#i yearn for not only the amount of episodes and seasons but also the amount of leeway to have fun and take time to develop characters

[the-chosen-half-of-one]

They need to make more shows from the years 1997-2005, 2009 if I'm felling generous

[hopey-thinks]

Loyal to the nightmare of my choice- An analysis of Riven from Winx Club

I’m at a point in my life (not long before I turn 18) where it’s natural that I’d start yearning to revisit my childhood and look back on the things that made me happy as a kid. And recently, my feed has been showing me memes I forgot about from Winx Club, a show I was captivated by when I was younger, and it got me thinking. What better way is there to honor my childhood than rewatching some of the media I loved when I was a kid that I forgot about? While I initially started doing it for fun, to my surprise I started to realize about 7 episodes into the first season that there was a good amount of substance in it despite it being targeted towards a younger audience, particularly in the way that some of the characters’ backgrounds and fears motivate their behaviors. The following episodes only proved that further, and one character stood out to me in particular throughout the run time, that being Riven. 

In today’s analysis we’ll be focusing on how insecurity, sense of self, and standards around masculinity combine into his character and motivate his actions throughout the first half of season one. I’ll also discuss how Musa and Darcy impact his development and the subtext that may indicate that he’s queer coded (in the sense that this part of his arc is representative of the experience of a lot of young queer men). I’ll note that I’ll be referring to Sky and Brandon as the Prince and the Blond guy so there isn’t confusion about who I’m referring to since their names apparently switch later on for some reason. 

Already by the end of the fourth episode, Riven has a decent amount of characterization. He’s abrasive, sharp-tongued, and cocky, often instigating turmoil and arguments between the specialists (particularly the blond guy) with his snarky comments and arrogance. Right off the bat we see he’s competitive and prefers to handle situations on his own, having a difficult time acknowledging his faults and blaming others for his failure when they try to work with him. 

His apparent ego coupled with his stubborn independence and frustration with the idea of relying on others shows that his need to prove his strength is likely masking something deeper, that being an intense discomfort with vulnerability. Yet when the other specialists say they’ll kick him off the team if he refuses to cooperate with the Winx in the fourth episode, he chooses to stay with them anyways despite his pride, revealing that he does indeed desire human connection and isn’t as confident in his own abilities as he lets on.

What’s interesting is how his aggression, which is typically associated with masculinity, is contrasted with how he actually chooses to express himself (mainly through fashion, occasional dialogue, and mannerisms) in ways that would be considered feminine at the time the show was released. Wearing a crop top and saying things like “sweetie” to your bro are just some examples of things he does that were stereotypically feminine in 2004. This juxtaposition of his different attributes calls into question how his need to prove himself and inability to be vulnerable may not just be related to insecurity with his abilities, but also with his identity as a man.

 Because he’s unsure of how he fits into male gender roles, he overcompensates and tries to bury his lack of confidence in himself by attempting to be hypermasculine in other aspects. And of course, the consequence of this response is how it’s damaging to his relationships. In trying to mask his insecurity, he isn’t being true to himself and therefore struggles to have deeper, genuine connections.

His characterization is reinforced in multiple ways during the 7th episode, the episode that sort of lays the groundwork for the major conflict he encounters in the next two episodes and their unfortunate resolution by the 10th. He charges in alone to fight the Minotaur thingy and insults the blond guy when he says they should work together, again offended by the idea that he isn’t strong enough to defeat it alone. He speaks lowly of the women he’s at the party with and sets himself above them, dismissing Musa as “better than some of the others” there (if you think that might imply misogyny I want you to hold that thought). But most importantly, when he’s found by Darcy and the others she states that he has extremely strong negative energy. His perspective on masculinity is immature and unhealthy (I predict that it’s primarily been shaped by trauma from past experiences) for not just the people he’s surrounded by (which we’ll get deeper into shortly), but also his own psyche and self worth. As is the case for many teenage boys, it’s not surprising that this attitude is emotionally taxing and even physically exhausting for him to maintain.

This leads up to what I think is one of the most interesting scenes in the show yet as far as gender criticism goes. Riven, the blond guy, the prince, Stella and Bloom are all in the city for the magix equivalent of Mother’s Day. After Riven reveals that he and the other two are going to be participating in a race being held for the holiday, the prince teases him for not having anyone to cheer for him, insinuating that he can’t find a girl that’s into him. 

And he immediately becomes defensive at this comment, feeling his masculinity has been attacked/questioned since social structures put pressure on men to attract women as accessories to and proof of their masculinity. Because of this, he tries to affirm his manliness to himself and his friends through performative masculinity. He claims he can have any woman he wants and tries to make a bet with his friends where if he wins the race, he can pick any of the winx to go out with at the ball. And he picks Bloom. 

      This in and of itself is a VERY problematic assumption on so many levels. It not only is completely disrespectful to the blond guy who very obviously has feelings for Bloom, but it’s even more disrespectful to Bloom and the other winx who he’s treating as possessions, not even considering if they’re not into him. (Remember how I brought up misogyny earlier?) 

Thankfully, Bloom doesn’t take any shit from him. She calls him out on his deplorable behavior and reminds him that it’s her choice to decide who she wants to go out with, stating that regardless of the outcome of the race she doesn’t want anything to do with him. But he completely ignores this sentiment and takes the disrespect a step further by grabbing her chin and getting in her personal space, insisting that she’s just hiding her feelings for him. 

This violation is inherently degrading not just because she didn’t consent, but also because in doing so he shows he took none of what she said seriously. He acts as if his ego gives him the authority to decide what’s good for her regardless of how she feels about it, demonstrating a patronizing form of misogyny. Bloom rightfully decides that she’s had enough with his bullshit and slaps his hand away from her. She teaches him a lesson by using a spell to pour water over his head and tells him he needs to treat others with more respect. 

Now, the thing that the series does wrong with this is how it portrays Bloom as having “gone too far” once Riven is rightly embarrassed by the turn of events and ashamed of his behavior. She feels the need to apologize when she wasn’t in the wrong whatsoever, which is admittedly a very bad lesson to teach young girls. At least Stella interjects and comments that he had it coming, but the fact the show treats Bloom like she needs to make up for embarrassing him when he absolutely deserved it is problematic and frustrating. 

He storms off and Darcy sees him, commenting that she likes his attitude and finds him physically attractive. The trix take note of this along with the bad state he’s in, deciding to use it to help them achieve their goal. And regardless of how I feel about it Bloom decides she wants to make it up to him, which they use to execute their plan. The trix take advantage of this by sending an imposter of Timmy to give her a helmet they can control to make him mess up the race to give to Riven before the race begins. Bloom ends up giving it to him but quickly realizes she made a mistake, but when she steps into the race to try and stop the witches she sadly falls hook line and sinker into their trap. They set it up to look like Bloom was the one who messed with his helmet while she interfered in the race, and Riven is left in a very vulnerable position emotionally. 

It’s deeper than him just being mad at Bloom in that moment because he thinks she made him lose. It’s a build up of the entire day. He feels like he was emasculated by his friends after part of his deep seated insecurity was named out loud and additionally is embarrassed by his failure in the race and to charm Bloom, reinforcing that insecurity. There’s only one thing on his mind right now, and that’s finding validation from someone. This makes him incredibly susceptible to Darcy’s manipulation.

She tricks him into thinking she saved him and goes to comfort him after the race, giving him what he craves in that moment that he feels his friends aren’t able to provide. He doesn’t believe Bloom and is frustrated that his friends aren’t immediately taking his side. And in what is a surprisingly real moment, he’s blinded by his ego and chooses to ditch the people who actually care about him, feeling betrayed. 

Musa and Darcy are also foils to each other, and Darcy herself is actually a pretty good example of how women can perpetuate the patriarchy if they believe they can become more powerful in some way by embracing it. While she does like Riven, her crush on him is only motivated by surface level attraction and not love, and ultimately is using him as just another way to get what she wants. The first thing she notes when she sees him in public isn’t anything about his actual personhood or a desire to get to know him better like Musa, but how essentially… she finds his attitude and body sexy. Darcy offers the shallow affirmation he wants on an egotistical level while Musa offers him a genuine acceptance for who he is despite his flaws, which is what he actually needs. And what’s sad about his choice is that Darcy is only feeding his ego to make him reliant on her affirmation because that’s what she needs to do to keep him under her thumb, whereas Musa and the others would’ve helped him find an actual stable sense of self worth. The kind that comes from within.

What’s even more depressing is that he throws that opportunity away completely in his shortsightedness. After Musa sees him with Darcy in the restaurant and the other trix get a gang of girls to literally jump her, she finds him while trying to escape and begs him for help. To which he smirks and says “why should I?” And I’m here to tell you why you fucking should Riven. That girl is someone who genuinely respects, admires, and cares about you beyond just what you can do for her, and she has been NOTHING but kind to you. She’s coming to you in a time of desperation, and regardless of how you feel about her friends, standing up for her is the right thing to do even if it could cause you to lose what you want out of Darcy. But he turns a blind eye to this reality, and not just because he wants the present gratification he gets from Darcy.  

Despite it being what he needs to do if he ever wants to grow, he feels like he could never allow himself to let his walls down because that would require him to be vulnerable with someone and expose his low self confidence. And so he abandons his friends, Musa, everyone that was genuinely supporting him, which will inevitably become self destructive. 

Riven is also a fascinating character in how his motivations and internal conflict are extremely similar to the experiences of a lot of young queer men both past and present, and I think that there’s a good possibility that this was intentional. While I don’t like to throw around the term “queer-coded” I think there’s a decent amount of evidence to support looking at his character through this lens.

 Being feminine as a man is stereotypically associated with queerness, and as I explained before a lot of the ways he chooses to present himself would’ve been considered feminine or unusual for a man at the very least at the time. Villains were frequently queer coded in the 90s and 2000s (that was the only socially acceptable way to have a queer character in your story), and while he isn’t a villain (even if he functions more as an antagonist later in the season, there’s a difference) he serves a more antagonistic role in the story. He’s often the shit starter for many conflicts and is also just mean to the other characters. 

As for his experiences, trying to push people away and engage in performative masculinity to cover up fear and insecurity around your identity and how your community would feel about it is rather common among young queer men. The pressure to conform to oppressive social systems like patriarchy is destructive to many of the people it’s supposed to empower as well as the victims, and I was pleasantly surprised to see this portrayed in an older show targeted at younger audiences, even if it wasn’t perfect. It’s something I’d like to see covered in more in stories because media is a powerful socializing agent that influences how we view ourselves and our place in the world from a very young age.

I’m excited (and a bit nervous) to see how Riven’s decisions affect him in the future and how his perception may change because of that. 

I may make a follow up meta to this at a later point in his arc if enough people are interested, so let me know if you enjoyed this! Thank you for your time <3. 

[dandelionsandderivatives]

Oooh, tell me about Mer Lin and/or The Magician’s Guinea Pig! (your choice)

Someone else asked for The Magician's Guinea Pig, so you get to hear about both!

Mer Lin is the working title for a Tam Lin/Merlin (BBC) crossover. Merlin was a huge guilty pleasure for me and my siblings back when it had just been released, and it's a very weird show because it combines some genuinely cool ideas with some genuinely baffling creative choices (my poor Morgana and her arc). As far as I can tell, the vast majority of fic authors also feel a great love for the characters and a great frustration for the writing, and so there are a ton of very interesting AUs and fix-its and such.

Anyway, about two years ago I was listening to every interpretation of Tam Lin I could get my hands on, and somehow I came up with the idea of doing Tam Lin but in the Merlin universe – and the pun, of course, made the whole project worthwhile. (Sometimes I'm not sure if it's kind of me to subject my readers to my sense of humor, but it's not like they're compelled to keep reading if they don't like it.)

This is, like a lot of Merlin fics, set in an alternate universe where Everything Turned Out Okay, and Merlin and Morgana ended up together. Except everything's not okay; Arthur is on the throne, but everything is slightly off in Camelot. Gwen sews on the same project every day but never seems to finish it; Arthur's knights joust and play chess and never do anything else. And only Morgana seems to remember that they used to have a court sorceror, and that she was married to him. So yes, this is essentially Tam Lin + a sort of time loop (which, now I think about it, is very similar to the one from the first season of Once Upon a Time). The backstory was supposed to be a slow reveal wherein we find out that Camelot has been at war with a magical army for some time. Merlin managed to avert at least some of the danger, but as a consequence he's now magically enslaved to the queen of said army, and he's also lost his memory. Given that he's possibly the most powerful sorceror ever, this is bad news for the world at large. Morgana's the protagonist and is trying to rescue Merlin so that they can break the time loop – which will, of course, happen through faithfulness, as in Tam Lin proper.

I like many things about this idea – for one, I think that fantasy novels based on Tam Lin are almost always great. But I'm actually not sure how well it interacts with the source material. The fun of fanfic, imo, comes from making the source material work with different storylines, characters, themes, etc., and I'm not sure that the canon material adds much to this plotline. It might be better with original characters, but then it might feel uncomfortably similar to Fire and Hemlock.

I do still think the idea has its interesting points – I think the situation is the sort of thing that would have made a good episode of the show, and it fits pretty well into the formula, which goes something like this:

Magical crisis envelopes Camelot

Our protagonists (usually Merlin) have to scramble to figure out how to stop magical crisis

Arthur is oblivious

The crisis is averted by throwing more magic at it

End with Merlin, somehow, having to do some unpleasant menial labour

You'll notice I've innovated by cutting out Step 5 and having Morgana do the investigating in Step 2.

All joking aside, though, I think the real heart of this fic would be the tension and romance between Merlin and Morgana, and the idea that, as in canon, they're the only two together against the world that doesn't acknowledge or understand them. (I think this is maybe where the idea came from originally.) I think one of the issues I'm having with writing it is that a good amount of their tension in canon comes from the fact that their arcs are inverses of each other, and in this AU they would obviously have a different relationship. I'm pretty good at writing yearning, but I don't know if I can write it convincingly enough to make this story feel worthwhile. Maybe it would help if I flipped the roles? But then I think that part of the fun of this is having Merlin, who's generally rescuing everyone else in canon, be the rescue-ee. (It's a fairly popular plot in fanfics, so I'm not the only one who likes it.)

Anyway, this is one story idea that has a very cool vibe in my head, but I'm not sure it's enough to build a story on. I do like the fact that I haven't seen quite this plot in Merlin fic before, and I think it would be possible to set up some cool echoes of canon (in that Morgana would essentially be doing the same thing Merlin did in the earlier seasons). But I think it needs more justification to be set in this universe.

I still think the name "Mer Lin" is hilarious, though.

[paceywittters]

Hey!! There's been a lack of Chenford promo/sneak peaks for this ep?! Thoughts/expectations...

listen...tv being this accessible is so wild. it makes me feel soooo old. like, tv has never been this accessible prior to an episode airing in the history of the format. the idea that we see press photos and releases and 10000 sneak peeks and spoilers is just so...bleh. i'm not into that. it can be fun to follow but idc about anyone's speculation but my own, other people's thoughts/expectations stress me out and i honestly very rarely share my own bc they just get me hate mail ✉️

i miss when the only thing i knew about an episode of upcoming tv was what i read in like, tv guide. i realize this is such an old lady take but as a person who loves the art of tv writing, i just feel like all this shit does the story such a disservice. think about the fact that until like, 10 years ago, honestly a little less, we didn't really see hoards of press photos for every single episode. we didn't see a bunch of sneak peeks so we knew what was to come. sure, there were spoilers, but idk - i yearn for tv to be able to operate in that oblivious space again, i hate knowing what's coming for an episode and forming expectations bc i'd rather just...enjoy television. it's honestly sad to me bc all this shit has changed the way tv works, the way it's written, etc.

anyway all of this is to say: there's been a lack of promo/sneak peeks in general for this ep. that's not abnormal, it just feels weird coming off 2 weeks in a row of a season premiere/100th episode level of hype. the chenford element of it is also not weird to me. they're 2/8 main cast members. other people are going to get the sneak peeks sometimes, just gotta roll with it. if you like the show, it shouldn't matter. ngl, i hate seeing chenford in sneak peeks bc then not all of the content is new for me. i'd so much rather be surprised.

i'm sure there will be some chenford content since there are press photos of them together and we know lucy will wind up riding with celina/tim from spoilers when they were shooting this ep. i'm personally hype not to have to go into this ep assuming i know anything. having all these preconceived notions, imo, is not a healthy relationship with tv so i just try to avoid doing it at all.

tl;dr: i have no expectations of this ep, i'm sure i'll like it bc i like most episodes of this show. i don't think it's weird there's been a smaller amount of promo bc we're coming off two major episodes and i enjoy the rookie without solely caring about chenford.

[g1ngerbeer]

percy is a stupid ridiculous nerd who thinks he's SOoO cool but in reality he runs around and gets his hand stuck in his own inventions and nearly gets blown up by running through fire with gunpowder in his pockets and has a pompous-ass name with 14 fucking syllables. i love him sm.

finished season 2 btw. it was fabulous how all the other characters got their issues delved into but also funny how its reading very much "here's a trauma episode for keyleth and here's an episode for the twins and here's an episode for grog and here's one for percy- actually wait you're really fucked up you need an entire season"

do you know what cr youtube episodes correspond with the show plot? I know that the first several aren't show related bc dnd copyright, but is there a confirmed period for s1/2?

~ percy anon

(thanks for letting me chat w/ u)

percival fredrickwhatever the fuck de rolo iii is so funny. hes my favorite pathetic little loserguy. now that he is (kind of) free from the tragic backstory demons he gets to be goofier :] builds an actual mousetrap out of forks and then sets it off on his own hand ... gives his ridiculous fancy coat to the girl he likes then tries to pretend hes not freezing his ass off ... he does NOT act like a guy with 16 wis. loser. and yeah honestly with the amount of gunpowder he has on him at all times im surprised he hasnt exploded yet. what a freak. what an absolute loser. nerd. i love how they do let him be cool with his tragic backstory and really good aesthetic and swagful competence at violence and murder. and yet he is still silly. and dumb <3 my little guy. bully him more its what taliesin would want

his name is a running joke in the campaign btw he'll introduce himself with all 17 syllables of it and at least two other people will immediately follow it up with "you can call him percy"

also WOW you got through this show fast. congratulations! and welcome to the eternal waiting-on-s3 trenches </3

actually episodes 1-2 of tlovm are a very loose adaptation of some of the pre-stream content (since they didn't start streaming until several years into the actual campaign)! they've got a summary video for all of the pre-stream stuff called the story of vox machina which has some really pretty illustrations. there's also "vox machina: origins" which is an ongoing series of comics adapting pre-stream vox machina. the briarwoods arc (tlovm season 1) corresponds to campaign episodes 24-36. they get the invitation to the feast with the briarwoods at the end of 23 though and it's all set up in 14 iirc. i'm not entirely sure of tlovm season 2 content since i actually only just started on campaign chroma conclave, but according to the wiki that whole arc would be episodes 39-83. although tlovm definitely hasn't gotten to campaign episode 69. so i think they're only halfway through that. the children yearn for season 3

(and yeah ofc np!!! its very nice to have somebody to yell about percy with sldkgjsljglsk)

[simptasia]

Ten years ago today I decided to watch abc’s LOST. I did this because I had/have a crush on Dominic Monaghan, and when one is yearning for content for an actor, three seasons as a main character is a jackpot. I honestly didn’t expect this show to be good, because I’d barely heard of LOST. But I wanted to at least try it out. I remember cautiously saying to my mum: “We’ll watch an episode and if we don’t like it, I’ll put on something else.”

Five minutes later we were hooked

A month and a half later, we had watched all six seasons

When the finale ended, my mum hugged me and thanked me

So yeah, LOST is pretty good. Comedic understatement aside, I personally think LOST is a masterpiece of television. (Though flawed enough for me and my friends to still be jabbing at it to this day. With love. Nothing is perfect)

In the decade since I first watched this show, not only has it given me hours of joy and tears, it’s also given me at least a dozen more celeb crushes (came in with one, left with 20 more...), for real I’m so glad I know who a bunch of these actors are. Michael Emerson and Jeremy Davies deserve honourable mentions but also [gestures at most of the cast]. Incredibly talented people

This show has inspired me to create a truly staggering amount of hilarious content, for which I refused to let the Text Post Meme die. Seeing people enjoy my memes, my art pieces, my videos, my headcanons/theories... all of this gives me a great deal of joy, so I thank you all, I love seeing y’all in the tags

And finally, this show has led me to making a lot of friends and well wishers. I’ve found a place in this cozy little corner of the LOST fandom and I love it

There aren’t enough words for how much this show means to me, which is a helluva thing for me to say about something that isn’t Star Trek

I’m so grateful that on the afternoon of April 11th 2013, I decided to pick up LOST season one from our local blockbuster. It’s been a good ten years

Thank you for your time

[iivocom]

Sickday Shenanigans

There's something almost comforting about the predictability of catching a cold—like an old, unwelcome friend who shows up unannounced but entirely expected. It used to be a mere blip on my radar, but lately, I've noticed that my immune system doesn't rally quite like it used to. Maybe that's just part of the journey, or perhaps a gentle nudge to pay more attention to self-care.

It all began with a modest fever, the kind that makes you feel off-kilter but doesn't ground you entirely. Then the spasms hit—full-body shakes that turned the simplest tasks into Herculean efforts. I spent a day cocooned in bed, convinced I'd wake up renewed. And for a moment, it seemed true. But then my nose decided to betray me, turning into a relentless faucet that no amount of tissues could dam.

Determined to outwit this seasonal foe, I delved into the world of natural remedies. Ginger root was promptly transformed into spicy teas that warmed from the inside out. An arsenal of vitamins lined the kitchen counter—an eclectic mix of hopeful defenses. Chicken broth simmered gently on the stove, its aroma weaving through the house like a comforting embrace. Hydration became a mission, with bottles of Powerade adding a splash of color to the daily routine.

I even revisited some time-tested flu fighters: inhaling steam infused with eucalyptus oil, indulging in honey-laden herbal concoctions, and propping myself up with extra pillows to ease the congestion. Each remedy felt like a small victory, a way to reclaim a bit of control.

But perhaps the silver lining in this cloud of illness was the unapologetic indulgence in rest. Bundled under layers of blankets, I sipped tea and immersed myself in the latest season of *The White Lotus* on MAX. This time, the story unfolds against the stunning backdrop of Thailand—a vibrant escape from the monochrome palette of winter outside my window. As characters navigated their own complexities amidst tropical beauty, I found myself yearning for warm sands and azure waters.

There's a certain irony in longing for distant shores while confined to the couch. Yet, in those moments, I felt connected to the wider world, reminded that there's more beyond the immediate discomfort. The contrast between the onscreen paradise and the chilly reality only fueled my daydreams.

Illness has a way of pressing pause on the day-to-day rush, forcing a slower pace and, with it, reflection. Amid the sneezes and shivers, I pondered the rituals we turn to for comfort. The simple act of pouring tea became a meditation; the steam rising from the cup a momentary escape. There's something profound in these small actions, a reminder that healing is both physical and emotional.

I couldn't help but consider the universal nature of seeking solace. In Thailand, for instance, they have traditional herbal steam baths infused with lemongrass and kaffir lime—practices that not only heal the body but also rejuvenate the spirit. Perhaps integrating global wellness traditions could add a touch of the exotic to our own remedies.

As I navigated through this bout of the flu, I found unexpected gratitude. Gratitude for the forced stillness, for the time to indulge in stories, for the nuances of taste and smell that are often overlooked. Even the winter weather, with its crisp air and quiet nights, offered a unique backdrop to this period of rest.

So here's to the sick days that compel us to slow down. To the remedies, both familiar and newfound, that nurture us back to health. And to the stories that whisk us away, even if just for an episode or two, reminding us of the vastness of the world and the adventures that await.

Perhaps once this cold subsides, Thailand won't just be a scene on a screen but the next destination on the horizon. After all, there's no better cure for the winter blues than the promise of future explorations.

By the way, did you know that in some cultures, laughter is considered a healing balm? Watching comedies or sharing jokes is believed to boost the immune system. Maybe incorporating a hearty laugh into the recovery plan isn't such a bad idea. After all, they say laughter is the best medicine.

[xf-cases-solved]

Valentine’s Questionnaire

These questions are designed to help your secret admirer get to know you and some of your favorite things. When answering, try to keep in mind that there are many different types of gifts that your answers may help your secret admirer create! Remember these are also a starting point and you are encouraged to send anonymous love letters (asks) to your valentine over the next four weeks.

Tell your secret admirer about your relationship to The X-Files. This could be about how you got into the show in the first place, what it means to you, or anything else you’d like to share.

due to poor parenting decisions, i was allowed to watch x-files as a wee babe (five years old, circa 1998). as a result, i kind of absorbed the x-files into my personality via osmosis and it has become intrinsically linked to my soul ever since. so y'know, a totally normal relationship with a tv show 💀

Tell your secret admirer about your favorite things! Favorite characters, ships, scenes, seasons, arcs, etc.

msr 4eva, 5eva, ♾️eva. they invented love. i have always been a huge fan of simp mulder. like, literally always. as a kid i loved the episodes where scully was in peril, not bc i liked seeing her suffer, but bc i liked seeing MULDER suffer bc he becomes so unhinged when she's in danger. (as an adult with a gender studies minor, i recognize how that's not the most feminist pov to have, but sometimes an ardent feminist needs to watch a loser man lose his mind bc the woman he loves has been kidnapped for the eighty fourth time, ok??). i am also pretty firmly an original run fan (s1-7 and then what i consider to be canon after that sort of just depends on my whims). cancer arc and SSoS are always *chefs kiss*

Now what are your least favorite things?

bc of life circumstances that occurred around the same time as its release date, (and also just bc i think it's not a very good movie), i don't fuck with IWTB, unfortunately. (i'll watch gifs of them smooching tho, i'm okay with that much lol). i don't like mulder/other at all, ESPECIALLY diana. and as mentioned above, anything past s7 is kind of up in the air in terms of whether or not i accept it as canon or just disregard it entirely. i enjoyed the revival in that i enjoyed having new content and experiencing that joy of sitting down to watch x-files as it aired again, but i don't actually like the plot of it. the episode with rhys darby can stay, tho, that one slaps

Tell your secret admirer where you fall on the following scales:

Spice Scale

Salt only – no spice at all please! i.e., general audience rating.

Black pepper – a hint of spice. i.e., teen rating.

Chili pepper – there’s a bit of a kick! i.e., mature rating.

Habanero – definitely spicy, but most spice lovers can handle it. i.e., explicit rating.

Ghost pepper – only for the spiciest of spice lovers. i.e., VERY explicit/kink/POANG rating.

literally anything, with some exception with ghost pepper, in that i'm not rly into d/s unless it's rly mild, spanking, or any kind of bodily fluid play besides jizz

Angst Scale

Pale blue sky – no angst, all fluff!

Aquamarine – a little bit of angst, maybe some yearning, nothing too heartbreaking. e.g., the various scenes in Mulder’s hallway.

Cascade ocean wave – a moderate amount of angst, e.g. Pusher or Wetwired. Happy ending included.

Sapphire tears – pain slut. Angst with a happy or bittersweet ending. e.g. abduction arcs, cancer arc.

Catastrophic blues – literally why. Lots of angst with some devastation for dessert, e.g. cancer arc but Scully dies at the end, season 8 and Mulder dies.

i love angst, but prefer it served with a side of hurt/comfort and an at least somewhat happy/ambiguous ending

What’s on your X-Files playlist? e.g. a character playlist, MSR playlist, etc. Bonus points for love songs!

none of the songs i associate with x-files make sense bc it's mostly just vibes. "blue skies" by noah and the whale is one i associate with them, but that is partly bc it was a song i looped a lot when i wrote my multi-chap xfiles fic. i have a headcanon that scully's favorite song is "brandy" by looking glass. anything else kind of just varies. my playlists are weird

What are some of your favorite quotes and/or lyrics about love?

hmmmmm. "this world isn't big enough to keep me away from you" from the song "seabird" by the alessi brothers is a good one if taken in a "no matter what the world throws at us, we'll always find our way back to each other" type of way, not a stalkerish type of way, lmfao. i like the "i love you and i like you" thing from parks and rec, bc i think quality relationships should be built on friendship. if i wasn't doing this questionnaire on a time restraint i could probably come up with something better, but that's what i got off the dome

What are some of your favorite tropes? Are there any you avoid?

i enjoy oblivious idiots, mutual pining, i can always get behind a good ol' "there was only one bed." idk, most tropes are fair game if done well. except 5+1 fics, which i don't like for some reason. i think they just remind me of boring creative writing exercises in college lol

What is your favorite color or color scheme? These can be specific colors or general categories, e.g. jewel tones, cool colors.

fall colors, warm colors, american southwest colors, anything maroon or burgundy, and, in total contrast to the rest, lime green

What’s a fic that you would send as a valentine to someone else? Why would you choose that fic?

like a fic that already exists? oh i have no idea and i don't have time to find something, but i would probably pick something fairly low-stakes with a happy ending and lots of smooches in it, bc i think that encompasses the spirit of the holiday

Share the links to some gifsets/edits that you love and tell your secret admirer why (e.g. do you like the layout? The coloring? The quote that they used? Typography? Simplicity? Parallels?). These can be X-Files/MSR or other fandoms.

?????? idk bro! any gif of them looking longingly at each other, kissing, hugging, or mulder losing his mind bc he's scared and in love are amazing. they could be grainy and poorly colored and i'd still stare at them endlessly. also, if my secret valentine goes with a giftset as the gift, i want them to do it they way that's natural from them. i wanna see THEIR artwork, not someone else's, ya feel?

that goes for all other types of gift as well, btw! there's literally no way to disappoint me, so go with your heart!!

k i g2g, hope this was somewhat helpful. feel free to hmu with any questions and i will try v hard to answer in a timely manner, even if doing things in a prompt, responsible way goes totally against my nature

later,

-diz

[ambiguouspuzuma]

Exactly - it's a self-fulfilling property. If nobody ever buys book #1, no series would ever be finished.

It may or may not be worth noting, but I also have to say that even if ASOIAF is never finished, I really enjoyed reading the series so far. If I enjoy book #1 and look forward to the sequel, that doesn't change if it never comes. I still enjoyed book #1. I'll always be glad I read a great opening chapter even if the rest of the book is missing. A limited amount of good writing is still good writing.

More generally, it's strange how people no longer value anticipation. It's a pain, a hunger, but a good one. It was nice to have an episode end on a cliff-hanger, and yearn desperately for the resolution next week. To be looking forward to something, to draw out the enjoyment, to savour and digest, speculate and discuss. Now the whole season is dropped on one day and people impatiently binge it and move on.

It's natural that this attitude has spread from television to other things, like books, but it's something that should be pushed back against. It's healthy to have some patience, some delayed gratification. More and more, we have everything we could want immediately available to us at the push of the button, and we take that increasingly for granted.

But it would be a bad thing to remove all traces of such inconvenience from our lives, just because we are growing more and more dissatisfied with any slight delay. Instead, we need to fight against that tide. Teach yourself to wait, to be uncomfortable, to want for something you can't have. To pass the marshmallow test. I am happier knowing that I have future releases to look forward to, and enjoy them more after that anticipation. Don't ruin that for yourself with a binge-only diet.

just saw someone reviewing the erin hunter books like, ‘they should publish the whole series at once, i don’t want to wait a whole year to read it’. like babe i hate to break it to you but,,,, go touch some grass and think about your relationship with consumerism okay, because it’s gotten really weird on you

[vertvivre]

Let’s talk cinematography

The directors, technical crew and camera operators etc did a fantastic job with the scene blocking and cinematography in season two. You can feel how intentional some of the decisions were in depicting intimacy and scale in the Kate x Anthony scenes especially.

I love this shot so much because it’s so blissful. It’s a small private moment and it is shot that way. The blurred items in the foreground and unsteady the handheld close-up makes it personal. Anthony is alone basking in his happiness, he is grateful and a little smug he’s married to Kate. He is in love with his wife and carefree, the viewer is looking in as he reminisces on moment he thought was impossible. It an intrusive shot the blurred items in the foreground and unsteady the handheld close-up convey this.

Here we have a wider close-up of Kate and Anthony. Like the shot I talked about above this is a private enclosed space. Kate is hiding in the palace storeroom and Anthony joins her, it’s sad and tense but we see an incredible amount of vulnerability. They aren’t meant to be alone, like so many of their relationships pivotal moments they are close together and alone in a place they shouldn’t be. The shot is kinetic, we have the cluttered items in the left foreground and the cameras movement is a little unsteady, it’s almost voyeuristic.

This scene is up there as a personal series favourite. The shot is so striking for several reasons, the lightning makes her radiant and the slow motion ups atmospheric nature of the scene. We have a fixed close-up of Kate being beautiful and happy in the company of Lord Dorset, the water rippling behind her also adds to the surrealism of the moment. We see Kate from Anthony’s perspective she looks ethereal he is so enthralled that time slows down. Anthony is watching her despite being in the presence of the season’s diamond and his mother, he’s so mesmerised the conversation they are having fades away. Despite being incredibly jealous and devastatingly horny in this scene, it’s obvious he is also extremely captivated by her and maybe already half in love with her.

In this shot from Anthony’s vision mid-wedding we have an extreme close-up of Kate as Anthony’s bride. Backlighting illuminates her making Kate look angelic, the camera then tracks as his POV settles on her face. We are seeing through Anthony’s eyes, the viewer is immersed inside his fantasy. Once again we see her as Anthony does, beautiful and smiling, her eyes are full of love and lock right on to him. The background is blurry and the chapel is empty, there is no need for spectators when, duty and familial expectations are not in play. She is the only one there because she is the only one that matters.

These fixed close-up of their hands are so inspired and profound. I don’t need to go into the detail about the power of these Austen-esque moments, it’s regency excellence. Anthony’s signet ring is prominent in these scenes I’ve spoken it’s importance you can click to read. The yearning, sensuality and magnetic chemistry shown just from the interaction of their hands is beautiful, the gifs speak for themselves.

Now the orbital shots, here we have an orbital kiss it is beautiful and a tried and tested romantic trope for good reason. A whirlwind moment perfectly engineered to make viewers swoon. It is a sweeping and cinematic shot with high-low angles, mid to close-up shots, Kate’s hands in Anthony’s hair and the poignant setting of the chapel displayed. It delivers the dramatic high needed of the first kiss after that frustrating six episode build up.

The orbital dance at the Featherington ball. This is a scene for the hopeless romantics and fairytale lovers. It is so emotional Simone and Jonny were delivering career best performances here. After everything they have been through, they choose to be together in this moment. At this point we have no declaration of love, a failed proposal and ship cabin booked for Kate’s return to India. YET they dance together in the presence of Ton, their families and the Queen. Everyone is watching but they can’t stay away, it’s a rare kind of magmatism they share even in a bittersweet moment. In a room full of people they manage to create incredible intimacy, gazing at each other and circling like a star system they are alone here the world has fallen away.

Finally we close out with the orbital hug, it is kinetic and triumphant. Still firmly in the honeymoon phase six months on we get our prologue scene the coveted happily ever after and it doesn’t feel cliché. They surrounded by their loved ones competitive as always but blissed out after doing the impossible, Anthony has married for love and Kate has married at all. They are shamelessly affectionate and have earned the right to be. Kate is loved and held her husband’s arms and Anthony is loving on and sniffling his wife in front of his family because he can.

gifs via @bridgertonland, thank you ☺️

this is very basic media analysis but let me know if you want more of this type of post, thanks

[yanagrebenyuk]

Whyyyyyyy more love interests with only 13 episodes left????? WHY?! They already have the curse to give them angst, this seems so unnecessary. No doubt this will only take precious time away from Nace. We’ll probably get them together for 5 minutes at the very end of the season. No actual scenes of them as a couple. They’re getting a stydia ending, the writings on the wall 😒

It might have taken me a ridiculous amount of time to get to this but I am finally here to discuss all things Nancy and Ace!

First of all, I wanted to say that I understand your frustration. In a perfect world the end of season 3 would have marked the beginning of a whole new arc for the show. An arc that would have spanned several more seasons.

Unfortunately, we are not in a perfect world and due to so many things out of everyone's control the show received an expiration date far earlier than it deserved. But here is the thing — I imagine your frustration has to be similar to the writers' frustration. They clearly planned for this curse to set up an intriguing new layer to the Nancy and Ace slowburn.

We were about to enter their yearning era in a way we haven't seen yet and I know everyone in that writers room would have done it justice. Because jealousy is a very good motivator and would have obviously created a really compelling story line if we had more time.

So while I understand how upsetting it must be to know we won't have as much time with canon!Nace as we would have wanted — I can't imagine this was anyone's plan. The writers didn't know going into it that they were writing an ending and I have complete faith that once they found out they made sure fans would feel satisfied with the finale. And in the current TV landscape that is an incredibly rare gift.

I know there isn't anything I can say to persuade you to give the season a chance with an open mind. But I can explain why I am not worried about how season 4 will handle Nace.

I trust the writers. And as someone who was in The 100 fandom for over five years, you should know that gaining my trust isn't as easy as it used to be. I know that the amazing team of people that made me fall in love with this show to begin with are aware of what we love and what we want. The last thing they are doing ahead of any season is planning how to upset the fans. Even new love interests are clearly just obstacles on the Nancy and Ace journey.

I trust Kennedy. Much like the writers, Kennedy is also very well aware of how fandom feels about various things. She's plugged in and in a lot of ways it feels like she wants what everyone else does for her character and for the show. If she is confident that they created a brilliant ending for us then I trust that wholeheartedly.

The what-if game is unfortunately one that we will never know all the answers to. What if this final season just let Nancy and Ace break the curse and be together with no more new love interests? Well, what if they got together and suddenly were a victim of the moonlighting curse? There is no telling what the correct answer would have been here but I know that the destination will still be just as good in my eyes.

I hope this helped but I also hope you know that this initial frustration is valid. We haven't seen anything yet and we just found out we are losing our favorite show. It's annoying and it is unfair. All we can do is wait and see.

P.S. After the Teen Wolf movie I feel like there's no way we would get that Stydia treatment. 🤞🏻

[gayofthefae]

No like it may sound stupid but I really think I cracked the narrative formula they’re using. Season 4 was what season 1 is to all the other shows love triangles from the pov of someone yearning for someone in an established relationship. And the person in the relationship is always oblivious to this pining while subtly doing some emotional cheating of their own to give the viewers hope.

Different shows draw this out a different number of seasons, often putting both people in alternating relationships to draw it out, but this show I expect to be cutting that out on Will’s part and we know that we only have two seasons total of this, starting formulaically (but not in overall foreshadowing buildup) in season 4. So we can assume that they are simply cutting it down to the pov of a person yearning for someone in an established relationship, that person gets out of that relationship, there is a reason they still need a second before they can be together.

But also, this show is about them as people, not as couples, and we had three seasons prior of all three having relationships with each other, providing excellent reasons to not be in a relationship right away: 1) time to recover from breaking up and 2) Mike and El need to be in a good place for both their sake and for the sake of El and Will’s relationship.

So, to recap, based on other shows with this formula, season 4 was:

- POV of a person yearning for someone in a relationship

- The person in the relationship emotionally cheating by coming to the POVer for help with romantic issues rather than their partner

- Not as focused on but therefore more objective subtle hints of potential* reciprocation, but not readiness to end their current relationship.

*note: this trope tends to not need to hint full reciprocation yet as the previous note of contrasting the love interests is enough to give audiences hope of future full reciprocation

And in season 5, we should therefore expect:

- More self awareness of feelings on the part of the person in the relationship

- A breakup for unrelated reasons*

*generally these are with a temporary character, but in this case, time to get to a better place of friendship will also likely be provided

- More clear signs, if not POV* switch to love interest freshly single

*especially likely in the case of the final season of buildup

- Time between relationships* (but this doesn’t mean no pining)

*usually because of a new love interest for the other character, but in this case to repair and make sturdy existing relationships before moving on

- Payoff/get-together*

*Usually a cliffhanger in the final episode but likely at the end of the season but not the end so we can have buildup for the majority of the season but still see them together for a bit like other shows tend to have opportunity for in later seasons. 

This also makes me expect the painting to come up later in the season and closer to the final battle. For not too much chaos going on, they’ll likely focus on ElMike towards the beginning with Byler settled for being contently platonic until all characters are ready to move towards romance to even bring it up.

Another prediction is that this places Mike’s “Vecna-ing” somewhere during this single-time.

Overall, two seasons is a very common amount of buildup time with this level of clarity to the audience and within this formula. I’m glad that they purely foreshadowed in past seasons but saved the actual motion in their relationship for the final two (I would argue seasons 1 and 2 as basis and foreshadowing with season 3 and clearer setup rather than motion, especially based on the idea that Mike realized his feelings in the final scene of season 3). Too much more than that would have been too back and forth and even drawing focus from the rest of the plot and even their own individual character arcs. The bulk of this show is still about them as individuals with the culmination of their growth being represented by their relationship rather. It’s a nice balance. Even if you think about how the Duffers said they originally intended four seasons, they likely intended an even split, which still works the way it ended up, though.

I’m excited. Amicable, platonic ElMike, time for Mike to be single and grow while being single but also pine, THEN the painting and Byler hopefully shortly before the final fight - maybe one episode. I’m excited :)

[borkthemork]

‘Ivy on the Run’, and What Sasha Needs

So, back when I was rewatching Season 2B, I had considered a lot of the tiny details found in prior episodes that seemed to promise massive comebacks later on.

I’m talking about the mossmen, who were alluded to way back in Wally and Anne, who were mentioned later with the mural and the sleepover episode.

We also have stuff such as the ability for Anne to bend light into imagery, which I definitely absolutely believe is one of her powers that will be delved into in Season Three.

With all these details, I decided to really put my foot into the series and see how much could potentially be planted throughout what I once considered to be episodic episodes.

And that was where I had a realization.

Ivy on the Run wasn’t just a Sprig and Ivy episode. It wasn’t just some random episode for the sake of having fun with the characters.

This episode is where the show tells the audience subtly that Ivy Sundew is going to be an important character to the plot when it comes to being Sasha Waybrights’s Sprig equivalent, and I’m going to be talking about why I believe that here.

Ivy on the Run is established with three things in mind: to tell the audience about who Ivy is as a character, how she interacts with her family, and what she yearns for overall in the story.

The first scene showcases her personality through the environment itself.

She has a map of the Amphibian continent to track Sprig’s progress, she has posters that talk about finding your own path in life, and you can see that she is a very action-oriented person with the amount of knives and axes on the throwing board.

This entire episode is mainly about Ivy’s wanting to find adventure. She feels trapped in Wartwood because she saw nothing in her family but boring tea sessions, and continuously does actions that shows she’s antsy for her turn in the spotlight, for her turn to explore and conquer the world in her own way since she’s never been out of the Valley.

And here, the narrative makes sure to highlight the more rambunctious and feisty sides of the family too. With Ivy’s debut episode, we were never really given much information about her that wasn’t just one-dimensional tomboy attitude; there were moments where she showed genuine awkwardness over the whole courtship incident, but it wasn’t until Season Two where we were able to flesh her out more as a character overall.

She hates the rules and regulations her mother does for her, she is very much okay with going against said rules if she believes her boundaries were crossed, she can be pretty adaptable in stressful situations, and it isn’t until the end of the episode — where she sees more sides of her mother being an experienced traveler — do we get to see her become more open-minded and excited for learning about this side of her family that she’s never heard of before.

And when the two Sundews went face to face...

We get a parallel.

These episodes are similar in a lot of ways, but how they’re handled is executed differently.

They both focus on the wanting for communication and open-mindedness in a family dynamic, but what’s interesting here is that Sprig deliberately loses to let Hop Pop return to his role as the head of the house, while Felicia deliberately allows Ivy to win as a reassurance that she knows what her daughter needs.

In spite of Felicia’s strict actions, she pushes Ivy because she knows that Ivy will have to leave the Valley one day, and the ending makes a big promise that her part of the journey is almost ready.

"Ivy, you think I don't see you, but I do. You want to travel the world and I get it. But you have to be patient, because it's dangerous out there, and I just want you to be ready before we go."

Of course, the last part is all about their tea trip outside the Valley, but this perhaps could be foreshadowing to another big event in Ivy’s life that will make her leave the Valley.

Now, let’s talk about Sasha and the theme of nurture in Amphibia.

With Sasha, we have an interesting arc going on with her. She has a promised redemption arc, but the thing with her is that the Season Three opening explicitly promises that she’s going to have to compromise with Wartwood if she ever wants to fight Andrias. And we all know how the town is slow when it comes to the respect department.

This is where we start to get some potential parallels with Anne and Sasha. The thing with these two characters is that they do make genuine connections, however the theme of nurture found throughout the story itself emphasizes heavily on the environment and the support system the girls have.

For Anne, she was dropped into a place that knew boundaries and yet opened up to love instead of doubling down on punishment, and this leads to not only empathy but growth if Anne so chooses to become a good person.

For Sasha, she’s not given that place to grow. It has been confirmed in the show itself that Sasha, ever since she dropped into Amphibia, had been imprisoned in Toad Tower for one month. One month. It wasn’t a surprise that Sasha took advantage of the chaos found in Prison Break, since it was a lot better than having nothing by being stubborn. She played it smart, however, that meant Sasha’s manipulative nature and wanting for control became more noticeable and a key to her own survival. And this environment didn’t get any better in spite the fallout of Reunion.

Now take this angry and repressed teenager, who has no clue how to execute her actions in a genuine and authentic manner, and place her into Wartwood.

This is where Ivy Sundew comes in.

Ivy Sundew is not Sprig Plantar by any means; she is a fierce, no-can-do girl who loves adventure, fighting, ambushes, and won’t back down when it comes to being pushed around. Sprig is very emphatic but this makes him easy to push around if you look at him in Sasha’s eyes; we’ve seen him be desperate at times for the affection of people such as Sadie Croaker, and if Sasha ended up with him then the poor boy was gonna get chewed out eventually.

Sasha has the strength, she really has the capability to do amazing things, but the major factor that she needs right now is a careful guide in showing how she could improve as a person, and that means she needs someone who believes in her first and foremost while not taking her shit.

This is why Ivy Sundew could be absolutely crucial to Sasha’s development.

Sasha right now has learned some tips from people such as Toadie when it comes to listening to others, but she needs more than just one person to make lessons about empathy and collaboration stick.

Ivy is not going to take Sasha when she’s pushy, rude, or plain manipulative. She’ll call her out, she’ll mark the boundaries, she won’t let Sasha just foot around her just because she can — and if you think about it, the Sundews have the same attitude too, they’re all fighters who won’t allow themselves to be pushed around by some external force.

And we wouldn’t have known these specific details at all if Ivy on the Run didn’t air.

[zalrb]

I love talking about Pam and Jim!

OK so the more I watch The Office, the more I love the angst between Pam and Jim in season 2, like that’s my bad for not appreciating it more before, but there is so much great yearning between the two of them in that season but there’s also the connection, as in moments that make the more sentimental/gushy scenes in the later seasons earned content.

So in no particular order:

1. Booze Cruise

It’s so funny how now reddit and tumblr go off on this scene as Jim being “creepy” and making Pam uncomfortable because it’s a willful misinterpretation of the scene when the whole point is that both of them are incapable of saying what they really want to say to each other and so all they can do is stare with this hope and this blockage until Pam can’t take the tension anymore and just leaves. And I love Johns tidbit about how he was waiting to hear ‘cut’ but didn’t and he didn’t think they’d show this on television, where it’s just this silence and awkwardness that happens in real life because you’re too afraid to say how you really feel.

2. Answering Machine

There are no gifs of 2x14 which leads me to believe this scene is underrated but I love it so much because of what I had said. The entire episode with regards to Jim and Pam is from Jim’s PoV and I think it does an effective job in showing that maybe Jim romanticized all of their interactions, maybe Pam and Roy really do gel, maybe, maybe, maybe,

and then we get this gem??

I think it’s one of the sweetest Pam and Jim moments of the entire series.

3. Mother Visit. I think what really sells this too is just how excited her mother is to see him? Because not only does the question indicate just how much Pam talks to her mother about Jim but how giddy she is at finally seeing him indicates how giddy Pam is when she talks about Jim.

and I mean, she’s the one she calls when Jim kisses her

4. Jim’s Bedroom

I love the way they played the intimacy of this scene, the kind of jittery cute awkwardness of being in the room of someone you like and who likes you especially when it’s unspoken, also showcasing another layer of Jim to Pam and kind of taking their relationship to the next level and it’s very adult but it’s also very schoolyard crush-like? It’s a fine balance and it’s done really well.

5. Beach Games.

Duh. No explanation necessary, honestly. But I will say, with the amount of conversation we have about Pam’s passive character on this blog, Pam making this announcement was a huge deal for Pam and Jim but it was also a huge, huge deal for Pam as a character too. This is as much about Pam finally acting on a desire and doing something for herself as it is about her relationship to Jim.

6. Italian Food

Determined, passionate, in-love-with-Pam Jim? I screamed.

7. “My kids are going to be right about that.”

I know someone who hates Pam and Jim with intense passion and particularly this scene because she was like really, Pam and Jim’s love is THAT strong that it reflects how terrible Pam’s parents’ relationship is, HONESTLY? And on its face that is a really corny and over-the-top premise but like I said above, you have the scenes before this that earn this revelation imo, like there are so many receipts in this relationship 

that makes this scene a gorgeous moment for Pam and Jim and not just smoke.

8. Proposal.

Duh.

9. Wedding

Double duh. And you know something I like about this scene is that Jim turns to the camera with a smile because he’s waited so long to be with Pam and he’s finally with her but there isn’t a sense of “yes! got the girl” for me? It’s peace? And they’re both at peace next to each other, Pam leaning on Jim’s shoulder like she’s done for years before but now as his wife provides yet another level for her and for him, it’s just done so well.

10. Baby Reveal

Triple duh. We talk a lot about expressive eyes on this blog. John’s eyes kill me every time here.

[waywardavatarenthusiast]

Why Azula Letting Her Hair Down, and *Not Cutting it, has so much meaning

I just saw a post saying that Azula’s short hair is release and Zuko’s short hair is rebirth and I didn’t want to reblog it because it was a lovely take and I know how I feel when people hop onto my posts with their own *unasked for* takes. 

See, the thing is, Azula and Zuko both have tons of symbolism within their hair. But they symbolize different things. Azula’s hair symbolizes not just perfection, and acceptance, but emotion. Zuko’s hair actually symbolizes freedom. Think about it. 

In season one, Zuko’s hair is one half long and the other shaved. Because Zuko is half away from his captor. See, the ponytail is like a rope. It’s the only piece of his hair, a symbolism of his honor. But in season one, Zuko ties restoration of his honor with being accepted back home in the fire nation.

At the start of season two, Zuko cuts his ponytail. He doesn’t know yet that he will one day rule the nation he yearns to be welcomed back into. This version of Zuko sees himself as a fugitive and not a prince trying to make his way back home, and we know that because he cuts his hair after Azula makes the little speech asking why their father would let him come home. 

So, Zuko’s hair regrowing while he’s in the Earth Kingdom. It symbolizes him having freedom that he doesn’t quite understand to flourishing and making a place for himself within his newfound freedom. He makes such a place for himself that he needs to be convinced to return home. I’m not even talking about the crystal catacombs. In an official comic in between the seasons, Zuko doesn’t want to return home even after betraying Iroh. Azula sets him up on a date with Mai so he will follow love right past the Great Gates of Azulon and into the fire nation. 

Now, Azula’s hair. 

In the start of season two, Lo and Li critique Azula and a hair is out of place. She then says her famous line, “almost isn’t good enough.” 

Despite Azula’s performance being almost perfect, it’s not enough for Azula to ignore the flaws she must have because she is human. For basically entirety of the show, Azula wears her hair in a loose, but neat bun. In that hairstyle contains Azula’s flaws. It also contains her empathy and emotions, but the importance of that is the fact that Azula sees emotion as a flaw.

We see Azula’s hair down about five times.

The first time Azula is shown with her hair down, she is in her bedroom trying to sleep. It’s actually in a ponytail. Azula doesn’t need to display perfection in her sleep. But anything can happen when she isn’t awake. She’s not quite relaxed even then.

The second time she is shown with her hair down, she’s just getting her hair washed and I can’t really think of anything behind that.

The third time we see Azula with her hair down, it’s very important from the styling to when it is shown. This is the Beach episode. Azula hasn’t been to Ember Island in years, she knows no one. The first day she arrives and plays Kuai Ball and meets Chan and Ruon Jian, her hair is in its usual style. Azula lets her hair down after deciding to drop her status as princess on this beach. She doesn’t act like a princess either by forcing Chan to talk to her or demanding people at the party pay attention to her. Azula’s hair is down, she is awkward and trying too hard and her flaws on on full display the first time her hair is down for a long duration of time. It’s still neat though, Azula is still showing what she wants to show. As the episode comes to a close, Azula shows us her Achilles heel, and there is loads of emotion in one sentence. As soon as she does, she quickly tries to pull the sock back up and change the subject.

The fourth time Azula’s hair is down, there is no styling to it. It is completely loose, and billowing in the wind. Now, Azula was just fine previous to falling into the air. She was falling to her death. The amount of emotion that would go through her is wild, and she definitely wasn’t looking to compose herself. She only smirked after securing her life. But she was most likely still running like a chicken with its head cut off in her mind.

The fifth, and most important time that Azula’s hair is down, is Sozin’s comet. In the novelization, Azula goes on about there is no one to do her hair and it’s a mess. Ozai is gone, and Azula would have had to contain herself in front of him for her safety. She has no friends or family to remain collected for. The exact reason why I don’t think Azula cutting her hair is release is because of the scene where she cuts her bangs. See, Azula cannot tame her hair(her emotions) and so she cuts it (tries to detach herself from them).  At the start of the Agni Kai, Azula’s hair is messy, but it’s tied. Halfway through, it is completely down. It is still down when she is chained to a grate and crying. See, she had flaws and emotions that she refused to express gently at different periods of time. Instead she bottled them up inside herself. (In her neat little bun). But they simply could not be contained and they exploded, causing her body and talent to fail her when she needed it most. (Causing her hair to look terrible on the day of her coronation).

Post finale Azula doesn’t acknowledge her emotions. Post redemption Azula shouldn’t run away from her emotions(cut her hair) but accept them and let them be (let her hair down).

[lordofthefarts]

eclipse lake - s2e9 - thoughts

I loved this episode for a lot of reasons, and especially because we got to see our lovely characters when Luz wasn’t with them. It’s so clear how they’ve all changed, and I’m glad we’re getting to know them as separate people. What I loved most was that we learned about Amity and Hunter both through how they interacted with each other. There was a specific moment that hit for me which I’ll get to.

Here, the big conflict for Amity and Hunter both is needing to prove that they are worthy of their existence. They both have a use, as they were raised to, and if they don’t have that use, then what good are they?

Let’s talk about Amity first. This season is all about Amity breaking free from what she was raised to do and be - she is just learning how to be her own person instead of the person her parents want her to be. We see this explicitly when she stands up to Odalia in Escaping Expulsion, and again when she dyes her hair pink/purple. She’s coming into her own, and she’s a little uncomfortable - if she’s not living for her parents, for their legacy and reputation, then who is she living for? And because she’s started going out with Luz, she feels this duty to prove her worth to her as her girlfriend. So she really wants to succeed because she wants to help Luz, but she also really wants this for herself, to feel worthy of a place in Luz’s life. While I loved the yearning and crushing content, I’m glad we’re getting to know her now.

We see the Emperor’s Coven at the Eclipse Lake mineshaft with all their cronies as well as their Abomatons. The Abomatons are quite literally soldiers created by her parents who now have been enlisted into the Emperor’s army. Earlier in season 1, we learn that the Emperor’s Coven is intended to be her future, what with Lilith being her mentor and all. She, too, was a soldier raised by her parents to eventually end up in the Emperor’s Coven, to be one of the Emperor’s pawns. We don’t really know where she stands what that anymore, but we can infer pretty easily she’s not really set on the Emperor’s Coven anymore, since it isn’t actually what she wants, but what she was taught to want. In this episode, she quite literally has to fight not only the Coven witches but the Abomatons as well - she’s fighting against everything she was taught to be. This act of helping Luz and attacking the Emperor’s Coven is a rebellion against her upbringing and her wanting to forge a new path for herself.

This brings us to Hunter, who had little to no choice in his upbringing. He was enlisted into the Emperor’s Coven and doesn’t really have the option to leave. We learned this in Hunting Palismen, and it’s implied that he wishes he had to option to forge his own future as well. This episode explicitly shows just how similar Amity and Hunter are - they didn’t get to figure out who they were, and they both feel this need to prove their worth at any and all times. Hunter faces the same calamity as Amity - he’s worried about losing his spot next to the Emperor, and fears that he’s not proved his worth, and as such, he needs to do something to prove he deserves the place he has.

I love seeing Amity and Hunter together because we see the different sides of childhood abuse. We see now that Amity is healing - she’s got friends in her life that love her for her, and who encourage her to find herself and will support her. We see that Hunter is struggling - he has nobody in the Emperor’s Coven who can genuinely support him, except for his little red cardinal (who I shall refer to as Rascal for now). Rascal is so important because Hunter is a powerless witch - Hunter doesn’t feel like Rascal should have chosen him, and should’ve chosen someone else, someone better. We see just how much Amity has grown from the way she treats Hunter - she is kind to him when they are at the empty Eclipse Lake, telling him about her own journey to find herself and about her support system. She has no reason to trust him, and yet we see that she is trying to be better, to be kind, just the way Luz is.

Hunter has his task set out for him - he needs to prove his worth to Emperor Belos, and therefore he needs to get Titan’s blood in order to do that. The idea of the support system is enticing - he wants it for himself, but right now, he feels this duty to Emperor Belos that he can’t disobey. It’s scary, leaving the comfort of familiarity, and he has nothing outside of the Coven and Belos (and now Rascal). That’s something for him to think on, but that’s a back burner thought. That’s when he sees the portal key.

The portal key. It’s around Amity’s neck the whole time - it’s filled with the Titan’s blood which is what they were after in the first place, and perhaps it’s the only remaining amount of Titan’s blood in the Boiling Isles. It’s clever that our crew only learn about the blood being in the key through Hunter - it’s a way to force them to interact, and a way to show off the dichotomy that is Amity and Hunter. Storytelling genius aside, what happens with the key and the blood is so, so important. Amity grabs the key, and it’s only when Hunter threatens Luz that Amity squeezes the key, breaking it. She’s a smart girl - she knew exactly what she was doing when she broke it. She knows she needs to give the blood to Hunter because she doesn’t want him coming after Luz and hurting her in any way, but there’s another layer to this: she understands Hunter’s situation better than anyone, and sympathizes. She doesn’t want him to get punished, because she understands the consequences and the shame of failing a task that was supposed to prove your worth. So she compromises - Luz needs the Titan’s blood to make the portal to get back home, but Hunter needs it too so he can live to see another day, to feel safe for a little while and make up for his past failure - she takes as much blood as she can in her glove, but she leaves some behind in the key for Hunter. While she was mostly giving him some of the blood so that he wouldn’t attack Luz, she was also doing it out of kindness and sympathy as well, which shows us just how much she’s grown since she’s met Luz.

And then we see the frames where Hunter looks at the broken key with blood dripping out of it. Now we as the audience know that Hunter knows and understands what Amity’s done. It’s true, she wasn’t willing to risk Luz’s safety, but she also could’ve absolutely destroyed Hunter if she wanted to. (This is a kids’ show so obviously that wouldn’t have happened, but she had him at knifepoint, and totally could’ve threatened him with his own demise.) Hunter seeing the broken key lets him know not only that Amity is incredibly smart and also that she won’t give up that easily. Even more importantly, he knows that even though they’re on opposite sides, she recognizes his humanity and personhood, and understands that he’s in a bad place and this can help him be safe. (They’re obviously not thinking long term. No one really knows what Belos is trying to do.) Her recognition of his personhood is likely going to be a step towards what I believe will be a growth arc of some kind, one where he breaks free from the Coven and learns to be his own self.

I’m excited to see how the rest of this will play out. We’re getting so much more depth on these characters, and I’m curious to see what story Dana Terrace wants to tell.