Firestorms & Controlled Burns: The Themes of Maya Hart's Romances
Author's Note: Again, that you all for reading my essay and giving me your thoughts on these couples. No cruelty though, I want to keep this fandom civil. Also if you want to read the plotting and character aspects with Girl Meets World, check out my other essay on this site. There're only two essays left in this series, those being a GMW/BMW crossover essay, and a Boy Meets World episode essay.
Introduction
In my previous essay I discussed the failings of Girl Meets World, and prior to that essay, I analyzed the similarities between the Disney Channel's television programs So Weird and Girl Meets World. While the former primarily dealt with the sequel's flaws in general, I was critical of its secondary protagonist Maya (portrayed by Sabrina Carpenter) and the latter essay examined the shows at the surface level. Differences between those essays and this current one are that 'Firestorms and Controlled Burns' is a discourse on Maya Hart's romantic intrigues, origins of those actions, and the symbolic themes coloring her romances. Therefore, I'm lessening my criticism for this character and eschewing any friendship biases I have so I am only evaluating her Joshaya (Josh/Maya) and Lucaya (Lucas/Maya) relationships. My purpose for this essay is assessing both couples before concluding whether Josh or Lucas was better for Maya.
The thematic subjects intermingled with Maya's romances are that of Fire and Invidia – also known as envy – and how they act as hindrances and advances toward this Blonde Beauty's search for genuine love. Lucaya is the embodiment of a firestorm or an intense and destructive fire where air currents burn the fire more fiercely, Joshaya is a "controlled burn" where the fire's utilized as wildfire management and environmental transformation. The importance of these terms is that they aid in understanding the fire symbolism of Maya's romances. Fire is the dual desires of transformation and destruction, it warms us and lights our way home but potentially destroys whatever is in its path. Furthermore, envy is the driving force that dictated Maya's actions regarding her loved ones as well as her well-being. With that mentioned, what does this Blonde Rebellion yearn for in terms of love?
Maya — The Blonde Rebellion
"Cause all I am is a blonde rebellion / Won't hurt you, but I might hurt someone / Break you down 'til you're begging me to shout"—'Blonde Rebellion.' The Pretty Reckless
Who is Maya Penelope Hart other than best friend extraordinaire? As for personality, there was little more to her than the artistic, rebellious friend, what is known is that Maya Hart is the tomboy with a feminine streak – the inverse of Riley. Continuing from that point, Maya is irresponsible, rarely displaying forethought for her actions, yet always fought for her principles. Similar to Cory and Shawn, Maya led a homework rebellion with Riley following behind, then repeated her actions in 'Rules' now with Farkle and Lucas joining her instead. In terms of intelligence, Maya's street savvy, placing little emphasis on academic intelligence or intuition. In '1961' and the pilot, Maya strides down the subway terminal with Riley close behind, awestruck at her friend's confidence. In addition, Maya possesses poor impulse control and is prone to explosive emotions, mimicking fellow characters like Sam (iCarly) or Jade (Victorious), contrasting with Riley who attempts to keep everything calmed and controlled. As a further contradiction, Maya is a proponent of catastrophic change where Riley's adverse to it, but these attitudes are reversed because Riley preferred interpersonal change and Maya did not. For instance, when Riley transformed herself or her bedroom, Maya is resistant towards it preferring to keep everything unchanged. Maya didn't even want to attend high school at first. Coupled with this aversion, Maya struggled with understanding her moods except for stoicism and cynicism; positive emotions like adoration, happiness, or love, were lost on Maya unless aimed at Riley.
When reminiscing about her and Riley's introduction, Young Maya clasped her hand over Young Riley's mouth begging Riley not to shout because Maya's parents constantly do the same. This is later confirmed when Maya consoles Ava for her similar situation. ('High School') Moreover, this arguing distorted Maya's perception about love' and equated love with anger and resentment; Maya aimed her resentment at her father and at boys in general. For example, she often told the boys that they would be unable to handle her, even resorting to emasculating many of the boys in the show. In particular, Maya's insulted Farkle's science and theatre hobbies ('Honesty'), doing the same with Lucas' athleticism before mocking his Texan heritage. ('Meets Farkle', 'Pluto') A personal resentment over love explained why Maya Hart fought for dominance among her peers, such as grabbing five-sixth of her friends by their collars, and why our secondary protagonist shuns relationships. She actively pushed her loved ones away ('Pilot', 'Father'), yet simultaneously craved an all-consuming romance ('Ski Lodge'). Considering this, we're able to discuss how Invidia contributes to Maya Hart's relationships.
Regardless of her resentment, Maya became envious of her peers' romantic interactions. To begin, Maya never received a kiss in any of the three seasons, this intensified her need for experience yet she forgot that her prickly personality contributed to her inexperience. For once, Riley is surpassing her in life and Maya grows increasingly envious of her friend's romance with Lucas, wanting that same experience Riley has for herself. The Matthews often treated Maya as a second daughter and witnessing Cory and Topanga's marriage was like witnessing a dream love come to fruition. My generation loved 1990s Corpanga (Cory/Topanga), remaining unchanged nearly a decade later. Corpanga and Rucas (Riley/Lucas) cultivated hope within Maya that true love is possible, however, Maya wanted a fairy tale distinct of Riley and her parents' love. Instead of an Austen romance, Maya hungered for a Fabio romance perpetuated in part, because of Katy and Kermit's influence. Episodes 'Master Plan' and 'Ski Lodge' uncovered that Maya longs for an adventurous affair with her partners tinged with flirtation. From the fandom's perspective, Maya's forwardness toward boys is construed as romantic interest by theorists. In the pilot, Maya spurning Lucas in her "play flirting" was an indication that she harbored love for Lucas, even though she did so Rucas will begin dating. Granted, there's a situation reversal concerning Joshaya's relationship because initially, Josh did not reciprocate Maya's love, increasing her determination to date him and her jealousy of opposing girls approaching him. For example, Maya and Riley attended a college party, endangering their safety in the process so Josh sees Maya's worthiness as a girlfriend.
Relationship Invidia becomes cyclical because now Maya's jealousy is targeted at Riley when Maya does develop a crush on Lucas; resenting strangers is effortless but resenting her best friend created inner turmoil within Maya's heart. "I'm tired of keeping secrets from [Riley]", "What's wrong with both of us liking the same boy?" or how Maya stood devastated when Riley's love is exposed reiterated Maya's conflict. Additionally, by costuming herself like Riley ('Yearbook'), Maya subconsciously lures Lucas toward her when he fawns over Maya's impersonation. Maya repeated her seduction in her James Bond fantasy, claiming Lucas as her possession in the daydream, "Gorgeous is with me, Chipmunk" and that they're "the power couple" that nothing could tear them apart" ('Ski Lodge') Essentially, Maya's desire for a fairy tale affair drove her actions in the love triangle arc. But while Maya is portrayed as sympathetic and remorseful, as the storyline continued, Maya revealed her vindictiveness by betraying herself and her friends. Quoting Erich Fromm, "There is perhaps no phenomenon which contains so much destructive feeling as 'moral indignation,' which permits envy or hate to be acted out under the guise of virtue." Taking these points into consideration, what are the resemblances between Joshaya and Lucaya? Classmates used fire metaphors in arguments supporting Lucaya's versus rain/hurricane metaphors that represent Rucas, but this elemental metaphor extends to Joshaya as well. Overall, both boys represented adventure and passion, but is it Lucas or Josh who's better for Maya?
Maya & Lucas — A Firestorm
When analyzing Lucaya, this couple's themes fall under two sub-categories: Obligation and nonreciprocity, along with the destruction and stagnation. What's often overlooked is that Maya and Lucas dated because their acquaintances demanded they date, sharing this similarity with Shaty (Shawn/Katy). Shaty dated because their friends forced them to. ('Master Plan') Likewise, their History classmates voted Lucaya 'Best Couple,' yet they never considered dating a possibility before. "Why would anyone think we're a couple?" Maya asks, and later Lucas continued reiterated that the class does not dictate his dating life. However, through a miscommunication, Maya incorrectly deduced that Riley's love is platonic, in 'Texas 2' Riley assumed the inverse concerning Maya's emotions. "That's why you make fun of him, you like [Lucas]." Almost immediately, Maya's obligated to date Lucas when Riley insisted that Maya explore her feelings, then is forced on a date with him. ('Texas 3') This responsibility creates another connection to Shaty: Shawn is dates – and later marries – Katy so Maya will have a father, not because he reciprocates Katy's affections. "I care about your daughter" ('Hurricane') was a frequent phrase Shawn used to avoid telling Katy he loves her. This was analogous to Maya claiming ignorance for her love, "I don't know why I love Lucas," or "I don't know what I want anymore." What's peculiar though is Lucas' responsibility concerning his role in this situation, none of which he's able to provide. Their class constructed a Prince Charming out of him, Farkle equated Lucas with perfection, "Mr. Perfect," "a perfect freak," and Maya expected a rebel cowboy to romance her – no one wanted Normal Lucas except for Riley. Obviously, the yearbook catastrophe affected Lucas but not because he views Maya as a girlfriend, he is adamant that he doesn't, but his compromising personality forced him to date, Maya.
Several episodes later when the clique traveled to Texas, Lucas is forced to reevaluate his relationships with both protagonists, connecting his obligation to the theme of reciprocation. Doubtful of Riley's revelation, Lucas spent their entire vacation insisting that his love has always remained romantic toward her. At the campfire's climax, Lucas confessed that he grabbed Maya's face, so she'll stop talking then begged her not to tell Riley. (Maya: "Why did you do that? Lucas: "I don't know. I just... wanted you to stop. Please don't tell my sister." Maya: "You couldn't think of another way to stop me?" Lucas: "Not at the time. No.") This climax is partially romantic, but there's always the underlying fact that this scene happened because of the trio's rejection. Because Riley denied Lucas' advances he half-heartedly pursues Maya while simultaneously pining after the "Pretty Brunette." Because of how often Riley yields to Maya, this time sacrificing her love for him, Lucas dates Maya because it will make Riley happy, not because he's attracted to Maya. In fact, Lucas ignored Maya on their dates, being entranced with Riley throughout the night. ('Texas', 'New Years') But when Maya expresses gratitude that she's glad Lucas is with her at midnight and he discovered that Riley's love never changed, Lucas is compelled to overextend himself to please both girls. Just as jealousy has been Maya's detriment, Lucas' conceding nature and ambivalence, is Lucas' disadvantage.
Destruction and stagnation represented the other half of Lucaya's relationship, and after analyzing Joshaya/Lucaya loves there are connections between them and of the novel Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez. In terms of characterization Maya resembled Fermina Daza, and Josh and Lucas comparable to Florentino Ariza and Dr. Juvenal Urbino, respectively. Both boys are concerned over Maya like Florentino and Urbino are for Fermina, they're even unfaithful to Maya in some way like in Márquez's novel. What polarized fans on the boys' intentions were Joshaya's age difference and Lucas' indecision over Riley and Maya. These issues influenced fandom opinions that the boys were manipulating Maya's emotions and treating her as a default option. Additionally, the boys' interactions toward Maya are played straight with the love interests in the novel: Josh/Florentino is faithful toward Maya/Fermina, while Lucas/Urbino's tryst informs viewers that his infidelity was emotional and physical in nature. Specifically, Lucas attraction for Riley never diminishes, and Urbino's attachment to Miss Barbara Lynch cause guilt over the pain they inflicted on Maya/Fermina. Ironically, Fermina was never unfaithful when with either man, whereas Maya's fickleness and dalliances resembled Florentino's affairs.
What attracts shippers to a Love-Hate relationship like Lucaya is the instantaneous attraction. Essentially, these are superficial, physical couples at best but "subtext" allowed fans to perceive depth in the relationships. Although, shippers aren't incorrect for their preferences because these couples represent redemption through love. Actually, the Spanish language has multiple words for these romances: first, 'amigovia(o),' or a friend with benefits, and 'devaneo,' translating to a temporary affair. Personally, I adore this love-redeems-all message because of the complexity behind it, yet Love-Hate fans simplify this message by portraying one person as the savior for the lover. Tvtropes calls this Draco in Leather Pants. * (The Draco is the emotionally damaged lover, and fanon Hermione is the character who heals him.) Additionally, in the Girl Meets World universe, Maya is the Draco who needs Lucas – the Hermione – to fix her and love her unconditionally. Moreover, this trope is also found in adult fiction, House (Hugh Laurie) was brutal when he relayed this to Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), "You live under the delusion that you can fix everything that isn't perfect. That's why you're going out with me […] What I am is what you need. I'm damaged." If Lucas heals Maya then the fandom is justified in shipping Lucaya, allowing them to ignore the hateful aspects of the couple. Unfortunately, the euphoria Lucaya shares are scorched by their destructive tendencies.
Stagnation is what would've to lead to Lucaya's destruction since Maya willingly blinded herself to Lucas' aggression. Also, Maya had a shortened attention span; she needed constant stimulation resulting in her numerous infatuations. Even in the pilot, Maya says, "You don't pay enough attention to me. This isn't working out. It's you, not me. We can still be friends. Not really." Whenever Lucas reminisced about his hometown or his family; Maya complained that he bored her. ('Crazy Hat') When reading García Márquez's novel, the reader observes that Fermina and Urbino's marriage is a tolerable one that one expects in their lifetime, but an ordinary relationship doesn't pique Maya's interest so she would manipulate (not maliciously though) the situation into an exciting, dramatic relationship. Now no one accepted Lucas' aggression, but Maya remained ignorant of his history, believing that "Lucas the Good" is all he is, unconvinced that Dark Lucas exists, she provoked his anger for a glimpse of his shadow side. Episodes that alluded to this belief include 'Riley Town' and 'Flaws' where Maya urged Lucas to lift Riley's bed, and pummel Farkle's bully, thus, it is Dangerous Lucas that entices Maya, not a protective nor stable Lucas. Another illustration is found in 'New Teacher' when Maya teased Lucas for riding farmyard animals, insinuating that Lucas couldn't ride a motorcycle because of that. One of the many counter-arguments in this fandom is that Maya accepted Lucas because she courageously entered the danger, whereas Riley fled from it, but this is untrue for both girls. A demonstration against this is the kissing couple theory where because Maya wore that orange dress once – and Lucas wore motorcycle boots – then Lucaya was the endgame. One, the couple's faces remained unseen, and out of the two girls, it's Maya, who hesitated about that advanced relationship, conversely, it's Riley who was overjoyed by this interaction. "Vroom, Vroom baby!" Riley said while Maya's reply was that the couple were more advanced than them, and "What if those seniors sent us down here because we think we're so ready for this place - and we're so not?" Another example was in 'Flaws', in the beginning, Lucas grabbed Maya from attacking the bully, then she demanded that Lucas attack him. Next, she contradicted herself by jumping on Lucas' back when he's given a chance to harm Billy the Bully. In the end, our fan favorite character is aroused by the danger, the "passion" but cannot accept the consequences that will happen afterward.
For a clearer perspective, the Atlantic's writer, Ethel S. Person, wrote an essay debating the rationale of love triangles, claiming that this geometric nightmare is divided into two separate versions: the split-object triangle versus the rivalrous love triangle. I'll let you read that article yourself, but to summarize Person hypothesized that the scorned contender seeks validation by either continuing the affair or forming a split-object triangle to assuage their wounded ego. "The reverse triangle actually reverses the configuration of the Oedipal triangle: one is no longer in competition with a rival but is the object of a rivalry." Self-destruction is another component to Lucaya, in that their love ultimately damages themselves and any potential relationship with each other. Jealousy had already transformed Maya into a girl she was unable to recognize, through her masquerade Maya deceived her friend by lying that she withheld her affections when Maya didn't love Lucas until their vacation. Of course, a fraction of Maya desired a kiss from Lucas, but Maya also wanted to disclose her moment with Riley, reluctantly kept this a secret for a month. ('Texas' – 'New Years') Compiling onto that, Maya gradually began losing any foresight she possessed pertaining to herself and her friends. For one, she neglected Riley's needs by refusing to see the pain she inflicted on her best friend, and secondly, by being enamored by Lucas, Maya lost herself in competing for a boyfriend that wasn't hers. As 'Ski Lodge' began, Riley reminded the trio that the love triangle needs to die, "Nature knows that it needs to die." Maya's instantly questions why their triangle needed to end, telling us that Maya wants the triangle to continue for better or worse. Consequently, there's another side to Lucaya's destruction and that's Maya's desire to break Lucas vis-à-vis their "little game." In 'Father,' Lucas annoyed Maya by informing her that he's immune to her teasing, then angers her more by sticking a rose between her teeth. Irritated, Maya complained that he wasn't "playing this right!" and adding "I will break you!" Everyone knew Maya took pleasure in provoking Lucas since 'Meets Boy' simultaneously hating it when Lucas won't play by her rules. Even with Lucas' insistence that he hates her ha-hurring him (he only said he liked it once in 'Triangle'), Maya continued her actions out of malice. As the students are breaking the rules, Maya refuses all of Lucas' suggestions then disrespects his wishes to be called Mad Dog ('Rules') or calls him Ranger Rick ('1961') and he still hates her nicknames, albeit she becomes hypocritical when she can't handle it when Lucas insulted her with Short Stack of Pancakes. (First off, that's a pathetic insult in general. How are IHOP breakfasts an insult? Secondly, the writers wasted their opportunity for Maya to nickname him Lieutenant Dan or say "Run, Forest, run" to Lucas.) Later in 'Belief' and 'Ski Lodge' Maya states that she just likes teasing him and "tearing him down." Under these circumstances, we can assume that as lovers Maya would still like to irritate Lucas, such as in her spy fantasy.
Lucas: "Hey, Maya, what are you doing?"
Maya: "You know what I'm gonna do."
Lucas: "Why? They got one rule here. All you gotta do is not break one rule."
Maya: "This is how I live my life, Huckleberry. You're either with me or you're not! You knew what I was like from the day you met me."
Lucas: "Yeah. I didn't think you would destroy the world."
Maya: "Hey, if you're not going to destroy the world, why do anything?)
As her daydream ends, Lucas chastises Maya's reckless behavior because Maya detonated the bomb, and in the real world reminds Maya that breaking the rules isn't the only way to entertain themselves. In essence, Maya's destroying herself and her friendships through her romance with Lucas, and in the end, Maya realizes that they're better off as friends. There's a reason why Maya nicknamed herself as "The Bomb" and it wasn't because she was portraying the bombshell, she's The Bomb because she was too unpredictable for a stable relationship, and to quote Cory Matthews, she "goes too far." Harkening back to the Atlantic essay, Person quotes a film that perfectly describes Lucas' liaison: "[...] He is tired of himself, and therefore in need of seeing himself reflected in another woman's eyes. Women, she explains, when they feel tired of themselves, renew themselves by buying new clothes or changing their hair but men don't have enough imagination to do that, so they look for another mirror in which to view themselves, rather than changing the image in the mirror." What Maya symbolized for Lucas was his past self and while he won't forget Texas Lucas, Lucas doesn't want to relapse into the villain again. As extra evidence, Lucas – and Zay – remind Maya that he lost a year of his life by succumbing to aggression; he can transform himself and "have fun" without destruction, and Riley represents transformation, not regression. ('True Maya', 'Ski Lodge') As we've seen, Love-Hate affairs are perfect temporary loves but not long-lasting loves, Lucaya is the honeymoon stage where the couple is obsessed with one another before they become bored of the relationship and move on. By in large, Lucaya formed an amazing friendship, they had great comedic time and witty repartee, but as lovers, they're too explosive to succeed as a couple.
Maya & Josh — Controlled Burn
"Won't let the past decide my fate/Leave forgiveness in my wake/Take the love that I've embraced"— 'I Am the Fire,' Halestorm
For the majority of this essay I've argued that Maya craves an adventurous affair with her partners, and because Maya's matured faster than her peers, she'll expect the same from her boyfriends. Superficially, it appears that both boys can provide this for Maya. Josh is 2-3 years older versus Lucas who's only one year older than Maya, yet Lucas is immature by prolonging his triangle decision for two years and evading Maya in his predilection for Riley. Conversely, Josh apologizes for his immaturity by rejecting her solely because of their age difference and that he needs her friendship. In other words, age doesn't prohibit him from caring or befriending Maya. This is quite a major change then from his introduction in season one. Equally important is Josh's reactions to Maya's advances; at no point does Josh invalidate Maya's love for him, while he reciprocates Maya's feelings, he doesn't doubt their genuineness. Including minor differentiations is that Joshaya has known each other since childhood, whereas she and Lucas have only known each other for two years, knowing this information illustrates that Joshaya already has familiarity, unlike Maya and Lucas. Signals that alluded to their acquaintance are found in 'Holidays' where Amy Matthews – Cory's mother – claimed that they have not seen Maya in quite some time, afterward Josh complimented Maya that she "grew up gorgeous." Finally, to quell divided fandom's doubts, Jacobs confirmed on Twitter, after said episode that these characters have known with each other for years. An explanation for Joshaya's popularity is exactly why Draco was shipped with every female character from Harry Potter. Long after the Harry Potter series finished, JK Rowling confirmed that Draco redeemed himself by distancing himself from pureblood fanaticism, this change is why fans were able to pair Dramione (Draco/Hermione) or Drinny (Draco/Ginny). Essentially, Joshaya is akin to Draco pairings because Girl Meets World fans ship Joshaya when they become equals, and on writing platforms, especially on FanfictionNet, popular Joshaya stories involve Maya and Josh reconnecting with each other after graduation, or during the holidays before the school term begins again. Finally, what varied Josh from Lucas, is that Josh isn't manipulating Maya's emotions, he promises Maya – and echoes this to Zay in 'Bear' – that he doesn't want Maya pining after him and missing current teenager experiences that she'll regret in the future.
Oppositional arguments included the following: if fire for Lucaya is an explosion, why would Joshaya fare any better? First and foremost, Lucaya was born from infidelity and envy, neither sensation supports a healthy relationship, and romances fostered from dishonesty eventually concludes in disaster. On the other hand, Joshaya is fire with the purpose of growth instead of devastation. Naturally, fire is a destructive force, wildfires clear unnecessary flora in favor of new vegetation. Purification is another benefit fire has, many holy books – the Judeo-Christian Bible, the Vedas – describe soul cleansing through fire and not as an evil element. Lastly, firefighters often use intentional fire starting to chart the course of wildfires, in the prevention of uncontrollable fires, and as regenerative tools for the environment. Together with our provided information on Joshaya, we realize that Maya and Josh's relationship encourage their fiery personalities for improvement, and not disintegrate into destruction and devastation. Because of this, Joshaya's themes involve transformation and patience.
Transformation is the easiest theme to understand Joshaya. On the shallowest level, there is not much separating between the firestorm of Lucaya and the controlled burn of Joshaya. Microscopic semblances that they share is that Maya's relationships are classified as a Ludic Love defined by the Greeks as a playful, game-playing love. Distinguishing between them is that Lucaya is a Ludic-Eros love (Love-Hate) versus Joshaya's Storgic-Ludos love, or a playful, romance developing over time.* In conjunction with the couples' love categories, Joshaya is the stronger of the two because in eight episodes – 'Holidays', 'Game Night', 'First Date', 'Tale Tot', 'Ski Lodge 1 & 2', 'Bear', and 'Goodbye' – Joshaya exhibited greater growth than Lucaya did in the show's entirety. Throughout the love triangle arc, Lucas and Maya couldn't name why, or what they loved about each other, nor how to interact without arguing. Contrast this to the eight episodes where Joshaya realized why they loved each other and did so independent of outside influences. Here's one reason why Maya loves Josh. "[…] you drive from Philadelphia to New York, not even looking if you got into NYU just so you could open your acceptance letter in front of your older brother because you love him, and you want him to be proud of you. And I see the way you are with Auggie. A little kid who looks up to you who you always have time for. And I know that even though you'd rather stay here with these girls, you're going to walk Riley and me home. Because that's just the kind of guy you are. I like you." What Maya loves is Josh's ambition, how caring he is toward everyone he meets, but is perceptive enough to notice that Josh has insecurities of his own. Not knowing how to make their loved ones proud of them is an insecurity Maya shares. She wants ambition and status like Josh does but doesn't know how to attain that either. Furthermore, 'Tale Tot' demonstrated that Maya's feelings aren't that of a schoolgirl crush anymore, but developed into something profound; what those emotions are still unknown though. Finally, if Maya's sentiments changed, she wouldn't have relinquished Lucas so easily, nor incessantly flirt with Josh in every episode he appeared in.
In comparison to Lucaya's Invidia, Joshaya works through their jealousy for solutions to it and various episodes showcased this, notably 'First Date' and 'Tale Tot.' In the former, a female college recruiter sparks Josh's interest in her – equivalent to Maya's response in 'Holidays' – who then dismissed Josh's attraction for her with Josh's own three years excuse. Ignoring her Farkle date, Maya comforts Josh on the subway, it is at this moment where Josh could have rebuffed Maya, but now empathizes with Maya because he's received the same heartache, he unintentionally had given her. In the latter episode, 'Tale Tot,' Maya realizes that her worth isn't defined by an age difference; her actions and perceptiveness places Maya far ahead than the other girls Josh has encountered. Next Josh's roommates explain to Maya that when Josh is older, he "may be smart enough to look at you differently." In all honesty, Josh's perception is changing, and 'Tale Tot' is where Josh's affections begin transforming from platonic love into romantic love.
A strong distinction between Maya's romances is Maya's self-transformation with Josh, versus stagnating herself with Lucas. For example, whenever she was with Lucas, Maya built a wall to defend herself from often deflecting the situation onto another subject, case in point, Maya evaded Lucas' questions by demanding that Lucas stop staring at her, and when that failed, she tried to intimidate Lucas again by infringing his space and exclaiming that if she loved Lucas, she would be honest her affections. "Well, I don't. What I do say is har-har—" There's clearly a juxtaposition between Maya stonewalling Lucas and her emotional openness with Josh Matthews. An example was in 'Game Night' when she encouraged Josh to keep looking at her. Another illustration is that Josh is the only boy Maya doesn't yank his collar or emasculate as she does with her other male friends, and what we can interpret from this is that Maya is willing to display, something she failed to accomplish with almost every character in the show. Fundamentally, by allowing Josh to continue to hold her hand, or help her analyze her relationship problems, shows Maya's sincerity. Josh's perception that Maya's past has given her the warmest heart he's seen moves her and Maya wants Josh to repeat his sentiment, "Say that again. Say it fifty times. Say it in French." If Joshaya was defined by any word, it would be 'Redamancy,' or "a love returned in full." Redamancy occurred when Maya allowed Josh to see her vulnerability. Nevertheless, the duality of patience and impatience remains an obstacle for Josh and Maya romantic relationship.
Patience, prudence, and charity are three of the seven heavenly virtues, none is of more importance than that of patience in Josh and Maya's relationship. In regard to Maya, the crux of her characterization was her impatience, like when she schemes with Riley to convince Josh to love Maya faster. ('Tale Tot') Previously in 'Game Night', Maya played tug-of-war with Auggie over who Josh's partner is during the boardgame and assured Josh that she is willing to play the "long game" for his affections. However, she uninhibited, assuming that pestering Josh will hasten a romance with him. "Three years, what are three years in the history of love? They found some cavemen footprints, a man and a woman, they didn't know how old they were. All the scientists could tell was that they were holding hands. You know why? That was all that was important." ('First Date') Maya maintains a minute amount of patience, albeit her impatience overrides her judgment, like when she disconnected Dream Riley from her life monitor so she and Josh will be alone together.
Returning to our Love in the Time of Cholera example, Maya viewpoints on true love are analogous to Fermina's in her story. Every story – even subconsciously – return the themes of sex and death, Gabriel García Márquez's novel is no exception, however, what this story emphasizes are the differences between mature and young love. Obviously, Disney Channel would never discuss sex, but Disney never strays from their theme of True Love and how it evolves over time. That Maya's love lesson can correspond to Fermina's, helps relay this evolution. As Márquez's novel commences – and after the doctor's death – the reader is shown how our lovers met, with Fermina and Florentino desperate to remain together. Throughout all of this, it's apparent that Fermina views love like a fairy tale and after Florentino true character is revealed, Fermina's definition of love is destroyed. Just as important is how Urbino scoffs at her taste in such stories for filling her with such notions and is clinical with sex before they consummate their marriage. Love changes over time and isn't the same when one is a child versus love as an adult. Contrary to the novel, Josh doesn't deceive Maya, but her friends mock her belief that a romance with Lucas would mirror her fantasy. After all, just as Fermina's perceptions are shattered, Maya's fantasies become delusions. When Maya insists that Josh is a fantasy, "You don't fall in love with a fantasy" she is partially correct, but she doesn't yet realize that her Lucas Love is also a fantasy.
As the novel ends Florentino makes amends with Fermina after her husband dies and they reaffirm their love for one another, likewise, as the Rucaya love triangle concludes, Joshaya reaffirms their interest in each other. Though our literary lovers already learned that real, genuine love involves passion, affection, but most of all, patience. Maya hasn't learned this lesson and Josh agrees that they should only date when they are ready, as seen in this conversation:
Maya: "I like you, Josh. It's you I like."
Josh: "I like you, too. And I'd never want you not to be in my life."
Maya: "No, how about we try this? Boyfriend and girlfriend right now!"
Josh: "No."
Maya: "Boyfriend and girlfriend eventually. You're not saying no. You have to say something."
Josh: "I'll play the long game. Live your life, I'll live my life, I know you're out there, and I'm out there, too."
Delayed gratification isn't as entertaining as instant gratification, but it is far more rewarding because what is desired has been earned. To summarize, Maya's patience is rewarded when Josh returns in 'Goodbye.' Nearing the two-thirds mark of the episode, the clique continues to mourn the anticipated loss of Riley in their lives, when Josh enters the bakery and takes a seat beside Maya. Josh offers a comforting ear and guidance for the friends, Maya replies with, "[…] Life moves fast. Life does a good job." Obviously, due to the television show's premature cancellation, there wasn't payoff for Joshaya afterward, but what strengthens this moment is that it's visibly clear that Joshaya would have begun dating eventually. On Twitter, Jacobs answered a fan's question about who Maya was in love with now that the triangle ended, Jacobs' answer was that Maya's crush on Josh had never faltered away from him. Ultimately, the fire that would have ruined her, is now transforming herself – and Joshaya – for the better.
Conclusion
Naturally, my essay is not going to convert every fringe fan to "jump ship" and begin championing a different couple, this was never my intention. However, Maya's romances concerning Lucas (Lucaya) and Josh (Joshaya) contained multiple similarities in regards to what kind of love attracted our deuteragonist. Lucas 'Huckleberry' Bond was an unattainable love, a love that Maya eventually lost herself in trying to achieve it. The core of Lucaya's arc was Maya learning the lesson that love is not a game to conquer, or founded on jealousy. What Maya finally understands about love is that love does not incinerate a person until nothing remains, love strengthens you. Love involves risks, like when Maya risks herself by being vulnerable to Josh. Certainly, love is passionate and can endure into death, as Maya alluded to when she compares their love to human remains holding hands, but love needs the effort to last a lifetime, something that may be possible with Josh. And that, my dear readers, is the firestorm and controlled burn of Lucaya and Joshaya.
*1 I'm just giving a rough translation of these words because when translating from one language into another the meaning is altered slightly. That's the beauty of languages; they're so different, yet very similar if you're aiming for conciseness. Also, Draco in Leather Pants tropes aren't inherently terrible, but it does demonize a morally sound character while praising a morally reprehensible character. And while I love the love conquers, an redeems all message; Draco in Leather Pants is a power imbalance because one half of the couple is typically emotionally blackmailed by the other half. Either the savior side manipulates the Draco by holding their sacrifices against the Draco, or the Draco blackmails the savior by holding their infirmities against them. What I do like about this trope is when two broken people undergo a positive transformation individually and then begin dating. Now they have something healthy and loving to contribute to the relationship, without the underlying fear that one of them is being exploited.
*2 On my Tumblr blog I created a graphic for Girl Meets World about the languages of love. metalsweetheart /post/175359829054/bmwgmw-the-5-love-languages-insp-riarkle