#bc… they thought the marriage would have the be the last episode I guess??

[foundfamilynonsense]

Y’know the tv romance we never see anymore? Not the ‘will they won’t they’ but the ‘they were basically confirmed in the first five episodes but the show has been going on for six years now and the show runners think if they actually let them become a couple the show will peter out and die bc they have no other conflict ideas so the impossible tension gets stretched and stretched and they have three one night stands that are never mentioned again and confess their love twice but by the end of the show they only get together in the last episode and it’s really frustrating and disappointing for everyone involved’

I mean. Today I see canonically queer characters labeled as queerbaiting bc they don’t get together fast enough.

[randomly--accessed--memories]

Wandavision AU stuff

making a new post bc the other one was really long

@storm-ismyusername

Whenever I think of “cured” Niffty I always picture her as tall.

Yeah, same, although I think I’ve already given past Niffty enough new traits that adding more would be going a bit overboard.

1-Now I’m thinking about Niffty getting her hands on some Asmodeus crystals and booking it to Earth with Vox.

I highly doubt that sinners/winners can leave the afterlife (well, maybe as ghosts since the next Helluva episode is called “Ghostfuckers” and what we’ve seen from it so far implies that Blitz thinks ghosts are real…), but for the sake of the argument, let’s assume they can.

2-Niffty and Vox living on Earth disguised as humans in a lavender marriage sounds absolutely fascinating to me. 3-Would they stay in one place or constantly be on the move. 3.1-If they stay in one place I can see them living in the suburbs, like a weird parody of their first lives. 4-What would their neighbors think of them? 5-Would they have Vark? 5.1-Instead of bringing Vark would Niffty just get a regular service dog for Vox? 6-Unlike their first life I guess Niffty would be the breadwinner, would she get a job or just steal stuff? 6.1-If she gets a job I think it would be as a tailor or maid. 6.2-(But picturing Niffty as a fast food employee, Walmart employee, or in a boring office job is pretty funny.) 6.3-Though leaving Vox on his own for long periods of time doesn’t sound like the best idea. 6.4-Maybe every month Charlie gives them money.

If they were to somehow pull this off, they’d need a lot of help (presumably from the Morningstars). It’s not easy to start a brand new life in 2024 with not money and no identity documentation— doubly so when one of you has a mental condition that causes erratic behavior.

Assuming the basics are taken care of, yeah, I can see them heading to the suburbs. No moving necessary since this is such a rare situation, Niffty’s not anticipating the Vees ever being able to reach/find them. Niffty would definitely want to get a job (she doesn’t want to be a “burden” on Charlie), but yeah, leaving Vox alone all day isn’t a good idea, even with their new dog. Their neighbors are incredibly confused: new couple moves in who live like they just walked out of the 1950s, except the wife works and the husband appears to have some kind of severe mental illness (young-onset dementia? Schizophrenia?? Is that why they’re acting like it’s the 50s???).

3.2-Would this technically be their fourth life? (Human life, Overlord life, post mindbreak life, ‘human’ life.) 9-Could Alastor call back Vox even though he’s on Earth? I’m pretty sure that’s an entirely different dimension. 10-How would Vox feel about this? 11-How well mentally would Vox be? 11.1-Would he forget that he isn’t actually a human? 11.2-Would his first life and his fourth life start to blur together? 11.3-Would Vox mistake Niffty for his wife and wonder where Sarah and Tommy are? 11.4-I think Vox would slowly realize, with horror, that his seemingly perfect life is not what he thought it was. 11.5-(Sounds like some great horror material to me!)

Vox is still… adaptable, in his own way. He very quickly accepts this as the new normal and, yeah, his memories would definitely start blending together. Honestly, Alastor would be the biggest point of contention; assuming he’s still alive, Vox want to return to him, although that’s not possible unless they return to Hell, which is the last thing Niffty wants to do. Vox is usually just kind of vibing, buying into the story that Niffty’s been telling everyone, but he still has his outbursts (which are ESPECIALLY problematic if he still has access to his demon powers).

Honestly, I can lowkey see this morphing into a Wandavision situation over time. Niffty’s just Not coping with what happened to her and is choosing to bury her head in the sand and live out an untenable fantasy life instead. She deserves this after everything she’s gone through, right? To have a second chance at the life she always wanted with a “husband” who won’t hurt her this time? It’s not healthy and isn’t a good plan, but if she has to accept reality, she feels like she’ll shatter all over again.

7-Would Valentino and Velvette go to Earth to get Vox back? (Now I’m imagining them with Asmodeus crystals.) 7.1-How would they find out that Niffty & Vox are on Earth? 7.2-Valentino and Velvette (& Niffty) would have a huge culture shock being back on Earth, being surrounded by people who aren’t completely self interested and ready to literally stab you in the back. 7.3-I’d imagine Valentino having to be reminded (by Velvette) that you can’t casually kill someone on Earth. 7.4-What would passerby’s make of Val and Vel? 7.5-I feel like Velvette would have a lot of feelings being back on Earth. She didn’t die that long ago so this Earth is very similar to the one from her human life, but she’s very different from the girl who died in a car crash, more ruthless and cutthroat. Even though this Earth is familiar she’s a stranger to it. 7.6-(I know this would be unlikely, but what if Velvette ran into people she knew in life? It’s only been about a decade since she died, everyone she knew would probably still be alive.)

Val and Vel would definitely pursue Vox and Niffty to Earth once they found out they were there (and that it’s possible for sinners to return to Earth at all). No clue how they’d find out, but still. Heck, Alastor might not be far behind them if he’s still kicking (oh fuck, here comes a new idea: some people theorize that Al might have access to the living world and that’s why he’s so powerful. Maybe he’s responsible for sending Vox and Niffty there? Like, maybe Niffty backed him into a corner somehow and they made a deal that he’d pay her back for what he did to her by granting her and Vox a new start? I guess he’d be Agatha in the Wandavision comparison… (maybe he drops by for visits: he can’t let Vox and Niffty go that easily.)) Being back on Earth is disorienting for all the reasons you described; Val’s lowkey forgotten how to act like a normal person while Vel is having Feelings that she doesn’t want to examine. Velvette probably wouldn’t run into anyone she knew unless Vox and Niffty were in the UK, but still.

8-I wonder what would happen if D.O.R.K. found them? (Niffty & Vox, Vel & Vel, or both groups)

The DORKs… god, idk. That’d definitely be one hell of a complicating factor. One door closes with the Hellborn and another one opens with sinners, I suppose.

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5.2, 5.3, 5.4 - The dog Vox got for his kids back when he was alive was named Sparky (they probably changed its name after his death lol). Would make sense given the way his memories blend together, although he might be a bit confused about the difference in breed (his was a German Shepherd). And yeah, Vox probably wouldn’t do well with animals that don’t have augmentations that protect them from electrocution.

12, 12.1, 12.2 - Yeah, I think she’d say they’re married— it’s the only thing that makes sense to both of them (ah the joys of all your clearest memories ending in the 1960s). The age gap is weird, but not noteworthy enough to get people asking questions, especially when they’ve got so much other weirdness to keep up with.

13, 13.5 - Niffty’s friendly, but keeps her distance— she’s not quite ready to let new people in yet. Vox is gregarious and wants to start making connections, but he doesn’t leave the house much and the bulk of his interactions with them come on Bad Days.

14, 14.5 - Alastor shows up whenever he feels like it, but there’s probably some kind of a schedule, if only for Vox’s sake. The neighbors don’t really notice him; sometimes they’ll wonder how he got in the house when they never saw him show up, but they usually write it off. Niffty Does Not enjoy Alastor’s visits, but Vox is always thrilled to see him.

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5.5 - Don't think that'd be a very good idea since Hellborn animals seem to generally be more aggressive than Earthly animals.

13.6 - Probably

16, 16.1 - Depends on if it's just a normal house someone bought for them, Lucifer's vacation home, or something Alastor conjured for them.

17, 17.5 - Depends on how private the yard is and if there's magic keeping him from leaving the property.

18 - Idk you do you

19, 19.1 - Idk, depends on whether Alastor or the Morningstars got them up there. If the disguises aren't a passive thing, then yeah, I can see there being some close calls in terms of being discovered.

20 - At first, definitely. That might change as they both get deeper into their delusions (Vaughn that Nancy is his wife (what happened to Helen? He’s not sure, but he likes Nancy better anyway), Niffty that this new life with Vox isn't a complete fiction).

21 - If it's a good day and they don't have anything too suspicious in the house, sure. Neither of them want to be complete shut-ins, so they just need to be smart about it.

22 - Pretty often. It wasn't as much of an issue for him in Hell since time just sort of blended together, prompting Vox to usually take the path of least resistance. Living the 50s life 90% of the time isn't great for Vox's temporal orientation. Most people just awkwardly laugh it off since it's so obvious he's mentally unwell.

21, 21.1 - Maybe. They're different races, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Val's a bit pouty about it, but Vel's not indulging him on this– they've got a job to do and it's not like it's an unreasonable assumption to make.

22 - Maybe, although given IMP’s track record of killing bystanders as well as the actual target, Val and Vel might be a bit hesitant (sure, they might succeed in shooting Niffty, but what if they hit Vox too?)

23 - Vox gets away with a lot because his hapless suburbanite neighbors don't know enough about [whatever mental illness they assume he has] to parse whether the things he says actually line up with the diagnosis.

24 - Sarah and Thomas are both still alive in 2024 (they're 74 and 77 respectively). Sarah would feel like she's going crazy, having a perfect clone of her long-dead father living in her neighborhood. Vox wouldn't be able to recognize either of his children, but might be caught off-guard by their names.

[caffiene-fueled-fuckery]

hiiii can you do a deep dive into hawkeye's attachment styles pretty please :') i don't know much about attachment styles but i love psychology and i'm super normal about that guy (lying) so this is all fascinating 2 me !!!

Hi! I can certainly try!

I'm by no means an expert on attachment theory but I guess I can maybe talk about it since I'm studying it right now and have for a few years. I'm a psych major specializing in psychological development, and a lot of my interests and papers in the last few years have been on attachment theory specifically in adults bc believe it or not, most people think that it's only a thing when you're in infancy and early childhood. False! You actually grow an attachment network as you go from adolescence into adulthood and that's how it stays essentially, but your attachment style is important for the people you choose to be around and how relationship dynamics work (there's more nuance to this but I'm not really sure how to explain it without going super in depth). Anyway... Maybe I should do a general post about attachment theory.

For Hawkeye I think he's definitely in the preoccupied type, but he can also sometimes be a bit dismissing. Let's be real, Hawkeye has abandonment issues. If you think about it, he lost his mom when he was a kid, and it was pretty sudden. She got sick and he didn't really know what was going on, and his dad didn't tell him how bad it was. Then a few days later she was gone. Not only did he very suddenly lose a primary attachment figure, but he likely felt a sense of betrayal from his other primary attachment figure due to his dad not being honest with him. Yes, he was only a kid, but that doesn't stop him from feeling that way. That is still the case to a degree, he mentions it in that one episode... I think it's called Sons and Bowlers? When his dad was going into surgery for something serious and Hawkeye thought it could be cancer but he didn't find out until his dad was already in surgery and he spent forever trying to get through to the hospital. He was rantic and said something about his dad doing it again, likely meaning holding back the severity of an illness from him to protect him.

The loss of a primary caregiver is devestating to a young child even if they don't really understand what happened. The person they've relied on, who they knew was going to keep them safe and take care of them is just no longer there, whether they know why or not doesn't matter. Now, hawkeye I think was a bit older... 10, maybe? So he understood that it wasn't his Mom's intention, but that doesn't stop the pain. It seems very much like he clung to his dad after that, and he seems to have a very secure attachment to him. But I don't think that overall he has a secure attachment style. Definitely not.

The preoccupied attachment style is typically characterized by people who have positive views of others but negative views of the self. This usually means that they want close relationships but don't feel they're deserving of it necessarily or that they can trust others. In a modern sense, they'd be the person who'd text you a thousand times if you didn't respond. They can be clingy and they need reassurance. And while Hawkeye can be arrogant, I don't think he really likes himself that much. I can't think of anything speciifc he says but he definitely seems to think he's not a good person. He probably doesn't think he's ideal for a relationship. And we can see that in his interactions with his ex.

Carly and Hawkeye lived together for over a year, and he was devastated when she left him. Again, abandonment by another primary attachment figure. When she showed up at the 4077th he was hurt and a bit bitter, but when he talked to her he was desperate. He would do anything to keep her by his side, including marriage. And she knew it was desperation. A lot of it was his work that got between them, as she said, because he isn't someone who can put his work second. But another piece of those commitment issues might be that doubt or anxiety around relationships that are more than just sex.

This isn't just in romantic relationships. Think about how he reacted when Trapper left. He was so hurt that Trapper didn't even leave a note and chased after him to try and catch him before he left despite knowing he had little chance of catching him. He and Trapper were always together and he seemed a bit more secure in that friendship... but that went out the window when he left. Now, I don't really know that much about Trapper, esp since he was only in 3/11 seasons. But the effect he had on Hawkeye was immense.

You can see that in the way he interacts with BJ. He's clingy. He needs validation. He's scared of being abandoned again, whether or not he wants to admit it. And in GFA, he gets so irritated when BJ won't say goodbye. Hawkeye knows they won't see each other again, so leaving without a goodbye and a promise of seeing each other again is the same as being abandoned. BJ is important to him.

This validation isn't even just with BJ. It's pretty much with everyone. He cracks jokes and the laughter is validation. Sleeping with one of the nurses is validation. To me at least, he seems to feel inferior when comes to anything that's not surgery. Just as a person. But he also seems to have a defense against that, acting like all he needs are one night stands. Keeping the nurses at an arm's length, never going further emotionally than just sex. Which is why I said he could also fit the dismissing style a little bit, too. It's a defense mechanism so he doesn't get hurt. Dismissing is when someone has a positive view of self and a negative view of others, usually relying on being self-sufficient and independent, not needing close relationships even though they desperately want them. He just thinks people will leave him so he doesn't let people get to close to him. That seems to more be the case with women.

I hope this makes some sense! He has a bit of a mix of styles but I think more preoccupied than anything else. I wanna give poor Hawkeye a hug :(

[idealisticrealism]

TCL 2x09 recap

Phew, this week was busy as hell so ngl this show picked a good time to have a set-up episode haha. Still, I thought the ep was actually really great, and I’m excited for what’s coming next!

Ok I’m really happy to see more of Thony’s buddhism! Lbr she needs his help rn. Was it really necessary for Fi to bring Luca to meet at the temple though? The threat of Kamdar is fairly under control for the moment, so really she could have just brought him to the house. (Sidenote, but in terms of timeline, it sounds like he’s been at JD’s for 2 nights, meaning this ep is only a day or so after last ep?). But anyway. Ngl I like seeing Thony in her jacket bc it just makes me think of her connection to Arman, but tbh I was like ‘why is everyone in long sleeves?? It’s summer in Nevada????’ but oh right no, the filming is in summer/fall, but the show must be at least nearing winter by now (not that winter in Nevada is all that cold anyway haha). But yeah in the pilot, Thony says they’ve been in the US for 8 months, and in 1x07 they celebrated all the holidays they missed having with Marco, which included Christmas. So Thony took Luca to the US in December at the latest, and then the two of them were there for 8 months already before the events of the show started taking place, and it’s now been about 3 more months since then. So I guess we could almost be in November/December again?  Too bad this isn’t the kind of show to do a christmas episode lol, I would have loved that

Ok speaking of jackets/wardrobes etc, Arman needs to stop wearing the same goddamn thing every single day (as utterly sexy as it is), bc it’s making it harder for me to know exactly when everything is happening haha. I’m gonna assume that this scene actually occurs the night before Fi and Thony meet in the temple (aka still the same day as when Thony told him about RK and Nadia’s marriage). Bc I’m guessing that Thony told him, then he left and spent a while being upset (and conflicted, because yes the lying and the manipulation sucks but hey on the other hand, suddenly he’s a free man lol) before looking up the public record, and then he goes to La Habana, where Nadia is excitedly setting up what looks to be a dinner date for them (sigh, I feel sad for both her and us lol). Tbh I think that is the timeline that makes the most sense, bc lbr, if this was happening the following day after he finds out (so the same day as Thony in the temple), then Nadia would have been upset or suspicious about where he had disappeared to for a whole night, because clearly this is their first time seeing each other since Thony’s reveal. But anyway I guess it really doesn’t matter much haha. Also I like how he’s like “so it’s true” and then later tells her that he looked it up on the public record. Like duh of course it’s true lol, you literally saw the proof? Also ngl I was very satisfied when he turned away from her kiss, and then when she hugged him, begging forgiveness, and he didn’t hug back. I know it’s mean but I just love every single thing that further proves that this relationship really has no future… (well, the romantic part of it, at least.)

Also YAAASSSSSS I knew she and Robert were still married!! I mean I’m sure I’m not the only one who called it, but still, gotta love being proved right. And like I said, gotta love Arman no longer being a married man haha. Also incidentally, if RK and Nadia ‘divorced’ after a year, then that was 7 years ago, confirming that her and Arman have been together less than that. (even if they met while she was with Robert, I doubt that she would have dared get with Arman until the divorce was supposedly finalised, given that she was afraid of RK). But anyways then aaaaahhhh the way Arman walks away from her– idk about you guys, but I just really can’t see them going back to being together after this, bc firstly there’s been a betrayal of trust on both sides, and secondly, cmon, the dude knows he’s in love with Thony, and knows that it’s her that he really wants to be with, not Nadia. Tbh though this did all work out a bit differently than I expected; I absolutely assumed that Nadia would demand to know how he found out, and would then learn of how he’d used her. But now instead of both of them being pissed at each other, we have her feeling guilty and desperate for forgiveness, while also accepting that she may have caused the end of their relationship. Which is kind of true but also not really haha. I think the dooming of this ‘marriage’ was a mutual effort tbh lol

Ugh the combination of Hyper-competent Doctor Thony and Worried Mom Thony gets me every time. But man seriously can the universe just give her and Luca a break?? Like she said in 1x06, why does it always have to be so hard?? (Bc it makes for good TV drama, of course, haha). Loved the throwback to Dr Saroyan, who has probably been enjoying the last few weeks of respite from these very stressful clients haha. I kinda wish we’d get to see him again bc I miss him, but at the same time we don’t really need him as much bc Arman has a new personal doctor now :P 

Speaking of Arman, ughhhh at the fact that she’s clearly told him about Luca being sick again. Despite the uncomfortable way their last meeting ended, they’ve obviously been in contact, arranging the next med pickup and talking about Luca and still just being there for each other even when they’re kind of being pushed into being on different sides in regards to their situation with RK/Nadia etc. Tbh I just love this scene: the way he and Fi greet each other (from her expression, it looks like she has come to accept him and his place in Thony’s life and I’m so happy about it); the way he immediately asks after Luca; the simple sincerity and the eye contact with the “I wish I could help”/”You are” ughhh. (Bc the thing is, he’s not helping Luca directly; Thony and Dr Saroyan have that covered. But he’s supporting Thony, and that’s what she truly needs).  

Nooooooo Boscoooo my boy :’C I know the writers have been basically telling us this was coming since like 2x03 but I’m still sad!! I do love that in this scene, Thony’s first response was to start checking for survivors/people needing medical help, then she saw the truck and her focus shifted to the meds and what their absence meant for Luca (and also her and Arman). Which is very much her character– help anyone in need if she can, but her family’s needs take priority. Arman’s response was just as perfect– his first reaction was Protect Thony, by warning her to stay back and also scanning all around them for further threats, and only once things appeared safe did he even think to look for Bosco. But ugh I really didn’t want to have to see Arman lose another friend, especially another whose death he’s going to torture himself over ughh. I’m sad Bosco didn’t even get to say any last words either but at least he wasn’t alone when he died. Ugh my boy deserved better :( 

And then suddenly there’s magically appearing bikers (let’s ignore that their engines should have been audible way before they got that close, shall we? lol) and Armony running from bullets and stealing a bike and a high speed chase on a dirt road and honestly I didn’t need this kind of stress in my life haha. Also damnnn son I guess Arman is an amazing rider because do you know how hard it is to keep a bike steady at speed, on dirt, and with a passenger?? I do! It’s bloody hard! And kicking an object while riding without then causing yourself to crash is even harder lol. And don’t even get me started on that chain they broke through– like dude if that chain was attached at all to more than one side of the gate, riding into it would have clotheslined them both and sent them hurtling right onto the road in the path of that RV lol. Good thing it was apparently not attached and was just draped across the gap or something though… and like man I know it’s Vegas and all but that was a hell of a gamble lol

I am immensely satisfied that I accurately predicted exactly what Arman would do and say the moment they got off the bike haha, though lbr he IS kind of predictable when it comes to Thony and being worried for her safety. And okay I’m very glad they’re both uninjured (and look, shooting a target is hard at the best of times, so I understand them not being hit by bullets shot from a moving vehicle while they were also moving at speed), but I mean couldn’t Thony have gotten just a little bit shot? Like nothing serious, just a nasty graze across the shoulderblade or something? Just enough for Arman to freak out over and for her to have to take off her shirt for him to check it lol. But sigh, I guess I’ll just have to save that for fanfiction lol. Anyway though, you really gotta feel for Armony rn because they are really not having a good week lol

Ah, everyone’s least favourite sociopathic peacock is back. But how satisfying to see him get slapped right in the face haha (though lbr he probably likes that kind of thing?). Ngl though I almost enjoy how utterly pathetic he is when it comes to Nadia? Like with everyone else he’s self-assured, powerful, always at the advantage; but with her he’s a total simpering mess and I want her to crush him under her heel like a bug lol

Nope, not okay with hearing Thony just barely holding back tears over the phone with Dr Saroyan, and then trying so hard to keep things together as she explains the situation to Fi. She’s right about Luca never surviving the flight though ugh; I literally just did a course on the physiological stress of flight in critically ill patients and no way would he make it in his condition. Maybe on an official repatriation flight with a medical team accompanying him, but not as a deported immigrant on a commercial flight ugh. But anyway, I digress lol

And now Thony’s bad day is getting even worse as she has to go deal with RK’s shit lol. But oooh the burner phone is back! Given that later in the ep RK texts her on her other phone, I’m guessing that it’s Arman who texted her just then to let her know RK was back and that they have been summoned to see him– considering they show up to RK’s office together, it’s likely that Arman came to pick her up and take her there. And ugh that’s yet another moment between them I wish we could have seen, bc like did they talk about what they would say? Or the possibility that RK might hurt them as punishment?? I need to know lol. But ugh that moment when RK does snap and signal Joseph to kill Arman? (which tbh I don’t think he would have dared to do if Nadia hadn’t basically just told him she wanted nothing to do with him; bc previously it was only the fear of turning Nadia against him that kept him from killing Arman). Ngl I am obsessed with the way Arman clenches his jaw and stands straight, accepting his death like he has known ever since the prison that it was only a matter of time, that there would be no escaping it, not after everything that’s happened. But Thony will never accept that, will never stop fighting to protect him, and so she immediately moves closer to him, pleading on his behalf and getting herself even more deeply ensnared in RK’s web as she saves him ughhhhhhh

Ugh more DoctorMom Thony… I can’t deal with the way she looks at Luca before she walks out of the room. She knows that this may be a one way trip to the Philippines for her, but I guess she’s holding on to the thought that even if it is, she’ll be able to send the meds back and he’ll get better– and then eventually he may be well enough to fly back too and they can be reunited. (Well, if she doesn’t get murdered by RK, that is. Ugh). But at least in the meantime he will be safe with Fi– although dude “give him more morphine whenever he needs it” is an INCREDIBLY dangerous statement to say to someone who doesn’t have medical training haha. But I’m sure she wrote down some clearer instructions lol. Also aww at the fact that Fi has apparently been sending money back to her parents all this time, despite having such a challenging relationship with them and also having little money to spare?? I love her Your Honour

Seeing Arman and Thony pull up to the plane in the caddy reminded me that his motorbike is still back at Bosco’s camp ughhhhhh. Maybe he’ll be able to ride the other bike back and go get it? Though lbr the risk is probably not worth it. Ugh RIP you beautiful motorcycle I will miss you and all the Armony-embracing you created. Ngl the power couple in the caddy look is still hot though haha. As is the fact that Arman is dressed rather similarly to the last time these two took a private jet flight together, and then later slowdanced by firelight… got some subconscious hopes rising to the surface there buddy? Me too tbh lol. And then ugh RK shows up and completely ruins all our hopes, as usual. I love that both Arman and Thony tried to argue against Arman being left behind (“I need Arman to come with m–” yes you do need him ughhh). But then ugh when Arman realises that he has no way to fight this, that he has already been pushed out and deemed worthless, and as a result has no power to protect her anymore? And he just stares after her and she looks back at him for just a second and they’re both thinking, is this the last time we’ll ever see each other?

Boooo the ledger didn’t actually help?? So Arman went through that ‘reconciliation’ with Nadia for nothing? Great. Also ngl I am still stuck on my ‘Russo is indebted to Kamdar and under his influence’ theory. C’mon show, tell me what side she’s on, I need to knowwwwww

Of course RK chose the seat right across from Thony and is watching her sleep. Goddamn creep. Though tbh we all know that she is completely under his power rn and so there are far worse things he could be doing to her (things I’m sure Arman’s imagination is currently torturing him with), so I guess I should be glad that sexual violence does not seem to be one of RK’s proclivities. But ugh this flight is still so uncomfortable, especially the way she is forced to reveal her friend’s identity to him, knowing that it will put her at risk but having no choice. But holy shit the line “The chief of cardiology? That’s a lot to give up… the godlike power of saving lives, just to become a maid for criminals” is possibly one of the most powerful statements we’ve had in the show. And then her response: “My life became about saving one person’s life. My son.” Like wow, that really captures the entire essence of the show, doesn’t it? The lengths that a mother will go to for her child, the sacrifices she will make to save one person above all others. Though  tbhI would argue that the truth has shifted a little bit now– in S1, yes, her life was all about saving Luca. But since the end of S1 it has become about saving her family– Luca, Fi and the kids, and Arman. Thony says in 1x04 that she became a doctor to be like her father, who her mother always said was brave and risked his life for others. She clearly dedicated so much of her life to that goal, to being the best doctor she could be, to help all the many the people who needed her knowledge and abilities. But after Luca got sick, and after she reunited with Fi and saw the way she was struggling through life as a TNT, and after she met Arman and developed such a deep and unexpected connection with him, I think that all that determination and caring and protectiveness that had been spread across scores of cardiac patients instead focused itself intensely on just five people. Of course, she always helps whoever she can, but those five people are who her life is really about. And I think that RK actually respects that, respects that she is willing to do whatever it takes for the people she loves, even when it comes at a huge risk to herself. Tbh I think he’s found her quite intriguing for a while, ever since he’d learned that she was more than what she’d claimed at their first meeting, and since seeing the power she held (in different ways) over both Nadia and Arman. Let’s just hope that he stays intrigued enough to not have her murdered lol

Ooooh I have been hoping for AGES that Joseph is Filipino!! Honestly I always felt it was too much of a coincidence that RK’s right hand man– who we’ve seen RK abusing more than once– should just happen to be South East Asian. Like that casting has to be deliberate. And now he and Thony are kind of vibing?? Like yaaaaassss c’mon Joseph, turn on RK and take Thony’s side instead!

Aw Thony being welcomed by her friends is so sweet (and I love the very classic bilingual conversation), but oh mannnn it’s so uncomfortable to watch her trying to be normal and social all the while knowing that she’s there with a motive and that RK is outside and that so much is riding on her friends taking a huge risk for her ugh. When she escaped to the bathroom I just wanted to give her a hug ugh. Just like I wanted to give Arman a hug when he was suddenly faced with Isabel selling the club, kicking him when he’s already down, and god as much as I’m suffering rn I do love the way the show juxtaposed those two scenes, like it’s saying that even separated by thousands of miles, their pain is still shared. Ugh our babies really are going through it lol  

Nope nothing to say about this awful scene with Thony and her friends and her trying to beg for their help while suffering such a mortifying level of shame and guilt and ughhhh nope can’t deal with this at all. Although I feel like the drug he mentioned about hepatic damage might somehow become relevant later on? It seems Luca is copping every possible side effect or complication so who knows lol. But ugh when her friend gives her the name but then realises that Thony brought RK with her and basically exiles her for it ughhhh it hurts me. Especially because Thony has said before that many of hers and Marco’s friends stopped talking to them because he would borrow money and not pay it back– this woman may have been one of the only friends Thony had left from her life in Manila. And now she’s lost that too. 

Lol I like this bisexual lighting in La Habana– I’m gonna headcanon that Nadia chose that lol. It’s also really cool to hear that she was the one who made the place into a cigar lounge; between that and her influence on RK’s business, I’m definitely getting the sense that this woman should absolutely be running the show. But ugh when he says he’s not going to say goodbye to either her or the club, I honestly kind of liked it?? Because I want her and Arman to be able to stay in each other’s lives, just not in a romantic partnership, and tbh I think we are actually getting closer to achieving that with each episode? Because they’ve had their heated, angry breakup, they’ve had their unwilling (on his part at least) make-up, and then they’ve had the reveal that their marriage was never ‘real’ and all the painful emotional fallout that came as a result of that. And now they’ve made peace, have apologised to each other for the way things happened and how they hurt each other, but it’s definitely got a ‘forgive but don’t forget’ vibe to it, in that while they can absolve each other for what they’ve done, they’re not just going to pretend it never happened and go back to what they were. Bc in my mind, they’ve now reached a place where returning to the relationship they had– the marriage– is impossible, yet it is still possible for them to have a new relationship, one where they are partners of a different kind, two people who know and respect and trust each other and can work well together toward a common goal. And tbh we’ve all always noted even from early in S1 that they seemed to behave more like business partners than husband and wife, and now maybe they can have that, and can see that it fits them better than being married ever did. 

YEAAAHHHH BOOYYYYY “I’m gonna kill Kamdar. And you’re gonna help me.” Aaaaaaahhhhh you guys I have been WAITING for this and I am so excited. And you know what the absolute best part is???? The timing of this decision from Arman. He is suddenly filled with determination to kill RK, but that determination didn’t appear after RK forced him to commit murder, or after he found out RK caused his whole marriage to be a lie, or after RK literally almost had him shot dead in his office. Yes all of those things contributed to it, but it was truly cemented the moment RK flew away in the jet with Thony completely at his mercy, and Arman realised he no longer had the power to protect her.  Like yes I know that RK has made it clear that he no longer has use for him (and that therefore he may potentially have Arman killed at any moment) but honestly, I don’t think that “it’s either him or me” is Arman’s real reason. It’s an effective reason to give Nadia, because if forced to choose, she would absolutely choose Arman; but I really don’t think Arman truly cares about the possibility of his death. Like in 2x07 he literally told RK that he wasn’t going to follow his orders to kill Maya, and to just kill him instead; and it was only when Thony’s life was threatened that he gave in. Even earlier in this ep when Joseph nearly shot him, he didn’t do a thing to try to stop it happening. Honestly I think that he believes that he deserves it; I think he’s now convinced that he only brings death and destruction and pain to those around him– Matteo, Carlos, Hayak, Maya, Bosco (and that’s not even counting the people he killed for Hayak)– and that by dying he would be paying penance for them, but also protecting Thony and Nadia from suffering the same fate. And so that’s why he is suddenly so desperate to kill Kamdar: because of Thony and Nadia. Because that moment at the hangar made it clear to him that unless he takes out RK permanently, neither woman will ever be able to get free of RK’s grip, and will always be in danger from him. Which means now he knows that he needs to act fast, to kill RK before RK can kill him, because if he dies before RK then there’s no one left to protect his family– the two women he loves. 

Also, can I just say that I called it about the fact that if RK dies, Nadia– as his still-legal wife– is likely his main beneficiary, and so she would inherit his entire kingdom? Like ngl I could see some potential issues there, like the fact that if he died, the FBI would probably be pretty interested to investigate exactly what happened, and would most definitely tie up all his assets rather than releasing them to the estranged wife that had very suspiciously just made a very recent return into his life, and whose second ‘husband’ is a known enemy of RK’s lol. But who cares about logic and legalities, right? And tbh it was a very smart move of Arman to appeal to Nadia’s greed and ambition by reminding her that she could become queen of it all, and could finally have what she has worked so hard to earn. There’s a look of almost disgust on his face as he says it, which may be because he’s acknowledging that Nadia is RK’s wife, not his, but tbh I read it as also being disgust at a) manipulating her again, and b) the fact that money and status and power mean so much to her. If the situation were switched and it was Thony in her position, Thony wouldn’t care at all about what she might inherit from RK; she’d only care about keeping Arman safe. But to be clear, this is not a judgement of Nadia! Her greed and covetousness are actually really interesting character traits and they make her more nuanced and real, and tbh I can totally understand why someone who came from nothing (and who worked hard for everything she had and yet still lost it all, while watching others get richer and richer without ever working for it, purely because they were born into privilege) would be drawn to the idea of doing one ‘bad thing’ to get to have everything she feels she deserves.

Ugh at Thony keeping her promise to Fi and going to Fi’s parents’ house to leave the money she gave her. I’m glad she didn’t have to go meet with them– she could have stopped them when she saw them leaving, but she chose not to (in fact it seemed like she was waiting for them to leave), and she clearly knew where the spare key was kept (she may have had her own copy when she lived in Manila, but lbr she wouldn’t have taken her copy of the key to the US with her). Also the envelope Fi gave her was white, and she puts that on the counter first, but then she also takes out a thick, fresh stack of cash, and a yellow envelope– and tbh I think the cash and yellow envelope are from her. @enigmaticfox said, and I agree, that this moment feels very much like a goodbye; a goodbye to her former parents-in-law– the only parents she has had for years– and to her connection to the Philippines. Her work life there ended 5 years ago with Luca’s diagnosis, and her friends were lost one by one over the years due to Marco using them, with the last finally lost on this trip due to Thony using them; and then with the loss of Marco and the fallout from his death, the family ties she had to this place are gone now too. She says it herself when she gets back on the plane– “The Philippines are not my home anymore.” And it’s true. Her home, her life, everyone she loves– they’re all in Vegas. 

Oh Russo what the actual fuck were you thinking? Kissing Garrett at any time is an incredibly terrible decision for many reasons, but kissing him at work only days after he lost someone he loved?? Someone whose picture he was literally just staring mournfully at as you walked in the door?? Like woman I have so many questions about your sanity haha. (Also about your loyalties. Seriously tell me, does Kamdar have you under his thumb???)

Damn Thony’s outfits for this trip have been so good. She looks so effortlessly elegant and sophisticated, and while I love that as a character she’s clearly not at all vain and will normally just wear the same simple clothes repeatedly, it is nice to see a little variety being included– tbh I feel that her tiny wardrobe was a symbol that her time in Vegas was only temporary and that she didn’t  ‘belong’ there, so the more clothes that get added to the mix, the more it feels like she is putting down roots and really claiming Vegas as her home. Of course she doesn’t have a lot of closet space rn so she can’t go too wild with the wardrobe lol, but I hope it does get at least a little bigger by the end of the season. Anyway phew at RK basically pulling the rich-people equivalent of a jedi mind trick (aka bribery) on the customs guy lol; money really does open all doors huh

Okay so either RK is even more of a ridiculous simp for Nadia than I previously thought, and is completely fooled by her (let’s face it, rather terrible) acting lol, or he knows she’s deliberately trying to manipulate him into buying La Habana but doesn’t care and is happy to give her what she wants anyway, because it will get him what he wants– Nadia’s affection and gratitude. Tbh I hope it’s the first option because that’s just so much funnier. But either way, now that he’s the owner of La Habana, she can just “what’s yours is mine” her way into being the next owner upon his untimely demise haha. Work smarter not harder ladies!

Why do I feel a sense of foreboding hearing Luca say “mommy I don’t want you to go”? Bc like she literally just came back? Maybe he means he doesn’t want her to go away again? And ok even though I know nothing will happen to her (she’s the main character after all, and this show is no Game of Thrones lol), it makes me afraid of foreshadowing lol. But ugh when she tells Fi that the meds will fix Luca and Fi says “well, then whatever you went through over there, it was worth it”– yet another line that has really captured the heart of this show. Whatever Thony goes through, no matter how bad, it’s worth it to her as long as Luca (and her family) are okay. She will bear any pain, any burden, as long as it keeps them safe and healthy and happy. Which is why she will keep working with RK, bc even though she knows that he’s so unpredictable and mercurial that just being in his vicinity is a danger in itself; she’s willing to take that risk as long as he can supply the meds that keep Luca healthy. Which means that the situation between her and Arman is about to get a little complicated lol, because right now she needs RK, and Arman needs him gone. Bc just like her, Arman will do anything to protect the people he loves– and for him, that means protecting her from RK by eliminating him before he can hurt her. It’s the best kind of conflict imo, because it’s one person saying to the other “I love you enough to do what needs to be done to save you, even if it makes you hate me”. Of course, Arman doesn’t want to endanger Luca by taking away his access to the meds, but in his mind, RK is a far more immediate threat to Thony’s safety than the short supply of meds is to Luca’s wellbeing, and so he probably figures that once RK is eliminated he can then use RK's funds and connections (via Nadia) to get Luca all the meds he will ever need.

But the real question now is whether he will tell Thony what he’s planning to do to Kamdar??? I honestly can’t decide, because on one hand, keeping her in the dark would protect her (plausible deniability, etc etc) and that definitely seems like something he would do– plus, in terms of storytelling, it would create some delicious angst because Thony would see Arman suddenly shutting her out and instead spending most of his time with Nadia, and she would assume it means that Arman has now definitively made his choice regarding who he wants to be with, and so she would then endure their every following interaction with the quiet suffering of a secretly broken heart ugh. (God I would LOVE to see that, because the eventual reveal of the truth– that he loves her, has loved her the whole time and has only been trying to keep her safe– would be glorious). However, if on the other hand he tells her what he’s planning, and she tells him not to do it because she needs RK (also bc she doesn’t want him to get caught for RK’s murder, of course) then there’s a different kind of delicious angst where they both know how they feel about one another but they’re stuck on opposing sides regardless, due to external factors outside of their control. Which tbh would also be glorious. So basically, whatever happens next will be a freakin delight lol. And ok I know there’s a lot of fans who are unhappy about Armony being potentially pitted against each other while Arman teams up with Nadia, but I honestly cannot wait, because the truth is that any conflict between these two now will just make it all the sweeter when they eventually– and inevitably– finally give in to their feelings and accept that everything they’ve done, they’ve done for each other, and that there’s nothing they want more than to be together.

Oh no. The gun. Lbr, RK absolutely just had it planted in order to get Arman out of the way now that he thinks he’s got a chance with Nadia again– gotta remove the competition, y’know? lol. Though I definitely do take issue with the fact that he dared to plant for the FBI to find, considering that in 2x07 he himself touched it with his bare hands before Arman did, and that seems like a risk he would never take, but whatever. Plot hole maybe. But anyhow aaaaahhh now Garrett (and ofc Russo/the FBI) know about Arman, and I can’t WAIT to see what he does about it. Tbh my ideal headcanon would be that he immediately goes to arrest Arman, and Arman argues that if he’s already going to be going down for murder, why don’t they make it count– and so convinces Garrett to give him a couple of days to kill Kamdar (thus making him truly pay for what he did to Maya) before he takes him in. It would be fascinating to see Garrett agree to that, clearly venturing more into the moral grey zone, and also to see these two nemeses teaming up in that way. Especially if part of their agreement is that Thony is kept completely out of it so she won’t go down with Arman, because neither of them wants anything to happen to her. Ngl, I’ve already drafted the fic haha, and I’m sure I’ll get around to posting it one day– but in the meantime, I’m so goddamn excited to see what the show gives us over these next few episodes ugh. Honestly I am living the fangirl dream here kids and I hope you guys are too lol

[chuluoyi]

Yes... I grinded my ass off... And now I have nothing to grind for baby Lukey... And IT'S OKAY!!!! You can still get tears from the event itself!! And by upgrade they mean upgrade the star thingies- You know when you get dupes you can star up the cards? Yeah that's the upgrade they meant... I didn't know and kept trying to use my stellin till I realised like 'oh fuck I've been wasting stellin for no reason' cause I still couldn't clear the achievement... But yes I'm left with 36 stellin now after levelling up my new card...

Ah omg arranged marriage 😭Omgomg do you read 'Under the Oak tree' ? It's an arranged marriage manhwa with spicy scenes [ohohoh!] If you don't you should give it a read, see if you'll enjoy it. And Angst! My absolute fave! AHHAHA SAME GIRL I thought he was the antagonist 😭😭Especially after the prologue I was like 'Who tf are you' and I thought there would be that route where the MC gets together with the bad guy and gets whisked off... And I guess I know why I'm still single now... It's either I'm really just too in love with 2D men, or it's my mum's high standards and taste in men...

Right!!! Ahhhh I'm so in love with Satosugu! And it's okay! Take your timeee, just do it once you're more comfortable. Geto has a pretty complicated character if you ask me so it's understandable that you'll need more time...

😭😭You must be so tired... Remember to stay hydrated and rest well too! Your health comes first!! LUKE JUST GO HOME SO PEOPLE CAN REST 😭😭😭

Hidden inventory is indeed our last spring of youth... I felt my teenage life get sucked away HELP. To add up I'm like around their age during hidden inventory and I relate so much better to them except the cursed energy part... And Culling games... I don't even want to imagine... I'll probably drop JJK by then I don't think my heart can take it. I think JJK will end me before I do it myself...

exactly... It's really childish and stupid... Like guys most of you are at least 16 so act like your age please don't go around arguing over shit only kids fight over... I used to watch Aot like I stopped at S3 before they switched to MAPPA... and yeah basically every big fandom will or has experienced debates over the littlest things... Every fandom has it's toxic community...

Hahaha! How's your bf after the last episode? I heard it's super depressing...

-🪩

i… only got 1 tears *sobs* and now it’s in pity 60🤧 STAR THINGIES LMAO yeah it immediately comes to mind the moment you describe it like that😭 36 stellin is alright! i’ve been left with 2 stellin i remember thinking just how broke i can get?💀

i read that!!!🥹 i love it but i’m a bit sad that maxi struggles so much to stand up for herself😔 riftan is a hunk though omg. oh and i read another manhwa called “light and shadow” it’s such a good arranged marriage manhwa that i read it lit thrice bcs the both the hero and heroine are badasses who take no shits from anyone else🥹

aw don’t worry disco anon!! i’m sure you’ll find the right person someday!! i used to be insecure with myself too and thinking that i don’t fit but no—it’s just that we haven’t met the right person yet!!🥹 they are there somewhere🫶🏻

aww thank you!!! you’re so nice afahjsa and you stay healthy too!🥹🫶🏻 the weather nowadays can be a little challenging😫

omg really?!😭 you’re still so young and your watchlist being jjk is indeed so soul-sucking😭 not that i was any better. when i was that age (gods why am i sound so old i’m only 24) my watchlist was naruto… and i binged it all until the end over the course of summer holiday🥲

SO TRUE AHHAHAHA jjk will end us before we do it is so canon ogmf😭 like for how long now that we didn’t know what megumi’s status is?

ohhh may i know why? they said it’s much better when it moved to mappa? bcs tbh mappa is a good animation company, but it’s just that their working conditions that are so concerning🤧

he’s being dramatic and totally heartbroken about eren and mikasa🥹 he even has his lockscreen changed into a live wallpaper of aot🥹 i swear it’s karma bcs when gojo died, he was unapologetic towards me (he rolls his eyes 🙄 whenever i’m swooning over gojo and he is a suguru lover, btw!) and now i get the chance for a payback🥹

[after-nine-at-the-oasis]

OOOP o.o

Is that her husband or smth o.o bc I'm doubting brother

Oh okay step brother

Why do I feel there's a but coming

WAIT NO HE'S HER HUSBAND :OO ಠoಠ

SHE'S MARRIED TO HER STEPBROTHER???!

Oh wait no he just means she has one lol

Took me a half second to register what him being here husband meant with the brother thing and then another second to realize it actually didn't XD

Ahh okay untraditional marriage aight

I mean any character would have an issue with this as a plot or at least Something with it, yk, but Owen being Owen. . . Hmm, better be careful my man xD

Dang it is big

WAIT WHAT O.O

Oh okay it's just a tub thing

Ohhh noo o.o that doesn't look good

Btw flashbacks to the Hildy episode of OG anyone?

Anyway

But yeah o.o HOURS? Baaaad stuff o.o

UH OH

He was just standing there bc he was FROZEN wasn't he o.o

YUUUP OHHH NOOO 😳😳😬😬😬

That ain't good that ain't good 😬 :(

I mean I do hope he survived

Uh oh 😬

WAIT WHAT IS THAT LOOK

Or those looks I guess

O.O

He'll probably be okay xd

Maybe lol

But still o.o daaang 😳😬

That's the last of my last thoughts! Now it's time for the. . .

REVIEW

I LOOOVED this episode! I thought it was amazing :D. Marjan episodes are always so good, and with a side of Tarlos? Masterpieces 😌. Anyway!! The calls were great this episode - YESSSS karma for that couple from the trailer and ensuing suing incident >:) (lol yes I said ensuing suing on purpose) - and I really liked the plotlines!! I'm a bit nervous for next time o.o. Like, I don't care THAT much about Owen's love life, but it's fun anyway :). Also I feel like the second hand embarrassment will be strong with this one xd. Anyway though! This episode was great, and even though I love drama, I liked how it didn't have too much :) 🥰.

Also, once again, though it's several hours earlier, this is being written the same day as the airing of the next episode xd. Everything after the first sentence of the review is being written now lol. I do have a fair amount of time, so it probably won't be shorter because of time constraints, but it may be shorter because of motivation and memory lol. I have to run a light board after/maybe even during this (probably after though), I need to have energy. But I may get wrapped up in it and not just so my basic thoughts! Who knows :). Or maybe I just won't have much to say lol. Anyway! Onward :).

Now it's time for the individual parts!

Grace! We didn't see much of her this episode, but she slayed :D. She did great at her job, as always 🥰. I'm only partially sure we even physically saw her this episode - I think we did, but it wasn't till later? I don't quite remember XD. Anyway! I love her <333.

Judd! He was great this episode :). Again, we didn't see him too much, but he was great for what we did :). And of course he was great at his job ❤️. I love him :D.

Mateo and Nancy! Putting them together because we mostly saw them together this episode. Anyway, they were great this episode 🥰🥰. I love our little Nanteo moments :DD. Like their scene giving advice to Marjan? SO CUTE 🥰🥰. And at the restaurant too XDD. Well, we never saw them eat, so it may have just been like a tea house. Anyway! Mateo becoming friends with that guy was hilarious XD. I love him lol <3. And Nancy just sitting there like :'), then being like POPCORN, Mateo!! XD. I mean that's not literally what she said but yk the vibes xD. I love her lol <3. Anyway! They were both great at their jobs this episode 🥰. I love them lol.

Owen! He was great this episode :). Him also becoming besties with the date XD. Just a different one lol. That's not the entire reason he was great, it's separate from the first season. Also his advice was good, but his attachment to rutabaga was hilarious XDD. So sorry Owen lol <333. Anyway! I love him 🥰. He was great at his job too :). But yeah, I just love Owen being the comedic relief half the time lol.

Paul! I love him 🥰🥰. Him literally shoving Marjan to talk to the PT guy was amazing XD. Also of course his advice giving with Owen was great too lol 🥰. Also it's really sweet that he and Asha invited Marjan over for dinner :). He is a great bestie 😌. Also AAAHHHH he and Asha are officially a thing :DD. That's great 🥰🥰🥰. Lovely <33. Anyway, he was great at his job this episode :D.

Marjan! I LOVE HER SO MUCHHH :DD <333!! She was amazing this episode <333. I love how she didn't compromise on what she wanted - like, yk, she wanted a Muslim man, a chaperone, etc. Just because I feel like a lot of shows play down people's religions and, in relation, cultures with that kind of thing. But they didn't :)). Also I saw someone else mention it and yeah, it was nice seeing Marjan dating for the first time as an adult (and not just like, 20) :). I personally haven't been in that situation but I do know it isn't portrayed a lot so that was nice :). Anyway! I just LOVED that montage lol XD. It was amazing XD. And seeing everyone giving her advice and chaperoning was so sweet :)) 🥰. Also the fact that the guy was CHEATING ON HIS WIFE :OOO??!?!! AND MARJAN KINDA XDD?!?!! Several people lol. WILD! Also Marjan slayed on that scene though 🥰. Like the scene of the call/incident lol. She was great at her job this episode 🥰🥰. And YESSSS revenge on those people >:DDD!! More like karma LOL xD. Anyway! AAHHHH I'm so happy she got with the physical therapist :D. I mean, I don't care much about him specifically, I'm just really happy for her :)). Ik she didn't really get with him, but she asked him out and it was great :DD. I wish them the best :)). Also he better not hurt my girl 😤 xdd. But yeah, she slayed so hard this episode :D. I love her ❤️❤️.

OKAY I HAD LESS TIME THAN I THOUGHT SO I'LL COME BACK TO EDIT THIS LATER THE SHOW'S ABOUT TO START - I came back and added a ton to Marj's lol

TK and Carlos! LOVE THEM! BE BACK LATER LOL - I'm back xD. Before I even just said Tarlos lol, but I felt like putting their names now xD. Anyway! They were great this episode :D. That montage in the beginning was AMAZING!! It was hilarious xDD. And also AAHHH the reassurances beforehand 🥰🥰🥰. I bet they'll end up choosing somebody we know though. Anyway! Now to the meat of it xD: the kids discussion lol. I am definitely surprised Carlos doesn't want kids, but seeing the reason I'm not. Like, I was, but having heard what he said I am no longer surprised xD. It's completely valid, and even if Andrea disagrees, he really didn't have a similar relationship with his dad as TK did. I love Gabriel and Carlos, but there was a lot of tension there. I do think he would be a good father, but if he doesn't feel ready, that's completely okay. It's understandable! Even if he never feels ready. And being completely honest, I do want them to have kids xD! And I do hope Carlos is ready one day. But I respect his decision :). Because seriously, they're both equally valid! TK is perfectly validated in wanting to have kids.

Which is why the thing I really loved about this storyline is it really wasn't one of them convincing the other. I feel like most storylines revolving around kids or no kids are like that - either the no kids person is convinced to want kids or vice versa. But I really don't feel like that's what happened here. This was a mutual "We care about each other. We want each other in our lives more than anything, and that's all that matters right now. This isn't a make or break issue for us. And maybe, we will revisit it down the line." Because that's the conclusions they came to - "I love him". And you could say "oh well it's not the middle choice it's what Carlos wants" but like, it's the less permanent thing to revisit having kids later WITHOUT KIDS LOL. You can't as easily have kids and then decide "nah" xD. But like I said; I still think it's a possibility for the future. And honestly, I think this was a smart writing decision. It means they don't have to commit to one right now - they can decide later. And not only can they decide later, they can use the revisiting the discussion as a storyline later! Even if they decide not to have kids, there's still another plot in it. Anyway, I just really liked and appreciated how it was handled <33.

I may put that in its own post later but anyway lol. Now past the serious, analytical portion and onto my FEELINGS :DD 😭!! XD Not a bad sobbing lol. Anyway! LISTENNNN I just love them so much :'DD. Also AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH CARLOS GOT TK A LIZARDDDD!!!! HE GOT HIM A BEARDED DRAGONNN :DDD!!! A A A H H H H H THAT IS SO C U T E!!!!Also YES I was wondering while watching if they would name him Lou 2 XD. I guess we'll have to see if it's gonna be Lou 2 or Louis the Second LOL! Because seriously him escaping was hilarious XD. Carlos just like ":'). Help me :))))))" XDDD. This poor man lol, someone help him xD. Also as I said in my liveblog I NEED him to just randomly be referenced xDD. Either to be treated like their (human) child (as in as if he were not like they have a child and they're treating him like that child xD) or to just be one of those Things lol. Like, TK in the background or end of a conversation but the beginning a scene: . . . Yeah he got out AGAIN and we didn't even bother this time :/" XDD. PLEASE FOX!! MR. TIM MINEAR!!! I need it XD. Anyway, I LOOOVED their conversations with Owen and Andrea!!!! They were so good :'D. I love their relationships so much <3333. Plus Andrea making fun of Carlos in a "be fr" way was gold XDD. And TK, right after a really sweet and genuine part of Carlos and Andrea's conversation: I blame you personally." Slay my boy XDD. I mean he said something like that lol. Anyway, it was just great, and I loved how it was spliced together - it also made for some really nice parallels. And AAHHHHHH TWO KISSES IN ONE EPISODE :DDD!!! YESSSS SLAYY WE DESERVE IT :DD 🥰🥰🥰.

By the way, there's this thing that, in some form or another, has kind of been running through my mind (or repeatedly popping up for a while lol) like all week: Carlos is scared he won't be a good dad, because of his trauma. TK is scared, because of his trauma, that he won't be a good dad. Does that make sense? XD. I just remember seeing someone say that TK reacts immediately with thinking that Carlos is doubting his ability to be a father, which is in character for him and makes sense given his past. They might've said something about Carlos too, I don't remember, I just keep thinking about this. For a little expansion on it lol, TK jumps to those conclusions because of his trauma, and who he is. Carlos is scared that due to his trauma, he won't be a good dad. That his trauma is what would make him a bad father, meanwhile TK's trauma is what makes him scared. Idk, it's hard to explain xD, and it's not a perfect little bit, but it kinda makes sense to me, I guess. Idk lol.

Anyway! I did not I had that much to say about them xD. I probably will put my little analysis bit in a separate post as well, I think it deserves it lol. But yeah! They were great this episode :)), I really loved their storyline. And I've seen several people say this but YESS, I'm glad it wasn't like, a fight!! It was just a discussion :)). And that was great, I loved it <33. Also idk about that proof that TK can cook - sus xD. But that was super sweet :')). As was Carlos getting the bearded dragon (since we don't know if his name was decided I'm saying that lol) of course :'DD. Anyway! They were both great at their jobs this episode :)). I love them 🥰🥰. Also, I will say that even though it wasn't a fight this disagreement was still stressful 😭😭❤️. Not too bad and I LOVED it, the plotline and all that, but still xD. How could they do this to me 😭 xD. Anyway, yeah, it was amazing 🥰🥰🥰. I'm so glad they worked everything out :))). And yeah honestly I don't think they should go with any of those officiants xD. Maybe the lady who was saying ask those hard questions, but eh xD. I saw someone say Paul and yeah I'm rooting for him :D. Or any of their friends really lol. Coming back with another edit because I JUST REALIZED (due to the title of a clip I saw while watching Tarlos clips xD) that PAUL SAID HE'S ORDAINED!!! That's why people said it XDD. I don't know HOW I missed those parts of that scene but I did xDD. Anyway AAHHHHH SLAYYYY!!!!! I love that so much, it better happen :D. They wouldn't just drop that in there for nothing ;)). Unless MAYYYBE it's to bring up that someone else can do it but I don't think so lol, when Paul already can xD. Also the fact that TK was telling that whole story xD 🥰. I hope he gave a rundown of each one because that would be hilarious lol.

Overall, LOVED IT! Okay back to edit this too lol. I LOVED this episode! I thought it was great :D. I really liked all the storylines, and the calls were great too :). Like I said, a Marjan and Tarlos episode always slays lol. But seriously, it was a great episode. Drama, a bunch of humor, and some really sweet and lovely scenes :'DD. Plus, Nanteo crumbs and Tarlos are always bonuses 🥰. And Paul and Asha!!! YAYYY :DD. I'm a bit nervous for the next time o.o. Like I said, I'm not THAT invested in Owen's love life, but I don't find much of a point in not even trying to enjoy it, so eh :). It's not like I feel nothing though lol. I just might not take it as serious as if it were someone else xD. Anyway, I'm also sure I'll get bad second hand embarrassment xD. I'm excited too though! Also, one last time, I loved the date montage from today xD. Not just Marjan, and the guys, either, but everyone else's reactions too XD. And Owen and Mateo loving those two dudes LOL. Amazing :)).

So yeah! I really enjoyed this episode, I thought it was amazing. I'm excited for next time! This has been my review of. . .

9-1-1: Lone Star, Season 4: Episode 12: Swipe Left

It was great! I'm excited for the next episode, but nervous for it as well. I'll be back next week for my review of. . .

9-1-1: Lone Star, Season 4, Episode 13: Open

See you next week!

[gracelesstars]

Complete 101 guide list: What to ask at a Supernatural Con?

(Click here for new updates)

*cracks knuckles* well, I guess it’s time to become that person WHO DOES ALL OF THE GROUP’S PROJECT BY THEMSELVES bc no one else seems to give a sh*t anymore. 

I mean, the gates were open, the ban-lists were lifted, vaccines distributed, gay marriage legalised and y’all still dared to stand on the holy ground of the con microphone (where fellow brave 2012-2019 Destiel comrades have laid their bodies beforehand - may their souls r.i.p.), and ask “do yo got allergies?”, “what’s your favourite candy”, “where’d you go if you stole impala”or some crap like that. And now we got thee “homo Qs scary” ban reinstated (thanks, jpeg!)...

Do not despair though, it's not to late - we can fix it! Copy these questions word for word, I don’t care about the credit, but if I hear you ask ONE MORE DAMN TIME “What was your favourite type of Cas to play? :)” - you’ll be finding a “lovely” surprise under your bed that night. :)

MISHA

You said numerous times before that you’re happy with Cas’ ending. Is it because of the homophobic environment you had to work in, which for so many years denied any sort of acknowledgement of Destiel? So getting something feels better than nothing? Or do you really think this is the best ending that Cas could’ve gotten and that Cas deserved? 

What happened that made network (and Jensen) finally approve of Destiel and let it go canon after years of denial, gaslighting, and homophobia?

You mentioned before that if Jensen did not agree, the confession scene would not have happened? Why is that so given that his character didn’t react much during it and was impacted very minimally by it afterwards?

What do you think Dean & Cas’ first kiss was like? Where and when did it happen?

How often do you check tumblr? (Not “if” - “how often”) (source)

Jensen said that he thinks Dean and Cas fuck all the time, your thoughts, Misha? (source: i think we should just lie for the drama and just to see what happens)

(PARTIALLY ANSWERED)You’ve always been a big ally of the LGBTQ+ community, so could you reiterate that Cas’ confession was romantic, Cas is gay, and that we’re still not crazy, for those, who have not heard it before or who want to strip Cas away from him homosexuality/queerness?

Follow up question: For many queer people allowing Cas’ confession to be left for interpretation is a form queer identity erasure, invalidation, and gaslighting. Now, you’ve dubbed it at first as a “homosexual declaration of love”, do you still think that? Or do you think that, because it is a form of art, it is valid to interpret it however one wants?

(ANSWERED)  You have said that you started playing Cas as canonically in love with Dean in s15 after you knew about the confession scene. Could you tell us more about what different acting choices have you decided to make in order to portray Cas’ feelings for Dean?

JENSEN

Questions about Dean/finale

You said that s15 was made with Dean’s death as a given. Why then have the whole season showing us Dean trying to heal his trauma, understand his anger issues, be better and less self-depreciating - all to revert to his early seasons’ suicidal ideation and wipe off 15 years of character development in the last 2 episodes, by portraying him as nothing more but a 15 year interruption to his brother’s life?

If Dean’s last season aspirations have been about getting free out of the maze, knowing what’s real, and having a choice, why kill him right after he supposedly have achieved them at last? Why not let him reap the rewards of his battles and sacrifices? Why not have him live and experience something good for all the times he bled and died for the world? Do you think Dean deserved to die then and like that?

The top ten men that Dean Winchester would like to fuck? (source: “if he refuses to answer i want “jomophobe” trending on every social media by noon”)

Questions about spin-off

When and why did you decided you wanted to get the rights to Supernatural and make a spin off? 

In the prequel is John going to be portrayed as the abusive parent and terrible person that he was? Or is it going to be another apologist show justifying, redeeming and validating the abusers (especially abusive parents’) wrongdoings? As that seems to be popular trope in Hollywood movies right now?

Questions about Dean & Cas' relationship

When did you start playing Dean as in love with Cas? (and watch his brain go ERROR404 trying not to answer this homophobic-ly)

If Dean had enough time to process and respond to Cas’ romantic love declaration, would he have reciprocated or would he have turned Cas down, because he’s straight (and/or homophobic)?

Why did you veto Dean saying “I love you” to Cas back in 8x17?

Do (did?) questions about Destiel make you uncomfortable?

In the past, you’ve said that “Destiel is not real” and that “Dean is not bisexual”, do you still hold these opinion?

Why Dean didn’t ask for Jack to bring Cas back in 15x19, especially, when he literally begged Chuck for it, even offering his or Sam’s lives earlier at the same episode?

Why Dean didn’t look for Cas in Heaven after he was told that he was alive?

In original ending Dean was supposed to come upon Jimmy in heaven? Could you tell more about that? Like, how Dean reacted? What did he say to Jimmy and what did he feel like when Jimmy said he’s not Cas?

Why do you think that Dean and we as humans cannot be sure if angels can experience romantic and/or sexual love, when we and Dean have seen archangel Gabriel who has had lots of sex in porn, seen Adam - the first man - have a long lasting relationship with an angel, knew about angels having sex with humans and creating nephilim, Lily Sunder and her angel romantic partner, and lastly Dean - having sex and brief romantic relationship with angel Anna himself?

In 15x09 after reuniting with Cas in purgatory Dean told him that he had “something to say” and after Cas cut him off and told him he didn’t need to say it, he didn’t look pleased about it. Was there something else that Dean wanted to tell that he didn’t in his prayer?

Another Dean actor - Guillermo Rojas - has said that his Dean’s reciprocation was indented and that “everybody says if you want to be a real man, you have to be like Dean Winchester, and Dean Winchester is in love with Castiel.” What are you thoughts on that? Do you agree? (insp.)

Given that Dean was shown to favour various fashionable attires throughout the seasons. What do you think he wore to his and Cas’ wedding?

Other

Jared said that Dean wouldn’t want for Sam to end up with Eileen. What are you thoughts on that?

JPAD

You’ve been a big advocate for mental health and had many themes about it incorporated into the show. This has attracted a lot of fans who could relate to it because of their personal experience. What are your thoughts about it given that, in the end, Supernatural decided to show that the only to get away from the trauma and suffering is through death? Do you agree with this message?

You have said that your tweets regarding not knowing about Jensen’s prequel have been misunderstood. So, could you tell what tone and message did you want to convey with “Et tu, Brute, what a truly awful thing you’ve done. #Bravo you coward” to Robbie Thompson then?

Have you apologised to Robbie Thompson for calling him a Shakespearean traitor and a coward for choosing to work with Jensen of the SPN prequel?

Why did you say that angels, and especially Cas, are “junkless” when we have seen many examples on the show of not only angels, and Cas, having sex but being in romantic relationships, too?

Is the reason you define Sam and Eileen as a pseudo romance because you can’t imagine a disabled person being in a romantic relationship? (source)

Do you wish you had more opportunities to explore and build upon Sam and Ruby's platonic relationship? I really liked how you portayed them like siblings!

J2

How do you respond to the fact that so many people use your words, actions, & your show & characters as justification for their bigotry? (source)

You gave this show 15 years of your life, given that Supernatural (especially in its last few episodes) promoted suicidal ideation - portraying dying as a best way to deal with trauma, villainized or killed its POC characters, failed to give any positive lgbtq+ representation, destroyed the “found family” trope by saying that only the blood relatives matter and so on... what do you think and hope it and Dean and Sam’s legacy is?

Why do you feel it’s okay to keep trying to make Cas’ canon romantic confession open to interpretation? Considering you say you’re allies & doing so is erasure of queer narratives, I’m curious as to why you made that choice. (source)

What was the point of quote “family don’t end in blood” and calling fandom a SPN “family”, when the show ended up saying that it’s always been about two blood-related codependent brothers only?

JENSEN / MISHA

We know that the CW netwrok conducted a market research back in 2016 on whether or not they should go full, on-screen, reciprocated Destiel. If they had decided to move forward with that story line, how do you think it would have been done? How do you think the story would have played out? (source)

Who would be the big and little spoon? (source)

Ignore Jensen and ask Misha “Since Dean didn’t even look for Cas in heaven and didn’t reciprocate anyways. Do you think there’s a chance Cas will move on with Mick Davies?” (source)

Ignore Jensen again lol and just spend a few minutes telling Misha how grateful you are for his LGBTQ+ support throughout the years and for fighting for LGBTQ+ representation.

SIGNING / PHOTO OPS

Give Jared a fanart picture of a Destiel sex/kissing scene to sign.

Wear a t-shirt with “Et tu, Brute, what a truly awful thing you’ve done. #Bravo you coward” tweet on it to jpad photo ops. Or have him sign a photocopy of that tweet.

Wear this costume to jpad panel.

Wear this t-shirt to a Jensen and/or Misha photo-op or get it signed.

Have J2/Jpad sign this picture.

Ask OP/artist’s permission to use their posts/art !!

BUT WHAT IF

If you ask Jensen a destiel question and he’s rude about it?

Just start crying, like full on blubbering (credit)

Straight out ask him if he doesn’t like Destiel because he’s homophobic?

Some of the Supernatural fans get mad me and some of the actors get uncomfortable or annoyed at my questions? :((

Well, first of all who cares what they think? You are paying to be there, so you have a right to be there just like anyone else. You are paying the actors!! If they get uncomfy with some questions - that’s a they problem. If worse comes to worse - what they can do? Fire you? You don’t work for them. Ban you from further cons - would you even want to go? I mean the shows over and idk why some people still pay hundreds of $$$ to go there and hear FOR THE 35th TIME what some actor’s fav episode was. 

They’re screening the questions/Destiel questions aren’t allowed?

Write down some stupid question like “What’s you fav type of pie?”

Give it the staff who’s screening the questions.

When it’s your turn to ask, just ask your real question.

Preferably pick as short question, so you can say it quickly before they try to stop you.

OR if they try to stop you ask into the mircophone “Are LGBTQ+ questions not allowed?”, so that everyone can hear it (just like this lady here did it in the previous con). They are less likely to stop you if you all out their homophobia publicly. 

If they try to harass you about it afterwards pretend that you don’t understand English very well and/or that you just changed your mind about the question and didn’t know it was not allowed. Speak with the fake accent the whole time to make it more believable (works like a charm every time).

Jared decides to interrupt a question that’s not for him/about him/his character?

Tell him or shout (if they don’t let you use the mic) “Jared, please, this question is not for or about you.”

J2/bibro/w*nc*sties keep hogging the question line?

Pretend to be one of them. Befriend them. Come up with some really good j2 questions and tell them that’s what you want to ask so they let you in line and then when you get the mic you just ask the real questions. (source)

[jewishraypalmer]

Ok so remember when I made this post about Ray well I’m going to make (a shorter one bc I’m actually quite tired) about Nora. And mostly I’m just here to say that while in theory I LOVE that Ray and Nora got married, I think it was a BAD idea to do that so soon. Also going to try @puppetavasharpe‘s bold thing because that is a V good idea. 

It was established in S3 that Nora never really had a childhood because... you know... demon cult... and as an adult you mostly see her be bad UNTIL the fateful “torture isn’t the answer” scene in No Country For Old Dads. So then you know at the end of S3 Ray is like I believe in you bby here take this stone so you can break out lol. So anyway S4 is mostly about her redeeming herself and first of all I want to say that they did a GOOD job with this. Like wowie wow wow love it chef’s kiss etc... Now Nora (as a series regular at this point) is only in about half the episodes of S4, at the time this season aired, I actually didn’t mind it but then again I also thought that they would get more time in S5 (LOLOLOLOLOL) so it seemed fine to me. I also thought that since they did such a good job with Ray and Nora’s slowburn that that would... you know... continue? (again LOLOL) 

The tl;dr of that last paragraph is: a lot of good things happened in S4. Nora got redeemed. She joined book club and made FRIENDS!! She became a time bureau agent. She kissed Ray. 

But then she became a fairy godmother. And now I say again, at the time, it didn’t bother me because I thought it was just for the episode and I didn’t realize it would be a WHOLE THING. So then... season 5 happens. 

Nora (still as a series regular at this point) is in 3.5 episodes of season 5. No I am not counting Marie Antoinette because she isn’t Nora in that episode. The .5 actually comes from that one scene where she is only on video and they say they love each other. Although she also was on video for the Marie Antoinette so we can round it up to 4 episodes I GUESS. 

After her getting all of that development, making friends!! Book club!! They just sort of erase all that. And I actually do like that she gets to help kids but having her be a fairy godmother isolated her from everything she had just gone through. And then she just like... gets married. We never even got to see Ray and Nora like go on a date?? What is this the NANNY? (Sorry I just binged the Nanny and also have strong feelings about that development) 

We never actually really get to see Ray and Nora have a relationship except for like in Slay Anything but to have that one episode and then they are just like ok marriage time bby!! I feel like it is a disservice to her character because I think she still needed time to find herself. Again, SHE NEVER GOT A CHILDHOOD. Let her just like live her life for a bit. Let her have her friends. Let her have cute boyfriend/girlfriend moments!!! 

Ok so the tl;dr of THIS is: The whole post got away from me so basically it was too soon for them to get married and I wanted Nora to have more time for herself and also to ACTUALLY.DATE.RAY. Thank you. 

[orchidbutch]

Vee’s Naruto Movie Ratings

I have watched most of the naruto movies, so here i present my rankings and categories for them!

please know that i do not consider ANY of the naruto movies “good.” all of the movies are OOC to some extent and i have issues with each. BUT some are better than others! in this post i will rank the movies numerically and then categorize them by my general impression. (this is because the middle ones, #3 or #4 through #6 are basically the same to me. don’t fight me on these, i won’t care enough to engage)

Numeric Rankings:

Road to Ninja

Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow

The Lost Tower

Legend of Stone of Gelel

Shippuden the Movie

Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom

Bonds

Will of Fire

Blood Prison

Unrated: The Last, B*ruto Movie

Qualitative Rankings:

i’d watch it again (maybe):

Road to Ninja: i’m weak for world swaps ok??? i’ve watched this one multiple times for fic reasons. naruto getting to be with his parents for a short time gets me Feeling Things. i left feeling curious about the genjutsu world and wanting to know more

Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow: i have issues with how they treated the princess, but i cried at the climax and sasuke getting the autograph for naruto in the after-credits was cute. i did enjoy watching it and it got me to feel things!

The Lost Tower: this would otherwise go in “it was a movie, i guess” but i LOVE time shenanigans. also the ending song was CATCHY

it was a movie, i guess:

Legend of the Stone of Gelel: tbh the lore was the coolest thing here, i want to know more abt the other continent now. also naruto remembering sasuke at the climax was *chef’s kiss*

Shippuden the Movie: the priestess was cool, her statement at the climax kinda reminded me of sasuke’s resolve to live at VOTE2 so i enjoyed that part. the joke at the end made me brace myself for the post-credits of every other movie (but it wasn’t as bad as will of fire)

Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom: this one had very pretty scenery. the first 30 minutes felt like a filler naruto episode had just finished, and then there was still a whole hour left. naruto going FERAL was fun!

I HATED IT SO FUCKING MUCH!!!

Bonds: the main plot was HORRID but at least it had SNS moments at the climax so it’s not rock bottom rating-wise. naruto yelling at the antagonist to let sasuke go when sasuke was expressionless cracked me up. you could prob find that scene elsewhere and not have to deal with the rest of it tho

Will of Fire: I WANT THAT 1.5 HOURS BACK! insanely OOC and the plot makes no sense. the issues were so significant that i wasn’t able to immerse myself in the movie and connect with it. i felt like i wasted my time. if that wasn’t enough, it ends on a horrible “joke” that had me FUMING and solidified its place at the bottom of my rankings. i thought there was no way i’d hate any movie more than this one, but....

Blood Prison: this one was a love/hate for me. if you ignore the first 30 minutes (premise and TERRIBLE, awful “humor”) i would have put it at #3 or #4. they do some wild stuff in this movie. i liked the antagonist and the climax! i found myself genuinely enjoying it at times, unlike will of fire. but... the implication of the premise - sending your comrade WHOSE WORST FEAR IS ABANDONMENT to a far-off prison WITHOUT A TRIAL to be subjected to all sorts of whump - made me feel so gross and anxious hours after watching that i had to put it at the bottom of the list. i know the movies are just bad fanfic, but *shudders*

bonus... i refuse to watch these bc i don’t want to see my faves end up in comp het marriages:

The Last: look, i just don’t wanna see Naruto get pressured into liking a girl who’s had a crush on him forever bc the studio needs to make money (and in-universe comp het, i guess.) i can watch this vicariously thru tumblr posts or look at cool scenes on YT. also i hear there’s aliens for some reason???? i’ve learned by now that they’ll do anything in these movies.

B*ruto the Movie: while the implication of Naruto and Sasuke co-parenting their son is neat, i really do not want to see both of them miserable in comp het marriages. i can just watch that one tumblr post of them fighting in this movie where everyone in the tags goes “wow they’re gay” and be content with that

in summary: if you’re someone who likes to watch naruto and you don’t feel like watching a filler episode or re-reading your favorite fic, maybe turn on Road to Ninja. or just brace yourself for bad fanfic that doesn’t make sense and see what wild shit they decided to throw in the movie. if you don’t watch naruto and you’re curious... don’t start with the movies, go watch the show.

[meetmeatthecoda]

It’s bonkers how Liz and Ressler can literally have sex and then still be on a last name basis with each other. Even Red calls her Elizabeth lmao. But seriously, if K—nler is endgame, is this really the writers’ idea of romance? Barely any buildup, BOOM they have sex, then these awkward, forced ‘moments’ between them? *deep sigh* Idk, maybe I’m being harsh, but I guess I feel like the least they could do (if they won’t give us Lizzington) is give us something decent to watch. What are your thoughts/theories on this mess?

Hello, dear anon!! ❤️ Firstly, omg, I know!! All the “Hey, Keen.” and “What, Ressler?” is so intensely romantic 🙄🙄🙄 The thought of Red calling Liz just “Keen” is so laughable to me. As you so rightly say, he at least calls her by her full name, which is much more telling imo than any robotic surname crap. (Plus, he would never call her “Keen” bc it’s her fake name from her fake marriage to her fake husband, but I digress.) Regardless of whether it’s Lizzie or Elizabeth or Agent Keen, it still sounds like music coming out of Red’s mouth. Whether that music is a funeral march or a symphonic poem... well, it varies 😒

ANYWAY you make such a good point!! If we’re striving to be objective (which is a pretty unobtainable goal for me at this point), there is  n o t h i n g  inherently romantic about K**nler. I’m sorry, but to me - no matter which way you slice it - there’s been absolutely NO romantic coding with these two over SEVEN SEASONS, really only a handful of scenes together at all that mostly consist of “STOP! FBI!”, and very few personal/meaningful moments. And of those VERY FEW moments, they all appear to me as platonic/work friends/colleagues. And listen, I’ve always liked Ressler and Liz as BFFs. Liz always offered a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on about Audrey in the good ol’ days and Ressler did the same about T*m, plus I’ve always loved how Ressler offered to “rough him up” in that gruff, brotherly way. There was never any jealousy between them at their respective romantic partners, like there always is with those Will They/Won’t They ships. And I think pilot!Ressler hating Liz’s guts gradually morphing into them being best buds over the ensuing seasons is super cute. But it’s never screamed “romance” to me. There’s been no anticipation, no build-up, no close calls, no nothing. My prime ship example for that sort of thing is Caskett from Castle. They spent 4 seasons building those two up with plenty of close calls and jealousy keeping them apart for as long as they physically could before they finally came together with fireworks. There has been zero of that with K**nler. (Lizzington on the other hand? Yes. Not to mention all the Lizzington suggestions FROM RESSLER: ”Sounds like someone’s jealous Uncle Red’s got a new crush”, “You in the dog house or something?” - but I’m slipping into my Lizzington googles, so I’ll stop there.) Not to mention I’ve never really liked Ressler as a character. Sorry, no shade to Diego, but it’s not exactly a dynamic character. And TPTB have a marvelous reputation of tabling characters until their designated plot lines and episodes, with no measurable growth or continuity in between, so it always feels forced to me. To just throw a long forgotten character - whose only role in the past 11 episodes has been driving around and answering phone calls to catch the weekly blacklister - in my face once a season and say, “LOOK, WE THOUGHT OF SOMETHING FOR THIS DUDE, REMEMBER HE CAN TALK?!” and expecting me to feel invested is wildly unrealistic imo.

In conclusion, anon, I don’t think you’re being harsh at all, rest assured that I have been much harsher in tags, DMs, and especially my own head about this so-called “romance”. I think you’re definitely correct that they could at least give us something decent to watch with time, a true romantic build-up, and a satisfying culmination. I mean, I know this is primarily an FBI-mystery-mythology-government-action-procedural-show but... AS SOMEONE ONCE RIGHTLY SAID, “I think it’s a love story.” and babe? ..... this ain’t it. I’m sorry, Lizzington remains the only pairing on this show that has had a veritable phone book of romantic tropes written for them, including - but certainly not limited to - tense undercover operations, dancing, jealousy at other partners, killing for each other, actual DECLARATIONS of LOVE,  T H E  L I S T  G O E S  O N, not to mention I’m of the steadfast opinion that they were the initial endgame for the show, and that’s a hill I am prepared to die on. I HAVE and WILL go down with this doomed ship until the end of my days. Amen.

As for my thoughts/theories on this mess, I am flattered that you’re interested enough to ask, and I think I probably gave you way more than you bargained for in the ^above^ rage!typing 😂 The only things I would venture to add are: 1) K**nler is a barely a ship by my admittedly high standards and, if it is indeed intended to be The Great Romance™ of the show, TPTB did a piss poor job of making it AT ALL satisfying 2) The current “plot line” is an inconsistently written, infuriating, OOC across the board, “twists” pulled out of a hat, PIECE OF CRAP mess, and I’m so over it and 3) I have genuinely no idea how they plan on digging themselves out of the sizable RED VS. LIZ hole CRATER they’ve dug themselves into and, if they plan on having even a mildly successful season 9, they had better claw their way out soon bc, by all accounts, pretty much nobody likes pathetically-evil!Liz and most are rooting for heart-of-gold-&-incredibly-sympathetic!Red in every single way. Sooooo... idk. I’m really bored by the whole RuSsIaN oPeRaTiVe arc and I wish we could fast-forward to the season finale to see if they plan on making any effort at all to improve the core relationship of the show, or if they have indeed given Liz up to mannequin-man and revenge-filled-rage-induced-mentally-unstable-out-of-left-field-evil-Kaplan-hallucinations and Red over to simply sad-lonely-romantic-tired-puppy-dog-who-deserves-better.

At any rate, thank you dearly for this ask, anon, it turns out I had a lot of negative feelings (surprise, surprise) that needed an outlet and I hope it wasn’t too painful to slog through!! Feel free to send another/more asks to keep the commiserating going!! I have dearly missed asks in what’s left of this fandom, but my ask box is still open!! 🥰 I will continue writing fic and shipping Lizzington pretty much in AU now as, unfortunately, that seems the healthiest and only remaining option 🥲 Much love to you!! ❤️❤️❤️

[lizacstuff]

Sen Çal Kapımı Fragman 35 Asks

Speculation and Spoiler asks about the 2nd fragman under the cut. (also a few ep 34 asks as well) 

Anonymous said: Thoughts on the new fragman for epi 35?

[Sing-song voice]  Serkan said he loves her! Serkan said he loves her! Serkan said he loves her!

The reign of Deniz and Selin terrorizing them is OOOOOOVER!  The reign of Deniz and Selin terrorizing them is OOOOOOVER!  The reign of Deniz and Selin terrorizing them is OOOOOOVER!  

Serkan said he loves her! Serkan said he loves her! Serkan said he loves her!  [END Sing-song voice]  

Anonymous said: Liza.. That. Fragman!!!!! Whew I had a good feeling the memory loss plot was coming to a close after the 1st fragman revealed they were so close to the wedding day and a new character was announced.. not even mad they spoiled it bc tbh, I needed SOME kinda hope. Based on different translations I'm not sure if the wedding was real yet or not.. and I was wondering what would be the new "thing" for drama in the story.. but edser are back! if it is real, I have hope they're gonna face it together.

EDSER IS BACK!  What do we always say? Fragmans are misleading. And they really chopped up that scene, lots of cuts. So my gut is saying that they want us to think Deniz and Eda marriage is actually legal, but I don’t think that it is. I think it’s a misdirect. 

Because what does Eda and Deniz being married do? Eda will get the Turkish equivalent of an annulment and it’s over. If Deniz did something to trick Eda into a real marriage when she thought it was fake, that will only make her hate him so it’s not like he gets anything out of it. It’s time for this story with Deniz and Selin to be over, so after 6 straight episodes of them having the upper hand over Eda and Serkan, why would the show hand them one last win right as our protagonists are about to triumph over their lies and manipulations?

I saw one translations where the registrar said something like, “awhile ago these two signed a real marriage contract.”  If that’s true, who are these two?  Did Deniz trick Eda into signing a marriage contract awhile ago? Or does this have something to do with Serkan and Eda’s original marriage contract? I have no idea. 

Sadly, With the information we currently have, I assume that is the last scene of the episode and will be a cliffhanger so we may have to live with this question for 10 days, not 3. Hopefully, we’ll have more context after the ep, though.

Anonymous said: Fragman 2 came out I’m so excited!! But idk something is telling me not to get too excited? What if serkan is pretending to remember just to stop the wedding because he fell in love with her again?

I guess my question to you would be, what does it matter? Whether Serkan stopped the wedding because he remembered, or he stopped the wedding because he fell in love with her all over again and said that he remembered because it seemed like the easiest way to make sure she didn’t marry another man, in my mind it’s still all good. He still said I love you, stopped the wedding and is hugging her. I’d say that is plenty to be excited about!!!  

Anonymous said: Or shoot do you think the wedding/remembering might just be eda or serkan’s dream? :(

Oh boy, possibly, but I’m so tired of the speculation that the pivotal moment in every fragman is a dream. I know that the proposal in 25 being a dream eFFed us up, but honestly, it’s no fun to theorize or speculate when you assume everything is not really happening. If it is, so be it, but I’m not gonna spend a ton of energy on that theory.

Anonymous said: The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that the wedding and remembering is serkans dream. The whole point of eda doing a fake wedding is to provoke serkan right? So if he wasn’t even there (he ran in late) why would she be acting it out, about to say yes? And would the writers really spoil the reunion in the fragman?

Okay, I guess I will spend some energy on it. Good point about her going to the point of fake saying yes when he wasn’t there, but in the fragman she says she’ll do anything to get him back. Maybe she was hoping he would come busting in and as long as its fake, does it matter? Here’s my thing, would the production actually spend a full day shooting with the ENTIRE cast at that wedding location for a dream? Seems like a pretty big expense for a dream. Also they showed a bunch of reactions. Engin, Piril, Leyla, Erdem, and Selin’s. Would a dream go into that level of detail? Complete with Engin being exuberant and Piril looking like she sucked on a lemon? Would Serkan dream about that and having a bruise on his face? Maybe, it would certainly clear away all the problems this scene potentially creates, but it’s not the most plausible scenario to me. 

Anonymous said: Maybe the confession is serkans dream, which makes him realize that even though he doesn’t remember, he still loves her so that provokes him to stop the wedding for real, and then the running/car scenes are real and the ep ends with him walking in on the wedding? Bc during the running/car scenes and when it looks like it first walks into the wedding he has a brown jacket but during the confession he doesn’t

Okay... I guess this theory is super popular. Obviously could be. However, check out the reaction shot of Engin at the wedding again, he’s holding Serkan’s coat.  So a lot happens (obviously) that we didn’t see. I guess somehow Serkan comes down the stairs and takes off his coat and hands it to Engin?

Anonymous said: I wonder why eda has a different wedding dress in each fragman?

Maybe Eda was just trying on dresses when he came in and perhaps there were several? Or maybe she decides not to wear the dress that caused Serkan to look at her like she was the stars and moon combined and say she was beautiful, to fake marry another man?

Episode 34 asks:

Anonymous said: In 34 when Selin takes the pictures to Deniz and they have their argument, did you notice that when Deniz angrily throws the photos/envelope onto the table, one (or two, I can’t remember) photos falls out unnoticed onto the floor? And when Selin takes the envelope back, presumably to dispose of the photos, she doesn’t pick up the one on the floor. Do you think this is significant at all?

I’ve seen this theory, but then I also saw someone point out that when Selin looks at the photos later they are both there. I think that might just be a continuity issue. However, we shall see. Someone has the copies and is texting them to Selin, so it’s not like there’s a shortage of ways for the show to get other eyes on the photos. 

Anonymous said: I agree with you that Eda slapping Serkan after the kiss was a little harsh. When I read the summary for the ep I was expecting him to say something mean, but what he actually said was the best case scenario. Him taking that big of a step in actively WANTING to remember her, especially after the way Ceren worded what she said to him about Eda, was a big deal! And I was like girl, did you not do this exact same thing to him in ep 29 in an effort to make him remember as well? 😂

I agree that his reaction was the best case scenario. She did do that exact same thing. And his reaction was to dazedly wander off and propose to another woman to try and stave off the feels and confusion her kiss wrought. All in all I prefer the slap. 

Personally, I think it was a huge thing that he wanted to kiss her, especially after Ceren’s unbalanced Eda-hate soliloquy at his loft. He didn’t seem to care about Eda being manipulative or selfish, he just seemed jazzed because if true it would mean that she hadn’t been able to move on from their love.

[infinitestarsintheskye]

Christmas at the Abbey (A Lady and the Chauffeur Story)

A FitzSimmons Downton Abbey AU

Christmas 1929 - Ten years after Lady Jemma Simmons’s wild runaway marriage to the family chauffeur, Leo Fitz, they are back to spend Christmas with her family, and it is set to be the most memorable one yet.

One Shot, Rated T, 14k+ words

Ao3 Link

Guess who’s back, back again, Skye’s Downton Abbey AU is back, tell a friend. HOORAY it is my most beloved fic’s FIRST BIRTHDAY (can you believe it) and I just had to mark it in some way. Downton is fairly well known for its Christmas episode, and so I thought ah hell, Christmas in September! 2020 has already been insane why not just bump up christmas a few months! This is an ENTIRELY original story, I have brought in elements of the Downton plot to suit me, but for the absolute majority this is my own work, just within the realm of that same Downton AU world. It was so lovely revisiting this world, I really do love the little universe that I’ve built up here and god it was just so nice to come back to it. I also want to mark my utter astonishment at how well the two worlds come together?? Like even when I was first writing TLatC last year it was just so easy to combine these worlds of modern day spying and tech and espionage and early 20th century england??????? Anyway, I will stop my normal rambling and let you get to the reading!

Also I have created a timeline of events for this universe, which I’ll put under a read more bc it contains some spoilers! 

The Lady and the Chauffeur Universe Timeline

19th August 1893 - Fitz is Born

11th September 1896 - Lady Jemma Anne Simmons is born

August 1913 - Fitz arrives at Busse Abbey

July/August 1914 - Start of WW1

August/October 1916 - Jemma goes to train as a nurse and Fitz confesses his feelings for her.

November 1918 - WW1 ends and FitzSimmons try to elope

6th April 1919 - FitzSimmons get married

12th September 1919 - Daisy and Lincoln get married

12th December 1919 - Eilidh May Fitzsimmons is born

August 1921 - Original Epilogue takes place

2nd October 1921 - George (Georgie) Lincoln Campbell is born.

2nd October 1921 - Lincoln Campbell dies in a car accident

6th January 1922 - Hamish Philip Fitzsimmons is born

2nd April 1925 - Sir Alphonso Mackenzie and Elena get married

30th May 1925 - Kathleen (Kathy) Skye Fitzsimmons is born

30th June 1925 - Daisy and Daniel get married

14th October 1926 - Hazel June Sousa is born

28th May 1927 - Finley (Flint) Alphonso Mackenzie is born

12th October 1927 - Emily Lorna Fitzsimmons is born

14th August 1929 - Arthur (Archie) James Fitzsimmons is born

24th December 1929 - Eve Margaret Sousa is born 

6th April 1930 - Violet Faith Mackenzie born

1st December 1932 - Edward (Teddy) Donald Fitzsimmons born

At the start of THIS fic:

Fitz is 36

Jemma is 33

Eilidh Fitzsimmons is 9 

Georgie Campbell is 8

Hamish Fitzsimmons is 7

Kathy Fitzsimmons is 4 

Hazel Sousa is 3

Flint Mackenzie is 2

Emily Fitzsimmons is 2 

Archie Fitzsimmons is 4 months

I have full explanations as to why every single child has the name they have but if I wrote this here I would honestly be here ALL DAMN DAY. If you would like me to explain the names of all 11 (why why did I do that, why did they not have reliable birth control in the 1920s i ask you) I will happily do so in another post. I genuinely have many many many pages of notes of me trying to work out this timeline. It took so long but it was so worth it bc I like to keep track of ages and events, ESPECIALLY in a fic like this where I have given everyone 10000000000 bairns each. 

[enchanted--realm]

When Calls the Heart Live Ramples

S8 ep10 Old Love, New Love, Is this True Love💕💕💕

Ohhh this episode was a goodie. First of all, Ned and Florence were so cute throughout this entire episode. Florence looked beautiful in that dress! I liked it better on her than I did on Molly. Also that first kiss between Ned and Florence was one of the best kisses to come out of this show I must say. That was a good kiss😉 I also loved Katie and thought she played her character very well. Everything surrounding her felt very natural and I really like the way the conversations evolved about her feelings concerning the marriage. I thought that plotline was very well connected and flowed well.

When Elizabeth first went to talk with Rosemary I was SHOCKED that she didnt apologize. She acknowledged her actions, yes, but then she was just like 'let's put our differences aside' instead of asking forgiveness and making up. I was very surprised. I guess it's just a slow step towards Elizabeth going back to her old self. Her and Rosemary will probably make up fully in the next episode when Elizabeth really starts to come into her true feelings. That said, I do appreciate that this tension between E and Rose extended into this episode because sometimes the plotlines in WCTH just go by too quickly or kind of fade away and are forgotten for a while before cropping up much later.

I love how both Elizabeth and Henry Gowen give advice that ultimately applies to themselves and the things they have learned and now it has opened up their hearts more and they can now see things more clearly. In Henry's case, this episode makes me think that they are gonna bring back Abigail. I don't even know what to begin thinking about that and there's so much controversy I don't think I even want to comment on it. I will just say that I loved Abigail's character and I loved the plotline between her and Henry Gowen. Ok moving on.

I really liked how we saw the gears turning in Elizabeth's head everytime she would talk with someone and give advice in this episode. You could see it right away at Ned and Florence's wedding that she already regretted sitting with Lucas and she was having major second thoughts about her relationship with him. It was very quick, but if you paid close attention to her face, you could see she was having doubts. Also, small note about that wedding scene, why the heck was Nathan sitting like that in the back row with his elbows up on the pew??? Just--why would they have him sit like that? It looked so awful and made him seem lazy and unrefined. And I didnt get the feeling that he felt uncomfortable by seeing Elizabeth sitting with Lucas so...it didnt even make sense, it was just bad. And it was also weird the way Carson had his arm around Faith. That is way too much pda for that time period.

More on Carson and Faith...I dont like them together, I never have, and I don't even want to bother talking about them anymore than I already have.

Fiona and Mike. I'm starting to really like them. I'm also starting to really like Fiona as her own character. I didn't always like her but she's really growing on me this season. I like that her progressiveness makes sense for her character and I really like the way her personality comes through in the acting. She's very natural in her delivery and Fiona feels very real and like someone with depth and layers to her. I don't know the name of the actress that plays her, but she is doing a fantastic job. I'm really loving Fiona🙌

I really liked the scene between Florence and Molly, when they were speaking by themselves. I love a good heart to heart between best friends and it felt like a good moment to have it then. I just love female friendships. Sisterhood is the best❤

Moving on to the reception I suppose. First I'll say that I love that Robert has noticed Allie and he seems to like her now. I think they are so cute together. It was so adorable the way he complimented her hair, her reaction, and then their dance. They were so cute. Ha! And then the joke that Jesse made about them getting married before Mike and Fiona! That was so funny, it was good chuckle.

I was surprised that Lucas hadn't asked Elizabeth to dance at all, but then I thought maybe it's because she was making herself distant from him in the crowd bc she doesn't want to lead him on anymore. Or the writers just didnt want to have any awkwardness in him asking her and her saying no, or them ending up dancing even if she doesnt really want to. Oh and I was also completely disgusted when Lucas brought up Allie again to Nathan at the reception and trying to manipulate Nathan into leaving E alone by bringing up his child. Ugh I hate it so much when he does that. It's not the first time he's done it. I wanted to hit him with a kitchen towel!

When Elizabeth walked up to Nathan I straight up thought she was gonna ask him to dance I was losing my mind! but then that wasnt the case. Yo, I was so shocked though I was on the edge of my seat let me tell you. Then she asked him to talk outside and I--!! What!! I could feel the relief in both E and Nathan during that talk. Oh it was like a breath of fresh air. Finally!! Team Nathan is coming in! Now after all those talks and moments of E giving advice, Elizabeth is finally able to take her own advice and take control of her life again instead being lead around by her grief and her fears. She is becoming ready to really be in a relationship with Nathan and I am so relieved it's finally happening. I was concerned about the pacing of these last few episodes bc I didnt know how they were going to write how Elizabeth comes to realize she can't live in fear, but I thought it was written in pretty well. When they spoke outside I was surprised that Nathan reached out to hold her hands. I thought that was pretty bold, but oooh she didnt pull away from him! And oh how awkward they had Lucas see them through the window. At least he sees now that Elizabeth has strong feelings for Nathan. I mean, he knows that N confessed his love for her Twice and both times she couldnt even say anything in response and just left. And now he sees that she'll allow them to hold hands, so... Lucas may actually bow out of this love triangle before Elizabeth has a chance to break up with him. That's what I suspect will happen next episode, that Elizabeth will call everything off with Lucas, but yeah he may make it easy on her and not put up a fight. It's not like Lucas has ever used the word love with Elizabeth anyway. He definitely doesnt feel as strongly for her as Nathan does, as seen through his actions and words, but that's a whole other subject that I don't have the time or energy to go into right now.

I loved Elizabeth in that dress btw I thought she looked really pretty. That dress had such a lovely design.

The preview! Yessss! More Team Nathan for the win! Things are really turning around for us you guys. I feel so good. Finally Elizabeth will be going back to normal and Nathan's game will be coming in strong! Hahahaha! I'm so excited for these next last episodes!

[hobidreams]

I also recently watched Bridgerton, and I think I liked it (I binged the first 7 episodes and had to force myself through the last so I don’t really remember much) but it definitely had it’s flaws. I like that they didn’t go with the black people are lesser route because even though I think conversations about race are important (as a black woman), sometimes I just wanna live in a little fantasy bubble for a while and pretend everything is fine, but obviously that’s not realistic. I think there was a lack of proper development with some plots and characters which makes sense since it was only 8 episodes and mostly focused on Daphne. I did lose interest towards the end when it was just Simon and Daphne sleeping their way through an unhealthy relationship, but I’d probably watch another season. I also never thought about the bedroom scene in the context of her wrongfully forcing that on Simon. I didn’t like the way either of them handled it (Simon lying and Daphne tricking him and then the stupid trope of thinking her love should fix him), but I was more focused on the message about the lack of proper sex ed for women, and I really like that the show addressed it. I think it’s so stupid and sexist that women are just taught to wait till marriage and that even breathing the wrong way near a man will ruin them and then suddenly they’re thrust into marriage and everyone is like babies?? Like Daphne didn’t even know how children were conceived (I was so confused when Simon kept moving away cuz I was like “that’s not how it works, who directed this” lol), imagine how humiliating it would’ve been if she had asked someone who wasn’t looking out for her and they’d spread that info around. I think abstinence as the only form of sex ed is such a disservice to women because it leaves them vulnerable to so many things (in the best case not knowing their bodies and desires and in the worst falling prey to the terrible intentions of some men). It’s so stupid to tell someone not to have sex without teaching them what it is; when I was younger, I was sold on the wait till marriage stuff and I still did all kinds of things (willingly thank god) because I literally didn’t know anything about sex. It’s so upsetting that guys can just stick it anywhere and get off (and of course the boys will be boys excuse), while women get shamed into celibacy and are made to feel like their desires don’t matter. This rant was so unnecessary and off the rails but I just wanted to get this out (I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable, please don’t answer this if I did).

i like how u say you *think* u liked it LOL 🤣🤣 you have a great point there abt the colorblind casting! we all consume TV in different ways & ofc your wanting to not think about race politics is very valid when you just wanna relax. i guess my biggest issue was with the “love conquers all” idea that they threw out there, bc like lol no, love does not erase racism/sexism/etc. but anyway. yes, i agree, there was a decent amount that the show did well, which is why i’ll be watching season 2 too! i like that there was a female focus in general, esp on Pen and the other side characters. i do think it should have been more than 8 episodes. or spaced out better. it felt like we went in slowly and then BOOM it all suddenly tumbled towards an end lmao. 

i haven’t looked into this because my research area is more 18th century English society than 19th, but i’m honestly more than a little surprised that Daphne’s mom wasn’t more explicit about the sex talk?? like there wouldn’t have been formal education about it back then, but securing an heir was TOP PRIORITY. so i feel like maybe the mom (i forgot her name lol) would have at least mentioned something even a BIT more concrete about sex, even if she didn’t go into details like semen, etc. that rain on the plain shit was just ridiculous and awful LOL. i guess its so they could bolster the storyline of having Daphne not know what Simon’s been doing the whole time but 🙄 yeah ok.

i guess in the end im really gonna be watching for the side characters, bc Daphne and Simon definitely became boring lol. no i dont wanna watch softcore porn of them for 10 mins again 🙃 no matter how hot he is hahah. you cannot hide a weak storyline with a cute butt, damn it!!!!!!

[pynkhues]

Part 1 First, thank you so so so much for your great insight!! Second, I actually really like S3 (so far) and I would love to hear your thoughts! Regarding BRIO, they are in a very volatile relationship and both are very stubborn and competitive and don't trust each other--of course they aren't jumping into heartfelt conversations. So, im fine with the show making us feel frustrated and like there isn't any progress. I agree that there is a flaw in not showing the effects of 2.13 on Beth's

Part 2 mental health and I would love to see that, but I'm actually ok with that also bc I want Beth to boss up and quite frankly, women are notorious for being too apologetic (although shooting someone might require an apology lmao). I suppose I also find it empowering that she isn’t divorcing Dean (sorry if sensitive topic) bc she is using the marriage to feed her fake image and in turn feed her true desire for crime. In addition, she is keeping Dean in the dark and taking care of their, just

Part 3: as he did in S1. I believe that staying in the marriage and using it for her purposes is actually pretty savvy. I guess I’m saying that while I want to see a more emotional beth for the sake of BRIO, I almost appreciate a female character who isn’t apologetic and letting emotions overcome her, but instead focusing on her business and what she really cares for—money and agency!! That being said, I recognize that it would be even more empowering if she could be emotional and be a boss.

part 4: omg I know this is so long!!! just thought I would offer this different perspective and get your input!! thank you so much if you do answer

I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to get to this ask, anon! It’s just been a crazy couple of months (well, year, haha). It’s great that you enjoyed the season so much! I actually did too, and like every season of Good Girls, have only enjoyed it more on re-watching. I think it’s definitely a show that benefits from being binge-watched, and while the weekly installments are fun, it can also tend to sometimes make it seem like not much happens, when really so much happens. 

As for your ask overall, I agree with a lot of what you’ve said! I’ve broken my reply out into sections (I hope that’s okay).

Beth and Rio’s lack of communication in Season 3

Funnily enough, I actually think they communicated a lot in s3 – they just never had an honest conversation about what happened in s2. They didn’t talk about their intimacy, their break up, Beth’s arrest, the kidnapping or the shooting. It’s not really out of character for them – like you said, they’re stubborn, volatile and they don’t trust each other. They’ve also never had emotionally frank conversations with one another. The closest we’ve ever gotten was the fight over the dubby in 2.07 and the scene at the bar at the start of 3.04 (and even that one was founded on the lie that Beth had ever been pregnant at all). 

That said, I actually do think it was building up to some sort of honesty. The fact that the season wouldn’t quite let go of Beth and Rio’s history, the hitman storyline, then them getting back into business together again as the FBI case re-opened - - something was going to happen, and I feel like we were building to a breaking point. Hopefully we’ll see it in s4!

Beth’s lack of emotional response to shooting Rio

This is a tricky one. I definitely would’ve liked to have seen a bit more from her, but I do love the moments we got – particularly both scenes with Beth in Paper Porcupine in 3.01. The breakneck speed this show moves at means that so much of that emotion was rapidly overwhelmed by her fear and then anger at Rio (which I talked about in this post) that we didn’t really get the chance to breathe (and frankly, neither did Beth). 

Again, I do actually feel like we were building to a breaking point, and I don’t think the show was letting go of the events of 2.13 (I mean, gosh, Rio even brought it up again in 3.11). One of the things this show can do really well is bring things back in unexpected ways (although it can also let things go in ways I wish it didn’t). I am inclined to think though that the shooting was going to be the former and not the latter though, and that something was going to happen in the last five episodes of the season. And again, fingers crossed for us to see that in s4!

D-I-V-O-R-C-E

It’s such an interesting take to view Beth choosing to stay with Dean as something empowering, anon! Particularly because so many people actively view it as the exact opposite, haha. I’m kind of in two-minds about it? I agree that Beth’s more and more using Dean as both a cover and a chess piece to play, but I also think that that’s still being born out of the reality that Beth still needs Dean to survive. No part of her life is stable enough currently to support four children on her own, and I think that married with Beth and Dean’s long, complex history makes their stories hard ones to disentangle. 

That said, I do think the story arc with Boland Bubbles is shaping up to move us in that direction narratively (which I talked about a lot in this post), and I also think the way Beth’s using him now is more deliberate. I mean, compare it to Season 1? Dean was back in the house because he was using and manipulating Beth through the cancer lie. Now, Beth holds a lot more of the cards, and is certainly exerting more control and power over Dean than vice versa, even if Dean also continues to be an unsupportive and philandering husband.

Beth ‘Boss Bitch’ Boland

Yes! I agree, anon! I love that Beth is unapologetic and ruthlessly committed to setting up her business too. She’s such a textured, complicated character, and I’ve really enjoyed seeing her evolve over the three seasons. I think some of the frustration around her character in season 3 though was how few touchstone moments we had with her. In s2, we got scenes that were a lot more revealing of the tumultuous emotions she was feeling – like her furiously stripping her bed after having sex with Rio in 2.09 and her spluttering debate with Ruby and Annie while they sort through pills in 2.06, or her destroying all her baking in 2.10. 

We got less of those sorts of moments in s3, and I think more of those touchstones would’ve helped to root us better in her journey overall. 

[airyravenmaid]

Thoughts on Miracle Queen...

I don’t normally do this and would prefer to screech to my sister over Discord, but this cannot be ignored language barrier aside.

Heads up: I curse a lot, so there’s gonna be QUITE a few expletives under the cut.

The Bullshit:

Lazy as HELL design for the title villain. Loveater/Heart Hunter/what-tf-ever’s design was the ugliest thing I’d seen in my life, but at least it was creative. They literally just slapped a bunch of jewelry on Queen Wasp and called it a fucking day

Not once, but twice in a row did they use the wrong potion color for the Aqua Powers. The water potion is green, but the macaron and camembert pieces were both light blue (Ice Powers).

They did this in last season’s finale, too; you think they’d have learned/noticed at this point, but no I guess

Chloé’s very short-lived smidgens of character development going once again down the pooper thanks to Astruc proving yet more that he can’t get off his fucking high horse on characters (that HE MADE) he personally hates

I honest to God can’t believe I’m saying this, but where was Lila??? Wasn’t she supposed to be Hawk Moth 2: Electric Boogaloo in the future???

Or is Astruc just that hellbent on making Chloé evil again in spite of everything before today that all of that got tossed out the window

Eh, I’d put money on it

The memory crap with Fu. Like-- that came out of nowhere and wasn’t necessary. Just pass the Miracle Box on, leave France, and call it a day without unnecessary ass pulls that contribute nothing.

GIVE 👏🏾 MARINETTE 👏🏾 A 👏🏾 FUCKING 👏🏾 BREAK 👏🏾 S’IL 👏🏾 TE 👏🏾 PLAÎT

She is literally 15 and has no one to rely on regarding being Ladybug now that she’s the head honcho of the Miraculouses

By the way, who’s gonna help Chat now that Mari’s the Guardian? She can’t know his secret ID, so who’s he gonna turn to as Adrien???

They’re literally kids, please stop putting all of this on them (especially Marinette), superheroes or not

She’s Ladybug, but she’s not Jesus or something. She shouldn’t have to do all of this crap by herself for any reason

I’m sorry, why was I supposed to cry at this episode again?

They probably meant tears of uncontrollable laughter bc Astruc’s writing is a goddamn joke

The Not-So Bad:

Everyone here be boarding lifeboats like the RMS Love Square just hit an iceberg. It didn’t.

This is really good, and hear me out, folks:

Adrinette and variants WILL happen by the series finale and we know this for a fact, but there’s never been a worse time for that to happen than right now

Neither is able to grow without stepping outside their comfort zones (read: obsessions with Adrien in Mari’s case and Ladybug in Adrien’s case), so seeing other people is going to help with that and them developing more

Granted, that’s totally unfair to Luka and Kagami that they got stuck with such wishy-washy s/o’s since they’re their own people with feelings/lives and not just living rebounds, but it’s honestly really pointless to argue at this point

It’s Star Vs. all over again; kill me

Luka

Kim retaining his jolly nature even when possessed by a bee

Nino having lunch/dinner with Alya’s family and getting the Backslap of Fatherly Approval from Otis

Ok this sounds bad, but Snake Noir almost getting flung into the sun by Pegasus was really funny to me

The LadyNoir comfort hug underwater genuinely made me smile

We finally know what the rest of the Miraculouses are as of now (the Rooster Miraculous as revealed in “Kwami Buster” is a thumb ring, the Goat Miraculous are hair clips, the Dog Miraculous is of course a collar necklace, etc.)

The Meh/Other:

Why Hawk Moth/Mayura over here lookin’ like they gonna kiss in half the scenes they’re in

GABRIEL YOUR BEANS WIFE

The Peacock Miraculous is somehow fixed, I guess? I mean, that’s a good thing, but how in tf

I guess Ladybug (or in this case, Hawk Moth bc he Akumatized them) has indirect marriage fixing powers??? André (Chloé’s dad, not the nice ice cream man that wants his ship canon like the rest of us) and Audrey were suddenly lovey-dovey right tf out of nowhere despite literally saying they hated each other last episode lmfao

Final Verdict: