#her emmy episode if she ever had the chance for one

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Sabrina Carpenter in “Girl Meets The Forgiveness Project”

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Oprah Winfrey Interview

Word Count: 7k

Category: angst, fluff

Warning: Mentions of parental abuse, mentions of physical and emotional abuse, brief mentions of drug use.

Summary: As one of the most famous actresses in the world, fans watch Y/N Y/L/N-Evans’ tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey which Chris joins.

Planet Evans Masterlist

..

Fans all over the world never expected it.

While everyone knew your name from the youngest age to the oldest from all across the globe, it was a rare sighting for you to be seen in an interview and people gathered as much with all their favorite A-list celebrities being lowkey about that sort of media and marketing. Instead, they usually basked in all the content they could get from press junkets from your movies or the very few premieres you attended, or the big, prestigious award shows you went to–and none was the case for the longest time after you had hit the 4th month mark on your pregnancy, and all the way until you had your baby, River.

So when an hour-long episode from Oprah dropped where you gave a tell-all, and with Chris, people freaked out before even watching it.

Sure, seeing you in interviews was rare, but seeing you and Chris in the same interview? That had never been done before except for your Actors on Actors one. 

Even though Chris always loved to praise you and tell some cute, funny stories about you that always started with “my wife”, you were still a very private couple whose smallest interaction on social media or the blurriest pap photo sent the world into a frenzy.

It was especially exciting that the episode was aired after you had given birth to your first baby, River, and while fans wondered if they would ever see his face, they knew that the chances were slim.

“And the Oscar goes to Y/N Y/L/N!” The episode began with the 2011 Oscars, showing a clip of a younger you, tearful eyes looking up in shock as everyone around you stood up with applause.

“The Oscar for best actress goes to,” pause, “Y/N Y/L/N!” Again, with a reverbed sound and another clip of you again, eyes closed with a smile and a hand to your heart as again, everyone was on their feet with applause.

“This year’s Oscar goes to,” a beat, “Y/N Y/L/N for Promising Young Woman!” But that time, you were shown as you smiled and stood up, instantly turning as your husband, Chris, pressed his lips to yours while your hands cupped his cheeks.

“And I tell them, Y/N Y/L/N is the youngest and highest-paid actress in the world right now, she’s unstoppable,” a voice said over a clip of you at 15 years old, smiling as you stood on a red carpet.

“She’s an enigma,” another said, “She’s truly this generation’s icon,” was said over another clip of you at 

“This kid does a little bit of everything. She’s going to be the biggest actress in the world and I just know it.”

“Y/N Y/L/N’s dad came forward with some serious accusations,” a host’s voice was heard as it showed paparazzi pictures of your head hidden in Chris’s chest, and although your face wasn’t shown, it was obvious that you were crying, especially from Chris’s hold on you and deep frown on his face.

“Who is Y/N Y/L/N’s father and why do we not know much about him?”

A clip of you at Emmy’s was then shown, holding the award in your hand, “This is to all the women in my family line. I’m right here because of you. I’m right here for you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

The screen faded into black before it showed Oprah standing, vast greenery behind and around her as she stood by a chair in yours and Chris’s farmhouse’s garden.

A smile was on her face as she had her arms opened, looking to the side before you came in view.

Your hair was naturally down, the front of it loosely held by a tiny hair clip at the back. Clad in a short-sleeved, brown, soft shirt that was tucked into beige pants where a black belt shone with its gold buckle and black Gucci mules on your feet.

“You look so beautiful,” Oprah said as you hugged.

“You do,” you said, softly rubbing her back before pulling away, a smile on your face, “It’s been so long.”

“Too long,” she said, “What? 8 years?”

“Right?” You chuckled a little with a shake of your head, leaning forward to give her a hug again.

“Thank you for doing this with me,” Oprah said.

You adjusted your gold herringbone necklace around your neck that Chris had gotten you years ago before you motioned towards the comfortable chair for Oprah, before you sat on the couch.

“I know you normally don’t do interviews,” she said.

You chuckled with a slight nod, “Yeah, yeah, it’s been long. There’s the occasional talks with Jimmy Fallon.”

“He makes everyone feel comfortable, doesn’t he?”

“Jimmy is incredible,” you nodded, “Never has any pressuring questions, never puts you in the spot, he’s just—he’s very humane,” you put a hand to your heart.

“He truly is,” Oprah agreed, “I’m flattered that you trust me with this, Y/N,” she said, “You trust me with your story, your house—your house is so beautiful,” she enunciated, “Is it all your doing?”

You shook your head, “No, Chris and I were both so involved. It’s ours,” you laughed lightly, “There’s him in every corner, there’s me in every corner. It’s just so us.”

“This is where you come for solitude?”

You nodded, “This is where we feel like—like everything’s okay, or will be. It’s quiet, it’s like a breather. It was actually especially useful during quarantine.”

“You had your quarantine here?”

You nodded, “We stayed in Boston for some time but then decided to come out here for a while then ended up staying months,” you said, “It’s when we grew most of our fruits and vegetables,” you beamed.

“You-That’s amazing,” Oprah mused, “What fruits and vegetables have you managed to grow? Because they can be quite the hassle these things. It’s not all easy.”

“We grew bell peppers first then blueberries, tomatoes, strawberries, tangerines, lettuce, radishes,” you listed, “A lot of things-we grew a lot of things,” you laughed.

“That’s such an amazing hobby. It’s a healthy hobby,” she pointed with a small laugh, “Oh my God,” she put a hand to her head before moving it to her heart, “God, I’m so sorry, how could I not start by congratulating you on your baby?”

You laughed shyly, “No, you’re good.”

“I’m so sorry,” she repeated, her motherly eyes staring at you, “River.”

“River,” you repeated with a nod and a soft smile.

“That’s such a beautiful name. River Jude Evans, is it?”

You nodded, “Yeah, yeah, right.”

“Of course I have to ask about the story. A lot of people have been saying you named him after the late-the incredible, River Jude Phoenix. Did you, really?”

You nodded, “Yeah,” you confirmed, “Chris and I are all about nature. So we knew we wanted a name that impersonated that, that gave life to our connection like that because we knew that our baby is just-that’s the product of so many years of love, of similarities, and-just, the flowing of our relationship,” you said, “So we were talking one night, we were coming up with names and coincidentally Stand By Me was playing, the movie,” you smiled, recalling the memory, “So we were talking, choosing, excluding, then it was during that part where Gordie was asking Chris in the movie if he was weird,”

“Chris was River Phoenix,” Oprah smiled.

“Chris was River Phoenix,” you pointed with a nod, “And he was like ‘yeah, you’re weird. Everyone’s weird’ and my husband and I were just giggling and smiling at that part because it’s one of our favorites,” you said, “Then it just,” you snapped your fingers, “Clicked. Suddenly naming our baby River really clicked because I have had this indescribable connection to River Phoenix ever since I was just a kid,” you pointed at yourself, “My mom absolutely adored him, to the point where you’d think he was my brother and it was-it was especially heartbreaking when he passed. So in a way, I felt like-we felt like we wanted to do this for him and for us,” you smiled slightly, “So we met up with Joaquin and we told him about it and it was-it was such an emotional day.”

“I love that you decided to take Joaquin’s consent,” Oprah said, “That you thought about him before making the decision.”

You nodded, “It was important to us. He was very supportive of it, and he was-he’s been very lovely with River.”

“They met?”

“He met River, yeah,” you nodded, “Just recently actually. He’s an extraordinary man.”

Oprah nodded, a smile on her face as she listened to you talk, “How did your mother take the news?”

“The pregnancy?”

“And the name choice.”

“Oh Gosh, my mom was a wreck,” you laughed, “She still is. She can’t believe she’s a grandma.”

“Can imagine. It’s a big feeling.”

“It is, it is. She’s just-she was so emotional. I think-I think having a grandson was something her mind didn’t allow her to even think about.”

“Why’s that?”

You sucked in a breath, “In a way, it feels like-like someone shaking your shoulders. Or it’s like someone telling you that this is now your reality. This is your life. Your daughter found love, she built a home, she’s having a family, and that’s all because you made it out of a tiresome, and an absolutely dark place.”

Oprah nodded, her pointer against her temple.

“My mom has her moments of surprise still because she endured so much,” you said, “And I think that it’s not just River that is now a reminder that she endured so much for me to reach that part of my life, but I think it’s Chris too.”

Oprah hummed, eyes soft, “Seeing you in love, with your own family.”

You nodded, “Exactly.”

“How was that like? How was life like back then for her? For you with your father?”

You took a breath in, looking up for less than a second, “It was rough,” you muttered, “I remember the first time I realized that the relationship I saw as a kid, back at home, wasn’t normal was in school. I think I was six years old,” you frowned, “And I mentioned something in front of a teacher about how it was normal for dads to hit their wives and daughters because to me, that was normal. That was the usual. I didn’t know that you shouldn’t fear your fathers like that, that-that the relationship you have with your dad shouldn’t be built on whether or not you’re going to get pushed,” you said, “But I grew up hearing my mom cry out more than, maybe sing and that-I thought that was normal.”

“Was he both physically and emotionally abusive?”

“And everything in between,” you said, “In my entire life, I’ve only really talked about it all twice. Once with a therapist when I was, maybe twelve years old and then another to Chris. It’s hard to think about sometimes so I just-the words get stuck. I’ve seen-I’ve seen things I wish can erase, heard things I wish I never did.”

Oprah nodded sympathetically, “Was it always like that?”

“In a way, yes. Um, it was scary at first because they loved each other at first. He was Mom’s neighbor, she fell for that-that bad boy next-door neighbor then they got married. It wasn’t always physical but it got physical when he first cheated on her,” you told, “And my mom was pregnant with me at the time and they had moved away from the city. She was-she was so in love with him, had the whole ‘I can fix him’ mindset and decided to stay because she wanted me to have a present father in my life. She felt like if she left, she’d be the reason behind me not having a normal home,” you said, “So it got physical with pushing, shoving, but it didn’t escalate until I was maybe one year old, or two. And that’s-that was beside the things she had to listen to, the shouting, everything.”

The screen changed to a picture of you and your Mom from when you were four years old, sitting on her lap as you grinned to the camera as she sat on grass, soft eyes looking at you with a smile.

“What about your family? Did she not tell anyone?”

The screen then went back to you and Oprah.

You shook your head, “He didn’t allow my Mom to see her family.”

“Oh my God.”

You nodded, “And we were away from them so it wasn’t the easiest when it came to visits but she was so scared when they did that they thought it was her who wanted to cut ties with them and they were so heartbroken,” you said, “They tried to help a few times. Ask if he had anything to do with it but my Mom just denied every time.”

Oprah nodded, “She had no one.”

“No one,” you nodded, “He made her feel so small, so-so weak. I always get so defensive and just-so angry and emotional when there’s a conversation about a toxic relationship, or an abusive relationship and someone’s like “Well, why can’t she just leave?”” You said, “Because it’s never that easy.”

The screen changed to wedding picture of your Mom and Dad, her in a dress with a happy smile while he smirked, his hands on her waist as she held on to her bouquet of flowers.

“So many layers.”

It then changed back to you.

You nodded, “You hold on to things that aren’t there and your self-esteem is nonexistent. He made her feel like she wouldn’t survive a day without him.”

“But she did,” Oprah smiled softly, leaning forward to rest her hand on yours.

You nodded, a small smile on your face.

“When did it stop? When did she decide that enough was enough?”

“I was about eight years old and I started getting into theatre,” you said, “My Mom used to help sneak me out and to the theatre, come up with lies and excuses because he never wanted me-he never wanted anybody to do something that he didn’t like. I had this theatre instructor, Mrs. Lowe, that became friends with my Mom and she was her only friend. At some point, she knew about how things were at home and she tried convincing my Mom that she’d call the cops for her and all but my Mom was scared,” you moved your hand as you talked, looking at Oprah, “So there was this opportunity to play Annie in New York and Mrs. Lowe was travelling there because she got an opportunity there. She reached out to my Mom and-to this day, I don’t know how she managed to convince her but the next thing I know is that my clothes and my Mom’s clothes are in a duffel bag and we’re travelling with Mrs. Lowe.”

“Without telling him.”

“Without telling him,” you confirmed, “We just-we ran away. Mom had no contact with anyone from our family for so long, but she knew he was going crazy. I remember that-if I wasn’t waking up to the sound of her screaming from a nightmare, it was her waking me up because I had a nightmare,” you said, “I got the role as Annie and stayed with Mrs. Lowe for a year before my Mom got to afford this one-bedroom apartment, then the theatre decided to extend the broadway for two more years and they offered to pay for my education at this public school where some of the theatre kids went.”

The screen showed a picture of you as a kid on stage, mid-singing in your Annie costume before it changed to another one of you standing in line with a lot of other kids and people, the picture zooming to your beaming, childish face.

“And what about food? Clothes? Everyday necessities?”

“I got very little pay, but my Mom would still try to save up from it for my college and she gave me the rest to spend because she wanted me to be responsible with the money, so she always monitored that.”

It then went back to you.

“What did you end up getting with your money?”

“It wasn’t much, I always ended up getting us canned soup and crackers, really,” you chuckled, “Clothes were Mom’s doing. She learned to knit and sew, so my entire wardrobe was just all her doing.”

“God, Y/N,” Oprah breathed out, “When did she reach out to your family?”

“Right after I finished Annie in nineteen ninety-nine. She sent them a letter with Mrs. Lowe because she was going back to work on some papers, but she was terrified of going back with her,” you said, “At that point my Dad went all out. They rescued him a few times from overdosing, he lost all his money to drinking and drugs, all of which he had already began doing when I was two years old, but it just-it got worse. But my grandparents flew out to New York after Mrs. Lowe gave them the letter and they helped us out a lot.”

“Your Grandpa was there?”

You nodded, a small smile on your face, “Gramps was there, he was alive. My Grandma says it’s the heartbreak of what my Mom and I went through that just-because it was only six months after we reconnected that he-that he passed away.”

Oprah hummed, eyebrows furrowed, “And did it get better after that? Were your conditions better?”

“We got by,” you said, “It wasn’t until I was about twelve years old that my Mom didn’t really skip meals because she used to do that all the time–just to make sure we had enough food. But she works as a vet and it took her some time to be on her own and everything, but before that she had two jobs as an assistant nurse and would usually make these pretty dresses and sell them for kids,” you smiled slightly.

“Was it you that took your family to another place? Did you feel like you needed to act to get the money?”

“No,” you shook your head, “I never really thought much about where I’ll get with acting. I mean, I just knew I liked doing it and my Mom was always proud of the fact that I had that getaway with theatre, but she was very nervous and just–she wasn’t entirely okay with me pursuing acting because she knew the amount of pressure that is put on you, especially when you’re a child actor.”

“But was she supportive of it when you got your first role? It was for Spy Kids, wasn’t it?”

You nodded, “It was, yeah, and Mom was very supportive, just very protective and I think–I’m very thankful for her because whenever it felt like too much, she’d always pull me aside and just tell me that I can just leave if I want to and that nothing and no one is forcing me to do it. She’s always been laser-focused on my comfort.”

“Your Mom is a hero.”

“She is,” you sighed, “She really is.”

“How did you feel when she remarried? You were still young when she met your stepdad, right?”

“I was eighteen when they met, nineteen when they got married,” you nodded, “And–I felt scared for some time because I knew well what my Mom went through, and a huge part of me thought that nobody deserved her. She’s just–Like, she’s just too good for anyone, but Pops was–he’s an incredible man.”

The screen changed to a picture of you and your stepdad, Marshall, when you were older, looking twenty, as he was sitting on a bench, you standing behind him with your arms around his shoulder and head beside his while his hands held on to your arms as you grinned while he laughed.

“You call him Pops,” Oprah noted with a smile.

“He’s the closest I got to an actual father,” you said before the screen went back to you, “I called him by his name, Marshall, for some time then I remember one day–I think it was about two or three years later, I just called him Pops and it just–it stuck with us, with me,” you pointed at yourself, “Because it made so much sense.”

“How did that make him feel?”

“God,” you chuckled, looking up in thought, feeling your eyes grow tearful, “He cried like crazy,” you said, “We were all crying, really.”

Oprah’s soft smile was on her face, “Why did you never call him Dad? Why Pops?”

“I didn’t–I don’t have pleasant memories attached to the term,” you said, “It’s not like I can’t say it, or that I don’t want my kids calling Chris ‘Dad’, but I couldn’t use it myself. In some way, it felt like–Like, you know what? Let’s start over. You don’t need to be my Dad because I know how that one is like, you’re going to be my father but I’ll just call you Pops.”

Oprah hummed, “Was your family welcoming to Chris?” She asked, “I can imagine with a protective mom and father, and given the background, I just–I can’t imagine it was easy.”

“They were welcoming,” you nodded, “But they were so intimidating,” you chuckled slightly, “Chris didn’t meet my family right away. I think he met them like five or six months into the relationship and everyone was polite, they were friendly, but my Mom was just sitting there observing him, looking for the red flags,” you laughed, “And Pops was trying so hard to look all tough and scary, and–God, even my little sister, Madelyn, she was maybe seven years old or six, and she just interrogated him,” you laughed.

“Seven!”

The screen changed to a picture of you and your little half-sister, Madelyn, from when she was only a newborn as you cradled her in your arms when you were twenty-one years old before it changed to another recent picture as she stood in her swimming attire, a gold medal around her neck as you kissed her cheek before it went back to you.

You nodded, “Chris was sitting on the couch back home and she was in this big chair and she was just like “What are your intentions with my sister?””

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m not,” you laughed, “And I remember later that night, Chris was telling me about how it was Maddie he was worried from. It took her some time to warm up to him.”

“You’re like a family of protective women,” Oprah said, “It’s passed down.”

“Oh definitely,” you nodded, “We’re very protective of one another, of our family.”

“But I think Chris has that reputation about him, too, doesn’t he? That he’s so protective over you, especially when you were pregnant?”

A picture of you and Chris was then shown from years ago, your head to his chest as hugged him while his lips were on your head, eyes closed as he held onto you, before another picture from the Los Angeles premiere of The Gray Man was shown; you were both standing on the carpet, his hand on your big bump as he smiled at you while you smiled for the cameras.

The screen then changed to you. 

“Oh, definitely. Definitely,” you nodded, “He’s overprotective and he was–he watched over me like a hawk during the pregnancy,” you chuckled, “But he was just so nervous and he’s–he’s quite the worrier, really. I did snap at him for it a few times too much, but I knew it only stemmed from a good place because–Chris has the biggest heart ever, he’s just constantly looking out for those around him.”

“You know it gave people some headlines,” Oprah said, looking at her iPad, “Chris Evans can’t trust wife Y/N Y/L/N with the baby,” she read, “Chris Evans attacked for constraining actress and wife Y/N Y/L/N.”

“We always think it’s funny when people get offended on our behalf,” you said, “You have a new father who’s actually just very attentive, very worried like all new dads, and you think he’s limiting me,” you shook your head, “It has nothing to do with trust. I know I trust Chris with my life and I know he does so, too,” you pointed at yourself.

“So you know about the articles?”

“We do, yeah,” you nodded, “There have always been questionable articles. At the end of the day, we just decide to move on and do what suits us best.”

“I’m proud of you,” Oprah said, “Well, we’ll go on a break then Chris will be joining us after.”

It wasn’t long before the interview was back on, Chris sitting beside you on the couch, the three of you having fresh pomegranate juice.

“I’ll just begin by saying this is the best juice I have ever had in my entire life,” she said as she pointed at the glass, “You made that?” She asked you.

You nodded, “It’s mostly the pomegranate that’s good. We take pride in it,” you put a hand on Chris’s arm.

“Organic and homemade,” he boasted before laughing.

Oprah hummed in contentment as she took a sip, “Sooo,” she dragged, looking at Chris, “Thanks for joining us.”

Chris smiled, “Thanks for having me,” he said, rubbing his hands on his thighs before sitting comfortably.

“You’ve been watching us from the side,” Oprah said.

Chris chuckled, nodding, “Yeah, yeah just lurking a bit.”

“First of all, congratulations,” Oprah beamed, “On the newest addition to your family. Y/N was telling me all about naming River earlier.”

“Yeah, thank you, thank you,” Chris smiled as he glanced at you, “Let’s hope he stays asleep for some time,” he joked, looking at the baby monitor on the table. 

“How did you feel knowing that your baby is a boy? How was that like when you were looking at the ultrasound?” 

“We actually decided to wait. We didn’t know he was a boy until Y/N was in labor,” Chris said, “To be honest, it felt–I don’t know, I mean, I still would’ve cried the same if we had a girl because it just didn’t matter to me. All I was asking for was a healthy baby, and a painless delivery for Y/N which wasn’t–it wasn’t exactly the case,” they all chuckled slightly, “And yeah–yeah, I was just so overwhelmed.”

“Did-Oh! Your dog is here,” Oprah clapped as Dodger appeared, instantly going to your side, “Dodger?”

“Yeah,” Chris beamed, “Hey, hey, buddy,” he excitedly exclaimed to his dog, reaching over to scratch his head while you petted his back.

“Doesn’t like missing out on anything,” you joked.

“You have a cat, too, don’t you?”

“Yeah, Pam,” you said.

“Queen Pam,” Chris said sarcastically.

“Stop that,” you laughed.

“Chris, are you a classic cat hater?” Oprah asked.

“No, I don’t hate cats, it’s just that Pam hates me. She absolutely despises me,” he said.

“So not true,” you shook your head with a smirk.

“It is,” Chris nodded. 

“Uh oh, rivalry,” Oprah joked.

“Oh, absolutely. Absolutely,” Chris nodded again.

“You know, Y/N and I were just talking about her family welcoming you in their life and she was telling me about that interrogation her sister–Madelyn gave you.”

“Oh yeah,” Chris laughed, nodding, “I was already so scared. Just so nervous, but nothing could’ve prepared me for the fact that out of her mom and Marsh, it was Maddie that I needed to worry about.”

The three of you laughed, your eyes on your husband with a smile on your face as he then talked.

“No, but really, I think–I’ve always admired how protective Y/N’s family is of her because I realize where that stems from. I know how things were like and you can never really blame them for it.”

“Did your past with your biological father,” Oprah began, looking at you, “Did that affect the both of you? Did it affect your relationship?”

“Oh for sure, for sure,” you nodded, crossing one leg over the other. This time, it was Chris’ time to look at you, one elbow leaning on the armrest with his middle finger right under his bottom lip and pointer on his cheek. “I think it affected all my relationships, but with Chris–What I felt for Chris when we were first just seeing each other, it wasn’t something that I had ever felt and that was so scary to me,” you said, “It took me everything to try and  just–to break that cycle of trauma and convince myself that not every man is my father,” Oprah hummed with a nod, “Chris is nothing like him. He’s not here to harm me, he’s not here to belittle me. That I’m worthy of love that is–that is actually genuine.”

Chris nodded to himself at the last bit, a soft smile on his face.

“And Chris, how was that like for you? I imagine things were not easy. That the process was slow and there were things you didn’t know that might have been triggering for Y/N.”

“Yeah, for sure,” he nodded, “Y/N’s very self-aware, like incredibly self-aware and she’s always been all about communication. So the process was slow, yeah, we took our time but I wasn’t complaining because I always knew this was something for life, you know?” He smiled slightly, “I knew this was worthwhile. That alright, we’re actually keeping each other for quite some time right there, and when you have that feeling about someone–when you have these feelings for them, you just want to make it work. You’ll wait for years even, you’ll do it.”

You smiled, very briefly resting your head on his shoulder before he wrapped an arm around you.

Oprah looked at you with soft eyes, tilting her head at the both of you.

“This is beautiful,” she said, “You know, I was thinking on my way here about how you both are like to the media,” she began, “Like the way you both are put in high regard but monitored so closely, yet you keep everything so private. It’s like what people know about you is what you want them to know.”

Chris nodded, looking at you and signaling you to reply. 

“I think with our position, with our occupations, we want to keep so many parts to ourselves. Because when you’re all out there, when your arguments and daily rituals and everything else is just out in the open, it’s just–it’s no longer a relationship between you and your partner. It’s a relationship between you, your partner, and everyone with an opinion they feel needs to be shared and things get out of hand. Like, Chris and I could have an argument like every single couple out there, but the minute we go outside and either of us is looking a little angry or upset, it’s suddenly the end of the world,” you said, “Suddenly I’m labelled as undeserving of Chris, and he’s labelled as toxic. It doesn’t matter than nobody ever truly knows the context or what happened, everyone is just so quick with labels.”

“And we make up pretty quickly,” Chris said, “Like way quicker than the internet does. So we’d be doing pretty good, pretty well, but the internet and the media is still raving about possible divorce or breakups or anything of the matter.”

Oprah nodded, “You both have had your fair share of labels,” she said.

“Oh, definitely,” you chuckled.

“Y/N, you were very sexualized in the media, or just, in the industry at times, especially during your formative years which is very appalling to think about.”

You nodded.

“How did you manage to establish boundaries? Because as far as I know, before you stopped doing interviews in 2015, you were vocal about it. You were calling out predatory behavior in the industry against young actresses.”

“I think I actually lucked out with the people around me. I have people I trust that I have always gone back to for advice and rants, and it took me some time to realize that I don’t appreciate how my job, my performances, and my personality–everything was just thrown away and disregarded the moment I show some skin. Suddenly it’s all that everyone can talk about. Suddenly the reason behind my success is my body, and everyone is no longer interested in anything but what I eat, who I’m wearing, and shamelessly posting fantasies as if I’m not an actual human being,” you said, “And it’s the case with a lot a young actresses now, and has been the case for so long but the narrative is changing. As long as people actually talk about it, as long as they address it, then it’ll come to an end because you have so many actresses and models getting forced in-in absolutely sick relationships and situations, and taking on harmful diets, harmful beauty standards, and they’re suddenly looked at as something and not someone.”

Chris was nodding, arm still around you and hand on your arm, softly rubbing it up and down.

“Was there a moment when you called it all out and were threatened?”

“Of course,” you replied, “Things used to be even worse back then than they are now. So I expected the threats. I expected the talks about how I’m never going to make it further if I keep declining offers by predators and just–just people who should be locked up.”

Oprah blew out a breath, looking at Chris, “You have a tough one, don’t you?”

“Absolutely,” Chris replied with a proud smile, “I think–I believe this is what the industry needs. I think Y/N’s paving the way for a lot of young actresses, because it’s inspirational looking up to someone who recognizes their place and who can actually come forward and call people out for the things they do. She’s been through a lot,” he said, “So I’m never surprised that all her passions really come from a place of experience, from-from empathy.”

Oprah nodded, “God,” she hummed with a shake of her head, “There’s so much you went through, I know that,” she pointed at herself, “I imagine that’s one of the reasons why you’re overprotective,” she told Chris.

Chris chuckled a little, nodding, “I know Y/N can look out for herself, she’s an incredible woman. She can look out for an entire family but I just think she doesn’t need to do that,” he said, “I relate to her at how the feelings we felt for each other were just-they were new. It’s a sort of love that, to me, was unlike any other. So it just comes naturally to me,” he gave a shrug, “Worrying about her, thinking about her, especially if we’re apart, it’s out of my hands.”

“I imagine that was even doubled during the pregnancy.”

“Oh quadrupled even,” you joked with a laugh.

“Okay, okay, I wasn’t that bad,” Chris joked.

“I wasn’t there and even I know that’s a lie,” Oprah said.

“Alright maybe, maybe just a little,” he laughed.

“You hid the pregnancy for the first 6 months,” Oprah said, “How was that period like?”

“Quiet,” you said, looking at Chris.

“Quiet,” he repeated with a nod, “It was definitely great, honestly. Just keeping that to ourselves and to our close family and friends.”

“Everyone was wondering where you went,” Oprah told you.

You chuckled, “There were a lot of death rumors that time actually. Even though I posted some Instagram stories and tweets.”

“Somebody must be running Y/N’s account,” Chris joked.

“Conspiracy theories,” Oprah joined in on the joke, “I think the pregnancy announcement was one of the biggest announcements of the century, and I’m not even joking.”

“That’s on her,” Chris joked, tilting his head toward you.

“Chris was that ever scary to you? Being with someone like Y/N, she’s always been up there for the world,” she put a hand up, “Like a true female icon in the entertainment industry as whole.”

“Yeah, definitely,” he confessed, “When I first met her, it was back in 2014, I was already so starstruck because she’s always been an icon, just like you said. So the thought of us being together never really occurred to me, but when I really got to know her, you forget all about the fact that this is Y/N Y/L/N,” he said, “I think I’m not with just one version of Y/N though. I’m married to the icon, to the-the absolute legend, and I’m also married to the woman who prefers baking pies and making pasta from scratch over going all out and fancy, and I’m married to the woman who also likes feeling good, looking good, going out with friends or preparing a fancy date. I got over that shell–that layer people have when it comes to Y/N because it’s very dehumanizing,” he said, “Just like Y/N said really, it’s important that you stop looking at your idols as something and start looking at them as someone.”

Your eyes were tearful, smiling to yourself slightly as you looked down, listening to every word he said.

“That’s a really good point,” Oprah pointed out, “It’s very dehumanizing. I agree with you,” she said, “On a lighter note, how was it like in your life together during that time in 2019 when Chris’ journey with Marvel came to an end? Because I imagine that was very emotional.”

“God, yes,” you nodded, “Is that truly a lighter note?” You joked.

“It’s the lightest I can do,” Oprah joked.

Chris laughed, “No, really, really, it was very emotional because my journey as Cap was like-it was a comfort zone, so that ending was just a little turbulent. But going back home at the end of the day, or just-just circulating back to Y/N and my family gave me comfort during that time.”

“Comfort zone,” Oprah smiled.

“For sure,” he nodded, “I think we go beyond the comfort zone.”

“But he made a legacy with it, really,” you smiled at your husband before looking Oprah, “It’s such an iconic character for everyone.”

“Of course, who doesn’t know Steve Rogers as Captain America?” Oprah opened her arms, “But speaking of legacies, let’s switch to another route real quick,” she said, “Do you both think River will follow yours?”

You blew a breath out, Chris raising his eyebrows slightly.

“River can be whoever he wants to be,” you said, “There’s no pressure that he needs to be added to follow anybody’s footsteps.”

Chris nodded, “I think with River we’re really aware, and we’re really cautious to protect him from all that exposure for as long as we can, and for as long as he grows up to make the choice himself.”

“That’s really beautiful,” Oprah said, “I think you both are incredible parents.”

You and Chris both beamed, “Thank you,” Chris said, “Thank you, thank you.”

“I try,” you said, “I’ll always try.”

“Do you think you’re just one and done with children? Because I know you both are so family-oriented,” she said, “You like big families and that environment.”

“Definitely not one and done,” you laughed, “But there’s no rush. We’re just living life day by day right now. Just making sure River grows up in a nurturing household, with emotionally mature parents, most importantly.”

“Any bets on the first word?”

“It has to be Mama,” you joked.

“I have a feeling it’ll be Mama,” Chris laughed, “He’s a momma’s boy. He’s a huge momma’s boy.”

“Is that a broken heart I hear?” Oprah joked.

“Oh, definitely,” Chris joked along, laughing as he nodded, “How dare he!”

“I just hope his first word isn’t anything inappropriate,” you chuckled, “Chris, and Scott and my best friend, Jia, have a habit of cursing all the time so I hope he doesn’t catch any of that.”

“You should set some rules.”

“Rules were set,” you nodded, “Rules get broken,” you laughed, “They never do it intentionally, it’s just in their nature.”

“I never do it intentionally,” Chris said with a shake of his head, “I’ve been practicing though, for a while now.”

“You need to do that,” Oprah joked, “So,” she smiled, looking at you, “Your story has a happy ending?” 

“Yeah,” you smiled, leaning slightly on Chris, “It does.”

“That’s because you both made it so,” she said.

Chris smiled, looking at you. 

“How do you feel right now?” Oprah asked.

“Content,” you answered, “I’m happy with how my life is like now. I’m satisfied with it.”

“What about you, Chris?”

“Extremely grateful,” Chris answered, “This is everything I’ve always dreamed of, and-and I’m happy I get to share that with my wife. I honestly wouldn’t want it with anyone else.”

It wasn’t just you with tearful eyes, because so did Chris, but it was you who first wiped your cheek away with a small laugh. 

Oprah smiled, “Any plans?” 

“Just being a husband and a dad that my family needs, what they deserve,” Chris said.

You nodded slightly, “Just focusing on our family, really. And just-just really enjoying the moment with all the sleepless nights and everything that comes with it because I know it’ll all just pass by so quickly.”

Oprah nodded with a smile, “Well, thank you for sharing your story. Thank you for trusting me with your story. I can’t wait to see River, I can’t wait to see how the both of you will be like in a year, in two years, I’m excited for it.”

“Thank you so much,” you smiled, “I trust you the most with this.”

“We wouldn’t have had this any other way,” Chris said.

[everysongieverwrote]

Under the Bridge flying under the radar because Hulu just had Shogun is so unfortunate. Not that Shogun doesn’t deserve all the attention and appreciation it’s getting. (It’s literally is the best thing on TV since the earlier seasons of Game of Thrones). However a smaller show with smaller budget is so easy to get sidelined come award season. Especially considering how both of them are limited series and will be competing in the same categories.

But yeah hats off to the performance of every single actor. Even though at times I felt like Roy, Scott, Manjit, and Kelly come off like caricatures, they reign it back in pretty quick. My favorite performances so far have been the portrayals of Suman, Raj, and Warren. Their performances feel so grounded and seasoned. And such great work by the teens who did Jo, Dusty, and Reena too. It’s so refreshing to watch actual kids play kids.

And what can I say about Lily and Riley that hasn’t been said already. I genuinely believe they’re two of our finest actors in the show business right now. The way they light up the screen is so magical to watch. And it doesn’t even feel like the directors have to do anything special when they’re performing. They’re both just really good and steal every scene they’re in. So lucky that we get to witness their greatness together.

I'm gonna be honest here, I haven't watch Shogun yet (it's on my watchlist tho) but I've kept up with the Emmy talk and from what I've gathered, a lot of people have decided that when it comes to limited series, Shogun is the clear winner as best series and RDJ might win for best performance (and I get it the guy just won an Oscar). Many don't think that shows like Under The Bridge and We Were The Lucky Ones (Hulu's most recent limited series) are gonna get nominated, but that Lily Gladstone will get nominated for an Emmy. That's all just speculation, of course. But I can see where they're coming from. It's also kinda funny that the two Hulu shows that are being a little sidelined deal with kinda similar themes but who am I to judge?

Obviously, this is also a kind of "side-effect" from the strikes. The shows could've been released with more space between them (UTB seems like the perfect fall/winter show, doesn't it?) But many productions were stopped or delayed during the strikes and now everyone has a bunch of shows ready to go and an Emmy deadline getting nearer and nearer everyday. Maybe if Hulu wasn't trying to get all their Emmy qualifying shows out before May 31st, the show would have gotten a bigger chance to truly shine. But hey, both the show and Lily already got nominated for a Gotham Award, so there's hope for the Emmys, at least.

I know I've praised the show a lot (and it totally deserves it) but the show is, of course, not perfect. No show ever is. Take the latest episode for example, the character arcs and storyline were great, and the acting was absolutely amazing but there were too many cuts and some of them were kind of awkward and a little... brutal. Some of the acting is a little cringe at times, which might be intentional in the actor's case (it might be with Kelly, she has to come off a certain way, so I don't blame Izzy G for some of her acting choices) or it might be that some of the actors have difficulty saying the lines and acting the way is necessary for their characters. It might be the writing or the directing, while an actor can make or break a scene, so can the writing and directing choices. And some of the lines and angles are a little bit awkward, ngl. But all in all, the show is great and it truly deserves more attention but I know that this kind of show is not everyone's cup of tea and I'm glad it has so far only attracted the people who have a true interest in it.

Lily and Riley are absolutely amazing, both separate and together. I'm slowly turning into their fan, I truly want to see more of their work... but later, of course. Right now they're Cam and Becca for me and I like it that way. I realize that was a long rant and I'm sorry but I truly have a lot of things to say about this show.

[playertwotails]

hello, i saw an ask were someone asked you if you thought tails ever attempted to find his parents and it made me wonder if you ever thought of a scenario were tails father had no idea he even existed or he was led to believe by tails mother that she gave him away and he couldn't find him?

Okay I read when you sent it and been thinking about this one for the whole time. Sorry for the late reply but my sister had her baby so things have been busy.

But moving on from personal stuff, I love this idea but I'm gonna take it a step darker....what if Tails' mother told his father that Tails tragically died.

So going into my take of an AU for this here and it's gonna be long so putting it under the cut

So what if Tails' mother was actually from an influential family or something or they both are. But image is VERY important to her. So when she had Tails with his two...well..tails she was immediately not okay with this cause (spongebob mocking voice) "whAt WoulD oThEr peOpLe tHInK." So Tails' mom starts-a-plotting.

So while Tails is still a baby or like at least like a one year old, she goes on a trip with just her and Tails. So during this "trip" she tragically "loses" Tails and she goes crying home that he died in like a storm or an Eggman attack or something. In reality she legit just left him in a random forest on West Side Island.

So without a body Tails' father looks for him but tiny little guy in a big world and his mom purposely telling him the wrong area means 0% chance of finding baby Tails.

Years then go by and Tails and Sonic start gaining notoriety for their shenanigans and their adventures get back to Tails' parents sphere of influence.

Now obviously they can't 100% confirm that this Tails is their kid but like how many two tailed foxes can there be??? So Tails' father is pretty gun-ho of tracking down Tails just to like at least see if he's maybe their long lost kid, but his mom uses the excuse of she's still so "upset" and "traumatized" from losing him that she doesn't think they should go cause "What if it's not him?! She couldn't possibly handle loosing her baby a second time!!!" (cue fake tears worthy of an Emmy). But the whole time she's like internal sweating like "oh fuck what if he finds out that's our kid and I actually straight up abandoned him!!"

She manages to delay a trip for them to find and talk to Tails for a while but eventually Tails' father just goes and tries to track him down himself.

Side note 1) - I'm thinking that Tails' parents didn't have another kid because while his mom claims it's from the trauma of losing her first baby it's really because after her first kid came out with what she believes to be a deformity she's scared a second one would too. So no surprise siblings for Tails (though that would also be interesting to explore - I ain't got the brain capacity for that in this particular post)

Side note 2) - it would be interesting if during her stalling time she hires people to try and either straight up kill Tails or just someone who would fake the paternity tests to say Tails is not their kid. Maybe both???? You know what yeah why not both.

I feel like a hitman going after Tails would be interesting though cause I'm always a sucker for protective older brother Sonic and you can bet that it would be in overdrive if someone goes after Tails with the express purpose of killing him.

So while Sonic and Co. are fighting off hired hitman and trying to figure out who sent them, this random ass guy shows up claiming to possibly be Tails' father. Immediate alarm bells start going off in all their brains (double for Sonic if you include the SAT-AM cartoon episode where Eggman legit made fake parents claiming Tails is their lost kid for the express purpose of kidnapping him).

So they all start looking into this guy and actually do go through with a paternity test. And surprises of surprises when it come back positive. They then proceed to do it 5-8 more times with different Drs (or whoever does this idk) to make sure he ain't faking it somehow. But nope turns out that yep this is Tails' real dad who is saying he's been looking for him this whole time. (press X for doubt from Sonic and Tails)

But when Tails' father starts explaining his side of the story including where Tails' mother claims to have lost Tails. Tails and Sonic are immediately suspicious cause where his mother told his father he was lost is basically on the other side of the planet from West Side where Sonic found him.

They reiterate this to Tails father, who they are still suspicious of that's he's lying but they trying to figure out what's real and not from what he's saying. And the man is confused cause lookin at a map he also knows 2 + 2 ain't equaling 4 between their two stories.

Cue all them deciding to go to Tails' mother to see what she says from her side of things. The whole time still having to fight off various hitman cause they still coming.

They get to Tails' parents home town and Tails' mom immediately plays up the "oh woa is me, I don't want to get attached until I know he's really my baby." And at this point she's at the top of everyone's (but maybe the not the father's yet) list of being behind the hitman so no ones buying her bs.

So to try and catch her in her lie they ask to do the paternity tests with both of them (not telling her they've already run Tails' fathers multiple times with all positive results). And lo an behold, both come back negative. And she immediately tries to play the "oh how tragic you are not our kid, but best be on your way" but whoops the father reveals the like 6 positive tests he's already done so now she's caught in her own lie.

And idk where to go from here so if anyone want to "yes and" this post (or really any of mine) feel free. Just @ me so I can read them.

Hope you liked my take on this idea

[angelofverdum]

The Americans

This was introduced to me as "The best spy show you are ever gonna watch" I don't think I've ever watched a show about spies, tho. But I had to give it a chance cause Keri Russell is so pretty.

So, the show was really good but was too slow-burn for me. Like, I'm fine with not rushing things, but sometimes it was too slow.

Also, how dare they make me like a male character over a female one? Phillip was just so cool, a good person, a great father, and an amazing husband. He had a moral compass and I liked that about him.

I did like Elizabeth tho. I just feel she was missing something to make her more human, more relatable, idk. I know her whole thing was that she was loyal to her country but she didn't care about Phillip or her kids. She felt so cold sometimes that it was boring.

I remembered that they were nominated for some awards. Imagine my surprise when I look it up, cause there is no way that Keri doesn't have an Emmy, and wtf? She deserved an Emmy only for her forehead vein alone. I know I was rooting for the people who won but damn.

Awards ain't shit man.

Now, I liked Paige. I got lucky cause I got to see her development faster. I can't imagine the hate she must have gotten when the show was airing, she probably got the Skylar White treatment.

And I'm sorry but she was an interesting character to me. She was annoying in the first season but she grew on me what can I say.

The other main character was Stan who I found so useless in the first 5 seasons. He was never on the verge of figuring out shit. It felt rushed tbh.

But I was emotional when he faced them and knew the truth

But there was nothing more useless than the rezindentura. That's the reason why season 6 is perfect. We are not wasting time in Russia. Following Oleg in his own spin-off.

Well, Henry was kinda useless too until the end when Stan started to ask the right questions.

There is a trend in twitter that people post an emotional scene of a TV show without context. Someone post this

I was so tense the whole episode thinking Phillip was going to die. And then Paige got off the train and I was gagged. And I get it why would she want to go to Russia and leave her brother alone, but damn

Nobody died at the finale but this was one of the most devastating season finale I've ever seen.

Did I enjoy the show? Well, yes

Would I recommend it to someone? I don't know

Am I going to watch The Diplomat because of Keri Rusell? Most likely

[boasamishipper]

Hi, I’m intrigued by the Night Court content I’m seeing from you. How did you start up with this show from 40 years ago? Which episodes give you Harry/Dan vibes? (Truly curious! I’m watching the show rn on FreeVee because of you.)

how did i begin watching night court, you ask?

okay so the story ACTUALLY begins several months earlier. i'd been seeing ads for new night court on tv, and i was like hey!! that's the guy from richie rich!! and so i looked up old night court on tvtropes and ao3, found some fics for the show, skimmed them, and moved on with my life.

THEN in november 2023 i got laid off (corporate reorgs my detested) (dw i have since found a new job) and started looking for non-indeed.com ways to fill my hours. cue another commercial for new night court, which was returning to nbc in january. huh, thought i, jokingly. wonder if anybody on here watches this.

one quick tumblr search informed me that there were, in fact, other people who watched this show. specifically the original show. and then i saw this post, thought 'boy that judge and that prosecutor sure have Something going on' and proceeded to devour all nine seasons over the course of two months. (then i caught up with the reboot and watched s2 as it aired.) i posted my first fic, Zeitnot, nine days after i started watching the show, and told my bestie caroline that now that it was up, i had gotten all of my night court thoughts and feelings out of my system and would shortly go back to finishing my other wips.

(narrator voice) she did not, in fact, get all her night court thoughts and feelings out of her system.

anyway so 90k+ words of night court fic later here i Still Am and here i Still Plan To Be for a good long while.

so why night court?

well, to begin, it's the wildest show i have ever seen in my life. it's set in - you guessed it - the night shift of a manhattan arraignment court during the 1980s. the judge (harry stone, played by harry anderson) is a gangly goofy cutie pie dork who loves magic and mel torme and sees the best in people and has the saddest backstory of any of the cast. the prosecutor (dan fielding, played by john larroquette, who won four emmy awards in a row for this role and would have won more if he hadn't taken himself out of consideration to give someone else a chance to win) is a womanizing lecherous pervert with a heart of gold, a sharp tongue, thick hair, and an ass you can bounce a quarter off of. harry shoots plastic snakes in dan's face in their very first meeting and by the end of the show the two are partners in shenanigans and platonic soulmates and perv4perv best friends. (another anon asked me my top harry/dan episodes; i'll answer that in their ask.) other characters include Tall As Fuck Intimidating Ditzy Bailiff Bull Shannon (richard moll), Spunky Naive Morally Upright Prude Public Defender Christine Sullivan (markie post), Hot Court Clerk Who Is Done With Everyone's Shit But Will Nonetheless Participate In The Shenanigans Mac Robinson (charlie robinson), and a collection of short, snarky, tough as nails bailiffs (selma diamond in s1-2, florence halop in s3, and marsha warfield in s4-s9).

the show is incredibly funny. if you don't like one joke wait five seconds and there will be another, even funnier one. physical comedy galore. hijinks and shenanigans everywhere. logic and realism? don't know her. wile e coyote once showed up as a defendant. dan once got so horny he locked himself in a closet and shoved a firehose down his pants. in another episode bull twisted dan into a human pretzel. it has to be seen to be believed.

but what i love most about night court is its heart (something that the sequel series has not found yet, but that's a rant for another day). the characters (at least as long as reinhold weege was involved with the show - again, a rant for another day) feel like real people. they have real flaws. they make hard decisions. they love with all their hearts, and we love them for it. they hurt, and we hurt with them. and the show - especially in the earlier seasons - balances the heart with the humor incredibly well. in 4.01, harry tries to reach out to his mother, who abandoned him when he was five, only to find out that she died, and the show does not shy away from his pain and conflicted emotions. that's the a-plot of the episode. in the b-plot, a ventriloquist's dummy commits suicide. not the ventriloquist. the dummy. and it's one of the best episodes of a start to finish stellar season.

and if you are still not convinced to give the show a try, watch this compilation of the best dan fielding moments. then watch all nine seasons of night court (available for free on freevee!) for more.

[nebulouscoffee]

10, 15, 35, 43 for the Trek ask game?

Thank youuuu and sorry for the late answer! Love these questions <3

10. Which alien pet would you most want for your own?

Honestly I have always been very charmed by Worf's childhood pet domesticated targ (portrayed by Russian wild boar Emmy-Lou😂) - but I would happily adopt a Bajoran hara cat, Cardassian vole, or that cute lizard who climbs over Jadzia on the jungle planet

Anyway look at this lil guy!!!

15. Top 3 favorite alien crewmembers?

Oooh, this is tough. Am I choosing my favs overall, or based on how much I like their alien-ness specifically? If it's the former, then Kira, B'Elanna, and Dax - if it's the latter, then Odo, Worf, and Saru (Discovery). (Deanna and Kes leaving you out Hurt Me but they didn't write you alien enough for the latter list!! Still top 5 favs though <3)

35. A minor character you wish had become a main character?

Okay let's talk about the long-form arc potential both Seska and Suder had. Literally my favourite thing about the Suder episodes is the questions about restorative justice they raise- is there any point in locking a man up after he's sincerely reformed and no longer dangerous? Is it possible to be? Is it fair to the victim's loved ones to give him the right to roam around like nothing happened? What sort of thing could count as "reparations" in Voyager's situation? What if they really had been stranded with him for 75 years? Would he ever have been able to move on from what he did? What sort of hobbies might he take up in his new life? What would it take to win Janeway's trust? Would the victim's friends ever forgive him? Would he rather disembark the ship and start anew somewhere, or remain with his own people? Would he have been able to make new friends? Are you reading this string of questions in Jonathan Frakes's voice too? Would our main characters all have been able to get past his actions? Would it cause disagreements? How would his relationship with Tuvok have progressed? What issues would their getting back to Earth early raise for him? ... Aaaaand then the show decided to give us none of that😂 (well. except for Jonathan Frakes in a brief cameo that is :D) As for Seska I really don't know what they were thinking with her lol. She starts off as such a promising villain- literally the "reveal" in 'State of Flux' gives me chills! And you can actually understand her actions, her unexpected attachments to Chakotay and the crew. Instead of the whole pregnancy subplot (which made no sense) I would've loved to have seen her grow increasingly afraid she'd made a mistake in teaming up with the Kazon, and try to defect back to Voyager - the questions that would raise would be similar to Suder's, though in this case a bit more personal for characters like Chakotay and B'Elanna. Is she for real? Is she just doing this to trick them again? How do the Bajoran crew members feel about this? What would it take for her to win back people's trust? Say she does something messed up again, does she get a third chance? Would she make friends with Seven of Nine; someone she never personally betrayed who is also seeking redemption for past actions? Society if we'd gotten her as a regular character all the way till S7 - like an actually great redemption arc, where she ends up on good terms with a lot of them by the end (sort of like what they did with Garak on DS9) - ahhh the possibilities!!!

43. Order of shows from most to least favorite?

This is hard😅 okay I'm going to tier rank them that's easier!

Fav tier: DS9 (It's the best <3) Second tier: TNG (I can't not put it here this show literally changed my life) & VOY (has wonderful characters and has also become very important to me) Third tier: TOS movies (love them), Discovery (I have developed a nostalgia for it by now. Plus Michael is blorbo!) Fourth tier: TOS, SNW, Enterprise, Lower Decks (shows I've enjoyed but only really seen once so far) and I guess the AOS movies lol (imo 'Beyond' is the best one) Fifth tier: Picard (if it was just the first season it would've been higher! I actually liked that one) & the TNG movies (ugh) (I am yet to see TAS and Prodigy)

[sweaterkittensahoy]

The Righteous Gemstones is what happened if Jim Bakker had actually loved Tammy Faye and not just use her as a tool to gain more money and power.

This is all based on having binged season 1 in a single day, FYI. I have seen nothing of season 2.

Eli LOVES Amiee-Leigh. LOVES. And, my god, John Goodman, the fact you do not have an emmy for this show (and several other shows) is a goddamn crime.

But. Seriously, Danny McBride wrote the an ACTUAL love story between Eli and Amiee-Leigh that is what Tammy Faye Baker DESERVED to have in her own marriage (Jim Bakker can fucking choke).

But even more than that, Danny McBride has said he wasn't writing a show about making fun of religion; he was writing a show about looking at hypocricy, and jesus fuck me, my dude, you fucking nailed it. Aimee-Leigh and Eli are true believers. Kelvin is a true believer. They are surrounded by somewhat-true (I think Jesse means well) to just full-on fucking with you (Judy, my queen) believers. But also, it's not so easily black and white. Jesse grew up the first son of a prominent religious family with fame and money. Judy grew up the first daughter of the same family. And that's a fucking hard difference to experience. Meanwhile, Kelvin shows up later--after the money's made--and is (in my opinion) absolutely coded the queerest southern gospel queer to ever queer but who has not ever activated the queer. And I'm not even sure at the end of season one that he realizes he WANTS to activate the queer. But there's a YEARNING between him and Keefe that fucking kneecaps me for its perfection of queer yearning in conservative religious circles.

I digress.

Look, I grew up an hour south of Branson, Missouri, okay. Uncle Baby Billy telling Aimee-Leigh they were gonna end their tour in Branson made me laugh my fucking ass off. Because Uncle Baby Billy and Aimee-Leigh are what would have happened if Donny and Marie Osmond were fucking snakes.

(Sidenote: I absolutely think that the mainstream LDS is a fucking cult. I think several mainstream versions of Christianity (Assemblies of God) put cult tactics to work to scare people into staying, but if I gotta choose which one to stop before the other, I'm going after the LDS because it IS a cult.)

But the other thing about Aimee-Leigh and Baby Billy is that Aimee-Leigh isn't trying to trick people into giving her money via charisma whereas Baby Billy absolutely IS. He uses his own sister--a true believer--to try and make it happen. And Aimee-Leigh, bless Danny McBride and the writing staff--have her light him up like a July 4th display.

It's fucking fascinating to me that John Goodman has repeatedly played a loving, caring, understanding, respectful, and ADORING husband to women who hold their own power. He did it on Roseanne. He did it on Alpha House. He's doing it on Righteous Gemstones.

And Aimee-Leigh's pre-pilot death doesn't feel gross or reductive. It feels like a genuine grief that's been simmering in a family for a bit. She's remembered with deep fondness and respect. She's noted as being the one to teach the most important lessons (don't turn your back on family) while also being shown--in flashback--of having boundaries (Baby Billy lies to her to try and get her to tour; she finds out and shuts down the tour). Aimee-Leigh is an angel in the eyes of the family because she was a good fucking person. But she's also no longer there to stop them from doing stupid shit.

Why does Baby Billy get to take over the new satellite church in the former Sears in the mall (a fucking hilarious repeated joke I would like to frame, btw). Because Eli is doing what he THINKS Aimee-Leigh would have wanted him to do; give her brother another chance. But we also see in the flashback episode that 1) Eli adores Aimee-Leigh and will do whatever she thinks is best for herself (fucking good) and 2) That Aimee-Leigh utterly understands that Baby Billy is a fucking asshole. No fucking way would Aimee-Leigh, were she alive to have an opinion, agree to give Baby Billy any power within their megachurch structure. Send him cash? Probably. Give him power? Absolutely not.

And that's one of the great things about The Righteous Gemstones. It's not a cut and dried joke about religion or southerners or southern families or any of that shit. It's an in-depth and respectful view of a family. Aimee-Leigh would NEVER want Baby Billy to have power in the church because he's proven he's not in it for the right reasons. But Eli, grieving widower of an adored wife who also adored him, he wants to make space for the black sheep of the family because Aimee-Leigh said, "You should never turn your back on family," and when you're dealing with the memory of someone, it's common to wipe out the common sense caveat of "Unless it's that butthole brother of mine who lied to me."

Beyond that, I could sit here and name so many fucking moments in season one that showed depth and thought from the characters. The one I'll concentrate on for the moment is Jesse's Easter Sunday sermon that focuses on what Judas must have been feeling as Jesus rose from the dead.

Contextually, it's a commentary on Jesse lying about not fucking around on his wife and on Gideon, Jesse's oldest son, hiding the fact he blackmailed his own father.

But also, Easter is the sermon that is ALWAYS about forgiveness. That's kind of the whole fucking bag of it. Jesus died to forgive our sins. So, forgiveness is key to being a good Christian. Except that rather and do the usual sermon about "Jesus died for you, so live for him," Jesse steps on that stage and takes a turn that would NOT be welcome in a megachurch. "How did Judas feel? What was it like for Judas to know he'd done what he did?"

Megachurch audiences do NOT want to feel for Judas because megachurch audiences want black and white morality. Jesus was good. Judas was bad.

But, in the world of The Righteous Gemstones, a hypocrite fuck of a megachurch preacher can step up to the pulpit and give a complicated and interesting sermon on forgiving Judas. Because he is genuinely realizing and questioning why he thinks he's untouchable.

That's why the show is so fucking good. It doesn't mock faith or religion. It jams pointy things against hypocrites and shows that either they learn and grow, or they refuse to learn and pay the price.

I remind you, at the end of this post, that I'm an atheist. I'm not here to convince anyone to get into religion. But I grew up utterly drowning in exactly this sort of religion The Righteous Gemstones investigates, and I will always, always, ALWAYS put my time and hope behind people who seem to be truly trying to do their best, and that's the story Danny McBride and his team are telling.

Even Baby Billy, the fucking asshole, is doing the best he can. He's just literally the worst goddamn fuckboy in the whole shitty system.

[capyclub]

more thoughts about the penultimate episode of this is us because my brain is bursting:

I rewatched the pilot and the super bowl episode over the weekend in preparation for tonight’s episode and it was the strangest thing ever. There were so many callbacks to those two specific episodes that I don’t think I would’ve fully appreciated had I not rewatched them so recently. What a weird thing to have done

the scene where all three versions of Randall and Kevin were hanging out with each other was a one hit KO oof

(side note: little Randall is the most adorable kid EVER)

Randall and Beth are the most perfect on screen couple I have ever seen in my entire life. They way in which they are so strong and solid separately, but together they’re even stronger and they just complete each other and they’re funny as hell together?? UGH

The scene in the hospital on the night of jack’s death with the juxtaposition of jack’s life being lost and marcus’s life being saved? Especially the moment when the doctor has to deliver heartbreaking news in one second and then joyful news the next? Absolutely WRECKED me like yeah thats what life is it’s about joy and loss and everything in between and especially as someone who is actively trying to go into the medical field that scene really got me

Marcus and his siblings and how their family “motto” is the lemons speech from all those years ago :’( everything and everyone is connected :’(

Jack may be the heart of the show, but Rebecca is and always has been the soul.

If Mandy Moore doesn’t get an Emmy for this I will riot she has been INCREDIBLE. She has played one character across decades of her life and yes the makeup artists make it look real but she’s done a flawless job of making it *feel* real.

When Rebecca lies down in the bed at the end and it pans over to jack and they’re finally together after all this time….i will never recover

anyways i need someone to check in on me after the season finale next week because there is a good chance i will not survive it

[septembersghost]

u really bouta make me rewatch bates motel omg. i .. i have a confession, i never finished the last season after the thing happened. i was just so sad and took a break that ended up taking a long time but now i think im strong enough lol

you should do it!!!

full disclosure, i finished S4 in march (i distinctly remember feeling like it should've been december, because 4x10 is the saddest christmas episode of anything you could ever watch in your life), and i still have three episodes left in S5. this is partially because i've been dragging it out intentionally as i haven't been ready to say goodbye to it, and partially because after speeding through S1-4 in like six weeks, getting to that loss - even knowing it was coming all along - hit me quite heavily and i needed to sit with it for a while rather than quickly wrapping the story up. (i CANNOT hear "mr. sandman" without tears springing to my eyes. bring me a dream...)

vera was ROBBED in never getting an emmy for her performance (freddie too, imo, not to mention the episodes he wrote!), i honestly consider her to have given one of the most affecting and multilayered performances of a female character. it would be so easy to only make norma a victim, or a villain even, and she is never reduced to that, she's so fully formed and felt and wonderful (even when she's awful. she's allowed).

there's a post i have that had the best description from a review: “I'll always remember Norma Bates at her most indefatigable. Despite her perpetual suspicion that the world was out to stick it to her and her family, Norma could rise to a challenge like few others. Remember when she first moved in to that big drafty old house? She didn’t see the cracks and the peeling paint; she saw opportunity. Norma was like that, always seeing chances where others might presume dead ends. And if she decided you were on her side, she was fiercely loyal. She didn’t let many people in, but when she did, she was all in. For all her flaws, she was a hell of a woman. Still, we come here not to bury Norma Bates, but to praise her. Because what this season of Bates Motel has shown us is that Norma was never just a victim of her own impulsive and stubborn neuroses. She was a victim of circumstance; freed from the claustrophobic air of her codependent relationship with her son, Norma blossomed. She found love and a measure of contentment, however fleeting. Even when she was denying to everyone, including herself, just how dangerous Norman was, she managed to rise above her traumas and insecurities, and build a marriage with a good man. It was a revelation watching Vera Farmiga this year. Who knew she’d been concealing a gentle and understated romantic beneath those layers of Norma Bates’ high-camp hijinks all this time? Farmiga was always very, very good: This season, she was superlative.”

part of norma's tragedy, of course, is she and norman would never be able to escape that codependency, they are bound together inextricably, and she would always choose him over everyone, and he would always want to keep her, and they would never be able to protect each other, and it would always be like fire and powder.

that said, the show doesn't take that lightly - norma's absence is felt everywhere, by everyone, it emotionally drives the season - and i don't know if you've ever seen psycho, but the way the writers took that and reimagined it is masterful. i screamed at the way the actual marion crane plot played out. also, mother is an incredible, terrifying character - all the warmth that norma had, the life in her, her love and her bravery, her fury and her compassion, is gone. if norma was the sun, mother is icy winter, shrewd and calculating, her anger a different dagger than norma's ever could have been, and even when there's some measure of anything resembling affection from her, it's wrong. it's worth watching just to see vera in that performance. freddie was also amazing and got to do so much to flesh norman out and to speak to his mental state as it unravels, as he becomes more aware of the horror around him but struggles with knowing how to stop it.

i think S4 is a perfect, though heartbreaking, season of television, and S5 directly draws from that. though i haven't seen it yet, i do know how it ends and it's fitting, and i know i will cry.

they did something that on paper sounds like an awful idea - who asked for a prequel/reimagining of a classic film, right? - and found such a cool way to tell it, to make those characters breathe, to handle it with some humor (camp, even, at times) and with gravity (especially in regards to the perspective it has on the impact of such relentless trauma that both norma and norman endure). i'm rambling, but the way they found real depths of humanity and such a beating heart in it, in its characters, in not turning a blind eye to the terrible things they do and yet never judging them for it, but digging in closer to find some understanding for them, in illuminating all different kinds of love in their power and terror and agony and beauty, in love's destruction and renewal, makes the show really affecting to me.

[dil-ibaadat]

Hi, I’m the sad anon from before. Yay for more Dowry soon! Can’t wait. So my issue wasn’t really about the Emmy noms but it was kinda the last straw you could say. The leads were sidelined so badly with the horrible 🔺 and lack of promo. Kate was just an extension of her family and later Anthony. She never got any big moments or dialogue and I’ll forever be bitter about that. It all just came to a head with the recent news. Thankfully we do have fanfics and I’m very glad we have writers like you

oh, i completely understand that feeling. i've expressed it many times. it truly is extremely disappointing that kate got treated that way, but when i look back at all the representation in american and british media i've seen so far as an indian, i'm still proud that we made it this far.

kate is a dark-skinned indian woman who is not stereotyped as submissive and deferential and possesses a luminous, transcendent beauty in her own right. edwina, also relatively dark-skinned, is crowned as a beautiful diamond of the season. mary is a milf played by shelley conn. this is more representation and uplifting casting than bollywood or south film industries have ever given me.

am i happy with every aspect of kate? hell, no. as you said, she never had any big moments of dialogue or introspection into her actions or even a chance to defend herself against her sister and even against anthony sometimes. she all but disappeared in the last episode.

the indian representation in general was spotty and inaccurate (i am in my own hell trying to fix that for dowry, anon, you have no idea the major headache it's caused me). the lack of familial bonding between the sharma women was also majorly disappointing. they definitely failed the bechdel test.

but it's a START. it's a good launching pad for actors like simone and i've heard freida pinto is in 'mr. malcolm's list' and that there are a bunch of great south asian actors steadily making their way in hollywood. i have faith that our community, in all its diversity and complexity, will one day be shown with the nuance it deserves. until then, i'm going to celebrate all the wins i can get.

[bewitching-elizabeth-olsen]

Press/Gallery: How Elizabeth Olsen Brought Marvel From Mainstream to Prestige

“The thing I love about being an actor is to fully work with someone and try so hard to be at every level with them, chasing whatever it is you need or want from them.”

  GALLERY LINKS

Studio Photoshoots > 2021 > Session 008 Magazine Scans > 2021 > Backstage (August 19)

Backstage: Elizabeth Olsen grins widely over video chat when recalling many such moments on set with her co-stars. Yet, she can’t bring herself to divorce such a lofty vision of film acting from the technical multitasking it requires. The camera sees all.

“But then you move your hair, and you’re in your brain, like: OK, remember that! Because I don’t want to edit myself out of a shot. I know some actors are like, ‘Continuity, shmontinuity!’ But the good thing about continuity is, if you remember it, you’re actually providing yourself with more options for the edit.”

That need to balance being both inside the scene and outside of it, fully living it and yet constantly visualizing it on a screen, feels particularly apt in light of Olsen’s most recent project, “WandaVision.”

The mysteries at the heart of the show grow with every episode, each fast-forwarding to a different decade: Could this 1950s, black-and-white, “filmed in front of a studio audience” newlyweds bit be a grief-stricken dream? Might this ’70s spoof be a powerful spell gone awry? Could this meta take on mockumentary comedies be proof that the multiverse is finally coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

The series’ structure, which branches out to include government agents intent on finding out why Westview has seemingly disappeared, calls for the entire cast to play with a mix of genres, balancing a shape-shifting tone that culminates in an epic, MCU-style conclusion. What’s key—and why the show struck a chord with audiences during its nine-episode run—is the miniseries’ commitment to grounding its initial kooky setups and its later special effects-driven spectacle in heartbreaking emotional truths. It’s no small feat, though it’s one that can often be taken for granted.

“I was thinking how hard it would have been to have shot the first ‘Lord of the Rings,’ ” Olsen muses. “Like, you’re putting all these actors [into the frame] later and at all these different levels. All the eyelines are completely unnatural. And yet the performances are fantastic! And technically, they are so hard. People forget sometimes that these things are really technically hard to shoot. And if you are moved by their performance, that took a lot of multitasking.”

As someone who has learned plenty about harnesses, wirework, fight choreography, and green screens (she’s starred in four Marvel movies, including the box office megahit “Avengers: Endgame,” after all), Olsen knows how hard it can be to wrap one’s brain around the work needed to pull off those big, splashy scenes.

“​​If you think about it, it’s, like, the biggest stakes in the entire world—every time. And that feels silly to act over and over again, especially when people are in silly costumes and the love of your life is purple and sparkly, and every time you kiss them, you have to worry about getting it on your hands. Those things are ridiculous. You feel ridiculous. So there is a part of your brain that has to shovel that away and just look into someone’s eyeballs—and sometimes, they don’t even have eyeballs!”

The ability to spend so much time with Wanda, albeit in the guise of sitcom parodies, was a welcome opportunity for Olsen. Not only did it allow the actor to really wrestle with the traumatic backstory that has long defined the character in the MCU, but having the chance to calibrate a performance that functions on so many different levels was a thrilling challenge.

“It was such an amazing work experience,” she says. “Kathryn [Hahn] uses the word ‘profound’—which is so sweet, because it is Marvel, and people, you know, don’t think of those experiences as profound when they watch them. But it really was such a special crew that [director] Matt Shakman and [creator] Jac Schaeffer created. It was a really healthy working environment.”

Related‘WandaVision’ Star Kathryn Hahn’s Secret to Building a Scene-Stealing Performance ‘WandaVision’ Star Kathryn Hahn’s Secret to Building a Scene-Stealing Performance Considering that the miniseries spans several sitcom iterations, various layers of televisual reality, and a number of character reveals that needed to feel truthful and impactful in equal measure, Shakman’s decision to work closely with his actors ahead of shooting was key.

“We truly had a gorgeous amount of time together before we started filming,” Olsen remembers. “Our goal was—which is controversial in TV land—that if you wanted to change [anything], like dialogue in a scene, you had to give those notes a week before we even got there. Because sometimes you get to set, and someone had a brilliant idea while they were sleeping, and you’re like, ‘We don’t have an hour to talk about this. We have seven pages to shoot.’ And so, we were all on the same page with one another, knowing what we were shooting ahead of time.

“Matt just treated us like a troupe of actors who were about to do some regional theater shit,” she adds with a smile.

That spirit of camaraderie was, not coincidentally, at the heart of Olsen’s breakout project, Sean Durkin’s 2011 indie sensation “Martha Marcy May Marlene.” As an introduction to the process of filmmaking to a young stage-trained actor, Durkin’s quietly devastating drama was a dream—and an invaluable learning opportunity.

“It was truly just a bunch of people who loved the script, who just were doing the work. I didn’t understand lenses, so I just did the same thing all the time. I never knew if the camera would be on me or not. There was just so much purity in that experience, and you only have that once.”

The film announced Olsen as a talent to watch: a keen-eyed performer capable of deploying a stilted physicality and clipped delivery, which she used to conjure up a wounded girl learning how to shake off her time spent in a cult in upstate New York. But Olsen admits that it took her a while to figure out how to navigate her career choices afterward. In the years following “Martha,” she felt compelled to try on everything: a horror flick here, a high-profile remake there, a period piece here, an action movie there. It wasn’t until she starred in neo-Western thriller “Wind River” (alongside fellow Marvel regular Jeremy Renner) and the dark comedy “Ingrid Goes West” (opposite a deliciously deranged Aubrey Plaza) that Olsen found her groove.

“It was at that point, when I was five years into working, where I was like, Ah, I know how I want it. I know what I need from these people—from who’s involved, from producers, from directors, from the character, from the script—in order to trust that it’s going to be a fruitful experience.”

As Olsen looks back on her first decade as a working actor, she points out how far removed she is from that young girl who broke out in “Martha Marcy May Marlene.”

“I feel like a totally different person. I don’t know if everyone who’s in their early 30s feels like their early 20s self is a totally different human. But when I think about that version of myself, it feels like a long time ago; there’s a lot learned in a decade.”

Those early years were marked by a self-effacing humility that often led Olsen to defer to others when it came to key decisions about the characters she was playing. But she now feels emboldened to not only stand up for herself and her choices but for others on her sets as well.

“[Facebook Watch series] ‘Sorry for Your Loss’ I got to produce, and I really found my voice in a collaborative leadership way. And with ‘WandaVision,’ Paul [Bettany] and I really took on that feeling, as well—especially since we were introducing new characters to Marvel and wanted [those actors] to feel protected and helped,” she says. “They could ask questions and make sure they felt like they had all the things they needed because sometimes you don’t even know what you need to ask.”

It’s a lesson she learned working with filmmaker Marc Abraham on the Hank Williams biopic “I Saw the Light,” and she’s carried it with her ever since. “I really want it to feel like we’re all in this together, as a team,” Olsen says. “That was part of ‘Sorry for Your Loss’ and it was part of ‘WandaVision,’ and I hope to continue that kind of energy because those have been some of the healthiest work experiences I’ve had.”

If Olsen sounds particularly zealous about the importance of a comfortable, working set, it is because she’s well aware that therein lies an integral part of the work and the process. As an actor, she wants to feel protected and nurtured by those around her, whether she’s reacting to a telling, quiet line of dialogue about grief or donning her iconic Scarlet Witch outfit during a magic-filled mid-air action sequence.

“Sometimes you’re going to be foolish, you know? And [you need to] feel brave to be foolish. Sometimes people feel embarrassed on set and snap. But if you’re in a place where people feel like they’re allowed to be an idiot,” she says, “you’re going to feel better about being an idiot.”

This story originally appeared in the Aug. 19 issue of Backstage Magazine. Subscribe here.

Press/Gallery: How Elizabeth Olsen Brought Marvel From Mainstream to Prestige was originally published on Elizabeth Olsen Source • Your source for everything Elizabeth Olsen

[canarygirl1017]

Ghosted - Chapter 3 (Teaser)

Pairing: Reader / Jungkook, Reader / Taehyung (past relationship, friends to lovers to friends)

Genre:  College!au, fluff, angst, supernatural drama, smut, friends to lovers, emotional trauma, hurt/comfort

Length:  2, 933k words (partial chapter)

Warnings:  language, episodes of anxiety, panic attacks, sexual themes in later chapters.

Summary:  Living in a world full of things only you have the ability to see, growing up with Jungkook has been your island amidst the chaos. But when your best friend makes an impossible request, your friendship is fractured, and your sudden decision to cut ties and move abroad changes everything. Three years later, Jungkook is thriving at university as he begins his junior year. He’s a star athlete, member of a popular fraternity, and every girl’s ideal boyfriend. He tells himself that he’s long forgotten you and the friendship he never had a chance to mend – that is, until you show up on campus as a transfer student with new friends in tow. It’s been three years, and everything has changed, but the biggest change is you. Your new found determination to use your abilities to help the ghosts you used to live in fear of, no matter how dangerous it might be, makes Jungkook fear he’ll lose you before he has a chance to fix what he broke. College AU.

Disclaimer: Just for funsies, I don’t believe in real-life shipping. But I like to write, and I like fandom, so here we are. Please do not duplicate this work or repost anywhere else without permission.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Ghosted Playlist

Chapter 3

“You ready to go?”

You turned to see Taehyung leaning in your doorway. He was wearing flared jeans and a green paisley silk button-down shirt. The open butterfly collar revealed a vintage Chanel gold medallion, and he’d added light green sunglasses to complete his retro look.

Taehyung had picked out your outfit – a short, cream colored wrap dress with an abstract floral design and long flared sleeves. Knee high rust red boots and pin straight hair completed the look, and for once you felt like a match to his fashionable appearance.

You held up a finger as you opened your jewelry box, looking for the vintage garnet drop earrings you’d found to complement the outfit. You slid them in, moving your hair back to admire how they dangled and caught the light.

“Okay, I���m ready,” you said, turning to find him behind you.

“Almost,” he said, pulling a small box out of his pocket.

“Tae,” you said reprovingly as he opened the box and took out a ring. The antique gold setting was beautiful – an oval opal surrounded by a halo of garnets – and it looked perfect when he slid it onto your right ring finger.

“Now you’re ready,” he said, looking pleased as he stood back to check your appearance.

You raised a brow. “When did you even have time to shop for this?” Taehyung’s little surprise gifts were something to which you’d become accustomed over the last few years, and your attempts to discourage him were usually ignored.

He shrugged and as always, his sheepish grin disarmed you. You reached up and adjusted his collar.

“You look like you’re ready for a Vogue shoot,” you said, smiling back. “The poor girls at this party won’t know what hit them.”

“That’s why I have you to protect me,” he replied.

It was Friday, the final weekend before classes started, and the welcoming activities had ramped up in the last week. You and Taehyung had attended some of them and declined others, but you’d committed to the biggest events of the weekend – tonight’s Musical Eras mixer and tomorrow’s Movie Night on the Quad.

The mixer was being held at the Kappa fraternity house, something that had almost made you reconsider attending because you were certain to run into Jungkook again as you had for the last week. While your anger had cooled, you still felt that knot of anxiety in your stomach whenever you saw him, wondering if he’d still be angry or if he’d just pretend you didn’t exist.

So far, his attitude fell somewhere in the middle – when he saw you and Taehyung together at the supermarket, he tried to hide his reaction, but the little muscle ticking away in his jaw was a dead giveaway. A couple of days later, you saw him in the park while you were walking Yeontan and for once, he didn’t look big mad at the sight of you. You were alone and had considered trying to talk to him, but he was with friends. Not wanting to invite public rejection, you waved at the group and hurried away, noticing the little wrinkle between his brows as he watched you go.

Jin, Jimin and Jimin’s girlfriend, Ayeong, had all been by the house a couple of times. Sera had also visited with her mother, accepting Taehyung’s offer of a house tour since Sera’s mother was interested in how the historical home had been renovated. Jungkook was noticeably absent, though Jin seemed certain that he’d eventually come around.

You weren’t so certain of that. In all the years you’d been friends with Jungkook, you’d never seen him so deeply upset with another person. If someone upset him, he might avoid that person for a while, but he always got over it, and you’d never seen him blow up at anyone the way he had with you.

You always thought you knew him better than anyone, and he you, but now you had to acknowledge the reality of this situation – three years had passed, and the truth was, you didn’t know this Jungkook. Worse, he didn’t know you either and you had no one to blame for that but yourself.

________________

Stepping into the Kappa house was like stepping back in time. The large house had several rooms downstairs, each of which reflected a different decade of music, and everyone had taken their costumes just as seriously. You laughed when Jimin and Ayeong met you out front dressed as Sonny and Cher.

“Very nice,” you said, gesturing to Ayeong’s dress.

“Thanks, I love yours too.”

Thought it was still early, the party was already a crush of people circulating between the rooms. Younger guys, probably freshmen, circulated with drinks on trays which they offered to guests.

“Pledges?” Taehyung asked Jimin as he took a beer.

Jimin nodded. “They have to put in an hour according to a schedule and then they’re free to party. That’s as close to hazing as we get here.”

When Jimin offered you a glass of wine, you shook your head. “I don’t really drink much when I’m…” you paused, unsure how to finish the sentence without being weird. “When I’m out.”

You could see that Jimin understood what you meant. “Got it. We have a dry bar too if you want to call it that.”

Ayeong linked arms with you. “I’ll show her. I’m not really in the mood to drink either.”

The dry bar turned out to be pretty impressive, with lots of juice, sparkling water, club soda, and even fruits you could add. You settled for club soda with a splash of raspberry juice and slices of lemon, while Ayeong created a tropical drink.

“I know Jungkook is being… well, difficult. But I just want you to know that Jimin is so happy you’re back,” Ayeong said. “He said you were all friends since kindergarten.”

“Jimin was always one of the sweetest people at our school,” you replied. “It was really easy to be his friend.”

“Not much has changed then,” Ayeong laughed. “What about Jungkook? Jimin says he wasn’t always such a fuckboy.”

You choked on a sip of your drink. “Jungkook is a fuckboy?”

“Well, a nice one? I think he only hooks up with girls who want the same kind of no-strings fun, so there’s never any drama related to it. He’s not the type to get serious though, which is why I’ve told Erin she needs to move on from her crush.”

Fuckboy Jungkook wasn’t something you could really imagine, nor did you want to. You chose not to think too closely about why it bothered you so much.

But once you spotted him across the room talking to a group of girls, you couldn’t shake that image from your mind. He looked good. Really, really good. He was dressed in tight red pants, a black silk button down, and he’d completed his Michael Jackson Thriller homage with a red leather jacket trimmed in black. When he laughed at something one of the girls said, his dimples appeared.

“I’m surprised Jungkook is wearing a costume – he almost never does,” Ayeong commented.

“He kind of stopped wearing them by the time we were in high school,” you said. “But this kind of party, plus a Thriller homage, is pretty on brand for him.”

“Oh, that’s who he’s supposed to be! I’m really bad at guessing all of these costumes.”

You and Taehyung stuck with Jimin and Ayeong, who introduced you to people you hadn’t met yet. Everyone was welcoming, but two hours in you were starting to feel a little overwhelmed by the crowds and the noise. There was also the fact that ever since Jungkook became aware of your presence, you’d felt his eyes on you. You’d hoped his neutral response to you at the park was progress, but you could feel his judgmental stare like a brand.

Every time you glanced over at him, his impassive expression was contradicted by some blazing emotion in his eyes. You reminded yourself that you’d known this would probably be a struggle – that Jungkook would likely be angry with you for leaving. Emmie had even said that no one mentioned your name to him anymore.

You’d just underestimated how much it would hurt.

___________________

Jungkook almost skipped Movie Night on the Quad because he was in a foul mood after the Musical Eras mixer. Seeing you there with Taehyung in your matching costumes had made him inexplicably angry, something Jin called him out on.

“Shouldn’t we be glad that she has good people in her life?” Jin asked him when he stomped around the kitchen the next day, slamming cabinets as he fixed a late breakfast.

“He’s right,” Jimin said. “Plus you know that she and Taehyung aren’t together, right?”

That made him pause. “They look like they’re together.” Fucking matching costumes and all, he thought viciously.

“They dated, but Ayeong said y/n told her it’s been a while since they were together like that. At least six months or so.”

“Who the hell follows their ex-girlfriend to another country? And buys a house?”

“If you took the time to get to know Taehyung, you’d understand that he feels like y/n saved his life. He’s committed to helping her with the ghost hunting because of that, but he also genuinely cares about her. So do Namjoon and Chloe,” Jin said. “They’re all good people.”

“Whatever,” Jungkook muttered, shoving cereal into his mouth.

“Forget it, Jin. He won’t admit the real problem, and we all know his anger default setting when it comes to y/n is because of that.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Jungkook demanded.

“You’re jealous. You’ve always been jealous of anyone that got close to y/n,” Jimin replied calmly. He crossed his arms and sat back in his chair.

Jungkook grit his teeth. “I’m not jealous.”

“Really? So every time a guy expressed interest in dating her back in high school, and you very pointedly warned them all off, that was you just being what? A good friend?” Jimin rolled his eyes.

“Who? Like Lucas? You’re damn right I warned him off. He didn’t deserve her.”

“What about me?” Jimin asked, a challenge in his tone. “I told you that I liked her our sophomore year, and you shot down that idea so fast I was afraid if I pursued it, it would actually ruin our friendship.”

Jungkook stared at him, shifting uncomfortably. “Because you weren’t serious about it.”

“Says who? I was dead serious, Jungkook, and you know it. For that matter, I think even Lucas was serious about liking her. He never said a word about her that wasn’t totally respectful.”

“Yeah, because he knew I would beat his ass,” Jungkook said.

“You’re right – everybody knew that. Why do you think people steered clear of her? Why do you think Grace hated her so much? I told you that Grace wasn’t as nice as you thought she was. Yet you still held tight to y/n with one hand while you chased after Grace. And I figured it was just a matter of time until you realized how you really felt about y/n, so I let it go. But damn, Jungkook, you need to stop taking out your anger on y/n. Let her explain why she left.”

No one spoke for a moment. Then Jungkook asked, “Has she told you why?”

“I asked her,” Jin said. “But I think she’s waiting to talk to you first.”

Jungkook tried not to think about what Jimin said, but now that he was here on the quad, and you were just a few feet away, it was all he could think about. Jealousy.

He couldn’t deny he hated seeing how close you were to Taehyung. The way the other man touched you, or kept a protective arm around you, pissed him off. The way you smiled at him made him even angrier. Still, beneath the anger was something else – a yearning for the way things had been. No one had ever understood him the way you did, and he missed that connection with you.

It was his fault you left. That little voice in the back of his head kept reminding him that you weren’t the only one to blame for this vast distance between you now. He kind of understood why you’d left, but he didn’t know why it had taken you so long to return.

He kept stealing glances at you rather than watching the movie playing on the large screen set up on the quad. You’d been to the concession stand, and he wasn’t surprised to see you eating gummy bears since that had always been your favorite movie snack.

You looked pretty. Your hair was a little longer now than it had been in high school and fell in gentle waves around your shoulders. You wore another floaty little summer dress, the kind you had always liked, small feet encased in comfortable flat sandals. You and Taehyung had joined Jimin, Ayeong, Erin and Jin on a large blanket towards the front of the crowd.

Stubbornly, Jungkook had opted to sit with some of his friends from the baseball team. He was still close enough to watch you – to hear your voice – to just observe you while his mind sorted through his confusing thoughts and emotions. You had glanced over at him a few times, as if feeling his eyes on you, a silent question in your own. And somehow, he knew that you understood that he needed some time.

At the intermission between films, you went with Ayeong and Erin to the bathroom. Jungkook got tacos from a nearby food truck and when he returned, he noticed that you were the only one missing from the group. A few minutes later, Taehyung was frowning at his phone after making a call that had gone unanswered.

“I’m going to go check on her,” he heard the other man say as he stood up.

Jungkook hesitated for a few seconds before following him. Taehyung had his phone to his ear again, though again there seemed to be no answer.

“What’s wrong?” Jungkook asked as he caught up to him.

Taehyung turned and scowled at him. Then he sighed. “Ayeong said she stayed back because she got a call from her mom that she needed to answer. Maybe it’s nothing, but she’s been gone for almost twenty minutes, so I just want to make sure nothing happened.”

Jungkook nodded and then they were silent as they walked around the buildings that were still open. The campus was well lit, so it was easy to see the faces of people walking to the dorms or back to the quad. When they didn’t see you anywhere, Taehyung made another call.

“Chloe, I need you to ping y/n’s location and send it to my phone.” He listened for a minute. “Maybe nothing but I can’t find her and I don’t know – I’m getting a weird feeling. Okay, thanks.”

Taehyung’s unease was contagious, and Jungkook shifted from one foot to the other as they waited. Then Taehyung’s phone vibrated, and he studied his screen for a moment before gesturing for Jungkook to follow him. After walking for a few minutes, Jungkook realized they were heading towards a park where students often had lunch or relaxed between classes.

And there you were, a silent, ghostly figure swaying in the moonlight as you hummed a strange tune.

“Fuck.” Taehyung started running.

Jungkook was right behind him. When he reached you, he tried to take your arm to turn you towards them, but Taehyung stopped him.

“Don’t touch her,” he said, a note of warning in his tone. “She’s in a sort of fugue state, and it’s safer if she comes out of it herself.”

Rather than argue, Jungkook walked around to face you, but froze when he saw that your eyes were unfocused, and almost… glowing? It was clear that you didn’t see him, though he was standing right in front of you.

Jungkook’s heart was pounding now. “How do we make her do that?”

“There’s something else here,” Taehyung explained. “It probably tried to communicate with her. Sometimes, if she lets her guard down, or if the spirit is especially powerful, she gets sort of… pulled to the other side. It’s usually because they’re trying to show her something.”

Swallowing hard, Jungkook nodded. “Okay. How do we make her come out of it?”

“We can’t make her, and if we try, it can cause severe shock. She’ll already be in a state of shock when she comes to on her own, so we have to be careful. I’m going to go get the car. You wait here with her and just keep talking to her, okay?”

“Can I touch her hands?”

“Carefully,” Taehyung said. “Don’t pull her or shake her, and don’t try to make her move.”

“Okay.” Jungkook pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Jin, I need you to come to the park right now. The one behind the science building.”

You were still humming and swaying when Jungkook reached out to touch your hand. There was no response, so he carefully took both your hands in his.

“Jesus, your hands are freezing,” he said quietly. “You never dress right for being out at night. You know that you get cold even when it’s not that cold, right?”

He squeezed your hands carefully in an attempt to warm them up. There was no response from you, your eyes still fixed on something he couldn’t see.

A/N: I know it's been a long time since I posted, and I'm sorry about that. If you're still reading, I'll get the rest of the chapter up this week, and there is some fluff in the future as Jungkook and y/n start repairing their relationship. I hope I remembered all the people who asked to be tagged (and got the tags right.) If you’d like to be tagged for updates, let me know.

Tag list: @ggukkieland @jikooksgirl19 @waves-and-woods @kookiesbreaky @koochiekoo @monvieesdaebak

[myheartissetinmotion]

OH MY LORD THAT WAS A PHENOMENAL EPISODE.

I’m not even gonna try to go chronologically I just have so many Emotions

EMotions

I have to join that elite woodworking club so I can handcraft an emmy and personally deliver it to Alice Lee

this was the first time that the emotion of a heartsong overtook the production value, and it was the perfect one to do so-the performance was completely raw and real and it affected me so much

only this show can have me crying with laughter (JCS also gets one of my handcrafted emmys) and crying with sympathy in the span of an hour

also side note right while I was writing this I got the email that my attack magic shirt just shipped!!! I’m about to get a painted bunting!!! wooooooo!!!!

speaking of anyone, Skylar’s performance was also incredible-the best songs on this show are often the ones that are sung live, and, again, vulnerable and raw and real and AHHHHH

I loved the new insight we got into Rose’s character

the glitch in the title card was fabulous

the maximo’s set is just stunning, I keep being reminded of that

that opening scene was legitimately the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen

they were so cute this episode I simply cannot (although I feel like the other shoe is about to drop and I’m Very Scared)

while we’re on the zimon topic ZOEY MA’AM I SWEAR IF YOU DON’T TELL HIM I WILL BREAK THROUGH THE SCREEN AND YOU AND I WILL HAVE A TALK

not even only to yell at her about it. I just want to talk to her, I think we’d be good friends

given that their whole relationship started when she heard his first heartsong and was built off of that point and now she kept it from him AGAIN when she had a PERFECT CHANCE and he would have been VERY OPEN-MINDED...I’m scared yall I love them so much and don’t want them to hurt, I love them together and while I understand why Zoey wouldn’t want to ruin it it would be ruined even more if she kept lying

aaaaaanyway

Mary Steenburgen duetting with herself is everything I never knew I needed (and now I want to see Kap and Morgan do that number too)

the choreo for One absolutely slapped, I’m still living for the McTobin banter, and the costumes were impeccable (Kenzie’s tights!! Tobin’s sweatshirt!! the return of The Classic L.D. Tight Pants™️!!)

Katie Findlay ma’am how do you do that. how. do you. do that

Maggie with the pot step-touching behind Zoey...classic

Rocco Morris is Winning At Life. HIT THOSE RIFFS BUDDY

Marvin is adorable. I wouldn’t be surprised if nbc started selling those stuffed foxes as merch (and yes I would buy one)

I’m so invested in Mo and Perry’s relationship at this point (although I always have been)

turns out my favorite type of country music is Alex Newell country music

the message of this episode, flawlessly delivered by one of my favorite new characters, is so incredibly touching and needed and beautifully pulled off

and, as always, all the little one-liners and character moments were fantastic; Zoey at the science center, Mo’s crime drama obsession, the furby anatomy room, etc

Jane’s facial expressions were off the CHARTS, this woman is seriously everything I want to be as an actress and a person

WE GET MORE DEB NEXT WEEK WOOOOOOOOOO

this episode was just utterly phenomenal in every way as always; can’t wait for more (although I am Scared but hopefully things end up okay)

this is. probably my longest thoughts post yet. enjoy

[ahsokalegend]

Ranking Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure Songs (Part 1)

Here it is, the definitive (read subjective) tier list of the top 15 Tangled The Series songs. I’ve been listening to these daily, and now you can too!

Let’s get to it:

[see Part 2 for #11-15]

10. With You By My Side

Harmonies for days, plagued by relentless forshadowing aka the best way to end season 2.

Pro: these 3 compliment each other so well vocally, chills every time

Con: heavy handed foreshadowing like we get it everyone will betray everyone but for now they’re happy

Rating: 8/10

9. Buddy Song

Let me reiterate THE! BUDDY! SONG! SLAPS!👏 Stream these legends and their beautiful friendship

Pro: Hilarious, stellar melody, broadway-esque extravagance

Con: a plant is trying to eat them during this song

Rating: 8.5/10

8. Next Stop, Anywhere

Ultimate peppy road trip music, especially the final chorus. You can’t get better than Cassandra singing while running with horses.

Pro: each chorus adds in another singer so by the end it’s all three of them and epic

Con: too much dialogue that shouldn’t be in the soundtrack version

Rating: 8.5/10

7. View From Up Here

This song is the embodiment of being free and flying. It’s hard to put into words how this song makes me feel. Classic Disney vibes.

Pro: beautiful vocals and visuals, nostalgic feelings galore

Con: Rapunzel and Cass as singing birds

Rating: 8.5/10

6. Let Me Make You Proud

Time for the best character, Varian, to make his solo debut. “Let Me Make You Proud” is when I first started taking this show seriously, and it was all due to Jeremy Jordan, Alan Menken, and Glenn Slater in this show-stopper.

Pro: that final high note, Varian’s singing voice

Con: I want more after the high note, song ends too quickly

Rating: 9/10

<Attention! You have reached the halfway point. Get ready for the S Tier.>

5. Let Me Make You Proud (Reprise)

If the original version made me stop and pay attention to Tangled The Series, the reprise broke me. THIS SONG is only 1 minute long. One minute spent watching my favorite character transform from a plucky kid to a tragic villain. THEY SET THE MOMENT HE BREAKS TO THE MOST HEART-WRENCHING MUSIC AND I’M NOT OVER IT.

Pro: Jeremy Jordan held back nothing as Varian in this scene. This is the most emotion-filled and shocking song of the show

Con: 1 minute long, I can’t put it higher because of that

Rating: 9.5/10

4. Crossing the Line

Did someone say epic orchestra? Nobody? Oh well, too late the horns are already here.

What’s great is this is technically Cassandra’s villain song, but it doesn’t play like any villain song before it. It’s building, unapologetic, and triumphant. This is Cassandra letting her walls fall and taking what she wants, consequences be damned. Is she right? No. Is she OOC for most of season 3? Possibly. Is it cathartic to watch her wreck two seasons worth of buildup and relationships? HECK YEAH!

Pro: bass boosted “If I’m burning a bridge let it burn!”🔥

Con: This is the one time I’d add back in dialogue from the show. Cassandra’s trigger word is wait. In the episode, Rapunzel asks her to wait three times: once at the beginning of the song, once in the middle, and once at the end. Each occurrence pushes Cassandra further away, but only one makes the soundtrack recording.

Rating: 9.5/10

3. Waiting In The Wings

Emmy winner, best ballad, moving work of art - all define “Waiting In The Wings”. There’s something gripping about a side character acknowledging her place and desire to be heard when the main characters continually overshadow her goals and actions. We all know the feeling, watching your life pass by feeling like you don’t get the chance to lead your own story. Wow, my kind of emo sad song. What can I say, Cassandra gets the best. This would be a classic Disney “I Want” song if the show had been a movie.

Pro: Eden Espinosa singing that key change at “I hear my cue.”

Con: Honestly can’t think of anything besides it not being my favorite, too perfect?

Rating: 10/10

2. Nothing Left To Lose

Stellar concept untouched by anything Disney has made. Here we have the redeemed villain kidnapped by someone he once called friend. He sees her in her brokenness, and instead of being condensing as she has accused others of being, he tells her the truth. Nothing good can come from giving into her anger as he once did. Varian pleads with her; not to choose good because it’s the right thing to do, but to save herself from spiraling self-destruction. By meeting Cassandra where she is emotionally, Varian is the last chance to pull her from the dark. The message is merciful, well-thought out, and completely in character for Varian and Cassandra’s situation.

This song is the epitome of “Your feelings are valid, your methods of coping are not.” Each second is breathtaking from the animation to the song itself. It’s the ultimate battle between the show’s best singers and side characters while demonstrating the power one true friend can have against your own pain and anger.

And you know what hits the hardest?! Varian doesn’t give up on Cassandra in this song (we’re not talking about later episodes here). Every time she thinks she has outmaneuvered, out-argued, or out-sang him he comes back all the more ready to reach the friend he knows is buried deep in her heart. It takes her physically removing him from her tower and caging him ON A CLIFF for the main section of the song to finish.

But that’s not where it ends. A now dejected Cassandra, reminiscent of her “Waiting In The Wings” motivations sings her true feelings now when nobody can hear. “Now, I have nothing... ... ... left... to lose...”. That long pause she takes after “I have nothing” allows the first half to stand on its own. This is Cassandra realizing Varian’s truth. By pushing her last chance at redemption away, by removing her last chance at a friend, she truly has nothing left to lose.

I could go on and on about this song: the 360° turn in 2D animation, the way Varian and Cassandra sing over each other at the song’s climax, the lyrics, Varian’s vulnerability, Cassandra at her most dramatic, and more. I’ll save you the time, it’s incredible.

Pro: THE BEST DUET why are you still here go listen to this song! Jeremy and Eden recorded it together in-person for a reason. It’s too good for anything less. Also, another Emmy nominated song

Con: It could lose its Emmy nomination which would be unjust yet poetic? Cause you know, “Nothing Left To Lose” loses would make a funny headline

Rating: 10/10

https://youtu.be/r-PYYaoq0fY

1. Ready As I’ll Ever Be

There’s a reason seemingly half the fandom joined due to this song. It encapsulates everything I love about this show flaws and all. Varian gets a solo! Cass gets a solo! Rapunzel gets a solo! Everyone gets a solo! Each time I listen it gets better. Nothing screams epic battle prep song like “Ready As I’ll Ever Be”. Plot and singing-wise this song has it all.

What makes this song a winner is my inability to analyze it. It’s not a song I think about, it’s one I enjoy and constantly replay. The impact this song has had on me and it’s ♥️❤️💕💜💛💖💞💚🧡💝💙-ness makes it the greatest song in Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure.

Pro: ultimate hype song, villain Varian, mind-blowingly incredible

Con: the king sings (easy to ignore)

Rating: 10/10

Thanks for reading!

[trek-tracks]

what... what is threshold day?

Hoo boy.

Threshold Day is the anniversary of the airing of Threshold, one of the, if not THE, most batshit episodes of Star Trek Voyager, and Star Trek in its entirety. (Spoilers for Threshold below.)

In it, Lt. Tom Paris decides that, due to his enormous daddy issues, he will only be redeemed if he lives up to his potential by making it into the history books. In this case, it’s by breaking the transwarp barrier, which does not mean being trans and going into warp, a barrier which I’m sure was broken way before this, but going Warp 10 (in the new scale). Because apparently exploring basically a new section of the galaxy at the helm of the only Starfleet starship to be there is just garbage in terms of history-making, I guess.

So they find out there’s a 2% chance his personal brain will explode if he does this, and they’re going to let Harry Kim do it instead, but Tom is like, “no, Captain. You don’t understand. I have MASSIVE daddy issues. Also, you’d probably have to promote Harry if he succeeded, and nobody wants that.” 

And Janeway is like, “Oh shit, I really don’t want to promote Harry. Also, I have some pretty big daddy issues of my own, so I getchu; have at it. Hope your brains stay unexploded.”

So he successfully does his thing, and he’s like, EVERYWHERE AT ONCE, MAN. He sees everything. Past, present, Harry in the shower - I mean, future - in all places at once. Which is why it’s odd that he’s so surprised when he collapses in the Mess Hall after drinking one of Neelix’s truly noxious brews. He should have known how gross it was going to be. 

Anyway, the next twenty minutes or so are the EMH trying to stop Tom from turning into a weird gross scaly creature, with limited success. He stops being able to breathe oxygen. He gets super paranoid and rants a lot. He yells about pepperoni (I am not kidding). He asks for a dying kiss from Kes, which leads to a truly marvelous turn-down line: “I’m sorry, Tom. If we let down the forcefield, you’ll suffocate,” which I will now use for any unwanted come-ons. He legit DIES, then comes back to life a pretty long time later. He yells at Janeway, and then, like anyone who dares yell at Janeway would expect, his tongue literally falls out of his mouth. 

Finally, he’s getting pretty close to salamander territory, when the last 15 minutes give up on making ANY sense. He busts out of Medbay, kidnaps Janeway, goes to Warp 10 again, turns them both into complete salamanders (I guess the EMH literally did nothing to help Tom, because apparently Janeway makes it through the transformation just fine without medical attention), and then HAS LIZARD BABIES with her.

Which we know, because the Voyager crew manages to find them three days later, and in that time apparently Janeway has changed over and already had the babies. Also, they were able to find a shuttle that literally could have gone anywhere in the entire universe. Chakotay then shoots the salamanders and they take them back, leaving the babies to…I don’t know, sala-meander around or something. Why is Chakotay’s first reaction to phaser the largely-sedentary salamanders? I have no idea.

Cut immediately to the EMH having been able to just roll back their DNA or something and make them entirely human again as if nothing had happened (If this were possible, why didn’t they just Warp 10 home to Earth and then fix everyone while they evolved? It sounds like it would suck, but so would being lost for 70 years). Janeway insinuates she may have initiated the salamating. (Tom should have said salami instead of pepperoni, in salamander solidarity). They laugh off something that should require about 50 years of counseling. Tom says, “cool, I think I have slightly less daddy issues now.”

YOU KNOW WHO HAS MORE DADDY ISSUES NOW? MAYBE YOUR ABANDONED SALAMANDER BABIES.

AND NONE OF THIS IS EVER MENTIONED AGAIN. OR HAS ANY IMPACT ON THE SERIES. EVER.

And so, we commemorate this weird atrocity (which actually has some nice character development and Emmy-winning makeup, but AT WHAT COST) with a day of commiseration and celebration, largely spearheaded by @captaincrusher. Join us next year…posts are already being prepared.