Pangzi getting angry at him for being stupid

pingxie ft. magical skype in the bronze tree cave (and Xiaoge being emo about the 1000yo warrior guy right before that)

Xiaoge rescuing Wu Xie from drowning (they shared air, you cannot convince me otherwise) + Wu Xie giving Xiaoge his watch in the hospital (relevant edits x x)

Wu Xie’s face when he sees Zhang Buxun in the coffin bc I love pain :)

Xiaoge not shooting Wu Xie despite not remembering him in the mountain village

Wu Xie grabbing Xiaoge’s jacket after being kidnapped and the Iron Triangle reunites in that old Chen guy’s cabin, asking, “Is that you?” from Xiaoge to make sure that he remembers again while looking like the biggest puppy (relevant edit x)

also some relevant memes x

Ultimate Note:

The hand over mouth reunion in the Golmud Sanatorium

“Xiaoge will ignore anyone else but you”

Xiaoge pretending he isn’t Losing ItTM throughout the whole time Wu Xie is in the Devil’s City with A-Ning

more hand over mouth with the gigantic snake

“The goddess has ascended”

Wu Xie protecting Xiaoge after he returns from the jade meteorite 

“Do you remember me?” “Wu Xie.”

Wu Xie promising to help Xiaoge find his memories no matter what bc Xiaoge’s business is Wu Xie’s business 

“Maybe you can return home with a wife today.” Wu Xie: proceeds to stare at Xiaoge, horrified

“Take me home.”

The sword gifting scene (especially Xiaoge denying the possibility of him killing Wu Xie or them harming each other, relevant edits x x)

other relevant edits for ultimate note x x

Reboot:

Wu Xie telling Xiaoge about his sickness and then Xiaoge coming back and promising to join Wu Xie on his trip (relevant edit x)

the death hallucination bc am a masochist 

Wu Xie’s death dream where Xiaoge calls to him but then accepts his choice to move forward bc am a masochist pt. 2

pingxie reunion in the Thunder City forest where Xiaoge saves Wu Xie & co. from the poisonous gas 

the moment in Thunder City where Wu Xie sits outside at night, eating the peanuts Pangzi gave him and then notices Xiaoge, offering him the peanuts and smiling 

when Xiaoge leaves for the last time and then gets reunited with healed Wu Xie against all odds

the train scene and their softest smiles to each other  

Time Raiders:

Wu Xie being the best bean and just wanting to befriend this mysterious man while seeing right under his skin and making Xiaoge baffled and fall in love in approximately 0.5 seconds

Xiaoge, catch! *proceeds to save only Wu Xie when they fall into that shibie horror chamber*  

Xiaoge’s desperation to save Wu Xie from the crumbling ground 

their death waltz at the end of the movie plus Xiaoge’s sacrifice

+ Sand Sea: 

“Don’t you dare call him Xiaoge!” 

Wu Xie offering his friends and then himself as comfort to Li Cu when he’s scared while smiling very softly at the memory of Xiaoge 

“But isn’t his surname Wu?” Hei Xiazi: You have seen nothing yet, you sweet summer child

Wu Xie talking about Xiaoge’s past in the temple (aka the Tibetan Sea Flower story bc I just adore how pretty they’ve made those scenes) 

VII. What is the best gift Wu Xie and Xiaoge could give each other?

I haven’t really thought about this type of stuff either bc we have already seen a ton of gifts being exchanged! I love the watch Wu Xie gives to Xiaoge in TLT2 as mentioned (it’s so silly but also so sweet) and I love it that Wu Xie gifts Xiaoge with a new sword in Ultimate Note. Also, I feel like I can count the food Wu Xie leaves for Xiaoge in Ultimate Note and that one moment where Xiaoge offers his knife for Wu Xie as a “pen”. They would give anything for each other as long as the other asked (which they never do) so I dunno what type of gift would matter the most. As it’s so hard to say, let me talk about one more headcanon that I’ve been thinking about ever since the infamous Bazaar photoshoot for Ultimate Note/XYL & ZSX. So, we see them having matching rings and necklaces in that photoshoot. I think jewelry would be kind of difficult for Xiaoge to wear when he needs to fight, as jewelry could be a hindrance in that type of situation But my brain won’t shut up about “pingxie married!!!” when I ask this question from it. To be honest, I do not see pingxie getting married in the traditional sense. They don’t need something like that after everything they’ve gone through. But I like to play around with the thought of promise rings. Just them exchanging rings for fun, for their own sakes, to have something concrete that reminds them of their promise to each other and of their feelings. Maybe even Xiaoge could wear that ring under his gloves idk. But am a sucker for that thought so my answer to this is then simply: a ring. relevant edits x x

if you read this far, thank you so much! I hope this gave you something and thank you once more for organizing this and allowing everyone to share their love for pingxie ^^ ♥

[sepublic]

Wing it like Witches!

           Let me tell you- I was WORRIED this episode would make me sad and angsty, but instead it just made me happy and all warm inside! I know that sounds super-corny but like…

           I LOVED this episode! I was worried from the promo pic that Boscha’s bullying would really get to Luz, Gus, and Willow, but… It didn’t! I mean, it still got to WILLOW hence the entire episode, but otherwise Luz and Gus were less “Wow I’m really being reminded of my insecurities from bullying” and more “I can’t believe she ACTUALLY did that. She wasted her entire school day doing that. This girl is NUTS, is she okay back home?”

           (The more I see of Boscha, the more I have to wonder if she IS okay back home… Obviously not crippled with self-loathing to the extent that Amity is, but never mind.)

           What’s really surprise to see though; LILITH IS A RED-HEAD!?!? I remember seeing that first pic of young Eda with two other classmates, one of whom was obscured and the other had glasses; And I thought, is THAT girl Lilith, could it be? Is the girl with the obscured face the one who stole Lilith’s lunch money, potentially that favorite character from Season 2 that Dana alluded to? My mind is racing, but either way young Eda and Lilith are utterly adorable! I do have to wonder if what Lilith had to say about Eda’s bad memory was just a jab, or something more… Given that the show has alluded to Eda possibly having amnesia with MORE than just her curse…!

           Speaking of which; LILITH AND EDA GETTING ALONG! Well, sort of- I mean they’re technically adversarial by the end of this episode, but only technically. Lilith knows where the Owl House is, finally; And we get to see in this episode just how capable Hooty really IS as a security system, surprisingly enough! He even manages to capture LILITH; Though to be fair, she may not have been super-invested in the mission given this was her sister we’re talking about, but still! Coupled with Hooty mercilessly tearing apart those toys in Adventures in the Elements, and I have to wonder if he’s ever, like… KILLED people before, y’know?

           …Maybe I don’t want that answer. Regardless, I love Luz’s little cheeky interference with Eda’s game, but Eda still manages to win by her last trick; Just pure, genuine skill and talent! That was a twist, I was expecting Eda to have another cheat or to be caught by Lilith, but as I said before… Eda isn’t humble, and for a GOOD reason! Lilith ain’t no slouch either, and I love that King willingly donned a cheerleader outfit just to offer support! I mean, maybe Eda MADE him, but otherwise he didn’t seem to have much of an issue so long as it was just at home!

           And… I LOVE the little small moments between Eda and Lilith, where… Lilith KNOWS she has to turn her sister in, she’s getting desperate, but it’s also low-key breaking her heart to do this! And when she loses the match and just… FALLS on her knees in despair, questioning herself, and Eda picking her up? Giving her that signature ring, just to make Lilith look better? I… I LOVE these sisters, why can’t they make up?! Lilith isn’t even aiming to imprison Eda, she just wants her to join the Emperor’s Coven and continue doing stuff alongside her, like old times!

           And Eda… Eda still needs her autonomy, but she knows that Lilith isn’t some cruel person. She knows that Lilith loves her sister and wants the best, that she’s in a terrible position; Eda knows how stifling the Coven System is, and while being beneath Belos provides a lot of power… It also provides a lot of PRESSURE as well! Sure, Lilith chose this… But Eda still believes that Lilith is deserving of kindness and compassion!

           (Let me tell you, considering I don’t think we’ve seen any Eda clips past this episode, I was LEGIT afraid she’d get captured by the end… thank goodness!)

           What’s also fascinating to note is that Emperor Belos was in charge since fiftyyears ago; Given the speculation that Eda isn’t as old as she looks, this indicates Belos is PRETTY old himself, by a large margin; Especially when one considers how long-lived Bump is! It’s a small moment telling us how he established the Coven Heads five decades ago, but I really appreciated it; And in general, this episode seems to be our final, light-hearted breather before we get into the REALLY heavy stuff… Keep in mind, our last two episodes were originally planned to air side-by-side, like a two-part season finale! On a lesser note, we see the Heximal System teacher giving a History lesson, confirming what I suspected earlier; That some subjects include students from all tracks, simply because the subject-matter applies across any and all covens, and History is one of them! Love the small world-building here!

           Given how we don’t see anything else of Willow and Gus past that scene in Belos’ treasury, I have to wonder… What if those two get captured, and only Luz can escape? Amidst King –and possibly Eda- being taken as well, Luz might be looking at a one-man operation here! Which just makes her all the more impressive… Like looking at her now, even if she DOES lose against Lilith; She’d still have been going toe-to-toe with the Head of the Emperor’s Coven, even if only briefly! Luz has come a far way away from where she started as just a powerless human, and has amassed FOUR glyphs; Light, Ice, Plant, and Fire!

           And BOY HOWDY is she good at them! Seriously, I bet she could’ve easily beaten Boscha in a Witch’s Duel if she wanted; Though it’s worth noting that according to Willow, Grudgby is apparently the only language she speaks… Given that shot of her room at the beginning, I have to wonder if that’s where her MAIN self-worth lies in! In the beginning Boscha acknowledges to herself that she’s hated, ‘so long as she is feared’; And her monologue low-key gives me, “Doesn’t know how to make friends so copes by putting herself above everybody else and overinflating her own self-importance under the impression that people are just secretly jealous!” vibes. (In some ways she’s like Grace from Infinity Train…)

That aside, I just get a sensation of pride from seeing how adept and adaptable Luz is, and the way she learned Fire from Boscha of all people –Which I called!- is both hilarious but goes to show what kind of a learner she is… I feel like Eda, like we’ve watched our kid grow and get stronger and I can’t WAIT to see what she pulls off next! Amidst her learning Magic and then defying the Coven System… you go Luz, YOU GO!

           And, it seems I’m not the only person who shares this sentiment! Even after Boscha’s bullying, we don’t see anybody beyond her gang make fun of Luz and co.! When Willow gets trashed poured on her, some students are watching, but… They seem kind of disturbed by it all? They’re not outright vouching on her behalf like Luz, possibly because Boscha is watching; But still! It is SO cathartic to see Willow being beloved by the entire school like that, even if she’s keeping her friend-circle to a select few; People LIKE her, and it’s what she deserves! Like Luz, I’m SO proud…!

           I’m still disappointed we didn’t get the names of Boscha’s other friends, but I really like their inclusion here! I liked how they all seemed rather uncomfortable with seeing Luz forfeit, only to be made Boscha’s target practice; And how Luz is so bright, bubbly, and infectiously-cheerful, spreading her good will to others! Like, this girl is TOO kind, and so loving… She has no bounds and I love how those other girls are even affected by Luz, genuinely enjoying her and wanting to be friends, alongside having Willow as a teammate! I have to wonder if they’ll ditch Boscha after this… Or at the very least, try to talk her down as friends of Boscha that she actually cares about and vice-versa (compared to Amity, who has always been cold towards Boscha, hence why her talking wouldn’t have made a difference)!

           Speaking of Amity… C’mon, girl. Your CRUSH is showing, the way you’re getting flustered, imagining seeing Luz in a ‘cute’ uniform and everything… Gus being utterly confused, but you can tell that the gears in Willow’s head are turning and honestly; She’s all for it, likely! I think this is the first time Amity has had an ACTUAL crush on someone she can talk to, instead of some distant figure or a fictional character! It’s so heartwarming seeing her navigate it, getting to actually deal with feelings like a kid is supposed to be allowed to do! And Luz being clueless… That, or she thinks Amity is into WILLOW, which makes a lot of sense too!

           (After all, Luz knows that her parents wouldn’t approve of her being Amity’s girlfriend… But Luz, you have NO idea how much she cares, she literally loves you more than she fears them! And Amity, knowing that her parents wouldn’t approve and struggling with this no doubt, but her love for Luz is really shining through over all of that!)

           To put it simply; Luz is FRIEND-shaped, she’s lovable, there’s no escaping liking her! Maybe Boscha will always be a bully, and I know one might call it ‘cliché’… But honestly I’d love to see Boscha eventually warm up to Luz and HER infectious positivity as well! Also, I saw that twist with the Rusty Smidge coming from a mile away, and I love how Luz low-key gets into a genuine rant over it! Although the loss doesn’t matter, as Luz’s team was clearly more adept and Boscha’s friends don’t seem interested in forcing Luz and her friends to do all of that other stuff…

           Anyhow, I love seeing Amity stand up for her friends, and when she says that her social life has improved because she’s with Luz, in spite of Boscha’s claims… I really CAN see her standing up to her parents, sometime later! I speculated a while back that depending on how her and Luz’s relationship in Enchanting Grom Fright goes, it’d really impact what Amity does later down the line, and I was right! But it IS worth noting that Amity may not yet know that Luz has to leave… King and Eda know, and the former mentioned this in front of Willow and Gus! It’s possible that Luz has laid out her plans to return every summer (and during winter break and whatnot), which would definitely lessen Amity’s angst by an infinite amount! And seeing as how she has instantaneous access to the Demon Realm, who’s to say she can’t pop in every day, after school! Sure she might not be actively living in the Owl House anymore, but otherwise…!

           On another note with Amity, I love her and Luz getting to geek out over The Good Witch Azura, and it’s funny to see the show confirm what I wondered about earlier; About Amity secretly making Azura references in public, under the knowledge that nobody would recognize them and realize she’s a nerd… But LUZ does now, and the two can bond! Also, Amity getting to have fun with Luz and co. at the end, being CARRIED by Luz, fully accepted into the home… I know you also have the library as a safe space Amity, but you’ve also got the Owl House as well! And it seems Hooty bears no grudges, either!

           Also, someone speculated recently that Amity has her goth-sense from Lilith… and given the implication that Lilith dyed her hair, I can REALLY SEE IT! I’m disappointed we didn’t get any interactions between the two… But the way it was set up, I feel like if Eda and Lilith were there they’d be too busy cheering on their kids respectively! Or not, we’ve seen them prioritize their feud in Covention… But back then Luz and Amity weren’t on the same team!

           Back to Amity, it’s interesting that she used to be on the Grudgby team, and was good at it, even being CAPTAIN when Boscha wasn’t; But then explicitly quit when she accidentally hurt some of her ‘friends’ merely once. Even if she never cared for them in the past, even if this was before she met Luz and learned to be kind and open again… She was ALWAYS someone who was self-conscious of her actions! And sure, the issue is that Amity is a LITTLE too self-conscious, constantly berating herself, holding herself accountable for every mistake… But regardless, it says a lot how guilty she feels to have hurt her teammates, even if it was an accident and a one-time incident that resulted in victory!

           I’ll probably do ANOTHER post about it later, but it says a lot; How Amity feels like she should step up as a Blight, and she DOES outshine the others… But because of that inherent guilt but also compassion, she actually quits Grudgby out of guilt! Which leads me to the idea that even if she tolerated Boscha and co., she wouldn’t have wanted to hurt them; Again, because she’s critical of herself, but also because Amity isn’t cruel and it may have reminded her of how she treated Willow! I have to respect and fear for Amity on quitting Grudgby after that…

           Again, I think she has the issue of being too overtly-critical of herself, and that it’s honestly THE issue that defines her problems; But on the other hand, I feel like Amity’s parents would’ve been displeased to see their star child quit the team, just for hurting some ‘lesser’ witches? I’m scared for what may have happened to Amity, but it also says a lot that she made a potentially defiant move simply because she didn’t want to hurt yet another friend…

           (That, or her parents wanted Amity to focus on Abominations and other studies, and coupled with Amity’s guilt, it was the perfect opportunity to get her off the team. Which would be sad, but not surprising.)

           Anyhow, I just think it’s interesting that Boscha and co. don’t ever seem to have any resentment towards Amity until recently. It’s possible Boscha DID dislike Amity up until she stepped down… But it makes me wonder if Boscha, like, looked up to Amity and wanted her approval and attention? Given how she’s always framed as following Amity… Perhaps Amity stepping down led to Boscha taking the spotlight, and so Boscha feels indebted towards Amity for her fame (and potential source of self-worth)?

           Last but DEFINITELY not least; Somebody else (I’m sorry I keep forgetting) alluded to how in Understanding Willow, there was the issue set up of Luz meaning the best for friends… But also sometimes invading their privacy, or overriding what they want, so she can live out her fantasies at the same time! And, like- A big part of her IS doing this for her friends, that much is clear… But Luz does have an issue sometimes with clearing fantasy from reality! It’s a more advanced lesson from the one she learned in Episode 2, continuing off of that, and I LOVE it!

           Like, I really do LOVE how Luz recognizes in this episode that even if a part of her is motivated in helping Willow, she’s also using this as a chance to live out her underdog Azura fantasies, and how Willow points this out to her… and Luz realizes that she’s right! She actively MAKES a change to her behavior, and makes up for it by fixing Willow’s hairclip and even forfeiting on Willow’s behalf and taking all the punishment… All because she doesn’t want her friend to be uncomfortable! Man, Luz is SO ridiculously kind, I keep saying she’s my favorite but she REALLY IS! What a lovable dork, no wonder Boscha and her friends are falling for her!

           (Also RIP Skara, you were the fourth one in a team of three. Although given how she helped carry Luz and Amity in the previous episode, amidst already having more screen time… I can see this as a way for the writers to give more of a spotlight to Boscha’s other friends, while subtly acknowledging that Skara likely has gotten over her bias towards Luz and the others. I wonder if Boscha also noticed and that’s why she was left out; That, or she’s the least-skilled? I dunno, but it was neat to see and I’ll overanalyze the moment regardless!)

           On a lesser note; Willow’s last name is Park, which is a Korean surname! Coupled with her VA’s ethnicity and Willow/Tati Gabrielle being listed amongst other Asian rep characters and VAs, and I think it’s safe to say that she’s the Boiling Isles equivalent to Asian; Which let me tell you, is VERY nice to see!

           Overall, this was an AMAZING episode! It was a heartwarming, feel-good episode that reaffirmed character relationships and love while still expanding on them, adding in more friends to the group… It was pretty much nothing but happy moments and revelations! Obviously things are setting up in the next two episodes to go REALLY crazy, especially with Luz potentially getting banned from Hexside for defying Lilith and Belos… But it’s clear to say that she’s left QUITE the good impression on the administration and students! And I can see some even vibing with Luz’s ideas even after she gets kicked out… Perhaps Luz will unknowingly start a rebellion of sorts?

[ingravinoveritas]

spookyfangirl replied to your post  “Wow. Michael and David sure do look like they want...”

"Wow. Michael and David sure do look like they want to run toward each other..." this is so disrespectful to their wives and children like wtf... did Michael and David get married and adopted kids together? No, Michael chose Anna and David chose Georgia, honestly i don't know where all this obsession comes from.

Okay, first of all, Michael and Anna are not married. They have never been married. I have no idea why people continually make that mistake, from the media to fans and everywhere in between, but they are not married.

Secondly, I am very fed up with a lot of things right now, one of which is people either unintentionally or willfully dismissing the reality of situations. But I would rather look like a “bad” fan and talk about the reality of what is happening than look like a "good" fan by ignoring it.

My immediate impression of the new Staged promo photos was and is that Michael looks completely uncomfortable, and there could be any number of reasons for that. But his posture is stiff, his eyes look sad, and he is leaning away from the person with whom he is supposed to be posing despite the fact that he’s standing right next to them. The point that I was attempting to make is that Michael looks about a thousand times more at ease and relaxed in the pictures with David, to where he is actually leaning toward/almost on David. We have seen, time and again, that Michael cannot hide the way he feels about someone--for good or for bad--and how different his body language is depending on who he is around. Yet the actual obsession that runs rampant in this fandom is with people pretending none of that exists, or that Michael somehow didn’t look miserable and depressed for months last year. Or that the only time that his spirits lifted and he started to look like his old self seemed to be when he appeared on The Graham Norton Show with David.

So did Michael and David get married and adopt kids together? No, maybe not. But having a kid with someone doesn’t mean the relationship is stronger or better. And it doesn’t mean the relationship between Michael and David isn’t powerful, possibly more powerful than others currently happening in their lives (I can’t really speak too much to David’s situation, so again this is more directed toward Michael). I’m just so, so tired of people downplaying it or thinking that the hetero relationships Michael and David are in automatically mean more than whatever may be between the two of them.

The only thing I as a fan want is for Michael to be happy, and from every observation I (and many others) have made, the person he seems to be the happiest with is David. That’s all.

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

Hello AJ. Shy anon here. I recently started watching MJHT and I recall you've watched the show too. I haven't gone too far ahead but I just noticed that Nupur has a lot of similarities with Khushi. (Which is funny because Sanaya is in it as Gunjan who's like such a contrast to Khushi and Nupur). The very first similarity I actually noticed was the clothing, specifically the bangles. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the show. Just any thoughts. I really enjoy when you deep dive and dissect shows and storylines. I hope you're doing well. Bye 🥰

Hello Shy Anon!!!!

Oh I love that show and its cheesiness to every bit! It had the perfect everything - romance, comedy, drama and an excellent way to show a parallel lead that rarely happens now cause the whole focus goes to literally one character...

DAMN THOSE DAYS!!!

Oh Nupur? Haye!

(long exploration of Khushi, Nupur, Mayank, Samrat under cut)

Yes, Nupur and Khushi have a LOT of similarities because:

1) They represent the classic Indian television female lead; manic pixie, colorful, quirky, witty, middle class, wears tons of jewelry such as bangles and earrings and a Bollywood loving dream girl. This is ITV’s basic template for every heroine. Nupur and Khushi are just the far better and memorable ones. 

2) They’re also written by the same writer! 

However in my opinion Nupur is a slightly more fleshed out and stronger character because:

- She never compromises with her self respect.

- Balances tradition and progressive thinking very well. 

- Keeps grudges and demands apologies when she’s been hurt.

- Knows how to communicate. 

- Allows people to depend on her as much as she depends on them.

- Is always a sister first, lover second. 

- Has ambitions, career, education but ALSO loves romance, marriage, etc. 

- GROWS as a character. She starts from being too eager to fit in, naive, unaware, to mature, proud of her roots, intimidating :)

- Knows when to apologize, works on her ego. 

- Is fiercely independent post marriage and loves being ‘Nupur Bhushan’ as much as ‘Mrs. Mayank Sharma’. 

Nupur would never work with ASR. She’d kill him. No doubt. And sue his dead body. 

Also I think given she was a Star One heroine, the writer/s had more room to develop her as an independent woman as opposed to the perfect ‘bahu’ which is what star plus literally demands from all of its heroines. 

Nupur never had to fit in Mayank’s household nor meet the ‘Sharma’s’ expectations unlike Khushi who is inborn with what they expect from a Raizada bahu. There’s no standard at the Sharma household. Their ‘ideal’ bahu is one who’s independent and has her own persona. Like Mayank’s mum and Nupur. 

I feel Khushi would’ve been more like Nupur if IPK was made as a Star One show. She’d be a slightly calmer, more orthodox and more childlike than Nupur but yeah, actually be treated as an independent character. 

Lol, I realised what a brilliant actor Sanaya was when I saw her interviews!

Also, let’s just say that Gunjan was path breaking as an ITV lead. 

She’s everything you’d expect in a ‘male lead’ and so different from what they catered.

- She’s extremely intelligent, anti social, a scholar, fiercely loyal to her family, mature, pragmatic, practical and is acutely aware of her surroundings. She’s proud of who she is - even though she is intimidated of new spaces and people. A classic introvert who’s very new to Mumbai. You’ll notice later in the show that she’s a no bullshit woman and her hurt, grief lasts for years. 

Unlike other female characters who go over their emotions in a flip and their hurt is never addressed, Gunjan has difficulty moving on from her pain and takes a lot of time to come to terms with her emotions. Also, she’s incredibly sorted and slightly naive about the matters of heart. 

She’s so guarded that she ends up hurting the person she loves. 

Now I feel ASR and Gunjan would be excellent friends if they met in college. Their personalities and pride on education and intelligence is at par - they’re equals if you ask me. 

AND COMING TO MY FAVORITE BOIS - MAYANK AND SAMRAT.

SAMRAT IS MY ETERNAL LOVE. THEIR BROMANCE IS EVERYTHING AND SAMRAT IS THE SWEETEST PUP WITH THE MOST EPIC CHARACTER GROWTH. YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHY. HE IS THE BEST MALE HERO ON TELEVISION. BOY IS JUST... SO FREAKING NICE. BEING HOT DOES NOT MEAN YOU’RE A DICK. HE’S HOT AND SWEET AND EVERYTHING!!!! 

Mayank, I love him. Again, I feel he’s a very mellowed version of ASR. Quick to judge, “once good opinion lost, then lost forever” types (*cough* Darcy), attached to his mum, does not take being lied to very well, is very single focused, slightly self absorbed, refuses feelings for like a billion years, likes being ‘self made’ and is proud of who he is. Also, secretly loves challenges *lol*

In my eyes MJHT, despite being kitschy, cheesy, very 2000s with a barely passable wardrobe, remains as a much superior show than IPK just in terms of writing and characters. Yeah, they do have shit plots in between and you go WTF but in general they never really compromise on the female nor male leads. I mean I wish they went a hundred episodes less but still...

They really focus on fostering a healthy relationship between all the important characters and not just love, but also - most importantly - friendship. In that way, it was incredibly mature writing. I will defend this show with my last breath! AND CAN I SAY THIS SHOW HAD AN ENDING? LIKE A PROPER ENDING?

THEIR ENDING WAS THE EXACT REVERSE OF THE FIRST PROMO MJHT EVER RELEASED AND I CRIED. *spoiler no spoiler but if you can ever search for the “love bole toh...” promo then you’ll know what I mean when you’re done with the show*

I’ll tell you where IPK surpasses MJHT - production value, subtlety, background scoring, direction and chemistry. Like Samrat/Gunjan, Mayank/Nupur will give you all the feelz for sure (and I was so damn excited when I learned that Mohit and Sanaya are a real life couple) but there’s something different with Arnav and Khushi. You can’t tear your eyes away from them and I think it’s because Sanaya and Barun are... brilliant actors.

Barun, especially, is a rare gem. 

But apart from that, enjoy MJHT and keep me posted! Also you should write to @leila1 - she’s another MJHT lover like us!!!

THANK YOU FOR THROWING ME BACK INTO MY BACHPAN FEELZ

[lingerlikeastolenkiss]

literally that's another theory post but this one i want to do a deep analyze between the seasons (1-2-3) and their promo pictures and how it shows and affects the whole plot.

the first one. the promo picture for s1. if we look at the concept of this season, it was an introduction to villanelle and eve and their lives.

eve is looking directly at the camera and villanelle is holding her neck. this looks like the cat-mouse that the plot of season 1 presented. but, look at how both are with clear clothes and eve is looking like a business woman while villanelle is looking like someone rich and spontaneous. that's the vibe. we are introduced to two women that got completely obsessed with each other. back to eve being the one looking at the camera: it shows what we got to see on screen, eve is the one that got this obsession first. she never stopped or doubted anything, in every little scene we could see how eve was desperated to find more about villanelle while to villanelle this was a delicious game. i think eve being the one looking at (us) the camera, means that we were seeing first her development as a mi6 agent that got stuck into the russian assassin she was investigating.

this one is for s2. look now how they are more intimate and closer. the past one, villanelle was behind, now she is face to face with eve and is touching her arm. (the other pictures show more, like eve holding v and v looking at eve's face while eve is looking at the camera). but, well, let's discuss about the dynamic of the s2.

both are in dark clothes, which means that s2 is darker. we can see it by the way things happens between both of them, this time they (directors, writers) wanted to show us the point of view of both of them. like, the ghost plot was a genius thing, it brought them more closer, i don't think the forest scene was just to show villanelle trying to help eve, but it was made to put them together in a way that eve couldn't stay away from villanelle because she was the one that could help her. remember the colors? yes. darker. villanelle is even more mysterious and eve's obsession is becoming something more stronger. like, in the scene that eve just knows villanelle is behind that door by hearing her breath....she knows exactly who villanelle is but she doesn't know her intentions, that's why in this season we see more about villanelle begging for attention and being sarcastic and making a teasing game with eve.

there's the last scene too. i spoke about it too many times but i still think it's the most incredible and well directed and written episode.

see, eve is really interested in villanelle more than she thought. and villanelle still took this a way to manipulate eve. the promo picture describes well the plot of the season 2 as villanelle is slowly bringing eve to her web.

the promo picture for s3. LOOK at how both are looking at each other. their hands (not showed here) are touching. but there's one good point: they're not intertwined. their fingers are only closer and touching but not in a intimate way. which explains a lot about the s3 plot and dynamic.

if you take a look at this season, you will see that there's nothing left from eve and villanelle from both past seasons. they're completely other people. and the colors of their clothes in this picture: eve's dress is more darker than villanelle's. and we see that, the more villanelle gets feelings and is humanised, the more eve is lost and darker.

it's like, in this season villanelle truly find herself and understood who she was. while eve was completely lost trying to figure out things and her feelings about villanelle. in both previous seasons we see that eve is someone who loves being in control and loves to know what's going on, she doesn't let any piece of the puzzle behind. but, there's scenes in s3 that shows how much she doesn't know what's happening. her room is a mess and she doesn't even take care about herself too much. all that she think about is villanelle, it gets more stronger after 3x03. of course, we didn't saw her development, as this season was more focused in side characters and villanelle's life.

but, you see? neither eve and villanelle are looking at the camera, which means that this season was built up to show how they were invested into each other. even when they were away from each other, it showed how intertwined they were. there's scenes too that shows so many red things that comes to the "red thread theory". the red can mean too many things but the color red really can be associated as fire and love, as it can mean blood too.

let's discuss again: the fire meaning. the fire here means the flames they can't stay away because it was created by them. there's always something in villanelle that will burn when she's thinking about eve. and that's the fire: their burning desire and intimate emergency of being together.

the love meaning: in s2's last episode, we saw that villanelle didn't knew what love was. and this changed a lot about her views and eve views too. villanelle was aware that she got to do something about it. and i just see a truly change after their kiss in 3x03. but the real demonstration of love to me was in 3x07 where villanelle calls eve after their meeting on the train station. the way she talks, she is soft and careful, as it shows that she knows eve cares about her. eve is there for her. and she appreciate it and she doesn't want to lose it. the way she just says "we need to stop running into each other like that. it's not good for both of us." shows that she cares about eve's feelings too.

the love here can mean too: self love. but it's from villanelle's pov. she learned to love herself and accepted it. and eve is still lost into what she wants and what she is going to do. but whatever it is, it ends with villanelle. that's why she says that she just see her face over and over again. that's why she asks villanelle to help her make it stop. because she doesn't even know how to deal with herself, so she doesn't if she can deal with villanelle too, but she still want to stay with her.

that's the same with villanelle. the bridge scene conversation represents so much respect and caring. as villanelle is asking eve if she ruined her life and if her monster encouraged her monster. she is asking eve if all that she did made her like that, but none of it was villanelle's fault. as she reply "i think i wanted it too" and that everyone has a monster inside. eve didn't was manipulated by villanelle, she simply wanted all of it.

there's something that i think was good too that is none of them ended up hurting one another again. not in a physical way. because when villanelle says "and we never look back" i can see eve breaking inside. i can see villanelle breaking too. that's why they turned around. they turned because they needed to see if it would hurt not to see each other, but both ended looking at each other. and the promo picture is showed here. do you remember even they're looking at each other and the red thread is keeping them together, there's nothing more intimate? they're not holding each other, they're just keeping each other closer. like if they don't want to let the one leave. like eve doesn't wanted to let villanelle go. like villaneve let eve go by her choice because she learned that love is freedom.

i mean, this season was made up to show both having their own issues, no desire, no obsession, no fights. even when they were shown separated we could see there was something connecting them.

so this was an intention to show they're connected even away. that's why villanelle walk away. that's why eve doesn't want to walk away.