#I think its 4x08

[aelswiths]

For @aadmelioraa and @aethelreds

[love-byers]

stancy + mlvn music coding

this is probably gonna be messy but i will try my hardest to keep it comprehensible

okay so recently i was rewatching the robin/vickie/vickie's bf scene in the gun store (4x08) because i felt like i'd heard the song that plays there before. it reminded me of the song that plays during this scene in 2x01

the song that plays in the s4 scene is actually 2 songs back to back, the first called 'Kids Two' (a variation of 'Kids" from the s1 sound track) and the second called 'Choices', originally from the s2 soundtrack. 'Choices' plays in the scene in 2x08 where dustin apologizes to lucas for lying about dart and suggests max take his place in the party and also says he felt the electricity between lucas and max-- and it leads into the scene where max and mike talk about el, and mike reminds max that she's still not in their party. i find that interesting because no one in that scene says choice, and no one in either scene is making a choice. that name does make sense for the s4 scene, because vickie is torn between her boyfriend and robin, clearly implying she must make a choice. 'Choices' is the song that sounded familiar to me.

the songs aren't exactly the same, but they are definitely similar and the one in s4 is likely an edited version of the one from the stancy scene.

those scenes are obviously parallels, steve sneaks up behind nancy and scares her and they kiss, just like vickie and her bf. then nancy/vickie look at jonathan/robin in a seemingly yearning way. love triangle stuff.

i always figured the song in the stancy scene was an original track from season 2. but turns out it isn't from s2, its from s1. its called 'First Kiss', and, you guessed it, it plays during mike and el's first kiss in 1x08.

i am not lying, go and watch the scenes.

after discovering this, i watched some more stancy scenes to listen for more similarities in the music. and i came across this scene from 1x05, where nancy almost hits steve with her bat and he apologizes to her over dismissing her concern over barb, and nancy gives him a kiss.

i went through the s1 tracklist and even tried shazam-ing the scene, but nothing turned up. i thought it sounded like 'First Kiss', but i wasn't sure if it was my own bias feeding into that. so i went to reddit, where all the people with way too much time on their hands hang out, and asked if anyone knew which ost was playing in that scene. this is what i got back

the reddit gurus agree with me.

as they said, first kiss also plays when mike and el make up in the hospital in 3x05. makes sense, since it's supposed to be their song.

i will also add that the stancy scene in 1x05 is immediately followed by the scene of joyce kicking lonnie out. that speaks for itself. AND, the mlvn scene in 3x05 cuts directly from el smiling at mike to a dead body. take that as you will

so lets recap

'First Kiss', or a section/version of it, has played during

1x05 steve apologizes to nancy 1x08 mike and el kiss 2x01 steve scares nancy and stancy kiss, nancy yearns over jonathan 3x05 mike and el make up via m&ms

2 stancy scenes and 2 mlvn scenes.

hm.

and 'Choices', which i strongly believe is derived from 'First Kiss', plays during

2x08 dustin apologizes to lucas and points out the electricity between lucas and max 2x08 mike and max talk about el 4x08 robin watches vickie and her boyfriend kiss

2 references to a love triangle (dustin,lucas,max & robin,vickie,dan)

and a nod towards mlvn involving max, who in the next season will come between mike and el's relationship.

HM.

im not sure if any of these besides 'Choices' play in s4, but once i do a rewatch i will let you guys know. im pretty sure they don't because i have a weirdly good memory when it comes to my hyperfixations so i think i'd remember it. like i knew the music from the stancy scene in 2x01 just from watching it like four different times since 2017.

all of this coupled with the countless times byler has had music parallels with jancy and lumax, i'm pretty sure this means byler endgame.

if anyone tries to say that it doesn't matter that they reused mike and el's first kiss song for a loveless relationship, i wholeheartedly disagree with you. they make songs that are specifically for one scene and are never played again. for example 'The First Lie', the song that played during jonathan and nancy's first kiss has only played during that scene. never again.

so if mlvn is what the fans say it is, the main couple, the epic love story of stranger things, why can't they just have a song to themselves? jonathan and nancy do. im sure they could've found another song that fit for the stancy/jancy scene in 2x01, knowing the implications it would give if they used it. but nope, they had to use 'First Kiss', which takes place an episode before the stancy scene. 1x08 -> 2x01

one more example, 'On The Bus' is from the s2 soundtrack. it plays once during s2, when lucas and max talk on top of the bus. it doesn't play at all in s3, and then randomly in 4x04, it plays during a byler scene. THAT. HAS. IMPLICATIONS.

take this however you'd like

[lover-of-mine]

If yall allow me to be insane here, you know the whole blue and green thing with the couples in 911? Well, I noticed the fact that Eddie's phone case was green and I was like isn't Buck's phone case blue? And then I got curious. This is on 6x13 with the whole blue and green theme really established and both of them with the phones and the blue and green.

So I decided to go back a bit, and from what I could find, in 5x06, with the ambulance kidnapping thing, Eddie had no phone case and Buck had a black phone case.

(the quality in these sucks cause it's very fast, but Eddie's is the left one, ignore the ey there it's from that episode they switched their turnouts while shooting I guess they forgot to change all the shots, you can see the edges and the buttons so like no case, and on the right, there's Buck's and its black's)

Before this, well, no phone case for Eddie, Black phone case for Buck. (this is from 4x08, I had to dig a bit, I don't think Eddie uses his phone a lot in the show sokaoskakos, but Buck is usually black or dark grey when we see him in the corner researching something)

After that, I'm assuming given the plot they had to replace the phones and Buck got a dark blue phone case and Eddie still had no phone case. (this is from 5x13)

So I kept going, in 6x07, Eddie finally got a phone case, it's this greyish-green color and Buck's a lighter blue than last season, which looks like the ones they are using on 6x13.

We know they don't make any choice by accident when it comes to set and costumes and this is at least a bit interesting in solidifying the whole blue and green thing. And it's definitely interesting when you think about the whole darker shades the more developed the relationship is and the way Eddie's is darker than Buck's.............................

[flythesail]

Okay what if—

It all has to be connected somehow, right?

The black door/sin eater

The ghost

Nace

With the black door, 4x10 established a few things: The sin eater is reincarnated and Nancy has past lives too. Going off this, the assumption is Nancy is the other half of the sin eater.

With the ghost, we know she died. Obviously. We are meant to think there was fire involved since there is a body that's burned at the morgue. We also have heard lines from her such as: hair wrapping around my mouth, the sky was gone, I was so cold.

Hearing those lines, I don't think the body is hers. It's not a coincidence that she arrived at the same time as the burned body either. More on this later.

With nace, whatever happened the night of 4x08 impacted their feelings. Here's my thought: Nancy was not even at the scene of the event. This explains the small window of time. Instead, Ace calls her panicked. Nancy agrees to go to the door. She'd do anything for him, including using the black door. She does it because she loves him. Because her love is why she does it, the black door alters their love. This is why they've felt ooc since.

Back to what we do know about the event:

Ace and Thom go fishing

Their captain canceled

The EMT who brought the burned body to the morgue is out of town on vacation

His partner was out sick then

How do these things connect? Windows place the flash Nancy saw of her sin with Thom and Ace on the boat. See here:

The assumption then, is this is where the body was burned. So who is that in the flames? Let's say it's their captain.

Their captain is innocent in this. But where does the fire come from?

Ace brings the pickled curse onto the boat. Something could have gone wrong with that. Yet, the curse is linked to hearing the dead. Initially, it would seem that's how Ace is able to communicate with the ghost. Yet Nancy was able to as well.

What else did we learn in 4x11? Callie of the families for truth and history knows plenty about the supernatural. She's the sin eater's minder. Two things to note:

"Her family was tasked with protecting every generation of sin eater. Erasing history since 1805."

"If you ever try to break the sin eater's legacy the way the Glasses did tonight, I'll come for you without mercy."

Now, who sent someone to watch Bess throughout 4x08?

Callie.

With this, the pickled curse becomes significant not because of what it is - but for who was in the background of this whole ordeal.

Callie was having a guy watch Bess. At the historical society with the brothers, all the way to the claw. This means Callie is never more than a step away from anything supernatural going on in this town.

If she's the sin eater's minder, does she know there is another half to the sin eater? I would think she does as her family has been doing this since its creation.

So, Nancy is the other half of the sin eater. Is someone watching over her too?

From what we know so far, no one is. What if there is a reason?

The founders didn't want there to be a balance to the sin eater. All they cared about was erasing their sins.

Yet there's always going to be two halves. Like with the dolls used for curse breaking in 4x03. Or this in 4x11, a conversation between Nick and Ted:

"I was looking for the afikomen. It's the hidden piece of matzo.... Broken in two at the beginning of the night, put back together at the end."

What if the founders broke the sin eater from its half? They killed her. She drowned.

Who else might have drowned?

The ghost.

It's exactly the sort of death she is describing. Hair wrapping around her mouth, the sky gone as she can't tell water from sky. The water is cold.

The ghost is much much older than she seems.

After killing her, the founders turned her into the masthead now at the yacht club. This way, they could call to the sin eater whenever they needed while keeping her from fulfilling her purpose.

Although she was killed, her soul has still reincarnated. But whoever holds her soul, has not known their purpose for a very long time. It's not like with the sin eater, where Tristan has no choice to transform into it and eat the sins.

Truth is a choice. She is the angel of truth.

So if the angel of truth hasn't been around for generations, what brings her back? Nancy and the angel of truth come face to face that night at the yacht club.

This awakens her because Nancy is the current holder of her soul. Only, she doesn't remember much. She remembers her death. She remembers drowning.

But her spirit is free.

The way the ghost is dressed in white even reminds of me of an angel. An angel is the opposite of the sin eater. A representation of truth in opposition to lies.

How does the ghost find her way to Ace? Well, Ace was at the yacht club with Nancy when she woke up.

Who is Nancy very connected to? Ace.

Who did Nancy get her soul from? The angel of truth, aka the ghost.

So the ghost is drawn to Ace. She's just woken up after over a century too, so she's going to respond to this pull. She's not drawn to Nancy because she and Nancy are the same. This isn't the case with Nancy and Ace.

Just like two halves of matzo, or like the sin eater and the angel, Ace and Nancy make a whole.

Ace goes off on his fishing trip with Thom, with the ghost following. Callie knows something is wrong. Her family has been watching the sin eater for as long as its existed. She's alerted, like how Hannah knew Temperance was back in Horseshoe Bay at the end of 2x18. Or like how they can track the sin eater with the roundel.

Rememeber: "If you ever try to break the sin eater's legacy the way the Glasses did tonight, I'll come for you without mercy."

So Callie says no way am I letting the angel of truth return and heads out to solve this problem. Her actions set their boat on fire.

This is where the burned body comes from. It's their captain.

Ace and Thom are able to get away. In the chaos during the confrontation with Callie, however, the ghost's presence is revealed and more is explained.

Ace learns who the ghost is, realizes what this suggests about Nancy with the timing, and realizes he needs to make a phone call.

Ace calls Nancy in an exteme panic, telling her to go to the black door and confess what they did earlier that night: breaking into the yacht club. It's the only way to ensure Callie doesn't go after Nancy next.

Nancy doesn't question him because she trusts him and she loves him.

She goes right to the black door and confesses what needs to be confessed.

This puts everything back in place:

Ace and Thom believe their boat captain canceled. (No one is around to prove otherwise. The EMT is on vacation and believes the same.)

Ace believes he had a nice fishing trip with Thom and shares this with Nancy.

The ghost is once again struggling to remember who she is. But she's still drawn to Ace, in the way Nancy is.

Only, something is wrong now.

Nancy went to the black door not because of her sin, but because she loves Ace.

It doesn't matter that the confession was only about breaking into the yacht club. The black door alters their love.

While Ace remembers a nice fishing trip, Nancy and Ace forget the love they have for each other. What they're left with is some semblance of a relationship. They're exes, it was complicated, they didn't communicate well. In summary, it didn't end well.

So Nancy and Ace are forced apart, and drift closer to someone new.

Nancy becomes closer to Tristan. She's the angel of truth in this lifetime, so she is feeling that two hundred year connection.

Ace becomes closer to the ghost. She is the first reincarnation of Nancy's soul, so he is feeling that connection the black door altered but is still impossible to destroy.

Where do we go from here? Now that Nancy and Ace know their memories are altered, they're going to solve this mystery. Nancy had already seen a flash of the fire and of the truth her confession erased.

They will get their memories back, feel their love for each other again, share a moment of the most intense eye contact you've ever seen, and be left with a Big Problem.

They've figured out who the ghost is. They know who Nancy is.

In knowing who she is and the purpose she serves, Nancy is in danger again because of Callie.

So their options are this: she risks her life to save the town from what the founders set in motion or she forgets all over again.

Nancy is going to make the choice to risk her life. To save her town and her friends and every person she loves. That is who Nancy is and has been all her life, even before she knew who she is.

Of course, she succeeds and Tristan will play a role in this too - being the other half to this. Lies and truth, evil and good, dark and light. Might I add: the finale is called the Light Between Lives? Lives is significant in a season with reincarnation.

When balance is restored to Horseshoe Bay, Nancy and Tristan's roles will no longer be needed. The black door is gone and Callie is exposed for who she is. They can live normal lives. Tristan can live a healthy, long life.

Nancy and Ace are still cursed though, so Nancy can't live the life she wants. (Yet.)

With balance restored, truth will prevail. The truth is that Nancy and Ace love each other. Nancy and Ace's love is stronger than this curse Temperance created. That's how they break it. Nancy Drew has always been about love.

Two halves are put back together, and Nancy and Ace get to live their lives as a whole.

[camryntheking]

Season 4 reaction

I might just do this for every season cos i need to rant (Autism things. Iykyk).

Ok. 4x03. The whole Eddie and Hildy thing is so fucking funny. And Buck and Chris teaming up to get the coffee maker is so domestic. I love it so much lmao

And naturally i watched 9-1-1: Lone Star 2x03. Ive seen some episodes so i have some knowledge about the characters, but not much. But its so funny. TK always knew lmao

Then we have 4x05. Buck Begins. Man i almost cried so many times. I knew about the Daniel thing but i didnt know the whole story and. Whew. Its a lot. But im glad he has the 118 and Athena to help him and to be his family. Maddie to. I can see both of their sides tho. But when Buck got the clean bill of health Eddie was just like a husband waiting for him to come home lmao. I love them so much. And the ending scene with Maddie and Buck is so sweet 🥹

And i know its not my usual topic, but in 4x07, the whole plot with David, Michael, and Bobby is so funny. I dont know much about Michael’s storyline, so i am actually clueless as to how it turns out. But the three of them are so great together and i hope to see more!

4x08. I know some about Taylor. So the fact she is back is making me 😠. And she did not have to call Buck out like that. Homeboy has been through some shit and is trying to figure it out. But Buck and Chris’ friendship is so pure and i love them so much❤️❤️

4x11. Athena’s “dont even think about it Buck” has me CACKLING. She is such a mom to him and its amazing

And Jealous Eddie in 4x12 with the treasure hunt? Homeboy does NOT like Taylor (cant blame him tho). And Chim and Hen’s friendship is fucking amazing. But the whole 118 trying to find the treasure is so funny. The fact that Ravi found it first tho? I love that man

4x13. Eddie is already having doubts about Ana. Homeboy does not like women and you cannot convince me otherwise. And the scene of Eddie getting shot made me cry. I can definitely see why people think that this is where the Buddie arc was supposed to happen. Cos they held eye contact and Eddie reached out for Buck. And that could be seen as platonic but knowing everything we do, it just seems like it was a set up for a romantic arc

And 4x14 starts with Buck crawling under a fire truck to get to Eddie. Without a second thought, he rolled under a firetruck, the thing that caused so much trauma, to get to Eddie. And Eddie was so concerned that Buck was hurt even though he was the one bleeding. And i guess Taylor can have her good moments. But the scene where Buck tells Chris what happened breaks my heart. He was trying to hold it together for Chris but once he knew that Eddie made it through surgery? He couldnt hold in his emotions. And then when they are talking about the will. Its so soft between them. And Eddie just knows that Buck wouldnt say no to taking in Chris. And i think that just shows how close of a bond they have. This was totally a set up for a romantic arc, but of course F*x had to shut that down 😒

“Because, Evan” 😭😭😭

And i love that Albert is gonna be a firefighter. I love that man

[the-confessions-of-a-fangirl]

Buck Season 8 Storyline

Season 7 started off strong for Buck with the way his bisexual realization was written. The confusion, the 'overenthusiastic-ally-to-queer,' over-compensating with the heterosexual behavior because you're not ready to be out.

But after that Buck was, once again, shoved into a relationship with someone who wouldn't treat him well and was given no further storyline beyond that. Even Maddie and Chimney, who didn't get overarching storylines like Henren, Bathena ,and Eddie, at least had one episode storylines and made an impact in the story during the finale (fostering Mara till Henren could finally officially adopt her).

It got me thinking on what kind of storyline Buck could have in season 8. It has to be something that touches on his family (118) and romantic relationships (they can't be side-lined at this point) but it has to be something wholly about him.

Then I remembered season 4. In season 4, we see that Buck started seeing a Dr. Copeland because he had issues about feeling 'sad and lonely' and feeling like he can't trust it (4x03). Even after he got closure from Abby which was the only lingering relationship issue at the time, he still felt sad and lonely.

This means that it's an internal thing that is making him feel sad and lonely, not an external relationship. And afterwards we see that this loneliness stems from his childhood in a family with neglectful parents and a sister, who loved him so much, but was caught up in a terrible situation to be around.

But there was another aspect that we learned from his childhood. His 'reckless' , 'dive in head first' attitude was a learned behaviour. He taught himself that being in pain=getting attention from his parents and this escalated to a point where he got in a motorcycle accident. As these incidents escalated, he would have to do weigh the fact that he could get really hurt (or worse) and then go 'that's not as important as the possibility of surviving and his parents showing him a smidge of attention'

That is textbook self-destructive behaviour wrapped up in this need for attention and love. He needs this attention because otherwise he doesn't feel enough for his parent's affection. And how long can a kid grow up like that before he internalizes that?

This lack of self worth is seen in 4x05 when he calls himself 'defective parts' and when Eddie combats that by saying 'its not on you' he combats it not by saying he doesn't think that but that his parents do think of it like that. He isn't saying 'I know I'm not defective' but that 'this situation isn't about me' when it clearly is. It personally speaks to me about low self-worth, that even when he is talking about himself, its through the way other people describe him.

He also has a huge tendency to intellectualize his traumas rather than confront them. Refer to Buck 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0. Instead of processing the fact that his parents lied to him for years, he just says he's a new person because his parent's agreed to family therapy with him. He hasn't even dealt with his emotions yet and he's already packing the trauma in a box to keep away. Even his bisexual arc follows this, he may logically understand that he is bisexual but then he immediately jumped into something without trying to process what that means to him because he just won't think about himself without a buffer of another person.

So we see that Buck tends to feel lonely even when he is surrounded by meaningful relationships (Taylor in 4x08), he has self destructive habits and a lack of self worth. We also see that whenever it comes to him processing or letting himself feel his emotions, he'd rather focus on something else (he finally realizes it is over with Abby; he worries about not being a manwhore like Buck 1.0, his family lied to him; he'd rather focus on the fact that he is getting family therapy and try to find someone romantic, when Eddie is shot and he's asked about it; he'd rather worry about the team and climb up a crane where chances are he could be shot)

I want to take all of this and put it in a storyline for Buck where he learns that he only looks for a romantic partner, no matter who they are, because he wants to avoid being alone with his negative thoughts about himself or what he has been through like the ladder, his parents, dying, being lied to by Maddie, seeing Eddie get shot. The sad and lonely part of him that he keeps trying to put away with any romantic partner that comes his way is not because he lacks romance or love of any kind, but because he is unable to be happy with just himself. Buck doesn't like himself, he's constantly looking for an external change for something internal to him that he doesn't even try to think about and that is self-destructive.

Because the only external change he can think of is tossing himself into any relationship he has the opportunity of being in without thinking about whether that person is good for him. Abby didn't want a serious relationship, he barely got a chance to be meaningful with Ali, Taylor has behaved poorly in regards to his family (118) and Tommy is overall very dismissive of Buck as a person.

And when these relationships end, he feels even more poorly about himself, because he has always thought of any issue in a relationship being his fault because why wouldn't it be?

Buck has serious self worth issues that he needs to learn how to process and learn to like who he is and I hope season 8 will do that.

[fluffypotatey]

also. i was thinking abt ur analysis on soysauce duo’s relationship, and how macaroni and mk’s relationship has that more direct progression in terms of caring about each other/mentorship, and also that it gives me a very nice opening to talk about my favorite line in s4: “Nice tail, kid,” from macaque in 4x09.

just. like. that’s the first nice thing anybody’s said about this terrifying new monkey form, and it’s so important that macaque says it. in a past season, that would’ve been a taunt, but here it’s about as close to sincere as macaque ever gets, and how it shows that the character development from s3 has stuck, that he isn’t just here to be a dick. yaknow??? <- frantically gesturing at a red string board with the clown wig firmly fitted on

*nods at board and takes her own red strings from her pocket* yeah, yeah exactly

they're relationship is literally "hey kiddo" (derogatory) to "hey kiddo" (affectionate). every insult that Macky threw at MK in the past (which was really just a backhanded compliment), now hold sincerity and geniune compliments to it. and you know what? THEY'RE DYNAMIC ALSO FLIPPED!!!

like, if you think about it, both MK & SWK's dynamic and MK & Macky's dynamic have flipped. it's Macky now who's trying to reach out and be friendly with MK still distrustful and throwing barbs (which Makcy takes in stride bc....fair is fair tbh) and yeah 100% agree that Macadoo's comment on MK's monkey form being the 1st positive one is a big deal and super important.

the previous ones coming from:

Ink!MK, who used that form to highlight how dangerous MK is to his friends and the world and will be the catalyst to its end;

Sun Wukong, who ignored the issue and was trying to placate MK. which, to be fair, was needed because Mk was not in the right mind, but SWK's mitigation (i think is a better word bc Wukong did acknowledge but was trying not to make a big deal out of it) ended up aggravating MK further because, once again, he feels like his pain and issues are being deflected.

and MK's friends, Pigsy, Sandy, Tang, and Mei, who were also overwhelmed by the events but weren't even sure how to react to MK's new burst of power.

and then you have Macaroni, who, if we remember, was unaware of the events that just transpired (at least, i think he was unaware bc he made a joke about Wukong being a lazy ass, which would be a low blow if Macartney was aware of everything in 4x08). all Macackle gets is MK pleading at him to stop with the taunting and THEN JUST GIVES UP ON WHAT HE WAS SAYING BECAUSE HE'S EXHAUSTED AND FEELS USED AND BROKEN AND CONFUSED AND MAYBE IF MAC DOES TAUNT HIM AT LEAST ONE THING OF HIS LIFE IS TYPICAL AND-*gets taken off the stage*

*comes back but now covered in scratches and blood* sorry, uh, what was i saying?

ah yes,

the fact that it is Macandy who comments on it (he is shown to be shocked about it and knows that something is up) and just a simple "uh, you have a tail now," it's "nice tail by the way."

no questions about how it happened, no concern over what transpired. just an acknowledgment of it and a positive one which is the complete opposite of what MK's been shown because it is the part of him that is supposed to be bad and chaotic and the Harbinger. it can't bring good or be something hopeful....can it?

also, ISN'T INTERESTING HOW MACAQUE'S COMMENT ON THE TAIL IS POSITIVE AND NOT WHAT SHOULD BE ASSUMED OF MONKEY!MK'S PURPOSE JUST LIKE HOW MK'S PERSISTENCE FOR MACKY'S HELP FURTHER LED TO MACKY REALIZING THAT FATE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT AND SCREW THE THREADS DESTINY AND THE WORLD GIVES YOU AND-*gets dog-piled*

[declanscunt]

kenstewy fic recs?

oh god… so many… first of all anything and everything by ao3 authors leoandsnake (especially tsd i & tsd ii) and stewyonmolly (im particularly fond of lesbian kenstewy & their senses series)

MORE RECS UNDER CUT!!!

coefficient of variation by trill_gutterbug

summary:

"No, it's not—I just want to. It's not like, a thing, you know?"

"You want to lie here slobbering on my limp dick while I read forty-seven thrilling pages of Macroprudential Policy Regulation, but it's 'not a thing.'"

Kendall's face, already hot, pulsed feverish with a livid mix of embarrassment and arousal. He shut his eyes. "Something like that, yeah."

Telemachus’ Detachment by magnoliabud

summary:

There’s one thing Logan hasn’t used against Kendall yet: his relationship with Stewy. Kendall decides to jump in front of it.

Or: thirty years of something.

Set from the middle of Series 3, after the shareholder’s meeting.

tenderness of heart by strangeluvz

summary:

Stewy,

My assistant said that you told her if I wasn’t using my phone “to at least send a fucking letter or some shit” and I don’t know whether you were joking or whatever but here. You know that being online is bad shit for me man. So here’s this: I’m OK. Is that good enough? Do you need a stool sample or something too? Vial of my blood? Let me know

Kendall Roy

*

Kendall goes offline. Stewy sends him letters.

we’ll meet in even greater darkness later by moonrocks

summary:

Kendall isn’t exactly sure what Stewy’s doing here, if this is a booty call for old times’ sake or there’s something else they need to discuss. Maybe Stewy’s just doing him another solid. Since his dad died, it’s been hard to be stagnant in his apartment all alone. Between the studio in LA and the corporate retreat in Norway, Kendall has actively avoided it, but the election is coming up, and there’s nowhere to run now. He’s in the bullpen and the beast is rearing its ugly head.

(Set sometime between 4x04 and 4x08).

some little language by strangeluvz

summary:

Stewy says, “Dude, sometimes. I think I, like, love you so much, it physically hurts.”

Kendall replies, without thinking, “What the fuck.”

*

Post-canon: Kendall goes to Stewy. Stewy’s arms are always open.

Make Good by Springandastorm

summary:

"I don't think…" Kendall trails off. His shoulders hang heavy.

"You don't think, or you do?" Stewy asks, the usual smooth scale of his voice a little softer, like he's talking Kendall off a ledge somewhere.

"I think I'm pretty fucking hollow."

"Yeah. My voice echoes when I talk to you." Stewy agrees, leaning a little closer and knocking his shoulder into his. "That's okay."

a current under sea / picked his bones in whispers by ingwertee

summary:

God, he’s been picking up the pieces for a mopey, strung out, kicked puppy version of Kendall for over a year now. Kendall’s sudden surge of confidence, however unjustified, turns him on, reminds him of the Kendall he had started to think only existed in his daydreams.

a little of the collapsing space by ohtempora

summary:

“I’m not gonna say you should have told me,” Stewy says. “You absolutely should not have told me fucking anything."

what did you tell me, mary by harukatenoh

summary:

In which Kendall and Stewy attempt to answer: what have you got in your fucking hand?

i figure you with love by alaczije

summary:

Stewy manages to do a decent job of forgetting about Kendall, and him-and-Kendall, and all the neuroses contained therein, until the pap photos leak.

Luxe / Redux by orestesfasting

summary:

He’s not sure what he’s more angry about, is the thing. The betrayal or the subsequent lie.

Or—maybe that’s not quite true. He knows which one he’s more angry about, and he knows that rationally it should be the other one. But needless to say, if Kendall had told him the truth about why he did what he did, Stewy wouldn’t be heading to his place uninvited at 11PM on a Saturday night, brimming with righteous fury like the proverbial woman scorned.

[raayllum]

First post regarding this scene (with the second following) but I love how this establishes a few things for people who didn't read TTM / expands on everything as well:

That Callum wasn't just angsty in S4 because she'd left, but specifically because she'd left without him and he'd wanted to go with (which was probably obvious given all of season three, but confirmation doesn't hurt)

Rayla confirming her own clear motivations, specifically in how she phrases things: "I knew I had to be strong alone." This, with the season's emphasis on Knowing ("I know this: the tides are true as the ocean is deep" etc) coupled with connotations of strength and togetherness vs isolation makes this line pack a wallop, even disregarding the way it basically perfectly encompasses every problem Rayla has almost ever had.

The added context of Amaya either visiting her nephews during the timeskip and Callum either behaving differently enough, or crying/breaking down enough, for it be visible just how wounded he really was. +1 point to Soren's "It hurt him bad, real bad. He was miserable".

"That's the last thing I wanted" but Rayla never puts what she wants First now does she vs Amaya's "What life do you want?" to Janai in 4x08

You broke his heart (quietly adds to my "the key of aaravos holds aaravos' missing chest piece" pile)

The rude ass foreshadowing for S6 mark my words

"I was trying to protect him. I left without him because I couldn't bear to put him in danger" being the closest we've come to touching on Rayla's major self sacrificial streak outright, as well as the fact they both knew he would've only been coming along for her. I am very excited for the sacrificial streak to rear its head more discussion wise, since this scene ends up dealing with more of the "overly independent self-isolation" tendencies (with is absolutely related, but like - Rayla was "stronger together" with Runaan and Ethari and still just as sacrificial, y'know?)

The fact Callum still hasn't fully talked about the root of his anger and worry outright, and that they haven't fully had a conversation yet either, saving it for s6 and a "Why do you think I could survive losing you / why was it okay for me to lose you, but not for you to lose me?" mark my words

[sadquickchristmassnowman]

hi! what do you think are the best/most tolerable episodes in season 4 of community? it’s widely regarded as the worst season and I never know which episodes to watch each time I go through a community rewatch binge lol. so, I figured I would consult the encyclopedia! (this is my first time using the ask feature so I apologize if I am not using it correctly)

heyo! this is a great question. I actually have an abbreviated season 4 watchlist that cuts out the worst episodes (in my opinion), while staying comprehensible and making sure you're still able to follow the season's overarching plots:

4x01: history 101

4x03: conventions of space and time*

4x05: cooperative escapism in familial relations*

4x06: advanced documentary filmmaking

4x08: herstory of dance

4x11: basic human anatomy*

4x12: heroic origins*

4x13: advanced introduction to finality

the episodes with asterisks* are the ones I actually really enjoy watching. the others on the list are pretty mid, but are, in my opinion, important enough to the overarching plot and character development to be worth watching. when I'm showing other people season 4 for the first time, I adhere to this watchlist lol.

I’m going to do some (hopefully quick) explanations of how I came up with this list, but you don't have to read it if you don't want to lol:

✅ history 101: it's the first episode of the season, so it really does set the tone and establish some important details (jeff wants to graduate early, troy and britta are dating, this is their last year at greendale, etc.) as with most of season 4, the weirdness seems really contrived and unnatural, but it does have its moments of being genuinely funny. it's also a pretty abed-centric episode, which is always a bonus lol

❌ paranormal parentage: I don’t hate this episode, but it's just kind of boring and doesn't really add anything to the season. I love megan ganz but... yeah. a lot of the jokes seem forced, and there's way too much pierce for my liking. there are a couple good one liners ("you should probably tell your boyfriend's boyfriend" "I remember when this show was about community college") and it does help set up jeff finally contacting his dad, but imo it doesn't quite make the episode worth watching

✅ conventions of space and time: I’ve heard that some people hate this episode? couldn't be me. way too much trobed for me to hate it lmao. there is a lot of jeffannie in it too, but that resolves with the conclusion that annie is just a romantic who loves to fantasize, and doesn't actually have real feelings for jeff. it actually fuels my lesbiannie agenda tbh, because she is evidently just in love with the idea of a man but doesn't actually put that into practice. but that's another post lmao. we have some great one-liners, we have britta helping troy through his jealousy, we have "troy will find me :)" we have some more inspector spacetime lore, etc etc. I love this episode and rewatch it frequently.

❌ alternative history of the german invasion: for me, this episode has almost zero redeeming qualities. the jokes are lame, I hate professor cornwallis, there is so much discontinuity, it has zero importance in the bigger picture of the season and the show, it's out of character, etc. the one thing I like is the end tag.

✅ cooperative escapism in familial relations: this is a big one for me. I never see people talking about it, but to me this episode is one of season 4's saviors. we have HUGE jeff development, jeffbritta moments, some much needed shirley screentime and development, some great jokes ("-to eat garbage dip WHY DID I HAVE TO GO THIRD), classic trobedison shenanigans, and the shawshank redemption homage is very funny to me. plus! adam devine cameo! I like this episode more every time I watch it. unsung hero fr.

✅ advanced documentary filmmaking: okay so I won’t lie, I fucking HATE the changnesia arc. I think it is so incredibly stupid and uncreative. there are a million different and better ways they could have brought him back. but, this episode is just too important in the season's development to skip. and, honestly, if I ignore the whole premise, there are a lot of funny bits and jokes in this one. troy constantly smiling at the camera (read: smiling at abed), troy and annie being the silliest ever, jeff's trust issues, and ken jeong is truly very funny, I just hate this arc so much. but ultimately it's too important to cut. imo.

❌ economics of marine biology: I basically feel the same about this one as I do about alternative history of the german invasion. it's boring, the premise is stupid, it's out of character, it's unfunny, the guest character is lame, and it's pointless to the overall plot. abed and the delta cubes is a little bit funny? and I guess you could argue that the jeff and pierce development is important? but I’d refute that very quickly. it's pierce, who cares. not. worth. it.

✅ herstory of dance: this episode is honestly the upper end of mid, but it has enough good jokes and development to make it worth it. it is also Very abed-centric, which we've established is always a plus imo, and his whole bit with going on two dates at once is very in character. he also meets rachel, who comes back in season 5, so that's important. it also has some great jeff & britta development!!! which is sort of few and far between in the later seasons!!! yippee!!!

❌ intro to felt surrogacy: tied for my least favorite community episode of all time. it's clear they tried to do something similar to what they did with abed's uncontrollable christmas, but it is so incredibly contrived that it is physically painful to watch. I hate the puppets. the hot air balloon story is so stupid and out of character. the songs are bad. how dare they sully the legacy of my third favorite episode (lmao). the only redeeming qualities are troy as a whole (all of his lines are good, and that moment when he pretends his puppet is falling asleep is very funny), and the fact that pierce is not physically in it. but those do not make up for how horrific the rest of it is. in my opinion. haha.

❌ intro to knots: once again! Tied For My Least Favorite Community Episode! they're right next to each other, how convenient. and again: bad jokes, bad premise, I fucking hate professor cornwallis, the changnesia shit is back, the plot is ALL over the place, there is little to no actual character development, the dialogue just goes in circles, and it ends with a random litter of kittens that are never mentioned again??? I guess the only mildly important thing is the end tag with the evil study group, which comes back during the season finale. but yeah. not worth it. disgusting.

✅ basic human anatomy: and here we have a HUGE jump from the last one. this is my favorite season 4 episode, and is probably in my top 15 from the entire show. I could talk about this episode for hours. the troy development alone is so so so good and important. add abed into the mix and Oh Boy!!! britta is great in this one, jeff and the dean's whole thing is so fucking funny, shirley and annie competing against leonard for valedictorian on a technicality is very in character and silly, danny and donald's acting in this one is commendable, etc etc etc. there really isn't much, if anything, I dislike about this episode. jim rash being the credited writer makes me love him even more. legendary. outstanding.

✅ heroic origins: I actually really like this episode. it does still have that sort of unnatural and off-putting vibe that the majority of season 4 has, but I think it holds up. it's in character, it has some great jokes and one-liners, and although it does have its moments of discontinuity, it does a surprisingly good job of staying compliant with what has already been established. certainly much better than alternative history of the german invasion. abed's whole bit with the star wars prequels makes me laugh, the annie's boobs lore, footage of annie and troy in high school (surprisingly well done if you ignore the discontinuity of troy's injury), etc. it's also massively important for the overarching season plot, and we finally get to the conclusion of the stupid changnesia arc. I could go on and on, there's just a ton of really cool callbacks (including one to the pilot, which I only noticed a few months ago and am obsessed with), and I just. wasn't expecting this one to work out as well as it did. pleasantly surprised, all in all.

✅ advanced introduction to finality: this one is not great tbh, but it's too important plot-wise to skip. and, I mean, it does have some good moments. abed immediately recognizing evil jeff, the whole thing being in jeff's head a la remedial chaos all being in abed's head (insert something about how this being yet another demonstration of how fundamentally jeff and abed understand each other, which I could expand way more on but won't in this particular post), season 2 of the cape, "one of us is out of bullets" "is it you" "...yeah" "why would you tell me that," and more. overall, yeah, worth watching imo.

I do also want to say that I think season 4 is a bit overhated. I do agree that it is the worst season, I think most of us can agree that that is an objective truth, but it does have its moments and I do get slightly frustrated when people write the entire season off.

I’m also happy to hear anyone else's opinions on what you think is/isn't worth watching in season 4, especially if you really strongly disagree with me. I’m curious to what your reasoning is lmao.

okay! this is definitely way more elaboration than you needed, but I hope this was helpful 💯💯💯

[imminent-danger-came]

IVE ONLY SEEN ONE PERSON POINT THIS OUT BUT MK TRIES TO PUNCH MACAQUE DISGUISED AS WUKONG BEFORE HE EVEN REALIZES ITS WUKONG. I CAN FEEL THE MK AND SWK FIGHT IN MY BONES. Also can you imagine with like that one art post Mei asks MK who HE wants to be, not a reflection of somebody, not the Monkie Kid, not the Harbringer of Chaos and HE REPLIES WITH HIS REAL NAME I WOULD GO INSANE

I'm like. 85% sure that person was me afasdfafsd. I know I've mentioned it before somewhere!

Because it's like, MK feels extremely abandoned and hurt by Wukong during s2. MK's line of "Fine! Then just leave! At least my friends will never abandon me!" in 2x01 Sleep Bug is VERY telling, and it also makes me sob when put together with 3x10 The Samadhi Fire:

MK: "NO! Mei is my best friend—I'd never abandon her when she needs me! We're heroes! It's what we do!"

And 4x02 New Adventures:

MK: “You don’t know! We’d risk it for sure! I won’t abandon them when they need us.”

MK's own low self-worth combined with Wukong's tendency to leave in the worst way possible, which was only further exacerbated by the Lady Bone Demon's manipulation.

And I think MK's experiences and feelings throughout s2 made him resolve to never make his friends feel abandoned.

But of course, since this is Lego Monkie Kid, it's more interesting than just that—because MK leaves at the end of s4. It was out of fear, sure, but so was Wukong leaving in s2 and at the end of s3. MK does exactly what he set out not to do, making the same mistakes his mentor has, literally going to isolate himself on Flower Fruit Mountain for an undetermined amount of time.

It's things like this that make the question of "Who is MK" so intriguing, because that's who MK want's to be. He want's to be himself. But who is that person?

Is MK just like Wukong? Is he a harbinger of chaos? Is he just a noodle delivery boy? Is he Monkie Kid? What if you remove all those labels? What's left? What is he?

(Plus the whole "I just want to be me—to be MK!" "Yeah well...we all know where that leads." interaction between MK and the curse in 4x07)

And now that we've thrown MK's mysterious past and ominous future into the mix, we are in for a FULL on identity crisis spiral next season.

And well, when it comes down to it, MK was willing and ready to fight Wukong in s2. The lmk writers are fantastic at paying off several arcs all at the same time (see all of 3x10, which literally had the culmination of Mei's, MK's, Wukong's, and Macaque's arcs all in one. It's fucking phenomenal), and this is partly due to the time constraints of the show as a whole, but it's also just damn good writing. MK's past, his identity, the hurt he's experienced across every season—that's all going to come to a head. I also imagine it's going to happen right along side Mei, Wukong, and Macaque's arcs once again, because that's just how this show do. It do insane shit.

I also happen to be a believer in "Samadhi Fire Part 3", in which we get another 3x10 and 4x08 parallel to round it all up, and I am waiting, WAITING, for Mei to repeat MK's words back at him:

“Mei! You have to stop. I know you’re upset, and that’s okay! I know what it’s like to have a power you don’t know how to control—to feel like the fate of the world is in your hands and you have no idea what to do! But you always have my back, and help me through it. We, will figure this out! Together!” (3x10 The Samadhi Fire)

((Which, MK himself is repeating Mei's words back at her, with "But we're going to figure this out." I NEED A POSITIVE FEEDBACK FRIEND LOOP BABY))

But yeah. I'M WAITING MAN. WE HAVE THE SAME BONE FEELINGS.

[stagefoureddiediaz]

When Buddie go dating!

Look the maroon blazer from the sneak peek had me spiralling hard last night so I decided to take a look at Eddie And Buck when they try dating because as I said in my other post - Eddie wearing a shade of red in connection with a first date - doesn’t bode well for the relationship!!!

Eddie

If we went with the very strict definition of a first date then the only ones we’d have are Ana and the new one, however I’ve included a couple of other instances that I think re also first date adjacent enough to count!

In chronological order we have

2x04

I’ve included this one because when we have Eddie rocking up to Bucks to ‘help Maddie move - its important to remember that at this point Buck doesn’t know Eddie is still married to Shannon. Eddie thinks Buck has set him up on a date when Buck says he lied about helping Maddie move - if it was that kind of set up it wasn’t going to end well!

2x10

This one is a two parter - Eddie worrying about hooking up with Shannon and letting her back into Christophers life - worrying about essentially dating her again and if its what is best for Chris.

followed up by Chris telling Eddie what his Christmas wish is - to have his mother back - and Eddie therefore deciding to let Shannon back in. I know this isn’t technically a first date (either scene) but it is the moment that the relationship is rekindled properly - the moment we see Eddie make the decision to date her again - for Chris.

4x06

first date with Ana (need I say more!!)

6x14

And now this date non date where Eddie was going to let her down gently but she beats him to the punch!

Eddie doesn’t wear maroon or burgundy all that often. We get a couple connected with the fight club arc and the only other times we see Eddie in maroon/burgundy are in familial moments - seeing Chris off to summer camp or when Buck comes over in 6x12 - its not a colour he wears often.

Buck

Then we have Buck. who doesn’t wear maroon or burgundy on first dates but he does wear black and the same thing happens - they don’t go well for him or the relationships don’t go well.

1x06

He’s wearing a black tie with his suit for his date with Abby and we all know how that ended up!

1x09

This is a second attempt at a first date so I’m including it - it also doesn’t end very well

2x08

His first date with Ali sees him in a black knit polo. I haven’t included his hook ups with Taylor that precede this - because they are just that hook-ups - they are not an intention to date, they are spontaneous things that happen and Taylor doesn’t want anything more at this point even if Buck would’ve!

4x07

Eddies dating Ana so Buck starts dating to - this one with Veronica goes super well for him!!! He’s wearing a black jacket during the date and we then don’t ee him in it after the date is over and he runs into her again.

4x08

Taylor still wants to just hook-up but Buck thinks he’s on a double date - a detail he didn’t mention to Taylor. this ‘date’ also goes really well for him!! Buck is wearing a black button up/down shirt (I can’t remember which it is) 

6x13

And then we have Poker date - where Buck is wearing a black shirt again Buck thinks its just going to be him and Eddie going out and playing a bit of poker - very date like! Only then Julie Rosen is there and things spiral outwards from then on. Buck has a great time winning etc. but the way the script plays out it reads like Buck expected a date of some sort and he thinks he misunderstood the assignment! this black shirt burgundy blazer being followed by Eddie in the same outfit to a date that his date makes into a note date is making me cackle!

So there we have it. I’m very much expecting any further dates Eddie goes on to involve him wearing maroon or burgundy and any Buck goes in to involve black.

When we see them go on an actual first date together - I think we’ll see them in colours closer to those we see them in around each other in everyday environments - so a combination of green and blue, and possibly some cream or yellow, but no white (on Buck) or black or red. 

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

Lone Star Season 4 Thoughts: I love Season 4...mostly

With the prospect of season 5 filming beginning so soon, I've been thinking a lot about season 4 lately. I felt like rambling out some of my thoughts on here.

First, perhaps an unpopular opinion (?) but I love season 4. Sure, it has its flaws, but to me, the good far outweighs the bad. For one thing, I personally don't mind Gabriel's death. It's not what I would have chosen myself if I were writing the finale, and I think it could have benefited from a 3-5 episode arc rather than being squeezed into two already very busy episodes, but I appreciate a lot of what came with it and the potential it provides for season 5. Rafa's acting in the finale was incredible and the aftermath of Gabriel dying resulted in one of my top 10 Tarlos scenes of all time (the scene of them deciding to postpone the wedding at the beginning of 4x18) and one of my top 10 non-Tarlos scenes of all time (the Owen and Carlos scene). Season 4 also gave us the incredible soulmates scene, Lou II, lots of other excellent Tarlos scenes/episodes (4x02, 4x04, 4x08, 4x12, 4x16-18), some new love interests I really liked (Asha, Joe, and Trevor...NOT Kendra), a true showcase of Rafa's talent as an actor along with (finally!) the screen time he deserves, a Marjan storyline that wasn't perfect but had a lot of good stuff to enjoy, and a mention of the Tarlos wedding in every single episode. I enjoyed watching every episode (with the possible exception of 4x03...but even there I can find things to enjoy).

As far as the whole Iris/secret marriage storyline goes, yeah, it's not great. But I can still find a lot to appreciate within it. I love Iris, I love her friendship with Carlos (Rafa and Lyndsy sold me on their friendship with a single hospital scene in 4x03!), and I think it added fascinating elements to Carlos' backstory...like the fact that he was so lost and upset after his family's reaction to his coming out that he married a woman to try to be the man he believed they wanted and needed him to be. For the parts I don't like as much and that--let's face it, don't make much sense--I'm able to look past them or make up head canons to explain them away. (And the talented fic writers of this fandom have done a great service to help that process along...there are many great ones, but particular shout out to Where All This Love Comes From @carlos-in-glasses, which managed to make better sense of Carlos' backstory than I ever imagined possible...if you haven't read it yet, I suggest you do so ASAP). I certainly don't blame anyone who can't do this...that storyline was a mess, I can't deny that! But for me, there's enough to appreciate that it doesn't mess with my enjoyment of the season.

Aside from the secret marriage thing, I think the worst storyline of the season was the Owen/FBI storyline. The sad thing is that this one could have been ok had it been executed better. The biggest issues here were (1) too much Owen off on his own time, which is never good--Owen is at his best when he's in storylines with the other main characters--and (2) they completely failed to stick the landing. BADLY. If you're going to do a white supremacist storyline, you need to commit! Instead, they tried to throw in so many twists that they ended up trying to make us feel sympathy for and see the white supremacist gang members as victims. Yeah, not going to work for me when, in a previous episode, you told us they were literal Nazis! But ultimately I don't really care all that much about a solo Owen storyline to begin with, so it didn't affect my enjoyment of the season as a whole.

All of that said, the thing that irritated me the most about season 4 was the 8 week deadline for the wedding. The ridiculous Lone Star timeline has always been a bit of a thorn in my side, but it really got out of hand in season 4. What bothers me most is the fact that the whole 8 weeks thing is both so completely ridiculous and so completely unnecessary! It is clearly there only to slightly raise the stakes for the first few episodes of the season. It's "Oh no, they have to get married in 8 weeks, which means Carlos has to hurry up and get divorced from Iris to make the deadline, only now Iris has gone missing and she hasn't signed the divorce papers yet so they won't be able to get married!" The exact same thing could have been accomplished with an even slightly more realistic deadline--say 4 months. A 4 month deadline would have still been an incredibly short amount of time to plan a wedding and it would have still required urgency in the divorce process. And yeah, 4 months would have still been a bit unbelievable, but it would have been the ordinary tv show timeline kind of unbelievable, and it would have fit far better with the other markers of time in season 4, like the fact that it's explicitly stated that it's January in the beginning of the season and May at the end.

To make matters worse, the urgency for Iris to sign the papers--once again, the whole reason for the 8 week deadline-- isn't really even addressed after 4x02 because once Iris goes missing, her safety is the main concern. Then, once they wrap that storyline up, it is literally never mentioned again. I spent the entire season waiting for it to become an issue, but it never does. The writers essentially forget about it and spend the entire rest of the season providing dates and stating that amounts of time have passed that add up to way more than 8 weeks. It's just so RIDICULOUS and it means NOTHING!

Ok, whew, got that out. Probably no one is still reading at this point, but if you are, thank you for reading my essay and I love you 💜

[booklove22]

I’m torn between the theory that Nancy’s sin impacted 4x08 (circa Nace call) through 4x10 vs. impacting everything from 4x03 on.

I mean the last two eps have felt weird after the 4x08 phone call…I think this is the more accurate theory. That the narrative of the last two eps can’t be fully trusted.

But the idea that almost everything we’ve seen this season COULD have been altered memories is just drama at its best. I can’t make the math math on this, but the idea of seeing an alternate (original/truthful) version of events for most of the season is killing me. Particularly if Nace actually did break the curse in 4x03 but their rewritten memories make them believe they failed. Like what if we saw:

-Nace successfully breaking the curse

-Maybe Nancy did pass out, but it was Ace at her bedside when she woke up, telling her that everything was fine

-instead of showing up at Icarus Hall to break up with her, thats when they finally had sexytimes

- in fact, what if every tense moment, every “breakup” scene was actually a romantic moment rewritten?

- What if every Tristan moment was rooted in nothing more than casual friendship? After all, he’s still the sin eater and that plot needs to go somewhere, but they could have still gotten trapped in the 70’s with no romantic undertones whatsoever.

- What if Ace showed up in a tux because he was still a tiny bit jealous that she and Tristan went to 70’s prom (especially after admitting his high school crush)?

-what if the shellegrams were actually from Ace? “I’ll be more romantic after we break the curse.”

To be clear- I don’t think the math actually maths here. I can’t logically make this theory work as well as I can that the last two episodes (post Nace phone call) are what have been rewritten- but that doesn’t mean I don’t like imagining an alternative season where Nace was together and sexy and happy and flirty, so I’m just gonna keep doing that even though I don’t think it will pan out.

[princeescaluswords]

Your thoughts on a headcanon that won't leave my head. So we know once Melissa got over the initial shock It was actually very well accustomed to the supernatural world. And we also know that the matriarch for the Calvera family is known to be a hard ass and the unofficial Hunter police. Yet she was very forgiven towards Scott all things considered. My head cannon is that Melissa's maiden name is Calvera. And that Scott unknowingly met his grandmother on his trip to Mexico. I feel this changes nothing about the story because of the narrative choices they took in Cannon. But, it does open the door towards the family dynamics and why Scott doesn't know anyone outside of his immediate family of mom and dad. What happened? Did something happen? Does he have any aunt's, uncle's, or cousins out there?

The name is actually "Calavera," which is Spanish for the representation of a human skull or skeleton.

I'm not being pedantic. Teen Wolf put a great deal of emphasis on the power of names: the repeated story of how the myth of silver bullets killing werewolves comes from the Argent family surname; the repeated myth of 'curing' a werewolf by calling out its Christian name; how truly powerful supernatural entities can be noted because they shed their names (Deucalion and The Surgeon for example); etc.

Jennifer lampshaded it for us in The Overlooked (3x10): "I think I read somewhere that people always pick aliases that are subconsciously derivative of their original name. It's a way of not completely letting go of your identity, since your name is so tied to your sense of self."

Let me be clear: I'm not saying that you shouldn't have this head canon; I don't think it's harmful. I just don't feel it narratively or thematically fits with the story. I've entertained other head canons like this, and while they're fun, they don't fit either.

Melissa and Scott weren't inherently special, and that was crucially important to the entire thrust of the series. They didn't come from wealth; they didn't know about the supernatural; they didn't have a powerful family secret. They could have been any family in any community. This, of course, is underlined by Kate Argent's demand in A Promise to the Dead (4x11): "What the hell's so special about Scott McCall?"

What set Melissa and Scott apart were the choices they made. Scott's choices are the actual primary focus of the series, and we see Melissa also make decisions out of duty and love. But these choices didn't come from an enlightened perspective. They weren't able to make them because they were already better than everyone else. They could have made the wrong choices easily (like Rafael did). The fact that they were placed in that position yet not specially prepared to be so is crucially important to the impact to the story, because it serves to contrast the behavior of others who are special. If Melissa was secretly aware of the supernatural, it diminishes the value of her influence on Scott.

Now, as an aside, am I frustrated that we don't have any information on the McCall and Delgado families? Absolutely. Do I think the production was racist because we know all about the Hales, the Martins, the Argents, and the Stilinskis (all white families) and very little about Scott's (or Boyd's or Mason's)? I do very much. It also hurt the production -- the whole "Roxie and the leash" metaphor was a wasted bit of storytelling because it came far too late and never given any deeper context. (All they had to do is have Melissa say something at the end of Ouroboros (4x08) such as "why do you still have Roxie's leash?" to start.) As much as the Paige Kraiskeva and Elias Stilinski bits were, in my opinion, uneconomical storytelling, they still had more resonance than Roxie or the missing wedding ring because the context for these bits had been quite thoroughly established.

But I do appreciate that the McCalls and the Delgados were mundane families. Melissa could have been a talented nurse in any hospital anywhere. Rafael wasn't a unique Monster Dad, just another neglectful loser like thousands and thousands of families experience every day. This highlights the idea that Scott McCall became a True Alpha out of strength of character -- a possibility that exists in every human being -- and not because of destiny or privilege. Their identity is one of the Everyman, and that is shared by Scott's broken family by choice. They don't need a last name that marks them out as special, which is why I can't go along with your head canon.

And, of course, I do have to point out that we do have a maiden name for Melissa Delgado, as she explained in Galvanized (3x15).

[ywhiterain]

4x08

Elena being Damon’s lapdog just seriously upsets Caroline. Its also interesting Elena digs her nails into Damon’s back but it’s not to get at blood. Visually with Caroline’s words it feels more like the real Elena is fighting to get from beneath Damon.

Elena does argue a bit with Damon, which is nice to see, even if she agrees with Damon’s request to keep it a secret for one day.

Lol I just can’t deny that I like Caroline judging Bonnie and Shane too. Because while I do like that we get to see Bonnie develop at least a little with Shane, he is creepy.

Stefan is a little bitchy about the sire bond, but he walks it back.

How is Stefan ready to see war and death if he can’t even look at little bit of blood? Lexi’s plan seems a little premature, but I suppose it worked.

Alpha Tyler is hot.

Sry Damon, Elena’s factory settings are hers, team Stefan or not. So Stefan’s still right even if his motives aren’t completely selfless.

Lol Tyler did not hate Klaus until Klaus told him to bite Caroline.

Submit or you die is totally a Klaus ultimatum. But I do dig Tyler getting darker. I wish we got more on the pack he built before they were slaughtered.

Stefan having faith in Damon that’s totally undeserving of is.. like them to a T.

Sorry don’t feel bad for Damon. I do feel bad for Elena because she’s so sure, but they never let her unpack what was real and what was the sire bond, so yeah I think Damon should have freed Elena even though it wasn’t what she wanted.

One of TVD’s strengths imo is that they let the characters feel their way around the world building instead of dumping it, but it’s pretty obvious the lore isn’t fixed on the writers floor making retcons and contradictions with the lore.

Which I don’t care about normally, leaves room for lots of interpretations, but when we bring in someone loosing their free will to a serial rapist- it’s not a line tvd is good enough to walk.