Wondering if others think this as well?
Please don’t come after me! I’m definitely not trying to convince anyone that Jinx and Ekko couldn’t or won’t happen, simply wanted to share what I thought and was curious if others agree. I think shipping is fun and makes up a decent portion of almost any community/fandom but I feel there should come a fine line between whats passed as fact and what is often headcanon which causes confusion amongst fans. Most of what I’ll say is debatable (as I think was the intention). I personally just felt that while it’s clear that Ekko has feelings for the version of Powder he met in the AU who reciprocated his feelings, we never see Jinx in the MU share those same feelings (could something have happened in the unseen conversation they had in s2? Maybe but we never saw it and nothing we have seen would suggest something did, it’s simply up for conjecture for now). The painted markings on Ekko in the final battle to me was simply symbolic of their reconciliation as friends and not romantic, they were best friend growing up before anything after all.
I’ve also seen that many like to point to the official and canon art book as proof that jinx did show hints of something for Ekko through little doodles (as a disclaimer I don’t own the book and can’t speak 100% on it). from the photos I’ve seen on Reddit posts it’s seemingly up for debate whether she is implying anything romantic or not. Personally don’t think so (a little heart vaguely next to a doodle of Ekko where he is also portrayed as a little dog is not solid proof in my opinion and the “best boy” or “cute” comments/notes could definitely be interpreted as friendly and platonic or as a general comment on the art as a whole especially in relation to them being cute little drawings). Aside from that, with a little googling I did there seems to be different editions of the book with different covers (three if you include one with blue cover art that looks almost identical to the pink one). One with green neon cover art that people refer to as proof and a pink neon one that doesn’t include the doodles people refer to on the cover as proof (if they are included in both please provide photos to clear up the air). Are they both canon in the context of them being a part of Jinx’s journal? What’s the story on that? if anyone has an answer please refer me to a source where it shows or says so. Regardless, I personally tend to write off material that is not initially included in the main source material like the show itself (just want to be fully transparent in my thinking, I know this is particularly biased on my end). If it’s not readily available to everyone through casual viewing and was seemingly excluded from the episodes in the end, how much weight does it actually carry? (please don’t take this as me hating on the art book, it’s beautiful and serves as a nice companion/collector piece for die hard fans I think).
Finally I’ve seen some folks mention the interview with Christian Linke where he was asked about Timebomb and was quoted as saying "And so I think that it’s really beautiful and it really was what Ekko needed you know? To kinda see...I mean Powder is such an amazing example of what Zaun can be and I think that's worth continuing their story for." The way I took that was that he simply meant that the powder from the AU was like a vision of inspiration for Ekko and not just a plot device to mention to Jinx later to convince her to help and that there’s good in her. It would be more symbolic in relation with him becoming a leader and voice for the people and not just for the firelights. Helping build a Zaun that everyone can live harmoniously in and sorta sharing the comfort and security he felt in the AU from Powder with everyone in Zaun, symbolically sharing the love he felt for Powder. For Jinx it would be more literal in relation with her redemption arc and her coming to terms with her trauma. Finding balance, knowing that it’s possible for her to be something more than just someone who causes pain through the context of AU powder without having to run head first into destruction and why I think she’s survived (not necessarily becoming like AU Powder but something in between). I think they will see each other again but not necessarily romantically. Honestly sorta felt like he was avoiding confirming anything to keep the hype going for those who want to see it happen in the MU and to leave Jinx’s fate as ambiguous.
Ultimately nothing is for certain and I think that was intentional. I’m sure they saw the traction the ship got for the music video from s1 coupled with the attention of the bridge fight in the same season and wanted to capitalize on that. I simply felt there wasn’t any clear sign on Jinx’s side that made narrative sense the ship was possible in the MU as it stands. Could things change in the future? Maybe but any clear answer is probably very far away. The pair is definitely cute but I felt only worked in the context of Powder from the AU as she felt so far removed from the Jinx we know in the MU and the harm she caused for the firelights and in turn Ekko (did she do the right thing in the end? Yes. Would that be easily forgiven in the span of the time it took to prepare for the final battle? Highly unrealistic in my opinion. I think most of the firelights simply understood that they needed all the help they could get and were willing to put aside differences). I’m very curious to know what most think from an objective view? Please keeps things civil! My intention with this is not to stir the pot but to see what others thought and if anyone agrees with my opinions or maybe notice a key detail that perhaps others missed. Sorry for the long read!
Please don’t come after me! I’m definitely not trying to convince anyone that Jinx and Ekko couldn’t or won’t happen, simply wanted to share what I thought and was curious if others agree. I think shipping is fun and makes up a decent portion of almost any community/fandom but I feel there should come a fine line between whats passed as fact and what is often headcanon which causes confusion amongst fans. Most of what I’ll say is debatable (as I think was the intention). I personally just felt that while it’s clear that Ekko has feelings for the version of Powder he met in the AU who reciprocated his feelings, we never see Jinx in the MU share those same feelings (could something have happened in the unseen conversation they had in s2? Maybe but we never saw it and nothing we have seen would suggest something did, it’s simply up for conjecture for now). The painted markings on Ekko in the final battle to me was simply symbolic of their reconciliation as friends and not romantic, they were best friend growing up before anything after all.
I’ve also seen that many like to point to the official and canon art book as proof that jinx did show hints of something for Ekko through little doodles (as a disclaimer I don’t own the book and can’t speak 100% on it). from the photos I’ve seen on Reddit posts it’s seemingly up for debate whether she is implying anything romantic or not. Personally don’t think so (a little heart vaguely next to a doodle of Ekko where he is also portrayed as a little dog is not solid proof in my opinion and the “best boy” or “cute” comments/notes could definitely be interpreted as friendly and platonic or as a general comment on the art as a whole especially in relation to them being cute little drawings). Aside from that, with a little googling I did there seems to be different editions of the book with different covers (three if you include one with blue cover art that looks almost identical to the pink one). One with green neon cover art that people refer to as proof and a pink neon one that doesn’t include the doodles people refer to on the cover as proof (if they are included in both please provide photos to clear up the air). Are they both canon in the context of them being a part of Jinx’s journal? What’s the story on that? if anyone has an answer please refer me to a source where it shows or says so. Regardless, I personally tend to write off material that is not initially included in the main source material like the show itself (just want to be fully transparent in my thinking, I know this is particularly biased on my end). If it’s not readily available to everyone through casual viewing and was seemingly excluded from the episodes in the end, how much weight does it actually carry? (please don’t take this as me hating on the art book, it’s beautiful and serves as a nice companion/collector piece for die hard fans I think).
Finally I’ve seen some folks mention the interview with Christian Linke where he was asked about Timebomb and was quoted as saying "And so I think that it’s really beautiful and it really was what Ekko needed you know? To kinda see...I mean Powder is such an amazing example of what Zaun can be and I think that's worth continuing their story for." The way I took that was that he simply meant that the powder from the AU was like a vision of inspiration for Ekko and not just a plot device to mention to Jinx later to convince her to help and that there’s good in her. It would be more symbolic in relation with him becoming a leader and voice for the people and not just for the firelights. Helping build a Zaun that everyone can live harmoniously in and sorta sharing the comfort and security he felt in the AU from Powder with everyone in Zaun, symbolically sharing the love he felt for Powder. For Jinx it would be more literal in relation with her redemption arc and her coming to terms with her trauma. Finding balance, knowing that it’s possible for her to be something more than just someone who causes pain through the context of AU powder without having to run head first into destruction and why I think she’s survived (not necessarily becoming like AU Powder but something in between). I think they will see each other again but not necessarily romantically. Honestly sorta felt like he was avoiding confirming anything to keep the hype going for those who want to see it happen in the MU and to leave Jinx’s fate as ambiguous.
Ultimately nothing is for certain and I think that was intentional. I’m sure they saw the traction the ship got for the music video from s1 coupled with the attention of the bridge fight in the same season and wanted to capitalize on that. I simply felt there wasn’t any clear sign on Jinx’s side that made narrative sense the ship was possible in the MU as it stands. Could things change in the future? Maybe but any clear answer is probably very far away. The pair is definitely cute but I felt only worked in the context of Powder from the AU as she felt so far removed from the Jinx we know in the MU and the harm she caused for the firelights and in turn Ekko (did she do the right thing in the end? Yes. Would that be easily forgiven in the span of the time it took to prepare for the final battle? Highly unrealistic in my opinion. I think most of the firelights simply understood that they needed all the help they could get and were willing to put aside differences). I’m very curious to know what most think from an objective view? Please keeps things civil! My intention with this is not to stir the pot but to see what others thought and if anyone agrees with my opinions or maybe notice a key detail that perhaps others missed. Sorry for the long read!