#lol and don't even get me started on alex's disability

[jeanvanjer]

Hi, I hope you don't mind the question, but do you have a list of (historical) romance novels you recommend somewhere? I'm pretty new to the genre and would like some recs to start off with.

Thank you!

Of course I dont mind! I dont have a list here (but if you check the book recs tag or reading romance im sure youd find books ive read or books friends have recommeded) so I'll just post a few here.

Fair warning! I am horrible of keeping track of the books I've read so my recs will be a just a bunch of random books I like. @mermaidsirennikita and @triviareads are far more organized in their book recs than I am so you can always check their pages.

Please let me know if you'd like specific tropes!! Or more importantly if you have any TWs!

The Chief (the entire Highland Guard series actually) by Monica McCarthy. Tor MacLeod is a highland laird very much focused on helping Robert the Bruce with his secret plan to free Scotland from English Rule but his sudden marriage to sweet Tina is distracting him. They're forced to marry after she's found in his bed (her dad blackmailed her into getting herself ruined instead of her sister). The entire series is honestly a banger. It marries actual history with romance in a very clever way. The Chief is 1 of 12 so you have a lot of different tropes and stories to choose from if this one isnt for you!

Convergence of Desire by Felicity Niven - A TRULY WONDERFUL book with great disability rep. Harry (Harriet) is probably the biggest STEM heroine Ive read in HR (I know you love those based on your writing) and is on the spectrum. On paper Thomas is a rake that cannot fathom committing to only one woman but he needs to marry for money fast and she just wants to solve Fermat's Last Theorem. They enter a marriage of convenience and this book is just plain lovely. The very few books that have made me cry. Its emotional and the relationship that builds between these two is just🤌🏽🤌🏽🤌🏽🤌🏽

The Winter King and The Sea King by CL Wilson. CL Wilson is an amazing writing imo. I haven't read romantasy since high school and these books were the first ive read and enjoyed after such a long time. The first book is a marriage of convenience/ forced marriage situation. Her brother killed his brother and fiance?? I dont remember the specifics. But he wants a bride as payment and Thasin (our herione) father is an ass and decided TW there is dubcon. The first sex scene is the wedding night and there are aphrodiacs involved. Second one Dilys is a merman. Thats always fun. Super feminist too. Dont remember the exact details but did have a great time reading this one too.

The Duke Gets Even by Johanna Shupe. Shupe is a great writer and from the very few books I've read of her, The Duke Gets Even is probably my favorite.

Anything by Lorraine Heath but the most recent book I remember reading is The Duchess Hunt where the hero appoints his secretary (who secretly loves him) to find his a wife. Preferably one who is as organized, wonderful, and knows him as much as she does LOL. Lorraine one of the best writers in the genre and they always hit emotionally. You won’t go wrong with anything by her.

Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas. An all time favorite book of mine. Think Persuasion but with a revenge plot. Aline drives McKenna away when they were younger to save him and he comes back a rich ass bitch ready for revenge. The chemistry between Aline and McKenna is insane. One of the few times I truly believed the “soulmates” thing. These two are definitely soulmates. And there’s a wonderful secondary romance as well.

What I Did For a Duke by Julie Anne Long. An Age Gap romance where Alexander plans to seduce Genevieve as revenge against her brother (who slept with his mistress) but she susses him out quickly from there they become sort of friends? he helps her win over her crush, he tells her she has stars in her hair, and along the way they fall in love. Alex is one of my all time favorite heroes.

Lord Of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase. As much as I love the hero of this book, Dan I recommend this book a lot solely for the heroine. Jessica Trent has my heart. She is that bitch.

Heartless Duke by Scarlett Scott. An intense romance between Leo, an agent for England and Bridgit, a fenian rebel. Lots of angst and sexual tension. So good.

Lost in Your Arms and That Scandalous Evening by Christina Dodd. These books were one of the first books I read when I started my own reading journey so these hold a special place in my heart. LIYA is about Enid who’s living her life as a widowed caretaker but then someone comes to tell her husband is alive and on the brink of death so she’s forced to nurse him back to health. The love confession that happens is honestly one of my favorite confessions of all time. TSE is about Jane who is back from self imposed exile after a scandal that ruined her ten years back. Ransom, the cause of her scandal and her last crush, suspects of being a spy and tries to stop her. With his heart (and dick).

[lazybug16]

Books I've read in the last few months and recommend (and yes, all of them are queer)

Book recs 1 / Book recs 2

Info and ratings of each book underneath!

Between Perfect and Real by Ray Stoeve

Dean thought he was a lesbian for a long time, but he then learns what transgender is and starts to think about his own gender and how he feels like a boy, he's just scared of how he will tell his friends and his girlfriend, who is also a lesbian

Really good book and explained it all super well, really good rep tbh and even though everyone is messy in some way you feel for (almost) every character 8/10 (trans men, trans women, non binary, lesbian, gay and bisexual characters)

Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao

We follow Jo and Sophie during their first year at Wellesley College, who meet in a class and become friends, but what they don't know is that they also know each other online, as Wendy and Wanda and they don't exactly get along swimmingly. Oh, they are both also aroace, and become closer after telling each other that

If you're aspec or questioning it or just want to know more about it and what we go through in this world as aroace people? This is the book for you, it's so good and so relatable 10/10 (Asexual, aromantic, bisexual, lesbian, pansexual, demisexual and non binary characters)

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Dever

Ben comes out to their parents and gets kicked out, making them call their sister who they hadn't seen in 10 years to pick them up, and even if their life is shitty in that moment, happier days are to come

I loved this story so so much but I wanted to kill the parents. Really well written and the sibling and friends are so loveable! 9/10 (non binary, queer, pansexual and bisexual characters)

I'll Be Home For Christmas by Mason Deaver

Takes place 4 months after iwyatb at christmas time, Ben wants to surprise Nathan but a snowstorm gets in the way... Or does it?

Loved this short story so much! You just fall in love with Ben and Nathans love! And wow in both books I could relate to Ben's anxiety so much it was scary 10/10 (non binary, queer, pansexual and bisexual characters)

Like real people do by E. L. Massey

Eli, a disabled 18 year old who loves to skate runs into Alex, a 19 year old famous hockey player, and they quickly become friends, but soon develop feelings for each other and must figure out if an out guy and a closeted guy can be together

Adorable, just fucking adorable I love this book so much and the two main characters and their friends are absolute sweethearts, was thinking this book wasn't going to be for me cause hockey isn't something I like but wow was I wrong, so glad I gave this book a chance 10/10 (gay and bisexual characters)

Like you've nothing left to prove by E. L. Massey

Second book of "Like real people do" and follows Eli and Alex navigate their relationship as well as their passions, hockey and figure skating

If you loved the first book this is just a continuation of it and again, so adorable and loveable, just a delight to read 10/10 (gay and bisexual characters)

Milo and Marcos at the end of the world by Kevin Christopher Snipes

His last year of high school and a familiar face appears after three years. Milo remembers Marcos from camp and hasn't stopped thinking about him, and maybe the same can be said about Marcos?

This was a rollercoaster to say the least lol but very interesting read, and Milo and Marcos are very lovable characters (even though stubborn sometimes but who isn't?) And Vanessa is the best friend anyone can have. Although the religious themes was sometimes too much, but understandable why it was put there 8/10 (gay characters)

The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons

Spencer changes schools since the previous one wasn't accepting of his transgender identity, and the new one is more open to queer people, and they also have a football/soccer team which he would love to join

Such a sweet story and I just loved all the kids, Spencer and Justice are so cute together, all the teammates are super nice and Theo (Spencer's autistic younger brother) is absolutely adorable, really nice read 10/10 (Transgender, queer, gay and bisexual characters)

They hate each other by Amanda Woody

Dylan and Jonah don't get along, they hate each other, but after deciding to fake date to get everyone in school off their backs by saying they would make the perfect couple, over time they might realize that they were right

Loved this book so much!!! Wanted to adopt Jonah and hug Dylan, protect these boys at all costs, and Jonahs sisters were too adorable, even though it had heavy topics it was really well done (yeah a lot of scenes almost made me cry, both in a bad way ans good way lol) 10/10 (bisexual, transgender and asexual characters)

Upside Down by N. R. Walker

Jordan might be asexual but he isn't sure, so Merry his best friend takes him to an aro/ace meeting to learn and get some answers, and he might just get them and more...

There are no fucking words for this book, but I will say that you will not stop smiling and laughing and crying throughout, all the characters are so genuine and lovable and I want to know them irl, could not recommend enough 10/10 (gay, lesbian, asexual, aromantic, bisexual, poly)

[blusical]

ST LOUIS BLUES: THE MUSICAL

Welp I'm probably going to regret this sooner or later but I might as well make this blog so that my hockey talk doesn't entirely get blended with my LGBTQ+ talk so uh... Hello! I'm Shadow. I'm a 17 year old queer kid who just wants to hang out with other hockey fans. I primarily root for the Washington Capitals and the St Louis Blues. Anyways let's just get the important stuff overwith 😅

Starting off with the most important disclaimer, I do want to emphasize that some players I talk about and post about do include the most controversial ones (ex. Patrick Kane, Alex Ovechkin). I want to make it clear that while I support some players *on* the ice, that doesn't mean I support them *off* the ice and vise versa. Still, if seeing *any* of those players makes you uncomfortable whatsoever, it might be in your best interests to tag specific players or to just not follow at all. I also talk about the Chicago Blackhawks, a LOT, regardless of if it's me hating on them or specific players, me glorifying specific players, or just straight up mentions. I will also talk a lot about their rival and my main team, the St Louis Blues. Again, if that's not your thing you might want to filter the "chicago blackhawks" tag. This is a heads up for both Hawks fans and detractors.

Secondly, who can interact? Well, since it's a hockey blog, I allow hockey fans of any team, any kind to interact! Casual, diehard, hell even bandwagons are welcome! I'm also an artist, and I really wanna get to know most other hockey artists, so if you're a hockey fan and an artist feel free to interact! (Note: the account must be mostly SFW). I am VERY MUCH open to seeing other Blues and Caps fans, especially considering there's not many on hockeyblr and I will admit I get pretty lonely hehe. That said, I also wanna meet rivals of said teams, especially Hawks fans, Pens fans, Flyers fans and Avs fans. As for who can't interact..

I will block freely overall, but in particular fuck off if you're bigoted (racist, sexist, queerphobic- including terfs and exclusionists- ableist, islamphobic, antisemetic, etc) anti-vaxx, anti-abortion, supports/involved in crypto/NFTs or if you're active in anti-recovery spaces (such as pro-ed spaces). Though knowing hockeyblr, this hopefully won't be an issue, but I'm putting it out there just in case.

Additionally, don't interact at all if you gatekeep fans of any kind (The only fans we gatekeep are bigots and creeps folks!), wish injury or even *death* on any players, are a gossip blog or confession blog, harass any fan of any team or you genuinely believe someone is a shitty person over the team they root for (Ex. believing every bruins fan is racist, believing every hawks fan is a rape apologist, etc). Hating a hockey team isn't a bad thing but harassing a fan *over* said hockey team is *always* bad no matter how you look at it. ...though this probably won't matter because odds are I have you blocked already lol. RPF blogs and fanfiction blogs can interact. However, this blog is not an RPF or fanfiction blog. Please don't tag my posts as "hockey fic" or "ship".

Incest shippers and pedophilia shippers on the other hand... please stay away from me. I'm a minor, 17 years old to be exact, and because of this I would prefer if NSFW accounts didn't interact. And if you don't want minors interacting with you overall, you might wanna block me as well for both our sakes. Remember, DNIs go both ways! This account is a safe space for POC, Queer folks, women, disabled folks, neurodivergent folks and other minorities. If you can't handle that, get lost.

Lastly, blogs with no posts combined with no avatar or banner, or blogs that have nothing but a stock image/stolen photo of a white woman as a profile picture combined with a name and nothing else will be blocked on sight, as chances are you're a bot. No exceptions. Blogs tagged as "Mature" may also be blocked, as half the time I'll think you're NSFW. Again, I block freely, and I will block folks even if they aren't on my DNI. If you're blocked, don't take it personally. TAGGING SYSTEM: +Stick to the Status Quo+ - Player hate. Will be tagged as +Stick to the Status Quo: [player name] Hate+ +Let's go tear up someone's lawn+ - Team hate. Will be tagged as +Let's go tear up someone's lawn: [team name] Hate+. +Champions one and all+ - Player ramblings/praise. Will be tagged as +Champions one and all: [player name]+ +Welcome to my Candy Store+ - Asks.

+Getcha Head in the Game+ - General Hockey Rambling. +And there's your final bell+ - Rant/vent, or otherwise serious posts.

+We're gonna rock the house+ - Reblog. +Shut up Heather!+ - Not hockey related. +I hope you enjoy the show+ - Anything related to the St Louis Blues or the Washington Capitals and their players (including current or former). +But I don't own a motorbike+ - Art, page decor, userboxes, you get it. Shit you should probably look at (no pressure): Umich Rumors (TW: Abuse mentions) Why censoring the names of players is a bad idea. The Sexualization of Hockey Players. (TW: Sexual harassment). In case you're curious on where I stand on Patrick Kane, read these (Archived versions. Heads up the images in the second link are broken for some reason).

Main blog and the account I follow/like from: @shadowstarlightwitch Disability and more: @thecringepunkarchives General fandom, fanfiction and art blog: @thatonedemonnamedlucifer (16+ only)

[angrycowboy]

i can’t help but think about all the complaining people had during s1 & s2 about how CAM treated malex.

but you know what? if you want a really good example of a showrunner not caring about it’s queer characters? s4 is a great example. we don’t even have to focus on malex to make the argument - just look at the abysmal handling of anatsobel. there was absolutely no care put into their writing this season - from the “i love you” to anatsa suddenly deciding after she’d spent several episode trying to find out details about the robberies that it didn’t matter anymore, and that she actually didn’t want to hear what isobel had to say once isobel found her voice. the entire thing felt like at one point the writers stopped and realized they needed to move kybel along, and oh shit, gotta break anatsobel up first.

but compare the care of malex in s1 & s2, and how they were treated. how they were allowed to interact and acknowledge their own sexualities on screen, how they were able to grow as individual characters and express themselves was, in my opinion, phenomenal for a CW show. and then look at s4. the care is gone. whatever tyler’s restrictions filming were, there were still ways to make the most out of the least. and that was very evident in 4x08. an episode touted as “for the malex fans” certainly didn’t feel like it. reducing malex to couch sex in 4x01 in what is literally a very emotional moment for them was ridiculous. and i would even go back as far as 3x12 and 3x13, and how we were denied seeing alex have ANY reaction to the gaping hole in michael’s side. there’s no reason why that couldn’t have been worked in somewhere, even a mention about the giant scar michael now has would have sufficed. tbh, the writing of malex in s4 feels like hollier went “well they’re together and happy, what else can i do.” which is just the biggest YIKES for a show that spent so much time on it’s queer characters and their growth in s1 & s2.

and you cannot tell me that CAM would have allowed constant and repeated use of HP references. not after she put care into the handling of charlie in s2, to make sure she was played by a trans actress, to take the time to discuss with jamie clayton regarding if it would be explicit or not on screen that charlie was trans, and listening to the actress’ opinion in the matter. that is how you collaborate with your queer actors.

i’m not saying that CAM was perfect, but all the people who celebrated her leaving, and said they trusted hollier would do better? this is your better.

[ithinkthingsaboutstuff]

'i mean his is a fish out of water but they tend to play up his awkwardness over is com confidence and capability or at lest they don't show that these quality are not mutually exclusive but that is a whole other rant' and I would like to hear this rant

Now you’ve done it you opened the door for me to rant. This is my Pandora's box, just remember you asked. (side-note I remember writing that statement but can’t remember when lol)

Brainy in the show has always had two sides to his character (from what i have observed)

1, the 12th level intellect

2, the social awkward man

now these are two elements to his character can play very well off each other for example in 3x10, he dose not know how to understand Kara situation (not being able to wake up, despite being physically fine) However that does not stop him from engaging insight into the situation (The emotion kinship with streaky and Kara Danvers being Alex’s fav person)  

The two elements above however have become at odds with one another in a lot of the time since then.

now the series dose show that he is in a new unfamiliar space and that he is still making an effort to learn (movie nights, using his powers on phones, i pads ect, brunch with jimmy and so)

Now let me be clear I understand that he scenes are humours a lot of the time.

However there seems to have been a focus shift.

----

To back step for a second the goal of any comedic tension is to know what you are making fun of,

this is called ‘punching up’

Punching up is a term for deploying powerful techniques of criticism and rhetoric to critique and dismantle power structures, rather than to harm people disempowered relative to yourself.

basically, make fun of an attacker and not the victim or something out of someone control i.e metal illness, physical disability and so on.  

----

this is a good rule of thumb when writing humour for a character that is seen as being different to all the other characters. It shows that

1, you respect that characters integrity

2, that they should be taken seriously by the audience

this has been a bit of a problem for Brainy’s character as people tend to look at him and see a character that is less mature then he actually is.

for example when Kara and Alex wink at him to continue his investigation.

now this scene showed a moment of miss communication, which is fine in fact its in character for all three of these characters.

until the last line,

“in complete secrecy”    

this line took the joke one grade to far, because the miss communication was resolved only for it to be undercut but an awkward action,

now this is not a overly offensive thing it is just a small example of what i’m talking about. that the intellect of the character is being overridden by the awkward part.

this happened a lot in the show and these undercuts start to become the main point in a fair amount of scenes (almost every scene with Nia)

Again these things are not overly offensive (with one exception IMO, but i have already talked about that) but they use his character to push another up and that character is plenty strong on there own by the way, so that makes his character come across as more undercut and even less mature.

moving on, another good example of these two elements of his character working together is when it is matched with his kindness

examples being,

1, When he tells Kara he is ‘american alien’

2, All of his fight scenes, in that he says awkward things, but every move he makes has an exact calculated purpose.

3, the ‘becoming Winn’ scene (shows insight, intelligence but also respect for both Alex and Winn relationship)

and so on

but when it comes to scenes like when he is tying to get J’onn to help supergirl. the scene when Brainy tries to pay J’onn to help, is funny but it also show that

1, he is applying knowledge about how earth at this time operates (capitalism)  

2, that he know who to go to that Kara would want (both tactical and trust wise)

3, that he dose understand that J’onn is not fighting anymore, but also wants to make sure J’onn is on the broad so to speak (for Brainy’s tactical planning)

4, is awkward in his execution but is a genuine gesture

however it is once again undercut when he leaves the money anyway after it is explained to him J’onn won’t take it.

this is my main problem

the character is defined and proud of is intelligence but these jokes and beats undercut that he is intelligent time and time again.

they won’t let him learn for the sake of keeping him awkward.

these quality are not mutually exclusive.  

you can be smart but awkward, the key is to let the character learn and apply that knowledge quickly, they don’t even have to get it right. in fact overcorrection would be the best way to go with a character like Brainy.

for example, going back to the winking scene a better way to end it would have been if he winked back to Alex and Kara, three too many times before walking off. it’s still awkward but it shows that the character is learning and applying info give to him.

so yes, Brainy is a confidence and capability hero with almost double the experience of everyone around him. He is also the smartest person in the room and he knows it. but these things have become easy forgotten by a lot of the audience, because one element of his character has been pushed up higher then the others.

but not to say there is complete absents of the other elements, they are just under played or under used or those moments are given to other characters for whatever reason (*cough* Winn *cough* Lena* cough*)  and Brainy is left to lean on his awkwardness to get through the scene.

by leaning to hard into the fish out of water side of his character they are losing sight of the fundamental part of the character his brain,

Brainy’s brain, the guy named Brainy, with the big brain, Who is known for using his Brain, Big Brained Brainy.

Brainy has been shown many different ways over the years in comics and cartoons he had been awkward, arrogant, rude, spiteful, hopeful, adorable, sweet, untrusting, closed off, slightly manipulative, really manipulative or having one of the biggest hearts in the universe but above all he has been shown to be smart and adaptable in how he handles himself even if he is not sure of the people round him no matter where or when he is.

Rant over.

[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.

❤