#axis and claudia

[lellarps]

‘👀’ for Claudia and Axis!

A fellow Warrior, Evar, had also been in that boat at some point— utterly taken by a human, decades ago... but said human passed due to old age. Now, Evar came to Axis with a supposedly friendly forewarning that got him nothing but snarls: Axis was not taking any of that shitty story. Claudia's human life might be short... but he'd certainly make Evar's shorter if he insisted on this subject. "The only aspect about Princess Claudia's future that concerns you, is her and our child's safety. Unless you want your flesh to be torn by my teeth and your horns to adorn our nest " he spat.

@archxngxl

[lellarps]

Not that Axis hadn't known of her brother's reputation back in her homeland, but once the fae was lost in rage, such fact drifted unrecognized for most of it. If Axis had any doubts of her brother's words, though, they certainly eased. For the worst of the storm within had passed. And he did trust Claudia.

"...I can," he murmured, the words carrying a note of surprise, as though even he hadn’t expected this concession. His shoulders lowered slightly, the tension still coiling in his veins, but no longer in full command.

The plan had been to send the bird immediately. To focus on the next move in the game.

But staying here—with her and their child—sounded infinitely better.

A rare smile curved his lips, though even in its softness, it retained the wild edge of his nature. Feral. Unyielding. Yet unmistakably genuine.

He pulled her smaller form into his embrace, wrapping her securely in his arms. The tension in his body seemed to melt away, replaced by warmth. His gaze flicked to the pool of water nearby, the faint steam rising from it hinting at the strange warmth of this hidden space within the chain of caves.

"Shall I fly with you back to our nest, my love?" he asked, his tone softer now, almost tender. As he spoke, his nose brushed gently against her hair, the gesture equal parts affection and instinct.

She hoped that Axis would stay true to his word, and try to listen. She understood he was raised differently with different goals than her, but they could both work on changing themselves for the better. "I can assure you my brother doesn't go back on his word. It would dishonorable." Claudia had even seen knights executed for the crime of oath breaking.

Piero was a warrior, considered himself to be an honorable one. He would not allow this to go south, she knew it .

"I'd like that, yes." Claudia was already thinking of what to put on the note. Despite her anger towards him, she began to mellow out. All she wanted now was to be held by his strong hands, to lay on his chest and hear his heart beat. "But could we...could we just rest for a while?" The woman asked.

"You can rest after a mission like that, can't you?"

[rosesocietyy]

Nobody speak to me for the next 15 business days I'm so fucking serious I need to invent a way to inject this shit into my bloodstream

[aphrodeiities]

𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔩𝔬𝔤𝔶 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔟𝔦𝔤 𝔰𝔦𝔵 𝔰𝔲𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔪𝔬𝔡𝔢𝔩𝔰

chart reading; four spots left!

intuitive readings still open

dm me for more info and follow for more content!

i've done research of all the big six supermodels and i'll list them down before i dissect which placements appeared the most!

in this post, i focus on signs, sign doms, planet doms, degrees and houses etc, i will not focus on asteroids.

now with the post ⬎ 

CHRISTY TURLINGTON ⬎

sagittarius ascendant 28°

capricorn sun 12° 1h

gemini moon 29° 7h

capricorn mercury 27° 1h

aquarius venus 27° 2h

scorpio mars 2° 10h

libra, capricorn and gemini dominant.

moon, jupiter and saturn dominant.

CINDY CRAWFORD ⬎

cancer ascendant 22°

pisces sun 1° 8h

pisces moon 8° 9h

pisces mercury 13° 9h

capricorn venus 28° 7h

pisces mars 16° 9h

pisces, cancer and capricorn dominant.

moon, mars and venus dominant.

CLAUDIA SCHIFFER ⬎

scorpio ascendant 10°

virgo sun 1° 10h

gemini moon 20° 8h

virgo mercury 26° 11h

libra venus 17° 11h

leo mars 24° 10h

virgo, scorpio and leo dominant.

mars, sun and pluto dominant.

KATE MOSS ⬎

taurus ascendant 22°

capricorn sun 25° 9h

scorpio moon 10° 8h

aquarius mercury 0° 10h

aquarius venus 7° 10h

taurus mars 8° 12h

aquarius, capricorn and taurus dominant.

sun, venus and mercury dominant.

LINDA EVANGELISTA ⬎

taurus sun 19°

virgo moon 20°

aries mercury 23°

taurus venus 27°

virgo mars 11°

virgo, taurus and aries dominant.

venus, saturn and moon dominant.

NOAMI CAMPBELL ⬎

capricorn ascendant 22°

gemini sun 1° 4h

sagittarius moon 8° 10h

taurus mercury 13° 3h

gemini venus 28° 5h

gemini mars 16° 5h

gemini, sagittarius and taurus dominant.

neptune, sun and saturn dominant.

NOW ONTO THE DEEPER RESEARCH ⬎

♇ the ascendant that occurred the most was capricorn. however the element of the ascendant that appeared the most was earth and water. the modality of the ascendant that appeared the most was fixed and cardinal.

♇ the sun sign that occurred the most was virgo. but the element of the sun sign that appeared the most was earth and the modality that came up the most was mutable.

though the type of houses they appeared in the most was in cardinal/axis houses.

♇ the moon sign that appeared the most was gemini. the element of the moon sign that appeared the most were air and water. the modality of the moon sign that occurred the most was mutable.

and the type of houses they appeared the most in were mutable houses. specifically 6h and 9h.

♇ the mercury sign that appeared the most were all even, they were virgo, pisces, taurus, aries, capricorn and aquarius. the element that appeared the most was earth and the modality were all even as well. cardinal, fixed and mutable.

though, the type of houses they appeared in the most was the 10h; tied with mutable houses, but leaning onto 10h.

♇ the venus sign that occurred mostly was aquarius, the element that came the most in the research was air, the modality was fixed.

though the houses the venus planet appeared in the most was the 10h but also fixed houses.

♇ lastly, the mars sign that appeared the most was scattered, leo, pisces, scorpio, gemini, virgo and taurus. though the element that appeared the most was water and earth mars. and the modality that occurred the most was fixed.

and the houses the mars planet appeared the most was both the 10h and 12h, but with the other houses it seemed like mutable houses.

♇ the signs in the big six's natal charts that appeared the most was gemini, virgo, and capricorn, [taurus can be included], this is all in order.

♇ the degrees that appeared the most was the 27°, 29° and 0° [1 can be included], but aside from that, when i researched i noticed that all leo degrees appeared, especially in the venus planets.

♇ from the research i've done, i noticed that most of these big six models had 10h, 9h and 1h placements, all in order.

♇ the sign dominants that appeared the most is taurus, aries and gemini, in order.

♇ and the planetary dominants that occurred the most was sun, moon, venus and saturn, all in order.

♇ lastly the sign degrees that appeared the most was aries degrees, leo degrees, capricorn degrees and gemini degrees, all in order.

chart reading; four spots left!

intuitive readings still open

dm me for more info

masterlist

pluto

[demigoddessqueens]

First of all I just wanted to thank you for letting me know your requests were open. It makes me so happy to see people still giving Ezio the love he deserves! I don’t usually go for a lot of the more cliche lover tropes but I can’t stop thinking of Childhood best friend Ezio x reader.

What comes to mind is reader and Ezio having a strained relationship prior to his family’s execution due to readers newfound romantic feelings for Ezio and his infatuation with Christina. But once Ezio’s world is flipped on its axis after the murder of his father and brothers that he would seek reader’s help and comfort as he escapes Florence and trains to become an assassin.

I think at first he would be too shaken up and focused on revenge but after a while he would come to realize that he likes the reader. Maybe he would confess then, or perhaps after he kills Uberto.

It’s up to you to decide how you want to write all of this and what format (if you choose this request at all). You definitely don’t have to use my ideas if you don’t want to either, honestly I’d just love to see any type of Ezio x childhood best friend reader content. Thank you so so much for opening requests and for reading this 💗

Speaking my language with the Ezio angst!!! I need moar 💕💔

MASTERLIST 10

You cared for Ezio so much and it hurts. Growing up close with the Auditores was filled with the happiest memories of you, Frederico, Ezio and Claudia together, welcoming Petruccio, but your feelings always ran different with Ezio.

It left you dismayed at the unrequited feelings, and you felt your heart shatter when you heard of his late escapades of getting chased out with Christina.

Yet nothing could prepare you for the tragedy that struck when you heard of what happened to Giovanni and his two sons, your closest friends. There wasn’t time to grieve as you would have liked now that targets were on you and your family’s back, and you had to leave much of what you knew behind.

Only you didn’t expect to see Ezio at the same place of refuge at the end of things. He mentions that he was able to send a final goodbye to his father (with the help of Christina) but you ignore the pangs at your heart. You mourn along with him at the loss of the life you once knew together.

Being friends of friends (or family) of Assassins come with the perks of protection, but nothing you know of is ever the same again. Getting adjusted to your new life leads to unexpectedly wielding a blade, despite the constant wounds

Still, Ezio is there to see you grow and change as you both reach your respective milestones well into adulthood.

When Leonardo comes to see you both, it’s a much needed reprieve you didn’t realize you needed. A sense of normalcy despite all the heartbreak, and you realize how much you miss Ezio’s smile whenever you laugh at each other’s jokes.

Things feel…different. Upheavals so young and facing through them together does bring you closer. You and Ezio talk of the nightmares, seeking revenge, but try not to forget the good times as well.

In his quest against those who wronged him and his family, Ezio still thinks of you. You bring a tether and one close to him who knows what he’s feeling, going through.

There was one time you swore you felt him kiss you when you fell asleep at one of the desks, but you never brought it up since

Still, you heard of the visits he had with Christina and you didn’t think it would still affect you but jealousy works in mysterious ways. The day he lost her was the day you saw something shift in him, beyond the grief and pain from before.

He’s more urgent, stringent on whenever you go on missions or gather intel, and always wants to be by your side. Even Claudia begins to notice the change in her brother

It starts to annoy you at first, Ezio always hovering around you and whenever another person (let alone man) talks to you

“Ezio, this has gone on far too long now! Why are you always hovering near me?!”

“BECAUSE I WONT LOSE ANOTHER! Not those I CARE about!”

Speechless.

You don’t have anything to retort, especially since he still has more to say

“I’ve lost more than enough in one lifetime, and I can’t lose you too. I care for you…maybe even more than that.”

You can only hug him for now, but come the next day there’s still more to say

[gallierhouse]

Thought about Lestat’s childhood and relationship to parenthood more and it’s so sad. He’s doing better. He is. But parenthood has changed so much since he was a child and he’s so disconnected from humanity and he didn’t even want this child, not really, he made her for Louis, and then he still tries his best to be a good parent to her. He tries to be the parent he would’ve liked to have. He tries to be his idea of a good parent. But more than a century’s passed since he’s been human and it’s been even longer since he’s been a child, and the world has continued to spin on its axis, and his ideas about parenthood are more than a century late. The funny thing is that he wasn’t even bad all the time. By the end Claudia hates him and utterly despises him, but it’s obvious she loved him at first, and what breaks her heart is the realization he doesn’t love her as much as she loves him. When she tries to stop his fight with Louis she tells him “it’s me you want” because she thinks her father loves her, at least as much as he loves her other father, because she’s his daughter so of course he loves her, and then she realizes he doesn’t, and she’ll always be second place, and that’s when the heartbreak and hate sets in. But it wasn’t always like that and for a while Lestat did love her, and she loved him. Then she killed him and he executed her.

[raayllum]

since Finnegrin sorta took Aaravos’s place in the rayllum development this season, was wondering if you had any parallels between the two figures specifically? :D

Oh yeah, for sure!!

There's the way they both have this almost gentlemanly, still too sinister to be entirely pleasant but like... calmer outer demeanour? But something cruel and volatile lurking right underneath when they get pissed that will be brutally unleashed if you dare disobey in a way that offends or presents an obstacle to them.

There's their associations with keys and threes (three quasar diamonds, three main mage pawns, three glowtoads, three keys to Finnegrin's door) in addition to being a clearly more rare kind of elf compared to the rest. There's the way they don't actually tend to fight their own battles, per se, but instead use vessels/pawns - for Aaravos, it's his collection of mages, and for Finnegrin, it's Elmer. Ownership and control go hand in hand with both of them. As Finnegrin says, "The chains are just for show," which feels very indicative of Aaravos' whole "I could just possess any of the dark mages in my collection, but I choose to bolster and manipulate them instead" and their reliance on fear.

But the big one, and the reason why I say I can swap them, is that the core prediction I had regarding Callum-Aaravos-Rayla just came true with Finnegrin swapped in for Aaravos - because Finnegrin is pushing forward and developing similar kinds of dilemmas I imagined along the exact same thematic axis those predictions were built off of: control vs freedom tethered together by love.

To me, Callum having a Key of someone who's imprisoned (and its majority negative associations in arc 1, i.e. being the symbol of temptation and dark magic in Callum's fever dreams) as well as Callum's own associations with freedom (wings like Icarus, the sky arcanum, emphasis in lines of dialogue, etc) seemed like an obvious through line of Callum playing into Aaravos' future machinations and setting the Startouch elf free, for some reason (or at least, foreshadowing being unable to stop him). People doing terrible things for love was a smaller undercurrent in arc 1 (largely with Claudia for her family, and Harrow out of grief with Sarai) and Rayla was the reason Callum had the cube in the first place, at risk to herself, so all those things compounded into Callum, under coercion, doing something he deemed terrible but necessary in order to save Rayla being held hostage/captive, no matter the risk.

S4 just added to this in major ways (and S6 could bring it, wildly enough, wholly to fruition - although I could see the 'captive' part be replaced easily with a fatal wound), largely due to the scene between Callum and Rayla in 4x07:

C: I'm not afraid [Aaravos will] hurt me. I'm afraid that he'll use me, to do awful things, or hurt people I care about.

However, it was always very clear to me that if it came to doing an awful thing or saving his loved ones, Callum would 100% always choose doing the awful thing to save his loved ones. And everything Callum was scared of here due to the lack of freedom and autonomy are things that literally happened in 5x08 thanks to Finnegrin.

Callum frames his relationship with Aaravos as one that's an inherent loss of freedom/control: "When Aaravos possessed me, back at the Storm Spire, I felt so weak and out of control." This is also the level of identity, of someone being able to use his body and strip away his voice - "I was his puppet".

Finnegrin's conversations with Callum centre around a similar theme, but he makes the initial mistake in trying to motivate Callum with his own freedom: "Just one dark magic spell, and you go free." He ignores Callum's obvious signs of 'weakness' ( "Tell me where my friends are") by assuming Callum is interested mostly because he wants to be free: "They won't be springing to your rescue" even when that's hardly what he cares about.

He identifies that Callum is deeply attached to his personal loyalties, but I can see Finnegrin thinking he's doing Callum some sort of twisted favour, in giving him the opportunity to sell out for his own freedom and leave his friends out to dry. (Love is weakness, after all. Shouldn't you want to prune yourself from weakness?)

The fact that Finnegrin is targeting Callum specifically because 1) Callum is a mage, 2) in relation to dark magic (when that was Aaravos' in, too) and 3) out of revenge (against an archdragon who's spared restricted him, and Aaravos wants revenge for his imprisonment & against the Startouch elves for also sparing but banishing/felling him) just furthers these thematic connotations between Finnegrin and Aaravos.

+ Bonus framing used to make it look like Callum is the one also in a cage, and a framing technique TDP has used before with always framing it so Claudia and Soren are the ones behind bars upon visiting their father in 3x03:

Then, much like Aaravos, Finnegrin baits a defiant Callum into a test ("those who fail tests of love are simple animals") that he's doomed to lose. Finnegrin's control is immediately set up to be exerted over everyone, yes, but Rayla in particular:

Because Finnegrin doesn't actually care about any of the other kids besides Callum. All he wants to do is break Callum's morale so that the boy will give up the information he needs, whether that's by trying to force Callum to pick someone to lose a hand (which the others remove as a coercive tactic) or by trying to get him to do dark magic again because as he says "You'll do anything for them."

But this, of course, is a false pretense. A lie. If Callum had done it here (and the show seems to imply he would have, or was seriously considering it), all Finnegrin would've had to do was use his blood spell to incapacitate everyone else. This is also an interesting point of note in some ways too, because technically... the episode could've just ended here.

Think of it this way: the overall structure of the episode is to get Callum's back against the wall so he uses dark magic, and accepts that he would use it, so he can gain a deeper understanding of himself and access the Ocean arcanum, leading to him throwing off Finnegrin's ice spell. Right? That's the Plot structure stuff that had to happen. If that was all that they wanted, you could do it in these scenes. The main cast would know Callum had done dark magic, which is the major difference, but surely wouldn't hold it against him. Callum could've done dark magic to get their chains off, could've had an impromptu Ocean arcanum realization, and things could've played out exactly as they do in the final scenes of the episode.

The episode could end here, but it doesn't, because well...

The writers chose to make him give up the information and do dark magic, specifically, to save Rayla. That's what they wanted. That's the relationship they chose to emphasize. Not the group dynamic, or one of the others (Soren or Ezran, mostly, as contenders), but for Rayla. Just like what I always expected Aaravos to prey upon too, even before and definitely after Callum and Rayla's talk in 4x07.

But Finnegrin still miscalculates, still not quite understanding that this isn't enough to keep Callum under control. If anything it spurs him further into continually more violent, escalating action: punching Finnegrin, giving up the spell (control), and when both of those prove futile, using dark magic to free himself (freedom) so he can save Rayla (love). And all of these lead him to the ocean arcanum: "To love is simply to know this: the tides are true as the ocean is deep [...] the Ocean arcanum is accepting there are depths you can't see."

Callum already didn't like doing dark magic, but as he says, "I had to, to save my friend(s)" and now he knows what that cost him: the threat of hurting his loved ones because doing dark magic has let Aaravos possess him. And here, as indicated by the intro change being the Callum pawn one, Callum has played into Aaravos' hands - at least marginally. He's accepted this darker side of himself, his willingness to do anything for the people he loves (including keeping secrets and trying to be "strong alone") - the part of him that Aaravos has arguably known all along. Remember those Tests of Love? Yeah Callum just passed one.

By and large, Finnegrin is a smaller, less smart stand in for Aaravos in 5x08. Revenge driven, focused on control and coercion, unnecessarily cruel, and willing to do anything to get what he wants - forcing Callum into the corner and subsequent choices for the person he Loves, as I predicted. (And there will probably be future parallels between Callum and Elmer regarding being pawns and breaking free and identity, but again: post for another day.) The fact that Callum's had this identity arc running throughout S4 and S5 ("Oh, I know [high mage] is my formal title, but you can just call me by my regular name" -> "I don't know how to feel about Rayla either" -> "I'm afraid, Rayla. What if I'm a path of darkness? -> "I have to go after him" "I know" -> "A lot has changed, but not everything's changed. I would do anything for you" -> "I'm not a dark mage" -> ?) and Finnegrin says that seeing Rayla in danger makes him Lose Himself (and Rayla's been setup to also Find Him & break him free of the brainwashing)? Love is a weakness, too, Callum's weakness (and strength). Finnegrin knew it, and I expect Aaravos knows it too, and that we'll see both of sides of the strength-weakness dichotomy come to fruition. TDP loves reconciling its dualities after all.

So yeah, we're in for a deep, wild, emotional ride.

TLDR; Finnegrin takes all of Aaravos' most direct thematic interplay (freedom, control, tests of love) with Callum from S4 and shores it up (pun intended) for the boy in S5, naturally pushing Callum further onto the "path of darkness" that Callum fears and Aaravos is relying on. After all:

Let's see just how far that anything goes, shall we?

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV Ep4 - Rewind the Tape

"How does Claudia joining Lestat and Louis’ family affect or change them, separately and also as a couple?"

@iwtvfanevents

IMO, Lestat saved Louis' life, but Claudia gave Louis a reason to go on living. Cuz unfortunately for Lou, he thinks his value came strictly from external sources; the value other people put on him & judged him by--his career & socio-economic status; his worth as a Black man (a product of slavery and the literal value/prices put on Black bodies; how his role/actions affected "my people"); his orientation ("identifying as a homosexual," "embracing my sexuality"); and his place/dynamic within the nuclear family unit (at the DPDL estate, and at 1132 Rue Royale).

By Ep3, Louis had lost everything--out of business when Storyville was shut down; thoroughly disrespected by white racists at every turn, from Ordinance 4118's segregation bill & Finn O'Shea "a white man who used to work for me" burning down the Azalea after stealing his money to open his own "No Coloreds Allowed" competitor, to Tom & the Alderman screwing him over ("a dumb pimp who got robbed blind years ago"); his white husband cheating on him with a white woman that used to work for him & laughing in his face about it; and Lou dumping Les during the race riots on the night Lestat wanted to make "our anniversary."

But ironically, Les had a point about making that night their "anniversary:" a night of change, evolution, transformation & rebirth for ALL of them--most obviously for Claudia, the baby phoenix vampire rising from Storyville's ashes, but for Loustat too.

IWTV focuses on how Louis was affected & changed by gaining Claudia, first as a daughter & then as a "sister." She became his central axis--everything revolved around her. Louis had discovered what unconditional love truly meant.

That was something Lou'd NEVER experienced before. Everyone's love for him came with conditions, clauses, terms of service--from Grace's conservative judgementalism, to Paul's dogmatic religiosity, to his p.o.s. mother's resentment, hate & homophobia. The affection b/t Lou & Lily was a transaction bought & paid for. And where to even start with Monsieur "Without Apology" de Lioncourt. 😒 And in turn, Louis' love was tainted--he lost touch with Grace, he was blamed for Paul's suicide (and likely blamed himself sometimes), his relationship with his mother had been ruined LONG before he became a vampire, and Lestat...jfc.

But in Claudia, Louis could finally pour all of his love & attention & affection on someone who could love him back, tabula rasa, a newborn vamp who just wanted food, home, comfort, safety & love from him, with all a child's demanding.

Sadly, Claudia did NOT love Louis unconditionally. By the end, she genuinely hated him (and ofc Lestat), for all the ways he'd "dragged his family into this mess" (especially in Paris), and hopelessly "failed" her, and chose other men over her (regardless of whether or not he really DID, that was how SHE FELT). Lou'd learn the hard way in Merrick that NOTHING he'd given her had been enough.

As horrific as it was, Merrick was the best thing for Lou; forcing himself to face Claudia's ghost, her diaries, and her true feelings about him. In the end, he had to learn that loving people (and being loved) couldn't be a crutch, or his reason to keep living or not.

Lou'd HATED himself his entire life, deeply depressed & full of "self-loathing;" and after losing Claudia he couldn't pretend to be happy anymore (even w/ Armand, despite how long they stayed together).

Same goes for Lestat. For all his vain cocksure braggadocio, Lestat hated himself too. (Despite claiming he didn't in ToTBT.)

Lestat thought his value came from what he could provide/give/do for others--the gentle son who stayed by his mother Gabrielle when the Marquis & his horrid brothers abused them; the Wolfkiller who saved the town & hunted food for his family; the gallant hero/lover who rescued the damsel in distress & whisked them away on a whirlwind adventure/romance (Gabrielle, Nicki, Louis, etc). Whatever people wanted, he'd give them, lovebomber supreme.

This ultimately culminated in his role as the vampire Maker, the god of his own Savage Garden, creating the world through his image of what he felt the world was/should be like (a la the Chateau Era).

Cuz he suffered from chronic abandonment issues--everyone he'd loved most had betrayed him & left him--first & foremost God.

So it all snowballed from Lestat's own traumatic childhood, trying to find God (freedom, food, home, comfort, safety & love) but being dragged back into Hell over & over (LITERALLY in Memnoch).

And trying to connect with his fledglings & being abandoned over & over, as vampirism had turned Lestat into a monster/the Devil.

Claudia effed up Les' God Complex, but he needed that humbling. He needed to take accountability for all the things he'd done wrong, and the ways he'd failed as her Maker/Creator/Father. Cuz we know Les loved her deeply in the books--he just didn't know HOW to love.

Together, I think Loustat was most affected/changed by having Claudia in the way they were able to come back together and rekindle their love for e/o through loving Claudia--she really was an effective bandaid gluing them together, when Lou would've left Les in Ep3.

Claudia was an outlet for Loustat: she gave Louis someone he felt he could "do right" by (after he'd failed Grace & the kids), and she gave Lestat someone he could bond with as a sadistic vampire killer.

So yeah, Loustat (mostly Louis) did the best he could by Claudia, but we see where the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Ultimately, in the books, Loustat is only able to come together to "do right" by another daughter when they take in Rose; making up for the mistakes they made with Claudia. (But even there, we see the ways Rose still suffered from loneliness/abandonment, especially when Lestat over-corrected by giving her more freedom & autonomy by being more hands-off & distant, instead of overbearing & controlling.)

[slaygentford]

Do you think they’ll address the Claudia recast? I want them to. The whole memory is a monster thing coming back up when Louis loses his shit realizing he misremembered what Claudia looks like.

I think it would be suchhhhhhhhhh a missed opportunity not to, like this is the ONE PROGRAM where you can ADDRESS A RECAST and make it not just thematically interesting but like actually plot related. idk how they could do it off the top of my head but I think it could be so slick with a bit of thought. rolin jones answer your phone . bc I think the big thing actually is gonna be that he KNEW armand was involved in her death and then ASKED to be eternal sunshined. at least that's what I would do but my top priority is a Lucia di Lammermoor blood-soaked wedding gown: 2! moment for ldpdl as always. so I see a potential like path where the claudia in his memory looks different bc she isn't implanted but is like so heavily modified bc looking directly at her would snap his brain in half 👍 like if he literally can't look at her directly. it would be so slay if Daniel found a picture (CAN WE PLEASE TAKE ANOTHER DE LIONCOURT FAMILY PHOTO.) and was like describe her to me and Louis was like (high value woman scoff) what and daniels like no humor me describe what she looked like. oh actually wow that would fuck then they could do reshoots of select little bits of rue Royale with delainey and we could see his mind crack wait stop I literally said it'd be too complicated and was just a genius about it. anyway her murder is def gonna be completely the entire axis around which the whole season turns for sure/ldpdl not remembering it correctly so if they could figure out to do it in a way that isn't just muddying it too much that could be so good

[crazykuroneko]

IWTV Figure Skating AU headcanons

Because I miss figure skating and IWTV is my current hyperfixation. Probably only fellow fs stans understand this, but whatever.

Louis de Pointe du Lac:

His most known program is definitely his The Swan. Choreo: Gubanova's The Swan. Costume: Hanyu's Notte Stellata. Strong skating skills as good as ice dancer, deep knee bent, flexible, so he can do layback ina bauer and difficult spins.

Tend to go to brighter music for short program (jazz, hip hop etc) while doing something heartfelt for free skating.

Pretty consistent as a skater. Keep getting high scores on Skating Skills and Presentation. Unfortunately he doesn't have big quads (only 4T to 4F, when he wants to risk it) and he's Black. so USFSA doesn't really support him and doesn't get that American over scoring. Even though he has saved USA's spots at Worlds etc many times with his consistency (just like Jason Brown)

Lestat de Lioncourt:

Typical European showman. Known for his character free skating programs. Reference: Javier Fernandez (second example). Pretty good skating skills, jump technique is decent. Actually pretty stable jumper, has all big quad jumps except 4A, but he can't focus sometimes so his axis is messed up.

Definitely always brings out the most chaotic programs for Exhibition and they always go viral and give you secondhand embarrassement.

Representing France ofc. Complete with French overscoring. at least 3 times European champion in a row. For drama, the president of French federation is still Didier and they have love/hate relationship. Running his mouth like Scott Moir at press conferences. Sometimes do backflips just to send fuck you to judges if he feels they're underscoring him (usually happen at Worlds, thanks to Russia and USA). He gotta continue that French tradition.

Armand:

For drama he is representing Russia. His coach is Marius. And Marius is basically Eteri, and he's his (current) number one girl.

Has all the quads and he'll backload the heck of them for score (that rule still exists here idc). Skating Skills aren't as good as Loustat but he has a huge TES and Russia fed backing. And almost always land his jumps.

Tend to use warhorses in his programs. Known for his long limbs and fast paced transition. Has been skating since novice and gets called the prodigy since the beginning. References: Yulia, Evgenia.

European champions are always between him and Lestat. They've been rivals since junior. But unfortunately since Marius is Eteri, sometimes he has to skip competitions for injury. He's way more relaxed during exhibition programs

Okay, now if they're a team:

De Pointe du Lac/de Lioncourt:

(Not to be biased but) chemistry on Virtue/Moir level. Definitely representing France, because USFSA is stupid and Lestat points a gun on Didier's head to take Louis. Coached by Zueva.

Combining Louis' elegance and Lestat's character by performing classic Hollywood pieces with storytelling. Debuting with this FD by Virtue/Moir. Ofc they go to the Olympics with this Moulin Rogue program as well, complete with the crotch kissing lift 😏

Definitely has a rumor they're secretly married going for them.

De Pointe du Lac/(insert Armand's last name here):

Unfortunately, no choice other than representing Russia. Coached by Tatiana Tarasova (but she likes Louis don't worry!).

Tend to use haunting classical music. Very synchronized, very classy. Reference: (a must watch!) Gordeeva/Grinkov's iconic Moonlight Sonata. Or Torville/Dean's Bolero.

Bonus: Claudia

Definitely best known for her teenage spirit and her Romeo & Juliet program.

Known for her big jumps, 3A, and musicality. That one girl who goes "I'll beat the men as well. Just watch" Reference: Kostornaia

[steddie-fanfic-recs]

come what may (i will love you until my dying day)

by emurph_24

Rating: Mature Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley/Chrissy Cunningham Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Murray Bauman, Robin Buckley, Nancy Wheeler, Billy Hargrove, Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Lucas Sinclair, Eleven | Jane Hopper, Jim "Chief" Hopper, Dustin Henderson, Chrissy Cunningham, Alexei (Stranger Things), Claudia Henderson, Jonathan Byers, Argyle (Stranger Things), Will Byers, Mike Wheeler, Erica Sinclair, Original Characters Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Broadway, Inspired by Moulin Rouge!, Platonic Relationships, Gay Steve Harrington, Gay Eddie Munson, Billy Hargrove is a dick, I want to drop a piano on Billy Hargrove, Matchmaker Murray Bauman, the party is there too, Everyone Is Gay, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Eddie plays all of the instruments, Eddie Munson has synesthesia, Slow Burn, Dacryphilia, Spit Kink, Spit As Lube, Frottage, Hurt/Comfort, Stabbing, Blood and Injury, hospital talk, Panic Attacks, Mental Breakdown, Minor Character Death, Laughing as a trama response, Eddie Munson wears a French Maid Outfit, recovering from an injury, Voyeurism Words: 36,720 Chapters: 9/9

Summary

“Robin, I got it,” he said, shakily. “Got what, Steve?” She had just woken up and sleep still had a firm grip on her mind. Steve stood there in their tiny apartment kitchen, waiting for her brain to catch up. “Moulin Rouge, Robbie.” Robin’s eyes went wide, the last bits of sleep leaving her brain. “You got it?” she squeaked. Tears filled his vision as she walked towards him. “I got Christian. I did it,” Steve whispered. OR: Steve Harrington lands the role of a lifetime in his first broadway production. Nervous as he is, he is ready and mostly prepared. Until the world spins on its axis and the pit director turns into the love of his life.

[lellarps]

Such a war-driven fae, known for his stoicism and distance... this whole ordeal was certainly out of character for him. Axis would never come to a human kingdom seeking peace (not for the right reasons, at least). And he certainly hadn't come looking for a human partner. But destiny had written a different story for the fae warlord on both matters, hadn't it? The distant, ruthless part of him mostly melted away when he was alone with Claudia — he learned it from the first moment they found themselves alone. When he realized he yearned to touch. And to be touched. And it turned it all to be more exciting that they had to do so hidden.

Imagine his confusion when he realized she was actively avoiding him, though. At first, he thought it was a game of catch... Only to learn it was hardly it, and a hint of rejection and confusion would indeed cross his heart. What a relief when she called him over! (though such a proud fae would hardly show that).

Once inside her chambers, his expression softened under her touch, though this one time a frown took place as he noticed her unease. She wasn't afraid of him, thankfully. But something was off, and it didn't match with what he had just heard. His watchful silver eyes remained fixed on her, wondering what was on her mind. Should he pry inside? Maybe... "You are...?" he asked, his tone careful, yet a small and uncalled-for smile showed on the corner of his lips. He placed his greyish steady arms around her, protectively and possessively as always. "But you seem... edgy, dear Claudia. What troubles your precious little mind?"

Open Starter

Open to: M (Age Gaps can happen!) Muse: Claudia Ricci, 24 years old, Princess, Heterosexual I will make a new post for any replies! DO NOT LIKE THIS STARTER PLEASE! READ MY RULES BEFORE INTERACTING!

Summary: Claudia and Y/M were having a secret affair, and now Claudia is expecting Y/M's child. Y/M could be a servant, a council member / advisor, another lord or prince, perhaps the enemy of her kindgom etc.

This has the potential to be very angsty, so I'm down to plot!

Terror. That was the feeling that dominated Claudia's mind at that very moment. For the last few days, she had been avoiding her lover and her family all together. For all that they knew, she was simply ill with a common cold. The sickness made her unable to attend many functions and meetings, but she was able to pull the ruse. But now, it was time to come clean.

Claudia waited for her lover in the late hours of the evening, in her rooms. Everyone was asleep, nobody would hear him if he was careful. "You came." Claudia rose from her chair, walking over to her lover and embracing him. She gave him a small kiss, before bringing up the purpose of this meeting. "I need to tell you something..." Fear encapsulated her body, her hands shook and the words came out in stutters.

"I'm pregnant."

[gladdyator18]

Sorry for the late upload! School just started for me again. My cousin helped me with color palette. Again, his class/weapon of choice wouldn’t be possible without @giggly-squiggily!

Point of reference/inspiration

Meet Quinton Edric Lochan, former heir to House Lochan. Quinton is the son of Duke Adrien and Duchess Emmeline. Quinton is very serious young man who happily lives up to his parents’ expectations. He’s good-natured and has a kind yet deceitful heart. He’s also very observant, so if he views you as an accomplice or friend, you will see his kind and friendly side, but if he sees you as a potential thorn in his side, the script flips on its axis. Quinton is well-seasoned with many weapons but he prefers to fight with his lance atop of his trusty stallion.

Quinton has two younger sisters, Rosalind and Lilibeth, who he dotes on. Whenever his sisters call upon him for something, he would drop everything to help them. This is the only time when his heart isn’t deceitful. When Quinton and his family heard about the prophecy and found out that Quinton was the prophesied child, the young nobleman started growing closer to Claudia, the Imperial princess however, his feelings towards the Imperial princess are false. If anything, Quinton despises and loathes Claudia with a burning passion. He’s only pretending to like her in hopes of one day ascending the throne and leaving her for dead. This is where we get to see his deceitful heart come into play. There is nothing about Claudia that Quinton views as “worthy of his love and time,” but he’s playing it off like Claudia is the apple of his eye, only to stab her in the back when he ascends the throne. He knows that her brother, Kayden, is always on high alert around him, but Quinton knows how to shut him down.

I had a lot of fun with his backstory. When I had Claudia made, I knew that the prophesied child would try to grow close to her to overthrow her and the empire, so yeah!

More art coming soon, hopefully, so stay tuned!

[raayllum]

So I say quite often that TDP is a deeply thematic series, but what does that mean, exactly?

So let’s talk about it

How TDP Constructs Itself From Theme

First off, what is theme? Theme is the question/idea (often times a message) that an artistic artwork (literature / visual media outside of literal art) chooses to explore or posit for. Sometimes this can be very obvious, like the core themes of Family and Faith in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, chronicling the adventures of four siblings as they undergo a Christ allegory with the lion, Aslan. Other times, works can feature many different over arching themes, such as ATLA’s examination of war, cultural grief, destiny, family, and the importance of balance, etc etc. 

Sometimes (and I’m sure I have too) theme and narrative can be used interchangeably, even if they are different things. So what’s the difference between Theme and Narrative? A Narrative is how a story fits over its themes, almost like the bricks over scaffolding for a house. For example, Hadestown takes the narrative of Orpheus and Eurydice and employs a cyclical structure in order to explore themes of futility vs hope woven in with the cycle of the seasons from its secondary mythic structure in Hades and Persephone. 

Thus, TDP is a Narrative ultimately about Breaking Cycle(s) and then explores that thematically through just about every character and dynamic in the show, with only very tiny side character exceptions (occasionally, and even then, it’s very minimal). What role does Power (Viren) have to play, or Sacrifice (Rayla)? How do we ensure we’re breaking the Cycle in the right way (Soren), that we’re striving for true Justice (Ezran)? What can we justify for the sake of our families (Claudia, Harrow) and can we not (Karim)? 

This is also why, while every character is important, particularly into the trio, if I had to pick just one character that is undeniably the Main Character of the Show™ it’s Callum, because Freedom from the Cycle is the most important theme of the show with everything else operating along the spectrum or axis of “total freedom” to “no freedom”. Breaking the Cycle - breaking the Chain - is freedom, and requires having agency to make those choices, whether it is gifted or grabbed desperately with both hands, or even accidental. It’s also why Aaravos, a villain of the Stars and Destiny, is our main villain for the series itself. It’s also why little mister Freedom Boy is our central mage figure, rather than a warrior or having Freedom given to another one of the kids, because the hinge on which the Cycle spins has always been magic (normally Dark, but not always) and thus Callum being a human connecting to a primal source is the Great Undoing of the wheel. 

But why write so thematically, and why do I think TDP primarily writes from theme (as opposed to character or anything else) when it came to constructing itself as a series, especially when characters are typically the main draw of a show and certainly of this one in so many ways? Well

Fantasy is Inherently Thematic

In contemporary / realistic fiction novels, you have to contend with real lived history. That either means writing historical divergence fiction and acknowledging the divergence (as much as you can, although ramifications can be hard to fathom never mind explore realistically), or being revisionist, or picking and choosing your setting very carefully. There is so much you have to contend with, and it can be noticeable if you don’t. If a character feels like they can only go to school in USA or Canada and not another country, a reader from another country will likely notice. 

All of this to say is that Fantasy (and sci fi) in general lets you strip away all the extra crap and, in the case of crafting a secondary world, lets you include literally only what needs to be included, removing that “what about everyone else globally” schtick when a magical crisis is happening in one part of a world that has a global network to begin with. In the case of TDP, this means crafting just one continent, literally splitting it in two, and not having to contend with any other sort of continent. This would not work in a realistic fiction novel because our world isn’t constructed that way, but a second fantasy world actually can, because all that matters is what the story needs.

Which was nice to get confirmation on regarding the team’s worldbuilding process in the latest Q&A answers: 

The characters and their journey dictated what worldbuilding details we needed to focus on up front: If Callum and Ezran are from a human kingdom called Katolis, what is Katolis like? If Rayla is an elf, what does that mean? Are there multiple kinds of elves? What kind is Rayla?  What does it mean that she’s an assassin? The dragon egg will hatch a very powerful dragon—what kind, and what does that mean for the dragon’s parents/lineage? We filled in what needed filling, but left a great deal of Xadia open-ended. In fact, none of the other human kingdoms had names until Season 2, when the direction of the story (specifically, Viren’s interaction with the Pentarchy) demanded that we give them more attention and thought. This has helped us avoid writing ourselves into too many corners by laying out too many “rules” for the universe in advance.

Rayla can have a Scottish accent without being wholly and culturally Scottish. Ezran and Harrow can exist in a world as Black royalty without racism. What this means, then, is that characters are grounded in their symbolic and thematic underpinnings. 

So let’s talk about it!

Consistent Symbolism

I could’ve sworn I’ve talked about it before for writing advice in general but I can’t find it now, but one of the easiest ways to make fantasy characters that are also thematic are to given them a symbolic cornerstone / underpinning. Think Katara from ATLA being the overflowing nurturer and icy rage of the sea; Aang, gentle and torrential power of the air; Aaravos, mysterious and playing the long game like the stars.

This is best seen perhaps through Callum, Janai, and Rayla - and TDP definitely leans into it harder for arcanum-connected characters, for sure, where their magic reflects their personalities and themes. We’ve already talked about Callum with his wings and his breath/mouth motif, so we can move on there. 

Terry is steady, patient, and growth oriented, just like the earth. Aaravos is cruel and therefore literally heartless. The Moon changes faces and hides itself, rarely revealing its full / true nature, yet is also light in the darkness, just like Rayla.

Janai is illuminative and compassionate, bright and a strong leader, eventually surefooted in the steps she’s taking to lead her people. But like her primal, she can blinded to the truth (such as how far her brother has fallen). 

This is also why so much in the series is circular. A decent amount of the symbols of primal sources, Harrow’s crown being a literal broken circle, the chains of history / handcuffs, Rayla’s moon opal pendant, the mirror, Rayla’s binding, Callum’s primal stone, Zym’s egg, the Cycle itself, with the angular cube as one of the few exceptions. Callum and Ezran themselves being the literally uneven towers of Katolis; Claudia’s black-and-white hair symbolism paired with the fact Rayla is a dual wielder. Viren likewise having duality of his normal and corrupted form. The butterflies. Viren’s eye motif, poisoning his own vision to Aaravos weaving a web over one eye to Viren’s eyes being clear when he is resurrected. Rayla’s hand on her heart motion, etc etc. 

It’s why when Soren and Claudia visit their father in prison in S3, Viren is in the light, and they are the ones who are framed like they are behind bars.

Symbols when repeated often enough become motifs. The theme is what dictates both large and small plot points. But to talk about that at length, we have to talk about what TDP loves to do most of all, which is

Irony

There are many different forms of irony. The most well known one is dramatic irony, common in horror films and tragedies, in which the audience knows something the characters do not. TDP does employ this from time to time, such is in early S2 when we know Claudia and Soren are up to no good but the boys don’t, or in early S4 when Ezran says that “This will be the start of a great era of peace,” but we already know Aaravos has put things in motion, culminating in Ibis’ murder and death later that same episode. 

However, TDP also enjoys a broader sense of irony, in which contradictory elements are layered on top of one another and then fused together. 

This is true for both characters - Rayla being sworn to kill the princes then becoming their protector; Soren being sworn to protect the princes and then trying to kill them; each culminating in S3 with falsely killing Viren, the wrong king of Katolis for Rayla, and Soren’s own father - and plot lines, such as Ezran’s abdication plot line in S3 that spans close to a third of the season. 

Harrow says that “A child is freer than a king,” emphasizing the series’ Main Theme of Freedom as well as the importance of youth and looking to the youth to break the cycles dictating their lives. So what does S3 do? It has Ezran remove his metaphorical chain he inherited from his father - the crown - to take on real chains. They turn him into a child king (two layers of irony) and then put the child king jail (three) and upon abdication (four). 

We see this directly in S4, even if we do not have the full context for it, with Viren being turned to stone in the same manner he brought down Avizandum: a king-father felled by dark magic (sound familiar) and ripped away from his child(ren). 

What does this all mean? (Conclusion)

Great, so TDP is written pretty thematically. What does it mean? Well, if you’re like me and you like to analyze or theorize about the series, it’s a pretty good place to start. There’s a lot riding on Book Five: Ocean for Rayla with it in mind, as well as hints that the Key of Aaravos will be revealed that season as well. It can be a useful bedrock for making predictions or seeing where characters may go, based on where they already have (re: my analysis of the show’s light and darkness motif that I thought would be small, and then ended up being quite a big deal in S4, and will presumably continue to be). It’s also one of the reasons TDP feels so cohesive because while things can go in unexpected directions, the thematic graces and symbolism of the series stay completely intact, if not continually reaffirmed.

It’s a story that’s weaving a beautiful tapestry, and it really really shows.

[thoughtlessarse]

This week marks one year since Israel’s brutal genocide in Gaza began, following the events of October 7, which changed the entire landscape of the Middle East. Gaza is devastated, with more than 43,000 Palestinians killed and millions displaced, a population decimated by disease and hunger, and hospitals and schools turned to rubble. Throughout this year, Israel has continued its attacks in the West Bank and rocket fire on southern Lebanon. In recent weeks, Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu expanded his offensive against Hezbollah, killing its top leaders, followed by a ground incursion into Lebanon and heavy bombardment of Beirut for the first time since 2006. The massacres committed by Israel, with the open support of the United States and the complicity of the European Union, have generated an enormous movement of solidarity with the Palestinian people throughout the world, especially in the imperialist states, such as has not been seen in decades. What is the current situation? Is an escalation towards a “total war” in the Middle East inevitable? What role does the United States play in the midst of the electoral campaign for the White House? What is the role of Iran and the so-called “axis of resistance” in the region? What are the strategic strengths and weaknesses of the Zionist state? We discussed all this with Claudia Cinatti, editor of the International section of La Izquierda Diario and leader of the Party of Socialist Workers (PTS) in Argentina. Are we already seeing a large-scale regional war in the Middle East? What are the open fronts? In a sense, the war in Gaza — and more generally the Palestinian cause and Israeli colonial oppression — has always had a regional dimension. In fact, since Israel began the bombing and invasion of the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah began launching missiles at the northern part of Israel in solidarity with the Palestinian population; it signaled that the end of these attacks were contingent on the Netanyahu government signing a ceasefire in Gaza. What has changed in recent weeks is both the magnitude of the attacks and the possibility that this escalation by the State of Israel against Iran’s allies — notably the elimination of the Hezbollah leadership — could lead to a state war, a direct military confrontation between Israel and Iran. This could mean drawing the United States, which has already reinforced its military presence in the area in defense of the State of Israel, further into open conflict. As Netanyahu said in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Israel has seven open fronts: Gaza, the West Bank, Hezbollah (and more generally Lebanon), the Houthis in Yemen, pro-Iranian militias in Syria and Iraq, and now Iran. From a military point of view, Israel has achieved a series of tactical successes. It has decimated the Hezbollah leadership, weakened Hamas, and repaired the badly damaged image of its intelligence. But, as we know, tactical successes do not always lead to strategic victory — and that is the big issue, because these advances do not solve Israel’s strategic problem, which is not just a military one.

continue reading

[angiefsutton]

Quantum Leap (1989) Re-watch - S1, E9

As previously mentioned, I'm doing a re-watch of Quantum Leap (1989) now that I've fallen back into writing slash for it. And as I watched, decided to write up my off-the-cuff/stream of consciousness thoughts as I watch them. (I'm also doing this on my Dreamwidth.)

Season 1, Episode 9: "Play it Again, Seymour" Date of Leap: April 14, 1953 Written by: Scott Shepherd & Donald P. Bellisario

So, part of the reason there was so much time between this episode and the last one I wrote up is because my wife, Kate, is a fan of Claudia Christian and I had asked if she wanted to watch it with me. She did. (Add in that I had to cover Los Angeles Comic Con and then got sick to why it's even later.)

Ah, yes - the one that's an 'homage' to pulp fiction / noir / Humphrey Bogart films/writing.

"He was dead when I got here?" I mean, technically he ain't WRONG.

"I'm still in LA." / "LA. Yeah, sure. And Ebbets Field is in Hollywood." - As a now-resident of Los Angeles (moved in 2013), I had to look up how long the Dodgers have been here. 1958. (Wasn't that a 'sign' to Captain America he wasn't actually in the past any more at the end of The First Avenger?)

Hey - this is before Sam is born! (Canon? What canon?) (Although I do remember reading that some fans decided it was okay because he would've been 'in the womb' at the time.)

Just noticed that these opening credits have scenes from season 2. Am curious if these were the 'actual' credits at the time and QL already had a season 2, or if they 'retconned' them when they serialized them.

Even Sam's inner monologue has that 'hard-boiled'/noir style.

God bless Al in that fedora and those shades. (And the X collar links!) I've been joking about making a 'Bakula Scale of Hotness' where the X axis is how often/long he's shirtless and the Y axis being how often/long he's in denim. I also should make a rating scale for Al's outfits - on a 'this is actually something a man his age would've worn at the time' to 'this is obviously an outfit from 'the distant future: the year 2000'''.

Good god - I KNOW this is the 80s and there was NO WAY it was intended, but hearing Dean Stockwell say 'dick' is perfect.

Scott continues to do hilariously bad impressions. (And then the CAGNEY. And Dean/Al's REACTION.) (Had to look it up: Stockwell did NOT have a movie that came out in '53. He was in Kim in '50, Cattle Drive in '51, and then there's a gap until 1956.)

Al and Tina's 'friend who knows a guy who's got a kid that works for a trainer who happens to have a sure thing in the fourth race at Santa Anita.' That is one hell of a line of dialogue to memorize!

"In the decade I was born." (vs year) Again - canon? what canon?

And the drunk - god bless that actor who had to do that whole scene without acknowledging either of them until the one line!

HEY! I think that's the Bradbury Building. I'VE BEEN THERE! {looks up the episode on IMDD: 'The stairs and open area are the atrium of the Bradbury Building in L.A.' WOO HOO.}

I want to say I remember reading there's actually a difference (in terms of money and credit) between labeling writers as "person A and person B" and "person A & person B". It also means something different that it's a teleplay vs. 'written by'.

SUDDENLY SEYMOUR.

Woo hoo - a SECOND 'Oh, boy!'

… "You know we slept in twin beds." And Sam/Scott's disbelieving 'Uh huh?' LOVE IT.

The kissing: Me: "I'm trying to decide who I'm more envious of: Scott Bakula or Claudia Christian." Kate: "The air molecules between them?"

Sam's 'thank you' to God after the first kiss: yep, this is definitely before they decided to make him a 'choirboy' about sex.

"I read this book." But … but … in "Star-Crossed", he says he hates English Lit. (Now - admittedly, the types of stories this episode is riffing off aren't exactly high literature.) (Looks up the transcript of "Star-Crossed": "Four of my least favorite cliches: headbands, bell bottoms, flower power and English Lit.")

"She was a flamer. A redhead who could make Father Flanagan forget Boys Town." Al's response is "My first wife was just like that." Obviously before even the IDEA of Beth had hit the writers. (Canon? What canon?)

Sam's reading, while Al's checking out the pin up girl on the wall. Al: I love you.

{Sam tries on hat - it doesn't fit} "Huh - must be Phil's." Score one in the 'it's Sam's AURA leaping around' column. (I know it fluctuates throughout the series.)

Oooh - obvious stunt double there hanging from the elevator cable.

And ANOTHER 'Oh, boy!' (Guess they were making up for the rest of the season?)

More 'great' ADR.

Scott Bakula in that white tux. Be still my heart.

Al 'conducting' the orchestra (with a CIGAR!). Dear lord, I love that strange little man.

Al peeping at Allison's … assets through binoculars. Again - this shows how damn good of an actor Dean was, because this SHOULD piss me off, and yet I find it incredibly endearing.

"Well, Sam, you know … there's sleaze and there's sleaze, please." God, I love Al Calavicci.

Huh - Al's in the same outfit.

"Some women have kinky taste in men … thank God." Man, they're just pulling out ALL the stops on Al's character on this one.

Woo hoo - canon FIVE WIVES in this one.

"And I don't cloud my judgement with a bottle." Ouch, Sam. That hurt ME. And Al looks so GOD-DAMNED HURT!

No 'woosh' of a door when Al leaves. No door? (Al just walks to where Sam can't see him?)

"Why do we hurt people for telling us the truth?" Why do I want to think that was he actually wanted to say "Why do we hurt the ones we love?"

The building the 'Blue Island' is in: I think I've been THERE as well?

"Nerdy?"

"Or Thomas Magnum." / "Magnum?" Ah, the first reference to Magnum, P.I.. (Insert trivia about how they were wanting to do a crossover at some time, which makes you wonder how Sam knew him here, but hey - canon? What canon?)

"If I'm lucky, I'm gonna spend the rest of my life leaping around from one place to another … instead of face down in a pool of blood." Aw, poor Sam.

"I already hurt one friend tonight: I can't hurt two." AW, SAM!

Sam SMOKING?

"Oh, God - I understood you." His … frustration? with the lingo throughout this episode is hilarious.

"Who's Al?" / "A friend. A real good friend." DAW. (Followed by Al not wanting to get mushy about it. YAY CANON MOMENT!) And SAM'S SMILE at that! Oh, my GOD!

Oh - Al's wearing medals. … with a white suit. … the hell?

"Main squeeze?" {later} "Oh, I understood you. I'm just wondering how in 20 years… 'main squeeze' gets from Seymour to black slang." LOVE this.

"I'm going to check the ladies' room." / "Al!" / "Somebody's gotta do it." - Oh, Al. You are such a cad.

Oh, god. This 'kiss with history' with Woody Allen. (Weird: when I initially watched the show, I loved all the kisses with history. Now I hate them.) Something tells me this was the whole reason they had Sam's host look like Bogart. Just for this 'joke'.

"Don't you ever clean your mustache? You got gunk in there. It's yucky." I know, I KNOW this is what acting is all about, but that Paul Linke (Lionel) can just stand there looking frazzled the whole time Dean is saying this shit is SO GOOD.

Edward G. Robinson!

"How could I have turned Lionel on and not realized it?" The LOOK Sam/Scott gives in response. Great 'are you fucking kidding me?' energy there.

Al's 'coughs' during Sam and Allison's kiss are so adorable! And he closes his eyes in … frustration? when she says "It's a sleeper flight."

"I've seen the picture, Sam." / "Oh, well good - then you know how it ends." Yes - WITH THE LEAD AND THE SIDEKICK GOING OFF INTO THE FOG TOGETHER! (Which: I want to say when I first got into slash in the early 2000s, I read a Rick/Captain Renault fic or two. Checked on AO3: there are 19! fics with that pairing. Not surprisingly, most of the fics on AO3 are Rick/Laslo with a few Rick/Laslo/Ilsa threesomes thrown in there.)

And another 'Oh, boy!' - this one with AL!

"Sam, I think…" / "Don't say it, Al." / "This is the start of a wonderful friendship." / "You couldn't resist, could you?" DAW. This is so adorable!

Huh - the leap 'outro' is "What Price, Gloria", but that ends up being episode 4 in season 2. I wonder if it was initially intended to be the first episode and got moved?

Final thoughts: This one is hard to judge. It's such an OBVIOUS 'homage' to pulp fiction and noir films that I have to kind of step back when evaluating. I definitely still liked it, even if it IS filled with clichés out the wazoo, but it works BECAUSE it's a take on noir and that makes the clichés work, if that makes sense? This is one of those episodes where you feel like everyone just wanted to have fun, to hell with the canon.

They really go to town on Al being a horndog in this one, and Sam apparently doesn't have the same issues of being with a married woman he has in the VERY NEXT episode. (Canon? What canon?) Sam being so 'into' Allison and then snapping at Al is such a great slashy moment. Claudia plays the 'black widow' so very well, and Scott obviously had a field day pretending to be a Bogey look-alike.

It's a fun episode, and I've gotten to the point in my life where that mostly tends to be better than a 'faithful' episode, if that makes sense. Well worth watching again, even if it IS just to watch Bakula and Christian kiss.