You knew I was going to love this, but... I love this! A lot. :D
The twist here is just absolutely perfect, and I love it for so many reasons. Let me count the ways! First of all, I adore it because it gives weight and meaning to all the heavy emotional lifting Vince and Howard have been doing during the switch--the scars they've bared, the painful feelings they've unearthed, the fears and anxieties and feelings they've admitted to each other. If everything just got magically snapped back to the way it was and they lost what they'd gained, it would all feel so futile! After all, their issues were still their issues BEFORE the switch. Howard's fear of being vulnerable or a disappointment was there. Vince's fear of abandonment and anger were still there. It's just that the switch enabled them to finally start addressing those things and working on them and sharing them with each other instead of hiding it all and reacting at each other. It's also psychologically and emotionally realistic for their issues to not be all immediately and neatly resolved with a magic tingle and some atmospheric "magic bathing epiphany" music. Working through complicated, hurty, internalized issues takes time and patience, and having a magic spell do it all for them would cheapen that. It means much more that they each pledge to each other--without knowing they've already broken the spell--that they are in this together and they'll make this work, come what may.
I also love this because it means that they'll retain what they've learned about appreciating the other person's POV and frustrations and weak points, which will ultimately make them better and more understanding partners to each other. Howard is clearly more aware of and attentive to Vince's emotions than he was before--and look at him remembering to actually ASK Vince whether he likes being called Little Man, or if that feels condescending. That's real progress! (But of course Vince loves it. It hints at the parental affection he always wanted, craves so badly, but never really got. He's always wanted to be cherished by somebody.)
Yet another reason I love this twist, and it's a big one: now they can't psych themselves out of the progress they've made, because they already have proof that they CAN do the things they were so afraid they would not be able to do, and it was unforced--they didn't need any magical persuasion to do them. It was maybe not QUITE as easy as before, but they can totally do these things. Howard CAN let Vince take the lead and allow himself to be vulnerable. Howard CAN be openly emotional. Vince CAN express his anger/irritation openly. Vince CAN take control sometimes and be forward about his desire. Howard clearly can (and does) enjoy bottoming. Howard can allow himself to be touched without a panic attack, can let Vince tenderly fuss with his hair and recognize that it's done out of love and a sincere desire to make him look his best. Vince says that he wants to go back to the way things were, but also doesn't want to lose what they've gained, and it turns out... they can totally do that! They won't lose what they've gained. Now they just need to figure out how to get back to "normal," more or less... but I suspect they are closer on that score than they realized. They've already been getting their old rapport back, since the emotional discussion the night before: singing songs and making them up together, cuddling, enjoying each others company. It might take them a while to get their heads around the reality of this, but they'll get there.
And the river! I love that that final plunge is, more or less, a trust exercise, with Vince having to trust that Howard will hold onto him and keep him safe. I also love that it echoes their escape from having walked the plank, with Howard having to actively work past his own fear (in this case, triggering the memory of the Spirit of Jazz) in order to be there for Vince. In a way, that's what this whole trip has been about for both of them, and it's a lot of what good relationships are about: working past your own discomfort and issues to be there for the other person when they need you, and supporting each other.
The twist here is just absolutely perfect, and I love it for so many reasons. Let me count the ways! First of all, I adore it because it gives weight and meaning to all the heavy emotional lifting Vince and Howard have been doing during the switch--the scars they've bared, the painful feelings they've unearthed, the fears and anxieties and feelings they've admitted to each other. If everything just got magically snapped back to the way it was and they lost what they'd gained, it would all feel so futile! After all, their issues were still their issues BEFORE the switch. Howard's fear of being vulnerable or a disappointment was there. Vince's fear of abandonment and anger were still there. It's just that the switch enabled them to finally start addressing those things and working on them and sharing them with each other instead of hiding it all and reacting at each other. It's also psychologically and emotionally realistic for their issues to not be all immediately and neatly resolved with a magic tingle and some atmospheric "magic bathing epiphany" music. Working through complicated, hurty, internalized issues takes time and patience, and having a magic spell do it all for them would cheapen that. It means much more that they each pledge to each other--without knowing they've already broken the spell--that they are in this together and they'll make this work, come what may.
I also love this because it means that they'll retain what they've learned about appreciating the other person's POV and frustrations and weak points, which will ultimately make them better and more understanding partners to each other. Howard is clearly more aware of and attentive to Vince's emotions than he was before--and look at him remembering to actually ASK Vince whether he likes being called Little Man, or if that feels condescending. That's real progress! (But of course Vince loves it. It hints at the parental affection he always wanted, craves so badly, but never really got. He's always wanted to be cherished by somebody.)
Yet another reason I love this twist, and it's a big one: now they can't psych themselves out of the progress they've made, because they already have proof that they CAN do the things they were so afraid they would not be able to do, and it was unforced--they didn't need any magical persuasion to do them. It was maybe not QUITE as easy as before, but they can totally do these things. Howard CAN let Vince take the lead and allow himself to be vulnerable. Howard CAN be openly emotional. Vince CAN express his anger/irritation openly. Vince CAN take control sometimes and be forward about his desire. Howard clearly can (and does) enjoy bottoming. Howard can allow himself to be touched without a panic attack, can let Vince tenderly fuss with his hair and recognize that it's done out of love and a sincere desire to make him look his best. Vince says that he wants to go back to the way things were, but also doesn't want to lose what they've gained, and it turns out... they can totally do that! They won't lose what they've gained. Now they just need to figure out how to get back to "normal," more or less... but I suspect they are closer on that score than they realized. They've already been getting their old rapport back, since the emotional discussion the night before: singing songs and making them up together, cuddling, enjoying each others company. It might take them a while to get their heads around the reality of this, but they'll get there.
And the river! I love that that final plunge is, more or less, a trust exercise, with Vince having to trust that Howard will hold onto him and keep him safe. I also love that it echoes their escape from having walked the plank, with Howard having to actively work past his own fear (in this case, triggering the memory of the Spirit of Jazz) in order to be there for Vince. In a way, that's what this whole trip has been about for both of them, and it's a lot of what good relationships are about: working past your own discomfort and issues to be there for the other person when they need you, and supporting each other.
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