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stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale · 4 years ago

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Top 5 Favorite Louis Moments

So... have I ever told you guys that Louis is my favorite character in TWDG? No? I didn’t have to? You could tell by the everything that is my blog that he’s my favorite?

Well your deduction skills are great because it’s true-- Louis is, indeed, my favorite character and after all the nonsense going on with last week’s T5F, I wanted to talk about my boy to get that salty taste outta my mouth, y’know?

I want to talk about some of my favorite Louis moments from The Final Season, and in turn, about why I love him so much.... also this challenge of giving myself only 5 moments was just cruel and I struggled because I love nearly every Louis moment. I had to narrow it down to the favorite moments where I believe his development as a character were at its greatest, because that’s something I love about him-- his growth through the season.

Wanna give a quick shoutout @pi-creates for letting me use some screenshots for this post! I’m also doing a bit of a collab with Pi and a few others for this T5F. I thought it would be fun if they did some lists for other characters! I’ll update this post with links to their Top 5′s as they come out. :D

Pi’s Top 5 Aasim Moments @kaylee-wolf’s Top 5 James Moments @taurusicorn2400′s Top 5 Favorite Things About Violet @akemi-rose578′s Top 5 Favorite Ruby Moments

5. Appealing to Louis

I won’t spend too much time on this one because I talked about this entire scene in great detail in my Marlon character study, but I do truly love everything about it.

When you appeal to Louis, he’s pretty insistent about staying out of it... even though you can tell this whole situation is hurting him. With Marlon still having a grip on him, Louis feels like he has to side with Marlon because he’s his best friend, he’s always had his back, he’s gotta trust him... Marlon wouldn’t kill Brody like that, it just doesn’t make sense, right?

Add that on top of the fact that Louis is already established as “Marlon’s lap dog,” as Aasim puts it, and Marlon himself even implies that Louis is irresponsible and doesn’t ever step up.

So to have Louis instinctively puts his hands up like “Oh no, no, noooo I am not involved! Sorry, I like ya Clem but yeah, you’re on your own.... sorry,” makes sense with how he’s established, and you as Clementine have to sway him to your side by giving him some much needed courage and a chance to break from Marlon’s control to do the right thing, which is executed super well.

My personal favorite choice is to ask Louis if he’s really going to just let Marlon shoot me just so that he doesn’t want to get involved. You can see from his body language and facial expressions that Clementine’s words struck a nerve... he doesn’t want that to happen, that he doesn’t want Marlon to murder Clementine like this, and that he knows this is all wrong.

Also, Clementine’s “I thought you were more than that” is just.... so good. When you consider his entire arc... as far as we know, this is the first time someone has said something like that to Louis and it shows.

So he tries to talk to Marlon the first time, and Marlon intimidates and manipulates him to where you believe he’s not going to help you... and I love it. I love the way this is shot where Louis, with his hands up, slips right in front of Clementine and talks Marlon down. He sees that Marlon has a damn gun pointed at him, but he puts himself in danger to protect Clementine [and Marlon, in a way]... someone he doesn’t know that well, and he even walks towards Marlon while the gun is still pointed at him to protect her and those around him.

There’s also the other bits where Louis tries to be reassuring to Marlon, that they’re gonna help him out, that they’re all they got, that Marlon wasn’t always pathetic.... which that last one prompts the “Yeah I was, you’re just the only one who didn’t see it,” and that’s... a whole thing.

This is the first glimpse of growth we see with Louis and I love it.

4. The talk in the dorms

Okay... this scene.

I love this scene... obviously. One of my favorite’s from Ep2. After AJ is patched up and recovering in the dorms, Louis comes by to bring AJ some new clothes since his got torn up from Abel’s magic shotgun.

At this point, we already know that Louis is dealing with a lot of shit-- his best friend of 8+ years was murdered right in front of him, he’s traumatized, mourning, and hurting buuuuuut most of the Ericson crew don’t seem to care that he’s going through this. Violet keeps invalidating this pain and calling him a shithead while talking shit about Marlon right in front of him without any care. Mitch acts like Louis should be more aggressive because he was Marlon’s best friend, which results in Louis feeling even shittier.

He doesn’t know what to do about Clementine and AJ, all he knows is that them being there makes everything feel worse and he’s scared... AND on top of that, he just learned what Marlon was really like, Brody did indeed die because Marlon hit her, the twins might be alive because Marlon traded them away, AND there are asshole raiders coming to kidnap and/or murder them.

AND because he took part in the vote that got Clementine and AJ kicked out and insisted they follow through, AJ ended up getting shot by Abel’s magic shotgun and could’ve died... and Louis feels responsible for that, but he’s conflicted because this kid literally murdered his best friend that’s why they were kicked out in the first place.

Also, presumably, he’s dealing with all this by himself.

Honestly, I’m surprised he’s still functioning because that’s a lot.

Despite all that, he still sticks with Ruby in helping patch AJ up, and is thoughtful enough to bring him new clothes so he’s more comfortable. It says a lot about him, y’know? He’s still hurting, he’s still angry, but he doesn’t hate Clementine and AJ for what happened. He never did, he just didn’t know what to do. He’s still processing what happened and sorting out his feelings.

Oh and then the talk with Clementine... okay, I love the talk.

It’s quiet, sincere, and emotional. Clementine kinda begins to pry about whether or not he’s okay with them staying after AJ gets better and the raiders are taken care of, and he avoids giving her a straight answer until she pushes, to which he answers with an honest, “I don’t know, Clementine.”

Then AJ wakes up, and I love the way Louis responds to AJ asking if they’re friends again. He doesn’t lie to make AJ feel better, but he’s not a jerk about it.

And finally, we get the final dialogue prompt with him. I usually tell him I really missed him, to which he responds with, “Missed you, too. Goodnight.” and I just... it’s so good.

Honestly, Louis could’ve turned into a real bitch and not bothered, he could’ve remained angry and took every opportunity to remind Clem and AJ of how terrible they are... I can think of plenty characters that would’ve done that in his situation, but that’s not Louis. He’s not that kind of person... which is interesting when you consider his backstory and what landed him at Ericson in the first place. He’s seen what that kind of resentment, no matter how great, can lead to.

Overall, one of the best moments in his character development.

3. Louis opening up to Clementine in the music room

Oh, where to begin?

First off, not gonna gush too much about the clouis because this is a list focusing on Louis, not necessarily his romance with Clementine... I’ll only bring it up when it pertains to his character development, y’know? Second, not gonna get into the poor lead up to this scene where the writers dropped the ball with the ‘go with Violet to protect the school vs screw around with Louis and probably die’ thing. That’s a topic for another day. Just talking about the scene itself.

Because this moment is so damn good. Honestly, these last three entries I could probably do entire posts picking them apart and analyzing everything but we don’t wanna be here for hours so I’ll try to condense it the best I can.

So Louis invites Clementine to the music room because he needs up with a project. Clementine enters to find him playing a song that he wrote, and they have a fun conversation. Right off the bat, we get Clementine mentioning that they haven’t heard any music for a while [implying that Louis hasn’t been playing] and Louis responds with, “Some say you’re not about to hear it now.” which we all know is him trying to make light of people telling him he doesn’t have any music talent and like.... his face. The way it falls as the music goes from cheery to sad. The way Clementine looks at him.

I talk about Louis having a wall around him a lot. Well, that’s because he does. It’s the irony thing where the happy, loud, funny character is actually putting that on as a façade because they’re hiding behind a wall too scared to let anyone in because it’s either bit them in the ass before or no one has bothered to ever take them seriously anyway or a number of other reasons.

Louis seems to let that wall down for little bits at a time without realizing it, then when he does, it shoots right back up. A great example of this is in ep1 when he and Clementine talk in the woods. The shift is obvious, and here he’s still doing it.

He turns around and asks Clementine how they feel about their imminent deaths in a jokey tone. My favorite thing to do is here is remain silent. When you do that, he becomes serious again and in a soft voice, he tells Clementine that he’s here for her.

I find this whole sections of the scene, including the tuning the piano part, so interesting because it’s him testing the waters with Clementine, if you will. He’s inching the wall down until they’re both sitting comfortably at the piano when he begins to play his song for her. They mark the piano, and I think that seals it for him that they’re here together, that Clementine isn’t like the others who have never taken him seriously or never bother to look below the surface.

So, he takes a chance and fully brings the wall down, opening himself up to her as he thanks her for being there with him, even after everything.

Like... Louis is just so aware of people’s perceptions of him. This is a discussion that I’ve had with people before where Louis is very much a people person in the way that he’s not just charismatic, he’s observant, too.

Anyway, you can have Clementine confess she has romantic feelings for him, establishing them as a couple, or you can remain friends but now you’re super best friends. You know me, I go the romance route because clouis.

I do wanna point out that Louis does have romantic feelings for Clementine no matter what you pick, but if you do wish to remain friends, he’s incredibly respectful of that. There’s no bitterness, there’s no pushing. He’s maybe a little sad for two seconds before he realizes that he has a new [and probably better] best friend and embraces it. He’s just happy to have Clementine at his side.

As for the romance, I will never get over his reaction to Clementine confessing. His face? So good. Then he becomes so giddy talking about how he was hoping Clementine felt that way and “Holy shit, it’s me!”

Then he names the song he wrote after her and they smooch~!

uhh sorry, said I wasn’t gonna gush about clouis but can’t help it... and hey, in my defense, it does pertain to his development because this relationship influences him greatly.

What else can I say? It’s fucking great.

2. Louis finally shares something from his past & plays Don’t Be Afraid

Yeah I’m combining them, they go hand in hand okay.

Listen.... like I said before, I could write an entire analysis of Louis in this scene, but I’m gonna reel it in.

We finally get the reason Louis was sent to Ericson in the first place-- he was stupid rich with parents who gave him whatever he wanted except singing lessons, and being the spoiled child he was he didn’t take kindly to that... so he broke into his father’s credit card accounts and faked an affair in order to break up his parents marriage, and then when it was all said and done, he threw his fathers words back in his face.

Like.... I’m pretty fucking sure not a single one of us thought this was going to be the case when it came to Louis giving us his backstory.

He finally puts it all out there and now Clementine knows what kind of person he was before he arrived at the school, what he was capable of before she met him. That wall is gone.

But this is what I was talking about before. Louis knows first hand what can happen when feelings go unchecked, when resentment is held onto, when you don’t apologize or try to repair mendable relationships, when you’re vindictive and bitter and take it out on others. He’s been there and now he’s here, and he holds a lot of that with him. You can see he does in the way he talks about himself and struggles with confidence in his abilities.

I also love the line he says when you remain silent about how he doesn’t even know the person he’s talking about, how it’s like the only thing they share is the same name. He then goes on to say that Clementine should know who she’s riding into battle, which I’ve always seen as his way of telling her she should know who he really is, good and bad, before she puts anymore effort, faith, love, etc. into him and their relationship.

Then there’s the song.

Tenn asks Louis if he can play Don’t Be Afraid for them, a song that he composed with Minerva back before she was taken by the delta, and it’s my favorite version.

Just the way he looks at Clementine before he starts and she gives him a small reassurance before he starts, and he fucking dedicates the song to Minnie... who is going to try to kill him later and that’s a whole thing, but it’s still a sweet sentiment.

Then the song plays and it’s that calm before the storm moment, y’know? Like, everyone is sitting there listening to him play this beautiful song while realizing that shit’s going down soon and this might be the last happy moment they get.... and then as he’s playing, Louis looks over at AJ’s drawing of Violet, Aasim, and Omar and just.... his expression.

Also, he looks up at the ceiling as he’s playing and given how glossy his eyes look at the end of the song.... you know he was trying to hold it together. And that last look he and Clementine share? ugh.... it hurts my heart.

I adore this scene.... We finally got something about Louis’ past, which is something he hardly shares up to this point. Anything shared is minor, like how he used to play baseball or he hates cantaloupe.... but nothing major, y’know? So good.

1. The walk back to Ericson

This is it.

When it comes to Louis’ development as a character, this is it. Let me tell you about this moment because oh my god.

To start things off, Louis gets back to the school with everyone and then alone decides he’s gonna go look for Clementine, AJ, and Tenn. Which I don’t know if that’s something he would’ve done in ep1, at least he wouldn’t’ve gone alone. This to me says that he got back, made sure everyone was taken care of based on his comment about Violet’s eyes, and then set off on his own to look for them.

Then we get the cute clouis, Louis celebrates victory a little too early, and they begin their walk about to the school... and it starts off so quiet. He and Clementine steal glances at each other before Louis brings up Dorian. Y’know, the woman he killed.

We learn that it’s his first human kill ever.... in the 8+ years of the apocalypse, Louis has never had to do that and it’s one of the things he was so scared off. We were supposed to get a bit about that during the party but y’know, it was cut for budget reasons.... which is lame but you can figure it out from his behavior before they snuck onto the boat anyway.

It’s a great talk between them. I usually tell him that it’ll get easier, and he acknowledges that it’s fucked up, but he believes it will get easier and he’s just glad he has it in him at all. He tells Clementine that having a home means protecting it, he shares some things about his past, and then he and Clementine talk about a dream house together.

And this.... THIS. Okay look. Listen. I know people give Louis shit for how he behaves in ep1. You don’t have to go far before you see people writing him off as lazy, irresponsible, blah blah blah..... and like, I think people forget that character growth is a thing? That a character usually starts out flawed and over the course of a story, they change? for better or worse?

I’m perfectly okay with Louis being portrayed as irresponsible and carefree and whatnot because from that point he grows.

Remember what he said in ep1? He says he prefers to think of survival as a day-to-day task, he says that the future doesn’t exist and there’s only today, that the only thing anyone has is this moment.

Louis didn’t look at the future because he didn’t care, or rather, it wasn’t a priority for him. He slacked off because he turned away from responsibility when Marlon needed him, and while I don’t disagree with his view of appreciating the now, I do believe the future should be considered.

Now compare that to Louis in ep5.

That whole conversation is Louis telling Clementine he wants a future with her and the rest of Ericson, and while maybe they can’t build that 914-floor purple mansion, they can still try.... they can still create a home together. I think he still believes his this moment talk, but has a better grasp of what he really wants, y’know?

His whole journey when you stick with him is just.... so good. It’s not perfect, I mean y’all know that I have my issues with how some things were done, but Louis’ development as a character is one of the greatest accomplishments in TFS.

Also, Louis lost the 4th grade spelling bee because of “recommend” and he had a pet turtle named Geoff. My patience has been rewarded and I know more about his backstory.

I don’t even know what else to say? It’s #1 for a reason? Because it’s a great showcase for how far he’s come? and I love him so much? Seriously this scene is so good?

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Honorable Mentions

-Louis’ introduction in the music room. It’s a classic fave. -The walker piñata moment where Louis lets his guard down around Clementine to tell her his view point on survival. -The archery moment where Louis apologizes to Clementine and opens up a bit about Marlon. -The card games. Both of them. He’s great. -Everything in the dorms in ep3. -y’know what? Just everything that isn’t the cell scene okay? 90% of Louis scenes get honorable mentions.

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So there we go. There’s all my gushing about Louis. Could do it for much longer, but I don’t think we wanna be here for hours. So, what are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree with any of my choices? Or have anything to add? I’m always down to chat about muh boy.

Have any suggestions for future T5F’s? Feel free to send ‘em in! :D

—

Next week’s T5F Top 5 Reasons Doug Was Pretty Great

#twdg t5f #twdg louis #twdg clementine #twdg aj #twdg violet #twdg marlon #twdg aasim #twdg tenn #twdg minerva #twdg mitch

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finalfrontierpioneer · 4 years ago

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2020 Fic Recs

Okay, I did a fic rec list last year for 2019, and nobody asked for this, but you know what, I’m gonna do another one. Really the only thing I wanna look back on about 2020 is the fic- bc damn there were some good ones!

Same as last year, these are fics that were completed in 2020. (So no in-progress fics here)

So here goes, 20 fic recs for 2020, in no particular order! And full disclosure, these are all totally different ratings/pairings/whatever.

I tried to tag all the authors who had tumblrs, but i probably missed some, and some of them aren’t actually working but hey! the username is there!

Some stucky bc of course

Sharpened Claws by tragicama (Explicit)

Steve Rogers has a unique talent of getting himself into danger. As one of New York City’s best homicide detectives, it isn’t easy to ignore the constant call of trouble and gore. At least, that’s what he tries to tell his overprotective and brooding boyfriend, Bucky Barnes, even if he knows it might be a lie.

Bucky is dangerous, gorgeous. . .and a werewolf. As the Alpha of New York City, he is easily considered the most powerful being in the world. But when Bucky begins to lose his control over his shift, he slowly becomes aware of a bond that sends him reeling, and one he’d never thought possible.

But everything is not as it seems. After a homicide case unleashes a sequence of events that neither Steve nor Bucky are prepared for, they soon find themselves entangled with a danger that threatens to rip them apart. With the help of Steve’s partner and best friend, Sam, Bucky and Steve navigate a dark web of pack politics, masquerade balls, and a crash course in what it means to be a pack, even as a greater danger looms. And one that might succeed in ripping them apart.

These Happy Gilded Years by crinklefries @spacerenegades, nalonzoo (Teen)

Steve Rogers, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and mostly happy disposition, had lived twenty-three years in the world with very little to distress or vex him.

( Steve is wealthy and and charming, with good humor and good temper, doted upon by his mother and the highest of New York Society, with no one to ever criticize or say the word no to him. Well, other than Bucky. But he doesn't count.

He is also warm and friendly and has a talent for matchmaking. Or so he thinks. Actually, he's kind of terrible at it.

Importantly, Steve will definitely never fall in love or marry, himself. He tells everyone this, repeatedly. Well anyway, we'll see about that. )

Jane Austen's Emma, but a little gayer, set in 1890s Gilded Era New York City

Demon Seed by SucculentHyena (Mature)

[Transcript 00:11:48]

MS: You were with him the most throughout the course of events, both before and after. Your account could shed light on something we may have missed.

JB: What difference will that make?

MS: It could make all the difference. Captain Rogers’ case is unprecedented, he’s the most intact victim we’ve ever recovered-

JB: [laughing] You call that intact?

A Noble Steed by alby_mangroves @albymangroves or @artgroves, leveragehunters (Teen)

"You say the Warhorse showed up last night," Sam said in tones of profound doubt.

"Yeah," Steve replied.

"The Warhorse. The Warhorse of legend. Daelland's Warhorse."

"The same as the one on the back of the transit card, yes."

"And he appeared in your living room?"

Steve eyed the Warhorse, very large and very black and giving him a dubious look out of his strange grey eyes. "He's standing in it right now."

"Uh huh," Sam said.

"Hey, I'm not any happier about it than you are."

* * *

Steve's mom had left Daelland long before he was born, following her heart to New York, but she'd raised him on stories of its famous Warhorse. Before she died, he'd promised he'd go back and learn the country she'd come from.

That was why he was in Daelland. Not so Daelland's legendary Warhorse could appear in his living room. But planned or not that's what had happened—now Steve had to figure out what to do about it.

a hat, a horse (a Hyundai), and the will to ride by elkane @elkane, synonym4life @synonym-for-life (Explicit)

After Steve and Bucky rescue their pals from the Raft prison, they decide to dig deeper into Zemo’s involvement in the UN headquarters’ bombing which sends them on a backpacking trip across select European countries. Steve and Bucky believe this is a story about their mission. Scott Lang and Sam Wilson, who join them halfway through, believe it’s a story about their Eurotrip (and they’re probably right). This writer, however, has been waiting to tell you that the fic’s true mission is Steve and Bucky missioning towards missionary.

Follow them on their journey across Europe in tiny cars, packed subway trains and even on skis as they tumble down the Swiss Alps (in a fun way this time!), all the while reigniting untold feelings of the past through inappropriate sexual encounters and terrible communication skills.

someday at christmas (there’ll be no wars) by stevebuckiest @stevebuckyinc (not rated)

A mission on Christmas. Not even on Christmas, technically. A mission after Christmas which means he and Steve and the Howlies will be trekking through the tundra towards possible death on what used to be Bucky’s favorite day of the year. Jesus Christ.

(alternatively: bucky and steve try to make the best of a shitty situation)

the cabin by natalie_nebula (Explicit)

It felt like he… It felt like they were always so close. Everything seemed like it was under control. He remembers hearing Wanda’s voice, seeing a flash of red out of the corner of his eye. He remembers yelling something back at her, telling her to stop, to not come any closer. He remembers a bright flash, then a boom, and ringing in his ears. He remembers a black blur, and hands on his back, around his waist, then—darkness…

After the explosion in Lagos, Steve wakes up in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, and all he knows is that Bucky's the one who brought him there. While Sam, Nat, and the other Avengers try to figure out what happened to their friend, Steve takes the time away to heal—both his relationship with Bucky, and with himself. My cozy, romantic, and introspective Civil War rewrite.

Every Feeling by Nestri (Explicit)

Steve completely surprises Bucky with a visit, scent thick with heat. The Alpha keeps his hands to himself until Steve makes it clear he doesn't want him to.

Halbarry!

A Speedster and a Space Cop get into a Car by ChocolateTeapots @chocolateteapotsvis (Teen)

Hal and Barry embark on their most perilous mission yet: picking Wally up from the airport.

For Halbarry Week, Day 3: First Times “And you just called me Barry, genius”

Crosswind by Cinderstrato (Explicit)

Hal had collected plenty of regrets over the years. What was the weight of one more?

Just A Mark by the_butler @the-butler-fanstuff (Mature)

“What a nerd.”

Barry had been haunted by these words all his life, seeing as they were his soulmate’s mark. It came out during puberty, just like everyone else’s, but by then he was already well on the way to being a ‘nerd’ so to speak. He wasn’t just some guy claiming to be nerd because he was into Dungeons and Dragons or anime, oh no. He was a bona fide science nerd- went to interstate science fairs and competitions even.

—————(Originally a one-shot, now continued)——————

Barry Allen was working at the forensics lab of Central City PD when it waltzes the new transfer from Coast City, Detective Hal Jordan, not just into the lab but also into his life. There’s the matter of them being soulmates- but Barry is unconvinced. Science tells him there’s a likely chance that they’re just platonic soulmates, so Hal suggests an experiment of sorts: they go on three dates, and then decide whether or not they’re just platonic, or something more.

Tired by ceelolights @ceeloilights (Gen)

Hal comes home to Barry still working late into the night.

Last but most certainly not least, Jeronica:

The long way round to heaven by Bearfacedcheek (Mature)

“This could screw everything up. Jesus why couldn’t you just, fucking not?”

“I did just fucking not Jughead,” she retorts hotly. “I’ve been not for months. No one was ever supposed to know, least of all you. So, don’t blame me for what you saw when you invaded a private moment.”

“Oh, my bad Veronica,” sarcasm, his most comfortable armour, wraps itself around his words. “Did my near-death experience compromised your privacy? I’m sorry that my spirit took an astral fucking walk out of my almost corpse and y-”

“Don’t,” she gasps. Her hand flies to her mouth and it trembles visibly as she draws it away. “Don’t say that. Jesus Jughead we almost lost you.”

sadder, badder, cooler by thefudge @thefudge (Teen)

AU. Just who is Veronica's mysterious new husband? (based on season 5 spoilers)

all i’ll ever need is you by whatacoolkid @whatacoolkid (Teen)

jughead and veronica but make it ✨christmas✨

destined to be forgotten by bothromeoandjuliet @kindnessinpain2000 (Teen)

There are plenty of broken things in Riverdale - broken families, broken trust, broken hearts - but in the middle stands the two most broken things of all, Veronica Lodge and Forsythe 'Jughead' Jones.

(Jughead and Veronica learn about the Barchie kiss - this is the aftermath)

I Really (Don’t) Know What I Want by Bella_Dahlia @bella-dahlia (Mature)

There were many potential disasters to befall an average weirdo high school student; when one had an active imagination and a love for John Hughes films, as Jughead Jones did, you sort of assumed you had foresaw the possibilities. Plus, after solving a sordid murder and joining a gang, he really thought he gone through his fair share of teenaged trauma.

Having to fake a relationship to save his best friend from dedicating his life to a mafia and getting punched repeatedly in the process definitely had not crossed his mind before now.

——————————————

Or, Jughead and Veronica don’t really know what they’ve gotten themselves into.

all the lovers with no time for me by Krewlak (Mature)

jeroncia goes to stonewall. that's it. that's the fic.

call it what you want to by an_expensive_imagination (Teen)

“First things first,” Veronica says, reaching up to slide the ever-present gray beanie off his head, “no beanies in college.”

And here’s a one off random spideypool:

Shooting For Your Heart by X_Gon_Give_It (Teen)

“In my defense, I didn’t expect you to get hurt.”

“And I didn’t expect to be run out of town, yet here we are.”

He went suddenly stiff, “Wait...you were run out of town?”

“As if you didn’t know,” Peter grumbled, but when he looked up he did a double-take at Wade's confused expression. “Almighty, you really don’t know, do you?” he snapped the drawer shut, “Well, after that little fiasco by Two-Stone Canyon, a little rumor spread that me and you were in cahoots. The rumor got some ground and it turned the whole town against me. I was run out before I could defend my case. Why'dya think I was out there the other night to begin with?”

<><><><><><>

When Peter Parker, a deputy known as Webslinger, gets accused of working with the West's deadliest outlaw he finds himself on the run from the people he once trusted. In an effort to prove his innocence, he finds himself captured by the very outlaw tarnishing his name.

#fic recs #stucky #jeronica #halbarry #2020 fic recs

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thestupidhelmet · 4 years ago

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I always got the impression that during Zen breakups, Donna more sided with Hyde than Jackie. What do you think?

Donna is often seen through an undeserved negative lens by a portion of T7S fans. Contradictions in her characterization do exist, thanks to inconsistent writing. But when her behavior, dialogue, and choices are examined closely, her true character is revealed. I do this in the metas linked below.

In Defense of Donna (an essay in eight parts).

In Defense of Donna: Supplemental

In Defense of Donna (Yet Again) in Her Relationship with Eric

Was Donna Mean to Jackie from Throughout Their Relationship?

Analyzing the facts burns away the foundation on which the biases about and misinterpretations of Donna’s character are built. After the cut, I discuss in detail her reactions to Jackie and Hyde’s breakups. She’s a far better person, and friend to Jackie, than is often recognized.

Jackie and Hyde’s first breakup occurs in “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” (5x14), after Jackie shouts, “Get off my boyfriend!” to Annette about Kelso in the previous episode. Below is Donna and Jackie’s first discussion about it.

Donna: So, have you talked to Hyde about the whole, “Get off my boyfriend,” disaster? Jackie: No! And why is everyone making such a big deal about it? It's like every time I walk into a room, people look at me funny. Donna, how do you deal with it? Donna: Jackie, the reason people are making a big deal about it is because it sounds like you still have feelings for Kelso. Jackie: Well, I don't. I think the only reason I said it was because I was having an allergic reaction to the Formans' cheap, generic soda.

Here, Donna is being supportive of both Hyde and Jackie. She cares about them and their relationship. Jackie, however, has a tendency toward denial and self-delusion, which Donna has experienced extensively. She wants Jackie to be honest with herself, face reality, and not put herself or Hyde through the pain she went through with Kelso during seasons 1-4.

The next time in the episode Donna talks about this situation is with Annette at The Hub.

Annette: Guys, I really think there's some unfinished business between Michael and Jackie. When they were together, did she make him happy? Donna: Well, she totally dominated him and made him feel bad about himself. Annette: I guess what I'm really asking is, was she ever fat or anything?

Donna’s assessment isn’t accurate and nowhere near complete. This is not the fault of Donna but the writers, whose take on Jackie and Kelso is made clear in “Everybody Loves Casey” (4x26). Despite the few concessions the writers make during Jackie and Kelso’s exchange that give Jackie some sympathy, the onus for the toxicity of their relationship is put on Jackie. New “facts” that are never mentioned or shown in the series before this episode are introduced so that Kelso can give Jackie the responsibility for his cheating and the audience will agree with him, at least in part.

Donna’s assessment of Jackie and Kelso’s relationship in “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” reflects the point of view given in “Everybody Loves Casey”. What actually occurs during seasons 1-4 contradicts this assessment. Jackie encourages Kelso and bolsters his self-esteem (see “The Forgotten Son” [4x09] for one of many examples). She buys him so many presents that he owes her $8,265 in 1977 (see “Baby Fever” [3x07)], which is the equivalent to $35,525 today (due to inflation).

Yes, Jackie also berates him, but she most often does so when he mistreats her by lying, cheating, and generally disrespecting her. She also tries to control him in certain situations, like how many of her stuffed animals she’ll keep in his van or refusing to break up with him when he asks to in “Red’s Last Day” (2x02).

But the so-called total domination Donna claims Jackie had over Kelso is false. If it were true, Kelso never would’ve cheated on her with Pam Macy, Laurie, a girl from Sacred Heart. He wouldn’t have avoided her for a week after the first time they have sex or treat her like a servant once he gets in contact with her again. He wouldn’t have ignored her many nos about having sex until she’s exhausted by his relentlessness and given into what he wants. The list goes on.

The point, though, is that real!Donna would not have said Jackie “totally dominated [Kelso] and made him feel bad about himself.” Real!Donna -- who’d tried to get Jackie to break up with cheating Kelso then stay broken up with him -- would have said that Jackie and Kelso made each other miserable and that it wasn’t a healthy relationship for either of them. This assessment would have given Annette, a virtual stranger, enough information without betraying Jackie’s privacy.

Jackie enters The Hub soon after this conversation.

Jackie: Donna, Steven broke up with me. Donna: Oh, Jackie, I'm sorry.

Donna is sincere in her compassion. She doesn’t say, “You deserved it,” or, “What did you expect?” Her friend is hurting, and Donna feels for her.

This is the last interaction between Donna and Jackie before Jackie and Hyde reconcile in this episode. Donna’s empathy is obviously for Jackie. We get no scenes between Donna and Hyde or dialogue from Donna that shows she believes Hyde is in the right for breaking up with her. She just wants Jackie to recognize why Hyde might feel hurt by Jackie calling Kelso her boyfriend.

Jackie and Hyde’s next breakup happens in “Nobody’s Fault but Mine” (5x23). Kelso tells Donna about Hyde sleeping with the nurse.

Kelso: [Hyde] doesn’t know it but I saw him kissing this lady at the hotel. Donna: Oh, my God, that’s horrible. Kelso: I wanna do the right thing, right? So I’m thinking that I’ll just tell Jackie, and then she’ll feel really bad. Then I’ll console her, and -- presto! -- we’re making out topless! Donna: No, Kelso! The thing to do is to tell Hyde that you know and then give him a chance to tell Jackie.

Again, Donna is concerned for the well-being of both Jackie and Hyde and their relationship. She cares about both of them, but Hyde’s behavior / choice is likely incomprehensible to her at this point.

Once Jackie breaks up with Hyde and the full truth is out, Hyde calls Jackie at Donna’s. Donna wants Jackie to talk to him, but Jackie hangs up the phone, and Donna pleads Hyde’s case

Donna: I think this whole thing was a misunderstanding. Hyde didn’t know what was going on. Jackie: I know, okay? But after Michael, I promised myself that I would never be with another boy who cheated on me. Donna: But Hyde’s so good for you. Since you started dating him you’ve completely stopped quoting Nancy Drew.

Donna’s point of view, again, reflects the writers’ -- that Hyde’s transgression is a “stupid, one-time thing.” If Hyde had actually been written as real!Hyde during this episode and arc (after sleeping with the nurse), he would’ve put Jackie’s pain and feelings ahead of his own, shown true and lasting contrition along with self-awareness, and not expect forgiveness.

Donna’s argument would be much stronger if Hyde hadn’t displayed similar behavior to Kelso’s in season 2 (e.g., acting entitled to Jackie’s forgiveness and growing hostile toward her when he doesn’t get it in his desired time frame). Hyde’s relationship with Jackie does inspire her to grow and change, but that doesn’t negate his betrayal of her -- or vice versa.

Donna needed to give Jackie empathy in this moment rather than try to fix what Hyde had broken, but she does so right after Jackie rejects Donna’s argument to give Hyde a chance. Jackie cries on her shoulder, and Donna holds her during it.

Before Jackie and Hyde reconcile in “Join Together” (6x02), Donna continues to point out the positive effect Jackie’s relationship with Hyde had on Jackie. She’s neither Team Jackie nor Team Hyde. She’s Team Jackie-and-Hyde. She’s supportive of and compassionate toward Jackie while also maintaining faith in Hyde’s innate goodness.

Donna believes that Hyde, at his core, isn’t a cheater. That he isn’t Kelso, but this doesn’t excuse Hyde’s transgression. What’s missing during this breakup arc is a scene where Donna confronts Hyde about what he did, why he chose to act out instead of talk to Jackie, and where she tells him he has to own his crap. This would have connected nicely story-wise (or grown out of) the lessons she should have learned with Eric in season 5 had the show not rushed into their engagement arc.

Donna could have brought up Hyde’s childhood, the source of his deep fear of abandonment, and how he allowed this fear to seep into his relationship with Jackie. Hyde, then, might have admitted he’d fallen for Jackie when she’d chased him back in season 3 and felt betrayed by her ultimately rejecting him for Kelso.

Hyde: I guess that crap came up again when she became my girlfriend. Part of me always believed she’d always go back to him.

Unfortunately, the writers didn’t make these story and character connections, and the characterization and story suffered because of it.

During Jackie and Hyde’s season 7 breakups, Donna behaves similarly as described above. She’s Team Jackie-and-Hyde. She supports both her friends and believes they’re happiest (and best) when together. She brings Jackie to her martial arts class to get out her rage at Hyde in a healthy way. She consistently teases Hyde about his love for Jackie so he won’t deny it to himself or quit fighting for it. She’s always got a hug for Jackie when she needs it, and she calls Hyde on his B.S. (finally) in season 7.

So, no, Donna doesn’t side more with Hyde over Jackie after their breakups. She an equal friend to both of them, despite the flaws in the writing.

#That 70s Show #That '70s Show #Donna Pinciotti #Jackie x Hyde #Jackie Burkhart #Ask #Anon #My Meta #My Essay #Essay #Meta

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1337wtfomgbbq · 3 years ago

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I gotta rant for a second here. I hate this app. Okay maybe not this whole app, more the people on here. Specifically the people in the supernatural community. Yes talking to you. I can’t believe I’m even back into this with you guys.

I know people can pick and chose which characters they like and which they dislike. I know, for some trauma and whathaveyou also plays into what they feel towards a character.

But I am just so mad. I’m on a little bit of a rewatch, as you are, of season 1 to 3 (maybe some episodes of 4 and 5) because those are the only good seasons, and I just wanna look at some posts of my favorite character.

But my favorite character happens to be John.

TLDR: John's character is complex as fuck and people like to oversimplify and villify him, for no reason other than „BuT My DaAAadYY WaS ShiTTy!!!!“

And I get it. People on here disregard season 1-3, even the writers disregarded what JDM wanted John to be: “I don’t think he’s as screwed-up as other people do,” Morgan told EW. “I think he is a guy who’s got a tremendous amount of love for his family. He was willing to die for his sons, willing to put himself in a place to where he could lose his life for revenge on what killed his wife. So as much has been said about John or that I’ve heard about John, I think what is missing is that he shows love in different ways. Maybe he wasn’t a big hugger and he didn’t say the right things when he should’ve — and there’s a bigger picture about getting your kids into hunting ghosts that I should acknowledge — but I think at his core he really loved his family and was willing to sacrifice everything. So I never looked or played John in a way that there was any malice toward his sons.”

People project what went wrong in their lifes and with their fathers on this app SO HARD. To be fair they do that everywhere. But it's so infuriating when it's done to a character you love so much.

And as much as I wanna be understanding I am just so pissed.

Hear me out: Back when I first started watching supernatural (I was fucking 12 back then, can you believe that) and my friend was all „OMG Sam is such a treat. He's mine!“ I thought, okay I'm gonna take Dean then.

The coin finally dropped on me in 'Shadow' and I realized „Heck, screw Dean, I'm taking John!“ (Not that I told my friend that, LOL. I hadn't realized just then that I prefer older guys)

And attraction is one thing, but the character spoke to me on such a deep level too. I mean, you got a dude whos wife died in a way that he cannot explain in a rational way, only to have his eyes opened to the supernatural by Missouri. And it turns out whatever killed his wife also did some fucked up shit to his kid and is after, not only his youngest but, all of them.

So he's forced to take his kids on the run. But, he's also an ex-marine, he's a soldier and he can't leave other people to die at the hands and claws and teeth of monsters and ghosts and strigas and whathaveyou. Which leaves him struggling to ballance protecting and caring for his kids and saving people and hunting things, AND finding the thing that killed his wife.

The way John's situation was set up (ignoring for a second what we learn in later seasons) and the way Sam was brought up by him created a relationship that was bound to escalate; it was only a matter of time.

Season 1 to 3 we got a John that was distant and rough, but a John that recognized he fucked up along the way and who saught to rectify where he went wrong with his boys.

Season 1 episode 20: „You gotta understand something. After your mother passed all I saw was evil, everywhere. And all I cared about was keeping you boys alive. I wanted you...prepared. Ready. Except somewhere along the line I ... uh ... I stopped being your father and I ... I became your, your drill sergeant. So when you said that you wanted to go away to school, all I could think about, my only thought was, that you were gonna be alone. Vulnerable. Sammy, it just... it never occurred to me what you wanted. I just couldn't accept the fact that you and me -- We're just different.“

And guess what, Sam admits seconds later: „We're not different. Not anymore. With what happened to Mom and Jess... Well we probably have a lot more in common than just about anyone.“

Season 1 episode 21: „I want to stop losing people we love. I want you to go to school, I want Dean to have a home. I want....I want Mary alive. It's just....I just want this to be over.“

John literally on the show in person, Jeffrey Dean Morgan Season 1, admits that he didn't want ANYTHING OF WHAT HAPPENED, AND WHAT HE HAD TO DO TO HAPPEN!!!!

Sure, Sam suggested to Dean that John's just „working overtime on Miller Time shift. He'll stumble back in sooner or later“ in the very first episode but we never see John drink alcohol, for all he's on screen in season one, ONCE. (1x1) Suggesting that John did have a drinking problem but somewhere between Sam going off to college and the pilot he kicked that habit.

Sure, Sam is clearly vindictive BUT, when faced with a kid with a clearly abusive father, he also says that, „Well, it coulda gone a whole other way after Mom. A little more tequila and a little less demon hunting and we coulda had Max' childhood. All things considered, we turned out okay. Thanks to him.“ (1x14)

We see him cry on multible occasions in season one and two, we see him hug both Sam and Dean and tell BOTH OF THEM that he is proud of them. Heck, he couldn't shut up about how proud he was of them. Like Jerry told Sam in 1x4 „Well, he was real proud of you. I could tell, He talked about you all the time.“ He kept Sam's soccer trophie, and Dean's first sawed off. He fucking died to safe Dean.

Yeah, he told Dean that he'd have to kill Sam if he goes evil but...

Let's take into consideration season 4 and 5, and John wasn't all too wrong for telling Dean this. Even if we ignore all that, as John probably didn't have the full picture, John didn't knew the extend of Sam's powers. As is always said, „With great power comes great responsibility“. We have seen in comics, shows, movies, all over pop culture and history, how easily great power can corrupt, don't matter how nice and righteous that person is.

Let's take into consideration what was added in season 4 and 5: Like John having another family, the fact that cupid had to get him and Mary together, Mary making a deal with Azazel, the few demons (not even all of them) Lucifer showed Sam who had been put into his life by yellow eyes; even that just adds more credence to the already established character.

Of course John was bound to have flings after Mary, you can't expect a widower to just be celibate forever. And it wasn't even that he bailed on her, he literally didn't know there was a child until twelve years later.

And considering John's erratic 'work schedule' and how little we know of Kate, maybe it was her that wanted John not to have much contact to her son. The whole situation with Adam isn't exactly clear, and told through the eyes of a ghoul. Plus, we all saw where John's decision to leave Adam in the dark about the supernatural had him end up (namely killed by a ghoul).

The fact that cupid had to get John and Mary together only gives more ammunition for my argument that John was only working with what was given to him. Pretty much everyone from hell to heaven was meddling in his life.

Getting ahead with headcanons here but, for all we know John and Mary would've never ended up together; for all we know Mary was a lesbian and John was bi; for all we know they could've still worked out without cupid's help. Who knows? We don't because heaven took that decision away from both John and Mary.

The fact that Mary made a deal with Azazel to safe John's life in exchange for Azazel to be able to enter her home in ten years time, again, caused something to happen down the line that affected John and the boys that John had no control over.

And I gotta thank Lucifer for his part, because it gives EVEN MORE credence as to why John couldn't give Dean and Sam a normal life. He reveals SOME of the people Azazel planted into Sam's life that were actually possessed by demons.

„LUCIFER: Look closely. None of these little devils look familiar to you? SAM: That's Mr. Bensman... One of my grade-school teachers. LUCIFER: And that's your friend Doug from that time in East Lansing. And Rachel... your prom date. Sam Winchester, this is your life. Azazel's gang – watching you since you were a rugrat, jerking you around like a dog on a leash. I know how you feel about them. Me too. So, what do you say you and I blow off a little steam?“ (5x22)

A few episodes earlier we found out that his friend Brady, the one that introduced him to Jess, was actually possessed by a demon, and the one that fucking killed her.

„BRADY (chuckles): Brady hasn't been Brady in years. Not since, oh... middle of our sophomore year?

SAM: What?

BRADY: That's right. You had a devil on your shoulder even back then. All right, now, let it all sink in.

SAM: You son of a bitch. You son of a bitch! (Sam approaches Brady, Dean holds him back) You introduced me to Jess!

BRADY: Ding, ding! I think he's got it!“ (5x20)

All of this paints a clear picture for me, of a man that got played by fate and heaven and hell and was only trying to play the cards all of them dealt him to the best of his ability. Did he fuck up along the way, yes, did he show remorse for that and did he wish he could've given Sam and Dean a better life, Yes.

I completely understand people liking one character and disliking another, even projecting onto characters I get. And I get that people's life experiances lead them to different conclusions.

But it pisses me off so much that I can't go into the 'John Winchester' tag without having to read some shit as fuck take on John.

I have to read people saying that he never told Dean he was proud of him and that the only time he did so he was possessed by Azazel. Which isn't even true, but a motherfucking lie.

Season 2, episode 1; when John WASN'T POSSESSED ANYMORE he said to Dean: „You know, when you were a kid... I'd come home from a hunt. And after what I'd seen... I'd be wrecked. And you... You'd come up to me... you'd put your hand on my shoulder, and you'd look me in the eye. You'd say, "It's okay, Dad." Dean. I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to say that to me. I should've been saying that to you. You know, I put... I put too much on your shoulders. I made you grow up too fast. You took care of Sam, and you took care of me. You did that. And you didn't complain, not once. I just want you to know... that I am so proud of you.“

I have to read people forget or disregard that John was literally a righteous man. Alastair tried to break John and John didn't break for a century and then clawed his way OUT OF HELL TO SAFE HIS SONS IN 2x22. John must've had righteousness in heaven (which would come through faith in Jesus) and righteousness on earth (which would come through living through the commandments) as long as that's what the writers meant with 'righteous man'.

I have to read stuff John would apparently do only because we learn in 'Dark side of the Moon' that John and Mary's marriage wasn't all sunshine and rainbows and that John even moved out for a period. Even though we don't know who caused that fight and what it was about, literally it could've been Mary's fault and John only left to cool off. And even if not, marriages aren't just sunshines and rainbows. Fights happen, bad stuff is worked out. That would be true even without the cupid spell.

I have to read someone projecting their experiance with their father onto John. I have to read about someone saying John would've been such a dick because he was in the military and fought in the vietnam war, and we all know that's what all sodiers back then were (dicks). I have to read about how homophobic and transphobic John obviously was. I have to read about how much John would've been racist to Sam and Dean if they'd been mixed.

John was born in 1954, he has to be homophobic and transphobic and racist and bigoted and everthing you can think of. It can't be possible for someone to be born during that time and not be, right. (I hope you recognize the sarcasm)

Everybody is screaming 'child abuse' as loud as they can without taking into account the unique world those characters inhabit and the situation fate, heaven and hell put John and the boys into.

Dean could dig himself out of his grave because John used to bury them alive and had them dig their way out of a coffin as training!!!? Are yall good?? Literally what did your parents do to you, what went wront in your life that you think shit like this?!

And I get it, you can headcanon all you want. I myself headcanon John as bi and that Azazel knew and used this fact.

The writers did John so dirty in later seasons, and I'm not even alone in this, JDM agrees with me.

„But it always bugged me that the John that I played is different than the John that has been portrayed since I haven't been around. I really wanted the opportunity to be able to come back and make amends in a way and try to fix the sullied name of this character. But more than that, it's three friends, life lived. It feels like we've been friends for a lifetime now, getting to reunite in a place that we love and that we met and do what we do and I think that is super cool. So not only does John win in getting to come back and see his boys and Mary again and hopefully make some amends, it's just as cool for me, the actor, to be able to come back and see everybody.“

I'm sorry, but if Snape fans are allowed to be pissed about people suggesting Snape would've been creeping on Harry if he had been female and looked like Lilly, I can be pissed about everybody and their grandma in this fucking fandom painting John in the worst light possible.

JDM created such a great character with depth and who was interesting, even in season 4 and 5 they were still respectfull to his character, but the later seasons were just *throws up *

And I mean, I get it, I disregard canon too. Like, I disregard everything after season 5, that's Sam hallucinating in hell to me. Sometimes even after season 3, cause I don't feel like dealing with the angels, and cas and destiel and all that.

I get it, I get it, I get it.

But I too have the right to be pissed off about the way people like to shit on my fav.

Long story short, I love John and how complex and grey his character is and I HATE IT how simple and 'black and white' people wanna make him out to be. I wanna punch a bitch. I wanna throw hands right now.

#supernatural #spn #john winchester #john winchester defense #john winchester defense squad #I am heated #I literally wanna throw hands right now #I wanna be understanding of you guys #but yall are *tears at hair *#I don't get yall

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radbutsafe · 4 years ago

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ALL FUCKIN 35 OF THEM SKLNWESDJFPXO

I SHOULDVE EXPECTED THIS FROM YOU

1. From one to five stars, how would you rate your writing? (No downplaying yourself!)

A three! I think I’m mid range cause I ain’t terrible but there is still shit I gotta improve and grow in my writing

2. Why do you write fanfiction?

to manifest what canon won’t give me and to write more! (though yes it is mainly about the smooching and the— I’ll stop there LOL)

3. What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

Hm! My weird research details? I’m that “fun fact, did you know...” in my fics sometimes LOL! I plan on giving a penthouse for erina in a fic and I went through penthouse listings in Japan for floor layouts and locations💀 my research gives me inspo and depth to stuff I think I lack in comparison to others sometimes.

4. Are there any writers that inspire you?

In terms of fellow fic writers, one of them I can’t name here but she’s an inspiration with her exceptional gift for prose period and her lovely skill at comedy! I want to be as funny as her when I write, I love her ironic situational humor. Other fic writers are @takoyakitenchou, @royaldragonsevgisi15 who I always love sharing ideas with and motivate me to create more! For non-fic writers it would be V.E. Schwab, Leigh Bardugo, Oda, and Horikoshi! The last two may be mangaka, however they are writers as well to create their stories! The depth these creators have given their worlds and interesting characters theyve given life to are all what I aspire to be like!

5. What’s the fic you’re most proud of?

so far uh?? hm everything I’m currently writing are wips lol!! im proud of my wip that has been nicknamed ‘soma panics’ that is a multi-chapter fic that spans like probs 20 plus chapters maybe

6. What element of writing do you find comes easily?

dialogue! it’s so much fun! and character thoughts. I’ve said to people I may be better suited for script writing

7. What element of writing do you struggle with most?

I think it’s description, of like setting and showing action. also an expansion of my vocabulary LOL

8. Which character(s) do you find easiest to write?

erina! I think it’s because canon has shown us many of her different faces and range of emotion.

9. Which character(s) do you find most difficult to write?

SOMA!! chill ass mofo whos more carefree compared to the common shonen protagonist! for other shokugeki characters I’m not sure just yet because I haven’t flexed my fingers enough for the rest of them.

10. What’s your favorite genre to write for?

I guess I should say romance cause that’s what I mostly write LOL!

11. Who or what do you find yourself writing about most?

sorina and I try to get them to smooch eventually KEK and yeah it’s..usually romantic fluff lmao

12. Tell us about a WIP you’re excited about.

HONESTLY ALL OF THEM but “soma panics” is my brain child

13. First fandom you ever wrote for?

pretty sure it’s digimon....

14. What’s your favorite fandom to write for?

currently shokugeki no soma!!!!

15. What’s the weirdest fandom you’ve ever written for?

uhhhh I guess SNS? LMAO fandoms...all have their quirks to them.

16. Any guilty pleasure trope(s)?

characters cuddling!!!! or getting the urge to smooch!!!!

17. A trope you’ll never, ever write for.

unrequited love GOOD FUCKIN BYEEEEEE

18. Wildest fic you’ve ever written?

I have plot ideas thst can be wild potentially but so far nothing fits this criteria so far that I actually have written.

19. Do you prefer canon-compliant, AUs, or something in-between?

depends on the fandom, but if written well, all of it!

20. Gen fic or shippy stuff?

shippy 100% like I said I like smoochin

21. Favorite pairing to write for? (platonic or romantic!)

romantic is...*drumroll* SORINA! platonic, soutaku and erina and alice!

22. Do you listen to anything while you write?

Sometimes! There are times songs will be on loop and times I just shuffle a playlist. and if I’m writing in random bursts it’ll be with no music but it really does depend lmao I think music is when I’m forcing myself to write?

23. Do you prefer prompts and challenges, or completely independent ideas?

completely independent ideas, I’ve realized in the past prompts shoot me in the foot often unless I luckily figure something out. but I’m often driven by my own sporadic self interest with shitty ping ponging attention

24. One-shots or multi-chaptered works?

multi-chap I guess cause I can post without being finished LOLLL but tbh can I really answer? I haven’t finished anything.....

25. Have you ever daydreamed about side adventures/spin-offs from your fic? Tell us about them!

I can’t answer this question imo because I haven’t finished a fic yet so technically stuff could all fit in the one fic?

26. Is there anything you’ve wanted to write, but you’ve been too scared to try?

MYSTERY AND CRIME! I love the genre and I have plot ideas once a blue moon but I can’t dive in because I want to make details that work and reduce plot holes where suspension of disbelief isn’t as needed. I need to study it more (I need to study all the details for any of my fics imo to be confident sometimes LOL)

27. What’s the nicest comment you’ve ever received?

I don’t think I can say one comment was the nicest because I’ve gotten comments that have given me quite the smiles to my face many times! I know this is a cop out but it’s true!

IS WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY UNTIL REINA SENT ME THE FOLLOWING ON DISCORD LIKE TWENTY MINS AGO:

and also rad. i am never this vocal about my emotions like EVER but this needs to be said your fics are obviously far from perfect, as are mine and everyone else's. but the thing about your works is that they're so well-sanded that it's impossible to find any rough edges or faults in them in terms of cohesion to a plot. your cast is never OOC and the amount of effort you devote to developing your takes on the characters as accurately as possible is unimaginably awe-inspiring.

BITCH I WANNA CRY 😭

28. How well do you handle criticism when it comes to your writing?

I’d like to believe I take it often well to try and improve because that’s always my goal. if someone is rude lol that’s not constructive snd is unhelpful. If I disagree with criticism I’ll explain why !

29. Have you ever gone outside of your comfort zone for a fic? How did it turn out?

Not yet, but I have some plot ideas I think will let me test this.

30. Tooth-rotting fluff or merciless angst?

F L U F F.

31. Do you have any OCs? Tell us about them!

elliott fuji, a japanese-american award winning photographer who is erina’s boyfriend in ‘soma panics’ which..causes soma’s panic LOL he’s 30 with slightly wavy black hair. I still haven’t pinpointed his personality just yet...he kind of humble brags for sure an artsy fucker and flirts maybe I’ll make him a lil shy though. he teaches sometimes, and becomes an adjunct photography professor in Tokyo so he can be with erina.

32. Summarize a random fic of yours in 10 words or less.

a cook is unfashionably late in realizing his feelings.

33. Is there anything you wish your audience knew about your writing or writing process?

I am a slow. so slow. motivation who is she? I also write out of order, unfortunately a bit too often.

34. Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of.

this should be for the fic ‘soma panics’ it’s either megumi or satoshi talkin to him rn, I’m leaning towards satoshi

“You thought she would always wait for you, didn’t you Soma-kun? To always welcome you home.”

Soma drags his palms down his face and groans. He doesn’t like this at all. He doesn’t shy from confrontation but this is a whole different ballgame. Soma doesn’t play any ball.

“I guess..?” Is his reply, because he thinks he isn’t sure how to answer that.

“You guess?”

Just being questioned again is enough to crack Soma’s pathetic facade as if it was dropped chinaware and he lets out the longest sigh.

“No.”

Coming home means coming home to Nakiri Erina too.

Nakiri Erina is his forever.

this is @takoyakitenchou’s excerpt she’s most proud of that I’ve written, which is also from you guessed it, the long fic soma panics

SOMA: I am, I mean I will be, I swear I will always come home to you, not spend as much time abroad, once I’m done with work I’ll come right back. I’ll make sure to message you. Nakiri, I’m in love you with you. Maybe for a really long time. You know how I say I dedicate my food to you? My dad—my dad said that the key to become a good chef is to find someone to dedicate your cooking to. A special someone. For my dad it was my mom, you know? For me it’s...

(this is a good piece of dialogue tbh so I am also proud of this)

35. Ramble about any fic-related thing you want!

I’ve mentioned it throughout this but the WIP I’ve nicknamed ‘soma panics’ is something I’m super excited to write, but it’s going on slowly...and almost completely out of order. out of all of my writing it showed off that particular habit of mine, along with “what is this, a shoujo manga?!” though the latter is currently being written chronologically now that I’ve posted chapter one and is pretty solid in direction. it was originally supposed to be a one shot but I got impatient and wanted to post at least something for the sorina / soueri fandom.

however, because ‘soma panics’ (I won’t call it that LOL) is my baby I want to keep true to my rule of refusing to post it until I have a draft of the entire fic finished and I’m satisfied with the main points pretty much. due to my writing out of order, I’m worried I’ll change my mind about scenes or want to reflect things in earlier chapters for later ones etc etc

I joined the SnS fandom extremely late, as season five was airing. I was a fan of the manga five years ago and dropped it because I forgot to check for updates when I caught up 😔 I really want to bang out the different fics and aus for sorina that I have before the fandom fizzles out entirely but tbh I’m writing for myself, I’m manifesting what I want to see and I’ll just share it with all my friends to read if no one else will. cause I’m slow broski I dunno what writing fast even is like LMAO I do really want to write faster though, so I can contribute more and let the words free from the discord dms....

#ask meme #ask rad shit #writing #writing by rad #fanfic #reina girl u put me thru it I swear lol #thank u for sending!!#ur amazing!!!!

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cowboylikedean · 4 years ago

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Now that I’ve had time to sit with all of this, my feelings are.... complicated.

The thing is... I was finished. I was done. I watched seasons 11-14 out of respect for my past, my history, my time, my life. I was watching season 15 out of respect for the show. To see it out to the end, to give it the opportunity and respect to be finished. But I was already done.

And then they did one of the three (3) things that could bring me back.

And I feel so... manipulated?

I kinda feel like Buffy in season 6 talking about coming back from heaven. “I was finished, complete. And I was happy. But I was torn out of there, ripped out... by my friends.”

Because I was happy. I was happy in that I had made peace. I knew that I loved the original seasons 1-5 arc, that my favorite season was 7, that season 8 was when I started to really not enjoy myself, that season 9 is when I lost all ability to enjoy the show, that I only watched season 10 for the 200th and the nostalgia presented in that episode was fun, but it carried me for two or three weeks and then.... I let go. I had made peace with never getting that back. I was never going to watch this show and have fun again, unless I was rewatching 1-7, and that was okay. I didn’t need to enjoy it. I didn’t need anything. The writers were terrible and I knew that but it was okay. I didn’t have to trust them or have faith in them or generally give a shit because they were bad writers phoning it in for a pay check and that’s fine... If you can, you can I guess. I mean it’s bullshit but like I was okay.

But now.... Now I care again. Now I need and want something from them. Now I’m worried about the fact that I don’t trust them and I think they’re all shitty writers phoning it in for a paycheck because now I care about what happens.

And I’m pissed.

Because out of those three things, they chose the ONE that I resent the most.

Those three things are (1) They kill Sam. This is clearly my favorite, and if they were gonna do one I wish they’d done this especially if it was at Dean’s hands. He’d never have a happy ending after killing Sam, but I would. (2) They kill Dean. This would have been a cut and dry “let’s go kill someone” charge. I would have had my appropriate moment of outrage and disgust. I’d be seeing Sam-stans and Cas-stans write their long metas about how “it’s actually a perfect ending for Dean” and see destiel wannabes write their mourning fics like it was cute and be justified in every spec of anger I’ve ever felt.

But they chose (3) Destiel goes canon. I get no satisfaction from this... But I do get my sense of nostalgia played upon. I get used for views with nothing in return. Well... Maybe that’s not accurate, I get something, but it’s not...

I stopped shipping destiel 2 seasons before I finished watching. Season 8 was the last time I shipped it in any serious fashion. I sat through the wild and incredible queerbaiting that was Jeremy Carver’s run of the show.... and honestly for what?! I was here in the hiatus between seasons 7 and 8, leading up to what we, the fandom, called “season gr8″ which it was only named because of queerbaiting. And I fell for it. I drank the koolaid every single week in season 8. I wrote metas and posts, my fb memories are filled with posts insisting that “this would be the week.”

“It’s not queerbaiting if they make it canon,” I’d say. “It’s a slow burn, a long build. A will-they-won’t-they.” I felt like my fellow fans who were getting increasingly more aggressive with the cast and crew had just “lost faith.” that if they saw the big picture, that Dean and Cas were an epic love story that didn’t need immediate payoff, they could enjoy all the little moments we were getting without demanding more.

By the time I left the show, I no longer expected they’d make it canon... but more importantly, neither did I want them to. By that time, Dean had been put through the ringer being the emotional support for every character, the punching bag, the background to everyone else’s stories because no other actor could pull the emotion Jensen could. Dean had everything he had despite the other characters’ stories and emotions. He was seen by the fandom and most of the writing staff as a filler, an extension. He was one half of a relationship - romantic or not - not his own person. He was “the dumb one” and characterized in really stupid ways. You can see it as recently as 15x16 when a writer who has written one other episode of the show and clearly never actually watched the show especially the flashback episodes. Dean was a caricature, not a character. And Cas... Cas was written with increasing amounts of fanservice too. He went from a powerful being trying to learn to balance his sense of angelic responsibility with love of the Earth to being a whiny crybaby who was generally helpless to circumstance. He was written in such a way where he both leaned on Dean to give him purpose and validation while also completely ignoring everything about Dean that made Dean Dean.

As the seasons have gone on, this has gotten more apparent. I think what happened with Mary and Dean kicking Cas out the bunker earlier this season (which was also written by Robert Berens btw and if it’s true he wrote the confession scene first in the season - he wrote this scene after that one) is a perfect example. Dean’s criticism there is that Cas doesn’t trust him. When shit is hitting the fan, Cas expects Dean to react in the worst possible way he could, so he refrains for telling Dean vital information and asking for help while he looks for a solution by himself so Dean never has to know there’s even a problem. Then something goes wrong and Cas is always left there saying he’s sorry, that he shouldn’t have done that... But he never seems to learn, or trust Dean enough to do something different next time. And that time, the lack of trust killed Dean’s mom. The narrative and the fandom both treated Dean as irrational and overly emotional - the bad guy - in that situation. Dean shouldn’t have done that.

But like what the fuck should he have done??? I’d have killed him. Or cut him out for good... like for good for good. How toxic is it to have someone in your life who repeatedly ruins your life by not trusting you with a problem that could be dealt with collectively, but not alone?

And we’re going to what... retcon all of that? By bringing destiel into this, all the reasons I haven’t shipped it and I’ve considered Cas to be one of the most insidious abusers in this show are what? What am I supposed to do with them?

It’s no fucking wonder the script says Dean can’t reciprocate! Because how could he? How can they really justify Dean expressing his frustration at being manipulated and lied to for 11 years at the beginning of the season and expressing undying romantic love at the end of the season?

But this isn’t about narrative sense. It’s about an ending. The whole season is about endings... and writings... and god and death to the author... The metas flying around about “god” and “the writers” are all spot on... And so, it doesn’t matter. The message is the story is what we make it, not what they do. And therefore, they call upon destiel as the greatest example of the fandom finding a story within the story that wasn’t being told.

Except that’s not true. Because it has been being told, just not with any intention of payoff. It’s been queerbaited and intentionally so. “It’s not queerbaiting if they make it canon” is a lie. It is still queerbaiting if they never intended to make it canon! And it’s not okay.

But here I am, two episodes to go and then that’s it. There are no other opportunities for them to make canon honor that unspoken promise to the viewers. This is it. And endings do matter. Despite the message of the season being generally that endings aren’t important. That the story, the push and pull, the free will of the characters to run away with the story and bring the writers and audience to new places, the interaction between audience and story and the life they run away with, that those are the important parts of stories and storytelling... But that just isn’t true. It’s a romantic notion that endings are just silly things we tack on our stories that confine us, that the real stories are within us... but we consume these stories for the payoff of the ending. An unsatisfactory ending can completely ruin a work; just ask HIMYM.

So then this is my last chance... My last chance to feel the release of payoff of a relationship I was intentionally inspired to care about without an intention of payoff. This is my last chance of vindication for all that emotional time and energy spent.

So I’m hopeful and I’m transported back to 2012 and 2013 when I cared. When I believed. When every week felt like a possibility. When it felt like it could really happen. And most importantly, when I wanted it to. Because I do want it to now. I have actively not wanted it to for 6 years, but now is my last chance and it very well might happen so now... I want it..

And the way they did it... With giving Cas his moment, but leaving it open for interpretation... IT’S SO CALLBACK QUEERBAIT. AND callback toxic Cas. Cas lays this on Dean and then yeets off? And tells Dean that it’s because Cas loves him that he’s going? Every single part of Dean’s emotional history and trauma makes that evil, but Cas does it to him? And I’m hoping he’s not mad for the sake of the payoff of the relationship?!?!?!??!?!

Are you fucking kidding me?

And then also I wanna circle back to the queerbait of it all. Misha acknowledged today that there’s some room for interpretation here. And I don’t know how that gets resolved in the final two episodes, if it does... BUT THAT’S THE FUCKING POINT!!! I will be watching live, as it airs, for the first time in 7 years, one week before I intended mind you, because I’m being baited with the promise and hope of explicit payoff that doesn’t leave room for interpretation???? And that’s not queerbaiting???

The whole thing is ridiculous and manipulative and just generally awful, but I’m eating it up because I don’t really have the luxury of another choice. Because hoping for payoff is the best option I’ve got.

I hope I get to justify my past self and see all of that payoff and feel that vindication for the part of me that loved destiel, but I consider destiel to be the number 1 thing that ruined the show for me. So it will be a hollow victory, for sure. And that’s if there’s even a victory, which isn’t a guarantee.

I just feel so used right now.

#long post #destiel #spn #personal #i'm really sorry for the length of this #i just had to get it out

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leverage-commentary · 5 years ago

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Leverage Season 2, Episode 4, The Fairy Godparents Job, Audio Commentary Transcript

Frakes: Hi, I'm Jonathan Frakes, Director.

Amy: Hi, I'm Amy Berg, Supervising Producer and Writer of this episode.

John: I’m John Rogers, Executive Producer of Leverage. I’ve got a Guiness. Uh, Jonathan, what are you drinking?

Frakes: I’m going with a little Chivas on the rocks.

John: There we go, just establishing the ground rules before we get into the commentary.

Amy: And I’ve been drinking all day, so I don’t have anything now.

John: That’s fantastic. [Amy laughs] Welcome to an excellent Leverage commentary! Uh, Amy Berg, why don’t you tell us how this episode was born?

Amy: I have no recollection of that at all. [Laughs]

John: Uh, well, I’ll tell you -

Amy: It wasn’t my idea, remember? It was-

Frakes: Not afraid of handheld, this one-

Amy: This was a, uh, this was an episode that you and Mr. Downey had talked about. And I was, I believe, working on Two-Live Crew Job-

John: Two-Live Crew, that’s right. And then we knew we were gonna make Two-Live Crew the season-ender-

Amy: Right.

John: So we had to move that back, so we moved this up. But you did a fantastic job on the structure, and what really, uh, what I really fell in love with this episode was, the idea of a kid having the world’s greatest thieves as fairy godparents.

Amy: Yes.

John: That’s where the title came from.

Amy: That’s sort of the key, uh, in, uh, coming up with-

John: Kind of a reference to Tokyo Godparents.

Frakes: You didn’t steal it from Fairly Odd-parents?

John: No, I did not, though I’m a big fan of that cartoon. Jonathan, why don’t you tell us about shooting this episode?

Frakes: Yes, did you notice that handheld at the beginning?

John: It was lovely.

Amy: Sexy.

John: It was very beautiful.

Frakes: God. All action, all the time.

John: Thank you.

Frakes: The great thing about these opening beats in the Leverages, is you can do whatever you want, in whatever style you want, and then you go in and say, ‘Ah- now we’re on Leverage.’ I look forward to those moments. It’s about 80 seconds, or 60 seconds worth, but it’s- here we are. Setting up the story.

John: It’s actually interesting, because we had set up- The first season, we set up a conference room, and then we kind of duplicated it in the apartment. And this was gonna be our secondary location, and we just fell in love with the bar. Over the course of the year. And the bar became where we always met the clients.

Frakes: Call me crazy, why wouldn’t that work for you?

[All Laugh]

John: I know. Nevermind I fell in love with the bar, we as a creative entity fell in love with the bar.

Amy: What were drinking, John Rogers, again? [laughs]

John: Exactly. And, um, and also, to the point where the other episode you directed, The Bottle Job, the bottle show-

Frakes: - was all in the bar! We never left the bar!

John: I know. And it’s just one of those great things about how shows evolve, that, you know, you go into these things with a plan, and then they all go magnificently askew.

Frakes: Right.

Amy: Right.

Frakes: This is a great beat here, where Beth has replaced Gina in the sequence with -

Amy: By the way, I do recall Frakes arguing with me.

Frakes: About removing her or-?

Amy: About whether or not Beth should be out of this scene, but I was convinced that Beth would be really funny.

Frakes: But you were so right.

John: When isn’t she? She’s fantastic. And that’s the uh-

Frakes: Here’s TNT’s contribution. We like to call the interstial.

[All Laugh]

John: It’s a saga sell.

Amy: It’s weird placement, though, because the last time we left Nate, he’s saying “Where’s Sophie?”, and then we go to this little intro and then we go to Sophie, so it’s kinda all over the place-

John: It’s one of those things where you never know where to put it. You don’t want to do it after this beat, because Gina does a really fantastic bit of acting in this scene, um -

Amy: Yeah, she’s so brilliant in this entire episode.

Frakes: She can’t believe, she can’t believe she’s being dumped. It’s beyond her; the possibility doesn’t really exist for her.

Amy: Well, look at her, I mean why would you dump her?

John: Well because she’s being dishonest, she’s emotionally shut down.

Amy: Yeah, you don’t know who she is.

John: And this was interesting because really, when Gina told us she was pregnant first episode, and we said, we really need to be able to give her some space and ease up on her work for the midpoint-

Amy: And grow- You can’t see what I’m doing, but I’m doing a belly motion.

John: And grow, and let her grow. She’s- yeah, wardrobe started getting creative fairly early.

Frakes: Even though she was in denial about it. I remember her saying “Frakes, no no no, you don’t have to worry about it yet”. I said “What do you mean I don’t have to worry about it yet?” I say to Mr. Rogers, Rogers says to me “Frakes, her [strike zone?], look at her strike zone.”

John: Don’t shoot the strike zone.

Frakes: Don’t shoot the strike zone.

John: I mean, Gina would work 24 hours until the end of season.

Amy: That’s true, yeah.

John: We brought her back in the finale actually, and she was like 7 months pregnant, and she was running around in explosions and stuff.

Amy: She’s fantastic.

Frakes: She’s a theater girl.

John: We really wanted to give her a little room there. This is one of the anchors- this episode became the one where we introduce Sophie’s emotional arc. We hint at it in the first two or three, but really, this is where we land it. And then we develop it over 4, 5, 6, 7.

Amy: Cause you know what I do really well?

John: What do you do?

Amy: I write the heart.

John: You do write the heart. You’re a real sap.

[Laughter]

Amy: I’m just waiting for you to shoot back at me about how lame I am.

Frakes: I do sensitive.

Amy: Yeah, you’re great.

John: Yeah, you do sensitive.

Frakes: Used to be a big action, green screen guy; I do sensitive now, that’s all I do.

John: Yeah, sensitive, all heart. Is that why you can’t compose a frame? Anyway.

Frakes: Exactly.

Amy: Oh!

John: The point is-

Amy: See, this is what he does.

Frakes: I know.

John: I wouldn’t say that you write all heart. I’d say you rely overly on a midpoint victim. I would say that is accurate.

[Laughter]

Amy: Ok here we go, this is what I was waiting for.

Frakes: This is the time to wash this laundry.

Amy: I was waiting for him to start in on my fixations.

John: You started it.

Frakes: Here’s an argument for why we do it a bunch of different bars as we can, because this room is tough.

Amy: Let’s explain what the act one used to be.

John: The act one- what was the act one?

Amy: The act one used to be, um, we’re going out and we’re actually doing the things that they’re talking about in this scene.

John: Yes.

Amy: Which is: we light his apartment on fire, and-

John: We actually set his apartment on fire and give an old woman a heart attack. And it was pointed out that doing a montage of mini cons in the first act was probably somewhat budget busting.

Amy: Financially unfeasible?

[Laughter]

John: So it became this discussion- and this is interesting, because it’s a slower first act, but this was the other thing we kinda discovered over the course of the second season - it’s ok to hang out with these characters.

Amy: Yeah, people like them in scenes together.

John: Yes.

Amy: All five of them.

John: And they want to watch them plan. You know, this- planning sequences for the writers are boring as hell, because we wanna get them up on their feet. And we got testing back from the audience - the audience loved this part of the show.

Frakes: You know why? Because these actors like all being in the same scene.

John: Yes.

Amy: And they’re great together, play off one another perfectly. It’s competence porn.

John: It’s competence porn; that’s the phrase.

Amy: Thank you, John Rogers.

John: That's the phrase we invented, is people love to watch people who are good at something.

Frakes: Usually I don't have two people eat in a scene, but in this case it was a strike zone cover.

John: This was- people were going, “Are you having Gina eat because she’s pregnant?” It’s like the- no the counter’s there, the counter is a good bit of obstruction.

Amy: The counter’s there and she just got a broken heart.

Frakes: That and I'm kind of a pushover when Beth says, “Would it be ok if I got some cereal and ate it?” “Sure Beth.”

[Laughter]

John: Sure, why not?

Frakes: Whatever you say.

John: Now this is interesting, this is our most explicit Madoff reference, and what happened is, right before the beginning of the second season, is that the entire world financial system collapsed. Bad for the earth, good for us.

Amy: Awesome for Leverage.

John: Just gave us a long line of evil white dudes to pick from, and when we read about the conditions of Madoff's house arrest, that was just even-

Frakes: Played right into your hands.

[Laughter]

John: This is one of those times, where just-

Amy: Well it pissed us off, and you’ll see that's where we get most of our stories.

John: Exactly. The rule is, whenever we open up the newspaper and say, ‘I hate that guy!’-

Amy: Yeah, that's exactly right.

John: That gave it to us. Then when his wife mailed his jewelry out, the fact that she could still have this money in the house gave us this idea for basically, a treasure hunt. Well, how do you do a treasure hunt? Well the guy in the house, that brought up- and we actually went and looked up the rules about, how do you get out of house arrest? How are you allowed out? And that brought us out to this. And now this young man,-

Amy: Alex Mentzel.

Frakes: Alex Mentzel, genius.

John: He is local.

Amy: Lovely.

John: He is Portland, right; he's Oregon.

Frakes: He's not from Portland, he's actually- his father teaches at -

John: University of Oregon, or-?

Frakes: No, not University of Oregon. In Eugene, what's the school in Eugene?

John: I'm not sure.

Frakes: He's a music teacher.

Amy: Yeah.

John: Oh cool.

Frakes: And he was incredibly helpful.

Amy: He’s a brilliant vocalist.

Frakes: And this kid is spectacular.

Amy: Yeah, he's a wonderful actor.

Frakes: And a wonderful singer, and actually a wonderful kid.

John: And this was tough, because-

Frakes: Was it ever.

John: This was- did not start out as a musical.

[Laughter]

John: It started out- If I remember, the only musical beat that was in it, remember I kept singing girl’s thing over and over again, because I was so-

Amy: Photosynthesis.

John: No, the star.

Amy: Oh, yeah yeah yeah.

John: The star song.

Amy: Fusion.

John: Fusion. I was so happy I had come up with a rhyme for fusion that- in the room-

Amy: The fact that it's a musical is kinda my fault.

John: Yes, it started with one song and spun out into a full musical score.

Frakes: Also LoDuca said, “Oh, I couldn't possibly write enough songs for you.”

Amy: Yeah.

Jonathan: Ended up delivering three or four original songs in about three days, as I recall.

Amy: Yeah, we really couldn't have done this episode without Joe LoDuca, our brilliant-

John: This is- and again, Hardison, as always, going way over the top. Now what was the exterior there for Dalton Academy? What? One of the great advantages of shooting in Portland-

Frakes: This place, they showed us on our first trip up to Portland when we were being pitched, ‘Come to Portland, we can give you these buildings for free.’ This was a former courtroom building that the city said-

John: Was it the customs house or the courtroom?

Amy: Customs house!

Frakes: Customs house, that's right. Good call. And this was our first stop, on our first trip to Portland two Novembers ago, whenever that was, and they said, “You can have this building.” And we finally found a way to use it as an exterior and an interior. So this scene is actually inside the building that we shot at the exterior of, which rarely happens.

Amy: One of the few times the exterior and interior are actually connected.

John: Now this is- now who played the assistant?

Frakes: Yeah, see, I’m looking for her name and she’s not on here.

Amy: I didn't do my job.

John: No, it’s ok, just feel bad; she just had a great little running gag.

Amy: Oh yeah, we lost.

Frakes: She was fabulous here. Fabulous.

John: One of the things about doing 42 minutes of television is, you shoot 50, and anything that's not essential to plot winds up going away.

Frakes: Get a load of Tim’s entrance. Get a load of this staging. Hold on.

John: It's subtle. Wow. Now, did you do this or did Connell come up with this?

Frakes: Symmetry.

John: Symmetry is beautiful.

Frakes: This one, and on the other side? Who’s with him?

Amy: Well-

John: Not yet. They come down together. Youre talking about Chris’ and Gina's entrances.

Frakes: First of all, it's the combination of: is it a rug, is a hair piece, is a pull over?

[Laughter]

Frakes: Is it a combination? And this is a man unafraid of costume, unafraid of hair, and unafraid of wearing glasses.

John: The hair is actually a hat. We- I think we already established in one of the commentaries this season, the nicknames for Tim's characters are the hats. And the hats are- for all the characters, we say what hats the characters wore.

Amy: Well Gina added an ad lib later, where she gets distracted by that thing on his head.

John: Yes it's- I love the mocked up book, too. Like, there would be a best seller by a German educational expert.

Frakes: There we go, Mark Sanford - Richard Topping. Wonderful.

John: By the way, we chose the name Mark Sanford because it cleared, and it was utterly unrelated to the governor who then got into an enormous amount of trouble, like the week this aired.

Amy: Yeah, the week it aired. That's the governor of South Carolina? Who-

John: Who decided to visit his Argentinian girlfriend.

Frakes: They say he was on the Adirondacks on a hike.

Amy: Yes.

[Laughter]

Amy: He was just clearing his head, you know.

John: To be fair, “I am on the Appalachian trail” and “I am getting some Argentinian tail” sound very similar over a cell phone connection.

Frakes: Bam.

[Laughter]

John: Yes, I love the eyes here. Who did he was doing? Was he doing Polanski a little?

Frakes: He stole the Polanski because he had just done a film-

John: He had just done a film with Polanski. And, kind of, the whole idea that, if you live in Hollywood, you have friends who have kids at these ridiculous schools.

Frakes: Here we go.

John: And so the urge to make fun of the idea that you would pay 30 thousand dollars for your kids to get an education that's barely better than a free one, was highly entertaining. And also the sort of bullshit names, like, they don't call it gym they call it body in motion study and that sort of thing.

Amy: Motion Sciences.

Frakes: And all the kids, Sierra and-

John: Oh yeah.

Amy: I'm here for the kids’ names. Like I would say half of the fun of the episode-

Frakes: Widmark.

John: Yes, Widmark; that's right.

Amy: Widmark Fowler.

John: I forget where Widmark came from. That one popped early cause it was just - what's the worst thing you can call your kid? That's just a bad idea.

Frakes: Boom.

John: And big zoom up through the-

Frakes: David Fincher.

John: Yes, that is Fincher, that is David Fincher. That was a lot this year.

Frakes: Steal from the best.

John: Well a lot this year, we were playing around with different transitions and playing around with different ways out of scenes.

Frakes: Well that's actually- Mark Franco made that shot work. Again local hire, the actors.

Amy: Wonderful Portland actors.

Frakes: The actors in Portland are just spectacular.

Amy: And I love Nadine’s wardrobe in this episode, and-

Frakes: And unafraid- look at how unafraid Beth is.

Amy: Stick your whole body in there.

[Laughter]

John: Thank you, thank you. Alright you're cut off.

Frakes: “Frakes do you see my ass?” “Yes. Yes I do, Beth.”

John: Thank you. I love Parker’s obsession with air ducts there, that we actually made a running gag in the second year that she just begins to compare and contrast them. This is also one of the times that they- where the team- this is another thing in the second season, they call Nate on the fact that he's kind of ignoring collateral damage here.

Frakes: Yes, exactly, good call.

Amy: Yes.

John: And especially in the one you did for the second half of the season, in the bar-

Amy: Well this is the beginning of Nate’s arc, and his, sort of, slow demise.

John: And this was interesting, we really- we knew what Nate’s arc was for the year, and we had to sort of stagger it with introducing Sophie's arc.

Amy: Yeah

John: And then compress Sophie's arc into four episodes to clear out for episode 7. So it really changed the dynamic, and sort of the way they played off each other. I miss the whole opening for this; there’s a whole-

Amy: There's a huge fencing scene.

John: We may have to hunt that up. I hope it makes it on the DVD.

Amy: I hope it makes it in the special features, cause there's a lot of fun fencing stuff that I-

John: Well also just-

Frakes: Also the charm that Christian has with kids is just amazing.

Amy: And they love him.

Frakes: They adore him. He clearly adores them.

Amy: He's Superman, he's Batman.

Frakes: Look at the look on his face.

John: Well Chris has a great bit earlier, when he's just freaked out about the fact that there's no balls. There's a whole opening bit to this where Eliot is dealing with this, kind of, gym-

Amy: Yeah.

John: That's just hilarious.

Amy: There's a lot of stuff in this script that we- for a bunch of reasons, did not include.

Frakes: He's a great kid, too.

Amy: Mason Knight plays Skyler here.

John: Skylar the bully we all knew.

Frakes: The bully we all knew.

[Laughter]

Amy: Which is great.

Frakes: “Stab him. Stab him. Stab him again. Stab him again!” This was me directing this scene “Stab him again! Stab him again!”

John: Thats nice.

[All Laugh]

Frakes: Very healthy .

Amy: Yeah I know, you weren't working out anything there.

John: Exactly.

Frakes: And the bag is in front of her belly because…

John: Alright, so what you're implying here is, Gina's pregnant this episode.

Amy: Oh is that right? I never-

John: This is the spelling bee.

Amy: This is a spelling bee; it was shot brilliantly by Mr. Frakes.

John: Look at Skyler just seething at him there. He does a great delivery on the food line here.

[Laughter]

Amy: “He got food!” That kid was awesome.

John: And it was interesting, because to a great degree, the way they’re planning out the con here was what happened in the writers room. Which was, we had, ‘Ok, we want Eliot teaching gym because that'll be fun; in theory, Gina or Sophie should be some sort of English teacher - that fits; Nate as the headmaster. We knew we were bringing back the feds, so we wanted them to run into two people they run into before, which were the FBI guys, so, but-

Frakes: Very annoying Joyce Kim- Judy Kim. Wonderful.

John: Yes, she's really great. Really great in an annoying way. Yeah.

Amy: We all knew a Judy Kim when we were growing up.

John: But to a certain degree, when we were plotting this, we ran into the same thing that the actual crew ran into. Which was, ‘Ok, what the hell’s the big con?’ When these two things fail - cause, you know, structurally, these two things can’t work out.

Amy: Yeah.

John: And I don't remember how science-ical was born.

Amy: Science-ical was just me-.

Frakes: Science-ical the musical.

Amy: What we were looking for was something- where it was already something the school was already doing.

John: That’s right; it's the time frame.

Amy: What was something the school would have in motion-?

Frakes: That she could spin this into.

Amy: That she could paint it into, rather than create- creating a musical from scratch, which would be next to impossible, even for Sophie. And so I just, sort of, came up with this science-ical idea based off of- coming off of a, you know, science fair that maybe the school was doing, and then she just spins it into a grandiose musical extravaganza.

Frakes: Gina was hysterical in this scene.

John: Well she's not afraid to be cruel to children, which is a great thing for actresses.

[Laughter]

John: No she- her- Sophie's dislike of the little girl is really-

Frakes: Just palpable.

John: It’s also a really nice connection here, and that's because this kid’s great.

Amy: This is where she falls in love with him a little bit, as we all did with Alex.

Frakes: Well also, she feels like she's seeing herself.

Amy: Yes, exactly.

John: And that's the thing we kind of blew by that scene with the boyfriend, but the end of that scene she just really lays into the whole fact that, you know-

Amy: She's a fractured person and some- to some respect she-

Frakes: ‘My lies have caught up with me.’

Amy: She doesn't even know who she is anymore; she's been living so many separate lives, all three aliases-

John: Something when you and I wrote the- 207, the summer season finale, the bit where it's like ‘you and your solo crusade’. Her relationship has changed her, but Nate’s too broken to have a relationship with, so now she's in this gray zone.

Frakes: No comedy here.

Amy: It's almost like we planned this stuff.

Frakes: Comedy colors.

John: Not this season.

Frakes: Physical comedy.

John: Big physical comedy. Frakes is always a big fan of the physical comedy.

Frakes: Here they are.

Amy: Here they are! Rick Overton and Gerald Downey! Taggert and McSweeten.

Frakes: We know them, we love them.

Amy: I’m in love with these two.

John: Really, if we did a web series, it would be Taggart/McSweeten. Because in the writers room, the theory is by the Leverage team constantly throwing them scraps of their cons, these guys have become superstars in the FBI. Like there are young FBI trainees who are like “C'mon I'm no Taggart!” But yeah.

[Laughter]

John: And there's the big reveal of who it is and, you know, hopefully a good act out with guns out. Yeah, there you go.

Amy: An act out with guns out, that's awesome.

John: Was it Dashiell Hammett? When in doubt have a guy with a gun [trails off].

Amy: That's exactly right.

John: It might not be Dashiell, I think it is Dashiell. And then, now we catch up with these guys.

Frakes: Let's talk about the wardrobe.

John: Yeah, this wardrobe is fearless.

Frakes: She is fearless.

Amy: Nadine said, you know, part of-

Frakes: Nadine is fearless.

Amy: Nadine takes a word and makes it a wardrobe out of it. Like in this scene where she’s- where she's in the air vent, he addressed as “Binky” and then that automatically became hipsters.

Frakes: Look at what she's wearing!

Amy: So she's- oh god.

Frakes: The mattress[?] pants weren't enough - she gave him a mattress belt.

Amy: I know.

John: And the hat. Look at the hat.

Amy: Which matches her hair band, it's lovely.

Frakes: Or does it?

John: Well it kinda does, yeah, look at that.

Frakes: Brilliant.

Amy: Pattern-esque.

Frakes: Yeah, they're really- they're either a preppy couple/lovers, or serial killers. There's only two choices on that particular-

Amy: And I always love Aldis and Beth together, too. Aldis and Beth are just a tag team made in heaven.

John: Yeah, we were talking about in one of the other commentaries, is that Beth’s done this great thing. She sorta established that she’s not gonna be very emotionally open with him, but she's always physically in proximity to him. She's very comfortable with him and always kinda got his back.

Amy: And she’s unintentionally teasing him, which I don't even think she really gets.

John: Well that's the thing, she’s really found a way to- well both she and Aldis found a way to advance the Parker and Hardison relationship without us making it text.

Amy: This might be my favorite moment in the whole thing. ‘Do you want to see other partners?’

John: ‘Do you want to see other partners?’ Yes.

Amy: Oh I love it.

John: Yeah, this sort of jealousy beat there. And this is what Chris Downey- Chris and the “let me get this straight,” moment.

Amy: Yeah, let me get it straight. Every episode has let me get this straight.

John: Just because, you know what? And I've referenced this-

Amy: It's a reset moment.

John: I’ve referenced this research before, but 30% of our audience never understands the cons.

Amy: Are you talking about my parents, John?

John: No.

Amy: Ok.

John: No, I'm not talking about your parents. You know, we want to make sure everyone understands the goals and everything moving forward.

Amy: Yeah, it's resetting what they’re after, and why they can't get it, and what they have to do to accomplish it.

John: This place looks great at night, by the way.

Frakes: Here’s a little DVD commentary moment: that entire scene that we’re watching right here was not meant to be in these costumes. Everyone else had their costumes except-

Amy: That's right.

Frakes: Remember this day?

Amy: Yeah, I remember.

John: So no, tell me what's going on.

Frakes: So Hutton’s costume hadn't been established yet and I begged Nadine. And I talked to the actors and I said, ‘Let’s- everybody should be in costume. This is gonna be funnier for the audience to see them as their con characters.’ And Nadine and Tim, God bless them, put together this costume from the shop. Broke into the woman's house who was building his original costume to see- remember all this?

Amy: I remember; it was awesome.

John: Can we not talk about felonies on the DVD commentaries?

[Laughter]

Frakes: This was a big call on my part that I wouldn't have made in the first season, where I said. ‘You know what? This really, visually, is gonna be worth the half hour that we’re gonna take to put this shit together.’

John: And to a great degree Leverage is not just an adjunct to your career. We’re more there to serve you, than you are there to direct our episodes, at this point.

Frakes: I'm so glad you said that.

[Laughter]

John: Now which song did we have- how did we have this song?

Frakes: He’s singing not Danny Boy, he's singing-

John: He's singing something like-

Amy: Just so you guys know we can’t hear it right now, so were listening to a silent screen and this was filmed in March, and now we’re-

John: No, I remember trying to- oh this is-

Frakes: Oh here's seussical the musical.

John: This is my fusion confusion moment.

Amy: This is John singing to us every single day in the writers room. Even when the episode was long done.

John: I just thought you should all be aware there's no confusion, that fusion powers the star.

Amy: Yes, I like it.

John: Yeah Gina’s hair is great this-

Frakes: Not to mention her pins.

John: Yeah, that's a lot of-

Amy: And, you know, I pick these science fair projects because, I apparently- I'm just really wanting to kill Joe LoDuca. Because it was like, “what- what science projects- bread mold? How do you write a song about bread mold?”

Frakes: Easily, apparently.

Amy: Yeah.

John: And brilliantly. But yeah, there's- we don't make Joe’s life easy.

Amy: Yeah, I didn't wanna make it easy on me either.

John: We need a song about photosynthesis. Poor Skylar.

Frakes: Poor Skylar, “But look, it turns on a light! It works! It works! It turns on a lightbulb!”

John: Just the seething resentment.

Frakes: It’s great.

John: There's actually another line-one line here, which I would take a small amount of credit for, is my favorite thing we slipped in, which is “What is science without emotional context?”

Amy: Oh yeah.

John: “Facts.”

Amy: That is the epitome of John Rogers, that line right there.

John: It's just, come on people, science is our friend.

Frakes: I stole these outfits from when my daughter went to school in London at Hill House where they had these horrible maroon-

John: Hill House? The Haunting of Hill House? Your daughter went to school- Oh my god! Your daughter was Julie Harris?

[Laughter]

Amy: That’s terrible.

Frakes: No, no, no.

Amy: Why would you do that?

John: Oh, and there's more seething resentment from her, yes.

Amy: Well we cut out the moment at the end that Judy Kim had.

Frakes: The musical comedy star that she always wanted to be, she couldn't resist.

Amy: There was a moment at the end of that scene, where that tag was Judy Kim saying, “I’m gonna go call my agent,” but then we thought that it was a little self-referential, so we sort of cut that out.

John: No, Sophie’s-

Frakes: Oh that was a good cut.

Amy: That was a good cut.

John: Sophie's sense of projection in this episode is truly magnificent.

Amy: I know, yeah.

John: All the seething resentment of being dumped. And I also love the fact that we could actually did a show with the four of these people as federal agents.

Frakes: Oh my lord, the physical stuff that Aldis and-

John: And Rick do.

Frakes: -Rick do is insane, because they always have to have the last beat, each of them.

John: Each one struggling to get it.

Frakes: Until you call cut and then beyond cut. “Are you done?” “No I'm not done, are you done?” “No I'm not done, I got more.” “You got more? I got more.”

John: I like Beth's little ad lib “neh neh neh neh” there, just her frustration with normal humans is always-

Amy: How do you know that wasn't in the script? I don't even know how I would write that.

Frakes: Hiding behind the chess set now.

Amy: “Neh neh neh neh neh?”

John: This was tricky, too; we actually, originally, had broken this out and then we had to go back and plant this guy. Remember that? Cause we- once we figured out how the end worked, we had to go back and find the spots where we could highlight him.

Amy: We had laid in Sanford a little heavier so people remembered him at the end. Oh man, his hair just keeps getting worse and worse.

Frakes: I was just gonna say, a little mismatch on the hair.

John: I think it changes from shot to shot.

Frakes: There's not many people who can make real hair look like a pullover.

[Laughter]

John: I know, that's what's weird - he's not bald. How the hell did you guys do that?

Amy: It's like the Robin Hood Mel Brooks movie where the mole on the face keeps moving around every shot.

John: Moving around, yeah exactly.

Amy: Oh, I love it.

John: Yeah and this is the Nate/Sophie “Are you out of your freaking mind?” Now it's interesting-

Frakes: She references the hair.

John: They basically trade these speeches during the whole course of the season.

Amy: Yeah, it's a back and forth that's sort of- that starts out here-

John: And then to a great degree, this- we basically wrote the whole episode-

Frakes: This is awesome, yeah.

Amy: This is really the moment we wanted when we came up with the concept.

John: Yes, we really started with - I wanna see Eliot teach girls how to kill - cause-

Frakes: Look at his face at the end of this. Oh they took it out?!

Amy: I know we did.

Frakes: Who cut this show?!

[Laughter]

Amy: We were running a little long, I don't think I had anything to do with that cut, though.

Frakes: Oh man.

Amy: I know.

John: Do you wanna file your complaint?

Frakes: Is this a good place?

John: This is the only- the DVD commentaries is the only place, the time, to file your complaint with the cut.

Frakes: Is this the time, the place? Here's an example of what it's like to be a director on a television show, as opposed to directing a movie.

Amy: ‘They cut that scene?’ Just blame me; I did the producers cut on this.

John: Alright, I will. So yeah, this is where he's-

Frakes: It was just a shot, for Christ's sake!

[Laughter]

Amy: I'm gonna take the blame. Poor Sonny.

John: You know, like, two more, I'm just gonna stop until we settle this and then come back in. Alright, so this, you know, this is kind of a prelude up to, you know, ‘I'll be there for you. I'll be there for you.’

Frakes: It speaks to their equality, that's what I like. This is- these two, of anybody in the team, fell on equal ground, and when they're alone together, they speak that language.

John: Yeah, it's interesting, cause Eliot kind of has a vibe like that with Nate, but it’s always an outsider. It's like he's not- he respects Nate, but he doesn't look up to him the way the other team members do. And that holster look, good look.

Frakes: But Gina’s got so much, I think-

Amy: I know, you love Beth in this outfit.

John: Everyone loves Beth in this outfit.

Frakes: What's not to like? What part of this wouldn't they like?

John: It's also, like, you can put Aldis in anything-

Frakes: It's a chick with a gun!

Amy: It's a chick with a gun, pretty hot.

John: But look, you can put Aldis in anything, man. Look at this, he's rocking the suit, he's rocking the preppy-

Amy: He's rocking the suit better than most people I have ever seen.

Frakes: Hey, I got Aldis to take his clothes off in another episode I did.

John: I think that'll be a big motivator for people to buy the second half of the DVD, if they know that's coming out.

Amy: That’s season 2.5.

John: Frakes got the shirtless Aldis, he's the one. So yeah, little flirtiness, little vibe going on there.

Amy: And again, with the Rick and Gerald, these two actors, like-

Frakes: These four could do a show-

Amy: I think that 18 takes of what Beth and Gerald were talking about in the background. And it was just adlib, after adlib, after adlib, which I hope will be on the DVD.

Frakes: Same thing happened with the FBI truck, with the Wedding Job.

John: You directed when we introduced these characters. Right, yeah. And that was the same foursome right? And then, yeah, basically the same split, as a matter of fact. Yeah, and then we wound up- we wound up tweaking this whole arrangement on who had to stay, who had to go based on the physical availability of the sets. That was-

Amy: Yeah, yeah.

John: But that's the thing, when you write television-

Frakes: See, again with this hand stuff, these two will not quit. “I've got one better. If you’re doing it with one hand, I'm doing it with two hands. I'm coming at you with two.”

John: The-

Frakes: Oh him and kids. The beret!

Amy: The little girls are literally following him around, which is pretty great.

Frakes: The hair wouldn't work, so the beret went on for the show.

John: Yeah. Yeah and now we cruelly mock a child for our own amusement. I like how Eliot steps in there, like, I love-

Amy: Don’t make fun of him!

John: He's not gonna hurt them. What's the possible threat there?

Frakes: The wife of Madoff, here, is a very big friend of the film commission.

Amy: Oh Leanne Littrell, she's terrific; she was on our side.

Frakes: She's part of the reason the whole thing worked.

John: Why we went to Portland, that's right.

Amy: She and Lana Veenker, our casting agent, are our two big reasons why we get the tax breaks we do.

John: A lot of people worked very hard to bring several hundred jobs to Portland, Oregon. And it's- I have to say, it's very easy to lose faith in government, but when you see it work at that level, when you see people care about the community, you know, spend a year and work with the government.

Frakes: Plug it.

John: And plug it, make it work, it renews your faith in it. I like that sort of appraising look.

Amy: Well, yeah, I actually fought with Sunny on this scene a little bit. I was like, “We need some air.” “We’re long!” I’m like “We need looks; in this moment we need looks.”

John: Yeah.

Frakes: “What are you thinking? Why- don’t put me with this guy!”

John: This actually echoes a beat in Ice Man in 208.

Amy: Oh in Ice Man Job, oh yeah.

John: Where whenever- cause we were kind of setting up the idea that, you know, as Sophie was gonna disappear for the back half of the season, we need to remind everyone that there's a reason you need Sophie.

Amy: Yeah.

John: And that is when you put other people in cons, they're only okay for x amount of time. And putting Parker in this situation was not a good idea by any stretch of the imagination.

Amy: Yeah.

John: And meanwhile, Hardison fully believes he can do absolutely anything.

Frakes: Anything, at any time. ‘I’ll do it alone.’

Amy: ‘Don’t worry I got this,’ is basically his motto.

John: Which is why we actually, one of the things why we built Ice Man, which is, at some point, Hardison’s gonna have his ass handed to him.

Amy: It’s gonna bite him in the ass at some point.

John: And now this is- How many people did you have for this auditorium?

Frakes: We did very well.

Amy: Yeah, made a lot of great extras.

Frakes: We split ‘em up. We had 150 people moving around the room; looked like it was a full house. Nice use of a crane in the toilet.

[Laughter]

John: It's a very nice-

Frakes: You don't usually see that combination.

John: You rarely see the crane in the toilet shot.

Frakes: You rarely see the crane going into a practical bathroom.

Amy: Yeah.

John: I do remember when we hired you cause-

Frakes: I don't recommend it!

John: They were saying: no one knows how to shoot a toilet like Jonathan Frakes.

Frakes: It's good to be friends with the DP and the grip so they can get the crane in it early, or they'll called the anchor-

John: Yeah, now I think there was actually a bounty put on that crane at one point; like $10,000 to make it disappear.

Amy: Oh, I should point out, originally what were we were-

Frakes: Smoothies, they have smoothies in the lobby for this school.

Amy: But originally that whole exchange between Parker and McSweeten happened at the apartment.

John: Yes, they're actually in the kitchen.

Amy: And then in the original version of this, they got trapped inside and Hardison had to do the theft while they were both there and Parker was creating a distraction for him.

John: But the sightlines in the set just didn't work.

Amy: Yeah, the sightlines just didn't work.

John: Yeah, this actually works out funnier, I think.

Frakes: Also, Dave Connell gets credit for taking this whole scene outside, said, “Why don't we use this exterior of this building, if we own this building?”

John: Oh yeah, that was brilliant. And that's the thing is, when you have- The great thing about a show when you have one DP who knows the show so well, Dave was there for the pilot. It's just, you know, he knows- a lot of time when you're directing, you're so focused on the performances, you're so focused on making the story points. He's the one who says “You know, we can make this a little more interesting, visually”, and he gives you permission to take it out.

Frakes: Yeah, exactly. “I could do it just as fast outside as I could inside”

John: Yeah.

Frakes: “And it'll look more interesting.”

John: And you don't feel bad as a director asking for something, cause you know you're not putting a burden on them. This is another great- just another great scene. I love the fact she drops her accent here, it's like she’s actually being honest with him.

Amy: Yeah, it was tough to find the exact moment in which she needed to drop it, but, you know, Gina found it, so-

Frakes: Gina was on fire this episode. She was on FIRE.

John: I tell you man, she did just fantastic work this year.

Amy: Yeah.

John: I mean Gina was just relentlessly good all season long. But we gave Sophie a lot of beats that we hadn't given her first season. A lot of the first season was about how kind of- she was disappointed in the relationship she was supposed to have with Nate.

Amy: Yeah.

John: And this year, it was all about her personal growth and Gina just teed off on it.

Amy: She really found Sophie this year; it's amazing.

John: And this is, by the way, classic farce, and it's really great to have good comedic-

Frakes: This is, like, noises off.

Amy: It is.

John: This is noises off; we’re doing noises off.

Amy: This is exactly noises off.

John: Yeah, because, particularly, it was written as noises off with them in the same room.

Amy: I know, yeah.

John: And so moving them to another location. No, the- and then great work by Derek to give us the screens that, you know, match everything; they help sell the tech stuff.

Frakes: The tech stuff, including the fact that we were looking for the blue wire; there happened to be 30 blue wires on the day.

Amy: Yeah, that was tough; we had to rewrite that in post, basically that whole scene.

John: No, her growing desperation here, and the fact that- that this works in the crosscuts, is really nice. And thank you for giving us the locked off comedy shots, which a lot of people would get too busy. You don’t understand, when you're doing a cross cut thing, it’s just looks.

Frakes: It's just looks.

John: Wanna sell the geography. And the kind of weak look; the kind of weak smile. And then, this changed several times. This was like a big safe; it was-

Amy: Yeah, where it was located within the apartment had- there were many variants. Once it was in a statue, at some point.

John: Was that a statue?

Frakes: It became a budget issue.

John: It was a pillar.

Amy: It became a budget issue, and a set issue, and where can we possibly build a giant hole in the wall?

John: Yeah, welcome to television.

Frakes: This whole sequence is intercut beautifully, cause none of the scenes are too long.

Amy: Yeah.

Frakes: And there are 3 different emotions going on.

Amy: Yeah, yeah.

Frakes: It's Hardison feeling like, ‘I can conquer the world,’ we’ve got a farce scene, and we've got an emotional scene.

John: Yeah, exactly.

Amy: Sonny Baskin edited this one; he's amazing.

John: And it's also, kind of- This editing taught the writers, to a great degree; it really became a format in the fourth act to do the cross cutting fourth act.

Frakes: It's brilliant.

Amy: Yeah. It became a template for sure.

John: It became a template as like- just to keep the action up without having to be too busy, is just establish two lines and follow both lines through.

Amy: And even, I mean, cause this fourth act is more emotional than it is anything. And so the cross cutting really helps keep the pacing up.

John: Yeah, this is one of the few fourth acts where something isn’t- there isn't any action; nothing’s going horribly wrong.

Amy: Yeah, no one’s chasing anything. Well until the fight happens.

John: Well, you know, they’re chasing their heart.

Amy: Oh really, oh wow, alright.

Frakes: Chasing their heart. When in doubt shoot low and wide.

John: Is that a good- What would you say?

[Laughter]

Amy: That's what she said.

John: You know what? This year on the set, I asked everyone on the set to describe their job. Like, one trusiem they would give to a five year old.

Frakes: That’s mine.

John: Like David Connell’s was, “Front light bad; backlight good.”

Frakes: Backlight good.

John: And yours is, “When in doubt, shoot low and wide.”

Frakes: Absolutely.

John: What would you say your advice?

Amy: “Don't be a writer.”

[Laughter]

John: I read a great quote the other day - I can't remember who it was - is somebody asked a writer: What do I hate about writing? And he said, ‘writing’.

Amy: Writing, yeah.

Frakes: Nobody does this stuff better than Aldis.

Amy: I know.

John: Yeah.

Amy: He can make it work out of anything.

John: The cocky- yeah.

Frakes: And it’s a necessary part of Leverage; it’s a huge part of what the fans look forward to. He’s a technogeek; he's great at the stuff. And he's given this handful of gack and gadgets and told to make it work.

John: Yeah.

Frakes: And he- he’s spectacular. Big snap zoom.

John: Big snap zoom type of guy.

Amy: That was an insane snap zoom.

John: It’s- when he auditioned, actually, the night he came in, the speech he had was the long speech about the-

Amy: Talking about Aldis now?

John: Yeah, when we did the-

Amy: By the way, I'm taking credit for that first.

Frakes: Photosynthesis is the-

John: Yeah you should, you wrote that.

Amy: Yeah, that verse was mine.

John: You wrote that.

Frakes: The cloud song?

Amy: The cirrus, remember? I emailed Joe, “How are we not doing a cirrus pun?”.

[Laughter]

Amy: “What's going on? You can't do a cloud song without a cirrus pun.”

John: This is another thing where, you know.

Frakes: That shot, unfortunately, looked like it was out of Barnaby Jones.

[All Laugh]

Amy: A great show in it’s own right.

John: In it’s own right. I love her quietly breaking his heart here.

Amy: Yeah.

John: But, you know, other shows it's like, ‘Oh look, we’re at the theatre, at hospitals, or they're in the squad room’. We’re the only show that ‘oh this week were at a private school; oh we're doing a science-ical, so I need set dec to build a science background.’

Frakes: ‘I need set dec, and I need four original songs, and I need four talented kids to sing, locally.’

Amy: How do we pull this stuff off? I don't understand.

John: Barely, and drunk. No, but Aldis- everyone came into audition, and everyone just stumbled over this page long speech of technobabble.

Frakes: And he nailed it.

John: And he went through it like an F1 driver, just- He just kissed each joke as he went through, and we knew at that moment.

Amy: Aldis is always prepared. He always is great. I love it.

John: He's one of the hardest working young actors I know.

Amy: Yeah, he's fantastic.

John: He really digs in. I love these, sort of- I love the relatability of those two. Everyone sitting with their kids-

Amy: Nadine Haders, oh my god, with the costumes.

Frakes: Look at the makeup; the makeup and the costumes together.

Amy: The makeup was great, too.

John: Her shaking her head.

Amy: I really do love this episode. I forgot how much I love it.

John: This was a great episode. This was a lot of fun.

Frakes: Oh this little kid. He auditioned for -

Amy: William Grim? Grime? [Transcriber Note: Will Grimme]

John: The kid in the plants?

Frakes: Yeah.

Amy: Yeah, photosynthesis kid.

Frakes: Yeah, he auditioned to play Widmark, and I loved him so much that he needed to find a place for him, and he got the photosynthesis song.

Amy: And it was, like, three octaves too high for his voice, which was perfect. Because he kept trying to reach it, but that's what we wanted. We wanted him to not quite get there.

Frakes: And we recorded all these kids live.

Amy: Yeah.

John: Oh really?

Frakes: We did Widmark pre-tape.

Amy: Widmark was live- no, Widmark was- pre-taped him and did it live, just so we could have it.

Frakes: But the other kids did live on the day.

Amy: Yeah, and Hannah, who played the cloud kid, also was live. And they had like a day to prepare.

Frakes: Wait, bad guy?

John: Bad guy.

Amy: Um, that's Brian Hite, our stunt guy, slash bad guy, slash ass kicker.

Frakes: How do you happen to know his name?

Amy: Um, no particular reason.

John: He's a very talented young man, who works hard on the show.

Amy: He's a very talented young man.

John: This is a good fight. This is actually a pretty- you know, the trick is always figuring out how to find people to fight Chris.

Frakes: How much, and when?

John: Yeah and when. And also the intensity, you know. There's two types of people that Eliot fights in an episode - sort of your rent-a-goon or rent-a-thug, that he puts down pretty quickly-

Frakes: Or a high-end guy.

John: Or a pro. And, you know, that's really where you have to dial up and down with the stunt director.

Amy: But the intercut fight here with Sophie, you know, “Shhh, you're gonna ruin his big finale.” I love the intercutting in there.

John: Yeah. And Sophie’s monomania on the show.

Amy: I mean, it's kids singing and a giant fight happening simultaneously. What's not to love?

Frakes: Chris is such a goer in the fights; he's such a goer.

Amy: Oh yeah.

John: He banged himself up bad a couple times this year.

Amy: And he was feeling sick this day, too, and he was still like “I'm doing it”.

John: He was into it.

Amy: Yeah, he was totally into it.

Frakes: He was so into it. Check out the bread mold outfit.

John: The bread mold outfit. I love the fact that-

Frakes: I’m here.

Amy: The shirt is amazing, I want that shirt. How did I not get that shirt when we wrapped? I gotta go inquire about that.

John: How did you not steal wardrobe from the show?

Amy: I don't know how I didn't steal more things.

John: Thank you for not stealing from us that day.

[Laughter]

Amy: It's sort of my thing.

Frakes: Never afraid of the 45 degree shutter here. A Dean Devlin signature.

John: On the fights, that's what we do - the 45 degree shutter. And what effect does that have, director Jonathan Frakes?

Frakes: Well, you can tell it enhances the feeling of movement and intensity.

John: Interesting; makes it just snappier.

Amy: That’s hot.

Frakes: That much snappier.

John: And then Widmark’s big moment of truth. This may be the only time that the climax of a crime drama has focused on whether a boy will sing.

Frakes: A boy can or cannot sing.

[Laughter]

Frakes: This is like A Chorus Line!

Amy: I know, right?

John: By the way- but you know what? Oh my god, you know what this whole bit came from? I just forgot, we were talking about The Man Who Knew Too Much-

Amy: Oh!

John: That's where the idea for this sequence came from, was the stage in the background, and the stage in the background.

Amy: Yeah yeah, I forgot about that.

John: Yeah well, I mean, when these shows come together, to a great degree it’s- everyone brings, you know, whatever the little-

Frakes: Look at her, she can't help herself.

Amy: We all have different toolkits.

John: Yes, that's the perfect way of looking at it.

Amy: I bring making music out of science projects.

Frakes: I thought you brought the heart.

John: She brings the heart.

Amy: I bring so much it's really hard in a 43 minute DVD commentary to limit my awesomeness; it’s pretty much impossible.

John: I just gotta let that sit for a moment.

[All Laugh]

Amy: Don't let that hang there!

John: I love how you, kind of, rack out of there, cause Chris actually gives a great annoyed look there.

Amy: Yeah, yeah.

John: And just the- him- whenever Eliot is a little annoyed is actually the funniest thing in the show. It's like, he's very hard- there's a great bit in, I think it's 206, where, “Does anyone want my job? I get kicked and punched.” Every now and then he has to remind people that that's his gig.

Frakes: Look at this kid. Look at this kid go.

Amy: And the socks.

Frakes: And the intercut - this guy’s put away in the prop box.

John: And then we’re on the big solo.

Frakes: He’s going on for the high note. Parents are happy. This is great

John: And by the way, we’re now tagging how much of an asshole this guy is, cause how can he not share in the kid’s triumph?

Frakes: Stand up for his son!

John: This is a guy who plainly deserves whatever brutal beating we dish out to him just as well. There we go.

Frakes: Fortunately, Nate Ford spotted the entire event.

Amy: I don't even know how we got that shot; that was amazing.

John: Yeah, with everyone standing up?

Amy: It was tough, cause we had so much to do in this day, and like, to get all the little moments that we got, and not having forgotten anything, was amazing.

Frakes: Shot list baby! Shot list!

John: This is the other thing.

Amy: You know who's awesome, too? Jonathan Frakes.

John: Jonathan Frakes.

Amy: That’s why he’s number one.

John: Really?

[Laughter]

Amy: Come on!

John: No, not giving that to him.

Frakes: Not gonna go there? Not gonna go there?

Amy: Alright, now I'm getting teased.

John: You know, though, if you say red alert during the commentary- you say red alert during the commentary that means a million more people will buy the DVD.

Frakes: Red alert!

John: Thank you.

Frakes: Shields up!

John: Thank you. Thanks for helping out.

Amy: Wow, I think I need to-

Frakes: How about Brewer? Our former stunt coordinator.

John: Oh, that's right.

Amy: Oh yeah.

Frakes: Throwback to Charlie Brewer.

John: Little hat tip to Charlie.

Frakes: Little hat tip.

John: Too busy working in LA to haul up to Portland. But we had- we had a great crew up there; everyone was just fantastic.

Amy: Oh Portland has an amazing talent pool, in front of and behind the camera.

John: Mark Sanford looks like he's kind of upset, but enjoying being pinned up against the pillar there; he's kind of conflicted at that moment.

[Laughter]

Amy: Well it is Christian Kane, so.

Frakes: There. All your science projects made it to the show.

John: And then the public humiliation, and then there you go and now he's down.

Amy: And Taggert gets his moment like he always does.

Frakes: Good use of the cane.

John: I'm trying to remember how we came up with Mark Sanford the exchange. “You hire the killer and I'll get the- I'll turn over the tape.” Because it was basically- it was interesting, he's basically blackmailing someone from inside the con.

Frakes: He framed somebody who one of his clients.

Amy: He framed one of his coworkers, essentially, into helping him get a free pass.

John: I like that little look.

Frakes: Downey, yeah.

John: That little look, yes.

Frakes: It's ‘remember you for the next episode I’m in’.

John: There's a little something there.

Frakes: Oh and a happy ending.

John: Yeah, and that's a little something- again, we're not gonna change Parker overnight, but kind of advancing her that she learns to trust people over the course of the year.

Frakes: Not afraid of 360.

John: Is this the only 360 in here?

Amy: No, there was a lot of stuff, even in the principal's office; in the school we had a 360.

Frakes: Yeah, went around there, too.

John: And then going the other way. Yeah, that's another signature of the show.

Amy: So you know you're watching Leverage.

John: And then you have to do the little, yeah.

Frakes: Look who's back!

John: Widmark's ok.

Frakes: His mom works as a volunteer.

John: I'm not sure what that wave is. What’s that wave?

Frakes: Does he remember me? Is that him? How much time has passed?

Amy: What's he doing here?

John: Yeah. And this is nice. This is where Nate basically says, ‘It’s ok to change.”

Frakes: Yup.

John: And maybe not just destroy children's lives in pursuit of your own selfish needs .

Amy: Yeah. And she can’t say, ‘Yes it is okay,’ because what kind of arc is that?

Frakes: You know what it is? These two are the adults.

Amy: Yeah.

Frakes: These really are the adults.

Amy: It’s the adults and the kids.

John: Well there's actually something we talked about, and this was the beginning of the arc where both of them need to change, and what happens is Sophie realizes she needs to change first.

Amy: Yeah.

John: The career criminal is actually the smarter one. And that's the episode, The Fairy Godparents, and that was not bad, that was pretty fun.

Frakes: Yeah.

Amy: Yeah.

John: Only a little drunk and pretty fun. Jonathan got anything you wanna say before we’re out of this?

Frakes: Thank you. Only thank you.

Amy: Oh, thank you Frakes.

John: Oh, that's lovely, thank you very much. Berg anything you want to say?

Amy: I love you guys.

John: Oh, we love you too, Berg.

Frakes: Oh we love you too, man!

John: And that's The Fairy Godparents Job, and hopefully we'll be- nah, we won’t be sober for the next one.

Amy: No, we’ll just get drunker and drunker. Bye everybody.

John: Thanks for watching.

Frakes: Bye bye! Enjoy!

#Leverage #Leverage TNT #Leverage Audio Commentary Transcripts #Audio Commentary #Transcripts #Parker #Alec Hardison #Elliot Spencer #Nate Ford #Sophie Deveraux #Season 2 #Episode 4 #Season 2 Episode 4 #The Fairy Godparents Job

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minikate--24-05 · 4 years ago

Note

Ok but i really want to know about those stories for another time:3 (when you've got the time ofcourse)

Dear anon, sadly I’ll be studying and sitting exams until the end of June, which is when I’ll talk about 2 of the “stories for another day” because I wanna get the right evidence to support my theories. I will tag them as “anon”, “ask” and “story for another day” so that you can find them.

however, I can’t just leave you hanging after yesterday’s post, so today I’m gonna tell you about one of the stories, since my research is already done. it’s about the “firing” of NCIS writers and directors from the first seasons.

I know you haven’t watched the first seasons, but have you watched Ziva’s seasons? Bishop’s? I have, and let me tell you, they hit different. the tone of the first 2 seasons is different than the others. all NCIS feel like NCIS of course, but those 2 hit different. I noticed it 4 years ago and decided to look for an explanation. was it Kate? she was the only thing that changed from the first seasons towards the others. or was she?

being the math/science geek that I am, I decided to see if there had been “Kibbs writers” or “Kibbs directors”. that is, that Donald Bellisario went only to certain people when he wanted to provide Kibbs content. I wondered: 1) if they existed (you know, maybe all the writers and directors worked with every ship) and 2) had my first hypothesis been true, did the Kibbs team leave after season 2? did they continue working on the show writing for a different ship?

to do so I SUBJECTIVELY (which I know isn’t the ideal way to proceed, but what can I do) selected the episodes that I considered to be “Kibbs content”. they were: 1x01, 1x02, 1x03, 1x04, 1x06, 1x07, 1x09, 1x10, 1x11, 1x12, 1x13, 1x14, 1x18, 1x19, 1x23, 2x03, 2x06, 2x09, 2x10, 2x13, 2x16, 2x19, 2x23, 3x01, 3x02. I have to admit that nowadays I consider 1x22 as Kibbs content too because there’s a scene where Gibbs is hooking Kate up to some cables or whatever (look I’m tired and trilingual so let’s skip the proper vocabulary lesson) which is basically foreplay. back then I didn’t include it but bear with me and keep in mind that it was directed by Alan J. Levi (this will all make sense in a minute).

after selecting the episodes, I wrote down their writers and directors. then, I calculated the % of Kibbs episodes each of them had written/directed and paid attention to the top 3/5 and the most Kibbs writer and director. after that, I searched for ALL Kibbs writers/directors in the rest of NCIS episodes, to see if they had written more episodes. this was done in 2016 so I believe the 13th season was coming out. I have not updated the work.

the results were:

WRITERS: there were 16 Kibbs writers. the top 5 were: Donald Bellisario (flashback to yesterday’s post when I said he was writing for Kibbs hehe), John C. Kelley, George Schenck and Frank Cardea (I think they’re still a writing duo on the show? hardcore) and Frank Military. Frank Military wrote 15% of the total of Kibbs episodes and didn’t write any other episodes; that makes 100% of his episodes “Kibbs content” episodes. in this house we stan Frank Military.

4 of them had regular work after season 2.

1 of them had regular work until season 4.

2 of them had minor work until season 4.

9 of them only worked in seasons 1-2.

56% of the Kibbs writers from seasons 1 and 2 never worked on the show again.

DIRECTORS: there were 12 Kibbs directors. the top 3 were: Alan J. Levi (remember him?), Dennis Smith and James Whitmore, Jr. Alan J. Levi directed 15% of the total of Kibbs episodes (19% if we include 1x22) and he has directed 1 other episode (1x22); that makes 80% of his episodes “Kibbs content” episodes (unless we take 1x22 into account, then, that’s 100%!). in this house we admire Alan J. Levi.

3 of them had regular work after season 2.

1 of them had regular work until season 4.

8 of them only worked in seasons 1-2.

66% of the directors from seasons 1 and 2 never worked on the show again.

*Note: I included the season 4 deadline too because that’s when Donald Bellisario stepped down as showrunner (like I said, he likes starting things and then leaving them to someone else) and I wanted to see if he was a factor in the absence of the “Kibbs team”. I think it’s safe to say that he was not.

now, the conclusions. 1) yes, there were “Kibbs writers and directors”. 2) as you can see more than half of them ONLY worked on the first 2 seasons of the show. I know we can’t exactly say they were fired, but, if half of the ship is dead, you don’t need them anymore, right?

I realize that it’s not exactly “half of the writers and directors from the first seasons”, it’s “half of the Kibbs writers and directors”, but if we look at the eps I selected, that’s almost the entire 1st season and half of the second. so no wonder the rest of the seasons feel different, a lot of writers and directors left and a lot of new writers and directors came!

the essence is still the same because Donald Bellisario stayed for 2 more years and must’ve taught them. but season 3 starts with Gibbs (and the rest of the team) mourning Kate. he’s not making jokes anymore, he calls people by their first names and offers them coffee, he wants to put roses on the rooftop, he tells Ari to straight up kill him. he’s sad. that’s the Gibbs the new writers and directors first meet and that’s the one they stuck with until today. no more cocky and dirty jokes. no more flirting like he used to. and now smiles are a rare occurrence (in case you didn’t know, anon, Gibbs used to smile a LOT when Kate was around).

so there you have it, anon! I feel like not a lot of people know this, but yeah, the ending of season 2 meant change for the actors, for the fans, and for the writing/directing team.

tl;dr: during the first 2 NCIS seasons there were a group of writers and directors that mostly wrote and directed Kibbs content episodes, and half of them didn’t work on the show after the ending of season 2. the rest of the show feels different because the writing room changed.

IN CASE YOU’RE INTERESTED IN THE OTHER “STORIES FOR ANOTHER DAY”: I will make the posts at the end of June and tag them as “anon”, “ask” and “story for another day”. since that is a bit complicated for you guys, let me know if you want me to tag you in the posts so that you don’t have to search my blog for days.

I’m very happy with how this thing has been received (thanks to the anon!!), so thank you guys for the support. the Kibbs fandom is awesome!

#kibbs is love kibbs is life #story for another day #ask #anon #these are giving me life honestly #it's been miserable with the way our uni is treating us #ncis #analysis #haters will say it's lame that I did statistics on something like this #but to quote our dear hugh laurie #the great enemy in this world is apathy #and I was living when working out that math and seeing it all come together lmao #I was like #iT MAKES SENSE #kibbs #me

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baddyzarc · 5 years ago

Text

3/7 Ruins: Legend of Souhachi Kiraku

1 2 x 4a 4b 5 6 7

So the reason I wanted to group Gilag and Alito together is because Alito has plenty of substance in his ruins while Gilag is just,,, Hnng they would've balanced each other out but nope, heres Gilag's Ruins

So uhh Gilag is supposed to be a joke Barian Emperor. I get that. He’s the first to be fully revealed and he starts off as an imposing threat for, like, two episodes. Then he goes off???? draws manga and watches anime and lives in the school gym and he has no brain cells as clearly evidenced by the Friendship Game episode but also he kills.

Being such, Gilag has the shortest stick of the Emperors (almost on par with Merag but she has a prominent connection to the main Barian Emperor narrative). I’m not being figurative by-the-by. He has ONE episode to cover the legend of his ruins while the others get two episodes minimum, Nasch got like five total or something, so I can see that the writers,,, did not really care about Gilag. Which is unfortunate, but this is going to be my most out-there analysis because of the situation.

Unlike the other Emperors who have new settings for their ruins, Gilag’s ruins is the Duel Lodge.

This isn’t a new location nor does it reveal that much about his character (after all, the Lodge was meant to develop Yuma and Astral’s character during their first visit in season 1 and nothing new happened to this place during the Mythyrian Arc.)

But this means he should have the closest connection to Rokujuro and Yamikawa, but to my knowledge, the writers didn’t do anything with this aside from Gilag being the one who kills them during the Barian Onslaught Arc. Maybe there could be a connection to how Yamikawa felt betrayed by Rokujuro during the first season of Zexal. He attacked him, and then they made up soon after. This is similar to the story of Ponta and Gilag, but there isn’t much parallelism besides “two close persons becoming distant before making up”.

The most important outcome of the ruins is the reveal of the Mythyrian Guardian, Ponta the Tanuki, and Ponta is what this essay is going to be mainly about.

Like most of the Emperors, the Guardians often play a role in their legends. More often than not, the Guardians are the Mythyrian Numbers; they are tasked with protecting the Emperors (Mach, Abyss, and Jinlon are the clearest examples). Ponta is the strangest one because he is the only Guardian to exist as his own physical entity. This is seen in the show’s finale. He’s able to exist as himself without being attached to the Number card, and this may seem strange until you consider what happens in the Legend of Gilag (or Souhachi Kiraku if you want to get technical)

Gilag’s legend is a bit tough to grasp because there isn’t a single narrator.

In the text of the show, Rokujuro reveals that Gilag was a benevolent, smart, and powerful warrior during the Sengoku Era (which is characterized by military and social conflicts). He distributed his wealth from his conquests with the peasants rather than horde it with his vassals.

From Ponta, we find that Gilag found Ponta in the battlefield, saved him, and they formed a friendship. Ponta became his Kagemusha (a doppelganger/shadow warrior) and helped him win his battles. He was the one responsible for all of Gilag’s fame and fortunes. He says that Gilag was jealous of his strength, got rid of him,and then perished in the battlefield. Keep in mind that Ponta isn’t omniscient, and he clearly resents Gilag when he says this, so this source should be taken with a grain of salt (The episode is called “Yuma Confused!? The Unreliable Account of Gilag the Tanuki”).

From Gilag, it was discovered that the vassals were unhappy with him distributing the wealth, and they were going to rebel against him. To protect Ponta, Gilag forced him to leave so he could deal with the rebels. He ends up presumably dying in a burning building.

Finally, upon freeing him from the curse, it is revealed that Don Thousand influenced the vassals to rebel against Gilag, and in order to fill him with hatred over the betrayal, he placed the Over-Hundred Number “Number 106: Huge Rock Palm - Giant Hand” in his heart, allowing him to pass onto Barian World. It ended with Gilag perishing in a burning building with the rebels cornering him.

So what happened here?

With the Emperors, I strongly believe that the personalities they have as Barian Emperors are an extension of true personalities as humans (compare this to when Gilag and Alito got an extra dosage on Don Thousand, for example). With Vector, a major personality-changing curse was embedded into him at such a young age that his evilness is part of his true personality (or as said by Yuma, the “kind” Vector still exists as Rei Shingetsu), while most of the other Emperors inherit their curse shortly before their death. What we see now is most likely how they were originally, plus maybe a thousand years of them as Emperors.

So Gilag is, according to Yuma, “a despicable bastard, stingy, and an annoying jerk”. From his schemes in the show, we clearly see that he is not smart. All of his plans fail, he lacks foresight, and he gets distracted very easily. But he also cares deeply about his bond with Alito. This bond was strong enough to knock Don Thousand’s curse out of him. So this makes it tough to decipher the actual story because the Gilag of the present is nothing like the Gilag of the past.

Using this information, I can say that each narrator has elements of the truth. I believe that Gilag is strong and passionate about things he loves (idols, manga, and his country I presume), but he’s arrogant and has more brawn than brains. Gilag is only as strong as his plans are (under the orders of Nasch and Don Thousand, he usually gets the job done without an issue. When he has to make his own decisions, yikes). Meanwhile, I believe that Ponta is the one holding most of the wisdom, strategy, and brains.

Together with their strength and wisdom, they balanced each other and created the Legend of Souhachi Kiraku.

Also, bear in mind that Gilag has the only legend that has a non-Barian name attached to it (Legend of The Cursed Royal Palace, Legend of the Gladiator, Legend of the Dragons, and Legend of an Ancient Hero). The Legend of Souhachi Kiraku isn’t the product of Gilag or Ponta, but Gilag and Ponta.

From here, the rest of the words spoken by Gilag should be true. He said he “completely made it up”, but he also muttered “how did I know about the legend?” afterwards to tell the audience that what he said is indeed true. The reveal of his actual memories reaffirms this.

So the true story is that Gilag and Ponta worked in unison to defeat their enemies. They distributed their wealth among the peasants. The vassals were angry that they weren’t receiving the spoils from the battles, and with the influence of Don Thousand, the vassals plotted to betray Kiraku (as in Gilag and Ponta). In order to protect Ponta, Gilag banished him and sent him away. Gilag perishes in the rebels’ fires. Ponta later dies of old age.

With Don Thousand, he interjects into the story at two points. First by influencing the vassals to turn on Gilag, then again by placing hatred in his heart.

Why I think Don Thousand comes in twice is because the first instance wasn’t enough to alter Gilag’s fate as a Barian.

For Gilag, the satisfaction of saving Ponta meant he could still ascend into Astral World; as long as his best friend was safe, he was unfazed by vassals rebellion. Don Thousand went in one more time to induce hatred into him, sealing his Barian fate as he perished. This is most similar to the fate of Mizael (influenced the people to turn on Mizael and Jinlon, and then implanted hatred into his heart as he died) opposed to, say, Vector whose single personality swap set him straight for Barian World, or Nasch who didn’t need to be injected with hatred or altered like Mizael or Gilag; his entire life sucked so badly (due to Don interfering with Vector and Merag, yes, but he did not touch Nasch at all) that he chose to go to Barian World.

Enough about the other Emperors though, let’s talk about the Guardian of the Mythyrian Number, Ponta.

Like most of the Guardians, Ponta is both the Guardian and the Mythyrian Number “Number 64: Veteran Tanuki Sandayu”. And although I try to keep the discussion in the realm of the original/OCG, it should also be noted that in the TCG, this card’s name is “Number 64: Ronin Raccoon Sandayu”. Veteran means experienced fighter, and Ronin means wanderer, or a warrior without a master. In both cases, it describes what Ponta represents in his relationship with Gilag.

To those unaware, Ponta is based on an extant animal known as the Japanese raccoon dog, or tanuki.

Ponta himself is not a regular tanuki as he is based on the yokai, Bake-danuki. Bake-danuki are known to be the cunning, trickster type whose main trait is transforming into other apparitions. Despite this, they are also associated with good fortune (which they carry in their massive fucking gonads), virtue, and strength. Most of these traits can be seen within the Mythyrian Number that represents Ponta, or more importantly, the tokens that it spawns.

These “Kagemusha Tanuki Tokens” hold most of the Bake-danuki traits which I am now taking from Wikipedia because they summarized better than I can:

These tokens also have the ability to turn into the strongest monster on the field (appropriately transforming with a leaf) too. Anyways, Tanuki legends are really fascinating and there is a lot of information on them, go here if you wanna learn more (this is a really cool site in general, especially if you wanna read about yokai and other neat things).

Despite being his Guardian, Ponta loathes Gilag, blaming Gilag for his own death as well as Ponta’s fate as a Kagemusha. He hates that Gilag got all the credit for the Legend of Souhachi Kiraku while Ponta was banished and locked away in a statue with Gilag’s face on it. All in all, Ponta wants to be his own being. He no longer wants to be a Kagemusha, a shadow, for a man he despises.

Instead, and hear me out, I think Ponta wants to be the actual Gilag.

This can be seen in how he treats the Mythyrian Number as well as his interaction with Gilag. Ponta’s first action upon meeting Gilag was, ironically, stealing his body. This is strange for a creature that doesn’t want to be remembered as someone else, and then he becomes that exact same person. However, it should be noted that Ponta’s name isn't revealed until the very end of the episode, so perhaps he isn’t interested in letting people know that he’s “Ponta” at all.

He was content going forward in life as Gilag.

And remember, Ponta died during the Sengoku Era (1400s-1600s), so he was trapped in the statue of Kiraku for at least 400 years. During this time, he was referred to as only Kiraku, never as Ponta. After so long, after 400 years of never hearing his real name or being recognized as himself, it isn’t a stretch that Ponta doesn’t see himself as “Ponta” anymore. He sees himself as a shadow of Gilag, and so he made it a plan to be the real Gilag if he ever gets the chance, or at least, be in his body. Hence, he took over Gilag’s body.

Even when he hijacked Yuma’s body, he preferred being in Gilag’s body so much that he swapped back after he finished cheating.

You can see this in how he uses his Mythyrian Number, too. Like most of the other Guardians, Ponta is the Guardian and the Mythyrian Number, “Number 64: Veteran Tanuki Sandayu”. During the duel, Ponta utilizes “Veteran Tanuki Sandayu”, the true warrior, while the “Kagemusha Tanuki Tokens” are Ponta’s shadows. This is made more apparent when the tokens (which normally turn into any monster on the field with the highest attack points) turn into copies of “Number 64: Veteran Tanuki Sandayu“, mimicking his relationship with Gilag.

Ponta wants to see himself as an actual warrior with Kagemusha of his own, rather than the other way around. He even becomes concerned when Yuma attacks his Kagemusha.

Personally, I see this sequence as Ponta having a sudden detachment from his dream of “being Kiraku”. Deep down, he still sees himself as a Kagemusha, and so when he sees the destruction of the Kagemusha Tokens, he also sees this as a destruction of himself.

When he finally loses, he mutters, “I’m not a shadow, I’m not a shadow,” almost as though he internalized this perception of himself while desiring nothing more than to reject it.

Ponta knows that he isn’t the true Gilag, but after half a millennium of being a Kagemusha to Gilag, I don’t think he knows who he is anymore.

This changes when Gilag gets his human memories back and approaches him. Upon telling Ponta that “you’re Ponta”, Ponta appears surprised to hear his actual name. By hearing someone speak his name after 400-something years, Ponta finally sees himself as his own person again.

And believe it or not, this idea falls into why he exists as his own raccoon dog after the show ended.

Ponta decides that he can be his own person. He doesn’t need to be tied down by Kiraku or anything else. This is why he willingly leaves Gilag’s body and detaches himself from the Mythyrian Number.

This is evidenced when Astral absorbs the Number first, and then Ponta emerges from the body; at this point, Ponta is no longer a Guardian but simply a Tanuki.

Also, if Ponta is still the Guardian/Mythyrian Number, then Gilag should’ve received the “Number 64: Veteran Tanuki Sandayu” when he eh-hem,

swallows Ponta.

Ponta comes back later, of course. Along with the Mythyrian Number, Alito and Ponta, Gilag’s two best friends are used to free Gilag from Don Thousand’s curse.

They even make up afterwards.

And before anyone starts, I do not know why Ponta is still friends with Gilag after all of this.

Like really im not joking. im not saying that ponta is that type of raccoon, but if my friend ate me, id be kinda pissed ngl

like maybe these scenes?? Gilag sent Ponta away under the pretense of hoarding the fame for himself. After finding out Gilag died, Ponta was devastated. He cried for a moment, saying that Gilag would still be alive if Ponta wasn’t banished. But then he convinced himself that Gilag deserved it.

Ponta obviously cares for Gilag despite how big of “a despicable bastard, stingy, and an annoying jerk” he is. Ponta also says that he would’ve preferred dying with Gilag in battle rather than be sent away. Ponta clearly sees something in Gilag that makes him worth fighting for.

Maybe Gilag has a good heart under his questionable tendencies.

When Ponta loses the duel with Yuma, the immediate reaction of Gilag tells us that he is very concerned over the safety of Ponta, but then he retracts himself, like he remembers he’s supposed to be tough and emotionless.

And to be honest. Ponta could be like, like “hey, my buddy Kiraku, getting mind controlled by Don Thousand really sucks, might eat me because he’s a little grumpy-grump, it happens you know, no big deal”.

They get drunk together.

It’s the Sengoku Period. They probably do a lot of stuff off-screen like Gilag usually does with Alito. Maybe having an occasional fallout or all of that is normal. I truly don’t know.

What I do know is that Ponta is able to complete his arc at the end of the show. Without being tied down as a Kagemusha, a Guardian, or a Mythyrian Number, he is able to exist as a physical being in the modern world.

So Ponta has a complete character arc. Not complaining, but I do wish that the ruins has more to do with Gilag himself. The information on his past life is interesting enough, but the story is more about Ponta than Gilag. And what we found out about Gilag’s current life is... alright.

The connection between his Mythyrian Number and Over-Hundred Monster is minimal. Aside from being both Earth Monsters, I do not see any connection between the two nor why its a giant hand. “Number 64: Veteran Tanuki Sandayu” kinda features Gilag and Ponta as a warrior and a Kagemusha, which I thought is neat.

The most disappointing thing is that the writers didn’t do anything with the concept of Gilag being possessed by Don Thousand. I mean, Alito went absolutely berserk. Like from baby child to unhinged bloodlust. Gilag is—he’s just Gilag, that’s just regular Gilag i swear. Like, maybe Gilag on steroids the second time, but Don Thousand looks at this guy eating live raccoons and said “ssssshyyeah, I don’t need to fix this one.”

#long post #my hc is that don was supoosed to grab ponta but he made a mistake and ended up with gilag #like that raccoon wouldve wrecked as an Emperor #zexal #gilag #girag #dyzarc writes #barian biology

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