#hi can we live here for the next eight episodes

[lesbianedmundo]

I’ve seen a lot of posts saying that The Last Alarm wasn’t a proper send off episode for Bobby… i’m not sure I agree. Obviously everyone has a different idea of a proper send off… but this was like. Pretty good? Idk maybe it’s just because I was full on sobbing, but they really touched on the grief of the 118. I’m upset about Gerrard’s presence, and his bullshit speech, but at least the show sorta recognised the bullshit? I can forgive it if they go the right route with Hen being Captain next and we never see Gerrard again lol. Tommy as well… shouldn’t have been a pallbearer. Like. What - why would he be?! Everyone else carrying the coffin was a member of the 118, except for Eddie, but he was part of the 118 incredibly recently and had a genuine friendship and mentorship with Bobby, his narrative parallel. Tommy, however, that’s just weird.

I can understand being upset at Buck, Hen, Eddie and Ravi being mildly sidelined in terms of their grief, but understand it’s a single 40 minute TV episode. They had to choose someone to focus on, and Athena and Chimney are the logical choices. Athena was Bobby’s wife. This is such a different grief than it is for the others, and I’m glad it was explored so intently. Also, Angela Bassett my motherfucking Queen. The scene where she breaks down with Hen in the new house? I was BAWLING.

Even the kidnapped child plot line - y’all do realise that it was also an exploration of Athena’s grief? She throws herself into helping this person she’s convinced herself Bobby would save because despite being so angry that he’s gone, she primarily loves him. And she can’t help but draw parallels between Bobby quietly choosing to leave, and Leah’s brother and husband quietly choosing to hide there wasn’t a body to bury. Even before that, Leah functions as Athena’s mirror. Athena sees how Leah’s grief has led her worldview to become distorted, and it helps her realise that in her own grief, she’s distorted her view by shutting out her family and trying to be strong. AND the parallels between Leah losing Micah, and Bobby losing Robert and Brooke, sets up the pay off of Bobby being buried with his children. If they had to include a more typical procedural drama storyline, I’m glad it was this one that ties in so well to Athena’s grief.

For Chimney, yeah, actually, he’d be struggling more visibly than the others. It’s his life that got traded for Bobby’s death. He feels so fucking guilty. He feels like he killed his Captain. He feels like he killed one of his closest friends, a man who eight years said he planned to kill himself, got better, than killed himself so Chim could live. Chimney is not fucking okay. The survivors guilt of Kevin’s death has returned in full fucking force. I’m glad the show shone a spotlight on Chimney’s grief and boy did Kenny Choi deliver.

As long as in following episodes, we touch more on Hen, Buck, Eddie and Ravi’s grief, I’m grudgingly content with this send off (and they did show us some of their grief, e.g Buck following through Bobby’s ‘they’re gonna need you’, Eddie’s ‘I should have been here’ and crying at the funeral, Hen crying to Karen and her apprehensive face when the camera cuts to her after Gerrard mentions the next Captain, Ravi saying he’s never done one of these funerals and turning to Eddie for advice, etc)

[rootspiral]

Agatha All Along deep dive: episode 8 part 1

(Wandavision entries: [1][2][3])

(AAA entries: ep1 [1][2][3][4] ep2 [1][2][3][4] ep3 [1][2][3] ep4 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][+1] ep5 [1][2][3][4][5] ep6 [1][2][3] ep7 [1][2][3][4][5][6] ep8 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] ep9 [1][2][3][4][5][6])

EPISODE EIGHT. fasten your seat belts, get ready for some turbulence, nobody panic. things are going to become fucking sad, but you're going to be okay. yay?

for a fleeting moment at the beginning of the episode you get the mad hope that alice survived - that rio is going to spare her, somehow

but the camera keeps spinning, keeps spinning, and we're upside down. this show is so good at evoking uncanny vibes with simple practical effects. not to mention the great callback to lilia flipping the room at the end of last episode. we are on the other side now, we're not in kansas anymore.

and this is of course rio collecting alice's soul, and it's where she disappeared to at the end of episode 5. I find rio's choices here so brilliant, because we know that she chooses the way she appears to souls. she is not being mean per se, she's woken alice up so gently and she's talking in a soft voice. but she looks fucking scary too, there is no questioning who she is or what she's doing here. indeed alice doesn't question her former companion being the grim reaper. it's like, rio is willing to go slow, but alice still needs to know right away that there is no escape.

alice's quiet devastation as she sees her own dead body. as much as I would have liked to see lilia walk away with her Death, I'm so glad we got alice instead. lilia died on her own terms and on such a high note. alice's story needed to take one last breath. literally.

this whole scene to me perfectly encapsulates the message of the show. beautiful, strong alice, alive one moment and gone the next, just like that. how can one come to terms with that?

words that sound mocking, but aren't. it's like accusing the ocean or the stars of being cruel. nature doesn't carry any ill intent, it simply exists.

but look what happens next. rio's smile fades at alice's despair. because rio is a willing agent of nature and balance, but also - and that's the brilliancy and tragedy of this character - rio is capable of love. she has an impossible job and she's damn good at it, but it takes a toll. she bent the rules of nature once, for the one person she loves more than the universe itself. she won't go that far for anybody else, but she has gotten to know alice, she felt true companionship with her - alice's loss is hurting on a personal level.

I've seen so many 'alice's death doesn't sit right with me' takes. YEAH, YOU THINK?!! alice's death is AWFUL. she lived all her life under this horrible curse and died one moment after liberating herself. all her hopes, all her goodness, all her potential, gone. it's MONSTROUS. it's UNFAIR.

it is monstrous that people (and children, dear god, children!) die all the time of disease, or wars, accidents, calamities. go scream at the sky about it. see if it answers back.

you died protecting someone. it's so matter-of-factly.

have you ever watched blade runner 2049? (if you haven't major spoilers ahead). ryan gosling's character, a replicant, believes he might be special, a chosen one, but turns out he was just a cog in the machine. he dies protecting harrison ford who is of course the real hero of the story. the bittersweet implication being that he didn't die in vain, that no matter how small his role in the overarching story, his life mattered and is worth remembering. but he still died alone and bleeding under the snow. it's a much bleaker message than the sweeping hero tales of old, but is not completely devoid of hope.

rio wishes to give alice's brief existence some closure, some meaning. alice died selflessly, doing something she truly believed in: isn't that worth something?

and yet. alice is still dead, all of rio's good intentions won't spare her. we do need to be kind to each other and uphold our humanity in the face of tragedy, even if it hurts like a bitch, even if it won't change a thing. be kind, if you find the strength for it. create meaning where there isn't. it's all we have in common. it's all we can do.

alice visibly recoils at rio's words. they're not enough, nothing is ever going to be enough.

and that's why I think rio had to look so damn scary in this scene, even if she's being patient and so gentle under the circumstances. her role as Death has to come before her personal feelings, that is her job and her choice.

oh, alice. my sweet alice.

lilia saw Death coming and went willingly. alice said no and cried as she stepped through the threshold. again, I am SO glad we were shown this. she wasn't as brave as lilia, but I dare you to call her a coward or to love her any less.

GOD jen's ear-piercing SCREAM. what did I just say about lilia's death being better? screw that. death is an equalizer. nobody is spared.

jen has held it together so far. eyes on the prize, no pity for anyone else involved. look at her crumble.

billy is speechless. this is the third time he has known grief in however many hours, and each time worse than the previous one. he has lost all of his innocence. and the light, the light. everything is green, it's rio, rio, rio.

remember when agatha was so afraid of Death in episode 3 that she tried to break a glass window, and everybody laughed? so funny, wasn't it?

and here she is, fucking terrified, running through green light.

and then she sees her.

your coven is shrinkiiiiiiing. oh it's so nice to finally see her with her crown. I pray and hope to see agatha wearing a crown some day.

first alice, now lilia. I love that it's so heavy, I love all the implications. it was never only about agatha trying to avoid an ex. it's what rio represents, it's what rio did to alice and lilia.

it's what she did to nicky.

except it wasn't her! she's just the ferryman! and if anyone, agatha killed alice and lilia! we just saw rio's heart ache for alice as she collected her soul! they're both lashing out at each other because they can't handle this impossible heaviness between them. agatha is being cruel because she's in pain. rio is being cruel because she's in pain. it's such a mess.

this is all I have in me tonight, fuck this show is too much. and we've just started the episode! there is a lot to unpack, the closer I look at things the sadder it gets.

go to episode 8 part 2

[mizgnomer]

Behind the Scenes of The Star Beast - Part Eight

Excerpts from Benjamin Cook's Star Beast Set Visit - discussing the Camden night shoots:

Is nobody here having a bad time?? WHAT'S WRONG WITH THEM? "I had a little lull earlier," admits David, "at 2AM when we were waiting to turn over- I definitely yawned, maybe twice - but then the blood starts pumping again." Wrap isn't till 3AM. David lives across town. Isn't he worried he'll wake up his family when he gets in? "Listen, the kids are at Davison's," he says (this is Fifth Doctor actor Peter Davison, who happens to be David's father-in-law), "so I'm full of beans. Oh, and sugar. Do you want some?" He's bought a churro from a market stall that's stayed open because it's very much in shot. "You can have more than that." He breaks me off a bigger piece. "The sugar rush will do you good." He offers the director [ Rachel Talalay ] some too: "Go on, Rachel, you deserve it." "Are you doing OK?" she asks him. "Yeah! Sugar! I'll move on to the Yorkie bars next. I give not a fudge at this time in the morning." He claps his hands, dusting off the sugar from his churro. "But are you OK?" "I am at this moment," she says, waving to some fans. "Tomorrow at 4:30AM I might not be. Ask me again then." "You do get a lot of love from the fans, don't you?" says David. "In a tiny way, which is just lovely. I mean, I'm not you," she says, with a laugh. "I love hearing them scream for you. But I'm not used to any of this. And… I think it's stopped raining." "OK, here we go," says Scott. "Let's go for one. Stand by then, folks…" They go for another take. And another. When I catch up with Rachel later – much later, it’s October 2023, and she’s chatting over Zoom from her home in Vancouver – we’re five weeks away from The Star Beast airing on TV. “I didn’t know quite how well the episode was working,” she says, “till my family watched an almost-finished cut. I came downstairs, and my two girls were crying. It was like, oh, OK, this does work! And on a much, much deeper level too. To have them go, ‘We knew it would be full of joy’ – which I think it is – ‘but we didn’t expect it to be so emotional,’ that was very satisfying. It was an emotional time all round.” It was. In more ways than one. Which is something that Rachel wants to talk about – here in DWM – for the first time publicly. “I think I can now,” she says, “because I’m close to two years in remission. I will be this month. Two years in remission. And Doctor Who really helped heal me. Directing Doctor Who while I was only a couple of months post-chemo.” A deep breath. “I had lymphoma,” she explains. “I’d been in chemo for seven or eight months. I wasn’t sure if I was going to survive. Then I was offered The Star Beast. I thought, I’ve got to do this. I didn’t tell anybody I was sick. I hadn’t told anybody except very close family. And I didn’t tell anyone on Doctor Who till I was there long enough to say, ‘Look, I’m well enough, so I don’t want you worried about me.’ Because, frankly, I don’t know that they’d have wanted to hire someone who might not have made it through the shoot. I totally get that. That’s fair enough. [...] “I could not have been surrounded by a more supportive crew,” says Rachel. “The best crew in the world. When I realised, it’s all night shoots, I thought, oh god, and I’m two months post-chemo. But that crew – David especially – made those night shoots so fun. It’s weird now, because I look back at the pictures – like that lovely one of me and David you published last issue – and that was my chemo hair. I was just getting my hair back. But I got healthier and healthier, stronger and stronger, as the shoot went on. When I got back to Canada, the doctor said, ‘You’re a poster child for how well someone can do after chemo. This is what people are capable of.’ “But it’s just what you do,” she reflects, “isn’t it? – when you love Doctor Who in your heart so much. There was no better place for me than Doctor Who.”

Additional parts of this set are in the #whoBtsBeast tag. The full episode list is [ here ]

[rafesangelita]

໒꒰ྀིっ˕ -｡꒱ྀི১ season four (part one) let’s talk about it..

epsiode one:

betting the last nug of gold is such a jj thing to do, i couldn’t even be mad at him. but betting all they had KNOWING that bike was trash?? PLEASE BE SERIOUS. and that weird kook guy that said all of the cut was going to be figure eight soon? i feel like that was potential for the plot to keep going.. who knows though. jiara was so cute here i love them. BUT RAFE??? he looks so good it’s insane.

episode two:

rafe and sofia going to topper’s party and him yelling at that girl like that caught me so off guard lmaooo. i had seen a couple of ppl on x saying that sofia was being a pick me with the whole ‘hey, stop it.’ thing when rafe wanted to keep fighting but i don’t see the cringe??? i think she actually cares about him and doesnt want him to get in any unnecessary trouble. omfg and dale telling cleo ‘i like your accent, welcome to our country.’ can we just kill him off now plsss?? that weird cougar can go too!

episode three:

SOFIA IS A CONFIRMED LATINA!!! I KNEW THE ACTRESS PLAYING HER WAS LATINA, BUT FOR IT TO BE CANON NOW?? I LOVEEEEEE!! also her dad asking her to urge rafe to make a deal for money behind his back??? i hope she doesn’t disappoint me omg.

UPDATE: SO RAFE DISAPPOINTED ME INSTEAD. talking about sofia, saying ‘i won’t live with a pogue, i have standards.’ i’m glad sofia made that deal with the cougar now ngl

episode four:

literally FUCK ruthie. ‘we have to protect ourselves’ ma’am— you nearly killed kie and actually did kill an innocent baby turtle, pls don’t play with me rn. can everyone target her now instead of sofia?? pls and thank you!

anger aside, the entire scene of rafe and sofia in the bathroom made me go insane!!!! i kept pausing and rewinding it was terrible.

episode five:

three words: CLEO DESERVES BETTER. i felt so bad for her this episode, kie telling cleo not to look when the guys were moving terrence’s body made me want to cryyyy omfg. i really hope she gets to have her revenge, she deserves AT LEAST that.

LARISSA BEING JJ’S MOM???? LUKE NOT BEING JJ’S BIOLOGICAL DAD??? I CALLED IT AS SOON AS THEY SHOWED THE NEWSPAPER WITH JJ’S MOM AND HIS BABY PICTURE. AND JJ’S DAD BEING WITH THE COUGAR LADY???? I GASPED WHEN I SAW RAFE WITH THE POGUES AT THE END OF THE EPISODE. i seriously can’t wait for the next part.

[sabrinajenre96]

“Episode Twelve ~ Operation: No One Find Us (Please)”

Michael Robinavitch x wife reader

Warning ⚠️: Spencer playing James bond and ruin her parents getaway

Y/N zipped her weekend bag with an excited sigh. “Forty-eight hours. Just the two of us. No charts. No pager. No kids. No—”

“—puppy in Crocs pretending to be you?” Michael finished with a smirk.

“Exactly.”

Diana stood in the doorway with her arms crossed and her signature “you owe me big time” expression. “You two better not come back pregnant.”

“We’re not—okay, not planning—Mom!”

“You said the same thing before Grayson.”

---

The Setup

Sawyer, still recovering from her twisted ankle, had been promised full use of the living room TV and exclusive snack rights.

Grayson had his Nintendo and was thrilled about “no bedtime.”

Spencer was… suspiciously quiet.

That should’ve been the first red flag.

---

Cut to: The Romantic Cabin

Michael lit the fireplace. Y/N poured two glasses of wine. Soft music played in the background. There was kissing. Shirts were being removed. They were finally alone.

Then Michael’s phone buzzed.

> Text from Diana: “Just a heads-up: Spencer tried to recruit Grayson into a covert operation. He defected. Sawyer is resisting. I’m bribing with brownies.”

Y/N groaned. “She’s planning a mission.”

Michael sighed. “How bad could it be?”

---

Back Home: Operation ‘Find the Parents’

Spencer paced the living room with Kojo in a makeshift vest. “We are launching Operation Parent Retrieval.”

Sawyer, on crutches, deadpanned from the couch. “They’re on a date, not in North Korea.”

Grayson popped a popcorn kernel. “She said it’s urgent.”

Diana leaned in from the kitchen. “You leave this house and I swear on my retired uterus, I will call Santa personally.”

Spencer blinked. “I’m five. I have diplomatic immunity.”

Diana picked up the wooden spoon. “Not from me, you don’t.”

---

Meanwhile: The Cabin Heats Up

Michael had just unbuttoned Y/N’s shirt when—

Bang bang bang!

They froze. He whispered, “Do we have neighbors?”

Y/N pulled on her robe. “Maybe a delivery?”

They opened the door…

And there she was.

In a hoodie, snow boots, and glittery mittens, with Kojo at her side, Spencer looked very proud.

“Mission accomplished,” she said. “Also, we forgot to pack my stuffed bunny in Grayson’s bag. This was clearly an emergency.”

Michael stared in stunned silence.

“Grandma let you leave the house?”

Spencer blinked. “Define ‘let.’”

Behind her, Sawyer limped up the path, face red, dragging a duffle bag. “She tricked me. She said you were being held hostage by bears.”

Michael turned to Y/N. “How fast can we drive away?”

---

Aftermath: The Unwanted Sleepover

Somehow, Diana showed up ten minutes later.

“I told you not to let her watch spy movies,” she said, glaring at her daughter. “Now Kojo thinks he’s part of MI6.”

“Because he is,” Spencer whispered, stroking his head.

Diana dumped overnight bags on the floor. “Well, guess what? You two owe me dinner, spa time, and a new bottle of wine.”

Michael handed her a full bottle. “Take it now.”

---

Later That Night…

After three false starts, four extra blankets, and a bedtime story involving Y/N’s gallbladder patient from last week (somehow made magical by Spencer), the house was finally quiet.

Y/N curled up against Michael, exhausted but smiling. “Romantic getaway fail?”

Michael kissed her shoulder. “You’re here. I’m here. No one’s bleeding. Yet. I call that a win.”

Kojo snored from the foot of the bed.

“Still,” Y/N whispered, “next time, we’re telling no one where we’re going.”

“Spencer will track us anyway.”

“…Fair.”

[sykesandskittles]

CHAPTER 14

Noah

AFTER LEAVING Harlow at the coffee shop, I head over to Rush House. When I walk into the living room, Jolly, Nicholas, and Nick are already there, playing pool. The living room is the only area of the house I renovated the minute my grandfather signed the house over to me, and it’s the main spot where we hang out. Like the rest of the house, it looked like it was plucked right out of an episode of Downton Abbey.

Our schedules are so crazy that it’s rare we’re all here together, but today, I guess we all have gaps in our schedules–either that or the guys are ditching their classes. Either scenario is just as likely.

“Yo!” Nicholas says as I toss my backpack next to the couch.

I walk over to the mini fridge and pull out a soda. I crack it open but don’t take a sip. Instead, I set it down on the side table next to the couch. I drop my full weight onto the couch with a groan—the day isn’t even close to over, and already I feel drained. When I glance up, all three of my friends are looking at me.

“So, what happened?” Jolly asks. He looks exactly like his twin brother, brunette , tan, with crazy brown eyes. The only difference between them

is the length of their hair—Nicholas has longer wavy strands, and Jolly’ hair is shorter.

Also, their personalities are completely different. Nicholas is fucking crazy, down for anything, and a legit genius at anything tech related. Jolly is quiet, artistic, and completely useless at anything tech-related—so, basically, the exact opposite of his twin.

I tilt my head back and blow out a breath, then look back at them all through narrowed eyes. “What do you mean ‘what happened?’ We had coffee. All part of the plan.”

Nick was on his phone, texting someone, but he looks up when I say that. “So she’s coming tonight?”

“Yeah,” I say casually. “Of course she is. My powers of persuasion are unmatched.”

The guys groan in unison, but it’s Nicholas to gives voice to their snark. “Duuude, you wish. If you were half as good as you think you are, this bitch would be wrapped around your dick by now.”

I shrug one shoulder. “Who says she isn’t?”

Nicholas bursts out laughing, his eyebrows shooting into his hairline, like he can’t believe the audacity of what I just said. “Dude, you’re fucking delusional. Harlow is fighting you at every fucking turn. The entire school is talking about how whipped you are.”

That catches my attention. “Whipped? What the fuck?”

I’ve never been whipped by anyone. Girls are a fucking fact of life— nothing more, nothing less. They throw themselves at me, and when I want a quick fuck, I pluck a chick up out of the crowd and use her until I get what I need. Harlow is no different.

Jolly leans on his pool stick and takes a sip of his coffee. “Yup, everyone is saying how fucking weird she is, and wondering why you’re so into her.”

Weird? She’s curvy, sure, and a lot more low-maintenance than I normally date. But I wouldn’t go as far as to say she’s weird. Why does that one word make me feel protective? I hate this chick. I shouldn’t care how other people see her. And I don’t. But, damn, fuck everyone else and their bullshit.

“Whatever,” I say on an exhale. “She’s coming tonight, okay?” “Good,” Jolly says, hitting a ball into a side pocket with a loud clack.

“Because we only have eight weeks until shit goes down. It’d be nice to

have her locked into our narrative by then.”

“Yeah,” I respond. He doesn’t have to tell me how much time we don’t fucking have. The twenty-first of October. That date is seared into my brain. It’s my entire fucking focus as of late.

“Do you think you can get her under control?” Nicholas says, and his tone tells me he’s not confident in my abilities, which annoys me.

I level a glare at him. “Have I ever failed to bring a chick under my control?”

I’ve always craved control in my life. It’s probably some bullshit leftover from my childhood. The arguments. The constant criticism, and chaos. Being separated from my brother. All that shit I couldn’t control back then.

But I can sure as fuck control it now. And even if I can’t, I’ll find a fucking way. I can always find a way.

“He’s right,” Nick chimes in. “If anyone can make a chick do his bidding, it’s Noah.”

“Yeah, but it’s this particular chick that I’m worried about,” Nick says. “She seems a little smarter than the others.”

“Intelligence has nothing to do with it,” I say casually, cocky now. “Chicks and their hormones are predictable. Get them revved up, and they all respond the same.”

And it’s true. Any age, any walk of life. Females all just want the same thing. They want to feel wanted. They want to feel beautiful. And I don’t give a fuck who they are, every chick wants a confident touch and a fucking orgasm–or three. They’re pretty simple creatures at the end of the day.

“Whatever, dude,” Jolly says lazily. “Just get her under control. The sooner the better.”

“Thanks, boss,” I say sarcastically, annoyance dripping from my tone. “You don’t think I know how urgent this shit is? It’s my fucking life.”

“It’s our life, Noah. Don’t forget that,” Jolly says, flashing me some serious side-eye. “He’s a part of our crew, and we don’t abandon our brothers.”

It’s true. We all went through private school together, and our parents are all members of the Burning Crown, same as us—and because of all that, we’re solid. We’re brothers, and I know whatever happens they’ve got my back.

James is my half-brother, and only a year older than me. He’s a product of my mom’s first marriage, but his dad is up in Oregon, so James only saw him for a few weeks in the summers. The rest of the year, he was here, with me and the guys, running a fucking muck.

And while he’s not a Sacred Son, because he doesn’t have the bloodline, he’s still a member of the Burning Crown. So I know he’s a brother to Nick, Jolly, and Nicholas, too.

But he’s my blood. What happened last year fucking rocked my entire family—and I’m the only one who can make things right.

So, yeah, Harlow will submit to me, because she has to. Neither of us has a fucking choice.

[floridian-vigilante]

heyy!! I literally love everything you write you’re amazing!! I was wondering if you could write some headcannons based on S2 Wayne and Del (since we don’t have one😭😭)

I don’t have anything specific for the headcannons topic but maybe something with Wayne being in jail and Del visiting him or something???

Thank you you’re amazing!!🙌🙌

aaaaaaaaaaauidgaijsgfkjasbkjasb i love you here are some highlights of my season 2 luccullough thoughts (as individuals and as a unit)

I'd like to clarify first off that I personally don't see season 2 and post-canon as the same thing and I honestly couldn't tell you why. In the context of how stuff would go I think... I think it's because I see post-canon as like a line of events that wrap up the story or could potentially come after a conclusion. and there's just a lot more structure involved in a season of television. anyyway tangent over these are some of my season 2/post-canon (kind of) thoughts.

(also also i am SO sorry this took so long I had to have a good think about this one lmao (also also also this ended up being quite scattered and a little long but I had fun))

I think the first episode of season 2 might take place about 5-6 months after season 1, so a good chunk of it is just catching up with Wayne and Del and how their lives have been going (spoiler alert: not well)

Del's back at school. She's pretty popular because of everything that happened but she doesn't really talk to anyone except for Orlando

Mostly because Orlando's been visiting Wayne down in Florida as often as he can, which ends up being like once or twice a month depending on his grandmother's spending.

Wayne's doing alright for himself all things considered.

He's been trying to keep well behaved since there's a chance he'll be allowed to transfer back to Brockton if he is, but it's hard for him to stay out of fights sometimes.

His efforts pay off though, he gets transferred over to Brockton (in no small part thanks to Stephen Geller) which is kinda what kicks off the season.

The first fic I wrote for this fandom was an imagining of what Wayne and Del's first interaction would be post-canon and I know I'm biased but I still stand by it very much

I think Wayne and Del both end up doing a little better socially after that interaction, just the knowledge that they're both relatively okay and that they're going to see each other again it really warms their hearts I fear

Wayne makes all friendly with a couple of guys in juvie that have his back so he doesn't have to worry about getting into fights

Del reconnects a bit with Natalie who does well with fending off all the unwanted attention she's been getting at school.

Great stuff all around, really.

Wayne gets out in the next few episodes (thanks Geller) on good behaviour, now needing to do quite a heap a lot of community service within Brockton

He's released into principal Cole's care and has some weird feelings about that

He has to wear an ankle bracelet and be home by like eight for the time being, on top of a whole heap a lot of community service within Brockton.

Not fun, really.

I have a very vivid idea for the episode after Wayne gets out of Juvie

He reunites with Del who's had a bag packed to go pretty much since she got back, and without really thinking anything about it other than "we don't want to be here right now" they jack Tommy's car and drive the fuck away before anyone can say anything about it

They try prying the ankle bracelet off but they end up just kinda breaking it so they kinda leave it as a "when we get there" problem but the problem there is that they have no fucking idea where the hell they're going

Del suggests Georgia because she thinks it'd be cool to see Trish and Jenny again, so that's the general idea.

They head down to Georgia, stopping at some places they remembered as significant or just kinda cool during their first trip down and it's cool because they're together and they're on the run but they're free except there's this big burdening weight behind them this time because they actually had shit in Brockton that they left behind

And yeah, Del doesn't really want to go back to her Dad or back to school, and yeah Wayne doesn't really want to go back to community service hours and 8pm curfew at principal Cole's house

But they also have people there who give a shit about them now, people who had stayed up worried for them the last time they were on the run together, and things might suck for years from this point if they go back, but if they go back, they'll have a future, one where they don't have to use aliases to get jobs or hide from cops on their way home

And they'll have each other either way.

They make it back before curfew. Tommy's pissed but he still lies for Wayne and tells Geller that the ankle bracelet broke on a walk somehow and he really doesn't buy it but he figures that if Wayne's goal right now was to get it off he wouldn't be in front of a cop asking for a repair so that's the end of that.

Trying not to deviate too far off topic and also tonal shifting a bit I think Wayne would be a pain in Del's ass at school

Tommy leaves the option to Wayne of whether or not he goes back to school. He doesn't go back to school. Well, he doesn't attend classes.

He tries to be subtle about pseudo stalking Del at school because he knows she's trying to avoid attention but Wayne just doesn't really have subtle in him.

Hc that one time he really needs to talk to Del about something but he's trying to avoid Tommy in the corridors so he tries jumping in through the window of a second floor science classroom and he manages to stick the landing quite smoothly but he ended up in the wrong class so Del didn't even get to appreciate it 💔

I don't really have an idea of how the season might conclude or if there'd be another

maybe its just cause im wired to come up with more stuff that can happen post canon im not equipped to draw the line where post post canon starts

I think there'd be a lot of conversations about their futures and a solid plan to fall back on and a whole lot of looking at each other contentedly but right now I just do not know

but in any case there will be no bum ass season 3 hook that changes uproots everything at the last moment.... no shade....

ok that's a whole lot of stuff, I had to cut out like 600 other words lmao and I have more thoughts on a potential season two that I didn't even try putting down. I think im like 2 days late very sorry if I maybe misinterpreted the prompt lolol have a good day <333

[tapuhauko]

"Alola! Welcome to the eight o'clock news! We have a special guest to conclude the episode today, so stay tuned..."

They're trembling on their feet, eyes staring down at their custom made sandals. The hooded cape they're wearing is heavy on their back and shoulders, but it's needed for just a little bit longer. The host reads the news as they wait out of view with the camera crew. They can't help but notice stares from the others in the studio. Their get-up was out of the ordinary for sure... Still, they're incredibly pleased with the outfit Sirio made especially for them. It fit them. It boosted their confidence. It was light, and airy, and all sensory issues were taken care of, like tags and the like. But most importantly... it made him feel like he could take on the world.

Hala had arranged for them to be on the news. The prime time spot, even. Tons of people would be watching... Is this the right choice? They wave the thought away. Too late to back out, and... it was time to do something for himself for once. The time for them to enter the spotlight approaches steadily. A trembling hand slips into their pocket, pulling up their phone. They scan over the last reassuring messages from Hala, Maleah and Sirio. They're rooting for them. They hadn't told anyone else. It was bound to be a big surprise. Maybe it was better that way. His stomach is doing flips just thinking about what everyone was going to say once this was over. Would it be positive? Negative? He hoped the first, and feared the latter. It's time. The spotlights are even brighter than expected when the host calls them forward from behind the scenes. Things feel like they're going in slow motion as he steps into the studio, positioning himself smack dab in the middle of the assigned area. The host does her spiel, introducing him ('but he doesn't need much introducing, right everyone?'). Hau does his best to ignore the anxiety overloading his brain. Yeah. Of course they knew him. But if they didn't, then they might after this... A deep breath, studio quiet as can be. "Thank you all for having me. I'll keep it brief." Undoing a button, they take off the hooded cape combo. Gasps fill the studio as he reveals his functioning wings. Camerapeople exchange looks with the host, which in turn tries her best to stay calm. "I'm truly sorry for keeping this from you all for so long..."

Hau pauses between sentences, both for the message to land properly and to think of his next words carefully.

"But I am sharing my secret with you all today, live on TV. I was bestowed a gift by the Tapu. It gave me powers, and these wings. I request you don't go looking for this gift yourself, and to respect the boundaries of our guardian deities." There's muttering around him everywhere, along with surprised and confused faces. Part of him wants to prove it right here and then, but he doesn't owe anyone an in depth explanation.

Hau bows politely, forcing a smile onto their face. "Please respect the privacy of me and my loved ones, too. I'll do my best to help out Alola where I can... But please keep in mind I will also be living my life for me. Thank you."

And with that, they give an Alolan wave, before exiting the stage again without any more elaboration. They're headed right for the dressing room, heart beating in their throat from nerves still. Time to contact Sirio.

[adventure-showdown]

What is your favourite Doctor Who story?

TOURNAMENT MASTERPOST

synopses and propaganda under the cut

Zagreus

Synopsis

Zagreus sits inside your head

Zagreus lives among the dead

Zagreus sees you in your bed

And eats you when you're sleeping.

Propaganda

ok so, its the 40th annivercery!! its not offical as the show was off the air at the time, but still!!!! every single companion and doctor actor Big Finish managed to get they got!! but do they play their parts? ...actually not really! here we have the end of an arc that two seasons coming, Charley and 8 has been through a lot, and at this point their story comes to a starteling and rather horrid conclusion! (OR IS IT?) Charley, who has been rescued from death by the eight doctor, rescuing her when he was not supposed to, has been through a lot, and even as that got solved last episode, by saving her from becoming a portal of death to galifray (a long and better constracted story XD), the doctor and the tardis has sufferd a huge explosen of an anti time bomb! making the doctor to become infected with an anti time infection! making him concive himself as the childhood time lord rhyme known as Zagreus! so now he must distory the entire univerce hahaha, because apperently Rassilon, ie one of the og creatorss of galifray socity wants to make the doctor into Zagrues so he can use him to distroy his emenies!! by distroying him body and soul!!! but what's this??? his former selfes as random people around the time stream coming in with the steal chair????? all led by a very rightfully annoyed Charley because the doctor refused to kill her as she asked because she loves him???? what the fuck will happen next!! all led delightfuly by Romana and Leela, and K9, and a rather jealous and EVIL tardis played by the Brigadier himself!! in between this 3 HOUR LONG epic and delightful advanture, apart from the absolote chaos of the event, you will get a suprisingly beutifull speaches filled with exploration of the meaning of love, of friendship! of a love so strong that it shall forfit between dimantions and also canon, the doctor explores what it actually means to be in love with a companion! and Charley, explores what it means to love him even more strongly back! what it means to be the doctor!! and the fact that the distruction of the tardis is actuall the thing stopping him from completely losing himself to loss and grief 😭, the absolote hammering in of the fact the coraption of time lord scoaity and Rasilon's bigotry, and finally someone understands that if you corrupt the Doctor, you have the absolotle potancial to distroy the entire univerce!! Paul Mcgann screaming for amazing hours, as he has the best time playing the baddy and people who are not the doctor!! India Fisher as Charley giving it her all and being amazing at it!! (also the fact that this delightful story is the leadthrough to one of the most terrefying stories of doccy who history, Scherzo! as it explores the themes of this story in a much more detailed way! but that's a horrefying story for another day XD) (@geronimomo-spd )

The 30th anniversary special is overly long and complicated but mostly it is INSANE ! Alice in Wonderlands, giant animatronic rabbits, Vampires and an evil doctor who hAMS it up,,,,that and 4 different doctors as well as TONS of companions plus the Briggs who is actually the TARDIS. it makes no sense! Compels me tho. Everyone says it with me : Zagreus sits inside your head Zagreus lives among the dead Zagreus Sees you in your bed And eats you when you're sleeping It's the best anniversary special day of the doctor whomst ? (@gnougnouss )

Scherzo

Synopsis

Once upon a time...

There were two friends, and together they travelled the cosmos. They thwarted tyrants and defeated monsters, they righted wrongs wherever they went. They explored the distant future and the distant past, new worlds and galaxies, places beyond imagining.

But every good story has to come to an end.

With no times or places left to explore, all the two friends have now are each other. But maybe that's one voyage too many. Maybe they'll discover things they'd rather have left undisturbed... hidden away in the suffocating, unfeeling, deafening brightness.

Once upon a time. Far, far away.

Propaganda

It’s a great and fucked up dissection of the Doctor and Charley’s relationship, with a healthy dose of body horror (anonymous)

you will never look at the handshake emoji the same way again (october)

Really creative concept. Puts 8 and Charley into a situation where they have to confront their relationship and what they mean to each other while dealing with an incredibly engaging creature. I can't name an audio that suits the medium better and Ive been consuming Big Finish at an alarming rate. Also noises™️ (anonymous)

Absolutely INSANE episode back when big finish was allowed to get WEIRD weird it has everything: heartfelt discussion about the doctor/companion relationship, love, cannibalism, body horror, the exploration of a very alien world. All of this while making full use of the audio medium in a story that could simply never have been done anywhere else. It's a must listen for everyone. (@gnougnouss )   

[beepboprobotsnot]

A little under a year ago, I stumbled across the anime "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" and it very quickly became a contender for my favorite anime of all time. It is beautiful, and cozy, and packed with meaning in every episode, and I love it. So, since the depth of Frieren's story could use some more attention, I've decided to do a little something that I'm going to call "Frieren-bruary." Every day for the month of February, I'm going to talk about one episode of Frieren, of which there are exactly twenty-eight, so it works out quite well. So, without further ado:

Episode Three: Killing Magic

This episode is where we first start getting into the half-and-half nature of most of Frieren's episodes, which makes it a bit harder to pick what I want to talk about. So as much as I love the autism parallels of part one of this episode, I'd be remiss not to talk about the confrontation with Qual, because this is where Frieren proves how much it *gets* fantasy.

Throughout the second half of the episode, Qual is hyped up to be a terrifying, destructive threat, one that not even the Hero's Party could defeat, with a spell that can be neither blocked nor resisted. The statistic that "in this region, 40% of their adventurers, and 70% of mages were killed by Zoltraak" makes him feel almost existential, more like a plague than a person. And then, once Qual is unsealed, him and Frieren's exchange of "How many years has it been now?" "Eighty." "No time at all then." "For us, perhaps not." sets the stage for a confrontation between two impossibly old, unreachably powerful characters.

Except, Fern, the sixteen-year-old, is also there. And it isn't because Frieren's being reckless with her apprentice, or because she wants Fern to witness Qual's epic downfall, Fern is here to help. As Qual fires his first spell, Fern is told to block it, and though the audience doesn't know it yet, Qual is immediately robbed of his terror.

While Qual is impressed by the human mage with a spell capable of blocking his Zoltraak, Fern is confused and almost underwhelmed, because she recognizes his spell as "ordinary offensive magic". because as Frieren explains, once Qual was sealed, the mages of humanity quickly got to work deciphering Zoltraak and finding ways to counter it. "These advancements have made Zoltraak a death sentence no longer. Your great weapon is now ordinary offensive magic." Note the way that these advancements are described. Deciphering killing magic does not lead to an Oppenheimer-esque arms race, or a "weapon to surpass Zoltraak," all they find is a way to defend against it. To return to the idea of Qual as a plague, all they do is find the vaccine.

And as funny as it is for Qual to lose to what is essentially power creep, this twist recontextualizes Frieren's words at the start of their confrontation. Her agreement at the start of the battle that eighty years is not a long time for them is not her bragging about their age and how little the passage of time effects them, it's her warning Qual that "It's rather remarkable how much humanity can achieve in a span of eighty years." This is an idea that will be revisited later with Serie and Flamme, but while demons and elves, with their eternal lives, can afford to take years or decades to accomplish things, humanity does not have that luxury. And that rush can lead them to do incredible things.

Fantasy as a genre (when defined by themes rather than set dressing) is intrinsically a hopeful one. It believes that positive change is possible, that seemingly insurmountable, existential problems can be solved. And it's one with a very high view of humanity, where ordinary humans can make their mark, even against the likes of gods and monsters. And here in episode three, with our first bit of action against Qual, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End demonstrates that it fully understands what fantasy is for.

First | Previous | Next

[blluespirit]

Oh god..... NATLA analysis ahead (s01e01 - AANG)

EP2 | EP3

With Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender now ~eight months old and season 2 being in production, I wanted to re-analyse the series. I spoke about it when it first came out (which you can find here), but now i'm ready to look at it again and see if my thoughts on it have changed at all.

This is my analysis/rambling thoughts of episode 1. It... got really long and I got unexpectedly really, really into it so.... enjoy?

[note before you read - this is just my opinion, you by no means have to agree!]

1 — Opening Scene This scene could have been good, however, to me the ending scene between the Earth Kingdom soldier and Sozin ruins it for me.

Exposition is the biggest issue here. The scene between these two is just... too long to say the least. Let me explain:

EARTH KINGDOM MAN: You’re too late. Your battle plans are already on their way to the Earth Kingdom.  SOZIN: Good. That means that all eyes will be on the Earth Kingdom. All eyes but ours

This is great. That’s MORE than enough to tell us what’s going on here. All we needed next was a look of horror from the Earth Kingdom soldier as he realises he got played, and then we can skip right to the part where Sozin kills him. However, the conversation is not done yet. It continues:

MAN: We’ll be prepared for your attack.  SOZIN: When your king receives those plans, he will redirect his forces to your borders and rally the support of the other nations. The Water Tribes and the Air Nomads and the entire world will turn their attention to the Earthbenders. MAN: You… You wanted us to know. We aren’t the real target. SOZIN: My sights are set higher. Much higher.

At this point it's a little over-done and on the nose, but - in my opinion - still forgivable if they ended the conversation here. We as the audience understand what's happening. Even without watching the original, it's relatively easy to understand that the attack on the Earth Kingdom was a ploy for another target.

But for some reason, there’s still more to be said between them... Insane!

MAN: Why? Why are you doing this? SOZIN: Because it is our time. [Sozin kills him by burning him alive]

Finally it ends! Longer does not always mean better and more explicit information does not always mean darker and edgier which this series is trying to go for.

It should have ended when Sozin delivered his ‘my sights are set higher. Much higher’ line but NO. It keeps going. It doesn't make Sozin or the Fire Nation scarier to keep on yapping.

Can you imagine how much scarier Sozin would seem if we just got that one line, a tense moment between them as the reality sets in, just enough time for the soldier to realise what is happening before being killed? And that’s just one example, but just a short, brief scene would have done everyone so much more favour than.. that. 

But WAIT!! It’s not even over. There’s MORE exposition needed apparently:

FIRE NATION GENERAL(?): A masterful ruse, Your Highness. But tactically, the Airbenders are not the threat. SOZIN: This isn't about the Airbenders. This is about one who lives among them. The only one who could possibly stand in our way. FIRE SAGE: But the Avatar is yet to be revealed.  SOZIN: Which is why we have to kill them all.

Why is this scene STILL going. It would have been forgiven somewhat if the next TWO scenes didn’t literally have Kyoshi explicitly explain the reason for Sozin's attack all over again and then immediately following that, have Sozin and the other firebenders killing the Air Nomads.

The opening scene chase between the Earth Kingdom soldier and the Fire Nation soldiers and the bending was amazing, but is immediately made redundant by whatever fresh hell this is.

2 — The Genocide  Showing the genocide was a risky move, and not necessarily a bad one, but the timing of it is terrible. It should not be one of the first scenes. It rips the build up away. There’s no mystery to who the strange kid found in the block of ice is. There's no slow build up of horror as the pieces fall into place of what happened to Aang's people. We just... know everything immediately.

It further takes away from Gran Gran’s speech later on in the episode, and her reveal of Aang as the Avatar because we already know he’s the Avatar. In the original, we found out (officially) that Aang is the Avatar at the same time Katara and Sokka do (when he confronts Zuko at the Southern Water Tribe). This works better because it feels like we are finding this out more organically, rather than being told over and over again that he's the Avatar, making Kanna's reveal lacking in impact or emotion for the audience.

We also get introduced to a new problem in this scene that I noticed - revealing too much too quickly (similar to the exposition issue mentioned above).

Information is revealed here, in episode 1, that was previously told to us in The Storm. The reason The Storm works so well is because we, as the audience, have had a chance to form an opinion and perception about both Aang and Zuko, one that is not informed by that much background. But it gives us our first insight into the real Aang, what really happened that made him leave 100 years ago and that under that goofy persona, there’s enough guilt to drown in. And we find out that there’s more to Zuko than ‘generic bad guy’. There are layers here. Despite his actions, we sympathise with him. Importantly, it contrasts and compares Aang and Zuko’s stories, and firmly brings them together for the audience. Zuko and Aang's stories are intertwined, and in my opinion The Storm gets that.

By revealing all this information here (about Aang, about the Air Nomads, basically Aang's whole story), makes it so that this is our introduction to Aang, rather than information that’s revealed later that adds to his character and lets us get to know him more organically and grow to love him. Aang's backstory being his introduction is just a bad move to me.

It lays everything out about Aang immediately. We already know what happened to him literally within the first 15 minutes of the series and it refuses to let us learn about him as he learns about his people or as Katara and Sokka learn about him - a much more impactful/meaningful way to explore a character. It also takes away from the Zuko/Aang dynamic - literally a cornerstone to the entire show. 

This is exemplified with ANOTHER exposition dump via an utterly bizarre scene between Aang and Appa (who looks so much better than the mov-*gunshot*).

AANG:  Hey, Appa. Couldn't sleep either, huh? Gyatso says I'm supposed to be the Avatar. Me. Monks don't even trust me to feed the baby bison, and I'm supposed to save the world? He said I need to remember who I am. But I know who I am. I like to play airball and eat banana cakes and goof off with my friends. That's who I am, not someone who can stop the Fire Nation. Not someone who can stop a war. The other kids always say I'm lucky because of the things I could do, but I'd trade places with any of them. I don't wanna leave. I don't want the responsibility. I'm scared of my power. I'm scared of being alone! I'm scared. You're right. I just need to go up where things always make more sense. At least for now.

girl, what are we doing here. Are we not allowed to see a characters personality shine through in literally any other way? We could have been shown this earlier if they desperately wanted us to know this about Aang before the original timeline starts by having him play with some kids, or they could have waited and let us learn this when we see Aang interacting with the Water Tribe kids. Hearing it from Aang's mouth in a monologue to his pet bison is certainly... a choice.

Also why does Aang not run away like in the original? Why is he just going to take Appa for a ride to clear his head? They talk about Aang’s guilt later on the series (literally all the time - at least that's what it felt like), so it seems utterly bizarre to me to simultaneously take something away from this guilt while also making it a bigger deal later on.

He’s a kid who was shouldered with an enormous and daunting responsibility that meant leaving everything he knew behind (with the fun addition if a war being on the horizon) and he panicked and ran away. That’s much more compelling than Aang being sad about having to leave and deciding to take a little fly to help him get his thoughts in order.

It's good to make changes in an adaption - however, those changes kind of need to make sense.

Having Sozin personally kill Gyatso is an interesting choice. It’s a horrifying scene, especially already knowing the outcome. Believe it or not, I am not trying to shit all over this and I am trying to find the positives, but I am not convinced that us knowing every detail about the genocide is actually better.

Personally (and this is very subjective), I think it was much more horrific when all we had was an empty temple and countless bones. That is a far more horrifying picture to me. 

In the original, having Monk Gyatso's first scene be Aang finding his body, colours every single flashback in the original in a way that's far more painful and actually more compelling to me than playing his death on TV. It's worse not knowing.

3 - Katara and Sokka  Okay so this whole interaction between Sokka and Katara in the live action isn't bad. It's actually pretty good. I would even like it if there was no comparison media. However, I have seen the original and I know what these characters are supposed to act like and what their dynamic is in season 1, which, while I think the live action basically/sort of/kind of accomplishes, it sacrifices a lot for seemingly no reason.

Sokka's arrogance is replaced with this crushing load of responsibility. There's none of that bravado that Suki manages to humble later on. He's tense and serious. Despite my framing of this paragraph, this is not a change I hate. I actually like Sokka's character most of all in the LA of the main cast (at least so far in my re-watch). He still has some quality humorous moments that come off well throughout this episode. So, I can forgive them for making Sokka serious here, since they establish it later on.

However...

Katara is literally a different character. She is relatively flat and has little to no fire to her like in the original. She argues back with Sokka but very quickly lets him win and doesn't try to push back. OG Katara was anything but a pushover. She stands her ground and asserts her own role in the village and its importance, rather than just managing to talk about Sokka almost exclusively outside of Katara attempting to waterbend.

Now, the solution is not necessarily copying the original verbatim, but I will use it as an example to show the contrast. 

Here's the two scenes side by side:

(here's the transcripts below)

SOKKA: It's not getting away from me this time. Watch and learn, Katara. This is how you catch a fish. [Katara basically ignores him and sees a fish in the water. She manages to catch a fish with her waterbending, holding it in a bubble. She attempts to get Sokka’s attention, who dismisses her, still focusing his eyes over the side of the canoe.  Sokka goes to lift up his spear to strike, only to accidentally piece Katara’s water bubble and ultimately get soaked with water.] SOKKA: [angry/frustrated] Why is it that every time you play with magic water, I get soaked? KATARA: [annoyed] It's not "magic", it's waterbending! And it's ... SOKKA: [Cutting her off.] Yeah, yeah, "an ancient art unique to our culture", blah, blah, blah. Look, I'm just saying that if I had weird powers, I'd keep my weirdness to myself. KATARA: You're calling me weird? I'm not the one who makes muscles at myself every time I see my reflection in the water! {later, after they are taken away by the current and are stranded on some ice} KATARA: You call that left? [referring to her telling Sokka to turn left when they were trying to navigate the current] SOKKA: You don't like my steering? Well, maybe you should've [He waves his hands, mockingly imitating waterbending.] waterbended us out of the ice. KATARA: [Indignantly.] So it's my fault? SOKKA: [Annoyed.] I knew I should've left you home! Leave it to a girl to screw things up! KATARA: [visibly furious] You are the most sexist, immature, nut brained- I'm embarrassed to be related to you! Ever since mom died, I've been doing all the work around camp while you've been off playing soldier! SOKKA: [notices Katara’s movements are cracking the iceberg behind her] Uhh.. Katara?  KATARA: I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever smelled your dirty socks? Let me tell you, not pleasant!  SOKKA: [panicked] Katara, settle down! KATARA: [Angrily] NO! That’s it! I’m done helping you. From now on, [yells] you’re ON YOUR OWN! [the final swing of Katara’s arms sends up large wave that finally cracks the iceberg in half. The ice collapses into the water, sending a large wave that throws them to the ice. The wave subsides, and Sokka is standing protectively in front of Katara.] SOKKA: Okay, you've gone from "weird" to "freakish" Katara. KATARA: [Astonished.] You mean I did that? SOKKA: [Sarcastically] Yep. Congratulations. [the large ice dome bubbles to the surface. Katara realises there’s someone inside it] KATARA: He's alive! We have to help! [she grabs Sokka’s club from it’s sheath and runs over] SOKKA: Katara, get back here! We don't know what that thing is! [Katara hacks at the dome until it cracks and air billows out, throwing them both to the ground. A light beam shoots into the sky] [Aang appears at the top of the mound of ice, tattoo glowing, before he collapses and falls down]

LIVE ACTION :

(I included the moment where katara teases Sokka just before they go fishing, because it a good teasing moment between them!) SOKKA: SO, where were you before? KATARA: [nervous silence] SOKKA: You were waterbending again weren’t you? KATARA: Don’t worry. No once could see me. [softly] not that it matters SOKKA: [growing frustrated, he turns towards Katara] of course it matters. If the Fire Nation finds out your a waterbender-  KATARA: [cuts him off] No one from the Fire Nation has approached the village in years. Besides, there’s nothing to see. An otter penguin could bend more water than I could.  SOKKA: It’s probably for the best. You should be helping around the village more anyway. [he faces back to the front of the canoe.] KATARA: [annoyed] Not everything is about preparing to fight.  SOKKA: We’re at war. KATARA: Waterbending is what built our culture. Our way of life. Keeping it alive is our duty.  SOKKA: Keeping ourselves alive is out duty,  KATARA: I know that. And if dad were here- SOKKA: He’s not here! I am!  KATARA: [is silent] [after they are swept away by the current, they land on a block of ice] SOKKA: you okay?  [Realises the canoe has floated away from them]  SOKKA: [quiet but panicked] oh no, no, no. That’s not good.  KATARA: [facing the large dome of ice] What is that?  SOKKA: huh. Weird. [he returns his attention to the canoe] KATARA: [stares at it, clearly entranced, as Sokka’s voice becomes muffled] [we’re briefly interrupted by Zuko on his ship before it cuts back to the siblings] SOKKA: [about getting the canoe back] Maybe I could float over on some ice? KATARA: [takes her gloves off and gets into a bending stance and tries to bend the canoe over to her. A rumbling starts around them and the dome behind them begins to crack before it finally explodes, knocking both of them to the ground. A blinding beam of light shoots into the sky] [Aang appears at the top of the mound of ice, tattoo glowing, before he collapses and falls down]

If I were to summarise the main difference in these scenes is personality, like I mentioned above.

Like I mentioned, making the live action better by making it exactly like the original is not the point I’m trying to make here. But the key difference is that we learn about Katara and Sokka as individuals and as siblings. We see that Sokka is arrogant and skeptical; Katara is brash and stubborn. They fight with viciousness that speaks to years under the same roof and arguments that have surfaced over and over again. Arguments that while heated, are forgotten about later.

In the live action, the interaction feels a lot more... forced. It feels a lot more like information dumping than a sibling argument. Like, why do they both spell things out for each other in this scene:

SOKKA: [growing frustrated, he turns towards Katara] of course it matters. If the Fire Nation finds out your a waterbender-  KATARA: [cuts him off] No one from the Fire Nation has approached the village in years. Besides, there’s nothing to see. An otter penguin could bend more water than I could. 

Katara knows what will happen if the Fire Nation finds out she's a waterbender. Sokka knows how long it's been since the Fire Nation has been here. This information is for the audience. In the original, they take their time and ease us into the world. We learn that Katara can bend water but is still learning, and that it's a dying art, but most importantly, we learn about them.

KATARA: [visibly furious] You are the most sexist, immature, nut brained- I'm embarrassed to be related to you! Ever since mom died, I've been doing all the work around camp while you've been off playing soldier! SOKKA: [notices Katara’s movements are cracking the iceberg behind her] Uhh.. Katara?  KATARA: I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever smelled your dirty socks? Let me tell you, not pleasant! 

See how Katara manages to info-dump all this information (even if it's biased, it's still interesting and revealing information!) on us without it feeling like an information-dump at all? It serves their conversation, gives us an insight into their daily roles in the village and how they both feel about it. Somehow, the live action manages to accomplish a lot less.

Ultimately, the live action is just... a lot more boring. Yes, they argue, but there’s no real heat to it. There's no history felt in that one interaction. There's also zero sense of Katara's personality literally at all.

There are some things that I don’t mind too much. Katara bringing up Hakoda and Sokka having such a visceral reaction to that is not a bad thing and adds extra context to why Sokka has behaved like he has thus far (I.e., trying to train the children of the village, generally commanding everyone around, etc.).

But here lies my concern with this: 

Kya is completely removed from this conversation, despite Katara bringing her up in the original when she’s yelling at Sokka. Sokka gets a moment that ensures the audience understands the pressure he feels he’s under with their dad absent and the responsibility of protector being on him. Yet Katara never gets a moment where we realise the responsibilities she’s taken on after Kya’s death - something pretty integral to not only Katara’s character, but it informs how other characters see her as well. The original goes out of its way to tell us this.

I wouldn't even bring this up if it was just this scene, but the attention is constantly removed from Katara and placed on Sokka, sucking the life away from Katara as a headstrong, passionate, daring young girl. You would not know that from this scene (or any scene tbh).

Katara is one of my favourite characters of all time and I am pissed that butchered her like this. 

4 — Zuko’s introduction  [this encompasses the little scenes that Zuko has up until he comes to the SWT to keep things in order here].

Zuko keeping a journal, detailing all he’s uncovered about the last avatars, omens and spiritual weirdness over the last three years is perfection and fits right in with his obsession. I absolutely love the red-thread board of conspiracy vibes it gives off. Love it.

Zuko’s ship looks absolutely fantastic. Such a horrific contrast between the beautiful surroundings and this ship billowing out ash.

When Zuko looks at his little avatar statues all glowing, the look on his face is perfect. I can feel the intensity. And that finally he says when he sees the pillar of slight plus the hesitant, aborted smile - LOVE IT!  

Zuko and Iroh’s first interaction is pretty good actually. Zuko is an appropriate level of unhinged in this scene. Iroh is patient but, you can hear the take a deep breath and stay calm in his words. It also manages to be kind of a blow on Zuko:  

IROH: All I’m saying is, it’s hard to see you get your hopes up every time you see a… sign. 

Like, that delivery is pretty brutal and you can immediately see it on Zuko’s face, even though it only lasts a second before he shoves it down so quickly and turning away.

He then says: 

ZUKO: It’ll all be worth it once I return home in glory to take my place as the rightful heir to the Fire Lord. 

It would have played nicely into Zuko saying similar things in the original, only for it to become increasingly obvious as the show progresses Zuko’s motivation has nothing to do with the throne. 

It is kind of ruined when Iroh responds with: 

IROH: Perhaps it’s time to consider that the throne isn’t everything. 

Is it just me, or was it obvious in the original that Zuko’s very much talking out of his ass whenever he says that about taking the throne (which isn’t all that often)? 

Zuko’s response is weird to me as well: 

ZUKO: It may not have been for you… but for me, it’s my destiny. 

I checked (I got up all the season one transcripts and hit control+F for ‘crown’, ‘throne’, ‘destiny’, ‘destined’, ‘heir’, 'rightful' to double-check I was remembering correctly) and Zuko mentioned the throne exactly two (2) times in the OG season 1.

He says it the first time in The Southern Air Temple because he’s being antagonised by Zhao. Their conversation is incredibly hostile: 

ZHAO: [Confidently.] You can't compete with me. I have hundreds of war ships under my command and you? You're just a banished prince. No home, no allies. Your own father doesn't even want you. ZUKO: [Angrily.] You're wrong! Once I deliver the Avatar to my father, he will welcome me home with honour, and restore my rightful place on the throne!

And the only other time is in The Blue Spirit after Zhao takes on the hunt for the Avatar himself: 

IROH: Don't give up hope yet. You can still find the Avatar before Zhao. ZUKO: How, Uncle? With Zhao's resources, it's just a matter of time before he captures the Avatar. [Turns back out to sea and whispers.] My honour, my throne, my country, I'm about to lose them all.

And he doesn’t mention destiny at all in season 1. 

In season 2 he mentions the throne in The Avatar State when he talks to Iroh on the anniversary of his banishment - he's feeling that loss of what he had more keenly than ever:

ZUKO: Three years ago today, I was banished. I lost it all. I want it back. I want the Avatar, I want my honour, my throne. I want my father not to think I'm worthless.

He mentions it again in Zuko Alone, which is one of the times he knows himself the least:

ZUKO: My name is Zuko. Son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai. Prince of the Fire Nation, and heir to the throne.

Like right off the bat, the original is telling us that the throne is not the driving force here, so it’s weird for Iroh to mention it because if he understood this, then he probably would not have even acknowledged what Zuko said or said something different, as he would have understood it’s just something for Zuko to grasp onto than face the horrifying reality of his situation.

It sort of feels like they've taken a conception of Zuko, understood he talks about the throne sometimes (which is sometimes played up in fanon) and ran with it instead of actually thinking about the words Zuko uses and the context in which he uses them.

You might be thinking why is she going on and on about this. The reason is because it's one of Zuko's first scenes that establish him and his motivations to the audience. The OG is careful not to have us mistake that Zuko's main driving motivation is the throne - it's the Avatar that pushes Zuko forward. Whereas this feels a little too direct for an establishing scene for the audience not to take it seriously (especially as the conversation comes off as one that's happened many times before).

I may be overthinking this one, but I wanted to mention it because I felt like they were so close to perfect here, but those two lines really disappointed me. 

4 — Aang is taken to the village  I like that the village’s reaction to Aang is variations of hey what the fuck is this??  It feels like an appropriate reaction and the delivery is pretty funny, especially the utterly deadpan line of he looks dead. Love that so much. 

I also don’t mind the change that Aang doesn’t wake up immediately after coming out the ice. I think that makes more sense, actually. 

Overall, this scene is fine to me. No strong feelings either way. 

5 — Aang wakes up & time in the village Aang seeing the kids playing and his instinct is to smile despite being confused literally is so… 🥺 I love him. This reaction says SO much more about Aang than any monologue i am so serious.

Also the whole scene with Aang freaking out about Appa: 

AANG: Have you seen Appa? My sky bison? Six legs, horns, brown arrows?  SOKKA: [stares blankly] AANG: [with growing emphasis] sky bison. SKY. BISON.  SOKKA: [deadpan] repeating it doesn’t help

Like YESSS this is the Avatar I know and love!! I love this exchange so much. 

Good news over… time for another rant. 

Aang reveals what happened to him (he got caught in the storm, it was the Great Comet Festival, he’s from the Southern Air Temple), and Gran Gran delivers her Four Nations speech that… I just really am not a fan off at all. 

Kanna’s delivery of the iconic intro is left completely redundant. We already heard it from Kyoshi of all people in the intro (another disservice to my girl Katara - she is the narrator!!) The delivery is very… flat, and filled with just an astonishing amount of exposition:

KANNA: [softly] The Great Comet Festival. KATARA: Gran Gran?  KANNA: Water, earth, fire, air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. And so the Fire Nation marched and laid waste, plunging us into a time of darkness. Everyone in the village knows this story, but you don’t, do you, young man? Just as you don’t know that Airbenders haven’t been seen in generations and that the Southern Air Temple was the first to fall because you’ve been trapped in that ice this whole time. The last time that the Great Comet was seen in the sky was 100 years ago. He may seem like just a boy, but he’s much more. He is the last Airbender.

They either should have saved it for Kanna, or let Kyoshi do it. Not both. It’s lost its impact now that we already heard it. And I’m just not a fan of all the detail that she goes into when we already know most of it. What if it went something like this: 

KANNA: [softly] The Great Comet Festival. KATARA: Gran Gran?  KANNA: The last time that the Great Comet was seen in the sky was 100 years ago. You’ve been trapped in that ice this whole time. You are the last Airbender. 

I am no expert. I am hardly even a writer if fanfic even counts. But it didn’t need to be this long dialogue. We already know about the Four Nations, and we will find out about the details of the war later, but we already know that the Fire Nation is Bad at this point. The only point Kanna needed to communicate here was that Aang has been in the iceberg for 100 years. That’s it. 

6 — More Zuko moments Jee intro. Would kill and die for him thank you and goodnight. Zuko is appropriately bitchy. Zuko delivers a speech about the importance of their mission and tells everyone that they will see their homes and families again and prove themselves worthy. 

He ends the speech, looking directly at Iroh and says: or we will die trying. 

This is perfect. Exactly the level of drama I need from season 1 Zuko. 

7 — Aang and Katara   This section is a little rambly and mostly me reacting in the moment to each scene so bare with me:

Aang is in shock as the realities of losing 100 years and his entire culture in one moment. Katara tries to reach out to him, and I really love how clunky and flat her sorry lands. There’s so much pain Aang is feeling, but literally what do you say to that? I just enjoyed that part. 

Katara is trying to connect with him, so she tells him about what happened to her father. We get a flash of Kya, but she doesn’t mention her. She talks about Sokka instead, and the responsibility on him now that Hakoda has left. 

Don’t hate the idea that Katara finds Kya difficult to talk about at all actually, it just depends how they handle it going forward (I can't remember what exactly it is they do with this so I might have more to say later on).

Although Katara's constant emphasis on Sokka and how things are hard for Sokka and how Sokka is trying so hard made me super frustrated. It would be fine if it didn't keep diverting attention away from Katara and back to Sokka. I get she's Going Through It and finds Kya hard to talk about, but I'm not sure this was communicated very well. Katara's personality still suffers greatly from it. She's still so 😕 the whole time. Even when she's reaching out to Aang she's 😕. Like who IS she.

Also Katara saying “I’m a warrior. I should be doing more for our people,” When so far we’ve seen exactly nothing of that tenacious warrior spirit that we see in the original to actually back that up was laughable to me. Once again, justice for my girl. You can't just say shit and expect people to believe you when so far Katara is as enigmatic as a piece of cardboard.

Aang offers some teasing advice from monks, and he and Katara have a very brief, but very sweet moment where they really connect. The moment is dashed between them when Katara sees ash falling from the sky. Katara’s face falls, and it’s devastating (in a good way).

There are absolutely good things to take away from this, but so far the little bad things just keep piling up and digging under my skin.

8 — Zuko arrives to the Southern Water Tribe Oh my god okay so if there was nothing to compare it to, I think I'd like this scene a lot, but the problem is I know what I am missing out on and then I get so mad!!

I really don't know how to talk about this scene

What I liked/enjoyed:

a) Aang's reaction to Kanna outing him as the Avatar: The look of utter panic on Aang’s here is pretty good. In Aang’s POV, he literally just found out that he was the Avatar and the Fire Nation might attack - and then he wakes 100 years into the future, realising that’s exactly what happened. Kanna comes over and without warning drops that bombshell on Katara and Sokka.

And Sokka’s reaction is visceral, if understandable from his perspective. 

SOKKA: [angry]I knew [Aang] was hiding something. When the world needed the Avatar the most, he vanished because he’s a coward. He ran, and people died.

Aang says nothing, but I think him remaining quiet says the most. His brain must be going into overdrive or stalling out and there's no in between.

b) Sokka's anger, frustration, desperation. Building on the above point: Sokka steps up and does his best to direct everyone, but at the end of the day, he just doesn't have the experience or the manpower to do much of anything. That's communicated nicely when he turns from the gate. and looks at the little kids all standing there with rocks in their arms. You can see why in that moment, the only option for Sokka was to give Aang up.

c) Sokka apprenticing the other young boy in the village Idk. just a nice little touch. It was cute to see Sokka step into that role of protector and leader, even if he is wholly unprepared.

d) the kids throwing rocks at the Firebenders It's not going to work, but desperate times call for desperate measures and it's their home to protect.

e) the removal of the booby-trap scene on the abandoned ship. Idk I just feel like this was the best move. One giant beam of light already entered the sky, no need to have another, lesser one be the catalyst. (Although it did rob us of Katara fiercely backing Aang and showing us just what she's willing to put on the line to become a proper bender - but Katara is just 😑 remember so of course this scene is removed!!)

What I didn't like

a) The atmosphere. Where's the terror? The implication of the Fire Nation's arrival cannot be understated, and even with the little we know, the original communicates that fear very well which the live action manages to miss and badly.

-> You can watch it here.

(Tumblr says only one video at a time so have a link here for the comparison clips if you want to see what I mean).

b) The Zuko vs Aang fight misses the point I'll explain it this way: In the original, Aang and Zuko begin to fight. Zuko blasts fire and Aang defends against the flames. Aang quickly realises this could get out of hand with the flames brushing up against the Water Tribe people behind them. This exchange happens:

AANG: If I go with you, will you promise to leave everyone alone? [Zuko's men still surrounding him, spears poised. After a brief moment of hesitation, Zuko rights himself and nods in agreement. Aang is apprehended by Zuko's men.]

This scene allows two things: for Aang to show his compassion for people he barely knows is more important than his own safety (i.e., despite being a goofy kid, there's a deep sense of responsibility he feels); and Zuko is not completely heartless. It's subtle, but right from the start, we see Zuko is more than just Average Villain, and is willing to concede to some extent.

The live action, the kids start to throw rocks and spears at Zuko and his men. Zuko, annoyed, says this:

ZUKO: Enough games. Burn the whole place to the ground. [Aang looks around, panicked.] AANG: No! [he runs in front of the villagers] I'll go with you. Just leave them alone. I'm the one you're looking for. ZUKO: [to his men, angry] get him.

See how Aang now only reacts after Zuko threatens to destroy the village (and they exchange blows, resulting in an explosion), rather than seeing the potential damage a fight could cause and Zuko's moment to show some humanity is removed? Yeah.

-> Watch the clips here.

c) Zuko doesn't even try to fight without his firebending Also another little thing (yes little, but Avatar was a show that prided itself on the little things which is why people still talk about it 10 years later so I get to talk about this!)

Zuko establishes himself as a fierce and strong enemy from the outset by besting Sokka without even firebending. He only firebends to initially scare the villagers into telling him where Aang is, and after Sokka's boomerang strikes him and when he fights Aang. This immediately illustrates that Zuko is not just a good bender, he's also a very good fighter. Again, I wouldn't mention this if Zuko were literally anyone else, but Zuko's resourcefulness and 'jack of all trades' abilities are important to... well every season and his character.

-> Watch the clips here.

d) live action thinks its darker by the nature of its medium Kind of an over-arching issue, but I wanted to mention it because it's kind funny to me that the 2005 kids cartoon managed to portray a more terrifying scenario than the 2024 live action did. I think live action remakes think they're 'darker and edgier' just by the nature of them being live action. But that's not necessarily true.

The Fire Nation, Zuko and his men are all portrayed as skilled, hardened warriors who are on a mission, and will not stop until that is achieved. Zuko's men remain (mostly) masked and unknowable. Their faces aren't important - only Zuko's is. They say nothing and fall into step with him.

In the live action, their faces are showing, and Jee even makes a comment, which Zuko bites back on, reflecting cracks in the inner workings (but they do not let any such thing show in the original show).

How does a scene that literally includes this moment:

be more intimidating/scary than the 'gritty' live action lol.

It actually meets the same issue in the scene just before Zuko arrives. Nowhere near enough gravitas is placed on Katara and Aang’s visit to the abandoned ship. In the original, Katara clearly states this ship has haunted her people since her grandmother was young. There’s weight to that. You can feel the pain in Katara's voice. The ship is... creepy. It's quiet and dark. There are abandoned weapons and evidence of the existence of real soldiers who tried to kill them.

In the live action, all Katara says is no one comes here. It’s quiet and hidden. They only enter this broken open area in the hull. It would take two seconds to show even a little bit off the ship, to show the remnants of this past violence, to add to the otherness of it. To show that it’s something to stark from what we, the audience has seen up until now. Instead, it's where Katara is shown to be in her opening scene and she takes Aang there again later. There is no effort to make the ship feel like the scar that it is upon their land. A constant reminder that their waterbenders were systematically wiped out - and because of that, they can't do move it or sink it or anything.

It’s almost as though they completely misunderstood why the Fire Nation ship was put into the original, but understood that people recognised it and thought that that would be enough. This ship demonstrates to us that this war is old and it’s left generational fear and scars. It’s such a brilliant way to warm us up to what could be happening outside this little village, why the village is little at all, and what is to come. The kids show manages to talk about the generational impact of war in it's first few episodes.

(Again, probably wouldn't talk about it it was just this moment... but I'll have more to talk about in future episodes).

9 - Capture and escape from Zuko's ship

Things I liked:

a) Aang and Iroh's conversation I enjoyed this scene a lot. Iroh's respect for Aang is perfect and I just thought the back and forth between them was good. It didn't feel as much of an exposition dump like previous conversations, feeling a little more natural - Aang would naturally want to know how the war started. Also this exchange I liked a lot:

AANG: But peace comes from respecting life, not killing and destroying. IROH: A noble sentiment, Avatar, but in the end, for most of us, it doesn’t matter how this war started. It only matters how it can end.And the belief is that by capturing you, the Fire Nation can finally bring that about. AANG: Is that what you believe? IROH: [hesitates] I must leave, but I look forward to many more conversations with you, Avatar.

b) Sokka not wanting to get on Appa and Katara being eager Finally some good fucking soup. When they fly away on Appa with Sokka just fully screaming and Katara with a big grin on her face, yeah exactly I love that

c) Aang stealing Zuko's journal no notes for this, I just think its funny.

d) the CGI for Aang using his glider actually looks so good

Things I didn't like:

a) Zuko just stands on the deck the whole time when Aang is escaping Yeah he's shooting fire at them and smiling like a weirdo watching Aang almost fall to his death (????), but where's the Zuko who's chasing Aang like the fucking terminator and literally jumping after him as Aang tries to fly away, risking at least serious injury if he fell from such a height??

b) they never get on Zuko's boat, so there's some moments that we miss. This point is not necessarily a bad thing, but there are some things I missed: Sokka's I'm just a guy with a boomerang. I didn't ask for all this FLYING and MAGIC! Katara and Sokka running over to him in worry after Aang collapses using the Avatar State. No Aang using the Avatar State or him launching Zuko and Iroh's fire into the ice, crushing their ship means we don't get a glimpse of Aang's raw power. This one is more of an observation rather than hill I'm ready to die on.

10 - The Southern Air Temple

Things I liked:

a) the scenery of the temple God the scenery is visually amazing. I was going to take a screenshot but the quality was so bad I gave up 😔

b) Aang's memory of Gyatso while in the Avatar State This is said with a caveat (see below), but I don't mind Aang's memory of Gyatso being the the thing that grounds him - it's actually really lovely, and every Gyatso has me on the verge of tears.

Things I didn't like:

a) The removal of Katara and Aang moments I have flipped flopped on this and I don't know if I like it or not. As someone who doesn't really enjoy shipping... at all... I was initially kind of happy they seemed to be taking out the Katara and Aang moments, but then I got annoyed because if they really are not going the kataang route (which is fine, I don't particularly care either way), why does that mean Katara can't be a grounding force for Aang? She can still be the one that reaches him when he's at his most distressed (seeing the Gyatso's body) without it all building up to a romantic relationship. This might all end up redundant as we see where they decide to take it with season 2 and 3, but as of right now, I am just on the fence about the whole thing.

b) why is the 8-10 episode seasons the only way to go now... I miss long seasons We get the The Southern Air Temple tacked on the end of the first episode in the last 6 minutes of the episode. Why did we waste the first 15-20 minutes showing us all this exposition and detailing in specific detail everything about the genocide and that randomly long scene between Sozin and the soldier, when we could have spent more time here, learning that same information, but along side the characters, therefore we feel Aang's horror and devastation along with him as we all slowly realise that all his people were murdered. Either that, or we have longer episodes so we can actually spend time on Things and flesh things out more rather than leaving out so many amazing moments.

This scene is burnt into my memory. Even though we saw what happened to the air nomads, finding out as Aang found out, feeling awkward and anxious the whole episode and Katara and Sokka struggle to reveal this information left more of an impact on me than the live action.

This is truly haunting.

My point here is we literally could have had this if either: we cut down on the exposition or we used the format that shows used to use all the time?? idk I'm not an expert there might be a Really Smart reason why this doesn't happen anymore (but that won't stop me missing it!)

I'll leave this one here with a summary.

Things I liked:

Bending looks fantastic

Appa and Momo look great!!

Sokka overall does feel like Sokka (just a more serious version.

Zuko's characterisation is also not too bad (at least in this episode)

i think a lot of their ideas are fine (but the execution is lacking in some places)

What I didn't like:

why don't you explicitly explain this idea to me for the sixth time... i don't understand anything that's not explained to me in excruciating detail

KATARA!! THEY BUTCHERED MY GIRL

No Zuko vs Zhao. I'm still sad about this. I was hanging out to watch Zuko beat him up. It's not the best fight scene in the series, but it's just one of those things that deserves recognition, especially with the soundtrack Agni Kai in the background. It's iconic.

Some of the timing of scenes is weird

IMO not getting/understanding some things in the original and you can see that in how they've constructed dialogue/scenes.

Thinks its grittier and more serious than it actually is.

There's probably more to this list and things I'll think of later, but we'll leave it there for now...

If you made it to the end, kudos to you 🫡

See you later for episode 2 👁️👄👁️

[bengiyo]

23.5 Ep 8 Stray Thoughts

Last time, the gang decided to gussy up Ongsa for a school event, and we got to see her in traditional Thai clothing. Ton decided to help by stirring up Sun’s jealousy for some reason, as if Sun’s reticence were somehow the issue of the first half of the season. I enjoyed the few moments between Aylin and Luna. Sun eventually publicly declared that she wanted to be with Ongsa, so they are now girlfriends.

I’m with Aylin. She does look like a panda.

It’s taken us eight episodes to get to open mutual flirtation.

Episode 8: The Starry Night

Girl, Sun confessed to you in public. How are we supposed to keep this secret now? Did you talk to Sun about this?

Thank you, youths, for telling her off for this line of thinking.

I was chatting with @ginnymoonbeam earlier and do like that the drama of this week is “What even is dating?”

I am so invested in this teachers’ romance, you don’t even know.

YES, LIESTEN TO SUN. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT HOMOPHOBES. THEY CANNOT DETERMINE HOW WE LIVE OUR LIVES.

Ongsa, we have ridden with you for two months. She asked for the kiss. Do not let me down this week.

I love that Sun loves action films.

At least one GMMTV show isn’t pushing its pro-mosquito agenda.

Milk is very good at facial expressions.

This show is making me hope for my boy Mawin again.

Okay, Aylin, this was very cute. I like her calling back to the balled paper message.

I real like LOL’d at Mawin and Ton sliding in and out of this window.

Oh, Mawin, I feel for you. I wanted you to ask, but I get it.

All this bonding with Ton is not cutting down on my “Here’s How Euro Can Still Win” agenda.

Wow, Aylin, you got me, too.

That’s right, Luna. Teach her human things.

Chaoren’s rejection was great.

Well well well…HERE’S HOW EURO CAN STILL WIN…

How is it cold in Bangkok? Isn’t it like 80 F at night there?

Kissing with the glasses on? Huge win for lesbians and those who share their beliefs.

That chin grab? I see you, Ongsa.

Whyy are we introducing a separation next week with a study abroad program?

I like Milk and Love, but I don’t know that Love is being served well by this project. It feels like they don’t trust her as an actor and are leaning on Milk a lot. However, View and June are doing a great job together, and I loved the way AJ and Earn played their scenes. I am so invested in the Bambam and Nida story that I sit up every time they’re on screen. I feel like this show really struggled at building to the moments it wants to hit, but knows exactly when it wants us to hit them. It’s not bad, but it’s left me feeling rather unmoored along the way.

Alright, let’s talk about how Euro can still win! He didn’t get to kiss JJ in Dangerous Romance because JJ doesn’t kiss boys, he just teases about it. AJ, however, does! I am side-eyeing Tinh for always checking out athletic boys to the point that his friend finds it sinful, but being totally obvious about Mawin pining for him right next to him. It’s giving…no…I shan’t say…

[fizzyxcustard]

Broken

Masterlist of fan fiction

Fandom: Spooks

Pairings: Lucas North x Original Female Character (Amy Holland)

Warnings: Torture mention, flashbacks, PTSD, nightmares

Word count: 3767

Summary: Amy Holland is Lucas' colleague, working for MI5 as an analyst. She sees Lucas experiencing intense flashbacks out in the rain, and takes him back to her flat to comfort him.

Comments/Notes: This fic is partially based on an episode of Spooks (season 7, I believe) where we see Lucas having flashbacks when in the rain.

Special thanks to all my mutuals who participate in writing sessions with me over on our Discord server. And, as always, @the-fragile-heart-of-a-lady who is the biggest Lucas and Amy fan I know. 

I hope you like the fic. As always, like, reblog and comment if you enjoy. If you wish to be added to any of my tag lists, let me know.

Drip. Drip. Drip. 

Flashes of the place Lucas had been confined to for eight years. Grimy tiles, pain, despair. Oleg Darshavin’s face. 

Lucas closed his eyes hard, and the flashes became more intense. He stumbled back, almost falling over his own feet. His heartbeat was thundering, and his adrenaline was coursing fast through his veins. 

Amy walked quickly, crossing over a main road, and then slipped up a quiet backstreet. The rain had become a heavy drizzle, thick in the air. From head to foot and she felt sodden with water. But she continued on, splashing through the odd puddle.

She heard a groan. Her eyes darted to her right quickly and she saw her colleague standing slumped against the wall. “Lucas?” she asked. “Are you alright? Has someone hurt you?” 

Lucas couldn’t help but smile weakly as Amy showed nothing but concern for him. “I’ll be alright,” he replied. 

Another drop fell from a balcony above and splashed down Lucas’ face. He tensed, gasped, and fell back again. 

“You’re far from alright,” Amy said, and grabbed his arm, holding him against her. “Come on, my flat is only a street away. Are you okay to walk a bit further?” 

Lucas smiled again. “I haven’t lost my ability to walk, love. I’m fine.” 

The two of them walked to the end of the small backstreet, and then turned right, out onto another main strip. Amy kept Lucas’ arm tight in hers. She knew full well the reasons that he had reacted the way he had. No one on Earth would be able to withstand a literal hell like Lushanka without coming home with mental scars. 

Amy’s flat was a ground floor maisonette, which was situated next door to a small supermarket and a pub, which was extremely convenient. She let herself and Lucas in. 

Warmth immediately wrapped around Lucas, a huge contrast from the chilled atmosphere outside. 

Amy was a couple of steps behind him. She switched on the light, which illuminated a small kitchen. “I’ll pop the kettle on for a drink. Do you want anything to eat?” 

That smile again. He couldn’t help it. “If you’re eating, then I’ll have something, but don’t put yourself out.” 

“Give me your coat and I’ll put it up in the airing cupboard to dry off.” 

Amy disappeared out of the room for a minute or so, and when she returned, she was holding a bath towel. “Here, if you want to dry your hair off. You can have a bath, too, if you like.”

“Love, I’m fine. You don’t need to fuss.” 

“Lucas, I know what happened outside. So stop trying to shrug everything off and act like you’re fine.”

Lucas pursed his lips and then averted his gaze to the carpet. Her words seemed to hit a nerve inside him, which would normally beckon a defence mechanism. But he bit his tongue, holding on to the realisation that she was being kind when she needn’t be. Amy could have quite easily walked on past him, or just said goodnight and not bothered to try and help. 

The kettle boiled and Amy prepared two mugs of tea, and then began sorting through her freezer for a large pizza. “This should take about twenty minutes or so to cook. Do you want to come into the living room?” 

Lucas followed Amy through into her living room, which wasn’t much bigger than the tiny kitchen. There was a television in the corner and then one small sofa. Against the wall next to a window was a book case filled with ornaments and trinkets. Amy began to speak. “My roommate moved out a week ago, so I’m looking for someone to move in with me, otherwise it’ll be me moving. You know how high rent is in London. No way can I live here on my own. My mum and dad, who live up in Coventry, live in a house that they paid half the price that this would go for, and it’s got three bedrooms.” 

“How come you moved down to London then?” Lucas asked, taking a sip of his tea. 

“To be with my ex. But when we split up, I’d already got a job here and didn’t want to move back and be a burden on my parents, so I stayed.” 

Lucas realised that even though he’d worked with Amy for almost a year now, since she started at Section D as an analyst, he didn’t know that much about her. They spoke most days in passing, and had even sat together at lunch in the canteen once or twice, but their conversation had never been below surface level chit chat. 

Amy could feel her nerves taking over; her mind analysed everything that was coming out of her mouth, making sure that it passed the test to be spoken. That overanalytical mind came in handy for her job, but when in social situations, it held her back. She’d always had a crush on Lucas, but knew he was very much out of her league. Everyone in the office knew that he had been involved with a CIA agent, Sarah Caulfield, who was pretty, petite, blonde. The typical woman most men would want. Amy was far from that. Short, curvy stature, a dark, shaggy pixie-type cut and not a lot of confidence. Amy was very aware that Lucas North would never go for the likes of her. 

“I’ll go and check on the pizza,” Amy said, and disappeared into the kitchen. 

Lucas surveyed the room, seeing all the Disney ornaments opposite on the bookcase. They made him think of her fancy Dumbo mug that she had on her desk at work, and the Lilo and Stitch notebook she kept handy. 

The warmth had him suspended now and he felt calm, having forgotten all the memories of turmoil from earlier that evening. 

“Not long to go, I don’t think,” Amy said, offering a smile. 

Lucas returned the smile, noticing how pretty her eyes were. They were green. And when she smiled, it made a twinkle shine in her eyes. And as she sat down, he caught a faint whiff of her perfume; sweet and feminine. Why was he suddenly noticing all of these things now? 

“Are you sure you don’t want a bath? I can start one for you.” Amy asked again. 

“Maybe once we’ve eaten. So what made you join MI5?”

Amy tucked her leg up under herself on the sofa and looked at Lucas who was only a foot or so away. “I saw the advert when looking for another job. I used to work at the JobCentre as a work coach, but it become too stressful.” 

“So you came to work for us?” Lucas chuckled. 

“It can be stressful, but not in the same way. My old manager was always breathing down our necks for targets as we had to try and get as many people into jobs as we could, and if we didn’t manage a certain quota then we were put on performance reviews. If I wanted any time off, I had to book about a month in advance. I just couldn’t keep putting up with it, and somehow I got through the selection process for MI5. You can talk to me, you know? I know we don’t know each other that well, but you can talk to me. I know what you went through in Russia. So you don’t have to try and make the conversation all about me to avoid talking about it.” 

Lucas sighed, gripping the mug tighter in his hands. “It’s not really something I want to re-live, Amy. And I appreciate your kindness more than you know, but I want to take my mind away from it. I have enough dreams and sometimes, like earlier, I’m taken back completely out of my control. I’d rather talk about you.” 

She smiled sadly, knowing that Lucas would talk to her when he felt the time was right for him. “There isn’t much to tell about me really. I’m boring.” 

“Come on, you’re far from boring. Tariq is always saying how great you are, and I suppose I’ve just not had chance to get to see any of that yet. And, maybe you already know, as it’s public knowledge on the grid, but Tariq does have a crush on you.” 

Amy choked on her tea. “Oh, no. I feel sorry for him. If that’s true, I honestly had no idea.” 

“You’re telling me that you never noticed?” Lucas laughed. “Amy, come on! He’s always getting you things, whether drinks or food from the vending machine. He watches you sometimes from across the room. He is so obvious.” 

“I’m going to check the pizza,” Amy replied. 

Lucas noticed that her face was straight, void of any kind of emotion. It made him feel ashamed for bringing the topic up. Had he embarrassed her? 

In the kitchen and Amy opened the oven and took out the pizza which was on a metal tray. 

“Amy? I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” Lucas said softly. 

“No, no, it’s okay.” 

Lucas stepped closer, and apologised again. 

Amy looked up. “Please, can we just leave it?” 

Suddenly, the tray that the pizza was on slipped from Amy’s hand, which was covered in an oven mitt, and hit her opposite forearm. The pain was immediate and Amy dropped the tray onto the table and cried out. 

“Aim!” Lucas exclaimed. He rushed to her and ushered her to the sink, turning on the cold tap. He held her arm under the tap. 

Amy sighed as the cold water hit the burn, but couldn’t help look up at Lucas. He was so handsome; so much so that it made her sadness rise again. 

Lucas locked his gaze with Amy’s for a couple of seconds, with him still holding her arm under the cold water. Her skin was smooth, and she had plump cheeks. Her lips looked moist, and for a brief second, he wanted to kiss them. 

“I’m sorry,” Amy said. 

“What are you apologising for? It was my fault that you got distracted and this happened. Come and sit down, and I’ll finish plating up. Here, take a cloth and wrap it around your arm.” Lucas grabbed a tea towel from the counter and wet it under the tap, and then wrapped it around Amy’s arm. “I’ll get the food.” 

Amy sat down in the living room, waiting for Lucas. She kept the tea towel on her arm, but now her mind was racing with other thoughts, which dulled the pain. 

Act natural, Aim. Act fucking natural. 

Lucas brought the pizza in and placed the two plates down on the coffee table which was in front of the sofa. He’d sliced the pizza into quarters, giving them both two large slices each. “Can I still have that bath?” 

“Of course you can.” 

After they had eaten, Amy started a bath for Lucas and poured in some lavender bubble bath. Since they had eaten, the rain had started coming down heavy once more. 

“Do you want to stay here tonight?” Amy asked. “It’s tipping it down again, and I couldn’t see you walk home in it, especially after what happened earlier. Please stay over. There’s still a bed in the spare room. You can have some of my blankets.” 

“On one condition.” 

“Okay.” 

“You let me take you out for breakfast in the morning. It’s the least I can do,” Lucas said. He was lingering in the doorway as Amy kept an eye on the rising bath water. Slowly and he began removing his blue shirt, leaving him in his black vest. 

Amy could see his tattoos and felt a blush rise in her cheeks. This man was just too bloody attractive, and no doubt he knew it, too. She turned off the water and quickly slipped past Lucas out of the door. 

“Hey,” Lucas said, catching her hand. 

Amy looked up at him and felt her breath catch in her chest as he smiled...yet again. 

“Thank you,” he whispered.  

While Lucas was in the bath, relaxing, Amy remained in the living room with another mug of tea. She was watching an episode of Doctor Who with David Tennant and Billie Piper. Most of the words coming from the television set seemed to shoot in one ear and then slip out the other, without any comprehension taking place in between. 

A vivid red line was now present on Amy’s left forearm, and the sharp edge was still present in the pain. The dull thumping, however, had stopped. 

Thoughts of Lucas swirled around her mind, and she tried not to imagine him naked underneath all the bubbles in the bath. The harder she tried and the more intense the daydream became, until she was imaging herself undressing slowly in the bathroom doorway, with him watching eagerly in delight. 

“I haven’t watched Doctor Who in years.” 

“Shit!” Amy cursed, almost dropping her mug of tea across her lap. 

Lucas stepped into the room, wearing only his jeans and black vest. “Haven’t you burned yourself enough tonight, Aim?” 

“Maybe you shouldn’t sneak in and actually try to make me jump,” Amy hissed back. 

“I wasn’t trying to make you jump at all,” Lucas continued, sitting down beside Amy. There was a defensiveness in her words and actions that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. It was as though she was trying to keep him at arm’s length, somehow scared of him getting too close. “You just seem on edge and jumpy with me. I’ll go if you’re uncomfortable.” 

“No, it’s not that you make me uncomfortable. Please don’t think that at all. I’m just…” she shrugged, trying to think of her next words. “Ummm. I’m crap getting to know people, that’s all. I never know how to make small talk. It doesn’t come natural to me. I prefer to have big philosophical conversations, rather than talk about the weather or the latest episodes of reality television.” 

Lucas smirked. “So talk about something deep then. Whatever you like.”

“I’m going to have a shower now.” Amy got up from the sofa, taking her mug of tea with her. “I’ll grab some blankets from my room while I get my pyjamas ready.” 

As Amy disappeared out of the room, Lucas sighed. Why was she closed down? Had he offended her? It felt as if the longer he spent with her, the higher her walls became. For a couple of minutes, he let his gaze lock on the television and follow the Doctor and Rose on the screen. 

Once Amy was showered and dried, she made her way back to the living room, where she saw Lucas still sat on the sofa. He looked up at her and smiled. “I’ve put some blankets and pillows out for you on the bed, so you don’t have to stay out here with me if you want to go to bed,” Amy told him. 

“I’m fine for a bit longer, love,” Lucas said, stretching his arms up behind his head. “I don’t normally sleep until late anyway.” 

“I really fancy some chocolate. Do you want some?” 

“Sure, if you’ve got enough.” 

A minute later and Amy came back with a large block of Dairy Milk. “Here, help yourself. I could quite easily eat a whole block sometimes, but I have to control myself.” 

Lucas broke a few squares off the block and began to eat, enjoying the sweet taste. “I don’t think you can get much better than Cadbury’s.” As he spoke, Lucas had a mouthful of chocolate. 

Amy giggled at his lack of airs and graces. For once he was showing himself to be less than perfect, as Amy had always imagined him to be. 

“What?” he asked, mouth still full. 

“Just you. I never thought you’d be the kind of man to talk with your mouth full. You’ve always come across to me as though you’re very proper.” 

“Me? Proper? You must be joking,” Lucas laughed. 

For the next couple of hours, Amy and Lucas continued to share the block of Dairy Milk, while old episodes of Doctor Who played in the background. Their conversation began with work, discussing an ongoing operation. But then Amy mentioned her ex again, which gave Lucas the perfect way in. 

“How come you split up?” 

“He just said he didn’t love me anymore,” Amy said sadly, her gaze dropping to the carpet again. “I don’t really think he ever did, to be honest.”

“Why do you think that?” 

“I don’t really want to talk about it. It’s embarrassing and quite shameful, so I don’t particularly want to share it.” 

“Why would he make you feel ashamed?” 

Amy looked up at Lucas, her eyes wide. “Please, can we just not? You have a past you’d rather not talk about, and so do I.” 

The air between them turned quiet, until Amy got up. “I’m going to head to bed now. If you want to stay out here and watch the telly, then by all means do. You know where everything is in the kitchen.” 

Lucas looked up at her, feeling his heart sink in sadness at her response to him. “O…okay, love. Remember, breakfast in the morning. If I shouldn’t be awake when you get up, just wake me.” 

“Alright. Have a good night,” Amy said, and left the room. 

For a good hour, Amy lay in bed, her mind twisting and turning with the conversations of the evening. She was not prepared to lay out her deepest insecurity to Lucas. A gorgeous man who could easily have any woman – surely Amy would just be something he could mock if he really knew her. 

Why do I constantly put myself out for other people? And it’s always for people who wouldn’t do the same for me. Lucas would happily turn his back on me and forget tonight, and walk off into the sunset with a beautiful woman. All of it just shows how weak and stupid I am. 

Suddenly, Amy was pulled out of her sleep by shouting. For a split second she forgot that Lucas was in the flat with her, and terror gripped her tight. But then the realisation that it was Lucas filtered through, and she jumped out of her bed, fumbling through the dark. 

In the living room, she flicked on the lamp which was beside the television. Light erupted and filled the small room. Lucas was still shouting; his words were incomprehensible, being a mixture of half screams and words. 

Amy looked to see him trashing on the sofa, his hands in tight fists. “Lucas?” she called. She got on her knees next to the sofa and put her hands on his shoulders, trying to calm him. “Lucas?” she said louder. “It’s okay, you’re safe. Come on, wake up.” She then shook him. 

Lucas’ eyes shot open and he gasped, staring at Amy for a second, no recognition present on his face. 

“It’s Amy. You’re safe in my flat. It’s okay.” 

Amy’s voice beckoned Lucas back to reality and he began to focus, recognising her. The light from the lamp created a halo around her head. He couldn’t help but sigh and drop back onto the sofa. “Oh, Aim, I’m sorry,” he groaned, rubbing his hands down his face. “I’m a fucking mess.” 

“No, you’re not,” she said, giving a smile. “Do you want a drink?” 

“Please. Anything will do.” 

Lucas followed Amy through into the kitchen where she picked up a bottle of Dr Pepper and poured two glasses full. He couldn’t help but smile at her mismatched pyjamas; a Dumbo T-shirt and a pair of red and black plaid bottoms. 

Both of them took a huge gulp from their glasses and remained silent for a few seconds, before Lucas spoke. 

“The dreams never stop,” he said. 

Amy looked at him and thought he looked beaten down in those moments, as though the weight of the world were upon his shoulders. 

“Lushanka was…”

“Shh, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” 

“I want to. I want you to understand, Amy. I want you to understand me and know why I reacted the way I did in that backstreet. The torture would come when I least expected it; night or day. Beatings and water. Somehow the water was worse. I couldn’t breathe; every second felt like it was my last. And even now…I…I feel water on my face or head and it brings everything back. I can’t stop it.” 

Amy saw Lucas’ hands shake as he spoke. She grabbed them and held them, warming them in her own. 

She wanted love and comfort. He felt that so deeply with him. It was as though she built up these walls, but her actions would contradict that as she grappled for some hint of warmth and affection. 

“My…um…ex-boyfriend, he…” Tears welled in Amy’s eyes. She looked up at the ceiling and then back down at Lucas’ hands. “I know he didn’t love me because he never made time for me. I’ve never had someone make time for me because they want me; it’s only ever what I can give them. I know my place now, so I stay there.” 

“One man doesn’t speak for everyone, Aim.”

“Maybe what I’m trying to say is, if he couldn’t love me, then who else could? I’m sorry. I’m making this about me now, and you’re the one…”

“No, I want to listen,” Lucas said. 

“Maybe we should just leave it and go to bed.” Amy dropped Lucas’ hands and began to turn, but was shocked when she felt him grab her hand. 

His steel blue eyes were locked on her. “You were there for me tonight when I needed someone. Twice, I might add. When it was raining and just now when I woke. You were like an angel, calling me to safety. And I want to be that safety for you.” 

Amy took a large exhale and found that she couldn’t unlock her gaze from his. It was mesmerising. 

Slowly, Lucas moved forward and placed a gentle kiss against her lips. His hand curled around her cheek, and his fingers brushed up into her hair. The kiss began to grow more heated, their tongues seeking each other. 

Amy pulled from the kiss, her breath hitched and she looked up at him. “I…I can’t do this, Lucas. You want something casual, and I’m not like that.” 

“Where did you get the idea from that I wanted something casual?” 

***

(I may write a sequel to this, depending on how this is received)

Follow Forever tag list: @lathalea @middleearthpixie @xxbyimm @meganlpie @linasofia @knittastically @guardianofrivendell @asgardianhobbit98 @rachel1959 @luna-xial @mrsdurin @quiall321 @missihart23 @lemond57 @evenstaredits @the-fragile-heart-of-a-lady @glassgulls @sazzlep @aliasauthor @solairewisteria @littlebird-99 @court-jobi @heilith @absentmindeduniverse @albionscastle @way-too-addicted-to-fandoms @for-fuck-sake-im-alive @bookworm-with-coffee @danzalladaggers @ourlonelymountain @phantomessangel @estethell @windb3ll

[mickimagnum]

Devin's Dude Ranch: Episode Eight

*the episode opens with a shot of Devin staring out of her bedroom window*

Devin (voice-over): "The Cocktail Hour is over and now it's time for me to make my decision. Which one of these guys do I send home? I can see reasons to give each of them a second chance. Honestly, this feels too early to send anyone home. Ugh, this sucks!"

*the next scene opens with the Rose Ceremony. all contestants are lined up on the platform in front of Devin and the show's host, Venessa*

Venessa: "Welcome, everyone, to the first Rose Ceremony."

Venessa (continues): "Tonight, Devin will choose who she wishes to continue seeing by handing out roses to those lucky four. Contestants, you can choose to either accept or decline her rose if you no longer wish to pursue a relationship with her. Anyone without a rose at the end of the ceremony must immediately pack his belongs and leave the ranch. This week there was also a poll where our viewers voted on who they thought should go home. Devin has received those results and had the option of considering the results when making her decision.

Alright, good luck, gentleman. Devin, it's all yours."

Devin: "I want to begin by telling you all how thankful I am that all of you took this chance to be here with me. I know this experience has not been easy, even though we're still at the beginning, but I want you to know how much I deeply appreciate the time we've gotten to spend together. You're all amazing men and the decision I had to make tonight was very difficult. But, ultimately, I do believe it is the best decision."

*Devin picks up the first rose*

Devin (continues): "This first rose is going to the person I have had a very...intense connection with from the start, and every time we're together, I feel our connection getting stronger. I definitely want to see where this goes, Houston."

*Houston hustles off the platform and over to Devin with a huge smile on his face*

Devin: "Houston, will you accept this rose?"

Houston: "Yes, a million times, yes."

*Devin laughs softly as she hands him his rose*

*the pair hug before Houston returns to his place on the platform*

Devin: "My next rose goes to a man that is so easy to be around that our connection feels effortless. We have a lot in common, he has a great sense of humor, and I just really enjoy our time together. I definitely need more time with you, Handra."

*Handra steps off the platform and strides over to Devin*

Devin: "Handra, do you accept this rose?"

*Handra smiles at her*

Handra: "Absolutely."

*after taking his rose, Handra then kisses Devin on the cheek before making his way back to his spot*

Devin: "My third rose goes to someone that I definitely feel a connection with, but we need to spend more time together to figure out if there's serious potential between us. I want more, and I think you feel the same way, Albert."

*Albert moves off the platform and swaggers over to Devin*

Devin: "Do you accept this rose and the challenge to spend more time together?"

Albert: "Yes. I'm all in, beautiful."

*the two hug before Albert goes back to his spot*

Devin: "And here we are, down to the final rose. This was not an easy decision, because I really like both of the men standing here, waiting for the chance to continue."

Devin (continues): "Milo, you are such a sweet person with big dreams, and I love that about you. But, we're not at the same place in our lives and, frankly, I think you may be little young for me."

Devin (continues): "And Stan, we always have a blast when we're together. Our connection is easy, but I've been worried that maybe it's more of a friendship connection than anything else."

Devin (continues): "Ultimately, I had to go with my gut. And the man I want to continue seeing is...Stan."

*Stan hustles off the platform and over to Devin*

Devin: "Stan, do you accept this rose and promise to work on the romantic side of our connection?"

Stan: "I do, and I've never been more ready for an adventure in my life."

*Devin and Stan hug before he returns to his place*

*Milo then steps forward to join Devin*

Devin: "Milo, I'm so sorry. You really are a great guy. We just weren't right for each other. I really do wish you the best and I look forward to your many platinum albums one day soon."

*Milo sighs*

Milo: "Thank you for the opportunity, Devin. I don't feel like I got enough of a chance, but it is what it is. Someone has to be the first to go, right? Best of luck."

*Milo then turns and walks away*

Milo, in diary room: "After the Cocktail Hour I had a feeling it was going to be me. And yeah, it sucks. But, I meant what I said. I don't feel like I got a real chance," *looks at the floor* "It just sucks man. I really liked her."

Stan, in diary room: "Whew! That was a close one! All I can say is, I'm very grateful to be standing after tonight.

My plan moving forward? Romance the heck outta Devin. She won't know what hit her." *winks at the camera*

Devin, in diary room: "It was a very difficult decision, but I do feel like it was the right one. Ultimately, the viewers were right and voted exactly how I chose. I'm just glad it's over. I'm excited to move on with my four guys!"

Houston submitted by @invisiblequeen Handra submitted by @bloomingkyras Albert submitted by @bakersimmer James "Stan" submitted by @natolesims

Thank you to @belsasim for submitting Milo. I'm so sorry things between him and Devin didn't work out. But, I think we can all agree he's a great guy. From everyone at Devin's Dude Ranch, good luck, and we wish you the best on your future endeavors!

*Relationship status shown is after the end of Cocktail Hour **Relationships are built autonomously after a few guided friendly and flirty interactions to get them started ***Rose order for this elimination determined by viewer poll results

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[besidesitstoowarm]

"The Girl Who Waited" thoughts

i would have never guessed this episode would be my fave of the season. this is like a reverse "doctor's wife" situation, where i was positive i remembered thinking this episode sucked but it's actually great. also the writer of this episode is not, to my knowledge, currently being sued for human trafficking!

the premise is a little shaky, a little contrived. amy lags behind bc she has to get her phone (just like rory w the ring at the beginning of the silurian story last season) and then rory just tells her "hit the button" when there are two buttons?? they end up in different rooms but can see each other through the magnifying glass and rory is like "but she's not behind it?!" yeah dude it's not a window. it's a screen?? is this your first day??

but i'm not here to talk about the plot. what clicked for me in this episode is that i think a reason why so much of this era didn't click for the teens and 20-somethings of the tumblr dw fandom when this first aired more than a decade ago is that it's more... grown up? i talked about this in one of my write ups, where we actually get to see amy and rory develop, get married, have a baby and lose her (technically), deal w infertility, etc. it's not big epic fictional romance (not always anyway) like rose's departure, there's a lot of depth to it that doesn't really hit until you've experienced a long-term adult relationship yourself

and as i also mentioned in my "blink" write up, that hit me so hard bc i was 29 almost 30 and it really did feel like i pulled a billy shipton and aged rapidly overnight. turning 30 is kind of like opening the arc of the covenant emotionally. i'm almost 31 now but i do still have that feeling of like, fuck, i closed my eyes and when i opened them, there's a different face in the mirror. my therapist and i did a lot of work where i connected with my younger self or selves by imagining i was sitting with them, talking to them. "what would you say to 17 yr old you" things like that. i've imagined long conversations with 17 yr old alanna. so to see old amy looking through the glass at young amy, reminiscing with her, telling her that she can't possibly understand how her future will feel. remembering how it felt to be her. missing her. loving her. i started crying. cause i couldn't possibly have understood, when i saw this episode for the first time at around 17, what 30 yr old alanna would feel like

and when old amy tells rory through the tardis door– after crying hysterically for the doctor not to leave her again, that deep-seated old-instinct fear of abandonment– not to unlock it, bc she's not strong enough, she doesn't want to die. but if they can't both be saved, if both amys can't exist together, she wants to give those lost years back to young amy. young amy shouldn't have to spend the next 36 years alone and angry, she should get to spend them with her husband. FUCK!!! i would give anything to give 17 yr old alanna some years back, the chance to make better choices. i want to tell her things so she doesn't have to learn them the hard way. my mom recently showed me a bunch of old pics of me from high school, and the girl in them... sad, and awkward. but beautiful, and full of hope, a dreamer, someone who wanted to live. i can't say i loved being her, but i can love her now, looking back. i saw a poem on dw tumblr many years ago that was like "what they don't tell you about being eleven is that you're also ten, and nine, and eight..." and it's true about the doctor but also about ourselves. i think of myself as a matryoshka doll. 17 yr old alanna is in here, frozen. i can be kind to her. i can want better for her

and rory. let's not forget about rory. rory, who amy loved enough to keep a little robot w a little tintin face and give it his name. rory, the bond between the two amys. "rory williams is the most beautiful man i've ever seen". rory, who wanted so badly to unlock that door, to save both amys, not just bc he wants to help people but bc that is his wife. when the doctor says basically no harm done, old amy isn't real, she'll be unmade when they change her time stream, rory is angry! of course she's real, she knew him, she kissed him, she's outside banging on the door and crying! he's furious that the doctor's fuck up is what brought them to this impasse, he's furious that the doctor is making him choose, he's furious that the doctor is trying to turn rory into him. eleven's whimsy hides a lot of guilt, as we see in "day of the doctor" most deliberately, and he's def laying it on here. he's trying to run, say not my fault, and keep it moving. rory refuses to keep it moving

so i like that the ending– young amy saved, old amy lost– is not in any way framed as an unalloyed good. old amy– amy– did die. she had to die, and it had to be rory's choice to let it happen even if she eventually took the reins from him as she so often does. rory will remember that

so yeah. it's a story about growing old faster than you can believe, about the wistfulness and resentment simultaneously of nostalgia, about a love that can tear a hole through the rules of time and space, about a love that will span the rest of your life ("i don't care that you're old, i care that i didn't get to grow old with you"). it's an episode with emotional truths i did not understand when i watched this episode so many years ago but it's so rich

[theaddictedwatcher]

Hi guys !

I know it has been quite a while since I wrote anything on here but I truly intent on catching up on all of what I had planned and more.

Today the show I want to talk about is none other than the fantastic Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I admit that I was kinda late to the party since I started watching the show as they were broadcasting the fifth season but better late than never uh ?!

Let’s start as usual with a synopsis: As we go into the show, we follow around seven New York City Police Department (NYPD) detectives and their precinct who are adjusting to working under their new commanding officer, the serious and stern Captain Raymond Holt. 

And a little technical presentation:

- Created by : Dan Goor and Michael Schur

- Music composed by : Dan Marocco / Music supervisor : Kerri Drootin

- Main cast : Andre Braugher, Andy Samberg, Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, Joe Lo Truglio, Chelsea Peretti, Dirk Blocker, and Joel McKinnon Miller.

As mentioned above, the show was created by Dan Goor and Michael Schur, who are also behind Parks and Recreation and The Good Place, so they were familiar with the sitcom format and allowed themselves to break the codes of the genre.

It originally aired on FOX from September 2013 to May 2018. They cancelled it after 5 years of good fun, but it was rescued the very next day by NBC, who offered us a final run from January 2019 to September 2021. So it ran for a total of 8 seasons and 153 episodes of about 21 minutes each.

Many people I know are not fans of sitcoms because the laughs, the format and usually the stories are very specific to the genre. In Brooklyn Nine-Nine, they have chosen not to use the traditional laughs that can be heard in sitcoms taped in front of a live audience, and for many viewers this changes the appeal of the show. I have to admit that this was a very important point for me personally when I first started watching, as I always felt that the laughs were used to force the audience to react, but were usually unbalanced, as they were often either too late and fell flat, or were right on the joke but covered the sound of the comedian's voice, making the joke inaudible.

But what I want to focus on more with this show is the issues it tackles. In fact, over the course of eight seasons, they've had several opportunities to talk about social issues, and that's what I think makes it stand out from all the other sitcoms I've had the pleasure of watching.

I don't want to go into too much detail about the themes, as I don't want to spoil it for those of you who want to give it a try, so I'll just mention the themes and briefly explain how, as a viewer, I felt immersed in the storytelling and the inclusion of the themes in the characters' plots.

Behind the cases they have to solve, the characters have real conversations that deepen the themes evoked in many episodes. The confrontations between them throughout the series help to develop all the characters and it's interesting to watch as a viewer because it can sometimes bring up an aspect of a subject you hadn't considered, or give you arguments to back up your opinions in real-life conversations.

The first theme, which in itself is the premise of the show, is the justice system and its flaws. Since the main characters of the show are police officers and administrators, it was a topic they had to address from day one. They also address issues that are more specific to police forces, such as the impunity enjoyed by some politicians or high-ranked members of society.

Then, as they have a very diverse cast and awesome writers, they also tackled the inclusion of people of color (with the presence of two black men and two Latina women in the main cast), women (with three women in the main cast) and LGBTQ+ people in police forces and the discrepancies in treatment they receive, whether it be from their hierarchy or from the public. I think their work on these issues is very important to break down prejudices that people may have about police officers, and sometimes even to raise awareness about issues that people may not have too much information about (LGBTQ+ struggles, sexual harassment, etc.).

Since the creators are also behind Parks and Recreation and The Good Place, they have also chosen to call on actors from those shows to appear on Brooklyn Nine Nine whether it be as guests, regulars or even main characters ! I'll drop just a few names in case you know them and are curious :

Chelsea Peretti (main B99 cast and appeared on Parks and Recreation)

Marc Evan Jackson (regular and appeared on The Good Place and Parks and Recreation)

Jason Mantzoukas (regular and also appeared on The Good Place and Parks and Recreation)

Nick Offerman (special guest and also appeared on The Good Place and Parks and Recreation)

Some other actors came from other shows, like the amazing Craig Robinson who also appeared in Arrested Development and The Office and who landed in Brooklyn Nine Nine a specific recurring role that quickly became a fan favorite.

Finally, I'll leave you with the entire soundtrack of the show, it's not the most important part of the show for me, but the use of classic pieces at some key moments is well done and highlights the different moods the characters can go through.

I hope I've at least made you want to give the show a try and I'm open to you letting me know if you do, whether you agree with my views or not, I'm always open to discussion.

Have a great day,

Eli