#mj meta

[felassan]

one thing I wanna say is that 4 years ago after Tevinter Nights was released I wrote,

[Solas'] ritual site has surely gotta be somewhere the Veil is thin or weak. The Veil is almost certainly thinner/weaker in areas which have experienced or feature extensive bloodshed, death or use of magic. Callback implies that it is also thinner/weaker in areas which have born witness to many significant/important events in a general sense. Known places in the lore where it is thin or weak include the Brecilian Forest, where the bloodshed of many battles weakened it beyond repair, and Skyhold, which has seen more than its share of “ripples”. Both of these locations are in the south, and we’re heading north. [...] In Tevinter Nights we learn the Veil is thin in Arlathan Forest, and thinner in such a way as to be different to the way it is thin in other places. The Forest is wracked by ancient lingering elven magic, which is is slick, dangerous, heavy, leaping, and comes to mages easily and with little resistance. “Something else” also lurks at the edges of mages’ awareness there, sensing them pulling at threads of magic when they cast spells. You can hear the whispers and breaths of something huge just out of view. Since the Veil was made to imprison the Evanuris, maybe this is Evanuris lurking on the other side and the Forest is the site of their prison? [...] In any event, the Forest is in the north, and it would be easier to go unnoticed doing a long ritual deep in the woods. For one there is tree cover, for another not many people go in there, believing it to be haunted. Arlathan Forest therefore seems like a good candidate for the ritual site.

[starrrbakerrr]

i read this really insightful post by @thesmileykate and it made me realize how sunrise on the reaping adds a whole new layer to snow’s “convince me.” katniss easily “convinced” the majority of panem and all of the capitol of her love for peeta in the 74th games. but not snow, because he thinks all covey women are deceiving to their lovers. he thought there was no possible way katniss truly loved peeta. he wanted to believe all of her choices were for her own self-preservation. but when he saw katniss’s reaction to peeta’s heart stopping in the quarter quell his belief about covey women was proven incorrect. and once peeta was captured he knew he couldn’t take away katniss’s love for peeta, but he could take away peeta’s love for katniss.

[jules-ln]

I hate how people talk about Mel and Jayce's relationship

Because every time someone comments about how Mel manipulated Jayce, someone else jumps to say "nooo, Mel couldn't have done something like that she's perfect and has never done anything wrong in her life, ever"

And I'm here like "You are making a good complex character into a bland, one dimensional character"

Because it's clear to me that Mel acts the way she does Because of her trauma. Like I can imagine conversations with her family probably felt like playing 3d chess with a metaphorical sword hanging over her head

No wonder that she kept her distance from Jayce for 7 years, and when she makes a move, her first move is manipulating him

She does it, because she doesn't feel safe to go and just open herself and be vulnerable with Jayce

She probably expected Jayce to be like her family, to play 3d chess with her and him to make his next move

That's why she was so surprised when instead of him being calculating and manipulative, he was earnest and kind. And then after that, after Mel confirmed that Jayce's feelings were honest, she started to open herself up to him

And you see, both Mel and Jayce started their relationship on opposite sides

Jayce gave her his trust 100%, he was vulnerable and showed his belly from the beginning, but that was because he was expecting the same from Mel

People can think whatever they want about Mel and Jayce's relationship, but that doesn't changes the fact that Jayce himself felt used by Mel

And I think everyone is way too eager to dismiss Jayce's feelings in the fight scene between him and Mel with Viktor. He probably had PTSD and didn't feel safe at all (You can tell by the way he clings to his hammer as a form of protection) and mind you, Mel also had gone through an extremely bad experience

But once again they found themselves at opposite sides

Jayce was angry and hurt, he probably played every interaction he had with Mel in his head again again while on that cave, and felt like an idiot for not realizing that she had been manipulating him

He also was in an extreme state of distress and was searching for someone to blame for what had happened. He was calculating what really went down during the bombing of the council and came to the conclusion that Mel could've saved Viktor, so he decided to blame her

Mind you, that wasn't a logical decision, Jayce was lashing out because he was in distress and Mel was just the unlucky one, but it could've been Cait, Vi, or his mom just as well

Now, Mel on the other hand, she was accustomed to the kind and soft Jayce, the one that earnestly listened to her, she went there searching comfort from him, just to find out that Jayce had changed and he was now attacking her

That's why she was so taken aback by him, you can hear how her voice trembles and her body language showed that she was nervous

Once again they found themselves in opposing sides because Mel didn't clarify what she did and that she no longer wanted to manipulate Jayce.

She did that to Jayce because of her trauma, that was how she was used to relationships to be, but then when she realized that Jayce was being honest, instead of clarify things, she let things stay how they were; maybe afraid of how Jayce would react

But it was because she's the daughter of her mother and that influences how she acts on her relationships

People are totally going to hate me for this, but let's compare Mel and Jayce's relationship to Viktor and Jayce's relationship since Viktor and Mel mirror each other

When Viktor and Jayce met, they didn't like each other at all lmao

But then the trial happened

Both Viktor and Mel looked interested in Jayce, but for two different reasons, Mel looked at Jayce and thought that Hextech was a good investment, meanwhile Viktor was interested in Jayce's dreams, in his values and the willingness to stand up for them

And I'm not saying that Mel was wrong and Viktor was right, I'm saying that Mel is a perfectly reasonable person while Viktor is insane lmao

Because then Viktor goes on and risk his entire life for Jayce, like I can't even say how much Viktor would've lost if things hadn't gone as planned

Yet, he did it for Jayce, he was honest since the beginning and put his life at risk for him. In turn Jayce also gave up everything for him like Viktor did, but in this case both him and Viktor were on the same page since the beginning

In the scene right before the fight when Viktor appears, Jayce is quite literally standing between Viktor and Mel with a choice to make

He takes a look at Mel, before turning around to face Viktor and giving his back to Mel

The camera lingers on his back, where we are shown a pattern that represents both Zaun and Viktor (as I've already talked about in this post)

I really love the cinematic language of this scene and I want to do an analysis of it, but long story short, this is the visual language of arcane telling us that Jayce is choosing Viktor

This is where their romantic relationship is officially over

Not because he didn't care about her, or because he didn't love her. But because at that point in the story he couldn't trust her anymore, even if she was saying the truth, he wouldn't be able to trust her, so sadly the relationship between them had already ran it's course

I think it's interesting, because we rarely see this kind of relationship between a woman and a man in media, where the relationship simply isn't mean to be anymore, but both the man and the woman remain in good terms, and I appreciate that Arcane shows how sometimes, even if a relationship is extremely important and you love the other person, not everything is meant to last forever; but that doesn't make it any less important

[looking4answers25]

Gale and Katniss - Friends to Strangers

I'm just doing some reading and research on different humanities approaches to studying fictional characters and had a sudden and unexplained bout of rage about Gale? I still have to finish re-reading/watching mockingjay but it just popped into my head.

That scene of Katniss being kind and worried about her prep team after finding them starving and hurt in District 13? I understand that Gale is angry and traumatized - he watched his home being fire bombed and lost most of his town - people he saw everyday. He needs to direct it somewhere and the Capitol is his true target, I understand and empathize. But the prep team - people who are actually fond of Katniss - who were indoctrined all their life and probably until being captured and tortured by 13 didn't really understand the reality of the world they lived in do not deserve his attitude. Nor does Katniss for being kind to people who have been unjustly hurt. That pissed me off. Being angry at her for being kind? Being empathetic?

I don't remember what teenage me thought about Gale exactly, I remember not really liking him much. Thinking back, it was most likely because of his entitlement about Katniss - as if all that time hunting with Katniss means she somehow belonged to him. That idea of ownership, the times he kissed her - always making it about how he needed to do it at least once or he knew she'd kiss him because he was hurt. Not once about love - not implied or otherwise. I've reblogged a post or two of other people talking about Gale having issues with Katniss choosing to spend time with people other than him (unless it's Prim), specifically Finnick. Katniss has grown since her times in the Games and has empathy for people who appear to 'have it all' like those from the wealthier districts and Finnick. She talks to Prim and Finnick about Peeta because they understand that he is important to her, beyond their 'star-crossed lovers' act/reality. But Gale hasn't - in his head, Peeta is a part of the Games still - something that 'took' Katniss away from him. In HG and CF for the games, the quell, and their engagement, and in MJ when she worries about him both before and after Peeta is rescued. That part where Gale offers to kill him for Katniss made me so angry. The idea of 'putting down' someone who can't help their condition, the lack of empathy.

Katniss and Gale were both parentified after their fathers died, Katniss more so because her mom checked out, but it seems like while Katniss grew to be more protective and defensiveness of those she loves, Gale became more aggressive and offensive. Kill or be killed. It's not that I don't understand. I don't like him but he is an interesting character. And SC absolutely fleshed out her characters so well. Readers mostly show the differences between Peeta and Gale, and Katniss and Peeta, but I think it is so so important to also contrast Gale and Katniss. These friends who depended on each other to feed their families who were so deeply twisted by their traumas they became strangers with little in common and no trust between them.

As an adult, reading the books, even from Katniss' perspective - Gale and Katniss don't fit together, slowly growing apart even as they apparently get closer. Not as friends by the time they're in District 13, let alone anything more intimate. The little moments lack the emotional intimacy of those cave scenes and train moments between Katniss and Peeta in HG and CF respectively. Gale and Katniss are both traumatized and twisted by their experiences and their new selves don't fit, not even as hunting partners. Even when they go above ground to hunt in MJ, they have an argument - it's completely different from how they interact in HG.

Gale became more utilitarian and ruthless, less empathetic, from "How different could it be?" (killing humans after hunting animals) in HG to not caring if the workers in District 2 are killed by being trapped in the Nut (mines) in MJ. Katniss in that scene is one of my favourite scenes of her.

Katniss remained kind and empathetic even with her defensiveness - think of the people she cared about and how much she gives people without expecting anything back. Her alliance with Rue - she didn't really care about what she could get back, it was more about protecting this clever little girl who reminded her of her sister. In CF, Katniss wanted Beetee, Wiress, and Mags as allies - she wanted to protect them. These clever, older, people no longer in peak physical condition - who should have been left in peace. Katniss is aware her prep team are silly and vapid but she doesn't really blame them for their ignorance.

Everyone talks about Peeta being kind, and he absolutely is, but Katniss is kind too. Her self-esteem and image of herself is flawed and as an unreliable narrator - her inner monologue doesn't let her see it.

[guiltyofbitchcraft]

The Ultimate Spider-Man Christmas issue shows that even though they changed MJs backstory they still really know what they're doing with her. And god I love it when adaptations, or AUs show off that they really thought out the things they changed and how to change them while staying respectful to the source material.

Before Gwen's death, 616 MJ was all about wearing a happy, life of the party mask to keep herself from getting hurt by the people around her. She had already been deeply hurt and troubled by her family life and she didn't want to make the same mistakes as her mother and sister.

In 6160 we see this really interesting inversion of her backstory. She still runs from the family life she grew up with but the family life is different here which gives her a different journey to finding herself. Instead of an abusive father starting the instability of her life it's a narcissistic mother. Instead of Gayle trying to tie MJ down to take care of the family, she's afraid MJ is holding herself back by marrying and having kids with Peter. As far as we know she never went through the mask phase because any mask would've reminded her of her mother. She had no choice but to rebel in authenticity, which I'm certain is part of why Peter and MJ found each other and married so fast (the comic takes place 20 years after Peter would've gotten bit by the spider so that puts MJ and Peter 35-37 age wise. They have a son who's at least thirteen which means they had him in their early twenties).

But despite this pretty big background change, this is still the MJ we know and love, she just needed to run from her family mistakes in a different way. It still keeps the beats of her motivations that her backstory needs to make the one and only Mary Jane Watson and it's so well done that once you see all the pieces layout it makes perfect sense for this world and where she is now.

It's so refreshing to see someone truly respect and care for Mary Jane Watson at Marvel and take the time to make sure they know what they're doing with her. I truly can't wait to see what else is in store for her, especially with Kraven now in the picture.

[districtfourmermaid]

Just to be clear, I don't completely hate Peeta. He's not one of my favorite characters, but he does have some good moments and qualities. It isn't all his fault, even though I can be harsh.

Mostly, I kinda resent him because I do not like any kind of romance for Katniss. I understand the value of the romance and love triangle for publicity and market value, but we can all see how it took away a bit from the meat of the story, the brilliant social commentary. It feels so meta, Katniss faking the romance for Sponsors is a 1:1 for the emphasis on the romance in HG publicity for readers or viewers.

And the debt-focused attitude that drives Katniss to help him feels uncomfortable. His weird comments during the Games don't help, but again, he is buying her act. He doesn't know that she feels obligated for all but one or two kisses and intimate moments because of her understanding with Haymitch about the sponsors. He's awkward and thinks she likes him, so maybe he doesn't really understand how creepy it can look to someone who knows Katniss's inner monologue.

And the MJ epilogue just grinds my gears so much. As a woman who has never wanted kids and never will, I was just disappointed by Peeta winning Katniss over, getting her to change her mind about it. I would love a story where the female protagonist who doesn't want kids actually doesn't have kids.

[riaraa]

I’m rewatching Mixte/Voltaire High to keep working on my Josèle (Michèle Magnan x Joseph Descamps) fanfiction No Angels and there was one scene in particular that has spurred on many thoughts:

Something I didn't notice before was how quickly Joseph follows Michèle out of the shop where they run into each other in Episode 7. We saw Michèle race out of there after getting the bleach and how she immediately went to Laubrac pretending she didn’t know he was there. To me, this shows that Joseph was right behind her and she knew it. Did Joseph intent to speak to her, or intimidate her further? Was he going to be soft or harsh? Could we have gotten a proper conversation between without any classmates around? Was Joseph disappointed to see Laubrac at first but then it gave him his new plan to get back at the Michèle and Jean-Pierre? A part of me wonders, was he jealous of Laubrac and Michèle, and that was a motivator to only act now, at the end of the year when he had a long time to do something in retaliation? Like, why now when they have been avoiding each other for so long? Now I have so many questions that will never be answered!

And, it bothers me because this moment between Michèle and Joseph should have happened soon after the prank on her and him losing his eye. You mean to tell me it’s been almost an entire school and yet they’re just now having this weird confrontation? They have been in classes together for MONTHS. It was so strange to see such a pivotal scene (prank and losing eye) involve both of their characters and it gets completely disregarded until the end of the show to simply serve a plot point for another relationship. It lacked depth because it should have been their (Josèle) relationship being explored. It was a high stakes moment that was essentially dropped when it could have so much more.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the tension of eye contact throughout the school year, but it should have come to more than that. I was convinced their rivalry would be a central part of the show and it was lackluster without it, which means Joseph should have been a main character, not a side one. He was a main antagonist that wasn’t explored and, to me, it hurt the development of the show—especially Michèle as a character (but I could write an entire post about her character and how the writers dropped the ball with her). Even the lack of confrontation between Joseph and Jean-Pierre until the finale where they bump into each other at the party just didn’t add up.

To end my rant, I love this show and I love Josèle, but it still makes me sad to see immeasurable amounts of wasted potential between these two characters that could (should) have been explored.

[spider-xan]

Thinking about how one of the themes of Insomniac Spider-Man 2 is balance and how one of the big differences between Peter and Miles is how Peter has a habit of isolating himself (doubly so when he has the symbiote) and Miles is all about community and support, and during the climax, the effort to defeat Venom is very much a team effort that would not be possible without Peter, Miles, and MJ working together to support each other and play the role they are most suited for given their skill sets - and it goes beyond just them bc Harry's efforts to fight back even when he's perfectly fused with the symbiote gives Peter the opportunity to use his Anti-Venom powers to purge the symbiote (and kill Harry as the host until Miles revives him), and that wouldn't have been possible without Martin Li using his powers to purify the symbiote remnant in Peter, and the knowledge that Peter still has some of the symbiote inside him comes from Connors, and the idea that the meteorite can be destroyed by the particle accelerator comes from Peter's observation that Connors had done it before, and I'm sure there are many more examples of how so many characters come together to help save the day in their own ways instead of one character taking on that burden and responsibility.

[gwensy]

her teammates are happy to follow her she is friendly and kind ☺️. she like abandoned everybody in her own world with no further qualms. she was 100% willing to leave everything behind at the drop of a dime, she Said That infront of the mary-janes as though it'd have no affect on them. did the "im sorry im always leaving" monologue while em jay was out mean nothing to you

[deathishauntedbyhumans]

my sleep meds have kicked in so this might not be comprehensible. sorry,

i just had the thought cross my mind that… peter b’s MJ doesn’t know miles. i’m sure she’s heard abt him, i’m sure she knows that miles is the reason that 🅱️eter wants to have a kid (especially since it seems fairly clear that MJ is in the know re: spider shenanigans, i’m assuming peter told her all abt his dimensional travels or at least enough to have her understand what it is he’s done and is currently doing with miguel) but!!! but!!! she’s never met miles and miles has never met her!

obvious in retrospect now that i’ve had the thought, but. man. i think mj would WANT to meet miles v badly. she’s probably asked B if she can meet him. B is probably uncomfy with the topic 😅 yk, since he’s aware that miles is an anomaly and stuff ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

but yeah petition for miles and MJ to hang out. i think they’d vibe.

[looking4answers25]

Where is it?!

I don't know much about North American geography but man I wanna know where all the districts in The Hunger Games are - I want to be able to look up these places and get it. Not that SC doesn't do a fantastic job describing places, I'm sure at least people from the places she's describing recognize it, but i want to knowwww too. Don't keep it a secret! I know from HG that District 12 is a part of Appalachian mountains - but like where? Which states? And how big is it? I know the mountain range crosses multiple states.

What about the other districts? Where is D13 if it's a little beyond the woods of 12?

Anyone got any ideas?

[rappaccini]

been thinking on how peter's had a lot of love interests over the years, but only six of them most consistently stick around and impact his character. and how the big six model works for other spider-love stories too because it's a good round number that allows for love interest variety and a strong romantic character arc without overcrowding.

so peter's big six are as follows:

liz allan: the one-sided superficial first crush on a rich girl with more social capital that ultimately goes nowhere

betty brant: the first girlfriend who is working-class with whom he eventually returns to being just friends, who ends up with his friend

gwen stacy: the first love, who's his intellectual equal in the classroom and of a steady upper-middle-class (law-enforcement) background he aspires to, who dislikes his alter ego, who he can't be honest to, who dies

mj watson: the true love, who's his equal socially, who isn't the steadiest career-wise and had a hard upbringing, who knows and accepts his alter ego, who he ends up with

felicia hardy: the problematic situationship with a vigilante who isn't a good influence on him, who only cares about the alter ego

cindy moon*: the forced spidermarriage with another spider-person the universe insists he's the 'soulmate' of

[*YES, cindy hasn't been shipped with peter since the mess that was her introduction and it'll hopefully stay that way. but she makes the cut because she's a very memorable character with a very distinct dynamic with peter that's being replicated already-- particularly with miles and gwen: "look, male and female spider-people! let's force them to kiss and call them soulmates!"]

if you line them up, there's a narrative that starts to emerge.

they tend to appear in pairs with a class juxtaposition. in high school, peter is strongly driven by a desire for status and money, and his family's financial situation is precarious: he's choosing between rich (liz) or poor (betty). by going to college, he's settled on being middle-class, so while he's there he has to decide between upper-middle-class stability (gwen) or lower-middle-class authenticity and freedom (mj).

[to note: people didn't used to hate love triangles. that's why they're prominent here. and marvel used to let peter grow up, so he actually can have his love interests spread out.]

and once he's postgrad and his financial situation is kind of set, he's tempted by being a hero. felicia and cindy are contrasted with mj, not each other: does he want to use his powers selfishly and be more of an anti-hero (felicia)? does he want to lean into the mystical spiderverse that thinks he's the chosen one (cindy)?

(we know he's going to circle back to mj. aka, he's going to ultimately choose his humanity instead of his spider-powers.)

demographically, they're all white women and one asian woman (... who he has a hypersexual fling with that's immediately demonized, rejected and treated like it was never serious😬). so uh. peter's that kind of guy.

he prefers civilian girlfriends. makes sense given that [marvel used to do civilian love interests] he has dead gf trauma he doesn't want to repeat that might make watching her get into a fight be a bit too much. he wants his girlfriend away from the fight, somewhere safe, and he views his vigilantism as something he needs to do alone.

similarly, he doesn't really need to share careers with his love interest: he's drawn to betty when he's more into photography for the bugle, to gwen when he's chasing science, but when he's his most realized, he chooses a partner who isn't in his workspace. peter wants a love interest he shares goals and values with, but needs space to be on his own. it follows that he'd want his partner to have the same.

the progression seems tied to peter’s age: two high school love interests, two college love interests, two postgrad post-divorce get-my-groove-back-fling love interests.

his overall romantic arc seems to be about peter finding someone who can love both sides of him and ground him, and intersects with the class issues his character constantly contends with. he's tempted by wealth and status, and then by stability and approval, or by the special perks of being a superhero, but ultimately he's going to return to his role as the everyman. he's a family man who wants something grounded and sincere with someone who has her own interests to pursue, the same way he does. ending up with mj goes hand-in-hand with peter embracing his underdog status.

at any rate, these characters are far from the only girls peter's had tension, relationships or hookups with, but these are the ones who have the most memorable personalities and the most distinct dynamics with him that have lasting impact on his stories.

tied to their staying power, the first five are also the ones who are adapted the most: if you're writing a peter-spider-man story, you're probably choosing his love interest(s) from this list. and the list tends to be condensed down even more from there (how many times have you seen peter's love interests advertised as betty-gwen-mj-felicia, or gwen-mj-felicia, or gwen-and-mj?) with each woman standing out and contrasting well against each other.

and the six— not the specific love interests, but their attributes and story functions— should be used more for other spider-people. if nothing else because it means each character can have a convenient shortlist of love interests to reference and return to, instead of a constantly-growing stack of quick relationships that never get to deepen or evolve with characters who become easy to forget.

miles

i mentioned this here, but miles's supporting cast is at its strongest when it creates original characters for him to interact with, fills them with elements of classic spider-man characters and their stories, and remixes those stories in a unique way.

so his love interests, at their best, are original characters whose qualities combine and reimagine the big six's.

for example:

katie bishop: liz allan (superficial interest in the first girl he crushes on in canon) x betty brant (first romance).

lana baumgartner: cindy moon (fellow superhero) x mj watson (dysfunctional family background; from his world)

kamala khan: betty brant (remaining friends) x liz allan (unreciprocated crush) x cindy moon (fellow superhero).

gwen stacy (65): gwen stacy (...) x cindy moon (forced spidermarriage) x liz allan (superficial attraction based on a need to gain status through a relationship with her)

barbara rodriguez: gwen stacy (classmate who's naive to his alter ego) x betty brant (goes on to date his friend).

tiana toomes: felicia hardy (initially problematic vigilante) x mj watson (family complications; the true love who balances him out and completes him).

... though there are six listed, honestly i think miles' love interest roster isn't complete yet, and there are one or two more slots left to fill. i'll circle back to that.

first, some notes of interest:

miles inverts the 2:1 civilian to superhuman ratio of peter's love interests. marvel seems to be moving away from the civilian love interest/secret identity drama in general... and miles seems to want a partner who can come with him on adventures. he's a more social hero, and more forward-thinking. he's cool with his girlfriend getting in danger (because he hasn't been traumatized by that yet), and he doesn't like superheroing alone.

he isn't really in any love triangles. people generally hate or dislike them now, so that device has been dropped. miles usually focuses on one girl at a time. (... with the exception of, despite having a girlfriend already, miles flirting with gwen while she stares into space and doesn't respond)

he's still in high school, yet has had a lot of love interests, which speaks to how characters age a lot slower than they used to these days... and how miles isn't as much of a loser as peter was at his age. he's less sexist and more social, and therefore he's more successful at getting girlfriends than peter was at his age.

instead of sorting the love interests based on when he met them, sort them based on why he's drawn to them: katie and barbara are his classmates. gwen and kamala are prominent heroes in their own right who he keeps getting pr-relationshipped with. lana and tiana are vigilantes from troubled backgrounds who he can influence for the better. two love interests reflect his civilian side, two reflect the hero he wants to be, two bring out both by helping miles remember why he's a hero in the first place-- because of the person he is under the mask-- and influencing him to stay true to that person.

given how editorial pr-shipping miles with gwen and kamala gives him this tendency to uh. step outside of his committed relationships to chase after the idea of dating the brand-friendly superheroes who give him more clout... miles has a recurring issue with objectifying women and treating them like accessories when he's having a crisis of confidence that he needs to work out.

specifically an issue as it pertains to gwen: all his worst instincts are externalized in how he treats gwen. he keeps ignoring when she tells him to stop flirting with him or that she'd rather be friends, has an extremely superficial interest in her mostly tied to using her as a stepping stone to success, and if they get together, he'd be stopping her from coming out. which means he's either so superficially attracted to her that he doesn't even realize she's queer... or he does know and is willingly keeping her from being her authentic self so he can have her as a trophy gf. either way it's a Bad look and he'll never conquer those flaws unless he fully moves on from her.

he's usually drawn to alternative/punkish, artsy, slightly older girls with chips on their shoulders who are more cynical than he is. he wants to fix them, and he's looking for someone to balance his more optimistic tendencies out.

and given how many of the girls he's shipped or shipteased with end up being queer or queercoded-- gwen, phin, brielle, riri, even one continuity's felicia-- well. miles sure does have a tendency to seek out the kind of girl who wouldn't be happy in a heterosexual relationship dynamic, and yet he still expects or even pushes for her to enter one anyway, which will always be at the cost of that girl's queerness. same hat as peter's uh, preference. gwen truly is his cindy moon.

what's the common denominator there? other than miles being a weirdo about gwen, it's that miles has this tendency to get caught up in aesthetics. he gets so caught up in how a girl looks and how that look will benefit him if he's in proximity to it-- a white girl, or a queer girl, or a glamorous superhero-- that he isn't willing to acknowledge who the girl is.

demographically, miles is into white girls at the start of his arc (or when he's being written poorly), and starts branching out to date poc girls once he gains confidence and has a better understanding of himself. narratively this tracks with his overall arc about breaking away from his need to be like peter and committing to representing and protecting his community over getting white people to like him-- and the best realization of his romance arc that'll support his overall arc would be him ending up with a black girl, which we are hopefully moving towards with tiana.

he hasn't had a fridged/tragic love interest, intellectual equal, or been in a toxic dynamic yet in the comics (i mean. that's basically gwiles but no one will admit it. the confirmed toxic dynamic he's had thus far is in the games with phin mason)... raneem rashad, anyone?

anyway at this point, miles is still in high school and has had plenty of love interests. and he's a young enough character that we're just gonna have to see who lasts as more contenders are introduced.

if i had to guess,

kamala will stick around, but won't consistently be his love interest, and even when she is they won't end up together. she and miles are the two biggest New Generation Legacy Heroes and the pr shipping writes itself. but because she's too big a character in her own right and far from his corner of the marvel universe half the time, she probably won't be a constant adaptation. she'd either be watered down, or it would pull too much focus to explain her presence unless it's specifically a team-up or group story. and even if she does show up, we know it's a given they won't end up together. it's a solid stepping-stone romance.

gwen should have faded into history as a regrettable one-time thing. but because of spiderverse synergy, that won't ever happen and the best we can hope for is a temporary relationship. because she's also got too much going on, has her own world and has Gwen Stacy Baggage attached, she’s too difficult to fit into his stories without completely compromising her character to force her into the girlfriend role. not that marvel has a problem doing that. and like kamala, being his love interest holds her back from being her own protagonist with her own stories. this relationship is genuinely terrible. she should hopefully not be a constant adaptation... but the spiderverse movies are going to keep causing versions of them to at least flirt with the idea of a relationship. the horse is out of the barn re: stopping this ship from happening again, but hopefully it'll be reframed as an optional and always-temporary situation that isn't good for either of them. which can work; bad relationships can be good character development if you own that they're bad and let them end. if.

tiana (hopefully!) will stick around and make it to the endgame. she's That Great. she's an original character who won't contradict preexisting variants (unlike gwen or katie). she's too unique to be confused for another character. she's got a memorable design, cool powers, fun personality and great backstory that enhances the overall spider-man canon by making the vulture a more developed villain. and she isn't popular enough to steal his spotlight (kamala) or have better things to do elsewhere (kamala, gwen). not to mention that their relationship is the best miles has ever had. this is the girl he should end up with.

barbara might survive... or we'll just get a series of temporary civilian visions academy gfs in her image (like insomniac's hailey cooper). she's easy to adapt... but also easy to forget. and compared to the competition, we all know he's not gonna end up with her.

lana might last, but if she's readapted, she'll probably change a lot. she could step into katie's role as the initial white visions gf (... maybe the only visions gf; sorry barbara), or kamala's in adaptations where ms marvel being in miles's supporting cast would be too distracting but they still want that superhero-flirtation-to-friendship story. she could even take gwen's role as the white superhero he wants to fix and has a problematic infatuation with. it's a tossup, but lana has the range to participate in a lot of stories, and a compelling powerset and backstory that are worth exploring. another solid stepping-stone girlfriend.

katie's probably going to fade away. she has too little impact and is too easy to confuse with kate bishop, hawkeye, to be easily adaptable. no big loss.

... and we're probably due one more major love interest category to take the space katie's going to leave: a tragically villainous tech-powered girl of color, like phin mason or raneem rashad. (... or margo kess, minus the tragic villainy. or riri williams, who got a lot of teases with him a while ago but is so gay it just won't happen.)

it's too early for miles's love interests to scale down from big six to a big four, three or two. the general progression seems to be white girl -> non-black poc girl -> black girl, and civilian visions gf -> hero gf he wants to live up to the standard of -> troubled vigilante who becomes a superhero after falling for him. we'll just have to see who it ends up being.

(personally i'm rooting for kamala / lana / tiana to take the big three. realistically it'll be kamala / gwen / hopefully tiana.)

hopefully canon starts to standardize his love interests soon. because if he keeps getting new ones, all of them become easier to forget, and the worst relationship with the best exposure, gwiles, will rise to the top simply because she's the one that made it to the movies, which would be terrible for them both.

as for gwen...

even more complicated.

her character's even newer than miles's, and her romantic history is largely defined by having other people (men. and em jay.) push their desires on her, rather than gwen exploring her own. she's had a lot of false starts, and a lot of obviously queer tension with other women that marvel refuses to act on, but canonically she's barely dated at all and isn't motivated by romance.

gwen also sits between peter and miles in terms of love interest originality: it makes sense for gwen to initially interact with alternate versions of peter's supporting cast, because that's gwen's supporting cast too... but like miles, she should still have unique dynamics with those characters because she's not peter. and since she's gwen-65, she should eventually branch out to relationships with characters on earth-65 that 616-gwen never would have met or gotten close to.

so no, gwen should not end up with earth-65's em jay ~because every spider has their mj~. that idea implies that mj is drawn to peter's spider-powers instead of peter as a person, and that she'd have fallen for anyone who had them. it invalidates the uniqueness of peter and mj's romance by turning mj into a spider-groupie, and of gwen-65 herself (and any spider-person you're trying to shove an mj at to check a box). gwen deserves a love story that's totally new and all hers. no peter, no miles, no alternate version of a peter/miles love interest. give her someone new.

anyway so far i think we can make a case for maybe three or four of hers.

peter parker*: liz allan x gwen stacy. except in this case, he's the one with the superficial one-sided crush on her and he's the one who ends up dead.

miles morales (1610)*: cindy moon, the forced divine spidermarriage. with a bit of liz allan, for the superficiality of it all. (... and felicia, for the toxicity no one will talk about)

harry osborn: primarily betty brant (the high school sweetheart she never got to have who ultimately stays friends with her), with elements of felicia (a former vigilante) and mj (understands and accepts the alter ego)

em jay watson: yes she's an mj, but honestly? she's the gwen stacy (the first love out of high school in the same career path who hates gwen's hero alter ego) with elements of felicia hardy (she's the toxic relationship) and betty brant (going on to date one of gwen's friends)

[*gwen doesn't reciprocate their feelings, but at this point peter and miles' links to gwen are so inescapable it's a given that romantic tension will define their dynamics for the forseeable future. anytime spider-gwen is adapted, she's gonna have to deal with this shit from at least one of them. mentally i'm lumping them together because these fuckers are The Same.]

she has a few major slots left to fill... but gwen's situation isn't quite like miles and peter's. aside from having a different personality and story, she's queer and female, so her romantic arc's gonna differ.

gwen can't be in a relationship with someone on 65 who doesn't know her secret identity because it's already public there (unless there's a status quo reset that gives gwen her privacy back, she dates someone on another world, or we retcon her a high school boyfriend from her early spider-woman days). which makes her unique from peter and miles.

she hasn't seriously dated anyone who's only interested in her famous alter ego yet either. which, given ghost-spider's celebrity status on earth-65, should be an eventuality... johnny-65 or felicia-65, anyone?

gwen-65 was never a science-oriented person, doesn't share peter and miles' humanities-or-stem postgrad conflict, and already committed to music. so a science-minded love interest would result in a different dynamic because gwen wouldn't be their intellectual equal. which could be interesting.

... but if we reframe gwen's postgrad conflict to be 'musician or professional superhero'... dating another full-time vigilante is the logical next step. how about kitty-65? or spider-punk, who's both?

(... and if being torn between two worlds is literal in her being torn between '65 or 616'.... well. maybe dating another superhero who isn't peter or miles on 616 could work too...... so, cindy moon, kaine, laura kinney or anya corazon?)

she hasn't met or begun a relationship with her true love yet. if she even has one. who knows, it's not impossible that gwen will turn out to be ace (though extremely unlikely), or if she'll simply decide to remain single. after all, she isn't romantic and doesn't want a domestic family. she'd be happy on her own.

... and since this has to be stated somewhere, it's all but obvious at this point that gwen's queer. she needs to have both male and female love interests.

being in the closet, pressured into comphet and sucked into imbalanced relationships where she'd be the subservient partner (usually to a man) are currently what defines gwen's romantic life, and the roadblocks stopping her from moving on. so before she gets any further, she's gonna have to resolve those issues first. which is gonna take a while, because of spiderverse synergy throwing her at miles like a tomato at the wall to see if gwiles will stick every year and marvel's reluctance to let her be queer and leave the male gaze.

at this point gwen's love interests can be paired too. and like peter and miles, it's reflective of her romantic arc (evolving from an object of someone else's desire to a subject who chases her own), which is related to her personal one (a queer girl fighting for equality and autonomy in a universe that wants to keep those things from her). it's about gwen's level of agency, equality and reciprocity in the dynamic:

she begins with virtually no say in her relationships and no equality over her partner, who she isn't even that into. she's shoved into forced romances with more popular and powerful men that she isn't particularly attracted to but knows she's 'supposed to be with' who trap gwen in the male gaze, pressure her to live up to an ideal that makes her uncomfortable (earth-8) or kills her (earth-616), and take her away from her world (peter and miles).

she starts to deepen her relationships with people she's sincerely attracted to [who are also her world's versions of peter's supporting cast] but can't be with because of extenuating circumstances related to gwen being a superhero and them being unable to keep up with her (harry and em jay).

logically, the next threshold should be overcoming those circumstances to actually have lasting romantic relationships with people who are her equals. and the love interests should be characters unconnected to peter parker, miles morales, or their supporting casts. something new.

since gwen's all but confirmed as bi at this point, she has to date at least one woman for an extended period of time to lock that in. at least one of those threshold three love interests must be a woman.

and given how much her story revolves around dodging comphet and escaping the effects of the straight male gaze, she should never ever end up with a cishet guy. she must end up with a queer person.

and then maybe we'll find out if gwen's genuinely not interested in romance, or if she was so traumatized that she didn't realize she could be in a healthy relationship with someone she's actually attracted to and like it.

if it's the latter, then she'd better get actual closure with harry and em jay, where she can actually be in relationships with them, since she's barely dated harry and hasn't even gotten together with em jay, or at least acknowledge why ghostgoblin or gwenjay didn't work out.

and then give her 3-4ish major male and female love interests to compensate for the toxic and one-sided relationships she's had so far and never let a straight guy get his hands on her again. most of her experience being that is too depressing.

[katkit-42]

I can't stop thinking about Gwen in ATSV. She mentioned about how she, in every other universe, died when she was loved by spiderman/Peter Parker. Peter B., Noir, Ham, and Peni didn't talk about it, but I can't help but think about how Gwen is in this organization where literally thousands of people were in love with her and she died. When she walked through Neuva York, every Spiderman was tripping over themselves to call out to her specifically and receive a "hey :)" back. Not Spider Jess or Hobie.

And then there's Pavitr and, love him of course, but I wonder how it felt to see him talk about Gayatri. I know it's a joke but how does it feel to see yourself put on this pedestal. You can't help but compare yourself and wonder "did my Peter see me that way? How would I have acted if he did?" To see her dad in Officer Singh. To see herself trapped in a bus, desperately pounding on the window as she dangled above certain death again.

In the original Spiderman India comic, they skipped over Gwen/Gayatri entirely, and instead had Meera Jain. Which I get why they did from a meta perspective, but in universe, how does it feel to know your replacement is out there. Every Spiderman is happy with their MJ, and they think of Gwen fondly, but like.... Gwen is replaceable. She is the first love, but she doesn't get a future. It's a canon event.

The horror of being a fridged woman.

[academyofbrokenhearts]

Everything about this scene is hilarious, from the accidental kiss to Kavin and MJ exclaiming "oh my God" in unison to Thyme's reactions.

 Bwahahahahah! I especially love how it takes a second for his brain to catch up with what happened and you see his face go from his ready to brawl “what did you do to me” to giddy “what did you do to me” and then he bolts trying to hide a grin and ahahahahahah

[riaraa]

Analyzing the Kiara and Rafe Moments in "Outer Banks: Dead Break" by Jay Coles

Over the weekend, I read the book Outer Banks: Dead Break by Jay Coles. I bought this book because I was happy to see that we would be getting a story from Kiara’s POV and I found early excerpts for the book that name-dropped Rafe as one of the competitors in the surf competition that Kiara signs up for. As a riara shipper, I had to read it to see if there would be any interactions between them (and I was not disappointed)! 

Fellow riara fans, enjoy!

This post is GIANT, so everything is below the line!

Summary of the Book from the Dustjacket:

The waves are off the hook, and Pope and the other Pogues are betting big on Kiara blowing the Kook competition out of the water. What could possibly go wrong? It's summer in the OBX, and a big surfing competition is bringing in pro surfers from around the world to Kildare Island, along with plenty of Kooks and tourists. Meanwhile, a storm has delivered massive waves, making for perfect—yet challenging-surfing conditions. But Kiara, who has been training, is up for the challenge. As for Pope, he just started his summer internship at the city morgue—his dream job! When Kiara strikes up a flirtation with one of the pro surfers, Pope, John B, and JJ can't help but get a little jealous at the attention she receives. Meanwhile, the visiting surfers are treating Pope's dad, Heyward, like some kind of hero, but he won't explain why. When one of the professional surfers washes up dead on the beach, everyone assumes he got crushed by a wave. But Pope, Kiara, and the rest of the Pogues aren't so sure…

Quoted Moments and My Thoughts:

“The sound of heavy metal rips through the air. Rafe Cameron drives onto the sand in his expensive Jeep, multiple surfboards hanging out the back. I shake my head as he parks, pulls his t-shirt off, and heads toward the water, board at his side.” (Page 32)

Rafe's first mention is during Kiara's POV when she is at the beach with a professional surfer named Gabriel who came to OBX for the surfing competition. Is it now canon that Rafe is a heavy metal fan? Because I was NOT expecting that, but I totally love it. I like that the author wrote that he drives a Jeep, because that's what I have him drive in my riara fics (I can't remember if it's canon in the show or not). Kiara doesn't say much about Rafe in her thoughts during this moment but she saw him shirtless (which he only is once in the show I think), so a win is a win in my book.

“I’d heard that Rafe was planning to enter the competition, too. Ward has probably bought Rafe lessons with the best surf instructors money could buy from the time he could walk. He’s a decent surfer, but next to Cole [a professional surfer who is in OBX for the surf competition] and Darren [a professional surfer who is in OBX for the surf competition], he looks like a littel kid beside giants. I hope that’s not how I’ll look next to the pros in a few days. Unlike Rafe, I am entirely self-taught.” (Page 32)

I find this moment interesting because despite both being rich and living on Figure 8, Rafe and Kiara live very different lives. A big plot point in this book is how her parents don't support her dreams of becoming a professional surfer and I find it interesting that Ward is supporting Rafe's because that doesn't seem like something he would do in the show. It makes me think Rafe wasn't as bad at this point with his mental illness and drug abuse. I also like that the author used Rafe as a talking point for Kiara to compare herself to, no matter how small (we are hardly scratching the surface here), because I think there is a lot to compare between them as characters.

“I see Ward and Rafe Cameron saunter in [to The Wreck, where Kiara is waitressing] and join Darren and Alan’s [Darren’s manager] table. By the time I bring Alan and Darren their (raw) oysters, Ward is deep into his pitch for Alan to take on Rafe as a client. I try to listen in. I gotta admit, I’m jealous [...] it must be nice to have a parent who supports your dreams.” (Page 43)

This paragraph expands on my above thoughts. I find it super interesting that both Rafe and Kiara have dreams of becoming professional surfers. The rest of the Pogues aren't the same way. JJ even states, "This is why I don't think surfing should be competitive. It's all about the experience, not the medals." (Page 8). Which makes Kiara and Rafe the two competitors of characters we know that have the same dreams with surfing, and Kiara even states that, knowingly. It's also fascinating to me that Kiara would admit to being jealous of Rafe and his relationship with Ward, because once the canon of the show begins, we definitely know that would all go down the drain.

“Not only do I feel like a failure, but I also embarrassed myself in front of everyone: Gabriel, my friends, Sarah, Rafe and people from school. The entire island just saw me royally screw up. They all saw that my parents are right, surfing is a waste of my time. I’m no better than Rafe, another Kook wannabe who’s never going to travel the world surfing professionally.” (Page 86)

This moment takes place after Kiara falls off her surfboard during the competition. I just like that she name dropped Rafe, because you would usually think he is irrelevant to her, but right now, it matters to her that he saw her wipe out. AND THEN, she compares herself to him. Although, this comparison confuses me. She calls Rafe a Kook wannabe, when he is the Kookiest-of-all-Kooks. Does she think on some level he is pretending with his life status, like she is? And then she groups herself in with him, never going anywhere with their shared dream of becoming professional surfers.

And later on, in Pope's POV, JJ texts him saying, "Rafe fell almost as soon as he stood on his board. He drove off so fast he left his fancy surfboard behind." (Page 92). This makes me wonder why the author had Kiara and Rafe parallel each other even further by having them both fall during the competition and then storming off in anger over their failure.

“Rafe is here for questioning. He’s under eighteen, which means the police aren't allowed to ask him anything without a parent present.” (Page 121)

This moment is from Pope's POV, but I thought it was interesting enough to note. He says Rafe is under eighteen years old, but this since this is the summer after Kiara's Kook Year where she was a freshman at the Kook Academy, that means Rafe is either a school year younger in this story compared to show canon, or his birthday is really late in the year for his age. So, I am assuming he is seventeen in the current timeline of this story, while the Pogues are fifteen. Although John B is old enough to drive the Twinkie, so it must be passed July for him to be sixteen. Overall, this make's it a canon timeline where Rafe and Kiara's age difference is two years, instead of three.

“Kie’s the sort of person who gives everyone the benefit of the doubt, who believes that deep down, no one is beyond redemption.” (Page 128)

This is another moment from Pope's POV that I thought was really sweet. I think it is a great note about Kiara as a character. Pope later then notes that Kiara is looking at Sarah like she did something horrible (the Pogues don't know what happened between them, like in the show) and despite what Sarah did, Kiara forgives her. It makes me wonder how her and Rafe's relationship would pan out if they talked more.

On Page 154, when the Pogues (plus Gabriel, the surfer who Kiara has a crush on) are trying to figure out what happened to Cole (a professional surfer who was found murdered and also Gabriel's best friend), Kiara simultaneously defends and condemns Rafe when they look into going to him for answers since he was at the beach where Cole got murdered the morning before it happened. Rafe had gone to the police with Ward to tell them everything he knew and Pope overheard, but the Pogues think he is hiding something.

Defending: “Unless [Rafe] was lying," I interject. "Think about it: Ward was trying to get Darren’s manager to represent Rafe. Ward would never let Rafe say anything that might turn Alan against him—and implicating Alan’s star client [Darren] in a murder is hardly a way to stay on Alan’s good side.” Condemning: “In fact, maybe that’s why Rafe told the police he’d been surfing at the Evergreen Bayou to begin with—so that he could specifically say that he hadn’t seen Darren there. Maybe Rafe thought that protecting Alan’s star client would get Alan to rep him, despite his mediocre surfing skills.”

The way Kiara phrases how Ward and Rafe went to the police is important and shows she is much more observant than she thinks. She says that Ward would never let Rafe say anything. She has already noted the control Ward has over Rafe. She defends Rafe in this moment saying he might have not been able to say anything that he knows because Ward is more worried about his shot with Alan as a manager.

She then gives Rafe the power in the scenario by saying he might have thought that protecting Darren would give him a shot at having Alan as a manager. I find it interesting that she thought of Rafe in both ways.

Pages 174-185 are a GOLD MINE for riara shippers. During this sequence, Kiara infiltrates a Kook party to find Rafe and lure him outside so that the Pogues (and Gabriel) can interrogate him about the murder of Cole. I have noted my favorite passages:

“Okay, then how’re we going to get Rafe?” “We’re not going to get him,” I correct. “I am.” (Page 174)

The Pogues had pulled up to a party where they know all the Kooks are, but haven't figured out how to get Rafe. When JJ asks how they are going to do it, Kiara volunteers herself. When I tell you I almost passed out when reading this moment because I was so excited! So dramatic!

“The fact that this party is exactly the same as the one I went to months ago means I know exactly where to find Rafe. Rafe doesn’t go for plastic cups and cheap beer. He’ll be upstairs, in Ryan’s dad’s study. Last fall, Ryan called it the ‘inner sanctum’ and invited Sarah and me there.” (Page 176)

Once again, Kiara keeps noting things about Rafe that you would think she wouldn't care to remember. To me, this shows how observant of him she was during her time at the Kook Academy. And I want to know what happened when Kiara and Sarah would party alongside him!

“But at least tonight, I'm turning the power dynamic around, using the fact that [the Kook guys at the party] see me as an object, as pleasing to the eye as wall sconces and chandeliers against them. I’m using it to get what I want. And what I want is for Rafe to leave with me. Just the thought—I want Rafe to leave with me—is enough to make me gag…” (Page 179)

And what I want is for Rafe to leave with me. I AM SCREAMING, WHAT IN THE FANFIC. I love how disgusted over it Kiara is. She is a girl on a mission.

“I see Rafe and walk over to him. I can already smell the alcohol on him, like a strong odor, which tells me he’s been drinking for a while. It’s not unusual for Rafe; I’ve known him long enough to know that this is how he forgets he is Ward’s son.” (Page 179)

This paragraph made my jaw DROP. First off, it's sad to see how drunk Rafe is and then KIARA SAYS WHY HE DRINKS LIKE HE DOES. It's because of Ward and he wants to forget. She knows this information about him and I want to know how and why! It shows even further how observant she is of him. She has noted things that others fail to see. And this is why I think their relationship dynamic is important and interesting.

“Hi, Rafe,’ I say. “Hi . . . Kie,’ Rafe says (well, slurs).” (Page 179)

HE CALLS HER KIE! But, what was that pause? Did Rafe need a moment to remember who she was? Or was it surprise at seeing her? I NEED TO KNOW. I am interpreting it as surprise at seeing her and this part also emphasizes even more how drunk Rafe is; if he is slurring a simple "hi" and name.

"I sit on the shiny leather couch beside Rafe and ask if I can have a sip of his drink. He hands me a crystal tumbler etched with diamond shapes. I take a sip of the brown liquid, recognizing the flavor of good Kentucky bourbon, but I act like I’ve never had something so strong before. Rafe laughs as I pretend to have trouble swallowing. "We can get you something more your speed, little girl," he promises.” (Pages 179-180)

Rafe is WHIPPED. Immediately handing over his drink when she asks? Also, how cute, they have the same taste in alcohol lol.

AND THEN HE CALLS HER LITTLE GIRL? LIKE SIR WHAT? I seriously need to know what was going through the authors mind when he chose that pet name. In this story, Rafe is at most 2 years older than Kiara so it's not like he is way older than her or something.

“Then he literally snaps at a girl sitting on the other side of the coffee table to pass me her drink.” (Page 180)

Like, damn Rafe show your favoritism some more, please? LOL. So demanding when Kiara is in need (and this is demonstrated in show canon, too, with the entire trapped in Singh's mansion plot-line).

“I sip my sticky drink and lean into Rafe, sneaking a peek at his hand. He has two pair. ‘Fold,” I whisper. “Why?” I nod at Ryan across the table. “Ryan’s got something big.” “How can you tell?” “See the way he’s tapping his thigh?” Rafe nods. “He did it in algebra last semester when he cheated on his test. He knew he was going to get an A no matter what.” Rafe looks at me like he’s seeing me for the first time. I can feel his gaze taking in my tank top and short shorts.” (Page 180)

This is like the longest and most normal conversation Rafe and Kiara have and it literally melts my heart. They are just playing poker together and THEN we get the trope of character A looking at character B and seeing them for the first time after a pivotal moment in their relationship?? Thank you Jay Coles (author)! Also, Rafe is turned on by a smart woman, confirmed!

“Whatever the lady says,” he promises, placing his cards facedown on the table. When Ryan reveals a full house, Rafe gives me a high five.” (Page 181)

Can you see Rafe initiating a hive five with anyone? This is so heartwarming to me that he wanted to high five her out of genuine excitement. I would love to see Drew Starkey and Madison Bailey act of this entire scene, it would be so entertaining.

“Looks like I found my lucky charm,” he says. “Kiara Carrera, the half-Kook wonder.” I pretend being called a half Kook doesn’t offend me. That’s how Rafe and his friends thought of me for the year I went to school with them: not entirely a Pogue or a Kook.” (Page 181)

First off, it's so cute that he calls her his lucky charm. BUT THEN I like the deep dive into Kiara's character here. I'm surprised she is offended by something Rafe said, but it goes to show how the half-life she is living really effects her. She is adamant she is a Pogue, yet still feels in-between. And it's interesting that she notes that Rafe had previous thoughts about her. Did he explicitly tell her this, or was this something she concluded based on his actions? I wish she expanded more on her thoughts to give concrete evidence. Because that means that she and Rafe must have communicated at least a little bit during her Kook Year and I want to know it all!

“I advise Rafe for a couple more hands. But on the fourth hand, when he has three of a kind, I tell Rafe, “Go all in.” He grins at me. “Whatever my lucky charm says.” I have to keep myself from shuddering when he refers to me as his anything. Rafe pushes all his chips into the center of the table. Ryan calls. Rafe doesn't notice that Ryan's tapping his thigh again.” (Page 181)

Rafe is so oblivious to Kiara's actually feelings and I think it's so funny. He is just having a good time. Also, I love that it's canon in the show and this book that he grins at Kiara. I also think it's interesting how Kiara makes note that Rafe isn't noticing the clues she pointed out earlier. Is it because he is drunk?

"Crap!" Rafe shouts, throwing his cards down. He turns to me angrily. "Why'd you tell me to go all in?" I swallow the urge to point out that he has no right to be angry at me. I was just giving him advice; I'm not actually a magic lucky charm. But instead I say, "Look on the bright side." "What bright side?" Rafe pouts. “Now we can get out of here.” Rafe’s scowl twists into a smile as he catches my meaning. He grabs my hand and pulls me up to stand, like I’m a prize instead of an actual person.” (Pages 181-182)

I honestly wish Kiara could have called him out, because I would love to know his reaction, but I understand she had to keep playing along to accomplish her goal. BUT! We have a full confirmation that Rafe has the hots for Kiara!!!

“No way,” I shake my head. “I’m not hooking up where anyone could walk in. Your sister’s around. You know what she’ll say if she sees us together?” I make a face like I’m horrified. “I don’t care what she says.” (Page 182)

I think it's an interesting note that Rafe doesn't care about Sarah's thoughts on him and Kiara.

“I lead Rafe down the stairs and out the front door, rolling my eyes as soon as my back is turned. Boys like him are so easy.” (Page 182)

In this entire book, I do not remember a time where Rafe's love life is brought up. The Pogues joke about Topper and how he messed around with every Kook girl before getting with Sarah, but Rafe is a mystery. And, there is no mention of any girls sitting near him when Kiara found him in the study. It makes me wonder how much of this is that Rafe is easy, or that if he actually just really like Kiara.

“Where are we going, gorgeous?” Rafe asks. He holds my hand, his fingers playing on my inner wrist in a way I’m sure he thinks is sexy and suggestive. “You’ll see,” I promise and Rafe grins, his teeth white in the moonlight.” (Pages 182-183)

RIARA HOLDING HANDS!

JJ stuffs a rag in Rafe’s mouth to keep him from shouting. “Where’d you find that?” I ask. “The floor of the Twinkie,” JJ answers, which is almost enough to make me feel sorry for Rafe. I don’t think John B has ever actually cleaned the van.” (Page 183)

Kiara expresses no regret or guilt over kidnapping Rafe except that he might have a dirty ass rag in his mouth lol.

“And also? Don’t be so stupid as to leave a party with a girl who’s inexplicably interested in you after never having given you the time of day.” Rafe’s eyes go wide as it dawns on him that my flirting was all an act.” (Page 184)

Rafe has literally been gagged and thrown into the Twinkie. Is being held by Pope and JJ and JUST NOW REALIZED THAT THE FLIRTING WAS ALL FAKE? Oh yeah, he is down bad for Kiara.

"Rafe continues, his breathing slowing. “He said there wasn’t enough money in the world for him to represent me. I didn’t want my dad to know that I couldn’t close the deal with Alan.” (Page 191)

This is from Pope's POV as they interrogate Rafe, but I thought it was interesting to note that we can see bits and pieces of how much Rafe looks up to Ward and doesn't want to disappoint him, which will eventually lead to their turbulent relationship in the show.

They like to complain that I left them for Kook Academy last year (as if my parents gave me any choice in the matter), but the truth is, when they saw that I was actually making friends with some of my classmates, the guys pulled away from me, not the other way around.” (Page 194)

THIS MOMENT. This is probably the most important one in this entire book because it completely contradicts the show canon. In the show, we are meant to believe that Kiara left the Pogues in favor of her Kook friends and that is what caused a rift between them and explains why she is so loyal to them, to make up for leaving them. But, NO they left HER. This will change how I look at all of John B, JJ, and Pope's interactions with Kiara when I watch the show. She had wanted to kill herself over being at the Kook Academy, and now I wonder if she felt this way after the Pogues cut her off? My heart breaks for Kiara. Her best friends she grew up with turned their backs on her when she was forced into going to another school and happened to be friends with some of her classmates. Nobody wants to be alone at a new school. And it's probably why her relationship with Sarah hurt so much, too. Because Sarah had been her one true friend at the time, and Sarah left her, too. It changes how I view all the show dynamics, now. I wish we could dive more into Kiara's Kook year because it's such a pivotal part of her character but we only get glimpses (in the show and the book).

“[Pope] wasn’t holding Rafe tightly on purpose. He didn’t want to hurt him. Realizing that makes me love Pope more than I already do.” (Page 195)

This moment is definitely meant to focus on how Kiara admires how good of a person Pope is, but I think it can also be viewed that she didn't want Rafe to be hurt, either. And it's interesting because JJ loved hurting Rafe in this scene stating "I can do this all night and all day." as he laughs (Page 190), which probably explains why Rafe has it out for JJ n the show which leads to them fighting.

“Thanks to Rafe...” (Page 196)

This moment is so small and means nothing, but I just thought it was funny that Kiara would ever be "thanking" Rafe.

"And I'm not here to debate the finer points of toxic masculinity--" “That’s a first,” I interject, yawning. She’d somehow managed to fit in Rafe’s kidnapping.” (Page 201).

This is from Pope's POV after Kiara as snuck through his bedroom window. I just think it's funny that Kiara did use Rafe's kidnapping to give the Pogues (and by proxy, Rafe) a lesson on toxic masculinity lol.

“Tonight, I was barely home long enough to take a shower and change my clothes—my tank top and cutoffs need to be de-Rafed in the washing machine, ew…” (Pages 209-210).

AND this is the last mention of Rafe in the book and it's the funniest.

Conclusion

This book was a MAJOR win for Rafe and Kiara lovers because it confirms Rafe's liking for her further. It also gives us background on their relationship. Rafe still likes her after she lied and kidnapped him? This man is in love with her. This book further proves that the creators/writers/showrunners of OBX just love having Rafe and Kiara interact! They must see the potential if they keep teasing it! We can only hope for more moments in s4!

Let me know your thoughts! ❤️

[spider-xan]

I don't have the greatest memory, so while I still have the thoughts in my head, I want to write down some of the new thoughts and observations I had about Spider-Man 2 (2004) after tonight's special screening so that I can return later to expand on them:

The Peter and MJ romantic conflict is way better written than it's given credit for and is honestly just really good in terms of being complex and balanced - there's no good guy and bad guy here, both of them have very understandable feelings about the situation, and both of them are mature enough to admit what they did wrong; it's frustrating how much fan reaction, esp in the wake of the more 'perfect' romance in TASM, has twisted it into MJ being an unreasonable bitch while Peter never did anything wrong - as an adult, it really hit me how much sadness there was behind MJ's 'nothing to me but an empty seat' that even I myself have been guilty of reading as angrier than it actually is.

Doc Ock is actually treated as a serious character with interiority and a fully rounded person, as well as a serious threat as a villain who is actually intimidating and a real challenge for Peter to defeat - starkly contrasted with how in NWH, he's written as a jokey comic relief character who yells a lot while being completely ineffective and then gets magically 'cured' instead of going through a character arc where he has to self reflect and make active choices about his behaviour.

Raimi technically does the thing the MCU does a lot where a serious moment will be followed by a joke right afterwards, but somehow, Raimi makes it work where the humour does not undercut or negate the drama and emotional sincerity? I still need to think about this one, but I think it has to do with him holding the serious moments for longer and how the humour feels organic and earnest rather than meta and cynical.