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innermoonlight-bhe · 4 years ago

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Me, again, on Destiel. Please read.

I’ve been having problems all this month. And while I was self-exploring the reasons of my uneasiness, I tracked it back to 15x18. When I first watched the episode I had lots of unresolved feelings. I felt happy and at the same time really distressed. After waiting for two week for the end of Supernatural I thought those feelings would disappear but they just kept on getting stronger. I began feeling stressed and, this last two weeks, feelings just empty. I had no desire to do anythings, like I was lost. Yesterday I realized why and got me sad and mad at the same time. I don’t want to take a lot of time writing this but there are too many emotions and rational thoughts that don’t let me sleep at night.

This is why I want to divide this text into two parts:The first one being the queerbating debate on internet. This includes the normalization of heterosexual relationships, audiences, plots and writing, marketing and advertising, and other things that have to do with t.v. industry. In specific, the rare case of CW and its treatment of the whole Supernatural family. In the second part I would like to focus on my personal experience, which I’m sure is same to most people who were left all alone in this Destiel world of disappointment. This last one you can decide to ignore or share with me. The one that i’m most interested is that you read the first part, even though it can seem a little out of context, since I’ll be referring to another tv shows of the CW.

FIRST PART THEN OF THE DESTIEL OPINION:When I was left so sad after the queerbaiting I began watching a famous soup opera aka telenovela, called Yo soy Betty, la fea. It’s famous worldwide and I felt it like a comfort home after all the Destiel drama. It made me happy because the story plot is only one: the heterosexual couple that falls in love. Of course I’m reducing this too much, but the point is that yesterday, after I finished watching it, I realized that even though the main couple had problems at the end the audience knew they would’ve ended together. It did happen, in the anti-last episode, same as in supernatural and the Cas confession. The two further episodes centered on the happy conclusion on the story. There are clear points to establish:

Point 1: Supernatural was born as a serious mainly centered on two heterosexual man traveling all along a country hunting monsters while looking for a father. Meanwhile a classic telenovela centers on a love couple who fight against everythings to be together; in this case it’s establish since the beginning and no one will except anything else.

Point 2: Meanwhile telenovela’s audiences are destined to be woman, wanting to follow the classic love story; Supernatural was being male focused actually did excepted woman but also men watchers. Supernatural had a largest specter of viewers.

Point 3: Telenovelas are not willing to change the story for the audiences desires. They work with practical and classic formulas that rarely will fail. There’s no necessity to receive a feedback to complete. Supernatural and tv series, on the other hand, actually need the feedback from the viewers because on it depends their permanency on the screen.

Supernatural needed to keep their viewers high so the show could continue. I’m gonna leave the classic telenovela out for a moment. It’s important settling this differences to approximate myself to the basic point of my madness: how unethical is the queerbaiting.The public opinion changes, and The CW having clear this is very know to keep in touch with fans wishes and needs. In the case of Jane the Virgin, a barely combination of the telenovela classic plot but in a tv series way, had a big “change” with one of their main characters: Petra. Her connection with the main character, Jane, was noted and wanted by many of the viewers. But the show’s creator knew that main plot (point 1)was a girl who accidentally gets pregnant and eventually falls in love with the love of her life, Rafael. So the show writers wouldn’t just change this main plot in order to make a couple happen, so instead they gave the public what they wanted by making Petra bisexual and introducing a perfect girl for her, also called Jane, to deliver the wish of fans. This relationship worked purely and on its on. The reactions with Petra bisexuality were low, and they took care of it as if it was something normal and not anything that needed satanizing. No one could be expected to freak, not even Petra’s twins. Even though the first seasons Petra only had male relationships. This is a good thing that The CW did, but they didn’t do this out of the goodness of their heart: they did it for views and for the audience (point 2). Jane the virgin was also planned to have female audiences and to treat serious social issues respecting sexuality and love. This is why it didn’t came as a surprise.

Then why did Destiel couldn’t happen? Because the CV is homophobic? Probably there’s some of this in it, but the reality it’s they weren’t giving up on the part of the audience that is actually homophobic, or that at least won’t feel comfortable watching a heterosexual character discover himself as bi. The thing of the audiences is important because the “ambiguity” in which Cas’ confession was treated worked perfectly for them: it gave exactly the sufficient enough to keep us happy, meaning while keeping the perfect amount of “friendship”. So anyone can take whatever they want for the story. By this part I understand why they wanted to deal with this confession in an ambiguous way: to please everybody. But why did they wanted to please everybody? It wasn’t out of kindness of their heart, it was for views.The whole queerbaiting debate has being on the tables for a long time but we also ignore the unethical implications on it. It has been used by many contemporary media, to hint at something that the producers are not expecting to happen any time. And even though, they keep on teasing us. This is highly unethical because the reason behind them is the accumulation of money. Supernatural survived because of Destiel. I resisted myself to say this because I had respect for the series until I stopped watching around season 10. The story and plots were doom, repetitive and boring at times. We keep watching for the emotions caused by the supernatural family. Not only Destiel but Sam and all of the characters. The original plot explained in the point 1 was lost and blurred, we were far away from that premise and that was why the finale episode feel just bad.

The show had chances to grow without losing the origina plot but also confronting change and accept that sometimes, things must pass and you have to move. Destiel was an important support of the show, the views and year after year renovation of the series. Pointing at the queerbaiting has lost its meaning if we forgot why they do it, why they keep on doing this even though it makes us feel bad. This affects the shows work in perspective because it changes the plot and natural progression of the story. For the queerbaiting, they have scenes that are forgotten next episodes like they never happened. I’m a literature student and the first thing they say to us is that a scene, even a word, should be taken so seriously that it actually work on the long road of the story. In Destiel we have beautiful, all heart breaking scenes of Cas and Dean being romantic, closed, just in love. The Dean’s confession were he admitted to the priest he wanted to experience new things, the Castiel’s love confession, and others are an example of how this scenes have a space in the show but are still isolated from the original story. They don’t play a part in the bigger image. That’s why we don’t see Dean talk to Sam about Cas, this is why they are so many Destiel plots left unsolved. I have a small memory of an old lady assuring Dean that he’s in love, even though we haven’t seen in a long time a female in Dean’s life (Dean, who the first four seasons flirted with e v e r y woman he met. Because producers and writers can let this scenes happen as long as it doesn’t change the main characters. Even, they are willing to let us think that Cas could be bi but Dean isn’t, by not having him say anything after Cas says I love you. And to be honest, we didn’t except much.

We knew that we were clowning and it’s not like we excepted a love making scene from those two. We raised our expectations after 15x18 and not after. A lot of us were waiting on the finale to bring joy even though we never actually imagined it would go canon. 15x18 lifted expectations very few had and that lots, myself for instance, returned to watch after hearing Destiel was semi-canon. It brought back feelings, I got to rewatch supernatural to enter the atmosphere once again... So it was perfect for the CW. On one hand, the biggest queerbaiting on history gave them back for 15x19 and 15x20 all the fandom they had lost for the previous queerbaiting and tiredness of waiting. And also, they keep the antis and the homophobe watching. It was perfectly staged and nothing else was expecting. Something similar happen with Jane the virgin. With the death of Michael (I rather shipped more Jane with Michael) a lot of fans stopped watching. This was planned since the beginning and they actually gave us a fake death and then the real one. I actually stopped watching one season of Jane the virgin after his death because I was devastated, even though since the beginning everything pointed at Jane ending up with Rafael. Her connection with Michael was lovely and pure love. But after killing him off they wrote the relationship of Jafael so perfectly, not rushed or anything: it developed in a way that her relationship with Michael was intact but finished by death. It was a hard punch but at the end we ended up to accept her relationship with Rafael because of the clear progression between the characters. But, at the end of the series, at the last season they decided it was good idea to bring Michael back from the death and have her chose Rafael, after all of the progress It took for her to forget Michael. The changed her and all of the perspective of love changed for the show. It made thing that soul mates don’t exist, that all the love Jane felt for Michael disappear after having a whole season of her suffering for her lost, after she wrote her first book for him. It would’ve been so much better for the story if Michael stayed death.

So the things is it’s not only queerbaiting on homosexual couples, but the whole idea that they need to have a huge audiences watching their last seasons. I returned to watch Jane the virgin excepting for Michael. This awful thing they do. Just for views and gain of capital bothers me and its what makes me angry. In the case of Supernatural it’s also a topic of homophobia and the fear that the homophobia of a few will ruin the views of series finales. An as I considere the unethical implications is why I would love to have them apologize to us. It’s like a person promising the stars and stopping you to move on, while they know nothing will happen. They use us as numbers to gain money and attention. The decision that I and a lot of people took to unfollow all of The CW accounts is no radical. It’s a little if we take into account all of the money they made from the unethical queerbaiting. It causes me a lot of anger and actually feel like a I need an apology because I felt used and dirty. This is the fault of the industry and the CW has a fame of doing so.

PART 2:

This will be little in comparison. Now I want to get to the sad sentimental part. I felt all empty because four years ago that I stopped watching I also stopped talking to the love of my life. Hearing about Destiel had me going back to moments. I even desired to talk to him again to tell him that I wasn’t all wrong. Destiel wasn’t platonic or an illusion. it has clearly staged to makes us think it could happen. It’s not the story of an angel who falls for a human, that gives everything up for him, that loves him. After his confession is the story of unrequited love. Dean never says it back and it’s a feeling that a lot of people have suffered. To love someone and not having them saying them back, of the relationship that never ends but at the end it’s one of the most important. This one I talked about I never dated, I never kissed, but he’s the man i’ve loved the most in my life. Having Castiel saying I love you and never receiving anything back, giving his life and no one saving him, it’s just heartbreaking for all of us who have constantly giving everything without expecting anything in return. At the same time it’s the story of a a couple that never happens but that should have. The same reflexion as always: if it were heterosexual it would’ve happen long time ago. But it also happens in real life, that if time alined, if things were in other way relationships would’ve happen with people in our lives.I had a lot of more feelings for Destiel, but that would be for another time. Right now I just realized why made me, personally, feed angry and sad. I realized I was a Cas to someone else. I realized I was used by a network. The queerbaiting actually has psychology repercussion on us, and it’s something they fail to understand. Accepting that I was affected by a tv show took me a hard time. I didn’t know how to explain to others why this had me absence for week, I thought I was ridiculous and week. I felt bad but know I realized I’m not wrong. It’s not my fault but it’s years of messing with out feelings on purpose. Some day i’ll write an essay on this. I have to much to say but I end it with this:

The media manipulates our emotions and doesn’t take any responsibility whatsoever.

Don’t trust the media.

(Sorry for the bad english, I’m mexican. But at least Destiel is canon in my language).

#destiel #queerbaiting #the cw #jane the virgin #jafael #petra #supernatural #deancas #15x18 #supernaturalfinale #betty la fea #destielcanon #curdueva #Petramos #supernaturalending #theysilencedthem #they silenced us

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samanthabrielle · 6 years ago

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Gendry x Arya [after the proposal]

(I’ve been crying since this morning because of episode 4, I rewatched the scene over 10 times today already. I know they love each other and we could not expect Arya to say yes to that, but all our hearts are breaking for Gendry and this is something I wanted to think to comfort myself everything would still turn out good. I’m assuming things happening behind what is seen in the series. Enjoy reading and thank you if you do.)

***

His head was spinning. He stood there frozen, staring at his feet. Each twang from her bow was like a snap on his ears. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours, he didn’t really know, all he felt was his stomach lurching, gurgling and then heaving. His feet was cold from the wind. He slowly dragged himself out of the storage. Arya was saying something but he doesn’t here it anymore. Drunk with all that he heard. His head swimming. He felt the cold bite his cheeks and realize he was already in the courtyard.

He started towards the forge, to keep himself warm. But when he got there, no one has stoked the fire. It took him twice as long as it should have to make the fire. His cold hands was barely able to move. Alone in the forge, he glanced at the glass strewn across the table. Metal scraps and a bit of cloth. He found himself looking longingly at the entrance, even with opened eyes, he could almost see her standing there, a brow raised as she watched him hammer iron. He shook his head once, twice, and again to push the memory away.

He clapped his hands, the echo louder than he expected. He headed out to grab the wasted breast plates and armor he collected earlier today. He knew nothing but this. This is what he was good at. This he knew perfectly well. He slammed the armor on the cluttered table and searched for his hammer.

***

She stood there watching him silently. She had no words to say anymore. Nothing she can say will change what she has already said. She was definitely not taking her word back. She was no lady. She thought he already knew that. She’s been saying it over and over again and she doesn’t understand how can he not understand that. She was infuriated, she felt as if he’d back her down in one corner. But his eyes, his eyes were no longer a storm. His eyes was what made her more infuriated. There was something missing in those eyes. She didn’t understand how to change it again. To bring back the fire and storm it had just a few minutes ago. The glint in his eyes as he told her he loved her. That she was beautiful. That she worth all those things. She stood there trying to shoot more arrows, when he suddenly lurched forward, as if to be sick, but kept moving forward instead, as if not seeing her, leaving quietly and stumbling across the courtyard.

She didn’t want to follow him. She knew he needed time. Needed to accept her answer.

But she argued herself as she raced to the battlements. Looking over the stones to see his slumped figure in the darkness as he made his way back to the forge. Stopping randomly and swaying again as if he was drunk. He went inside the forge and she could no longer see. She wanted to make sure he was alright but thought better than following him there. He needs time to accept it. It would be unfair for her to keep on giving him false hope. She knows what she needs to do, and bringing him with her will not be a very wise decision. She knew he’ll do anything for her. That was exactly the problem.

She willed herself to get back to her chambers, had to drag her own feet from turning back.

Sansa was on her way back too. Arya didn’t even notice her turning the corner. Sansa stared at her sister before taking a step towards her.

“The Dragon Queen has been giving lands and titles tonight. Did you hear?” Sansa’s straight face was not enough for Arya to be convinced she didn’t know exactly who she was talking about.

“I heard” biting her lip, Arya knew Sansa was asking more than that.

“His loyalty cannot be bought though.” Sansa searched her sister’s face for the answer she was looking for, but Arya’s mask was sturdy, her eyes fixed on the chamber doors they were approaching.

“No, they cannot.” Arya turned to her door, “Good night Sansa.” she said without facing her sister. Her stomach lurching as if she was to go sick. Sansa still stood behind Arya’s door, thinking whether she should ask more questions, but thought better of herself and walk to her chambers.

Arya bit her lip hard, until she tasted blood. She closed her eyes, but all she can see was his blue eyes, deep as the ocean, staring at her. His eyes will never be the same, she thought. The storm was gone. They became empty pits of ocean water. She opened her eyes but she still can’t get it out of her head. She pulled of her cloak and layers of clothing and slipped in to her bed clothes, pulling all the blankets close to her. Her stomach felt as if she had a batch of bad eggs. It was a pain she never felt before, growing and spreading to her insides like wildfire. She was having trouble breathing and had to sit up in her bed, her arms felt tingling and she closed her fists close to her heart, feeling its beat as it drummed out of her chest. Her face stinging as if she was swarmed by bees. It was then that she realized she was crying. She buried her head in her hands and felt a river of tears in her face. She doesn’t know how she slept, curled up at one corner of her bed, her face smothered in a pillow as she cried herself to sleep.

***

Gendry was on his sixth armor when he realized the sun was already up. His arms were covered in soot and ash. He was covered in sweat and soot in the middle of the forge, his ragged breathing and the singing metal was the only thing he knew in this world. It was Davos who had to slam 3 swords on his table before he pulled himself out of the trance he has been in.

“I thought you were celebrating your Lordship all night, not cooped up here to work.” His eyebrows were raised as if to ask his problem.

“There’s a lot of work to be done.” He mumbled, turning up the breast plate he’s been hammering, smoothing the surface before hammering on it again.

Davos came round his table before standing in front of Gendry again. His eyes squinting at him as if something was there to be seen. But whatever he saw, he did not bother pointing out. Davos simply picked up one of the armors he’s finished working on the whole night.

“You were not in the council this morning.” Davos made his voice clear over the hammering that was growing louder and louder. His eyes were focused on the metal armor, but Gendry knew the old man was watching him carefully.

“No need for me to be there, I’m better working here in the smithy.” Gendry did not bother hiding the anger in his tone anymore. He just wanted to be out with it. He wanted to be left alone as soon as possible.

They both stood there quietly as they both listened to the clang and bang of the hammer against the armor for what seemed to be hours.

Finally Davos broke his silence “being lord of Storm’s End will suit you.”

“I am no lord of anything.” he quickly answered before hammering too fast, too hard, causing his hard work to go to waste by bending the arm plate out shape. He sighed in frustration and chucked the arm plate to the fire, causing Davos to jump at his sudden burst of anger. Gendry took his hammer and almost slammed it on the table too, but caught himself and thought better of it. He simply let it fall on the table before slumping his shoulders and headed back to the store room, wanting to be left alone.

But Davos followed him quietly and watched him sit by his makeshift cot. Gendry picked up the bucket of water and clean cloth and he started to wipe the soot of his face, hands and arms.

Davos sighed in resignation and left Gendry alone in his thoughts, thinking better than to bombard him with anymore questions. “We’re leaving for King’s Landing this afternoon. Jon will want you to join him once you’ve gathered your men.” Davos approached him carefully, putting a hand over his shoulder “You’re a good man lad. Whatever may have been her reason, I’m sure you’ll come to terms with it.” Gendry’s eyes snapped up to look the old man in his face, worn and tired, but the old man gave him an encouraging nod. Gendry only nodded as he dipped his head to look at his feet again. He heard the rustling of robes and when he looked up he was alone again.

***

He was not in the dining hall all day. Arya waited to see if he would look for her this morning. Her eyes raked the courtyard but found no sign of him. She did not dare go near the forge in case she won’t be able to stop herself from talking to him again. It was Davos she sees climbing the stairs as she made her way to the walls of the castle. “My lady.” he greeted, his eyes sweeping her from head to toe. She felt his gaze lingering longer than usual, but his face was full of ... regret? She cannot be sure. She cleared her throat before walking away. “He’s a good lad my lady, I wish you knew that.” She could still feel his eyes behind her but Arya froze at his words.

Her mind went racing in an instant. She closed her eyes and bit her lip as she tried to search her tongue for an answer. She spun on the heels of feet, facing the old man and stared at his eyes. “Excuse me?”

“Lord Gendry, my lady. He’s a good lad.” Davos had a pained look in his eyes, he shook his head.

“I know that Sir Davos. And please don’t call me that. Its Arya.” she said it icily. Her tone very much that of Sansa’s when she commands. Arya turned again and walked quickly to her chambers. She clutched her heart once she closed the door behind her. Biting back the tears that threatened her eyes again.

***

A week has passed and Gendry has lived in the forge since, refusing to go out even for meals, Keepley started to bring him bowls of rice by the second day he refused to go out. The Hound even brought him ale the fort night and asked to have a sword. Gendry saw no signs of her. He couldn’t stop himself from hoping she would come, a new wish for her weapon in hand. But every time he saw a glimpse of a furred cloak, it was not hers. He stomped and hammered once more after realizing she won’t come. He wanted to bash his hands in his own hammer, but he can never do it. By the end of a quarter moon, he finished all the armors and swords, and arrows needed for the troops. He laid down in bed half-asleep, looking up at the ceiling when he heard it. As if the wind carried it down to him, her voice was like that of an angel, he wasn’t sure if he dreamed it. “Gendry” just his name, as if called by the howling wind. It was all he needed to be fully awake. He sat right up and squinted in the pitch black darkness of the night. A blow of the wind seem to pass and it was quiet again. He let himself lie awake the rest of the night, thinking over and over again about what she said. But in the end, he wanted nothing but to hold her again, to feel her lips against his, to feel her warm hands on his neck as she reached for him.

*** She closed the door swiftly and quietly behind her. She sighed in relief to be back in her chambers. She wan’t able to stop herself tonight. She was leaving tomorrow and she wanted to see him for the last time. His face was still half- covered in soot when he slept. She wanted nothing but to take the cloth by his table and wipe his face. To feel his warm cheeks against he palm. To feel his warms hands against her waist and his sturdy arms around her. To see the glint of the storm in his eyes again. But she knew better than to wake him. Instead she said his name over and over again in her head, as if a prayer, but when she breathed, she may have whispered his name. It was enough to wake him in the dead of night, but she knew he won’t be able to see her as she quickly stepped into the darkness. She can’t let him know she was there, he was in enough pain as it is. She couldn’t bare seeing those hollow ocean pits again when she broke his heart.

She crawled back in her bed that felt cold even under the furs. It was as if the Night King himself was in her room, forcing her to freeze dead into the night.

***

#Gendry #gendry baratheon #arya stark #arya #arya x gendry #gendry x arya #gendry waters #game of thrones #post-proposal

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blayzez · 6 years ago

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So I recently rewatched Voltron s1e01 - The Rise of Voltron to compile screenshots of my favorite Lances of that episode, as I believe that episode animated him BEAUTIFULLY while the rest of the series tends to make him more off-model than any other character (don't deny it, you know it in your heart it's true).

Anyway, while doing that, I made a few... observations. As per the usual with pilot episodes, a lot was packed into this episode. Some of it probably seemed pretty throw-away, early season stuff that won't really make reappearances in the future. However, I am seeing some stuff that actually DID reappear -- sometimes late in the series. I am referring to these as planted seeds; these seeds were planted in the very first episode, but some of them are just late bloomers.

So I have decided to make a meta about this. I want to point out the different seeds that were planted in this episode and when they actually bloom later in the series. Keep in mind that some of these are very obvious and stuff that everyone knows, but I feel they should be here for reasons I'll explain later (and just to have these seeds in a nice compilation).

DISCLAIMER:

I have nothing against ANY ship. While I don't ship many things myself in this show, I'm not against the ships people have for this show, regardless of what those ships are. That said, my confidence in the endgame ship is Klance, and as such, other Lance- and Keith-related ships may not be shown in the best light in this post as one of the points I make in this meta is WHY I believe Klance will be endgame. I will not use the full ship names other than Klance so that this post will stay out of the tags of those ships. THAT said, know that I do not find the ships I'm trying to disprove unhealthy, wrong, or bad in any way, I just don't believe they'll be endgame. Please go into this with an open mind.

All that said, let's get this show on the road!

I am starting with the most obvious and well-known seed:

Okay, we all know about this one. Pidge being iffy about the Kerberos mission, eventually revealing to Shiro that the two people who accompanied him on the Kerberos mission were her father and brother, showing us that she desires ro find them in space. We all know this, the show has beaten us over the head with her arc repeatedly. Still, this seed was planted in this first episode and so it warrants mentioning. It's also noteworthy that this seed did not fully bloom until season 7 -- one season away from the finale season. This is important, but I will get to it later.

Onto the next one!

Another obvious seed. Allura's insecurities as well as her expectations of herself and the Voltron crew to carry her father's legacy. This seed is still growing and got a lot of focus in seasons 5 and 6, where it bloomed the most. This is a seed that I don't think CAN blossom until the series is complete, though, as bringing peace to the universe is how Allura and Voltron can fulfill her father's legacy. Not much to say here, just posting it for prosperity's sake and to show that, like most of the seeds on this list, this seed did not/will not fully blossom until the very end as well as the fact that it's something we see throughout the show and does not get ignored.

As for this next one:

I hesitated to add this one because it is a bit of a reach. After deliberating, I decided it was worth adding in.

So Allura was integral in Pidge's season 1 arc regarding Pidge's identity. I've noticed that Pidge seems to be reciprocating come season 7 -- Allura helped Pidge by trying to get her to admit to her true self but also keeping it a secret and letting Pidge be to one to reveal it, and now Pidge is Allura's MVP in getting back the castleship.

Allura is impressed by Pidge in this scene. This is actually Allura's first impression of Pidge, as Pidge didn't say much before now. And her first impression of her is that Pidge is extremely intelligent and has a mind that can be relied on. I think it's possible this is a seed that is sprouting now in season 7, when Allura is relying on the intellect of Pidge and Pidge's family get back a piece of Alfor's legacy -- the Castle of Lions. Allura even eluded to this in The Feud, when she chose Pidge to leave the game show and said it was because Pidge and her family have the best chance of finishing what Alfor started. And that started right here in this scene, I think.

So, next seed:

This is a small seed, and an unexpected one. I've always viewed Iverson as a jerk and thought this scene no different. Fresh off the heels of season 7, I rewatch this scene and realize how... honestly concerned Iverson sounds. He doesn't sound angry or too business-like or gruff, he sounds concerned and confused and seems to actually have Shiro's well-being in mind when he requests they put Shiro under. His voice, especially when compared to how he spoke to the Garrison Trio, is softer and hints that he really isn't as bad a guy as we've all pegged him to be. Come season 7 and we see how right that actually is. He ISN'T a bad guy; he's a strict guy, yes, but he has everyone's best interests at heart and honestly feels gutted when that entire crew is wiped out.

I know that was a small seed, but it still counts. Next seed, ahoy:

This explains a lot regarding Allura's connections to the lions, but we don't really see the fruits of this until season 6. In season 6, Allura was able to use her powers from Oriande to take Shiro's soul from the Black Lion's consciousness and place it into Clone Shiro's body. Yes, she has powers from Oriande -- that's how she was able to mess with Shiro's soul like that -- but it was her connection to the lions that allowed her to connect to Black Lion's consciousness in the first place. Oriande didn't do that -- Alfor did, and this scene proves it.

This next seed is... wow:

This one caught me by surprise because holy crap how did I miss this???

Okay, so I made a post talking about that Lauren Montgomery art and how it's playing into the show in unexpected ways. Please go read that to understand this to the fullest extent.

This scene? This scene foreshadows Lance's inclusion in Shiro's arc. Shiro offers a hand -- his Galra hand -- to Lance for shaking (Lance being the only person in the room aside from Keith whose name he knew). Lance looks at the arm trepidatiously for a split second before smiling and reciprocating the handshake.

This moment is focused on for a reason and I can't believe I missed it. Because isn't it interesting that Shiro offers his GALRA arm despite it being a symbol of his trauma and not something he'd be eager to flaunt? Isn't it interesting that the episode puts so much focus on his handshake with LANCE, but his handshake with Pidge is barely given any thought?

It IS interesting, and here's why.

Lance was much more important to Shiro's arc than we thought. While Keith brought Clone Shiro to an end, and Allura brought the real Shiro back to life, Lance was the support he needed. Clone Shiro wasn't doing so well. I mean, he's a Galra-created clone being controled by Haggar, of course he's not doing well. The ones who suffered the most from this were Allura and Lance. Allura stood up for herself and refused to be pushed around and sometimes managed to get her way. Lance, however, respected Shiro too much to do more than try and keep the peace. He didn't stand up for himself, didn't call Shiro out on his bullcrap, just tried to keep him calm and keep the peace among the team. It's no wonder that Lance is the one Clone Shiro goes to about how he's actually feeling. And what does Lance do? He supports him. Comforts him. Promises him they'll figure it out together. He's worried at first, much like how he showed worry before accepting Shiro's hand in s1e01, but he ultimately puts that aside and accepts Shiro.

This scene was the planted seed. It was subtle, so subtle I completely missed it, but here it is. And it took a while to bloom, BOY did it take a while! Took until season 5 before we got to see it blossom. But it did and Lance was the support Clone Shiro needed to stay sane until Keith could come in and fix the situation.

Speaking of Lance:

This seed came to fruition in season 3 -- it was definitely foreshadowing. Most of the other paladins get are shown alone when shown their lions. There are two exceptions to that (one of which I will get to later).

This seed is the first exception. Lance and Keith are both shown with the Red Lion here, rather than Keith alone. Come season 3, Lance becomes the Red Lion's new pilot.

With this next seed:

This was planted in this first episode and didn't really see the light for day for AGES. We were told from the very beginning that Hunk is the one who is meant to help keep the team together, but we don't actually see that happen.

Until season 7.

Hunk's arc in season 7 seems like it came out of nowhere (his family arc kinda did), but it was foreshadowed from the very beginning. There was always going to come a time when the team seemed like it was falling apart and it'd be up to Hunk to keep them together. And in season 7, that's EXACTLY what happened. This seed actually sprouted in season 6, when Hunk got their Galra allies to stop arguing during a crucial moment. It stagnated then, until season 7 came along and this seed finally bloomed in full.

I love this next seed:

This seed is one of my favorites, because the principle of its existence helps prove a point I will make later in this post.

It's Leifsdotter! This is a seed that didn't begin blooming until season 7. I know, the showrunners could have just needed a design for an mfe pilot and pulled hers out of the episode, but there are two things that make me disagree with that notion:

1. Her design is so much more... detailed and not standard-background-character-ish than the rest of the students in that scene. She's not the focus of the scene and doesn't even speak, yet her design makes her stand out. The showrunners WANT us to see her.

2. Hers is the only mfe pilot design pulled from that episode. That group had multiple different character designs and all of them could have easily suited the mfe pilots. But the showrunners didn't do that, which makes me think this was very deliberate and planned out.

I will be getting to these points soon.

Now for the seeds that have been growing throughout the series but have not reached full bloom. First off, we have...

Okay, this one is super subtle. Shiro actually has had a hand in Lance's romance arc since this first episode. We have a very tiny hint of Shiro's sexuality with this shot:

Color theory is often used in media to portray subtle clues to the audience about something happening in the background or as foreshadowing. This scene is the latter; it foreshadows Shiro's arc by using a rainbow in the background, right above his head, and the lemur-sloth-thing that's guiding them blocks the rainbow off from extending to Pidge as well, keeping the rainbow strictly to Shiro. So we had a subtle hint in this very first episode about Shiro's sexuality.

And I think that alludes to the expectation we all have of Shiro helping Lance with a sexuality arc. It makes sense, and it's interesting seeing that Shiro has kinda of been involved in Lance's romantic arc this whole time! Right from the first episode!

We see it continue throughout the series; the people that are most annoyed with Lance's flirtations are Shiro, Keith (who isn't really verbal about it but almost always looks disgruntled), and Allura (who is often on the receiving end of said flirtations). Shiro interrupts flirtations on multiple occasions and has shown a lot of annoyance with it.

This... kind of continues in season 7 with the reveal of Shiro being gay. He doesn't have much interaction with Lance, but I think his sexuality being revealed here (however... too subtle it may have been) is paving the way for the climax of Lance's romance arc in season 8.

The next seed is not nearly as subtle:

Black Paladin Lance! This is the second exception to the paladins + their lions scene I mentioned earlier.

I know a lot of people lost hope in this, but not me. There has been way too much set up for this, and as I will talk about soon, almost everything that has been set up has come to fruition.

So let’s look at this scene.

The Green and Yellow Lions have scenes with their paladins alone -- no other paladin is in the shot. For the Red Lion, both Keith and Lance are in the shot, which foreshadowed Lance eventually taking over the Red Lion -- which happened in season 3. Then we have the Black Lion. Three people are in that shot -- Shiro, Keith, and Lance. Shiro is, of course, the original Black Paladin. Keith took the helm in season 3 and then again in season 6 - present. So this shot foreshadows that. This leaves Lance.

I want to point out how this shot is set up. Shiro is the largest, which makes sense as he was the Black Paladin for the longest -- seasons 1, 2, 4, 5, and half of 6. Keith is the second largest. Again, this makes sense as he's been the Black Lion's pilot for seasons 3, half of 6, and all of 7. So he has been the pilot for the second longest. Lance being the smallest makes sense if he's only to be the Black Lion's pilot for a short while. So theory time!

I believe something will happen to Keith in season 8 -- he'll be captured or perhaps Honerva mind-controls him. The Black Lion then enlists Lance to be its pilot long enough to get Keith back, who will then take over as the Black Lion's pilot and Lance goes back to Red.

And it makes sense, considering how this shot is set up, for it to have taken this long for Lance to be the Black Lion's pilot. He's the smallest in the shot, smaller than Keith, and Keith had only just gotten back to piloting the Black Lion. With the way the series is set up, it wouldn't have made sense for Lance to pilot the Black Lion sooner; seasons 4 and 5 (keeping in mind that seasons 3 and 4 and seasons 5 and 6 were meant to be single seasons each and were split up last minute), while not featuring Lance -- although Lance has always been developing in the background, it's just slowly done and not at the forefront -- do show the changes he goes through in losing Keith to the Blade of Marmora. We see him become isolated, ignored, and any confidence he had built up being Keith's right-hand was shot. Season 6 was about resolving the overall problem of which Lance's issues were a side effect. Season 7, meanwhile, allows us to see Keith coming back into action with a clearer mind while also showing us how much he relies on Lance despite being a much better leader. You can see the difference in Lance's actions in the show between seasons 4 and 5 and seasons 6 and 7; in season 7 especially, he's much more in-action, plays a much bigger part, and shows how necessary he really is. This was all needed for Lance's arc -- getting rid of this flow (even if season 4 was not the best by any stretch of the means) would have weakened Lance's arc and made him less able to be the Black Lion's pilot.

Another point I want to bring up is the "following in his [Keith's] footsteps" thing. This is something that has also been a constant in the show -- not the phrase, but the action. Because Lance is ALWAYS following in Keith's footsteps. ALWAYS. He literally followed Keith's footsteps in this episode to save Shiro. The series shows how often he follows Keith -- they're constantly next to each other, Lance often wants Keith's glory, and in more serious points, he takes over Keith's lion, takes Keith's role as right-hand man to Shiro, gets a sword like Keith gets.

Quick diversion, on the subject of the sword, Lance has yet to use it despite having it for three seasons. In my opinion, this was to show us how alike he is to Keith and serves little purpose beyond that (perhaps will have a plot point sometime in season 8).

Back to the point, Lance has always followed Keith. "Don't follow in his footsteps," was something that was a focal point of the scene it was said in. It was that scene's finale line, a line that we were supposed to pay attention to and remember, and then the episode shows Lance disobeying that repeatedly and constantly following Keith's footsteps. This seed was planted -- a whole scene gave us focus of it being planted -- and it has slowly grown and blossomed over the course of the series. It hasn't fully bloomed yet, but season 7 did not ignore it like some might think. There was a bump in the road, but we saw him really slide into the role of right-hand man to Keith, showing himself reliable and actually being better as a right-hand than Keith was. He's followed in Keith's footsteps and, in some ways, has surpassed him. We also saw his relationship with the Red Lion and how similar it is to the relationship the Red Lion had with Keith. He's been following Keith's footsteps throughout the show and that hasn't stopped -- season 7 made sure to showcase that.

One last point I want to make is Lance's progression. His main issue in leading the team in this episode was his ego. Season 7 is such a huge jump because Keith leaves the team in Lance's hands and we see how responsible and logical Lance is in doing so, making keeping the team safe his number one priority and not even caring about the glory. When Keith put his, Pidge's, and Kosmo's lives in Lance's sniping hands, Lance had a chance to brag to his sister and the mfe sniper that was with them. He didn't. He explained what his gun does in a no-nonsense manner and left it at that. There was no ego, not talk of the glory he'd get for his skills, no showboating. He stayed on the task and his only concern was getting his job done right and keeping his teammates alive and safe. That seed was planted in the first episode -- that was his starting point, and much like his leadership seed, he has grown and bloomed into something much bigger and better than what he started out as.

And there's my point here: His leadership skills have grown. This seed is the seed of his leadership, and it has slowly grown as the show has gone on. It sprouted in season 3 and now season 7 is showing how beautifully it's blossoming. A seed planted in this episode didn't really start to blossom until the second-to-last season! As mentioned before, yes I will come back to that particular point soon (we're almost to the culmination of these "soons" and "laters", I promise).

I swear this next seed is important please bear with me:

I know the A//urance in season 7 scared a lot of people off, but PLEASE bear with me, I swear I have a point. Also, I promised Klance would be a big part of this meta and I was not lying so just... be patient. This is important.

Lance's arc has always been romance and that became the most obvious here. I want to say that out of all the un-bloomed seeds on this list, this is the one that is nearest to completion because his arc with Allura will conclude -- I predict -- early on in season 8.

Allura is important to Lance's arc, we can't deny that. His crush on her is superficial at first. This is proven later in the season; when Allura sacrifices herself so Shiro can escape the Galra ship, Lance is no more worried about her than the other paladins. Honestly, Coran and Shiro are more worried about Allura than Lance is. And that's saying something considering how much he worries about her later in the series.

The A//urance seed -- which I believe is mostly platonic and only dips into romance a little bit but will go right back to platonic -- was planted in this episode. It doesn't really grow much until season 5. That's not to say Lance's thing for Allura is not mentioned or focused on until then. No, what I mean is it is not DEVELOPED until season 5.

In the first two seasons, it's basically a running gag, there's not real seriousness behind it. Season 3, after Lance supports Keith's leadership, shows a turn in their relationship from running gag to actual friendship. However, season 3 doesn't show us much of this -- we only get focus on it in episode 2. After that, their relationship is sidelined for Lance and Keith's development.

We got a scene or two in season 4 of their friendship, but relationships aside from Pidge's and Matt's are not really explored or focused on in this season.

That's where season 5 comes in, because that's when we see them have serious scenes together that are akin to their scenes in s3e02. It's also where we see that Lance's crush on her is no longer a gag. In fact, until season 6, it's practically non-existent. Season 5 instead focuses on their friendship. Season 6 focuses on his one-sided crush.

And season 7...

Here's the thing: Season 7 isn't as A//urance-friendly as is believed. Sure, they get two nice scenes together, one including mutual blushing, and both including teasing from Lance's sister. However, there's something much, much different about their interactions here than in the previous seasons, and that is Lance's attitude.

Because Lance doesn't seem that terribly happy that Allura might be reciprocating his crush. He smiles, yes, but he only really blushes because of his sister's teasing, and he denies that Allura could possibly have any feelings for him. While, yes, that could be due to his insecurities, but if season 7 showed us anything about Lance, it's that his insecurities are finally lifting and he's finally gaining confidence in himself and his abilities.

If season 7 showed us anything about their relationship, it's that Allura initiated both of their scenes. Aside from that? Lance... actually kinda of ignored Allura for most of the season. His attention was more focused on his family and, well, Keith.

And that's something I've noticed has been consistent throughout the series since season 3.

In season 3, once Lance became Keith's right-hand man, his flirtations stopped COMPLETELY. He not only stopped flirting with girls in general, he even stopped flirting with ALLURA. And this stuck throughout the rest of season 3.

Season 4 had Keith leaving the team, yet Lance's flirting didn't pick back up. I believe this was because he really missed Keith and wasn't quite ready to fall back into his old habits. Season 5 is much the same.

Now his sudden flirtations with Allura (he only flirts with her on two occasions, I must point out) in season 6 seem out of nowhere. However, there was some build-up to it, what with his development with her in the previous season and the fact that he was jealous of Lotor's closeness with Allura. Not a lot of build-up and was still kind of sudden, but there was some.

However, I want to point something out: He started flirting again in the same season that has Keith's return. I believe this was deliberate and will play an important role later on.

Season 6 is also when we find out the depth of Lance's feelings -- it's not love, but it's a much deeper crush than he used to have.

This seed was planted in the first episode and was focused on quite a lot throughout its introductory episode and the episodes through the rest of the season. It took a while to grow, but it finally is and it is nearing it's blossoming. Like I said, I believe this seed will reach its full bloom early in season 8.

The last seed, however, will not reach its own full bloom until the end of season 8.

And the very last seed is-- oh come on, you know exactly what it is.

Yes, it's Klance. Of course it is.

Okay, so Lance's and Keith's relationship was one of the focal points of the episode. The seed that is their relationship was planted here and it's been growing this entire series. We've watched it grow and bloom, its growth being a focal point of the series, and season 7 did not ignore this. Actually, season 7 showcased their growth. It showed how much their relationship, which was once built on jabs and competition, is now built completely on mutual trust and respect and devotion. For God's sake, Lance called Keith the future! Compare that to how he interacted with Keith in the first episode and you see how much their seed has bloomed and how much season 7 did not only NOT ignore this growth, but actually made it one of the season's main themes.

I want to bring up these screenshots:

This might be a reach, but I find it interesting that Lance is standing in between Allura and Keith in this shot. Like, right smack dab in between them. Meanwhile, he isn't even looking at them. He's looking at Coran's pod, his face being in neutral territory. To me, this screams a subtle hint of Lance and his two love interests.

His front is facing Allura, his back to Keith. This seems like a visual to Lauren Montgomery's "He knows what he wants but not what he needs" thing. He wants Allura, is facing her, and he has his back to what he actually needs because what he wants and what he needs to not align. His face is in looking in neutral grounds, showing that while he prefers one side to the other, both sides are options.

It's also interesting to note that Allura is above him because of the pod. Later in the series, we find out he believes that Allura is above him, that he is beneath her, inferior to her.

Keith is below him but is stepping up to reach Lance's spot. He stays on the steps for a bit, but...

He obviously makes those final steps and a few minutes into the scene, he is standing beside Lance (something that happens a lot throughout the series). This is interesting because while Lance always secretly viewed Keith as being above him (i.e. better than him), him and Keith have always been on level ground with neither of them being superior to the other -- they just have different strengths and weaknesses and it takes Lance time to realize that just because he and Keith don't have the same strengths doesn't mean Keith is better than him because there are things that Lance is better at Keith in (shooting, being stealthy, strategies, etc.). They were always on level ground. Lance and Keith, neck-and-neck.

We have this shot:

In this one, everyone is looking at Shiro, and everyone's faces has the expression of excitement (and trepidation for Hunk because he's concerned about the bodysuit's size in proportion to him). Everyone is looking at Shi- no wait, Lance is definitely looking at Keith.

See? His line of sight is pointed directly at Keith. Someone pointed out that he supposed to be looking at Shiro, that his line of sight, if continued, points to Shiro. This is what I had to say to that:

"See I thought that, too, which is why I didn’t catch it until now. Lance’s line of sight COULD be leading to Shiro, but instead of looking at his face like everyone else, he’d be looking at Shiro’s man-titties. And while they are very nice, I doubt Lance was actually looking at them. If he was supposed to be looking at Shiro like the rest of the team, his irises would have to be right in between the top and bottom lines of his eye outlines. That’s how everyone elses shes are animated – even Keith’s irises are positioned upward to properly look at Shiro. Hunks irises are more down, yes, but that’s because hes taller than Shiro. But Shiro is slightly taller than Lance, so the position of Lance’s irises if hes looking at Shiro doesnt make sense as his irises would have to right in between the top and bottom lines of his eye outlines. Instead, they’re pointed down, at Keith."

Here's a quick edit I did to show where Lance's irises would have to be to be pointing to Shiro:

NOW he's looking directly at Shiro. But that's not the official animation we got. No, what we got was this:

While this could boil down to Lance having small irises, making it difficult to animate exactly where they need to be, I don't buy that. Hunk's irises are small in this shot and were animated fine, and s1e01 has some of the best animation the series has seen (I'd say only The Black Paladins tops it). The animators knew what they were doing. This was deliberate.

Then there's this screenshot:

I just think this one is pretty.

I also want to show just how often Lance and Keith end up standing next to each other. Here's a link to a compilation someone made of all the times Lance and Keith stood next to each other in just the first episode.

This? All deliberate. There is no way this was done accidentally, considering how often it happened in just this one episode and how often it happens in the series henceforth. One post would not be enough to showcase all the times they stood next to each other throughout the series. They're next to each other more often than any other character -- they always gravitate to each other, are constantly and consistently animated next to each other, even in season 7.

A lot of people assumed that A//urance and Ka/cxa was now set up for the endgame ships, but I think those people are jumping to conclusions waaaaaay too quickly.

You see, here's the thing about endgame ships.

They happen at the end.

Any ships being set up in season 7 are going to be rushed because they are not endgame. Josh Keaton keeps repeating that this is being written as a slow burn -- he wants us to remember that, so he's constantly saying it. Only Klance fits that term.

I want to bring in the Legend of Korra for just a second to prove my point.

LoK did not start off with Korrasami. One of the creators (Bryan, I think) really liked the idea of Korra and Asami being together, but they were operating under the assumption that they only had one season and Makorra was considered the easier relationship to develop. So Korra and Asami started out somewhat as rivals -- what with both girls liking the same guy, and Korra being suspicious of Asami's father and allies. Then they got greenlit for more seasons. What's the first thing they do? Season 2 dismantles Makorra and the season finale makes sure we know that these two are NOT getting back together and will not be endgame. Seasons 3 and 4 then go on to develop Korra's and Asami's relationship, but it was done subtly, to the point where there were many fans that thought the romance in their relationship came out of nowhere. They were wrong -- the friendship between these two was probably the most developed one of the series. Asami ended up back with Mako in season 2 after he and Korra broke up, but their relationship was shown to have ended season 2-3, where Asami began developing with Korra more. Both Asami and Korra had romantic relationships before ending up as each others endgame, and their relationship didn't take its real dramatic turn until season 4 -- the series' finale season.

Keith and Lance's relationship share a LOT of similarities -- which makes sense considering how many of Voltron's showrunners worked on Avatar and LoK. Klance is practically genderbended Korrasami IN S P A C E. A lot of what I mentioned up above about Korrasami fits Klance a lot -- both relationships started out rocky, turned into a friendship of mutual trust and respect, and are the most developed relationships of their respective series. The difference is that Voltron's showrunners knew how much time they had and didn't have to divert the relationship's endgame like LoK had to do with Makorra/Asamako/Korrasami. Klance's relationship development ended up much slower but much smoother because of it.

I actually regret judging season 7 as harshly as I had, because there was a lot of goodness in there and it really didn't kill Klance (a conclusion everyone, myself included, jumped to). A//urance and Ka/cxa? Yeah, it's there. But they're so tacked on that they're practically afterthoughts. The relationship that actually got focus this season? Klance. We saw the inherent trust Keith has in Lance in almost every episode, and we saw the high opinion Lance has of Keith as well as how much Keith leaving hurt Lance more than anybody else. Their relationship was a focus in season 7, one that I feel a lot of people overlooked because of a few tacked-on scenes featuring the other aforementioned ships. Honestly? I'd say that while this season isn't as Klance-centric as season 3, it probably fits in the number two spot. Don't believe me? Go watch it again, like, REALLY watch it and see how much Klance meat is in this season. Because there's a LOT.

Their relationship has always been a focal point of the series, and while some seasons didn't focus on it as much as others (compare seasons 1, 3, and 7 with 2, 4, 5, and 6 -- keeping in mind that seasons 4 and 5 hardly had Keith in it and seasons 2, 4, and 6 still had some noteworthy Klance moments), it has still been the most focused-on and developed relationship.

And that started with the very first episode.

The very first episode planted their seed and that seed's growth has not been ignored, contrary to popular belief. And that's where the "laters" and "soons" come in.

Because see the finished seeds list? All of those seeds were planted in the very first episode. And how long did it take for them to blossom? A LONG TIME. The earliest one we got was the Lance and Shiro seed, and that took until SEASON 3 to bloom. Another took until SEASON 5 to even SPROUT. The rest? Took until season 7. SEASON 7. That, to me, is proof that the showrunners have not thrown out the seeds they've planted in the beginning; it's just taking a long while for them to sprout and blossom. The fact that most of them took until the second-to-last season to fully come to fruition is absolute proof that early-planted seeds are not suddenly being ignored. We just need to be patient. Just because these seeds aren't blooming fast enough for our liking doesn't mean they're not blooming at all. It's not over until it's over. We still have another season for those seeds to blossom, so let's look to the future with hope and confidence!

#voltron #voltron s7 spoilers #klance #lance #keith #shiro #pidge #hunk #allura #leifsdottir #meta #season 7 positivity #my post

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spockismyspermdonor · 6 years ago

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Matt Murdock x reader based on the song Like Real People Do by Hozier because every Hozier song makes me wanna fall in love and who better to fall in love with than mah boi Matt

I’m currently rewatching all of Daredevil and the Punisher (almost finished with season 1) and I have been strongly reminded of how much I love Matt Murdock and I really hope his character is still as incredible in season 3. I’m very nervous.

Also, the reader is based on a character I made for the Punisher series that I need to start working on. Basically, she’s a mutant with cool healing powers and she can identify people’s injuries and illnesses just by focusing her energy on them.

This takes place a little after season 1.

Like Real People Do.

Strong alcohol and heavy smokers give the dingy bar its never-changing scent. The lighting is scarce and the patrons even scarcer. A total of 6 people are here tonight, all of them alone. You included. You would say the night has just begun, meaning things could still liven up, but you wouldn’t mind if it didn’t. You sit in the far corner of the room, back against the wall, able to see everything but the front door.

Just then, another loner walks into the establishment, bringing the body count up to 7. You stop in the middle of taking a swig of your Guinness. There’s something familiar about this newcomer. You turn your torso to look.

A man in a cheap gray suit with dark shades and a white cane is walking up to the bar.

“Jameson on the rocks, please.”

His voice is scruffy and somehow soft at the same time. You recognize it in the same moment you recognize all the bruises and cuts below his clothing. You sensed them just yesterday, although that man had seemed quite different than the one sitting a few yards from you now. You swallow the last of your beer and decide you just have to say hello.

You walk up to the man with a purpose, doing a good job of keeping your slightly tipsy ass completely on balance. He doesn’t turn towards you as you sit on the stool beside him and order another beer. Then you glance over at him.

“You know, a handsome man such as yourself shouldn’t be out alone at night. You never know what could happen, especially in this city.” You make sure to lay on the playfulness so he knows for sure that you’re joking.

The man chuckles lightly, shifting ever so slightly in your direction.

“Does me being blind have anything to do with that?”

“Oh, it was the main concern. Of course.” You then lean in a little closer and talk a little softer.

“Don’t want you running into anything dangerous, do we?”

“I think I can take care of myself, but thank you for the concern.”

“Mmm… I know you can.”

“And how’s that?”

Making sure no one can hear what you say, you scooch your mouth as close to his ear as you can without it being weird.

“Because you’re the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.”

The man’s demeanor stiffens at the turn of a dime. You can tell he’s gone on the offensive and is ready to fight, so you take a step back.

“I believe we met last night in the alley behind the Salvation Army on 46th street. My name’s Y/N.”

You extend your hand, exuding all the sincerity and warmth you have to help him relax and prove to him that you’re on his side. He surely remembers your little chat last night. It was mostly about how he was confused as to who you were because he’d never heard of or seen you before, which was fair. Still a little insulting, but fair because you were new to the scene. You started going out not long before Fisk was exposed.

Your soft smile and steady heartbeat prove to your companion you mean no harm, but he’s still a little hesitant in taking your hand and shaking it once.

“Matt Murdock.”

“A Matthew. Interesting. It’s nice to meet the daytime you.”

“Likewise.” You appreciate the small upturn at the corners of his mouth.

“Let’s move this conversation to a more secluded area, yeah?”

Matt lets out his held breathe, “yes, please.”

You lead the way with your arm reaching out behind you, barely grazing the side of his wrist as a guide that you know he doesn’t need. You return to the table you were at before, the best private vantage point in the whole bar.

The two of you take seats opposing one another. Matt’s body has fully relaxed, but you know he is still keeping his guard up.

“So, why a suit?”

“I’m a lawyer. My partners and I actually just got Fisk convicted.”

“Ah, so you take care of criminals in more ways than one. I’m impressed.”

“What about you though? You help people in more ways than one. I know you heal and can somehow heal others, but you also have some serious skills with a blade. AND you’re a doctor, right?”

“Not anymore.”

You weren’t expecting Matt to bring up such a sore subject so soon. You liked the guy but you didn’t want him knowing your whole backstory already. You quickly changed the subject.

“So, you can’t use your eyes to see, but you know everything that’s happening around you. How does that work?”

“That’s a bit of a long story.”

Yikes. There’s his backstory. He doesn’t seem ready to share that yet either. You glance over Matt’s shoulder and see the dusty jukebox in the back corner.

“Do you dance, Mr. Murdock?”

“A little, Ms. L/N.”

“Perfect. Give me one moment.”

You swiftly move your way over to the jukebox, throw in the dollar that you have left for tonight and pick the first song that pops up in the “smooth tracks” section. A soft melody on a banjo rings out.

I had a thought, dear, however scary

about that night the bugs and the dirt.

You go back to Matt and gingerly take his hand into yours. He stands with a grin and follows you to the small place between the speaker and the bathroom.

Why were you digging? What did you bury

before those hands pulled me from the earth?

You place your left hand on his right shoulder and continue holding his left hand with your right. Matt takes his glasses off and places them in his pocket with his free hand before placing it on the back of your waist. The pair of you start slowly swaying to and fro, shimming around in a circle.

I will not ask you where you came from.

I will not ask you, neither should you.

You take a glance up and are stunned by Matt’s irises. In the dim yellow glow of the bar lights, their shade of brown is somewhere between honey and chocolate, appearing to be two little sweets for you to hunger for. Even though they aren’t able to focus on you, it somehow feels like they are looking deep into yours. The blind trust you give to him scares you for a moment.

Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips.

We should just kiss like real people do.

“So how did you know it was me?” You’ve been anticipating this question.

“I can sense injuries and illnesses in people. I do have some influence over a person’s healing too, but it’s mainly my medical training that does the trick. I recognized your bruises, which are everywhere, and your many fractures and cracks, new and old.”

“That’s incredible… but also weird.”

You both laugh and break a little tension that has built from everyone else in the bar noticing your dance.

“I don’t think you have any room to talk.”

“You’re probably right.” Matt remarks with a little chuckle.

I knew that look dear, eyes always seeking,

was there in someone that dug long ago.

“What we do- it all feels like a lot, but... it’s worth it. Don’t you think?”

Matt takes a moment to think about his answer.

So I will not ask you why you were creeping.

In some sad way, I already know.

“I think it can be, yeah. It also feels way less daunting when you’re not doing it alone.”

You smile. He’s right. You didn’t realize it until he just said it, but ever since your encounter last night, you felt a little lighter, as if you didn’t have to hold so much on your plate anymore. It allowed you to take a breath and go out to the bar for once. You earned it.

“I agree.”

I will not ask you where you came from.

I will not ask you and neither would you.

The both of you continue to sway as you feel the song nearing its end. That song was your last dollar so you were done drinking tonight. You thought about how badly you now wanted to be out in the city, helping whoever you could. With Daredevil by your side, you could know about anyone that was in trouble and he could have backup to take on even more bad guys. You both could accomplish so much more.

“What if we went out and kicked ass together? Right now.”

The possibilities are starting to build in your gut, pushing up adrenaline. You both stop swaying.

Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips.

We should just kiss like real people do.

“Well? What are we waiting for?” Matt smiles and you copy.

Before even thinking about it, you pop up on your toes and kiss your lips to Matt’s cheek. His scruff tickles your nose and chin and his aftershave zips into your nostrils, leaving a minty burn behind.

With his hand still in yours, you bop back down and lead the way out of the bar and into the next adventure of your life.

I could not ask you where you came from.

I could not ask you, neither could you.

Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips.

We could just kiss like real people do.

#daredevil x reader #daredevil x you #matt murdock x reader #matt murdock x you #superhero!reader #songbased #marvel #fanfiction #request #flung-through-galaxies #goddamnilovemattmurdock

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sapphicalexaandra · 7 years ago

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The Funniest Joke

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra

Characters: Bumi, Tenzin, Kya

Rating: T

Summary: When Tenzin declares him ready for his airbending tattoos, Bumi doesn't agree.

Notes: I've just realized i've never actually written for this series, and it's also been a while since I've been really into it, even if my love has never faded. I've been rewatching some parts of both shows lately, though, and i was re-hit by Feels. Specifically, Aang and Bumi feels. Listen, it is tragic. They both wished Bumi could've filled a specific hole in their lives, and the fact that he didn't caused them both so much pain...so i might've made myself sad writing this. If anyone is interested in this complicated family's dynamic, let me know what you think! If not, i had a blast writing this piece anyway.

The last gashes of air faded as Bumi’s feet softly hit the ground. And that was when the whooping and cheering started.

“You did it, Uncle Bumi!” came Jinora and Ikki’s excited voices.

“That was amazing!” Meelo’s followed suit.

“Way to go, Boom!” Kya jumped in as well.

“No need, no need.” Bumi was making a point to bow in front of everyone who was clapping, his mock-formal expression glowing with barely-suppressed joyfulness. “You are too kind!”

“But they’re right, Bumi,” Tenzin said, a genuine smile gentling his lineaments. “You passed your test, rather…colorfully.”

Bumi’s smile didn’t fade, but he raised an eyebrow. “That was a test?”

Laughter echoed all around, and Tenzin had to resist the urge to smack his own forehead. “Yes, brother. What do you think all of this is? Opal and Kai have already passed too.” Bumi’s still-confused gaze followed Tenzin’s finger, which was pointing at the two airbenders. Their smiles were brighter than usual, as they stood proudly amidst the crowd. “You’ve proved to have mastered all thirty-six tiers of airbending, plus I’ll have to admit, Bumi, that your Dragonfly Blast Attack is quite…something.” The smile returned to Tenzin’s lips, a proud twinkle in his eyes. “You’re ready for your tattoos, big brother. It’d be an honor for me to–”

Before Tenzin could even finish his sentence, or the others could start their chorus of congratulations, Bumi burst out laughing.

It wasn’t a sound of relief, or satisfaction, or joy; it was pure unadulterated hilarity, as if Tenzin had just said the funniest joke. It was entirely out of place, everyone knew and felt that, so the silence that fell on Air Temple Island, except for that one unsettling sound, was heavy as a rock. “You can’t…be serious…” Bumi’s boisterous, hysteric voice echoed even louder as a result.

Tenzin’s face morphed in his irritation, but he still tried to keep cool and not match his brother’s volume. “Bumi…Bumi, you’re making a fool out of yourself,” he said between gritted teeth, “and I’m being very serious! You have reached Master level, and the ceremony will be in a few days.”

Something in Tenzin’s tone must’ve finally reached Bumi’s ears, because he stopped laughing as abruptly as he had started. And for the first time, he seemed to take in his surroundings: his entire family – well, except for his mother – in front of him; all the airbenders and Acolytes watching him; even the Avatar and her team who stood to the side, straining their necks to see what the commotion was about. They were clearly all there to witness the ultimate test of those who had been there from the start of the Air Nation new era.

Everyone was staring at him in particular; expectantly, eagerly waiting for his real, proper reaction to the news. Everyone except Kya. Her gaze, Bumi suddenly realized, seemed to match that something deep in his stomach that had suddenly started to twist and turn.

He purposefully averted her searching eyes.

“Well then,” Bumi started speaking, turning towards Opal and Kai with a smile that was all teeth. “Congratulations, you two! I’ll eagerly look forward to seeing your ceremony! Such an accomplishment, very well-done, kids!”

Tenzin cleared his throat. “Bumi, have you heard what I–”

“Oh, I heard you loud and clear, little brother. But I have to…politely…decline.”

Again, the silence was louder than any word. Eyes were popping all around, faces stunned, their only action staring from one brother to the other.

Tenzin’s mouth hung open. “E – excuse me? You…decline?”

Bumi plopped his hands on his sides, his expression nonchalant as he nodded. “Yes, you heard that right. C’mon, what’s an old fart like me got to do with being an airbending master? Look! Even Bumju is laughing.”

Bumju was floating not far behind Bumi’s shoulder, not even making his usual squeaking sounds, let alone laughter. Tenzin spared the spirit no more than a dumbfounded look, taking advantage of that time to collect himself. “You,” he had to speak slowly to not completely lash out, breathing in and out like his father had taught him, “have spent five years training…what do you think that was for? Was this…all a joke to you?!”

Korra had come closer to the scene, now standing next to Tenzin, smiling pacifyingly. “C’mon, Bumi, this is an incomparable milestone that you’ve reached! You should be happy and proud of your accompl–”

But her voice seemed to go unheard; Bumi was staring at his brother. “So what? Not everyone can be as uptight as you, and let’s be real for a moment,” Bumi pointed at his head with both hands, smirking wildly, “can you really see this glorious mane going away? I’ve cultivated it for a very long–”

“Bumi,” Kya seemed to have come out of a trance, and she was looking sadly at her brother, “please, don’t do this…”

It was already too late to stop the not-so-figurative smoke coming out of Tenzin’s ears. “Why, why can’t you ever be serious, not even once in your life! I am your Master, and I’m telling you that you’re ready for the highest honor in our, in our father’s culture, and you’re spitting on it like it’s the funniest joke?!”

“I didn’t ask you to bestow me this great honor, oh dear Master. I was perfectly content just the way that I was!”

“Then maybe you’re right and you’re not worthy of it at all!”

The brothers’ voices had gotten so loud, their anger so focused on each other than nothing else reached them, not even the Avatar’s or their sister’s attempts at calming them down. When the last words were said and done, that seemed futile anyway.

Bumi and Tenzin stared each other for another long moment. Then, Bumi shrugged. “Yes, I would think so,” he said. Not looking at anyone else, he turned around and walked away.

“Bumi!” Kya called out to him. When that didn’t do anything, she turned her head, “Tenzin…”

Tenzin didn’t even glance at her. In that moment, he wouldn’t admit, not even to himself, that he had regretted his last words the second after he had uttered them. Instead, with a sound of frustration and a gush of air that raised his robes, he walked out of the scene just as well. Nobody called after him, left too shocked to know what to do.

“I…” Korra looked at Kya. “What’s gotten into Bumi? Why would he…?”

Kya shook her head. Silently, she was the third one to walk away.

oooOooo

It wasn’t hard to find her brother. Hitting the town, Kya only had to try two of his usual bars before she stumbled on the right one, his laughter making her turn her head as soon as she entered.

Bumi sat at a table in a corner, listening, as well as most people in the room, to a Pro Bending match on the radio.

“Whooo! Get it, get it,” Bumi, back in his old military clothes, was inciting the game, a fist pumping in the air, while the other was curled around a bottle of beer.

Kya sat down next to him without saying a word, not making any move to gain his attention or stop his cheering. She simply waited. She knew he had noticed her.

It only took a few minutes before he stopped what he was doing, dropping both his fist and his bottle on the table, albeit not before chunking down a good portion of it. “What brings you here, sis?” he asked her jovially.

She was having none of it. “I thought you had stopped drinking.”

He rolled his eyes. “C’mon, it’s just a beer, don’t be such a spoil sport.”

And she was surely having none of that. “Look, I’m not here to change your mind or anything of the sort, I know how pointless that would be. I’m just asking you to talk to Tenzin.”

Bumi averted his eyes, frowning as he sighed. “What for? You’re right, I won’t change my mind, so what would even be the point of that?”

“At least tell him the truth,” Kya stressed.

Bumi frowned harder. “The truth about what? Jeez, I thought I was the one drunk here…”

“Bumi,” Kya’s annoyance couldn’t help but fade, replaced by a sad note in her voice, “the truth about why you don’t want your airbending tattoos.”

Bumi visibly tensed. “I – I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t try this with me, Bumi. Not me. You don’t even need to mention it, because I know. But I just wish…that you would talk about it with Tenzin, too. Look at us, at what happened all those years because we never had the courage to face the root of our problems... I’m tired of that. Our family is finally, finally, in a good place again, and I want it to stay that way. Please, Bumi, if not for you, at least do it for me.”

Bumi didn’t say anything; he simply kept staring fixedly at the glass of his bottle.

Kya placed her hands on his closed fists as she got up. “At least think about it,” were her parting words.

oooOooo

Bumi didn’t even try to mask his footsteps as he stepped onto the meditation pavilion. Sparing only a look at the straightened shoulders of his little brother, he walked up to the side, sitting himself on the floor with his back against the railing.

A few minutes passed without neither of them moving or breaking the silence; Bumi simply stared at the view of the sea, pretending to believe that his brother was still meditating.

“You know,” Bumi finally talked past the sandpaper feeling in his mouth, “I remember Dad coming here to meditate even when I was very little. I was always told to not disturb him, but of course I never listened. So I sprinted all the way here,” Bumi’s eyes were twinkling with far-off memories, staring not at what was in front of him, as his hands gesticulated wildly in the air, “climbing all over his shoulders and being a whole around pain in the ass. He tried to reprimand me at first, but he always ended up playing with me.” Bumi chuckled under his breath, warmth spreading from someplace inside of him. “He used to throw me in air – far away from where Mom could see us, or she would yell at us – and I laughed so hard, as he made me fly higher and higher every time…” The elated smile on Bumi’s face turned rueful. “Who knows, maybe because he hoped I’d end up doing it by myself.”

As Bumi paused for a moment, Tenzin had his eyes still closed. However, his entire body was tense, rigid on the spot, his fists almost trembling pressed against one another. That was all Bumi needed to know that he was listening.

“I used to come here too, from time to time,” Bumi went on. “I don’t remember exactly how old I was, but enough to know that it was too late for me to ever be an airbender. So I came here, and I mimicked Dad’s pose, and I prayed…I prayed to the spirits. “Please, make me an airbender, please, I’ll give up all my toys, just make me an airbender’.” Bumi’s chuckle was far louder this time, as he brought his eyes squarely on his brother, who had finally opened his. “Well, the spirits have granted me my wish! Sixty years too late.”

Tenzin opened his mouth, clearly about to say something, but Bumi didn’t let him.

“C’mon, Ten-Ten, you can’t deny the irony of that. And what am I supposed to do with it now? I’ve already done my time! I’ve traveled the world, I helped a few people here and there, I found my purpose exactly for who I was. So why would the spirits make me an airbender now, when I, who should’ve been born one, wasn’t?”

“Bumi…”

“No, Tenzin. Dad, and me, spent all those years desperately wishing for this very fact! You weren’t there. You never had to see that hollow look in Dad’s eyes, the sad disappointment he couldn’t help but feel whenever he saw me. So if I was supposed to be an airbender all along, that was when it was needed! I could’ve helped ease Dad’s pain! Instead, he had to wait ten more years. When you – when you were born, and the air immediately moved around you, Dad spent the whole day crying. Kya did, too. She asked me if that meant he now loved you more than us. No, I told her. It just means he’s not alone anymore.” Bumi passed his hand over his entire face, suddenly feeling very tired deep in his bones. “Yeah, Dad still loved us, and I loved him, so much…so it was never fair, not to him, not to me, not to us, that I wasn’t an airbender. You ever thought about the what ifs? About how things would’ve been different, if I had been one? Oh, I have, lately more than ever. I know…that I would’ve been exactly the same, but not quite. I would’ve still joined the UF, because that was my calling. I would’ve shown Dad all the new ways an airbender could be. I would’ve represented him and the Air Nomads everywhere I went. You would’ve still stayed at the temple, and we would’ve shared that responsibility, you know? To carry on. You wouldn’t have had all the pressure solely on your shoulders.”

Tenzin still didn’t seem able to speak, so Bumi didn’t see any point in lingering. He got up, placing a hand on Tenzin’s shoulder. “I am, and will always be, the non-bender son of Avatar Aang. I spent too many ears accepting that fact, to renounce it now. So I hope you can see that me, being an airbender, can only ever be…a joke. The funniest joke. And jokes don’t become masters.”

#atla #lok #avatar #bumi #tenzin #kya #cloudbabies #kataang family drama #my fic #avatar fic #my writing

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wanderingthroughwickford · 7 years ago

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Agents of Shield S4E1: The Ghost

A.k.a. the one that started it all

(Prepare for obscene amounts of rambling about irrelevant faves and lots of (hopefully) self-deprecating humour)

One thing I really need to try to make sense of in this rewatch is how the gangs got hold of the box from Momentum Lab in the first place. I guess it was vaguely implied that Eli told them about it but ... why?

I was under the impression that he thought he’d killed his co-workers so I don’t ... think?? he’d know their ghosts/spirits/incorporeal forms were still in the boxes? But if so, why did he describe the contents of the boxes as ‘weapons?’

Why would he even want to risk them getting out and coming back for revenge on him? Did it never occur to him that they’d be pissed?

Did he intend for Lucy’s box to be the one that got picked up, or was that just a result of her being the last one to get ghost-ed so her box was closest to the door or something?

He couldn’t possibly have orchestrated the whole string of events that got him broken out of jail, could he? I mean I know he’s incredibly smart but that’s the thing, there are just too many things that could have gone wrong for someone as intelligent as Eli to bank on such a flimsy plan? Like it relies on the assumption that 1) the ‘ghosts’ are even still alive/in any sentient state, 2) that they’ll decide they need the Darkhold, 3) that they’ll be able to find it, 3) that they won’t be able to read it, 4) that they’ll choose him of all people to read it for them? I mean it’s the definition of Gambit Roulette and I’m just ... not buying it without futher evidence

Damn, this is one hell (eh?) of an entrance for Ghost Rider

Didn’t he rip one of those guys’ spines out through their ... rear end?

Oh man the blood splatter. I forgot Robbie’s early killings were so graphic because most of the time he’s just burning ghosts.

“She was a ghost” - I love how the titular ‘Ghost’ is so ambiguous - it could refer to Daisy, always a ‘ghost’ slipping through Shield’s fingers; to Robbie, the Ghost Rider; and to Lucy, the closest one to a literal ghost.

I kind of have no clue what Daisy’s criminal activity was all about b/c I missed the last episode of S3, but I’ll take the show’s word for it that she wasn’t doing anything all that bad (just trying to stop Watchdogs).

Literal first episode of the season: “They say when the Rider burns you, he burns your soul. And a soul can never heal.” My dumb self, wanting my shitty fave to have some semblance of (admittedly undeserved) peace in the afterlife:

Oh I’d completely forgotten that FitzSimmons were already working on virtual realty at the beginning ... setting up the Framework from the first ep and I didn’t even know it.

FUCK they even namedrop the Framework? In connection with Radcliffe? And here I was thinking they didn’t even introduce it until episode 10 or something.

FITZ BABYYY don’t talk about the Framework so innocently :(

Aww the team coming (almost) all together ... before they’re all so painfully ripped apart later on

I know Mace is kinda painted as being in the wrong for implementing lie detector tests and being overly paranoid and stuff, but, like, Shield did just get back on its feet after being crippled and nearly destroyed by a secret terrorist cult which it had unknowingly harboured within its own ranks for half a century, so ... yeah #Macedeservedbetter

Aww it’s nice how Daisy leaves behind money for the homeowners

YES a mention of the Lucy box

OH GOD it’s AIDA ... I don’t even have words honestly

I want to say “report her right away!” but she’s just an innocent being (?) at this point, so would it be right?

Mallory Jansen does such a good job though, she’s so robotic and artificial here and she becomes so real as AIDA becomes more human throughout the series

It’s kind of sweet that Radcliffe just invites Fitz and the gang over to his house to watch soccer though

Love Yo-Yo giving Daisy the medicine

Man it’s weird thinking of Robbie as a ‘serial killer’ and a bad guy, as the team sees him at this point ... I had like one episode of genuinely thinking he was a villain and then the second I saw him with Gabe at the end I was like, oh okay, he’s this kind of character, I get where this is going.

(Keep in mind that I had 0 prior knowledge of who Ghost Rider is or even that he’s a Marvel character)

Aaaand now I see the bloody bodies in the back of the truck and am reminded that Lucy is not, in fact, a good person.

(Though to be fair since that was the first time she’d ever used her powers it was probably an accident ... she probably panicked and tried to push past those guys not knowing it would kill them. Everything after that, though, is on her hands.)

I like Simmons standing up for herself and speaking back to May. It’s good to see her able to put her foot down and justify her decisions. And I like how May is subtly impressed by it.

“In the wrong hands, [AIDA] could be used as a weapon, is that the intention” “No, no, not at all! Look, I know the dangers-” *insert stock photo of people laughing*

AIDA asking Fitz about Jemma is so creepy now...

Nice to hear Lincoln, Trip and Andrew mentioned

Hngnggnhng Radcliffe and AIDA were so well-intentioned at fiiiiiiiirst :(

Ohhhh I think she’s coming sooooooooon~

YES they’re bringing out the box

I can’’t breathe

“I’ve been told [the weapon is] powerful enough to bring our new enhanced enemies to their knees” - man I remember hearing this line and having NO IDEA it referred to a character rather than an object, let alone one I would pledge my life to

Also ... this means that Eli must have known what was in the box, but even if he did know that his co-workers were ghost-ed rather than killed, why would he know they’re dangerous? A disembodied spirit, in and of itself, wouldn’t be harmful... Or was he just bullshitting?

All right here we go

Oh okay I guess we’ve got a Robbie/Daisy scene (who cares about the two most important and interesting characters of the arc when you can obsess over a minor antagonist with barely any screen time amirite?)

YES HERE

FOR

REAL

ą̶̻̱͚̼̱̥̹̘́̽͆́̒͒̄̽̿̌̒ ̷̢̺̪͕͕̲̠̗͚̺̰̈́ͅͅb̵̧̨̡̬͙͎̪̥̠̎̿͋͊̆͌̐̀̿̕͘̚͝͠͠r̶̨̫̲̭̬͚̄̂̽̇̓̏͘͝é̷̘͚͖̦̠ă̸̼̓̋̐̿͝t̷̛͓̠͚͋͐͒̑̀͆͒̃̚h̸̢̡̘̳̗̗̲͕̯̩̠̯͍͂ ̷̡̡͕͈̱͉͇̱̭̗͚̖̾͑̾͒̎͗͜͝͠͠ͅȏ̷̧̩͈̖̺̒̎̚̕͝ͅf̵̝̜̲͔̝̩͈̪͕̏ ̷̬̣̥̠͇͈̞̞͈͗̾̒̆̈́̄̾͗̈́͂͝f̵̥͚̤̼̬̫͇̖̖͕̼̼̩̈̂̌͗̃͌͆͂̎̈̀͐͊̈́̕r̴̜̖͉̣͎̰̜̪͒̎̿̾̋̌̐͑́͐͒͒͘̕ę̵̨͕̝̬̞̰͙̟̏̾̉̃̈́͌́̀́̏̕̚͠͝͝s̵͉̠͠h̷̬̼̙̙͔̪̞̙͖̣͙̮͚̆́̔̎̉̎͒͋͂́͛̊̽ ̸̢͖͕͍͓͈̼͔̮̳̩̩̝́̍ͅą̵̛̻̘̠̓̀͐̓̓̑͒̍͝i̷̙̓̂̀̈́̋̋͒̈́͐͑̈̚͠ŗ̶͚̖͈̠̘̠̝͙̠̳̝̥̮̟̀͒̑͊̅̚ ̴͙͈̀̔ MY L O V E

Has there ever been an entrance more ~iconique~ (TM) than Lucy materializing out of nowhere, hissing warning words in a gangster’s ear and immediately fucking everyone’s shit up (answer: yes)

GOD I remember seeing her for the first time and thinking, like, wtf is that? For some reason I thought there were multiple lady ghosts too before realizing there was just one. I just remember having this feeling like, whoa, this is a whole new playing field here, this is weird, what the hell is this?

I mean I do feel a bit bad for the guy, though ... Lucy’s powers, while cool, really are horrible to their victims.

For the love of GOD stop pausing and freezing, dumb video, I just need to watch like the last 6 minutes

OH and there goes Lucy through May ... I don’t have anything good to say about that, it’s just straight-up cruel and unnecessary on Lucy’s part

“[You killed] a teacher.” “A pedophile.” That’s the first moment where I had that little “oh” awakening about Robbie, like “well, maybe he isn’t such a bad guy.” I still remember that dawning realization.

I’ll always like Robbie/the Ghost Rider sparing Daisy there, even though she thinks she deserves to die due to her guilt - he can tell she’s not a bad person, despite what Hive forced her to do.

I kind of wish there’d been a parallel situation at the end of the season though with Fitz and GR, I think that’d have been a nice, clever book-end, and also given Fitz fans (myself included) some more closure. Plus, possible bonding moment for Daisy and Fitz.

Aww FS sharing a bed??? I forgot that part.

Half these Robbie scenes I recognize intimately from the zillions of AMVs I’ve watched of him in the past 10 months

Aww and here he is with Gabe ... that was the moment I Knew, in my heart, that he wasn’t a bad guy.

Honestly “Everyone gets attached to something” is such a fitting tagline for this episode both for actual relevant reasons and the personal fact that I found my new fave here

Oohhhhh the Coulson zombie face .... D: Lucy whyyy do you do this

May’s honestly really resilient; everybody else who gets infected starts having visions within seconds, whereas for her it takes presumably hours to get the first one, and she holds out for like a day or so (I think) before she goes completely homicidal. I chalk it up to her years of Shield training and mental self-control.

Anyway that’s all for the first episode! I don’t honestly expect anyone to read these but if you did, I hope you enjoyed/weren’t too irritated by my ramblings.

Meet the New Boss (one of my fave episodes on a purely self-indulgent level) is next week!!!!!

#actually you know what I am tagging it #probably a poor 1 am decision but ... life's too short to be scared of getting made fun of #Agents of Shield #Holly's AoS rewatch #AoS rewatch

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deborahdeshoftim5779 · 8 years ago

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Questions for HSM III (Part VI)

Incidentally, the above picture reflects my feelings whilst watching HSM III for the first time.

Shall we continue?

On the topic of night-time picnics, quite how Troy thought he would disguise his appearance at Mrs. Montez’s house when his truck was parked right outside is beyond me. I’ll cut the poor lad some slack: he’s in love. Foolishly, destructively in love.

On Gabriella’s Continued Arrogance- Stanford Honors Program Part III

1- As I said yesterday, the arrogance and bold-faced rudeness that Gabriella shows towards Troy not just here, but on a regular basis, should be enough to question Troyella as a viable couple. Clearly, Troy wasted a trip. Had he spent the evening working on his truck, instead of feeding pizza into his ungrateful girlfriend’s mouth whilst she cut him down for information that SHE refused to share, then he would not have broken down outside her house. Or perhaps if Troy had spent less time pole-vaulting himself around the Junkyard with Chad, and more time looking for spare parts, he might have avoided this situation.

However, this breakdown scene comes right after Gabriella has finally decided to go to California. So actually, is this scene a metaphorical way of demonstrating 1)- a setback in Troy’s life and 2)- more importantly, the breakdown of his relationship? Just as Troy’s truck refuses to co-operate, so does Gabriella refuse to communicate. Just as Troy chucks his keys and walks away, so should he have done after the rude treatment he just received. Is there a comparison here? Lessons to be learned?

Or perhaps we should look at it this way: the truck is unreliable and keeps breaking down, but Troy sticks with it out of a nostalgic love. He does everything he can to fix it, and it still gives up on him. Is this not a perfect metaphor for his relationship with Gabriella? Is that what we should infer from this scene?

(By the way, a truck that could barely make it from school to Gabriella’s house without almost throwing both passengers through the windshield will later become fit for purpose when Troy makes his mad dash for California, 1053 miles away. Because plot. We will discuss this later).

2- “Why are you saying goodbye? We still have prom. We still have to graduate.” The poor kid. When will he learn?

3- “I meant goodnight.” Gabriella tells another bold-faced lie, planning to abscond to California whilst he’s in school so she doesn’t have to face him. Afterwards, she doesn’t get back in contact with him until much later; we know this because Mr. Bolton brings up the issue a couple of days later. Now, let me be fair: if Gabriella had a consistent record of contributing to her relationship, if she treated Troy like a man and not a boy, if she discussed her own personal struggles with stability in a meaningful way, one might understand her upcoming Wail-Fest (”Walk Away”). Instead, during this dreary ballad, she makes no mention of Troy’s feelings (as per usual), the pain he must feel at being left behind. It’s all about me, myself and I. It’s truly painful watching Troy walking home alone, sitting up at night contemplating his loss, wandering around the school rooftops aimlessly, staring at Gabriella’s empty locker, presumably coming to pick up his truck and finding a “For Sale” sign outside. He doesn’t deserve this. All Gabriella had to do was just TALK TO HIM. You can’t accuse Troy of being unapproachable: he’s one of the most encouraging, open and understanding characters in the series!

Again, DID Troy at least FEEL that Gabriella should have said goodbye/not lied to him/not run off without telling him? Surely, he must have felt almost betrayed, even? *sigh*

By the way, another one of Troyella’s awkward kisses before the Wail-Fest. I think my eyes might roll out of my head. Nice to see some affectionate behaviour from Gabriella before Troy leaves, though. I don’t think she took some perverse pleasure in what she was about to do. She has some feelings. But at the end of the day, when it comes to her relationship or herself, she chooses the latter without remorse. (In HSM II, during the last Wail-Fest (”Go My Own Way”), she says “I gotta do what’s best for me.” And what was best for her was dumping Troy, ditching the necklace he gave her, and making him feel like shit). Why did no other character at least point out how unfair it was for Gabriella to leave just like that?

Again, let me be clear: I fully support all of Gabriella’s academic ambitions. These are the least offensive things about her. If she wanted to attend this program, more power to her. What I object to is the portrayal of her pursuing those ambitions as being forward-thinking and totally right, when the same treatment was denied Troy last time. If anyone had laughed Gabriella out of court for wanting to attend a top university, I can guarantee that viewers would have been outraged.

Long story short, this scene was an utter disgrace.

On Troy and Kelsi

Sanity! Sweet sanity!

1- First of all, I just want to discuss Sharpay in this scene. Like I said in the last instalment, I think it is was fortuitous that she schemed her way into the lead role with Troy. Not because Troy would benefit from it-- his reaction says it all-- but because Gabriella would eventually show a complete lack of respect for the musical, her friends and her boyfriend by quitting later on. But what she says is actually quite good advice: “Come on, people! We’re all pro’s here!” The Queen Bitch storyline wants you to believe that Sharpay is saying this for selfish reasons, but I think she’s actually appealing to sanity. Why do the other miserable Wildcats (Deadcats, by the looks of things) think that they can’t perform a musical without Gabriella? Are they the first people to do a musical? Whilst Gabriella is a somewhat decent singer (too overwrought for my tastes), she doesn’t have the star quality of Troy, nor the professional instincts of Sharpay, nor the creative genius of Ryan. She’s certainly not the best singer. She’s not a composer like Kelsi. Upon what basis are we supposed to accept that the show is doomed to failure?

Honestly, kudos to Sharpay for maintaining professional decorum. She said “we’re all pro’s here,” but it seems like only she is. I can even forgive her for claiming they should “do it for Gabriella!”. Dedicate hours of hard work to someone jumps ship without prior notice, and who won’t even show up without persuasion? Clearly, Sharpay was joking, right?

2- So, Kelsi continues in her righteous annoyance with all things Sharpay, but it is nice to see her and Ryan getting along. Of course, given the Royal Sham that occurred earlier between them, of whose name we shall not mention, this leaves the viewer in some confusion. Is Kelsi ever aware of Ryan’s true motivations for asking her to prom? Or, since Sharpay has finally gotten her way, is that shunted aside by the script, as Kelsi will have to give Sharpay the duet anyway? In which case, what was the reason for manipulating Ryan and Kelsi into the Royal Sham, since Sharpay used the exact same technique to nudge Gabriella aside as she did in HSM I? Seriously, what was the point?

3- Kelsi comforting Troy. It’s TOO good, people. I rewatch this like a madman. This is what you call a healthy friendship/relationship. She quite literally has the power to pick him up and by doing so, lift his spirits, and that is what makes Kelsi a great character overall. And it makes their interactions onscreen (cruelly limited as they are) compulsively rewatchable. They are blissfully and effortlessly comfortable with each other; asides from Gabriella, the only other person with whom Troy has held hands is with Kelsi. And it’s totally spontaneous; there’s no need for discussion, no awkwardness, because they don’t need to speak to communicate. Troy and Gabriella speak a lot-- but they can’t communicate. Kelsi can say everything with just one gesture. Troy understands this, appreciates this, values this. I’ve already discussed HSM II, where she makes that sympathetic gesture towards him whilst his other “friends” freeze him out for no good reason. Here, it’s the same. Notice that although some of the students already know that Gabriella has left, NO ONE has come to sit next to Troy in the front seat. Chad, who likes Gabriella and thus must be sympathetic to Troy, doesn’t come to check on his buddy. Taylor doesn’t come. Everyone else is just having their own quiet discussions, not even paying the slightest bit of attention to their FRIEND who is lonely, lost and withdrawn. Kelsi is the only one who goes out of her way to comfort him, and let him know that she’s concerned for him. What more need I say? I LOVE THE HUG!! Seriously, did you know I love the hug? :D Evidently Troy does, because you can see him smiling all the way to the piano.

Why no more screentime for Trelsi? We would have learned so much about them both as individuals, and they could have helped propel the plot by bonding over Gabriella’s absence. They are invaluable to the plot and, story problems and character arcs. It pains me that Kelsi is considered “minor”, when her music brings the whole gang together, and makes Troy into a star. Why couldn’t we have seen them rehearsing “Just Wanna Be With You”, or just hanging out? Why couldn’t it have been Troy who watched Kelsi composing that song, instead of Ryan coming in to fulfil the Royal Sham? Or Kelsi watching him play basketball, even though she knows nothing about it? (Alright, that’s my headcanon speaking). There’s SO much MORE to be seen and learned when it comes to Troy and Kelsi, and the fact that they got so little screentime is painful and infuriating. Why, script, WHY?

I have said before that HSM III brought me to Trelsi, because in my headcanon, they become closer during the latter half of this movie. This scene is EVERYTHING. Instead, Kelsi gets shunted off into a sham romance with Ryan, of whose name we shall not mention. To what aim?

Also, I like how Ryan waits till Troy is standing up (he makes a tiny gesture, encouraging him to stand), before walking to the piano with everyone else. He doesn’t just walk past. Just a little considerate gesture that makes Ryan a great character and a great friend. More screentime for these two, please.

More analysis upcoming.

#HSM3 #TroyBolton #KelsiNielsen #LiterallyTroyandKelsiForever #MoreTroyandKelsiScreentime #TroyellaSucks #RyanEvans #GabriellaMontez #WildcatsJustIgnoreTroy #Deb'sAnalysis #HighSchoolMusical #ThisAin'tOver #TrelsiScenesAreLife #California #SharpayWasRight #SharpayEvans

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