#now i know what happens i think s6 was very good actually

[coldflasher]

also i have spent the best part of a year telling my friend how shit season 7 is. unequivocally the worst season, in my opinion. we lose all the wellses. we lose cisco soon after. ralph’s face melts off because hartley sawyer got fired for being a terrible person. the cgi is so unbearably cheap-looking (not that my friend has any room to complain about this, considering i watched 6 seasons of once upon a time at her behest). covid was still happening while they were filming so we couldn’t have more than 4 characters in a room together and they all had to stand ten feet apart and westallen couldn’t kiss on the mouth for the entire season. also MIGHT I REMIND EVERYONE who had probably very reasonably repressed this for their own health that the main plot of this season was “barry and iris accidentally make an energy baby out of a magic beam of light and as a result, four grown adults call barry and iris mommy and daddy for a full season while the audience tries valiantly not to vomit” 

anyway, two eps in my friend was like “i think this is better than season 6, actually”

SACRILEGE

HERESY

[taddymason]

So, I think as a fandom it would be better if we understood that in Jaya it's not that one of them loves one more than the other, but that one of them is more selfish than the other.

I wish this aspect was acknowledged more and not interpreted as "Nya doesn't need Jay or loves him as much as he loves her" but rather both characters have different priorities. Nya is a protective person, she is much more selfless in her actions, when Lloyd asks her to stay at the tournament, she does it because she knows she is needed, she knows Lloyd needs her and counts on her and of course no matter when she wants to go find Jay, she will always be there for her little brother like it happened in S9 and all the show tbh. And also because the tournament was a priority for the team at that time.

Now I'm not saying that Jay isn't capable of selfless sacrifices but I think there's a reason why this happens to a lesser extent with strangers and with MUCH more consistency with those she loves. And I'm not even talking about Nya. Jay dropped absolutely EVERYTHING without telling anyone in S7 to go save his parents, or in S6 the guy said "fuck the low profile" and summoned a dragon in the middle of the street in S6 to go see Ed in case he died.

Jay is much more prone to ignoring the greater good and putting absolutely everything aside for his close circle of loved ones (I actually love this about him a lot and it sets him apart from the team as one with the most questionable morals). One of Jay’s themes is family, again, and it’s not limited to Nya, but to his parents and how he always rushes in to save them without thinking, or how when Wu was in danger in S7 the guy jumped off the bounty against Lloyd’s orders to fight a mysterious stranger. I could go on, but it’s important that this aspect isn’t limited to Nya, but that Jay always puts his close circle of loved ones over the greater good. If you asked Jay to stay and complete a mission instead of going to save a loved one (be it Nya, his parents, or anyone on the team), the guy would do whatever he wanted, sorry.

And instead, Nya, from her role as a zamurai, has the theme of protecting, of taking care of others. Not only as a warrior, because she is genuinely kind supporting others like Lloyd or Sora. Nya SHOULD be allowed to be more selfish but ever since she was a child she's had to accept a very harsh reality where you can't afford to be "selfish", she's been forced to accept roles that people put on her, ever since s5 she was accepting something she didn't want for the greater good of becoming the water ninja. Of course she loves her family but she's also more analytical than Jay (who's going to react in the most impulsive/explosive way when you corner him) in order to know where she's most in need.

And even in S2 you can see how she puts aside her mourning for Kai (and the righteous anger she would have with Ras and Cinder) and tries to calm Wyldfyre at every opportunity.

To sum it all up, it's not just that Nya and Jay have very different ways of expressing affection to their loved ones (I beg you to stop using "I love you" as evidence because Nya hasn't said it to Kai either and I think we all know how much she loves him) but they also handle things very differently in complicated situations.

I think if the roles had been reversed in DR, would Jay have gone to look for Nya after she lost the tournament? Tbh yeah, most likely, but that doesn't mean he loves her more than she loves him. It's just that Jay is generally a more selfish person who will react more impulsively before thinking about the pros and cons or doing what is asked of him for the greater good. It's notable that the greatest act of love Nya does for him (which is sacrificing her humanity in s14) is not only for him, but also to save Ninjago. Again, getting into the subject of the sacrifices she makes to protect others, accepting decisions she doesn't really want to make.

[mapicccc]

very disjointed thoughts i planned on posting to twt seeing people just. be wrong. but need to format properly so tumblr gets it first

I have big big thoughts on the recent devotion developments.

first off, s6 has been so much about them growing to be more independent. from zam being strictly solo to mapicc putting in effort to grind (something he previously didn't need to do, whether that's because of dupes or zam being beside him.) they've filled in the gaps left from not being each others.

the cracks really started forming when zam teamed with derap. before then, no one was zams teammate, despite who he helped. when he needed help, he went to mapicc first, because mapicc is reliable and strong and someone he can have full trust in. but now zam has someone else, someone with a title that on lifesteal has always meant they are the closest. he has been abandoned.

the unspoken fact that zam will always hold mapicc above others and mapicc would do the same is ripped apart by someone having the title that meant that. someone that wasn't him.

and yes, this is what zam felt about the empire. he doesn't know how badly mapicc wanted him on that team. how the empire has constantly been falling apart when they are never there for mapicc. mapicc didn't know about atlas' plans including him. because frankly, they have never been good at talking. it is always unspoken.

and yes, mapicc is acting out. he is being selfish and destructive and risking their relationship. but it all comes from a want to be seen.

devotions are very codependent, and independence goes against that. it was fine when zam was alone completely, it was fine when there was an alliance against mane, it was not fine when zam stopped being independent but didn't come to him.

he feels completely abandoned, and with the mane stuff done, I believe he thinks zam won't care about him. and if zam won't care about him standing beside him, he's going to act against him. mapicc always makes zam care, through pain and hurt he will do so. he lashes out in desperate attempts to test zams care.

I really wonder if zam saying he'd stay by mapiccs side no matter what he did will hold true. because if despite all of mawns rules he still trys to go back to mapiccs side, things would change quickly.

derap is a whole other factor. mapicc Could try and get zam to cut him off entirely, he's already gotten flame, who wants to hunt derap, on his side, he knows what he's doing. depending on how zam reacts, how their talks go, it's also possible, very minimally possible, that if zam actually assures mapicc of how badly he wants to stay by his side, something he keeps repeating mapicc can never know (something that arguably helped lead to this reaction), that it will be okay. that he won't demand atlas disbands or forces it to happen.

[maximoffcarter]

Possessive little me.

Pairings: Casey Novak x Alex Cabot.

Warning: SMUT.

Summary: Alexandra Cabot was never one to be jealous of anything, she had never considered herself as a jealous person; that wasn’t until she met Casey Novak.

A/n: *cough* So. Um. I don't really know what to say about this one shot. First of all, I gotta thank @saurgaeee for the idea, of course, cause bestie here is the one that gives me the ideas, and we had really good ideas about this one. But...let's say that what started being wholesome or a bit teasing...ended up in smut😬 So. There is smut here, and please, PLEASE, bear with me because I have not written any smut in YEARS and this is the first time I actually get myself to write slight smut. So please be kind cause I'm nervous about this one🥴 Also, this is basically between s5-s6, so we’ll just pretend Alex never left and they work together🫶🏻 Don't be afraid to send me an ask or message if you got any requests, I'm up for anything for now. Enjoy and leave your comments, reblog, hearts, whatever you'd like, will be very much appreciated🫶🏻

Part 2. | Part 3.

Casey Novak had always been known for being persistent in what she wanted and also she didn’t let anyone play her; this applied to anyone, including coworkers and even the judges. So when she was literally defied by Taft, she couldn’t hold back and leave it there. She had been annoyed with the fact that no one was actually having her back in this when it was evident that he didn’t deserve to continue in this job, even Mary Clark had told her to back away and continue as if nothing had happened and that had pissed the redhead off. But, at least she knew -or thought- that her girlfriend would have her back, she would push Casey to do more and go for his head. She didn’t expect any help, but the least she expected had been some support, so the fact that even Alexandra Cabot had agree with Mary, Casey was more than pissed.

“Casey, there is no point in you risking your career with this. He’s not worth it.” Alex said calmly as she watched her girlfriend pacing around the room.

“Oh, so, to protect my job, I need to let a judge do whatever the fuck he wants and keep destroying what he wants just because he thinks it’s better, completely ignoring the evidence or whatever we have to say. He just follows his beliefs.” Casey stopped and looked at Alex. “Alex, Rosalin was in prison, ten years of wrongful imprisonment. You’re really not trying to stop me from going after him.” She looked at her with hope in her eyes, just wanting to hear that her girlfriend had her back.  

Alex sighed as she stood up from the couch and walked to Casey, grabbing her hands, and kissing them. “Baby…as much as I’d love for him to rot for what he’s done to that woman. But we know that you would be on thin ice if you try to go after him. You cannot risk your job for this, Casey.”

Casey shook her head as she looked at Alex, trying to hold back tears. “I told Elliot this, and I am gonna tell you too…if this is justice…I don’t want this career. And you should know better than anyone. I at least thought you’d have my back.”

Alex tilted her head. “Case, I do have your back. I’ll always be here to help and support you, but-“

“I don’t want you to help me, Alex. I’m not asking you to sit with me while I go after him. All I wanted was to hear you say that you support me and that I got this.” Casey sighed. “But you know that you’re not gonna stop me from doing this.”

Alex nodded softly as she looked down at their hands. “I know.” She whispered as she looked back at Casey. “Please, think this through, Case.”

“I have. And I’m going after Taft.” Casey let go of Alex’s hands and walked out of the living room. She didn’t need anyone to tell her that she could do this, she’d do it herself and she’d do anything to have his head.

********************

Alex sighed as she looked at her watch again and noticed that it was late, Casey had called her 4 hrs ago to let her know she’d stop by her office after she was done in court, but she should’ve been done by now. So many thoughts ran through her mind as she kept looking at her door. She had told Casey that she’d be staying until late because she didn’t want to take work to the house, and she expected Casey to show up there, but it was now too late for Casey to not be there yet. She finally gave up and picked up her office phone to call Casey, but just as she was about to call, she noticed someone walking to her office, furrowing her brows as she saw blonde hair, but no one was supposed to be here anymore. And then her door opened, and her jaw dropped as she stared into her girlfriend’s green eyes.

“C-Casey?”

Casey grinned. “Hey, Lex.” She walked into the office and closed the door, walking to Alex’s desk and putting her briefcase in one of the chairs and going to lean on Alex’s desk, looking down at her. “So, what do you think?” She smirked.

“I- uh. Um- what…why-“ Alex cleared her throat as she pushed her chair back to have a better look of Casey. “Y-You’re…blonde.”

“I am.” Casey smirked as she looked down at her hands. “I was honestly a bit upset about the other day and I was a bit stressed. Thought a change would help.” She looked back at Alex as she raised her brow. “I know you loved my red hair but-“

“You look stunning.” Alex snapped as she looked into Casey’s eyes.

Casey frowned. “You…like it?”

Alex raised her brows in surprise. “Like it?” She huffed a chuckle as she stood up from her chair, her hand going to Casey’s waist and the other to Casey’s hair, running her fingers through it. “Baby, you look amazing. I love it. It’s very different but-“ She sighed. “You look hot.” She smirked.

Casey cleared her throat as she raised her brow. “Really now?”

Alex chuckled darkly. “You thought I’d be mad?” Her hand traveled down from Casey’s neck to her chest and landed on her waist, pushing Casey up so she was sitting on the desk.

Casey gulped as she looked at Alex, trying to play it cool. “Maybe.”

Alex chuckled again as she kissed her cheek. “How did it go?”

“He has been reassigned to Civil Court. He’s gonna be investigated to determine whether or not he made biased decisions on other cases.” Casey grinned.

“I’m proud of you.” Alex grinned as she kissed her nose. “I’m sorry if I didn’t support you. It was wrong of me. I was just afraid you’d be at risk of losing your job.”

Casey nodded. “I get it, but next time…please just support me.”

Alex smiled. “Let’s hope that there won’t be a next time. But…if there is, I will support you, fully.” She leaned in and kissed her lips softly. “So.” She grinned, “You really dyed your hair because you were upset at me, and you thought I’d hate it?”

Casey rolled her eyes playfully as she wrapped her arms around Alex’s neck. “I also needed a change but…maybe.” She shrugged. “I was upset.”

“Well, Ms. Novak.” Alex left a trail of kissed from her jawline to her neck. “I think you look stunning.” She whispered against her neck and nibbled her sweet spot.

“Alex.” Casey breathed out as she tilted her head to give Alex more access.

“Yes?” Alex whispered as she licked the part she had just bit.

“We’re in your office.” Casey bit her lip as Alex pulled away enough to look at her.

Alex placed her hand on Casey’s chin and let her thumb run over Casey’s lower lip, leaning down to kiss her lips, and let her tongue swipe across Casey’s lower lip, biting it softly right after. “Have I told you that I love when you bite your lip?” She said against her lips as she smirked.

“Once or twice.” Casey grinned as she pulled Alex for another kiss. “If you’re gonna fuck me, you better do it.”

Alex raised her brow playfully, smirking. “Maybe we should go home, would be more comfortable and I can actually hear you scream my name.” She kissed the tip of her nose as she pulled away, putting all of her files in a pile.

Casey groaned as she rolled her eyes, hopping off the desk and fixing her clothes. “You’re a tease.”

“You love me.” Alex grinned as she looked back at Casey. “Plus, you’ll get what you want once we’re home.” She pecked her lips and then grabbed her briefcase. “C’mon.”

********************

Alexandra Cabot was never one to be jealous of anything, she was an only child, so she always had everything that she wanted. When it came to partners, she always trusted them or just chose to ignore whatever they were doing and then simply get out of the relationship, but she had never considered herself as a jealous person; that wasn’t until she met Casey. They had met thanks to Elizabeth Donnelly and Branch, they happened to be at the same event and Liz had introduced them. Casey had never been to those events, it was her very first time and Alex had been her second or third time. Alex had showed Casey around and had made it easier for her to want to be there, and as they talked, they figured that they were attracted to each other, and Alex had been the one who had asked Casey on a date.

After that date, Alex knew that she definitely didn’t see herself with anyone else but Casey, and she didn’t want Casey to be with anyone else, so she made it her mission to make Casey Novak fall in love with her. Which had not been hard at all, or she had to work hard because Casey loved every moment she spent with Alex, she didn’t want to spend a day without seeing her or being with her, so for both of them, it was easy to fall in love and they couldn’t have it any other way. And that’s when Alex figured out that she was indeed a jealous person -but she was not about to admit it-. Casey hadn’t even noticed, always being oblivious, but in one of their nights out, some guys had tried to get her attention by complimenting her outfit and her hair, and that made Alex’s blood boil, walking back to Casey and wrapping her arm around her possessively, kissing her bare shoulder and then looking at the boys with a smirk on her face. She didn’t think it was possible for people to disappear so fast, but she had just witnessed it when the boys literally ran away. Casey only turned to wrap her arms around her and kiss her, acting as if nothing had happened.

The second time that it happened, it had been in the office. Some interns had been around the office trying to get to know the place, and it so happened that they ran into Casey when she was heading to Alex’s office. Alex hadn’t noticed at first since she was in a call, but once she finished it, she looked up to find Casey talking to them, and she could see the interns eyes looking up and down at Casey, and once again, Alex felt her blood boil at the scene. She didn’t think twice, and she stood up, making her way to them, opening the door a little too fast and soon enough getting to where they were standing, rapidly getting the interns’ attention on her as they looked at her with wide eyes. She was 100% sure that they had already heard about Alex being the Ice Queen, and she didn’t care one bit about it.

“Hello.” Alex wrapped her arm around Casey’s waist, pulling her against her body and turning to look at her to offer a smile before her eyes went back to the interns.

“I was about to go to your office! You forgot your glasses on mine.” Casey smiled softly as she placed the glasses on Alex, putting a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

Alex turned to look at Casey and grinned. “Thanks, babygirl.” She looked back at the inters and raised her brows, a smirk on her lips. “Don’t you guys have somewhere to be?” Soon enough, the guys were gone, leaving Alex with a triumphant smirk on her face. She then turned to look at Casey and kissed her lips. “Should we go for lunch?”

Casey nodded. “Sure.” She then squinted her eyes and grinned. “Why you have that smirk on your face?”

Alex shrugged. “Oh, no reason.” She smiled. “Where would my baby like to go?” She grabbed Casey’s hand and pulled her into her office.

********************

Alex was playing with her glasses as her eyes focused on Cragen’s office, Casey was inside with Huang, Olivia, Cragen, and Elliot as they watched Fin and Munch interrogate a suspect. Casey told Alex that she’d stay longer than expected with the squad so Alex decided it would be a good idea to just wait for her until she was done, after all she had already finished her work and they could go back home together. She knew both had been pretty stressed since the week had been full of arraignments, trials, paperwork, etc., so the only thing that Alex really wanted was to get home, have some dinner, take a bath with her girlfriend, and then go to sleep. Her mind had been stuck all day with the thought of Casey giving her one of those massages that she so loved, she hated massages, but Casey’s hands were heaven against her skin. Olivia then walked out of the office and noticed Alex, who got out of her trance once she heard Olivia calling her name, putting her glasses down on the desk she was leaning on.

“Hey! Waiting for Casey?” Olivia smiled.

“Yeah, I finished with my own work, so thought I could wait for her here.” Alex smiled.

Olivia nodded as she leaned over the desk beside Alex, looking at Cragen’s office too and noticing Casey. “So, now she’s a blonde, huh?” She smiled.

“She is, she looks like a real life Barbie.” Alex grinned, eyeing Casey intently.

Olivia nodded as she grinned. “She looks really good, fits her well, actually.”

Alex looked at Olivia and raised her brow. “She does.” Before she could say anything else, Elliot appeared in front of them and started talking about the case, Alex moving away from the desk and walking behind Elliot and Olivia as she heard about the case.

“I’ll check if I can get us a warrant but, I’m telling you, this is not looking good, and I don’t thin the judge will buy it.” Casey spoke as she walked with Cragen to where Olivia, Elliot and Alex were, turning then to look at Alex and smiling softly. “Hey you.”

Alex smiled. “Hey.”

Casey kissed her cheek softly and smiled. “Let me get my stuff and then we leave.” She went to Fin’s desk to grab her coat and her briefcase.

“You better watch out for Perez, cause she has been eyeing you this whole time, Novak.” Fin laughed as he looked at Alex and Casey, making Alex look back at Fin, frowning.

“Who?” Alex snapped.

“New officer, since Novak got here, he’s been standing like a dumbass in there.” Fin pointed to a brunette officer that was talking to another officer and every now and then looking on Casey’s direction.

Casey rolled her eyes. “He can look all he wants. I don’t really care.” She shrugged as she looked at Fin.

Alex sighed as she looked back at Casey. “Hey baby, we should go.” She looked back at Elliot’s desk and grinned softly, walking away, and waiting at the entrance, standing a bit closer to where the officers were.

Casey said her goodbyes and as she was about to walk to Alex, she huffed a chuckled and grabbed Alex’s glasses from Elliot’s desk, putting them up to show Alex and grinned. “You always forget them, baby.” She chuckled as she put the glasses on Alex and kissed her nose. “Now we’re good to go.”

Alex tried not to blush as Casey kissed her nose and called her baby, cleared her throat and grabbing Casey’s hand, pulling her so they could leave. It was no secret that Casey had a very soft spot for Alex, and she didn’t care showing it in front of everyone, but Alex, had always been reserved, except when it came to Casey. She called her pet names, she wrapped her arm around her, kissed her cheek, etc. But hearing Casey calling her names and Alex blushing? That was definitely something they didn’t see every day, so when they looked at both of them and noticed Alex’s face, they all couldn’t help but laugh a little, making comments and jokes knowing that if they made them in front of Alex, they’d have to prepare for their deaths.

********************

Casey sighed softly as she walked into the precinct, smiling as she noticed Olivia and Elliot. “We got him.”

Elliot sighed. “Well now that’s good news.”

“Congrats, counselor.” Olivia smiled as she patted Casey’s back.

“Thanks.” Casey frowned as she looked at Elliot. “Did you get bad news?”

“Fin called, he’s in the Peralta trial. They’re giving Alex a hard time.”

Casey sighed softly as she nodded. “Yeah, she’s been stressed about it lately.”

“Maybe that’s not the only reason she’s stressed.” Olivia raised her brow as she sat on her chair, looking at Casey.

Casey looked at Olivia and raised her brow. “What you mean? Something else happened?”

Olivia chuckled. “C’mon, Casey, you really haven’t noticed?”

“Noticed what? Am I missing something here?” Casey looked at Elliot and back at Olivia.

“Men have been giving your girlfriend a hard time. Literally anyone that stares at you or even dares smile at you, is giving your girlfriend a hard time.” Olivia chuckled softly.

Casey huffed a chuckle and shook her head. “That’s not true. Alex is not a jealous person.”

Elliot laughed as he leaned over Munch’s desk, crossing his arms as he looked at Casey. “I never thought you were an oblivious person, Case.”

“Did you not notice last time when Perez was devouring you with his stare? Alex got upset, she wrapped her arm around you and kissed you right in front of his face.”

Casey shrugged. “That’s something Alex always does. I mean, sure, she does it more than she usually does but that’s because she’s becoming comfortable with us being public.” She shook her head as she frowned. “Guys, you’re looking really into this. Alex is not a jealous person.”

“I’d say possessive.” Elliot shrugged. Olivia chuckled softly.

Casey rolled her eyes. “Right. You don’t know Alex like I do, behind all that ‘ice queen’ persona, she’s actually a really sweet and loving person. She’s cute. I don’t think she’s possessive nor jealous.”

“Whatever you say, Novak.” Olivia shrugged as she grinned, standing up again to grab her things. “Let’s go for some drinks and we’ll call the rest from there.”

“No need. We’re back.” Munch sighed as he walked with Fin.

“That bad?” Elliot frowned.

“Don’t even mention it to Cabot.” Fin murmured as he shook his head. “We’re not done yet but, it doesn’t seem that good. Recess until tomorrow afternoon.”

Olivia sighed as she looked at Casey. “Think your girlfriend will need a drink.”

Casey nodded as she looked back and noticed Alex walking to them, a serious look on her face. “Guys, why don’t you go ahead, and we meet you there?” Everyone agreed and grabbed their stuff, leaving both women alone. Casey offered a small smile and stood in front of Alex. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Alex sighed as she looked at Casey, offering a small smile. “I don’t know what’s going on.”

Casey kissed her forehead softly. “Let’s forget about it tonight. Let’s go for some drinks and we can go over your notes in the morning, yes?” She offered a small smile. “Or we can go home, I’ll do what you tell me.”

Alex smiled softly as she pecked her lips. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

Casey shrugged. “I definitely am.” She smiled. “So? What does my baby want?” She grinned.

Alex blushed slightly at her words, rolling her eyes playfully. She had always found it cringe whenever they called her baby, but Casey? She loved it. “Let’s go for some drinks.”

“Then we go.” Casey grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. “C’mon. Drinks are on me.”

“Oh, so charming.” Alex chuckled softly.

Once at the bar, they all started randomly talking about stories of other cases they’ve done, funny stories, etc. Alex still felt a bit stressed about the whole thing but seeing her girlfriend laughing with the squad and telling her own stories, make her smile and even laugh a little. She knew everything she needed was to be with Casey and things would eventually get at least a little better, and she would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy hanging out with the squad, they were her second family and even if they got under her nerves, they also got the best of her and relaxed Alex; she loved them, and that was everything she needed.

Eventually, after some drinks, Alex had also joined in with her own stories, earning hysterical laughs from everyone, they had gotten to the point where they were all a bit tipsy and whatever worry they had, it was entirely gone now. Casey noticed their drinks were now gone and she offered to pay for the next round, kissing Alex’s cheek and going to the bar and ordering a new round of drinks, leaning over the bar to wait for them. Alex was in conversation with Olivia and Elliot, but then she turned to look at her girlfriend and make sure she was alright or if she needed any help with the drinks, and that was enough to help her sober up a bit, feeling her blood boiling once again. She hated the fact that she was getting so used to feeling like this. It so happened that Trevor Langan had decided to go to the same bar as them and was now leaning over the bar talking to Casey. Alex took a deep breath as she finished her drink and tried to look away, knowing that Casey could handle it, she knew Casey didn’t like him, more so when she found out that he had tried to invite Alex out. But she couldn’t help but look back at them, wanting to wipe Langan’s smirk off his face.

“Hey, Fin, you think you can help with the drinks?” Alex turned to look at him with a smile on her face, standing up to walk to the bar followed by Fin.

Olivia turned in their direction and grinned. “Oh, I definitely wanna see this.”

Alex stood beside Casey and wrapped her arm around her waist, looking at Langan. “Langan. Long time no see.” She grinned.

“Alexandra Cabot. Likewise.” Trevor smiled. “I was just telling Casey that blonde really fits her well, didn’t really recognize her.” He looked at Casey and grinned.

“I’m outta here.” Fin whispered as he grabbed the drinks and went back to the table with the squad.

Casey rolled her eyes as she looked at Alex. “And I was telling him to back away, but he thinks he can get a date with me.” She looked back at him and raised her brow.

“Oh, you got no chance, bud. Haven’t you heard? Casey’s taken.” Alex grinned.

“Ah, c’mon, Alex. A date won’t hurt anyone.” Trevor shrugged. “If you want, you can join, I’m sure you regretted saying no to me now that I’m inviting Casey out.” He looked Casey up and down before he returned his eyes to Alex.

“Actually, Trevor. I am also taken. If you cannot put the puzzles together, I’ll help you out a bit. Casey is my girlfriend. So, I’d really appreciate it if you went back from where you came from.” Alex smirked as she tried to stay as calm as possible.

Trevor cleared his throat. “Oh. I didn’t know that. I’m- sorry. Have a nice night.” He smiled before he grabbed his drink and went back to his table.

Casey laughed softly as she turned to look at Alex. “I can’t believe he’s still trying. It’s like he wants to get with every-“

“Can you come to the bathroom with me?” Alex grabbed Casey’s hand and didn’t wait for an answer, pulling her with her and going to the bathroom, completely ignoring the looks from the squad.

Casey frowned once they were inside, turning to look at Alex who checked there was no one in the bathroom as she locked the door. “Alex?”

Alex turned to look at Casey and pushed her against the cold wall, crashing her lips against Casey’s in a searing but passionate kiss, making Casey gasp but reacted once Alex’s hands went to her waist to pull her impossibly closer to her. Casey wrapped her arms around Alex and deepened the kiss, moaning softly, giving Alex access to let her tongue explore Casey’s mouth, tasting the alcohol and the sweetness of Casey’s taste. They parted to catch their breathe but Alex left a trail of soft kisses from her cheek to her earlobe, nibbling it slightly and then down to the junction of her neck, making Casey buck her hips against Alex’s front and her hands burying in Alex’s hair. Alex proceeded to bite and suck on Casey’s sweet spot, earning another moan from Casey, making her smirk against her skin as she licked the bite. When she noticed Casey was almost trembling against her, she pulled away panting as she looked at Casey, getting some of Casey’s hair out of her face and kissing her forehead softly.

“W-What was that for?” Casey breathed out as she looked into blue eyes.

Alex chuckled darkly as she smirked. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now.”

Casey squinted her eyes as she grinned. “Right. So…it has nothing to do with Langan.” Biting her lip softly as she looked at Alex.

Alex leaned in again to kiss her, sucking on her bottom lip, and biting it softly. “I don’t know what you talking about.” Alex whispered softly as she let go of Casey’s waist, smirking and going to check herself in the mirror, fixing her hair.

Casey took a deep breath and finally moved to go to the mirror. She frowned as she looked at herself and gasped. “Alex! I don’t have any makeup to cover this up!”

Alex smirked as she looked at Casey. “Oh, I didn’t think it’d show up.” She winked at Casey before she walked to the door and unlocked it, walking out of the bathroom and leaving Casey behind.

Casey looked back in the mirror and huffed a laugh. “Possessive. Sounds about right.” She shook her head before she fixed her hair and tried to bottom up her shirt all the way to the top.

********************

Alex groaned as she dropped her briefcase on her desk and sat on her chair, running her hands through her hair as she leaned back into the chair. Weeks of working on this case for the asshole to get away with it for one simple mistake that wasn’t even the detectives or Alex’s fault. All those stressful days and nights working on this case for nothing, for them to break him free and no way to retrial. She felt the stress finally catching up and taking over her body as she tried to stretched but she felt nothing but pain and tension. She closed her eyes for a moment not sure of what she was supposed to do next. She could stay and try to figure out if she could retry this case or she could simply go home and accept her defeat, but both options honestly felt useless and wrong. She opened her eyes as she heard her door closing, looking up and seeing her girlfriend walking towards her, a sympathetic smile on her face.

“Hey.” Casey smiled as she pulled a chair and brought it to Alex’s side, sitting down and turning Alex’s chair so she was facing her. “You okay?”

Alex sighed softly. “Who called you?”

“Fin.” Casey shrugged. “He said he saw you really upset, wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Alex nodded. “I am okay. I just…really wish they could’ve put all evidence and the victims first. They let him walk and I don’t think I can do it again.”

Casey nodded as she grabbed Alex’s hand and kissed it softly. “We can talk to Liz, she can tell us what we can do, and I’ll be here to help.”

Alex smiled as she looked at Casey. “I know you will.” She sighed. “I think we can try again. We can go to Liz and ask for advice.”

“But don’t beat yourself up if Liz says you cannot do it again.” Casey grinned. “Then you and I can work on it.”

Alex huffed a chuckle. “Of course you’d offer that.”

“You know I can do it.” Casey grinned and leaned in to kiss Alex’s cheek. “Anything else in that pretty head of yours?”

Alex shrugged as she sighed, looking away. “I don’t think so.”

Casey raised her brow as she tilted her head. “You know, one of the interns went to my office today.”

Alex snapped her head up and looked at Casey. “What?”

“Yeah, he introduced himself since he didn’t have the chance last time I saw them. Said he had heard about me, and he was pretty interested in my way of working. Said he’d love to learn my techniques.” Casey smiled.

Alex nodded as she wetted her lips. “By that, he means, get in bed with you or work stuff?” She raised her brow.

Casey chuckled softly as she shook her head. “You’re a jealous person.”

Alex frowned. “Am not.”

“Baby, you literally just asked if he wants to get in bed with me or he was talking about work.” Casey raised her brow. “Last week at the bar, you took me to the bathroom and made sure to mark me, so everyone could see that I’m yours.” She grinned. “Not only do you get jealous, but you get possessive over me.”

Alex’s heart stopped at Casey’s words, clearing her throat as she shrugged. “I uh…I’m sorry I- I don’t know why I get like this, I just-“

“I kinda dig it.” Casey smirked.

Alex raised her brow. “You do?”

“Alexandra, you should know better than to get jealous of some random people. When you know that I’m yours.” Casey said as she stood up, sitting on Alex’s lap and wrapping her arms around Alex’s neck.

Alex’s breath hitched as she looked up at Casey. “I guess I was just afraid that you noticed that I was nothing special.”

“You’re wrong in that. Because you’re everything I ever wanted and more. You are something special, Alexandra Cabot. There is no denial of that.” Casey smiled as she leaned down to kiss her lips softly. “Do you think I also don’t get jealous whenever someone looks at you? But…I like to think that you really don’t have eyes for anyone else but me.” She grinned. “A bit cocky, but…am I wrong?” She asked against her lips, kissing her again.

Alex shook her head, pulling away enough to answer. “Not at all.”

Casey nodded, kissing her forehead softly. “Thought so.” She smiled. “Now, why don’t you let me help you relax? Get some stress off.”

Alex frowned again as she looked at Casey. “What are you talking about?”

Casey nibbled on her bottom lip as she moved to kneel down in front of Alex, getting under her desk and moving Alex’s chair again to have her in front of her. Alex’s breath hitched again as she felt Casey’s cold hands going under her skirt and moving it up enough for her to be able to pull her underwear down. Alex’s eyes filled with lust as she stared into green eyes, her eyes too full of lust.

“Casey…” Alex breathed out as Casey pulled down her underwear.

“Just relax, baby. And let me do my part.” Casey wetted her lips as she parted Alex’s legs.

Alex gasped softly and threw her head back as she felt Casey’s tongue licking all the way up from bottom to her clit, making Alex’s hips thrust against her and her hands burying in her hair, pulling her closer to her. Alex couldn’t help but moan louder than she wanted as Casey worked her way in her heat, pausing every now and then to bite her thighs and then diving back, licking and sucking. Her eyes closed for a moment as she threw her head back, Casey’s name leaving her mouth in small whimpers. But as she looked back up to look at Casey, she noticed a shadow walking in front of her windows, cursing under her breath and pulling softly on Casey’s hair, but Casey had other plans.

“Casey!” Alex whispered/yelled.

“Hey Alex.” Olivia said as she opened the door.

“H-Hi! Hey.” Alex tried to clear her throat as she looked at Olivia, offering a smile.

“Sorry, I just wanted to come check on you. Fin and Munch told us what happened back there.” Olivia said as she leaned over the door frame and crossed her arms.

“Oh, yeah. Uh…I mean…we did what we could and-“ she took a deep breath as she felt Casey’s fingers going inside her. “I-I think we tried everything we could.” She cleared her throat again. Pulling Casey’s hair to get her away but Casey sucked on her clit and pumped harder.

Olivia frowned but nodded. “ We did, and if you need any help, you know we’ll help you out.”

Alex nodded rapidly. “I know. Thanks.”

Olivia frowned again. “Are you feeling okay, Alex? You…seem weird.”

Alex sighed as she tried to hide the moan that wanted to leave her mouth. “Stress…getting to me. I uh…I think I’m getting a bit…a bit sick.”

“Do you want me to call Casey? Or I can take you home if you need to.”

“No! No, Casey-“ Alex gulped as she bit her lip. “Casey said she’d come. Any time soon now.”

Olivia nodded. “Alright then, I’ll leave you do your stuff.” She smiled softly. “Call if you need us.” She offered a final smile before she closed the door.

Alex followed Olivia with her eyes until she made sure she was completely out of sight and couldn’t help but moan loudly, her hand covering her mouth as her other hand pulled Casey’s head closer. “Case…I’m gonna come.” She breathed out as she looked down at Casey.

Casey bit her lip softly as she looked up at Alex. “Then come for me, and don’t look away.” She said in a rapier voice as her tongue darted out again to lick and suck on her clit.

Alex moaned Casey’s name heavily as she came undone, blue eyes never leaving green ones, her body shaking and thrusting into Casey’s face as Casey continued pumping her fingers and licking through until she finally calmed down. Alex thew her head back against the chair and whimpered as Casey licked her clean, pulling her fingers out slowly. She kissed Alex’s thighs before she pushed Alex’s chair to be able to move out of under the desk and stand up. She turned to make sure no one was near and looked back at Alex who was still panting heavily against the chair. Casey chuckled darkly as she leaned over the desk, Alex’s underwear hanging on her hand.

“Feeling better?” Casey smirked as she licked her fingers clean, moaning at the taste of Alex.

Alex left out a heavy breath as she shook her head. “You’re gonna pay for that.”

“Oh, am I?” Casey raised her brow as she tilted her head. “I just wanted to help you relax.”

“And you couldn’t wait until we got home.” Alex raised her brow as she sat down, making sure that she was stable enough to stand up.

Casey shrugged. “Maybe I wanted the whole office to hear you moan my name, so they know you’re mine.”

Alex chuckled softly as she stood up, pulling her skirt down and pressing her body against Casey’s. “I thought I was the possessive one.”

Casey shrugged. “Who said I can’t be? After all…you’re mine.” She fixed Alex’s glasses, proceeded to place her hand on Alex’s cheek and pulled for a kiss, her tongue swiping against Alex’s bottom lip asking for access.

Alex’s moaned at the taste of herself in Casey’s tongue, biting Casey’s bottom lip as she pulled away. “Guess I can’t object to that. I see why you dig it.” She smirked, kissing Casey’s nose.

“But hey…seriously talking now.” Casey smiled softly. “I only want you, Alexandra Cabot. I’m yours. And I’m not going anywhere.”

Alex smiled as she kissed Casey’s cheek. “Same goes to you, Casey Novak.” She pecked her lips softly and grinned. “Should we go home now so I can fuck you?” She bit her lip.

Casey smirked. “As you wish.” She moved once Alex backed away from her, both women grabbing their briefcase.

“Can I have my underwear back?” Alex looked at Casey.

“Oh. This is mine to keep.” Casey smirked as she put the underwear inside her briefcase.

Alex sighed as she shook her head. “You better remember to take it out when we’re home or you’ll be in serious trouble tomorrow.”

Casey laughed softly as Alex wrapped her arm around Casey’s waist, kissing her cheek and walking together to the door. Alexandra Cabot still had her doubts about being a jealous person, but she had to agree that she was a little possessive. But after all, Casey Novak was hers and only hers.

[kassian-ck]

COBRA KAI S6 P2 SPOILERS

Gonna talk about my boys Miguel and Robby, but I kinda want to give attention to Kwon too. Kiaz fans have said pretty much everything I wanna say but Imma yap nonetheless 🗣🔥

I LOVE LOVE LOVE that in the end Miguel became such a big motivation for Robby after all the punches the tournament and his personal life were sending his way. It even echoed in his mind bro, please 😭

I feel that Miguel did feel a little entitled to becoming captain. Even after he woke up from the coma and lost all sense of what karate was for him and struggled to define what it was up till season 5, he continued to be hyped up by pretty much everyone in his life about how he was the best of the best. I don't think he didn't want Robby to be captain, but he did feel like he deserved that position until Johnny (thankfully so) reminded him of Robby's position. Miguel wanted the best for him since the very beginning, he wanted him to see him succeed and even his harsh words from before he left to LA had that kind of intention too I think.

Also him standing up for Robby multiple times and even calling out Johnny in the plane 😭🙏

Trust, now that Hawk and Eli are in good terms again, they'll switch up beds or something and Robby and Miguel will either share a room or a bed TRUST (Well if the tournament continues at all after what happened 😰)

I'll make a whole separate post about the whole ordeal with Zara and Robby because I am pissed with how they handle that shit, and I know damn well the writers will continue to handle it that way unless they give an explanation of what actually happened.

Kwon's death was... A thing. Honestly as cool and well choreographied the all-out brawl was, the writing is 😭😭 But anyways, it could be a great way to show both adults and students to question why exactly are they pushing this so far? It's really tragic, but I would have liked that they to have done more with Kwon to push that point. His obsession to win and the adults that encouraged him to get to that point were the things that ended up killing him, and it could have been so good if they had put so much more depth into how obsession can become so dangerous. Would have been cool if he had been a bit of a parallel with Miguel as his obsession with karate was part of what nearly landed him in that same position.

Okay that's it lol

[lily-lilou]

Aaravos and his grand plan

Hi everyone, it's my yearly apparition on Tumblr after s6 finally being released. Hope you're all doing okay since last time I was here :D

Hehe! (... sorry I only ever come here every 7th tuesday of the month T.T)

So! Guess you'll have noticed our dear Startouch never actually said anything about his "new purpose" after that trial and its ghastly conclusion, and I'll also guess you (like Terry) can already say it's not something pleasant.

I mean, we all knew, to some extent, that he had to do what he was doing for a "good" reason. I think I remember saying (ages ago >_>’’’) that if he really wanted power, he could have taken it or something. Or more likely that it was uselesss because he already had that power : he was respected, powerful, practically a god amongst mortal.

Now we know why:

First, we have a motive, the cutest little bean ever :

(the art guys! The ART!!! Leola bring adorableness to new hight and Aaravos is such a dad and it hurts my poor heart u_u)

(also, I'll totally admit I had many ideas but I really didn't see that one coming. I should have, this IS a story about relationships, especially between parents and children)

Second : he acted the way he did, only moving from the shadows, always pushing others to do what he wanted, very probably to avoid triggering the eyes of the cosmic order. They're all about seeing the grand scheme of things, the general picture (Callum's book and also their arguments during Leola's trial are proof of it). Aaravos more than anyone would know their flaws, especially them missing tiny little details.

Anyway! We can guess that whatever happened with Luna Tenebris, Queen Aditi, Sol Regem and a lot of other people was either for vengeance, or, at the very least, a way to remove potential obstacle in said vengeance. And I'm impressed with his way of killing two birds with one stone, like we saw with Sol Regem : Aaravos made him kill his own mate, allowing him to avoid being noticed/reprimanded by the cosmic order by interfering, AND ensuring a hard vengeance on the archdragon (because losing someone you love is hard, learning you killed them yourself is worse).

(We'll have a minute of silence for Mr Witness and the hell of a price he paid for what he did... and we'll remove at least 50 seconds because I had HOPE for him, when he refused the Sun Seed to heal his eyes… and then he went about healing his wings and I thought “Just go die already!” And guess what? He did!)

But now, what about his "new purpose"? His Grand Plan?

Ooooh, nothing, really...

...

Well, guys... everything is the title.

I mean, the title's panel!

What?

We learned with the last episode that, apparently, stars can fall, nah?

And in our dear picture above, we have a LOT of stars falling, don't you think so?

[valenschmidt]

Thanks for answering my ask! Yes, that's very true, Ryan has been consistently hated/viewed with suspicion and skepticism for years, so the majority of buddie fandom (who are Oliver stans) wouldn't want to ship him with Oliver. I distinctly remember one particular post (in Ryan's tag) a year or two ago that was like, "ugh if buddie goes canon i feel sorry for oliver having to kiss that man" 🙄

Lol yes I guess we have to thank bt shippers and their OTT vitriol for turning the tide somewhat. It's been nice to see a recent influx of vocal Eddie/Ryan fans join the fandom. So refreshing and entertaining.

Yes also I remember the super cute bts vids that popped up during/toward the end of s6, and some people tagging positively about Ryan (albeit begrudgingly!). But definitely a lot more people were on edge about rpf compared to now.

Ooooh so about Oliver being single, that's what I thought too! But someone else I sent an ask(?) to a while ago said that he didn't actually say anything concrete in his insta live, and that he is still with his gf 🤔 does anyone have any further confirmation either way? I'd love to know!

"this happens quite a lot when ships are about to go canon. People start projecting the ship onto the actors, especially when chemistry is REALLY huge " - this is a really interesting phenomenon you've pointed out!

No provblem anon! I love receiving asks!!

YES!!! I completely understand why people were really mad back then, especially black people and I also understand if there are still black people who haven't quite forgiven him and it's totally valid, because what he did was not ok (even if he never said that word he was still trying to justify his then wife's actions and that should have been a big no no) the problem is that people let it get a tad too far and spreading things that were NOT true to new fans in the recent years out of anger, making him seen like a terrible person who is a racist and hates black people when that is not true... Aisha and Angela were really mad back then but they both clearly have forgiven him (since Angela invited him to his anniversary party and Aisha to his wedding) and he has never done anything remotely similar again so I think he truly changed and has become better so I really believe people have started to see that and the bt being awful to him probably was a changing point to most of the fandom (not all because some still hate him) but well you can't change someone's views on people changing...

Also yes anon! A lot were completely against it calling it awful and whatnot and now are the biggest ryliver shippers (and getting viral over it when less than 6 months ago they would cancel you) and taking everything as ryliver signs but whatever I just hope they don't take things too far

To the Oliver thing... I watched that interview live and I'm 100% sure he said he's single but I can't for the life of me find a clip of the interview (if anyone finds it please send it to me!!!) But I remember that he said he was single and then kind of shaded his ex (lol) so yeah

As for the last thing... yup not many notice but it happens quite a lot. Just like how actors tend to fall in love with eachother (which doesn't happen all the time but it happens) in fandom it also happens that they believe they fall in love. Take heartstopper for example... Kit and Joe plan Nick and Charlie who are very in love but in reality they're just very good friends but people insist on shipping them or the Bridgerton actors that play Colin and Penelope as well... people project the feelings of their characters into their real life personalities because of the chemistry the actors have together. It's hard to comprehend the idea of acting so close to someone and play lovers and have so much chemistry but not falling in love

Wow now that was quite a lot 🤣

Sorry anon I got carried away

[rayllurn]

Okay, so now that I’ve had a chance to slightly recover from the rayllum brain rot (i’ll never make a full recovery) here are some of my (mostly) non-rayllum related thoughts on s6:

-I’m actually shocked the age rating is as low as it is…there was a lot of really emotional and shocking stuff (I’m looking at you, Viren’s death scene, Claudia screaming and crying over Viren’s body, Sol Regem eating Pharos, Soren offering to sacrifice his literal heart, the entire first half of episode eight, the startouch elves murdering a literal child).

-I don’t think I’ve ever seen a show where the relationships feel so intimate to the point of making me feel like I’m invading on a personal moment (before remembering that the characters aren’t real lol). Specifically, Terry bathing Claudia (I’m so soft for this) and Callum and Rayla sharing a blanket (and a very sweet and intimate moment) on the frozen ship. Idk man it’s just so fucking good. It all feels so sincere and mature. Also whatever the heck happened between the end of 06x06 and the beginning 06x07…y’all know what I’m talking about.

-I haven’t seen enough people talking about the music because oh my god, it’s phenomenal!! The standouts for me are the end of 06x06 (aka rayllum kiss scene) and when Viren is casting the “hearts of cinder” spell in 06x08. Score release when????

-On the topic of 06x08, it’s objectively the best episode of the season, maybe even the entire series (although on a personal level, 06x06 is my favorite for *reasons*).

-The Janaya vows were spectacular. 10/10 no notes.

-I REALLY loved Ezran and Soren this season. Ezran was so grown up and showed tremendous leadership and strength when negotiating with Karim, who was incredibly disrespectful and arrogant towards him (also, that dude was plastered lmao). Soren taking control and making the choice to evacuate the castle (which is 100% what Ezran would have done), and then begging Viren to sacrifice him to cast the “hearts of cinder” spell and save lives?? HELLO?? That was so emotional and made me love Soren that much more (which I didn’t even think was possible).

-All of the voice acting was A++. Racquel’s sobbing and screaming gives me CHILLS. Jason’s acting during Viren’s sacrifice scene? Outstanding. Sasha lowering her voice as Ezran gets older? So talented. They are all so good holy crap. They really have the A Team.

-The scene of Rayla with her mom and dad is devastating, but also bittersweet. I’m glad Rayla has a sense of closure here.

-Ruthari reunion when??

-Sorvus and Sorpeli are REAL and I’m not mad about it.

[unsteady-calcium]

Ok, I'm mid season 7 now, and I’ve had a moment to collect my thoughts. Fair warning, this is rambling...

To me, most of seasons 6 and 7 is great actually.

I like Booth’s anger and rage. I get why people don’t, but I do. I think it’s not only understandable and in character and makes me feel empathetic towards him; I actually think it’s a damn interesting narrative choice, and makes Booth a more real character than he has been before.

And I love Brennan’s fear, too. She develops so much, and her "fall back on rationality as a defence mechanism" armour is finally starting to crack. It's damn fascinating to watch.

I like that the two of them had real, emotional, character-driven obstacles to overcome, before they can be together. And that identifying those obstacles doesn't automatically mean that they've overcome them at the same time. It stays true to their characters and the journey they’ve been on together so far, instead of some half-assed “I have to focus on Parker” or “crime solving takes up too much time to try to have relationships”, which most TV couples are reduced to when trying to keep up the tension. I love that they gradually overcame the fear and the rage, their small victories and choices adding up to something big. They rebuilt the trust and faith that has always been their bedrock. It feels like the natural conclusion of their relationship developing for years, with the highs and lows that it has been comprised of.

Granted, the writers fumbled the ball when it came to the actual emotional resolution at the end. It could, with only a few changes, have been improved by coming at the tail end of a case which forced them to confront something about their relationship. Or the bare minimum, make it more implicit how scared they were to lose each other without having even been together first. Just, you know. Any reason why it happened when it did.

But. There’s always fanfic, I guess.

What bothers me the most is actually something else.

I feel like there’s multiple seasons missing between s6 and s7. Obviously there were pregnancy factors and all that, and my heart rejoices at B&B getting the full domestic treatment. And this is hardly a novel take - everyone seems to agree. But there is so much missing before season 7, to the degree that it’s almost hard for me to believe that these are the same characters and not... Well... Pregnancy AU, 13/13 chapters, 45k words, status: complete.

Don't get me wrong: it's a damn good pregnancy AU. They deal with a lot of stuff that is very in character. And honestly? The idea that actually, once these two overcome their fears and decide to try being together, they are rock sollid? is fair. It makes sense.

But still.

They're Booth and Brennan.

They deserved a full year of Temperance “my childhood trauma made me scared of my emotions, prone to discard reasoning based on emotions, and simultaneously desperate to, and terrified of, being part of a family” Brennan.

And a full year of Seeley “my childhood trauma makes me overcommit to romantic partners way too fast and also makes me obsessed with being a Good Man who does the Right Thing regardless of what the people involved actually want or need” Booth.

They would clash at every stage. Every label, every milestone, would be rough and every victory would be a hard-won battle. Defining what they are to each other, deciding whom to tell and when and why, moving in together, overprotectiveness, independence, trust... there is something new to tackle all the damn time.

There would be so much doubt, and so much fear, because the stakes are so high. Because they are Booth and Brennan, and if they lose this, if they lose each other, they lose everything.

And, after a year of trying their damnest to figure all this out and finally getting somewhere, the prospect of an unplanned baby would crank every single aspect of it up to 11. Brennan would be terrified of that baby. Because she wants it so much, and she wants what it means in terms of starting a family. Making something permanent. She would regress into her hyper-rational persona. Their happiness would depend on Booth recognising that, putting his own feelings to the side, and helping her through it. And we know that the more emotionally invested he is, the more he struggles with exactly that...

They would need every ounce of love and support from their friends to get through it. Every bit of faith from their found family. And that would be cathartic as hell, because forming and trusting those bonds has also been a part of the journey to get to this stage.

And they would get through it for the same reason that they have gotten this far in the first place: because despite it all, Booth and Brennan help each other to find faith, and choose to trust. They give each other the strength to risk heartbreak.

They would get through it. And it would be glorious.

Then, and only then, I would like season 7 to happen exactly the way it happened.

[raayllum]

Something I’ve been noticing a lot in my current rewatch is how Rayla and Soren are foils…Soren being the failed crownguard (“failed” in large part bc of his father’s choices) who ends up on a quest to kill his little king… Rayla trying to make up for her parents’ failures as dragonguards and going every extra mile to protect Zym but taking Ezran under her protection as well (sometimes FROM Soren)…, Soren runs Viren through for trying to kill Ez but he’s just an illusion, the real Viren is trying to kill Zym, and Rayla is prepared to die to stop that…then Rayla goes but Soren stays, and when she comes back he’s taken up her role as the moral center of the show, arguing points that she used to make

I tried to see if you’d written anything about these two being foils specifically but tumblr search is… you know lol. I would love it if you could point me to a relevant meta if there is one! If there isn’t, I hope my thoughts were interesting lol they make me emotional

Y'know funnily enough I don't think there ever was a dedicated Soren&Rayla from almost anyone (of course I could've missed it, but at least not from me) precisely cause from what I remember of early post-s3 arc 1 days, their foil relationship was just... a general fandom consensus of everyone going "Oh yeah that checks out" and kinda left at that.

After all, Soren is the princes' sworn protector who tries to kill them, makes his way back onto the right side, and then 'kills' Viren (his father) in order to protect them... whereas Rayla is their sworn killer who defects from her father in order to protect those same princes, and then she actually kills Viren (if Aaravos and Claudia hadn't intervened) in the same episode. More than that, they both leave behind their previous "hey kill these kids" roles in favour of being a Protector of their respective princes (Soren with Ezran, Rayla with Zym) respectively likewise in 3x09.

You're absolutely right that Soren and Rayla both rely a lot on their physical fighting skills, and this parallel in regards to failure always stands out to me in S3:

Soren: As crownguard, it was my job to make sure that nothing happened to him. No matter what. So when the Moonshadow elves came I did everything I could to protect him. But it wasn't enough. I just... don't want to fail you, too. Rayla: It's me, and it's all my fault. I failed them. I let them all down. They're right to reject me. I'm not good enough, and I never will be.

as does this one for Runaan-Viren, because Runaan may have brought his teenage daughter on an assassination mission, but she's never seemingly scared of him the way Soren is of Viren

even if both fathers take issues with 'fear born' weakness at least in theory

And of course there's some other parallels scattered throughout, which makes sense: 1x01-1x03 is basically Rayla speedrunning Soren's S1-S3 arc of perpetuating the cycle of violence to actively trying to stop it by joining forces with your previous 'enemy'.

I think in a lot of ways Soren was exactly the sort of human Rayla had prepared her whole life to kill -- he's proud, he lies, he's not a 'good' person (at first) -- but of course, now they're good friends and it's very sweet to see. Arc 2 has less direct foils, but it's still there, y'know? Just more quietly in the background.

For example, enough has changed since 2x07 that now in 4x05 their roles have virtually switched, since Soren is the one campaigning to save the dragon while Rayla, although not the aggressor, is saying to walk away. I expect S6 Rayla to take some of Soren's 'protector' quality on further in regards to "doing everything you can" when Callum gets possessed. Possible 5x08 parallels also stand out to me with the concepts of identities (names), ownership vs agency, and compassion against the enemy currently wailing on you through future possessed!Callum and Elmer parallels.

The two are also in for a real pickle since they're the most "these people are the bad guys, we're the good guys" in the show... and it's like sir your sister is evil and ma'am your boyfriend is going through a corruption arc, you're in for some rude awakenings. That said they do have their unbreakable bonds of love with Claudia and Callum respectively, so who knows. It'll all work out. (Eventually.)

On that note we can also see some parallels between 2x02 and 3x03 perhaps... Rayla accuses Soren of trying to kill Ezran but explains it poorly, so Callum gives her as much as he can but doesn't side with her in the moment (which to be fair it is Quite a leap so like Callum you're so valid) VS Soren poorly explaining Viren asking him to kill the princes and Claudia not siding with him. The difference is that in the face of more evidence in favour of Claudia + Soren, Callum still sides with Rayla, and in the face of more evidence against Viren ("You'll understand when you see the first to change" -> "Claudia, you're changing too"), Claudia still sides with Viren, but I digress.

I'd also argue that Ezran is the moral centre of the show (at least to me) simply because he's the only one in the main cast who hasn't entered the 1) you did terrible things in the name of love/protective relay and 2) he's pretty measured and compassionate 99% of the time (but I do love the 1% when he's not let me tell you).

I talked about it in this meta (which is 2+ years old jc) about how like a good moral line event horizon measuring stick is "how does this character treat Ezran" and if they're treating him poorly they're not doing the right thing, and if they're treating him well then they Are, but it doesn't go into S4 or S5 so like. Mileage may vary

Last but not least: I do have a Sorayla tag for headcanons edits brotp content in general so if you want more of them, that's what I'd recommend, with fics such as "flower crowns" (oneshot) and "if heaven and hell decide" (completed multichap, 60k) for their dynamic

[all-pacas]

I know you say that you ship camchase out of spite, cause the show didn't write them very well. so I'm curious, assuming all the main storybeats still happen—hunting, fwb, they date, the itch, saviors, dibala, lockdown—what would you change? what offscreen thing would you have liked to see? besides screentime, what would you add?

Oh that's a good question and it's one I'm really thinking about, because I don't know if it has a simple one-thing answer. So here's what frustrates me about how the ship is shown in canon, and we can go from there:

It's all about House. I get it, it's the House Show, and it's not even that I'd take away the Cameron crush/lingering arc from CamChase, it's more the way the entire relationship ends up being about House: the references to CamChase dating in S4 are about House (does Cameron still like him?? Chase is jealous!!), the S5 engagement brings up the idea that Cameron is in love with House four years after that really makes sense, and Teamwork and their breakup ends up being more Cameron breaking up with House than her husband: CamChase don't even get a final conversation, or any conversation at all. And this is a problem of the show to an extent, but it adds a weird vibe to CamChase: is she meant to be House's love interest in the end? How much a part of their relationship is House? What are they like without him? We don't really know.

The pairing has general POV issues as well. Until S5, we only ever see the relationship through Cameron's eyes, and sort of oddly at that: The Itch and Saviors and Human Error are all from her point of view, all episodes where she has the agency and drive and Problem To Overcome: Cameron has to learn a Lesson and the relationship/Chase exist only to react to this. And then, sort of hilariously, we get the complete reversal in S6, where Cameron barely factors at all into Dibala and the fallout, where suddenly she has no opinions or agency and can only react to what Chase does, until she dumps House and leaves.

I want to like Lockdown, but the whole episode feels so much like a retcon. Suddenly their divorce wasn't about murder, it was about how Cameron is too screwed up to love anyone! This is not something the show had ever seriously presented before, this was never part of their breakup, but now Chase is still a character and suddenly matters, so he needs to be the victim, so Cameron is abruptly made the villain. I don't think the entire idea of it is wrong (Cameron is screwed up and has been said to be so since S1), but it's kind of wild, right? Especially because in prior episodes, we were always seeing her POV and her side and meant to sympathize with her. In Saviors, it's supposed to be very sad and very understandable that she's scared; we're not supposed to stop and think "wow, she's kind of being awful to Chase right now."

We really have very little sense for what they were like as a couple. What did they see in one another? I don't actually think this has to be all that deep: it's possible to extrapolate a lot, and sometimes people do just kind of date without it being a true madly in love thing. We know they get along and were friends, they have good chemistry, they enjoy one another's company. That's fine. But because they existed entirely in the background and separately for most of their relationship, you kind of have to extrapolate. We know what they're both like as people and when they were on the team. The FWB arc is honestly pretty good at showing how they get along. But like… S5 Cameron says Chase is this naive romantic, and where does she get that idea? Where did it come from? I can buy it (I'd argue the S8 rebound nun proves this handily), but we don't see it. Chase in The Itch says he's felt shut out by Cameron for a long time, but again, we don't see it. I can buy he's passive-aggressive/avoidant enough to mention it, but it would have been nice to have inklings of this stuff before the Special Episodes. They were dating for around three years, and like. If you didn't know they were a couple through all of S4, could you really tell?

So, boiled down: I think there's some weird "as you know" retcons and the show struggles with POV where they're concerned. Cameron is treated as the "main character" of the romance and that's fine (she always was a more important character than Chase), but that makes the abrupt S6 switch to Chase's POV jarring. They also exist entirely offscreen: we don't know if they were healthy and loving or toxic and distant. Because we only see them a handful of times, and because those times are always Cameron Learns A Special Lesson episodes (or, in Lockdown, Cameron gets thrown under the bus), I think they come off as more toxic than they were supposed to be. Like yes, they always had some red flags, but we are supposed to think of them as a basically functional and happy couple while they lasted: I'm thinking of Thirteen quickly reassuring Chase in Private Lives that "what you had was real." Was it? Good to know! And so fandom as a whole I think plays them as more toxic and dysfunctional than the show thought they were (mixed in with good old fashioned character bashing).

How I would change it:

FWB arc is fine. I really have no issues. Maybe throw in a scene for Cameron like Chase got in Fetal Position implying she is catching feelings (and doesn't like it), just because we're supposed to believe she has them but most fan's takeaway is "she could not care less about Chase, why are they dating now?"

Move The Itch to S4, or replace it with something similar. No problem with the episode at all, but we want to remind people they're dating. Or do the Birthmarks thing and have them just inexplicably hanging out in the ER all day. S5 does a better job at this, but S4 is weird.

Because The Itch is in S4, give them a new subplot in S5. Crucially, Chase gets to be the focus of this episode. Maybe he is upset about something and freezes Cameron out (foreshadowing his reaction after Dibala). Chase ends up coming off as Boyfriend Of The Year with his complete understanding of/patience for Cameron's issues, so Cameron here gets to be the supportive girlfriend. We get to see what they both provide for the other, and we get to see Chase screw up/be a bad boyfriend/Learn and Grow too.

We rewrite Saviors a little. Take out the "she's in love with House" bits, because even the episode doesn't really take that idea seriously, it's clickbait. Have Cameron be the one to propose, not ask Chase to do it after he already dumped her; basically, have her put herself out there as an active figure and not a Passive Receiver Of Relationships.

In the Dibala aftermath, make Cameron more active. She really goes a month without questioning Chase's obvious mental breakdown. I can buy she's trying to give him space, but say that. Have her call him out, have her try to support him, have her use her brains and ask questions about Dibala, poke around. Maybe she thinks Chase feels responsible for Dibala's accidental death. In Teamwork, have her and Chase talk. He tells her he wants to stay on the team and she goes and breaks up with House. Come on. Give them some ugly last fight. You could push a bunch of the Lockdown stuff in here: have Chase hit below the belt with "obviously you're leaving me, you've wanted to from the start." This is their "yelling in the clinic" moment, they're breaking up.

Completely re-write Lockdown. We're not retconing the entire relationship to make Cameron the villain, guys :( Have her bring up reconciliation (she never lets anything go… except her marriage, apparently), have Chase be reluctant. She's like no, it'll be fine! and he asks her if she's really okay with what he did and she has to admit that she isn't. She suggests maybe they can be, but they know it's impossible. You can keep the bittersweet ending, the clinic sex etc. They do love one another still, but neither of them can get over Dibala, and so they can't be together, and that's sad.

[dazzle02]

Shameless -- Ian Gallagher 5x12-7x11 Defence!!

I'm going to start this off by saying I love all the characters. (Minus the obvious...) I despise the way so many fans talk about Ian. I HATE the narrative that Mickey deserved better than him, that Ian was always wrong in every disagreement. I seriously do.

The one I hate the most is Ian not going to Mexico with Mickey. He was NOT wrong for that. In the slightest. In fact, I'm sorry, but Mickey was wrong for asking him to.

Ian had worked so hard to build a life for himself. He fought so hard to become an EMT. He worked so hard to get to a stable place. And he's just supposed to abandon all of that? Ditch his family who he loves. Leave the job he worked so hard for that he loves. Totally risk his mental health due to not having access to proper health care due to the fact that he would become a fugitive had he gone with him, plus the instability of a life on the run would've been terrible for him.

And yes, in S8 he did end up manic, and he did end up a fugitive and then in prison and losing his job. But he didn't know that was going to happen. He DID know it would definitely have happened if he'd gone to Mexico with Mickey. And if by some miracle they managed to stay out of prison, he never would've been able to see his family again. I know everyone loves to say Mickey was the only support system he needs or whatever, but that's just NOT true in the slightest. Ian loves his family. His siblings mean the world to him.

And you know what? In the long run, him not going was much better for both of them. If he'd gone, they would've just spent the rest of their lives on the run in Mexico as fugitives, he'd likely never be in a very good place with his bipolar, and it'd just be them and I truly think they'd have grown to resent each other. But with him not going, Mickey ended up turning himself back in when he went to Prison, and ended up getting let out the right way meaning they could actually have a life together where they had other family, Ian could take care of his bipolar properly, and there likely won't be any resentment.

Now look, I love Mickey. And I totally understand him. He's got so much trauma. But I'm gonna be pretty critical of him right now. Mostly because no one ever seems to be and I need to point this out.

He was in Prison for a crime he DID commit. He drugged Sammi. He planned to torture her. He thought he'd killed her. And hey, I hate Sammi and I honestly do enjoy those scenes between Mickey and Debbie. But at the end of the day, he DID commit the crime he was arrested for.

And I hate people saying that Ian should understand he did that for him and that he was in prison for Ian. NO!

Ian never asked him to do that. It wasn't for Ian. I'm sorry, but it just wasn't. To me, doing things FOR someone it HAS TO BE something they'd actually WANT done. Or that would actually benefit them.

Ian never would've wanted them to go after Sammi like that. And it wasn't going to do him any good either. She was leaving. She hurt him in a TERRIBLE way and she needed some sort of consequences, but at the end of the day that wasn't doing anything for Ian.

What he'd needed at that point was stability. Ian obviously got out of Military Prison and ran off with Monica, then came back and broke up with Mickey. But I honestly believe that if Mickey hadn't then been arrested Ian would've found his way back to him pretty quickly, I mean just look at Ian during that scene. He was NOT okay. He was on the verge of a depressive episode. And he felt he was hurting Mickey by keeping him around, and he also was feeling like everyone just saw him as something that needed to be fixed. I mean, he was on his meds from the start of S6! I truly think that had Mickey not been arrested, they would've been able to work things out.

But instead Mickey was arrested. And I truly think Ian was really hurt at learning what went down. It wasn't about Sammi, he couldn't care less about her. I don't even think it was even about Mickey trying to kill/torture her.

I mean, look at it from Ian's perspective for a moment. He's just opened up to Mickey about how shitty his meds make him feel, he feels he's getting somewhere with Mickey being his partner again instead of his caretaker, then MP's show up and arrest him and he's in Military Prison. And what does Mickey decide to do? Torture Sammi. Get revenge. Sometimes revenge isn't what someone needs. At that point in time, Ian needed stability. I think in his mind, Mickey took this huge risk at the time he needed him the most and it got him in prison. And I think that would've hurt him. But I also think he would feel a lot of guilt, because Mickey's excuse for it was that he did it FOR IAN. And I will always hate things like that.

People say Ian just abandoned Mickey in Prison. But I honestly think Ian felt abandoned by Mickey too.

So yeah, Mickey was in Prison because he committed a crime. Then he escaped. And I get it. No one wants to be in Prison. But people act like he was in there for a crime he didn't commit and that just isn't true.

Ian didn't owe Mickey anything. Him not going to Mexico was NOT a betrayal. It was him realising that it wouldn't be a good idea. For either of them. He gave him ALL HIS MONEY! And that is HUGE for a Gallagher. He grew up with so little money. They were barely scraping by so often. And he was finally making a stable income, he had SAVINGS, and he gave it ALL to Mickey. Because at the end of the day, even though he knew he couldn't go with him, he wanted Mickey to be okay. And he WANTED TO GO! You can see it that Ian wanted to go. But he knew he couldn't.

And while we're at it. Fiona wasn't wrong for telling Ian that Mickey would set a match to the life he'd built. HE WAS A FUGITIVE! It's not even about Mickey as a person. It's about the fact that Ian never could've had a stable life with him while he was a fugitive having escaped from prison. (Honestly, I could write so much about Fiona and Lip and the narrative that they always treated Mickey terribly and never gave him a chance. I will defend the Gallaghers forever. They've fucked up, but this is something I will ALWAYS defend them on!! And I might make a post about this another time...)

In conclusion, Ian loves Mickey. Mickey loves Ian. But Ian was not wrong to not go to Mexico, and I maintain that Mickey shouldn't have asked him to. I just genuinely don't think he stopped to think about the damage it would do to Ian's mental health, which is understandable as he was in a very stressful situation. But people need to stop villainising Ian for choosing to do what was best for them both.

[daniclaytcn]

Its interesting because really the only people I see ever being captain are chim and/or hen. Hen for obvious reasons. Chim because I think it would be interesting to re explore with his character. Especially because the big conclusion from before was that chim wasnt very good but also that chim wasnt very good because he wanted to be a paramedic and be partners with hen so how does that change if hen is captain. Eddie could be captain but imo he would never want to. And i could see buck maybe being captain but its not something that would come easily to him and would only happen like 2-3 years before he retires so like 20-30 years after the events of the show and its more of the culmination of all his life experiences like a cherry on top of his very full career. bc I think for buck to be captain he would have to be satisfied with everything he accomplished before then. Like canon went that direction in s6 so now it has to happen lol. But its not something that comes naturally to him like bobby or hen (and like explore that!! Bobby is buck’s number one role model and I know it would upset him that leadership doesnt come easily to him like it does for bobby. Especially now that thats something we’ve established bobby got from his dad and all the buck bobby father son stuff etc)

also for me an arc about the road to captaincy is just...so much more interesting with hen and/or chimney. what we've already seen of it with them is great! particularly with chim, it could be amazing potential for an actual season-long arc. it just wouldn't work for buck—not just because of the reasons i mentioned but also the fact that, like you mentioned, if this had even a remote possibility of working, it would need literal seasons more of character development and buck still has so much other stuff to work through AND the show is already on its last legs. he's just nowhere close to being ready and honestly i don't think he'll ever be and that's not a bad thing lmao. i don't think eddie should be captain either! tho in eddie's case i think he'd handle leadership decently well, he would just never be comfortable in that sort of position.

[artsyaech]

the finale of what we do in the shadows was... a lot - A Very Long Textpost

[PT: the finale of what we do in the shadows was... a lot: A Very Long Textpost. end PT]

now, i'll be completely honest; i had pretty low expectations going in, and now, after watching it, i have thoughts.

first, i'll go over why i had low expectations. while a lot of season 6 was pretty good, it didn't feel like a final season at all. yes, a part of the show's charm is how it's not as structured as other tv shows, with it being in a mockumentary format, but i feel like they definitely should have done more here.

a lot of s6 was just uneventful, honestly. i feel like more stuff happened in s4 and s5. a lot of the episodes felt more... episodic, i guess is the word? very little of s6 feels like an overarching plot, very few episodes had even the slightest bit of connection, it was all over the place.

so, already, before i even watched the finale, i didn't have high hopes, but my hope was definitely there. "maybe they'll turn it around. maybe the finale will be a banger", i thought to myself, and well... i wasn't exactly.... wrong???

the finale is very focused on guillermo and nandor, and while i am definitely very fond of those two, i feel like they should've also focused on nadja, laszlo, colin, and honestly, even the guide.

i feel like the show wants us to think that the guide is a main character, but, to me she feels like a semi-important supporting character. we barely know anything about her life's story, what she does for fun, what her opinions are. she basically just exists when she's in the presence of the other vampires. they did her so dirty in this show, honestly, i love her to death and she deserved much more in the show overall, but especially s6.

while not done as dirty as the guide, i feel like colin had so much missed potential. like, when he started caring deeply for the monster, because he feels like he doesn't get enough appreciation in the house, i was like "okay, i see, this could be interesting" and it kinda just... went nowhere. i understand that he feels out of place because he's an energy vampire and doesn't actually enjoy the fact that everyone hates him, but we barely get a glimpse of that.

literally, the last we see of colin is him draining the other household members by telling a really bad joke and it's like... that's it??? oh, well.

nadja feels like a relatively rounded out character and her relationship with laszlo has got to be my favorite fictional relationship. but also, think about this: what did she actually do of any importance in s6? i mean, she did get a job at the same company as guillermo, but other than that, i don't really know. i still love her to death, but i feel like her most memorable moment in this season was when her and laszlo were arguing and he said that really cute line, but that was a shared moment, not one exclusive to her character.

speaking of laszlo, while matt berry's performance in this role is perfect, no notes, i feel like his character became increasingly one-note throughout the series. his line delivery gives us some of my personal favorite moments in the entire show (namely, the iconic "nyew yark citayyy" and me and my dad's favorite: "nandor! i've been double crrrossed by the devILL!". but like, while his character is great from an acting and a comedic standpoint, they didn't do much with him either in the later seasons. well, they did something, namely when his daddy issues were revealed, but, he's still just a silly british guy and not much more.

now, i am aware that a single episode couldn't have fixed all of those problems, but it is a little sad that they didn't even really... attempt to???

now, about the nandermo thing. i have a pretty hot take about that: i actually like that they were shrodinger's confirmed. like, yeah, they "only" hinted at it, but like, c'mon, they hinted at it so heavily that it wouldn't go over even a straight person with a bad case of heteronormative thinking.

it was obvious, so i think that they are confirmed. calling it "queercoding" or worse "queerbaiting" is just objectively not true. nandor is achillean, guillermo is gay, there are no ifs ands or buts about that. they are both queer characters, so the fact that they are having a relationship behind the scenes is not only entirely plausible, but heavily implied.

and for me, that's why i'm personally okay with this confirmation. because, for me, the implications of them having a behind the scenes relationship is more fun than just to have them share a lip-to-lip kiss on-screen. not only does that allow fanfic writers to have endless amounts of fun, but even a relatively casual fan could make up some fun scenarios and speculations. but idk that's just my opinion.

i'm just happy we got to see domestic nandermo, regardless of it being in an AU.

i should go to bed…

[morganski-19]

Ok, so I've done a little research and rewatches of the previous midseason finales, and I think I have a few ideas of where this could go.

Firstly, no NDE. If there is a NDE, which I still think is very possible this season, it's most likely going to occur after the mid-season break. I went back and looked at all of the episodes that have the big, most memorable NDEs from all the characters, and all of them are after the mid-season break or early at the beginning of the season. So, while I do think this foreshadowing is going somewhere, it's not going to happen next week.

So, where does that leave us?

We know a few things from the articles that were released this past week (I'll link the ones I'm talking about in case you want to read them yourselves). One, that loose ends are going to be tied up from the last 8 episodes. Two, that there is not going to be a big cliffhanger, but that one character will be hanging off a cliff. And three, that there is going to "Wait what now? What did you say? moment.

Those are really the big ones. There were a few other things like the actor who plays Brad saying that him and Eddie have a connecting moment in the next episode, which I think can play into one of the things I'm going to talk about.

And really, anything that I read in an article I take with a grain of salt. They can't tell us exactly what's going to happen, and also have misdirected multiple times in the past. Whether that be intentional or unintentional. However, there are some things in the above articles that I think have some truth.

In the previous midseason finales, a good majority of the storylines of the first half of the season were wrapped up. They played their part, and provided the characters a chance to move forward in the next half of the season.

Just some examples. In the s2 finale, Eddie reintroduced Shannon to Christopher, ending that particular conflict between them. In s3, Bobby got his test results from that radiation exposure, and Maddie confronts the memory of Doug again to let him go. In season 4, Eddie tells Chris about Ana, and Maddie and Chimney discuss birth plans. All of these things both close certain parts of their storylines, while open up continuation points for the second half.

Then, toward the end of the episode, there is something that acts as a cliffhanger to keep the audience entertained over the break. Most of the time, it is something that happens to a singular character, and isn't as large as a NDE or giant conflict.

Again, some more examples. In s2, Doug reappears pretending to be Jason Bailey. In s3, we find out that Michael has a brain tumor. In s4, Buck is reintroduced to Taylor and they decide to become friends. s5, Eddie leaves the 118. s6 Wendall is killed. And then in s7, even though a short break, Buck invites Tommy to the Madney wedding.

All things that compel the audience to continue watching, while also not being gigantic cliffhangers where the character's life is immediately in danger.

So, where does that leave us for s8?

There are only two main things that haven't been wrapped up, or really talked about, since the beginning of the season. Bathena's house, and Chris in Texas.

And one of these things has actually been discussed in an interview with Peter after episode 7, where he says that won't be discussed until after the hiatus. Or at least "he didn't know anything about it yet". Which yeah, that could be a misdirect. But I couldn't see that being the big thing that leaves someone hanging off a cliff. It's just too inconsequential and also involves two characters instead of one.

This leads me to the other unwrapped plot point, Christopher. Who has basically been MIA since the first episode, except for little nods here and there from Eddie. And honestly, that pisses me off. There has only been a little growth from Eddie while Chris was gone, something that was promised as an opportunity for Eddie to realize who he is.

It's safe to say that I really hope that Eddie is the one left on the cliff hanger next episode. I initially wanted Chris to be the one to initiate a phone call with Eddie, extending his side of the olive branch, but I'm not so sure that's the direction they're going in anymore.

Jumping away from that for a moment, I want to address that possible conversation between Brad and Eddie. Assuming that this scene doesn't get cut for time (which they have been doing with a few scenes talked about in episodes recently), I have a strong inkling that it could be about estranged kids. Brad mentioned having a bunch of ex-wives, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that he has a child with one of them. And given how he treated the waitress in the last episode, it would not surprise me if he treated the mother horribly, and also did not step up as a parent.

I think that route could be interesting for Eddie since it would maybe remind him of his father. And therefore, all the ways he tried to be better than his father. It could make him want to take a step forward, now that he is learning to not punish himself for this, and try to reconnect with Chris again.

Which I think will lead to the hanging off the cliff moment, as well as the "wait what" moment.

I don't think Eddie's going to be able to connect with Chris, but his mother. And his mother is going to say that Chris wants to stay with them a little longer, further continuing her path of keeping Chris away from Eddie.

And then in a perfect world, Eddie gets his ass on a plane to talk to his son face-to-face because he can't trust his mother to be the main method of communication. But who the fuck knows if that is actually going to happen.

They've also, from what I've heard, finished filming ep 9. Which probably doesn't mean a lot, but it makes me think that some scenes in ep 9 might need to be filmed with how they look in ep 8 for continuity reasons. Or maybe it was just a contract thing, idk. Again, probably meaningless but that is weird.

[alicepao13]

Hudson and Rex S06E01 - Ghost Ship - Part A

I don't want to preface this with how it shouldn't be the first episode, I've explained this before.

Black letters in quotes: Actual show quotes.

Green letters in quotes: What I come up with my twisted brain.

Full disclosure, I barely spared this episode a second glace. Aside from the fact that I rewatched it with my sister but I think neither of us paid any attention to the plot.

There is an almost tradition in this show that the first episode should not start with a murder but with a missing person's case (or several, in this one). It's happened in all season premieres except for S2.

The last time I went on a tour boat, I puked my guts out (motion sickness forever, yay!) so I'm sure that doesn't help me like this episode more.

Might be the only good part of the episode lol. Just kidding, there were moments. Unsure of where this is supposed to be? It looks way too dim to be inside the precinct?

I don't like that they're showing them all separately, especially Charlie and Sarah, it definitely set a very negative tone with a lot of us. But her first few shots are beautiful, even with all the blue (like, we don't need that much blue, show, chill).

Jesse got a new toy lol

Joe looking disapprovingly. Come on, man, you'll have time for that later, when it's ruined.

I bet it's the drone they do the aerial shots with, by the way.

Rethinking this, Charlie and Rex should be at the precinct as well because if they show the rest of the team at work, Charlie and Rex should also be at work, maybe working out during downtime? My initial thought was that for some reason Charlie and Rex were at home. I think I set myself up for some extra, not sure how to put this, light anger? Mild disappointment? I'm not going to pretend I'm an impartial viewer, though. I'm still able of critical thinking after the fact, though. The lack of Charah, which is supposed to be a part of this show now, and team scenes, which is also supposed to be a part of this show now, skewed my perception early on. I re-evaluated later, although I still maintain my position on the first one.

Autopilot on boats can actually get them to the marina without help?

I think every crime show that's had an even remotely "supernatural" case has used this line.

Sarah is like, oh yeah that's what Jesse is going with, don't ask. That screenshot does not convey the intention but that's what it is lol

Oh, yes, I forgot Jesse's "moments" with Marta. Never to be seen again.

I think I'd definitely want to fly a drone one day.

Newfoundland beauty.

Isn't it weird that a billionaire goes incognito on a boat tour (instead of with his private yacht) and then signs his own name?

I always found that funny.

Charlie remembers all of Rex's barks?

lol

Let's do some crime.

I don't think I've ever seen that green thingamajig anywhere else. They usually use something that looks like a metal ruler? Anyway, unlocking cars that way is kind of sexy.

And then onto the next car. What?

Wow, everyone is so cut up about the hostages. Not talking about Joe, by the way.

Your only team, as far as I know. Also, did you talk to Charlie lately, because he seems to think it's his team. Which apparently didn't start on S6, per my rewatch. I mention this because I erroneously blamed it as one of the changes of S6.

Flying doggo strikes again!

Rex interacting with the whales would have been an actual selling point for this episode. Although I don't suppose there was a way that could actually happen. Watching them from footage obtained by the production (which wasn't even shot by them) is not the same thing.

"Who are you trying to scam? That guy wasn't shot."

Have they, though?

To be continued in Part B.