#honestly alison deserves some space for all that she's put up with

[chaotic-goodsir]

Some thoughts about the BBC ghosts finale, because it was inevitable that I'd have some rambling to do after watching:

It seems like there's a lot of annoyance and disappointment around the finale, which is fair when so many people had high expectations. Personally I didn't mind it - maybe it wasn't the show's best episode, but I think it ended the only way it could.

Before Mia, Alison was constantly entertaining and paying attention to the ghosts, because she's a caring person who chose to use her gift to get to know them and try to give them new experiences. She didn't have to do that. She could have moved out sooner, or tried to arrange an exorcism that worked, or taught herself to ignore the ghosts completely. Plenty of people in her position might have done those things, but Alison chose to make a family out of the bunch of dead weirdos she found herself stuck with.

She made time for all the ghosts while somehow also making time for Mike AND finding uses for the massive crumbling house that neither of them asked to inherit - not to mention helping to organise repairs and archeological digs and viewings and so on. That's honestly impressive and it sounds exhausting. There's no way she or Mike could have continued to live that way while also taking care of a child.

Something I love about Ghosts is the way it addresses mundane but important themes - things like home, friendship, family, grief and support for one another. It's not a perfect show by any means and but for a silly fun comedy it's also surprisingly thoughtful and soft, and kind to all of its characters (even Julian and Barclay!) despite their flaws. It deals with topics that most people can relate to, and mostly it handles them in an honest, kind and realistic way. I think that's part of what has made it so popular.

So Alison leaving, and the Ghosts advising her to, makes sense to me. The ghosts might stay the same forever, but Alison and Mike (and Mia) are living people with their own stories ahead of them. Even in found families and close-knit friend groups, things change. Dynamics shift. Not everyone can remain as closely tied to the group as they might have been before.

That doesn't have to be a loss or a betrayal. Things changing doesn't mean that they are ruined. Alison goes back to visit the ghosts for the rest of her life - she makes sure they know that they aren't forgotten. And the ghosts stick around for her as well (or at least, we can assume they all do). Their relationship as friends is not less important than Alison and Mike's new family, it just needs less attention, because the ghosts are adults and can survive (or, uh, exist?) by themselves. I don't think it's out of character or poor writing to show them letting Alison have some space. It's what good friends might do to support a friend who, for whatever reason, can't be around as much anymore.

Overall I didn't completely love the finale. I wish it had been a double episode, and I've seen some posts saying Alison deserved more opportunity to be her usual chaotic self before she became an exhausted new mother, which I agree with. I think the fact they threw in a speech tying everything to Christmas just because it was a Christmas special was a bit annoying, if unavoidable. But it was sweet and a good way to say goodbye to one of my favourite shows.

[hello-im-not-a-possum]

Also, what would a Susie or Norman focusing fanfic be like in the Bendy/ Under tale crossover?

Because you didn’t specify Susie Deltarune or Susie BATIM I’m doing a drabble with both, Enjoy:

The glum angel absentmindedly tapped on the window of the rented bus as she looked outside at the rest of the group, wishing that they could just hurry up already so that they could get back on the road and go... Well, she didn’t know where that crazy, stupid prophet was taking them, but if he managed to keep an entire village of people alive and not all completely brain dead in spite of the entire studio literally pulling out all the stops to try to stop him, then she could trust his judgement enough to let him lead them to this supposed “Abandoned Kingdom he sent the others to” that he was yammering on about, even if she knew what he was saying sounded like a load of complete bullshit.

She should’ve been happy.

Susie Campbell had finally been freed from that nightmarish studio, and unlike so many of the workers within the studio, she wasn’t one of the searchers or the lost ones, or even some scared, confused toon who was wondering either “What are we doing in this strange looking world that’s nothing like home?! How do we get back?! What do you mean ‘our world is fictional and didn’t exist in the first place’?!” or “Why the $&@! Am I a cartoon animal?! What the #$%* is up with the outside world?! Is this a dream?! It has to be a dream!” She could still remember who she was and why she was like this.

In addition to that, She was “Perfect” and “On model”, looking more like a cartoon version of herself than she did Alice Angel (which pissed Malice off to no end, but as the twisted angel had been demoted from ‘the main angel in control’ to shoulder demoness, there was nothing she could do about it but silently fume.). When she spoke, she spoke in her own, normal speaking voice instead of that warped, distorted version of Alison’s voice. She could look outside and see colors, not just the sepia tone hellscape of yellows and black, but the entire pallet.

But she was absolutely miserable. Why should she of all people be blessed with so much when she had done nothing to deserve any of it? Every time she looked at Norman, she saw the projector-headed monster she turned him into, no amount of reels or tacky oversized hawaiian shirts could ever change that! Every time she looked at Sammy, she didn’t see the proud, cynical and sarcastic hardass with a secret sweet side who she fell in love with, she saw a self-destructive madman who spaced out so often he might as well have been braindead. And Buddy? The poor kid might’ve looked more human now, but he was still a cartoon. A cartoon who remembered what Malice did to him and couldn’t help but flinch whenever she was too close.

Malice might have been the one who had done the killings and took pleasure in them, but Susie had done nothing to stop her-

“Susie!”

Speak of the Devil, she was now pulling on her hair to get her attention.

“Susie! Can you hear me?”

“What do you want?” she hissed under her breath.

“Somebody’s coming aboard the bus with something, I think whoever it is wants to talk to you.”

“Oh.”

That was… pleasantly surprising compared to most reasons why Malice wanted her attention. She stood up straight and turned to face the bus’s door to see a giant purple lizard carrying a to-go bag for the diner the bus was parked near.

“Hey.” she stated, lifting up the bag for her to see. “I heard you were moping in the bus, so I brought dinner.”

“Thanks…”

The angel took a tinfoil wrapped burger out of the offered bag.

“So…” The lizard-monster dug through the bag and pulled out a burger of her own. “Apparently we both have the same name.”

“Your name’s Susie then?”

“Yep, Susie Campbell.”

“Huh…”

“I kinda think it’s cool, I didn’t know I had the same name as a famous voice actress until recently.”

“So I take it I was just ahead of my time then?” Susie chuckled. “Alice wasn’t really all that popular...”

“That’s hard to imagine; Alice Angel, the heroine star of some of the underground’s most well-known and loved cult classics getting thrown off to the side…” The monster looked at her sympathetically “It must’ve been tough.”

“Honestly, it is and it isn’t. I always thought that if I’d be alive to see Alice’s popularity, it would be while I was still voicing the character. ...And while I was still human.” The angel sighed. “This entire past few days have all just been so weird, I feel like I’m just having a vivid dream, and I could wake up at any second.”

“How’re you handling post-escape depression?”

“Post escape depression?” the toon repeated “Is there really enough people who remember the studio to give it a name like that?”

“Not that I know of.” She shrugged. “But when monsters escaped from Mt. Ebott, at first, a lot of us were thrilled to be free, see the sun, and to not have to worry about getting overcrowded in the underground, but then we realized we had to deal with shitty people outside, a world saw us as myths for centuries and had changed so drastically we could only barely recognise it, and homesickness. Sure, a lot of us were miserable down there because it was a literal prison, but it was also home. And I can understand if anyone in the group feels the same way.”

“What was the underground really like?”

“Sammy’s description of it was pretty spot on.” She took a bite out of her burger. “Big, lots of different climates and shit all under one mountain, stuff like that. I’m almost surprised he didn’t live down there. Granted, I don’t know what it’s like now, but I don’t think it’s anywhere near as bad as the studio was for you guys.”

“At the very least, they won’t be hacked to bits by me anymore…”

“Hey.” The non-toon Susie put her hand on the toon Susie’s shoulder. “Sure you fucked up in there, but you have all the time in the world to make things right out here. If they could forgive Sammy, Tom, and Allison in spite of their involvement with getting them all trapped in there in the first place, then I’m sure they’ll forgive you too as long as you try to prove that you’re willing to change for the better.”

“Thanks, Susie.” the angel wiped tears off of her cheeks. “I needed that.”

“Anytime. I might not be a professional shrink or some shit like that, but I’m getting better at helping people out.”

[retvenkos]

Hi lovely, congrats on 2.5k you truly deserve it! Could I please get a ship for Narnia, Musketeers and Umbrella Academy? I am bisexual, a Leo, Hufflepuff, INFP and enneagram 4. I really enjoy procrastinating anything and everything, I don’t get a lot of sleep, I love cats, I’m pretty introverted and lack a lot of confidence, I’m also the wine mum stereotype to a T and I love getting tattooed (I have a few). I can't really think of any dislikes tbh, I honestly have no clue! Hope this is enough!

Narnia:

I ship you with Lucy Pevensie!

stick with me for a minute, because i have some thoughts

when you first met lucy, you didn’t think the two of you were going to be a good match - she had all the confidence in the world and seemed to thrive off of others. there wasn’t anyone who was more extroverted or assertive.

but here’s the thing - lucy actually doesn’t have a lot of confidence, she’s just really good at hiding it. so i think the two of you get along really well because while lucy might be boisterous, she is also self-conscious and like recognizes like. and together, the two of you work through your confidence issues and are stronger for it.

furthermore, both of you are sunny people! you would get along great because you’re both looking for the good in the world, and you will both fiercely fight for it.

and even though you tend to hold you heart close to your chest, lucy is so gentle with you and takes her time in getting you to open up - she just wants both of you to be happy and i feel that on a deep level.

oh, and lucy??? 10/10 a cat mom - she loves animals of all kinds and they all seem to really love her, too? even the most standoffish cats come up to her and let her pet them. 

and sometimes you swear that lucy has full on conversations with the cats - they seem to respond to her and everything? you asked edmund about it, once, and he just said “yeah” and shrugged it off. is lucy secretly a witch or something??

also,,, all i can say is that lucy’s mom friend energy and your wine aunt energy together? it’s chaotic, tbh, but it somehow works really well, too. like, your brevity mixed with lucy’s rambling somehow even each other out and create a sense of organized chaos that i think perfectly defines your relationship.

and don’t worry about never getting any sleep - lucy doesn’t seem to need sleep, so she will stay up with you late into the night, and when one of you mentions that you should probably be getting some sleep, lucy will either force you to sleep or she will be calling pizza hut so you can make it a proper sleepless night.

also, lucy makes a good cup of coffee - she always made coffee for her dad, peter, and edmund (and probably susan and her mom, too, let's be real), so she has the most practice and gets it just right.

Musketeers:

I ship you with Athos!

okay, a complete 180 from the above ship, but i get the vibes

first of all, athos deserves a soft place to land, and a (1) thoughtful, (2) passionate, (3) generous infp is perfect, imo.

but uhhh,,,,,, this is the slow burn to rival all slow burns

you’re reluctant to open up... he wouldn’t talk about his past if he was at gunpoint... you’re self critical.... he literally thinks he deserves to die 90% of the time... you probably don’t think he’d ever so much as look your way... athos is just generally slow to act...

i’m going to speed up the pining by putting you in a life threatening situation, in which athos nearly dies trying to save you. ofc, you have a talk afterward, when he’s recovering, and here’s where things get tricky.

both of you are extremely loyal people - willing to do anything for the people you are about - and so while you don’t think his actions are unjustified, you are simply stunned by the idea that you matter that much to him? like, are you worth it?

yes, you are definitely worth it.

i’m going to say his wounds are mega bad™ so he’s bedridden for a hot minute. you definitely come and chat with him the whole time he’s sick, and you two get to have those  d e e p  conversations that the two of you religiously avoid

and it’s nice, opening up to him and listening to who he once was. it sheds some much needed light on how you became the people you are, and it strengthens your bond immensely.

also, the rest of the musketeers are so glad the two of you are finally talking about your feelings. aramis had been teasing the two of you for years now and porthos was about ready to knock sense into athos - literally. d’artagnan probably wasn’t that invested in it, but he’s glad athos isn’t so emo anymore. his brooding is hell for everyone.

oh! and i’m a sucker for the brooding one is soft for the sunny one, and that is the epitome of your relationship. your sunny side is athos’ salvation, and he would risk everything to keep you.

oh, and i 100% believe that athos has tattoos and in a modern au, he would have so much ink. he would love your tattoos and lol he’d probably get one for you. he swears he’s not sentimental, but uhh.... he is.

athos doesn’t get any sleep either, but he would insist that you get some. he’d watch over you while you sleep and you would have to force him to go to sleep with you. and even if you aren’t that convincing, he would do anything for you and you manage to succeed a good portion of the time.

also, you can be introverted together! you both have a lot of solitary hobbies, so you end up doing them in the same space, catching the other staring while you’re trying to focus on your work. it’s vvv sweet.

TUA:

I ship you with Alison Hargreeves!

we’re manifesting a loving relationship for both of you, today

i 100% believe that the two of you were good friends before you started dating - maybe you were one of her first friends after she left the academy and one of the few truly generous people she’s ever met in her life

i think what alison finds so poignant about you is that she never had to coax generosity out of you - you are extremely thoughtful and generous all on your own. and if you’re a little emotionally unavailable when you first meet, alison understands that because she is, too, just a little better at hiding it.

also, i think your idealism would be a great counter to alison’s slightly jaded worldview - you would remind her of all of the beauty in the world, the good that hasn’t been corrupted, yet, and she appreciates that.

also! i think you get alison into painting. i have this headcanon that alison gets into painting/drawing, and since you are creative and sensitive, i just got painter vibes from you. AT THE VERY LEAST you appreciate the art and love watching bob ross while alison is the one to actually attempt the painting.

oh! i also imagine that alison notices your tattoos and asks you if you want to get one with her - she only has the one, and it’s not a good memory. she’d much rather get a new tattoo with you.

you guys do it and she puts it right next to her umbrella academy tattoo, so whenever she notices her old tattoo, she can remember the new memory she created with you

also, you get milkshakes after you get the tattoo and probably stay up late watching tv or something.

i also think that alison never hid her power from you - you probably met her when she was rumoring someone into giving her an apartment, and you offered yours instead. and since you always knew about it, you never worried if she had used it on you, once, without your knowledge. the most you can worry about is if she’ll use it in the future, but allison has repeatedly told you she would never, after everything that’s happened.

and if you’re emotions are ever turbulent, alison is really good at making you feel like everything is okay. she’s actually pretty in tune with people, and she’s had a lot of experience with calming down people in the past (probably with diego and ben, maybe even vanya). 

[thelonelybrilliance]

My real-time Reputation reactions

Reputation spoilers below, I guess?

...Ready for It?

I mean yes, I've already heard it approximately 1000 times, but as an album opener, suddenly the whole world feels like an adventure, rich with confidence and vulnerability and a bit of a clever wink and I LOVE IT.

"HE CAN BE MY JAILOR, BURToN TO THIS TAYLOR" never gets old.

End Game

"I don't want to hurt you."

"I want to be your end game / I want to be your first string."

THIS SONG IS SO BADASS AND ED'S PART IS SO BEAUTIFUL BUT ALSO IT'S SO SAD

"SOMETHING WAS BORN ON THE 4th JULY"

UM THIS SONG IS ABOUT TOMMMMMM

"I don't miss you / like the other girls do"

HER VOICE IS SO SOFT

"I keep burying hatchets / but go back to where I put 'em"

TAYLOR

The wistfulness almost brings me to tears and we are ON SONG 2

I Did Something Bad

THIS IS PEAK VILLAIN TAYLOR THIS IS TAYLOR COMING FOR THEM AND ADMITTING THAT SHE LIED AND SHE DID SOMETHING BAD AND SHE LOVED IT BECAUSE YEAH SHE'S A SLYTHERIN

"You gotta leave before you get left."

This is Blank Space in the SHADOWS

Also the playboy part is like how the media protrayed her with Tom...OMG

ALSO THIS IS CATCHY AF

The only change I would make here is say "I did something bad" without the "They Say" in front of it... OH THERE IT IS "So I did something bad" whispered underneath

Don't Blame Me

This is so tragic and rolling and EPIC

"I would fall from grace / just just to touch your face / and if you walk away / I would fall on my knees just to beg you to stay"

OK I STARTED CRYING y'ALL

THIS IS A FAVE I TELL YOU

Delicate

"You must like me for me."

I THINK THIS MUST BE ABOUT MEETING JOE

"That color blue"

The way she asks "Isn't it" like she doesn't deserve to be LOVED???

"I pretend you're mine all the damn time"

Look What You Made Me Do

This song definitely has its good points, and while so far it's definitely a step down from the rest of the album, it's still brilliant in parts ("I don't like your kingdom keys / they once belonged to me")

The good news is that it's a contrast to everything else that's clearly going on in Taylor's heart in this album. It's the public snapping back, the whiplash, the snake bite.

Her releasing it first overshadowed things a bit, but now that's died down, so hopefully the album gets the attention it deserves. If it hadn't been a single, I'm sure people would have been talking about it...hey, Taylor knows what she's doing. I just might have written it a little differently.

So It Goes...

I really like how she sings "So it goes" also A+ Vonnegut reference...but right now I think I need this one to catch on. It feels like a lesser Style.

"I wear you like a necklace" is good.

All of these songs are like lights on the highway at night.

Gorgeous

Still such a beautiful, pure, good song. I know people have criticized the protagonist of this song for "not being a good person" but...I think those people have never been girls in full-on crush mode? This song captures that 100%.

"There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have."

SO MANY GOOD LINES. SO MUCH SWEET ANGST.

Also the theme seems to be that Taylor gets everything but some things are barred from someone who is so famous and so known and that's ultimately tragic.

(ALSO CONSIDERING WHAT COMES NEXT MY TOM THEORY HOLDS UP ;))

Getaway Car

THIS IS THE TOM SONG.

I... have nothing to say. This song is perfect, and I sobbed hysterically the whole way through it.

DON'T YOU DARE TeLL ME THEIR LOVE WASN'T REAL

King of My Heart

This is a great emotional follow-up, but my heart is still wrecked by Getaway Car.

"Your love is a secret, I'm hoping, dreaming, dying to keep."

JOE

Honestly I just want Taylor Alison Swift to be happy. I just want her to have the King of Her Heart and to be loved forever.

Dancing With Our Hands Tied

PIANOS

This is Calvin's song. (I just call 'em like I hear 'em...and they were together for over a year so something on here must be about him)

This is sweeping and sad

"Can we dance through an avalanche"

"It's gravity / keeping you with me"

"Could have spent forever / with your hands in my pockets picture of your face / in an invisible locket"

SO MANY LYRICS

"Kissed you when the lights went out / swaying as the room burned down" UGH TAYLOR WHY ARE YOU SO PERFECT

Dress

"My hands are shaking from holding back from you."

"Say my name and everything just stops."

"EVEN IN MY WORST LIES / YOU SAW THE TRUTH IN ME" <<OMG TAYLOR OMG

(I know it seems like I squee every time she criticizes herself and that's not it at all it's just that I wanted her to be fair and she has been baring her heart wonderfully and admitting that she isn't perfect and it's in that imperfection of our true selves that we can REALLY be loved and THAT'S WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT)

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

"Feeling so Gatsby for that whole year."

OHHH I like the sass here! I think it's about friends who betrayed her and also probably about Kanye too because she's petty af but it's kind of cracking me up.

"And here's to you, because forgivness is a nice thing to do." AND THEN SHE CACKLES.

OmG there's my Picture to Burn/Better Than Revenge girl.

Because here's the thing: she's made mistakes. SO HAVE WE ALL. ANd if this album shows anything, it shows that she's suffered a lot in her soul, as anyone would, and people are still enjoying "dragging her" so yeah, I think she's entitled to a call-out that doesn't come across preachy (as LWYMMD does).

Call It What You Want

THE FAVE <3 We're almost there. And to hear this happiness after the pain? GAHHHHH MY HEART

"Loves me like I'm brand new."

"He built a fire just to keep me warm."

"At least I did one thing right."

OK NOW THIS SONG IS MAKING ME CRY

"Starry eyes sparking up my darkest night."

THE FREEDOM OF THIS SONG "Call it what you want to" like it DOESN'T MATTER WHAT ANYONE THINKS I'M SO PROUD OF HER AND HAPPY FOR HER OMG THIS IS ALL I WANT FOR HER

"You don't need to save me" (I think that Getaway Car is about someone trying to save her and that's romantic but it never works) (and this is about saying, just be with me, we'll do this together and I think that's beautiful)

New Year's Day

The VIVIDNESS. THE SOFTNESS. "Hold onto the memories, they will hold onto you." "And I will hold onto you."

IT'S MY WHITE LIGHT SONG

"You and me forevermore."

"Don't read the last page / but I stay."

I just have to say...this whole album feels so much more real than 1989 does, now. And that's not to say that 1989 isn't a juggernaut and a masterpiece, but this tells the story of Taylor falling apart and finding how to put herself back together, with the help of someone else's love.

[laracroftm]

Why You Should Stop Hating Aria Montgomery: A PSA.

OUT of the four liars, Aria Montgomery is the one I related the most to. Aria Montgomery is every single one of us - starting with who she was as a teenager up until the most recent episodes. She’s human and I will fight you if you call her selfish like it’s flaw - no one isn’t selfish. It’s called self-preservation - you’d die without it. Anyways, let’s get started on this. 

Aria & Ezra, Ezra & Aria....

Seasons 1-2, Ezria was definitely a favorite ship on the show. However, at the time, I wasn’t even aware of the concept of statutory rape. I mean, I was like 13 I believe? After the Season 4 rather nauseating revelation that Ezra not only actively sought out Aria in the bar while knowing how old she was, he’d previously been involved with her dead best friend. Now, if he’d approached Aria and introduced himself as an author interested in writing a story on her friend’s death, and Aria had agreed as a way to escape the stresses of her parent’s drama as well as to divulge just who alison really was (a fucking horrible person btw, i despise alison dilaurentis with every fiber of my being) -- i believe a more romantic arc would have been spun, all without the cringe-instilling shit they forced on us. 

Now, on why Aria would marry Ezra, even after all he’s done. 

Aria was at the most impressionable age of her life. Her parents’ lives was falling apart, she was being stalked by a god-knows-who who was out to get her and her friends, and she and her friends were still struggling with dealing with the way alison disappeared from their lives. After Alison’s disappearance, Aria’s the character who grew the most and become her own person, and as soon as Alison and her shit got reintroduced back into her life, all she’s built over a whole year was shattered -- she sought out the one person who gave her the sense of the person she was, and that was Ezra. 

I’m not saying Ezra is a saint - no, he’s an asshole, and him getting shot for Aria and the girls doesn’t amend to his sins. But again, over the course of her high school life, Ezra may have the been only sane constant in Aria’s life. I won’t say it’s love that drove her to accept an eternal life with Ezra. But it’s a desire for a semblance of safety and stability. It’s a self-defense mechanism that a lot of population is open to doing. You can’t blame her for accepting to be with someone who’d tricked her like that - especially when he’s actively been trying to redeem himself since then. 

When A.D. threatened to send Ezra to jail - Aria’s self-defense mechanism was to of course comply. It was a no brainer to her, and it would be a no brainer to all of us. She didn’t do it so that she and Ezra could get married, and she did not do it because she was afraid Ezra would find out about the report. If anything, Ezra deserves to be target practice for Aria’s self-defense classes and that would still not be enough to make up for what he’s done (Because everyone said that Aria was stupid for helping A.D. when Ezra knew about the report to begin with, but that’s not why Aria did this.) 

Now, onto the good stuff --

the AriA BetrAyal ReveAl...

Before I begin discussing this, I wanna highlight on why A.D. chose Aria out of all the liars to do her bidding, and why not Spencer or Hanna or Emily (Alison’s not one of the liars she should have stayed dead.)

On the contrary to everyone’s quick jump to conclusion, Aria’s actually the least selfish liar out of all of them. She’s also the most passionate.  And by all of them, I do mean all of them. That being said, at least both Hanna and Spencer have done some shit for A once before, so are we really gonna be judging Aria right now? Over the course of the 7 seasons, we’ve seen Aria lie and keep secrets to protect people she cares about. I don’t have time to recount how many times or occasions Aria’s done this but she always has, while the liars have on one time or another have all betrayed each other at some point. 

What stood out to me the most was Spencer Hasting’s enraged reaction to Aria’s ‘said betrayal’ 

Spencer claims she didn’t hurt anyone by being A. And that is not true --

Spencer didn’t join the A-Team to freaking be a double-agent. She was driven to join after a mental breakdown when she thought Toby was dead. Mona may have told her that Toby was alive, but Spencer was told that Toby would be her reward if she could get the liars at party on friday --- which is why Spencer’s parents throw a party to celebrate her departure from Radley. Spencer joined the team to save Toby, just like Aria joined the Team to save Ezra. She may have turned midway when she finally actually saw him, but so did Aria. So let’s not paint Spencer as a hero and Aria as a betraying bitch - they’ve both done the exact same thing, and the writers are recycling old plots because they have nothing better to do. 

Spencer slipped some of her sleeping pills into Malcolm’s ice cream - I’m not sure why she did this, I don’t know if she was hoping Malcolm would forget what she looked like or not, but that was dangerous. Sleeping pills specifically are dosed for adults. It’s a miracle she didn’t kill him. 

She claims that the A who took Malcolm wanted to get caught - and if she did, she wouldn’t have told Malcolm her name was Alison. She wasn’t trying to get caught. 

Later on, Aria snaps, saying that Malcolm is off-limits. If Spencer really wanted to prove a double-agent status, Aria should have been in on this. Being a double-agent doesn’t count if Spencer’s the only one who knows what she discovers; she should have told Aria. Aria didn’t agree and had to be threatened twice to comply to A.D’s wishes. Spencer didn’t even waste a heartbeat thinking what taking Malcolm could possibly do to Aria.

Last but not least, Spencer’s parents going through a divorce is not Aria’s fault. Spencer is deluding herself to think that her parents even stood a chance, back from the day they found out Jason was Spencer’s brother. But that’s not a point I should mention because everyone agrees with me anyways.

Troian revealed in an interview that Spencer was supposed to be A. Which brings me to a point that, Marlene didn’t even know where she was going with this show after season 2. She just kept adding plots and twisting pasts and creating plot holes to add to the shock factor. 

Now onto the infuriating part of this, Alison Dilaurentis

“So what? It was just a no brainer for you to pick Ezra over us?”

If Alison Dilaurentis was a part of my life, I’d run her over with a truck the first chance I had. 

But Aria hasn’t done that - Despite all the shit that Alison has put Aria through, Aria was the most welcoming and embracing of Alison’s return. Aria’s the one who married Alison, and Aria’s the one who took her back to the sanitarium and promised over and over that everything would be okay. Even after finding out that Charlotte, Alison’s sister, was the reason they’d all gone through what they went through, even when they all should have cut ties with Alison and laughed in her face when she asked them to testify in Charlotte’s behalf, she and the girls didn’t. 

But Alison is also the prime reason why all of this is happening to those girls - so yes, Alison, it would be a no brainer for people to not pick you, you selfish, manipulative, conniving bitch. 

It just honestly made me laugh my ass off when Alison said that - because of all people, Alison would run them all over for her own self-interest. She’s always been like that, surviving like she lived in the jungle, surrounding herself with possible prey if the food ran out. If A.D. had approached any of the girls, I’m sure none of them would have hesitated. Given the current situation, if it’d been Hanna approached by A.D. to do this to save Caleb from some illegal hacking he’s probably done in his past, I can guarantee you that Hanna Marin would have done more that break a crib and plant a phone.  If it’d been Emily to protect Alison, I don’t think I have to say Emily would have sold her own kidney cause she’s already done something akin to that (not joking, that relationship is even more toxic than Ezria. It’s disgusting and everyone who ships Emison needs to do a reality check. It’s bad LGBT representation. It’s bad general romantic relationship representation. It’s sick and twisted and I just can’t.) And Spencer’s already at a fragile mental space, she’d have anything with proper pressure anyways.

If anyone else had said that to Aria I may have conceded, but it had to be Alison Fucking Dilaurentis, Queen of Selfish Bitch Land. 

That last thing I wanna say is that I am HEAVILY disappointed in Spencer, Hanna, and Emily. Mona’s probably one of the few characters with an actual clinical mental disorder diagnosis. Their past with her alone should be enough for them not to trust a word that comes out of her mouth. When Spencer asks for proof and Mona plays a damn recording I was SURPRISED that THAT’S all they needed to believe it was Aria. Aria should have been given the benefit of the doubt, and given a chance to explain. Instead, Mona turned them on Aria and I believe Mona’s done this to forcefully pull the girls apart. I think Mona’s the one who planted the phone in the Brew for Aria, and she’s been the one talking Aria that whole last episode, not A.D. A.D.’s work with Aria ended with the puzzle piece. This was all Mona. 

Mona’s the one who who provided evidence to the police to give Aria an alibi on the night of Charlotte’s murder. After all, we all know Mona is tech savvy, she can do anything. She wanted to drive Aria away and seclude her so that at some point, Aria would lead her to A.D. I think Mona too was blackmailed by A.D. But given her illness, she just couldn’t stand the idea of someone not only stealing the game from her but actually controlling her to do their bidding (Mona’s the body used to create avatAria.)

When the liars froze Aria out, they chose who was going to lose. That’s what the endgame of this whole episode was. To drive one girl apart enough for them to not even consider looping her in on this. And they succeeded, by freezing aria out, the girls chose Aria to be the one to take the blame. And even if Mona did send an alibi to the police, it can be easily refuted. 

What I’m trying to say is shame on them for trusting Mona Vanderwaal. 

This is been a ranting PSA. Please, feel free to send me all the hate and attacking anonymous messages your heart desires, because I’ll delete them all anyways :)

[ssaalexblake]

12, 2, 15?

2 - Villains

Lilah Morgan. Like, no contest, number one. Totally evil, intelligent, fully rounded, humanised, in relationship with (for the most part) good guy, but like, still evil.

Mariah Dillard, just, luke cage was an incredible, incredible show and i don’t think i’d do it justice to describe why i love her so much here, but alfre woodard killed it. 

AIDA/Ophelia, in agents of shield. I haven’t sworn at my screen so much at a villain for???? a long long time. She was awful, manipulative, abusive, and also, understandable. Like, a total hypocrite, an awful gaslighting hypocrite, but her motivations were understandable, if a little sci-fi cliche. I hated her. It was great writing, actually. Aside from the whole woman in her 20′s and an old man pairing. I mean, it was horrible, had disturbing stuff in the plot, and made me want to flip tables, but like, in the good way.

Dolores Umbridge. I cringe just thinking of that name. I think first reading that book, the same age as Harry at the time, with a teacher far too similar, solidified that one tbh (i used to refer to said teacher as ‘satan’s love child’ so...)

Debbie Jelininsky, from the addams family values. Honestly, she was just fun. I enjoy a good fun villain every now and again, and in a series where the protagonists are morbid and dark, it forces the villains to be different, and it was nice. 

12 - Who I think deserved better endings (any woman who got fridged)

Cordelia Chase (and charisma carpenter fuck y’all creative team), because, like, really??? Cordelia’s development throughout btvs and ats is one of my favourite character arcs of all time, it’s incredible, except... you know... the mystical pregnancy trope ugh... with a side of workplace discrimination against a pregnant woman. She deserved better than to have her memory wrest from her just for the dudes to angst over, then to have her body be hijacked by a demon, then be used as an incubator for another demon, and to then slip into a coma and die. Anyway i cannot think of one instance of the mystical pregnancy trope that isn’t misogynistic in any way so sci-fi/fantasy need to desist.  

Alex. I could devolve into a puddle of Alex anger right now, but like, my feelings on how poorly alex was treated/written out have been hashed out more than once on here,so i’ll save it. Alex Blake deserved more than this shit. 

Elizabeth Weir. throughout the 15 seasons of sga and sg1 put together, ‘we don’t leave anybody behind’ is a HUGE facet. People defy orders, do monumentally stupid crap, all in the name of not leaving that person behind. So, naturally, elizabeth is left to be replicator chow (or whatever they did to her tbh they don’t eat so??) because Sheppard just... left. He left her there. Bullshit. And then Higginson won’t come back because of the disgusting creators so they bring her back~ in another replicator body who Sheppard then spaces??? sure. sure ok. 

Jenny Calendar. Like, i’m aware that since she was trying to restore Angelus’ soul, and he found out, is why she died, and therefore she doesn’t qualify as fridged, but i can still be mad because i read that it was oz they were gonna get rid of but ppl liked him more so they killed Jenny. Plus this horrified me as a child. 

This is, oddly subjective. But Clarice Starling. I’ve always taken a less ~happy route than some and less~ugh fuck no route than others when it comes to how her story ends. I personally think it’s intensely depressing that she just... Doesn’t win, and have always taken that to be the point. Nothing she fought for or wanted happens. I mean, technically she’s happy (technically, lecter is a shit) and honestly she wouldn’t get any happier than that, but that’s actively why it’s depressing. She never got the respect she sought, she never gets treated fairly, people never stop being shit in general and to her. The happy ending designed for her, she never sees a second of it. She ends up in Argentina with a cannibal who may or may not have drugged her into it, and we get to realise she wouldn’t have had it better anywhere else, tbh. This is subjective because in terms of how i view it, i actually like the ending, but actively /because/ she deserves so much more than that but does not get it. She deserved so much more, as did every other woman in this series, but it’s not like they get it. 

15 - I want to rescue from their horrible narratives

Dana Scully. I have decided the x files is my bad boyfriend, i want more, but shouldn’t because it’s never satisfying and leaves me wanting better than i get. But txf’s use of the incubator trope, again, and it’s constant, constant, barrage of crap aimed at her to mostly hurt mulder, tbh, and i’m done. there is too much to cover, but like, the bit that annoys me is seasons one to ten. I’m sure 11 will join them soon. 

Sansa Stark. Not even gonna begin to go there. 

A minorish one, but in madam secretary the way they treat their son Jason is a million times less harsh than the shit they throw at stevie and Alison, and i’d kind of like to rescue them both from sexist parenting??? I think the pinnacle of that one was when Stevie dropped out of college because the abuse and crap she got from strangers just because of her mother’s job got too much for her, was treated disdainfully by the narrative and never acknowledged by said mother in a decent way, but their son Jason punched a dude and got expelled for basically the same reasons and got like... a pat on the back??? Son commits violent act: oh wow ok team us!!! Daughter suffers b/c of parents’ action: how dare u be such a screw up Stevie!  Plus, they keep fucking with Stevie’s narrative to keep her in the show and it’s stunting her character. They want to keep their 23 yr old daughter on the show so she can’t go to school or anything. It’s annoying. (tho there is a fantastic x files joke in there about stevie so it’s almost forgiven). 

Laurel Castillo, like, honestly writers???

Tara McClay, there was good stuff, stuff i greatly appreciate, but honestly, really, what the fuck???? First her family, then glory, then willow, some extra willow b/c she never did admit she did anything wrong, and then, oh yeah, death, for willow. 

[capn-charlie]

I know it's not strictly emison but could you do a drabble where Em explains to paige why she kissed her? like kind of a 'break up' scene, and tell her how she's always going to love Ali and it wouldn't be fair to paige to make anything real knowing that it was never going to be her first choice? I really can't stand Paige but I think she deserves a proper conversation with Emily at least

I, too, think she deserves a proper conversation, my dear anon:

“What?” Paige’s voice cracks. “Why? Em, I just got you back.”

Emily makes a pained face, her mouth opening but no words coming out. She puts her hands onto the table’s surface, playing with her fingers while evading Paige’s sad eyes because it’s not about to make this conversation any easier ━ though she knows that, no matter what, she has to follow through on her decision.

“It’s too complicated,” she smiles sadly, feeling her throat tighten up.

“Things are always complicated,” the girl shrugs, making it sound like it’s the most obvious thing, “especially in Rosewood.”

Across the small, cafe table, Emily raises her eyebrows in agreement, chuckling a little before regaining a solemn attitude.

“I haven’t been fair to you, Paige,” comes the confession. “I haven’t been fair to you, or Ali, or myself.”

“What does Alison have to do with any of this?” Paige asks, though she already knows.

Emily licks her lips in thought, eyes glued to her hands as she fiddles with her nails.

“I tried ignoring the things that happened between her and I, and, honestly, I thought I had successfully gotten over what we’ve been through,” Emily vents, somewhat rambling, “but maybe I haven’t.”

Paige pays attention, forehead creased.

Emily continues, “You were right when you said everything feels all too familiar. Like high school, in a way. I guess…” she takes a deep breath, “coming back here brought up so many memories and feelings.”

“If they’re past feelings, you can escape them, Emily. I may have told you that I didn’t think I’d be able to, but I did, and now look where we are,” Paige tries to provide some insight but the girl across from her finally looks up.

“They’re not old feelings,” the confession is weighted, sucking every bit of strength she has from the core of her being. “They’re feelings that don’t age. They’ve evolved, and so has my relationship with Ali. I don’t know what it’s becoming and I don’t know what it was before, but I can’t ignore it, and I can’t lie to you and say it doesn’t exist.”

Paige looks away, clenching her jaw.

“I can’t pretend I don’t feel anything for Alison while being with you,” Emily whispers. “It’s not fair to anyone, and, believe it or not, I do care about you.”

“But not enough to choose me over her,” Paige accuses rather than asks, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

“Don’t do that,” she shakes her head. “You know this isn’t a matter of choosing. You and Ali are totally different people, and my relationships with you two aren’t the same.”

“Why’d you kiss me that night?” the random question catches Emily off-guard, her lips parting. “If you were just going to leave me days later, why’d you kiss me back? Why’d you pretend to want it?”

“I didn’t pretend,” Emily bows her head. “At the time, I thought it was what I wanted. I thought I could finally be happy with someone who’s almost always known and loved me for who I am. It’s what I wanted. It’s what I still want,” her eyes go wide, glancing at the table’s surface.

“With Alison,” again, she answers more so than wonders aloud, no anger evident in her voice but clear sadness.

Emily’s eyes begin to water, knowing this is the end of one of her longest relationships ━ not to say that she doesn’t realize it’ll open a door for a new one, hopefully with Alison. Without taking too much time, she nods with a cautious, underlying grin, getting a deep breath from Paige who wipes her own eyes.

“It’ll always be Alison, won’t it?” this time, Paige asks the question with a knowing tone, and Emily bites her inner cheek before nodding with a quiet “Yes.”

“How do you know she won’t break your heart again?”

“I don’t,” Emily says with conviction, looking Paige in the eyes, “but, either way, I won’t know until I give her a chance.”

Paige nods, muttering, “I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

Emily mirrors the nod, allowing silence to consume the small space between them as they awkwardly sit at the table, both feeling drained by the conversation but, in an odd way, sensing that it provided some much-needed closure.