#oh a silly guy gets turned into oh fuck they’re hitting him with the turmoil rocks

[theskyexists]

she-ra 4

the reason i stopped watching she-ra is the same reason i stopped watching the dragon prince.

the narrative doesn’t take the situation seriously. instead of leaning into the anguish of war and violence (atla, teen titans) - they make light of it. EVEN when the characters’ guardians are KILLED!!

when Angella died and they spent 2 seconds on Glimmer’s grief at the end of season 3 i was like......actually fuck this. HOW can i take any of these stakes seriously when they insist on brushing them off???

anyway just had to complain about that - especially because the start of the first ep of 4 is them joking AGAIN about something as grim as Glimmer now carrying all the responsibilities of her mother - who may i remind you IS DEAD

but catradora became canon apparently so now i have to struggle through

her aunt, her mother’s sister, is fuckin, joking about cakes, her friends are laughing at the joke. COME ON! how goddamn unrealistic and insensitive. EVEN if they wanna make a point of it - it’s silly! because the narrative PARTICIPATES in making light of the situation. if it was just the characters it would be less jarring

‘we’ll make sure this day is perfect’  WHAT? how could it EVER BE IF HER MOTHER IS FUCKING DEAD????????? AND THAT”S THE ONLY REASON SHE’S QUEEN????? ‘must be hard’ YEAH IT’S HARD - IN FACT IMPOSSIBLE. instead of pretending to be happy maybe you can show some genuine sensitivity. these people are so crazily emotionally underdeveloped my god. what age are they supposed to be? 16? 17? The problem that She-ra has (just like the dragon prince) is that there are no relevant adults. Oh sure there’s a Queen, and some Soldiers, and a Sorceress. But there isn’t a single relevant competent adult around who is concerned with running a bureaucracy or the emotional stability of children

I do like how Catra has overcome her fear of Hordak. but i think i remember being fuckin furious at her for almost destroying the whole world and hurting Scorpia and betraying Entrapta just to spite Adora. vaguely.

the rebellions problem is that they’re all extremely stupid himbos. like literally, in the whole story, only catra and shadowweaver have any smarts, while glimmer gains the ability to think during full moons on wednesdays. meanwhile everybodys is a slave to their emotions - which destroys any brain cells that shadowweaver or catra (or angella or anyone) might have managed. they could literally have killed hordak the entire time but just let him order them around because they’re so hot for acknowledgement

I’m glad Glimmer reflects my frustrations now hahahahaah

‘everyone is already acting like she doesn’t matter’  - yeah dudes, you fucking insensitive bastards

‘im supposed to take care of you glimmer’ - but unfortunately i have the emotional intelligence of a crab! FUCK!

this is another thing about this show that makes me groan. sappy quick resolutions of emotional turmoil through re-affirming the fuckin power of friendship in the first episode of the season.

also couldn’t Adora have done this she-ra stuff from the very beginning

that was badass.....miss glimmer’s other hair though. ok the emotions at that hologram and statue though...

the coolest part of she-ra for me is finding out more how the ancient systems all fit into Etheria and the She-Ras and Hordak Prime etc.

THIS IS A GOOD SPEECH. love this badass.

love Hordak getting put in his place. Love Catra realising she has power - love Hordak reaping what he sows. its unfortunate that she’s a shitty brat who JUST can’t get over her inferiority complex

if i could endlessly teleport i would do what glimmer does

also, glimmer was willing to fuckin murder catra before and she DEFINITELY will be now lol. love that for her.

why did they only introduce adora learning to transform her sword NOW ahahaha, theyve had SO MANY SCENES in which she doesnt have it and then suddenly does - and then its gone again

scorpia is the funniest and most likeable person in the whole show

they really suddenly can’t take five people on with she ra and fuckin huntara on their side??

i remember that little sadistic righteous twist in my stomach when Adora finally was like: FUCK!!!!!! YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!! Catra!!!!!!! and the stupid idiot got it

FINALLY A GLANCE AT THE PEOPLE OF ETHERIA AGAIN! i love the party sequences in this!!! the people of etheria are so beautiful! nobody ever comments on the main characters all looking plain human in contrast....

‘and i fell for it!’  yeah cos you DUMB AS BRICKS ADORA

so first they quietly take out the guards....and then literally break open the door hahaahahahahaaha

‘we forgot the bots regenerate’ - yeah cos you DUMB AS BRICKS ADORA

i just dont understand why they insist on making the main characters so DUMB ahahahahaah

Adora and Catra are great at hitting where it hurts. the difference between them is that Catra KNOWS that she’s hurting Adora - she does it deliberately.

wow that could be some pretty angsty stuff constantly leaving her to struggle on the floor while painfully electrocuted. Catra has also moved to kill Adora straight up so many times. im sure she really wants to (but it would destroy her later). But now, Adora swept something at Catra that might have actually killed her. I get Catra though, I would’t want to get beaten by some blonde, blue-eyed, glowing golden kid who always gets to win and do better. this is truly the first time Adora has moved to kill Catra......

does flatterina not have parents who’d be like: uhhhhh maybe leave the soldiering for a couple more years?

catra truly burning all her bridges. hahaha. it’s so satisfying to see her use her anger and power to truly destroy herself - because of guilt!

no other villagers were like - HMMMMMMM this random new kid is here? weird..... i didnt see that coming either.

Adora doesn’t think about what Catra might have even been doing there - cos she’s DUMB AS BRICKS

the interesting thing about this show is that they’re setting up a dichotomy. they’re treating war like a high-stakes game because they have the good side adhere to an aesthetic of ....magic. they will not make the two sides equivalent in any way - which makes questions of morality moot. the show is purely an emotional drama. the horde is an army of brainwashed kids in an industrial wasteland - they fight with tech and guns. but the good guys cannot fight with an army or tech, they fight with cleverness and magic. they’re called the ‘rebellion’ - they HAVE to be underdogs because they have to follow the script of good - even though what’s really going on is war, not a rebellion. That’s why they have a single strike team that do ‘missions’. They are presented as FUNDAMENTALLY different - on the level of identity which they cannot change lest they destroy themselves - and in that way the good guys can never become the bad guys. it is ALMOST meta. think they’re gonna do something with that at one point. i hope

also Netossa has such a super cool design.

‘everyone knows you’re needed in bright moon’ - uh. really? i dont know. some random person i’ve never seen before demands you go to meetings. so? is that important? why?

spinerella can literally FLY???????? why has she been in the background this whole time??? hahahaha military inefficiency.

there was an explosion that ripped trees apart - but bo’s alive!! honesty why didn’t they try explosive suicide bots before. they’re very lucky he was still alive to heal

‘could they be tracking she-ra?’ WHAT? isn’t the obvious suggestion - A SPY???? they just assume that the general is right hahahahaa.

i love how double trouble is so meta.

actually, why wasn’t glimmer trained as a sorcerer anyway?

glimmer is upset about her growing magic plants but not her having magic ingredients

why do they present good strategic thinking (for once) as evil influence from shadowweaver

what a fuckin badass. honestly - glad that this show finally utilised glimmer’s extremely op powers like they should be. honestly, she’s much more powerful than She-Ra.

that bit with spinerella was so contrived jfc.

‘by using me as a decoy’ adora says, pissed off. uhhhh YOU went off on your own to get smushed by fuckin bots adora. Glimmer didn’t do that to you. she just used your stupidity.

glimmer really left catra to die. hahahahaa

i like adora best when she’s on her own and being a dork

they definitely managed to foreshadow that Light Hope was evil but im glad they picked up the thread now

am i seeing this wrong or did scorpia have two mums??? but also. where the fuck are they

lolololololol because everybodys dumb as bricks and emotionally volatile they’re incredibly easy to manipulate

‘i cant risk hitting flatterina’ pffft - ALL YOUR ARROWS ARE NON-LETHAL BO. ugh i cant deal with these contrived stakes

I LOVE THIS BADASS EFFICIENT HARDCORE GLIMMER

they’re really gonna spin it like this is a bad development? fuck off. finally some grit.

‘you took things way too far’ - but she got results! dumb as bricks adora

(this may seem harsh but adora is DUMB shes so fucking DUMB!!!! and she has many good qualities (such as an almost innate sense of morality) but goddamn. i guess its good to sometimes have a show about all around dumb characters. i mean, it’s not unrealistic per se, it’s just.....weird.)

the interesting thing about these characters is that you can SEE every single one of them struggling with cognitive dissonance. thats the big story of this show. they see the world a certain way - and then when something challenges that, they fight to the death to destroy or deny or ignore that new information - to everybody’s detriment. and they can’t back down because every step they’ve taken - would turn to sins they can’t live with. it’s interesting and its also a kind of conflict that‘s frustrating if not resolved at SOME point. thats why i love this season for its characters going off the rails. adora aiming to kill catra, catra destroying her last relationships, glimmer growing more and more militant.

they’re all acting like teens - that  is - highly volatile - unable to keep from provoking others or be provoked - but they ARE teens.

‘catra doesn’t care. she’ll hurt people to get her way (implied: EVEN people on her side)’ - we must remember that Scorpia was entirely fine with KILLING the trio (it was Catra that wasn’t at the time).

‘you’re a bad friend’ OH OUCH. Catra - who’s always been treated as a whipping girl by those in power - does the same to those she is in power over. But on some level she doesn’t WANT to be that. she’s just always always been rejected and take advantage of and lashed out at and abandoned by the people she considered important (shadowweaver ---- doing the same to catra that was done to her is so goddamn....it’s the story of this show. the simplicity and banality of damaging and hurting others and that carrying over to harm even more people - is the story of this show and it’s immeasurably frustrating and REALISTIC)

she still flinches at Hordak’s lashing out. but she imprints on him the exact lesson she’s trying to school herself in. If you don’t need anybody - you don’t want anyone - if nobody matters but the mission and winning - then you can’t be hurt. she wants to prove her worth - but she doesn’t realise that inherently means that she’s putting somebody in power over her - again and again and again.

mermista coming  in clutch with the braincells: there’s a spy! I love how this is played as completely implausible and just Mermista nonsense (who i love learning about) - while it’s so obviously true/

i actually love Adora when she’s being serious and heroic, or a huge dork. and she has the wit to RECOGNISE good ideas. but i just don’t understand why Adora is being big b about being used as a distraction. like....why?

i love that the underside of Mermista’s sneaker has a figure. but why the fuck is a common soldier with them (flatterina) and do they really think they can interrogate the whole castle filled with some shitty guards and...what - the guerilla troops they sometimes employ? where do they even live? ah in a tent city. ok

why is the GENERAL in front line combat WITHOUT SOLDIERS???? oh wait. glimmer did that too when she was general. lolololol

i understand why Adora doesn’t trust Shadowweaver and doesn’t want her around most of all - and Glimmer getting buddy buddy with her is hurtful. but...it’s not helpful to needle glimmer about it. but dismissing the guards around shadowweaver however? stupid of Glimmer. unnecessary. ‘what has she done but help us?’ - uhhhh she kidnapped you, corrupted your powers, almost wiped Adora’s mind. I wish Adora had summed up those things instead of leaving them implied.

so perfuma and mermista come across inconsistencies in the stories - but then. forget about it? i just...... UGGHGHGHGHGHGHGH. people really aren’t this dumb are they? they’re just NOT.

‘no more secrets and doing things without us’ - that was a good speech. but like, glimmer is right - she’s surrounded by INCOMPETENT IDIOTS lolololol. but good leadership is corralling idiots, Glimmer. not going off on your own. but she’s already planted the bait about the dining room.

‘we were the only ones who knew about the plan to take back dril’ ---- THEN WHY DID YOU INTERROGATE OTHER PEOPLE AHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHA

‘stop questioning my choices, stop whining about being a decoy’ YEAH FUCKIN HELL ADORA STOP BEING SUCH A FUCKING SHIT. IS THIS REALLY ‘TAKING CARE OF GLIMMER’????

‘all you do is question my authority, it’s exhausting.’ yeah god...it really is. adora needs to fucking BACK! OFF! but im loving these fights because it brings out the grievances. Adora is right to be worried about Glimmer no longer including her in her decisions. and she makes a good point that that’s bad. She makes a good point that Shadowweaver cannot be trusted. And Glimmer makes zero good points - except that it’s been hard for her and has garnered 0.1% understanding from the people around her. Oh they were working together. BUT those were definitely real grievances.

GLIMMER CAN ALREADY DO A CONTAINMENT SPELL LIKE THAT??? godDAMN. castapella completely flunked her responsibilities to Glimmer but shadowweaver did NOT.

hmmm so Solinius was....destroyed. but like, did the people die? like....the people? that’s the important bit isn’t it? i mean, they were under the sea right?

i suppose the problem i also have is that this show will NOT hurry up. normally i love filler stuff but ...the characters are too.....cheery. too flat. their quirks are fun and funny until they’re literally character flaws.

are the horde just literally attacking civilians? jezus. the war crimes. how did shadowweaver ever expect to trick Adora when she was released into the field?

‘you can’t just keep going off on your own!’ - SHE LITERALLY SAVED THE WHOLE FUCKING TOWN. SHE’S THE QUEEN! EVERYBODY SHOULD LISTEN TO HER! lolololol

the problem with Adora’s points is that everything about their dynamics are always so nebulous. why cant glimmer keep showing up to help out? WHY??? she’s the most capable fucking soldier in the field! she’s supposed to have full fucking authority! like, Adora isn’t in the right here. the problem is that her needling is only a symptom of her worries - which is that Glimmer doesn’t trust her any more. but the needling does NOTHING but make her seem like an idiot

i do love this trope reversal here - Seahawk deliberately damselling them to let the princesses save the boys? pffft

love catra getting the consequences for her actions regarding Scorpia. You can’t keep lashing out at people and expect them to stay my dear cat.....

oooohhh Glimmer.... you’re treading close to very hurtful territory. Blaming Adora for the Rebellion failing? for things she couldn’t do anything about? stupid.

really?? you’re really gonna fucking fight-resolution BLOCK ME? are you FUCKING kidding me? edging me for the whole GODDAMN SEASON??? and finally Adora cries at Glimmer going over the line????  fuckin I HATE the narrative decisions in this stupid show I FUCKING HATE THEM FUCK THESE WRITERS GOD FUKCING DAMMIT!!! this has been the whole GODDAMN SHOW!!!!!! ARGHGHGHGHGHGH

i’ve been waiting for a fucking resolution for Adora and Catra the whole! goddamn! SHOW! NOTHING! else matters! you do the exact same for glimmer and adora and now you let it fester again??? because of some no-stakes BULLSHIT? just give me the fucking godddamn PAYOFF for watching these kids be IDIOTS.

this fight on the boat is COOL and really wonderfully animated

really? Glimmer’s response to Adora being hurt and not wanting to be TOUCHED is to be angry herself? what a fucking IDIOT. god i can’t stand this. I CAN’T STAND IT

is this how people act? do they never take a moment to breathe and think and reflect and realise their priorities and take a step back and fucking apologise?

jezus FUCKING! CHRIST!

‘no matter what glimmer thinks of me’ oh that HURTED. oh damn. that’s so relatable. it’s a way to run, it’s a way to internalise the hurt and then prove the things that hurt wrong. the one that hurt you

I know Bo is supposed to be the emotionally intelligent one but he’s also too soft. He should go up to his friends individually and ask them the sharp questions. not - ‘communicate more positively’.

I just like Adora so much better when she’s alone. Her friendships’ positive moments are always so sappy or so....like over-exaggerated, the negative moments always so fucking annoying. Alone, Adora is generally driven, tragic, and cool. the problem is perhaps that i don’t care for the constant fucking drama

god i LOVE Mara so much - she’s so beautiful. and i LOVE learning more about the Old Ones. So they were trying to study Ehteria’s magic.... but then Bright Moon and the princesses were already here. The Magic-Like systems of the Old Ones are pure tech.

wow! even Mara’s transformation is way cooler.

so why was the first one’s tech (she ra) responsive to the magic? why does Raz know about She-Ra? when she ra is first ones tech????

WAIT ONE SECOND. She-Ra is ‘magic’ ??? it’s the SWORD that’s the first one’s tech! She-Ra is Etheria’s magic ! but how if the First Ones chose Mara. Did they steal She-Ra from Etheria?

so what im getting is that. the Old Ones colonised Etheria. Etheria has magic, and when Mara was chosen they made that girl an elite soldier - giving her a first one’s tech sword so she could ‘control’ Etheria’s magic. Then Mara was told to study the magic of Etheria - the ship implying that she’d not been on the planet before. then they created a Heart of Etheria project - which will probably turn the magic into a weapon. this was going to be used against Hordak Prime, im sure. I mean, Mara saved Etheria, but she did doom the rest of the universe to...extinction.... like, judging from Hordak’s strategy, Hordak Prime just literally exterminates planets and repopulates them with his clones....

But why would the planet choose a girl from amongst the colonisers - twice?

OOOHHH that anguished scream. i love anguished screams

why dont they put fucking safety belts in these ships. it’s not like the ship didn’t survive. only Mara got splatted (i guess)

also i love Mara. but damn Adora just got some more shit on her plate. why the fuck was she pushed through a portal again? for a She-Ra chain reaction?

I love madame Raz.

So they didn’t explicitly use it against Hordak Prime. and it wouldn’t have destroyed Etheria back then but it will now...

guh this showmakes it so hard to enjoy catra’s pain.

well they did finally have a good talk about it. I have to say, Glimmer is making good strategic sense - it’s just that this show only rewards harebrained schemes

Catra having a crazy panic attack cos she can’t find Scorpia and she’s completely lost and she knows its her fault. kinda love that for her. my heart

my dear Glimmer, theres a difference between absence of trust and absence of agreement.

they’re bringing king micah back just when angella is dead? oh fuckin lol

the horde....exiled micah? they exiled Micah instead of killing him???

why do they ALWAYS interrupt important conversations? i hate that shit. it’s cheap. it’s unsatisfying.

now THIS is what im here for - that unstoppable WILL!! john gonzalez is right - we watch stories for characters overcomign obstacles. writing, is creating the obstacle course. .....what does that say about me and my life....hmmm.

‘light hope told me everything i need to know’ - uhhh no she didn’t. she didn’t tell you how to harness the energy at all. ugh

how the fuck did double trouble escape. seems to me that they didn’t actually. they were let go....

it’s always so stupid when people try to tell other people: oh no you’ve got no plan - this is too risky! when that’s NEVER a problem

Glimmer is going to activate the weapon just in time for Hordak Prime to use it. And naturally she misses the return of her dad. fuck this

they’re gonna have Hordak and Catra fight? hmm

Double Trouble is right - this IS good for her - and it IS Catra - except for Shadowweaver’s case - she was an abusive bitch

I love Scorpia’s new cool fight music and also glowy eyes

is glimmer going to throw herself into lava??

the unfortunate thing is that Hordak Prime is right on the doorstep and he took over the whole universe or whatever. so they could probably have used that weapon. i mean the Old Ones must have seen something coming. there must be a reason they’re all GONE maybe????

why did Adora assume that all those stars would be destroyed?

THE ANIMATION ON THAT FINAL STUFF WAS INCREDIBLE AND EPIC

how the fukc are they going to beat Horde Prime lolololol.

i guess Glimmer really shouldn’t have done that. but at least she was in time to bond with Catra.

[fabfemmeboy]

Things about the Season 3 Finale of Handmaid's Tale that Don't Make Sense

I will say first that I preferred this episode to much of the season, even if there were parts I thought were unrealistic to the point of absurdity while I was watching it.  But after a day and a half, the list of nonsense keeps growing.

June was walking with an armed escort since her walking partner is dead.  While some of the girls were sneaky about their soap, it was a lot of them - and some were downright Not.Subtle.  I'm not just talking about Janine, either, but let's start with her.  Why didn't the guardian - whose whole job is to make sure the handmaid in his charge can't get up to something - not even notice? it wasn't like she just grinned, either, she was giddy and spoke and talked about how she couldn't wait.  If my job is to make sure the person I'm guarding doesn't get up to something, in particular if I'm used to seeing myself as above the person I'm guarding, then I'm asking questions.  I'm demanding answers.  I'm checking the bag.  This guy stands next to her and stares into space.  Did she just get the guy who's really bad at his job?  (How convenient!)  Is he so used to assuming that "those silly women chattering on about nonsense" can't be plotting anything serious?  (Really bad outlook for a guard to have)  Given some of the other guardians we've seen and how they handle far less communication between handmaids, why doesn't this guy seem to give a shit?  Is he secretly in the resistance, too? Is literally everyone except Fred, Serena, and Aunt Lydia?

For reference, Rebecca and her martha traveled about 12 miles by modern roads, likely much more than that when you factor darting through woods and back yards.  How the hell big is the martha network that one in Lexington knew about this plot?  How does a martha from central Boston, whose duties generally aren't going to let her go too much outside the city, get information all the way out there?

Oh, and how the hell did the martha get rohypnol?  You can make it impossible to get antidepressants, but date-rape drugs are still floating around?  Was the use of that particular substance deliberate, given the assault in Gilead, rather than simply making it sleeping pills or whatever Mrs. Lawrence took?

Speaking of whom - so Lawrence is just going to let it go that June either let his wife die or actively killed her?  The look at the end of the funeral last week seemed to indicate he knew or at least suspected.  But this guy, who clearly adored his wife and tried to protect her for *years*...doesn't even take his anger out on June? She's mouthing off to him and he just shrugs and lets her do it?

Rebecca looks to be about 8-10 and doesn't really remember before.  She's one of the oldest kids in the bunch.  The younger ones have literally never known a pre-Gilead time.  Why are none of them upset at being taken somewhere?  Why is not one of them crying for mommy and daddy?  Why aren't any of them whining that they want to go home?  Hell, it's been several hours and a lot of walking - none of them are complaining that they're bored or tired or itchy or hungry or bored.  Has Gilead managed to break children of complaining? Because *that* is quite a feat!  But seriously, if at age 6 my neighbor (whom I knew and trusted) had told me "we have to go now, be very quiet" and made me leave my home without my parents, I would have tried to be quiet for awhile but would have had a LOT of questions.  Like why aren't Mom and Dad here? Where are they? Are they ok? What's happening?  Why do we have to be quiet? Why are we going through the woods and not on the street? To avoid being seen - but why? Why can't the guards see us? They see us all the time.  And if the answer came that she was taking me out of the country, I would have a lot more questions about why and why couldn't mom and dad come and what would it be like there.

And by the way, "you can be anything you want to be" doesn't really work in a world where there don't seem to be professions other than "martha" or "commander" or "lady of leisure" or "sex slave."  Getting to wear whatever you want doesn't really make sense if everyone wears the same thing, either.  It's not like the kid is going to think "oh, good, I can wear red because I like that colour but here only those women wear it."  Like...that's not helpful.  And I get that nothing she could say would be helpful to these kids because how do you explain a completely different world to someone who has no concept of what that world includes? But these are not helpful answers.  So let's go with what the kids might have a concept of - what refugee children talk about when they leave:  violence.  Guys with guns on every corner (yay canada!).  People who disappear without warning.  Though maybe the kids won't have any concept of that, either, because the commanders' families are kept so isolated and protected.

Were all the kids from commanders' families? They made it sound like Rebecca was an anomaly in that regard, but technically all the guys in suits with wives and handmaids are commanders.  And those are also the only homes that have marthas.  Everyone else has econowives, and everyone dresses in grey - even the kids.  So these children, in their pale pink and blue, they all have to be the children of commanders/wives/handmaids, right?  Why were only Rebecca's parents looking for her? Sure, she'd been gone longer, but if it's getting dark and my child isn't home, I'm going to be pretty freaked out and calling the guys with guns to find her, especially given the community turmoil lately - Nicole was "kidnapped," Serena and Fred and the guy from DC were all "taken" by Canada...considering how protective everyone is of their children, particularly in this world, they don't seem to pay very close attention to the kids' whereabouts.

This has bothered me since Emily at the beginning of the season but came up again: When you're trying to avoid being seen by helicopters overhead, TAKE OFF YOUR WHITE HAT!  It's bad enough you're in red...though I suppose given how few handmaids were on this adventure at least a few of them could have changed into spare martha dresses so they blend into the woods a little better.  (June has several dresses, you can't tell me marthas - who cook and clean - only have one.  You're telling me that the woman who thought to soap the back gate so it wouldn't squeak, who has gone undercover before, couldn't think to change into less visible clothing?)  But at the very least, the white thing on top of your head is going to be incredibly visible at night, even without flashlights.  Take it off ffs!

Was Janine always going to be going?  Why are no other handmaids trying to get out?  We have a handful of marthas who see this opportunity and are getting on a plane, but only Janine - crazy, traumatized, batshit-screwy Janine - has the wherewithall to think "...if a plane's leaving, it could take me with it too"?  Has she finally stopped trying to get back to baby Angela?  And if so, can she give June lessons in that because this whole "I'm staying behind to find my daughter" thing is getting to be a really old plot device.  

Were we supposed to be surprised that June was wiling to forego her seat on the plane? Because from the reactions of the other characters, I think we were supposed to be, but I was never under the impression she was leaving with the kids, I assumed she was going to stay and try to do another of these hair-brained schemes in a way that got more people of colour killed because that's what she does at this point.  

Why the hell did you think there wouldn't be guardians at the tarmac?  Even if Rebecca weren't in the group, even if no one were looking for these kids (and they should be, btw), but just in general: it's a plane that brings things into Gilead.  They're not checking for contraband?  Because if they're not, then the guardian are a) stupid and b) missing out on fantastic bribery/extortion opportunities.  

Did June tell Lawrence about giving away his art collection? Because poor Billy is in enough trouble already, but he thought at least he's be able to go raid that house.  But now that Lawrence stayed behind, I'm just picturing the bartender showing up in a truck to take out paintings and being greeted by a very angry commander.

Not one child pops up or down from the group at the wrong time.  Clearly these writers/directors have never seen an elementary school concert.

Back to the tarmac.  They made a big deal about June bringing her gun.  Why the fuck is she throwing rocks?  Is it because she's worried she's not a good enough shot?  If so, why bring it? And even then, since your goal clearly isn't to kill him - just distract him - given that you're throwing rocks which aren't going to hit him unless he's a blind moron...why not shoot his car?  Shoot, as long as you hit *something* he's going to turn to look for the source, you duck, repeat, same as the rocks only at least that way poor Janine gets the fuck out of Gilead.  And all the other marthas.

BTW, when June takes off running to draw the gun away from the tarmac...did everyone else go board the plane? They could have, but somehow Janine was still in Gilead.  Were the rest of the rock-throwers?  Because most of them are going to end up dead otherwise.  But the plane only seemed to have a small handful of adults, and the only one we saw enough of to recognize was Rita.

Ok, so we get to Canada, and I have to ask: Do they just have a hanger ready for refugee planes at all times? Because this operation was very well-stocked for a plane that just departed 40 minutes ago, and given that they had no idea kids were on-board, I suspect there wasn't a whole lot of communication beforehand about the plane coming, so how did the refugee assistance people even know to go wait at a hanger? That's also a really nice hanger for a random cargo plane.  Was all of that arranged in advance?  Because otherwise I imagine a sudden flurry of calls to Moira and co from the head of the RAFC going "holy shit, a plane full of refugees just arrived at the airfield where the fedex planes leave from, get people down here to help!"  But they've clearly been there awhile setting up and knew to expect people...but not to expect kids.

Unlike Hannah, who kind of remembers June but doesn't really feel connected to her anymore, Rebecca not only recognizes her dad but runs to him and throws her arms around him, as happy to see him as he is to see her.  So she doesn't remember before, but remembers her dad clearly enough to have actively missed him.  That...doesn't make a ton of sense given what we've seen so far.  Like, she's happier to see her dad than Oliver was to see Emily, and Oliver has had his memories of his mom actively reinforced by Syl this whole time.

(On a separate note, the most wrenching moment of the whole episode was Luke hoping for Hannah.  I love when shows use "the audience knows something the characters don't" to heighten emotions like that.)

Why, when Fred picked things to tell Tuello, did he go with pimping June out and NOT with the fact that they raped her to induce labor?  Is it because Fred still thinks that was totally fine, but June/Nick was a betrayal somehow?  Because given the fight they had at the house, it was clear Serena had decided after the fact that it was wrong and tried to throw it in his face when he was adamant he did it because she told him to and because he was trying to "fix [her] mess."    

(Also was I the only one who thought it was going to be that she had done something way worse? Been the one left holding the bag on the terrorist act that started the civil war?  Had secretly poisoned some prominent people? Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if she were the one who came up with the Ceremony in the first place, and architects of war crimes are still war criminals - hence Lawrence, remember?)

The morning after 52 children and a handful of adults escape Gilead, 6 women in bright red robes can walk through the woods near the tarmac from which the kids went missing to search for, rescue, and carry back another woman all in red...without anyone noticing.  Sure, that sounds like the guardians we all know and love for convenient plot purposes.

[reinmeka]

um so here’s a thing. a solomon/tyler thing. (3207 words of BS)

references to this fic here.

--

It’s not surprising that he’s spending another day in the dark.

He blinks his eyes over and over again to get some sense of clarity in his vision—with the blinds closed and curtains folded over, it’s incredibly difficult to tell whether it’s day or night or if they’re bleeding into each other altogether. Sure, Solomon has clocks around his place—mostly analog—can’t be bothered to go see; can’t be bothered to reach for the phone long-sullied by fruitless, mischievous endeavors in the name of whom he just can’t seem to get out of his head.

Despite that inner turmoil, Solomon keeps his TV on the same channel every Tuesday night for just a hint or a glimpse, and it’s pathetic he’s well-aware, unnecessary to tell him twice about it.

Tyler isn’t on again, hasn’t been since last week or the week before. Solomon leans back into the office chair he usually has his ass plastered against— uses his legs to push himself across the floor back to his set-up of mismatched towers and monitors. It’s pretty much a picture one would imagine at the word ‘hacker’, but these wires strewn about mean nothing besides act as proof of Solomon’s growing laziness ever since his departure from NXT. He hasn’t really done anything near that capacity, the last time being his conversation with Tyler that should have never happened.

It was stupid to think he would get anything out of it besides heartbreak, yet here he is, downloading some sketchy torrent of Main Event and watching like he has nothing else better to do. There are some packages he needs to send out, maybe go grocery shopping, but he can’t really get himself to do any of that in favor of moping over just how good Tyler looks—even in silly costumes and odd gimmicks he thinks Tyler has no real interest for.

But what does he know.

He thought Tyler might have liked him back in the slightest what with their weird teasing, flirting dynamic—wasn’t any true at all when all he was told was to get lost, in the end. That, coupled with the lies brought up about missing him, well …

“S’dumb.” Is tired of seeing Tyler parade around with this other guy, more of a joke than the competitor Solomon knows Tyler can be.

Again, he reminds himself, what does he know.

Eventually Solomon forces himself to shut everything down, pull the curtains back and open the blinds to let whatever is outside in, and it appears to be daytime—afternoon-ish. He doesn’t bother to check the weather, focuses more on slipping on an old faded band t-shirt and gathering the packages he needs to ship off. Life has gotten a lot more complacent outside of wrestling, but it’s not like his injuries can just magically go away—wouldn’t be safe to try again even after he was all healed up. There’s no doubt there wouldn’t be any call for any Solomon Crowe anyway.

After stuffing the boxes into his backpack to the best of his ability, he slings it on and makes a grab for his helmet. It’s a bit cloudy but the sun is out—a slight chill on his arm to raise goosebumps but nothing to run back inside to grab a jacket over. The ride to the postal office yielded to little complications—though he had almost gotten hit by a car changing lanes and nearly knocking into him and his motorcycle.

“Hey Sol, more mail this week?” Greeted by the mail jockey he’s known for years since moving here to begin with.

“Yeah, just a few Craigslist things. Fixed some messed up smart-phones for a small fee.”

“You’re really good at that tech stuff, aren’t ya?”

“Pretty much the only thing I’m good for.” And the following laughter isn’t genuine at all—can’t keep it from slipping out but he ends up making himself feel shittier about things. He pays the shipping and waits for the tracking labels, his eyes wandering to the small TV screen in the corner playing some channel for news and gossip. He’s about to roll his eyes until they catch slight of a familiar face and goddamn it, almost curses out loud; it’s like he can’t get away when he’s actively trying to ignore the man’s existence outside of his sad, little apartment in private.

“I think I’m goin’ crazy,” Doesn’t even realize he’s said it out loud when the person behind the counter asks if anything is wrong and it takes everything in his power to not shout ‘YES! YES, EVERYTHING IS WRONG!’, shrugging his shoulders and taking the labels when they’re offered to him. “Thanks for everything man, I’ll probably see you again next week,” Waves goodbye and already out the door by the time the man tries to ask again.

When Solomon looks up, the clouds are shifting, blue transitioning into grey and it’s as good a hint as any that the day should probably just come to an end. Move on from another Tuesday like it hadn’t been a problem for him, try to erase that image of Tyler he saw on the screen just a few moments ago.

The fridge back home is a little bare and despite having little desire to go on doing this—days upon days upon days—Solomon makes the grocery store down the street his next destination. The postal office is well out of his neighborhood,, dabbling somewhat in the upper crust, but he’s grown used to the condescending stares—had gotten enough of it when Tyler was back in NXT and—

“Ugh, will you stop?” Mumbles to himself angrily as he snags a basket from the stack, hangs it off his forearm and frustratingly grabbing at random limes to throw in … only to gently take them back out for reexamination. It’s not fair—to himself or the limes—to be hung over a guy he knew he had no real chance with to begin with, doesn’t know how long he plans on being depressed about it.

After a good selection of fruits and vegetables, Solomon heads into the closest aisle and almost chokes on the air he can’t seem to breathe in when he sees Tyler bending over to pick up a case of bottled water. Of all the times he’s been here, this is probably the first time he’s ever seen Tyler—should have expected as much being in this part of town—but now he’s standing no more than a few feet from the guy he’s been agonizing over for weeks and not even wearing a hoodie to hide himself this time around.

Solomon thinks if he’s quick enough, he could turn around and leave with what he has. Actually turns on his heels to do just that until he can hear a thump on the ground—like a bunch of bottled waters hitting the floor—followed by rapid footsteps and he doesn’t know why this is happening, what Tyler could possibly do or say to him now that wouldn’t make him feel more like the dirt beneath his feet.

And he knows he already is, just doesn’t want to be reminded of it in the most scathing way possible. Knows Tyler is capable of much.

“You--!” Tyler putting a hand on his shoulder and immediately whipping him around. Solomon is in no way prepared for the look on his face, however, eyes narrowed and lip trembling—“You left me!”

That’s not really fair to say, Solomon thinks frustrated, when Tyler was the one who decided to leave and think nothing bad would come of it—because here Solomon is—had been for the entire time he was gone—near dying at the thought that everything was just some nightmare he couldn’t wake up from all because Tyler didn’t fucking like him back.

“You left me. Texted me, then left me again, because you’re a spineless coward who—who—“Tyler grabs him by the shirt, teeth grit as he buries his face in his chest to muffle what he thinks he’s hearing as small sobs. He’s speechless, all things considered, and maybe he is a coward because he can’t get himself to move or touch Tyler or say anything in response to all of this. It’s too much too fast—too many thoughts and possibilities rushing through his head at what the fuck this could all mean.

Solomon finally thinks he can open his mouth to say something until a crowd starts forming—or at least, a few nosy people poking their heads down into the aisle they’re more or less standing in the middle of. Without any other thought, Solomon encourages Tyler to look back up—can see the traces of tears threatening the corner of his eyes—and grabs his hand. He abandons his basket of carefully picked produce in favor of Tyler, leading them out of the store. It’s starting to sprinkle, the first droplets of rain hitting him in the face when he looks up at the sky again.

“We can go to my place,” Tyler pipes up—can feel his hand squeezing his tighter, “Please.” It’s not even a question, not that Solomon is looking to decline, even if his brain is screaming at him about how bad of an idea this is.

After Tyler rattles off simple directions to his penthouse, Solomon gets on his bike and looks at Tyler expectantly, “You gonna hop on?”

“I—what?”

“Oh yeah, you probably have your own ride, huh?” Doesn’t expect the slight flush crossing Tyler’s cheeks as he rubs at his own arms, seemingly trying to look away.

“I was going to have my driver pick me up after I was done shopping. I … is it okay to ride? With you?” He asks while looking at the bike warily, like it might eat him alive or quite possibly explode—Solomon thinks he might be the same way when Tyler finally looks back at him for confirmation.

“F’course.” Solomon grabs his helmet and shoves it onto Tyler’s head despite the muffled protests from under the visor, “C’mon pretty boy, you need to have this on. I gotta thick head myself so no worries for me. S’not that far anyway.” He can hear Tyler go silent at that, can’t really see his facial expression from under the helmet so he takes any argument as done—brings up the stand and heads out.

As mentioned previously, it’s supposed to be a short ride, though in that small amount of time—Tyler wrapping his arms tight around his back and perhaps Tyler can feel the way Solomon’s heart is thudding hard in his chest. Solomon isn’t quite sure what this is all supposed to mean—the slight breakdown in the grocery store not leaving much for discussion—can’t tell if this is Tyler admitting to something Solomon really, really hopes deep down that it’s something he wants.

When they pull up, Solomon isn’t surprised by the sheer height of the building—intimidated by the gate and the buzzer and everything. Tyler has a card to slide in the slot hidden behind a brick jutting out from its space and the gates slide open for him to park inside. The rain has started to pick up then, Tyler hopping off and running as fast as he can with the helmet under his arm to get under the awning. Solomon on the other hand, takes much more time—digging the tarp out from his backpack and draping it over the bike Tyler is standing there looking a bit impatient. By the time Solomon gets to the overhang, he’s completely soaked through his shirt and his hair all flat as opposed to its usual haphazard ways.

“Let’s get inside, I can get you a towel and we can throw your shirt into the wash.” Tyler grabs his hand again and it’s accepted without question, Solomon wanting to memorize the feeling. By the time they get up to the top floor and into Tyler’s place, he’s off toward another room, not so much as explaining before he’s back with a towel and offering it to Solomon. “Here.”

This whole situation seems so surreal, Solomon humorously thinking it’s a continuation of the nightmare he thinks he’s been having, what with the way Tyler has gone from screaming at him to being so kind and near-doting. It’s so uncharacteristic, but … what does he know.

Solomon uses the towel to dry off his hair, though he tosses it over the arm of a nearby loveseat in order to get his shirt off—sopping wet and dripping all over, “So where’s the laundry?” Looks back up at Tyler and realizes he’s staring—a bit of a flush to his own face—once he realizes that he’s staring at him while shirtless— Solomon feeling a bit vulnerable. He coughs, just to get Tyler spurred into action and just as quick as he was gone, he’s back.

“So,” Solomon speaks up, awkwardly picks up the towel again to wrap around his neck—somehow is more covered up that way, “Something about me bein’ a coward and …”

“You left, Solomon. You left without even telling anybody, without telling me that you were—“

Solomon doesn’t even try to acknowledge the shift from last name to first, “You’re the one who left!” He spits out. Can take as much verbal beatings as much as the next guy, though these particular words sting all the more, especially coming from Tyler, “We talked about that shit when I was texting you the one day at the coffee shop. How you’re having such a great fuckin’ time on the main roster, giving out tickets and having fun and whatever else,” Waves his hands around for emphasis, “You told me to get lost, we both agreed on that and so I did. Why’s that my fucking fault?”

“It’s like you didn’t even read what I wrote!” Tyler sucks in a breath, darts his head around anxiously, picking up one of two phones on the coffee table between them. He’s furiously tapping the screen prior to shoving the whole device in Solomon’s face, familiar blue text, “I said I missed you, that I wanted to see you again, and you still decided to go!” And the proof lies within the texts, Solomon taking the phone in hand as well as the time to scroll through the whole conversation, reading in between the lines he so desperately tried to write off as fakes or flukes.

Solomon is about to say something in response when Tyler’s suddenly on him—lips pressing against his own in a desperate kiss that he breathes in—his legs buckling and ends up falling onto the couch with Tyler straddling him. It takes time for his brain to catch up, hands ultimately dropping the phone and moving to wrap around Tyler’s waist—lets out a small moan at the way he runs his hands through his hair while deepening the kiss.

He’s breathless by the time he pulls away, staring up at Tyler wide-eyed and in question of what had just happened.

“You always were the only one to ever treat me different. Even when I’d acted the way I did, said some of the things I’ve said, you were still there, joking and smiling like it hadn’t even phased you. After you left, after denying myself of what I really wanted and coming to terms with it … that last conversation we had really put things into perspective.” Tyler traces the lines of his face with a finger as he’s leaning in for a chaste kiss, “Maybe it’s a little unfair, but I don’t think I could have gone on without seeing you in person. To think that today of all days when I least expected it, as elusive as you are …” Trails off into a whisper as Solomon sits there trying to process this information, “I wanted to confess. Wanted to tell you how much I … like you. Without any of the misinterpretation. And I hope I’m not too late, because this whole time I’ve been thinking that you like me too.”

It’s an understatement, Solomon thinks, but he tests the waters and leans up for another kiss—can barely suppress the grin when Tyler surges into it like he’s starving.

“’Course I like you, pretty boy. Hasn’t been a day that’s gone by where I didn’t think of you at least once or twice,” And again, perhaps that is understatement but it’s nothing to bring up now, liking the idea of Tyler in his lap and his lips against his.

They spend the most of that time together wrapped up in each other until the buzzer of the dryer sounds off. Tyler almost looks disappointed and it’s endearing to the point that Solomon wraps his arms around him all over again.

“I should probably get goin’, I have some things to work on that are due tomorrow.”

“You’re not wrestling anymore?”

“Nah, don’t think I can. Besides, I get my fill of it watching you on TV.”

Tyler’s cheeks flare up, red as can be, “Y-You … please don’t tell me you actually watch that …”

Solomon laughs, pinches his cheeks a little, “Oh c’mon, it’s cute! You look like you’re havin’ fun, I don’t judge.” And there isn’t much conversation to be had on that particular topic, Tyler dropping it immediately as he sees Solomon on the way out.

“Can we exchange numbers?” Tyler asks while he has a foot out the door and yeah, that sounds like a smart thing to do. Are they dating now? Are they a thing? Solomon wants to ask but settles for this for now, saving Tyler’s name along with some hearts and even makes the effort to show him—reveling in that smile he gets when he sees. Tyler goes and does the same and for some reason it means a lot more to Solomon than it probably should.

“I’ll text you in the morning?” And Tyler nods in agreement, is sort of hiding behind his door as Solomon is walking backwards facing him, making his way down the hall.

“I’ll get up extra early to see.”

--

The next morning, Solomon had forgotten to close the blinds from the day before—gets woken up by the stream of sunlight shining through the windows. Odd to even think that yesterday it had rained. After blinking himself awake, he pads around for his phone—finally emerges from under the covers with it only to see a text waiting from Tyler already.

When he opens it, Solomon is greeted with a cute selfie from bed, Tyler’s hair all messy and eyes barely open. A curl of heat goes through his stomach too, seeing that he’s shirtless with his blankets riding dangerously low around his hips.

“First thing in the morning and he tries to kill me.” Grumbles as he shoots off a response that gets replied to as quickly as he had sent it, makes a smile spread wide across his face. Solomon looks up and out the window, for once appreciates the sun shining through.