12 DAYS OF RINA DAY FIVE → favourite episode(s) [insp]

12 DAYS OF RINA ❆ day two: ricky day (insp)

12 DAYS OF RINA day 1 ★ gina day (insp.)

12 DAYS OF RINA DAY ONE → gina (in/sp)

This holiday season, RINACENTRAL is hosting 12 DAYS OF RINA, an event taking place from dec 14 to dec 25, to spread some rina cheer and celebrate the talented creators in this fandom! to participate, just make any original creations that adhere to the prompts listed below

day 1 (dec 14) - gina day day 2 (dec 15) - ricky day day 3 (dec 16) - favorite quote day 4 (dec 17) - favorite musical moment day 5 (dec 18) - favorite episode day 6 (dec 19) - favorite season day 7 (dec 20) - parallels/tropes/motifs day 8 (dec 21) - underrated moments / alternate universe day 9 (dec 22) - rina + person/place/thing day 10 (dec 23) - song/poem association day 11 (dec 24) - complementary colors day 12 (dec 25) - happy holidays! (free choice)

be sure to tag your posts with #12daysofrina & #rinacentral so that we see them!

"I feel so seen, so understood, and so known"

There are so many great and iconic quotes between Ricky and Gina, but the one that I think encapsulates their relationship perfectly is "But with you, I feel so seen, so understood, and so known." I think you Rinas already know why, but it's worth exploring anyway (maybe there'll be some rogue non-shipper who reads this and gets it).

Ricky was the first and only character to see Gina as more than the scary new girl when she first started at EHS. Even before connecting with her in the car (1x05), he still didn't see her intensity and drive as something to be intimidated by, as everyone else did. In fact, he sees her as exceptionally talented and that her confidence is warranted, as shown in 1x06 when he says she's good at "everything else" (he also becomes her "wow" guy throughout the rest of the series). Even though he acknowledged that others thought she was scary, he never describes her as such in his own words. When he calls her out at Homecoming, he comments that everyone else believes these things about her, but he didn't include himself in that category beforehand. I also think that comment itself is showing that he sees through her half-baked ploy and that she's more than this front she's putting on. Then, their connection really takes root in the coat check scene and they both realize how much they have in common. Throughout the rest of the season and into S2, we see these glimmers of Ricky just getting Gina - when he understands that she tends to push herself beyond her limits, and when he tenderly encourages her to be vulnerable when she's getting emotional in the S2 flashback. Even in S3, we see Ricky give Gina the support and encouragement she was wanting as the lead when the rest of the cast was wrapped up in their own issues. S4 has Gina (and the audience) reflect on how Ricky was the first person who made SLC feel like home to Gina, all through him not only seeing her as she really is, but celebrating the parts of her that she was ashamed of or others found unsavory. He saw and celebrated both the edgier and softer parts of her, and when she found a healthy balance of these qualities, she let herself finally be Gina.

Likewise, Gina served as the character who saw and understood Ricky when no one else did. We see all throughout S1 that Gina was the one character who could not only empathize with what he was going through, but also is capable of helping him work through his feelings in a positive way. An incredible example of this is 1x10, when he's in the hallway and tells her about Todd. Rather than shame him for walking off stage, she successfully encourages to go back to watch the show and support the cast, even if seeing EJ as Troy is understandably bothersome. Also, a really interesting moment of understanding Ricky and Gina share in S2 is Valentine's day that I want to highlight. In 2x01, Ricky opens his gift from Nini (a skateboard), and he has a rather withdrawn response, since it reminds him of his first gift from his mom and that she's not there for Christmas. Nini clearly has sympathy for him, but she doesn't really know what to say so he quickly changes the subject. Contrast this with his scene with Gina in 2x03, where she brings up that she's missing her mom on their special holiday, reminding Ricky that the person who does understand exactly what he's experiencing with his mom is Gina. As it pertained to theater, where Ricky felt inadequate or ashamed of his inexperience, Gina saw someone who could make the show truly special because he was new to it.

This is what makes Ricky and Gina such a special and well written ship, in my opinion. Their stories are so beautifully tied to each other and they help each other become better, and they also see and celebrate the best parts of each other. There's mutual respect, understanding, and an abundance of love and appreciation for who the other truly is.

day five of twelve days of rina: favorite episodes 🤩

I’m doing one from each season because I’m like that and can’t choose

season one: episode five - homecoming

homecoming is obviously one of the most important and essential episodes to rina’s storyline. This is where they all got started, this is when they really started to shine, and obviously without this episode there really wouldn’t be a rina. their chemistry was off the charts in this episode and honestly going back and seeing how genuine they are with each other and how they can be so fresh and just honest with each other; man it really is something else. rini never held a candle to rina, looking back on it. They never stood a chance. “I thought we sort of, like, got each other” and “You know I meant what I said. at the skate park, about you having your own style. I don't even think I knew how much I meant it when I said it.” like dude. monumental. Already these two characters are having such a profound effect on each other and it’s been only a couple of months. AND THE CHEEK KISS. THE FREAKING CHEEK KISS. because for me, rina was never really a thought in my mind until that kiss. Until Gina showed me that she was opening up her hard heart to the brown curly haired boy with the great voice and sass for days. until Ricky showed me he wasn’t opposed to it. until their chemistry was so off the charts I was blown away.

season two: episode four - the quincenero

okay, hear me out, this episode is actually pretty important to rina. There’s a ton of character growth from Gina specifically. obviously there are other moments but I really do like the moment where Ricky comes to Gina for advice about nini and she says that maybe they shouldn’t give advice to each other and she’s not nini. which I think is a beautiful parallel, looking back on it, to when Ricky didn’t try and convince Gina to stay in slc and not do the movie because he’d already had an experience with nini where he did tell her that and she completely fumbled and freaked out. which, understandable, whatever. That’s her. But the thing is, that’s what gina wants. Gina wants to be set apart from nini, Gina is completely different from nini and in this episode she’s trying to tell him that (which she’s right, bc nini did not like it at all when Ricky revealed he’d talked to miss Jenn about getting nini in the show, but the fact remains is that Gina said she’d be flattered but said “I’m not nini and we’re not dating” to try and tell Ricky that maybe that’s not what nini wants). Gina is telling him that the things that work for her are not going to work for nini because they are two different people and their relationships - both romantic and platonic, current and future - are entirely different. which is so profound and beautiful when you compare that to Ricky’s aversion of change and you see how nini and Ricky’s relationship began to fail because Ricky was using things Gina had told him all along. which is kind of emotional cheating but wtv. anyways, the fact that Ricky was dating the person he was “most comfortable with” but using the girl who represents change’s advice is something I just love. And I’m sure I’m not explaining it well, so if anyone sees this and wants to add/explain better pls do.

season three: episode five - the real campers of shallow lake

okay I absolutely love this episode and not just because of the rina content. everything about the drama between Maddox and jet to portwell drama to Ashlyn and Val and obviously Ricky angst and feisty gina makes this episode so 💋 but obviously, I’m here to talk about the what do you know about love duet. Which Ricky/josh and Gina/sofia ABSOLUTELY SLAPPED and I gave them a standing ovation as soon as it was finished. because this was EVERYTHING. Kourtney’s clear approval, Val’s interpretation of the whole thing, their freaking history, Carlos’s encouragement, ej’s uncomfortableness, it’s all perfection. their playful banter, their voices, this being their first duet, ugh it does things to me. And the fact that it really does represent gina as anna and Ricky as Kristoff seeing that Gina is in a brand new relationship and thinks everything is rainbows and butterflies while Ricky, who has only experienced love where he has to work for the other person and strive to make things work instead of it being more effortless and easy (as rina are later) is amazing and beautiful. I could explain this more later but I don’t want to run out of room so if you want to know more, lmk. and also the “rebound” afterwards where RICKY APOLOGIZES FOR HIS INTENSITY KNOWING GI WAS EQUALLY AS INTENSE because he knows something is up with ej. but he wants to be there for gi. He wants her first relationship to go well, and he defends her to ej as well telling him that she’s just tired and coming down from the rehearsal. watch out world, Ricky Bowen will defend Gina Porter with his entire being.

season four: episode five - admissions

AGHHHHHHHHHH this episode lowkey might be my favorite of the entire series. but then again I loved every moment of every episode so I won’t say that. But this episode is MONUMENTAL for both Gina and Ricky and especially in their relationship. Gina finally opens up to her mom abt her and Ricky, Ricky opens up to ej about his fears and confronts his tendency to hide when things go wrong, and it all culminates in a beautiful second chance confession rain kiss spin hug. UGH, Tim, my FRICKIN HEART! I really do love the conversation between ej and Ricky because they truly are brothers and besties. ej truly helps Ricky so so much. And I could have a whole conversation about their conversation and all the ways it is beautiful but I won’t. Gina, meanwhile, is coming to the realization that Ricky is her inspiration and Ricky is the reason why she is happy. Ricky Bowen makes her the happiest she has ever been and it physically hurts her that her mother does not know this (it hurt me, as a viewer!) and the beautiful second chance playing as Ricky sees Mack and Gina and turns away~ it really shows that 02x12 really was about Gina all along, it was never about lilly. it was always Gina. nobody else ever stood a chance.

12 DAYS OF RINA DAY FOUR → favourite musical moment(s)

12 DAYS OF RINA ❆ day one: gina day (insp)

12 DAYS OF RINA DAY THREE → favourite quote(s)

12 DAYS OF RINA DAY ONE → gina day [insp]

12 DAYS OF RINA DAY TWO → ricky day [insp]

Today’s prompt for twelve days of rina is favorite musical moment. I am going to be completely honest I have no idea what this means. Is it talking about song wise or like actually performance wise during an actual musical?

I’m gonna go with the first one.

my absolute favorite rina song has to be love you forever. and sure, Gina really doesn’t sing a whole lot during the song but does that matter? No. It’s about Gina, for Gina, to Gina. the implications of this song are incredible. Ricky is promising his whole life and forever to this girl. he’s known her for a year and a half basically and thru that year they have been thru so much together. They’ve grown together, grown apart, grown towards each other, and now are growing together again. some of my favorite absolute lines from love you forever(this might turn into a whole lyrical analysis bc there are so many good lyrics so just buckle up):

“I’ve never been more sure of what I’ve got, I’m staring at the only thing I want, so”

UGH. this line. It kills me, every time! Ricky is confident in his love for Gina. He knows what he feels and he’s known it for a while, but the problem is he didn’t know when to tell her. their lives have been a whirlwind of crazy for a couple of months but I am fairly certain that Richard Bowen has moved Gina Porter for a long time.

“I’ve been running I don’t know what from”

this is Ricky Bowen to a tee. He’s the guy who runs, he’s the guy who disappears when things get rough, he’s the guy who hides away when he doesn’t want to confront his feelings. so the fact that Ricky is now admitting this to Gina and showing her now that he knows what he’s done in the past but he’s changing! He’s gone thru so much character growth and he’s better for it! And I think that takes so much courage to be able to admit that because everyone he’s friends with knows Ricky’s habits. they can put two and two together. The camera guys, they don’t get the meaning of this line, eh whatever, he’s noncommittal, but it’s not that, it is so much more than that, and Gina knows that and Gina gets that.

“but you and I’ve become a sacred kinda home”

ah yes. this line. Gina is Ricky’s home. Gina is the place where she feels seen, and understood, and known. Ricky was the first person to see Gina for who she truly was and look past all of the intimidation and the fronts she was putting on so people wouldn’t know the real her. but Ricky saw her for who she was. and for me, this is a promise to Ricky. They’re building their own sacred home together and that to me is so special.

“so rare so real right here in this moment”

oh my. I love this line so much. the usage of the word rare is so amazing I have no words, bc rare really does define Gina and Ricky’s relationship. they’ve gone thru so many unique problems and really did get it all, because in so many movies you can’t have it all. If this were any other show Gina would have had to pick between New Zealand and Ricky, between her future job and her future love. but in this case her futures are tied together, they are one and the same, if that makes sense. she can have both and she will have both, because Ricky and Gina’s relationship is rare and true and beautiful and absolutely real.

“cause I love you feels a lot like high school and forever after that”

again, I just love this line because of the implication that rina can and will have everything that they want. they beat the odds, essentially. They’re meant to be and they’ve proven it. love can be found all over, whether romantic or platonic even. The relationships that you make in high school don’t have to end when you graduate - they can last forever beyond that and Ricky and Gina are proving it. and like I said earlier, how in some movies the girl has to choice between her dream career and her dream guy and with hsmtmts season four, she doesn’t. She makes her own future with both of her dreams in it. and that is so powerful and profound. bless these script writers and these song writers.

“I wanna finish what we started in the stairwell where we met”

oh my gawwww-

this is probably one of the most rooted lines in rinas history (that sentence did not make sense but I’m too tired to find out a way for it to make sense so suck it up). the fact that they met and instantly clicked and had a gut instinct from a two minute conversation in a stairwell about an ex and how to win her back. Even when Ricky didn’t think he was going to speak to her ever again both of them did what they do best: give each other some of the best advice of their lives, whether they realized it or not. Gina wouldn’t have gone to theater club if not for Ricky. Ricky wouldn’t have sang itikyk and gotten Troy and started rina on this whole crazy journey if he hadn’t spoken to this “intimidating” girl and gotten her advice. and even though we know this flashback wasn’t shot originally in season one (I’m pretty sure, right?) you can tell that the chemistry is off the charts. From one sighting. and the “finishing what we started,” going big with the declaration of love, that’s what Ricky is finishing. He’s finishing what they started but also continuing their love story on. and that is beautiful and heartbreaking and I will never ever be over them.

rina coded

because they didn’t mean to fall for each other. they weren’t even planned within the show. Until they were so rare and so real with one moment in Ricky’s ugly orange car that it completely changed the trajectory of the show. and here we are now.

so I missed yesterdays Gina day (I wuv u gi) but today is Ricky day and I actually have time to say something.

Ricky is my everything. he is my favorite character, full stop. He’s funny, he’s sweet, he’s adorable, he’s stupid, he’s cute, he can sing like nobody’s business, he is charming, he’s passionate, he has an amazing smile, he never fails to cheer his girlfriend up, he is a WONDERFUL boyfriend, he’s stubborn, he’s protective, and he has absolutely stolen my heart (along with so many others, I think). he’s an absolute simp and a great friend. he never breaks his promises and loves like there is no tomorrow. He will always have your back and loves puppies. he is someone you can confide in and someone you can put your trust in. I know it’s only a four season show but it’s truly been the most incredible four years of my life. this show has truly changed my life and Ricky Bowen truly was a huge part of that. There are not enough words I can use to describe him. even though the show is over I know. we know. The fandom knows! I know that in the future he has over five dogs with Gina and two adorable little girls and teaches music and has music of his own and absolutely slaps every red carpet event he goes to with Gina Porter Bowen. I know that he is the most loving and supportive husband you will ever meet. I know his friendship with Carlos continues to be one of the most genuine friendships. I know his brotherhood with ej continues to grow and they become even closer. I know that jet is his snarky lil sidekick who is rude or die with everything Ricky does. I know that Ricky teaches Gina how to skateboard but cannot stop laughing or having a panic attack at how many times she falls. I know that Ricky has to teach himself a ton of first aid because of how freaking clumsy his girlfriend and eventually wife can be. and so much more. he is who I wish to be, who I would look up to as a brother figure, and literally fabulous in every way. I’m so sad that the season four was the last season but I’m so thankful for all of the Ricky content and especially for all of the Ricky growth. and also thankful that the season and the show was able to end on its own terms pre strike. anyways, that’s all that I have to say (for now 😉) looking forward for tomorrow! love u Ricky bubs!

day three of twelve days of rina! Today is “favorite quote.” this shouldn’t be hard at all…

honestly, hsmtmts is one of the funniest, most quotable and relatable shows ever. these characters make me laugh so hard it’s impossible to pick just one quote - especially Ricky and Gina. so I’m gonna bend the rules a little bit and do a quote for each of them.

Ricky: either “I thought we sort of, like, got each other,” or “yeah, but you’re like, one in a million talented.” Also the entirety of love you forever. the first two quotes are from the beginning days of rina!! When their relationship and friendship was just blossoming!! And while I can’t say that I was a die hard rina fan until, like, season two, looking back now and rewatching the earlier seasons and seeing the shift during and after homecoming - there is no doubt in my mind about those two. Ricky constantly supports Gina and constantly has good things to say about her.

Gina: “don’t get me started,” “but I think the problem is that maybe isn’t good enough for me right now,” or “I wouldn’t quit on us if I wasn’t moving away.” Honestly, Gina’s iconic. She’s so fierce and take charge and stands up for what she wants. she isn’t afraid to speak her truth and she knows what is good for her. anyways, it was actually really hard to remember and find all these quotes 😭😭😭 there’s too many choose!!!