#is it that the writers hasn't decided or because they are single it doesn't matter?

[deluweil]

I feel like the characters of Buck and Eddie's specifically are so underdeveloped it borders on crime at this point.

Because Buck has traveled all over the world, he was a so called sex addict, and sought (still seeks) attention from every breathing relatively human form he comes across.

He was a bartender and his communication skills are limited to flirting mode (see 911 LS hold the line) - It's like right there where TK from LS felt the need to tell Buck that he has a boyfriend - and you're telling me he never experimented?? Never been kissed by a drunken man?

He has gay friends, has he never been to a gay club??

And Eddie! The man was in the army, he was never in love with Shannon, he loved her - sure - she was the mother of his child, they had sexual chemistry but there was nothing there emotion wise.

Also often they'd have sex after they were reunited to avoid actually talking to each other.

Eddie went and reenlisted to a job he knew there was a fair chance he may not return home alive from, to avoid actually having to deal with the realization of Christopher's diagnosis and not being able to adjust and not wanting to be a husband to Shannon.

He didn't want to get married, he did that because he knocked her up not because he wanted to get married - his way of running was enlisting. - It was his personal suicide mission. - Like he said in 5X14 - his friends are gone and he's still here - "not sure why." - it wasn't just survivor's guilt, he never planned to live in the first place.

And you're telling me that with all his time spent with soldiers most of them men, not thinking about his wife, just his son - because when he was in a dire situation it wasn't a picture of Shannon and Christopher, it was just Christopher.

And in 3X15, He does see Christopher but he also sees BUCK! ALOT!

Are you telling me that in this very intimate connection he has with Buck, that he seems so comfortable in - there was nothing similar that preceded that? Eddie broke down when he found out all his friends from the army were dead, was there something more there? Other than failing to save them from themselves and bad luck?

I feel like 7 seasons later and all I know of Buck and Eddie from before can be summarized in one paragraph each and nothing more - I can write articles about what I deduced watching them with each other the past 7 seasons, but nothing that explains that intense, intimate, tension underneath the surface between them.

I want to know where it's buried. Give me less LIs and chemistry-less relationships - And give me a history that can connect me to the here and now, that explains what made Buck and Eddie, almost instantly, BuckandEddie - buddie.

I want them to be developed characters, and not just the scratch the surface we got so far.

I have so many questions!!!

[msnihilist]

Person Who Has Never Watched the Reboot Decides to Liveblog Alien-X-Tinction

First scene and I already hate Max's voice. #NotMyGrandpa

idk what alternate universe this is yet, but I like 1) that Ben is sad :), and 2) that his Omnitrix looks like that??? It really sells the idea of a prototype 🥺

"resistance will only beget pain" — villain who is smart enough to know that Ben doesn't know what "beget" means

"you always try to interrupt" okay, ouch, I actually love that angst (I already know who the Alien X is and what he's been doing to alternate Bens (I'm only watching this because the Wiki page for the special was interesting to me), so this is lovely :3) Max always tries to save his grandson and he never succeeds </3

Side note: evil Celestialsapien is a cool idea, and I like that this one is taking a "hands on" approach. It's about the thrill of the hunt :) And loving making people suffer

"oh, no, not again" LMAO, the dimension-hopping Max sounds soooo mildly inconvenienced

WAIT, DID THE ALIEN X RIP OFF BEN'S ARM??? I can't tell what happened here?? Fuckin' kid's show censors 😭

Max's face when Ben hugs his grandpa…… I love suffering 🥺

"you'd think I'd be used to it all by now" coming from a man who lost his grandkids and tortures himself by watching it happen again and again in other timelines hurts so good 😭 😭 I also love that they let Max cry about it. It's a small thing and it only lasts a second, but in the Classic continuity, Ben only cried on screen TWICE, both when he was 10. Letting an aged man hurt like this without making a joke about it is good to see <3

Back in the Real Timeline, I guess, lmao. I love that Gwen is tied up and just looks so bored with the whole affair

GWEN'S VOICE?? #NOTMYGWEN (I like that Zombozo is voiced by Drakken, tho)

Hm. I kinda like this angle with Ben's frustration. He feels like he's not living up to his full potential as a hero because he always has Gwen and Max helping him. It's different from when Ben would get cocky in the OG, and I think it's an interesting point, too :p This blatantly isn't about being a hero, it's about the thrill, which is something that ten-year-old Ben consistently struggled with

Still hate reboot Heatblast, but whatever

I definitely don't like how the fights are animated? It feels... slow. And I get part of that is to build up suspense/show of Alien X's abilities, since this show is aimed at a younger audience who wouldn't be familiar with the Classic continuity, but still :/ I don't like the flat camera angles and the hits don't have a lot of weight to them

Love that Alien X is killing off Ben's, though — something Eon was always too pussy to do

I hate this art style, but I appreciate that the writers are trying

I love villains who are obsessed with Ben Killing him, hunting him down, whatever. Watching villains shove aside whatever or whoever gets in their way to pursue Ben with single-minded fervor always hits good.

This fight between Ben and Alien X, up until he loses the Omnitrix, is probably my favorite fight in the special. Alien X was at his coolest and Ben really gave it his all, no matter how badly he got beat in return.

"there's no omniversal road-side service that drops out of thin air" — man who has forgotten that this is Ben he's talking about

BRO, THEY'RE PLAYING THE ALIEN FORCE THEME SONG WHEN OLDER BEN STEPS OUT OF THE PORTAL 😭 Okay, even though AF had kind of a lame opening, I'll admit: that was pretty hype

Holy shit, wait, the reboot has been going on for five seasons and this Max STILL hasn't told his grandkids about the Plumbers??? I hate him, worst grandpa

LMAO, Maximillian calling Ben a stubborn brat <3 AF Ben looking away in embarrassment because he knows it's true (he literally JUST tried to walk off and go it alone for?? no reason, literally), I love them. They're a family in every dimension

I think it's cute that Gwen already likes teenage Ben <3

Alien X: "You're in the wrong dimension." Ben, who's relaxing nonchalantly waiting for his plan to pay off: "Is that why my keys don't work?"

I MISSED AF BEN SO MUCH, HE'S SUCH A DRAMA QUEEN 😭 HE LITERALLY TRANSFORMED JUST TO GET UP THERE AND HAVE A DRAMATIC ENTRANCE

AF BIG CHILL DESIGN + VOICE, MY BELOVED!!! They even kept Ben shouting out his transformation's names, nreulgneklge. That's some attention to detail that almost makes me forgive the art style <3 (almost)

"little me," omg, he's such a fuckin' dork

I love that when Bens get together, they literally just love each other, it's so so sweet <3

"I should rethink my prior mercy." "Your generosity will not go unappreciated… or unpunished." ngl, this guy is a sick villain

Okay, this made me love him. And Gwen's faith in him is sooo <3 Truly the best cousin of all time

"Are you okay?" "Better now that you're back, cuz." Ben and Gwen are so fucking cute in the reboot, I love them 😭 🥺

I love that Gwen 10 goes, "And, yes, we're [Gwens are] better" and then fucking picks Ripjaws for a fight in a rocky desert, sfbrygbrku. She's such a dumbass I do love her Ripjaws design, tho!! Love that they avoided the Omniverse problem of making the female aliens excessively feminized. ALSO OG HEATBLAST, MY LOVE

OV Ben ruffling younger Ben's hair 🥺🥺

AHAHA, OG Ben immediately assuming that this Gwen is also a magic user, pfft. Even in a dimension where they don't get along as well, he's got so much faith in his cousin <3

Gwen's little watch tech is like her UAF powers!!

Of course OG Ben would get pissy about someone picking the same alien as him 😭 He's so chronically ten years old

"But I'm not your Ben." "You're all my Ben." Okay, maybe this Max is actually the best one 😭 🥺

Jeez, that tragic backstory was pretty fucking brutal. Vilgax straight-up just vaporized Gwen and Max. I love the idea of an evil Ben who's lost everything, though. His Max and Gwen are dead, what more can they take away from him? Eon could never

LMAO, MAX JUST FORCIBLY ADOPTING EVIL BEN AT THE END. Ben is so unenthused, he's gonna get loved whether he wants to or not!!

Okay, just finished it. Final thoughts? It was really cute. Is it good enough to get me to watch the rest of the reboot? No. It's definitely not as hype as some of UAF/OV's high points, probably in part because I still can't get into the art style and also because the fight scenes just aren't as good.

It had pretty good pacing! I was surprised by that, I thought 45 minutes was gonna be too short, but it ended up feeling right. (Also, I'm upset to say that Max's voice grew on me. Gwen is on thin ice.)

You can tell that this was made with a lot of love, both for the characters and for Ben 10 as a whole. It really does feel like a love letter to the fandom, and for that, it was a good watch :)

Final score: 7/10, not NEARLY as bad as I was expecting, worth a rewatch <3

[humaforever]

Random things that have become increasingly popular in the descendants fandom that I love

This isn't even 'made up' by the fandom, but all the De Vil children (Carlos, Diego, and Ivy) are cousins. So apparently Cruella has a bunch of siblings. I have no idea who they are, but cool.

Back in the day it was either Harriet Hook is dating Anthony Tremaine or Harriet Hook is dating Ginny Gothel. Then one day people were like, "Hey, what if..." Now they are all dating each other and are in a throuple :)

In addition to the previous statement, not a popular opinion just a random thought. There are three single people in the main descendants movie characters. Gil, Audrey, and Jay, and you always see them mixed in a couple somehow. I'm honestly surprised they are never put together as a throuple, or that's it ever even considered as an idea anywhere.

There's like a new mim kid every week. Only one of them is technically canon. But that doesn't matter, all of them are loved.

There's also a ton of Tremaine cousins now as well.

Claudine Frollo became a fan favorite and a lot of that may have started because everyone decided she was baby and she needs love and affection because she is Claude Frollo's daughter.

Claudine is also pretty strictly into women and has definitely had a bit of a crisis over it.

It's few and far between that you find an isle kid that is completely straight.

Even though the writers completely ignored it, we have accepted Hadie as Mal's brother and we love him here.

It is a popular opinion that Squeaky and Squirmy are not the Smee kids' real names, and I am completely on board with that. Because what the fuck kind of names are those.

Marya Rasputin. Anastasia isn't even technically a Disney movie, which I'm pretty sure is where the idea for this character came from. But Marya is a part of Disney's descendants now, it's been decided, it's official.

We lost Doug along the way. RIP bro. I haven't seen anything about him in the descendants fandom in ages.

Uma and Audrey have only interacted with each other once in canon, in the royal wedding (which we all ignore.) But they are besties, they just are. Audrey gets along with a lot of the VK'S for that matter.

Sammy Smee hasn't been able to catch a break since Harriet Hook acquired siblings. The chaos started when Harry was born.

[invested-in-your-future]

Can you elaborate on what you mean when you say "Volume X is meaningless in the grand scheme of things"? As in, it doesn't move the plot further or doesn't affect/progress characters from the previous volumes?

Both.

I delved a bit more in depth about it when I was talking about Volume 4 all those years back, but I think it holds true for content past that volume too. It's "content" but there's not really narrative there.

Especially V9 - the only thing that matters in that volume is the kiss and that can happen anywhere anytime (and would likely work better without contrived Ever After nonsense).

I'd go even further now and say that you could technically cut V4 through V9 in their entirety from the story where V10 had ended up. You would not lose much of anything - there's no difference between offscreening Vale getting destroyed and offscreening every other Kingdom but Vacuo getting destroyed - crucial characterization and reactions are omitted either way.

We don't lose anything from not seeing Mistral get messed up for example - that Kingdom barely exists in the show as-is.

We actually would GAIN from not seeing how Atlas falls because it would remove majority of the things that basically demolished whatever critical acclaim the show could muster before.

Vale getting destroyed doesn't hinge on anything past v3 because V3 already set's up the conditions for that and we don't see the interesting bits either way since it's offscreened.

In fact the other Kingdoms EXISTING has not contributed anything meaningful to the story - the fact all the more obvious by how little them being deleted from the story had impacted anything.

RWBY is a pretty unique situation where REMOVING content already there would make the show BETTER rather than worse - which tells a lot about the show's content. Seriously, for example, what's better - Yang "recovering" offscreen or wasting time on a sexual harasser professor telling her PTSD is like fear of mice while her own father berates her?

The plot is a vehicle for Characterization - the story goes from scene A to scene B because there's the writer's intent to elicit a change within a character or have a character react.

A writer usually decides where a character starts and where they end and then connects the dots - the "connecting the dots" part is the so-called "plot".

Thus a character goes through a chain of events and either reacts or changes, creating the next status quo to build their next scene with.

If a scene (or set of scenes) can be removed without affecting anything in the story/characters, then why was that scene(or scenes) in the story in the first place?

In fact, it's one of the key pieces of advice when trimming one's fictional work - just outright cutting scenes that don't do anything for characters.

And with RWBY, sadly, a lot of V4 and onward content goes backward - it certainly hasn't moved a single step forward from the high point at the end of Volume 3 when Beacon fell - characters haven't progressed at all(and if anything some of them, like Yang, had regressed or, like Blake or Weiss, outright vanished) and the world hasn't really been impacted or altered by what happened there for six volumes - the show held Vale's situation in a limbo for years till they decided to offscreen it.

It's funny how the core aspect of building the narrative - characters reacting or changing - is COMPLETELY absent from RWBY past V3. And then V9 specifically punishes a character for attempting to.

It's almost like they had no idea what to do after V3 at all and just spun their wheels for as long as possible making up things.

That's what I mean by the pointlessness of content.

[theflyindutchwoman]

What is your opinion in Lucy being UC? Because for me it doesn't make sense. She has literally been in like 3 documentaries. I feel like that is too much exposure for her.

And there is the whole Tim issue. I don't think Tim will ever be truly okay with her being a UC.

I think i would rather her just be a detective.

Personally… I'm relatively divided on the whole UC storyline, documentaries aside. I can't say that this is the path I imagined Lucy taking, as it seems rather antithetical to who she is and what she wants. At the same time, I do like seeing her undercover, playing different characters, getting more and more confident... There's one aspect in particular that I love : it's how covert ops taps into her background. Being a former psych major helps her create these different personae and adapt to the situation at hand. But more than that : she can draw on her life experience to guide her. She has tried different things before joining the Academy and that gave her a wealth of knowledge that she can use to her advantage. Psychology alone isn't enough for her, she needs the action, the danger… Undercover work gives her the opportunity to combine both aspects.

That said, I'm curious to see how this type of work could affect her. Being isolated, constantly being on edge, not seeing her loved ones for long period at times, leaving people behind, living a lie… It can get too much, real fast, especially for someone as empathetic as her. So far, she hasn't really seen that ugly side of the work, the one we've heard so much about… I think this is something she needs to experience so she can make an informed decision. But even if she decides that being a UC isn't for her after all, she can still work in covert ops. There is more to it than just being undercover. Or she could indeed just be a detective. At the end of the day, she is beginning her career, it's normal that she is still figuring it out. She deserves that chance. And that's why I want her to make the final decision on her own terms, whether she stays on track for undercover work or change path. So as nonsensical as it might be to send her undercover after the documentaries, I'm at least glad that this isn't used as a random reason against her, to prevent her from going forward with her career (at least, for now).

As far as the documentaries go… I actually already discussed this, so I hope you don't mind if I basically repeat what I wrote. At this point, I think we should simply take these documentaries for what they are : an opportunity for the writers to develop ridiculous plots and have fun, even though they don't make much sense… The last one was so over the top that I loved it - but I can understand that it's a bit hard to suspend your disbelief here… especially regarding the UC arc. I didn't mind Lucy being in them at first - or Nyla for that matter. Not to stereotype here, but I'm not sure the criminals she goes after watch these type of documentaries. And even if they were, they would still have to remember her specifically. I mean, only one person in-universe has ever referenced these episodes… and that lady was a director herself, who didn't apparently recognised Lucy (5.06). That last one, on the other hand… Let's just say that outing her as an undercover cop was definitely a choice… When the promo aired, I thought for sure that this issue was going to be addressed. I even wondered if I had missed a conversation or something after watching the episode. I guess, we're just supposed to pretend that it doesn't matter since not one single person raised the issue of Lucy being in the spotlight when she should be in the shadows. Then again, the LAPD doesn't see a problem with advertising a whole conference about covert operations… So we clearly have a very different definition of secrecy. That said, maybe this will come back later and someone will recognise her. That's always a possibility - though it would seriously make the whole department look incompetent for not considering that ahead of time…

I also touched on the whole Tim issue in another ask, so here's what I wrote. Tim absolutely knew about all of this and still decided that it was worth the risk. He was aware of her choice of career long before he even realised his feelings for her. From the moment she graduated, he's been nothing but supportive towards her goal. He was the one to convince her to go to the UC Academy. He asked her out mere days/weeks after she last went under (seriously, that was the episode right before). Undercover work is even the reason why they got together in the first place… which is so ironic when you think about it. When he said they were worth taking the risk, he meant it. Just like when he told Isabel that Lucy was different, I have no doubt he also meant it. He has some experience in the matter, he has some inklings as to what being separated for months truly means. And let's not forget that he knows what's it like not to be supported… Ashley was trying to make him quit his job because she suddenly wasn't okay with it - I can't see him doing the same to Lucy. I believe that Tim's biggest challenge will be to express his feelings, since he tends to internalise them. That's why I'm glad that he and Lucy were able to set boundaries and open up about this. They can only make it work if they're both honest and communicate with each other.

And last but not least, your last point about preferring Lucy to just be a detective. That's perfectly fair - and I know you're not the only one feeling this way. For what it's worth, even if she were to stay in covert ops, odds are she would mostly work as a detective (provided that she passes the exam, of course, and she doesn't get blocked). I seriously doubt the writers will create a different persona for every episode - it would get old fast - or let her spend too many episodes undercover… It's a procedural after all. I'm a bit unsure as to where the writers are going here… But The Rookie was first and foremost a show about patrol. That was what distinguished it from other cop shows. So far, we already have Nyla and Angela as detectives… Having Lucy doing UC might simply be a way for them to keep things fresh and avoid having three regular detectives.

I hope this answers your questions :) (I also hope you won't mind the copy-paste of previous answers but since the asks were pretty similar, it was faster this way - this isn't a knock against you at all. It's also a good reminder that I need to up my tagging game).

[gisellelx]

For the fanfic author asks do you want to talk about: 6, 30, and/or 42?

Thanks, @palmofafreezinghand

6. How do you come up with ideas?

In fanfic, I write the stories I want to read for which I can't find a version I love. Almost all of my fics come from me basically just wanting to be a voyeur: "The Talk," my first fic, was me reading the line in BD where Edward mentioned he'd talked to Carlisle about having sex and me thinking, "Well now that had to have been an interesting conversation!" So I wrote what I thought happened. They also come from conversations with people--Ithaca Is Gorges came from talking with my bestest bestie about the fact that as you get older, you start realizing that your parents are fallible people, and that one of the biggest problems with the Twilight saga is that Bella is taking Edward at face value when he has not ever managed to get to that point with Carlisle and Esme. So what do the Cullens look like when they're not filtered by Edward?

Also I was trained to write characters first; plot second. So "ideas" for me usually are "okay, in this situation, how would this character logically respond, given all the things they hold dear, are afraid of, think are at stake?" I don't think of plots first. Plots emerge (and frustratingly, keep emerging.)

30. What do you struggle with most when writing?

Perfectionism. So, so much perfectionism. I very often see something that needs to go first before I can write the second thing, and then if I can't write the first thing, it doesn't matter if the second thing is more white hot. It's the main reason I've shifted to fully drafting long fics and only posting fics that consist of what are effectively related one-shots: Cien Años right now has been stuck because there's a chapter with Rose and Esme I need in order to establish something about what Esme thinks of Carlisle before I go to one of Esme and Carlisle 70 years later. But I've been having issues with that one. I will obsess over pieces of a work and over individual sentences until they truly pass muster, and, if I decide there's something else that belongs in the work, I will edit it later. I appreciated your tag comment btw, and also laughed about it because I revise everything. Sideblog answers? Yep. Headcanon posts? Yep. This post? Yep! I will move beats around in a sentence on a reddit post so that it has the rhythm I want it to have, even though there's absolutely no creative merit in it at all.

I used to be way better at just writing and letting stuff stick but not anymore. The other day one of my collaborators talked about her writing process and described mine as "Oh and then [giselle-lx] just produces these perfect sentences that say exactly what we all mean" and I was like, "No I have just already edited five times before I put them into Overleaf!"

42. How do you get over writers' block?

I...don't? I'm staring at a fic in Scrivener that hasn't been updated since 2019 and which I started drafting in 2010. And like I said above, been stuck on another work for a year.

But the thing which works the most reliably is reading. When I read, whether nonderivative stuff (which is mostly what I read--I am a bad fanfic reader, I confess!) or fic, my brain starts sparking with ideas and then I can get going again. If I'm struggling to get words down, it's usually a sign I need to read more.

Oh and the other thing which reliably creates writing is getting the hell off social media. Every single time I am serious about that practice, my brain just rebels at how bored it is and starts writing. "Ordinary Time" happened after I deprived my brain of social media for a month, and "Drying Up" happened after I deprived it for merely a long weekend. I know this in my soul, and yet... :/ :shakes fist at Mark Zuckerberg:

Ask me things!

[imabiscuitinthousandworlds]

I HATE when someone tells me something like "your writing/art is so good I could never create like that" because

Wrong. Creating is a skill. Some pick it up faster, yeah, and that'd be called talent, but literally anyone can learn it. You just gotta, like. Spend time on learning it. Like with any skill ever.

Don't depreciate yourself to copliment me. It just makes things awkward. The compliment on its own is a lot nicer, to be honest.

Don't tell me it's all just talent; because it's not. I know it's unintentionally, but you're telling me all the time I dedicated to this skill doesn't matter. You're telling me I didn't have to work to get here when I really, really had to.

Let's take writing, for example, since that's my main boat.

I've been telling stories for literally as long as I've been able to. My mum and I used to give each other 5 words, and the other had to tell a story with those. I've always had a thing for being creative, sure, but it's been honed for a literal lifetime.

As soon as I knew my letters I started devouring books, and writing my own. I wrote down my first story with 7 yo and decided to become a writer at age 9. I've more or less stuck to that, and I praciced for it. I spent so much of my time writing. It's been a decade. And those last three years especially - I've improved immensely, and you know why? I wrote - and still write - every day. Every. Single. Fucking. Day. And if it's just a sentence - it shows.

So, no, I'm not "just talented" at writing - I've dedicated a lifetime and so much sweat and tears and passion to it.

"I never could have written a line like that" thanks, I was stuck on it for three fucking days.

"You're so good at drawing clone armour" I was obsessed for over two years and sketched it all the time, every day, so guess why?

"I could never-" No. Shut up. If you spent as much time as I did on this, you very much could.

And don't you fucking dare tell me it's just talent.

Years of work aren't just talent. I worked so, so hard on all of this. Especially writing isn't just a hobby anymore - it's what I want to do with my life, it's what I have done with my life since forever. Every sentence I write holds years and years of experience and things I learned and incorporate subconsciously by now.

So, again.

1. If you spend your time learning this skill, you can and will learn it.

2. Let a compliment be a compliment instead of a comparison. Competition has already poisoned us all anyways.

3. This is the result of my lifework, treat it as such.

Thanks for coming to my ted talk. (And I know my life hasn't been long yet, but still.)

[thenotoriousscuttlecliff]

Some say Twelve and Clara's characters are inconsistent because they change with each season despite those changes being brought about by the adventures they experience, the different circumstances in their lives, and how we see new sides to Clara following after the Doctor turns into a very different person from the one she knew. Eleven and Twelve were very different and so Clara's reactions and interactions with them were different as well. This doesn't make her inconsistent, it is just how people are, we act differently in new situations and with new people.

[shandy-and-champagne]

Here's how I envision the byler confession scene going (I'm not a writer btw so read at your own peril):

Will is offering himself to be part of the party to go and face Vecna, and Mike absolutely kicks off. Will argues that he's just as capable as El, so why is it any different? Mike says it just is!

Everyone is looking at them and Will's finally had enough — Mike was meant to be the one that never babied him, and now this?

Will yells at him, he just wants to be trusted!

Trust? Mike has something to say about trust. Why did you lie about the painting Will? Why did you tell me El commissioned it when you know she didn't? I thought we promised never to lie to each other?

A beat.

Will sees that for the leading question it is and does not want to have this conversation right now, so he up and leaves, walking off, right into the middle of the thunderstorm.

Mike feels awful and the argument is so unfinished he can't let it go. His brain is trying to catch up, as he stares at the open door, and in the absolute silence of the cabin his eyes slowly find El, and he sees she is looking at him with knowing eyes. They share a very long and meaningful look, and the first chords of Heroes by Peter Gabriel start to play. El gives a tiny nod, and without a single glance at anyone else, Mike follows Will into the rain.

He yells after him and sees he hasn't gotten far. At Mike's voice he turns. They're both soaked within seconds.

Mike is getting worked up now too, and tells him what we've seen El explain when they broke up. She had no idea about the painting. Why would he lie?

It's not my fault you can't see what's right in front of you, Michael! You were hurting, I couldn't just sit by and not say something!

Their shouts are drawing the rest of the party to the doors and open windows. Mike and Will have never fought like this. Never.

We're holding our breath.

You want to know why I never said anything, Mike? Maybe it's because I couldn't bear the thought of losing my best friend — my most important person in the entire world — to something we can never fix!

What?

Mike throws his hands up. Whatever it is you can tell me, Will! You think there is anything you could say to me that would change our friendship?

Friendship. That's just it isn't it? It hits Will like a ton of bricks, how Mike is always so sure to clarify them with that word, and Will cracks. Suddenly he just can't take it anymore.

I can't do this anymore, Mike! You are so important to me but I can't sit by and watch! I thought I could, but I can't do it anymore. I can't.

What are you saying!?

I'm saying you need to let me go. I need you to let me go.

A million thoughts fly through Mike's head — let him go? He's spent every moment of the last five years terrified of losing him! That's the exact last thing he would ever want to do! But he knows how he's been pushing Will away. Pushing everyone away to protect himself. To hide himself. And he knows it's not fair on him, on anyone. And that's always been Mike's problem, hasn't it? Holding on too tight, being so afraid of change. Maybe it's time for him to let go. But let go of what? He doesn't want things to change.

(Doesn't he?)

Mike decides to be brave.

We see him come to some unknown resolution and he steps forward.

No.

Will is crying now, tears mixing with the rain. No?

What if I don't want to let you go?

There's a look in Mike's eyes that we've never seen before. This pining, this ache, has never felt so poignant in any other scene.

Will starts to ask him what the hell he means by that because he just doesn't understand what is going through Mike's head! He never does. Mike's always just pretending, throwing up mask after mask and Will is so tired of being in the dark. Just tell me what you're really thinking! What is the matter, Mike,? What's really been going on? Doesn't Will at least deserve to know the truth? But he tapers off when–

The music rises to a crecendo, strings surging, and Mike takes a deep breath and crosses those last few paces to take Will by the face, and kisses him.

We see Will is visibly startled, there's a kaleidoscope of emotions — shock, confusion, hope and then pure relief — there are tears on both their faces when he brings his arms up to pull Mike closer and they're clinging to one another like at any moment the world is going to fall apart.

The camera pans to everyone looking on with varying expressions of disbelief, amusement and fondness. (Steve and Robin share a look, Nancy is grinning, Jonathan is shaking his head, Lucas and Dustin just look comically gob-smacked (aka most of the general audience) and El is quietly smiling. Hopper looks like he wants to say something but Joyce stops him with a hand on his arm, hiding a smile behind her hand. Joyce drags Hopper inside and the rest follow. Dustin closes the door, still shaking his head in amusement).

The music quiets and they part, and the camera refocuses, so we feel like it's just them. They rest their foreheads together and before Will can get a word out, Mike breathes I love you. Easy as breathing. (The look in his eyes holds such fucking adoration, I'm bleeding out from open wounds, screaming at the tv).

Whatever Will was going to say is lost, and he just laughs incredulously, the brightest smile we've ever seen on him as he tells Mike he loves him too (voice thick because wbk he would absolutely cry).

Yeah?

Yeah. Will nods and we see him really start to break down after all those years of keeping it in and Mike pulls him into a hug and smiles into his hair.

It's the first change we see him accept, but it's a good change. It's a sign that they've really grown up and are moving on.

(Will sobs, Mike's crying, Vecna says cheers and fucks off because he's an ally, Max wakes from her coma and her first words are 'fucking finally', Finn wins all the awards for 'best secretly repressed homosexual' and for just being a great feckin actor, we get edits of them, we get Finn and Noah finally doing press together, I'm screaming-crying-throwing up, byler tumblr is a massacre site- the 100k people on here are all deceased, there's a public enquiry, the internet is broken, the tabloids are reeling with this 'plot twist' and the duffer brothers are giggling at the homophobes because they're all MAD mad they got baited by a seemingly heterosexual monster TV show).

— end episode —

roll credits with [tender emotional music] because your life will never be the same goodbye

[obi-wkenobi]

🔁 💘🤩 ✨ 💯 for the fic rec ask game (omg I chose 5... It's just that I started recently reading obikin so I'm craving as many good fics as possible and I'd love your recs)

You can only answer to one if it's too many, thank you in advance! Hope you have an amazing day 💙

Hi, anon! Welcome to the fandom.🥰 I absolutely do not mind answering all five because who doesn't love gushing about all the incredible fics in this fandom??

🔁 A fic you’ve re-read several times:

I've reread all the fics I recommend, but lately I've reread 'everything that you want me to' by ohdearest all the time, like every few days. For me, this fic perfectly encapsulates how I believe Anakin wants to be loved and taken care of, and why Obi-Wan is the perfect person to do that. The prose is beautiful and the tension and intimacy that the author was able to create in only 1.2k is amazing.

💘 A fic you couldn't stop reading once you started:

'Home' by skyl_tales. I'm not usually one for time travel fics, but as soon as I saw the tag 'accidental sugar daddy Obi-Wan' I knew I had to give it a read, and as soon as I started I couldn't stop. I love it when authors are brave enough to challenge the stereotype of Obi-Wan as a perfect Jedi and show that he is flawed just like everyone else. I hadn't yet read an Obikin story with a plot quite like this, nor have I since, and I'm so glad that I gave it a go. Brilliant writing with interesting character arcs!

🤩 A fic that made you SLAM that “subscribe” button:

'Untouchable' by Blu3sc0rpion. On my first read through of the Obikin tag I gave this fic a miss because the tags are a bit darker than what I usually read, but on my second go through and when I really wanted to read something new I decided to give it a go. THANK THE FORCE. It has since become one of my favourite Obikin fics ever and I subscribed to it immediately. Sadly it hasn't been updated in a while, but I don't care because what we already have is impeccable. This fic is angst and heartbreak and sob into your pillow pain, whilst also being tender and intimate and so very, very hot. Do you want to read about an obsessive love that you can see is destroying our dear boys but you can't look away because it's somehow so good?! Do you want to see them snarl at each other, have some of the honest to god hottest smut that I've ever read and then share a shatteringly intimate moment just minutes later? Read this fic (but please also check out the tags beforehand because there is some very hard stuff to read here).

✨ A fic you wish you could read again for the first time:

I've already answered this here, but I'm definitely going to recommend something else! 'Walking the fine line' by cupiscent. There is a subdued tension throughout this fic that I have never seen captured elsewhere, as if one were to dig too deep, press too hard, then something will explode and overwhelm both the readers and the characters. I love that the author doesn't explicitly state anything sexual and they let the reader fill in the blanks; it contributes to the amazing atmosphere. It is so sensual and I could only dream of one day writing like this. Every time I reread this fic I'm in awe over how well the author understands these characters and how they are able to say so much about them without explicitly stating every single thought. It is subtle and nuanced and interweaved with the most beautiful prose. Gods, I'm going to have to go and reread it again.

💯 A fic that makes you think #writergoals:

Literally anything written by @treescape. I like my Obikin in a certain dynamic, but Trees is one of the handful of writers where I will read any Obikin fic they post, no matter the dynamic. Trees' prose is incomparable, it's beautiful and accomplished, and I'm always in awe over how they can create such incredible tension in shorter fics. Whenever I'm writing and I go off on an introspective tangent, I'll always reread one of Trees' work to remind myself that sometimes saying less really is saying more. I can't pick one fic, so here are three (including a series) that I adore: 'hands on,' 'to touch the light, darkest,' and 'full and want.'

From this ask game. 💙

[charlieweasleyy]

THE ONE WHERE WE ARE COMFORTABLE

WTN WEEK 2021 → day seven (episode seven) Hiiii friends so I decided to talk about things that bring me comfort and for me the thing that brings me the biggest comfort is the friends I've made on this board. I spend my time talking to these four basically allllll day long. If you can guess by the graphic above on who is who, but they have become some of my best friends so *drum roll* please and let me tell you about the people i consider to be my f.r.i.e.n.d.s.

MY LOBSTER Apparently, I am someone who when they find someone they mate for life. When I latched onto Elle I latched on and didn't (lol won't) let go. Like when I say she is my person I mean it with every fiber of my being. She is the soulmate. My wife. My lobster. She is like that perfect pair of sweatpants that you know are dependable and can count on and you don't want to let go of. She's like the television show that you need to put on because you've had a bad day. She's the first person I call when disaster happens. When I am having a bad day she is the first person I want to talk to and 10/10 she can say something to make it better.

We laugh until we cry and she likes to yell at me... but 9/10 I do deserve it. So, it is valid. If you see me flirting with her on the server (no you didn't) it's mostly because I can't help myself. So... just divert your eyes. It's very cliche to say that your life has changed after meeting someone, but that's what it has done. I am a better person for her, I'm more mindful, more open, and I don't think there isn't a person on this board who wouldn't say that Elle hasn't changed them for the better. It is who she is. She leaves you with something to think about, she challenges you. She pushes you. She has a heart for those who are misrepresented and misunderstood. I swear if Elle had her own talk show I'd listen to it every day. The girl is *passionate* and that is one thing I can't help but love about her. She is passionate about diversity, about the people on this board, I have watched her struggle with some hard decisions this year and how it has affected her mentally, but she also rises from the ashes because she has to. I have watched her countless times put this site above her own needs. I have watched her struggle. I have watched her doubt (herself and her future) and I have watched her wonder if she is doing the right thing. I have watched her feel remorse and pain and I'm telling you if you do not think Elle cares about WTN and everyone on this board then you've not seen her struggle the way that I've seen her struggle. It's probably why I'm so damn protective of her, but I don't regret a single second of it.

Okay, I've spent this whole time talking about how great Elle is but I've not spoken about the writing. I've run out of room... her writing is amazing, she is the one person I can respond to no matter what day I'm having and no matter what ship it is. I love all of our threads and I'm always so happy and excited to see an elle reply in my alerts waiting to be read and responded to! I find it hard to wrap them because they are just so good! If I have a day where I don't feel like doing replies good chance I'll still pull up an Elle reply because it normally makes my day better 99.99999% of the time. The .1% doesn't exist, but it's including the slight possibility of error and the fact Elle will have something to refute that claim with.

THE GIRL I'D MOVE FURNITURE WITH I don't think there is anyone else I want around my side to do some of the heavy lifting and I don't mean that in the physical sense, but in the writing sense and the mental sense too (tho I don't need to see Kae in real life to know that she's strong). You know that saying about people who struggle in silence. I think that describes Kae because sometimes it's like using a crowbar in getting her to open up and to TALK. It is one of the most frustrating things. It's kind of like a treasure box when you have the box sitting right in front of you and it is impossible to open. Okay, half the battle was finding it. You have the map in front of you and when you finally find it, it is STILL locked. That's Kae. It was quite the struggle in getting her to be open to more plots like I knew where to find and how to find her, but actually getting to Kae felt impossible even though I had all of the directions in front of me. But once you put in the time and effort to get to know her.... like *really* know her, it's like discovering treasure. Not only is she one of the most dependable writers (like I said she will carry the heavyweight in all of her threads), but she is one of the best writers! I love reading her threads even if I'm not in them, they always leave me on the edge of my seat and that characterization *chef's kiss*. MAKES JOKES WITH BC HUMOR IS BAE Oh you know the one who tells the jokes when they are uncomfortable. It is a friends reference and the only one I could think of when I thought of Aria. She makes me laugh. She probably makes me laugh more than anyone especially during WTNWeek because of these videos. When I say read something in an Aria voice I mean it! She isn't really that awkward!! But I'm sure she'll say differently so YOLO. Aria doesn't know a stranger, she pops into your DMs and suddenly it's like you have known her all of your life. We have not known one another as long as I have known Kae and Elle, but she fits in so well. Her writing is beautiful and I love how she is in my DMs daily with inspiration for our ships. I started out with zero Aria ship and Aria made two new characters just to have ships with me and I love her for that. I can gush about how amazing she is because she is one of those people who will provide you comfort. If she knows you are having a bad day, she will send you something to make you smile and she'll remind you that she loves you. And I can't even tell you how having those videos during WTNWeek has made my days a little bit better! If I'm feeling frustrated or sad I just turn one on and it has made my day ten times better. It's funny how she is young, but she is kind of my teacher. She sends me videos to help me when I don't understand something and I am SORRY Aria because you've had to send a lot of videos lately, but I don't think the staff could have made a better decision in asking Aria to hop on board. She is always so helpful and the thing is -- she *wants* to help. She wants to pitch in. She always puts her best foot forward and I love that. And cand we talk about those posting and organization skills #swoooon MY SMELLY CAT In reality I am probably singing this song to Jasmine, but I feel like you'd join in sooo here we go. I wanna preface and say I am not calling Bela a smelly cat! But she speaks in references I don't understand sometimes and sometimes she talks about these weird noises she makes so I think this description is perfect for her. Bela came into WTN and I normally have trust issues BUT I trusted my gut and Prudy is one of my favorite characters on the board. We have been trying to get her cousin on board for as long as I can remember. Prudy deserves all of the good things so I really wanted Bela to stay on board. I threw her practically everything I could think of and I am so glad I did because it has allowed us to get close over the years.

Bela and I have created some fun dynamics over the years between readie being the superior of them all, but we also created dynamics that I never expected to create like Manny, Sieun, and Dylya. They have come to be some of my FAVORITE pairings. It's kinda funny we often joke about how we only have one ship on the board, but it feel like we have a billion. Bela always enjoys sending me music, it's like when she knows I need some writing music, and that's part of the ways she fits into my comfort. Bela is a listener. She listens and she is one of those people who are easy to talk to. I enjoy sharing headcanons and future headcanons and character ideas that we won't create but would like to! I like that she is open and she is honest with me - if she is having a bad day then she'll let me know. But I also think we've talked so much that I can just tell.We are comfortable with one another and I absolutely LOVE it.

I know confetti has been going on for a while, but there are not many people you write with and write WELL with but I have found multiple people I LOVE writing with and I absolutely LOVE talking to. I have found my person (lol more like loml), my partner-in-crime (like if I'm going to go to jail I need her in my corner), my cheerleader (and child), and my ship in the night (lol, we gotta be on at the right time and at the right time to talk).

[malexfan10]

Malex thoughts

I was watching some old episodes of Dawson's Creek and it made me want to get some thoughts out. I watched a lot of TV shows growing up. For me, the couples I liked were either ones I casually rooted for or on the rare occasion, a couple took me by such surprise that I became extremely emotionally invested. Malex is the latter.

I've been a fan of Captain Swan (OUAT), Stydia (Teen Wolf), Kurt & Blaine (Glee), Buffy & Angel and lots more. The rare pairings I've been completely lost on, I can name on one hand. Pacey & Joey (my first OTP), Chandler & Monica and Malex. I'd say Destiel on Supernatural too but with them, everything is subtext. I don't think the writers will have the guts to go there, not even with the show ending.

With PJ, I love how they started as antagonists, became really great friends, and then fell in love. For me, PJ vs DJ was incomparable. DJ brought out the worst in each other (my opinion) while PJ showed each other what love was supposed to be. The only thing I hated about DC was the constant back & forth between the two pairings. It lasted until the final moment when you realized PJ was endgame (one of my fears for Malex). I hated that but I was a kid so it didn't bother me as much as it would now.

I loved Chandler & Monica because they started out as friends who fell in love, got married and had all the moments in between before adopting a set of twins. I loved their story because it showed their entire journey. True, the show was a comedy but their story didn't end in season 5 when they started dating. Their story just began.

It's hard understanding writers who feel that only the journey matters. Of course it does. The journey is important. It's what makes you root for a couple but the destination and what happens after is important too. It makes you continue rooting for them, seeing all that angst and pain amounting to something substantial in the end.

So as much as I loved PJ, the fact that they kept us guessing until the last 5 minutes before we realized who she chose was too much. The long, drawn out, multi-season, will they/won't they storytelling style is one I'll never be a fan of.

Which leads me to Malex.

They were two broken boys, both brought up under horrible circumstances, who found the missing piece of themselves in each other. When Alex gave Michael a warm and safe place to stay, it was probably the first act of true kindness Michael had ever experienced and it was made by a boy whose pain and suffering mirrored his own. How incredibly heartbreaking but beautiful is that? That initial bond, that "cosmic" connection stood the test of time. Separated for 10 years and it felt like no time had passed at all.

That first moment in the pilot episode outside his Airstream, you could feel the tension. I remember reading interpretations of that scene. People thought Malex were cold and angry with one another "probably over a girl". Are you kidding me? That tension could only be romantic. But that first kiss at the reunion was when I hopped on the Malex Forever train. One stop only. Endgame.

They set them up so amazingly in the first three episodes. The angst was there but you could also feel the deep love between them. They weren't shown as two guys who had a fling back in high school and then crossed paths again 10 years later, said what the hell and hooked up again. No, they were shown as soulmates. Their level of connection even scared and confused them but they both knew it existed. Their love was pure and true and rare.

With all their history and with so many odds already stacked against them, the writers deciding to throw in a triangle just because they could and doing it in such a rushed and messy way really made me scratch my head.

Carina said she loved the triangle on DC. I honestly think she was the only one. That show was incredibly divided, DJ vs PJ. But as much as I hated the constant back and forth, I'll give the DC writers some credit. Joey's feelings for both were fully touched on. I saw her romantic feelings for Pacey more profound and her feelings for Dawson as true friendship (just my opinion), but both sides were shown in depth.

The problem with Roswell? Where did those feelings come from between M&M? They shared a moment when Maria cried and I took that as the start of a wonderful friendship. I was obviously wrong. They hooked up in the desert. OK I hated it but they were two single people and Maria didn't know about Alex so I accepted. All of a sudden, the feelings were real and Maria was conflicted because of how strong her feelings were. Michael chose to be with Maria because he needed something fresh and new and according to the wonderful Vlamis, someone he also had strong feelings for (still hate that last interview LOL).

I understand where Michael was coming from a little better, as much as I hate it and hate how he went about it by leaving Alex just waiting. He'd been through so much trauma and Max and Isobel kept telling him to stop looking to the past (which, really Max? If someone told you that about Liz, would you listen?? But he died so he gets a pass). But as far as Maria's feelings are concerned, I feel like I missed something.

Between episodes 9 and 10, did the M&M feelings bloom overnight from flirty banter to crush to "OMG this is love"? Was their moment in the desert that mind-blowing that the weirdness of episode 11 happened? I don't get it.

The one thing going against M&M is that Malex is overwhelmingly loved and has been embraced by fans and critics alike.

One critic said it best when they reviewed the finale (Vulture).

"I was intrigued by the possibility of Michael/Maria at first, but the love triangle has been so rushed — with so little time spent on Maria’s developing feelings for Michael — that it’s ended up just making her look terrible. We know from Maria’s conversation with Liz that she hasn’t even spoken to Alex about the situation because she feels too guilty, and so having her accept Michael with open arms is such an odd note. Sure, she doesn’t know Alex is waiting for Michael right at the same moment, but she does know that he’s been in love with Michael for a decade."

And therein lies the problem. A lifelong friendship ruined over a guy (unless Carina makes Alex give his blessing next season which would really make me scream) to push forward a pairing that had little development and makes Maria look bad. One side of the triangle is Michael's soulmate and the other side is the friend with sudden feelings. Not the best character development which is sad because we know how awesome Maria can be and as mad as I am with her, her character that I enjoyed until episode 10 and the actress deserve better. But instead of being original, the writers chose the path always taken. They chose to use her as the odd end of a triangle where, unless they want everyone to hate the show, she will likely be the one forced out so Malex can eventually reunite and for what? Drama?

Season 1 started out really strong and it still had a lot of strong moments in the latter episodes (end scene of episode 9 between Malex, Liz & Jenna being kickass in episode 11, all of episode 12 - my fave of the season, Kyle's confrontation with Jesse etc).

But honestly, I feel like the inclusion of this triangle (amongst other reveals like Noah as the 4th alien) somewhat brought the story down. The writing for M&M felt OOC and was messily done.

Only in recent years have LGBT pairings started becoming more mainstream, given better development and importance in the overall story. With Malex, they have the potential of making Michael and Alex one of the greatest love stories on TV. As much as I love the show, I'm not saying Roswell is on the same level as Breaking Bad or The Sopranos etc. But from all the pairings on the show, Malex is the most profound and has the potential to go down as one of the best on TV. To overcome everything they've been through and still choose each other and their love would be the ultimate happy ending because unlike most male/female pairings that go through mostly regular angst, being two males in a small town, Malex have a whole other level of obstacles to face. That doesn't even include their personal history, the fact that Michael is an alien or that Alex's father is the cause of so much pain between them. Or the fact that Alex is a disabled war veteran. I mean, there is so much amazing points to their story. They are the OTP of OTPs.

But so far, it feels like the triangle is the only major roadblock the writers want to concentrate on and that's the biggest mistake of all.

Season 2 hasn't aired yet. We don't know how little (🤞) or how long (😢) M&M will last. We'll just have to wait and see how it goes and hope that Twitter Carina is not the same as Season 2 showrunner Carina.

But for me, Malex will always be each other's endgame. That's what I saw in the first 3 episodes. That's what I saw in the flashbacks. That's what I saw in Caulfield. Try and convince me differently, show. You'll fail.

❤

[cliquestitsandicks]

Tracking Kat

Episode 1: Kat is mourning the end of her relationship with Adena. It has been 5 weeks since the breakup in Paris. She's still looking at old pictures of them and posted one. She still hasn't sent Adena's equipment to her, even though Adena has been texting her asking for it. By the end of the episode, she's admitted to (in order) Alex, Patrick, and Jane & Sutton that she is not okay. She is still sad about the end of her relationship. Alex tells her "you're so hard on yourself. You got your heart broken. There's no expiration date on heartbreak. You move on when you're ready to move on and when you *are* ready, you will find someone amazing. Someone who will never leave." Then Patrick is an entitled, invasive dick. She told her girls she wasn't ready for it to be real yet and that's why she hadn't told them... but she broke down in front of them. She'd finally accepted it was over. End of the episode, she makes an instagram post exposing her vulnerability to the world and packs up Adena's things for good.

Episode 2: Kat injects Jane for fertility treatment. She is very familiar with Jane's reproductive system at this point - best friends. She learns the Wild Susan, a club Adena took her to that became a safe space she frequents and which happens to be 1 of only TWO lesbian bars in the city, is closing. She learns the only reason it's happening is because developers want to gentrify the neighborhood. We learn Kat has a lawyer (not sure how that may come up later) that she met through the #BeReal campaign. Anyway, Kat throws a queer prom as a fundraiser to help save the Wild Susan. It ultimately fails because $42,000 in one night from poor people is a bit much. But it was a valiant effort and, as Kat learns, the gentrifiers were well aware of its impossibility. This episode is leading up to her political career. "I've been so into my feelings lately, it feels really good to challenge my energy into something that really matters". I am so proud of Kat. In Season 1, I would have worried she was avoiding her feelings, but the writers made a big deal of showing she's done the exact opposite of that in the prior episode.

Episode 3: Kat has been researching councilman Reynolds and he's a total piece of shit - helping gentrifiers, cutting funding to parks, and voting against paid maternity leave. She's fired up. Our girl is P A S S I O N A T E & informed! We meet the councilwoman for whom she plans to volunteer and her campaign manager, Tia. Tia's a tiny, bubbly boss with natural hair and a bright smile and we see Kat brighten up. We later learn she and Kat have more in common, both being NYU grads (actually overlapping while there) and both brilliant. Tia, however, is not from a wealthy and connected background. In their initial meeting, Kat tells Tia "I'm just looking for something to channel my rage and depression". Kat enlists her besties to help get the councilwoman to unseat problematic Reynolds. Sutton clearly sees something between Kat and Tia because she does a friend's background check (checking the social media) and tells Kat she looks very single to which Kat responds "it really doesn't matter because I'm still getting over Adena" and Jane seems skeptical of Kat's protestations with her silent smirk. We learn Kat has really soft lips. Kat is the voice of reason for Alex, being the first one to acknowledge the hypersexual "dangerous" Black man depiction that will likely be projected onto him if he admits he is the man in his friend's story. Then we see her naturally command the crowd at the rally. Again, I am so proud of Kat. She isn't holding back when she knows she should speak up. She's taking control of her narrative. She's fighting for what's right in a constructive manner. And now Tia, who has way more experience with this than Kat, is recommending she run for office.

Episode 4: We start the episode with Kat describing what would be her district and job description to her best friends. She's looking excited about the potential to do something that matters and really help people. In her conversation with the Toby (?. don't know, don't care), we get to see more of Tia being supportive of Kat and Kat being confronted with whether she's motivated to actually run or just wants someone to beat Reynolds. We learn Kat had an abortion in 2013 when she was 20 AS IS HER GOTDAMN RIGHT BECAUSE IT'S HER BODY, but it's something she's felt some sort of shame/concern over seeing as nobody close to her knew about it. Then, and this is so great, after telling her friends she has the conversation with Tia. Tia shares that she's had one as well and completely understands not wanting it to be public knowledge, but in sharing her experience educates Kat on yet another way vulnerable people are having their rights stripped, this time through manipulation and "crisis centers" that shouldn't exist. Tia remains supportive and doesn't pressure Kat at all with her decision. "I am by your side if they come for you, but you gotta do what's right for you". When we get that great speech from Jacqueline we see Kat being moved my the statement that you'll never know what you're capable of if you don't take a leap faith to face challenges that frighten you, then you'll never know what you're capable of. [i'd like to pause right now to say Jacqueline is fucking wonderful and i love her like my white auntie. also Sutton needed to hear that again just as much as Kat and i really appreciate this entire moment.] When Kat leaves Jacqueline's celebration, she passes by one of those "crisis centers" Tia told her about and decides to use her voice to help others. "I like to think of myself as a pretty strong, empowered, forward-thinking, open-minded woman. But, up until now, I haven't been able to talk about my abortion. If me putting myself out there helps even one woman to feel less alone, less ashamed, and less guilty then it's worth it." And just like us, dear Tia is blown away. She actually exhales a breath she didn't know she was holding and biiiiiiiitch (!!!! excitedly). and then they're dancing! This is the episode, upon rewatch, when i recognize how often Tia touches Kat unnecessarily.

Episode 5: Kat's entire recap includes Tia, ending with Sutton saying "she seems to be very single". Her very first scene, Tia is complimenting her walking out of some campaigning event we later learn was a Town Hall. Can we just talk about Kat's blazer for a second? First of all, i want it. Second, how did they find something so perfectly her? It's colorful but still semi-professional, fun, but still about her business. Heart-eye inducing. ok. So the next time we see Kat, she and Tia (whose last name they finally mention as Clayton) are reviewing campaign platform and doing debate prep at Kat's apartment. Tia's complimenting Kat almost continuously at this point. Clearly she's impressed, borderline gushing. and Kat tries to brush it off. Tia's not letting her. And there's this moment when Tia forces herself to break eye contact with her (around 5:40 of the episode). The show tells us Kat still hasn't dated since Adena, but Sutton brings up the "stupid smile" she gets whenever Tia's mentioned. She's making better decisions than Patrick and her being compared to Patrick is lowkey happening a lot. I'm starting to wonder if they're setting up Kat taking over digital if she doesn't win the campaign. Ok, the song choice as they pan to Kat and Tia... "I never normally check my phone 10 times in a minute. I'm not the girl to be kept on hold 10 miles from the finish." Again, Tia is very touchy with Kat, never anything inappropriate of course, but the hand is always on the back or the arm. and their interaction is just.. lovely. I squeal. it's so cute. they're so comfortable. Kat invites Tia to the dinner BEFORE (i got the timing on that mixed up before) Tia says she's "a boring straight girl" [the test determined that was a LIE... nah, my good sis Tia is dealing with some internalized homophobia which is no joking matter, but we don't learn that until the next episode]. Apparently, Kat can cook now? So she just liked Adena's food better i guess? idk... anyway. I get why some of the things Tia said can be taken as flirting, but i still believe that you accept what someone says is their sexuality until they say otherwise. yes, that's even when they're saying things like "when i see what i want, i go for it" and "Annndd she can cook. it's hot" and looking at you like that. Kat telling Jane to apologize because he's her boss and she got suuuper disrespectful and would absolutely deserve getting fired makes me proud. She's the mature friend now. She's the one with a level head on her shoulders. Kat finally makes her feelings known to Tia, but this is after Tia has already stated she's straight. Tia reiterates that this is a professional relationship and apologizes for Kat getting the wrong idea. I'm reminded of when Alex Danvers told Maggie Sawyer she was into her and she was rejected... but in that example i was floored and heartbroken for Alex because ugh, i just didn't see that coming. With this, however, it felt like Tia was clear in her words even if it shocked the hell out of me what the words were. So i didn't feel heartbroken for Kat. I thought... tbh... she brought it on herself for refusing to respect Tia's "no", however soft it was. But the writers did let us know it wasn't over with the music selection... Kat looking at "You and Tia make a great team :)" as "I'll go to war for you" plays.

Episode 6: All the emails have been released and Kat has no worries at all about that because she's a professional. And we get to see her be a boss addressing the entire group. Patrick isn't there this episode (YAY for our sanity!) and i think Kat being a boss so often when Patrick isn't around is intentional. When we see Tia, she says last night is forgotten but she thinks it's a bad idea to remain Kat's campaign manager... which is clearly a hard rejection. One can argue that it's too harsh for someone merely admitting they were into you. But it's just as easy to argue that it's appropriate after telling someone, very clearly, that you are not into them romantically and them ignoring that and saying that you were flirting with them on this date they never called a date before you were already there?? so i'm not mad at it. At the end of the episode, we find out that Tia was rejecting herself, not Kat. Turns out, Ms. Tia Clayton has known she's attracted to women since she was in high school, but she "didn't want to want it". Tia is so TINY AND ANXIOUS ABOUT HER SEXUALITY AND MANY OF US HAVE BEEN THERE. But... and i say this in jest... for someone who is really trying not to be out in the open with her gay, she sure was comfortable kissing Kat all outdoors for anyone to see. My good sis is smitten. I'm excited for the story. Again with the music during their scenes though... "I cannot fallll in love with youuuuu. I cannot feeeeel this way so soon, so soon." Also, my girlfriend and I have watched the gifset of the kiss over the phone and swooned (we live in different states for now). This episode, we also got the flashbacks (i missed Lauren so much). Kat's got red streaks in her hair, is a friend to strangers, has regrettable sex with men who taste like pickles, and is cute as a button. She also called Jacqueline "Mama Jackie" and that's it; that's her name now.