In the third part of the eleventh chapter of Games Wizards Play, Nita makes a surprising new friend, and then she makes a surprising move. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Young Wizards.Â
In my heart, Pluto will always be a planet. I WILL FIGHT Y’ALL. That pesky thing called “science†can go bother someone else. Of course, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not that important that Pluto be a planet, right? That’s the brilliance in Duane’s personification of the planetary body, and I somehow liked this even more than meeting Jupiter.
I suppose it’s the quiet nature of Pluto that appealed to me. Look, if any of y’all have ever been socially awkward, you know that parties can hold a complicated meaning to us. Of course, it matters what your individual relationship is with anxiety; I find that I can be extroverted with a purpose for a long time, but I become painfully drained and withdrawn once I need to stop being social. On top of that, I never quite know what might trigger an anxiety attack, either! If I don’t know people at a party or a social event, I turn into Pluto: I hang out around the edges, I withdraw into myself, and I look like I don’t belong. So yes, I absolutely relate to the humanoid manifestation of the planet Pluto, and it’s wonderful that I get to type that sentence.
Aside from that, Nita’s conversation with Pluto felt so muted in comparison with the raging party. It’s always nice to find moments like that amidst chaos, and it allowed Nita a moment of introspection. (And humor, given that I FORGOT THAT NITA DROPPED DAIRINE’S BED ON PLUTO, OH MY GOD.) I believe that it’s because of this that she finds herself in the right state of mind to advance her relationship with Kit. Well, I don’t want to ignore the other stimulant, despite that HE CONTINUES TO UPSET ME. Seriously, is he ever going to stop being rude and gross? Penn’s treatment of Nita has now hit on possibly every iteration of being awful, except just when I think he’s found the last one, he introduces me to a NEW way to be a jerk. This time, he insists that Nita is just hiding the way she really feels about him! Ironically, she kinda is? Except it’s far more negative than he thinks it is. Which almost baffles me because he can’t possibly think she secretly likes him, right? EXCEPT I AM NOT SURPRISED BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT MEN THINK. Perhaps he truly is one of those men who believe that a “No†is just a chance to persuade a woman further.
UGH.
Bless Kit for coming to Nita’s aid, even if she didn’t need it. I’m more than certain that she can handle him on her own, but I like that he doesn’t push her to let her be some sort of white knight for her. Instead, he’s just supportive. So, that interaction, combined with the calming and unique conversations that she had with Jupiter and Pluto, leave Nita in a good place. When Kit led her to the dance floor, I got the sense that she finally was able to feel comfortable with him in a way that she hadn’t before. That slow dance scene is INCREDIBLY fantastic, y’all, and it reminded me of what it was like to finally start dating a boy years ago. I know it’s not directly analogous, but I appreciate that the dynamic here was still applicable: new love or affection can be such an infectious, thrilling thing. And it is scary, isn’t it? It’s scary to be vulnerable alongside someone else, but when that person feels right, that fear can transform into something else.
And here, it’s a chance for these two to be intimate in a very public way. I respect that Kit asks if he can take it a step further, and then doesn’t push Nita when she says that the next step has to be on their own terms. (I mean, seriously, no kissing with Penn in view. I LOATHE TO THINK HOW HE WOULD REACT.) But it’s imminent, isn’t it??? IT TOTALLY IS.
https://youtu.be/obUAB7_6oxM
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