#also binge watched the show after i saw the preview of that scene

[somethingor-other]

when skymed just had the hottest lesbian character introduction i have ever seen and there isn’t a single gifset on tumblr about it. lesbians please catch on i’m desperate and untalented.

[alarmsofmyheart]

Alright let's start.

Jack and Joker U Steal My Heart

Ep 5

Hoi cares more than anyone.

GODFUCK! I had to pause. I've never seen an actual wine bottle be broken on anyone's head. The closest I saw that was in Doona and he used helmet. But damn. Joker sure loves Jack alot.

I'm stupid what did I expect when Joke returns the ring.. I just didn't think, if I saw it week after week, I might have thought so but yeah..

Sweet he bought medicine.

Ajajshssh Aran becomes the bait now.

Wound cleaning!!!

Mark looks so royal and pretty!!!

God Yin the acting🤣 Jack was so over the top!

Omg are the wearing the same outfits

What is this cat fight 🤣🤣🤣

Jack, your eyes, can't be hidden by that scarf mask. I'm reminded of that one episode in word of honor where they used a barely hiding scarf as mask, but this is atleast black in color.

Are they idiots or what?? Oh they just hate each other.

Hope knows what he likes - Save, beating up people, graphic designing.

Well Joke didn't have a nice dad or brother to learn driving from. And yeah he was in jail too.

Not them using a BMW to learn to drive😭😭😭

Nice sneaking way of listening.

Stop smiling Jack. He stopped.

New disguise 🥸🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

It's nice to see him act different roles in same show.

Aran roaming around with three buttons of that jacket is cute.

Did Aran just smile at Tatoo?

The number of times Joker got choked, if I drank each time in today's binge watch, I would have been drunk by now.

Did Jack just take over the call from Tatoo.. aw..

War's wig is bouncing with every step haha

Why is that place empty?

Awww Jack showed up! Oh it's the same bar!

Same, if everytime Joker got kicked in stomach and I drank, I would have developed acute liver failure by now.

Not Aran getting slapped twice. Boi you should not be fighting. That's why you have bodyguards😭

Did he just throw Aran on top off Tattoo and walk away🤣😭

Tooth and Tongue by P'Bird 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Did he stab Jack???

Double kick was so well shot. In sync. Dk how many takes it took, but it was good.

Jack, Joke and Ama sound the same because they both love you, you idiot.

Did Tatoo steal it again? What's wrong now??

Awww povidone in :) shape

More Wound Caring 🩷

War's eyes. Crazy mad Joker.

Joke forgave. ???!!!!!!!!!!!!

Terrace! Is it terrace or parking area!! Or both.. this is reminding me of Vee Mark terrace scene. Yin War - They have both grown up a little.

OHmy Jack forgave!

Does that mean more than what he means?

Oh damn my tablet died.

Not the 'theres a lot to eat, do you want to come over' cliche cutest thing

Awwwww Kicking my feet in the air, they are restarting. Gosh those few minutes was so good SO GOOD. I could write about it more and more but the rest of plot also takes up space. I will probably write about in rewatch sessions.

(Now I regret not watching the show since it was airing, this would have felt so much better if I had been watching and waiting for a month.)

The issue with not registering the marriage sure shows up in hundred different ways in the next generation's life. It's sad.

It's sad to see Rosé walk all over Aran, because yes, she has more money and legitimacy. Fuck all these hierarchies.

Aran being a decent boss' son by covering up this and that and everything was actually very angel baby of him.

Not Jack getting caught out of all those people. But it's for plot purposes. Let's wait.

So the preview shows Jack introducing Joke to his home tuition kids and then sleeping together. I'll pretend that information is not yet processed and I shall wait peacefully for the next episode.

[dorothyzbornaks]

So just some quick final thoughts on the finale of Bulgasal, I'll probably write up a longer post on the show later.

But I didn't hate the finale, I didn't love it either. It was just very rushed. Ultimately, I think the writers had a lot more story to tell than they had time to tell it in. There were a lot of scenes in trailers and episode previews that never showed up in the actual episodes. Even in this episode, Si Ho saw the memory of Sang Un and Hwal after he gained his memories and before the final confrontation that was clearly supposed to be in the episode in full, but must have been cut which is a shame.

And I've seen a lot of comments about hating the pacing of the show. I actually think the pacing was pretty good for the most part. Yeah, I do think they could have dropped a little bit more backstory about a 1000 years ago interwoven in some of the last few episodes instead of spending so much time on all of it at once. But I was rewatching some of the early episodes and I didn't really feel like anything was filler a lot of it felt necessary, again, I think just too much story to try to tell.

Ideally I wish the show had been a little bit longer even by just an episode and this episode took place all in the past. We see what happened 1,000 years ago and I still think there were some unanswered questions from 600 years ago we could have also seen. Then one more episode to really allow the ending to breathe and all the fallout.

While I'm not a huge fan of a reincarnation ending, I had a pretty strong inclination that was how it was going to end. And for all the bitching in the fandom about the romance and 'lack of chemistry', we barely even got one in the end.

I really really did love this show. It was a great ride, I loved the story and the characters, it's been a while since I watched a kdrama while it was airing vs just binging. I tend to lose interest when I watch week to week so it shows how much I enjoyed this show.

[squish--squash]

YEAHAHA TELL ABOUT TGCF GO OFF I'LL PROBABLY READ IT NO MATTER WHAT <3!!

OKAY RAMBLE UNDER CUT IT'S LONG

I stumbled upon the donghua on netflix randomly two weeks ago because I was trying to check netflix for a movie and saw a preview of it at the top of the page. It was the scene where Xie Lian sees a wraith buttefly for the first time before Ling Wen tells him two deputy gods have arrived to help him; I thought the animation was so pretty and Xie Lian's voice sounded so soft and gentle and immediately wanted to give it a try after I found and watched the movie I wanted to see. During that time I also read the little summary netflix gives you, and thought it was interesting (and also a little fruity alsdgh, if only I knew!)

So after watching the movie (I found it on another website), I returned to netflix and started watching the first episode. Ngl, I was a little confused at first because I was trying to get the characters and plot down and had completely forgotten the summary, and kept watching.

And then I reach the end of episode two and get punched in the face with the most homoromantic scene I've ever seen in an animated show. I was still confused because I didn't know who the fuck this new person is or why there were suddenly flashbacks but holy shit it was so tender and romantic, I was losing my mind with it. Especially because I thought the fruitiness wasn't intentional!

Eventually I remember the netflix summary mentioned something about Xie Lian joining forces with a demon or something and figured out that's who he met in that scene, and tried to brush it off so I wouldn't go insane.

Yeah no bilibili didn't have mercy on me and the fruity moments kept coming adglasldgkh. It wasn't until episode 5 that I found out why though.

It was pretty early in that episode and it was the scene where Xie Lian learns Hua Cheng's name from Ling Wen, and when he compliments it so calm and softly (I lost my mind again at that) the camera suddenly cuts to Ling Wen looking like she's about to have a heart attack and I thought it was so funny I wanted to take a screenshot. HOWEVER, netflix doesn't let people do that, so I googled Heaven Official's Blessing (english for tian guan ci fu/tgcf) to see if it was playing on any other streaming sites.

As I skimmed the information panel to see if showed anything useful, my eyes glanced at the reviews and immediately caught on one word: "LGBT". I was like "OH WAIT, WHAT?" and immediately clicked on the review, and read the first three. When all of them mentioned it was a bl and amazing and I confirmed the fact with another google search I actually lost my mind that time because WHAT???? IT'S GAY AS FUCK?! ON PURPOSE?!

That's also when I realized all those moments were actually intentionally fruity lasdkgh

I binged the rest of the donghua that night, it was great. I loved it so much. I also learned there was a manhua, and easily found it, so I binged all the available chapters that Saturday.

IT WAS SO GOOD- it had a lot more explicitly romantic scenes because it wasn't under a censorship watch and the art style holy SHIT!!

I'd also learned sometime between watching the donghua and reading the manhua that the original source for them is a novel series, and so of course at that point since I was obsessed with tgcf I wanted to read them. So when I searched for any online translations after preording the first novel that Sunday and saw a couple of them available, I immediately started to read it lmao

AND OH MY FUCKING GOD THE NOVELS, THE FUCKING NOVELS KILLED ME!!! Such tender moments. Such heart-shattering moments. Amazing characters. I actually cried a little bit when I finished the last novel exactly a week after I started reading it, and it's officially my favorite thing ever rn lmao, even though I'm still unsteady with some of the names alsdk

I could keep screaming if you'd let me honestly, like all the tender, sweet moments or how I hate Qi Rong so fucking much but he's so funny at the same time, or just about so much other things

[skullsandwineglasses]

Ancient Love Poetry (2021) - Episodes 4-17 Update

So um. I have so many questions. 

But first, I have to say that Shang Gu and Bai Jue really grew on me. They have such a solid relationship. They trust each other, they’re transparent, and there are little to no misunderstandings (at least not yet). Even when they were forced to separate, it wasn’t angsty because they knew that they loved each other. This differs from the typical xianxia separation where it’s usually full of hate and misunderstanding between the leads (i.e., Ashes of Love, Love and Destiny, Eternal Love). Although, I saw a preview that shows Shang Gu stabbing Bai Jue for some reason?? So there might be an angsty stabbing in the later episodes, like the one in Love and Redemption. 

Episodes 14-15 were sad and angsty though, but mostly because of Tian Qi and Yue Mi. I’m not usually invested in secondary characters in dramas, but Tian Qi and Yue Mi were such wholesome and tragic characters. I’m going to miss them. I wonder if they’ll get their own reincarnation. 

I also appreciated how they made Bai Jue screw up. You can’t blame him, but it shows that he’s not perfect and that he can have poor judgment too. All the characters were just in such a tough and pitiful situation. And Zhi Yang. Poor dude. Everyone close to him just keeps dying and all he can do is watch and deal with the aftermath. 

And then episodes 16-17 were just like, I don’t know WTF is happening right now, but you definitely have my attention. 

After the battle, a title card suddenly flashes up “60 000 years later”. It was so sudden that I almost laughed, but at least they’re getting right to point with the time skip. 

And then I got a lot of Titans vs. Olympians vibes because we see that Mu Guang has been made the Heavenly Jade Emperor. And so everything we saw up to episode 15 was basically the “prequel” that explained the origin of how the emperor came to be. The first arc is about the first generation of gods. It’s an interesting direction to take. But, the drama now feels like it’s become a completely different story. Not complaining yet, but just an observation. 

But then, my first question is, how did Mu Guang, Wu Huan, and Gu Jun have a falling out? They’re the 3 remaining deities from the first “dynasty”, so what happened between them? They were all friends before, especially Mu Guang and Gu Jun who were so brotherly and supportive of each other during their training and early days, so what happened? And didn’t Wu Huan have a crush on Gu Jun? Did she marry Mu Guang because Gu Jun didn’t return her feelings? 

Next question. I get that Shang Gu reincarnated, most likely because Bai Jue gathered up the pieces of her soul and somehow brought her back to life (kind of like in Journey of Flower). And she’s still really weak because of her sacrifice, also similar to Hua Qian Gu at the end of Journey of Flower. But, why did Bai Jue have to wear a mask in front of her in this reincarnation? Why can’t he let her see his face? Is it because he knew that he’ll reincarnate and meet her again without his memories, and so he didn’t want to confuse her? Also, her disciple in her past life is now her father in this life. Is Gu Jun really her father in this life, or is this just a cover up story that he concocted with Bai Jue? And then, why did Bai Jue leave for a 10, 000-year trial? Is this just the trial that all deities have to go through, or did he voluntarily choose to take this trial in order to heal himself or elevate his powers? So many questions. I know that the answers will be revealed as the drama goes on, and that the writers are purposely withholding this information to keep you guessing, but there’s just a lot to take in. 

Some comments: 

-I like how Hou Chi and Qing Mu meet under the same circumstances as when they first met as Shang Gu and Bai Jue. He’s trying to ward off the affections of a female admirer, while she’s watching and judging from behind a tree. 

-I like how Shang Gu’s reincarnation is embedded into the storyline. Essentially, she reincarnates into the same realm, and people from her past life, like Gu Jun, are a part of her current reincarnated life. This differs from Ashes of Love or Love and Destiny where the FL’s reincarnation is just an offshoot of the main story. In those dramas, the FL reincarnates into the mortal realm and lives a brief life before coming back to the immortal realm where life as a deity resumes. Her immortal peers are all watching her life play out in the mortal realm, like she’s a performer in some kind of arena or amphitheater. In Ancient Love Poetry on the other hand, Shang Gu’s reincarnation is a real consequence of the plot and not just a side story that’s removed from the rest of the characters.

-In the same vein, I like how they show Gu Jun as an aging immortal with streaks of grey hair. He starts off as Shang Gu’s disciple, and now he’s her father and one of the three (now four because of Hou Chi’s birth) heavenly gods. It emphasizes how this drama is an intergenerational story and makes it more of a xianxia epic that spans lifetimes. 

-Shang Gu’s sacrifice and her separation from Bai Jue should have been more emotional, but unfortunately Xu Kai fell short for me. I could tell he was trying, but somehow the fear, desperation, rage, and urgency that his character should have had just wasn’t there. I couldn’t help but think how different the scene would be if it were Cheng Yi crying and begging Shang Gu not to leave. 

Overall, I’m liking this so far. Only 17 episodes in and already so much has happened and there are a whirlwind of emotions. Xianxia dramas are formulaic and repetitive, and so you can predict when the angst is going to happen, but I like how there are some refreshing plot point in this. I’m really curious to see how things play out and how Hou Chi and Qing Mu fall for each other again. Also, I’m curious to see how Wu Huan and Mu Guang will react to seeing her (unless the drama is going to do that thing were a character becomes unrecognizable when they reincarnate even though they have the same face). 

Time to binge the rest of this to get more answers. 

[babyitsbeautiful]

TV Show Challenge- How long have you been a fan?

In the midst of quarantine and time not exsisting, here’s a challenge to get your fandom brain thinking.

Think of all the shows you’ve watched over the years, both past and present. Think about the very first episode you watched, the first scene you ever saw. Was it a show you saw a preview of and started from the beginning? A show you saw copious amounts of gifs of on here and knew you had to see it?

I’ve made a list of 20 shows I have been a fan of. You can go by mine or choose your own(doesn’t have to be twenty, I just wanted to provide a wide variety), the only rule is that it has to be a show you started while still airing new weekly, regardless of if it’s not currently on now. (I.e. netflix binges for cancelled shows after the fact don’t count because you weren’t watching live and didn’t live through the torture of waiting a week for a new episode. Lol. But binges to catch up to watch live do count)

Cue the nostalgia:

Supernatural- First episode watched on The WB- 1x13 “Route 666” - Fan ever since.

Once Upon A Time- A tumblr motive to watch. Binged S1-S3A in time to catch the premiere of S3B live on ABC on Sundays. Fan until the end.

NCIS: Los Angeles- First episode watched was 3x21 because of the Five-0 crossover. Waited until after season 3 to catch up only on Deeks’ two season one episodes and then all of S2 and S3- Fan ever since.

NCIS- 7x01 Truth is Consequences. Tiva did me in. Caught up on S3-S6 (Skipped Zivaless seasons) fan throughout Season 12ish. Left, came back to watch Tony’s departure and other Tiva centric episodes.

How To Get Away With Murder- Fan since day one.

Grey’s Anatomy- Started on Day One- Pilot, Fan through S3 or S4 (can’t remember exactly) and then stopped watching for a while, came back continuously in S8 and currently am a fan. (For now, still pissed about Alex)

The Vampire Diaires- Fan since day one.

Smallville- Started in S5 while still on The WB, binged S4 (didn’t care for loisless seasons) and remained a fan until the end.

Hawaii Five-0- Fan since day one.

One Tree Hill- Started in S3 I believe. I think it was also still on The WB. Caught up later and remained a fan until the end.

Lucifer- Started after season one was complete and before season 2 aired. Fan ever since.

Game of Thrones- Binged S1-S6 in time to be caught up for S7 premiere on HBO- Fan ever since, despite the hellacious final season.

Scandal- Fan since day one.

White Collar- Fan since day one.

Scorpion- Fan since day one.

Pretty Little Liars- Fan since day one.

Hart of Dixie- Fan since day one.

Charmed (Original)- Started in S6 I think. Binged to catch up for current season 6 episodes, fan ever since.

Lost- Started on Pilot, stopped watching around S4ish. I don’t fucking remember and I’m glad I stopped, ngl.

Chicago P.D.- Fan from the Pilot until Sophia Bush left. Started for her and ended for her. Was not a fan without Erin Lindsay tbh.

Cut and paste in a new post with your own answers/stories.

Happy thinking. :)

[invokeinspiration]

Reflections on Orthodox Judaism/Hasidic Communities

Like many people during COVID, I am watching a lot of Netflix. I’ve finished the entire Vampire Diaries universe (The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, and Legacies), I’ve also binged on Hannibal (of which I am currently writing a very in-depth fanfic), and I have watched countless fantastic films. I’ve watched Ip Man 1 and 2 and will be watching 3 and 4 soon. I have watched The Lobster, Moonlight, Resident Evil, Adams Family, The Danish Girl, and The Hater. I have watched shows and movies that have made me cry, made me laugh, made me do some research, and made me think about the story and characters long after the end credits. But early into my quarantine period, back before April, I came across a trailer for the show Unorthodox and it began a journey that I’d like to share. 

Unorthodox is an American/German limited series on Netflix that follows the story of a young woman, Esther (Shira Haas), who begins a marriage in a Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn. She was a member of the Satmar sect that began with the Hasidic community in Hungary but migrated to New York after WWII. The Satmar sect is characterized as being more strict than the European Hasidic sects with a complete rejection of modern culture, fierce anti-Zionism, and strict adherence to male-only education. The story is based on the true life events of Deborah Feldman’s life depicted in her memoir. When I first saw the trailer, I was uncertain. I actually didn’t immediately watch it but after seeing the preview a few times, I thought to just take a risk and I am certainly glad I did. The visual style of the show was beautiful. There was an authenticity to the show that I was entranced by. I felt like I was truly in a Hasidic family and understanding Hasidic roots and traditions. I love it when good television transports me into a new world and allows me to really see all sides. 

Shira Haas was a breakthrough performer. She had a gentle brokenness that felt pure and raw. As a young woman, Esther wanted to be a part of her community but also felt a deep split emerging between her love for her culture and the desire for something that would break her from those roots. She made an extremely difficult decision by leaving her Hasidic family in Brooklyn for a life of uncertainty in Berlin. It was definitely a tale of an idealistic young woman following her heart, a story that we can all get behind. What was refreshing though, was depicting the reality of the loss of her community. It was never going to be a clean break and I’m glad the show told the difficult story as well as the happy one. 

She wanted to experience individual expression, something that was taboo in her culture where standing out made you troublesome and difficult. When her family told her to stop chasing after her mother that abandoned her for the secular world, she went anyway. When her family told her that her life goal should be to bear children and be a good wife for her community, she decided to chase her dreams of studying music. When she felt trapped in a loveless marriage, she wanted to find a passionate love. Even though she found moments of clarity and happiness, she still felt lost, trapped in between two worlds. The difficult decision of leaving home oftentimes made her feel confused and wanting to go back to the comforts of the only support system she thought she knew. Even though her husband came searching for her, she knew that she couldn’t trust that support system again. She had to create a new one.

As the story continued, not only about Esther but the dynamic characters that surrounded her, I became enveloped in the visceral empathy of their situation. I know that I am not a part of the community, but I could feel the turmoil as they were feeling turmoil. I could feel the frustrations from many sides as though I was feeling them. For example, Esther’s husband Yakov (played by Amit Rahav), was difficult to relate to at the beginning of the show. I know too many men in my personal life that have no interest in being truly sympathetic to women’s needs or follow along with the pressures of society without having enough courage to think for themselves. For the first few episodes, that was Yakov, but as the story continued, I began to see where he was coming from and felt like he was truly a good man. It’s not often that I see a beta male antagonist become a truly developed, sensitive man. It makes me feel hopeful that there may be more intellectual, loving, good men in the Hasidic community. These relationships, including every character’s relationship with God, were complex and ugly at times but it didn’t leave me with a bad taste in my mouth for the community. In fact, it left me curious. I wanted more. 

Netflix came out with a behind the scenes short documentary about the show and there was so much that went into the details of the show that really embodied the community as a whole. The writers and producers wanted to show as much as they could about the Hasidic community. They wanted to maintain respect for the community while also commentating on how the secular world sees it from the outside and how someone like Esther might feel trapped in between. There was still a whole universe I didn’t yet understand.

Since I, unfortunately, don’t have Hasidic friends to talk to about my new obsession for the community, I wanted to watch whatever Netflix had to offer. I came across the documentary, One of Us, which follows three ex-Hasidic Jews who left the community for a variety of reasons. Ari was a young man of about 19 or so who was sexually assaulted during his adolescent years and, after not feeling supported by his community, turned to alcohol and drugs. Etty, after years of suffering domestic violence in her marriage, decided to leave the community which left her in a custody battle of her five children, of which she subsequently lost. The third person, Luzer, decided to leave the community after he felt abandoned when he asked questions about God’s existence. Watching their stories also made me realize another piece to the puzzle of the Hasidic community. When I watched Unorthodox, I felt that it made most sense that women would be the ones to leave the community because they were significantly more oppressed than the men, as in most religious societies. However, after watching One of Us, I realized that men leave too. Men feel abandoned and invisible in the community just as women do. 

There was a point in the documentary where Luzer asked one of his Hasidic friends why the community is this way and his friend responded to say that, “it’s all about the survival of the Jewish community.” Without strict control, the community would fall privy to the secular world and lose its strength over time. It’s clear that the community leaders of the Hasidic community don’t want to lose people to the secular world. It is also clear that a lot of ex-Hasidic individuals miss and love their community, even with its problems and constrictions. I think that if the community wants to prevent more people from leaving, they may have to compromise by providing more support for people. There are times in every pious person’s life where there are doubts about God. For a lot of people, those doubts can be strong. 

For most Jews, there is profound respect for the rabbi and if more rabbis can encourage a more open dialogue about the doubts about God and the community, then perhaps people won't feel so isolated. For men and women suffering from sexual health or marital issues like abuse, there should be a trusted system in place to protect these individuals. It’s not the issues themselves that make people want to leave, it’s the feeling of abandonment of these issues by the entire community that make people feel isolated and wanting out. The specific issues discussed in the documentary may be why I have more specific ideas on how to approach a more progressive Hasidic community. This is what I gather from what I see in both Unorthodox, One of Us, and my own research. 

The end of One of Us left me to be more critical, rather than the appreciative aftertaste I got after watching Unorthodox. I appreciate that every religious community has its own faults, and harshly criticizing it hardly makes sense coming from a non-Jew. So, I return to simple appreciation, observation, and curiosity rather than harsh criticism.

If any individual reading this has any opposition, comment or question about my thought process on this topic, I highly encourage discourse. I love to be re-educated. 

However, my interest in the Hasidic community still has not stopped. It’s not because I am religious, but because I am deeply fascinated by the complicated world of Judaism and of strict religious communities. I also wanted to continue watching some of the more beautiful and interesting traditions that I grew fond to appreciate in Unorthodox. 

Which has led me to a bit of a different kind of show, Shtisel. Shtisel is an Israeli drama television show completely filmed in Yiddish. It’s a fairly recent show, with the first season released in 2013 and it’s newest season greenlit for production at the end of 2020. I’ve just started it but I am hooked. The actress, Shira Haas, who plays Esther in Unorthodox plays one of the supporting character’s daughters in this show.The show follows Akiva Shtisel, the protagonist, a young man who falls for an older, twice widowed woman. Though, his family disapproves, he can’t seem to get her off his mind. There’s lots of additional side stories that make the show interesting and I’m excited that a third season is coming. I’ve just started the show, but right now I am enjoying the story because it’s different than what I’ve seen before. I wanted to see more about the lives of people actually still in the community, rather than those who want to leave or have left. Shtisel is refreshingly different from Unorthodox, in the way that the Hasidic Jews in Shitsel are Israeli, which supposedly implies a more lax community. In some ways, I’ve noticed the changes. I noticed that there are women who work in the Torah schools and men who speak more freely about marrying for love rather than for community pressures, which seems to be different from the Satmar sect. 

I have a lot more I want to see and learn. I have a billion questions to ask about this world and I want to get to know more. I hope that more people become interested, just as I have. I want more people to find a new respect for the Hasidic community, the Jewish faith and of religious groups in general. I think the more we try to learn about each other, the closer we become as people. Sometimes, it isn’t as hard as we make it out to be. All it takes is a little Netflix surfing. 

Shalom.

[dimples-of-discontent]

Love, Necromancy, Cocks, and the Reanimated Corpse of Compulsory Heterosexuality: Watching Notes for 14x06

Oh my goodness this episode was pure fucking delight!! Is there a member of the NextGen writers’ room who isn’t binging wall-to-wall fanfic as inspiration? I mean, this even began as a library AU for crying out loud! I love these people and I love what they’re doing and they managed to do something I thought was impossible...not mind that this is our third episode in a row without Cas. We even got a nice lil’ shoutout to meta writers as Sam illustrated for Charlie why she was like the flyman and she gently insisted that, although Sam did have a point, she was not, to be clear, actually the same as flyman. (This will not stop me from proceeding with my flyman-type readings though. But thanks, Yockey!)

So obviously this was an episode about love and....love as we could tell from the tagline, “the things we do for love” and the title, “Optimism.” I’m sorry to say, though, that I ended up feeling that both those things were a setup for some very dark times indeed that are a-comin’! *rocks chair* *sips moonshine* We just learned from the PR that 14x08 will be an episode in which Cas makes an “enormous sacrifice.” And, well, there are only a few options for that at this point. I’ll talk more about it in a sec, but I think “the things we do for love” is pretty clear foreshadowing of not precisely what he’ll do but why he’ll do it. 

So anyway, here are some bullet-point-type rambles about things I noticed immediately post-episode. If I have time I might get to expand on them but, the way my time has been lately, it’s a lot more likely that they’ll stay rambly and informal. Still, feel free to pick up and toss around/expand on whatever appeals!

Necromancers - it’s not real love if it’s dead: I reblogged the lovely @mittensmorgul already being smart as usual about the connection between this and last season’s Yockey treat “Various and Sundry Villains” but I thought of it the moment I saw Harper because she looked so very much like the Plum sisters--you remember, the codependent ladies who put a love spell on Dean to steal a book and then tried to raise their mom from the dead only to have it lead to their demise at each other’s hands. Harper mentions that she’s from a long line of necromancers and, well, seems pretty plausible to me. Where the Plum sisters brought back their mom, though, Harper is looking to bring back her man (or men, if Jack is her next target) to stay with her forever. 

Just as the Plum sisters showed an unhealthy model of parent-child and sibling-sibling relationships that was allegorically appropriate to the Winchesters, Harper shows an unhealthy model of what a relationship is or could be. The Plums were unwilling to let their dead mother (or each other) go, clinging with slavish devotion to the idea of getting her, and their normal life, back. Instead of having real relationships, they cast love spells and sacrificed men (read: any possibility of a non-familial partner) to sustain it. Harper may have had a good enough relationship with Vance to start, who knows?, but she was unwilling to let him go in much the same way the Plums couldn’t let their mother die. He wanted to leave the town that she was tied to because of her family and her family business (necromancy). And instead of adhering to the idea that if you love something you should let it go she killed him and brought him back to participate in a kind of love that literally fed on other people to keep it going. Harper kept him against his will, forcing him to fit into her life in a way that required sacrificing innocent lives and kept her from being able to move on.

In both cases? It’s not love if it’s dead. Let it go.

My boyfriend’s back and you’re gonna be in trouble: Anyone else remember that uber-terrible 90s movie where a girl’s boyfriend came back as a zombie? No? I didn’t see it, but I recall seeing the preview in a theater and that it had a scene where they were making out and his ear fell off and it HORRIFIED me since I’d barely even heard of making out at that point. Anyway, I bet you anything Steve Yockey saw that movie which was called “my boyfriend’s back.” Harper has too many interested men, actually, which is the source of her “terrible luck” and being “perpetually single.” So, just to be clear, someone who says she’s “perpetually single” (and ready to mingle?) and has “terrible luck” with relationships is actually in a secret long-term relationship with her first love who she killed (all relationships have their issues!) and brought back from the dead as a supernatural creature who is terribly possessive of her. She wasn’t just single with terrible luck she actually had her boyfriend back!

Now, it’s not a 1-to-1 Destiel parallel and I’m not saying it is. This isn’t a flyman situation. But it’s suggestive of it anyway because all Harper’s “bad luck” with romance actually has a pretty simple explanation. She’s already in a relationship. So, uh, Dean you having some trouble there? Not finding any relationships that will stick? People you show affection for maybe keep dying? Try this explanation on for size. 

Like a romance novel: Again, I’m not suggesting this is all 1-to-1. But following up on these other two points I’d like to point out how Harper and Vance are stereotypical of a certain kind of “first love”. They met in high school. He was a football player she was the prom queen everything was going great. Then he wanted to leave and expand their lives and she wanted to keep everything the same. So she killed him. To keep everything the same. To combat change and the unfamiliar. So that instead what she got was the familiar, reanimated and always consuming everyone around her, living when it manifestly shouldn’t. They’re a romance novel gone wrong. A heterosexual romance novel gone wrong. Because Vance, “Archie,” is a certain kind of all-American guy. 

And if you think there wasn’t some kind of symbolic resonance to the reanimated corpse of All-American masculinity beating Dean up after he got clobbered with a shelf full or romance novels, well, think again. And then Vance just...decided Dean wasn’t a threat. He just walks off and leaves him and we’re left going ??? until we learn that he’s after Jack and that, because he sees Jack as a more viable romantic threat than Dean, he needs to pursue him. Dean was judged by the specter of toxic masculinity (or compulsory heterosexuality) and found wanting. That’s kind of big, guys.

Dick’s diner (love them, uh, Roosters): You guys, the monster knew that even sweet lil’ cinnamon roll Jack is more heterosexual than Dean is right now. Jack’s the one asking (repeatedly) about sex and Dean’s the one (repeatedly) not talking about it. He’s all business with the waitress, even when she tells Jack that “sometimes you just have the sex,” and even though he’s spouting a lot of wisdom about love (as someone who has obviously read one billion romance novels for “research purposes”) he’s not saying anything about what women want in the bedroom (or wherever else they want it). Even the diner, canonically the site of all Dean’s hookups with a no-bullshit waitress who explicitly mentions sex is filled with cocks. Just...cocks everywhere. And, yeah, Dean’s going to touch some of those cocks. He can’t really help it when they’re just everywhere. And he’s NOT going to make any time for a classic diner hookup. He’s just...gonna keep staring at those cocks. (I know they are about Richard Speight directing--and certainly the diner name is a reference to that--but there is no way it’s not also about cocks. And also I make no apologies for my sense of humor here. Cocks are funny and they’ll always be funny. The end.)

Let’s give ‘em something to talk about....how about love? Whew! You know who wants to talk about love? Dean Winchester. Kudos to Jensen because I felt that any conversation that had the L-word going on was heavy with Things Unsaid. Dean distracting Zombie Archie by trying to talk to him about what love really is but stopping short just after saying “that’s not what love is...c’mon, think about it” but before saying what it was instead? Dean saying that people do a lot crazier things for love (see my long crack rant about just what those kind of things might be DEAN)? I was legitimately kind of prepared for Jack to ask Dean a question about love and Dean to give a revealing answer that allowed Jack to serve as a GA proxy and go “Holy shit! You love Castiel!”. 

But hey, next week they’re apparently going to road trip to Vegas and Jack is going to drive the Impala (BEFORE CAS??? BLASPHEMY!!) so maybe there’s still going to be some time to callback to Sam’s Vegas wedding and how you know you want to marry someone. 

My apologies to Sam and Charlie, whose plotline I did very much enjoy, but I’ve tired myself out. This was pure joy and I feel happy and well fed and, well, optimistic...which can only mean dark times to come because nothing good ever happens on SPN. Take care, lovelies, and stay away from necromancy!

[overly-b]

Infinity War - Tom Holland

TUMBLR WAS BEING WEIRD SO YES THIS IS MY SECOND TIME POSTING THIS IM SORRY!

MAJOR INFINITY WAR SPOILERS!!!!!!!! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN!!!!! I’M SERIOUS!!!!

Word count: 2k

Warnings: INFINITY WAR SPOILERS! swearing, some of the reactions were legitimate things that I said while watching IW.

Needless to say, before you even knew who Tom Holland was, you were a fan of Marvel. Being an actress yourself meant that you got to meet many of the beloved actors that played the iconic roles, which lead you right to Tom when he started off on Spider-Man Homecoming.

Even being longtime friends with many, you were a fan at heart, and still fangirled to no end when there were new movies.

Infinity War was no exception. You begged Tom to let you in on spoilers, for some reason he seemed more careful and determined to keep them from you than the rest of the world. He claimed that he didn’t know much, but you knew that he had to know something.

It broke your heart that you couldn’t make it to Infinity War premiere. You wanted nothing more than to support your boyfriend and his castmates during this time, not to mention you wanted to see the movie you had waited ten years for. You settled for a facetime call with Tom, in which you also talked to Robert, two out of the three Chris’s, Mark and Scarlett. You struggled to get through work that evening, wishing you could be with your best friends.

Tom called you afterward, as he was tucked up in bed. His hair was freshly washed and for a moment you imagined the smell of his shampoo. You pout at the fact that you couldn’t be there for him. You tried to trick him into telling you at least something about the finished product but as tired as he was, he did not want you to know anything until you could see it for yourself.

For the next three days, you avoided the internet. You blocked certain accounts, you deleted Instagram off of your phone and became a very productive human as you neglected your electronics as much as possible.

Once he was home, your usual welcome home sex nearly slipped your mind because you wanted to see the movie so bad. Little did you know, he had a private screening planned for later that night.

You were antsy all the way to the theater, bouncing your feet, picking your nails, playing with your fingers as well as Tom’s. When you entered, the room was empty. You were confused until you saw the look on Tom’s face. You gasped and began to jump around squealing. You were relieved that no one would have to witness your reactions and that you could be as loud as you wanted.

The two of you chattered as previews played. As soon as the lights dimmed, you gasped loudly and slapped his shoulder repeatedly in excitement. He simply smiled at you, lifting the armrest and getting comfortable, motioning for you to follow.

Tom knew all of your theories. He knew your ideas and fears. He knew that some of your theories were right, however, he also knew how much of it you got wrong, and how surprised that you would be.

You settle in with Tom’s arm slung around your shoulders. He was excited. Not to see the movie again, but to see how you took it. One of your quirks is that your reactions to movies are priceless. He loved the nights that you binged watch shows or movies because of all of the comments you’d make and reactions you had. If you were into something, you would say so. Most people found it annoying, however, Tom found it endearing. He loved watching you get riled up.

And without fail, as soon as the movie started, you were already going nuts.

“Oh my god, there’s no music. Where’s the Avengers theme, where’s the music? That means something bad” You decided, sighing and shifting slightly. Tom chuckled, you had no idea.

You watch as the first few minutes roll by. You smirk as you tell Tom that your theory of Thanos attacking Thor's ship was in fact correct. But soon enough, your happiness is replaced by the first death of the movie.

Tom’s eyes wander to you as your face changes and your hand goes to your mouth.

“That was,” You pause, clearing your throat as the movie continues on. “Quick” You sniffle, unsure of how to feel. “And we’re only like ten minutes in!”

The scenes change a few times before you see Tom portraying Peter, along with a best friend of yours Jacob. You smile widely in pride and giddiness. Tom notices this and his heart glows in awe. He was nervous that you wouldn’t like his addition to the movie franchise that you had loved for years.

“Tony and Pepper! Damn that ring! Tony wants kids oh my god!”

“A wizards necklace” You chuckle.

“Kick his ass!”

“Iron dad for the win” You state at Tony’s behavior.

“Ohhh upgrade!” You exclaim at the Iron Spider suit.

“Vision!”

“Tween Groot oh my gosh”

“He is not fat Chris Pratt is dad. Daddy Pratty” This earned you a funny look from Tom. He knew how much you love Chris Pratt.

“Steve! Steve! Steve fucking Rogers is here! Fuck yes!” You exclaim. Tom bursts out laughing at that one. “Brooklynn bitch is back”

These were just a few of the things that you had said during the movie. There were many others to follow. All of which Tom found extremely amusing and entertaining Everytime that Peter Parker said something funny, she would instantly turn to Tom, giving him looks of humor and amusement, or rolling our eyes at the interesting nature of the words.

He cuddles you closer as you near yet another dramatic scene.

“He’s not gonna do it is he? That grape would not.”

Your face contorts into a large pout as your eyes water.

“No” You drag out, sitting up to wipe the few tears that had streamed down your face. “Goddammit” You sniffle, leaning back down to Tom, shifting the original position that you both sat in.

The movie rolls on, you keep up with comments of encouragement, advice, and shuns to characters. You burst out laughing at some points. As the end of the movie built up, you began to get anxious. That could not be it. There was something else that had to happen. You and Tom had both sat up and were now shoulder to shoulder, holding hands. When you reached what was thought to be the climax of the movie, you were confused.

“What? What did that do? Nothing happened, what the hell? He snapped? Nothing happened!” You scramble. And then came the punches. “What the fuck!” Your hand clasps over your mouth as your eyes water rapidly. “No!” Tears rolled down your cheeks as you blinked. Character after character, disappearing before your eyes.

You sit further up as the scenery changes, from Earth to the planet Titan. “No!” You whined, your voice strained slightly. You rub your eyes, they had slowed in producing tears.

“Mr. Stark?” You felt your chest tighten.

You whip around from your upright position to face your boyfriend who simply wore a small smirk on his face.

You watched as your boyfriend, no, Peter Parker, one of your favorite Marvel characters even before your boyfriend played the role, die. In the most painful way, clutching his father figure because he had lost two in the past. He begged for his life. You knew that Peter Parker always had to prove his strength because he was the youngest, but alas he cried, sobbed even, pleading to be saved before vanishing completely.

The end of the movie plays out, your tears slow but do not stop as the credits roll onto the screen. You swipe the remaining tears from your chin, neck, and cheeks before leaning back to Tom with a pained expression.

“Did that just fucking happen?” You breathe out, curling into his side. Tom hums simply. You lift your head up to look at him, your eyes like puppy dogs as they water again when you think about what you just witnessed. Your lips curve downwards as you look into Tom’s eyes. His heart melts at the site.

“Oh, darling!” Tom chuckles slightly at your sadness to his, along with many other characters deaths. His lip juts out into a pout as a result of your heartbroken demeanor as he hugs you closer, kissing the top of your head. “It’s okay”

You use your hands to cover your face as another tear sneaks past your lids. You shake your head against his chest where you lay.

“What the fuck Tom” You whine, craning your neck to look at him, your cheek still pressed into his chest. “They can’t fucking do that”

“I think that did love” Tom weakly smiles at your fragile state. You watch the credits and like true fans watch the end credit scene, questioning it excitedly.

Thanos will return.

“That prune, just die already!” You argue with the three words displayed as the very last point of the movie. Tom snickers at your behavior.

It was a quiet ride home as your replay what you had just seen in your head. Tom understood that you wanted a few moments to process, so he turned the radio on a low volume and held your hand all the way back.

Once you enter your shared place, you sigh loudly, wanting nothing but to mope.

“Y’okay love?” Tom questions as you both step into your bedroom.

“That was too fucking depressing” You scoff down a laugh, feeling slightly embarrassed by how upset you were.  

“Okay c’mon” He takes your hand gently, leading yours to the bathroom. He turns the shower on, letting it run as he slips his shirt off.

“Tom I love you but I’m not in the mood-”

“Ah ah ah” He shushes you. Placing a sweet kiss on your now chapped lips, he begins slowly undressing you. Your face contorts into one of adoration over how adorable he is.

“I’m capable of taking my own clothes off” You cock your head to the side as he had you in your bra and jeans.

“I know” He states, a small caring grin upon his lips. He kneels down, placing a kiss just above the waistline of your jeans before unbuttoning and unzipping them. He lifts you onto the counter to slip the fabric down your legs, showering them with light kisses despite the fact that it had been two days since you had shaved.

He slips your down, unclipping your bra and sliding it down your arms. Followed by him guiding your underwear down just enough for them to fall to your feet on their own. You step into the tub where the water is now hot, and Tom is by your side a few moments after.

“You are the sweetest thing” You muse, wrapping your arms around the back of his neck.

“And you are the most dramatic movie watcher I have ever witnessed” Tom shakes his head in remembrance of the past few hours. Your head falls back in giggles, the hot water hitting the top of your forehead as you do so. Toms chuckles rang through the shower in harmony with yours.

“I cannot believe that you kept all of that from me” You scoff in disbelief.

“I didn’t want to ruin it for you. You deserved to get the best experience.”

“Well, the best experience freaking sucked” You pout. Not that you weren’t happy with what Tom planned, but with the events of the movie itself. Tom understands this right away, knowing that you were upset with the movie.

“Yeah” He agrees with you. “I know” He pulls you into his bare chest that is beaded with water, rubbing his fingers on your wet scalp. No doubt tangling your hair as it got soaked, but it felt so good that you didn’t stop him. Your arms snaked around his torso and his free hand found the small of your back. After a moment, he rests his chin atop your head and you begin swaying slightly under the stream of water.

“Don’t ever leave me” You mumble. Before he can open his mouth, you defend your words. “And I know it’s stupid because he's a character but, he’s your character. Watching your character die was also an image of you dying. I just, don’t do that to me, not for real.”  

You didn’t have to look at him to know that his lips were pursed to suppress a small forming smile. Tom’s tiny laugh of cherishing your wish left him as air out of his nose. His chest rattled.

“I won’t. Especially not like that” To his statement you whine sadly. 

“Way too soon!” 

[jonahbex]

Get to Know the Friendom Tag

(first off can i just say it’s adorable that we’re calling ourselves the friendom, i love it sm)

A big thank you to @the-suitelife-of-disneychannel for tagging me! 😄

Favorite Andi Mack character:
 Buffy for sure. I love her bc she’s so fearless and confident, and that’s an important role model for young women of color to have. Back when I was Disney Channel’s target demographic age (I’m 18 now), Raven from That’s So Raven had a huge impact on me and made me want to be myself, so I’m glad there’s a character like Buffy on Disney Channel right now teaching young girls that it’s okay to love themselves and own it even when they’re only 13 years old. Is that your all-time favorite? If not, then list that here:
 My all time favorite character is Riley Matthews from Girl Meets World. I see so much of myself in her, from the way she stands up for her beliefs and does what is right, to the way she tends to be naive and trusting, seeing the good in people. One of my favorite things about her is that she is shown multiple times trying to make people into what she expects them to be, and I can relate bc I have the same problem. I love that she’s wonderful and strong but also realistically flawed. Favorite Andi Mack cast member?
 Idk much about the cast; I don’t follow them on any social media except Josh here on tumblr. So I guess I pick Josh, he seems pretty cool 😊 All-time favorite cast member? If not list them: 
 I know this is getting repetitive, BUT I LOVE ROWAN BLANCHARD. She’s so woke and amazing at such a young age. She’s an activist and an intersectional feminist, she stands up for marginalized groups and goes after what she wants. I truly love her so much and look up to her even though she is younger than me. I hope to someday raise a daughter just like Rowan Blanchard. Original reaction to the show:
 I originally watched the show bc I saw a gifset on tumblr, then read an article and thought it was so cool that Disney Channel was going to address teen pregnancy. So I knew the plot twist before I watched the first episode. Tbh I was super unimpressed with the show at first, like after reading about it I was really disappointed watching the first episode, bc to me the acting felt so stale and badly paced. BUT I decided to give it another try bc I really wanted to support the show bc of how important it could be to Disney Channel, and after watching the second episode, I concluded that the acting and pacing would get better as the season went on, and then after watching the third episode I was hooked. Current reaction to the show: I’m just a little bit addicted. I keep wanting to binge watch the whole season but it’s not out yet, and tbh I’ve looked through those free TV websites for leaked episodes but there are none. The “next time on Andi Mack” thing is really effective bc there’s a bombshell dropped every episode and the preview makes you want to keep going.
 Favorite Andi Mack Plot Line: BEX AND BOWIE!!! Their scene together in episode 8 was my favorite, like Bowie is so sweet and he wants to be back in her life and help raise Andi, but Bex is obviously trying to avoid talking about it (the pizza trick again), and I n e e d to see how this ends. And I also kind of want to know where it started. I just want more Bowex overall.
 Least Favorite Andi Mack character: Idk if I have one? Like I kind of like most of the characters equally. And it feels like the only real choice here is Amber, but her character really bugs me bc of how she is written. So far (up to episode 8), she is a one-dimensional character. The writers only ever show her as a bad person who does horrible things to Andi and insults people and fucks with a middle school boy’s emotions, but they never show any of the reasons behind her actions. She was created as the stereotypical, pretty, “cool” mean girl who is only around to serve as a foil to the awkward, kind, unconfident main character; Disney Channel does this all the time and I’m kind of sick of it. Amber needs depth. We need to know why she’s clinging to Jonah (despite CHEATING on him), abusing him, threatening people, and just overall antagonizing others. The closest thing we got to depth with her was the one time Jonah mentioned to Andi that Amber is insecure, but that’s not good enough. I need a plotline around Amber’s insecurity. I need the writers to show that people act a certain way because of their personal issues or circumstances, not because they are inherently evil. Maybe she has home problems and that’s why she goes after Andi so hard about her family??? Maybe her father has been absent most of her life too? I need some character development with Amber. I’m not satisfied blindly hating her.
 All-time least favorite character? If not list them here: I can’t think of any characters I hate right now.
 Upcoming Andi Mack episodes I’m worried about: I’m sure this is on everybody’s mind, but how are they going to show Cyrus questioning his sexuality? It’s Disney Channel, so I really don’t want to get my hopes up, but I really hope it doesn’t turn out like Beauty and the Beast with that blink-and-you’ll-miss-it gay rep with Le Fou. Like, if I were a heterosexual and not specifically looking for signs that Le Fou was gay, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it at all. I’m worried that the same thing will happen to Cyrus, where since we’re all looking for him to be gay, we’ll jump for joy when they start dropping subtle clues, when in reality, the plotline does nothing to teach kids about LGBTQ people bc it goes right over their heads. Like I can’t see Disney Channel airing an episode where Cyrus explicitly says that he’s attracted to boys, let alone uses the word “gay,” but that’s exactly what young questioning kids need to hear: truth and validation. In addition, I’m worried that even if it explicitly comes out that Cyrus has a crush on Jonah, there will not be a happy ending for him. Andi is the main character, and as per Disney Channel rules, the main girl always ends up with the guy she likes. So even though Cyrus likes Jonah, he’ll never get to be with him, and he’ll just be another add-on to the list of queer characters who suffer from unrequited love, whose queerness is only used as a plot point to show struggling. No matter what, I feel like the Cyrus sexuality plotline will not play out well, either from being too subtle or from being unnecessarily sad. Sorry, I kind of ranted on those last two! Anyway, I’m tagging: @tritagonist @margotandthemoon @youtuber-positivity @moonshapedwaffles @zayadorah @andi-shack @unidentifiedgayobject @universe-melody


[wesonerdy]

Jamie and Claire are off to Jamaica to rescue Wee Ian. But by now we know it’s never smooth sailing for these two… Watch a sneak peek of this week’s Outlander, “The Doldrums”!

Courtesy of STARZ/Sony Pictures Television

  Sassenachs, last week’s Outlander hit us with a big surprise, as we finally learned the identity of Jamie’s new wife–Laoghaire. Ugh. We saw this drive a wedge between Jamie and Claire, even mingling with Jamie’s broader resentment of living without Claire and Brianna for the last 20 years.

Yet despite the conflict, the strength of their love was never in question. I think of when Claire confronted Jenny about telling Janet to alert Laoghaire to Jamie’s presence at Lallybroch. Jenny replied with a snide comment about Laoghaire being Jamie’s wife, but Claire shut it all the way down. No, she was his first and ONLY wife. In terms of Jamie’s marriage to Laoghaire, I actually found the show’s adaptation to be much more believable. It was Jamie’s connection to Marsali and Joan, his desire to be a father, that was the foundation of the marriage, not any particular affection for Laoghaire herself.

And then Wee Ian… *sigh* the young man has been taken by some unsavory characters and now Jamie and Claire are on a quest to get their nephew back!

Courtesy of STARZ/Sony Pictures Television

  For more of our thoughts on “First Wife,” definitely read our full recap and also watch our video review for all our flaily commentary!

Also, if you haven’t already, don’t miss Executive Producers Ronald D. Moore, Toni Graphia, and Matthew B. Roberts taking us through the reintroduction of Laoghaire, the importance of the Hogmanay flashback, as well as the struggles in the Jamie and Claire relationship (which make the reconciliation even more worth it!):

  In this Sunday’s episode “The Doldrums” (written by Shannon Goss, directed by David Moore):

Claire and Jamie leave Scotland, sailing to the West Indies on an urgent quest. But when the superstitious crew looks for someone to blame after a string of bad luck, rescue comes from an unlikely source. (via Starz)

Check out this clip from “The Doldrums” (via Entertainment Weekly exclusive). It seems that Fergus will be joining Jamie and Claire on their mission to save Wee Ian. However, Fergus has decided to bing a companion with him…

  Yes y’all, Fergus and Marsali have gotten hitched and Jamie is not at all happy about it. I can just imagine the folks at Lallybroch once the letters arrive with all this news. Also, Imma need for Marsali to slide it allllllll the way back with the name-calling of Claire.

Starz has also released a new trailer for the rest of Outlander‘s third season, which features several scenes from the last five episodes. Wee Ian being sold off to someone who likes to bathe in… blood (?!); sailing to Jamaica; kidnapping by British soldiers (AGAIN); Claire and Jamie searching for information at a high society ball in the West Indies; and so much more:

  *SIGH* Circumstances are forever conspiring to keep Jamie and Claire apart, but their love will always win. It’s part of what has always made the Outlander series beautiful and compelling to me.

Check out seven images from “The Doldrums” and then make sure to live tweet with me at 8p/7c this Sunday, November 12 on STARZ!

Courtesy of STARZ/Sony Pictures Television

Courtesy of STARZ/Sony Pictures Television

Courtesy of STARZ/Sony Pictures Television

Courtesy of STARZ/Sony Pictures Television

Courtesy of STARZ/Sony Pictures Television

Courtesy of STARZ/Sony Pictures Television

Courtesy of STARZ/Sony Pictures Television

Courtesy of STARZ/Sony Pictures Television

PREVIEW: ‘Outlander’ Season 3, Episode 9 “The Doldrums” Jamie and Claire are off to Jamaica to rescue Wee Ian. But by now we know it's never smooth sailing for these two...