#i can safely say skam is one of my favorite shows even though i just watched because it has such a beautiful message that i just want

[goldenbyhs]

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[inmyarmswrappedin]

ok now i need to hear more of your thoughts about the remakes and how they adapted even’s favorite films

Hi anon 🎬 Sure!

So, first off, the thing about Baz Luhrmann is that he makes unapologetic love story movies. His movies have elements of action and adventure, but they’re first and foremost love stories, and that makes him stand out from other big movie directors. His movies aren’t even romcoms, first because they don’t have happy endings (as Even notes in the video with Mikael) but also because the setting is never contemporary. Like even aside The Great Gatsby or Moulin Rouge, which are not set in the present day, Romeo + Juliet does ostensibly have 90s technology. But since the characters speak in Shakespearean verse, it gives the movie an atemporal feel. So this is a super tragic, super romantic movie that is actually super toxic for Even to model his life after, because Even is convinced that, in order for him and Isak to be in true love (for any love story to be valid), their story has to end badly. 

In Skam, Even provides the twist himself, by starting to make references (and model his life after) Pretty Woman when he starts to become manic. Pretty Woman is like, far from a non problematic movie lmao. But it does have an unlikely happy ending, and it’s through Isak’s understanding of how Even sees Romeo + Juliet and Pretty Woman, that he is able to ultimately reassure Even that their love story doesn’t have to end tragically.

So anyway, the fact that Even unabashedly loves this super romantic movie makes him mysterious and attractive and passionate, because it’s not a dude bro action or superhero movie. By loving this movie, Even is rejecting the macho persona Isak so badly wants to project.

I’ll start with the examples I like lol:

Only Lovers Left Alive: David identifies with this movie to the point that his cartoon persona is a vampire. Like Adam in the movie, he dresses in all black. He is convinced that he’s a monster who can’t live in society because he will be rejected. So it’s pretty clear how this movie is toxic for David. But I also think the movie is sooo telling of David’s actual desires. David likes to pretend that he can go it alone, that he doesn’t need anyone, that he wouldn’t take anyone with him in the case of a catastrophe. But... The movie is about Adam and Eve, the titular only lovers left alive. By loving this movie to the extent that he does, David is parading his major yearning for a forever partner. And like, of course he eventually asks Matteo to run away with him, but Matteo demonstrates how innately he understands David by telling him he does want a relationship with David, but he doesn’t want the toxicity of acting like they’re two monsters who’ve been cast aside from society. 

Dangerous Liaisons: I think Skam España took an interesting route by choosing to not have Cris verbally connect the dots (like Druck did). The thing is, Dangerous Liaisons is a tragic love story, yes, but a love story between Valmont and Tourvel, whereas Joana projects on the Marquise de Merteuil, who is all but the villain in the story. Tragic story aside, Romeo and Juliet do love each other, as do Adam and Eve. Joana’s idea of romance (and of herself by extension since she projects on Merteuil) doesn’t even allow for loving and being loved back in return, because no one in Dangerous Liaisons loves Merteuil, and Merteuil herself has become so twisted that she can’t even call her feelings for Valmont “love” (though that’s how Joana interprets them). And the thing is, Joana still finds beauty in the movie! She writes Cris a letter with the edges burned out because it reminds them both of the story. She wants to meet at a specific park because it reminds her of the movie. So it’s just so... beautiful, that Cris takes all of this and just gives Joana the Liaisons dangereuses book. Like, she is lowkey reminding Joana that the book is just a book, that Joana is a real person (within the Skam España story I mean lmao) and not a twisted awful villain, that she is loved, and that Dangerous Liaisons can be their thing (like “their” song, but a movie in this case) without having to be the horrible thing that will destroy them. I really like that the writers chose to imply all these things in their minutt for minutt scene, without saying them explicitly. 

Last Man on Earth: Honestly, like I don’t particularly have a big issue with Skam Italia making this Niccolò’s thing, other than it’s so... dude bro-y bland? Like one thing you can say about Romeo + Juliet, Only Lovers Left Alive and Dangerous Liaisons is that they are all such high key romantic (as in, emotions running high) movies, it’s what makes Even, David and Joana so mysterious and attractive and passionate. If I knew someone who told me he projects on Last Man on Earth I’d be like, “The Good Place is better” or “if you wanted to stan a SNL cast member, Andy Samberg was right there.” I mean, I do think Bessegato knew what the point of Even’s movie was, but Last Man on Earth is exactly the type of dude bro material I would expect from him, and would not expect from an Even. 

Polaris: Polaris is an undeveloped motif who seems interesting because of the dark and light aspects, and I claim my five pounds. Polaris is in no way toxic for Eliott, like all the others movies and show (even Last Man on Earth) were for the other characters. It’s just... cute. Cute like everything about Eliott is cute and nothing more. Eliott drawing himself as a raccoon is cute because he has a mask and is nocturnal! Whereas Lucas is small and defensive like a hedgehog! And Lucille is elegant and mean like a cat! Etc. This motif is never really developed or explored, it’s never given a twist, Eliott is in fact still obsessed with it 3 seasons later, just like he was obsessed with it before he met Lucas and it was Idriss he envisioned in the other role. There’s no growth, Eliott just never progresses beyond what Polaris represents for him. It sure is cute as fuck though, which is why the stans love it.

 ???:  Does Sander even have a movie? I heard he likes Baz Luhrmann and maybe even Romeo + Juliet, but this isn’t really explored. I don’t think even David Bowie’s life or sexuality or various musical personas (like you could do something with Ziggy Stardust or Aladdin Sane if you couldn’t think of a movie) are explored. Sander likes Bowie like he could like Iggy Pop or Freddie Mercury, queer music icons who for the most part are “safe” for straight men to stan without their sexuality getting called into question. I assume Robbesander stans think the lack of an Even’s movie motif is a sign of excellent writing, and proves Sander is a better Even because he doesn’t project on anything toxic or whatever the hell, just like Robbe is the best Isak because he was so good at letting Zoë and Senne have drama uninterrupted. 

[gilly-bean]

Final thoughts on ipytm

I didn't have the proper time to sit down and form cohesive thoughts about ipytm as a whole during the weekend but now that I have some time, I think I wanna say something since the show has pretty much occupied all my thoughts for the past 5 weeks and some of this stuff needs to just be released from my brain for my own sake if for nothing else. So buckle up, it's going to be a long one.

I'm gonna premise this by saying that itsay meant the world to me. It’s one of my favorite pieces of media ever. I have waxed poetry about it so much that this time the only thing I will say is that I felt seen by it in a way that I have never ever been seen before. P'Boss said that it was made for queer people and that's what it felt like. I think that more than anything made me feel safe and cared for by a TV series, which is a thing that can happen apparently.

Now ipytm. Ipytm I found mostly difficult. It's not because I couldn't find it relatable - it was - painfully so. But episode after episode I felt like I was being relentlessly reminded of all the worst things in my life, things I would rather not be reminded of, things that did not end well, things I found no source of joy in seeing represented onscreen. I found ipytm difficult not because it was badly made (although there were things that I think could have been done better) but because it made me feel like shit. Most of the time. Episode 5 is the only episode I can say I enjoyed every second of and it's also the only one I have rewatched.

Mind you, I don't think the people who wrote ipytm own their audiences anything. I also don't think a sad story makes it a bad one nor do I think a story without real conflict is ever going to be an impactful one. I don't even have a problem with the story they ultimately told, I think it's a good story. But the way it was told made me mostly question what is all this suffering for? Real as it might be, the way they decided to focus only on the bad stuff made me struggle to see what kind of a story they really wanted to tell here? What is all of this worth if the relationship is the center piece of the story and there's nothing in the storyline to indicate that the viewer should want the relationship to work out? What kind of a story is this is what I kept asking ad nauseam.

Suffering in my life sometimes has made me a stronger person but sometimes it has been pointless, a thing that happened without any silver linings. Like I said, it's not that ipytm doesn't feel real. But what I do know is that pointless suffering is not something I wanna consume in my free time. Episode 5 showed me that there was a point to the suffering - to make these people grow up - but for four episodes I struggled to see that point and I can't just say trust the writers when there is nothing textually making me see what their goal is. I’m sure the point was shrouded intentionally to keep the viewers at the edge of their seat until the end but knowing that does not make my frustration any less potent. Writers 100 % of the time do what they want to do and even good writers can and will write stuff that you personally dislike or even hate. And for me personally, realism has never guaranteed that I would enjoy a piece of media.

This sounds like I hated ipytm. I did not. I could never hate anything that PP and Bilkin do, they own my heart. And what got me excited for ipytm way back when all we had was the trailer was the idea that they could show how hard relationship can be but that if you keep choosing each other no matter how much you change how strong they could be too, and I think that was the story they told in the end. I absolutely loved the fact that Oh-aew decided to give Teh another chance not because it made sense but because he felt like it. 'Cos that's what love is, there's nothing logical about it, you never end up together with the people who make sense on paper but with the people that make you feel like you want to keep trying. And that’s true for Teh too, Oh-aew would have never gotten to that point if Teh hadn’t gone all the way in crazy land to get him back. And that's all that matters.

I just wanted to see more of that throughout the show. Teh and Oh-aew choosing each other despite stuff being difficult. I wanted to be reminded that they actually loved each other. Teh's confusion about their relationship only felt confusing to me. I don't think I ever fully grasped what exactly he was feeling. Was he distancing himself from Oh-aew because he felt like he was being abandoned by him by virtue of Oh-aew abandoning acting/ostensibly changing? Was he slowly falling out of love because he was rehashing the Tarn/Oh-aew dynamic of his life again with Jai i.e. does he want to be with someone who he thinks is just like him, with the same ambitions and goals in life? The promise, the petty complaining of all the external changes that Oh-aew was going through, the insistence on how he never thought about breaking up, the text messages, make me think it's the former case. His relentless and shameless pursuit of Jai and the fact that he tries with Airy makes me think it's the latter case. Or is it that the former point was the underlying reason that made him question the second point (and forget that he did actually have this debate with himself already in itsay) which is kind of the impression I get from his play?

Even though I know cheating rarely happens only for one reason for the purpose of a cohesive narrative, I do think they needed to pick one lane. And if not, they at least completely missed the opportunity to make this connection clear in the bridge between ep 2 and ep 3, causing whiplash that’s bound to make viewers confused and angry. Then it’s compounded by stuff like Teh going from confessing his love to Jai to begging Oh-aew to not break up with him, which at best makes you confused about Teh's state of mind and at worst makes you think he's being disingenuous and manipulative. It’s a lot to ask from the viewer to wait and see if the writers will make it make sense later on. So, while cheating as a storyline is not a breaking point for me, it does need to be better executed than this for me to think it was the right choice.

Now, after rambling on about this for more than 1000 words (ridiculous), the conclusion I got is that I loved the overall story, (mostly) hated the way there. But if nothing else I am not above admitting that I’ve been absolutely obsessed with this show, in a completely unhinged way, in a way that has actually distracted me from real life and I can only remember og skam doing that to me. So well done show. Well done. It’s going to take ages for me to move on from this and I will surely never forget it.

[flying-elliska]

Skam France Season 6 Review

It’s that time, I guess. My feelings are, like many, mixed. I think I enjoyed the season more than most people here, but the ending was a massive let down. Overall it boils down to this : Skam France is great at moments and very bad at structure. A lot of my issues with the season is what is not in it. I saw so much potential that never quite materialized, and it left me frustrated. At the same time, Lola is a really cool character, her arc is really interesting, her relationship with her sister is one of the best things they’ve ever done, and the actors killed it. Loved La Mif, discovering other sides of Eliott, the urbex backgrounds, and Maya. A lot of fascinating character moments. This is definitely my second favorite season after s3 - at times I even thought it would equal it. Sadly, though, Skam France will remain a bit of a one hit wonder for me. Because they are so good at bringing up problems in a nuanced layering way - be it addiction, grief, eating disorders, internalized ableism, racist microagressions - but when it comes to resolving what they brought up, they default towards a ‘let’s all be nice to each other, hug or kiss, love saves the day yay !’ story. Which is, when you claim to deal with real world issues, simplistic, immature, and at times quite offensive. It works for s3, which is at its core a tale of self-discovery, self-acceptance and romance. But niceness doesn’t solve racism, and family problems aren’t solved with a hug, and addiction recovery doesn’t hinge on having someone to kiss, and the series came dangerously close to implying that at times. 

All in all, this is a show that often manages to be both brilliant and terrible at the same time. At least it’s not dull. 

Positives/Negatives/Meh breakdown :

Positives :

- Sisterly love : My favorite thing without a doubt is the relationship between Lola and Daphné. Flavie and Lula killed it. Almost all the clips that made me cry were the ones with the both of them in it. At the beginning their rivalry is so relatable to me : the responsible sibling who takes on too much burdens and is too controlling and parentified vs. the problem sibling who acts out to express the issues the rest of the family are repressing - i have been in both of those spots. you can see how they slowly realize that the gap between them didn’t need to be there, that it wasn’t their fault, that it was the result of their parent’s bullshit and even shittier circumstances. seeing them make little gestures to recognize each other’s pain, to nurture each other, to give each other support, but also to tell each other some unpleasant truths, was so incredibly powerful. Relationships between sisters can be just so...complex, and loving, and petty, and jealous, and supportive, and feral, and annoying, and understanding, and ugh, they made me feel all of that and more. I have a sister, and I have a relationship like that with her, and this season gave me some very important perspectives. Really, relationships between women aren’t explored enough, and this season really did this one thing excellently and if only for that, it deserves to be watched. That moment where Lola talks to Daphné about her self destructive tendencies...so important. I am so happy that Daphné was the one finding Lola in her tower of solitude, and the moment where she says ‘you pay too much attention to what other people think, Lola’ was the emotional turning point of the season for me, because it was Daphné recognizing Lola really cared behind her mask of coldness, but also that she was hurt by that and that she needed to love herself regardless of the love her parents didn’t give her ; and also that she heard Lola saying it to her and that it inspired her too, so there is this amazing reciprocity. It was so powerful, I’m still reeling from it. And it was a beautiful full circle from the beginning of the season. 

- Family of outsiders : the urbex gang was such a wonderful new group this season. It was bound to be tricky getting us to like this new generation, and I think they did a pretty good job. Even tho I wish we got to know them a bit more, they were all intriguing and interesting on their own, and the vibes of Lamif as a whole were just so fun and lovely. Loved the neuroatypical vibes I got from Sekou and Jo. Love that they introduced a trans guy character. Loved Maya as group mom. And seeing them warm up to Lola was really sweet. The social media of them hanging out was more or less the only good social media we got this season lmao. The urbex thing was a great symbol for Lola finding a home with the outcasts, a bit on the fringe of society, and the start of acceptance, of bringing her in from the cold. Maya and Lola’s relationship fit in that really nicely, especially the bits about them talking about their shared experiences of grief, and my favorite scenes with them is showing Lola that her scars can be beautiful and that her rough experiences are part of who she is. The way she didn’t take Lola’s bullshit was great, and even tho I think their relationship was rushed, overall they really fit well together. Love Maya’s character as a concept in general, this funky purple haired lesbian environmentalist with amazing sense of style, and I really hope we see her again in upcoming seasons. And finally, I also really liked Eliott and Lola’s friendship (except for the ending) - the fact that they understand this darkness that they share, but that Eliott has succeded in climbing over it, and so he can give Lola support, understanding, guidance. I loved that we got to hear a bit more of his perspective on mental illness, the good and the bad times, that we saw his passion for movies become more real. I loved the fact that they bonded over creative things and photography, too, and that she found a safe space in the video store. And even tho it wasn’t resolved properly, the scene where he comes to get her and punches Aymeric really made me cry. Also, BASILE. Best bro in law ever. Their scenes together were so homey and warm and sweet. They will have such a good relationship in time. Overall, I really like how central friendship was in this season, shown as so powerful and important. They could have done more with it but I love a lot of what we got. I am just a sucker for found family, man.

- Lola herself : I know she was a controversial character right from the start. She’s been called manipulative, selfish, out of control, toxic. And honestly at times...maybe she was a bit. I still love her. She is just so interesting to me. The lack of compassion towards her in the fandom was seriously depressing at times, and often felt like a symptom of something I’ve seen in a lot of different fandoms, ie the capacity to only tolerate moral ambiguity when it’s attached to attractive white male characters - and to only tolerate mental illness symptoms when they can be romanticized. In the end, she’s a struggling teen from a deeply dysfunctional family who’s had a very rough life, of course she’s not going to be well adjusted. All in all, I think she’s so brave, and she is a fighter. I adored her feral energies in the trailer. I also really liked her blunt honesty at times, even if it was sometimes hurtful and excessive. I think because I have the opposite tendency to be afraid to speak my mind, I really dig a character who isn’t afraid to speak the ugly truth. Even though, again, ‘the truth’ isn’t always cut and clear, and what Lola is often doing instead is listening to ‘depression voice’ who tells her to believe the worst in people. I find that fascinating, because in my experience, yes, depression comes with this terrible lucidity that makes you see through a lot of bullshit but at the same time, is distorting your perspective because of fear and shame, and kicking that, and disentangling your perception from that fatalism, is very complicated. I loved how genuine she was, how mature too sometimes through the pain, more mature than she should have been. It was rough watching her relapse, but I think the portrayal of addiction was pretty very well done overall, not romanticized and explained in a very coherent way. I wish the show had given her a bit more of a clearer view of her inner thoughts towards the end and let her apologize a bit more. And a clearer realisation that her parent’s lack of well expressed love didn’t doom her. But...yeah Following her really made me question my own - more hidden - self destructive impulses, linked to family shit, that pushes me to sabotage and isolate myself. Like Eliott said to her - it’s really a lifelong struggle. I think overall her arc was pretty satisfying, learning to step away from the edge, letting people in, seeing that she isn’t alone, accepting she deserves better and that her failures don’t doom her. That it is about getting up and trying again. Love her using her mother’s camera and wanting to get a phoenix tattoo, a perfect symbol for her. Also Flavie was amazing, she’s got a bright future ahead.

Negatives :

- No follow up to the assault storyline : The thing that I am, without any single doubt, most mad about, is the fact they didn’t bring up the sexual assault again. Along with Charles’ rape apologism, this creates a very dubious pattern of trivializing the issue ‘as long as it’s not real rape’. The fact that the morning after immediately turns to Elu drama is what sort of started my disconnect from the season, and the fact that they don’t bring it up afterwards even once made me angry. I think Lola, before going back to the hospital, should have told someone about the abuse she endured there, and should have told someone about Aymeric, even if only to acknowledge she wants to be done with that part of her life. Aymeric is like...Lola’s biggest villain, in a sense, he is a horrible predator but he also somehow represents her worst impulses, that part of herself that tells her she doesn’t deserve better, and I think that as a character, he was interesting, and he should have been adressed/exorcised better. If Lola was a real person, of course, she would probably have to deal with this in therapy, down the line, later, but as a story, never adressing this again left it unfinished. And this is really the kind of event you NEED catharsis and resolution for. Otherwise, it’s irresponsible.

- A generally overstuffed and disjointed structure : My biggest problems with this season are about what isn’t and what isn’t it. I liked most of the clips, I don’t have an issue with them going dark, strangely enough, but the way they were put together was just...messy. Like many people have said, too much stuff not properly adressed. Palm of most annoyingly useless subplot, the whole Tiff thing. Yes, it was cool comparing her clique to Lamifex and Lola realizing she wants nothing to do with those shallow fake bitches. Sekou hacking her account to replace it with pigeons, amazing. After that though, it should have been DONE, and in general, it should have taken a lot less time and attention. Comparing Tiff’s social media addiction to Lola’s issues felt like some trivializing bullshit. The whole thing was just so annoying. It would have been good if it had led to some discussion of social inequality but like...not this shit. Char, equally useless (although, cool actress, cool style). Another MASSIVE problem is the lack of follow through on big clips. A great thing about SKAM, usually, is that it shows you the aftermath of big moments - characters lying in bed, cuddling, talk to their friends, crying in the shower, etc. It allows the viewer to breathe and really get into the character’s perspective, to be comforted and process drama, and for the emotions to resonate better, to have space to develop richly. Here...we had Lola brush off her assault, we saw nothing after Daphné got her back from the tower thinking she could have killed herself, we learned that they had money problems and the father didn’t go to work and then that was never adressed again and the light was turned back on by magic (????), we saw Eliott go on a major bender and didn’t really see how he got better, etc. Big lack of introspective clips in the latter part of the season took me out of Lola’s head. It was all stressful and breathless, all intensity and no pause like one grating high pitch note instead of music, it felt oppressive, with poor contrast, and very badly paced. It made everything blur together and feel less relevant. The problem with that is it really takes you out of the story ; it’s hard to care when you know whatever is happening might not have a resolution, and it doesn’t put you in the shoes of the character. This was compounded by how mediocre the social media was, when it is usually used to bridge in the gaps. And then to finish : the structure was so uneven, especially in the second part of the season. Towards the middle we had some very short episodes with very underwhelming endings, and Vendredis that felt like non events, and there wasn’t a lot happening - and then, bam, ep 9, drama overload, almost like misery p*rn, and then a super rushed resolution in ep 10. Like they cared more about twists and giving the opposite of what was expected instead of solid coherent narrative and rhythm. The romantic back and forth felt repetitive as hell too. All in all, it made for a very unsatisfying live watching experience, pretty sure anyone who didn’t watch live would like it a lot more. 

- The last two episodes : Really, I could have overlooked all the problems with the season if they had given us a good ending, but...they really really didn’t. And contrasted with last season, where my problems were focused on the middle, for me the ending is really the worst part of this season. I didn’t dislike the controversial club clips, I liked having the insight into Eliott’s insecurities, but they should never have brought those up if they weren’t going to let him adress them properly. Having everything go to shit in Lola’s life at once felt like overkill - they really should have solved those problems earlier, and then dealt with a few ones properly, showed us Lola freaking out on her own, and taken out the bullshit at the high school. Thierry slapping her was also too much, he could just have said these clumsy things. She could have distanced herself from Maya instead of pushing her away again. Also, they really should have had this happen in episode 8 again, and given us a proper resolution. While the tower sequence was incredibly powerful, I pretty much liked nothing after that. It was so annoying that Eliott brushed off Lola’s apology because while he wasn’t wrong that he decided to get drunk himself, she still needed to apologize and actually state that she wanted to get better so she didn’t hurt her friends, so as a resolution it was very mediocre. Thierry recognizing they should have given Lola the choice to go the hospital was a step but really not enough. And the moments with Maya were cute sure but mostly cheesy and unearned. Same for the ending clip. Mostly it’s such an unsatisfying farewell to the old generation, and it really feels like they wanted us to force to move on - didn’t want to properly recognize the end of an era, gave us almost nothing about their BAC or their future plans, etc etc. Also, letting Charles talk and having Arthur and Alexia kiss again ? SO BAD. UGH. I will be forever disappointed they didn’t give us a Multi POV or at least sth better on social media. And not having Eliott’s POV or at least a real Elu conversation (pretty much all season...) so frustrating I will never not be bitter about that. So yeah. The season started so powerfully but went out with a whimper instead of a bang. That whole ‘romantic love solves everything!!!’ shtick...very undercooked tbh. 

Meh : 

- Mayla’s development : I wanted to stan them SO BAD. Like, wlw in skam (that doesn’t turn into a panphobic mess?) YES, all the way yes. Maya and Lola had great chemistry, great dynamic. I loved their first few clips, the kind of confrontational flirting, the boldness, it was like...damn girls ! we love a non useless lesbian ! But...somewhere along the way, their relationship really suffered from the wacky plot structure. They should have shown us more bonding before we got to the angsting (esp during first urbex night). Also, their first kiss was sweet but I hated the ‘you’re my addiction’ line and that kind of put a damper on it. I liked the scenes where they open up about difficult things, the love Maya showed to Lola’s scars, the dandelion symbolism was lovely, but it wasn’t balanced enough with other stuff, and I felt Maya was way too stoic at times. And I really, really didn’t like the ending, honestly. They kept a good balance all season showing Lola wasn’t relying entirely on romantic love, that her family and friends were also important - but saying ‘i’m okay as long as you’re here’ at the end...honestly that sounds unhealthy and codependent as fuck. I really wish they’d done a more subtle, taking it slow ending for them.

- The financial issues : Again a storyline with much potential that wasn’t dealt with properly. It’s really good that we got a main that wasn’t from an economically priviledged background. Especially it felt very relevant to Daphné’s storyline, with the shame she felt at her friends seeing her place, the pressure to make it work, tying into her ED, etc etc. But cutting off the power, the father not working going nowhere...it’s like the plotline meandered and then vanished into thin air. Instead of that, they could have given us a scene of Daphné freaking out over the bills like in OG w Vilde, keeping the focus on her for that plot because she’s the most affected ; and then in the end of the season the father taking them over from her and telling her he’s found another job and that those things shouldn’t be her responsibility. That would have been relevant, instead of just...a loose end.

- Family issues : The Lecomte family dynamic seemed fascinating to me at the start. The mom being this shadowy complicated figure. The inability of the father to deal with anything. Daphné being parentified, Lola becoming the symptom child. They could have done a lot with this, but in the end, it felt like it was brushed aside too easily by saying the mom sent letters so she wasn’t too bad and Thierry is making breakfast so he’s trying. Not enough. I wanted them to let Lola acknowledge she deserved better and that their parent’s crap wasn’t on her. That her mom should have looked for help and the other two shouldn’t have pretended everything was okay. In general, there is way too much pressure to overlook toxic parent behavior and I wish they’d been clearer about this. 

- Mental health portrayal : Some parts of it were really good. Showing Daphné’s ED, letting Eliott talk about his episodes and relapses, showing some of the dark sides of depression and addiction. They just needed to show more of the recovery, because that is often the representation that they lacked the most. I don’t blame them for showing the bad sides of the mental healhcare system (which is terribly outdated and dysfunctional in France, I’m speaking from experience) but they should have shown the good too. Like do they find recovery boring or something ? Because as a person w MI, that’s actually what I’m dying to see, and they’ve been a real letdown in that department. I also think they should have acknowledged that the Lecomte family has mental issues as a whole, that the mother should have gotten help, and the father probably needs it too (still think they should have gone to therapy as a group lol).

- Elu and Eliott’s development : Honestly, not a big fan of how they wrote Lucas in s5&s6, in a lot of clips he was the angry guy with a temper, I miss s4 Lucas who was so compassionate and showed real growth and emotional intelligence. Here it just felt like they were fitting his character to plot needs, and it’s so sad for a character who had such an amazing story development. Now, I loved the glimpses of domestic Elu we got, how Axel and Maxence really showed the intimacy that had grown between them, they really felt married with all the nonverbal conversations and touches, that was sweet. But it’s so annoying that they hinted at Lucas’s insecurities and Eliott’s lack of communications and just brushed it away with ‘oh they love each other they will be okay’ sure bitch but then show us how ? that’s the interesting stuff ? it really feels sometimes like the writer(s) didn’t like how strongly the fans focused on the romance when they wanted to be talking about MATURE dark stuff not that frilly fluffy romance shit *eyeroll* male writers who think they’re above that stuff is so annoying as is the conflating of dark and mature - anyway. Again I liked seeing Eliott in his element this season, he is really thriving, with his movie and the video store, and that made me very happy. I don’t think it’s unrealistic he didn’t make a lot of friends in uni - French university can be so isolating, there isn’t a campus or a vibrant social life like in the US, it’s a very common experience to feel lost and isolated for newbies and it was also my case - but ? Sofiane ? Idriss ??? They could have found a better excuse to implicate Lamifex in the movie making tbh, like Jo egging him on about her passion for directing or whatever, and Sofiane could have been there chilling with them it would have been so cool. I just wish Eliott would have had more of an arc like Daphné did. It wouldn’t have taken much, and since he is my favorite character, I will never not be disappointed at all the wasted potential. 

Yeah so in the end i think this was a very good story they didn’t entirely give themselves the right storytelling tools to tell. Like there is something in the way they prioritize certain moments over others that...I just find very frustrating and weird. So...flawed, but still very interesting overall.

[3416]

what are the best things about wtfock s3 and the worst things about it?

oh boy........ there is so much to tell when it comes to the best things imo, i’m not even sure i can make a coherent list. also, i’m approaching this assuming you’ve watched the season, so this is not spoiler friendly. if you haven’t.... i can make you a new persuasive post with no spoilersfldj. anyway, here are just a couple things:

obviously the chemistry between robbe and sander is........... in a league of its own.... i love seeing people in love, so it’s a thrill when actors can pull it off and i could write a dissertation on that alone so i’ll just leave it at that

robbe being altered as a character in general and even though that was established in earlier seasons, you really see him flourish in s3 obv... he’s a little softer... a little sweeter than the other isaks and it really just makes you fall head over heels. i’m amazed when people have something extremely negative to say abt him bc like......... sander said it best when he called him an angel! he’s got his faults as a human, but the way he genuinely cares about and takes interest in the people around him on the whole?? it’s wonderful.

the way wtfock doesn’t shy away from shaking things up a bit. the storyline follows so closely to the og that you expect things to happen in the same time frames and sometimes they just... don’t (see: extending the reunion and moving ohn to a monday and even skipping a day in their own posting pattern just to fuck with us). also they throw in original scenes, like dinsdag 16:31. it was one of the best of the season and it was all theirs. things like bringing britt in as sander’s gf and making their relationship a bit more tumultuous and fresh, harder to understand, than other even/sonjas. making noor likable ? letting her have a space with them post-mess ? not introducing their even until ep 3 and giving him his full whirlwind moment... a full week of seeing them......... dance around each other. and though this is a controversial opinion in itself..... i think even adding in a moment like the hate crime was a bold thing to do. the writers have stated they talked to a lot of belgian youth and felt that that was still a prevalent issue, and it was certainly a controversial moment

ok even though this could technically belong to the last bullet ..... making sander’s safe space not a physical space with meaning itself but rather.... demonstrating that his safe place is robbe by having him “take shelter” surrounded by all these moments and memories of him. we see robbe’s flashbacks in ohn, but we can just as easily see as soon as he finds sander that....... sander’s been drowning in those moments too. for a season filled with so much misunderstanding, it becomes crystal clear there.

sander

bad things abt wtfock s3 are a little tougher...... and i’m not impartial considering it’s my favorite iteration of skam, but:

the way they dealt with the hate crime the night it happened and the lack of actual mention in the rest of the season. i don’t think it was a bad move to include it at all honestly, but the lack of follow up that night and continuing on made me sad. on the flip side, the writers have acknowledged that they didn’t handle it as well as they should have and listened to fans critique of that instead of blowing it off. they also brought it up in wtfockdown as a response to show sander and robbe are working through it, so to me... it’s a bit moot to make a big deal of it NOW. i just remember it was extremely stressful the night of.

jens???? like on the whole, i like jens just fine. he’s cool, he’s meh, he’s whatever, but if you don’t think he was one of the shittiest jonases in any of the s3 remakes, mostly in the first half then..... LMAO. biggest beef is the fact that robbe full on told jens he was falling in love with someone else, then jens kinda dropped it bc their friends approached in the middle of the convo (which i don’t blame him for in the moment), and then... when robbe comes out to him...... he acts like he wasn’t already told this info abt robbe being in love with someone else. and is like... WhY wOulD i MaKe a BiG DeAl...... like you haven’t contributed to the homophobic shit robbe’s dealt with. i think jens owes him an apology for some of that, and i know we’re never gonna get one. jens only got better when i saw the vlogs, and even then i’m just... meh. i was very meh about the boysquad as a whole but i grew to love them as a unit the last couple eps, so ya know.....

anyway.... that’s just some rambling from me, i could prob type out 59435849 more words, but i love wtfock 🤗

[wildefluorescent]

5 shows & some q’s

rules: pick 5 shows, then answer the following questions

the lovely @amiras-bitch tagged me here, thank you <3 

1. druck 2. skam españa 3. anne with an e 4. derry girls 5. one day at a time

Who is your favorite character in 2? joana and amira

Who is your least favorite character in 1? apart from the obvious like the pe teacher and idk stefan? alex, i think its ur time to go:/ 

What is your favorite episode of 4? both episodes 6, also the one where they think erin’s mum can do curses 

What is your favorite season of 5? i cant choose but if i HAD to then i think season 2

Who is your favorite couple in 3? anne and gilbert!

Who is your favorite couple in 2? crisana

What is your favorite episode of 1? AAH unsere zeit ist jetzt and herzklopfen (i feel like it’s fair to also include clips here, not like anyone asked, but: unter wasser, ich will dich nicht (breaks my heart though.....), die schönste frau der welt. gonna shut up now!

What is your favorite episode of 5? the one where abuelita is in the hospital and elena’s quinces, they make me weep every time... (probably forgetting about some episodes cause i havent rewatched in a long time)

What is your favorite season of 2? still havent seen all of s3 but i think its safe to say season 2!

How long have you watched 1? not to be like i was there since the beginning but ive been watching since the last clip of episode one kdfjh 

How did you become interested in 3? i think i started watching right after s2 dropped and i just spent the next several days bingewatching and sobbing

Who is your favorite actor in 4? i love all of them ngl, the cast is so good! buut i think orla’s and erin’s actresses are my favourite!

Which do you prefer, 1, 2, or 5? this is the WORST question, i think i have to choose druck but like. its close 

Which show have you seen more episodes of, 1 or 3? well ive seen all episodes of anne and all but 1,5 (the winterberg and janna special, i still refuse to watch it) of druck so i think anne is the answer here? even though druck has more episodes

If you could be anyone from 4, who would you be? james lmao

Would a crossover between 3 and 4 work? well i dont THINK so but it would be hilarious to watch 

Pair two characters in 1 who would make an unlikely but strangely okay couple? sam and hanna......... love them 

Overall, which show has the better storyline, 3 or 5? they’re so so different and i don’t think i can choose? 

Which has better theme music, 2 or 4? derry girls definitely!! looooove the music

im gonna tag @vlindervin7 @brisingr-iettauthr @muscosus @als-vuur but please lmk if yall r fed up with me tagging u all the time kjfh

[revengeisalwaysanoption]

[Skam Italia] Ficlet: Flawed 2/2

And that’s it :D Again, it’s an unbetaed&unedited VERY LITTLE story I am writing to cope… I hope you will like it as well :) ! Edited to add:  I’d like to dedicate this to Ibisco and @annefraid The first, with her wonderful story (Resilience: go and read it if you understand Italian, it’s so good HERE ) I am a sucker for the boy squad taking care of Nico, so… Another reminder that THEY - both Nico AND Marti - are not alone was due ;) ! And Anne… wow, what an insight on Marti’s deep rooted insecurities in “try and evolve”! I mention them here but it’s all thanks to amazing fic for making me realize how Marti might see Niccolò!

******

Martino knows he screwed up. He isn’t that much of a ‘disaster gay’ – no matter how often Filippo (and his own friends, those jerks!!) likes to address him as such, to rile his Rose up – not to notice the way Nico’s mood plummeted as soon as he sat down at the table this morning. Regretting having to deal with how grumpy Martino can be, before he had any caffeine in him, already? That’s understandable… But quite unlikely. They aren’t really living together, yet, but they are past those petty fights. Who cared if someone seemed always to be too tired to do the dishes or to mop the floor? They never even discussed such trivial things, to be honest: taking care of Nico, making sure he lives in a spotless and tidy environment, is not a chore and Marti really doesn’t mind. Besides, they have a clashing definitions of order and totally different perceptions of how dirty the flat can get before it has to be cleaned. They easily met halfway, agreeing to let Niccolò do things his way and at his own pace, without having to talk about it.

So… if it wasn’t about Martino’s charming decaffeinated personality… What made him run for the hills? Was it something he said? It must be. Fuck. Why does his brain-to-mouth filter always fail him when he needs it the most? And yeah, there is a niggling voice in his head going like ‘You shouldn’t have to overthink every word you say, in fear you’re gonna hurt Nico or something. You should be free to be yourself, including who you are at your worst.’ but he’s not listening to that. What’s wrong with refusing to settle for the person he is now, and striving to become a gentler and more considerate one in the future? What’s so bad about Niccolò inspiring him to give it a try, at least? Nothing; you can’t change his mind. Moreover, he has to make up for the complete lack of any talent whatsoever… Like, okay, compared to Nico - who excels at everything he does, and it’s a lot- he can be dull and boring but at least he’s great at owning up to his mistakes - the whole ton of them - and learn. And it’s more that can be said for so many people out there, including dad, so… Lesson of the day: do not speak until you had your coffee, Martino, and a kiss from Niccolò so that you don’t forget how lucky you are to have this - HIM - to come home to. That no matter how awful you day is going to be - and no, you can’t really know beforehand, so stop being so damn negative and over dramatic… - there are always going those moments with Niccolò that will brighten it.

Okay? Okay. Now, let’s get back to the matter at hand. After the unfortunate comparison of an obsessive-compulsive disorder to a penchant for loving neatly written notes, and finding out that Martino still his that awful word – ‘psychopath’ – in his vocabulary… It wouldn’t be too far for Niccolò to persuade himself that he was belittling his efforts (as well as his mother’s) to get out of bed in the morning, on his darkest days. That’s not what he meant, of course.

’Well, you know none of your friends meant it when they said they wanted somebody to kill them, or that they were going to jump off a bridge because of school. They don’t do that anymore, because they know it reminds you of the bad place Nico’s mind can go sometimes… but some other classmates still throw those words around like it’s nothing, like they are really clinically depressed because their shitty most beloved show got cancelled or their favorite character died.’

That’s it: that’s exactly the point. He knows and it still hurts. It still makes him want to stand up and scream ‘SHUT UP, YOU IDIOTS! YOU KNOW NOTHING, YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!’ at the top of his lungs. He can’t blame Nico for being so disappointed with him that he had to leave…

Well, all this mulling and self-deprecation won’t fix anything. He’d better think how to show him that even though he quite an asshole, he never acts out of maliciousness. He might have hit where it hurt out of anger, in the past, to drive people away… He wouldn’t do it, now. Not even as a last resort. He can only hope it will be enough, for Nico.

So… What should he do next? Should he run after him? Leave him some space? Should he really let Niccolò believe that he forgot what tomorrow means for them – for Martino himself - not to spoil the surprise? He had even persuaded Sana to let him be the main speaker, for once… He had a Spotify playlist ready to play, to let Niccolò know what he cannot say with words and sometimes fails to show with his actions…

He… He has no idea, like, his brain is fuzzy static and he’s pretty sure he will start hyperventilating soon… He needs help. Yep. If there’s one thing he got out of those hell months back in 2018 is that he doesn’t have to deal with any kind of crisis alone. Luca reaches out to them when he can’t find the right outfit for his dates with Silvia, when he doesn’t know if it really would be wise to eat that last piece of sushi even though he’s about to puke… And they should be aware that Niccolò might need them as well, even though he doesn’t dare to ask.

“Marti. First thing you gotta do is calm down…” Giovanni writes in the chat, as soon as he listens to his frantic voice message. “Don’t die on us, man. Oxygen is your friend. Even if it’s being a bitch now, being so heavy and shit…” Elia adds, making him smile. “Deep breaths. In. Out. Picture yourself lying down in a field… Feel the grass. Be the grass.” Luca joins in, earning rolling-eyes emojis and thumbs down.

“Is this something you heard from Silvietta, Lu?” “Actually from our yoga teacher…” “Well, stop it because it’s making me long for some weed and we have to stay lucid and sharp here for Marti and Nico.” Giovanni says in the chat, before calling Martino. “Listen. I’ll be quick: show up at school, because we can’t do much over the phone. I know you probably want to send out a search party for Niccolò rather that sit behind a desk for so long, but you have to trust that he knows how to take care of himself and that, like any of us, simply needs a couple of hours to cool down. It’s not like you killed someone, come on…”

“Yeah, but… what if he doesn’t forgive me?” He forgave him so many times, ever since that morning in the boys’ restrooms, what if this is his breaking point? “Then it’s his problem for holding you up to impossible standards, man, not yours. Don’t even try to fight me on that. You’re my best friend, Marti, and I won’t allow anyone to talk shit about you. Not even yourself.” “I’m far…” “… from perfect? Who isn’t? And don’t say Niccolò. Nope, I hate to break it to you, but he’s some major flaws too. And so do I, and so do you, Eva, Sofia, and anyone out there. Trust me: I call you out when you’ve got your head so far up your ass that you forgot how sunlight feels like and THIS is not the case. Don’t make me come over and drag you all the way to 5B’s door.” Martino is aware that it’s just an empty threat, that Giovanni would hardly ever pressure him into anything, and yet he sighs and promises he is going to be there for nine o’clock. Perhaps, if he gets out, Niccolò will feel like it’s safe to come back…

To Nico: Leaving for school, now. Hope I’ll get to see you, later.

It takes him the whole ride to school to decide that no surprise is worth having Ni thinking he doesn’t hold dear that 11th of October, that the day he felt an immediate and unprecedented connection to a nameless boy could ever be insignificant.

To Nico: Can’t wait for you to hear what I’ve got in store for tomorrow

As he expected, Nico doesn’t get back to him. It’s fine. He can wait.

*****************************

Alright: he might have overestimated his patience. He doesn’t know how much longer he can take, before he leaves no stone in Rome unturned while looking for Niccolò.

Thankfully, he’s got a plan to stick to. Sana’s. Who will most likely make him regret the day he was born, if he steps out of line. It’s not ideal, as it relies on too many factors – Nico having his phone on, reading his text messages, being in a place where he can listen to Radio Osvaldo – but it’s the best they’ve got.

“Well, thank you, Ivano… Sharing with us how it’s life with a bipolar disorder must have been hard, but I’m sure that many of our listeners found comfort listening to how you got your happy ending with Sax… To some of us things look so bleak we don’t even see the point of anything, but your story goes to show that it does get better, when you start building bridges instead of burning them. And Martino, you must be so proud of our special guest today. A woman who was brave enough to come and talk to all of us about she is dealing with her depression. Unfortunately she had to leave early, but thank Teresa on our behalf. We hoped to have a former student of this school to conclude this special feature on Mental Health Day, as they are dealing with one of the most stigmatized illnesses… Unfortunately they couldn’t join us. If you are listening, however, remember that we’re here for you. All of us.”

“I am. My mom truly is the best. Yeah, I can hear you all groan, but that’s a fact. It took me ages to see it, so maybe you should cut your parents some slack as well. Unless they’re abusive jerks, of course. And I couldn’t be prouder of that person you just mentioned as well. They keep on being strong, kind, and compassionate in a world that constantly tries to tear them down… They- ”

“Martino, if you keep on going like that you might just as well say their name.” Sana warns him, shooting him a reproachful glare. Too bad she can’t stop him. He just realized how he can make Nico understand he treasures every second they spend together. The best and the worst.

“They are who I want to spend my life with: Niccolò Fares, will you marry me?”

“YES!!” The door barges open, he’s swept off the seat and carried to the nearest secluded corner. What the fuck? He’s not complaining, but really: what the fuck has just happened?

*****************

They would later agree that the marriage is not going to happen for another couple of years, that a proper and more romantic proposal is order from them both… and Martino finds out that while he was busy with Sana, ‘contrabbandieri’ and ‘matte’ joined forces to delve into Nico’s past. So that they could call Niccolò’s old friends to the rescue. Together they managed to locate Nico and then Gio – of course it was him: the love wizard - and Michi talked some sense into him.

“So, tell me… What exactly have you got planned?” He sounds a bit hesitant, now that the euphoria of the impromptu proposal has worn off.

“I was thinking about a tutorial on how to grow weed in your closet. Followed by a cooking show hosted by the famous chef Niccolò Fares, a ten step guide to on how to break in a deserted pool, a top five on the most romantic spots in Rome… Can’t quite decide who’s gonna get the first place, the bins had their charm but so did the toilets…”

“… well, it can’t be a fair ranking until you’ve seen my favorite spot. Come on, Marti. Keats and Shelley are waiting for us!”

“Lead the way.”

[evakuality]

Skam fic reading thing

@canonicallyanxious tagged me in this like a million years ago but I’ve been putting it off because honestly how do I boil down everything I’ve read over the last year?  But then I figured I should do it and show some love to some of the great things I’ve read and remembered.  So let’s get to it:

The first fic you fell in love with: Ah man, I really don’t remember.  What I remember was soaking up everything that existed when I first discovered Skam in early 2017.  I suspect it was probably something by cosetties because I remember loving the way she writes the banter between the two of them, how real it feels and how much it seemed like real teen boys while also feeling very much like these characters I was in love with.

The last fic you fell in love with:  ‘The same amplitude and period’ by @vesperthine.  I remember feeling very unsettled after the first part of this fic.  Like I needed more, some sort of closure or something and I got it here in such a beautiful way.

The fic that you’ve re-read the most times: Hmmmm, I don’t really re-read much but I guess probably ‘open the pod bay doors’ by iriswests or ‘I’m always here’ by @nofeartina.  In both cases because I just love the interactions between them and I love the way Even is.  I know I’ve read both of these at least twice, so.  Those two I guess.

A fic that you didn’t expect to love as much as you do (based on the description, a pairing or whatever): ‘A mental archive of love unwanted’ by chevythunder.  I remember clicking on it because it had a couple of chapters and at the time I’d read everything else.  The idea of Even in love with Mikael, and Isak knowing was a bit offputting but in the end I looked at it and wow.  I really love this fic so much now.  In fact, if I was going to reread anything this would probably be the next on my list.

A fic you knew you were going to love from the first paragraph or even just reading the description: ‘making new cliches’ by @canonicallyanxious.  I’ve always loved her writing anyway, and I read her other Skam fics and fell in love, so I kind of knew I’d love this even before I started.  But that first section in Even’s PoV, with his mental bank where it comes to Isak and the way they connect even then … I fell deep and hard and never came back up.  This is still probably my favorite fic in this fandom.

A fic that makes you feel like shouting about it to anyone who listens because everyone needs to read it:  Apart from ‘making new cliches’, you mean?  (which honestly, I used to push at everyone I ever interacted with online until I’m fairly sure they started avoiding me).  Ummmm, I think that the other one I used to ask people if they’d read it yet was ‘boy with a basket of fruit’ by @fxckxxp.  It was just so immersive and beautiful and I wanted to shout about it with people and no-one was reading it.  Eventually they did and I could yell to my heart’s content but for a while there I was pretty keen to make others look at it.

The fic you are/were the most excited to be updated: Well, I fell in love with ‘a mental archive of love unwanted’ and so I remember being fairly impatient for the updates for that.  But the other one would be ‘I guess that’s destiny doing it right’ by @littlespooneven. I just remember falling in love with the story and the setting and just wanting more as soon as I’d finished the previous one.

The fic you caught yourself thinking/ theorizing about the most during your everyday life: I really don’t do this.  My everyday life is so hectic that I tend to have to compartmentalize: fic is for fic time and daily life if for daily life time.  The only times I’ve come close have been when I’ve said ‘oh I hope x doesn’t happen’ when something I’m reading isn’t going a way I like or enjoy.  I don’t want to say what those were though so I’ll leave this one.

A fic you want to print out and have it among your books on the shelf: I don’t know?  There are so many I actually really love.  So I think I’m just going to say every single character study I’ve read.  I love them and they tend to be so underrated, possibly because often the shippy stuff is secondary to the character’s development, and yet they are often where we find the best representations of the characters.

A fic universe you want to live in: Hmmmm.  Actually, probably ‘if I could fly’ by thekardemomme.  The idea of being a tiny fairy and eating blueberry cakes and stealing craft supplies to beautify my teeny tiny home?  That sounds pretty damn fun.  The only downside would be the keeping wings dry thing.

A fic to which you would read endless amount of follow-ups, one-shots, meta, etc. by the author:  ‘Don’t leave me (alone)’ by @crazyheartfics.  I just love this magical realism and the peeps from one world into another and I’d love to see more of it.  It’s such a fascinating idea and I love the way it all works.  I want to know more about it - does everyone get those connections?  Why do they happen?  Etc etc.  All the meta and all the follow up fics, pease!

The scene in a fic that made you laugh the hardest:  Probably the whole of ‘the balloon intervention’ by lovelycarcass.  I find it all so funny. I love that the balloon squad are so obvious in their pursuit of Isak for Even and yet how oblivious Isak is to them.  

The scene in a fic that made you cry the hardest: I don’t cry at fic?  I hardly ever cry when I’m reading (but for some reason I cry at the drop of a hat when viewing something, even an ad on TV, and I have no idea why this is).  But I think the fic that made me feel the most was probably ‘the notion of falling’ by smokeshop.  There was a lot in that one that was hard to read and which upset me, and yet I read it all in one sitting and couldn’t put it down.  It was very immersive.

A scene in a fic that left you hot and bothered: I don’t tend to get ‘hot and bothered’ but I do love to read connections between the characters so the scenes like this that get me are always the ones where there are deep feelings alongside everything else.  So the ones that I remember and which stayed with me for a long time were ‘I’m going to show you how to do it’ and ‘living happily with sugar on’ both by @fille-lioncelle.  I dunno, the feelings in those two were both so good.

A scene that squeezes your insides and hard to read but in a good way: Erm … that’s still ‘the notion of falling’ by smokeshop.  But if I had to choose another one I think maybe ‘with love, from anonymous’ by iriswests and cosetties.  I don’t recall them exactly, (though I think one was when Even was trying to tell isak about being bipolar? I think? And he thinks he’s the villain and I was just !!! stop being like that about yourself!!) but I remember several times in that fic when I was left with all these feelings and nowhere to put them after finishing a chapter.  I think having both PoVs in such depth really enhanced that feeling.

A twist that made you gasp out loud: I don’t remember any twist really making me gasp so I’m just going to leave this one.

A line, scene, a metaphor or an idea in a fic that made you think: I really enjoyed ‘sketches of Even’ by fandomlimb with the way the art was integrated into the fic and how organic that felt.  It was just so well done and I remember being quite sad when it came to an end.

A character you fell in love with because of a fic (or multiple fics): Ummmm, none?  I maybe appreciate Sonja a bit more but I’m not sure if that’s from reading some good portrayals of her or from thinking about her in my own writing.

A pairing you’ve grown to love because of a fic (or multiple fics): It’s not a pairing, but a threesome, which is Isak/Even/Jonas.  I don’t think I believe them as an ongoing thing (too invested in evak tbh), but I can 100% see them experimenting and enjoying it.

A fic you (re-)read if you have a bad day / would recommend for someone to read if they’re having a bad day: Much like pretty much everyone else, I think maybe ‘things look different in the morning’ by allyasavedtheday.  It’s just so soft and sweet and loving and makes you feel safe and warm and cuddled.  And when you’re having a bad day, what could be better than that?

A fic you (re-)read when you really miss Skam / would recommend for someone to read when they really miss Skam: I really don’t know.  Probably any or all of the ones I’ve mentioned.  They’re all ones that sucked me in and immersed me in some way

I can’t think of anyone to tag who hasn’t already been tagged or who I haven’t seen doing it already.   So please, if you haven’t been tagged and you want to do this, I want to read your answers.

[summerfitzy]

morning drive

Fandom: Skam Ship: Noora x William Summary: Noora and William on their way to Nissen. Set during 4x09. ao3

For the anon who requested this! Thank you so, so much for the insanely kind message <3

“I can’t believe we’re driving to Nissen in this car again.”

Brushing her fingers across the familiar leather of William’s Porsche, Noora rests her ponytail—well, what remains of her ponytail after the ten entirely unplanned minutes William spent kissing her by the passenger door—against the window and watches her boyfriend pull onto the road, his grey hood cloaking his head and his dark hair falling into his eyes. The Oslo sun beams around them, all lightness and chirping birds and other late springtime clichés.

It could almost be a flashback, if it weren’t even better than any of the memories she’s spent the last eight months replaying on loop.

“Did you miss it?” he asks, his eyes geared on traffic and blind spots even as his lips curve. It’s a familiar smile, one that he only really seems to give to her. He always has, even when Noora had no interest in drawing his smiles.

(Or so she used to tell herself.) (She used to tell herself that a lot.)

“The car? No.” Even a stranger would be able hear the answering smile in her denial.

He’s still looking ahead, but Noora catches his grin anyhow, the way it grows rather than falters. “You missed it.”

Noora wishes he had his hood down so she could drawl her fingers through his hair. She settles for saying, “Maybe I missed it a little.”

Keeping one hand on the wheel, William reaches for her palm with the other and pulls her fingers to his lips. A kiss for each knuckle. “If you skip,” he murmurs, almost into her skin, “we can go for breakfast.”

Noora rolls her eyes, pulsing their grips before guiding his hand back to the steering wheel. “We already had breakfast.”

“Second breakfast then. Somewhere that serves hot cocoa.”

Noora cants her head, presses her lips together, and—“No. You’re not bribing me into missing school with cocoa.”

“It’s the end of June,” he says, shooting her a deadpan look. “I promise you’re not learning anything today.”

“William.” His reasoning actually sounds reasonable, but she can’t let him know that; can’t let him know just how thoroughly he’s ruined her. 

(So thoroughly.) (Insanely thoroughly.) (She can’t stop smiling.) 

“My phone is dead,” she continues, “remember? I need to let my friends know that I’m alive.” She wondered throughout the weekend at the lack of messages from Sana and Eva and Vilde and Chris. Then she grabbed for her phone this morning, found it very dead, and the radio silence suddenly made sense. “And I need to let Sana know that I’m not mad.”

Only a few minutes left until they pull into Nissen. And even though she does want to see her friends, even though does want to talk things through with Sana, Noora can’t help but lean over until her palm lines are crossing William’s denim-clad thigh. She also wants their long weekend to last longer—would cling to it, tangibly, were it possible.

(It’s not.) (She knows that.) (She still keeps her hand on William’s leg.)

He looks over to raise an eyebrow at her. “Just ‘not mad?” he teases. Noora doesn’t know that William ever had a favorite out of her friends before, but thinks it’s safe to assume that Sana has won the spot.

“I might,” she concedes with an exaggerated sigh, “be happy.”

“Just happy?”

“I can come up with a few more synonyms if you’d like.”

She's close enough now that it’s easy for William to peck his lips across her cheek. “Smart girl.”

Laughter curling her lips, Noora prods his attention back to the road. “And what are you?” she asks.

William’s lips twitch. “I’m happy.”

“Just happy?”

“Really—” they’re almost to Nissen now “—fucking happy.”

“Me too.” Pulling her backpack up onto her lap, Nora tilts a wide smile at him. “Effulgently happy.”

William calls her a show-off.

Noora retorts that his car is the showiest thing she’s ever seen.

“And yet here you are inside it with me,” William says, turning his face now to take in her whole face.

She means to roll her eyes, but ends up staring into his instead, exasperated with herself but too blissfully content to care all that much about the sappiness of it all. “Will you just—”

“Shut up and kiss you?” William glances back to the road. He looks really, fucking, effulgently happy. “Yes. Just let me park first.”

(And Noora can’t even tease him for it, because, when she steps out of his car, she’s pretty sure she does too.)