#and at worst doesn’t understand alec as a character. which is annoying because they HAVE understood him. they HAVE proven that they know him

[livvyofthelake]

yk how like a week ago i found out that thomas gets accused of being the murderer. well i just read the scene. man looks guilty as fuck it must be said :( like he’s not, WE know he’s not. but well. the inquisitor doesn’t.

[doctenwho]

Alec’s Emergency Contact

Welcome back! I loved this prompt! It was so cute and I really got carried away writing! I believe I stuck to the main idea, but there’s a lot of fluff in here too, and Alec having a bit of personality because he’s with someone he loves (like with Daisy).

Hopefully I got his character right, since I’ve not posted anything Broadchurch yet, and sometimes it takes me a couple tries to get a character right. A couple small spoilers for season 1 along the way, but nothing too big, I don’t think. Anyways, I hope you like it as much as I liked writing it! 

Warnings: None, I don’t think.

Word Count: 3,722

Summary: Read the prompt :)

(Gif doesn’t belong to me, credit to creator!)

Alec Hardy did not remember a whole lot before he went down. He and Miller were chasing whomever had Danny Latimer’s cellphone, and then, well, he got a bit overexerted? Ran out of steam? Lost his footing?

Alright fine, he nearly died. He worked his heart too hard, and he collapsed on the job. Not only that, he collapsed in front of Miller. Damn Miller. How was he supposed to hide it from her now? He’d done so well at hiding his heart arrhythmia from everyone in Broadchurch, but now Ellie knows, and if Ellie knows, it won’t be long until everyone knows. Especially if it’s something regarding his wellbeing.

Bloody small towns. 

It wasn’t intentional, that much he knew. He really hadn’t been meaning to work himself to the bone just yet, not when there was still so much to be doing for the case. He’d be no use to the case if he were dead, and then no one would get justice and Danny’s killer would walk free, despite his unforgivable deed.

But he also couldn’t just stop because his heart decided it didn’t want to endure the difficulties of being a Detective Inspector. He had promises to keep, to the families of the victims, to the victims themselves—and to himself.

He’d told himself he’d get justice for Danny and his family if it was the last thing he did, which might just be what it comes down to. He’d told himself the same thing about the Sandbrook case, but he’d be damned if another case took a sour turn like Sandbrook had.  

He would get justice for these children. For the three misfortunate kids (and teenager), and the families to lose them far too soon. He owed them that much.

Hardy had blinked his eyes open, only to shut them just as fast. The light streamed into the room, bright and white, and almost blinding. He was reclined in the bed, covered by a blanket and propped up on a pillow or two.

He was no stranger to hospital rooms, in Sandbrook and in Broadchurch, and with this stupid heart arrhythmia, he was sure this wouldn’t be the last time either.

Even if he did try to stay out of stressful situations, and give his heart breaks, it was only getting worse. He’d need the peacemaker to really aid in his wellbeing. But he couldn’t commit to an operation when he was so close to cracking the Danny Latimer case and getting the boy the justice he deserved.  

The room was quiet, a soft beeping of a heart monitor announcing his heart beats, which had thankfully steadied. It wasn’t erratic, or beating out of his chest as it had been during the chase. Small victories he supposed.  

Hardy turned a bit onto his side to look around the room, studying the monitor and it’s reading, as well as the IV drip in his hand. He huffed a quiet breath at the medical equipment before turning on to his other side and almost dropping back onto his back in hazy surprise at hearing an irritated voice huff a rather annoyed, “well, look who’s back in the land of the living.” which was followed by his eyes landing on a very familiar, annoyed, face.

“(Y/N),” Hardy breathed out, trying to prop himself up on his elbows to get a better look at his boyfriend who should currently be home, hours away from Broadchurch, “what... what are you doing here? Why are you in Broadchurch?”

“Well,” you clicked your tongue, arms crossed across your chest, “as it turns out, when a loved one is literally dying, the hospital tends to contact your emergency contact.”

“I wasn’t dying,” Hardy tried to wave it off, rolling his eyes at his boyfriend. He couldn’t help the tug of guilt in his chest though, which in turn, made his heart skip a noticeable beat on the heart monitor. He glanced slowly at the machine, before looking back to his frustrated boyfriend.  

“No, you really were,” (Y/N) frowned, eyes locked on the machine to just give a warning beep, before you were casting your look back on your hospitalized boyfriend, “they told me you were dying.”

“They... they’re not allowed to tell you that.” Alec huffed, pulling himself up. You stood to adjust his pillows so he could sit up a bit more, and Alec didn’t seem bothered by you doing so.  

He wasn’t the fondest of being cared for, but honestly, you didn’t really care about that right now. Not when he looked so pitiful tucked away in a hospital bed after almost dying while chasing a supposed murderer.  

You’d heard the whole story form his new partner, who’d just stepped out to get the two of you coffee, just before Alec finally woke up.

You really needed the coffee since you’d driven almost all night to sit by Alec’s bedside until he woke up so you could scold him properly. 

Ellie clearly had the same idea, since she’d also been up all night with him, and it almost made you smile. Or, it would’ve if Alec hadn’t been in the Intensive Care Unit at your arrival.  

He’d been moved to a regular room shortly after when his heart steadied out, and you couldn’t be more thankful you could sit with him here. 

It was the worst feeling to have a loved one be so close to dying and not be able to see them—or hold their hand, which you hadn’t put down when you’d finally gotten a hold of. At least until Alec showed signs of waking, then you remembered you were cross with him.  

Ellie had been a lovely woman, charming and pleasant since you’d met her in the waiting room. You really weren’t sure how she had managed to put up with Alec, but then again, everyone always wondered how you could do the same thing. 

You’d heard bits and pieces of Ellie Miller from Alec over the phone, but you knew very little. He didn’t share every detail, but he was always happy to rant and grumble about things that annoyed him about people and work, and even Broadchurch as a whole.  

She was a good partner for him if she could manage to put up with him, and you’d expressed how thankful you were that she’d been there for Alec. You couldn’t even imagine if he’d had an arrhythmia when he was by himself.  

“They’re supposed to tell me everything that puts you in the hospital, Alec. Anytime you’re admitted, I should be the first person to know. Just like you’d like to know if I were admitted into the hospital, wouldn’t you?” Alec looked down to his lap, which was confirmation enough.

You rolled your eyes at the man in the bed, annoyed but fond all the same. You wanted to reach for his hand again, now that he was conscious and would squeeze your hand back like he always did, but you were still angry at him, “in fact, I’m a bit pissed off I wasn’t contacted when you fell in the restroom in your hotel room just after you got here. And even if they didn’t tell me, you should’ve rung me. You can’t keep these things a secret from me, not when it’s your health we’re talking about.”

“Hey, that one wasn’t my fault,” Alec frowned. “I was just as surprised as you were, I’m sure. It wasn’t a secret, I just... I don’t want to worry you.”

“I know,” you sighed, leaning back in the chair tiredly, “we’ll still talk about it later. And it’s my job to be worried about you. I only agreed to you coming here alone because you promised to look after yourself if I wasn’t here with you. I know how you feel about small towns and the gossip associated, but I’m not going to stand back and watch you work yourself into an early grave because you don’t want people talking about us.”

“It’s not that I don’t want them talking about us,” he stressed the word, “it’s that I don’t want you being hassled by newspapers for information about cases—and I certainly don’t want them focusing on us when there’s been a child murdered. Not everyone’ll be accepting of us—especially here with all the local chatter and that bloody Broadchurch Echo newspaper.”

He paused for a beat before lifting his attention and giving you a soft glare, “and I’ve been looking after myself,” Alec muttered, offended by the observation. “And if I haven’t, Millhur has been. She brings me tea, and... chips. I’m fine.”

“Of course,” you sniped, “it sure looks like you’ve been watching over yourself, Love.” You gestured easily along the length of Alec, curled up in a hospital bed. The man returned a look of irritation, but it didn’t bother you. “Honestly, you’d probably be far worse off if Ellie hadn’t been keeping an eye on you, which thankfully she has been watching out for your sorry arse.”

“Ellie,” the man wrinkled his nose, narrowing his eyes at your tense figure, “since when have you been buddy-buddy with Millhur?”

“Since the two of us sat up all night together waiting for a certain hospitalized spoon to come to.”

Once again Alec looked offended. Spoon wasn’t exactly an endearing nickname, but you were still upset with him. He was probably just upset that you finally met the Miller he talked almost fondly about, in his grouchy Alec way whenever the two of you spoke on the phone.  

You took a breath, exhaling slowly before launching yourself into another round of telling him off, which he clearly needed to hear, “I just can’t understand why you’d throw yourself into a situation you knew you were in no shape to be handling. Your heart is weak, Alec. You can’t be stressing, or overexerting yourself. You need to be careful, and chasing after a murder in the dead of night is certainly not careful.”

“I was doing my job,” Alec let his head fall back against the pillows propping him up. “I was doing what I’m getting paid to do. I’m doing what’s morally right for the families of the children who were murdered.”

“I know that,” you promised, “but, you’re not the only detective the world, Alec,” you tried to keep yourself from exclaiming, “you may be one of the best, but you’re not the only one. And you certainly won’t be any help when you’re six feet under because you ignored your own needs, and your body’s pleas for you to stop and take it easy for once!”

Alec’s lips curled up into a scowl, but he looked a bit more guilty that he really looked mad. You hated making him feel guilty for helping others, and being a truly amazing detective by bringing in bad guys, but you’d much rather this look guilty than, be attending his funeral because he ignored every word of advice ever given to him.  

It didn’t matter who said it, whether it be you, a doctor, a specialist, Daisy, or even his ex-wife, once he put his mind to something, there was nothing anyone could say to make him stop and reconsider. But you’d known that since way back when, when the two of you had started dating.

“You seriously almost died, Alec.” You sighed, looking down at the floor, “do you know how awful it is to get a call like that in the early hours of the morning? Someone phoning you to tell you that your boyfriend had been rushed to hospital after collapsing at work?”

“I know,” he whispered, reaching a hand out, barely hanging over the edge of the bed, “I know, Love, and I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to. But I couldn’t let him get away; I can’t do that to Danny. This case will not end the same way it did for Pippa and Lisa. I won’t let it—I can’t let it.”

You’d been following the case via news articles and police statements. You were proud of Alec for what he did for a living, despite fearing that it would eventually be the death of him. He really did so much for the victims and their families, more than anyone could know. He always worked so hard to bring in offenders, especially murderers.  

You also knew the details of the Sandbrook case—you knew everything because he’d told you. You probably knew more than most of the officers at Sandbrook, because you believed him wholeheartedly. He was a good, kindhearted man. Just a bit tough on the outside.  

“You can’t help anyone if you’re dead,” you reminded with a sigh, reaching across the gap between his bed and your chair to finally take his hand into your own. It was brutal, but it was the truth. You just hoped it would sink in for Alec.  

Alec squeezed your hand just like you were silently praying he would. It was comforting, quieting your raging emotions if only for a moment. He was okay, he’d survived and he was here talking to you.  

“I hope I’m not stressing you out,” you whispered as you scooted your chair a bit closer to the bed so you weren’t reaching quite as far. “That would be counterproductive.”    

“Nah,” he shook his head, giving you a small smile and bringing your hand to his mouth so he could press a kiss to the back of your hand which was still held tightly in his, “you’ve just been telling me what I needed to hear from someone other than myself. I know all this, but I can’t just stop. Health aside, there’s a family—three families—who have lost their children.”

“But what if I lose you?” you couldn’t help but ask, “or if Daisy loses her father? And what about Ellie? I’m quite sure she’s grown a bit fond of you as well, though I’m not sure how that happened,” you teased lightly. It was just to ease the tension a bit. The man gave you a small, sad smile, before he was looking up to the ceiling thoughtfully.  

“Alright, alright,” he sighed, “I’ll try to be a bit more careful. For Daisy and you... and, well, I suppose for Millhur too. But I will not stop. We’re so close to catching Danny’s killer. I don’t care what anyone has to say, that bastard will not get away with this.”

“You’ll get the sick bastard who did this,” you told him, because it was what he needed to hear. “You and Ellie. The two of you will catch this guy. I know you will, because that’s what you do.”

You paused for a second before turning towards him and frowning, “but for the love of God, don’t kill yourself trying, y’hear?”

“I hear,” Alec laughed. “I’m alright now,” he assured, pulling your hand halfheartedly towards himself. You huffed a small laugh, standing up so you could sit on the side of the bed against the headboard like he was silently requesting you do. Alec smiled at you, shifting closer so he could tuck his head into your side. “I’ll be alright. I’ll be alright, and I’ll catch the bastard to kill Danny Latimer.”

“I expect nothing less,” you snorted, trailing your fingers through his hair now that he was within reach and apparently seeking affection, “now you need to relax for a while if you expect me to let you return to work as fast as I know you’re going to want me too.”

“I should get back today-”

“Absolutely not. You just don’t know when to quit, do you?” you muttered in fond disbelief, “tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. And you’re going to be sticking around Ellie, or so help me, I’ll kill you myself.”

“Yes, fine,” Alec rolled his eyes, “tomorrow, and I’ll stick close to Millhur. Happy then?”

“Immensely,” you deadpanned before grinning at the man cuddled into your side. “I’m just glad you’re alright.”

----

To say Ellie was surprised to find out that her boss had such a pleasant boyfriend was a bit of an understatement. She probably shouldn’t have been so surprised at the knowledge that he wasn’t as lonely and miserable in the dating department as she’d thought, since he’d not said a word about himself since arriving.  

He’d only told her about his daughter when Joe had prompted him into it when Hardy had come around their house for dinner. Hell, he’d not even bothered to tell her he had severe heart arrhythmia.  

That wasn’t something someone should keep from their friend.

He really could’ve died, and she was fully prepared to lay into him for keeping that secret the moment he woke up, when (Y/N) had rushed in the doors demanding to know how he was.

Like the polite person she was, Ellie had introduced herself to the mystery man pleading to see her boss, only to find out the jerk had this secret boyfriend he hadn’t bothered mentioning.  

She knew bare minimum of his ex-wife, so it was a bit of a surprise that he had a boyfriend, not that she minded. He could be into anyone he fancied and nothing could change what she thought of him. He’d always be Hardy, a bit of a prick, but one of the best people she’d ever known.

They’d gotten around to talking, waiting into the late hours of the morning before Hardy was moved from Intensive Care and into a regular room, where the two of them were allowed to sit with him.  

Ellie thought it was adorable how (Y/N) pushed his chair up right close to the bed and held her boss’ hand. It was strange to see Hardy like this, to see him have someone who clearly loved and cared for him, holding his hand and sitting without moving for hours.  

She was happy he had someone. She’d never say it out loud, and never to Hardy, but she knew he was too good to be alone. That it wasn’t right that a man like Hardy would be single, even though he was a bit of an odd guy.

(Y/N) seemed like a lovely guy. Doting and caring. He told her stories that she was sure Hardy would’ve lost his mind if he knew she knew them, but (Y/N) didn’t seem bothered at the fact, and instead only shot fond looks at Hardy as he retold the stories.

He didn’t tell her much about Hardy in general—like his daughter or ex, or even mention his illness or anything along the lines, but he had ample stories and fond memories of the two of them he was happy to share.  

Ellie could barely even imagine her Hardy—the Hardy in the bed to be the man in (Y/N)’s stories. But it was adorable and heartwarming all the same. It made her happy that Hardy had someone like (Y/N).

And it made he even happier that (Y/N) was scolding Hardy like she wanted too as well. Not that she meant to eavesdrop outside the door, but it really doesn’t take more than ten minutes to get coffee from the cafeteria in the hospital.  

They were the cutest thing, and she’d be sure to tease Hardy a bunch about his adorable boyfriend when he was feeling better. And she definitely would because it wasn’t every day that an important person from Hardy’s life makes an appearance.  

When the talking inside the room died down to an occasional mumble, Ellie finally rapped her knuckles twice without managing to spill any coffee as a warning before pushing it open with her elbow, two to-go cups of barely warmer than lukewarm coffee in her hands.  

“’ello, Sir,” she grinned, containing the ‘aw’ sitting on the tip of her tongue as she took in her boss cuddled into his boyfriend, “feeling better?”

“I’m fine,” he waved her off with a scowl that was all too familiar at this point. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen the man without a scowl if she were honest. 

He didn’t bother moving away from his boyfriend though, as she feared he would’ve done since he was Hardy, and that alone warmed her heart.

“Well, don’t the two of you look all cozy,” she couldn’t resist teasing. She stepped into the room, handing the second cup of coffee to (Y/N). He took the cup gratefully, grinning widely at the comment before taking a sip of his coffee and leaning back against the pillows.

“Sod off, Millhur,” the man reclined in the bed sighed. He even sounded tired, but she resisted the urge to frown. Frowning wouldn’t help anyone.  

“Of course, Sir.”

“You make her call you sir?” (Y/N) looked down at Hardy with a teasing smile, “why can’t she call you Alec?”

“I don’t like Alec,” Hardy groaned turning his head to bury his face in (Y/N)’s shirt, “never liked Alec, you know that. Don’t like it when you call me Alec either, but can’t very well stop you now can I?”

“I can call you Sir too, if you’d like?”

“Right, I should go then,” Ellie retreated, a bit awkward that (Y/N) was actually teasing her boss. No one she knew (besides herself to a way lesser degree) would ever even think about teasing Alec Hardy. 

Plus, she really didn’t want to see where this teasing ended, not if it could possibly ruin her ever calling Hardy sir again. There were so few names she could actually call him, and she really didn’t want Sir to be ruined for her. “I’ll see you back at work, Sir. In a day or two.”

“A day,” Hardy replied easily. Ellie nodded, not bothering to try and get the man to stay in the hospital any longer. Not when she already knew it was a lost cause, especially if (Y/N) hadn’t been successful, “oh and Millhur?”

Ellie paused, looking back into the room to see he boss’ eyes on her, “if we can keep this between us for now? Not that it’s a secret, just--”

“Of course,” Ellie agreed instantly, “it’s yours to share when you do. I won’t say anything. Even though there’s really nothing to share.”

“Thank you.”

“You... just feel better, alright? We’ve got a killer to catch and I can’t do that without you.”

<><><><>

Thanks so much for the prompt, and for reading! Feel free to send another ask if this wasn’t what you were looking for, but hopefully it is!

Also, let me know if I messed up anywhere with male reader pronouns, I read through a couple times, but they might’ve slipped past me!

[aion-rsa]

Midnight Mass Ending Explained

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This article contains spoilers for Midnight Mass.

Ending a horror story is hard.

Perhaps no one knows that better than Mike Flanagan, the writer-director behind horror hits like Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Hill House, and The Haunting of Bly Manor. After observing the occasional less-than-enthusiastic reaction to the endings of some of his other projects, Flanagan decided to end his latest, Netflix series Midnight Mass, on his own terms.

“I didn’t want to come up with an ending that I thought would please people,” Flanagan told Den of Geek and other outlets prior to Midnight Mass’s premiere. “I wanted to come up with the ending that would have the most to say down the line.”

So what, exactly, does the ending of Midnight Mass have to say? Let’s explain just what goes down in the conclusion of Midnight Mass and assess what it all means. 

What’s Up with Mildred Gunning and John Pruitt?

Monsignor John Pruitt a.k.a. Father Paul (Hamish Linklater) was, by all indications, a good Christian man. 

“The thing we kept coming back to is that authentically, through-and-through evil people are very rare. We’re all way more complicated. The humanity of Father Paul was something that was baked in relatively early,” Flanagan says.

Though Pruitt is not a bad man, per se, he is a deeply flawed one. A long time ago, before the “war” (probably World War II or The Korean War), Pruitt hooked up with the married Mildred Gunning and fathered their daughter Sarah Gunning out of wedlock. That is obviously a big no-no for a priest and Pruitt lived with the guilt of denying his daughter for decades. 

Pruitt finally got a chance to alleviate that guilt when he came across a curious creature in Damascus. In this fictional universe where the concept of a vampire is clearly not well known, John Pruitt made the understandable mistake of confusing a monstrous vampire for an equally monstrous angel. After all, the angels of the bible are so visually terrifying that they make a habit of telling those they visit “be not afraid.” 

Pruitt thought this angel had granted him the gift of eternal life, just like the Bible promises. He then decides to share that gift with his congregation. The priest’s major sin here though is pride. He didn’t share the angel’s gift with his congregation out of pure benevolence. He did it because he wanted many more years of life in his prime with Mildred and Sarah at his side. Catholicism means everything to Pruitt. And yet, he would cast it all aside for another chance to have the family he wanted. 

“If you showed up and asked me, I would have taken this collar off and gone with you. Gone with you anywhere in the world,” Pruitt tells Mildred after she’s been vampirified. 

That’s a touching sentiment from the artist formerly known as Father Paul but it’s unfortunately a destructive one.

“When it became clear that Paul could do bad things with pure motives, the show came into clearer focus. There’s only one character in the whole show who I think is evil and it’s not Father Paul,” Flanagan says.

Only one character who is evil? Who could Flanagan be referr….ohhh.

What Were the Vampires’ Plans?

Flanagan actually never confirms which character he sees as evil, but Bev Keane (Samantha Sloyan) seems to be the best fit…unless we count the angel, and he just seems to be a hungry, growing boy.

Bev is, let’s say, a real piece of work. As beautifully depicted by Sloyan, Bev Keane is the officious church lady who can’t keep her nose out of other people’s business. After Mildred talks some sense into John Pruitt, he understands that he and his congregation “are the wolves” and refuses to participate further. That leaves a power vacuum at the top, which Bev is more than happy to step into. 

Read more

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Why Midnight Mass is Mike Flanagan’s Most Personal Work

By Alec Bojalad

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Midnight Mass Cast: Previous Credits From Hill House to Bly Manor, Legion & Sherlock

By Louisa Mellor

Now that Bev has a veritable army of superpowered vampires what does she intend to do with them? The same thing that all Bevs want to do: make more Bevs. Bev represents the worst of colonial Christianity and its historical penchant for converting all to its kingdom of heaven…through any means necessary.

When Erin Greene (Kate Siegel) finds out that Bev and friends have merely disabled the boats and not destroyed them, she realizes that their ultimate plan is to eventually take their vampire party to the mainland and create a whole planet of enlightened Christians who just happy to have an insatiable taste for blood and a severe UV-ray allergy. 

What Happens to Crockett Island?

Thankfully, Bev’s ultimate goal never comes to pass thanks to the careful plotting of the handful of human beings left in Crockett Island. Erin Greene, Sarah Gunning (Annabeth Gish), Sheriff Hassan (Rahul Kohli), and Annie Flynn (Kirstin Lehman) get to work on finishing the destruction that Bev started.

Ironically, it’s part of Bev’s plan that eventually dooms her and her kind. When one of Bev’s lackeys proposes putting out a fire that the human crew started because the whole island could burn to nothing like in ‘84, Bev’s eyes light up.

“I mean…the church didn’t burn in ‘84,” she says.

Surely this is Revelation. And Revelation means a hale mixed with fire and blood. There will be a flood of fire that ends the world and St. Patrick’s church will be the arc. That’s a great plan and all…as long as something doesn’t happen to the arc.

Welp. Sarah Gunning burns down St. Patrick’s and Sheriff Hassan and Erin Greene (with an assist from Hassan’s son) burn down the rec center. As if burning a church designated as an arc wasn’t symbolically compelling enough, recall that the rec center next to it is equally as symbolic of Bev’s greed. It was Bev who convinced Crockett Island to take the oil company’s money for ruining their island rather than pursuing litigation. And all they got out of that settlement money was that stupid rec center.

With the church and the rec center gone, there are no man-made structures for the vampires to hide from the sun in the coming morning. And that’s how an entire island of 120-ish vampires perishes simultaneously when the sun rises. 

Why Do Leeza and Warren Survive? 

All of Crockett Island perishes save for two actually. Warren Flynn (Igby Rigney) and Leeza Scarborough (Annarah Cymone) are spared thanks to some quick thinking. Putting the only two remaining non-vampirized children in harm’s way is not an option for Erin, Sarah, Hassan, and Annie. Thankfully, Warren knows of one secret canoe to reach the “Uppards” that Bev’s crew wouldn’t know about. 

The canoe doesn’t take Warren and Leeza to the mainland but it does get them away from the carnage to come. The last shot of the series is Warren and Leeza floating peacefully and Leeza announcing that she can no longer feel her legs. This means that the last bit of “angel” blood has likely left her system and with it Pruitt’s vampire legacy is over. 

Saving Warren and Leeza has practical, emotional implications for Midnight Mass’s characters but it also has some symbolic ones as well. The concept of witnessing and witnesses themselves are very important in the Bible. As a second-hand text (though purportedly with every word inspired by God) there would be no gospel without witnesses. Good news is only half the battle. Someone to witness and report on the good news is the other half. Now Warren and Leeza can report on the ultimate good news that the world is saved.

The fact that the kids survive while the adults succumb to their own adult nonsense has some major implications for Midnight Mass’s creator 

“That last moment of the next generation looking out at the ashes of what the grown ups made – that’s what my kids are gonna get no matter what,” Flanagan says. “That’s what all of our kids are gonna get. I wish it wasn’t as on fire as it it. But it really is. We’re never going to be able to explain adequately to our children what happened to the planet they inherited.”

What Happens to the Angel?

With all of Crockett Island burned to the ground, the world’s vampire nightmare is over, right? Well that depends on how well you think an angel can fly with torn wings. No, that’s not an aphorism or a poem, it’s the real question facing the end of Midnight Mass.

As if saving Warren and Leeza and upending Bev Keane’s plans weren’t enough, Erin leaves one last little gift for humanity before she dies. While the angel attacks her and drinks her sweet, sweet blood, Erin begins systematically, yet carefully cutting holes in its leathery wings. At first the angel is kind of annoyed but his hunger supersedes any level of discomfort or pain he’s feeling. 

Later on, while Warren and Leeza watch their home burn they see the angel flying away but in a halted, loopy pattern. The kids aren’t sure if the beast will have time to find shelter before the sun rises. According to Flanagan, if Midnight Mass is a parable (and he assures us it is) then the ultimate lesson of all this isn’t too hard to glean. 

“The angel doesn’t represent vampirism or horror but corruption in any belief system,” he says. “It represents fundamentalism and fanaticism. That’s never gonna go away. You might chase it away from your community for a minute. You might send it off to the sunrise and hope that that corrupting ideology will disappear. But it won’t. And the show could never show the angel die for that reason.”

With that in mind, the angel’s flawed flight pattern isn’t so much Inception’s spinning top but rather a promise that evil will find a way. And then we puny human beings will just have to find a way to stop it all over again. If that’s not Biblical then we don’t know what is.

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All seven episodes of Midnight Mass are available to stream on Netflix now.

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[bellascullen]

Just read your post about Rosalie and it put me in a ranting mood about one of my biggest pet peeves in Twilight so I hope you don't mind if I write to you. So The Baby Problem is awful part of this narrative and I hate it not only because when SM doesn't know how to write women she just says "ok now you wanna have babies and can't so you're suffering and feel like you're incomplete", but for how unconsistent this is. For characters who care about children Rosalie, Leah, Esme and Bella [1/?]

okay well i just wrote literally the longest response to this then my dumbass accidentally closed out of it so here we go again. 

also this is going to be long so..

first things first, your english is fine! and you’re not annoying, this is what sams corner is for. thank you for coming to me to rant! do not worry at all, i appreciate you. 

second, i think they are referring to this post about rosalie incase you wanted to read it

so yes, breaking dawn was absolutely horrible. most of the fandom likes to pretend it just did not happen. the baby problem is really a terrible narrative. she did not really need to bring a baby into the mix, and even if that was really what she wanted for the story, she went about it in the absolute worst way possible.

your point about the young kids on the reservation phasing because of the witnesses being in the area is a good one that i hasn’t really occurred to me. it’s absolutely horrible what smeyer put these native characters through for the vampires sake.

and yes, imprinting truly is the worst thing ever. i could bring myself to dislike the baby narrative a lot less if it was not also the imprinting narrative. however, though jacob was with them when irina spotted renesmee, there’s no way to truly say the almost battle would have never happened if it weren’t for the imprinting. unless you’re talking about the scenario in which jacob would’ve followed through with killing renesmee. in that case, yes.

“all bc bella wanted to fuck so much” sdfhs this kind of sent me but yeah she rlly did. but i think that if bella, edward, or any of the cullens knew conception would even be possible they would’ve waited until she was a vampire. 

as for jane and alec, it truly is heartbreaking how young they are. i don’t understand why smeyer made them so young its honestly kind of creepy. but they were only so quick to want to fight them because they knew they would be actively trying to attack and kill them, so it was honestly just preventative planning.  they might be young but they were chaotic and would not hesitate to kill. but it doesn’t make it any less disturbing because of how young they are.

i think i hit all your major points.. you made some good ones that really made me think. but overall, fuck breaking dawn, and more importantly, fuck smeyer.

discuss twilight with me in sams corner and send me your unpopular opinions about the series/rant to me about your popular ones

[marierosejosephtascher]

Shadowhunters 3x11 Review

Woohoo!!! It's time for another SH review! Who would have thought this would come?!

WARNING: I have some unpopular opinions that are bound to piss people off, so be careful, I'm open to a respectful discussion, but if you're going to tell me I'm a racist, because I don't ship what you do, save it. Let's get started...

First thought: It's great that Alec still goes on missions. I wouldn't have wanted him to be stuck with some desk job, that's just not who he is. Second thought: How many days exactly have passed? 3? 4? A week? I wish they had clarified that.

When Jace yelled "HE'S MY RESPONSIBILITY!!" I was like 'Wut?' I mean, I understand what they're trying to do/say, but that seemed totally unnecessary since all three of them were on a mission and technically the prisoner is the responsibility of all three of them.

That was montage of people mourning Clary made me too my eyes and I didn't feel bad at all. Maybe because I know she's alive or maybe because they're trying too hard to make me mourn her too, but I could care less about her. Ooops.

Serious question: Why did Catarina ask Magnus to babysit Madzie? Couldn't she have asked someone else like an actual babysitter or another Warlock? But of course she has to ask the man who just lost his powers and the man who's supposed to be running the whole Institute. I'm not trying to be a bitch, but this absolutely makes no sense.

Soooo, was Clary sleeping for days in those 6-inch thigh-high boots? That can't be comfortable.

Aaand just like that Jonathan's charisma is gone. Seriously, that guy like a leprechaun. Him and Kat gave none of the chemistry Kat and Will did. Ugh.

However, I totally agree with Jonathan on the fact that he's a victim of his parents and that Clary probably wouldn't have turned out much different. I totally felt for him in that moment. I know that this desire of his to change won't last long, but that doesn't mean, I don't feel bad for him.

STILL when he found Clary is the snow and yelled 'CLARY!!' I laughed out loud. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Maia seems to be the only reasonable person on the show and also the only person who is not acting like Clary's "death" is the end of the world. That's refreshing and I'm warming up to her, but again I ask, how many days have passed since Clary "died". Because when Maia left they made it seem like she would be gone for long, but then she's back in only a few days later? Weird...

I don't know what to make of that conversation between Izzy and Maia. On one hand, Izzy didn't directly blame Maia for not being there for Simon, but the implication was still there. I'm afraid they only sent Maia away just so Izzy could be the one to comfort Simon. Which is cheap.

I'm glad Izzy is taking that thing with the tortured prisoners seriously (as everyone should be) I gives her character a boost it needed. She was truly the star of the episode.

"I've never loved anyone the way you loved Clary." He knew her for 3 months....It's annoying how the show wants me to care about Clace when in fact their epic love is no better than Malec.

Speaking of malec...their interactions are just as stale and as awkward as ever. Just the way they're talking to each other...I've never seen two characters and two actors with so little chemistry. Why are they even trying?

The fact that Clary couldn't put herself in Jonathan's shoes for 5 minutes shows me that she's the same privileged, ignorant brat with a holier than thou attitude. Sorry, we can't all afford to see the world in black and white, girlfriend.

And now...for the thing all 3 of you are waiting for...There have been many opinions on Jace and Alec's interactions this season, some positive and some negative and I sort of agree with both sides. On one hand, yes, we know Alec's not a guy who will coddle Jace and pet his hair or whatever, but on the other, some of his actions made no sense. Why the fuck did he go to Magnus's place to babysit Madzie? Wasn't Magnus capable of doing it himself? Doesn't Alec have duties as HoI? Paperwork? Investigating the Seelie escapees? I mean, Izzy did tell him the Clave might be torturing Downworlders and putting all of that aside from that, Izzy also just told him Jace was missing. Why isn't he worried? I mean, he can't claim ignorance as an excuse. He knows Jace is am in a dark place mentally and instead of looking for him and trying to help him (like actually help him, with actions, not just words) he goes to babysit a kid. Was Alec waiting to feel Jace die for the second time before deciding that maybe it wouldn't be the worst idea to check up on him?

I will admit though, when Alec put his hand on Jace's cheek and told him he'd be lost without him, I definitely felt that. It was pretty emotional and it's all thanks to Dom and Matt's incredible chemistry. Though, to be honest, I don't have much hope for what's in store for our parabatai in the next episodes.

Overall, this wasn't SH's best episode, but it wasn't the worst either. It was in the middle. It had good moments and it had bad moments. Here's hoping the next episode will surpass my lowered expectations.

[ketzwrites]

Rewatch 109: Rise Up

This might be my least favorite episode of the whole show. I make no secrets that my biggest interest in Shadowhunters is the political scenario and the possibilities of it. 

This episode takes the political scenario and cynically destroys all the potential real-world criticism that could be done. Clary gets to play the white savior, the Downworlders are childish and incompetent, Alec is complicit to torture, and - ultimately - the Clave’s twisted distrust of Downworlders is proven right.

I really hate this episode.

Teaser

Alberto is such a good actor. I wonder if this is the first time Raphael is dealing with a fledgling. He seems to know what he’s doing.

Act One

It’s good that Clary intends to tell Simon that it was her decision to bring him back, not Raphael’s.

I don’t get why Alec can’t just Iratze his arm. I also don’t get how Jace didn’t feel it when half of Alec’s bicep was smashed away.

Oh, okay. So, the Forsaken was after the MC. Not exactly the best plan to send the Ogre-like creature for a heist, but it’s not like Valentine is supposed to be a mastermind- No, wait. He is.

Look, it’s great that Clary was able to fight one Shax demon. Really, kudos for her. But when every single person in the Shadow World is looking for her, she is not right to want to stay on the streets and look for Simon. I swear, I don’t get this logic.

I enjoy how we are always reminded that Magnus is performing magic for payment. It’s part of his autonomy as a warlock (in fact, as the High Warlock since Magnus doesn’t take other clients besides the Institute).

Izzy has zero qualms in hugging Meliorn in the middle of the Institute. Noted.

Again, it makes no sense whatsoever to think the seelies would be working with Valentine. This “seelie always take the winning side” doesn’t work when Valentine’s side means, at best, their permanent banishment to the seelie realms, and at worst, their annihilation. That’s why Shadowhunters never showed the conversation between the Seelie Queen and Valentine in 219. There is nothing that Valentine can offer the seelies that truly interest them.

Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Maryse and Robert made a deal with the Clave prior to the Uprising? The event that Maryse helped organize? Honestly, the history of the Shadow World is so poorly crafted. The Clave knew the Uprising was coming but still failed to prevent it. Oh, but one shadowhunter and a recently turned werewolf were able to stop Valentine. I’m not buying it.

Both Alec and Jace have good points about Maryse and Robert. They are hypocrites and Alec is right to refuse to do their redemption for them, especially since neither Maryse nor Robert shows any regret for their past actions. But Jace is right to doubt they are working with Valentine again.

Can you imagine if Clary had told Elaine that Simon died in an accident and then Simon showed up at home like that?

Act Two

Clary is smart again and looks for Simon at his own house. Though, the lighting of this scene is so weird. In Simon’s bedroom is night time, but the corridor looks like it’s illuminated by the sun. It’s really weird.

Shots fired. Spill the tea, Alec.

I’m glad we get Simon telling Clary off for turning him into a vampire. She did it for love and it wasn’t her fault that Camille is a murderous monster. But actions have consequences nonetheless.

Lydia is terrible at interrogations and Meliorn is great at shifting the focus. He was called in to talk about the seelie blood in the Forsakens and, instead, he got the shadowhunters investigating each other. Lydia walked out with no confessions, no leads, and inner division.

Act Three

Oh, look. Raj!

Anyway, here is where Jace puts Clary’s need above Alec’s needs. He isn’t just prioritizing Clary’s quest to get her mother back over the safety of the Shadow World – which is bad enough for other reasons. He is purposefully deceiving Alec in the name of Clary’s interests. This is a betrayal of trust.

The dispute between Luke and Raphael is a classic vampire vs werewolf dispute. Fair enough. But it’s a writing decision to keep that animosity in a context where both races are oppressed by a third race. A writing decision that will annoy me in a couple acts.

Izzy and Jace are correct: torturing Meliorn will lead nowhere. That decision, though, follows the modus operandi of the Clave: Lydia failed to properly interrogate Meliorn but the blame for her lack of success in getting information from him is blamed on Meliorn’s supposedly ability to skirt the truth.

That said, there is no logic casualty between the Clave getting the MC back and the Clave doing bad things to Downworlders. In fact, I’m surprised Izzy doesn’t urge them to give up the MC as a way to prove Meliorn is cooperating and, thus, spare him from torture.

“If the Clave is willing to do this to Meliorn, what do you think will happen when they get the Cup?” Logically, they’d stop. Like they will stop in a few episodes when Imogen gets the Cup and stops Izzy’s trial.

Not that keeping people in cells is a particularly nice move, but I'm surprised Raphael is the first to do it to Clary. Lucky her the person in charge of the Institute when the story started was Alec: had it been Lydia or Aldertree or basically any other shadowhunter, she would’ve been put in a cell in the first episode.

Act Four

Fun fact: Simon almost becomes a Daylighter this episode as he struggles not to feed on Clary.

The stele stealing scene is actually very entertaining to watch even if it’s about the two people Alec should trust the most betraying him.

This conversation between Alec and Magnus breaks my heart. Rewatching the whole season, I don’t have a problem with how Magnus reacts to Alec’s marriage announcement anymore. It’s a matter of miscommunication: Alec came to the conversation looking for a confidante, Magnus came to the conversation looking for a hookup. When Magnus realizes Alec is set on following shadowhunters costume in detriment of his own happiness, Magnus gets angry but ultimately minds his own business. It works for me.

Hodge’s character is all over the place. He is the opposite in this scene as he was with Alec in 103. It’s essentially the same thing: Hodge catches the Lightwoods preparing for an unauthorized mission. But, with Alec, he was ready to let him go without further comments until Clary was mentioned. Then Hodge got angry because she is Valentine’s daughter. Now, Hodge gets angry because Jace and Izzy were about to lie to him but lets them go if that means saving Clary. The only intention I can see behind this is that Hodge is supposed to be seen as a sketchy character.

“Do you think I’d be sending Meliorn to the Silent Brothers if I thought there was another way?” Yes, I do. Because you suck at interrogations and clearly doesn’t care about Downworlders. I’m glad Alec doesn’t answer, forcing Lydia to further explain herself. Also, it seems this isn’t Clave’s orders after all, but a decision that came from Lydia herself.

Lydia’s sob story perpetuates the shadowhunter biased notion that all Downworlders are the same. One warlock in Rio betrayed her – after being threatened with torture -, so all downworlders are liars and should not be trusted. The fact that Alec doesn’t realize that is a huge problem but at least the ominous music is proof of that the writers know that.

Simon forgives Clary because he sees her need for his support as an opportunity for them to get together romantically. Understandable reaction, though I wish it was revisited when they do get together and then break up.

Up until Clary meets with Raphael – a public meeting, for some very idiotic reason on Raphael’s part – I’m on board on Izzy, Jace, and Clary trying to protect the Downworlders side by side with Luke and Simon.

But then her first words are “we’re offering an alliance with the seelies”. No, you’re not. You have no authority to do so. Also, Luke still holding a grudge against the vampires at a time like this is childish and uncharacteristic of him.

“We are a new generation of shadowhunters. We believe everyone to be equal” said by one of the people who attacked a whole clan for the actions of a couple vampires with no way of knowing it had been the leader’s orders to kidnap Simon. The person that, up until a few minutes ago, had to be told by a fledgling that this world sees them as different. The person that, during that same conversation, presumes to speak for Simon and is against him joining the vampires, who clearly know how to take better care of him that she does.

Maybe it’s a good thing that this show doesn’t delve into politics. If this is the best they can do, I don’t want it.

Act Five

More childish animosity between werewolves and vampires to prove that, without Clary, they would be incapable of working together.

Clary doesn’t know how the portal shard works. She’s only ever activated it by mistake. Do the writers think the audience is stupid?

And, in the same episode that Clary is being glorified as the conciliator of the Shadow World, she is ready to “call the whole thing off” because it might inconvenience Jace to fight his Parabatai. Oh, I’m sorry saving Meliorn might personally affect your boyfriend, Clary. You’re right. Forget about it. It’s just a Downworlder life you believe to be saving. Jace’s feelings are more important. Fuck this episode and whoever came up with it.

No women among the shadowhunters with Alec, hm?

It’s a smart writing choice to have Izzy use the whip against Raj. It seems an insignificant thing in this episode, but it entails bitter consequences for the next one.  

As wrong as Alec is for going through with this plan, I’m happy he gets to punch Jace on the face for making Alec’s choices all about him. And for winning the fight and refusing to work outside the system again just because Jace asked him to.

Act Six

I’m really not interested in watching Jace being jealous of Clary and Simon’s friendship.

I ship Meliorn and Izzy so much.

Did Izzy also tell you Clary offered to call off your rescue if Jace felt uncomfortable in fighting Alec, Meliorn? Or are we ignoring that to sing her praises she does not deserve?

I guess the worst part of this entire episode is that, in the end, Lydia was right. Meliorn was being uncooperative. He knows a way to find Valentine and chose not to disclose it. That also shows that the seelies are rather incompetent: they can get to Valentine and kill him but choose not to.

[the-desolated-quill]

Hide - Doctor Who blog

(SPOILER WARNING: The following is an in-depth critical analysis. If you haven’t seen this episode yet, you may want to before reading this review)

I’m going to be honest with you. I had completely forgotten this episode had even existed. I remember all the other episodes of Doctor Who, but Hide somehow slipped from my memory, and I don’t know why. I must have watched it when it was broadcast because at the time I used to watch Doctor Who religiously every Saturday until Moffat’s bullshit became too much for me, so I don’t know how I could have forgotten it.

Watching Hide again for the purposes of this was very much a journey of rediscovery for me. It was like watching for the first time all over again, and yeah, I liked it a lot. It’s got some problems, but I’d say it’s definitely a winner.

Hide takes place in a haunted house in the 1970s. Professor Alec Palmer and his assistant Emma Grayling are trying to make contact with a spirit inside the house, but when the Doctor and Clara show up, it turns out there may be a more scientific explanation for what’s going on.

Written by Neil Cross, who previously wrote The Rings Of Akhaten, Hide takes a lot of inspiration from the works of Nigel Kneale, most notably The Quatermass Experiment and The Stone Tapes (which is ironic considering how much Nigel Kneale reportedly hated Doctor Who at the time). When you watch the episode, it does have a very Kneale-esque feel to it. The plot itself feels like it could have been ripped straight out of one of the original Quatermass serials, but Cross manages to do just enough with it to make it his own and not have the episode just be a homage.

I think the two things that make Hide so effective is its simplicity and its scale. There’s no alien invasion or world ending disaster to worry about. It’s kept mostly to one location with only a couple of characters, which means there’s more time for Cross to really develop them as well as to play around with the idea and the setting.  In some ways Hide is a traditional ghost story, and it’s done very effectively. The atmosphere is really creepy and the episode does a really good job of keeping you in suspense, making you question just what is going on. What’s even more refreshing is the episode’s use of subtlety. There’s no giant info dumps or overly sentimental bombast like we usually get in New Who. It’s all pitched perfectly for the most part.

What’s even more impressive is how Cross transitions from supernatural horror to science fiction really subtly over the course of the story. Turns out the ghost isn’t a ghost, but a survivor that crash landed into a pocket universe, and what we’ve been seeing all this time are snapshots of her running away from a monster as well as the effects of time dilation. One second in the pocket universe represents hundreds of years in our universe. That’s a really clever idea and a very novel way of exploring the time travel aspect of Doctor Who. And the reveal at the end that the ‘ghost’ is actually Alec and Emma’s great great great great great great granddaughter is just the cherry on top of the cake. It explains why the psychic connection between Emma and the ‘ghost’ was so strong and you can tell Neil Cross was really thinking how all of this fits together.

Let’s talk about Alec and Emma for a moment. With such a small scale episode and more emphasis on characters, it’s important that the performances are at their best, and Dougray Scott and Jessica Raine don’t put a foot wrong. Alec is a very sympathetic character. An intelligent and well meaning man who fought in the war and sent many people to their deaths, leaving him with years of guilt and turmoil that made him decide to take up ghost hunting in the hopes that he can get in touch with his deceased comrades and thank them for their service. Emma too is very likeable and sympathetic. A psychic (empath to be precise) who can sense the feelings of others, and thus makes it hard for her to form close bonds with people because of the pain she would feel from sensing such intense emotions from them. It also ties into why she’s a ghost hunter because she says at one point that the ghost is lonely, and clearly she can relate to that due to her own situation. They’re both good characters and I like their relationship, which, again, is handled very subtly and effectively. If this was a Russel T Davies script or even a Steven Moffat script, there would probably be a lot of swelling music and OTT monologues as the characters confess their love for each other, but Hide thankfully doesn’t go that route, instead plumping for a less is more approach, which is more effective. Yes there are a few declarations of love here and there, but it’s handled really well and Alec and Emma’s feelings for each other are conveyed more through their actions and body language rather than dialogue. It’s a combination of great writing and great acting.

While I did really enjoy Hide for the most part, I do have some issues with it. First I’m slightly annoyed by how the episode treats the male and female characters. Hide very quickly has the Doctor pair up with Alec and Clara with Emma, and you think fair enough. Makes sense I guess. But while the Doctor and Alec get to have all these interesting discussions about their past and angst, Clara and Emma are reduced to talking about the men in their life, which profoundly irritated me. Hello! Emma is an empath who has trouble with social interactions! Do you reckon she might have an interesting backstory to tell?! I feel it undermines the whole romance angle because it puts more emphasis on Alec and his feelings and worries, whilst any that Emma has is merely an afterthought.

Something else that undermines the episode are the monsters. Apart from the fact that the animatronic puppets they use for them are utter crap, I don’t understand why this episode needed to have monsters in it in the first place. Doctor Who is such a flexible format and there are loads of different kinds of stories you could tell, which is why it always puzzles me why we always seem to revert back to the monster of the week format, to the point where a monster gets shoehorned in for no reason other than the BBC feel they have to. The reason Hide works so well is because of the uncertainty of it all. The fear factor comes from us and the characters not knowing what’s going on. Why cheapen that with some shitty monster? (yes I know it looks like John Carpenter’s The Thing and it’s meant to reference just how much influence Nigel Kneale had on the sci-fi genre and how under appreciated he is today, but it’s still pointless). And then it just got worse when it turned out the monsters aren’t monsters at all, but long lost lovers trapped in different universes wanting to reunite. Dear God, give me strength! Any subtlety the episode had at that point just sailed clean out of the window. Why couldn’t they have just kept it as a ghost in a pocket universe? That was fine. I was enjoying that.

But the worst thing of all is the Doctor and Clara. People wonder why I don’t like the Eleventh Doctor very much, and for me it’s because of episodes like this. Hide does a really good job of setting up a creepy atmosphere, it’s all very tense and chilling, and then along comes Matt Smith with his goofy antics and hands waving around like windmills to spoil it all. I mean for fuck sake, where’s his off switch?! I recognise this is more of a personal taste issue, and if you think Matt Smith is funny then good for you, but I just can’t stand him. And it’s even more infuriating this time around because he’s effectively trampling all over the creepy atmosphere and destroying the tension. Plus there are some scenes that are just inexcusable. There’s a bit where the Doctor is about to use Emma’s psychic powers to open a wormhole to the pocket universe, and she asks whether or not it’s going to hurt. Now obviously the Doctor would be straightforward with her and say yes, it will hurt. How he conveys that depends on the incarnation. If it was Tom Baker or David Tennant, it would probably be in a sympathetic tone and maybe they’d attempt to reassure her. If it was William Hartnell or Peter Capaldi, they would probably be more blunt and to the point. What does Matt Smith’s Doctor say to her?

��No... Yes... Maybe. I don’t know. I’d be interested to find out.”

Yep, they actually try to play it for comedy. Okay, three things. One, fuck you, two, that feels really out of character, and three, how can you be so callous and insensitive?! What makes you think the prospect of a character we happen to like feeling incredible pain and agony is somehow amusing? At this stage I’m practically counting the seconds until he regenerates.

But as bad as the Doctor is, Clara is even worse. Jenna Coleman seems to have reverted back to Asylum of The Daleks mode, where she’s this smug, obnoxious, lecherous cow. She never takes the threat seriously and, like Matt Smith, keeps undermining the tension. One really horrid scene is when Emma closes the wormhole due to the excruciating pain and the Doctor becomes trapped on the other side of the wormhole. Now if it was any other companion like Sarah Jane or Martha or, hell, even Amy, they would probably try to reassure Emma and either convince her to try again or find some other way to save the Doctor. What does Clara do? Berate Emma for leaving the Doctor behind before proceeding to have a full blown argument with the TARDIS. I should also note that it isn’t Clara who ends up saving the Doctor in the end, but the TARDIS itself. Clara was too busy bitching and whining like a tiny child who hasn’t got her way to do much good. Remind me, why am I supposed to like her again? What is it about her that makes her companion material? Oh yeah! The bullshit Moffat mystery! Like I give a fuck about that!

And speaking of bullshit Moffat mysteries, apparently the TARDIS doesn’t like Clara very much. I can understand why, quite frankly. The problem is it feels more like delusional anthropomorphic personification rather than an actual thing that’s happening. In both The Rings Of Akhaten and Hide, Clara can’t open the TARDIS doors. Yes it could be because the TARDIS doesn’t like her, but a more likely explanation is that she doesn’t have a key. In Hide, the TARDIS initially refuses to help Clara. Yes it could be because it doesn’t like her, but a more likely explanation is because the TARDIS could die if it went into the pocket universe, like the Doctor said it would. It’s all just utter bollocks that never goes anywhere. What’s worse is that it’s completely reversed. The TARDIS magically changes its mind for no reason and let’s Clara in to save the Doctor, and then this whole plot point is never brought up again. Same goes for the conversation Clara has with the Doctor when they witness the entire life cycle of the Earth from birth to death and Clara is bothered by the fact that the Doctor doesn’t seem emotionally affected by it. You could have done something with it, but it’s just really clunky and it’s never addressed or brought up again afterward. So what’s the point of bringing it up?

Despite a few flaws and the most obnoxious Doctor/companion pairing in Who history, I still really enjoyed Hide. It has a great central premise, likeable and well developed characters for the most part and decent execution. Two episodes, two wins for Neil Cross. Any chance of a third?

[placefantasy]

A Thing I’m Working on At The Moment (Working title: Window to the Soul)

Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood – College AU. Tags: Diary entries, Fluff, Coming out, some texting, not a lot though, Alec has Scopophobia, more tags as i continue

Description; is wanting to get through your freshman year of college without; stress, annoying roommates, gay thoughts, and having to look anyone in the eyes as you fade into obscurity so much to ask?? Alec Lightwood doesn’t seem to think so. Unfortunately, his sister seems to be hoping for a somewhat more eventful first year. Mix that in with the fact that his oddly endearing roommate, Magnus Bane has an uncanny ability for bringing out the worst part of him. Mainly a more heated and bold side that Alec himself doesn’t much care for and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.  

September 7th, 20xx - Entry Number 1; 

Plenty of people are of the belief that the eyes are a window to the soul—meaning that there is quite a bit to be learned about one’s personality through the way that their eyes make expressions. Think of it like writing something in pen and then changing your mind and wanting something different after you’ve already written in a few letters. It’s rather difficult without some form of assistance. Think of that as the way people show their emotions with their eyes; it takes a lot of training to be able to hide what kind of person you are through the way your eyes do things, I suppose?

Come to think of it, this would possibly explain why I’m such a shit judge of character. You see, it’s rather difficult to read a person’s facial expressions when you’re too busy staring at that annoying spec of mud on the tip of their shoe. Or so I’ve learned. It’s rather difficult to read a person’s entire personality and morals by the way they tie their shoelaces, or lack thereof.

Life isn’t a CollegeHumor article after all.

If I were to gauge where my inability to look people in the eyes came from, it was probably the fact that I was diagnosed with Scopophobia when I was in the ninth grade. A truly unfortunate time for everyone, but especially poor for someone with a fear of being looked at.

The way I see it, I was never really “diagnosed” because I mean, it’s not like I can’t look someone in the eye, it’s rather that I choose not to. It’s my life so I have to have some control over what I’m scared of. This contradicts what my therapist thinks though, so I never really say it out loud. She says that it’s part of my past experience with bullying.

Though if I’m to be completely honest—which I should considering this is a book that no one but myself should ever read. I’m almost certain that’s a rule with diaries; to be overprotective of them to the point of locking in a drawer or putting a padlock on them.—I would have to agree with my therapist on that. There’s only so many lockers to be pushed into before you genuinely start to fear teenagers.

Two. The answer is two.

The first time you’re pushed into a locker, you think “Ha guys, they got me good!” and the second time, you’re standing with your shoulders being crammed into an open locker with a horrified wide-eyed expression as you realize that this is your life now.

Not that I wouldn’t have bullied the ninth grade version of myself. He was a loser. You could probably blame that on the Harry Potter franchise and my own blindness. Let’s just all agree that round glasses only work on Daniel Radcliffe and K-Pop idols—not some scrawny ninth grader with lenses thicker than your thumb.

I still don’t know why my parents thought that wearing glasses like that wouldn’t get me borderline killed. They probably knew and thought it was funny. Admittedly, it is kind of funny. I suppose the alternative is me not being able to see, so I can mostly understand their reasoning.

Writing diary entries everyday—or every week if life gets too busy—was my therapist’s off hand idea, but Izzy seems to think that it’s a great idea for bringing me out of my shell. Which is rather upsetting because I quite like this “shell” of mine. That is mostly because it consists of large clothing and a PlayStation Plus membership. Hey, you don’t have to look people in the eyes in online gaming. Unless you’re using a webcam, but why would you do that? There’s no point to it.

So now this is how I’m starting my freshman year of college. And honestly, there’s something undeniably weird about being a college student with a diary. Or a “journal” as other insecure college students-slash-adults call them. The way I see it, if you’re writing bits of your day to day life into a notebook and not letting anyone see it—it’s a diary. Get over it.

I don’t see much of an appeal of writing diary entries, but if to be frank—despite the fact that I’m older than my sister, she scares me—there’s a reason Izzy is going to join the military in a few years while I’m only a theatre arts minor. I have a more stable thought process, but I’m pretty sure Izzy could break me in half with just one hand. That point alone is reason enough for me to comply with what she wants.

It’s just a diary after all, how much damage can it do to my life really? Aside from someone finding it and all my humiliating thoughts about girls, parties, annoying roommates, and how much I genuinely hate my textbooks being leaked to the entire world. If that happens and my diary goes viral then I’ve already planned to change my name and become a sheep herder in Iceland. Izzy thinks that I overthink things, and maybe she’s right.

I’m planning to try and not overthink my freshman year. I’ll go to a few parties and make some friends but for the most part I’m just going to lay low and just focus on my studies. It’s not going to be an eventful year, I know that much for certain. Believe me, I’m not hoping for an eventful year either. I just want to stay well rested and maybe join a club or team or…something. I don’t know.

The first thing on the list to do is to find a way to fill this diary with anything so that Izzy doesn’t murder me when I come home for winter break. I know you’re reading over my shoulder Izzy, and I want you to know that that is mighty rude.

Thank you for reading, I will be updating here and on patreon. (patreon link is HERE: https://www.patreon.com/Izzietheravenclaw83 if you would like to check out my other works and upcoming works/things I’m working on--or if you just want to say hi.) 

Please tell me what you think and if you want to give me some input on the story or any changes you think would work or if you are curious to see where this story is going, then please do so. 

[booksareawayoflife]

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

’Jace is now a servant of evil, bound for all eternity to Sebastian. Only a small band of Shadowhunters believe he can be saved. To do this they must defy the Clave. And they must act without Clary. For Clary is playing a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. Clary is willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?

What price is too high to pay, even for love?’

 Book Review: no spoilers

I was really worried that I wouldn’t like this book, because I have heard mixed things about this book, and City of Fallen Angels. But I liked City of Fallen Angels, so I was hoping that I would also like this book! And I did!

This book was definitely slow paced until about the last 150 pages, where the climax occurred. I think that climax of this book does make up for the slow-paced nature of this book, and City of Fallen Angels, because shit went down. I am intrigued to see what will happen next, because I don’t know what will happen next. Although I do think that Sebastian/Jonathan’s evil plan was reused from Valentine’s, so I don’t think much of the originality of the main problem. Yet, I did like the references to The Infernal Devices, and even The Dark Artifices in this book.

In terms of the characters, I loved all the main characters in this book. This is the book I was looking for to make me love Izzy, and I love her now. Her character developed so nicely in this book, that it was about time. This book also broke my heart... I’ll go more into in the spoiler section of this review. I was even able to endure Clace in this book. I am looking forward to the City of Heavenly Fire so badly, but I have to read Clockwork Princess before I do. I need to prepare myself for marathon reading. I know after I finish that book, that I’ll want to rush into City of Heavenly Fire.

Overall, I gave this book 9/10 or 4.5/5. It is not the worst in the series... I think that will go to City of Fallen Angels, because it was too slow paced, and the payoff for the climax wasn’t that good because the true climax would occur in this book. But, don’t get me wrong, I still loved City of Fallen Angels, it is just the weakest in the series. This book is also slow paced, but the climax/ending make up for it for this book, and the last book. I would recommend this series, because you end up becoming so invested in these characters, and they become your friends. I am looking forward to what will happen next, but I am sad knowing that I only have one book left with the original Shadowhunter crew.

SPOILERS:

From here on out, I’ll be talking more in depth on the specifics of the books. If you haven’t read this series, or this book, I would recommend not reading any further.

Clary - There are points where I wanted to hit Clary, and tell her to take advantage of the situation, and not focus on Jace. Like when Jace came back to normal for a while, she didn’t ask him where her faerie ring was. I also wish that she kept in mind that she was a spy a bit more, when she was with Jace, and Sebastian. But, overall, she wasn’t as annoying as she has been, and I do still like her. I just think that sometimes she acts like a lovesick teenager... which she is.

Jace - I didn’t really have any feelings for Jace in this book, because for most of it, it wasn’t Jace. It was a Jace that was controlled by Sebastian, so I can’t blame him for any of his actions. I am intrigued about what will happen to his character in City of Heavenly Fire, because he has heavenly fire.

Simon - I still love Simon, and still think that Clary made the wrong decision... but whateves. I do like how he took a more prominent role in this book, and I am intrigued about what will happen next, now that he doesn’t have the Mark of Cain. I do love his growing relationship with Isabelle, and I am shipping them more now, after this book. I do also like the Alec, and Simon moments. There’s quite a few of them in the series, and they are precious moments.

Alec - I love Alec, but he was an idiot in this book. Every time that he went to visit Camille, I wanted to knock him out, and drag him back to Magnus’s loft. I am so sad that Malec broke up, but I am intrigued about how they will get back together, and how Magnus will get past Alec’s choices. My favourite Alec quote in this book, and maybe this entire series goes: Simon rolled his eyes. “It’s a good thing we know the person who’s dating Magnus,” he said. “Otherwise, I get the feeling we’d all just lie around all the time wondering what the hell to do next. Or try to raise all the money to hire Magnus by selling lemonade.” Alec looked merely irritated by this comment. “The only way you could raise enough money to hire Magnus by selling lemonade is if you put meth in it.”

Isabelle - I love her now. I just love how developed her character is now, after this book, and the last book. Her friendships with girls feel real, and not forced. Her relationship with Simon has more substance now, and she actually cares/needs him! I am intrigued about what will happen next to Iz because she doesn’t really take a prominent position in this series, but I do still like what she does.

Magnus - We got more Magnus! I am excited to see more of him, especially seeing as Malec has to make up, and I need to read The Bane Chronicles. I love Magnus, and I love the fact that there will be three more books on Magnus! My dreams are coming true. I better not die until the last book in the Magnus Bane trilogy has been published, and read by me.

Luke - I dislike the fact that he has basically disappeared from this series after City of Glass. I hope that he has a more prominent role in City of Heavenly Fire. This book, it’s because he was gravely injured, but still. I want more of Luke! I am still looking forward to his wedding. It needs to happen ASAP.

Jocelyn - I don’t really like Jocelyn. I think it’s because I still haven’t forgiven her for taking away Clary’s memories. But, I did start to like her more in this book, because she did comfort Isabelle when they went to the Iron Sisters. She is also taking a back seat like Luke, but less so.

Maia - I like Maia. She didn’t do much in this book minus get with Jordan, and fight when needed too, but it is better than nothing. I wonder what she is going to do next, and if she will take more of a back seat, or be a more prominent character.

Jordan Kyle - There was more development of his character in this book, and his organisation. I do like Jordan, but I am not as attached to him as the other main characters. I don’t know what will happen to his character, but I am intrigued.

Camille - I hated Camille in this book, because I didn’t trust her. Especially when she was manipulating Alec. But I do think that her death should have been written into the book, because she is an important character in the Shadowhunter Universe, or that Alec should have killed her. I am intrigued what the consequences of her death will mean. I do wish that we got to understand why she sided with Lilith in City of Fallen Angels.

Sebastian/Jonathan - I didn’t mind Sebastian... I even liked the trio of Clary, Jace, and him, but I hated him after her attacked... and I think tried to rape Clary. Because he was trying to unbutton her jeans after he kissed her... but he could have also tried to unclothe her to put her in the dress. So I am unsure what he was actually doing when he attacked Clary, but still... I didn’t like it, so I didn’t like him. I am intrigued about what Sebastian will do next, because I can’t guess what he will do. But I do like him as a bad guy more than Valentine, because he is more developed.

I can’t wait to read City of Heavenly Fire, but the next book I will read is Clockwork Princess! Which I also can’t wait to read. I am quite sad though, because I only have one book left in both series to read. But I am looking forward to seeing what will happen!

Love Lou xx

[hiddlesgirl]

SH 216: Day Of Atonement

This was another good episode, I liked the three different family interactions; Simon and his family; Alec, Izzy and Robert; Valentine and Sebastian. They were all very different but all very interesting. We get a bunch of new information and back stories from various characters which were great. I also love the beautiful scenery shots that we are getting, such as the Institute and Alicante, this season.

I really liked the opening scene, the flashback with voice-over of Sebastian explaining his journey home; I liked the affects used for the fire pentagram, it looked great, and again the prosthetic for ‘burnt chicken’ were fantastic. It is the first time that we seen Valentine looking anxious, scared even; the situation, and Sebastian, are completely out for his control. He has no idea what Sebastian is planning, he can’t predict him; it is the first time we see him with his smug smile and confidence which is very interesting to watch.

Maia tells Simon that Luke had let her know what happened with Clary, I presume that Luke had also let Maia know that he wasn’t going to be around to keep an eye on Simon because of his meeting in the Seelie Realm (I know that we don’t learn this until the next scene but we’ve all watched it by now so, oh well). Knowing this Maia wants to make sure that Simon is okay and not falling deep into depression which is dangerous for them. I really love Simon and Maia, they have great chemistry, and I think she will really help him to get through.

We learnt that Clary is still avoiding Jace which is understandable, she is still trying to come to terms with her feelings and isn’t ready to talk to Jace about them; especially given how things happened with Simon. She is still feeling raw and vulnerable from the whole situation, she is not ready to deal with those feelings yet and is trying to ignore them, and Jace, for the time being.

This is when we learn from Alec that both Magnus and Luke are in the Seelie Realm, the Downworlder Cabinet have been holding secluded meetings there. This is completely understandable; they are at the greatest risk with Valentine’s escape and need to make a plan for how they move forward in capturing him and planning for the worst. Clary’s line ‘You think anything good happens in the Seelie Court’ makes me laugh, poor Jace though.

Last week I theorised about what might happened with the real Sebastian’s body, we assume that he must have hidden the body because Izzy says that Sebastian is looking for Valentine. So we know that they don’t suspect him yet. I feel bad for the real Sebastian’s family, because who knows if they’ll ever get his body back, to mourn him properly.

We learn that Alec fears he is going to get replaced by the Clave Envoy that is coming to the Institute; it is not an unfair prediction as is has happened a lot in the last few months, but you also hope he isn’t because he deserves the role so much and he is doing fantastic; especially in regards to trying to approve Shadow World relations. Then walks in the envoy, their father, Robert Lightwood.

Robert has, somehow, convinced Imogen that Alec should remain as the Head of the Institute; despite this Alec is clearly not happy to see him, which is completely understandable. Robert has always wanted perfection from his children, despite his own involvement with the Circle and Valentine. Once again Alec’s trust in him has been broken, plus he feels angry that he could treat Maryse that way. Robert tries to tell Alec that he feel in love, and that Alec should understand that; and I adore our archer boy for immediately replying ‘Magnus isn’t an affair’, YES, you go Alec! I love that Alec is not going to stand for his relationship being equalled to an affair; he is not ashamed of Magnus or their relationship and will not let his father degrade it.

Jace has been trying to figure out a way to get to Idris because he thinks that Valentine is hiding in a cabin that he used to take Jace to when he was a child, the Clave denied his request for a portal. Clary sees a rune, which creates a portal; I was very excited to see her creating another new rune, which she hasn’t done since 210. I feel a little annoyed for Magnus who worked hard to create the portal, but I am proud of Clary and her developing her powers; I’m sure Magnus would be proud of her too, plus it means that they won’t be using him as a glorified taxi driver anymore (sorry for the stupid analogy but I am sick of Shadowhunters using Magnus and never thanking him).

They arrive in Idris and we get a beautiful panning shot of some gorgeous forest and a first broad look at Alicante. It looks beautiful and I am very excited to see more in the future.

We learn that Sebastian has been in Hell; he made a deal with Azazel, if Azazel helped him escape he would return the favour, which explains how he came to be free. Sebastian explains that from the moment he arrived they started burning his skin one layer at a time which explains his current real appearance; it may also explain his tendency to burn himself, he is so used to the feeling of being burnt that it must feel strange to be free from it, so he self inflicts for a sense of normalcy and probably to hep ground him. I loved both Alan and Will’s acting in this scene, you could practically feel the tension and I physically tensed when Sebastian whispered in Valentine’s ear; seriously fantastic acting.

Maia shows up at the boat house, looking stunning, to go with Simon; she wants to be there for him because she understands his situation and to make sure nothing goes wrong in front of his family. Simon agrees because he knows that she is right, he needs some support and someone there in case he loses control; he trusts Maia to keep his family, and anyone else, safe if need be. I love his grandmother’s look of approval when Maia introduces herself as his girlfriend, it makes me smile.

Izzy and Alec are both suspicious about the secrets that Robert is keeping, they were important enough that he yelled at Max for seeing them; they still don’t know how much they can trust him, after he broke their trust twice in the past few months (finding out he, and Maryse, were part of the Circle, and then finding out about his affair). Alec feels a pain in hand which is related to Jace; I like that we seeing the Parabatai bond again, and more about how it works, because we haven’t seen it acknowledged for a while. But it also worries me a bit; nothing is unintentional so them reminding us of their connection makes me think that something is going to happen in later episodes that will affect them or their bond. They find the wrecked room where Jace had been working and what looks like portal shards, which is cool.

Back with Valentine and Sebastian; when Sebastian was a child Valentine kept him chained in that basement of nearly a year which is horrifying, that he would do that to his own child. However, he chained him up because he killed another child and shows no remorse for it; as we continue to learn about Sebastian it is clear that he doesn’t feel remorse or have a sense of right or wrong. It turns out that it was Valentine who sent Sebastian to Hell because he was getting out of control, Valentine clearly could not handle, or control, Sebastian as a child. This also means that the memory he saw when Imogen was torturing him in 211 was from when he was banishing Sebastian to Edom. That means that Valentine must have some remorse for sending Sebastian there because the rune made him relive his worst memory (we learnt this from Magnus).  I jumped when Sebastian grabbed the hot poker and yelled ‘You made me this way!’ it was so sudden and intense; brilliant acting from Will.

I love the entire dinner scene; I really like that we are getting to learn more about Maia, that she is taking classes in marine biology. I adore them teasing Simon about his childhood fear of jellyfish, it is so cute and typical family teasing; it is nice to see Simon relaxing and having fun, being able to bond with his family again. We also learn that they have a Yom Kippur tradition to say what they are atoning for that year; it was started by Simon’s father 13 years ago. It is nice to learn more about his dad and family traditions.

Robert explains that the portal shards show Lake Lyn and that Jace was denied a portal there this morning, he tells Alec that he needs to stay at the Institute. Although we may not like it he is right, Alec is the Head now and has a responsibility to all the Shadowhunters within it, not just his Parabatai. He can’t run after Jace every time he leaves on a unsanctioned mission, he has other responsibilities to consider now; and he can’t jeopardise his job, especially this soon after Valentine’s escape.

Clary seems to be under the influence of some sort of hallucinogenic; I really liked the effect they used to show this, it was very realistic. I really like how they are using effects to help us experience through the characters, like this scene and in the previous episode with Magnus when he was spacing out and Alec’s voice was muffled. Ithuriel appears looking very different from the last time we saw him, I love the outfit (amazing job costume department) and the wings. He tells Clary ‘Jonathan is alive’, she thinks he is talking about Jace but we all presume that he actually means Sebastian (Jonathan Christopher, whatever; I’m just so used to calling him Sebastian now). It is unclear if he is real or a hallucination but I am inclined to believe that he is real because enough time has passed for him to heal and she is in a secluded place where he could visit her without gaining too much, if any, unwanted attention.

Maia opens up about her family, I love that we are learning more about her past and I hope we get to see more in the future; which we might because it has been announced that Maia is becoming a main character in season 3! (I am so incredibly happy and excited about this)

I love Elaine for saying that she will always love her children, no matter what; I think that this comforts Simon, despite the fact that he can’t tell her about his situation he has the comfort of knowing that she loves him, and always will. Simon decides that he is not going to let what happened with Quinn and Heidi ruin his life, it wasn’t his fault and he can accept that and wants to move past it. I adore the cute look he and Maia share after she saves him with the ‘he ditched me for another girl’ story; she didn’t want to turn this positive experience into a bad one for him. I just love the look and smiles; I want them both to always be happy! (But we all know that there is a whole lot of pain ahead)

We learn more about how deeply the demon blood, and probably Valentine’s parenting, had affected Sebastian. When he was eight years old he received his first seraph blade, with which he sought out, killed and skinned a werewolf; just to make Valentine proud, holy fuck that’s twisted, but it also shows just how deep his want for Valentine’s approval runs. At the core he is a child vying for attention and approval; but he wants revenge for his suffering and plans to send Valentine to Edom.

Jace and Izzy find Clary who is extremely disorientated; in a previous scene Izzy explained to Jace that the water of Lake Lyn has hallucinogenic properties and if not cured quickly the person can lose their mind. Clary doesn’t recognise them, so when they advance on her (wasn’t particularly well thought out that Izzy came at her with her stele looking like they were gonna stab her, but okay) she attacks them. It was a good fight scene, nicely choreographed. Jace grabs Clary and activates his Iratze rune which seems to transfer and heal Clary. I am not sure how the hell that works because her Iratze didn’t glow and I don’t know the theory behind how he passed her the effect of his own rune. I am just very confused and I hope this gets explained.

I like that Robert acknowledges that he has hurt his children and needs to regain their trust; and that they are the most important people to him (he also included Jace which made me happier than it probably should). I think that Alec needed to hear that he felt remorse for hurting them, but he need Robert to be honest with him. Roberts says that he cannot repeat this secret to anyone, even Magnus; Alec doesn’t promise to keep the secret; I love this because he is not willing to blindly agree to secrecy, especially keeping it from Magnus because he knows how important honesty is in their relationship. Robert drops the ‘bombshell’ that the Clave doesn’t have the Soul Sword, they never did. This wasn’t really a shock for us, the audience, because pretty much everyone had already come to this conclusion; so the anticipation fell a bit flat, but I appreciate the effort.

We go straight to Sebastian who is holding the sword, again not a surprise as we had pretty much figured that out; he is planning on sending the sword to Edom with Valentine. But during Valentine’s speech Sebastian swings the sword at him, the smirk on Val’s face suggests that he had been aiming for that outcome. He proceeds to say a very similar speech to the one he gave Jace in 2x10.

For Jace the sentiment ‘You are my greatest creation’ is an insult, he wants to been seen as a person not an experiment. But for Sebastian it is probably a positive remark, he was raised understanding Valentine’s ‘experiments’ so to be considered the greatest of them is a compliment for him; like hearing ‘I’m the greatest thing my father has ever achieved’.  Also, Sebastian has known nothing but pain for the past 10 years and his greatest desire is his father’s approval; it would make him happy to hear that he is a great creation, a great warrior.

Some people were theorising about Val’s use of the sword and maybe finding a loophole, that he was thinking about Jace or Clary while saying those things to Sebastian or something like that. But I think that he is simply choosing his words, his ‘truths’, carefully; selecting the ones that will appeal to Sebastian the most. He isn’t being asked a direct question, like Jace was in 204, so he can choose what he says and how he says it; he never says that he loves Sebastian for example. He picked up on Sebastian’s need for approval and used that, manipulated the situation to ensure his survival. Yes, he does feel remorse about sending Sebastian to Hell (as proved during his torturing) and he does consider him (probably alongside Clary and Jace) his greatest creations; he had been able to successfully (debatable) create a Shadowhunter with demon blood. He was able to create a Shadowhunter who would kill for him, who was merciless and has powers that even he can’t imagine. So, he is telling the truth, truths that Sebastian wants to hear and that he can use to manipulate the situation.

I think that Simon was very glad Maia came to the dinner with him, it gave his family something/someone else to talk about, it took the focus of him and he knew that she was there is case anything went wrong. Plus, he has been able to learn more about her and realise that maybe he hasn’t been the nest friend to her and that’s something he can improve. I definitely approve of the cheek kiss, Simon is not ready to jump into another relationship and Maia deserves more than being a rebound.

Alec has told Izzy about the sword, he needed someone he trusted and who is a Shadowhunters to confide in; plus she was suspicious of what Robert was hiding. He knows that she will help him decide what to do with the information and support him. She asks if he will tell Magnus, she looks anxious which is understandable. The sword, that killed hundreds of Downworlders nearly taking Magnus and Raphael with it, is missing; and the Clave has lied to them all. It is hard to know what the right thing to do is; Magnus and the Downworlders deserve to know that the threat is still out there, but it could cause mass panic. Alec looks undecided and it will be interesting to see how he deals with this.

Jace and Clary are looking at the journals they recovered from the cabin, after they and Izzy found it empty, they are full of notes on him and Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern. It is revealed that they were opposite ends of the same experiment and Valentine was studying them both to see the effects the different blood would have on them. When Clary notices one was dated only 10 years ago she realises that Itheriul meant that her brother is alive; this is a big deal for her. She thought that the only biological family she had left was Valentine, know she knows that her brother is out there and she will be desperate to find him, he is her last family connection; she will be eager to form a relationship.

The last scene is Valentine serving dinner to Sebastian in his New York apartment. Valentine still seems a little reserved, almost subservient to Sebastian; it is clear that he still holds some fear of him and is wary of him. He doesn’t know what could potential set Sebastian off, he doesn’t know the extent of his powers or what his plan is. Valentine is biding his time, keeping himself alive and learning about his son; who at the moment is largely unknown to him.

The last two things I want to discuss are the difference of behaviours from Valentine when he is with Jace and Sebastian; and the blood that he gave them.

When Val is with Jace he is his usual cocky, smug and confident self; even when he was imprisoned. He knew how to manipulate Jace; he knew what his ideals, motivations and weakness were. He knew who to threaten and what emotions he could play on to manipulate and get a reaction from Jace.

It is vastly different from his behaviour with Sebastian; firstly he is clearly shocked to see him and is anxious, even scared, of what his son is capable of. He was scared of him enough 10 years ago to send him to Hell, now that he is an adult who had learnt how to use his demon blood he is even more dangerous. He doesn’t know the extent of his powers or what his motivations are; Sebastian is very unpredictable and Valentine isn’t sure how to manipulate him, or at least attempt to without causing backlash. He knows that he has to be careful with how he proceeds because of how volatile Sebastian can be, the only thing that he can use right now is Sebastian’s need for approval. It will be interesting to watch their future interactions and how Valentine handles the situation.

Secondly, the blood; why give your own child demon blood which you consider ‘dirty’ and someone else’s child ‘superior’ angel blood? I have a couple of theories.

1.       He envies the powers and abilities that Downworlders have and wants to harness them; so to create a Shadowhunter with demon blood would seem to be a superior being, with the strengths and powers of both species. Like he said to Jace in 201(?), fighting fire with fire.

2.       That he injected Jace’s mother with angel blood first, as per her request to help her come to term, and then later injected an unborn Sebastian. The opportunity arose to inject an unborn Shadowhunter child with angel blood, with consent from the parent, so it would make sense that he would take the opportunity to study the differences between angel and demon blood by injecting his own unborn child with demon blood. But this theory only works out if Jace and Sebastian are the same age, which I don’t know.

I am leaning more towards the first theory; he wants to create the ultimate warrior by attempting to combine two very powerful blood types in one person, to have the abilities of both.

Okay, I’m done.

Overall, I enjoyed this episode not as much as others but it is still a good episode; and we got some great back stories as well as some useful information. I am very excited for the final four episodes.

[blueyellow8green]

Voltron Season 8

Okay so I wasn’t going to say anything but I just had to now I’m not saying Voltron is perfect and there are some pretty obvious mistakes. But we’re forgetting all the good things too.

For started Zethrids relationship! A lesbian couple who are completely overlooked by the fandom. They love each other and are healthy like right there!

Baby Lotor and Honerva. They really resonated with me especially in the alternate reality scene where he called Honerva out for her bull****. But it’s an accurate representation of a toxic mother child relationship which is rarely portrayed. It’s normally the father that is demonised. Voltron is a kids show and that can show a child that well parents can be manipulative. My mother was but we are all taught that our parents are always right. That’s not the case.

We had a gay relationship and yes it was rushed it was thrown in. Don’t hate on Curtis he’s doing his best. But even if it wasn’t the perfect portrayal it did show my brother that anyone can be gay (he’s not homophobic he’s just a 5 year old) even war hero. It was an eye opener he’s never seen a gay wedding before either and he was so happy that Shiro was happy regardless of the bad plot.

Hunk and Pidge are happy. They are accomplishing their dreams doing whatever makes them happy even after everything and are not letting it affect their lives. They fought as hard as everyone else and still pursud a new job still keeping peace. Loving those close to them. They also weren’t forced into an awkward romance like Pidges father hinted at a season or two ago. A romance joke was a joke and not foreshadowing, that’s rare.

Now onto some bad things.

Allurance. The ship or relationship isn’t terrible because it’s not what you wanted. I myself wanted a klance arc but I didn’t happen and that’s okay. What’s not okay is a rushed relationship that was forced into the first episode and pushed on the characters and the viewers. If any relationship with Lance had been portrayed that way I wouldn’t be happy regardless whether I ship it. It was a toxic relationship Allura didn’t listen to or support Lance in most if any ways. It was one sided and left Lance heartbroken that is gutting for a viewer who loves this character. This I believe was the worst part about the season is the way they treated Lances character even in the end it was about Allura and his unconditional love and support for her. Allura’s sacrifice and death made me cry I’ll admit but the way she left Lance made me cry more. It left it in a way that he’ll never love again.

Okay this one doesn’t really apply to the fandom but more to the actual TV show. The imagery they showed for a kids show and a cartoon was graphic. I mean many clear deaths and trauma. A rotting corpse. My brother was genuinely upset and concerned which is not what I want when watching a show with him.

Coran. Coran has not gotten the recognition he deserves. He lost everything his friends, family and the girl who was like a daughter to him but he kept going and supported them all. We need more people like him he was the comedy relief that we needed that wasn’t either self-deprecating or annoying.

We never truly had a load back episode. After two seasons of back to back war, fighting, death and loss i would expect an episode that is laid back and funny. Maybe in a sitcom like style. We had the “Clear Day” episode but still that led to Allura obtaining the dark entity.

The ending was too short. We had a snapshot of their lives after the war. That’s all we get. Hunk a chef. Pidge with her family being a techy. Lance on his farm, trying to recover. Shiro married with Curtis. Keith leading a humanitarian effort. That’s all. It’s just so cut off. I’ve been with this show since the beginning. And that’s all we get. Alongside a image of the team. It doesn’t sit right with me and many others.

Okay some more quick good things to end this on a good note.

Slav and his socks.

An intense series that teaches children about teamwork, greed and manipulation, POLITICS, gay marriage, war and its realities alongside sacrifice.

Ponytail Keith

Galra!Keith and Altean!Lance

The altean people get to be happy.

Lances family.

Honerva backstory.

Axca and the squad being ledgends.

Space.

The Lions being individuals and having a truly key part in the sorry and are definetley not just viewed as weapons anymore. The original paladins including Zarkons semi-redemption.

THE DOCUMENTARY EPISODE.

Its the end and I almost can’t believe it. But to the fandom please don’t hate on its creators because your ship isn’t cannon. Be constructive! The plot was off and explain why and what made you as a viewer uncomfortable. But also it’s the end this is what it’s gonna be and that’s not gonna change and we have to accept that and move one as much as I don’t want to. Complaining and shouting won’t get us anywhere.

Goodbye Voltron we’ve had to good and bad times. But you were and always will be an amazing show that helped me connect with my brother and enjoy something with him that we can both understand. Thank you.

P.s this wasn’t edited wrote it and just posted it. It’s 2am I have a lot of feels.

[haledamage]

So my free time has evaporated, but I still want to finish the MEA Countdown thing, so here’s all the ones left that I haven’t done, including the ones that haven’t come up yet, so I can make sure I get them done :)

19 Days: Where would Ryder fall in the classic Paragon/Renegade morality system? What would their D&D alignment be? If you know their personality type in any personality typing systems (such as MBTI and Enneagram - you can find various type descriptions and tests using Google), feel free to add and discuss them here.

Lottie is very strongly paragon, unless you fuck with her brother or her friends, in which case she is not above kicking you out a window. She’d probably be neutral/chaotic good; she’s a good person through and through, but she’s not above sowing a little chaos if the mood strikes, and she can be positively ruthless to enemies.

18 Days: What qualities does Ryder like and dislike in other people? Are there any things they particularly appreciate or can’t stand?

She likes empathy and curiosity. She likes people who care, basically, whether that be about knowledge or experiences or other people, she likes when people care about something. The worst thing a person can be, in her opinion, is apathetic.

17 Days: List some of Ryder’s favorite things - colors, food, music, etc. Is there anything of this nature that they hate? Do they have any hobbies or skills outside of combat?

Lottie loves music, and usually has something playing on her private channel on her com. She also tends to hum to herself, which I imagine would annoy SAM to no end if he’s capable of annoyance. Her favorite color is sea green, and she has a terrible sweet tooth; her favorite foods are mostly desserts, her most favorite being ice cream.

Outside of combat, she’s a tinker. She likes to build little things, or work on cars. She also makes some really nice jewelry, when the mood strikes.

16 Days: How would Ryder define their sexuality?

Pansexual. She cares more about forming connections with people, and it doesn’t really matter to her their gender or species.

15 Days: Delve into the Ryder family background - how is/was their relationship with their father, sibling and mother? Do they get along, hero worship, close twin connection, sibling rivalry, was it strained, was it distant, etc.

Scotty and Lottie have always been very close. Scott is her best friend. Mom and Dad both worked a lot, but tried their best, which Lottie understands, though she sometimes wishes they’d been closer.

14 Days: Describe some important or formative events in Ryder’s history. How did these impact and shape them?

When her biotics developed was pretty important, obviously. The fact that she's a biotic while her twin brother isn't was interesting to a lot of scientists, so she spent a lot of time in labs and hospitals “under observation.” It awakened a curiosity in her about how the world works, though, and she went to college for anthropology. It also awoke her wanderlust, as she learned she really didn't like sitting around all day.

13 Days: Why did Ryder join the Alliance military? Later on, what were Ryder’s reasons for signing up to the Andromeda Initiative? Were they seeking adventure (or glory, or a challenge), wanting a new start, running from something, following their family, trying to secure a future for humanity, did they simply feel railroaded into it, etc.

She joined the Alliance to see the galaxy, and because they'd pay for college. The Andromeda Initiative was a no-brainer. Lottie and Scott were both excited about it as soon as Dad told them about it; wanderlust is a family trait, and the Ryders were all very much on board to boldly go.

12 Days: How will Ryder feel upon waking up from cryo? Relieved, excited, scared, impatient to get going, lost, etc.

All of those, yes. Lottie first felt relieved that she actually woke up, then overwhelmed as the full weight of what they were undertaking settled over her. The excitement of exploring the unknown won her over fairly quickly, though.

11 Days: Once in Andromeda, what are Ryder’s goals? What drives them?

Pursuit of knowledge. Finding a safe place for her people to live. Finding her place in Andromeda.

10 Days: Will Ryder ever miss the Milky Way? What things and places will they miss most?

She does sometimes. She misses her old Alliance friends, and her apartment in the Citadel wards. She misses takeout food and microbrew beer and other little things that she never thought about until they were 600 years behind her.

9 Days: Did Ryder have any notable friends or connections in the Milky Way? How about past relationships? Which friendship or relationship was the most significant to them?

She doesn't have any really close friends she left behind. She was a rambler, and never stayed in one place long enough to form close friendships. She's friendly and open, though, so she made friends easily enough. Her closest friend has always been her brother.

8 Days: How does Ryder feel about aliens? Are they uncomfortable, wary, intrigued, curious, intimidated, not bothered, etc? In the Milky Way, where did they stand on humanity’s place in galactic society - Earth first, Terra Firma, human superiority, peaceful cooperation, pro-galactic integration & unity, etc? How will they feel upon discovering that there are sentient alien races in Andromeda?

Lottie is curious of aliens and other cultures. She loves to learn about other people's perspectives and try and understand their way of life. She is very pro-galactic integration, and wants to take that same approach to any alien races she meets in Andromeda. She believes that we're stronger together than apart.

7 Days: Ryder’s father gave the twins informal N7 training in the past. How did Ryder feel about this (pressured, resentful, grateful, motivated, overworked, excited, etc)? What are their feelings on “N7” as a symbol? How do they relate to it, if at all?

She recognized it as what it was: her dad trying to connect with his kids. It wasn't something she was really interested in, but she wanted to know her dad better and that was a way to do it. N7 never really meant much to her, and it was never something she aspired to, but she recognizes that it means a lot to her father, and that's enough for her.

6 Days: Does your Ryder know your Shepard? What do they think of Shepard? Would they get along? What would Shepard think of Ryder?

Lottie knows of Alexi Shepard, of course. Everyone knows of Shepard, but they've never met. She appreciates what the Commander does for humanity's relationship with the other Council races. I think they'd get along, though. Both are people who put others before themselves, and I think they'd find a lot of common ground there.

5 Days: Out of the squadmates, Tempest crewmembers and other characters shown so far, who do you think Ryder will get along well with? Who do you think they will get along best with? Why?

Lottie and Peebee will bond over the joy of exploration, and she and Suvi over a love of science. I don't think there's anyone she won't get along with. She and Liam will get along best, though. Both are idealists and proud space cowboys, and that along with the bonding power of fighting side by side will make them nearly inseparable.

4 Days: Out of the squadmates, Tempest crewmembers and other characters shown so far, is there anyone you think Ryder won’t gel so greatly with, dislike or otherwise come into conflict with? Why?

She'll probably get along with everyone, as least to be polite to, but she and Cora may butt heads a little. Cora knew Alec better than Lottie every did, and she'll always be a little jealous of that; Lottie ended up in a job that should have been Cora's, though, and that'll she'll always be a little jealous of that. They'll be friends, but I think that wedge will always be between them. She and Drack may have trouble seeing eye to eye, as well, as she prefers diplomacy as the answer and he much prefers to punch his way out of an argument; she'd wholeheartedly trust him at her back, though.

3 Days: Do you plan on romancing anyone with Ryder? If so, who? Why? What qualities would Ryder find attractive in a partner (if applicable)?

Lottie will either romance Liam, Peebee, or Vetra. I love all of them a lot and I don't know who I'll choose until it happens. She'd be very attacted to Vetra's intensity, Peebee's curiosity, and Liam's optimism (and to their faces, because they're all beautiful). I think Liam may end up edging out the ladies and winning Lottie's heart, just because they go through a lot of shit together before they ever meet Vetra and Peebee, and his support and compassion when she needed it most is something she would never forget.

2 Days: Provide a “famous quote” from Ryder that sums them up as a character (like the ones for the squadmates in their official character profiles).

“We're like the Enterprise, Scotty! Boldly going where no one has gone before!” (maybe I'll eventually finish and post the thing I wrote in which she says this lol)

1 Day: Which song/songs would be “theme songs” for Ryder? Are there any symbols you associate with Ryder? If you’ve created a moodboard for them, share it here. If not, what sorts of things would be on their moodboard? Describe their aesthetic. What Hogwarts house would they be sorted into? If you’ve written fanfic involving Ryder already, share it here. [you don’t need to do all of these, they’re merely intended as creative exercises]

“Born for This” - Paramore, “Wherever I Roam” - Metallica. Her aesthetic is cups of coffee and half-built machines, long walks under the stars and notebooks full to bursting and piles of photographs, blue and pink and black. She's probably a Griffindor, maybe a Ravenclaw?

1 Day too long: In Citadel space, AIs are illegal. How does Ryder feel about Artificial Intelligence? Are they wary or afraid, are they pro-AI, do they consider AIs to have personhood, etc? How does Ryder feel about SAM and their constant connection to it? Are they glad for the upgrade, do they find it invasive, have mixed feelings, etc?

She doesn't have a problem with AI. I don't know if she considers them all like people, because there are different levels of AI, but she thinks they have the capacity to become person-like. She loves SAM, she loves its bad attempts at humor and the way it always reminds her to eat and makes sure she doesn't overwork herself.

2 Days too long: How does Ryder feel about being thrust into the role of humanity’s Pathfinder (burdened, honored, rewarded, excited, etc)? Are they confident or unsure about this? How will they cope?

She is terrified, but wouldn't admit it even under torture. Pathfinder isn't a role that was meant for her, not really, and the fact that she's now burdened with the literal survival of the human race, maybe even the whole Initiative, is terrifying. She's her father's daughter, though, and knows that nothing was ever accomplished by giving up, so she does the best she can and trusts in her team and her friends. She's not alone, and that's what really keeps her going.

[terresdebrumestories]

Watching with Fanfan: Shadowhunters

Season 02 - Episode 01: This guilty blood

No reviews on this blog for months, and we’re picking up the habit—though certainly not the same rhythm I had going last summer, I’m afraid—with a Shadowhunters review. I’m starting to think I might be part of this fandom, after all, even if it’s a fairly specific fringe of it.

Anyway, I know I never finished the detailed criticism of season one, mostly because I never really had enough time for it—and also because watching every episode once is far more than enough for my taste—but I have now watched the first episode of Season 2 and since I’ve been asked to share my opinion of it, I might as well seize the occasion to get back to reviewing things.

In this case, sadly—but unsurprisingly enough, if you know the show and what my problems with it are—there isn’t much good to be said.

Last season ended when Jace, under threat, followed Valentine to his lair with the Mortal Cup in their possession. This, understandably, threw everyone in a feat of panic and, when the episode opens, we see Clary hop up on Valentine’s ship, more-or-less says she’s here to rescue Jace...and proceeds to spend the next five minutes doing nothing but look vaguely anxious while Jace fights with and kills Valentine.

Obviously, it turns out—several scenes later—that Jace didn’t really kill Valentine, who was in fact masquerading as Clary to test Jace’s loyalty...so in other words, we open with a scene that is both sexist (in that, as usual, “Clary” has zero influence on the plot and, when “she” does, it’s by getting revealed as Valentine’s disguise) and utterly pointless because the entire conflict of it turns out to be a fake out. It’s not quite as annoying as opening on a dream sequence—which I thought it was at first—but it’s still starting with something that goes nowhere.

(Some may argue that the point was to show us Jace doesn’t want to be with Valentine, but considering he was blackmailed/threatened into following the villain in the first place, that point has already been made last season, and even if you want to re-make it for the newcomers, there are other ways to do it, thank you very much.)

As far as the general quality of the episode goes, though, the opening is actually a fairly good indicator of what we’re about to get.

True, the plot sort of moves forward, in that ever-confusing way that comes when things evolve because the plot demands it and not because the characters really do anything useful. Clary continues to react to the plot—when, in good storytelling, the plot should react to her—while saying things that make it sound like she’s acting while, in effect, we mostly just see her stand around and complain.

(Example: At one point of the episode, Clary is supposed to be locked in the Institute. To get out, she uses a glamour that makes her look like Aldertree, the new Clave representative who was sent from Idris because we like Lydia now. This is accompanied by a grossly misused quote from “The art of war” and about ten seconds of Luke being confused as to why Aldertree speaks to him. Do we see Clary put the glamour on? No. Do we see her figure out how to use said glamour without being caught mid-lie? No. Isabelle gave her an idea—aka: Clary didn’t even come up with her brilliant idea on her own—then jazz hands and voila, no problem, no conflict, no use for our heroine, she can go straight to the ‘be locked out of the action by another character’ part of the episode.)

The fact that the plot moves on its own by virtue of ‘It has to move’ more than real logic for the most part—or at least, not a logic that makes sense to me in terms of how characters react—is, honestly, not the biggest problem this show has, though. I mean, let’s face it, sometimes a story where the plot advances because it has to (as opposed to advancing because the hero does something) can be enjoyable enough, if not the best in the world. It’s not really my thing, but it happens.

The biggest problem in this episode, imported straight from season one, is that it literally will not let go of its offensive tropes.

Aside from the fact that all the Adults are Useless at best, or obstacles at worst—like Maryse who, we’re supposed to resent for “trying to take back the Institute from Lydia” (1), which we were rooting for her to do last season, and who went from having Jace as a favorite to literally saying it was a mistake to take Valentine’s son in(2) (3)—Shadowhunters also continues with its dubious casting choice for the minor characters. The guy who gets killed while posing as Valentine? A black man. The vampire who massacred her family, killed innocent people, and is a meanie to Jace so he can kill her illegally? A woman of color. The Bad Guy that was sent from Idris? A black man. His co-minor villain? A woman of color. Do we continue?

I mean, this is far from the worst I’ve seen in terms of racism, and I suppose that’s a good thing—somewhat...is ‘not as bad as it could be’ a good thing, really?—but that doesn’t mean these choices are innocent given the racial context of US TV (4) and the show shouldn’t be let off the hook from it just because it has four main-ish characters of color—aka Luke, Simon, Magnus and Isabelle, though in Izzy’s case (as in Maryse’s case) it’s unclear if we’re supposed to read the character as a woman of color.

Plus, if you thought racism was the only problem in the series, you’d be wrong. I’ve talked extensively about the problems with Magnus and Alec’s relationship last season—and before that, I’ve discussed the problems with the way they’ve been handled in the books—so if you were already reading this blog last year this may sound a little repetitive, but here it is anyway: Malec, as a relationship, is incredibly badly handled.

Aside from Magnus’ depiction as a an aggressively—and creepily—sexual guy (5) who has repeatedly ignored Alec’s boundaries and requests throughout the first season, this first episode (re–) establishes several things that don’t do anything to endear me to the relationship.

First, this episode takes place a few days—maybe a week, top—after Alec outed himself by publicly dumping the woman he was supposed to marry (which, by the way, would have been a politically advantageous move for him and his family) thereby standing to “lose everything” (6) and they’re already fighting. Considering they’ve known each other for a grand total of one month, at the very best and that they got together less than one week ago, Alec and Magnus should be in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. The fact that they aren’t doesn’t speak well for their future as a couple.

Second, we now know that Alec is willing to use emotional blackmail against Magnus (“Why won’t you [help me do something that could kill me and therefore land you in trouble] after everything I’ve done/sacrificed for you?”) which is a tactic of abuse and a definitely shitty thing to do to anyone. True, Alec is (implicitly) called out on it an he apologizes later on, but that doesn’t change the fact that Magnus would have every right to dump him right then and there, thank you very much.

Third, during their second scene, Magnus entirely dismisses the risks Alec took in order to be with him (which, might I add, Magnus pretty much harassed Alec into). True, this is as much shitty worldbuilding as it is bad characterization, but given that Shadowhunters were established as very homophobic in season one (again: “I could lose everything”, plus the mention Magnus made of “Don’t ask, don’t tell”) Magnus saying that Alec “didn’t sacrifice anything for [him]” makes him an asshole who Alec would have had every right to dump right then and there, thank you very much. In short—and I might get flame for this again but that won’t change the truth of it—Magnus and Alec are terribly bad for each other, their relationship is dysfunctional at best, unhealthy at worst, and no amount of fake hype, freeform propaganda or straight fetishistic fangirl screaming will convince me otherwise.

So, what can I say to conclude this review? None of what I saw yesterday night—yeah, it took me two days to download the thing. I’m questioning my life choices—was a surprise. The problems present in this first episode were already present last season, and I’m fairly sure they’ll still be present this season. Hopefully, they won’t get worst. Either way, I’m probably going to keep watching, if only for a while—and to motivate me into working on my rewrite project—but I’m also going to keep telling everyone I know not to embark on that franchise. There are, after all, less infuriating trainwrecks to watch ;)

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

(1) We’re supposed to believe Lydia & Izzy when they assume Maryse is the one who decided to ask for the Clave to send someone new to direct operations. It’ll probably turn out to be true, given that the show wants to make her into the bad parent, but in real life (or a setting meant to imitate real life) you don’t always decide who is appointed to supervise you.

(2) Remember: back in Season 1 Maryse, like everyone else, thought Jace was a Wayland. Now, for some reason, she’s acting like she knew about his dad all along and is regretting her choices. Outstanding characterization and logic right there.

(3) I’m actually more forgiving of what they did with Jocelyn given that they establish Jace’s demon blood in this episode, too. I’m expecting the reveal to be uselessly dragged out next week, and for the whole determinism thing to grow at least as ridiculous and nonsensical—and hypocritical—as it was in the books, but at least it makes sense for Jocelyn to try and shoot Jace. It makes zero sense for Maryse to suddenly despise Jace, and it’s also not required to explain why she doesn’t want to look for him too hard.

(4) Western media in general has a race problem, don’t get me wrong, but Shadowhunters is a US TV show so let’s stick to the context at hand.

(5) A trope used to paint both bisexuals—which Magnus is—and men of color in a negative light, might I add. Admittedly, I’m not sure if Asian men are more often oversexualized or desexualized so I might be wrong on that one. Still rubs me the wrong way though.

(6) Direct quote from Alec’s season 1 dialogue.

[aion-rsa]

Rick and Morty Season 5 Finale Review

https://ift.tt/2YvqrFQ

This RICK AND MORTY review contains spoilers.

Rick and Morty Season 5 Finale

It’s been a while, so let’s first recap the consistent problems with season five of Rick and Morty. Problem one is that characterization feels like it’s either pushed aside in favor of crazy, silly sci-fi nonsense or lost in a muddle of convoluted sci-fi nonsense. Problem two is that episodes are so overloaded with plot and dialogue delivered at such breakneck speed that there’s either no time for jokes or, packed in with everything else going on in these overstuffed episodes, they just don’t land. The missing characterization issue isn’t exclusive to season five, but the lack of laughs is; this has easily been the least-funny season yet.

Now, finally, after a month’s wait, we get the two-part season finale! Does it manage to avoid the problems that have haunted this season until now?

Not really! But some of it certainly looked cool.

“Forgetting Sarick Mortshall”

Though they’re both about testing the strength of Rick and Morty’s relationship and the first does directly lead into the next by virtue of… crows… these really are two separate episodes with two different focuses and tones. This first one is closer to a “normal” season five episode. Sure, it’s got Rick pissing Morty off so much that he goes off on his own anti-Rick adventure (with a dude fittingly named Nick), but, for the majority of the runtime, it’s not handled like it’s all that big of a deal.

Regardless, the inciting incident here of Morty accidentally getting portal juice on his hand, thus creating a portal in his hand that connects to Nick’s thigh is a really clever one. It’s unfortunate that an odd side effect of a series with a premise that allows for infinite sci-fi possibilities is that many concepts, no matter how much creative effort is put behind them, feel like retreads that fall into a similar category (e.g., the season premiere with its Narnia world that evolved at hyper-speed felt not entirely dissimilar from the sequence of Morty living an entire life in “The Vat of Acid Episode” which, in turn, felt not so dissimilar from that time he played Roy: A Life Well Lived). However, this portal in the hand thing feels totally new and fresh.

They get some good mileage out of it too, with some cool action sequences (like Jackie Chan!) and inspired moments like Morty making a dude eat shit, literally, by transferring the contents of a chamber pot by way of the hand/thigh portal system or when Nick takes control of the car Morty’s driving by sticking his hand through Morty’s portal hand. It’s also used smartly in the most effective dramatic moment in “Forgetting Sarick Mortshall” when Morty chooses to destroy his portal connection to Rick by placing his hand on a train track so that it’s severed off, and then drops the hand-portal into Nick’s thigh-portal to kill him. It’s all very clever, well-executed stuff, though, typing it out, it sure sounds weird.

How Morty comes to the decision to sever his hand and connection to Nick is less well-executed. It unfortunately brought to mind the episode with Planetina, perhaps the worst of season five, as in both episodes Morty realizes the person he’s spending time with ain’t so great because—shock horror—they’re cool with killing innocent people! Yes, Morty has a moral core, so it’s not like it doesn’t make some sense, but it’s just that, with the amount of people he and Rick murder out of petty anger or just by happenstance all the time, it feels like they need to sell his change of heart a little more.

The other half of this episode is about Rick replacing Morty with two crows, at first as a joke, but then he gradually comes to realize crows are actually cool and can teach him about empathy. The idea of it is that this “two crows” thing is engineered to be a silly, one-off inanity, but then the joke becomes so much more as the writers sincerely explore the concept. However, it never really successfully elevates itself above its initial inane premise. I still just found myself thinking “What is this crow bullshit? Why crows?”

It’s also becoming a bit of a predictable Rick and Morty staple that characters that appear incidental at first actually have a whole society and way of life we get to learn all about (the face-huggers, the Narnia people, the Chuds). It’s an obvious plot device to return to seeing as this is a sci-fi series about visiting new universes and alien worlds all the time, so it would be irrational to suggest they stop doing it altogether, but did this particular plot really need to go in that direction? The introduction of the crow society comes out of nowhere and it isn’t convincing that Rick decides to follow a path of empathy with his two crows right after he just killed a whole bunch of other crows. Anyway, the only thing that makes the crow plot “interesting” is that the writers commit to it so hard it carries into the next episode.

Season five style, “Forgetting Sarick Mortshall,” is not funny. I chuckled at the very last moment in the tag when Garbage Goober said “Mmm, trash, I love trash” and I smiled at Rick’s (possibly improv’d) rant about watching sitcoms on your shoes, but that was about it. Still, at least there were the aforementioned clever moments and it got a tiny bit emotional when Morty told Rick “I miss you, man” and when Rick admitted their relationship was abusive.

“Rickmurai Jack”

Lore, lore, lore! How do you like it? Hopefully you like it lots because “Rickmurai Jack” is chock full of the stuff!

The Rick and Morty team, however, absolutely hate it! Well, they can’t totally hate it, or they wouldn’t have bothered to make this episode, but they definitely have an acrimonious relationship with continuity and canon. Dan Harmon has stated before that giving Rick a tragic backstory would ruin the character and Rick himself reaffirms that opinion in the episode. In fact, the writers can’t help themselves in breaking the fourth wall throughout to remind us how much Rick hates canon and how it’s better to “keep it episodic.”

It’s understandable why they resent canon. It’s got to be much easier to write one-off, funny sci-fi adventures than to sustain serialized plots told over multiple episodes. Unfortunately for them, way the hell back in season one Rick and Morty destroyed their universe, killed alternate universe versions of themselves, and took their places. The series kept this plot point intact, referencing it later, and also gradually made Morty’s character more jaded in response to this, as well as the many other horrors he witnessed. In other words, they made this canon bed and now they have to have adventures in it (I know how this sounds and I’m fine with it).

Before it gets to all that serious canon, however, “Rickmurai Jack” has to honor the continuity of the previous episode by tidying away the stupid crow plot. The continuity is certainly sound: the crows weren’t funny in the last episode and they’re not funny in this one either! There’s an anime intro. There are villains whose names flash on the screen in big letters. There’s an arch-villain named CrowScare who has sex with Rick’s crows. Yeah. Fine. At least this part is done away with relatively quickly. (Side note: Odd that Rick becomes a bird-based superhero and yet there is nary a reference to Bird Person.)

Read more

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After this, the episode maintains the season five status quo by continuing to be unfunny. I don’t believe I laughed at this one at all, although I liked Evil Morty’s line, “I lied. That second seat’s a toilet.” The lack of comedy is a bit more forgivable, however, as “Rickmurai Jack” isn’t trying as hard to be funny. This really is the loreiest lorepisode they’ve ever done and so the focus is on backstory and continuity to do with Evil Morty’s long-gestating plan.

As one of the annoying nerds constantly complaining that this show doesn’t do enough character development anymore, I know I’m supposed to be thankful for this episode (Rick angrily says as much) and I am, somewhat. It’s cool to see Evil Morty again and to hear his awesome theme music. Personally, I was never asking for Rick backstory and I’m a bit surprised his origins more or less are just the easy answer of “dead wife” after all, but sure, that’s fine. More profound and fucked up is the origin of all the Mortys in the multiverse, engineered by Ricks to be the perfect sidekick.

I just wish all this development hadn’t been given to me, season five style, in such volume at such speed. The fact of the matter is I was straight-up confused about what the hell was going on sometimes. I understood Evil Morty’s plan enough to get that he’s extricating himself from the cycle of Ricks and Mortys (and maybe ending the cycle forever?), but where did he fly to? Did he kill every Rick and Morty ever except our protagonists and whoever they escaped with or just everyone in the Citadel for some reason? Did he remove all portal fluid from the multiverse? I also lost the plot of Rick’s backstory, not understanding why he was going around killing all these other Ricks until I watched it back and realized he was going after the Rick who had killed his wife and kid Beth; I still feel it could’ve been more clearly presented though. Also confusing was the sequence in Rick uses some of his blood to create Big Boy(?) who… transfers power to Rick when he’s attacked… or something?

Look, I know how this goes. I’m a stupid moron and the nerds in the comments will be more than ready to let me know that everything that was confusing to me was, in fact, completely obvious, duh-doy, and here’s why and I should stop watching the series, and so on, and so forth. However, something I’ve always marveled at (as I did only two episodes ago) with Rick and Morty is, despite how crazy and layered its ambitious plotting gets, I never lose track of what’s happening. So, either my very high IQ is dropping points or this shit was kind of confusing.

Regardless, it’s appreciated the creators of this show finally gave in and threw a bunch of continuity and canon in my whining face. It just would’ve been nicer if it had been delivered in a clearer way that was easier to process and to feel something about. Like, every time Evil Morty has appeared in the series, he’s been an intimidating and chilling presence. I did get chills when his theme song kicked in this time, but that was more of a Pavlovian response earned from his previous appearances. Otherwise, I was just bewildered by all the information being chucked at me. Still, if nothing else, it was certainly a cool-looking spectacle.

What’s best about this episode is what it sets up for the next season. Who knows how long they’ll stick with this, but it’s implied that Rick is out of portal juice, which makes him that much less god-like and which could maybe, finally, reintroduce some actual stakes into Rick and Morty instead of every episode being about a sarcastic unstoppable murderous sci-fi family. I truly do look forward to that.

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The other best thing is Mr. Poopybutthole’s profound advice that we should be brave enough to love the people who love us back. Thank you for your wisdom, Mr. Poopybutthole.

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