#Yes I am talking about walker and leah

[lefrenchparrot]

shipping actors who play love interests is gross.

[bluecrocss]

Yes. You are racist. (Buckle up, this is gonna be a long one)

So approximately half a year since the premier of the Disney+ Percy Jackson show, and almost two years since the announcement of the Trio's casting, I would like to take this moment to look back at the insane, racist and anti-black backlash that was launched at Leah Sava Jeffries and a few other cast members from the PJO fandom.

I'm not concerned with the trolls who are openly racist, who resorted to racist slurs and outright threats, everyone agrees that they "took it too far". I want to talk about the rest of you, the "I'm not racist, but.." people, the "What's wrong with wanting book accuracy?" people. Just to let you know, for the unasked question... yes, yes you are.

I've noticed the Percy Jackson fandom has been lording some weird superiority complex over a certain *unnamed* fandom that has fallen out of grace due to their recently outed bigot of an author. But honestly, y'all are not much different. The amount of vitriol and anti-blackness I have seen from this fandom (beyond just bullying a 12 year old girl), y'all don't have a leg to stand on.

Below is a breakdown of the most common arguments I have seen used to justify y'alls absolutely insane bigotry. I am going to explain why none of these justify the amount of anger and vitriol y'all have sent towards Leah, Rick or any of the cast.

I am not here to argue, and this is not a democracy. I am giving you a chance for some self-reflection and to understand that this pattern of violence directed towards POC actors (mostly black women) has never been justified in the name of "book accuracy"/"comic book accuracy"/"ending forced diversity" or whatever other excuses y'all try to make up.

If you still try to justify or argue further for any of these points, I will just block you. I am not coddling you through your racism. If anyone has seen any other dumb arguments floating around that I might've missed, feel free to sound off in the comments.

She's not book accurate:

Neither is Percy, Luke, Grover, Dionysus, Poseidon, and just about every other named character.

Rick already made it clear that physical features were not the priority with casting, rather it was actors that embodied the role. So why are the biggest complaints about Annabeth and Zeus? 🤔

What? You're gonna say everyone else got backlash too? I see you trying to obscure the main issue by playing dumb 😉

See my friend, yes, there were one or two comments about how Percy's hair should be black or how Luke is supposed to be blonde, but as soon as Leah was cast, none of those actors got any significant backlash. In fact, Walker and Charlie literally have an army of fan girls at their beck and call, calling them the perfect Percy and Luke, despite neither being "Book accurate". But then again, have we not observed the pattern of White boy of the month vs WOC to hate for the year? (Yes, I know Charlie isn't white. Further adds to the irony, doesn't it).

Why include character descriptions if you won't stay true to them, you cry? Well, my dear sweet moron, see, books and TV are two different mediums. Because in literature, you can't *Literally* SEE the characters, the author has to add descriptions to paint a picture in your mind, in TV... that's not an issue. So unless the character's appearance is necessary to the plot (like Luke's scar, or Nico being Italian) the show runners can actually focus on more important things.. Like ACTING and PERSONALITY.

2. It's just not how I imagined her:

News flash, babe! ANNABETH ISN'T REAL. None of these character are. They are concepts that originated from the brain of Mr. Rick Riordan. It doesn't matter how YOU imagined her. There are millions of people who read these books that imagined her several different ways. When the creator of the character watched Leah's audition and said, 'Yes! She embodies the character I created!", your imagined version of Annabeth ceased to matter. And guess what? The books still exist... they have not been burned. Your version of Annabeth has not disappeared. Go read the books.

3. Zeus can't be black/Gods have to be Greek/*Insert Character* can't be black:

Y'all did not read the books, I swear. You have to be fake fans looking to troll atp.

The gods move based off the center of western civilization. They change their forms/environment to reflect the culture they are occupying (they did it with Rome, now they're doing it with America). The gods change forms all the time. How we see them is not their true form as a mortal would disintegrate if they were to see their true form.

America is a cultural melting pot (specifically NY where Mount Olympus is now based). If the god's choose forms that reflect the current society they inhabit, they could literally be any race (keep in mind NYC is only 33% white).

All of this is literally SPELLED OUT in the Lightning Thief.

Furthermore, if you're going to push the ethnically Greek thing... Poseidon is British with a British accent and Hermes is Latino. The only ethnically Greek actor is Dionysus (who still doesn't look book accurate). Y'all are sounding like some white supremacists because do you forget that race is a social construct?

Before the advent of the transatlantic slave trade, I can promise you that the Greeks and the Anglo-Saxons did NOT view themselves as the same people. Why are y'all not taking issue with Poseidon's actor then?

Also, Percy Jackson has canonically had a slew of explicitly black demigods since the second book (including Harriet Tubman, which I have mixed feelings about 😭), so I genuinely have no idea where some of y'all are going with this point.

4. She was our smart blonde representation:

Don't pmo. I swear to God!

White, blonde women have NEVER been excluded from Hollywood. Representation is not something you lacked. The dumb blonde stereotype was a simple branch off of a larger misogynistic "dumb woman" stereotype. It has not truly been relevant since the mid 2000s outside of childish jokes.

This iteration of Percy Jackson will probably not go beyond the first 5 books, based off pacing and the age of the actors. So here's a fun game: 5 bucks to the first person who can find me a quote in the first 5 Percy Jackson books, where Annabeth laments her insecurities about being blonde (hint: there aren't any).

Also, her blonde hair does not hold her back at Camp because she is head of the Athena Cabin who are highly respected (and guess what?), ARE ALL BLONDE!

Her insecurities about her hair color are two or three lines at most in the later books, not this fundamental, core part of her character y'all all of a sudden wanna pretend it was. And guess what, as a non-blonde black girl, I was able to read those scenes of Annabeth feeling undervalued because of her looks and relate to her even if she didn't look like me at the time.

Why all of a sudden can y'all not do that with a black Annabeth? By every metric black girls are undervalued for their intelligence in academia more than white girls are, regardless of hair color. So your little representation of a woman undervalued by her looks would still hold. Do y'all dehumanize black women so much, that you are incapable of empathizing with show!Annabeth's plight in the way I could with Book!Annabeth simply because she doesn't look exactly like you?

Your issue isn't that she isn't blonde, it's that she is NOT WHITE.

Furthermore, Becky Riordan had tweeted previously (before the show was even cast) that Annabeth never needed to be blonde (probably recalling the BS y'all put Alexandra Daddario through), so even if they cast a white Annabeth, the blonde hair was never a guarantee. the author and producers all agree that it was not a significant part of her character. It's been a non-issue since day one.

Also, stop acting like smart blondes are rare in media... If you don't go watch some Legally blonde, Iron Man (Pepper Potts), Zack and Cody (Maddie), Liv and Maddie, FMAB (Winry), Captain Marvel, She-Ra, Buffy, The boys (starlight) etc. etc., and go sit down somewhere 🙄🙄🙄 (those were literally all things I've watched recently, off the top of my head, btw 💀)

5. It's not about race, but...:

Yes it is. It was always bout race. No other actors got as much hate as Leah. Her grandmother and other family members on IG had to mute their comments because they were getting so many threats.

Alexandra Daddario had to come to her defense on Twitter. Rick had to put out an official statement on his website. This girl has endured years of psychological torment for simply having the best audition. No one else is book accurate, no one else is ethnically Greek (except Jason Mantzoukas). Walker literally has British and German ancestry.

Why was she being called racial slurs on reddit and in youtube comments?

I know what you're gonna say, "I actually had problems with the entire cast", "I actually had a bigger issue with Walker's hair color", blah blah blah. Then why aren't you in Walker's comment sections? Why are you only making your displeasure known on posts defending/advocating for Leah? Why is she always your first example of 'wrong casting"?

Well, she "looks the most different"... Look up the term "scapegoating".

"Oh, I don't agree with the harassment. I just don't like the casting." Guess what? She's already been cast. They are not going to uncast her. What do you get out of still complaining about it.

All the vitriol you're stirring about her when you complain about her on Social media, it is directing people to send her hate, even if you're not writing it directly. It's is not enough to "not agree" with the racism, it is your duty to actively prevent it. And btw, these are young gen z actors, they are active on social media. They see the edits of themselves (even comment on it) and they most likely see these little "harmless" complaints you're posting. Are your upset feelings really worth contributing to the racist dogpile on this poor girl?

6. Why couldn't they atleast give her blonde braids?:

Why should they? Y'all wanted blonde because of the "dumb blonde" trope... that doesn't apply to POC.

A blonde black girl is gonna be viewed the same as a non-blonde black girl (or at worst, someone might decide she's "ratchet" or some shit for wearing colored hair). What difference would it make?

Why shouldn't Walker dye his hair, then?

7. Annabeth has Gray eyes:

Less than 3% of the global population has "gray eyes". Even if they cast a white actor, they would've needed contacts. Her being black is not the reason Annabeth's eyes aren't gray. Simply put, it is a plot element they removed, like the whole "names have power" element, or Ares having flames for eyes, or Dionysus using his powers to grow strawberries at Camp.

That's how adaptations work. Unnecessary plot elements are cut to save time and budget. This has nothing to do with her casting. They probably also didn't want to make child actors wear contacts (not a new practice).

8. Even if Rick chose her, he was wrong/Disney is forcing him to be okay with it:

Where do I start? Rick created the character. He can't be wrong. Do y'all have no self-awareness? Death of the author has no place here, because y'all are hung up on an aspect of the character that is not relevant to her arc or development.

Y'all's justification for wanting a "book accurate" Annabeth is that she was such an inspirational and important character growing up, and yet your behavior is so in conflict with the character you claim means so much to you. You're narrow minded, dismissive of bigotry and injustice, and disrespectful to the wishes of the creator of your favorite character; everything that Annabeth would never be. Y'all were never genuine fans of the books. You're bigots that needed an outlet for your rage.

Keep in mind, Rick has said countless times that PercaBeth directly mirrors his relationship with his wife. Y'all think he would have allowed them to cast someone who doesn't live up to the woman who has been by his side for decades? The mother of his children?

Regarding Disney forcing him, show me one piece of direct evidence that proves Disney in anyway pressured Rick to cast her. Cuz if you can't, that's baseless speculation. And if you have to resort to baseless speculation, maybe try to examine why it's so important to you to hold on to this belief.

9. So, I'm racist because I hate "race swapping"?:

To start, there is a difference between "race swapping" and "color blind casting". Often times, when y'all complain about the former, you're actually mad about the latter.

It would be "race swapping" if Rick and the team decided ahead of time that they wanted a black Annabeth and ONLY allowed black actors to audition. But the actual reality was that they accepted auditions from everyone (there were white actors and non-black poc that also auditioned for the role) and chose the best person who embodied the role. They didn't "make Annabeth black" and they didn't "make Zeus black", they cast black actors for those roles.

Y'all think you're being slick with your wording. Dismissing that is implying that they did not earn their roles fair and square. Which is racist. It's the equivalent of going up to a black college student and telling them they only got in because of affirmative action. You're dismissing the achievements of a person solely because of their racial background.

For all you people complaining about "unfairness" and "forced diversity", I would think hiring based on merit would appeal to you 🤔

71% of theatrical Hollywood leads were white in 2024 in comparison to 29% POC and you still think "black washing" is a thing? You still get this angry over a black person fairly earning a role because you think in a time where Hollywood only knows to do remakes and adaptations, that the majority of lead roles still *have* to be reserved for white actors?

Once again, white people have never been excluded from Hollywood for being white. Representation has never been something you lacked nor is it something you can lose. Your anger comes from seeing a black face where you think they don't belong. Because you feel you are owed a disproportion of representation in Hollywood.

10. Woke agenda/DEI/Forced Diversity:

If you are unironically using any of these terms in a negative light, it's already too late for me to reason with you. Look up the term "dog whistle". If you are sharing the same terminology with Elon Musk and his fanboys, maybe reevaluate some things.

POC are objectively underrepresented and have been historically excluded through actual laws and policies in Hollywood. There is no such thing as "forced diversity", you have bought in to a right wing conspiracy theory.

"Woke" is a term that was intentionally appropriated from the black community. It originally meant being aware of injustice and systematic threats to the community and is now being weaponized by bigots. Good job.

Diversity and inclusion is a good thing.

11. But POC deserve to have their own stories told:

We do. And we have been fighting for it for over a century now, and we've made great strides, no thanks to y'all.

No thanks to y'all gaslighting us about how little representation we get or that representation matters at all. No thanks to y'all pushing the idea that POC can't sell globally and obscuring POC actors in international promos. No thanks to y'all continuing to whitewash even to this day (Bullet train, the beguiled, gods of Egypt, atla, every portrayal of Jesus ever, etc.). No thanks to y'all calling every piece of media that has more than one black lead and more than one queer couple "woke". No thanks to y'all throwing a fit every time a black person in a fantasy setting isn't a slave.

Fact of the matter is, y'all never cared about POC "getting their own stories", you're only parroting our own words back to us now as a politically correct way of saying, "leave white roles alone" lmao

Well fun fact, actors of color getting opportunities to play lead roles and allowing poc to "tell their own stories" are not mutually exclusive. If y'all cared that much, instead of bullying a 12 year old actress, you could actually support up and coming independent POC writers, directors, and studios ���

12. Studios need to stop "setting up" actors of color:

Do me a favor and google the term DARVO.

Your racism is not the fault of the studios for giving a POC actor a role that they earned. It is not up to the rest of society to tiptoe around racists to avoid their vitriol. It is our responsibility to hold them accountable and protect minorities from unwarranted hate. At most, you can say it's the responsibility of the studios to provide adequate support to POC actors who face this backlash.

At the end of the day, Hollywood only allows very few spots for POC actors (especially WOC), while simultaneously pushing a new white boy every month to put in everything. Putting minorities in these roles that are usually closed to them, usually opens the door to more actors of color than before.

Brandy being cast as Cinderella did a lot to push her into the mainstream (yes, she was already extremely famous in the black community atp), Halle Berry being the first, black, bond girl literally shot her to icon status, and even going as far back to what Anna Mae Wong did for Asian American actresses with her "femme fatale" roles.

At the end of the day, even with the backlash, *some* rep does more good for POC actors than *no* rep. The solution to racist backlash isn't to take away those opportunities, but rather to not be racist??? 🙄

Also, for everyone that claims that "POC race-swapping" is just as bad as "white-washing", despite white washing having a longer history and objectively causing more harm, note how the backlash to white washing never lasts as long as the harassment that POC get.

Like, no one brings up Scarlett Johansson's ghost in the shell role anymore, but you can best believe Candace Patton is still fending off racist trolls. As much as people hated the atla movie, people moved on quick from Nicola Peltz playing Katara since she was just a kid that accepted the role (re: daddy bought her the role), but y'all would not have any of that consideration for Leah Sava Jeffries.

But I digress...

13. What if we made Tiana white? Wakanda white? Hazel white...:

Ah, my favorite inane point. I was so excited to get here :)

See, I could start out by pointing out how "White washing" and casting a POC actor as a traditionally white character are not equivalent.

I could point out the history of hollywood ACTIVELY excluding POC actors and POC stories. I could point out how grossly over represented white people are in hollywood. I could point out that POC characters are so few in comparison that whitewashing them causes actual harm, where white people have never lacked rep.

I could point out how, because poc characters and stories are so often tokenized that their racial/cultural background is often directly tied to their character's identity, in opposition to a lot of white characters, since hollywood treats white as the "Default".

See, I could make all those points, but the thing is, the people who make this argument already know all that. They are trying to waste time by drawing me into a pointless circular argument that will sum up to "fair is fair", while ignoring all the context and nuance I previously provided.

So you know what? Forget it. Let me play your game.

I am actually fine with a white Tiana. Would it make sense, for her and her family to experience Jim Crow era racism, in the south while white? No. But we can look past it. Disney was never known for historical accuracy anyway 🤷🏿‍♀️

However, in exchange, the live action frozen will have a black Elsa and Anna, live action Rapunzel will be black, live action Merida will be black, we're re-filming Cinderella and Beauty and the beast to cast a black belle and Cindy, snow white will need to be recast as black, and we also get aurora whenever the live action sleeping beauty is announced. But then y'all can keep Tiana, deal?

You want a white T'Challa? Fine! (I'm partial to Ryan gosling), in the meantime, we'll be recasting Iron man, Captain America (Steve version), Bruce banner, Thor, Loki, hawk eye, black widow, ant man, captain marvel, Bucky, Peter Parker etc. All the avengers and their side characters, then y'all can have Sam Wilson, war machine and the whole of Wakanda (will it make sense that a sole, hidden, African nation is randomly made up of white people? Who cares? We get the avengers!).

You want white Hazel? You got her! I hope you have no problem with us taking Percy, Nico, Will, Poseidon, Jason, calypso, Rachel, Tyson, Silena, the stoll brothers, Sally Jackson, Hades, Hepheastus, ares, etc. But y'all can have Hazel and Beckendorf.

If we're gonna do this, let's commit all the way. Fair is fair, after all.

14. Leah isn't as "pretty" as Book Annabeth/Movie Annabeth:

I wish I could say this wasn't a genuine point I had read, but when all else fails, they will always go for a woman's appearance.

Now first of all, as a rule, I will never hold black women to white beauty standards. Our hair will never be long and silky enough, our nose will never be narrow enough, our skin will never be fair enough and our eyes will never be light enough (Might I recommend Toni Morrison, when you get the chance?). But Leah is unfairly gorgeous idc what any of you say, and you're not gonna have me use my defense of Leah as an opportunity to bash Alexandra either because she is also beautiful. These two queens slayed to the best of their abilities within this toxic ass fandom.

I find it funny, however, that so many of you harped on the "blonde" issue because you thought it was important that Annabeth be seen beyond just her looks, but quickly devolve to bashing an actress's looks when it comes to why she's not right for this role 🤔

I would also like to sincerely apologize that the 13 year old girl they cast in the show, wasn't as sexually attractive to you as the 24 year old woman they cast in the movie and sexualized through like 25% of her screen time (I'm actually not sorry. You're very weird if this is an actual point for you).

15. I don't agree with sending hate to the actor, but she's just not right for the role:

Once again, what are you doing by complaining about her casting on no other basis than her race?

The creator of the character said she embodied the role. She has already been cast, and Disney would be in a legal/production hell to recast her atp. Just because you're not directly leaving comments on her social media doesn't mean you're not part of the hate mob.

No matter how you look at it, your issues with her casting come from a very entitled and narrow-minded place. When you join in on these dialogues you are bolstering a sentiment that pushes more people to harass this teenage girl. When you leave these "harmless" complaints, on show content, fan posts or posts defending her, she's liable to read them because the cast regularly interact with fans online.

What do you have to say that is so important that it trumps protecting a young girl from the long-staying trauma of racism, of being told she doesn't deserve something she worked for because of how she was born?

16. I can't even criticize the show without being called racist:

Get. Over. Yourself.

Y'all are not the victim. Have fans of the show gotten protective of Leah and the young cast? Yes.

With good reason. This fandom is unbearably toxic.

Racism outweighs your need for a "perfect adaptation", sorry.

If you explain yourself properly and keep your critiques fair (like, even I don't think this was a perfect season, and will be sharing my thoughts shortly), no one is gonna call you racist.

You're preempting with that because in all honesty, you're probably planning to use your "critiques" of the show to pivot to one of the many points that I just outlined, and you want to pre-empt the criticism.

If a black Annabeth is the end all be all for you, just don't watch the show, no one's holding a gun to your head. Geez.

17. I'm Black/POC and I don't agree...:

Hey, Candace Owens... No one gives a shit.

First of all, for all the "I'm POC and I don't agree" people, you don't speak for us. Anti-blackness is rampant in just about every culture globally. You being not-white doesn't somehow make you less prone to hating black people.

But for the "I'm black and I don't agree" leftovers (assuming you're not just a 👩🏼‍💻 behind a keyboard). Black people are not a monolith. You're not obligated to think a certain way because you're black.

But consider why you're putting yourself up as a barrier to protect this hate mob. It's one thing to just state why you don't like Leah's casting, but to start off your spiel with "I'm actually black" as a way to weaponize the very identity politics you're critiquing... very strange. Not to mention, what are you defending?

The black community is coming together to defend one of our own, a kid who has been receiving death threats since she was 12, and this is when you feel the need to back the opposition?

I mean whatever... sometimes the house slaves would snitch to the master. There will always be some of y'all in the woodwork. It is what it is.

But when the exact ideology you defend is turned against you, when a Baltimore elected official is being accused of getting his job through "DEI", when conservatives are claiming that they wouldn't "trust a black pilot", don't decide that's where you'll finally draw your line in the sand.

All that being said, This is my Annabeth:

May every tongue that rose against Leah Sava Jeffries Shrivel and die in 2025 🙏🏿 My girl will keep winning ❤️

(video by @/waleahhasmyheart on TikTok)

[lateatnewyork]

Rage

charlie bushnell x ex!reader

warnings: angst, allusions to cheating, swearing

summary: reader and charlie break up and she releases an album

a/n why do i love this (i still love charlie i just needed some angst smau) 😭 also if ur names harper i’m sorry (lets pretend dior's 19 ok? ok)

liked by treepaine, user04 and 19,834,692 more celebgossip actor charlie bushnell spotted with harper elle. that doesn’t look like y/n l/n to us. comments are closed

diorrr

yn? u ok did u see the post? n/n pls answer me im worried yn if u don’t answer me in ten minutes i’m coming over about to leave the house read 19:45

leah my bae

yn u ok? i just saw what happened pls talk to me im gonna be there with dior read 19:51

rolling in the deep

hey i just saw you alright? i’ve given leah some food for you delivered

walkie talkie

yn i sent some flowers with dior hope ur ok delivered

char 🫶🏻

yn pls let me explain it was a mistake

you have blocked this user

liked by dior.n.goodjohn, leahsavajeffries and 23,089,54 more thisisyn men suck (other than my dad, my brother, my grandpa, aryan and walker) view comments

conangray fr (i’m not a man) ➔ thisisyn lmao ly dior.n.goodjohn the last pic is apple juice cos leah’s a baby ➔ thisisyn ^ hearts4yn charlie when i catch you ynloml pretty ➔ thisisyn all u ynismywife charlie start sleeping with one eye open walkerscobell is that a swear word i see 🤓 👆 ➔ thisisyn get out of my comment section aryansimhadri when’s the next album coming out ➔ thisisyn you literally already know??? user08 NEW ALBUM???? cinnamongirl motherrrrrrrr ➔ thisisyn childdddddd

liked by aryansimhadri, iamcharliebushnell and 3,457,890,211 more thisisyn my new album RAGE will be out on 29th june, womanizer my lead single will be out 16th june. view comments

oliviarodrigo omg the cover looks beautiful dior.n.goodjohn i’ve been waiting for this 🤭 leahsavajeffries new filming playlist??? aryansimhadri i’m gonna cover this walkerscobell r u smoking honeymoon the cover 😍 user34 charlie get out of the likes hearts4yn THE DIG AT CHARLIE? ➔ user46 wdym ➔ ynloml she’s releasing her single on his birthday harperelle nice cover ➔ ynloml get tf out ➔ hearts4yn the audacity harperismywife slut user6 she’s not even pretty harper’s prettier

liked by honeymoon, taylorswift and 121,476,392 more thisisyn haters track 6 is for you 🫶🏻 view comments

dior.n.goodjohn she fr is not better liked by creator leahsavajeffries bout to make sure someone else is hurting liked by creator aryansimhadri claiming traitor ➔ thisisyn u might have to fight leah on that 😶 ➔ walkerscobell and me user6 ew hearts4yn CANT WAIT

liked by iamcharliebushnell, harperelleismywife and 120 others harperelle in greece view comments

harperellefan fav couple hearts4yn hope ur happy ➔ harperelle i am actually ynloml charlie i just wanna have a word 🤗 🔪 ynismywife omfg user34 anyone else remember when yn and charlie went to greece

liked by dior.n.goodjohn, aryansimhadri and 56,981,392 more thisisyn i loved performing my album RAGE for the first time. brooklyn you're an awesome crowd! view comments

dior.n.goodjohn ur literally amazing babes ➔ thisisyn u were stunning frfr walkerscobell I GOT DEATH THREATS FILLING UP SEMI TRUCKS ➔ thisisyn POP OFF leahsavajeffries you shouldve heard aryan singing 😭 im sending u the vid ➔ thisisyn YES PLEASE hearts4yn the way everyone was screaming fck charlie 🤭

liked by thisisyn, dior.n.goodjohn and 3,489,211 more concerttours yn ln performs surprise song, brutal from her album “life lately”, in dublin. comments are closed

liked by leahsavajeffries, aryansimhadri and 9,743,511 more ynupdates crowd at vancouver were seen yelling “f*ck charlie and harper” but yn ln is soon to tell them that “he chose someone else and i’m not holding him accountable for anything so why should you” view comments

hearts4yn mother is def mothering ynloml this is class ynismywife honestly she’s so pure for that

liked by walkerscobell, dior.n.goodjohn and 12,784,813 more thisisyn i got them by my side so why would i need you?

(i’m allowed to quote my own songs) view comments

dior.n.goodjohn can’t believe walker stole my noodles, keep an eye out buddy ➔ walkerscobell i’m scared liked by creator hearts4yn not the line from lonely

liked by aryansimhadri, walkerscobell and 1,674,811 more thisisyn why don’t i have any 0.5’s of aryan 😭 view comments

dior.n.goodjohn pls send me the picture of leah 🙏 ➔ thisisyn just sent ➔ leahsavajeffries can’t believe it aryansimhadri i’m just better ➔ thisisyn should’ve posted the photo of sleeping ➔ aryansimhadri no pls

liked by thisisyn, walkerscobell and 12,765,911 more celebgossip charlie bushnell and harper elle have broken up rumours say that she cheated on him. comments are closed

liked by taylorswift, leahsavajeffries and 34,520,921 more thisisyn my ep, REVENGE, comes out this friday !!

i’ve always thought of revenge as the younger sister of rage, i genuinely wanted to change revenge to rage (deluxe) but i’m glad i didn’t because now i can show u guys revenge as itself. view comments

dior.n.goodjohn summer anthem walkerscobell playing this during set rickriordan adding to my play in the show playlist taylorswift this is so rep coded honeymoon talent aryansimhadri too many covers i have to sing hearts4yn mother ynloml can’t wait !!

a/n deciding to leave it there cos i’m too sleepy and have like seven drafts to work on 😭 and can’t wait to see my husband in two days we were literally not fed enough last episode

[ganeshpnf]

Hiii! What do you think about the movie cast and show cast? Which one do you love more if you have to compare?

Hi anon! And...wow. I dont talk about this much but if I would, I need to make some warnings first. My blog is not open for talking bad, hating for any actors. Anyone who sees this post are free to share their own thoughts, whatever you agree with me or not. But please, be respectful, to all actors and to people say their own personal thoughts. And remember, whatever you like it or not, they are still in characters of the movie and show universe. You have to show your respect. Bad writing, bad plot, inaccuracy is never the actors' fault, they are just doing their jobs. So please, be respectful. Dont forget that people can have opinions, unless they talk bad to any actor, it should be respected. You are all free. I also gotta say that I love every single actor, for the movie and the show, they are all amazing :) But if I had to compare their acting or how I see them most of the time, long post so lets goo!

1- Logan(movie Percy) and Walker(show Percy)

Both of the actors are really talented. Walker is known with his personality and I agree, during interviews and his daily life. But personally, I dont think the same in the show. I know, bad writing, but still. Logan is exactly what I see hoo Percy, his humor and his iconic lines. While Walker also threw some good Percy sass, I would still have to pick Logan. He is too iconic for me.

2-Alexandra(movie Annabeth) and Leah(show Annabeth)

First, kudos to the both actors since they got so many hate and still stayed so strong. Both of them inspired so many things in me, I am so so proud of both of them.

Now, this is hard because both of these woman also had a very big problem with bad bad bad bad writing. Their characters were butchered up and it was not their fault. Both of their acting was perfect. But, Alexandra did a bit better in my eyes with her acting. While I adore Leah, she seemed a bit flat to me. I believe with time, she would get better, but for now, I'll have to pick Alexandra.

3- Brandon(movie Grover) and Aryan(show Grover)

I know this is not Brandon's fault but making Grover with full of sexual jokes was not my favourite thing. He is hilarious to watch, yes. But part of his character angered me. I think Aryan did better in this, he would do even better. His grover made more sense in me, so I will pick Aryan.

4-Leven(movie Clarisse) and Dior(show Clarisse)

This is so hard, because both of them were fantastic. I think I will make it tie. I had tiny "issues" with both, maybe some cringe moments but its mostly because of the writing. Other than that, I cant pick. Leven's attitude and Dior's that powerful scream, its a tie.

5-Jake(movie Luke) and Charlie(show Luke)

Charlie is an amazing actor, his Luke was written to be a bit more sympathic. If I have to talk about Luke, it would make a whole another long post, but Jake's Luke gave me much more Luke vibes. Not only because he is almost exactly with how I imagine him, but also with his attitude, funny remarks about his father which completely summed up his relationship with his father. So I have to pick Jake, he is way too iconic for me.

6-Pierce(movie Chiron) and Glynn(show Chiron)

Well, I know second movie changed the actor but Pierce is special to me because he is THE Chiron in my eyes. He looked exactly of what I imagined, he looked ancient with long hair and I adore it. Glynn's Chiron's acting was a bit soft in my eyes, I wish we got to see him organize the camp more, training the heros etc. Pierce's scene with him training the demigods, I adore it, so I go with Pierce.

7-Stanley(movie Mr.D) and Jason(show Mr.D)

Hmmm, I think I would choose Jason since his lines were a bit more iconic, he slayed with his acting. For Stanley's defense, we didnt see him much, but still I gotta choose, so Jason.

8- Uma(movie Medusa) and Jessica(show Medusa)

I think I already said here that how much I adore Uma's Medusa. I think cgi was a lot better, despite it being 2010. I didnt like Jessica's Medusa since it was too Ovid's story, I really do not like that version :( Uma's acting, snakes were better in my eyes so I choose her.

9-Sean(movie Zeus) and Lance(show Zeus)

First of all, rest in peace Lance :( I adored him in every single project, he was perfect. I first watched him in "Young Sheldon" and not to mention he slayed as his performance in Zeus. About Sean though, he is the Zeus I see most of the time, I love him, his power in the throne room scene, perfection, him threating Poseidon...I would go with Sean.

10- Kevin(movie Poseidon) and Toby(show Poseidon)

This is also so hard because I literally...cant choose? Like Kevin's first scene is just so powerful and gave me the Poseidon immediatly. But Toby...his scene with Sally, I just cant. Its a tie, sorry.

11- Steve(movie Hades) and Jay(show Hades)

Look, I love the actors but...I really dont see both of them as Hades in my eyes? One of them was too evil, other one was too silly. Like okay, I accept them as Hades, in other universes. But I cant compare them, so you can call it a tie.

12-Catherine(movie Sally) and Virgiana(show Sally)

I love Catherine, she is so close to what I see when I think of Sally. But Virgiana...She was just perfect. I had some issues of her character but thats an another topic. For now, I pick Virgiana.

I cant think of more of the main cast but I need a moment to talk about movie Athena because I think she is too underestimated. Like she is perfect, THE Athena. She looks exactly like her, she is just too dam sweet. I love her so so much.

This is it. Im no fan of both of this adaptations tbh, but actors are all so great and talented! My fav adaptation would always be musical, I would talk about it one day.

Please remember to be respectful, you are all free to share your own thoughts :)

[posallys]

ok 1 ur desktop theme is GORG and 2 i need (if u wanna) ur thoughts about the show (or show sally in gen bc ur the only one i trust with her)

thank you!! i was actually thinking about updating it but maybe i wont 🤭🤭 and i have a lot of thoughts about the show except none only very few of them are good and i will be crucified by the 13-year-olds

im going to tell you anyway.

i will start with something i like....percy being angry. like yes give me the anger of a 12 year old who feels utterly alone in the world and doesn't understand (or does and it makes him more angry)

the fight scenes are dog shit. the only kind of cool one was in the arch but it was only cool because of percy doing the bait and switch and falling through the arch...the fights are bland boring sucky whatever other synonym you wanna use

uhhhhh sally jackson is not and would never be sitting in the rain pining of the god she told to leave....and especially not to teen pop...if she WERE going to act like a 16 year old and do the pining thing it would be to fucking like...billy joel and ricky martin and donny hathaway and stuff llike that okay...

i will preface this by saying that yes i understand that talking back to an abuser the way sally does in ep 1 doesn't make the abuse less abusive....however i DO not like the fact that that scene explicitly goes against sally characterization in the books....i am not digging my book out atm but the part where percy is like "my mother has never raised her voice or said an unkind word to anyone"....me thinks the writers all read the books 10 years ago and are going off of memory alone + or their brains are so clouded by the obsessive Big Screen Need to make women a badass girlboss slay queen i fucking hate it here

LET ANNABETH BE SILLY AND FUNNY AND CUTE AND CRY AND NOT BE AN ADULT THANK YOU....hated that they made annabeth the one to realize that it was medusa and not grover...give me back grover having to wrangle percy and annabeth into backpack leashes just to keep them on task/stop them from wandering off...book trio i miss you

i absolutely ADORE leah, walker, and aryan though the three of them are so so perfect, A+ casting no notes couldn't have done it better myself. if it weren't for the three of them i would have zero hope for the show i cannot lie...they're carrying. without them it's just..bad.

the pacing???? bad.

why did we waste half of the 4th ep on the train with echidna...stupid dumb pointless i hate it here

i do like the whole not all monsters are monsters and the gods aren't inherently good just because they're gods thing they've got going on though...very inch resting...silently hoping that they do a complete 180 and have percy side with luke and redo the series from there because that would be iconic as fuck <3 a girl can dream because at least then i could take the show at face value and not take 80 health damage every time they mess up a key part of the books...im at -29834 heath rn.

where was the time at chb before the quest??? the oh so important vital scene where luke teaches percy to sword fight???? like BRO that's soooooooooooo important to ME how could you get rid of that

not having annabeth show percy around camp

additionally, not having annabeth feed him the nectar and ambrosia, WHICH BY THE WAY they haven't even mentioned in the show yet...plot armor gone rip

not the fredrick chase sympathy while simultaniously blaming the woman...........rick when i get my hands on you...

annabeth having to EARN thalia's love??? absolutely not probably one of their biggest fuck ups fr.

the scene where sally is talking about Poseidon to percy...i do not like it sam i am. bad. not wistful enough not longing enough not sad enough not gut wrenching enough...also not completely here for sally telling percy that his dad was a god because....sallys whole thing was NOT telling him in order to keep him safe...i know they changed it in the show so sally knew he was going to camp immediately but that does not mean i have to like it

the scene with sally and percy in the pool. i hated everything about that. sally would never talk to percy like that never talk to him about money never make it seem embarassing NOT TO MENTION that percy simply wasn't scared of the water. that's stupid as fuck. theres a part in the book where percy literally says being by the water calms both him and his mom like...come the fuck on just admit you can't fucking read or at least didn't read the book.

sally annabeth get behind me so they cant hurt you anymore

i did loveeeee percy praying to sally though...absoutely insane and true of them. also the "I AM SALLY JACKSON'S SON" yesss baby you tell them about your mommy!!!!!!

them making athena moa level bad in tlt is quite interesting. setting up annabeth siding with percy pretty well.

also the whole impertinence thing over medusa's head was weird to me. when annabeth first said that i had immediately thought that annabeth's impertinence was telling percy to pray to poseidon IN ATHENA'S TEMPLE bc that made much more sense to me...but whatever

the annabeth/medusa parallel is intriguing at the very least

the underwater scene with the neraid was cool even though i hated the parallel to the pool scene w/ sally.

the dumbass pinecone fate line. 0/10 did you read the book? did you pay attention to how empathetic and reflective percy was when he found out about thalia?

honestly....i think disney was just the wrong place to go with this show because it's like what...pg? it should be pg 13 and should have more... sustenance.

this medusa was so cool though. which we could've seen a fight.

i need to know how many women are in the writer's room though...because It Does Not Look Good. funny how the characters that they're fucking up are all women....crazy. weird. totally coincidental.

are we just not going to talk about the vitality and pressure of getting the bolt back on time? where is the inherent inevitable danger, the suspense, the fear of not accomplishing a seemingly impossible talk looming over everything

this is 10000% not all of my thoughts but im not going to rewatch in order to collect them all so this is what you get xoxox

[pebblume]

omg Rose I adore all your fic ideas so much! Particularly the one where Percy can't stop telling the truth, Annabeth with glasses, them driving around in the car at Montauk, and Annabeth being hyperaware of everything Percy does because she's into him is so ANNABETH. I'm so happy you started listening to the audiobooks, I would love to know your thoughts because I recently reread all the pjo books and I have so many thoughts!! Also if you have the time with school you should listen to the Seaweed Brain podcast with Walker and Leah it's freaking adorable

thank you!! my writing toxic trait is that i keep coming up with fic ideas that i love but then i think about how much time and energy it would take me to write and i never end up finishing them ;-; but once school slows down i definitely want to revisit some of these and see if the brainworms will take over and let me actually complete one of my 50 wips haha. also i am so down to talk pjo if you ever wanna DM!! i'm about to start soM and i just know it's going to give me soooo much writing inspo

OMG I LISTENED TO THE SEAWEED BRAIN PODCAST YESTERDAY AND I WAS GIGGLING LIKE A LOON. the fact that the Longing Stare TM percy gave annabeth when she put the camp necklace on was unscripted has me SHOOK walker was really possessed by the spirit of percy jackson in that moment. and leah just had me in stitches the entire time she's so funny! it also inspired me to make my own percabeth playlist because i was like i can't NOT. anyways this became very rambly so long story short, yes, i loved it :)

[modernmanblues]

chances

CH 2: VOGUE PT. I

plot: American photographer Leah Walker is ecstatic when she’s presented with the opportunity to spend the summer of 1975 in Stockport, UK to take photographs of local English groups. Given her history of taking photos of big acts such as The Rolling Stones and The Doors, she is taken by surprise when told that her first clients will be the up and coming Manchester-based group, 10cc, who have kept a low-profile until recently, after gaining worldwide stardom from their hit I’m Not In Love. Leah knows little about the group and gets acquainted fairly quickly, but what she doesn’t know is how much trouble she’s about to get herself into with the group’s beloved lead guitarist, Eric Stewart. She has all summer, come to think of it. The possibilities are endless.

themes: playfulness, hothead Stewart, insinuating rivalry between group members, flirting, some fluff

a/n: I am dividing this chapter in two parts, with the latter being where most of the action happens. I've decided to do this because honestly, I've been going through severe writer's block and running out of tasty ideas. Not to worry, they'll come to me in part two.

“Hi..you alright, beautiful?”

“Should we get on with it, then?” Eric poses the question to the group, exchanging dazed looks with his mates fishing  for a response. 

“What’s that?” Lol sounds oblivious, furrowing his brows at Eric.

“Are you daft, Laurence?! The photoshoot, man!” Eric responds matter-of-factly, sounding slightly irritable. 

“Just asking a simple question, Stewart. No need to be ornery..Christ. And stop calling me Laurence! You know I don’t like being called that!” Lol exclaims in an aggravated tone. He rolls his eyes in dismay at Eric’s sarcastic remark.      

Eric glares at Lol, his face turning a slight serosanguineous color. “You know what, I’ve got a good mind to thum-” 

There is increased tension in Eric’s tone. I find myself growing slightly aggravated at this somewhat hostile interaction. I decide to interject. 

“Okay, that’s enough!” My command is solid and firm, “why don’t we just get this over with? We’re wasting valuable time and I’d hate to keep you all here longer than you need to. You can reconcile your differences once we’re through here.” 

The four men crane their heads toward me, gaping at me and seemingly flabbergasted by my audacity. We all stand in momentary silence, exchanging dumbfounded looks. I glare at each of them, feeling some convection of heat in my face.  I’m feeling irritable at the moment. I will NOT be babysitting a bunch of grown men.       

Eric takes a stride towards me with swagger, something I have been keenly observing. He smirks at me, his eyes adhered to mine. A little deviant. This one’s going to be trouble, I can tell already.    

I stand with my arms crossed and head turned to the side, avoiding his gaze to my aggravation. Eric is standing just inches away from my face. I take in his body heat as he firmly clasps his hands on my shoulders. He places a finger under my chin, gently shifting my head to face him. He searches my eyes with his and succeeds. 

“Hi..you alright, beautiful?” His boyish smile instantly remedies my temper. A lump travels down my throat as I shudder under his gaze. 

Beautiful? Oh he’s funny..he thinks he can just sweet talk his way out of this. However, I’d be lying if I said this term of endearment coming from him didn’t have an effect on me. 

“Yes. I’m fine, Eric. Now can we please get started?” My voice cracks as I attempt to control the mild fluttering in my stomach. Tension leaves my face as I meet his gaze. 

“There, there now..this is just how the lads and I talk to each other sometimes. Sorry, did we frighten you?” His tone is reassuring. Like a clairvoyant with a keen ability to tap into human emotion, it seems as though he can read this tense feeling I’m having at the moment. He remedies my affliction by gently rubbing my upper arms, and as he does this I feel tension gradually exiting every inch of my body. His touch is soothing, and I’m finding it difficult to resist sinking into his arms yet I somehow manage to maintain integrity.       

I peel away from Eric’s hold. I strive to maintain composure. I shut my eyes momentarily, running my fingers through my hair. I inhale deeply and exhale–one slowed, controlled, meaningful breath. I bring my hands together and smile broadly at the men as I collect my thoughts.

“Now, are we ready for some nice pictures, fellas?” I glance at Eric. He smiles at me timidly, like a school-aged child who’s just received a wholehearted compliment from his teacher for the first time. 

“Absolutely!” 

“I was born ready!” 

“I didn’t dress to kill today for no reason now, did I?

“I have been looking forward to this all day.” 

They strike me with their commentaries in a rapid-fire fashion. Listening to them rave about the photoshoot with such enthusiasm overwhelms me with joy. My mood is uplifted, considering how irritable I was just moments ago. I smile at the men gleefully as I listen to their banter about how one is perhaps the best dressed for the occasion–an amusing interaction to say the least. 

“Oi, lads! Before we get started, I suppose we should get better acquainted with our lovely photographer. After all, she still is very much a stranger to us.” Lol says this matter-of-factly, darting his head towards me. His face brightens as he grins at me widely.  

“An interrogation.” Eric shoots a glance at me from the corner of his eye, smirking. 

An interrogation?! Well I certainly did not sign up for this..

“Lol’s right you know. I think it’s only fair that we get to know a bit more about..you. If that’s alright with you, of course.” Eric places emphasis on the word you.  I feel as though he’s prodding me on purpose, and he’s found the perfect opportunity for me to be vulnerable and be an open book to them..to him. I certainly could be overanalyzing his intentions, and my thought process may even be a bit delusional, but a girl can only speculate. What baffles me most is why these men seem invested in scrutinizing my rather uneventful life story. Whatever the reason is beyond me, but I feel obligated to feed their curiosity now that they’ve opened up this portal. 

“Very well then. Shall we take this discussion somewhere more..private, if you will? I prefer that my personal business be discussed just amongst us and not with the rest of the world.” I demand an accommodation since they’ve so graciously requested to know the details about my parody of a life. 

“Of course, of course! Anything for you, love.” Eric glances at me, he is beaming with boyish allure that’s gradually growing on me. Charming. 

“Right this way, come with me.” He leads the way into a small, secluded section in the rehearsal room. The rest of us follow him like a parade of baby geese following their mother. 

I quickly study the area. From first glance, the area looks neat, organized and free of clutter–surprising, considering this is practically a playground for young musicians that presumably indulge in some raucous behavior in their spare time. Oddly enough, I feel proud of them for keeping this place in pristine condition. Minimal furniture present–I note the bright red, horseshoe-shaped sectional and the large black round coffee table stationed in the middle. I turn my attention to the two clear ashtrays, a couple half empty bottles of scotch, the open box of Winstons and four diamond-cut whiskey glasses sitting on top. Rockstars by trade. 

“Please have a seat.” Eric pulls up the hem of his denim jeans before sinking into the sofa. The three others follow suit and sit to his right. 

I want to maintain professional boundaries. They sit on one end of the sofa while I settle myself on the opposite end. With the coffee table separating me and the men, I feel that this is a comfortable distance. For some odd reason, I feel like I’m at a job interview–this is almost reminiscent to the day I sat to interview with Dan for this job 5 years ago. Only difference was we were seated in the two suede love seats he had in his office–I should say has because he still has them things in there. 

“Lovely studio, by the way. It’s nice to know you crazy kids are able to keep this place up despite all your antics.” I say this jokingly of course. The American in me all too often resorts to sarcasm as a way to break tension–at times a strength, other times a weakness. 

Graham chuckles, glancing at me with sleepy eyes. A tiny smile interrupts his blunted expression. I am just now noticing his lengthy eyelashes. They complement those dreamy, dark brown eyes of his. Oh he’s gorgeous. His dreamy eyes, his slick, black curls, his slim figure, his nonchalant demeanor–he is every photographer’s dream, I think he’d do well as a fashion model in my honest opinion. 

“Mm..yes. Eric and I are keen on orderliness and unfortunately, we’ve had to constantly keep up with the mess that these two lunatics make.” Graham is matter-of-fact, glaring at Kevin and Lol. 

“Right. And we’re not going to repeat the story of how they left this place in shambles last week after play fighting with string cheese and meat pies. Looked like a tornado tore this place apart..empty beer bottles, meat pie remnants, traces of cheese and shaving cream all over the damn floor. Man was it a sight! You just had to be there.” Eric tuts. He narrows his eyes at Kevin and Lol, shaking his head in dismay, “Graham and I are always babysitting these two fools.” 

“Oi! We did too clean up after ourselves, Eric!” Lol sounds like an exasperated young child who’s just been scolded by his mother for misbehaving. 

“We were tired and we were bored out of our minds so we wanted to have a bit of fun. Lol and I had our thrill, but I can assure everyone here that we enjoyed responsibly by cleaning up our own mess, otherwise we wouldn’t have heard the end of it from Susie Day over here.” Kevin rolls his eyes at Eric. 

“Sod off, Godley! You’re not any better than Lol and you know it! In fact, you’re far worse sometimes!” Eric scoffs at Kevin’s tongue-in-cheek remark. 

Eric swipes the box of Winstons from the coffee table. He slides a cigarette out from the box and a lighter from his jean pocket, then anchors the cigarettes between his lips. He quickly produces a tiny flame with one effortless flick of the sparkwheel with his expert thumb. He leans his head into the flame to burn the tobacco. He takes a puff from the cigarette, then exhales a steady stream of smoke into the studio air. 

Eric leans his cigarette against an ash tray and presents me the small carton, smirking at me. “Would you like one?”

He rises from the sofa and takes a stroll towards me and introduces the small carton of pure nicotine to me. I stare into the box mindlessly. Cancer sticks. I have never had a single cigarette in my life, but today I’m feeling bold.

“I would love one, thank you Mr. Eric.” 

I withdraw a cigarette from the box and he ignites a flame with his lighter once again. I lean my cigarette into it, locking eyes with him. He smiles at me timidly. I study his eyes–they’re a gorgeous light brown color. I take note of how they glisten when the light hits them from the perfect angle. His partially disheveled hair suits him well–it enhances his attractiveness. His curtain bangs fall perfectly over the corners of his eyes, just enough that I can still catch a glimpse of them. The subtle rose color that blush his cheeks is becoming more prominent as he takes in the mild heat from my cigarette. He is breathtakingly gorgeous and undeniably photogenic. He is a model client, and one that photographers would absolutely rave about. Rare beauty as we like to call it. 

As a photographer, the skill of ascertaining beauty in certain individuals makes me sound superficial and perhaps even biased, but indeed it is a skill that is core to the profession and one that requires a lot of time and patience to master. Of note, there’s a kind of beauty that appeals to me. The ability to identify this type of beauty is a skill I’ve acquired as a novice photographer–most consider me seasoned at this point in my career, but frankly speaking, I consider myself a novice. I have much to learn still. 

I take a hit off my cigarette then crane my head up to face Eric. I expel a cloud of smoke into his face, smirking at him. I feel like playing a little game with you, Mr. Stewart. His face grows more smug as the traveling smolder gently collides into his face. 

“Rookie.” He raises an eyebrow at me, maintaining his smug expression. He looks rather sultry. 

“Is that a compliment or an insult, Mr. Stewart?” I gaze up at him, smiling broadly,  “you may choose to answer that only after everyone else is through with their questions. Now, would you please be seated? I believe you and your mates had some inquiries about me?” My tone is direct. Of course, this is not my first rodeo and providing redirection is an art that I seem to have acquired naturally as a photographer.  

Giving direction is a constant struggle for us photographers, especially when working with unhinged rockstars. I’m still trying to gauge these ones, however. I can’t quite tell just yet whether or not they’ll be trouble, the lot of them. 

“So bossy..” Eric playfully rolls his eyes, shaking his head. He turns around to tread back over to the sofa and sinks into the cushioned furnishing. 

Eric takes his partially burned cigarette then anchors it between his fingers. He takes a hit off it then leans it back against the ashtray. He leans over the coffee table, sliding over one of the whiskey glasses closer to him. He proceeds to swipe the bottle of scotch and unscrews the top then pours some of the liquor into his glass, about a shot’s worth so it appears. After pouring his desired amount of beverage, he glances at me from the corner of his eye. The look he keeps giving me is rather alluring, if I didn’t have any self-control I’d be swooning. 

“Care for some scotch, hm?” Eric raises an eyebrow at me, his tone seemingly coaxing me to agree to the offer. 

“Oh that sounds lovely. I would love some, please.” My smile is demure. He and the rest of the group have been more than accommodating to me thus far, it’s overwhelming to say the least. 

Eric pours a shot’s worth of liquor into a whiskey glass and delivers the glass to me. 

I look up at him with an infectious smile. 

“A gentleman and a scholar.” I lean my cigarette against the ashtray and proceed to steal the glass from him, then raise it as if making a congratulatory toast. I take a sip of the alcohol. 

He slides back into the sofa. Raising his glass, he smiles broadly at me.

“And a woman with class.” he winks at me as he takes a sip of his beverage. 

That fluttering sensation in my stomach is back. My teeth sink into my lower lip as I feel the temperature in my cheeks rise gradually. 

“Well, lads? Questions? For the lady?” Lol inquires the group, raising his brows as he glances at his peers. 

“Where in America are you from, exactly?” Graham bravely initiates the query. 

“Brooklyn. New York.”

“Is that right? I heard only the best tasting pizza in the world comes from New York.” Eric is quick with his remark. 

“Why’s it always about food with you, Stewart?” Kevin scoffs, rolling his eyes at Eric. 

“Do you always have to be so-” 

“Next question, please!” I interject before any bickering ensues. 

“Oh yes, do you have a favor-” 

“What makes you happy?” Eric interjects Lol, locking eyes with me. 

A lump travels down my throat. I drag my hand across the sofa deliberately, feeling its soft, velvety texture to ease my nerves. I take another sip of liquor. I smile at him genially. 

“My family. My work family. My friends. Photography..my clients. They make me happy. I get to capture people’s most candid moments. And what I see in them..I see passion, devotion and at times even frustration. But that right there is the very thing that lured me into photography. People allow me to capture their most vulnerable moments. That’s what I love most about my profession and to see that side of people is what makes me happy.” That was perhaps a little more than what needed to be said but it was a well thought out response, in my opinion. 

“That sounds lovely.” Eric gives me a boyish smile. He has not peeled his gaze off me. 

“And what about you, Mr. Stewart? What makes you happy?” 

He sits in silence for a moment while he takes a sip of liquor. 

“Well I do fancy what I do around here in the studio and being in the company of these three hooligans. There’s never a dull moment.” Eric playfully nudges Lol. 

I chuckle at Eric’s response. He maintains a fixed gaze on me as he takes another sip of liquor. It seems as though this entire interaction has grossly been about us, with the other three men being our fervent audience. 

“Now, what’s all this about?” Jonathan appears unexpectedly. His tone is scornful. 

“Jonathan darlin’, we were just wanting to get to know the girl! She’s been such a delight to have around.” Lol grins brightly at Jonathan. 

“Fraternizing with the photographer, eh?” Jonathan shoots his eyes at me, giving me a smoldering look, “might I suggest that you youngsters continue this little hubbub after you’re through with the shoot? It’s getting a bit late, lads.” Jonathan shifts to a more father-like tone. 

The men collectively sigh and grumble indistinctly, seemingly disapproving of Jonathan’s suggestion. 

Eric cranes his head towards me, ogling me from head to toe, “I suppose.” 

“Alright fellas, who’s ready for some candid shots?” 

“Me! Me! Me!” Kevin and Lol frantically wave an arm up in the air like school-aged children desperate to answer the teacher’s question. 

“Ma’am, I am ready for my beauty shots.” Eric proclaims, striking multiple ridiculous poses. 

I giggle at his playfulness. “Fine. Let’s get on with this finally, shall we?” 

--------------------------------------------------------------

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please visit my masterlist if you would like to see some of my other work :))

[outofmymindbebacklater]

damn can't believe my phone glitch is immortalized. yor is forever.

tumblr wtf I wrote out a whole response and it's gone lmao. anyway finally pulled out my laptop because tumblr on my phone is fucked but this'll be shorter than originally although I love a good discussion with someone who is just as intense as me so let's keep talking in dms if you want!!

if you're not yelling at the kids then my first post 2 years ago wasn't for you - I made that along with a few others when people were at the height of being mad at the cast (well first for walker, then later for leah) but ppl seem chiller now. if my tone seems different than the first post it's because they are addressing different ppl haha. i was raging cuz i was fueled by the audacity of people to harass 12 (now 13) year olds because they don't fit their perfect image :/ i love the internet

I definitely am in the same boat as you, pjo carried me through middle school. i was surprised too - rereading pjo recently (again, not talking about the quantities in HOO, altho there he is definitely described as tan and i can give u a quote if u want) and i realized that, yes, you're right, descriptions are very vivid - but not for details about the half-bloods appearances like hair and eyes, and Rick even changes a few because he forgets (that's how u know he didn't deem them very important lol). I think he made a post addressing those, or i could give u examples. So the ppl you mentioned who forget the original appearances, if the author does that too, who cares?

I'm pretty sure the second half of your response is just a PSA and not directed at me since it makes some of the same points, but again i love talking pjo, so down to keep talking. don't take my tone as serious - my original post was for the people raging at Walker, now I'm just debating for fun!

Sure, a wig is an easy fix, but in the end it's a live action adaptation. details are gonna change, and hair colour is a pretty insignificant detail in the grand scheme of the adaptation imo. as I've gotten older I've noticed that I've gotten better at separating books which I've memorized and the adaptations, and them be a bit different and still good, if that makes sense. and if it's as simple as putting on a wig, then whatever. genuine question - why do you think Walker's hair is more important than other details? forget hair - i wanna know what fans think about Percy having riptide against the minotaur, or why mrs dodds attacks him in broad daylight!! very intriguing choices for sure.

I feel like I had more but i have to get back to my assignment so rip the words that were lost to the void

ffs as if some of y’all are seriously expecting a TWELVE year old to wear contacts for an entire show production ?? when they can dry up ur eyes, mess up ur vision, and in general ppl should avoid putting things in their eyes if they can avoid it? shame on you.

same with bleaching her hair/dyeing walker’s hair. hair dye damages hair. tom felton’s hair was damaged from being malfoy. even if we had a blonde actress, kids rarely stay blonde through puberty, so it would likely not last long and then we’d have the same issue. walker doesn’t have black hair. suck it up. yall really are putting the visual appearance of book characters (who were described maybe twice in the books) over the comfort of real human children.

[haruhey]

chronological thoughts of 11x09

- omg maggie almost got killed in like the first two minutes

- CAROL 😭😭😭😭 (in general)

- why did they put rosita and lydia (a literal child 😭) on walker duty???

- WHY THE FUCK ARE JUDITH AND GRACIE IN THE BASEMENT OH MY GOD AND WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG FOR THEM TO REALIZE???

- omg fuck yeah daryl fucking KILL HIM

- no because fuck leah i hate her omg

- YES FATHER GABRIEL MEETING THE REAPER’S PASTOR YES YES YES THIS WAS ONE OF THE ONLY THINGS I REALLY WANTED TO SEE

- the dude looks like if someone asked me to draw andrew lincoln from memory

- why do i feel like he’s gonna kill gabriel omg

- OH MY GOD FATHER GABRIEL KILLED HIM HOLY FUCKING SHIT OH MY GOD

- dude that carver dude really fucked up everyone omg

- oh my god negan maybe you shouldn’t die

- DARYL DARYL DARYL DARYL DARYL DARYL DARYL DARYL DARYL DARYL

- daryl let them kill carver :( he was such an asshole

- NO DARYL NOT TALK NO DARYL NOOO GET OVER YOUR SAVIOUR COMPLEX STOPPPP

- oh my god aaron is rlly gonna beast this one handed

- this angle is so awkward from between his legs

- SHE GOT HIM OUT LYDIA I LOVE YOU EVEN MORE

- omg carver’s face as they walk him to the hostage negotiation is so fucking funny

- god i fucking hate leah so much

- THEY CROSSED DARYL GOD FUCKING DAMN IT YOU FUCKING IDIOT DARYL GOD FUCK DARYL YOU SHOULD HAVE KILLED HER I AM UNSTANNING YOU DAEYL WHAT THE FUCK

- oh my god carver is an asshole but that kiss was kinda ????

- OH MY GOD GABRIEL I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I WAS SO FUCKING SCARED HOLY SHIT NOW PUT A BULLET IN CARVER’S HEAD

- NO DARYL DONT SAY YEAH

- omg they’re leaving carver fuck fucking YEAH

- NOO MAGGIE NOO NO MAGGIE

- okay but actually fuck yeah maggie

- YES MAGGIE FUCKING KILL HIM

- no daryl dont fucking GO AFTER HER LET HER DIE

- omg imagine he guessed wrong and he’s talking to literally no one

- DOG CAME BACK

- omg maggie and daryl enemies arc

- i fully forgot about alden i bet he’s a walker

- omg no wait i was just jk guys i was joking this isn’t funny guys guys please say sike rn

- omg negan no

- NEGAN NO??? NO?? GUYS???

- oh omg i thought they were gonna fight

- okay negan yknow what you’re okay but i still want u to die

- DOG IS SO FUCKING CUTE

- omg no one is gonna believe her about negan

- THEY DID IT THEYRE BACK

- CAROL MY LOVE I LOVE YOU CAROL ❤️❤️❤️

- jerry :((((

- HIM SMILING WITH JUDITH AND RJ

- CARYL HUG CARYL HUG CARYL HUG NOW KISS LOCK LIPS AND MAKE OUT

- LYDIA’S SMILE??? HELLO?? FATHER FIGURE DARYL IM ON MY KNEES FOR YOU

- his smile giving food to people

- DARYL’S ‘no way’ AND HIS SMILE WHEN HE SEES CONNIE??? THE SMILE WHEN HE SEES KELLY?? MY HEART IS??

- this whole scene of them coming back to alexandria has my heart in a CHOKEHOLD

- carol’s female friendship CRUMB means so much to me

- no no no not the commonwealth

- EUGENE MY LOVE

- omg i can already tell i will hate lance

- timeskip???

- OH MY FUCKING GOD DARYL NO NO DARYL NOOO NOOO NOOO THE G A S P I LET OUT

- OH MY FUCKING GOD???

[haircoveredwriter]

Hmm if you were to put money on it, would you say the reunion that’s described as “mini” by one reviewer and “satisfying” by another reviewer a Caryl or a d0nnie? I’d say even if it’s a d0nnie reunion, it doesn’t change Caryl or that we have a spin-off, I ain’t stressing too much, but I am curious!

This question has already been answered by myself as well as many other lovely carylers such as @my-mt-heart & @gunmetal-ring, so I’ll add a bit to what’s already been said but then I think I’m going to classify this as finished.

Point of fact, the reunion in 11x09 was always going to have some sort of Donn*e interaction. Hold up don’t come at me yet before you hear me out. We’re probably going to get a whole mashup reunion between Daryl+the Grimes kiddos, Daryl+Carol, Daryl+Kelly/Jerry/Rosita/whoever at ASZ comes outside, and yes Daryl+Conn*e. For me the latter’s interaction will once again confirm them as “friends/family” and the main take away from it will be the end to this drawn out cave arc and Carol’s self torture.

I fully expect we’ll see either Conn*e or Kelly voice out loud how Carol was the one who found her, along with Kelly bringing up how Carol never stopped looking given her past with Daryl searching (for a brief episode to 1.5 lol). After we’ll of course get another one of those loaded Caryl glances to speak volumes without ever saying a word, but they better fucking talk about stuff eventually because damn it we’re living through a pandemic, Angela…we deserve something good!

In reality though there isn’t going to be time for a grand reunion of Daryl melting into Conn*e’s arms with tears in his eyes or to follow her around like a lost puppy watching a T-bone steak days after the fact. He won’t dive back in for a second helping of a hug just to have more physical contact with her that his body craves down to its very being. There’s a strict timeline Kang has created for episode 9 where there’s no wiggle room for anything unnecessary. In 40-something minutes we have to; finish this God-awful Reaper battle and arc, send Leah off on her much needed trip down the river Styx, finish the storm/walker break in at ASZ including saving the littles from the flooded basement, HAVE ALL THE REUNIONS when Maggie and co get back, have the Commonwealth show up (cue this drama), have TF decide they’re going to the CW and potentially inner turmoil between some characters about not wanting to go/being allowed to go (I’m looking at you Negan), and finished off by a few week time jump once we get to 11x10.

Needless to say, this “satisfying” will be “mini”. Caryl on, y’all❤️

[silversundown2]

Some thoughts on Diverged

I don't know what those reviewers were talking about. This was a great episode. Am I biased because I love Carol? Maybe. Probably. But when I checked the time half way through I was happy there was still 20 minutes left. I didn't want it to end.

Some of the good stuffs in no particular order below the cut because spoilers:

The book she finds in his room is about pirates and in ep 10.1 she tells him they should run away together on the boat and "be pirates, heck yeah". Very cute nod to that.

Carol swears a lot and I love it. She says "see you later asshole" to the rat and then Daryl says the same thing to the walkers and I was like listen you two, stop pretending you aren't basically the same soul in different bodies. Stop being idiots.

Carol and dog hang out on her bed and she says "You miss him don't you?" and then "I miss him, too" and my heart ya'll. He was harsh to her last episode and she still misses him. That's love. She also tells the dog maybe she should 'just scram and get out of everyone's hair' but in the end she never goes. Daryl was harder than he should have been but his words stuck and he was right even if the delivery was wrong, she runs too much. I get the feeling that's for sure in the past for her.

Her saying to the dog that his room "smells like Daryl" and “for the record I didn’t even need an apology” cracked me up. She was so mad. Throwing jabs when he's not around. You tell him girl.

She's trying so hard to hold it together this whole ep and her facial expressions and reactions were, yes a little awkward, but that's the point. She's lost at the moment and that bleeds right through on her face as she tries and fails to think of anything except the dude she's still mad at. How she's struggling is different from how we usually see Carol and I think that's a good thing.

That convo with Jerry where he wouldn't fucking stop bringing up Ezeki@l I could have done without but what I did like was that Carol didn't give two fucks. Jerry was very hung up on EZ and clearly worried about him and wanted to commiserate and Carol was just like....can we talk about MY situation with Daryl instead please and thanks? She was way too in her head about Daryl to hear anything about zeke. Also liked that Jerry knew she was upset about Daryl and that's why he hugged her.

Basically this is how that scene went:

Jerry: zeke? zekezekezekezezezzekeomgmybffisgone will he come back? i miss him. is he dead? are you worried too? i am. you wanna know what he'd say right now? ill tell you.

Carol: I'm sorry but can you fucking focus? We're talking about me and daryl.

Moving on....

Daryl telling Carol to keep Leah's knife? Perfect. When I watched it I felt like he was also letting go of Leah on some level, too. He's already moved on for the most part, but this was a last bit he needed to let go, and then later when I watched Talking Dead the writer confirmed that.

The military walkers Daryl ran into are totally part of Leah's group, I see it coming a mile away, and on TD the guest speculated that they could be "part of some other group close by?" and the writer gave him a thumbs up. Then they showed a bunch of tidbits where they basically threw it in our faces that Leah's knife initials pointed to a military background. If she's not a reaper I'll be fucking shocked.

I wish Caryl would have talked more. I do. I feel like the only reason they didn't is because they are saving the big talk for 11. Otherwise Daryl absolutely would have apologized at the end there.

The way Daryl paused, waiting to see if Carol would come after him at the end or say anything else made me want to hit him upside the head. Just go after HER dude. You know you wanna.

These two, I swear.

Feels like they are pretty much where they left off at the end of 17, which is what I expected. I never thought there'd be a huge talk or declaration of feelings yet so not bothered by that. I think this ep is another step in the road toward canon. Could it have been MORE? Yes. They still have a bad habit of writing things too ambiguously and I fear that's gonna be par for the course right up until the second they lock lips somewhere in 11. This stupid show won't give it away until it literally happens, they will just keep laying down breadcrumbs to follow the trail.

Anyway, I loved the ep. Don't go into it expecting some huge revelation, but a lot of little moments that are well done and I think do point to caryl. Though be aware that they aren’t as obvious as I hoped. (but her “i miss him too” to the dog was chef’s kiss)

Glad I watched it and I'll be watching again on Sunday, too. The reviewers can suck it. Best episode ever? No. A great ep if you love carol and caryl? Yes.

[martelldoran]

unsolicited tfatws opinions because i have them vol. 1

warning: here be spoilers

starting on the positive because there were things i did like in the episode

things i liked

sam wilson: *exists*

me:

sam's storyline was definitely the strongest of the two in this ep and i liked pretty much everything he did.

the opening aerial fight! was! so! cool! seeing batroc again was a nice nod to tws too and an interesting parallel to steve's lumerian star fight. i loved seeing his quick tactical thing, seeing how he fights, and the way he utilises the wings even in close quarters.

sam speaks arabic!

sam fixes redwing! (validation of a hc of mine that he's good with robotics. maybe that's a widely held fandom one as well? idk)

i instantly found torres to be really endearing and i'm looking forward to seeing more of him throughout the series. the relationship between him and sam has a lot of potential.

the manipulation of the government and general set up for sam's storyline felt strong. good basis for a story and pertinent to the current political landscape.

sam's speech as he handed over the shield was well written and gave me the same kind of vibes as the 'the price of freedom is high' speech. they could be quite nicely paralleled side by side.

sam's family! look, i'm a sucker for domestic moments for our faves so the entire sequence where we got this insight into sam's past, his relationship with his sister, and where he's come from was brilliant. i like sarah a lot and seeing her frustration with her brother for trying to come in and fix things when he's been gone for so long felt really realistic. i felt for her a lot. because you can tell there's so much there bubbling under the surface, a mix of love and resentment and frustration that was palpable as they talked about what to do with their parents' house/boat/business. so, give me all of the sarah wilson moments pls n thnx.

seeing the consequences of the snap (hi, i am refusing to call it the fucking blip. marvel, my god, get better names for shit.) idk how in depth they're really going to go into it all but at least they attempted something here with the scenes at the bank.

bucky's nightmare sequence as the winter soldier. it was such a brilliant reminder about how terrifying tws actually is. he's silent and ominous and THAT MUSIC. his presence is legitimately unsettling from the moment you see him. (but he runs around like a bull in a china shop which does make me 🤔 when i remember he's supposed to be a g h o s t s t o r y. idk. not exactly stealth and shadow work. but that doesn't look cool on screen so 🤷🏻‍♀️)

and on that note, vindication of my 'they sleep on the floor after coming back' headcanon. literally had raymond holt screaming in my head the second i saw bucky wake up on his living room floor. does my heart break for him? yes. was i smug about being right? also yes.

leah seems cool. could she actually be telepathic??? since she hit every single one of bucky's boats while they played battleships? i would like to see it. 😂 there's def more to her character than meets the eye since she's slated to be in all six episodes.

bucky having one (1) old man friend even if the reason behind it was heartbreaking.

so, yeah. these things i genuinely liked.

things i didn't like

the therapy scene. i genuinely hated it. there's a different between a no nonsense therapist and someone being deliberately antagonistic and that definitely erred on the side of the latter imo. she tells him to 'get over it' and mocks him for not reaching out and meeting people. media in general doesn't do a good job of depicting therapy so this is just yet another poor offering into the canon. i'm tired. i want healthy depictions of therapy already. it's supposed to be a supportive environment ffs.

plus she kept calling him james 🤮 genuinely wouldn't be surprised if she turns out to be a bad guy plant. which i think is a cliche at this point? 🤔

bucky's new look. which i know we've seen before now but i've not offered my unsolicited opinion on it. it's just sebastian stan in an ugly leather jacket. it's generic male lead#346. it's broification. someone said they made him look like brock rumlow and now i can't unsee it. 😭 rip to bucky with the good hair. i'd have loved to see him with some curls tbh. or a wave that kind of calls back to his pre-war days. anyway. i digress. character design is 0/10.

would have been nice to see him cut his hair as a marker of him starting a new chapter and coming into his own personhood.

rhodey's disability was just? glossed over? no visible assistive tech at all?

the date. just the fact it was there at all. it was heavy handed and not subtle and we know why they put that in there within the first 10 minutes of bucky's screen time. that's all i'm going to say about it. if you follow me, you know where i stand. we don't need poorly written romance. get it in the bin.

there was no acknowledgement of bucky's relationship with steve. if there was a memorial to be had then bucky should have been there. maybe these will come later but i'm not holding my breath.

is steve dead? i assumed that the party line was that young steve died in the battle and no-one knew about old steve . but did they actually kill steve off-screen? what a kick in the teeth if that's the case. let me just cut open a wound for them to pour the salt straight into, shall i?

things i'm mostly neutral on

john walker. he looks like a cop and his wink at the camera gave me the creeps but i'm interested to see how that pans out. i hope sam beats 50 shades of star spangled shit out of him.

the flag smashers. premise of a world without borders is interesting and a believable concept given what's happened in universe. there's a lot of scope there i think. that said, the name is dumb.

right. i think that covers everything for now. my expectations going in were really low, i won't lie. before the premiere i tried to stay away from the trailers and tv spots and the hype in general so i was pleasantly surprised at how much i enjoyed certain aspects of the show.

in conclusion, some good, some bad, some ugly and i will be cherry picking my favourite nuggets for fic at a later point. also, i'm still a skrull!Steve truther. real steve is chilling with some wakandan goats 😌💖✨

[bluecrocss]

Somethings I'm looking forward to in PJO Season 2 that I don't see people talk about as much

Villain!Luke: Most of TLT/Season 1 is Luke playing as an ally/friend/older brother to our protagonists. We see him in a mostly positive light as the show tries to hide his true intentions until the reveal.

SOM is the first time we get to see Luke in pure villain mode, and I'm so excited. Despite my issues with the movies (Especially the second one), I can always appreciate how much fun Jake Abel was obviously having hamming it up in the second movie. Literally, all he needed was a mustache to twirl lol

Anyway, Charlie did such a good job of making Luke sympathetic and likeable, I'm so excited for when we first see him on the Princess Andromeda in all his Villain glory. I can't wait to see how he plays it.

Clarisse redemption: Look, I will always defend the right of viewers to dislike a bully, no matter how sad their backstory is. However, in my opinion, SOM and TLO is probably where we get the most character development for Clarisse (the show can even add more depth to that if they play it right).

Hints at her abusive relationship with Ares, the first inklings of her friendship with Percy, there's so much more we're going to get out of that character, and I really hope they SHOW (not tell) it right.

Tyson/Annabeth beef: I am going to be on the front-lines as a Leahbeth defender this season. Like with the growing fandom dislike towards Annabeth of late, and the general way audiences treat black female characters whenever they show any negative traits, Annabeth's interactions with Tyson in SOM (and her later interactions with Rachel Dare in BOTL) are not going to be some of her best moments; but also are great character moments for her because those two books more than any are about showing Annabeth's flaws. She's a 13 year old girl with PTSD people!

Tyson's a sweetheart, obvs, but watching 5"2 Leah Jeffries consistently intimidate 6"5 Daniel Diemer is gonna be kind of hilarious. And Tyson's constant attempts to win her over are so endearing (Especially when he does succeed towards the end).

I do hope they make some changes to the backstory of why Annabeth doesn't like Cyclopes though. Because even in the books, I thought that seemed a bit forced in.

Annabeth's Circe island makeover: Yes, Walker as a guinea pig, hilarious. Yes, the siren scene, heartbreaking. The childhood Percabeth shipper in me, can't wait to see what makeover Annabeth gets in the show!

Say what you will, but one of the best parts of Annabeth now being portrayed by a black actress is (in my personal opinion), I think there is no group of women on earth with more variation in hair styling than black women.

As such, there's an infinite number of styles and looks that I could see them giving Leah for this. Braids with gold accessories, Afro puffs, a Grecian take on Bantu knots, etc. etc. I mean, the fan artists have been eating with that already.

What have I missed? What other less talked about moments is everyone excited to see brought to life?

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Beth’s Memory Loss Arc, Part 2

So, about that line during their fight in Still. She’s referencing Sophia coming out of the barn and says, “I remember.”

I started wondering if it, too, could represent the memory loss. Like literally. In a template. So, I reverse engineered and what I found just makes total sense. Again, nothing we haven’t said before, but I think they laid out Beth and Daryl’s entire arc in the Still fight. That’s probably why (one of the reasons) it ended up being so powerful.

So, it starts when they enter the moonshine shack and goes all the way up until the hug. (I actually think we could extend it to the porch scene, but I’ll touch on that at the end.)

First, let me remind you of something I said very briefly a long time ago, about how Sasha and Bob in Alone are also Bethyl proxies. In that case of course, Bob = Beth and Sasha = Daryl. It’s just significant that Sasha is searching for her brother and Daryl will be searching for his brother, Rick.

Bob’s dialogue especially keeps running through my head. At one point, he tells Sasha she doesn’t have to be afraid, and she says forcefully, “I am not afraid.” That’s pretty much exactly what Beth and Daryl say to each other in Still.

Beth: “You don’t get to treat me like crap just because you’re afraid.”

Daryl: “I ain’t afraid of nothing.”

Later, Bob asks Sasha, “Why do you think Tyreese is dead?” He knows her well enough and can discern her mental state to surmise that the reason she keeps trying to stop, and doesn’t actually want to get to Terminus, is that she’s terrified she’ll get there only to find that Tyreese didn’t survive. She’s afraid to hope.

Now think about how that will translate with Daryl. Despite being determined to go find Rick, he may start dragging his heels at some point because he’s terrified that he’ll get there and find out it was all a hallucination, and that Rick isn’t really alive. Especially in the wake of Leah. I think Beth will talk him through that, just as Bob did with Sasha. That’s also when we see Sasha and Bob kiss, which probably means that this part of the story is where we’ll finally see ACTUAL on-screen romance between Beth and Daryl.

So, that’s just important to keep in mind as I go into this Still template. It will make more sense if you have that on the brain.

So, I’m gonna go through most of the fight here, and I’ll need to restate it even though I know we all pretty much have it memorized. Bear with me. What I’m going to show here is that the chronological order of the dialogue here corresponds with events in their arc. But it extends beyond where we are now to when they reunite, get together romantically, and perhaps beyond.

First there’s the “what are you, my chaperone?” line. I think this represents how Daryl felt about Beth in early seasons. I don’t think that he ever felt personally responsible for her, beyond her just being a member of the group, and of course a member of the family, but he always saw her as someone who needed to be protected and couldn’t survive on her own. So, his relationship to her was somewhat chaperone-like.

Then they start the game. I actually love when Daryl says, “I ain’t never needed a game to get lit before” and Beth says, “Wait, are we starting?” I feel like that’s the writers telling us this is the beginning of their arc, their relationship, their story together, etc.

Then they start the game. Beth begins with, “I never shot a crossbow.” Putting Still aside (I know; why would we, like, EVER do that? ;D) the next thing that happens in their story in 4x13, is he teaches her to shoot a crossbow.

Next, Daryl says he’s never been out of Georgia, which we all know happens right after Grady. So we’re going along in the chronology.

Beth says she’s never been drunk and done something she regretted. I think this probably represents them burning down the moonshine shack. And it’s interesting, because they don’t exactly regret it. But I still wonder if them burning down the shack somehow drew attention to them, and at some point we’ll learn that doing that is exactly what got Beth kidnapped to begin with. They drew a lot of attention to the smoke in 4b, even having Carol and girls comment on it several times.

Then he says the thing about never having been on vacation. I had to think a while about what this represented. I’m not claiming to have it totally pinned down, but I think this may just represent his time with Beth. For the first time, he feels emotionally safe and happy. To him, that probably felt like a relief. Like a vacation. Especially since vacations only last a short time before it’s back to real life, and he didn’t have very long with Beth before the shit hit.

Then Beth says she’s never been in jail, as a prisoner. Now, this may seem out of order, as Grady happens before Daryl leaves Georgia. But, 1) these could represent their two separate arcs and so they don’t need to line up that way. I think it’s more likely that 2) this represents Beth’s entire time in the CRM, not just Grady. And that will extend to long after Daryl leaves Georgia.

Of course, the prison question sets Daryl off and he gets up to “take a piss.”

So, I find this particular element of this template really interesting. Even though their separation has lasted for 5+ seasons, the part of this scene representing their separation only lasts about 30 seconds, and that’s a bit counterintuitive.

Think of it this way: Daryl gets up and walks away. We generally see representations more of Beth disappearing, but in this case, he walks away, leaving her behind. Leaving her back where he previously was.

Then we get his whole slew of I-Nevers. Never eaten frozen yogurt, had a pet pony, got nothin’ from Santa Claus, relied anyone for protection, or anything.

Some of these we think we’ve already seen, such as through Buttons. And maybe we have. But we can’t be sure. Maybe buttons, and all the ice cream references were just foreshadows of something to come. Or maybe not. No way to be sure, yet. (And remember that we have a huge ice cream theme this season at the Commonwealth. I’m just mentioning. ;D)

No matter what they point to, I think these represent things that either have or will happen before Beth returns.

Now, this is about to get really subtle and granular. I think the “Santa Claus” reference represents the moment when we, the audience, and maybe Carol, see Beth and know she’s alive, but Daryl doesn’t yet. The reason I think that is because at that point, when he’s saying all this, he’s still across the room from her. They haven’t come back together, yet. Therefore, all these things happen between the time he leaves her behind, and when they reunite. And Santa Claus = resurrection.

Most of us have thought for a long time that the line about not relying on anyone for protection points to Beth saving Daryl at some point. And notice that that comes after the Santa Claus line, but before the reunion. And I’m not saying she’ll necessarily save him before she reunites with him. That wouldn’t make tons of sense, unless it’s saving him from afar or something. But maybe it’s a matter of him not realizing it’s her in some way.

Oh, and then there’s a line I’ve never homed in on before. When Daryl is kicking stuff around and Beth is telling him to be quiet, he says, “Sounds like our friend out there is trying to call all his buddies.”

He just means the walker is being loud, which is in response to his yelling, but that just screams Carol is going to call Daryl (her buddy) to tell him about Beth.

So, then he eventually grabs her arm and drags her outside, right? Yes, I think that represents them coming back together. And I hear you: that’s a little weird since he’s being pretty borderline abusive right here. You’d think we’d have some indication of some tenderness or joy on his part. And I’m not saying there won’t be that wonderful, joyous reunion we’re all waiting for.

But here’s the thing. We’re all on the same page about Daryl maybe not believing it’s her because, especially because of Leah, he doesn’t trust his own sanity. He doesn’t trust his own eyes. I actually think that’s what most of the rest of this fight will translate to. Even when he does see her, I don’t think he’ll believe it’s her. 

That’s why they did the Leah the way they did. To show that she felt very real to him, and he really can’t tell the difference. I think we’ll have a whole thing (probably more than just one scene, as this is; it may be an arc that’s several episodes or seasons long) where she has to convince him that she’s real. But more than that, she has to show him how to get his faith and sanity back. She’ll heal his psychosis and this whole hallucination problem, so he CAN tell the difference moving forward.

And like I said in my analysis of the Daryl Origins episode, she’ll have to convince him to open up to her emotionally again, just as she did in Still. Something no one else has been able to get him to do.

Think about everything they say here. When she talks about the people they lost mattering, she could be talking about their shared history prior to Grady, OR about everything that’s happened in the last 8 years since they saw each other.

Then check out these next two lines and think about how they fit in.

“You look at me and you just see another dead girl…

“…but, I made it!”

See how those work so beautifully? He literally thinks she’s the ghost of a dead girl and she’s trying to convince him that she never died.

Then the lines that so perfectly mirror Sasha and Bob.

“You don’t get to treat me like crap just because you’re afraid.” “I ain’t afraid of nothing.”

And then the remember line that started me thinking about this. “I remember.” Which may represent her getting her memory back. I think that will have already happened at this point, but maybe she tells him about how she had memory loss but now she remembers.

And the REALLY interesting thing is that here, she’s talking about Sophia. When this happens between her and Daryl in the future, they’ll be talking about her. About what happened at Grady. Because Beth = Sophia. The lost girl Daryl searched for. Which, incidentally, is probably why Kirkman said the thing about Daryl not caring about Beth any more than he did Sophia. Clearly, he’s trying to throw people off track, but I truly think that was code-speak for the symbolism, not a commentary and the romantic nature of Bethyl.

I still don’t know how the “you ain’t never gonna see Maggie again” line will translate in the future. No way to tell, yet. But we’ve always known it’s significant that he mentions Rick being dead. Where we are here, in the narrative, he believes Rick is dead, and then there were all those clues in the Daryl origins episode.

And then, of course, the hug. I think that probably represents the same thing it did here: her finally getting through to him, him finally opening up to her. Which means at that point, his faith in his own sanity will return and he’ll finally believe she’s real. It might also represent the romance angle.

So, that’s what I’ve been thinking about the past few days.

I did also say we could extend it until after the fight. I just have less to say about that. Them talking on the porch could foreshadow getting to know one another as a couple, or even just swapping stories from the past 8 years. Maybe every line in that convo will also translate to a future event, but I can’t be sure about that.

As for them burning down the shack, I just think of Dwight and Sherry in Fear and what the showrunner said of them. That they’ll be a badass power couple, now. So maybe this foreshadows Beth and Daryl burning down the CRM or something. Which I would 100% support. ;D

Thoughts?

[ganeshpnf]

heyyyyy! i see a lot of criticism on wottg lately and i think they are sooo right. what's your opinion on wottg?

Hmm I already shared a bit of my thoughts about it but who am I to hurt you? Im just gonna rant again and more detailed I guess XD

First of all, I was soo confused by how rushed it was. You can even tell it by the title names. The book felt like it was written in one night. The mistakes also proves it. Editor was asleep? I dont know. Rick is just too old? I dont know. The worst of all, Rick doesnt care enough to put efford anymore? I still dont know, but it sure feels like it. Leo is treated like he is fine and daisy, Clovis being Morpheus's son, weird huge typo mistakes...

Not to mention characters were so ooc. And no Im not talking about: Annabeth threw a party, thats so ooc. I think she was so in character for that one. In fact, that part was my favourite in the book. It was good to remember her rebellious side after show messed her up with her goody two shoes personality. The real issue was Annabeth's and Percy's dynamics felt like they had 0 development in pjo. Wdym that girl is suprised when Percy comforts her? I just read SOM and I can pull so many scenes of Percy comforting her. Wdym Annabeth is fucking surprised when Percy acts all smart? How old they are? 12? (I suggest reading @lilislegacy s criticism for this parts, it was more detailed and so right!)

Its so obvious that Rick wrote this book when he was working on the show and wanted to merge them both together, which is soo wrong in my opinion. Look I like show actors, they are fine with the tv show. But they are NOT the book characters, they are actors. Walker is not Percy Jackson, he is the actor of him in the show. Leah is not Annabeth Chase, she is the actor of her in the show. Aryan is not Grover, he is actor of him in the show. I think Rick and some fans tbh, dont understand this fact. I love them and they deserve to be shine in the big screen, but books should stay books. When we open the book, we should see the book characters, not them. Book canon and show canon should never be together. Because no, they are not the same and would never be. Rick spent this whole book on advertasing his tv show and it was too cringe. Olympus+? Really Rick?

One of the weird thing was also adding Chiron's injury. I was confused bcs like I was sure Percy rode on him before and I know he would notice this. Its just makes 0 sense.

Were they good stuff? Yes, trio's scenes in general werr adorable. Seeing old campers again also. But I want to add that Rick lost a big chance to make this book shine. Where is Jason? Even mention of him would be a big hit, imagine him in that party. I know even with these mistakes, this book would be a hit. Also so many fans wanted this Idk why he didn't go for it.

I like Rick, even though he makes me so angry with this kind of stuff. He gave me a perfect childhood with this characters. But that doesnt mean I have to agree with his every decision and support him no matter what. Idk if he is getting old or anything but this book was just a fanfiction. And not a good fanfiction because I know I see so many better written fanfictions. I hope he fixes his mistakes in the next book because I am still hopeful, even though I am a bit scared. I still want the next book soo bad. Wishing it would be more like Chalice you know :)

Oh and before I finish it, I am forever mad for him mixing Annabeth's lemon shampoo!!! I'm sorry but that was special to me. Apple shampoo? Wdym usual apple shampoo? Someone need to fix this typo mistakes!

Thank you for your ask anon :)

[my-mt-heart]

*sigh* I am not a jerk. At least I hope I am not. I guess I just don't understand the negativity. Here are my thoughts if it will help:

Why is it deemed as negative that Caryl do not speak to each other in the premiere? Yeah even though it is a suicide mission, it is not like Daryl and Carol are strangers to danger or putting themselves in it. Unfortunately it is a normal part of their lives. Like...have we all been following their story since season 1 or what? That's why they both are tired of surviving one big fight to the next.

Next. And seriously, I am a little bothered that there is hub bub about them not speaking, even though Daryl is going into some danger likely to set up our main conflict at least in 11A. Um...again, this is not new behavior for them at all. Season 2 showed when Carol was running away from a walker attack, Daryl saved her on his bike but they weren't really speaking to each other. In season 5 when they thought they might die in that van that plummeted, they didn't say anything to each other really. In season 8, Daryl had an assignment that was very dangerous and risky. Caryl barely said much to each other. Season 9 when Alpha picked out Daryl, there was a chance he might have died, but Caryl did not exchange words. In season 10 finale which was super dangerous at a couple of different points, they said nothing to each other. Like the fact that is was once again done in season 11 x01 is not unusual.

What IS there and what has always been there are the knowing/understanding looks between them. I think we really underestimate their wordless conversations. They are both talking to each other with their eyes, like Professor X level type stuff. Like they have ALWAYS done. How come no one I know off complained in season 5 premiere when Caryl reunited and there were NO WORDS! They were talking with their damn eyes. If you look at all the times they have done this, and in season 11, look at the overt longing in both Daryl and Carol's eyes. That is NR and MMB superb acting skills but there is also directors instructing them on how they want this to play out. They have to convey with their faces some deep complex feelings AND not talk about it. But you can see the longing they both have to talk out some things and one thing in particular. You can see Daryl is obviously still peeved and Carol is just as stubborn and tight lipped as he is when she wants to be. It is supposed to be communicating that they want so much to be them again but don't know how to do it. They are both doers, rather than talkers. And it is really cute because they both look like they are waiting for other to say something first/help them out and both of them don't know how. It shows they are BOTH struggling with it and that is awesome storytelling. It creates questions in itself such as: when will they talk about it? How? Who will talk first? Who will break down first? Who will apologize first? Where will they be when they do have that talk of reconciliation? Etc., etc.

Yes! Like my-mt said, we have a whole show just for Caryl. Why are people so angry? What? It's like some people want Caryl to kiss and confess before its earned. That is so weak. First we complain that we miss them being on our screens, then when they ARE on the screens, we find something else to complain about. That is your right as a viewer.. but I really don't understand why you're doing it to yourselves. I am sure he is going to have much to say to Leah. Watch how everything is going to juxtapose Carol. That is a good thing but Some Carylers will still be in up in arms over that too. Geez.

I prefer Kang. She made Caryl everything. Gimple made them a footnote practically at one point. Not cool. Kang clearly had to fix that. And she is! ☺ so stop coming at her like a hungry Walker herd! 😛

Caryl's relationship is full of twists, turns, surprises (some too dang beautiful for words, others downright unpleasant and uncomfortable). The point is that eventually Daryl and Carol are going to be like "ok, we need to talk. We can't just do this. This unspoken thing. We gotta talk." And because they are both THAT important and THAT worth it to each other, they will.

My-mt If you were a writer in the TWD I am confident Kang would dig your style. :)

Caryl's relationship is full of twists, turns, surprises (some too dang beautiful for words, others downright unpleasant and uncomfortable). The point is that eventually Daryl and Carol are going to be like "ok, we need to talk. We can't just do this. This unspoken thing. We gotta talk." And because they are both THAT important and THAT worth it to each other, they will.

^I agree with this paragraph so hard, and I advise any Caryl fan who is feeling discouraged to keep re-reading it. You make some other really great points about their unspoken communication being at the heart of their relationship. So, no, it is not unusual or worrisome for their arc that they don't speak to each other in the premiere.

What I will say though is that even though there are context clues, I personally feel like it's important for the final premiere episode to really highlight where Daryl and Carol are starting with each other in order to fully earn where they land when the series comes to an end. Looking at each other and fighting walkers together, in my opinion, doesn't do that because it's too ambiguous. It's too hard to differentiate whether the minimal interaction is supposed to reflect how strained the relationship is or if it's simply neglect on the writers' part. Of course some of us are able to deduce it's the former, but if an inbox full of upset Carylers is any indication, not everyone can. I, myself, am even left wondering if we're meant to believe that things between them have gotten worse since they were shown to be on speaking terms in Diverged and in Acheron, they're not. That's fine if that's the case, but I want clarity and not from having to read character bios and interviews. I understand ambiguity is the show's MO, I understand it's especially integral to Caryl. But there comes times like these where it's no longer servicing the story. Again, just my opinion. Caryl on and what not.

P.S. I actually think Kang would hate my style. Clearly she's all for subtlety, and I'm always like, let's go bigger and harder [in a non-perverted way]. Please hit me in the face with these characters' emotions.