#...also in the quote i never realised the parallels to henry

[henfox]

the texas binder is his baby. he guards it jealously. (RWRB, CHAPTER SEVEN).

[youanilovefandoms]

Rejoining Tumblr to share my thoughts on the Red White and Royal Blue movie

- I miss June

- Miguel who tf do you think you are you will never be Liam

- HE WILL NEVER BE LUNA

- Why are they still married???? Like it’s okay but a minor detail they could have left in

- The turkey scene confused my dog( it doesn’t hit the same but I also kinda like how they did it)

- RELEASE THE DIRECTORS CUT HE SAOD THERE ARE HOURS OF CONTENT THEY HAD TO CUT

- PEZ very happy he made the film

- Henry is me in social settings

- Miss Alexs original sexuality crisis cuz it was a true bisexual disaster moment

- Alex ready with music playing what a man

- Henry looked too composed post the first time they did sexy things

- Also where was “fucking eyelashes”

- Alex saying I’m bisexual for the first time is me

- “We just have to keep it very causal” and “I just can’t afford for you to fall in love with me” LIKE YOU DONT LOVE HIM ALREADY

- “I don’t know how to play polo” this is the moment Henry realised Alex is a Himbo

- I miss the polo dialogue, like that was iconic to me

- “HE IS” that’s it

- I too want to know the other famous lads he has shagged

- My mum wants to add that they are not subtle

- Give my guy Henry therapy like a fuck ton of it

- Also like let him hide on a private island and live the gay fantasy he deserves

- What happened to Wimbledon

- The Paris scene (before the do) was so sweet and cute and just everything like it was casual, fun and just everything I personally would have wanted when first having this experience (not that I did :()

- They’re in love your honour it is not casual

- Give both these men therapy please

- I am a miguel hater

- Alex loves politics but more importantly he loves his mum

- HENRYS EMAIL MADE THE CUT (not all of it but it made the cut)

- The letter quotes were pivotal for me in the books and the film without them is weird. Like I’m still really enjoying it but just miss it

- I HATE MIGUEL

- I wish Bea had more screen time she’s an icon

- “No” HE WAS SO QUICK AND CERTAIN. THAT MAN IS IN LOVE

- WHERES THE POWERPOINT

- “The B is not silent” please I needed that said on a big screen

- Stop calling my guy Pez Percy, it feels so wrong

- I’m happy the karaoke scene partially made it, wasn’t the same vibe but I’m happy it made it nonetheless

- My mums words “oh my god he’s catching feelings”

- Henry looks so scared whilst Alex pours his heart out :(

- Henry under the water and swimming away :( I would like to write an essay on those 30 seconds

- HENRY I WISH YOU WERE ALLOWED TO BE HAPPY AND IN LOVE THE WHOLE TOME

- Where was Alexs screams outside the palace gates! It needed to be more dramatic

- “Tell me to leave” “don’t make me” sobbing

- Henry is a history nerd and if that isn’t the gay agenda idk what is

- “And we’d dance” Alex said quick let me whip out my phone

- HISTORY HUH

- My mum “He gave him his ring! HE GAVE HIM HIS KEY!”

- Henry’s face after being outed and not being allowed to contact Alex was so painful

- My guy was traumatised and had no real support and both him and Alex were left to face the trauma without each other

- WE HATE MIGUEL I STUDIED JOURNALISM TOO MIGUEL AND YOURE A TWAT

- Also hate Phillip ( wasn’t in the film much but the message stands)

- Trying to explain outing to my mum when my sister lowkey outed me is painful and hurtful

- The phone call 😭😭😭meeting halfway on the stairs 😭😭😭

- STEPHAN FRY he came, he served what he needed to serve and he would have hated this homophobe

- My mum “why did the give Phillip an Evil haircut” me “Phillip is homophobic he deserved to bald”

- The parallel between their first tv interview and them talking with the king

- Is there a chance the king is gay and he had to hide it???? Or is he just like that

- THE PUBLIC SUPPORT

- My mum during the publics pride parade “get out on that balcony, get rid of your title and be happy”

- Mum was very happy he got on the balcony

- Mum was also very concerned where the secret service was everytime they snuck around

- Is it a perfect movie? No Is it everything I wanted? No but almost Do I love it? 100000%

[ogsherlockholmes]

After writing my post on The Three Students, I read The Picture of Dorian Gray, not because I mentioned it in the post but because I’ve always wanted to read it. I already knew about the sexually implications within it, since it’s usally the first thing people think of when the book is mentioned, but I honestly didn’t realise it was so explicit.

Because I’ve only read the book once, I’m not going to do an analysis on all of the ‘subtext’; it’s not my area and plenty of other people with greater knowledge have done it before. 

However, one thing that I did notice was the strange ‘parallels’ between Sherlock and Watson with Dorian Gray and Lord Henry. I say parallels for lack of a better term, because I don’t actually see it as a mirror as such, or a foil either- I’m also not trying to suggest that ACD and Wilde wrote these stories with a huge masterplan to reflect each other (the other story being The Sign of the Four). 

A bit of context,  ACD and Wilde were both commissioned on 30th August 1889 by Lippincott’s monthly magazine to write a book. ACD wrote The Sign of the Four, published February 1890, and Wilde wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray, April 1891. These dates are going to be very significant. 

The scene I am focusing most on in TSotF is the final scene (not the full scene though, just the last few paragraphs), where Watson is discussing his engagement to Mary Morstan to Sherlock. 

“I [Watson] fear that it may be the last investigation in which I shall have the chance of studying your methods. Miss Morstan has done me the honor to accept me as a husband in prospective.” He [Sherlock] gave a most dismal groan. “I feared as much,” said he. “I really cannot congratulate you.” I was a little hurt. “Have you any reason to be dissatisfied with my choice?” I asked. “Not at all. I think she is one of the most charming young ladies I ever met, and might have been most useful in such work as we have been doing. She had a decided genius that way… But love is an emotional thing, and whatever is emotional is opposed to that true cold reason which I place above all things. I should never marry myself, lest I bias my judgment.” “I trust,” said I, laughing, “that my judgment may survive the ordeal. But you look weary.” “Yes, the reaction is already upon me. I shall be as limp as a rag for a week.” “Strange,” said I, “how terms of what in another man I should call laziness alternate with your fits of splendid energy and vigor.” “Yes,” he answered, “there are in me the makings of a very fine loafer and also of a pretty spry sort of fellow. I often think of those lines of old Goethe,— Schade, daß die Natur nur einen Mensch aus Dir schuf, Denn zum wurdigen Mann war ¨ und zum Schelmen der Stoff. … I remarked. “You have done all the work in this business. I get a wife out of it, Jones [detective] gets the credit, pray what remains for you?” “For me,” said Sherlock Holmes, “there still remains the cocaine-bottle.” And he stretched his long white hand up for it. 

Ignoring how miserable it is for Sherlock to turn to drugs after Watson gets engaged (I know it’s difficult), but the translation of the ‘Old Goethe’ (German) is ‘It's a pity that nature only created a human being out of you, because the material was for a worthy man and for a rascal.’ This is important. 

Now, the scene(s) in APoDG I am focusing on is Chapter 4, when Dorain Gray is talking about his relationship Sibyl Vane to Lord Henry, and when Gray, Henry and Basil (the artist) are discussing it in the beginning of Chapter 6. Both of these sections are too long to entirely quote here, but in Chapter 4, when Gray tells Henry of his relationship, Henry is disappointed because he thinks marriage turns a person selfish, therefore making them boring. He goes on into a philosophical rant about marriage and women, with plenty of misogynistic remarks of course, before Gray talks about how he met Vane. When Gray leaves, Henry again thinks about it all, then receives a telegram from Gray telling him he is engaged. In Chapter 6, again Henry goes into the morality of marriage and why he hates it so much, even though he is married. I’ve put a few important quotes in. 

“Never marry at all, Dorian. Men marry because they are tired; women, because they are curious: both are disappointed.” “I don’t think I am likely to marry, Harry. I am too much in love. That is one of your aphorisms. I am putting it into practice, as I do everything that you say.” “Who are you in love with?” asked Lord Henry after a pause. “With an actress,” said Dorian Gray, blushing.

“My dear boy, no woman is a genius. Women are a decorative sex. They never have anything to say, but they say it charmingly. Women represent the triumph of matter over mind, just as men represent the triumph of mind over morals.” “Harry, how can you?” “My dear Dorian, it is quite true.”

“Your [Henry] voice and the voice of Sibyl Vane are two things that I [Gray] shall never forget. When I close my eyes, I hear them, and each of them says something different. I don’t know which to follow.

Lord Henry watched him with a subtle sense of pleasure. 

“But do you approve of it, Harry?” asked the painter, walking up and down the room and biting his lip. “You can’t approve of it, possibly. It is some silly infatuation.” “I never approve, or disapprove, of anything now. It is an absurd attitude to take towards life.” 

Personally, when I read TPoDG, I immediately thought of TSotF, because of these scenes. I don’t know if I’m thinking too much into this, but anyway, this won’t hurt anyone. 

Dorian Gray’s and Lord Henry’s relationship is more explicit than Sherlock and Watson’s, clear by the stigma surrounding the story and the fact it needed to be pared down in order to be deemed ‘appropriate’ when it was originally published. Gray is heavily psychologically affected by Henry’s opinions and beliefs, leading to his demise. But, Henry has this strange infatuation about Gray, making it seem like a twisted romance. 

On the other hand, Sherlock and Watson’s relationship is less ‘mental/emotional torture’ and more ‘love’, to simply put it. But, if we strip down the characters to what the audience’s image is, or the stereotype, and not the writer’s initial intent, they bear some sort of resemblance. 

First we have the Sherlock-Lord Henry, the intelligent, cold, philosophical thinker, who is incredibly intimidating and has an overwhelming presence/influence. They are unusual, by both modern and Victorian standards, characters that people do not wish to be associated with. 

Next, the Watson-Dorian Gray character, deemed the only character to be ‘acceptable’ to the one above. They are in awe of their respective companions, treating them like a god and obeying whatever they say (for Watson, think The Hounds of the Baskervilles; for Gray, the first quote above). 

The difference between these relationships is that Lord Henry and Dorain Gray are so much more extreme. They are not right for each other, but they are drawn to each other. Lord Henry is obsessed with Gray, and Gray with Henry.

Sherlock and Watson are, again, drawn to each other, but they aren’t hurting each other. Sherlock has this admiration of Watson, and Watson is in awe of him, but they also recognise each other as human beings. 

So, if they are different, why have I bothered writing this post for about an hour now?

What I am trying to suggest is that Wilde perhaps took some inspiration from TSotF and inserted it into TPoDG. Yes, I recognise that they were released not long from each other, but I don’t think it’s entirely impossible. Lord Henry seems like the evil, dark version of Sherlock Holmes, focusing mainly on his thinking rather than his character. I drew attention to the German quote that Sherlock said, ‘It's a pity that nature only created a human being out of you, because the material was for a worthy man and for a rascal.’ What he is saying here, after Watson tells him he is both energetic and lazy, is that he agrees, and humans have potential to be amazing or awful. From such a small-meaning comment of ‘you are amazingly lazy and hyperactive’ to talking about a person’s path in life, it really reflects the basis of Lord Henry’s personality; he turns even the smallest statement into a heated discussion about morality. 

So, I might not be making any sense in this, but I do truly think there is some sort of link. Whether Wilde read TSotF and decided to base his characters on it, but making them extreme, will probably never be known. I might write a bit more on this because I do have some other ideas.

[hacash]

ted lasso 2x06 thoughts

OK FANDOM HOW ARE WE FEELING

Rebecca texting her 'mystery lightning man' in bed while her hot stupid side piece makes her breakfast is just...that is a power move on a whole other level. I am in awe. Queen. Goddess.

Between Jamie's dad, Rebecca's parents, and the ongoing mystery of Ted's father...does anyone on this show have a good relationship with their parents besides Sam?? Is Higgins going to have to adopt the entire cast?

He'd do a good job of it, to be certain - it was an easily overlooked plot line, but I love that while fan-favourites Ted, Nate and Rebecca all straight away bottle doing the right thing and telling Beard that his relationship is an unhealthy one, Higgins makes the call to step up and do good. Last season one of the core aspects of Higgins' arc was not telling the truth that needed to be told and we saw how much it bothered him, and I love how that's such a key part of his character. He's such a good dad.

And on that note: avoidance of difficult issues was such a part of this episode, from Ted's phone call about Henry to Beard's relationship, to Rebecca and her delightfully batty mum. I do think this is one of those arcs that would probably have landed better if we saw the whole season as a binge-watch, because we'd be able to see it playing out a lot easier, but it's so clear to see that our heroes are dealing with a lot of emotional repression (we're in England, after all) and I am loving this train wreck it's becoming.

The pub regulars were on fire in this episode. Between Baz backing down from his rather...enthusiastic fanboying and their heckling of GBBO (we've all done it, right?) I'm really glad we got them on our screens again.

I loved the little scene of Ted strolling about the grounds saying hi to the non-football employees of Richmond - it's a nice reminder that he's done so much for the club morale beyond the actual team members.

‘I am a strong and capable man. I am not a piece of shit.’ Ok, who the fuck has been hurting Colin?

Jamie was spot-on perfect this episode. I'm amazed at how smoothly Phil Dunphy passed from 'obnoxious little weasel' to 'himbo comedy gold' in the space of one season; he is a really underrated comedy character and I hope the showrunners make the most of it. I'm torn between 'bad hair' and 'so I can go back to being a prick?' as the funniest moment, but honestly it was all good. I also love how he and Roy are clearly settling into the fond exasperation of best frenemies - we got a sliver of it at the gala episode last season and I'm looking forward to more.

Also the first signs that the Gospel of Ted isn't always 100%: it was good to see Roy correcting Ted's coaching of Jamie and arranging that delightfully spiteful foul-and-goal. And Nate! Nate arranging the final play when Beard and Roy were spiralling!!

I'm still so worried about Nate and obviously there's more drama and pain in store, but for now I'm just buzzing about him actually getting the recognition he deserves. Nate the Great!

I'm always excited about the little team moments, because we never get enough of them, but seeing the happiness of the team after the win, inviting Sharon out for a drink, even just the moments of Isaac and Colin goofing around in the taxi (I miss their broship!) all warmed my heart.

And now onto the main event:

SAM IS THE MYSTERY BANTR MAN. Apart from my bemusement about twenty-one year olds who casually quote poets on dating apps (this...does not happen in my universe at all) I am both so worried and so intrigued. I really find the idea of a proper thing between him and Rebecca leaving a bit of a bad taste in the mouth - the age gap is significant, she's his boss, they're so nice as friends - but the show-writers have handled other difficult issues really well, so I trust they can handle this too.

I've already said that the parallels that would emerge between Rebecca 'n Sam (Rebecca dating a much younger man with such a notable power imbalance) and Rupert's own dating history...would be an interesting one. If she does pursue something with Sam I kinda hope this gets brought up? Because honestly if we had a male boss in his forties dating his twenty-one year old female employee on the show we would all be kicking off about it, and it's pretty skeevy not to at least acknowledge that when the genders are swapped.

AND TED. OH TED. I have so many feels about this that I can't all get down - I'm not quite sure why he was hearing replays of Jamie's dad in his head, but the 'father issues' klaxon is blaring loud and clear - but I'm just so glad it ended the way it did, with him finally asking Sharon for help. Roll on next Friday.

ETA: I just realised Sam’s the one who helps Jamie up after his foul and then stops the Spurs player from clobbering him. Oh. My. Heart.

[kazbrekkerrs-remade]

ekrjhak i lov eu and to further enable you: ur thoughts on blue, gansey, ronan and adam and henry? and their group dynamic????? 👀👀👀

Wow this took me ages sorry dfjfhd. Claire... u enable me too much these are my onions <3. Under a cut because I went. overboard :3. I’m probably going to have to shorten this I don’t know if tumblr will even let me post something this long dkshjfhg. (Also I wrote half of this in word so if there’s proper capitalization in places that’s why, don’t let it cloud my image as a cool, laid-back bitch that doesn’t care for grammar.)

i’m starting individually then moving onto group dynamics heh

blue i like blue but it did take a bit of growing on me djjdjhjss. i like her a lot bc i relate to her a lot, but i do think there was a lot of room for improvement. she said she wanted to see the world and make it better but how exactly.. is that a roadtrip? i mean i guess it’s a start in a way, but i think it would’ve been much better if we saw her join an activist organization.. volunteer for a non-profit or something. Also her misguided feminism ah! But I can be a bit more lenient with that bc she was still very young when the series ended so. Also she was revealed to be part tree and then like. Nothing substantial came of it? idk

Ganseyboy! I have to be honest my.. fave uwu. There is a Lot of room for improvement  but I just. Optimist!! insecurities :( also he KNEW he was gonna d*e I’m. sad. Anyway like I said a lot of room for improvement as in like.. not everything is about you king <3 also he needs more… idk I don’t wanna say empathy bc i think that’s something different but like. He needs to realise that what he thinks is best isn’t gonna be the way everyone deals with something, if that makes sense? Like basically the “how do you know what’s good for me?” “THAT’S MY OPINIOOONNNNN!!” vine. THAT SAID I love him so much.. he held up the mouse to his face! And smiled!! mon dieu.. when he made bird jokes to make adam laugh… “am I in your dreams?” AH! In a way, blue and gansey are sons of the same gun: I love them both but there could be more done with them tbh. But I have a lot of fun with Fansey, a.k.a: fatima gansey. Kind of like fanon gansey except no one’s opinion matters besides mine <3 (basically it’s  the *aggressively kicks off shoes* “yee haw”, parts of gansey, and then me giving him the arc he deserves) maybe we could sum it up to “ma’am that’s my emotional support projection character” but like. That’s my business.

ADAM! Previous endorsements include: “might fuck around and become an adam parrish stan account.” “I’ve only had adam for a day and a half but if anything happened to him I would kill everyone in this room and then myself.” “I go :D whenever I see it’s an adam chapter” (these are more or less verbatim from my previous posts.) that said, I don’t have many fully formed thoughts because I uhhh don’t remember the books that well and also I repress the adam chapters bc they hit too close oops :). tbh I don’t have many complaints at all heh. That’s not to say he doesn’t have flaws but a) I will excuse them because he’s justified, adam does anything problematique and I’m like he can have a little murder. As a treat. and b) I genuinely loved his arc so. No complaints for real!! Also.. adam realising he is capable of loving and being loved…. *kermit meme* I have nearly teared up while writing this. :( one more half baked thought: trc having being “known” as a mark of being loved but then adam being like “i am unknowable” and then there was a moment of him with ronan like “how foolish of him to think he was unknowable”.... *kermit hearts meme intensifies*

RONAN O CLOCK to be honest. I. don’t have any meta or complaints I just love him. I love him a LOT okay.. very much. Big love. Sharp edges tough guy but he names his dream animals chainsaw and gasoline and has a pooping blanket for chainsaw… I can’t remember the quote but that but in cdth where he was like the point is dreamer or not if people are going to get hurt I’m going to stop it… Much to think about. HIS GROWTH. IN THE DREAM THIEVES wow can you believe I read him in TRB and was like ‘I don’t care for him’ ddhfjdhf and then in the dream thieves I’m like.. I have rescinded all previous callouts of ronan lynch. Oops. HE LOVES HIS FRIENDS SO MUCH oh my gosh. Ronan just… he has so much range for feeling!! he feels so much!!! I love that about him so much omg

Henry. Ah. This is where we get kind of controversial jdhjdfh I’m sorry but. I’m going to be honest I like him well enough as a character but I don’t care for him much I’m sorry I just. It’s because he was introduced so late. And only became an important character towards like.. the last half of TRK? I mean, I’d have loved him if he was introduced earlier, hell at least have him come into play in BLLB. The issues I have with him isn’t because of anything about him as a character though, I think it’s all about the way he was handled. I think because he came in so late, there just wasn’t enough time to do justice to the depth that he had, or give him an arc or anything, or enough time to connect with him. Also a part of me feels like he was in there just to kind of tie up Blue and Gansey’s stories and give them something to do after the end of TRK (which sucks because like… making your only canon POC being primarily to develop/give your white characters storylines… (blue isn’t white in my mind but like she was written “colorblind” and when that happens it usually means the author viewed them as white at least in the beginning jhfhgfj. but i don’t remember it too well so if i’m wrong lmk please!)). But probably my biggest problem is: I couldn’t help get the vibe that MS was facing criticism for the lack of diversity and so decided to bring in an asian character. Like, I feel that way bc he came in so late, and because of that he was so half-baked I’m.. gah. GAH. That’s unfair maybe henry is a cool dude hdhfg but I just can’t warm up to him because of this :/

Group dynamics!! With the gangsey I have to *sobs* I love them so much I’m.. what a strange constellation they all were <3

blue and ronan!! BROnan amirite… omg. That moment when blue nearly slips and ronan immediately catches n holds on to her… she would have to remember that :( sons of the same gun. Best friends!

Blue and adam.. gah. As friends it really goes hard. Get you someone who will stab you if you fall too deep into the nether-realm <3 but uhh. As dates. YIKES. Blue really just. Kissed noah while dating him. And didn’t even think for a second “I have a bf” :( not very cool of her to tell gansey about the kiss curse but not telling adam which I mean, I know that happened to show that they weren’t a good match but. Still yikes. Blue was lowkey cheating on adam the whole time during tdt huh :( also bro I am number one stan of the “I wish you could be kissed jane” scene but it happened literally RIGHT AFTER she broke up with adam I’m. relax <3. I wish that was kind of addressed but meh, overall it doesn’t bother me too much. I think they’re great friends :)

Ronan and adam… I can’t talk about it too much. I really can’t!! I really really can’t! the fact that adam goes to gansey like what is love and gansey is like she makes me quiet… and then adam is like “he was so still inside”.. :( omg the bit during trb when ronan is going on a swearing tirade and adam is like “they didn’t start making the civic until ‘73 <3” what a JACKASS I love him. Second secret!! --okay! Wait I have to say: while this one is not really a big deal compared to all their other moments, my favourite quote is “ and he realised that while he’d been looking at ronan, ronan had been looking at him” :uwu face:

Blue and gansey: :3 :33333 maybe it’s the muslim but I really like the tragedy of not being able to kiss :( I would beg just one off you! Under all this! Maybe I’m crying because of the inherent romantic-ness of the night sky with all its stars and late night drives :( wow I love them. Also i know most people find it annoying but I personally love the “I’m never gonna fall for this person” *fast forward to getting to know each other* “ahahah. :) I have rescinded all callouts of ____. she is now my girlfriend (long story)” (not to be confused with enemies to lovers <3 (not to be confused with enemies to friends to lovers <3)) also they can kiss now thank you very much.

Okay I will just preface this with: gansey’s relationships with both ronan and adam have the “how do you know what’s good for me” element to them so I don’t have to address it later hdfgjlfj but bro they love each other so much I’m… “dream me the world… something new for ever night” you’re leaving for TWO DAYS.. gansey gave up monmouth omg what became of that I really forgot khffhk did he get it back. I don’t even need to elaborate on ronan, “ronan would do anything for gansey” :(

ADAM AND GANSEY I been WAITNG for this one! Turn it up! Bro if you saw the whole face I made when I realised it was time for this kdhfhfkhu this is so loaded despite the fact that I cant articulate it <3 the.. idk what to call them. Parallels? Foils? I didn’t take lit sorry but he RANGE we could have had there… remember when gansey was shocked in trk bc :0 you guys came with me and also “they had run for him”. bro their whole relationship had so much. Tension because of their different backgrounds and fundamentally different outlooks because of their backgrounds, and I think if we had seen them properly connect then both of them could have grown from that. I know we see adam understanding gansey a bit better I don’t remember when that happened but I know it did at some point hhdsf but gansey.. never does! Huff and puff. It’s really so FRUSTRATING to me bc that could have key development for gansey but also for adam and gansey’s relationship. And also I feel like we didn’t.. see them try either? Which is so frustrating like idk if it’s a fault on stiefvater’s part or just with YA lit in general that platonic relationships are kind of ignored. Or maybe it’s because idk I remember ms saying she had a lot of issues while writing trk.. but still. We could have really had it all but instead I have to live with “don’t break him adam” I’m (: ok but now I must lighten the mood hjsdhf so might I add: when one of them sees the principal in his crazy funky junky hat and goes “yee haw”… when gansey is like :DDD hey ADAM guess WHAT and adam is like ? and gansey is like oh it was a fully casual problem with the ALTERNATOR of my car of COURSE it was the alternator, it was really simple and I fixed it with much ease :D and adam is like :’D felt like the had hatched a baby bird.. my uwus. ADAM! give me an idea! ALSO if anyone will allow me to venture into adansey territory…. the fact that adam is cabeswater’s magician and gansey now.. is cabeswater in a way. MUCH to think about. I still spend a lot of time thinking about the dryad au the problem is I have never been to progress past the “vague concept” stage of stories and this is why I don’t write dhfjhfdhf. But yes. I think about it often :3

i also like the henry with the gang, i think it could work really well but once again it wasn’t given the time for me to really see it :( also. ronan being racist. and adam laughing along with that. why was that included, ms turn on your location i just wanna talk

okay once again thank you for enabling me claire and i’m so sorry for this monster dsjkhfjkdhg

[ikkleosu]

What do you think now in terms of Caryl actually happening? Seems to be looking a WHOLE lot better now!!

I have several asks basically asking the same thing so forgive for just lumping it all together in this answer. Also forgive me, for I am about to ramble.

Let me say that i am so so so certain Caryl is happening.

Now unlike some folks (with music box in their name) I FREELY admit that despite the fact I am ALWAYS RIGHT, sometimes I have been totally wrong.

I was totally sure Caryl was happening in season 5, and I was totally sure it was happening in the run up so season 8. Obviously I was wrong on both counts.

The rest of the time I was mostly speculating how it could happen if they were to do it at that point.

Now I have always (well since season 5) believe Caryl would happen eventually. Even when I stopped watching in s8/9 I still believed it would happen eventually. But by then I thought Carzekiel was a real, genuine ship, and Caryl would only happen as a last ditch attempt to save ratings - 3 show runners down the line!

And then the spoilers for 8x16 came out and my ears pricked up. Carol was leaving Zeke, and Daryl was implicated in the divorce! (LOL) Suddenly things got really interesting, but I still wasn't sure Caryl was on the cards in the immediate future.

Once the movie was announced I was fairly settled that Caryl would only happen in the movie, as a ratings grabber (because as much as I love Andrew Licoln, he isn't enough to sell a movie. Walking Dead fans who have walked away would expect a TWD movie to have Rick and Michonne and Daryl and Carol. They just would).

Now up until about a month or so ago I STILL believed that (and part of me does still think actual canon might only happen on the big screen). But what has changed in the last few weeks is that I am certain THIS SEASON is setting up Caryl - either to fully go canon in this season, or to NEARLY go canon, then go canon in the movie.

(By nearly go canon, I mean Daryl and Carol's feelings for each other are made explicit. There are on screen conversations about their feelings. Their reasons for not being together will be detailed, and they will have shippus interuptus a la the Consumed bed moment that stops them from taking the last step)

My mind being changed has happened bit by bit, and a large part of it has been thanks to Norman "threesome with Beth and Carol" Reedus! I KNOW?!

Suddenly his answers on Caryl were mature and interesting. Talking about the complicated nature of their relationship and waxing about aspects of Caryl. Like, who is he?

My assumption was Norman suddenly didn't just get media training. He could answer differently because he knew differently. He had something different to say because something different was happening.

And platonic relationships are rarely "complicated".

A huge part is the quotes I put in my "join the dots" post. The fact that Angela said this season would deal with Daryl's love life, and said she has asked Norman his opinion on how it would go. Then Norman said they have had talks, then explicitly said he has had talks with Angel's and some things he suggested went into ep 1, then he confirmed it was things in the Caryl scenes.

To me, that is definitive proof that the relationship he and AK were talking about was Caryl.

And let me divert and explain here why I got it wrong in the past...

It took me like 6 years to realise that Scott Gimple puts stuff into the show that seems significant but isn't AT ALL. He plants scenes and symbolism and Easter Eggs that amount to fuck all. They are pointless, meaningless stuff he puts in for his seeming own amusement. If he's asked about it, he will say yes I will say that will come up again BUT IT NEVER WILL!

From the jasper stone to Daryl's therapy book to Daryl's sudden deep relationship with every red shirt going - all of it was meaningless drivel. Hey remember the dead bodies with signs on them? Remember the weird deserted camps? Remember the Cherokee walkers? Remember the clocks and flowers and tomatoes and beer bottles and the colour green? MEANINGLESS!

I spent so many hours dissecting and analysing, connecting stories that seemed to fit brilliantly together. And I tend to think I was giving it more thought than Gimple was.

I thought Caryl would happen because things like the water jug flirtation and Consumed and the Dwight parallels and the Cherokee rose on the wall and... you get the point. But none of them meant anything other than Gimple thinking he was clever and throwing carylers random bones to keep us going. Which, to his credit, worked largely.

But I believe Angela Kang. Angela "I wrote Still, the worst written episode ever" Kang is not like that. Doesnt work like, and knows exactly what she's doing.

I dont say that lightly. It is only looking back at s9 with hindsight do I see what she was doing.

She had Carol repeatedly reject Ezekiel's proposal; she had Daryl have a conversation with Aaron about what a good father Daryl would be; she had Carol and Daryl show their connection and Carol show she wanted space from Ezekiel in a scene she wrote notes on saying Daryl was jealous of Zeke; she had Carol change her mind about Zeke only after she saw Daryl lose and go punch happy, whilst Zeke is a caring father to Henry. She made sure Carol never said "I love you" to Zeke on screen. She showed that while Daryl goes into the wild, Carol always knows where he us and lies to her husband to go visit him. She showed that Carol felt that Zeke had enough influence on Henry, and now she wanted Daryl to be the male influence on his life, in an episode filled with romance tropes and a morning after scene that was clearly meant to emulate a morning after scene. And then AK played her first hand - when Henry dies, it is Daryl who Carol seeks. And Zeke sees Daryl as a direct and present danger to his marriage and threatens him off. And then Carol leaves Zeke, and goes back to ASZ with Daryl.

I mean, holy crap! She set it all up so subtly that so many people didn't see it coming. And I still believe there are other parts of s9 that are set up to come into play this season.

And then with each spoiler I began to get more faith. Ep 1 was so much better than I expected, with Daryl taking Carol on a date, making a bracelet (something else I was wrong on. I totally thought that was wishful thinking), and not only being comfortable with the idea of running away together, but when he realised he couldn't do that, telling Carol HE NEEDS HER!

Again this is new ground, Daryl hasn't talked like that.

And then, after all that came the dream spoiler. I loved it, it seemed big, but the people leaking it played it down to ridiculous levels.

They made it seem like it was a throwaway scene, a Gimple-esque nod to the shippers. But as I have said, what actually happened was HUGE. This scene is the entire point of the Carol taking speed pills story (in this ep). It is telling us WHY she is afraid to sleep.

And it confirmed every single thing. The dialogue in the extended version confirms it is a good dream. The ring takes away ANY ambiguity (unless you are a desperate ABCer who has decided to pretend it's Ezekiel's ring, when it visibly, clearly isn't) that Daryl is just a roommate. And the fact the dream is 80/20 Daryl to Henry, shows this dream issue is NOT just about her missing Henry. If it was , the dream could have just featured Henry, or Henry and Zeke. It didn't. It heavily featured Daryl as Carol's dream husband, then followed it up by a scene showing us how utterly she loves and needs him.

I always believed in eventual canon. After Ghosts, I believe canon is on the cards very soon. And that we just saw on screen confirmation that Carol is IN LOVE with Daryl.

Put a fork in me I'm done.

[ikkleosu]

Debunk, Dissect and Destress

OKay rather than dealing with all the anons in my inbox - because although they all say different things the essence is the same - I’m going to make this post, and maybe some others, to hopefully answers your worries.

Generally speaking I’m not a fan of comparing couples, or potential couples, but sadly needs must from your asks so I’m going to warn right now there is “dissing” of the C@rzekiel pairing, there are parallels to R@chonne pairing, so run away now if that’s not your thing.

The main thing people seem to be worried about is Crzekiel happening is more likely than caryl, the alleged parallels in Bury Me Here, and the last scene of the ep, so I’m going to try and allay these fears in this post.

The rest is under a cut

ANd let’s start here:

1) Read ALL Melissa’s interviews post-episode:

http://comicbook.com/thewalkingdead/2017/03/12/does-carol-love-daryl-/

https://www.yahoo.com/tv/the-walking-dead-postmortem-melissa-mcbride-on-carols-nightmares-and-daryls-sacrifice-071533000.html

http://www.amc.com/shows/the-walking-dead/talk/2017/03/spoilers-the-walking-dead-qa-melissa-mcbride-carol

Now notice a few things: 1) How often she is asked and talks about Daryl 2) how little she talks about Ezekiel (especially romantically) 3) go back and do 1 again, it’s worth it. :D

Also take notice of this quote from the Yahoo interview, about the “One Way” sign:

“ That was cute. Yeah, it kind of is. As it turns out, I don’t know how much I can get into that, but it just turns… we can read all kinds of stuff into that. And the arrow, I do believe, was pointing backwards. “

Interesting huh that she can’t talk about that and it points AWAY from Kingdom? (I’m not saying I told you so, but I told you so LOl)

Notice also ALL the post-Bury Me Here there were no questions about Carol and Ezekiel romance to Scott Gimple - the man who is both the showrunner and wrote this episode - not a SINGLE ONE. Not even on Talking Dead. 

And in all the reviews I’ve read (over a dozen) only 1 mentions anything about Carol and Ezekiel romantically.

It wasn’t a thing, no matter how much part of the fandom wanted it to be a  thing.

2) Let’s talk about the “parallels”. Now I’m saying straight up I haven’t done extensive research on what the OTHER fans are saying, I’ve seen 3 posts about the parallels, and I’m going off them. If there’s other parallels being claimed, feel free to let me know what I’ve missed.

a) Clear parallels - “Focus on the unhinged guy meanwhile, there's something else brewing with new relationships" “Gimple wrote Clear, which he admitted it was the first time he wrote it with Richonne in mind and it was a Morgan featured episode. And he wrote tonight's episode which featured Morgan. In both episodes it never started off as anything glaring about a romantic setup, but they both ended with glaring possibilities.”

I mean, Lord, do I have to explain why this is NOT a parallel? Why there is nothing parallel in these episodes beyond Gimple writing them and the focus on Morgan’s mental health? I mean they are literally saying, the only connection is there two people interacting in that ep and they later became a couple. That’s it. 

On the same basis, we could claim No Sanctuary was a parallel to Clear - both written by Scott Gimple, both important Morgan episodes, and we have the Carol and Daryl interaction to “parallel” RIchonne.

b) Other R*chonne parallels - 

“Nabila’s words to Ezekiel were incredibly reminiscent of Hershel’s words to Rick right before Michonne showed up to the gates.” 

Yes, they are similar speeches and the parallel is that they are made to leaders who are afraid to act, who want to hide amongst their crops and concentrate on living peacefully behind a fence. And by the end of the episode they have both learned they can’t live like that anymore, that death and destruction will find it’s way inside (the flu, and the weevils) and destroy what you’ve worked hard to grow, but that it can be rebuilt. 

That’s the parallel, not that shortly after this scene Rick talks to Michonne who he later hooks up with.

“Carol tells Ezekiel they must fight, and Ezekiel says he already knows. Just like Michonne and Rick in the jail cell in “Hearts Still Beating” 

Again, yes, this is a parallel between the 2 leaders again - both of them having refused to stand up and go to war, but have this moment of clarity after the death of two of their people (Spencer/Olivia, RIchard/Benjamin). It’s not a romance parallel, it’s a parallel about Rick and Ezekiel AGAIN.

“Ezekiel tells Carol they’re going to fight, but “not today”, which is like when Michonne told Rick they could wait a few more days.”

Well it’s a stretch to be fair, because the meaning of the 2 exchanges is very different.  Ezekiel is acknowledging that rebuilding focusing on Henry and the garden is as important as preparing for war. Whereas Michonne is reassuring Rick they have time to get the weapons they need to get the Junkyard people on side.  Different words (”In a few more days”. ), different meaning but a similar phrase about time. Again if it’s any parallel, it’s the two leaders.

Note NONE of the alleged parallels have been about the relationship between RIck and Michonne.

MEANWHILE, we have DIRECT parallels to Sherry and Dwight and their MARRIED relationship with each other, and speaking of Rick and Michonne, we have “I can’t lose you” - a phrase which has NOT been uttered by anyone except those in a romantic relationship.... soooo 

3) The finale scene in the garden 

I’ve kind of answered this above with the first parallel, but this isn’t a scene about Carol planting roots. This is a scene about 2 characters (technically 3, as Morgan is the same and we see him immediately afterwards) who has come to a realisation - that sometimes sacrifices are needed in order to achieve peace.

This is all about Carol and Ezekiel arriving at the same place in terms of knowing what must be done, but knowing they can survive it. They are doing ti for Henry and others like him. Planting new crops to replace the ones they lost, preparing new growth for the time after the war when they will all needs to see HOPE.

That is what that scene is about HOPE for a future for Henry, that is free from the Saviours.

When you look at it that way, and look at it in context with all the info above, you can see it’s not a big romantic foreshadowing moment.

And here’s a bonus 4) relating to that:

Cast your mind upward to that comment by Melissa about the One Way Sign. In fact let’s have it twice, it’s so good:

“That was cute. Yeah, it kind of is. As it turns out, I don’t know how much I can get into that, but it just turns… we can read all kinds of stuff into that. And the arrow, I do believe, was pointing backwards.”

Now think about that. Think about the fact it’s pointing away from the Kingdom. And think about the fact Melissa is saying she can’t talk about, therefor it has significance. And know this,. when the crzekiel shippers believed the sign was pointing TO the Kingdom, they all said for sure it was showing where Carol’s home was going to be, where she’d settle, where her future lies.

When they found it it’s pointing AWAY from the Kingdom, suddenly it doesn’t mean any of that. now, to me, that says it all about these “signs” for crzekiel.