#i love adil with my entire being

[thirteenis-myluckynumber]

I don't care if I'm disgusting for this, I want to f*ck this man so badly 😩

[arbitrarygreay]

Scourge action sequences from 3x10

Characterization in the cute Abigail-Adil sequence! Adil has never been trained on scourge work. So he can only do basic swings, and is just imitating Abigail doing them first. Abigail, of course, can still do the more advanced full spin techniques to finish.

Tally using spins to keep a space clear. The full body shot highlights the footwork needed for such techniques.

Full Tally and Abigail cooperative sequence! Lots to break down here:

Abigail using a charged scourge for a direct offense stab, though the Camarilla soldier is able to dodge and parry it.

Tally charges in for close quarters combat instead.

The Camarilla soldier that dodged Abigail's first strike charges her, trying a sliding low baton swing. Abigail dodges it by raising her leg (rather than giving ground), and follows up with a scourge swing to hit those behind her, similar to her stance when she finished the stairway sequence.

Tally's close-quarters combat ends with a backfist. She dodges under another soldier's swing, and then uses a shortened scourge length for semi-close offense, using a kind of figure-eight loop on both sides.

Behind Tally during that shot, Abigail is basically matching her movements, breaking from a grapple and then doing the same kind of one-side-then-the-other figure-eight, and pretty much in unison with Tally, too.

Abigail using the scourge for entangling her opponents so she can shove them away.

Tally does a back-kick on the opponent behind her? and then a haymaker punch on the one in front.

My favorite part of this sequence, which is Abigail's scourge double tap. First a horizontal sweep, and immediate reeling back straight into the finishing vertical strike TO THE FACE.

Tally axe kicks her opponent, and then does a horizontal scourge swing. Presumably she then repeated the swing on the axe-kicked soldier who was getting up behind her.

Abigail has a brief grapple with a soldier, and they both shove each other back. However, the soldier is surprised by Tally doing a sliding leg sweep out of nowhere, leaving him wide open for Abigail's scourge swing finisher. TEAMWORK!

It's just a really great sequence, as we see a wide variety of ranges and techniques. Far range, mid-range, close-quarters. Strikes, kicks, grappling, chaining into scourge offense whenever they can open up the space for it.

(Obviously Windstrikes weren't a part of the choreo for Rule of Cool reasons, but I also wonder if there are Rules of Engagement at play for the military, since we only saw the face-flaying when Abigail and Anacostia were emotionally compromised. We did see the Biddies mulch a guy in the Tarim, but Alder considered herself above the Hague's edicts, which probably extended to their rules on Canon.)

Production logistics aside, there are characterization implications to it being Tally and Abigail we see doing this. I noticed that we saw Tally and Abigail dance together twice, while never seeing them dance with Raelle. That dance affinity obviously would lend itself to the footwork for the scourge spins. But also, Abigail and Tally were very much honors students when it came to these things. Raelle demonstrated that she had the power for her scourge to do more than just bounce off of the dummy, but that's not the same thing as having beautiful technique. I made a joke post about it before, but there is an imagery of Abigail and Tally as twin flanking tall guardians. That point 10 teamwork certainly speaks to lots of practice together, given that they have to coordinate such that the scourge wielder does not accidentally hit the leg sweeper, and the latter has the trust the former on that.

(Even outside of S3, the writing does seem to go out of its way to avoid Raelle fight scenes. She's missing from 2x3 close quarters class while the 2x4 practice scene pointedly avoided showing her take her turn while the camera loves on Ashley and Jessica's swings. I think the only two times in the entire series we saw Raelle doing non-vocal combat was 1x8 and 2x8?)

[motherland]

Ship Spotlight: Raylla [Part 1]

Motherland: Fort Salem’s Taylor Hickson and Amalia Holm, sat down with us to chat about their characters, Raelle and Scylla, the Raylla ship, their favorite fan art, moral grey areas, and who else they ship on the show. Check it out:

Do you personally ship Raylla? Why or why not? 

Taylor Hickson: I do! I think Eliot Laurence and his writer's team are giving solid representation to communities, groups and individuals that felt unheard or misunderstood for a long time. I heavily connect with the idea of boundless love. I think to truly care about someone or something, you will face all odds in the way of you and your love. I'm very abstract in what I consider romance, but that is one traditional concept I've adopted and stand by. Love that lasts stems from "us vs. the world" not "us vs each other". I've spent a lot of time in my personal relationships making that discovery. I think that's something we see Raylla challenged with. Something they beautifully represent.

Amalia Holm: In the world of Motherland, I do! The strength they give each other is enough to make them both want to become better people, and I’m weak for that. In the real world, I think it’s hard to know when to let someone go — when the relationship is hurting you more than it is rewarding you. No matter the world, I do believe that people can change for the better.

Who else do you ship on Motherland: Fort Salem? 

TH: CRAVENWOOD. So cute!

AH: I ship Abigail and Adil. Hoping they will have a deep going relationship and teach each other about their two respective worlds. I like that Abigail falls for someone with a completely different world view. Can’t wait to see if Petra Bellweather will approve or not. If Adil continues to fall for Abigail, I wonder how that will be seen upon in his Tarim Cell.

Do you think that Scylla can be redeemed, especially given that she may feel regret for her actions? 

TH: I do! I'm personally a very forgiving individual. I believe that no one is purely good or bad. Our mistakes and choices can help us grow. Especially in our teens, when making discoveries about who we are feels a lot heavier. We're all trying to do the right thing and be the best versions of ourselves. These characters are plunging themselves into morally grey waters. Just like the rest of us.

AH: Tough question. In one way: yes, or I hope so. In another way, her actions have been justified by the war she is fighting and it will all depend on whether or not she will stick to her cause and in what context. Also, if she can find a measure of justice for her murdered parents. 

Do you think that Raelle will be able to forgive Scylla when she finds out the extent of what she’s done? 

TH: I think Raelle is a lot less forgiving than most people. She carries her pain from her past in all the decisions she makes. When she commits to taking someone out of her life, it's very hard to reconcile once she feels she's been betrayed. I'm hoping she can apply what she's learned and keep an open mindedness to other people's motivations and situations. It will be that much stronger to see such a reluctant character overcome her adversities.

AH: Depending on the strength of their connection at the time of Raelle finding out, she might be more or less willing to put her knowledge of Scylla’s heart and vulnerability first and see Scylla’s actions through a forgiving lens. It is in Scylla’s favor that Raelle previously has been such a critic of the military and how it endangers witches. They need to find a common way with much better means. Would love for one of them to run for office!

Can you share your favorite piece of Raylla fan art?

TH: There are SO many beautiful pieces. There are sooo many talented artists enjoying our show! It's impossible to pick just one. But because I have to, I’m choosing this one [by Ophélie Mähl] because it felt like a poster for their entire relationship.

AH: It took me forever to choose because I just want to honor them all. The little comics, the posters, the oil paintings...I’m choosing this one [by @runawaybeesh​] for its dreamlike setting where Raylla is spending time together outside of Fort Salem. 

If you were in your character’s shoes, how would you handle the situation that she’s currently in? 

TH: Both Raelle and myself mirror each other in love. We both work hard to maintain stability within our relationships. When that consistency is taken away from us, we get very messy; we feel powerless in our relationships or situations. It often leads to unintentionally hurting others we love while chasing to get that stability back. I see myself very likely reacting the same way.

AH: Right now Scylla is a wreck, having had her love and integrity taken away from her. Being a wreck, I think I too would lick my wounds and become a little morbid before recharging. It would all depend on how tired, hungry and drained I would be. If there is a hint of hope for my future, I hope I would have fought back with whatever I have.

But wait, there’s more! Check out Part 2 here and catch Motherland: Fort Salem Wednesdays at 9pm/8c on Freeform. Next day on Hulu.

[lifeandlemons]

Okay so I'm fairly new to the Motherland Fort Salem Fandom. But I binged the show in like three days and caught up to watch S2 EP9/10 live. So I'm sure that someone has already posted about this. But I just want to ramble about how much I love the show, Raylla in specific, and why I think they are soulmates.

In season 1, it was established that sexuality is very fluid in the MFS universe and it also doesn't really matter. It's never brought up as like a thing and even Elliot mentions in an After the Storm episode that sexuality is pretty irrelevant. You are free to love who you love and be whoever you want to be without any judgement. Which is quite the opposite of what we see in our world and most other shows with LGBT+ rep.

What's interesting is the shows take on the concept of marriage and I guess monogamy to a certain degree. During the Beltane episode we see Abigail with Clive and Augustin, Gerit despite being with Tally in the end is seen talking to other girls and is eventually married off. You can even see Glory off in the background leaving with a group of girls (whether that was romantic or more of a friendship connect that's up to you to decide). But from the very get go, all the girls are encouraged to meet and be with multiple different people. Not just one. It's about charging up and having connections and getting stronger. Whether that be a romantic or friendly connection.

This is further solidified when we find out in episode 5 that marriage is more of a contract to make kids rather than a lifelong commitment made from love. Charvel and Ciro are only to be married for 5 years to basically have kids and continue on the Bellweather line. Charvel even says that she's not upset about being married to Ciro because she isn't tied down necessarily she can still be with other people if she wanted. Ciro was more of a means to the end to create a "proper" Bellweather heir.

What makes me think Raelle and Scylla are soulmates is because in a world where monogamy isn't necessarily the norm in the militarized witches world we have a couple that is so thoroughly meant for only each other. That are so instantly drawn to one another and continuously fight for one another.

First off Raelle and Scylla only have eyes for each other. At no point do either of them show interest in literally anyone else. Which yes I know Scylla's initial interest is very sketch because she was told to get close to Raelle from the Spree... but work with me here!

Secondly, we have Raylla's parents. Willa married Edwin and stayed with him the entire time, even though he is a civilian and she likely knew that would be heavily frowned upon. I can only assume their marriage was formed out of love, rather than the obligation to have more girls to continue on the Collar line. Similarly, I'm assuming that Scylla's parents relationship was formed out of love due to the fact that they were dodgers and probably weren't fans of the "make babies for the army" thing that's going on. I feel like Raylla would see their parents love and want what they had. A super deep connection rather than a charge up so to speak.

Third, I want to compare their relationship to Abigail and Adil's. Abigail in season 1 was very casual with her sexuality having multiple partners. But we can kinda see that shifting in season 2 where she forms a really close bond with Adil and fights for their relationship despite her mother's wishes. She even says herself that her relationship with him is different because it's so much deeper than anything else that she's had. And it's when Alban Hearst says that the sky and earth cannot meet that they are basically prophesied to be together... i.e. soulmates. They are the opposites of each other, but they blend together so well. And besides Raylla they are the only couple that we see (besides background characters i.e. Willa and Edwin) that are dedicated to literally only one other person. Now I'd like to argue that Scylla and Raelle are kind of the same. Scylla being the earth, the Necro, connecting to death and bringing people back to life. Raelle being the sky, the the Fixer, healing people keeping them from dying. Together they form the circle of life. death and rebirth almost in a sense. They are the opposites of each other and that's why they work so well together. They are connected to each other on a much deeper level. And I mean opposites attract after all.

Idk if this makes any sense and I feel like I'm rambling here and none of my thoughts are coherent at all. But my main point is that in a world that is telling them they can't be together forever, they are saying fuck that because they're soulmates and they can do whatever the fuck they want.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

[tallycraven]

i feel like there's no fun in watching mfs if you're not here commenting on it. come back😔

HI HELLO I'M COMMENTING ON IT NOW WATCH ME GO

mfs's greatest weakness is how short the fucking seasons are. we were robbed of so many good on-the-run scenes. so many chances for character building and bonding and angst i'm gonna hurl.

haha i've definitely talked about a restructure/rewrite of the series n extending everything out with andrea klfbgjhbg

tally craven in civilian clothes has been everything i wanted and more i'm on my knees ma'am please i just wanna smash. those high waisted pants... those sweaters..... the beanies....

): raelle collar come back to me challenge.

the plot this season is fun. i like neon mushrooms and symbolism and death and rebirth and smiting fascists and i hope they do the latter part soon 'cause we're already 4 eps deep jeez.

lyne renee please choke me out i'm begging. alder is so good this season?? she's giving me Spirit Of the Shroom God. she's giving me Astral Projecting Cause She's Part of the Shroom Now.

part of the shroom, part of the crew.

raelle collar come back to me challenge.

oh dear lord the lore this season! they're not even in-depth diving into it and they've provided a bajillion lore hooks n story seeds... from the first song to necro work to THE FUCKING CESSION (wOOO YEAHAAHHWEOOOOE)! the world is becoming more and more colorful just from small lil details guh i'm being fed.......

i'm sorry who gave amalia the right to look that good ?? ??

hold on i have things to say about adil and abigail but they get their entire own post 'cause there another ask i see....

idk what kind of science izadora is doing but woo yes slay girl! you reconstitute that slime cloud into the former first daughter yes yeah woo! go queen!! i hope you get a ton of funding and use none of it for dastardly evil scientist reasons!

THE MARSHAL IS SO COOL fhfhfhhhhh i want more lore about native seed sounds. different ancient works and rituals and their relationship with the mycelium. :')

"witches is just a name they call us" fhufhcck me i knew it they're mushroom people. they're mutants. xmen....

this season is hyper predictable (they always are i guess) but tbf mfs has never been about the plot twists and has always been about the characters and the actors abilities to play them so well in a story about love that's so joyfully crafted.

i hope this was enough to tide you over

raelle collar come back to me or i'm gonna puke challenge.

[badgirlcovenrep]

My thoughts on Motherland Fort Salem: Ep. 6: "My 3 Dads"

- whew... this is gonna be a long one, this episode had SO MUCH going on

- I thought cape lady was Scylla for a second ngl

- this is like... way too much spree. Like- WAY too much

- the "bleed for freedom" speech is pretty poignant tho. Like, they're not wrong and that's what makes the Spree so scary to me

- I can see why witches would give their lives to the Spree with how the world is going for them and that's why they're so powerful

- tally is seeing through Alder's lies! My cinnamon roll will bring waste upon the U.S military herself and I'm SO here for it!

- so they hate Alder in the Cession? That brought me so any questions

- If the Cession is mostly native American is there some historical beef between alder and the first nations?

- when alder gave them the cession in exchange for biddyship like eliot said was it done as peacefully as alder implied? We know she could definitely cover up smth like this

- did she do something shady to get the biddies?

- They need Charvel's blood? How long has she been dead at this point? Does she even still have blood? I'm so confused

- love abigail and adil being rebelious together tho. They're so hot. I'm a sucker for bi couples

- i also think it's nice to see adil be so cool and outspoken, he's definitely different nowadays

- abigail's dads are so cute but i do not trust them

- can they legit leave abigail alone? Like they won't stop for A SECOND to acknowledge she's still traumatized from being hunted and almost killed but they want her to honor her family by being a glorified incubator for the army? Fuck THAT

- this handfasting thing makes me so MAD, literally EWWW

- Shane killed tiffany's parents... honestly i'm glad Scylla killed that psycho

- he deserved to die and Scylla did Brianna a favor idc what anacostia says

- he was definitely gonna groom his daughter into the Camarilla she's better off away from this mess

- hopefully bonnie and her get to have a normal life now

- I also fully support Tiffany going with the Dodgers

- they're truly the only pacifists out of this whole show

- and like Scylla said, if she goes there, she has a chance to actually choose for herself what she wants to do

- if she went with the military she'd be like, instantly conscripted, and she deserves to choose if she wants that

- #justicefortiffany

- so Raelle is only going to find out Willa is alive when she sees the bitch, huh? Okay. Okay, yeah. I'm fine...

- not really I'm dying inside this meeting is gonna be SO UGLY

- like if she found out first she'd have sometime to think about it, now she's just going to have to deal with it on the spot and that is NOT going to help

- the conflicting feelings are going to be delicious though, she's going to feel happy and relieved that her mom is alive but also probably be so hurt and angry that she left them to mourn her all this time I'm so nervous for all this

- beanie!Tally has my whole entire heart

- I don't like Anacostia being back with Alder but I guess she wasn't ready for all this shit

- scylla is way more of a little shit than she predicted

- I already love Gwen. I was hoping we'd get to meet Willa's unit at some point, wonder what happened to the third one

- cool to see her use the same off-canon work as Raelle tho, still curious to know where that came from

- love adil literally not caring about Abigail's family's dumb traditions

- also I hate her dads now

- like calling witches MARES??? What is wrong with these people?? Do they not see how wrong this is? 🤢🤢

- they literally KNOW they're treating Abigail like a freaking animal to be bred

- this is so disgusting I stg and so very reminiscent of how women were treated back in the day, like baby incubators

- did- did this show jus imply Abigail was made in an orgy...

- kinda liked seeing willa be so nice to tiffany, you can definitely see she has a lot of maternal traits abt her

- it MUST eat Scylla alive a bit that Tiffany lost her parents just like she lost hers

- the Camarilla keeping kids in animal cages and feeding them dog food is literally so vile. Eliot didn't have to go THERE, but he did and it makes this all so much scarier

- it's like willa said tho, they're doing this bc they're literally so scared of witches they won't even go for grown up ones

- we saw how they ran like little bitches when the lights went off at the party

- they're all just cowards

- on another note. "Bedtime for tally" lol

- YESSS put it all together, TALLY!! My baby is gonna start a rebellion I can feel it!

- was not expecting Nicte to still be alive tho

- in my head the flashbacks were WAY older

- Petra is being such a bitch to Abigail I stg. She said she'd change in episode 1 and she's only getting worse

- was not expecting granny Minerva to side with Abigail on this but literally GO OFF, LITERAL QUEEN OF PERFECT MICROBRAIDS

- YA'LL RAELLE IS SINGING. RAELLE IS SINGING STFU THIS IS SO PERFECT.

- if we don't get Raelle serenading Scylla by the end of this show what's even the point

- AND eliot said she was thinking about Scylla aaaaaaaa

- she deserved those dad hugs, I'm so sad she still thinks her mom's dead tho

- watching tip: go back on the scene Alder is getting her throat burned and just watch the biddies roll around dramatically on the floor. You don't have to thank me. I was laughing hard at that

- I had a feeling Raelle was gonna get taken but STILL JESUS THAT SCENE

- it scared me so much and poor Tally tried to save her 😔

- ya'll get what THIS means right??

- Scylla and willa are gonna HAVE to go get her

- there's no way they won't

- I'm 100% not ready for next week but I want it sooo bad

[teacupchimera]

idk about anyone else but I can never watch an ep of motherland just once, so here are some little details I noticed and feelings I had about 2x08 after watching it again:

-Scylla had kept vigil by Raelle’s bedside in the last episode, staying close so she wouldn’t be alone when she woke up and to make sure she was okay. but the next time we see them in the bedroom at the beginning of this ep, Scylla’s on the opposite side of the room, about as far from Raelle as possible. I think it’s interesting how the space was used - they’re still in the same room, unable (on Raelle’s part) and unwilling (on Scylla’s) to be apart despite the rather uneasy truce, but now that Raelle’s awake Scylla’s trying to give her as much space as she can until she’s given permission to come closer like she so desperately wants to. we see that, the next time they’re in the bedroom; Raelle seems to have softened and decided that she wants the comfort and companionship even though she’s still somewhat conflicted and Scylla is following her lead every step of the way.

-when Scylla hands Raelle the glass of water, Raelle takes it in a way that makes sure her fingers don’t touch Scylla’s. ouch :(

-also uh....didn’t Raelle pretty much just admit that Scylla is the love of her life? that whole ‘the two women I’ve loved most in this world’ line was a Lot lmao

-hi yes I am absolutely on the verge of tears every time I watch the unit hug when Tally finally gets there....Raelle’s face hurts my heart in that scene, she’s so so happy to see Tally and I cry. I love my girls sm!!!!

-Scylla and Adil friendship when

-it kinda breaks my heart how Scylla reacts to Abigail’s threats...like you can tell she’s not unaffected but she puts on this neutral mask and ‘idgaf and you don’t scare me’ attitude and it just...makes me sad idk

-this is mostly just me being a huge nerd but bats are nocturnal!!! seeing them in the daytime is usually an indication of rabies or some other sickness since it’s completely aberrant behavior, and the likelihood of an entire...swarm?? flock??? of bats all being afflicted is negligible at best. I feel like that should have been a dead giveaway that they might be related to the whole, y’know, Nicte business lmao.

-my little Raylla shipper heart hurts so much at Scylla’s expression when Raelle comes out of her hallucination like....she’s beside herself with worry and concern (not only for her life but for the emotional pain she was subjected to) and just. she loves her so much y’all :’)

-I didn’t really notice the first time I watched but the snippy little comment Raelle made to Scylla about knowing too much about Spree Work seemed kind of....out of place with how she’d been treating her the rest of the episode? and then the other girls (sans Scylla) were being similarly pissy with each other and I finally realized that Nicte’s Working in the cabin had probably already started, well, working on them at that point - Scylla wasn’t affected until she was in the thick of it since she’d had prior experience/exposure.

-I’ve talked about The Kiss^tm already but I do have a few more final thoughts: the only indecision that I sensed when Raelle was internally debating whether to go back or not was in the ‘when’ of it, not the ‘if’. I think she knows that the two of them are inevitable, and for her it was just a matter of whether she was ready to move forward or if she needed more time (thus the almost-kiss just prior). sure, I think she’s still struggling to reconcile just how strong her feelings for Scylla still are (cause that shit runs Deep) but she’s already made her choice. and, ultimately, I think that in that moment Raelle decides that she’d regret it if she didn’t kiss Scylla, especially since they’d just had a Moment and she’d made the opposite choice. when she does kiss Scylla, her face shows determination but mostly just relief, like she’s finally coming home. they still have a lot of work to do to mend their relationship if it’s gonna last and be good, but Raelle’s made up her mind and Scylla is It. theirs is an abiding kind of love, after all :)

-also, the fact that Raelle wants to be able to find Scylla (to come home to her, more like), is Huge. she wants to work things out so badly, wants Scylla to give her a reason to trust her again, to know she can rely on her - and, most importantly, she wants her to stay. it feels to me like Raelle is setting Scylla up for success - she’s giving her a safe environment where she can continue to nourish the good parts of herself and a way to prove herself to Raelle for both their sakes.

-last but not least, I didn’t realize until this rewatch just how horrified Alder looked to see such hatred directed at her on Tally’s borrowed face??? the fact that Nicte was impersonating Tally of all people seemed to really unsettle her. Interesting.

[random-french-girl]

Motherland Fort Salem 2x07

JESUS. 

- Raelle my poor baby. They really put her through the ringer this episode. Torture, dying and coming back to life rinse and repeat, thinking she was gonna kill those kids, being reunited with her mom only to immediately lose her again, waking up to an ex who betrayed her... GOD let the poor girl take a nap! Give her an ibuprofen! Send her to therapy for a million years! 

- I am DELIGHTED that in this episode Raelle gets saved by her two girlfriends. I am DELIGHTED by every tiny interaction we got between Scylla and Abigail: the pettiness! the stubbornness of them both! the loyalty! They love Raelle so much and in such similar, fierce, reckless ways! The fact that their first instinct, both of them, as soon as they realize Raelle is in danger, is to run to her. Their first instinct, when seeing Raelle lying on that torture bed, is to run to her. And then Scylla not letting Abigail enter the room! Abigail grumbling for a hot minute but not really insisting that Scylla should go! I LOVE THEM YOUR HONOR.

- Adil and Abigail + Scylla and Willa >>> the entire army. Like, on one hand I’m so happy Raelle’s rescue happened exactly like that, on the other hand... rip Alder but that’s a pretty bad look. 

- Tally VS Nicte VS Alder is gonna be fun! Also I really liked that scene of Tally meeting the dodgers. Season 1 Tally could never! I really do love the inversions they’ve been playing with re:the main trio and their relationship to the Army, between season 1 and season 2. It’s fun storytelling, and a nice way to challenge the characters. Also my girl Abigail finally avenged her cousin :’(

- Do I care that they killed Raelle’s mom? Heh. Did not expect it, because it was such a great plot point to mine for conflict and tension and emotional scenes, and now it feels kind of... wasted. I don’t know, I wish they’d done more with her, but I never vibed with the character so I’m also happy she’s gone :I

- Super excited for next episode. I’m hoping for some unit bonding, some Scylla/Raelle angst, some Scylla/Abigail jealousy tension, and for Raelle to at least drink a hot chocolate or something maybe before going back to her favorite activity these days: getting murdered. 

[joanabianchi]

So... About That Episode

Spoilers below the cut, but everything above is spoiler free.

So, I caved and watched the first episode of Motherland: Fort Salem S2 via Outfest Now (whether this was intentional or not, is to be seen). 

Overall, the season premiere is good, but not great IMO. It has good set ups, definitely some good moments, but the series continue to suffer from its 10-episode count for the season in that the pacing suffers a bit (I felt like this with Season 1 as well, the first half and second half had WILDLY different paces for me). It’s made me excited for the rest of the season, and a step up from the initial premiere (as to be expected, but not my favourite episode of the season.

I guess if you have any questions about the episode and want a spoiler free (or not) response, lemme know? 🤷‍♀️ 

Overall, the episode is good, but the pacing really suffers in my opinion. They stuffed a lot into one episode. Finding the new girl. Bringing her back. Raelle and Abigail being lost. Bringing them back. Willa and Scylla’s storyline. Tally not being a biddy. 

It just felt like a lot, and you can tell they kind of have to do all this set up now because the season is only 10 episodes. They could have done less set up in this episode, and more hinting at (perhaps on the new girl situation I’m thinking, and lingering more on raelle/abigail being lost and tally being a biddy) and linger more on the scylla/willa scenes. 

Speaking of those, I loved them personally, but would have liked more. I liked the flashback and the continued introduction of the whatstheirname. 

Some of the script had some dialogue choices I found interesting, and I overall don’t super care about Adil and Abigail as a couple, and I really hope Tally is this pro-Alder for the entire season or she’ll annoy me. 

As well, the war college scene wasn’t a super big shock considering I’ve been following spoilers but that’s just my fault lmao. 

[backstabkitty]

Sorry, I’m stuck on this

So I went back and watched the scene with Sterling/Anacostia. He says that the Vice President is a pretty good guy “for a civilian”. So then he IS a witch. Confirmed. And he said he was given the weekend off. I’m sorry. This still makes NO SENSE to me if the VP is Camarilla. Why would his personal bodyguard be a witch? He has spent the entire season acting like being a witch is the worst thing that could have happened to his daughter. But he hires one to be his personal bodyguard. Make it make sense. And if he orchestrated the attack on the base why would he dismiss his bodyguard(which removes him from danger)? Wouldn’t he want him to die too? He seems to have no problem sacrificing literally everyone else including his daughter. Or am I just truly wrong about the VP and he has been a red herring this whole time and actually does care about his daughter? IDK, man. I doubt it.

I still think its more interesting in the long run if Sterling IS a little shady cause I don’t like happy couples with no conflict and so far that's the only possibility that makes him even a little interesting to me at the moment. Don’t give Anacostia somebody boring for the love of God. That's like tying bricks to her ankles. I don’t really care about any of these witch dudes tbh. None of them are good enough for my babies. Save for Adil and it took AWHILE for me to get there with him. But Sterling’s only had two scenes. I should give him a chance but....you know...I’m Petty LaBelle. We’ll see where they go with this.

[rappaccini]

alright motherland: fort salem thoughts

(spoilers)

motherland: fort salem is an awful title. make it one or the other, not both.

the opening title sequence is one of the best i've ever seen. beautiful, atmospheric and does a great job of setting up the worldbuilding.

the three mains really start to evolve from their generic ya protag starting points. rae, tally and abigail are really solid, if sometimes waylaid by writing that doesn't let them evolve much beyond their types (The Rebel, The Sweetheart, The Good Girl, respectively).

and their friendship dynamic is excellent. they did a great job with that evolution from unit to best friends.

(granted the acting is less-than-wonderful. i think someone else could've elevated the material, but they just kinda... deliver it adequately. everyone undersells very intense emotions and it's very... whelming.)

i don't care about rae and scylla or abigal/adil for inverted reasons: i like adil's effect on abigail, i just think he's made of cardboard; i dislike how immediately ride-or-die raylla are when they barely know each other (and when scylla is lying to rae the entire time they're together) but i think scylla is a much better character.

i swear the one time i want a slowburn rivals-to-lovers vibe (with abigail) over the juicy spy-falling-for-her-mark story, they don't do it. abigail x rae supremacy, not sorry about it.

but it was great for scylla to be on her own in s2. that saved her from amity blight syndrome.

eliot laurence is being added to my list of male showrunners who can be trusted with female and queer characters. proving to all of us that all that's required to get minority characters right is.... competence at your fucking job. it's not hard, you just have to try.

this show feels like it's a live-action american version of an anime, a comic adaptation, or a ya novel adaptation. it being 100% original just for tv is wild. i can't believe it was greenlit.

can't get over how an abc freeform show has a canon sex holiday for teen witches to have state-sanctioned orgies, or subplots about how our plucky teen protags have to have arranged polyamorous marriages to young men so they can be bred like racehorse mares or prized showdogs.

or that they have so many queer characters, queer romances, queer dynamics... (on top of rae/scylla, rae's gay friend being treated so evenly and not like a punchline and them bonding organically over being queer, rae's dad having such an accurate Straight Dad Trying To Be Chill Abt His Lesbian Daughter vibe, the gnc character being treated as totally ordinary... even abigail having three dads. her mom literally has a harem.) i can't believe this is a cable tv show made for teens on a network that's basically the disney cw.

the spree's fire-burning disguise? fucking badass. there are some incredible images in this show.

that being said i hate the orange-and-blue filter.

the dope ancient families? i'm obsessed with learning more about the bellweathers.

the magic system is the most unique thing about this show. witchcraft as siren song is a wildly unique concept, and i love how seriously they take it-- something that could otherwise be very goofy ends up very cool.

granted i think it's so big that it's hard to follow. it doesn't really mean much if abigail and rae are adding to witch canon if we barely know the limits of witch canon

for that matter the thing that makes this show stand out is undoubtedly the world. all the tiny details, the little cultural mentions like different states (and the cessions), the religious divergences (goddess instead of god, christo-pagan being a sect), the technology being outdated bc of magic's influence, the alternate wars, the mothertongue, biddies.... insane. absolutely insane

the shift towards matriarchy because of three hundred years of witches from matrilines being the backbone of the military. the religion. the magic system. it's ridiculous but the show takes itself completely seriously, so it works.

granted the balloons-are-a-symbol-of-malice shit is still... hilarious.

i would absolutely read an entire book just about this world and how the witches' involvement in us and world affairs changed history. i'm watching just to get a look at this world.

.... but a lot of the worldbuilding has holes.

(like, 'wow rae has a cession drawl' as she talks no differently from everyone else. someone needed to get this actress a voice coach.)

like 'chippewa cession is in the carolinas but the map clearly shows that the whole cession runs through the middle of the country and the chippewa are from the upper midwest/great lakes'

like, witches are the dominant force in us politics and military, yet for some reason anti-witch christianity is still in power.

like, 'hey, witches only pass their powers down their maternal lines of descent, and we need more witches to be bred. let's send all our female witches of childbearing age to war when we have male witches who are just as powerful and don't pass their powers on to their kids.' .............????? that's dumb.

or the bellweather line of witches being So Special and vital to preserve, and having enough power to get themselves cushy command positions out of danger, yet there's only one bellweather daughter left? abigail should have a dozen sisters and cousins.

or rae and tally being the last of their oh-so-precious lines (and rae in particular having Powerful Genes), yet being sent to war instead of made to have babies.

and the plots and theming take turns that i kind of hate. we spend a whole season watching the spree murder thousands, except, oops actually they're Just Misunderstood? too late.

or the Blood Purity thing about the witch matrilines.... look bro if you're critiquing it you're doing a shit job. and just because a character of color is Purest Of Blood doesn't make it less icky a concept.

and the rise-of-skywalkery 'your bloodline is what makes you special' shit. gross.

particularly with abigail's s2 plot literally being 'so who do you want to be bred to? remember you have no choice. you, a teenage girl, will be isolated from your friends and peers, impregnated and used as a brood mare to pump out more soldiers to fight and die in our forever wars. but hey, lets meet these hot boys!' i mean... dear god. run abigail run.

.... can't get over how abigail is STILL so gung ho about the status quo after she watches it murder innocents and try to turn her into a brood mare. she just does not consistently develop.

we end s1 with general alder pulling a coup and mind controlling the president to secure unlimited power. and then sending three teenage girls on a suicide mission to keep them from telling anyone... yet she's Secretly Justified? and then in s2 is Bad again after an entire season of proving herself trustworthy? i swear the show cannot make up its mind about her. pick one or commit to a shift from one to the other.

and how was she still in power if her superiors know she was power hungry. makes no sense

we spend an entire season questioning the institution of the witch conscription and how ethical it is to constantly keep up forever wars, and how sus the us's involvement in world conflict is... yet we end on a note of Join The Army, Girls!

s1 establishes that witches are revered and adored, but in s2 they're suddenly not anymore and they're an oppressed minority group being hunted by witch hunters..... no. you can't make that massive a public opinion shift in a matter of weeks when the group in question has been dominant for FOUR HUNDRED YEARS and is baked into national identity.

also given how much shit the witches do in s1, having the witch hunter bigots be to a certain extent right about wanting to be free from them by any means necessary is... Not Good.

s2 really does blow a lot of holes into everything. still entertaining, but not nearly as tight as 1.

(hot take: s1 ending on the girls concluding military school and being sent into the field was great. sending them BACK in s2 killed that momentum. we needed to be done with witch school after s1.)

(hot take: bc development is always the best when you shove a character into the toughest situation they could face, the end of s1/start of s2 should've been: type-a legacy kid kool-aid-drinker abigail deserting and running away with the dodgers after seeing what the army were doing to the tarim. sweet flower child who firmly believes the army just wants to help ppl and wants to protect people tally joining the spree after getting livid at all the war criming. rebel slacker rae becoming the most loyal to the army and joining alder's inner circle as she completes her coup attempt.)

feels like the plots they wanted to explore just don't fit the world they made. and that their characters are just vessels to tell us about the world. or that they don't understand how to competently write the themes they want to explore. they're too ambitious for their own skill level, but i'll take that any day over being too cowardly to go for it with your batshit world.

still the world and the concepts alone are cool enough to stick around for. i'm gonna stick with the show, esp since it's getting one more season. maybe they'll into-the-badlands this shit and really come through in the final act. maybe not, but at least it'll be enjoyable and not too much of a time commitment.

[reconditarmonia]

Dear Trick or Treat Author

Hi! Thank you for writing for me! I’m reconditarmonia here and on AO3. I have anon messaging off, but mods can contact me if you have any questions.

The Locked Tomb | Motherland: Fort Salem | Sleep No More | Teixcalaan

General likes:

– Relationships that aren’t built on romance or attraction. They can be romantic or sexual as well, but my favorite ships are all ones where it would still be interesting or compelling if the romantic component never materialized.

– Loyalty kink! Trust, affectionate or loving use of titles, gestures of loyalty, replacing one’s situational or ethical judgment with someone else’s, risking oneself (physically or otherwise) for someone else, not doing so on their orders. Can be commander-subordinate or comrades-in-arms.

– Heists, or other stories where there’s a lot of planning and then we see how the plan goes.

– Femslash, complicated or intense relationships between women, and female-centric gen. Women doing “male” stuff (possibly while crossdressing).

– Stories whose emotional climax or resolution isn’t the sex scene, if there is one.

– Uniforms/costumes/clothing.

– Stories, history, and performance. What gets told and how, what doesn’t get told or written down, behavior in a society where everyone’s consuming media and aware of its tropes, how people create their personas and script their own lines.

Smut Likes: clothing, uniforms, sexual tension, breasts, manual sex, cunnilingus, grinding, informal d/s elements, intensity.

General DNW: rape/dubcon, torture, other creative gore; unrequested AUs, including “same setting, different rules” AUs such as soulmates/soulbonds; PWP; food sex; embarrassment; focus on pregnancy; Christmas/Christian themes; infidelity; unrequested polyamory; focus on unrequested canon or non-canon ships; unrequested trans versions of characters; breakups; focus on grief; unequal levels of investment in a relationship (including concerns about same that turn out to be unwarranted), or the idea of a character accepting something they're unhappy with as the most they're going to get.

I am requesting only fic, but open to art treats!

—

Fandom: The Locked Tomb Trilogy - Tamsyn Muir (Treat, Trick)

Character(s): Matthias Nonius

Nonius was one of my favorite new characters in Harrow the Ninth. His whole impossible arrival via evocation-by-poetry, battle with the Sleeper, and epic departure to fight the Beast made me very, very happy on levels I have trouble explaining. It was so heartwarming?! Because it was impossible, and because poetry won, and because they went off to do the best they could…I don’t know, exactly. (Iiiii also just love that he’s named for the Redwall mouse.) I’d love to read more about his life - being unprepossessing and very human but also paladin-like and really fucking good at being a swordsman, representing the Ninth House in slightly less decrepit times, his mysterious past with Gideon the First (and Pyrrha, sort of), however it happened that he died far from home in an unknown place and couldn’t be recovered for burial, “chickenshits don’t get beer”? Or, er, his afterlife - going to fight with Marta, Ortus, and Pro, re-encountering G1deon as allies…

—

Fandom: Motherland: Fort Salem (TV) (Treat, Trick)

Character(s): First Bellweather Ancestor, Original Historical Witch Character(s)

The alternate history that the show has created is so interesting and I’m craving expansion of that through fic! Tell me about the Bellweather ancestor who was a slave and ended up powerful and influential enough to begin a dynasty, and how she met and was recruited by Alder. Or other enslaved witches, witches in the American Revolution or the Civil War, or the founding of Fort Salem and standardization of American military magic with its various influences, or Chinese or Jewish or Mexican immigrant witches who maybe came from different magic traditions and might have had to make the choice of whether or not to reveal that they had magic (if the system knows you because of your descent in the country?), serving their country but also binding their daughters and granddaughters forever.

Not that there's any need to include present-day characters as a frame story, but on the off chance you do, I do ship Abigail/Raelle, with Abigail/Adil as a particular NOTP and Raelle/Scylla as kind of a soft NOTP.

Fandom-Specific DNW: I didn't enjoy the overt eugenics plotline this season and would prefer that nothing about breeding witches for stronger magic or particular traits (as opposed to any social reasons for arranged marriage and high society matching) be present in the fic.

—

Fandom: Sleep No More (Treat, Trick)

Character(s): Bald Witch, Sexy Witch

One of my favorite things about Sleep No More was the idea of this world of darkness and magic that’s underlying or intertwined with the social world, rather than in a separate space - I loved seeing the Witches at the ball and, holy shit, Bald Witch pulling off her wig after the ball in her solo ritual thing! (I hadn’t realized it was a wig until that moment.) So -

how do either of these witches interact with the normal world (Paisley/the hotel/etc.) or deliberately carve out other spaces (like the apothecary shop)? For that matter, I love the apothecary shop and Bald Witch's scene in it so more about that would be awesome.

How did the Witches find each other - before or after they were witches?

Are they immortal, and if so, what’s that like for them?

How much do they have a day-to-day life vs. witching all the time?

If you want to ship them together, and/or with Hecate (or both) I’m very up for that as well. Some sexy prompts if you go in that direction -

ritual sex magic to make something happen or share power?

If they have non-witch personas and sleep together while they’re being normal people, is there still magic?

Sex in one of the play locations - the apothecary, the ballroom, the bar that’s the empty shell of the real bar?

Slow dancing nude, or another inverted version of something in the normal world?

Fandom-Specific DNW: f/m ships with requested characters

—

Fandom: Teixcalaan - Arkady Martine (Treat)

Character(s): Three Seagrass, Twelve Azalea, Twenty Cicada

I found these characters delightful, and I would love to see any of them in some slice of life that tells us more about the City and Empire worldbuilding. Honestly I would probably read an entire novel about Reed and Petal in college doing absolutely nothing (to be clear, the fic doesn't need to include both) - what are some other things they do for fun, or places they like to go? Shit they accidentally got involved in in school or while working in the Ministry? (A scene is fine, I know the exchange has a 300 word minimum and am not trying to box you into writing a whole plot.) And on the flip side, Swarm's entire existence as the Teixcalaanli officer par excellence, the loyal adjutant, who's also a very visible minority doing minority things is really interesting to me. What are some other practices in the homeostat-cult and how does he manage to do them in his job? (Or Teixcalaanli things he doesn't do?) More about how he feels about being a part of Teixcalaan?

Fandom-Specific DNW: Swarm's canon fate makes me sad so I wouldn't want fic about it.

[tsthrace]

Hey Tsthrace, hope you're well. I was wondering if you have seen the MFS Comic Con panel and if so, do you any thoughts about it? Do you think what was revealed bodes well for season two?

Just listened! A few thoughts:

I think what Eliot revealed about season two was pretty much what we expected, though it seems like there will be some interesting deeper dives—like how the biddies are intimately connected to Alder, that they experience her memories. I LOVE that arc for Tally. I think, out of the unit, she’s the one who has the capacity to truly see and hold and empathize with Alder’s past. It will get her even further beyond her shallow and oversimplified understanding of the Army, Alder, and her own place in the world (which was already fully happening). I do think Tally will get un-biddied at some point, but it sounds like she’ll be aged for at least a little while. I wonder what that means for her age when (if?) she stops being a biddy.

Eliot also confirmed a Spree/Army get-together (barbecue?), which bodes well for a Raylla reunion. I REALLY hope they do the emotional work of redeeming Scylla, and that Raelle really gets to hash out what will certainly be extremely ambivalent feelings about both her and her mom. But you know how I feel about these situations (though I cannot for the life of me find that post in order to link where I’ve written about this).

It seems like Adil is staying in our lives and that he’ll be teaching folks Mother Tongue, maybe at War College? And Abigail seems to be heading to War College (once she and Raelle find their way out of Witch Bomb world and back to the other side of the literal world). So I guess his and Aibigail’s relationship will likely continue. Which is fine, I guess. You also know how I feel about this.

Anyhow, I’m psyched for season two. I can’t wait for flashbacks and backstories and Scylla’s redemption arc. I can’t wait for us to fall in love with Alder despite ourselves. I can’t wait to see how Anacostia is going to sneak through those back channels to get Spree info (which for sure means she’ll be the one arranging the barbecue). 

The only thing I’m meh about is more boys at War College. Literally no show on the planet needs more boys in it.

Some other observations: 

I loved how Taylor was quiet the entire interview until she chimed in at the end to talk about poor LGBTQ/Black representation and how Hollywood likes to pat itself on the back for throwing in token characters without giving them any substance��or worse, just killing them off. (I also loved that White Fragility was in her background.) She just dropped those truth bombs while also lifting up MFS as an exception to all of that. (p.s. While I think it’s great that the show has two Black primary characters, they could do even better.)

Demetria is badass, and if I had to pick anyone to go to war with/be my ride or die bff, it would be her. The actor. Well, also Anacostia. The character. Both. I can have both, right?

I didn’t realize how awesome Lyne Renée is. She wants to do right by Alder in such a deep and authentic way. 

[aziraphalesangel]

Horror Au

because I really really really want this so I will pad it out and offer a small portion of my sanity and my undying love in return for someone else turning it into an actual fic

1900, the halcyon hotel is built by lawrence hamilton’s eccentric great uncle, a university graduate in architecture and medical science (an odd sounding combination, but consider, he was rich, bored, and had no need for a job due to a hefty inheritance. after completing his architecture degree the then lord hamilton designed his “murder hotel” - he had a morbid curiosity with human biology, particularly in regards to stress responses and all the ways a person can be murdered)

people begin going missing in the hotel, a combination of staff and guests, only a few at first, not quite enough to gain police interest but enough to start rumours. old lord hamilton starts coming up with ways to make it seem like the missing people had simply left; a missing staff member’s resignation letter and notice handed in to their landlady; a foreign couple’s transatlantic ship tickets; keys handed back and a housekeeper swearing up and down that they saw that local family check out of the hotel a week ago. the sinister reputation fades into a story used to tease small children, and gain the curiosity of international travellers.

the trail of skeletons being donated to medical schools across england eventually catches up with the old lord, and he is arrested and hanged for the murder of X amount of people; lawrence’s grandfather inherits the hotel and the family never mentions the founding lord again. if any one asks, it was lawrence’s grandfather who commissioned the building, and the story fades to little more than old wives tales. it is generally considered a myth; lawrence’s great uncle is wiped from family records and eventually appears to have never existed at all. the maze of windowless rooms and hidden passages within the walls are forgotten about entirely.

fast-forward to 1940; lawrence hamilton dies, freddie inherits the hotel. mr d’abbervile arrives, but he never catches toby and adil; however, solidifying his position as part of the hamilton family is deemed necessary in order to secure and pass on information, guarantee his safety, and allow him to meet various contacts. he marries priscilla in may 1941. the twins aren’t sure what it is they don’t like about him, but they always feel somewhat uncomfortable around lucien.

whilst snooping around the hotel, lucien discovers the secret maze; the old lord’s tools and devices, several broken skeletons he never managed to donate (method of death was... too obviously unnatural), and many of the rooms smell like old blood. he passes this on to asper.

the maze becomes a sort of base of operations at first; lucien and asper meet with various contacts there, information is exchanged and its not so different to what they were doing before. and then they discover a double agent. there are weapons of various kinds, old as they are, and either asper or lucien kills the double without thinking too far ahead.

however, the agent has already passed the information on to their superior. so the pair come up with a plan to lure them to the hotel, and they kill them too. they then lay low for a while, but the missing agents are never traced back to the hotel/to them, and so they consider, why spy for information when they can catch allied agents and get the information directly from them and then kill them without being caught?

which they do. with several agents. and eventually lucien finds out that toby got a promotion at the war office, which means that he now has more sensitive information than statistics about supply ships. it’s a risk, because it has the potential to threaten his standing with priscilla and his regard in the hotel. he is largely liked by most people, only mr garland and the twins (and because of this, to an extent adil, emma and joe), don’t like him, though they have been given no reason so far to suspect anything particularly sinister about lucien. until he and asper essentially kidnap toby.

by this point lucien has been around for a few years (let’s say its 1943). there have been several missing agents within england, and while a few were originally suspected to be deserters/traitors who made a run for it, mi5′s attention has been somewhat caught. the disappearance of a lord’s brother, with a relatively minor position (toby obviously doesn’t do field work), is what brings them to the hotel.

whilst this is happening, there are various shenanigans within the hotel in an effort to find toby. adil and emma independently ask joe to find out information; adil teams up with joe who teams up with emma who teams up with freddie to find toby, but joe, who realises why adil is so distressed about toby’s disappearance, can’t tell emma that he’s also working with adil, so while everyone is trying to find toby, no one is really talking to each other. its a very long winded game of telephone, which does occasionally have the expected complications in regards to miscommunication, but mostly only with minor things, or in such a way that one of them misinterprets something which results in them finding a new legitimate lead.

meanwhile toby is tied up somewhere in the hotel with asper, who just lives in the maze at this point. *insert gruesome methods of getting toby to talk here*. sometimes guests could swear they heard screams in the night. the old rumours resurface with a sort of fairytale quality, but adil/joe/emma/freddie all chase it up in the same over complicated way as before, but eventually joe snaps and makes freddie work with him and emma. eventually emma works out that joe is still working with someone else which eventually results in her teaming up with adil too. so eventually the only person not 100% in the loop is freddie, which is mostly fine because freddie does have to keep going back to the RAF base in between all this.

when asper leaves toby alone however, toby could swear he can here familiar voices through the walls. it only takes him a few days to realise he’s still in the hotel

unlike lawrence’s great uncle though, asper and lucien do not remove their victim’s bodies from the hotel. guests and staff alike (particularly housekeeping) begin to complain about an awful smell in parts of the hotel. in at least one room the skirting board and carpet are stained with something that might be blood. this in connection with toby’s disappearance brings mi5 back to the hotel again.

a warrant is issued to search the hotel; toby’s room is trashed (again. priscilla wonders what they think would have changed this time...), the wall with the blood stain and the strange smell is torn down despite some protest - but freddie gives the final permission. meanwhile adil, joe and emma have found one of the external entrances to the maze. with mi5 entering literally through a wall (leaving asper and lucien entirely unprepared) and the others through one of the entrances, asper is trapped inside. he’s apprehended by mi5, while toby is found by adil, joe and emma. the hamiltons and mi5 find adil clinging to toby’s unconscious body while emma and joe attempt to patch him up.

lucien tries to spin a story about how he had nothing to do with anything, but asper sells him out immediately. they both hang. toby wakes up in hospital surrounded by his family and the garlands; emma pulls a stunt to give adil, and later joe, a chance to see toby too for a bit.

there is however, a strong possibility the hotel goes broke after this. a few generations later, one of the hamilton grandkids reopens it as a tourist attraction probably.

[lesbianholster]

In honor of Toby and Adil’s anniversary being today-ish, I present: a list of their top ten moments as ranked by yours truly

(which would have come with images but apparently tumblr’s being homophobic tonight)

Ten: Adil offering Toby a drink when he literally already has one (episode 5)

It may not be particularly explicit, but by God, it’s a fantastically ridiculous scene. Theresa’s being uncomfortably straight (or at least trying to be straight, but that’s a topic for another post), Toby’s dying in repressed gay, and Adil is over here offering a nice twist on buying your crush a drink. Like, he’s really going “back off, that boy is mine” but in bartender. Truly playing the long game here.

Nine: The end (episode 8)

No doubt extremely painful; I mean, Adil nearly d*ed and we get the most heartbreaking “I love you” in the entire show (already a hard bar to cross!), but still places because of Toby frantically running across London to save his love and because of how thoroughly this smashes the Bury Your Gays trope. Anyways can’t believe they made up and lived long enough to get legally married in 2013!!!

Eight: The entire coffee debacle (episode 4)

This scene isn’t overtly romantic, plus Toby’s too worried about his brother maybe being dead to appreciate Adil shooting his shot, but hey, it’s still nice to have a little confirmation of Adil’s feelings. Tragically Tom being a straight idiot kind of kills the vibe but also somehow improves it? In general, it’s just a nice “being dumb around one’s crush” scene with no uncomfortable implications!

Seven: Turning down Theresa (episode 5)

Even after running away, Toby’s still not throwing himself into heterosexuality, and Adil, clearly freaking out, allows himself a little smile, like maybe things will really be ok. Perhaps this isn’t the start of something beautiful, but it’s certainly paving the way for things to come.

Six: Adil leaving Toby’s room without an ounce of subtlety (episode 6)

Once again, this show manages to tastefully convey that They Fucked without showing them doing the deed, even if it’s in the stupidest way possible (though Adil buttoning up his jacket after leaving Toby’s room is pretty funny). Also that little damn cheek pinch is just so unnecessarily adorable and I could stare at it for hours. But alas, D’Abberville, being D’Abberville, just has to ruin it...

Five: This damn domestic bliss (episode 7)

It’s got it all: a thirst shot of Akshay Kumar showing off his workout routine, Toby lounging around in his little twink-ass dressing gown and being a total pillow princess, Adil checking him out and being all “short top rights,” the flirting,my God! This definitely would have been right at the top of the list had it not been for, uh, Later (see: D’Abberville ruining everything!!!). Let’s just pretend this scene ends early and we’ll be fine

Four: The first kiss (episode 5)

What a delightful scene! They’re all cute and playful while hiding from The Straights but also just blatantly dropping all of their braincells on the floor. Plus, Adil going all “on God I will kiss my crush on the clock” is a nice glimpse into his more impulsive side. Tragically Toby’s still very repressed so he has to run away to Figure Some Things Out once he accidentally realizes he was kissing back, but also points for this being the gay awakening. Congrats, you two!!

Three: “Oh, thank God!” (episode 6)

I mean, just look at it! Toby jumping Adil the first chance he gets! And worrying! And them both realizing just how much they really love each other!! The first appearance of the gay-ass dressing gown!!! “You were that worried about me, huh?” “Oh, shut up. You have no idea.” LIKE I AM EMO DO NOT TOUCH ME

Two: The Glass Scene (episode 3)

Ah, this. The moment the subtext finally became text. A moment so quintessentially gay I had to make it my icon. Flirting + the essential period drama shot of a closeup of two hands meeting + Joe knowing exactly what’s up = a classic. Also, it’s a rare moment of Toby being smooth and gay on main which is absolutely excellent! I only wish he did that consciously...

And, of course, coming in first is:

One: When they actually got together (episode 5)

My God, here we finally have the start of something beautiful! The heart-wrenching yet endearing monologue! The tie-fixing parallels! Adil calling him “Toby” for the first time!! The soft yet hesitant kiss followed by an enthusiastic and passionate one!! The utter relief and giddiness all over their faces!!!! Truly gays stay winning, happy fucking anniversary

[smallfrost]

Theory: Adil led them into a trap. Tarim traded leaving alone/not killing anymore Tarim to teach The Camirilla how to use the vocals etc. Adil then lured them there (with the most powerful and important witch of all time) to a trap. They knew the General would go because of how badly she wanted the Tarims songs. And Khalida wasn’t allowed to go because of arrogance? I love her but being arrogant is just part of her MO. Anyway, this whole thing felt like a trap.

Hmmmm... I’m not sure about this. The main reason why I wouldn’t agree is because of what the Tarim represents in the story overall in my head. They represent witches that live free and believe their work should not be released into the world. They believe their work should not be militarized in anyway and they are willing to die before giving up their secrets. 

“Then it will be our end..”

To me, the Tarim represented peace compared to war as their contribution to the duality theme in MFS. I get they don’t want their work to fall into the hands of the US military specifically, but I don’t see them wanting any nation to have that sort of weaponized power. Especially because they themselves are the main proponents preaching maintenance of balance in this magical universe.

That and Khalida specifically insisted that the Bellweather Unit go with them. And Adil and Khalida love the Unit. Adil has growing feelings for Abigail. Raelle saved Khalida’s life. I don’t see why they would risk them like that. 

Although, it could be some huge twisted ploy? Maybe Khalida is using reverse psychology/foreshadowing Alder’s end by saying “then it will be [the Tarim’s] end.” And I do think it was pretty fishy that Adil didn’t try and save Raelle and Abigail? 

Like.... maybe he realized they needed to escape with the few tribe members they had left (he did seem more concerned about saving his people than Khalida)? But I found that pretty odd that he just... didn’t try to even save the little boy, so idk maybe?

If you’re asking for a side though, I’m going to go with they are peace loving humans who just want to survive and not have their work militarized due to the humanitarian consequences/collateral damage it could mean for the entire world. I mean... Being able to earthbend? In the wrong hands, the world would implode.