#Buffy is basically perfect

[liam-summers]

Angel wearing the Claddagh Ring with the heart pointing towards him, pre-Surprise.

2.03 - School Hard 2.06 - Halloween 2.09 - What's My Line Part 1 2.10 - What's My Line Part 2

[terapsina]

Let us begin with the moment where they made their first mistake.

[so many SPOILERS for AGATHA ALL ALONG 1.05]

"We got to get off The Road."

Remind me again... what was rule number one about straying from the path?

Was it mayhaps... not to?

Yeah, I think it's from this point on that they made themselves TRULY vulnerable to the Salem Seven. Not to say that they had much choice, they would definitely have been caught and killed otherwise, but if there are Rules that protect them on The Road itself while between the Trials then leaving that road negates that.

Second mistake. Flying through the Bee-Swarm Of Nightmares.

Also probably the moment the Salem Seven took hold of the next "Trial" (I'm not going to go into the hints about this not being a real Trial that have been noticed by lots of other people here and described better than I ever could, suffice to say that I absolutely agree).

Also of significant note is that after they "escape" the Salem Seven there's still the sound of a buzzing insect that Agatha has to shake out of her hair. So it's a safe bet that they didn't truly slam the doors in the faces of their hunters.

They have eyes on them at the very least.

And then of course they get to the point where they get told what they're supposed to do to escape this Trial is to punish Agatha.

There's two ways that can be looked at. Either this is a legit Trial and they are supposed to come together and remain a united Coven ("Burn and brew with coven true, and glory shall be thine"). Or the Salem Seven are in charge and this is the perfect way to make Agatha face the betrayal of her new Coven the way she betrayed the Coven of their mothers' (which is bullshit actually, I'd say being put to death as an eighteen year old by her own mother puts her pretty firmly in the 'betrayed' camp then too, but we're talking how the Salem Seven would see it).

And if this was a real trial... why would them turning on each other and Agatha killing Alice give them a door?

But I'm getting ahead of myself. At first the really big moment that felt really weird to me was this here.

"What do they want?" "They already told us. Punish Agatha!"

Yes, Jen has the strongest case of a survival instinct in the whole Coven (barring maybe Agatha) but the abruptness of the turn into aggressive Burn The Witch mentality was just... iffy.

It felt more like Classic Under a Spell reaction than something that feels truly in character (something along the lines of that Buffy episode where Joyce and Willow's mom almost burned Buffy and Willow at the stake because of the demonic Hansel and Gretel).

Unconvinced?

Explain then to me this face? This one right here? Right after Jen tells them what the voices screaming in their ears want and the voices... stop.

That is way too creepily pleased for it to be Jen just freaking out and deciding to do what the ghosts want.

Being conflicted and going with the highest chances to live through this would make sense. But smile?

And not even a relieved smile, because that looks way more 'possessed by an evil entity' type of smile (or at least possessed by the feelings of the evil entity smile).

And here's the deal. I do think everyone is exactly who they are, and it's not just a vision in Lilia's head, or an illusion just for Agatha, or anything of the sort.

But I also think that there are certain moments where they get... influenced by an outside party.

And then Agatha's mother possesses Agatha for a second time and Agatha kills Alice.

Basically wrapping everything up with a nice bow to show 'look, see? I was totally right to hate my daughter since birth, see how evil she is? You should hate her too. You should finish what I started'.

Now. I'm not saying this "Trial" won't have consequences. I am however saying that this might not be as bad as it looks like right now (fingers crossed we haven't seen the last of Alice).

[anemoiashifts]

the importance of scripting.

so, this may come as a little hypocritical because i don’t script myself. ive always said don’t script but i do have a basic understanding of what id like my desired reality to look like.

if you say, i want to shift to xyz, what will xyz look like ?

if you have never thought about what you want your desired reality to be like, then your mind and subconscious doesn’t know what that “desired” part of your desired reality is. do you have a million dollars in your dream reality ? do you have any powers ? what are your friends like ? what does your house look like ? if you’ve never thought about the specifics or are unsure about where you’d like to go, your brain doesn’t know what you desire because you yourself do not know what you desire beyond wanting to shift somewhere.

scripting is just intention & when physically scripting things out (setting intentions) it allows you to have everything in one place & not just a bunch of miscellaneous ideas or thoughts you’d like to happen. when we think of intention, we think of doing tasks usually. “i intend to walk a mile” or “i intend to go to school in the morning”. the difference between intentions like this & setting intentions to shift are shifting to a desired reality is made up of a bunch of little desires. yes, “your subconscious remembers all” but once you take something written down your mind won’t always go “oh & i also want this to happen in my dr” mid-method.

no, your script doesn’t have to be perfect but it does provide clarity. scripts — written, a pintrest board, or whatever you choose — provides somewhere that’s easier to visualize & could provide some comfort. going to a new place is scary, if you have an idea of what you intend to happen, it will eliminate that fear or worry that possibly lingers in your head.

having multiple scripts isn’t an issue on its own but it can be overwhelming for some. for me personally, i want to shift to buffy the vampire slayer. i want to shift to the rococo era. i want to shift to both a modern fame & an old hollywood dr. despite all of these places i want to go, the only desired reality i have given thought to was my buffy desired reality. why ? because if i started thinking about another dr & got excited over the other, i know id go back and fourth of where id like to shift to. by having so many options, it creates room to second guessing yourself. when trying to manifest, it’s helpful to be certain of what you desire & provide as much clarity as you think you may need.

to clarify, it’s okay to have multiple scripts. it’s okay to not script at all. but what you do need is something to follow up the phrase of “i want to shift”.

[andthesunwillalwaysshine]

FUCK IF THE TOUCHED SPEECH MADE MY HEART COMBUST THEN WHAT DID THE END OF DAYS ONE DO ???? such a perfect whole scene with the comedic greeting to the awkwardness to buffy basically calling him an idiot in 3 different ways (and using one of his made up words back at him) and then actually being real with spike and telling him their moment wasn’t just nothing but meaningful to her to spike telling her it was the best night of his life (twice he says this) and how he finally felt close to someone (and to her) and he is terrified (because he has loved her for so long and is used to it going nowhere and doesn’t want to push her after what he did) to buffy reassuring him he doesn’t have to be terrified to them actually starting the first real convo about THEM 

this scene is full of love but it rips my heart out and it is so angsty still because with the big battle incoming neither one of them knows who will end up alive after this (if they win) and if they will be both be alive after this  AND BUFFY’S FACE IN THE END (AND WHILE LISTENING TO SPIKE AND HER SOFT ’’SPIKE’’ WHEN SPIKE SAYS HE CAN’T DO THIS BEFORE OPENING UP TO HER)

[raisedbythetv89]

joss's sick obsession with not just causing pain and suffering - but punishment and humiliation to his "pretty popular girl" archetype characters aka Buffy and Cordelia and his favoritism of the most horrible mediocre white men aka riley, xander, and angel is never more apparent than in Into the Woods

The writers opted not for the FANTASTIC call back to season 1 with owen and Never Kill a Boy on the First Date when Buffy says "two days in my world and owen really would get himself killed…. or I'd get him killed… or someone else...."

which set them up perfectly for the road map of Buffy's attempt at a "normal" relationship that angel, her mother, and the scoobies keep trying to push her to have (when she's not normal herself so of course it's gonna be a disaster which is soooooo trying to force a queer person to be straight coded which is why spuffy is inherently queer on top of them both being canonically bisexual because Buffy embracing her love of Spike is embracing her inherent queerness)

But could you IMAGINE how amazing it would have been for season 1 to have foreshadowed riley being turned at the suck house (because literally all that evil in Sunnydale and NO ONE takes the opportunity to turn the slayer's boyfriend into the perfect secret weapon to take her and her whole family out??? PLEASE)

Then vamp riley almost killing Dawn and her mother (because Dawn would be the one tricked into inviting him in as a call back to Dawn accidentally inviting Harmony in and Buffy saying she's gonna get us all killed plus angel tricking his little sister into inviting him in once he was turned)

Buffy is forced to kill him after pleading with him to remember he loves her or any part of who he was (which would further show how exceptional Spike's ability to form a truce with Buffy, keep it, and fall in love with her all without a soul is)

Making riley her second (third if we count ford being left for dead and then having to dust him) turned evil boyfriend she's forced to kill.

Buffy would still be DEVASTATED and it's Buffy so she'd still punish and blame herself even though it'd be all riley's fault (demonstrating how this storyline would still cause immense pain for Buffy and be very high stakes drama for the plot but again joss elected for humiliation having Buffy literally chase after the man who was cheating on her with vampires while she was dealing with a sick mother and a hell god after her sister. Favoring a white man's character over the best plot line)

All while also further setting up her and Spike's relationship because of the "if that's what I wanted I'd be dating Spike" of it all which was her basically saying if I didn't want normal, Spike would be who I'd choose and now she's tried to be normal and he got killed, almost killed her family and then she had to kill him just like season 1 Buffy knew would happen when she broke things off with owen!!

AND the poetic irony of her trying to be “normal” and it ends with the exact same result?? The lesson being that rejecting who you are is not the answer and the only true answer is self acceptance because pain will happen no matter what so might as well love and embrace yourself ???

BUT NOOOOOOO the writers aka joss opted for riley's narrative to be that he's a hero and a good guy always, no matter what because joss has a big fat crush on marc and guys like him, angel and oz all get written off by treating women like shit without being villainized for it at all and then leaving. Getting to go on to live rich and fulfilling lives while Kendra, Tara, Cordy, and Anya are all violently killed off with barely any time spent grieving their deaths by more than one character..... (I haven't ever been able to finish ats so I don't know how much this applies to cordy's but my guess is the pattern didn't change much)

THEY EVEN LOOK THE SAME FOR CHRIST’S SAKE IT WRITES ITSELF

[scullysflannel]

maybe obscure but what are some of your favourite moments of script spareness in tv, whether it's no words at all or arrestingly simple straightforward dialogue

really love this, especially because it's what I'm drawn to in tv in general. it's a visual medium! vince gilligan caught flack for being completely right when he said dialogue "often carries too much weight in writing." some favorites:

for silent episodes, buffy's "hush" and evil's "s is for silence." I'm so interested in fact that robert king said "s is for silence" was so hard to write and edit because they couldn't use dialogue or adr to bridge the gap if they cut a scene or used a different shot. everything had to be deliberate.

buffy's "the body" also uses silence dizzyingly well, and there's no music at all in it. it really captures the disorientation of sudden loss.

likely thing for me to bring up, but there's an alias scene where sloane tells his wife that he's a bad guy. the dialogue was scripted (ron rifkin talks about it in the dvd commentary), but it's drowned out by music, like the show is taking his voice away when he tries to justify himself. I don't know if they always planned to cover the dialogue or if it was an editing decision, but it's exquisite to me. plus it keeps the focus on amy irving giving it everything she's got (!). perfect song choice too.

the end of "never again," mulder trailing off as he finds his words inadequate. I know the shooting script says scully knows what he was going to say, but it doesn't remotely play as a moment of unspoken understanding. it plays like a moment of realizing the impossibility of complete understanding, which I love. it's a paradoxical sign of respect and an admission of defeat. it sticks with you.

better call saul as a show is a testament to spare, deliberate dialogue, but especially "but so what." the powerlessness in that line, especially for two characters whose job depends on the power of a good speech — I still can't even think about it. no further comment.

kim and jimmy throwing bottles off the balcony in "the guy for this." that's unspoken understanding. but it's so sad and dangerous.

"we fucked up with nora" on the leftovers. yeah you sure did!! that whole big surreal action movie of an episode all boils down to this one basic truth. I especially love "we"; kevin's only company is himself.

"not penny's boat" on lost. a classic for a reason.

so many halt and catch fire scenes fit this mold, but for pure silent revelation, joe recognizing that haley is gay in season 4. gorgeous.

the americans tooth pulling scene!! we all see it!! just like in evil's silent episode, silence is erotic.

I also love the choice to stage the most decisive moment in the americans finale — paige getting off the train — in a way that makes it impossible for them all to talk about it (ever).

the last scene of the sopranos. obviously.

[theoverlookedoneedits1997]

Welcome to the Hellmouth Fashion Part One

Xander’s First Outfit: 6/10

It’s whatever, probably one of his better outfits.

Buffy’s ‘Try not to get kicked out’ Outfit: 10/10

This outfit is perfect. I love everything about it!

Cordelia’s ‘I’d kill to live in LA’ Outfit: 3/10

I hate this outfit… the pants are gross and it doesn’t feel like it matches her personality

Willow’s ‘Softer Side of Sears’ Outfit: 6/10

It’s kinda boring and I don’t like the bowling pin, but it’s a great outfit to introduce her character.

Giles’ ‘Into Every Generation’ Outfit: 5/10

It’s basic Giles. I don’t have much to say.

Buffy’s ‘Seize the Day’ Outfit: 4/10

I don’t understand why she would wear this to a club… it’s a boring everyday outfit and it’s a weird club outfit. I don’t like it.

[hello-nichya-here]

What made you ship Spuffy?

Something Blue. I just LOVED their dynamic in it. Even before the spell, they were already acting like PEAK enemies to lovers.

Spike was a bit too eager to annoy Buffy and just HAD to bring up what he assumed she'd do to please her vampire boyfriend, Buffy was being downright flirty when "tempting" Spike to bite her, and for God's sake, she kept that man chained in a tub.

Then the spell happens. Spike on his knees, proposing to her, and James just has to make it sound like his character is 100% serious and every scene in the show had been leading up to this. Buffy has tears in her eyes as she says eyes and is showing off her ring to Giles (and she never gave Spike that ring back, mind you).

They spend the rest of the damn episode making out, cuddling, holding hands, being cutesy, bickering adorably, and Buffy just refused to get off of Spike's lap.

It was the BEST thing that happened in the whole show, and then the following season, when Spike realized "Oh fuck, I might actually have feelings for her" I was thrilled.

The whole fight scene of him explaining to her how he killed two slayers, with that RIDICULOUS sexual tension... God, I loved it. Not to mention, Buffy is SUPPOSEDLY only there to figure out what she did wrong that led to her getting injured, yet she's basically on a date with Spike? Like, she's playing pool with him, sitting down to talk and grab a bite, asking him about his life and then they're in an alleyway fighting (which Buffy herself said is basically third base for Spike) and when she asks Spike if he thinks this is a "dance" he replies with "Dancing is all we've done" AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

The kiss after he keeps the secret that could have gotten her sister killed, the way Spike vows to protect Dawn until the end of the world, the way he reacts to Buffy's death and how she only seems to start truly coming back to her senses when he shows up, "EVERY NIGHT I SAVE YOU", Buffy only telling him that she has not escaped hell but rather been dragged out of heaven, THE MUSICAL, THEM FUCKING A HOUSE DOWN, Spike getting his soul back for her, "Why does everyone in this house think that I'm still in love with Spike?", the speech and cuddling in "Touched"...

They're just perfect together, I don't care what anyone says.

[coraniaid]

🔥 about tara

OK, so for the record I like Tara a lot. She's definitely in my top ten favorite characters. I am still in the early stages of a (painfully slow) Season 4 rewatch, and one of the things keeping me going is the thought I will get to see Tara again soon.

I think Tara's death is very sad and I can understand why Amber Benson felt poorly treated by the way it was handled (especially with the stupid gimmick of adding Tara to the opening credits just for that episode). On balance -- and especially given the context arround her introduction and her relationship with Willow -- I think that it was probably a fairly significant mistake from a writing perspective for at least a couple of reasons. (It's not really a good look to kill off half of your show's groundbreaking lesbian couple, whatever the context, and the writers didn't really seem to have any sort of coherent plan for what to do with Willow afterwards.)

But it kind of irks me when I see it described as an obvious case of the Bury Your Gays trope because ... it really isn't?

Tara doesn't die because she's gay: she doesn't die shortly after coming out, she isn't targeted because she's a lesbian; she isn't, in fact, targeted directly at all. Her death is basically just a stupid random accident. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Neither is Tara treated as more expendable by the narrative because she's a lesbian. By the time Tara dies, Buffy (and the Angel spin-off) had already killed off (among other recurring and at least occasionally sympathetic characters) Jenny Calendar, Kendra, Larry, Doyle, Forrest, Joyce and Darla. By the time both shows end the writers will have also killed off Jonathan, Anya, Cordelia, Fred and Wesley. Buffy isn't quite a show where Anyone Can Die, but certainly it's one where anyone can die if they're not in the Core Four (and if they're not vampires Buffy has slept with, in which case they can die for a little bit but they'll get over it).

And nor is there some sense that Tara's death affects the rest of the group any less than any of the others on the above list. On the contrary, other than Joyce, who is the protagonist of the show's actual mother and had been a presence in the show for almost twice as long as Tara was, she gets mourned for longer and by more people than anyone else on that previous list. (Xander and Willow's supposed childhood friend Jesse gets mourned so little I couldn't even bring myself to add him to the list.)

Yes, the show is far from perfect. It definitely is, at various times, racist, sexist and homophobic, often in ways that cannot at all be dimissed as the show being a product of its time. I think you could certainly argue that Tara was a victim of the show's persistent narrative misogyny (Willow's first girlfriend, Giles's first girlfriend on the show, and both of Xander's girlfriends die, but neither Oz nor Riley die and neither Angel or Spike die in a way that matters).

But Tara's death isn't automatically an example of the Bury You Gays trope just because she dies and was a lesbian. Even though, as I said, it was a probably the wrong decision for the character and the show and I wish it hadn't happened.

--

Oh, also, a bonus hot take:

In a hypothetical Season 7 where Tara survived, I really don't think I can see her relationship with Willow lasting long. The show sort of forgets about it in favor of advancing the subplot in which Willow becomes a magic addict after her Evil Friend Amy takes her to see a drug dealer and then forces her to relapse, but .... Willow's supposed magic addiction isn't why she and Tara broke up. They broke up because Willow was messing with Tara's memories and consent, well before she'd ever met Rack or de-ratted Amy. Willow hadn't actually done anything to address the things that made her take Tara for granted and consider herself entitled to mess with her mind with magic at all. She'd been sad about the relationship ending, sure, and Tara missed Willow, but ... Willow was absolutely the same person who did this to Tara.

The show doesn't bother to address the actual reason she and Tara broke up, preferring the cheap shock death just when they'd gotten back together again. But after a while I think Tara would have realized this, and without the shock of losing Tara in the first place I think Willow would find it very hard not to fall back into her old habits. Habits which have nothing to do with Amy's supposed malign influence. After all, Willow was trying to use magic to change her best friend's mental state without his consent as early as Lovers Walk, a full year before she ever met Tara. And when she and Oz broke up that same season she very quickly started talking about wishing she had a way to "make [him] trust me". This is much more a part of who Willow is than any addiction to evil magic.

[thepunkmuppet]

have you thought about anyiles because I have Thought About Anyiles. strap the fuck in guys

first question. why does anya like xander?? like obviously anybody can be attracted to anybody, that makes perfect sense and is fine, but WHY does she love him and pursue a relationship with him?? she’s not actually a teenager, they have literally nothing in common! he makes it very very clear that he doesn’t understand her at all, not to mention constantly belittling and undermining her. when he tries to be “helpful” and teach her social skills and cues, he only does it because it embarrasses him, not to actually help her understand, and is just so fucking condescending and rude!!!! (can you tell that autistic/neurodivergent-coded anya in relation to the way xander treats her makes me mad??)

basically, regardless of how much I just don’t really like it, I genuinely never understood why that relationship ever even happened.

anya and giles however. it’s not necessarily my favourite ship in the fandom as it is, but the idea of what the show would have been had it been canon instead of xanya makes me love it more and more by the second.

let’s talk about canon moments. they have a connection! when they bicker, buffy compares them to her divorced parents, he calls her “dear” at one point for literally no reason, and the biggest one is of course tabula rasa. sure they pieced together the context that they ran the shop together and then just ran with it, assuming they were a couple, but tara and willow were fully attracted to each other and seemed to somehow know that they had a connection, as did xander and willow. xander and anya barely even speak to each other, while anya and giles fall into the role of a couple so easily, kissing passionately without even breaking a sweat

so just think about an alternate version of the show, where instead of liking xander for absolutely no reason, anya pursues giles.

they are both incredibly knowledgeable on demons and history, they both have crazy evil pasts, they both have dry senses of humour, they’re both way more powerful than they come across. and just the poetry of it - giles was the one to destroy her necklace and essentially curse her with humanity. him being the one to make her fall in love with humanity and want to be human again is so FUCKING BEAUTIFUL! and just the idea of exploring his trauma around jenny, unwillingness to love again, etc.

also ik it makes perfect sense for xander’s character so I don’t have beef with it from a writers perspective, but it needs to be said. GILES WOULD NEVER LEAVE HER AT THE ALTAR

[lesbianmarrow]

killing kendra was so stupid and dumb. but. here's another "you gotta hand it to bangel" moment but the bangel theme playing when buffy finds her.... hits. kill that man

KILL THAT MAN‼️ i actually haven’t noticed the bangel theme omg i should pay closer attention to the score. unfortunately sometimes you do gotta hand it to bangel. kendra dying was so so so stupid i was so ready for her to join the scoobies next season like a seven of nine type and for everyone to help her adjust to high school. so basically like what they ended up doing for anya. i was so mad that they just killed kendra so stupidly????? she should’ve gotten to come back as a friendly vampire and maybe she and drusilla could’ve lezzed out or smth. drusilla needed a lady friend to toy with. and for kendra the perfect best most highly trained slayer to have to deal with becoming a vampire would be awesome

[orchestraytedkhaos]

Rexsoka. Yeah, it's my ship. Still.

I mainly just lurk here, reading fanfic and enjoying the memes. But the angst of the last few has given me the courage to dive in and say a few words.

First, let me clear the air: Rebels was when I started shipping Rexsoka. Prior to their reunion on that show, it had never ever occurred to me to ship them. Despite having read the novels.

So, yeah, look, I totally get the opposition to shipping early Clone Wars Rex and Ahsoka. She's a child. He's a child too, arguably, although his accelerated maturation makes everything super messy. The military structure and fact that Rex is basically a slave means its got power issues galore. Then for those in the US, there is the whole 18 year old age of consent thing (noting, for good or ill, it's 16 most other places). I get why this squicks people. It's the SanSan of Star Wars.

But people grow up. Even on TV.

Season 7 Ahsoka is 17 going on 18, and effectively an adult. She's commanded armies, and just spent a year living and working independently. She is also obviously mature and, frankly, animated that way. Rex is a long term friend, they love and care for each other, and by the end of the season, she basically risks everything for him, and he for her. The episodes are also written in a very obviously shippy way, with the gazing, the chats, the meaningful converstions, the hand holding and the tears. Not to mention that sad, moonlit reunion in Tales of the Jedi.

And although I dont think it matters much, by this time, even taking Rex at double chronological age, the gap is pretty mild by fantasy standards. 17-18 and about 26, roughly the same as Buffy and age-corrected Angel, and way less than Han and Leia.

Fast forward to Rebels, and we have two mature adults with a shared history and goals, who love, trust and admire each other, share common interests, and are amongst the most important people in each other's lives. It's a believable and natural thing for that to progress to something more. The challenges to their relationship are things like, for Ahsoka, the lingering memory of the Jedi code and Anakin and Padme's destructive passion, and Rex's rapid aging, status and limited life experiences. It is those kinds of emotional and external barriers and their shared trauma that make the romance so interesting.

Season 7 + and Rebels Rexsoka is classic friends to lovers, and one of the nicest, softest and most realistic relationships in Star Wars. The opposition to it, and moraliatic shaming of those who like is, is something I simply don't get. It's bizarre. There are heaps of ships that are far, far more problematic (including Anakin/Padme) that don't get this hate.

Like, anti dudes, what exactly *is* the problem here? I suspect the it's that some people just want to get their hate on.

The recent flashbacks? Yeah, that one on Mandalore complicates thing, but I doubt they had stomping on shippers in mind when they cast Ariana, as I have seen suggested elsewhere. The more likely scenario is that - at about 14 yo when this was filmed - Ariana was totally perfect for the first flashback, and is perfect for playing young Ahsoka going forward. Even setting aside that she is an amazing actress, she's insanely athletic and can duel weild light sabres while knee walking though a twist. She's also already tied to Disney. She wasn't quite right for the part, and, I agree, that does make watching it in light of the fanfic a bit uncomfortable. But, it's not just a shipper issue. Putting an Ahsoka that looks and sounds like that in the episodes with the Martez sisters and Bo Katan is weird af too, and doesn't work. I doubt it is meant to.

Story-wise, the best and only real take is that the flashbacks aren't live action replays. The Mandalore scene doesnt even chronologically match what happened (Ahsoka is so fighting Saxon in that scene, which never happened). They are visions about Ahsoka and Anakin and their relationship, not live action replays. Both remember her as a child caught up in a war. Smoke, the fog of war, flashing lights and dying, faceless clones.

And Anakin and Rex.

What I take from these is that in Ahsoka's mind, and Anakin's too for that matter, Rex is always there for her. Standing in the chaos, calm and confident in himself and in her, and looking badass as heck. With an older Ahsoka it would have absolutely been smoking scene from her pov, and no way was it written otherwise. As an older Ahsoka remembering, it's hot. As younger Ahsoka, he's there as her protector and friend.

Do I do ever think this ship will play out on screen? Not, no explicitly. And, yeah, it probably is harder now because of that vision (although if they ever do film a younger Ahsoka series, they will undoubtedly be casting a young actor for Rex, and Ariana will, by then, be 18). But I don't think that was intentional, and I don't think that much has changed. It was always intended to be an "open for interpretation" relationship, written with the possibility not excluded. And I am good with that. Perhaps I even prefer it. Star Wars has a truly dreadful record with romance and, besides, too often cementing subtle or ust-based ships kill them. I just hope this hasn't, because it's still my ship and I love it.

[drawingducktalesducks]

You make great art!

Your opinions on Vi’s alternate designs?

I could stare at her all day. Perfection.

Design wise? Her final one is (chef's kiss) SUCH a good balance of showing and contrasting Violet’s personality.

And the alternates show why!

She’s a nerd. Shorthand for that is usually glasses, as seen in almost all her alternative designs. (Think Velma from Scooby Doo.) Not a bad trope.

But at the same time, does her character need a visual short hand for smartness?

Just the way Violet SPEAKS tells you she’s a nerd. She uses big words, and calls people by their full names. When we first meet her it’s in a LIBRARY and her and Webby instantly start switching between various ancient languages.

We don’t need glasses to know she smart and a nerd.

So unless the show is willing to commit to some moments or gags where Violet loses her glasses / takes them off specifically not to see something / cleans them regularly as a character tick (think Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Conservation of Character Design says get rid of them.

Which the show creators did.

(also her introduction scene includes Quackfaster, and I appreciate that, instead of them both wearing glasses- a thing that isn't actually about smartness literally it's just wanting to be able to see- the thing Violet shares with the Terrifying Librarian is... hair tie / hair band, including the color thereof.)

(It's a more personal choice. And it's message is "Practical")

Next is clothing style. Most of her alternates have a more fancy, ‘outfit’ kinda look to them. Like this is something she put together to get a specific Look. Nothing wrong with that. Nerds can be fashionable (Ellie Woods queen thereof).

But… there isn’t anything in Violet’s personality, story, or situation that connects to that idea.

Her things are Books, Learning, Forbidden Magics, Honorable Conduct in Contests and Duels, Adopting Stray Shadow Teens Off The Street As Her New Sister, Brining Pie To A Sleepover, Smacking Invading Moon People With A Spiked Mace, and Using Tibetan Breathing Techniques To Survive Eating Three Bowls Of Deadly Hot Spices In A Row.

The closest she gets to caring about her appearance is when her and Webby (and then her and Lena) put on gruesome costume make up and prosthetics for fun.

So a snazzy outfit, while cool, doesn’t really… jive with the vibe of Violet Sabrewing.

Nerd clothes, like a vest, isn’t needed the same reason glasses aren’t. Also the details would be a pain to draw over and over again. Even Webby’s clothes don’t have that much little bits in them.

High collars again look cool… but Lena’s already got that covered. Stand them next to each other, and where’s the contrast?

Violet wouldn’t “pop” next to Lena if they had that on top of Violet’s dark color scheme and Lena’s dark sweater.

Wearing the same thing (to show characters are connected to each other) works best when either the color or the style DOES contrast sharply

(Huey Louie Dewy and May June wearing basically the same thing as their siblings, but in very different colors)

(side note I’ll make a separate thing for someday: Lena and Webby with button down collar shirts worn under something, but with different style, effect, and colors)

The leggings are seen on two of Violets alternates and I think that got picked for Meta Simplicity and also In-Character Practicality.

They’re athletic, the kind of thing that isn’t at risk of snagging on stuff (befitting an eventual Senior Junior Woodchuck), and the dark color balances out with her hair. And they’re VERY easy to draw. Very good!

Sweater.

Sweater with turtle neck (unless it’s one of those very loose ones) usually gets used as shorthand for “Comfort over Appearance” (Velma again, contrasting Daphne)

And in this case it’s a contrast with Lena who LOOKS like she doesn’t care at first glance but actually has put maybe the most effort into her outfit (sweater stolen from favorite band, dyed her hair, wears bright colored converse in a world where most people go bare foot)

and Webby, who is wearing basically a uniform (picked by her Granny or by herself while daydreaming of experiencing Normal School Things???)

So to balance out Lena’s rebel teen punk look, and Webby’s prim and proper look, Violet has a comfort and practicality look.

BUT!

They kept the eyeshadow.

A VERY GOOD MOVE.

See, eyeshadow on someone who wears an ‘outfit’ (Lena, Daisy) says fashion minded and image conscious.

(this includes Beakly the former spy taking up the role of grandmother).

Eyeshadow on someone who wears a non-snazzy turtle neck and legging with her hair tied away from her face in a simple ponytail says something else completely-

It says, Violet likes eyeshadow, and that is the ONLY reason she wears it.

Either she doesn’t notice that it’s unusual to do this, or she doesn’t care.  

THAT is showing her personality.

If it’s that she doesn’t know it’s unusual, then that fits with her in the Woodchuck Challenge not knowing about smack talk until Lena teaches her, and in Friendship Hates Magic brining a pie to a sleepover, and in The Split Sword of Swanstantine wondering in the middle of a fight if she should change in to more occasion appropriate clothes instead of, you know, running.

Smart yes, savvy to social norms? Not so much.

If it’s that she doesn’t care, then that fits with her direct and blunt way of getting what she wants out of situations, never mind others' objections-

-Instantly running to Webby’s loft so she can see the picture of the demon lord and confirm the crookedness of his fang, repeatedly pressing for using the runes to try contacting the shadow realm despite Webby’s nervous boggle deflections, happily employing smack talk so she can learn it properly without stopping to ask what it’s effect on her competitor might be..

So the clothes of her final design all work really, REALLY well telling new parts of Violet’s personality, without just repeating what we’d instantly know from listening to her talk for half a minute.

Hair.

One of her alternates has loose floofy hair, which I imagine is what canon her would look like without the hair tie, and it rocks.

But the hair tie is kinda important.

Violet isn’t a book nerd who never leaves the library- She’s active, she gets in the thick of things, she’s happy to jump in a fight, and she’s a Junior Woodchuck. Practicality, again, makes more sense. Keeping her hair out of her face works with her character.

Her little flop of bangs is really fun to me too because… well…. It reminds me of Lena.  

Again, it’s different enough to pop while the two stand together, but it’s there. Lena has flopped bang thing. Violet has a curly bang thing. They are sisters. It’s cute!

Also helps her silhouette stand out more against Webby and Lena, who’s hair is pretty smooth and down in general. Gives her this sharp thing that moves around and makes her extra easy to pick out, even when you just see part of her head. Important for a main side-character.

If you're going to add detail, add it to the silhouette -> very big visual payoff.

Colors! COLORS!!!!

Already mentioned the pants balancing her hair nicely, dark on top, dark below, but then there’s her eyeshadow and sweater!

They ALSO tie her with Lena!!!!

Lena’s shirt, hidden under her sweater, is pale blue- the same color her friendship magic is later- it’s the color of Lena being happy and being connected to people.

And Violet’s eyeshadow, is also blue? And Lena’s eyeshadow is purple! Like Violet!

Eyeshadow! That thing both her and Lena wear, them the Sabrewing Sisters, but Webby doesn’t!

That’s so cool! That’s a way to show a connection between them AND their personal tastes, before they even become family! And once they ARE family it helps them visually LOOK like one!

Also, Violet’s green sweater?

Again we’ve got the color contrast compliment thing (huey red dewy blue louie green) this time with Team Magic: Webby pink, Lena blue, Violet green. It helps them feel… individual in scenes they’re all in frame together, while also making them look good next to each other.

The choice of all of team magic’s colors to be either more pastel or duller than the Primary Colors Trio also lets all six of them work together visually, like in Nightmare on Killmoter Hill.

But again, LENA.

Lena has two other bright colors tucked into her design, aside from her pale blue.  

The pink in her hair (visual cue to Webby) and her lime green shoes. Green. GREEN. It’s enough of an important color for it to ALSO be in her friendship bracelet.

And it’s the main color Violet, her adopted little sister, wears.

Oh my heart….

Finally, it’s looks like they tested out ideas of Violet being some kind of, parrot maybe, or wren, or such.

I love her being a humming bird for one very queer reason.

Female violet sabrewing humming birds are actually green, not purple.

And Violet.

Is purple.

Just like her dads.

(also name puns for the win yeeeeessss)

So on the whole, looking at the designs Violet could have had, I guess I’d say they’d make nice occasional outfits for her...

but if you’re going to make her an important supporting member of the cast and if you have to draw her over and over again, almost always with the same other two characters… and if those characters are Webby and Lena...

Then they picked exactly the right design to go with <3

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Random Fics (7) Masterlist

part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part six

A Leap in the Dark (ao3) - Bleeding Phass Incident (doctorwhat420)

Summary: Dan’s fingers brushed Lester’s face on the screen. Cold, plastic, hard… Yeah, it was probably just like the real deal.

An Island in the Mediterranean (ao3) - natigail

Summary: A holiday just for them and their friends. A little break filled with calmness by the seaside. Five precious moments shared on Instagram. September 2017

As the World Caves In (ao3) - cosmic_angel_writes

Summary: Dan and Phil vs The Zombie Apocalypse

Boys on Fire (ao3) - transdimensional_void

Summary: Dan is visiting Phil for the second time ever and a little Buffy viewing session turns into sexy times.

cherry lips and crystal skies (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: It’s summer in England and Phil gets invited to a high school pool party to survive the heat wave. There, he meets a flirty and mysterious Dan Howell.

Come along (ao3) - ottertrashpalace

Summary: In medieval England, a young knight rides north, sent to serve at the court of the quiet young Duke of Lancaster.

Crushes and Waterslides (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Dan has a massive crush on one of the supervisors at his local water park, which is why he goes back every single week even though he doesn’t even like watersides.

Deeper (ao3) - Scuddleduck

Summary: Inspired by the idea of "Pass Around Party Bottom Dan."

Don't Blame Me (ao3) - ForeverJustAnEmoKidAtHeart

Summary: When Phil gets a new job at the Tops Only Bar, he's just looking to make ends meet over the holiday period. He doesn't expect how he'll feel about one of the performers or how hard that'll make his job.

envelop the lonely places (ao3) - cityofphanchester

Summary: Dan in his arms is like remembering how to breathe.

(reunion fic, dec '22)

Green (ao3) - iihappydaysii

Summary: When a man hits on Dan at a party, Phil knows it doesn’t really matter, but he still doesn’t like it.

How I Met My Boyfriend on Queer Eye (warning: super gay) (ao3) - danhoweiis, twoheadlights (fizzfic)

Summary: au where dan is a hero on queer eye and accidentally falls in love with one phil lester

i thought that i was dreaming (ao3) - twoheadlights (fizzfic)

Summary: Dan and Phil and the beds they've shared. Basically.

in this smoking chaos (ao3) - writingcollective

Summary: Dan bottoms for the first time, not being able to shut down his inner demons that whisper internalised homophobic thoughts into his ear. But Phil guides him through it, somehow.

life happens, coffee helps (and so do you) (ao3) - halfofacrackedbluesky

Summary: Dan makes friends with the barista at the local coffee shop.

Like Fine Print (ao3) - totalincandescense

Summary: Every few weeks, Dan was given an unfriendly reminder of at least one of the many reasons why he never went outside. The most frequently recurring thing on the list being the general existence of people. But more specifically, the existence of people who flirted with Phil.

Love That Passes (Is Enough) (ao3) - nihilist_toothpaste

Summary: Phil is a sad divorcee who lives in a mansion. Dan starts as a nervous and weirdly loud law student hired to work part-time as Phil's poolboy-slash-housekeeper and turns into so much more.

Just go with me on this.

move your body when the sunlight dies (ao3) - phegetarian

Summary: dan is cursed, phil is a witch.

and i can't do summaries.

one night stand (ao3) - dizzy

Summary: Dan meets a stranger in a bar during after one of his shows on the We’re All Doomed tour.

Phil’s ASs (ao3) - transdimensional_void

Summary: Dan can’t help but worship Phil’s perfect posterior

Phome is where the heart is (ao3) - blossomsphan

Summary: dan and phil go shopping at target while in Seattle for tit. they’re feeling festive for the season and a little sappy bc, well, duh 🧡

Precious Baby Angel (ao3) - toadsappho

Summary: Phil shows Dan his new t-shirt, but that's not the only surprise he has for him.

remember me, love? (ao3) - CapriciousCrab

Summary: The club was a bit crowded tonight for his taste; the sound of beating hearts and gallons of blood rushing through veins an annoying distraction from his hunt for something to sate his hunger.

Silver Arrows To The Heart (ao3) - evermorepeyton

Summary: Phil loves his life, he loves being a Mercedes Formula 1 driver and he loves being PJ’s teammate, friend and neighbor. He loves the routine he has going on. He lives in a perfect bubble.

But now that bubble is about to burst when the news that PJ is leaving Mercedes hit the tabloids. And worst of all, his replacement is Red Bull’s two-time world champion Daniel Howell, who has a reputation for having a little bit of an ego.

Phil isn’t exactly happy about this.

To put it lightly, he fucking hates it here.

sunkissed (ao3) - ivylakes

Summary: Maybe Phil was made to pour warmth into this man and leave little marks all over his body the way the sun does when it covers his skin with freckles. Maybe everything they’ve ever done and every little way they’ve loved each other has culminated in this very moment, where they can hardly see each other in the low light but are still brighter than the yellow light that breaks through the sky and glitters on the ocean.

Or, Dan and Phil go on holiday, and every photo they take tells a story.

"that's what makeup is for!" (ao3) - latenightfanfic

Summary: dnp finally have a night alone to themselves in a hotel after a few drinks after being cooped up in a tour bus.

The Most Beautiful Forbidden Fruit - botanistlester

Summary: In a world where witches and humans live side-by-side, a war breaks out after the two species procreate, producing bloodthirsty children. As a result, the government puts laws into place: Witches and humans must never fall in love or bear children. It’s a rule that Dan Howell and his family have lived hand-in-hand with, even going so far as to make sure that Dan never has prolonged contact with the other species. When Dan goes to his favourite magic shop one day, he meets the new employee, Phil Lester. A human who he can’t seem to get rid of.

the pool noodle fight (ao3) - jonsaremembers

Summary: Navigating the emotional aftermath of Phil's near-death experience with the help of, uh, some foam pool toys.

Time is on our side (ao3) - Mysticallykai

Summary: In 2010, AmazingPhil decided to make a video trying to time travel. He ends up meeting his boyfriend Dan in the year 2023 as well as himself, and he has a lot of questions.

Us, As Told by Other People (ao3) - jestbee

Summary: People make a lot of assumptions about Dan and Phil, but what happens when Dan starts believing some of them. You can’t actually ship yourself with your best friend, can you?

Or: the five times Dan was guilty of over-thinking things, and the one time he wasn’t.

waiting outside the lines (ao3) - dizzy

Summary: An not-really-coffee-shop, not-really-uni au in which Phil is confused, Dan is cute, no one does youtube, and there's still a happy ending.

we got the north lights (ao3) - dizzy

Summary: Sex by the pool in Australia.

you look so good it hurts (in my favorite t-shirt) (ao3) - phantasticworks (steddieworks)

Summary: Phil is gifted with a "Mega Dilf" shirt. Guess who picked that shirt out?

you should’ve raised a baby girl (i should’ve been a better son) (ao3) - thislifedoesnotexist

Summary: Fiona has had a best friend, and she’s had a crush, and Dan is both and neither and something new and transcendent altogether.

(2009 and it’s the same but they’re transfem so it’s not)

[canonmisogynyvictimstournament]

PROPAGANDA

KATHERINA MINOLA (THE TAMING OF THE SHREW) (CW: Domestic Abuse)

1.) We had to read this for English my senior year. I got so mad at the way she’s treated. She’s the titular “shrew” of the play. She has to be married off before her younger sister can get married, because that makes sense.

Then the most dogshit man imaginable comes along, and everybody thinks they’re perfect. He literally gaslights her and denies her food and water.

Fuck Petruchio and Katherine Minola deserved better!

2.) Literally the whole play is about how she is so awful that the main guy needs to change her entire personality, which he does as a challenge not because he likes her, and then proceeds to her abuse her for the rest of the play. Yet, he is portrayed as the hero, not a villain and she is shown to have “improved” at the end. People will say, oh it’s open to interpretation, it can be played different ways, it’s satire, but i don’t find abuse funny and there is a distinct lack of commentary in the play to count as satire imo. Taming of the Shrew is a tragedy not a comedy, I will die on this hill. Kate deserves better!

3.) The title isn’t joking, ya’ll. She literally gets broken like a rebellious feral animal and it’s treated as a happy ending.

CORDELIA CHASE (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER/ANGEL THE SERIES) (CW: Pregnancy)

1.) (downs an entire bottle of vodka and slams it back on the table) SO. CORDY. Cordy started off as a supporting character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. At the start she was your typical high school mean girl character, but as the show went on we got to see more depth to her character: her insecurities, her courage, her capacity for incredible acts of kindness. Then after the third season she moved into the show’s spin off, Angel, where from the beginning she was basically the show’s secondary protagonist. Her and Angel were the two mainstays of the show’s main cast, she gets the most episodes centered on her out of all the characters aside from Angel (and yes, I’ve checked), and we really got to see her grow from a very shallow and self-centered and kind of mean person to a true hero who was prepared to give up any chance at a normal life to fight the good fight while still never losing the basic core of her character. There were some… questionable moments like the episode where she gets mystically pregnant with demon babies and things got a bit iffy like halfway through season 3 where the writers seemed to run out of ideas for what to do with her outside of sticking her in this romance drama/love triangle situation with the main character but overall, pretty good stuff right? THEN SEASON 4 HAPPENED. In season 4 she gets stripped of literally all agency and spends pretty much the entire season possessed by an evil higher power, and while possessed she sleeps with Angel’s teenage son (who BY THE WAY she had helped raise as a baby before he got speed-grown-up into a teenager it was a whole thing don’t worry about it) and gets pregnant with like. the physical manifestation of the higher power that’s possessing her. it’s about as bad and stupid as it sounds and also is like the third time cordy’s got mystically pregnant in this show and like the fourth mystical pregnancy storyline overall (you will be hearing more on that note in other submissions I’m so sorry). after giving birth she goes into a coma, in which she remains for the rest of season 4 and the first half of season 5. SPEAKING OF WHICH DON’T THINK SEASON 5 IS GETTING OFF SCOT FREE HERE. yeah so in season 5 the show just FULLY starts trying to erase cordy’s existence. she gets mentioned ONCE in the first episode and then never again until halfway through the season where she wakes up, helps out Angel for a bit and encourages him in his fight against evil, and then goes quietly into that good night and dies so it can be all sad and tragic. I’d call it the worst fridging of all time but even THAT feels generous because the whole point of fridging is killing off a female character so a man can be sad, and after Cordy dies basically no one’s even sad about it because the show immediately goes back to pretending she never existed. she is not mentioned ONCE in the two episodes after she dies. in the whole stretch of time between her death and the end of the season she gets mentioned exactly four times. again, I counted. anyway the fun twist to all of this is that all of this happened because the actress who played cordy got pregnant before season 4 and joss whedon was so pissed off about this affecting his plans for the show that he decided to completely fuck over her character and then fire her and write her out of the show. so cordy’s a victim of both writing AND real life misogyny!! good times!!

2.) OH SO MANY THINGS they menaced by giving her terrible hair cuts, making her seem like she’d get together with the guy she loves (and who loves her back) but instead she was killed and when she was brought back, she got possessed by an evil entity who used her body to give birth to itself. afterwards she was in a long coma and died. her character was so throughoutly assassinated

3.) She got demonically pregnant TWICE - there was this real sense of a womb/ability to get pregnant as like, a place for evil to get in. She got positioned as femme fatale and evil mother. The actress basically got fired for being pregnant, and when she agreed to come back for a single final episode she specifically said they could do anything but kill off the character. Guess what happened

[sevenmerrymagpies]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank you @mustlovesteve for the tag!

How many works do you have on AO3? 106

What's your total AO3 word count? 603,511

What fandoms do you write for? I’m a one-fandom-at-a-time writer. Currently, I write for Stranger Things. Previously, some in the Captain America and Thor MCU fandoms, Merlin, due South, BtVS, and Angel. I have a smattering of other fandoms in there as well.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Steve’s No Good, Terrible, Kinda Perfect Senior Year (ST) He Sets the Tone (ST) A Paladin’s Work is Never Done (ST) She Sets The Agenda (ST) As I Hesitated, Time Rushed Onwards Without Me (Merlin)

Do you respond to comments? I try to. I figure I’ve let a few drop over the years by accident and I’ve never had a story get crazy popular with too many comments to respond to either.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Generally I write happy endings but Chosen, Rare Minds is a short, one shot downer. (It’s a canon compliant missing scene fic for the Captain America fandom is angsty in that it’s about Peggy and Howard deciding to move forward with bring Armin Zola into SHIELD using operation paperclip)

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I feel like so many of my stories have happy endings, but many of them are series that aren’t done, so the real ending (which will be happy) isn’t published yet. Of the published ones, I think maybe Translucent Hearts. Steve basically dies in the beginning of the story but by the end Steve, Eddie, Robin, and everyone Steve cares about is in a better place and happy with their lives. Lust, Love, and Other Side Effects also has a really happy ending for Steddie specifically.

Do you get hate on fics? I have a dirty, sweet short Darcy/Steve fic that has a shit ton of hits, but no love/kudos and two shitty comments (basically saying that it wasn’t what they expected, but I don’t know what to say, it was tagged and described accurately). Still, it’s tentacle dildo pegging and people don’t seem to want to own up to liking it. Only weird/mean comments I’ve gotten.

Do you write smut? Yes, but the least amount for Stranger Things. For some fandoms all I ever wrote for them was for kink bingo on LJ. I had to learn how to plot before I could do anything but write porn.

Do you write crossovers? Yup! Love a good crossover or fusion. I still love that I am the only Stranger Things/Highlander crossover fic in the fandom.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? I don’t think so.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Again, I don’t think so. No one has told me if they did.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Nope

What's your all time favorite ship? I am a true mulitshipper and trying to figure out a favorite ship in a single fandom is nearly impossible. I don’t think I could ever do it for all my fandoms ever.

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? To: Birdbrian c/o the Wakandan Royal Residence - I’ve marked it complete, but it was supposed to be a series of short postcards between Natasha and Clint after Civil War. It was an experiment with writing a WIP that obviously didn’t work.

What are your writing strengths? For someone who writes fluffy stuff: angst, miscommunication (done right, meaning from actual character flaws not contrivance), and horror. Also, dialogue, character arcs, tight plotting, world building (fannish expansion style), and characterization.

What are your writing weaknesses? For all that I write sex, I still feel like it’s more mechanical than I want it to be. Action scenes, rising action and real stakes (I don’t want my babies hurt), emotions, subtle interactions between people - I always have to spell things out.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? Super short phrases maybe. But for most MCU stuff I either avoided it or used italics to get across the fact that the dialog was not in English.

First fandom you wrote for? Buffy!

Favorite fics you've written? Steve’s No Good, Terrible, Kinda Perfect Senior Year series, Translucent Hearts, and my Eddie-centric story about Eddie being from the Lab: Future Hazy Try Again (and the rest of the series but I’m really proud of the first story). My older stuff is not my proudest stuff at this point. Some of it is over 20 years old and it shows.

(OMG I'm gonna try and get over my tagging fear, hold my hand and be nice to me)

Tagged: @devondespresso, @formosusiniquis, @ladykailitha, @libraryofgage, @dodger-chan, @1lostsoul0fishbowl