#but we can enjoy any manner of what ifs; including: the agonies

[unproduciblesmackdown]

first of all canon not liable to give us a final (or, any further) winnie n tay moment, second of all canon can shove it call me summer stock (2023) the way i'm cherrypicking what i want out of it. thirdly, opening with the theoretically relevant canon counterparts to consider: taylor wouldn't fire rian even when they thought she Should leave....though this also involved giving the relevant person their own choice in the matter. taylor didn't care about winston quitting or not while peacing out midsentence (his) in 5x05....though it was also clear he wanted to stay, & just b/c they're Then like didn't ask don't care also i'm in my "let's trust wendy again era" despite what you, mafee, lauren say, doesn't mean they couldn't be given a "yeah let taylor care Here when we're getting rid of him anyways" moment

anyways the thought was just like the [it's winnie n tay, but it's not, but it is] of taylor caring, knowing that winston is there for them, considering even if they haven't before that he just gets shitted on & mpc is getting worse & (rian is getting worse) & if he causes problems on purpose or accident ppl start shooting on sight & even if they start wanting to back him up / insulate / give Him guidance now, they have the least leeway for that....and that instead of like, giving him a nice moment of "btw i recognize that you're a person" / appreciation / emotional connection as this farewell gift before they shoot him out back like old yeller, he gets "get out of here you stupid animal >:'l " treatment just to try to Make him give up on them, rather than like, oh he's here for me, he just wants Me to value him, even as low a bar there as "hasn't fired him yet," he's hung in there this long despite everything, if i show him Appreciation & Support now more than i ever have then he's going to stick around another four and a half years. sad trombone / deflating price is right theme music in deliberately firing him as meanly / Denying him [you're a person to me] / appreciation / connection / etc like i don't love you get out of here don't come back (i can't protect you whether b/c of how dicey things are getting &/or i'm just realizing the extent to which i've failed to do so this whole time so) and maybe also they're boxed in by the presence of Others anyways. since billions would rather die then let taylor & winston be the only people in the scene after kompenso

it also wouldn't happen b/c probably by 7x03 taylor is still figuring they'll have their own place sooner than later, so why not still just want winston to hang in there, we're not accepting this reality....unless it's like well someone's going to send you off like a kicked dog and i'll just kick you myself for the perfect balance of [not unnecessarily hurtful] but also [hurtful in the most Efficient ways so that you don't come back]