RockettotheMoon said:
I, too, absolutely love canon in-show CSers. Solidad is also on that list, IMO, since she pretty much outright said "He's gotten feelings for you" to May at the KGF. So I include her with Har, Caroline and Brianna.
YES! I almost forgot when I was concentrating on Harley! XD However, though I believe Solidad to be an in-show shipper (and kind of a mary-sue :X), I think I remember when the episode aired in English, there was skepticism because she actually didn't say that in the Japanese version. Which makes sense, because when she spills Drew's guts for him, there is absolutely no reaction at all. The reaction comes when she reveals other not-so-flattering things about him (/why is she so evil???). However, her telling May that Drew talks about her a lot is still an indicator of interest on Drew's side, but Solidad is probably just saying it as she sees it. I wouldn't say she wouldn't support it, but I don't remember it being as clear as when Caroline or Harley did it.
Honestly, I see innocent May as being the type that's really intrigued by eluslive, egotistical Drew. It play on the whole "opposites attract" cliché, pretty much. She seemed kind of curious about him right from the start, like 'who is this guy and where'd he come from??' We'd like to know, too. -_-;
It really is an opposites attract pair, down to every detail. Just look at the contrast of their character designs and personalities!
The roses probably started registering in her mind as more than just flowers when she finally asked if "this one was for Beautifly" and he didn't give her a straightforward 'yes'. That probably got the gears grinding in her head and she realized he might like her, then she wondered how she felt about that, thought it over and over and ended up ultimately falling for him.
Great connection! That particular rose is a favorite of mine, because May is so playful about it, like "Yeah, I'm not buying the Beautifly stuff anymore", and just like that, the roses for Beautifly end.
May is hard to pick apart, though. Her reactions to Drew can be summarized, but it's not a straight line from annoying rival to love interest. I've recently watched all of the CS episodes, so I'll go down some of them to show you how unclear May's feelings towards Drew are, and how they change, back and forth.
Now That's Flower Power - He's her new, annoying rival. Mostly anger and trying to prove herself.
Win, Lose, or Drew - Pretty much the same as above, except for the first split second when she gets the first rose.
Pros and Con Artists - He's given her the second rose, but she's mostly overwhelmed by his presence, as a challenge. Also shocked she caught him battling with Ash (for seemingly no good reason).
Come What May - He's pretty much used to show how powerful Grace is. He then gives her another rose, this one being the one we were just talking about. So she might have an inkling here.
Phantom Episodes - May's concerned about him, but generally is unaware of his watching her compete in the contest. Not much to say about these eps. :S
Rubello Contest - I think this is when May starts to become interested in Drew as a person (as seen when she spies on his training with Masquerain), but he's still acting like a jerk, so she's still keeping her distance. It's sad, because even though the exchanges are now a mix of playfulness and jerkyness (like the first few episodes are melded into one) we don't see anything terribly romantic on May's side.
Wynaut Episode - We already discussed this one, but let's look at May. In the beginning of the episode, May is really noticeably stand-offish towards Drew at first, and then takes the opportunity to show off her four ribbons. She gets embarrassed when he shows her his five, and tells her Pacifidlog is her last chance at the GF. The rivalry is really evident here, but I also get the sense that May wants to prove herself to Drew beyond just a rivalry. Sometimes, when she does things like this, it makes me feel like she wants Drew's approval. This isn't set in stone, or anything, but it would put the Wynaut Episode on another tier, as it always was, in terms of numbers of hints.
And then afterward, when May and Drew are separated from the others, she makes a comment about not being happy being stuck with him, after he makes a similar comment. It's really a weird exchange. I actually don't know what to say about it. At this point, Drew is trying to hide his feelings still and May really just seems to follow suit - I bet they just feel awkward being stuck together like this. May continues to follow Drew's dialogue, with whatever he says, constantly falling into his verbal traps until they fall into the river. Then May's attitude about him does a 180 and then she's acting as if Drew were Ash - a friend. And then her attitude resets again when they're leaving Mirage Island. I still wouldn't put any romantic feelings in there for May, but I believe the foundation for it is set in this episode.
The Hoenn Grand Festival - May receives another rose from Drew, but is so angry at what he's said to her that she just accepts it - because it's an every-occurance thing now, and continues the rivalry jabbing. Then Harley appears, makes his romantic guess at the rose, and FINALLY. We get a solid reaction out of May. Still not proof she has feelings for Drew, but she may be aware of his...and if she didn't before, she probably does now. I wouldn't judge her for being uncomfortable with notion as she was - afterall, she doesn't know how to feel about a guy who hands her roses and then makes the remarks he does. May is also mostly paling around with Harley, for most of the GF.
At the very end of the HGF, though, I think we can finally say that perhaps the first notion that May was considering Drew a love interest was on the beach after they said their goodbyes. There's a long pause of May staring after him that indicates to me that she's finally thinking of this possibility that they might be more than friends. Caroline helps seal the deal, I think.
