#i’d have to be vulnerable and real for people to understand how S3 is so personal to me

[somedayillbepeterpan]

Death by Polin smiles

I’m not going to survive June 13

[evakuality]

Hanna, episode 7

1.  It’s really interesting what they’re doing with Amira this whole season.  It’s setting up to a whole lot of the stuff that happens in the later seasons really well.  She suffers so many microaggressions all the time, and even here - she makes a joke about costumes parties and they all just swallow it.  It’s a really vivid recognition all the way through of exactly how much Amira deals with on a daily basis.  Considering we all know where this is leading, it’s difficult to watch, but also it’s good that they do this.  

2.  But oh yikes, this whole bunch of rumours swirling about Sam ‘making out’ with someone at the party is really well done.  It’s pretty obvious that no-one genuinely knows - the only people who know what happened are Hanna and Sam (and ‘making out’ isn’t exactly how I’d describe it) so the rumours are all based on a love of gossip.  Who knows how they started, but it’s obvious just how guilty Hanna feels.  How awkward for her to be hearing this!  Then her very very obvious ‘I have a boyfriend so it wasn't me!!’ move (very similar to Matteo’s in s3 in the discussion about homosexuality with Amira, which is illuminating - they both want to try to ‘prove’ something with these moves).  Also, Kiki and her thing about Alex - it’s terrible how invested she is when it’s obvious that he’s being an asshole.  The excuses she makes for him unfortunately ring true - this is exactly how people try to convince themselves of this sort of stuff.  In reality it’s a shame the girls aren’t more forceful - they clearly want to say Kiki is being an idiot, but after Amira got shut down last time, it seems none of them is keen to be more explicit.  

3.  Ohhh poor Hanna.  This thing has been eating at her and she had to tell someone about it.  But choosing Matteo was NOT a good idea.  I mean, we all know this is going badly (Snakesak is such an iconic take on the season that even if you forgot everything else, you’d remember that), but even without that, Matteo feels a bit more... I don’t know.  Shifty?  Somehow?  There’s something really calculating in the way he examines her.  Like, even without knowing what’s coming, there’s clearly something goin on in his head.  With Isak it came out of the blue; he was set up much more supportive/innocent because they wanted the shock value when the reveal happened.  But with Matteo there’s something different. I guess at least partly because most people watching would already know what’s coming so hiding it is less imperative.  Hanna sees him as a friend and the only one she can tell, but it’s such a weird choice anyway (as it was in the original).  He’s Jonas’s best friend.  Like he says, why tell him?  Even if he wasn’t a little snake, this is putting him in a really difficult place.  Effectively this makes him choose between his best friend (who he’s kind of in love with even if she doesn’t know that) and his friend.  Him choosing to let Jonas know wouldn’t be all that strange and it’s a big risk to take before she knows he sits in the ‘don’t tell’ camp.  I am also baffled that they did this with other people in earshot.  It could totally get out, even if this girl agrees she should keep quiet.

4.  I really like this adaptation of the ‘claim’ Alex makes into ‘he told me I have a cute stomach’ instead of the hoodie thing in the original (though that works very well too).  This way it’s much less overt and also it really plays into Kiki’s fears about her looks.  We’ve seen small hints of her eating issues already, so this just adds to the weight of that.  Specifically targeting a body part that girls can be sensitive about is clever - at first it can seem sweet, like he’s being so nice about something vulnerable, but then you can see he’s being very deliberate with that impression and it really hammers home the insecurities Kiki is already harbouring.  

5.  It’s a fascinating dynamic between all the girls in the argument about how Kiki should deal with Alex.  I’m with Sam and Amira - stay above it and move on (tbh, Kiki should never have gone there in the first place, but she did so this is her current best option).  But the fact that Mia is so strongly in favour of telling him he’s a dick is swaying Kiki.  Of course, Mia is a strong person and from her it probably would feel empowered.  But Kiki is, and always has been, far more innocent and vulnerable and sensitive.  It doesn’t feel like (even without knowing where this goes) that this will go well for Kiki, and the fact that Mia doesn’t get that says a lot about her.  I like this; it’s nice to see her not being quite right here - it sets her up for some growth as we move on.  And super yikes when he tells Kiki to take a breath and she does.  This, the importance she places on him, is exactly why this was a terrible idea, and why Mia’s encouragement was wrong.  It’s easy for her - she’s not invested, and her failure to recognise the difference between her and Kiki is really important.  And Alex is SUCH an asshole that this scene is so hard to watch.  Kiki’s acting is superb in all these scenes and it’s so damn hard to watch her take in ‘you’re not worth it’ but as with the original, Mia’s ‘take down’ doesn’t land for me, probably because while Alex’s acting is far superior to William’s, there’s still a fundamental lack of caring about what she’s said.  It doesn’t feel like saving face, but more a genuine lack of care.  And this is why I really dislike this ‘William’ character; he doesn’t seem to care.  I have said before that I’ve never watched Mia’s season because I cannot stand William in the original.  So if I do watch I’ll be interested to see if they can make me like him better.  So far, they’re not succeeding.  

6.  And just like that, we’re back to the soft, dreamy colours and shots of the start of the season.  But there’s a harsher light coming in to some of the shots. particularly with Jonas and so it’s not comfortable.  This is something on a precipice.  The kissing is back and they’re reconnecting on that level, and it’s working again.  The darkness is gone, but things are hovering still - that Sam stuff on her phone with Jonas in the background, slightly blurred but very overlit, adds to the sense of unease.  You can feel something coming, even if it’s not obvious what that is.  

7.  Man this fight is so funny.  I know I shouldn’t say that, and it’s a very serious moment for Hanna, but the slo-mo and the faces they make!  And Amira’s moves!  Kiki, full-on legs wrapped around this girl as they both collapse to the ground!  Priceless.  I do like the way the sound gradually fades out as Hanna’s realisation of what’s happening sets in.  That’s really well done.  

8.  What a change from the earlier moment when Hanna woke with Jonas and they had their sweet little moment.  Now we’re fairly tight in on her face as she keeps trying to get hold of him.  It sucks a lot, and you can sense the anxiety and worry she’s feeling.  Also, I do understand why she feels the way she does about all this, and why she leans on Matteo.  Unlike earlier, here it makes sense for her to rely on Jonas’s best friend.  He’s the one who has the best line in to Jonas when he’s staying so distant from Hanna.  But wow his advice is truly shitty.  On the surface it seems sensible, both times.  Nah don’t tell him; it’ll only hurt him.  Nah leave him be; he needs time and space.  But in both instances it’s the complete opposite of how she should be acting.  And in both cases, Matteo knows Jonas, he knows what he’s like and how he’ll act.  This is so calculated.  And he’s still in a space where he has little to lose.  He feels like he can still ride the ‘hey I had their best interests at heart’ line and get out of it.  I always felt like Isak was more opportunistic in his lying; saying and doing things in the moment.  Whereas this really does feel like Matteo has thought it through more - that’s some difference in the way the two characters are presented and acted.  But I like that it’s different, and his little hint of a smaile when she collapses on him - Isak seemed a lot more genuinely wrapped up in Eva and his face seemed more overwhelmed.  But Matteo really seems to know what he’s doing.  Also - sound mixing in this scene: top notch.  I love that you can hear every swallow, every breath, every step, movement etc.  It really heightens the tension right up til she gets Jonas’s ‘don’t call me’ text.

9.  I said it before and I’ll say it again, Leonie’s savage pleasure in Hanna’s troubles is a real reflection on her - and not a good one.  I really do get that she’s hurt, but this is vicious and she’s being awful!  And Kiki - ugh, just be quiet child.  Calling other girls sluts is pretty shitty.  

10.  I really like that Eva’s mother morphs into Hanna’s father.  There’s a difference in this dynamic that builds on that difference.  Eva and her mother seem closer, even while her mother isn’t around much.  Hanna’s father just feels more absent emotionally, so these moments where he tries to be a dad fail because of that.  It’s obvious that he cares for her and that he’s trying, but equally obvious that he just doesn’t know what she needs or how to approach her.  Not that Eva’s mother was much better, but it was still a different sort of distance.

anyway, this is suuuuper long because so much happened in this episode.  It’s packed with a lot of stuff and while some stuff is starting to resolve, there’s so much that’s hanging over their heads still.  I like this one a lot, but I think it could have done with a little bit of breathing room.  Maybe that one episode where it felt like things were waiting to happen could have picked up some of this heavy lifting.  But either way, this one has a lot going for it and really does set us up for what’s coming in the next few.

[kittyprincessofcats]

She-Ra S5 E05 - Save the Cat

ARE YOU READY TO HEAR MY THOUGHTS ON THE BEST SHE-RA EPISODE EVER? SO AM I!

Sorry this took so long. I was pretty nervous to talk about this episode, to be honest, because I love it so much and was scared I’d forget something or wouldn’t do it justice. Don’t know if I still need to say this at this point (since it’s been so long), but there will be spoilers for the rest of the season in this post!

- First of all, and I’ve already talked about this in my review of Stranded, but I need to say it again: Just the premise that Adora is going back to save Catra from Horde Prime really makes their story come full circle: Back in the pilot, Adora left the Horde without Catra, and Catra has been accusing her of “leaving her behind” ever since. In Catra’s mind, Adora leaving the Horde meant that Adora didn’t care about her, and it’s been a huge source of grief and bitterness for her. And now, so many seasons later, even after Catra has hurt so many people, even after she’s asked Adora not to come for her, Adora is literally walking up to Horde Prime himself (way more dangerous than Hordak’s version of the Horde) and endangering her mission and the entire world because she doesn’t want to leave Catra behind again. Because Catra means that much to her. It’s such good storytelling! If Corridors was what started Catra’s redemption, then I think Save the Cat is what redeemed Adora in Catra’s eyes (or at least, what made her understand that Adora does care about her).

- I love how determined Adora looks in that beginning shot. That’s the look of a girl about to go save her gf!

- I thought it was a bit strange that the clones didn’t notice that Adora’s talking to the others on her way to Prime, but since Prime later reveals he knows her friends are there, they probably actually did notice and just didn’t say anything.

- I wish they’d kept that scene of Glimmer having a more elaborate flashback, but I get that they just didn’t have the time for it.

- I love how Entrapta just goes *heart eyes* at the many clones. And Bow asking if they’d believe they’re the inspectors 😂 - great way to bring back that gag.

- “You would never risk the safety of your Catra.” PRIME SHIPS IT. No, seriously though - Prime says he “sees all” (and we know he’s seen Catra’s thoughts) and he said “your” Catra. This, and some other lines in this episode, made me realize it would be canon. (Also, fun fact, because I watched some bits of this show in other languages for fun: As awful as the French dub is for changing that “Kyle had a crush on Rogelio” line to “Catra had a crush on Rogelio”, in this instant they did really well: In French, Prime goes a step further and says “your precious Catra” instead of just “your Catra”.)

- The way Prime touches his clones is so creepy.

- Entrapta asking Wrong Hordak (thinking he’s Hordak) if he recognizes her made me so emotional. I wasn’t even that into Entrapdak back in s2/s3, but the way their relationship was written in season 5 really made me ship it. It’s about the PINING, the LONGING, the TRAGEDY, the way his memories of her make him overcome two mindwipes... I’m here for it!

- I always wonder if it hurts Entrapta when someone grabs her by the hair. Since her hair is magical and all that.

- “We’re not keeping him.” “But we broke him! We’re responsible for him now.” Okay, I love Wrong Hordak. I love how Bow talks about ‘keeping’ him as if he was a pet. And I also like how Entrapta immediately realizes how useful having him around could be. Also, I love that they name him “Wrong Hordak” and seriously just keep calling him that. 😂

- “I don’t fight for the first ones. I fight for my home, for myself and for my friends.” I honestly really like that the show never showed us the first ones or Adora’s birth family. Not that it would necessarily be a bad thing, but I like the message that it doesn’t really matter where she came from - Etheria is her home and what she’s fighting for and that’s enough.

- “Of course, your Catra.” He said it again!

- “She hoped you would come for her, poor thing.” Oh, the angst is real, I love it! Just thinking about Catra (who’d told Adora to stay away) eventually getting so scared that she started to wish Adora would come for her after all... I love angsty stuff like this.

- Oh, that first look of Catra with the gelled back hair and green eyes is so properly creepy.

- When Wrong Hordak complained about the ship being designed “so that it may only be navigated by one who access to the hivemind” it reminded me of Entrapta’s castle that only she can navigate. I think some people have pointed out before that Entrapta and Horde Prime are foils to each other (especially when it comes to Hordak), so that’s a really nice parallel there.

- How did Glimmer manage to open that door when she’s running from the clones? I thought only the clones could open them? Is that a mistake, or is there some canon explanation?

- “What did you do to her?” Oh, I love it when Adora’s so worried about Catra. These two and how cute they are will be the death of me.

- Oh, Prime’s so creepy when he touches Catra... I love him as a villain, but I love to hate him, you know?

- “My place is with Horde Prime, Adora. I don’t want to leave.” Can we talk about the parallel between this line, and Catra insisting back in season 1 (in Promise, I think) that she doesn’t want to leave the Horde?

- “You broke my heart.” I mean, come on! That’s gay!

- Catra and Adora’s fight is so tragic because it’s the first time they’re fighting but both genuinely don’t want to hurt each other.

- “I’m not leaving without you.” Exactly what Catra wanted to hear from Adora back in The Sword Part 2 - You know what I said in the beginning of this post about their story coming full circle?

- “I don’t wanna hurt you!” “But you have already hurt me.” This is supreme lesbian drama, and it’s so good! (I’ve been waiting so long for a show to give a lesbian romance this kind of attention!)

- Adora’s terrified expression when Catra almost lets herself fall is so painful. And the way she hugs Catra afterwards... my heart.

- Catra and Horde Prime talking together is creepy in just the right way.

- “I always hated that guy in particular.” Hell yes, Glimmer!

- “She was afraid in the end. And she suffered. Perhaps I will make her my new vessel, though she would not last me long.” Oh, the angst hurts so good, I love it! (Why do I love seeing my faves suffer?) Also, this slicked back hairstyle on Catra looks kind of amazing.

- “Why did you come back? We both know I don’t matter.” “You matter to me.” 😭😭😭😭😭😭 Yes, tell her, Adora! Tell her you care! Don’t let her talk herself down like that!

- “Come on, Catra! You’ve never listened to anyone in your life. Are you really going to start now?” I love how this is what gets through to her. I could also just quote the entire dialogue from here because everything about it is pure perfection:

Catra: “You’re such an idiot.”

Adora: [smiling and crying] “Yeah. I know.”

Catra: [laughs]

Adora: “I’m going to take you home.”

Catra: “Promise?”

Adora: “I promise.”

Catra: “Adora...”

I mean, what do I even say to that? Catra affectionately calling Adora an idiot, the callback to Promise, how Adora doesn’t hesitate to say “I promise”, how Catra breaks free of Prime’s control... it’s all so perfect. 😭

- Adora just not hesitating to jump after Catra - that’s love, holy shit!

- God, Aimee’s voice acting when Adora cradles Catra... so good. (And that’s their childhood theme playing in the background.) Didn’t Aimee (or someone else?) say on Twitter that that was intentional since your most vulnerable moments make you feel like a child again, or something like that?

- Adora’s transformation into She-Ra gives me chills every single time. Best scene in the entire show, don’t @ me (or at least second best after the kiss). The way she cradles Catra’s lifeless body, Horde Prime’s taunting words, and then she opens those glowing eyes... amazing. And what makes it even better is that this is her first proper transformation after breaking the sword. We got a tease of it in Stranded, but this is when She-Ra really comes back, and it’s her love for Catra that enables her to transform. PERFECTION.

- “You miscalculated.” Yeah, you miscalculated how gay she is.

- Entrapta whistling Darla over like a dog is amazing. 😂

- Adora carrying Catra bridal style while that epic music plays... I’m living!

- Also, side-note: Adora’s new She-Ra look is SO MUCH BETTER than the old one! She also seems a lot stronger now - look at that fancy stuff she can do with the new sword! (I like the idea that the Sword of Protection was only holding her true power back.)

- That healing scene! Adora’s healed people before, but it’s never looked this gay. And Catra waking up and saying “Hey Adora” is just so fitting.

- That hug... I’m not crying, you’re crying. They’re finally together! And Catra’s clinging to Adora so tightly! 😭 Also, she’s purring! (When I first watched this ep with my sisters, one of them literally went “Finally!” at this moment - mood.)

- Hordak finding the LUVD-Crystal and saying Entrapta’s name also gives me chills. I also just realized that he thought Entrapta was dead until this moment - holy hell!

- One more thing I love about this episode is that their plan to save Catra actually worked. Because it’s a plan that seems so stupid and risky at first, and while you’re watching you kind of expect it to go completely wrong and expect Horde Prime to catch them... and then it seems like he does, only for Adora and her friends to turn things around and succeed. I love that.

- Another thing worth pointing out is the whole symbolism of Catra’s death and rebirth and how it marks the beginning of a new chapter in her life.

So yeah, this is the best She-Ra episode ever, I rest my case. Before I watched season 5, I expected it to be gay (I even estimated the chances of Catradora becoming canon at around 70%), but I didn’t expect it to be THIS gay. This episode went beyond my wildest dreams and expectations. Horde Prime saying “your Catra” twice, that whole “You broke my heart / Prime has set me free of that pain” talk, Adora being so scared for Catra during their fight and so determined to save her, the whole “I’m going to take you home / I promise” part, Adora jumping after Catra and cradling her in her arms, her love for Catra bringing back She-Ra, the bridal carry, the healing scene, the hug, and I could go on. Noelle said on twitter that there were two versions of this episode and the gay version is what we ended up getting - AND IT SHOWS.

This is when I knew for sure that Catradora was going to be canon. Before season 5, I gave it a chance of 70%. After those little hints in the first few episodes, I said 80%. But after Save the Cat, I was 100% sure. I basically already considered it canon after this. I kept wondering how it would happen, but the "if" wasn’t a question to me anymore - so I decided to just lean back and enjoy the ride through the rest of the season :)

[Previous episode]  [Next episode]

[morganaspendragonss]

Please do share your feelings on how the OG fandom interacts with lgbtqa+ relationships. If you do not want to get into it because it might cause drama I completely understand as sometimes people tend to take opinions very personally and make unnecessary attacks.

What exactly about LS do you love? For me, firstly the characters are great. Like someone was like let there be Grace Ryder, Carlos Reyes, Marjan Marwani etc! The power they all hold and I love how they are such complex characters and we still have so much to find out about all of them. Why does Mateo seem to be grounded in religion, how did TK get into substance abuse, how does Paul do his "thing" and how was Chicago for him (thinking back to him talking to Owen about skin care), why does Carlos always take on the world's burdens and sometimes disregard his own feelings so that he always maintains this strong persona, getting to really know Nancy as there seems to be a vulnerability to her etc etc etc. The way these characters all gel together. The found family trope is *chef's kiss*, the portrayal of healthy, loving, intimate relationships is beautiful. And throw in some kick ass rescues. So much potential for the show to be super great. This was longgggg but LS really does have a lot of potential and I hope season 3 brings the goods.

okay before i get into this please know this is coming from an outsider who doesn’t watch the show and i’m not trying to start any drama — this is just my point of view, please don’t come for me

so. god. how do i word this in a way that won’t get me killed.

there are two canon lgbtq+ couple in 911 (that i’m aware of) - both of which are between two characters of colour. one of these couples is comprised of two women who have kids, which, personally, i see as a rarity in tv. i’ve also been lead to believe that one of the men in the other couple is bi which is fantastic if true but i don’t know.

here’s where the issue comes in for me — i didn’t know about hen and karen until just before the crossover ep and i didn’t hear about david and michael (are those the rights names?) until several weeks later. maybe not unusual for somebody who doesn’t watch the show, but at that point i had several mutuals who watch the show and i saw plenty about so i pretty much knew what was going on anyway.

except everything was always about buck and eddie. so much so that i genuinely didn’t realise they weren’t canon for a long time. i get it — a relationship like that, fandom are bound to want it as canon. but being so loud about it in a way that actually hides the real, canonical lgbt+ relationships in the show doesn’t sit right with me, especially not when a) they’re between poc and b) one of said couples is a non-sexualised, happy lesbian couple

that got longer than intended and i’m so sorry — i would put a cut but i am on mobile. this is in no way a call out to any one person and i’m not saying shipping buddie is a bad thing. i am not in the fandom so i don’t really have the authority to speak on them but that is my perception, i’m sorry if i’ve got it wrong, and please tell me if i’ve caused offence.

to answer the second part of your question — the immediate draw for me was the frankly immaculate whump lone star gives us. top tier 10/10 the only thing i would change is the instant recovery thing they’ve got going on because that’s frustrating as fuck.

i also really love the characters! i’d even enjoy owen’s if the writer deigned to actually delve into his trauma as a legitimate thing instead of focusing on his hero complex every single episode. these characters all have the potential to be so deep and i’m hoping, now that the show has firmly established itself, that we’ll start to get some much needed backstory. we got flashes of them all in s2 so here’s hoping this trend continues into s3, especially wrt characters like mateo and carlos and nancy and paul and marjan.

and ugh, god, the found family 💚 perfect wonderful showstopping. i love them all. also, this may not be a popular opinion, but i don’t give a shit about how ‘unrealistic’ the emergencies are. they’re fun to watch and i enjoy it. sure, a filler episode would be nice every now and then, but volcanoes? wildfires? dust storms? kidnappings?? bring it. the angst is glorious and i want more.

[laufire]

Supernatural s3

It’s so unfair that the season that has Ruby AND Bela is so short :(((. I was done with it waaaay too quickly, and now I’m speed running through s4 xD (which, like the first time around, is Strong Mixed Feelings territory).

-My girl Ruby!!!! I was so happy to have her back, I kept grinning like a loon every time she was on screen. It’s quite interesting watching the 1.0 and 2.0 versions so close to each other, instead of as they air. I have... Thoughts, on whether Ruby as a double agent was something planned or that they decided as they went, but that’s for the s4 post. s3!Ruby really doesn’t come across as one (“I don’t believe in the devil” oh I wish sometimes xD, I love my nonbelievers), imo, but the beauty of such a device is that you can rationalize anything she does as devious if you want to xD

And it goes without saying that I love her interactions with Sam. THIS SHIP ISTG. I love how immediately ~attuned to her he is lol, his present and instinctive concern for her even if he tries to mask his interest as “practical”. And all the repeated times Sam’s conflicted between her and Dean -like when he deviates Dean shot (wasting one of the Colt’s bullets lmfao) or during the argument about the virgin sacrifice xD. And the “that’s my boy”/ “little fallen angel on your shoulder” quotes!!! Ruby 1.0 deserved to be railed by Sam too, smh.

My favourite episode of hers is “Jus in Bello” (which would be my fave of the season just by virtue of having both Bela and Ruby in the same episode lol. Not interacting, of course, the world as we know it wouldn’t have survived). I just love that she gets that final moment of I TOLD YOU SO to the brothers xD. I really like how she expands on the demonic lore of the show- I love, LOVE the detail about how all demons used to be humans, how they’re souls corrupted in hell. And that in her past life she was a witch (there was this really good fic in Spanish fandom about it... I need to hunt it down).

BTW, though I think her interactions with Dean in that episode are interesting, it really hammers home how much I hate him sometimes xD. Can you stop saying misogynistic slurs for TWO GODDAMN MINUTES, DEAN (and as we know from as early as this season, only HE can have demon/monster friends!! What a fucking hypocrite xD). I freaking love the moment in the finale when she viciously yells him about how she wishes she could see him in hell lmao (and how it foreshadows that when she shows sympathy later, it’s actually Lilith in disguise lmfao). I hate Dean gets the last word in their dynamic, tbqh. Until the s15 cameo, at least xDD

One thing that’s been bothering me xD: the French fries. Demons are vulnerable to salt, like other spirits, right? (and hey, look what a nice piece of foreshadowing that was). How does that translate to food lol. Because Ruby adores French fries, and they obviously contain salt. It’s like spicy food for humans? Or like pineapple? Inquiring minds etc. xD

-I still cannot believe Bela Talbot was only on the show for six episodes lmao. Her presence still lingers in the watchers’ heads so much?? Which is understandable because she’s Lead Girl Material if there was ever any lol. The care with which they styled her even?? You don’t do that for just any character lmao (I mean, just look at most of SPN’s female characters for comparison xD).

Her ship with Dean could’ve really been something, too -even if I hate Dean in it, I can’t deny it packs a punch, narrative-wise. I mean, the Batcat undertones alone!! The fake married undercover shenanigans!! And I think it’s really interesting that she’s such a blind spot for him; Dean’s unusually intuitive about people, but with Bela he takes everything at face value and she can fool him like no other (while, OTOH, is Sam who questions her facade and wants to see more). If he hadn’t been such an idiot (and such an asshole) he could’ve had a really powerful ship. Sucks to be him lol.

Anyway. Man, I love her. So much. I love how Gordon’s threats to kill her don’t work on her, and I love that the show basically said “Bela killing her abusive parents is good, actually” (I’m so tired of forgiveness narratives, you guys. This entire show is founded on revenge, so let me get my revenge fantasies in peace!!) xDD. And I love, LOVE that she withheld that truth from Dean, that she decided he wasn’t worth it. OTOH, you know, fuck the fans that got her written out, definitely; but on the other, I do love how her story ended (and that it was a clear "fuck you" to shitty fans). Doesn’t stop me for wanting to read and re-read (and maybe write!) even more “Bela escapes hell” fix-its, but still.

Also, very important question: what happened to her cat?? It’s the cat alright?? I’m going to headcanon that she left them with that cougar friend of hers lol.

-So. THE DEAL. Okay. Oof. I love this storyline, a lot. A loooot. I love the conflict it creates between the brothers (as long as there’s still conflict and Sam hasn’t yet started taking everything lying down I can enjoy that part of their narrative lol). I love Dean’s initial forced giddiness about “making the most out of his last year” and I love the moment Dean decides he does want to try to live because it makes the last few episodes all the most desperate and cruel (and hey, I’ve heard he only went to hell because the season was cut short due to a writers’ strike... if that’s true that’s so funny lmao).

My absolutely favourite part however? That you can FEEL Dean’s unvoiced resentment towards Sam. For Dean having to die for him, even if Sam never asked him to. He lashes out to Sam repeatedly through the season, but it really came to ahead in the dreamspace episode, where Dean confronts another version of himself that talks about how Sam was “dotted on” (the revisionism asldfkaf). This show is absolutely ruthless when it comes to showing you its characters’ ugly, unfair reactions to things and it’s my favourite thing evah.

Speaking of the dreamspace episode, OMFG. I loved both brothers there. Dean’s hallucination, seeing himself as a demon? And how he let out his anger about John?? Beautiful, truly (regarding John, I also loved their different reactions when it looked like his spirit had contacted them: Dean jumping on it and Sam detached skepticism). But my favourite part has to be when Sam uses the villain’s abusive father against him. Like. Damn. That was cold-blooded o.0

The second-to-last episode, when Sam tracked down that Frankenstein doctor to try and make Dean immortal was ABSOLUTELY HORRIFYING OMG. I loved that. I love that Sam wanted to use it for both them. It was some scary shit. I also love the scene where the crossroads demon questions whether Sam really wants to break the deal, I’m gathering it’s going to be nice foreshadowing later on in the show lol.

Anyway. I also found Dean’s death scene more impactful than Sam’s. Partially because of the horror of it, but mostly because I think at this type of scenes, Padalecki is better. Sam’s grief felt more real, Dean’s got me out of the scene (it’s the voice, I think. Sometimes Ackles’ voice takes me out of scenes, it sounds... forced).

I also really enjoyed how the time loop episode wrapped around this subplot. It managed to be both heartbreaking and mind-numbly hilarious lmfao. Like?? All the deaths?? Were so pathetic?? I tip my hat to Ackles because I don’t think most actors could carry plots like this half as well lmfao.

Sidenote, it’s always a trip to see The Trickster God knowing that fucker is Gabriel. Archangel “hey Mary do you accept God knocking you up” Gabriel. Which I guess isn’t exactly a thing in this show?? Since according to the wikia SPN Jesus was “just a man” (and let me tell you, I’m tickled pink by the fact that out of ALL mythological figures, specifically all CHRISTIAN mythological figures, the show decided to go “nah” on Jesus Christ. I mean, I guess he’d take away from Dean’s, Sam’s and Castiel’s resurrection narratives, but still. It’s so funny!!).

-Gordon Walker remains a superbly acted and fascinating character with extra racist nonsense alsdkfjasdf. But I can’t deny I loved seeing him as a vampire. He was terrifying. And I’m definitely shipping him with Kubrick, ouch xD

-The Ghostfacers episode is... something. As in, incredibly exploitative and homophobic and with an egregious case of BYG (and the first where I’d say it’s incontestable to claim the trope was used. s1 and s2 are muddy territory given the circumstances, IMO, but this one is 300% BYG), but so successfully manipulative my heart hurt for Corbett and Corbett x Ed still. Fuck them for that ngl. I do still enjoy how anti-Winchesters they all are though xD

-3x01 introduces the one nice marriage of hunters so far, between a black couple. The man dies in a gross, horrifying way within the episode ofc (because he was Mean to the the brothers duh). She makes it out alive, and since she doesn’t reappear in the show she gets to live. So for now black women have a sliiiiiightly better track record in SPN than track guys there: they get to appear in a few more episodes and be more fleshed out (Victor, Gordon), but as long as they’re only in one episode they get to live!! (Cassie, Tamara).

-Rufus and Bobby are exes, right? Right?? Probably still married in some state? You know that post about how when gay marriage was legalized across the USA there were a lot of issues because some couples had split and never bothered to divorce, since it was only legal in one place? That post was made for them. Pity Rufus is a black man, and as such has a limited number of allowed appearances before he’s killed off ¬¬

-I would’ve enjoyed Dean’s moments with Lisa and Ben more (it’s just so RIGHT that in this moment he’d want Ben to be his) if my knowledge of future spoilers didn’t perpetually have me in a state of “pls keep this guy away from kids” lol.

-They had Harmony’s actress (BTVS) and they made her a vampire!! The show’s hard on for the Buffyverse is a bit of a hit and miss but I can’t say I don’t relate xDD.

-I know Jensen Ackles can sing (in fact thanks to youtube I know a few of the actors can... is there a musical episode. Does this show have its own OMWF. I need to know). So why. WHY. Does he sound like that during “Dead or Alive”??? I actually like the scene but he sounds so off-key lmao.

-BTW, I found out that apparently Katie Cassidy and Lauren Cohan originally auditioned for each other’s roles añslkdfjasf. I can’t picture it. Ruby 1.0 is Ruby 1.0 and Bela is Bela xD. Although I’ve seen each playing roles that could meld with the other, just. Nope. Good choice on the casting there lol.

[casebasket]

The Mystrade Treatise

I am long, long out of the Sherlock fandom, but I still have a soft spot for mystrade after ~ 7 odd years (the only thing I really cared about in the show), so when a friend asked about mystrade I hit them with a spontaneous 2000 word block of text. I thought I’d share it as an homage to the still quietly existing community of mystrade shippers out there. Basically, in this essay I will argue for my interpretation of how the BBC TV show Sherlock (2012) establishes an implied relationship between Mycroft, (The Government) and Lestrade (The Force) in the subtext. This analysis will be broken down to two parts: 1) show chronology / their history and 2) their compatibility, which can be further split into 2a) personalities and 2b) external circumstances. 

(The beginning is the only formal(ish) part of - I’m calling it a treatise -, the rest of the piece is written in “I typed it all in messenger app” style. This all came out off the top of my head, so if you think I’m missing something I’m open to the callout)

TL;DR: I’m still mystrade trash and I’m pulling the receipts on mystrade canon

1) Their history - it's clear they know each other and are in communication with each other since the very beginning - and very likely even before - the events of the show. Just a show tidbit, the ending of the pilot episode has Lestrade watch John and Sherlock walk away happily staring into each other's eyes and tell Donovan about their potential as partners, whereas the actual first episode replaces him with Mycroft talking to his assistant Anthea, which shows their character parallels. In one aspect, their role as "aggravated older guardian" is a shared one and one that - rationally, but in fanon - allows them to commiserate with other another. Also, Mycroft kidnaps John in his very first day of him meeting Sherlock, so reasonable to conclude he did the same to Lestrade, so they've clearly met. And, I believe it's canon that Lestrade helped Sherlock with his drug problem, so he's clearly run into Mycroft, whether it's because his brother's OD'd or found with possession or whatever whatever. The possibilities are endless.

We have hints of them knowing each other throughout the show - in season 2 episode 2 the Hound of Baskerville (I am surprised and appalled I know this off by heart instead of more important things), the duo meets Lestrade in a tavern where he's clearly back from holiday and when Sherlock eggs him by basically calling him Mycroft's lackey, he, aggrieved, says "I don't just do what your brother tells me", which is a line I still unfortunately remember over 5 years later, and that is the first precedent set in canon that they clearly communicate. We can interpret this line, given the circumstances, that Mycroft asked him to cut his vacation short to go check up on his brother, and Lestrade, being whipped, was like fine.

This is mere speculation, but in that mini episode, Many Happy Returns, Lestrade is listening to Anderson go on about his conspiracy theories on how Sherlock is still alive, and at the end of it he passes a newspaper article about Sherlock, and he smiles at it like he KNOWS he's still alive somewhere even though he just walked out calling Anderson on his bullshit and dismissing his theories, and I like to interpret that as Mycroft told him Sherlock's still alive. Plus, when Sherlock greets him after his two year absence, the way Lestrade reacts is less “am I seeing a ghost because you’re supposed to be dead” and more “you’re finally back I already know you were alive because my boyfriend Mycroft told me”. 

The first time we see them in frame together (in the mystrade community this is famously known as the 29 frames moment because they only showed up for - 29 frames, like 2 seconds) was in season 3 episode 3, where Sherlock goes missing and everyone looks for him in the hidey holes they know of. Lestrade is seen in Mycroft's office while Mycroft tells him about potential hiding spots. Honestly he did look hella dismissive and rude but you know what? Everyone was stressed. But this shows not only is Lestrade trusted in his secret government offices - and likely this was the secret one because it looked like a cellar - but he trusts Lestrade implicitly. When Sherlock is about to leave on a plane, Lestrade's in a pub watching the TV screen when Moriarty's face is all over it and the very next scene we see Mycroft on the phone with someone getting the news that this was happening. Coincidence? I think NOT - Lestrade called up Mycroft and told him, CANON.

And then there's the Christmas special or whatever it was, about the abominable bride, and yes, this one is set in Sherlock's drug fevered mind, but that only means that, in Sherlock's mind, he sees the two of them as a set (Sherlock ships it confirmed lol). During the whole episode when we see the canon versions of Mycroft and Lestrade they are together as a unit. When John leaves him, Sherlock's mind goes to the most reliable thing in his life to help him, which is his brother (and his brother's boyfriend) and his friend Lestrade to help him, together. Sherlock asks the two of them to help him dig up a body and they share a Look, which is clearly Mycroft's way of asking Lestrade to do the dirty work of actually digging and Lestrade resignedly concedes because there is no other way to analyse the Look, and in the next scene we see Sherlock and Lestrade digging in a grave while Mycroft holds up a lantern because Mycroft doesn't like legwork and Lestrade, clearly his boyfriend in Sherlock's mind, understands this and is willing to accommodate.

And then we have the whole of S4, or as I like to call it, Johnlock hell but mystrade victories!, because in s4e1 when Mary is shot in the aquarium, the first person they look at is each other, indicating they take some level of comfort or seek it out from one another in a room full of other people, also the two of them arrived together so they clearly coordinated, also when the gun was lifted Mycroft looks shocked and steps back a bit while Lestrade moves forward in a “ready to step in” protective gesture, and this all happened in the same frame, and there are gifsets of this happening, and everyone was quietly screaming (Johnlockers in pain, mystrade shippers in "look at them sharing a frame together look at these scraps we're getting"). In the second ep we don't see them together but we do see Mycroft getting hit on by Lady Smallwood and he looks hella uncomfortable about it, while Lestrade is talking with another detective and Sherlock shoots him down telling him she's not the one (because clearly we all know who is the one and Sherlock knows it's his brother).

Oh yeah also jumping back to S3, Mycroft is saying no one can match him and he sees everyone as goldfish but Sherlock is like oh really and was lowkey concerned about him and that's how the mystrade fandom got this whole goldfish thing and it's adorable (special shout out to duchessclovery ‘s masterful fanvid romcom series A Fish Called Greg), and in the wedding ep Sherlock calls Mycroft to attend the wedding but he refuses, and Sherlock says "specter in the feast" to entice him and I like to interpret that as him lowkey jabbing him with a *in*spector in the feast because Lestrade was there looking tired and lonely throughout the whole ep lmaaaaaaaaaaaaao.

Anyway back to S4E2, Mycroft is getting hit on, Lestrade is the most tired we've ever seen him, Sherlock is trying to waive off Lestrade's suitors to save him for his brother. Why is Lestrade so tired? Yes, he's questioning a suspect or something, but also! maybe it's related to his love interest getting hit on, who knows???? And lastly, the last ep of S4, the golden era of mystrade, at the very end of the episode after we've seen Mycroft at his most vulnerable, Sherlock asks Lestrade to "take care of him (Mycroft). he's not as strong as he seems". This was an explicit request by Sherlock, addressing Lestrade correctly for the first time, to take care of his brother, and Lestrade says yes. Of course I will. S4 ended with the promise of the him taking care of Mycroft and honestly I don't care about the entire episode except that part

 2)    A: their personalities: so, Mycroft, as his colleagues know him, is ~ the ice man ~. He's hard to know, even harder and more stubborn and isolated than his brother, and on top of that he's like, contractually obligated under his top secret government job to not be known. That makes him, and this is canon as Sherlock discussed his loneliness with him in S3, even more lonely than his brother, and probably, as much as he likes to think himself more accommodating than his brother and he can definitely pretend for the sake of appearances, more difficult to deal with than Sherlock if he really sets his mind to it. But he's not a complete block of ice - after all, ice can melt - and he has soft spots for his family, esp. his unruly little brother, and by extension (maybe more necessity than real care, but still) the people his brother affiliates with. Because Sherlock is so tricky to deal with, I believe he has a soft spot for people who share that softness for his spiky sibling, and no one cares for Sherlock as he does except for Mrs Hudson, John, and Lestrade. Lestrade's done it for even longer than John, and in the show plays a somewhat paternal figure to Sherlock despite him causing him even more stress sometimes than solving cases for him would relieve. Lestrade is shown to drop everything to help Sherlock when he needs it, and is considered one of his best friends when Moriarty put a sniper on each of Sherlock's closest acquaintances (Lestrade was a target). Lestrade always saw the good in Sherlock despite everything, and believed he could be great. Very few sees the same potential, or shows that level of kindness for - lets be honest here - someone we would want to kick in real life. Lestrade's kindness and patience, enough to deal with Sherlock, surely can be extended to involve Mycroft, as Mycroft's protectiveness extends somewhat to Sherlock's friends.

And this is not a one way street of just Lestrade being kind and accepting. The people Sherlock surrounds himself with appear dull, and have "normal" lives, but secretly either have a florid past (Mrs Hudson) (and her present with the race car and her quick thinking when the flat gets ransacked) and/or crave adventure and danger and intrigue (John) (Molly). Lestrade is the probably the same. He seems aggravated by Sherlock but still like him a whole lot and truly care for him, and you don't go into policing if not for some kind of excitement. He has a failed marriage with his wife who boringly cheated on him with a PE teacher, like how predictable and cliche, and they broke up. Lestrade is loyal, and he wants to fix things, but in the end it doesn't work out. The show doesn't really tell us why, but given what we know of his work and his habits, he probably spends way too much time on the job and in part, neglected his home life. That isn't to say the cheating his wife did can be condoned, nor was it justified, but it does tell us that Lestrade is a workaholic who craves excitement and adventure which explains his attachment to Sherlock. Who else can match that with him in a relationship? Another workaholic who surrounds himself in government intrigue and MI6 bullshit cloak and daggers who also share a soft spot for the most annoying detective consultant, of course!!! For all we know from the show, Mycroft is Lestrade's one constant relationship outside of work. Their common interest is keeping their shared loved ones safe. Beyond that, even though Mycroft feels bored by everyone because "no one is as smart as i, hohoho", Sherlock used to be the same but he found John. We see Lestrade able to hold his own against Sherlock sometimes too, and he is a detective inspector, so as much as Sherlock likes to call him dumb we know that Lestrade's actually pretty smart. If he can hold up his own against Sherlock, he can hold up his own against Mycroft. Mycroft needs someone with the patience to go through all his bullshit, and Lestrade needs someone smart and interesting and protective, because as a protector himself sometimes you forget you need someone to protect you in turn. And that is basically their whole thing - two fierce guardians, trying to protect the world, finding they also need protection, and finding it in each other (end of season 4). Also there's this scene where Lestrade is sitting by his desk with his feet propped up while he eats a donut and says "not my division" which looks exactly like this scene where Mycroft is sitting by his desk with his feet propped up looking smug, or as the mystrade shippers like to call it, "boyfriends picking up each other's behaviours". Essentially, the johnlock relationship sort of parallels the mystrade relationship in that we have a smartass, spiky, secretly vulnerable one paired with a badass, patient, relatively more sunny one. But more mature. And also preferable. The two of them share some kind of relationship that has reached the point of nonverbal understanding, as we can see in their quiet glances towards each other during the few times we see them on screen together, that requires a level of trust and time. 

2)     B: compatibility in external circumstances - this is a short one, it's mostly that they're both workaholics who needs someone to understand their unpredictable work schedules, and also how minimal their social life can get being a) married to work and b) work can be classified and you can't tell anyone about your case files / government coverups. No one could understand the need for secrecy and getting up in the middle of the night for a case/subterfuge than Mycroft and Lestrade, as their career roles work in tangent with each other. And they share (1) chaotic child between the two of them, so they just. get it when one receives a call telling them to fish this loud annoying bitey man child out of the Thames. Their jobs get in the way of establishing close relationships, so who better to relate to than another who live the same kind of life and can understand?

[chiscribbs]

PLUS EST EN VOUS Review

(Over a week later, and I’m finally posting this. At least I don’t have to worry about another episode coming out before it’s posted.)

Okay - there’s a lot to cover, so without further ado...  Let’s get right into it, shall we?

Things I liked about the finale:

All of the beautiful Cass / Rapunzel scenes! 

They were so emotional and beautifully done, it felt like everything that needed to be said was said, and seeing them act like friends again was very cathartic for me. In a lot of ways, Cass & Raps’ relationship reminds me of some of my own (old ones that didn’t end so smoothly, and then newer ones that I can already tell will leave a lasting impression on my life) and seeing them reconcile and talk about how much they meant to each other really warmed my heart. A best friend is an irreplaceable thing, and I love that their interactions showed that. I also really appreciated the “I love you”s, because the world needs more of those between friends. And it also reminded me of Eugene saying the same thing to Lance, in Beyond the Corona Walls.

The awesome Team Awesome content!  There was an abundance of it in this episode, and I loved every second of it! Truth be told, I was never a big “Team Awesome” fan until S3 came around. The relationship always felt a tad too one-sided to me, and I just couldn’t see them being particularly close, at least not as close as Varian and Rapunzel. The fandom helped me warm up to the idea a little bit, but this past season definitely sold it for me. Eugene has really matured and become a lot less self-involved since the first time they met. I absolutely love that he’s turned into sort of a cool older brother figure to Varian (in fact, many of their interactions are reminiscent of moments I’ve shared with my own brother) and Var now looks up to him rather than just the “Flynn Rider” persona. The fact that Eugene could tease him about his past mistakes and Varian just turned around and casually joked right back? That made my heart happy.

Speaking of maturing & happy hearts -

 I’M SO PROUD OF THIS BOY!!! 

I know I say that a lot, but He’s just come so far since S1, or even the beginning of S3! There were a ton of little moments showcasing his growth in this episode. Such as:  - Jumping onto the piano to help Raps rally the troops (did anybody think we were going to get pianist Varian? I sure didn’t, but I’m not complaining.) - Stating with certainty that he can rebuild Demanitus’ portal, before even seeing the schematics, and just overall showing more confidence in his abilities. (Quirin looked so proud when he was building the portal...you know, before going  all mind-slave and trying to pull the lever.) - Being the first - the FIRST - of the gang to walk into Demanitus’ tomb. This may seem small, but it was such a 180 from Be Very Afraid, where he was nervous and trailing behind Raps the entire time. Now he’s not only joining in on the adventure, he’s taking the lead on occasion! - Rigging Quirin’s helmet with a temporary stun mechanism as a fail-safe for the mind-trap. He seemed hurt and offended when Eugene initially brought up the possibility of his dad being a double-agent, but even so, he listened. He put common sense and the safety of others before his own feelings, and that’s not an easy thing to do.  - Firing an explosive concoction straight into the face of an enormous demon monster??? I mean,...heck yeah, boy!! Also - using his past mistakes (i.e. the amber and monster!Ruddiger) and repurposing them towards something good. I could go on, but you get the idea. he’s just come so far and I could not be more proud of his development. And the fact that he went on to become Corona’s Royal Alchemist Engineer was just the cherry on top! YOU DESERVE IT, BOY!!! 👏👏👏

You know who else I’m proud of? Rapunzel. She was never my favorite character in the series (despite being the protagonist,) but this story - and this past season in particular - has really endeared me to her. She’s grown so much, she’s become a strong and wise leader, and I’m proud of her for it. Honestly, I’ve related to her far more this past season than any other. And I don’t know if that’s because she’s older and more mature now, or because her naivete and eager-to-please attitude is all but gone, or because she just felt a lot more real and vulnerable in recent episodes - but I really, truly love her. And I’m happy to see her story reach its completion. (Also - long-haired brunette Raps is my new favorite thing, tbh.)

THIS:

‘Nough said, I think.

The epic new powers and abilities (and return of some old ones)!!! There were so many moments while watching the finale where I was literally just yelling at my sister like “wHOA, DID YOU SEE THAT?! THAT WAS AWESOME!!!” I had no idea that Cass could make ANIMATED WOLF HEADS of the black rocks, that completely blew me away! And then there were those golden rocks that Zhan Tiri manifested, that was so cool! I wonder if the sundrop alone could make those appear, or if you had to have both of the elements to make it work. Also - the Healing Incantation was finally brought back! I knew it would be, eventually, but I’d almost completely forgotten that was a plot point by the time the finale came around. It was good to hear Mandy’s voice saying those familiar, nostalgic words again. And she put so much emotion into it!

Now, onto the less fun stuff...

Things I disliked about the finale:

(Feel free to skip over this section if you’d rather just focus on the positives, I fully understand. I’ll do my best to be fair and only address the things that really stood out to me.)

This subplot went on for far too long:

It was pretty funny for the first few minutes (and I’m sure the animators loved getting to go crazy with the characters’ designs like this,) but after awhile, I was like “is this really what we want over half of our cast to be doing during the BIG FINALE?” I mean, we already had the monkey gag, which I actually thought was a riot. And this one came right in the middle of a pretty climactic moment, so it just seemed kind of out of place.  I’ll admit, the snake-hair joke and Lance’s multiple eyes had me rolling, but ultimately, I just felt like this whole bit only served to waste limited time that definitely could have been better utilized.

The portal was too quickly demolished.  They could have at least come close to a success with it before it was destroyed, so that it didn’t feel completely useless! I get that they wanted ZT to be defeated by her own power, and I’m down for that, but if the portal’s sole purpose within the story was just to temporarily remove all the secondary characters in limbo so that the mains could do their thing, I can’t really get behind it.  Especially seeing as their only Plan B was “throw things at the giant all-powerful octopus monster,” come on, guys. I would have preferred that be a last-resort after several failed attempts at other pre-orchestrated plans. They could have had Varian and Quirin working on repairing the portal while the others distract/attack Zhan Tiri and THEN have her destroy it (purposefully, rather than by some random falling rock.) Or, maybe everyone could have been in on the plan to get the sundrop and moonstone to meet, and then have Raps and Cass are the ones who finally succeed in doing it. I don’t know, I just feel like there was a lot of wasted potential there.

This scene:

I’m going to be perfectly honest, this scene bothered me. For a multitude of reasons:

Firstly; it was a shot-for-shot copy (not a parallel, a copy) of the iconic New Dream moment from the movie, just replacing Eugene with Cass. That wasn't necessary, Cass and Raps have their own unique relationship and their own moments, they don’t need to steal Raps & Eugene’s. This should have remained a New Dream-only thing, in my opinion. (Especially seeing as her parents already stole their gondola bit...I’m mostly joking about that one.)

Secondly; it didn’t make sense? Rapunzel was standing just as close to the blast as Cassandra, yet she wasn’t harmed at all. In fact, she seemed completely unfazed by it. Why was Cass the only one effected? (And we can’t even make an argument that the moonstone shard protected her, because the powers were lost the moment the two fused.) If they needed a brush-with-death scene, why not have ZT hurt Cass? I feel like that would have been a lot more dramatic, especially after manipulating her for an entire season.

And finally; it made every other character’s “death” seem unimportant in comparison. I get that the writers needed Raps to use the Healing Incantation, but, EVERYBODY ELSE WAS ALREADY HALF-DEAD, AT THIS POINT. I’m sorry, but, why wasn’t that incentive enough to use the healing power? Why did we need to have Cass’s near-death on top of everybody else’s?  I mean, I would’ve been maybe a little bit more okay with it had Rapunzel mourned everybody’s death and not just Cass’s, and then used the power to save ALL of them at once. But instead, she completely forgot about everyone else until the very last second, which was frustrating. I’m not a fan of plot devices that ignore other characters, especially when the protagonist is supposed to care about them but then just doesn’t even seem to remember that they exist for a hot minute. This felt like the ending of Freebird, only worse because you can’t make the excuse that she was unaware. (Just to be clear, I’m not blaming Rapunzel. I know it wasn’t meant to come across that way, I just feel like it was not well executed.) There are a lot of ways that this could have been done differently. Rapunzel and Cass could have BOTH been devastated about their friends/loved ones, I would have loved to see Cass show genuine concern and remorse towards the OTHER people whom her actions hurt, not just Raps. Or, Rapunzel could have at least landed near Cass so it would’ve made sense for her to notice her first, and then looked around and noticed everybody else before using the healing incantation. At least that way, the other characters wouldn’t have felt so much like a second-thought. I don’t know, I just didn’t appreciate the treatment of the supporting cast in this scene at all. It felt like they were forgotten right up until the very last second.

Cass didn’t get to sing in any of the songs.  I was really surprised by this, I figured given how important her role had become, she’d get to sing at least one line (like Lance and Varian did.) But nope. Actually, a good 90% of the music in this episode was sung by Raps, and as much as I love the songs & Mandy’s beautiful voice, I was hoping for the other characters to be a little bit more involved. Especially in the Life After Happily Ever After (Reprise), that would have been a great opportunity to have everybody sing together.

Things I would have liked to see in the finale:

More information about Demanitus and ZT.  We got so little! I was expecting this episode to answer all of our questions about that two, but I still have no idea; what their relationship was, where Zhan Tiri came from, why exactly she wanted the power (besides just to have it for herself, I guess), or how they came across the SD and MS in the first place! Like, just a little bit more information would have been nice, the only thing the flashback really gave us was what ZT looked like before spending a few millenia in limbo. (Also - apparently Corona is several thousand years old??? Which, I didn’t know, I was under the impression that it was a fairly new kingdom.)

Closure for this relationship:

This is probably what I was most disappointed by. Honestly, I’m still kind of surprised that this didn’t happen, even just a little bit. Given that Cass was wearing the Cassandrium at the end, we can safely assume that they at least parted on good terms. But the last few exchanges that they had really gave me the impression that we’d be getting some kind of closure before the credits rolled. We were given two whole episodes focusing on the unique bond that these two share (that’s more than we were given for Cass & Eugene,) they were painted as parallels, so it only makes sense to give them a proper wrap-up. In CR, Cass seemed hurt and devastated after realizing that she’d effectively pushed Varian away, it’s clear his friendship meant a lot to her. Not to mention, Var had the best understanding of Cass’s feelings, he could relate to her - especially about her guilt and fear of not being forgiven. But despite all of the build-up & foreshadowing, they didn’t even get an on-screen goodbye? Not a single “thank you” or “I’m sorry”?  I realize that the main focus was always on Cass & Raps’ friendship, and I’m totally fine with that. I’m just saying that after all the obvious parallels and time invested in this relationship, it would have been nice to get some closure. I just wish they’d included at least one little dialogue exchange to wrap it up in a satisfactory way, like we got with Cass and Eugene.

Actual pay-off for all the Varian - Demanitus parallels.  I think we can all agree that this seemed like it was going somewhere, and then it just...didn’t. He did rebuild the portal, but it turned out to be useless, and outside of that, the similarity was never touched upon. Not by Rapunzel, or Zhan Tiri, not even Xavier made the connection. I mean - this kid is doing at 15/16 what Demanitus did in the latter half of his life. He’s not only following the legendary engineer/inventor’s footsteps, he’s expanding the legacy. If that’s not foreshadowing for something, I don’t know what is! And I do love the fact that he became the Royal Alchemist Engineer, but at the same time, I just feel like there was so much wasted potential in this almost-but-not-quite-subplot.

An actual Brotherhood reunion, without all the mind-trap influence.  It would have been so interesting to see them all interacting! I was surprised that, even though Edmund and Quirin were both in the same place for most of the episode, they never really interacted? Outside of mind-controlled Quirin, Hector, and Adira attacking Eugene &  Edmund, they didn’t exchange so much as a word. And I get that a lot of that was time restraints, and having to focus on more important plot points (as Edmund said “bigger fish”) but honestly, if they had time to thrown in all that netherworld nonsense, a little Brotherhood interaction doesn’t seem like too big of a favor to ask. 

Rapid-fire Opinions: 

Favorite song: Through it All

In my opinion, this song is the best group number in the show (not counting the ones only sung by main 3, such With You By My Side or Next Stop Anywhere) It’s not quite as epic as Ready As I’ll Ever Be, but it has an infectious beat and a triumphant melody that I really enjoy. Also, the scene as a whole was so cheerful and fun, and we got Varian, Lance, Kiera, and Catalina all playing various instruments! (Plus more New Dream dancing! ��� )

Favorite callback to a previous episode: Easy answer, because it comes from (what is still) one of my favorite episodes in the series - the Cassandrium.

Favorite scene: This one’s a little tough, but I did really enjoy the little moment that Eugene and Varian had after Quirin was incapacitated by the helmet. 

I also loved the final scene where Cass said goodbye to Rapunzel and they gave each other the biggest, warmest hug I’ve ever seen in animation history (and the prior exchange between her and Eugene was really sweet, as well.)

OH! And how could I forget? That beautiful New Dream proposal. 💜 That was absolutely perfect. The animation, the music, Mandy & Zach’s incredibly heartfelt voice work, just...I loved everything about it.

Most underrated moment: Catalina pushing Kiera out of Zhan Tiri’s way and getting grabbed herself. (Show of hands, who else briefly forgot that she was a werewolf and had a small heart-attack in that moment?)

Theories I had that were proven true: 

- Cass leaving Corona to “find her own destiny.”  I’d always felt like Cass never really had a dream of her own; she didn’t know who she was, and she was never going to get the answers by staying by Rapunzel’s side. So I had a strong feeling that she would be leaving, but I’m glad to see that it was on good terms.

- Everyone vs Zhan Tiri.  Granted, like most people, I was under the impression that Xavier’s “magic and alchemy” statement would be more...relevant? Turns out, we read into that way too much. Which, honestly, is a tiny bit disappointing, but it was still cool to finally see Zhan Tiri at her most powerful.

- Varian becoming Corona’s Royal Alchemist Engineer.  This is a theory I’ve had since my early days in the fandom, and I’m glad to see it finally confirmed! My only complaint is that we didn’t get to see Rapunzel bestow the honor upon him, because I would have loved to see that exchange.

Theories that were not proven true, but I still believe:

- Varian (and possibly Quirin) being a descendant of Demanitus.  You can pry this one out of my cold, dead hands, there are way too many clues pointing to it. I’m not even sure if Demanitus has any descendants (again, we have very little information on him still) but if he does, Varian’s a prime candidate. His lineage comes from the Dark Kingdom, he’s a genius alchemist/inventor, has a personal connection to both the Sundrop and the Moonstone; honestly, I’m kind of surprised this possibility was never even considered, at least one, in canon.

- Cass will eventually return to Corona.  I have no idea when, why, or how, but I truly believe she will. Her spirit may be roaming free at the moment, but the heart always returns home. And - as it stands right now, at least - her heart is still waiting in Corona. In the meantime, though, I’m glad she’s living her best life, seeking out adventure wherever destiny leads her! She deserves it <3 

Well, that’s my full Plus Est En Vous/Tangled the Series Finale review! I’d love to hear everybody else’s thoughts on the final episode, as well; how many people were satisfied vs unsatisfied with the ending? What were everyone else’s favorite moments, what else would have been nice to see? Let me know!

Final words: This show and this fandom have meant so much to me, and I’m far from done loving it. I still have many projects in the works to celebrate the show and its completion, but in the meantime - thanks for reading.

And God bless the amazing team that came together to bring us this incredibly beautiful, meaningful, story which will always have a special place in my heart. 

[skamamoroma]

Would you like a Luchino season or no?

Are you kidding me?! I’d LOVE it

I love Luchino so much. I find him incredibly endearing even when he was making questionable choices. His heart has always been in the right place. He has always been consistent (as most Skam Italia characters are, thankfully!) and we have seen, bit by bit, new sides to him.

I LOVE what they did with him in s3 and s4. Instead of making it all a joke FOR him and making it tongue in cheek, they made him vulnerable. It’s was the BOYS being little shits that added the humour and silliness but not Luchino. He genuinely was trying and opening himself up because he liked Silvia. I found him incredibly sweet the way he tried to get on her level and appreciate what she appreciates and started using his own weirdo ideas to feed into her weirdo ideas about fashion and animals... and it worked! He realised he could be his weird self and she’d kinda like it!

I LOVED his moments in s4. He seemed much more open and I found him so lovely. I loved the way they approached his moments with Silvia and how we got this insight into his insecurities and the way he keeps people assuming he’s a fool and the butt of the joke when he really has some serious talent. The fact Silvia asked him and he clearly chose to suggest he remains secretive about it for a reason. That breaks my heart. The way he basically told Silvia he knows he isn’t good enough for her (in his eyes) and that he’s not handsome or cool enough... only for Silvia to confirm what we know - that his big loveable heart and the way he understands her is more than enough. He doesn’t have to be this suave cool guy or some made model. She likes him as he is. He’s so cute and handsome as he is. But above all, he’s caring and thoughtful and likes her a lot.

The little smile he did when Silvia called him her boyfriend made me want to squish him.

I just love him a lot and I also REALLY love that they made him the manager of Gio and Elia’s band. If they get a s5, it opens up so much potential for ridiculousness. Also, he loves his boys. He is so adored by them. The way that since the beginning of s2 we see Gio almost adopt a motherly role with him always helping him or correcting his misunderstandings, we see Elia as the big brother type etc... but also they all find him hilarious, love his ways, tease him endlessly and I guess they would be “I contrabbandieri” without Luchino. They are the smugglers of him after all 😂

I’d LOVE to know more about him. We know he has a brother. We know his mum is around after the whole porn thing hahaha. We know a few things but still not a massive amount. I’d love to spend time with him. Plus, Nicholas is so great. I find him VERY FUNNY. He has a brilliant comic timing and also this genuine relaxed way of acting that makes Luchino seem so real and accessible.

So yeah. GOD. Give me a season on any of the boys. I genuinely done care. I love them all so much and am interested in all of them. Ludo Besse’s skill of developing characters outside of the main focus is unparalleled for me and the way he has handled so much of that so far has made me just adore most of the characters to the point where I’d love a season about them.

[tarysande]

Hello, I love your lucifer thoughts, and if you want to write it I would love to now your thoughts on lucifer using names/nicknames

I’ve thought about this a lot. I even touched on my personal headcanon about it in the last chapter of Taking the Fall :)

Obviously, Lucifer uses nicknames or alternative names a lot. I think he says the word “Chloe” less than a dozen times across three seasons, while he uses “Detective” or “the Detective” hundreds. She’s even saved as “the Detective” in his phone. 

So, let’s start at the beginning. (In the beginning...) The show has drawn from many sources to construct Lucifer Morningstar as we know him. Obviously, we’ve got the comics. Personally, I see a bit more of Neil Gaiman’s Lucifer than Mike Carey’s (and, to be completely honest, I feel like a bit of Gaiman’s Crowley may be mixed in there as well). In Carey’s comics, Lucifer is much more able to think in the Very Long Term, for example, and is essentially always acting on a Plan of his own (which creates a neat parallel between God and Lucifer, but I digress). Gaiman’s Lucifer is the one who is Done with Hell and basically hands over the keys; he’s also the one who cuts off his wings; he’s the one who speaks the great lines the show used to such effect--about not being responsible for humanity’s sins and disliking that he’s blamed for things he’s not responsible for. He’s also the one who retires to LA, starts a nightclub called Lux, and really has a thing for sunsets. Gaiman was also the one who established that Lucifer was once called Samael. Gaiman’s Lucifer is heavily influenced by Milton’s Paradise Lost iteration of Lucifer (he of “It’s better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven” fame; Milton’s Lucifer gets all the best lines). He’s not distinctly (or solely) comprised of Christian or Jewish mythologies, though both influence the character.

In his short story, “Murder Mysteries,” (which features the same Lucifer he incorporated into the Sandman comics) Gaiman establishes at length how angels are named. First, they include “el”, which means, “of God.” The other part of their name indicates their purpose. Samael, depending on the translation, can mean venom, poison, or blindness of God. I don’t know about you, but if my name was Poison, I’d probably feel like I got the short end of the naming stick. This is contrasted, of course, by the same angel carrying the name (or perhaps title), Lucifer. When Gaiman introduces him, it’s by another character saying, “He was the Creator's finest creation: the angel Samael, called Lucifer. It means ‘the bringer of light.’ Of all the angels he was the wisest, the most beautiful, the most powerful. Saving only his Creator, he is, perhaps, the most powerful being there is.”

When Lucifer Fell, he abandoned the name Samael. He rejected it. Poison or not, he was no longer “of God.” Whether out of spite or anger or truth, Lucifer rejects the name his Father gave him in favor of the title. He identifies himself as Bringer of Light; this is the name he chooses. In the show, we witness Lucifer’s reaction to Samael when Linda speaks it. It angers him. Upsets him. After all this time, he is not indifferent to it. And though he claims not to care about many things related to his past, the name is very obviously a match to very dry tinder.

Names, to Lucifer, mean something beyond just monikers to identify one individual instead of another. Names having power is pretty common in mythology. The show also indicates that angels, specifically, can be summoned by prayer--presumably invoking their names with intention; Lucifer summons both Amenadiel and Uriel this way. It’s unknown whether Lucifer can still be summoned (or hear) prayers. It’s also unknown whether that prayer would have to be directed at his of-God angel name; still, I think there are many reasons why Lucifer holds names at arm’s length.

Names are also intimate; knowing them and using them can indicate deeper relationships, connections. Even with all the growth we’ve seen in Lucifer, he is still leery (if not afraid, though he’d never put it that way) of intimacy, friendship, connection. Lucifer has, for almost the entirety of his existence, been alone. Even when he wasn’t physically alone, his relationships have been marked by power imbalances. In Heaven, he was “of God”--created for a purpose and pretty unrepentantly “part of God’s plan.” In Hell, he was Lord and Master; Maze is/was the closest thing he had to a friend, and we continue to see how unbalanced that relationship was. You can’t truly be friends with someone when you see them as an underling, an employee, as belonging to you in a manner that implies use. 

This question of usefulness is a huge one, and probably deserving of its own meta, but since it also comes back to names, I’ll touch on it quickly: Again, from the beginning of his existence, Lucifer has existed to be of use--first, as God’s brightest angel; then, as Lord of Hell. This notion of usefulness as balance or quid pro quo is woven so intrinsically into Lucifer’s understanding of himself that it very nearly becomes his definition. Balance, justice, an eye for an eye--all of these things are irrevocably part of the fabric of Lucifer. When he desires something, he doesn’t just take; he trades. To be certain the trade is equal, he asks what the subject of his desire desires, essentially asking, “What can I give you that’s equal to what I wish to take from you?” It’s also the basis of his favors: “If I do this for you, you owe me in equal measure; this is non-negotiable.”

Because Samael was, in his mind, treated unfairly, Lucifer (light-bringer meaning both physical light and the light of truth) has unbreakable codes of fairness. They may not always look like a human understanding of fairness, but Lucifer’s internal morality (ironically) is pretty sacrosanct. Essentially, he may be judge and jury and punisher, but he does make sure the trial is fair. In Sandman, Hell builds itself around Lucifer. This may not be explicitly stated on the show, but the notion of hell-loops and guilt and punishment equaling the crime are all very Luciferian. Did Hell alter itself to suit his sense of justice? Or did Hell’s justice affect Lucifer? (Given that we do know at least a little about pre-Hell Samael/Lucifer, I think it’s more the former.)

So, nicknames. Lucifer uses positive nicknames and negative ones. The tone is important. Brother can be scornful, angry, frustrated, almost spiteful. And sometimes, especially as Lucifer and Amenadiel’s relationship changes over time, it can be genuine and even grateful. Brother/sister/Mum are actually really important, I think. These are family relationships that have been all but severed for an unfathomable amount of time, but Lucifer still uses them (and not always sarcastically or with derision). Tellingly, his family still uses brother/son with him, as well. Lucifer still wants connection, but he no longer trusts it; it can be taken from him. Using nicknames/epithets is a way to keep people at a distance--he makes them their job, their position (the Detective, obviously, but also Dr. Linda); in some cases, he keeps things formal (Ms. Lopez); in others, the nickname is openly scornful (Detective Douche; sneering Cain--the secret name; the murderer’s name--instead of using Pierce).

Lucifer diminutizes names when he’s lording over people or displaying superiority (Pierce becomes Piercy; Reece becomes Reecy. Reece actually has a bunch of nicknames, and you can always tell how Lucifer feels about the guy at any given moment based on how he refers to him). He calls criminals by their crimes (“Hello, murderer.”), relegating them to their crimes, their sins, their actions, and taking away the humanity of a name full-stop. Sometimes Lucifer’s nicknames are tools, sometimes they’re weapons; I think sometimes they’re even gifts, or at least an attempt to create a connection even though the most intimate or closest avenue (just using their name) is still too much for him (Dr. Linda is not the very formal Dr. Martin; Ms. Lopez is very occasionally ‘dear Ella’; he uses darling, love, lovely a lot--mostly positive, but again, tone is a factor. I’d hate to be on the wrong end of a scornful or hateful darling).

Also related to power/superiority is his insistence that people use his name--the name he chose, that he adopted. Ella swiftly changes Luce to Lucifer. Similarly, he is very open about the identity he adopted--the Devil. When things arise to question that identity or poke at it too hard, he becomes unsettled, even untethered. The wings/devil face of S3 was all about this notion of forced rather than chosen identity (at least as he saw it).

Though he is initially scornful, however, he does let his family use nicknames--again, I think that’s part of some long-buried part of him that wants to belong but just does not want to belong as Samael (that is, on his father’s terms). So, Amenadiel calls him Luci. Azrael calls him Lu. Neither gets the violent, visceral response of Linda’s Samael. 

Obviously, a whole separate essay could be written on Lucifer’s use (and not use) of Chloe/the Detective. He uses her name when he’s at his most desperate and his happiest. He uses her name, in short, when he’s at his most vulnerable. Sometimes, he’s accepting of this vulnerability (when he’s praying to his father) and sometimes, I don’t think he realizes how vulnerable he is (when he’s just announced to Maze and Mum that he and Chloe are real). In essence, he treats her name as something near-holy, almost sacred. She holds power over him, whether he’s conscious of it or not; her immunity to his power is part of it--she is, in essence, unknowable because he cannot fall back on the familiar to understand her. His feelings for her, obviously, are another part of it; this is a very particular and uncomfortable kind of vulnerability that he both craves and is terrified of (caring about something that much means it can hurt you, and the last time he cared, he was hurt beyond all belief--and certainly, in his mind, in a manner committed the unforgivable crime of being unjust).

So, after all this discussion, I think the takeaway is that Lucifer uses nicknames as weapons to wield or consolidate power, shields to keep himself at a distance and defend himself from hurt, jokes to deflect, arrows to wound (and, ironically, usually those harsh nicknames are poison-tipped). And all of this is rooted in his own very complicated history with names--and with how names have been used to influence him or inflict pain, especially concerning power/powerlessness, control, and choice.

[gleefail]

Glee Memories: 1x7 Throwdown

A long, long time ago, as Glee was approaching graduation in Season 3, I found myself nostalgic with some rare free time on my hands. So I decided to rewatch the series from the beginning and jot down some memories, discrepancies that have arisen since, fave quotes, tally solos - all that good stuff, strictly for shits and giggles.

8 years later (eek!) and once more I find myself with an unexpected abundance of free time. With so many revisiting or being newly introduced to the show between binge watching during Quarantine and all the tragedy that has surrounded the show since it went off the air, I figured I’d finish what I started. And by finish, I mean go through the end of S3. Cause I truly cannot acknowledge what happened after that. Except for 5B.

Kicking this off by reposting the first 15 episodes I already went through. Enjoy!

1x7 Throwdown okay, on the ‘what you missed on Glee’ they just said that Terri’s fake pregnancy was her sister’s idea. Um…nope. Not accurate at all.

“Look at me. Even in the heat of battle, I am so elegant. Regal.”

“Listen to us – we’re even fighting in our voice-overs” I remember that being the first time I really went “wow Glee. That’s reeeeeally not funny. At all.”

Rachel just told Mercedes “it’s Glee club, not krunk club” and Kurt snapped in Rachel’s face before his little secret shake thingy with Mercedes. Damn I love Kurtcedes. They’re the best.

“I’m about to vomit down your back”

oh Lord. Quinn’s not even showing yet and they’re giving her the sex of the baby? My friend just found out and I think she’s 6 months along.

Also, is it at all appropriate for a teacher to be driving two sophomores (15 years old) to a doctor’s appointment?  What kinda school is this?

“The independent polling company in my Dockers has determined you’re the hottest girl in the school.” They really pushed some boundaries with some of the shit that comes out of Jacob’s mouth, lol.

Was it ever revealed who told Jacob about Quinn being pregnant?

Page 24 provision 14 second addendum: 12 members must perform for each team however not all members must perform every song. Thank God, otherwise there’d be no Troubletones competing now <3

“Santana. Wheels. Gay Kid. Asian. Other Asian. Aretha. Shaft.” Legendary. <3

Sue: “Bigotry is no laughing matter.” Santana: “And that’s how Sue…C’s it” Sue: “Outstanding” I still LOVE that moment.

“I mean, what are the chances of the baby getting Polio.”

“Bye Kendra!” “I HATE YOU, WILL!”

Yeah, he just said Quinn had a 10 week ultrasound. Can you really know the sex that early?

Ew. Rachel Berry panties.

Oh Hate On Me. Amber Riley is a goddess. I also think this was what made me honestly think (from this point through a big stretch of Season One) that Mercedes was popular. Honestly just cause she seemed super buddy buddy with Mike and Matt, who were the popular football players.

“Oh hey, buddy – I thought I smelled failure.”

“Those drinks are CRAP!” And then she just grabs a slushie out of a kids hands and throws it to the ground. Sue’s the shit.

um…all but 3 cheerleaders are academically ineligible…one of them is Britany? #oops

haha, a cheerleader answered all her Spanish questions with a picture of a sombrero. That’s awesome.

“Should they learn Spanish? Sure, if they wanna be dishwashers and gardeners” I kinda miss the political incorrectness and balls this show used to have

Figgins put the YouTube video up himself so Sue can’t blackmail him anymore. Maybe the first time a storyline fizzled out and if you blinked, you missed the resolution (if they even gave you any)…but certainly not the last

omg. Sue’s rampage. The music. Her screaming. Figgins’ “No! Not the children!” So. Effing. Funny.

Drizzle. I forgot about that #BlessFinnsHeart

It’s kinda funny that this show has now mentioned both John Stamos and Gweneth Paltrow, future guest stars.

“Give me my test back.” “I just don’t understand anything.” “That’s not my problem.” Was this the first moment we saw that Britany’s not all there?

This moment of unrecorded jamming in the choir room to Ride With Me is still one of the best moments of the glee club. It’s just real. And they’re having so much fun. It makes me sad that it’s coming to an end.

“Bye white people”

“Excuse me. What about us? You expect us to just sway back here like props?” Two seasons later. Still an issue. ETA: an entire episode dedicated to “yes, just like the props you are for Rachel Berry. And you should be okay with that.”

“I can’t do a song with 3 kids!” “Not with that attitude”

Keep Me Hangin’ On. Thus started me wondering “um…ok, but…was that necessary?” on this show. Mainly cause of the cutaway to the auditorium. Couldn’t they just do the routine as cheerleaders on the field and then cut to Quinn’s life and have that be enough? The auditorium stuff left me confused. And was kinda trashy. For no reason.

“Y’know, it’s sad enough that my Sue’s kids are living in squalor and probably on food stamps-“ “My dad’s a dentist” Hooray for continuity!

I remember being annoyed with Rachel when she offered to show everyone how to storm out…cause like…she was no part of that moment…and Tina and Mercedes were already storming out…

“Look, who’s to say that the way I do things is 100% on the ball…” “No one would say that”

“So it doesn’t matter that Rachel is Jewish, or that Finn is…” “unable to tell my rights from my lefts” #BlessFinnsHeart

I don’t agree with what Sue did, but it felt like the first time she showed vulnerability when she got upset finding out that Quinn was pregnant. Cause it was like she was hurt that Quinn didn’t trust her enough to tell her, but she told people in Glee.

Keep Holding On made me cry the first time I saw it. Also it’s one of the few songs that New Directions looks like a REAL showchoir.

Kurt is crying for Quinn in this song. And giving her comforting smiles when they partner together. Oh Kurt. He still has a little piece of my heart, fabulous little gay angel.

Listen, I like Diana Agron and all, but for some reason, her crying at the end of this ep (after Sue outs her pregnancy and at the end of Keep Holding On) feels terribly fake. What is that about? Diana’s so good at stuff like that! SOLOS: Mercedes (1), Rachel (2), Finn (2), Quinn (1)

[blodreina-noumou]

4, 12, 13! The 100 (duh), and for 13, you can choose the character

Thank you so much, my friend! 💛

4. Do you have a NoTP in your fandom? Are they a popular OTP?

This is known, of course, but Be//arke. Part of why I dislike them is because they’re such a popular OTP, and because I get a little bored with seeing that subsection of the fandom make everything that happens in this show about their ship.

That being said, I’ve been less salty about it lately. 

We will finally know, one way or the other, what the writers have intended all along, with the upcoming series finale. 

Either they will be an explicitly romantic couple, or they won’t.

Because it’s undeniable that they care for each other, deeply, or that we’re meant to get that impression, at least. They love each other, however ill-defined what exactly the nature of that love is has been on screen. They are each other’s buttons, the one person they’ll each go way too far for, even when other people would make more sense as hostages or bait. 

Bellamy spent all of s6 ignoring his canonical girlfriend so he could save Clarke. It was a snapshot of a few days within that universe, but it’s really hard for me to still be like “B/C shippers are delusional, smell my skeptic farts, mreh heh heh” when the past season emphasized their connection so much. He visibly mourned Clarke in a way that we did not see him mourn Monty and Harper, who he spent a lot more time with. He immediately supported Clarke at the beginning of the season, despite everyone else in his family being (imo, rightfully) very upset with her recent betrayals. He was shown to be in conflict with Echo more than with Clarke this past season - although he and Echo made up and are still solid, from where I’m standing. So that’s messy and kind of unsettling. What’s the plan with that?

Because if the writers aren’t headed towards an explicitly romantic relationship, they’re doing a hell of a job stringing B/C shippers along. 

And that leaves a bad taste in my mouth, regardless of how I’ve always felt about those characters as a ship. The writers and actors are far from oblivious about how that section of the fandom feels. The idea that they might be muddying the waters for no reason other than to fuck with people bothers me. It never used to, but it does now.

I’d actually prefer that they were headed towards a Be//arke Happily Ever After, than that they were stringing along their fanbase that way.

More likely, if history is any indication, things will still be muddy, one of them will die (my money is on Bellamy at this point, because of Bob’s subtweets apparently referencing Be//arke) and we’ll still find ways to argue about it for as long as the fandom persists after the show is over.

So at this point, they’re a NoTP for me, but I’m not super salty about it like I used to be. A year from now (hopefully) we’ll have the answers. Nobody can really say exactly what kind of love exists between Bellamy and Clarke until we see how it ends for them.

12. Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

I used to say The Flame, but lately, I feel they really fumbled the potential that plot device had in s6. I just wasn’t as engaged with the Sheidheda concept as I could’ve been. Too many holes, too much missing backstory, too much blown potential in showing us other Hedas, outside of Lexa, Sheidheda, and Madi.

So these days, I’d have to say that I probably have an unpopular viewpoint for a Clexa shipper - Clexa wasn’t healthy, and was always doomed. The showrunners didn’t realize the sociopolitical impact that would have, because they attempted to take the same blase, non-issue attitude towards sexual orientation that the universe of The 100 has. I think the Clexa story played out exactly as it was always meant to, and if you strip it of its real world implications, it’s some of the best and most heartbreaking bit of character work that the show has ever done. 

It’s not about a timeless love story, but about the tragedy of a budding affection between two young women caught up in the politics of war and their opposing cultures - a tragedy which has nothing to do with them being wlws, and everything to do with them being oppositional leaders, and kindred spirits in a violent world. They were shaped into cold pragmatists, but around each other, they allowed a certain level of vulnerability and softness of the other person. That was what was beautiful, and the tragedy is in the truth that a connection like that never would’ve thrived in the world of The 100.

I’ll always love Clexa, but I don’t feel much like a Clexa, if that makes sense.

13.  Unpopular opinion about XXX character?

I’m going to go with Jasper. The general consensus that I see a lot about him seems to be that he was a better character before 2x16, that people miss Puppy Love Jasper. Some even go so far as to say that his arc didn’t make sense, that he was annoying or a whiny brat in s3 and s4. I couldn’t disagree with that interpretation more.

I feel a lot of people don’t fully understand the series from Jasper’s perspective. There is so much he’s unaware of, so much he witnesses, and so much he misses out on. There is so much implied loss in his life, much more than just Maya. I don’t believe her death is the sole thing that drove him over the edge - I think it was simply the final straw.

Before he’s locked away in Mount Weather, Jasper is shown to have a few close friends - Monty, of course, but also Finn, and Octavia. He spends the most time with all of them, and ends up losing all of them, on some level, by season 3. 

He struggles to forgive Monty for his part in the Mount Weather genocide. 

We never see him receive the news of how Finn died, and I think, given the way Jasper talks about him (“looks like Finn finally got his peace talks”; “you hear that Finn? he thinks he’s innocent, none of us is innocent!”) - I think we’re meant to assume that people sugarcoated it, and that Jasper doesn’t know the extent of Finn’s crimes. So in his eyes, he loses a good friend to a pointless war. 

Octavia falls in love with someone else, just a few days after kissing Jasper, and ends up so busy with her new culture that she more or less abandons him. Monty and Octavia (and later, Harper) all try to reach Jasper, but he’s too far gone at that point - he’s too alone. 

He also loses his parents (he mentions them in s1, and then we never hear about them again, so I think we can assume they died either in the Culling or on the way down to the ground, when the Ark crashes.) 

And he has his budding leadership crushed, his hope that he can somehow impact the future, and prevent the horror around him snatched away, by his former leaders genociding an entire civilization, including people who helped them, including the first girl he ever loved. She dies in his arms, though, in case the general horror of that wasn’t enough.

He loses so much more than just Maya.

He loses more than just about anybody, and it all happens to him while he’s fifteen years old.

Justice for Jasper Jordan. My heart always hurts when I think of him, and I hate to see people talk so poorly of him.

This is so long, and I could go on about Jasper forever, so I’ll stop now. Thank you so much again for the questions, and I hope you enjoy the essays you totally did not ask for, lmao!

[swashbucklery]

I’d love to see your take on the Sara and Ava conflict about magical creatures. I have mixed feelings, I can see both sides, mostly Sara’s but then I remembered the Kaupe has killed humans before and was even going to kill Mick so it’s not just black and white since there are some harmless creatures and some dangerous ones.

So anon, I actually don’t know that I really feel that the discussion is about who has the moral high ground in that debate. Whether prison as a tool of justice for people who have harmed others is ethical is complicated even in real-world non-magical discussions. It’s also lowkey kind of moot on a show where like - canonically Sara has done upwards of fifty murders with the league of assassins alone, leaving aside all the knife fighting and vigilante arrowing. Like I think the only person on the ship who definitively hasn’t done a murder would be Ray.

The whole core of being a Legend has come to be about the fact that you can be more than you used to be. You can move forward and still have a dark past or be fucked up or struggle, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a family or be cared for. And that by virtue of having that family, everyone is a little bit better.

(And I think even the show has said that, and through Charlie really wants us to understand that magical creatures aren’t more dangerous than say, metahumans or vigilante assassins just because of who they are - it’s how they choose to use those abilities and their context that really matters.)

Ultimately, my take on the fight that Sara and Ava were having in last night’s ep was that it was really more about the broader issues of leadership style, coping, and trust, which are things they need to work through as a partnership. 

(This got long, so it’s going under a cut.)

Like - in S3 their relationship kind of started out because they wanted to fuck each other so badly you could see it from space, fundamentally. A lot of that in their early days was mostly about that pull of like, desire and attraction and hey, you’re cute and getting brave enough to admit that to each other. And then they did hook up and I think were canonically together for a ultra-soft month? Two months? Before BOOM death witch almost murder spree and Sara broke up with Ava.

And I think a week after that Ava found out she was a clone and also both her bosses died in front of her and then they had to fight a time demon. 

That’s a lot, and I think that’s okay but it didn’t really leave a lot of time for them to process anything or figure out what it would be like to work as a couple. How do they navigate those boundaries, especially when they both have very similar jobs and bump up against each other professionally as well as personally. That’s a hard, big question that kind of has to be sorted from a place of calm and vulnerability and mutual trust. Which I think they were starting to, in early S4. Like we see Sara trying to navigate the boundaries of that: is it okay to come to her gf’s job and flirt with her, and when. Can they work together and when they do, is it using the boundaries of Ava’s Bureau role or is it in Sara’s role as a Legend. Can she still be worthy of Ava when Ava loves normalcy so much, can she still keep that life where she’s scruffy and a little carefree and gets to spend quality time with her disaster family of ex-convicts, or does she have to choose between those worlds?

It’s hard as well because I don’t actually think Ava’s sure of what the answers to those questions are. She’s still struggling with identity so much - that line about having the picture of her fake parents on her desk, never feeling normal, having so much responsibility to so many people and the only role model she really has for any of this anymore is Hank.

(Who is, to be clear, a manipulative, emotionally unsafe jerk and a terrible role model.)

I think Ava wants to be a Legend, honestly, and I think that’s where she’ll end up. We can see her light up so much more when she’s on the Waverider, like even when she was at camp or when she went back to New Orleans she was so much more relaxed than when she’s leading strike team alpha or whatever at the Bureau. She wants her girlfriend to come to her office and flirt with her, she wants to lock her door and canoodle sometimes without feeling like she’ll get in trouble for it. She wants to wear silly outfits and learn why everyone loves Mick Rory so much and let herself lean into geeking out with Ray. But she’s also someone who needs identity and structure and I think part of the fundamental struggle for her is that sometimes, being a queerdo with an ex-assassin girlfriend whose family is a shapeshifter and a werewolf and a cyberpunk activist from the future and an ex-convict who loves tits and fire and the grossest wizard in the universe means not fitting in.

Like going back to the conflict from last night’s ep, I think a lot of it as well was that Sara’s team really is her family. And she trusts them in a way that’s more than just evidence-based, it’s looking at Zari and feeling like if Zari smells a conspiracy it’s probably there. It’s looking at this scared kid in a too-big jacket and bunny slippers who’s in love with a werewolf and seeing a bit of herself, and a bit of Zari, and a little of Charlie and Amaya and Ray and everyone else who seemed villainous on the surface but turned out to be someone wonderful. So that when she says she’s sure it’s not her instinct over Ava’s, it’s her having this family that makes her better and saying hey, trust me and trust that I know my family. And if they say this person is good, she’s good and we need to trust her.

Ava who wants to question it, wants to look to her family and see the same thing and she should be able to because her family is the Legends!! it was inside her all along!! But she’s looking to Hank and agency protocol and what she should do, and trusting that over her own instincts because she doesn’t feel like she has instincts to trust.

So it’s hard because it’s also like - Sara needs to let Ava do her own personal growth, and not back her up while she makes decisions that Sara knows don’t feel right. But she also wants to just be with Ava so badly, and go back to that place where she gets to curl up in Ava’s bed and wear fuzzy slippers and kiss her breathless and it sucks that she can’t have that, while they’re working this out.

So that’s how I feel, I guess?

[sometimesrosy]

I'm the anon who asked you the two "simple" questions yesterday (thanks for the in-depth analysis btw). Bellamy is my fave too ... so I have another question for you: how did you feel about his participation to the massacre in season 3 ? Did you understand his reasoning ? For me, it was hard to watch S3A (when I do a rewatch, I'm always dreading it). I totally get why he did it and I never hated him for that (I'm very biased, I know) but his S3 arc broke my heart. What was your first reaction ?

I totally understood his actions and it always baffled me that everyone in fandom forgot that the grounders had been killing them since the show started. And the trikru army were THE EXACT PEOPLE WHO WERE HUNTING THEM. 

Like they weren’t guilty of the crime he accused them of, he was wrong about that. But they were GUILTY people. They were not defenseless. They were fully armed WARRIORS who were on guard against Azgeda. They weren’t peaceful. They weren’t defenseless. They weren’t actually even sleeping. They used strategy to kill the watch first, then the archers. Then they overpowered them with 10 men and their guns. 10 to 300. Not innocent. Not defenseless. And an actual, real threat to their lives, because history had shown that the grounders, that the coalition, that the commander, would go back on her agreement and KILL them just because she’d changed her mind.

When you can’t trust the person who promised to protect you, and they have PROVEN themselves to have no honor, and they are then parked outside of your civilian encampment with 300 armed warriors… that is a VERY precarious position. I understand the motivation to get rid of the army, even if I also know that Pike and Bellamy were not aware of the politics behind Azgeda’s attack, and did not separate Grounders into Azgeda and NOT Azgeda. I mean. Azgeda WAS the coalition. It WAS the coalition that attacked them. They were not involved in the infighting or the attempted coup and could not know that. All they knew was that Grounders were set up to be able to kill them if they wanted to. And they always wanted to sooner or later.

They then went onto the battlefield and killed the wounded… which I think might be a war crime. But Bellamy tried to stop that. He knew it had gone too far. 

This is the STORY being told. Within the narrative, I understand Bellamy’s choices. I think they were WRONG, but I don’t think they were bad or evil. Just like I think Clarke’s choice to leave Bellamy to die in season 5 was WRONG but not bad or evil. For where the characters WERE, their choices were logical and even moral…. but they did not have a good perspective on the whole situation and so made wrong choices. Wrong does not mean Evil. Not in this case, because of WHY they made those choices.

BUT.

I also understand that season 3A was about Bellamy dealing with his trauma, with his pain, that was only retriggered with the explosion of Mountweather. Just like 3A was about Clarke dealing with his trauma while facing the person who caused it and coming to grips with her own darkness. Right? So Pike and Lxa represented the dark side of Bellamy and Clarke. They were what Clarke and Bellamy could have become, without the mitigating influence of each other. Clarke and Bellamy aren’t partners because they’re romantic. They’re partners because they make each other BETTER. Right? So.

Season 3a is part of Bellamy’s (and Clarke’s) personal character development in their hero’s journeys. I’d like to talk just about Bellamy’s, since that’s your question, but it’s paralleled almost exactly with Clarke’s in Polis.

Bellamy wanted to relinquish being a leader. First he followed Kane, then he followed Pike. Pike allowed him to be angry without being at fault. Because he was following. And Pike used his trauma to get him on his side, because Pike knew he was key. Just like Bellamy, he reads people. Polis was a battle for Bellamy’s soul, with Pike and Kane fighting for his heart, his mind. Pike went too far, and by the time Bellamy realized how far he’d gone, Kane did not forgive him, Lincoln was dead, and another death sentence was placed upon their heads. 

In Polis, Bellamy went from being a follower to being a leader. He had to stop allowing other people to make the decisions, and make them himself. And just so we understand, Kane wasn’t making great decisions, either. His plan to kneel to Lxa made them weak and vulnerable and at the mercy of the grounders, who were strangling them. Clarke and Bellamy are better together, but they had to each figure out who they were, and they had to step up and take back their power from their respective leaders in order to make sure that their people were safe, and weren’t doing the wrong thing. Hmm. Clarke was needed to save their lives, and Bellamy was trying to save their souls, to keep them from being monsters. 

If you’ll notice, that’s why in season 4, he stopped sacrificing people just because they weren’t HIS people. That was why he decided to do the morally right thing. that was why he stopped Riley from killing the Azgeda. 

HE HAD TO LEARN TO DO THE RIGHT THING. He had to. If he hadn’t learned that lesson, he would not have been able to stop it from happening again in season 5. He would not have been able to stop CLARKE from letting it happen, because by season 5, she’d been ground down to just survival and didn’t believe in doing the right thing anymore. She didn’t believe in good guys.

BUT BELLAMY DID.

And ONLY because he made the conscious choice to BE the good guy, because he could not live with what he did in season 3.

So I know it’s dark. I know he was not heroic. I know he gave his power to Pike and let him massacre people. I know he was weak. But he could not become TRULY strong, until he faced his weakness.

And if you’ll notice, one of his flaws is that he IS a follower. He’ll easily back down for someone with more experience or more confidence or even a better plan. Clarke is one of those people he’ll back down for. But we all know that Clarke is not always right. And frankly, she needs someone strong enough to be able to stand up to her when she wants to, say, put the flame in someone’s head without consent, or… steal the bunker and leave hundreds to die. 

Bellamy became that person. The person, who not only could lead on his own, but also knew the difference between wrong and right and had the strength to face everyone else down to make sure it got done.

He could not have become that person without season 3A. Not in this world, anyway, where people are actually responsible for their actions and there are no inherently good people. This was how he gained his goodness. By facing his darkness and saying “No.” 

[raviposting]

how about two top fives? top five characters you werent supposed to like but you did and top five characters you were supposed to like but didnt

Ooh nice I really have to think about this! And I hope this is what you meant but I took this to be what the narrative wanted you to like and/or who fandom likes a lot 

Characters I Wasn’t Supposed to Like But Did: 

I remember when I started Buffy, I saw that fandom had hated Dawn and I was going in prepared to be like, oh man, I’m probably gonna hate her too I wonder why she’s so annoying what does she do? And then I watched and I just…didn’t get it? I understood why she wouldn’t be anyone’s top 5 but I absolutely adored her and she was tied for #1 favorite character for me 

Probably Cersei Lannister lmao. She was a massive bitch and I was rooting for her death the whole time, but god she was one of the most fun characters to watch and I loved to hate her so much that she’d go on screen and I’d be like “YESSSSS” 

People really hated Carl from TWD and I think that’s lessened a lot nowadays but man I always adored that kid. I know he had his annoying moments but I absolutely adored him and he’s the only reason I ever continued on with the show after Glenn died. 

I’m going to be honest. I really don’t hate Ross from Friends. Yeah he’s pretty shitty and his views are outdated af (maybe even for the 90s?) but I thought he was a funny character and honestly, I thought that with the exception of Phoebe they were all kind of shitty characters (Chandler made fun of Monica’s weight multiple times from a friend to being her husband and was with Cathy while she was with Joey, Monica assumed a maid was stealing from her, etc.). Also side note, Ted from HIMYM annoys me a lot but honestly I didn’t go through the show hating him. I went through the show with him as my least favorite each season and being far more invested in Swarkles and their story, but I ultimately did stick through the show to hear his story, and to see how he may have grown in order to find and be with Tracy - and when he met her I was happy not only because we finally saw how he met the Mother, but because he was finally with his soulmate (until the show fucked it up, of course). But anyway, idk, as much as I love Swarkles and the other characters, I don’t think I would have been able to follow the show if I hated the main character and wasn’t invested in him finding happiness

Kali from Stranger Things. Her story was underdeveloped, sure, but I’m hoping to see more of her in the coming seasons and I’m going to be real, I feel like if she was played by someone like Dacre Montgomery fans would have been raaaaving about how amazing Kali was and how they were excited to see more of Kali in the future. 

Characters I Was Supposed to Like But Didn’t: 

Michael Cordero from JTV. I actually started out liking him, just not wanting him and Jane together, because - and don’t get me wrong before I say anything; Rafael has messed up too, but the extent Michael did things was on a far greater scale to ruin a relationship forever IMO. He made a plan with Petra for her to get Jane’s baby, even when Jane wasn’t sure, he was directly responsible for Mateo getting kidnapped - which wasn’t his intention, but later when Rafael reported him, Michael knew this, went undercover, and still initiated a fight with Rafael saying that he got him fired, and did this while Rafael was right next to his infant son, who ended up getting hurt. Then he continued to just stalk Jane afterwards, and I just couldn’t understand how a character like Jane, who despite being so full of love and forgiveness still loves her son above all else, was with and married a man who tried to get him out of her life and directly hurt him. The more I watched the more I disliked him, and I hated the bad implication of fans ramping up Rafael to be evil while Michael was the “good guy” who “deserved” Jane (and there’s a bad implication there that even though both characters are white, most of fandom didn’t realize Rafael wasn’t a man of color until recently, and that Michael was literally portrayed and shown as Jane’s “white knight” in the narrative). 

Maggie from Supergirl. I tried really hard but I just couldn’t, and I’m going to be honest I think it’s most likely just because I was both really starting to dislike Supergirl and also because I was majorly annoyed at the whole Fl*riana Lima situation, and while I tried not to let it affect how I saw the character, I usually couldn’t look at Maggie after a while without feeling vaguely annoyed - so that’s honestly much less about the writing and me not being able to separate character from actor in that case to be completely completely honest

Trish from JJ. IDK if the show cares if we like her but the fandom adores her and I’m just….eh. I didn’t care about her in the first season (I disliked that she tried going with Jessica even though it was something that made Jessica vulnerable, and that fandom consistently pushed Trish up and would bash Luke) and in the second season she just got much worse to me. I’m not watching s3 unless JJ comes back on Disney plus but from what I’ve heard, I’m not going to like her there either. And I don’t think any of it is OOC from the Trish we’ve seen in the show tbh. I hated her more with each episode, but each progression seemed natural (for the show they’ve written, not what the comic counterpart is because I can’t speak to that at all) 

Dany from GOT. Unlike with Trish, even though I started hating Dany from like….season 5 onwards (although by s4 I was starting to get kind of annoyed) I am still on the crowd that she (like most characters) was written massively poorly in season 8. I think it could have been a natural progression for her to have been a mad queen, but the show rushed it and made a huge jump that her character shouldn’t have made with the story that they wrote. That being said, her being a mad queen didn’t surprise me and while I still love book Dany, show Dany was a huge white savior and watching almost every POC die for her story while she was touted as a feminist icon was………………………eh 

Kurt from Glee ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh my god I hated him. He was a massive hypocrite most of the time (I mean everyone was but he really grinded my gears) and after like 2 seasons he always seemed to act like he was better than everyone. Honestly insert him, Rachel (half the time), and Will in here and I like…did not like them 

put “top 5” anything in my ask and i will answer

[bugheadfamily]

Graphic by: Katie ( @betty-cooper )

This week the spotlight is on Sarah ( @onceuponamirror )! Click the read more link below to get to know our member!

Spotlight by Mila, @jughead-jones

SARAH | @onceuponamirror

Name: Sarah  

Age: 25

Location: California

Any other languages aside from English people can contact you in?: alas, nope. 

Favourite Riverdale characters and ships?: I actually enjoy most of the characters, but I know I would like all of them better if the writing actually was focused on characterization, lol. But obviously I quite like Bughead. And then honestly I like all of the Veronica ships. I also like Choni but i think the writing could’ve been a lot better.

Favourite moments from S1 & S2?: Betty repeatedly saying “what’s my name” to Alice was really powerful and one of the moments that sold me on the show early on, especially in the acting from that scene, and then 1x07 was a really wonderful exploration of a broken relationship between father and son that was still fill with a lot of love despite how painful it was. The family/character moments early on were strong. In s2….the acting continued to be pretty good, and the addition of totally campy things like Papa Poutine and his son Small Fry were the wacky kind of delight I seek from riverdale. 

What are your hopes for S3?: consistent characterization, and hopefully some fun weirdo hippie moments. 

Other fandoms you’re into?: I was in the Once Upon a Time fandom for a long time. But that show has ended now. 

What are some of your favourite movies/TV?: The Americans, The Good Place, The Office, Parks And Rec, Glow, Orphan Black, The Bold Type, Queer Eye, Jane The Virgin, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Favourite books?: All About Love by Bell Hooks, A Thousand Eyes: Media Technology, Law, and Aesthetics, Kafka On The Shore by Haruki Murakami, and Just Kids by Patti Smith. I need to find more fiction to read, but don’t really know where to start in terms of what I’m really looking for. 

Favourite bands/musicians?: FLEETWOOD MAC!! I think anyone who has visited my blog even once probably knows this lmao. 

If you could live in any fictional world which one would you choose and why?: uh, Harry Potter universe, no contest. I mean, given that I too would be a witch anyway. 

Favourite food?: mm. Probably tomatoes. Love a good tomato. 

Favourite season?: autumn!!!

Favourite plant?: oh this is hard. I do love a big split leaf monstera! 

Favourite scent?: eucalyptus.

Favourite colour?: blue.

Favourite animal?: also hard. Have you ever heard the sounds a porcupine makes tho? 

Are you a night owl, an early bird, or a vampire?: fun combo of a person who likes to stay up late who also naturally wakes up early. But on my good days, I’m an early bird. 

Place you want to visit?: Japan! Or spend more time in Scotland than I’ve had before. 

Do you have pets? If you do, tell us a little about them: I have a cat. She’s afraid of her own shadow and I love her dearly.

Tell us a little about yourself?: I am a freelancer in a creative field, I’m a big fan of analysis (show or writing or otherwise), and my interests tend to rotate around the arts and plants.

Fun or weird fact about you?: I am a very, very good whistler. Can do all the vibrato stuff. 

Asks for fanfic authors:

How long have you been writing?: since I was like 11-12, honestly. 

Which is your favourite of the fics you’ve written?: Heart Rise Above is very dear to me for many reasons, but beyond just the satisfaction of telling the story in way I’m happy with, it also represents a huge number of goals that I met. I’d never written anything multi-chapter, let alone over 100k. It helped me get over a lot of my insecurities. 

Favourite fic/chapter/plot-point/character you’ve ever written?: HRA is prob my favorite fic, my favorite chapter was probably the “water” chapter (17 i think) in HRA, my favorite plot-point is something from A Deed Without A Name so i shouldn’t say yet, and my favorite character….I mean, I’m fully aware that I basically came up with an original character in JB. She appears in most of my fics because I firmly believe that she better rounds out Jughead and my goals for him, but she’s also become a solidified figure in my mind. And I’m fond of her; or at least, my version, lol.

Which was the hardest to write, and why?: Stealing Home has been a continued challenge, just because it’s such a different universe from canon while still needing to maintain consistent and recognizable characterization. But I like challenges!

How do you come up with the ideas for you fic(s)? (examples: Do you draw inspiration from real life? Listen to music? Get inspired by TV/movies?) Do you have an process to your writing?: I listen to a lot of music while I write in order to tap into the tonal atmosphere I want to build, but a lot of my ideas start with a vague concept, sometimes launched by a single image I saw (HRA was inspired by a set photo) and then I work backwards to a larger theme and intent. My process depends on the story, but often I make a lot of “beginning, middle, and end” notes to myself for where each character has to go and what has to happen, plot wise, at those stages.

Idea that you always wanted to write?: I’d like to one day tackle a long, multi-chapter story that spans only 24 hours. We’ll see!

Favourite character to write?: Jughead, I think. But i also really like writing Veronica, turns out. 

Best comment/review you’ve ever received?: @village-skeptic leaves incredibly detail-oriented reviews, and I eat them up. But then I’ve had some personal messages about the impact some stories have on them and it just — wow. That’s amazing. It means so much to me.

Best and worst parts of being a writer?: It’s incredibly satisfying to escape into someone else’s woes or joys sometimes. Especially when my mental health takes a toll on me, being able to work through some of my own feelings via another character is…cathartic. The worst is that it’s a vulnerable thing, sharing that side! Even if you don’t consciously put those things into your writing, any time you put anything creative out to share with others, it’s nerve wracking. Validation is a tricky thing. 

Do you have any advice to offer?: Ultimately, be passionate about why you want to do something. All other doubts and worries and insecurities will be outweighed if you understand why you’re doing what you’re doing.

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This is the seventh instalment of Bughead Family’s Member Spotlight series. Each week, a member’s url is selected through a randomizer and they will be featured in a spotlight post. In order to participate, please join the Bughead Discord (more information found here). Thank you.

[coldtomyflash]

I've been thinking about this for a while Mick seems to have easier and stronger friendships with women on LoT. Sara, Leonard & Mick all found kinship in s1A together. In s2 Amaya pushed past Mick 'dumb muscle/wild animal' masks & they are good friends. He talks sincerely & openly with her or openly hugs her. Zari trusted Mick with info on Helen. Ray loves him & wants closer relationship always. Nate & Jax are friendly. Martin & Rip are assholes to him. part one

2/2 On the Flash, Lisa was one to calm Mick down when he took things too far with Cisco. I just feel like Mick puts up less resistance with relationships with women then men. He has a thing for strong women. He’s attracted to them, he respects a certain type of women, usually strong-willed, take no BS or criminal type, or has something views as worthy. Ray & Nate try hard to break down his walls and connect and only sometimes get let in. What you think Mick’s relationships with men vs women?

I think he definitely does form easier relationships with women, and I think a lot of what you said hits the nail on the head. If we delve a bit into Mick’s background, that also makes sense. 

To start, with men, we know he has a very tense relationship with his father, who was abusive. If we think about the fact that he went to juvie and was probably around a lot of other authoritarian men, not to mention violent men his own age and older for most of his life after that… I can see why he doesn’t get close to men easily.

Is Dick even older than Mick is in this scene? Honestly though…

And stemming from that, I think it actually makes sense that he’s let pretty much only Len and Ray, and eventually a bit Nate, close over time. Len because Len was a childhood friend, smaller and younger than him when they met and in need of protection. Though Len grew up into someone formidable and dangerous and cold, he and Mick were always even, and Mick was always capable of taking him (i.e, of kicking his ass) though Len never truly gave him a reason to for most of their lives. There was a unique level of lifelong trust there.

Pictured above: my heart fucking shattering. Every time.

With Ray, it was more… Ray is not like most of the men that Mick has interacted with in his life. Ray is soft and emotive. He’s confident and capable and certainly doesn’t lack strength, but he’s unshy about having feelings and caring deeply and wanting to hug, wanting to befriend, wanting to be kind. His earnestness in all those ways is part of what allows him and Mick to get along in the way that they do. Where Ray eschews toxic masculinity and embraces healthier masculinity (and indeed, many aspects of femininity) is often where they actually mesh. 

Pictured above: Mick reconsidering every life choice he’s ever made.

(Eventually, Nate starts to fit into this pattern a bit as well, as we saw in Lot 3x07, though Mick doesn’t let him in emotionally in the same way).

But women. I love the way Mick relates to women. 

And we can do the same time of analysis here. It’s clear he loved his mother. The way he looks at her photo in 3x07 is very telling. He doesn’t regret killing his father, but nothing is said about his mother. And when we saw Mick’s younger self in season 1, he’s very clearly shaken by the fact that he burned down his house with his family inside, so we can surmise he has a lot of regret over her death. He also mentions the music she used to listen to in the Legends pilot, so I gather that he still thinks about her now.

Mick’s favorite thing: bar fights to the tune of Captain and Tennille.

I imagine she was a bold woman in a lot of ways, and that the emotional strength and fire in her is part of why he appreciates those qualities so much in other woman.

It is kind of hilarious to stack up Mick’s interactions with women too. I’m sure I’ve talked about it before, but all the times he makes a comment about being into a woman, it’s often after she’s done something aggressive or if she’s particularly powerful and confident in herself. 

There’s so many examples. From his “nice” when Lisa busts him and Len out of the prison transport, to seeing Kendra punching Rip in the Legends premiere, to him respecting the daylights out of Sara and loving watching her kick people’s asses in that bar. It even dates all the way back to his interaction with Caitlin in The Flash 1x10, really. The way she rebuffs his whole “the fire reveals what’s inside you” and she’s having none of it? I feel like that intrigued him a bit, the way it made him want to push and see how much mettle she really had.

He’s secretly nice, Caitlin. Honestly. Somewhere… deep, deep inside.

And then we see it time and again in Legends S2 and S3 as well, from commenting on the president being hot, from going from thinking Supergirl is ridiculous to being her new number one fan after seeing her kick some ass, and onward. Him calling Agent Sharpe of the Time Bureau hot is just… the cherry on top of that pie.

Number one fan. Or fanboy?

But the friendships he makes with women are different than all that too. There’s an attraction he has to power and grit, to be sure, but his friendship with Amaya goes so far beyond that, and his friendship with Lisa I imagine did as well. 

Hug number one for Amaya. It was a bold sneak-attack.

With Amaya, he was at odds with her because he saw her as a rule-follower and she saw him as a man without a code. And yeah, he might be a little into her after she knocks out half (all?) the people on the Waverider and threatens to kill him with that knife and stows away on board, but their friendship doesn’t really start until she sees beneath the surface with him. The way it clicks for her, that he’s in pain, that he’s struggling, and that he has so much fire and rage burning inside him, whipped up like an inferno he can’t control right then.

When she tells him that she sees him, gets him, and is there for him, a lot changes. He starts to trust her, and in turn she ends up trusting him. It’s not wholly dissimilar from his friendship with Ray, and how Ray and him got closer once Ray displayed insight into who Mick is and what’s going on beneath the surface, proving that he sees him as a unique individual and not just as a ‘dumb violent criminal’ more or less. 

Aka another episode where the whole fandom wanted to hug Mick.

And Amaya continues to believe in him and that’s just so important. He considers her a real friend and she’s never betrayed him even though he’s betrayed her (not that that Mick exists anymore, thanks Doomworld) and that’s honestly something special? 

So… I can see why he lets women in easier (he has a much better history with them in general) and in his experience and line of work, I can see why bold, powerful women who take no shit are women he respects and admires and indicates an attraction toward. Mick likes mettle, and he likes people who can hold their own.

I think for a friendship though, for a real one, regardless of gender what it really takes is someone proving that they understand him and his depths (Ray in the Russian prison, Amaya in the old west after seeing his semi-suicidal state of being). It also goes a long when when they’re willing to do things his way sometimes (Ray playing getaway driver, Amaya stealing that booze for him in 1920′s Chicago). 

Aka the moment Mick fell in love with this smol.

And yes, those friendships definitely look different across gender, Mick is much softer with women, hugging them, less abrupt and angry unless his back is up, but he does express vulnerability with men too sometimes, even if he’s not quite as “touchy-feely” (as I imagine he would put it :)).

Amaya vs. Ray hug score: 2 and 0. Poor Ray.

He does express his care for men too, in the ways he knows how (”no one’s allowed too kill Ray but me”). But on the whole I’d say his relationships with women take less work and those friendships come more naturally to him.