#(and I get that she has to have a broad appeal bc you can’t win in NH otherwise but still. what. what!)

[marvelsmostwanted]

I love how Republican attack ads are always like something something NANCY PELOSI TAXES CHINA something something JOE BIDEN IS OLD DID YOU KNOW THAT!! HE’S SO OLD and FRAIL he’ll probably DIE soon but before he dies HE’S GOING TO INCREASE YOUR TAXES and somethinggthdkfjklf CHINA!!!!! therefore, please vote for this 57 year old man who thinks r*pe isn’t real and incest is fine as long as his rich person taxes go down and he can pretend that stopping immigrants from crossing the us-mexico border is somehow impacting his life in new hampshire. paid for by something something freedom superpac owned by the koch brothers.

Laziest PR strategy I’ve ever seen and it WORKS!!!! Wild

[scuttleboat]

2 meta combo: Bellamy/baton + leadership themes after s4

I. Some disorganized thoughts on Bellamy and the hollow baton…

So I had a particular reading of the presence of the bottle prop in the end scene of 413 and didn’t think about it again afterwards, but this week I’ve read a lot of talk about what it means. So I decided to spill my reaction into one giant post. This is my general contribution to the broad discussion of the Baton as (one of several) symbolic prop for Bellamy’s character state. FYI it should go without saying that anything I write is in the context of being my opinion, but also I speak in declarative sentences a lot because I tend to believe my opinions pretty confidently.  To the point:  I don’t think the bottle is empty bc Bellamy is getting a fresh start.* The straightforward meaning is this: the bottle of liquor is drained when Bellamy gets to it because, as a symbol of power, it’s literally and metaphorically empty. Circumstances have rendered it sad and meaningless. A hollow consolation. It’s like… a really explicit piece of visual irony.

((* fyi, the positive hopeful element in that scene is not the bottle, it’s Raven’s steadfastness + Bellamy honoring Clarke’s memory through survival.))

Just going off of a lot of initial fandom reactions I’ve read on tumblr, some fans were so excited about him getting this baton at the finale that they missed that it was empty. And now that folks are discussing it being empty, there’s like this desire to see it still as a wholly good thing. To hold onto that excitement. Which I totally understand, because it seems like such a romantic idea. That he could inherit the thing that Jaha and all the Chancellors in history had. There’s appeal in that. But… he didn’t, and it’s not–emptiness is not a positive symbol in western media, guys. The bottle is empty because the Baton is a hollow dead object now. No more chancellors, no more Jaha, no more Ark ambitions of old. It represents a past dream that is out of sight of the current characters. He gets to a place where this potential symbol of leadership is in reach, and what’s it to him? This symbol that meant so much to Jaha has been reduced to a passing curiosity by a window. It’s not part of his future. Bellamy can’t preserve it and he can’t even drink it, just like he can’t act on the future of the rest of his people when he’s stuck up in space. His family is out of reach and the girl he loved is gone and the promise of a fresh start on Earth (written! right there on the bottle!) turned out to be an empty promise. They never had a chance… the world was gonna end in 8 months regardless of his and Clarke’s choices. This show is so fucking sad you guys. This is why I made myself cry writing about Bellamy in the Ark after I watched the finale.

The Baton is a piece of visual irony because the bottle now represents the hollowness (the ending) of the thing it used to represent in s1. They could have had Bellamy pick up any prop that had a positive and hopeful indication of his role, but they chose to give him the saddest and darkest prop they could. It’s marginally less depressing than a handgun or a photo. He picks it up but because it’s empty for him. (unlike the friend/family standing beside him, who together represent the true hope and the final image of the delinquents’ fortitude.)   That empty hollow bottle is the fragility of life and the tenuousness of survival in the face of a burning fireball of nature fucking you over (note: also a big whopping symbol visible in the same shot.) It’s the UNFAIRNESS of everything that has happened to these kids since the show started–they tried so hard and got this far and the bottle (the dream of Earth)–is *fucking empty*. They never had a chance on that world. It was always going to end.

[read a lot more below the cut, including meta #2.]

In terms of leadership this is the irony of the hollow Baton: Bellamy, who tried so hard to be a leader who was good and strong, and struggled to find his way, has finally has grown into a person who has a more balanced leadership style. This was foreshadowed in him letting go of Octavia and thematically cemented by him letting Clarke go in 413. Thus meaning he is finally “ready” by The 100’s morbid storytelling standards, finally balanced. Except now he’s faced with a situation where the ONLY thing he actually is in charge of is 6 people in a ghost-filled space bucket. Ding ding ding, it’s irony time! Whoo. XD …Meanwhile the world burns below and his love sacrificed herself…brings us to the other half of the irony, where i agree with pretty much the whole shipdom: they never got to have that drink. Because he didn’t carpe diem, didn’t open himself to the person he loves (thanks @velvet-tread). The universe is having one sick laugh at Bellamy Blake in 413, visually epitomized in that bottle.

I know my dramatic self has repeated this several times, but for real now ok— the Baton is literally empty bc it’s metaphorically empty. Drained of purpose. The old ways are no good, they’re surviving on their own, together. New generation. What matters here and now is that Bellamy and his friends will fight to stay alive as long as they can, even as hope burns away. They have each other and they have time so they’re going to stick together and try to survive. But what does the symbol of the Baton mean to that equation? To their future? Nothing–it’s empty. He’s holding it, accepting leadership, even as it’s a working like a visual pun.

ALL THAT BEING SAID---I do think it's fair to say that it being empty has little to no meaning aside from the fact that it was already drunk in an earlier episode and they needed to keep continuity. In that case, the only symbol that matters is the fact that it says "BATON" on it. Which is legit. BUT if we're going to speculate that its emptiness has meaning, then I'm going to say it definitely has a tragic and ironic meaning.

II. That age old leadership contest this fandom is obsessed with? After 4 seasons I think the point of The 100 is that it’s futile and nobody ‘wins’ bc it’s actually an endless struggle of self that C,B,K,A and J all wrestle with, where the “person” they’re competing with is their own failures until they individually learn to be wiser. That’s why the person who ended up in charge was the young interloper who wasn’t even a player til now….bc our main politically-driven characters aren’t in the story to win the leadership prize in the eyes of fandom, they’re in the story to grow.

I’m gonna go right to the explicit symbols of leadership in 413 and point out this: as of 413’s ending, Clarke’s *not* in charge of the future of their people and Bellamy is *not* in charge of the future of their people–Octavia is. While the show gave Clarke a heroic “death” and gave Bellamy friendship + an empty liquor bottle of used up dreams, Octavia was given the clothes / headpiece of the commander and stepped out to make a speech in front of the last of humanity. She has the support of the former leaders and the faith of the remaining majority. ((Whether you like Octavia as commander or not, that is what’s happening on the show right now. FWIW, I was hoping all season that it’d end with Indra.)) While Octavia is probably gonna be spending 6 years off screen going through what Clarke and Bellamy have gone through the last 4 seasons (i.e. emotional tests of being in power), Bellamy and Clarke both have a *reprieve* of leadership. AND ISN’T THAT KIND OF AMAZING? Bellamy only has to be strong and protective for six of his friends–that small team stuff is right up his wheelhouse. He doesn’t have to make decisions of mass death that cause him a season and a half of self-recrimination and doubt. Likewise, Clarke only has to be strong and protective for one person–she doesn’t have to make those mass death choices that cause her to break down crying or have horrific nightmares. She can love one person, unreservedly, without being torn apart by disparate loyalties.

One of the major themes for all the main characters on this show (except Octavia, who is on a different track) has been “How do I learn be a good leader?“ Well, I think 413 wrapped that up with a pretty bow–if the “bow” is the head/heart convo, Clarke’s choice to sacrifice herself, the Baton, and Octavia’s commander wardrobe. Honestly I could make a whole separate and much longer post about leadership as a journey for Clarke, Bellamy, Abby, Kane, and Jaha (guest starring Lexa and Roan as static roadmarks), but not today. I’ll just summarize and say that I think the last 4 seasons have been about the maturation process of Clarke and Bellamy’s leadership skills, starting as people who have the traits but not the wisdom/practice. Then pile on 4 seasons of triumphs and mistakes. By 413, Bellamy’s maturation process ends in letting go of attachment and Clarke’s maturation process ends in self sacrifice (foreshadowed by her taking the nightblood in 408).

I really really hope that the show uses the timeline to age up the characters in a way that the writers move on from this leadership question. That journey is done–Clarke, Bellamy, Kane, and Abby have all gone through a lot. When we meet them again, I don’t want to see them question their decisions every episode. Let them own their choices and move forward!! They’re grown-ups now omg. Give them all new dilemmas please.

If this is really a reboot for the show and for the characters then let’s tell a new story. “What will we do to survive?” is always gonna be the center of the series but I hope the writers approach it in a new way, that it’s not about the toll of constantly escalating power. That journey is done.  It’s been told, and by the end of s4 our favorites have all grown and changed as a result of it. When the survivors emerge from the bunker neither Clarke nor Bellamy will be in charge–so I hope the show takes this opportunity to try new things for their characters. For example, explore the drama of small group politics. Explore family in a way that isn’t just about conflict. Explore discovering love again when everything you used to understand about your loved one has changed. Explore new people and new alliances and new tests. Let’s see ADVENTURE again.

By s5, Clarke and Bellamy are free of the agonies of traditional leadership, now responsible only to their small family clusters. We’ve never seen them this separate from group obligation. I want to see what kind of people that reprieve has made them. Please @the100writers, show us the characters growing new directions.

[youngerdrgrey]

bed fellows // a queen sugar fill

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written for day 12 of 30 x 31 challenge, prompt: bed sharing.

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about... Charley offers Lena a different person to share her bed with, for a price of course. Canon compliant through to finale. // honestly, idk precisely what this is but it’s a first attempt at a different side of Charley bc after talking to @shaloved30​ and @studgenius​, my first thought was manipulative Charley using what she’s got to get Lena to help her. inspired by Charley in the strip club.

+ on ao3

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Charley's heels don't have the same click with the music blasting. They're muffled under the barely concealed moans and chants from women giving their all to the fantasies of their customers. Charley doesn't necessarily need the sound, but she likes to give a cue to her audience, likes to give someone a moment to prepare for her before she tears them down. Then again, Lena would hardly have the mind to listen for Charley when there's a woman writhing on top of her. So short-sighted that Lena.

Short-sighted enough that she never bothered to cover her tracks on this trip down south. Why bother when everyone's attention is on Davis' part of the scandal? Why pretend when any credit charges made in the strip club would be assumed to be Felix's instead of Lena's?

Why? Well, because someone could want that information, could find that information, and could use it to their advantage. Someone, like Charley, could see the perfect opportunity to get what she wants without having to do much more than lift a few fingers. That is, if Lena could finally learn to cooperate.

"Honestly." Charley stops walking directly in front of Lena's seat, straight behind the dancer working so hard for a private show. "You're no better than your husband."

The dancer, to her credit, senses the shift in Lena's energy. She rolls off and away from the two of them while Lena shifts into the closest thing that she can find to looking unperturbed.

"Charley," Lena greets. She straightens her back and slips on that crocodile grin of hers. "I wouldn't've expected you to be here."

"I wouldn't. Normally." Charley slips down beside Lena. Her arm rests along the back of the bench, but not close enough that it's behind the other woman. She keeps her body angled towards Lena though. Opens her chest up and offers her full attention. "But you don't seem to listen, do you, Lena?"

Lena's grin goes a bit slack. "I don't know what you mean."

Charley chuckles, but her eyes stay cold. Focused. "Threats don't seem to work on you. So how about we try something different? Woman to woman?"

Lena's eyes widen before she catches herself. Broad, then locked away with a tight grip on her body. She even pulls her lips back together. Nearly locks her jaw. Almost like she's afraid of what she'll say if she allows herself to speak, which is good. Charley can work with that.

Charley chuckles again. "For the appeal of course. Or is that more your speed these days?" A waitress walks by with champagne, and Charley lifts one from the tray. She sips as she says, "I'm sure it would've made a lovely arc in your reality show."

Lena unhinges. "That's your plan? To tank my show? Or just out me to TMZ?" She shifts to face Charley, to meet her head on probably. "You should know that a rapist husband trumps a curious wife every time."

Which rapist husband are they talking about? Between Felix and Davis, the rest of the team, there's plenty of options. But not many when it comes to how to get this transfer done. Charley needs Felix signed to play here in New Orleans, with Davis, or she doesn't get her mill. No mill, no future. No future, no chance of ever doing anything aside from being CEO of a dying brand called Davis West.

Charley trades her glass from one hand to the other. "This isn't about everyone else, Lena. It's about you. It took a little longer than expected, but I've found what really makes you tick." She leaves the sentence at that.

Lena stares, waits with barely furrowed brows and slightly pursed lips. Charley blinks at her, and Lena swallows hard before caving in. "And? What? What makes me tick?"

Charley lifts her glass in a bit of a toast. "Me." She watches the disbelief flit across Lena's face. "And women like me. The firmer we are, the more you want us. What did you say before?" And Charley knows. Lena knows too, if the tick of her jaw is anything to go by. "'Some of us have to play just as hard at this game as they do on the court.'"

"I said that months ago."

Charley sips. "It stands. I wanted to offer you a chance to hit pause. A way to change the difficulty setting for yourself. How does that sound?" She gulps. Maybe Charley should offer her the champagne. She seems parched.

Lena says, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't? Hmm." Charley scans the main room, glass dangling between her fingers. The music still blasts around them. Dancers dance. And Charley summons one woman with a wave of her hand. "Then what are you looking for, Lena? Someone to dance for you?" Charley grins at the dancer, asks, "Could you?" And the dancer goes to Lena, but her eyes stay with Charley.

The dancer asks, "You like to watch?"

Charley smirks more than anything. "I like to win." She tips the rest of her drink back. Bottoms it and places the glass down on the end table beside the bench. Then she focuses back on Lena, who hasn't looked away from her. "Enjoy yourself, Lena. Since this is what you want." Then she walks away.

Some people don't know when to take what's good for them. Some people have everything they've ever wanted offered to them, and still somehow manage to muck it up. It's fine. Charley can saunter out of here as easily as she came in. Her heels still won't click, but her ponytail will sway with each step she takes in the other direction. Odd, though. She'd kept her outfit from earlier in the day because of the strength it exudes. The heeled black boots, the straight blazer, the ponytail tight enough she could use it as a whip. It's the exact sort of strength and prowess that Lena responds to.

See, Lena's not seeking the fairytale, or the princess that goes along with it. Lena wants the villain. The type to stare her down, tell her exactly what she needs to do, and then sit back and oversee it all. She shines when given a task, and Charley could easily find a few for her. Charley needs the investment, and if Lena wants to pay someone to tell her what a good girl she is, then Charley has the routing number to send the money to. And if Lena wants someone to return the favor, then Charley knows what to do. But maybe Charley read it wrong. Maybe Charley's confused the hooded glances and unwavering attention. Maybe all Lena has is a bit of awe.

"Charley!" Or maybe Charley's right on the money. Lena stands with her hands together, wringing them until she drops them. The dancer slinks away, and Charley barely contains a smirk. Lena says, "I could at least hear your offer. Since you're here."

Charley turns back to the bench. Crosses over until they can stand eye to eye. "Tell Felix you're not going to New York. You want to be near your sister." Here she throws a glance to the dancer from before, the old sorority sister that Lena visits every time she comes down south. "And me. Tell him, and we can leave here right now. Head back to that hotel room you're paying handsomely for with money I helped you secure. You're welcome, by the way."

"Thank you."

Charley goes on, "And after you confirm that you'll be staying here, you can transfer five mil to this account--"

"Five million dollars? I can't--"

"Afford it? Felix made more than enough in endorsements. And believe me, I'll make it worth your while. He's made his bed. Least we can do is lay in it."

Lena needs a moment to process, but it takes little more than a blink or two for her to give in. "Fine. But this can't just be a one time thing."

Charley spins on her heels, leads the way out for the both of them.

"We'll see, Lena. We'll see."

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thoughts?