#nhie asks

[mellarkably]

ur so right abt the way that scene between ben and devi was shot because every single moment when we see devi making out with someone (or about to have s*x) is so driven by her “horny side” only, for paxton and des she just wanted to have s*x and get over with it and with ethan she just was on her horny and active rush which is good but the ben/devi scene, yes it was framed with a sense of urgency between them but also so much care and love. the lighting, the touches, the hands, smiling at each other and just everything about it was beautiful.

and call me crazy but i am happy the show didn’t do the typical “devi only has s*x with ben” narrative because i was about sure they wouldn’t have her have s*x with ethan and they did and was surprised because most shows don’t do that. ben and devi lost their virginity together and that’s already special but they didn’t have devi pondering around waiting for ben. she got to experience a little bit of fun and discover her preferences and be comfortable with it (and maybe ben did so too with margot) and then they get to make love to each other and know what it means and the differences in that and now they can start a relationship when there’s some level of experience and they can just explore what they both want.

some shows tend to do the opposite for “romanticism” so i am glad they did not.

OH ANON HOW I LOVE YOU FOR THIS BECAUSE CAN. WE. TALK ABOUT IT!

i already predicted a while ago that the show would have ben and devi make love again but this time it would be much more natural and easy for them:

i agree with you. i think it was important to show benvi's first time as being awkward, and having it pale in comparison to her next time with ethan, who is far more experienced. it allowed devi to have fun (and im assuming its almost certain ben also had sex with margot) while embodying the whole, fun time NOT a long time thing. im sure they both learned a lot about their preferences like you said during those respective relationships.

but going back to what i loved most about 410's sex redo - how it was the ONLY sex scene in the show that wasn't shot like a high school steamy fling type of deal.

of course, there's that big damn kiss that's been building up for four years with more steam needed to be released than pati's rice cooker, BUT, the lighting. the song, the actors' natural chemistry. the tone itself already feels so much more serious than any other romantic scene in the show.

i honestly thought it would end here, so imagine my surprise when they continued - and i think this second part is what sets it apart from all the other intimate scenes in the show.

henna shot. i fucking died. ive talked enough about this on twitter and im sure other people are talking about this but it is just so symbolic for devi as an individual, her relationship with her culture and how she doesn't have to separate that from her romantic endeavours because she is desirable as she is! s1 devi would faint! she absolutely would!

and now this shot, which is what the tags you're referring to were about, has me still going cuckoo bananas like. pulling away to smile at each other. they're literally in fucking love. this is love. this is not the show trying to gain an audience using steamy scenes, or devi being horny - not that there is anything wrong with that either - but she is so visibly content and comfortable and happy and you can see it in her smile. both of their smiles in fact.

that small moment is what makes this scene for me.

anyway sorry for the huge rant. if you couldn't tell already i really love this scene! it was very well done.

[cvldbones]

flying across the country… because he realized he had never actually told devi how he felt…

no one touch me i’m fragile

[basiltonpitch]

4x05 ben and devi both nervous about life after high school and second-guessing themselves and then receiving pep talks from each other because no one else knows them better than they know each other i am going insane

[blues-valentine]

Ben Gross has “nice guy” energy, and his last name is Gross. That says a lot

I don’t know what prompted this random ask but I don’t think you know what the nice guy syndrome entails. A lot of the “nice guy” energy characters only act nice and accommodating to expect something in return. Most men think if they keep being the “nice guy” (as oppose to the “bad guy” the women are attracted to) they deserve or are entitled of a certain woman. Their niceness comes with expectations. That’s the point. As soon as their niceness isn’t getting them anywhere they turn manipulative because it isn’t about being a genuine good person. Ben was anything but the “nice guy syndrome”. His lack of confident and need for attention manifested in him just appearing extremely overconfident and then acting as if he was better than the rest. His dynamic with Devi has never been about him being nice to her but the opposite. Ben is extremely grass, honest and unlikable — and the times he helped Devi didn’t come from him expecting to date her. He didn’t drive her to Malibu thinking he’d win her over. It came because he is genuinely nice but doesn’t know how to act that way — which is why Devi ended up liking him. He often matched her energy and she liked he didn’t try to sugarcoat things to her but was very honest, pragmatic.

Also, you all need to stop mocking Ben’ last name, is a commonly Jewish last name but also it is incredible lame, boring and disrespectful. Like, find a better punchline I beg you.

[mollywog]

never have I ever: Barney/Valancy

Hey nonny! Thanks for playing!!

I wrote a tiny fic Lake Glass for the TBC challenge, but if I were going to do it again, maybe a Modern AU?

Valancy is headed into her last year of college - she had delayed starting because her family had fancied her unwell and supposed she would be unable to keep up - it would be a waste.

Now nearly a decade after graduating HS she’s on the precipice of earning her degree. She is naturally shy, commutes from home, and is much older than the other students so she feels out of place

She has a meeting with her faculty advisor, Dr Trent, to discuss class selection for Senior year. He asks about her career aspirations.

Uncle Benjamin had vaguely suggested he would consider hiring her in a low level management position at the supermarket upon completing her bachelors (meanwhile Olive is being preened to take on the business when Uncle Benjamin retires)

Dr Trent is not impressed and the answer even sounds lame even to her own ears. He reminds her she only has one year (of school) left

On her drive home she listens to her favorite podcast where the host, John Foster, calls fear the original sin

Inspired by John Foster’s words, she does the most rebellious thing she can think of - makes a Facebook profile (lol) - there she finds Cissy Gay - an old classmate and single mother who’s in desperate need of help: Her father is on hospice and her young son is home from school for the summer, while Cissy still needs to work.

Valancy offers to move in and care for Cissy’s father and son until school starts

The summer is full of firsts: her first taste of freedom away from her mother, the first time she’s felt her life has a purpose, and the first time she falls in love (with Cissy’s mysterious neighbor Barney Snaith)

Etc. etc. etc.

[edwinas]

brutally honest opinion on devi/paxton

SO MUCH WASTED POTENTIAL

Devi and Paxton were two flawed teenagers who supported, respected, challenged and cheered each other on. They were always there for each other, especially when no one else was. Paxton accepted all parts of Devi.

But the show squandered all their romantic potential because they can't be friends and date?? Even though a healthy romantic relationship is built on friendship? The show butchered Daxton for what??? Devi to end up with a white boy who disrespects her???

In s1, Paxton's biggest quality was accountability. He made amends apologised and did better. He was arguably the most emotionally intelligent character of the show.

In s2 he was a different person. He couldn't speak, was a stereotypical jock, never apologised for anything. Also that "reveal" where Paxton was ashamed of Devi when they were together in ep 1... utter garbage. It made no sense and contradicted Paxton being publicly involved with Devi in ep 1.

Still hate Devi thanking Paxton for being a dream in s3. I know this stupid Paxton-hating fandom thought that everything that happened between Daxton until now was fake and rooted in "fantasy." It undermined Daxton's development since s1. As soon as Devi started talking to Paxton, he was no longer an empty cipher she could project on.

Don't get me started on s4 and Paxton returning to high school. Why not have Paxton return after taking a sabbatical or he's on holidays??? Uni is hard. You have so many more responsibilities and priorities. Students tend to care less about rigid social hierarchies, like the ones in high school. But Paxton went through so much to get there. He lost his swimming scholarship, accepted being tutored by Devi (the girl who ridiculed him and in his mind made him loose his scholarship), went the extra mile etc. Paxton's priority was his grades, never his reputation. So Paxton dropping out after 2 weeks??? Bullshit.

[marrissacooper]

daxton girlies... how do we feel??

[throwbacktears]

The nhie poll you made was interesting because I have been most people over the age of 20 go towards Benvi while most people under 18 are more Daxton. I personally have been in a relationship (still am) so I would go towards the type of guy I can have common goals with and maybe because of my experience I always saw Paxton as the high school guy but never the long term gal. there’s a point in ur life where u care less about physical attributes and more about contributions long term.

thats so interesting because i have the exact opposite experience for both myself and from other people. my friends and i are over 20, have been in relationships, and we all rooted for daxton.

while i think having common goals is great to have in a partner, i dont think thats the only consideration for what will make a relationship work with someone better over another -- there also has to be respect, kindness, and trust there as bare minimums, which were qualities that devi got from her relationship with paxton (even if devi couldn't see that at the time), but not from ben, until MAYBE the finale, and even then im not sure if i would say really that, or say their getting together even felt earned from a writing perspective. i mean, ben and devi struggled to just properly communicate and become a real endgame until the very last episode of the show. to your point about long term contributions from a partner, i also think paxton and devi are different enough to contribute something to each other so they can each learn and grow as individuals (more on this later). for that reason, i actually saw ben as the high school guy but never the long term guy and paxton as vice versa, because having common goals isn't always enough long term if the foundation for a healthy romantic relationship isn't even there.

i also think its a big misconception i see, particularly on tumblr for some reason, where people assume that daxton shippers only ship them because of paxton/darren's looks, which isn't always the case - at least of me and my friends, it isn't, and i'd argue that's the case for a lot of daxton shippers on here too more often than benvi shippers might want to admit: devi and paxton push each other just enough in a way that enables them both to grow as people and thus better partners, whereas ben and devi bicker to the point where its more toxic than it is endearing, particularly ben's racially insensitive and body-shaming comments towards her that he's made throughout the whole show. paxton has always gone out of his way to show his support for her, even if that meant putting his reputation on the line, while ben always stayed on the sidelines -- too scared to stand up for devi -- until, again, the finale. and devi and paxton share more common ground just from the standpoint of both coming from Asian backgrounds, so they already have that understanding and acceptance of each other/each other's cultures in a way that's instantly recognized compared to someone not from the same ethnic background (see: paxton complimenting devi's sari in season 1, vs. ben pointing out devi's mustache in season 1). so i've always found ben and devi's romantic dynamic and the hints of it thereof very off-putting (but as friends, sure, they work).

in a similar line of thinking, i actually thought people in the 18-25+ ages would prefer daxton, since that age group might have more relationship experience just by virtue of growing up and meeting more people outside of high school, whereas those younger and who haven't experienced something like that might not yet see benvi's dynamic as something unhealthy/not worth rooting for yet. but because the leading age group demographics for both ships were split even in the poll, i guess we can all just agree to disagree.

[mynonclicheblog]

I knew they were going to leave the big kiss for the last moment but of Maitreyi and Jaren did not disappoint because why was I holding my breathe and the juxtaposition of Devi sharing a moment so physically and emotionally charged with everything that represents her culture.

ANON, YOU MUST BE A MIND READER BECAUSE THIS IS THE EXACT THING I HAVE BEEN SPIRALING ABOUT.

It is everything to me!!! The way that Devi wearing a sari while getting with Ben symbolizes the reconciliation of her two most formative identities as an American teenager and a Desi woman!!! Two identities that she once thought were at odds with each other, but now she has embraced the fact that THEY ARE NOT! 🗣📢

Ben represents the full acceptance and unity of every part of who she is. He always has, but this brings it back home in the most breathtaking of ways.

And yes, I cannot tell you what a relief it was to finally have another moment of payoff for Maitreyi & Jaren's chemistry. I've always said that the key to having great romantic chemistry onscreen isn't about being attracted to your scene partner, but by being great friends with them offscreen, and these two perfectly prove my point. They gave me butterflies the first time I watched 1x10, and I got butterflies again in 4x10. They're just spectacular together.

[niadotcom]

oh there used to be this australian show on netflix called unlisted i remember fragments of it twas fine

[madge-nius]

I’m bored lol so pleas send doodle/drawing ideas

[mellarkably]

that moment when Devi is packing and finds the UN badge, sends Ben the pic and they have that conversation about nuking someone was such a sweet moment because that was the moment the audience realizes, hey, maybe there’s something here, so bringing it back was a cute gesture to tie everything together.

exactly anon. i thought it was sweet that devi never threw it away in the first place. and by bringing it back, i felt like you could visibly feel just how much they've grown from 105. like they're young adults joking around about things they did when they were fifteen and slightly crazier.

also these two idiots both thinking of each other but being too scared to communicate it!

kind of insane to imagine how different their relationship would have panned out had devi not gone on that model un trip. neither of them may have taken home that gavel, but they both gained something infinitely sweeter 🫶🏼

[theroyalmisfitmess]

Ben and Devi are obviously endgame since they’re the couple being put at odds for narrative. and they’re the ones leading up to a confession at the end. paxton’s propose in the narrative and for devi’s life was always told by subtext: a distraction, a dream that devi used to find solace in but not longer fulfills her because she’s growing up and finding better coping mechanisms. ben has always been the real deal and i think a lot of that scares her because her feelings for ben developed out of her control. she didn’t plan on falling for him. her feelings for ben have always been bigger than what she feels for paxton that is mostly rooted in superficial factors.

Yep. Exactly this. It’s always been Ben. Every season ended with a revelation or happening relating him. Paxton was more of a tool to help Devi through her grief. Ben on the other hand—while also a tool to help Devi get distracted by her grief—was always the grounding love interest, keeping Devi in reality while he himself was struggling with facing his personal issues. He’s someone growing up with her, not merely helping her grow up.

Paxton is an incredible person and character, but he is at a different point in life. I said it before. Even if Devi can catch up to him, she shouldn’t have to because someone is proven to walk with her in life at the same pace—Ben Gross.

[furoruisa]

[blues-valentine]

It’s annoying seeing ppl act like everything ben has to offer aaa throwing insults at Devi and take out of context their entire dynamic and want to paint him as bully.

I think there’s legitimate reasons to find Ben unlikable but one of my biggest pet peeves upon interacting in this circle is the fake concern and refusal to acknowledge Ben and Devi’s dynamic for what it is and that NHIE is a comedy show and approaches scenes that way.

Ben and Devi’s entire dynamic was based on mutual rivalry. A big portion of this fandom wants to pretend Devi was a victim of Ben’s insults and their dynamic was one-sided, like she wasn’t giving exactly what she was receiving from him. They both go after each other. Their dynamic was born out of mutual "hate" and later turned into insults neither of them cares about. The point about Ben and Devi's comedic dynamic is that we as an audience should know that none of those insults are actually serious. Ben and Devi don't care.

But there's a side that wants to rally and be "morally superior".

Ben calling Devi UN did impact her and it was an awful thing to do and you can hate it while admitting that is a term that has not value anymore and both have moved on. Part of this fandom loves to take Ben's lines at face value but never mention that N*zi comment Devi threw at him (you dont care about Jewish people, get it). It's never been that deep once they found themselves in a genuine friendship.

You can hate his insensible comments from Season 1, and don’t ship him with Devi because that's valid. It's the refusal to acknowledge there’s a significant difference in his banter/insults with Devi since becoming friends. He really cares about her and would stop if she was uncomfortable (and she isn't). And, while I get why some people don't like the “David” – it has never been that deep on the show. Devi does not care. And that's a nickname Jaren uses for Maitreyi in real life too, might you. After 12 years, if Devi had wanted him to stop, she would’ve told him off but she doesn't care and it has turned into a term of endearment and familiarity, not a "degrading" nickname. Both Devi and Ben are mean towards each other in a comfortable space and would put boundaries if needed. You can absolutely agree that Ben is too brash and a condescending, privileged snub that has a lot to learn but it's not irredeemable. I like the fact he can be unlikable. I don’t consume media expecting flawless characters.

I feel like people came up with this whole “Ben entire persona is insulting Devi” because fan wars have become this thing where you need to make the other side the “enemy” to feel like you are in the “better” side. You don't have to like them but painting their dynamic as if he was Devi's bully is a bit wild. Ben has done incredible things for her and there’s a mutual friendship. They do seek each other out when the other needs them. He knows her like no one else does and it's always there to push her to be the best version both academically and with her loved ones. They are compatible because they are both driven and share the same humor. Devi likes that dynamic with Ben. She doesn’t feel dumb down by him but challenged. Both have grown and their banter has become more friendly because now they know neither of them are serious. You can hate it, don’t enjoy it but it’s the lies about their dynamic that feels like nitpicking and if I didn't watch the show and it's context I would think he is awful too.

And Ben is literally head over heels for that girl. He thinks she’s perfect and she knows it. Devi is not longer the poor insecure girl some want her to be. Let them insult each other as part of their kinky full hatred flirting ways and move on. It’s never been that serious. I think there’s other ships that deserve that energy instead.

[basiltonpitch]

DYING at jaren’s “blue dinner plate eyeballs” 💀 s4 is getting a lot of (well deserved) criticism on here, but what’s something you think the season knocked out of the park? i’m trying to promote positivity ☺️

am i wrong tho that man has the BIGGEST brightest blue eyes i've ever seen and god does he know how to emote with them

as for what i think season 4 did well - a lot, actually! i do think a good bit of the criticism i've seen is well deserved too, but overall i had an absolutely delightful time watching it, and i'm going to start my first rewatch today. a lot of what i see people talking about is the love triangle + endgame which, well, obviously i'm thrilled about that! but i don't see nearly enough talk about devi's relationship with nalini this season, and i loved how that was portrayed. devi being okay with nalini dating again - even going out of her way to try and reconcile with margot so her mom can have this shot at love?? obsessed. i love plotting devi and i love plotting devi even more when she's using her skills for good.

i think the standout nalini/devi moment for me though is in 4x10 - when devi screams "you can't help me! you're not even here! you're not even real!" at mohan and then nalini immediately walks in. something something - mohan isn't there to be what she needs, but nalini is. despite everything they've been through, despite the loss and hurt and fights, nalini has been there. even when it was hard. even when she was struggling to figure out what to do what was right for their family, for devi, for herself. nalini is there. and i am stuck on these lines: "i don't know how to pack." "well, let's just do it together then." and "i can't do anything without you." "yes, you can. you just don't have to do it right now." the whole scene had me bawling my eyes out - and i'm rewatching it rn to get the lines accurate and yeah, no, still fucking crying. just - yeah, nalini isn't always going to be there for devi, especially when they're on opposite coasts. but she's here now. she's here, and she can help. they can do it together.