#link click thoughts

[catguangcorner]

the dumpling saga (not really a saga):

firstly, I'm sure lg is more than used to cxs impulsively asking for/wanting things, especially because cxs seems to like junk food and whatnot.

and yet, though even in that moment (pic1) he says something like "we'll talk after the mission's done," he sets about making them himself (i'm sure he could have bought them, but he labours over it, which i think is such an underrated sign of showing affection)

there is something so intimate in the way lg is in cxs's space in the third pic— leaning over and hovering above him, the way his hands are placed beside cxs's head (idk it just makes me So Soft 🥲)— to ask whether the dumplings are good

CXS'S SMILE !!! and given the context (this is just after a dive), it seems like lg spoils him a bit, or at least dotes on him moreso than usual, knowing how difficult the dives can be. so he'll do things like make cxs dumplings, hope they're not too salty, and make sure he rests <3

this isn't really much of an analysis or anything lmao, more of just a ramble of a moment i liked in the manhua, with some hcs/character thoughts thrown in for good measure :)

[cupacoat]

So we know LG is diving into a photo every time he saves CXS, but does he ever exit the photo once he changes the event? If not, then LG is constantly possessing himself, and we know that people dived into don't seem to immediately remember what happened while they were possessed.

This means whenever LG exits a photo to go into the next one, in that brief moment there is a version of LG who doesn't remember anything since high school, who suddenly appears into this world holding the corpse of a man he doesn't even remember. Suddenly overcome with fear and anxiety over why he's suddenly an adult and holding a corpse. He may even be killed along with the man who feels so important to him, but he just can't place a finger on their identity. But it won't matter, because the timeline will be reset again soon.

[wordswhisperinthedark]

WAIT.

(stuff from Link Click S2'S first 2 eps mentioned below the cut!)

Aren't this season's op and ed also kind of like warning us to not believe everything we're seeing? Especially if the current theory going around that not everyone is from the same time line holds true?

We start with s1's intro about the rules of their jumps, and Lu Guang's warning to not meddle with the past, or worry about the future. Which then gives us a quick run of the first season's events, focusing on the final overarching plot line — a plot that occurs because CXS wanted to change Emma's fate.

Yet now we've learned that LG hasn't actually died, but Liu Min, and we're given this small comfort the trio are all together, they're ok, they're going to work this out.

But Chen Bin, one of their allies, has died (and in the first episode!! with a pregnant wife waiting for him that was so twisted of them, but I had a feeling their introduction was a death flag), bringing us back to reality: the game isn't over. There are new players, new pieces that we have yet to see where they fit — even how do current pieces fit, with all the new knowledge.

So. What do we trust?

Episode 2 reminds us no one is safe. It even ends on a cliffhanger of Lu Guang already in trouble, directly crossing paths with Red Eyes. Does he die for real this time? 2 funerals still seem to be going on, so is one for Chen Bin and another for Lu Guang (especially with the outfit in that obscured picture)? Or will they actually focus on Liu Min, someone who is shown to not be appreciated by his father?

Also, knowing CXS, he will probably try to find a way to save everyone, to get justice for everyone — and if we are to take the imagery from the ED, new knowledge of their powers could help him do that. At a cost.

Like, these lines from VORTEX:

Where do we end up when we save the world?

Wanting it all / And the whole world will crumble and fall

It's as if there will be a point this season where it seems like they've done it. Like they've won. But the rules of time remind them that they can't have everything. That everything as they know it will crumble if they get what they want.

What if reality fractures, timelines converging and distorting the truth, until we don't know where one timeline ends and another begins; which timeline each character belongs to.

Shattered mirrors our reflection

So this is where The TIDES comes in. If VORTEX is a song that blends determination to "win this silly game" with warnings of what happens when you play with destiny, The TIDES seems reflect uncovering the truth about the powers held in this world and its inner workings.

Open your eyes... passing through lies.

I got lost in the trap of time lapse / Cut through the night

The lyrics seem to act as a reminder to remain vigilant with what we are seeing, to not take things at face value. That the characters must cut through the darkness, to find their way out of the traps of the various timeliness. That there is a truth to be revealed to place all the pieces together.

Guess we'll just have to wait and see ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[wrathyforest]

I wasn't in a mood for drawing, BUT I SWEAR THESE DUDES--- Teng Chunpeng and Zhu Hanbin's recent performance >:")

[laurenttheninth]

i say this as a buddie and bucktommy shipper but also fundamentally i say this as a performing artist: i cannot imagine being an artist whose breakout role has been an anchor character for eight seasons on a huge network show and the only fucking interview questions i get asked are about which of my colleague’s characters i’m kissing or not kissing. he should be allowed to bite people perhaps maim them a bit

[legendofzoodles]

I thought Time was the straight main to the chain's shenanigans but in reality he used to be just like them and so doesn't personally see anything really wrong with their behaviour.

However where he's matured into simply acknowledging the outsider 'normal' view, Warriors internalised it before even donning the hero's scarf and has always been too conscious of how he's perceived.

I think I've said it before but Warriors didn't have a traditional adventure like the others, cities and towns aren't just pitstops for him so he respects infrastructure and social decorum. Plus he's used to minding his reputation and maintaining his perfect image. Whereas most of the others had the freedom to act pretty much like cryptids, showing up out of nowhere, spawning local legends and then disappearing after doing only slightly more good than harm.

Even without that pressure Warriors is still holding himself to that standard and even extended it over the others. Had they actually done something weird Time would've have called them out on it, but he didn't in this case because a bit of parkour is like...fine? It's really not that big a deal. They didn't break anything. I just find this aspect of the Captain's character interesting.

Art credit @linkeduniverse :)

[destinyesque]

[curapicas]

What I really see when I rewatch that part

[kuravix-art]

Liu Xiao recruiting Xia Fei like

[asherasgayagenda]

here’s mine

[catguangcorner]

ok i have many a link click thoughts but they are hardly coherent,, I've just been thinking about lu guang and his love languages and i feel like acts of service? perhaps?

two moments of this is buying cxs boba (which could technically count as gift giving but to me going out of ur way to get an extra drink for a loved one IS also an act of service), and then in the manhua he makes cxs dumplings just cos cxs offhandedly says he's craving them during a dive.

acts of service being the way he expresses love makes sense to me; lu guang is more reserved and strikes me as someone who goes about showing their devotion to others in quiet but meaningful ways <3

[wordswhisperinthedark]

Link Click thoughts

I like how the OP & ED of each season seems to sort of reflect the tone of that season.

Like, 'Dive Back in Time' is a more fun, "chill" OP — they've even got dance choreo! They know what they're doing and they haven't failed a mission yet; they're a team. Until they're not, and the lyrics become more of a focus as the plot progresses. (without you, I don't know if I can take this road... / Chasing you until the end of the world, 'til I say your name once more)

'Overthink' on the other hand is more suspense filled. It leaves you with an unsettling sense of dread every episode, especially as each episode ends on a more mind blowing cliffhanger each time. We don't know what's going on, and the music reflects that. (plus the irony of the song telling us to not overthink gets me every time😂)

Then we look at the next season, and from someone who did not see the premiere of the first 2 episodes ((ㅠ_ㅠ)), it feels to me like both songs take on a more darker, subdued tone. Plus, with the added sound effects, both songs have super unnerving intros.

'Vortex' (living up to its name with the reverse audio and imagery) really fits the idea that we're going to be running through time loops, that our sense of time isn't going to be concrete anymore, past, present, and future colliding as the plot progresses.

'The TIDES' also has this sense of being lost (through time), searching for clues to set everything right. The lyrics nicely compliment the ED's imagery, as if we are to doubt that the trio are actually working together in the same time. The melody also feels determined? Like CXS is determined to set things right, to not make the same mistakes, to find the truth.

In any case, I'm excited for season 2 (it's so close!)

[blackwhiteanddoomed]

dying to know who Lu Guang was before repeatedly time traveling. we've seen several times that him, cheng xiaoshi, and qiao ling like to dance and play video games together, what other hobbies and such do you think he gave up while trying to save cheng xiaoshi? was his hair always white or did it turn due to stress? did he use to smile more? who did he use to be?

[greatgoddyke]

time to make your choice only you can be the one

[lgcxs-love]

[stan-joe]

pspsps link click fans these are two different cars (and probably two different road trips):

First car ↑

Recent car ↓