#probably my favourite parallel in the whole season tbh

[raayllum]

Brought down to his knees

[wisteriagoesvroom]

🏎️💨 THE FORMULA 1 TAG GAME! 🏎️💨:

stealing this from the timeline...

+ zero pressure tags (but i love reading these!) - @lecrep @souvenir116 @fueledbyremembering @thinkingaboutfilm11 @supercollide @fireopaal @callsign-shortstack @thatguywasvaping @linewire @buryawoman and whoever else wants to do it.

1. Who or what got you into F1?

charles edits on tiktok + drive to survive, lmao. i'm one of those bitches. sorry not sorry!

but! i will say! what greg james said about f1 resonated with me because i have never ever really cared about physics or engineering in any deep or substantial way. and now, i am avidly reading people like supermak's incredible posts talking about downforce or apexes or deltas and car configs, looking at the charts and the data, and i just think that is a really fun place to be.

f1blr and f1 fandom so far has been a nice confirmation that multiple things can be true - yes we want to make the vroom vroom boys kiss, but we also care deeply about the ethics of the sport, the growth, about driver + team stories, driver pipelines and equity and race excitement and engineering. i think it's really cool these things can coexist.

the sport never should be one thing to one group of people, you know? (wow that ended up longer than i thought.)

2. Who was the very first F1 driver you supported? Do you support them now? Have your opinions on them differed or stayed the same since then?

charles, and still charles lmao. unfortunately.

i am an oscar piastri enthusiast also. i think there's a bit of recency bias at work here but he's come swimming like a fledgling shark into the shallows with his deadpan personality and i'm just very intrigued by His Whole Thing.

i want good things for yuki! and lewis! my GOAT!! give the man his 8th :( (it probably isn't happening but lets' not manifest that.......)

TL;DR it's been a joy getting to "know" the grid (or at least as much of their public persona will tell us) and getting into the lore. *shaky hands* the LORE!

also nobody asked, but, schumacher was an omnipresent name when i was growing up - which might give away my age - but he always felt like an old school driver. in the sense of his mythos, his mystery, his dominance of the track. that era of f1 is over and the sport only moves on and evolves, but in the same way his presence felt a lot more removed and unrelatable to me, and far away. the speed of technology now and broadcasting and social content makes f1 feel more fun and accessible. it feels a lot nicer to find fandom spaces like f1blr where there are different audiences (female, queer, a variety of ages and backgrounds etc) yelling about the same things.

it's just a different time, not a value judgment. but i am enjoying it.

3. Who’s your current favourite F1 driver?

see above, but i'm 100% here for lestappen having a track battle next year only for oscar to pip them to the podium in one of the races lmao. i think it'd be amazing.

4. Is there a driver pairing or pairings you support? What made you attracted to that pairing in the first place?

*long sigh* once again lestappen baybee... the lore... the parallels... the sun-moonism.... the enemies-to-rivals-to-friends-and-gay-rival-soulmates-something

i like other pairings too like in my about me post - landoscar, galex, blabla. my dark horses are riccussell (george/daniel) and groto (george/toto).

something about that greyhound, very wound-up, very upper-middle-class, highly-strung, born-to-want-but-not-to-always-win english george:

5. Do your parents, siblings or relatives have a favourite team and/or favourite driver(s)?

i got my sister into f1 at around the same time but she's not indicated any preference on drivers yet tbh. she's a casual fan. must be nice being normal.

6. Do you have any favourite races? Are there any that stand out to you the most?

haven't seen enough of them to say, 'cus i only started following like two months ago as the season was winding down. i looooved Vegas '23 though and the legendary charles overtake. he's just so fucking smart and cunning when he's given the conditions and the car to be. watching Abu Dhabi '21 on replay was also a TRIP.

7. Do you have a favourite circuit? Can be from the past or from the current calendar.

i'm still learning them. but i'm mildly curious about the old tracks like nürburgring - it was from a totally different era of the sport and it'd be nice to rebalance the long tracks with the current spectacle of street races even though that doesn't seem to be where the sport's moving towards.

8. Have you ever been to an F1 race in real life? Feel free to tell us your experience going to one if you like.

i actually live in a place with a track... i had a free ticket for general access once many years ago but that was pre-f1 hyperfixation, and at that point i didn't understand the appeal at all. idk.

i feel like f1 is actually a better experience for me to watch on tv as a fan.... probably blasphemy i know.

9. Have you ever met an F1 driver in real life?

no and idk that i would because i've seen celebrities in person in the past and it's usually so quick and transactional because they're surrounded by hordes of handlers and/or they're usually running somewhere even if it's a fan-focused interaction.

THAT SAID! i would love to attend a talk by Lewis or just generally hear what he has to say, because what he's done is so beyond f1 at this point and he always shows up in terms of advocacy and speaking up, in recent years, where it really matters. he's a fascinating figure, sometimes contradictory, sometimes controversial, but i definitely would love to hear what he has to say.

10. Do you have a favourite F1 car? If so, what is it?

i am partial to that black and gold lotus from the 80s, ngl:

and this 7up car (jordan 191?) which with the fujifilm sponsorship is just peak 90s:

11. Do you have a favourite one win wonder?

does charles count as a one win wonder............ fight me in the comments

12. Do you have any favourite quotes from the F1 world? This can either be inspirational or hilarious.

"don't waste it" from seb vettel to charles on seb's last day

[st0rmyskies]

Hewwo my belovd! This amphibian hops on every question from 1-50 for the Zelda asks 💖

Toadbae I Tried but I couldn't do them all. Here's the ones I found interesting!

1. Is there a Zelda game(s) that you associate with each season or time of year?

Yes! I’m pretty sure I got TP for Christmas one year and I always associate playing that with the abysmal darkness that is winter in the northern hemisphere. Also rather theme-appropriate to the game tbh.

2. Favourite 2D title?

I haven’t played a single 2D Zelda yet.

3. Favourite incarnation of Zelda?

Ahhh that’s a hard question! OoT Zelda holds such a special place in my heart as my first Zelda, but Dusk is so gorgeous and looks like she just never smiles (love that for her), but then Tetra is such a badass, and SS Zelda is such a sweetheart, BotW Zelda has such incredible characterization and growth… I can’t choose!!

4. Least favourite entry in the series?

Gonna get my ass beat by a breakfast food for this one, but honestly?? TP. It’s the only title I didn’t immediately pick up and play through a second time. I bet I’d feel differently if I picked it up again today, though.

5. Favourite LOZ soundtrack?

If we’e going with game as a whole, absolutely BotW’s soundtrack. The beautiful melancholy of riding around Hyrule to the notes of songs half-remembered just soothes my brain, and hearing Termina’s clocktower chime in the Hyrule Castle interior theme legit made me tear up.

6. Is there a Zelda game that intimidates you/looks too hard?

Not really! Zelda titles are always super fun and challenging, but never “hard.” The only game I’ve stopped for being hard/scary was RE4.

7. Favourite dungeons?

OoT Water Temple, MM Stone Tower, SS Ancient Cistern. I love dungeons that are huge puzzles!!

9. Least favourite character in the series?

Honestly, Midna. Her redemption arc never satisfied me, but I am the type to hold a grudge.

11. Favourite Ganon characterization?

WW’s Ganondorf was the most sympathetic of his incarnations imo, he had an interesting motivation and I felt bad for him, honestly. Dude deserved better.

15. Favourite location within Hyrule?

That depends on the game, tbh. In SS, it’s the Lanayru Desert (AND the Silent Realms). Kakariko Village is usually pretty solid no matter the game.

16. Favourite location outside of/parallel to Hyrule (Termina, Lorule, Holodrum, Subrosia, the Dark World, Labrynna, the Great Sea, etc)?

On the Great Sea, the Tower of the Gods.

In Termina, Ikana Canyon.

22. Favourite incarnation of Link?

My fav Link will always be my OG, OoT/MM Link.

25. Favourite companion (Midna, Ezlo, Navi, etc)?

Honestly Fi was pretty legit. I appreciated the subtle sass.

31. Hardest dungeon played?

Back to my favs: OoT Water Temple, SS Ancient Cistern. They’re difficult to figure out but so satisfying when you do!

32. Game with the best map design?

BotW, I could literally get lost on that map for days (and I have!).

33. Do you prefer puzzles or combat?

Absolutely puzzles. Combat is just mashing buttons and timing, but the puzzles actually use my brain.

35. Game with the hardest final boss?

Demise is the only final boss who killed me MULTIPLE TIMES.

38. Creepiest enemy?

Anyone who doesn’t answer Dead Hand is lying to themselves and Hylia.

41. Favourite ocarina song?

Song of Storms.

43. Favourite transformation mask from Majora's Mask?

Obvi the Fierce Deity mask.

44. Hardest sidequest in the series?

I’m not sure this qualifies as a “sidequest” but that goddamn motherfucking asshole in SS with the carnival game that shoots you in the air can suck my dick. I never got that piece of heart. I wanted to wrap that horn around his THROAT.

45. Best sidequest in the series?

The Anju and Kafei sidequest from MM is probably the most memorable, but the fetch quests in SS were pretty fun.

50. Favourite shield?

Goddess Shield is so pretty, even if the colors make my eyes bleed just a lil.

[korra-the-red-lion]

Supergirl and Shipping

I was thinking about this last night and I just couldn’t wrap my head around how Supergirl has been pretty up and down with all the couples and ships of the show. Quite frankly, I don’t think anyone as been spared from poor treatment. Ship Wars in the fandom need to end and we should agree that SG has done us all dirty. I’m a Supercorp shipper, and some of my best friends are Karamels, but we can talk about our ships with fighting about them. We as a fandom need to acknowledge that there are toxic people in the shipping fandom, but not all shippers are toxic. You don’t have to like the ship, just respect that someone else does. Agree to disagree and move on if need be, but don’t fight please. Anyway, let’s take a look. Antis of any of these ships, please don’t interact.

Karaolsen: James was kind of a bland LI, admittedly, but that’s okay. Kara’s crush on him in s1 was really cute and the slow burn was worth the kiss in the end. But then they randomly end the relationship because Kara is “bored” by it. This couple might have actually planned to have been broken up but it’s hard to say. A*drew K*iegsberg interfered with it as soon as possible. This ship had potential to go far, but was never given the chance.

Supercorp: whole relationship is queerbaited by the studio. The chemistry the two actresses have is amazing. Lena and Kara are a good pair, having absolute belief in each other and would go to the ends of the world for each other (much like Olicity and WestAllen) but the studio went out of their way to have Lena do really awful things to Kara, and have Kara in turn do some really awful stuff as well. The show teases s5 is going to be a fight for Lena’s soul but then does everything it can to have Kara not to be involved, which made no sense. The parallels between Clois, WestAllen, and Olicity is ridiculous. Overall this is one of the more popular ships of the show but even then, the treatment of fans has been pretty rough. 

Karamel: Started off pretty cute, but then the show lost sight of itself in season 2 by having a huge focus be on Mon-El and the Daxamite storyline (this is not a roast of him or his character, this a general problem SG has with all its villains). The relationship was pretty rocky but finally settled into a groove (where Mon-El learns to finally respect Kara and her trust him) when the show tossed Mon-El into space. Then they tease the Karamel fandom by having him come back with a “will he, won’t he” storyline that ruined the development that he had into a mature character by having him emotionally cheat on Irma. Both him and Irma deserved better from that season.

Sanvers: Maggie and Alex probably wouldn’t have lasted the whole show, tbh, but the ending sucked. They knew Florina was leaving so they rushed the awful marriage storyline and then had them fight over children, something that was never brought up until that moment. Even when together, there were whole episodes where Maggie was only in it for 30 seconds and there would be no Sanvers scenes in the episode.

AgentReign: This was one of the roughest ones for me. Sam was introduced as a single mom with a child, and the chemistry between Odette and Chyler was through the roof. I don’t know if they planned for them to ever get together but it sure felt that way. Odette was not returning for the next season and they knew that, but instead let the fandom fall in love with the these two hoping they would get together, only to realize that it was never happening. Just a big ouch.

Lames: I think this ship is actually my least favourite of the whole show. Only because of how poorly it started out. James didn’t mind Lena at first, even thinking she was a good person because of Kara’s belief in her. But then the writers had him start mistrusting her and quite frankly never being kind to her unless Kara forced him to play nice. Then out of nowhere the show is like “nah they have the hots for each other” which was completely random. Then when it finally seemed okay they ended it...because reasons.

Dansen: I really love this couple but they got the short end of the stick. S5 ignored them in favour of Lex having infinite amounts of screen time. I wish there was more content, but it’s not from a lack of trying. The show hopefully gives them more screen time in the last season and maybe even ends with having them adopt a child together. They’re very mature and good for one another. They support each other through hardships and I wish we saw more of it in s5.

Brainia: The couple is super cute! I hate how s5 treated them, because it seemed like they made up drama for them to fight over. Nicole and Jesse had amazing chemistry and I’m glad they followed through with it. But hopefully they fix everything in s6, because I’m going to be very disappointed in the show if it doesn’t get resolved properly.

So yeah, looking these ships it's frustrating because they all had/have potential but the show hasn't been the best at actually following through with it's promises. Dansen and Brainia will both probably become canon, but it's sad when you think about the amount that has been spent on one of them while the other went through unnecessary drama.

All in all, being a shipper in the SG fandom sucks, haha.

[franeridan]

Fran, what are the animes you're into this season, like that one with the pretty girls with nice colors 👀👀👀 (I'm in desperate need of distractions, but if this is annoying please ignore it and also have a nice day!!!)

Definitely not annoying please do allow me to gush about all the anime I'm following this season is full of great stuff!!! I'll give a little summary of what the story seems to be about for each of them, don't read that if you don't want spoilers for the first episodes! * next to the ones I really think you should check out

ura sekai picnic - about two girls (uni students!) who make a habit of crossing into a parallel dimension where urban legends are real and fight with them. one of them is looking for her lost friend, the other is unable to say no to the first and goes with her despite reason telling her it's better to let it go. seems gay atm so bonus points for that! makes liberal use of unnecessary cgi so points detracted for that. The girls are extremely amusing for me though!

* wonder egg priority - the one with the pretty girls in pretty colors! Something just slightly off of being a majokko, in which girls who've lost someone important to them seem to have found a way to bring them back to life by constantly risking their lives to fight monsters. It's more complicated than that, but this one isn't easy to explain in two words - extremely pretty, golden animation, wonderful moods and camera work, all the girls introduced till now seem wonderful! the plot is very interesting too, just on the wrong side of hopeful to make you sure something will go wrong any moment, love that

2.43 - volleyball anime! there's nothing much to say about this one tbh, it's mostly your typical sports anime. If I had to tell you to watch one anime out of this list this one would Not be it, but if you're like me and you enjoy listening to japanese accents you don't hear often in anime this one is amusing in that sense 😂😂 sorry, that's probably not what you want to know about this, but it really is my favourite thing about watching this one haha

back arrow - this one is DUMB. mecha anime in a fantasy setting, about a world that ends with a wall and a boy insisting he came from the other side of said wall and wanting to go back. it feels so random to watch you kinda want to keep on following it just to figure out where it's trying to go?? the protagonist is delightfully empty headed and the supporting cast has interesting dynamics and fun designs - also there's one guy between the maybe-antagonists that's so extremely chaotic neutral I enjoy every second he's on screen ngl

kai byoui ramune - about a doctor who cures supernatural illnesses. I can't say it's an exceptional anime in any way for now, but the sheer chaos the protagonist brings wherever he goes has me hooked for sure. Is he a nice guy? is he a bastard? is he actually both at the same time somehow??? I dunno but what's for sure is that he's exactly my type of character, and the supporting cast isn't half bad either!

* sk8 the infinity - about weirdos skating!!! delightful, fantastic, incredible colors and animation and designs and characters and character interactions, really a bones studio anime, I love it a bit more each new episode out. And it's hilarious! I don't think I've spent more than a couple of minutes of it not laughing in the whole three episodes out atm, really really suggest this one! Biggest selling point is the relationship between the two protagonists for sure, love me two best friends who just love the shit out of each other without an ounce of shame

* horimiya - shoujo manga about two classmates who one day find out they're completely different people outside school and become best friends. Adorable!!! Lovely!!!! Soft AND hilarious, the main girl is a gem and the main boy is just ideal, plus all the supporting characters are extremely charming and fun - the relationships between everyone seem to sail smoothly too, which makes the whole of it really relaxing to watch! I just love it, so glad I'm following it

* kemono jihen - demon anime about a halfling kid who one day finds out he isn't completely human and decides to join an agency that takes care of monsters-related accidents to maybe figure out what happened to his parents. This one is GOOD. First of all, the main protagonist is extremely charming, he's weird in a way that's on the edge of just being sad and it makes you want to keep following him to find out how the new bonds he's forming will help him grow. It IS kind of disgusting at points, but as far as I'm concerned it just adds to the charm of the anime - the visuals are damn great and the cast seems a lot of fun, can't wait to see how it keeps going 👀 I already have it in the list of manga I'll catch up on after the anime's over

PLUS I'm still following jujutsu kaisen, hanyou no yashahime and the digimon remake, but the last two are really just nostalgia things and the first I assume you already know I love with my whole heart 😂😂 this a busy season!!

[ryttu3k]

I want to have them all on Tumblr, so. Here are my reaction posts, in order, for Resolution of the Daleks and season 12, part 1!

Resolution of the Daleks

Thoughts on Doctor Who - Resolution! Spoilers, obviously!

Okay, negative first, just to get it out of the way. Doctor Who, I really appreciate that you consistently have queer minor characters and queer couples. Just super casual and all, as it should be. Now can you please stop killing off half of said couples? Angstrom's wife, Frankie, now this young guy? It's really not cool.

Don't think the voiceover worked. I feel the prologue would have worked better with just visuals.

Again, Yaz didn't have much to do. The Doctor got a ton of action, Ryan and Graham both had significant interactions with Aaron, Yaz was... just kind of there. I'm hoping that when the show comes back in a year, now that Ryan has largely dealt with his issues, Yaz will get more attention?

UNIT was killed by Brexit?! Fuckin' rude!

Okay, on to the positive!

The Dalek was, frankly, fucking scary. Despite knowing that the Doctor would beat it, obviously, it caused huge swathes of damage and racked up a... rather high body count. Like it felt like a proper threat. Also, its ability to stop the TARDIS tracking it and stuff. Lin's terror felt extremely genuine and it was just nice and horrific overall, like - if it wasn't for the Doctor, it would feel like a genuine threat to the entire Earth.

(Also, it shut down the wifi. On New Years Day. What a monster!)

Oh man that Dalek laughter. Creepy as fuck. The Doctor dragging it in via hologram to dare it to laugh in her face? Fucking iconic.

"I've learned to think like a Dalek." Oof.

Doctor vs Dalek. Not just the physical aspect, but the mental part - the Doctor recognising the seriousness of it, but also having that element of cockiness ("Oh, mate") because, frankly, she's dealt with bigger threats. She's right when she points out that the biggest problem will be if regular humans try to engage it!

Elements of Dark!Doctor when she asks the team - almost desperately - if she gave it enough chances, if she was nice enough. Because the Doctor can get fucking scary around Daleks and she knows it. She's nice. She's friendly. But she's also the Doctor, and the Doctor has done some really damn questionable things to stop the Daleks, and she knows that. Fantastically done and I still desperately want some proper Dark!Doctor.

Really liked the parallels between the Doctor using scrap to make her sonic screwdriver, vs the Dalek using scrap to make its armour. The Doctor makes a tool, the Dalek makes items of war. Of course, well, the Doctor is probably more dangerous just with a swiss army sonic than a Dalek blaster...

I love how the whole, "Dads are complicated... so I've heard" bit could refer to either the loom thing or the Doctor having actual parents or the Doctor being a shitty dad themself XD

Graham was so excited to show off the TARDIS! Like he's just going, "How cool is this?!"

There were some legitimately funny moments! Graham's chair, "I suppose... we'll have to have a... conversation?", "Junkyard chic"... UNIT was killed by Brexit like that's so awful but. But in a kind of funny way.

Okay, now the unsure. Ryan, Graham, and Aaron. Ryan and Graham have sorted out their issues - but Aaron is still such a big overshadowing part of it that it's a bit of a shock when he comes back in. As someone with a similarly shit biological father, I was completely empathising with Ryan in the coffee shop conversation. And I do understand why they wanted reconciliation, so they showed Aaron as acknowledging his bullshit and Ryan ultimately choosing to forgive and save him.

But it's just... not that easy. It's not all going to be perfect just because they stopped a Dalek together. Aaron's neglect hurt Ryan really badly, and it just felt... too easy? Like it helped that Aaron was genuinely contrite, and that he had that good stepfather talk with Graham, but just... yeah, not sure how I feel about it, honestly.

The Doctor's first words to him being, "You weren't at Grace's funeral. Ryan waited for you, you let him down" were so, so good. Like the Doctor is just going "fuck you I'm his father now". Like tbh I think she was 100% prepared to yeet him off the TARDIS and be done with it. Like damn don't emotionally hurt one of her crew.

Some wonderfully savage lines, though. The Doctor's, "You're almost making up for your parenting deficit!"; Aaron and Ryan's, "Is that how you talk to your dad?" "I don't know, he's not been around"; Graham's fucking smirk when Ryan pointedly calls him 'Gramps'.

I did see a suggestion that would have made it much better - instead of the Dalek capturing Aaron, it captures Ryan. First, it ups the threat in the mind of the Doctor and Team TARDIS - this isn't some dickhead, this is one of them. And instead, it's Aaron who reaches out to Ryan, Aaron who risks his life, Aaron who has to come through for Ryan, instead of the other way around. Also would have tied in beautifully with, "Family isn't about DNA, or a name. It's about what you do, and you haven't done enough."

Also, 'srs tech skillz'. With a Z. Doctor why.

In conclusion, I am going to fight Nigel Farage for killing UNIT.

-

Spyfall part 1

Current response to Doctor Who: making a near-literal SDKFJHGSDASDKFH sound, grabbing a cushion, nearly throWING THE CUSHION.

More intelligent commentary when my brain comes back online.

-

Okay. Am calm. Am good! We're good.

MAJOR SPOILERS for Doctor Who: Spyfall, part 1!

So yeah I actually literally screamed (kind of... scream-laugh-holy-shit-yes). Like, even before Dhawan finished speaking the, "Or should I say spy... Master?" line because of the way he had said 'spymaster' in full in the line before and there's nothing that grabs my brain like that one word in that one context. It wasn't quite as mindblowing as the Utopia reveal, since, let's face it, it's only been a season since we last saw that magnificant arsehole, but still.

(Actually, since I didn't watch Twelve's run, the last time I saw them was exactly a decade ago in The End of Time, broadcast New Years Day 2010. And I still fucking cry over, "Get out of the way." So. That may have been why I literally screamed lmao)

I mean. It's the Master. I can't not. They're my favourite jerk. This is probably slightly concerning.

Anyway. Comments!

The good

Episode was just flat-out exciting. It reminded me both of the Three and Ten eras, a bit? Fun gadgets, fancy suits, and what ends up being a giant game! Did start wondering when they were talking about spies and codes and stuff. It's basically a puzzle that's been set up for the Doctor to solve. Plus, the way she was pretty much enlisted into it! Thirteen and Dhawan!Master might end up having a more Pertwee-Delgado-esque dynamic, maybe? I would be down for that!

(My introductory episode to the Master was The Mind of Evil. Let's just put it that way XD)

"I'm her best enemy." <3

I mean, in retrospect, isolated house full of high-tech stuff and a wall full of books about the Doctor... oh honey. Long, looong game of playing Spies and Conspiracies just for, apparently, the sheer funsies of it. Oh, honey. They're such a disaster and I love them.

The reveal scene, Jodie's acting. The way she just... freezes and hunches in on herself. She's been hiding her past more than other Doctors have in the past, and suddenly, here is her past!! Right here!! Laughing and joking and right there in front of her! And she's just like, "Ohhh shit, I was not ready to have this conversation again..."

Yasmin and Ryan's dynamic. I do like that they split up the usual combos of Thirteen-Yasmin and Graham-Ryan for once, because I do like seeing the way they play off each other! It makes them feel more cohesive as a group. I liked Ryan trying to comfort Yasmin after her experience.

Post-reveal, I'm now wondering if the weird zappy forest thing is the Master's TARDIS? Something to do with changing and processing DNA into something else? Something based around neurons, with the electric travelling system? Am also wondering what happened to Yasmin while in there, since she seemed to be processed in some way, and I'm wondering if she had part of her DNA rewritten as well - or maybe if she's been replaced entirely, like she's currently piloting an alien version of her own body while her actual self is still in there. They did already do that with Flesh!Amy, though.

Once this arc is over, I think Thirteen is definitely going to have to sit down and tell the Fam who the hell she actually is. Graham is having some serious questions, and the Master was definitely egging that on, pre-reveal.

How much do I love that even in a tux, the Doctor still has the culottes and boots? A lot, that is how much. Also, how much do I love the Doctor in a suit and on a motorbike? A lot, that is how much.

"I've had an upgrade." <3

Thirteen playing Snap. It's okay, Thirteen, you still win my heart <3

"Worst! Uber! Ever!!"

"Kisses!" Yes, we know ;) They've been texting! Someone write me a WhatsApp chat fic with plenty of subtext and double meaning, I require it. Also, memes. You know it's true. The Master isn't a Time Lord, they're a Meme Lord.

"Everything you think you know is a lie." Season hook? :o

The hmm

Main concern is how they're handling the Master's characterisation? Last we saw, they were so ready to jump the Doctor ship. Now it's back to games. Kind of wondering if that means the Master is just at the point of being resigned that they and the Doctor just don't work and so is going back to games because at least it makes them happy, but I'm happy to wait until next week to see how things play out!

Did see a suggestion that this is the Master from one of the alternate universes (or at least that seems to be the general consensus on why there were multiple maps), so not actually necessarily the same version as Missy. Alternatively, this could actually be a pre-Missy version! Maybe between Simm!Master and Missy, since we never actually see that regeneration?

Actually, if this is the one immediately before Missy and this two-parter ends with the Master regenerating and we actually do get Thirteen and Missy together on screen I may cry.

(Like I'm aro-ace and agender but I'm still so gay for both of them. There is no word other for this emotion other than 'I'm gay'.)

I kind of wish someone had double-checked the name of the company because VOR running the world is. Is. "Right now, VOR is more powerful than most nations." Just. *pinches bridge of nose* Like okay you know how we say 'oh yeah just google it' 'yeah I googled it' are they really gonna say 'yeah I just VO

'I'm going to V

I can't say it. I can't.

Apparently the Australia scenes were filmed in South Africa. Kind of assumed it wasn't really Australia as soon as I saw actually greenery in the background h e h.

Highkey wish I could have seen Missy and Thirteen together. Dhawan!Master is very fun so far but. Missy and Thirteen. See comment above about the Master's characterisation!

...ABC are you really going to keep to Thursday night broadcasts even after the UK switches their Sunday nights / our Monday mornings? Well that's a good way to guarantee I'll be watching them online first! I was happy to wait twelve hours or so so I could watch it with Mum, but like hell I'm going to wait three and a half days!

In conclusion, am dead, send help, is it Monday morning yet?

-

Spyfall part 2

Thoughts on Doctor Who: Spyfall, part 2!

GALLIFREY LOOOOORE.

Oh man I'm hyped. We got a teeny teaser to the Timeless Child way back last decade but now we may actually get to see what the fuck is going on. And hell, if nothing else, at least the discovery is being teased to be so devastating it did undo Missy's characterisation. If this incarnation of the Master is after her, at least. Still not necessarily anything to suggest that. The Master will likely be recurring over this season, so we'll find out more, at least!

God, the Master is so fucked up. Like. He's seen something apparently so massively traumatic that he had to destroy his own planet and legitimately does look broken by it? Unless he was acting, but I did not get that impression from the message at the end. And the only way he can think of to get the Doctor's attention is to start his old tricks? Not sure if it's better or worse for him to be pre-Missy tbh.

It's just... such an interesting dynamic. Also I really want to read into the whole... scene where the Master asks the Doctor to kneel and call him 'Master' in front of everyone - then, when she does (defiantly! Stubbornly!), he... kneels to be at the same level as her. Like, "I'm going to play these BDSM-esque power games with you but when it comes down to it, I still consider us equal."

Anyway the Master is def a service top.

This comment from Tumblr user upslapmeal:

"'why would it stop? I mean how else would I get your attention’ what did I say about the Master being like a cat knocking things off shelves"

I mean. Yeah.

"Contact." Old school.

The Companions! They get a capital C because they were rad as hell. I love them all deciding that what they do next is: carry on to save the world. Like they're all heroic af without the Doctor and it's so good.

"Don't make me do a soft-shoe shuffle!"

And questioning at the end, oooh man. There are some Implications there, yeah. They've found out some surface information, yes, but no real hint at the deeper trauma. And given what this coming season is hinting at, I strongly suspect we will indeed be getting that deeper trauma and maybe even Dark!Doctor. Gallifrey does tend to bring it out of them...

The whole on-the-run thing seemed to definitely be a callback to Sound of Drums. Uh, what's that going to do long-term? Send out a worldwide message saying, "Sorry, our bad, they're fine"? I mean, last time that happened... okay, Jack was already with Torchwood and so is used to Not Really Existing, but Martha definitely couldn't go back to fuckin' medical school. She ended up at UNIT and then went independent. They did not return to their normal lives.

Barton: needs a goddamn punch. He killed his mother what the fuck. On the plus side, at least he seems to have thoroughly destroyed his career? Be interesting to see if he reappears later, you don't go from the most powerful person on the planet to massive pariah overnight without Repercussions.

On to our guest characters! I hate to brag but I guessed who Ada was as soon as I heard her first name and saw her outfit. I mean the computers theme was already there, who else would she be? :D And I admittedly didn't know who Noor Inayat Khan was except in passing, but still. Little upset about the erased memories (Donna ;_; ), but I can see why the Doctor did it and like... this way, I'm glad they were able to avoid the implications of, "Ada only developed computing because she had already seen the future." Like people said that with Rosa Parks even though the Doctor said explicitly to only ensure there were enough seats filled and the act itself was all Rosa, so they may have wanted to play it safe.

I... really want to comment on how Ada definitely was crushing on the Doctor (and really, who wouldn't?), but she was a real person so I shall avoid those implications. (But really though!)

Doctor how many times have you been in someone's liver. This is some Magic School Bus Inside The Human Body bullshit and I love it.

Doctor's recording: "First of all, you're not gonna die! Second of all, don't talk back to the screens, obviously I'm a recording and I can't hear ya. Third, don't panic. Especially you, Graham."

Graham, panicking: "I'M NOT PANICKING!"

Doctor's recording: "Yes, you were! And I did just say, don't talk back to the screens!"

Graham: "????!?!!"

I want an entire series of the Master having a really infuriating seventy-seven years on Earth. Please.

Comments on continuity issues regarding that, "It's worse than Jodrell Bank!" "Did I ever apologise for that?" "No." "Good." exchange XD;; Like people are going, "Continuity error!! It was the Pharos Project, not Jodrell Bank!!" and like. Pharos was a project. Jodrell Bank is an observatory. You can do projects at observatories. Also, you can refer to projects by location, too. Am I referring to the Canberra Deep Space Communication Project or Tidbinbilla Station? Both! They refer to the same thing! In the Whoniverse, they likely did the Pharos Project at Jodrell Bank, and just had some lighthearted bantz about that time where the Master killed the Doctor, no biggie.

So, onwards to... an apparently unrelated episode for next week! Also, the Kassavin? Still there. Like. The Master only gave suggestions. They still have all those agents everywhere! They're still ready to act! And yeah, now they have the Master in their hands, so... I wonder if they'll make the Timeless Child a long, ongoing arc, and have the much more immediate threat of the Kassavin as the season finale?

-

Orphan 55

Thoughts on Doctor Who - Orphan 55!

...whew.

First thought: anvilicious, but some anvils need to be dropped, because, uh, have you seen the world lately.

It feels like quite a brittle episode? Even beyond the immediate tension of 'there are large angry creatures trying to kill everyone', there's just this sense of... like, tension. There's the tension between Benni and Vilma, which at first is kind of a sweet tension then becomes a life-threatening and sad tension. There's the tension between Roger Parslow Silas and his dad, with Silas not being taken seriously (although I do think him running out while they're in life-threatening danger is a bit much). The obvious and major tension between Bella and Kane that drives the whole episode, yes.

And there's also the tension amongst Team TARDIS! The episode starts with the Doctor still in Some Kinda Way about last week, and I felt a bit of tension between Yaz and Ryan? She seemed rather unimpressed by Bella, at any rate. I do like how organic the relationship between Ryan and Graham feels, at least. "It ain't the aliens that are gonna kill me, it’s worrying about you!"

Set and costume building, I felt, was kind of... eh? I liked how Tranquility itself looked, but the tunnels looked Very Generic, and some of the looks I felt didn't really work. Silas and his dad's green hair just looked very obviously fake, and I saw a description of Hyph3n-with-a-three looking like a cross between a Jellicle Cat and John Candy in Spaceballs (which... yeah, honestly). And I'm not sure about the Dregs, although I did initially have the thought that whatever the original inhabitants of the planet were, they must have been humanoid was amusingly accurate...

"I just pulled this out of a friend of mine! >:("

"Oh! ...We do not make any judgments on our guests and fully support any way you choose to enjoy yourself here at Tranquility Spa! ^_^;;"

"... ... ...It wasn't recreational! o.O"

God you could feel Hyph3n-with-a-three's embarrassment...

"If I had crayons and half a can of Spam, I could build you from scratch!" Excuse me I am at least Tofurky.

Also a logical issue on the whole journey to find Benni, because frankly, it just wasn't... sensible. Okay, bring a kid. Father of the year right there. Okay, bring an old woman. Granted, she could have insisted because it was her man-friend they were looking for, but surely she would have known she would slow them down? Her 'heroic sacrifice' felt very wasted, because dammit, she could have survived if she had stayed in the Dome where it was at least a bit safer!

"At least three eighths of a plan, right here! ...Two eights. I'll be honest, all I've got is the letter 'P'..."

So the Doctor is almost at the point of passing out from oxygen loss but hang on, let her first indulge her curiosity...

The sheer existence of orphan planets is very depressing. The sheer fact that there's at least fifty-five is very depressing.

There's an interesting comment about how straight after discussion of the reveal, the first shot of the preview is the Statue of Liberty. Very Planet of the Apes! (No apes next time, just Tesla vs Edison!) Also feeling a strong connection to Midnight (stunning resort on dangerous planet with a very personal enemy), and I saw a comment about Thirteen unintentionally The-End-Of-The-World-ing the Fam (and making a connection between 'very angry trees' and the Forests of Cheem). Bit of Ravolox. Bit of... fuck what was it... Curse of Fenric.

Although, we know that the Earth will eventually be consumed by the sun, and it was done in a way that was like... it was its time. This was not its time, was a colossal fuck-up on a planetary scale (and the Doctor continues to be 'eat the rich'), but it's also only one potential future. Which is good, because that got dark. Even more than The End of the World, even more than Utopia, even more than fuckin' Frontios, because this is the near-future. The shots we saw of the destruction were modern day! That was the Dome of the Rock you saw getting bombed!

"Be smarter than what made you." PAGING THE GOVERNMENT...

Going to put it on a solid... maybe 7/10? Some really good elements in there, but also some clunkers, and unfortunately not a patch on the same writer's It Takes You Away, which was one of the strongest of the last season.

-

Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror

Thoughts on Doctor Who - Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror!

Opinion before episode: man, Tesla's cool. Opinion after episode: man, Tesla is fuckin' cool! :D That was a well-done personality-based historical, absolutely - I think it's my second-favourite personality-based historical only to Rosa (there are other pseudo-historical based ones set in the past that I love, but they're not personality-based; the Human Nature duology is a good example).

But yeah, Tesla just came across as a really, really cool character. Genius and he knew it, yes, and the real Tesla did have some questionable views (sexism, mostly), but otherwise the archetypal Idealistic Genius who wants to change the world for the better. Contrast with Edison, who was... a businessman. With, like, a really punchable face. Still pretty intelligent, but... very, very punchable. I've read about the Tesla-Edison feud before and always sided with Tesla, and let's face it, so did the writer XD

Good mix of character combinations - with a lot of characters, it's easy for someone to get sidelined, but this managed to handle Thirteen and the Fam, and Tesla, Dorothy, and Edison, pretty well. There were some neat combinations, like Ryan and Dorothy bonding over the sense of adventure, and Graham and Edison's confrontation; I also really loved the whole conversation between Thirteen and Tesla on the joy of just... creating. There's actually a very nice overlap between arts and sciences.

Antagonists - not bad? I feel a lot of people were expecting the Racnoss, and there was such a similarity that I would have liked at least a throwaway line about how the Skithra were related or something. Ooh man she definitely brought out Dark!Doctor, though. Teleporting the queen back to the ship, specifically so she can be fried? I mean, she might have survived it. Might. And just that fantastic little change of expression when the queen asks the Doctor if she's ever seen a dead planet before! Whittaker pulled that one off.

There's a very interesting compare and contrast between the Skithra and Edison, I found. Thirteen has her speech about how once the Skithra are gone, they won't be remembered. Caput. Forgotten. They left nothing behind. Compare and contrast to Edison, who was openly accused of using other people's work, but who's able to learn from his mistakes, end on an even(ish) setting with Tesla, and who does get remembered. Which kind of stings, honestly, if you look at Tesla's actual history.

Like. Apparently that, "The man just didn't understand the American sense of humour," line was an actual historical line, according to Tesla's own records. The absolute main reason for the difference in fame and recognition is that Tesla was a genius who didn't know how to market. Edison was a marketer who could invent a bit. So in conclusion Edison is a dick and Tesla needs more respect, the end.

Favourite lines and scenes:

Tesla: "Is - is this your own design?" Thirteen: "I made it! Mainly out of spoons! :D" Tesla: "You're an inventor! :D" Thirteen: "I have my moments." Tesla: "I knew it! So you... so, you can understand how it feels, you know, when you have an idea, and - and to make it real. I don't think there's any greater thrill!" Thirteen: "I couldn't agree more." Tesla: "You... you spoke of aliens. People here laugh at the very idea." Thirteen: "But not you." Tesla: "Well, apparently I'm not like other people. It can be difficult, you know, to feel no one else sees the world the way you do. It's like you're, uh..." Thirteen: "...out of place."

Graham: "Yeah, still. I bet you'd jump at the chance to have him back working for you, wouldn't ya?" Edison: "Yeah?" Graham: "Yeah!" Edison: "How d'you figure that?" Graham: "'Cause I had a supervisor like you at my old depot. And men like you don't pay a bloke that much attention unless you think there's a payout comin'."

Thirteen: "I wouldn't go killing me and Yaz. 'Cause Yaz... can tell you what this is." Yaz: "It's a camera!" Thirteen: "Bingo!" *FLASH!*

Edison: "I couldn't figure it out either." Tesla: "The internal dimensions transcend the external." Thirteen: *GRIN* Edison: ._.

Thirteen: "You do realise, it's killing Edison that they want you and not him? ;D"

Graham: "Don't worry. This ain't our first rodeo!" Ryan: "We've never been to a rodeo." Graham: "...you're not helping, Ryan..."

Thirteen: "And what are you queen of, exactly? A stolen ship and second-hand guns? A queen of shreds and patches. You're not a ruler, you're a parasite." Queen: "And what are you? So clever, stealing onto my ship, taking what I claim as mine. But where has it got you? No weapons. No armour. No escape. Just the desperate hope you might change my mind." Thirteen: "No, we are way past that. I gave you your chance." Queen: "A chance to be like you?" Thirteen: "A chance to evolve. But you were too stupid to take it. When you die, there'll be nothing left behind - just a trail of blood and other people's brilliance. No one will even know you existed."

(Side note: I love that this speech was actually in front of the companions. They're starting to see that things are Not Okay.)

Thirteen: "Don't give up." Yaz: "Whatever anyone says." Tesla: "Well, let them talk. The present is theirs. I work for the future... and the future is mine."

Favourite incorrect lines:

Thirteen and Tesla, firing at the ship: "VIBE CHECK!"

-

Fugitive of the Judoon

I'M GONNA... NEED A HOT MOMENT TO PROCESS THAT...

-

WELL I. UH. OKAY.

lmao I'm serious I don't even know where to begin.

Uh, some very disorganised comments on Doctor Who - Fugitive of the Judoon!

I squealed when I heard Jack's voice then saw him in the flesh. I gasped audibly when 'Ruth' broke the glass. I yelped when we saw the buried TARDIS. I MAY HAVE SCREAMED A LITTLE WHEN 'RUTH' INTRODUCED HERSELF.

(Also can we talk about her outfit. That was on point.)

I'm getting a very... very early vibe? She didn't know what the sonic screwdriver was, and that was introduced with Troughton. Since we saw the Hartnell-Troughton regeneration, she must be pre-Hartnell? Maybe a Doctor whose memories were rewritten to the point that they thought the Hartnell incarnation was the earliest? Not to mention that was a pretty old-school-looking TARDIS!

Alternatively, maybe between Troughton and Pertwee? Either option has some inconsistency - if she's post Troughton, she should have known what the sonic was, although it admittedly did look very different. Plus, her TARDIS is already its police box shape, which was implied to have set in the junkyard. Also, we never actually do see the regeneration between Two and Three, and it could explain why Gallifrey was after her - she escaped after her trial after The War Games!

Definitely early, though.

Alternatively alternatively, Thirteen actually does say 'time is swirling around me'. Maybe an alternate timeline. Something to tie back to the Timeless Child?

"I've lived for thousands of years, so long I've lost count. I've had so many faces. How long have you known me? You don't know me. Not even a little bit."

That wasn't just aimed at the companions. I feel that was aimed at the Doctor themself.

(Related: the response from the fam was flat-out beautiful. Doesn't matter who she was or who she'll be. They know her now, and they love her.)

Just. Wow. Wow.

Really cool note from Twitter - disguised name was Ruth Clayton. Ruth = 'friend, companion'. Clayton = 'of the Earth'. She literally named herself 'friend of the Earth'.

"You're probably a bit confused right now."

I mean. Yeah. Confused and intrigued and what.

"Don't do points! I do points! Points are my thing!"

Jack. Jack. Smooching Graham, hitting on all the companions, getting into Shenanigans! The Lone Cyberman - I wonder if that's a totally different crisis that isn't even related to the current Gallifrey-Timeless Child one? The more important part is Jack's presence - the presence of another time traveller with a... unique relationship with the universe. The actual warning could be a red herring, but Jack showing up anywhere in the first place is a sign that something is happening with time?

Orphan 55 had a timeline that may or may not have been the 'real' one. Being only a potential future kind of doesn't work with what we know of established DW continuity, so I'm liking the 'alternate timeline' theory, maybe?

Ryan: "I liked him. Kind of cheesy."

Yaz: "But good cheesy."

Thirteen, smiling: "That's Jack."

Graham just standing there going, "He kissed me tho? ...Wasn't bad, actually."

"Is she safe?" Jack, honestly, is she ever safe?

"When she needs me... I'll be there." Oh yeah, he's so coming back later this season.

Also, Judoon, chameleon arch, the Master, Jack - getting big season 29 vibes here and that's a big thumbs up for me because that's my favourite season. We just need Martha to make an appearance now!

...hehe honestly, between Jodie's entire existence, and now, in the span of five episodes, introducing Dhawan!Master, Gat, and now Jo Martin as the first black female Doctor, and reintroducing Jack, one of the most overtly and openly queer characters on the series, the 'Doctor Who is too PC!' bunch are going to be so mad XD

"A platoon of Judoon... near the moon." / "Look at you, your platoon of Judoon near the... that lagoon..."

Man. The close-up in the very first shot of the watch. Nice tie-in.

"The Doctor never uses weapons!" "I know! Shut up! >.>"

Where do the Kasaavin come into play? Is this something they've done by integrating themselves throughout time and space? Maybe they're fraying the fabric?

My mind is blown. I can't wait for the rest of this season :D

-

[Part 2 - Praxeus to The Timeless Children]

[bellamygateoldblog]

​The 100 Aesthetic/Preferences Tag

Tagged by: @blodreina-noumou ty babe!!

This is a tag game about AESTHETICS, not content, plot, characterization, etc. Just keep that in mind.

Rank the seasons from favorite to least favorite:

2 > 1 > 3 > 5 > 4 (me, petty: *won’t even put 6 on the ranking*)

2 - I think 2 has Octavia’s best look, very ‘Grounder In Training’ which was really really cute lol. Then there was the beginning of Clarke’s desent into grime, from pristine princess to getting weighed down with the dirt of her own emotions and percieved obligations and I liked to see it.

1 - everyone is clean and baby-faced and it reminds me of a simpler time. Was a fan of guard!Bellamy hair gel and all, it really brought out the douche in him. This season has my favourite Raven (she GLOWS) and Clarke Sky Babe looks. Jasper’s goggles. Dropship site was iconic.

3 - I appreciated the grimy aesthetic of season three because they really committed to the Goin’ Thru It.

The drastic shift in Jasper’s look was something I really liked. His boyish features are gone and now merely a ghost of innocence remains, in it’s place we have a more mature, hardened demeanor in the form of facial hair and a lack of cute, floppy hairstyle.

5 - we got the spacekru ‘clan’ look! In previous seasons we’ve seen clans have markers indicating who they belong to, Trikru with their earthy colours and wearing leaves, Azgeda with their furs and white paints, and Floukru with their ocean imagery, and now we see the survivors of apocalypse in their bluish-grey space tones styled in a way that makes it absolutely clear they’re all apart of the same group. We see a new headscarf for Emori, still very much herself but refashioned. And no glove! She’s completely comfortable with her new family. The scarf was very unique to her character so someone tell me why after all this they completely threw it out for season 6? Oh yeah it’s because season 6 isn’t real, it didn’t happen, I do Not See It.

All the boys glo-ed up. Loved that. All the girls started wearing their hair looser, Raven has her two strands sneaking out of her signature ponytail- she still very much looks like ‘Raven’ but everyone just in general looks more relaxed, like they’ve had a breather. In terms of the world, I loved the stark differences in the three main locations, and every one of them felt haunting but in different ways. Ghost lands. The wasteland of 5 was almost reminicent of the desert back in season 2, now devistated. The bunker was suffocating and chilling. The valley felt weirdly sinister in all it’s colours.

4 - eventually everyone looked peak skaikru, no longer delinquents in their various multi-coloured bomber jackets, marking their youth, but fully-fledged members of their group. I liked the way s4 almost paralleled s1 in look, they’re all wearing the same colours, but while they are all technically clean, they still look less presentable and exhausted compared to S1. Bellamy, again, like in season 1, is in his guard uniform but it’s more an upgraded and more mature version. In a way it looked like we came full circle. And Clarke and Octavia both going back to a more skaigirl hairstyle was the cherry on top. Luna’s costumes are probably my favourites on the entire show. I have no idea how we went from costumes of such intricasy and consistency to...’what in the name of halloween store clearance sale is that?’ in season 6.

6 - sanctum’s costumes were literally so ugly i don’t even wanna talk about it please don’t make me do it...

ok i go

1) Controversial ik but Emori’s Prime dress missed the mark. I liked the addition of the cape, but, again, it was so bare otherwise. There was no embroidery, no jewels, and the accessories they did give her were clunky and looked cheap. It looked too prom night. She was supposed to be royalty. And she didn’t look like it at all.

2) Absolutely hated the fact they put a pound of makeup on each of the space sisters’ faces. And the fact they gave them all unnaturally curled hair. Meanwhile Clarke and Octavia still somewhat look natural and ordinary so...what’s going on? And why?

Rank Clarke’s hair each season from best to worst:

1 > 6 > 2 > 4 > 5 > 3

some thoughts;

Not a fan of her season 4 hair, and i can’t articulate my dislike very well but why’d her roots get so dark? She never had dark roots in season 1, this character is a natural blonde, and yet over the seasons they became progressively darker and tbh? It started to irritated me. Also I don’t think the cut framed her face quite right? SOMETHING okay? Something about it......

Rank Bellamy’s hair/beard each season from best to worst:

3 > 1,2,4,6 < 5

The real debate: Bellamy in the blue shirt or the tan?

They both look the same to me. lol. Blue.

Clarke’s blue dress or pink dress?

Neither. Both weren’t very good looking. If you were holding me at gun point I’d say blue, but the cut did the opposite of help. And if they were gonna have a moment where Clarke, oblivious to her own *ethereal beauty* and not like the other girls, walks down the stairs ready to throw her hair into a messy bun and get sold to One Direction, they could’ve at least put her in a more suitable dress. Something a bit more glamourous, sophisticated, something to justify the 10 people in the room staring up at her in awe. It’s such a casual, tasteless dress? And she isn’t even wearing shoes? She isn’t wearing anything shiny, she didn’t do anything to her hair. We saw what other dresses and accessories Delilah had in her closet, the yellow and pink soft-flowing, feminine classy dresses and the pretty headwear she wore in her own short time in the season. But you give Clarke, your protagonist, that unflattering one? One that she so clearly hastily threw on and headed out in? She got two outfit changes, while none of the other main girls got any at all, and they were both ugly LIKE what was even the point?

Favorite Raven season: Her season 1 baby face just cannot be beat, she looks beautiful. And I only use that word very particularly.

Raven’s ark vest or red bomber jacket?

how about that red popper shirt from season 4

Raven’s ponytail or her s6 look?

Ponytail. It’s Raven. S6 look betrayed what her character was about.

Favorite Octavia season: 2! I love the baby grounder look.

Octavia’s hair in s2 (the braids) or s4 (the ponytail)?

The braids just because they were more interesting to look at.

Blodreina or Skairipa?

Blodreina. Like I said somewhere up there ^ that whole costume was a breath of fresh air.

Favorite Murphy season: S5!

Murphy with long hair or short hair?

I appreciated the rat boy look while it lasted, but the short hair makes him look good, while his other hairstyles pretty much were just there to contribute to the climate of his character.

Favorite Monty season: 5. Bout time they made him look grown. He’s actually a pretty ruthless and passive aggressive kid, the fact he looked so sweet in previous seasons really tricked a lot of the fanbase into believing he was some tiny cinnamon roll.

Favorite overall episode: I’m awful at seperating episodes. I just can’t do it lol

Favorite scene of all time: I just don’t have the best memory for these things. I quite liked the reveal of Blodreina, the transition is takes from Cooper in the very first arena fight to current day, and it switches from blue to red, and slowly reveals Blodreina. The music change gave me chills. Everything about the scene just felt really dark and eery. I was uncomfortable. And I loved it.

Biggest wish for s7: Visually/aesthetically, decide which style you’re going for. I’ve said this before somewhere but Sanctum was a confusing mess of sci-fi, royal, prom night, and divergent amity. Pick one and get back to me.

I want a better designed world. I want all the set and costume designers to actually communicate and work together to make the world look like something professional and not a cosplay convention on a cheap set with a big paper mache castle.

Also I’d love for all the girls to not be all dolled-up. Give Raven her ponytail back, I’ll even settle for the low pony. Give Emori her headscarf back. And go get them all some face wipes. Maybe give someone other than Clarke an oppurtunity to wear something besides their murder gear. And maybe make that something actually good looking. Put some effort in. Sheesh.

I don’t follow many people and most of the ones I do are hibernating lol. I fully encourage someone to steal this. But in the meantime: @johnmurphysreddit​ @awesomenell65​

[alice-of-dreams]

Vanguard rant because I love this dumb cardgame show too much

It's really interesting how the Legion Mate arc parallels not only the Link Joker arc but also the Psyqualia arc.

HECK All the major arcs draw really interesting parallels to each other.

Like one of the central themes of Vanguard is about Kai and Aichi's encounter and friendship and how it changes both them and the people around them. That's literally what the show is about plus dramatic card games.

The most obvious parallels are between the Psyqualia arc versus the Link Joker arc.

Psyqualia arc:

- Aichi loses himself to power offered by external force because he feels inadequate and incapable of keeping up with Kai and Ren in Vanguard. Also external force actively manipulates his insecurities to push him to that point.

- Ren being pretty much gone in Psyqualia drunk madness because the only thing he cared about was winning. He determined people's worth by whether they win or lost.

- team Q4 being a hot mess of a team. Like i love them but god lord they were a terrible match back then.

- Kai being the cause of Aichi sinking into Psyqualia madness and also the one who saves him from it. The arc acknowledging that it's also Aichi's own greed to win that's responsible and Kai saving Aichi from himself.

- Kourin who's supposed to be a neutral entity actively helping these kids save Aichi because she's too kind and is the kind of person who wants to protect what's the right thing.

- epic Kai vs Ren match

Link Joker:

Just reverse everything in the above points and you have Link Joker. Seriously.

- - Kai loses himself to power offered by external force because he feels inadequate and incapable of keeping up with Aichi and Ren in Vanguard. Also external force actively manipulates his insecurities to push him to that point.

- Ren actively having his own arc and rejecting both external power and Psyqualia because in this arc, he's not fighting to win, he's fighting to save the people important to him. And that right there is the biggest example of how much he's changed from season 1. The parallel of the conversation between him and Suiko especially with the reveal that she was the one who introduced Psyqualia to him (in the reboot but there's hints that's what happened in the original too).

- Aichi's club actively working together to save people/protect each other. Just the huge emphasis on being there for each other and proper communication in this arc OOF

- Aichi being the motivation of Kai accepting the Link Joker and also the one who saves him from it. The arc very explicitly stating that it's Kai's own greed consuming him and his self destructive tendencies. Aichi saving Kai from himself.

- Kourin actively siding with the antagonist and doing what she knows is wrong and it almost tearing her apart because she doesn't want to lose the people important to her.

- epic Kai vs Ren match pt 2: bonus the match also parallels their match from season one.

There's like a few other parallels but these are just the ones off the top of my head.

Now Link Joker vs Legion Mate:

Where do I even begin omg. THERE'S so many not to mention Legion Mate itself is a big parallel to the rest of the series.

- first, switching the protag from Aichi to Kai.

- SWITCHING THE ANTAGONIST BETWEEN THE TWO

- Link Joker being the cause in both cases, but one voluntarily, the other involuntarily. One out of selfishness, one out of selflessness.

- SKSKS i could probably write a whole essay on the symbolic parallels of their relationship in link Joker vs Legion Mate

- the reverse zombies vs the Quatre Knights parallels

- the fucking parallels of Gaillard vs Kai vs Naoki omg.

- especially Kai vs Gaillard because this needs to be reiterated. Kai, takes up Aichi's royal paladins vs Gaillard using Aichi's gold paladins. Then later fighting with Kai's Kagero vs Gaillard's own deck. The way they both think of Aichi.

- funnily enough, Serra's parallel to Kourin in Link joker.

- Kourin's parallel to herself in Link Joker. ;; Poor girl really doesn't get a break. Another parallel of selfishness versus selflessness. But honestly it's so heartbreaking when you think of Kourin having to watch Aichi be slowly consumed by Link Joker and know she indirectly had a hand in it and just hhhhh im gonna cry

- MISAKI AND KOURIN'S RELATIONSHIP PARALLELS

- Aichi and Kourin's relationship parallels. In Link Joker, he's the one trying to save her. In Legion Mate, she can't save him no matter how much she wants to and instead does her damn best to support him.

- the parallel of having an alien entity as the antagonist that uses human insecurities to take over versus Serra who used their faith against them.

- that fucking end Kai vs Aichi fight in both seasons. One is about teaching Kai to depend on others who are there for him and the other is to teach the same.

There's a bunch more but you get the gist.

Psyqualia arc vs Legion Mate arc:

this one is super self explanatory tbh.

-Aichi at the start vs Aichi at the end.

- Kai at the start vs Kai at the end

- team Q4 at the start vs team Q4 at the end

- Kourin being a helpful outsider to being one of their important friends to save.

- misaki who wanted nothing to do with them and vanguard, teaching the importance of friends to someone else.

- the running theme of selfishness versus selflessness and how it's not a matter of which is the right answer but a balance of both.

- kai and Kamui's argument from their time as Q4 came back to bite Kai in the ass hard lol

- REN BEING SAVED BY AICHI AND REN REFUSING TO HELP AICHI BECAUSE HE DOESN'T WANT TO LIVE IN A WORLD WITHOUT AICHI

- Kai and Aichi's relationship obviously.

- Miwa and Kai's relationship for that matter.

You get the general gist.

Now we come to Asia Circuit vs Legion Mate:

- LEON LEON LEON LEON LEON LEON

- Aichi's ability to touch lives and people and change them.

- Aichi having to fight void possessed Leon vs Aichi becoming slowly possessed by the link seed.

- "next time, can you show me the way?" Screech why are they always in a constant ping pong of saving each other from each other's darkness these dumb card game nerds.

- how absent kai is this season vs the explicit absence of Aichi in Legion Mate

- kai and ren's relationship lol

- i feel like the biggest parallel was definitely Kai though. Just the difference in how he handled things in Legion Mate compared to how he behaved in Asia Circuit says so much about his growth. But also about the growth of his friends who don't take his lone wolf bs anymore haha

- the massive Beatdowns handed down to the squad in both arcs in cardfights. Also the increased seriousness in Legion Mate with greater stakes.

- wow can you believe the same Kai who more or less told Aichi to figure it out on his own why both their clans got erased, ran around in Legion Mate willing to get burned as many times as it took to get him back.

- AICHI'S SELF CONFIDENCE GROWING LEAPS AND BOUNDS

- Aichi growing into himself

- Aichi being pulled around by Takuto's strings vs Aichi actively manipulating the whole magical moon sanctuary coma plan

- Aichi saving people versus the people he saved coming to save him

- "how about i beat you, take the seed and you become my Quatre Knight?" SkSKSKS this is so far from the Kai in Asia Circuit who just threw vague advice and encouragement at Aichi im crying guys their relationship is so beautiful.

- throwback to starry night date on the cliff because thanks Bushiroad that's what my heart needed.

- Kai's improved communication skills lol

Seriously i know i joke about the ridiculousness of the background setup of Legion Mate a lot and how nonsensical it is, but storytelling wise it's definitely my favourite next to the Psyqualia. Because everything came around in a full circle in the most beautiful way and that's so satisfying tbh.

Like it pulls together the overall plot in a really nice way, character development wise.

Honestly I dunno what I'm trying to say. All the arcs parallel each other in really interesting ways and allude to each other and hence the character development is one of my favourite things in Vanguard because its progression is understandable but not overly simplified.

[zepdeans]

there’s not a lot I can say about s3 that hasn’t already been said (and articulated 200x better) but! here are some of my (albeit dumb) thoughts :~)

ep1 -isak leaning against the bathroom wall gets me EVERY time its such a powerful scene esp introducing you to s3 and tarjei..... spare some talent for the rest of us please -LiTeN gUtTeN fRa StRaNgEr tHiNgS -isak rly ties his pants w a shoelace...... -isak noticing even for the first time bc of his laugh.. whew.... also. i love this intro SOOO much bc its so non-monumental? theres no dramatic music or whatever but its not subtle.... like you know right away o shit love interest!! hello sir!! bc isak’s expression watching him :’) i could go on -isak is a bad liar HOWEVER this only applies to stupid nontrivial things e.g. the black sweatshirt. but when you look at him lying about like, his sexuality, he hides that shit well -”c00l” isak. i hate u so much -honestly all u have to do is look at even for .2 seconds and u can tell this boy has had a crush for a solid month bc he just looks awestruck (HOWEVER henrik’s acting is *chef’s kiss* bc its subtle enough to go undetected b4 you actually know eVEN SAW HIM ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL) -even isak and emma all sitting on the bench together is funny enough on its on but then a song called threeway comes on and like. julie sdshjsfdjfkjskd ep2 -there’s something so endearing about even’s handwriting idek what -i LOVE even’s video w mikael it reveals so much about him to us- how weird (ok we saw how weird he was w the paper towel thing but) and dorky he is? and his love of film! his view on love stories and how he sees the world :( but it also shows a lot abt isak because he saw even making stupid jokes about vladimir putin and was like yeah we about to fall in LOVE love -isak not using headphones to watch even’s video or r+j?? bde or general incompetence what’s the verdict guys -the isak watching r+j scene hits so hard like yall ever think about isak lying in bed at 3am staring at the ceiling probably thinking about how he’s never gonna get a beautiful world-shattering romance like that like ..... also him changing positions skam get out of my life go away ur too realistic -not to make this even more self-projection-y but isak simultaneously being the least emotionally vulnerable person ever but crying during r+j > -i made a post abt this already but even’s INTENSE staring vs isak’s “i have never looked anyone in the eye in my life” gets me it says so much about their characters -even said i see your bde move (asking me to buy you beer) and i raise u with my own (inviting you to my house after faking not having my id) -”if you listen to music” even is such a dick fsdjhsdff -when the message comes on...... i rlly do owe julie my life huh -”have you heard about my rapping?” “I have actually” have we talked about this enough????? 1. isak finally feels comfortable enough w even to flirt and his first move is to RAP for him jesus christ. keep in mind this is the same man who pulled that smooth af ibuprofen line w emma like...... 2. even has heard about isak’s rapping. either this means im-not-on-social-media even went out of his way to go thru homeboy’s instagram OR isak’s rapping is actually talked about. i- -the group chat messages. cant believe i forgot about the 2016 clown epidemic

ep3  -mahdi is a good friend and i love him. thank u -even wearing isak’s cap until he chucks it at him sjksfjsdjsd -how much yall wanna bet isak’s been listening to illmatic on repeat since last friday thinking abt even (even tho meeting sonja shattered his heart a lil) [also kinda an aside but i think a lot about how isak n even bonded over rap and how some homophobic lyrics in 90s etc rap might have impacted them? or how that little detail ties into julie’s story? e.g. halftime by nas, which is on illmatic] -whats worse. even staring into isaks soul wearing a size xs see-through white t shirt or isak staring at even for five (5) seconds before chugging his beer and immediately making out w emma. OR even crashing that party before it can start “i think you guys are bonding too much” cheesy ass shjhfsdhskdf -yall act like evak didnt invent hands. did even shaking isak’s shoulder telling him his apartment is nice mean nothing to u -im convinced robyn wrote call your girlfriend for this scene specifically bc how could anything fit so perfectly by coincidence -is anything better than egging isak on- even bech naesheim (2016) -idk if yall have read the scripts but i love the sock thing so much bc its soo true to how isak thinks and it makes everything so much more interesting and !!!

ep4  -i will never get over even sending isak bad seinfeld memes -even smacking open isak’s locker. first of all whew second of all u think as soon as he got into the stairwell he lowkey cried bc ow -parallel of isak saying “it’s 2016, why are you religious?” to sana vs. emma’s “it’s 2016, get out of the closet” to isak anyone :( -”takk sanasol!!!!” thank u isak for my life -I wanted to be with you aloneeeee -even’s face when he sees the pool like we get it youre a director -how many times do i need to say even is such a dick sjkfsd “does it look like i care about my hair?” “usually but not right now” like this would only work on isak i love soulmates!! -even just.. fully choking isak out ssdhgfd got em -when the first notes of im kissing you start ooh boy -even going in for the kill kiss and isak going from huh to oooo shit and pushing his lips out at the last minute. phenomenal 

ep5 -ngl as soon as im not in love comes on my heart goes uwu bc like!!!! that song the meaNING.... them......... i jus love this scene sm like theyre in their own little bubble and they both feel so comfortable and at peace :((  -even leaving isak comics about an inside joke of theirs like yall mind if i scream -isak feeling left out from the conversation and his friends whew i felt that... and having them talk about how gross it is to makeout with a girl w facial hair?? blease :( -taking stock of isak’s nicknames: issy k, isabell, izzy, baby jesus, -im not even gonna bother trying to articulate thoughts on Pause bc it’s a literal masterpiece. thank u tarjei henrik and julie for inventing television with this one  -MAGNUS SDFKJSDFJKDSHK "oooh my name is Jonas and I love idealism and reading klassekampen and I don’t like plastic and I skate on a skateboard made of sustainable wood and wear old clothes because new clothes are bad for the environment and I only drink recycled water” screAMMM -what i said abt pause also applies to pride ugh its such a powerful scene and!! the beginning of kicks to isaks stomach. honestly what i fucking love about this episode is how it goes from hell yea best day w even ever to crying in the street within one week (s3 had the best balance of angst and payoff thanks) -even’s Soft Party Flannel... forever tainted by this scene rip -not knowing why even kissed sonja keeps me up at night -speaking of. how used and stupid isak must’ve felt when he saw even completely unbothered, hooking up w his ex at this party?? whew :( -bros is one of my all time favourite clips solely bc of the music?? lift me up gives me chills and when hold my liquor starts i LOSE it -ep5 and 6 remind me of that quote “to see what your characters are really made of you have to break them” because julie rlly goes all in and god it hurts so good

ep6 -never have i ever seen insomnia portrayed as accurately as tarjei did here and i remember when i first watched the cantina scene i was like. winded bc its SO true to sleep deprivation whew -i really like that isak wasnt together with even when he reached out for help and came out to jonas. bc it was him, on his own, being strong enough to talk to his friends and then eventually he was confident and secure enough in himself to be in a good place when even started reaching back out!! -i have no idea what its like to come out to someone, to be afraid of your friends rejecting you, everything isak went through. but tarjei’s acting of when, like, you have something you KNOW you have to tell someone, and youve put yourself in the position where youre going to have to tell them, but youre terrified and eventually just force yourself SAY the words??  -and isak’s smile when he realizes jonas is gonna be his bro no matter what :’)))

ep7 -weirdly one of my favourite isak looks (black t-shirt grey snapback c-c-c-combo) -”what’s your name again?” have i mentioned i love sana and isak bc i love sana and isak -jonas truly is the best friend oh man. perceptive, thoughtful, loving, laidback, a friggen BRO. tbh i was wary of him in s1 and thought he didn’t treat eva well (tho I recognized he loved her a lot, he was just bad at being a boyfriend) but jonas in s3?? just goes to show how powerful your perspective of someone can change viewing them in a different role!! because while jonas was a crappy bf, he literally is SUCH an incredible friend and his actions and words and just! him! in s3 completely redeemed any illwill I had towards him :’) -maybe im a little gay (up there with other s3 comedy classics such as “thats a boys name”) -mahdi season WHEN ugh a legend -’when someone asks isak if hes going to a family party’ literally what other reason for living do i have if not to read the boy squad text convos -isaks locker finally opening and his smile at evens drawing whewwwwwww!! also even rlly is that guy who wont text you back but will leave hand written love letters in ur locker -also. another stellar look from valtersen -slutt a meld meg is a whole masterpiece like what other piece of media has the RANGE -eskild: play hard to get. jonas: no smiley!!! isak: nah fam im good B)

ep8 -this episode is BEAUTIFUL bc you feel practically euphoric?? like hell yeah theyre finally together!! isak is out and accepted and even is done with sonja! but theres also this unsettling undercurrent of worry bc you know deep down something isnt right? why is sonja calling isak? why is even acting kinda strange? whats going on? yknow?? -literally never going to get over 5 fine frokner :~) even is such a goddamn nerd and he’s the man of isak’s dreams can u believe!!  -sana’s little speech is SO important in so many ways ooo i love her so much -also have we discussed eskild making evak do a photoshoot for him. highkey those are my favourite pictures of ALL time u can tell even was like hm strange but im down while isak was more omg guys stop🙄 omg haha eskild i cant believe youre making me cuddle with even for a photo🙄 i cant believe ur making me snuggle this dude for a pic!!!! definitely would not have done this otherwise!!! -magnus only realizing it’s THAT even after seeing how isak looks at him. whew -isak is so brave i rlly love that kid! his text to his mamma <3 -no r*make will EVER nail text conversations like mari/julie did w evak’s this week thanks for coming to my ted talk. i'd quote the best ones but it would literally double the length of this post (ok ill cave. “hahaha shut up❤️” GETS me) -you dont know whats in store but you know what youre here for. hallo -isak running around oslo with even’s clothes looking for him :( his heart is so big he cares about even so so much -when Part II (on the run) comes on in the credits its like a kick in the teeth honestly

ep9 -ive already screamed enough about cherry wine but god it fucks me up -cannot put into words how much I love eskild and how good of a person he is, he just has so much love in his heart  -”wait they have waffles here? see ya” -this convo is why i love skam so much!!!! magnus giving insight and good thoughtful advice to isak was such a brilliant move by julie (also truLy heartwarming) bc like. magnus is a flawed layered character! he’s dumb and ignorant and not very careful with his words BUT hes also such a sweet guy. i genuinely dont think he would hurt a fly and him talking about vilde (in ep10) is ;-; bc he really likes her and respects her and wants to be a gentleman! hes so loving and just. yeah. also i wonder if isak and magnus (and vilde) ever talked about having mentally ill parents and lent on each other for support bc like....<3 [sidenote- this is why i HATE b***** like they absolutely massacred magnus’s character and magnus did not deserve that!] -det er bare slutt........ very cool of tarjei to invent acting here. also the character development makes me WEEP like at first isak lied and told his pappa it was over bc its easier to brush stuff off and say you were joking than be vulnerable especially about 1. having a boyfriend and 2. saying youve already broken up?? but then isak was like hey im done with lying about who i am bc i want my life to be REAL and he told his dad the truth even if it was hard and even if he was trying rlly hard not to cry  -isak reaching out to even<3 standing up for even<3 -o helga natt. another scene i genuinely cannot comment on bc u cant really put into any written language how magical and breathtaking and heartbreaking and powerful and brilliant this scene is. so. -jk. obvs i cant say anything intelligent enough to give this scene justice but probably the most stunning piece of television i have ever had the privilege of watching. even’s text breaks my heart every gd time (esp since we never really see this side of him before finding out he’s bipolar? his guilt, insecurity, feeling like a burden, being scared of losing everyone in his life because he thinks he’ll hurt them). the music is SO beautiful i cry real tears as soon as the strings start. also the brilliance of JUST o helga natt playing and no dialogue except for isaks one line? isak’s realization when he sees the cross. him RUNNING across oslo to go to even. the FLASHBACKS all going backwards in chronological order until them smoking on the bench. isak looking at the bench and not seeing even and u can feel his heart breaking and urs breaks too! but then he remembers the bathroom and he turns and theres even and whewwww. du er ikke alene<3

ep10 -minutt for minutt is THE most healing clip im telling u. and like.. seeing even depressed really is hard and as someone who was very very depressed for 4-ish yrs of their life it rlly hits me? like when youre in an especially bad funk and you cant get out of bed and youre just numb and exhausted and feel so shitty and u want to be alone but you really dont???? could go on but literally i owe henrik holm my life for his portrayal of even  -not to be a soft bitch on main but when isak tucks the blanket over even and it keeps getting pulled off his back so isak just. covers that spot with himself? -i do love that call between sonja and isak bc once again! a flawed (realistic) human being -and isak thinking its his fault even is depressed? it means a lot that sonja told him its no ones fault, even is just bipolar. and i wonder if isak felt that way about his mamma as well, guilty for her being ill, and if what sonja said made him feel better about that situation too :( -lowkey random but when isak is rambling really fast and he goes “maybe we’ll get bombed tomorrow and talking about all this is a waste of time” it continually punches me in the throat bc that is /exactly/ how i ramble and think like tarjei........ pls -like eskild said. there really is so much love in isak’s little grumpy teenage body<3 -isak no longer just passively accepting life as its given to him, now he fights for him and even!!!!!  -isak is such a forgiving person and seeing him able to just accept things and move on? incredible -i remember when i first watched ep1 i was like oooo even and isak are gonna be kosegruppa partners and thats when theyll first get together, cooking food or smth!! but lmfao after episode 3? kosegruppa whomst???? also hilarious vilde thought isak of all people would willingly sign up for kosegruppa just to go to revue parties -even and linn friendship!!!! -cannot articulate how mf heartwarming it is to see even smiling and being more himself after being depressed (also thank u julie for having ups and downs coming out of his depression- its so true to life having one day when youre feeling awesome and then the next you feel awful again for no reason and its SO frustrating) -I had to stop watching passe pa meg cause it made me toooooo crazy! it would just be like: “I like seeing you laugh” and I was like: *SCREAMS* -im the fucking master of lying 😤 -literally don’t know why isak and even ragging on kosegruppa is so funny but “did you think I joined to have fun” gets me every time -I SAW YOU THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL -also even literally radiating love @ isak watching get snarky w vilde on the phone bc it reminded him of the first time he saw him! even rly is that boyfriend who thinks isak being pissy is the Best Thing he has Ever seen -halla boiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiz -literally the glo up of isak telling his friends the order in which he’d bang them -No filter! wow I love symbolism -so nice to see the girls together for a lil bit :) -the boys hyping up mags while also telling him to be respectful awwwwww -take desperate to a whole new level- Confucius  -who’s going to show isak how to properly hold a beer can -literally evak banter gets me thru the day. thank u tarjei and henrik for having phenomenal chemistry + improvisation skills + making isak and even the dumbest nerdiest boys i have ever seen -biology partner. and friend. ;-; -even literally is the biggest stoner blease -isak’s talk with eva is just sooooo<3 and not to be emo on main but every single word of the last few sentences he says hit me so gd hard because i feel the exact same way in my BONES -livet er nå 💛

final thoughts :( <3 -this season is so special. it feels like one really long oscar-worthy movie or smth?? i cant even exblain, its just magical. ALSO very dear to my heart. -julie really said you guys have seen isak sad and alone and repressed for the past two seasons so heres him falling in love with the best person in the world and coming to terms with who he is and being brave and opening up and finally being happy and living a real life -this season definitely feels different from s1/2/4 to me editing or production or music smth wise? as in, its got a lot fewer aesthetic shots and the cinematography seems a bit different if that makes any sense???? I also think this is the season most focused just on the main (i.e. not many- if any? sideplots going on) -literally will never get over the thought, love, and detail put into this season. when i say there is literally nothing i would change about it, i mean it and coming from my nitpicky ass??? means a lot lmfao. the acting, directing, music choices, symbolism...... sublime -s3′s cold rainy autumn aesthetic makes me ACHE for fall and also nostalgic for a highschool experience I never had lmao?? also. all the nighttime clips >>> -don’t know what else to say except thank u skam for my life

[raayllum]

I JUST HAD A THOUGHT ABOUT YOUR CUBE HOSTAGE EXCHANGE THEORY.

Rayla trying to convince Araavos and Claudia to just kill her/not to contact Callum, and them being angsty the whole season has her trying to convince them he doesn't love her anymore, he doesn't want or need her anymore, and then it parallels the episode with Pyrahh with him arriving and saying he does. Then what happens with the cube? With him using Araavos' magic? I honestly have no idea, I did not think I'd be able to put this idea into words. I just thought of this one moment. This could be in like the last or second last episode? It's honestly something I'd love to see

This has always been one of my favourite concepts of CHET tbh so thank you for leaving it in my inbox! I've had a few thoughts about this particular aspect of it that's been updated with the way Rayla's return and how this post-TTM stuff has seemingly played out, which is to say:

Although Rayla's returned, I don't think it's clicked for her that she was wrong to leave - especially not when for two years, things have 'worked out' according to what she wanted. She's been off getting into trouble and danger and Callum has, until S4 comes and shit hits the fan, been perfectly fine and safe. That was all she wanted. She told Callum not to follow her... and as far as she (and we) knows, he didn't. He listened.

It worked.

Not perfectly, if she's come back, and definitely not if she's come back because she realized she can't keep him un-involved forever, but it worked for two years. Two years he got to be safe and 'happy.' She'd kill and die for less.

Then she comes back and he's... angry, for a while, probably. Holds her at a distance, and she can't blame him, not really. Probably wishes he wasn't as angry if only because she knows it means he's still in a lot of pain over what she did.

So you have a set up, currently where

Rayla has had no reason to question any of her self-worth talk towards herself and that her life isn't worth inherently less than any of her loved ones / that she doesn't always have to pay the price

She will have varying mileage in terms of knowing / believing that Callum is still in love with her, if not very little reason to think so, in some ways

She left Callum behind to protect him and he listened and it worked. Why wouldn't it work again?

Cue the angstiest possible route they could take of Rayla being separated from her blade(s) specifically because she was leading someone away from or trying to protect Callum. Her last words to him being "I love you" or something equally heartfelt, if she had a chance to say them.

Then at Claudia and co.'s camp, Rayla is scared (she doesn't want to die like this and be spell parts, especially when it's clear they're allied with Aaravos and now doubly dangerous) but also confident that Callum won't come. Why would he, when she's broken his heart for the final time, and last time her stunt worked? Why would he suddenly change his mind and come after her again? But Aaravos is still smug and delivers his "My return to this world is inevitable line" through the Chrysalis creature. Rayla argues that no, Callum wouldn't be that stupid, that reckless - she's not worth it, she doesn't Mean anything to him anymore, not really, but Aaravos has seen Callum through the mirror, even just the drawing he has of her up his study, and knows that's not true.

Even before Callum shows up and proves it.

[demon-of-the-ancient-world]

Game of thrones/ AsoIaF ask game

Tagged by @a-song-of-quill-and-feather thanks buddy

Answer the following 10 questions and then make up 10 of your own

1. Of the alive characters who would you like to see live to the end and who would you like to see die by the end?

I would absolutely love to see Theon make it until the end because that boy has been through so much already and deserves a good life. Also all the Starks...tbh I’d love most of the main cast to live but there’s no way that’s going to happen. The only characters I really WANT to see dead by the end are the Night King, Euron, and Cersei; NK is pure chaos and Euron just neets to stay the fuck away from my son.  I actually love Cersei as a character but I can’t see her being able to live and still leave all my faves alone so...

2. Which book/season is you favorite? Why?

My favourite book is AGOT, the first one, mostly because I just have really positive memories of reading it the first time, and I love the atmosphere GRRM creates at the very beginning, in the introductions to all the places that later become familiar to the reader. The beginning of an epic story like this is always fun to read. Show wise, I really like season 1 for the same reasons, but my favourites have to be a tie between seasons 4 and 6. I felt like season 4 was a real turning point for a lot of the characters, many of the mains began their storylines at the end of that season which would then get them directly to where they are now, or at least got them into a very different situation than the ones they had been in, and I found those transitions interesting. Tone-wise, it was also the beginning of a lot of changes for the same reason; at lot of characters were being put into new and different situations and that created a change in atmosphere overall. And season 6 was just iconic. Also that was the season that was actually airing at the time that I started watching the show, so it was the first time where I was really aware of what was happening and who everyone was during the current season, so I am nostalgic for it a little.

3. Who, outside of the usual candidates, would you think do well on the Iron Throne? Why?

I actually hope nobody ends up on the throne, but outside of the regulars (I’m assuming you mean Dany, Jon, and Cersei) I’d say Sansa? I think she has shown a lot of capabilities as a leader and knew Cersei long enough that she has a good idea of what NOT to do lol. Again, I hope/ think it’s going to end up with no one person ruling, but if someone had to I would be okay with it being her.

4. If you could undo one character death who would it be and why?

Oooh that’s tough because I wouldn’t want to change the story too much? Like I’d love Ned to live, but then basically nothing in seasons 2-7 ends up happening. So I’d say Shireen because she was just a sweetheart who didn’t deserve THAT. Or maybe Barristan, I liked his dynamic with Daenerys and I would have liked to see how it evolved over seasons 6-8. (Also just realizing now I would love Barristan and Davos to meet each other)

5. What prophecy from the books/show is your favorite?

How many prophecies are there? The only one I’m really aware of is the Azor Ahai thing and I’m still not even really clear on the specifications of it. I remember in the books the Ghost of High Heart had some prophetic dream that foreshadowed a bunch of stuff so I guess that one?

6. What house do you think you would be a part of? (Not necessarily your favorite but the one you fit amongst best) Why?

House Tully. They’re just sort of chill and trying to stay out of everything. I feel like they’re kind of like the Starks but less hardcore and living in a warmer climate, so I’m in. Only problem is I can’t swim...

7. What battle has been your favorite so far? What about least favorite?

I LOVE the battle of the bastards. The cinematography is absolutely stunning; as soon as they started doing that long take I knew I was in for a wild ride. Also the 3 main soundtracks ( “Let’s play a game”, “Bastard,” “Trust each other,”) are probably my favourite battle themes from the whole show.

8. What story from before the present would you like to read/see most?

Not really a story in itself but I’d just like to see sort of a day in the life of the generation before everyone in the current story, from all their different houses. Like, Ned and his siblings as kids, Cersei and her brothers (or even Tywin and his siblings) all the parents at the beginning of the story and how they grew up, perhaps it would give some insight into their relationships with the kids that we see during the story.

9. Would you rather your favorite character live but be in your least favorite ship for them, or die but after having been in your favorite ship for them?

Oh no oh no why do you make me answer this?? Okay my favourite character is Theon and I’d absolutely love if he ended up with Sansa...problem is my notp with him is Ramsay but he’s dead so the first part doesn’t really apply? I guess I’d rather him die but have some romance with Sansa first, even though that would destroy me.

10. If you woke up as a character from the show/book who would you want to wake as most? What would you do different?

Pre- series Ned, JUST TELL YOUR WIFE ABOUT JON, JESUS. Also I’d just get him to make some smarter decisions; Ned was a smart guy but a lot of the time he got so caught up it doing “the right thing” that it ended up benefiting the people he was trying to go against. He’s like one of those guys that votes for an objectively better but really unpopular third party candidate because he’s so loyal but only ends up getting the vote split.

Ok MY questions...

1:If you could take any character and bring them into our world for a couple days to show them what life was like, who would it be?

2: Favourite deviation from the books to the show?

3:What moment in the books or show made you go “this is it, I’m hooked”?

4: Was there ever a moment when you were genuinely scared your favourite character was going to be killed off? (if they’re not dead already)

5: Are there any interesting parallels that you’ve noticed between earlier and later seasons/ books?

6: What’s a reunion or first time meeting you’re looking forward to in TWOW/ sesaosn 8- that hardly anyone else is talking about?

7: If all the surviving characters were to go back as they are now and redo their own storylines, which do you think would do the best job of it?

8: What non- story element of the tv show is your favourite? (eg. acting, costume design, music)

9: Without actually saying who it is (you can say in the tags if you like), describe your favourite character really, really badly OR describe your least favourite character in a very flattering way

10: Are there any plotlines that you think could have been combined or separated from each other? Eg. Arya and Tyrion meet each other while both in Essos, Oberyn has his own storyline instead of coming to King’s Landing

I’m tagging @mhysaofdragons, @motherofkittens94, @proskenion04 and @selkiewife if you guys are interested and haven’t already done it

[almaasi]

reaction post typed while watching SPN 14x03 “The Scar”

i.e. me enjoying Dean’s freckly arms, the amount Dean and Cas say each other’s names, and Claire’s confirmed queerness

02:53pm

looking forward to some dean/cas head massaging i guess???????

-

02:55

i suppose the “it’s not just michael we’re talking about / it’s dean” script served the purpose of being a recap soundbite

but it did sound out of character at the time

-

02:57

OH MY GOD DEAN’S FIXATED ON SAM’S BEARD

WHAT A (TRAUMATISED) DORK JUST TRYING TO FIND NORMAL THINGS

poor bean

-

02:58

soooooooooooo.. they drove dean back to the bunker, and he clearly spent a moment having a shower and redoing his hair WITH GEL AND HAIRSPRAY

AND THEN HE PUT THE MICHAEL CLOTHES BACK ON???

edit: okay no IT’S EVEN WEIRDER. HE DIDN’T TAKE A SHOWER YET BUT HIS HAIR MAGICALLY GELLED ITSELF INTO DEAN-HAIR

-

03:00

them hearteyes !!!!!!!!!!!!!1

AND THE FUCKING VIOLINS PLAYING IN THE BACKGOUND

SOMEONE TELL ME THAT AIN’T A ROMANTIC VIOLIN NOISE

the violins were kind of soft and tense when jack came out but only started the romantic swoop when cas came out

-

03:04

could’ve done with a hug right there

WHERE’S THE HUG

I DEMAND A SOFT, TIGHT HUG WITH CLOSED EYES

-

03:06

i miss the handprint

also jensen has REALLY nice arms

so many beautiful freckles ;~;

also i was thinking, dean ends up with waaaaay more physical scars and injuries that just about anyone on this show. the handprint, the mark of cain, this thing. and i guess it’s kind of a metaphor for how damaged and scarred he is inside, emotionally.  people and creatures leave their mark on him, stake their claim, and he’s been used and abused a lot over his lifetime..

certainly more than sam

he always belongs to others, and lives to love and care for others (like baby sammy), never for himself

and funnily enough this makes me miss charlie more than anyone. because she was the one who helped dean be dean, and take time for himself, and come out of that goddamn spiked cocoon of emotional damage

one thing i rEALLY REALLY want this season is dean connecting with AU!charlie the way he did with original!charlie. >:{

he needs a charlie

-

03:15

and gorgeous hands too ;A:

i think delicate man hands are my favourite kind

you can TELL he’s a guitar player, his hands are artist’s hands

i hope he writes his own songs and sings them to his children and misha

and i hope one day he’ll release an album of original songs

ugh

ughgugguuhuh

-

03:17

i can’t believe half of the interaction between dean and cas goes like this:

cas: isfsjdkfdjcjdf dean sdkgfdkfgkjfgjfdk

dean: jashfsgjfj cas jdfjdjghjgjgh

cas: dean...

dean: cas! c’mon

they just........say each other’s names??? and that’s the whole conversation??? and they can change each other’s minds like saying their name is a whole argument????

i swear to fucking god i could write a fic where literally the ONLY thing dean and cas do together is say each other’s names with different inflections and tilt their heads and make pouty faces or frown or gulp or touch each other’s arms or breathe in certain ways, and by the end of it they’re kissing and it’s not even out of character

i know there’s a bunch of you who just nodded and you’re gonna message me to write that aren’t you

-

0323

omg dean’s little bumpadabump on the table

“hit me”

-

03:24

i wonder if that sword was an ACTUAL michael sword

or the wielder was a creature from kaia’s nightmare universe

-

03:26

oh yes i was right, it was one of those au creatures

OOH DO WE GET TO SAVE KAIA NOW

and have her and claire smooch please (and be a destiel parallel)

-

03:29

WHO IS SHE

CAN SHE BE A REGULAR WHO DOESN’t DIE PLEASE

okay yeah i’m definitely noticing a tiny trend this season of more women and people of colour

-

03:21

AW MAN

i don’t want MORE reasons why cas can’t go too

but hey at least they’re giving him actual important things to do in the meantime, rather than him just disappearing without explaination

-

03:34

the smile on dean’s face when he sees jody!!!!!!

also i thought there was a goat in the background of this scene but nope it’s just out lamb astra calling for someone to give her some milk already

-

03:35

sam’s sassy smile when he looks at dean

JODY LIKES HIS BEARD

i actually like it too tbh. the fact i don’t notice it unless someone points it out means it suits him

-

03:41

aaaah good they remembered sam’s obsession with serial killers

-

03:43

i love that this episode seems to be making full use of the bunker’s interesting rooms, plus the people who live in it and their interests

-

03:46

OHSAJHRFDJESUS CHRIST THAT MADE ME JUMP

MY CAT JUST CAME IN TO SEE IF i‘M OKAY

i wanna say that was great directing but i feel like a specific “it’s just a memory.... NOPE IT’S RIGHT NOW” shot would’ve come directly from the script

so kudos to berens for that

but also robert singer too for pulling it off

wow

-

03:51

YEEE THEY FOUND KAIA

god i want a dress like that

-

03:53

woman whose name i wish i knew (jules?): “sage, pyrite, and sheep’s eye? we got that here?”

cas: “yes.. storage room, red cabinet, bottom drawer. it’s marked... gross stuff”

three guesses who made that label

also regarding the pyrite - they must go through a lot of cyrstals doing these spells. i wonder if they have to do trips to the local crystal shops or if they buy wholesale

and who did the original buying? imagine dean and cas visiting the shop and dean being like “ooh shiny” and cas being like “dean that’s literally glass”. and dean sniffing ALL the intense. and then frowning at how expensive crystals are, then taking them all home and unwrapping them and spending an hour labelling them all

-

03:56

lauren/laura? [about cas]: “is that your dad?”

jack: “one of them, yes”

now i want an au where jack is in school and everyone assumes his parents are a gay couple but actually they’re just team free will who unanimously adopted him

but spoilers, dean and cas become a couple after repeated hints from other people and visiting the parent-teacher evening together and having everyone assume things so they just roll with it, and it not even feeling weird by the end of the night

maaaaan i wish i was less exhausted all the time so i could just write everything immediately and every day

-

04:00

oh shoot i’m not even halfway through this yet

really enjoying it btw

-

04:02

the necklace is probably cursed

-

04:06

jody: “anything connected to kaia and she’s a powder keg. first love strikes quick, and to lose it like that?”

DREAMHUNTER CONFIRMED

DESTIEL PARALLEL CONFIRMED

GAY CONFIRMED

NEEDS MORE GAY and more destiel parallel

but fuckigng g YES i love this 12/10 what this show needed AND WHAT WE WANTED IN WAYWARD DAUGHTERS goddammit

-

04:14

don’t they take jewellery and other effects off the bodies when they put them in the morgue?

also called it, the cursed necklace

(undoubtedly written so the audience guesses it first)

-

04:20

she just................j umped out th  fuck ing win dow

but of course she’s gonna go get her spear

-

04:25

proud momma bird

-

04:03

oh no jack.....................

:/

-

04:30pm

IT’S OVER THAT WAS GREAT

so happy to see kaia’s face gain, i really hope actual kaia can be saved somehow?? idk if that’s possible given that she Properly Died

but cas doing stuff, even if that stuff is being proud of jack

TWO WOMEN OF COLOUR WHO DIDN’T DIE YEE (is this a first? because even with missouri and patience, missouri died. and with alicia and her mother, her mother died. kaia may already be dead but her face isn’t) (would be BETTER if they interacted too but heck i’ll take it)

it was also really nice to see dean again

and his freckly arms

and cas doing the hearteyes

but BY FAR THE GREATEST THING IS CLAIRE/KAIA BEING CONFIRMED ROMANTIC 

WE ALL KNEW IT, BUT CONFIRMATION !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HELL YES

10/10 episode, i am thoroughly content

[mahalzevran]

DA 20+ Questions

Tagged by @antivan-surana​ thanks! Tagging @situationnormal​ @the-dread-doggo​ @acepavus​ @aroundofgwent​ @lakambaeni​ @kxnways​ @fuckbioware​ (no pressure ofc) and anyone who wants to?

The rest is under a read more because it’s long

01) Favourite game of the series?

Origins, only because you got less and less op as a mage as the games went on. I love all the games tbh.

02) How did you discover Dragon Age?

My friend got my sister into it. They kept talking and talking about it so finally I was like “ok lets see what the big deal is” and here I am now

03) How many times you’ve played the games?

I’ve done Origins twice fully, DA2 four times fully (omg I didn’t realize this until now lol) and DA:I just once fully. I have one unfinished playthrough of Origins with a Cousland, and I’m in the middle of maybe two of DA:I. I think I’ve gone back and replayed certain parts of both Origins and DA:I plenty of times.

04) Favourite race to play as?

Elf I guess? Though I’ve only fully played as a human and elf. I’m in the middle of a dwarf playthrough and I’m thinking of doing a qunari one in the future. It might change idk.

I just really liked playing as an elf in Origins so that’s why I got into elves. But the funny thing is, I wasn’t even thinking of playing as an elf when I played for the first time. I wanted to play as a human. I just did it on a whim.

05) Favourite class?

Mage, hands down. Realistically, they’re the most versatile class. They can do range and melee since anyone can learn how to fight with weapons. But the last two games won’t let you so :)

Also, this stems from the fact that I’ve been a harry potter fan since I could remember.

06) Do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time?

In my full, proper playthroughs that I’ve finished, it’s slightly different but still the same basic ideas. Sided with mages, agreed with Anders, etc.

But I am planning to try an evil playthrough in the future so

07) Go-to adventuring group?

DA:O (I have two)

Leliana, Wynne, Shale - the OG crew; they were my main crew in my first playthrough and it was a pretty even party

Zevran, Leliana, Alistair - the elf crew; esp. with Rhian they’re all elves because I saw a theory that Leliana is half elf and I’m down

DA2

It’s a mixed bag. If I’m not playing as a mage, I usually take Anders a lot because we need a healer and Merrill can’t heal. I tend not to take Sebastian as much after I max his friendship. After Sebastian, I take Aveline the least. Other than that I just mix it up. Unless I’m romancing someone, then I take them every time.

I’d love to take Anders, Fenris, and Merrill out more often but I hate how mean they all are to each other (looking @ u bioware 👀)

DA:I

My first playthrough, I mixed it up a lot in the beginning but then I ended up bringing Solas, Cole, and Blackwall a lot near the end for some reason?

I love taking Vivienne, Dorian, and Solas out, especially if I’m playing a mage, because it’s such a pretty fireworks show

In general though, if I’m romancing someone I take them with me almost always.

08) Which of your characters did you put the most thought into?

I think it’s a tie between Rhian and Lu.

09) Favourite romance?

To no one’s surprise, it’s Zevran :3

Solas is second because I just really like that angst.

10) Have you read any of the comics/books?

I’ve read The Silent Grove, Those Who Speak, and Until We Speak (because someone gifted me the Omnibus) and The Calling.

I also have Hard in Hightown, which I should probably read lol, and the art book of inquisition.

11) If you read them, which was your favourite book?

The Calling solely because of my mom Fiona and my dad Duncan. 

12) Favourite DLCs?

Awakening because I love everyone and its also really funny that Rhian, who is 19 at that point, had to basically babysit people older than her and also run a whole arling.

I love both Legacy and Mark of the Assassin. Mark of the Assassin was really funny (though I hated the stealth part). I love Legacy specifically because when I was fighting Corypheus, both Varric and Anders K.O.’d and it was just me and Carver. It was a special family moment bringing down a whole entire magister together. I also hc that that was canon and it brought Kaia and Carver closer together.

13) Things that annoy you.

I’m gonna talk about the game bc if this is about the fandom, then that’s a whole other thing.

Anders’ writing for one. It doesn’t make sense that he’d approve of giving Fenris back to Danarius. And also that he wouldn’t tell f!Hawke that he’s bi? Then there’s the fact that Anders, Fenris, and Merrill all don’t get along when they have a lot in common.

Anything that was written by Lukas Krisdkjsdhkdk. Aveline, Sera, etc. he did a really bad job.

Also didn’t like that mages got less OP in the last two games.

There’s also the tone-deafness? Dorian, a brown man, saying slavery is ok. And also there’s the dialogue between Solas and Vivienne where Solas supposedly “owns” Vivienne. I think he says something like “may you learn”? Solas, a white person, saying this to Vivienne, a black woman, when there’s obvious colorism in Thedas? I think not.

There’s probably other but I can’t think of them right now.

14) Orlais or Ferelden?

Orlais is too snooty and Ferelden doesn’t season their food. I pick Seheron and Laysh because that’s where the Asians are at.

15) Templars or mages?

Mages

16) If you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one?

Originally, my canonverse was Rhian, Kaia, and Luwalhati. Alden and Bolin were part of an AU. Then Alden finagled his way in there, then I decided to have Bolin in there too. So now i have twin Hawkes and Bolin is part of the Inquisition (if he’s a companion or not, I haven’t thought about)

I have plenty of other OCs that I’m planning on, but they’re currently sorted into a different universe.

17) What did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc)

Pikamon for the Origins mabari. It’s a mix between the names of my two dogs, Pikachu and Cinnamon

Cinnachu for the DA2 mabari, also a mix of Pikachu and Cinnamon.

Lu’s mount is the royal sixteen (hart), which is given to you by Clan Lavellan if you manage to keep them alive iirc, and its name is Luntian, the tagalog word for green which is her favorite color. (In a teen!Lu AU, her mount is the bog unicorn bc she’s an edgelord)

18) Have you installed any mods?

It would be more surprising if I didn’t. How else would I manage to have my characters look like the’re poc?? And also get rid of whitewashing and have some continuity. I usually just do cosmetic mods if it’s my first playthrough. Then I do like “cheats” after I finish the game fully.

Fun fact, I once spent like 2+ hrs modding Origins to have the Zev romance the way I want. I also stayed up until like 5am trying to make Solas look like his concept art lol (it didn’t really work)

19) Did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden?

Rhian didn’t not want to become a warden. She read about them and thought they were an honorable order, but she didn’t expect to ever have a chance to become one. Her goal was to just go up in the Circle hierarchy, maybe even become First Enchanter. Then when the time came, she didn’t really have much of a choice.

20) Hawke’s personality?

Kaia is blue and Alden is purple

21) Did you make matching armor for your companions in Inquisition?

At first, I didn’t get what the big deal was with crafting. It didn’t seem fun at all lol. Then I tried it and was hooked. I don’t have them matching, but I do tend to try to match my Inquisitor with their LI in some way.

My usual procedure for armor in Inquisition is like this. I make everyone wear heavy armor and pick the materials that have the highest attributes, not caring how ridiculous the colors are. Then I go to tint them using a guide for each companion’s color scheme. This is the same for helmet but I usually have them turned off or have no one wearing one.

The only exception is Varric, Cole, and Blackwall. I have Varric wear the rogue armor that looks like his DA2 outfit, and Cole and Blackwall wear the Grey Warden heavy armor. I tint the grey warden armor using a guide for its color scheme.

I have Bull, Vivienne, and Cole wear their unique helmets.

22) If your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change?

Rhian - She’d probably want to re-do how she told Zevran that she wasn’t exactly dead.

Kaia - Taken Quentin’s threat more seriously and killed him before he got to Leandra

Alden - He has no regrets

Luwalhati - wouldn’t have taken Sam and Wis with her so they wouldn’t have had to have died in the conclave explosion

Bolin - None, all of his decisions led him to Dorian and he’s happy with that.

23) Do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon?

They’re all at least part Seheron?

I also hc that neither Carver nor Bethany die because Kaia was able to cast a barrier on both of them before the ogre got them. Then they both became Grey Wardens because Carver contracted the taint in the expedition and wouldn’t join the Wardens unless Bethany came with him too.

Another hc I have is that Sebastian didn’t leave when Anders was spared and stayed to help out. But he went his separate way after because he still didn’t approve of sparing him.

Oh shoot, I almost forgot. The most against canon thing I’ve done probably? Rhian didn’t do the Ritual but she did slay the archdemon without dying. Rhian’s an arcane warrior, so when she slayed it, she was partway in the fade. Being partway into the fade was enough for her essence, I guess, to survive it. But she’s not mortal anymore and kind of a spirit now? So she periodically has to chill in the fade because being in the real world takes a toll on her.

25) Who did you leave in the Fade?

In the game, it was Stroud. I killed Loghain and no way is Alistair gonna be trapped in there. Fiona will be sad. So I made Alistair king in the game only, so Stroud was the one that was left.

This is another off canon thing I did. In my actual canon, Alistair is the warden contact. The Hawke that comes to the Inquisition is both Kaia and Alden. Alden brings Fenris with him because he doesn’t go anywhere without his Boo-Boo. Bethany and Carver also come because Weisshaupt was being weird and it seemed like they would be safer in the Inquisition. Lu + her party, Alistair, Kaia, Alden, Fenris, Bethany, and Carver all come to Adamant. Because there’s so many people, everyone was able to escape the Fade. No one is left behind.

26) Favourite mount? The nugs! All of them :) 

Though I don’t really use the mounts lol

[dumblesbianwrites]

so season six happened

... and i am not okay in the slightest.

we got SO MUCH this season and i’m so freaking happy with it, i can’t wait for season 7. this is the most excited i’ve been about the show in a loooong time. anyway here are my (somewhat incoherent) thoughts in (somewhat) chronological order:

- hunk!!! finally got screen time!!!!!!! (it lasted half an episode and then we got nothing but still) i’m so proud to see him being more assertive instead of the nice guy we see all the time. like ofc it’s okay that he’s kind, but my boy is no pushover!!!!

- allurance???? allurance!!!!!! whoosh that was really sometjing special, he DIED AND SHE BROUGHT HIM BACK TO LIFE YOUR FAVES COULD NEVER

- at the same time i was sort of annoyed at lance for still being so obsessed, it made me so happy that his feelings for her have matured and are serious but he was sort of still being that petty jealous kid that we left behind in season four (but apparently he’s back now oof)

- i haven’t seen anyone else talk about it but the shidge this season?? the way she goes after him and pulls him back to the computer hacker thingy was AMAZING

- AND THEN we had pidge feeling suspicious about ‘Shiro’ so she copies his hand code thing??? like you could see the heartbreak when she realised she was right ‘i didn’t think i’d have to use it’ OOF

- and punk!!! quickly becoming one of my top ships, pidge dipping hunk while pretending to be lotor was something i didn’t know i needed, but i’m so glad i have

- but apart from that, we didn’t really get too much pidge this season which upset me :(( but i get it bc she had a lot in s5 and i think she’ll have a big role in s7, with her dad (and seeing her mom again!!!) and iverson so yeah i’m disappointed but i’m looking forward to more pidge next season

- speaking of holts, matt??? my boy??? where are you what have they done to you

(if he doesn’t get to go back to earth i will throw hands believe me)

- basically little to no plance this season which broke me bc i was really hoping for it, we did have the dnd episode which was a Blessing™️

- speaking of, THE DND EPSISODE WAS A BLESSING WHOOSH ‘i think i’m gonna be a paladin again’ shiro you fucking moron i love you

- lots of lotura, both fluff and angst, i’m here for it except i felt it was way too rushed, the lines were a bit cringe and the kiss felt out of place so yeah :/

- also lotor is evil. i’ve been saying this since the end of s4, we all knew it was coming but i wish it had paid off more bc he just sorta went crazy and. that was it but i did love the parallels with lotor being like zarkon and allura being like alfor that was neato

- KROLIA AND TEXAS AWWWWWW that’s the real winning ship this season, baby keith with a mullet was the cutest fucking thing ever also she didn’t die which is a bonus

- Keith!!!!!!!! we got!!!!! so freaking much i feel so blessed!!!!! we’ve been in a keithless desert for so long and here it is!!!!! a keith ocean!!!!!! moody preteen keith is my fave, i love love love him

- COSMIC WOLF FRIEND WOW I LOVE

- introducing romelle!!! i hope we get more of her bc she’s super interesting and also pretty wow i’m gay

- that whole backstory with lotor starting a cult to harvest quintessentce was enthralling. a lot darker than i anticipated (kids show my ass) but i’m glad we had some world building going on like history + culture wise

- lotor’s generals are as attractive as ever. nice.

- SO happy we got the clone thing over and done with, if it had gone on any longer i would have lost interest tbh. i really thought lance would have figured it out but nope it was keith and pidge a little bit i guess. that bit at the end where lance apologises and starts crying?? shance shippers are shaking

- speaking of shoppers losing it: SHEITH. OOOOOH BOY THE SHEITH. Best bromance ever, i love the flashbacks we got to their growing up together and we got to see just how much of an impact shiro had on keith, their relationship is so close and important and i’m very pleased that the show hasn’t completely ignored like they did with shiro and matt. that ‘i love you’ thing was one of my favourite moments this season, it was perfect, the VA’s really stepped it up ngl

so that is my immediate reaction after watching it once, i’ll probably watch it again and post some more stuff later in more detail. thanks for coming to my ted talk xx

[bethanyactually]

Harry Potter (the whole franchise) for the meme

Top 5 favourite characters: Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville, McGonagall, though ask me another day and I might answer differently

Other characters you like: Ginny, Luna, Hagrid, Fred, George, Molly, Arthur, Fleur, Bill, Sprout, Sirius, Tonks, Lupin, et al.

Otps: I’m fine with canon ships, I don’t really have what I consider OTPs in HP. Though I am pretty fond of @annerbhp‘s Slytherin!Ginny and Harry.

Notps: Snape/any student

Favourite friendship: the Golden Trio, Harry & Luna, Hermione & Ginny & Luna

Favourite family: the Weasleys + Harry 

Favourite episode: n/a

Favourite season/book/movie: Favorite book is probably Prisoner of Azkaban. Favorite movie is either Sorcerer’s Stone or Goblet of Fire.

Favourite quote: “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: Just, overall there’s so much symbolism and so many parallels in the books, they’re a lot of fun to read and re-read (and I’m due for a re-read, tbh). And the movies are so gorgeous to look at! I’ve been to LeakyCon twice and both times one of my very favorite things was seeing a presentation by MinaLima on the graphic design of the Harry Potter movies.

When it really disappointed you: I didn’t read the books or see the movies till I was in my late 20s and early 30s, so I feel like they never disappointed me in the same way they sometimes disappoint people who read/saw them as kids. (Like, just for one example, I agree it would have been great if Dumbledore had been out in canon, but if he had, the books would have had a much harder time getting published in the mid-1990s. And if they had been published with a gay headmaster of a children’s school, they would have been much more controversial and probably not as widely-read. And an entire generation of kids might not have been exposed to stories that are largely about the harmful effects of racism and classism.) 

Saddest moment: Fred. :’(

Most well done character death: Harry.

Favourite guest star: Kenneth Branagh is awesome as Gilderoy Lockhart.

Favourite cast member: Emma Thompson, Daniel Radcliffe

Character you wish was still alive: SO MANY.

One thing you hope really happens: A seven-season TV series.

Most shocking twist: Cedric’s death was pretty shocking.

When did you start watching/reading: I think I saw the first movie or two, and then read the first book, because my mom and brother and best friend and cousin were all pestering me to read the books. But after I read the first book, I was talking to some friends about it, and one of them said, “If you want to enjoy the movies, wait and read the books after all the movies are done.” I thought that was good advice, so that’s what I did. After I saw the last movie, that I spent the week between Christmas and New Year’s reading all the books as fast as I could. And then I went to two LeakyCons. And now I’m beta-reading Hinny fic and listening to the excellent Harry Potter and the Sacred Text.

Trope you wish they would stop using: ?

One thing this show/book/film does better than others: When I first read Sorcerer’s Stone, I thought that the blending of the magical with the mundane was really good.

Funniest moments: “No need to call me sir, professor.” In general, book!Harry is pretty hilarious. Also, in Half-Blood Prince when Hermione tells Harry that Romilda Vane is only interested in him because she thinks he’s the ~Chosen One~ and Harry sort of cockily replies, “But I am the Chosen One,” and Hermione smacks him over the head with the papers she’s holding and he immediately says, “Right, sorry.”

Couple you would like to see: I could have lived with Luna/Neville

Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: As great as Branagh was as Lockhart, can you imagine if that role had gone to Hugh Grant?

Most boring plotline: ?

Best flashback/flashforward if any: when Dumbledore showed Harry the Pensieve

Most layered character: probably Harry, since he was the POV character and he’s so oblivious half the time that he’s a pretty unreliable narrator when it comes to other people

Scariest moment: Dumbledore’s death, maybe? because it was so unexpected. Or maybe all the Umbridge stuff.

Grossest moment: bogey-flavored candy, ewwwww

Best looking male: ?

Best looking female: ?

Who you’re crushing on (if any): ?

Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): anything at Hogwarts, especially with the lake. The scenes of the train moving through the countryside are always lovely, too.

Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: I’m sure there’s something, but apparently it doesn’t bother me enough to remember it.

At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: Honestly? I really liked all the movies, and I enjoyed reading the books a lot, but I feel like I didn’t really fall in love with Harry Potter till I went to my first LeakyCon. Interacting with all those smart people who loved the stories is what did it for me.

Thanks, Ana! :)

[elizabethrobertajones]

Hey so, you've probably been asked this before and if so you can just completely ignore this. But. I know there's been plenty of talk about the differences of Dean and Sam's personalities and families in It's a Terrible Life, but I've yet to seen anyone (as far as I remember anyway) talk about theories of why Sam's fiancé is Madison, and not Jess? Or Sarah? Far as I've come on that theory is, maybe because of the Werewolf thing? And how it relates to Sam's own "demons"? Thoughts?

I like your optimism that I have already been asked all of *the* most obscure questions :D Hehe

The fact Sera wrote both episodes is my first port of call, and Madison would be her own character so faster to mind. I think Heart is also one of her pet favourite episodes although do not ask me how I know that because It’s almost certainly something I read 7 years ago :P 

I would also have to assume on a boring technical level that they were trying to come up with uncanny valley lives, and Dean’s fake life already collected up Bobby and Ellen and Jo, while Sam’s life was deliberately meant to be the less well-developed one because Zach had just thrown together enough to stop him realising the game was up *immediately*, while not bothering to make a complete enough backstory that Sam wouldn’t help motivate Dean because without the much bigger cracks through which their old life came, Sam wouldn’t be able to motivate him in the same way. I don’t think he made many mistakes in the set up except mildly underestimating Dean (while still getting exactly what he wanted out of him by the end of the episode - in the short term, in the long term that’s when Dean gives him the “stab you in the face” warning :P), since he would have been constantly watching them, like an ant farm, and could have fixed Sam if he WASN’T meant to poke at his own backstory. Sam was never really their focus since Ruby had him under lock down doing her side of things and the angels by that point were all aboard on starting the apocalypse.

So I think the last most obvious reason it’s Madison is because Sam was just being mocked as a disposable character, and it really comes across that way when you know the whole story and who set it up:

SAMYeah, ‘cause I only moved here 'cause I just broke up with my fiancée, Madison. But I called her number and I got a damn animal hospital.

And in that sense, Madison is really tragic for us to know was a really awful thing that happened to Sam romantically since Jess, but also has this set up to be mocked and a too-easy joke for Zach. I think if it had been Jess there would have been the danger of him remembering too much, in character, and out of character if the writing process was casting around for a love interest to have a “hilarious” joke from Zach about them, Sam’s girl of the week options are limited and Sarah and Lori from hookman in the first season were both fairly sweet and survived the episode without much interpersonal drama for Sam, while Madison was also very tragic so mocking her and what Sam went through with her, is a very blatant example from the first couple of seasons of Sam being put through the wringer - I think he cried more in that episode than he’s done for the rest of the show since :P There’s much more obvious material to make a joke from than most of his other romantic connections and the only one who he actually cared about (since season 3 had him mostly just being set up for Ruby, while lusting after Bela a little… and honestly at this point trying to think who else Sam has been linked to, the Bad Writer Voice in my brain that comes up with all the junk pile snark suggested that old woman from 3x06 who pawed all over Sam - “But I called her number and I got a damn retirement home.” … So let’s be glad it was Madison :P)

Anyways, if there’s a wider meta purpose you probably got it… Madison is one of the monsters that Sam’s been connected to romantically, and actually Dean seems to think Sam’s got together with a lot more monsters than he actually has because in 4x14 he has some line about what is it with Sam and monster chicks or something, thinking he’s sleeping with the siren (whoops) and he’s reacting to Sam saying he and Ruby are together. Madison is really the only other major example, although Dean also thought Sam had a thing for Ava who he might not have qualified as a monster at the time, but *would* have classified as like finding like if he thought Sam had a crush, since they both had psychic powers and by season 4 that’s all the backstory to Sam’s struggle with humanity. (I mean honestly, Madison seemed to traumatise them both for different reasons so I could get if she stuck out in Dean’s memory even if he seems to tease Sam for it, it would be making light of it as a coping mechanism to the awful stuff they’ve done on the job.)

I’d also get if the show wanted us to think Sam had a bigger history with this than he does - hence the line in 4x14 AND this reminder about Madison - because they like making generalisations of their history to tell the story, focusing on one or two incidents and making it sound like a life-long pattern (despite Jess being Sam’s defining romance and characterised by the normality and that he lied to her about monsters to protect a bubble of normality). We won’t find out about Amy Pond until season 7 aka they don’t write it until then, so it’s retroactively adding to the pattern that was barely a pattern in season 4, but if they want to build up the image of Sam being attracted to monsters as part of the question about his own nature, trying to remind us that Ruby isn’t his first is a good way to go about that. 

Then they end the season with Dean or false representations of him repeatedly telling Sam that he’s a monster or he isn’t human any more and Sam picks Ruby over Dean, and throws his own humanity away blah blah blah we all know the story :P (I say, blah-ing away one of the best season finales on the show.)

… TBH the show trying to set up this narrative that you are what you sleep with just reminds me that in the version of the Winchester Gospels where Sam doesn’t drink demon blood, this is all excellent supporting narrative/examples to build up the ridiculous counterpoint Destiel subtext going on on the other side :P Which is kind of a joke I make but season 4 is told a LOT through their sexual preferences and encounters. If I was going to write a serious academic paper about the show where you don’t need to make the same disclaimers about intent and interpretation as you do on Tumblr it would be excellent to examine season 4′s main arc and plot points as told through the representations of their sexuality, because the Sam/Ruby, and Dean/Cas/Anna major narrative parallel of you are what you sleep with is barely scratching the surface… It’s a huge thing. The siren episode doesn’t just *happen* to be in this season and it’s not a random isolated incident, it’s one of the many ways this undercurrent of the season shows up. And that puts the Sam and monsters subtext directly next to Dean and dudes, which lines up perfectly with playing Sam/Ruby off Dean/Cas for the length of the season. Hey and lo and behold in 4x17 Sam has a history with Madison, and Dean has a hot co-worker he hangs out with, and a deep insecurity about the idea of Sam hitting on him in the elevator (… at work), and some queercoded behaviours, and a complete lack of love life mentioned in the main text, including shoving Jo hard into the sister box in the same exchange we find out about Sam and Madison…