#promotional shoot s2

[tonydaddingham]

Hi! I saw your tags on a post talking about car trouble as one of the great good omens fics and I've put it on my tbr! I wasn't really active in the fandom after season 1 so I feel like I missed out on all the great fics. I know about Demonology and Slow Show and I know about others from Aziraphale'sLibrary from their classics tag. But I was wondering what your list would be, your list of what the best and greatest good omens fics are. I'm young, so I have time to read lol

GASPS I HAVE RECS COMING OUT MY EARS @queenofthearchipelago, BUCKLE UP KID💕

this will be a mixture of genres and a lot of them are well known so may well already be on the AL classic lists (but, well, theyre classics for a reason imo) but im just gonna dump them here; these are literally just off the top of my head so won't be very coherent/in order - i'll give the links and ratings, but will leave you to peruse the synopses directly (most will be human AUs, they're my particular favourites), just to save making what will be a huge post even longer!!!

Car Trouble (E)

Petrichor and Parchment (E)

Memory of Eden (M) (and its sequels - imo The heartbreak series of all time. i sob like a baby) (it's written pre-s1 release, so book!omens, but i find it relatively easy to re-imagine if tv!omens is how you imagine them too etc) (no seriously if i ever get any fic professionally bound into a physical book, it's this series)

For Want of a Seed (T) (and also a huge shout out to Right of It also by cassieoh but it's unfinished - ive had it open as a tab in my phone for like a year? in the fervent hope it'll be updated, which fair enough if it isn't!!! but it's beauuuutiful)

Stranger in Paradise (E)

Infernal Bodyguard (M)

Wicked Thing series (E) (and anything by phoenix_soar, frankly. just... damn🫠)

i then also want to shout out a couple of fics from some amazing people on tumblr here (listed in no particular order!) which you may have already seen? but definitely worth mentioning because they're similarly insaneeee:

Shoot to Thrill and Learning on the Job (both E) and tbh anything by @teddybearbutchh, otherworldly affinity for not only writing in general, she's so talented, but her smut is 🫠

How Do We Turn On The Light? (M) by @moonyinpisces is soooo good as a post-s2 fic, she's really captured how i personally imagine aziraphale and crowley to act after the feral domestic, i love her characterisation!

The Loophole (E) by @fellshish is a different take post-s2 but incredibly funny and the apology dance is. life changing

Chemistry (E) by @twilightcitysky, i simply revisit their works time and time again, but this one is a particular favourite!!!

and im sure there are some lovelies that might read this and want to add their recommendations too, or self promote???💕✨ but these are my faves, like i said, right off the top of my head!!!

[paperclipninja]

This thought struck me while I was driving and I don't know if it's a) tenuous at best, b) me finding meaning where there is none or c) possibly a thing. So naturally I'm going to throw it out there as a possible maybe-theory/foreshadowing.

As we all know, this handshake moment in the magic shop in s2 has the sword very deliberately positioned right where Aziraphale and Crowley's hands meet and we see the three swords in Aziraphale's back as he moves forward.

And when Aziraphale walks back to the counter and Crowley turns to watch, we see three swords now towards Crowley's chest - it's nicely and clearly pointed out with pictures in this post by @newfangledfancy

As many have noted, if Good Omens is anything, it is deliberate in its choices, especially when we're looking at something as obvious as this. What exactly it means, we'll no doubt find out later, but it certainly seems somewhat ominous and foreshadowing, with the sword down the middle arguably already in play with the separation of Crowley and Aziraphale at the end of s2.

My take? The sword in the middle is the breaking our two faves apart, the swords in Aziraphale's back are an indication of betrayal by Heaven (he still trusts they are the 'good guys') and the swords to the front of Crowley, to me, is indicative that part of that betrayal will involve trying to harm/destroy/get rid of Crowley.

The 'offer' to reinstate Crowley to angel status was such utter piffle (sorry, couldn't help it) because the Metatron knew he'd never go for it, but it also served another purpose; to lead Aziraphale to think he'd misjudged the Metatron (even if Aziraphale didn't really think that and doesn't have a choice about returning to Heaven, I do think part of him still also believes the system can be changed from within).

That extremely pointed, horrible look that the Metatron shoots Crowley just before he and Aziraphale leave the bookshop to go discuss the promotion (with accompanying danger music and all), you know, this one:

reveals to us that this performance the Metatron is putting on for Aziraphale really is just that, a performance. He wants Aziraphale to think he's misjudged him, I'm sure he was hoping he could convince Aziraphale to trust him. I think the angel is too clever to fully trust the Metatron, but what it does do is maintain Aziraphale's trust in Heaven and, I believe, the possibility he could make a difference.

So why the offer that Crowley could come to Heaven too? Yes, to entice Aziraphale but also, the offer makes it seem as though the Metatron has no gripe with the demon after all. It may be 'irregular', but he was willing to let Crowley be reinstated, it puts any notion of the Metatron potentially wanting to hurt Crowley off Aziraphale's radar (at least for now).

It's interesting too, in the 1941 magic shop scene, that the swords appear to be going into Crowley only once Aziraphale has moved past him, has his back to him. If I was following the separate, betray, destroy sequence of the sword set up, then I'd take that to suggest that any move against Crowley will happen while Aziraphale has his back turned, so to speak, and can you imagine the kind of fury that would unleash in our no. 1 angel? Coz I can and it is amazing! But I digress...

While speculation is fun (so, so much fun) and all, the point, the POINT of this rambling post was to say that if indeed that 1941 magic shop sequence is foreshadowing Aziraphale being 'stabbed in the back' and Crowley attacked in some way, it's not the first time we've seen a potential nod to that.

Look it may be entirely coincidental but I have to say, there is mighty similar symbolism right back in s1 when Aziraphale and Crowley are hit with the paintballs. Where does the pellet land on Aziraphale? On his back (and how, from where he's standing? Is there someone behind him??). And where does Crowley cop the 'bullet'? Right there in the chest.

I just wouldn't put it past this show to have planted the seed that early on. And look, if it's nothing of the sort, then they're just fantastic stand alone sequences. That's the greatest thing about Good Omens, if it was a Clue, then it's amazing and if it's not, it was still amazing. We simply cannot lose.

[lady-griffin]

#ArcaneSeason01 | When and how did Jinx develop fishbones?

Thank you for your ask Anon!

I’m sorry it took me years to finally answer it, but at least I’m answering it the day S2 airs, so that’s something, right?

Also, I worked on this before S2 aired (before I watched it), so if something turns out to be wrong - oh well, I did my best. Again, sorry for the super late response.

Fishbones – The Idea and the When

This might surprise a lot of people since many see Fishbones as something Jinx specifically made for Silco, but the show’s details make it clear Jinx had the idea for Fishbones before she ever met Silco.

The main evidence being one of Powder’s drawings -

The bottom drawing depicts the very basic concept of Fishbones - a shark shooting a fiery blast out of its mouth with a bullet above it.

Fishbones is clearly a power fantasy of Powder’s, which makes sense. Violence was beyond the norm for her growing up and unlike Vi, physical hand to hand combat was not something she excelled at.

Now, her having this fantasy or dream weapon doesn’t make Powder some evil child who was always going to be violent, she was a kid growing up in a violent world, who wanted to be useful, so it makes perfect sense she wanted to have (make) this “ultimate gun” – especially since shooting was something she truly excelled at.

I would also argue, she has more of a desire to create weapons that are uniquely hers, rather than just weapons to hurt people. Because despite all her insecurities she’s always been confident in her own artistic and general self-expression.

Powder obviously admired her sister and wanted to be like Vi, but she never tried to be Vi. She pursued things she was interested in and even what she was good at, rather than abandon all of it to be more like Vi.

In many ways, whether as Powder or Jinx, she's always remained true to herself.

Her weapons, particularly Fishbones are arguably proof of that. As, the same drawing (or a near identical one) is hanging up in Jinx’s lab in ep. 4.

Indicating Fishbones is still something she wants to make, despite how much she's changed and is different from her younger self.

Bonus Material -

Additionally, we have a promotional image of what comes with The Collector’s Edition of Arcane, giving us a clearer picture of said initial drawing of Fishbones.

As well as the blueprint three of Jinx's weapons (including Fishbones) and her other drawings.

Her blueprints are interesting to me, because they’re this mix of childishness and sophistication.

There’s a lot of “maturity” in how the actual drawings are clean, concise, and well-made. They don’t have Jinx’s usual scribbling style or aesthetic, which is evidence of something I’ve always believed about Jinx – her art style is simply just that, her style of choice.

Mostly importantly these are blueprints; meaning Fishbones is no longer just the abstract idea of a shark with a fiery blast, but now an actual idea of a possible weapon to be used.

Now in general it’s hard to tell what specific age Jinx drew something because of her scribbly style, but I’m leaning towards her being on the younger side for these.

Though it's more than possible she made the blueprint of Fishbones after Silco took her in.

Nonetheless, Fishbones has been an idea of Jinx’s long before Silco entered her life - meaning he wasn't the sole for reason why she built Fishbones.

Fishbones - The Design (Inspiration and Reason)

Now, I do agree with the common consensus that Fishbones was made with Silco in mind, specifically his love for sea monsters – BUT he’s not the only one with a love for monsters.

If we pay attention to the details, it's obvious, Powder had an affinity for monsters as well, even a fondness for sharks specifically. 

Which is just the cutest thing ever.

Can you imagine how happy Silco was when he learned his newly adopted daughter loved sharks and other monstrous creatures?

I know that has nothing to do with your question, but I just can’t get over that. Seriously, imagining that scene is just way too cute.

Evidence of Powder’s Affinity Towards Monsters

Ep. 1 - Shark plushie

In ep. 1, we see a shark plushie right before Vi goes to comfort Powder. Now, either Powder made this plushie herself or it was made for her, but either way it’s obviously Powder’s.

It also looks very similar to the rocket she shot from Fishbones – the grin especially.

Act I - Powder’s grenades

Throughout Act 1 we see several of Powder's grenades and also hear her talk about them. Note how she designed them, she didn’t simply draw a cute little poro or dragon on them, she actually designed them to be little creatures themselves.

She goes even further, by giving them names and pronouns; which to me, shows how many of her weapons are meant to be their own little creatures, not just weapons.  

Fishbones is a great example of what I’m talking about – because he’s not a bazooka with a shark drawn on him, he’s an actual SHARK bazooka.

Plus, I’m using he/him pronouns instead of calling Fishbones an it, because of the intentional “life” and personality Jinx has imbued into this weapon, and also from how she interacts with him in other League media.  

Ep. 6 - Powder drawing monsters

Vi has a hallucination/memory of Powder drawing the monsters they made up to outdo one another, so even though Vi said she went too far at times and Powder got scared, clearly Powder loved their game.

Which, by the sounds of it, was solely made up with the purpose of keeping Powder happy and entertained.

Ep. 7 and Enemy (mv) - Powder's battle helmet

With its eyes and teeth, clearly her helmet is another one of her monsters. And again, we don't simply see a cute figure simply drawn on the helmet, instead what Powder did here, like with her grenades, is turn her helmet into its own little monster.

Another couple of tiny details

In ep. 1 - Powder picks up something from the trash when Claggor and Vander are leaving the Last Drop and it looks very similar to the teeth of her future chomper grenades.

Even if they're not the same - Powder she clearly saw something that resembled sharp teeth and kept it.

There’s also her clapping monkey toy and while that's not a monster, it’s still a pretty creepy toy.

In the S2 trailer - Shark hoodie.

I know I said I was only focusing on S1, but I couldn't not talk about her hoodie, because she's wearing a shark hoodie!

It’s interesting - because some say this is her fully embracing Silco and his legacy while others claim this her returning to being Powder once again, as she's wearing something similar to what she wore when she played with Ekko – with the markings on her cheeks and everything.

I think it’s 100% both of those things, while also just Jinx being Jinx – someone who has always loved monsters and sharks.

-

Now I genuinely believe Fishbones was a gift for Silco; it’s just that Fishbones was always going to be Jinx's weapon. If anything, Jinx made Fishbones for Silco AND herself - something for the two of them to share.

Because if Silco had lived and they had attacked Piltover together, Jinx would’ve still been the one firing Fishbones, Silco would’ve been standing right there next to her of course, but Fishbones was always going to be her weapon.

Fishbones - The Physical and Literal When

My theory is that Jinx has tried to make Fishbones over the years and was finally only able to complete him (in a few days), once she figured out hextech (Acts II & III.)

The main Fishbones drawing I've been talking about proves he wasn’t thought of and then made and finished in a few days, rather he’s been in the works for a while.

I also think the scene in which we see the drawing is some great foreshadowing.

The unrefined hextech crystals landing top of the drawings of Fishbones and her family, right after her breakdown (ep. 3).

Fishbones may have only been an idea at the time and maybe that's all he could've ever been, but once the crystals were refined into gemstones, there became a way for Jinx to bring her vision to life.

I could also argue, that without the tragedy of losing her family and Silco taking her in - Fishbones may have never existed.

Even with Powder's fantasy of Fishbones and her being more than ready to use her grenades, she's never actually hurt anyone before, not as far as we know. It's possible if things stayed relatively the same, Powder would've ended up freaked out or scared of the reality of what her weapons can do.

Jinx on the other, being raised by Silco... not so much.

-

I'm so glad I noticed all these monster and shark details, because initially my timeline for Fishbones was that Jinx came up with the idea for him and executed said idea in less than a week.

While Jinx is beyond impressive, when would she have time to do that?

Seriously, even if Jinx didn't get any sleep (more than likely) there are only so many hours in a day and she was doing a million other things.

But with this new (very loose) timeline, well everything makes a whole lot more sense.

It's still beyond amazing Jinx made and finished Fishbones in the time frame she did – but it’s more doable (for her), especially since Jinx has shown to be able to accomplish a whole lot when she’s under a time crunch.

But like I've said, I believe Jinx has been working on Fishbones for years now and I’m guessing she couldn’t make her specific vision of him into a reality because she didn’t have a strong enough power source; so, he was put on hold.

But once she cracked the gemstone/hextech – it was “simply” a matter of redesigning Fishbone’s design to be a hextech devise.

Basically, I think Jinx was able to finish Fishbones by the finale, because she salvaged her previous protypes of him for parts

None of this is easy or simple by the way. Fishbones truly shows how much of a genius Jinx is. Seriously, consider the fact that at the end of S1 the three experts on hextech and known inventors of its devises are Jinx and the two literal creators and founders of Hextech.

That's amazing.

Jinx taught herself hextech by using the notes and research she stole from them, which is beyond insane and I feel like so many undercut how truly impressive that actually is.

In addition, Fishbones' existence shows us how inventive, adaptive, and weirdly enough practical Jinx is.

The last one may seem odd, but remember Silco told her she needed to crack hextech sooner than later, so, working with a design she's been struggling with for years and adapting said design to be a hextech one; rather than just starting from scratch is really practical of her.

And Jinx did all of this while remaining true to herself and her aesthetic, because she's all about that self-expression and creativity.

Jinx wouldn’t/couldn’t design just any weapon for Silco, especially not for his war against Piltover, none of those weapons would've been good enough for him or for her.

The weapon she made to help Silco finally turn the tables on Piltover, would've had to be something significant and meaningful to them both, because this is important to them.

So, even though Silco never saw Fishbones, I know he would’ve absolutely appreciated and loved him.

Fishbones was made to be something the two could share in a way; if anything, he’s a symbol of their bond as well as all the things they have in common, in particular their shared love and admiration for monstrous creatures.

And I absolutely love that so goddamn much, because in a way Fishbones shows Silco and Jinx were “always meant” to be father and daughter.

Who else would’ve truly appreciated her giant shark bazooka?

Who else would’ve found Silco's sea monsters to be just as beautiful and awe inspiring as he did?

Summary

Fishbones was an idea of Jinx’s long before she ever met Silco and what started out as power fantasy of a young powerless girl, became not only a reality, but her ultimate show of power (at least for S1).

Fishbones was made for Silco’s sake though, Jinx was going to present him to Silco as the weapon to turn the tables on Piltover.

He's a shark because of Silco's love for sea monsters AND because of Jinx's own love and fondness for monsters (+ sharks).

Fishbones also, at least I think so, shows their bond as father and daughter over the years.  

In regards to when Jinx made Fishbones, I think since Silco took her in, she's likely tried to make him a few times, but he's never worked – likely because she didn't have a strong enough power source.

But once she figured out hextech, she was able to implement the tech into her redesign, and by using her other skills and knowhow, Jinx was able to create the perfect weapon for herself.

[veeagainsttheday]

Ed and talking it through as a crew

I've been working on my Ed S2 POV fic and I feel like I had a complete breakthrough thanks to the amazing comments of my betas and thinking about things more and I wanted to share it with you.

In 2x1, Izzy and Ed are talking in the cabin; Izzy has just made his horrible love confession and Ed has taken it about as well as can be expected. Izzy then suggests to Ed that they "talk it through"; Ed looks up from the table like he's having a revelation and says, "as a crew". He then storms outside for the worst staff meeting in history, which he opens by saying, "Hi all" just like Stede.

But, crucially, Ed is TRYING to talk it through as a crew!! This is the first time we see him speak to anyone on the ship aside from Izzy. And Ed is not doing a great job of it, but that entire meeting is such a cry for help, he is literally begging the crew to explain things to him with a gun to his head. And then Izzy once more steps in to get between Ed and the crew and tells everyone that the problem is Ed's feelings for Stede. Ed's demeanor instantly changes; he shoots Izzy with such a calm, resigned air before announcing Frenchie's promotion to first mate and that they have a raid record to break. Talking it through wasn't successful because Izzy once again controlled the narrative for the crew.

[sunfortune]

looking back on the s2 promo material is soo insane how nonsensical it was. they really talked about the importance of representation(tm) every chance they got while simultaneously undermining themselves both in the show and the promotion. i remember there was like a video about bollywood movies but it was charithra paired with nicola for some reason??? instead of simone the actual indian female lead they made such a big deal about or even shelley conn. genuinely need to study the marketing team's brains! also note how all talk about representation went out the window for s3, even outside of race

the way they did a bridgerton magazine shoot for every main couple but for season 2 they did it for the SIDE CHARACTERS instead? the way they did a pat mcgrath collection, a makeup brand literally KNOWN for how it’s pigmented products where on dark skin but for season 2 gave the campaign to the white blonde instead?? the way they had a soaps collection, didn’t do a lily soap and made it about whistledown instead ???? even production! like whole storyline for an irrelevant featherington cousin while kate /THE MAIN CHARACTERS/ entire backstory that was CRUCIAL to the plot got erased??! NOT even letting them be the only ones on the official poster? as would make SENSE for a romance??? LIKE WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON HEREEEE 😭

[aviyx]

ARCANE S2 SPOILERS eps 1-3

i really dont understand why people keep calling caitlyn a dictator. i mean i partially understand it BEFORE vi and her 'break up' when she just storms in and is like 'yeah were gonna do this now', but the end???

she was given a role of power, obviously unaware and by someone trying to manipulate her into fighting in a war for their own personal gain.

she staged an attack on the memorial, which is obviously taking advantage of caits loss to rile her up and get those revenge thoughts coming

cait had to fight to become and *stay* an enforcer, because her parents were against it, and now her mother is dead, shes being offered power that she has actually earned herself. (kinda) of course she isnt going to deny the promotion?? she likely also felt insulted when vi said that she couldve missed when shooting is her *whole thing* AND JOB!!

i dont think caitlyn is anything close to a dictator. yes i believe shel probably do something not great with her power, but if anyones becoming the dictator right now, its ambessa.

[atouchofireland]

PR Perception & Consequences: Luke Newton

[This analysis is from the perspective of a lover of story with a Masters in Publishing & Writing, with ties to a publicist with 20+ years experience.]

I didn't watch Bridgerton until a while after s2 came out. Partly because I hesitate with new shows and mainly because I hate waiting years between seasons.

I LOVE Derry Girls because it clicks with my mainly Irish family. So, I knew who Nicola was as Clare before watching Bridgerton, but nothing else.

That leads into the LN assumptions.

From what I can tell as a general viewer of the show and Social Media, he came from musical theater and Disney stuff in the UK before landing the Colin role in his mid 20's.

During this time, aka 2019/2020-2023, LN had a gf named Jade for that whole time.

Media reported that they'd broken up some time at the end of filming in June 2023. Then, there is some reports saying he got with his current partner, mere months later in at least 8/23 if not sooner. (Nic is known for keeping her even longterm relationships a secret, but Luke's previous gf would post a few pics and vids here and there.)

This is where PR should've started to protect his image before the first premiere and press tour even happened.

At this point, late 2023, Luke has not posted even a hint of his supposed app gf anywhere. Then he leaves for a 6-month world tour with his friend, of 5 years that he has easy chemistry with, but now they both are not with longtime partners.

LN leaned into the romantic press interviews with his friend because he was comfortable with her and it promoted the show.

Here's where his friends as PR shows dumbass judgment.

I believe I saw something about the app gf attending the 1st premier in London, before the tour, but it wasn't paparazzi-d. Whereas, after the WT, the 1st LN news was pap photos with this girl at the after party 2nd half premier. Basically, PURPOSEFULLY taking the romance illusion away from the couple that the actors built for the months leading up to this.

Bad PR leads off from here: self-described introvert Luke goes to Milan with 'gf',' fair enough it's fashion week. But, THEN he's BACK in Italy on "holiday." Getting paparazzi pics of him they didn't even get on his World Press Tour. Then possibly in Greece, continuing some vacation? So much of this shit makes zero sense both PR-wise and normal person-wise.

For example of good PR capitalizing on lead roles: Nicola is on a movie rn, she's part of A-list representation, she's possibly a future bond girl. Johnny Bailey was shooting a drama, Wicked, and his Bridgerton cameos at the same time. Simone is starring in a motion picture out soon.

The rumors of LN's friend Rory running his socials is horrible because: 1) Rory seems like a douchebag who wants more shirtless pictures of himself on his non-famous account than of his gf. 2) He puts Luke's skinny "similar to his gf" wannabe influencer gf on his instagram without hyping up any on Luke's actual work and projects.

This all gives off the vibe of this friend being resentful, taking advantage of Luke breaking up with his longterm gf and deciding to get more built for the show, and convincing him he needs the "hot rebound" for himself and image. As always, that gross straight man is wrong. All his friends say he's so sweet and quiet and genuine.

How I perceive him from his own press: Had a supportive, longterm gf who was also an aspiring actor as they were both coming up in their early 20's. LN started working out so much to get lean & abs to feel on-par with the other Bridgerton guys. Him and his gf grew apart, maybe even felt resentment, while LN was shooting so long for BS3. Shooting raps.

This is the overall perception that makes me and I think many others so mad: Luke had a sweet, curvy, talented gf for 4 years. And he was a thicker tall guy, not fat, not skinny, not ripped but amazingly curvy in the male way that's rare. He got all built for Bridgerton when Nic refused cuz it isn't necessary for the characters. And after all this real-life and on-screen romance with a mid-size woman, after becoming a "muscly man," he shows up with a stick-figure wanna be dance influencer.

His actions of allowing his pr/friend to paint him as if he gets "hot women" now that he's "desirable" is what makes me fucking sick about the perception of him and I think this is why so many Bridgerton fans in the SM sphere got the ick.

[that-left-turn]

But the studio isn’t pushing romantic caryl. They’ve played them as soulmate friends. And I believe them now. After the bad promo and zabel’s comments idk why some of us are trying to retcon what’s in front of us. I won’t watch and be disrespected.

I’d describe what the studio’s peddling as ‘ambiguous Caryl.’ The romance is there if you choose to interpret the tea leaves one way, or Caryl are just the bestest of buddies if you’d rather see it the other way. AMC has always tried to cast as wide a net as possible, often to the detriment of both the quality of the show and the viewership they could’ve had if they’d made some definitive choices.

I think a lot of fans try to retcon the show's marketing because they’ve made a large emotional investment in Caryl—understandable since they’re two of the best developed characters on television, and there’s very limited understanding of how a TV production is run. After the last two years, people want things to be hopeful, so they curate a narrative that puts a positive spin on the promotion. There are probably also fans who didn’t watch S1 and haven’t seen anything else that Zabel has showrun, so they don’t know his style or how he writes women.

AMC wants Carylers to watch the show. They’ve spent the last few weeks promoting specifically to that demographic. I’m not saying they’re pro romantic Caryl, but they’re anti something which’ll nuke their Caryl audience out of existence. Zabel’s quote doesn’t serve AMC. They want you to watch, even if they give you nothing and telling you upfront that they’ll give you nothing will result in less viewers and less money. That’s why they’ve spent 14 years playing coy with all factions of fandom.

I wish fans would look at the bigger picture. Some other EP wants reunions (and is probably pitching shows to AMC) only to have Norman shoot down any questions about Rick with a joke. He’s not interested. Norman’s also been pretty vocal lately in hyping Melissa and Carol. He’s buffering her with the fans at the shoot, etc. That’s all part of the job and yes, it serves him too, but who doesn’t benefit from a successful S2 and/or Caryl and McReedus chemistry being well-received?

AMC has paid quite a bit of money to have Melissa return and they want to see that investment pay off. They won’t pick up an actor’s option—her deal is for two seasons—if that actor doesn’t bring viewers, engagement and acclaim because they have to offer her more money. Who stands to gain and what is to be gained, if ratings don’t increase from S1? It’s a low-key way to sabotage an actor you don’t want on your show and there are three EPs who resent Melissa being foisted upon them. All three have their own reasons for it.

I think that’s where things currently stand. Choosing not to watch helps a misogynist agenda and choosing to watch sends a message to AMC that they don’t have to respect their viewers. It’s important that Melissa gets the praise she deserves and doesn’t get scapegoated, so I would suggest that fans are vocal about the reasons for their choice. No matter what your choice is.

Just, please, don’t pretend that Zabel’s anyone’s ally or that Melissa’s EP title overrules whatever he says. Unless she specifically goes on the record to say that she wants Caryl to be platonic soulmates and nothing else, don't assume that her silence or deference to someone who’s her boss means she agrees with his decisions. She's not free to speak her mind at work events and even behind closed doors, it's hard to openly oppose men with fragile egos who hold the power.

I'm not trying to dictate what anyone should do. I just want there to be less misinformation, so Caryl fans can make informed decisions for themselves.

[hotdaemondtargaryen]

OLIVIA COOKE PHOTOGRAPHED BY EVELYN FREJA FOR LA TIMES.

RYAN CONDAL TALKING ABOUT ALICENT HIGHTOWER'S CHARACTER ARC IN S2.

Condal describes Alicent’s journey this season as “an ongoing expansion of the character,” although he admits the episodes “really put Alicent through her paces.”

That was something Cooke felt deeply.

OLIVIA COOKE TALKING ABOUT ALICENT HIGHTOWER IN S2.

“In this season, she’s so adrift,” Cooke says, joking that there are only so many miserable faces she can make.

“She’s losing her power. With Rhaenyra and Alicent, it’s like a butterfly effect, so as Rhaenyra is gaining power, the hourglass is turned over and the power is waning from Alicent, and her influence is waning as well. There’s an imaginary rope between [the two characters] that carries them throughout seasons.”

Cooke says Alicent “gets a massive dose of the reality” when her “psycho sons” take control of the realm.

On a more positive note, Alicent has the opportunity to explore her sexuality this season, coupling up with a character who will, for now, remain unnamed (let’s just say he matches her freak).

It’s a rare expression of freedom for a woman who has lacked agency, which Condal says has “greatly affected who her character is.”

“That was really important because you’ve not seen Alicent experience that in her adult life, and all of a sudden, she has all these teenage, passionate feelings toward someone,” Cooke says.

“I think that makes her feel insane.”

ABOUT FILMING 'HOUSE OF THE DRAGON' S2.

After seven months of production, which wrapped in September, Cooke was “absolutely knackered” — a polite British way of saying the experience had completely depleted her.

“Last season, Emma and I were only in four episodes each, so we’d walk in and be full of beans when everyone else was at death’s door. Then I think we both really felt the enormity of the schedule. And it’s so emotional.”

“Both of us are just either sobbing or screaming all the time. I don’t know if I smile in Season 2.”

Despite the exhaustion, Cooke loves playing Alicent.

She’s a character of “so many subterranean levels of repression and anger and despair and passion,” which is a huge gift.

Has compassion and empathy for her, and she understands why Alicent does manipulative, devious things.

“She’s smarter than all the men as well and she could rule and she’d be really f— good at it.”

“It’s so frustrating that she can’t believe she would be this amazing ruler because she’s so indoctrinated by the patriarchy and by her father.”

“She’s been molded to talk sweetly into the ears of these powerful men, and it’s such a disservice to who she is and what she’s capable of.”

ABOUT HER PERSONAL LIFE.

Before Season 1 premiered, Cooke was worried that her personal life might become too public for comfort.

“I just didn’t want my life to change. It’s such a big TV show, and I hadn’t ever done anything to this scale before. Or if I had, it was a film that comes out and then goes away and doesn’t live in the culture for years and years and years.”

So far, Cooke’s fears have gone mostly unfounded. She’s recognized, sure, but not in a way that disrupts her daily life.

And when it does, fans are generally nice about it, like recently when she was on the London Underground going home and a group of drunken girls started shouting “Alicent” in her direction.

“It’s actually been all right. I think you notice an uptick as the show is about to come out because they’re promoting it more.”

ABOUT ACTING.

She calls herself a “catastrophizer” and admits she can be hard on herself when reflecting on a performance.

ABOUT THEIR UPCOMING PROJECTS.

She wants to “embark on more of the unknown,” something the actor is aiming to do with her production company Chippy Tea, which she formed two years ago.

Her first production, a romance film called “Takes One to Know One,” will shoot in Rome early next year and stars Jamie Bell alongside Cooke.

She also wants to try her hand at directing.

“When I’m on set, I’m always figuring out how things work and almost shadowing the director.”

“I find acting a lot of the time to be so insular. You can get in your own way. I like the collaborative process of making something from the ground up, and I want to do more of that.”

“It’s also taking control of my own destiny a little bit more.”

ABOUT ALICENT HIGHTOWER FOR 'HOUSE OF THE DRAGON' SEASON 3.

As for Alicent, well, she may not be so lucky. But, she wants to play her for as long as possible.

“I really want her to just go off and be in the forest with some chickens,” she says, jokingly.

“But really, there’s some good stuff for her for Season 3, if we get it. Really exciting stuff.”

[plantsjustwannahavefun]

As someone who has kind of convinced themselves Izzy is gonna die at the end of S2, could you share your reasons why you think he won't? I'm sure a lot of us who think he's doomed could use some ideas as to otherwise. And who do you think is being buried in that grave scene in the Behind the scenes video? I'd love to hear your thoughts!!!

Hey, first of all, this is the first ask I’ve ever got, so thanks ☺️

Okay, so, there’s been so many posts recently with much more elaborate and better-argued takes than mine, and I can’t really take credit for anything I’m going to say here because none of these thoughts are original, really… but anyway.

I was surprised how quickly and strongly people seemed to have latched onto the “Izzy’s gonna die” train based on, as far as I'm concerned, nothing more than a couple of vague BTS bits and a general sense of foreboding caused by previous experience with stories like these.

First of all, the BTS pictures and videos. Namely the bit where Izzy seems to be lying down and the one with the grave. It’s a massive stretch at best. I think Izzy’s likely to get injured at some point, but this could literally be anything, we can’t even see what’s going on. This could be a fuckery. At one point Ed is holding out his hand stained with blood, but we don’t even know whose blood it is. Same for the grave. Izzy isn’t the only crew member missing from the ring of people standing around it. We know there’s going to be a big battle in E08, so it's not surprising someone would die, but there’s simply no proof and not at all likely it would be Izzy.

Also, think about it. Izzy’s a sailor. Sailors typically get burried at sea. The only other place I could imagine him wanting to be buried at is next to his family in England, but that might just not be feasible, so he’d most likely get burried at sea. The way I see it, he’d much rather rest on the ocean floor than some random beach in the Republic of Pirates, a place he claimed to hate in S01.

Another thing: the creators of the show know how rabid this fanbase is. They knew we were going to painstakingly pick apart and overanalyse every single frame of every morsel of promotional content we could get our hands on. So far they’ve gone to great lengths to avoid major spoilers. They even changed Ed’s line in the trailer where he said “and, more importantly, no more Izzy” (replaced it with “no more Stede”) in order not to reveal the plotline of Ed shooting Izzy, even though that line was pretty vague and could have been up to interpretation. So how likely is it that they would reveal a major character’s death in several frames of BTS material? Just not very likely at all, I’d say.

Then I’ve seen a few people argue that the writers want to get rid of Con because doing the CGI for the unicorn leg is too expensive and inconvenient. I’m calling bullshit on that one too. Admittedly, I don’t know much about CGI, but Con literally just has to wear a green sock over his boot or something like that, and it’s not that hard to frame it in a way that makes his leg less visible. So far we’ve had a lot of shots with him just sitting there, or where he was filmed from the waist up. I imagine it wasn’t easy for Con to mimic moving like he was missing a leg, but he nailed it perfectly, and he seemed to have an easier time walking around in episodes 6 and 7 compared to ep 5, so he won’t have to keep up the severe limping to the same extent. At this point Izzy is the third major character after Stede an Ed. There’s no way they’d get rid of him just because of a minor cinematographic inconvenience like that.

And then there’s the fact that nobody actually dies in this show except for the villains. David Jenkins took the “bury your gays” trope and turned it into “make your gays unkillable”. This is literally the show that gave us recreational gut stabbing. There’s only a couple of exceptions, but they were all very minor characters or, well, a bird… I really liked Ivan, but he was easily the least important character out of all the crew members, and probably the only reason his death was offscreen was because the actor quit after S01. There’s no indication that Con wants to quit, it’s obvious he’s having the time of his life with this role, so it’s very unlikely he would sacrifice it for some other project.

What OFMD does love, on the other hand, is characters appearing to die, only to end up surviving against all odds. That’s, like, its signature trait by now. None of us really believed Lucius was going to die, even though logically it was extremely unlikely he wouldn't just drown immediately. They didn’t even bother to explain it properly, that’s how little this show cares for realism. And we love that about it. Izzy himself has already had not one, not two, but THREE instances like that: the dream sequence scene, getting shot in the leg, then surviving his suicide attempt. If he happened to actually die for real now, that would just be bad storytelling.

Speaking of storytelling… That’s really the main reason I don’t believe Izzy’s going to die. I know a lot of people are hung up on the whole “his narrative arc is complete and he has served his purpose as a character” thing, and in any other show that might be true, but not this one. OFMD isn’t just a show, it’s a love letter to the queer community. Izzy is now a representation of a queer person discovering himself and being accepted into the found family. He figuratively embodies the spirit of the Revenge. The physical unicorn figurine was destroyed, but the crew managed to use something “broken” and give it a new life. If the show did this only to kill Izzy off right afterwards, that would feel like a slap in the face. It wouldn't complete his character arc, it would undo it. It would be way worse than another show killing off some character that simply happened to be gay. It would feel like killing a character off specifically because they finally found some happiness in being gay, right after reaching the peak of their personal development as a queer character. It would feel deliberately mean rather than merely thoughtless.

And it would make the very first scene of S2 kind of meaningless, too. That dream sequence specifically showed us what was not going to happen. Izzy wasn’t going to stand between Stede and Ed anymore. Izzy and Stede weren’t going to be enemies anymore. Ed wasn’t going to melt into Stede’s arms and immediately forget all that’s happened. And Izzy isn’t going to die. Simple as that.

[amuseoffyre]

I was left unsupervised and wrote an OFMD S2 and beyond version of We Didn't Start the Fire 😁

Stede dream-fighting Izzy Hands, Ed is wrecking wedding plans, The republic, Spanish Jackie, Swede is quite the snack, Roach keeps cooking, Buttons pining, Wee John warns about the stabbing, Poor old Izzy getting dizzy, Tattoo on Ed's back. Minor Prince, puzzle chest, Swede says marriage is best, Thieving planned, husband chore, treasure chest right out the door, Indigo and coins gleam, Crew's got a new queen, Zheng Yi Sao and the Red Flag, The Republic, goodbye.

[Chorus] We didn't raise the flag But we'll keep it waving For this show we're saving We didn't raise the flag But they tried to drop it We won't let them stop it

[Verse 2] Izzy shot and Blackbeard done, Frenchie gets a promotion, Wooden boy voice, blood all over, Lucius is back. Good soup, the Queen wins, Is the Revenge sinking?? Izzy shoots Ed, the crew attack. Bonnet gets on, all escape though Ed is gone, golden merman, raised from dead, come back to him, butt his head. Exiled. Magic bowl, Buttons turning to a gull, Leg kaput, make a new foot Unicorn is Izzy

[Chorus] We didn't raise the flag But we'll keep it waving For this show we're saving We didn't raise the flag But they tried to drop it We won't let them stop it

[Verse 3] Apology, cat bell, Lucius pushes Ed as well, Fang on a fishing boat, Stede's got a cursed red coat, Ed reflects, fish is his, Time for a little kiss. Hand-in-hand, going slow, Hunted down by Ned Low, Planning party, urchins, Stede's bathtub used for drinks Drag, songs and rainbows, For goddess Calypso. Low comes, torture led, Took violin to the head. Stede is shaken, grabs for Ed Fireworks as they go to bed.

[Chorus] We didn't raise the flag But we'll keep it waving For this show we're saving We didn't raise the flag But they tried to drop it We won't let them stop it

[Verse 4] Ricky Banes, Zheng's plan, Bonnet is the fucking man, Ed is leaving, The British Invasion, Leathers brought from under waves, English soldiers put in graves, Jackie, poison-trained, Pirates get away again, Crew sad, Izzy dead, Stede is in the inn with Ed Revenge crew sail away Will they see another day?

[Chorus] We didn't raise the flag But we'll keep it waving For this show we're saving We didn't raise the flag But they tried to drop it We won't let them stop it

[Verse 5] Show cancelled, Jenkins sad, Casey says numbers were bad, Press takes a look, Is Zaslav a crook? Gay twitter here to fight, BS leak on bird-site, Pirate violence is a 'shock', HBO is roundly mocked, Time Square billboard, LA plane, DJenks says they're free again, Lubewatch trend, lots of press, New network stress, S2 now on BBC, Kristian Nairn live on IG, fans are craving what's in store, I can't take it anymore

[Chorus] We didn't raise the flag But we'll keep it waving For this show we're saving We didn't raise the flag But they tried to drop it We won't let them stop it It will still wave on, and on And on, and on

[my-mt-heart]

I want to address a few things that Norman said in Le Parisien. The article isn't free, and I'm not going to encourage anyone to pay for something they might not like, but if you do want the link, DM me and I'll send it. Thank you to the person who read and translated this:

Defending himself against others trying to throw him under the bus is one thing, but denying all responsibility for the title accomplishes absolutely nothing except further insulting a significant portion of Daryl's fanbase. These fans, specifically Carylers, were all paying close attention when he said the exact opposite on Jimmy Kimmel. Watch at 8:45:

The video is from late last year. Melissa's negotiations for S2/S3 started last summer and her deal closed at the end of the year per my sources, which means there was (at least) a loose plan to bring her back before S1 started shooting. Norman confirms Pilgrim was a working title at some point, but he doesn’t mention Raise the Dead, which was more than likely planned as the official title of the show while they were shooting between October '22 and February '23.

I bring up the timeline because even if you believe Melissa was always part of the French spinoff, Norman’s other favorite narrative right now, the implication is still this: Norman, AMC, and the other EPs were fully aware that Melissa was coming back when they officially landed on a title excluding her. You could argue Daryl has the most name recognition from being the most marketed character or that his tags on SM have 6 billion views or, hey, let’s make it 6 trillion (how much of that overlaps with Daryl and Carol content btw?), but as we saw, that doesn’t guarantee all those viewers will watch the show, which is how AMC makes money. If there are two leads on the show, naming it after one lead doesn't make any sense from a marketing perspective because AMC is missing out on attracting more audience, promoting two characters and their chemistry instead of just one character.

So. They either manipulated the situation to give Norman and the other EPs what they wanted or, once again, they dismissed Melissa’s/Carol’s vitality to the show. Or both. Regardless, it poses a big problem for me, because Carol's ability to stand her ground against anyone who thinks less of her is what draws me to her character. I can't reconcile that with the obvious tactics Norman and the other EPs use to claim the show for themselves, completely ignoring fans who may be critical, yes, but ultimately just want the story both Daryl and Carol have earned.

Speaking of being ignored, I heard from multiple fans that AMC did in fact send out a survey regarding the title. I can't confirm because I haven't seen the survey myself, but if you're doing market research, you need a target audience, and if you're doing market research on what you know will (eventually) be a Daryl and Carol show, you should probably target Daryl and Carol fans, shippers or otherwise. Not that it's the most appropriate way to choose a title (not even close), but where's my survey? Did any Carylers get to participate? Did anyone bother to check? Because to me, it sounds like the focus group they used for their market research wasn't aimed at their target audience at all. It's possible they did the market research with a sample audience of the flagship show or just Daryl fans who are a percentage of their audience but not all their audience. If they used an audience that incorporated Carylers, Daryl fans and GA — the feedback for that title would've been mixed. If they focused their market research on mostly Carylers, the feedback would've heavily leaned towards having an inclusive title.

So many fans, not just Carylers, hate the title. It's boring, it's offensive, it's pretentious, it's misogynistic, etc. etc. These are fans who want to watch and enjoy the show, who are expected to pay for it, so why don't their opinions carry more weight? Why is there still such a strong disconnect between AMC and Carol/Caryl fans when that's exactly what caused the backlash last year? Why are they not doing everything they can to avoid the same mistakes?

As for this:

Most of it is true except for one important detail. Angela Kang's spinoff was going to be a road show shot and set in the U.S. That's the phone call Norman is alluding to. That's the spinoff Melissa signed on for. To say otherwise makes her look unprofessional and flaky for "dropping out" knowing all along she'd have to relocate, and that's not what happened at all. It's like there's no consideration for his co-workers' images while he's trying to rebuild his own, and that is unprofessional.

To be very clear, this is not meant to be a smear campaign. My intention here is to point out how deceptive the PR/marketing strategies have been and how they're hurting everyone, including Norman. I can't for the life of me see any business sense in repeatedly gaslighting and alienating a profitable fanbase, treating Daryl and Carol fans like they're stupid, or insinuating a Daryl and Carol show can't belong to Daryl and Carol fans. The more Norman talks about the spinoff's inception, the more it ensures people will never trust a single thing that comes out of his mouth ever again, and that sucks because if he just focused on what the audience wants, insisting that Melissa is his equal on the show, talking about the characters in meaningful ways, supporting Daryl's and Carol's relationship, he could sell it easily. Fans should be getting excited for their story, not reliving last year's trauma over and over and over again. Melissa is back and that's exciting, but story still matters. Both on and off screen (precisely why we need someone else on board who can manage all of that really well). I've asked this several times before. I'll keep asking until someone listens. Can we please move the fuck on from the spinoff fiasco?

And change the title.

[hiyyihrts]

Just as many of us are thrilled to see rep in s3, many, many women were thrilled at the idea of representation for themselves in s2. It isn’t unreasonable for them to notice the discrepancy in how one actress was treated in comparison to the s1 and s3 white female leads, and it takes nothing away from your love of Nicola / Polin to allow them to express their feelings about that without trying to gaslight them.

It wasn’t the pandemic that made Netflix not do a couple’s poster, or one for Simone alone, or deny requests for joint Johnny and Simone interviews. It wasn’t the pandemic that had Netflix do that and give the EW article to other characters, rather than Simone, Simone and Johnny, or heck, Simone, Johnny, and Charithra. No, y’all essentially got a Polin shoot for s2. Which, yay for you, but think how you’d feel if this season it was all Benedict or Francesca promo instead of Penelope. Wouldn’t you think Netflix was wrong? That it was fatphobic? I would. I therefore think what they did for s2 reeks of racism.

It wasn’t the pandemic that had the writers compare the Sharma sisters to horses, literally, horses in a horse race in s2, and pit them against each other for a white man.

I could go on, people post receipts of this all the time, and you don’t need to take it as personally as many have, but don’t gaslight fans who saw it. Don’t encourage white fans to dismiss the people who are deeply hurt by it. No one is saying not to celebrate what y’all are getting, but there is a discrepancy and pointing it out and demanding better is a good thing that in no way detracts from the fact that Nicola / Polin / s3 is getting everything and more than y’all could ever ask. It’s gross to tell woc to shut the fuck up and be grateful when they got so much less than what the selling point of the show (diversity) promised.

I normally don’t get involved in this kind of stuff but your post was in the Kanthony tag, so I felt it merited a response, knowing how much it would hurt people. People who have already been deeply hurt by Bridgerton and the fandom. This isn’t some kind of shipping war, it’s so much more important, and I’m dismayed at how callous the fandom is being about all this.

I haven’t and will never say that people can’t be upset by the blatant differences in how the seasons have been promoted. Nor have I said anyone shouldn’t talk about it or to be quiet about it. I see now that it was wrong to say the pandemic influenced what went on, bc people have sent me things since indicating that there very much is a lot of racial differences and unfair treatment for both of the leads the last season. It’s true Simone and Johnny both were paid dust, and to have the sister’s stories altered and changed is not something I agree with. I’m not trying to encourage anyone to do anything. The only thing I don’t agree with and I’ve said before is making it seem like any of these actors chose things that production did. I wish Simone and Johnny were featured more in this season and got more than what they did in the last! It’s Netflix and Shonda that are the ones pushing these things and deciding what does or doesn’t happen. Blaming the actors for it doesn’t do anything because they don’t have a say in what is or isn’t done, that’s all Netflix and Shonda. I don’t understand throwing vitriol over couples and actors who don’t decide things. I don’t agree with anyone doing that. And I’ll make it clear now that I don’t agree with Netflix or Shonda or condone anything they’ve done that has hindered Johnny and Simone in any way, shape, or form, or has caused fans to come after them for starring in a show and playing characters that people connect with and love dearly. I wish there would’ve been better representation than what we were given, and I hope the future seasons have even better representation and they take the criticism over racist descriptions and lack of promotion to their heads and it actually clicks that what they did wasn’t fair or right.

[waitingforeddyneddy]

i was seeing that s3 of the bee show will be probably delayed for next year and the only thing that bothers me is that we will have to wait 2 years for happy kanthony when the development of their relationship should've been done in s2!!! just like it happened in s1 where the love story was wrapped at the end... i hate how people kept saying that it didn't matter that they didn't have many minutes of happiness in their own season because they were gonna be back... BUT TWO YEARS LATER!

Uh anon sorry for the long reply but you opened a Pandora box so this is going to be a rant post.

I still laugh at those interviews where everyone and their mothers were patting themselves on the back about how different Kanthony season was, how it was all about emotional intimacy rather than actual intimacy, and the beauty of their slow burn. Isn’t slow burn supposed to have a payoff? Kanthony got none of that. I still can’t believe they made us go through a disgusting love triangle between two sisters just for them to put Kate in a coma for the majority of the last ep and for Kanthony to get together in two quick scenes in the last 8 minutes of the season.

Choices were made. And it cannot be a coincidence when you think about how promoted Kanthony was. They didn’t even have a poster with only two of them before people loudly complained. And that poster? Imagine having the romantic focal point of you romance show standing back to back like two buddies from a cop movie.

It’s funny how the “this is a show regarding a family” was dropped pretty quick after Jess announced next season was going to be Polin’s. How the tables turned with the “we’re going to have romance back, the show is going to be horny again with plenty of sex scenes and a lot of quotes from the book”. Not suspicious at all. Especially when, surprise surprise, a year later Queen Charlotte came out and Bridgeton behaved like Bridgeton again, with romance, promotion of the lead couple ALONG the promotion of the other female lead of the show ( since people like to accuse us Kanthony fans of being butthurt cause they promoted CC a lot) and lots of sex scenes. I mean even the Queen servant had a cute love story with tender moments and a proper sex scene. All Kanthony got was a badly done and edited montage of Anthony giving head to Kate in the dark. Ok. Oh and no wedding, not even a quick scene of them exchanging their wows surrounded by family, It didn’t even need to be long, just something to show the difference between that sham of a wedding the queen wanted for Anthony to what Anthony actually wanted with the love of his life.

I also laugh out loud at those gaslighters who say we can shut up about all this cause they’re going to be back. I mean there are also kanthony fans who say this. Let me reassure you they’re not going to repair what they did. They’re not going to give Kate the backstory she was due in her season. Their time was supposed to be two years ago. All we can expect from Kanthony from s3 is a couple of family scenes and Anthony being away most of the time. Maybe Kate with Francesca. The actor was away for most of the shooting and even if this wasn’t the case there’s no way in hell they would give us something cause they went out of their way to give us NOTHING in 2022.

In conclusion if it‘s true this damn show is going to come out god knows when next year I’m only unhappy cause I want Simone to get out asap and not because of Kanthony, we’re not going to get much of them anyway. I’m not even sure they’re going to give us Edmund. I bet they’re going to give us the same answer we got regarding why they couldn’t show two weddings in s2..”this is Polin’s time, we’re already going to show their kids there is no reason to show Kanthony’s as well”. Bet.

[that-left-turn]

I don't get your last anon. I thought this is shipping? Well, we're shipping Caryl, right?! Hardly a ship goes canon. My ships never went canon. Why aren't we allowed to whine about it for years and years?

We start to ship someone, we're searching other shippers, enjoy fanart, fanfiction and whine when they won't get canon etc.

My oldest ship started mid 90s when I was barely a teenager.

Let people enjoy and love whomever they want. No matter if they're going canon or not.

We saw, not long ago, how ridiculous it can get when when a couple is canon. (Cringefest at its finest)

So it doesn't matter that they haven't been together until now. It might not matter if they go canon S2. As long as people ship them, great. (BTW, my first ships fanfiction is still getting updated almost daily 🤗)

Agreed, shipping isn’t related to whether a couple has gone canon or not. It doesn’t even matter if the ship is a popular one because the important part is that it resonates with the viewer. It’s just common to seek confirmation for your observations—we all wanna know we’re not “out there” for thinking something, right? I think the previous anon was simply frustrated and wanted to know why I didn’t seem to share those concerns. I get that 🫠 I can sympathize with the feeling.

My point about the fandom dying wasn't about canon at all. Like you said, there are fandoms where the shows ended decades ago that are still going strong 😊 It feels like there's too much in-fighting between different factions of Caryl fans for this fandom to be healthy. How someone ships is individual: some fans want to remain in their happy bubble and enjoy the fandom spoils without engaging with TPTB, others want to advocate for their ship to go canon. Live and let live, y'know? I don't have the right to tell another person how to enjoy their hobby.

As to whether Caryl would turn into “a cringefest” if they were to go canon depends on how well the showrunner writes old married couple a mature middle-aged relationship, what tone is set for that arc (if it runs counter to the external plot or harmonizes with it), whether there’s studio interference and if the NW EPs have agendas of their own.

AMC (and Norman) like ambiguity to the point of plausible deniability. Caryl will in all likelihood reunite in the last two episodes, unless the block shooting was completely wild (in which case the script supervisor and line producer were the two worst jobs of the entire production). There won’t be time to explore an emotional arc—the reunion would be the denouement of the first two seasons’ B plot: seeing each other again. If there’s canon, it might be the case of acknowledging it having happened at some point offscreen (before the spinoff) and then the show proceeds with “business as usual.”

Based on what little promotion AMC/TWDU have done so far, they’re aiming to draw in all factions of viewers (including those who hate watch) rather than to build anticipation for the core demographic. That usually means a studio is nervous about how the season will be received, but we’re still in standby mode and I don’t want to make blind predictions because AMC has never acted the way other studios would in similar situations.

[ask-but-beware-the-consequences]

Read this after watching episode 6 of s2, while we wait for season 3

A short fic I came up with just now sry in advance:

[The angels haven't left the bookshop yet, they are discussing the new arch angel position]

Crowley: Why not Raphael? Hm?

Others, concerned.

Crowley: I'm pretty sure he was in the 4 main archangels group. So obviously, he should be one of the followings wouldn't he?

Michael: Well, um… I don't owe an answer to a demon!

Aziraphale: He's the aid of humans. He must be down on Earth to help them. All the time.

Crowley, questioningly raising his eyebrows: … Where exactly?

Aziraphale: Well, it's quite a big planet, so-

Crowley: Where, exactly, did you hear that?

Aziraphale: Oh, well, um. It's true, it's how everybody knows it in Heaven!

Crowley, looking back at Michael, his temper raising by the bit: Youu! Lied! To everyone just to not have problems in the office?! Is that it?! Was my disappearance so outragous that you tried to replace me with a lie?!

Aziraphale: Crowley, what are you-

Crowley: You're the ones, that made my fall be worthless! And to top it off, you're trying to get my only friend- the only being I can ever exist with, to be the next archangel! A principality! Archangels are made! Not, promoted!

Aziraphale's eyes shoot up, sensing something's bad.

Crowley: You know that, no, you think that, if he's up there I can't get in there, but I swear to someone's name, if you try to get rid of him in any nasty way, I will bring Hell back into Heaven!

Aziraphale: Crowley-…

Michael: A threat from a demon that betrayed Hell, how… threatening.

Crowley, bursting into flames: Don't test me or I will kill you right here and now!-

Aziraphale, stepping between them: Crowley, stop! It's alright, I…

Azirpahale turning to the angels: I just need a bit of a time, we'll continue this, later.

Michael: So be it.

The angels leave.

Aziraphale, shaking from shock: So, you… you've been…

Crowley: Yes… sorry I haven't introduced myself before, I just knew, you would start with all that "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were an archangel" bullshit… Angel!

Aziraphale, standing back from being respectful: S-…sorry.

Crowley: This is what I've been trying to tell you! It doesn't matter how far you're up on the hierarchy, it's shit! You can't change anything, you follow orders, and that's it. You only think that you can change things because you're a principality.

Aziraphale: But, that's why! I see things, you possibly, couldn't see! I can make it a better place!

Crowley: Angel, it's a military base! Are you listening to yourself? Nobody has ever been good to you before there! Nor to me, except… you.

Aziraphale: That's why I have hope. Muriel here even-

Crowley: Angel, you won't be on top of the hierarchy. You will be accompanied by other archangels, with the same powers you have. No matter what powers you get, they can still fire you, like they fired Gabriel.

Aziraphale: They did what?

Crowley: In… the files. I haven't mentioned that, yet have I?

Aziraphale, looking awfully sad: But- …

Crowley, giving out a sigh: …Listen angel, I give you, what they will never give you. Free will. You might not have noticed it, but I always had given that to you. So now, I let you decide it for yourself. You can stay here with me, for the rest of our lives, somewhere, idk, maybe another place, in a cottage, southdown… or-

Aziraphale: But we are eternal beings, the rest of our life isn't just a few millenias! Or even less, what if Earh gets destroyed?! And all the stars along with it, that you have created?! I just want you to have a safe place… with me!

Crowley, giving out another but sadder sigh: If… you want to give it a try, I can't stop you, can I? But don't forget, I'm a demon, if I have a plan to save you… you know they will all fail… if I'm only doing this alone.

Aziraphale: And, I'm sure you know… if mine was to fall… I'd like you to catch.

Aziraphale tip-toing, then going outside of the bookshop, leaving the demon Crowley alone, but not for ever.

Crowley: Wat… Fall? Angel?!

He went outside after him but he was already gone.

Crowley, muttering to himself: I… I don't want you to fall… I want you to stay you.

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