#i can handle the bad season 2 storylines i can't handle that

[patroclusdefencesquad]

just realised that in less than a week i might have to watch joey batey have sex on screen i'm gonna go scream i can't watch that sorry witcher netflix this is where i draw the line

[goodoldfashionedengineer]

The more often I rewatch Season 1, the more it becomes obvious how Klaus is the Mascot of the family, the family member who diffuses tension with humor. But he also fits the criteria for the avoidant personality type.

Here's my analysis on this:

1.Sensitive to Rejection

People with an avoidant personality try to steer clear of rejection or criticism, because it leaves them emotionally vulnerable. We can see this very well with Klaus. To name a few examples: When Allison points out the rehab wrist band in the first episode of the show, he says “Oh, no, I’m done with all that.” He tries to deny it. We can see this exact same behavior later when he tries to talk himself out of conjuring Reginald. Allison is the one to interrupt, asking if he’s high. When everyone just looks annoyed at that, he springs up, defending himself “How are you not?”.

He knows his addiction is disapproved of by the family, that it will earn him a lecture. In the show we can see this when he tells Luther “Save the lecture” when he leaves Reginald’s office. And when he tries to conjure Reginald, he also says “big angry ghost lecture.” When he smokes in the living room, Luther says “You know dad didn't allow smoking in here.” All of this showcases how he is used to criticism and also his ways in avoiding it.

So, how does he handle actual rejection? Let’s have a look at his and Diego’s dynamic. We have seen multiple times how Diego is on his way to leave, when Klaus says “I’ll come with you.” And even though Diego says no, Klaus doesn't treat it seriously, knowing Diego won’t kick him out. They're siblings.

But later, when he is in the van with Luther and Five, he DOES get kicked out by them. And he MENTIONS this later when they vote on turning off Mom. The reason he is on Diego’s side, at least from what he is saying, is because he’s mad at Luther. “I’m with Diego, because screw you!” And “Get out of the van, Klaus. Well, welcome back to the van, Klaus!” While it is a funny scene, it is proof that rejection sticks with him.

2. Difficulty in creating meaningful relationships

There is a lot of evidence for this one. His prior relationships all seem to have been surface level. He can't remember how he lost his virginity. The longest relationship he had prior to Dave lasted three weeks and even that was only because he was tired of searching for a place to sleep. When he is grieving over Dave with Diego in the car he says that he lost the only person he loved more than himself (Which is not actually the case, there are a lot of points that could disprove that line, but Klaus feels this way and that's what’s important).

Dave was the first push towards his healing journey. He values him so highly, even after years. He places Dave’s well-being over his own with him trying to stop Dave from enlisting into the military in S2, even if it means they’ll never meet. And it is Dave who goes into the kiss.

3. Running away

The stereotypical avoidant character is gruff, pessimistic and oftentimes nihilistic. But Klaus uses humor as a mask. He seems like a flirt, extroverted, light and funny and while this isn’t necessarily false or all a lie, it is still an exaggeration. This is a good example of him being the Mascot of the family.

It is when they are stressed it really shines through. It’s when Dave dies, he decides to go back to 2019. He almost gave up on finding Luther if Ben hadn't said anything.

The drugs are a way to run away from the past, from the pain, from himself, to make everything go numb.

And while he’s not really nihilistic, he can be a bit, for the lack of a better word, pessimistic. He believes that the future can only be bad, evidenced by Five coming back and saying “[The future] is shit, by the way” to which he responds with “Called it!”.

He also dislikes the whole notion of “eternal peace”, saying it’s overrated when he tries to summon Reginald and in S3 saying so to his birth mother in the afterlife.

Also, the whole cult storyline.

4. Conflict Avoidant

While he does cheer on Diego and Luther during their fight at Reginald's funeral, this fight does not involve him. In all other cases, it is really clear once you notice it.

Him being the Mascot of the family already makes this obvious. The tone gets heated? An argument may arise? Throw in a quick joke, draw the attention towards himself. For example, when Luther says how they should bury Reginald by the oak tree because he spent time there sometimes and he says “None of you ever did that?”, the others gave him strange looks. Klaus immediately says something completely unrelated “Will there be any refreshments?”.

He is the only one to suggest “I vote for running!” when the portal through which Five falls through appears.

5. Not sharing problems

He rarely ever shares the trauma he goes through and if ever, he downplays it. This is seen when he comes back from Vietnam and Five points it out, he deflects and says “long night”. He does not say where to, when he answers Five’s questions it is followed with something funny like when he asks for how long “almost a year. [...] which means I’m 10 months older.” Or when he finds out he’s immortal, he says it in a way easily mistaken for a joke and then never brings it up again.

Even when he is vulnerable he shares minimal information. Like when he had a breakdown at the VFW, he tells Diego that he “lost someone” but does not expand. The most open he was was during The Day That Wasn't. Here he talks about Dave, what he was like, that Klaus followed him to the front lines. And Diego doesn't pester him with a lot of questions, which is important here. Klaus is in his thoughts and shares this willingly. It is such a good step towards healing, because talking about stuff actually can help.

6. Fear of failure/low self-worth

Here you have to look past the surface. Because sure, Klaus says Dave was the only person he loved more than himself, but other scenes say otherwise.

He does not believe it at first that Viktor is capable of destroying the earth, he argues that he’s their brother and they shouldn't just lock him away, they’re family. They can just ask him! When in S2 Viktor leaves for Sissy, he is the first to join him. He goes after Diego when Diego almost gets killed by Hazel and Cha-Cha, despite Diego having told him to stay in the car.

He is extremely sympathetic towards Luther when he finds out that Reginald didn't care, even though the rest figured that out so long ago. He tries to stop Luther from taking drugs, he goes after him even after Luther hurts him, doesn't even hesitate. He seems really affectionate with Allison, giving her hugs, letting her play with his hair, coming to her in S2 when he feels lost.

He tries to comfort Five in his own way when trying to find out who the owner of the glass eye is didn't work. He feels obvious guilt because he thinks he’s the reason why Ben can't move on.

So yeah, I’m calling bullshit on that “only person he loved more than himself.”

Then there's his “Yeah, me neither” line in response to God saying “I don't really like you all that much.”

Ben is the one who gives him support and says that he can do better, that he is better than what he thinks. (And that Dave knew it too). Because Klaus can't tell this to himself, another point in his low opinion of himself.

He calls his own powers “pretty much useless” and is very surprised to hear when Reginald told him he never reached his full potential. What potential? He can do more?

When he is appointed look-out for the Apocalypse Concert/The S1 Finale, he looks disappointed, like he isn't doing enough. He was always the look out when they were kids. And he clearly wants to do more, that's why he tried to make Ben corporeal at the bowling alley, to prove that he can.

He has struggles with becoming and staying clean. He is constantly judged for it, yet doesn't receive any support in return from his living siblings so his answer? More drugs.

After Vietnam, he almost relapses and the reason he gives is that sobriety didn't improve anything, everything’s still the same, still nobody takes him seriously. If everyone sees you as a failure? Why bother being anything else? And after a long enough time, it is hard not to internalize that.

His fear of failure is tightly knit to his fear of rejection.

Even when he finds out about making ghosts corporeal, he doesn't train his powers, doesn't try to do more, doesn't try to advance despite having the knowledge that his powers could allow more.

It’s the classic “Can't fail if you don't try”.

And it’s really stemming from being Reginald’s “greatest disappointment”. Because that is absolutely not the first time he told Klaus this.

With kids, if your expectations are too high and they can't meet them, often you need to lower the bar, instead of raising it.

Reginald kept throwing him into a mausoleum, expecting a certain result, then got angry when he got the exact opposite and just continued the punishment, because it IS a punishment by this point. It’s like “you’ll study three hours a day now and don't you dare fail that next test again”.

Origins: So, where does this avoidant personality come from? In Klaus’s case I’d assume it comes from emotional neglect. From being let down and not having his needs met. By a father leaving him alone in the dark with the ghosts instead of showing him love.

He wants to be loved, he wants to be trusted, but his early life experiences have given him the opposite.

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

ANNE.

Me and @she-walked-away have been talking and we have a new theory for 5x07 and 5x08. (Kaitlyn had the idea first) So Enzo and Jonah visit for TK's 30th birthday party, except that TK's long lost best friend from New York, Sophia, tags along too. Maybe she also had addiction issues in the past, like TK, maybe she didn't. But she came along because she wants to ask TK to be a sperm donor! So the "person from TK's past" isn't Enzo, it's Sophia.

👀

This is supported by her being listed as being in both episodes and the same ones as Enzo and also that she's a bit young to be Enzo's wife/girlfriend. (but who knows)

Can't wait for your very normal reaction to this theory.

Ooh, very interesting!! I think this is a plausible theory...I would need a couple things explained, but the show could probably do that. I know Kaitlyn (and me too lol) is desperately trying to come up with some kind of theory that fits but doesn't result in TK and Carlos ending up with Jonah, and this is a good one!

The fact that this Sofia is listed as appearing in the same episodes as Enzo does strongly hint toward there being some connection between them (unless there's just some other storyline that she's part of in the same episodes running parallel to the Enzo storyline). She is a bit young to be Enzo's wife/girlfriend. Not impossible, but it would be quite an age gap since the guy playing Enzo is 57 and the woman playing Sofia seems to be in her early 30s. She IS close to TK's age, so I think it could make sense that she's an old friend of his.

When it comes to this theory, I would have 2 main questions. First, how is Sofia close enough to Enzo to tag along with him from New York to Texas? I suppose if TK and Sofia were really close in the past, Enzo might have ended up knowing her well. Maybe Sofia spent a lot of time at Gwyn's (did Enzo live with Gwyn? Even if he didn't, he probably would have been there a lot). Maybe Enzo was even like a father figure to Sofia. Maybe they stayed in touch after TK moved to Austin. It's something that could be explained.

Second, why does Sofia want TK's sperm bad enough to travel so far and show up presumably unannounced? Seems like a really awkward situation to put herself in! Doesn't she know any men she can ask in New York? Maybe not. Maybe she had this strong connection with TK and that's why she wants to choose him...but if that's the case, wouldn't she have been in contact with him or still been in his life in some way? (But then again, wouldn't TK have been in contact with Enzo and Jonah?) I think the show could probably get us to the point where I could suspend my disbelief enough to accept this. It does seem like the kind of dramatic and outlandish sort of thing Lone Star would do!

Another consideration is that OG did a sperm donor storyline just two seasons ago. Does this matter? Maybe not. Particularly if it was handled differently enough.

Also, it feels similar to the Iris storyline last season. A long-lost female best friend coming back to shake things up in TK and Carlos' relationship. However, I don't think this would necessarily be a point against the theory. Lone Star loves its parallels!

Overall, a very intriguing theory! I assume the result of something like this would be to get TK and Carlos talking about having kids themselves, which is something I would personally love to see--particularly if it did not result in their kid being Jonah!!

[the-words-we-sung]

Season 3 ending

So... It's been almost a week since the last episode, almost a week trying to wrap my head around the end of the show, trying to manage my feelings about it all.

It's hard to end up feeling the complete opposite of nearly everyone on my dash but I've come to terms with the fact that I didn't love the ending. I didn't love this last episode. (I shouldn't feel ashamed or weird for saying so but you guys loved it so much that I feel a bit like an outsider right now 😓)

I haven't been a fan of the show for as long as most of you, but it means so much to me. These characters carved a place in my heart and in my head, and they've made me happy for months now. They helped me get through some stuff, made me discover some amazing artists, meet even more amazing people through this fandom. And I loved the story. Even in its darkest, saddest parts, I loved it. I was invested.

I love Wilhelm and Simon, together and separately. They mean so much to me. And I loved season 1 and 2. It made me happy, and sad, and frustrated, and exalted. But overall, I trusted the show and I was not disappointed.

Season 3 was a lot. I liked the first 5 episodes. I can't say that I loved everything about them: I was not expecting things to get so hard for Simon, with no reprieve in sight. I was not worried about Wilmon being endgame (I know it was a big stress for the fandom but honestly I never doubted that they were endgame), but I was wondering how the show would go about tying all the knots it made (I should even say all the knots it added during this last season).

(Under a read more because it's a bit long and I don't want to bother those who don't wanna read more of my frustrated thoughts ^^')

And unfortunately the last episode was a huge let down for me. Yes, it's partly because nothing I was hoping for actually happened, but mostly, it's because the choices they made did not feel very satisfying to me: ⁕ Simon was barely there. We went from him being bullied online/offline non stop for 5 episodes to almost nothing. It makes 0 sense to me. ⁕ Kristina suddenly feeling better: she was having break down upon break down for an entire season, could barely look at her son or even just talk normally and all of a sudden she's back, smiling and agreeing to everything Wilhelm says? I'm sorry but I don't buy it? Where did this Kristina hid during the entire show? ⁕ Wilhelm deciding to not be king, talking for 3min to his parents about it, them agreeing and him running into the sunset with Simon. I'm sorry, what?? I love that they end up together of course, but it makes very little sense to me? It won't change any of the issues they had this season? They're still gonna be famous? And bullied online/offline? (Probably even more so now?). I'm not obviously saying that Wilhelm staying in line to become king was the only or the best solution, but I wanted more from this storyline. I wanted to believe it. And right now, what we got? It feels a bit cheap (and I feel bad for saying that because the ending was cute and romantic and all, but it felt too disconnected from the rest of the show for me ><)

And apart from these few points, the big issue I had with this episode was: The Angst. So that might be a me-problem, but it was too much for my poor little heart (I haven't rewatched the episode yet, and I'm not sure I'll be able to anytime soon ><). I spent like 40min of the episode with a huge knot in the stomach because the heartbreak between Simon and Wilhelm was too much to handle for me. I can see how it was beautifully made, that having lots of throwbacks to the previous seasons, the Wille song, all of that was great cinematography. But it was just too much for me. I got in the season spoiler-free but for this episode? During the lake scene I had to take a break and check online if they were actually endgame because it was starting to actually give me a stomachache. So yeah, this part might be me being too sensitive but I did not like that they made me see them fight for each other for 2 seasons and 5 episodes, but then just giving up for 40min before finally running back to each other during the last 10min. It was just too much sadness for me ><

So yeah, maybe my expectations were too high? But I feel sad, and kinda cheated. Too many things are left wide opened. Too many things make zero sense to me. And of course I'm happy we got our Wilmon endgame, but I'm less happy about how it happened.

It's a bit hard being on Tumblr right now and seeing everyone who thought it was the perfect episode >< And I don't want to "yuck anyone's yum" (as the saying goes), but I still wanna be able to share my thoughts! I probably won't write super angry/unhappy/complaining posts about the season/the finale, but I still wanna be able to chat about it. I did see some posts on my dash from people not being entirely satisfied with this ending so it's a bit comforting. And I hope we can share some nice headcanons, or just discussions about different plot points.

But yeah, I guess that's why I haven't really been active this week! Trying to get over the double heartbreak of the end of the show + being disappointed with the ending! I'm gonna come back though! I miss hanging out here, I just need to strengthen my heart a little bit more :p Gonna get back to writing about my thoughts episode by episode for this season (I can't promise I can rewatch the last one though 😖 It might take me a bit of time to get there). And I want to continue my song analysis of the show!! I'm not even done with season 2 yet, I have some work to do there ^^

So see you back here very soon 😘

[khruschevshoe]

OFMD Critique: Izzy Hands, "Burying Your Cripples," and That Fucking Finale

(Note: this is a cleaned-up/expanded version of a post I made earlier regarding disability rep in this show bc I was chatting with @itswhatyougive and @notthewriteryourelookingfor about "Burying Your Gays" and the parallels with the "Burying Your Cripples" trope in media, which is often more insidious because people are less primed to notice it and call it out.

Also, although I am analyzing a trope in media in the most unbiased way I can, I am going to get angry. Because this is a show that did its job at making us care about its characters and their portrayals and you can't get mad at me that I did just that.)

On a fourth note when it comes to the problems with the writing in this season of ofmd...the handling of disability. Because good God.

To preface this before anyone jumps down my throat about getting upset: I am disabled myself, both physically and mentally. I carry a small laundry list of mild to moderate conditions that impair my daily functions. I understand what it is like to desire to see characters that carry disabilities similar and dissimilar to my own onscreen. I also understand that there ARE multiple disabled characters in OFMD (ex. Jackie with her wooden hand, Ed with his knee brace, Pete with his cleft palate, Lucius with his mentioned bad back/wooden finger). I UNDERSTAND that these were all generally handled decently well, incorporated without drawing attention to them (although the disappearance of Ed's knee brace was strange to me in season 2, even that I could get with bc personally I only need to use my cane when my knee flares bad and can walk perfectly normally the rest of the time without an aid).

Which is all to say: the way that Izzy's death was written is insidiously (likely unconsciously, but still) ableist. His entire arc this season revolves around community and recovering from trauma and accepting himself both in a queer sense and a DISTINCTLY DISABLED sense. The way he remarks upon his own disability and his acceptance of himself and the way that the show is written to have his crew member ACCOMODATE him joyfully as an EXPLICIT SYMBOL OF LOVE was a breath of fresh air when it comes to disabled characters. I also enjoyed the way that he pokes fun at it occasionally in the same way that I do with my coworkers/friends (joking "oh really, you're going to ask an invalid to do that?" *gestures at my cane*).

But that ending. God, that fucking ending. *vehemently taps table* The fact that this character who opens up, who is accepted for both sides of his identity after dragging himself through the fucking pits over them, is killed. BECAUSE HIS MOBILITY AID COULD BE SEEN BY THE ENEMY. BECAUSE HE WAS SEEN AS UNIQUELY VULNERABLE. And then they FUCKING PULL HIS MOBILITY AID, the very symbol of his acceptance, from his FUCKING BODY SO HE CANNOT BE BURIED WHOLE?

I'm sorry. I really am. I don't mean to get furious about this. But as a disabled person who saw such hope in this character, who saw a storyline about a part of myself that is rarely displayed onscreen (that slow acceptance of the part of yourself you considered broken + the acknowledgement of love by your family/community in the form of loving accommodation without complaint), this hurt me at a very primal level that I didn't know I could be hurt at.

Bringing this back around to the "Burying Your Cripples" trope: the reason why an ending like this is so horrifying is because it is very much telling you that you can have a healing arc, that you can finally find yourself accommodation and acceptance, and it doesn't matter. Your disability will be the thing that kills you.

To people who say that this ending is justified because sometimes death is just random like that, that saying that death makes healing not worth it, I get what you're saying. In real life, of course you're right.

But this is a CLOSED NARRATIVE. It is a story with BEATS that MATTER, made of decisions by writers who had to purposefully decide to put scenes together. There's a reason they're called "arcs"- they're supposed to aim at a specific point. IF YOU LET EVERY CHARACTER IN A SHOW LIVE THROUGH THINGS THAT SHOULD HAVE KILLED THEM EXCEPT FOR THE DISABLED CHARACTER, YOU ARE MAKING A FUCKING POINT WHETHER YOU REALIZE IT OR NOT. Izzy's death is not showing "random chance" or "the risks of piracy"- HE DIED BECAUSE HIS MOBILITY AID WAS VISIBLE.

Lemme repeat that: costume concepts showed that the original design of Izzy's naval outfit covered his wooden hoof. It was a conscious decision to have the shot of the naval officer looking down at Izzy's leg, at his exposed leg, and pinpointing him as the weak one despite there being entire scenes dedicated to showing that he was still as strong as the rest of them. In a show where the budget and runtime was restricted, not a single shot or costume decision was on accident. They had to pay more to green screen in that leg.

If Castiel went to superhell because of his gay confession for Dean, then I cannot think of a clearer way to Bury Your Cripples than having Izzy die because someone saw his mobility aid.

Do I think they did this on purpose? Well, no more on purpose than David Jenkins looking at Izzy's Hayes-Code-era gay coding/arc and saying that he knew that Izzy would have to die because that's what characters like that do. No more on purpose than saying that the mentor character had to die because that's what characters like that do.

Izzy's disability was visible, was the cause of his death, because "that's what happens" to pirates who gain disabilities. They are weaker. They are more at risk.

I'm sorry, but fuck that.

Fuck the idea that in a show that created a careful space in its narrative (for a season and a half at least) for queerness to be treated ahistorically kindly, that often disregarded geographic, historical, and medical accuracy to tell a compelling story, and that purposefully provided racial and body diversity while calling out racism, that the disabled character getting offed is a "kind ending." It's not. It never has been. And I'm tired of accepting that sort of thing.

I am SO GLAD that fanfic exists with better depictions of disabled arcs/endings in OFMD bc I don't know if I could recover otherwise. Hope my fellow disabled folk out there are recovering as well, and that they understand that there is positivity to be made out of poison- it just wasn't what the finale gave us.

[lover-of-mine]

We have all gone back and forth on if Tommy is coming back. The odds in my head changed every week, TBH. But now I couldn't even place a bet. I know you mentioned filming already starting ext. But I keep thinking about how Tim's interview was what 2 weeks ago??? And he said it out loud, so it was clearly something on the surface still. I have just never seen this happen in a fandom before. It's wild. And we know Buck and Natalia filmed, and it was all cut, and storylines were changed.

I just truly have no idea what to expect and I think all the rules are out the window. If they ever taught a class on this.. I would enroll in it eight. Chapter 1, how to media train someone you just dragged into kiss a boy.

I have a lot of conflicting feelings about this, but someone made a point, I think it was @leothil anon blog, but I can't find the post I want, but the thing is, when we think about the narrative the show actually established Buck as unreliable when it comes to Tommy, ao they kind of need Tommy to be present for a breakup, because since Buck is unreliable when it comes to this relationship, just having Buck retelling the breakup wouldn't work very well. They could do it, but there would be problems. But the situation is they have a pr nightmare in their hands no matter what, there's nothing they can do that's going to make them happy, so it doesn't matter how they write the breakup, shit is gonna hit the fan. They are going to go crazy so they are kind of backed into a corner no matter what. Because writing him off off-screen will create problems within the narrative because Buck's unreliable, they made an episode about Buck being unreliable, so they need him at least for the breakup but at the same time keeping him at this point is just asking for things to go wrong, yk? It is crazy that we got Tim on record talking about how ugly things have gotten, and he said that and things somehow got uglier. I don't doubt that they have someone monitoring fan reactions because it is part of the job, like, making sure they keep up with the audience is part of the pr thing and I think that they have been monitoring what we are doing to some level. I don't think they are in that deep because they don't need to appease people who are in too deep, people who are loud tho, they are listening, and unfortunately, they are very loud. So we are in a very delicate situation, I don't think Tommy is established enough for it to matter if they just write him off in the first episode but to do that with Buck again, considering that we had Natalia and we had something that was supposed to happen that didn't happen because the actress couldn't come back, to have this happen to Buck again and making him miss out on whatever development that they wanted to make because of the actor it's going to be a problem. I don't know how they are going to work around this because at this point keeping him is not worth it, it's really not worth it, this chaos is not good for the show. I don't doubt that the shows PR department had a conversation with the writers about how to handle him, and I think that conversation is happening again if they see what happened this weekend, we don't know if they actually saw what happened, probably but we don't know. What I do know is that they are speedrunning them getting him out if they actually need him. Because it's not a situation like with Marisol that the actress was problematic but she was staying in her lane, Lou created this situation, the cameos created the situation, everything about this chaos is going to be traced back to the cameos. So it's not a good look on him. And you would expect that someone who grew up in the industry because their father is an actor would know that they couldn't do what they did. I don't think it was against his contract but it was of bad taste of him to do that. I don't know, I am also going back and forth, but at the end of the season I was ready to deal with him at least throughout all of it 8a, now I don't even know if he's making past episode 1. But I do think that he has to come back for a breakup, I think that they need him for two scenes, they need him for a scene where tension is added and then they need him for a breakup. Ann the rest of the breakup arc can happen with Buck talking with other people. But that's just me.

[mot-hesbian]

I'm back on my Lily bs, especially with my headcanons

Ttpd is so Lily, Blair, and Jenny coded (some Serena but I feel like she's Evernights in a way I can't explain)

Here is my list from The Anthology

Fortnight- it's Dair, I have literally nothing else to say

The Tortured Poets Department- this is either post breakup derena or maybe dair

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys: controversial take: this isn't 🪑. The vibes are wrong, it's Lily and William during their marriage (if you've read my fics you know what I mean by that. I have many feelings about them.)

Down Bad: Rufly??? Dair??? Serenate vibes??? 🪑???? Jagnes??? Who knows? It fits them all so well

So Long, London: it's 🪑. That's it. She tried so hard to hold on but he kept drifting away.

"You say I abandoned the ship, but I was going down with it, my white knuckle dying grip holding onto your quiet resentment. And my friends say it isn't right to be scared, everyday of a live affair, every breath feels like rarest air, and you're not sure if he wants to be there"

"You sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days"

"you swore that you loved me, but where were the clues? I died on the alter waiting for the proof"

But Daddy I Love Him: Rufly, pure and simple.

"I'm running with my dress unbuttoned, screaming but Daddy I love him"

"I'll tell you something right now, I'd rather burn my whole life down than listen to I've more second of all this bitching and moaning"

"I'll tell you something about my good name, it's mine alone to disgrace"

"there's a lot of people in town that I bestow upon my fastest smile, scandal does funny things to pride but brings Lovers closer"

"now I'm dancing in my dress in the sun... I'm his lady, and oh my God you should see your faces. Time, doesn't it give some perspective? And no, you can't come to the wedding."

Fresh Out The Slammer: the 🪑 and Louis to Dair pipeline. She knows who her first call will be to. And so do we.

Florida: I saw someone say this song is Ivy and Lola, and yeah, that's them if they had a decent storyline. Also, Jagnes. Jenny and Lily. Serena. Blair would never go near Florida outside of spring break.

Guilty As Sin?: I saw an edit of Rufly to this song and now all I can think of when I listen to it is them is season 1 (pre hook up) and season 2 (pre relationship). Lily and Serena's talk in season 1, the Thanksgiving episodes, the winter dance episode, the whole PI bs, everything with Allison tbh

"what if he's written "mine" on my upper thigh, only in my mind"

"without ever touching his skin, how can I be guilty as sin?"

Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me?: It's Jenny.

"I am what I am cuz you trained me"

"you caged me then called me crazy" "I'm always drunk on my own tears, isn't that what they all said?"

"I was tame, I was gentle til the circus life made me mean, don't you worry folks, we took out all her teeth"

"I leap from the gallows and I levitate down your street, crash your party like a record scratch as I shriek "who's afraid of little old me?" You should be"

"At all costs keep your good name" "Is it a wonder I broke? Let's hear one more joke"

I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can): 🪑

"the smoke cloud billowed out his mouth like a freight train through a small town. The jokes he told across the bar were revolting and far too loud."

"Your good Lord doesn't need to lift a finger, I can fix him. No, really, I can. And only I can."

Loml: Season 1 and 2 Derena

I Can Do It With A Broken Heart: Lily, Jenny, Blair, and a hint of Serena.

"All the pieces of me shattered as the crowd was chanting "more". I was grinning like I'm winning, I was hitting my marks, cuz I can do it with a broken heart."

"Cuz I'm a real tough kid, I can handle my shit. They said "babe, you gotta fake it til you make" and I did."

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived: Lily and William. I'm obsessed with them and the psychological ramifications his existence alone has on her, your honor. Like, I hate him, I hate them, but I'm fascinated by how horrible their relationship is. Also, Eric and William to a degree. Serena never seems to reach this point.

"Was any of it true? Gazing at me starry-eyed in your Jehovah's Witness suit. Who the fuck was that guy?"

"And I don't even want you back, I just want to know, if rusting my sparkling summer was the goal"

"you hung me on your wall, stabbed me with your push pins. In public, showed me off"

"you didn't measure up, in any measure of a man"

"And you'll confess why you did it, and I'll say "good riddance," cause it wasn't sexy once it wasn't forbidden. I would've died for your sins, instead I just died inside. And you deserve prison but you won't get time"

"You kicked out the stage lights but your still performing"

"and in plain sight you hid, but you are what you did. And I'll forget you but I'll never forgive"

The Alchemy: Lily and Blair in gen tbh, but specifically with Rufus and Dan.

"cuz the sign on your heart says it still belongs to me"

"he jokes that it's heroin but this time with an 'e'"

"what if I told you I'm back? The hospital was a drag, worst sleep that I ever had, I circled you on a map. I haven't come around in so long, but I'm coming back so strong/to where I belong"

"so when I touch down, call the amateurs and cut 'em from the team. Ditch the clowns, take the crown, cause I'm the one to beat."

Clara Bow: it's the Cece (Clara) to Lily (Stevie) to Blair (Taylor) to Jenny (the new gen) pipeline for me. I can't explain how Cece fits, but she does. (Serena being told all the fresh air bs her entire life can be applied here as well)

"This town is fake, but you're the real thing. Breath of fresh air through the smoke rings. Take the glory, give everything. Promise to be dazzling"

"You look like Clara Bow in this light, remarkable. All your life did you know? You'd be picked like a rose."

"You look like Stevie Nicks in '75, the hair and lips. The crowd goes wild at her fingertips, half moonshine, a full eclipse."

"You look like Taylor Swift in this light, we're loving it. You've got edge she never did, the future's bright. Dazzling"

"the crown is stained, but you're the real queen, flesh and blood amongst war machines. You're the new god we're worshipping. Promise to be... Dazzling"

"Beauty is a beast that roars, down on all fours demanding "more." Only when your girlish glow flickers just so do they let you know, it's hell on earth to be heavenly. Them's the breaks, they don't come gently."

The Black Dog: Lily and William

"and so I watch as you walk into some bar called The Black Dog and pierce new holes in my heart"

"And it hits me, I just don't understand, how you don't miss me. In The Black Dog, when someone plays The Starting Line and you jump up, but she's too young to know this song that was intertwined with the magic fabric of our dreaming. Old habits die screaming."

"And I may never open up the way I did for you. And those best laid plans. You said I needed a brave man and proceeded to play him until I believed it too."

"now I want to sell my house and set fire to all my clothes. And hire a priest to exorcize my demons, even if I die screaming"

"Six weeks of breathing clean air, I still miss the smoke"

"I hope it's shitty, in The Black Dog"

imgonnagetyouback: Lily and William and 🪑, Serena during her one-sided pining for Dan era.

"even if it's handcuffed I'm leaving here with you"

The Albatross: help, it's so Lily coded I can't

"Wise men once said, "Wild winds are death to the messenger," a rose by any other name is a scandal. Cautions issued, he stood shooting the messengers. They tried warning him about her."

"wise men once said "one bad seed kills the garden" "one less temptress, one less dagger to sharpen". Locked me up in towers, but I'd still visit in your dreams, and they tried to warn you about me."

"devils that you know, raise worse hell than a stranger. She's the death you chose, you're in terrible danger."

"cross your thoughtless heart, only liquor anoints you. She's the Albatross, she is here to destroy you"

Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus: Serenate or platonic Eric and Jenny works too

"if you want to break my cold, cold heart, just say "I loved you, the way that you were"

"I changed into goddesses, villains and fools, changed plans and lovers and outfits and rules all to outrun my desertion of you and you just watched it."

"could it be enough to just float in your orbit?can we watch our phantoms like watching wild horses? Cooler in theory but not if you force it to be, it just didn't happen"

How Did It End?: Blair and Louis, more specifically Blair after the accident

"guess who we ran into at the shop, walking in circles like she was lost"

So High School: Rufly and Eleanor x Cyrus, I will not accept criticism

"I feel so high school when I look at you, cuz look at you"

"and in the blink of a crinkling eye, I'm sinking, our fingers entwined. Cheeks pink in the twinkling lights, tell me 'bout the the first time you saw me. I'll drink what you think, and I'm high from smoking your jokes all damn night, the brink of a wrinkle in time."

I Hate It Here: Lily and Jenny, they chose this life, regardless of how that choice was made, and it made them feel worthless. They both need to escape, they disappear into their different vices to help them cope.

"tell me all your secrets, all you'll ever be is my eternal consolation prize"

"if comfort is a construct, I don't believe in good luck, now I know what's what. I hate it here so I will go to secret gardens in my mind, people need a key to get to, the only one is mine"

"I will go to lunar valleys in my mind, when they find a better planet only the gentil survived. I dreamt about it in the dark, the night I felt like I might die"

"I'm lonely, but I'm good. I'm bitter, but I swear I'm fine. I'm save all my romanticism for my inner life, and I'll get lost in purpose. This place made me feel worthless."

thanK you aIMee: Jenny and Blair in high school

"all that time you were throwing punches, I was building something. And I can't forgive the way you made me feel. Screamed "fuck you, Aimee" to the night sky as the blood was gushing. But I can't forget the way you made me heal."

"I built a legacy you can't undo, but when I count the scars there's a moment of truth. That there wouldn't be this, if there wasn't you."

I Look In People's Windows: it's Bart era rufly

"what if your eyes looked up and meet mine one last time"

The Prophecy: Jenny and Blair

Cassandra: I cannot explain it but this is Lily

Peter: Carter and Serena?????? Is that you???? She's Peter

"are you still a mind reader? A natural scene stealer? I've heard great things Peter"

"the goddess of timing, once found us beguiling, Peter was she lying? My ribs say she did"

"lost in the lost boys chapter of your life"

The Bolter: Oh look, new Lily song just dropped. And Serena. To quote @strideofpride it always comes back to mothers and daughters

"with a quite bewitching face. Splendidly selfish, charmingly helpless, excellent fun til you get to know her."

"then she runs like it's a race, behind her back her best mates laughed and they nicknamed her "the Bolter""

"she's been many places with men of many faces, first their off to the races and she's laughing drawing aces but none of it is changing that the chariot is waiting. Hearts are hers for the breaking, there's escape in escaping."

"all her fucking lives flashed before her eyes, it feels like the time she fell through the ice, then came out alive"

"and at first blush this is fate. When it's all roses, portrait poses, central park lake row boats... That's when she sees the littlest leaks and just knows, she must bolt."

"ended with the slam of a door, then he'll call her a whore, wish he wouldn't be sore but if she was leaving it felt like breathing."

Robin: Eric, this is legit Lily and Serena when literally anything involves Eric

I can't even draw up lines, it's the whole song

The Manuscript: any relationship involving Blair

"all that's left is the manuscript, one last souvenir from my trip to your shores. Now and then I reread the manuscript, but the story isn't mine anymore."

[seafoamstatice]

Some season 4 thoughts!

Not gonna lie, while I really liked a lot of the character moments, twists, and jokes from this season but some parts of the plot... didn't really make sense to me.

Something interesting to me is that in every season but this one, it's always established 1) why the police can't be trusted to investigate the murder and 2) why Charles, Oliver, and Mabel are making a podcast about it. It's used as set up for why the audience should root for them. In season 1, the police think its a suicide so the close the case. Oliver needs the money from the podcast, Charles is lonely, and Mabel has a personal stake in the mystery. In season 2, the police think its the trio. They make the podcast to prove to the public that they're innocent so they can move on with their lives. In season 3, the police arrest the wrong guy and close the case. Mabel drops the first episode to exonerate the guy and get him out of jail. In this season, its specifically stated that the feds are investigating, and while the trio has a reason to look into what happened, they don't have a reason to record and release a podcast about it (other than force of habit). In fact they have good reason not to do that: their first theory is that it was a case of mistaken identity and Charles was the intended target. If they think the danger isn't over, it would be ridiculously irresponsible to tell the public (and potentially the killer) where they are in the case.

Charles' and Oliver's story arcs were great! I especially liked Charles learning to open up about his feelings, and coming to terms with Sazz's death, it was really sad yet heartwarming. But! Mabel's arc is kind of baffling to me. I was really glad to see season 4 set up her developing her career, but it kind of felt like it petered out at the end? What was the point of setting up Animal Jobs and Mabel feeling bad about using Howard like a disposable lackey if they were going to go on to forget about the whole thing and treat Howard the exact same way? Mabel learned to see herself as a podcast producer, she flexed her creative muscles and started drawing again, but at the end of the season, she says that she doesn't belong in the entertainment industry??? She was inspired to make something of herself using her life rights money but the story she pitched to Bev Melon at the end of ep 10 is very clearly just season 4 of the omitb podcast- something she already had the means to do! (I will say, Bev's second phone call implies that this storyline may not be over, so I'm fully prepared to eat these words after season 5)

The trio's danger handling skills are so weird? When they realize someone is watching them they rush out of the Arconia in a panic. Some people call them out for not noticing loose ends. They come back to confront the supposed culprits and find out actually, they weren't responsible for the cameras at all. And so, still not knowing who it was and whether its safe to do so, they fully drop the issue and go right back on to live there? (This plot line might also be brought up again, so idk, if they can come up with a good explanation for why they did this, then fine)

I think it's super fun that Sazz was investigating things all on her own. It reminds me of that joke from season one where Jan complains that the trio trust Sazz, who randomly showed up, to investigate, but not Jan herself, who was Charles' girlfriend and Oliver says something like "Sazz is a stunt double, so I think she knows what she's talking about!" But I think it's so out of left field that Sazz is a really good screenwriter. Sazz is an extremely successful stunt double who comes from a family of stunt doubles and dreams of opening a school for young stunt doubles. Why is she writing rpf so good that on her first try it's blockbuster-movie-with-famous-celebrities worthy? It feels kind of unfair to the audience... If random characters can secretly be insanely skilled at random things that don't fit their previous characterization, then how could anyone ever guess motives for murders or any given character's capabilities?

Same with Marshall/Rex's skillset. He's introduced as a nerdy, anxious writer, but it turns out he's also a prodigy marksman who angsts about whether or not he's a violent person and secret former stuntman who's great at parkour? Ok?

I don't wanna nitpick plot holes, but I think it doesn't make sense for Marshall to kill Glen? The day Sazz confronts Marshall is the day before the opening night party, and she says then that they are the only two who know the script was stolen, meaning while Glen knew about the ronkonkoma incident, he would likely have no clue about Marshall stealing the script. In the omitb universe, coincidences like 'a group of people conspiring to cover up a death happen to know the trio's movie's directors, and also happen to live right across from Charles' are seen as reasonable. Sudden drastic career changes like genius stunt double to genius first time (!!) scriptwriter are seen as reasonable. So even if Glen did end up recognizing Marshall as Rex, it wouldn't tie him to the murder, it would just be a fun coincidence. It's possible Marshall just panicked, but that would be strange because he was very calm when the trio chased him and interrogated him. He managed to pretend that he was relieved they were asking him about the murder and not the rewrites! I'm not sure if I'm missing something here, but...

Admittedly I don't know much about trash incinerators, but from what I can tell, Gravey leads the gang to a chute that leads to the incinerator and then they go down to the basement to check what's in it. If Marshall put Sazz's body in the chute, why did he need to bring the vest? Do you have to wear flame resistant clothing just to turn on an incinerator?

Helga says that Sazz said her protege messed up badly and started harassing her. But in the flashback we see that they remained friends post stuntman career. Marshall tricked Sazz into giving him the script and she confronted him right before going to New York, meaning that their relationship was only antagonistic on both sides for like a day. So Marshall was harassing Sazz for at most one day. When did Sazz talk to Helga?

Are the westies... gonna be ok? Since the police know dudenoff is dead they can't really keep the rent control scheme going on, can they?

Ok this last one is really stupid but is the omitb movie just gonna go with Sazz's original screenplay? Didn't it need a bunch of rewrites lol?

All in all, I still really did like the season. It was a super fun watch, with exciting twists and the comedy and acting were still great! And who knows, maybe they'll revisit some of this stuff in future seasons! I'm already looking forward to season 5. I'm actually surprised they picked Lester, poor guy! I was thinking it would probably be someone new so they didn't lose too much of the supporting cast too quickly. The new character, Sofia, looks super cool, and I'm excited to see Olimabel (the Charles is silent) take on organized crime after dealing with four cases that were all about interpersonal drama. And I'm definitely excited for a mystery that seems very much tied to the Arconia.

[heather123fan-blog]

The Serpent Queen Season 1 +2

I finally finished the final episode of The Serpent Queen on STARZ today. My thoughts: I ending up enjoying it more than I thought I would. The storyline was fun and entertaining. The writers were clearly going for a more comedic depiction of their characters. Almost all of them were over the top, exaggerated and slightly insane.

Minnie Driver as Elizabeth I was hilarious. There were parts of her character I didn't like but for the most part she worked. Her true personality was usually there right beneath the surface. Loved Queen Jeanne d'Albret, Henri of Navarre, and Marguerite de Valois. Most of Catherine's children came across as very sympathetic which is probably why I enjoyed Season 2 more than Season 1. No Diane de Poitiers in Season 2 either another good thing. I can't stand her lol! The Guises and the Bourbons were scheming, foolish and not very likable but entertaining to watch. I really liked Montmorency he was sympathetic right up until his end. Mary Queen of Scots was a fanatical Catholic and overly villainous. Something I haven't seen before.

I had mixed feelings about the Duke of Florence and Rahima. It seemed like they were trying to give characters of color a storyline in a historical drama, which I can appreciate but considering they weren't real people their story seemed to be shoved into the plot in a way that felt clunky. I wish the writers had tried to include black people or people of color who actually lived in France at that time. It would've been more respectful. Rahima felt a lot like Lina in The Spanish Princess. I liked her character but thought her storyline could've been handled better. Same with Sister Edith she reminded me of Anne Aschew particularly the way Anne is portrayed in Firebrand preaching to the people and stirring them up.

The main problem I had with the series is the way Catherine de Medici herself is depicted. She starts out very sympathetic but becomes more ruthless and evil as the show goes on. Committing one act after another in order to survive. The writers blamed her for too many bad things that happened that can't be proven. The death of her husband and oldest son Francis. The St. Bartholemew's Day Massacre. Sigh I'm sad The Serpent Queen isn't getting renewed but at the same time I'm glad we don't have to watch her character get assassinated anymore. Hopefully, someday another movie or TV series will do Catherine justice and not lean into the dark legend so much.

[raayllum]

I know you love The dragon prince and that’s great. I binged the show after season three released. I listened to podcasts about the show . I listened to yours and felt really happy when I found people who also liked the show. Unfortunately I fell of during the hiatus between season three and four. I am patient person but three years was long. Also I watched the show for rallylum and through the moon just kind killed my love for them.Then I found your blog and was really happy. Then I saw how you felt about the owl house and it bothered me. As a neurodivergent person the show made me feel really seen. I know it’s stupid to be upset about an opinion. As a person who wants to be an English major how do find parallels between relationships and characters. You talk about certain ones and I don’t see them at all. Your probably more seasoned as a writer than I am so

Ps : sorry this is long and hope tdp ends well in your opinion

Few things:

1) I'm also neurodivergent (hi!) - specifically Autistic - and I have also largely wanted to be understood my whole life, much like Luz (according to S3). While a show making you feel seen can certainly be wonderful, meaningful, and sometimes even life changing, to me that's not enough to make it a Good (per my subjective tastes) Show. That's not to say TOH is a bad show - far from it - but it's one that didn't appeal to my particular tastes due to 1) too many characters and not enough screentime, 2) a lack of theme (which many kids shows don't have a ton of because they're, y'know, for kids), and 3) all of the characters have very black and white morality, and that's just less interesting to me.

Being upset about opinions is very natural, and it's not stupid, but it is also important to acknowledge that 1) you can't control how anyone else feels or interprets things and 2) no one else can control how you feel or interpret things.

2) I adored Through the Moon. Rayla's tendency to leave (and why) is always a hurdle I expected them to have to tackle at one point, and given that it's her main character flaw, I'm really excited and happy with the way it's been handled so far and how TTM kicked it off. The graphic novel also really resonated with me in Callum's place, as I too have loved many of my loved ones through incredibly difficult periods regarding their mental health, and the graphic novel felt very honest about the toll that can take on both parties in different ways, and how love/support can help, but ultimately isn't enough if the person isn't ready (or willing) to start trying to get better. It's not an easy pill to swallow, but it is a realistic and important one and I've enjoyed how the show has continued that storyline with Rayla (and Callum) into S4 and S5

3) Being an English major is not for everyone! I know many people who love to read and who are very good writers where an English degree would not suit them at all. It's a lot of reading (by my final year, there were some weeks where I was reading an entire 400 page book roughly every week, if not multiple at the same time). It is also a lot of writing (and my professors regularly chewed me out for my grammar). You also tend to kind of double being a history major as depending on what you're reading, you learn a lot of the religious/historical/cultural context in order to understand the language, references, and messaging intended by the author (and then whether or how much to disregard it, lmao). Being able to analyze — to see connections between characters and themes in particular, but other forms of symbolism and messaging — quickly is probably the main thing that saved my ass and let me stay on Honour Roll throughout my undergrad.

I have also been writing pretty seriously for a long time (I 'started' at age 10 but only really count age 12 onwards, cause that's when I first started writing 70k+ drafts every 1-2 years for original WIP stuff). A lot of what makes a good writer is being a good reader, taking your favourite stories (books or otherwise — movies, musicals, tv shows, etc can be gold mines) and figuring out what works in them and why, or why you like them (or don't like them), etc.

For example: The Owl House is a primarily character driven > plot driven story. In book form, it'd likely be Middle Grade to early YA. It's interested in character relationships among the main cast (any of the more villainous characters like Belos are never given the same amount of development or screentime) and some mild worldbuilding. It has some social commentary (mostly on the school systems through Luz and mental health through Eda) and an overall theme of "being different is good," breaking away from abusive systems/dynamics, and the importance of solidarity.

If I compare and contrast this to TDP, The Dragon Prince is far driven in equal parts by the plot (because it's wholly serialized) and by character. It is also very thematically driven — most notably how to break intergenerational cycles of trauma and violence, but also self-destructive tendencies, abuse, responsibility, power, grief, and concepts of justice and punishment. This is also reflected in the fact numerous villainous characters (Viren, Claudia, etc.) share close to equal screentime with the 'good guy' protagonists and heavily explores morality across a decently wide spectrum. It thereby has a more mature tone in its subject matter and would easily be YA in book form.

Which is to say: the best way to get better at analyzing is to break characters down to their basic plot structures (Character A does this, they want that, Character B does this, they want that, etc.) and see what pops up (for example, in Avatar The Last Airbender, Aang and Zuko both cannot go home, and duel Ozai when they're 13 years old, ultimately refusing to be violent against their opponent). You can also look at similar personality traits (curiosity, selflessness, carelessness, etc). Practice looking at the stories you love and figuring out what works and doesn't work for you personally — and then go beyond relatability to look more at subtext and symbols. Some of the best things I've ever read were books that had nothing relatable to my personal experiences in them (like The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini), and that was why I loved them because they got to broaden my horizons.

[mejcinta]

Aegon and Helaena's marriage deserves the nuance that Daemon and Rhaenyra's has.

Both couples are married for duty and political gain e.g to solidify legitimacy and keep off political rivals.

Both have infidelity riddled in their marriage e.g Aegon goes to brothels and lusts after serving girls. Daemon reportedly entertains a male servant in Pentos while married to Laena and will also be involved with Nettles in his marriage to Rhaenyra.

Both couples can't get rid of each other because of their blood connection. Helaena is Aegon's sister and Alicent's cherished treasure. Rhaenyra is Daemon's niece and Viserys' favourite over Daemon.

Looking at all these factors and including Fire and Blood accounts, it is surprising that only Aegon and Helaena's marriage is portrayed terribly and narrow-mindedly.

Don't get me wrong. There's so many problematic aspects to Rhaenyra and Daemon's marriage and their relationship. Grooming and manipulation being just a few.

However, a heavy effort was put into making Aegon a disgusting predator and Helaena a passing presence in the marriage rather than an active participator.

In Fire and Blood Helaena handles matters concerning Aegon and their marriage with statements of sass. Furthermore, she plays an active role politically by being a cool headed and sounde voice in the Council, convincing him to send peace terms to Rhaenyra instead of killing her immediately (when the rest of the Council couldn't get through to Aegon). He actually listens to her! They're also said to have shared a bedchamber together as a married couple right up until Blood and Cheese wrecked their lives.

In the show it is stated that Aegon ignores Helaena and infrequently comes to her only when drunk. Many fans are convinced that Aegon has gone as far as to abuse Helaena, which we have yet to actually see. The predominant discourse is that Helaena is a victim of her own family, starting with her marriage to her brother-husband.

Meanwhile, Daemon and Rhaenyra are portrayed as a power couple, having a badass traditional Valyrian wedding, actively raising their children/having physical contact and dialogue scenes with their children. They have tender moments, they have tense, quarrelsome moments...just the whole package of a marriage displayed on our screens.

When it comes to Aegon and Helaena, the current King and Queen, not much is known of their marriage apart from a couple of statements and hints.

The writers should have given us more material to work with in season 1 to set them up as a married couple (ideal or not) before Blood and Cheese happens in season 2. But again, it's clear the Greens take no importance in these writers' minds and thus we have crumbs to work with. Just a bold, glaring statement of Aegon bad, Helaena victim of her family.

I'm not saying Aegon and Helaena are ideal (that is boring!). I mean that The Greens should have been given steady development and nuance akin to The Blacks in efforts to balance the story and make it more whole.

Only that way can the writers achieve the impact that future storylines like the fallout of Blood and Cheese deserve.

[buckevantommy]

gerrard's storyline is not sitting well with me.

if he was a new character this season - someone shitty we heard had bad history with the og 118 - and they decided to end his run with him listening to bobby and deciding to go against ortiz and then getting his dream job? i'd be fine with it. but bc we know what he was like in the begins eps, and bc his behaviour for most of the season so far backs up that he hasn't really changed, the end of 8x04 just feels like a fluffier alternate universe - and not one i'd prefer.

gerrard in 8x01 feels very different to the gerrard we met in 7x09, which makes me think they didn't know what they were going to do with his character last season and tim just winged it and opted for humour over angst - and i appreciate lighteheartedness in a show that can be too heavy for its own good sometimes, but it wasn't what i was expecting for him, and i mean that in a bad way bc what i mean is he feels ooc, like they teased a villain and then turned him into an ally that no one wanted, or at least can't swallow easily for the lack of buildup and conflict we could've gotten that eventually culminated in gerrard going against his partner in crime. but really, his redemption was not content i needed to exist, nor do i think it's good media considering his history with the og 118.

for my spn folks: i'd liken it to tim treating gerrard like crowley instead of lucifer or john.

this show does both darkness and light depending on where the plot is focused, and i think gerrard's storyline would've been better suited to something a little darker. again: love the levity and lightness when we do get it, but it felt misplaced in this instance.

i can understand if brian's contract for alotted episodes was up so they had to write him out - but there are other ways they could've done that: like get gerrard fired for real or forced into retirement. i can also understand tim just wanting to get the characters back in a happier place before we move forward with the rest of the season and whatever he has planned, but it still feels too rushed, too soon; i gladly would've taken 8x04 split into a 2-episode arc over the bloated, drawn-out, underwhelming planemergency.

i've read dozens of spec fics that handled both the planemergency and gerrard's presence in the storyline miles better than what tim gave us, so i guess i'm just frustrated to see the actual show not live up to the standards of the imagination of fans. contracts aside, it comes down to compelling and believable in-universe storytelling; feels like we're getting 'write by the seat of your pants' from tim and while that works well for humour it can't work for everything and it certainly doesn't feel good enough for the issues that were tied up in a nice neat bow in this ep.

i loved the bee ep. loved some of the first plane ep. loved most of 8x04 minus the few headscratcher moments with gerrard and surprise too-soon happy ending. i just hope that whatever lies ahead is given the time and care and consideration it deserves, given that we have a longer season and now little to no setup big plotpoints left.

[cawcawmutterficker]

the main reason why the shadow and bone is the dumpster fire screen adaptation that it is, is solely because they mixed the crows in. i had huge expectations for the first season and i was immensely disappointed. the sab storyline was superior to that of the books and finally i got to enjoy grishaverse without all the things i hated in the books. the crows however. they should've gotten their own, separate adaptation. that's where the root of all problems lie. the crows' story is good because it's centered on personal doomsday and not around a chosen one has to save the world from big bad evil. so i had zero expectations for season 2 and in the beginning i had such fun because finally the crows were about their own shit in their own little crime bubble in ketterdam. and then they threw them back into the grishaverse and i wasn't disappointed anymore bc well shit this is how we roll now, but i will stand by my opinion that the shadow and bone storyline - even if it's a fanfiction and mixed up as only a 4 am cocktail can be - is better than what i've gotten from the books (mostly). i have my complaints, won't say i don't, but if they cut the crows, the show would've been great. i like the improvements on alina's character who was so passive and unwilling in the books, on mal who grew to be so much more than a walking guilt trip for alina, on the darkling with his backstory and fallen angel kinda thing. nikolai... well, he was great, his crew not so much but i can live with what we've gotten. the crows... especially nina and matthias. they have an infinitely more complex story than what can be compressed into half the runtime of a show that is clearly focused on the other story. you can't put the stakes of the whole world and the stakes of personal lives next to each other because the former will drown out the latter. so if you consume this trainwreck like a very loose adaptation, season 2 is more enjoyable than the first one, at least for me. I'm glad we've gotten as much as we did, and for the purposes of the show they were handled well - better than in season 1 - but putting the crows back to ravka is just nonsensical. i can buy inej caring about alina because of her faith, but kaz? that man has no business caring about anything that goes on outside of ketterdam. thank you for coming to my ted talk

[koalathebear]

Maxton Hall Stars Harriet Herbig-Matten & Damian Hardung Dish on Prime Video Romance | Interview

Interesting interview. A few observations.

As I already knew, they are both very proficient in English - Damian probably a bit more than Harriet.

Damian is clearly a lot more comfortable being interviewed than Harriet is - Harriet is moving around a lot, playing with her hair, putting herself at weird angles ... I think they're probably both totally freaked out / overwhelmed by the unexpected popularity of the show. As soon as I saw the show the first time on the 9th, I had had a feeling that the show was going to be a lot bigger than they expected and had wondered how the cast were going to cope

Harriet is clearly going to struggle a bit in her responses about the character of Ruby.

On the one hand, the interviewers are going to want to pursue a - this is so romantic they should be together storyline, but clearly Harriet herself believes the relationship is pretty toxic and I think she feels uncomfortable advocating it - which I totally understand in this day and age.

In the presser, she even said that she felt a bit lost / subsumed/subordinate to the James character and had to detox for a few days post-filming - even Damian looked a bit taken aback by that admission.

She's going to have a lot more of these interviews so I hope she manages to come to a comfortable position where she can be a bit more comfortable with them.

I think she ended up with a good answer at the end - that Ruby falls in love with the good / emotional side of James and not the toxic. I think that's where I landed on the relationship, too - she not only was the catalyst for change in him, but James himself had some good elements within him already and he was responsible for also making himself change, not just relying on Ruby

I'm older than a lot of the fandom / target demographic for this show so I still remember the days of Veronica Mars and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The VM show runners and the main actress did not like the fact that the fans loved Veronica & Logan the reformed bad boy so much. Similarly with Buffy, the lead actress the show runner didn't like the fact that so many fans liked Spike / Buffy. The problem was, the actors and characters had such chemistry that it was difficult to move away from that and so they were faced with a quandary. Attempts to move the main female character towards a more wholesome male were usually unsuccessful and interview comments that disparaged a popular ship were also challenging. It will be interesting to see how Maxton Hall navigates a similar quagmire.

Given that this has been an unexpected runaway hit, I can't imagine that they won't have a season 2. I just hope that they maintain the quality and don't make it like all the other bland, generic teen romances on offer ...

Random thought - I wonder how Damian would have handled a role like eg Kieran.

[milkmaidovich]

ask you anything, huh? alright-

1 - who's YOUR favourite gallagher sibling. and why.

2 - do you think you and above gallagher sibling are most alike? or someone else?

please & thank you 🌾

Ooooh these are good questions!! Thank you!

1. HMMMMMM I think this is a tie between Ian, my sweet cheese, my rotten solider, my good time boy FOREVER and Lip.

Ian because barring a bit in the middle there (which was understandable) he's probably the most optimistic of them all. He can see a better life for himself and he's gonna make it happen and he believes he deserves it! He's adaptable (middle child shit) and has that Gallagher ability to think outside the box. A trait he and Lip share as they become adults that I love dearly is their desire to grow and change and be better, even if means admitting some hard things and taking responsibility for bad choices. I don't love the whole gay Jesus storyline (could have been handled in a way that felt less gimmicky imo) but I did like that Ian wasn't going to not own up to the why of his actions, especially because it shows him putting his needs before those of others, ie his little cult following, because he can't heal from it or begin to make amends if he's not honest. He doesn't want to be Monica, who could never accept her diagnosis and her own culpability in bad decisions AND she didn't let anyone be the support system Ian builds for himself with his siblings and Mickey to help him make the good choices when all his brain wants is the other ones.

Lip has those self-sabotaging tendencies of a person who doesn't believe he belongs, or that he shouldn't get good things, and the added pressure of everyone telling you forever how smart you are and how you're gonna be The One who gets out/makes something of themselves/changes everything for the family/etc and when suddenly shit is hard???? And you feel like you can't say anything because you're The One??? And you feel guilty for not being home and for enjoying being your own individual person for the first time in your entire life???? It broke my heart to see him try to half-ass sobriety in some attempt to keep hold of how he wasn't like Frank, he was better, he was The One, but it was great to see him accept that he the best way to be NOT like Frank was to accept that this was a problem he had and that he needed to do something about it. My feelings on how, in the later seasons, they could have utilized his rocky path to being a better person and embracing the growing emotional intelligence and communication skills that come with doing a 12 step program like AA are MANY (and I have OPINIONS on all how the arcs of all the siblings went real fucking sideways out of nowhere) and I am sad every day we got the set up for something great for him and they leaned into Dumb Shenanigans instead.

2. I have more in common with with Lip than most of the others, in that I had that idea that as the "you're so smart! Everything is so easy for you!" gifted kid I had a really really hard time accepting when shit was no longer easy and also understanding that I could ask for help, because who was I if I wasn't those things and ALSO no one believed me when I did ask, because I was so smart and everything was easy so I just wasn't trying hard enough surely (the adult diagnosis of severe ADHD really put a lot of this into context). I struggle to accept when things change for how I thought I would be and I also have the tendency to not believe I deserve good things, but unlike Lip I've done enough therapy to be able to push back when the brain gremlins come calling. I also looked at the family history of substance abuse and alcoholism and went "nah I don't think I'm gonna drink when I'm stressed, seems like tempting fate" which he didn't do till he had to, but I can absolutely see myself going a different route if the drinking culture I grew up with had been more casual.

Thanks for the ask!! Of course I got real busy as soon as I received it so I'm sorry it took so long

[ericeffiorg]

"it's very obvious that they were not planned." and he's already spoken about how not only were they supposed to originally kiss in 1x05, but that if it weren't for the chemistry between their actors, the show would have went a lot differently. endgame or not, acting like they weren't ever going to be at least explored on kind of makes you look a bit delusional. any tv watcher would be able to tell you that the one couple with unfinished business will always end up getting a chance in the spotlight. it's one of the biggest tropes that constantly gets used. and if they weren't endgame, you know damn well rini was not going to be based on how they were written in season 2 episode 1 alone. the cracks were always there. you were just too biased to see them.

"they basically stopped talking after 2x6 and she went all in for ej and he went all in for nini." and what actually ended up happening was that they had to physically remove ricky from gina's storyline in order to make a relationship with any other male character work, and when ej stopped stepping up, you were somehow surprised that a relationship that had rebound all over it failed even after gina kept emphasizing how she doesn't get things right the first time. and if ricky deleting nini's comments and lashing out on her meant "going all in", i fear for what you consider to be healthy depictions of relationships.

"they only made the switch because olivia left after s2, and they didn't know that she was going to bc drivers license blew up right before they wrapped." yet before they wrapped, three episodes in (all filmed and written before drivers license) rini's miscommunication problems were only getting worse by the episode. even if you were rooting for them in season 1, there's no way you saw a positive ending coming for them in season 2. i accept some forms of delusion because it tends to work out sometimes, but what exactly were you holding onto by that point? and how much of it was actually you just liking nini as a character more than anyone else. you can't convince me you like ricky. so what exactly was the motivation?

anyways, no excuse or speculation will make rina not endgame. complain about the technicalities all you want. it's not amounting to anything. and maybe re-read some of those post season 1 interviews. they're more telling than you might think.

this is so awkward because you act like i'm mad because i'm a rini shipper when if you look at what i said i was actually rooting for rina (literally go into my rina tag and you'll see lol) but my actual issue was how poorly handled rina was after season 2 and how forced it felt. there was a way to make them work because it is a fact that they only happened because of olivia leaving (which is fine, every tv show needs to adapt to actors leaving) but they shoved all these phony backstories and ruined the build up for portwell (who i didnt care for) and then shoved all the other character's development aside just so they can put ricky and gina's love story at the forefront. they ruined ej's development and even made ricky become a total asshole just so they can make rina make sense and yet the only people who cared for them were the twitter fandom, because that's who tim based all of his decisions on.

and we know rina were gonna be explored because they literally were where did i deny that??? they were explored for the first season and a half but then they ended them and made both of them move on. and ricky and nini ending on bad terms at the end of season 2 doesn't mean they weren't going to be explored as most endgame couples tend to only really have their time in the sun during the last season anyway. but the difference is that rini were still in a story together, whereas rina barely spoke for four episodes so i'm really not sure what you thought you were cooking but we need to get you out the kitchen cos BOOOOOO