#if s3 doesn’t have haters I’m dead | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

queer-as-used-by-tolkien · 4 years ago

Text

Storyline Study: Season 3

The Commander's storyline and actions in S3 are extremely erratic. I'm here to say ArenaNet did this on purpose for the Commander's storyline - which nicely gives lie to the myth that they ignored Trahearne.

The idea? ArenaNet did not ignore Trahearne's death... but all the other NPCs did (or seemed to).

The theory is that the story Anet was trying to tell with the Commander is that they was lonely. The theme of the whole game is unity and working together, and we just had a general all-around fail with that in Maguuma when all the Pact was hostile to sylvari, and so we failed at the Big Message of the game, and that's why we 'lost' (killed Mordremoth, but lost Trahearne). The idea is that this has lasting repercussions, because the Commander was traumatized by Trahearne's death - not just by his death, but by the fact that you were the one to kill him.

And so, you're traumatized, and that continues to have negative impacts on the storyline and the main point of the game for the rest of S3 (and also a significant portion of PoF, but that's a different story).

I think that, all throughout S3, the Commander is feeling lonely. First off, hardly anybody recognizes that Trahearne meant something to you, they're only (at best) concerned about the hole he left in Pact hierarchy. I don't blame General Almorra for this? She lost her warband the same way we lost Trahearne, but she doesn't know we had to kill him. I think, after a year of silence from the Commander, Almorra thought they had handled the grief of Trahearne's death (because she probably WOULD know we were close to him) and didn't want to intrude or anything. She was kind of doing her best, at first, to not explain what was going on internally with the Pact and the Pact's general feelings towards Trahearne, so I think she was trying to respect our feelings because she knows grief. (If at this point, Commander - especially a Vigil Commander - had, say, had a mental breakdown and explained to her what happened, she would be ten times more sympathetic and she might glue us to her side until she was sure we were alright.)

Enough about Almorra. Eir's also dead, Zojja's out of it, Logan decides to become Marshal (betrayal!) and he's also so out of it he's just doing paperwork, Rytlock is called away by Black Citadel superiors, Marjory ignores our pleas to think twice about Lazarus and disappears with him, Caithe got tied down guarding Aurene, Braham yells at us and leaves, Rox goes with Braham so he doesn't do anything too reckless, and it's just all not in control. The Commander literally has a line about this to Taimi: I can't make anyone listen to me, I'm doing bad at being a leader so please listen to me. (I forget if Taimi did or not.) We stare down Anise and help Canach work his way out of his debt to her, and invite him to Dragon's Watch, only for him to say "I've been under someone's yoke for too long" (CLEARLY referencing, not just Anise, but Mordremoth too) and then disappears. Oh, and then Marjory gets deathly wounded and Kasmeer vanishes.

This intense loneliness is all symbolized by the fact that we face down Balthazar, the God of War, and potentially an awake and active Primordus, by our own freaking self in a volcano. Taimi's there for technical support, but she's less of a combat buddy and more of a liability to protect (no offense, Taimi). Commander never faces down bad guys alone. They always has an army (or at least a dedicated group of powerful friends) behind them.

The Commander is so desperate for allies they take a magically binding death-oath to get into the Shining Blade. Exemplar Kerida is snarky and at first Commander doesn't like it, but they warm up soon enough. (Kinda like Canach. "did you singe your eyebrows off?" "eh, they needed a trim." Canach would DIE.) But also the Commander is tested by being promptly confronted with their worst fears and insecurities. But you're willing to do it if it means you'll have companions? And then it's HELPFUL, and all the little things that have been bugging you for the whole Season 3, about Rytlock and Caithe (and she mentions Trahearne) and Braham and Eir and all those things that make you feel like a failure as a leader - you deal with them, you put those demons to bed!

And then, we GO BACK TO ORR.

AND IT IS ALL GREEN AND ALIVE.

AND VERY HEARTBREAKING, THANK YOU. This is also, if memory serves, the same time Anet released the Knight of the Thorn side-story and the statue of Trahearne, and so you're thinking about this already and you're going aahhh this weird statue they don't understand him and also aaahhhhh Ridhais we are twin spirits and then you GO TO ORR.

And there you have a BUNCH of people who understood Trahearne and are working to preserve his legacy and also there is the ghost of King Reza!! And they ask for your help! And you can do your own little part to spread life by killing skelk scavengers or something, and so you help, and this kind of calms you and gives you a sort of communion with the land and the people around you who all understand Trahearne and his goals and his legacy, and this is massively understated in the game but I think it's very healing. You kill some Risen (with Caladbolg!), and so that's a kind of catharsis. You go through the reliquaries of the Six, you discover some things about Orr that Trahearne may or may not have known (I forget if there was maybe dialogue about how the whole place was sort of magically protected from intrusion), and if he did know it then you can know it too and it's a sort of I'm walking in your footsteps Trahearne moment, and if he DIDN'T know it then it's a sort of I won't let Orr die with you, I'll keep it and the memory of it alive and growing for you.

And then you go and punch Lazarus in the face with The Shining Blade and also Exemplar Kerida who is also Livia? And wasn't she a necromancer from GW1 and she stayed alive all this time with the - guess what - Scepter of Orr? (I think?) So we have a snarky, hundreds-of-years-old necromancers with a special Shining Blade (Caladbolg glows, right?) whom Anise defers to and who doesn't mind bossing YOU around like nobody's business. But you fight this Lazarus who was supposed to be dead but he preserved himself inside these aspect things, and Kerida/Livia is about to die and you're panicking like it's going to be Trahearne all over again? But then you DO it, you WIN!

Now, you're still awfully lonely and all your friends are still not around (except Taimi, bless her heart), and you faced the literal last of the mursaat with nothing except you and this snarky menace, but it's a start and and its an improvement and you've got hope again.

So really, the Season 3 storyline is massively about the Commander overcoming grief and guilt and shame regarding Trahearne, and I think Anet did it on purpose. Why did we go to Orr? NO IDEA. Tie-in to Kerida/Livia having the Scepter of Orr, and also for a bit of backstory on Balthazar getting Lyssa's mirror, and of course we do need an update on Orr SOMETIME, yeah, sure sure. Those too. But really I think it was healing for the Commander's poor traumatized brain, but Anet didn't want to say it because of all the haters.

30 notes · View notes

yiangchen · 5 years ago

Text

ok but literally what the fuck was s5? i have spent so much time trying to defend clarke and bellamy from people who hate one and prop up the other, but honestly, they were BOTH fucking IDIOTS in s5. they both had ooc moments. like,,,, i can kinda appreciate what the writers were trying to do a lot of the time, but it was not executed well. like AT ALL.

yes, mothers are irrational sometimes about their kids’ safety, but what they are not (normally) is dumb, and i’m sorry, but clarke was dumb as fuck for like half of the season and her motivations were ALL over the place. bellamy is her best friend. she radioed him every day for over six years and ONLY him. she would NEVER just leave him to die like that. NEVER. no matter what he has done, she has always forgiven him. no matter what. that’s what made bellarke bellarke. her unwavering faith in him (and his in her). and yet, he does one (1) thing she disagrees with and she doesn’t even try and hear him out??? she thinks running is the best solution?? that she and madi won’t get hunted down and killed eventually??? that maybe she should not at least consider for one second that maybe staying and fighting while she has people to protect her and madi by their sides would be a smart move??? the answer to all of these is a fucking no. she doesn’t think, and that’s the problem. clarke is the HEAD. idc that she’s supposed to be the “heart” now. people don’t just change like that. it doesn’t matter than it’s been six years, you can’t just change THAT much. okay, i’m not gonna say it’s impossible, but if they wanted us to believe that clarke had changed, why did we not get to SEE that development? she’s supposed to be the heart as a parallel to how bellamy was the heart and how he handled his relationship with octavia back in s1, but we didn’t get to see HOW SHE GOT THERE. we got half an episode. that’s it. and it’s NOT enough!!! it’s fucking not. if you’re gonna have clarke griffin radio bellamy blake every single day for six years, never losing her faith in him for even a day--not even after over a year had passed since he was supposed to have been home already--then you’re gonna have to show me more of the trauma she endured. you’re gonna have to show me more of her relationship to madi--the one that has become more important than any other relationship. because how else do you explain her acting irrationally and leaving bellamy to die like that? it makes ZERO sense. we did not see enough of her development for that. you cannot have four seasons of clarke growing to care about bellamy in the most beautiful development i have ever seen and then just erase it all in one (1) episode, not to mention the fact that clarke REFUSES to destroy the chip!!! so,, this was something she left her best friend in the entire world for and yet she can’t destroy it because it contains the memories of her dead lover who she only spent less than a few weeks with in canon--a week in s2 and a week in s3? are you kidding??? that is not how you pay tribute to a dead character. you don’t fuck over the LIVING female lead and have her motivations make no sense at all to pay tribute to a DEAD guest character. and then they had the audacity to have clarke shock madi?????? everything she did was supposed to be for madi--to protect her--and now the writers had the audacity to have her abuse her??? are you fucking kidding me??? and please show me the parallel scene of bellamy physically harming octavia. because you know, clarke’s supposed to be him now, i guess. oh, wait?? it doesn’t exist!!! BELLAMY never physically harmed octavia so CLARKE also never should have physically harmed madi. i just...bellamy and madi are supposed to be the two most important people in her life and yet she slaps one of them and leaves him to die and then wrestles the other one to the ground and shocks her????? and she never even apologized for slapping bellamy or shocking madi?!?! add that to the fact that clarke hardly showed ANY emotion at all during the entire time she thought bellamy was dead to the point where we didn’t even know that she thought he was dead until she found out he wasn’t!!!!! we’ve already seen how clarke handles thinking she could be the reason that bellamy blake is dead and that was in s2 and she was literally a fucking control freak about his safety 24/7, and you’re telling me that same woman hardly felt anything at all until she found out he was still alive!?!? IDK WHO THAT WOMAN WAS THAT DID THOSE THINGS BUT IT WAS NOT CLARKE GRIFFIN !!!!

and bellamy??? trying to use a child because he thought it was the best way to save everyone? i’m sorry but in what fucking world--i repeat, in WHAT FUCKING WORLD--would bellamy blake, mother father of all children who have ever existed, think that the best way to save everyone would be to use a child as a pawn in a power struggle??? i don’t care that madi agreed. OF COURSE she agreed. she was told clarke would die if she didn’t ascend!! and this is the same child that joined a cult in order to save her mother. so like???? of course she was gonna agree to ascend?? and then i get that bellamy is mad that clarke left him (and slapped him--i was mad too!!), but you’re telling me that bellamy never even felt bad at all or even apologized for how things went down? madi told him clarke would never forgive him for this and he knew that and you could tell he hated that it had come to that, but then later at the end of the season and into s6, he never apologizes for that??? for breaking her trust?? bellamy blake NOT apologizing for causing a loved one harm?? again, IN WHAT FUCKING WORLD?!? and then there’s the fact that he was willing to take the rover and run to save raven, e.cho, murphy and emori but the second clarke suggests that plan because she doesn’t want madi to ascend, suddenly bellamy is all nope nope nope, we can’t do that! like....WHAT. literally what. the. fuck. it makes no sense!! and i swear to god, half the time, it felt like bellamy was just going through the motions with everything. it just didn’t seem like him. it didn’t matter that he was still doing things for clarke, like in 5x03. it didn’t matter because there was still something OFF. even the stuff with octavia i don’t think was handled well at all and i hate octavia!!!! me, a known octavia hater, a known advocate for wanting bellamy to tell his sister off, wasn’t happy with him doing just that???? and it’s because it didn’t feel like it was bellamy doing it!!!! i wanted to see the bellamy i knew and loved in s4. i wanted to see THAT bellamy telling her off. not this emotionally-repressed shell of a character that used to be him. which brings me to another thing: it’s not that who bellamy was after those six years was not realistic. it’s that we didn’t get to see him develop during those six years. there were ZERO flashbacks. Z E R O. for the male lead there were zero flashbacks to explain the man he became and we were just supposed to accept that he’s the kinda guy who jokes about his sister’s almost death now??? the kinda guy who would ever cross the line into dating territory with the girl that is quite literally the root cause of his trauma??? that he would trust her--the girl who got his girlfriend killed--just because “it’s been six years!!!” and “people change???” and you know, we just have to accept ALL of that. no explanation but bellamy running around polis in 5x06 with the sole purpose of being a mouth piece for the writers???? IDK WHO THAT MAN WAS BUT IT WAS NOT BELLAMY BLAKE !!!

jfc, s5 was seriously the WORST season of this show. HANDS DOWN. literally what the fuck was that??? bellamy and clarke, i’m so sorry, you didn’t deserve that complete and utter bullshit. both of them were ooc as fuck and they didn’t make sense half the time. i felt connected to clarke in s5a, but then 5x09 came around and she just fucking lost me!! and bellamy didn’t seem like himself the ENTIRE season. it wasn’t until s6 for me that he finally came back from the war. speaking of s6, oh my fucking god. the bellarke of it all was amazing. i loved josephine as a villain. but that was pretty much it!!! everything else was terrible. i hate that clarke was treated like complete and utter shit by the biggest hypocrites and then was forced to forgive them instantly by the writers. why is clarke not allowed to be mad?!?!?! i certainly still am!! and on another note, why did leaving bellamy in s5 have to be her biggest regret??? why couldn’t it have been leaving him in s2?? we went all the way back to s1 with things she regrets and yet we couldn’t go back to her leaving him at the end of s2???

honestly, i don’t understand why so much of this had to happen. you could literally remove s5 from the timeline of the show and just change a few things and it wouldn’t change anything!!! s5 was basically jroth acting like octavia had never mistreated bellamy before and needed to give him a reason to finally cut her out his life for a little bit. it was jroth acting like clarke had never regretted leaving bellamy before and needed her to leave him so that she could feel like shit about it and give her “friends” a reason to hate her. it was jroth acting like we couldn’t have had bellamy risk everyone for clarke and clarke only in the season directly after he’s forced to leave her to die. it was jroth acting like we couldn’t have had clarke and bellamy talk about her radioing him the season directly after the episode we found she radioed him for 2,199 days. it was jroth acting like s1-4, for the most part, just didn’t exist. it felt like we were watching the pilot of a new tv show. because clearly we weren’t supposed to care about anything that had happened in s1-4! certainly not the relationships that we had grown to love! and here’s the best part!!! we were supposed to forget all about s1-4 in s5, but ONLY in s5. and then we were supposed to remember it all again in s6 so that it made sense when clarke was the only one who had to be called out for nearly every wrong thing she ever did in those seasons. only...it still doesn’t make sense!!! because contrary to what raven reyes believes, other characters on this show have done horrible things, said they were sorry, and then done them again!!!!!!!! it’s like the main fucking theme of the show if you haven’t noticed, jason!!!

okay, i’m done. and wow, it feels good to finally let that out, especially the part about s5 bellamy and clarke both being morons lmfao. because they were!! they are my favorite characters and the only reason i still watch, but even i have to admit they were not themselves.

#bellamy blake #clarke griffin #madi #anti raven reyes #bellarke #i love soulmates #the 100

82 notes · View notes

signor-signor · 5 years ago

Text

Trending 27th - January 2020

What have been your efforts in the campaign for SaveWOY and what are your upcoming plans to save WOY? Now this is a question worth answering!

In the past, I made a little list of the things I did to support SaveWOY and bring awareness to Wander Over Yonder’s existence and its third season plans. Since then, I’ve done a whole lot more from hand-drawn art to more intricate art. Some of them are almost as special as that signed poster @peepsqueak got from the WOY crew as a token of their gratitude.

Here’s an updated list of everything I did for SaveWOY so far:

Attended the SaveWOY picnic at Griffith Park, where I got to sign a banner.

Pointed out various higher-ups involved in the business of Disney television.

Sent several letters to the higher-ups, some of which had envelopes with an image of the downed space pod taped to them.

Started a weekly Twitter post series, SaveWOY Thought of the Week.

Made Lite-Brite art of Wander and Lord Hater, which Craig McCracken and Francisco Angones liked.

Attended D23 2017 with an Operation: FORCE drawing of Hater, a colored page of Wander and Sylvia and a few facts about WOY, and an orange pen with a green hat (I got the hat from the aforementioned picnic) - there, I signed a bench with Wander and the phrase, “Never hurts to help.”

Signed my name, drew Wander (and my own character, Jacken DeBox), and wrote, “Happiest place in outer space!” on the highest beam for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Wrote a letter (and drew Wander) for the victims of the Las Vegas tragedy with the message, “The darkest times call for the sunniest smiles!”

Got Craig to reveal the name of the ship (said to play a BIG part in S3, made a cameo in Future-Worm) when I commented that we’d have to figure out the name - his response: “The ship is called The Star Nomad.”

Wrote a couple of cards to two Disney higher-ups with the message, “A little nice makes naughty think twice!”

Drew Dominator in a situation that might take place several seconds after she passes the downed space pod, just in time for Noël Wells’s B-day.

Made the Star Nomad with LEGO Digital Designer.

Made three images in the style of the original Star Wars trilogy VHS set.

Posted 50 WOYS3PredictionPolls on Twitter.

Made an image of “The First 5 Years” with over 140 individuals (including the question marks for 3 new mains and 2 new regulars - I still want to know what they look like!) and one cleverly made Hidden Mickey.

Shared WOY-related images from my 1st 5 Years fan art on Twitter acknowledging the B-days of most of the voice actors (Charlie Adler, Kevin Michael Richardson, Ken Marino, Josh Sussman, H. Michael Croner, James Adomian, Jason Ritter, and Piotr Michael clearly noticed).

Typed a summary of how I think the S3 premiere would go.

Typed lyrics to “Let’s Go Soarin’ and Explorin’,” a song from my aforementioned S3 premiere summary. Wouldn’t it be great if Andy Bean used it?

Made a microgame with WarioWare: D.I.Y. where the player has to spin the fan to make the Star Nomad fly. Part of a chorus from “Let’s Go Soarin’ and Explorin’” included.

Started FanCharacterFriday on Twitter - more Tumblr users seem to like Dr. Otmar Vunderbar.

Made a short comic page of Lord Hater trying to break out of the DTVA vault plus a sly reminder that Disney owns the rights to WOY.

Shared a list of potential episode titles for S3.

Made an actual LEGO Star Nomad based on the model made with LDD. Hopefully, those who worked on WOY have noticed. In case you missed it, here’s a picture...

Now, the ideas I have in mind for further boosting support for the campaign. I may not be able to do most of them myself, but they are certainly for everyone’s consideration.

Provide updated information of higher-ups (if any).

As soon as we find out what Kid Cosmic looks like, expect fan art of him saying, “Watch my show and tell your friends so we’ll make that Mousey Company pay for what they did to my half-brother!”

Another SaveWOY picnic - if there’s one in my general area, you can count me in.

LP album artwork of My Fair Hatey.

A mural identical to that of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate consisting of not just characters from WOY, but also characters who were said to debut in S3 and characters who’d fit in perfectly, namely some of my OCs.

Pumpkin stencils of the main characters for Halloween.

Drawings of various WOY characters stuck on the ex-secret planet explaining why they need to leave said planet. Maybe I could also show how the galaxy’s villains would react if they learn that Lord Dominator’s been bested by Lord Hater.

Drawings consisting of SaveWOY-related messages spoken by the main characters from Disney shows that got at least three seasons (e.g. DuckTales, Fish Hooks), tons of love from the viewers and the executives (e.g. Gravity Falls), or both (e.g. SvtFoE, Mickey Mouse ‘13).

Example with Phineas and Ferb:

Phineas: “We may be creative and famous, but we’re not the ones who came up with the Star Nomad. It’s the ship powered by orbbles! Orbbles! I’d LOVE to see it take flight, wouldn’t you? If you let Mr. McCracken end the show his way, and not the executive way, which, truth be told, is the absolute worst, Wander will surely be elated!”

Ferb: “The Orbble Transporter was invented by conjoined twin brothers, voiced by the performers of the theme song.”

Irving (peeking in from the side): “Speaking of voices, the titular main character sounds JUST LIKE ME! How could you possibly resist?! And look, just because I’m the biggest fan of these guys (gesturing to P&F) doesn’t mean I have no interest in what’s planned for the furry orange fella!”

Since I’m a full-time Disneyland cast member, I should be able to make contacts with anyone who might have more clues about what S3 would entail. It might be a long shot, but if I’m able to convince Disney that WOY’s influence on my life boosted my chance at gaining employment at the company, they should understand.

A weekly Jeopardy-type pop quiz on Twitter - here’s the catch: you must refrain from finding information online when you read the answer (I bet you that the most hardcore fans of the most popular shows will get most of the questions wrong).

Example: This arachnomorph got his name from a dog tag he swallowed when he infiltrated a fish-shaped ship. He later became Lord Hater’s beloved pet.

-Who is Captain Tim?

Summaries of S3 episodes I made up myself a while back.

More fan-made characters - my most recent is an elected official of Cluckon, Mayor Spye C. Drumstick.

Conjuring a logo that best fits the status of S3/TV movie - Wander Over Yonder: The New Galaxy (the center would have the silhouette of the Star Nomad with Wander and Sylvia on it).

Brainstorming possible ideas for the three new main characters.

If all else fails, I suggest we make a web comic based on the hints we accumulated back in 2016 and what we learned from the cameo in Future-Worm’s finale. Team Sea3on has been taking that approach for SatAM Sonic the Hedgehog S3, though they are also making an animated version.

That’s about all I’ve got so far. In closing, I have several questions to ask as the new decade kicks off.

Disney executives: Are you even listening to us WOY fans? What more do you want? I’ve done so much for the campaign that I feel I’m entitled to know everything that was planned for WOY’s third and final season, especially now that I’m working full-time for your company. If you tell us what your demands are, we’d be happy to oblige.

@crackmccraigen: Are you aware of how hard the fans and I have been trying to talk Disney into giving you the chance for true closure? We’ll make sure we watch KC when it comes out on Netflix. If we’re lucky, we might see WOY get added to Disney+, where it should get that closure, assuming you’ll have finished KC your way before then.

@suspendersofdisbelief: I know you’re super busy with DuckTales and you love the plans for WOY S3 so much that you can’t bear to reveal it all in one post, but it’s been waaaay too long since we got any hints from you. Are there any other WOY S3-related facts you could describe in much greater detail? The campaign could do with more motivation.

Non-WOY fans: Are you convinced? Need I remind you what’s in the end tag of the “last” episode of WOY? You know there’s much more to life than tales from the land of Ooo, a blue middle school cat boy in a world of unusual individuals, adolescent twins in an Oregon town filled with oddities, a half-gem half-human protagonist, a coming-of-age princess of Mewni, a trio of ursine trend-followers in San Francisco, and all that jazz. If you’re not one bit interested in Hater’s origin story and all that was planned for S3, it’s your loss.

Pessimists: Will you please dispense with this unnerving “Wander is dead” talk? As a certain Popeye would say, “That’s all I can stands, I can’t stands no more!” You’re not trying to let the Disney bosses win, are you? You probably used to think previously canceled shows like Hey Arnold!, Samurai Jack, and Young Justice could never be brought back. The point is, all is not lost.

@peepsqueak and WOY fans/SaveWOY supporters: Have I been of assistance? Almost every remark I’ve ever made shows wit and perception. I mean, just think. Wander is still stuck in that vault where his goal of reforming Lord Hater remains incomplete, and he has no idea of what threat awaits him. He says, “Glorn, help us.” It’ll take something big and extraordinary to convince every Disney fan (and perhaps every Netflix fan) to talk some sense into the higher-ups. Not to mention the replacement/back-up voice actors we’ll have to find if Disney takes even longer (we already lost one - René Auberjonois). We shan’t rest until we get the answers!

@disneyanimation

24 notes · View notes

yaboylevi · 5 years ago

Note

Hello there! I couldn't help but notice that salty anon asking about your stance on Levi so I'll ask again because it sure sounds interesting! Do you mind telling us how you feel about him?

Okay, so the original question from a dumb hater was how I could even support a romantic ship between Eren and Levi if I am not a Levi fan*.

*If a ”Levi fan”, like that idiotic anon meant, is someone who excuses all of Levi’s bad behaviors, then no, I am not a fan.

Premise no.1: I’ve loved Levi for so many years, he’s been part of my twitter handle in the past, is in my Tumblr url, icons on various social media, I have a lot of merchandise and not only for “the sake of the ship”. I genuinely used to love him to the point that he was my favorite character alongside Eren, I couldn’t pick one. So I guess I am a bit of a fan, after all.

Premise no.2: I am a gigantic bag of salt about this topic so tread carefully if you’re easily offended. I won’t sugarcoat my VERY BIASED opinions, and if you strongly disagree, that’s perfectly fine. I won’t change my opinion with the information we currently have, because this isn’t a gut reaction I spent two seconds on, I actually soul searched (lol) for the reasons as to why I felt so negatively about Levi. He was my fave, and I felt deeply hurt and confused and frustrated, so I thought long and hard about it. I am open to change my mind if anything else comes out of him in the future.

Also, I have already spent a lot of words on how I feel about Levi’s character as of late, here, here, and here, here, here and here for example, also here and here (I haven’t exactly been silent about it lol) but let me reiterate it into one incomplete post. It’s really freaking long, and a wall of text at it. I don’t expect people to put up with this messy rant, but suit yourself if you want to.

@ the people who sent these new questions almost a month ago, I’m sorry this isn’t the reply you hoped for. If you guys want a more positive take on this, just look through my ereri meta tag.

Levi as a character can be simplified in 3 points, in my opinion: 1) the deep, caring feelings he has for his comrades and as such the responsibility he feels for them and their deaths; 2) his violent side and how he resorts to violence to solve situations. These 2 merge together into 3) what used to be his main goal, free humanity. He lent his strength (that at times he uses for violence/to get his way) to the cause: helping in freeing humanity inside the walls because the sense of freedom is worth everything.

So, harsh opinion: I believe he has lost sight of his goal – as Isayama has stated in the past even though I didn’t wanna believe it because it made zero sense and cheapened everything I loved about Levi – and he has fallen back into his worst behaviors. Add to that a lack of active presence and engagement in the actual story, and you get this predictable, background character that I can’t for the life of me enjoy currently. Because apparently, he forgot how to live on his own without Erwin’s guidance (and here I’d have another bag of salt to pour but this would get too long, and I don’t have the patience to word it in a way that wouldn’t bring me the ire of his fans).

I don’t know if Levi is really supposed to be seen this way, but at least to me, the focus has been mostly on this: his anger/violence/flaws, and his lack of involvement.

I never liked the way he resorted to violence to “resolve” not life-or-death situations or simply to vent his frustrations, in the first place. It’s something Eren had to let go of, he was rewarded when he used his wits, abandoning pure rage for the sake of revenge, and it’s always been Isayama’s intention, imo, to show as much with the story in general and with Levi as well, as Levi has never been rewarded for it either.

So, witnessing his character revert AGAIN to kicks and straight-up sadism, as a fan, has been a big disappointment. Then, the shift of his goal because “saving humanity” wasn’t Erwin’s goal, after all, has been another point of disappointment – but this happened way before the current arc. His obsession with “making the dead soldiers’ sacrifices worth it” can be commendable, but the way he’s going about it is totally blind and dictated by anger and loss of hope, in a way, so I don’t see it as something positive either. He lacks vision, he lacks a voice in the things that are happening around him as if he doesn’t care whatever happens to all of them, as long as he can make Zeke suffer and kill him. I know it’s not totally the case, because we have seen (and I want to believe) that he still cares about his comrades who are still alive, as seen during the battle in Liberio and his reticence at following direct orders to kill Eren, but at the same time, the obsession with “repaying the lives of the dead” is making him being absolutely heartless for the sake of his “hope” (like, I’m paraphrasing here but he literally went “let’s go to war again and let Historia become a shifter if she so wants to, who cares, more deaths, yay”), though he himself doesn’t seem to care about hope and freedom and all this stuff that much anymore, or he would’ve spoken up about the mess Paradis and Hange were throwing themselves into, like Eren did.

Another point of dissatisfaction is that it seemed to me like he was forming stronger bonds with the 104th and he was becoming better at voicing his opinions without becoming violent, but I guess he either regressed, or I always read him wrong. His violence in 114 was downright revolting to me, I felt nauseous and, in a way, I’m glad he got k.o’ed. It put a stop to his metaphorical downfall, at least — I see post-timeskip Levi as a cheapened, worsened, “hyperfocused-on-just-one-side-of-him” version of the Levi I used to love in earlier arcs and he was only getting worse, imo.

And, as a special mention re: his violence and his relationship with Eren… It was interesting to observe how he slowly changed in regards to Eren, learning how to lift him up and get the best out of and for him, caring about and paying attention to Eren’s emotional state when no one could or would. It was also very interesting how he opened up to Eren just because he wanted to help him, always, from the beginning. THAT’S what really made me fall for the ship and for Levi.

Also, he thought that violence wasn’t the answer with Eren, and I guess I can excuse him for his behavior in Shiganshina because it was a charged challenge of sort for every character. But he really did think that nobody could make Eren submit with violence, yet he’s the one who tried to do exactly that as soon as they met again in ch.105. I was so disappointed that their relationship seemed to have regressed so much, I kept being hopeful only because of his face/words after the kick: he felt betrayed and saddened by Eren, so it meant he still cared deeply about him. And yeah, he does, but the reasons are also partially…bad.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe he cares about Eren as a person, the boy he met and decided to protect all those years ago, but now saving Eren has become deeply intertwined with saving his last remaining goal: making it up to the dead soldiers (and I’ve already explained why I think it’s not a “positive” goal). And it’s unfair and a skewed view, imo, because Eren really didn’t have much to do with every single death. But I think it’s Levi being desperate about it all, he clings to it or he’d lose it if he had to, um, reconsider his current mindset. He’s like…grasping at straws, I feel. Like he was doing with Erwin when Erwin revealed his true colors. Levi ended up reconsidering his own ideals and goals, back then, but in a bad way (he had no goals of his own, he just blindly followed Erwin, who cares about humanity, right? Even though he seemed to care oh so much before).

I guess it’s the downfall of the “Hero”. @/Isayama, was this necessary? Is this entertaining? I am personally not a fan of this, there were so many ways to challenge Levi’s belief & trust in Eren, and to still have Levi be an active player. This just feels like a cheap way to get him out of the picture and turn him into a really secondary character. He doesn’t feel like a main player in this arc.

So long story short, I’m very disappointed in his development. I was willing to go along with it in the hopes that it would be leading us to something very interesting and it seemed it could go into a good direction as I stated here. But when he seemed to be confirmed basically dead (literally, or anyway when it comes to his importance in current events), I’ve kind of lost all hope in regards to his character, and I felt so done about it. He is either gonna stay this way, or there’s gonna be some small, cheap, background-ish closure (though atm I fail to see how, seeing as the story is about to end) and if that’s the case, I fail to comprehend the purpose of his arc, then. I don’t think his is an unreasonable development, I just fail to see how the direction Isayama has decided to “develop” him in has any relevance to the story and its themes, as he used to be a major player with some good-ass, relevant presence in the story. As I said in some posts I linked above, Isayama may have lost motivation to develop Levi any further and dropped it from the “main players” roaster, probably when he decided to change Levi’s motivations halfway through the story (because yes, the problems I have with Levi started towards the end of Uprising).

I used to be a great Levi fan, if my username and icon are anything to go by, and I still like him when I reread some parts as I stated elsewhere, because I really, really love when he interacts with the 104th or like, with his subordinates or even Hange. It’s fun to watch and even cute, when he’s not being a violent arsehole. So it’s really a shame that it’s come to this.

And yeah, I’m sure some people may have noticed already, but the ereri content on my blog has become quite scarce, S3 and the shitfest that went down there in regards to Eren&Levi parts also dampened my hype for the ship, my dissatisfaction with Levi’s character and the way his interactions (or lack thereof) with Eren went recently just pissed me off. But I loved this ship for like 5 years, I’m attached to it, and I am capable of separating the good parts of it from the bad ones (though it’s become increasingly difficult). And most importantly, I still love the way their canon relationship was developed up until before the serum bowl. Almost nothing has happened with them since then, so that’s why I was still really hyped for the next 2 years, but recently, and with Levi’s return, I’ve just grown more frustrated and bored with it.

After all, I fell in love with the romantic fanon ship BECAUSE the canon relationship was so interesting, had potential, and seemed to be going some incredibly cool directions, as both the characters seemed to be similar, had the same goals and understood each other on a basic level. It turned out to be almost nothing in the end, but alas.

So, how can I ship them if I don’t like one of them?

I still like Levi, especially when I reread the early arcs. This doesn’t mean I have to accept the worst sides of him that have apparently taken over his whole personality. His violence ISN’T a flaw I - or anyone, imo - should accept. Snoring IS a flaw we can/have to accept if we love someone. Violence is something that must be overcome. My annoyance with people implying they are better fans because they accept and embrace and excuse him and his violence, compared to those who don’t like that, is also a factor in my frustration. Understanding why exactly he’s the way he is is part of being a fan of a character, wishing for him to become a better person and ultimately letting go of toxic (yeah) acquired behaviors, imo, is better than defending and hyping them up. Some people even LOVE and WISH that violence will be his downfall because it’s violence for the sake of avenging [redacted] so it’s sooo romantic. lmao, ok. And I won't even get started about the ones who SERIOUSLY say that adult characters don't need to change, because I'm gonna start laughing for 3 hours straight. Dudes, there's not an age where you stop changing. If you stop trying bettering yourself at age XX, then I already know you're a shitty adult irl, goodbye.

Anyways, back on track. As I said in another post I may have linked above, I thought his encounter and resolution with Kenny would have amounted to something in this regards, since Levi used violence to get acknowledgment and to feel like he was “worth” something, imo, but it was only a set up for serumbowl. Wasted chance.

And I get it that violence is the way he was taught to deal with things, but 20 years have passed since then and he had a whole character arc in Uprising about opening up, trusting, feeling trusted in return, and feeling good and grateful and happy about that BECAUSE he was open with his squad and learned that it was better to use words rather than fists. So I thought he had grown out of it at least a bit. But I mean, there are other characters who have regressed or haven’t changed at all after their supposed character arc, and that dampened to a great degree the enjoyment of such characters for me (Historia, Ymir, Reiner), so whatever I guess? I can definitely see it’s something of a “cruel” way of storytelling Isayama really seems to like, maybe because he wants the characters to suffer. I guess you can’t have a story if all of your characters become better people and overcome their flaws…well, actually you can, but I guess Isayama doesn’t want this to be that kind of story.

But anyway, just to be clear, it also ties in with wanting the characters you love to better themselves and let go of things that ruin their lives or that have roots in trauma. Wouldn’t you want that for someone you love, even and especially in real life? So, if his violent tendencies have been portrayed as “wrong”, Bad Coping Mechanisms, and rooted in childhood trauma, why is it so frowned upon in this goddamn fandom to wish for him to let go of them, since it’s something that has caused him and characters around him pain or distress or downright failure. Overcoming these flaws would mean he’d feel better about himself, and others, and his past, etc. Why is it SO wrong to wish him the best? Lmao, I don’t get it.

So when his “real fans” be like “Levi’s violence is a part of him, you don’t love him for real if you can’t accept that part. anyway he’s perfect the way he is”, I’m like…that’s actually bullshit. I just want him to be a better person, just like I wanted to be a better person when I had detrimental (for me and for the people close to me) behaviors due to mental health stuff.

It’s not even on the same level of wanting him to stop being rude, that’s part of his charm. Violence…is not a cool personality trait, and it’s something you should want him to get over.

–

I still love lots of things that were shown in the manga in regards to Eren and Levi, so I don’t get why I should justify myself for liking them together just because I don’t like some parts of one of them. I still think some of Levi’s best personality traits came out when he interacted with Eren, and I like the Levi who cares about Eren the most. Hence why I ship the goddamn ship. That’s all there is to it, really. Here I talked about what I loved about their relationship, though now I feel like a bit of a hopeful fool.

#nobody will read this 10k words long rant but whatever #shingeki asks #salt #Levi #unnecessary post but it was a good chance at venting #I feel like I haven't even touched one of the main big reason #but I don't want to talk about e*win tbh #arekupacific

74 notes · View notes

princessyennenga · 6 years ago

Video

tumblr

Linked from ElseworldsClips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_W32zM60dA

If the writers wanted to demonize Iris and put more baggage on Candice for playing Iris West, this would surely be one way to do it.

So many writing errors are present here, and it would be a challenge to unpack them all, but I’ll try to keep it brief:

Iris isn’t bothered that Nora worked with Thawne? Yikes. This is going to whiplash on Iris so badly. And clearly, according to the promo, it is wrong. There is Iris, at Iron Heights in front of Thawne’s cell, beseeching Nora to get away from Thawne. Obviously, she doesn’t think Thawne needs to influence her child, her and Barry’s child. But you cannot tell that to racist fanboys and fangirls, who viscerally hate Iris and frequently bubble over with that venom for no reason at all.

The Insecure Girlfriend/Wife archetype. You know the kind of writing where the girlfriend is pouty and upset because her boyfriend won’t “open up” or “share” about all the life-altering burdens he is carrying on his shoulders. Alone. This is outdated and regressive. This leads to Iris ...

Failing to Acknowledge Facts. Iris, I love you and will forever be a proud member of the IWDS. But girl. Barry didn’t walk into the Speedforce at the end of S3 to take a pre-wedding vacay. Did you not notice that said entity was tearing up Central City, being all extra and striking people with lightning? Either Barry paid his penance or Central City would have been a Black Hole. And girl, you SPOKE TO the Speedforce iteration of Nora Allen. It was not an invitation. Barry did not leave you. Barry was being apprehended, tried, convicted and locked up.

Flashpoint. Please leave Barry alone about this, already. Not just Iris, but everyone. He was at the lowest point of his life, crushed by grief and despair. And the Flashpoint/Paradox episodes were rife with inconsistency and logic holes, so much so that even a Forbes writer pointed out one in particular. Personally, it is only dogmatic comic canon that Nora’s death was necessary to keep the world together. Has there ever been a plausible, credible or sustainable connection to things going wrong in Season 3 because of Flashpoint -- other than “just because?” Everything that Barry was blamed for in that season was retconned away or forgiven, so I’m personally tired of hearing about it. Oh, about John Diggle Jr.; please explain to me how Nora’s survival connects with John Diggle shooting male versus female swimmers on any given day and then we can have a conversation about why Lila should be perpetually pissed at Barry. The need to make the hero look like a dunderhead on his own show doesn’t count.

Barry was a knucklehead. This time, the fandom is split on whether Barry’s decision was an “about damn time” moment where he starts acting like a leader, or selfish and emotional. Honestly, he was right to send Nora home. But he was also written terribly, not looking into her story for himself, always being blindsided and outsmarted by everyone around him. Barry Allen, genius? Have we seen him lately? Also, like Barry’s other decisions, this was poorly thought out, impulsive and emotionally driven. It will have consequences. Consequence #1: Where do we find Nora after this? Not figuring out how her ‘Flashpoint’ has changed Central City or her relationship with Iris. No. Back to Thawne, asking for help on a new speedster trick -- the very thing that made her father so angry in the first place. The reason this show doesn’t need strong villains is because the hero keeps creating problems that get in his way.

As it stands now, Iris is the only character on the show that consistently draws irrational, blinding rage from fanboys and fangirls all over the world. Particularly white racist American fanboys and Snowbarry crazies still predicting a WestAllen breakup and romance between Barry and Caitlin, like those prophets of doom who keep changing the date for the end of days. If I’m totally honest, fanboys from Asian countries with INTENSELY misogynistic and anti-Black cultures, viscerally HATE Iris and they go into Candice’s SM mentions relentlessly with abusive comments. Constantly wishing her character dead and often harassing Candice personally. Over something her character said two years ago!! But Iris being unbothered by Nora working with Barry’s “arch nemesis” and lying about it for months? This just reloaded their quivers, stupid writers!

I know that the CW is known for teen angst. Teen melodrama and blah, blah. But aren’t a significant portion of its viewers in their late 20s and 30s by now? Some are grown with kids of their own and some of the recappers on SM have salt & pepper in their beards. In the era of peak TV, streaming content and roles for women and for Black women that have evolved, TV writing has to be smart or your show won’t make it. Tension can be done in a smart way. Arguments can make sense, instead of being muddied with bonkers logic from previous eras when TV and women characters were weak.

Which brings me to my next point: This wouldn’t have happened unless Black women writers or other women of color were in the writing room. Maybe Barry and Iris would have discussed sending Nora back, and maybe people would say that’s not dramatic or exciting enough. But isn’t there a meta serial killer out there, still? This is unfolding over a single day (a looong day!) But in terms of the story itself, Cicada needs to be dealt with and then we can deal with Nora’s secret. But they’ve chosen to suspend the Cicada storyline so that we can waste our time on Snow Family troubles, where the anchor character is sure to be retconned -- again -- and the “actress” to delivers her lines struggles and twitches through her efforts to make us care. Black girls who follow shows like this are smart, you hear me? They sniff out continuity errors, lapses in logic and they could have made this so much better.

Enjoy Candice and Grant’s performances. I will. For them, it’s a day at work. Well, for Grant. But Iris haters who cannot forgive Candice for being a Black woman adored by the white male lead have more reasons to hate her, and the writers just handed it to them.

#The Flash #WestAllen #Barry Allen #Iris West-Allen #Nora West Allen

21 notes · View notes

kiss-my-freckle · 5 years ago

Text

Shippers tend to post the most ridiculous shit. Especially when it comes to Ressler.

Ressler threw Liz to the ground, put a gun to her head and said he would shoot her. No different than Red saying he’s not conflicted about killing Liz. He would if he could, but he can’t, so he won’t. Act like your knight is actually a knight when it comes to his treatment of Liz. I could list shit forever - with his secrecy alone. Ressler wasn’t the only one who nearly got Liz killed in S3. In fact, Red and Aram both did. I distinctly remember Red walking her into the airport hangar just so Solomon could hold her down on the table, all ready to gut her with a knife. If it weren’t for Dembe, she’d be dead. And Aram was the reason Ressler was able to arrest Liz to begin with. He gave up her location all because Samar lied about being at Ressler’s apartment. As if that was Aram’s business to begin with.

And I’m pretty sure Ressler had reason to fire Samar. He was leading the task force, placed in charge to act in Cooper’s absence. I didn’t see her doing that shit to Cooper and getting away with it. He ripped her a new one when he found out she planned the raid in Lipet’s. But according to shipper logic, it should be okay to betray your boss so long as you ride his dick the night before.

The good thing about Ressler, is his honesty when it comes to Red, and to his face. He doesn’t give a fuck. He’s not afraid of him. And he doesn’t have to like Red to like doing the work they do. Not such a stickler anymore when it comes to Red. In fact, speaks well of him to Liz. I love how the truth changes people. How learning Red isn’t the real Red changed Ressler. He no longer sees him as a traitor.

Just wait til he finds out Red is a traitor to two countries. That will be fun. Good thing he’s Liz’s mother. Ressler won’t take that away from Liz.

I love it when shippers talk nonsense, as if their ship is the shit. Dude, your ship is worse than Keen2, and that’s coming from a Tom hater.

#Rederina #because people are that fucking dumb

3 notes · View notes

serenagaywaterford · 6 years ago

Note

#5 - I am checking in now that you’ve read some of these reviews. Yeah, very uneasy about this development. You are right, if the diehard Serena fans are getting tired of the seesawing, imagine the casual fans, or haters. But I am still hopeful a firm and lasting June/Serena alliance is still a possibility in the second half of the show, we’ll see. Either that, or kill her off. I don’t want them ruining a great character. It is a bit tiring honestly, my enthusiasm definitely suffers a bit.

Numba 5 :D I take it you’ve read all the reviews too? Sigh. Just a great big head-shaking sigh.

One minute I read all this disappointing, worrisome shit. The next I read something nice and positive that gives me some semblance of hope it won’t be that bad after all, and then I come back and read new shit that sounds even worse than the initial disappointing stuff! What is happening lol. This is the worst way to build enthusiasm for a new season!! Honestly, I don’t see very many fans all that pleased in general. Serena fans are on anxious tenterhooks, Nick fans seem rather bummed by some of it, Rita fans are flipping out, Lawrence fans seem a bit hesitant, (Are there Fred or Luke fans???), Moira and Emily fans are also worried from what I can see, casual fans seem okay, I guess?? Everyone’s a June fan so... that’s sort of pointless to talk about lol. Like the reviews sometimes sound good, and then another one will say the opposite thing happens. (I really don’t know what to think about Emily’s arc... I can’t tell where its head is at based on the reviews/spoilers.)

I won’t post any spoilers, but just in case people don’t wanna read me bitching about the vague shit in reviews and interviews, I’ll cut this. Also, I’m a major Debbie Downer lol so I’m sure a lot of excited people don’t wanna read that either, haha.

But I feel ya. I’m tired. My enthusiasm has deffo really suffered in the last few days. I was just saying the other day that all these “teasers” aren’t helping either cos everything is out of context and says nothing really, but requires a lot of speculation and that’s just exhausting to do day after day. AND THE SEASON HASN’T EVEN STARTED YET. I remember last year being a lot more excited. Like legitimately thrilled, even reading the pre-season reviews. It’s weird to me to feel this way when I was soooooooo excited just a month ago. I was bouncing off the walls with joy! Now I’m burnt out, lmao.

“But I am still hopeful a firm and lasting June/Serena alliance is still a possibility in the second half of the show, we’ll see.”

You know. I’m with you. All of these reviews are based on the first 6 episodes of the season and it is sorta jumping the gun to judge a whole season based on the build-up. Six episodes isn’t even quite halfway. Maybe it gets significantly better in the backhalf. It just doesn’t bode very well if it takes 6 episodes to get things moving, and that even at that point Serena is still full on her annoying bullshit.

I’m pretty much a hopeless romantic in some ways. Like it won’t really matter completely but I will ALWAYS hope that there is a LASTING June/Serena alliance in the latter half of the season that is significant and shows Serena’s character growth--if there is any lol. Like, even in a non-shippy way, I want June and Serena working together. I’m gonna be picky and spoiled but I need it to be together. Not working towards the same goal, but divided and at odds with each other. I want them communicating and agreeing. Not just “Oh, look, there goes June doing her idea. And, oh, over there is Serena doing her totally separate thing, that’s vaguely related to the same goal?” I want teamwork. And I want teamwork with other women too. With Alma, Janine, Moira, (Emily? I dunno if she’ll be in a healthy enough place tbh.), even possibly Aunt Lydia. I don’t need unrealistic “super happy families!” vibes either. It can be terse and difficult and conflicted and they can stumble and miscommunicate along the way. It can require June ramming Serena with reality checks (as she does)... but I want them all in the same general direction, with the same general ideas of how to get there. Each has their own strengths, skills, opinions, and knowledge that would influence the goal in their own ways. Oh god, I’m making it sound like I want Ocean’s 8: Gilead Edition. And I want the complex June/Serena dynamic at the centre of it.

But that’s my personal perfect world and this show is very much not willing to be that brave, lmao. (MAKE IT GAY(ER), YOU COWARDS. I’m only half-kidding.)

“Either that, or kill her off. I don’t want them ruining a great character.”

I used to be really opposed to killing off Serena. But that was back when I thought they were going to move her arc along to something better. If this all they insist on doing to her for the backhalf of the season, and presumably the next... just kill her off already. I suspect, based on Miller’s “jokes”, that he has no intention of killing either Waterford off -- which is a shame cos Fred just... go away, Fred. He’s redundant and so superfluous to these women’s stories at this point and I don’t care what headass sympathy-inducing crap they give us in S3, I will always feel that way. But she’s been a fantastic character thus far and to just keep beating this flipfloppy dead horse they consider “interesting” wrt Serena, just let her go. I can’t imagine anybody sticking around and retaining their interest in a character that literally never grows or learns or commits to anything and is constantly going one way only to flip back the other for seasons on end. Sounds... annoying and boring.

Maybe some people like that? Miller and Strahovski seem to. (I get why Yvonne does on some level: it’s fun as an actress to play with all those extremes. It’s challenging and exciting not to play the same note all the time. So, I get why an actress would think it’s a good idea for a character to be so... extra.) What I don’t get is why a showrunner/writer would. I’m not saying never have Serena fuck up--cos we all know she’s gonna--but just not the same ways all the time. Cos at this point, we been knew. We KNOW that every single time Serena does something kind/nice/good, she’ll snap back and do something fucked up. Like, it’s just EXPECTED. There’s no surprise. The first few times, sure. But when they keep doing it over and over and over and over...

That is fucking BORING. It’s come to just eye-rolling now. I don’t read these reviews and comments by Yvonne and say “OH NOOOOO. Serena’s back on her bullshit!! Nooooo. SAD FACE!!!!” Nope. I just read them and say, “Ugh. Again? Really? Yawn.” and “What shitty writers that they can’t come up with anything new for her to do.”

Like, we knew at the end of S2 that Serena was gonna regret letting Nichole go. Miller came right out and said it. And that was fine. That’s actually reasonable and normal and I can get behind that. It makes sense. I was all onboard for some serious grieving and regret. That’s totally understandable under the circumstances. I’m even here for the way trauma/grief/fear influences Serena’s often confounding decisions. And, I mean, I’ve seen a lot of cult-breakers and cults in general and all sorts of psychological stuff so I know Serena’s crap isn’t something she can just shut off in one day; it’s a long process--but it tends to move in a determinate direction, even just baby steps (or not at all). It’s so deeply ingrained and it’s ~safe. It takes time and I was 1000% behind ALL that. But by the sounds of that, it’s not really going in that thoughtful direction. People’s attitudes and beliefs may be difficult to change, but they don’t weave all over the damn place merely for the sake of shock and drama.

More like “We want Serena and June to scream at each other under iconic American monuments! How can we do that? Make Serena do some super fucked up thing for barely any reason!” Also, “Hide all her motivations! Make it really murky so people won’t understand it! That makes us clever. Hurr durr!!”

It’s just giving me Benioff & Weiss vibes...

Harumpf.

I will keep an open mind, but I’m no longer holding my breath that something amazing is gonna come out of this unless the backhalf of the season is exceptionally better than the first 6. (But again, I feel like S2 was like that. The second half did seem stronger overall. IMO, anyway. With 2 major exceptions, heh.)

So, yeah. I’m trying to just not read or look at too much more until it starts airing. Otherwise I may talk myself out of enjoying it! LMAO. I’m so weak. (But I’m also such a slut for June/Serena so........)

#there aren't really any spoilers i don't think #but if you're concerned about them at all don't go behind the cut #also blacklist 'spoilers'#spoilers #just in case #Anonymous

4 notes · View notes

twdmusicboxmystery · 7 years ago

Text

Edits>TD Edits>TD Humorous

Stay/Hey a Dog/WTF 07/21/2015

Beth - S3 Jealously 07/23/2015

Princess Bride - Mostly Dead 08/03/2015

Suck-Ass Hospital 08/12/2015

Abraham Ships Bethyl 08/24/2015

Beth/Zack Kiss/Daryl Glare 09/24/2015

Waiting For Beth to Appear Like/Almost Done 11/20/2015

What’s Up W/S6? Why no Beth?/Norman 12/16/2015

Daryl Touches Face for Beth, not Maggie 12/15/2015

Beth: Where’s My Funeral 12/18/2015

Bethyl Draws Near, I Can Feel It 01/01/2016

Deanna/You’re Not Beth 01/15/2016

Bethyl Doesn’t Have Haters 01/17/2016

Winona Ryder/Friends/Never Happened 02/17/2016

When Someone Talks About Symbolism (Maximus) 03/17/2016

Explaining Why Beth is Alive 08/24/2016

When Someone Tries to Convince Me Beth is Dead (Gif) 09/15/2016

Gimple: Audience Always Right 04/01/2017

Daryl Holds Two Shot Glasses (Still) 02/24/2018

When Someone Says Beth Couldn’t Have Survived (Daryl Facepalm) 10/04/2018

Bethyl Strategy Since S5 (”Uhhh...”) 10/06/2018

When TD Tells Other Shippers Their Ship Won’t Go Canon, and It Doesn’t (ECard - I’m Sorry We Fought...) 01/29/2023

#TWDMusicBoxMystery #TD Edits #TD Humorous #Team Delusional #Team Defiance

2 notes · View notes

stelladea · 8 years ago

Photo

This playlist is the accumulation of almost five years’ worth of ZR-related emotional turmoil. That’s given me plenty of time to find a buttload of relevant songs.

>>> Stay Safe Out There: A ZR Playlist for all your badass-running, energy-pumping, life-saving needs. Art by Six to Start.

Annotations/explanations below contain (very vague) spoilers for seasons 1-5!

[For more: my 5am playlist is coming soon!]

Warriors - Imagine Dragons

Honestly what about this song isn’t relevant to ZR? The ultimate badass pump-up song. I imagine Major de Santa must have used this as a motivational speech during Seasons 1-2 as Abel prepped to fight New Canton or Van Ark. Or any of their adversaries, really. Take your pick.

Here we are, don't turn away now We are the warriors that built this town from dust The time will come When you'll have to rise Above the best and prove yourself, Your spirit never dies

Ticking Bomb - Aloe Blacc

POST-APOCALYPSE AMAZINGNESS AND ALL-AROUND GREAT SONG.

The sun may never rise again The question ain’t if but when The sea will boil and the sky will fall The sun may never rise again

The silent war has begun We’re staring down a loaded gun No refuge found on solid ground This human race can’t be won

The Phoenix - Fall Out Boy

Another truly relevant pump-up song.

Hey young blood Doesn't it feel like our time is running out? I'm gonna change you like a remix Then I'll raise you like a phoenix Wearing our vintage misery No, I think it looked a little better on me I'm gonna change you like a remix Then I'll raise you like a phoenix

Put on your war paint

Radioactive - Imagine Dragons

The ZR anthem. Need I say more?

I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus This is it, the apocalypse

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones Enough to make my system blow Welcome to the new age, to the new age Welcome to the new age, to the new age Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, I'm radioactive, radioactive

Ghost - Mystery Skulls

Runner Five’s gotta feel like this every so often. A great, upbeat song perfect for running.

'Cause the world might do me in It's alright 'cause I'm with friends Guess I'm giving up again It doesn't matter

Had me feeling like a ghost And that's what I hate the most Guess I'm giving up again This time I might just disappear

Come With Me Now - KONGOS

I’ll let the lyrics speak for me. Very ZR-esque.

Afraid to lose control And caught up in this world I've wasted time, I've wasted breath I think I've thought myself to death

I was born without this fear Now only this seems clear I need to move, I need to fight I need to lose myself tonight

Coming Back - Dean Ray

For all of your S3/4 Moonchild-mind-control-related needs:

Chasing down your silhouette I find there's nothing there Facing down a lonely road into the pure unknown But I'll keep coming back

You can steal my mind twist it for a while but you can't take my pride You can watch me crack throw me way off track but I'll keep coming back

Uprising - Muse

Y'all. Play this when you’re bringing down Moonchild. When you’re fighting Van Ark. When you’re forming the resistance against Sigrid. USE IT FOR EVERYTHING

Interchanging mind control Come, let the revolution take its toll If you could flick the switch and open your third eye You'd see that we should never be afraid to die

Rise up and take the power back It's time the fat cats had a heart attack You know that their time's coming to an end We have to unify and watch our flag ascend

They will not force us They will stop degrading us They will not control us We will be victorious

The Pretender - Foo Fighters

Another song for Five and Moonchild. Fantastically upbeat and makes you feel like you can take on the whole damn world.

What if I say I'm not like the others? What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays? You're the pretender What if I say I will never surrender?

I'm the voice inside your head You refuse to hear I'm the face that you have to face Mirrored in your stare I'm what's left, I'm what's right I'm the enemy I'm the hand that will take you down Bring you to your knees

Knights of Cydonia - Muse

This one sums all of ZR up pretty well, if I do say so myself:

No one's gonna take me alive The time has come to make things right You and I must fight for our rights You and I must fight to survive

Angels (Radio Edit) - Vicetone

Don’t screw with Runner Five or they will MESS YOU UP

I can't remember when you hurt me so bad But now the tables turn, apocalypse is coming I can't remember when you left me so sad But in the end I learned it rains in hell and angels could be bad

Barton Hollow - The Civil Wars

A generally badass folksy apocalypse song. Would highly recommend.

Miles and miles in my bare feet Still can't lay me down to sleep If I die before I wake I know the Lord my soul won't take

I'm a dead man walking I'm a dead man walking

Keep walking and running and running for miles Keep walking and running and running for miles

Beat It - Michael Jackson

A world-saving classic.

You have to show them that you're really not scared You're playin' with your life, this ain't no truth or dare They'll kick you, then they beat you, then they'll tell you it's fair So beat it, but you wanna be bad

Somewhere to Run - Krewella

More S3 mind-control and general running fun.

I'm hearing the voices in my head Telling me I should just pretend But how can I sit around and swallow all the bullshit while I'm choking

I just need somewhere to run I gave up, don't give a fuck Somewhere to run, I'm so sick but I can't quit I'm saying ooh, another day, another night, I'm getting through

Too Close - Alex Clare

Honestly it’s not even the lyrics for this one, but I couldn’t pass up on how amazingly upbeat it is.

Counting Stars - OneRepublic

The hopeless 5am shipper that I am, I like to imagine Five and Sam sitting together on the roof of the comms shack just spending a nice, non-zombie-related sunset together. (Ughhhhh so corny I’m so corny)

I feel the love and I feel it burn Down this river, every turn Hope is our four-letter word Make that money, watch it burn Old, but I'm not that old Young, but I'm not that bold And I don't think the world is sold On just doing what we're told I feel something so wrong Doing the right thing I could lie, could lie, could lie Everything that drowns me makes me wanna fly

Jungle - X Ambassadors

As you enter the world of the undead:

Won't you follow me into the jungle Ain't no god on these streets in the heart of the jungle

Runnin’ - Adam Lambert

The title is more relevant than the lyrics, but this is still a solid addition to the list.

Trap Requiem - Apashe

HATERS GONNA FUCK WIT ME

Brave - Moriah Peters

Feel-good, cutesy song if you're tired of feeling hardcore all the time. Good palate-cleanser from the last one.

Brave I'll fight like a soldier Brave Rise like a warrior Brave Won't stop till the final day Brave I want to be stronger Brave Gonna be bolder Brave Look up and I see the way You make me brave

Kill of the Night - Gin Wigmore

Aaaand we’re back with some bloodthirsty Runner Five.

The danger is I'm dangerous And I might just tear you apart I'm gonna catch ya I'm gonna get ya, get ya I wanna taste the way that you bleed, oh You're my kill of the night

Spike in a Rail - Darren Korb

An instrumental piece that you listen to as you collect sports bras and soak in the apocalypse aesthetic.

Through the Fire and the Flames - DragonForce

Finally, one more piece to help you SAVE THE WHOLE FCKIN WORLD:

So far away we wait for the day For the lights are so wasted and gone We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days Through the fire and the flames we carry on Now here we stand with their blood on our hands We've fought so hard now can we understand? I'll break the seal of this curse if I possibly can For freedom of every man

#zombies run #zombies run!#zr #six to start #runner 5 #runner five #playlist #5am #man i worked a lot longer on this than i expected to #and why won't the fffff graphic upload in hi-res honestly tumblr

31 notes · View notes

kiss-my-freckle · 6 years ago

Text

"Please understand, I want more than anything to help you. It’s the reason why I’m here.” - Red

To help you.

I’ve been seeing comments, complaints about how Red is no better than Tom, but far worse in light of his imposter reveal. Time for my viewpoint from the Rederina perspective. If you’re a Tom Keen fan or a Red hater, probably best you don’t read this. For those who choose to, know that it’s a lengthy post.

Liz showing a great deal of anger with Red throughout Barnes’ episode. This was due to Tom framing Red, making it appear as though Red was framing him. Tom killed Victor Fokin and allowed Gina to take the fall. While taking the fall, claimed Red commissioned the murder. If you don’t believe this to be true, don’t worry: “The truth will out, it always does.” Red became the monster who made Liz believe her husband was a monster. Big bad Red is a bad man! And that’s how it’s been throughout much of the series. Tom coming out with his shit. Some of it true, some of it not. All to serve his agenda at the time. At the end of Barnes’ episode, Red spoke of questions Liz hadn’t even thought of yet, and in that regard, promised her answers. Here’s the exact dialogue for those who want it.

“You may not like me. You may not understand how or why I do what I do. But I’m here because you want answers to questions you haven’t even thought of yet.” - Red

As much as she had questions about Red, she had yet to learn the truth about her husband. So what answers Red was referring to, they weren’t just of himself, but of her husband. That was the entire reason he reentered her life. This was shown in his pre-pilot statement given in Requiem.

“As I feared would happen, elements from Katarina’s past are circling Elizabeth like a pack of wolves in the night. I put Tom Keen in her life to keep an eye on her, and he married her.” - Red

Being her mother isn’t the reason Red reentered her life. That’s actually the reason he left it for 30 years. It was far safer for her, allowing Liz a normal life. What normal life she could have, given up for adoption to a grifter. This being the very reason Kaplan responded to Red as she did. She was responding to his very statement. It IS about Tom.

“This isn’t about Tom Keen. It’s about your need for control.” - Kate

Forget about who Red is to her, that’s not the reason he’s there. Something forced his maternal instinct into action, to turn himself into the FBI. Remove that from Red’s dialogue, and you’re left with Tom and elements from his own past. Katarina’s “past” meaning back when he was Katarina.

That’s why they’re so focused on showing us the past. This was Red’s, in light of Naomi Hyland’s supposed death.

And this, Katarina’s past. Burning her dead lover’s bones.

As I’ve stated several times, they’re shifting from father to mother.

Dialogues are given to characters for a reason. Once on-screen, they serve a purpose having taken their rightful place in the story - where the writer(s) wanted them to be. When contradictions in dialogue happen, I feel they serve a purpose as all do. While many choose to disregard those contradictions, excuse them away with random excuses to feed their ship/theories, I'm one who prefers to take a closer look. In a show full of twists, disregarding them completely as if unimportant to the story would be foolish. Assuming is a bad habit. Perhaps they contradict because something has yet to be revealed. I feel the same of dialogues they choose to cut mid-sentence, as well as dialogues that aren’t further discussed.

One of those dialogues not further discussed was that of Tom telling Liz her father’s alive in the S1 finale. Her father, an element of Katarina’s past, as shown in the tweet above. When you don’t know where certain puzzle pieces fit, you set them aside, and start building on another section. That other section may then allow you to see where those pieces fit. That’s what people do when they put a puzzle together. So what we have, is a mother trying to protect her daughter from those elements from her past - and Tom is somehow tied to those elements. Turning himself in was the only move Red could make, since the writers made it clear that he couldn’t kill Tom himself. So he’d turn himself in, influence her in a way that she’d see things more clearly. Basically, open her eyes because her love for Tom Keen was blinding her. Like reconsidering the adoption, which made sense. No one should ever adopt a child into a life of lies simply because that’s what married people do. Uhm... no. That’s what people who want children do. Not all married couples have children. But that was Tom trying to keep her tied.

In season one, Red gave Liz answers regarding her father. Told her that he himself wasn’t her father, and in the finale, said with no uncertainty that her father died in the fire. What she chose to believe at that point was on her, and because she continued to suspect Red of being her father, chose to stay until she got what other answers she was seeking. I think in part - because of the way her mother made her feel in The Freelancer, what caused her to run a DNA test to begin with. I think that had a huge effect on her. Staying by his side because she suspected him of being her father, while throwing away that DNA test proving he’s not. Everyone wants to put Red in the wrong, but had she really wanted the answer, he could’ve and probably would’ve handed her proof that he wasn’t her father. We’ll never know because she never asked for it. That doesn’t mean Red is to blame.

What’s the point in telling her how her father died when he already told her that he died in the fire? The entire reason he wiped her memory, something he wanted to protect her from, and people expect him to lay it out there as if it mattered. She didn’t need to know that. If it were me, I’d want to protect my child from the same knowing. Traumatic events like that can be difficult to face. For people who hadn’t their memory wiped, could cause them PTSD symptoms. Take Lord Baltimore for example. The killing of her sister caused her own mind to split even though she wanted to kill her. So people want Liz to learn that she shot the very father she’d been loving and searching for her entire life instead of leaving her to believe that he died in a fire because the knowing of truth is somehow better. It’s my belief that the second Krilov memory wipe caused her mind to break through in the Connolly flashback, but that’s for another post entirely.

Red has already shown that he has no problem answering questions when Liz demands them. Such was the case when she asked if he killed Sam, as well, when she confronted him about hiring Tom. But when it came to her mother and her mother’s cover husband, things were different. It was during a back and forth of Liz and Tom. She was given bits at a time instead. Such was the case in Quon Zhang after she found the photograph in Red’s second story flat. To be clear, this was also after Tom informed Red that he was done with all of it - Liz included. So at that point, Red would feel it safe enough to inform Liz of their past. How Katarina was a KGB agent and Masha was born in Moscow. When it became Liz AND Tom seeking answers about her mother, Red silenced the Russian in the bathroom - who coincidentally carried the same name as Katarina’s ex-husband. Again in 2x22, silencing Anton Velov because there Tom was - back in Liz’s life. The very person she returned to because Red wouldn’t give her the answers she wanted. Red isn’t stupid, he knew. She’d been getting help from Tom on and off throughout much of S2. On the boat, giving up intel on Berlin and Red knowing of her “secret Santa.” With the sneezing advice in Earl King’s episode, to which he assisted her. Again in Vanessa Cruz, which led to Red getting shot. It was endless, and Red had no reason to trust her. Sleep with the enemy, see how far it will get you.

You can’t expect a mother to hand her daughter answers like that while she remains with the man connected to elements from her past. Elements that she believes puts her daugher in danger. Expecting that of him simply because it suits your ship and/or Red hate and/or theories. It isn’t logical. I’ve never known anyone to hand their enemy information that could destroy both self and child. It’s just downright stupid. Telling Liz is just like telling Tom. There’s no point in it. Cut to them being on the run in S3, and Red is back to telling her things of her mother. Beautiful things. Things that I felt pushed her forward at a difficult and dangerous time. Taking note that it was just Red and Liz, Tom was out of the picture again at that point. We get to the other side of things, like Constantin Rostov, and we’re back to Red keeping his secrets. Liz chose to allow Tom back into her life, which gave Red reason to embrace the silence again. He can’t trust her. Not only because she chose to let Tom back into her life, but because that choice shows poor judgment on her part. So instead of telling her that her stepfather is coming for her, Red tells her they’ll be coming for her. “They” being Kirk’s people. A war Red was preparing for, that would’ve ended differently had Liz not faked her own death.

Her choice to fake her death had nothing to do with who she believed Red was at that point. She didn’t care. She believed both her parents were dead, so why bother with this stranger, this man she believed to be of danger to her and her child? Something Red understood and spoke to in McGrath’s episode. So we cut to the bones arc and those complaints that claim Red is worse than Tom. For a mother who believes Tom remained of great danger to her child, but couldn’t do anything about it, I believe Red handled himself very well. To Tom’s face (and stated twice in 5x3) that he’s only alive because Liz loves him. Those statements feeding all the way back to 3x15 and 3x19. To his face, told Tom why he didn’t trust him. Spoke of their past, how Tom's betrayal made things more difficult. He even took it a step further, putting a stake in it so that his daughter could be happy. Basically, Red was done with their five-season-long war. Everyone had what they wanted and all could’ve remained happy, their past left behind as it should’ve been. As Red spoke of to Tom, Liz’s happiness and closure. From my own viewpoint, felt Red put an end to their war in Drexel when he chose to allow Liz the chance to discover those perils for herself, and stated as much after he saved Tom from the diamond dealer. That’s when I felt a good huge step forward on Red’s part. Tom’s choice in helping Liz to fake her death put them at odds yet again, so I felt it was Tom who basically reignited the Red vs Tom war. Betraying him once is bad enough. Betraying him twice is a no brainer.

The suitcase itself was neither Tom’s or Liz’s business. Katarina’s personal and very private business. S/he already told Liz that her father was dead. 30 years of putting Liz first, her born identity being all that she has left. I say that literally because she did - quite literally. Lost her relatively normal life when she believed a family was possible with the father of her child, and followed on that belief - to be a family with Raymond and Masha. Lost her country in the process, became a traitor to two, took the risk of losing the very relationship she had with her own father by slicing out her identity and discarding it as waste - gave up her own gender. It makes no difference whether Liz believes he’s her father or knows the truth that he’s her mother. He’s her parent no matter her gender. This truth is the only truth he has left for himself. 30 years, his entire life. Then five seasons of putting Liz first, handing her truth after truth, giving her every reason to trust him when he tells her that her father is dead. Let him keep this one lie that is none of her business, and for the same reason as her father’s. It doesn’t matter how Katarina died just as it doesn’t matter how Raymond did. Whether her father died in the fire or was shot to death, whether her mother actually drowned in Cape May or died when she chose to become Raymond. They’re dead, leave it be. Liz had closure for the first time in her life. Now - instead of having closure, she gets the sweet satisfaction of not only taking this little bit her mother has left, but she gets to feel what Dom feels from the other side. A secret Katarina killed her own life-long friend to keep. Who everyone felt was Red’s place to tell Liz, and he himself chose not to tell. Up until her betrayal, Kate herself felt was Red’s place to tell. Red’s choice, made clear throughout the series. In that respect, not only losing all he has left, but basically losing Sam and Kaplan - even her own identity, and for nothing. Kinda like Liz’s fake death, and fearing his Hobson’s choice was for nothing.

When you tell me Red is worse than Tom, I’d have to disagree 1000%. 30 years ago, lost everything because she wanted so much for her daughter, as mentioned above. Not something Tom could or would ever do for his supposed daugher. He couldn’t even give up his war against Red long enough. Hell, even his job came before Agnes. Red setting aside his feelings about Tom for the sake of his daughter, while Tom continued because he couldn’t let it go. That is why Tom died. Not because of Red, not because of Red’s secret. He died - not only because he couldn’t let go, not even because he couldn’t put his family first, but because (like Kate) he couldn’t even trust Liz to make a choice for herself. Red did what a true parent does. Tom did what a true idiot does. That’s why they continuously show the differences between Red and Tom throughout the series. S5 Tom was a return to S1 Tom. His actions with the suitcase, a repeat of his actions in Gaia’s episode. Poor Red. Hard to trust your child when you know she’s playing fool a second time, and all he can do, is watch her repeat the SAME mistakes he made with Raymond 30 years ago.

They’ve come full circle with Red’s pilot dialogue, “Everything about me is a lie.” In order to come full circle with Tom’s finale whisper, “Your father’s alive” ... they needed to reveal both of Liz’s fathers. Constantin Rostov/Alexander Kirk first proven to be her father, then proven to be her stepfather. Raymond Reddington first proven to be her father, then proven to be deceased. I believe they’re now ready for Tom’s full truth. Here’s the short list of seeds.

In S5:

We start off with S5 Tom returning to S1 Tom, which puts into question whether or not he lied to her about anything at any time prior to the suitcase arc.

This deceit ends up in tweet.

5x3 -

Tom: Because she’s kind and decent and she sees the best in people. Even when she’s being lied to. Red: You’re certainly living proof of that.

More to S1 Tom through the blacklister -

Liz: The wife - he lied to her. Led her to believe he worked at an actual travel agency, had a normal life. She had no idea.

More to S1 Tom, parallel to Jolene -

Liz: He appreciates what Nik’s done for him. And he knows Nik may have been killed because of it. He’s willing to look into who did it. Tom: He is? Has he found anything? Liz: Not yet, but it sounds like he has a lead. Tom: What kind of lead? Was he more specific?

More to S1 Tom, taking us to Meera’s grave -

Liz: I think Meera is buried here. I’d like to pay my respects. I’d like to go alone, if you don’t mind.

More to Tom, with repeated dialogues in Major’s flashback scenes that feed the 2nd memory wipe, as well as dialogues from S1. Add in Garvey’s statement -

Garvey: Now I get it. Reddington and your husband - how they knew each other. Reddington didn’t know you through him.

Which bounces off Liz’s statement -

Liz: Nik was good. He was decent. The only indecent thing in his life was Reddington and me. Would Nik be alive if I weren’t in his life?

Add in Fulton’s statement -

Fulton: Closure requires a reckoning. Not just about Tom or what happened to him. But why it happened. What role, if any, you or Reddington may have played in it.

Basically placing Tom’s death on Liz, then switching it. Liz chose to keep Tom in her life, which then kept Tom in Red’s life. A basic Hobson’s choice of her own. Letting go of one or losing both. Choosing both, which will (eventually) lead to Red dying in the series finale. By staying with Red, Liz basically sentenced Tom to die because he couldn’t let shit go. By staying with Tom, Liz basically sentenced Katarina to die because of her truth.

As well as how all four deaths played out -

Every one of them involved in Tom’s mission after making the smart choice in leaving it alone. This was shown through action and dialogue.

Nik’s avoid -

“Two minutes. Okay, less. Please.”

Nik: There is no “we.” The last time I helped you guys keep a secret from Reddington, he almost killed me. Tom: I get it. Nik: Kaplan didn’t leave instructions? Tom: No, just a number to call when I picked up the suitcase. Nik: She has a confederate. Maybe he has the answers you need. Tom: I was really hoping to get them from you. Nik: I really should go.

Again, with this “really” dialogue.

“Your two minutes are up.”

Nik’s return -

Nik: I’ve been thinking about this - What you said. I have no interest in getting involved with Reddington, but if what you said - If you think Liz is in some kind of danger, just tell me what you need me to do, okay?

Lena’s avoid -

Lena: You should go. Tom: Did you hear what I said? Pete is a bad guy. Lena: I don’t want to talk about Pete. Tom: You said you were gonna help me find him. Lena: You should really go. Tom: Did he get to you? Was Pete here? Lena: I don’t want to talk about it. And I’m sorry that your friend got killed and that you lost something important to you, but I can’t help you.

"Five minutes. Just to show you what I found.”

Lena’s return -

Lena: Did you find what you were looking for? Tom: Nope. But I did find this. Lena: “Congratulations, Lena Mercer. You have qualified to receive a UVA Visa card.” I don’t understand. Tom: You have Pete’s passwords. He has yours. And he’s using them to open new credit cards in your name. The reason we can’t find Pete, is he’s not using his accounts. He’s using yours. And that’s how we’re gonna find him. Crespin: The warning didn’t take. Yes, sir. I’ll make sure of it next time.

Pete’s avoid -

Taking off after being tortured. He places blame on Tom.

Pete: If anyone’s responsible for what happened to him, it’s you - for what happened to me too! Lena: Oh, my God. He came into the clinic looking for you. You disappeared. I was worried. Tom: You lied to her about being married. Why should we believe you about this? Pete: I don’t care what you believe. You roped us into this. And the guys who did this - They knew it too. They knew I put in a request with CODIS. I don’t know how, but they did. So they came to my place to get the bones and kill me. Tom: Kill you? Pete: Yeah. After playing mumbly peg to try to get me to give up the names of anyone else who knew, which I didn’t, FYI. Tom: Yeah. They did get the suitcase, I bet. And Nik? Pete: He showed up after I passed out. And when I came to, I heard a noise, a struggle. I looked out. I saw this guy. He had his arm wrapped around Nik’s neck. I ran. All I know for sure, is that if he hadn’t shown up, they would’ve killed me too.

Pete’s return -

Is then taken by Garvey’s men because of Tom’s very presence.

Again, points his finger at Tom.

Pete: Tom, tell him, damn it. Tell him! Look, he’s the one who knows. He ran it all. He hired me to extract the DNA. I just ran the search.

Tom’s avoid -

Red aquiring the suitcase after Tom was shot.

Red: You couldn’t leave well enough alone. Not then, not now. As I’ve pointed out earlier, Tom can’t let shit go.

Tom’s return -

Switching the bones with the guns.

Red: You’ve always seen my relationship with Elizabeth as a zero-sum game. You think what’s good for me is bad for her, and what’s good for her is bad for me.

Tom admits his inability to let it go. Not because it’s a truth he believes Liz should know, but because it’s a secret Red wants to keep from her, so it “must be” a truth Liz should know. He had no flipping idea what she should or shouldn’t know at that point, since he had no idea who was in the suitcase. And at Union Station, had nowhere to turn but home. A dirty US Marshal protecting her sister was after him, and he just betrayed Red a third time - taking his most powerful secret with him.

More Red statements and even more Red warnings -

Red: Tom was a man of many truths. Which of those he was going to divulge, I can’t say.

This one goes back to Liz in 2x18 -

Liz: That’s not how the truth works. You don’t get to pick and choose.

Whether Tom intended to reveal his truths along with Red’s doesn’t matter. He died before he could reveal both Red’s single truth - as well as his own many.

Red: Tom ignored my warning. That is why he died.

Red: You’ve entrusted Agnes to Scottie Hargrave?

Red: You will. One of these nights you will. It’s just a matter of when.

Red: Will you be able to forgive yourself?

As if Red hasn’t warned her enough. Warnings that go all the way back to S2 and even before. Four deaths laid out. Nik, Lena, Pete, and Tom dying all because Tom couldn’t let shit go. Nik, a little different in the fact that he chose one criminal over another, which made no sense. Then they laid out even more deaths in their finale flashback, might as well include Meera while I’m at it. Meera, Fowler, Naomi, and Kaplan. Fowler falls in my frame theory, Naomi in my CODIS search theory, and Kaplan in my second employer theory. In full, eight deaths.

Liz: We’ve lost so many friends. I don’t know if I can lose any more without just crawling into a fetal position or becoming a stark, raving vigilante.

Liz now going vigilante against Red, when I believe those eight deaths are on Tom. Red sparing Nik in S3 after his part in faking Liz’s death. Now dead because he chose to involve himself with Tom Keen. Red having warned Lena through Crespin, now dead because she chose to involve herself with Tom Keen. Pete, who I believe Red was able to save through Crespin’s warnings, now dead because Tom Keen chose to chase him down. Red warning Tom, who chose not to listen, now dead because of his own choices. Red sparing Meera after the mole hunt in S1, now dead because of Tom Keen’s kill list (which Liz knew was Tom’s fault). As I believe, Red framing Tom for Fowler’s murder. Red saving Naomi in S2, as I believe, now dead because Tom ran the CODIS search using Liz’s creds. And Kaplan, as I believe, took a bullet for Tom because she chose to trust him rather than her friend of 30 years. Kate goes all the way back to that pre-pilot statement in Requiem: “This isn’t about Tom Keen. It’s about your need for control.”

Liz: You better not leave. I’ll kill you.

Return to Red’s statement in 5x8. Tom won’t leave without Liz or Agnes. Because he wouldn’t leave, Liz would never know of his many truths. Basically, Tom had to die in order for Liz to learn what she should, so this third betrayal of his leads to the end of it all.

Tom: Yeah, well, hold your judgment until you’ve tried it because I might end up killing us all. Liz: “Us all”?

This goes back to The Caretaker.

Cooper: For generations, you and your ancestors kept other people’s secrets. But it was your secret - her - that put an end to it all. Caretaker: Yes.

In the spoilers and promos, since I’ve been looking at those. Red offering Liz a chance to learn his secrets - and his making a game of it.

“You wanna know my secrets … why I’m here … then I’ll tell you. As soon as you tell me … the secrets you keep from me.”

Again, Tom is the reason why Red is there. Elements from his past. What I believe are misdirects. Red’s conversation with Liz, saying his enemy has been there all along. They make it sound like he’s scolding Liz like he scolded Kaplan after her betrayal. But that enemy was Tom, and he’s been there all along.

Fun, until a player that wasn't invited by Red decides to change the game.

“All throughout, Liz and Red engage in an uneasy cat-and-mouse game in which lines will be crossed and the truth will be revealed.”

This isn’t specific to Red’s truth. And the way he speaks here -

“Then I’ll tell you. As soon as you tell me.”

Familiar wording. I feel it gives hint to Liz’s scar -

“How about a trade? You tell me and I’ll tell you. Tell me about the scar on your palm.”

Back to The Freelancer as well, when Red asked what Tom knew of the fire.

“Tell me about your husband. Does he know you as well as you know him? Does he know about you as a child? Does he know about the fire?”

Liz in promo -

“I have to know, whatever the price.”

Red before the Red wedding -

“Do you really want your child to pay the price for that mistake for the rest of his or her life?”

Five seasons of Tom puzzle pieces that were never put in place until the writers made it possible. That’s what I believe will be coming in S6 - as well as Agnes’ storyline with Scottie. An opposite repeat of Kate’s arc. In Kate’s, it was a traitor in Red’s family. In S6, a traitor in Liz’s. Right now, I believe the biggest threat is from family as we return to S1′s immediate threat -

Red: Right now, the only thing that matters, is the immediate threat - your husband - finding out who he is and who he works for. The rest will come. I promise you.

The rest will come. The some of it vs all of it from Caul’s episode.

Back to Red’s warning -

Red: You’ve entrusted Agnes to Scottie Hargrave? Liz: Yes. To Tom’s mother. Red: Who ordered a hit on your wedding. Liz: She didn’t know who we were. She’s a good person, and she’ll keep Agnes safe.

Scottie knew who Liz was. She didn’t know who Tom was. She still doesn’t know who Red is - at least that appears to be the case. We’re also left with a second memory wipe thread from S4, which I believe will come out in S6. The timing is quite perfect, really - with its mirror reflection of S2.

#Anti-Tom Keen #Anti-Keen2 #Rederina #current thoughts

1 note · View note

serenagaywaterford · 6 years ago

Note

Have you seen Amanda Brugel's last instagram post? I'm beginning to worry Serena doesn't survive the season

HEY ANON! SERIOUS QUESTION: ARE YOU TRYING TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK LOL?! Now, cue me frantically pouring over the post!

I’m curious. What makes you think that it’s ominous? It could be my wishful thinking, but nothing screamed out at me from it? Am I blind, lol? I mean, of course, there’s Ever waxing all FOMO over it, but that’s expected cos she’s not in the show all that much as it is. And the photo, if I’m reading Amanda right, is from S1. Is that why?

Maybe it’s wishful thinking but I don’t think they’ll kill off Serena–yet. Mainly, she’s one of the central characters, and certainly the central (human) antagonist to June specifically. (We all know the real villain is Gilead and male power. Fred is a secondary antagonist imo, and more like a stand-in for Gilead itself to make it easier to see the true evil.) There is a great deal of focus on her thus far, to develop her and weave her into a story that, if we’re all being real, the Waterfords should have been gone from already and certainly by the end of S2 but we know there’s going to be even more about both of them. And there is quite QUITE a lot of potential to move Serena across the “villainy spectrum” towards neutral or even true anti-hero without it being a deus ex machina/jump the shark sort of thing. And that sort of story is pure gold for a writer. It can be milked for a long time and works easily with drama, and the feminist themes of the show. I don’t want to say “redemption arc” cos that would require A LOT of work and I think most viewers are still stuck on 210 (once again–that was a HORRIBLE MISSTEP FOR THE CREATIVE TEAM the way it was written. I’ll say that forever because so many, many people missed the underlying point about it), but movement is possible.

Also, Miller seems to really enjoy the character/actress, and Yvonne’s got a LOT of hype on social media/critics circles. I think even if you hate Serena, you recognise how stellar Yvonne’s doing. Like, that’s why Serena is so hated (other than people not understanding Serena)–Yvonne plays her so exceptionally well.

I have NO idea what the contract situation is like, but I’d suspect she has a 5-year deal, like most. Quite frankly, the only reason I can see for killing Serena off is that Yvonne wants out, to be with her new baby. It must be dreadful to have a newborn and be working 6 months on such a dark, cold show about the oppression of women and horrible things about children. But she is a professional so we’ll see.

Or, I suppose, if they want SHOCK VALUE. Cos, who really expects Serena to die? I know a lot of vocal idiots online cream themselves over her dying a painful death and wish her horrible death constantly, but those are just loud online idiots – and if I’ve learnt anything from decades of fandom, it’s that showrunners rarely give a shit about those fans or take them seriously. They’ll pander to a degree, but they deep down don’t care. (Obvs there are exceptions but most showrunners and writers have a goal and view and it doesn’t change based on the whims of rabid fans on Twitter and Tumblr. There was a time in my life that I believed they cared. They do not, lol.)

But hey, this is complete wishful thinking cos she’s my babe and I don’t want THT without her. So I live in denial that they’ll kill her off. She’s honestly the most complex and second most developed character in the entire series. It would seem short-sighted to dump a character like that.

Honestly? I think it’s far more likely that Rita will leave the show than Serena, if we’re looking at Amanda & Yvonne. Which is a shame too cos she’s the only Canadian in the main cast and a good character. It all depends I suppose on the direction they go with the Resistance/Mayday and the Waterfords. Rita and Serena could BOTH go by the end of the season.

I’m gonna rant now about the characters that SHOULD go…

In terms of characters that have run their course, I vote for the main males. Both Fred and Nick are totally redundant to me now–and this has nothing to do with my dislike of Nick, I swear. Just on a narrative level, he no longer serves much purpose if we’re supposed to be watching a show about women fighting back against a repressive patriarchal fascist regime. (I don’t need some cutsey romance subplot, thanks. And I don’t think June requires it either, not when she’s on a mission to get HANNAH back and make to Canada to reunite with her HUSBAND and bff, all whilst saving ALL the children and women of Gilead. She’s got quite enough going on. The story is supposed to be less depressing this season so the argument that the N/J thing brings “lightness” and “hope” to a bleak story is also outdated too.) He’s just redundant. Served his purpose, and it was an important purpose, don’t get me wrong! I understand his very integral role especially in S1 but it’s just run its course, imo. I think even Nick stans seem to recognise this on some level cos they’re always terrified he’s going to be killed off almost every episode lol.

I may not care for Luke either, but he actually will remain important to the story, I think and I can’t see any good reason to get rid of him. He needs to remain alive. I think it would kill June to find out he’s dead.

Fred is just… a cartoon now and needs to go. How many more Evil TM things can he do? Yawn. We don’t need the personification of Gilead anymore I don’t think. We get it. Both Nick and Fred have dodged certain death now and it’s just like, OKAY, with June I get it cos she’s the protag, but them? Give me a break. Lazy. The only reason I don’t think they’ll kill off Nick is pure fanservice. I can’t see any rational reason other than that. Those LOUD fangirls will have a fucking meltdown. (I’ll say that when I speak to non-fandom people offline about the show, the vast majority don’t really care about the N*ck/June storyline nearly as much. Most people I’ve spoken with care much more about the larger issues–and it was crazy cos I was talking to a friend that I hadn’t seen in like 4 months about THT, and I know isn’t a fan of THT–like she watches it but isn’t in fandom. Just casual. And I brought up Serena (of course I did) but I was very critical of her, and she (who knows ZERO about my true feelings for Serena lol) was defensive of the character. It blew my mind cos she’s really not the type to defend problematic characters or villains. (I honestly thought she’d be a Nick fan, N/J fan, and Serena hater. But she’s a JUNE fan first and foremost, doesn’t really care for N/J but thought it was cute at the time, and doesn’t hate Serena.) She even brought up points that we Serena fans say, completely unprompted by me. So, I think in terms of casual fans, they’re a little more perceptive than the vocal majority of N*ck/June fangirls that dominate fandom. God, it’s such a relief to talk to offline people sometimes. By and large, they seem far more reasonable when it comes to this show and where the focus should be. (I should probably mention that almost all of the people I’ve spoken to about THT have been over the age of 25 (many over 30), which probably has something to do with it tbh.)

Both Fred and Nick are props for the female characters, and I think June and Serena are developed enough at this point to stand on their own without the need for either of those dudes. I don’t need men to help tell a story about women, thanks.

But again, I’m just some online voice. The producers and showrunners don’t give a shit what I think. They don’t even know I exist. And that’s probably a good thing (considering my obsession with having June/Serena fuck, lol. I’m gonna wager they don’t wanna see that.).

I’m just gonna pretend I am not now freaking out about Serena being killed off in S3. As much as I think it may be a terrible idea, I honestly don’t put it past this show…

#i'm not shaking nope

0 notes