#There’s one scene where they’re confronting peter together and I actually thought they were gonna say they hooked up 😭

[gob-lob]

@ath-thuraya your area of expertise? LOL

put three f/f ships you like in the tags. doesnt matter how obscure or embarrassing the media, go for it. and no, your m/m ship doesnt count as women

[ty-talks-comics]

Best of Marvel: Week of February 5th, 2020

Best of this Week: Miles Morales: Spider-Man #15 (Legacy #255) - Saladin Ahmed, Javier Garrón, David Curiel and Cory Petit 

I had a really difficult time choosing between this and X-Men/Fantastic Four #1.

Both stories were great this week and I was tempted to choose the latter because up to this point, I hadn't really been enjoying this Spider-Man run very much. Of course, here we are though. There was just something about how this issue pulled everything together that made me appreciate the story that Saladin Ahmed set out to tell and how Miles is finally growing into the hero that fans always knew he was. Everything just felt so right amidst this roller coaster of an “Ultimatum” arc.  Even in the face of tremendous adversity Miles overcomes.

Throughout this series, Ahmed has been sprinkling small bits of an arc to readers with Miles constantly being late for class, tired and even being placed on academic probation by his Principal, Mr. Dutcher. Of course it's easy to paint Dutcher as potentially a racist due to how much he's had it in for Miles throughout the story, almost to very ludicrous points in his attempts to kick Miles out of the school. Things seek to finally take a turn when we find out that Dutcher found the notebook that Miles had been writing in with all of his Spider-Man adventure thoughts.

Garrón makes sure to draw Dutcher with the worst, "I've got your ass now" looks I've ever seen with one hand placed in his underarm while he taunts Miles with his journal. Curiel colors things ominously with light shadows going over most of his face as he prepares to ream Miles, but suddenly Brooklyn Visions, Miles' school, is attacked by a horde of new Green Goblins. Garrón makes them look threatening as hell as they terrorize the student body and the teachers with destroyed cars and fire in the background.

Without hesitation, Miles tries to swoop in and save them, but the Goblins find him and Dutcher, rounding them up with the rest of the hostages. The leader Goblin demands that the school hand over Spider-Man while threatening the staff. Garrón and Curiel sell this by portraying the Goblin as a towering beast with one green foot planted on the head of one of the teachers, his grey toenails curling over him. They’re certainly not as intimidating as the Main Green Goblin of the Ultimate Universe, but their numbers and power do cast as at least mildly formidable foes, at least for this issue.

One of the black teachers steps up and offers to remain the only hostage if they let the kids and other teachers go. I really like this character as I think he's the one that assigned the journal project and he's been acting as something of a mentor to Miles throughout. He really cares about his students and colleagues even though he's terrified and he's the first of many to inspire courage in this issue.

Just as the Goblin is about to absolutely RIP the teacher's head off, Dutcher steps up and says that his colleague doesn't know where Spider-Man is and says that he does. Everyone remembers that moment in the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie where J. Jonah Jameson risks his life for Peter so that he can escape - well, after giving a telling look to Miles, Dutcher claims that he himself Spider-Man before getting smacked into a wall. This is an amazing turning point for the character as we’ve only seen him be annoying and antagonistic to Miles the entire time that we’ve known him. With one small act of courage, he kinda reverses it all when he could have just given into his worse thoughts.

Garrón and Curiel frame this scene excellently with one shot of Miles looking at Dutcher, with a light shining on his face, almost wondering what the right decision is. He may not like Miles too much, but he couldn't forgive himself if he gave the boy up. We get another shot over Dutcher's shoulder, shadows covering the other side of his face and Miles looking at him, afraid that he could have his identity exposed and die right there. With no dialogue these two panels say more than any word balloons could.

Ganke, Miles' best friend, decides to launch another distraction for Miles to suit up and our hero swings in with an amazing splash page by Garrón and Curiel. The students cheer, the Goblins grit their teeth in anger and Miles takes a dynamic pose as his webs make an excellent line for the our eyes to follow from Miles arms, his heroic symbol and his gymnast legs getting ready to kick the crap out of evil. The black and red suit stands out amongst the mostly greens and browns of the page, putting the focus mainly on him.

For the most part, the rest of the issue is Garrón and Curiel showcasing Spider-Man's Goblin Slaying skill while they try to take him down. He crashes through the wall of the school and Garrón emphasizes the weight and speed of the fight with debris and skid marks as Miles knocks two of the Goblins out, making them revert to human form. There's also a really good shot of the leader Goblin chucking dumbbells and gymnast posts at Spider-Man.

Curiel does an amazing job of coloring the action as things move from the brown of the basketball court, to the blues of the indoor pool in which Garrón draws an amazing few panels of them fighting in the water. As per Curiel's coloring style the water is fluid and beautiful and then gets excellent lighting as Spider-Man Venom Blasts the Goblin in the middle of it all. 

Cory Petit deserves heaps of credit for giving this entire book life with his incredible lettering and even more so this fight sequence. His transparent CRASHes and ZZZZZTs sell both the intensity of Miles and the Goblin going through walls and the power of Spider-Man’s Venom Blasts respectively. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the SPLASH as the Goblin falls into the pool or the transparent SLOSH that curves down the villain’s arm as he tries to punch at Miles in the water. 

The fight reaches its conclusion after Miles repeatedly kicks the Goblin in the face and finishes with an uppercut (Shoryuken!) over a red, pop-art background that could only have been made better with a POW sound effect. The Goblin, knowing he’s been defeated, jumps away and leaves Spider-Man until their next confrontation. Later on Miles and Mr. Dutcher resume their conversation from earlier and it is a far more tense situation, especially after all of the damage that occured to the school.

Surrounded by Curiel’s dim oranges from the fires raging in the background, Miles tries to explain all the things that he says in his Journal, but Mr. Dutcher calmly hands his student his journal back. Dutcher tells Miles that he “should report students engaging in dangerous activities to the administration,” but all that he read was a “fictional story.” For a moment, Dutcher gives Miles a look like he sees the fear on the young man’s face, but he rationalizes that if Miles hadn’t done what he did, there’s no telling if any of them would be alive.

Mr. Dutcher proves himself to be a trustworthy person because of the bravery that Miles showed him. Miles has saved Brooklyn, if not the whole of the world, many a time and he’s actually one of the more well liked Spider-People. Miles serves as an inspiration to the rest of Brooklyn Visions and the borough as a whole, but there’s also the downside of his presence. Somehow the Goblins were able to find out what school Spider-Man attended and that puts everyone in grave danger, so the question is… what will Miles do now? He did save the day and got taken off of academic probation, but the school is mostly in ruin. Much like Peter’s best victories, this one is pyrrhic.

Saladin Ahmed really knocked it out of the park with this issue. He does a really good job at scripting Miles and his supporting cast, making each of them seem courageous and sympathetic. Javier Garron and David Curiel’s art and colors have been some of the best parts of this run and they continue to stun with amazing visuals, making sure readers get really invested in the art and the story it tells along with the script.

I do also wonder if this story will play into the upcoming “Outlawed” event which sees teenaged superheroes getting banned from active operation after something terrible happens to Spider-Man friend, Kamala Khan aka. Ms. Marvel. The destruction of Brooklyn Visions could act as more fuel to the fire following this issue and it would be interesting to see how this could possibly contribute to that event. Maybe we’ll even see Miles unmask to the world? (Nah, it’s probably gonna be her, but who knows?) But I am excited at the very least for the rest of Ahmed’s run if the issues continue being this awesome.

[asherlockstudy]

I get that interview was HBO forced but it sounds insane when last season, he was saying Jaime needed to get away from her for good. I mean no nice post about Gwen after the last ep. I dont believe it was about not wanting to stir the hornet's nest if him and B didnt get together as he posted a huge loving one about Lena and that was a very controversial part of the plot. If hed know posted a gwen one saying"sorry JB didnt get a happy ending but here's me and Gwen in happier times" i dont get it

I think it’s very weird too…Imma analyze it. Not that I’m gonna reach any solid conclusion but I will just lay out all my thoughts.

Whatever the reason Nik doesn’t post or reply publicly to Gwen is, it has nothing to do with his personal preference for Braime or Jaime x Cersei. Even if we make the insane assumption that Nik appreciated that Jaime dumped Brienne to return to murderous Cersei and die with her without serving any purpose in the main plot (what lead actor of 8+ years would ever like being unimportant in the ending plot) and saw “pOeTRy” in it, it still doesn’t explain why he should prefer posting about Lena over Gwen. We would be naive to think he made a post about Lena and not Gwen because he prefers Cersei to Brienne. So, we still have no clear evidence of what Nik’s private thoughts and feelings are for his character after the ending. 

Here’s what we have: 

We have two interviews: one with HBO rofl and one with that journalist who collaborates with HBO and was an insider (I’m not gonna search his name) in which he stans Jaime’s choices, his love for Cersei and the tragic poetry in it all. Then we have him promoting the episodes and the documentary in his instagram and twitter, however he is entirely emotionally detached from his character and his fate. I would say he lowkey looks entertained in his weird af episode promo videos and secretly amused while filming the “thank you” video after the last episode where he says “Come on, it was great” and suggests a petition for an Arya (huh?) sequel.

We have two videos uploaded on yt with him: one is a video of a stalker in which Nik looks uncomfortable and passes the question to the random guy next to him who apparently happens to be a GOT fan, have an elaborate opinion on the last season, hate D&D and think they threw away Jaime’s beautiful character arc. What are the odds…The second is a skit in Jimmy Kimmel in which Nik drags his own character by making him stupid and clumsy, a sad little being because of his maiming and, most importantly, an unrepentant sister fucker. All of Jaime’s worst qualities displayed for laughs, plus that he’s actually a likeable but very stupid person. The skit ends with a dragon randomly burning him and his family alive and those credits

So, we have straightforward criticism towards D&D by Kimmel and NCW actually participates in it. This is what this skit means - that this level of writing, this kind of lame character and that ludicrous death is something that only Benioff and Weiss would like to produce. And, well, the Olsen sisters (although I think they’re cleverer than that). 

So, we have two videos where NCW’s intentions are dubious AT BEST. 

Then we have all the promos. When left to speak on his own, Nikolaj would say how the ending was beautiful and made sense and he once mentioned he sent a letter to thank them for this genius plot…Right. But then when asked or caught off guard (1:04): 

Nobody tries to sugarcoat it, look at the title of the video: … NCW is ‘happy’.  Then of course we have our Lady and Saviour Gwen who tries not to laugh as Nik struggles to find what to say and not just stand up and flee.

Also, this one. The best one: 

I could make a thousand gifs for this but just watch again the entire video:

0:07 - Gwen’s face when Nik says he thought the script was fantastic

1:13 - “N-no..NO!!!” when asked if he would change something in the ending and Gwen’s reaction to that. Then, our leader Gwen proceeds to mock him: “So, it’s an immaculate- It’s immaculate?” to which Nik impulsively replies: “NO!” and goes on “do you ever read a book and think you want to rewrite this?” which implies, that yes he would want to rewrite it but knows he can’t. 

(3:03 - 3:06) - VERY IMPORTANT ONE. When Gwen wondered who was closer to predicting the actual ending, Nik says “I was, yeah” and OMG look at Gwen’s face. It’s very subtle but she’s trying to communicate with her eyes a “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT” to him without being seen by the interviewer. It’s kind of a wife done with her husband’s shit look tbh, that level of subtlety. And Nik answers back with his eyes in equal subtlety and it’s like he says a “What? I truly was right lol….”. To me, this seems to mean that Nik always knew or feared that D&D would eventually destroy all his work and was eventually proven right. Unless this all is about Dany being killed by Jon but I doubt at this point Nik and Gwen cared enough to go all cryptic and eye communicating for this. No, it was about them. 

3:09 - Nik is surprised and then clearly amused at the information by the interviewer that Kit was the one who came closer with his prediction. He can’t hide his smile and says an ironic “good for him” while looking knowingly at Gwen who then says this must be a lie. This shows that it is known amongst the actors that most of them are disappointed and Kit was one of them. Both Nik and Gwen apparently knew Kit hated his ending too and would never expect this to be how the show would wrap up. BTW that writing and that backlash really got to Kit, I hope he recovers soon. But think about this, Kit went into rehab for stress and alcohol, Emilia was devastated and gave a somewhat concerning interview and Nik’s public behaviour regarding GOT is inconsistent and unpredictable. I am thus assuming the writing of the final season and the backlash fucked them up way more than they let on. 

This interview is a gem but here’s the most important part, perhaps the core of what baffles us: 

1:32 - After all the miserable no-nos poor Nik mumbles, Gwen tells Nik what we all think: “I think it’s just a question, you know? Maybe you want to answer it?”

Of course he’s in a total loss for words. Literally, he doesn’t make any sense. Some incoherent sounds come out of his mouth and that’s it. This can mean two things: either he truly thinks the ending is perfect or the ending made him such a mess that he can’t even process it verbally two years later. 

Either Gwen is much braver and Nik is extemely paranoid or Nik actually has many more restrictions in what he is allowed to say. I believe Gwen wanted Nikolaj to be as open as her about it and she still tries to make him open up but he doesn’t. In all the promos without exception, Gwen looks as if she knows Nik is full of shit and secretly agrees with her. If Gwen knows that for a fact, then we can’t argue and it’s actually what makes sense anyway. Nikolaj agrees with Gwen but is not eager to discuss it openly yet, or ever. This could be because he is very professional or because he doesn’t want to get a bad name as a “backstabber” of his projects or it might be a situation of a more sensitive nature. 

If those rumours that the S8 script was changed are true, then Nik and Lena might have had a serious breakdown with D&D and a negotiation might have taken place. For instance, Nik and Lena were really unnecessary in E6, Nik’s scene in E1 could have been eliminated as well and Lena does not appear in E3. Yes, they are big actors but paying them 1,2 million for every episode seems a tad excessive when Emilia and Kit are now famous too and have like 300% times more screentime. All this is wild speculation but maybe they stretched their appearance in the episodes as much as possible and gave them a good amount of money to agree on the butchering of their characters and their importance as former lead actors. I mean, especially Lena was downgraded to a secondary character in this season. Lena had to really fight to see her salary rise in the previous seasons. And now it’s a million for every episode? Wow. How many minutes was she staring out of the window in S8? Maybe they were silenced and payed a shitload of money to stop complaining and promote the show and praise the writing as what it was supposed to be. Maybe they payed them in order to promote Peter, Kit and Emilia for the Emmys instead, who knows. When so much money is involved, things can get frustrating in ways we don’t even fathom. This is wild and rough speculation but all I’m saying is there may be reasons Nik avoids talking freely about his character that we can’t know. 

Besides, it’s not just a Gwen problem. It is not a Gwen problem. Gwen revealed she sent a “Jaime is a fuckboi” meme to Nik privately and he answered playfully as ever (but again as if he’s in denial). They posted a story together a couple of weeks ago. Nik did not just ignore Gwen’s instagram post. Daniel Portman posted the photo and tagged Nikolaj too. Nik ignored him as well. Bryan Cogman, who Nik and Gwen owe a lot to, commented under the photo in a very sweet and emotional way. Guess what, Nik ignored him too! It’s ridiculous to think Nikolaj has stopped communicating and caring about Gwen AND Daniel AND Bryan just because his character returned to Cersei. Furthermore, the fact that they all keep tagging him shows they don’t think their relationships with him have become tense. 

That’s not it. It’s not about Gwen. The only way that Gwen is involved in all this is that she wants Nikolaj to open up so that he would give a little acknowledgement to her character and the relationship with Jaime because she feels very much for Brienne. I’m sad to say, however, that it seems to me that Nik did not take that blow more lightly than Gwen. In fact, his behaviour is more inconsistent and troubling whereas Gwen’s openness about it made her confront that sore subject more healthily after all. I start believing Nik was actually way more devastated than Gwen. At least Brienne remained a decent character, ever faithful to her ideals, ever innerly strong. Jaime was entirely trashed, let alone that he was supposed to be a main character. If Nik can’t even handle a photo that reminds him of his destroyed character arc, I wouldn’t be surprised. Maybe Gwen wants Nik to open up so much for his benefit as well - he keeps it bottled up and she might know first hand how that affects him.

Long story short, the reasons Nik doesn’t post anything about his feelings for Jaime’s character arc, his relationship with Brienne and his collaboration with Gwen probably are both professional, after begrudging deals and agreements and restrictions from HBO, and very personal, inner and private, as he’s still trying to cope with a disappointment that crushed down on him from what used to be his dream job and a role he hoped would be a (or the) peak of his career. I bet all these years Nik was hopeful Jaime would be extremely important and fully redeemed in the end but also extremely scared and anxious that the writers won’t give him what he hoped for and what made sense. Would I exaggerate if I said this should be the biggest professional disappointment he ever experienced, provided that he didn’t like the character’s ending? 

From everything Gwen has said about him, I have surmised that Nik is very emotional and anxious but with a very blasé and superficially amiable attitude. He avoids expessing emotion in real life which is why he might be dissociating a lot lately. He tries to distance himself from that part of Jaime’s character that involved Bryan and Gwen because this is the part that he loved and lost. Honestly, I can’t think of any other logical reason he ignored Gwen, Dan and Bryan one after the other and never made a post about his own character specifically or his good times with Gwen. It’s obviously not that he suddenly hates all of them to the point of not even replying. Even if HBO restricts him on what he can say in interviews for a while, there is no other explanation for this other than that D&D’s genius writing fucked him up emotionally as much as Emilia and Kit and he does not want to deal with it even though Gwen probably thinks it would be for the best if he did. 

Now after I wrote all this, imagine if Nikolaj actually doesn’t give a shit and is just happy going on with his life while I am here wasting time. But… I don’t think so. I will never not believe Nik didn’t love Jaime to pieces. He had big dreams for this role, I am sure of it. 

[fizzyhosh]

Misunderstanding (Remus Lupin)

@sirus-hufflepuff-padfoot: Can you do a Moony x reader where he thinks that she likes James (or sirus) b/c they laugh and hang out a lot. And fluff and angst. Love ur writing!

Warnings: angst but fluff

Pairing: Remus Lupin x Reader

Summary: Remus Lupin has the biggest crush on you. Unfortunately, his sees you and Sirius’ close friendship as something more, which leads to hard feelings and a big misunderstanding.

Word Count: 1.8k

A/N: Hm I like this.... also I’m running out of goof gifs to use of people so I’m just gonna start doing cute/aesthetic gifs hat feel like the same mood to me or feel like they fit the character the story is about  

Remus tapped his fingers on the table, too wrapped up in the scene playing out in front of him to even attempt to focus on his paper. He put his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand, chewing his bottom lip. 

"Lupin, sigh one more time and I might punch you," Lily threatened, not looking up from her book as she sat across the table from him, almost — but not quite — blocking his view from the girl and boy. 

"Sorry," he mumbled, not looking away. He sighed again subconsciously and Lily put her book down loudly, forcing Remus out of his daze. He jumped and looked at her. "What?"

"What is wrong with you? I can't read when you're sighing like a hopeless puppy every five seconds." 

He sat up straight and looked down at his paper, still unable to focus on the words he had written. "No I'm not."

"Yeah you are. What's up, Moony?" 

"Nothing. Just hate this essay."

She rolled her eyes and dropped her feet from the chair in front of her. "Look," she glanced behind her at the people Remus had been gazing at and turned back to the sad boy in front of her leaning closely, "if this is about (Y/N), I don't get it why you're like this." 

He gave in. "Come on, Lily, what don't you get? It's obvious that she likes Sirius."  

"No she doesn't." 

"Oh, really?" he asked sarcastically. Both him and Lily turned to look at you and Sirius again. Apparently he had told the world's funniest joke because you grabbed his arm and leaned into him, laughing hysterically, even with Madam Pince's cold glare pointing in your direction. 

Lily sighed and turned back to Remus. "Get over it, Remus. They're just really good friends." 

"Well... it doesn't matter anyway. She'd never like me. I shouldn't care who she does like." He hunched over his paper, an action that told Lily he didn't want to talk about it anymore. As soon as he noticed her turn back to her book, he glanced up and watched you again, longing to be the one to make you laugh like that. 

-----

Every time Remus saw Sirius, especially when he was with you, he couldn't help but feel a little hatred towards him. He was still his best mate, so he tried to push his feelings aside, but Sirius knew how much Remus liked you. So why was he flirting with you all the time? It was like you two were never apart. 

"Hey, Moony? What'd you get for number seven?" Peter asked as he scratched his head with the end of his quill. 

"Are you kidding, Wormtail? You don't know the incantation for transforming Boggarts into something funny?" Sirius groaned. 

Peter turned red. "Well..."

"Riddikulus," Remus told him quietly. 

"I know, it's ridiculous that I can't remember but—"

"No, Pete," you laughed, walking over to the table in the common room. Remus looked up quickly at your voice. "Riddikulus is the incantation." 

"Oh, right!" Peter scratched it down on his parchment as you sat down next to Sirius and across from Remus. 

"Hey, Remus," you said shyly as you noticed him still looking at you. 

He turned red, just as Peter had, and cleared his throat. "Hi, (Y/N)." He fiddled with his fingers, stretching and cracking them one at a time, a little nervous habit you had picked up on. 

"Are you going to the Quidditch match tomorrow?" 

He nodded. Sudden happiness sparked in him because you were curious about whether he was going. 

"Sirius and I will save you a seat." 

The spark was extinguished as quickly as it was lit. 

"Oh. Yeah, sure." He glanced at Sirius, who was smiling at him apologetically. 

You yawned softly and Remus felt his heart flutter. Everything you did was so cute and he couldn't handle it. "I'm gonna turn in, I'll see you guys tomorrow," you said, standing up and squeezing Sirius' shoulder as he winked at you. Remus took a deep breath and looked out the window. 

"Hey, Moony?" Sirius asked as Peter walked away to put his stuff in his dorm. Remus hummed in response. "Huh?" 

"Are you okay, mate?" 

"Fine." 

"You don't seem fine—"

Remus turned to Sirius. "If you can't see what's wrong, there's no point trying to explain it." He stood up and walked to the dorm. 

"Remus?" Sirius' voice was soft, something that only ever happened when he felt guilty or scared. 

Remus didn't respond, pretending to be asleep as he laid with his back to Sirius' bed. He didn't want to talk about what was wrong. He'd have to tell Sirius he was mad at him for flirting with you, and he didn't want to sound jealous of his best mate. He wasn't the confrontational type. 

-----

"GRYFFINDOR! GRYFFINDOR!" The crowd around you chanted as you watched the players zoom through the sky. A large group of you, however, were chanting differently. 

"POTTER! POTTER!" 

Lily and Sirius cheered extra loudly when James flew past, looking for the snitch. Remus glanced at you with a smile. Lily had basically forced him to sit next to you, though he wasn't reluctant. 

"We're good, aren't we?" you said to Remus. "I mean, even if Ravenclaw caught the snitch, we'd still win at this point." 

Remus nodded, smiling at your red nose and cheeks. His cheeks were red as well, but it was more from your leg touching his than it was the cold. 

"Yeah. I reckon we'd be even better with you on the team."

You blushed. "Really? Oh, I don't know..." 

"Come on, (Y/N), I've seen you fly. You're amazing."

You smiled at him, making his heart beat loudly. 

"(Y/N)!" Sirius laughed and she turned to him. "You alright?" His voice was lowered, probably not meant for your ears, but you heard them anyway. 

"Yeah," she said softly. He squeezed her hand and Remus took a deep breath, playing with the paper cup of hot chocolate in his hands. 

You kept laughing at dumb jokes Sirius would make and he eventually had enough. He stood up, announcing that he needed a minute away from the noise, and started making his way down to the ground. 

"Remus?" Lily asked but he ignored her. 

"Remus, mate—" he definitely ignored Sirius. 

He got to the ground and threw away the rest of his drink. It was getting cold anyway. He ran his fingers through his hair as he paced the grounds in a small oval. 

"Moony, you okay?" Sirius asked as he jogged towards his friend.  

"I don't want to talk to you, Sirius."

He was taken aback. "Wha—what did I do?" 

Remus groaned at looked at you. "You're all over (Y/N)!" 

"When have I ever—"

"All the time, mate! It already hurts that she likes you and not me, but it's another that you disregard my feelings for her! You know I like her but you shamelessly flirt with her all the time. Right in front of me!" 

"Remus, that's not at all what's happening! You think I'd do that to you?" 

"Well... aren't you?" 

"No!" He laughed. 

Remus felt like a weight was lifted off his chest. "But you... and her..." 

"What? I don't know what makes you think we flirt."

"All the inside jokes and the laughing and leaning one each other? And holding hands and hugging all the time? You just squeezed her hand and asked if she was alright. How is that not a couple thing to do?" 

"I was asking because she—"

"Remus? Is everything okay?" Lily and you were walking towards them and Remus turned red. 

"Yeah er..." 

Sirius smiled at you. "Remember what I told you last week?" 

You tilted your head before realization hit you. "Did you tell him? I swear, I'll kill you!" 

"No, what I said. It's true. I told you." 

"This is what I'm talking about, Sirius!" Remus said, not caring anymore if he accidentally outed his crush on you. "Why do you two always do this? It's like you have some secret language and it drives me mad!" 

You looked at Remus, your heart pounding hard. 

"Moony, listen, (Y/N) and I are not together or even flirting. That's disgusting," Sirius laughed and you made a disgusted face. 

"Ew, you thought Sirius and I like each other?" you asked. 

"Well... don't you?" 

"No!" you and Sirius exclaimed at the same time. 

Remus looked back and forth between you and Sirius. 

"Why do you care, anyway?" you asked hesitantly. 

"I...er—"

Lily groaned in frustration. "Remus has an enormous crush on you, (Y/N). There. I said it. It's out in the open now — don't look at me like that, Remus, someone had to say it." He was red, staring at Lily in shock. 

"Wait, really?" you gasped. 

"Er...yes. But I thought you and Sirius liked each other because you flirt and hold hands all the time and—"

"When do we hold hands? Oh!" realization hit you and you giggled. "Remus, we only hold hands when he's reassuring me." 

"What?" 

"Like up there," Sirius pointed at where you all had been sitting, watching the match. "I was trying to tell you before they walked up. I knew she'd be freaking out because you two were sitting so close so I was making sure she was still breathing properly." 

You were blushing badly. "Gee, thanks Sirius," you mumbled. 

"You like me?" Remus asked. You nodded. "And you knew?" He turned to Sirius, who also nodded. "Then why didn't you say anything?" 

Sirius shrugged. "It was kinda fun watching you two be so awkward." 

"Thats horribly mean, Sirius. I only knew about Remus' crush. I would've told them if I knew (Y/N) liked him." Lily crossed her arms and stared at Sirius disapprovingly. 

"Whatever, Evans. I knew they'd figure it out eventually. I was sworn to secrecy on both sides! But it's not like I didn't drop hints all the time. Last week I told (Y/N) how positive I was about his crush without actually saying it." 

Remus was staring at you with a big smile and to returned it. 

"Let's go, Sirius. Potter will be pissed if he finds out no one watched him catch the snitch," Lily said as she beckoned Sirius away from you and Remus so you could be alone. 

Once they were out of earshot, you turned back to Remus. "Sorry about that. I had no idea we seemed like we were flirting or anything," you admitted. 

Remus shrugged. "I shouldn't have assumed. Well, hey, since we're on the same page now... how about we sneak out of here?" 

"Where to?" you giggled. 

"Three Broomsticks?" 

"Oh, you mean actually sneak out?" 

He nodded and smiled. "I've just recently been told some rather... exciting news," he smiled cheekily but shyly. 

"Is that so?" You stepped forward and raised an eyebrow at him, making him a little more nervous than he had been a minute ago. "Coincidentally, so have I."

*************

Remus Tags: @knowledgeisthebomb @the-best-fanfition-ever @harrypotterimmaginaa @stateofloveandvedder @gryffindorprincess379 

Marauder Tags: @gabipotter

strikethrough = unable to tag

[wordsinwinters]

Then Again P8  Peter Parker x Reader

Author’s Note: I have good news and bad news and good news. 

Good news: This chapter will finally explain what’s been going down in Spidey Town! At last, the confrontation!

Bad news: You guys are officially caught up with my beta right now.... That being said, I can only update once this weekend. I will, absolutely, have material for next weekend though, I promise.

Good news again: The next few updates should be fun! I’m really excited to post those, once they’re ready. I’m really looking forward to everyone’s responses to a certain scene 😉

Without further ado,

Then Again, Part 8:

(Words: 2,447)

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11

What have I done?

Real blade-in-the-belly fear is tying me up with this question.

I’ve probably ruined the best friendships I’ve ever had within minutes. It’s been building up, apparently, but I broke it tonight. Me. All me.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Why did I have to act like that? Fuck.

I’m shaking as I head up the stairs to our floor, chlorine fumes still clinging to my skin and towel. My limbs feel numb. I’m slightly nervous I might fumble over my feet and fall down the steps. I consider stopping to just let out a couple tears; the pressure is nearing unbearable. It’s not like anyone will find me. Everyone else will be taking the elevator. Unless, of course, they think avoiding hotel staff is important. Shit.

I keep moving.

All I can pray for now is that Michelle doesn’t hate me and she’ll tell me what’s been going on with everything, or at least some part of it. Any part of it. This invisible conflict is suffocating.

Out of breath, I reach the third floor and push the door open, ready to talk this through with her.

Peter’s banging on our door. Inside the partial moment before he realizes I’m here, a faint pinprick of hope thinks he might be there for me.

“Ned, MJ, I’m not messing around. This is the least funny thing you could do right now.”

The stairwell door clangs closed behind me. Peter looks over, sees me, and rolls his eyes as he knocks again, harder.

Nobody answers from my and Michelle’s room - a semi-serious inconvenience for me, seeing as she has my keycard. I notice a note on Peter and Ned’s door. Reluctant, given Peter’s proximity, I walk forward and pick it off, hands trembling.

“Work yourselves out - MJ & Ned.”

Under this, on the floor, are two keycards. Obviously to this room, or else Peter would have used them on my door.

Shit.

“Have they answered at all?” I ask, biting the inside of my cheek.

“No.”

Peter stares at the door. It’s evident, very evident, that he’s still upset, though now he appears to have anger reserved for Michelle and Ned, too.

Do you really hate me so much that you can’t stand to be in the same room as me?

My mouth tastes like metal. God, I want to cry. But I won’t, not in front of Peter, not like this.

“I’m going in before Mr. Harrington checks the hall or Flash shows up.”

Keeping a tight grasp on my towel, I bend down, grab a keycard from the floor, and use it. I open the door.

Oh, shit.

Now I understand Peter’s reaction.

Ned and Michelle have taken out one of the beds and moved the other to the center of the room. It stands alone between the door and window. The covers are suggestively pulled down halfway.

I pause in the doorway, a blush flaring in my cheeks.

For months, I’ve daydreamed about similar scenarios. A night in which Ned and Michelle fall asleep in the living room so I have to sleep in Peter’s. (Two beds, but still - a similar concept.) Or else Peter and I watch a movie on the couch and fall asleep cuddled up for the night, May placing a blanket over us like some form of blessing. (May’s approval is always critical to these imaginary scenarios.) Sometimes, I just daydream about falling asleep on his shoulder while we’re riding the subway, his sweater warm against my cheek.

Countless simple situations in which I share a tiny dose of intimacy with this best friend who rarely leaves my mind. For a split-second, I imagine things aren’t as they are tonight and there’s a tingle of excitement tickling under my jaw.

“You gonna move?”

Peter’s voice startles me. I didn’t hear him walk up.

I move, into the room. Just as I start to feel jittery and consider whether or not to text Ned or Michelle (I realize my clothes are in the other room), my phone dings.

“Ned: It’s MJ. Your clothes and makeup bag are in the bathroom. Toothbrush and charger included. Love you and see you in the morning. (Good luck.)”

Relief sweeps under my feet and fills me head to toe. Love you and see you in the morning. Thank God. Michelle and I good. We’re definitely good. It’s fine with her, things are going to be alright with her. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. You haven’t lost MJ.

It dings again.

“Ned: it’s Ned. what MJ said. but from me too.”

God, I wish I could hug Ned through the wall separating us. His nine words are a monumental comfort, more than he likely realizes. Ned isn’t leaving either. You guys are okay, it’s going to be okay with him. Ned isn’t going anywhere. I really might cry now.

“Who’s messaging you?” Peter asks, arms crossed. Again, his voice startles me.

He’s standing by the door, opposite from my stance at the window.

“MJ and Ned.”

Peter shakes his head, hands digging into his hair as he looks to the ceiling while biting the inside of his cheek.

“Are you serious?”

“They were letting me know where my things were.” His attitude is pushing me to the edge of anger again. “It’s not a big deal.”

This, evidently, is the wrong thing to say.

“Yes, it is! Do you really not get why this bothers me?”

For once, he makes eye contact. He looks half furious and half hurt.

“Peter, what are you talking about?”

His frustration mounts. He glances at the floor with his hands clenched together before shaking his head again and looking me straight in the eye.

“You guys are constantly doing this shit,” he says, arms open. “You and MJ with these neverending side conversations. You know, it’s beyond frustrating that you two know everything about me, yet you guys have your own codes and your own stupid languages that you use to keep secrets from me and Ned. You guys are always having a private conversation. Passing notes to each other in class under the table, sending text messages during our freaking dinner, tapping your fingers on a chair to signal whatever. It’s irritating! I know what you guys are trying to hide. We’re all supposed to be friends, that means not keeping secrets like that. Why haven’t you guys just told me and Ned?”

Hiding what? God, please don’t let this mean Ned knows somehow.

“Told you and Ned what?” I ask. “Yes, we text each other sometimes when we’re all together but don’t act like you and Ned aren’t closer to each other too. You guys are less industrious about it, that’s all. There’s a reason May talks to him privately without me and MJ - it’s because you trust him more and May knows she can’t tell us everything like she does him. And I don’t blame anybody for that, but I don’t think it’s fair for you to hold me and MJ up to a double standard. Plus, you and her and Ned have been messaging each other without me all day! That’s a hell of a double standard, considering. What was all of it about, Peter?”

“We didn- I mean, one time is beside the point. And it’s not a double standard with me and Ned because it’s completely different!” Peter’s hands are in the air and his face is reddening. I start to protest but he doesn’t even hesitate. “I mean, Ned and I have been friends way longer while you!- you and MJ are dating and trying to hide it from us!”

My brain hits a cement wall.

“Wait, what? You think we’re -”

“Come on, this game is over! It’s been obvious for ages and I really don’t get why it’s even a secret in the first place. Did you think it would bother us? The only part of it that bothers me is the fact that I l- th-that you guys kept it a-a secret. From me.”

I stammer momentarily, lost in an attempt to unravel his train of thought.

“We aren’t - this isn’t - I mean, honestly? How long have you thought that MJ and I were dating?”

“I’ve known for months. You guys are not subtle.”

“Peter Benjamin Parker,” I say slowly, steadying my hands on the window sill behind my back. “Michelle Jones and I are not dating. Where-where did you even get that idea?”

Peter’s face is flipping through a catalog of expressions in his attempt to figure out if I’m lying or not. The rising and falling of his chest hasn’t slowed and his face is still red.

“Because every time you guys spend the night, I wake up and I find you guys t-together, you know, holding each other on the couch. And all the texting, the little codes you guys have, the looks you give each other. I mean, trying to play Uno with you guys is almost impossible! You’re always teaming up against me and Ned to get us out first. A-and all of your inside jokes, too! It’s so all the time. Not to mention that you guys touch each other way more than you touch me or Ned!”

“Peter, I promi-”

“Can you let me finish?” Despite his momentary pause, he’s getting worked up again. “And this stuff with Flash is another thing. Did you have to invite him to last night? I’ve put up with you talking to him and actually, like, hanging out with him in classes, but I was really excited about that dinner until I heard you tell MJ to invite him. Did you even consider how much I would hate him being there? Did you even think about me?”

That triggers a gut punch. No, a punch to my entire body.

“Peter,” I interject, my finger feeling a familiar, burning itch. “I think about you all the time, more than anyone else! I only invited him because I needed to stop thinking about you! Do you know what it’s like, waiting and waiting and waiting every single day? You’re almost always in danger and I- and I get why, trust me - I understand why you do what you do every day and I’ve never tried to interfere with that. But it leaves the rest of us on edge. Sometimes it’s exhausting, all the hours I spend thinking about you, waiting to hear from you, telling myself not to imagine all the awful, nightmarish reasons you might not be texting me back. So maybe once I made a call you didn’t like, but like most of the time, you weren’t there! And I didn’t like last year with you mooning over Liz and you never noticed that, ever. The- the point is: I figured you and Flash could sit on opposite sides of the fucking table for dinner. Or else you could get along for one night.”

I shouldn’t have mentioned Liz.

Peter barely breathes while I speak, until the end, when I think he might combust.

“Get along with Flash? Are you serious? I know you think I ‘shouldn’t let him get to me’ but frankly, I think that’s bullshit. He’s a bully. A bully you kissed, but a bully nonetheless, and you shouldn’t have tried to make sure I wouldn’t tell on him, or whatever, to Mr. Harrington.” On the word kissed, Peter looks at the wall in disgust, his balled up fists hitting the sides of his thighs impatiently. “I could handle you and MJ together, but if you’re telling me you guys aren’t, then it seems like Flash is next in line and I’m serious when I say I would not be able to handle that.”

My heart rate has been sky high since I admitted how often I think of Peter but that comment is a final straw. My chest is pounding like a rabbit is inside it with a jackhammer.

We’re both breathing too quickly with too much pent-up energy in the air. It doesn’t help that we’re still soaking in our swimsuits either.

“There is no line, Peter Parker. I am not some business for dating, so let me make this clear: I am not dating anyone, let alone Flash. I’ve tried explaining why I treat him the way I do, but you never listen, so why go over it now? I only asked you if I should tell Mr. Harrington because I wanted to do something about what he did to you, I wanted for him to face consequences for once! I tried to tell you that you shouldn’t have to ‘put up’ with the shit he does to you, but you wouldn’t listen! Next time you start counting up the reasons you’re angry with me, talk to me about it rather than waiting and pushing my buttons until I explode.”

Peter and I stare at each other. He’s lost for a moment, then shaking his head.

“That doesn’t address all the texts between you and MJ at dinner!”

“With me, MJ, and Ned, you moron!”

“Awesome, so you guys are all texting each other without me!”

“It was about you being such an ass! And you’ve been doing the exact same thing all of today! And locking me outside with Flash!”

“If you say ‘Flash’ one more time, I swear to God, I’m going to jump out that window.”

He points behind my back.

“Peter, please, will you just explain the calls and texts with MJ and Ned today?”

Peter’s eyes are red and flitting from the window to the bed to me to the carpet to the closet, half in guilt, half in exasperation and frustration.

“W-well what about the constant couch cuddling, huh? You didn’t answer that!”

Now I might jump out the window.

“Oh my God, Peter! It’s just something I-I do! It’s not on purpose and it doesn’t mean anything! It’s embarrassing, but it’s not an ‘MJ and me’ thing, it’s a ‘thing MJ puts up with because there’s only one couch’ thing! I am not dating my best friend!”

Peter’s face screws up like I’ve said something horrible. His head is still shaking slightly and his fists are knocking against his legs again. He stares at the ground near my feet.

“I-I’m just gonna go... um, somewhere, uh, else,” he says.

“Can you please explain why you guys have been texting all day?” I ask. “It’s been freaking me out; I mean, it’s really making me nervous. Peter, please?”

Peter doesn’t meet my eyes. He’s focused on the ceiling, fingers trembling.

“I’d rather not. I need to leave.”

Standing with my hands still clutching the window sill, Peter flings the door open and leaves without another word.

What have I done?

Part 9

Next Update: Friday, October 27 

(Man, I wish I had enough material to update tomorrow like I usually would! I’m so excited to post the upcoming chapters!)

Tag List: If you would like to be added to the tag list, send me an ask or a message! 

Also, guys, thank you so, so, so, so, so much for the responses! I’ve gotten more after Part 7 than I have from the whole fic. It’s so crazy awesome to hear from you guys! 

Honestly, even the shortest message completely changes my day and makes it a thousand times better. All week, I look forward to posting/updating, just to hear from you guys! It makes school stress worth it, finally getting to the weekend when I can interact with you guys.

Anyway, I’ll try to write as much as possible this week to make sure I never have to skip a weekend for updates.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think!

@look-how-far-i-come @thehanneloner @tryn25 @peterparkerismybeing @allyouhadstodowasstay @profmmcgonagall @i-love-superhero  @strangerwesley @nicunt  @gotnotfeature

[tracey1302]

Episode 601 - A Fair Game

SPOILERS FOR 601 and 602....

Hi everyone!

As mentioned last week, I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to come back to the amazing online HL fandom. Better late than never. I also acknowledge I’ve been MIA since…. Pretty much the summer. Life got in the way as term started. And I got married…

And then I was hit with a barrage of Masters marking, so spent most of Christmas like this…

Not really, but god, so much work.

Anyway I am back and ready to party. I’m gonna try an episode by episode analysis this season. But I’m not promising anything….LOL. Between now and the end of term, my book should be coming out (not on Homeland, on another area of my research) and my sister is getting married. Talk about interruptions.

Anyway, so here we go.

So ‘Fair Game’. My favourite exchange in which was ‘Let me go.’ ‘Let ME go.’ 

So before I go on and do my analysis, I’m gonna include some of my thoughts on 5x12 which I’ve posted before. Simply because they link rather well into this discussion.

“Carrie has read the letter. She’s thinking about Quinn’s words, ‘This is exactly what should have happened.’ She’s thinking about what Dar Adal said, that this would be Quinn’s worst nightmare. I’ve no doubt it would be. So, she thinks she is doing the right thing by her friend. (I don’t want to get into a debate on this again.) This is my interpretation of this scene. I don’t think there is anything malicious in it at all. I recognise that Quinn’s vitals were okay - but as we had been told in the previous scene, the prognosis for Quinn wasn’t okay. And as we know, Carrie feels a deep responsibility for him now. 

So she goes in, knows what she’s gonna do, and then the light comes into the window and onto his face. What does this scene mean for me now?

Don’t let him go.

As much as Carrie thinks she’s doing the right thing by Quinn here, her change of heart (and the fact that Quinn is alive) proves that she’s not ready to give him up. She’s not ready to let him go. And indeed, she doesn’t let him go.

This also takes on a new significance if we think about the letter and the responsibility and poignancy it has. Carrie will feel the weight of the letter through the next season. He has given her everything, is she ready to give it back?

We know one thing, she’s not ready to give it up. 

Given our knowledge now, it’s easier to view this scene this way, and it’s a really lovely way to think about an episode that we all hated when it aired, for so many reasons. We know that she doesn’t kill him, and we know that she has a close relationship with Quinn next season (whatever that means)

We have also been told that the letter will be addressed, which proves that this scene, and Quinn’s words to Carrie has some serious repercussions for their relationship going forward. 

My thoughts? Carrie isn’t ready to be with Quinn, not yet. But she’s also not ready to give up on him, and most importantly, on them. They’re not friends anymore. This letter completely changes the dynamic of their relationship because Quinn’s laying it all on the line.Two years ago, there was a shift, and they kissed and contemplated leaving the CIA to be together. Now, there’s been another shift. Quinn confesses that he loves Carrie. That she is everything to him. This isn’t just, ‘let’s try a relationship that we both know can work if we leave the CIA’ (which in itself is huge for these two). This is, ‘You are the love of my life.’

While Carrie may not yet realise exactly what Quinn means to her, we’ve had a fair glimpse of it over the past few episodes, as we’ve been shown how Carrie reacts when she thinks she’s lost him. (Totally pips Brody. Just saying.) We’ve seen how she takes care of him, we’ve seen that she is ‘waiting for him.’

And for me, this scene, and its end, though not so ambiguous now, shows us just that. Carrie will continue to wait for him. Whatever that entails. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that Carrie is poised here thinking she will remain single until Quinn comes around. However,  I do think that ultimately her decision to keep him alive is based partly on the fact that she realises it’s not her decision to make, but also on the fact that she realises she’s not ready to let him go. Their relationship will be different now, but Carrie is acknowledging that, she’s taking the letter on board, it’s something she’s willing to accept, to take under advisement, to risk… and that, my friends, tells us everything we need to know.

She has Quinn’s heart… and she trusts herself with it. If that isn’t character growth for Carrie, I don’t know what is.”

 So fast forward to Season Six. We now have a fresh faced Carrie in a new job, thankfully not Carrie During. (Let’s have a moment and think about how happy we are that THAT didn’t happen.)

The thing is, there’s an echo of the dynamic between Carrie and Quinn here that we see in 504. That distance between them rearing its ugly head once again. Except instead of emotionally stoic Quinn, we have an angry, resentful and distant Quinn. They’re trying to underline that once again, Quinn has gone through another emotional and psychological transformation and is another person. Trying to underline that this is not a romantic show. Hell, this isn’t even a romance. Yet.

I still maintain that this is all part and parcel of the ‘will they, won’t they’ journey of OTPs. Both characters have to go on journeys before they’re ready to be together. A lot of the complaints about the C/Q pairing in S4 were directed around the fact that their relationship wasn’t earned. So they’re spinning it out longer than any other relationship on Homeland - so it does feel earned. And the emotional pay off will be flawless. How could it not be, with the state they’re both in?

Anyway, back to the VA hospital.

We do get this. You could hear a ruddy pin drop after this one.

‘Let me go.’ Carrie tells Quinn to let her go. He’s got her in a physical grip. It’s not like he’s got her by the scruff of the neck. It’s a very, very gentle push.

‘Let ME go,’ pleads Quinn.

Quinn wants Carrie to leave him be. To let him rot inside his own life. And I could believe this. It is believable given that Quinn’s self deprecation is right up there with all the Noir heroes. BUT it’s just this bit of the exchange that I struggle with.

We see it. I saw it. I know you saw it. We see a flicker of old Quinn. 

Quinn doesn’t really want Carrie to let him go. He just doesn’t want her to see him like this. It’s almost like the ‘It doesn’t matter now’ scene from 504.

And I think Claire’s acting in this scene is amazing. Carrie’s eyes after she hears Quinn say ‘Let me go.’

Reference to my earlier post. She’s not ready to let him go. She can’t let him go. I see the letter in Carrie’s eyes. She knows how Quinn feels. He doesn’t know that she knows how he feels. And yet she continues to take care of him. She continues to reach out to him. She continues to keep him close by. She’s not going anywhere. She’s not leaving him. She’s not.

Only this time, she actually isn’t. I just don’t think she’s ready to confront all of the very complicated reasons why she isn’t.

There is another scene I actually found VERY interesting from a C/Q standpoint and that is the scene that she shares with Otto. On a side note, how creepy is Otto? It turned my stomach (and Carrie’s by the looks) when he’s looking at her adoringly in the meeting room. Vomit. Anyway, this is the exchange I found interesting..

Otto: If it’s not me...’

Let it be someone else...

You see, the thing is....there’s only one person who it could be. Every Homeland watcher knows this. Even if so many seem resistant to the C/Q pairing, he’s the only one now that is filling that role.

And just in case we didn’t know who that was. The writers tell us.

Cut to.... Peter Quinn. HA.

But they also tell us that hell, romance is the last thing on Carrie’s mind right now. And that Quinn is...well... a mess.

In this episode, we see so much of the writers underlining that Quinn is a changed man. No shit. IMO, they pushed him a little too far down the rabbit hole. The scene where you could actually see the woman... doing her thing with him... was just a little too much. Lightyears away from the clean cut nerd we saw in 204, no? But that’s the point. We thought we’d seen Quinn at rock bottom – this is definitely rock bottom. It can only go up from here.

Carrie’s dedication to Quinn in this episode was actually really beautiful. As I mentioned earlier, I don’t think she knows all of the very complicated reasons why she’s so dedicated to him and why she won’t let him go. Conscience is a big one, of course, she feels incredibly guilty about what happened to him in Berlin. But it wasn’t all her fault. I don’t see Saul visiting Quinn every day at the Vet hospital. I think another reason drives at Quinn being her best friend. Because he was, once upon a time, he was the person she could always count on. And she misses him. She misses her friend.

Look at her sad little face when his ‘bye’ is so dismissive.

And I’d wager he misses her. The scene in the car post crack den was heartbreaking. He misses his old life and the way he used to be. Not in S5, before then... when he was on top of his game and their interactions didn’t revolve around his care. Quinn is a very proud man and the last thing he wants is to be babysat. Especially by Carrie.

I too, enjoyed the parallels with 302 (sorry if the episode number is wrong) when Quinn was being restrained by the security guards and Carrie was looking pained. The irony and sadness of the situation is not lost on Carrie either. Another reason why she decides to take such care of him. She’s been through it... and she doesn’t want him to have to go through what she went through. Or, any more than he has already...

She can’t stand seeing him like this and the scene builds to a head (very much set off by the music) in which she finally tells them to ‘Stop it!’

Drastic action is needed. Quinn’s moving in.

And that brings us to the last reason why she’s taking such care of him....she could fall in love with this man. He could be it. Thanks Leslie/Meredith. Can never remember which of them said this.

She loves him, yes, the care she’s shown for him this episode leaves me in no doubt about that. But is she in love with him? No. Not yet. But she could be. And I think everything that happened in Berlin, the way she felt when she thought he was dead, and all the very complicated emotions surrounding what happened at the hospital have left Carrie very very confused as to how she feels about him. And the letter is a big part of that. All she knows is that she doesn’t want him to go anywhere, and she’s not giving up on him becoming the man he once was (and still is, somewhere in there.)

She’s hesitant, yes. This is a big deal and a big risk for Carrie to take. Not just because Quinn isn’t exactly stable.

But because having him there, in her house, is a very different relationship. It’s a lot more intimate. And Carrie has never had this sort of relationship with any man. Ever. Are we counting Jonas? Yawn. But Jonas didn’t know Carrie. Not the real Carrie. So no, not counting Jonas. And Jonas isn’t a main character (thank Christ), Quinn is. Quinn has three seasons on Jonas. Jonas has time, yes, but it’s not significant time, because the writers didn’t show it to us.

So yeah, big step for Carrie. So much so, she’s not really ready to make it. So she locks the door. As well she should. I would have done the same thing.

But what’s interesting about this ‘locked door’ exchange is metaphorical.

I don’t mind admitting I actually choked a little watching this scene. 

God knows what he would have said if it had been open. Maybe he wanted to apologise. Maybe he just wanted company. Maybe he wanted to say ‘thank you.’

But there is, I think, a deeper symbolism to this locked door and (spoiler alert) the fact that we know that it’s Frannie that metaphorically opens it.

Quinn is not a prisoner in Carrie’s basement. He can get out, he can go into the garden. He can go anywhere, really. Except for the place that he really wants to go. Into Carrie’s home, and by extension, her heart. Yes, I know this is cheesy, but it’s true. Everything Quinn has ever wanted, that normal life

And by extension, a relationship with Carrie...

All of that is through that door. 

But he needs to change before he can really go through it. And Carrie needs to see that change in him before he’s ready to go through it. He needs to deal with his issues and work through what’s happened to him. It’s gonna be a long time but I like the fact that Frannie is going to be a facilitator to this change. It’s kind of beautiful.

But for me, that doesn’t really matter, it’s just part of the journey. Carrie (and Frannie) for that matter, are waiting for him. She’s true to her word. No, she’s not waiting with open arms, saying ‘Marry me...’ but a connection is there, if he wants it.

I will say again, when Quinn’s ready to walk through the door, we’ll get a lot of awkward moments. Inevitably Carrie and Quinn will get closer. And it will be an intimacy we’ve never seen from them before. They’re living in the same house, for god’s sake. When Quinn works his way back into Carrie’s life, which he will (I think it’s pretty damn clear from this opening episode that that’s the groundwork and journey for him this season) when we’ll see Carrie updating Quinn on everything that’s going on in her life with the new Pres, and the new job… and Dar… and Saul…. And when he will come to be something of a protector for Frannie (spoiler again there, sorry folks!)

I think this will be a very C/Q season. Quinn is literally the most important person in her life (apart from Frannie of course!) so they will share a lot of seasons together, confronting what has happened. Promised by this...

That’s just the thing.... why did you save him, Carrie? Carrie figuring that out will be a massive part of this season and her character development.

I am excited about what this season will bring for Carrie and Quinn. Bring it on.

[dragonlizardjareth]

Jareth Reviews: Kong: Skull Island (With Spoilers)

At long last, King Kong has returned to the big screen. Will it be better then the Peter Jackson film from several years ago?

Short Answer: Yes.

The Long Answer: Ehhhhh... it’s complicated.

The Story:

I'm not gonna sugar coat this. This isn't very true to the original film. For starters, it's set latterly days after the end of the Vietnam War, right as the United States are pulling troops out. John Goodman is the head of a group called Monarch (if yo watched the 2014 Godzilla film you already know who they are), who basically try to prove that monsters exist. But Goodman is running out of money, and talks his way onto an expedition as a last ditch attempt to find proof. It just so happens the expedition is going to an island that SOMEHOW remained undiscovered until now, which Goodman discovers is the mythical Skull Island. To aid his team, Randa hires a tracker played by the trickster god himself Tom Hiddleston, and an army helicopter squadron lead by none other then SAMUEL L. MUTHA FUCKIN JACKSON!

*Legal Notice: Whenever you say to type Jackson's full name, you are illegibly obligated to add the words “Mutha Fuckin” between his middle and last names.

So together, the Army jar heads, the fake scientists, the REAL scientists, the tracker, and a war photographer played by Brie Larson embark on their expedition, all while trying to look like a typical Vietnam war film. They soon arrive at a perpetual storm around Skull Island (which doesn't get explained) and they fly through it to the island... and start dropping bombs on it. Apparently they're ment to aid in some geological research, but think it's just to make humans look bad.

Suddenly they are attacked by the king himself, KONG! Created using motion capture. And I know what you're thinking... but it's not Andy Serkis... he was busy playing Apes in other movies. No he's played by apparently two other guys who's names escape me as of this review. But anyway he attack the helicopters causing them to crash and killing a good chunk of the scientists and soldiers. The group becomes scattered and split into three. Hiddleston and Larson are joined by two other Monarch scientists, a rookie soldier played by Thomas Mann, and some other nameless scientist who gets eaten by birds later in the film, who I'm not going to bother.

Jackson meanwhile survives with Goodman, a group of soldiers, including a grizzled veteran played Shea Whighamand the only other “Legit” scientist who again, not gonna bother with his name. They decide to make their way to another down chopper and it's pilot named Chapman, played by Toby Kebbell. As it turn's out, Chapman's helicopter contained the remaining bombs from the expedition, that Jackson wants to use to kill Kong. And boy does Jackson want to kill Kong. I'm not gonna lie, I'm not use to seeing Samuel L. Mutha Fuckin Jackson as a crazy villain... he does good in this role. As for Chapman's big contribution to them movie is talking about his son who's been writing letters to him since he shipped out... as well as sitting on a giant stick bug... and getting eaten by another monster. So sad, very tragic, moving on.

Hiddleston's group meanwhile runs into a group of natives and an WWII fighter pilot played by GAAAH! God dammit it's John C. Reilly! I'm not gonna lie, most of the stuff I've seen John C. Reilly in, I don't really like. There are a few exceptions here or there like Guardians of the Galaxy, but my god! Thankfully, this is also one of those few expeditions. The character he plays is quark, but somewhat knowledgeable and I can;t help but feel some pity for. Anyway. Reilly has been trapped on the island for almost 25 years, having crashed there along with a Japanese Zero Pilot, who was killed by what he calls a Skullcrawler, a terrible creature that lives underneath the island. Kong's ancestors protected the island and Natives from them, but Kong (who is still growing BTW) is the last of his kind.

Needing to meet up with a rescue group on the northern end of the island. Hiddleston and his group help Reilly complete a makeshift boat he was building using old Airplane parts, at the same time Larson finds a Giant Water Buffalo pinned by Helicopter wreckage, and works to free it. Coming in contact with Kong and earning some points with him for her good behavior. The group soon after leaves the village, joined by Reilly who want's to go home and they soon meet up with Jackson's group, in since then have battled a giant spider and awakened a tree full of man eating birds... who previously ate the first unnamed legit scientist.

In order to reach Chapman's site, they need to cross a toxic area where Kong's parents fell to the Skull Crawlers. They end up doing battle with the Skullcrawler that ate Chapman. Goodman gets eaten, and Hiddleston finds Chapman's bloody dogtags. A this point Jackson's true intentions are revealed and he orders his men to continue with his makeshift mission. Hiddleston and the others continue on ahead where he and Larson have another encounter with Kong, just as Jackson begins blowing crap up again to draw him into a trap. Hiddleston, Larson and  Reilly decide to save Kong and confront Jackson just as he's nearly defeated Kong (who also stepped on the last surviving legit scientist). However the bombs wake up an ADULT Skull Crawler and the group flees as Jackson gets crushed by Kong and OH BOY is it a satisfying death.

The group flees but are chanced by the Skullcrawler who sadly kills Whighamand who was trying to sacrifice himself to allow the others to escape. Seriously, that death is kinda a low blow to the character. Anyway, Kong shows up, battle's the monster and Larson gets knocked into the water. Kong saves her but the monster tries to eat Kong’s fist with her in it, leading to one hell of a FATALITY! It's like something out of Mortal Kombat! Anyway Hiddleston revives Larson, the people escape the island and Kong Roars. During the credits we see Reilly return home to meet his wife and adult son. And personally I am REALLY GLAD for this happy ending. This character deserved it.

Also we get a post credit scene where  Hiddleston and Larson meet with the surviving Monarch scientists and learn that there are other monsters in the world, including GODZILLA, setting up for a future film which is still a few years away.

Overall Thoughts

When compared to Godzilla and the Peter Jackson Kong film, this blows them both out of the water. The effort that went into this film to make it feel like the early 1970's was pronominal. They were a few too many slow motion action shots, but I can look past that rather easily. Although this wasn't really true to the original King Kong, there were some nice nods to the original film and other previous versions. The characters were... I hate to say this... kinda bleh. Goodman had an interesting backstory, he was the survivor of a Godzilla attack and spent his life trying to prove these creatures existed. But once they were on the island... he kinda took a back seat to everything, and when he died I didn't really care that much. They didn't go out of their way to make him sympathetic or hated for lying about the dangers on the island.  Hiddleston also had some backstory about a father not coming back from World War II, but again I never really became invested in that story.

I felt no real impact when these characters died... EXCEPT in the case of Chapman and  Whighamand. Chapman's death came as a surprise to me because they set up so much back story with this character and dedicated a great deal of time to him. And Whighamand's character had some great funny moments in the film, making his death and failed sacrifice all the more tragic. The only other characters I enjoyed was  Reilly's, who I personally felt stole the show and.. well... KONG. The makes of this movie took time to actually develop a BACKSTORY for Kong, they show us Kong. We got to see how he interacted with the island, what he did in his of time. It's not always battling giant monsters, he enjoys sitting a looking up at the night sky, he mends his wounds and eats SQUID. Mind you, he isn't nearly as developed as the Kong from the Peter Jackson film, but he still gets WAY MORE screen time then Godzilla got in his film. They succeeded in spiting the story and action between the human characters and their giant monster, and I give them credit for that.

This is a CGI heavy film, and while I'm not opposed to CGI in film, I would have liked to have seen a few more practical effects in this film. Especially with the explosions, seriously If you wanted to make this a perfect period film would could have shot some live action explosions and integrated them into the film. That said, the creatures did look good in CGI. Kong looked amazing, the Skullcrawlers and giant bugs were frightening and the giant water buffalo we got to see in the film were FANTASTIC. For a moment it felt like I could reach out and touch them. The only time the CGI didn't work for me was in scenes involving the man eating birds, they just looked too artificial too me. It's one of those rare moments where animatronics would have worked better, and really, I would have loved to have seen animatronics used in this film. The slow motion shots looked good and were done in interesting ways, but they were used waaaaaaay too much for this film. The music was... forgettable... honestly I had no care for the music in this film and didn't even bother to remember any good use of it, other then Kong's introduction scene a half hour into the film.

FINAL VERDICT ON KONG: SKULL ISLAND

It's got great moments and it's acceptable, but honestly I feel it could have had some better effort put into it.

Story: 7/10: A good attempt to modernize the story and bring it into a larger universe.

Characters: 6/10: They need to put in more work to make the characters interesting.

Effects: 6/10: The monsters looked good, but there was too much CGI and Slow mo for my taste.

Music and Score: 3/10: Totally forgettable except for one scene.

Rewatch: 6/10: I might see it again when it comes out on DVD, but chances are I won't watch this too often.

OVERALL SCORE: 6/10: It's okay, could have been better.