#first kill 1x05

[forbescaroline]

235 FAVORITE SHIPS OF ALL TIME (ranked by my followers) 09. calliope burns and juliette fairmont - first kill

[theoverlookedoneedits1997]

Never Kill a Boy on the First Date Fashion Part Three

Cordelia’s ‘hello salty goodness’ outfit: 8/10

I like her crimped hair. I think we should bring that back. I think this look but with longer, like kind of flowy sleeves would be even better. But that's just me.

Angel’s ‘you’re on a date?’ outfit: 6/10

I'm getting tired of seeing this white tee shirt. I appreciate that Angel has only recently stopped living on the streets, so his wardrobe isn't vast, but then we see his apartment and it's decorated with antiques and loads of books and it's like... maybe buy a second shirt too??

Willow’s ‘choker on a turtleneck’ outfit: 7/10

Pairing a choker with a turtleneck is a bold move. It's hard for me to get past it, honestly. You need to pick one. Choker or turtleneck. The rest of the outfit is kinda cute. I love the matching scrunchie. I feel like I've been a bit harsh on Willow this episode, but I swear I do love her.

Xander’s ‘juice box’ outfit: 7/10

I kinda like the sweater?? I think it's a good look for him.

Buffy’s ‘rejection’ outfit: 7/10

I like these coats she wears in season one. The texture looks like corduroy, maybe? I also like the colour. What I find most interesting about this look is that the colour of her jacket is similar to the colour of Giles' sweater vest from the scene before. I think it could symbolize the growing understanding between them. Throughout the episode, they are really at odds about the responsibility of a slayer. They can't seem to understand the other's perspective. But by the end, they see themselves in the other and it's just very sweet. So maybe it's a coincidence, but I think this colour can show some of that understanding.

For reference.

[on-this-day-btvs]

March 31, 1997

Never Kill a Boy on the First Date aired for BTVS season 1, episode 5. At one point Buffy is arguing with Giles to go on a date. She says one of the first iconic lines of the show.

BUFFY: This is the 90's. The 1990's, in point of fact, and I can do both. Clark Kent has a job. I just wanna go on a date. GILES: Well, I, I suppose it was a fairly slim lead… BUFFY: Thank you, thank you, thank you! And look, I won't go far, okay? If the apocalypse comes, beep me.

(image credit - S1 promo shots - to buffyversefans)

[xviruserrorx]

MerlinRewatch2023 -> "Lancelot" The Canterbury Tales ~ Masterlist [Prev <- • -> Next]

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

What did Sauron meant by “Not All of It” in 2x08?

Did Sauron deceive Galadriel all along, when he was pretending to be “just Halbrand”? Was he even pretending, to begin with? Did he seduced her on purpose and to manipulate her? Which part was true? And what was the deception?

To find the answer, we need to look at the visual clues, more specifically the color code of Sauron in “Rings of Power”:

Red

Red is a color that, in “Rings of Power”, has appeared in association with Sauron’s deceptions and treachery, over and over again.

On the negative side, the color red is, symbolically associated with danger, aggression, dominance, power and betrayal. In some cultures, red is associated with evil and death.

2x01: Sauron demands the Orcs’ allegiance (and he’s accused of straight-out lying, in this scene).

1x05: Galadriel’s vision on Palantír has a red stripe to foreshadow the “fall of Númenor” plot (triggered by Sauron).

1x05 and 1x06: Bits of red on Halbrand’s Númenórean armor = King of the Southlands’ deception.

1x07: Halbrand injury on the blast of Mount Doom, and creation of Mordor.

2x01: Adar and his tale of Sauron giving him red wine on *that* peak.

2x02: Celebrimbor falling prey to Sauron’s deception (he’s wearing red + red wine).

2x02: The background of Galadriel’s vision about Celebrimbor.

2x03: Ar-Pharazôn wears red to Míriel’s coronation to foreshadow the “fall of Númenor” plot (triggered by Sauron).

2x07: The missing ruby on Fëanor’s hammer (Sauron’s illusion on Celebrimbor).

2x07: Sauron displays the red blood on his wound (to instigate the guards to confine Celebrimbor in the forge tower for him to finish the Nine).

2x08: The arrows that Sauron shots at Celebrimbor (the ultimate betrayal).

Green

Then we have green, the complementary color to red (meaning they are in opposite sides of the color wheel). In Design, there is an unspoken rule that “red and green should not be seen together”. Hence its safe to admit that green, in Sauron’s color code in “Rings of Power”, also serves the opposite purpose of red.

Green is the color of health (healing), and is symbolically associated with hope, growth, rebirth, balance, fertility and prosperity.

1x02: Sauron first meets Galadriel (a new beginning, full of hope and potential).

1x02: The stone on Halbrand’s pouch (King of the Southlands heraldry) is green (the “new life” and “some place better” that Diarmid promises him in 2x01);

1x04: Halbrand garments on Númenor.

2x01: When Sauron “rebirths” as Halbrand form.

2x06: Celebrimbor starts to wear green once he begins to suspect Annatar’s intentions (the deception begins to crack).

In Season 2, this color becomes highly associated with Galadriel herself, as we see her wearing green dresses. This color is also used by Mirdania, at Eregion, a character that reminds Sauron of Galadriel (and he says so, himself), and the possibility of redemption he was denied.

To further solidify the idea of the colors green/red having opposite purposes/meaning in Sauron’s color code in “Rings of Power”; in 2x02, we see Celebrimbor wearing red, at Eregion; and Galadriel wearing green, in Lindon. This is meant to show to the audience that these two characters have different places in Sauron’s character arc.

It’s also worth mentioning that, in Season 2, both Mirdania and Celebrimbor were wearing green when Sauron killed them, symbolically marking the end of his redemption arc.

Blue

Halbrand/Sauron wears blue in 1x08, the episode where Halbrand is revealed to be Sauron. Blue is considered the ultimate “color of truth” and intuition.

Blue is symbolically associated with wisdom, imagination, loyalty, order and creation. In some cultures, blue is also associated with freedom, inspiration, sincerity and faith.

In 1x07, Halbrand/Sauron wears a blue cloak when he travels to Eregion with Galadriel, to be healed by the Elves. Throughout History, blue has been associated with royalty, yes, but this is a odd color for Sauron to wear, nonetheless.

In 1x08, while at Eregion, Halbrand/Sauron is also wearing blue, after his healing and while working at the forge (and “nerding out” with Celebrimbor).

Based on Tolkien lore, I would say that blue, in “Rings of Power”, is associated with Mairon (not Sauron), since it symbolizes the qualities he was designed to embody by Eru himself, before Morgoth’s corruption: goodness, trustworthy, creation, and order.

This could provide an explanation as to why Sauron didn’t “soiled” the Three Elven rings of power with evil, when he spent so much time at Eregion with Celebrimbor in 1x08, handling the mithril and testing different alloys, and the “eye of Sauron” even appears as the metals combine to make the Three.

What we, the audience, saw in 1x08 was a glimpse of the original Mairon (blue), after his healing process (redemption) was triggered by Galadriel’s light (green). At the beginning, Mairon was one of the most powerful Maiar, and the purest one, too. And these were the qualities that transferred onto the Three, in contrast with the cruelty, malice and deception of the Seven and Nine. More; this can also explain the healing properties of the Three (because Mairon, himself, was healing).

When Mairon is tortured by Waldreg and the Orcs, at Adar’s orders, in 2x01, he’s also wearing blue. This is a callback to the unspeakable tortures he endured under Morgoth, to bind him to darkness, and to power. Hence, the repentant Mairon begins to disappear, making way to Sauron.

What all of this means?

Red (the color associated with Sauron’s deception) only appeared on Halbrand/Sauron and Galadriel interactions, back on Season 1, on two occasions:

When he accepts to be “King of the Southlands”;

His injury due to eruption of Mount Doom (to bring him into Elven territory).

The use of the colors green and blue on Sauron’s arc in Season 1, can confirm that Sauron was, indeed, on his “repentant era”.

“Halbrand” was the original Mairon, and we see a lot of his primordial personality traits (before Morgoth’s corruption) on Halbrand’s character: good, loyal, generous, creative and highly intelligent. Charismatic but a bit withdrawn (he only opens up with Galadriel). Not outright antisocial but usually on the background, a follower and not a leader (the Maia in service of a Vala). And of course, his love and talent for smithing and craftsmanship (Maia of Aulë).

The “Halbrand” that Galadriel fell in love with, was, in fact, “Mairon the Admirable” seeking redemption.

Halbrand/Mairon wears green because he’s seeking redemption and a new beginning (rebirth);

Galadriel starts to be visually associated with this color because she’s the embodiment of the redemption Marion seeks;

Halbrand wears blue in 1x07 and 1x08 because “redeemed Mairon” is starting to come through.

Why was Halbrand/Mairon shamelessly flirting with Galadriel, then?

Because repentant Mairon was attracted to her, on a physical and spiritual level (they are both immortal spirits).

I’ll quote myself, here:

Mairon was created by Eru as a Maia of Aulë, the Vala (God) of smithing and handiwork, yes. He was among the most powerful Maiar. Eru created him to be good and trustworthy, but also to love several things: crafting, creation, beauty, order and perfection, and to dislike wastefulness.

And who better embodies the qualities of “beauty” and “perfection” than Galadriel herself? Her beauty is the stuff of legends, and everyone is at awe when they first meet her. Her very gold/silver hair inspired the most legendary jewels in existence: the Silmarils. The light of the Two Trees of Valinor shine on her hair and eyes. How could Sauron/Mairon not love her? That’s the question. She’s the materialization, the physical form, of everything he was designed to love.

The color code on Sauron’s arc in “Rings of Power” tells us, the audience, that the mutual attraction and connection Halbrand/Mairon and Galadriel shared was real. It wasn’t a deception on his part, nor did it had any hidden motive.

Mairon flirted with Galadriel because, like they say, he really wanted to “tap that”, “shake the sheets (or the forge table)”, “Netflix and chill” all night long, whatever you prefer. And she wanted the same, as confirmed by Charlotte Brändström.

In both 1x05 and 1x06, when Halbrand/Mairon shares intimate moments with Galadriel, the bits of red (deception) of his armor are hidden, either by a cloak, or by camera work (focus on his face). This artistic choice means there was no deception there. It was real.

And both Sauron’s deceptions with Galadriel, back in Season 1, had the purpose of keeping her close to him:

Accepting the “King of the Southland” role: Galadriel was leaving for Middle-earth, leaving him behind in Númenor;

Bringing him into Elven territory: Mairon didn’t know Galadriel would take him to Eregion to meet Celebrimbor (in show canon, she lives in Lindon, not Eregion).

Why? Because Mairon craved her light, and, like it has been established by the color code, Galadriel embodies the redemption he desperately seeks. Hence, he wants to be around her, and keeping her close. Galadriel represents his chance of redeeming himself after everything he has done under Morgoth.

And, in 1x08, when Galadriel denies his offer, it symbolizes the denial of his redemption:

Galadriel: You are a friend of Morgoth’s.

Sauron: When Morgoth was defeated, it was as if a great, clenched fist had released its grasp from my neck. And in the stillness of that first sunrise, at last, I felt the light of The One again. And I knew if ever I was to be forgiven… That I had to heal everything that I had helped ruin.

Galadriel: No penance could ever erase the evil you have done.

Mairon, then realizes, there will be no redemption for him. Redemption and Galadriel’s light have been denied to him. And, so, he falls back into his old ways under Morgoth, back into evil.

They say that Morgoth found the Silmarils so beautiful that after he’d stolen them, for weeks he could do nothing but stare into their depths. It was only after one of his tears fell upon the jewels and he was faced with the evil of his own reflection that the reverie was finally broken. From that moment, he looked upon their light no more. Fëanor's work nearly turned the heart of the Great Foe himself…”

Celebrimbor to Elrond, 1x01

It's not strength that overcomes darkness but light. For in its presence, all darkness must flee.

Celebrimbor to Galadriel, 2x07

In the vision Mairon shows Galadriel in 1x08, there is no red (deception), only blue and light. The spikes of his crown are, also, fading away, meant to symbolize his redemption, with Galadriel at his side. A lot of fans assume this is a vision of Dark!Galadriel, but they are wrong.

This means that Galadriel, indeed, could have helped Mairon achieve the redemption he was seeking.

We foresaw that if Galadriel’s search should have continued, she might have inadvertently kept alive the very evil she sought to defeat. For the same wind that seeks to blow out a fire may also cause its spread.

Gil-galad to Elrond, 1x01

The true meaning of this quote is: Galadriel didn’t f*cked up because she found Halbrand/Sauron and brought him back to Middle-earth. She screwed up because she denied Mairon his chance at redemption: not only by rejecting him, but, mostly, because she exposed him at Eregion and cause him to flee.

It was Galadriel’s pride that caused her to confront and expose Halbrand as Sauron. The pride that every single character has been warning her about, and the reason why she’s banished from Valinor, in the first place. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to tell Celebrimbor and Elrond about Halbrand’s true identity because, yes, of her wounded pride. And she allows the Three rings of power to be made.

In “Rings of Power”, it was Galadriel’s pride that condemned Middle-earth to Sauron’s tyranny, and I hope the show explores this further.

In Season 2, Sauron still believes that he, truly, wants to heal Middle-earth. But this isn’t the case anymore, because his redemption was cut short. This is confirmed by Celebrimbor in 2x07, when he says to Sauron/Annatar: “you truly are the Great Deceiver. You can even deceive yourself.”

But that boat has sailed. There is no more redemption’s arc for Mairon. That was Season 1. In Season 2, he’s now embracing his arc as “shadow of Morgoth”. And so, green and blue won’t be present on his color code anymore, as red takes the spotlight, alongside black to embody his role as the new Dark Lord.

What now?

Sauron and Galadriel are now bound together, since he forced their bloods to unite using Morgoth’s crown, in 2x08. They now have a open line to each other’s soul, mind and everything else. And this will come into play in Season 3.

One of Galadriel’s inner conflicts in Season 2 was the idea that “Halbrand” was nothing more than one of Sauron’s illusions and that he deceived her, all along. In Season 3 and through being bound together with Sauron, she’ll probably realize this isn’t the case, and that Halbrand was very much real, and, in fact, Mairon in seek of redemption. How will this play out, I have no idea. But there’s a lot of potential here.

And in Season 2 we were told that Elven memories don’t dim. Meaning; the memory of Halbrand/Mairon and their love for each other and “what could have been”, will haunt Galadriel forever (yes, even after Celeborn returns).

[peeta-mellark]

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER 1x05 "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date"

[loveharlow]

SEVEN - 005

PAIRING ‧₊˚ JJ Maybank x Fem!Reader

SYNOPSIS‧₊˚[6.2k] based on 1x05.

WARNING(S)‧₊˚ swearing, mild violence, detainment, mentions of child abuse

NOW PLAYING‧₊˚

A/N‧₊˚ here's how I imagine TR's midsummer's outfit, also shoutout to Chris on the tumblr support team and bigger shoutout to @thepoguelife101 for helping me to get this uploaded.

˗ˏˋ series masterlist ˎˊ˗

PETERKIN SLAMMED HER OFFICE DOOR SHUT. You sat in the chair across from her personal one, avoiding her eyes as she sat on the wood of the desk. “Y��know, I expected to see your friend in here. But not you.” The woman started. “Especially not with a felony as your first offense. Felony destruction of property could get you tried as an adult.” 

You remained silent, fiddling with your fingernails as she tried to intimidate you with an unwavering stare. A common interrogation tactic, you learned that from your mother. 

“Unlawful discharge of a firearm, trespass on protected habitat, felony destruction. Those are all Maybank’s charges, your little partner in crime?” She listed off. “I want you to take a trip with me into uncharted territory — your future. Picture this,” She started, leaning in further. “You, six months from now, sittin’ in juvie in Wadesboro, just a cell block away from the Maybank boy.”

You cringed at the thought, eyes finally looking at the Sheriff in front of you. She pulled out two papers from a manilla folder, laying them out in front of you. “You seen these guys? You know ‘em?” She inquired, crossing her arms over her chest as your eyes scanned the pictures.

They were mugshots of the square groupers. But you remained silent, jaw clenched and eyes stoic. “Do I need to repeat myself?” Her voice was lower now. You pondered for a few moments, should you tell her or keep quiet? But you figured the damage was already done.

“They…broke into John B’s house, trashed the place. They chased us through The Marsh, too.” You told her, making eye contact with the older woman now and scratching the back of your neck. 

She huffed under her breath, pulling more documents from the folder. “Here’s a more recent photo.” She laid them out, the photos presented to you almost made you gag. They were autopsy images of the groupers — deep slashes, pale skin, and bloated bodies. “Somebody gaffed ‘em, then used ‘em for chum. Whoever killed these men is still out there, and I got pretty solid reasons to believe their next target is that friend of yours. John B?” She told you. 

Then, she was leaning down so close that her lips were right next to your ear but you didn’t move. “You kids don’t think you’re the only ones after the Royal Merchant, do you?” Your eyes flicked over to hers, staring at the woman through hooded lids. “Yeah, I know about that, too.” She muttered before getting up and rounding the desk again, placing herself behind it.

“He isn’t looking for it, anymore.” You blurted, straightening in the metal chair. “Okay? He’s done.”

“Yeah, your friend said the same thing when I had him in here. I’m just tryna keep him safe. So, I’m gonna tell you the same thing I told him. See if your friend John B is interested in talkin’ to me and maybe we can keep you out of Wadesboro.” She snipped, shuffling the documents back into her folder and leaving the office.

“ARE YOU HER GUARDIAN?” The officer behind the reception desk asked, your mother shuffling with her purse angrily on the other side of the glass as you stood behind her. 

“Unfortunately. I’m her mother.” She snapped, sending a nasty glare your way that you rolled your eyes in response to. 

“Hearing will be in two weeks. If you fail to show up, you forfeit your bail.” The lady-officer informed, not even offering up a glance. “The restitution will be based on the average of three outside estimates of the cost of the damaged article. Sign right here, please...” She instructed, shoving the clipboard through the glass-slot.

You squinted your eyes harshly and sighed. You didn’t even think about restitution and your were praying that Topper’s boat wasn’t crazy expensive. You could faintly hear your mother muttering under her breath as she absentmindedly scribbled her signature on the bottom of the papers, spinning the clipboard back around to the officer before turning on her heels to face you.

“Let’s go. Now.” Her pumps clacked against the precinct floors, the woman practically throwing the Sheriff Station doors open. You followed closely behind, throwing your slightly matted hair into a ponytail. The jailhouse look was not your best one. “So, when I told you about the Thornton’s boat you just neglected to mention that you were the one that did it?”

You yawned as you tried to keep up with her pace, too tired to respond sensibly. “Yeah, I guess…”

She chuckled with no humor behind it. “The least you could do is pretend to care. The only reason I’m not going to make you pay this restitution your damn self is because I don’t need this becoming a bigger issue than it already is. Do you think I need the entirety of Figure Eight knowing my daughter’s facing a felony charge against one of the most prominent families on the island?”

“Right…” You dragged out, licking the bottom of your front teeth. “Because God forbid the Cul de sac finds out I sunk a boat after getting roundhouse kicked in the ribs...”

Your mother sighed, stopping on the driver’s side of her sleek, black SUV as your rounded the passenger side. Just then, you spotted JJ walking with his father, who you hadn’t seen in God knows how long. Your mother seemed to follow your line of vision, wagging her finger from the other side of the car.

“No. You?” She pointed. “You stay away from that boy, do you hear me? You stay away from all of those pogues.”

“Are you serious? He’s my best friend.”

“Yeah, well not today, he isn’t. Get in the damn car.” She spat, yanking her own door open and jumping inside before slamming it shut. You stood with your hand on the handle, watching JJ hesitantly get in the car with his father. Reluctantly, you opened your own passenger side door and got inside. Your mother nearly broke the key with the aggressive that she started the car with.

Your eyes were glued on Luke’s vehicle as your mother drove off but you could’ve sworn their car was shaking a crack-addict. And if you weren’t crazy, you saw a fist connect with a face through the back windshield. Your back straightened in your seat. “Wait, mom-”

“You mind your business.” She warned, looking between the road and you. “What happens between that boy and his father is none of your concern...”

YOU PRACTICALLY BOLTED UP TO THE COMFORT OF YOUR ROOM WHEN YOU WALKED THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR. Marley was sitting on your bed. You felt bad for being away from her so often recently, but you knew she could entertain yourself. You always left her three bowl of food and water when you had a feeling you’d be gone, knowing your mom didn’t care for the dog as much as she used to. Or at all, really.

Your mother had stopped her yelling and berating about ten minutes into the ride home, receiving a phone call from Shoupe. Even with the device to your ear, you could still make out what the man was saying.

He and Peterkin sent out units to basically spy on John B ‘s house, planning to wait until the boy appeared and make their move. Moments like this made you despise living on an island that was hit by frequent hurricanes, unable to warn any of your friends about what was happening, especially not knowing when John B would pop back up after his run from DCS.

The animal jumped off the bed at the sight of you, jumping on you as you knelt down to her height.

“Hey, Marls.” You cooed, scratching the retriever’s neck as you wiggled up underneath you. “I know, I miss you too. How you been, girl?”

“...Thanks, Anna. I’ll let her know..” Your mothers voice rang in your ears as she stopped in front of your open door, ending the call she was on. Her attention was directed towards you now as she rolled up the sleeves on her blazer slightly. “Clean yourself up. You’re going dress shopping with Kiara.”

“For?”

“Midsummers. You’re going.” You groaned, you’d never been to Midsummer’s because this was your first-year as a Figure Eight resident. With the help of Mrs. C, Kie’s mom, your mom managed to wiggle her way into the Island Club, scoring you an place at Midsummers. Kie described it as the ‘Met Gala from Hell’.

“Wouldn’t a better punishment be not allowing me to go?” You tried, even though you knew she’d never go for it.

“No because that’s exactly what you want, both you and Kiara.” She said, so you assumed this was a small punishment for your best friend, too. “Shower, buy a nice presentable dress, and be there. On time.” Was all the woman said before she continued down the hall to her own room.

Your eyes drifted down to the dog as you pouted, she was staring up at you cutely, mouth open and tail wagging. “I’ll steal you some sliders”

“SERIOUSLY, YOU LOOK GREAT.” Kie gushed beside you, eyeing your hair as you walked into the dress shop. “Like, I know neither of us want to go but you look like a goddess. For real.” 

You couldn’t help but giggle, bell jingling above the door as you both entered the small corner shop on the mainland. “I won’t say I don’t want to go just yet. I’ve never been...” You told the brown-haired girl. 

“Anything I can help you ladies with?” An employee approached with a bright smile, hands clasped in front of her. She looked so well put together.

“Oh, we’re okay. Thank you.” Kiara politely declined, leading to the racks in the back by your arm. “Everything in here is so hideous but there is a gold mine in the back. No pun intended.” She whispered as she tugging you towards racks you wouldn’t even know were there without her.

“Sometimes, people try and hide their shit on the clearance rack so no one will take it and they can come back and buy it later.” She told you.

You eyed a couple of dresses that peeked your interest — a slim black one, a floral green one, a lacey blue one. There were so many. You plucked up at least five dresses from the rack, Kie’s arms just as full as you both silently search, the shop music playing in the back.

When you were both satisfied, you rushed to the dressing rooms. Kie went first and you almost forgot how picky she was. The girl looked good in almost anything but when she walked out in a purple, cowl necklace, satin dress, you both knew it was the one.

“Oh my, Kie, you look so good!” You exclaimed, squealing like a school-girl. “The purple makes your skin look amazing, Kie, you have to get it.”

“I’m not leaving the shop without it.” She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, a smile on her face. “Okay, let me change so you can try yours on.” She said, slipping back into the dressing room as you gathered your hangers of dresses from the seat beside you and entered the room after she left.

The first couple of dresses were just not your thing. It was either too loose or unflattering in color. You were about to give up and head back to the racks until you realized you still had one more dress to try on — a mulberry colored dress with a sweetheart neckline. Slipping it on, you stepped out of the dressing room and did a twirl for a Kie.

“...If you don’t buy it, I fucking will.” She looked you up and down with wide eyes.

“Is that a yes?” You questioned.

“It’s a hell yes.” She scoffed. “You look stunning in that dress, Y/N.”

“Need any help in here?” The same employee from earlier came in, stopping in her tracks when her eyes landed on you. “My God, it suits you so well.” You weren’t sure if she was just doing her job but her compliment was all you needed to decide that this was your Midsummers dress, for sure. “Oh! I have just the thing to compliment it.” The woman gushed, rushing out of the fitting room and returning within seconds, a flower-band hairpiece in her hands. 

She placed it gently atop your hair, adjusting it until it sat right. She told you you looked beautiful and left you and Kie to yourselves once more, not before bringing a matching hairpiece for Kie that suited her purple dress. The employee took all of your unwanted dresses back for you while the both of you re-dressed and went back out to search for shoes.

With Kie’s help, you settled on a pair of block-heel pumps that closely resembled the color of your dress. The woman at the register happily rung you both up, offering you a friendly smile on your way out the door. You were maybe five feet from leaving when a familiar head of blonde hair entered the shop as you and Kie were leaving, bumping in between the middle of both of you.

“Oh! I’m so sorry-” She stopped mid-apology when she realized who she was apologizing to. “Oh. It’s just you two.” Sarah’s tone wasn’t as cheery as she eyed you both up and down. “Midsummer’s?” She asked, motioning towards the bags in your hands.

“Yep.” Kie gave the girl a fake smile. “How about you? Out for prey?”

“Okay, you know what, Kie?” Sarah started, causing a scene in the small shop as you tugged on Kie’s arm.

“We should just go…” You whispered.

“Oh! And thanks for sinking my boyfriend’s boat, Y/n. Real classy.” You couldn’t help but scoff, edging in front of Kiara.

“Which boyfriend? I mean, it’s clear that Top isn't your main man anymore, so when’s the next guy gonna pop out?” The blonde girl smiled, licking the bottom of her top teeth before speaking.

“Be careful what you wish for.” She spoke in hushed tone, your eyes pinching in on each other.

“The hell’s that supposed to mean?” Kie jumped in.

“Is there a problem… over here?” An employee came over, a much older woman. The manager you assumed.

“No.” You replied, winding your arm through keys before pushing the store door open. “No problem at all.” You told the lady, eyes mugging Sarah as you left.

“EXCUSE ME SIR, DO WE HAVE TO SHUCK THESE OURSELVES?” Kiara put on a fake accent as you both snuck up behind Pope, the boy turning around with an irritated expression before realizing it was you two. “‘Cause it might mess up my costume.” Kie laughed.

He smiled and pulled you both into a tight hug. When he released you both, he turned to you first. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve never-”

“Pope, don’t. It was my idea.” He swallowed his pride, accepting that you wouldn’t allow him to apologize.

“Have you seen JJ? Since the arrest?” He asked, voice laced with worry.

You nodded. “We spent the night in the holding cell together. Last I saw him was when he left the station with his dad…” You told him, the events of this morning flashing in your mind. You knew JJ’s dad was a little off his rocker but now you were wondering just how bad it’s gotten. 

Pope’s mind seemed to wander after that. You wanted to ask if he knew anything, if you were right to be worried but you decided to just wait until you saw JJ. 

“You ever seen this many kooks in one place?” Kie cut in, staring at the growing crowd of people.

“Yeah,” Pope replied, standing next to her. “Last year.”

“We’re in the lion’s den.” She said solemnly, eyeing Topper and Kelce from across the field.  Applause broke out prompting your attention to turn to the family entering the party — The Camerons. Rose, Ward, Rafe, Sarah, and Wheezie descended the stairs in typical Cameron fashion. “Here come Lord Capital and the Exploiters. This is gonna be fun…”

IT’D BEEN A COUPLE HOURS SINCE YOU’D ARRIVED AT MIDSUMMERS. You and Kie had been sneaking Pope drinks as he worked, almost getting busted by Heyward. 

“Y’know, I’ll admit,” Kie started as you both leaned against each other while Pope continued preparing food in front of the grill. “This is a lot more fun with you guys here.”

“Aww,” You cooed, rubbing the girl’s arm. “We love you, too.”

She giggled. “Are you tipsy?” You looked up at her through your lashes as you leaned on her arm. You held up your hand, hovering your index finger and thumb in front of one another.

“Jus’ a little.” You whispered, eyes drifting around the party. You watched the party-goers dance and drink and socialize. But your eyes managed to land on a familiar head of scruffy blonde hair. “Is that JJ?” You perked up, taking your weight off of Kiara. You hiked up your dress slightly in order to speed-walk across the lawn and reach the boy, Kiara calling out behind you. “JJ!” you whisper-yelled, catching the boys attention.

He looked star-struck for the briefest of moments and he still hadn’t spoken when you reached him. You waved a hand in front of his face, snapping him out of it and watching a small smile edge on his features.

“It’s so good to see you, princess.” He cheered quietly pulling you into a tight bear-hug, lifting you a few inches off the ground. You didn’t hesitate to hug him back, wounding your arms around his neck right before he put you down. 

But your smile dropped when you got a good look at his face. “JJ..” You whispered, fingers tracing the bottom of his lip where a large cut sat, a large bruise on his cheek. “Did your dad do this?”

His blue eyes met yours, pulling your hand from his face and holding it in his own and edging closer to you. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.”

“What do you mean don’t worry about it, JJ? He can’t hit you like that-”

“It’s nothing that hasn’t happened before.” He cut you off. “Okay? Just keep it to yourself. Please, Y/n.”

You looked between both of his eyes — they were pleading with you to just drop it. To let it go. And you didn’t want to. But JJ did. You nodded, squeezing his hand. “Okay…” you agreed. “Don’t worry about all of this, okay? My mom’s gonna pay the restitution, so if that’s why your dad’s mad just let him know-”

“It’s okay.” The blonde. “John B and I, we have a plan. We’re back in the G-game.” Your eyes went wide.

“But there was nothing there. The wreck was empty, JJ.” 

“John B will explain everything, alright? But I have to do somethin’ really really quick.” He backed away, walking backwards from you, basically skipping. “And you look gorgeous, by the way! Prettiest Pogue Princess there ever was!” He mildly-shouted as he walked away, a bright smile breaking out on your face. 

You turned back around to find Kie just standing there. “What was that?” She inquired as you both walked back to Pope. 

“What was what?” You asked, plucking a shrimp off the scorching grill as Pope swatted your hand away with the tongs.

“You and JJ…” She trailed off. “You don’t think that was weird?”

You scoffed, looking up at her through your lashes. “He’s one of my best friends, Kie. Plus, we’ve been through a lot in the last 24 hours. Why are you making it weird?” She didn’t respond after that, just giving you an odd look. You only spoke again once Pope asked what happened. “JJ says we’re back in the G-game.”

“How?” Pope asked, still paying most attention to the food in front of him.

“Not sure. He says John B will explain it all later.” You pulled your phone out of your bra, looking at the time. “Shit. I need to go find my mother before I become the next thing on the grill. She wants me to meet some business partners of hers.” You dismissed, waving goodbye to your two friends.

You weaved through the crowd, spotting your mother at one of the decorated table talking to a much older, elderly couple. She spotted you and pointed before motioning you over. You stood next to her, smiling at the couple.

“Mr. and Mrs. Daugherty, this is my daughter, Y/n.” You shook their hands, told them it was nice to meet them. Your mother had explained that these were the people that helped her succeed in law so she wanted you to meet them and get their advice, despite your several protests that law was not your desired career path.

She kept trying to fit you into her shoes knowing they would never fit. But you listened to their takes and advice, mostly for their sake. You’d been idly engaging until you saw JJ bolt into the clubhouse, Rafe and his crew hot on his tail. Your plastered smile dropping for the smallest of moments.

“I’m so sorry,” You chuckled awkwardly. “You wouldn’t mind if I used the restroom, would you?”

“Not at all, darling-” The old woman told you but your mother was quick to add in her two cents.

“You can hold it, can’t you?” She fake laughed, eyes going back and forth between you and her mentors. “I mean, you wouldn’t want to be rude.”

“I didn’t know peeing was rude, Mother.” You cocked your head, lifting the skirt of your dress as to not trip over it on your way into the clubhouse, looking at the Daugherty’s once more before you left, offering them a smile. “Excuse me.” 

You walked as fast as you could into the building, accidentally bumping guest after guest on your way in. You no longer had sights on the group of guys, following the trail of shocked guests and shifted furniture that they left behind. 

To the people around, you probably looked a little crazed but this wasn’t like at The Point or at The Golf Course or during The Movie. Rafe would have JJ cornered with two guys behind him. You knew that realistically you stood no chance against a trio of guys but you weren’t about to leave JJ to fend for himself.

You searched the place up and down, stumbling towards the restrooms, immediately heading into the men’s one. You ignored the wold-whistles, protests, and men peacefully using the urinals, following the sound of hushed voices into the connected locker room. 

“Actually, there is an issue,” You heard JJ’s voice as you got closer. “We got a criminal trespass in progress here. Blatant disrespect for private property, I’m in violation of all kinds of shit here, sir.” You shook your head at his words, knowing he was seconds away from getting thrown out. The Island Club’s security was tight. 

“Excuse me, miss,” a voice startled you from behind, causing you to whip around. “You can’t be in here.” You opened your mouth, stuttering to find an excuse as the other security stared at you but you just settled on throwing your arms up. Clearly, JJ was safe, even though he was getting kicked out. 

As you were being led out, you looked behind you to see that the other officer had a hold of JJ before Rafe’s voice sounded out. “Hey, tell Y/n she looks hot in that dress! But she looks so much hotter out of it, trust me!” The Cameron boy laughed out and you watched as JJ snatched himself out of the guard’s hold and charged back into the locker room. The action made your heart jump but you weren’t sure for what reason as the other guard continued leading you out into the main hall of the clubhouse. 

You weren’t sure which exit the other security guard has escorted JJ out of so you made your way back to the deck of the clubhouse, head whipping left and right until you spotted that familiar head of blonde hair. JJ was reckless and chaotic but he was still your friend.

You weren’t gonna watch as they practically threw him out an event when he didn’t even instigate anything. “It’s okay everybody! Do not panic.” He shouted with his hands up in the air, the majority of the party’s attention now on him. “Leave it to the men and woman in uniform. Let’s hear it for them! Rose, you look like lady liberty.” 

“You can let go of him!” You called, skipping down the steps and into the grass. “He doesn’t have to be manhandled, he didn’t do anything!” The security turned to you, still gripping JJ by the upper arm. JJ took the opportunity to shove the man off of him, his blue eyes on yours across the lawn.

“Hey, mandatory power hour at Rixon’s, princess!” He pointed at you. “Kie? Pope?” He motioned to them as well. “Rixon’s Cove. Let’s roll! Throw off your chains!” You watched as Kiara snatched away from her parents and Pope ran away from his dad. You were making a move to follow them when a hand gripped your upper arm, your mother coming into view.

“We talked about this.” She said firmly, fire in her eyes. “Do not embarrass me, right now.” The woman warned.

“I don’t think there’s any way for me to make you proud anymore, Mom.” You told her sadly in a hushed tone before snatching your arm out of her grip, running towards your friends. You could hear her calling out your name behind you but you ignored her, jumping into JJ’s open arms and leaving Midsummers. 

CICADA’S CHIRPED IN THE MIDDLE OF RIXON’S COVE AS YOU ALL SAT AROUND A RAGING BONFIRE, waiting for JB to speak. “So, like, my dad’s already gonna kill me.” Pope started, sat on a log in front of the fire across from you and Kie while JJ and John B stood, throwing rocks. “So, what’s this mandatory meeting about?”

The two boys sat down, eyeing each other before JJ spoke. “Might as well tell him before we’re gaffed, man.” He said, the statement mainly directed at John B.

“...The gold never went down with the Royal Merchant. It’s been here the whole time.” The brunette said, a small victorious smile on his face.

“Here?” You exclaimed incredulously from where your head laid on Kiara’s shoulder. He just offered up a simple nod.

“It’s on the island.”

“I would like to voice my skepticism.” Pope raised his hand.

“I’m sure you would, Pope, but can I please present you my evidence, sir?” John B spoke mockingly as he got up to speak at the forefront of the group.

Pope motioned with his hand. “Proceed.”

“In my backpack, I have a letter from Denmark Tanny. Denmark Tanny was a slave that survived the Royal Merchant wreck. Check it,” He handed Kiara the letter as you eyed it as well. “Slaves weren’t mentioned as crew members on the ship, but my dad found the complete manifest. That was his big discovery. Tanny used the gold from the Merchant to buy his freedom, and then his farm.”

Kiara passed the paper across the fire for JJ and Pope to see as John B continued. “And that farm is, drumroll please…” Kiara patted her thighs rapidly, shaking your frame back and forth which prompted you to sit up straight. “Tannyhill Plantation.”

You blinked hard, craning your neck forward. “Tannyhill?” You and Kie exclaimed simultaneously. Like, the Cameron’s Tannyhill?

“Yeah. After that, he used the money to free even more slaves, and then he sold a shit-ton of rice, which pisses off all the white planters, and they decide to lynch him. On the day they were coming to get him, he writes a farewell letter to his son and in the last line of that letter, he leaves a coded message about the gold’s location.”

“Where?”

“Harvest the wheat in parcel nine, near the water. Except, there’s no wheat. Wheat is code for gold, seeing as the gold has the wheat symbol engraved into it.” He slapped Pope’s shoulder with a smile.

“Holy shit...” The dark-skinned boy said. 

“All we need is an original survey map of the property, and we’ve found the gold.” John B concluded, small smiles on the faces of the entire group.

“So, whats the plan?” You asked, and you figured it was nothing good when John B had his attention fully on you and Kiara, his shoulders square. “Well, Sarah Cameron’s coming tonight-”

“Hold on...” Kie was the first to speak.

“She’ll bring an original survey map.” 

“Why Sarah?” She asked.

“This is gonna be good…” JJ muttered, looking down at his feet.

John B sighed, raking his fingers through his hair. “She… got me into the archives at Chapel Hill yesterday. That’s where I got the letter.”

“You were at Chapel Hill with Sarah Cameron?” Kie spat out unbelievably.

“He was mackin’ on her.” JJ added in quickly, avoiding all eye contact.

“Of course...” You muttered disappointingly.

“I wasn’t macking on her, okay? I was… using her for access.” 

“Did you tell her about the treasure?” Kiara inquired, an undertone of hurt laced in her voice. 

“I was trying to get into the archives!” JB argued back.

“Is that a yes?” You chimed in, truly not believing John B could be that idiotic. But you guessed that was the Sarah Cameron effect.

“I was just using her for information. I’m trying to make us filthy rich here. Okay? So, that we can pay off a boat, or send Pope to autopsy school so he can study dead bodies. Look, you guys know me.” He continued talking, looking around at the group. Kiara was visibly uncomfortable. “Do I look like the type of person to fall for Sarah Cameron?”

“Yes!” You exclaimed with scoff. 

“Look, you guys don’t know her yet, I do!”

“John B, we do know her. A hell of a lot better than you ever will,” You started, anger and betrayal in your voice. “For the last time, you can’t trust her. With the gold or your feelings.”

“Her brother did hit me in the back with a golf club...” Pope reminded, massaging his shoulder with a grimace.

You blew out a breath of air. “Yeah, her brother’s done a lot of things…” You quipped underneath your breath. 

“What’d she do to you both, exactly?’ JJ aimed the inquiry at you and Kiara.

“She’s like a spitting cobra.” Kie spat out. “First, she blinds you and then- and then she-”

“This is a bad analogy…” The blonde muttered.

“Listen to me!” Kiara pleaded. “Whatever we get, she’s going to try to take...”

“I THINK I’M GONNA DO THIS ONE BY MYSELF…” John B told the four of you who were crowded in the back of The Twinkie. Kiara rolled her eyes and the rest of you sighed unbelievably. “I don’t wanna spook Sarah with the peanut gallery.” 

“I just don’t understand why we’re involving her at all.” Kiara snapped, throwing her shoulders up.

“Kie, we’re not involving her, okay? It’s just, like, a business…meeting…thing.”

“A business meeting between their tongues…” You muttered as JJ made kissing motions with both his hands. 

“Look, once we get what we need, we cut her loose, alright?” John B reaffirmed the group, dismissing your suspicion and doubt. 

“...Promise me nothing is happening between you two.”

“Nothing is happening, Kie.” The boy sighed. 

“I’m being serious. This isn’t about you and this isn’t about us,” You, JJ and Pope shared a tense glance.  Was Kiara sure she didn’t have a thing for him? “Dude, she’s gonna get inside your head. Just promise me nothing’s happening between you guys.” She spoke solemnly.

“I…I promise.” John B told her. “...Anyways, I’m gonna go.” John B said in farewell, opening the van door and exiting.

“We’ll just sit here…in this hot ass car.” Pope said as he shut the door.

“...Can’t believe he’s been seeing Sarah Cameron.” You thought aloud, disgust filling your words.

“You guys do know that holding onto your grudge is like drinking poison and hoping Sarah will die, right?” Pope threw out. 

“‘Hope is the companion of power and mother of success.’” You quipped back, remembering the quote from a random in class. 

“Seriously, what went down between you three? This is like some deep-rooted hate.” JJ added.

“Does it matter? We’re supposed to be a team and John B jumping ship to mack on the Kook Princess doesn’t exactly scream teamwork.” You told them. “We all know that deep down, when we find this gold, John B is going to have fallen madly in love with the serial cheating, two-faced snake that is Sarah Cameron and she’s going to break his measly little heart and steal what we find and then we’ll be left gold-less and picking up the pieces of John Booker Routledge’s little broken heart.” 

The space fell silent after your small rant, wide-eyed glances exchanged between the three. “Okay, I was wrong. That is some deep-rooted hate.”

“We shouldn’t have let him go out there alone…” Kie muttered, staring out of the window, thunder clapping outside. It was a thought shared amongst you all, a silent agreement. The van fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments.

Until it was broken.

“...help!”

Your eyebrows pinched together, lifting your head from JJ’s shoulder. “Did you hear that?” You asked looking up at the blonde. 

“Hear what?” You all sat silently for a few more moments, the only sound being the howling wind and the thunder booming until you heard it again, this time you all did.

“Somebody please help!”

You all didn’t wait to sprint out of the van, almost knocking one another over on your way out. You don’t even know how you and Kiara managed to run in heels without tripping. The four of you bolted in the direction of the tower, following the path that John B took and reaching the end of it to find Sarah cradling his unconscious body.

“Sarah! What happened?” Pope questioned as you all came to an abrupt stop in front her.

“He needs help. I don’t know what to do. Topper shoved him.” She cried, rocking back and forth with John B in her arms.

“From the top of the tower?! What the fuck was Topper doing here?” You spat out, head whirling left and right looking for any sign of the aforementioned boy.

“Where is he, now?” JJ interrogated.

“Please get help, I don’t care who. Just call someone.” Sarah bellowed as JJ urged Pope to run for help, especially with all of your phones being abandoned in the Twinkie.

“John B, stay with me…” The blonde girl cooed, running her fingers through his hair before planting her lips against his. You glanced to the side, not missing the absolute look of betrayal in Kie’s eyes and maybe you would’ve found the same emotion in your own.

John B lied, to all of you. But that was the least of your concerns now.

YOU HATED THE FEEL OF HOSPITALS. They were stale and sterile and boring. But most importantly, they made you anxious. The four of you sat in the waiting room, they wouldn’t allow you in the actual hospital room because Ward had paid for it and he wanted to give Sarah a moment with John B when he woke up.

“This is such bullshit.” You said unbelievably, tapping your foot incessantly. “She cheats on her boyfriend and gets our friend thrown from a tower but we can’t even sit in his hospital room? She’s probably holding his hand and praying like some widow…”

“Let’s just be glad that John B’s okay…” Pope tried to reason.

“No, Pope,” Kiara rolled her eyes. “He lied to us. Did you see the way she was holding him and-” She cut herself off, throwing herself back into the chair. 

“Look, we can be mad when he wakes up, but let’s just chill right now, alright?” JJ snapped, basically telling you all to shut it and you only then took notice of how tense he was — biting his fingernails, his hands visibly shaking. You took his unoccupied hand into yours, giving it a squeeze. He absentmindedly returned the gesture. “When I find Topper, I’m going to kill him. I should’ve done it on the beach…”

“Don’t say that.” You told him firmly. “That’s how they want you to think, JJ. Don’t feed into it, otherwise they win.”

“They always win, anyway.”

“Only if you let them.” You concluded, letting the hospital noise fill the silence — telephones ringing, patients coughing, nurses walking, family members crying. 

Taking in the scene around you, where you had all landed, you were starting to wonder if finding gold was really worth the trouble.

next chapter >

feedback is appreciated! thanks for reading.

SVN Taglist; (let me know if you'd like to be added!) @esquivelbianca @fallingwallsh @calmoistorm @i-love-ptv @liability28 @rivaiken @sophiahristov @rafxcameronss (striked means i'm unable to tag you!)

©loveharlow.

[stephanythedramaqueen]

The strange mischaracterization I see a lot about Qimir and Mae, is the consensus that Qimir took one look at Osha in that apothecary and then decided to toss Mae aside for her twin. It comes in the form of confusion as to why Qimir looked so ~bemused and/or interested~ when he heard that it might be Mae who kills without a weapon. Or I see ppl analyze why did Qimir want his acolyte to kill without a weapon so bad when the answer was right there in the show.

For one, Qimir didn’t necessarily want to set aside Mae in the first place, not even after meeting Osha. The whole reason why he tried to kill Mae in the forest of Khofar epi. 1x05 is because Mae was the one who broke their deal first and she was going to betray him to the Jedi.

That is why Qimir wanted her dead and not because he met Osha and immediately thought Mae was insufficient. Osha wasn’t wrong when she pegged Qimir as a fair person, that’s because he is. Right down to the very end he was willing to let Mae hold up the end of her deal; he would train her and in exchange she would kill a Jedi without a weapon.

So when Mae had the chance to kill Sol and Qimir was edging her on to do it bc he still believed at this point Mae would fulfill the premonition Osha saw earlier, and thus completing her tenure with him. He would have confirmed that his tutelage wouldn’t have been for nothing and found someone powerful enough in the Force.

Because that is what he wants. Someone powerful in the Force to kill their enemies with it, and through the Power of Two, become more powerful himself.

Knowing her strength in the Force and having fulfilled his requirement he asked of Mae in the first place, makes Qimir even more certain that Osha is his acolyte. And that doesn’t have anything to do with some kind of idolized love at first sight/picked the wrong twin that seems to be the HC in these streets. Arguably, Qimir still cared, in his own way, for Mae.

[mistyheartrbs]

obviously isttvg is About buffy in several ways and it doesn't play coy with this (the font in the pink opaque opening, the character named tara, Amber Benson Is Literally There) but one smaller thing in particular that's compelling to me: there actually is a buffy episode with a character named owen - 1x05 aka Never Kill a Boy on the First Date. buffy wants to go on a date with a sensitive (and ordinary) emily dickinson-obsessed boy, one owen thurman, at her school, but she has to prevent a prophecy from coming to pass. she keeps putting it off - trying to force herself into a Normal Life.

midway through, we get this exchange:

a very clear statement of the episode's themes: buffy the slayer and buffy the high schooler are two distinct identities that she's been trying - unsuccessfully - to navigate between.

then there's this:

except, of course, she doesn't come back - owen follows her instead. and owen's presence makes it more dangerous for her! he follows her to the funeral home where the monster of the week is hiding, gets in the way, and nearly gets killed.

at the end of the episode, owen - far from being driven away from buffy - is thrilled by the danger. buffy realizes she can't see him again; if he got drawn into her world, he'd definitely get hurt and it'd be on her. but he likes buffy the slayer more than normal buffy despite that.

owen as normalcy. owen as a danger. owen, drawn to a thing he doesn't understand. owen as the identity buffy has to reject in order to fulfill her destiny as the slayer.

i don't know if this one-off character was something schoenbrun had in mind while naming their protagonist, but it's compelling, all of it.

[manhandlingmayhem]

Daniel Jackson Whump List: Stargate (1994), Stargate Sg-1, The Ark of Truth, Continuum, & Atlantis

The other whump lists I’ve found for Daniel have been quite minimal so I decided to make my own since he is my latest hyper fixation.

This is a work in progress. I’ll add seasons as I watch them.

Stargate (1994)

Dragged by his foot through the dessert by an alien horse, manhandled, captured by Jaffa, forced to kneel, shot and killed by staff weapon protecting Jack, brought back to life by sarcophagus, threatened, non-con face touching, shot at throughout ending battle

Season 1

1x01 - distressed, guilty, crying, thrown against a wall, imprisoned, held back, forced to kneel, held down, shot at by staff weapons

1x02 - emotional about losing Char’e

1x03 - threatened with a knife

1x04 - beat up by Jack, attacked by The Touched and infected, carried by Teal’c

1x05 - gun held to kneck

1x07 - shot and killed with staff weapon, brought back by the Knox

1x12 - kidnapped, pushed against wall, general intimidation, strapped to a table, memory searched painfully

1x13 - brainwashed/manipulated by Hathor and implied rape

1x15 - manhandled

1x16 - goes rogue, threatened with court martial

1x17 - violently thrown through gate, head injury, comatose

1x18 - knocked out with scanning device, duplicated, weak, falls through gate

1x19 - gun point, handcuffed, manhandled, sedated, detained, interrogated, shot with staff weapon

1x21 - injured by ribbon device

Season 2

2x01 - knocked out and blinded by stun grenade, imprisoned, shot with staff weapon, presumed dead, revived in sarcophagus

2x02 - gun to head, shot with zat gun

2x03 - violently thrown through gate, choked, passed out

2x04 - taken by an alien devices and put into a coma, repeatedly forced to watch his parents die, tries to stop it but his parents perceive him as a child so they won’t listen to him, distressed and angry, held back, handcuffed, confined

2x05 - captured by Jaffa, chained, forced to kneel, manhandled, forced labor, limping, crushed under rockslide, healed by sarcophagus, addicted to sarcophagus, strapped to bed, extreme withdrawal, escapes infirmary and gets into a pretty violent fight with Jack, emotional breakdown

2x06 - surrenders

2x08 - emotional throughout, forced to kneel

2x13 - knocked out with dart, confined

2x17 - body swapped into old man, in hospital bed near death, emotional (the old man as Daniel gets handcuffed and confined)

2x19 - emotional, angry/vengeful

2x20 - gun point, hands on head kneeling, detained

2x21 - wakes up in kryo tube, caught trying to escape, threatened with becoming Ga’ould host

Season 3

3x01 - threatened (Hathor brings up when she r*ped him) gash on leg from staff weapon, kneeling, hands tied, threatend with zat gun, generally looks very tired this whole episode

3x02 - gun point, forced to kneel, brainwashed by Seth, thrown by ribbon device

3x04 - hallucinations which get worse until he is institutionalized, passes out, forced sedation, general manhandling

3x06 - bloody scrape on his cheek, surrounded by Jaffa, kneeling, shot with zat gun

3x07 - runs face first into force shield, forced to surrender, gun point for most of the episode

3x08 - struck by zat lightning, caged, shackled, chained and left as sacrifice to the Unas

3x09 - shot by stun gun, threatened with stun gun

3x10- tortured with ribbon device, emotional, nightmares

3x11 - emotional from the death of Shar’e

3x12 - captured, kneeling, imprisoned

3x13 - imprisoned, kneeling, slapped, punched, knocked to the ground, interrogated

3x14 - drugged, gun point

3x19 - zapped unconscious by force field, hands tied, kneeling, blood sample taken, caged, interrogated, tazed with staff weapon multiple times, manhandled, Jack and Sam tortured to get information out of Daniel

3x20 - surrenders to Jaffa as a ploy

3x21 - sent out of phase by crystal skull, not really whump but I love to see Daniel frustrated and helpless

3x22 - Michael Shanks had an appendectomy so Daniel had one too

Season 4

4x02 - gun point

4x03 - alien device stuck on his arm, passed out, weak, falls through gate

4x05 - hit in the face and knocked over

4x06 - knocked out and captured by unas, wrists tied for entire episode, pulled along by rope, dragged, knocked over, cut on cheek, threatened, lots of flinching

4x08 - memory loss

4x09 - gun point, zip tied to chair, interrogated

4x13 - manhandled, choked, thrown to the ground, tortured with ribbon device, extreme headache

4x14 - laying under a floating bomb trying to disarm it

4x16 - shot and killed by laser weapons in the future

4x17 - passes out, in a coma

4x18 - suicidal, Jack talks him off his balcony, coma, flatlines, Jack fireman carries him through the gate, headache,

4x21 - duplicate Daniel captured, hands tied, kneeling, manhandled, head shot off by staff weapon

Season 5

5x01 - gun point , imprisoned

5x04 - gun point and disarmed, shot with zat gun

5x07 - shot with zat gun, imprisoned, chained by ankle, electrocuted

5x09 - captured, thrown by ribbon device

5x13 - shot by zat multiple times

5x15 - undercover as Goa’uld slave, manhandled, kneeling

5x16 - undercover as Goa’ould slave, knife to throat, punched and knocked to the ground, grabbed by the throat and threatened with knife, thrown to the ground

5x19 - thrown into bookshelf, arm twisted/injured, thrown to the ground, kneeling, emotional, crying

5x20 - burned hands, slowing dying of radiation poisoning, jumps through glass windows, emotional, ascends

Season 7

7x01 - wakes up in a field naked and with no memories

7x02 - captured by Jaffa, tackled by Jonas to keep him from being shot

7x06 - passes out, wakes up with multiple people in his mind, collapses, medical restraints (belt with cuffs that attach to it), lots of emotions in this one, angry, terrified, sad, etc.

7x07 - kneeling, intimidated

7x10 - woken up with a staff weapon in his face

7x11 - almost drowns in a tunnel complex, captured by guerrillas, hands zip tied, blindfolded, manhandled, locked in a shed,

7x12 - manhandled, food and water deprivation, interrogated, tortured (off screen unfortunately), dragged, weak/unable to walk, zip tied to chair, punched in the face, bloody mouth and cheek, shot in the leg, slams into tree, limping, on crutches

7x15 - Osiris manipulating his dreams, tortured with ribbon device

7x17/18 - if you like emotional Daniel you’ll like this, one of the best war drama story lines of the entire show

7x19 - wakes up on the ground after being knocked out

7x21 - Jack grabs him and pushes him against a wall

Season 8

8x03 - shot in the arm, arm in sling, shot with zat gun

8x05 - arm in a sling and shrapnel cuts on his face, grabbed by the collar and threatened with gun

8x06 - shot in a simulation multiple times

8x07 - threatened with sniper fire, kidnapped, handcuffed, manhandled, interrogated, forced to give up information to save a friend, shot with zat gun

8x10 - shot by zat gun, punched in the face and knocked to the ground

8x12 - shot with zat gun, zip tied to chair, interrogated, slapped, shot in the shoulder, punched in the face several times, kicked in the stomach, kneed in the face, head butted

8x13 - disarmed, held at gun point, hit in the stomach, choked

8x14 - manhandled, detained by the Russians, blood sample taken

8x16 - captured by Replicarter, pinned to the wall, mind searched

8x17 - interrogated by Replicarter, stabbed through the chest, dies again lol

8x18 - accended and the sent back to earth

8x20 - alternate timeline Daniel knocked out by stun grenade, punched in the face, manhandled, forced to kneel, tortured with ribbon device, implanted with Goa’uld off screen, killed by T’ealc

Season 9

(a lot of whump gets moved to Cam this season)

9x01 - gets alien bracelet stuck on his wrist, passes out

9x02 - manhandled, held back

9x03 - thrown and held against a wall, manhandled, punched in the stomach, chained, almost burns to death

9x04 - passes out, handcuffed as part of a ruse

9x06 - collapses

9x10 - manhandled, knife held to throat

9x15 - imprisoned, manhandled

9x16 - captured, tied up, tortured mostly off screen, cuts on his face, almost shot (I greatly dislike this episode because the whump potential was great but the terrible writing ruins it with plot holes and time skips, boooo)

9x19 - ‘possessed’ by Vala using the Ancient communicator device

Season 10

10x01 - captured at gun point

10x02 - infected with a sleep inducing parasite

10x07 - captured by Jaffa, hands on head, choked by Adria, kneeling, mind searched

10x08 - gun point, talks Vala down

10x09 - shot by zat off screen, hands tied behind back, hostage

10x10 - threatened by Adria

10x11 - uses Ancient downloading device, head aches, weak (this is a nice long scene) falls to his knees after trying to fight Adria, non-con face touching, thrown to the ground, cuts and bruises on his face, uses Merlin’s powers to let the team get away and is captured by Adria

10x14 - turns up as a Prior, shot by zat, strapped to a chair, weak from use of powers

10x15 - shot at by assassin, held at gun point

10x16 - tazed, unconscious

10x19 - thrown across the room, trapped in a room with toxic coolant leak, falls to the floor

Stargate: The Ark of Truth

Captured by Ori soldiers, captured again, dragged by guards, thrown into cell, cuts on his face, mentally tortured by Ori priest, shaking in pain, so weak he can’t sit up, crying/begging while speaking with Morgan Le Faye, thrown against a wall, holding his arm in pain (this movie also has plenty of Cam Mitchell whump if you like that kind of thing)

[carebooks]

No one wants to admit the fact that yes, Team Black is right because A) She was named heir by the king and B) having a cock between your legs doesn’t make you a better ruler. it just makes people THINK you’re better.

So, everyone shifts around looking to blame this or that for Rhaenyra’s side or this or that for Aegon’s. And yet no one seems to remember that this whole thing started for one man trying to grab for more power:

Otto Hightower.

He was the one who influenced Rhaenyra be named heir to Viserys, not because he believed in her, but because he didn’t want Daemon on the throne. Daemon was someone he couldn’t control and someone who hated him, he would’ve been removed as Hand immediately. He figured Rhaenyra was the safer option, believing he could mold her and influence her just like he did Viserys.

Then, in 1x02 when seeing her show up for the dragon egg that Daemon stole, Otto saw that Rhaenyra was more alike her uncle than he thought. She couldn’t be controlled and that was a problem. Luckily, he had already been sending his daughter to the king as a backup. Which works when the king proclaims he will marry Alicent.

Once Alicent has had a son, he sees his way back in. Not only is that a new baby boy that the realm will flock to as their new king but this is also his grandson, his blood on the Iron Throne.

And when he sees his daughter choosing Rhaenyra’s side as he’s leaving in 1x05, he leaves her with one last piece of intelligent manipulation and fear, he frighteningly tells her that Rhaenyra will have to put Alicent’s children to the sword if she wants to uphold her claim. (Something we don’t know that she would do because we never got to see her on the throne without any usurping. 1x08 and 1x10 showed us that Rhaenyra is not impulsive, not when it comes to the realm. She is not bloodthirsty nor is she easily swayed, killing her own kin is not something she would do.)

Finally, when his grandson is crowned king and he now has to deal with a 20yo boy who doesn’t know the first thing about politics or ruling, the unthinkable happens and he’s removed as Hand. All that careful planning gone in a second because he overestimated what he was worth to a boy that was raised without love and placed in the highest seat of power in the realm.

So, yes, all of this is on Otto fucking Hightower.

The IRONY of it all is that Alicent’s children would’ve been fine. Aegon didn’t care about the throne, didn’t want it, he wanted to drink and fly Sunfyre. Aemond only coveted the throne because he was mad that he was the second born son and everyone went out of their way to put Aegon on it, someone who he and Aegon-himself agreed was ill-suited for it. And even Daemon wouldn’t have tried anything against them because he knew just how bad that would look for Rhaenyra, they didn’t need the title of kinslayers.

so yeah, in the end, men suck.

[theoverlookedoneedits1997]

Never Kill a Boy on the First Date Fashion Part One

Buffy’s ‘you’re history’ outfit: 8/10

I love the colours, I love the hair, I love the look. And if you say that leather pants aren't proper slaying attire, I say look at those high kicks! She's doing fine. I will, however, agree the the slit in the shirt is cute but not practical.

Giles’ ‘night watcher’ outfit: 6/10

He's so cute with his scarf all tucked in.

Buffy’s ‘Emily Dickinson’ outfit: 9/10

I love her in this shade of green and I wish she had worn it more. The black ribbon in her hair is super cute, but I kinda wish she had matched the ribbon to her boots or dress or something.

Willow’s ‘you vixen’ outfit: 6/10

This feels like it could use some variety in the colours. It's a bit too monotone for me. Especially with her hair blending right into it. She's so cute though! Look at her skipping!! <3

Cordelia’s ‘hip bump’ outfit: 6/10

I like the concept. I don't like the colour combo. If the pants were black or brown, or if the shirt was a different colour, I would like it much better.

[amuseoffyre]

Real Pirates

Got thinking last night about Stede and what was said to him in 2x06 and 2x07.

First off, let's look at the Ned Low stuff.

"You know, if you kill me, you are a real pirate. You're not an amateur anymore. See? That's why he likes you. It's because of your bumbling amateur status. You're like a pet, I think."

There's been a running thread of Stede not being a real pirate all the way from S1 - "I'm not a pirate, I'm an idiot" (1x01), "pirates, my arse" (1x02), "what the fuck is you supposed to be?" (1x03), "you will get to see how real pirates operate in the real world" (1x05), "not one of these store-bought kinds" (1x07), "it only applies to real pirates" (1x09).

Ned has fully pressed down on the big red trauma button that other characters have been hammering all the way through S1, that Stede has been trying to ignore, but here and now, he can't: Stede's biggest fear remains that he was not and never will be enough for Ed.

It's not the first time another pirate has compared Stede to a pet either: Izzy, Fang and Ivan all said the same back in 1x06. Whether Stede has put together the pieces about Doggy Heaven, I don't know, but once again, we're shown that here is someone who definitely doesn't understand what is happening between Stede and Ed.

As much as Stede tried to convince himself "I am adequate" (1x02), the fear is still there that he's never going to be sufficient. "I think your life is better without me" (2x01).

Despite Ned saying that Ed wants to keep him an amateur, he's hurt and he's angry and he's seen his crew and his lover put in harm's way, so Ned is never going to get off that ship alive.

But it's also very telling that the instant Stede kills him, he immediately flashes back to one of his biggest and most recurring childhood traumas: the day his father told him that killing was a man's work and that he would never amount to anything because he was a soft-handed weak-hearted lily-livered little richboy.

We see/hear it or have it alluded to in 1x01, 1x02, 1x04, 1x08, 1x09, 1x10, 2x03, 2x06.

Letting Ned Low live - and have the chance to come back for vengeance - was never a choice, but this is the point where Stede has crossed a line he had never crossed before. "Killing. Having to kill" (1x01) sent him into a panic spiral in episode 1 and I have no doubt that if we get/got S3, once the panic and chaos died down, it would have snuck up on him like all his other traumas.

But let's continue into 2x07, where Stede has had a night with the man he loves, knows he's kept him safe, and isn't thinking about that stuff. Only then people start praising him for it. This is the man who hasn't been praised for anything before. He's wanted approval and acceptance his whole life and finally, now, he's got it. "Bonnet's the fuckin' dude".

It overwhelms him completely, much the same way as the attention from the party-ship people gave Ed the dopamine hits and made him escalate his behaviour. Stede starts acting up, showing off and - most significantly - chooses to spend his time in the company of an older man in a blood-soaked leather apron who won't stop telling him how fantastic he is. Our man isn't just wearing his daddy issues on his sleeve, he's taking them out and buying them a drink while they give him their approval.

Which is why Ed's departure comes as such a shock for him. For the first time in his life, Stede is accepted and appreciated. Ed even encouraged him at first, but then Ed's own traumas surrounding the pirate world reared up their ugly head. "I don't wanna go back to the old days, drinking all the time or cutting a bloke's toe off and feeding it to him for a laugh" (1x09)

And it's not that they're at odds with each other is the thing. They're at odds with themselves. Ed is panic-spiralling because he sees Stede stepping so easily into the world that he has come to hate and wants to leave behind. But for Stede, it's not about being a pirate - it's about the acceptance and appreciation of who he is, because he's never actually had that before.

He's behaving in the ways that are getting him the approval he's never had in his life and moving further and further away from "I don't like drinking til I puke or throwing coconuts at peoples' heads". He's becoming the Calico Jack kind of pirate, getting roaring drunk and throwing things - fatally - at people because "then I said a cool thing and people laughed".

Only because they don't talk to each other in ways that they can each understand, Stede is left with the belief that maybe Ed did like him as an amateur and despite doing "a man's work" he is still not enough. Meanwhile Ed thinks Stede really wants this kind of life, when he knows Ed wants away from it, because he has no idea what Stede is getting from it all.

Our lads are both so tangled up in their own fears and anxieties that they don't stop to wonder why the other is acting the way they are. Stede logically knows Ed doesn't want to be a pirate, but can't see why his own behaviour would be upsetting to Ed. Ed is fully aware of who Stede is as a person, yet the fear of him becoming more like the pirates he grew up around is overwhelming because it's been his whole life for so long.

Their own fears are crashing up against each other, but neither of them ever want to talk it through. Stede hides behind politeness and neutrality instead of saying what he's feeling (although he has made big steps on this front in S2) while Ed is so used to masking his real wants and needs in hypotheticals and metaphors.

S3 was going to see all those things come to light. Ed had already made a start, sitting with himself, but there was still more to come. Stede's issues which had been bottled up and tucked away ("that's the worst thing you can do, Frenchie!" (1x01)) but the pressure was building and it was going to fizz out like an overshaken champagne bottle in the end.

OFMD - Childhood Trauma the TV show. aka how to write the impact of PTSD and cPTSD on people and the way it impacts their behaviour, modes of communication and the decisions they make.

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

“Last Temptation” because “only blood can bind”

“Only blood can bind.” This much has been established. But what are the true implications of this?

2x08 wasn’t the first time we saw Mairon expressing his desire for Galadriel binding herself to him, by blood. We saw this in 1x08, when he wanted her to be his queen, and save/heal Middle-earth alongside him:

“You bind me to the light, and I bind you to power.”

Blood Oaths/Binding

Be careful, Elf. The heir to this mark is heir to more than just nobility, for it was his ancestor who swore a blood oath to Morgoth. I am not the hero you seek.

Halbrand/Mairon warns Galadriel, 1x03

In this scene, repentant Mairon (“Halbrand”) is referring to himself as the “heir” of the King of the Southlands’ heraldry. But, as confirmed by 1x08, we know that the last heir to the throne of the Southlands died a thousand years ago. Mairon was talking about himself; he was the one who swore the blood oath to Morgoth.

This explains a lot about Morgoth and Sauron’s relationship, since we know that Sauron had several opportunities to renounce Morgoth and even came to resent him (in spite of his initial adoration of him) but, like Tolkien wrote: …[Sauron] fell back into evil, for the bonds that Morgoth laid upon him were very strong.

When Morgoth was defeated, it was as if a great, clenched fist had released its grasp from my neck. And in the stillness of that first sunrise, at last, I felt the light of The One again. And I knew if ever I was to be forgiven… That I had to heal everything that I had helped ruin.

Mairon reveals to Galadriel, 1x08

In “Rings of Power” it has been established that Sauron’s primary goal is to “heal Middle-earth” and rebuilt everything he helped destroy under Morgoth. He wants to erase every trace of his former master from Middle-earth. But he can’t, and he won’t.

A blood oath explains why Sauron had no hope in leaving, denouncing or escaping Morgoth, even when he wanted to; because, and in spite of his initial adoration, he came to resent Morgoth because of his desire for utter destruction and nihilism (the opposite of Sauron’s goals).

And Morgoth would not even pity his own Successor on several occasions; imprisoning him and torturing him beyond believe because of his failures on the War of Wrath. And Morgoth could do so with no worry of Sauron betray or forsake him because of his blood oath.

Due to his (initial) adoration of Morgoth, Sauron irreversibly bind himself, and became his most loyal and devoted servant. And even after his relief of Morgoth’s defeat, he fell back into evil.

“into the folly of imitating [Morgoth], endeavoring to become himself supreme Lord of Middle-earth.”

Morgoth’s Ring (Part Five: Myths Transformed)

In 1x05, we saw Waldreg (a Sauron loyalist) bind himself to Adar, in desperation, believing him to be Sauron. His oath was by blood. And so, his loyalty now belongs to Adar, and not to Sauron. In 2x01, Waldreg met Sauron, but believed him to be King Halbrand of the Southlands.

Waldreg: Come on, Your Majesty. Not even kings can go without food. Why don’t you open up? You tell old Waldreg everything you know about Sauron (…) Pain must be something you enjoy.

Sauron: After Lord-father releases me, I’m going to kill you.

Walbreg: Adar doesn’t even remember you’re here

Walbreg tortures Sauron, 2x01

At first, this interaction might look like Waldreg is still a Sauron loyalist, in searching for Sauron, with the purpose of betraying Adar and aligning himself with him, instead. But that’s not the case, at all. Because of his blood oath to Adar. Waldreg is, in facf, “fishing” for information in this scene, at Adar’s request. It’s no coincidence that we see Adar looking at the tent where Sauron/Halbrand is being held prisoner, and has Sauron himself tortured several times.

How can this apply to Galadriel and Sauron?

Sauron forced Galadriel to bind herself to him, so there is no consentual blood oath happening here. Galadriel didn’t choose this. Or did she? “Aren’t these the seeds you planted?”

We saw this tactic of reverse psychology on Sauron and Celebrimbor’s interactions in Season 2: “you chose this”; “look what you did to yourself”. Annatar is the “Lord of Gifts”, the “sharer of gifts”, but this gifts are always poisonous. And so, he gifts Galadriel, too.

Adar: Sooner or later he [Sauron] sees you… His eye bores a hole, and the rest of him slithers in. For a while he even lets you believe that his power is yours. Irresistible power… that makes every desire’s fulfillment seem inevitable. An ocean of color against which everything else feels forever thereafter…

Galadriel: A dull gray.

Adar and Galadriel talk about Sauron, 2x06

In 2x07, Galadriel revealed to Celebrimbor that she did wanted to accept Mairon’s offer in 1x08. She did wanted to be his queen. Because she fell in love with Halbrand (repentant Mairon).

Hence, Galadriel��s heart's true desire is Sauron himself, the “irresistible power” Adar talked about. Galadriel’s desire for power and her desire for Sauron are one of the same. Alike to Sauron’s desire for the light and redemption are embodied on his desire for Galadriel.

This is his gift to her, by forcing them to bind together. Irreversibly. And forever. He, most likely, transferred some of his powers to Galadriel in the process, too (his power is yours).

This leads to another subtext to this scene: Blood marriage ritual. When two people intermingled their blood in some way.

For reference: in recent media, this ritual is present in Season 1 of “House of the Dragon”, when Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen are married in traditional Valyrian Wedding ceremony; where their blood unites (meant to signify the continuation of the bloodline), and they pledge to each other that they are “one flesh, one heart, one soul, now and forever.”

Why is this a relevant comparison? Because in 2017, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos made public his desire of having his own version of “Game of Thrones”. And ever since, many have referred to “Rings of Power” as the materialization of this ambition. Not the mention the visual clues of two “blond/silver haired” characters performing kind of the same act.

Galadriel and Sauron being bound together (blood oath/binding) can actually provide an explanation for many canon events on Tolkien lore:

Galadriel never directly opposing Sauron, and working against him from afar;

Sauron only being able to invade/conquer Lothlórien if he went there, himself;

Sauron groping on Galadriel’s mind for thousands of years (until the One Ring is destroyed by Frodo);

Galadriel being able to perceive Sauron’s mind;

Galadriel (only) “passing the test” (being allowed to return to Valinor) by being able to resist the One Ring (Sauron himself) in the Third Age.

All of this provides a new context for Sauron and Galadriel’s scene at Season 2 finale. He wasn’t there to “tempt” her into joining him, anymore (like in Season 1 finale).

Sauron went up there to collect everything that “belongs” to him: Morgoth’s crown and sword, the Nine, Nenya and Galadriel herself.

And so Sauron played “cat and mouse” with Galadriel for a while, and taunted her about her rejection of repentant Mairon (how dare you say it wasn’t real? Didn’t I said I would have made you a queen?!). He still tries to have her surrender herself to him, freely, but to no avail (she goes full Bruce Lee on him and even cuts his face). And, only then, he forces them to bind together.

Hence the “last temptation”.

And, yes, the showrunners will dodge this question to avoid spoiling Season 3 (like they did with Haladriel back in Season 1, and are only now revealing the truth of it).

There will be no more “temptations” of Galadriel being Sauron’s queen because she’s already his, she belongs to him now.

A part of Sauron’s soul is inside of Galadriel, now, and vice-versa. A lot of fellow fans have already established that Sauron was looking down on Galadriel, after she jumped off the cliff, due to the camera work, so I don’t have anything to add there.

Now, this creates another question: what were Sauron’s intentions, afterwards?

And the fandom is divided between two options:

Sauron wanted Nenya to heal Galadriel;

Sauron wanted Nenya because the ring was stopping her from passing over to the Unseen world (Shadow world).

#1 Healing argument

I’ll say the strongest argument for this option can be found in Celebrimbor’s death scene. When he isn’t afraid of physically dying because he’ll finally be out of Sauron’s reach:

For soon I shall go to the shores of the morning. Borne hence, by a wind that you can never follow.

Celebrimbor taunts Sauron, 2x08

Elves are immortal spirits, and when their physical forms gets destroyed (killed), their spirits go to the Halls of Mandos for a time and they are, later, re-embodied and dwell on the Undying Lands of Valinor. This is what will happen to Celebrimbor. And Sauron can’t follow him there. Not without facing the judgement and punishment from the Valar due to his past crimes under Morgoth.

Did Sauron want to heal Galadriel with Nenya because he knew that, if she physically died, her immortal spirit would be out of his reach? And he wanted to heal her to prevent this from happening? Otherwise, he would lose her forever?

Or: did Galadriel jump off the cliff because her plan was the same as Celebrimbor’s? Physically die, to escape spiritually bind with Sauron?

There is one major flaw in this theory (Sauron wanting to heal Galadriel): Galadriel’s immortal spirit wasn’t passing over to the Halls of Mandos, but to the Unseen world, due to the Dark magic on Morgoth’s crown. Her immortal spirit was, pretty much, within Sauron’s grasp.

Why would Sauron ever want to heal Galadriel, in the first place? Sauron and Galadriel are both immortal spirits, up and foremost; the fandom can’t think of them as something physical.

Sauron isn’t bound to his physical form, and, like all angelic beings on Tolkien lore, he can go in and out of the Unseen World, whenever he wants to. And this (controlling the Unseen world) was the power he has been seeking to master ever since Morgoth’s defeat, and was materialized with the “rings of power” project.

#2 Sauron’s Dark Sorcery

When we first heard of Sauron in 1x01, he’s described to the audience as a cruel and cunning sorcerer, by Galadriel herself.

Sauron is a master in both Ainur magic (Maiar) and Dark magic (witchcraft). He knows how to manipulate the corruption Morgoth left in Arda (world). He’s also a Necromancer, with power over the spirits of the dead, like we saw on Season 2 (in 2x04), and his threat to Celebrimbor at the finale:

But the power Sauron has been desperately seeking is to master/control the Unseen World:

These Orcs were meddling with the powers of the Unseen World. Some dark sorcery of old. […] Even stone cannot hide the mark of one whose very hand is flame unquenched. He was here. Sauron was here.

Galadriel arrives at Forodwaith, 1x01

In 1x06, Adar himself confirms this to Galadriel, after he’s taken prisoner:

After Morgoth’s defeat, the one you call Sauron devoted himself to healing Middle-earth–bringing its ruined lands together in perfect order. He sought to craft a power not of the flesh, but o’er the flesh. The power of the unseen world. He bid as many as he could follow him far north, but try as he might, something was missing. The shadow of dark knowledge that kept itself hidden, even from him, no matter how much blood he spilled in its pursuit. For my part, I sacrificed enough of my children for his aspirations. I split him open. I killed Sauron.

Adar reveals to Galadriel that he killed Sauron, 1x06

What is the Unseen World?

The Unseen World is the realm of spiritual beings like the Valar and the Maiar, and where Wraiths exist. This is Sauron’s true realm.

In The Silmarillion, Tolkien describes: “the Valar may walk, if they will, unclad, and then even the Elves cannot perceive them, though they be present.” In short, the Unseen world is the home to spirit beings, and can’t be easily accessed by those from the Seen world (Elves, Dwarves and Men). This is the realm Frodo enters when he puts on the One Ring in “The Lord of the Rings”.

This means that if one is not from the Unseen world, some sort of magic is needed to interact with it (rings of power). Example; when Frodo was on the Unseen world, he was visible to all spiritual beings there, and was able to see the true forms of those who exist in both Seen and Unseen at the same time.

And this is exactly what happened to Mirdania in 2x04, when she wore one of the Nine rings of power, and saw Sauron’s true form:

I was in a place like this, but shrouded in mist and darkness, and I saw-- I at first thought it was the forge burning, but it wasn't...It was tall and its skin was made of flames, it came towards me, breathing, reeking of death. And I saw-- I I saw its eyes pitiless and eternal. I think it's been here I think it's been here among us all along..

In 2x04, we see Sauron achieving the goal he has been seeking for thousands of years; he controlled the Unseen World, at last.

Some who behold the Unseen World are never quite at home in this one again... In its light, things appear as they truly are: beings of different shades of light and darkness."

Sauron/Annatar tells Mirdania, 2x04

And, curiously enough, this is the scene where Sauron talks about Galadriel and how Mirdania seems like her “perfect likeness”. Could this be foreshadowing that the idea of bringing Galadriel into the Unseen World has been cooking inside of Sauron’s mind? Or can this scene mark its beginning?

The Nazgûl

The future Nine ring-bearers (“mortal men doomed to die”) will become Wraiths (or Ringwraiths) enslaved by Sauron, and his most feared servants. But this wasn’t immediate; the longer the Nine men wear their Rings of Power the more they "fade." Their Rings don't make them immediately invisible, but they nonetheless shift them further and further into the Unseen until they exist almost entirely in it as wraiths who are all but invisible in the Seen World.

The Nazgûl, now spirits, belong to the Unseen World. They can take physical forms like their master to cross the boundary between the Seen and Unseen World. However, even when they cross over, they can’t enjoy physical pleasures as they did in life. Just as Frodo’s interaction with the Unseen World is limited, so is theirs.

This transformation and enslavement to the Unseen World makes it easier for Sauron to dominate their minds and turn them into the nine Nazgûl that eventually hunt Frodo and the Fellowship during the “War of the Ring” in the Third Age.

In 2x06, we see Sauron/Annatar cutting his hand and performing blood magic: in 2x07, we discover he gave this blood to Celebrimbor to mix into the alloy of the Nine rings of power: and in the darkness bind them.

When Sauron stabs Galadriel, his blood (infused in Morgoth’s crown) unites with hers in the moment, and they are bound. So it’s a more stronger binding than Sauron and the Nazgûl.

What do we know of Morgoth’s crown?

In Tolkien lore, this crown was forged during the First Age by Morgoth himself to hold the three Silmarils, and he rarely took it off. The Iron Crown became a symbol of both Morgoth's power and his desires, as the Silmarils remained coveted by men, elves, dwarves, and Valar across Middle-earth.

“Rings of Power” deviated from Tolkien lore and had Morgoth’s iron crown survive his imprisonment to the Void, and Sauron reforging it to fit himself. Adar then uses its power to destroy Sauron’s physical form. Hence, there is a true Dark power at play here. Which means, it was Nenya’s power who was preventing Galadriel from physically dying due to her wound.

The question remains: what was Sauron’s intention in bringing Galadriel into the Unseen world?

To enslave Galadriel and turn her into a servant of his? This seems rather unnecessary, since they are already bound together (blood binding), and so, Galadriel can’t act directly against him, nor him against her, in return.

I’m inclined to believe Sauron’s intentions could parallel the Hades/Persephone myth. With Sauron/Hades bringing Galadriel/Persephone into his own realm (Unseen world/Underworld).

Hence completing the Morgoth/Silmarils and Sauron/Galadriel symbolism: Morgoth stole the Silmarils, and Sauron wanted to steal/kidnap Galadriel, too, and take her to his home realm (Unseen world), the realm he now controls and no one would access to take her away from him.

I think this fits better to where Sauron is at his character arc in Season 2, and what we’ve seen unfold during the season, than him wanting to make a slave out of her, now (he might want this later on, but not right now).

[vivitalks]

man. derek is such an interesting character in season 1, especially when you can look at him through the lens of having seen the whole show, because he's like an unreliable narrator for scott, even though he's not a narrator for the show.

the thing is, derek in season 1 is the primary vehicle for werewolf lore. as new viewers, we're reliant on his character to explain to us the rules and conceits of the genre, but once you've seen the whole show, that role is no longer necessary. but for scott, in season 1, derek is the sole source of werewolf intel. derek is werewolf jesus. which means that everything scott initially learns about being a werewolf is filtered through the Derek Hale Trauma Matrix, and neither of them know it.

for example: in 1x05, derek tells scott that pain is what keeps you human (which is a mantra that gets repeated and referenced a ton over the course of the rest of the show). scott has been a werewolf for all of five seconds, and has no choice but to take the word of this obviously much more knowledgeable werewolf. in that way, derek operates as a kind of narrator for scott, giving him information and context he couldn't really get any other way. but it's unreliable info. don't get me wrong - derek isn't trying to be an unreliable narrator; he's not aware of how much his life experience has colored his understanding of his own species. it's just that...well...derek is a twenty-something with the kind of trauma that eats other trauma for breakfast. of course he would say that pain is what keeps you human. at this point in the show, pain is all he has.

this is the same guy who, in the next episode, says this:

DEREK: You getting angry? That's your first lesson. You want to learn how to control this, how to shift-- you do it through anger, by tapping into a primal animal rage, and you can't do that with her around. SCOTT: [defensively] I can get angry. DEREK: Not angry enough. This is the only way that I can teach you.

except we know, and scott quickly learns (in that very same episode, in fact), that this isn't true. anger doesn't work for everyone, and it doesn't work for scott, who's not an angry person. the things that work for derek won't work for all werewolves - but how would derek know that? he's never had to teach someone to be a werewolf before. he's not actually werewolf jesus.

to scott, derek is the only trustworthy source of information on being a werewolf, because he's the only werewolf scott knows. and from derek's perspective, everything he knows about being a werewolf must be true, because it's true for him. derek is the narrator, and it's only as his backstory unfolds that the viewers, and scott, learn just how much his history and trauma have obscured the reality of things, even for derek himself.

pain is not what makes you human. it's what makes derek human. because the moments in derek's life that stand out to him most are all tinged with tragedy. mercy killing his high school girlfriend. losing his entire family in a house fire. the death of his sister. for derek, to be human is to be in pain, and to be angry about that is the only way to be in control. after all, he doesn't have anyone teaching him otherwise.

[i-believe-in-melinda-may]

Thoughts on 1x05

Okay, so i am going to have to watch it a couple more times, and i will put this under a spoiler tag and put a spoiler tag on anything i post/repost for the next 24 hours or so; but here are my intial thoughts:

Rio defending Agatha against the others was good i really appreciated it, and i loved it.

the looks Rio and Agatha exchanged when they were doing their broom thing was amazing, as was the way Agatha looked at Rio when they were flying

of course Rio was the first one who realized what trial it was

'Agatha's mother can't have her' ouch.

It was so sad to hear Agatha's mother talk to her.

"Sweetheart, you okay?" - just yes.

Rio's over the top laugh when Death was mentioned was amazing. as was the 'i hate ghosts'

When possessed the fact that Agatha went straight for Teen was interesting, but makes sense considering what came after

So Teen is Billy, not surprised there, even if i was hoping he was still Nicholas even though that hope was pretty much destroyed after last ep.

I am interested to know when Agatha realized.

The way Rio looked at Agatha as Agatha ran up the stairs, i'm not sure if it was a Rio was worried about her or Rio knew that Agatha didn't want to watch what Rio was about to do.

Of course Rio wasn't in the end she was busy with Alice, which makes me think that Rio is going to be the key in saving Jen, Agatha, and Lila from what Billy just did. (Also did Agatha just imply that Billy killed Sharon? or am i overthinking it)

I'm really starting to think that there might be more to Jen, like she is always antagonizing Agatha, and trying to get the others to turn against her... plus she was the one who mentioned Myphisto

Now to the most painful two things, It was Nicholas's name that got Agatha to stop and she heard him telling her to stop... .ouch, ouch, ouch.... now i have to wonder did Rio hear him too? is that what the look was about.

Alice... poor Alice, i really liked her.

I'm sure i will have more thoughts as i watch this ep again, but this is it for now. Can't wait until next week, I just wish this ep was a little longer.