#it actually lacks a lot of stuff from s4 but

[doughliciousfrosting]

Your tmnt au meeting Monkey kid and the gang?

I think you're talking about my 2012 TMNT designs? Which I understand, theyre really far from canon HELPP but they're not really an au 😭 or they were never really meant to be. Anyways I have a lot of thoughts and I could explain why I picked each character and paired them up with each other and if I can I'll definitely draw the rest of them!!

I'll explain right now why I paired Mei with Donnie and Tang with April

First and foremost though,

⚠️ NONE OF THESE ARE SHIPS ⚠️

With that out of the way I'll start with why I paired Mei and Donnie. I like to think that Mei is a super good builder and tbh, this is actually pretty canon. We see her rebuild her bike in S1 Ep 3 and in S1 Ep1 she's also the one who builds their secret fortress which is INCREDIBLY made. With this information in mind it can be quick to assume Mei is a pretty good mechanic! In S3 of 2012 TMNT we know that Casey and Donnie spend a lot of time in the small barn out back working on stuff both seperately and at times together! While I do think Casey can understand some of the tech jargon Donnie talks about (as long as it relates to car parts) I don't think Casey can really understand the technical stuff. I think Casey's knowledge probably comes from self taught experience, as a result he can identify each part and what they do but not the technical terms for them and professional blueprints for things and stuff. Which is why I think Donnie would be absolutely ecstatic to have someone able to read his work!! And like I said earlier Mei is really good with tech as we see a lot in the earlier seasons before they delved hard into mystic magic and stuff. I would have paired Mei with Casey but I have other ideas grrr!!! If people are interested I'll explain more.

Moving on to why I paired Tang with April! I kinda rewrote April a lot HELP I think her writing had a lot of problems so I just changed stuff lol. I like to think that the reason April tried so hard to prove herself and stuff was because she doesn't want to be useless. I feel like she gets sorta babies a lot (mainly by her father) and it makes her want to overachieve to prove a point, prove that she's grown and that she's perfectly capable of handling herself. The problem though is the years of fighting experience she lacks. In a normal situation April can 100% take care of herself but in ones where she faces opponents with a lifetime's experience in combat versus her measily 1 and a half years the difference is huge. And on top of this April has to figure out her psychic powers, which in S4 literally blew up in her face. I just think she struggles with feeling inadequate, when she does something she wants to be the best and it's hard for her to feel like she has a place in the team when everyone else seems not to struggle the way she does in battle. She just tends to forget the difference in fighting experience even though they're all the same age. Anyways, being unsure of ur worth on the team and struggling with your powers seems like it would be right up Tang's alley!! Tang in S3 Ep8 has a huge tipping point where we see he struggles with self doubt and feeling like he isn't needed. Then later when he discovers he has powers he struggles to control them and get them to do what he wants. I think Tang reassuring April is just a really nice gesture!! Especially since Tang and April are like the most human out of the rest of the group (excluding Casey but he struggles in a different way). I think in a group full of spectacular talents, it's easy to feel ordinary which is a thought I think plagues Tang and April's minds while their characters develop. I tried to keep this short so I hope it makes sense ahhh if you're still reading you're totally awesome and cool!!!

[thatbeeagain]

I know there are a lot of people wondering about all the other 30-40 something people with marigold running around in the world so I'm gonna give my personal theory that nobody asked for.

(For the record, I hated the ending/plot of s4 as much as the next guy, this is just how I'm justifying it to myself.)

At the end of season 3, we see the marigold being sucked out of the Umbrellas (except Allison, and with Sloane and Ben too) BEFORE the universe is reset. In one of the teasers for season 4, Five explains that this is why they no longer have their powers, but I'm assuming the writers just threw that out of the window for plot convenience (as they do quite consistently). In season 4, we see all the Umbrellas (+ Ben) powerless, including Allison, implying that the RESET is what caused their lack of powers.

Aside from the fact that this ignores a whole bunch of stuff from the ending of season 3, it's kind of boring. I would've loved going into a season 4 where Allison doesn't know the others lost their powers, or if she still had hers at all because she refused to use them.

Even then, whatever, they chose to write it differently, that's fine (aside from the fact they didn't pull it off but at this point who even gives a shit).

The fact that Allison doesn't have her powers either is actually key here, because while she was present, she was standing by while the others got the marigold sucked out of them. To me, this means that ANYBODY with marigold in them would've had it removed in the reset. This includes the however many other people originally had superpowers, which is why the cleanse only had to "consume" (for lack of a better word) the Umbrellas, who had ingested marigold in the current timeline.

Does this make sense? Probably not. Could it be canon? Who knows at this point, the writers were on some hardcore shit this season. Why did the reset not also get rid of Jennifer's Durango? Who the fuck knows!

Sorry this is really long, I just keep seeing people asking about the other marigold children and this was just what I always assumed.

Thanks for bothering to read this if you did. Good job or something idk.

[riveracheron]

hey guys have my wild magnus protocol theory that stemmed from me just overanalyzing the little bits of content we have

i think lena is a homunculus.

(spoilers for the pilot and jonny + alex’s post pilot discussion under the cut)

basically this stems from. a lot of places w small amounts of information so some of this might be stretches. But

1. a lot of marketing around protocol mentions the theme of “what does it mean to be a person?” which. leads me to believe there’s gonna be a plot around a protag being Not Human but has the heart or whatever the fuck. standard pinnochio or wizard of oz story. sure youre not human but ur a person bc of xyz free will or whatever

2. lena’s behavior in the pilot is So odd and almost inhuman in its extremely dull corporate jargon way. she literally uses things like “you can file a complaint” or “here at the oiar we….” (advertiser shit) , in genuine conversation. she doesn’t leave the building, either and has a Generic office party.

im genuinely thinking bureaucracy and the weird eldritch stuff of the oiar is Literally all she knows, not that shes being manipulative and evil in the trailer like elias; she doesn’t or maybe cannot question the whole. asking sam about the eldritch trauma thing, something something cant understand human emotions and why that might be troubling.

also “people like chocolate cake.” that sounds weird and something someone with only base knowledge of humanity would say.

she’s described as “an odd one” by jonny and that we will “get her soon”. im under the full belief that shes the non-human character of the bunch thatll yknow. have the Real Boy plot

3. homunculus specifically comes from all the alchemy shit around protocol, and homunculi are some of the most famous alchemical creations in popular culture, and i think she’s not. an entity creation. lenas too much of an important character to just be like. tied to An Entity, as a main character extremely tied to the OIAR, that entity would have to be the basis of like the entire plot of protocol; which i doubt theyd do.

the eye is so important to archives because the themes of archives was the consequences of knowledge- the entire plot was engineered around the Eye as the Main Character Entity and the Eye was written to be that in turn, sorta similarly to how Griffindor is the Main Character House (TM) of HP with its themes of bravery. i doooont think the oiar is tied to the stranger or flesh or any other simulacrum creating entities.

all that to say i think lena is a different kind of artificial human, one that’s manmade rather than entity made yknow?

we get glances of the people above her in status, theres mentions of an ephemeral “he” in the pilot, so. heres what i think

the He in question is an alchemist whose in charge of the OIAR (and maybe other branches but lets focus w the oiar). He created Lena the homunculus to be the middle manager of the branch in his stead; “programming” her to be as dull and corporate as possible to keep the employees in line or whatever. something something shes got a plot wrestling with that and her inherent lack of persondom

EDIT: totally forgot this part

adding that the first statement’s plot was about an abomination of corpses given a humanlike shape and coming back wrong which is. exactly what frankenstein’s monster is, and frankenstein’s monster is considered a homunculus.

with the anglerfish’s importance to season 3 of archives i definitely think the Arthur monster will come up again in some form, but maybe instead of Actually being In Podcast maybe its a parallel to the main characters’ story in the same way that many s4 statements were used to give us more information on how jon is working through it all. the zombie statement when he just wakes up comes to mind especially. maybe it’s a hint and echo of what a Character in podcast (lena) is

[starbylers]

Mike’s lack of personal journey in a Mlvn reading of the show: why so many people complain about Mike’s character

Something just occurred to me…I actually would challenge any Mlvn to tell me about a character motivation/internal conflict of Mike’s that does not revolve around El. What struggles does Mike as a person deal with throughout the series? When trying to build an effective, realistic, well-rounded character you can’t have their biggest fear be ‘loosing this particular person’ as Mlvns love to claim is Mike’s. As a writer you have to understand your character’s deepest desires and what drives them at their core, they cannot be purely motivated by an external force. A character such as that will feel hollow, boring and difficult to connect with. This is basic character development stuff.

Examples (simplified to get the point across):

For the whole show, El struggles with finding her place in a world where she feels fundamentally different

For most of the show, Will struggles with his sexuality and feeling like a ‘mistake’

Dustin in s2 deals with his self-esteem and understanding that he is good enough even if he doesn’t have a girl’s approval

Lucas in s4 wrestles with a desire to be popular and to ‘fit in’ which we see him overcome

Max in s4 deals with depression and the process of wishing to no longer be here to realising she actually wants to live

But…what about Mike? A brief Mlvn interpretation of everything he does through the show and why he does it:

S1: he saves and looks after El because he fell in love with her. He also looks for his friend Will.

S2: he is heartbroken because El is not with him anymore, and then madly in love again once she’s back.

S3: he has ups and downs with El because teen relationships are just like that, and then they get back together because they’re truly in love. He’s also too in love with his girlfriend to care about his old interests.

S4: he fights with El because all couples fight, and then rescues her from Nina while taking friendly advice from Will. Finally he confesses his love, which he didn’t do before because he’s terrified to lose her oh and he’s not good at feelings (but they won’t digger any deeper into that last one 🤐).

Like…yeah they acknowledge Mike also helps with the supernatural stuff, he’s smart and observant. He generally takes charge of the group and looks out for his friends, and (at least in earlier seasons) he’s the leader. But those are character traits. Everyone has them. (Max is sarcastic and kinda scary when she needs to be, Dustin can be cocky but is highly intelligent, Lucas is very headstrong and follows his own judgement, Will is sensitive and empathetic). I’m talking about character conflicts/journeys. Can they tell us what journey Mike has gone on as his own person???

And this, this is why lots and lots of people complain that Mike’s character revolves around El (especially since they started dating). This is why people say Mike is the Duffer’s self-insert and is just meant to be a blank slate relatable character. This is why Mlvns characterise him as El’s obsessed loser boyfriend. Because if you view the show through a Mlvn lens then yeah, Mike looks utterly two-dimensional with no drive other than screeching El El El when she’s in danger (sorry it had to be said).

The problem is when you try to dig into what Mike’s deeper motivations could possibly be, it gets very bad for Mlvn very fast:

‘Mike is scared to lose El because he’s worried she won’t need him’

Let’s detach El from that and figure out the root of this problem, what is really going on with Mike here (we already know but just for the sake of my point), because he is a character in his own right and this was a large focus of his story last season.

What do we know? Mike expressed feelings of worthlessness (‘I’m just some random nerd...’) and feelings of inferiority (…‘who got lucky superman landed on his doorstep’) in his relationship. He acknowledges that his and El’s relationship was fundamentally built on her just needing someone. Also, throughout the series we see Mike has a strong desire to help and serve and save those close to him, it’s who he is.

Mike is so clearly driven by a need to feel needed and fears being an unimportant nobody. He doesn’t think he’s special or useful next to El and it hurts him, his self-esteem is very, very low. But Mlvns never acknowledge that, because that would require admitting that a) Will’s words in the van showed he recognises & loves the Mike as the brave and inspiring leader he wants to be, and in doing so soothed Mike’s personal insecurities (because those do exist, and the talk wasn’t just ‘relationship advice’) and b) Mlvn’s relationship makes Mike feel shitty.

Another example:

Common Mlvn interpretation: ‘Mike was spending all his time with El in s3 because he’s in love with her and he is growing out of childish games’

What do we know? (1) Mike didn’t truly loose interest in DnD, he just neglected his interests when he got into a relationship, super healthy (2) He tries to act cool around El (‘Sorry that made me sound like a 7 year old�� / feigning disinterest in Dustin’s inventions) (3) When arguing with Will, Mike frames him getting a girlfriend as being the inevitable progression of life, the opposing choice from ‘sitting in his basement playing games’…but then he joins Hellfire in s4…as soon as El leaves. He didn’t truly believe anything he was saying to Will, he just can’t juggle being himself and having a gf simultaneously 😬.

Mike’s internal conflict here is clearly feeling like he has to grow up, and has to suppress his true identity in the name of achieving that. (And this continues somewhat into s4 with the fake, not-at-all-his-style Cali outfit in El’s fav colours). But again, understanding that requires understanding that Mlvn as a couple is not a safe space for Mike to be himself, and what Mlvns characterise as a normal teenage ups and downs is actually indicative of an unhealthy relationship.

Basically what I’m saying is it makes so, so much sense why Mike is one of the most disliked characters among the GA (aside from like the actual villains) and why he always ends up on those stupid lists. People are sick of him existing just to be El’s love interest. And that is not true in the slightest, but when you aren’t looking deeper than Mlvn…yeah it does look pretty bad, and I understand where they’re coming from. And as much as we say El is the one who Mlvns are obsessed with making everything about her boyfriend, the real victim of this treatment from them is Mike. Even his heart-to-hearts with Will are actually Mike thinking about El, apparently.

This is another reason why I’m so sure about Byler because Mike is essentially the original main character (aside from El I guess). I’m sorry but there’s no way he is the only one the writers managed to mess up this badly when they are capable of adding deeper personal development to characters who are much less central to the story. Even Finn himself said we’ve not been as personal with Mike recently but s5 will remedy that and people will be happy with his journey. The day Mlvns and GA are forced to look deeper at Mike’s personal internal conflict outside of how it relates to El is the day I will know peace 🙏🏽

[spilledmilkfkdies]

Hi, me again! I was just wondering, following the ‘what if the wizards were actually surrendering’ ask, if the wizards really did give up fairy hunting, what do you think they’d do? (Sorry if I’m sending you too many asks, I just really like your takes.) Thank you!

Hiii sorry it took me a sec to get to this one!! I'll put a link to that ask right here for anyone who's wondering, since it's been a bit. Never worry about sending too many asks either, like I said a while back; I'll get to them eventually! If it takes some time before you hear back from me, sincerely <3 My bad <3 Was a little occupied with another fandom this time and actively participating in both got to me djsksdk

Moving on though!

In my mind they've really already been living normally, like between locking away the fairies and Roxy's magic making itself known I mean- Of course the logistics of it are a bit um. All over the place. Considering they're immortal, sort of. Do they have legal documents? Real or fake? Did they have any mortal friends and how would that work? And JOBS?? The way none of these are obstacles for Duman btw, that's why they killed him, they didn't want him to roam and do whatever anymore. Real and Canon.

Now in a post-alt ending-S4 timeline, the one where they did surrender, do we assume that they just can't use their magic, or that they don't have it anymore? Because that'd probably change the way they live afterwards pretty drastically. Aside from the fact some of them heavily depend on magic more than the others (Ogron and Duman get help smh), HORRENDOUS case scenario, they might all be mortal. For the sake of my own mental health though, I'm just gonna say they do still have magic and are in fact not mortal, just give them a fairy parole officer, some magic blocking thing, keep them around and use them for "good" stuff after a rehabilitation period or something. That's what I'd prefer anyway.

What would they be doing during said rehabilitation period? Started out as a bit of a shared joke, but tbh Anagan model career WHEN. He'd struggle with the lack of useable magic the least too, so he'd probably thrive during the whole thing more than the others, and as he should. Besides Anagan I don't have a whole lot ngl- I mean, I'd like to think Duman had lots of jobs back in the day, not sure if I mentioned that before, but I might make a separate post if I didn't, just because I have thoughts but other stuff to talk about rn sjsjksk

Ogron and Gantlos don't have a lot either MY BAD, but I do think Ogron might be more likely to have friends, maybe surprisingly. Meanwhile Gantlos has a bigger chance of being able to hold down a stable job. What job? Great question! I'm not sure yet. If that changes I'll be sharing with the class!

Moving on once again!! What could the "good" stuff I mentioned above be exactly? Education.

Correct me if I'm wrong. But are there no. Wizard or witch school on Earth?? I know they ended up opening a fairy school later on, but those aren't the only magic users suddenly learning of the dormant magic in their roots. Let's take the comic character Gregory for example. He learns he's a wizard, he tries to enroll into a wizard school(?) off planet. Nothing inherently wrong with going to a school off planet- The Winx did it too, lots of magic users do it, what is wrong though, is being turned down and having no alternatives. And even worse?? They tell him it's because. There's a darkness in him?? Or something?? I could excuse it slightly more if it was a case of "Oh your magic is dark aligned and this is a light magic school" because wizard canonically are known to be both, right? But aside from the fact that, again, there are no alternatives for him, as far as he knows, telling a newly awakened magic user that he's basically too evil to teach is CRAZY I'm sorry??

Here's where I cutely insert the Wizards of the Black Circle. Have them become the place to go when your magic energy alignment is dark (because it doesn't inherently have to mean evil and they're worthy of education in this essay I) on Earth, or even just. Any magic user who isn't a fairy. Just give them another Terrestrial option, options are always good. I think that'd be really neat.

You might sit here and go "The evil wizards are gonna teach the next generation of wizards? Could history not repeat itself??" Well. Yeah. But are the Terrestrial fairies not teaching their next generation now too? The same fairies who canonically turned on humanity at some point? These are all 'what if' scenarios, I'd just like to think that with proper communication this time around, things will be different and both fairy and wizard get to work towards that together. I'm normal and have slept a reasonable amount.

[all-pacas]

do you ever think about chase vs kutner replacing house... i got the vibe that they were setting up kutner to be house's successor and then had to switch to chase. his character arc in s8 was a little sudden if i remember correctly (havent seen it in like a year lolsies) but it was also really interesting. but also i love kutner and i can imagine him running a department with a lot more gusto than chase. interesting to wonder if kutner would continue the cycle of (weird) abuse like chase presumably does, or if things would be different with him in charge

I mean, I hope this isn't a hot take, because I think Kutner was great, but there was no way he was ready to take over for House any time soon. It was a running joke that he was a massive liability; he kept pretty consistently making pretty severe mistakes (setting people on fire!). And he also had a real creative brilliance, he was smart as hell and had a ton of potential, but he was nooooot anywhere near a leader. He'd have made a great number two, though. And it's possible with a few more years of development, he would have gotten better, but to be honest most of the time to show was setting up Foreman to be the true successor, not Kutner or Chase.

Which I think says a lot about what the show thinks — and House thinks, maybe — about what the "next House" should be. I think Foreman is hands down the smartest of the fellows on like, a testing level. He lacks the Chase/Kutner/House creative spark, but he's always set up as the Smart One, someone whose brains House respects from day one, someone who has entire character arcs about being like House and not wanting to be. And over time the show drifted away from that, and became more aware of his flaws. We also know that he was never planned on becoming the New Cuddy, they were floating bringing back one of the S4 rejects for the role for a while, they didn't plan on Cuddy leaving. I think that Foreman was planned on being the successor. That's almost stated from S1.

And in a way I think it's bad writing, because the show did lean more into him having a pathological need to be in charge, and because it tended to humble him by having him kill patients, which, uh, undermines the "he's the best doctor" thing by a lot. The fact that Foreman as Dean of Medicine makes so much sense feels kind of… telling? It feels right for him to be an admin and a boss instead of a Creative Genius Doctor, you know?

Likewise, Chase taking over was definitely a S8 thing. I was looking at the dates and airdates and stuff: Hugh Laurie announces he's not continuing the show, and the very next episode to air is Nobody's Fault, followed by Chase. The episode after those is one where everyone agrees Chase deserves to be "team leader;" Chase then gets a run of solving cases while House isn't around. Like, very clearly the show went "oh, fuck, we have 14 episodes left of the series," and one of the main tasks was setting up Chase as House's successor. And I think it does actually fit well, even if it's obviously rushed. Even if it was an accident, he did have the best solve rate of the fellows, and there is something very fitting about it. (Honestly, if they weren't cowards, they wouldn't have fired Jennifer Morrison and we could have had an ending montage where the original kids literally emulate the grown ups: head of diagnostics, dean of medicine, and Cameron as a department head to slot in for Wilson. Imagine.)

SO ANYWAY. TL;DR part one: Chase being the successor wasn't planned at all, but I think it fits. Kutner, god love him, would have made an incredible number two (imagine him being Chase's #2), but I really don't think he was ready for leadership.

(To be fair, Chase also almost never got a chance to be a leader, although we do see him mentoring Park and Masters a bit and doing it well.)

(I'm gonna have to make a different post about a leadership tangent WATCH THIS SPACE)

As for Kutner's leadership style… honestly, I think he'd have so much fun. I think his fellows would have so much fun. I'm not sure how efficient they'd be (I don't picture Kutner as a big details and paperwork kind of guy), but his patients would love him too. It would be so nice.

[henrysglock]

“real ones left byler behind for greener ST pastures (the Creel/NINA plotline) because that shit is crack cocaine once you're in it”

People are interested in what they’re interested in. It seems like y’all are already predisposed to being more into that kinda stuff, and that’s totally fine- no offense, we all have our own taste! But it seems like you all took your lessened interest in byler/dissatisfaction with the fandom/lack of obsession with will/connection to henry and made into your whole personality while many of us haven’t left because we simply aren’t interested in the same things. You can’t make someone care about things more than they love byler.

The creel/nina stuff will never be crack cocaine to those of us who aren’t predisposed to it. personally, nina was my second least favorite part of S4 (I didn’t really like the flashbacks, which I found boring/repetitive), and the creel stuff IS interesting, but I only really care about the supernatural stuff as it relates to mike/will. And it’s cool while watching it, but it’s not what runs in my mind everyday with specificity. The characters do. And what converted me from being part of the GA- a passionate fan, but still GA (I was never active in the fandom during the off-season)- was byler. I’m here for the gays. And I think that’s true for a lot of us here.

What that opener tells me is that you missed my entire point with those tags.

The reblog I was replying to was saying that they left byler behind because ST4 wasn't good. I said I left byler behind for greener ST pastures because a) NINA is more interesting to me and b) that area of the fandom is less toxic. So...did you or did you not comprehend the context there?

It wasn't about:

"oughrghrghr byler BAD. byler BORING!!11!!!!111 find better plotlines LOSERS!!!! NINA BEST PLOT 4 EVER!!!!!"

It was about:

"Hey, just because I'm put off by the byler fandom because it's self-admittedly a toxic dump these days and I can see the ways bylers screwed themselves over as a fandom doesn't mean I think ST4 was bad. I just found a part of it that was better for me in general".

So you can take your "You can’t make someone care about things more than they love byler" and shove it, because that was never and has never been what I'm trying to do.

Also...I'm about to earn my title as "mean and condescending", because you've caught me in a special mood.

I genuinely don't care that you don't like the supernatural plot outside stuff that relates to M/W. I don't care that you favor characters over plot. I think favoring characters over plot, only being "here for the gays", and devaluing backstories/sub-plots or cherry-picking them for only what relates to your fave little gaybies is a detriment to your understanding of them. For example, the Russia arc isn't my favorite, but I still hype it up what for does irt subtext for the story as a whole, even as it relates to characters who aren't my favorites. I care about NINA because I care about Will's vanishing. I care about Will's vanishing because I care about NINA. You can't claim to care about the characters and then just cherry-pick your way through the plots for what you think relates to your faves, because it ALL contributes to the forces that shape your faves! If you actually cared about the characters outside of "ouaghh will we get to see the boys KISS 😳???", you'd care about the inner workings of the plot as a whole.

So, in short: skill issue.

So actually, to refute your point: I do care about Will. I just do it with a more nuanced lens than 99% of bylers. I care about him as both a character and as a cog in the plot. I care about his good moments and bad moments, and how his behavior/character development might tie into the progression of the overall plot and affect all the other characters. In fact, I'd argue I care about Will more genuinely and with more objective intellectual depth than 99% of bylers...and I'm able to do so because I understand and care about the plots that shape him.

And complaining about me making my connection to Henry my whole personality is so fucking funny coming from "I'm here for the gays". Unparalleled hypocrisy. Many such cases, unfortunately.

I'm dissatisfied with the fandom. That is very true. Shit like this is precisely the reason why. I'm so fucking fed up with this kind of self-centered, self-righteous behavior that's indicative of a fucking victim complex worth speaking to a psychiatrist about.

Now go back to obsessing over boys kissing and stop making harassing me your entire personality.

[dreamsandscenes]

My Thoughts On

FINN SHELBY

* Spoilers ahead for S1 - S6 of Peaky Blinders *

The way that Finn as a character was pushed aside and rendered useless 99% of the time is a shame. I wish Steven Knight had had different plans for him (or just any good plans at all would’ve been nice).

I do find the age gap between Finn and all the other siblings a bit too much. If we’re going by the wiki ages, which make sense within the show, Finn was born in 1908. This also must be his birth year, since in season 1 of the show, he says he’s about to be 11, and S1 starts in 1919. His oldest sibling, Arthur, was already 21, Tommy was 18, John was 13, and Ada was 11 when he was born. I can only imagine that the Shelby parents started having kids in their teens, because the age gap is massive. It would’ve made more sense for Finn to be Arthur or Tommy’s son, rather than their brother with that age gap.

It also drives a bit of a wedge between the older siblings and Finn, because Arthur, Tommy, John and Ada all grew up together. They experienced their difficult childhood together. Finn didn’t. Maybe this is part of the reason why I don’t see the same bond between Finn and his siblings as they all have with each other. Don’t get me wrong, they all loved him. I never doubted that. But as Finn grew into a man, I did wonder if all of them actually liked him.

We also know that Mrs Shelby died when Finn was a baby, and Mr Shelby left the family shortly after. Finn never had parents, but he had substitutes for those roles.

Polly was the only mother he ever knew. She raised him. That being said though, it did seem like when Michael came back into her life, Polly put Finn on the back burner. We didn’t really see much of them together at all, apart from in season 1. I don’t even know who Finn lived with in S3/S4, because he was still so young, he had to live with someone. I think Polly cared for him very well when he was a little boy, but once he got into his teens, and Michael was back in the picture, she didn’t seem to care as much. Maybe because he didn’t rely on her to take care of him so much because he was getting older, she took a step back, but I honestly don’t know why she didn’t seem to have more of an active role in his life from S2 onwards. Maybe we should just say it was a poor writing decision.

Both Arthur and Tommy seemed to fill the fatherly role in Finn’s life. They both looked out for him when they could. They, along with John when he got old enough, made sure to financially support Finn, and give him more than they had growing up. That being said, they weren’t the best role models. I mean, Finn was already doing cocaine at 13/14, something at least Tommy was apparently aware of. Granted, they didn’t necessarily understand the issues with cocaine at the time, but people knew it was a drug, and kids obviously shouldn’t be doing drugs, so I don’t know if Tommy should get a pass for that less than fantastic big brother behaviour.

After John’s death, Finn is clearly brought more into the Peaky Blinders fold, to fill the hole that John left behind. Unfortunately though, Finn lacked the ruthlessness that John had. He could never quite measure up. Perhaps because he never had to fight to get by, like his big brothers did, he didn’t have that drive to succeed. He just kind of skated by the whole time. He didn’t have the aptitude for violence that John had, so he disappointed Tommy/Arthur when it came to Peaky business because he couldn’t handle it, but that’s not really something I would blame Finn for. That’s more on his brothers for expecting & hoping that he’d be like John. Tbh, I don’t know why they didn’t just make him handle legitimate business, rather than the criminal stuff, because he clearly wasn’t suited to it.

I can’t really say a lot about his relationship with Ada, because I don’t remember any significant scenes between them, apart from the scene in 5x01 where Finn gets shot and talks to Ada for minute after the bullet is removed. It’s pretty brief though. You’d think he’d have more scenes with his only sister, and I think it could’ve been interesting to see the difference between his relationship with her versus his relationship with his older brothers, who he always felt like he had something to prove to.

In S6, we see that he gets married to a woman named Mary. We know nothing about Mary. She’s in maybe 2 scenes. We know nothing about their relationship. There’s no development or love story for them. I truly don’t know why this was included in the show because it added absolutely nothing. I can only assume that the marriage might have some sort of relevance in the movie. If it doesn’t, I just don’t see the point in including it all. It was a meaningless moment.

His friendship with Billy Grade is ultimately the thing that ruins him. He quickly becomes close friends with Billy when they work together. He trusted Billy, because he was always more trusting than his brothers, so he told him things he shouldn’t have.

By the time we get to the end of S6, where he has to choose between shooting Billy, or saving him by shooting Duke or Isiah, he has been friends with Billy for years. It doesn’t really feel like that as a viewer because of the time jumps between seasons, but Billy was presumably his best friend by that point. With that in mind, was I supposed to be surprised that he tried to shoot Duke to save Billy? He didn’t know Duke. Duke meant nothing to him. Isiah used to be his friend, but they seem to have drifted apart as they got older. Obviously he wasn’t going to choose Duke, or Isiah, over his friend.

If Tommy and Arthur were in that room, instead of Duke and Isiah, I think things would’ve happened differently. When faced with a choice between his brothers and his friend, I think he would’ve chosen his brothers. I definitely don’t think he would’ve ever pointed a gun at either of them or tried to shoot them. But when faced with a guy he barely knew and a friend he wasn’t that close to anymore, he chose Billy. Yes, Billy was an informant, albeit a reluctant one, but he wasn’t only that to Finn.

Do I think he deserved to be disowned by the family at the end of S6 for this decision? No. I think he should’ve been punished in some way, and moved to the legitimate side of the business, because he simply wasn’t smart enough to handle the criminal side of things. I just find it hard to imagine the Shelby’s disowning one of their own, even one that does stupid stuff like Finn. That’s still their baby brother. I don’t like that as Finn’s ending in the show. It was bad enough when SK turned Michael into an antagonist; I don’t want to see Finn meet the same fate in the movie.

I’m really hoping Finn isn’t an antagonist in the PB movie. I really don’t want to see that. I don’t think that one situation with Billy would fully turn Finn against his family anyway. Against Duke maybe, but not his brothers. If he is one of the villains in the movie, I’m going to be disappointed. I’d rather see his final ending in the movie be him coming back into the family, and in some way finally earning the approval of his brothers. Perhaps he could do the whole double agent thing, where the audience thinks he’s a villain, but he’s actually helping his family. I don’t know, I just want more from him as a character than an antagonist storyline.

That’s kind of the way I felt about Finn the entire series; I just wanted more from him. He was always falling a bit short as a character for me. Never quite hitting the mark. I hope that he can finally reach his potential in the movie.

[miraculousdeservesbetter2024]

Ships:

Chlonette

Adribrina

Lukalix

Characters:

Miss Bustier

Andre

Rose

Hmmm…🤔

Ships:

Chlonette

👍👍👍

My favorite Chloe OTP! On the surface, Chlonette might just look like your basic cute crackship or possible redemption/reformation story for Chloe, but thanks to this Chlonette server I'm in (with these awesome people I might add), Chlonette is a lot more complex and has more layers than you think. My reasons for shipping it are a possible Chloe redemption/reformation, Chloe can of course treat Marinette better, enemies to lovers (though in my case, it’s enemies, to hesitant friends, to friends and THEN to lovers), they generually look interesting together, and Chloe already has (or did have) a crush on Ladybug, so that's to assume if she had an crush on Ladybug, she might be her type.

Also, before S4-5, I saw Marinette (other than Miss Bustier, Sabrina, and possibly Adrien) being really the only one who truly understands Chloe. I feel that Mari being Ladybug is more prominent when it comes to this. Also, I feel that Marinette and Chloe are a lot alike when you really think about it when you take away their different upbringings. People dislike these two together for obvious and understandable reasons (the way Chloe canonically treats Marinette, Chloe's a bully, Marinette gave up on Chloe etc.), but I personally think it has potential (or at least it did, until canon/Astruc ruined it).

Adribrina

👍

Adribrina isn't a bad ship. Two friends of mine got me invested in this ship (and it also comes from the fact that I also ship Lukabrina). From what I’ve gathered, people ship because it’s “cat and dog” shipping and the lack of interactions these two had in the series. So basically it completely resonates from potential, which is understandable. I also think it would be a bit interesting to see these two interact.

Lukalix

👍

I prefer this ship as a strong friendship, but I’m perfectly fine with people shipping it. It has some potential and the two are holders of time-related miraculouses 😄

Characters

Miss Bustier

Eh…

👍👎

Sorry. I know it’s a copout, but I legitimately feel REAL indifferent on Bustier right now. Her teachings at first came off as wholesome and understandable, but once you really look into it, not only she’s an enabler to Chloe’s bad behavior, but throws her actual good student under the bus and doesn’t even bother to take up for her against Lila (Ladybug episode). Then later ends up throwing Chloe under the bus too once she starts to “finally understand Chloe’s true nature”. Which I GET the intent behind this, but I don’t like it because SHE’S one of the many adults who enabled her in the first place, but now she wants to give up on her!?

“BUT Chloe got her fired even though she’s pregnant!” It doesn’t matter? I’m not trying to sound cruel here (because that really is messed up), but I just think as the grown adult who choose to enable Chloe and gave her the benefit of the doubt (compared to what she did for her other students btw), does she really have the right to bail on her now??? I’m not trying to sound insensitive or unsympathetic of Bustier’s situation, but I just think it’s not all on Chloe. I don’t think Miss Bustier is a bad person, but some of the stuff she does is seriously questionable.

Andre

👎👎👎

I didn’t necessarily “hate” Andre in the past, but now? He’s a corrupt politician and a bad father who gave up on his own daughter AND replaced her with a girl who’s not even 💯 his. I also hate how he’s somehow more sympathetic than the 14 year old girl who he failed to raise property. It’s so dumb that it’s constantly said that Chloe is “evil” because she doesn’t want to lose her privileges, but who GIVES HER those privileges in the first place??? So that automatically falls on her PARENT.

Rose

👍

I like her! She’s not my favorite character, but she’s a sweet character who represents jubilation well. 

[spicybylerpolls]

I really can't unsee the sexual imagery now. This might have already been said (and if it has then I guess just ignore me? Lol) but - When Mike starts talking about the pen the unknown hero agent gave him. The pen that the unknown hero agent actually gave to Will, but whatever. And then he says "why would he give me a pen that didn't work?" He rushes over to Argyle, takes the pen and un-does it, revealing the number, and remarks. "It's the number. We've had it this whole time." Then, finally, when they go try and call the number they discover it wasn't a traditional landline, like they had expected, instead it was something newer, a modern idea, a computer they were calling.

Most interestingly, after Mike reveals the number from the pen, Argyle remarks "you got his digits man?" creating both a romantic and sexual undertone to the scene.

Aka - the pen is his dick, he doesn't know why it doesn't "work", when he finally comes to terms with his sexuality, he will realize it does work, "it's been here the whole time" and the reason it wasn't working was bc he wasn't attracted to what's traditional (girls) but instead whats new age (boys).

Unknown Hero Agent Man could even be seen as god in this symbolism, when Mike says "why would he give me a pen that doesn't work?" ((( This honestly makes me sad because it reveals a lot about Mike's character ☹️ and also would be proof that he's gay, not bisexual - sorry bi mike truthers )))

unknown, god is unknown

hero, god is idolized

agent = a person or thing that takes an active role, god is the creator

And lol, the unknown hero agent man (god) gives this pen to Will originally and then Mike takes ownership of it? Okay 😭

Also to be noted this happens right after Mike and Will's heart to heart where they talk about being afraid to reveal the truth. I was always so annoyed that Argyle cut him off. I wanted to hear what Mike was gonna say. Well, now I know, I guess. lol.

And see, I had already seen this symbolism through the lens of Mike's romantic feelings alone before, because it works there too. Never did I think about it in a sexual way until... I was introduced to this blog. And saw other posts about the sexual symbolism regarding Mike and Will's relationship, specifically in S4.

It's all just very interesting. How you can convey sexual themes without outright saying it. And honestly, I think that's nice. Because maybe we don't need these explicit scenes in every show, like Sex Education or something. Maybe we don't need it every season. But to remind people that yeah, this is a big part of their life, and specifically Mike and Will's struggle, through symbolism is great, honestly.

Also want to say that I hate that I feel I can't just post this on my own blog lol. I really hate that an open discussion about the literal themes in the show has to be censored. About something that is arguably the most natural thing in the world. Especially when this isn't even really referring to sex itself but rather Mike's struggle with it and would be such a big contribution to the byler fandom overall...

Anyway that was super long, sorry. Would love to hear thoughts about this?

Do you think Mike talking about the unknown hero agent man and the pen he gave to him is symbolism that Mike is frustrated about his sexual feelings for women (or lack thereof?)

1. Yes

2. No

3. Unsure

4. Possibly

Please note that the purpose of this blog is not to be creepy or to make anyone uncomfortable. That's why I created the #spicy byler tag (I will tag all polls with this). If you don't want to see this blog or anything related to it on your feed, please block that tag. Not everyone is comfortable with this sorta stuff, and that's okay.

[aardvaark]

WELL I meant like. the writers could have just said he was good at playing violin but gets stage fright about it, like they just say Eliot is good at guitar and singing but gets stage fright about it. it seems mean to give Eliot that but not Hardison. the man is already getting dragged around every heist by his ear they could have let him have this one thing.

Anonymous asked: Also there's the tea-making scene from the Reunion Job where they demonstrate that Eliot is actually pretty weak to Sophie's brain-manipulation tactics and when Parker points it out, both of them react like Sophie keeps doing this to HIM in particular before, like buddy... hardcore enough not to crack under torture... touchstarved enough to get fully brainhacked by just a couple of affectionate arm-sqeueezes

Anonymous asked: Also NLP in particular is absolutely a pseudoscience lmao but I can always forgive a bit of fun hokum in my daytime tv. for the bit. it just seems so mean to cheapen one of Hardison's few non-computer skill W's yknow. ok thank you and sorry for one million anons

omg def don't apologise for sending asks, im so happy to get them!! hi again i hope your day is going well!!

YES re: stage fright being a better option. thats is a much better idea anon!! makes more sense that he simply DOES play violin. he has a LOT of skills. i mean, hardison is a genius, full stop. he can do what he puts his mind to, plus he's shown to be incredibly talented at a lot of things which aren't directly related to his job, like painting. i don't think he gets enough credit as being seriously extremely gifted AND seriously extremely dedicated to honing some of those skills... he has a lot of talents that he's very causal about, but then the ones like hacking that he focuses on? those are mentioned to take so much effort, sleepless nights, etc etc. there's a reason that he's the best hacker on a team of people who are the best in their fields.

and this is all while he's still half-learning. leverage is crime university for him, as episode commentaries tend to say lol. he's... i forgot, 21-22? when leverage starts (ik aldis hodge had just turned 21 when he was hired for the role. looking back on s1 especially, he is soooo young. ik im 20 but like. 21 is so young. it really is). and he's been learning & teaching himself for years already, but it's still early days in his crime career & he seems to already be better than anyone else at what he does. and is somehow fairly well-adjusted unlike anyone else on the team lol. but he does have his own trauma, and his own problems he encounters. eg he hasn't really had a long-term relationship (according to commentary on... im gonna say girls night out/boys night out jobs? idk. s4 somewhere), so while we get a lot of parker dealing with a relationship that she finds kinda overwhelming due to the total lack of safe connections she's had in her life etc etc, we also gotta remember that the parker/hardison (*cough* /eliot too, *cough*) relationship is a pretty new and intimidating thing for him too. and. oh i just realised how off topic i am. wow. if going on tangents was a sport i'd be an olympic athlete.

(and aldis hodge btw is also so multi-talented, he designs watches and paints and, of course, acts. i remember some commentary from the bank shot job saying how they were gonna have hardison be fairly awkward on the grifting, but aldis hodge is just ridiculously good at doing those scenes where he totally stumps the mark/lackeys/cops/etc, and a lot of it is improv. irrelevant ik but i just think it's cool just how good he is at those quick grifting scenes).

anyway. eliot is so touchstarved :((( and he loves his family even when they annoy him or brainhack him lol. he's kinda immune to threats and pain and stuff for sad reasons but the smallest affection, he responds to. which is upsetting to think about, how much pain you have to have to no longer acknowledge it, and how little love you have to experience/accept for any amount to be disarming. but yeah thats true, idk why sophie says hardison was a particularly good target then... i guess her NLP stuff is supposedly easier to do subtly than hypnotism? maybe. regardless, the NLP stuff is absolutelyyyy pseudoscience, but as you said, i just allow for sophie to be able to magically do that stuff lol. its not real but sophie can do the impossible so i just go with it for 42 mins lmao.

[wherevenusholdssomeofficespace]

So Doof in Milo Murphy's Law?

In general, I think Doof was as funny as he always was. He's just a disaster of a man with few social skills. He sometimes seems a bit more annoying or inconsiderate than he used to be, though I'm pretty sure the reason for this is Doof in Phineas and Ferb hardly interacts with anyone but Perry, who doesn't talk, mostly in his apartment where his behavior doesn't really bother anyone else. Doof DOES have a full fledged supporting cast so to speak (Vanessa, Norm, Charlene, Roger, OWCA, LOVE MUFFIN), but their interactions often just set up an episode or close out an episode. Not to say he doesn't have storylines where he interacts with other characters, and Norm is around often, but that's not where he spends his time. And those characters he does interact with are usually foiled to him in some notable way. I think the only human characters he interacts with for more than a few lines at a time with are Major Monogram (who is a "good" guy but a bit of an asshole, who has a natural chemistry than , Rodney, who often specifically riles Doof up, and Vanessa whose issues with her dad is central to many of her stories and has a lot of patience for him. And the kids on occasion, where I think we see many of the same problems of his Milo Murphy's Law presence. Where he's basically the kids peer and is often called out for his ridiculousness, and irritates a lot of people. There are characters Doof bounces off wonderfully and characters he just doesn't. Orton Mahson, yes. Sara, Not so much.

It's just that in MML, he's regularly interacting with people so his inability to function is affecting people beyond his immediate family. It's a bit less funny when he's actually interacting with people who don't deserve the problems he's causing. Or who aren't on some level, obligated to deal with it. His behavior is just constant Agent Doof/At2D behavior, but its now directed at characters who shouldn't have to put up with his nonsense. And it's also a little bit Doof is in a context different than the one we saw him than during PnF. He's not as certain about who he is. He's lacking a solid goal. Despite sounding like I'm complaining, I don't really mind all that so to speak. I mean, he was pretty good in the Phineas and Ferb effect in my opinion precisely because he had Orton Mahlson and Cavendish to bounce off of. Doof's still funny, he's still got heart. But I think it just makes the actual problem worse.

Which is that it split S2's focus. S1 heavily focused on Milo and friends, with the pistachio stuff mostly going on in the background until it became actually important. 2 plot lines (not unlike PnF). But Season 2 added a third arc in addition to the Alien arc that replaced the time travel arc, Doof's professor time arc. And while it paralleled Cavendish and Dakota's, it still took up time. I didn't really dislike any of it per se. But it was taking significant time away from Milo, and to a certain extent the dynamics we could have between Milo characters. I don't necessarily have a problem with the episodes, its just between Milo and Gang, Cavendish's escapades, Doof was just too much. We know (due to all the failed backdoor pilots in PnF S4), that they wanted to continue Doof's story. Between Doof 101 and the OWCA Files, they were clearly been thinking about a Doof who is figuring out how to be good for a while. And Doof, DID have room to grow. I do completely agree with giving Doof an arc. But ultimately Doof is a character who is far more funny when he's diluted by other shenanigans, or has good people to bounce off, and Milo's less erratic formula didn't dilute him too much. What I mean by that is we didn't have B (and C) plots the way we did in Phineas. I LOVE Doof, let me make that clear, he was always a delight, but I think I speak for most of us when I say I didn't love Doof enough to give up limited Milo time for him.

Phineas and Ferb had like 65 episodes in its first two seasons alone while Milo Murphy's Law had 40 episodes total. And Doof was a main character in at least 8 segments. Which may not sound like a lot, but half of those episodes didn't feature Milo. He also featured as a major character in several others. And unlike PnF where most segments were shared with the Flynn-Fletcher's escapades, when Doof gets a segment, he's often its sole focus. I genuinely think cutting down a few of the more repetitive Doof episodes or giving them Milo centric B-plots could have done a world of good. That said, I just don't care that much about Doof's middle aged drama compared to the kids shenanigans.

So ultimately I have extremely mixed feelings on it. I do love Doof. Him being professor time and Cavendish's hero, Cavenpuss, his role in helping the kids with the aliens. All great. But I admit. I don't watch the episodes featuring him nearly as much as I do the ones that are just about him and Perry's drama. I think it was something Dan and Swampy cared about. And I respect that. I get it. I could never hate it. But Milo and his friends are great characters who easily can carry half a show, and their extended cast are incredibly engaging. Between the rest of the Murphy family and the rest of the middle school there was plenty of story opportunities. Not to mention Melissa and Zack's families (we never meet Zack's younger siblings, despite their existence being confirmed). I think we all wanted to see something new.

I think none of the episodes featuring Doof were particularly bad but they all together did felt a bit repetitive when the unexplored potential of Milo was right there. I enjoyed Doof's presence in pretty much any episode where Milo and his friends also played a role, because his presence felt beneficial to the story. I liked Doof in the finale for example. But I also can't help but feel that I would have rather had characters like Amanda and Sara in it, characters who were a lot more relevant to Milo, even if Doof was a delight. But when Milo dipped out of an episode to focus on Doof that was a huge problem.

And usually I love episodes which let's us explore new dynamics. And let's make it clear, I like Adventure Buddies. But did we really need it. Maybe if Milo got another season. Because that seems like the exact kind of episode that would have come out of season 3 or 4 of Phineas and Ferb, when they had already worked through a lot of the more expected combinations and started experimenting with weirder stuff. That's when we started getting, all the AU versions of the gang, the episodes that shuffled up the cast and status quo in more unusual ways, and while those are some of my favorite episodes, I feel they only worked because of how much we already had.

There are definitely a few episodes I would cut, or at least would have demoted to B plots of some other episode. But ultimately, Doof's journey was clearly a story they so desperately wanted to tell, and he is, for the most part, a delight. I can't imagine cutting him out of Milo Season 2 altogether. It's such an important piece of Doof lore that I would hate to lose. But I mourn the loss of Milo (and Cavendish and Dakota) episodes even more. I really do have mixed feelings about it. And I can only hope that Milo & co make their way into the new PnF seasons.

[brionysea]

i've only just gotten around to watching beyond stranger things (apparently i had better things to do in 2017) but with the advantage of having seen the seasons beyond season 2, some of this is very interesting

finn said that s2 "emo mike" (which could also be applied to s4 mike) feels like he's lacking the opportunity to prove himself like he initially did through his campaigns (which is immediately very "mike has powers," because the plot kicking in always acts as an opportunity for mike to prove himself in a very "what if your board game came to life?!" way)

the prior time jump of "a year" during which mike feels stuck also matches s4, despite the actual amount of time passing since s3 only being a couple months, meaning the change mike and will are always talking about must have happened before s3/at the end of s2

it all goes very well with gaten's point about mike feeling more annoyed that all the good things he's done don't really count for anything or get recognised. mike can't tell anyone outside the group (like his parents, who he probably wouldn't mind having a better view of him) and even his fellow insiders don't really take him seriously despite how important he is to everything

also: see the tiny indication that mike's missing some very important information about himself and his actions and that's part of why he's so depressed, in comparison to the rest of the og party who are very secure and trusting in their own knowledge

mike being in a different situation than his friends when it comes to what he needs in order to feel satisfied with himself and his actions and mentally be in a good place, instead of the constant feeling of powerlessness he always seems to get stuck with, reminds me a LOT of what he has going on in later into the show

mike being insecure when comparing himself to el in s4, because she has powers and is useful while he doesn't and feels useless, reads like he knows something's missing. if mike was exactly like the other normal (non-superpowered) kids in the party this wouldn't even be brought up, and especially not as the one true insight we get on his thoughts in a whole season, which lends it a lot of weight. it wouldn't be something that needs to be drawn attention to in such a "tell don't show" way if it's true, and he is just ordinary and that's fine, because if that was the case then he would be happy with what he's done like the rest of them are instead of this constant feeling of dissatisfaction and not doing enough. you can't miss something you never had. he's not fundamentally powerless, that power was taken from him

the actors were surprised by the meaning behind a lot of things so i doubt they know everything (either that or they're just, y'know, lying acting — if anyone knows more than they're letting on, i would pick finn, just because he plays mike and clearly knows about the other layers going on there too), but the brilliance of stranger things is that the key to all the important stuff is hidden in the character work. for obvious reasons, they're experts on that

[raayllum]

In preparation for season 5 coming out in July, could I be directed to one or multiple (however many is fine with me lol) of your analysis on Callum's arc being shown and not told in season 4? I remember back when that season came out that you were planning on writing an analysis about that but I think I missed it in the grand scheme of things, though I'm still curious all these months later! Thank you in advance! (And also my apologies if you have like, a specific tag for this already that would have been easy to me to look up and I just didn't know about it)

I know I for sure had something like that planned, but it might've been part 2 of my "Why S4 is Good, Actually" series that would've focused on both Callum (individually) and Rayla (as a couple) and we'll see if I get around to it. Part 1 about Rayla here.

But there's basically three layers stacked on top of each other when it comes to Callum's arc being shown > spelled out. Not that prior seasons do spell things out (or that spelling things out is bad) but that S4 definitely, understandably, relies on the fact that we have characterization context and therefore contrast with the previous three seasons to help us along. So let's talk about it

1) Previous characterization

In previous seasons, Callum hardly ever has to be prodded to open up. If anything, he gives heartfelt speeches or talks about how he's feeling quite often with very little prompting or even sometimes segue. He's goofy and more excited and deeply curious. Now, some of his changes in S4 is due to age and maturity (re: how much more mellowed out he is in Xadia compared to the googly-eyed amazement in most of S3, even in the new regions they travel to in S4). We also see that he's far less impatient, far more irritable regarding a lack of answers (1x06 with Rayla in a high stakes situation vs 4x01 with Soren in a possibly high stakes situation) and that a lack of answers is specifically triggering to him (4x02's book outburst). Callum's triggers - being unable to speak (1x02) / breathe (2x08-2x09) / choking (3x09) - are also important to keep in mind as to why the possession scene, which leaves him gasping for breath like he's being choked and then being literally deprived of his voice, affects him quite so deeply (beyond the obvious).

He is also, as previously noted, a lot more emotionally shut down about Rayla, but also just in general. He's still feeling like an awkward fit in his position at court, but this time it's as high mage rather than as prince ( "All that high mage stuff is so stuffy-" "Let's go talk about it in the high mage's office, that is, my office"). All of this is compounded particularly in the way he cannot say either Viren or Rayla's names until, well, she shows up:

2) Viren parallels

Now, I think there are two layers to the Viren parallels (many of which I am still dissecting and wanting to dissect). There are the more overt ones when it comes to magic and their dynamics with Aaravos: being obsessed with the mirror, Viren asking to be allowed to let go / die while Callum asks for Rayla to kill him, with both Claudia and Rayla refusing. (More on that hot mess of a squad's dynamic in S4 here.)

Then there are their more personality / dynamic parallels. Viren and Callum both asking someone to kill Callum (and Ezran in S1) while knowing it's the last thing they'd want to do. The aforementioned Claudia and Rayla parallel. However, it goes deeper than that, I think, with Viren showing what Callum could become if Rayla hadn't shown back up, and to a certain degree, what Callum has become in order to try and cope.

But Rayla does come back (literally pulling him away from Aaravos) and so Callum is forced to confront what he's feeling or not feeling ("I know it's silly, but I'm not sure how to feel about Rayla, either").

Yet the Callum-Viren parallels persist until the very final moments of the season, and seemingly even into S5.

Why?

S4 emphasizes quite heavily the lengths Claudia and Viren are willing to go to for their family, and to save/protect them. Viren fears being unable to protect Claudia from Aaravos and his own failures (4x01, 4x07) and Claudia is desperate to save her father. They are two instruments (4x04) of Aaravos' Song of Love and Loss (4x03). Thus, Callum is quite overtly the third. Rayla's "Dear Callum" letter also specifically highlights protection as a key undercurrent of the show's dark and light theme:

They said that, sometimes, we make sacrifices so that the ones we love don’t have to. It’s part of protecting them—part of protecting you. Taking on hard choices and going to dark places is an act of love. It’s a gift. So, please let me give you this gift, Callum. Stay safe, and stay in the light.

This would already be noteworthy even if the show didn't take the, until S4, subtle light and darkness theme with Rayla and Callum and make it into an overt part of Callum's (and her adjacent) arc to the max. In darkness, gaze upon a fallen star. What if I'm on a path of darkness? and she shows up haloed in moonlight? Come on.

Basically: I think the Callum and Viren parallels are there to help get the audience on the page of being horrified/saddened, maybe, but not surprised at Callum doing something risky and batshit in the next couple of seasons to protect the people he loves. "However vile, however dangerous," Viren says. "In the name of love..." With S5 looking like this point for Viren will be emphasized further in his history with Soren, and Callum and Terry both poised to see what they're willing to do to protect Rayla and Claudia as they attempt to save their loved ones (Viren and Callum as mages; Viren and Runaan and co. as parents/fathers) and what they're not.

But yeah, I think the Viren-Callum stuff is definitely a show not tell, continually highlighting their growing list of similarities (and differences) in more overt ways than prior seasons, because the thematic reasoning for that foil dynamic is going to steadily come more and more to a head. To me, it's a great example of "show don't tell" in regards to both the ways Viren could get better, and Callum could get worse, tbh.

3) Magic crutch

Callum uses magical objects as a crutch in which to avoid looking at (aka confronting his feelings for) Rayla throughout the season.

It's widely implied that Callum has only thrown himself into magic so heavily in show because he needed a distraction from Rayla, and he continues using magic as a distraction even once she's returned. He uses the staff to literally look away when he lets her walk away from him (again) in 4x05 even though he's also clearly upset by it, and can't bring himself to even watch her leave. Then we have it being his gift of sacrifice in 4x08 - "It was given to me, in spite of everything wrong humans have done with magic. It means a lot" - only for him to drop it an episode later in order to pick up her sword, because his walls are crumbling at the possibility of her being dead. So he abandons the staff, cradles her sword to his chest like it's precious to him (and it is, as his last piece of her), and then tosses that away too in order to run to her. More on this scene and its importance specifically here <3

There is also Callum's (and the show's in general, but specifically his and specifically in S4) looking away motif, which I do have a tag but have not written a proper meta for, so hopefully sometime within the next couple of weeks I'll finally get to that <3

And I think that's the bulk of it, at least for now! Thank you for asking & I hope you enjoy all the messy Callum thoughts

[gregoftom]

there's just Something about how greg's constantly asserting himself and being his own advocate for his worth here and that he is deserving of all these higher positions and money and respect…and yet when it comes to tom's affection of him he's completely doubtful

there's not a, 'yes of course he Loves me I deserve to be Loved!'

when tom asks him out, after tom kisses him, a million other times after tom's shown affection for him, greg's always filled with a, 'is this real?' reaction. something he just doesn't have for his up-and-up career status. like, for how awkward he is, he's not shy about pressing to get things.

but Love from tom? it makes him so shy to the point of lack of believing whether it's true, whether he could possibly actually be the recipient of such a thing. he doubts it all.

and even in s4 after they're best friends!!

(and I hope hope hope tom's sticker and double 'I got you,' that was like a cradle, put an end to all that doubt! because what a beautiful end to that arc!!)

hhhhhhhhnnhhf 😩 yeah god it huuuurts and like, you can understand it when you think about greg’s past and how ppl treat him - even ken is neutral at best towards him and he’s the nicest one to him apart from tom lol so it’s no surprise he starts to think he’s unloveable. ppl will just use him and his only worth is what he can give them. his grandpa and mother hold him to an impossible standard in that they’re always shifting the bar, obv more so the former bc we don’t see much w marianne, and act like he’s in the wrong every time. most people come to him when he can give them something, tom is the only exception and even then at least at the start he’s still asking things of him and enjoying the information he can provide. though the difference is tom’s affection is not dependant on it… even if greg wasn’t good at sponging info tom would still love him and keep him around. but greg cannot comprehend that bc why is this time any different? why would someone just… love him, without terms and conditions attached? i think he only starts to realise in 3.09. still not 100% in s4 but i think like, there’s definitely more of a hopefulness that maybe tom means it bc greg tries a lot harder and acts like tom’s literal partner because he wants to be more than just his side piece - he wants to be the sporus who is married to nero. he wants to take care of tom but not in a serving way, in a relationship way. but tbf to him tom is suddenly being cagey and keeping stuff from him and withholding affection and giving him only scraps of info and this rattles greg bc he thought they were progressing? that they were best friends and partners? hell tom acts like his mf husband. and then you’ve got tom and shiv screwing again and on possible reconciliation terms so that probably adds to greg’s fears - it all comes together to shake his faith. he even asks tom in america decides “where we are in terms of us”, referencing matsson and the poor way he treats him but that he likes the trust, which sounds like where his relationship with tom started out and where it has come to and also letting tom know he can trust him, don’t shut me out.

tom is much the same in that he thinks he needs status and power and money to secure greg when greg has genuine affection for him. he doesn’t notice how greg doesn’t pull rank in america decides bc he’s too focused on keeping his position, and later on he’s too set on becoming ceo to realise he’s actually pushing greg away, frightening him into making that call he did to ken in the finale. the fight in the bathroom is the culmination of their frustration in how much they love each other and how the other just doesn’t understand that they do. tom can only see it as mistrust and disloyalty when it was a move for survival and attacks greg. greg can only see tom getting mad at him as ignoring all the hard work and love he has been putting in for him the entire season and that’s why he fights back. it is not fair to him that tom only notices when he does something wrong, when he makes a mistake, not when he does things right, not when he supports and cares for him like an ideal spouse.

i do think the sticker scene was laced with something - it felt different. special. i’ve said before but tom’s forgiveness was not by way of the materialistic this time, he didn’t offer money. he only offered his compassion. he told greg that regardless of his mistakes, he still has him. and greg probably realises then that the reason tom has been acting how he has is bc he’s been fighting for this position so hard to keep greg safe. i think this moment they realise that actually they love each other very much and it’s actually like. for real. greg’s sheer happiness, plus the way he checks tom out again like he has multiple times throughout s4 lol, indicates not only his relief but feeling comfortable and confident enough to act around tom like he has before - like his best friend and partner.

[moonchild-in-blue]

Okay, I have finally finished S4 of The Umbrella Academy, and as someone who has been in love with the show since day 1, disappointed and frustrated don't even scratch the surface as to what I feel about *gestures vaguely*... whatever the hell that was.

I've had some time to let it sink in, and if I don't talk about it I'll die. So here are my thoughts (warning - it's long. I have a LOT of thoughts. excuse any spelling mistakes).

[major spoilers ahead. like. the whole damn thing]

What I Liked / What Worked (not much, so let's get that out of the way)

Allison and Claire (and Klaus) finally being together and having a normal mother - daughter relationship. She deserved to see Claire grow up.

Diego and Lila's daughter being named Grace after the Umbrellas' mom (Grace) was very cute.

Viktor finally being able to live a normal life as himself. Also him finally standing up to Reggie! Loved loved loved that.

Gean and Jean. The Potential!!! The flair!!! Was very delighted to know they are married irl too.

The Keepers - cool concept, poor execution.

Ben being a convicted Crypto Bro. Of course he is, that's hilarious.

Family road trip. I love them being chaotic (although the Baby Shark joke got real annoying real fast).

Lila got her parents back! Babygirl finally has a real loving family (yes i know. i'll get there).

That gorgeous Ben x Jennifer opening card with the upside-down umbrella. Gorgeous.

Allison Klaus and Luther reacting to The Affair revelation (what a mood).

Controversial opinion, but I actually liked seeing Stripper Luther! I'm not a fan of how heavy they rely on his himbo side, but it was nice to see him with a normal body and be able to enjoy it outside the whole Umbrella thing. He deserved better.

Luther and Diego having a Team Zero moment on the CIA? YES.

That Cleanse gear-up scene with Muse playing? AMAZING WONDERFUL WOW WHAT A CHOICE WHAT A SOUNDTRACK. Absolutely.

Loved the concept of the subway. Hated the execution (or lack there of).

Five's diner. Yes. Brisket Five I love you.

Loved that Alison and Viktor at least made up before dying.

What I Hated / The Bad Stuff (hooo boy)

Ray "Honour and Dignity" Chestnut would NEVER walk out on Allison and Claire. Never.

It feels damn racist to have your one other black parent character walk out on his family. He was one of the most noble and honorable and interesting characters in the whole show, and they did him so dirty.

Literally any other excuse would work as to why he couldn't be there (sickness? accident?). Ray would never.

Hated all the stupid (and frankly unjustified) fat jokes about Diego, and how they did their marriage so dirty.

I don't disagree that Lila and Diego would find it hard to adjust to a settled-down life with kids and all, given they never really knew stability, but That? Making them seem like some unhappy sub-urban nuclear family that has fallen out of love? Absolutely not.

They destroyed Ben. I get that he was Sparrow Ben, and that he was a bit of an asshole, but geez. Would think after a whole apocalypse and years of playing family (although from prision), he'd be a little bit nicer to the Umbrellas right? Not a single meaningful Klaus x Ben interaction was CRIMINAL.

They have been MADLY in love from the start - if anything they would be too wild and out-there with their kids (like when Stan was around. I can see them doing little kid bootcamps).

Also, Diego and Lila both have different flavours of mommy issues. You'd think they'd both try so hard to give their kids a loving family and relish in each other's company, because finally they get to know what it feels like to truly love and be loved.

I hate how they made Jennifer be the only thing he'd care about. I wish Ben would have *some* memories of og Ben. It would've been interesting to see him trying to concile the two. Or at least make him grief his family properly. Just anything else aside from "I'm a dick and I love Jennifer".

Klaus. Everything about him. He's probably my favourite character, and had some of the most significant and relevant character development and cool abilities. But someone decided to take a massive dump on him instead. Because of course they did.

I hate how they once again reduced him to a low-life addict (EVEN THOUGH! BOTH IN SEASON 2 AND 3 ALL HE DID WAS DRINK! The only times he ever got drunk (and intentionally, I might add), where after the whole Dave debacle (understandable), and at his brother's wedding A DAY BEFORE THE END OF THE WORLD.).

Klaus hasn't been that person in many, many years (remember how in Dallas Ben points out to him how he'd been sober for 3 years? Why would he return to that mindset after the reset?). It feels so gross and pointless to have him go back to that state - especially given how much he HATED being that person.

And this is not to say he *wouldn't* relapse after re-gaining his powers - they were the cause of so much pain and trauma, I would understand. But at least do it right, actually show him being conflicted and fight against it, show the damn ghosts, idk. Don't reduce him to a powerless addict after all the progress he made - if he was to truly relapse, at least do it so in a way that honours his character.

I hate how they wasted his powers, how they didn't even show him on The Void with God / Bicycle Girl, and how they watered his witty, extravagant, sweet, funny self into a cowardly, out-of-control mess. They chose to make him a literal prostitute (and given he was there to pay a debt, not sure how truly consensual it all was, so that's also incredibly gross), rather than give him any plot relevance.

If you wanted him to have some sexual debauchery (which sure! absolutely! Destiny's Children had that and it was fine!), then do it?? Why would you opt for him (your one other queer character btw) to be sexually coerced instead (not sure if "assault" is the right word, given he knew what was going on but. whatever it is, it doesn't sit right with me)?

Literally all he did contributed exactly 0 for the plot. They made him be so mean and bitchy towards Alisson (he would NEVER), and sneak around for drugs yet again, for absolutely nothing. No mentions of Dave, no plot-relevant connections to the Mothers Of Agony (remember Pogo worked there before? Remember they did Five's Oblivion tattoo?), nothing.

I love that he got to be with Claire, but seeing him go back to his old self and scream at her while stealing their tv was painful to watch. I hated everything they did to him, Klaus deserved SO much better.

Luther should've found Sloane. Luther would've never given up trying to find her - even if it drove him crazy. If Sloane was to remain missing, I wanted to at least see Luther go full conspiracy mode. I mean, living in a van, a bunch of blurry pictures of women who vaguely resemble Sloane, that travel guide in his pocket.

Also, Luther is so much more than comedic relief. I love him as a himbo, I hate that that's ALL he is now.

Making him squat in the Hargreeves mansion, basically trapping him once more under his father's roof? No. Nope. Absolutely not.

ALSO? WHY IS HE BACK TO MONKE MODE??? His power is super strength. The ape body was a result of an accident, the same way scars and tattoos are. None of them got their tattoos and scars (Diego's) back, so why is Luther back in that body?

This Train Ride Could've Been An Email.

What a wonderful plot device! Ooohh cool symbols? Several lines! Several entry gates! What a cool new power! Surely this must be extremely relevant to the plot right? Surely this is perhaps connected to the Oblivion project, given the strange symbols? Whatever it is, surely it must be extremely important given it was the setting for the promotional photos and posters right? Right?? RIGHT???

A 2 minute conversation. The subway served for exactly nothing but a 2 minute conversation between the Fives, just to say "ya lol, you guys are the problem, kill yourself bestie 😜🩷🙏".

Why were those symbols used instead of English? Given Five was the only one with access to it? Why wasn't the original timeline connection marked in bold on the map? How did it even appear? Why did the Grandfather Paradox not apply there?

Literally 0 relevance. They could've made Five find that diner much sooner (or in another location) and saved everyone the drama. Which leads us to our next point-

Five and Lila WOULD. NEVER. NEVER EVER EVER. NEVER. EVER. THEY WOULD NEVER.

I'm gonna skip how gross it is to have Aiden, a young actor that started as a LITERAL CHILD, serve as a love interest for one of the adults who literally saw him grow up. Gross.

Five. Who lived in an apocalypse completely alone for 40 YEARS, who never gave up hope of coming back to his family. Five, who became a lethal assassin, who killed a lot more people than we could ever imagine, would has committed horrifying acts of violence again and again and again, just to give his family a chance of survival. Because that's how much he loves them.

Five, who basically missed out on their siblings' life, who has put them in danger countless times and blames himself for it, who despite the grumpyness is beyond happy to finally be with his family. That Five? Who has risked his life over and over to save his idiot siblings? That Five?? Who despite growing up alone and abandoned and without an LITERAL ounce of affection or warmth or love, devised countless (infinite actually!) plans to stop the apocalypse and save his family??? Are you telling me THAT FIVE BETRAYED HIS OWN BROTHER AND FELL IN LOVE WITH HIS SISTER IN LAW? WHOM HE STRONGLY DISLIKED FOR MOST TIME???

I refuse to accept that. I can *somewhat* understand both he and Lila feeling vulnerable and desolate, especially Lila, given she has real children and real parents waiting for her, but cheating on Diego? With his brother nonetheless?? She would never. SHE WOULD NEVER.

And are you telling me, after all that, Five, Mr Stoic and Logical, went so far as to nearly ABANDON HIS FAMILY because Lila couldn't leave her husband (HIS BROTHER) for him???? Are you telling me Lila would actually betray Diego, a man whom she has been crazy, deeply in love with for years, literally the very first person to see her and accept her and truly lover her EVER???

No. Absolutely not. I refuse to accept this. Absolutely not. What a disservice to all of them. I hate that they, on top of that, made Diego some lazy, deadbeat dad for no reason. Absolutely not.

Jennifer. Babygirl, I love you, you're very cool and sweet and gorgeous, but I expected more.

Does she have powers? Is she connected to them in any significant way? No. Just a poor innocent girl with Durango on her veins. Why couldn't Reg and Abigail just kill her straight away? How did she know about the cleanse (given she was saying that when she came out of the squid). Why does she even have the durango??? How did that happen??

For something called the "Jennifer Incident", Miss Jenny sure didn't do much. In the og timeline, Ben and Jen are killed like what, 5 minutes after they meet? They barely talk and yet the show makes it seem like she is/was incredibly relevant in Ben's life (or rather death)? Why even call it the Jennifer Incident? Reggie could've just said it was an accident related to a weapon or anything.

Literally no reason to mention her. I'm sorry, but 2 kids looking at each other for less than 5 minutes does NOT warrant a "ooohhh we're connected and in love" plot line.

Big massive Fuck You to Mr Reginald Hargreeves for MURDERING YOUR OWN KID AND TEMPERING WITH EVERYONE'S MEMORIES.

Mr Reginald himself. He was horrible - HORRIBLE - throughout the entire show, and yet got away with literally everything. Also, I hate Abigail.

"Oh but I'm NOT your version of Hargreeves" okay?? What a lazy writing cop-out. I'm glad Viktor had that outburst, but it was not enough. Especially after the Ben death reveal, how did they not kill him right away?

I wanted to see him take accountability for his actions - or at least be properly confronted with them. His quasi-redemption arc and consequent back-stabbing in S3 was much more satisfying and in character than whatever passive male-wife version of Reggie they cooked up. Even if he did love Abigail to no end, I refuse to believe he would be that pliant under her company.

Abigail is... Yeah. I don't know. I don't get her. She started out as an interesting character, grounding Reg a bit. But then she went and killed my guy Gean (rip) and aired out her marital complaints in the middle of a sort-of Purge??? What. Was that. And then everything is okay and dandy, even if it was all her fault???

Idk guys, that whole durango - marigold plot felt super flat to me. I'm more confused than pissed off. They gave us so much and so little, and not in a good way.

The whole Cleanse thing was weird and confusing and made 0 sense. How is Life Particle + Anti-Life Particle = Grotesque Blob Monster an actual plot.

Did the Keepers know they were going to die? How exactly did they piece everything together? You'd think a conspiracy that big would've alerted Hargreeves, but I guess not? Even though he's what, the president of the city or smth lmao.

I wish they expanded on The Keepers and made them, like. Rogue Commission ex-workers or smth. Or made Jennifer actually relevant aside from "you have a virus in your blood". It felt so rushed and scrambled together, completely lacked the flair and pacing of the earlier seasons.

I actually liked S3 despite the confusing plot, but boy does it look like a masterpiece after whatever S4 was.

What a shit end.

Ben died a jerk, disfigured, without so much as a goodbye. Five and Diego died hating each other because of Lila, not knowing her true feelings; she died having her marriage destroyed and both relationships compromised.

Klaus *actually died*, instead of at least going to the Void and looking for a solution (it's death, the apocalypse has no effect there whatsoever), having contributed exactly 0% for the story.

Allison ONCE AGAIN was forced to abandon her child and have her love interest pulled away. At least she got to say goodbye.

Luther died in the same place he had always been. At least the others had time to become adults outside of it - Luther was just beginning to discover freedom and they made him go back there again. Without Sloane.

They would never surrender themselves to death. The would've either fought back, or truly enjoyed the last moments together. The Umbrellas I know would've NEVER stood passively in the face of death - especially given it was their beloved brother the responsible for it. They would've tried to get through Ben.

Flowers. Really. Really? Absolutely not.

Overall lack of significant sibling interaction. Most of their scenes together were either pure silly or just ridiculously aggravating and angry. Where is the witty banter, where are the tender moments? They were so all over this season, I miss them being an actual family ya know?

Idk if this is my annoyed self clouding my judgment, but visually this season felt very flat and lackluster.

One of the things I love the most about the series is the amazing visuals. The cinematic moments. Seasons 1 and 2 were magnificent - the colours, the fighting sequences, the pacing. Just gorgeous.

Even S3 had some really gorgeous moments - the introduction of the Sparrows, Diego's fight against Alphonso and Jaime, the hotel itself.

Sure, nothing will ever top Five's fighting scenes (Istanbul Donut shop, and him murdering the board? Also I Was Made For Loving You with Diego and Lila in Texas? Top-tier). And Klaus' and Allison's intro sequences in S2?? Or S1 Viktor playing violin??? Stunning.

I loved the 1st episode of this season, the poker scene, the birthday party. But aside from that scene/sequence in the Christmas market, and the subway scenes, they didn't really gave us much more. The dancing scene with Gean and Jean was AMAZING, but? That was it? Literally not one memorable moment (aside from the Muse/Cleanse - that was gorgeous).

What was the point of them gaining their powers back, if they can barely use it? It was useful in the Christmas market and CIA, and that was it really. Allison barely used it, Klaus flew once (1), Five can barely blink (no murderous rage scene either :/). Where did Lila's lasers came from? Also only useful once.

Questions I Still Have (literally what is going on?)

The squid. How? Why? For what? Uh??? Yall.

How did Abigail managed to come to life after the reset? How do they know what marigold is? Is *she* made of marigold? Why was she on the moon?

Reginald?? He and Abigail are aliens, sure. But? What planet? How did they get here? Why? Are there others?

Where is Pogo? Where is Grace? Where are Sissy and Harlan?

If Allison and Diego and Lila never existed, how are their kids alive after the Cleanse?

Where did the subway even come from?? I get that Five built the system (did he????), but if it was there the whole time, how did he never come across it? How did they get him to come there only now?? I don't know, maybe I'm really dumb, I just don't get it.

Given that The Comission works outside time and space, you'd think *someone* must've known about all the other apocalypses, including this one.

Even if they are no more, it makes no sense for them to not be alerted to it. The Comission works outside of the timelines - it'd make sense for them to be aware of Ben and Jennifer.

But I guess they don't really appear in S3 either so sure, yeah.

Why did Abigail isolate the marigold particle in the first place? Literally everything about her makes 0 sense.

I don't even know anymore gang. I'm so disappointed in how they ended things. How can you fumble a show That Good so bad?? The cast is so correct (especially David mi amor, you know what's up). I feel so sad for both Gerard and Gabriel - they worked so hard on the comics, it must be awful to see their characters done so dirty like that.