#And like maybe it's bc I'm just biased bc I was burned by a show I liked but

[kaythefloppa]

"Go to hell" is basic. "I hope your favorite show that ended or was supposed to end naturally regardless of quality suddenly gets renewed for countless new seasons that soullessly milk it dry and sink the show's quality to unsalvageable levels whilst showing zero signs of ever putting the show to rest or letting it die like it should've " is smart. It's possible. It's terrifying. It has actually happened.

[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

You already mentioned how making him worse would have worked. How do you think making him not suck at a conceptual level (re Darlington?) would have worked if his situation was the exact same?

Oh I forgot to answer this. This was re: the Familiar discussion where I was saying Santangel being worse (or alternatively less shitty) would have been a better choice rather than the lukewarm place he occupied. And hm the thing is, I'm def biased towards favoring terrible characters, and that's the most interesting to me. But I think a traditional route would have been having him trying really really hard to discourage Luzia because he does Not want her to get stuck in a similar position being forced to serve either Victor or the King. I'd remove her servitude earning his freedom as a sense of stakes for him, he's only teaching her out of loyalty to Victor/because he's forced to serve him. So freedom seems like it's never going to be on the table for him *anyway* and he's just organically starting to empathize with her. Seeing himself in her (both in ambition and yearning for knowledge/magic specifically, and how she's going to entrap herself) is itself like how he could connect to her vs it being such an obvious conclusion with the replacement thing that him coming to that conclusion holds no weight. I'd then remove the betrayal entirely. Something that struck me when I was reading it is that the redone bargain's terms didn't make sense to me. Because in the OG Teo (who would become master) would lose what he valued most, and then Santangel (who would become the familiar) would lose what he valued least. So why in the redo would Victor lose nothing but then Santangel who is simply exiting this bargain has to lose what he values most? Idk it didn't make sense to me that it would work like that. So I would have the Act II reveal be that Victor planned to bind Luzia to him in the same way. It's never established... how this spell is performed at all, or how Teo even found someone who could credibly do it if Santangel had spent that fucking long searching for immortality with no results. But whatever. Lets say it's something he newly unearthed in his ancestor's stuff. And they're both horrified, and Santangel tries to tell her to cut and run as per canon. Sidenote: I would probs have her learn about his backstory much earlier. Some sort of scene well before they're obviously romantically interested in each other and she just asks him to tell her about himself because she's curious. And maybe he tells her some unsavory stuff he's done on Victor's family's behalf to scare her a little bit, but then things turn to him telling her about the bargain and his relationship with Teo. Where she stuns him by offering to take his place-- somewhat naively, but also with the understanding that she's someone's servant anyway/is going to be forced to listen to Victor and maybe she does want immortality/maybe if she has a massive crush on him already then she surmises that he and just their magic lessons might be what she values most already because she has so little joy in her life so losing that won't actually be much harm. And he would laugh this off but also feel like someone fucking gutted him lmao. And that could be where the Feelings stem from for him, but also an ironic callback when they realize that Victor meant to enslave her as well all along. Anyway I'd probably have the resolution be that Luzia somehow gets her hands on that spell— actually she shouldn’t find it like Victor did, show of trust Santangel tells her bc he still remembers it— and she performs it, tying him to her instead? It's not freedom but neither is burning to ash every morning and depending on her to heal him lol. I think in terms of likeability and there being more of a relationship arc I'd generally have him be more reticent towards her and all around just more of an annoying curmudgeon. Which can be fun for silly banter earlier and have a more distinct feeling of him being someone who's emotionally super super guarded and has had those muscles completely atrophied. So when feelings do come into play he just falls to pieces. Fwiw I get the sense that he is somewhat meant to be these things already, but I'd just heighten it.

[protect-namine]

I have a biased interpretation, this is not an objective rant, link click spoilers below. okay? okay.

truly the worst way to watch link click is to watch it weekly as it airs, instead of binging a season in one go.

the minute the show suggests the possibility of lg having selfless/noble/heroic motivations and the fandom runs with it........... do we not like flawed characters anymore. did we forget this show loves deceiving and lying to us.

are we just gonna ignore the framing of S2 that lg is apologetic about lying to cxs that he's always been breaking the rules from the start despite telling cxs not to break the rules, despite cxs already having learned to respect the rules. this is an important contrast between them: cxs learns to respect the finality of death when he chooses not to dive to bring back lg (when he genuinely thought lg was dead, regardless of lg's actual status), while lg never respects it — not when it comes to cxs. "time is a hypocritical construct" likeeee the framing is point blank.

"oh he's not being selfish, he's actually diving to fulfill cxs's dying wish (to save everyone)" "he wants to save a dead ql too" biting you biting you biting you. biting the show if this is true. but even though I don't trust their time travel writing, I do trust their character writing, and I just don't think that's the lg they've written man. idk what to tell you. lg saw ql was being possessed and all he thinks about is hey, maybe his possible death would replace cxs's inevitable one. he saw a possessed ql about to fight cxs and doesn't think, "man. I fucked up. cxs asked me to save everyone and yet everyone's about to kill each other" (obviously he'd never say that in S2 bc they want to hide his motivations, but the thing that's clear here is that ql being posessed is lower on his list of priorities)

(who does cxs want lg to save anyway? a dead ql? the people in the burning building?)

it's just not consistent character writing??? he doesn't care about xiao li. he ignores the emma case for like 6 episodes. he avoids helping their rich friend getting scammed until cxs gives him the puppy dog eyes. twice. ql didn't see herself die in lg's memories — if she did, that would be the first thing she'd question.

also. this isn't live action. donghua cxs doesn't operate on "heroic duty" but on "kindness." it was never about the "greater good" but about "empathy." asking lg if he would let cxs change the past to save people is whatever. he asks that every week. asking lg to break his own rules to save people — something cxs knows is important to lg? idk about you, but to me, asking someone to compromise their own principles is rather unkind and unempathetic.

I need hypocrite, selfish lg to be real. why are we allergic to hypocrite lg. that's what makes him interesting and have depth. whatever. selfless, noble, heroic lg is boring to me. lg who doesn't contrast cxs is boring to me. that's like... their whole thing? link click writers I believe in you but man some fans (mostly twt tbh, not here) really do want a more boring story and I'm...🧍‍♂️

this is a biased rant, not an invitation for debate

[hopefulending]

hi i am so sorry to jump into your inbox but 1) another swiftie/shiv girlie gn of color hello 2) re. your cas thoughts, i have to know what u think his fave album would be bc ive been mainlining speak now lately & imagining it as one massive destiel AMV in my head so im biased

Hello!! ok first i must say: it was so so lovely to get an ask!! I haven't gotten one in forever bc i literally only reblog things loll so seeing it in my inbox made me delighted:)))

to your point of the swiftie of color/shivgirl of color intersection. that is what kimberle crenshaw was talking about!<3 i would love to hear your shiv ideas(this season etc) bc none of the ones ive seen so far have been that great to be quite honest

prefacing the next paragraph by saying this is all like my stupid opinions and im often changing my thoughts! so inconclusive, but...

re: cas taylor thoughts. well. he's a pop girlie that is for sure and certain. however i tend to think of him as more of a charli xcx or like marina kind of pop? intellectual classic tumblrina pop if you will. so I honestly see him liking lwymmd and blank space and like most of 1989? he went to target and bought the midnights cd etc. (caveat but I think he would like her lil outfits and performances--the visual element of her brand def). i also think he can appreciate like the our song or picture to burn if it's on the radio and he would know the words. but beyond that? i simply cannot see him clicking on spotify and navigating to back to december or haunted. like he listens to avril and slayyyter. I think he processes attitude and ditzy production less than lyrics, and a lot of tay songs are led primarily by their lyrics. I also just think he likes louder music? idk. DEAN however. dear john ugly crying in his car alone! please dont be in love with someone else!!! full volume in his cvs brand headphones!! laying flat on his back crying to last kiss in bed!! he i think is very into lyrics and emotion through writing and i think he would definitely fuck w speak now and fearless as well as like shake it off or whatever that episode had in it. I think if he explained/showed cas why he likes speak now, cas would resonate w it (even if only through association--ie, dean likes this song->i like dean->i like this song) and I think he would rly enjoy it then. fave album for cas ummmm maybe rep? i think he would like singing along to it while driving, he'd like the netflix movie of it and he'd like dean being emotional abt new years day etc. also because the entirety of spn post s3 is just cas having a hot rep era yk? this got SO LONG i'm so sorry

and obligatory to mention, but if you havent you absolutely need to see the dear john jurisffiction amv. neuron rewiring!!

anyway, I'd love to hear what you think about all this!! speak now IS one massive destiel amv i'm glad you're having fun w that:)

<333 mwah!

[breadsandwiches]

Yess! Like I don't think the show will (or should) point fingers towards an OG villain as I feel that would kinda go against their whole message of "both sides are wrong, we should break the cycle and make a better future". But I just love the idea of Aaravos having a genuinely deep and sincere fondness of the world and its inhabitants, but gradually growing bitter because of all the injustice he sees (which is subjective and in his case kinda biased against Xadia, probs bc of personal beef). And him being like "I see what's wrong with you but I can fix you" (whatever that means for him) but to create the world in his image he needs to burn some shit first. Like he's literally playing God (emphasis on playing). He's maybe like a parent that thinks they know exactly what is good for their child (while in fact it's super destructive), but that does not mean he doesn't genuinely care.

Granted, this is mostly just how I personally imagine him, I'm curious what direction canon is taking him in!

Honestly going feral over Aaravos rn, like idc!!! Idc if he’s some evil mastermind manipulator who caused everything that’s bad in the world or whatever. Idc because I'm imagining his life and how he must have seen and met generations of people, he must have been touched by so many lives, he must have danced with people on warm summer evenings, and told stories over campfires and walked with someone on an early spring morning and just,, shared so many meals together.... He was given an apple by a friend... Or perhaps they were a perfect stranger it doesn’t matter bc isn’t that the most natural fucking human thing?? Isn’t that the meaning of life, to have something sweet and wanting to share it with someone else???

He must have shared so many of life’s little joys everywhere and I’m not ok about it!!! Not ok!!

[newtonsheffield]

Oh, Molly!!!!!! Spanish girl here!

I just read your teens!Kate and Anthony and I'M COMPLETELY DYING. HOW CAN THEY BE SOOOOOOOOOOOO REALLY CUTE AND LOVELY?! And, as a girl who wears glasses on her daily life bc she's as blind as a bat and a girl who's about to get braces (at 27, yep), I do appreciate this Katie. I wish many girls on their teens could read this and show them that the cute (and hot) boy can also fall in love with them!!!

Anyway, I loved your latest post about Anthony getting into Kate's room bc she's scared of storms, and they getting caught "red handed" and Thomas addressing the *topic* without really wanting to address it. I'm dying to know how Edmund and Mary addressed that conversation and the reaction of the children. You may post it on Ao3, but it would be really funny to read.

I hope you're doing very well! I think I've never asked how you doing and that's so impolite from my side.

¡Te leo pronto! (Read you soon!) 🥰

Ahhhhh She’s back!

Hello! Hello! Hello!

I’m doing pretty good all things considered! I just went away with my friends for the weekend and got a new tattoo so that’s pretty exciting! Here’s a picture of me with my friends that I just found on my phone this morning, pretty drunk on Margaritas in the bathroom of the Mexican restaurant we went too, you guys know which one I am right? The really drunk one taking the picture.

Anyway! Katie and Anthony are the absolute CUTEST! I can’t even handle nervous baby himbo Anthony who wants desperately to talk to Katie and who just doesn’t know what the heck to say to her. I love him, your honour. And Katie Sheffield is “nerd” solidarity, she’s got braces and glasses and she’s still pretty as hell. Because we can agree that those things don’t change how you look. They don’t make you pretty or “ugly”, They’re just a part of who you are! I also wear glasses and if I had a dollar for every time someone told me I look better without them I’d be a very rich gal. Like, thanks for thinking I look good, but I need them to see!

Let’s maybe… take a little look at how Mary is dealing with her daughter being basically an adult.

Katie had known she was in for the most awkward conversation of her life when she’d come home and very awkwardly said

“Umm Anthony asked me to go and watch him play Rugby tomorrow, and I thought maybe I would.” And May had gasped delightedly. “Just as friends, it’s not a date I don’t think.” She’d finished quickly, waving off her stepmother and trying to ignore how her Dad was looking very stony faced at her.

“He plays rugby? What position?” Her dad had said suspiciously, narrowing her eyes, and Katie had honestly had no idea how to answer that because she honestly didn’t know. Luckily Mary saved her from having to admit that little fact with a loud tut as she placed dinner in the table.

“Does it really matter, Tom? Honestly, that sounds nice Katie.” She said gently, ignoring her father’s little sigh.

“We’re just friends, Dad. Honestly, and it’s not a date, his Mum and Dad are gonna be there, he even invited Eddie. I think he just thought he had to . I probably won’t even go.” Her heart sinking a little as she looked down at her plate, the truth of her own words stinging just a little. Her dad let out a little sigh, and Katie was very suspicious that Mary’s hand had connected with his shoulder.

“Of course you’re going.” He said sounding a little resigned. “You’re taking your sister though.” Katie nodded her heart fluttering a little even as Edwina groaned.

“Dad no, please! Just because Katie’s going out with Anthony I have to suffer through Rugby as well!” She whined ignoring Mary’s nudge.

“We’re not going out Eddie!”

“Sorry, are you not going somewhere together?” Edwina said eyebrows raised oblivious to the way Katie’s insides were twisting uncomfortably.

“We’re just… going to be at the same place. We’re not going to be there together.” She mumbled uncomfortably, her cheeks burning as she adjusted her glasses.

“Katie, honey, it’s okay to be a little nervous.” Mary said gently.

“I’m not nervous.” Katie lied quickly, and then a little wildly, “Can we please just focus on something else?!”

The conversation moved on and thankfully Katie was spared any further embarrassment until a knock sounded at her door hours later. Mary peeking her head round the door, Kate felt her heart sink.

“Katie, honey, can we have a talk?” She forced herself to nod because really, what else could she do? Mary smiled gently sitting down on the bed next to her. Kate took a deep breath and steeled herself what what she was sure was coming.

“Katie I think it’s time we had a little chat about Anthony.” And there it was. Kate felt her cheeks burn.

“Mary, it’s really not like that, we just study and we’re maybe becoming friends but he doesn’t like me like that.” She said embarrassedly, adjusting her glasses though continuing to stare at the sheets in front of her.

“Do you like him?” Kate hadn’t been expecting that, her eyes flicking up to Mary’s chest aching at the soft expression there. Katie shrugged.

“Maybe, but it doesn’t really matter because he’s never going to like me.” She mumbled, ducking her head again. Mary sighed.

“What makes you so sure?” Mary was always so clam and reasonable in moments like this, even when Katie felt irritation flaring in her chest. She laughed dryly.

“Because I’m me. Look at me, Mary! I’m not like you or Eddie who’s already way too pretty. And he’s just… Anthony.” The words were ripped from her chest, tears stinging at her eyes when she spat the truth out at her stepmother.

“Can you look at me please Katie?” Kate did after several seconds and a sigh. Mary was looking down at her so patiently, her hands in Kate’s hair soothingly.

“Sweetheart, I know you don’t believe me but you are so beautiful. And one day you’re going to realise it that you’re pretty, and smart, and funny and kind and all of those things are far more important than the fact you had braces fro two years.” Kate scoffed but Mary continued. “And of Anthony doesn’t like you, which I think you’re wrong about, then he’s not worth it.”

Katie sighed, not letting herself believe Mary. “Well you have to say that, you’re my Mum.” The words had slipped out before she’d even thought them, suddenly scared how Mary would react. Mary let out an odd choking noise tugging her into a tight hug for several long moments. Eventually Mary pulled back, a serious expression on her face. Kate’s stomach lurched.

“I know you don’t want to talk about this, but we have too. Katie, when two people have feelings for each other it’s natural too want to-” Kate pulled her arms away from Mary, her cheeks in fire.

“Mary! Please!” She whined, embarrassment threatening to swallow her whole. “I know how sex works, and I’m not having sex yet! I’m just going to watch him play Rugby.” She mumbled

“And that’s okay, Katie, but it’s also okay to want to be close to Anthony, and it’s natural to want to share things with him, and I’m not trying to embarrass you, I just want you too be safe. And Anthony seems like a really nice boy, but if he does something you aren’t comfortable with it’s okay to say no okay?” Kate forced herself to nod. “And if you have any questions, you can talk to me okay? No judgement.” Kate nodded again her cheeks burning as silence filled the room. Mary sighed, kissing her on the forehead as she stood from the bed.

“Well I think I’ve embarrassed you enough for one day.” She turned to leave and just as she reached the door, Katie couldn’t stop herself from asking.

“Umm Mary?” Mary turned back towards her with her eyebrows raised. “What if I tell Anthony I like him, but he doesn’t like me and then we can’t be friends anymore?” Her anxiety bubbling out of her like an unstoppable force. Mary smiled softly, leaning against the doorframe for a second.

“Katie, if you like someone you should tell them, and maybe I’m a little biased, but I’d be very surprised if Anthony didn’t like you.” And then she was gone and Katie was left on her bed trying to piece together what had made Mary believe that.

[iamnmbr3]

I was literally speechless watching ep 4 at how terrible it is. Like besides all the Loki bashing all the TVA scenes had me checking my phone because Mike Waldron I Do Not Care About Your OC's Stop Trying To Force Me To Feel Sad For The Time Fascists. Maybe I'm biased because I'm already over the TVA shit because I came for the LOKI show but it really felt like it was trying to force sympathy for Mobius and B-15 and I'm just like "....Anyways." EP 5 and 6 being amazing won't make up for the fact that over half the show is bad.

Lol yup you said it. To be honest after episode 3 I thought the show had reached its nadir. I didn't expect to feel anything positive about the remaining episodes but I also thought I'd be kind of numbed to it. I thought it couldn't possibly get any worse than it already was. I was wrong. Disney will never cease to amaze with their unparalleled ability to disappoint. Oh for the heady days of the past when I thought that I could expect the Loki Series to be about Loki. A more innocent time.

The show is so bad. Mike Waldron completely destroyed Loki's character to try to lift up his pathetic boring OCs and guess what? IT DIDN'T WORK. It just makes the whole show feel boring and pointless. Mike is a hack and even completely destroying Loki doesn't make his OCs into good characters because it doesn't fix the fact that he can't write. His jokes aren't funny. His dialogue is bad. His characters are flat and uninteresting. He can mock and belittle Loki all he wants and it won't change that. It won't make him talented.

Tt this point I would be delighted for a dumb twist where it turns out Larry is a robot and then the real Loki shows up and burns the TVA but that's only bc I would take even the dumbest plot twist if it meant I could have some Loki content. I'm desperate here. We're 2/3 thru the show and I haven't seen Loki even once. I've just seen a random annoying clown also played by Tom Hiddleston (I'm not even being facetious. That's how I perceive it). But yeah. The show isn't salvageable. While I would enjoy having Loki content in the end it wouldn't fix the show. They need to just retcon it out of existence somehow. And bring back Loki. And fire Mike Waldron!

[kingdomoftyto]

sdghjSDHGSDJ as I feared, my tags were too long and got cut off. I had a lot to say though so dammit I’m gonna just put the whole ramble here:

#Danny Phantom#ohhHHHHHH MAN#you're right there are SO MANY wildly different directions this could go but somehow each is more appealing than the last#I think I'd still want him to remain evil in the end for a few reasons#first off: the progression of Vlad's madness and obsession is one of the most appealing things about him as a character#him going from straightforward assassination attempts to making MUTANT CLONES OF A CHILD is objectively silly but I've always seen it as#him getting more desperate as his failures keep piling up. to the point where he starts losing his grip on#what he'd originally set out to do or why#he just keeps pushing further and further with his plots and experiments til he becomes almost unrecognizable#and obviously in an ideal world this slide into obsession would be a slow burn and would be clearly telegraphed to the audience#not just a sudden personality shift or whatever#anyway that's just always been such a core part of what I love about Vlad and how he was used in the show and I want to see that explored#... and SECONDLY: as a fan of the show since childhood... I'm just not comfortable with the Fentons being outright bad like that#exploring their very real neglect and endangerment? hell yeah go for it.#that lab accident didn't happen without plenty of objectively terrible parenting#BUT a more interesting angle might be to have them--if not possessing a modicum of safety consciousness from the start--then at least#after Danny's accident have them actually develop some competence and basic safety rules for the kids and the lab#and for Danny's continued mishaps and mysterious injuries etc to be either baffling for them or kept secret from them entirely#bc he's a dumb teenage vigilante in over his head#and he wants to keep protecting the city with his powers but he doesn't want to burden his parents with the knowledge that he's in danger#and that their work actively puts him in MORE danger and that he actively MEDDLES with their work to put HIMSELF in more danger and so on#so it becomes this big feedback loop#and maybe one of his biggest personal worries in this AU is that someone WILL blame his parents for the accident#when Danny being Danny only blames himself#anyway I'm rambling at this point but yeah I don't want the Fentons to lose their kids to a reformed Vlad#I want them to belatedly find out just how much their carelessness has hurt their kids and for them to be absolutely devastated by it#(bc Jack and Maddie loving their kids more than anything was a constant in the original show#and changing that would literally make them entirely different characters)#Vlad manipulating things so that all the damning evidence falls on them--the bruises etc being a perfect example of him twisting things--#would lead to such a satisfying (by which I mean absolutely devastating) climax of Vlad's long game all coming together

#it would be the series’ lowest point. where the Fentons all get broken apart. #meanwhile Vlad has been orchcestrating everything and thinks he’s finally won #and then something something Jack and Maddie find out the Truth about Vlad and Danny’s ghost powers (yay more angsty self-blame) #and from what they knew of Vlad when they’d been friends all those years ago they manage to finally piece together his plans #(because they’re goofballs but they’re still geniuses. give them SOME credit) #something something they all work together to stop him and they get a chance to apologize to Danny and let HIM choose what he wants #I’m the big sucker who likes happy endings and like I said I’m biased by the Fentons’ unconditional love in the original show so #you know how I would ultimately end it #but they wouldn’t get to be one big happy family without a lot of angst and pain and WORK to get to that point #so they’re not being let off the hook for the neglect either #...holy shit this is getting too long. anyway amazing post OP bless you so much

some thoughts on a path Vlad might have taken were Danny Phantom not a Nicktoon:

this AU (tentatively titled Mastered AU) begins in season 1 ep 7 “Bitter Reunions”, which proceeds kinda like canon for the first half before going off the rails. this is all about how a more cunning, sneaky Vlad might accomplish his goal of becoming Danny’s father.

Keep reading

[livingwithashipname-blog]

i used to love scorpion but it's become mediocre since the second half of season 2 bc all they've done is bait waige. tbh, it's not a good ship and maybe i'm biased bc i've headcanoned walter as aromantic (which would've worked much better in terms of his character since the show seems to be telling ppl with higher IQ that to find a place they belong they have to develop EQ to "evolve" when as a society, we should be accepting them and not making them fit in with us)

No offense anon, but…  Is there a question in this?  It’s unclear exactly what you’d like to discuss or know from me.  But I chose to take my time with this response in order to open a discussion within the fandom.  This isn’t a rant.  Lol!

I disagree with the notion that the show is telling its audience that high IQ, low EQ individuals have to develop EQ to evolve or fit into society.  This insinuates that the geniuses sacrifice their intellect in order to become less socially inept.  This is simply not the case.  One of the show’s core messages is to communicate the benefits of emotional intelligence in relation to one’s goals to share that intellect with the masses - learning to adapt without sacrificing identity.  The message is continuously addressed with Walter O’Brien because he is the genius with the lowest EQ, the creator of Scorpion, and uses his business as a hub for like-minded individuals with various skill sets.  

What makes us different from animals as humans is cognition - the ability to reflect on our thoughts and experiences and act on them to change ourselves and our environments.  Walter is not efficient at processing emotion to label it properly, meaning that he can not identify behaviors to which he can not relate.  This does not mean he can not emote, but the amount of EQ he gains over time is learned.  It does not derive from within.  The same is true of the other geniuses to a lesser extent.  (Elyes Gabel talked about this at the cast’s first SDCC appearance - Walter has an emotional vault that he struggles to access.)  Furthermore, Walter’s environment contributes to how well he can regulate his emotions.  In the show, Walter’s intelligence was fostered as a child through his work for the government.  But his emotional development was only fostered through Megan because she accepted him for his differences unlike his parents.  This is why he was so protective of her medical care and fought hard on an intellectual level to save her.  Since Walter’s emotional development is an arc for the entire series, his character will be written to show his successes and failures in various aspects of his life in relation to his life goals.  

As far as attraction is concerned, Walter could be written as aromantic in relation to his genius.  This would have been a great and intriguing development.  But various moments in the show suggest that Walter, at the least, is romantically attracted to women for now.  Therefore, his emotional intelligence will also have an impact on any romantic relationship he seeks to have given the show’s premise.  If you’ll indulge me, allow me to explain using recent scenarios from the show, present the conundrum that lies within fandom, and how that conundrum is capitalized in order to “bait” fans on Waige under the cut.  It’s long, so don’t say I didn’t warn ya! 😜

Examples from Canon

In episode 2.22 Hard Knox, the team mobilized to help Ralph win his court battle.  Ralph tried to explain his program’s functions to Walter, but he couldn’t understand Ralph’s approach.  Sadly, Walter projected his frustration over a problem he couldn’t solve in that moment onto Ralph.  This led to Ralph walking away feeling defeated and Paige threatening to quit.  When he realized the mistake in his behavior, he approached Ralph and said this, “what upset me is that you were willing to slow down for me to-to let me go down the wrong road, when that would’ve hindered you, because I couldn’t grasp your work.  Never hobble your intelligence for anyone… because if you do that in this garage, imagine what you’ll have to do out there… for humans.  The world needs to catch up to you… because if-if it can, just a little, imagine what a… a beautiful place it could be.”  This example is unique because it reinforces the show’s core message in IQ vs. EQ on the basis of intelligence, not emotion.

In 3.15 Sharknerdo, Walter argued with the client over the way he stated the service fee instead of accepting the fact that the client was not interested in learning the correct way to communicate $109,000.  This cost the team their job and dismantled the weeks of work Paige did to secure that contract.  Paige was rightfully frustrated because Walter couldn’t get like Elsa and let it go. 😂  Plus, it’s even more frustrating that Walter secured a new job on contingency, where payment is only guaranteed upon completion of services.  This is bad for Walter despite the fact that Paige is the liaison for several reasons: 1) he talked with the client in her absence, 2) he lost a job with a secured fee and replaced it with a less secure one (that’s not good business when you have employees to pay), and 3) he is the boss of Scorpion who makes the final decisions.  In Paige’s absence, he is the next point of contact for independent jobs (those not issued through Homeland Security).  This is the statute of limitations when it comes to his goals for Scorpion.  He has to acquire skill sets to make him more efficient at communicating with average/high EQ, non-geniuses if he wants to diversify his clientele to do more good in the world.  In other words, he has to learn and apply approaches on an EQ level to appeal to normals in order to get them to his level or create an equal playing field.  Another great example of this can be found in his interaction with the foreman in 3.14 The Hole Truth after his talk with Happy.  I apply the same tactic as a researcher.  I have to know my audience and how to address them in order to communicate my findings and spark interest.  If I do not, I limit my reach and open doors to miscommunication and misunderstanding.  

Also take into consideration instances where Walter has lied about facts in order to achieve the greater good.  Episode 2.04 Robots is a great example.  What’s also interesting about this episode and others in which this has happened is that Walter doubts the scope of his own emotional intelligence.  The same is seen with Happy Quinn whose EQ is closer to Walter’s.  If you have read any of my reviews, I talk about this doubt factor several times.  Walter and Happy have demonstrated emotional mastery in both their work and personal lives.  Their main issue is consistency outside the limitations their logical brains impose on their emotional functionality.  Yet overall, they improve each season.

This show is loosely-based on the real Walter O’ Brien, who is an executive producer.  If you ask him to choose between IQ and EQ, he will tell you, EQ over IQ, from his own personal experiences which has been infused widely throughout this show.  You can read that interview HERE and learn what he did to create the show.  It’s very enlightening!

Fandom Realities

Here’s the conundrum that stems from fandom.  (If you read the interview, then you already got a sense of what I am about to say.)  Scorpion is an action dramedy in two parts - personal stuff and mission stuff.  And these two elements are interchanged in every episode.  However, the majority of fan commentary on the show is about the romances first, the other personal storylines second, and the missions last.  This means the greatest pull, as far as spoilers and other marketing strategies are concerned, is information on the ships whether it’s through social media, press releases, or cast interviews.  The majority of fans don’t get excited over the missions (or else that would be reflected in fandom convo and creations).  Scorpion covers some real projects like the Chernobyl dome and the Svalbard Doomsday Vault (both of which are really cool btw).  And I am curious if an upcoming episode will take a note from a docu-drama on Mars that debuted on National Geographic.  Anyways, Waige is not canon and yet Waige-centric episodes receive behind-the-scenes exclusives on pop culture news sites like Entertainment Online.  Katherine McPhee and Elyes Gabel are sent out on press to talk about them.  You do not see similar treatment with the other ships because Waige is the main ship of the show.  All others are side ships, regardless how much exposure they get.  Quintis is highlighted in the storyline because the relationship is between two main characters, who are both high IQ, low EQ individuals, as opposed to Callie (RIP 💀) which is between a main and a guest, both of whom have average/high EQ.  

The showrunners, writers, cast have alluded and established in many ways that Waige is an endgame, slow burn otp.  The mystery lies in WHEN this will happen.  It would be stupid for them to reveal that information.  But they use episodes to answer that question for the fans.  As fans, we can choose to trust what is there to put our expectations in check or fall for the bait!  Besides, we get more receipts the more the writers use more than one episode to foreshadow.  If we don’t like what we see after some time, we have to determine what is the breaking point and move on or devise a new plan to indulge the content (e.g., skip episodes, binge later).  We also have to take into consideration that some decisions are in the hands of network execs.  At the end of the day, it makes no sense to engage in endless emotional masochism over something we no longer enjoy.  It’s silly!  But I digress.  If you want to know more about my theories on Waige, feel free to go to my page, type “the Waige flip” in the search engine, and read all about it.  As someone who ships Waige, I don’t have any questions on them until season 4, episode 12/13.

I will not argue whether Waige is a good ship or not because it’s not my place to police opinion.  What I will say is that Waige is an intriguing pairing because it is a relationship between a low EQ individual and a high EQ individual - a genius and a normal.  (Btw, high IQ, high EQ individuals exist - it’s a function of nature vs. nurture.  But that’s a topic for a different day!).  Melvester had the same dynamic, but the EQ gap between Megan and Sly was much less than that between Walter and Paige.  For this reason, Waige will always face unique challenges.  Like I said at the beginning of all this, Walter’s emotional development is a series arc and his triumphs and failures will extend to his personal life.  But one thing this show does well is communicate understanding in the team’s decisions, both geniuses and non-geniuses, whether you agree with their stances or not.  That’s necessary given the show’s premises!

If you’ve read up to this point, CONGRATS!!! You have survived another Emanda’s Inner Sanctum analysis/thought piece!  Toodles peeps! 😘✌🏾️

[fluffi]

so should i reply in tiny font or just regular font?

hybe should do better in spreading out the comebacks of the groups under them :/ they're already at a huge advantage, might as well use it strategically. AHA streaming mvs is so convenient for a multi. the filler vids i could use in between could be mvs from the other groups that i stan. also you know what, i still haven't watched a single final performance bc im waiting for a friend to watch with me :D

i have a chinese movie recommendation in case you want something to cry over. i still love its ost and it's been months since i watched it. i'm not sure if you watched it already but more than blue. i've never cried over a movie as much as i cried for that one. the angst *chef's kiss*. i'd do anything to wipe my memory of it and watch it again for the first time.

also sungchan is mc-ing in inkigayo every sunday! and honestly, what the hell is nct hollywood :D but a part of me thinks it's just going to be a bunch of asians living in america like johnny that'll be a part of it. just a hunch tho. imagine having all 4 units coming back in a year with like 1 unit per quarter of the year. i'm not sure if sm even has the money to do this, especially when they filed bankruptcy recently.

and i've seen a lot of twitter memes saying taro's ghosted stans T_T alexa play ghosting by txt T_T sm come on give him smth to do, you're wasting talent.

the mall didn't burn down entirely (like from the outside it looked fine). the ventilation system caught fire so it was more internal—ceilings and all that. covered things with soot(?) and ashes so the entire mall was closed for nearly 2 years. and hey, i've experienced a school fire too back when i was younger. i, too, thought it was nothing but a fire drill until i saw the charred remains of the buildings behind our school : D thankfully, no one died.

the new nct track is for a samsung commercial AHAHA it's funny because nearly everyone uses apple TT_TT and the mv screams neo culture tech tho (well as it should lmao). yes, i was talking about that part in hot sauce but yes, it grew on me too.

ateez really know how to do a performance. they put the standard so high for me when it came to performing. their facial expressions and overall stage presence just impresses me. it's been a while since i've seen idols draw me to them by those standards.

ah, the long stan list! good luck in getting through it and i hope you do have fun as you go :] (also you can check out aurora by ateez and whiplash by tbz. the songs popped up in my head as i was typing this reply, you might like them)

ohhhh, what was the pd48 scandal? i don't watch survival shows so i don't know any of the stuff going on. would you care to elaborate? about their disbandment :(( i hope you're okay now tho! are the other girls still debuting in new groups? anyone eyeing an acting career instead of being an idol?

YES, A PATTERN IN THE BIASES (if you count an analysis of two ppl as a pattern, that is.) because it's the same pattern i have for my biaswreckers :D jake & seungmin, not only do they have the same animal to represent them, they have the same 'golden retriever' type of personality that just makes you go all soft. ygwim ;n; i wish i could elaborate but both boys just devastate me in the same level and my friends pointed out that they were quite similar in some aspects.

jaemin used to send really long bbl messages :< like if there was anything he loved most it was nctzens and it was obv in his messages. speaking of dream, album repackage news today! idk what to feel bc my hot sauce albums haven't even arrived yet :D + i'm dead br0ke.

how do you even manage to read 30k TT__TT i cant handle long fics bc of my attention span :D also, yes, i found the user now, i'll check if i'll like their works soon. <33

YES YOU SHOULDVE BEEN THERE T_T what a day that was. i think seungmin is still sweet and active in bbl. not a single cent goes to waste with him. also i think i'll post the drabble some time this month.

and oml seungmin vs jake :o let's see how that goes O.O XDD

clickity-clackity AHAH do you have a mechanical keyboard? :c i wanted one too but i haven't got around to saving up for one. but yes indeed, typing asmr v relaxing \m/

sunny hyuck day, fullsun sunday, fullsunday T_T feels were very strong that day. i kept seeing edits on my twt tl and i would just s o b : D i've only stanned nct for a year but i've seen him grow so much i just wanted to crie i love him sm :') yk my mom didn't cook spaghetti for my birthday, but she cooked for hyuck's? : D

and i checked ur recs blog and indeed, full of nct T_T

also have i mentioned that your desktop thing amuses me so much HAHAH i got confused for a sec if i had twt opened or tumblr. plus, i've been wanting to mention that i noticed that our mobile themes are opposites. black and red, white and blue. it's cute XDD <3

help, people have been telling me that our asks are long but i highkey love it. i added a ‘keep reading’ for the mobile users though, sorry in advance hh.

honestly, both works. tiny font saves space but regular font does more justice for my poor eyes haha. its your call!

hybe comebacks :( yeah enhypen got lucky because they came back right before cb season so they got three wins (yay)! on the bright side, txt just got their first win and bts has six wins, so it all works out i guess. omg yes, the streaming thing is perfect. i stan like 20 groups so i have a never-ending cycle of filler mvs and its always so helpful. ooh for the final performances - you wont regret watching any of them! literally wild, kingdom's budget and talent are wild.

ooh, I don't watch any cdramas lmao. i want to but i can barely finish kdramas. if its a movie ill watch it! ive never heard of more than blue but ill check it out <3 where can i watch it?

yes yes i have just realized that sungchan is yujin's co-mc! i watched their special stage (which is literally adorable) and was today years old when i realized that the dude is sungchan pls. nct hollywood was so unexpected and i still have mixed feelings about it now. LMAO JUST ASIANS LIVING IN AMERICA...help. that would be interesting (?) but the concept reminds me of those horrendous awesomeness tv shows. lets hope sm pulls this off well and proves me wrong. lmao all 4 units coming back would probably happen, but i hope none of them get overworked :( i constantly feel like mork lee has four clones :'( also...sm filed bankcruptcy??? dang, what happened?

ugh omg yeah shotaros talent is seriously being wasted in the basement right now. as for fires, scary T-T i wasnt that fazed by them until the australia wildfires happened, and i learned about the consequences of fire and got really scared. its good that the entire mall didnt burn down though! although its weird that no one is opening it :( schools really need to tell us the difference between drills though, it might be dangerous for those rebellious kids.

yeah i just realized that the nct track is an endorsement which partly explains why i cant listen to it. the mv's visuals are stunning!! the set and people are so gorgeous aa i cant

oh yeah im not an atiny but i have acknowledged since 2020 that they have one of the best, if not the best stage presence and expressions on stage for 4th gen. i think their only worthy competitor would be stray kids actually. theyre truly one of a kind and all of them are cute especially that yeosang guy. i will definitely check out your song recommendations though!

oof the pd48 scandal is extremely complicated. to condense it in a few statements: all of the girls' rankings have been rigged since the very beginning and it was rumored that they already had their end group before the show even started. it was like this for pf48 and pdx101 (group x1) which was why x1 disbanded within a month of debuting, and izone were on hiatus for like 4 months. im not the best at explaining stuff like this haha, but i think you get it. you can check out yt or search up 'pd48 scandal', a ton of articles and videos. as for new groups, nothing has been made clear yet. theyve only made instagram handles for now and appeared on variety shows haha. as for acting career, hyewon was supposed to do acting but was forced to join pd48 so maybe she'll continue acting afterwards? nothing is confirmed yet!

lmao two similarities, its okay it counts. ah, true, i can see their similarities now that youve mentioned it, as well as how jeno is kind of like that. however, i am currently attached to jaemin so we'll see what happens from there hehe. i swerve easily.

jaemin on bubble grr, that would be a whole experience. from the bare minimum of vidoes ive seen for him wbk jaemin is so whipped for czennies. ah yes repackage! i saw the post on instagram and went to the comments to see everything screaming ‘iM bROke!’ and it was lowkey hilarious lmao. kpop is really trying to suck our money T-T.

ope the longest fic ive read is like...40k words i think? and it was by jeonginks. ill read anything eiko produces lmao, theres always so much substance in her work. ooh, tell me what you think of luvdsc’s stuff, i just finished binging their entire masterlist lmao.

seungmin vs jake yeah, i havent been catching up on skz enha content because im still obsessing over the dreamies but when that saga is over then im going to focus on my ults lmao (which might include dream soon, hehe).

yes yes i have a mechanical bluetooth keyboard that i use to connect to my computer! it literally sounds amazing lmao, its only 10am here but i feel like im going to doze off from the clickity clackitys already. i cant wait for you to get one! tell me when you do, we can match hehe.

hyuck is an aodrable brat please. hes like the best comedian of nct at this point, so hilarious and filled with variety i love him. he rose up my bias list pretty fast too. LMAO YOUR MOM IS SO COOL I LOVE HER ALREADY. if only my mom would cook for my ults’ borndays.

yes my rec blog is a mess right now, ill organize it soon haha.

omg thank you and yes my website theme is one-of-a-kind. even i get confused when i open it or edit it, and i constantly get comments about it. also i just realized our opposing theme colors and i love it! its adorable.

[fluffi]

i think it was because god's menu was released around the same bp and svt made their comebacks. same thoughts tho on gm > bd and i was also glad that bd got the wins gm didn't. and same with the streaming mvs while studying : ] ahh, the easily distracted people we are. (reading cut and litol font bc poor ppl who see this on the dash TT)

i've heard chinese ballads (usually osts of films and from a chinese friend) and their songs really tend to tug on my heartstrings. i hope sm gives shotaro more stuff to do soon :[ with some of the units being active and sungchan being an mc on a weekly show, it makes me wonder what he's doing. do you think nct will form a new subunit?

no, i'm not lactose intolerant so it really took me by surprise. it was a one-time thing. hopefully it doesn't happen again. i can't really say i'm a big fan of ice cream but it's good occasionally yk as a treat to yourself. and ahhh, i miss drinking smoothies. my favorite stall has been closed for nearly two years now, idk if they ever re-opened since our city mall burned down :[

i think it's an nct thing? it's why i never get tired of them bc they're always active in a way. you should've seen how things went down last year! march 127 album, april dream mini-album, may 127 repackage, june wayv album and the whole nct 2020 thing. it was a wild year. about the track, i listened to it once and forgot about it. might give it a few more listens but it might not grow on me at all. yes! wasn't a big fan of hot sauce at first too bc i thought the intro was weird (not jaemin's part, like the first thing that plays). and yes, that hook loops in my head 24/7. i even made it my instagram bio.

stray kids world domination indeed! and i agree that their performances were really impressive (specially the deadpool one, best one yet) but sometimes i would fancy ateez' more. i didn't watch kingdom too bc it stressed me out as a multi. always caught between being happy for one group and being sad for the others. and atz and tbz! you're still getting into nct and you're thinking of adding 19 more boys! judging from what i know your taste in music is, i think you'll like tbz's music better since there are a lot more soft songs there than in atz. but do give both discographies a listen in the future!

oh izone! i've only heard of them at music shows and dance choreo compilations bc of them being in sync. they're really satisfying to watch! i thought their title tracks were catchy as well! quite unfortunate that i never got into them really. but again, i dont think i can handle stanning temporary groups.

i'm starting to see a pattern in your biases :D i wouldn't be too surprised if you'll be drawn to jeno at some point in your dream venture. dream is soooo easy to love so if you really end up ulting them, i would understand why. and also, YES PLEASE WRITE FOR DREAM AND TAG ME IF YOU WILL. THANK YOU ><

thank you! :c don't get your hopes up tho, the masterlist must've been interesting to browse but are the fics truly worth it? XD i think not. since you already know koe, i'm reccing users @/rouiyan, @/nsheetee and @/loonacitys. i don't have that much fluff in my ficrecs blog. i think, i've heard of lvdsc before (maybe even read a fic or two) but i can't find their blog now. be careful in privating your works, you might end up losing them forever if you don't keep track of their links...(?) that's what happened to the works that i privated :/ take me with you if you move blogs ;n;

seungmin frequently left updates abt what he was doing, left good nights and good mornings, the occasional i miss you. he called fans 'baby' once. not sure if it was a mistranslation, or really just a one-time endearment. other than that, nothing beyond the usual. seung vlives always make me cry ;n; he always look so adorable and precious. also the gif, the fic was more on fake head-butting really but yes you could say it was also a fake nose boop bc it sounds cuter. i'll make sure to tag you on future seung content on the dash. (time to officially claim him as your ult, yes. dont make him secret anymore :3)

sorry it took me a while. tumblr went batshit. the ' werkl;' stopped working midway and i got busy with school yesterday. also haechan birth today and i'm so emo abt it. it's literally just a boy turning 21.

little font and cut saga lets go!!

(just kidding, i cant do little font typing for long periods of time, makes my eyes go beserk haha.)

true true, im afraid for txt on music shows now because theyre going against some big names (literally bts like whatj jsdf what was hybe thinking). yeah, streaming mvs while studying aka watching mvs on loop lmao. i still want to stream skzs final kingdom performance on instinct but i remember that theyve already won!! hehe

ah chinese ballads always make me emo, i like to scream out lyrics to the songs at the top of my lungs and sit there on the verge of tears. its a cultural thing maybe *sobs*. ooh, what show is sungchan mc-ing in? ill check it out. i thought sm would make nct japan for sungtaro (i heard sungchan speaks japanese) so it was a shocker when they made...nct hollywood lmao. given the current circumstances we're probably not going to get a new subunit anytime soon :( hopefully taro will have stuff to showcase during that period of time.

burned down?? oh my, what happened to your mall? that sounds terrifying. i remember when the front of my school caught on fire and we were all ushered out but we thought it was a drill and didnt find out till years later lmao.

oh true, since theyre such a big pack too. constant comebacks and promotions haha, nctzens never catch a break with 23 members. i listened to the new track again (ive forgotten the name already) but i cant- i cant do it. its just not my style hhh. i rewatched the mv for the godly visuals though. i dont know if youre talking about that 'bibididibibidiododo' part by that female morphed voice at the beginning of the song, because i wasnt a fan of that too. it grew on me though.

same, actually! im not an atiny and dont stan any other group in the show besides skz but i watched each groups performance and ranked them haha. at times ateez would rank over skz, it was wild. also yeah, my other multi friend was freaking out about kingdom and ended up abandoning the show because she was so scared of the fanwars and having to deal with her 'conflicting feelings'. about the stanning thing, in my defense, i have a list of groups i want to stan and ive recently added tbz and atz. the list is long, i have a long way to go! also yeah, i dont prefer ateez's songs and i have a bunch of tbz title tracks in my playlist but if i approach their discography like i did with nct then i think i would like at least five songs.

izone are my queens. theres a reason why theyre the only girl group who made it to my ult list haha! super talented and filled with variety and visuals, a perfectly concocted group (literally, sobs in pd48 scandal). ah, temporary groups. yeah i cried about their disbandment for like 3 days straight, it was bad.

a pATTERN?? INTERESTING. DO ELABORATE. jeno, oh my gosh hes like bang chan. an intimidating-looking bear whos actually filled with love and softness on the inside. im currently having a jaemin run though, his make a wish fancam is doing some wacky things. also yeah, dream is really easy to love. i fell for them so hard, theyre all talented and cute and adorable and the team ambiance is so nice. really rising up my stan list now. i mightt write for dream! ill have to see, hehe.

personally i think the fics are going to be worth it. i can feel it in my boOOnes. ooh, recommendations! fun :D ill check them (and yours) out after i finish this 30k jisung fic. ive been trying to finish it since yesterday but i keep getting sidetracked. also, i made a mistake. its luvdsc with a 'u', maybe thats why you couldnt find it? ahh. thank you for the privating tip though! will keep in mind. and of course ill take you with me if/when i move blogs. we're friends now! <3

SEUNGMIN CALLED STAYS 'BABY'???!!@)(@#*()! I SHOULDVE BEEN THERE ASKDFJDF. im exciting for the fake nose boop drabble!! i love soft couple moments hehe. also yeah maybe its time to make him my ult...hes going to have to compete against jake my beloved ope.

dont worry about being 'late' or anything! we all have our own stuff to do. also yeah tumblr is weird asf sometimes. if you havent realized i typically answer longer asks around the same time everyday, when i get to sit in front of my computer and pull out my clickity-clackity keyboard. super relaxing.

AND YES HYUCKIE DAY!!! HES SO ADORABLE HONESTLY. im in love with all seven members of dream, my fic rec blog is currently filled with fics for them haha.