#unless they have actual chemistry which I don't think orchid and dfqc do 😭

[llycaons]

my actual, serious thoughts are that this romcom setup where two love interests try to set up two other characters only to each fall in love with one of the people they’re trying to set up is absolutely perfect for an ironic double twist that would play out in a unpredictable, refreshing, and satisfying way. obviously it won’t happen, but let’s explore that route

first of all, it’s funny in a shenanigans way this series is already doing so well with, and second of all it wouldn’t occur to the audience before it actually starts to happen. I truly believe a relationship between former enemies who tried to kill each other and who meet again under different circumstances and become good friends and inspire openness and joy in each other is much more appealing than a relationship between a man who abuses, attacks, mocks, and assaults a woman while she desperately tries to 1. survive 2. keep him from destroying her home and 3. make it so that he can actually experience emotions. I deeply dislike straight couples where the woman goes to all this effort to ‘fix’ the horrible man who she’s going to end up with and endures suffering upon suffering to get to a place where he finally treats her well, while he faces no repercussions for his actions towards her besides...feeling bad, I guess. she’s like his guide to good behavior and acting normally, more like a therapist than a partner. I don’t think it’s fair and I don’t enjoy watching it and I don’t like the message it sends. it’s the reason I had to take such long breaks in watching this show. this is not a relationship I endorse despite the early-episode humor

so I would vastly prefer it if orchid and dfqc remained important people in each other’s lives, but strictly platonic friends. dfcq/changheng would take a lot of effort in reworking the plot, but I think it would be a fantastic choice. of course, the reveal about who dfqc is to ch has to come eventually, but I think the betrayal would just add some drama and depth that, in the...couple hours we’ve seen them together, it just doesn’t have. and after the betrayal is forgiven and dfcq shows he’s changed, their relationship would only then be that much stronger! right now changheng is SO happy to be with dfcq, and encouraging dfqc to come out of his shell and talk about his very painful experiences with his father and they genuinely have a great time together and I can see that turning so easily into something more romantic. imo they have more chemistry with each other than either has ever had with orchid

I also don’t want to ignore orchid or cut her off from the happiness she found in being the center of someone’s attention or the growth she’s undergone or the questions of her identity or her centrality in the plot - she’s the main character! to make the romcom switch work, she’d then be with the god of war, but I feel like they might be related maybe? so that’s off the table. but I really like the idea of orchid and danyin! they were also off to a rough start, but danyin now sincerely respects and admires orchid’s courage, and she defended orchid and stood up for her after the exam. and just like it would be good for orchid to stop mooning over changheng, I think it would be really good for danyin to move on from him as well. honestly, I think I could make a case for danyin as a lesbian who’s experiencing comphet and focusing on changheng as the ‘perfect’ man who’s also unattainable. she doesn’t seem to have much else going on in her life besides disobeying her father and being catty with other fairlies, but this loneliness and fixation on changheng feels characteristic of someone who’s unable to connect easily with others despite her ‘popular girl’ status - maybe because she’s not being authentic to herself and she’s clinging to the thing she hopes will make her ‘normal?’. this reading makes a lot of sense to me and I think danyin realizing she has feelings for orchid instead could be a really beautiful and liberating and affirming story...and I know this won’t happen but I’d like orchid to put her foot down and be able to walk out of this situation where she’s treated so shittily half the time and where dfqc always seeks to dominate and control her. I really love the idea of her and danyin finding freedom and peace with each other....that’s the dream for this show