#but i was thinking about how maybe they didn't want to wait until s3 for the ep6 parallel in case it didn't happen

[areyoudoingthis]

what if there's another sex scene in the finale. I've said it before I'll believe six impossible things before breakfast when it comes to ofmd. and if not then I'll simply write it myself

[formyloveoflove]

The Bear S3 and the Choices We Make

Ok. After a second watch of S3, I'm feeling a little bit more optimistic about the future. Trust - it's a sad ending. It's my worst nightmare for Sydney. But there's still hope, and that all lies in what Carmen and Syd decide to do next. Season 3 Spoilers - read at your own risk :)

In S3 E10 Forever, we see our two mains go through a breakthrough. Starting with Carmen, he finally confronts his former boss (who has a name, i think, but fuck him, I ain't using it). It's the first (and only time) that we see Carmen proactively voice his resentment. He avoids his mom (rightfully so imo). He never got the chance with Mikey. But he approaches him, expects the man to have repent (maybe), or at the very least, have a little remorse.

He doesn't. He regrets nothing. In fact, he takes credit for Carmen's success: his hard work, his skills, and his talent. He tells Carmen that he should be thanking him, and that's not even the worst of it. No, for me, it is when he says

Carmen: My life stopped. Chef: That's the point, right? [...] You wanted to be great. You wanted to be excellent. So you got rid of all the bullshit, and you concentrated, and you got focused, and you got great. You got excellent. It worked. You're here. Look at all this

Sound familiar? It should. It's the same sentiment that Carmen said in the Season 2 finale. Remember, he said,

I wasn't here. Right? What the fuck was I thinking? Like I was going to be in a relationship? I'm a fuckin' pyscho. That's why I'm good at what I do. That's how I operate. I am the best because I didn't have any of this fuckin' bullshit, right? I could focus, and I could concentrate.

Carmen's thoughts about himself aren't even his own. They were drilled into him by a man who wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire. He was emulating the abusive behaviors and patterns that crushed him, that gave him "uclers, panic attacks, and nightmares" on the people that he cares about. On his sister, on Richie, on Tina and Marcus. and especially on Sydney, who is the only one who knows exactly how bad it can get. He's hurt those closest to him. He hurts them daily. And for what? And for why? For his own ego.

And this realization leads us to Carmen's first cry.

For three whole seasons, we see this man lose his idolized brother to suicide, witness his alcoholic mother physically, emotionally, and mentally abuse him, and experience mental degradation to the point where it affects his physical health. Not once did he shed a tear. This is the first time Carmen Berzatto lets himself cry. And I think this is the best thing for him. If he chooses to acknowledge the err of his ways, turn back course, and begin again, I think The Bear could be what he wanted it to be. He needs to decide to stop running, stop fighting himself and everybody around him. He needs to let go. Let it rip, right?

However, if this is what he decides to do, the cards ultimately fall into Sydney's hands.

If anybody's been through hell and back, it's Ms. Sydney Adamu. All season she's been forced to work in a volatile environment, putting herself between Carmen and whoever's the victim of his anger. She has her ideas shut down, her skills demeaned, and her credit is outright non-existent. Staff keeps quitting; they're not making any money; and Cicero and Co. is doing some shady background shit.

She's trapped, but not really. Not until she signs that Partnership Agreement. But like she told her dad in S2 E9 Omelette, she doesn't think she has another one in her. She can't have The Bear fail like Sheridan Road. She doesn't want to make the same mistakes she did last time. She wants to grow and learn and make her mark on the industry - prove she's not a failure.

She's waiting for Carmen to make good on his promises from The Table Scene, but he's not.

"You deserve my full focus." But his focus is not on her. Remember the Carmen that noticed when something was off with her? Remember the "say more?" or the "what's up with you?" Remember when they worked together, when the menu was truly theirs? Where was Sydney's "margin" moment? What did Carmen do this scene that signaled to Sydney that he was there and present.

"I couldn't do this without you." He does everything without her. Don't even get me started. From the menu to the list of nonnegotiables. Syd gets to make no decisions after being forced to make ALL the decisions. What is she there for? To be Carm's wrangler, his doormat? What has he does to convince her that she is invaluable?

He's egotistical. He's verbally abusive. He's the exact person that she warned him not to be. That he assured her that he wouldn't be in S1 E3 Brigade. She said,

You know I think this place could be so different from all the other places we've been at. But, in order for that to be true, we need to run things different. [...] But you just didn't really listen, and if this is going to work the way I think we both want it to work, I think we should probably try to listen to each other. The reason why I'm here, and not somewhere else or for someone else, is because I think I can stand out here. I can make a difference here. We could share ideas. I could implement things that make this place better. And I don’t wanna be wasting my time, working on another line or tweezing herbs on a dish that I don’t care about.

He didn't follow through the first time, so she left. But now, it's different. She's put her blood, sweat, and tears into this place. She's made a place (a home even) at The Bear. Leaving is not as simple anymore.

S1 Syd would've taken that CDC offer in a heartbeat. But building something and it failing (like The Bear. like Sheridan Road.) is terrifying. Slowly but surely, Carmen has been chipping away at her confidence and her fire. So much so that good things, like The Offer or the review of her risotto from The Beef, don't feel like good things.

Sydney's Panic Attack is HUGE for her character. We see Sydney at her lowest: her most frightening and vulnerable. She's uncertain. She's in a constant state of panic. And the person that she trusted with her fears and insecurities facilitated this, drove her to this point. It's heartbreaking. I cried when I saw it. No one would blame her for jumping ship. At this point, I encourage it (but she has to talk about it, acknowledge it. no running).

Now, if Carmen decides to change his ways, he'd have apologized to Sydney twice without changed actions. She'd have to believe him after many, many broken promises. At this time, she doesn't trust him, can't rely on him. But when having to decide between staying or going, will she try to trust him again?

Will she? Should she?

That's where I'm at so far. I have more thoughts, but I'll write those out when I get back from my weekend trip.

[love-byers]

can you speak more on your experience becoming a byler cos this always fascinates me, especially when it's people who were once milevens thanks!

absolutely, i love talking about this lol

so i watched stranger things 1 when it came out in 2016 & i was 12. my media literacy wasn't great at the time, and like most people i liked mike and el's little romance. but i did think their kiss came way too fast and kind of out of nowhere. wasn't a fan of that. i thought it would've been better if they didn't get to kiss and made both the audience and mike and el wait. and i was like "uhhh how does she even know what a kiss is" but whatever

then s2 came out, i was 13. i LOVED mike and will's relationship, maybe even more than i liked mike and el's. when mike grabbed wills hand i VIVIDLY remember thinking "they would be such a good couple, but they'd never do that. oh well!". at this point in my life i was realizing my sexuality and was super into queer media. i say that just so you know i was receptive to queer representation and enjoyed it. but to me at that time, i saw stranger things for the massive success it was, famous enough that they'd never have a main character be queer. it just wasn't a thought in my mind that it could ever happen.

i loved the snowball scene and thought mike and el were super cute. i remember thinking "wow their bond must be so deep and they take each other very seriously. it's them against the world"

i was 15 and BEYOND pissed when s3 came out and it was clear mike and el were reduced to comedly relief. i wanted their relationship to be lovable like it was in s2. i hated how mike became so unlikable when he was with el when he was previously shown to be so loyal and caring. and above all, i hated how it was like mike and will's relationship in 2 never happened. i remember thinking "wtf mike?? do you not remember how protective you were of him before?? how close you were??" at the time i thought it was bad writing and it honestly turned me off of s3 and i didn't finish it for like 2 years.

when i finally did i was a bit confused. i remember watching the rain fight and thinking "wow that felt more like a breakup than mike and el's actual breakup" it just struck me how sad it was compared to the breakup. but my heteronormativity towards stranger things was so strong that i didn't even clock will being gay until someone pointed it out for me. and i definitely didn't clock that will was in love with mike. i remember noticing how mike and will were always together and positioned next to each other like jancy and lumax were. but for some reason, and i really don't know why, i just didn't really absorb it.

what really surprised me was the s3 finale, like the final goodbye scenes. during mike and will's i saw mikes reaction to will saying "not possible" and i was like.....hm. he sure seems happy. but whatever

mike and el's goodbye scene just confused me. i didn't understand why mike acted like he didn't know what she was talking about when he spent all season trying to say i love you, i didn't understand why mike didn't close his eyes or kiss her back when he spent all season trying to say i love you, i didn't understand why el walked away and winced, i didn't understand why mike looked like that when she walked away AFTER HE SPENT ALL SEASON TRYING TO SAY I LOVE YOU, and i didn't understand why the music sounded so happy as if NONE OF IT HAPPENED. and when mike hugged karen i was like, why does he look like he just realized something??? wtf is happening???

i didn't realize there was any romance between mike and will until s4. actually, i heard people saying will was gay and in love with mike and i was like "pshh no way". then i saw the trailer where el says will likes someone and i was like "oh my god they did make him in love with mike". but again, for some strange reason, i felt like it was a decision made solely for s4. VERY stupid of me.

here i go more in depth about my specific reactions to s4 scenes but theres one i didn't mention and it's the way mike looks will up and down when he says "cool". i was like "uhh that was kinda flirty..."

but i finished vol 1 thinking about byler a little more. i heard there was a masterdoc about them so i read it, and for the first bit of it i didn't really believe any of it. then i saw the eyewitness parallel and i was like HHHHWHAAAAAAAT???????????????????? i VIVIDLY remember thinking "how is this possible?? didn't this come out of nowh--" and then it ALL hit me in the face. my jaw literally dropped. it's like i rewatched all of st in 3 seconds and everything made sense. the eyewitness parallel finally made me accept the writers would have gay characters and romance, and that was all it took. i never went back. mike and will's bond in s2, the decline of mike and el's relationship, mike and will's tension in s3, mikes reaction to not possible, mike reaction to el saying i love you, all of it made sense. at that point i was like 17 and my media literacy and love/skill for writing had grown a lot. the very first tiktok i made about byler was about how it doesn't make sense for the writers to build this up for so long just for it not to go anywhere, because it doesn't at all. and things just grew from there. i bled blue and yellow and i still do!

it was almost entirely heteronormativity keeping me from seeing byler earlier, so i talk about that a lot. because once you remove that, EVERYTHING makes perfect sense

[thebvbbletea]

Just finished watching tua s4, and what the hell?????? We've been waiting for 2 years. FOR 2 YEARS.

Even though I think the whole 'sacrificing themselves for the world' ending is lame, all of the characters deserve to live their life, and oh god, I think the ending supposed to be all of them killing Reggie instead of sacrificing themselves. But, the thing that make me so pissed off is the fact that most of the characters loss their character development.

Luther just being used as the comedy relief and they didn't even bother to make Sloane appear. Like- I get it maybe it's because of Genesis decide to not comeback for the show, but it's a shame since Genesis herself said that Steve told her that in the end of s3 Sloane is missing, rather than dead.

Klaus. Oh god I hate how they treat Klaus this season. I do love the whole Allison - Klaus - Claire bonding thing. BUT THEY TRULY THROW ALL KLAUS GOOD CHARACTERISTICS. He stated that he's been sober for a long time, and they decide to make him go back to his old self in a split second???? What even the use of Thunderbolt storyline anyway???

Also they supposedly think we gonna believe that Ray left Allison??? The same Ray that love Allison so much???? I know it's also probably because Yusuf decide to not comeback for this season, but it truly doesn't make sense......

Don't get me started with the whole Five - Lila - Diego love triangle. It was so so so so out of characters for both Five and Lila. Five love his family. He always try to stop apocalypse mainly not because of he give a damn about humanity, but because of his family. He would never betray Diego. And Lila love her parents so much. He also have beautiful chemistry with Diego in s2. The whole point of her started to work for Commission is because of her parents. It's truly doesn't make sense how she could throw all of the effort she make to create her own beautiful family just because of Five. Like- the Five & Lila that we know, both of them, would never do that to Diego. And what's the point of the love triangle anyway? They could make Five & Lila's relationship keep platonic until they get out from the train station, and it would never affect the current storyline.

And Ben..... this season supposedly all about him... We supposedly understand more about his past, about his characters, but I don't know.... I just really think he deserve better. The only good characters arc I saw this season is probably Viktor. He could finally say what he wanted to say to Reggie, even thought he's not their og timelime Reggie.

This season is the last season. But I was so disappointed. I know most of you think season 3 is also bad, but I genuinely think it's still a good season. At least comparing to season 4. This season doesn't make senses. Istg, we, as the watcher and all of the actors deserve better script (I kinda wonder what is their initial first reaction when read the whole s4 script 😭)

[fandoomrants]

FINAL THOUGHTS ON TUA S4/TUA IN GENERAL

First of all, I can't believe I make this account because of this show and waited excitedly for 2 years only to feel so numb right now...

Unlike some people I didn't hate season 3. Season 2 is still my favourite but 3 wasn't that bad, just a bit odd. And there were many directions where things could have went.

Mostly spoiler-free, for season 4 I can say:

-It did answer some long awaited answers but I feel like it didn't answer everything, some things were just vague mentions, and it also created more questions.

-I feel like either some actors were busy, or didn't want to return, because there were characters I expected to see but they were either not mentioned, or vaguely addressed, which was disappointing.

-The ending somewhat wasn't terrible, I have always assumed something like that might have to happen, yet I hated how by the time it did, all the characters were so ruined that I couldn't feel even a bit bad for most.

Now, I'll get into some more details about the things I liked, and the ones I didn't.

Spoilers ahead:

Things I DIDN'T LIKE:

-I already ranted a lot about this in my comments while watching but - Five and Lila! I like(d?) both characters and I thought the journey they had from constantly fighting enemies to reluctant allies to friends who relied on each other, was great. Loved their scenes in the beginning of episode 5.... And then wanted to jump out of somewhere. The thing is, I don't exactly hate the way it happened. I hate the fact that it 1) happened when Lila was already with Diego, and had THREE kids with him, that was basically cheating, and 2) the fact that in the end, it didn't bring anything to the plot. Diego and Five fought almost until the end, and it was uncalled for. It didn't bring the characters' development anything. It turned Lila into a cheater and Five.... Well, I've said before that I didn't see him as aro/ace like some other people, but I didn't see anything that this brought for him. I just think they worked better platonically altogether, because they went a long way and nothing suggested anything between them.

And this also leads to...

-Diego and Lila. For me, they were sorta relationship goals. They were constantly bickering and fighting but it was their thing. They were on the border of toxic sometimes but somehow managed to stick together. So how did this happen?! It could have went a whole another way. Diego realised he really loved her and wanted to be with her. I think that I would have accepted it if she and Five had kissed or something, and she had realised she loves Diego too, and returned to him, but no. In the end, it's unclear what she even feels for him.

-Lack of interactions between Klaus and Ben. Okay, I know this isn't the OG Ben Klaus spent years with, but in s3, Klaus was the one who constantly tried to reach out to him and convince the others to give him a chance. Now, nothing. Luther was the one who interacted with him and looked after him, and then later Viktor. I get it that Klaus had other stuff on his head but it was a weird development, and it felt even a bit OOC.

-The lack of closure to some characters relationships altogether. Ben... Just turned into a monster with Jennifer, didn't get the chance to interact with the rest again. Ray was mentioned to have "walked away", Allison never mentioned him. She spent the whole season 3 ranting like mad, now only Klaus said a word. We didn't even get to learn what happened exactly. And in this universe, was Claire his daughter or no?! Also. Luther literally mentioned Sloane once. Never heard about her again. Like, maybe he had searched for her but it wasn't mentioned at all. Dave also wasn't mentioned even once. Sissy wasn't mentioned. Now, I know all if these characters were from other timelines but they were loved by the Umbrellas, and in previous seasons, they mentioned them, and wanted to find them. Now, not one mention... Even the Sparrows were barely mentioned. Nobody mentioned Pogo. Or OG Grace (well, the robot one they called "mum". Not the real one from the 60ies). I just feel like these were left as some plot holes. I get that the last two weren't exactly needed here, but there could have been at least a mention. They were from the original timeline, the siblings had spend their whole lives with them.

-Gene and Jean. I get it. Every season has some "villain" character(s), but I just really disliked these two for some reason. Won't even elaborate.

-Not even one dance, except for Gene and Jean. All seasons had at least one iconic dance.

-The music, now, I won't complain too much about it, but all seasons had some great songs. Here we had them too, but we mostly listened to Baby Shark, which was hilarious but also a bit weird.

-No epic battle scenes. Well, Luther and Diego had something of the sort, but the end battle was pretty lame, imo.

-They got back their powers, and some of them had new powers too, but it was all unexplained. What happened with Lila, what were these laser eyes?! Also, Allison got new powers, never used the old ones again (I kinda get it, tho). Klaus.... Presumably got the floating? Which was supposed to be a thing in general? But in any case, none of this was explained! I thought at first that they got the powers some of the other children like them had but we didn't learn that. Also, Diego, Luther, Viktor, Five, Ben didn't get any new powers. Diego did something weird at one point but his whole thing was controlling flying objects and I don't count it. And Five's arriving at the station isn't exactly a new power. Ben's was a result of touching Jennifer. Nothing new for them, otherwise.

-Speaking of getting back their powers, no epic battle and all, here's another thing. In s2, in the beginning, and then the end, it was epic! They were all fighting with all they had, unlocking new ways to fight and all. I believe they were at their peak. Five also managed to get a few seconds back in time, Klaus was able to control armies of ghosts. Here, none of that. They were pretty weak. And maybe it was a side effect of just getting their powers back, but it was disappointing. Klaus didn't go back to alcohol and drugs, yet he only saw one ghost of a random guy, then a dog. They could have made the ending at least a bit more epic.

-In the end, the Umbrellas ceased to exist but.... What about the rest of the special children?! This Ben wasn't even from the Umbrella Academy. And ok, in the end, only these got their powers back in this timeline but surely, the thing with the branching timelines must apply to all 40-something. So how only 7 gave up their powers in one universe, and things got back to normal?

-All in all, the weird pacing and vibe. It wasn't as serious as season one, or chaotic as season 2 and 3. There were barely moments that made me truly laugh, and some characters were OOC. And some didn't really get to achieve anything. Viktor, with his whole plan on helping Ben, achieved nothing. Five kinda ruined his brother's family. Klaus... He also didn't achieve anything, in the end Allison saved him yet again. And while it was cute, it also was, I feel, a step back from his characterisation because he was shown as quite adaptive and able to get away from a bad situation. Allison pretty much only saved Klaus. Diego had a family drama, but nothing much. Luther.... He was just there. Ben's arc was ok but I hated how little time he had with the rest, in the end, he never got to feel as part of the team, and Lila just... Ruined her family for someone who is both around 20 years older and 20 years younger than her at the same time.

-This one is pretty much for humour purposes but - Luther without pants way too much!

-I feel like I must be forgetting something but I'll just move on to...

Things I LIKED:

-Claire having much more screen time and actually being a developed character, rather than just someone staying there for the sake of Allison!

-Claire and Allison, and especially Claire and Klaus's relationship! I feel like Klaus would be good with kids, and even change his ways because of them. (He sorta did, despite walking away at one point. I like to think that spending time with Allison and Claire helped him get clean.)

-Allison and Klaus! I mentioned in another post that I've noticed that they were closer even in season 1, where they interact much less hostile and with more fondness that with the rest of their family, in flashbacks he comforts her when they get their tattoos, etc. And then, of course, their reunion in s2. In s3, we didn't get much of them but I loved them in s4.

-Allison and Viktor taking care of each other! These two had some really rocky relationship throughout all of the seasons but they still cared for each other in a way that was different than the rest. They had the true sibling bond but I think by the end, they also learned to be friends.

-Viktor in general. The only character that didn't once irritate me with a decision he made. I feel sorta sorry for him because he seemed to care for everyone. Allison, after all she did, Ben, although this isn't the one he knew. He got to clear things with this version of Reginald, too. Generally loved him here.

-Now I'm a bit bitter-sweet about that, seeing how things developed but, Lila and Diego's daughter named Grace!

-Even more bitter-sweet, and tiny bit hippocratic but Lila and Five, before that one development in ep 5. They could have truly had a good and normal PLATONIC bond.

-Allison, somewhat. She's one of my least favourite characters, especially after season 3, tho she wasn't my fave before that either but here I liked her.

-Luther somehow didn't irritate me either, although I didn't like him much too, before.

-Klaus has always been my favourite and even though I didn't quite like all that happened, I liked his development, his desire to be sober, and his unwillingness to get his powers back. I think he had lots of potential, and obviously most of his problems came from his powers.

-Despite everything, the last scene, with all the characters we've seen before, being happy and all that. Agnes and Hazel! For some reason, loved that even in this timeline, without all else, they found each other! And the fact that the kids of the Umbrellas were still there. This is a tiny bit of a plot hole on it's own but it was a nice scene.

-And finally, somewhat learning how Five founded the Comission, and finally learning what the "Jennifer Incident" was!

[liesmyth]

Further to Keeley saying yes to marrying Roy (definitely agree), how much would Roy only be asking because he thinks that's what you do. Like he's retired, he's forty, and all his former teammates are married/have kids. He's a traditional guy (kind of) - would he have waited for them to have been together for two years (or whatever) and then proposed because that's the next step?

Context: this is a follow-up to this 'unpopular opinion meme' ask where I said that (to me, etc) Keeley would've said yes if Roy ever asked her to marry him post S2.

In general, I just looove to overthink gender roles and performative heterosexuality with these characters, because the mix of sports series + juicy queer dynamics is like catnip to my brain — so thank you for this ask so I can ramble about it some more!

The thing is. I think Roy's actually not very traditional for a footballer (let alone a very famous one) simply because he's close to forty and he's never been married and doesn't have kids. Like, genuinely, that makes him a huge oddity in his set. If I were applying RL football logic to the football show that plays fast and loose with realism, I'd say that there must be a lot of speculation in-universe that Roy is gay. OR maybe he's had so many public short-term flings that there's only a little speculation — but there would still be people thinking it's strange. Just because "WAG and kids" is such a big aspect of how football stars are expected to perform masculinity, and Roy not having any of that (while at the same time performing a very specific brand of 'old school' tough guy masculinity) would make him a weird anomaly.

(When talking to non-sports fans, I usually find it useful to compare pro athletes to active-duty military personnel as two categories that on average start a family very young. It's a mix of a family providing more stability in a hectic career + expectations in those circles because everyone else is doing it + financial reasons that mean is more convenient to do it now than to wait)

(Again. Reflecting on social norms in footballers' circles makes me think a lot about what Keeley's expectations might have been pre-S1, when she kept dating footballers and moving in those same circles, whether the fact that she was with a young guy at 30 bothered her more than she let on, etc etc. This is also part of why I think she absolutely would say yes if Roy proposed — see also her reaction to Shandy saying that all their former flatmates "married footballers", which is just like "yeah, fair enough". I think pre-season 3 she just never saw her life going in a different direction, and was fine with it — at least until S3 made her consider stuff she might not have otherwise)

Anyway SORRY I went off!! Back to Roy — all that ramble was to say that, TO ME, if he wanted to be married, he absolutely would be already, way before the show started. It's something he must have considered earlier in life, just because it's a staple of the Ideal Footballer Career Path, and for whatever reason decided he wasn't keen on it. And it wasn't a one-off earlier — it's something people would have commented on it over and over, as all his teammates started families and he didn't, as the tabloid press speculated on his private life. It's not that he never had the opportunity; it's that he actively chose not to. So I'm not sure retirement would necessarily be the thing that makes him decide that "it's time" to get married. We see that in S2 he really throws himself into ~playing house~ with Keeley because he's trying to find a new life anchor after retirement, but idk if that would necessarily translate, to him, into "next step is getting married." Because, for someone in Roy's position, getting married would have been "the next step" ten years ago, and he was like, nah!

I also think that "when will Roy and Keeley get married" WAS an expectation that was very much present in the eyes of everyone who interacts with them, at least from the moment it became clear that they were serious and basically living together. Tabloid speculation, old friends of Roy who're also retired, friends and acquaintances of Keeley who also move in those 'D-list celebs / influencers / WAG' kind of circles. Their families, even; I have a very elaborate headcanon built off that one (1) throwaway line that Roy wanted to open the champagne when Keeley's mum "moved back north", that maybe Keeley's mother was a bit too happy to see her settled down with an older man for once, and they're living together, and he's very famous and very rich. My other headcanon is that Keeley dropped Shandy / her old friends after she got with Roy partly because there'd have been some wink-wink-nudge from those corners about "landing Roy Kent" (I have WAY too many thoughts about Keeley and Shandy, lol).

...Anyway. This is all to say. I think, between the two of them, Keeley might have been the one who vaguely considered that maybe marriage could be on the horizon as a next step, because she's a woman over 30 in circles where women over 30 get reminded of these things. Roy has the luxury of thinking about it less, because he decided years before the show that he wasn't going to get pressured into an early marriage just because it's The Done Thing.

I can believe Keeley and Roy never discussed marriage all through the year-odd they were dating, but I bet multiple people brought it up to Keeley unprompted, and to Roy also but to a lesser extent, and he was able to shrug it off way more easily. Keeley is probably dodging old friends who text her happy birthday and then are like "how are things going with RoyKent(TM)??" wink. babe you landed the big fish!! etc. etc.

SORRY THIS GOT SO LONG! this is like 80% headcanons that's partly inspired by me being A Sports Fan, partly by me overthinking Keeley's narrative, especially in S1 and S2 when she was still allowed to have neuroses and a meaningful friendship with Rebecca. But I'm ALWAYS thinking about Roy/Keeley not only as a ship but also in the context of the very specific gendered dynamics that exist among top-flight footballers and their partners, especially in the UK. It's just anthropologically fascinating to me, and I think S1 especially does a very good job of hinting at all the various nuances with Keeley's character.

[my-mt-heart]

TBOC Showrunner

I wanted to wait to address the showrunner issue until I got confirmation either way. I still don't have that. I'm fearful of getting anyone's hopes up only to be disappointed for the millionth time in the last two years and I'm dreading the bullying I'll invite without attaching "proof" again (last time, a few people provoked someone to send me multiple threats demanding my personal information). But I'll deal with it if it happens again. Seeing the comments on another fan's post earlier, I thought maybe a brief update would help clarify a few things.

Zabel is showrunning the version of S3 that's in pre-production right now. Hence, what you see on the WGA. That's been true this whole time. However. What's also true is that AMC reopened negotiations with a female showrunner a few weeks ago for S3. I was told she is very experienced, pro Caryl, and has Melissa's stamp of approval. So basically, we'd be hitting the showrunner jackpot. They're still negotiating. I have no idea where it will land or when. If that deal closes, she'll replace Zabel and write her own Spain edition of S3, which IMO will be worth the wait. I think I'd be the most excited I've ever been for TWD/Caryl content and I think every Daryl and Carol fan would be too. Good content beats fast content by miles and miles.

That's the hope I'm hanging onto by a thread. If the deal doesn't happen for S3, I have to walk away and I will do so knowing I'm not hurting Melissa or Carol. I can't support David Zabel. His writing is appalling. The imagery he uses is inappropriate and tone deaf. He does not understand who Daryl and Carol are. I will not watch him ruin them (further?) in S3. I don't know how AMC can claim to celebrate strong female characters like Carol when the title leaves her out and the showrunner doesn't respect the incredible actress who plays her.

Melissa didn't get to weigh in when Zabel became showrunner. She deserves to have someone she trusts to write Carol's story in ways that honor her. Someone who will lift her up, not try to keep her "in her place." Fans never get to weigh in on these decisions. I shared the info about the female showrunner several months ago because I thought, why not give them a chance? Your voices have more power than a lot of you realize.

We were able to bring Carol/Melissa back to the spinoff because we were passionate about how we felt about her. It brought us a step closer to giving ourselves and Melissa the spinoff we were all promised. Genuinely, that's been my only angle all along. Again, there's no guarantee of anything, but for now there's at least a glimmer of hope. That hope gets stronger when we speak up about how Zabel makes us feel, how the marketing makes us feel, and how the possibility of a good showrunner, good writing, and good marketing strategies makes us feel differently i.e. more eager to watch the next part of Caryl's story, plus however many "next parts" come afterward.

[jazz-penguin]

After today's post of @theonebyler about Mike not being able to say that thing to El I was finally inspired to write my opinion about how Mike feels about his girlfriend.

I believe he fully realized that he was not in love with her between S3 and S4.

Maybe he even realized something about Will too, that would explain his awkward behavior in the airport, but this post is not about it.

I think Mike realized that he is not in love with El and that he was thinking about breaking up with her during spring break.

The first reason why I think so is because of his expression when Ted reminded him about the "sweetie pie". Looks like Mike was not particularly happy about their future meeting.

Look at his face. To me Mike's impression here didn't look like he was just rolling his eyes at Ted. I think he imagined what an unpleasant conversation with El he was going to have.

The second reason why I think he was going to break up with her is his suspicious desire to please El in everything. Like this is your favorite color, these are your favorite flowers, blablabla. Wait, don't kiss me for too long. You're squishing your present. Like he was feeling guilty and therefore was trying to be extremely nice to her. Mike from s3 was different.

After the whole situation with Angela happened Mike was not only disappointed with the fact that El lied to him, but he also realized how unhappy she was and that a possible break up would destroy her. To break up with El while she lived happily in Cali is one thing, but at that moment it just wasn't the right time. Mike didn't lie to her and didn't say "I love you" only to please her anyway.

He has principles, y'know.

Mike indeed is afraid to lose El. What if she doesn't like the truth and doesn't want to be his friend anymore?

That also explains why Mike's smile faded when Will said that El commissioned the painting for him.

And after all that these cruel Duffers still make Mike lie to her only to save her life. I hope El realized he was not telling the truth, otherwise he's screwed. At least until they talk about the painting.

Many people feel sorry for El for not being loved by her boyfriend and for not having enough emotional support from him. And I deeply sympathize with Mike, because he tried to do everything right, tried not to hurt El, not to lie to her. But he had to do this anyway.

[dododan]

Rick and Morty - Analysis of the final episode "Fear No Mort"

The finale of the seventh season was brilliant and exciting. I think the creators did a great job with this episode and you won't be disappointed watching it ^^

I had a lot of thoughts about this episode - what was going on with Morty, what fears they had to face and what consequences this might have for the future....

A lot of it was sitting in my head and I wanted to share it, so spoiler alert!

If you haven't seen the new episode of Rick and Morty, don't read it or you'll spoil all the fun of watching.

And I apologise for my English if anything is not understandable.

Morty's fears

Morty struggled with many fears when he entered The Hole. You can see from the beginning that he feared Rick would leave him. He was afraid of being unaccepted and laughed at because of his difference. He feared that Rick would kill himself because he had not dealt with his trauma. Or that Morty would end up like his own father.

But most of Morty's fears and nightmares revolved around Rick and that he would leave. I also think Morty feared that Rick's departure/death would be his fault, which is why he couldn't openly admit it.

Nonetheless, Morty faced these fears himself, realising that he was afraid of the extent to which he was dependent on Rick and afraid of his leaving. As well as the fact that Rick didn't jump into The Hole after him but stood by and watched. By realising the truth Morty was able to get out of The Hole.

It is puzzling that Morty became 'fearless' because he overcame the nightmares The Hole created. He has overcome his fears, so what implications will this have for his further development?

Most of Morty's fears were about Rick, in which case Morty would try to be more open in their relationship.

Morty overcoming this fear means that he can talk to Rick more openly and confront him because he is no longer afraid of Rick’s leaving, but this does not mean that Morty no longer cares about Rick. You can see it when he told Rick that "you don't want to face it because it's fucked up shit" and somehow he wanted to spare Rick that.

 Maybe next season Morty will try to help Rick and bring up topics they didn't talk about before because Morty was afraid Rick would leave?

Maybe the topic of Diane and Rick Prime will come back next season, because it's hard to determine if Rick (C-137) has actually dealt with it or is just pretending.

I also wondered about the other option of Morty becoming "fearless". By Morty overcoming the fear associated with the passing of his life, won't he start to distance himself from his grandfather and become a more independent person by doing so, pushing Rick away? But that's actually just a loose thought that popped into my head. I rather doubt that this is what will happen, because just because Morty is no longer afraid doesn't mean that he has stopped caring about Rick.

How does The Hole work?

Does it recreate fears and the world based on the knowledge of the person who fell into the Hole (e.g. like the detoxification machine in „the Rest and Ricklaxation” episode [s3 e6]), or does it fully recreate the real world, bringing the fears into confrontation?

The episode is very twisted and not made any easier by The Hole itself. I've watched a lot of horror films and the theme of overcoming one's fears to break the illusion is quite familiar. Across the board, it's one of my favourite motifs, as it leaves you questioning until the end whether the protagonist actually got out, as the nightmare world is virtually indistinguishable from the real world.

Having said that, I'm not sure if The Hole refers to any particular film. I usually have a hard time picking out pop-culture references.

And this is where the spoiler already comes in, so if you haven't watched it, catch up on this episode.

The twist of the episode is that Rick never went into The Hole. He preferred to wait for Morty to deal with his fears himself. The reason he just sat and waited was because the nightmares or fears could overlap and create contradictions. All in all, a logical explanation and typical Rick behaviour. That said, I think Rick was somehow monitoring Morty's condition (maybe through some implants?), because if his life was in real danger he would rather have reacted. I think initially Rick thought The Hole was untrue or exaggerated, which is why he left Morty alone. 

But what is puzzling is how The Hole itself worked. On what basis did it know who was afraid of what? How did it create the world of nightmares in which Morty was stuck?

Theory one - The hole created the world on the basis of Morty's knowledge and his guesses

If this theory were true then Diane's whole plot and what we learned about Rick would go in the bin. The character of Diane and her conversations with Rick or some touching on their shared past would be worthless to the character of Rick himself. It would contribute nothing to the development of Rick and the facts about his past, as it would only be Morty's imaginings or his guesses.

It would also be a solution that would somehow disappoint the fans.

Theory two - The nightmare world created by the Hole is just like the real world

And this theory changes everything.

The Hole somehow replicated the real world and the behaviour of the other members of the Smith family and Diane and Rick.

The behaviour of the other family members was authentic. Jerry being afraid of the spider and rejecting Morty for eating the spider. Beth's reactions to her mother's return, or how Rick from the nightmares (that's what I'll call Rick, who appeared in Morty's nightmare and overcame certain fears with him) behaved throughout the episode.

I think if Rick had jumped into the Hole, this is how the action of the episode would have gone. He would lose himself and Morty would have to rescue him. But Rick's fears will be discussed in a moment.

Also in favour of this theory is the fact that if the Hole had been based on Morty's subjective perception of the world, then Rick would not have rescued him at the moment of the show, but abandoned him for Diane. But this was not the case.

The Hole recreated the fears and behaviour of the real Rick. With one exception, when Rick recognised Morty as irreplaceable and when he admitted that he would not abandon him. Rick had always thought of his family as theoretical, and that any of them could be replaced.

Even if Morty knew that Rick valued him in some veiled way, he would never admit it because of his pride. Therefore, Morty realised at that moment that he was afraid of how much he depended on Rick and how much he defined himself by him.

If this theory seems true, what about Diane? Diane was true to some extent. The Hole did the impossible and recreated Diane, or rather who she was at the time of her death. An alternative was presented where Diane survived but Rick died. Rick met Diane and we had some interesting interactions between the two, so it can be assumed that the kind of Diane that Hole showed us was the Diane of the C-137 Dimension. A strong and intelligent woman who loved Rick very much. Unsurprisingly, the real Rick in the episode 'Wet Kuat Amortican Summer', admitted that Summer reminded him of Diane. In several ways they are similar. Since we believe that Diane and Rick from the nightmares were real to some extent, there is a question related to Rick and Diane's past. It seems to me that Diane must have been a very intelligent person. Certainly not to the same extent as Rick, but her thesis was about super intelligence. I also think Diane may have been connected to the government. I got the idea when Rick admitted that the robot hands came from a robot created for the federal government. Rick was somehow connected to the government and may have been working for them. This is not surprising, looking at the fact that Rick is the smartest man on Earth. The government may have offered him a job in exchange for financial support for his research. During this job he met Diane. Which overall leaves us with more questions....

Why didn't Rick jump into the Hole at the end of the episode?

Rick's expression at the end of the episode when he heard that Diane was in the Hole made me believe for a moment that Rick would go down there.

Such an ending to the season somehow wouldn't have surprised me at all, as it would have shown Rick's great desperation to get Diane back even if it wasn't the real Diane.

But he didn't, the question is why? 

Was it Morty's words that stopped him, that it wasn't worth going in there because it wasn't worth it and it was just fucked up shit?

Or did he not jump in because he feared that in his nightmares, Diane would not be there? Maybe in his nightmares, he would be forced to replay Diane's death again and again, unable to do anything?

Maybe he feared that Diane would walk away from him because he had changed so much and she no longer wanted him?

Or did Rick know he couldn't cope with his fears and wouldn't get out of his hole because he knows exactly what he fears and knows he can't overcome his fears? And that brings me back to the fact that Rick from the nightmares reflected the fears of the real Rick.

Rick's fears from the world of nightmares In the episode, not only did we see the fears Morty was facing, but up until a certain point we thought we were also seeing the fears Rick was harbouring. Assuming that The Hole was recreating the real world Rick's fears from nightmares may have mirrored those of the real Rick. The fear of not knowing everything. The fear of losing Morty. The fear that he had changed so much that he would let Diane down. Fear of being happy. Looking at what happened to Rick from the nightmare world, I think the real Rick would have lost himself like that too. He would feel an inner fear of happiness, that it would end and that he would lose Diane. Rick wouldn't get out, but would give in to that illusion. Rick has sought self-destruction at many points in the series and you can see that he suffers from depression, so at some point he would have given up. He would have wallowed in this illusion, fearing that it would pass in a moment. That's why I think Rick gave up the jump because he knew he would lose. It was Morty who helped the fake Rick break out of the nightmare. If Rick had jumped in at the end of the episode I doubt anyone would have been able to save him. Morty did something Rick would never have done. He faced his fears and won, which is why he pinned Morty's picture on the board. Such a small digression, but it's very cute that Rick had Morty's picture in his wallet. He probably carried it around with him all the time and knowing Rick, probably no one in the family knows he had the photo. Pinning Mortie's photo on the board shows Rick's appreciation of Morty and what the boy has done. Morty has surpassed Rick and become better than he was because he did something Rick wouldn't have been able to do. I don't know to what extent, but in my opinion this is a reference to the first episode of season two, 'A Rickle in Time', and Rick's words that Morty is supposed to be better than he was when he fell into the abyss when their house fell apart.

Such observations:

When Mortie takes over the nightmare (or rather, he seems to do so so he can fall into the trap), Diane stutters like the characters in the simulation from the episode "M. Night Shaym-Aliens!" [s1 e4]. In general, this episode is itself a reference to how Rick got stuck in the simulation in that episode.

It makes me wonder if Rick actually has that anti aging serum? If he did have it then why does he need Project Phoenix?  Why did Rick use a younger version of his "Tiny Rick" clone in the episode "Big Trouble in Little Sanchez" instead of using the rejuvenation serum?

[icy-watch]

Ok, so they're going on a journey... to the west. To retrieve something. Still not clear on what, but apparently 1 of the stops is the Moon. Which means Chang'e!

Legend and folktales about her break my heart. The main 1 I know is of Hou Yi, her husband, shooting down 9 of the 10 suns and being rewarded with to elixirs of immortality. He wanted to take them with Chang'e, as he didn't want to be immortal without her, so he waited.

While he was out hunting, his apprentice went to steal the elixirs and was caught by Chang'e. She drank both to keep him from drinking them, and she floated up to the moon.

When Hou Yi found out what happened, he laid out cakes and fruits for her as he mourned losing her.

I doubt that'll be touched on in the show, but yeah. That's the 1 I know.

We're definitely going to see the other places marked on the map. I just don't recognize what they are yet. But I recognized the moon bc of the rabbit.

So those weapons were shown last season, maybe they need to collect all of those and... something will happen? Or maybe just 1 of those weapons are important.

I've set my Something's Strange with MK list to the side temporarily. I'm going to reevaluate it after I've gotten a good night's sleep and can maybe rethink a few things. But something is definitely Up with MK.

I can't think of anything else at the moment, so tomorrow I kick off s3! I haven't decided how many episodes I'll watch yet. It might be just 2. We'll have to see. Until then!

I'll post correct and incorrect predictions tomorrow.

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

I am never sure who I initially want as Francesca’s endgame. And I mean, I’m a multishipper, so I appreciate both! But…

I would say that I maybe preferred Marcesca as a child more. He is what Francesca needed at the moment - someone who would shower her with love and do anything for her. That being said, Francesca was also extremely jealous about him, yelled at him for the smallest things, and tbh she lashed out on him the way people claim Leonetta does with each other (I’ve found that some of the problems Leonetta has actually is larger with their friends’ relationships, but I guess people just focus more on the main couple). They also had completely dumb arguments like when Marco got mad because Fran didn’t want to tell Camila’s secret. But then he also does stuff like sending her flowers after flowers, almost suffocating her with his love, and she… loves it. Even though she pretends not to.

It’s just that Marco just did a whole turnaround in S3 when he suddenly was really unavailable to her. And that’s when Diego swoops in. I’d say Diego and Fran’s relationship is more mature. They never have any unnecessary argument, they don’t get jealous, they're all in all good. But it's just the storyline they did with them that bothered me. I can rewrite the secret relationship storyline in so many ways. Because the ultimate problem was really that no one was against it, not even Vilu, and yet they continued? So I'd either have everyone still being iffy about Diego so it would MAKE SENSE why they'd be cautious, or them just never keeping it a secret, or IF they kept it a secret it would be for Marco and not Violetta. Especially as Diego openly flirted with Francesca WHILE she still dated Marco... and Marco was just... ok with it. And then once the secret got revealed they barely got time to do much of anything until the stuff in Sevilla. And in THOSE episodes, I realized just how a funny duo they also can be, and we just didn't get to see that! So much of their conversations were just focused on "we should tell them" "no wait we shouldn't" "No we need to tell" "No we can't it's not a good time" and back and forth all the time. But, at the end of the day, they just came out as the more mature couple compared to Marcesca.

I also think that Francesca switching love interest every season also gives her a chance to start over. Cause, the thing with a lot of her friends is, while they love their significant other, they still have all that past behind them and it can be harder to change out of patterns (especially for Brodemila, who basically do the exact same thing and never change and continue in this vicious cycle of arguing and reconciling every 5 minutes). It could very well be possible to have a Marcesca endgame, but by starting to date a new person also allows her to also grow and discover new things about herself. And this is not to say that you can't grow by staying in the same relationship all the time, cause obviously you can! But it's easier to "start over" with a new one rather than getting back together with someone you broke up with before.

I don't know. Marcesca and Diecesca both bring a lot of good while both also have some issues. I have a lot of mixed thoughts and I feel like I always get new thoughts and opinions all the time.

[miasiegert]

Day 2, and one workshop photo of MY work

Before I say ANYTHING, hello to Wichita folk from Chaz. :) He was shocked (and delighted) at how much people enjoyed the show and we absolutely are brainstorming things for the future. So a huge thank you for the support and kindness. It meant a ton to him (and obviously me and David as well!)

Day 2 was a roller coaster... for ME!

I'm very suspicious because everything is going so well. Too well. Things never go this well. So I decided it was time to start really stoning some costume pieces that I hadn't before while David got supplies.

Then I got a phone call, never a good sign, from David asking me could I get the padlock open for the gate.

Padlock? What Padlock?

There are no concrete answers, only a guess... but it's believed that people who share a lot to store their boats left and padlocked the gate behind them so I was TRAPPED in the costume shop (which is a completely different building/drive away from the theatre) all alone with no food and had been the entire day while David couldn't get me.

Some chaos to get a key and get out, and David decided to go to the night time run through for notes. Chaz told me to take tonight off because I went through ND hell as there was a loud beeping noise nonstop and I had to turn my headphones up louder than normal (I usually watch a show in the background--today was "Power Book III: Raising Kanan" from Starz) so it hurt then the panic of being alone and trapped.

Anyway, what I *Did* realize was that I absolutely can share a wip of Bedazzling more of the Reba!Suit because that is my costume, that has been seen onstage before, there is no actor in it, no full costume, and it's MY original design.

Way back, we had very cheap acrylic rhinestones because we were too poor for better ones. Now, we're mixing in preciosa and swarovski with some crystal and glass ones. We have not removed the acrylics YET because a lot is carefully plotted fill ins and until I have enough time to REALLY thoroughly do it, I don't want to remove any sparkle.

So, for your pleasure (or not, Idk, maybe you don't care) this is the epaulets and belt for the Gumbie Tap Suit that's my design. If you notice a few interesting things with the waistband/tail, that is because it's got four strong snaps for the waist. There's stretch but not as much as some of our other specialty fabric, and different tappers prefer different tightness. We're hoping to add some snaps as this Jenny is between sizes and really wants a snatched waist (she didn't want to take the costume off--never seen anyone so happy before!)

I will be adding gold, yellow, and orange to it. I added purple to Misto in two shades and some AB crystals.

I forgot if I said this or not but I was requested to rhinestone Misto's shoes for his song number. I can't wait to show people pictures. I'm pretty sure there will be video. The last time I saw a very flippity Misto was my first pro production where an INCREDIBLE cheerleader/gymnast/hiphop dancer was cast. It was incredible to watch. This choreo is really fun and Misto's actor's manner actually does come across as shy and aloof at first... then super excited and happy. METHOD ACTING OR JUST HYPED ABOUT COSTUMES??? The world may never know.

I think people will REALLY like Rumple and Mungo a LOT. Cassandra is FANTASTIC.

Also anyone here have Starz? I need to gush over "P-Valley" and cry over "Hightown" s3 with someone! "Raising Kanan" is good but not hitting me in the feels the same way.

[mdhwrites]

I believe the villains in Owl House got screwed over because Dana disliked writing them. Belos was stripped of his complexity, ignoring his lore, Kikimora was reduced to a joke, and the Collector was transformed from a malicious, cruel person to an innocent kid who only wanted friends. It feels like Dana doesn’t enjoy writing villains.

So I don't think it's that Dana hates villains. I think it's that the TOH writers had no interest in writing an adventure series. Because of how much time is wasted, even in S2B, purely on romance and schoolkids being schoolkids (Them's the Breaks still has no point to exist after all) and how the villains are barely there outside of something to beat at the end of an episode, it kind of feels like the crew just wanted to do a magical school show which makes the supposed claim that Hexide was Disney mandated hilarious.

This actually also goes for the characters too though. A real adventure show would care about its power levels, its tricks and tools and actually showing the growth of our characters as fighters, not just as people. TOH... doesn't. Willow's big gimmick when she's first introduced is that she is incredibly powerful but can't control it. Then THREE EPISODES LATER, in the first episode that has Willow in it for more than a minute, it's resolved. Period. Until fucking S3. At that point, she is all powerful. Luz is all powerful by the beginning of S2, literally three episodes after she got her last glyph. Arguably, by Young Blood, Old Souls because she kicks the shit out of the entire Conformatorium in that one.

Even before then, most villains show up, cause a slight problem and then are quickly defeated after the character moment that the show setup with the conflict is resolved because their purpose is not as villains, it's just for the sake of it being an adventure show. Even the creatures of the Isles are for this purpose. That's also why most villains in TOH get like MAYBE three minutes of screen time at most. This would actually be okay if interesting things were being done with the characters but... Well, Luz goes through the same lesson multiple times in S1 about not taking cheats for magic and listening to Eda, almost ALL of King's plotlines in S1 are just repetitions of "Maybe don't see people as disposable pawns?" until S2 it's all "FAMILY!" until he's unrecognizable from his S1 counterpart. Then Gus has shades of self confidence issues in ALL of his episodes and never anything else. Then in S2 we have Hunter who is just mostly there in his episodes and learning constantly, "Maybe... Maybe friends are nice?" rather than actually challenging his world views and making him grow that way. That's also why I claim the show actively ships him with every girl his age.

It ironically makes the fact that TOH is so split in its identity feel like a necessity for the writers to have had more than at best two season's worth of material. With how much they recycle plot points, characters, etc. like that, of course it wastes time because it has no idea what to do with the amount of time it had.

Ignoring Belos' lore though is a different problem that has to do with his role as the big bad clashing with this, because he can't just be a slight obstacle to be overcome or else he looks like a joke like Kikimora or the coven heads came off as, but also that... Well, the show was ending.

So because they had nothing to do in S3 to keep audience interest because S2 had wrapped up too much, they leaned hard into saying "We have a complex villain, we swear," to keep people theorizing and invested in the show until the third special came out and the show went "JK LOL! We need to wrap this shit already. BYE!" Like they KNEW they didn't have the time, it's ENTIRELY on them to have focused so hard on Belos and then pulled the rug out from under everyone but...

But that's also just the normal trick of TOH. Here's the golden guard. No wait, he's a sad but mad boy, let's wrap this up. Here's a bully character who has deep ties to wanting the status quote to stay and should have a dozen anxieties about liking Luz. Never mind, none of that mattered, she's actually a good girl and has no issues getting into love besides the basic question of 'will she say yes?' Here is the ex-coven head for the EC who got betrayed and hurt by Belos while trying to just be a good sister fi- ISN'T HER TRAUMA HILARIOUS!?

If Dana disliked writing the villains, frankly, that means she disliked writing 90% of the show because most parts of the show aren't actually any better than the villains. They just got more screentime.

========

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[imminent-danger-came]

I can't wait for the S4 finale episodes to solidify MK as monkie. Maybe we get a scene with MK's war form and Azure going "...fuck."

Also good mentor Sun Wukong moment where he apologizes because he has no idea what's going on but he's pretty sure it's fault and he manages to calm MK from war form.

ME TOO. The way MK being a monkey has been playing out is so thematically delicious for MK as a character. IT'S GOT IT ALL. His identity being literally shattered, all roads leading "to pain", being "just like Wukong", his self-worth being lower than it's ever been—as an MK fan, it does not get any better than this let me tell you.

I've discussed here and here why I think MK's creation is 100% Wukong's doing (or at the least partly his doing) and that he knew about MK's origins the whole time, but dear anon, you and I agree that Wukong will have his good mentor moment.

The end of 3x14 was a good start, but Wukong has hurt MK, and this is something MK has never confronted/discussed with Wukong himself. Mei did so on his behalf in 3x10, and Curse MK did so in 4x07, but we haven't had MK really and truly express himself to Monkey King directly (more on that later). So now we've had 4 seasons and 3 specials worth of building and unresolved tension, and you can see MK's hurt bubbling beneath the surface.

In the Revenge of the Spider Queen special, Sun Wukong unknowingly made MK feel like he couldn't help. Like he "couldn't do anything on his own". He—in a way—abandoned MK at the beginning of s2, "leaving him to figure out everything on his own". He wasn't honest or upfront to MK or the rest of the gang about his half-formed plan to defeat the Lady Bone Demon. Honestly, even expecting MK to face Demon Bull King on his own was...a debatable choice. Yes, fighting demons just like that was how Sun Wukong learned (it also being what he did in JTTW), but that doesn't mean that's what MK needs. Plenty of characters have pointed out that Wukong is a terrible mentor (Macaque in 2x07, Pigsy in 2x10, Mei in 3x10, SWK himself in 3x14), and I'm inclined to agree.

This isn't to say that Wukong doesn't already have any good mentor moments, or that he doesn't care about and love MK (he truly does), but he's flawed. Wukong's choices and mistakes have affected MK, and now MK doesn't want to hurt the people he loves in the same way Wukong has hurt him:

Curse MK: "We’re just like Wukong. A fraud! A trickster! Destructive! Why would our legacy be any different? Actually, no no- the chaos and destruction we’ll bring upon the world will make Wukong’s past look like nothing."

(4x07 Pitiful Creatures)

-

MK: “And the most messed up thing is, I- I never even realized, never even questioned who I am, or where I come from, or why, or- Until I know what I am, what my destiny is? I can’t risk hurting the people I care about—the one’s I have left.”

(4x08 The Brotherhood)

-

And oh, is it BEAUTIFUL irony. The 4x08 scene I listed above is a direct parallel to SWK in 3x10. MK, in one sense, doesn't know anything about himself, yet he knows everything he needs to: he's exactly like Wukong, fated to "hurt the people who care about [him] the most". After all, that's exactly what just happened. MK, desperate to save Monkey King from Azure Lion, gave into his anger and frustration and went full on monkey demon. His goal was to free his beloved mentor from his prison, yet it only led to Wukong's scroll piece getting sliced in half.

And so, motivated by fear, MK in 4x08 does the exact same thing Wukong does to him at the end of 3x10: MK runs off, MK leaves (JUST like he does in 2x05, 2x10, and the entirety of s3). This causes the people who care about him to worry, inadvertently hurting them in the process. And, oh, is it SO GOOD. LBD was right, there is no running, destiny will always catch up.

[The rest of the meta will be under the cut!]

MK ran away because he didn't want to hurt anyone more, which is the exact reason Wukong ran away at the end of s3 and even disappeared for hundreds of years:

MK: "*sigh* You think Monkey King ever felt like this? Maybe that's why he stayed up on this mountain, just having a good time with you guys. You know cause- cause he knew he'd be out of the way where he couldn't hurt anyone he cared about." (4x09 Roast of the Monkie Kids)

Wukong wanted to stop hurting MK, to keep him out of his fights, so he ran away from MK and towards his own demise. Doing things alone has never worked out for anyone in this show, and ultimately, Wukong only ended up hurting MK more. It's tragedy at it's finest.

If you'd like another punch in the gut, this 4x01 scene is particularly great for doing that:

MK, staring into his reflection, compares himself to Monkey King—seeing every bad trait in himself and none of the good. "We're just like Wukong." MK believes he's a fraud, tricking all the good in his life into being there.

Curse MK: "You can see it, can't you? This is your fate. Your friends will turn on you, seeing you for the monster you will become. They will destroy you, harbinger of chaos. It's just like the Lady Bone Demon said—despite your efforts, all you'll ever do is cause pain and suffering." (4x07 Pitiful Creatures)

So, let's finally go back to MK having never confronted Wukong.

There are already plenty of reasons for MK to feel hurt, but now we've only added to the pile with MK's past, and how Monkey King hid it from him. The end of 4x08 already parallels 3x10 in so many lovely ways, however, I believe we are due for a second 3x10 parallel.

Mei: "You knew. All along you knew I had this THING inside of me. And you hid it from ALL of us! Why? What were you afraid of, that you were going to have to TEAR me apart to get your precious Samadhi fire!?" (3x10 The Samadhi Fire)

This scene alone is paralleled to with MK and Curse MK in 4x07. It's another piece of evidence for the fact that Sun Wukong definitely knew about MK, but it's ALSO evidence for MK finally confronting Wukong after the truth comes out. Just like Monkey King knew about the ring inside Mei, he also knew about MK. Just like Mei snapped and revealed all of her pent up anger towards Sun Wukong, MK will do the same thing.

I don't particularly know what war form is, but I have heard a cry in my notes of people like me who want to see MK go berserk, and I am hear to provide evidence for those people of that likely happening. Let's look at the couple of times we've already seen MK flicker into monkey demon form:

(I hope you enjoyed my "Scary MK Moments" compilation.)

MK's cracking the ground around him, he's flickering, he's even catching some of his friends in the sheer force he's emanating. When MK becomes a Monkey Demon, it's never treated as a good thing narrative-wise. The first time MK fully enters this form it's at the end of 4x07 when he defeats the curse, which then directly causes Wukong to become trapped in the scroll and Azure to free Peng and Yellowtusk. The next time MK goes full on Monkey Wukong's scroll piece get's cut in two. Both times, MK doesn't feel in total control.

In fact, MK choosing NOT to indulge in his monkey demon form is met with much more success:

Macaque: "You don’t want to fight Azure because people might get hurt, you don’t want to not fight him because people might get hurt--so do something else! Only you get to decide who you are kiddo." (4x10 The Jade Emperor)

And then that's what MK does, he chooses not to fight and instead steals back Wukong's scroll piece. His choice to save and protect the people he cares about rather than to fight back is the right one—he even runs away with his loved ones rather than without them. But even then, MK has to choose to resist his Monkey form:

It's all very in line with "harbinger of chaos" and how we could ever get to a point his friends would ever turn on him.

At the end of 3x10, Mei herself goes out of control—but MK refuses to let her go or abandon her. Instead he runs directly towards the fire, reaching for his friend, successfully bringing Mei back to herself. I 100% believe that Mei will do the same thing for MK. At the end of 4x08, we even see her start to make that same reach:

But MK leaves before she's able to.

This makes me think it will happen later, and that we'll get to hear her say "We can figure this out together!", as done previously many times.

I imagine it playing out something like this: MK goes into SWK's scroll piece to fix it from the inside, going through Wukong's memories along the way. MK comes across Wukong's memory of his creation—this is when things take a turn for the worse, as MK slips into Monkey Demon form and confronts the real Wukong about it (this scene would be a lovely parallel to 3x10 and Samadhi fire Mei). Wukong—meaning well—says the wrong things/reveals information that only makes everything worse. This pushes MK to go fully berserk and instigates the Sun Wukong V MK fight of my dreams. Their fight causes the two to break out of the scroll, giving Mei the opportunity to calm MK down.

Wukong being Wukong, is going to want to make it up to MK. With everything now out in the open, I think he's going to be able to do exactly that, and we'll get our good mentor moment.

[buckevantommy]

Hey! It's the first time Buck Begins anon from before!! First of all do not feel bad for rambling - that is exactly what that ask was for! I loved hearing your thoughts!

And to answer your question about how I started watching -- 911 was a show always a show on my 'to watch' radar but I didn't give it much thought? I did watch s1 of lone star tho. until then I saw bi Buck on my dash for the first time after Tommy kisses him and i just went oh??!??! 👀👀 I binge watched season 1 and 2, and then I gave up and ended up watching s7 part 2 live while also watching s3 for the first time 🤣 there were some gaps I had to fill using fanon knowledge but I think it worked? And now I'm furiously trying to watch s4 around my busy work schedule before s8 airs 😅🤣

Hasn't stopped my from reading bucktommy fic or posting gifsets tho. Tommy has bewitched me, I love him. Every time I watch a scene where Buck talks about his love life a part of me is just- don't worry, your man is coming

oh! same here! i'd known about it for years but i'd just avoided it thinking it was just a different take on the same old tired procedural cop shows, or maybe something too dramatised like grey's anatomy. i'm not sure i even realised it was about firefighters until i heard people referring to it as 'the gay firefighter show' and even then i didn't really connect the dots.. 🔥👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨🚒

one of my fave spn blogs (bc i was a destiel girlie before the gay firefighter show consumed my life) was a 911 fan so i learned about bi!buck through her blogging (shoutout to @sunglassesmish: kay, you have changed my life for the better 😚🫶). i mean, i came from spn - where bi!dean is widely considered unacknowledged canon and it's a show now several years past its finale but with a dedicated fanbase still hoping for some kind of reboot or movie or something to fix the shit they did in the finale - to a show with a canon bi character, moreover a character in his 30s who had been presumed (by some)/written as (sorta) straight for 6 whole seasons. and evan buckley.. he's so much like dean wincester: the all american heroic ladies man with a traumatic upbringing and a megawatt smile and babygirl features and a heart of gold who just wants to be loved.. honestly i could write essays about these two.. ✍️

i love that we're on the same page! i started with season 7 (i watched 7x05 and onwards live) and got through seasons 1-3 while s7 was airing week to week, and so my buck knowledge was growing as i excitedly waited for the next ep to air with the rest of fandom (there's just something about that weeklong anticipation, i've missed it so much - the theorising, the time for fanworks, etc). 📺

i was also the same, trying to learn what i could through dash osmosis of the seasons i hadn't watched yet (i knew vaguely about the lightning strike and tried not to spoil myself too much about the family secret but reading fic and meta blew those doors wide open 😅). and even in season 1 i was like: i'm so glad he'll grow to be that person in season 7 one day, that he'll get to be vulnerable and open and earnest and loved and also get kissed by a handsome guy. 🥰

OMG WE ARE BOTH ON SEASON 4!! 🥳 i mean, i knew that, but it's still so exciting to know there are folks out there in the same boat! ⛵ i don't think i've liveblogged any other ep besides Buck Begins, but i think i'll probably do a lightning strike/coma liveblog when i get to it.

omg the amount of bucktommy fics i've consumed since april.. i remember in those early days i was consuming every single fic that got posted on ao3 - about a dozen 1k fics a day - until eventually there was 60+ fics a day and i couldn't keep up, but i'm still reading about 2-5 fics (mostly short ones) a day. this fandom is hella talented. 📚

our love for tommy kinard knows no bounds. 🤝💖🤝 and YES- omg- the way he is just craving love and a partner on the same page as him, someone he can be himself with.. lightning boy will meet him flying into a hurricane and i just think that's neat. ⛈️😘

[mischas]

Ok so I think about them an unhealthy amount so here's the ask I asked about a while ago.

Their sexual dynamics are kinda fascinating and in another show that would've been explored more. (I have so many questions- some of them are on a literary level and the others not so much lol)

Marissa said that they never had a problem with attraction and being emotionally unavailable made them want each other more. Their difference in experience and how it might have affected their dynamic- ex: Ryan sleeping with Theresa soon after splitting with Marissa (who had a regretful sexual experience with her ex and was waiting with Ryan) because of old habits, but she said like one line about it and that's it. (Now that I think about it, it's weird that Ryan said before their date that he's never, like, fully dated girls before aside from hooking up even though Theresa existed, I guess he wasn’t counting that because it was on and off?). We saw how Marissa's trauma of being assaulted affected their sex life but only for like one time when it's an interesting discussion too, and so could've been the Gabrielle predatory thing (when he said that he was with another girl and Marissa pointed out that she was a woman- knowing this show she probably meant it in a "omg she's so experienced im so jealous" kinda way but it's clear that her being older wasn't ok for her, at least not as ok as it was for him.

There's also all the sexual jealousy (as it's apparent from my asks, MV jealousy era was my favourite for being funny af, but there's also Ryan/Gabrielle and Luke/Marissa which were just painful) but also despite the intensity, there's a bit of assurance and comfort there ("what strippers? I don't know any strippers"/"you got a lap dance?"). They were being walked in on all the time and Marissa did say she wasn’t into PDA much (but I'm not sure if it was about Trey?) they were also "one of those couples" which means they didn’t keep their hands off each other, either. Ooh there is so much material lol- I shudder to think but HBO Ryissa would've been like 👀

You know this is something I was thinking about a few weeks ago. I'm probably not gonna answer this well but it's gonna be long. So first off, it is very insane for Marissa to say that she and Ryan were going at it during all of s3 when the narrative is relatively sexless for every couple until it's turned up wildly in 3x18 for a ratings and demographic shift (other people can speak about this better than I). I've talked about that 3x18 line before and it's so weird to shoehorn it in like they do; we're supposed to believe RM have been fucking this whole time? What? 3x14 showed us in their intimate scene that they haven't been doing this a lot since it serves as a means of reuniting them. But, hey, maybe they have and it's just weird shit between M/B that kept it from our consciousness. But like I said earlier, this season was so sexless until much later when it's turned up to 100 (and those irl dynamics were also very bad so like.... mess).

We're also supposed to believe RM didn't sleep together after 2x20 when "I think we can do better than the front seat of Sandy's car" is insanely suggestive. Not to say they did it right after getting back together but like....... idk. Them only having sex for the first time in 3x03 is narratively so far-fetched. Obv there weren't a lot of times they could in s2 since they're kept apart for plot reasons and then as soon as they reunite the Trey stuff happens.

BUT

Their comfortability in mid-s1 when they're dating is so easy. It's very hard to believe these teens weren't sleeping together. Ryan is largely unsupervised and pretty much has his own apartment! And they're both not virgins as we know. It's only when Marissa says in 1x19 that they haven't that we all have to be like oh??? And it's a teen soap so these things are usually documented for the audience, but still it's like please. Especially after 1x14.

All that said, lol, the way I see RM approaching intimacy is that from a young age neither of the two really associate sex with love. We know Ryan's experienced by 16 (though I personally think he exaggerates how many girls he's been with). There's at least Theresa who clearly did not exist in the narrative until 1x11. There's no way she and her mom wouldn't be in Ryan's mind when he's been abandoned in 1x01 and calling all his friends for a place to stay. So!!

For whatever (plot) reason, RM don't sleep together until 3x03. But Marissa rushes into sex with Luke in 1x06 for all the reasons I mentioned here. And she's incredibly hurt in 1x26/1x27 to learn that Ryan rushed into sex with Theresa right after their breakup. She spends the summer between s1 and s2 thinking about that and probably assuming they have sex then too (she looks surprised to hear in 2x02 that it "wasn't like that at all"). And then she starts having casual sex with DJ that summer. The DJ storyline is so so bad from its inception but we're at least led to believe she's sexually active. They tried to make DJ a viable romantic option but it was so bad from the start that at least it finally ends.

Marissa doesn't even get to associate sex with real, heartfelt romantic feelings until Alex and that's then pulled out like a rug from under her before they pivot her back to Ryan when Lindsay leaves. So she still doesn't associate sex with love. THEN she's assaulted and goes through all that fun trauma. R/L have a few scenes that imply they may be sleeping together but I think if they did we'd have seen it or at least heard about it.

Which brings us to 3x03 and RM both being in a place where sex and love can be working together. I think Ryan has love for Theresa but let's be honest that boy will never be ~in~ love with her and that's a major missing part of their relationship. 3x03 gives us the heightened Hawaii plot and that positions RM to realize this is the time because she's leaving and you know It's About The YearningTM. I don't think the scene itself is great because of the choreography and the stupid editing but what leads up to it "Are you sure? It'll make it that much harder for you to leave" is just SOOOOOOO

If we understand that RM have been having a bunch of loveless, emotionally unavailable sex in s3 I don't think it's much of a stretch to imagine them jumping into bed with the people they then jump into bed with in late s3. And in many ways it's like as soon as they were able to marry sex and love in 3x03, they reverted back to these people who saw it as something else. That speaks to how s3 was so fucking bad.

A few things:

Yeah I think the PDA line in 2x22 carried over to 2x23 is only really about Trey and her bruise that she's concerned with; their PDA in front of their friends in 1x15 meant nothing to them. I can't imagine they cared more about schoolmates seeing them than they did their friends (and Marissa's ex)

I think M is so hurt about Gabrielle in 1x06 and 1x07 for all those reasons. That she's older "Actually, I think she was a woman" and that Ryan could hook up with someone random the same day he's all but asked her to make a romantic choice "the last time I saw you, you kind of had your hands full"

The way that Marissa has quiet confidence in Ryan with other women is very sweet in 1x26 "what about strippers?", 2x21 "South Beach for a little spring break action?" and 3x09 "you got a lap dance?" it's actually very interesting to contrast that with Seth who kisses women in BOTH Vegas and Miami when he's still in a quasi-relationship with Summer at the time

I know for a fact I didn't answer this very eloquently (if I answered it at all) but it's a really interesting subject!

Also, considering I head canon RM being FWB in college I think it'd take a while for them to acknowledge how in love they've always been with one another. Because of their shared traumas, lingering resentments, trust issues, etc. *cue 'tis the damn season*