#There was originally an episode in between

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Hitting the ground running with a new mini costume meta - thanks 911 for dropping that reel with Oliver and Aisha!!!

I’ve already seen a few people comparing the shirt Oliver is wearing with the shooting pinstripe shirt. I don’t disagree with you!

I’ve also seen the shirt being compared with the buck-tommy coffee date shirt - again I don’t think the comparison is wrong!

I do however think that maybe the bigger picture of the actual meanings of the various shirts is being missed!! So I’m here to help explain everything to you - I’m gonna take you on a walk through all of Bucks white/cream pinstripe shirts to help explain everything to you!!

Let’s start with the the colours and the colour meanings in context with Buck!

So we have white and we have cream. White on Buck when its in shirt form is generally an indicator of upcoming danger (in much the same way guest cast in check pattern (as well as the mains sometimes) means they’re the one in danger!) there are countless examples of this over the 7 and 1/2 seasons so far! White as a colour generally means purity and innocence as well as balance. But, it can also mean hope and clarity and self reflection. These are the meanings I associate most with the use of white on Buck - because although the white shirts signify danger, it is danger that brings a sense of hope and clarity to Buck, and generally leads him to a period of self reflection. We perhaps see this the most clearly with the tsunami arc - the white shirt foretells the danger Buck is about to be in (with Chris) but in the aftermath of the tsunami we get Ucks voice over and then are shown a reflective and pensive Buck just before Eddie shows up with Chris (helping to settle buck and reaffirm his reflections)

Then we have the cream - cream is a colour between white and yellow - there is a lot of implication to this - we can take the meanings of white from above, and also apply some of the meanings of yellow - so optimism, communication, clarity, curiosity, and confidence. Clarity being present in both colour meanings means this is the most important aspect of cream as a colour.

There is also the aspect of the pinstripes - there can be two main meanings attached to them - the concept of being trapped or imprisoned is the first one as they can resemble the bars of a jail cell and that connects into the use of pinstripes by mobsters and gangsters in the early to mid 20th century - thus deepening the connection to imprisonment. The alternative meaning stems back to their origin. Pinstripes in clothing were first seen in the early 19th century when they were used in the banking sector, when the different banking houses in London used different coloured pinstripes to identify their employees. It is from this historic use that the pinstripes comes to mean order, clarity and sophistication. And yes - once again we have clarity popping up!!!

So if we look at the times Buck has worn white or cream pinstripe shirts

4x13 shooting scene long sleeve white pinstripe shirt - this is the first time we see the white shirt become a pinstripe shirt and that is symbolic.

5x13 - Taylor moves into the loft - short sleeved white shirt with black pinstripe

6x01 - we do have the blue and white pinstripe zip front shirt, but it is blue with white pinstripes rather than the other way around (it is relevant in this meta I promise - I will be coming back to it!)

At the end of the episode wile Buick is moving his armchair, we have a cream shirt with light blue pinstripes

6x11 - coma dream Buck is wearing a white shirt with green and grey pinstripes

7x05 - Buck and tommy coffee date - cream shirt with blue and red pinstripes

All of these shirts are worn at really key moments for Bucks journey and connected to a very specific theme - self discovery and clarity. Not necessarily complete clarity, but the idea that things are becoming clearer for him - he is gaining more and more clarity with each white or cream pinstriped shirt - clarity of different aspects of who he is as a person. It is about the context of the scene and the episode more widely (and sometimes a couple of episodes like in the shooting arc).

The shooting shirt is about the clarity of stepping into a parental role with Chris - it is very much connected into the will reveal and the self reflection Buck does throughout this and the hope that the will reveal brings him - all things he discovers throughout the two episodes of hte shooting arc. Taylor moving into the loft and his conversation with Maddie is not about Taylor moving into the loft, it is more about the conversation with Maddie and Buck reflecting on the mistakes he has made in asking Taylor to move into the loft - the clarity around being a clinger!

The cream shirt from 6x01 is all about Buck reflecting and gaining clarity throughout hte episode about needing to be happy in his own skin - be happy with who he is - getting to know himself better, and that fits in perfectly with the cream shirt from the coffee date in 7x05 - Tommy is basically an irrelevance in this scene - he is being the plot device he was always intended to be. The episode is title ‘you don’t know me’ and the entire scene is about Buck recognising that he doesn’t know Tommy - but more importantly that he doesn’t know himself - this new part of himself that he has discovered - that he is bisexual. The scene is about buck gaining the clarity that he needs to learn more about this aspect of who he is - Tommy just represents a safe space for him to do that. The pinstripes shirt from the coma dream plays basically the same role - within a coma verse - the scene we see Buck in the pinstripes shirt is about him getting some clarity on the reality of this world he has found himself in - beginning to put the pieces together that all is not quite right in the world and that he needs to look for the answers.

The other aspect of the white and cream shirts is when we see the use of white or cream. White shirts being connected to Buck in danger in some way is the overarching theme of the white - but generally speaking the white appears as a visual representation of Bucks danger coming from external forces. The shooting,the tsunami, the coma dream shirt, and pretty much all the other times we see him in white, are all about external forces - they did not come directly from Buck himself. Whereas the cream shirts are very much connected to the inner workings of Buck - the armchair moving scene, the coffee date - both representative of Buck’s internal turmoil and inner forces being at work.

So as you can see all of these scenes are about clarity and self reflection - they are about Bucks journey to know himself and learn to love himself. This means that the new shirt we have will most definitely play into this theme. We don’t have any context for what episode or location its going to appear in because we only have a very out of context bts video to go off, but the fact it is oversized to an even greater degree than anything we’ve seen Buck in thus far, and the fact that it is cut pretty short at the waist is actually pretty revealing. I’ve spoken about the fact that Bucks clothes got increasingly smaller and ill fitting throughout season 5 and 6 and that it was symbolic of Buck not fitting in his skin any longer. This was then proven correct when we had Buck dressed in (standard) jeans for the first time and in properly fitting clothing for the first time in 7x04 when Tommy kissed him and basically revealed a part of Buck that he hadn’t been aware of - the fact the clothes now fit him pretty much perfectly in that scene revealed that he had found his fit - he was no longer under the impression he was straight - a label that didn’t fit him - and he now knew he was bi - a label that does fit him.

Since that bi awakening scene, we have been shown Bucks clothing moving in the other direction - becoming increasingly ill fitting by becoming increasingly bigger. I’ve spoken about how this was representative of the fact that whilst he now knew he was bi, he was still misunderstanding the assignment, that he wasn’t recognising that it was Eddie that he was in love with. Because the thing is - throughout season 7 and 8a, after his bi awakening, we’ve seen a variety of fits in Bucks clothing moving- from the ill fitting to the better fitting and the interesting thing is the context of when we’ve seen the ill fitting, too big clothing compared with the scenes when we’ve seen the better but still slightly too big clothing. As a general rule - scenes with buck in street clothes where the focus is on his and Eddie’s relationship - we have seen the clothes fitting him much better. Whereas the scenes where his relationship with Tommy was the focus, the clothes have been too big and baggy and ill fitting.

It a subtle way of conveying to the audience the reality of things - the costumes play their part in cluing the audience into the fact that Tommy is not a good fit for Buck, but that Eddie is. Becasue this is actually something that can be traced back to Bucks too small clothing era as well - often times his clothes fit better when he was in scenes with Eddie (and Chris) and less well fitting in scenes with Taylor, or later with Natalia, or indeed scenes with characters such as Connor and Kameron. There was the general overarching fit of being too small, but that was less pronounced in scenes with Eddie.

So the fact this new shirt is soooo very oversized - to an extent we’ve yet to see and to the point of swamping him (impressive considering the man is a unit!) - the grey goodbye to Eddie shirt might also joint the ranks of this, but I’m holding fire on that one for the moment as I want to see better quality stills or video! This shirt in particular is very telling becasue we have the dual aspects of the shirt being both too small and too big - too small because the cut is short, and too big because it is so oversized - its really playing into his spiralling out after Eddies departure in a big way. My personal feeling is that in line with white shirt theory, we are going to be watching Buck go through the ringer - but likely in an internalised way, because this new shirt is definitely in the cream side of the spectrum - much lighter than the other two cream shirts, so I’m expecting to see some external happenings as well, but I think it is much more inner turmoil we’ll be seeing. I also think the idea of being imprisoned is also relevant - the idea that Buck is trapped in his own head as he starts to realise the nature of his feelings and the fact he has lost Eddie (or thinks he has) just as he’s realising he loves him. Of course this is speculation on my part, but speculation grounded in my studies and understanding of the costuming on 911 - especially when it comes to Buck and Eddie!

These shirts also sit in tandem with his white high tops - the ones that represent his wider journey to find himself and his family - to find his happiness. We’ve seen a bit of a step back on the shite high top front in seasons 7 and 8a so far, but we have had other white trainers used and I think we’re just transitioning shoe to fit in better with the new clothing styles and that it is white shoes more generally rather than those specific high tops that represent that ongoing journey.

The other thing that sits in parallel with the white and cream pinstripe shirts is the shirts with pinstripes in the opposite colour way - dark shirt with light pinstripes.

4x14 we have the black shirt with white pinstripes he’s wearing when Taylor turns up at the loft

5x09 - the navy shirt with white pinstripes in the awkward ILY scene

6x04 - the navy shirt with light blue pinstripes - in the scene where Buck agrees to be a sperm donor

6x17 - conversation with Maddie - the ring cutter scene!

7x05 - first date at the Italian - navy jersey shirt with cream pinstripes

7x10 - hospital and awkward dinner date at the loft - the brown shirt with mint green/blue pinstripes

All of these shirts represent moments of Buck doing the opposite of the white and cream shirts - these are all scenes where Buck is effectively harming his journey forward - they are scenes where his clarity becomes clouded, where he is unable to be self reflective - when he has false hope, or when his mind is obfuscated - so the happenings in those scenes leads him away from his path. The way the dark pinstripe shirts nearly always follow a light coloured pinstripe shirt is very telling - the idea of the dark shirt clouding his previous clarity that the white or cream shirt had brought him - almost as if he was making progress and processing things - moving forward - only the darkness rolls in and we see Buck basically locking away his progress - locking away any clarity he was gaining.

The dark shirts are all about leading him away from his true path. The white shooting shirt in 4x13 is followed by the black shirt in 4x14 when Taylor chases Buck - obfuscating him from his path towards Eddie. The 5x13 white shirt - when he chats with Maddie and starts to understand what he’s done by asking Taylor to move in, is preceded (in this single case) by the awkward ILY scene in 5x09 - he’s already got clouded judgement (because of Eddie) and even though he’s gained clarity he can’t walk it back - but we do see him confessing later in 5x13, perhaps suggesting that his clarity is that he needs to be honest with himself and with those around him.

Then we have the 6x01 cream shirt followed by the navy pinstripe shirt in 6x04 when Buck agrees to become a sperm donor - once more Buck veering off course. And remember the blue zip up shirt with the cream pinstripes from 6x01 - yeah coming back to those now, because those three shirts all play in tandem with one another. The blue shirt is in Bucks blue - the blue he wears when he is his truest self - the blue we see connected to Eddie most frequently. The scene has Eddie in yellow for the first time and Bucks pinstripes more or less match Eddies shirt - followed at the end of the episode by the cream one with the blue stripes - and very much part of a scene about Buck deciding to figure himself out before he looks for love. The more I watch that scene and look at the context with the other pinstripes shirts the more convinced I become that the lasagne scene was the set up for Buddie canon had we ended the show at the end of season 6. The whole thing was setting up buck to figure himself out - figure out he’s bi and in love with Eddie. I obviously cannot prove it, but the pieces are all there to play into that being Bucks intended arc - the sperm donor arc was likely meant to actually be a wider arc about Bucks desire for family and about learning he already made one - about learning and understanding families come in all shapes and sizes and that you can build one if you want to - that he already has.

Then we have the coma shirt followed by the ring cutter shirt. The pairing is maybe a little less obvious here, but there is something about the idea that Buck is gaining awareness of being trapped in his mind whilst oblivious to the reality of his sexuality. The coma dream shirt is about him beginning to figure out that the reality he is in is not his actual reality - its about making him begin to question what he actually knows and understands about himself and that spins out into the wider plot for the coma dream -about getting back to his family. It makes the lack of Eddie in his dream even more pronounced - that he’s figuring out that he has a family who loves him and is there for him, but that he still isn’t in a place to look at the romantic aspect of love. The ring cutter scene is really about Buck once again mistaking sexual attraction with romantic attraction - it is tied into Natalia and into Bucks death - there is a connection to this idea of looking in the wrong places (hence why he can’t find the ring cutter in the kitchen utensils pot - which is where it would be if sex and romance were actually aligned - because love is found in the kitchen!) Natalia is sexual attraction - not romantic.

The trio of the BT first date, coffee date and then the third date (that we are shown on screen) the pattern is a bit more like the Taylor ILY/ Maddie conversation shirts i that we have clouded/obfuscated Buck to start with - the kiss has confused him, and the date has also confused him - it is about him not actually looking at himself and recognising who he is - it is also a bit about the fact that he’s misunderstood his jealousy - that if Tommy hadn’t kissed him, he may well have eventually figured things out and realised that it was actually Eddies attention he was after and the full reality of that - which is what the Maddie conversation is all about. The cream shirt in this trio is then about Buck recognising the need to work on himself - the need to explore who he is more fully and also recognising that Tommy is essentially a safe space to do that - he literally says that he doesn’t know what it is yet but he wants to find out - it isn’t about Tommy, its much more about his self - that he doesn’t;t know how this new label he has fits him yet, fits into what he wants from life, but he wants to embrace it and find out. The subsequent move into brown on the third shown date, is all about that obfuscation coming back in - that Buck is very much in family mode - worried about Bobby - but Tommy distracts him with sexual innuendo and the implication is there in the subtext that this is a relationship based on sex rather than on love and knowledge. Which is what we then see play out through 8a.

All this to say that the new oversized whilst also too short shirt is in my opinion really going to help play into Bucks spiral out in the absence of Eddie and that it will be worn in a scene that is about Buck finding some clarity around Eddie and his potential return to fuck boy Buck and why he has gone down that route - be that his full OHHH moment or something else I can’t really guess at, but the fact it might be a scene with Hen is interesting to me as we’ve seen Buck go to Hen when faced with some difficult decisions - and I will confess the idea that he’s going to talk to her about missing Eddie and feeling lost and not knowing what he’s feeling - not understanding and that she might help him into his ohhhhh moment is a rather delicious one to me. I’m expecting this to be a scene in 811 or 812, I think it’s coming after Eddie has left for Texas at he end of 810 (because I believe the goodbye scene will be in the last 10-15 minutes of 810), and that it will be towards the end of his spiral when his abandonment issues are causing the most havoc with him - because we’ve gone to extreme on the oversizing - so it has to be at the point just before Buck is able to start finding himself, to stop over correcting and beginning to fit in his own skin - when we will see the costumes begin to fit him better again - up to the point where we hit perfect fit - which will be at the point Buck is either ready to fight for Eddie, or at the moment Buddie goes canon. I will write another post about the Eddie goodbye costumes - I have many thoughts - and about the fit and styling of Bucks uniform in the maroon teeter totter car, but it is late and I need to go to bed so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow or Friday for that one!

I never meant for this to end up this long - it was supposed to be a mini meta on the new shirt - and well this is me so I spiralled and here we are!!! Aren’t you glad to have me back 😂😂😂

Tagging a few people who might be interested, but as I haven’t figured out peoples new url’s I don’t actually know who wants tagging!! @lover-of-mine @fruityfirehose @spotsandsocks @leothil @lemotmo @satvojihusana @buddiediaz118 @bewitchedbewilderedbisexual @sunflowerdigs

[nobodyfamousposts]

Scarlet Lady Top 10 Favorite Characters: Number 9

for @zoe-oneesama

Number 10 Here

Now let’s be fair about this. This list is subjective and according to my own personal bias. It’s not about who is deserving or who is “Best Boy/Girl”. These are just the top ones I like and enjoy seeing in the comic. My favorites may not be your favorites and I quite frankly don’t expect them to be anyone else’s favorites in the same order or even on the same list at all. And just because someone is not on my list doesn’t mean I don’t like them or that I don’t find value in them.

This is just a list of the characters I like the most and my reasonings as to why. What makes me like them? What makes them stand out? Because Scarlet Lady has a LOT of really great characters who all deserve a shout out, so these are just ten of them that stuck out to me the most.

And while I am at least attempting to value them here on their own merit in the Scarlet Lady comic as opposed to Canon or its many MANY issues or the differences between the two, it stands to reason that at least SOME mention of Canon is going to be made. That said, I am trying very hard to not rate them based on my feelings from Canon but more on how I feel about them in this comic.

And because naturally I like my dramatic moments, I’m going to do the list in descending order from number 9 to number 1.

So without further ado…

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Number 9: Alya

I love Alya in Scarlet Lady. So much so that I feel bad that she’s not higher on the list, but to be fair, she has some pretty tough competition. And it says something when that’s the case because it feels to me like everyone deserves a spot on this list…it’s just that some deserve it a little bit more.

Alya certainly warrants her spot on this list. She was one of the characters with the fewest changes from her setup in canon and yet ended up with such a major and lasting impact that her canon self can’t match.

But if I have to break down the reasons:

1. Alya is a good friend.

When mention is made of Alya being Marinette’s best friend, SL!Alya is the version that comes to mind for me. And honestly, she’s the image I long had and long wished for Alya of canon.

A friend who is supportive in all the right ways. A friend needing her own level of support. A friend who will disagree with you on points but still be your friend. A friend who can make mistakes and jump to conclusions but you can always forgive because you know she would do the same for you.

In Mr. Pigeon, Alya was willing to throw down with Chloe Bourgeois to defend Marinette’s honor and her hat design. And this was only two episodes after Lady Wifi, where Chloe had abused her power to get Alya suspended over a relatively minor infraction that had literally nothing to do with Chloe except that Chloe chose to be offended by Alya’s incorrect conclusion. Sure, it can arguably be for payback (given how keen Alya was to confront Chloe), but let’s be honest here: after being forced into a position where you are completely helpless at the hands of a bully and even authority figures are not willing or able to step in, most people would hesitate to confront the bully again regardless of whether they know they’re in the right. And Alya arguably didn’t have proof at the time that Marinette’s hat was actually her original creation.

And yet, Alya was going to act anyways. WANTED to act. For friendship. For vengeance. Not quite sure HOW she was intending to take down Chloe in this case, but I imagine it would have landed her in trouble again and she was fully willing to do so on behalf of her friend.

And speaking of her friend, remember Alya in Reflekta? She was excited of the idea of Marinette being a hero and part of me thinks she really pushed the ��Marinette is Scarlet Lady” angle because she idolized Scar at the time and very much WANTED her to be Marinette—someone she also adores. Having two of her favorite people be one and the same would have been amazing for her! Sadly (or fortunately depending on your view) that was not the case, but Alya still got to have her moments of seeing her best friend as a hero, and her starry eyes sell it for me. As does Marinette later arranging an interview for her as Marigold—something especially important given in this version, one of the two primary heroes simply has no time for interviews while the other wouldn’t give a blog like Alya’s the time of day regardless of how much Alya did to help promote her.

Plus how in Troublemaker, she got the entire class to come to school dressed in Chat Noir gear to show support for the poor catboy and to help protect Marinette after the way her room and her multitude of pictures of Chat Noir were revealed on live television. Just to try and limit her friend’s embarrassment after her privacy was violated and her crush was outted.

See this? This is the friendship I wanted to see in canon. The ride or die. A counterweight. Supporting each other in reasonable and healthy ways. To be able to say with certainty that when the chips are down, they have each others’ backs. And Alya does.

Then there’s the Love Square—and if the change to the setup didn’t already improve how it went, then Alya’s involvement certainly did.

Part of the reason the Love Square struggled in Canon was because of how forcefully it was pushed with such shoddy foundation, and Alya was the biggest pusher. She forced so many situations out of some misguided attempt to “help” that only ended up creating stress for Marinette, cringe for the writing, and no actual momentum on the progress of the pairing. If you want a metaphor, then let’s describe it like this: If the Love Square is an actual ship and if Alya was a tug boat, she wouldn’t have been helping her ship “set sail” so much as dragging it underwater across the ocean and to its watery demise.

But in Scarlet Lady, Alya is supportive and encouraging—and not in the way where she blows off Marinette’s anxieties or Adrien’s obliviousness and forces them both into a position they’re clearly not ready for only to turn around and be annoyed that it didn’t work out. 

No, she was aware of Marinette’s feelings and interests to the point she recognizes Marinette has a small crush on Adrien even before the girl herself did. She also seemed to be aware of Adrien’s crush on her. So knowing this, she tried to help nudge things along. Note I said “NUDGE”. 

She knows a spark could be there. So when Alya had an opportunity, she helped to set things up in a way that would give Marinette and Adrien time together to explore that. Not to confess. Not to date. Just opportunities to be together, interact, and see what happens.

Heck, it feels at times like she’s more of Adrien’s wingman than Marinette’s. Especially given the whole bit in Stormy Weather, which remains to date one of my favorite strips of the entire series. Alya was the reason Marinette even made it there in the first place. And when she was picked for the modeling spot, she still tried to influence things to let Marinette take over. Similar to canon, yes, but a notably better feel to it. Better humor. Better outcome.

Which is ultimately what a friend should be trying for. For ALL of her friends.

And by the end of the comic, I can say that Alya is a friend to not just Marinette, but also Adrien and Alix and the other classmates. Yes, even Lila. Which says something given how much she initially despised Lila for the fake interview and how long she held that grudge against her. Going from outright dislike to grudgingly hanging out with to swallowing her pride and giving a real chance to actual collaboration on revealing a major truth.

Now that’s progress.

And speaking of progress…

2. Journalist Has A Point

Look, many a story will have THAT character. You know the one. Whether a detective, journalist, or conspiracy theorist, THAT character is devoted to uncovering the truth, whatever it may be—and usually in the form of plot-relevant secrets and useful information. 

So one of the biggest disappointments you can create is having such a character 

with all the drive and reasoning to investigate be in a prime position to uncover a major plot point, in which you give them all the resources and all the motivation to make the discovery…and yet have them do nothing.

Or worse, have the truth spoon fed to them instead when it’s convenient. No effort. No drama or antics. No surprise. No real reaction to the revelation. Just take away all the fun why don’t you?

Alya is a major fan of heroes and a journalist in the making. When these things mix, you have a ready-made source of humor and drama in a character with the dual position of he hero’s best friend who doesn’t know her secret and a wannabe investigator who risks discovering the hero’s secret. Normally, such a position would involve a number of antics over a multitude of episodes, with the friend being in a prime position to out the hero and the hero having to regularly come up with ways to distract and mislead the friend in question in order to protect the secret.

In canon, we get all of two episodes that even play with this setup. Two in the four seasons it takes for Marinette to just blurt it out to Alya. Lady Wifi and Pharaoh. That’s it. And of those two, Lady Wifi had Marinette completely unconcerned with Alya’s claim of knowing Ladybug’s identity. No drama. No conflict. No antics. No attempts at misdirection. No introspection or question if maybe revealing the city’s hero is even a good idea. No internal questioning if Alya should be told the secret—if she’s trustworthy or if she would be in danger. No continued attempts to uncover her identity as if Alya had just gotten bored with it. Nothing.

And if you know anything from my previous essays, you know that few things frustrate me more than having a great setup that practically writes itself and doing NOTHING WITH IT.

In Scarlet Lady, that setup is nixed from the start since Marinette didn’t start off as the hero. Instead, what we have is a situation where Alya idolizes the self-proclaimed hero of the city, completely ignorant to the truth that we as the audience were already immediately made aware of: that said hero is Chloe and she is ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!

Marinette is aware of her being horrible. Adrien is FULLY aware of her being horrible. WE all know she is horrible. But Alya, like most of the city, is enthralled and supportive of her as the “Hero of the City”.

This change immediately created a whole new setup. Where Alya is a fan of a hero while being ignorant to that hero’s true nature. Where WE know and even other characters in the show know, but it’s impossible to convince anyone else of this truth. I’m sure you all know what it’s like watching any character in that sort of situation. It hurts. But not as much as it’s bound to hurt her by the end.

And indeed it does, as it kickstarts what initially starts off as a funny setup where Marinette and others stay quiet and try to be supportive while inwardly cringing as Alya creates and manages a blog dedicated to the worst person ever sans Hawk Moth and Gabriel Agreste.

Adding to this is that said person won’t give Alya or her blog the time of day. Chloe has no respect or appreciation for the level of commitment Alya has or how much Alya helped her to get her fame, and even calls Alya a “stalker” at one point. (Not that she’s technically wrong to be fair, but bear with me.) This is a testament to Chloe’s view of heroism as a whole and her expectations regarding the treatment she should receive. Nevermind that Chloe’s initial rise to the spotlight was in great part because Alya was the one to put said spotlight on her in the first place. Chloe doesn’t acknowledge favors, only what she is owed.

This puts Alya in a difficult position. Unlike Canon, she doesn’t have the support of a hero to promote her blog. She is a teenager with no preexisting status as a reporter and no real connections or backing for people to take her seriously. And in a world of already established media and tons of fans like herself no doubt also trying to make names for themselves in similar niche areas, she has nothing to really make herself stand out. What ends up working for her is the live footage she gets of the akumas and the battles, which is exceedingly dangerous and puts Alya in danger. But to her, it’s worth it to be able to enjoy her two passions.

It is painful. It HURTS me to see Alya so devoted to someone who I know full well doesn’t deserve it and it hurt even MORE to see how Alya was finally forced to face the truth. Her reaction was real. Her difficulty accepting the truth that we all knew from the start and that Alya could have (and probably should have) picked up on as a journalist if she only investigated everything outside of the “Heroes WOW” light.

But this doesn’t make me look badly upon Alya. It’s not entirely her fault. It’s reasonable that Alya wouldn’t have known. Given Scar’s refusal to work with anyone outside of publications that “meet her standards”, Alya hadn’t gotten to interact closely enough with Scar to really see her “in action” so to speak. Not for some time.

Alya does ultimately end up finding the truth, but it’s not the one she initially went searching for. What started out as a love for heroes mixed with her interest in journalism slowly turned into a realization of what heroism actually is and who the true heroes are…and aren’t.

And with this realization comes a new outlook, new alliances, new goals, and a new plan to reveal the truth about Scar and just who is really the hero or the “sidekick” in the heroes team.

This here? This gives Alya purpose. It also emphasizes her role in the story and the impact she has. Because over time, the thing that most showed her flaws and ignorance became a major strength—AND ended up benefiting the city as a whole.

She was the only person who actively tried to help Chat when he was on the run in Copycat and gave him the info to know what was going on and who the true culprit was (especially important because Adrien had NO way of knowing what was going on or why he was being framed and Scar certainly wasn’t going to help).

She gave Lila and others a chance to share their stories that otherwise never would have been told. Especially notable given Alya’s initial dislike of Lila for her lies, something she continued to hold a grudge over for a long time after.

And as a result, she is a major contributor to Scar’s declining popularity as she helps spread the truth. Which adds a nice bit of irony to the situation that the little blog that gave Chloe her start and that she ignored ended up becoming something so major that it destroyed her narrative. 

Alya had been seeking the truth, been blinded to it, struggled to accept it, went out of her way to confirm it, and then shared it. Maybe it’s not as impressive as taking down the akumas directly, but it has a much greater overall impact on the story and helping get some of that sweet sweet karma we’d all been waiting for. And best of all, she does the one thing that many of us have also been wanting for Canon: to have SOMEONE investigate Hawk Moth and realize the puzzle pieces are pointing at Gabriel Agreste. 

If only she could have confirmed it a little sooner…

3. Alya as a Person

Alya is a teenager. She is a teenage girl and that shines in Scarlet Lady.

We see her PUMPED at the discovery of heroes in Paris. We see her genuinely EXCITED over the prospect of being a hero. We see her flip her focus and be SERIOUS over serious and not so serious things. We see her unapologetically and hilariously reject Adrien’s pleas for a trade of jobs only to be a hypocrite and turn around and beg him for the same. We see her get terrifyingly ENRAGED at Nino for changing her script without discussing it with her. We see her be PETTY and RESENTFUL over falling for Lila’s lies. We see her be IN LOVE after Animan. Plus how could I not love her sheer GLEE over getting to face off with Nora?

But what really made me love this Alya and put her leagues above canon is her growth. Growth that she didn't really get in Canon. And a lot of that growth was evident through her discovery of the truth that was right in front of her and how she had gone so long without seeing it.

And when she is finally hit with the reality that her hero is no hero and that she was wrong? It’s hard. No kid wants to admit being wrong about anything, but especially not about a belief like that. Not the idea of heroes and not over your hero specifically. Especially when you realize you spent so LONG devoted to something only to find out you were wrong, other people knew, and you could have/SHOULD have known had you really tried to look.

And Alya….did NOT take it like a champ.

Denial was the name of the game. But her growth came in acknowledging that she was wrong, WHERE she went wrong, and taking steps to move forward with what she knew. Not by doubling down and demanding “evidence” that should have been easy to find if she just looked, but by investigating the truth even if it’s one she knew she wouldn’t like. And even if it involved things she didn’t want to do. To this end, she made up with Lila and the two actually ended up working together to change the tide of public opinion against her over time. 

Let’s note that: She went back on her earlier promise to herself, forgave and worked with someone that she disliked, and let go of her own pride and resentment in order to get to the truth that she originally never wanted to acknowledge.

Alya in Scarlet Lady plays more of a role in the series than she did in Canon. She wasn’t just “Marinette’s best friend” and “Ladybug fangirl” or a tool or prop for setting up certain scenes where Marinette suffers or Adrinette is given a half hearted attempt.

Alya is her own person. She disliked someone the others like or come to like. She adored someone the others and even we as the audience couldn’t stand. She stood up to her sister for herself and with the backing of her friends. She was silly at times for all that she tried to be serious and mature. She was oblivious and opinionated. She was wrong about a core issue to the story.

And that was perfectly okay.

Not because the narrative said so. Not because anything she did was hand waved. Not because Marinette or anyone else was thrown in as a scapegoat to distract attention away from her.

But because Alya is a well-written character with a personality that makes her a PERSON rather than a prop. Which makes her development into a hero feel rewarding rather than an obligation.

4. Alya as a Hero

Okay, Sapotis in Canon wasn’t bad. It worked as a new hero episode. It worked as the FIRST new hero episode. It made sense for Alya to help corral her sisters. I loved Trixx and his subtle means of testing Alya. It also had Alya getting some personal development as she changes from her initial stance of wanting to reveal her identity as a hero to knowing when to keep some truths hidden.

The problem is that lesson didn’t really stick as Alya goes on to demand a truth from Marinette that isn’t her right to know, try to force Marinette to tell a truth when she isn’t ready to reveal it, and betray Marinette’s trust and reveal the secret just to make things easier for herself and her relationship with Nino.

Gotta say, not impressed with Alya as a hero in Canon. Especially given how much the narrative had gone out of its way to keep portraying Alya as being in the right in each instance she was involved in regardless of what she actually did.

Then there’s the matter of the issue of her getting the Fox Miraculous after everything that happened with Lila and the complete LACK of Fox Vs Fox/Alya VS Lila/Truth VS Lies setup that such a setup would have been primed for. And if they weren’t going to do that or even anything with Alya and Trixx, then what was the point of giving Alya the Fox? There was just really nothing else that came out of a truth-seeker like Alya getting a Miraculous specifically involved in setting illusions and how that could develop her character.

@punchlord has already done multiple evaluations of the characters and Miraculous and which ones would best/least fit and why, and has done so much more detailed and eloquently than I can really offer here. Instead, I want to focus on SL!Alya and the changes Zoe made.

Here’s the thing: we all knew going in that Zoe was going to follow Canon for the most part. She admitted as such. We also knew that some kwami-swapping was bound to happen as a result of the changes to the world. Chloe gets the Ladybug. Marinette gets the Bee. Sabrina was bound to get something at some point that wasn’t the Dog. And yes, Lila too.

But NONE of us were expecting that Alya and Nino would swap their Miraculous AND their hero episodes!

And it worked. It worked so well.

Koki Marina is an awesome hero with such a stand-out look. And the one image of her playing with her fluffy hair always makes me smile.

The changes Zoe made vastly improved the Anansi storyline. Nino deserved his own hero episode that wasn’t just focus on him secondary to an issue for Alya and ultimately accomplish nothing on his own while someone else solves the problem for him...twice. And Alya deserved to be the one to deal with Nora and take control of her life.

The thing is, this was an episode with a lesson that was misplaced. Misplaced andmishandled, much like many episodes in the original series.

In Anansi, the biggest problem wasn’t that Nino couldn’t prove he could protect Alya, it was that Nora was overstepping on Alya’s life in the first place, especially when it wasn’t necessary. She didn’t consider that ANYONE ELSE could protect Alya—even the heroes when it is their job to fight the akumas. 

But more specifically, she wasn’t willing to consider that Alya could protect HERSELF. Especially of note considering that by this point in both versions, Alya had been running around and getting involved in the fights with the heroes for blog views. And in Canon specifically, Alya had already been a temp hero—I was surprised and disappointed that Alya didn’t argue more and struggle with NOT revealing that fact in the episode. But I digress…

If Alya was to get a hero episode, this was the better setup for it. And Zoe saw that and provided us that sweet sweet payout, with Alya proving herself and helping to take down her older sister. And just the absolute GLEE she had in doing so. The sort of glee you’d see in any younger sibling getting a chance to take on and show up their older sibling. All the younger siblings out there should know it. 

Plus her and Wayzz bonding, omg they are so cute.

While Canon Sapotis was decent (if not a bit frustrating with the lack of lessons for the twins after all their antics), in my view, SL Anansi actually HIT in all the right ways and felt more satisfying overall in comparison as Alya’s hero episode and ESPECIALLY in comparison to the Canon Anansi itself. 

It’s a good episode with a stable episode-centric arc, where the conflict starts with Alya NOT really being able to face down Nora alone and only manages to overpower Nora in an arm wrestling contest because her friends back her and take on Nora in a 4 on 1 match and overpower her together. This is highlighted later in the episode when Alya faces Nora alone to buy Marigold time and is shown to struggle. Then gets the power boost through the Turtle Miraculous that lets her effectively take her down save her. Cough. Yes. Just save her.

It’s a very empowering story for Alya. But it plays a bigger role than that, too. It’s not just the start of Alya being a hero, it’s also the point where she really starts to turn things around in terms of the overarching story of the comic.

This episode is the follow up to Sapotis, where the other characters are having a sleepover partly to look after the younger kids but also specifically to try and support Alya as she comes to terms with the realization that her hero is a fraud. Yes, Alya already knew that Scar was horrible by the time Anansi happened, but actually being a hero and having to work with Scar gives her an up close and personal look at how Scar treats the other heroes and how much—or rather little she actually does in a crisis.

It’s also the point where Alya seems to gain more confidence and also direct her reporting to a better end. And by the end of the episode, we really see Alya starting to use her skills to this purpose. This is when we get to see Alya actually BE the journalist she wanted to claim she was.

This? Right here? This goes to show that not only does Alya herself make a great hero, but that becoming a hero helped Alya improve herself as well. Which is something we should be seeing more of in such stories with teenagers gaining superpowers.

So all that being said, SL Alya succeeds where her Canon counterpart fails. The narrative points out when she’s wrong. She learns lessons. She is silly at times and acknowledged to be silly. But through it all, she retains the heart that makes her a good friend and the passion that shows her to be not only a journalist, but a HERO in the making.

[anistarrose]

[ID: drawings of King from The Owl House in his time skip design, with a star sticker on his cracked skull and "K.C." carved on his collar. One drawing shows him on his hind legs, looking at the viewer, and the other shows just his face. Last is a drawing of François, who also has star stickers on him, and a tiny crown sitting next to him. The background is purple, with bright stars. End ID.]

[wiltedprayers]

i think it's really interesting to think about how eugene wasn't raised as a soldier. he wasn't built for war. he has many ancestors who were soldiers, his family's legacy is war – and he was always supposed to be the odd man out. diseased as a child and seen as fragile by his parents. in this response to an ask about eugene wearing a lot more white during his scenes before the war i talked about how it's supposed to represent his innocence. you can attribute a lot of “dove” imagery to eugene's character and whatnot. i think it's crucial the way eugene is presented in the scene where he's telling his father he's gonna go to war whether he likes it or not. this id argue is his most important look in the entirety of the show.

so eugene does end up joining his ancestors. another sledge man marching towards war. he's eager, naive about it. he's barely 21.

i (and many others) have talked at length about what it means to eugene's innocence & "essence" of childhood the impromptu reunion with sid so i won't go into much detail with it except to highlight this scene:

eugene's father has given him a pistol to use during the war. it's symbolic, in a way – sledge sr having been so adamant in keeping eugene from conflict before and all that – and it also marks an interesting point for his character. eugene despite everything i said at the beginning has a history with guns that came from hunting with his father. so it's not like he's a stranger to this or a pacifist by any means. but i think eugene's character development is tied very closely to how he feels about guns, specifically. both rifles and sidearms.

fast forward a bit and by okinawa you have plenty of scenes representing eugene's losing grip on his humanity and the incipient growth of his rage. but it all comes to a head in this particular scene, i think. they drop the shell on the hut and open fire and then it ends – except eugene doesn’t stop. he purposefully foregoes his rifle (less personal, made for longer distances) and takes out his pistol to shoot the last japanese soldier standing. the use of that particular gun is a conscious choice because he doesn't need it. he isn't even supposed to be firing anymore. but his anger towards everything has reached a boiling point and he's deliberately making this personal (as evidenced by the dialogue – “i'd use my goddamn hands if i had to”).

then after a while eugene comes home a changed man, and while edward is boisterous about his time in europe and the army eugene can't stomach it and he says as much – he won't put on a uniform ever again, he doesn't enjoy the fanfare and celebration. there's a real dissonance between how eugene and edward (and sid for that matter) are choosing to deal with the memories of war in episode 10 but that's a thought for another post. anyway, i bring back this particular bit from the original scripts about eugene's feelings regarding his ancestors: i wish they had included this bc i think it's very necessary for his character arc. the military men in his family stare back at him. he understands now. and the fact that he reaches this revelation in the same study where he was told time and time again that he couldn't enlist and where he then made the decision by himself is so very important.

and finally you have the conclusion to all this that comes in the scene where eugene goes hunting with his father one last time – except in this occasion he can't do it. and i think it all comes back to his innocence and the pistol, his own rifle in the marines vs his shotgun at home. it's the act of holding a gun to take life again that breaks eugene down completely. and the fact that they're supposed to be hunting for doves! it's just a perfect way to end his character arc because he's not that person anymore.

(anyway, i hope this made sense to someone. if you read all of it i love u and thank u 🙏🏻)

[utilitycaster]

I've seen some people compare Vax's resurrection in C3 to bringing back Molly (later revealed to be Kingsley) in C2E140. How do you think these two scenarios differ and why does one work and the other doesn't? Also, do you think C2 scenario would still work if Taliesin played it like it was in fact Molly that was brought back (as Mighty Nein originally believed) and not Kingsley?

Hi anon,

I mean, you kind of answer it here: Molly wasn't resurrected. Kingsley, a different aspect of the same fragmented soul within that body, was. This isn't bringing back someone who died; it's starting a new life from what was left. It's thematically coherent with the rest of the Nein's stories, both in terms of many of them coming together still getting over a devastating loss or change and becoming someone new in the ashes of that; and with the very specific endings of many of their stories: probably most obviously with Caleb, choosing to leave his parents to their rest and instead building his own life in the model of what he wanted before the Volstrucker training, but also with Beau embracing the Cobalt Soul, Yasha finding new love, Veth and her family restarting their lives in Nicodranas, Jester with a deeply altered but intact relationship with Artagan, Fjord with a new patron, and Caduceus with a renewed grove.

I admit in 2x140 I cheered that nat 1 on resurrection, and the success of the Divine Intervention gave me pause, particularly on the heels of such a fantastic moment between Essek and Fjord after it failed. I went into 2x141 with considerable trepidation, so Taliesin's choice to have Molly remain dead while still making the Divine Intervention mean something was an unexpected joy and some truly excellent storytelling. I do not think it would have worked well had he brought back Molly, though it wouldn't have been quite as egregious as Vax coming back, and I'll talk more about that at the end.

Vax coming back fails on every single level. On a basic level, there is really no mechanical or logical justification for it to happen. There is no attempt from Vox Machina to bring him back as a mortal. There is no reason for him to revert from celestial to mortal (and the fact that he'd already left at the top of the episode really underscores this; I'd still have my other complaints had he still been with Vox Machina at the time of Catatheosis but this really makes no sense); angels of the gods canonically remained such during the first time the gods became mortal. It is not something he asked for, nor Keyleth asked of the Matron. It simply occurs. Then, of course, there is what it means for the characters. What does it say that Keyleth never moved on? What does it say that Vax never gave her the space to do so and now she doesn't have to - particularly in the statements during 4SD that their actions both were somewhat unhealthy and that Vax's inability to let go is what enabled Ludinus's plan to succeed in the first place? What does it say, as this post points out, about Scanlan's choices?

And then there's what it says thematically across the entire decade of storytelling: What does it say about such stories as Orym's or Yasha's, about finding new love after loss? In a narrative where the party was faced with an incredibly difficult choice with far reaching effects (whether or not that narrative was well done, it was a story of choices) what does it say that Vax's conscious choice to become a revenant and have a few more days with the people he loved rather than remain dead was ultimately simply a long inconvenience?

And finally, what does it say about the casts' past statements? I was struck with the grace with which the cast handled the backlash from Molly's death. Liam spoke of the meaning of death in narratives; Ashly Burch shared an incredibly moving essay on the death of her partner at a young age; and the conversation on Talks in which Matt talked about the importance of death was one that at the time I dearly loved. In it, Taliesin pointed out the ephemeral and physical nature of Molly and the concept of that character, and how there was no way to bring back Molly without destroying the entire premise. The reason Molly wouldn't be as much of a failure is because at least it would have been driven by the actions and choices of the Mighty Nein, and that we did not have insight into how Molly felt about his demise.

Because that is the other thing. We've seen Vax multiple times since his death, at Vex and Percy's wedding and at the Malleus Key, and both times he was greatly changed and did not agree to stay. He didn't change his mind; it was changed for him. And in the casts' past statements, Liam has been an advocate (as he was in Molly's death) for the importance of death and tragedy. How does that square with all of what they said then?

It's damning that the only defenses of this decision have been entirely Doylist (when I have both Watsonian and Doylist critiques) - that Happy Endings Are Good. The thing is, Keyleth's story could have been a happy ending, as the Mighty Nein's was despite their loss. It was a choice to have Keyleth never get over it. That is, ultimately, the only choice that was honored. I do understand a desire for a happy ending, but I find this desire for not just a happy ending but a vanishingly narrow and particular one to be childish, self-indulgent, and destabilizing of previous storytelling integrity. The song Tokyo Sunrise always was in a major key, after all.

One thing that came to mind while I wrote this up was something a few people have pointed out about Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which is that it consistently has a message that prioritizing immediate catharsis often feels hollow in the end, and cuts off opportunities for growth and redemption, and the gameplay is consistent with that narrative. It can feel good to punch the First Warden, or to leave the mayor of D'Meta's Crossing to his fate, or imprison Illario, in the moment; but these all ultimately serve as a detriment to your goals. Even fighting or tricking Solas rather than giving him an ending on his own terms, the last choice you can make in a game that ends immediately after, is something many players have reported as feeling unrewarding after a day or two. I do wonder whether this decision, to bring back Vax, felt good in the moment, but will similarly sour and curdle in time.

[dumblr-account]

The fandom making fun of Adrien not realizing Ladybug and Marinette are the same person but not doing the same to Marinette about Chat Noir and Adrien will always be hilarious to me for two reasons, one short and one long! The short reason is that we see in alternate timelines (and Kwamibuster) that Adrien is more likely to figure out Ladybug’s identity on his own, whereas Marinette always needs to see the transformation with her very eyes! The long reason is that Marinette has been closer to Adrien and Chat Noir for longer than Adrien has been to Marinette and Ladybug! Let me explain.

We know Ladybug and Chat Noir interact with each other on a regular basis, being superhero partners and all that. Combined with Maribug’s obsession with Adrien, this means Marinette should know a lot about Adrien and Chat Noir’s personalities and physiques, therefore making a connection! And yes, it is true that Adrien can act very different from Chat Noir, but you can see some of his cat boy attitude come out on multiple occasions, especially in Season One. And again, Marinette is OBSESSED with Adrien! She is always watching him, absorbing every minute detail about him, from his favorite macaron flavor to his entire schedule! So, if she fixates on Adrien on a daily basis, and she works with Chat Noir on a weekly basis at least, it really is a wonder she hasn’t figured it out yet! And yes, I know she has built up a perfect image of Adrien in her head and that’s why she hasn’t figured it out yet, but that doesn’t make her any less stupid than Adrien!

Speaking of which, let me get into why it’s perfectly understandable why Adrien hadn’t figured out the two identities, at least within the first few seasons. Yes, he interacts with Ladybug on the regular and is just as obsessed with her as Marinette is with Adrien (aside from for the complete lack of stalking on his part), but the same can’t be said in his interactions with Marinette! In Season One, almost all of the Adrienette has either been Marinette parasocially watching him while he only gets a brief glance of her at most, or he is casually interacting with her like he would with any other classmate! Heck, I didn’t even realize he considered her a friend instead of just an acquaintance until the Origins episodes! In Seasons Two, Three and Four, he starts interacting with her more, but he was usually preoccupied with other things as well! While many of Marinette’s plots in these seasons were focused on either being a superhero or getting with Adrien, his plots were either about his superhero life or his messed up home life! I’m not saying he didn’t care about Marinette at all, but I felt little difference between how he talked about her and how he’d talk about any of his other friends!

Of course, this logic is completely thrown out the window in Seasons Five and Six, but I completely stand by this for the first three seasons, and maybe the fourth one as well! This is probably going to be controversial, and I’m sure people can poke many holes in the statements I gave! I just want to defend my boy’s intelligence for once in his life! If you don’t agree with me, that’s fine. Just please be respectful about it. We Adrien stans don’t have much left in this cold and cruel world.

[eyothings]

So out of nowhere this december, i've been hit with nostalgia and decided it was time to rewatch Buffy The Vampire Slayer's entire series after the last time it aired on tv, meaning 20 years ago.

Not only it shaped a whole side of my lil sister personality, it is also the favorite show of one of my cousin and closest friends.

And considering the state i'm in after finishing season 7, i know for sure Spike is the origin of my utter love for anti-heros, England and ennemies-to-lovers trope.

He is one of those characters that stay with you forever.

C'mon look at him, LO_OK.

I had very few memories of the show, only some big moments: Angel leaving for a spinoff, Spike ♥, Dark Willow, Spuffy - Basically I remembered almost nothing.

The first season set the tone for me, i forgot the serie was very funny, and what worked right away was the simple fact that they didn't act seriously either, the actors looked like they just had fun. On top of that, even if i already knew that, the show is very feminist and advanced for its time.

I also forgot how much of an asshole Xander is. lol

The worst season for me is clearly season 4, and between you and me, and me and you, it's unsurprisingly because of Riley and the army.

The best season is obviously season 6, and not only for Spike and Spuffy but for Buffy's whole personality.

I have so much to say about the show really, but I'll stay focused and talk about the two ships: Bangel and Spuffy (and a bit of Riley). Note that it is purely my point of view, based on what i like to see and read in fiction and how I perceive the characters, there is clearly a big difference compared to real life. As well as any "bitch" mentioned here is only affectionate. And if you're crazy enough to read the entire post, I apologise in advance for the many mistakes in my writing, as English is not my mother tongue.

The moment i'm writing this VERY long ass post, I've only just started to watch Angel the series for the first time and I've only seen the first season, so my thoughts on him may change in the future, but I don't think my pov on the ships will. I am also aware of some events in seasons 8 to 12 (comics).

• Bangel:

To be honest I liked their love story more when Angel was Angelus.

First, them falling in love never really clicked, I guess they played the love at first sight trope, but she was 15 and he was 200; at that age, any man who was pretty enough and a bit dark would've worked for her. (I won't talk about a 26 y/o man falling in love with a 15 y/o teenager, the man is from 1727, at this point it's not even the same culture okay??)

I thought I'd still give it a chance and root for them, even if I was fully aware of him leaving and Spike would be the new romance (I FORGOT THE WASTE OF TIME WITH RILEY), because they actually talked about all the issues, they knew something was off with their love story but they couldn't stop.

I have not much to say about the nature of their love, it was a cute romance at best, but the more they went further the cringier it'd get, I still have trauma about their kiss noises, no kidding.

They slept together and Angel becomes Angelus, which is supposed to be sad and add some angst, but Angelus was so charismatic, I didn't care about Angel anymore.

And what can I say? I think the soul vs no soul aspect played kinda badly, they all said that Angelus was incapable of love since he had no soul, but we had the concrete proof that love was possible thanks to Spike & Drusilla to begin with ??

I was hoping that, since they sold us their love as super powerful and intense, Angelus would end up falling in love with Buffy, especially after the episode in which both are possessed by ghosts in season 2 episode 19 - I Only Have Eyes for You - which is my favorite moment between them:

but NO, Angelus cannot love, and only Angel can:

It's either we get the flavored guy but no romance or the bland one with a half romance.

Talk about the greatest love story there.

And the whole season 3 is Angel and Buffy having a teen romance:

"Let's just hold hands and kiss but nothing else"

Of course I guess this kind of love story is possible, but it is made clear they both feel the sexual tension each time they kiss, they even dream of doing it. So the only thing that comes of it, is frustrating feelings, for Buffy, for Angel and for us watching them going nowhere.

The hottest moment they have is when Angel bites her to survive.

Surely for a love story that is sold to be so grand, I expected Angel to find a cure for the curse? And fight for his love or something?

♫ Nope, he just leaves. ♫

♫ Bitch talks about fighting for what is worth and bails out at the first difficulty. ♫

i cannot even blame Joyce here, she made the right call, for real. Mother knows best, but he had the chance to prove her wrong.

And in parallel to that we are introduced to Spike, a vampire with no soul who is one hundred times worth Angel, just by existing.

And there is so much to say, whether or not Spuffy was intended, whether or not Angel is supposed to be the love of Buffy's life; After reaching seven seasons, I can guarantee without any hesitation, that Spike is the one, there is no contest.

I can't, for the life of me, believe one second that Joss Whedon and the rest of the team wrote the enemies to lovers story of the last two decades without doing it on purpose? They were so much into Angel, to realize what was happening?

They sold me Angel and Buffy being the "forever love", and, in a way, they are, but only because they cling to the "what could've been".

Of course they will always be attracted to each other until they really try. They'll always idealise their love story and fill the plotholes with their imagination. But it is dramatically bound to end in disaster.

And no, Buffy, I cannot take you seriously when you say "I loved him more than I will ever love anything in this life" ; You were a teenager, it is normal to feel more deeply when you're 16, but that doesn't mean anything, and you know it too well.

Angel left her broken, unable to trust anyone, unable to trust herself and alone: If the love of her life doesn't want to be with her, then who will? (♫ We have an idea ♫ )

Soul or not, he has been a coward, with no intent to get to know Buffy, her family, her friends. He decided what was best for her without asking her.

All he does after that, is coming back into Buffy's life at the worst moments to be jealous.

♫ He is that toxic boyfriend who comes back with puppy eyes each time you try to move on. ♫

Every time he appears in an episode it's to disappoint even more: I was rooting for him, I even missed him A LOT in season 4 !

And, sure, meanwhile, the dance between Spike and Buffy was already ongoing since season 2, but we really didn't have any concrete scenes between them that could seal the ship for good (them under Willow's spell in season 4 doesn't count). So the best option at that moment was the hope for Angel to come back.

Buffy never really had the chance to move on from Angel because of Riley and his insecurities, but also because Angel cannot seem to move on, while moving on at the same time ? ! ? ♫ Bitch has a child ♫

The moment Angel left the show, it should have been for good. (Note aside, I'm still having a hard time believing the character had his own spinoff because of his popularity, when we barely saw him hanging around in the first 3 seasons, wouldn't have it been simpler for him to stay and have more scenes, like Spike?) • Riley & Buffy (Briley??)

And so Angel never came back, and we got Riley instead. He was the perfect choice to make the bridge between Bangel and Spuffy. She needed to experience a "normal" romance, with a "normal guy" to know what it's like and to understand what she really wants, but one season and a half was way too much. ♫ I ended up googling " WHEN is Riley LEAVING? "♫ The moment Buffy said she held back her strength when training with him, was enough to see what was coming.

Riley was nothing else than just an army guy under steroids who couldn't even handle his girlfriend being stronger than him.

Him blaming Buffy for not really being around when her mother was dying was the cherry on top of the loser's behavior.

Buffy needed someone with whom she could be 100% herself, an equal, and Riley knew he wasn't half of that; so he made her pay? By cheating on her and leaving? Then coming back a year later to brag about his wedding? Lmao give me a break Riloser.

So now Buffy is alone AGAIN, both men she thought she loved, left without looking back. ♫ Over my shouuulder ♫

And from those two relationships, we can already see what she needs in a romance:

- An emotionally available man - That can be there for her without pushing her - Someone who doesn't flee the second he encounters the smallest difficulty - A man strong enough for her to unleash the full force without being afraid of hurting him ♫ yes i'm talking about sex ♫ - Someone who understands her role as the slayer and her crazy life - Someone selfless capable of protecting her family and friends - Someone she can trust.

♫ And now, ladies and gentlemen, lets welcome ♫

• Spuffy:

Ok first a bit of context here: I disagree about people criticizing Buffy season 6 Lets just understand whats going on: Bitch sacrifices herself to save the world and her sister; at that moment, she feels peace for the first time in her life, for the first time she is not afraid to die and fulfill her destiny by choice. She has an heroic death, ends up resting in paradise...

♫ Then her friends who can't handle to live without her, decide to bring her back to life. ♫

Not only she comes back to life in her fucking coffin, she also: - Has to crawl to the surface (almost dying stupidly) - Has to act as if nothing happened - Has to be the slayer again - Cannot even go back to university - Has even less prospect for a normal life - She is poor - She needs to find money (ends up working in a fast food) - Has to thanks her friends for bringing her back to the life she never wanted - Is being blamed for not really being around.

♫ I WOULD HAVE BEEN SO FUCKING PISSED YOU CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE ♫

So what? She comes back, feels different, depressed, alone AGAIN and figuratively chained to a life she still doesn't want, and the only person who does understand what she is going through is Spike. Spike who has been here for her family and friends the whole time she was dead, meaning, he did it because he wanted to, because he felt genuine pleasure in hanging out with them while keeping his promise to protect Dawn.

He could have left, but never did, even though his love was one-sided, he loved her so much he stayed.

♫ Death couldn't do them apart ♫

He has been a father figure for Dawn, but not only that, Spike was also the only vampire Joyce liked and trusted, a presence she didn't mind in her home without Buffy around.

And Spike did love Joyce very much ♥

And I have so much to say about Spike, he is that multi-flavored character with so many layers, who stays interesting with or without a soul. He is a slayer's killer, seen as one of the most dangerous vampires, that anyone should be scared to be around, he has so much confidence in himself, he doesn't even mind being so freaking pathetic when it comes to love.

He is not even afraid nor ashamed to show his affection, to be vulnerable, to be open about it, and most of it, he just embraces it without a care of the outcome, he is just living by the day, knowing perfectly that everything could stop at any moment. Though, that being said, i'm still well aware Spike has also MANY flaws, all he does is mainly driven by love but it is still extreme and twisted due to his soulless condition. I really don't know where to start, because i feel like Buffy and Spike's destinies are intertwined - They are a mirror to each other. Buffy's behavior has anything to do with Spike, as Spike's behavior has anything to do with Buffy - it is really like watching a dance.

Spike allows her to embrace and explore the darkest part of herself - She was always the perfect girl everyone expected her to be.

She needed to do good, to BE good, but what if she, for once, chose the other side? Of course she never went as far as Faith did, but she allowed herself to fall into a forbidden romance, and to go against everyone's expectations, because she only felt something when she was with him. And i loved this part of her, because to me, she finally has flaws! I mean, she always had some but not to that extent. And maybe, maybe being like this, was a way for her to never fall completely into the darkness nor into Spike's influence.

Maybe she was in an inner battle between good and bad.

Maybe it was an unconscious way to either push him away, or test him to see if he will ever leave her. Abusive or not towards Spike, let's not forget that he is still William the bloody, and the only thing that stops him from killing anyone is the chip in his brain. We're still talking about the guy who would have easily killed Willow if he had the chance, the one Buffy wouldn't trust at all without that said chip.

Even though Spike has done TREMENDOUS good deeds with the scoobies, he is still a slave to his primary emotions.

Don't get me wrong, this is why i love Spike SO MUCH, his duality as a soulless vampire is everything. The man can talk to you about his favorite romantic show and a minute later kill someone in cold blood and find a great pleasure in both.

♫ Anyway ♫

Above all things, they are in love, and this love is extremely intense, deep, powerful, unbearable and terrible.

Thanks to Tara, Buffy realizes she did not come back as any different as before she died and realizes the horrors she has committed to Spike by treating him like a monster he never trully was.

Buffy ends up admitting her wrongs and grows out of her darkness and chooses to be good and to end her relationship with Spike. And she is glowing and glimming, and she's not his anymore.

Which leads Spike to end up doing something awful.

And what does he do after that??

He leaves the city...

♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ TO FIX HIMSELF ♫ ♫ ♫

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are in the year 2002, and yes you read me well:

THE BAD GUY GOES TO FIX HIMSELF TO BE WORTHY OF THE GIRL

♫ William the bloody risked his fucking life in a trial to get back his soul ♫

She doesn't fix him, he does it on his own because he knows something must be done to repair his wrongs, that his love needs to be purified of his monstrous side to be a better man and stand at her side.

And even though she doesn't know that, she is still looking for him, even after what he has done, she is always drawn to him, she always wants to be around him.

Then she learns he got his spark back for her and she does everything in her power to keep him by her side.

Because now it is time for Spike to embrace the brightest part of himself thanks to Buffy.

I love them so much, especially in season 7 because they don't even have to act romantically to show how deep their love is for each other. How simple it has become, how instinctive their complicity is. They know how to complement each other, it is almost symbiotic.

They are clearly not ready to be together again until they really sort things out but Spike has seen the best and the worst parts of her, and is still hers entirely, and will always be.

As much as Buffy has seen the best and worst parts of him, and she still trusts and loves him to the point of asking the initiative to remove the chip in his brain. ♫ On top of desperately not wanting him to die ♫ Also, without knowing it yet, she is entirely his and will always be.

Buffy sees Spike’s worth, and Spike sees Buffy’s, even when neither of them can see their own.

They lift each other up, and become an unbreakable force, to the point that no one can split them.

And this is one of my favorite parts of Spuffy, in season 7:

Before, she would never have let Spike kill a human, not even out of revenge. But now, she’s willing to let his shadow take over if it means keeping him alive, just as he learns to hold it back. To me, episode 17 - Lies My Parents Told Me - marks how far their connection has grown: Buffy running as fast as she can to save Spike Spike's past with his mother, helping him make peace with some of it, as part of his ongoing redemption arc ♫ it broke my heart ♫ Spike coming back to his senses to beat the shit out of Robin, and giving him a last chance Buffy telling Robin she'll let Spike kill him next time he even tries to harm Spike Buffy choosing Spike over Giles Buffy choosing Spike over the "common sense" Buffy choosing love over her duty (even if she pretends otherwise) ♫ Buffy, you cannot fool Spike, but you cannot fool us either! ♫

And i love this parallel with the end of season 2 when she had to choose duty over love and kill Angel. This is Buffy allowing herself to be a bit more selfish while Spike is allowing himself to be a bit more selfless.

And then in the middle of the biggest battle of her life, she is overthrown over shitty excuses ♫ i have a LOT to say about the Scoobies but that post is insanely long to add some salt ♫ and who is the one that still has her back? Spike. Spike has always been unconditionally here for her and never let her down, which even the Scoobies didn't always do.

Spike is the one who delivers the most selfless and beautiful love declaration of the whole show, to her. When she needs it the most, because he is the only one who can see her.

And his love is what gives strength to Buffy to trust herself and pursue her goal. He is the one who brings back the light in Buffy, who pushes her to live and accept her fate as being the one.

And talking about light,

♫ What a freakin' poetry to have centered Spike's whole redemption arc around it ♫

He was always pursuing that light, whether in Cecily when he was a human or Buffy as a vampire. All he had to do was bring the light into him and embrace his humanity to fulfill his redemption. And so he makes the ultimate sacrifice, And he glows. Not only he saves the world willingly and selflessly but he also gives back the fire inside Buffy, frees her from Sunnydale and her role as the sole slayer.

♫ "I love you" - "Spike" are the last words Buffy says in the show ♫ • Conclusion A freaking long ass post only to say that to me, Spuffy is very well written as enemies to lovers, thanks to Jane Espenson, Douglas Petrie & Marti Noxon. Though i think Spike still suffers some injustices, but I'm glad he got the respect he deserves in the comics, (which i consider canon) : Not only does Spike end up as part of the Scoobies but also with Buffy, and he is the only one with whom she fights for their relationship to last. ♫ And they're endgame in season 12 ♫ (Thank you Christos Gage)

I also think JW made many mistakes for Bangel to work: I know he was kinda annoyed by Spike's popularity at first and wanted Angel to be seen as the main vampire of the franchise, which led him to give Angel his own spinoff, but by doing that, he also broke the link between Buffy and Angel. Which ultimately led Spike to have a more organic evolution with her instead of Angel. They both had their own paths in their own separate worlds, which forced JW to accept Spuffy as being the logical conclusion. Just as Cordelia was also the best choice for Angel to grow and be more open about his emotions. Claiming in interviews that Angel is the love of Buffy's life without ever demonstrating it concretely in any of the media itself makes this statement fall flat. I do not hate Bangel, I think the ship was necessary for Buffy to grow, but i do see more Angel as her first idealised and tragic love, while with Spike, it is more grounded, mature and based on mutual respect, trust, acceptation and stability.

♫ Angel should have stayed and Spike and Drusilla should have had their own spinoff, and i'd have paid to see that. ♫ • My pov on Sprusilla?

Literally nothing to say about them, they match each other freak to a level no one can ever comprehend.

♫ They are a perfect match and untouchable. ♫ ♫ May they end up together again and last for eternity. ♫

♫ With animals. ♫ (alive)

[soullessjack]

i think another really interesting angle of tfw2.0’s dynamic is how the original 3 handle things like regret or selfishness being directly opposed, or even juxtaposed, by how jack handles them as someone experiencing those things for the first time. there’s a MASSIVE generational divide between them (even more massive by Cas’ standards) and that divide basically lays the groundwork for A) how they approach parenting jack, and B), how jack mirrors their different aspects or arcs that they previously had

like. post-S12, dean and sam and cas are all relatively at ease with their pasts and mistakes. not to say they don’t still feel guilt or hold the burden of their actions anymore, bc they Do—they explicitly say so and relay that to comfort jack over his own guilt—but they’re also well past jaded by now. they’re ready to accept what they can’t change, move on, and commit to being better. then in S13, enter: jack, a Completely New Person who doesn’t understand the world, is experiencing literally everything for the first time, and doesn’t know how to even handle feeling strong emotions or experiencing traumatic events—much less how to cope with them. and to boot, he’s the son of Lucifer and has a bit of a complex about doing even slightly bad things.

i don’t remember what post this was on or if it’s even from this blog, but it was effectively about the same thing, with just a little more mention on how sam and dean are (loosely speaking) normal humans with normal stages in development and being in the world and all that. Castiel isn’t a human, so his development was nonlinear and primarily around unlearning his celestial fundamentalism and learning how to be a human being (like the glass animals album) especially in regards to human empathy and emotions. emotions that later bring on other human things like doubt, guilt, and love. also, sam and dean and cas have had unique arcs dealing with some “inner evil” variation that motivated them differently and you get the idea —but i say this bc 1) it’s relevant , 2) to add in the human-development part specifically , 3) jack being lucifer’s direct son narratively hits even heavier* than sam and dean’s destiny as vessels or castiel’s existential deconstruction & betrayals , and also 4) to disclaim that these particular things mean jack is baby-coded or whatever bc Cas had the same arc.

*heavier in the sense that they weren’t permanent biological factors more so than outside influences and alterations and not in any sense of diminishment of what they went through or what it meant at the time YOU GET THE IDEA

you see it the most in tombstone after jack has a “Baby’s” First Murder moment and can’t get over it no matter how much the guys try to console him. he’s worried about the security guard’s potential family, of the loss he just burdened them with and (in an older script version anyways) he’s also frustrated that he can’t control himself. in other words, jack can’t accept what he couldn’t change. he’s canonically very stubborn (I forget which episode/script but at some point dean mentions something like “you know how he is when he gets ideas in his head”) especially when it comes to his own plans/goals, and he also essentially feels like being a good person + living up to Kelly’s envisioning of him + being better than his father is his personal responsibility slash burden to bear specifically because he is Lucifer’s son. which unfortunately also means that any time he fucks up he will either run away from it or lock himself in his room for weeks on end trying not to feel like he’s fulfilling a dark patrimonial prophecy.

dean is the first person to be upfront with jack about the situation (no shade to sam or cas tho). when jack says ‘you’re afraid of me,’ dean responds that it isn’t jack The Person they’re afraid of, but the harm his powers could and already did do to others. ie, jack isn’t evil just because he’s dangerous and those things don’t necessarily have the same meaning. furthermore, what sam and cas told jack in the car— they’ve all done bad things, they’re all guilty and just have to deal with it, but they can be better (which he doesn’t realize because he was born two months ago and has no concept of complex morality) — is reaffirmed by dean saying that if jack has to be a monster for 1 accidental kill, then so do the rest of them for everything on their hands. and, going unsaid but still very important, We Can Be Better Together.

now, the writing with jack isn’t always perfect.. sometimes it’s extremely hard to watch, actually. happens to the best of us. but the way they set about writing a teenage boy character, who’s frankly not really written like a standard or even stereotypical Teenage Boy character, is something i personally consider to be one of their highlights. and i say all this to say, he’s not just a cardboard Millennial (chronologically incorrect but you get the idea) and the generational divide between him and sam and dean isn’t a Father I Cannot Click The Book boomer comic. if this show was about normal people and also 100% lamer it would probably roll like that tho. but naur instead we got Father I Cannot Cope With My Guilt and it fucking rocks

TLDR the perfect found family dynamic is 1 guy who’s like “ohhhh shit i did something bad and selfish and the guilt is eating me alive now im inherently evil” and 3 guys who are like “i think we’re ALL💜 a little selfish and guilt-ridden by our sins and the fear of inherent evil 🙏but we can do better 🫶”

[ruins-of-tragedy]

Thoughts on season one's episode four to seven of RWBY coming right up... Or down I guess.

Season 01 Episode 04: The First Step - Pt I

- I am so happy that I can sing along to some of the song now. One of them monsters has a yellow coloured tip on it's tail. Didn't notice that before.

- So, Ruby's symbol is a rose. Weiss has the snowflake in her corner. Both Blake and Yang have something akin to flames, but of different colours and shapes. Blake's thing looks more like a flame to be honest. Yang's is almost like a heart to me. Hmmm.

- The girl is a morning person. The guy isn't. Both of them are me somehow. These two also show up in the opening and ending together with Jaune and the red-kinda-like-fire-dressed lady.

- Also, the boy here has magenta eyes. And a hair stripe of the same colour. Nice.

- Nora and Ren. The former is crushing, ain't she? And do they have a major height difference? Maybe it was just the angle of the shot.

- No social interactions anymore. Ruby just wants to ride into the sunset with her weapon. Mood... Is this the arc where we learn about the importance of teamwork and people alongside her?

- "I don't need people to help me grow up. I drink milk!" Yes. You tell them kid.

- Yang doesn't want to be on Ruby's team. Typical big sister energy. I have that urge too sometimes.

- Jaune finishing a "nice and quirky" girl's sentence? More likely than you think.

- So red-kinda-like-fire-dressed lady is Pyrrha. Strong and well-known. Can't decipher her origins yet. Seems Greek to me, for whatever reason... Is she supposed to be Hestia?! That lady is my favourite goddess from the Greek pantheon.

- Weiss wants her in her own corner. And she is scheming already about a good life alongside her. LoLLL!

- Okay, why is this soliloquy from Weiss me as a kid thinking about getting a best friend for life? Nothing gay going on at all... Oh my Gods. She literally says, "Nothing could come between us now!" 😂👏🏻

- Jaune is jinx now. Am pretty sure Pyrrha is actually fond of him. She is the only one so far who waved at him willingly. Or maybe she was just being polite.

- "Hot stuff." "Snow angel." WoW.

- Weiss really is smart. She realised what would get Jaune to recognise Pyrrha after only two attempts. Kudos!

- I liked the cereal box animation bit. Gave me a good giggle.

- Pyrrha is so nice. Jaune thinks he has more game than he actually does. Should read up on personal space though. Ooooooh! That spear throw from Pyrrha was badass!

- "Ladykiller." Yeah, the ladies want to kill themselves often when he comes around. Jokes! 😂

- Is Ozpin sick or something? Every time I see him well enough, he has a cup in his hand. Granted I have only seen him thrice, but during two of those times he was drinking from a cup and walking around merrily. The initiation speech was the only time I saw him actively using what looks to be a cane. He didn't seem very energetic then, as noted by Yang and Ruby. Too early to actually lock in on this though.

- Emerald forest. Cute.

- Ruby's worst nightmare is coming true. Jaune's attempt at a question was the tree in the jungle no one saw fall. And they will be graded on their journey through the woods where they could die in the process... I want to be in this world.

- Jaune. My friend. It's kind-of a drop off. Look around. You missed Yang putting on her aviators moments before being catapulted. That was so cool.

- The Blake ending. Tune was nice. Very, expect something to come soon.

Season 01 Episode 05: The First Step - Pt II

- Rocking along to the opening song.

- Ruby smashed across a winged creature in her way down. Hope that birdie wasn't uncle Qrow. 😆

- The scythe landing technique was nice. Weiss has snowflake steps. Ren uses his gun very well. Yang is handblasting her gauntlets to fly through the sky. Pyrrha warrior princess-ed a path in. AND assisted Jaune. Gods, she is good... Yang seemed to be the only one having fun though. The aviators make a lot more sense now.

- How did Blake and Nora get in? Me wants to know!

- The mental juggling Ruby is doing as she runs... Funny and many people's everyday reality. Probably different circumstances though. I hope.

- The figures in her head are so unserious. Great for comedic value at least! Blake's "so mysterious, so calm" face is giving major 'Hey mamas' vibes.

- So Ruby's choices so far are her own sister. The incompetent nice guy. The anti-social bibliophile. And...

- Of course it's the mean girl Ruby ends up paired with... "The world needs the selfless and the selfish to keep spinning." 😭

- Oh my Gods. Is this Weiss' version of 'stuck between a rock and a hard place?'

- Ruby's celebratory hurrah might not last long, but mine probably will. 😁

- Jaune should be asking for team spots on Pyrrha's side. But still, cute!

- When did Ruby become the roadrunner, Weiss would like to know.

- Grimm monster's here. Weiss is alone. Ooooooh. Things mayhaps be getting interesting.

- Yang's ending. Exciting music. Makes me want to do a montage planning a revolution.

Season 01 Episode 06: The Emerald Forest - Pt I

- RWBY opening. My beloved.

- The monster is not Yang's sister. The other monster is also not Ruby. And they both get hit by Yang.

- Complained so bad Yang is teasing them now.

- Ahhhh. Her hair is precious. One strand out, and not only does the perpetrator go down but some trees around them as well. Junior's fate is shrouded in more darkness now.

- Blake did the other monster a favour by saving it from Yang's wrath.

- Her ensuing smirk and Yang's answer... New partner alert! AGHHHHHHHHH! It's happening!!!!

- Weiss being so technical about her stance and stuff could mean she hasn't had much time training with actual monsters.

- Ruby and Weiss' teamwork so good, they only needed one hit to bring down an entire group of monsters AND some chunk of the jungle... without even meaning to do that. 😂

- Sending my prayers to the collateral damage the forest is withstanding. And the noise pollution it needs to tolerate, courtesy of Ruby and Weiss.

- Slicing down the tree in anger was such an alpha male move. I support a woman in male dominated fields. Go Ruby!

- That feather is huge. Is that from a monster?

- I am loving the reversal of gender roles between Jaune and Pyrrha. The damsel in distress man and the competent protector lady. Considering this came out in 2013, good on the folks behind the show for making this a thing. Chef's kiss!

- Ooooooh! Exposition... "It bears our burdens and shields our hearts." I guess I don't have no soul. My aura would be working overtime otherwise.

- Ren vs a big snek. Aura Person vs Creature of Grimm. Manifestation of soul vs Manifestation of anonymity. Light vs Darkness.

- It's interesting how just as Pyrrha talks about understanding light and darkness, 'cause everyone has some of both, a white snek comes along. Also a Grimm creature, from the looks of it. Hmmm.

- Essentially, bare your soul. Project yourself. Turn your aura into a forcefield... Man, they really are coming for the arses of emotionally unavailable people.

- Hope Ren's okie... WHOA. This guy pulled out some serious ancient art moves with his magenta-pink(?) aura. Blasted a snek's head off. NOICE!!!

- The fact that Jaune didn't immediately assume Pyrrha was going to kiss him is good character development! 😂 Jokes aside though, Pyrrha used her own aura to unlock Jaune's? She is such a good person...

- White aura Jaune. Red aura Pyrrha.

- "You have a lot of it." Am sure Jaune's mum probably wondered why he had so much energy at least a few times. 😆

- A wild sloth appears. Ren doubts her choice of animal noise. The sloth uses the 'boop' maneuver to counteract this claim.

- The Jaune and Pyrrha ending. The music is almost EDM like here.

Season 01 Episode 07: The Emerald Forest - Pt II

- Yes, am ready for a revolution!

- Pairs have been formed and Madam Glynda has thoughts... I have none 'cause she so pretty.

- Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Norse myths and I think Chinese background... Nora's inspiration is apparent. Can't figure out Ren's... They do have such cool names though. NOICE!

- Of course Jaune is a good student. And Ozpin is really invested in Ruby. Hmmm.

- Weiss' sky high pride meet Ruby's rising irritation... Ooooof. That spat was unnecessary. Don't be so rude Weiss. You really don't know Ruby.

- Blake and Yang are the first ones to make it?! Dream team!!! Go sapphics, go!!!

- The temple's a chessboard. Huh.

- Jaune and Pyrrha enter a cave (Why does this sound like an opening for a joke?)... Jaune's only contribution has been extinguished 'cause he clumsy. Warmth in places dark... Good sign?

- Yang and Blake decide on taking a pony. Equestrian folks would appreciate it.

- The chesspieces have yellow and black toppers. Huh.

- Jaune confused the yellow-tip of a monster for the relic. Classic. His girlish screams are doing something to Blake. Is this PTSD?

- The cave has a drawing of a scorpion being forced in. Oh Gods. I think there was similar art when Pyrrha and Jaune were entering initially. Either this is actually funny or I am too tired.

- Jaune goes flying out, Ruby comes flying in. Wonder what happened there.

- The Ren and Nora ending. Sounds a little like a spy theme. Huh. I didn't realise they showed symbols in the end credits as well. Ren's is like a leaf. Or is it a flower. And Nora's reminds me of a hammer. But with a needle on both ends of the part with which you hit. Hmmm.

(You spoil me, I spoil your life.

Them's the rules. So don't do it. Farewell!)

[dead-west-podcast]

Alive and thriving! Some recommendations but know there are dozens if not hundreds of amazing shows being produced TODAY. It is a great time to dive in and find a new favorite and follow along. Hi Nay: Supernatural horror fiction podcast with a Filipina protagonist and Filipino supernatural elements. It has multiple BIPOC LGBTQ+ characters, and primarily takes place in Toronto

The Grotto: a liminal horror podcast with original music and a full cast that explores the thin line between grief, pain, mourning, and loss. Follow Matt who turns to spelunking for solace. As Matt battles grief, he questions if the caves are playing tricks or if something else lurks within Re:Dracula: takes the famous horror tale, breaks it up chronologically (every entry of this epistolary novel has a date), and sends the story directly to your podcatcher as it happens. Every time something happens to the characters, Re: Dracula will publish an episode, in real time. Some entries will be brief, and others will be long and intense.

Silt Verses: In this horror/fantasy serial drama, Carpenter and Faulkner, two worshippers of an outlawed god, travel up the length of their deity’s great black river, searching for holy revelations. Dead West (self promo): a horror fiction podcast that blends folk horror and weird western themes told in a re-imagined American Wild West. Follow Conrad as he sheds light on the creatures that lurk in the shadows.

Malevolent: Arkham Private Investigator Arthur Lester wakes up with no memory of who he is or what has happened, only a nameless, eerie voice guiding him through the darkness.

Are audio drama podcasts, horror podcasts, etc still in vogue?

I remember them being everywhere in college, TBT, Tannis, Limetown, White Vault, King Falls, Bright Sessions etc but i feel like, at least in my friend group, there's been no discussion of anything new in years.

[xx-sketchy-xx]

So much blah blah blah lol.

[egophiliac]

bring back zooterkins, the best 17th-century swear word

I don't normally do Just Characters Swearing, but. ...this kind of wrote itself and then wouldn't leave my head. it comes from both a piece of character-writing advice that has always stuck with me, and also my conviction that Leona is 1000% funnier as a character if his dialogue has to stay G-rated. let Kalim say fuck, but don't let Leona say bastard.

(I'm sorry)

[honeyed-ghost]

The worst of all blessings,

the best of all curses.

Based on Springtime by Pierre Auguste Cot.

[sunflower-salt]

Since writing my original post, I’ve started developing Abigail’s brother, Michael, and I’ve realized he is disabled as well! So here:

☠️ Michael Soulpyre has C-PTSD, depression, and post-traumatic psychosis resulting from a TBI!🪻

The reasons for his post-traumatic stress are the same as Abigail’s: He was raised in isolation and captivity by his abusive father. Whereas Abby was kept in the cellar, Michael was held upstairs, where the closest he ever got to being outside was looking out a barred window. Michael grows defensive when his PTSD is triggered, responding with anxiety disguised as anger at the sound of locking doors and people attempting to touch him. His trauma also manifests as clinical depression, which he goes out of his way to hide because he wants to “set a good example” for his sister. He struggles with anhedonia, apathy, and lack of motivation and during his depressive episodes tends to swing between melancholy and irritability with little warning.

Michael also suffers from psychosis as a result of a traumatic brain injury sustained in a motorcycle accident. His psychotic episodes are mostly composed of bizarre and somatic delusions; he often believes there is something terribly wrong with his body, such as that insects have burrowed under his tattoos or that parts of his body have died and started to putrefy. When having a psychotic episode, he also frequently hallucinates his father’s voice and at times forgets his father is dead. After a particularly severe delusional episode, Michael was finally prescribed medicine and given Storm-based electroconvulsive therapy. With his meds, his doctors, and his sister to support him, Michael is able to achieve a certain degree of normality and live a full life with his illness!

Tell me about your disabled Wizzy OCs!

Reblog and infodump about your physically disabled, mentally ill, neurodivergent, chronically ill, and intellectually disabled characters!

Here are mine (under a cut ’cause this got long):

💀 Ophelia Starshroud is semiverbal autistic, has combined ADHD, and has a spinal cord injury! 🌱

Her autism and ADHD are both undiagnosed, as many of her neurodivergent quirks, tics, and symptoms are written off as an inherent strangeness or the result of her immense magical power making her “funny” in the head. She is very quiet most of the time and occasionally has nonverbal episodes, but in class, she’s quite talkative and engaged because magic is one of her special interests! Her other special interests are astronomy, botany, and spiders. She often reads nonfiction about her SpIns to learn as much as she can about them and has been known to infodump! She also frequently stims with her magic, producing little mana sparkles that change color depending on the emotion her stimming is trying to express. When she flaps her hands in excitement or joy, expect to see showers of sparkles! One of her most common stims is wringing her hair in both hands like a soaked dish towel; this typically makes an appearance when she is anxious, upset, or simply thinking very hard. She has a strong flat affect and is quite introverted. Due to her ADHD, she also struggles with impulsivity, which has caused some big-time problems—both in her personal life and as the Savior of the Spiral (cough freeing Spider from the Black Hole despite being warned away multiple times because “I have to know who’s calling me!!!” cough).

As for her spinal cord injury, she has a C-7 incomplete SCI. “C-7” indicates that the injury is located in her cervical spine, the highest portion of the spinal cord. “Incomplete” indicates that she still has some sensation and movement below the injury.

Ophelia acquired her SCI during her first battle with Jotun and would likely have died if not for being an embodiment of Death magic, which makes her very hardy. As a result of the injury, she can only walk with leg braces and fatigues from walking more easily than she used to, which sometimes means using a wheelchair. She also experiences orthostatic hypotension—dips in blood pressure when going from lying down to sitting/standing, which can result in dizziness, fainting, and nausea, among other things. She has only partial control of her bladder and bowels and often experiences tingling, numbness, and shooting pains in her arms and legs, which can negatively impact her ability to walk and use her hands. She gets frequent headaches and occasional migraines, some of them with an aura, because the injury is so close to the base of her neck. On occasion, she also struggles to breathe and cough productively, which can cause issues when she’s trying to fight or when she’s sick.

Ophelia had to adjust to becoming physically disabled. When it comes to her mental and emotional quirks as a result of AuDHD, she’s long been of the opinion that it’s other people who have the issue, not her. She doesn’t mind being different most of the time; she doesn't like most people anyway. But when it comes to her physical health, adjusting to being physically disabled and having many more limitations, triggers, and bad health days than she had before takes her quite a while. She experiences rage, grief, self-recrimination, and shame over her newfound difficulties, and she struggles to overcome many of the limiting, largely subconscious beliefs she once held about what it means to be physically disabled. At the same time as she must realize that she's still the same person she was before her injury, she must also acknowledge, accept, and respect her newfound limitations, honoring her body's signals when it's telling her she needs to slow down or stop doing something entirely. She still struggles mightily with that second one, having a bad tendency to forgo listening to her body's signals if said signals would get in the way of her performing her job as the Savior of the Spiral. In many ways, Ophelia prioritizes the continued health and safety of the Spiral and of other people over her own health and safety, and this sometimes has drastic consequences...

🔥 Abigail Soulpyre is nonverbal autistic and has anxiety! 🎲

Abigail was raised in a cellar by her abusive father, who saw her as a monster and an abomination of pure Azoth. He didn’t speak to her very much at all, and as such, she likely would not have acquired a first language anyway. However, even if he had spoken to her regularly, she would still have turned out mute due to her autism.

When Abigail finally escapes from her nightmarish existence in the cellar, she emerges into a world she knows absolutely nothing about. This experience, along with her preexisting trauma, contributed to the development of her anxiety disorder, which sometimes causes her to have panic attacks. Her panic attacks are often difficult to distinguish from her autistic meltdowns, with both types of episode manifesting as crying, rage, violence, overwhelm, and self-harm. Her meltdowns are typically triggered by unpleasant sensations, such as a bad texture or too-bright lights or a grating sound, while her panic attacks are more often triggered by reminders of her childhood trauma: the sound of raised voices and slamming doors, small spaces and total darkness, or someone raising their hand as if to hit her.

In order to communicate, Abigail learns Wizard City Sign Language, which is also learned by her older brother, Michael, who was also being held captive in the Soulpyre house. She’s surprisingly articulate and has a lot of observations and theories about the outside world, which she enthusiastically shares with anyone who can understand her. Her favorite sign is her own name—the letter A + the sign for curly hair—followed by Michael’s name (the letter M + “brother”) and the sign for “sun.”

🌙 Edie Moonbright has POTS and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome! 👩🏾‍🦽‍➡️

Edie has been disabled her entire life. She was born with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, specifically hypermobile EDS, which results in joint hypermobility and easy/frequent dislocation of her joints. She bruises very easily, frequently experiences muscle weakness and joint pain in her knees and hips, and lives with chronic fatigue. Due to her EDS, which negatively impacted her blood circulation and autonomic functions, she also developed postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) in her early adolescence. Her POTS exacerbated previous issues she had with fatigue and orthostatic hypotension, which causes her to become dizzy and sometimes faint upon moving from a lying position to sitting/standing up. It also came with a host of new symptoms, including brain fog (especially first thing in the morning), excessive sweating (especially at night, which makes it difficult for her to sleep), and a general feeling of malaise. Because of her disabilities, she is a part-time wheelchair user—the reasons range from severe fatigue to vertigo to dislocations or pain in the joints of her hips, knees, or ankles.

When Edie first developed POTS, she went through a grieving period; although she had lived with EDS her whole life, her development of POTS meant she now had even more limitations and more bad health days than before, and she grieved for the loss of what little health she'd had. Edie always bounces back, though, and once she felt ready to accept her new life, she ambitiously embarked on the creation of a youth disability support group for adolescents with a wide range of chronic health conditions, wanting to foster a sense of community, solidarity, and support for girls like herself. The group functions not only as a place to get advice, support, tips, and encouragement for dealing with disability, but also as a social group where disabled girls can meet each other and forge new friendships with others who can relate to their experiences and empathize with navigating a world that isn't always built for disabled people. The group frequently meets up for game nights, lunches, and other activities that serve to create and reinforce bonds and offer a sense of community where before there may have been only loneliness. And it’s all thanks to Edie!

🌸 Sumi Fallenblossom is Deaf! 🎸

Sumi was born with progressive hearing loss in both ears. By the time she was about four, she had 85% hearing loss in her right ear and 65% hearing loss in her left ear. As a teenager, she is entirely deaf in her right ear but still has some hearing in her left ear, which is enhanced somewhat by the use of a hearing aid. Having been raised by two Deaf parents, one of whom communicates primarily via speech and one of whom communicates primarily through Wizard City Sign Language, Sumi is fluent in both communication styles and changes how she communicates based on who she’s speaking to and what their style of communication is. The capital D in “Deaf” is important—Sumi is proud of her Deafness, her Deaf community, and the unique culture that surrounds them.

In terms of what Sumi can actually hear, she perceives low frequencies far better than high frequencies, and very loud sounds are usually perceived more by the vibrations they create than the actual sound itself. Sumi is a hardcore punk rocker, and there’s nothing she loves more than rocking out to the pounding rhythms and chest-shaking bass of her favorite songs! She shares her love of punk rock with her dad, who raised her on the stuff.

Sumi often struggles to differentiate words without some degree of lip reading; typically, she can accurately perceive every third word or so. As such, she’s gotten very good at synthesizing multiple pieces of information—gathered from what little she can hear, lip reading, and observation of the other person’s body language—in order to accurately guess what people are saying. Even so, there are many miscommunications, which Sumi takes in good humor!

[katabay]

PAGLUIB

way back in like. march?? I took a stab at writing some kind of kabitserye type of story but it was a mess: it kept veering off into murder mystery drama territory because I was reading a lot of murder mystery novels around then and it Wasn't Good because I hadn't tried writing mysteries, let alone murder mysteries, before lmao

I did write a handful of short mystery stories since then, so next year I might take a stab at this idea again now that I'm no longer jumping head first into a genre pool I don't know how to swim in :)

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Episode 41, part three

(Masterpost) (Pinboard)  (whole thing on AO3)

Warning! Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Brotherhood of Man

Somehow, after the multi-layered shit sandwich of betrayal that happened in Nightless City, Lan Xichen manages to convince his two besties to swear brotherhood with him and each other. Lan Xichen's Polyamory 101 class apparently didn't tell him that forcing a vee to become a three-for-all is a bad idea. Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao are bonded by only two things: 1. loving Lan Xichen 2. hating each other.

Nie Mingjue is great at letting bygones be bygones, as we can tell as he glares all the way through Jin Guangyao's skull.

Next we jump to Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao playing the song of clarity for Nie Mingjue, with Lan Xichen in a particularly sexy set of ultra-fancy robes.

NMJ keeps his eyes shut so he won't have to see the extreme eye fucking that's going on right in front of his salad.

Check out his cool candle holders, by the way.

I can't help but think...is this how Lan Xichen is spending his time while Lan Wangji is in forced seclusion? Lan Xichen didn't attack any elders, so there's no reason he shouldn't be enjoying himself, but he's gone all in on the fuckboy life while his brother is seriously struggling. The Lan brothers seem a lot less close after Wei Wuxian's death interlude and I wonder if this is part of the reason.

(More behind the cut!)

We take a tiny break from empathy during this section so that Lan Wangji can check Wei Wuxian's qi.

He does, and goes to play healing for him. He does not react like WWX is lacking a core, despite doing the magic wrist check that would tip him off if that were the case, so I add this to the pile of evidence that WWX 2.0 does have a (shitty) core in his new body.

I like this little scene because Lan Wangji is clearly worried, emotional, upset - he's doing his little sour-lemon frown and he's intensely focused on Wei Wuxian while he plays healing - but he's not trying to wake him, and he doesn't say anything about his own concerns once Wei Wuxian is awake.

Grown-up Lan Wangji is still not a fan of these unorthodox cultivation activities, but he respects WWX's choices and focuses on supporting him, not stopping him.

Play Misty For Me

Next, empathy shows us Jin Guangyao playing for Nie Mingjue in a 1-on-1 session in JinLintai. I guess this is like dialysis, where Nie Mingjue has to waste a shit ton of time going back and forth between home and JinLinTai to get cleansed.

It seems like Lan Xichen could have picked a better person to train in playing the song of clarity. I know Nie Huaisang's wussy core might make him a poor candidate, but surely there's someone in Qinghe who could do the job? Or send a series of Lan disciples in an exchange student arrangement? But Lan Xichen would rather force these guys to hang out together.

Lan Xichen may seem like he's being wilfully blind, or plain stupid, but I don't think that's what he's about. He's aware that both of these guys are, from a certain point of view, bad people. Nie Mingjue is driven by rage and a rigid sense of justice and social hierarchy; Jin Guangyao is consumed with self-interest and will use any means to achieve his ends.

Good guys Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji will also use any means to achieve their ends - attacking elders, raising the dead, and whatnot. What all four of these not-Lan Xichen people have in common is that they go to extremes, too high or too low, there ain't no in-betweens.

Out of the darkness, into the light Leaving the scene of the crime Either I'm wrong or I'm perfectly right Every time

Sorry, but Billy Joel is part of my cultural heritage as a Gen X person.

Lan Xichen embodies a combination of Confucian and Buddhist values, I think; he wants the people he cares about to chill the fuck out and find the middle way, and also to be truly brotherly toward each other. He tries to achieve this through gentle nagging and also by modeling the behavior he wants to see, creating opportunities for peace and balance. Unfortunately at the time Empathy is showing us, he's unware how extreme and unbalanced his own feelings for Jin Guangyao really are.

At some point, Jin Guangyao starts playing the altered version of the music, and we have a series of kind of weird cuts where 1. the Song of Fuck You is playing on the soundtrack while Lan Xichen is teaching Jin Guangyao 2. NMJ starts to hork up some blood in the 1-on-1 session but finishes horking in the trio session. I think this is meant to show that it was a progression.

Meet Me Outside

Empathy jumps ahead to Lan Xichen trying to warn Jin Guangyao about Nie Mingjue's declining temperament, saying that if it wasn't for JGY playing for him every day, it would be super bad, or words to that effect. He is interrupted by Nie Mingjue showing up to yell at Jin Guangyao. Was Nie Mingjue eavesdropping so that his head could recall this later in Empathy?

I'm inclined to see the dynamic among the three of them at this point through a lens of domestic violence. Lan Xichen stands by helplessly while Nie Mingjue makes it clear that he's in a rage and wants to take it out on Jin Guangyao; JGY calmly tells Lan Xichen to stay behind while he goes outside to take a beating. That's not just optics; Nie Mingjue attacks him the moment they're alone. The fact that NMJ is drunk on resentment is only partly the fault of Jin Guangyao's musical poison; a lot of it is his own choice to do saber cultivation.

Lan Xichen may remember similar interactions with his parents. He's certainly having a trauma reaction instead of stepping into this situation from a place of strength. He's protected Jin Guangyao from NMJ before without any difficulty, but the changes in NMJ's temperament and possibly the loss of Lan Wangji's companionship have put him in a weaker state of mind, it seems. And he himself may have been the target of Nie Mingjue's anger at times, too.

The Ragening

After dodging the first swing from Nie Mingjue, Jin Guangyao asks him why he's mad. The gist of NMJ's beef is this: Xue Yang escaped from the unclean realm. NMJ (correctly) blames JGY. Now Xue Yang is imprisoned by Jin Guangshan after a trial or something, in which Chang Ping retracted his earlier accusation. So they can't execute Xue Yang because there's no evidence against him. (Why can they imprison him for life with no evidence, then? Seems sketchy).

Nie Mingjue says that Xue Yang has a piece of Yin metal, and that's why Jin Guangshan is keeping him alive. JGY doesn't affirm or deny this, but he has to obey his dad, so he can't kill Xue Yang just to please Nie Mingjue.

Nie Mingjue tells him to stop doing that thing he does.

You Doing that thing you do Breakin' my heart into a million pieces Like you always do And you Don't mean to be cruel You never even knew about the heartache I've been going through

Jin Guangyao has to intuit what Nie Mingjue is talking about, which is apparently that JGY is being calculating and manipulative.

He proceeds to rip NMJ a new one for believing that everyone can be as rigteous as him when he has his noble birth and high cultivation to depend on. JGY points out that he himself doesn't have early cultivation training or a good family background to draw on. He also gives us a little bit of specific info about his position in the clan, saying that Jin Zixuan's death didn't give him a clear path; Jin Guangshan would rather bring back another bastard son than allow Jin Guangyao to succeed him.

Presumably he's talking about Mo Xuanyu. Before you feel sorry for JGY, remember that he caused Jin Zixuan's death specifically so he could claim his place in the line of succession.

Nie Mingjue says, dismissively, that he's only refusing to kill Xue Yang because he doesn't want to risk his position in the clan. Nie Mingjue says this like it's a bad thing: like Jin Guangyao, who he fired quite a while ago and totally doesn't work for him, should go against his father's express orders and kill a guy, without evidence, because Nie Mingjue thinks that would be more righteous. I gotta say, Nie Mingjue is a real piece of work.

Nie Mingjue acknowledges that he himself has killed a fuckton of people, but never for his own advancement. Jin Guangyao challenges him with words that have a little flavor of Wei Wuxian's way of thinking: did everyone you've killed deserve it? Are your standards fair?

Then he heads firmly back into villain territory by saying "sacrifices must be made for greatness" which has Nie Mingjue asking why he doesn't sacrifice himself, instead of killing other people? (Shades of WWX challenging Wen Zhuliu) Jin Guangyao replies with an emphatic nope, which inspires Nie Mingjue to kick him down the stairs and attribute his poor character to his mom's line of work, for not the first time. If I was in charge of Jinlintai, I would put a safety gate up there.

The bottom of these stairs is kind of an important place for Jin Guangyao; he's been kicked down them twice (that we know of) and each time he stood up 100% ready to kill the guy at the top of the stairs. Although he took a super long time to actually do it in the case of his dad, I'm pretty sure JGS's fate was sealed in that moment....just like Nie Mingjue's is sealed here.

Side note: In the show, JGY starts musically poisoning NMJ while they are still ostensibly getting along fine, whereas in the book he waits until NMJ has kicked him down the stairs and insulted his mom. CQL Jin Guangyao is just more forward-thinking, I guess.

After fixing his hat, Jin Guangyao walks up the stairs calmly explaining to Nie Mingjue how he fucked with the song of cleansing. This causes Nie Mingjue to qi deviate while the Department of Questionable Visual Effects messes around with extra copies of Jin Guangyao in AfterFX.

Not to be outdone, the Department of Questionable Practical Effects has loaded up the front of Nie Mingjue's torso with exploding blood squibs, because apparently that is how they interpret "all his meridians were broken." (We won't talk about the various non-cultivation-aware translations that say "all his veins were broken.")

Nie Huaisang shows up - running up all of the steps at Jinlintai. From where? Did he run from Qinghe? How did he know Nie Mingjue was in trouble? If Lan Xichen told him, why isn't he here too? Presumably he is still busy checking the guest list for the next conference, per JGY's request.

Jin Guangyao grabs Nie Huaisang and holds him out of harms way while vigorously pretending to be upset while Nie Mingjue points his saber at them. Nie Huaisang interprets this as NMJ not recognizing him (and if you've seen Fatal Journey, you know this is a fair interpretation) but it might be that he's pointing it at JGY to encourage him to let NHS go.

This Is The End

Next we see NMJ all tied up on a table in Jinlintai, with corpse poisoning marks on his neck. Someday I will learn exactly when these happen, what they mean, and how everyone who has them gets them, but today is not that day. (Remember when Wen Qing got them while WWX was playing angry flute at the rocks behind Qinghe, and then they went away when he stopped playing? And how this was never explained?) Xue Yang is walking around him with Baxia and half of the yin tiger seal. He can't control him without the whole seal so JGY says to kill him.

In case all of Xue Yang's behavior seems super random, it's actually not; his project is turning high-level cultivators into controllable fierce corpses. Where Wei Wuxian controlled his fierce corpse Wen Ning with kindness and turnips, Xue Yang uses fancy brain nails. With Nie Mingjue, he presumably hadn't developed the technique yet, which is why they can't subdue him to use him. And he failed to get the nails into Xiao Xingchen or Wei Wuxian's heads. So basically the entire project was a bust, given that he didn't deploy Wen Ning for anything, and Song Lan just followed him around an empty town. This is what happens when you get too attached to a particular creative vision.

Camera Operator: hey now!

Xue Yang uses Baxia to chop Nie Mingjue's head off, which has to piss Baxia off. Xue Yang says Nie Mingjue is finally obedient, which is only sort of true, since he'll be coming back for revenge in sword-spirit form in the live action, or in naked dismembered corpse form in every other version of the story.

Friendly Neighborhood Paperman

This murder causes Wei Wuxian to snap out of empathy back into his paperman body, and accidentally pull NMJ's head's eye covers off, revealing eyes that don't look a goddamn thing like actor Wang Yizhou's eyes, but this head has had a rough few years.

Jin Guangyao is right there in the storeroom with him; it's a good thing he didn't think to have one of his chats with NMJ's head during the 30 minutes WWX spent communing with it. He chases Paperman around slashing his sword through the furniture and knocking shit over.

Among JGY's many evil traits, perhaps the worst is the way he wastes storage space. Look at all these shelves with 2 or 3 books on them.

Paperman makes his way over to Suibian where it's displayed on a shelf, and hops onto its hilt while JGY watches. He smirks at WWX's failure to draw the sword, but eventually Paper WWX does draw it, surprising JGY. Suibian fights him remotely for a bit while WWX gets away and makes his way back to Lan Wangji.

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji trade arm clasps while Wei Wuxian gives him a sitrep, and then they run off to find Nie Mingjue's head.

Because there is no limit to Wei Wuxian's sex appeal, Lan Wangji instantly beats up everyone who gets in his sweetie's way. Lan Xichen shows up, a little alarmed at the attacks on the guards but still on board with their plan.

Lan Xichen deploys his most dramatic stair-climbing flourish to show that he means business.

Eventually Jin Guangyao shows up, and they ask to see his secret chamber. Jin Guangyao tries to explain that it's not, like, a secret chamber any more if you let people come in and look at it.

Apparently there IS a limit to Jin Guangyao's sex appeal, because Lan Xichen puts his foot down for the very first time and tells him, not asks him, to open the room.

...while Wei Wuxian smirks like a kid whose sibling is the one getting yelled at for a change.

Before Jin Guangyao can answer, Su She shows up, saying it's not cool to demand entry to a clan leader's bed chamber, as if Lan Xichen didn't have his own embroidered bathrobe alredy hanging on a hook in there.

Lan Wangji and Su She greet each other nastily, and Wei Wuxian calls him out for copying Lan Wangji, which ends the episode.

Soundtrack: I Go To Extremes by Billy Joel, That Thing You Do from the movie That Thing You Do

Bonus: Liu Haikuan's beautiful hand