#i need an excuse to rewatch sherlock

[restlesschildxv]

johnlock as jegulus au? johnlock as jegulus au! johnlock as jegulus au.

[aveline-amelia]

You know what I love about BBC Sherlock?

You only catch some things on your 2nd, or 5th or 10th rewatch.

Like with Mycroft and Sherlock.

You watch Mycroft be annoyed at Sherlock calling at Christmas, so you think he would rather be left alone and doesn't want to deal with anyone, including Sherlock.

But his initial expression is one of surprise. He doesn't want to believe that Sherlock could be calling for sentimental reasons because he cannot bear to be wrong.

He wants Sherlock to show him he cares, like he did back when they were children.

And notice his wording there. "Did they pass a new law?" Sherlock is not the one who cares about upholding the law, Mycroft is. He is setting the stage for Sherlock to banter, but Sherlock just tells him Irene Adler is dead and hangs up.

When Sherlock calls Mycroft (despite the fact he prefers to text) in TSO3 many speculate the reason he wants him at the wedding is to have someone for support.

Mycroft says they will spend more time together now that John is married. Just like old times. He knows Sherlock would hate that, yet Sherlock doesn't deny it. He could say he can spend extra time with Mrs Hudson, or Lestrade or Molly or Wiggins.

He could say he doesn't need him at all. But we know that's not quite true.

If Sherlock was being sincere here and said he needs someone on his side, by his side, someone to be there for him, so he feels less alone... Mycroft would most likely think he was being mocked. He wouldn't believe him. Why should he?

When Mycroft tells Sherlock his loss would break his heart, he isn't doing it because of the drugs.

The drugs are just an excuse to hide behind. A smokescreen. He can't even look at Sherlock while is he saying it because he knows what's coming. Mockery.

"What the hell am I supposed to say to that?"

Mycroft broke script. He said the quiet part, the subtextual part out loud. I do care about you and it would break my heart if you died.

Sherlock doesn't know what to say. You can even read his bewildered statement as a genuine question. Mycroft does, in a way. So he answers.

"Merry Christmas?"

"You hate Christmas."

"Perhaps there was something in the punch."

I know you are up to something.

On the tarmac, Sherlock didn't even want to say goodbye to his brother. But when Mycroft calls him in 4 minutes, Sherlock has no idea Moriarty might be back. He just thinks Mycroft couldn't go even five minutes without speaking to him again and checking up on him.

Sherlock didn't say goodbye to Mycroft because he knew that wouldn't be the last time he'd hear from him.

"I will always be there for you."

"Shouldn't you be out there getting me a pardon, like a proper big brother?"

"He was a rubbish big brother." Was, not is.

"You were great."

He didn't find Lady Bracknell convincing. He isn't talking about that.

"Dr Watson? Look after him, please?"

"Mycroft. Make sure he's looked after. He's not as strong as he thinks he is."

Neither of them are.

[queerholmcs]

i needed to do a moriarty-centric episode rewatch as a means of pregaming for the mind of moriarty escape room this weekend (though it's not like i really needed the excuse, let's be honest) and you know what that means: episode poll time!

literally ninety minutes of "data, i need data. the answers have been staring us right in the face all along. why are we playing this Game?" ♟️🪞🌊👟📱

[steph-schuyler]

hi all!

was rewatching ITH and decided to write a little fic because yk-motivation

type-angst??i guess :)

warnings:mention of death,mentions of harrasment/catcalling

anyway hope you like!

Vanessa Lost

I stood,frozen to my feet as the lights blazed different colours.I felt dizzy from being spun around,a mix of dinner and alchohol making me feel sick.I looked around as everyone continued to dance and my head pounded,my vision blurring a little.

I shook my head and began to walk in the direction of the bar,my heels making a click-clack against the floor.The club was like an oven,and it was jam-packed with people.

“Excuse me..”I muttered as I squeezed myself through the crowd.

“Ay,Vanessa!”I heard someone yell,but it was too loud for me to see who.

Suddenly,the lights went out,and everything was dark.

“Oye,que paso?!”shouted someone in the crowd.My head spun as I heard people scream.Someone shoved me and I toppled over into the crowd.

“Blackout!Blackout!”yelled a man.”No shit,Sherlock.”I thought to myself.What had happened?

“Vino el apagon,ay díos..”shouted a woman melodically.

The whole club was frantic as people waved torchlights.I thought of Abuela Claudia in the apartment..she meant so much to the barrío,but was she alright?

“Usnavi?”I yelled at the top of my lungs through the din of everyones manic yelling.

I heard him faintly shout my name and shook my head.Too far away.He shouted my name again and I yelled back as I pushed through the crowd.

Thousands of pops sounded as someone set off fireworks.I looked up at them and smiled.At least there was lights…

Where the hell was Usnavi?Or anyone?

I caught a glimpse of him and rushed up,pent-up anger and frustration in my voice.He left me!In a hot club,full of randomers who just wanted to get with me for my body!

“Usnavi!”I yelled,frustration in my voice.

“Yeah,Vanessa!”he spun around and I walked towards him.

“You abandoned me!”I spat,justafiably upset.He had just left me there!

“Yo-What are you talking about?”he asked me as I began to walk away,my hair swaying in the cool night breeze.

“Usnavi,all night-you barely even danced with me!”I muttered as I stormed off,shoes clicking against the pavement.

He cut in front of me,looked me dead in the eye.

“Dont make me laugh!I’ve been trying all night!You’ve been shaking your ass for like half of the Heights!”he responds.

I shake my head.So he was exactly like all those other boys,who say shit like that.I’m an idiot for thinking any different.

“Real nice.”I shoot back,poison in my tone.

“You barely gave me a chance all evening!”he retorts.

“What?”I yell.He’s the one going off with that girl,and he pulls that shit!

“Do I get another dance?”he asks me hopefully.

“Im leaving.”I shoot back as I begin walking away.My hair blows in the wind and although I’m frustrated and upset,I have the power.

“Vanessa!”he calls after me,drawing out the E as I keep my eyes ahead.

“I gotta go!”I yelled,my voice staying steady.No matter how much I-If I-loved him,I wasnt going go crack.

“Dont walk away from us tonight.”he yells.Oh,really nice.Who is us?Its just me and him now,the world spinning as we argue.

“I dont need anything tonight.”I mutter,as I begin to walk back to him,up close and personal.

“I can find my way home.”I shoot at him,up in his face.I didnt care if I was being rude,but on the inside I was hurt,and he was too.

“Keep running away from home.”

“Without you!Without you!”

___________________________________________

On my furious walk home,my fingers cross a piece of pink ribbon.I pull more and more out and stuff it in my hand,brain flooded with ideas.

As I reach my apartment I sit down at my desk,my face and desk illuminated by my crappy phone torch.I furiously scribble designs upon designs,nimbly tie bows with my fingers and I smile to myself.Maybe this blackout and argument had its upside.

I tried to push Usnavi and all thoughts of him from my mind as I distracted myself with my work.

And I resent him until I hear the news.

And my heart breaks for him.

____________________________________________

Abuela Claudia’s heart gave out.

The barrío lights up candles,and we raise them to the sky as we sing.I walk alongside Benny,who’s heart breaks for Nina.

“Alabanza..Alabanza Abuela Claudia..”

We gather outside the door and as I look into Usnavi’s tear stained face I cannot feel angry.He stares out on everyone singing Claudia’s praise and shows no signs of happiness.Just pure pain.

We meet eyes for a minute and he looks away.My heart feels like a porcelain statue that has been dropped from the Empire State.He turns away and I shake my head.

We lower our torches and I give a silent prayer to Abuela Claudia.I pray that she went in peace,and that the De La Vega’s and Rosario’s are really,truly okay.

____________________________________________

Authors Note:Hi all!I hope yall liked this but Ive never really written fanfic before so I hope this is okay <3 I am rewatching ITH so thought I’d write a fic.Drop some requests-working on the Weeks Au fanfic rn :)

[frodispatch]

Aaah thanks for the tag @anything-thats-rock-and-roll ! I am honored.

(also, the ship name for Holmes/Watson is Johnlock, I was batshit crazy about Sherlock when I was 14 so that sent me back)

3 Ships: Currently for me it’s K/S or ‘Spirk’, which is Kirk and Spock from Star Trek TOS (and some McCoy thrown in there because god do I love triumvirates. Cygnus X-1 has changed me into a maniac), Louis and Lestat from Interview w/the Vampire in all its incarnations, and most of the Stephen King gays like Reddie.

first ship ever: First GAY ship was Wolfstar after eleven year old me discovered what gay people were and how it FIT Remus and Sirius, notorious secret husbands that they are, but first EVER ship is either something from Beverly Hills Chihuahua when I was three, Topanga and Cory from Boy Meets World (which is bullshit to me now because Shawn! and! Cory! but I digress) or Gilligan and Mary Ann from Gilligan’s Island in second grade lol.

last song: So, I cannot pick one because I had some New Years staples this year that I NEEDED to listen to. My special 2023 song was “1989” by Spizzenergi (I think they might’ve been named Spizz Oil at the time, i don’t know, they changed names like three times in two years) but I’ve been waiting for 2023 since I was fifteen for that song. “Cinderella Man” and “By-tor and the Snow Dog” by Rush, “How to Rent a Room” by the Silver jews, and REM’s Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite + Crush With Eyeliner. I also listened to “White Mountain” by Genesis on repeat along with my comfort song of theirs, “The Serpent”.

last movie: I watched Spider Man 2, which is one of my screenwriting darlings, and then I stuck on Star Trek IV because of the whales and nuclear wessels, and my dad begged me to watch Labyrinth with him and it was wonderful because of David Bowie and his sex appeal.

currently reading: The 1985 Star Trek novel ‘Dwellers in the Crucible’ because it’s my favorite Trek book and I need Trek right now like I need air.

currently watching: REwatching NBC’s Hannibal as well as The Dark Crystal series (which I’ve been critiquing like mad with my father while i’m home because we’re both writing nerds).

currently consuming: Articles on Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining as well as an English muffin and the fumes of the drying paint on my current Littlest Pet Shop custom because i’m trying to be an ✨artiste✨ but am also secretly a ten year old. (I’m trying to make Lydia from Beetlejuice but sculpting hair onto a plastic toy with air dry clay is a nightmare)

currently craving: Buddy Holly’s glasses, Geddy Lee’s hand in marriage, and a hug from the love of my life who is in Massachusetts at the moment.

I always write too much. Any excuse to talk about obsessions I’ve got is a good one. I was trying so hard not to rant about a.) The Shining, b.) Rush and c.) Vulcans.

Do I know who to tag? No. I have anxiety, and I just want to talk about Neil Pearl’s drum set:

look at this fuckin thing! ⬆️

🖖

peace and long life.

[khaleesiofalicante]

Oh So lance is blind after the accident? i expected that

“I’m not very good at that,” Rafael chuckled tiredly. “I wish there was something I could do.”

“I need you to wake up,” Rafael whispered quietly. “I don’t know if you can hear me. But I need you to wake up, David.”

İ loved Rafael's talks with David at the hospital. İ'm happy that we hear David's importance gor him.

He just had a child and he is taking care of everyone, again,

İ love Queen Anjali

“Careful, young lady! Or I’ll take those five dollars and send you off with a homemade sandwich!” Anjali called.

The girl yelled something over her shoulder.

“Well, at least her Spanish is fine,” Rafael pointed out.

“I’ll take that as a win,” Anjali winked. “Are they here yet?”

And i loved that (i'm sorry i don't remember the english word i want to ise) conversation

But honestly Alec, i don't even know what he thinks anymore.

“Oh. So, it’s okay for your brother to be taken advantage of because the show made you popular enough to run for Senator. Is that it, Rafael?” dad asked him.

Sure you are angry and all but thats also your child in front of you.

Alec could be my favorite character in everything but that was just wrong.

İ wasn't expecting Magnus, even if he seemed like only option i didn't want to believe it.

And Rafael figuring out. Of course he is the one first to know.

Rafael swallowed tightly. “I didn’t think anyone noticed.”

“Well, someone did,” Anjali said gently. “And they made sure the whole world noticed too.”

You know how you're watching a movie and even before conversation began you know some information is going to reveale because of the backround music i lived that when i read this chapter. it was like watching a Sherlock episode.

“I don’t think he ever went back to the hospital,” Rafael said. “No one did. Only bapak and myself-”

Oh.

“What?” Anjali asked.

And when i read this part i imagined a battlefield (human imagination is a weird thing) a fight scene where someone suddenly stands up and just walk through the ruins looking at camera realizing something.

While reading this part other than that i rewatch (in my mind) the elenour from the good place realizing something at the end of the season (i don't want to give spoilers in case you didn't watch it)

İt was a beatifull chapter

İ'm in love with it

İ loved so many things about it

Please excuse my rambling.

İt's hard to enjoy things lately and i just want to hold longer this things that give ne joy. And i enjoyed this very much.

Ahhh I loved hearing your reading experience! How very vivid and visual! I also imagine a lot of the scenes visually (it helps me write better) so this was amazing! Thank you for sharing this with me.

I wish you keep finding more things you can enjoy and more things that bring you joy.

PS - I've watched The Good Place (what a show!) and I totally got the reference :)

[charliedawn]

I'm rewatching sherlock rn and and I've gotten a tiny bit infatuated with moriarty, eurus and mycroft again whoops

Would you be able to write something, Jim x reader, where you've been in a relationship with him for ages and are John's sister, one day your visiting John at Baker Street and sherlock and moriarty are having one of thier intimidating-each other-over-tea conversations and you overhear and that's how you find out Jim's been an evil criminal mastermind the whole time and you think he only ever got with you for some type of ulterior motive or to have a civilian identity to fall back on if he needed, you still love him but have zero trust for him now and he's trying his best to convince you that you weren't part of his game and that he actually cares about you?

If that's too messy of a request to follow maybe just something angsty that's generally along those lines? Also if you don't wanna write it that's totally fine too just wanted to ask cuz I love the BBC sherlock characters so much!!

Hiya. So, that scene just appeared in my mind and I couldn't help but add a little comedic effect to the whole situation. Hope you'll like it. 😉👍

Your brother and Sherlock had been working on a case together involving a dangerous criminal and you had been commissioned with the important role of courier between the both of them, since your brother had apparently 'other things to take care of'.

John had called you over for some important file he needed and Sherlock had left in your flat—because of course he had the keys.

You tried to tell him you had a date with your boyfriend, but your brother had hung up on you before you could tell him.

So, you had no choice but to comply.

You sighed as you found yourself in front of 221 Baker Street on a lovely evening and wondered what you were doing with your life..However, you then heard shouting inside and found the door opened ajar.

You knew Sherlock to hold little importance to personal safety, but you knew Mrs Hudson—and she never forgot to close the door behind Sherlock.

You decided to take a look inside and frowned at the deserted area, but then you heard it again.

A struggle was happening upstairs and you rushed to Sherlock's room with a flashlight in hand.

"...Hello ?"

You were met with dead silence and cautiously went up the stairs and opened the door, only to be met with Sherlock, John and...YOUR BOYFRIEND ?!

John *turns towards you* : "Y/N ! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE ?!"

You : "YOU CALLED ME !"

Sherlock : "Not the time, Y/N. We're in the middle of a conversation with this psychopathic mass murderer."

You *to Moriarty* "HOLD UP ! YOU'RE THE PSYCHOPATHIC MASS MURDERER ?!"

Moriarty *smiles at you* : "Surprise ! Hello, sweetie."

Sherlock *to Moriarty* : "You're my assistant's sister's boyfriend ?"

John *to you* : "Wait a minute—YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND ?!"

You *sigh* : "Not now John.."

Jim chuckled in amusement while Sherlock was pinning him in place and you glared daggers at him.

"Shocking. I know. Not really. Actually, it was pretty obvious. Sherlock knew from the start."

Both you and John *turn towards Sherlock in shock* : "YOU KNEW ?!"

Sherlock : "Well. Yes. It was obvious. Taking into account Y/N's terrible taste in men and disastrous past love life.."

You : "EXCUSE YOU ?!"

Moriarty *agrees* : "A tragedy..You should thank me I came and tagged along."

John : "HEY ! NOBODY TALKS ABOUT MY SISTER'S BAD TASTE BUT ME !"

You *in disbelief* : "OKAY ! FIRST OF ALL, OUCH ! AND THEN, ONE MORE PERSON SAYS ANYTHING ABOUT MY LOVE LIFE, I SWEAR TO KILL HIM !"

Sherlock : "..."

John : "..."

Jim : "..Well—"

You knocked him down with a book and shouted.

"I WARNED YOU !"

After that episode, your boyfriend was arrested and sent to a highly secured prison—one you were sure he wouldn't be able to escape from..but were—once again—disappointed.

After a little time in prison because love hurts :

Jim was waiting for you in front of your apartment and smiled when he saw you appear.

"Hello, darling. Missed me ?"

You stopped dead in your tracks at the familiar figure and shook your head in disbelief.

"H..How ?"

Moriarty chuckled before standing aside from your front door to take a couple of steps towards you—noticing how your hand disappeared in your purse for your phone.

"Really ? Our old friend how ? I already told you. I'm Jim Moriarty. I don't explain how. I just do."

You sighed and ignored him, wishing to step in your flat and shut the door in his face. No matter how much you tried to brush it off, you still had feeling for Moriarty.

"What are you doing here, Jim ? Don't you have Sherlock to go bother ?"

He smiled and shrugged before replying nonchalantly.

"Well...Do I have to have a reason to go see my girlfriend ?"

You scoffed loudly in disbelief.

"Haven't you heard ? We broke up. It was pretty clear to me from the way I knocked you out with a book.."

Moriarty pouted at the painful memory and nodded.

"Yes. I remember. I still have the bump on the the back of my head to prove it.."

You snorted and replied sarcastically

"You poor dear..Want some ice ?"

Moriarty stayed silent for a while and you thought he would go away once he would understand that you aren't interested anymore, but you yelped when he wrapped his arms around you from behind and whispered in your ear.

"Well..I would prefer a kiss ?"

You sighed and shook your head—trying not to cry at the tender hold.

"Tell me...What's the plan now, huh ? You're going to trick me into falling in love with you again and use me to get to Sherlock ?"

Moriarty hummed absent-mindedly at the question before twirling a strand/curl of your hair between his fingers.

"Aww..Cutie pie. ~I would never."

You pulled away from his embrace to glare at him.

"Cut the crap. Tell me. Talk frankly for once."

Moriarty stopped playing with your hair before sighing loudly—as if the discussion was boring him.

"I never tricked you into anything. I arrived and offered you a breath of fresh air from your overprotective brother and your old unrequited crush and you took it. I didn't force you."

Your eyes widened as Moriarty mentioned your old crush.

"Y..You knew ?"

He laughed—as if the answer was obvious.

"~Oh honey..Of course I knew. It was high time someone would see you. Because Mycroft would have never seen you like I do, Y/N.."

You shook your head and took a step back—trying to convince yourself that the man before you was nothing but a deceiver and would only use and hurt you. But, he had been such a relief from your chaotic life when you didn't know of his true identity and you sincerely hoped everything hadn't been a lie.

But, you weren't a fool and knew the truth was far from what you had lived with him.

"You are a villain.", you accused—but Moriarty only laughed again before stroking your cheek.

"Oh sweetheart..Don't you know ? Villains make the best lovers."

He didn't hesitate before kissing you, his hands cupping your cheeks and you let him. Because, deep down. You knew.

He was right.

You had never felt happier than by his side and even though Moriarty was a villain—you weren't sure you really cared inside.

You opened the door to your flat and you both stumbled inside.

Mycroft *spying the both of you through a video camera* : "~Oh Y/N..What have I done ?"

[vinkunwildflowerqueen]

Just so you know I also fully got Fiyeraba vibes from the bickering in Enola Holmes. Also love it for the ‘always travel as a widow’ thing giving Elphie an excuse to wear a veil and blend in?

Admittedly thinking about a Elphaba as a chaotic veiled detective has me formulating a vaguely unhinged Paternoster Gang AU so I’m going to stop typing now

Ohhh maybe that's what it was!

That does sound very familiar and Fiyeraba-ish now that you say it 😅

I'm glad to know my past self knows what she is on about, lol.

I really need to rewatch Enola Holmes now. All I remember now is how I much I loved Henry Cavill as Sherlock.

[lathalea]

The Hobbit: DOS: The Appendices, Part 10 (3/4)

It’s Friday so it’s time for our watch party again!

The Hobbit group (aka the Dwarf Lovers aka The Cult of Saint Bofur) is back with The Hobbit Behind the Scenes rewatch!

Tolkien was fascinated by dragons and the old dragon tales. Tolkien was a fanfic writer - discuss. He started the Smaug smut fanfic tropes tolkien was canonically a furry Tolkien would play Dragon Age tolkien would also play Skyrim

Some early Smaug designs were weird...

“What do u want? I’m on my smoke break”

“am a sneaky boi”

Not sure why, but we also discussed PJ’s minimalistic style PJ has only three shirts And two cardigans One mug And no hair brush Marie Kondo would have been proud of him

Fake Smaug = a dragon-shaped kite in the beginning of AUJ he attacked Dale and Erebor because he was offended by that kite the gold was an excuse to make him look more badass and so other dragons wouldn't make fun of him He's that guy who is like 'Y'all made fun of me. Well, guess who's rich now!' on homecoming party

Benedict Cumberbatch is acting the hell out of Smaug. That’s how Sherlock looks like when he takes the heroin.

Some Smaug designs were based on bats and... well, chickens. Smaug being a giant chicken, hmmm chickens: are we a joke to you? Well birds are descended from dinosaurs xD Like, imagine that. Bilbo expects something scary. And then there's a chicken. And he looks at Thorin like THIS IS YOUR NEMEZIS?!

John Howe used his hands to model Smaug’s “hand” gestures So Smaug could do finger guns!

but how does smaug know thorin? Dragon gossip "Did you hear about Oakenshield? Let me tell you about Thorin Oakenshield. He stabbed me in the chest once. It was awesome." "He does the shampoo commercials. In Shire" "Thats why his hair is so big its full of secrets" "And Thranduil is in his Burn Book"

OH MAHAL Thorin appears on screen! 0.5 seconds of Thorin, I'm happy now. I SAW THORIN *faints*

The sound specialist's 7-yo daughter is the person who gave Smaug his roar Smaug confirmed as female It’s official canon now Imagine writing "Smaug dubbing" in your CV

Horny crocodile sounds = Smaug sounds no wonder he was so mad That's why he's so grumpy. He just needs to get laid The whole villain origin story all the gold was to impress females Go on Bilbo. Take one for the team

Time for a ship hell: Smaug x Bilbo or Smaug x Thorin?  who was he horny for? That's smaug x bard erasure! ship name: Smard

Time for some Beorn makeup. Beorn's beard is basically Dwalin's beard so that's what happpened to Dwalins head hair!

dream jobs: dwarf waterer and beorn scrubber Lemme get that for you Mr O’Gorman Pls pls lemme wipe that up Mr Armitage Your muscles look really sore Mr Turner... Do you mind? Nono no need Mr Turner I can clean that up right away 🧽

Laketown. What is the first thing we notice?

THORIN!!! His hair. wet!Thorin! I love how the majority of this server are Thorin stans <3

Just look at Bilbo’s face. The grossest ship in the whole trilogy: Laketown Master x Alfrid (ew) Pheew! There no fics on AO3 with this pairing!

Bard's clothes were supposed to be inspired by the eastern/ Tibetan clothing Bard - Aragorn made in China

Sigrid and Tilda are played by James Nesbitt's daughters. Behold, Saint Bofur cuteness!!!

Sweet dwarf dreams everyone! And remember, no yucky Mirkwood spiders! --- Missed The Appendices part 7, 8 & 9? Here they are: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 Want to see how silly we were when watching The Hobbit? See here.

Thank you everyone for tonight, that was fun :D

@estethell @cassiabaggins @guardianofrivendell @misfit-with-a-pen @oreo-cookies-fan @theresonlyzuul @bigsmallworld @way-too-addicted-to-fandoms @mountains-under-the-moon-deacti​ @jentaculargums​ @avaria-revallier​

[niallrose]

So I just finished Black Sails

And just. Wow. After Sherlock. After Game of Thrones and Supernatural and the Star Wars sequels and all the countless fxcking letdowns by writers I thought I could trust. I'm speechless. This show is a masterpiece. It's proof that the old "the fans are always mad because they'll never get the ending they want" argument is nothing more than an excuse for bad writing. I would like to express my undying appreciation for the Black Sails fandom, as well as my incredulity that you did not reel me in long before now. Like seriously?? Where were you all my life???

I would also like to contribute something to the whole "did Silver kill Flint or not?" debate. Some people still seem to be of the mind that Flint is actually dead, given that the writers have 'left the ending up for interpretation.' However, logically speaking, the ending is definitive within the canon of the show and isn't really up for interpretation at all. I present to you my evidence.

Exhibit One: Jack Rackham. When Jack returns to settle his agreement with Lady Guthrie, he tells her that Flint has 'retired' and will cause no more trouble. If Flint had indeed been killed, why would he lie about this? It's even in his best interests to tell Lady Guthrie that Flint is dead, because their whole agreement was dependent upon it in the first place. But he doesn't. So either Jack Rackham is telling the truth, or he deliberately decided to tell a lie that goes against his best interests when the truth would have served him better. And if you think Jack Rackham would tell an inconvenient lie when the truth serves him better...you need to rewatch Black Sails. Furthermore, there is no chance of Silver having lied to him about this because he was there, on the same ship the whole time. He would undoubtedly have known the truth of whether Silver returned from the forest with Flint or without him.

Exhibit Two: the treasure map. Or the lack thereof. Where is it? Where's the map? The answer is nowhere, because it doesn't exist yet. Amidst fighting for his life, burying the treasure, fighting for his life some more, and then being confronted by Silver, Flint has had no opportunity whatsoever to sit down and write out a treasure map. And even if somehow he did, he would have had the map on him when he went back into the woods with Silver (either that or he left it on the ship somewhere for anyone to stumble across, and we all know Flint isn't that dumb). Therefore, if Silver had killed him, either Silver would have found the map upon searching his body, or the map would have been left behind on the island for no one to find - neither of which are compliant with the events of Treasure Island. Ergo, the map does not exist yet, and Flint is the only person left alive capable of creating it.

James McGraw is alive. I rest my case.

tl;dr: Black Sails is the best show ever written, also Flint is definitely alive because Rackham has no reason to lie about it and because the treasure map doesn't exist yet.

[onlyhereforangst]

WWR 

Ok y’all if you thought 18x05 was long, you in for a trip. Get ready for lots of caps, lots of not PG-13, and lots of overanalysis. I hope this lives up to the hype since it took me forever and a day (literally almost every minute of the 20 minutes of scenes took practically an hour to breakdown, I have a problem I know). Anyways, let’s get sweaty under the cut because the day ain’t young no more 👇🏼

Their bickering in the car but Nick smiling the whole time is a huge married vibe but also he’s so happy she’s alive and will take any shit she gives him vibe and I’m here for it. Pluuuuus Ellie avoiding nicks question about the phone call 😭 he’s so freaking concerned for her (he’s been through his own version of PTSD), his voice drops all the teasing and he actually opens up a little bit - really wants to make sure she’s ok. He needs to be there for her and ugh poor Ellie, those walls are going back up after that hug- a momentary lapse in her usual self. She’s so far outside of her comfort zone talking about feelings and weaknesses and she immediately deflects. Nick respecting that deflection is also huge growth for him, knows it’s not ok to push through like a person like him would normally do and force her hand. He knows she needs space but also clearly ready to be that ear to listen or shoulder to cry on whenever she needs it.

His joke about notable mustaches only to be the butt of the joke about using the word notable later is hiiiiiilarious. 

Her comment about Zillow 😂 um excuse me ellie you looking for houses and to settle down 👀 but then(!!) Nick pushes her down the stairs first when shots start, getting her out of harm’s way and putting himself in danger like he always does my heart 😩 like he’s still on the stairs by the time she’s in a cell “safe.” And side note damn they are good shots, oof. 

The toilet bowl scene is easily one of my favorites. Nick freaking out over Ellie moving hers and him not being able to had me DYING. Like legit cackling over his worry she’s suddenly way stronger than him 🤣🤣 and then he gets SO pissed they took their car hahaha like so mad he hugs the damn wall in frustration. But then he claims he’ll rip out the bars of the window (you know, to make up for not being able to move his toilet and still prove he’s macho) and Ellie’s comment about superhuman strength & his agreement LOL. His anxiety level of being trapped and more so Ellie being trapped is getting to him already. He is reaching for any possible way to get them (read: her) out of there safely it doesn’t matter that the plan sounds outrageous. Cue him moving back to pissed and breaking the toilet with his damn foot like 🥵 we get you strong Nick but no need to show off. Hot damn. His “I really think we’re stuck in here” after that IDK why but had be laughing again. I’m pretty sure I said “no shit Sherlock” at my TV watching live because thank you Captain Obvious. 

Aaaaaand then when she pauses and finds the bomb bricks but goes so quiet oooooof he’s on high alert. You can practically hear his heart pounding and then he goes and starts panicking slightly when she doesn’t respond with our first use of a first name, “Ellie we have a wall between us, what is it?” But his tone is so frantic and his eyes are darting around putting the whole picture together and my heart aches for him. He’s starting to realize just how helpless he is to save her. The exact thing he likely swore he’d set out to never let happen again (Ellie in danger) after last episode, is happening again. And this time, it’s not like he can go hunt the guys down, he’s quite literally stuck. Helpless with no way out. Aaand here’s where Nick starts to lose his patience. Pissed at himself for not saving her before, not being able to save her now. Pissed at everything. He cannot comprehend how she is in this situation AGAIN and he can do nothing. But oh lord, he doesn’t even realize it’s about to get worse...

Him brooding over this crappy situation in a corner and being the cautious one is so unlike him (but also so telling as to how unnerved he is by her being in danger once again and not wanting to do anything to make it worse) and Ellie calls him on being “so careful, cowboy” and hot damn again she really does like a man in uniform doesn’t she??? 👀🔥 and she not picky on the type of uniform either 😏 but Nick immediately deflects because he’s not *quite* ready to talk feelings so let’s get down to business about counting bullets BUT the second Ellie starts to worry again he goes into hyperdrive protective and caring boyfriend partner. Without hesitation he tells her they’re going to figure it out because goddamnit he HAS to figure this out for her. He can’t fail, again. And he’s so so SO worried about her & her mental health right now and I sincerely love it. I know Ellie doesn’t want to have that conversation but I stan (I can’t believe I’m using that word, I’m not hip enough for that word) an empathetic boyfriend who supports their significant other when facing mental health issues (like PTSD in Ellie’s case) ❤️❤️❤️ Nick breaks my heart, he wants to be there for her- wants to be the one she feels comfortable enough to open up to and he just gets so dejected when she rejects his probing again (but I don’t blame her, it’s *hard* to open up about these difficult topics), his body language slumped over the bars and tone is just so defeated even if he tries to snap back into his usual Torres self (newsflash it ain’t working bruv because she’s not totally wrong in calling you hovery). Yet naturally he gets annoyed because he JUST CARES ELLIE DAMMIT LET HIM CARE. Like you go through this entire list of him trying to protect you from everything that could go wrong because HE CARES. HE WAS TERRIFIED HE LOST YOU ELLIE. HE TRULY THOUGHT HE’D NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN. NEVER TOUCH YOU AGAIN. NEVER TELL YOU HE LOVES YOU. HE CARES. AND HE CANT LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO YOU AGAIN. HE LITERALLY WANTS TO SAVE YOU (his own words because god damn this show plays with my emotions 😭😭) FROM ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING BECAUSE HE COULDN’T SAVE YOU FROM GETTING KIDNAPPED AND HAVING TO FIGHT YOUR WAY OUT OF A PLANE RIGGED TO BLOW. Ok done with yelling for now but man this part gets me. The implications are so important even over trivial stuff. He felt helpless and Nick Torres cannot do helpless, so he tries do to everything else in his power to keep her away from any danger no matter how little it seems. Even hot coffee is too much for his precious babe and while he knows she’s not some delicate, fragile flower- he knows she can hold her own (& has called her a badass as proof), his heart can’t possibly take another explosion on an airstrip. Even if that airstrip is something like a burnt tongue. Ok I die now 😩😩😩

But let’s come back to living because this bullshit Nick “I always tell you what’s going on with me...you ask I tell you” exCUSE ME. Is this the same man who claimed he was being overprotective and that Ellie was like a sister to him?!???!! Yeah, I call bullSHIT that you tell Ellie what’s going on with you. (And Ellie calls BS too, btw buddy). 

But when Ellie finally decides to open a little I love it. I think she finally understood at least just a bit that he just, simply cares about her & her well-being. So she gives him a tiny taste of what she’s going through. And god Nick’s face when he understands the gravity of what she’s having to face mentally. Like I know he knew but I don’t think he knew just how bad. And you can just see that hatred towards his perceived failure turning inward once again as the mood shifts in these cells to somber. Plus Ellies last comment here with them *needing* to find a way out of there- girrrrrrrl poor baby girl 😭 she’s struggling so hard right now and trying so hard to not let it show and not let it get to her but you know she’s terrified. You know she’s desperately triggered. UGH Ellie 💔💔

We cut to Ellie desperately trying to figure out a solution to getting the fuck outta there and once again my heart aches for her triggered self. Nick seems desolate and frustrated, shutting down slowly as it seems less and less likely they’ll get out. Buuuuut then the GUM. Ahahahahahah Ellieeeeeee how do you know about that last piece of gum for “breath emergencies”??? AHHHH this man’s jeans are so damn tight (& yes trust me I would know, I observe) but like also you staring at a spot on said tight jeans that’s only maybe five inches from a different outline 👀👀👀 GIRL I FEEL YOUUUU. GET. IT. Plus she knows exactly what he calls it and I freaking love that. His excuse for why he has to save it is also hilarious 🤣 his breath emergency later hmmm doubt you wanted to save it to MacGyver something Nick sooooo you got another thing in mind?? 😏 and then LMAO it’s mushy because his pants are sweaty I’m rolllllling. Your pants too tight Nick? (this is not humanly possible btw) ALSO is this why later Ellie says she expected Nick to be more sweaty??? If it is and now rewatching I kind of feel like it is, omg what a great callback on her part 🤣🤣

Nick trying to coach her on the proper way of opening the cell door is hilarious because bitch which one of you was able to move their toilet Nick 👀😂 but oh damn now it’s when shit goes downhill fast. 

Nick not being able to see anything and his frantic questioning is amazing compared to Ellies absolute panic realizing she is once again facing down a bomb. I feel like her calming breaths are a coping technique Jack has been helping her with but man kill me now, Nick’s face?? When he realizes what he thought was helplessness earlier has just shot yo exponentially??? Oof with a capital O. This poor man needs a damn drink and yet all he can have is a club soda boy I *feel you* on that (side note #letsgetthisbabyoutmybellyasap). His woman has gone and gotten herself into another bomb encounter for the second time in a week. And he CANT DO A DAMN THING ABOUT IT. Can you imagine the absolute inner (and outer, give it a sec) freak out he’s having?? He wants to save her from hot coffee for Christ’s sake and now he can’t save her from a rigged bomb. Talk about a shitty situation. 

I just love the Torres Teachable Moment little discussion. Like Nick’s smirk gets me. I really don’t think he knew she had a name for it or realized that she caught on to what he was doing (trying to help her grow as an agent without being obvious or “degrading”). And then we move on to comparing arm length and I crack up 😂 “my arms are longer than yours” and “no they’re disproportionately short for your body” HAHAHA like what the hell have you guys been doing to know this?? Do you stand *that* close together with your arms down to know their lengths comparatively and how much do you stare at Nick, Ellie? Daaaaaaamn. From his gum to his arms to his body I see you 👀 I’m not hating tho I would too 😏 I think what I loved most about this whole jail scene (aside the ending obvs) is the quick flipping back and  forth from joking & teasing to dead serious & worried. Like they’re both trying so hard to keep it above board and light- trying desperately not to think of the implications of what’s happening but then (usually Nick) those intrusive thoughts sneak through and he can’t help but redirect them back to serious. It shows their inner warrings with themselves and just how hard this is for both of them. How much they want to appear strong and unflappable but they both know deep down the whole situation is eating away at them. And Nick bringing up her standing on a bomb only moments before he tells her he’s going to shoot the wall- OOF. Ellie’s genuine terror for him injuring himself and her then not being able to do a damn thing about it because she’s standing on a FREAKING BOMB is so painful to watch. Like she’s stuttering she can’t get it out fast enough, she needs to stop him, she can’t fathom him getting hurt while she’s helpless (uh, hello there theme of the episode how have you been). Nick’s facial expressions through this scene are also so telling. He goes from “this isn’t a big deal” to “oh shit she’s panicking” to “holy shit is she going to open up, is she really talking about this” to “fuck it’s my fault she had to go through that and it’s tearing me up inside every second” to “hooooooly fuck is she about to say what I think she’s about to say?? Is she about to confirm what I know deep inside but am too afraid to say aloud?? Is it true??” And ELLIE OH ELLIE. Reliving that *has* to be hard, has to. To finally bring it up after she’s been dodging it all damn day...you know the thought of him getting seriously injured had her more than rattled. And she cracks open those cement walls around her heart so briefly, the glimpse in it provides I think a turning point for Nick. Finally seeing that it’s not just him, she’s in deep too. Even if she can’t say it, can’t say she was fighting to see him again 😩💔 he knows. She says he only has one bullet left and to save it and they’ll figure some other way with tears in her eyes my HEART. But Nick gets it. Nick gets it because he’s been in the exact same situation. His eyes as they process the implication of her words and the fear for his life running through them 🥺 his simple “ok” is so unlike his normal self, you just know he’s once again doing anything and everything he can for. Even if that means standing down and not fighting for his way (the natural instinct for him). He knows what she needs is reassurance he won’t accidentally shoot himself. So he does it 😭 But him pacing (as a man of action suddenly faced with forced inaction) & Ellie begging for an inventory over and over (a woman of logics and data faced with PTSD) is so painful. You can tell they’re both struggling and neither wants to admit it but also they both need to do something - for Nick that becomes finally deciding to shoot a foothold in the wall and for Ellie that meant trying to go over their facts again and again but suddenly she’s once again terrified Nick is going to injure himself. The one man she fought to see again might hurt or even kill himself and she can’t do a damn thing because she’s standing on a bomb for fuck’s sake. Aaaaaaand cue the blow up. Cue Nick voicing his worst fears of Ellie accidentally triggering the bomb. Cue Ellie getting defensive because she’s so damn used to be babied and treated like she can’t take care of herself. Cue the “overprotective hovery man crap” line that had me rolling on the floor (tbt ROFL). Cue Ellie calling herself a girl but Nick calling her a woman like DAMN get me where it hurts Nick- that right there is a man who respects the living hell out of this fiiiiiiine representation of a woman in front of him 🔥. Cue Ellie saying because I’m “me” like um FUCK YES IT’S BECAUSE YOU’RE YOU AND HE’S TOO SCARED OF LOSING YOU ELLIE. Cue Nick finally losing his shit and getting reeeeeealllllllll like hallelujah do you hear the church bells?! Even Ellie knows to finally pause and listen. Nick never loses it on her, never. She knows this shift is serious and it’s happening. And omg his confession can I just have a moment of silence for the GROWTH.

Thank you, it needed commemorating. The same Nick who didn’t belong to a team is the Nick that is out here claiming he can’t sit idly by while the love of his life might get blown up again. He’s NOT OKAY WITH THAT AND NEITHER AM I. NOT AFTER THIS GODDAMN SCENE. His head bob accentuating just- how- important this is to him is so in character (thank you Wilmer) and theeeeeeen shoot me the way he has to fucking collect himself from almost crying. The emotion- there just aren’t words. Literally he has to look up to the sky and blink back those tears you know are threatening to fall at the thought of the woman who he still *technically* hasn’t told that he loves her could potentially die, again, for the second time in a week. So guess the hell what? He’s telling her (sort of). He’s telling her he would do anything, anything, put himself in danger’s way if it meant there was even the tiniest chance it would save her. Pardon the callback but- HE WOULD RISK HIS LIFE TO SAVE HERS. DON’T YOU REMEMBER ELLIE. YOU SAID I KNOW. DO YOU KNOW NOW. DO YOU. BECAUSE GOOD LORD CAN YOU MARRY THIS MAN ALREADY BEFORE I DIVORCE MY HUSBAND AND DO IT (jk love you honey 😘). But like damn, she knows it now. That look- she bites her lip and has tears in her own eyes at the realness she can feel even through a cement block wall. It’s a feeling she’s not used to. She isn’t used to being a person someone would literally risk death for. She doesn’t think she deserves it (sip on that like whiskey, mull it over, let it sink in & cry about it). Even if she knows she doesn’t need saving (and so does Nick), she finally realizes it isn’t about that. It isn’t about he feels like she can’t do it. It’s about the overwhelming pull that your life isn’t greater than the one you love. That love, real true love, is knowing you would do anything for that other person (and they the same) because the world would be worse off without them in it. And Nick will never be okay with a world without Ellie. Never. Their joint quiet after his confession is so powerful. There’s no claims of falsehood, there’s no trying to quip back at him, there’s no trying to stop him. It just settles into the room- into their hearts. They’ve crossed a line and it means so, so much. Nick can feel a weight lifted off his shoulders as he loads his gun and gets ready and Ellie can feel a weight settle on hers from the need to reciprocate. And not out of pity, it would be out of truth. But she knows it isn’t the right time. She knows she has to do it, and she will. She held back earlier when she couldn’t say she was fighting for Nick, but his outburst and confession gave her the courage in this scene. She finally has confirmation she means to him like he means to her. And she has to know, she has to know if he means it or if it was heat of the moment so when the dust settles she inquires, “what’s going on over there?” A pulse check. A way of asking without asking—did you mean that? And the shock of confirmation of her face as Nick, dead as a doornail serious says, “close calls make you live harder”….holy hell. That’s the moment it snaps for her, everything snaps into place—the agony he’s gone through not only this week, but the past couple years of close calls. He’s done beating around the bush, he’s living harder, he’s going all in, he’s getting what he wants. He refuses to let anything like a damn jail cell rigged to blow stand in his way. And she knows, she knows just how important she is to him. He might not have said those three words, but that phrase- that phrase was a direct window into Nick Torres’ soul. And by god I love it. 

But Nick pulling a prank on Ellie like that is also so Nick- the little shit. The genuine concern in her voice when she yells his name 😭 like dude, her worst fear, something causing ongoing trauma in her head right now is the ONE THING you decide to tease her with??? I should expect nothing less but damn that’s low 😂 her checking on his status update with Gibbs though feels like such a role reversal from earlier and it cracks me up, side note. 

When they’re getting ready to stand down the returning brother and Nick gets in position next to the wall but can’t even look ahead- he’s just staring at Ellie, oof. In that moment he’s brutally and painfully aware she can’t hide for cover. Not only can she not hide, he can’t cover her because he’s (locked in a cell but also) out of bullets. He’s once again near helpless and the woman he loves (and has now finally kind of told) is a sitting duck. Someone get this poor man a damn club soda, I repeat. 

And the little talk between the two parties- I love that Ellie takes point. Love that Nick lets her. Like damn that’s a supportive partner right there and I 👏🏼 AM 👏🏼 HERE 👏🏼 FOR 👏🏼 IT. He knows she can handle this shit and he will willingly let her. But nooooooowwwww weee gettinggggg to the goooooood paaaaaaart. 

Ok first, “good to see you” - this man has missed her face. Straight up dying to see her in the flesh. Just listening to her voice and not seeing the emotions written on her face is not enough. Seeing her alive, smiling at him, he needed it. But of course, let’s keep it light, act natural Nicholas. 

“I thought you’d be sweatier” - excUUUUSE ME ELLIE. Not only did you just call out his reference to his sweaty jeans earlier, you also WANT TO SEE HIM SWEATY DON’T YOU. THAT SMIRK SAYS YES DON’T LIE. And honestly, I don’t blame you shhhhh.

“The day is young” - can I get another excUUUUSE ME NICK. Words- they don’t- function. Because that knowing smile of hers- SHE’S OKAY WITH IT. GET YOUR MIND OUT THE GUTTER YOU TWO THERE’S A HOMICIDAL MAN UPSTAIRS. YOU’VE GOT TIME TO GET SWEATY TOGETHER TONIGHT YOU HEAR ME. THAT DAY IS YOUNG AND SO ARE YOU SO GET THOSE BRICKS AND THEN YOU CAN GET TO BANGING LATER. I just fucking can’t with their smirks. I can’t. This isn’t the normal banter, this is the fuck me banter and I’m okay with it. Because right after the I-wanna-get-in-your-sweaty-jeans banter we have Ellie putting her HAND ON HIS GD HIP AS HE PASSES ONLY TO MOVE UP TO BOTH SHOULDERS. AND THEEEEEEEN HOLY HELL SOMEONE LIGHT A MATCH BECAUSE THIS BITCH ABOUT TO EXPLODE FROM SEXUAL TENSION. Is it possible to rewatch this scene a thousand times in slo-mo and still not have watched it enough? Because that is me. That will always be me. How are they so in tandem, so in sync as they look up mere inches from each other- directly into the other’s eyes knowing exactly how serious this situation is and yet pausing to freaking gaze longingly (read: have eye sex) at each other. And I’m sorry Nick looks down at her lips like three times??? For a good while too?? Sir nothing you said required you to look there. nothing. And also there’s no way his hands aren’t on her I thiiiiiiink they’re on her upper arms (based on the last shot as he’s walking to get the bricks) but like hold her tight Nick please. Also while Ellie doesn’t look at his lips (in this scene) holy shit those are some come-hither eyes if I’ve ever seen them. “I’m sure” ABOUT YOU. SHE’S SURE ABOUT YOU NICK. SHE’S SURE SHE’S READY TO GET SWEATY WITH YOU NICK. Like literally, this girl had been leaning up against the cement wall for a looooong time before he has to pass her and now, NOW that Nick has to pass her- SHE STANDS UP TALL. TO GIVE HIM NO SPACE. WHILE SHE’S STANDING ON A BOMB. BITCH YOU WANTED IT. That was a damn power move Ellie and I am not mad about it. She so easily could have leaned back, given him a ton of space to get around, but nooooooo she stands right there, middle of the tight opening and says yes Nick come get 1mm from my face, touch me here, touch me there, touch me everywhere don’t care 👀 while you pass. I’m sure I’m okay with it because you’ve just eye fucked me and it’s exactly what I wanted. And I mean come oooooooon just the underlying emotion behind both of their words. Nick isn’t just asking if she won’t move her foot- it’s his way of asking if she’s ok and she looks SO much better, more relaxed now that he’s with her. The tense, anxiety-ridden Ellie that was asking for inventory or snapping about him being overprotective, is now at ease despite still standing on said bomb- all because Nick is right there with her and if that doesn’t make you 🥺😭 I don’t know what will. Like she can’t even take her eyes off of him even after rude brother interrupts this gold moment of theirs until Nick has already completely turned his head towards the dude. She’s just so relieved to see him standing there, so close to her, feeling his warmth underneath her hands again. 

Side note to prove my earlier point, when Nick casually reaches through to throw the bags of bricks through the door Ellie is leaning on the wall and THERE’S SO MUCH ROOM. HE COULD HAVE EASILY PASSED. 

Nick looks like he literally wants to murder the guy, enraged that he’s the one who put Ellie in this situation again. We would’ve seen swan!Nick if it wasn’t for Ellie choosing this moment to finally share her feelings. Because remember- she’d decided she was going to reciprocate but knew it wouldn’t come off the right way before. Now’s the time. Now when the immediate threat to their lives is gone (excluding bomb of course). Now when they’re alone, they’re together, and she can look him in the eye so he knows she’s serious. He can read the truth in her eyes rather than doubt her words said across a jail cell wall. 

“This isn’t about me, it’s about you” - well damn that got your attention didn’t it Nick??? So used to putting Ellie first, putting yourself second its weird to hear it come from someone else isn’t it? That someone is worried for your safety? That someone needs you living and breathing just as much as you need them doing the same? His eyes immediately change from Imma kill this man to did I just hear this woman right. 

“I’m not okay with you getting blown up either” - first off, the parallelism is what makes this absolute *chef’s kiss* because Nick has literally zero chance of being blown up if he runs after this dude. Shot? Yes. But blown up? No. Ellie has chosen these words precisely to call back to what Nick said earlier. To make sure he’s aware she understood the weight of his earlier confession and is making the same one. They are on equal footing- their feelings are not only reciprocated but just as strong as the other. She could’ve said anything else but choosing his exact words was so poignant in the moment. It’s like the difference between saying “I love you” & “I love you too” compared to “I love you” & “I really care about you.” And the way she says it with such confidence, she isn’t playing around, she didn’t even *have* to bring up their previous conversation, she’s got determination etched across her face with a ghost of a smile on her lips. She means this, and it’s dying to bust out of her. And so the shock to Nick’s system is quite frankly understandable. This is Ellie - someone who hours ago didn’t even want to tell him who she was trying to make a phone call to. Ellie who has walls the size of Mt. Everest erected around her heart. Ellie who could have brushed off his earlier comments said from the safety of a cement wall between them. But no. This Ellie is all-in, she’s ready to own up to her side. She’s ready to lay it on the line just like him. Equal footing. If Nick is ready to jump, then so is she. And he’s just so taken aback- glancing at her lips, blinking through the shock as he processes. Processes the weight of her words on their relationship. He knows he could laugh it off, make a joke about his superhuman strength not allowing him to get blown up, or he could man up and take them both forward. Ellie doesn’t even flinch under his stare, if anything she becomes more confident, more resolute in her words and her stance. Her eyes searching his for what his reaction will be and for a brief moment I swear there’s a tiny bit of worry, a tiny bit of unease that he wasn’t ready for her to repeat his words back to him. 

“Well, what are we gonna do about that?” Oh YOU HEARD. That smirrrrrrrrk Nicholas stop iiiiiit, Eleanor’s standing on a bomb you don’t need to light her on fire!! Because this is a challenge, a goddamn challenge. Staring straight into her soul saying, “oh you want me and I want you? How about we blow this popsicle stand and go get fucking sweaty ok? Because that’s what I want to do about that 👀🔥🔥🔥” and not only is the smirk sexy as hell but it’s also got this glint of elation. Like he could not be happier she said those words back to him. That he finally took Ziva’s advice, wasn’t a wuss and WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT IT PAID OFF. But his words also tell of a little nervousness. And not necessarily in a bad way, more as in a leaving it to her way. Putting her in the driver’s seat of this relationship knowing it’s where she’ll feel most comfortable. Given all she’s been through, like all of it not just the past week, he knows that she needs to be in control of how fast they move. And once again his chivalry and thoughtfulness of her is just- I cry. He doesn’t just assault her with what they should do next, he leaves it for her to decide. For her to weigh in on how far and how fast she wants to take them. And by the little shy smile Ellie gives him- she knows what he means. She knows her words have hit their mark and that he respects her enough to let her lead the way. And now she has to make her decision, a decision we DON’T GET TO SEE BUT I’M NOT BITTER IT’S FINE. But a decision nonetheless. 

I honestly go two ways on this- the most obvious of hell yes they kissed right then and there and started *something* and then the bitter realistic one of they were probably interrupted by Gibbs (who was literally outside like right then based on timing) but also may have just continued to stare into each other’s eyes- still slightly taken aback by everything they just shared and what it means for them. Still unsure of how they “work” as people who *love* each other, not just partners. Having that reality sink in as they continue to face off and wait for a rescuer. That reality sinking in could lead to obviously very good things (that we better see on our screen or I will fucking riot) or a slight nervous closing-off. Like not quite closed off closed off, but a tiny retreat when the gravity of the day falls down on both of them. I don’t think either will believe they only said what they did because of the situation/moment they were in, but it’s still a lot to deal with after all is said and done. I sincerely hope they unpack this in the coming episodes and give us some direction of what happened after that jail cell scene. 

I love the Torres told McGee about what happened today and I’m so curious about how much detail he told him lol but I also love that McGee has now received genuinely good advice from Torres twice now (the one about the reunion and now this). Just goes to show you the brotherly bond they have ❤️ but also that the advice was the same advice he literally lived out that day. Close calls make you live harder, almost as an affirmation to himself (Nick about what happened), but as something he knew McGee needed to hear too- they all do. 

And then this bullpen scene - one, how far of a time jump is this and whyyyyyyy won’t they telllll meeeeee. They hate me. Two, Ellie coming over so close just to hand off a file that he doesn’t even look at 👀 three, THEIR SMIRKS. WHAT DO THEY MEAN. Because Nick is holding back the world’s biggest smile as Ellie gets close to him and Ellie is just all nonchalantly checking him out with a brief eye-sex scene. Like damn this fine man doesn’t want me to blow up and I don’t want him to blow up either 🔥 Now does this mean they absolutely got together and did the nasty after they got out of that cell? Of course not. We can only dream, and write fics. This ending scene is very reminiscent of what NCIS loves to do with their power of open-ended persuasion at the end of an ep, see On Fire for example. The ending music and comments combined with the shot of Gibbs leaving in the elevator is literally there to try and persuade you that he killed Xavier. In this ep, the ending music and voiceover combined with their looks at each other is there to try and persuade you they totally got it oooooon. Not to say they didn’t, but I don’t trust NCIS one damn bit. 

All in all, cannot *wait* to see where they take ellick the rest of the season. Emily hyped this ep and man, she did NOT disappoint. Let’s see that shift that is going to ripple for the rest of the season now like Wilmer promised 🤞🏼

Oh and my only side note because this was insanely insanely long and if you’re still reading I’m proud of you for hanging in there with me & my screams into the void, send me an ask screaming back it’s ok I’ll love you for it—waaaas the whole team poking fun at Torres for using the word notable was downright hilarious. That and Gibbs trying to do everything himself, I can’t. Comedic gold. I love. I would go from dying of laughter to intense emotions so fast in this ep I got whiplash and for that, I am thankful to Gina. She always delivers 🔥

[thecoffeenebula]

Did you miss me?

Thank you so much for liking my Marcus Moreno fic!!! I really appreciate it. :)

I recently started rewatching Sherlock and thought of a Moriarty fic. Only thing is I am not so happy with where this story went. I kinda went of the original story line I thought up. I still hope you enjoy it :)

Did you miss me?

Jim Moriarty x Reader

warnings: none (I think, let me know if you see it otherwise than I will put them in here)

Meeting Jim Moriarty was a big mistake. Only if you would have found out about that earlier. You should have known there was something with him.

  When you first met him he was such a nice guy. Only after you started dating him, you figured out about how mysterious he was. Every time you asked him a question, he gave you a vague answer. Not that it did any harm. He still seemed nice. Until he disappeared on you. He never told you what was going on.

 Finding out about his death wasn’t easy. Neither was finding out about what kind of a man he was. You could barely get of your sofa. Your sister checked up on you from time to time. She even went to the supermarket for you so you wouldn’t starve to death. She was the reason you got back up your feet again. She helped you gain back your sanity.

 Months had passed. You were back on your feet again. Life was returning to normal. Until that one night.

Ever since Moriarty died you’ve been having the feeling as if someone was following you.

Your therapist told you that it was just in your head. That is was some sort of trauma effect that you created when you were processing the information. You went along with it, because what else could it be. You were just simple frightened.

 You hated walking home from the bus station. Especially at night. The feeling of being followed increased. There were barely any people on the streets. It was freezing. You were cold and shivering. Trying to distract yourself from your thoughts. The thoughts didn’t go away. They kept getting louder. You didn’t even dare to turn around to check and see if there was nothing there, even to prove if you were right, just because of the fear that someone might actually be following you.

There was someone following you. You could feel it. You picked up your pace. Your house was just around the corner. It felt as if a shadow were closing in on you. Searching for your keys, you reach the house. The adrenaline was pumping through your body. You were shaking. It was impossible to get the key in. You slowly started to breathe in and out telling yourself that it is all in your head. Your hands stopped shaking. You push the key in and lock the door immediately. You let your head fall against the door, breathing heavily until you calmed down. You take of your coat and scarf and walk into the living room to the kitchen. You hadn’t had anything decent to eat. There was barely anything in your fridge.

“Noodles it is” you said to yourself heating up the microwave.

 A noise came from the hallway.

You jumped. “Hello?”

The first thing you see is a kitchen knife. You grab it and slowly tiptoe your way to the living room. You placed your hand around the doorknob, counting to three in your head. You opened the door. There was nothing there. Your coat fell down. A sigh escapes from your lips. Relieved that it was just the coat. You hang it back up again and walk back.

 The moment you are back in the living room. There is a figure in the corner of your eye.  Goosebumps appear all over your body. Slowly you turn to the figure and jump at the sight of a man. The knife is still in your hand. You hold it tight.

It took you a few seconds to realise that you knew that figure. The man standing in front of you…. eating your noodles….. Jim.

“These noodles are really good” he said, as he went in for another bite.

“No, no this can’t be true. You are not real. I am losing my mind again.” You pointed your knife at him.

“Oh no, I am quite real” a smirk appeared on his face.

His hand moved up to your face. “I am really here”

You couldn’t believe what you were seeing. This probably is some sort of dream. You probably fell asleep on the sofa. You didn’t even shiver at his touch. It felt nice. You missed it. You grabbed his hand and closed your eyes. But you snapped out of this day dream and pulled away from him.

 “How dare you? How dare you come in here like it is no big deal.”

Jim still was smirking “Well, yes. Aren’t you happy to see me?”

You got lost in his eyes again “yes…. I mean no!”

“Jim, why?”

Jim looked at you confused and hurt by your little outburst. “Why what?”

“Why all of this?”

He put the noodles aside and stepped closer to you.

“Don’t you know?”

He took both of your hands in his.

“I did this all for you. For us. I love you (Y/N). I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I had this all planned but I couldn’t actually go through with it because I realized that I am in love with you. I need you, right by my side.”

You probably didn’t hear him correctly. You pulled your hands away.

“committing murder? You committed murder for me? For us?

You let out a laugh. “Do you think this is some kind of joke, Jim? You don’t go out there murdering people. Absolutely not to prove your love to someone. You also don’t let the person you love believe that you died.”

Jim tried to speak up.

“No, don’t try to explain yourself, Jim. I am sick of your lies, of all this. Don’t try to excuse yourself for the things that you’ve did. The more you try to justify your actions the more people you will lose, and guess what, you just lost me.”

You opened the door for him.

“I would like you to leave”

“Honey….”

“Go Jim!”

Jim grabbed his jacked and left. Feeling more hurt then ever. His life fell apart. The only person he felt comfortable with just kicked him out.

 The next morning you woke up, thinking it all was a dream. Until you came downstairs. There was a box on your table. You opened it. There was a note in it, covering a silver bracelet, that you once saw when you went out shopping with Jim. You opened the note.

“I am sorry to have caused you so much heartfelt. I thought I could make it up to you by showing I was alright. Apparently that wasn’t enough. There won’t be a single day that I will give up on you. JM” you even had a couple of text messages of him. Saying that if you were ready to talk again he would be there.

His soft side was showing again. You couldn’t just excuse him for everything he had done.

Maybe over time you might give him another shot, when everything becomes clear again. He would just have to wait, and that, he will.

[heressomethingelse]

John Watson has been done dirty

Normally I just comment in tags but you know what, I’m half drunk on wine, and I have THOUGHTS, so I’m actually going to write out a comment. I rewatched every episode of BBC Sherlock for the first time in three years, and here’s the thing... John Watson has been emotionally abused and manipulated by Sherlock MANY TIMES. I know everyone loves Sherlock Holmes, I did too - and still do! But hear me out. As a woman who has passed beyond the age of youth and is resolutely creeping ever closer to the grave, it’s important to me to tell (especially young) people: you need to keep an eye out for emotional manipulation even when it’s from people you love. It is a very important lesson in life to see the bad through the good before you can decide on if a person is worth it. A lot of times it is! And some times it isn’t. You can’t just ignore the bad because someone is enigmatic and mysterious and pops his collar and has incredible cheekbones. Sherlock has absolutely been emotionally manipulative, including but not limited to: Constant belittling and insulting, keeping John out of plans that will put him in danger (and yes we all know John likes danger but he suffers from PTSD and that is a SYMPTOM of PTSD, NOT a cure, and Sherlock should know this), gas-lighting him, making John believe it was HIS FAULT that Sherlock wouldn’t tell him he was alive when he told so many other people under the pretense that “you would be indiscreet” therefore causing UNDUE emotional pain and trauma on him, THE BOMB SCENE which I continue to believe is the worst thing I’ve ever seen - making someone believe they’re legitimately going to die in order to get forgiveness and then literally laughing in their face??? I JUST- WHAT???, and finally, the point that made me start to get physically angry for John: Sherlock took away John’s agency. Every. Single. Move. That John makes is controlled/predicted by Sherlock. Even as far as John’s THERAPIST is something that Sherlock can control. John is completely within his right to need time and space away to deal with everything he has been through, and Sherlock simply does not allow it. Everything in his life is prearranged by Sherlock. SO many times, Sherlock lies feigning ignorance or kindness, when the truth is he’s completely lying to John in order to get something or move forward on a case. By the time John beats the shit out of Sherlock, while I absolutely hated seeing it, I actually understand why he gets to that breaking point. THEN IT TURNS OUT THAT’S PREARRANGED BY SHERLOCK TOO. By this point, I just want to flip a couch in John Watson’s honor. 

I should point out here that I know John isn’t a saint either. John can be sassy and unreasoning and also HE BEAT UP SHERLOCK. It doesn’t matter what the excuse is, that is bad. But during this rewatch, I felt like...... okay, have you ever seen someone get poked and poked and poked and poked and poked and poked, and then eventually they flip their shit and everyone around them is like “that person is nuts?” That is EXACTLY what emotional abuse does to you. It makes you become feral and crazy because you just don’t know what to do with yourself. John completely lost his cool (another PTSD symptom, btw). 

And I know the title of this post is “John watson has been done dirty” but you know who else has been done dirty? Sherlock. Because the writers messed him up. They made him too mean and too powerful. Being able to predict John’s every move is a ridiculous thing that they wanted to do to make Sherlock “impressive’ but it really just made him abusively controlling. They made two people who are the quintessential “best friend duo” become the most horrifically toxic relationship. And I know the writers know how to show two men being friends because we have the wedding episode, which is IMO the best showcase of their friendship in the entire series. So how can have that, and yet write such awful abuse? Frankly, I question the writers’ actual ability to dissect unhealthy relationships if they think all this abuse is just “eh, it’s alright.” I don’t know what the conclusion is but anyway thank you for coming to my ted talk. *smashes the wine glass on the ground and logs off*

[dianadragonfly]

Okay, hang on bitches, cause Imma bout ta rewatch “The Final Problem.” I’ve seen it once since 2017. And because there is no commentary on the disc I have, I will be providing the commentary.

[[MORE]] Since I started my “rewatch and comment” spree, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Things that had previously stood out in my mind as being particularly not-good are really not that bad. Most were actually really short moments that stood out in retrospect because they seemed incongruous with how well-written and acted everything else was.

Up till season 2, the writers could do no wrong whatsoever. The exact moment I experienced a “well that was overdone” moment of questioning the writers was when Sherlock broadcast a picture of Mary on the outside of the facade in “His Last Vow.” From there, I had moments of doubt and questioning plot and directing choices that took away from the narrative. But, except for the moment John sees Mary die, I never ever questioned the acting choices. The actors are so amazing. And I’m not just saying that because Ben and Martin are hot.

As I prepare to watch the episode, there are several scenes that I dread. Opening with the girl on the airplane reminds me of how much I hated this trick. If the girl is Eurus messing with them, then why do we see it acted out? If we cannot trust that what we see is a reality, then all of the “Mind Palace” theories of TFP (i.e. that it actually took place in a dream or in the head of a character) have some authenticity to them. Ugh.

Damn. I’d forgotten the “Hello. My name is Jim Moriarty” part of the intro. No need for that if the girl is just something in Eurus’s imagination.

Oh shit. I hate hate hate hate everything about this scene of Mycroft.

First of all, there is security in Mycroft’s house.

Second of all, he would have skewered any of those actors with the umbrella sword or shot one of them with the gun.

Why are the paintings crying blood? John and Sherlock couldn’t accomplish that... once we add scary clown it’s just too much. Even for Sherlock.

Oh stop with the heavy-handed East Wind references. Dammit, I loved this show for its subtly. Killer clowns are not subtle, even in pranks.

Now with Mycroft here, in the client position, refusing to sit, with the Baker Street Boys in their chairs - this is what I came for. The light, the look on their faces, the composition of the shot.

Oohh Hudson throwing some shade. John’s half smile...

Is the skull portrait glowing? I can’t tell.

“That’s why he stays!” Fuck yeah. John’s half smile again...

“Middle child. Explains a lot.” As a middle child, I resent that remark. And sort of get it.

So the flashing back and forth in time, with the ashes of Musgrave Hall in the apartment, 5 year old Eurus answering grown-up Mycroft’s questions, the pebble: all of that would be okay, if not a tiny bit less than subtle, had we not just fought a goddamn clown in the scene before.

Oh goddamn. The stupid fucking patience gernade and that song.

Of course Mrs. Hudson vacuums to Iron Maiden.

It’s Sherlock’s turn to half-smile. Cute.

Beautifully shot here with the above view and all three of them at different points on a circle around it.

Ugh. I have to turn away at the “action shot” of them jumping out the window. This is not “Die Hard.” It’s not a cop buddy movie. We just got a really well played, fun little scene where they talked a about Oscar Wilde to avoid talking about the fact that they might die. That’s what I watch Sherlock for.

There was a fan fic written around 2012 that mentions “The Importance of Being Ernest.” Coincidence? Creators reading fanfic? I know Wilde and ACD were contemporaries, but it’s interesting. I can’t think of any other literary works that are alluded to in canon. It’s funny it should be this one.

And now we’ve commandeered a boat. Seriously.

All of the other episodes, I had more patience with on this go-around where I get a chance to type out reactions and reflect on how they are put together. But I’m finding that isn’t the case with this one. I’m just pissed. Give me one or two unbelievable moments or plot twists in an episode and I can sustain it. But between the airplane, killer clowns at Mycroft’s, the patience gernade, and this, I’m already done and we’re 20 minutes in. Sherlock looks like a goddamn vampire bat. And seriously, why does Mycroft need to steal a boat? And write a message in the sand? What the hell? Why dress up?

Sherlock’s security guard act cracks me up.

Oh his face when he sees Eurus. His. Face. Curiosity. Heartbreak. Empathy. Pain. Doubt. Fear. THIS is my show. Not patience gernades, killer clowns, dressing up like a sea captain etc in one damn episode.

She “enslaves” people... magical Eurus who makes people kill their family. Really?!

Oh no. He ignores “Vatican cameos.” I forgot that. He chooses to ignore John’s warning.

His face.... Jesus Benedict can act.

Big bouncy red alert! Okay, what was with the spinning John face when he gets knocked out?

This constant shift between wondering what the hell is happening, wondering if the show has become a parody of itself, and then bouncing back to this heart wrenching narrative — is that the point of this episode? Like “The Empty Hearse” or “The Abominable Bride”? But those episodes explained themselves after they pulled the rug out. As soon as something got to the point of absurdity, it was explained. Sherlock didn’t swing in a window at Bart’s and kiss Molly but we briefly were led to believe he did. Moriarty and Sherlock aren’t really kissing on the roof. (By then we knew what was up though). Sherlock didn’t really attempt to dig up a dead Amelia Rocoletti. We understand it’s a drug-induced dream.

This rapid jumping back and forth with half-assed explainations — I’m coming to believe this off-balance feeling is the point of the episode but I don’t like it. I like it even less than I did before.

Oh Andrew Scott. I love you.

The bastards wait till 5 minutes into the Moriarty scene to tell us it’s 5 years ago. That constant pulling out the rug — I will at least excuse that because there is a plausible explaination given. But it’s a cheap trick. This episode is one cheap trick after another, with only a few moments, here and there, of characters actually interacting.

So it’s late and I don’t know if I have the heart to make it through this whole episode tonight. To be continued....

Edited:

Starting at scene 5 on the DVD because that's when Sherlock sees Eurus for the sort of first time. I kind of just want to bask in Ben's performance here again.

After the last episode, clean-shaven Sherlock in a suit is a relief. He's back... at least a little.

His small smile when he asks her how she got out. . .

I'm realizing how much of this scene had to be Benedict looking directly into the camera and talking to Eurus. That had to be intimidating.

***I've skipped ahead to closer than where I was last night because the small people in my house will want food soon. Parentig gets in the way of fangirling. ****

I still love the Hungry Donkey story.

OH MY GOD! I forgot how much I love Andrew Scott here!!!

Are they making out through the glass?

And now the four of them wake up in a cell but this one has glass. Ugh. The plane again. I love how Sherlock changes his voice here to talk to the girl. He isn't incapable of reading people and reacting to them. He just usually can't be bothered. There’s a fan theory that says Sherlock is autistic. I was going to comment that this skill of his is evidence that he’s not but I stopped myself. He -knows- HOW one needs to act to get people to respond to him, but it’s a learned skill. Which actually might add evidence to the “autism” theory more than the sociopath theory.

Mark Gatiss - I forget what an incredible actor he can be. Whoa.

These scenes - these scenes where they have to apply themselves to a task that Eurus sets for them -- they are so fucking good. Tense and well-acted. I can see every emotion on every actor's face. The rest of the episode should have been better to make it worthy of these performances. It physically hurt watching John try to shoot the governor.

Someone said that Jim Moriarty went from a criminal mastermid to manical Thomas the Train Engine on this episode and I can't unthink that any time he flashes on the screen.

I had a moment, when Eurus was using such clinical language of behavioralism ("prompts") etc that I flashed back onto my life as an ABA instructor. Seriously. I know they are a million miles away but no one watching this would ever think, even for a second, that Eurus was morally right. Why, then, do we do a smiliar thing to autistic children? I had a moment of revulsion then. (Restirct physical liberty and autonomy, make them complete a command that's nonsensical for either reward or aversive. Give prompts. Follow through (deny reward) if one deviates from the prompt). She might as well been saying "Touch table, Sherlock." ("Touch table" is one of the first directives often given in ABA. It's easy to manually prompt (force) a kid to do and helps the kid realize the link between following the requests and obtaining rewards.)

Sorry. ABA rant is slightly off topic.

To be continued in comments ..

[dead-ghouls]

Theres no way that i could ask for a break down of what you see in his ftes in ask format is is there?? I already love korekiyo, but I'm really curious about what you have to say.

I can do that! The only thing is that most of what he says I’ll be quoting from memory, but direct quotes can be found in his FTEs and in-game dialogue on wiki. I’ll do my best to provide as many screenshots as I can, but I doubt I will be able to find all, it’s a very long process and I dont have the whole day.V3 spoilers below, ofc. Also TW various types of abuse, you know the drill if you played the game. Long post!Let’s start from what we know about Korekiyo. What makes him Korekiyo, what makes him stand out, what’s special about him. 

- Unique outfit- Long hair- His deep knowledge of anthropology- His interest in occult/speaking to the dead- His deep relationship with death, grief and how he looks at it- His love for ropes- Being a serial killer

Now let’s break down every trait he has and where it comes from.

Unique outfit

FTE 3, he tells us his sister made it for him to suit her tastes, claiming his school uniform doesnt suit him.

Long hairI don’t remember if it was mentioned in-game, but it was mentioned in V3 manga anthology, that his long hair is a memento to his sister, since she had long hair, so he refuses to cut it. It is stated that events of manga obviously not canon, but I dont think this claim was outside of his canon characterisation. 

His deep knowledge of anthropology

In the same FTE he mentions that Sister was the one who “pushed him to research as much as he could”

His interest in occult/speaking to the dead + his relationship with death and griefI dont think i gotta find proof for that, he mentioned travelling looking to speak to the dead, the whole ch 3 with Caged Child + he mentioned having near-death experience after a seanse (see next bullet point), and that’s how his Sister came to him.He speaks about human mortality and coming to terms with it, but he himself cant do that. 

He doesnt fear death, maybe he even seeks it - to reunite with his Sister [cut to him enduring his execution and seeing his spirit happy and free, ready to meet her] but no way he could properly cope with human mortality and his own grief. That’s where all the occult stuff comes in - him telling how he tried so many things and how nothing worked (?). He says it during ch3 investigation, if you wanna look for a direct quote. Him being into occult, speaking with the dead, being possessed by his Sister - all of it is just his ways of coping with loss. He was very dependant on her (I’ll talk about it more below) and couldnt stand being alone.

His love for ropesOf course it can be a kinky thing but also look closely at this exchange:

This incident with ropes is what actually ended up “reuniting” him with his Sister. Of course he’d hold a special interest to this kind of activity after. 

Being a serial killerWell this one is obvious. Who did he kill? Girls. Why did he do it? To bring friends to his Sister. Simple as that.

Now look back at every bullet point and tell me: do you see a pattern? Yep, every aspect of his life, likes, personality, experiences, even his looks - it all traces back to his Sister. Controlling what he wears, what he does, what he likes; even after her death he is deeply affected and is devoted to doing everything in her name. Now try to recall one single thing about Korekiyo that wasn’t his Sister influence. Something he likes maybe? Something he enjoys on his own free time? Even his official dislike is a reference to a gift you might give in-game, an air refreshener that exorcises ghosts [He believes that he is possesed]. All I can think of is him telling he prefers green tea over black in one of FTEs. Korekiyo that we see and interact with in game isn’t his own person, just a reflection of grief, his Sister wants and needs. His whole existence is just a devotion to his late Sister, and it was the same way when she was alive.

Sister’s personality

From what I mentioned you should already hear the faint bells ringing in your head. “Pushed me to study” “Told me my uniform doesnt suit me” “I will kill people because her spirit told me to”He respected her, depended on her a lot. No shit, Sherlock - he was his Older Sibling. A side note, he never mentioned anyone else from his family, only said that they “had to hide their relationship from others” once. Sadly, I cant remember where it was said. No matter if he had any family present or not (having no family would worsen the case, but with family present its still fucked up) he still depended on her a lot, maybe considered her a parental figure, or at the very least - a role model. Korekiyo’s analysis on youtube brings up a very valid point - anthropology couldve been her passion as well, she just couldnt actually fullfill it because of the sickness. Explains her “pushing” him to research it.Basically we have an older sibling holding power over a younger sibling, presumably, from a younger age. More of her personality and influence can be seen in his trial. “You mustnt lose composure, you mustnt become flustered, you mustnt waver”Im linking this bit, but I strongly recommend rewatching the full version where his Sister appears. She appears to be his guardian, keeping him in check, making him act right. Telling him what to do and how to act. She appears in moments of distress when he needs comfort. He depends on her, he listens, he does everything she tells him to. Im not gonna get into the whole tulpa thing, so if youre not on board with it, I recommend reading into it more, even wiki has a brief explanation. Basically this possession is just his mind, but it does hold her true personality. So Sister is: assertive, calm, plays a role of guardian, has power over Korekiyo due her age, his respect and dependance on her, probably her being his parental figure. 

Now tell me, how this power dynamic could be healthy, consensual and (a very popular opinion in the fandom) this relationship was started from Korekiyo’s advances? How a younger sibling, that was so dependant and devoted could be in a consensual relationship with his older sibling that always tells him what to do?Korekiyo was groomed, he’s a victim. Most people in fandom hate him for being creepy and a sister-banging freak, because he doesn’t fit your cookie-cutter perseption of abuse victims. Everyone thinks that abuse victims only come in “i hate my abuser, i am currently away from them and i am healing” package. Korekiyo was never given a chance to realize it was wrong, he never got a chance to heal. He was groomed, abused, used and forced into relationship. Told that it was secret and sacred, that theyre breaking the boundaries, that’s why he mustnt tell anyone about it. Of course he believed her - its his Sister. She convinced him that his love and dependance on her was romantic/sexual love.

The same analysis brings up a good point of his Sister guilt tripping him because of her illness. Never getting a chance for romantic love, never getting a chance to make friends.

What breaks my heart is that after all of this, after devoting his life to his Sister, studying what she wanted, wearing what she wanted, killing for her sake and even being executed because of her - he says that he wasn’t enough.

TLDR - Their power dynamic is very obvious from his FTEs and the trial, he was clearly groomed and abused, never got to recover from her manipulations. And fandom either fetishisizes their relationship, excusing their nasty kinks by saying it was consensual, or hates him because they never took the time to analyze the content. He was abused, he was manipulated, god knows what else was done to him when she was alive, and he died driven to insanity, full of grief devoted to his Sister and blaming himself for not being enough. As a side-note: it is completely okay being uncomfortable with his character/everything that happened in ch3. You dont owe anyone interacting with the piece of media depicting such topics. Your comfort and safety comes first. Kodaka is a shitty fucking writer. What is not okay is hating a character for being a victim. 

I probably missed a lot, my brain is very disorganized, so feel free to ask more questions/add your own opinion. 

[entamewitchlulu]

Lulu’s Flash Reviews [Winter 2020]

Been a while since I posted one of these! I posted these to my twitter earlier but I figured I could put them here too.  And if you will excuse the plug, consider checking out my side Twitter I use specifically for livetweeting anime, @/LulusLivetweets!

And w/o further ado, I have some thoughts about anime under the cut!

Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

Eizouken was an absolutely INCREDIBLE little show. I hadn't initially planned on watching it, but I'm so glad I did. The main cast is so strong and their personalities mesh and bounce into perfect, hilarious dynamics - and the core themes about creativity and how to make anime wrt all the work that REALLY goes into it were so much fun to watch play out. Everytime Kanamori went off on her own plans, I was hooked! Everytime Asakusa and Mizusaki started playing some imagination game, I got emotional, because that was me in high school! 

And of course, the animation was spot on; the way you watched them physically build their "greatest world" through sketchy environments and voice acted sound effects, it was immersive and inspiring. An instant classic imo!   

Overall: 10/10

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun was one that was on my radar from the beginning due to the voice talent of Megumi Ogata playing the titular character. But her excellent va work wasn't the only awesome thing about it! the animation was absolutely gorgeous, using a very unique style visually and cinematically. i really loved the way they decided to design each episode's mood and tone and the creative framing techniques. the characters were all quite fun, complex, and endearing, and there was just enough mystery to really keep you hooked. and i'm a sucker for that rumors-create-reality plot! the only minus i can give this is that Nene's obsession with boys started to wear on me lol

Overall: 9/10

Asteroid in Love

A slow-paced slice of life, but still overall enjoyable! There was little substance and any time it edged on real conflict it hurriedly pulled back, but that was ok because we all knew we were here for cute girls being cute without any more depth.  The relationship between Ao and Mira was sweet and lovely, and the quirks of the other characters never became so overwhelming that it got annoying, even the tsundere-types. And I learned a little bit about space! Bonus points! overall, it was a sweet and welcome escape to simply slip into a story without conflict, where you could simply sit back and smile as you watched these sweet girls pursue their deeply held dreams, no matter what might stand in their way.

Overall: 7/10

In/Spectre

For my thoughts on In/Spectre....well...I finished it? There are elements to this series that I found interesting enough to continue til the end. This one also taps into the Rumors-Become-Reality trope that I love, but unlike Hanako-kun it...leaves character to the wayside. The animation is pretty solid, sound design is good, character designs are pretty decent if a little unmemorable, but...for most of this show it's talking heads. They talk in circles and weave stories in a way that just...doesn't do the visual medium justice.

and the characters are just...boring. I never bought into what was meant to be the main romantic subplot. Iwanaga is extremely annoying when she's not devising Sherlock-esque concepts. rather than develop the characters and their relationships, they devoted 90% of screentime to watching Iwanaga come up with ridiculous fictions in Sherlock-esque fashions, as though just to show off how clever the show is rather than let me become invested in the characters. if there's ever a season 2, i don't think i have the emotional investment to look into it.

Overall: 6/10

Natsunagu

Natsunagu isn't really a traditional anime per say, it's a series of shorts developed for a revitalization effort after the Kumamoto earthquake, I believe. Each episode is only 3 minutes long, so the story isn't particularly fleshed out, but for what it was, it was rather sweet. The story of a girl trying to find her online friend after their usual message service is shut down and meeting the people of a place still in recovery was I think written with exactly as much sensitivity as it needed to for the story and the people it was telling it for.

Overall: 6/10

Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story: Magia Record

Magia Record blew every expectation I had out of the fucking water. It was absolutely fucking incredible. Building expertly off of the foundation laid by the original Madoka, in some respects it absolutely overshadowed it. The aesthetic and atmosphere hit every fucking note perfectly. Without having to worry about building up uncertainty the way the original did, MR was able to barrel straight into the uncanny valley, where you already know that something is wrong but you have no idea how MUCH.

yet another Rumor-Creates-Reality show (seriously this is a theme here), the Rumors on display here are markedly more hostile, and built with all of the eerie charm of Madoka's signature surreality. Characters are not left to the wayside, either. For the number of cast members they introduce and the old ones they bring back, it somehow manages to balance all of them, give most of them arcs and depth, and invest you into all of them in a very short span of time.

I'm still shivering with just how intense every bit of it was. I want to rewatch it already. I'm already pounding my fists on the table for season 2! The original Madoka was and still is a favorite of mine, but this spin off avoided every pitfall I could have thought of creating something that both wove intricately into its source material while creating something brand new at the same time. Even knowing that these events will retroactively be undone with the events of Madoka, I still care immensely, and that's a major feat. cannot wait for s2!

overall: 10/10

And before I sign off on this, I also wanted to share my own personal awards for Winter 2020′s season!

Best Girl

4. Iroha Tamaki (Magia Record)

3. Hinata Hiramitsu (Healin’ Good Precure)

2. Midori Asakusa (Eizouken)

1. Sayaka Kanamori (Eizouken)

For Best Girl, the ultimate award goes toooo.....Kanamori from Eizouken! An atypical character in both personality and design, she is always an immense amount of fun every time she's on screen. Honorable mentions go to Asakusa, Hinata, and Iroha!

Best Boy

2. Daruizen (Healin’ Good Precure)

1. Hanako-kun (Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun)

For Best Boy of Winter 2020, the award goes toooo.....Hanako-kun! Simultaneously a little shit AND in need of a hug, Hanako balances that shitlord side of himself with his moments of vulnerability in a super endearing way. Honorable mention to Daruizen because I'm me.

Best Couple

3. Iroha/Nanami (Magia Record)

2. Hanako/Nene (Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun)

1. Mira/Ao (Asteroid in Love)

the award for Best Couple goes tooo....Mira/Ao! This sweet pair not only have devoted their lives to their shared dream, but they've also moved in together, spent long nights stargazing, and chased each other across the country! Honorable mentions to Iroha/Yachiyo and Hanako/Nene

Best OP: Easy Breezy by Chelmico (Eizouken)

This OP is just so much fun to watch, and the song is fun to listen to on its own!

Best ED: Aletheia by ClariS (Magia Record)

Best ED goes tooo....Aletheia by ClariS!  It's beautifully animated, and one of the few EDs I actually liked listening to all the way through the end. Plus, ClariS is always good!

Best Music: Magia Record

Best Music Award goes to Magia Record! Yuki Kajiura is ALWAYS a treat to listen to, as always.  And a secondary mention to Healin Good! The theme that plays during the main attack is really good and reminds me of You Say Run a little.

Best Animation: Magia Record

Best Animation also goes to Magia Record! Madoka properties really know how to meld unique styles of animation, and to get the most out of every frame. A special shoutout to the design of Hanako-kun and the creativity of Eizouken, though!

Best Overall:

And finally, for Best Overall...I actually have to give it a tie;;;; Eizouken + Magia Record were both incredible , for extremely different reasons - but their combined unique animation styles, attention to aesthetic/theme, and overall stellar performance were a joy this season!

And that’s enough of me talking! Looking forward to Spring 2020′s season, lot of good stuff coming up!  Did anyone watch anything this season that I didn’t talk about that you highly recommend?