#also wandavision hurt me this bad

[shutupineedtothink]

[Theory] Agatha All Along title meaning + character arc for Agatha

Back on the theory train — here’s another thing that’s bugging me. Why is the show called Agatha All Along, besides the cute allusion to the song. I know for a fact Jac Schaeffer is too clever and too good of a writer to not make it mean something more.

I’m feeling like it must tie into Agatha’s character arc for the show, so let me take you on a little hypothetical journey here.

Spoilers below the cut!

Now that I’ve rewatched those last few episodes of WandaVision, I can’t get Agatha’s flashback out of my head. Particularly her saying, practically pleading, “I can be good” and her mother replying “no, you cannot.” Like holy shit. That’s a condemnation if I ever heard one. A different kind of curse passed down by a different kind of mother.

I’m starting to wonder… what if Agatha was always this powerful, even without the Darkhold. What if she was so innately powerful, her own mother and her entire coven was afraid of her? Maybe they even suspected her of being the Scarlet Witch, and therefore capable of ending the world itself? And because she was so powerful, and every other witch around her didn’t even want to touch her much less teach her, what if she went looking for resources herself? And whether that was the actual Darkhold or something else “above her station” (… I’m not convinced she had the Darkhold yet at the time of this WV flashback scene) that only served as the indictment the other witches needed to finally attack her?

Basically where I’m going with this is… what if Agatha was raised to believe she was bad? If she was always told she was basically evil incarnate, always feared for her power, too powerful for her own good, too powerful to be good, to anyone… her own coven, her sisters, and her mother were afraid of her and shunned her… what would that core belief do to her?

Let’s also assume her coven were the first (maybe only) people she intentionally killed (and even then, in self defense). The way she looks when she takes the amulet from her mother’s body — she’s angry, but how much of that anger is directed at herself? How much of her thought, well, look, they were right. I am bad. I am evil. And there’s no turning back now. And I hate myself for it.

Except maybe, she tries. She’s constantly trying to escape this fate, this identity that was forced on her. She never joins another coven in the centuries after, not only because no one wants her and she has serious trust issues but because she doesn’t want to hurt them, intentionally or not. She doesn’t need their power, she’s already more powerful than just about any other witch. So she studies. She learns the craft. She controls her power. And she leans into the persona of Agatha the powerful evil witch, because why not? That’s what they all think of her anyway. Let her control the narrative then. She wears her reputation like armor, so that no one can betray her ever again. As Rio says, “you’re vulnerable.” And she replies, “only physically.”

Then at some point, the unthinkable happens. She meets Rio, falls in love with her, figures out who she is (not necessarily in that order) and maybe she thinks, what kind of person falls in love with death? Surely that must be even more confirmation that she’s horrible (despite the fact that Rio is not horrible, not really, and certainly not to her). But she tries not to care, and mostly she doesn’t because she’s in love.

And then she has Nicky, however that happens, and she’s absolutely terrified but he is hers, and she loves him like she never loved anyone before. And she’s determined — he will be powerful but he will never think he’s anything less than because of it. He is finally, finally something good that came from her.

And then he too, is ripped away from her, by her own lover Death, and however it happened (even though it definitely wasn’t intentional on her part), she knows it’s her fault. Because she is evil, she is horrible, and this is her fate. She is betrayed by the people she loves, and she is left behind.

But still! She can’t give him up. She can’t stop trying. And she feels the absolutely insane surge of power in Westview and inserts herself into the Scarlet Witch’s hex, when no other witch would even dare get close, because maybe with enough power, with Wanda’s power, she can remake Nicky. (“And you wanted him back.”) She can create somewhere he’ll be safe and everyone else will be safe, and she won’t cause any more damage, to anyone. Death will never find them. She can raise her son in peace. She never wanted Wanda’s power just for power’s sake, she wanted what Wanda created, but better. Her version.

And then that too, was gone. And once again, she was painted the villain.

And now? Now it seems like all the pieces of her past are coming back to haunt her all at once. A new coven of witches who seem impossible to get along with, her lover Death who she tried to escape for so long, and a boy who looks like he might be the version of her son she was trying to recreate, who seems to adore her despite everything she is and wants to learn magic more than anything else. It’s all come back around.

So maybe, through reasons and events currently unfolding, Agatha’s journey on The Road (and the show) is to realize, or at least begin to maybe believe slightly, that she’s not inherently evil. She’s not an inherently bad person, or bad luck, or horrible. It wasn’t all her fault. Nicky’s death wasn’t her fault, even if she couldn’t save him. Death is part of her journey, as it is for us all, and maybe she can learn to accept that, maybe even love the woman who carries that name again, or at least forgive her.

Maybe this boy isn’t hers, but she can care for him and teach him the magic she never got to teach her own son. There can be a coven who actually has her back, who even sees her as their leader, who knows her and accepts her for what she truly is. Extremely flawed, powerful as all fuck, snarky and sarcastic, but the real her.

Not Agatha the evil witch. Not Agatha the villain (because she never was one). Not Agatha the hero either. Just Agatha. All Along.

———

Eh?? 🤷‍♀️

Now maybe in the show it’s not quite as angsty as all this, but Jac Schaeffer is writing this character too complexly and Kathryn Hahn is playing her too complexly for at least some of this not to be true. Agatha’s not just a villain. She’s not true evil. It’s only episode 4 and we basically know for a fact based on her reactions alone that Agatha did NOT sacrifice her own child for the book of the damned. And I just can’t get over the way Kathryn Hahn almost seems to be playing two characters with Agatha, the (evil) witch and the vulnerable Agatha underneath that only seems to surface for Teen and Rio, so far.

It’s fascinating, and I just want to see her get the depth of story she deserves. And we deserve, tbh.

[ennn]

IF there is a sequel my feelings for the ending would probably change because i expected more character development for agatha but i don’t see it so i just felt like that was so much missing about agatah and agathario

i heard more about their relationship in interviews than actually saw any relationship on screen and there was practically nothing from agatha there. did she ever love rio?i guess it wasn’t important to answer that and rio was just her crazy psycho ex who wouldn’t stop stalking her for centuries, it was a valid writing choice but it felt very underwhelming

Oh yeah a sequel would totally change / help my feelings as well!

That said, I want to address your points you made — not attacking, I just want to break things down:

We did see their relationship on screen, and Agatha having feelings for Rio

We have seen how Agatha and Rio are together, especially alone together. And the way Agatha behaves around Rio isn't like how she behaves around other people. She loses the theatrics, the more obvious lies. Rio reveals a new side to Agatha and vice versa.

Theirs is a bad romance. Fighting and violence is their foreplay – it's a poor substitute but even in ep 8 you do hear them excited to be fighting each other with magic. If you want a ship that's defined mostly by hugs and kisses and domestic bliss this isn't it.

And also keep in mind that the show has always positioned them as exes. They broke apart for a reason. There is bitterness and anger and pain in their relationship. Neither of them are falling in love with each other. Their relationship is interesting because they know each other so well, including the best ways to hurt each other.

In terms of Agatha's interest: We do see Agatha wanting Rio as Agnes inside the spell – a look into how Agatha would probably feel if she didn't remember why they broke up – and we see her emotional look at the end of episode 1 when Rio leaves.

We see Agatha genuinely embracing and wanting to kiss Rio in episode 4, and how she looks at Rio in episode 5 while on they're flying on brooms as well as how they seamlessly did the hexenbesen with each other.

We didn't get Agatha making heart eyes at Rio with the back few eps but it is hard to get into the romantic yearning mood when you're dealing with the reason you broke up with your ex.

The show has only started delving into Rio as character

I really do NOT think the show wants to position Rio as simply Agatha's "her crazy psycho ex stalker" – I believe the show has set up Rio as a complicated character with depth, in broadly the same way Wandavision set Agatha up to be a compelling character.

Anyone who sees Rio as one-dimensional or just a psycho ex is probably the same sort of person who saw Agatha as nothing but a power-hungry witch – which to be fair she still is, but layers baby.

One key challenge is that Rio is set as the season's major episode 7 antagonist reveal as Death. Just like how Agatha was for WV.

This means that until this finale we couldn't really know much about Rio – not beyond a superficial, limited, or vague level. Because it is Rio's identity and role as Death drives her motivation, her pain, and her tragedy history with Agatha.

Agatha lies and Rio is... not a normal human being

If you took what was happening on screen in episode 8 at absolute face value, without considering the other episodes or history of these characters, I can see why people would think Rio's a psycho stalker ex.

But consider:

Rio looks devastated when Agatha makes her choose between seeing her again or Billy – like this is Agatha knowing what kind of arrangement would pain Rio the most; Agatha testing at what point Rio would bend the rules again.

If you consider how Rio hasn't gone back on her word or told a lie on the show to Agatha, you'd expect that Rio will stick by her promise to leave Agatha alone. That's why it's heartbreaking. Agatha would absolutely back out on a deal but not Rio.

When Agatha says "I want you to stop pursuing me, I want you to stop making my life hell" you have to remember this is Agatha who uses words like weapons, who masks and lies all the time. Making the life of such an asshole hell may also not necessarily be a bad thing.

Rio's only on the Road now because they summoned her. She was honouring what she said about giving Agatha time to get her power back in Episode 1 and just watching.

Agatha is literally a manipulative serial killer who is surrounded by death regularly. "Psycho stalker ex" is a label that really needs to be considered in context here.

The show has underlined how Death isn't evil. It comes for us all. It's what we have in common. Part of a natural order. Rio is an antagonist sure, but only a villain depending on which perspective you take or what the circumstances are.

[mswyrr]

Well written female characters--written to be *people* first and foremost--are so fucking wonderful. Look at Wanda and Agatha: they have similar traumas and yet their personalities and how that shapes their responses is dramatically different and (IMPORTANT) those differences are not depicted as making one simply pure "good" and the other simply pure "evil." They just are who they are.

Their youth/maiden stage of life was violently torn from them and then, in adulthood, the motherhood they came to love* was taken from them and the love of their life too. Major, life changing traumatic losses.

And how do they respond? Wanda is all about withdrawing -- she tries to pull away from the pain and make a little safe space for her and the people she loves. All of her strength and power is aimed toward that subconsciously and, in her behavior, we can see the pattern is consistent. For her part, Agatha is all about rage and aggression. She does it charmingly, because she's a bit of a con artist, but the drive of that charm is pure aggression. People are going to hurt ME? Fine!! I'll hurt them first! I'll hurt them BETTER! I'll take all their power and then nobody can ever touch me. They deserve it, they would have done it to me if they could!

(The exception being someone like Jennifer, whose good intent and decency toward others was so blindingly obvious that Agatha kind of hated the sight of it -- it disturbed her and made her uncomfortable -- but she also respected it and didn't try to fuck with Jen)

They're like the perfect examples of the flight vs fight response. And the fact that trauma shapes responses differently depending on personality doesn't make some people inherently "good," it's just a thing, damage is carried different ways. And it can all cause harm to the people around you, depending on where you're at with it, even if your desire is just to flee and be safe. (And Wanda also seems to have a deep capacity for rage when pushed far enough, in expanding the hex, and a taste for vengeance - what she did to Agatha was nonfatal but by no means not violent). Connected to that: Women aren't a simple binary of bad and good. It's absurd to try to categorize them like that and it makes fictional representations thin and empty to do so. It makes artists who want to express the human condition in all its variety through female characters hobble their own art. And it's really beautiful when artists are brave and capable enough to fight their way out of those restrictions somewhat.

I love it. I just love every bit of it. I intend to rewatch Wandavision and Agatha All Along once AAA is finished to further compare and contrast.

*I don't buy that Agatha traded Nicholas for the Darkhold

[isagrimorie]

Watching YouTube reactions to the last Agatha All Along episode I'm struck by how many people seem to disregard Agatha's actual grief and regret over, IMO, accidentally draining Alice to death. (Question mark?)

The Nerdy Nightly channel's review on the episode had a more nuanced take recognizing not only Agatha's complexity but also the metaphor of addiction that applies not just to Agatha, but to almost everyone in the coven.

I'm glad more people are discussing this metaphor for Agatha. It makes Agatha so interesting.

Also, in light of this, I think we can't push past that Evanora's ghost meant for Agatha to drain someone in the coven so they would all turn against her.

It's almost like pushing an addict off the wagon, except pushing Agatha off the sobriety train means people die.

Jac Schaeffer was never interested in simplistic morality plays. She is committed to exploring characters in all their complexities, allowing them to be their fullest, often flawed, selves.

Schaeffer explained her character writing approach while writing WandaVision:

“It was important to us that it be all Wanda and that it would be her responsibility because we didn’t want—we weren’t doing Mephisto, Nightmare, the Grim Reaper, or any other people or entities,” Scheffer explained. “If we’re not going to take the cheap way out that there’s this other force, right, if we’re going to give the gift of storytelling to Wanda, I give the whole power, she also then has the culpability and has the accountability.”

(source: Gizmondo) (hat tip to: @ennn)

(Emphasis mine.)

And it seems Schaeffer's views on writing have changed with Agatha All Along. She doesn't want an easy answer for Agatha's character, and that's genuinely refreshing. For a Disney+ character to be allowed to have her flawed and authentic self?

It feels right. It feels real.

Schaeffer mentions this in a recent interview with Script Mag:

I think the fun of Tony Stark is that he wants to be bad, but he's a hero despite himself. But Agatha is not that. Agatha is not a hero, despite herself. Agatha is entirely selfish and self-serving. I don't know, I feel like it should have been harder. It should have been more like, 'Oh, gosh, how are we going to make this villain sympathetic?' But it wasn't that challenging because she's not. It's never her aim to hurt someone. She doesn't hurt anyone just for the fun of it. She's interested in two things: She’s interested in what serves her and she's interested in witchcraft, specifically, enormously powerful witchcraft.

Schaeffer goes on to say that all main characters in Agatha All Along function as anti-heroes. And the writers go on lengthy debates about the story beats and character choices.

Later on in the same interview with Script Mag, Schaeffer discusses Agatha's hidden motivations.

The way I defined Agatha—prior to the room, prior to anything—is that she's a liar, that it's just masks. This show is about pulling that mask all the way off. And what do we see? What is under the mask? It's hard to talk about at this point because there's so many spoilers inherent in that. 

But I think what you can get from the earliest episodes is that, yes, she wants power, right? That's her superficial goal. That's her super objective. But that can't be it, right? That's boring. What's underneath it? And it's fairly clear from the beginning that she reluctantly wants community, that this is a covenless witch who, deep down, wants a coven. And that's fascinating to me. What did Wanda want? She wanted to be safe and cozy with her family. That was a that was a very clear, true north. But there, the friction was the sort of logistical trappings were untenable. For Agatha, she's in the way of her own thing. And it's much more of a subtext and a fabric that we then exploit and explore deeper into the show.

I love that we haven't been reading Agatha wrong -- Agatha does want, deep down, to have a community but she's been wearing her mask for too long that Agatha's also her own worst enemy. Her reputation and defensive persona push people away.

When backed into a corner, Agatha slips on the mask of a villain because if she hurts them first, then no one can hurt her.

It's so fun and interesting to have a character like Agatha again! Especially within Disney+ Marvel's ecosystem of shows.

Netflix Marvel used to feature similarly complex characters but Disney+ Marvel shows have struggled to find that line.

[spacelessbian]

thoughts on Agatha All Along FINALE

Full spoilers ahead, 100% don't read if you haven't seen episodes 8 and 9.

I really enjoyed the finale, both episodes had a lot to offer and overall I am quite happy with how the show concluded. Things that I liked in no particular order:

The REVEALS. There is simply nothing better than a reveal that recontextualizes everything. And we didn't get just one, but two! Personally I found Agatha running a con and murdering women for centuries the more fun one, but Billy actually creating the Road was also really good and even though I've only seen the show once (unlike many people on here, no doubt), I can name many points in the story and in the dialogue where this is worked in and suddenly makes sense. Really great stuff.

Agatha and Nicky. I was dreading this part a little bit because I know Nicholas Scratch is some sort of big name in Marvel comics and I truly couldn't care less, so I'm pleased with what we got – a genuinely sweet yet tragic story of a mom and her son, destined to death even before being born. I was surprised (but in a good way) by Agatha's quiet reaction to Nicky's death because we know his death hurt her badly, but that's just how it is sometimes.

Agatha and Rio. I won't say I'd always had fate in Marvel to not mess this up, so yay! I don't think they did. This relationship is the heart of the show (and it is black and beats for the queers) and I think the writers did it justice (apart from one thing which I will get to in the next section). The kiss was intense, sexy, beautiful and also tragic and both Kathryn Hahn and Aubrey Plaza did a fantastic job with every piece of dialogue and every expression. I want them to play doomed lovers in five more projects, at least.

The coven. I already blogged about Jen but man, is it funny. Even this was Agatha all along, but she is such a menace she hasn't even realized that. I'm truly happy for Jen making it through and getting her power back. I'm glad we saw Alice's last moment and I liked how much Billy cared about her, Lilia and Sharon.

Agatha's death. I can't help myself, I need to go to that moment again. I was destroyed by that. It was so beautiful, both thematically and also visually and all. The flowers and mushrooms? The sun coming up? I kept thinking about Hozier's Work Song: When my time comes around, lay me gently in the cold dark earth. No grave can hold my body down. I'll crawl home to her. (whadup, Rio reference)

Agatha and Billy specifically in that last battle scene. She was blue you guys, she was just completely blue and in the exact same blue that Billy wears in his silly Marvel costume. And Billy just offered her his power, without questions and without wanting anything in return! And she didn't kill him! (Writing that down, the bar is on the floor for Agatha lol.)

There are other small things (like the Subaru lol), but I am ready to go to the bad section now. Two things I did not like (hidden for lenght but also because not everyone wants to read negative stuff):

Agatha's ghost. I'm gonna say it. Agatha as a ghost looks fucking terrible and her existence itself diminishes her death scene. I do understand why they did it and even why she looks like that (Agatha in the comics, as I understand it, is Wanda's mentor and also an older white haired lady, so they wanted to keep that but it didn't make sense with Wanda anymore), but I just hate it. Especially the wig.

The Marvel stuff. Yes, I realize this sounds stupid, it is a Marvel show after all. We wouldn't get a stupid gimmick like ghost Agatha joining Billy to look for his brother if this wasn't a starting point for the Wiccan. And I like Billy, I do, I also (obviously) love Agatha, who was first introduced in WandaVision (I realize the hypocrisy), but it just doesn't work for me. I would rather think about the beautiful death scene with it's poetic tragedy than about white haired Agatha floating on a washing machine, I'm sorry.

That being said, I really really liked the whole show and I am happy to say I hooked in my best friend (if you are reading this, you are contractually obliged to like the post, you know how it is) and that I actually know other people irl who watched it and enjoyed it. I'm sad it's over and even sadder that in this day and age, noone will talk about it in about two to three weeks. Anyway, it was lovely.

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

I am really getting annoyed with people said "loki is just narcissistic person, strange is just arrogant doctor, Wanda is just selfish crazy", okey they are lie that more than that but somehow everyone forgetting that they have trauma and pain(not justify bad actions but still) and they keep insist that they need getting more punishment.

Then we have stark, yeah we know him and if someone say he is just arrogant selfish billionaire other standard will say he ore than that and they said stark didn't deserve punishment what he did , really?

I am have to say I have one fanfic not Wanda friendly but I take theme in MOM because how I hate Wanda in MOM (thanks Waldron make me hate Wanda) from all her on screen MOM is in my hate list.

Also you can see how many Wanda, loki and strange got punishment in fanfic rather than stark, they justify his actions.

They never cared to humanize Stark's victims. We just had that woman in CW who was written horribly and to make matters worse, Stark was framed sympathetically in that scene. Go figure! And of course that scene is followed by him claiming the entire team has to be """held accountable""" (not just him, the team) and when some of them push back he's shown to be the rational one. What a joke.

With that kind of absolute narrative protection, is it any wonder so many people claim he feeling bad for 0.2 seconds is enough?

Whereas with Wanda we know the names of the people she hurt, we heard them speak and explain how much pain they were in. (I always laugh every time I see someone claim WandaVision was on Wanda's side.. lol no).

In Loki's case, his whole past and characterization were retconned and simplified by Waldron and Feige, and those around him were framed in a positive light while he was shown as an evil character who will always have to be paying for his mistakes. Odin, Thor, Sylvie, Mobius... none of them are held accountable so the difference in framing is even clearer.

And with Stephen, he's so unlucky that he got his own movie taken from him and once again his story was simplified for some reason I do not understand. His pain, sacrifices, his story are an afterthought in MoM and ironically enough, he was written miles better in NWH than in his own film. And of course, we got other characters telling him he's evil, he's selfish, he's a villain, bla bla.

In short: he's defined (negatively) by others. Just like Loki. Ever see them defining or defending themselves? Nah. If they defend themselves they're "arrogant" and "narcissistic" 🙄

So I'm not surprised those three are treated like crap by the fandom while Stark is praised to the heavens and back.

Stephen, Wanda and Loki are not perfect. But the thing is... they don't need to be. In fact, they shouldn't be. That's what makes them so interesting, it's what sets them apart from the clear-cut heroes. What we should be getting about them is the why they're not perfect + the circumstances behind their actions and beliefs, those are crucial when it comes to morally grey characters. Otherwise we just end up with "they did x so they're y" bullshit writing.

[wearelondonhq]

AGATHA ALL ALONG + WANDAVISION MEME SET

Happy Meme Day!!! If you want to take part all you have to do is reblog this post. Remember if you reblog to send them out to EVERYONE who also does. Lasts from today up until the next wednesday (the 13th of november)!

“what were you looking for in my house?”

“the respect of your peers and a fulfilling home life. but you were fresh out of both.”

"you're so much like your mother."

"the world isn’t kind to little girls who don’t know their place."

"we are an unusual couple, you know?"

"this world you made will always be broken."

"this is your only warning. stay out of my home."

"we are not in control here."

"everything is meaningless without you."

"you can fix anything, mama."

"we've said goodbye before. it stands to reason that we will say hello again."

"i only remember feeling completely alone. empty. just… endless nothingness."

"_, welcome home."

"i read somewhere that it’s bad luck to say goodbye in the dark."

"i’m not a monster. i’m a mother."

"i just feel you."

"i just wanted to see you clearly."

"this is chaos magic, _"

"i’m tired of hiding."

"you have no idea what you’ve unleashed."

"you didn’t think you were the only magical girl in town, did you?"

"i can’t control this pain anymore, and i don’t think i want to."

"this is our home now. i want us to fit in."

"so long, darling."

"we’re not going anywhere."

"this is our home, then let’s fight for it."

"you don’t get to make that choice for me."

"you’re not my neighbor, and you’re definitely not my friend."

"you asked me to stay, so i’m staying."

"there are rules in life, we can’t just rush aging."

"is this really happening?"

"you’re not supposed to talk."

"thank you for choosing me to be your _."

"they’ll never know what you sacrificed for them."

"i’m beginning to think we should have stayed in bed."

"i’ve kept you safe in here. you feel at peace."

"if you stay here, you’ll die. it’ll be just like _ all over again."

"we can’t reverse death, no matter how sad it makes us."

"what is grief, if not love persevering?"

"i have what i want, and no one will ever take it from me again."

"you are my sadness, and my hope. but mostly, you’re my love."

"you can’t control me the way you do them."

"gosh, you really are a _. otherwise, none of this would be nearly as dramatic."

"honestly, I don't know how to feel. do I hate her? or do I want her phone number?"

"no one in history has had special treatment like you."

"no! i want more time! i want more time!"

"i'm thinking death by a thousand cuts."

"a long time ago, i loved someone. and I had to do something that I did not wanna do, even though it was my job. and it hurt them. she is my scar."

you can find a couple more options below the cut!

"i mean, seriously. we're an album cover waiting to happen."

"hey, you want straight answers, ask a straight lady."

"see, I feel like you've typecast me as the mouthy teen who didn't actually kill the victim but is guilty of some other b-story crime."

"you haven't been yourself the past few days. almost like you got bit by the true crime bug."

"congratulations, my love. i'm sorry I didn't have a ribbon for you to run through."

"you seem relaxed. usually at this point you're either complaining loudly or freaking out loudly."

"stop embarrassing me in front of my friends."

“witches like you are the reason people think we poison apples, steal , and eat .”

"i watch you, _. just as closely as you watch everyone else.

"are you really defending a noted serial killer, you creepy lurker?"

"i have always hated you. but I left you alone, because what you were doing is important."

"last one there is a nice person."

"i let them believe these things about me because the truth is too awful."

"sweetheart? you okay? oh my god! whoa, what’s she doing? where’s she going?"

"we'll be safe as kittens."

"the moral of the story, kids, IS always finish what you started. also, mercy is overrated.”

“may she be smart. not annoying. and also not… SUPER political.”

"i thought you were reading my palm."

“this is undignified. don’t you want me at my best?”

“are there any real witches in the house? because all i see are has-beens and could’ve-beens.”

"what can i say? i like the bad boys."

“did you know she traded her own child for the book of the damned?”

“they can take your power, _, but they can’t take your knowledge.”

“a witch is really just another name for a bad girl, right?”

“that is extremely reductive.”

"i let them believe these things about me because the truth is too awful."

“we’re alive. we made it through the first test. everyone is safe.”

“not everyone. _’s dead. "who’s _?”

“okay, so, confession. i know an egregious amount about you. i’ve been obsessed since i first read up on your _ days.”

“what a team of rejects. coward. fraud. disappointment. i’d say you should burn like the rest of them, but that would be a waste of kindling.”

“the road promises that what’s missing awaits you at its end. power is what i’m missing. sounds like it’s what you’re missing too.”

“it’s giving ‘middle-aged second chance at love’ vibes, and i’m here for it.”

[galaxythreads]

i think the big difference between Loki and Wanda to me personally is that no one tries to excuse Loki's actions in MCU. When Loki attacked new york, he was sent to prison. When Loki attacked Jotunheim, Thor tried to stop him and told him it was insane. No one around Loki was being like "bro, it's fine that you tried to invade a planet!!" or "attacking Jotunheim was fine just this one time because you were sad :( " Like Loki attacking Jotunheim was bad. Loki attacking New York was bad and no one tries to say otherwise. (And the thing about New York is that there were extenuating circumstances. Loki was being threatened by the Other and Thanos. The Other hurts loki on screen. Like we know that there will be consequences for Loki if he stops attacking New York and MCU has confirmed that he was under the influence of the scepter by some degree.)

With Wanda things are just...different, and I miss the way that she used to be. Wanda in AoU was a stupid kid who made a stupid choice to get experimented on with her brother because they were angry. They joined a terrorist organization because they thought it was the best way to get back at Tony for inadvertently killing their parents. They were stupid kids. But the thing that a lot of people overlook when they have the "why did they join hydra" question is that that is the point of their arc in AoU. They wanted mass annihilation, so they join hydra, then Ultron, who says they can promise that. But when Wanda sees what that looks like and she sees what Ultron can do AND what the mass destruction would look like, she AND Pietro realize that isn't what they want. Both of them had ALREADY made the stupid choice and they spent the rest of AoU trying to fix it and do better. When Wanda gets up in that building and walks out those doors, she has decided then protecting life is more important than personal vendettas or revenge. And that's what made her a hero. Not that she had glowy hands, but that Wanda decided then that she wanted to use her gifts to help people. Civil War does a good job of carrying this arc forward, especially when we see how much accidentally killing eleven people affected her. After AoU, Wanda values life.

But then WandaVision happens and...wanda is holding an entire town captive, and everyone in the narrative on the "good side" is trying to excuse what she's doing. "She's upset!" "It's okay that she held this town captive this one time because she was having an emotional breakdown and we can let it go :(" or "they won't understand your pain" and it makes me frustrated because Wanda did a horrible thing and she never has to face the consequences for that. She doesn't try to make amends with the town, she doesn't promise to do better. She doesn't go to prison, or get held accountable.

SHE LITERALLY BRAINWASHES AGATHA AND NO ONE -- NOT ONE -- SAYS HANG ON.

Instead, she takes the dark hold and floats away because everything Wanda did was explained away by grief. And like. Loki is not the same. His actions were never excused by people around him, but he actively tries to do better from TDW on. He helps rescue Jane and protects Thor. He takes care of Asgard, he and Thor move to repair their relationship. Loki puts Asgard's safety first over his own by coming to help Thor with Hela. Loki dies for Thor. He may not verbally accept responsibility for what happened, but his actions show that he did and he's trying to do better.

After the end of WandaVision, Wanda doesn't. She doesn't care about life anymore, it's an inconvenience to her at best. You cannot look me in the eye and say that Wanda in Infinity War would be hunting down a child across the multi-verse to murder her in cold blood.

In MoM, Wanda is actively killing everyone and anyone and she is completely aware of what she's doing. Like people claim corruption by the dark hold, but like...corruption by the darkhold is not explained. If I'm remembering right, Agatha was also corrupted, but she was the only person who was trying to force Wanda to let the town go, even if she did kill the dog. Agatha was trying to help. She didn't really get turned evil, just morally dubious. So arguably the same should be said of Wanda, right? That Wanda's core was still there and these were things she would have done anyway, the dark hold just pushed her over the edge. Wanda is trying to kill a kid.

And i am ALSO aware that this is just poor writing on MoM's part -- because MoM sucks -- but I'm still frustrated because I miss Wanda. I understand that she was grieving, but I still wish that someone would hold her accountable. Killing someone off (even though I still doubt she's dead) is not a redemption arc. You don't get to do one good thing before you die and it erases everything that came before.

And I am still mad that the narrative tried to justify Wanda holding a town hostage for two weeks. Bud. She may be an Avenger, but that doesn't stop her from being capable of doing some really crappy stuff.

Loki was held accountable.

Wanda wasn't.

[idkwhatever580]

Idk if y’all liked my commentary on the last episode of Agatha All Along but I’ve decided I don’t care what you guys think I’m gonna do it anyways. And I’m gonna give timestamps this time 😭

I just realized I never posted this 😭 I’m gonna post it now while I’m working on episode six bro 😭🔫

⚠️WARNING⚠️ AGATHA ALL ALONG EPISODE 5 SPOILERS AHEAD… WATCH AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.

You have been warned 😭

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2:09:

OH MY GOD WTF ARE THOSE THINGS

Like logically I know they are the Salem seven. And that probably means they’re the lady witches that Agatha killed all the way back in wandavision lol 😂 but why are they whispering and lurking like fucking BUGS THEY LOOK LIKE BUGS

3:02:

Holy shit not Rio defending Agatha. That’s low-key hot. Not the protectiveness 😭

So what? Maybe she is the angel of death or whatever you want to call her. (Angel in my eyes) I’d probably let her kill me and then I’d thank her for it too 😭😜

5:12

WOOOAAAAAHHHHH

That was so fucking funny bro 😭 why is rio so fucking real. Like idc that I’m being chased I’m literally about to ride a broom

IM PAMELA PUMPKIN

Now ride the witches broom. Ride the witches broom 😭

6:36

Bro her witch laugh ✋😭

That shit has me shook

6:56

OH HELL NAW FUCKING BUGS?!

ID KILL MYSELF SO HARD

8:47

No way.

“We have to wee gee”

✋😭🔫

I’ve never ever pronounced ouija like that brooooo

10:02

She so real for that

10:48

Stop I can’t take this seriously 😭🙏

11:30

STOP THEYRE SO REAL

11:46

Not her getting fucked up my mrs hart 😭

12:39

Stop that was so cringey. I knew she was faking the second I saw Rios face

Guys… I can’t spell this good. Y’all are moving to fast for me bro 😭

I legit thought it was spelling out Marsha when it

14:24

Bro this whole thing is crazy bro

14:42

No shot. Leave her alone with your little retainer ass bitch.

15:02

Shut your whore mouth Jen.

I hate all of you.

She is literally just a girl

15:21

Not Agatha being a fucking pick me 😭

16:18

WHAT THE FUCK

16:29

“Sweetheart are you okay?”

Stop y’all. I know she meant it in a not so endearing way, but DAMN

17:25

Nah shit.

I apparently hate ghosts too.

17:34

✋😭

No fucking way bro

18:04

Stop embarrassing me in front of my friends mom 😭🔫

18:32

“No! NO WAY!”

That’s so fucking sweet

“Yeah well her mother can’t have her”

She probably knows how scared she is right now. Honestly I think Agatha wouldn’t be afraid to die in Rio’s hands because she would take care of her and make sure her soul was safe or something like that idk (maybe it’s my fluff brain speaking)

But she knows her mom would hurt her and she doesn’t want her last minutes to be with the person who tried to take her life bro 😭🔫🔫🔫🔫

19:08

Oh damn. Rio’s reaction. She knows how bad her mom is.

19:25

OH FUCK YOU JEN KILL YOURSELF YOURE A BITCH I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT BE GOOD BUT YOURE A HOE

20:06

NO AGATHA YOU CAN BE GOOD PLEASE STOP

20:39

OH HELL NO THATS SO TRAUMATIZING

Like I know she just tried to kill Alice and almost did. But like no fucking way

21:20

NooooooooOoOooOoOooOoooooooOOOOOO

22:11

They did my bitch dirty.

23:53

No fucking way… I’m in the library at my college bro. I’m actually about to shit myself bro 😭🔫

Like I’m going to shit my pants.

Stop. I’m so done.

I’m done. I’m done. I’m done. Im done.

I think I’m actually gonna throw up. I can’t do this. I need to cry but wtf.

In conclusion:

I seriously am feeling so many things I’m supposed to do schoolwork but I can’t even focus now 😭🔫

Now I feel like I need to sit and stare at a blank wall for an hour. That’s not allowed to happen but I actually have a headache from feeling to hard. Maybe also a heartache.

I’m out here defending Agatha like “oh you can be good it’s okay babe” right and then she goes and does this shit.

Also Billy… Billy my boy. Bill bob. I seriously need you to get to the end of the road and bring your mother back. Because I swear to god if you bring vision back I will hate you. And I will never be able to look at you the same.

Also… what did you do with Tommy huh? You jsut left him out in the cold somewhere? Lost in a fucking hex??? Get out bro.

I swear. This is gonna break my heart. Kmskmskmskmskmskmskmskmskmskmskmskmskms

[oswildin]

I think my thing with Marvel lately, Loki included, is that so many things have happened that make other moments harsher in hindsight. With Loki, it's hard to go back and watch the show knowing it's all leading to him being alone AGAIN. Like Lady Sif telling him he's gonna be all alone is something I can't even stomach now (I can't even watch the ending either except maybe Mobius and Sylvie's scene because I love that duo because it just makes me feel uneasy. I wish I could appreciate the beauty of it more.) And the Mobius telling Loki he can be anything even hurts too. (It's probs my favorite scene in the series.) I feel similarly about Spider-Man No Way Home's ending and some other stuff like WandaVision. Lotta Iron Man stuff too.

On a more positive note, I love the "I've been where you are..." scene just like you, and it's one of the things that first really endeared me to the Loki and Sylvie dynamic. Do you have any insights/headcanons about Sylvie's thought process during the show at all? Or any Mbius headcanons in general?

Yeah I totally get what you mean. I kind of like those moments though that lead up to the ‘tragedy’ so to speak, I love me a bit of foreshadowing. But I completely understand and agree that on rewatch it feels harsher because you know what’s coming.

I hated the Time Cell scene with Sif, I also hate how it was played off for laughs when she repeatedly kept slapping him and kneeing him in his glorious purpose (sorry I had to😭). Like, will I reblog or use the moment of him on his knees? Well, yes, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think context of which he is on his knees for is horrible. It also goes to show more about Mobius’ character too, and I completely felt Loki’s frustration because I know how it feels to not be listened to, but I also can’t blame Mobius for his knee-jerk reaction of ‘he betrayed me’.

Sylvie’s thought process to me is a mirror to Loki’s during Thor 1/Avengers, obviously they have different reasons/goals, but S1 she is in that same headspace of being blind-sighted by her own ambition and need for vengeance. She is fighting for her freedom and nothing will stop her from achieving that. There’s some great parallels there between her and Loki, how Loki has stated multiple times his opinion of freedom and how it’s a lie, whereas Sylvie doesn’t seem to see it that way, and I think her perspective helps shift Loki’s (especially with the added context of the TVA/HWR).

Sylvie is like a wounded animal. She lashes out and is quick to react. She doesn’t think about the consequences. In S2 however, she is shown the consequences. And you can see how it begins to sober her up, makes her realise that whilst what she did was maybe the ‘right’ thing, it wasn’t as simple as right or wrong. Her and Loki are both selfish in different ways, but ultimately what it comes down to is their loneliness. She does the Loki thing and shrugs everything off as a mere inconvenience, thinking she knows best. Except, she truly has conviction. She really believes in what she says, what she stands for, which is something I feel Loki has struggled with. He didn’t know what he stood for, until he had to made the hard choice of sacrifice to ensure his friends and the many lives on the branches were safe. Then he found his conviction.

Sylvie does care, she just opts to act aloof because that’s all she knows, it’s how she protects herself. She had to build these defences after spending her whole life in apocalypses, on the run and raising herself. She’s going to have bad habits, morally grey thinking/beliefs, drastic behaviour and solutions because she’s only had herself to learn from. It’s like when you learn to drive from a parent and you pick up their bad habits, right? Except, she is the driver as well as the parent, and it’s a matter of nature vs nurture with her. The worlds she grew up in shaped her, they made her who she is.

I don’t really have any Mobius headcannons, but I think he would definitely be a great friend. Not a perfect friend by any means, but he would fight your corner when you needed him, challenge you to think differently and also let himself learn from you in return.

[agentem]

Marvel Television Ranking (Disney+ era)

Someone asked me which Marvel shows are worth watching and I made a whole post about it. I watched all of them so you don't have to!

You Should Watch:

WandaVision - This show suffers from Marvel's need to have a final CGI battle (the final episode is let down from the previous). But it's Marvel's best use of the TV format. The emotions of it are so strong and it is genuinely a watchable sitcom in places. And it makes you believe that young girl would fuck that robot in a way Infinity War didn't really do.

2. Loki Season One -- There are a few middle episodes that feel slow in this series, but overall this is probably the best one in terms of consistency. Also high concept, with a strong ensemble. Season Two is fine but would be in a lower tier.

3. Ms Marvel - It's a good stand alone show and Marvel does not seem to be backing down on Iman Vellani being central to the MCU going forward (even though the Marvels was poorly received). So you need to know Kamala and also you're welcome because she's adorable.

These Are Good Shows If You Have Time:

4. Hawkeye - It's not as good as the Fraction run in the comics it is based on and it starts a bit slow, but once Echo shows up it's fun. Plus it's a Christmas theme!

5. Avengers 97 - It was my jam as a kid. It's still my jam as an adult. Not really for children though. I am bummed I can't show it to my nephews (character death, genocide, oddly sexualized Magneto, the whole comics shebang).

6. Moon Knight - If you like hippo goddesses and watching Oscar Isaac act with himself, this is the show for you. So far this series has not connected to the wider MCU in any way. The stand-alone-ness of this series is both a strength and a weakness. You can just watch it! But if you are looking to advance the "overall" plot of the MCU then this could feel "pointless" to some. (I'd argue the hippo is the point.)

These Shows Have Issues

7. She Hulk: Attorney at Law: Dudebros on the internet will make you think this is the worst thing Marvel has ever done and that is not the case. But it is hit or miss, and the comedy is women-centric. I actually prefer the more comedic sitcom moments (like the episode in the yurt). You also have to be able to watch bad CGI a lot; it's like they didn't have time to finish it which is probably what really happened. I grew up in the 90s so I have no problem with wonky CGI.

8. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - I really wanted to like this because Red, White and Black was one of those comics that you read and thought, "of course. This is what would've happened." But mostly it's a let down. Plot points were changed due to the pandemic and it is... noticeable. Anyway, Carl Lumbly is great and if you just want to watch his scenes, then I wouldn't judge you.

9. What If...? I like this one but it feels super skippable. It's like the thing for people who want more Marvel all the time when the culture is dealing with Marvel overload. (Yes, I watched all of it.) I do want to see Jeffrey Wright in live action soon though.

Just NO.

10. Echo -- Very sad to say this because I think the impulse to give Alaqua Cox (she is a disabled, indigenous actress who had never been on TV before) more to do after her debut in Hawkeye was a generous one. But this wasn't thought out enough as it needed to be.

11. Secret Invasion -- It hurts me that this was bad. Luckily Samuel L. Jackson is a pro at being good in bad projects. Simply watching Olivia Coleman's scenes on YouTube would be more satisfying than the show.

[therese-lokidottir]

You know mcu really can make favorite and top characters be hateble or they hated by viewers. Like me hate Wanda in MOM. I really hate her in there.

I kidnrhave problem with Wanda in age of ultron, I meant while she told her past (wjy she and her brother hate stark) we never really see HOW avengers suddenly just pardon her and her join. They definitely will suspicious with her first. So that still bothering me

Then in wandavision, I definitely have mixed feelings for that show. Specially with what Monica said and Hayward stupidity and well many. And the ending...... Yeah, no wander many saying that wanda 'too much have free consequences tickets '

And in MOM ho ho ho, it's definitely the worst and before you said she corruption by darlkhold, the book corrupt your moral but not your memories, and in mom Wanda just care with children that she had for 4 days. And before you said they her childrens so of course will want them. Yeah but why she not seaeing vivison, her brother or her parents too? Some viewers said 'she move on fromrthem ao that is why she want the childrens'.

And then wanda go crazy killing spare in ever place while can hypno I first place. My God, what the f&*$ was that? And they said that darkhold in mcu is same like darkhold in agent of shiled. And so far AoS darkhold is make 'evil'/ corrupt but it not make you have killing spare for first chance it got you. Wanda sound very cruel and insane in MOM, and it's too much, and wprse of it she sound like she choose be corrupt, The F

Seriously they manage me hate her so much in MOM

The entire point of WandaVision is that your clearly meant to feel mixed and uncertain about Wanda. For the first few episodes we don't know what really going on. It isn't until the Agetha reveal where it is shown Wanda isn't doing this maliciously or even all that deliberately. It's just something that's happening around her and she's determined to keep it that way.

Here's a point where it's clear we're not meant to be fully on Wanda side. In this confrontation clearly Vision is who meant to be sympathized with. Yes, Wanda fatal flaw in WV is selfishness, but it's a selfishness born out of desperation and denial. She genuinely did not know she was hurting people.

To discuss Wanda in good faith it needs to be understood that she did not mean hurt others and when she found out she tried to get them out if the hex before accepting to take down all together.

My opinion is that Wanda is not a hero but she's also not a villain. She is mealy a broken person with a power she doesn't have a full grasp on.

The no consequences is she doesn't get imprisoned in the end, but she still ends up alone and hated with no one to blame but herself.

By the end there also nothing anyone can do. Not without Wanda herself going along with it and even if they arrested he she would still be owed a trial that took her mental state and powers in mind. She would also still be owed therapy, that would just be for everyone's benefit considering she's a reality warper who's power that are linked with her emotions.

and yeah MoM is bad, but for me I'm mad at the writing not at Wanda. She went from a character not willing go through hurting and killing people who did her no wrong to just no guilt sending monsters through a major city and killing a teenager to get what she want. Not only is she learning the same lesson again that's not the character she was by the end of WV.

It would be like if Tony Stark not only fully went back to building weapons for the government but he himself was dropping them on civilians. Like, I have been critical of Tony, but that extreme would not be in-character. At that point I wouldn't be mad at Tony anymore I would be mad at the writer.

There were ways for Wanda to have a villain arc and it still fit within her character arc from WV and it just need some time and Waldron outright said he skipped over writing an arc he just Wanda to be the villain of the movie. So, she takes this turn from being in tears realizing she was hurting people to just being eh, I just want what I want. To me the end goal, the want or whether her kids or real or not is moot point because it is A) wrong regardless B) a lesson she already learned.

[ginnsbaker]

(i’m the anon who started the ask with oh my 😵‍💫)

i agree completely with you. she does posses an old soul not into a bad way, but into an attractive one (?). i don’t know how can explain, but she has this older allure that, of course, don’t much with her age and beauty that just sent you 😩😵‍💫.

she was different as young, around her 20s, she had this development that can be associated with wanda too. from emo wanda to dsmom wanda is another complete matter. aside from the trauma, it’s just something that she carries inside.

i personally started to notice her in dsmom because she had this change that hypnotised me — aside my mommy issues, lol.

i think this is why she fits so well in mother roles (ex. wanda, candy) because she has inside of her already this motherly instinct without even being a mother. it’s so beautiful, she’s different in so many ways that can be seen in these little things that other celebrities don’t have.

also she has been so different in her younger age, to smoking and breaking rules, makes me think she will let youngsters to let enjoy it too and take an eye on them due her nurture instinct. she’s not a kind of old that criticises or is narcissist. she’s another kind of old.

i think this change happened after her marriage, after that hair cut and the pandemic. she switched completely. (something i can recall in wanda during wandavision).

for her music tastes i think she’s not much different. i know she said she likes ABBA and i will not be surprised if she would listen to old songs and barely knowing this generation songs. the moves she sported on the BTS of L&D are something not for our clubs. 😂 (in a positive way).

the way she poses, walk, dress up (a picture of her soul) hold her husband, talk (after a deep pensive reflection), how she laugh and cover her mouth, the shade of her hairs, how she take care of herself (both physically and mentally). how she talks about food, her garden, her hobbies, how she cares about a certain wine, her skin care process. it’s different. scream older and sophisticated, vintage.

she has a soft and caring heart that i hope nobody dares to hurt; a sophisticated and graced mind.

my only thought is:

robbie you sly dog, you’re so damn lucky.

anon, all i can say is that you're in love :)

that's how we see lizzie in our heads, but we'll never know her truly. and that's both a tragedy and a fortune. i really am a firm believer of "never meet your heroes/someone you've really put on a pedestal". so yeah, i both crave her and never want to meet her lol

lizzie looks so in love with robbie. and robbie being most proud of their love? they are both so lucky :)

[magicalgirlagency]

Don't you think you're being extremely prejudiced in calling Wanda a nazi? Wasn't she experimented by HYDRA against her will?

In the comic books, yes. In the MCU, no.

Here's actual dialogue from the eighth episode of WandaVision:

[AGATHA]: Quick question... your reaction to the bombing of your civilian apartment building and the murder of your parents was to join an anti-freedom terrorist organization...?

[WANDA]: We wanted to change the world.

And before anyone tries to defend Wanda and say that she didn't knew what she was doing with the Hex, no, she DID knew what she was doing; so much so, that she kicked Monica Rambeau (as "Geraldine") out of Westview after she mentioned Pietro:

[WANDA, TO "GERALDINE"]: You are a stranger, an outsider... and right now you are trespassing.

As well as confronting a group of SWORD Agents:

[WANDA]: This will be your only warning. Stay out of my home. You don't bother me. I won't bother you.

And even including her husband Vision, when he realized that something, everything was wrong:

[WANDA]: Vision... listen, can we just...

[VISION]: What? Watch TV? Turn in for the night so that you can change everything over again? No, Wanda. You can't control me the way you do them.

[WANDA]: Can't I?

I dunno here, folks; looks like she ACTUALLY knew what she was doing.

For more information as to why WandaVision was a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Show, here's a video by YouTuber erik ojo, detailing about its shameless whitewashing (this video also explains how Monica was done dirty by the show):

Also, here's another WandaVision video where YouTuber The Movie Cynic calls Wanda out on her selfish and destructive behavior (and I apologize in advance for the misuse of the word "psycho" in this video; but PLEASE, if you hate MCU!Wanda, you won't be sorry if watch it in full):

Grief and trauma aren't excuses to hurt others, and girlbossery is a toxic garbage that infects Hollywood at large. Have a nice day, Anonymous.

[bucketofchum]

Why do you think Stella is a two dimensional villain? Couldn’t she just be a simply evil villain for no reason? There’s Jack Horner from puss in boots and Agatha Harkness from WandaVision

Hey sorry I'm on mobile so I can't respond to this as fully as I'd like to (also cuz i just got home from travelling and am tired)

Essentially, I love evil characters. Characters who are evil just for the sake of being evil. Yami Marik is my fave character in YGO (he is literally the embodiment of evil) and Jack Horner is a good example as well. I have not watched WandaVision

But essentially the thing that makes me sad and uncomfortable about Stella is that she is not....happy to be evil. like she's not just happy to be absolutely a flat evil character like the other examples you'd think of. She isn't just straight up evil. She seems like she's honestly REALLY DEEPLY unhappy. Like where you're like "What is your damage?????"

She is not just happily evil. She is angry. She is hurt. She is flat. She feels only rage??? Her jokes even seem forced and weird. Like Ha! Ha! Ha! He's bad in bed! And she forces herself to remain in a marriage that actively causes her unhappiness cuz??? She just wants to torture Stolas??? Like clearly she is also so unhappy in their marriage. Can you see how that's NOT at all similar to Jack Horner and Yami Marik? Can you imagine Jack Horner making himself suffer in an unhappy relationship? Lmao no, cuz he's just pure evil and morally devoid and that's all. Stella is just like...???? Suffering ???? And we don't know why and we don't know if she is EVER gonna be developed.

I especially hate how she has been set up to be the reason why we MUST LOVE Stolas. Stolas has been made to be such a woob. I loved Stolas as a character before they made Stella SO hatable to make Stolas MORE sympathetic and now it just feels like it's being shoved down out throats how much we need to love and feel bad for Stolas and it feels so gross to me. I hate when media sets us up like that. Feels very forced. Opposite of complex characters, and he just feels so woobified. Idk, I'm just repulsed when media tries too hard to force audience feelings and it makes me hate the character they are trying to force me to love.

Stella deserves to be more rounded out OR to actually just be fully evil like Jack Horner or YM. She's just full of rage and suffering rn and it's honestly kinda just sad to see.

[dreamerwriternstargazer]

Okay I think it needs to be acknowledged I have the weirdest and most fascinating dreams for no reason whatsoever because continuing on from last time and the Enchanted Dragon Princess In New York we now have “I almost got blackmagicked by some explorers” YEAH LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS

(Didn’t have time to type this out earlier when I woke up but it was so weird I remember it this clearly)

So community event, no biggie, I’m in charge, still a new role but I’m having fun organising stalls telling people what to do, ah it turns out we have a guest baker stall with some people in charge who aren’t in my community, it’s this nice explorer lady and her husband. Her husband is the dad from Jumanji dressed in the Explorer get up (just with dark hair not the… grey Victorian look) and the lady is…. Agatha from Wandavision? Or someone who looks similar to her

I don’t really notice how they look I’m fixated on SWEETS and CHEESECAKE as per my usual routine at events I buy one of every pastry/cake/cookie on the table (3 slices of cheesecake) because I know I’m not gonna be able to stop by later or eat later so buy a big box and save to have the day after with the fam right? Anyway I’m chatting to them about the event, I think I organised it to raise money and I’m learning about their lives; they’re bakers but they travel a lot and get inspired by their travels to bake interesting and unique desserts (for example, the basque cheesecake I bought was made with vanilla hand picked by them in their rainforest travels and their cookies were dyed green from match and had fruits mixed in, rather innovative). They’re very interesting and I love the story behind their bakes, they also have decorated their stall table with artefacts and they talk a little bit about their experience with Islam, seeing the religion across the world. That’s rather interesting to me, how they’ve seen it interact with different cultures, and they’re so friendly they give me this ancient coin they found and a dua book similar to mine but found in an ancient temple.

An… ancient temple. I’m confused by that but I flick it open anyway because it looks familiar enough, and my eyes land on a familiar looking supplication (I couldn’t tell you which one it was now but it looked familiar in the dream), something about worshipping Allah alone and finding sufficiency in only Him…. Except this one is weird. This one is off. My eyes focus for a second and I just realise I’ve actually read something that says more along the lines of worshipping the devil and wealth and forsaking God and a cold shiver runs up my spine. My hands immediately start shaking and I feel a horrible feeling, the feeling I get right before a dream turns into a nightmare.

(Also as an insert here; I’m aware I’m writing this on the hedonistic hell-site where religion isn’t necessarily a big deal to other people but in case you haven’t been going here, hi I’m Star I’m fairly religious and this absolutely shook me up from head to toe due to my attachment to my faith)

So I’m frightened, the frightened I would always feel when seeing all the crucifixes in the dark at my grandparents’ house and the rather depressing paintings of Jesus suffering, you know. Maybe not everyone can relate to this but it was terrifying to me, like someone attempting to hijack my faith, tricking me into reading something that was harmful and detrimental to my faith.

I slowly look up at this couple, they seemed fairly innocuous and I don’t want to insult them or hurt their feelings, they really are still learning about Islam and our culture after all and it WAS written in Arabic, they’re white, I don’t want to be a bad representative of my faith. But I’m feeling a sense of unease creep up my back, like something or someone meant to do that, purposefully. They’re smiling but the smiles look threatening… more like teeth being bared, and I suddenly realise… if I organised this event, wouldn’t I have booked them? Wouldn’t I know about them?

I wave politely at them and explain I really must be going (taking the box of treats, listen don’t come at me even if they are some sort of satanist cult couple they have no reason to poison us and I’d tried samples already I was fine)

I’m scared and I need to check in with my staff and ask who booked them in because things aren’t fitting and they shouldn’t be here, as I’m walking away from the table I realise they have more of those… supplication books. Ancient relic my foot, they’re distributing them to everyone who comes by

I take a deep breath and explain to my mum that these people are not good, in fact I’m not even certain who got them here or how they got in but they can’t be trusted and they need to be escorted out now. The hall is packed at this point and it’s a tricky job to get people to hand over the booklets as well, they hadn’t looked too closely at it after all and explaining subtly was tricky.

I couldn’t be too loud after all. One slip up and this whole dream could topple into nightmare territory I’ve realised, if they think they’re found out then I have a bigger battle on my hands. Also it’s just rude (yes I still found myself thinking “I don’t want to offend them!” The Britishness runs deep 💀)

At this point in the dream I think I do figure out some way of getting them out, something that involves my family (I’d deal with the satanic cult any day but 💀 if it works it works) however the dream takes a twist into comedy because I realised in my rush to get rid of the booklets and get people out the day before (it’s the next day now) I left my box of treats under a stall and it’s no longer there 🥲 I’m absolutely frantic I EARNED those treats and I dropped like £47 on the whole box (no idea why that number was so specific)

I’m going around asking people and feeling hopeless and then I find out, Alhamdulilah, my sister took it and put it all into an airtight container bless her hidden under a few boxes

(Cheesecake looked nibbled on 🙃 but eh she saved most of it)

And the rest of the event ran without a hitch. I think.

So there ya go! :D what more could you want in an adventure story? Explorers, cults, baked goods and (probably) family drama used to defeat the forces of evil