#i love it when characters try to hard to rip out their roots and erase who they were

[subtlefires]

obsessed with Simon being The Hierophant even though he's mostly forsaken the magic he grew up with !!!!

[lazykcdoodler]

Thoughts on Louie and Della's Relationship + which of the triplets is my vote for Most Likely to hold any sort of longterm grudge against their mom (and why it would be Huey)

I was looking through the Della Duck tag in my blog, when I came across some discourse about the Della-Louie relationship dynamic that I reblogged a while back. I was reading thru the comments and saw someone's HC about how S3 Louie might still hold a small grudge against Della for stealing the Spear of Selene.

And I'm like, no?? If any of the kids in S3 and beyond would hold any sort of substantial grudge against Della for taking the Spear, it would obviously be Huey.

Wait, why did I think that-

Then because Huey's not explored enough, I had to take a step back and think about why I thought of him as the most likely candidate.

First, to work thru my thoughts on Louie and Della's relationship, and why he's less likely to hold a grudge against her in the long run. To start things off, he and Della already had their big clash and make up in the S2 finale. Remember this?

Their small arc in S2 did important things for their character development. That's not to say that they'll never argue again, or that they won't ever have problems. I can certainly see Louie using the Spear as ammunition for a future fight, if things came to that. But Louie and Della have other traits in common, aside from sharp scheminess and their tendency to think that they're the smartest people in any room.

Louie and Della are communicators. Yes, they're both sly and manipulative. But their success in that department comes from their ability to understand people. Dewey might've inherited Della's impulsiveness and natural charisma- but his inclination toward dramatics, his need to be well liked by others, and his desire to stand out among his family and peers, all mean that Dewey is more likely than Louie (but not Huey) to keep secrets and his personal feelings quiet. Della and Louie? Much less so.

It took Louie less than a year to voice his insecurities about his capabilities as an adventurer to Huey. When their mom came back to the Manor, Louie voiced his personal concerns in the very same episode. Louie is a crier. He complains a lot. He's an excellent orator. By far, Louie is the easiest triplet to read as a character, because his thoughts and his intentions are made known to the audience very quickly.

On Della's side of the equation, it's strongly implied throughout the series that she served as the emotional translator between Donald and Scrooge. Don't get me wrong; Scrooge and Donald love each other very much, and they understand each other in a way that very few others do. But when wires get crossed and either of them clam up on their hurt feelings (or fight about other things to avoid the elephant in the room), Della comes in to mediate. She voices whatever the other person won't say out loud. But that deserves its own post.

Regardless of any trouble between Louie and Della, I'm sure of three things. 1) Della and Louie love and care about each other, 2) Della is trying her hardest, Louie doesn't like getting into fights, and he admires passion as a trait in other people, and 3) in spite of everything- despite how agreeable Huey is, or how Dewey's such a momma's boy- out of the boys, Della's relationship with Louie is probably the healthiest in the long run. When it comes to his feelings, Louie is the most emotionally honest triplet. If he beats around the bush, it won't be for long.

While Dewey and Della ride the same wavelength (which causes its own problems), she grounded Louie in Timephoon and said those infamous words because she's been in Louie's place before. She knows what scheming and selfishness got her and her family, and she doesn't want Louie to do the same thing. Because she knows she was harsh- and she knows she might've been too harsh, since she just began learning how to be an authority figure- Della is probably less confident with her ability to handle Louie properly. Which means she's more likely to go to Donald for help with Louie's issues, far more often than she might for Dewey and Huey. Louie will always let Della know where she stands with him. And while she won't take his shit, Della will listen and reciprocate his emotional honesty with her own.

Huey is not good at emotional honesty. Don't get me wrong, he's great at helping other people. But unlike Louie, Huey is as emotionally transparent with his insecurities as a steel bear trap.

So. Why Huey? As I mentioned above, he and Della have stuff in common. They enjoy video games and exploring. They're both outdoorsy. Della is giving this her best shot, and Huey's a kind kid. They get along fine, so obviously things must be fine. Right?

Rrriiiigggghhhhtttt. So, why do I think that Huey's the most likely of the triplets to have any residual resentment toward Della for taking the Spear?

Dewey admired Donald's commitment to his family, but he had to learn to respect him. Louie respected Donald's passion and work ethic, but he had to learn to admire him. Huey never had to learn any of that; Donald has held Huey's respect and admiration from Day 1.

Huey's uncle has a terrible temper. He's easily misunderstood by others. He's the hardest worker on the planet, but he's often underappreciated. Huey can relate. This intrinsic understanding is the root of Huey's longstanding admiration and respect for Donald's character and Donald's efforts. Despite their pre-series financial insecurities, Donald successfully raised three boys on his own while providing them with a relatively middle class lifestyle. Despite everything, Donald is rich in the love of his family and friends.

When it comes to Donald's difficulties with public society, out of his brothers, Huey is the most empathetic to their uncle's plight. He might not be a father of three, but Huey holds the best understanding of the responsibilities that Donald undertook on their behalf.

And therein lies the rub.

Huey Duck is the Responsible One. He works hard, takes his duties as the eldest triplet very seriously, and helps Donald wherever he can. Whether by serving as a vocal translator during a bank transaction, taking charge of his siblings when their uncle is away, or speaking in Donald's defense when his brothers call him boring or lame, Huey tries to makes things easier.

Della probably did some of those things for Donald when they were younger, and vice versa. I'm 99 percent sure that Donald has been teaching her how to AdultTM since she got back from the Moon.

(Because her impulsiveness got her stranded for 10 years).

Huey and Della love each other. They get along great. They have plenty in common. But Huey Duck is by-the-book, and naturally inclined toward hard work- just like his Uncle Donald. Della ripped up the book, took a shortcut, and had to learn to become hardworking the hard way. Huey Duck is the Responsible One. Della had to take a crash course in becoming a Responsible Authority Figure after Louie's scheming almost erased the family from history.

There are many reasons to admire Donald, but his ability to wrangle the three of them is probably near the top of Huey's list. If Donald wasn't responsible before the SOS Incident, he certainly learned to be. Huey has his own lifetime of trouble dealing with Louie's cons, Dewey's impulsiveness, and their collective recklessness and disregard for Huey's work and Huey's passions. They're difficult and infuriating, but Huey tries. And whenever Huey tries, his respect for Donald probably rises. Because Donald isn't their sibling- he's their uncle, their guardian, their first parent since the day the triplets hatched. While the triplets probably had honorary family in their lives long before they met Scrooge (apparently, Mouseton and Duckburg are very close to each other), Donald was HDL's only parent for 10 years.

Because Huey's mom was reckless, and got stranded on the Moon.

At least Huey knows where Louie and Dewey got it from. (It's bad enough, coming from them).

But Huey Duck is the oldest. He needs to be a figure of strength and capability. He needs to be a leader, needs to provide support, needs to be a good role model. His family relies on him for that sort of thing. Mom's been through a lot. Uncle Donald has been through a lot. Huey spent ten years watching his uncle go through a lot. Huey needs to set an example. He's the oldest- which means he needs to extend a hand, make an effort, and bury any proverbial hatchet even if it kills him a little.

(Huey wants things to run smoothly. Huey doesn't want to be a burden for others. Canonically, Huey locks away a lot of his own problems and internal anxieties...until his control slips. Huey hates it when that happens).

Let the record show that I love Della Duck. She's one of my favourite characters. I love how hard she tries, and she's come amazingly far. I'm sure Huey appreciates her efforts.

I'm not saying that canon Huey holds a grudge, or that he secretly resents his mom. I just think that out of all the triplets, he's who I'd pick as the most likely to do so. And unlike Louie and Dewey, Huey knows how to hide certain thoughts and feelings successfully. Huey can be anxious, but he can't be mean (he's already weird and nerdy, he can't afford to be mean). Huey has spent his entire life honing his control over his less...socially acceptable emotions. (Hello, Duke). If Huey has grudges about Della and the Spear or anyone and anything else, I have faith in his ability to hide those negative thoughts for a long, long time.

Until he can't.

[snapeaddict]

Hi, what do you say to the people who claim Regulus is the real Slytherin hero, and not Snape? To me RAB always seemed like a plot device and nothing more so I don't get why he's being worshipped... He's just another rich pureblood kid...

I say this is a very bad take, and it is disrespectful (that's a strong word for something that isn't really important but I cannot think of a softer version) of the actual people who enjoy his character. I'm going to write down some thoughts, but there's more to it than just what I would reply to them - allow me to ramble a little on the roots of this claim and on the thought process embraced by Snaters and Marauders apologists (I've seen that some people don't like this term, so I mean people who erase the Marauders' flaws and make them morally superior to Snape, justifying them being abusers and him being abused.)

The nonsense of comparing a plot device to a complex, layered character: Comparing Severus and Regulus is ludicrous. You are comparing one of the most (I would argue the most well-written and complex, but Dumbledore is quite something as well) well-written, accomplished character of the books to a plot device. It is indeed what Regulus is, no matter if his character could have been really interesting/seems to be interesting: we know very little of him, and he exists solely for the Slytherin locket plot. The very little we know of him certainly isn't enough to express any critical judgment of his character; he is mostly made out of white pages which are filled out by his fans, which is great, and by the people making this kind of argument, which is unfortunate.

The interest in the character only stems in his usefulness: I would argue that the vast majority of people making this claim do not care at all for the character himself, despite using him as a moral high ground. It is not his character which interests them, but how useful he can be to fuel their hate and biased claims. His personality? Having being sorted in Slytherin. His merits? Being a Slytherin. This is the only fact that matters, because it allows them to 'prove' that Snape wasn't a hero (being a hero does not mean being a good person, by the way) and diminishes Severus' merits. Using a character solely for the purpose of depreciating, downgrading another is not appreciating them: it's just completely hypocritical. This is often the kind of flat argument used by people opposed to social justice movements, if you will allow the broad comparison: using something you have never cared for before (often minority populations) in an attempt to depreciate something, even though the very fact you are using them for this purpose shows how little concerned you are with the actual people you are talking about. Well, it reminds me of this a bit. The true purpose is to try and impose your own views, and here they try to legitimise them by filling an almost inexistent character with their views to carry on with their agenda.

The sudden leniency toward privileged characters: Making such a claim in fact once again proves that Snaters have an extremely biased, subjective and elitist vision of what being good means, an opinion on what is moral integrity (and superiority because they keep comparing people), which they also apply to James and Sirius. I think Regulus is loved because he is a Black, respected by the fandom because he comes from a pureblood, rich family. It is very easy to prove: look at how much love Draco and Lucius get, despite being supporters of blood supremacy, active members of a terrorist group, using discriminatory insults on a daily basis, being actively supportive of the murders of muggle borns/participating in these murders [do not misinterpret this - I'm pointing out double standards, not saying they should not be loved. One's interest in a character does not depend on the character's morals]. Look at how respected Snape was in the fandom before book 6, when people thought he was a rich pureblood from an ancient family. Social hierarchy has a great impact on how people view characters, and they tend to be much more lenient toward privileged characters, because prestige is attractive, even in fiction. Similarly - but it is more concealed - there is the usual refusal to acknowledge that social inequalities do impact one's life, choices, and opportunities to be or do good. The quote "You didn't make good choices! You had good choices" (Little Fires Everywhere) works quite well in this context, especially regarding James and Severus, but also regarding the Blacks versus Severus. Severus' survival was completely, utterly dependent on his adherence to blood supremacist values. This must be taken into account - but weirdly, this is an argument that is often used to prove Sirius' moral superiority, because his family required him to share their beliefs. This is ignoring that despite his difficulties, he still beneficiated from a support system and privileges that others did not have access to. Similarly, you cannot compare Regulus' and Severus' choices. And in my opinion, both are tragic; but if we had to take part in Snaters' silly arguments, then I would remind them that Regulus effectively had no obligation to join Voldemort, his parents were not death eaters. The pressure both characters experienced certainly wasn't of the same nature - even perhaps not of the same intensity. But does comparing them makes any sense, again...

The social biases: While Snape is blamed for his decision to join the death Eaters (rightly), Regulus is praised for his decision to leave them. While Regulus is pitied because he came from a family who brought him up with this ideology (just like Draco is), which apparently takes off all responsibility from him, Severus' background is never considered as a factor which pushed him right into extremists' opened arms. Regulus' privilege is used as an excuse; Snape's social disadvantage and familial issues are, at best, ignored, at worst, interpreted as proof of his inherently bad nature. Some people associate his upbringing with him being bad, whether they want to acknowledge it or not. While Regulus is headcanonned as handsome, Snape is constantly described as 'greasy' and 'ugly' by these same people, and you can see exactly how important appearances are to them. I'm even going to argue that worshipping a rich, handsome, privileged pureblood must sound better to them than being fond of the 'greasy git', and I am also saying these are mostly internalised biases. When you read these claims carefully, it sounds like in the mind of these people, Regulus is more legitimate as Slytherin's hero because he is better - inherently. And it is easy to see why.

The double-standards and their disturbing roots: This is also plainly ignoring the fact that Regulus and Snape defected for the same reasons, if we must make comparisons. Voldemort was targeting one of their loved ones, Kreatur for the former and Lily for the later, which made them realise, because they are humans and thus not selfless, how wrong his methods were when they turned against them. However, in Snape's case, turning against Voldemort in an attempt to save Lily is often held as proof of his selfishness/absence of morality: he wanted her for himself, he only deflected because someone he liked was in danger. In Regulus' case however, his gesture is seen as heroic and compassionate. Why? Well, there are a variety of reasons apart from Snaters' double standards, but I have noticed that most of them seem to think of Lily as 'belonging' to either James or Snape, and think Snape unworthy of having ever had Lily as a friend because of some kind of deep rooted flaws he had even as a child ('He tried to hurt Petunia with accidental magic when he was 11, he was always bad'. In fact I should make a post about how horrible this claim is.) In Regulus' case however, wanting to save Kreatur is seen as an act of compassion. Why? Not only because they want to make Regulus look better than Snape. I think it is also because Kreatur is a house-elf, an inferior being: Regulus' wish to protect him becomes praiseworthy, laudable, because house-elves do not really deserve consideration. So wanting to save him becomes an act of generosity. Even when you're not thinking of the double standards, this way of thinking is disturbing. Snape also turned against Voldemort at the age of 20, 21? Like Regulus did if I recall? They weren't death Eaters for very long. They both actively fought to bring Voldemort down. It would be tremendously hypocritical, wrong and plain bad faith to think of Regulus' action as superior to Snape's 20 years of hard work to bring Voldemort down.

So why can't Snape be a hero? I think this claim is a confession. To me it shows a very simplistic vision of heroism, of good and bad, of models, and a complete refusal to consider the grey, sometimes praise the grey- it's a failure to accept the complexity of the human functioning. Thinking that the people we praise for certain actions, or consider to be examples must be flawless is vain, simply because it is unrealistic, and we could not admire them/relate to them/like or dislike them/learn from them if they were not like us, layered and flawed - but this is exactly what this claim desperately wants us to believe. Or rather, what Snaters want to believe, while imposing their very biased views of good and bad, themselves rooted in prejudices. This is why they are using a character that is mostly inexistent: an empty, one dimensional character can fulfil this aim. This is also why so many people fail to appreciate characters such as James, Sirius and Remus without completely ripping off their flaws, and thus complexness - they cannot be loved if you can find fault in them.

[knickynoo]

Family Ties “Hotline Fever”: An APK Rambling

Alright, so I really need to talk about this episode, everyone. I’m watching through the series for the second time currently & just having so many feelings. The first time around, I was just kind of taking it in and enjoying it, but now I’m looking at it more from an analytical side (which is my jam). And honestly? I’m fully realizing why I like Alex P. Keaton so much. 

This is going to be a LONG one, people. 

(TW for a plot that deals with depression & talk of suicide) 

So, for anyone who hasn’t seen the episode, here’s the basic gist of it: Alex has to take a humanities course for college, which he’s obviously not thrilled about because come on. The humanities? Dealing with people and emotions and all those things Alex would rather not concern himself with? He eventually settles on volunteering at a hotline center, offering counseling over the phone. He’s not into the idea at all and just wants to get through it and earn his credit. He’s also not too happy to discover that an old school rival of his, James (who beat him in the 3rd grade spelling bee-a fact he’s still not over), is his partner for the course. 

When Alex and James are at the center one night, and find out that the guy training them isn’t able to come in, Alex is more than happy to pack up his stuff and go home. Until the phone rings, that is. On the other end of the line is Bill, a troubled teen who reveals to Alex that he’s lost all hope and is thinking about ending it all. Completely out of their element & caught off guard, Alex & James have to decide how to handle the situation on their own. 

For such a heavy episode, it has a fairly well-balanced element of humor added throughout. While the seriousness of the situation at hand always stays at the forefront, Alex, James, & even Bill have their moments of playing off of each other in a lighthearted enough way that it works. 

Here’s the thing though: this is an Alex episode. As such, the plot is ultimately used as a vehicle to give us a much deeper look into his mind. And people, this is an important Alex episode. Because what does the average person think about Alex at first glance? Well, he certainly can come across as cold. He’s full of snark, tends to flaunt his intelligence, and can even appear to struggle with empathy. But I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again....

Alex P. Keaton is so much more than what we see on the surface. All the attitude and arrogance? The ego and the flippant remarks? Walls. They’re walls, and APK has a whole lot of them set up all around him. Sure, we see plenty of glimpses behind them through the series up until this point, but this episode is really one of the first times we see them ripped down completely, leaving Alex utterly vulnerable. 

As Alex and James stay on the phone long into the night, Bill eventually tells them that he’s scared, to which Alex tells him that everybody sometimes feels that way. And then Bill hits Alex with two words that set the entire rest of the plot in motion.

“Do you?” 

Friends, Alex does not want to talk about this. It’s one thing to talk about somebody else’s emotions, but his own?? That’s a big no from APK. But this is important to Bill, so Alex gives himself permission to lower those walls. And boy howdy, do we get a beautiful scene. 

Alex tells Bill he does get scared, “Mostly at night. You know, when the house is real quiet. And I start thinking about my future. I do, I get scared.”

This confuses Bill, who asks why that would scare Alex? Hasn’t he always succeeded in life so far? To which Alex tells him that’s exactly why he gets scared. He lays it all out on the table then, explaining how hard he has to push himself to live up to his own previous success and expectations. Not to mention the expectations that everyone around him has set. He’s spent so much of his life being praised for his intellect and work-ethic, that at this point, it’s become his identity. He can’t let himself fail because he literally isn’t sure that he can handle it. 

Alex: “-I can’t let myself fail. I keep pushing myself to do better and better and I keep trying harder and harder, and I’m afraid that if I stop...”

Alex gets totally wrapped up in spilling this out to Bill, speaking in that rapid-fire, breathless way that’s so typical of him and fidgeting anxiously in his seat. Because this is really, really difficult for him. So he pulls himself back and stops mid-sentence, apologizing for getting so carried away. But Bill wants to know what Alex was going to say. And after a quiet moment of consideration, we get this.

And it’s with these few lines that we finally see Alex. Walls completely down, with only a terrified guy left behind them. This is the driving force behind the great Alex P Keaton: fear. An anxiety rooted so deep that his only option is to hide it with a consuming drive for success and an over-inflated ego. 

Yes, Alex P. Keaton is a lot of things. He can be self-centered and arrogant. He is pedantic, sometimes oblivious to social cues, and operates in very black and white thinking. APK doesn’t know gray area. There’s right and there’s wrong. Success and failure. It’s no surprise at all that a person like him would feel the need to close himself off emotionally in order to not be crushed by the confusing, scary world around him. So he can’t slow down. Because one little slip up might be enough to ruin him. He’ll be nothing.

Can we just focus on that for a second? The fact that Alex, a kid being raised in a completely stable environment, with parents who so deeply love him, can still have such inner emotional dysfunction that the entirety of his self-worth is tied to how bright and witty he is?? To the point that he stays up at night worrying that failure would erase his own value and potentially cause those around him to not love him any more? The whole scene paints a terribly sad picture of this usually enthusiastic, passionate guy we’ve known for two seasons. 

But it’s such an important moment for him. It’s unlikely that Alex has ever opened up like this to anybody before, yet here he is, spilling his guts to a stranger on the phone. And why? Because he knows that Bill needs to hear it. He recognizes that this hurting guy is actually a lot like himself, and wants to let him know that he isn’t alone. 

He pleads with Bill to keep going. “You don’t want to die. And we don’t want you to die,” he says, his voice cracking with genuine emotion. 

The whole episode is just beautiful, and I love what it does for Alex as a character. He may very well return to his typical Alex-ness by the next episode (and he does) but now we have some context. We know a little more now about what makes him tic and the motivating force behind what makes APK everything that we see on screen. And you know what? Alex is probably learning about himself in the moment too, as he says out loud the things that had only ever been confined to his head before. 

 It’s fantastic, and I had to write an essay about it. 

(For anyone wondering, the episode ends on a bright note, with Bill telling them he’s going to start new tomorrow & seek out professional help and with Alex and James sharing a lovely moment.)

*takes a sip of orange juice* Anyway, thanks for coming to the next part of my 47982 APK character study lecture series, everyone 

[tvobsessed96]

Top 10 TV Episodes of 2019

10. Marvel’s Runaways- Season 3, Episode 10- “Cheat the Gallows”

I’ll be the first to admit that Runaways is not a perfect show. I didn’t like season 1 all that much, mostly because Pride’s motivations and ultimate goals were too poorly defined for my tastes. I’m not expecting a big expositional villain monologue, but I at least need to understand what the villains are trying to accomplish and why. Otherwise, it’s hard to get emotionally invested. Having said that, season 2 was a marked improvement, and I wound up falling in love with this scrappy bunch of kids anyway. Which makes it all the more disappointing that the season that proved Runaways could be something great if it tried ended up being its last. I enjoyed season 3 a lot. The writing was better, the performances stepped up to match, and as annoyed as I am that the evil alien family trying to kill everyone plot was dropped unceremoniously without a satisfying explanation partway through the season, the battle with Morgan le Fey was filled with enough danger and tension to make up for it. But rather than choose that climactic battle as my entry for this list, I went with the messy, emotionally fraught aftermath. “Cheat the Gallows” could have been a simple, somewhat patriarchal story about a man going back in time to rescue the woman he loves, but it ended up being about a family clawing its way back together after wrestling with a shared trauma. Which, come to think of it, is pretty much exactly how the show started! Talk about coming full circle. The episode also ended up being a bit of a meditation on time itself, as the older versions of the Runaways contemplate the fact that Gert’s death led them down the paths that made them who they are. Once that’s erased, so are they. This realization gives the Runaways, mostly Nico, a chance to think about what they would have done differently, leading to a powerful scene in which Nico talks with her past self and pleads with her not to make the same mistakes she did. I bet we’ve all wished we could do that at one point or another. I also like that the episode ends with the sense that, with Gert saved, the Runaways might just be okay. Even if the note left for Alex by his murderous older self adds an ominous note to the whole thing.

9. So You Think You Can Dance- Season 16, Epsiode 15- “Live Finale Winner Announced”

So You Think You Can Dance continues to be the best reality competition show no one’s really talking about. Cat Deely has been robbed of her Emmy for best host too many times, but I digress. This show is always the highlight of my summer, and season 16 was no exception. Another season of amazing choreography, amazing performances, and a truly deserving winner that I can’t really be mad about, even if I was rooting for other dancers just as much. It was another really fun season, and I can’t wait for season 17! There’s a reason Fox keeps renewing this show despite the ratings, is all I’m saying.

8. Emergence- Season 1, Episode 9- “Where You Belong”

It’s true that the first half of Emergence’s freshman season was a bit uneven. The writing isn’t quite as compelling as it could be, and it does rely on some sci-fi cliches. But I’m a sucker for a good found family story, so I stuck it out. And I’m certainly glad I did, because the mid-season finale was pretty great! An excellent sense of stakes, and enough tension to keep you on the edge of your seat without skimping on the sweeter moments. It culminates in one of the most brilliant twists I’ve seen on TV since The Good Place! I’m curious to see what the rest of the season will bring.

7. Veronica Mars- Season 4, Episode 3- “Keep Calm and Party On”

I’m willing to bet that this will be the most controversial pick on the list, for several reasons. No, season 4 of Veronica Mars was not as good as its first, and I have problems with the way Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell handled the fan response to the ending. And that’s before we get to the episode itself. Many long-time fans of the series took serious issue with the extended party scene in this episode, given that Veronica was drugged and raped at a party in high school. There’s also her mother’s own history of alcoholism to consider. But while I absolutely sympathize with those concerns, Veronica’s decision to let loose and party still feels understandable to me. Given everything that’s been going on with the bombing case, she's searching for some kind of release. And if there was a year where the desire to just forget about the world for a while, past traumas be damned, felt all too real, it was 2019. And that’s why “Keep Calm and Party On” makes the list.

6. Single Parents- Season 1, Episode 23- “Ketchup”

Will and Angie are clearly the Jess and Nick of Single Parents, which is fine. But part of me is sort of hoping they don’t get together, because their friendship is pretty great. In this episode, Will takes Angie to a terrible fast food restaurant to confront Graham’s dad about abandoning her while she was pregnant. Will ends up using a bunch of food metaphors to explain to Derek what an amazing mother and person Angie is, and it’s fantastic! Add that to Douglas and Poppy realizing their feelings for each other, and you’ve got an episode that’s as completely hilarious as it is completely sweet. If you haven’t watched this show, check it out! It’s pretty delightful. 

5. Stumptown- Season 1, Episode 3- “Rip City Dicks”

Stumptown was the best new show this fall, hands down. The first half of its first season didn’t end quite as strongly as it started, but it gave us some fantastic episodes along the way. “Rip City Dicks” is one of them. Dex is hoping to apprentice under veteran PI Artie Banks in order to earn her license, but gets a cold, hard dose of reality when he sells out their client and her child to make a quick buck. Dex does learn a valuable lesson from it, though. Exactly what kind of private investigator she doesn’t want to be. The episode ends with an amazing, very feminist monologue from Dex promising Candace that she’ll get her kid back. It’s a fantastic performance from Cobie Smulders, and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season! If you’re not watching Stumptown, you’re missing out.

4. This Is Us- Season 4, Episode 7- “The Dinner and the Date”

America’s favorite cry-worthy family drama gave us plenty of great episodes this year, including a much-anticipated origin story for Beth Pearson. Out of all the possible options, I ended up choosing “The Dinner and the Date” as my entry for this list. On one hand, you’ve got a sweet story of young love set against the backdrop of Philadelphia. On the other hand, you’ve got a young Black kid trying to form his own identity in a way his white adoptive parents just can’t understand, no matter how hard they may try. It’s a beautiful episode, and I look forward to seeing what 2020 brings for the Pearson family.

3. Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger- Season 2, Episode 10- “Level Up”

Honestly, I could have chosen any episode form Cloak & Dagger’s stellar second season for this list. There’s the near-perfect three episode run of “B-Sides,” “Vikingtown Sound,” and “Two Player.” There’s also the dark, thought-provoking Emma Lahana showcase that is “Shadow Selves.” But I ended up choosing the finale, because it felt like such a perfect culmination of everything the show had been doing up to that point. Tandy and Ty take on every obstacle Andre throws at them with an abundance of grace and an unshakable faith in each other. The choice to have them literally fight each other’s demons was inspired! But the most powerful moment comes when Tandy gets the chance to confront her late father after everything she’s learned about him since his death. She tells him in no uncertain terms that she, and only she, gets to decide how big a part of her he is. She says that the only thing she can do in the face of adversity is level up. If there’s a lesson to take into 2020, it’s this. If you think you aren’t strong enough to face what the world sends your way, level up. Turn your dagger of light into a sword of light. Stare oppression in the face and say, with your whole being, “Not today.” Disney and Marvel made a big mistake in cancelling Cloak & Dagger. Huge.

2. Good Trouble- Season 1, Episode 8- “Byte Club”

I hope anyone who thought Good Trouble wouldn’t be as powerful as The Fosters is really embarrassed after these first 20 episodes, and I mean that in the best possible way. Good Trouble is everything a great spin-off should be. It keeps the spirit, heart, and progressive mission of the original show, while also feeling like its own distinct entity. It introduces an amazing cast of new characters to love, without forgetting to check in on the old ones every once in a while. “Byte Club” has to be the best offering the show’s given us so far. Facing rampant gender and race discrimination at work, Mariana rallies the women of Speckulate to come up with a set of tips to help them assert themselves in the workplace. The advice they come up with is solid, and actually really useful in real life. But it’s made even more powerful when Mariana points out that women in professional spaces shouldn’t have to jump through all these ridiculous hoops just to get recognized for having an idea! And that’s not the only powerful feminist moment of the episode. Callie discovers that the reason Rebecca ended up as a clerk for Judge Wilson is because her previous judge sexually harassed her, and her powerful family refused to do anything about it other than get her out of there. I’ll admit that Callie had no right to insert herself into that situation and guilt Rebecca into coming forward in the following episode, but it’s still an amazing scene featuring excellent performances from Maia Mitchell and Molly McCook. I’m so excited for more Good Trouble in the new year!

1. The Good Place- Season 3, Episode 13- “Pandemonium”

The final season of The Good Place has been fantastic so far, and several of the most recent episodes almost made this list. But at the end of the day, “Pandemonium” is the kind of episode that makes me want to make television. To make something that will touch other people the way this episode touched me. I could go on and on about the beautiful love story between Eleanor and Chidi. But instead, I want to focus on the final scene, in which a distraught Eleanor calls Janet into her office and demands the answer to, well, everything. What does it all mean? Because if there’s no greater meaning, then the universe is just made of pain, and Eleanor can’t accept that. Janet’s response is what really makes the scene sing, so I’ll quote it here. “If there were an answer I could give you to how the universe works, it wouldn’t be special. It would just be machinery fulfilling its cosmic design. It would just be a big, dumb food processor. But since nothing seems to make sense, when you find something or someone that does, it’s euphoria.” To which Eleanor replies that all she can do is “embrace the pandemonium” and “find happiness in the unique insanity of being here, now.” And then she steels herself, opens the door, and welcomes her soulmate who has no idea who she is into the afterlife. This is the same philosophical bent that made me adore Angel so much, and it works just as well here. This episode aired all the way back in January, and these sentiments got me through awful headline after awful headline in 2019. Catch up on The Good Place if you haven’t already. It will be going off the air soon, and our lives will be all the worse for it.

[piccolina-mina]

I cannot speak for anyone else, and I'm not trying to. I can only speak for myself as an observer and a friend. And sometimes I feel really bad for bisexual fans, especially the bisexual men who are out, open, or quietly observing, and still active in the RNM fandom.

There used to be many bisexual men who shared their thoughts, but a few I remember left fandom. There are many women, but it still comes with a pressure and expectation to only appreciate specific parts of the series or face erasure if they don't comply.

It must be gratifying to have a strong bisexual character let alone a male character like Michael. You don't see it often at all. Bi characters are rare and bi men are like unicorns on TV, and how they are represented can vary. But one thing that has been consistent and obvious is that Michael is a character Carina has invested in a lot.

A lot of effort and care goes into how he's portrayed as a bisexual man. She seems very in tune and careful with how she wants to depict that, for better and worse, and sometimes at the expense of other aspects of the show that require sensitivity, awareness, and care too.

And I have seen how important that is to many bisexual fans but particularly bi men. But I can only imagine how difficult it has to be when you're seeing your representation onscreen -- you're seeing yourself reflected -- and you constantly see it regarded as "bad bi rep" usually over trivial things.

Michael is confident, out, unapologetic. He has an interesting story of presumably when he realized he was bisexual. He has those moments of insecurity, but he's consistent. And he's never treated as less than or not "manly" or anything like that by the majority of the characters -- the important characters.

His Bisexuality is never treated like a character flaw by the others.

His friends, acquaintances, siblings, and love interests don't look down on him for being bisexual. It's not the sole thing that drives his arc, or the only reason he's "relevant." He's a multi-dimensional character who happens to be bisexual instead of "the token bisexual character."

It seems pretty damn awesome.

But sometimes I imagine it has to be hard to see all of these factors and then see the frequent takes that he's "poor bi rep."

And it has to be invalidating that only one of his relationships matters and the other one is constantly torn apart.

Isn't that part of the "pick a side" frustration bisexuals face way too often? Why unwittingly perpetuate it so much?

Isn't the whole idea supposed to be that both of these relationships are valid and meaningful in different ways, and that's OK?

On the show you have Alex and Maria, and neither of them make Michael feel like crap because he's bisexual. Alex doesn't treat him like he's less queer for dating and sleeping with women. He doesn't shame him (something that has been known to happen with some popular queer ships like Calzona on Grey's Anatomy, for example) for being bi.

Any of the issues they have, have absolutely nothing to do with Michael's sexuality. That has to be refreshing.

And Maria doesn't judge Michael for being bisexual either. All fandoms as a whole, in general, tend to fetishize and/or love mlm ships, but as we know, irl wlw are fetishized and revered more, usually by straight men who think a woman's bisexuality is for their sexual pleasure, gratification or chance to have a threesome.

In real life, it's obviously difficult for bi men dating etc. For every Maria, there's a woman who only thinks she's a "beard" or pitstop until her bi lover is gay, or feels insecure that she can't give him something someone else can, or a plethora of other misconceptions and ignorance.

But Maria isn't like that. None of the drama surrounding her relationship with Michael had anything to do with him being bisexual. It was never about the parts of who he slept with, but her relationship with who he slept with.

And to hit home that Michael being bisexual didn't make him less desirable or attractive to her, they kissed after the truth came out. And they both enjoyed it.

People hate that and tear it apart, but I imagine that was also something important to show.

And then, fandom, fandom from all walks of life and different genders and sexualities find this bisexual character attractive and desirable.

It has to be messed up as a bi male fan to see part of the fandom, a great deal of them straight women be shamed or ridiculed or referred to as homophobic for liking Michael and Maria.

It has to be messed up for bi female fans to have their sexuality completely invalidated because they like miluca. To be called homophobic or biphobia despite being bi themselves for liking Miluca.

Or to have their love of this ship and this representation that is important to them reduced to them just wanting to self-insert with Michael (I mean, hey, what if it's about self-inserting with Maria? Because that's what a hell of a lot of queer miluca fans are thinking about).

Or to have them criticized for it if that's the case, but it's widely accepted that bisexual and straight fans can thirst over the two men just fine.

What is wrong about thirsting after one or both parties of miluca in equal measure as one would Malex? And doing it with them as a couple rather than individually? Why is that only an option with them separate but not with them together as it is with Malex?

Like, a (so far) straight female character is criticized for having feelings for this bisexual man and straight female fans are criticized for liking miluca, or hell, self-inserting with miluca, and finding this male character, who happens to be bisexual, attractive and sexy.

Bi female fans are criticized for liking miluca or self-inserting either way with Maria and Michael. Their sexuality is always questioned for enjoying this ship as if they're somehow less queer for enjoying it.

No one ever considers that they're enjoying the hell out of thirsting over Maria via this relationship. It IS Maria after all.

Michael is hot. Maria is stunning. Only one of these relationships is giving queer miluca fans Maria, right? Why is enjoying that via their relationship not an acceptable option? For bi fans of any gender? For straight fans?

To Maria, to the fans of the miluca ship, Michael's bisexuality doesn't matter or make him less than, or less attractive. He's accepted and cared about and desired.

And some people read that as latching on to a straight presenting ship and thus being inherently homophobic and biphobic, instead of seeing, and appreciating, and enjoying that there are no qualms, no judgment, no prejudice, no second guessing about shipping a presumably straight woman with a bisexual man.

His sexuality never hinders him from being shipped with anyone. It never stops him from being desired. It doesn't stop fans from enjoying and self-inserting either. He didn't stop being viable when it was revealed that he was bisexual.

And if people can see that and respond that way to a character they love, then maybe it breaks the stigma about dating, falling in love with or sleeping with bisexual men. Maybe people can apply that to real life too.

And that's the power of representation in media, and how influential it can be. That's something special and important too.

It's not something that happens easily, and like with any disenfranchised group, experiences are always different. It's not always the same for bi men versus bi women. Intersectionality comes into play. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that just a basic understand of people and their experiences.

Ironically, both experiences by both male and female bi fans are being invalidated and/or erased here often when it comes to this, which is very unfortunate and sad to see.

I mean, I can't shake the concept of someone's experience battling being rejected or invalidated, and then watching something where someone like you isn't being rejected or invalidated for their sexuality, and many of the viewers and fans aren't rejecting or invalidating this character's sexuality ... but then seeing some of those fans are rejected and invalidated for enjoying one or both of this characters' relationships. 🤔

Their acceptance, not tolerance, their acceptance of bisexuality is rejected and criticized. It doesn't make sense.

And yeah, it's a love triangle. But it's a love triangle between a bi man, a gay man, and a woman. Something you do not see often at all. And sexuality isn't the root of the tension or conflict. Nowhere. Not once.

It's played out like any other love triangle. It's normalized because the whole point is that bisexual people being attracted to more then one gender is normal.

They're subjected to the same things as everyone else, including love to hate love triangles.

I don't know. This isn't even in response to anything specific, it's just, sometimes, I really sympathize for the bisexual fans and friends, and I really feel bad for the bi men in the RNM fandom who thoroughly enjoy having this representation and enjoy both relationships and the depiction of what it's like having feelings for two different people for different reasons who then see parts of that which they appreciate and make them feel seen always ripped apart so often.

Man, it must feel like A LOT sometimes.

But again, I'm not presuming to know how anyone feels, and I certainly can't speak for them, but I would be lying if I said it didn't cross my mind on occasion.

[snarkwrites]

FFT: villainesses want heroes; ray palmer

Notes:

Okay look. It was fun to attempt writing a kind of morally gray / bad girl type. And it’s something I do wanna do again at some point.

Summary:

Ginger did all the wrong things for all the right reasons. And it nearly cost her family, a love and her actual life. Thanks to her sister Sara, she’s back on the Waverider and she’s recovering. When her memory returns, can she recover what she had with Ray? or is it too late?

Pairing:

Ray Palmer x Lance!OFC, Ginger

Warnings:

morally gray character, innuendo, mentions of temporary amnesia..

“You’ll do as I ask, Ginger.. Or your father and your sister Laurel? The real one? Well, they stay dead.”

The phone went dead and Ginger threw it, swearing as she practically paced a hole through the floor. From the doorway, her sister Sara spoke up.

“You’re the leak? You’re the reason Damien’s been a few steps ahead?”

That look of disappointment in her sister’s eyes had Ginger biting her lip and looking down, instantly ashamed of herself, despite Sara not really having any room to talk. “You don’t…”

“Don’t you dare tell me I won’t understand.” Sara was angry and hurt and stepping closer to the younger sister she thought she’d been bonding with.

Apparently, her baby sister was just using her as a means to an end. Sara stepped closer, glaring down at her and her sister swallowed hard, taking a few shaky breaths.

“Well? Don’t you have anything to say for yourself? I mean, color me curious. What’s so damn important that you’d throw all the good we’ve done.. That you’d throw your own sister.. Under the bus?”

“Damien promised me he’d bring back our dad and Laurel, okay? Look, you got years with them both. Mom, she… she whisked me away to Nebraska when I was still a baby. Do you think I liked growing up away from you guys? Do you think I wanted to deal with Mom always putting her teaching career over me and refusing to let me see our father or either of you?” Ginger snapped at her sister, pacing, winding her fingers through long blonde locks as she punched at the wall next to the door.

She was in over her head, she knew that now. Thing of it was, she was too little, too late. She clearly saw now that Damien had been using her from the start. Manipulating events that at any time could’ve gotten the team hurt or even killed. The only way out of the situation she’d gotten herself into was through it. And given the anger she saw in her sister’s eyes right now, asking for any kind of assistance to pull off what she had in mind was probably going to result in a brawl.

A throat cleared from the door and Ray stood there, staring at her in confusion. “You’re the leak? I thought..”

“Ray…”

Ray didn’t even bother sticking around, he turned and walked away, vanishing from Ginger’s sight and Ginger sank back into the chair, lightly beating her head against the back of it.

Yeah.. She was definitely going to have to go this one alone, it seemed. It’s what you deserve, Gin… her mind echoed as she stood and smoothed her shaking hands over the front of her favorite pair of jeans.

It dawned on her.. She had a particular advantage. Maybe if she acted quick.. She sprang up from the chair and made her way off the WaveRider….

And that was the absolute last thing she remembered, prior to waking up in the medic bay on the ship.

XXX

Everything fucking hurt. From the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes, there wasn’t a part of her that didn’t ache. The steady hum of the machines alerted her to the fact that something was.. Horribly wrong.

The platinum blond man stepped out, rubbed his hands together as he shook his head and chuckled. “I swear, I wish I knew what was so gosh darned enchanting about that idiot Palmer.. Not only did he manage to bewitch my own flesh and blood… But he got under the skin of one of my best assets.” the man tutted and shook his head, checking her vitals as he asked her calmly, “Do you still think shooting the serum directly into your neck was a good idea, Ginny? You’re such a smart girl, I’m almost disappointed to see you do something so foolish.”

“Look… I dunno who you are or what the fuck you’re talking about but… If you’re gonna kill me, make it quick, alright? It’s not like I got anything to live for.”

Damien eyed her, a brow raised at first. Then the look of confusion transformed into one of sheer joy. The memory erasing serum he’d been testing -and that she’d mistakenly grabbed when she was trying to steal the mock up of Mirakuru he had, it worked!

And it worked quite well.

Ginger felt that the guy was just dragging things out on purpose. She’d never really been a fan of someone who didn’t have the balls to get straight down to their intentions. Her mother always told her she got her mile wide stubborn streak and her strong sense of right and wrong from her father and that at times, it could be infuriating.

She managed to pry her wrists free and when the guy was puttering around his lab, she snuck up behind him, raising the only weapon she’d been able to find high above her head, every intention of braining him to death with it if it meant her making it out of this situation alive.

Her jaw dropped when he cleared his throat, lifted a finger and the object she held in her grasp fell to the floor with a noisy clank. He turned, staring her down. “If you’ll have a seat, I’m more than willing to explain everything… Including how you sought me out, desperate for dear old daddy to get one more chance at life… To have your whole family together again.. How you sold out your own sister for a chance to bring your dead one back.”

“You lying piece of shit!”

“Oh, but I’m telling the truth, darling.”

Ginger’s mouth opened and closed. While every fiber in her being wanted to believe the man was full of bullshit, there was this feeling deep down inside that insisted that no, he wasn’t.

And that thought blew her mind.

She went for the blunt object she’d been intending to use as a weapon again and Damien waved his hand, sending her crashing back into the room, a table toppling over on top of her. The table pinned her down, although by her own math, she should’ve easily been able to lift it.

The door burst open just as she started to black out all over again. She didn’t start coming to until she felt herself being scooped up.. The cologne.. Something about it was… familiar in a way.

She definitely knew whoever it was who was behind her rescue. She gripped hold of them, muttering the first name that came to her mind torn between consciousness and just giving in to the void again.

Ray sighed as he hurried down the hall, trying to locate Mick Rory to pass Ginger off for safety.

“Shh.. You’re gonna be okay.”

“I’m kinda like a cat. I tend to land on my…” she was starting to slip out again. Everything faded out and the next time she opened her eyes, she was somewhere entirely different. She almost wanted to say it was a hospital room… But something felt off about the whole thing.

The blonde woman who resembled her mother stepped towards her, a hand out and she tried to scoot as far away from her reach as possible. She was fighting against the drips and IV’s, hell bent on getting away and lucky she didn’t injure herself further. She stopped shy of ripping anything out because she’d always heard that doing that was never a good idea and she wasn’t keen on dying.

“Who the hell are all of you? Where the fuck am I?”

Sara caught her just as she managed to get a hand down to where her thick soled boots would’ve been normally and she spoke up. “Do you remember anything?”

“No… Wait… I remember a fight with a biker in an alley. Because he caught onto me hustling him in a game of pool..” Something about the memory didn’t feel right, but she wasn’t.. Sure about anything enough to know.

Sara glanced at Ray, tears stinging at her eyes. This was similar to the way her sister acted before they reconnected. Had her father lived -and been the one to raise Ginger, he would’ve definitely had his hands full, given some of their intel on her prior to choosing her to become a Legend.

Sara sat down on the edge of the bed. “I’m Sara. Your sister.”

Ginger eyed her, wary. “I haven’t seen her since I was 4. How do I know you’re not lying? Mom told me Sara died…” Ginger trailed off, fidgeting.

“Mom believes that too. Nothin Dad tried tellin her would convince her otherwise.” Sara reached out and tilted her sister’s chin to make her meet her gaze. “Do you remember anything?” Sara tried again, hoping that maybe jogging her sister’s memory would free anything.

“Coming to Star City and visiting Dad’s grave..”

Ginger’s eyes settled on the lanky brunette male standing in the doorway and she nodded to him. “Getting shitfaced and waking up in a bed with that guy… Have you two… ya know? Because that tongue…” Ginger fanned herself, giving a giggle of delight at the way the guy blushed when every set of eyes in the room with him turned to fix on him at once. “In all seriousness.. He will totally rock your world.”

Ray’s face darkened and he cleared his throat.

Mick was quick to step between Ray and Sara, reminding her that the important thing here was to find out what Dahrk did to her kid sister while the guy had her. Ginger rubbed her head and grimaced as she felt dried blood and what felt to be a clumsy attempt at stitches.

“Well this is just peachy.” she mumbled as the others stepped out into the hallway. Sara immediately slapped Ray in the back of the head and Ray gave her a sheepish look.

“You… I can’t even right now.”

“Try being me.. She remembers our first night together.. But doesn’t remember anything else.. I get the feeling she might not take it well when she realizes just how serious we’d gotten before that night she left to go stupidly offer herself up to Damien.” Ray shook his head, swinging at a wall. “I still can’t believe she fucking did it.”

“She thought if she went and stole the device and serum herself, she’d be giving us an edge. She had all the passcodes to his compound, Ray. She’s never been afraid of anything. We both know this. Did you really think she’d sit back and just.. Let things go?”

“I wish she had.” Ray grumbled, taking a few deep breaths, staring intently into the room Ginger was currently recovering in. He’d spent months thinking he lost her too, that she’d died when they faced off against Damien a third or fourth time. And then they started to hear rumors about some badass new assassin. Apparently, she’d gotten on Damien’s bad side somehow, because the next thing they knew, Gideon was picking up a ping on Ginger.

Given that Sara had way more than enough time to calm down, to figure out the motive behind Ginger playing double agent, - a talk with her mother helped, and that in the months following Sara cooling down, she had ample amounts of time to settle into a pattern of blaming herself for her baby sister possibly dying, them going to try and rescue her and face Damien one final time was inevitable.

Ray hadn’t worried about anything beyond getting Ginger the fuck out of the compound. In fact, he’d kind of stepped up and really taken on leadership of the whole attempt.

Sara hadn’t been in the mindset to think clearly. To be honest, he hadn’t either, but he knew he wasn’t going to lose another woman he loved.

His hand rested against the glass as he watched Ginger like a hawk through the window. He couldn’t stay away, so while the others were talking, he made his way in quietly. Ginger’s eyes lit up at seeing him and she teased quietly, “Come to give me sweet dreams again, Dr. Feelgood?”

Ray stared at his hands. There was so much he wanted to say to her. Things he needed to say. But it all got trumped by the fact that he was just glad she was there and alive and able to say things to drive him crazy and make him blush.

“How’d you know?”

“Know what?” Ginger asked, moving to sit up, sort of snuggling against his side and leaning her head against his shoulder.

“I’m technically a doctor.. And that’s what you called me….”

“After that night when I woke up in your penthouse. I remember that much.” Ginger nodded, giving a frustrated sigh. The light bounced off of something on a chain around her neck, and curious, Ginger pulled the chain out of it’s hiding place beneath her favorite tee shirt. As soon as she saw the dog tags and read the name on them… And the simple engagement ring that was also on the chain, everything rushed back to her at once and she sighed, going quiet.

“Oh.”

Ray eyed her, eyed the necklace he knew she never took off. He swallowed hard at the sight of the engagement ring he’d gotten her as a ‘joke’ when they were stranded in 1975 together on her first mission with the team.

“You were more than just a one night stand to me and true to form, I completely fucked that up.. My sister, she… Why would any of you even bother coming for me after what I did?”

“Maybe sometimes, princess.. Maybe sometimes the good guys fall for the bad girls. Did you really think I was going to just leave you there?”

“Ray, I would’ve left me there, okay? I can’t believe I was so fuckin stupid. Damien was never gonna bring either of them back.. And I betrayed the only sister I have left.. And you, I-…” she trailed off, looking down at her lap. She was about to do something she hated doing and tried to av oid at all costs.

Something she hadn’t done since the night she came to Star City and spent an entire night sitting at her father’s graveside doing it. The fat tear made it’s trek down her face just as Ray tilted her chin to make her look at him.

“I get it. I didn’t at first. I wanted to hate you. I really wanted to hate myself… Especially after we thought.. Ginger, you’ve been gone almost a year now. We thought you died… I spent almost a year thinking that you died. Knowing I could’ve stopped you from leaving that night, but I was too disgusted by what you were doing to bother.”

He leaned in, cradling her cheek against his hand, wiping at her eyes with a tissue. “Everything is going to be okay. You’re back and I’m not… Nothing like that is ever going to happen to us again.”

Ginger swallowed hard. “It’s not too late?”

“When you really love someone, Ginger, it’s never too late to try and fix things. If that’s what you want.”

Ginger glanced down at the dog tags and the ring he’d given her in joking. She slipped the necklace from it’s place around her neck, unfastening it. Ray raised a brow, biting his lip as she slipped the ring off the ball chain and onto her finger.

“Does that answer your question, Dr. Palmer?”

He pulled her onto his lap and as they started to kiss, throats cleared from the doorway.

“For fucks sake, you two! Jesus, get a room.” Sara turned until they’d both finally caught on to not being in the room alone and could be bothered to pry themselves apart in the sense of public decency.

“You both done now?”

“Actually, as soon as I can get these stupid fucking drips out of me…”

“Don’t… Don’t you dare finish that, Ginger Louise Lance.” Sara groaned, laughing as she moved closer, making an attempt to hug her sister.

[lioncunt]

okay i’m done playing for the day

just to update where i am, i’ve beaten xigbar, dark riku, larxene, luxord, and marluxia, and i saved at the save point behind the blue doors in the labyrinth

my thoughts are super scattered rn honestly. mainly i’m just entranced at how grand and beautiful the graphics are. i remember seeing the secret trailer or whatever for birth by sleep waaaay back when, and playing this game feels like playing that trailer -- like i’m literally playing a high budget final fantasy movie. this is exactly what i’ve always wanted for kh3.

in this same vein, i’m so so grateful at how the whole team up has played out. it’s just so epic, so anime. i love it. i love how we’ve all come together and everyone’s getting their moments to shine, every single relationship/friendship gets its moment. i just really really love it.

that yen sid moment was fucking AWESOME. not the anime old man battle i’d been hoping for a la netero vs meruem, but like. still pretty cool.

donald is honestly so fucking great. GOD he just blasted terranort away like he was NOTHING like u fucking go donald good for u hun

but in that scene i was really, really angry that kairi did absolutely nothing to protect herself or fight back. and no, i’m not mad at her character, i’m furious with nomura. you GAVE HER A KEYBLADE. let her use it!!! she said she’ll protect sora, let her fucking do it!!! i’m all for characters protecting each other, like, that’s my shit, but it gets annoying when it’s the same character that needs protecting over and over again. and we KNOW that they’re capable of writing physically strong female characters, like aqua and xion, so why does kairi keep getting the short end of the stick?

anyway. it pissed me off. and sora didn’t do jack shit by hugging her lmfao like boy i love u with my whole heart but that was a dumbass move.

so moving on

i’m not sure how i feel about the whole sora half dying and going to weird heaven thing. that implies that riku wasn’t strong enough to stop the demon tide which annoooyyyss me. he went to all the trouble of shielding sora just to not actually be able to stop the tide from hurting him. that sucks :/

but bro i was so devastated by all the lost souls he spoke to. i wasn’t sure who they were supposed to represent, if they were even supposed to represent anyone at all, and god that little kid one made me really emo lmao plus that one with the person who was like “i stepped back but he never closed the distance” it made me think of riku BYE

aqua and ven have been great, every moment they’re on screen is a blessing. i love themmmm and oof the moment ven runs to terra and aqua’s like that ain’t terra hit me right in my heart

oh wait that just reminded me of a question....so did none of that original timeline with everyone dying happen? cause like. when kairi rescued sora and he came back and reunited with everyone it seemed like they all were like “yay we’re back together!” but then the original beats of the finding terra scene played out like they’d never happened before. idk i’m just confused on if sora rescuing everyone’s hearts erased that original timeline, and how it changed honestly? like how would saving everyone summon terra’s soul to fight?

unless ven is just a dumbass and thought that really was terra for a second time lmfao

and another question i had....sora sees a light and calls out to it with “riku”, then later when he gets kairi back she’s also a light. was she the light all along, or are there two separate lights? i’m fine with either but i’m just confused.

this boss rush is prettyyyyy stupid tbh. i like the concept and i like teaming up with everyone, but the villains dying mid battle and having basically the same cut scene for all of them (”you beat me....heh....guess my emotions are returning” “let’s meet up when u come back even tho u were trying to kill us!”) is repetitive and annoying, not to mention silly since there’s always at least one more org member still trying to kill us. like the luxord larxene marluxia one was REALLY silly. you expect me to believe larxene and marluxia just stopped attacking so luxord and sora could have a Moment?

but whatever it’s fine lol not a huge deal

i loved when we went to olympus btw like that was just super fucking cool. the other worlds less so but olympus was dope

i’m very curious to see how sora ends up crying fighting xehanort? does everyone die a second time?? rip

but seriously they totally tricked us when they edited all the trailers u know

lastly....and i know i’ve been saying it a lot in my liveblog....but sora and kairi just aren’t doing it for me. i love her a lot and they’re sweet together, a pure healthy relationship, but there’s just....no substance. unfortunately she’s not a deeply written character, much as I’d like her to be, and that makes her relationship with sora fall flat. while there’s nothing wrong with their relationship per se, and i can see it working and being cute, it’s hard to truly root for them when it’s just lacking so much depth, depth that DOES exist in another relationship sora has. 

basically, them fucking over kairi’s character development fucks over her relationship development with sora.

but i expected them to end up together, so i’m not disappointed or upset in any way. these are just my honest feelings on the subject.

anyway! i feel like this is a lot of griping which i didn’t intend? but i actually really do love this game lol and i’m super excited to beat it this week!

[batbobsession]

Incredibles 2 Review - CAUTION: HEAVY SPOILERS

Whoa. Who left that theatre screaming in joy? I know I did.  Fourteen years and it was totally worth the wait.  Every minute of it, even if there was nothing going on, left me breathless.  These guys really upped their game with not just the new story and characters, but the animation just blew my mind every time!  I mean, there are a few points that I’d like to address about the marketing squad, but other than that, most of these points are just going to be things that I enjoyed and would like to analyze further.

Animation

OH MY GOODNESS!  THE ANIMATION! IT WAS LIKE THE ORIGINAL, BUT BETTER!  I seriously feel like I wouldn’t have enjoyed the movie if it wasn’t for those simple touches that made it better.  The eyes were more expressive, the animation was more fluid, and everything was brighter.  Things like the lights in the swimming pool, Dash’s hair darkening when he got it wet, the water spraying from Violet’s nose, the subtle-but-obviously frosty prison Evelyn put Elastigirl in, and every effect with Jack-Jack’s powers was amazing. I was at a loss for words a few times.

AND VIOLET’S FORCE FIELDS!  There was barely any color before, just a small purple ripple of energy, and now her fields are brightly colored (GALAXY AESTHETIC FTW) and can be shot, pushed, partially formed, and a lot of other things.  Violet is stronger than she gives herself credit for, and it shows.

The effects for the other supers were great too!  Especially Voyd’s powers. Huge fan of the swirls around the portals!  

And the ice, electricity and lava all looked really awesome too!  

I don’t know...it was like the whole movie had a sort of glow to it, you know?  It was all of the things we knew and remembered...but brighter.  More intense.  More beautiful.  Thank goodness this movie came out new and improved.

Dash

So...who could tell that that wasn’t Spencer Fox playing Dash?  It wasn’t until after the movie that I saw Huck Milner’s name up there instead of Spencer Fox’s.  Milner had Fox’s Dash voice down to a T!  I didn’t notice any difference at all!  Well done, casting people!

Violet

In the first movie, Violet was so insecure about her feelings towards Tony that she wanted to be a normal person, without powers.  But now, she’s embraced her identity as a super and gained confidence because of it.  But this movie only goes to show how much she’s matured.  Sure, she overreacted a bit when she found out that Rick had erased Violet from his mind, but I think that’s to be expected since she got her heart broken.  Plus, the “I renounce my renunciation!” bit at the end was great. I’m glad that Violet’s learning to be confident and comfortable with where she is in her life.

Still Rooted in Family

The Incredibles franchise is supposed to value family above all else.  And thank heaven this movie delivered on that.  There were specific times when I feared that Elastigirl’s new job would drive a crack between her and her husband.  There were several times when Evelyn and Winston brought up how much better Elastigirl was at being a hero than Mr. Incredible to her face, and while she took the praise, she didn’t let it turn into something it shouldn’t be.  She still loved her husband and was proud of him for holding the family together.

And Mr. Incredible had to suck it up and be proud of his wife, too.  I mean, Incredibles 1 happened because Mr. Incredible had an urge to relive the glory days, even driving his family to move again and again.  There was definitely going to be tension when Mr. Incredible got turned down.  But the fact that he pulled it together and tried his best to support the family while she was away and encourage her to succeed.  Plus, it was hilarious to watch him try to control Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack without Elastigirl’s help.

Brawn vs Brains...and Space?

From the beginning of the hype for this movie, we could see that, like in Incredibles 1, the heroes had more physical-oriented powers while the villain prefered to stick with their smarts to get ahead.  Also, they both kind of defeated the purpose of “brawn” in the first place: Syndrome had gloves that stopped people dead in their tracks, and with the Screenslaver, once you control the mind, you control the strength as well, as displayed with Mr. Incredible and Brick.

This movie did it in a different way, however.  Instead of using technology to invent superpowers for herself, like Syndrome did, Evelyn used technology to create a character for herself to take all the blame, while she stayed in the shadows, smiling and unsuspected.

But then, there was another kind of superpower that came into play: the ability to bend and alter space.  This excited me very much, because that meant that there is now a third category of superpower that exists in the Incredibles canon.  Allow me to explain.

The first category is the Physical category, where the superpower has something to do with the way the superhero’s body works, no mental concentration required.  Supers that fit into this group are Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, Dash, Violet (her invisibility), Screech (his ability to fly), and Brick.  

The second category is the Expulsion category, where the superpower is something that seemingly comes from the superhero’s body, like shooting things.  Supers that fit into this group are Frozone, Screech (his scream, though from another POV both of his powers could be considered physical), He-lectrix, and Reflux.  Though Syndrome isn’t a super, his lasers would fit into this category as well.

The third category--the one that was introduced here--is the Space category: the ability to alter space and bend it to your will.  This one can come in many forms: Krushauer uses his powers to crush things without touching them and Voyd has her portals.  What’s still irks me is that Violet’s force fields could fit into both the second and third categories.  She generates them herself, as seen in the fight with the Underminer, but she is also hardening the space around her to protect herself.  What do you think?

Jack-Jack

This is why Jack-Jack’s powers are so unique, though.  Edna said he is a polymorph, which means that his powers can adapt to any of these three categories: his shapeshifting and levitation fit easily into the Physical category, his multiplying, bursting into flames, and laser eyes work in the Expulsion category, and his abilities to teleport, walk through walls, and enter other dimensions are easily Space category material.

Also, this basically confirms Jack-Jack’s name is a play on words of “jack of all trades” like everyone theorized.  That scene with the raccoon was one of the best moments ever.  I cried, I was laughing so hard.

Other suit designers?

You mean, Edna isn’t the only one?  I mean, sure, there were bound to be people like Gregorovitch out there, but everyone knows that Ollivander’s the best, right?  I thought this was the same way.  Edna’s amazing when it comes to super suits that not only conceal the super’s identity, but also aid them in many ways.

So who is this G guy? Galbachi? Galbacci? And how does Winston know about him?  Did he have connections with the late Mr. Deavor?  I mean, he’s obviously inferior to Edna in nearly every way, as he made Elastigirl’s suit dark and angsty when that doesn’t match her image at all, and the costume ripped when Elastigirl was attacked. Super suits aren’t supposed to do that.  This guy is obviously inferior to Edna’s brilliance.

Winston vs Evelyn

Here’s a fun fact you probably don’t know about me: I love the way twins are portrayed on big screen movies like this.  Whether they’re total opposites, two sides of the same coin, or working towards a common goal, if they’re done right I’m 100% on board with it.  What I liked about Evelyn and Winston was that they were all three of the things I mentioned above.  EVelyn and Winston are total opposites--Evelyn has her tech and is more of an introvert (and more mature), whereas Winston is extroverted and can sell practically anything (and has a hint of that childish wonder that some of us manage to hold on to).  They are two sides of the same coin, no explanation needed.  And their goals are exactly the same.  You heard me right.  They both wanted people to be safe.  They just went about it differently.  They saw their parents’ deaths differently as well.  Winston saw the super ban as the reason why his parents were killed and resolved to fix that.  Evelyn noted that there was a safe room that would have completely saved the two of them if their father hadn’t been insistent on waiting for the supers to arrive.

The Screenslaver’s Message

“You don’t talk, you watch talk shows.  You don’t play games, you watch game shows.”

Whoa.

Who thought this part of the movie was a little deeper than you expected?

Who else thought, even a little bit, that maybe Evelyn was right?

I mean, she was still okay with killing every person in that boat for the sake of teaching humankind a lesson, which was horrible, but for the people in the audience...I think a nerve was struck.  

Honestly, she’s on the right track.  In the past few decades, humans have started to rely more on other people--or other technology--to accomplish their problems for them.  Humans will do anything for ease--at least, the ones that live comfortable lives.  Even we, the audience, were glued to the screen as Evelyn broadcasted her message to the world.

And look at where “ease” got everyone.  The Screenslaver character was just a distraction to get everyone on that boat so Evelyn could crash it into the city.  With everyone so hyped about the Screenslaver’s “defeat”, they had no idea about the impending danger that was yet to come.

Evelyn vs Voyd (and the other wannabe supers)

This was the only complaint I really had.  As I mentioned in my theory, Voyd got more marketing than Evelyn did.  But Evelyn had more lines than Voyd, and her message to the audience resonated more than the fact that Elastigirl inspired Voyd to overcome her fears and become a super.  I mean, both of them had something to say, and I like that Voyd’s there, but I feel like Evelyn should have gotten more marketing somehow.  Up until about a week from the movie’s release, I wasn’t even aware that Winston had a sister, let alone a twin.  I guess it just irked me that Evelyn was a shadow compared to Voyd.  It was one of the reasons why I was tipped off about Evelyn’s alter ego.  But it isn’t that big of a deal.

[this-is-big-lady]

Swipe Right part 6/10

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, can be found on AO3 here

Hey all! Full time work has been kicking my ass, so this took longer than I would’ve liked, but it’s here now! Also, this is my first time writing a Jewish character talking about their Judaism - please, if I have anything wrong, flick me a polite message or direct me in the way of resources and I will be ever grateful for your kindness. 

After passing texts backwards and forwards between him and Jack, Davey found himself at Jack’s apartment in the afternoon of a day not too long after their coffee date. He was ready for his portrait to be drawn, perched on a small stool a couple of arm lengths in front of Jack, who had a little table set up in front of him. The flat surface on top was angled down towards him with a piece of A3 paper laid out, and a collection of pencils, sharpeners, and erasers in his lap. Jack’s phone was propped up on a small shelf behind him. He explained to Davey that he’d record the session so that if he missed anything important, he could go back to it later to draw inspiration from the recording. Jack asked his subject to angle himself slightly to his left on the stool and to relax - Davey was picking at his fingernails, and if he was as tense as he looked, Jack would have a hard time getting information out of him.

Soon the silence between the pair was filled with a gentle scratching sound from the pencil on the paper, and Davey looked around Jack’s apartment. It wasn’t huge, but it was cozy - a typical student place. They were currently in the living room, Jack sitting on a couch with a few stains and rips, and Davey’s stool was purloined from his roommate’s bedroom. Did he really say that his roommate’s name was Spot? Surely Davey wasn’t hearing him correctly. There was a window to his left where the afternoon sun was streaming in, and the curtains appeared a little worse for wear. The shelf behind the couch with Jack’s phone had a few political science textbooks - presumably Spot’s - and the walls were dotted with various drawings and paintings - presumably Jack’s.

Jack could see Davey’s eyes gliding around the room, and while Jack was trying to get a rough outline of Davey and his features, it was a little distracting. So he tried to get him to settle down the only way he knew how, talking.

“So, Davey…” The boy was snapped out of his observations by Jack’s voice, replying with a soft ‘hmm’ sound to show that he was somewhat paying attention. “I’ll ask you what I ask all my subjects. Why’d you join tinder?”

Davey balked a little at the question, slightly surprised at exactly how forward Jack was with it. He rubbed a hand across his face to hide how awkward he was feeling from the artist currently studying his facial features. “I mean, I guess there were a few reasons, if you want a list?”

“Sure,” Jack said flippantly, frustrating Davey slightly with exactly how nonchalant he was with this whole situation. “Well, I guess I was relatively lucky because I have a pretty accepting family, but we’re also Jewish, so there was a bit of a conflict between the Jewish and gay elements of my identity-“

“Lets start there. If your family was accepting, where exactly did that conflict come from?

“We’re Reform Jews, so my family and community didn’t have a problem with me liking boys - my synagogue back home even has a lesbian rabbi - but it’s not uncommon to see people in the media twisting and interpreting holy text to support homophobia.” Davey carded a hand through his hair, tugging at it a little harder than he normally would. Why did he have to start with the topic that hit closest to home? He glanced over at Jack, who had his head down sketching furiously, or maybe he was writing words? All he could do was take a deep breath, drop his hand back into this lap, and carry on.

“And I guess being shown those perspectives every day through social media took a toll, and I probably internalised some of it along the line. That I, to some extent, expect people to do that. And even though I had an amazing support system, knowing that other people out there could use something really important to me as a way to devalue me can really hurt.” Jack’s pencil stopped skidding across the paper, and he looked up to face Davey. His eyes were honest, he was actually listening to what Davey had to say, and he could feel the breath catch in his throat at the end of his sentence.

“But as I got older I saw that my Judaism and being gay didn’t have to be seperate parts of me, they could totally interact - I’m pretty happy to say that I’m a gay Jew now. So I guess by using a dating app, I hoped I wouldn’t be interacting with people trying to pit the two against each other. I mean, I’m yet to meet any antisemitic people on tinder, but you’re also the first person I’ve met on it, so I’m one for one so far.”

Jack let out a little huff of laughter, putting down his pencil, and leaning over his table a little as he made eye contact with Davey. “That’s very true, and thank you for being so honest with me.” Jack’s easy smile was infectious, making Davey’s nerves settle down and allowing a small grin to spread across Davey’s face. “You said you had a whole list, hit me with something else.”

The pencil Jack was holding was being chewed on by its owner as Davey racked his mind for some of the other reasons. “I’m quite introverted, you know? And I guess I never really felt comfortable dating back home. Like I knew almost everyone my age in my area because we went to school together and the idea of dating someone in that tight-knit community just made me… nervous, I suppose. As did approaching someone I didn’t know, kind of a catch-22 I guess.” Jack chuckled softly at Davey’s involuntary shiver as he talked about his discomfort. It was pretty cute, if Jack was to be honest. “So I would rather be able to chat with new people with some slight veil of anonymity and see if I’d actually like to talk with them in person. Being able to connect with people from the comfort of my phone before actually meeting them makes me far more content with the idea of dating. Just… talking to people is scary.”

Davey ducked his head a little, staring at his hands in his lap. He knew it was silly: here he was, talking to a guy he met of tinder about why he was scared to talk to guys. He found the dirt buried under his fingernail very fascinating to pick at until Jack brought him back to his attention with a gentle repetition of his name. “I totally get it, Davey. Why do you think I ask people to sit for these drawings on the internet, rather than approaching people on the street? It’s easier, I understand. You ain’t got nothing to be ashamed of with me.” A small smile spread across Davey’s face, which eased Jack’s mind in knowing that he was being of some sort of help to his subject. And gave him enough courage to ask a niggling question at the back of his mind. “So then why did you choose to meet up with me, Davey?”

Davey’s eyes locked with his, and muttered a barely audible sentence that caused Jack’s heart to start hammering: “I just knew I had to meet you.”

A few moments of silence passed as both boys processed the implications of that sentence. Was it some of of simple attraction, love-at-first-sight kind of phenomenon? Or could there have been a more heavy spark between the two, an intangible sense of feeling what was to come, and the resultant revelation in hindsight? Neither party could say. But they enjoyed toying with the possibilities.

Davey had had enough time in the spotlight, it was his turn to spin this onto the artist. “So Jack,” he began, “why did you join Tinder?”

Jack couldn’t help but laugh at Davey’s change in tact, he was too smart to just let this whole session be about him. But Jack still needed to get a sketch done, so he gave Davey the abridged version. “Well, I’m bisexual, and I liked Tinder because it meant I could put it flat out in my profile and didn’t have to deal with coming out to people. And it meant I could see both men and women together, it just made life easier.” Jack’s gaze drifted down from Davey’s actual face in front of him to the sketch of Davey’s face lying on the table, meaning he missed Davey’s excited smile at hearing Jack was definitely into guys. Jack shrugged as he continued, “And I mean it’s good for casual sex, but I’ve met some pretty cool people on there too… Some that I hope that I could consider a friend.” Jack knew that already thinking of Davey as someone that he could get close to after only a few days was dangerous, but  he didn’t really mind. There was something about Davey being reserved but so willing to be open with him that pulled Jack in, and he wanted to know more about the guy whose profile made him genuinely intrigued about the person behind it.

Quickly leaning towards Jack, Davey simply answered Jack’s sentence with, “Me too, Jack. Me too.”

The pair fell into silence as Jack finished off the portrait of Davey, but they asked questions of the other when they popped into their heads. As it turned out, Davey hadn’t been to a service since moving to college - he’d yet to find a synagogue that was both close enough to his apartment and that he felt comfortable in. Jack was adopted by a local theatre artist after his parents died in a car crash when he was 7, and his roommate Spot (his correct name, another shock for Davey) is his adoptive brother too. Davey considered taking a gap year to England before college. Jack dyed his hair blonde for a year in high school, but stopped after he burnt it all off one morning when retouching his roots while hungover.

When Jack’s pencil finally stopped scratching across the pencil, the sun that was stretching across the floor had disappeared behind an adjacent building and Davey could feel his bones stiffening from sitting upright on the stool for hours on end. Jack leaned back into the couch, sighing with a hint of laughter in his voice. “I’m done, ol’ Davey boy!”

Davey just groaned, leaning forward to push himself up to standing, hearing a couple of joints click as he did so. He could help but wonder exactly how Spot could ever want to use that stool for more than chucking dirty clothes on top of it. Davey took a step towards Jack, asking if he could see the drawing. Jack snatched the paper off the table and gently help it facing towards his chest, insisting that he couldn’t see it until it was done. After a bit of moaning and whining on Davey’s part (he just wanted to see how Jack saw him, was that such a crime?), his stomach decided to let out a rather loud growl. Realising that they both skipped dinner because of the portrait sitting, Davey took that as his cue to say goodnight to Jack and to go find some food for himself.

Jack walked him to the door, and leaned against the door frame to say goodbye. He quickly reached out to brush his hand against Davey’s wrist, both boys staring down at the point of contact between the two of them. It didn’t feel like sparks, or electricity between the two of them, but more like a comfortable warmth. Like when you’re leaning against a sunny window in summer, or like slipping into a item of clothing after it’s just come out of the drier. It just felt right.

“Thanks for doing a sitting and being so honest with me, Davey. I, uh, really enjoyed it.” Jack’s eyes were still cast downwards in an attempt to hide his blush. Being honest with his emotions always scared Jack a little, while Davey thought it was incredibly endearing. The taller moved shifted his arm so he gently held Jack’s forearm, insisting that he had an equally great time, and couldn’t wait until he saw the finished product. Davey dropped his hand from Jack’s arm, turning towards the door and reaching towards the doorknob, but froze before he could turn it.

Because Jack’s placed a very soft kiss on Davey’s cheek. It was light, gentle, and barely there, and yet it was. As soon as Davey felt the pressure on his cheek, it was gone, but the way his heart soared was unmistakable. He turned with a stunned expression towards Jack, with whom he locked eyes in an instant.

“Text me when you get home safe,” he insisted, his eyes displaying an honestly and vulnerability that made Davey melt. Not trusting his voice to not betray him, Davey just smiled and nodded, before slipping out onto the doorstep and closing the door behind him.

[sueboohscorner]

The Vampire Diaries 811 Recap "You Made a Choice to Be Good" #TVD

This week, The Vampire Diaries one-upped its own history of downer plot twists. I remember being devastated when Damon failed to come back from the Other Side as it was erased, but I also knew the odds were in our favor--there was very little chance he and Bonnie would not find their way back. I remember a couple of years before, when Alaric was corrupted and used as a weapon, then discarded and lost to us. Alaric was my favorite character, and losing him sucked. (Seeing him come back for a visit the following year was awesome, and I've been so glad to have him back for real.) But last night, the final season of TVD may have taken too much from us. 

The episode opened on a sunny day in Mystic Falls. Bonnie, high on love, cheerfully chats with the dapper gentleman behind her in the coffee shop queue. She's never seen Cade before, and without her magic, she can't tell she's in the presence of soul-searing danger. Once she's gone, Cade blithely kicks off a homicidal rage between the barista and his boss by revealing the former has been nailing the latter's wife. We are reminded by this scene that Cade is a mind-reader. This is important, and there's no use hoping he didn't recognize Bonnie and know her mind was worth reading.

On the town square, new sheriff Matt Donovan (it's a short interview loop when no one else wants the job with a shockingly disproportionate death rate) presides over Time Capsule Day. The school kids have dug up the original founders' treasure chest, dating back to 1790. Among the standard items all TV shows to decorate sets for archaeological digs, there are some items Matt only recently has come to know are associated with his own ancestors. A mysterious metal plate with strategically placed slots catches his eye, and he gets Dorian to work on identifying its purpose.

Caroline is also at the town square, and her relentless optimism and faith in people is clearly beginning to grate on Matt. The way she sees it, she's got Stefan locked in the basement, and they'll figure out how to get him back to himself again. Matt isn't feeling so generous of spirit, though. He points out how hard it is to just keep giving Stefan a pass on all the horrible stuff he does. I will point out that only last week, he said basically the opposite about Damon, and I don't think that's inconsistency or hypocrisy; I think it's yet another outright acknowledgment that Stefan is the worse guy, deep down. Stefan's humanity is like a leash on a rabid dog. 

Damon is on guard duty, and he gets a very nasty surprise in Stefan's cell: Stefan's gone, and Cade is here for a visit. Cade isn't interested in Damon's change of heart about working for the devil. He gives Damon a simple challenge: Kill 100 evil strangers, or kill the girl your brother loves. Quantity or quality.

Damon is really overconfident and wastes a lot of time trying to avoid this ultimatum, but Cade keeps reminding him that he's psychic and unkillable. It feels like a waste of time and energy, rather than a well-conceived plan of any kind. I'm reminded of Buffy saying, "That's not a plan! That's not even a pluhh!"

In fact, Caroline will call this out for us. When Damon fills her in on the dumbass antics he's been wasting the day with, she says, "I thought you weren't going to do anything stupid!"

"When did I ever promise that?" he responds. Fair enough, Damon.

Nowhere near Mystic Falls, Enzo and Bonnie are driving the hell bell far away for safe keeping. Along the way, with the notion of Enzo taking the cure on their minds, Bonnie encourages him to do whatever's on his bucket list. They're having a beautiful day of fun and romantic planning for the future, and we should know better than to believe in this.

When they arrive at their destination, Bonnie explains she bought this house with her inheritance, and no one else should even know about it...it's where she's hiding Elena's coffin for safekeeping. She invites Enzo in, and he carries her over the threshold, promising, "Someday, we'll do that for real." 

Now that they're right here in the same house with the cure, it feels like a more immediate choice, and Enzo's ready to make it. They are on the verge of starting their life together, it seems. 

Not so fast, though. Damon has a plan to use the cure on Cade, rendering him killable. Then, he promises, Enzo can have it afterward, and Damon himself will still take it once Elena awakens. Everybody wins...if all goes according to plan, and when has that ever happened?

But we've all probably forgotten about where Stefan disappeared to after Cade freed him. More fool us. He pulls up alongside a realtor at a gas station and goes from cheerful stranger to mega-creeper in under a minute. It's clear this isn't random; Cade sent him to find this woman.

Meanwhile, back at the Mystic Grill, Caroline is trying to give Matt and Dorian some supernatural insurance on this dangerous occasion. Matt's having none of it, and he talks some serious smack about the vampirism lifestyle choice. (He's not wrong, but to be fair, Caroline was vamped against her will by Katherine, so he's being a little harsh.) Dorian's on the fence, and we get some backstory on him finally, about how his family has long believed they are cursed--hence, his lifelong fascination with the supernatural. Now that he actually knows the supernatural is real, he's toying with going all in.

Cade shows up to terrorize the Grill patrons, announcing his victims' sins before killing them. While Matt leads the evacuation, Damon tries to stall Cade, draining a woman at random to appease him. At the sight of an actual vamp murder, Dorian's brief flirtation with immortality sours. Cade mocks Damon's efforts, noting that this woman was a perfectly fine person, so her death is without value to him. 

Then Cade drops the bomb, and we should have probably seen this one coming. That deal he offered Damon earlier, about quality vs. quantity? He made the same offer to Stefan, and Stefan chose the quality death. He left town this morning to go after Elena.

Naturally, when Cade interacted with Bonnie at the coffee shop, he dug into her mind to learn the secrets of where Elena's coffin is stashed and the name of the realtor who handled the sale. That's the woman Stefan has shanghaied all afternoon and compelled to help him with another transaction: transferring the house out of Bonnie's name and into her own, so she can invite Stefan in.

While the paperwork is being done, Bonnie and Enzo are having another wonderful romantic moment...and then he is suddenly sucked out the door. Bonnie tries to invite him back in, and she can't, so they figure it's definitely time to go. And here's what a sucker I am: During this whole scene, I'm thinking they'll be gone in a moment, and then the cliffhanging danger will be that Stefan can walk right into the house where Elena still sleeps.

(Okay, and this is a major aside, but I can't help getting stuck on it...how is this possible? How can you transfer ownership of a property without the consent of the current owner? Any real estate agents or lawyers out there reading this, please feel free to comment even just to say whether this is a remotely plausible scenario.)

Bonnie's extracting some blood from Elena, wondering aloud how much she needs to take in order to get a dose of the cure. Enzo is still at the open door, keeping up his end of the conversation...until he's not. The silence alarms Bonnie, and she rushes into the foyer just in time to see Enzo's heart being ripped out. 

And here's where I shut down and just started waiting for the reveal that it was a hallucination or a vision of a possible future that now will time loop so we can avoid it or that Enzo is unkillable the way Damon was earlier this year when Alaric staked him. (It's still not impossible...they can still walk this back, and I won't give up on that possibility until the credits roll on the series finale.)

Bonnie's enraged and in shock. Stefan saunters in and laughs at her for bothering to arm herself against him. He grabs her stake-holding hand but doesn't notice her other hand, which still holds the hypodermic needle full of Elena's blood. She stabs him with it, bringing him down and presumably rendering him mortal. She rushes out to where Enzo lies on the porch, dessicating. As she screams her rage and loss, a rippling, booming special effect comes off her in waves, implying that her emotional state has triggered the return of her magic.

I loved Bonnie and Enzo together. They were just featured in our Suebooh's Corner Valentine's Day countdown of TV's best couples (I nominated them). Enzo spent his impossibly long life being rejected, deceived, used, and betrayed. Then he found Bonnie, and he finally had a life worth living. Love brought out the best in him, and their relationship became the thing to root for. With all she's lost over the years of giving everything for her friends and for the world, she deserved a happy ending. So did he. They fought so hard to keep their crazy lives from coming between them, and they were on the verge of having it all. If he's really dead, I don't know if anything that happens in the final five episodes will feel like a win. 

So come on, TVD, fix this. Let Bonnie's surge of returning magic be so powerful it can restore Enzo to life. I promise not to nitpick whatever twist you choose to bring Enzo back.