#most angsty age gap potential imo

[cantgetworsethanthistbh]

anyway a very enjoyable detail imo is how fords confrontation with stan in tots after he broke fords machine and his confrontation with bill after fiddleford saw bill's true plans are framed the same way, with a few tweaks so that they're not wholly identical

but what matters here is that stan and bill are watching something (innocence gap aside lmao)

ford enters (or has technically entered the room already) with intent of confrontation

ford's dramatic body language through out the scene + the way stan and bill are placed

and theres a bit of irony in the fact that despite being liars and conmen, both stan and bill are both being entirely honest in this part, with fords reaction ending up the same way. stan is explaining that he broke fords machine on accident while bill is outright gloating that he tricked ford into building the portal. they both are angling to get something out of ford here, with stan still bringing up treasure hunting and bill trying to keep ford under his thumb with the deal they made.

at the end of the day though, with ford not believing stan saying it was an accident and thinking stan is lying to him vs him immediately getting confirmation from bill that he was being played the whole time, the end result is the same: ford feels he's been betrayed by someone he deeply cared about.

so thats all pretty basic stuff right? like who hasnt realized that ford has trust issues. and tbh im just pointing out some basic cinema similarities thats a cool detail nonetheless.

but my fave part is how these are the ONLY times times you actually hear both stan and bill call ford sixer in the show itself

stan and bill are both the only characters to call him sixer, but we only see how frequent that is in the comics and tbob. the use of the nickname in ONLY these scenes in the show specifically was very deliberate to envoke how much this sucks for ford that he's been prevented from achieving one dream by one person he loves, only to have that same dream used against him by another.

imagine how wild this must be for ford lol. the time he confronted bill he is instantaneously thrown back in time by bill using the very last time stan calls him a certain nickname the very night he remembers being "betrayed" by stan. betrayal on top of betrayal is connected to that very nickname, so its not JUST a random nickname either of them couldve called ford (or bill couldve also called him poindexter and a whole lot of variations of nerd, but sixer is the only nickname among the two's list is the same. almost like rubbing lemon juice and salt to the wound atp which is really funny of bill.

tots and lmc in general also have some of my fave details on stans influence over ford in general. from ford quoting stan and copying his body language when HE gets abandoned by fiddleford the way stan thinks ford did with him

(and i say copy— this is no coincidental parallel because we know in tbob ford knows what stan looked when he was doing the "high six" part, so he's been paying super close attention to stan's departure the whole time despite closing the window curtains)

and my favorite arguably funniest one, when stan called ford a dangerous know it all in ddamd and ford (who btw was already behind the vending machine and youd think already went down in the basement), is SO peeved by that he was tossing and turning in bed over that in conjuction with all his bill related flashbacks. this is funny because for someone who was literally writing "TRUST NO ONE" in his journal, he's very upset by the fact that either stan doesn't trust him + thinks that way about him, no matter how deserved or that stan is definietly right about him being a dangerous know it all (and i do not see enough people point that out lmao) AKDHAKDGEU

[conquerthenight]

Ranking the Rebecca ships because I’m bored as hell. This is just my personal opinion, so feel free to agree or disagree as you please :)

1. Beatrich - My absolute beloved. Two sapphics in straight passing marriages and one is the sister of the other’s husband? Older woman/Younger woman? Bea canonically kissing “I” on the cheek in greeting? The pining potential? Chef’s kiss I tell you. Bea acting as I’s confidante is one of my favorite headcanons and it would be so cute if they were together. I wish there were more fics of them.

2. Franxim - This ship only flew into my radar when I read a review of Rebecca where the reviewer joked that Frank simped for Maxim and I regret nothing. I used to only acknowledge it as a crackship, but then I read a fic or two where they were unironically shipped and never looked back. They’re childhood friends in my headcanon which is another favorite trope of mine. Try to tell me they didn’t have something going on when they were younger and wanted to rekindle things after Rebecca died 😂.

3. de Winters (I/Maxim) - Say what you want about these two, but I love them. They need to learn to communicate, he has to control his anger issues, she needs to stop getting into her own head, and they’re a fucked up ship, but they’re my fucked up ship. I think they do genuinely love each other, but have to work through their issues in order to get to that point of being able to show it. Plus they’re the reason I like the age gap trope so that’s gotta count for something.

4. I/Frank - It’s a pretty conventional pairing all things considered, basically what could’ve happened if “I” ended up with someone closer to her in social standing like Mrs. Van Hopper insisted she should’ve, but I love it anyway. They’d be so soft together, and as much of a de Winter shipper as I am, Frank would be an objectively better husband. If you don’t like the de Winters together but still want an Older man/Younger woman pairing, or if you just want Rebecca to be less angsty, you’d probably like this one.

5. Danbecca - The only reason I didn’t put them above the other two is because I’m not a fan of this ship being written as soft or requited as most of us Rebecca fans are. I like it to be as toxic as possible. Danny being treated as whatever the romantic equivalent of the golden child is and pining for, worshipping, someone who doesn’t really love her back my beloved. Basically I love this ship because it’s what makes Danny as a character so interesting. Again, another fucked up ship, but my fucked up ship.

6. de Winters (Rebecca/Maxim) - I honestly had no idea whether to put this above or below Danbecca, but ended up putting it here. Obviously we all know they hate each other, we all know they should’ve gotten over themselves and divorced, but I love me some toxic ships, especially ships that delve into how an abuser can impact the abused person’s psyche, and these two definitely deliver.

7. Clarich - I don’t have much to say about this one only because there’s little to no content for them as a ship. I think it’s a really cute premise and I adore the idea, but it would be higher if there was more to go off of.

8. Danvich - I tried. I really did. I want to like this ship. I wrote YCYSC specifically to try and understand what the hype is about, and people have written so many incredible fics that have also made me understand the hype, but it’s just not my cup of tea, at least not romantically. I think it works better as a platonic pairing. Danny’s true love is Rebecca after all 😂.

9. Beavers/Danbea - This is a ship I don’t understand and probably never will. See number 8, but also imo their personalities clash way too much for them to work as a romantic pairing. Bea would be annoyed with Danny’s meticulousness and strict personality while Bea’s bluntness and lack of tact would get on Danny’s nerves. Like with Danvich, it works better for me platonically, but in this instance they’d be the pair of friends who are always fighting but if someone else messes with them they’re ready to go to bat for the other.

10. Rebecca/Beatrice - Another ship I just don’t really get. I’ve read a few fics of them, but I personally prefer the dynamic of them disliking/hating each other. I don’t really have much more to say about these two.

11. Rebecca/Jack Favell - Ew. No. Just no. They’re cousins. I will say that the one good thing about the 2020 film is that it gave Jack some depth in terms of his love for Rebecca though.

———————

Now for the poly ships. I made this a separate category because I’d lose track of my ranking if I included them in the other list.

1. I/Maxim/Frank - It’s no secret that this one is my favorite. Frank has the brain cell between the three of them and probably forces the other two to communicate 99% of the time. They’re all bi disasters and I love them for it. I like to think Maxim and Frank were together first and brought “I” into the fold because they were both like “Aww she’s so cute can we keep her 🥰?”

2. Rebecca/Maxim/I - This obviously would only work if Rebecca wasn’t a downright awful person, but I read this great fic called “The Devil Does Not Ride Us Anymore” that had this exact premise in mind and have been hooked ever since. Again, Maxim and Rebecca probably met “I” and went “That one, I want”. Plus if you’re like me and can’t decide which you prefer, you get the best of both worlds: Older woman/Younger woman and Older man/Younger woman.

3. Rebecca/Danny/Beatrice - Another ship I don’t really have much to say about. I don’t love it, I don’t hate it. Maybe someday there will be a fic that changes my mind, but unfortunately today is not that day.

———————

Honorable mention to Frank/Jack aka the funniest crackship to ever come out of this fandom, and Clarice/Alice aka Danvich lite. Thank you @alicesbread for putting them on my radar.

[aadmelioraa]

For the character ask: Aethelflaed :D

My NOTP for them: Soooo I don’t really vibe with her and Uhtred. I don’t think we had the necessary emotional groundwork, which wouldn’t be as much of a problem if I didn’t feel so protective over her, but that whole relationship really fell flat for me romantically and I felt like it did a great disservice to how much she accomplished on her own. She’s (a fictionalised version of) one of the most interesting women in history, not someone’s girlfriend. And it didn’t really work for me on Uhtred’s side either in terms of the writing. IMO the ship could have been super spicy if they leaned more into the forbidden love and age gap aspects of it, but for me, the chemistry just wasn’t there, ultimately—I think Millie and Alex are both super talented, and have great chemistry with so many other actors on the show, they just didn’t have that spark together. 

My BROTP for them: Alfred! And Aethelstan (my historical head canons at play again here). She and Edward are also super interesting to me, whether in canon or AUs.

My OTP for them: Aldhelm lol. Not remotely a secret.

My second choice pairing for them: I didn’t really ship her with Erik originally but I have come around since (Wren knows what they did, and it was a college AU featuring sad ceramics Erik).

My fluffy pairing for them: I don’t tend to go in for fluff in terms of romantic ships, but for gen ships I really love to explore softer moments she has with Aelswith and with Aelfwynn.

My angsty pairing for them: I do love the angst with Aldhelm, both what’s present in canon and what can be played around with in AUs. I also think there is some amazing angst potential with Eadith. 

My favorite poly ship for them: Today I will say Aldhelm x Aethelflaed x Erik (barely edging out Aldhelm x Aethelflaed x Eadith and Aldhelm x Aethelflaed x Aethelred...I have a problem).

My weirdest pairing for them: ….hmmmm @wildwren brought Skade x Aethelflaed to my attention, which is very sexy and intriguing.