#and I love Fitz the most and am the most emo about him when he is faced with how wounded and limited he is and all that he yearns for.

[venndaai]

😭

[cogaytes]

i saw the woobification thing! although i havent interacted with the fandom long enough to get a concrete feeling of how far it goes with, well most of the characters, but tam and linh specifically. curious what u think abt it and if u could clear it up a bit!

the best comparison i can think of is low key the way white people in the kpop fandom tend to talk about the idols? where there's this weird idealization of them as soft and sensitive but refusing to show that part of themselves because they're too dark and mysterious and bad and whatever. but a lot of the time they do that in a kind of feminizing way which plays into that stereotype of asian men not being masculine; for instance, i've seen people in both fandoms post about how tam/an idol "still enjoys feminine things like makeup." obviously i am in favor of breaking down the gender binary around activities, but when you're headcanoning just tam as someone who acts less masculine and not doing the same for other characters like fitz or dex it gets kind of weird! i also see him headcanoned as short a lot, but in a "uwu small angry cinnamon roll pouty face" way that kind of woobifies him? and i guess in general the parallels just rub me the wrong way a little because they remind me very much of the low key fetishization of kpop idols (how they get written as shy and uwu and sensitive and emo).

there's also a huge tendency to headcanon tam as mlm/transmasc (which inherently isn't bad! i'm queer and nonbinary and i love headcanoning characters as queer and nonbinary too! but i feel kind of weird about how tam gets so consistently headcanoned as gay and trans), which also happens a lot in kpop fandoms. and again, nothing wrong with trans/queer headcanons or even trans/queer headcanons of asians folks specifically, but i think there's kind of a pattern of people immediately deciding asian men have "lgbtq vibes" and it's got some funky implications.

i guess i'm saying people need to think very hard about what about asian men makes them want to hc them as trans/queer and what that says about how they think about asian/lgbtq men. because asian men tend to be seen as less masculine/more feminine and softer than white men, and it kind of feels like people headcanon them as trans/queer because there's an association of softness/femininity with queer men and with trans men. which is also playing into a shitty transphobic/homophobic stereotype as well as a racist one. folks also tend to feminize him more when shipping him with other male characters, which kind of implies that there needs to be a masculine and feminine man in mlm relationships.

just gonna close off by quoting some stuff i've seen in posts, not to call anyone out specifically, but to demonstrate how pervasive an issue i feel it is:

"loner energy" "dramatic emo" "skater grunge aesthetic" "my chemical romance"

"tam is the moodiest...person ever"

"his shove his feelings in a bottle mentality is showing"

"he keeps his curiosity under lock and key hidden underneath his prickly attitude"

"his s/o's parents probably wouldn't like him [at first] because of his exterior, but love him once they realize he's really just a lovesick puppy for his s/o"

"is never turned off by feminine activities"

"tam and dex both scream gay to me. like they are either gay or aroace because i just can't see them liking women"

[rayniscatstatue]

The order of my top 10 characters with reasons-

10. Fitz Vacker- shut up, I believe that Fitz did nothing wrong. He is just a teenager with teenage feelings. You really can’t blame him. He is also a complex character when you think of him other then just the love interest.

9. Jensi Babblos- I miss him and he is underrated. He is also so sweet I just love him. I want to give his a kiss on the head and a hug. The sweet boy will probably die tho. It scares me.

8. Biana Vacker- She is a girlboss that was vibing in the background the recent book. She could step up her game tho. Also girlie is stronger then she looks. Being the youngest child and living up to the world’s standards. She holds up well.

7. Keefe Sencen- He just needs to stop running away. Like I love you but stop. It kills me. It also kills his now girlfriend sooo. He just needs to be loved. Let him go to a wreck room and see how that ends. I am paying for it too.

6. Marella Redek- Her sass. She is snarky and I love it. She totally gossips with Fintan. I but love her because of her sass and how she is a lovable character. I mean fight me but I will be a Marella stan until the day I day.

5. Linh Song- I miss her old self but the angst we got. She lowkey deserved to snap in Stellarlune. She is also just the sweetest. Carrying Neverseen to Legacy on her back. Like she is a girlboss that floods cities in her spear time.

4. Sophie Foster- She is an absolute girlboss in Stellarlune. I cannot say how much I loved her new attitude. And how she immediately decided to confess to Keefe. Like how is this girl that we followed since she was a scared 12 year old.

3. Dex Dizznne- He deserves the world. He is a little cinnamon roll. But he also deserves to fight things. Let him snap at the council with Sophie. But yeah the best friend of the character we followed through 9 and 1/2 books.

2. Tam Song- An emo that most pay no attention to. He lives in my Heart because of how much he cares about Linh. He also stopped Sophie’s panic attacks multiple times. Like he is the best and it was hard between him and Rayni.

1. Rayni Aria- I know we only met her recently but. She is a girlboss and Stellarlune would be nothing without her. How she doesn’t regret being in teh Neverseen. Also the spotlight in her reveal. She is dramatic and I am living for it.

[ellsey]

Agents of Shield Rewatch 7x08 After, Before

Deke had good intentions, so good for him

Enoch’s “Oh dear” is HILARIOUS

May is so over this already

I love love love Elena

“I have faith...in mathematics” this is the most Jemma thing to say I love her

Yay they found them!

Also this was the first appearance of the Blue Shirt

You know what I’m talking about

“Wait, what can you do?” Hahahaha poor Sousa

Look at Sousa’s concern for Daisy I cry

Also he’s definitely not calling her Agent Johnson anymore

👀

“I’m not doing time math” mood

“Couldn’t wait til I was all here?” COULSON NO

“I’d rather have a thin plan than live through the 80′s again” HAHAHAHA MAY

Y’all don’t even know how big my hair was then it was amazing

May’s abilities are growing. Interesting.

Omg poor May feeling Elena and Mack’s “reunion”...hahaha

Kora!!!

She’s kind of emo but I love her ok

The way Elena just grabs that diviner...QUEEN

Also Jiaying is as beautiful as ever

May looks like she wants to punch this guy which...let her

Elena and May are such a brilliant pair. Why did we never get more of them before??

I’m am SCREAMING at the way Sousa looks at Enoch when he says he spent time with Neanderthals

I love every one of these people/robots and I regret nothing

Dichen has a wig on, yes?

Elena and May are about to explore some feeelingssss

This is amazing omg

The candles? The tea? The complaining?

Just everything

May wants to fight!!

This is so perfect though

So robots get thirsty? What a strange thing.

“I’m glad he’s here.”

SHE’S GLAD HE’S HERE

“That makes me happy too”

DAD APPROVES

Legit I am dying still at this even knowing what’s coming

“You ever jumped out of an airplane before?” “Twice, though I only had a parachute the second time.”

JEMMA ANNE SIMMONS

And then Sousa’s face hahahaha

But also she made him a new prosthetic what a gem of a person

Ok, but, like how did she know precisely how to make it? Did she like scan him under the guise of checking him out? Did she just say, “I’m a doctor, let me look at you and make sure everything is ok?”

I just have a lot of questions about this, ok?

Sousa apologizes to Jemma which is very sweet of him, and Jemma is her lovely self and now everyone is family

That’s how this works, right?

Oh noooooo, Elena blames herself for what happened with her uncle

Holding in all the energy causes Kora intense pain...my poor sweet girl

I’m just so happy that she was given the chance to live and learn how to use her gift

Legit I thought Daisy had quaked that gun away, but alas it’s just half-rate villain Nathaniel

I can see how what Nathaniel is saying would appeal to Kora. He’s basically giving her what she wants and needs to hear. That’s she’s not a dangerous burden, and that she can be useful just the way she is. 

I just love Kora a lot y’all

Awww Jemma is leaving a message for Fitz. :(

And Deke is so touched as well. It must mean so much to him to get to see the love his grandparents had when he had to grow up without much of that.

May and Elena are like...ummm...excuse you....wut....

Kora picked a bad time to have a teenage rebellion though

I mean she’s not a teen anymore I would guess but...it still applies

I’m still shocked that Daisy has a half-sister like whaaaaaaaat?

May did that flip in the Quinjet just for kicks

The way Sousa helps Daisy up warms my cold heart

“I don’t have to bounce back”

That’s like so profound

Elena has always felt like she has to bounce back. Go back to where she started from. But what she’s discovered now is that she doesn’t have to bounce back. She doesn’t have to keep everything the same. It’s the same thing she talked about with Deke before. Elena herself was maintaining the status quo in her own life.

But she doesn’t have to do that. She can move forward without having to worry about looking back to where she had been. It’s one of the reasons I feel like she was so grounded at the end of the series.

But we’ll talk about that later.

Anyway tldr: I love Elena and I love this for her

Another beautiful Mackelena hug I cry

Daisy get’s back in the healing chamber, Sousa has a new leg, and he takes his customary seat with a look of acceptance that this is where he’s going to be for the near future

Coulson has to power down to recharge

And the stage is set for the time loops

Because the time drive is not fixed oops

Meanwhile Nathaniel is terrorizing Afterlife 

Cool

Spoiler alert: It’s not actually cool

This episode is kind of cool because it manages to walk the line between filler and moving things along. May and Elena get a 20/10 on the Fight Out Your Feelings scale because, well, they did. Elena also gets a 10/10 on the Figuring Stuff Out scale because she’s been big braining all over the place this season. And finally Kora gets a 10000000/10 on the Look At Your Life Choice scale because sweetie...no...

The song for this episode is (Keep Feeling) Fascination by The Human League

I love how everyone in the 80′s just caked on the makeup. They all look amazing.

[girlofmanyfandoms]

Awesome Saucers Pt. 1

A/n: So this is part 1 of the Neglected Side Characters Band headcanon turned fic, if that makes sense. This acts as an intro and I literally just finished typing it. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!

Word count: 1,110

Warnings: I am mediocre with the music lingo, sorry if I’m a bit inaccurate

The moon was rising up over Havenfield, and Sophie, as per usual, could not sleep for the life of her. Neither somnalene nor slumberberry tea would help her rest tonight. Giving up on a good night’s sleep, she walked barefoot on her flowery carpet and decided to grab her IPod and her Imparter before calling Dex.

“What are you doing up this late, Sophie,” Dex grumbled. “I was having an amazing dream.”

“What were you dreaming about?”

“Tinker and I were both working on this huge project with our tomples, and we got to show it off with the Councillors in Eternalia. I woke up when they were about to reveal what it was.” Dex paused to think, looking off to the side. “It was probably just a massive tomple.”

Sophie laughed. “Alright, Dexinator, calm down with the daydreaming.”

“Nightdreaming, actually.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that. I actually have a reason for calling you. Remember how you helped me out with my IPod?” Dex nodded in response. “Well, when I lived with my human family, I loved listening to music with it. Now that I live in the Lost Cities, music just isn’t the same. Since I can’t sleep, can you call the others and we can have a mini-party? I’m sure Edaline wouldn’t mind. It’s only 9:43.”

“Let me ask my dad,” he said, before walking out of frame. A few minutes later, he skipped back, grinning triumphantly.

“I’ll take that as a yes?”

“You betcha,” Dex said, bubbling with excitement. “It took a bit of convincing, but I got there. I can’t wait to hear what human music’s like. From what you said, it’s nothing like our music.”

“Yeah,” Sophie sighed. “There’s nothing quite like it.”

————

After Dex hung up and arrived at Havenfield, Edaline was downright perplexed. Glad to have him, but perplexed nonetheless.

“So, Dex, what brings you to Havenfield at this hour?” Edaline wringed her fingers nervously.

“Sophie said the crew was welcome. She’s going to show us human music,” Dex exclaimed, bouncing on his heels.

“Oh!” Edaline glanced at Sophie for clarification, for which she received a nod. “Well, we weren’t expecting such company, I’ll have to make mallowmelt, tidy up, and…” She trailed off, rushing to the kitchen to complete her agenda.

Grady answered, and Linh, Marella, and Tam arrived together. Minutes later, Fitz and Biana knocked, followed by Keefe and Maruca. Just as they were all about to head upstairs, another knock came. Everyone looked to Sophie in expectation. 

“Um, I’ll guess I’ll go get that.” Sophie walked over to the door and opened it. She had to stop herself from squealing in shock. “Oh, Stina, Jensi! What brings you guys here?”

“Weren’t going to invite us to the party, Foster?” Stina crosses her arms. “Typical.”

Jensi stares at his shoes in embarrassment. “Linh told us about it,” he mumbled. “We thought it’d be fun. We never hear human music.”

Sophie didn’t have the heart to deny them entry, and stepped aside. Stina strutted past her, but Jensi dragged by, still not meeting her eyes. Sophie realized this was the first time she had seen Jensi in a while. A pang of guilt filled her heart, but she did her best to ignore it as everyone found a comfy place in her room. Sophie let her old playlist play. After about 13 songs, Marella spoke up.

“What’s that sound?” she mused. “That loud, steady one?”

Sophie took a moment to try and identify the sound she was speaking of. “You mean the drums?”

“Drums,” Marella repeated, lying back and closing her eyes. Stina was glaring at her, but no one knew the reason. It was just Stina being Stina.

“Woah, woah, wait,” Sophie said, oblivious to the glaring. “You guys don’t know about human instruments? Oh no, we’re going to change that right now.”

Sophie started playing sounds of different instruments, helping them learn to identify each one. Eventually, she learned more or less what most of them leaned towards: Linh liked the strings instruments, Marella enjoyed drums, Stina took an extra liking to drums but liked the way guitars sounded as well, Jensi, from what he showed, liked the range of pianos, Maruca, strangely, liked flutes and clarinets, Dex liked anything techno, and Biana came to like vocals in general. Fitz was very miscellaneous, Tam liked emo music, and Keefe would vibe to whatever was playing.

Sometime in between, Edaline brought the kids some mallowmelt, but even this delicious treat was not enough to steal Sophie’s attention. She couldn’t help but feel like a proud mother. She now had a group of musical obsessed children looking to her for more human tune-based knowledge. This was a good use of her hours. Finally satisfied, her body let out a large yawn. 

Fitz checked the time and tugged at Biana’s frilly sleeve. “It’s getting late, we should head back before Mom gets worried.”

A chorus of “yeahs” and nods filled the room as everyone gathered their belongings and began to file out. Biana lingered behind, telling Fitz that she’ll catch up. He nodded and strolled out, saying goodbye to Edaline and chatting with Keefe.

“I like your music more,” Biana told Sophie with a sad expression. “Thank you. I mean it. Just because our world seems glittery and rich doesn’t mean it’s not hiding cracks and flaws. You helped me see that, through everything you do. And I know thank you will never be enough to express my gratitude for what you’ve done for me. Just know that you’ll always have a friend in me. Forever and always.”

“That’s more than enough, Biana,” Sophie responded sincerely, wishing she had more words to say. “Gosh, you’re certainly better than me with words.”

“Don’t mention it. Just… realize how much you mean to me. How much you’ve changed for me today.” Biana left Sophie like that, and ran in her pumps to catch up to Fitz. Sophie smiled softly, having a feeling that she wouldn’t need slumberberry tea to sleep that night.

__________

Echoes. Echoes were all Biana had left of the wonderful sounds of human music. The way every instrument worked in harmony with the others, and the way words, despite not being able to understand them all, were emphasized and used awakened a passion in Biana’s soul. She would not, could not wait to be possessed by the magic of song. So, at dawn, she told the group to meet her at a shop in Atlantis.

“Project Awesome Sauce in effect,” Biana smirked, before listening to what she had just said to herself. “Goodness, Dex IS rubbing off on me.”

Taglist: @imaramennoodle @bookwyrminspiration @holesinmyfalseconfidence @a-lonely-tatertot @an-absolute-travesty @ladyfoss-boss @krispykreeme  @percabetn @ anyone interested

Let me know if you want to be tagged or if I forgot you, and I’ll add you to the taglist!

[silverbastardgoldenfool]

Realm of the Quarantine Reread End-of-Book Questionnaire: Assassin’s Apprentice

Any differences between your first/previous reading experience and this one?

Uhhhhh yep!! I can’t even believe how different it was. Every scene has taken on an entirely different colour and flavour in my memory. I skimmed far too much the first time, yes, but also I just went into it with the wrong framework. I think I’ve mentioned this before but my mum recommended me these books on the basis of my love of A Song of Ice and Fire. She directly compared them and said how similar they were. Because of RotE’s length I had been putting it off for years, and only finally picked up Assassin’s Apprentice because I was itching to do an ASOIAF reread but was (and am) trying to wait until Winds of Winter to do it. 

So you can imagine the difficulty settling into a book like Assassin’s Apprentice when you’re expecting Game of Thrones. I remember my overall impression on my first read being that it was a pretty standard fantasy novel with the only really exceptional thing about it being the characters and their relationships. Characters are always my top priority so it was enough to keep me invested and progressing onto the next book and the rest of the series, but I did so not having absorbed nearly as much as I should have from the first book in the series.

Now, just from revisiting that first book, my understanding of Fitz and the world he operates in has exponentially increased and I know that will transform my experience of every book going forward. I really made sure to make myself slow down and read every word; absorb descriptions and just be in each moment without racing to the next one. Overall this book (and all the Fitz books) are much more concerned with the human condition and the effects of abuse and trauma and deep loneliness than being an epic fantasy. In fact it barely reads like fantasy at all; it’s incredibly grounded and focused. Of course the elements are there, but while Assassin’s Apprentice may not be as subversive as the rest of the series, it is certainly not generic fantasy. This book just feels alive to me now in a way it didn’t before against the rest of the series. I can regard it as a beautiful piece of the puzzle in its own right instead of just the setup. I wanna reiterate I always really liked Assassin’s Apprentice but it just paled in comparison to my unholy obsession with the rest of it. Idk this reread just really shifted a lot of things into perspective for me and I’m excited!!

Something you can’t believe you forgot

So so much but most ridiculous GALEN IS QUEEN DESIRE’S BASTARD am I dumb??? I didn’t even remember until it was explicitly stated lol

Favourite character introduction moments/scenes

It’s gotta be a tie between the Fool, Kettricken and Patience (realising there is a common theme here of Fitz making an idiot of himself). I genuinely was laughing so hard when Fitz is like, actively making himself smaller and so pleased with himself trying to help the Fool, and of course the Fool’s iconic “listen you idiot” ugh it’s just chef’s kiss baby, that’s what we in the biz call a meet-cute! (I know they have seen each other before, but this is the first time the Fool talks to Fitz). Then of course we have Kettricken who poisons Fitz at their first meeting, and Patience who Fitz continuously embarrasses himself in front of before even realising who she is. The fact that all three of these people end up being some of Fitz’s only genuinely loving relationships makes it even better.

Favourite character arcs

I think I’ve gotta go with Verity and Burrich. Verity goes from kind of a bloke’s bloke (he was so different in the beginning than I remembered!) to being a proper King-in-Waiting. He is self-sacrificial but not for pride; he genuinely cares deeply for his people, as a whole and as individuals, and will do anything it takes to protect them. He is far from perfect, and he could have done a lot more for Fitz when he was younger, but once Fitz is in his eyeline and he is confronted with the life the boy has led he seems suitably shamed and tries to do his best for him. He’s a good boy and I love him!

Burrich of course is just. unlucky. His health deteriorates due to injuries. He gets saddled with some kid and is burdened to bring him up to an impossible standard he has set himself (to not shame a man he has an impossibly high opinion of). He’s deprived of a job he loved and was good at, and most importantly he’s deprived of his boyfriend I mean lover I mean “master”.

His arc is not a happy one at all but it is compelling, and I can’t help but love him and feel for him despite also disagreeing with him on almost everything :)

Favourite quote/s

Unfortunately I don’t have any tabs atm so I couldn’t really keep track, but my heart exploded when Fitz said to the Fool after going into his room, “I wish I had a place that were as much me as that place is you.”

Favourite relationships

Fitz/Fool obviously. Even though they don’t have that many interactions in this book I loved every single one of them. The Fool volunteering to care for Smithy after Fitz has endured a long day of horrendous abuse is just!!!!! Kindness! What a concept! I could really see why they develop such a deep bond so quickly.

Fitz/Burrich is just so real and so compelling and it hurts me but I love it. Fitz/Chade breaks my heart bc Chade is manipulating his way into Fitz’s heart - I think without realising it a lot of the time bc he is lonely too, but the power imbalance is not okay when he is the centre of Fitz’s world for a long time and the closest thing he has to a friend. Knowing how Chade behaves not too much later just makes it even worse when he is so nice in this book because it just shows why Fitz has such a hard time being his own person and saying no to Chade ever.

Fitz/Verity for obvious reasons. Fitz/Hands!! They’re cute but it makes me sad that Hands betrays him in AQ. Weirdly I liked Fitz/Molly way more this time but more their friendship than anything. And next is Royal Assassin and their deeply toxic romance soooooo.

And Fitz and his puppies BUT WE DON’T TALK ABOUT THAT.

Favourite setting

Do yourself a favour and read the description of the Mountain Kingdom and specifically the palace. It is STUNNING and something I completely skimmed over the first time cos I’m a dumb idiot bitch I could have been picturing a city of huge colourful tulips all this time but fuck me I guess!!

Favourite chapter

As a rereader I think I’ve gotta say chapter one. There’s just so much to pick apart all crammed into one chapter. It still holds a lot of mystery even when you’ve read the entire series.

Most loved character

At this point I’ve gotta say Fitz. That’s who my heart is with during this book and he NEEDS IT

Most hated character

Okay I found Regal a much better villain on this read and hated him A LOT but whomst I despised even more w the very fibre of my being was Galen bitch disgusting!!!!!! Verity was so like, smug?? when he killed him and it was so satisfying. It’s what she deserves!!

Raise your hand if you’ve been personally victimised by Robin Hobb (most heartbreaking and/or visceral moments)

Literally this whole book was so harsh and I was perpetually emo throughout but off the top of my head, Fitz’s depressive episode after Shrewd and Chade test his loyalty fricking broke me, as did the entirety of Galen’s abuse/training; since I was paying so much more attention this time it hit a lot harder that he is an absolute textbook abuser and the psychological torment he inflicts on Fitz is just. deeply upsetting to say the least. It really got under my skin.

Details, observations, spoilery notes made with the benefit of the full picture

Okay this is where I just dump all the notes I took while reading that don’t fit anywhere else. It’ll be long lol so strap in.

- It’s never not funny to me that Narrator Fitz comes across as like a hundred years old when in actuality he is like twenty. Also that he looks back on himself with such a sense of wisdom and superiority, yet we know there is dumbarsery aplenty to come. Amazing.

- I’ve never really registered that for the first six years of his life Fitz had a mother who loved him and I don’t know how to feel about that

- REVELATION THAT SEEMS REALLY OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT: Fitz most likely only spoke Chyurdan when he was abandoned, which would have played a huge role in why he was not only quiet but unresponsive to what was happening around him. He probably didn’t even understand that he wasn’t going to see his mother again until much later, and he didn’t know how to ask questions. When he goes to the Mountain Kingdom and Kettricken comments that he speaks Chyurdan like someone remembering the language he doesn’t comment on it, so it’s likely that future Fitz doesn’t register that he didn’t always speak Six Duchies(?). He mentions in the narration that the memory of being abandoned is incredibly stark but not necessarily reliable, and possibly shaped by the Skill, which to me opens up the possibility that his memory is essentially auto-translating for him things he didn’t understand at the time. We also know that at the time of writing this he’s given up his memories of his mother etc. up to the stone dragon, so obviously his recollections of these traumatic events are going to be warped by that. Anyway thanks to my sister for pointing this out and being much smarter than me.

- According to Fitz’s grandfather, Chivalry always knew about Fitz. Don’t know how trustworthy a man desperate to yeet his grandson out of his care is but there ya go.

- Weird and hilarious that Shrewd tries to see Fitz on the day he arrives but then just like. What? Forgets about him? For years? lol

- Chade literally tells Fitz that he is a king’s man now and that’s the most important thing about him YIKES

- Chade becomes the closest thing Fitz has to a friend for quite a long time and that is fucking depressing

- It’s interesting that Chade had to be convinced to teach Fitz. It’s hinted at that there was an ~incident~ the last time they tried to train someone, followed by a long period of Chade being left to rot in the walls.

- Not to be out here diagnosing fictional characters but like.Fitz. Literally has depression.

- Fitz having to turn down Fedwren’s offer of apprenticing for him is so sad. It’s the life Fitz should have had.

- The Fool’s non-binary gender is mentioned as early as Chapter Nine! (Published in 1995! We have no choice but to stan!)

- “So quickly we were all made accomplices in our own degradation.” OOF.

- I really realised this time that the reason Fitz seems so shit at things he trained his whole life for later is because all that training was interrupted by many months of isolation, deprivation and abuse. All at the age of like 13-14. He got out of the habit of subconsciously acting in a way that Burrich or Chade would approve of. For a long time the only person he needed approval from was Galen, and he became completely single-minded about it because that was his means of survival. And you don’t just recover from that - especially since neither Chade or Burrich would give him the time of day for an extended period *after* his training was done. When Chade did finally talk to him again it wasn’t to recommence training really; he just gave him a bunch of tasks to do. By the time Fitz got to the Mountain Kingdom he was completely out of practice, and still managed pretty bloody well in spite of it.

- Kind of related to the last point: I love that while Fitz isn’t a savant at anything he’s a pretty realistic jack of all trades. He not only has an aptitude for learning almost any skill or subject but a genuine broad curiosity too. It’s one of the few things that is just him, ya know? It’s just his personality and something he can find joy in, even if it does also factor into his being used by others.

- Imagine being Burrich and finding out that your son thought you were a dog murderer for like ten years lol ouch

- Fitz thinks about the Fool soooo often in the Mountain Kingdom, pointing out things that remind him of him, or things he would like. It’s v soft tbh I love them so much!!

- Another dumb thing I forgot is that Regal is convinced that Shrewd had Fitz poison his mother to death, which adds a rather important layer onto his motivations lol

Anyone doing a reread feel free to fill this out! You don’t have to use the tag :)

[prcmctheus]

hurricane katrina ?? more like hurrican tortilla .. am i rite ?? dnajdsl i’m over trying to seem cool 4 u guys to read these hot messes bc we all know it’s just gonna be me rambling nonsense but i need validation bc im a messy b*tch so luv me and my hipster trash son bowie

! ✰ ° — [ RAMI MALEK, CISMALE, HE/HIM ] bowie abaza, aka agent galileo is a thirty-six year old biomedical agent that has been loyal to mercy for three years. they have a reputation of being the savant because they can be steadfast & amicable. but let’s not forget they’re pretty blasé & fastidious. if you listen closely you can hear sunday morning by maroon 5 whenever they walk past. 

STATISTICS:

full name: bowie abraxas abaza nicknames: just bowie yo hometown: cairo, egypt gender: cismale sexuality: pansexual / panromantic spoken languages: masri ( egyptian arabic ), arabic, english, german & spanish hogwarts house: he’s a hoe ass ravenclaw y’all , caries around sudoko puzzles tattoos: bc i’m weak and idc if this is a feminine aRM he has this rose tattoo on his right arm

BACKSTORY:

so ya Mans bowie abraxas abaza was born and raised in cairo, egypt up until he was 6 years old but moved around A LOT bc his mom is fickle and tbh bowie never really minded bc his a World Traveler by the time college rolls around .. he hasn’t been in a place for long and he doesn’t mind it bc he;s a bit of a wandering spirit or vagabond if u will

but yeah his mom didn’t really come from money but his dad was pretty well off ?? he was an accountant in cairo bc it was a family thing that the men followed suit in and his dad was set to marry this woman bc their families were close but his dad was like lmao thx but no thx and ran off with his teenage sweetheart who also happened to be his neighbor but u can thank his moms deep love of david bowie for his name

i say ran off but lit he dipped 30 mins away to the house he bought jdsbfajf sOOO bowie chills with his parents in cairo until he’s 6 until his mom says she wants to move them to prague and asks bowie for his insight and in his 6 year old wisdom he’s like uHhh yeah sure why not  .. u know as a parent does in big life decisions

but bowie def takes more after his mom in the sense of being p easy going and goes with the flow ?? chilled out most of the time and hardly ever raises his voice or loses his temper ?? hates confrontation and would much rather avoid it all costs nflksdj so u gotta do smth Wild for him to show frustration

he doesn’t take things too seriously or get too attached bc of how much moving he did as a kid ,, which u think his dad would be like nyla pls .. let me have a steady job but he is Whipped and grossly in love but to be fair ,, they both are and bowie hasn’t ever seen a couple more in love after so many years than his parents so it warms his heart a bit

it’s when they’re in prague that his mom gives birth to his younger sister safia ( i have jade thirlwall for a potential wc .. someday maybe idk ) and bowie actually adores his sister ?? thinks she hung the stars in the sky and would Die for her .. until she becomes a teenager and he’s like safia i s2g i will nerf u,, as any brother but he still luvs her

until he’s 15 he bounces around from prague to budapest to moscow before his parents make The Move to san franscisco, california and that’s the last move the abaza clan make just to spare bowie and safia from falling back even further in schooling and bowie was like .. mom pls chill out

bowie did exceptionally well in high school and was the jerk who was just naturally smart and didn’t have to study much bc it just came easy to him  ,, HUGE HIPSTER TRASH im not even sorry ,, likes to smoke weed and hates beer but is a wine hoe .. wears hawaiian button downs unironically, ripped skinny jeans .. big fan of chelsea boots and slip on vans and leather jackets and that still transfers over to his style now

gets along with p much anyone ?? was in the robotics club in high school, on the deans list but weaved between the cliques with ease and probably bc of how chill and down to earth he was ,, helped people out with tutoring n such and just stayed in his own lane

on his 18th birthday he got a giant rose tattoo on his right arm much to the horror of his dad jdfaljk but and he’s v proud of it and has an urge to get a sleeve but now working for Governmental peeps , he mainly wears long sleeve shirts and is wary of mercy’s stance and doesn’t wanna ask

a bit non commital in terms of Relationships ,, v sexually liberal and v pansexual / panromantic and hasn’t even really settled down just bc he feels like he doesn’t wanna settle down into things and make them so serious ?? so he’s just big into the hookup scene but he ain’t the type to dip first thing when he wakes up .. likes to chill and lay in bed and maybe go get some breakfast w u

becoming a doctor was a last minute whim bc he wanted to do engineering but changed his mind and applied to john hopkins for pre-med bc i hate him and he figures why not ?? ya mans gets an early admission and he’s v proud of himself and parents cry bc they're proud of their boy and what he's achieved even with all their moving around !! im emo thinking about it now bye

lit his bachelor’s and then med school . bowie runs on caffeine, multiple existential crises and the determination of elle woods and time flies and he’s 26 and graduates john hopkins med school summa cum laude after internships n such and ya bOY IS SWAGGY !! secures his residency and is living life as a trauma surgeon back in san francisco for a bit before he gets into contact with mercy and bc he's impulsive as fuck he’s the meme of the hand slapping the button that says nUT

accurate representation of bowie jdnfls so he’s been chilling as a biomedical agent for mercy for three years and finds it more thrilling than a trauma surgeon ?? liked being on but there’s something more to being at mercy that while he enjoyed saving lives , he feels a greater purpose at mercy 

p much the middle ground between fitz and misha bc he’s just Chill , kjsdkl that’s the best way i can conjure up thots bc he’s easy going and talks to most people and doesn’t rise up to frustration and just offers solutions and is Unimpressed when field agents try to act tough like calm down chad ur gonna bleed out so shut up and come over here

chose his agent name as galileo bc he’s a science Nerd and i hate him

[trashy-greyjoy]

am i the only one who lost complete faith in bellarke the shows been om air for 4 years and the one final opportunity they had to kiss shouldve been right b4 they separated for 6 years they both were walking into their potential deaths and it just makes no sense how there wasnt at least a confession. then i remembered the writers are still pandering to antis who never shut up so it pretty much made me think that legit every small moment that has been given to us is bait for us to stay watching

2/2 you seem like one of the voice of reasons in the fandom and i just had to get it off my chest im just pretty sure the writers are baiting us all along for when they bring you know who back in the series finale or something its so sad bc we stuck around for so long and idk im pretty sure everyone has this feeling that bellarke will never happen so the antis will be happy. i wish theyd realize most of general audience prefers bellarke idk im just sad i wasted my time on this show for 4 yrs

Hello nonny! Not worry I am here to restore your faith in all things canon blarke and s5 is our time! I totally feel your pain, sometimes even I get in those ‘blarke is never gonna fuck what’s even the point’ moods, but i have some long ranting posts ill shoot your way so you have some things to think about and hopefully it'll raise your spirits! (also you saying I'm a voice of reason made me laugh because in all honesty I'm a huge emo mess )

About the kiss being in the s4 finale. at first I really thought it would happen too, since if they think they're gonna die they should confess and make out, except, they didn't think that, at least Bellamy didn't. He thought they were gonna have 5 years of the 2 of them stuck in space to figure it out and be together so he didn't feel the pressure to have to confess before they went up. Clarke probably didn't do anything because she was almost certain she was going to die and she probably didn't want to put all that on Bellamy if he was just going to lose her anyway. Thats especially easy to notice if you pay attention to the face caress scene where she seems light hearted and happy looking at him and then she remembers her mom’s vision. And if you recall there were two separate instances where one of them tried to either confess or say goodbye and the other wouldn't let them (Bellamy before clarke went to the island and Clarke before the head and heart convo). ALSO leaving the confession up in the air gives the opportunity for them to add a lot of conflict with bellamy not getting to tell her going into next season. So when you think about that, it makes a lot of sense for them not to have kissed in the finale.

About the writers pandering to a certain audience, I agree. they name dropped L at unnecessary and excessive points last season to pacify the antis as best as they could. I get it, I hated it, it hurt Clarke’s character, and it wasn’t needed, but like i get what they were trying to do, unsuccessfully. HOWEVER I don't think that'll be a problem going forward. The time jump allows time for Clarke to have grieved and moved on in the last 6 years. She’s not fresh off the loss of a loved one and she’s been able to come into herself and move on essentially. AND the writers have been active on Twitter, and talking about Bellarke for the first time since S2 which is a big deal. They’re out of their Post-L Hibernation and they feel safe, well at least safer, talking about Bellarke on social media, meaning they’ve moved on from trying to pacify the antis in that regard. I think we’re pretty much over seeing them directly pandering to the CL’s at this point. 

Running off of that there’s also the scripts that the writers release, which have so far been pretty Bellarke heavy with the “another piece of her soul on the line”, “kill another person who she loves”, every part of the finale scripts and Bellamy’s “heart screaming”. Like... they released a script canonically saying Clarke loves Bellamy (and in a romantic way since the only other person she loved that she killed in canon was Finn). They’re putting it out there.

There’s no way they’re going to bring L back. Jason said she’s dead and not coming back. ABC has said it. And she’s trying to stay as far away from this show and that character as possible right now, she’s moved on she’s not going to come back. 

As for baiting, yeah they stretch it out and a lot of people think 4 season is unrealistic, but I say time and time again, when you look at canon slow burns and how long they take, 4 seasons, not even full seasons let me remind you, is child’s play. Mulder and Scully took 7 seasons to kiss and almost the whole 9 seasons to be fully canon on the show. Stiles and Lydia took 6 seasons to be canon, Rick and Michonne took 4ish seasons to go canon (still more episodes than The 100′s current 58). Booth and Brennan, Fitz and Simmons, Harvey and Donna (I see you Ana), Ron and Hermione, they all took years and almost twice as long as Bellarke have. It’s how television works. It’s annoying and it’s unrealistic a lot of the times, but its a trope, it follows a pattern, it’s how television shows grab a certain type of viewers and and ensure that they can keep them for the run of the show. Because it’s widely believed by the tv industry that once the ‘will they won't they’ aspect is gone, viewers lose interest so they string it out as long as they think they can. Whether its true or not thats how it works. 

There are also two more major reasons I think, or rather I know, Bellarke are endgame. The 6 Year Separation, and the fact that That’s The Story Jason Is Writing. 

I have separate long posts for these on my blog so I’ll be brief and link those for further reading, but to start off, extended separations are romantic tropes. Being separated for years and thinking the other person is or could be dead is a tried and true romantic Hollywood trope. Almost every example of this in entertainment, be it tv, books, or film, has romantic connotations surrounding it. The entire post about it can be found right here, if you want the low down, which I suggest. I list off other examples and proof in it. 

Moving towards Jason writing romantic Bellarke, it’s what he’s doing. If you look back at all the pivotal ‘Bellarke’ scenes in the past, Jason or Aaron have written a good portion of those episodes. Jason, the show runner, and Aaron, the guy he was ready to have take over if his other show got picked up. That combined with how many times he’s said that this is ‘Clarke and Bellamy’s story’ and in the past (S1-2) how free he was when speaking about Bellarke on social media. It’s always been the plan. He just likes to pull a Chris Carter (show runner of The X-Files, and the OG JRoth) and try to drag it out and deny it as much as possible. Seriously look up some of the stuff CC has said about Mulder and Scully in the past and it fits the same pattern. You can find the full post right here, where I give quotes and explain everything further. 

Taking a turn for a second, you can also think about the fact that tv shows almost NEVER put their big endgame together until the end of the show is approaching, especially if it’s between the two series mains. They don’t give that to you early on, that’s why most bigger ships in tv are at least partially slow burn, they don’t put the big couples together in the first season or two.

And I guess to close out, you can think about the fact that S1 Bellamy is set up as a romantic interest for Clarke from the beginning. His character and their relationship follow the ‘enemy/bad boy isn't actually that bad and actually has a heart and realizes that when he meets the good girl that challenges him’ like come on my guys... they’re set up as a trope from episode 2 when he saves her, and then episode 3 when he stares at her killing Atom and he gets all soft and realizes she’s not who he thought she was. It even comes complete with the jealous canon love interest and the ‘we’ve been through a lot together”

Never mind, I have one more point. Look at the sizzle reel for next season. It’s set up to make Bellarke look romantic or at least intimately connected. I have another long post for that one right here. 

I hope that did the trick for reassuring you at least partially and now we can all stew in this hellatus for a few more months before this hell shit returns to us!