#link click analysis

[miyamiwu]

Traffic Light Theory

A series of posts analyzing the significance of colors and directions in Link Click: Yingdu Chapter

(Read them in the order set below. Otherwise, it won’t make sense.)

Initial Thoughts (there are some good insights in the replies of this post)

VeiFei: Blood and Fire

A little about Yellow: Xia Fei’s Baptism

Red and Green; Up and Down (this one’s the most important and is where the title “traffic light theory” comes from. see also some interesting additions in the reblogs)

Vein’s Hands

Left is Up; Right is Down (part 2 of #4)

Red and Green title card in Xia Fei’s PV cracking when Yellow light shines on it [Observation]

Currently working on: The significance of Yellow, and how Xia Fei is the key to everything

Other points I might analyze on:

Xia Fei and Red Vehicles

ShiGuang is Blue

Liu Xiao is Violet (Blue + Red)

[chubphoe-linkclick]

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

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

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

[anulithots]

We as a society need more Qiao LIng analysis. So here I am.

Qiao Ling and how she represents the present day in a time travel show

In terms of the trio in a time travel show, Qiao Ling represents the present day. She deals with clients to bring to the time photo studio (I hope I got the name right), comforts Li Tianxi (in comparison to CXS empathizing with her through diving into the past), and overall (especially in season two) is best with interacting with people in the present day, and remains the most levelheaded

(Lu Guang’s too overprotective to be the logical one here)

And this slotted nicely with each member of the trio representing past present and future (what they are most comfortable with/find comfort in)…

until this (s1ep7):

Which makes her seem like her internal conflict revolves around the past, yes?

Okay now partially because I want to draw attention to this screenshot:

(CXS is soooo sad here and Lu Guang can’t even look. I sob I cri)

Okay so part of the reason CXS looks like this is because it’s post episode 5 and more than anything else he UNDERSTANDS regretting the past

But here Qiao Ling isn’t regretting her life, she isn’t searching for some way to fix it and relive herself of the pain of the past like CXS does, she’s trying to escape it

THEREFORE! Qiao Ling is still ‘present day focused’. She shuns the past, attempts to avoid it, so that she can stay content in the present day.

Which directly parallels CXS (so siblings of them) in how they view the past and the pain that comes with it. CXS actively tries to fix it and give himself/those he possesses the solace and love he lost, whereas Qiao Ling tries to avoid her regret through keeping away the reminders of the past, so that she may be more useful/happier in the present day.

IN FACT! (see boba tea screenshots above) Qiao Ling does tend to look at any issues (usually resulting from the past) and look to present comforts and pleasures to keep everyone happy.

(Again paralleling both CXS and Lu Guang, who do this with the past and future respectively)

(also how CXS has Qiao Ling to comfort him and keep him going in both season two and here in episodes six and seven when she talks about Doudou

They are so siblings I can’ttttttt)

[stray-tori]

i may have just understood link click on a level i thought was impossible (i had a small epiphany that was probably obvious to everyone but me)

So. for context; sth that confused me for a while, is that the CXS deaths always happen in S1 fits, which are Gone after LG gets stabbed - so I thought that LG must have already succeeded delaying CXS' death, but then his reaction to Emma in 1x11 wouldn't make any sense (i.e. if he's already succeeded at delaying CXS' death by over a month why would he assume that Emma is "saved" in a matter of seconds?)

Additionally, the paper cutout style in 2x1 really seemed to hint a sort of "overwriting"? Which I thought meant it was originally CXS dying while LG was facing off against someone (that being vein, with yingdu knowledge).

BUT. "it seems that everything is changing" (2x1) !!! I've been looking at that line wrong.

SO new theory - he didn't delay it and he didn't mean that THIS exact moment was when CXS died and THAT is changing, but EVERYTHING is changing from now on.

so this whole plot is new to LG. the stab never happened in the timeline where vein kills CXS. that's why they still have their s1 fits (didn't have to discard them because of the blood) in CXS death scenes, and that's potentially why LG reacts to things in the ways he does starting 1x11. (tho those could just as well be trauma responses. He's very hard to read)

If that is really the case, this implies that 1x11 is potentially the first big divergence we've (and perhaps even LG has) seen (Yx1 with "everything happens the exact same").

I think this implies that when whatever they meddled with in Yingdu doesn't happen, that somehow leads Liu Xiao to kickstart the whole LTX and LTC (twins) thread.

+ anyway here's the 3 dates I grabbed for this thinkening:

22/10/2021 = 1x11, 2x1 - LG gets stabbed

13/09/---- = 2x12, Yx1 - CXS death + dives back

12/04/---- = Yx1, date LG returned to

next rewatch I'm making an excel sheet.

[ollieyingdu]

VEIN PV — Analysis and Discussion

“ollie ur a week late” shut ur bitchass vein analysis is never late 🙏

ANYWAY.

welcome to my first analysis post of yingdu about the Vein PV released a couple days ago.

NOTE: this is a lottt of rambling that I’ve tried to categorize for easy consumption. if i repeat stuff or it feels clunky, i apologize!! im still working out how i wanna format these things lmao. thank you for your patience.

OKAYYYY LETS GET INTO IT !!!

lets start with the colors of this PV, shall we?

this PV is FULL of bright colors, nearly eye-strain level with a strong presence of red. Red is obviously Vein’s character color, representing violence and passion that he holds as a mafia boss, but what about the other colors?

in the screenshot I sent above, you can see a presence of bright blues and purples. in my opinion, i think the colors have less of an actual symbolism meaning, but moreso encourage us to draw conclusions about Vein. the bright colors paint his violence as fun, explosive and overpowering. as disturbing as the pv is, it’s clear that Vein is nowhere near disturbed by the things hes doing. the colors back this up perfectly.

also this pv is soooo pretty and i just want all of us to nod in acknowledgement of how PRETTY it is. studio lan i fear u ate

ANYWAY ANYWAY

as present in the lx pv as well, link click likes to show symbolism of their characters in the quick flashes before the pv actually starts. this is one for Vein: The Venus Flytrap.

according to google dot com and plant symbolism, venus flytraps represent persistence and deception. yep good all of this checks out, but why specifically a venus fly trap? can’t they show this with something else? i personally think it has to do with Vein as a character, and we don’t see a lot of that in the pv besides him being a major freak LMAOO. looking at what venus fly traps actually do — they secrete this nectar stuff that attracts flies, and using little hairs on the leaves, they can sense when a fly lands on a specific area and triggers the reaction of the plant closing. the flies outer layer is then digested and the plant feeds on what it really wants; the flies blood. i find this very interesting as i think it depicts how Vein meets shiguang. draws them in with something, closes around them and ends up feasting on their blood (whether literally or figuratively). maybe to trigger the trap, someone has to challenge him, like cxs will most likely do?? there’s definitely a lot to look at with that and I don’t think we have enough information to make concrete guesses 😭😭 but i wanted to bring it up!

along with the flytrap stuff, before the pv begins we see a video game visuals of Vein killing pigs, which I can assume depict random ass ppl in bridon. pigs being used in place of random ppl paint this picture of Vein as a butcher, and this is SO clever on link click’s part. there’s multiple scenes in the pv where vein is handling meat, whether that be killing, cutting or eating it. he’s a carnivore, through and through.

fitting that his symbolism is a carnivorous plant, isn’t it?

the video game aesthetic also gives the idea that Vein killing people is fun for him. he thrives on it. and it dehumanizes the people he kills, both through the pig imagery and that they matter as much as random enemies in a video game level. just a look into Vein’s psyche, very very interesting.

another detail that’s interesting to me; whenever Vein kills anyone in this pv, it’s always depicted with either face or head injuries, such as decapitation. this enforces how BRUTISH Vein really is. let me put it this way; if this pv showed Vein killing people with one methodical shot to the chest, our takeaway of his character would be vastly different. instead of that, vein deals injuries to the face and brain, to identity and control. he takes away people’s sense of self, either sweeping them under the rug or making them submissive to him.

and Vein does this gleefully. he’s shown laughing as he kills those around him, takes away their sense of self—he’s sadistic, incredibly so.

but, even scarier, he is drunk on power.

power is the biggest takeaway I get from this pv. they are telling us, to our face, that vein is the most powerful character we’ve met (before any of you say lx, his analysis with cover that, and i stand by my claim 👍 justtt wait and see).

okay, this considered, how is vein shown to be in power? how do we know he’s the most powerful? I think the answer to all of this lies in comparing him to past link click villains.

a big thing abt this pv is putting Vein on a different level than the villains we’ve seen before in how he exercises his power. qian jin (s2 villain if u don’t remember his name lmao), for example, typically exercises his power through manipulation. albeit, compared to lx he’s definitely worse, but his status and physical prowess allow him to have a good control of situations, such the scene at Chen bin’s house where he plants the money to frame him. Vein, on the other hand, has not only WAY more power, but a much more messy and brutal way of exercising it. in the pv we can see a lot of vein hurting people and it is messy. there’s blood everywhere, on him and on the ground, and he’s laughing maniacally surrounding by braindead henchmen. this is a BIG point on how powerful Vein is in the mafia. he doesn’t care for precision like qj does. Vein kills people, finds joy in doing so, and knows that nobody can stop him. his just has that much power. and comparing him to qj again: qj’s lackey guy had a mind of his own and ended up exercising his own agency at the end of s2. Vein’s lackeys are braindead and submissive, meaning that he surrounds himself with people who do not have the means to challenge him. my guess if that if anyone does, he gets rid of them quick, high off the adrenaline and the fact that nobody stands a chance against him.

this is backed by the loud, cocky rock music and eyestrain level visuals. it’s a nearly overwhelming amount of stimuli to display vein’s nearly overwhelming amount of power.

and in the screenshot I sent above, he’s walking outside the central bank with hooks behind him, flashy hair and all, without a care. the amount of power Vein has to do that is astronomical.

OKAY! big points from this analysis:

Vein is represented by a Venus Flytrap, one of a few carnivorous plants

Vein typically deals injuries to the face or head, which represents the way Vein takes away the identity of those around him.

Using pigs as depictions of random people, it makes Vein look like a butcher, as well as his scenes with meat everywhere

Vein finds a lot of joy in killing people, and is incredibly messy in how he handles it

Vein is powerful beyond comprehension through his Chinatown mafia

one thing i have left out is speculation around vein’s power (or if he even has one in the first place). because my theory for it is connected to another theory surrounding Overthink (the s1 ed), ill go in depth about it there! I’ll try and get that post out before yingdu airs, but be warned it is HEAVY speciation lmao

well guys, that seems to be it!!! i adore this PV, the song is a BANGERRR and we all cheer as we await yingdu!!

next up, lx pv analysis 🙏 drop a follow if ur interested in seeing it (trust me there is SO much to say about it) and check out the tag #ollieyingdu for anything yingdu related i have posted before or will post in the future.

thank you so much for stopping by! please feel free to comment/reblog ur thoughts, i welcome any and all discussion as long as everyone remains respectful.

that’s all for now! see you later 🫶

[dzvelinaskebiyars]

Analysis on card symbolism of antagonist trio.

Liu Xiao, Vein and Xia Fei.

Tagging @ammiya

The picture:

I already mentioned cards in my previous Liu Xiao's preview analysis but I'd like to repeat it and explain it further. Card games have a profound astrological connection due to the deep astrological characteristics hidden inside the symbols of cards. The four card suits - hearts (♥), Diamonds (♦), Spades (♠), and Clubs (♣) symbolise various aspects of society and human life.

Note the fact that there's different types of cards play such as poker, tarots and etc. All these symbols might have different meanings in different card plays. Hence why I added tarots, Cartomancy and etc here.

Clubs (Liu Xiao) Card Symbol - The Suit of Prosperity and Ambitions:The Club represents the summer season. This suit of cards indicates the " youth " stage when one focuses on education, recklessness, etc. A Club symbol represents the element of earth. In Cartomancy, Clubs are similar to the wands suit in a tarot deck. The club suit defines change and action that’s swiftly coming. Clubs = Wands (also called Staves) in Tarot and they represent activity, energy, business, and work. In Poker, clubs are the prototypical workers. They like both plans and actions. They are about activities and getting things done. They are often driven by success in the business world. I'm sure the definition, except the recklessness, already speaks for Liu Xiao's character. But to add more information, I'd like to mention that the club symbol represents strength and achievement, Growth and Agriculture: The three-leaf clover shape of the club symbol has led to associations with growth and agriculture. In this interpretation, the club may symbolize the planting and cultivation of crops.

Warfare: In certain regions and times, the club symbol has been associated with warfare or weapons, possibly because of its resemblance to a mace or a truncheon. However, this interpretation is not as widespread.

Bastion of Authority: In some contexts, the club symbol has been seen as a representation of authority or power, similar to a scepter or a symbol of leadership. This interpretation is less common but has been proposed by some. Oh Liu Xiao is definitely the type of person to be in charge of things. Even in his preview, we see that he's being worshipped as if he was an emperor or god itself (yet the symbolism of satanism is strong in the preview). He has authority, no matter in what way you will see it. He's leader.

Diamonds (Vein) Card Symbol - The Suit of Luxury and Elegance:This card suit represents the autumn or fall season. It symbolizes advancing one's career, embodying progress, ethics, stability, commitment and the air element. In Cartomancy, Diamonds are similar to the disks or pentacles suit in a tarot deck. The diamond suit is all about money, confidence, and finances. That's not all. Aside from card games, diamonds symbolise strength and resilience. For many spiritual seekers today, diamonds hold significant meaning. They are believed to enhance spiritual enlightenment and provide clarity of thought and purpose. The way diamonds capture and reflect light serves as a potent symbol of the divine, guiding individuals toward higher consciousness and inner peace. In history, the ancient Greeks believed that diamonds were the teardrops of these heavenly spirits or gods. Consequently, the Ancient Greeks had a complex relationship with diamonds – they were either revered, feared or tremendously treasured.Moving on from the Greeks to the Romans, who believed that diamonds were invincible and couldn’t be pierced by a sword or splintered by merely being trodden upon, they would use them in a way that would be considered sacrilege today. Unbelievably, they wore a diamond as part of their armour, believing that it made them invincible. In particular, the leader of an army such as a king would wear a breastplate studded with diamonds. This tradition was then adopted by medieval knights who believed the same myth.Meanwhile in the ancient Far East, different diamond theories were brewing. Because of a diamond’s brilliant, mirror-like reflective effect and hardness, diamonds were thought of as being able to ward off a range of unwanted ‘things’ or circumstances. These included ill health, poverty, bad spirits, fire, snakes, rats, poison and more.The Egyptians were famous for sending off their deceased loved ones with food and finery so they’d be fine on the next leg of their journey. And it was the same with gold and diamonds. Don't think that the diamond was chosen for merely any form of jewellery for crowns but was literally set as the crown jewel, denoting dominion, influence, superiority, power and status. Aristocrats and world leaders would also exchange diamond gifts as signs of allegiance, or wear diamond jewellery as a show of power once a new territory had been conquered.

Now to assign these to Vein, (firstly, please note the fact that I have not analysed Vein's preview as thoughtfully as Liu Xiao's and Xia Fei's.) he's confident man, quite rich and money doesn't seem to be his problem. Vein is viewed someone as of high status and hence is both feared and worshipped, just like diamonds. About ill health, I'm not sure if Vein dyed his hair or if it is natural but if it is then he probably has oculocutaneous albinism (OCA). People with genetic changes in both the OCA2 and MC1R genes have many of the usual features of oculocutaneous albinism type 2, including light-colored eyes and vision problems. However, these individuals typically have red hair instead of the usual yellow, blond, or light brown hair seen in people with this condition. And while humans do not naturally have red or violet eyes. Occasionally, though, people with albinism can appear to have red or violet eyes in certain lights. This is a product of light hitting blood vessels at the back of the eye. On top of that, he has light skin which is common in albinism. Albinism doesn't equal to ill health, but I wanted to mention this since it's a condition and rare at that.

Spades (Xia Fei) Card Symbol - The Suit of Challenges and Resilience:The Spade symbolises the winter season. When humans gain knowledge, acceptance, and transformation, it is called the gift of “old age.” This symbol represents the element of water. In Cartomancy, Spades are similar to the sword suit in a tarot deck. The spade suit represents communication and challenges. In poker, spades is the highest suit. And during the Vietnam War, the Ace of Spades was the symbol of luck for our soldiers, the emblem used to identify friendlies, and the psychological weapon used to instill fear into our enemies known as the Death Card.

Let's not forget that Spades is a card game that uses a regular deck of cards, sometimes with the Jacks included. It’s a strategy game that requires a good mix of skill and luck, with players aiming to get points up to a predetermined score, similar to other points-based games like Cribbage.The objective of Spades is to obtain a certain score, typically set at 500 points. Players accumulate points by ‘making a contract’–playing the same amount of tricks bid at the start of each round. A ‘trick’ is a play, while a ‘bid’ is a prediction. If a player bids five tricks, then their goal is to win five times in a round, which would constitute making five contracts. They may win a few more times than that but to a given limit.Spades is traditionally played in pairs, but it can also be played solo with up to five players. In a two- or four-player game, every player is given thirteen cards. In a three-player game, players are dealt seventeen cards each. In a five-player game, everyone gets ten cards.At the start of each round, players make a bid. The first player then leads the game with a suit, with all other players required to put down a card within the same suit. If a player can’t do so, they must play a Spade, which is this game’s trump card, or discard.If a Space is played, everyone must follow suit. If a player doesn’t have a Spade on hand, they’ll likely have to bid zero at the beginning of the round.Every contract is awarded ten points. ‘Overtricks,’ also known as ‘bags,’ which refer to tricks made above the declared big (i.e. extra wins), are given one point each (within limits–if a player goes beyond, they may be penalized with negative points). For example, if a player bids five and wins eight tricks, they receive fifty-three points (fifty from the five contracts, plus three for the overtricks).

Lot of people describe Xia Fei to have heart's characteristics which is big mischaracterisation. Heart symbolizes childhood, emotions and sincerity. Xia Fei is not being sincere and genuine, especially to himself. Someone like him, who puts on masks, can't have heart as his card symbol and hence why I think Spades is good choice for him. Not only can it be tricky game, but it has tons of different meanings and definitions (and Xia Fei puts on tons of masks to hide himself). Like how Spade is both good luck card and death card which will confuse you: which one are you supposed to believe? Well, are you an ally? Or enemy? As I mentioned, for soldiers/allies it was good luck card but enemies feared it as it was death card for them. I don't think anything can describe Xia Fei as good as this. He's both good luck and "death" at the same time. This, again, tells us that Xia Fei could be two faced person and also that there's lot more in him than meets an eye. While an enemy can't imagine him as Good Luck Card, an ally can't imagine him as Death Card.

Honestly, we even see great example of this in Liu Xiao's preview. When he's playing against his (and Xia Fei's) opponents, he uses Ace of Spades (a death card, which can be said that it's Xia Fei).

I mentioned that in poker (which, here, is being played in the preview) Spades are highest suit. I'd argue and say, Xia Fei is strongest card out of all cards (Liu Xiao & Vein) because of whatever his ability is. But it probably has something to do with death itself.

On top of that, his symbolism concerns communication and we know from his preview how he, in fact, can't communicate his feelings well. His card symbolism also points at transformation. Now, what is transformation? It's a process by which one figure, expression, or function is converted into another one, a dramatic change in form or appearance. We have seen this in Xia Fei quite often in his preview.

He immediately changed once he was left alone, yet with people he's all smiley and completely different person. Also how he changes his jobs.

[rainibao]

So while I was putting this together, I noticed something that mightt be worth mentioning. Could just be a style/lighting thing, or something I've been out of the loop of, but I'd still like to point it out! (Basically, something that caught my eye in the flashback of cxs handing the basketball to Lu Guang)(If you're short on time just read till you see red-coloured text under some screenshots, almost everything after that is no longer an merely an observation, and is up to interpretation. Or just rambling tbh)

(video here since it can't be inserted into Google docs)

(trust me I tried posting it directly onto Tumblr so many times. So much stuff kept getting undone. Help. It wasn't supposed to take this long)

Edit: sigh the view of the pics from the link isn't that great so here they are

[just-prime]

So yeah...about that Link Click hyperfixation...

I've done my best to map out the entire timeline of Season 1 (or as far as we understand it in s1)

PLEASE let me know if I've missed anything or forgotten any plot points! I made this in like two days so there might be mistakes. :P

FIND IT HERE

If you want to see it with massacred resolution it's below

[akumuusu]

Link Click Bridon Arc theories and notices

Episode 1 Bridon Arc/Yingdu Chapter Spoilers

Cheng Xiaoshi’s death

Vein is using a revolver

A photo of Lu Guang, Qiao Ling, and Cheng Xiaoshi falls off a shelf when Lu Guang hits into the wall. There are cracks in both Qiao Ling and Cheng Xiaoshi’s parts of the photograph, but not Lu Guangs.

Cheng Xiaoshi passes Lu Guang a ball, this has symbolized their trust throughout the series.

We are shown both Xiao Li and Qiao Ling dead

~ Xiao Li was lying against a wall, sitting on the floor

~ Qiao Ling was lying in a pool of her own blood, from the way the blood was pooling the wound seemed to be on the left side of her chest or abdomen.

When Cheng Xiaoshi dies, Lu Guang gains his powers. Their eye’s fade and glow the same way that Qiao Ling and Li Tianxi’s do in episode 12 of season 2

It takes Lu Guang an hour to leave the room Cheng Xiaoshi died in, from 23:11 to 00:05

When Lu Guang finally leaves the room, he has a new wound on the left side of his abdomen, most likely to be from a suicide attempt.

The photo Lu Guang took is inside the Sonnets collection previously mentioned, slightly inwards from the back of the book.

~ The photo was taken at 17:32, or 5:32 in analog time.

~ it was a photo of 6 birds, seemingly white doves, of which represent, in English, loyalty, this symbol is the most notable of them all for evident reasons.

Police sirens play in the background right as Lu Guang dives.

Throughout the episode, Vein’s eyes are never visible, not even in the opening.

Immediate dive

Lu Guang has tears in his eyes when he sees Cheng Xiaoshi alive for the first time.

When Cheng Xiaoshi goes to find a nurse, Lu Guang grabs his arm before he can leave, saying I’m okay twice, second time looking at the ground and sounding miserable.

White butterfly becomes blue in an animation where Lu Guang holds it in his hands, before blowing it out of his hands as it becomes multiple, before it goes back to reality and the white butterfly flies off

~ the animation looks as if it were drawn in pencil or crayon, but the colors are dark and dull, making it feel ominous.

~blue butterflies symbolises a change in luck or a wish granter in English.

Flashback to Vein, where he says “This is the punishment for changing the past” as he holds his gun out.

We find out that the 12 hour time limit isn’t a power limit, but a rule Lu Guang imposes himself.

~ Lu Guang says that he doesn’t know what will happen, but he hypothesizes that the diver’s soul may be stranded in a timeline where they do not belong, which could cause you to lose yourself forever, in other words go insane.

~ Despite thinking this, Lu Guang still does it.

Lu Guang says this: “Whatever the consequence, those who break the law, shall pay the price for what they’ve done eventually.”

~ as he says the last line, he steps on a bug, likely symbolizing the death that comes with breaking the rules.

Convention

Not really important but the cosplay Cheng Xiaoshi tried to wear is the heroine, idk I found it funny.

RanXi chronicles relation to Lu Guang

~ “When crisis came, the heroine Rong Xi accidentally awoke to her ancestral lamp. It’s said that the lamp would give special powers to people who awoke it.” Similarly, Lu Guang gained Cheng Xiaoshi’s powers when crisis arose (Vein). Him gaining this power wasn't intentional either, as it came alongside Cheng Xiaoshi’s death.

~ ”Rong Xi gained the power to turn back time.” this one’s pretty self explanatory

~ “so she returned to the past over and over, enduring the despair and anguish to save her family and friends who had already died in the endless circle.” this is exactly what Lu Guang is being shown to do, going back over and over in order to save Cheng Xiaoshi, Qiao Ling and (seemingly) General Xiao.

Cheng Xiaoshi says that he wishes to have time travel abilities.

~he states that if he could go back in time, he could maybe save his family. He also says that if Qiao Ling and Lu Guang were to get kidnapped, he could quote ‘swoop in just before the crisis hits’ and save them.

Lu Guang says that the past cannot be changed. He says this with certainty, he believes his efforts are fruitless and yet he still will try.

We see Lu Guangs journal from the OP, it shows all information of everything he does throughout the entirety of the timeline, with exact date and time, and important information or events circled.

While trying to find Shen Miaomiao, Lu Guang uses his original power, meaning that powers can be used during dives.

~ Lu Guang likely enters new photos to reset the timeline while inside a photo already, explaining why he hadn’t aged in episode 24/Can’t live without a good brother.

Next to RanXi chronicles in what seems to be a bookstore or library, we see a magazine with Xia Fei on it in Shen Miaomiao’s flashbacks

Cheng Xiaoshi says that if divination was real, that he, Lu Guang and Qiao Ling could use it as a side gig in the photo shop. As it would be nice to help others find things precious to them. After saying this, Cheng Xiaoshi goes grayscale and glitched briefly before cutting to Lu Guang looking shocked and saying he needs to leave. When Lu Guang attempts to leave, Cheng Xiaoshi grabs onto him and pulls him into the photo studio.

Scammer mini arc

Lu Guang refuses to let anyone see him use his powers, meaning the eye changes are at least seen on the person using the power.

Lu Guang is reading a magazine with Xia Fei on the cover

~ its volume 103, whether that has significance or not, I don’t know.

“Once someone breaks the law, there’s no room for sympathy.” Lu Guang says this about Cheng Xiaoshi defying the rules, this also implies that Lu Guang feels no sympathy for himself over what's happening.

Lu Guang yelled out when Cheng Xiaoshi was about to be hit by a baseball bat, he gave up on his own rules by doing this as it

When running away, Cheng Xiaoshi’s eyes are yellow and Lu Guang’s are blue

~ I saw a theory that this happens if they are holding hands, whether that’s the case or not I am unsure.

Lu Guang tells Cheng Xiaoshi that the past is in the past and that he shouldn’t dwell on it, if found it ironic.

~ One of my personal favourite parts of Lu Guang’s character is how much of a hypocrite he is. I always love that in a character and find that is works really well and makes a lot of sense for him.

Lu Guangs sight power can only be used for the 12 hours continuing hours after the photo has been taken, this was implied by the 12 hour rule but it's outright said here, which is good to have confirmation.

Aftermath

Cheng Xiaoshi says he used to know two people with similar eyes to Lu Guang, but they disappeared.

~ This could be referring to either his power eyes or his regular eyes, though I’m leaning towards his normal ones.

Lu Guang says that he will use his powers to help Cheng Xiaoshi at the photo studio.

~ He likely wants to avoid Cheng Xiaoshi gaining powers, as that's what has killed him in the previous timeline.

Lu Guang is shown to hug in on himself anytime he is anxious or sad, not extremely important but it may be informative later on.

Cheng Xiaoshi accidentally dives into a photo of what seems to be Bridon. A higher pitched voice calls out his name (of which sounds like Qiao Ling)

Directly after the previous scene, it cuts to Liu Xiao reading the same sonnets collection that Lu Guang owns, he snaps the book closed within milliseconds, but its opened long enough to see which one’s he is on, which is sonnets 18-19.

~ Sonnet 18, from what I could infer, seemed to be about love and immortality, specifically from one specific analysis by Lehigh University ‘the stability of love and its power to immortalize someone’

~ Sonnet 19 seems to be about time, and the sins of it going forward. In a way, Sonnet also seems to be about immortality, or at least the immortality of love.

~ A common thread throughout all used Shakespearean sonnet’s is that they are all about love. Though, this likely doesn’t mean much as most of the Sonnets are about love.

In the sonnet book Liu Xiao is holding, on the second page in the bottom right corner, the one with the 19th sonnet, there is a one way scribble that seems to be made with pencil. There are whited out letters that look untouched by pencil entirely, it says ‘BAHATE’ in all capitals.

~ when translated, the word bahate means ‘to flow off gradually’. I am unsure if that's what it actually means in this context or not, but it’s the best thing I currently have.

Cheng Xiaoshi’s father’s name is Cheng Wei Min

~ Whether this is important or not, I’m unsure

Right before the episode ends, Liu Xiao is shown on a phone call with an unknown caller ID. He says “Finally found it? Good. I’ll take it from here.” he hands up and then says “Finally, The games can begin.” and it cuts to black.

I was supposed to post this this morning but I forgot, and I haven’t watched ep.2 so I apologize if any information is outdated

[ammiya]

Analysing every Link Click song's lyrics!! (MAJOR LINK CLICK SPOILERS!!!)

Part 1 | Dive Back in Time

Here are the full lyrics, since I won't be including them all:

(I'll be saying random theories while analysing some lines, so don't take this too seriously)

"It didn't take too long to realize, something has changed in the back of my mind, your eyes"

A theory: what if, at the very first timeline, Lu Guang didn't go back in time immediately. He tried to stick to his own rules, but eventually he started forgetting what Cheng Xiaoshi looks like, therefore why his eyes were covered with the film in the MV

"Time no longer flew like it was, when the flash froze everything before"

Lu Guang being frozen in time after Cheng Xiaoshi's death?

"Without you, I don't know if I could take this road"

I don't think this needs to be analysed...

"Chase you into the end of the world, just to say your name once more. If I had only got it right before."

"Chase you" as in follow you? Does Lu Guang have suicidal thoughts?

"Every minute that I dialed back in time, every since existance rewinds"

Is it about being stuck in a time loop? Or that no matter what he does, Cheng Xiaoshi will ALWAYS die?

"Something secretive hidden inside your mind"

I have no idea how to analyze this except for the possibility that it might refer to that theory that Cheng Xiaoshi hung himself in one of the timelines.

"All the heartaches and the smiles never faded, I know you'll be by my side when we make it, come back from the dive"

The way Lu Guang CANNOT imagine a future without Cheng Xiaoshi...

"Come back from the dive, dive back in time"

The way both sentences are the exact opposite, and each one of them belong to a character..

"Here's to all the mistakes I never made, all the twists and turns, I'm always late to my fate"

Is this about what happens in the current timeline after Lu Guang dives? Like, what his absense would resault in.

"If it ain't for your misguided taste, I'd turn out so ordinary"

I'm struggling to analyze this but I KNOW it's somehow important. "So ordinary" as in without special abilities? Or without the need to go back?

"Well, don't you feel sorry. I'll love where I'm going now"

Lu Guang likes doing what he does, probabky because of the hope he hold onto in the beginning of every timeline. "Maybe this time I can prevent _", "Maybe this time I can save him"

"'Cause I'm about to lose my mind"

Seeing your dearest person die in front of you over and over, while having to accept the fact that you can't save him...

I'm not sure if this was done on purpose or not, but I noticed that in the "Dive back in time" part in the end (of the full version), if you focus on it, "Time" and "Dive" will sound so similar. It'll seem as if they're saying "Dive back in- Dive back in time", also the way it's possibke that "Time" and "Dive" are the same for Lu Guang now.

I'm not that much of an analyst, so this entire post might not make any sense, but I hope that some of it did <3!!

[nacrelysis]

linguistics isn't my thing, disclaimer.

but cheng xiaoshi's name, 程小时, might translate to "the regulation of time/hours." see,

程, chéng, is a common surname. but it also means "rule, orders, or regulations."

小时, xiǎoshí, quite literally means "hours."

(this post arises from a thought i had as to whether cheng xiaoshi's first name, xiaoshi, is a play on the phrase, 消失 [xiāoshī], "to disappear." and whether or not that foreshadowed anything in link click's upcoming plot. probably not as the phonetic pronunciation is not the same.)

[chubphoe-linkclick]

Hey so S2E9 'Three Stroires' was fucking bonkers

LETS TALK ABOUT IT

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

The titles

The art style and style of storytelling

The dialogue (or lack thereof)

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

Storytelling Styles

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Story Titles

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

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

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

Additional Notes

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

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

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

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

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

[cupcakesmoothie]

Just finished Season 2 of the emotional damage show, also known as Link Click!

Spoilers (And a lot of screaming (That means full caps) ahead)(Also swearing)

WHAT THE FUCK. WHAT THE FUCK. THIS STILL APPLIES

HEY SHOW? HEY (Pause to look up who the fuck made this give me a sec) LI HAOLING? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN. WHAT THE FUCK DOES THIS MEAN. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH

Anyway. That was. An experience.

New powers got explored, which was cool. They can be transferred and Qiao Ling got an ability, which was also cool.

The whole thing with the siblings was. Oh my god. I can't believe they would do this to me. WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE FUCKING SPOKE. WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE DIED RIGHT AFTER. YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME.

AND LU GUANG???????? HELLO????? WHAT? WHJAT? WAHT? Bro fuck this show for putting a whole ass funeral in their trailer and fuck this show FOR STILL HAVING A CHANCE TO DO SO.

Ok so actual notes (<- Probably a lie): It's very obvious they're setting up for a Season 3 (If they don't get a Season 3 I will simply cease to exist), because we get a lot of build up for a bunch of things.

They STILL don't really explain how they got these powers in the first place, although they do have the scene with Qiao Ling (I mean, I guess they don't have to, it would be cool, but not very necessary. What IS very needed however-). And there was pretty much no development on Xiaoshi's parents. It's kinda understandable with how they ended the last season but a little bit disappointing considering it is one of his character motivations. Besides, of course-

Xiaoshi cares about people. A lot. The THINGS that happened last season made that very hard, but he still cares about people. But also and however, Lu Guang cares about him. They are so "I would sacrifice myself for the world" vs "I would sacrifice the world for you" and OUGH. Taking damage. Crying. No joke there are tears in my eyes. THEY CAN'T DO THIS TO ME????????????

There are. Consequences. In this show. Unfortunately. They explore time travel quite well in my opinion, and they put quite a lot of emphasis on how important it is that Xiaoshi doesn't let his heart take over (It is a kind heart which can't bear to see bad things happen to people). WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN THREE PEOPLE DIED. HUH? HUHHHH???? I'M SHAKING YOU LAN STUDIO WHAT DO YOU MEAN LU GUANG SAW HIM DIE. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-

A collection of reactions and memes that best describe me rn:

[dzvelinaskebiyars]

Analysis on Liu Xiao's preview.

Please keep it in mind that you might have different interpretations on him as a character and his preview so it's alright if our viewpoint is different. However, I'm trying to reach and analysis what was intended to say in the preview.

Tagging: @ammiya

Firstly, Liu Xiao as spider.

It's veryy interesting that even in the beginning, Liu Xiao is represented as a spider which already tells us what kind of person he is. We see that there's insect trapped in spider's web and the spider, Liu Xiao, is moving towards it for obvious reasons.

Let's talk about spiders in general because isn't it interesting that Liu Xiao is portrayed as spider when he can be any other predator animal? Why not wolf, for example? Why not lion? Why not panther? Why small spider when it's not even comparable to other animals and even birds, as birds often attack spiders and destroy their web? (Many birds and animals may try to eat spiders, or at the very least, they'll probably interfere with the spider's food source.)

Spiders are predators, above all else, so hunting and killing is where they really shine. In the bug world, spiders are fairly fearsome animals -- they're the tiny equivalent of wolves, lions or sharks. Different spiders employ different hunting strategies. Some species build intricate webs to ensnare passing insects. Other spiders, such as the various wolf spiders, seek their prey out on the ground. Trap door spiders dig holes, cover them up with dirt doors hinged with spider silk, and lie in wait for passing prey. Similarly, some spiders hide inside flowers to catch feeding insects by surprise. Liu Xiao is obviously the web-spinning spider that carefully and patiently makes the web and waits for the prey. Web-spinning spiders wrap their prey in a web and then crush its body with their fangs. But let's point out what this tells us about Liu Xiao. Building web requires so much time and good nerves because it can be often destroyed by other animals and even humans after it's done or in the process. This shows two of Liu Xiao's character points:patience and persistence. He carefully and patiently hunts his preys, even if it takes years. He's completely different from his brother. He's not aggressive person, he's not manipulated and he doesn't rush anything. He does it all by himself too. He's the smart, sweet-talking manipulator. Not only that, he keeps others under control like Tiachen as an example just like spiders, who keep other pests under control.

I think I should move on from Liu Xiao as a spider before someone realises I spend hours learning about them👀 (here's the link if anyone wants to know more about web-spinning spiders)

Now second is, headless angel.

Let me point out main things here: it's a statue, no head, the hand placements, the number of wings.

Firstly, let's talk about this representation as statue. We know that greeks & romans are famous for creating statues like this and there is a well-known masterpiece of greek sculpture called The Winged Victory of Samothrace. I could go on and talk more about this specific statue but I'll say it shortly, The Winged Victory Of Samothrace symbolizes the goddess Victory, or Nike, alighting on the prow of a warship. The Winged Victory of Samothrace is one of the rare Greek statues whose exact original location is known. It was made as an offering to the gods for a sanctuary on the Greek island of Samothrace. Placed at a height, people could see her from afar. That is why, in a nod to her original lofty home, she now adorns the top of the Daru staircase. Nike, the winged goddess who heralds victory, is seen just as she is about to alight on a ship. Why is that headless statues were created? It's possible that the head may fell off due to the statue being ancient but sometimes it was purposely like that. It seems the Romans deliberately created statues without heads – and for a practical reason.Headless sculptures are probably among the more iconic features of Roman art and archaeology. But rather than being incomplete due to misadventure, some of these sculptures were created with detachable heads. This is because the Romans, ever the pragmatists, liked to be flexible with their artistic displays. Or, to put it another way, if you commissioned an expensive sculpture of a popular figure or hero, what happens if said hero becomes unpopular? The solution is simple – you pop their head off and replace it with whoever the latest social icon or hero is.This inbuilt flexibility was particularly important for Roman culture, as the act of forgetting was one of the more significant forms of punishment for those in disgrace. Statues were defaced and decapitated as a way to destroy the memory of the person they depicted, which often happened when one emperor replaced another or there was a significant regime change.To be clear, not all sculptures were built for this flexibility, so not every headless example was designed to end up this way.Another reason they are missing heads is because a lot of statues back then represented emperors and leaders. And every time they got a new emperor or a new god or goddess they would remove the head of the old emperor/god/goddess/whatever and put on a new one to look like the new emperor/god/goddess/whatever. There is lot of God/hero/emperor symbolisms in this preview but I'll explain it later.

The hand placement.

One hand is resting on the chest, which is done when introducing yourself or as the way of showing that you're being honest, practically saying "trust me". The second hand is often used in art, which I'm pretty sure all of us can tell that it symbolizes telling something, whether it's a story or whether explaining something. So what's shown is that this headless angel is saying something ehile indicating that they're being honest, thst they're trustworthy. Ironically enough, we can't trust these hands to know that the angel is being honest because it doesn't have the most important part of body to read the truth from: the head. What kind of expression does the statue have? What kind of emotion is portrayed? Do their eyes look honest? We won't know, because the angel has no head. I think this tells us more about Liu Xiao. I mentioned that he is sweet-talking manipulator. He'll convince that he's honest about helping you, or about whatever information he gave you but is he really? Maybe he's offering protection because that's what angels do, but you won't know if he's truly being honest. Because he's not. You can't read him, he's like headless angel here, showing you that he's honest when he's not.

The number of wings.

Honestly, it's hard to tell. It can be four and six too but from what my viewpoint, the statue has four wings. Now, in Christianity, we have four winged angel(s), Cherubs. In Christianity, angel wings are a powerful symbol of divine presence and protection so what do Cherubs protect? what belongs to God or even His own presence. They're throne bearers of God. They represent purity, grace, and the innocence of the divine and symbolize presence of the Divine.

To sum it up, this angel symbolizes purity, innocence, honesty and protection like other angels but the difference is the desperate conviction (with hands) and they're being honest, trustworthy but there's not a way to confirm that.

Do you all know what's more ironic? Yes, we talked about angels a lot and there's lot of angel statues and angel symbolisms but the very next scene and its symbolism make us doubt that the place, this scene, and Liu Xiao are actually related to good things.

The very next scene where goat-head men worship Liu Xiao immediately breaks the good image of him. Because goat heads are the symbol of the Church of Satan, the symbolism of satan. Which I think tells us that these men are followers of "satan", followers of evil and who do they follow? Liu Xiao. Oh Liu Xiao is fact was NOT being honest, huh? Now Satan has many different views. For example, in Christianity he's seen as evil, fallen angel who pushes humans into committing sins. But people believe Satan punishes sinners and hence, isn't bad at all. What I believe, as an Orthodox Christian, is that Satan doesn't punish sinners at all. He's sinner himself, a devil, and he isn't even ruler of hell in the first place. Satan spreads evil and I think that's what Liu Xiao is doing for whatever reason.

Now we also learn that Liu Xiao plays dart boards game.

Does even this have a meaning? You might ask. But yes, it does. Everything in the preview has meaning that we need to know in order to know more about Liu Xiao.

The dart board represents clear, specific goals in life. It symbolizes the satisfaction and motivation derived from achieving these goals, especially when they require focused, persistent effort. Now, obviously, Liu Xiao probably plays this game due to boredom especially in preview and not everything has deep meanings usually, but it's a preview. In previews, we're being shown to what kind of things or character we're going to see and usually such graphic and visual representations such as Liu Xiao's preview tells us so much more than we might even realise. Now, due to this dart game, we know that Liu Xiao has a goal in mind that he deeply focuses onto and doesn't do all these for laughs and giggles. He's serious and motivated. Conversely, the "dart" or "arrow" can be seen as a representation of death or the passage of time.

And again, the angel.

Showing angels after we saw Satan's followers is ridiculous but obviously it has meaning. From what we see, here's six winged angel. Seraphim. Seraphims have six wings and Seraphim serve as agents of purification. Their whole job is to honor God with that proclamation and to make His holiness known to everyone who dares to approach the throne of God. This statue's hands are placed differently than the previous. We're directly shown the palm, which is done in few cases: show that you're being truth to your words, introduce or point at something and manipulation. Have you all ever heard of saying "you have them in palm of your hand" or anything similar? It means to have complete control over someone and to be able to make them do anything you want. Hence, manipulation. I'm not even exaggerating. Throughout history, the open palm has been associated with truth, honesty, and openness. On the other hand, a palms down gesture suggests dominance, aggression, and authority. However, for a manipulative person, we do see the face of angel but it's Impossibly hard to identify the emotion. Why? Because it's a statue. I think that's the whole meaning of showing truth, honesty, openness, protection & authority, manipulation, dishonesty through statues because it's hard to know what kind of emotion is on the statue because statue has no emotions.

Next, we're being shown the face of the angel statue up close which is only statue that we see the expression of up close. I'd say it has more to do with Christianity but that won't be right, because in Christianity angels don't have human faces. Many of us like the picture of angels as beautiful winged feminine creatures or baby-like creatures with halos and harps, known as cherubims. But angels in the Bible likely do not look like any of our imaginations, nor do they appear as our media would have us believe.Angels, being spiritual beings, can take on different forms. As we see in Scripture, angels can sometimes appear as humans, to the point where we may not even recognize that we’ve served an angel. The short answer is we don’t have a definitive description for angels, but we can use Scripture to show how they sometimes appear.

I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude (Daniel 10:5-6).

And, of course, the most bizarre: Their entire bodies, including their backs, hands, and wings, were full of eyes all around, as were their four wheels (Ezekiel 10:12).

This being said, I do not recognize the angel that is shown and unfortunately,I can't tell much about it. It's probably greek or roman sculpture but I can't tell which one and I can't idetify the "angel" (face) shown in the preview, so please pardon my lack of knowledge. But I can talk about the scene where this specific angel "cries" in red lights. Firstly, let's say that from beautiful angelic statue, it suddenly turned into demonic. The colour red symbolizes many things but is popular to symbolize danger, warning and us often related to satanism in a way. Now the biggest attention we need to pay to is crying/weeping angel. Has any of you heard of the myth of crying angel? Yes? No? Maybe so? Apart from basic meanings such as tragic loss, weeping angel symbolizes (according to myth) monster with the capability of sending others back in time by touching them. Now, Link Click is known for time travelling stuff and the anything related to time so it shouldn't be a surprise that maybe Liu Xiao's ability is exactly that, not manipulation. I mean, he's smart and very intelligent so why not? Maybe he's not using his ability but his brains to manipulate others. He's shown to be able to play chess and cards/poker which already indicates that he's intelligent.

Speaking of cards/poker:

These are the cards Liu Xiao played and apparently won with. Now let me educate some here about cards and their meanings.

Spades suit is considered the highest-ranking suit in games that give preference to the card suit. Spade symbolizes the winter season, and the symbol represents the water element. The suit symbolizes the acme of old age when humans gain knowledge, transformation, and acceptance.

the heart suit represents the season of spring. It also symbolizes the childhood stage of life and represents the fire element.

the diamond suit represents the autumn or fall season. The suit implies the growing state of a person’s working career. A diamond card represents progress, ethics, stability, commitment, and the air element.

the club symbol represents the summer season and the earth element. The club suit in cards indicates youth, a phase when a person focuses on education, and recklessness.

Ace – Desire

2 – Union

3 – Faith

4- Satisfaction

5 – Change

6 – Adjustments

7 – Victory

8 – Power

9 – New beginnings

10 – Success

King of Spades – King of Israel, David

King of Hearts – King of France, Charlemagne

King of Diamonds – Roman Caesar, Augustus

King of Clubs – King of Macedonia, Alexander

‘Jack’ in the 16th and 17th centuries meant a male servant without a specific role or skill; so not a cook, gardener, coachman etc, just a strapping fellow who can carry stuff, be sent on errands or brought along as a guard, whatever you happen to need doing. The French word for the card is valet, which in French means exactly the same thing.The other English word for the card is knave, which originally meant ‘boy, young man’, as its German equivalent, Knabe, still does. It evolved to mean ‘young manservant or henchman’. Eventually it became a derogatory word because royal households had so many of these young men, who went swaggering around the streets picking fights, molesting the girls and generally making nuisances of themselves.

Now the card I want to pay attention to is Ace of Spades. Why? Because the ace of spades is a symbol for people who are asexual and aromantic. Now, I'm not saying that Liu Xiao is 100% aro/ase or smth since I know that this probably isn't meaning at all but I'm analysising everything here as much as I can. But also, in poker Ace of Spades is often related to luck, wealth, power, transformation and even death. The Ace of Spades is also known as the "death card," and is often associated with bad luck or negative outcomes. However, in other games, the Ace of Spades is considered a lucky card, and players will often try to collect as many of them as possible. But well, we are talking about Poker, so it's death card.

Does this mean Liu Xiao dies? No, what this mean is that the men who were playing against Liu Xiao died.

The next scene is number of hands asking help and shortly after dragging someone's leg and someone with them. The hands are definitely of Liu Xiao's victims so could this mean that he's feeling some kind of guilt? Who knows, but there's emotion in those scenes. First is desperation for help then something like anger and dragging (probably Liu Xiao) down.

Chess.

Liu Xiao is holding the King, which means he's being protected. He's mastermind. But this specific scene where he hits the black knight, his ally is so thrilling. He's supposed to attack white pieces, his enemies, but he suddenly gets rid of his own ally himself? One doesn't know such thing in chess, but of course, it's not simply chess but another key to know what kind of person Liu Xiao is. My sister said from her analysis that this is portraying betrayal, where I think it's getting rid of your ally/puppet after they're no longer useful. So, this scene can be perceived in different views, however there's one fact that stands for sure. Liu Xiao isn't opposing the idea of getting rid of and betraying his own allies if he needs to.

THIS is the reference with headless angel. Same hand position, seems to spread kindness and righteousness and makes himself to be our ally/friend but how true is that? The light above him makes him seem godlike being, saint or innocent. He's wearing blue expensive clothes (ironically, spiders hate blue colour), gold rings and earrings which makes us think that he's capable of helping us, he's rich and capable. But the previous analysis on headless angel proves us otherwise. While we do see his expression, his face, we can't identify exact emotion. For a second he seems amused, all knowing and in another second it's as if he's taking pity on us. Plus, he's looking down on us, directly. Showing that he's on higher stage, higher status. I said this before, he's sweet-talking manipulator and here is being shown how he's truly manipulating others.

[rainibao]

By @anulithots !! (They post on their website now ^^)

[akumuusu]

Disclaimer: Most of what I know is through google research, symbolism will be Chinese due to the media’s origin unless specified otherwise.

Link click Bridon Arc/Yingdu Chapter spoilers

Opening:

Solely visual aspects:

The camera at the start of the OP is the same one Lu Guang has in his hands when he first met Cheng Xiaoshi.

Butterfly motif number 1

~ white butterfly right before Cheng Xiaoshi drags Lu Guang.

~ white butterfly symbolizes purity, healing and innocence in English. Seeing as Lu Guang gets dragged outside of his body as a younger version of himself, this is likely referring to the first timeline.

~ Butterflies overall symbolize love and romance in Chinese folk tale, which adds a lot to the common butterfly motifs.

Liu Xiao was holding open the very end of the collection of ‘Sonnets’ by William Shakespeare

~ the final Sonnet, Sonnet 154 is about unbreaking love

~ Sonnet 154 is a retelling of ‘Cupid and the torch parable’, the moral of said story being, quote, “without trust, there can be no love”

~ Sonnet 154 is often considered to be a pair with Sonnet 153.

A feather falls into (what we can assume to be) Cheng Xiaoshi’s blood

~ feathers have many spiritual meanings, but the most accurate to assume one for this context would likely be the association to otherworldliness or heavenly messages.

Everything in Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi’s room burst into photographs, most of which being of jobs they’ve taken, while Lu Guang stands in the middle of the room, shielding his eyes with his arm.

Directly after the previous excerpt, there’s a montage of Cheng Xiaoshi and Qiao Ling just having fun, not much to add to this one other than it pulled on my heart strings a little bit.

We see Lu Guang standing still in a bunch of colored different settings, back to the screen. It goes to the basketball court where he and Cheng Xiaoshi met, of which was greyscale, he wipes his eyes with his arm, visibly sobbing before an arm (presumably Cheng Xiaoshi’s) grabs his wrist and drags him away, the entire scene gaining color.

What we can assume to be Lu Guang’s notebook’s pages flips backwards, all of the pages are the exact same words, until it finally reaches a different page. Atop said page is a bookmark of sorts with the word ‘Rewind’ written on it in large, clean letters, different handwriting from the journal, they look printed.

Throughout all of this, any and all appearances of Lu Guang are colored and rendered differently from the rest of the artstyle. His coloring is finicky as well.

Solely auditory aspects

“I wish I could tell you the truth”

~ There is something keeping Lu Guang from being capable of telling Cheng Xiaoshi about the time loop. (And it better not be Vein or so help me GOD)

“I stopped painting excuses red”

~ this line implies that Lu Guang, to some degree, blames himself. I believe it means that at some point he stopped blaming Cheng Xiaoshi’s deaths on the universe or things out of his control and began to blame them on himself. ‘Painting excuses’ meaning blaming it on something else, while ‘red’ refers to the danger of the world.

“Rewinding right in front of the eye”

~ someone knows of Lu Guang’s rewinds.

~ We can assume it to be one of the new evil trio, as Li Tianchen never showed any form of awareness to this fact.

“I followed every end of the signs”

~ Lu Guang has tried everything he can think of to change Cheng Xiaoshi’s fate, all of which leading to ‘dead ends’ (Cheng Xiaoshi’s death)

“But I couldn’t make it to you”

~ We can take this line either metaphorical or literal

~ On the metaphorical hand, it would simply mean that he failed, but in the literal sense it could mean that Cheng Xiaoshi was too far away to save, which also brings the question of whether thats metaphorical or literal.

“Trapped in endings I don’t want you to know”

~ I believe this is the answer to the first line, that as much as Lu Guang wants Cheng Xiaoshi to know the truth, he can’t tell him about his own deaths leading to his inability to be honest.

If you have anything to add, please say so! I would love to hear others interpretations