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hushhushplzzz · 8 months

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An Underrated Rina Moment II

(and an exploration on Terri’s shifting perspective on Gina and Ricky and Gina&Ricky and how that is largely due to the Ricky Effect)

(aaaand a slight defence of Terri Porter; don’t kill me lol)

Ricky’s super power is 100% the ability to charm the pants off the most prickly, scary, take no ish, rough around the edges, I-wear-the-pants divas and it’s hilarious. All three of the girlboss characters in the show, Gina, Lily, and Dani, became romantically interested in him, and it’s because he exudes trophy boyfriend, malewife, earnest puppy dog vibes and their instinct tells them he’s their compatible opposite.

Ricky has a habit of melting the hearts of the most prickly of women, and Terri Porter is no exception. She was definitely charmed by his care for her daughter, both when he sassed her and when he professed his love in front of the press conference.

But joking aside, Ricky managed to change Terri’s mind about him in only half a day, 1.5 conversations, and a declaration of love. And that’s because, much like he did for Gina, Ricky was the connecting point—a bridge, a catalyst—that allowed Terri Porter to finally reconcile the old Gina she knew with the current Gina who’d grown and become a stronger version of her former self.

And this is why this moment hits so juicy to me:

Will come back to this in a bit!

Incredibly long post ahoy :3

I’ve watched s4 about 8 times now, and I’ve come to the conclusion I actually kind of like Terri Porter as a character.

(Yes, controversial, I know. Please put down the pitchforks 😅).

Don’t get me wrong, she could definitely learn a thing or twenty from Michelle Greene (who wins Best Mom Award™, no contest), but Terri is a well-written archetype of the Overbearing Mother. And having grown up with a similar type of mom, it was pretty refreshing to see a storyline of someone navigating that type of relationship with their own mother and how it affected their upbringing. And above that, it was even more refreshing to see Terri’s mentality start to transform.

With Terri, undoubtedly, her motivations and her love for daughter inspire her actions, however questionable those actions may be. But she clearly wants nothing more than her daughter to be successful and become a star as she was always meant to be. As Michelle and Lynne stated during the HSM 3 performance, kids don’t know how much their parents worry about them. And Terri, no matter how misguided, I truly believe that is how she translates her uncontested love and worry for Gina, through pushing her to be the best and extremely successful. Terri just has a homogenous view of what constitutes success and primarily attributes success to the amount of tangible ambitions and subsequent accomplishments fulfilled.

Is this the best way to approach raising children? No; too much and this is how kids develop anxiety and imposter syndrome, among other issues.

Should Terri let Gina make decisions about what’s best for her in her own time? Absolutely.

But do I understand where Terri is coming from by pushing about New Zealand? Very much, yes.

Terri Porter has tunnel vision and singleminded focus on the future. A mentality of eyes on the prize and a focus on securing future goals. She views each action taken in life as yet another step up the stairwell leading one to their ultimate goal/success. It’s an admirable quality to have—the ability to plan so substantially every step you take to reach the top of your goals—but that tunnel vision often prevents one from living in the moment, or in Terri’s case, from seeing the importance of Gina’s journey to growth and balance and not just the final destination.

She raised Gina with this mentality and this is the root of where overly ambitious Gina 1.0 comes from: the desperate pursuit for lead through sabotage and manipulation, only for her to realise it wasn’t what she’d been looking for at the time. (Now confirmed to have been purpose and acceptance that she was actually seeking.)

But don’t get me wrong about Gina: she wanted a stable community and people who saw her and understood her, but she herself is also a naturally ambitious, driven girl who has the chops and desire to go after her dreams with no hesitation. She gets straight As, has no problem stepping into the spotlight, and is an insanely talented triple threat. Could you argue that this is potentially nurture over nature because Gina has been conditioned by her mom to be as ambitious as possible through her upbringing? Perhaps, but s2 and s3 we saw a Gina not under the influence of her mother’s overbearing nature, and we were explicitly shown how much her confidence was negatively affected by not pursuing the lead in s2 versus how well-balanced and satisfied she was in s3.

Gina is meant to be a star, and she loves the limelight and pampering of stardom. Her mother is also overbearing and pushes her to be in the limelight. They are not mutually exclusive, but undoubtedly, Gina’s motivations are still her own in a large capacity. Of all of Miss Jenn’s students, Gina is the one who acclimates to the changes with the film and navigates this new world with ease while also managing her growing fame and school with relative ease. We see Kourtney struggle with college apps and the filming, even almost dropping out of HSM 3; Carlos quits being Miss Jenn’s assistant; Ricky is trying hard to accommodate change, but it makes him uncomfortable.

(And Ashlyn is just a hot mess overall because of Maddox 😂).

Gina is on top of everything, though, and is in her element and doing amazing to boot, but the caveat to that is she’s found balance and has a loving and supportive community courtesy of her golden retriever boyfriend and the theatre crew family with which she’s strengthened bonds.

But Terri was not there for that journey in s2 and s3, a roughly 7 to 8 month interval of time during which Gina pushed aside her drive and was at her lowest in confidence only to figure it all out and bounce back stronger than ever. And she was not there for the fall and stronger rise again of Gina’s relationship with Ricky. So from Terri’s perspective, the last time she lived with her daughter, Gina was 1.0 and had no desires for anything but her ambitions to be the best.

I give Terri some grace, because though it really is up to her to try to learn and understand her daughter and who she is and who she is becoming—something Terri failed to do more than once—to be fair, Gina kept all these things from her. And I give Gina a lot of grace for not being able to express her truth in all this time because it can be very hard to stand up to overbearing moms who are inflexibly focused on one plan. But for someone who isn’t very observant about what is happening in the now, there was no way Terri would have ever known about all these changes and balance Gina found. And the biggest problem is that this season, Terri refused to open her eyes to see the growth Gina has exhibited to become 2.0 and therefore failed to understand her daughter.

Therefore, I can only imagine Terri’s sheer confusion and discomfort when Gina finally revealed the truth about the journey she’s been on and what has been the most influential in making her this happy every day. There’s no way it didn’t feel like it was coming out of left field for Terri—and she doesn’t get it at first—and for an overbearing, relatively inflexible mother, this type of confession would definitely inspire pushback.

Which we end up seeing.

The way I see it, Terri emphasises no boys in her lecture because she doesn’t want Gina’s success derailed by a relationship. She’s an adult who’s had two kids; I’m sure Terri knows what being in love is like, how unhinged it can make you, and the types of choices you make and types of distractions you have when you’re in love. And in one evening, her daughter, who had likely been telling her everything in the past and has always been under her thumb, tells her she’s been lying to her for months, is in a secret relationship with another boy, has been sneaking him into her room at night, and then rushes out of the house in the middle of dinner with a guest to make out with said boy in the rain.

But above that, the biggest thing is this secret boyfriend is the one person responsible for making Gina the happiest Terri has ever seen, something monumental, and Terri has never even conversed with him, let alone had a substantial, proper first introduction.

She knows nothing about him besides what Gina has likely told her—which is not a tangible thing Terri can confirm—but in her view he probably doesn’t seem driven, doesn’t seem particularly ambitious the way Gina is, hasn’t particularly made a mark on the world, and if we are to go by the implication of her “Gina has been waiting for you to step up for a long time” line, then she also has knowledge of how much pain Ricky inadvertently caused Gina in s2.

We all have seen Gina’s journey throughout the show and know this is the true Gina, but Terri was not there for those events. So from Terri’s perspective, everything she’s learned in one dinner has to have made her think these are all bad choices and decisions she incorrectly believes to be out of character for Gina. All she sees is a Gina who is hesitating and slow to sign a contract for a leading role in a big-budget movie in a way the daughter she remembers never would have. And I have no doubt that she believes that if Gina can make bad decisions like this about a boy without much thought, then she could just as easily make rash decisions that could negatively affect her future.

Like, for example: giving up a once-in-a-lifetime leading role as a brand new actress for a boy who can easily sway her to lie to her mother and sneak around behind her back.

I can only imagine the disapproving panic that started setting in because—beyond the potential implications of sneaking a boyfriend into your room at night—the optics do look pretty bad.

And that’s why I think she told Ricky about New Zealand. I really don’t think she has anything against him personally as she said. Her issues stem from his presence in her life and what that means for Gina’s future compared to Mack, which I’ll get back to a little later.

Again: Terri has tunnel vision and believes Gina has to pick either the movie or SLC. The only right choice in her mind is the movie, and she doesn’t want Ricky to be in the way of that decision because in her eyes, he will impede Gina’s success. But I still didn’t sense strong malicious intent so much as I sensed an inflexible mother trying her hardest to grasp onto the last vestiges of control over her daughter’s life however means necessary. Gina gave her heart to Ricky, and her clear love for him is enough to make Gina hesitate about the direction her career is taking her. Terri overheard Ricky preparing to tell Gina he loves her, and in my opinion was close to “panicking” over the fact that Ricky confessing could very well have been the final nail in the coffin in Gina giving up the acting gig to stay in SLC instead. This is the same mom who encouraged Gina to stay in SLC in s2 and not make any big decisions because she doesn’t know what the universe has in store for her. In Terri’s view, Gina was never attached to SLC, and now she’s having trouble leaving it because of Ricky, so the Ricky panic and pushing Gina to sign the contract faster kind of checks out.

I do believe mentioning Mack was a bit of a malicious dig though, but in the sense that she was trying to tell Ricky that he’s not on the same level as Mack and Gina in drive, ambition, and success. But I interpret her overall behaviour in that scene as a last ditch Hail Mary to try to make Ricky recognise what’s at stake for Gina and how influential his decisions could be in impacting how Gina makes her choice. Ricky, to her, is an obstacle and the biggest barrier at the moment to Gina jumping right into doing the movie so instead of approaching Gina, she opts to target Ricky to reconsider his attachment to Gina.

I truly believed her when she said she doesn’t have anything against Ricky, because it really isn’t about Ricky. It’s always about Gina—and who Terri thinks would best match Gina—and she just doesn’t get Ricky’s impact in Gina’s life because she probably never asked.

Terri, though overbearing, clearly does want what’s best for Gina’s success, but she doesn’t know what is best for Gina because she hasn’t been there enough to recognise Gina’s needs in the first place. And she tends to bulldoze over Gina, sometimes not even listening to what she has to say.

That’s why the confrontation with Ricky in Gina’s room is so, so important, because it’s the first pivotal moment where Terri is confronted for the first time on how important the theatre community is to Gina, no matter how small and non-famous. The moment she first realises why this idiot boy has such a strong impact on her daughter in the first place. The first moment she starts to see how Gina started to and had a safe, comfortable space to change. And the first moment she is met with the very real threat that Gina is no longer as tethered to Terri’s idea of success and stardom because Gina has people in her corner who she has placed at a higher ranking in importance than her mark-making goals.

Even when Ricky was being denigrated for not stepping up, his mind was still razor focused on Gina and being her biggest supporter and cheerleader. His response is very much a “you can say whatever you want about me, but I won’t tolerate you hurting Gina again” kind of thing. And however small, he did get through to Terri in some capacity. In some ways, I think he also gained a little bit of her respect with his Caucasity audacity.

This is the face she makes when he calls her out on her hypocrisy:

That’s a face of guilt with bits of shame. Maybe a bit of understanding that she deserves that one.

And these are the faces she makes when he asks her to turn around while he tries to get out:

Terri Porter is not a warm woman. She is driven, she is ambitious, and she pushes her daughter so hard because, to some extent, she likely views Gina’s success as her own too. And she wants nothing to get in that way, come hell or high water.

And yet, nothing about those expressions indicate a dislike of Ricky. If anything, I’d say she kind of looks fond, amused, or even impressed during a lot of that interaction. And there is no way Terri did not recognise at least a bit of the aspects of Ricky we viewers have watched him develop. His admirable complete devotion and protection of Gina. His drive to grow and improve so he can be a better partner to Gina. His desire to fully support her ambitions so she can become the star he knows she was always meant to be.

There’s no way that at that moment, Terri didn’t see an inkling of exactly why Gina has been so happy. There’s no way she didn’t recognise that Ricky is not just some random dude her daughter is dating for fun. This is not a similar relationship like the one she had with EJ over the summer. Ricky is the real deal. And he has potential to really damage the choices Gina can make about her life. She’s wrong, of course. Ricky is no longer the type to try to make everything else go away so he can have control and stability over his own life and relationship. But I think from that brief moment in Gina’s room, she at the very least now has the tangible evidence to back up what makes Ricky so important to Gina. And that informs her subsequent “panic” and the New Zealand reveal.

But again, she doesn’t know him. Just sees that her daughter is in love with a boy who doesn’t fit her own idea of strong future ambitions for success and thinks him unworthy and a possible deterrent to Gina becoming a star.

The thing is though, as I mentioned earlier, it’s not Ricky personally who she has a problem with: it’s what Ricky represents versus what Mack does.

Ricky is the theatre community—dinky, small school club, nondescript, can’t acquire fame through it—while Mack is the world of Hollywood—big-budget movie and fame, potential for successful stardom, glitz and glam and glory.

Until the end, she doesn’t care for the theatre community, because like most of her approach regarding success, a small school club is unlikely to match Gina’s drive and allow her to reach her fullest potential in a more public sphere.

(I’m gonna get over-analysy and philosophical for just a second).

The show, whether intentional or not, makes it a point to reflect this idea of the theatre community versus Mack/Hollywood as it pertains to Gina’s home and life. All moments with the theatre group and anyone having to do with it were relegated to scenes in Gina’s attic bedroom only. The cast reveal is in the attic, and they only got in because Emmy stole the garage code and they snuck in while no one was home. The Halloween party is not in the house proper, but confined to Gina’s attic, and Terri’s interaction with them is to remind them to keep it down. Ricky sneaks into the windows at night to see Gina and all his visits are also confined to the attic.

Compared to that, we have Mack, the representation of fame and stardom, gets full-blown concierge service of a dinner and is treated like royalty in the main part of the house. His presence is not only invited, it’s also encouraged and unhidden.

(Quick aside: after Ricky takes off during the Halloween party, we see Gina melancholic and at war with herself on the stairs, a middle ground/point between the main house and the attic. One foot in each world and a reflection of the start of the conflict she has to resolve in the second half of the season).

Following this metaphor, it reflects the view Terri has of Gina’s communities. How she disregards the theatre group and kind of ignores them, pushes them to the side in her mind. How much importance she places on Gina’s Hollywood gig, even going as far as not attending any stage performances but showing up to the movie set. I don’t think she even would have tried to watch most of the HSM 3 production had Ricky not called her out.

Terri prioritises success in a larger scheme of the world, choosing to ignore how much Gina’s community means to her and how much Gina means to the community too until the press conference. Until the moment when Gina talks about SLC being her support network and home. When Gina spontaneously changes the film location to stay in SLC so she can have both her found family and her future fame. When Ricky shows up and with no hesitation boldly declares his love for Gina. When her friends and castmates and found family (the bridesmaids and groomsmen 😜) come to the front to share in this moment and protect their moment and their moment alone from the prying eyes of the press.

It's not hard to see Gina’s sheer joy and bliss at all her dream's realised with Ricky and her community through her smile and tears, and the room is quite literally brightened up.

And Terri gets it: what Ricky was sassing her about, that Ricky wants nothing more than Gina’s happiness, and that Gina’s happiness is not just success in her ambitions but more so the people who have been there for her when Terri wasn’t there. She finally reconciles the words Gina likely told her at dinner and what Ricky alluded to with Terri’s absence from the opening nights with what she sees as tangible evidence right in front of her eyes.

So this is why this:

Is such an underrated moment for me, not just because her personal invitation is a seal of approval for their relationship and her acknowledgement that Ricky is worthy of her daughter. It’s also because Ricky is the reason why Gina found and joined this theatre community in the first place, and in many ways, represents exactly what this community means to Gina: finally being seen, known, understand, and accepted for who she is.

Terri telling Ricky he’s welcome in her home without having to sneak anymore represents to me that understanding and approval of this community to Gina, and in turn, a desire for Gina to continue to have this group present in her life. It’s Terri finally making an effort to listen to what Gina needs and wants and making the effort to accept Gina’s decisions and what makes Gina happiest with open arms.

Gina showed her that beautiful balance Gina 2.0 achieved without her mother’s influence by figuring out a way to have her cake with the movie and eating it too in SLC with her family. Something Terri would never have thought of as an option, given her tunnel vision. And this was definitely a strong factor in Terri recognising the influence and importance and benefit of Gina’s theatre community. And now that she is taking active steps to get to know Ricky and the community, I can only imagine her relationship with Gina, her relationship with Ricky, and her understanding of Gina’s relationship with Ricky will improve.

Within 12 hours, only two short prior conversations, one of which was Terri talking at Ricky, and Ricky publicly declaring his love for—and proposing to 🤭🤭🤭—her daughter, she’d changed her mind about him. Which is pretty insane to think about considering the type of mother Terri is: a bit controlling and not very flexible. And I attribute Terri’s change of heart mostly to Ricky, who put into action the words she’d heard from Gina and Ricky and showed her so easily that he has every quality she values and rewards:

Single minded focus and pursuit of a task when it counts.

Guts and gumption.

Ambition and drive to go after what he wants.

Never gives up.

Her machinations (twice!) did not deter him from expressing his utterly romantic, swoonworthy love song for Gina, and she definitely respects that. And it helped her see that Ricky’s drive is to make sure Gina is always happy and that Gina knows she’s loved and cared for.

Despite the fact that he is not a traditional “successful” by her definition, Terri still thinks and understands he’s worth the wait Gina went through since Thanksgiving s1 to finally be with the love of her life.

All this to say a woman like Terri Porter does not change her mind for any old reason—it has to be significant—and Ricky gaining her approval was such an excellent way to emphasise just how truly perfect Rina is for each other. How worthy Ricky is of Gina, not based on some arbitrary definition of success, but because of how significant he is in Gina’s journey of growth and happiness. I could go on and on about Rina being perfect soulmates, haha, but I digress. I foresee a great friendship between Ricky and Terri in the future because above all else, the both of them are driven by a staunch desire to see Gina successful and happy.

I originally was going to name this post “Ricky’s Effect on the Porter Women” because he truly does play a significant role in changing both of their perspectives. He was the first to allow Gina to find a home, a place where she can finally be known, something which kicked off her growth which ultimately gave her the strength and courage to make her choice at the end of the season. And he was the first to transform Terri’s mentality on success and the ultimate reason she finally saw the real Gina and the importance of this whole community that has impacted her life the most.

Ricky is an instrumental catalyst in both of their lives. He’s the reason why Gina stood up to her mother and stood her ground on her own desires and what is important to her. He’s the reason why Terri Porter will likely continue to learn who her daughter is from now on, step back, and trust Gina to make her own choices knowing she is safe with the friends she loves. He’s the reason Gina and Terri will be able to have a more equal, open and honest relationship where Gina’s desires are understood, listened to, and met because he won’t ever let anyone hurt Gina again. He’s the reason that Terri is starting to understand and reconcile who her daughter has been and who her daughter is now.

Terri is a complex character, but I feel it is doing her a disservice dismissing her choices as her being a terrible person. Her priorities are far more intense than current Gina necessarily needs, and she is a flawed human being who has definitely made mistakes in motherhood, but she’s also been an amazing mom in other ways:

She understood how much pain Gina would be in when they had to move on Thanksgiving and tried pre-emptively to keep it from happening. She gives her a bear every Valentine’s day. She let her 16 year old daughter stay in SLC by herself upon request because it was the first time in 5 schools in 7 years that Gina wanted to stay somewhere. She encouraged Gina to stay in SLC in s2 and keep making new experiences when Gina was about to give up. She moved her whole life back to SLC and decided to stick there for her daughter so Gina could have a stable home this school year. Even if too strong a push at times, she is an unwavering supporter of Gina’s talent and rise to fame and does not hide from her daughter how incredibly talented she views her. And though an incorrect assumption on Gina’s happiness, she immediately waived her no boys rule in case Gina wanted to pursue Mack. And once she accepted Ricky, she did the same again, allowing their relationship and telling him he’s welcome in their home and welcome in her and Gina’s life.

She’s a bit of a messy mom, kind of clueless, misguided in the direction she was taking parenting Gina, and has a lot to learn about a more hands-off and trusting parenting style, but she is very much there for her daughter.

And when Ricky and Gina get married in ten years, I can guarantee you Terri Porter will be right in the front, proud as hell that her daughter is marrying the perfect person for her, who cares for her beyond himself and makes her the happiest she’s ever been.

#hsmtmts #ricky x gina #rina #ricky bowen #gina porter #terri porter #meta #yes she does speak sometimes

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blues-valentine · 7 months

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I've always loved how when Ricky sees that Gina is back in 1x09 it directly followed the status quo chorus that might as well be s2 Ricky's theme song "stick to the stuff you know, it is better by far to keep things as they are , don't mess with the flow"

You know, while I was doing the analysis for Season 1 (x) and the song analysis for Ricky (x) I did take notice on this but I didn't want to make the post even longer so I skip it but I dont think the placement on this is random. We know they are very meticulous with Rina. The fact 108 is the episode where in Gina's absents he is able to connect with Nini over memories together as kids and go back to how things were and then, the first time he sees Gina again after is when she is singing "Stick To The Status Quo". It feels like a remainder of what he’s been trying to do with his life. And it also reminded me how one of the only featured Gina and Ricky posters that they promoted for Season 1 had them with the catchphrase "don't stick to the status quo".

Thats not random at all. In fact, it tells their arc.

Because all Ricky has been trying to do is stick to the status quo, not allowing change to enter his life because he wants to mantain things the way things are. He wants to keep his status quo (due to his fears) and Gina represented at that moment the opposite of that. Nini was Ricky’s status quo, what he knew. Gina pushes Ricky to move forward and walk outside of it. The reason he connected with theater in the first place was because of Gina, not Nini. He thought he was just a skate rat until he was not that anymore.

#hsmtmts #high school musical the musical the series #hsmtmts s4 #hsmtmts season 4 #rina #ricky bowen #gina porter #ricky x gina #asks #meta

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27emailsicantsend · 8 months

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did anyone else notice the secret notes in gina’s locker were written on camp shallow lake paper?

also did anyone remember that troyella did a secret note before they met up in the rooftop garden? (they also passed some other secret notes in all of the movies)

I’m not ok rn 😭😭

#hsmtmts #high school musical the musical the series #rina #ricky bowen #gina porter #ricky x gina #troyella #parallels #meta

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rinaforreal · 2 years

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It’s just the way the thing Gina wants and needs is stability after a lifetime of constantly moving and changing and Ricky finally being open to growth and change and them being exactly what the other person needs. Like in order for Ricky to grow he needs to move on and start fresh, to be free of his past and what Gina needs is a constant and the way they are that for each other. Like who is doing it like them. This is a Disney ship, please.

#rina #hsmtmts spoilers #hsmtmts #ricky x gina #ricky bowen #gina porter #hsmtmts meta #like with him finally ready for change he can be that constant that Gina needs because he couldn’t be that before but he’s ready now #they make me insane insane!!

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inspotlight · 1 year

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META 01 — the night of the pregnancy scare. VERSE: mamma mia au TRIGGERS — emotional/mental abuse, potential pregnancy, eating disorders, grooming/unhealthy power dynamic FEATURING — brody walker (npc, shithead) MENTIONING — ricky bowen (@melodyplucked)

nini was almost positive that she wasn't pregnant. her period had never been regular. she'd been dealing with this since she was thirteen. whether it was stress or her poor eating habits, her body had always kept her on her toes when it came to her cycle. she'd gotten better about her eating habits over the years, especially after she'd stepped away from acting to embrace music full-time, but the stress was still ever-present. especially now, when she was fighting every day just to get through the day.

she hadn't even turned nineteen yet. her birthday wasn't for another three months. and maybe it was wishful thinking, call it naivety, but she was certain the universe wouldn't let her end up pregnant by her twenty-four year old boyfriend at eighteen. she had to believe that.

she sat on the floor of brody's guest bathroom, watching the time tick by on her phone, waiting for the timer to go off to alert her that the pregnancy test she'd just taken was done processing. brody knows she's taking this test, but he'd left her to worry about it herself, choosing instead to go and play video games in the game room. she was almost certain she hated him... she definitely hated him right now.

heart sinks when she picks up the test, convinced that she can see a line where she'd hoped one wouldn't be. she squints, unsure of what to believe, and then shakes her head. this can't be happening. there's no way. that little second line is definitely there. of course, brody had bought her the shittiest test he could find, not wanting to spend more than a couple of dollars to know what their future would hold.

it's in that moment that she wishes ricky were here. wishes that she could just pick up the phone and call him. beg him to come get her. seeing her future flash before her eyes, imagining her career fading in front of her, all she knows is she could handle this if she had him. if she and ricky were still together. of course, they wouldn't be in this mess if she and ricky were still together. things had always been different with him.

it was for that reason that, as she eyed his contact in her phone, she couldn't bring herself to press the call button. upending his life when she thought hers was about to change forever would just be selfish. she didn't want this for him. she knew she needed to get away from brody. knew that he would only bring her down, cause her pain. but he was woven into the fabric of her career now. his uncle was the cfo of her record label.

there were things she still needed to do before she could leave him. and maybe, in the end, she wouldn't get ricky back... but when she tried, when she finally went to see him in mamma mia, she wanted to be free of the vile man she'd somehow gotten tangled up with.

with a sigh, she tosses the pregnancy test into the trash, gets up from the floor, washes her hands, and goes to the game room where brody was immersed in some stupid game, like he usually was. she sat down next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder, and letting her eyes slip closed. she'd schedule an appointment with her doctor in the morning for confirmation, and hope against hope that the little pink line was a false positive.

when brody shrugged her off his shoulder and shifted on the couch so that she wasn't sitting so close, the tears pricked at her eyes, and she bit her lower lip. god, the test had to be reading out a false positive. she wasn't sure what she'd do if it weren't. she just knew... she could not be stuck with this man for the rest of her life.

#━━ ♡ all i need is a day inside your mind to see what it’s like [ meta ]#━━ ♡ felt like coming home [ v4 ]#━━ ♡ contact list [ ricky bowen ]#━━ ♡ away from the keyboard [ queued ]#melodyplucked #abuse //#mental abuse //#emotional abuse //#grooming //#pregnancy //#eating disorder //

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yellowlaboratory · 9 months

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Gimme all your thoughts on the last season of hsmtmts when you compose yourself! I’m still crying it was so perfect! Us Rinas won so hard!!! They are the most perfectly executed slowburn soulmates ever and the payoff was so sweet!

ricky bowen basically sums up the entirety of my feelings towards the hsmtmts finale. i have absolutely not composed myself and there's so much to say but I'm not sure I have the words. Seeing as I just finished watching it through for a second time and my tears are still drying .... I'm gonna ramble cause this show means a stupid amount to me

First of all, this was my favorite season. I always say 3rd seasons are the best but... damn. hsmtmts is breaking my streak.

I think it brought back a lot of what made season 1 so so so special to me but it also allowed the show to grow. it was funny and outlandish and ridiculous and surprisingly heartfelt and it made me sob, all like season 1. the meta was metaing, the character development was charater developmenting (4x06??? insanity on every level). almost every single character made me cry at some point - both characters I have loved so dearly from the beginning and some characters I have truly hated at one point or another. genuinely, i think I ended this season more fond of the original main cast than I ever have been - which is saying something!!! i have loved them a lot from the start. I also think the humor and the pacing and the self-awareness were otherworldly.

this show just has a stupid ability to make me feel the full spectrum of human emotions in a 5 minute timespan - I go from laughing my ass off to crying my eyes out to falling in love to hating something so viscerally and it's just akdhsflkjasdhlfkj. it's hard to explain to people who haven't watched it because like ??? what do you mean the stupid littel alphabet show made you feel all that???? and i can't really explain it like you just gotta experience it. I'm a full ass adult and I audibly sobbed at Gina's speech - and i'm pretty sure I'll never be able to watch that scene without crying.

speaking of gina... I've known for a long time that she was one of my girls, but this season has absolutely forever cemented her as one of my favorite characters of all time. she is my girl my queen the love of my life an angel all the good things in the world (i sound like ricky bowen). but very seriously, there's a very short list of my favorite characters of all time and she will always, always, always be there.

I want to speak more about rina but i just.... i'm literally not sure i can find the words. the season was amazing, I loved seeing them grow out of situations that mirrored obstacles they had in the past, I loved the clear lines that showed how perfect Gina and Ricky are for each other as opposed to their previous partners, I think the rain kiss genuinely took my breath away and I'm so so so so happy that they are happy. I leapt out of my seat at the callbacks and the reveals and lost my mind at how invisible string and mastermind coded their entire relationship is. they are literally soulmates like gina took one look at "skater boy" and she was like "wow i guess this is the love of my life". like?????? that's so genuinely insane???? unhinged television.

i'm also heartbroken that i don't get more of them. i know we just saw a whole season of them kissing but like - I want more. I want to see them graduate. i want to see them take on more challenges. i want to see them fall even further in love. i'm sure i'll have more eloquent, well-rounded thoughts once my brain is working, but right now, i'm just so happy with what we got and also a little bit mourning the things we'll never see.

all in all, that's kind of how i feel about the show in general. i don't know that it feels finished. like - it was an ending. it had so much closure. this wasn't cancelled or cut off, it was brought to a close. but i still have so much i want to see from these characters. I want to see more of ricky and gina always. I want Kourtney taking on college and a Jetney duet (I'm gonna sue someone over the fact that i didn't get one). I want to see so so so much more of maddox and ashlyn!!! i literally just got them. and miss jenn and mazarra????? they literally just. dropped that in my lap and ran!!!!

i think the problem isn't actually the ending, though. I think it's just me, lol. I'm not sure I'd ever be ready to say goodbye to these characters. and i know it's good to go out on a high note but damn can't we ride this high for just a little bit longer?

also - terri porter is gunning for one of my least favorite tv parents ever and like. if you know me you know that's saying something.

also also - they swore more in this season of hsmtmts than in s3 of the boat show so. do with that what you will.

#hsmtmts #high school musical the musical the series #hsmtmts s4 #hsmtmts spoilers #hsmtmts s4 spoilers #don't look at me i'm so emotional right now #not to sound like ricky bowen but gina porter is the love of my life #i would protect these characters with my life #i'm listening to maybe this time and love you forever on repeat until i cry so much i dehydrate myself

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seek--rest · 1 year

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2022 Year in Review

Thanks for the tag @starkravinghazelnoots

1. Number of stories posted to AO3:

2. Word count this year:

761,576

3. Fandoms I wrote for:

Black Panther

First Kill

High School Musical: the Musical: the Series

Marvel Universe

Spider-Man 616

Spider-Man Fusions (MCU, 616, Insomniac blends)

4. Pairings: (keeping it romantic since the platonic list would be too long)

PeterMJ

Calliope Burns/Juliette Fairmont

Ricky Bowen/Gina Porter

5. Stories with the most:

Kudos:

Solo

Lost in Translation

Collab

Desperate Measures

Bookmarks:

Solo

Lost in Translation

Collab

Desperate Measures

Comment threads:

Solo

from the sidelines

Collab

the slowest moving train

Word count:

Solo

from the sidelines

Collab

the slowest moving train

6. Work I’m most proud of (and why):

a treacherous gain

It’s not the first “fix-it” I (co) wrote but it’s one of my favorites because it took all the details and meta that had been circling around and made it into a fic that 1) deals with the ramifications of the memory spell and not so subtly addresses frustrations with fandom/meta about the end of NWH 2) made it clear that neither Peter nor MJ and Ned were utterly lost without each other and 3) added in the PS4 game in a way that makes me scream.

7. Work I’m least proud of (and why):

If I wasn’t proud of it, I wouldn’t post it??

8. Share or describe a favorite review you received:

This comment from when you help someone, you help everyone that so perfectly GOT it.

9. A time when writing was really, really hard:

It’s felt like the Spider-Man fandom all but dried up and died post NWH (which is eminently fascinating to me since it made a bajillion dollars and it felt like the entire world was obsessed with it but we move). That being said, I didn’t come to fandom for anyone else so even in times of drought, I don’t stay for anyone else. But it IS nicer when others want to create too.

(Even if they don’t, that’s okay. I love Spider-Man.

I’ll outlive everything you love.)

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you:

The entirety of should’ve known better was a surprise. Read the Giant Sized Gwen Stacy and had big feelings Darius LeClerc. I’m still the only person on ao3 that’s written him BUT SO HELP ME I WONT BE THE LAST.

11. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

This bit from into the dark:

“I really thought this one would work,” Peter says, as if no one’s spoken to him– staring off into the side as he softly shakes his head. “I thought I’d finally figured it out, how to make it work, how to keep you all safe and it just…”

He trails off, May frowning and the other Peter looking confused– looking to both her and Ned for help as she puts her hand on Peter’s shoulder.

“Peter?”

“I was so close,” he says, looking over to her with a smile. “Maybe this’ll be the last one then.”

12. How did you grow as a writer this year:

I wrote for fandoms that weren’t marvel related! Look at me go!

13. How do you hope to grow next year:

To continue to write to my exact, specific whims 😌

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

This is gonna sound cheesy as hell but the commenters who stuck with it. Our fandom is small but mighty. We are in this TOGETHER.

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year:

Put a lot of my own grief into when you help someone, you help everyone. I’ll never shut up about NWH and never stop being annoyed at the whiny complaints of how it’s “too sad” and “too depressing” and “lacking hope” — what a profound show of privilege to have never lost nearly everything and be faced with the crippling decision to fall into despair… or get back up.

No Way Home you will always be famous.

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

Write what you want and enjoy what you write!

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:

without a trace with my beloved prem

finishing the midnights series

Famous!Peter and Publicist!MJ obvi

the finale of my irondad but make it MJ series

continuing I Almost Do

several MTH fics

a special crossover (or two)

my long suffering Kraven fic

about a dozen more WIPs in various stage of completion

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read:

@promiseofthepremise @weezly14 @abc2411 @watsonmj @bluepinstripes @momentofmemory @novasforce @kitausuret

#seek speaks #petermj #spideychelle #rina #first kill #Shuri #I used to not do these because I was told it made people feel bad #I’ve decided that the insecurities of others are no longer my problem #WHY diminish myself to make YOU feel better #I’m proud of what I’ve done actually!#your lack of confidence will no longer dictate how I express my own!

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plutosresources · 2 years

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ricky bowen’s divergences:

so as stated on the page, my ricky is completely divergent following the end of season 1. this is just a little thing put together to give an idea of what those divergences look like, though in general i’m just very loosely following canon events. like - basically just the very basics of canon events. you can always message me or send in asks if you have more questions though.

(all mentions of nini here are @ofsweetness’ nini, these have all been talked about, decided upon and discussed with her)

season 2

- ricky and nini do not break up, nini does not go to yac

- ricky doesn’t play beast in the play, instead he plays chip. some of the other roles to correspond with this: ej plays beast, kourtney plays belle, ashlyn plays miss potts, seb plays cogsworth. (the dude who auditioned for the musical with ‘wondering’ plays gaston)

- ricky does not go to visit lynne for spring break, in my canon lynne and ricky’s relationship is slowly becoming very, very strained. i will eventually type a whole headcanon/meta type thing up on this, but a tl; dr version for now is that after ricky declines an invite to lynne and todd’s wedding, lynne spends several months not speaking to ricky. and it just eventually leads to a falling out between the two and ricky cutting off most contact with lynne

- obviously since ricky and nini don’t break up, nothing happens between ricky and lily, and most(?) ( i haven’t actually watched the scenes) of the opening night drama doesn’t happen with ricky - not playing beast

season 3

- nini does come to camp with the others

- ricky doesn’t play kristoff in the musical, instead he is a part of the ensemble with nini (does some tech stuff as well)

- again since ricky and nini don’t break up, nothing happened between ricky and lily over the rest of the school year, and nothing happens with ricky and gina

- i’ve had my ricky’s birthday headcanoned for like 2 years now (march 15th) and i plan to keep that, so - the ‘bucket list’ stuff and ricky turning 18 at the end of the summer also does not happen

#ricky divergences #(i think these are all of them for now - will add more when if i remember other ones/other ones are thought of)#(+ will obvs add more for season 4)

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gracestone · 2 years

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HSMTMTS Rewatch Thoughts | 1x02

It took me a bit longer than I expected to properly write this post (for various reasons), but here it finally is! I wanna say thanks again to the people who messaged me about my rewatch posts. It still means a lot to me that you're so interested in reading my thoughts on this show ❤️

THE CASWELL COUSINS

I really love their scene at the beginning of the ep! It's a great introduction to their dynamic and tells us quite a bit about EJ and Ashlyn. While we already saw a bit of him feeling insecure about Nini and Ricky's relationship in 1x01, we delve a bit deeper into his insecurities in this episode. The show makes it very clear that he's not your stereotypical jock character: EJ is putting up a happy front to his online followers and most people around him to hide his own negative feelings and insecurities. But the one person he is open and honest with is Ashlyn. This scene is the first time we actually see EJ voice how he's feeling.

Ashlyn mostly plays a supporting role in this scene and tries to give EJ some advice. But even in her advisory role, we can still see that she's more in touch with her feelings and able to go along with the curveballs life throws at her than EJ. EJ is still in that mindset of feeling like he needs to achieve every goal he sets for himself, especially when he feels other people expect him to succeed. Which is why the following advice didn't resonate with him at this point in his arc:

However, that advice foreshadows the rest of his character arc. Because what he wanted at this point wasn't what he needed. He didn't want these things for the right reasons and these wants were making him really insecure, so it was ultimately for the best that he didn't get them. Because it taught him how to be the person he wanted to be, made him a lot happier, and ultimately led him to fall for Gina.

It's adorable how EJ immediately hyped up Ashlyn to his online followers, btw 🥺 He's so supportive of the women around him.

Ashlyn seems to think that people either don't really see or notice her, because when Nini runs into her at the piano, she assumes Nini won't remember her and is surprised when Nini does. It's a small detail but I think it does a good job of giving Ashlyn some depth this early on. And I think this also plays into why Big Red's compliment of her singing in 1x07 has such a big impact on her.

PORTWELL IN SYNC

Not only is this the first episode where we get a real Portwell scene, they're also in sync the entire episode, without even knowing it! They both spend this episode eavesdropping on others:

And they both end up coming up with the same plan to get what they want: steal Nini's phone. Without even knowing it, Gina helps EJ get what he wants by putting Nini's phone in his backpack. She tells EJ that they want the same thing, but it's gonna take a little teamwork. Little do they know that Team Wonderstudy will come to mean a lot to the both of the and be the foundation of their future relationship 🥰

EJNINI

One thing I found pretty interesting in this ep was that the writers had EJ get insecure about Nini in moments where it wasn't warranted (the texts that were later revealed to be from one of her moms and Miss Jenn adding a kiss to the show) while not seeing the moments where that insecurity would be warranted (Nini not being thrilled that EJ would be playing Troy, the way Nini looked at Ricky as she saw that he had practiced the dance, and her moment with Ricky during Wondering). I think it helps us see that this relationship doesn't work on both ends. Nini definitely isn't all in and still loves Ricky, while EJ is still struggling with his own insecurities and wants this relationship for the wrong reasons. He tells Ashlyn that Nini makes him better. Of course, this is right after he asks Ashlyn to steal Nini's phone for him. So it's clear that being with Nini doesn't actually make EJ better. In fact, right now it's making him worse. Because he's giving in to his worst tendencies out of insecurity.

Nini also isn't fully herself with EJ. When EJ asks her who texted her, she says it's nothing. While she obviously doesn't have to tell EJ who texted her, I do find it interesting that she had no trouble sharing it with Ashlyn without any prompting. I can't help but wonder if we're meant to see this as Nini not fully being herself with boys she's romantically interested in. We know she's that way with Ricky, and I think this may be an indicator that she was that way with EJ too. She keeps seeing herself through their eyes, rather than simply seeing herself for who she is, and I think that affects how she behaves around them. As Kourtney tells Nini in 1x05, "ever since [she] discovered boys, [she's] spent way too much time trying to see [herself] through their eyes." This comes back in The Rose Song too, where Nini admits that "all [her] life [she's] seen [herself] through [Ricky's] eyes." It's one of the character flaws Nini needs to work on.

But her hiding that one of her moms was texting her could also be an indicator that she simply didn't feel as comfortable around EJ as she should've, because I do think she would've told Ricky this. They have a long history and know each other's families well, after all. Or maybe it's a combo of both of these things. Either way, it's a sign that EJ and Nini never would've lasted, even if EJ hadn't totally messed up.

THE THROB RUNNING JOKE

Initially, I was just gonna make a quick note about how this episode started my favourite running joke on the show, which is Ricky's obsession with Throb. But as I thought about it some more, I started thinking about how it symbolises some of Ricky's personal struggles in relation to romance.

Ricky says that he initially didn't want cologne to be sprayed on him, but he completely changed his mind about it once he found it Nini liked it. This kinda reminded me how Nini admitted in 2x06 that she always used to order the pizza Ricky liked best, even if that wasn't necessarily the pizza she wanted. This isn't a flaw in their relationship, necessarily, as it's more a character flaw that stems from their similar insecurities. While it's more true for Nini than Ricky, they tend to do things solely for the other, even if the other never asked them to do so, instead of compromising or even just voicing their own opinion. Which plays a part into why they both haven't really figured out who they are as individuals. They've always seen themselves as part of a duo, rather than two individuals together.

Then there's also Ricky using Throb to win Nini back. He's not thinking about why Nini broke up with him and what he did to break what they had. He would rather try and get Nini back by reminding her of something he thinks she used to like about him than do the hard work of reflecting on your own flaws and changing for the better. Which plays into my next topic.

THE IMPORTANCE OF NINI CHALLENGING RICKY

Nini calling out Ricky on his tendency to coast is SO IMPORTANT! Because Ricky, at this point, would rather fail because he never tried than try his very best and potentially still fail. No, he didn't sign up for the musical because he wanted to play Troy. But he got the role now, so he has a responsibility to the rest of the drama department to give it his all. And especially to Nini, the person he auditioned for in the first place. Ricky tends to joke around when he's feeling insecure, but that's something he has to unlearn, because as Nini rightfully points out, it gives the impression that he doesn't care. And we know that Ricky cares deeply about the things that matter to him, even if he has trouble voicing it.

To Nini, it seemed like Ricky only fought for her because she had met someone else. He would've kept coasting if she hadn't. But now, he's forced to try new things and change if he wants to show her that he does love her and wants to be with her. Wearing Throb won't do the trick.

Initially, Ricky defaults to his defense mechanism: he quits. He'd rather not try than try his best and fail. He thinks so highly of Nini that he would never want her to quit the musical. He knows how much this role means to her. And he doesn't think that he's cut out to be the leading man she deserves. This comes back in 1x09 and 1x10, when he gives up playing Troy after he freezes on stage.

But as Gina points out to Ricky: he has his own style. He shouldn't let himself be brought down by others telling him that he's doing it wrong. He should embrace his own style. That's a lesson I think Ricky still needs to learn. Because I don't think this scene really taught him that, even though I do think it was meaningful for Ricky to hear that from someone with a lot of theater experience. Instead, it just got the ball rolling in his head, and he realised he could prove to Nini that he's not a quitter on them by not quitting on the show. At this point, doing the show = fighting for Nini in his head.

So he goes home and practises the dance. Because no one can motivate him like Nini does. He calls it a test to Mike, which again reinforces that he sees it as a way to win Nini back and not something he himself is passionate about. It is cute, though, that he calls it the "most important one in [his] life", because that's how much Nini means to him 🥺

Note how while Ricky is taking babysteps here, they're still going in the right direction. Nini is making him better, just by motivating him to improve himself. Contrast that with EJ saying that Nini makes him better while being at his worst in his character arc.

Nini, on the other hand, is visibly upset about Ricky quitting. I think she secretly hoped that Ricky would prove her wrong and keep fighting for her and the show. She wants to do the show with Ricky and she wants to get back together with him, even if she can't admit that to herself yet. She just can't give him another chance if he's unwilling to change and put in the work on himself. And that's why she looks so happy when she sees him showing Carlos his improvement.

WONDERING

Ricky and Nini share a moment as he sees Nini sing with Ashlyn. As we know, he's loved Nini since she wrote her first song. Their love for music has always connected them, and it does so again here. It wasn't Nini's own song, but she could still relate very strongly to the lyrics. She and Ashlyn were both being vulnerable in that moment about how they were feeling, and of course Nini didn't expect Ricky to hear all of that from her.

I also just really like how they had Ricky come in during the lyrics "It feels like I might've broke the best thing that I had." There was no room left for doubt that Nini was thinking about him when singing these lyrics, and that he too could relate to them. Because if he had been a little braver than he had, he and Nini would still be together.

One thing that stood out to me is that Ricky is separated from Nini and Ashlyn by a lamp here, just like he is from EJ, Nini, and Gina during Second Chance. While he wasn't part of the performance in Wondering like he was during Second Chance, I think it still has similar symbolism: Ricky isn't ready yet in joining them in their character growth. He wasn't ready to explore himself by reflecting on his past like Nini and Ashlyn did during Wondering, and he's not ready to go for a second chance that will actually help him grow as a person in 2x12. But I will come back to that at the end of my rewatch.

SHORTER THOUGHTS/NOTES:

I still really want to know what inspired Ashlyn to write Wondering. What personal experience did she draw from?

While from Carlos' POV it's heartbreaking that he thought Ricky may want to harm him in the library, from an audience's perspective, it's hard to look at Ricky and imagine him being intimidating in any way sdlkjgfsdklj

Corbin signing EJ's HSM DVD when???

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insomniactalks · 2 years

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I understand why Ricky and Gina shippers are convinced S3 will be a romantic exploration for their ship b/c so many of the newest sneak peeks may suggest this (and the fact they've been content starved since 2.06. I get it. I do😅). However, I can't stop thinking about this moment:

Do y'all see how happy and playful Ricky is with EJ here? If you told S1 EJ and Ricky they'd be having a pillow fight someday they would have laughed in your face!😂 I just love how far they've come from where they started on the show. I would never claim that Ricky and EJ are the best of friends, because I don't believe that to be true, but you can't deny that they certainly started to really become friends by S2, esp 2.10 when Ricky tried to be there for EJ by helping him solve his problem. EJ seems to be wearing the same jacket from the trailer when he and Gina have what looks like another heart to heart (where he says he's "freaking out"). I believe that's 3.03, where Ricky and Gina go on a “spooky adventure” (or something like that). The very fact that Ricky is behaving this playfully with someone who he used to consider an enemy is major. In S1, Ricky very obviously tried to put a wedge between Nini and EJ b/c he wanted Ejini to break up so that he could get back t/g with her. Two seasons later, and what looks like could be the most fun he's had in a long time, I get the feeling Ricky isn't gonna try to cause intentional drama for Portwell. I actually think the fictional Corbin Bleu's character is going to cause more intentional drama this season for the Wildcats, including PW in 3.04/3.05 (I think those are the episodes):

Do you see how satisfied Corbin looks at whatever drama is unfolding? I think he really wants his documentary to be juicy and drama-filled, hence Ricky seemingly storming off out of rehearsals, and EJ following after him while Ashlyn looks worried about what she's seeing. Channing is clearly following all the drama with his camera, which makes me think Corbin intentionally pushed some buttons for Gina, EJ, and Ricky, but again, it's not Ricky intentionally trying to come between PW. I think this scene may follow the above:

You see how EJ initially looks happy as he approaches Ricky, then his smile drops when he sees Gicky playing around with that paper? I think it's possible he walked out after Ricky to try to comfort him after some drama Corbin started, but then he sees this scene play out in front of him, and maybe something (an insecurity, for example🤔) Corbin touched on earlier in the rehearsal space affects EJ in this moment. I think this might be Ricky just continuing to have fun during his summer, not trying to cause problems b/t PW. He and Gina are friends again, which puts them in a good place (which I was hoping for after S2😔). This might be Ricky just having fun with his friends, like with EJ in that pillow fight LOL 🤣but EJ misinterprets what he sees. Again, his girlfriend and the guy she used to have feelings for are playing romantic leads. EJ might be afraid history will repeat itself, but I doubt it. I feel S3 will have a diff outcome...*cough cough* Portwell Love Confession *cough cough*😉

Also, let’s stop acting like EJ will do anything to ruin his relationship with Gina (jealousy rising or otherwise). 🤦🏽‍♀️Did we forget what Gina said about him in 2.08? Let me remind you:

Y'all really going to tell me this don't sound like foreshadowing for their journey in S3? Just like Mitchie in Camp Rock 2 and Troy in HSM2, I guarantee you EJ will lose sight of what's really important to him for a bit, before coming back around at the end of the season by doing what's right and remembering his priorities (like his promise for this to be the "best summer ever" in 3.01)). Mitchie and Troy made similar promises at the beginning of their summers to Shane and Gabriella, before conflict rises mid way, then settles/gets resolved again by the end of their summers. That’s my prediction anyway. 🤷🏽‍♀️

(I should be writing up the 6 reports I have due soon, yet here I am. The power of Portwell. 😅 )

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hushhushplzzz · 2 years

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An Underrated Rina Moment

This:

That whole coat check scene was of course amazing and Ricky’s selflessness and their chemistry as usual really shines through. But the underrated aspect I’m specifically talking about is Gina’s willingness to hear Ricky out, despite her current heartache. Will come back to this in a bit.

Hella long post ahoy :3

This whole season, we’ve watched Rina repair their friendship, converse more freely, goof around, make each other smile and laugh, and replace awkwardness with that typical unresolved tension always underlying their interactions. We’ve also seen Gina’s subconscious trust in Ricky start being restored. This started in the barn in s3e3 when Ricky unintentionally tells Gina the very words she’d definitely needed and wanted to hear. (Still getting her innately). After their adventure, we start seeing her actively seek him out. The bucket list moment is the first time Gina has taken initiative to approach Ricky to talk or hang since Valentine’s Day in s2e3. And then we see her continue to easily confide in him her relationship struggles after WDYKAL, and in the Colour War, she has no reservations hanging out with him, joking around, telling him everything going on with her, and asking him for assistance with her plan. And through it all, Ricky has selflessly and actively wanted to help her/support her and does just that, even pushing aside his breaking heart for the sake of Gina’s happiness this summer. And he regains her trust.

But there’s a common theme here:

The repair in their trust and confiding in each other has all pretty much been Gina to Ricky. As in, Gina finally opening up to Ricky about her inner struggles again. But not the other way around. As we’ve seen, Ricky has been largely reserved with sharing his own struggles with Gina. In their interactions, he holds back whatever he’s feeling, whatever is on his mind, and makes sure to allow Gina full space and time to share what she wants with him at her own pace, and he matches what she needs in full.

Ricky clearly spent his time in Chicago introspecting and dissecting everything that had changed in his life including with his family, with his relationship with Nini, with becoming part of theatre. That probably also includes his fall-out with Gina and every interaction they’ve had, likely in an attempt to figure out what it is that he did that put Gina off. He probably remembered treating her like some dirty little secret on Valentine’s Day, the jokes about the chocolates, confiding in her about Nini, Gina shutting him out, closing her door on him, and ultimately concluded he’d been selfish with her and took her for granted.

As much of a chocolates truther as I am lol, I think this strained expression?

…was more rooted in a sense of awkward guilt because I do think that while working on himself last season, Ricky retroactively realised what events coincided with Gina becoming more subdued around him and ultimately not talking to him anymore. I feel like he’s cringing at the reminder of how he behaved and how oblivious he was to everything but his Nini issues.

And this season, we’ve seen him selflessly going out of his way to be there for Gina, supporting her, hearing her out, helping her with every one of her endeavours. Not just out of a sense of guilt from the Spring, but also because he likely grew to understand how one-sided their friendship had started to become when he got back with Nini. He’s working to right that wrong by being there for Gina 150%. Plus, he definitely missed her, her vibrant laugh and smile, her energy, how in sync they were, and wants her in his life in any capacity, even if it means being a cheerleader for her relationship. And in doing so, I think he has decided to keep everything to himself, most likely to make sure he doesn’t commit the same mistake from the school year when he drove Gina away by being a bit self-involved. I think he’s definitely scared to lose her again so he’s approaching their friendship more carefully and selflessly now, through making sure only her needs are met.

(I headcanon that Ricky’s comment to Nini in the breakup—that he didn’t like who he was becoming—also in part had to do with how much he was prioritising his relationship to the detriment of his friendship with Gina, but that’s another post for another day).

So that brings me back to this wonderful moment:

He checks first if she wants to hear it. And Gina is 100% willing to listen to Ricky’s important news despite her heartbreak.

This is the first time this entire summer/season and since mending their rift that we’ve seen him commit to confiding in Gina or open up to her and actually approach her with something troubling him.

And I’m positive Gina has realised this too. From her perspective, this is the first time Ricky has tried to open up to her, an avenue that signifies renewed reciprocal trust. From her perspective, Ricky is willing to put his faith and trust in her again too through sharing something that matters to him. From her perspective, this is the first time he's needed her for anything since their falling out at the Quinceañero.

Here, she turns around and faces Ricky with undivided attention the moment he tells her he has something important to say. And above that, responds with what I interpreted as a hopeful tone that he’s finally opening up to her. Even earlier this episode, she kinda tries to get him to open up to her and tell her how he feels via “Hey Ricky, you okay?” (His brain is fried so he can't respond).

But going back to coat check, of course, he reasonably backs off because she’s crying and emotional at the moment. But this is the second time he’s clearly backed off from saying something. The last time he’d somewhat hinted at having something he wanted to say, he kept to himself. And Gina gives him this borderline suspicious glance:

So I believe she’s already had a feeling that he’s been holding back on her or withholding something. But now that he’s finally ready to talk, she’s adamant on meeting him halfway and hearing what he has to say. (They do that for each other).

Even though she avoided him, I think Gina highkey missed Ricky too, his humour and good-natured goofiness, the way he enjoys her presence just as she is, the way she can turn to him for things she struggles with that he just understands and she never really has to explain. Especially as camp took off and her friends briefly shunted her in a 1.0 box and her boyfriend, though gave her cute flowers, didn’t really understand or listen to the deeper aspect of why being cast as Anna means so much to her.

(Again: Ricky knew without prompting, and right after that, Gina consciously starts spending more time with him).

All that to say, Gina clearly wants Ricky to confide in her too, to truly re-establish their bond, start over the way they used to be, and recreate that give and take that made them get so close so quickly in s1. The moment they reunited at camp, she was immediately ready to put it all behind her and be friends again, so I’m pretty confident that she wants him in her life in a larger capacity. We see that throughout the season and especially in Camp Prom, where she is much more proactive in trying to hang out with Ricky or talk to him.

By the end of the night, despite everything currently pre-occupying Gina’s mind and time: her fresh breakup, the time she needed on the swings to compose herself, focusing on supporting Kourtney through her beautiful journey to overcome her fears…

She happens to run into Ricky and immediately:

And then encounters her recent ex-boyfriend and the wave of sadness hits her again, but even so:

Ricky’s important something has clearly been on her mind too. This moment after the water bucket challenge is pretty much s3’s equivalent of “say it” reversed, but I think it goes beyond just that. She continues to gently prod him to tell her what he needs to say, and I think her reasons why are threefold:

1) Because EJ withheld from her this whole camp, making her feel disconnected from him, making her feel insecure about her place in his life, and after the breakup, she most likely wants to feel needed or trusted by someone in a way her ex didn't make her feel,

2) because Ricky has spent these past weeks being there through all of her concerns and helping her, prioritising her, wanting nothing in return. He helped her when she needed someone and now she wants to return the favour,

And 3) despite the fact that they have started over, Ricky and Gina still haven’t worked up to being mutual confidantes as they used to be. So it seems to me that by persisting, she’s trying to let him know he can trust her. That she’s forgiven him for his selfish blunders in s2. That she’s opening that door fully between them and that it's okay for him to share with her again.

You can’t rebuild a deep friendship on a one-way street, so in order to truly confirm their reconnection, Ricky needs to open up to her now and fully let her in his life just as she’s committed to fully letting him in her life again.

And I think that is so beautiful and subtle a moment because it is not told, but shown in how Gina insists on wanting to support Ricky through whatever important information he has been keeping to himself. This moment of her attention to Ricky is a genuine indicator that they've moved past the imbalanced and uneven relationship of s2. That now they both are ready and willing to be each other’s person again, give and take, after 3-5 months of being far away both literally and metaphorically.

Given that they both tend to be able to get each other or read each other without much prompting, I do think Gina has an inkling of what Ricky might have been wanting to say and her looking back (and Ricky missing that she looked back !!!!) was included for a reason. But she was definitely disappointed, as we can see here:

I think her disappointment may possibly stem from her feeling like he’s still holding back from letting her in. That maybe he hasn’t yet grasped the fact that she's opened a channel between them because she wants him to confide in her again just as she's been confiding in him. But that’s a process in progress and may take time since Ricky is unwilling to encroach on her after losing her friendship in s2.

But, Ricky did give Jet advice that sometimes when theatre kids have trouble expressing themselves, they sing it out. So I’m expecting a callback to this, this time with Ricky being forthcoming to Gina through song.

I might be looking into this scene too much lol, but thass what I do. Either way, no matter what happens, I’m really looking forward to seeing how this hanging thread between them eventually gets resolved, even if it takes all of next season.

#i love these two dorko cuties #ricky x gina #rina #ricky bowen #gina porter #hsmtmts #meta #yes she does speak sometimes

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blues-valentine · 10 months

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I already know what’s going to happpen with that “love triangle” between Mack, Gina and Ricky that won’t be much of a love triangle.

Mack and Gina will share the same theater background and so the same ideas about their future. I have a feeling Mack will parallel Sharpay. Sabotage to win if necessary. I can guess he'll be a dancer just like Gina and this will make Ricky feel like he isn’t on her level and holding her back from reaching her potential. All this amplified by the fact Mack will get a major role with Gina in the movie (and they’ll be playing love interests as I previously theorized). Plus, the fact Ricky can’t publicly be Gina’s boyfriend so he will have to see Mack flirting with her but trying to keep it cool because he wants to respect Gina’s wish on being private while also supporting her future career.

I have a feeling that kiss between Mack and Gina while they’re filming the movie will be Mack kissing her unscripted because he has a crush on her (or it’s trying to sabotage them) which is why Ashlyn and Carlos seem shocked and Ricky seems annoyed. It seems like no one in theater likes the guy. This will result in an argument because Ricky wants to be able to love and be Gina’s boyfriend publicly but because they are keeping it a secret he can’t and it upsets him. It’s not because he doesn’t trust Gina but because he is feeling like he isn’t enough to bond with her in that level and Gina is going to try to stay professional and focused on the movie that she will miss the signals. This will cause a temporary blow up that ends with Ricky and Gina’s love confession. And if I want to be more specific, in that rain scene that we know it’s happening in front of the orange car.

It’s not a love triangle about Gina being confused about two guys but about Ricky feeling overcome by the idea of someone being better for Gina’s future than he is. I think he will be trying to approach it in a mature way and being supportive of Gina, putting her first and willing to step aside if it is the best for her. Tim loves his full circle moments that’s for sure.

#high school musical the musical the series #hsmtmts #hsmtmts s4 #hsmtmts season 4 #gina porter #ricky bowen #ricky x gina #rina #hsmtmts rina #rina hsmtmts #text post #meta

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rickybowxn · 4 years

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let’s talk about ricky bowen again

dude ep5 and ep6 has crushed me. the way that they are alluding to ricky’s mental health these two episodes is so incredibly loud in the most subtle ways. and not to mention so damn relatable.

ricky bowen is crying for help and comfort rn and it’s so sad and incredibly heartbreaking to watch.

episode 5 mostly set up the emotion derivative and complexity for all of ricky’s actions in episode 6 to be as angsty and as wonderful as they were so i’m just gonna be pretty straight to the point with this first half of the post. let’s take a closer look and start with episode 5:

watching this sucked. he’s growing up, and bottling up all of these feelings to be strong for his dad. i love that they establish ricky’s response to conflict and trials: as someone who wants to be there for everyone else, even though it’s pretty sad to watch. he passively states what’s going in his life but never really talks about it, throughout the next few scenes, we realise that he deals with his conflict by being there for everyone else and well... not dealing with his conflict. he literally grows up and as fucked up as it is, becomes the parent. it made my stomach twist and it was written really well. my poor baby boi.

in his next two scenes with gina, we see exactly what was established with his dad:

in the first gif, he states his conflict in passing and then flips it to gina to talk about what’s going on with her. i’ve said again and again that he’s rlly bad with explicit verbal communication and this is a great example of how he’s good at being a support system for literally everyone, but has such a hard time being kind to himself. he uses ‘it’s a whole thing’ as a fast and sure way to dismiss his issue as not worth talking about and instantly wants to make gina the focus. the writers really did well with establishing that.

this gina and ricky interaction was great. not only did it establish rina’s chemistry, it also gave us the setup to ricky’s actions in the next episode - this play is what’s keeping him afloat rn. the people, the lines, the rehearsals are effectively helping him stay grounded and not lose his mind. it’s rlly heartbreaking to see how much he’s actually hurting, especially because he explicitly doesn’t show it throughout this episode or the next.

(i plan to do a rina arc post as well, and i’ll save most of my thoughts on them for that, but while we’re here, the last two scenes we broke down really established this strong and substantial connection between the characters really well. the writers pushed past the ‘we’re both outsiders’ arc and really gave ricky and gina substance and common ground for a solid dynamic. their motives and actions are very similar, and that’s why they have such a good foundation for gina’s understanding of, and being there for ricky in ep6, as well as where-ever the writers decide to take them - i personally prefer friendship but i know that some of y’all are rina shippers and that’s also very much on the table and i’m rlly okay with either! as much as i want rini to be endgame, they have established such wonderful characters with such amazing arcs and i want all of them to be explored and the writers are doing good work with it rn).

and now let’s look at episode 6, where they drive that stake into our hearts further. this is ricky’s reaction to carlos breaking the ms. jenn news to everyone:

you can see him unwind. you can see his world fall apart bit by bit as the realisation hits. the established safe haven he has, doubling down as a distraction for everything going on in his life right now, is being torn from under his feet. it was personally one of the hardest and heartbreaking things to see this ep, it’s just constant angst with him oof.

but then, in the most ricky bowen fashion ever, he jumps right back to wanting to fight and keep trying, he stays despite everyone else leaving (starting with nini, and i’lll mention why that’s important in just a second). he puts aside all the anxiety he has if the play (at that point, most probably bound to end) falls apart and commits to fighting for it, clinging desperately to it:

and now as for everyone leaving, the writers used it as such a good way to establish how significantly important the play is for especially ricky, carlos and gina - the three people who stayed. as a side-note, carlos’s attachment to the play is established and developed later in the episode with the string of dialogue in big red’s basement, so i’m not gonna elaborate, it was way more explicit than ricky’s arc that led to the climatic monologue(ish) he delivered towards the end of that same scene.

for nini, the play is the path to her developing her self-confidence and maturity so she embraces it to grow (and she’s slowly rediscovering herself just generally), not to run away from the rest of her life, unlike ricky and gina:

like nini, the rest of the cast uses the play as an opportunity rather than a distraction, and that’s what sets ricky and gina apart from them. this made it easier from them to walk away and wallow in the possibility of the show ending (also that look ricky gave nini walking way *my heart shattered*). ricky (and gina) is established to clearly not have that same luxury. this scene sets up ricky and gina having the play as this tether that’s keeping them at bay from things that they should be dealing with (we don’t know about gina’s issues yet and i’m very ready and excited to cry about that angst by the way), so their instinct is to stay and try and fight for the play/keep practising.

the next scene explicates why this play means the most to ricky, and as with everything about his arc rn, it’s heart-wrenching:

he’s in complete denial of the only thing keeping him together rn falling apart. it is sad, heart-breaking and gut-wrenching. this angst is delivered with such fucking excellence by joshua bassett that i kinda wanna punch him lmao

and here’s where it hits home. gina realises the reality that they might not come back to the show and is ready to face it (instituted by her even asking the question in the first place), but ricky’s denial contrast that so heavily this scene. that denial is what establishes the play meaning the most to ricky. just by watching the scene, you can tell how he’s unravelling, trying not to let himself be overwhelmed by the possibility of it. it’s so fucking angsty ugh.

(another side note, as i said before, i’m probably gonna make another entire post about the gina/ricky arc but i had to mention this. after this exchange, her supporting him and taking his mind off of all of this by asking him to do something he loves and perform the acoustic version of ‘when there was me and you’, grounding ricky for a bit, was one of my most favourite things to watch this entire episode, even being primarily a rini shipper - they rlly sold them i can see their growing popularity as completely justified, they were hella cute this ep).

now this moment is where i felt like sobbing and reaching into the screen to hug him:

he finally opens up about it. why he’s so desperate to keep this play alive and why saving ms. jenn’s job is so incredibly important to him. and i loved that nini helped him say the words he needed to say. the look of relief when he was assured that he didn’t have to do any of this alone, just with nini finishing that sentence for him - that nini, gina, big red and everyone else was going to be there for him, and hear him out - fuck, it was beautiful!! it also encouraged him to take charge and chant ‘what team?’, he was ready to fight and everyone readying with him was so magnetic to see. it was also clearly therapeutic to him bc during, and after the final number, he looks genuinely happy, and we see him fully smiling/laughing more than the last 5eps combined.

he finally gets a win and it may not solve all his problems, but being one of the motivating factors in saving ms. jenn’s job through his vulnerability in this scene really gives him a leg up and i loved watching it. i hope they don’t dismiss everything he still has to continue to have to deal with (making this an all problem solving cure as sometimes disney does) but that aside, i’m so glad they had subtle continuity in furthering his character’s development these last two episodes even though he wasn’t a primary focus. it was subtle, nuanced and genuinely so complex and enjoyable to watch.

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rinisbowen · 2 years

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Ricky and Nini | Second Chance / Second Chances Meta

“here’s to second acts” - nini reading ricky’s card.

“and new beginnings” - ricky reading nini’s card.

the two don’t directly quote the song / episode title, but i think it’s obvious enough what’s going on here at the close of the card scene. she signs it “love nini” and we saw visually that his is signed “love ricky”, but this is them doubling down on their decision in the treehouse.

this is their chance at a new beginning, a second chance.

(quick note/warning: this is image heavy, and long, lots of paragraphs. there should be more second chance related meta analysis coming soon!)

for ricky and nini, this here is opportunity to try to live for themselves and not one another, for what’s probably one of the first times in their lives. and like, that’s a big deal.

the difference will be who’s ready to step into that part of their journey, and the answer is very clearly, not ricky. he knows he can’t live for nini at this point, but as we’ve seen with ricky’s arc, he thinks love is the answer. so he’s probably going to try living for someone else, see where that gets him. (spoiler alert, it won’t end well. and then ricky can have his self worth / personal growth era)

i know nini’s gotten this arc before, of living for herself, and this is another chance for her at truly doing it, but ricky hasn’t quite been able to do it at all yet. hopefully the latter portion of season 3 he will, but he’s clearly still not ready yet. it’s a complicated balancing act because ricky needs both to learn to open up to other people more and to live for himself as an individual more.

nini’s good with her connection to others more or less, she’s at her best when she’s supporting other people and sharing nice moments with them. what she’s in pursuit of is her own voice. and while she’s been walking this road to different extents in both previous seasons, i think this time it’s going to have to stick, particularly given her reduced screentime as she potentially gets written off the show. like i know they’ve tried the ‘nini seeing herself through the eyes of boys’ thing, but i think she’s very clearly past that. ricky doesn’t really even do that to her at this point either, but regardless, it’s time for her to set out for herself. be her own person. not depend on others, because she doesn’t want to. she doesn’t want to be safe, and familiarity is safety.

nini’s ahead in her journey, and its why she’s able to sort of let go faster in 2.08, though it’s obvious from later scenes she’s not like- done with him necessarily... just- taking steps. she gets her feelings out immediately as she cries in ricky’s arms, then looks at something she’s made for herself (as superficial as it is to see her scrolling through instagram comments after the breakup as ricky sobs in big red’s basement, it’s something that’s about her, and that’s nini’s journey, finding what’s hers), and then sets on forward. maybe one day ricky can be part of what’s hers, but right now, what’s hers has to be different from him, and she can’t be projecting from him, as he projects from her. the big thing with nini’s framing in second chance is that nini has hope. nini’s music is her big opportunity this season, and after trying to find a way to embrace her individuality, this may just fit the bill.

and that’s kind of where ricky falls short. he holds himself together for nini, like he did at the start of the season when she went to yac, which- shows what progress he’s made. like... we hear him say “i’ve got you” to her. and while we see the pain in his face, in his eyes especially, i truly love joshua bassett’s acting, ricky doesn’t let himself start to cry until he gets to big red. he’s holding nini up. and she doesn’t want to be sheltered anymore, as she says about yac. but then, there, in this place that’s theirs, she takes that comfort from him, that safety, for what’s at least for the moment, their last time. ricky doesn’t have the same hope of something that’s his own. the only thing that he really feels he can rely on in his moment of grief is big red. and we love ashlyn, but even big red isn’t his alone right now. ricky interrupts their movie night. (which obviously this whole situation isn’t an issue in any way, but it’s something worth pointing out imo bc it plays a role in what i think is ricky’s potential isolation for the future season).

ricky still doesn’t see himself as a theatre kid in 2.12, he’s really a lost soul in a lot of ways, and without nini as his tether to theater (and honestly to the broader friend group too), it’s not a surprise to me that he’s clinging to lily, a person who also represents this theater interest, but also largely represents someone who goes after what she wants, whether that be him or her other ambitions. my hope is that she can help him find something that’s his. whether it be theatre or not, i think it could go either way, because maybe it’s just a ricky struggling to accept himself in general thing, but i think it would make a lot of sense if theatre just isn’t his thing and music is.

when nini’s in a place where she can be comfortable and firm in her own individuality, which she’s gained a lot of strength in, and ricky gets to that same place, they’d likely be very apt to be good for one another.

this couple works best reuniting when they no longer need one another (nini’s pretty much there, ricky less so), but they still do want one another.

ricky and nini make a lot of sense to be each other’s long game down the road, but they don’t make sense right now. they have to wait until they are truly ready for one another before they do get back together. because they will move in the same direction. they both are people who need to leave the comfort and safety of home, grow and explore, live for themselves, and additionally they share a common passion for music, which nini’s allowed herself to embrace and i hope ricky will too. their paths should by all means intertwine again one day, when they’re prepared for it.

what’s kind of cool about the way ricky and nini are framed in 2.12 is that both in their second chance entrances (when he walks in down the stairs and when she walks in through the door, please enjoy my photoshop skills), and when they make their respective phone calls for their second chances, lily / second chance at love & jamie (music) / second chance at finding her passion with a new opportunity, they’re crossing each other. the two of them are heading in different directions, and while they visibly cross already in their second chance entrance, they’re just angled oppositely when they make their phone calls. they’re going different ways, but maybe one day their paths can still intersect. i think i’ve mentioned before that ricky and nini’s overall stories can be read in parallel, but that he’s fallen behind... and i do believe that. they’re eventually going to sail their ships in the same direction again, but right now they’re going on different journeys as he sidesteps himself as an individual and chooses romantic relationships as a source of satisfaction.

when the characters make their entrances into the auditorium portion with the ghost light, nini’s the very first onto the stage, so confident compared to where she stood in the pilot, but it’s cool to see that this time she’s daring to dream of her own accord. and how fitting that once she’s said her “i’ve got a second chance to fly”, the person coming in after her, is none other than ej, the person who let her know she could in the pilot, but sort of ended up ripping her confidence from her later. this time she has to go it alone, and that’s why she’s first, stepping on the stage by herself. she crosses up to be front and center, and ej comes after, no longer so confident, they’ve practically traded from 1.01 as he relents that he’s “got a second chance to fall”.

nini’s coming in for her second chance to fly- it’s not YAC, and it’s not gabriella, like she was auditioning for in 1.01 in this same outfit, wearing her lucky sweatshirt no less, but it’s still resonant of that moment. maybe in 1.01, nini was hiding behind the hoodie, especially when you consider nini doesn’t exactly wear just like- a sweatshirt like that typically, and when you consider ej’s bold suggestion she show up in costume. the lucky sweatshirt is safe and familiar. she pushes that relative familiarity or safety off both at the audition in 1.01, and here in the back portion of season 2 (though to a much greater extent as she progresses). she folds her hands nervously in front of her, while ej’s are behind his back here, presenting himself chest forward. and yet she’s singing about flying, and he falling. oh how the tables have turned...

nini’s the person in this scene with the most hope and optimism, her refrain is “i’m finding who i wanna be”. she’s looking for something, but she’s sure she’s got something good coming for her. her entrance verse is “i know that every time a door is shut, a window opens up for me... it’s all wide open down this road i’m on, i’m finding who i want to be.” nini’s even looking up as she enters, not looking to the camera for answers.

ricky’s the last one on stage, and unlike the three others, who cross the stage to take their places, ricky merely steps up into frame, staying on the edge, on the opposite side of the ghost light. (the ghost light is a thing in theaters, there’s a superstition to go with.) it fits that he’s 1) last, given he’s run in behind the time for both his auditions in the show, and 2) that he doesn’t cross the stage, because he’s not quite ready to set out on his journey. he’s not even all the way lit up like the rest of them are. maybe nini was his light, the way he was hers at that audition, then she was his at the hsm performance, but regardless, he’s in the dark now that it’s over.

and it’s neat because his entrance line is “what can make the fire burn?” and i think we can take a second to get into what that means. i personally see two possible ways this can be taken, but honestly maybe it’s a bit of both? because one is something ricky needs to work towards, the other is something ricky is looking to in the present moment. he’s a very one day at a time type of person it seems like.

so the first “fire burn” thing that i could interpret this as is burning in terms of like- passion in the sense of motivation, drive. for example, if you’ve ever heard of lighting a fire under someone? one of the biggest things ricky seems to lack is a will to go forward, that driving force is something he struggles with. ricky lacks ambition. like nini told him in 2.02, he has to do it for himself. and she did convince him to audition, but it wasn’t really for himself yet. ricky’s main motivation when he does act to actually do stuff, even stuff he does care a lot about, is typically nini. love usually drives him, even beyond nini and beyond romance. so his asking “what can make the fire burn?” could be him asking, what can give me the will to go on?” which sounds dark- and maybe it is... but i don’t think this is the /whole/ situation.

the second “fire burn” interpretation is less what ricky’s overall story arc goes towards, but more where ricky sits right now as we conclude season 2. “i burn for you”- bridgerton anyone? (lowkey i haven’t actually seen this show in any real capacity). fire and burning, passion, can be also associated with love and probably even more strongly with lust. but this is obviously a disney show, so we’re talking today about love. fire is hot, passionate, overwhelming, etc. love can be the same, and if you’re not careful, you can get burned. i’m not going to get into it about the self sacrificial, i’d light myself on fire to keep you warm type of thing, since that’s not where we’re at obviously, but i just want to extend the metaphor to explain what i’m taking about. considering ricky starts the song singing about love being bittersweet when it ends, i don’t think it’s a stretch to say he’s thinking about the potential next love. (to make a massive overstatement for the sake of the metaphor) what/who can make his heart burn with desire? he wants to love and be loved. “what does it take”- for him to feel that way about someone else that he has for nini?

ricky’s the most lost of the four in this whole mess, i mean his part of the four part harmony is “begin again, begin again, begin again.” he repeats it three times each time, so it’s this cycle for him. he’s LOST. and he’s trying to latch onto the fact that he can try again this time.

i think there’s something to be said for why ricky starts singing before he enters the dream, and the fact he doesn’t like- sing... his first line. ricky’s face is blank but josh is singing in the background. “Who knew that love could be so bittersweet, oh when it finally meets- the end”

ricky right now is coming to terms with the fact that this is, for all intents and purposes, the end. he’s letting nini go because he loves her and knows he’s not right for her right now. as with his song, let you go, ricky’s cherishing their shared memories, it’s not like these two are suddenly on bad terms, but they’re cutting the cord before they can wreck things between them. their relationship was years of memories in the making.

and then to go with the second chance theming with lily, what does ricky sing about in his entrance? the line that we hear when we actually shift into the dreamlike sequence of the hallway with the 1.01 outfits is “But there is something in the summer wind, a moment to begin again...” and season 3 is a summer season, following the ricky calling lily cliffhanger. so ricky talks about love- and then summer as beginning again. lily is his “something in the summer wind”.

when he comes down the stairs and walks past the door nini walks through, he looks downtrodden, but more than that he just looks empty. conscious ricky tries to bury that, but subconscious ricky just can’t anymore.

ricky and nini in the final locker shots are in focus, in contrast to gina and ej who are blurred out. nini’s the first one we see, gazing up as she takes a breath, admittedly with some trepidation, contemplating the future, looking to the sky. nini has an answer for what she wants to do with her new beginning, she’s pursuing music, taking her songwriting, something that’s hers, to the next level. she’s pursuing what she wants, and she knows that if this isn’t what she wants, she can find a new opportunity from there ala “every time a door is shut, a window opens up, for me”. she doesn’t have to be afraid to chase a dream.

then we get ricky who’s staring out with a sad and almost empty gaze. ricky is the character that spends the most time looking into the camera like he’s on the office, and while i don’t think that this is that... he’s definitely looking for validation. he’s searching for something but he doesn’t quite have an answer as to what. ricky’s- working on that. he wants to know if he’s doing the right thing, and unfortunately no one can tell him that but himself. ricky doesn’t quite have a dream right now, he’s more just reeling at the moment.

the side view:

when we see the group from the side, they’re singing their individual refrains, creating the beautiful four part harmony.

i’ve already mentioned ricky and nini’s individual refrains, but i’ll cover them here again for the sake of completionism.

nini sings “i’m finding who i wanna be”. she’s looking up some of the time, but it’s more just the way she looks out, and there’s such a passion in her face, her voice, as she sings her part. nini’s passionate and driven and now she’s using that instead of letting fear keep her down. she has a voice, and she’s finding it, stepping into her power. there’s a reason nini’s voice carries through the others refrains, we pretty much always hear her. she’s finally decided to be heard, it is no longer inaccessible to her the way her lola brings up in early season 1.

ricky sings “begin again, begin again, begin again”. and this group of three distinct vocalizations of the phrase is repeated each time. ricky’s more searching, and while he seems more hopeful than ej does for sure in this whole number, he’s not quite convinced as to how he goes about going on from here. the second to last set of ricky’s singing his refrain at the end of the number has him finally looking determined. he’s trying to build himself up and say yes, i can go on. i will. i must.

background vocals:

ricky sings in the background: “what does it take” when the group sings “what can make the tide turn, what can make the fire burn?” lined up on the stage in the front facing shot. this is his pondering moment, he wants to know what he’s meant to do.

something kind of interesting about this is that ricky and nini actually sing solely with one another when they take their turn singing at the lockers before ej and gina enter. “i’ve got a second chance to fly, i’ve got a second chance to fall. what can make the tide turn, what can make the fire burn? a second chance is all”. they create their harmony together, without anyone else backing them up. all they need is one another, and then there’s the aspect of going it alone, even if they are technically singing together.

but, when it’s gina and ej’s turn, ricky and nini sing together behind ej and gina’s exchange of “i’ve got a second chance to fly, i’ve got a second chance to fall. what can make the tide turn, what can make the fire burn? a second chance is all”. their lyrics go “a second chance to fly, a second chance to fall”, and they together, support ej and gina’s portion of the song. i’ll get into ej and gina in the song in another post.

to be fair- this whole thing could very well mean nothing story-wise, and just be because of the fact that olivia and joshua are much stronger singers than sofia and matt (and i say this with love), so they can carry their own section, and support matt and sofia’s to make up for that. but regardless, i thought i’d touch on it for a second.

now for some fun color / costume stuff:

ricky and nini wearing blue and red respectively in 2.12, and blue and like- pink for 1.01 / the second chance hallway portion, is a consistent color story thing for them. they usually wear red or blue, each of them, or some variation on that color story. i love when shows play with that kind of thing with couples. they can compliment one another with their own individual parts, shared and contrasting. and then sometimes the different colors aspect shows how far apart they are too... so like when ricky and nini wear red together in the season 1 finale, we see that they’re in the same place.

also you know what’s kind of cool that you can’t see in this image? they’re both wearing green, under their main outer layer. you can see nini’s green romper, but not ricky’s green t-shirt. so you can’t see that they’re the same at their core. under the shell of the different choices they make. when ricky calls lily, we don’t see his core, his flannel is tucked around him, but nini’s jacket is open when she calls jamie. she’s going towards her own core purpose. finding herself. as he should also be doing, but isn’t yet. he’s protecting himself instead.

it’s kind of interesting because like- nini tends to wear a LOT of layers. in this case she has the red jacket, the green romper, some colorful top under the romper, and then what i’m going to just go ahead and say i think is the tie from 2.07 in hopes it’s not an additional shirt. plus the tights, but those aren’t really part of what i’m talking about, so it’s not super relevant. but- i’ll say this, nini’s not so guarded at this point, even with her three (possibly four) top layers. and considering there’s only a hint at the colored shirt, and i do think that’s her tie, i’m willing to consider the green romper her core layer. her jacket is open, i don’t even know if she could close it if she wanted to, but the open button sort of makes it such that nini isn’t clutching her armor tight. she’s open, using her core value in pursuing her core purpose.

you know when we do see ricky’s shirt- in the card scene, when he’s talking to lily in the entryway, and when he’s the only one besides howie (interesting to consider that for a second, ricky being separate from the others) who doesn’t jeer at antoine and lily when they walk into slices. he’s not like- inviting them to stick around, he walks them out remarking that it’s a private party, but he’s being friendly compared to his own friends’ behavior. he looks to almost feel sorry for them...

because ricky, at his core, cares a lot about people. this isn’t to say the others don’t, they really do, the love the wildcats share is a vastly important part of this show. it’s the love for each other that has them shunning north high in the first place. but when it comes to ricky, he’s keen on people, but especially people who put themselves forward. he admires that nini does this, even when it takes her away from him, even though it hurts him that it takes her away from him. he lets her go. and right now, he sees that lily was vulnerable with him, telling him about her family, as well as being so bold as to ask him to hang out some time, in 2.11, and even though he shut her down, he feels a bit bad that his friends aren’t being kind to her.

when he calls lily, his green shirt is covered by the flannel, but here, talking to her, we see it. he tries to shut lily down in the nicest way he can, “... lily, look”, looking back at his friends, presumably at nini who he’s still hung up on, a bit unsure of himself. he’s loyal to east high, it’s part of why he rejects her essentially twice in these last two episodes, before finally making the call at the end. he uses that core value of loyalty. and his core- his shirt under the flannel, is exposed.

that felt like a very unsatisfying place to end the post, but i figured putting the costuming pieces at the end would make the most sense, now i’m less sure about that but i don’t think i have anything else for this post, so- it’s just going to have to stay this way i think haha.

i’m getting into the significance of the ricky and lily stuff regarding 2.12 / second chance in a separate post, that i’ll probably link here when i finish it, because honestly i don’t need it all clogging this post. i had a good many revelations though, so i want to post them. trust me, it’s not as frustrating to see him call lily when you see just how much went into setting that moment up as basically the only rational decision for his character.

additionally, i’ll be doing a similar post to this one for ej and gina at some point. i don’t know when it’ll come, but hopefully a lot faster than this one was given now i have a plan of action on how to tackle the stuff.

#hsmtmts #rini #ricky x nini #nini x ricky #ricky bowen #nini salazar-roberts #nini salazar roberts #hsmtmts analysis #hsmtmts meta #rini analysis #second chance #HSMTMTS: nini salazar roberts #hsmtmts: ricky bowen #ship: ricky x nini ( hsmtmts )#hsmtmts: meta #hsmtmts: analysis #//ngl i don't know if i actually finished all my thoughts on this post or not but i think it's good enough haha #//lowkey this is very much a rini post but i'm exploring it as fairly as i can #hsmtmts: wardrobe

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