#mental health show peace and love 😚

[coachbeards]

"hard to forget a game like that." "you know what will help? going to see the woman that you love." "exactly. but it's clear to me that coach beard doesn't think he's worthy of jane." "oh, i know. beard's self-esteem is so low, he will need a pep talk to kill himself. and i would like to give that pep talk."

[v-67]

I don't know what is it about Bl manga/comics/anime

But i swear as soon as I finish reading/watching them, I am filled with such an awe for everything

Everything seems possible

And i have so much, so much love within me, so much warmth and so much happiness

I feel like I can do anything, all those things that overwhelm me, or i brush away

I feel like I can do them all

I love how the characters make me feel, the way they care about each other, the embrace, the warm emotions and love which isn't superficial

It is so pure and so beautiful, it just fills me up with awe

And i want to find someone, someone who I can share the same kind of love with, make a story within and ruin them with so much love and happiness, ruin in a better way not the red flag way, I want to hold them and keep holding them

But it gets a little sad after I watch such shows and come back to reality in 2-4 days

Which is disappointing because I need to push myself more, and I'm sure if i do and put in the effort which is required in the very beginning, the things I want will make their way to me

The only things difficult are the beginnings because the outcomes are so uncertain and you don't know if something's worth your effort

But I will get over that thought process, and i will begin.

I am always too scared, especially of falling in love. I know it may sound silly but I'm scared that if i break, i may never be able to pick myself up and i will remain there, shattered.

But I need to learn, by learning to love someone i will also learn things about myself and heartbreak isn't always bad, I mean ofcourse it is, it's terrible, it hurts so much. I feel so much heartbreak over fictional characters and friendships, I can only fear about love when I compare them.

But coming back to the point, Heartbreak isn't always bad because it's necessary, to feel broken once and even though, however difficult, to pick up your own self is an important lesson.

Plus heartbreak is just proof that you cared, and isn't caring for someone the most human thing we do?

I kept rambling from wherever i started

But yes, The characters from any Bl script are so beautiful, so warm. They bring the words alive. They break boundaries of roles of genders, there are no stereotypes and there is such a depth, such careful depth and creativity with each character. The exploring of oneself, to know what you want and to acknowledge your fears and parts. Small excerpts of yourself being showcased by someone who looks at you like their favourite book, picking out lines and re-reading them, embracing them. Bookmarking each and every page because they want to revisit all of you. The eyes, the fingers, the hands, all whispering love, just for you.

Anyways coming back because I seem to sway away with my words, the exploring of themes is just so beautiful. Especially regarding mental health, the gentle ways of talking about it and not taking it lightly, that is my most favourite part.

I am a straight person regarding my sexual orientation, so manifesting the kind of guy who is warm, loving, caring, helpful and not stereotypical. I hope everyone reading this finds the type of person they deserve to be with. And everyone deserves warmth and love. So yes.

Manifesting the kind of love we all dream and get excited about. And here's to hoping the same for my fictional characters too.

Just a side note but fr i was sad about John wick's death, not in a why kinda way but more like grieving and analysing kinda way and I'm happy he's at peace but also I'm sad. And i cannot watch endgame ever again because I miss Tony a lot. I also miss Rengoku so much, i swear I cried so hard about him. I miss so many characters. Theo. Rufus and Mateo.

Okay I'm gonna go now

This feels like a diary entry

Anyways good day to everyone and manifesting good energy and happiness for all😚

[pastorfutureletthembe]

This post aside, I draw the line to people saying "this is canon and here is why", because it's often a source of conflict, hate, ship wars, you name it.

My comment was no an attack nor judgement to OP, I actually think their analysis is very good as far as interpretation of canon goes. It was more about how fans can sometimes feel so entitled and believe that their interpretations should be realized. I think we need to trust an author regarding the characters development, and either their gender/sexual preference/trauma/mental health is relevant for the story.

I like interpretation! I LIVE FOR METAS. I like to read shiguang between the lines of every song as well. Art belongs to the world once it's out there, we transform and change it through the lens of our experience and interests. But we are not alone doing so, and it is important that everyone feels comfortable expressing their feelings regarding the media without fear of being bullied online for having a different point of view.

That's why I just remain cautious when the word "canon" is used. Because as much as some songs can be read as LOVE songs, shiguang as a ship is still fanon. This and headcanons such as Lu Guang considering Cheng Xiaoshi romantically, OR one of them or both being aroace, OR Cheng Xiaoshi having ADHD/being on the autistic spectrum. It's all fun to speculate. Sharing these theories and reads on the characters makes a fandom so ✨wholesome✨.

Well. Until it turns into "this is gospel truth and it's homophobic not to believe it." (Which, I saw on twitter and I found outrageous.)

So yeah, I'm personally careful regarding what I reblog in this aspect. But I do respect all theories and headcanon. ✨😚 I actually love not agreeing with some meta out there, because it opens my mind on other paths I didn't think of for other theories of my own.

What I love in this specific analysis now, is that it mirrors a very clear idea I totally agree with: all episodes in season 1 have a purpose and they give us rules/tools to understand Lu Guang, Cheng Xiaoshi and the universe they interact with. Might it be their personalities, the dynamics they share, what they believe in and why they do this job, it's all very useful and cleverly written.

Do I think the point of it all is to read shiguang as romantic? Absolutely not.

But it's still interesting to see the recurrent motifs, the marriage trope in particular. I do think season 1 was more Cheng Xiaoshi centric, showing us the best in relationships: forgiveness, enjoying life, family, peace of mind. Season 2 offers a more chaotic aspect of love: toxic, with manipulative outlook, doomed, borderline possessive. Then, how is Lu Guang better than all other players trying to win against fate? I think there is a dangerous foreshadowing work here.

My headcanon, for one, is that Lu Guang actually killed Cheng Xiaoshi or is really responsible for his death in the original timeline. This noble idea of him saving his partner might be a lie we tell ourselves. The story might be more tragic than we think.

Why I think Shiguang can be canonically read as romantic

(I will only be using the donghua for reference, so no Studio Lan retweeting those fanarts (lmao) nor those especially gay manhwa panels (lmao x2) nor even the songs ("chase you to the end of the world, just to say your name once more" my beloved).

It's important to start off by saying that I'm aware Director Li said they ended up not making Lu Guang a girl because they didn't want romance to be seen as a must in Shiguang's relationship by the audience (and because he feels that "bros can have a good heart-to-heart connection with each other"). In my opinion that was a great move since it allows more freedom with how they write them than they'd have otherwise. I also think viewing Shiguang as queerplatonic is a great read too and it doesn't diminish their love for each other nor the importance of their relationship at all.

With that said, despite Director Li's words, there's been things that had me going 🤨 as someone who likes to adhere to canon relationships and read into the writer's intentions, so I wanted to share why I personally see them as romantic.

EPISODE 2

We've all seen this coming, right? Most obvious parallel ever, and in the second episode no less. We all know the similarities between both relationships, so I will just touch on those I consider the most important ones.

Lin Zhen and Yu Xia have gone to college together, and since then decided to start a business of their own - named after a mix of their names. They've been shown as being really close and having no romantic relationships. Lin Zhen also says that Yu Xia's happiness is her own, and then it's shown to us that she's gone through years of unhappiness just for Yu Xia. I believe you can replace their names with Lu Guang's and Cheng Xiaoshi's in your head without me writing all this again. And I'm not even going to get into the most obvious parallels like the special noodle recipe for each pair.

I think it's safe to say that Lin Zhen and Yu Xia are implied to be romantic. From that "one noodle" scene, to the close shot of Lin Zhen grabbing her hand, etc.

Now, I want to get into a writer's point of view and pose two questions:

1. What's the purpose of this episode, when even those which seem episodic connect to the overarching plot of season 1 (even the missing kid's case, as it leads to the involvement with the police)?

2. If we answer the previous question with the conclusion that it's meant to show us the nature/development of Cheng Xiaoshi's and Lu Guang's relationship, what does that say about it?

"Partner" in Link Click

Continuing with episode 2, what really got me thinking about the romantic intentions in their writing was the constant mention of marriage and anything in relation to it.

(may I remind everyone that the driver's comment was said when Cheng Xiaoshi was complaining about Lu Guang lmao)

They're telling us through "show don't tell" (for example, when Lin Zhen kept on eating the noodle despite knowing they'd kiss) and, also, connotations. They are presented to us as business partners, but then the entire episode goes on to tell us that there's more to them by tying their relationship to things percived as romantic. So what they want to really tell us is that beyond simple business partners, they're life-long partners.

And then, after establishing this kind of connotation to the word partner, Cheng Xiaoshi says this to Lu Guang in the next episode:

This doesn't stop at them. While it's the most obvious example, I think partnership in Link Click is intended to be seen as romantic, or at the very least dancing somewhere close to it. Let's go even further and take a look at our fully canon, heterosexual relationships and see briefly how their story is written:

1. Dong Yi and Xu Shanshan: both of them chose the comfort of each other's presence over moving on with their respective futures. Dong Yi had so much faith in their relationship and their love that he couldn't choose a life/future that didn't have Xu Shanshan - choosing to not go back to his family home nor go to that interview, and instead waiting for Xu Shanshan to define their relationship.

2. Liu Siwen and Ouyang: Siwen spent his entire life training with the purpose of getting his father-in-law's respect and marry Ouyang, going every year over and over to fight him. His perseverance and his undying love for her allowed Siwen to do the (seemingly) impossible.

3. Chen Bin and his wife: they're a tragedy. His wife understood Chen Bin the best, enduring feeling lonely because she loved him and wanted a future with him. But their relationship was cut short, so they promised each other to be together in a future life to make up for the time they wouldn't be in this one.

With this + the pictures I attached, it seems like Link Click has set this theme of "love is a life with you" for its romantic relationships, a partner that will fight to stay because they can't see a future that doesn't have their beloved. Going back to episode two, this applies even to the noodle ladies. When Yu Xia remembered what actually matters to her, she went back home - to the start, to her hometown. And, most importantly, to Lin Zhen.

So why is Shiguang romantic? Why aren't they queerplatonic, or just best friends, or bros or whatever else? Because besides what I said at the start of the previous paragraph, Shiguang's relationship mirrors a lot of the romantic ones. Each story and author writes romance and other kinds of relationships differently, portraying them in the way they perceive "this is what this kind of love is like". And beyond life-long partners, I think that the key elements of romantic relationships in Link Click are the ones I highlighted in bold above in the 3 canon relationships part - which Shiguang shares, too.

(I didn't mention this before with the het couples, but I find it a little amusing that season 2 happened because a man wanted to go to the past and get his wife back (still fuck you Qian Jin) and then we find out Lu Guang did go back to the past and got his boyfriend partner back lmao).

"Friend" vs "Partner"

So where is the boundary between platonic and romantic? What marks the difference between a (best) friend and a partner?

There is, for example, Liu Xiao and Li Tianchen's relationship. They aren't shown to have any kind of romantic undertones and there's even the very real possibility of manipulation on Liu Xiao's side. They're also never labeled as nor call each other partners, but instead Li Tianchen says he "met a new friend" and Liu Xiao says he's "going to meet an old friend" years later. So we could say for now that they have a somewhat close relationship (we see Li Tianchen go against Qian Jin to give the phone to Liu Xiao), but never cross that "friend" label.

We can even bring Qiao Ling and the boys' relationship. She's never labeled as a partner despite taking part in the side job and, more importantly, being super close to both of them. She is very important and a cherished friend to Shiguang, so why not call her partner too? I think it's intentional. Since she's been given a familial role already (calling Cheng Xiaoshi her brother when talking to Li Tianxi), she can't fill a partner role. I wonder why? because it's supposed to be a synonym for a romantic relationship. who said that.

So even best friends (Qiao Ling, arguably what Liu Xiao is to Li Tianchen) don't enter this close space that is being a partner. It's different, it's beyond platonic. Or at least that's what they've been showing us for the past two seasons.

I could go soo much more into this honestly, because I do think the little hints thrown here (the music videos) and there (tiny seemingly inconsequential details) are worth to be looked at too, but I wanted to get into the core reason that makes me go "woah so they're In Love fr". I hope I expressed myself well ^^

tldr; the series shows us a divide between having a (best) friend and a partner, giving "partners" romantic connotations.