#so many scenes from the season live rent free in my head but this one in particular

[pynkhues]

I felt so validated by Jacob in that adorable interview he, Sam, and Delainey did where they talked about various scene, and he said that in the Dreamstat breakup scene Sam had a particular amazing acting moment where his face sort of crumbles as he says "La pomme" -- I was so struck by that moment too, watching the scene for the first time. It's so subtle, but something shifts so profoundly about his face in that moment. So for Jacob to be like yeah, that was amazing enough to point out now, was very cool.

I love that scene (and that interview) - it would be so easy for it to have been kind of hokey given the context of is effectively letting go of an imaginary friend, but the writing is just so beautiful and both Jacob and Sam just really imbue it with so much grief and feeling. That moment where Sam sort of crumbles as Lestat is so effective, and I love that it can be read either as how Louis thinks Lestat would react, or as how Louis' actually feeling about letting him go, or a combination of both. Just really, really beautiful, and to contrast that open vulnerability with the most tender rendering of the ex you killed (spared) to that deliberate hardening with Armand in the moment that follows is just !!! A Lot!

[baddybaddyadardaddy]

Okay, I'm going to make a wild prediction about Adar and Galadriel in Episode 8, so strap in.

An overarching the/major motif of the Rings of Power from the very first episode has been, obviously, the interplay between darkness/light.

"To find the light, we must first touch the darkness." / "Before light, darkness must flee, etc."

Adar and Galadriel together are a manifestation of that duality between light and dark and accordingly, I think there's a compelling case for them to team up against Sauron at the end of Season 2.

Here's my attempt at this argument:

PARALLELS BETWEEN ADAR AND GALADRIEL

The show has established a few strong visual parallels between the two of them.

Mourning ritual. Galadriel mourning for Finrod in S1Ep1 is echoed by Adar's mourning of the Uruks in S2Ep7. They even mirror the single tear.

What's more, Galadriel bears WITNESS to Adar's funeral ritual, enforcing the connection of this moment.

Seed planting. Frankly, my jaw hit the floor when S2Ep2 had Galadriel planting seeds in the memorial garden in Lindon, because the shots/framing were almost IDENTICAL to the seed planting Adar does at the beginning of S1Ep6. The sentiments of both instances are the same "life over death," though the words do differ.

Flip sides of the same coin/mirror to one another. The show has also presented us with many instances where they function as mirrors to one another. If not signficant, why do?

Barn scene. The barn scene in S1Ep6 is a PRIME example, when Adar literally calls Galadriel out for the hypocrisy of her hatred of the orcs.

The dinner scene. Adar once again holds up a mirror to Galadriel, pushing back against her notion that "you yielded to him. I resisted." Then they have the shared acknowledgement that without Sauron, the world seems a "dull grey" (GREY, interestingly, a halfway point between dark and light). Adar's face in response to her admission will live rent-free in my mind forever-- it's like he's been SEEN for the first time in his life.

So while Galadriel sees herself as a warrior of light, and views Adar as a creature of darkness, the show does a pretty superb job of showing that both of these characters have light and dark within them in equal measure.

They were both tempted by Sauron and succumbed.

So there is a clear, thematic link between these two from that standpoint.

ADAR'S JOURNEY TOWARD THE LIGHT

Next, I think it is clear Adar on a path toward light/redemption as an elf, and it tracks in a VERY LITERAL SENSE.

First time we see Adar, he is bathed in an angelic light. As he performs the funeral ritual for Magrot, light streams into the Uruk tent.

The shot at the end of S2 Ep1, when the camera lingers on Adar as Gil-Galad's call to the Eldalie commences. Adar feels the undeniable call to his elven past. That camera shot was NOT A COINCIDENCE, and I'm FOREVER FERAL ABOUT IT.

Cavalry charge at the siege of Eregion. Adar is OBVIOUSLY backlit:

There is a dividing line between light and shadow an Adar is RIGHT on the border of it.

When he steps up to take possession of Nenya, the sky behind him is split between a darker side and a lighter side. (You can argue that it's a CREEPY light, but it's still light. There is almost no all-black coloring on him in that second frame when he actually has the ring. For a character that's been head to toe in black the entire series, this is Significant.)

So where does that leave us for the big Sauron smackdown?

My first wild prediction: In an INSANE reversal, Galadriel will be the one to bring Morgoth's dark crown to the confrontation, while Adar will wield Nenya, a symbol of light.

It's not inconceivable that Gal could have smuggled it out of Adar's camp somehow under her oversized Uruk cloak. And Adar, OBVIOUSLY now possesses Nenya at the end of S2Ep7.

I think the fight between Galadriel and Sauron is ACTUALLY a three-person fight; we just haven't seen Adar in the promos because

1. Obvious plot spoilers and

2. HE WILL BE FIGHTING IN A FAIR FORM BECAUSE NENYA WILL HEAL HIS CORRUPTION.

My second wild prediction: This three-person fight is telegraphed in The Last Temptation. There's a new motif (not musical, so unclear if this is the correct term??) that starts around 1:07. It sounds like an aggressive children's choir. Interspersed, we get some of Gal's themes and Sauron-flavored music. I think this new bit could be either a combined theme for Gal/Adar fighting side by side, OR a new motif for a changed/elven Adar. It's aggressive, which to me tracks with Adar's fighting style that we saw through S2Ep7, and it builds and gets more voices added to it as the song progresses. At one point, it blends perfectly with Gal's theme.

Third wild prediction that I hope I'm wrong about: Adar will likely get fatally stabbed during this fight. I could see him giving Galadriel the ring at a crucial moment, in as a redemptive act, which would forfeit any protection it might have offered him, and I think he'll receive a fatal blow from Sauron, but not before we get a much clearer picture of EXACTLY who Adar is. IF they do it this way, it will be a deeply satisying end to Adar's story arc, IMHO.

Last thoroughly unhinged thing I will leave you with:

Nolwa Mahtar translation (from S1), according to Bear's blog:

Finish the war, the darkness, end this suffering

Impossible to pursue, deep in shadow, follow light

Finish the war, the darkness, end this suffering

Bright warrior against darkness.

Obviously this theme plays a HUGE role in S2. I believe the lyrics are different; we don't know what they say yet.

But I have contended all along that this piece has always applied in some way to BOTH Adar and Galadriel.

Galadriel is the bright warrior standing against Sauron's darkness, yes, that image is obvious.

But Adar, a figure who lived deep in shadow, follows light, ultimately finishing his own war and ending his own suffering.

[terapsina]

Ask game for people who like to ramble about their obsessions. So.

SEND ME A FANDOM (+ number) AND I WILL TELL YOU...

...the moment in the story that I started shipping my OTP from this world.

...my three favorite characters and why I love them so much.

...which scene I would like to erase from the universe and why.

...why you should choose to check out the world of this story and choose three gifs that should underline my point.

...the scene from it that lives in my head rent free.

...which is my favorite platonic or familial relationship in this world.

...how likely I am to follow the writers and directors from this project to their other ones and why.

...a quote from it that means a lot to me.

...which characters I think should have interacted more in canon.

...how many fics I've read that are set in it (approximately and making exaggerated guesstimates).

...what I think of the central character(s).

...what attracted me into checking it out.

...which canon or popular fanon relationship I can't stand or feel 'meh' about and why.

...if I think the largest majority of fics I crave for it are fix-its, nobody-dies-everybody-lives, fluffy fics of my OTP, pining fics for my OTP, or plot heavy Gen stories?

...which character I would choose for the chopping block if I knew the writers wanted to kill someone.

...which character's death would (or did) make me rage-quit.

...the world-building aspect of the story I have the greatest admiration for.

...the perfect number of books/seasons/movies needed to tell this story properly.

...one behind-the-scenes trivia fact I've learned somewhere and my thoughts on it.

...exactly how little or how much headspace this fandom takes up in my brain at any given point.

SEND ME A SHIP (+ number) AND I WILL TELL YOU...

...about my absolute favorite of their scenes and why I love it so much.

...why I do or don't ship them.

...if there's a scene involving them that makes me uncomfortable.

...how many other characters in my opinion see the chemistry of this couple before the couple itself does.

...the three most perfect OTP tags that I can come up with for them.

...what kind of AU fics I'm obsessed with reading about them (or would be if I could find one).

...the scene that I like to point to as proof that they're perfect for each other.

...if I'm most interested in fics about them that focus on fluff, angst, humor, smut or actual plot?

...what my ideal endgame for them is.

...rate the level of stupid they reach in their pining.

...how quickly I started shipping them when I got into the fandom.

...about three of the scenes that make me have feelings and (if available) find the gifs that underline my points.

...if I can watch them in relationships with other characters without feeling gutted.

...which tropes I think describe them the best.

...how I wish their story would go/would have gone.

...three of my fic recs for this ship. And (in the event that I've written something for them) one of my fics involving them that I'm most proud of.

...three of my favorite fanvids for this ship. And (in the event that I've created something for them) one of my videos involving them that I'm most proud of.

...three of my favorite fanart or edits for this ship. And (in the event that I've created something for them) one of my art or edits involving them that I'm most proud of.

...if this is a ship that's likely to take up room in my heart for years and decades to come or if they're the summer romance that will probably fade into the past with a fond memory.

...how and when they should get/should have gotten together.

SEND ME A CHARACTER (+ number) AND I WILL TELL YOU...

...why I love them, like them or hate them.

...how I would have chosen to change their story from canon.

...if I have an OTP for them.

...if I have NOTP for them.

...if I feel like the writers mistreat them or if the story would be better if they were taken down a peg.

...the scene that I think shows just how awesome they really are.

...the scene that I think adds depth to their character or the relationship this character has with someone.

...a headcanon I have about this character.

...which of their relationships I would have cultivated more if it were up to me (both romantic and platonic).

...if I liked them immediately or if took a while before I warmed up to their character. Alternatively, if I disliked them immediately or if they lost my trust as their story progressed.

...how well I actually understand them. Do they feel like a very vivid character to me or are they kind of bland and hard to get invested in?

...how likely I am to seek out (or write) fanfiction for them.

...how I'd do it if they had to be written out of the story.

...what I think they want more than anything else.

...what I think their role in the story is versus what I think it should be.

...my very shallowest of opinions on this character.

...how well they'd do if they got dropped in a horror movie.

...whether or not I would personally trust them to be my friend.

...a song that describes how I feel about this character.

...my queer headcanon for them. Unless they're canonically queer, in which case whether or not I think they're good representation or kinda badly explored.

[suzie-shooter]

Alex Rider season 3 unhinged liveblog ramblings scribbled during first watch. Spoilers, obvs. (also fair warning, I am not particularly a fan of Tom or Kyra lol)

Episode 1 - Widow

S2 recap trivia - Alex's therapist is Molly Doran from Slow Horses and married to Alan Blunt IRL

Malta: Ok, so we're not just going to pretend it's Venice lol.

Creepy old men already hitting on Alex. Standard.

"After this we're out of leads." How do you even have any leads in the first place? Oh ok, Smithers' phone. Terrible security protocols from him, leaving that much historical classified data on it.

"Find the Widow - surely he could have given you an address?" First thing Tom's ever said I've agreed with lmao

Aaaand within a second he's back to being deeply irritating, okay.

Yassen living rent free in Alex's head, you love to see it.

"They've got this picture of me being the responsible one." Have Tom's parents actually met him?

Ooh Razim mention.

You maybe want to clean that wound before whacking a dressing on it Alex?

"Do you think you'll ever lose your appetite Nile?" Spat my drink.

Damn, no harem pants then. Scrubs up well tho.

Listing Levin in the opening credits than having him be only a S2 flashback should be a warcrime.

Episode 2 - Lab

"This weapon is called pork sword, wait, no, shit, wrong USB."

"Julia Rothman. Definitely a wrong un." Spat my drink again.

Do Crawley and Pritchard not warrant helmets and visors? Are they somehow immune to shrapnel?

So, room 6, wired to blow, yes? It's what I'd do…

Oh yeah sure guys, they're going to still be sitting there, all unmoving in the dark, for sure that's a person, and not a Massive Trap.

Thereeeee we go. Agent mince. Top of your class huh, well you're certainly at the top now, and down the sides and partially out of the window.

I know there's the whole 'characters don't know what genre they're in' thing but you are literally in the 'working for MI6 genre', you are up against people notorious for booby traps and blowing shit up, why the fuck would you touch something that hadn't been declared safe first? Apart from anything else you're fucking up the scene before forensics get there.

"I love you man." Vom.

Alex: breaks into super sekkrit lab. Also Alex: doesn't have the faintest fucking idea what he's looking at, so not really helpful.

COMICALLY LARGE BOMB KLAXON.

Episode 3 - Enemy

"Welcome to Malagosto." OooOOooh.

Maybe I'm just looking at it from a fic writer's perspective but it does seem a massive anticlimax to immediately let Tom and Kyra know Alex is okay? Like, you could have got a good couple of episodes of angst out of that uncertainty.

"Do you want me to kill them?" Oh God yes please.

Why the fuck have they plugged the USB directly into the network rather than an isolated PC? 'Hur dur we checked it first', you literally believe Scorpia are smart enough to not be bluffing about the nebulous death threat but you don't think they could hide something on the hardware? Fuck's sake lads. Amateur hour.

Is this Home Secretary meant to be Suella Braverman? Or Priti Patel maybe lol. (Equal rights and all that, and if it had been a white male character I don't think I would have thought twice about the dialogue but having both your two new female characters be immediately proved wrong/ massively patronised/ blown up ain't hugely comfortable viewing tbh).

HOW MANY FICS INVOLVING ALEX GETTING FUCKED ON THAT BED HAVE JUST BEEN BORN?

"Are you suggesting we break into a dead man's house?" "It's not like he's going to be there." 😂

"He became a very close friend of mine." Fnar.

Omg making Alex read his father's love letters is hilarious.

Alex: you could have faked that news report Also Alex: handwriting can definitely never be faked (how is Alex even familiar with his dead father's handwriting? wouldn't recognise mine)

Ugh please stop trying to make Alex/Kyra happen.

Alex up the vent shaft. I hope they're sitting casually at the top going - you could have just taken the stairs love.

If he's climbing upwards, why is his hair dangling like he's upside down? Have they filmed this like 60's Batman, and he's just crawling along a horizontal set lol.

Alex never once asks about his mother does he. Given the shagger-John route they seem to have gone down you almost think Julia would be in a better shout of getting Alex to switch sides by claiming to be his mother.

And - yeah, Alex's recruitment just doesn't feel that convincing here. Adding Tom/Kyra/Jack so much to the mix has changed the feel of his life a lot, and TV verse Alex has had a lot less fucking over by the Department by this point too. And Rothman feels too creepy to be effectively convincing him of anything.

"I want you to meet your tutor." FUCK YES FINALLY 🙌 (may have rewound that part several times lol)

Episode 4 - Recruit

Nicaragua: 18 years ago OH MY GOD IT'S HAPPENING

Baby Yassen is adorable, I'm in love.

OH MY GOD THAT'S SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE FUCKIN SPIDER THING

OH MY GOD THE REVEAL OF HIM STANDING OVER THE SLEEPING ALEX I'M DEAD

(Ok, I'm calm again. For now. We continue.)

"You killed my uncle" - all the hundreds of ways this conversation has been written over the years and Yassen's just like lol get over it 😂 (here for it tbh)

Rothman: He's one of our best Yassen: One of? Bitch.

Yassen watching Alex train like 👀👀

"Did he ever tell you you're no fun?" Oh you want to have FUN with Yassen do you?

Yassen bitchslapping Alex to fuck, both hilarious and hot.

Oh, you want to be WET wet.

"Matteo's the guy with the blanket." Why is that so funny.

Omg Yassen stepping in to protect his boy and humiliating Nile in the process lol. And Alex doing what Yassen tells him, because of course he does 🥰

"This one is my responsibility" 🥰🥰

"What about love, friendship?" Alex has only known Yassen five minutes and is already down bad.

"Kind of lonely though, right?" Yeah, Yassen needs you at his side Alex, so step up and stop being a whiny little bitch about killing people.

Never get in the first taxi, rule one of espionage.

Yep, called it. Tom's like: I'll have my fucking tip back in that case.

This scene is so dark I have no fucking idea what's going on, I thought Nile had attacked Alex, but apparently not. Is Nile officially part of this exercise or not, it seems really unclear lol.

The power of friendship and sparklerabbits saves the day, apparently. Yawn.

Jesus, we really ATE with this ep, huh.

Episode 5 - Revenge

"Would you rather your arms around me, or my arms around you?" Way to make it creepy Tom you skeevy fuck.

"Can we focus please?" "We're multi-tasking."

Sure Grendel, rock up to the super sekkrit spy base in a massively conspicuous car why don't you?

"Yassen will give you everything you need." Oh I BET he will.

Feels sloppy them not removing the diffuser from the vent tbh.

"What does this say?" Alex hasn't inherited John's neat handwriting then lol. Alex leaning into him like that > me making noises only dogs can hear.

"You've put lockpick?" "I left my last one in Nile."

Ooh, suicide pill, nasty. Kind've pointless though, given they've been left with the evidence anyway.

Yassen in Alex's bedroom again, likely place for him to be.

"I don't want you to fail. I don't want you to die." 🥹💕🥰

Yalex roadtrip, let's goooo.

Disappointed they're not making Alex do the Entrapment infrared acrobatic sequence here lol.

If this is Yassen's idea of a date it definitely needs work.

So no surprise scorpions then? Can't have shit in Detroit Malta.

"Why? Why did she kill him?" Well taking things at face value here he was a highly murderous member of a terrorist organisation, so you know, kind've her job.

Yassen does like a casual lean, doesn't he.

Episode 6 - Target

Alex and Yassen have shacked up in London, hope there's only one bed.

Now they're in the back of a van, SO many opportunities for shagging, they're spoilt for choice.

Yassen's impressed look when Alex reels off all the security details, so proud of his boy.

"What happened to my mum?" Finally he wonders lol.

"And I'm good at it. You could be too." 🥹

"You think Alex killed him?" I mean, he was also there with a notorious assassin, so probably not, y'know.

Domestic Yassen cooking Alex's dinner and also cooking him a gun lol.

Smithers' "How I've missed you" ahahaha. Smithers/Kyra much better pairing tbh.

"He's actually quite good at this stuff." Smithers' little snort lmao

Time for Alex to be blacked up/ dunked in a teabag bath/ gussied up. Although he still looks exactly like Alex afterwards, which feels less useful lol.

"You love him, don't you?" Yassen loves him more. I have to say Alex had far more chemistry with Syl, and frankly for that matter with Tom. I really don't get the Kyra agenda.

"It's a dry hole." Alex's worst nightmare.

Is Alex going to look through Mrs Jones' knicker drawer?

Episode 7 - The Shot

Mrs Jones and her tall murderous hobbit son lol. Otto really looks about 58 here.

Hope they bill him for her fucked up fridge.

Is that Bath? Oh, it is.

Mrs Jones casually throwing Alex back into play lol. Maybe she can have a little revenge for him trying to shoot her.

"Everyone breaks into houses." Jack's face lol

Ewww put him down, you don't know where he's been (Yassen's bed, almost certainly)

"Remember they can't hurt you unless you invite them in." "That's vampires."

Yassen arguing in favour of going to rescue Alex MY HEART

"Sit down. I'm going to tell you a story. About your friend, John Rider." HOLY PLOTHOLE TIMELINE PATCHING BATMAN

"John was embedded inside Scorpia for three years." Not the only thing he was embedded in by the sounds of it.

Alex seems to be hallucinating again lol.

Yassen, maybe psychoanalysing your insane boss isn't the safest thing to be doing?

"It's quite mad Julia." Yassen really gives no shits omfg

"I know my place." Yes, at Alex's side.

I like how Julia thought telling Yassen she'd killed John would do anything other than piss him off lol.

Episode 8 - Invisible Sword

"But you do owe me a new fridge." LOLLLLLL

Crawley feeling like a spare part during this lift convo, hahaha

"Smithers, you can do me some kind of tracker, right?" "Yeah, if you promise to keep it on you this time."

Alex is like ohshit I'm gonna die fr

"Not for the agents. They undid their seatbelts." Eyyyyyyyy 👉

Aww they've given him a little baby assassin outfit, how cute.

Where's Yassen, has he just fucked off to the pub?

"For the head of Scorpia, you're a really bad liar."

Laughing at all the other Scorpia agents having to listen to this convo about their boss like we are not paid enough for this shit 😬

"Everyone else is getting what they want, let me have my cereal."

Protecting his boy to the last. Yassen really is purely on Alex's side, we love to see it.🥰

And OMG HE LIVESSSSSSSS 🙌🙌🙌🙌 (I voted yes in that poll, I had faith lol)

Well that was - far more fanservice than I dared hope for, after the meagre pickings we got in the first two series. Yalex supremacy to the motherfucking end, let's go.

[curioussubjects]

Feedback Fest 2024

Since everything I've read for the past 1.5 years has been pilots, all 10 of the fics here are Kara/Lee from Battlestar Galactica. I'm only listing one fic per author, so be sure to check individual author pages if you liked their style.

(go here over on @transformativeworks for more info!)

1. In the Whole World by pennyante (M, ~80K, WIP)

Summary:

The Cylons aren't quite human, and the humans haven't quite forgiven them. Political stability is less certain than ever now that the war is over: Lee Adama finds himself up for re-election, where being defeated will mean a Gemenese theocracy puppeteered by Leoben Conoy. Meanwhile, Kara Thrace has nothing but questions about her death and destiny. The only answers available come in the form of the vision of a temple, and from her hybrid/comatose husband's cryptic ramblings about a sister artifact to the Arrow of Apollo.

There's violence in the air. Civil war looms. Can Lee and Kara save each other, and keep the fledgling colony whole?

Thoughts: The best season 4 fix-it, lives in my head rent free, rewired my brain, etc. Also I've read it, like, 3 times (and I cried).

2. We're Not Friends by ninety6tears (M, ~25K)

Summary:

When two soldiers in the middle of a war can't seem to like each other, baptism by fire is apparently the natural solution. (AU in which Kara never knew Zak and first meets Lee after the fall of the colonies.)

Thoughts: I love a different first meeting AU, and this one takes pilots on a fun rivals to lovers spin that works surprisingly well. They're still very unwell about each other, though, make no mistake.

3. Artemis Rising by clairza (M, ~11K)

Summary:

The next morning Lee makes a few phone calls, and when everything has been organized and his credit card has been used for the first time in three months, and he’s had the pleasure of telling his mother that no, he has plans this week, he tracks Kara down in the quad. 

She's lying on her stomach poking sticks upright in the grass. He sits down beside her, and he can see the tension in her shoulders.

“So,” he says casually, and he’s very proud of the way his voice doesn’t shake at all. “I hear the Aegean Peninsula is nice this time of year.”

“It probably is.”

“I’ve booked a unit.”

“Where are you going with this, Lee?” Thoughts: I have a huge soft spot for fluffy academy pilots and this fic absolutely delivers. Happy baby pilots go to the beach five stars no notes.

4. An Arranged Meeting by lark_ral (E, ~11K)

Summary: Even outside of wartime, you might be surprised by the pressures our service men and women are under. The most effective among them either have, or need a release valve. Thoughts: Lee and Kara are scene partners for years, then the Cylons come. Somehow less messy than the show, but still delicious.

5. Rota by leda13 (E, ~2K)

Summary: The days are arbitrary, in space. Bereft of the guide of a planet's rotation around the sun, they live in slices of time, stealing as many as they can. Thoughts: Emotional support curtain fic of pilots sneaking around.

6. Sufficient to the Day by rachelindeed (T, ~1.5K)

Summary: At the sound of Lee’s voice, she feels her stomach twist and drop. Reluctantly, she opens her eyes and sees him come to a stop an arm’s length away, settling one elbow onto the corner of the bleacher behind her. His jacket is unbuttoned, his hair mussed, jaw ghosted with stubble, and the frakking sun is rising behind him. The look on his face is casual and fond, but he breathes as if he’s been running. Thoughts: Mandatory UB morning after fix-it...sort of. I really like this one because all I wanted was for Lee to get to Kara first. Or for him to call her bluff. This fic is both. It's not a showdown on main street like I enjoy joking about, but it's quiet and it's them (so it's better!).

7. Contrecoup by Fahye (T, ~2.2K)

Summary:

Contrecoup (n): A concussion or shock produced by a blow or other injury, in a part or region opposite to that at which the blow is received, often causing rupture or disorganisation of the parts affected. (One story told right-way-up, the other told upside-down, but both in the same narrative.)

We begin at a single point in time. The present goes forwards. The past goes backwards.

The story is AU-within-canon and set after episode 1x11, "Colonial Day."

Thoughts: I can't say too much because I don't want to spoil the fic. So: a bit angsty, a lot sweet, with a side of Kara's amazing problem-solving skills.

8. Lee's Emo Coffeehouse by haycorn (M, ~2.9K)

Summary: Lee has a bar, and sometimes Kara makes his life more interesting. Thoughts: I love cute modern AUs in general, and I love them even more when there's pining involved. There's not nearly enough of this type of fic for pilots, either! Many thanks to the author for their service. Would read 100K of this 'verse.

9. Breathing Room by callmeonetrack (M, ~12K)

Summary: Kara and Lee adjust to their new, very separate lives on the Pegasus. Badly.

Thoughts: My favorite Pegasus fic! Being on the Pegasus sucks, but then Lee and Kara find each other and things get better. Chef's kiss, peak pilots.

10. And I Feel Fine by hazellazer (M, ~2.4K)

Summary:

“That was… that… why?”

Her hands stay firmly on his face, thumb brushing over his cheek. “I was just thinking—”

Cutting her off, he smirks. “You think?”

She swats at his arm, hard enough that it might actually bruise. “I thought you were dead, Lee.” Her gaze is harsh on his, voice rasping, before something softens. “And I should’ve done this the second I knew you weren’t.” Thoughts: Season 1, but Lee and Kara are together. It's nice, refreshing, and plain good.

[attachmentbarbiee]

hii im curious whats ur fav dair scene? mine is the one where she was demonstrating what a clair x dylan kiss would look like so she like pecked him and then he got like really into it 😭 🙏 please i watched that scene like so many times

ok well besides from their first kiss and the s1 hallway scene (those scenes lives in my head rent free), it’s in season 5, after blair took over dans speech and ended embarrassing herself, they’re in the stairwell and blair opens up to him, and dan drops this quote “maybe you were so focused on how everyone else perceives you, you no longer know who you are. and that’s too bad because if only you could see what i see.” gets me every time 🥹

[carlos-in-glasses]

Wonderful wonderful cig.

Not too long ago I rewatched ‘Unlikely Event of An Emergency’ and like always I sobbed, no matter how many times I watched it.

But the feeling multiplied tenfolds because I was somewhat taken a back to your work ‘Where All This Loves Comes From”.More specifically the scene where Owen tells TK that being loved is the first thing he ever experienced on Earth. And also the one in 2020 where TK and Gwyn was on Spring Street before he was about to propose to Alex, and Gwyn reminded TK of how both of them love him.

I think it’s lovely how work can fandom can enhance and just unconsciously be adapted to the canon-show. Because now every time I think about the Strand family, my mind goes back to the work you have beautifully created. There’s so many works from canon compliant to canon divergence to AUs, that has been cemented in my mind and heart, even when the show or the pairing has ended, and that’s the beauty of fandom.

So I just want to say thank you, to you and so many amazing member of the fandom for being the heart to the journey of enjoying the show. Whether you are a creator or an enjoyer, on the sideline cheering on our lovely creators giving them loves and positive feedbacks.

The wonderful people who has been majorly open and accepting, the works created, the meta, the silly discussion has been majority part of why I enjoyed LS so much so I won’t be worried when the show end. So, I hope the show ending wouldn’t discourage a lot of people in joining and/or creating, because the main part of fandom has always been the community, the genuine love and excitement from fan.

p.s.

I can’t wait to read the Poet Fic and unravel what you had in store for us. A 117k work 😱 you spoil us

😭 Oh wonderful wonderful anon! I don’t even know what to say. This is such an amazing message. That you remember anything about my fics after reading them completely knocks me off my feet. I get it, because so many fics live in my head rent free, but it just feels amazing to be told this about my own too, in particular during a tough week where I’ve been feeling quite worried about lots of things. And that Unlikely Event of an Emergency sparked you to think of it!! I’m hugely flattered, thank you!

Anyway - I completely agree with you about the works in his fandom. My love for LS and Tarlos goes beyond the show and belongs within the versions of the characters that are created by the writers here, some of whom I’ve been lucky enough to befriend, and others who I don’t really know but think are immensely cool and talented. I did have a bit of a hard time with the opening arc of season 4 (and the ending! Gosh) but the fics, gif sets, art, meta posts, made all the difference. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but when the show ends, the characters do not. They will be available to rewatch anyway, in hours and hours worth of episodes (which is more than some fandoms get) AND they become ours. Like a special gift. The fandom will change a bit after season 5 (in a way I hope includes new fans arriving!) but I will be here, I will be writing and reading, and I’m really happy to know lovely people like you will be too. I feel your positivity right in my heart, and I hope lots of other creators and enjoyers of the fandom see it too - because this is such a gorgeous love note to them, not just me 🥰 So I’m adding the 911 Lone Star and Tarlos tags to this.

And thank you for wanting to read Poet Fic! I’m so excited about it and feedback has been amazing, so I hope you like it if you do get to it! 🌈

How your message finds me:

[a-bucket-full-of-feels]

"I love Mizore's oboe" - a deep dive on the "I love you" hug scene in Liz and the Bluebird

Because this movie lives in my head rent-free from time to time, I decided to explore the different interpretations of Nozomi's response in the above-mentioned scene. Some of these were inspired by other analyses I've read elsewhere, whereas others are based on my own perspective.

1. The shape of Nozomi's love for Mizore isn't the same as the shape of Mizore's love for Nozomi

This is perhaps the most straightforward interpretation and also my first thoughts when I watched the scene. All this while, Nozomi is unaware of how much she means to Mizore because Mizore struggles to communicate her feelings to her, so she bases the strength of their friendship on what ties them together - playing in concert band. Additionally, Nozomi is someone who craves external validation on whatever she does (e.g. her proficiency on the flute) - for example, she seeks Niiyama-sensei's implicit approval when she expresses interest in music school, and in the beginning of season 2, prior to rejoining the band, she plays her flute on the school balcony, a place where anyone can hear her. Similarly, she projects this worldview of hers to her relationship with Mizore. So when she hears Mizore tell her everything she loves about her but not a word about how she loves how she plays the flute, it completely breaks down how she thinks about her relationship with Mizore, and after she blurts out her honest thoughts, she bursts into laughter and thanks Mizore. She laughs partly at the realisation of all this, and also in relief that Mizore's love for her is in no way tied to how well she plays the flute. This is in light of her realisation that her musical talent pales in comparison to Mizore's, who has been holding herself back all this while.

2. Nozomi said that to let Mizore (i.e. the bluebird) free

Another popular perspective is that Nozomi said those words to Mizore to figuratively unlock the cage as Liz in order to set the Bluebird free and fly away. Being keenly aware that Mizore has been holding back her full potential on the oboe the entire time because she's afraid to lose her current friendship with Nozomi (the sole reason why she plays the oboe up to this point), she cuts off Mizore's rambling confession with a single "I love Mizore's oboe". By doing so, she's telling her "Please don't hold yourself back, and I want you to go to music school even without me." It's a bittersweet take, but it's what makes this film so beautiful.

3. By saying she loves Mizore's oboe, she also means she loves everything about her

This interpretation of mine is a bit of a cope, though I've briefly explored it in the last chapter of my Nozomizo fic "Dissonance" (yes this is a shameless plug for my fics on ao3, I've written a few new Hibike fics recently and comments/kudos are always welcome). Up till this point, the sole reason why Mizore plays the oboe is for Nozomi, and Mizore pours in so much of herself into her oboe playing, to the point where it's a reflection of her current state of emotions. In a sense, when Mizore plays her oboe, she and her oboe are one. So by saying that she loves Mizore's oboe, Nozomi implies that she loves everything about her, and also appreciates Mizore for loving her the way she does by playing the oboe for her sake.

Conclusion:

The beauty of the "I love you" hug scene is that there can be multiple interpretations of the same conversation, and all are valid interpretations that all point to one thing - this moment marks an important change in the way Nozomi and Mizore see their relationship. I'm sure there are many more perspectives others have about this scene that are equally valid, but these are the ones that are more popular and/or based on my own perspective after watching this film thrice and this particular scene many more times.

[allpainnogain99]

Time to screech about Sonic Prime S3E1

Alrighty. Having taken a while to screech about the first episode to myself...now I’m gonna screech about it here LOL I’ve got a LOT I could say about it, soooo here goes. Enjoy my random musings and mostly just me reiterating what happened in the episode lmao

Starting off with Nine. He says that the Grim could have been everything Sonic ever wanted. He and Sonic have the tendency to talk past each other in a way, and they were both inadvertantly using each other. Neither is entirely in the right OR wrong here (which I will absolutely go into more depth about).

Gotta take a second to talk about the fortress Nine creates. I absolutely love the symbolism of it (well, what I’m choosing to take as symbolism, anyhoo). He could very easily have just created a simple lab for himself, like he used to have (and like Tails had), but he didn’t. He created a giant, elaborate fortress. Why? Well, for the obvious reason of “someone might come after me, I need protection”, but I like to think there’s more than that. It’s about power (this will also get brought up again). Nine is more than capable of protecting himself, which is how he has managed to survive for so long on his own. But now? It’s not just about protecting himself. It’s about showing that he can protect himself. It’s a physical manifestation of everything he has had to hold inside for his entire life. All of the mental strength he has, all for the world (or lack thereof, as the case may be) to see. He doesn’t have to hide anymore, and he wants everyone to know.

Then we switch over to the two hedgies, and oh boy is there a lot to talk about here.

It hurts seeing Sonic so lost and confused as to why Nine would have left, “betraying” him in the process. Seeing it from Sonic’s point of view, he doesn’t understand why Nine would want to leave behind what he believed would be the perfect chance to make everything right. Despite being told all the way back in season 1 that Nine wanted to start “our new life” over in the Grim, Sonic failed to see how much the idea of them staying together meant to Nine, as just the two of them. He doesn’t see how much he hurt Nine by not seeing him as his own person. No matter how much he tried to deny it, he was somewhat using Nine as a stand-in for Tails. Do I believe Sonic was being malicious and purposefully stringing Nine along? No. Of course not. That’s not in Sonic’s nature. He was just desperate to have his friends back, and failed to realize how much his words and actions were hurting Nine. Which of course is still wrong and something he needs to realize and understand.

And then there’s Shadow. While many people headcanoned that Shadow would just up and punch Sonic the moment he stepped foot inside the cave, I was pleasantly surprised that he did not. Granted, it was because their lives were literally on the line, but still. Shadow took one moment to say “I toldya so”, and left it at that, prioritizing their escape. He didn’t constantly berate Sonic as they were running, either. The insane amount of character growth that shows just makes me so happy.

And can we just talk about the escape scene? (both parts LOL but in due time). The way they both looked out for each other as they ran, and the fact that Shadow risked falling behind to make sure that Sonic made it to the ground safely??? I just...golly I can’t screech about that enough. (Also this brief frame of Shadow going from being on guard to being annoyed about Sonic’s rough landing is absolutely hilarious and it will live rent-free in my head...forever.)

The ghost scene. Shadow doesn’t berate Sonic for stopping, he’s calm and even tries to reach out to Sonic.

He understands how much it hurts Sonic to see the illusions, a major turnaround from how he acted in season 2 (granted, Shadow had more time to come to terms with the ghosts, seeing as how he had been in and out of Ghost Hill before, but I digress.). He does try to get Sonic to move on, but in the end gives him his chance to grieve and reflect, which Sonic has not had a chance to properly do this entire time. I love how caring Shadow is in this moment. (Also SEGA LET SHADOW SAY “OUR FRIENDS” YOU COWARDS! ROUGE IS SHADOW’S FRIEND, DAMNIT).

And Sonic. How he had gone from hopeful in season 2 that he could save them because he had all the shards, to now being emotionally scarred by the idea of not being able to fix it if they can’t get the shards back from Nine...and watching literal manifestations of specters of your friends being drawn into oblivion...damn it hurts. But I’m glad he was able to snap out of it enough to follow Shadow out.

Escape pt 2: Hedgie Boogaloo. These two are so in sync, they barely have to exchange any words at all, they know exactly what the other is going to be doing, and I love it. I mean, look at this.

Shadow reaching out his hand and Sonic instinctually grabbing it to pull each other forward? Hell yeah!!! And here, all it takes is one glance and they both had the same exact plan. I cannot get over how much I love seeing Sonic and Shadow work together like this.

Nine making his own Metal Sonic. This means soooo much. Nine feels like Sonic betrayed him, but he can’t bring himself to entirely give up the idea of having Sonic by his side. The solution? Create a robotic version, of course. But also, the tiny bit of malicious tone when Nine says “Hello...friend” just gave me the shivers, I love it.

“If there’s anything knowing you has taught me, it’s that there’s always another way”. This line made me screech out loud, I love it so much. Shadow being willing to admit that Sonic not only taught him something, but that Sonic taught him to think outside the box, that things could have more than one solution, that there’s no such thing as giving up. I was grinning like an idiot at this, because yay character development!!!

(ALSO fduoghdfoighdf my grumpy baby being annoyed I can’t oh my golly look how adorable gahhhhh)

ALSO THEY BOTH GET TO ENTER ANOTHER SHATTERSPACE TOGETHER WOOOHOOO!!!!

It was all about power (remember that earlier? XD). In a way, Shadow knows what Nine is feeling. Feeling like the entire world has betrayed you, and having the chance to get back at them? Sound familiar? Granted they went about it two different ways (Shadow trying to destroy everything vs Nine trying to literally create a new world, to an extent), but they both went off the deep end when offered a chance at an ultimate power. Neither one cared what was happening around them, all that mattered was that they got what they wanted. But of course Shadow won’t admit to seeing himself in Nine’s actions, instead opting to just be like “OK yeah this kid is a menace, gotta destroy him”. Do I wish Shadow would be more willing to give Nine a chance? Absolutely. Is he going to? Probably not, that’s more Sonic’s shtick.

Was Sonic in the wrong for wanting to get his friends back? Nope, not in the slightest. That’s what he wanted all along. He spent so long trying to do that, after all. Was he wrong in seeing Nine as a stand-in for Tails? Absolutely. Again, he may not see it that way, but both his actions and words make it clear that he at the very least had a hard time seeing Nine as his own person. Even now, with the words “this isn’t you, Nine”, shows that Sonic doesn’t truly know Nine, because yes, this is Nine. Has been from the very beginning. A broken, distrustful, lost child who just wants a home and safety, friends or no friends.

As for Nine? Was he wrong for wanting safety and a home? Of course not. Everybody deserves safety and a home. Is he wrong for not caring what happens to New Yoke? Ehh...thin ice there. Wrong for not caring what happens to any Shatterspace? Yeah, there the line is crossed. At least in Ghost Hill there wasn’t any living beings (sure, the ghosts/illusions were there, but keyword there is living), but what about the others? Nine could end up having the lives of entire universes on his hands, even his own if he’s not careful.

Grim Sonic. And the fight against Grim Sonic. Have I ever mentioned how much I love seeing these two work in sync? Just that one little nod, and off they both go. It’s such a treat to see, and I will never stop loving it.

(Also Nine just casually making a robotic copy of Birdie is hilarious to me. Like, “Yeah, I made copies of Sonic’s friends, but also the bird is cool, so I just copied her too ‘cause why not?”)

“At least I can trust them!”. Nine is willing to spend his entire life with just robots for friends, and why? Because he can program them however he wants, to be whoever he wants. Nine is eerily similar to the original Eggman in that regard. He’s done with dealing with people, because people are inferior and betray you. Robots can be reprogrammed if anything goes wrong (Sonic Heroes, anyone?). Part of me is curious to see just how close to Eggman that Nine will end up becoming.

Talking about rebuilding the prism. This whole scene. What takes literally the span of just a few seconds, says so much, without even using a single word. Sure, Nine said he would need one missing thing, but after that? It’s all spoken through body language. Nine looks down to Sonic’s hands and shoes. It’s subtle, but he’s trying to show Sonic what he means.

Of course, Sonic doesn’t figure it out, he doesn’t see where Nine is looking. but you know who does? That’s right. Shadow. His face says it all. He doesn’t even have to say “I know what you’re up to”, it’s entirely unspoken, and I love that.

And Nine? He responds in kind. Look at this.

It’s a challenge. “Oh, you think you have me figured out? Then try to stop me”. Again, no words need to be said. He’s calm, confident, smug even. He thinks he has Sonic and Shadow right where he wants them. He doesn’t see any way that they’ll win, and he, again, wants them to know it.

But he didn’t account for how ready Shadow is for war.

Being entirely willing to take on all the Grim robots in order to keep Sonic safe? Sure, it’s for the good of the entire universe, but also because as much as he doesn’t say it, he cares. I mean, listen to what he says as he’s carrying Sonic away. He doesn’t say “This is to save the universe” or “we’re all dead if he catches you”, he says “this is for your own good”. Someone who doesn’t care wouldn’t say that. He’s getting so much good characterization in just this one episode alone, and I hope it keeps up, even if he ends up being seen in small amounts (I swear if he only appears in the finale I will cry).

Aaaand yeah. That’s the end of the episode. I honestly can’t wait to see what happens when the rest of the season drops. I am soooo not ready for it to end, but I’m excited to see how it ends.

TL;DR I screeched like crazy about how much I love this episode LOL

[hismercytomyjustice]

Jesus CHRIST. Finally watched the latest episode of IWTV.

Good god these guys are acting like the rent is fucking due.

I cannot get over how intense their performances are and all the nuances they give to each of their characters. Especially Assad Zaman. I cannot get enough of his performance.

!AMC IWTV 2.05 SPOILERS BELOW!

I was in awe of Sam Reid the first season and how he could flip so effortlessly from the man of Louis’s dreams to his worst fucking nightmare at the drop of a hat.

And now Assad Zaman is here to show how he can be 99% the man of Louis’s dreams but don’t you dare forget that fucking 1%.

And of course Jacob Anderson is fucking PHENOMENAL. I am in awe of how masterfully he shows how Louis has changed over the years. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to play three different versions of yourself decades apart.

He goes from semi-reluctant pimp to grieving newly made vampire to Lestat’s victim to Claudia’s brother who is trying he is trying so fucking hard to a photographer trying to remember why life is worth living to Daniel Molloy’s suspicious adversary to his hesitant friend.

I just. UGH. They are all so TALENTED.

And of course Bailey Bass and Delainey Hayles as Claudia!!! I do miss Bailey Bass, but Delainey Hayles has stepped up to the plate SO HARD. I love her so much too. The scene with Claudia playing chess with Lestat in Season One will forever live rent-free in my head though. Seeing her play the newly turned vampire/daughter/sister to playing the overconfident Lestat like a fiddle was *chef’s kiss*. God they’re all just SO GOOD.

And Eric Bogosian!!! And Luke Brandon Field!!! And Ben Daniels!!!

They are all JUST SO GOOD. My brain struggles to find the words to describe how fucking phenomenal they all are!!!

┻━┻︵ \(°□°)/ ︵ ┻━┻

I gotta reiterate what I posted in response to angel-starbeam’s question around whether Dracula comes across as “less like a supernatural evil being and more like a real life monster” because IWTV hits that duality on the head so well too. The show does such a phenomenal job of delving into both aspects, digging into the human trauma/emotions of the vamps and the horrible things they do while also going all in on the supernatural horror front.

Episode 2.02 is a perfect example with how the Theatre des Vampires is introduced. Specifically the scene where Louis and Claudia go see the show for the first time and how the company delights in playing pretend while also literally murdering and devouring people on stage in front of their audience.

The scene where the young woman is brought out on stage and begging for someone to save her, but everyone just thinks it’s part of the play. And yet you see so many people in the audience growing uncomfortable. Especially the guy who she agreed could take her place. He looks downright terrified.

It’s so fucking haunting, seeing this woman crying out for her husband and child and for rescue while being heckled by audience members. But it’s still theater for the vampires. A show within a show, solely for their entertainment. They get to watch humanity in its basest form, the woman agreeing to let someone else take her place, the audience looking away, and the audience cheering the slaughter on.

They’re literally playing with their food because it’s fun for them. They don’t need to kidnap people and “convince” (heavy air quotes) them to die on stage. And OF COURSE Lestat is the one who came up with that whole idea, what with his flair for sadism and drama.

They do it because they’re fucking human. Or were, anyway. The Theatre des Vampires is such a sharp contrast from the vampires we meet in 2.01, the ones who are little more than feral, whittled down to their basest instincts. They don’t fucking play with their food, they just hunt and eat. And yet isn’t that somehow more civilized than whatever the fuck they’re doing in France? Convincing themselves they’re doing these people a favor by getting them to “agree” to die?

Because that’s what Claudia’s so fixated on isn’t it? What she asks Santiago?

“How do you make them want it?”

Because that makes the deaths more interesting and more meaningful, doesn’t it? Connecting with your victim, lulling them into submission, getting them to “let” you bring them the inevitable end you, as an immortal, can never have?

And the woman in that scene is so young too. She has a child and a husband. Her adult life is only just now taking shape and they rip her away from it. They could find older targets, ones whose sudden disappearances/deaths are more readily accepted by society because of their age.

But they don’t. Because they’re fucking obsessed with youth. With people who have their entire lives ahead of them and everything to live for while they’re trapped in unending night, desperate to find meaning in it.

It’s exactly what young Daniel accuses Louis of in the 70’s. What sets him off. Because he fucking nailed it. Louis has spent his entire undead life striving for connection and meaning, but he can’t fucking find it because none of the vampires around him understand he never wanted to be one of them and he fucking hates what he’s become.

Yes, he was hurting and grieving after his brother’s death. But he still had his sister and his mother. He still had his job. He still had a place in the community. His business was wildly successful. And we see him trying so fucking hard to hold onto all of that when he bursts into the church the night of his brother’s funeral, desperately trying to evade Lestat’s siren song as his world crumbles around him.

Lestat makes him beg for a different sort of death. An end solely to his living life that Louis doesn’t understand is just as final as if Lestat had just slit his throat. Because by becoming a vampire, Louis loses everything he’s ever cared about “by choice” and he’s forced to live in the ashes of his former life for all eternity while all he wants is for everything to go back to the way it was before his brother’s death. But he can’t have that, so he just stops fucking living.

All of the vampires are so desperate for connection. Lestat wants a companion, Louis wants a family, Claudia wants a community, Armand wants to be wanted, Santiago wants authority…

I’d argue younger Daniel’s raw desire to just fucking live even though his life is middling at best (lol sorry bro) is what Louis finds so fascinating about him. And it’s because he loves life so much that he asks Louis to turn him.

Have we seen any voluntary vampires at this point? Maybe Santiago? Vampirism is something that has happened to them and stolen their agency in the process. Louis never wanted it, he just wanted an escape from his pain. Claudia never asked for it. Neither did Lestat or Armand or any of the feral European vampires.

The show so perfectly balances the vampires’ humanity with their monstrousness so fucking well. Being turned into vampires didn’t magically fix what was wrong with them in their human lives, and now they’re forever trapped in the bodies they had at the worst fucking moment of their human lives, never able to move past it.

Claudia is the poster child for this, stuck forever at fourteen even as her mind “ages” into adulthood. As mentally grown up as she is at this point, she’s still trapped in the body of a teenager. She will never be able to physically mature beyond that and she constantly tries to escape that reality only to have it thrown back in her face time and time again. She thinks she’s finally found people who will accept her as a grown woman in the coven, but then she’s forced into the role of Baby Lulu. Tbh, I feel like if she hadn’t had that role forced on her, maybe she would have finally been able to find some genuine happiness.

I mean, probably not given the shows themes, but a person can dream, dammit!

I know IWTV was a book series before it became a show and I’ll be honest, I haven’t read the books. I’ve googled some stuff because I’ve been curious about the how it differs, but my interpretation is solely form the pov of the show.

I’m just really fuckin’ digging it and I can’t wait for more. (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ) I just love how passionate everyone involved in it is and how much that passion shines in their work.

[the-stove-is-divorced]

What is your favorite scene in Invincible?

Personally, I was extremely hooked by the eighth episode in season one. GOOD LORD I rewatched Mark and Nolan's fight at least 50 times. I love how Mark's desperate denial, anger and slow acceptance of how things actually were is shown on his face the whole time. Everything happens so fast he doesn't have a choice but to react in the moment and process later. The people in the subway die beacuse he wasn't strong enough. His father started this whole mess because he was getting antsy about Mark not getting powers and his mission breathing down his neck. Maybe if Mark had developed his powers faster, he would have been stronger and able to stop his dad. If he had taken his training more seriously, he would have been more capable and less people would have died.

Was his whole life a lie, the years spent admiring his father worthless? The now downturned family pictures a constant reminder of what his life should have continued to be like. How many nights does Mark spend awake thinking about this, replaying his greatest, most painful loss over and over again?

Shower thoughts. They come and haunt me for the rest of the day. Week. Month. Year. Send help-

OH MY?? WHAT A LOVELY QUESTION! ⸜(*ˊᗜˋ*)⸝

But funny enough, that scene is actually one of my favorites! I can confirm it will never stop haunting you. You will be consumed by the pure what the fuckery of that scene and all it's delightful implications forevermore. Like oh my goodness, it is such a good fight scene! It's incredibly well animated, first of all. Like hello, give those animators a raise and a paid vacation. But then complimenting the animation is the VA's and writing! Also deserving of a raise and vacation. They absolutely cooked here, it's so scrumptious it's actually sickening.

There's such a masterful display of dread and horror building as Mark's own world, how he views his father, how he thinks about heroism, his power, his blood, is being completely will forever be changed! The way he views his own father will forever tainted by Nolan's completely willing displays of such egregious cruelties.

Literally everything you said above is something I'm sure Mark thinks about constantly, and how could you not? It's horrific to witness in general, but so insidiously personal as his own father slaughters innocents while insisting it's his fault. The massive amount of guilt that falls upon Mark's shoulders has got to be insane. And he almost died himself! By his father's hand! When the show switched between Nolan beating him bloody to Nolan proudly holding a young Mark up after a home run? Bro, I was sobbing.

And YES! How do you comprehend that the same father who said he loved you, that loved a planet enough to protect it, who saved countless of lives, who was proud of you, raised you, helped you, is also the same person who slaughtered thousands and blamed you for not joining him in planetary colonization, killing with his bare hands and insist it's Mark's fault, all while Mark is struggling between saving the victims, fighting Nolan, and trying to survive Nolan, himself. INSANE!

What makes it so much worse is just before this Mark kinda got what he wanted, if he was fighting side by side with his Dad! He still was feeling hopeless about how impactful he's supposed to be, but in that moment he was helping his Dad fight some beast together. And then it completely unravels.

And speaking of unraveling, the s2 scene as Mark is held by the neck from Nolan, whose screaming at him why he cares about an entirely different civilization being destroyed after just showing Mark he meant every single word about replacing his family entirely? I was gagged. I was screaming at the TV. I was sobbing on the floor. That lives in my head rent free every single second of my life. There is no escape. It felt like looking at a healing, deadly wound that just barely cost a victim's life, one that still aches on bad days and could make one wince if straining, and then tearing it open with a rusty knife. Oh my god. Nolan confirming everything he told Mark in s1 and then holding him by the fucking neck, and screaming at him?

Tysm for the asks!! ( ´ ▽ ` ).｡ｏ♡ I fucking love this show so much. Mark my beloved and Nolan my beloathed.

[lou-iz-stat]

So……. 2 MORE WEEKS!… and it still does not feel real to me that we are going to get season 2 so soon. I am sure it will destroy me and create an everlasting wound deep in my soul.

Anyway episode 6! I won’t lie this the episode that I have watched the most out of the rest. I have probably watched it over 15 times and that is not an exaggeration. It’s my fav episode because there are just so many iconic moments in this one.

Let’s not waste another moment. Get into this!

IWTV S1 E6: Like Angels Put in Hell by God

This ep starts with Louis looking real bad as he tries to recover from the drop inflicted on him by Lestat.

He definitely has PTSD from the fall 😔

At least we get the ‘cloud gift’ name drop.

We also have Dr. Fareed which is a character that is most prominent in the Prince Lestat trilogy I believe. I do not know if this is true I have not read that far yet.

We then go back to the story and Claudia is making Louis chase a goat for his recovery.

And here comes Lestat being where he is not wanted. The throwing of his coffin out the balcony is everything 🤣

When Lestat comes to give the car to Louis I must admit he looks so so good 😩 But I still don’t want Louis to let him back in! Because I know he has not changed even though he says so.

But I do believe that if Louis did tell him to leave and to never see him again Lestat would listen! But he doesn’t tell him that because he still can’t let Lestat go even after everything he has done. It’s too much!

Lestat is crazy for what he does with ‘Come to Me’ but I love when Sam sings it ❤️

And this what. I am talking about when I say that so much of this episode is so iconic! Swimming a dirty ass river to break into your exe’s place and telling Antoinette to leave HER HOUSE so that you can have violent hate sex while she is just outside listening to it all. It’s just so messy and insane! Gotta love it

Sam Reid is just so so good in the scene where they are questioning Lestat! His acting is just *chef’s kiss*

And everything he tells them of how he became a vampire is true 😭

“…I loved Lestat with a wounded one.” 😭😭😭

Yes Claudia you should baaaaaa at him!

Nooooo Claudia what he said about Magnus was true!

More Nicky name dropping this episode. And knowing the backstory with that I just wince at the whole conversation they are having. But what can I say she really is her father’s daughter

And of course he didn’t kill Antoinette being a brat so much so that he did not like being told what to do. And yes Louis he is ‘all kinds of fucked up’ and this why I love this show. Everybody is fucked up just some more than others.

Ugh the scene where Claudia tries to get Louis to leave with her breaks my heart.

Then we go back to modern day and this is where in the original interview Daniel wanted to be turned. And ohhhhh Armand is not happy that Louis offers to turn Daniel now hehe

The utter shock I had when Claudia is just sitting in the townhouse instead of on a train. 😱

But oh, oh! The train scene is everything. It is just so fucked up and scary! This show is in the horror genre after all. And that doesn’t stop this scene from being iconic.

From “Tickets, please!” To “Claudia, you left without saying goodbye…. Again” it just lives rent free in my head.

God he such an asshole to her!

And she defeats him at chess at the same time that she is plotting his murder! That’s some queen shit honestly.

When Lestat is shouting in French, if you ever look up what he is saying it is actually so unsettling

Awwww our boy (Daniel) is eeppy

I don’t care what anyone says I love the 70s flashback.

And boom! As we all know Rashid is actually someone Daniel has met before! Shocker! Yeah yeah it’s Armand we know this.

Yay! I got through another one! We only have one more rewatch then s2! I cannot believe it and again it does not feel real at all! I am sure by next week I’ll be able to write more since I won’t have as much school work left to do.

Thanks for reading

14 days!!!!! Life is worth living!

[thexgrayxlady]

What I Read in June 2024

Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett - 4.25/5.00

This was a fun road trip. In spite of some bits that probably didn't age well, it was still an overall good time. I loved the bit where Granny Ogg whacks Gollum with an oar. The scene with the brazier is fantastic. Literally half of this review could just be talking about my favorite scenes. I am always in awe of how seamlessly Pratchett can take a scene from very silly and funny to chilling, uncomfortable, and tear jerking, almost without the reader noticing what's going on. The Big Bad Wolf now haunts rent free in my head. I really liked watching Granny Weatherwax go up against her Disney adult sister.

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin - 4.75/5.00

This was brutal and beautiful. I ripped through at least half in a day like it was nothing and was too caught up in it to take very many notes. The characters are deep and complex and the world building is incredible. The entire buildup to the last day on the island is horrifying and I could not look away. And the ending is fantastic. I can't wait to read the next one.

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner - 3.75/5.00

This is a strong debut novel with a fascinating, lived-in feeling world and an interesting protagonist. However, it's held back by too many POVs and cartoonish, mustache twirling antagonists. I liked when the gods felt appropriately inhuman and wish that their skewed morality came up more often. Skedi especially has a moment where he does something horrific to one of the main characters and it's just ignored and forgiven almost immediately. That being said, the antagonistic gods just feel too cartoonishly evil and not enough like they're acting in accordance with their nature.

The edition I have is also riddled with typos and misprints. I got it used so I don't know if I got some kind of ARC, but I don't appreciate the lack of quality control that went into it.

The atmosphere built up in the first part of the book is really cool. You can see a lot of influence from The Witcher and Elden Ring. The abandoned city of the gods feels appropriately creepy. For all of my little issues with it, I can't wait to see what the author does next and hope that she continues to grow and improve.

Garden of Lies by Amanda Quick - 3.00/5.00

This was a mostly satisfying romance/mystery novel. I appreciate that Ursula is an independent, professional businesswoman who knows what she wants. I appreciate that the author understands the importance of secretaries and equal pay. The main characters have a dynamic that's based on mutual respect. It could have done without the island subplot, but it's not too intrusive. Ultimately, not a bad way to spend a rainy afternoon.

[terapsina]

Shoutout to the temporary ships that were created with the intention of getting in the way of the intended ship but that I actually liked way more than the ship the writers were trying to get me to root for.

(a.k.a I kinda get a bit salty on this one)

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1. Laurel and Tommy - Arrow

As soon as they got introduced I felt the feeling of doom. Because they were so immediately adorable and full of chemistry. I loved them from the word go even though it was so clear they were going toward a Laurel and Oliver resolution (and then to add insult to injury they changed their minds on that, but Tommy was taken from Laurel anyway).

---

2. Clara and Danny - Doctor Who

It's up for debate if Clara's relationship with the Doctor was meant to be romantic-coded or not (I personally prefer it as 'not' but they really were very fuzzy with the lines) but either way Danny was still used as the threat that might separate them. And that was really annoying for me because I liked Clara and Danny so much. And then they killed him (which is a scene that still tears my heart to pieces).

---

3. Cordy and Doyle - Angel: The Series

They were short and sweet and I enjoyed them (and though the Cordy and Angel thing wasn't really a thing at the time, there were some signs that it was on the writers' minds... and I wasn't a fan). And then they killed Doyle (...I might have to rename this post to 'killing off the love interests I actually enjoyed to give way to the ships I didn't').

---

4. Rachel and Joey - F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

This ship went past my notice when I watched the show as a kid (my entire obsession rested on Monica and Chandler) but after rewatching as an adult I actually really liked their potential. It might have come up a bit unexpectedly but there really was something quite genuine about it (and Rachel deserved so much better than Ross). I wish they hadn't ended it as such a joke.

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5. Worf and Troi - Star Trek: The Next Generation

They were created with the sole intention of getting in the way of Troi and Riker. But I liked them better. I just found them more interesting.

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6. Tamsin and Bo - Lost Girl

They were more fun to watch than Bo and Lauren, had better chemistry and I just enjoyed them a lot more ('and then you see you' living in my head rent free for years now). But instead they gave Tamsin the short end of the stick and used her as a stepping stone (in so many ways, genuinely, even past shipping they just never gave that Valkyrie a single break... and then killed her in the most insulting way possible, because of course they did).

---

7. Wynonna and Dolls - Wynonna Earp

Talk about chemistry. Season 1 of that show was so good and I really did fool myself into thinking this was where they were heading but no, of course not (I should have learned my lesson about Emily Andras after she killed off Hale on Lost Girl). How is an old dude with a gross mustache more interesting than a literal dragon? The answer as far as I'm concerned... they're not (now guess if they killed him off. Guess!).

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8. Lucy and Flynn - Timeless

A tragic love story happening in the wrong order and out of time because he meets her when he needs something to hold on to and she gives him a crusade. And she meets him while he's zealously following that crusade and thinks he's just a terrorist? Dude. But no, apparently the happy ending is supposed to be the guy that wanted the cake and to eat it too (sometimes I genuinely boggle at how the writers just will not notice when they've hit gold and instead go on beating that dead horse even more to death (and yup, somehow manage to kill the gold)) .

9. Dutch and Johnny - Killjoys.

(First I have to say that I still recommend this show a 100% and this is just quibble of a shipper at heart) But how is it that when you build the whole series around the heart of this relationship, you still end up using Johnny as a brief stop point (a la basically a Married!AU) before you put Dutch back with his brother? Like, yes, they're each other's best friends and always will be but people that are in love can be each other's ride or die best friends too.

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10. Mel and Abigael - Charmed (2018)

Alright, Mel went through the intended love interests like candy (and I liked most of them well enough) but Abby was the one that intrigued me the most, so it was a great shame that she was never properly Mel's love interest at all and more enemy/antagonist/ally/friend with mostly one-sided feelings for Mel (enemies to friends to lovers was RIGHT THERE).

[azazelsazaleas]

I finished watching through DS9 a few weeks ago and I’ve been meaning to do a rundown of my thoughts on it. Here goes:

- Oh my god that was fantastic. I really wish it’s given it a fair shake back when it was on the air; I was a dumb teenager who resented it for not being TNG and was going through a weird self-loathing phase where I didn’t want to admit to myself that I was the massive nerd that I am. This seriously lived up to the hype. I may have to do a TNG rewatch because this might just have upstaged it as my favorite 90s Trek.

- Andrew Robinson should’ve been made a full cast member. Ditto Max Grodenchik and Aaron Eisenberg.

- Damar’s transmission at the end of The Changing Face of Evil lives rent-free in my head. I cheered out loud at that.

- One thing the show did fantastically that a lot of other SF/fantasy properties don’t quite get right is that it lands a pitch-perfect balance of “these characters are major, important figures in the larger multinational conflict” and “this conflict is absolutely massive and not everything revolves around the same small group of people.” The fact that Sisko, Worf, Kira, Odo, et al are so important is entirely plausible and it never feels like the writers are trying to gratuitously bring everything back to them.

- That said, I kind of love that Admiral Ross’s leadership approach during the Dominion War eventually consists of doing whatever the hell Sisko tells him to do.

- God, the acting was incredible. Andrew Robinson, Armin Shimerman, Nana Visitor, Marc Alaimo, and Louise Fletcher were real standouts, but everyone was just so damned good.

- Actually, I really need to give special mention to Shimerman. The man went above and beyond to make Quark be something more than a joke character, despite how obvious it was that basically the entire production team wanted him to just be cartoonish comic relief. He worked harder to flesh out his character and show his race as a race of *people* (not just caricatures) than just about any actor playing an alien on Star Trek before him except for maybe Nimoy. Give the man a goddamn Emmy. Don’t believe me? Go rewatch the iconic root beer scene from The Way of the Warrior.

That said: I do have a few criticisms:

- Pretty much all of the (canon) romantic subplots were just…yikes. The only major exception I can think of Sisko/Yates, where they actually seemed to have a healthy dynamic, fall legitimately in love with each other, and generally treat each other like adults in a serious relationship, not bickering teenagers.

- Seriously, Worf/Jadzia got so hard to watch and then the fallout with Ezri was just ugggghhhhhhhhh stop please for the love of god

- Why did the writers need to try to romantically pair off all the female characters? Just, why?

- Kira had more sexual tension with that Romulan lady in half an episode than she did with any of her bucket-of-paint boyfriends over the course of seven years.

- I totally get the behind-the-seasons reasons why things panned out the way they did, but (hot take) I think Dax’s whole arc would’ve worked better if they had killed Jadzia off after the first season or two and brought in Ezri earlier. Jadzia was fun, but she was just too perfect to get many interesting stories and her relationship with Worf felt too much like manufactured drama. Having a trill who didn’t want to be joined, agreed to in a life or death emergency situation, and now has to reckon not only with taking on this symbiotic relationship with no preparation whatsoever but also succeeding this beloved person in the eyes of her loved ones is such a better setup for a character and it’s a pity we didn’t get to see that play out properly.

- Sisko deserved a better conclusion to his story. Give the man his damned house on Bajor and let him raise his kid with Kasidy. He’s more than earned it.

- Next time I rewatch the series, I’m skipping the mirror universe episodes and the ones with the genetically enhanced walking-90s-neurodivergent-stereotypes.

Other random thoughts:

- Dukat’s storyline should’ve ended with him getting killed at the end of Waltz. Either by Sisko, or by deluding himself so thoroughly that he does something suicidal. The pah-wraiths subplot felt like a lazy afterthought (except for the episode where he pretends to be Bajoran and starts fucking Kai Winn) and as much as I liked watching Marc Alaimo act, his story arc was basically over at the end of Sacrifice of Angels….which, incidentally is when Damar actually starts to get interesting.

- I loved the O’Brien must suffer episodes but I thought Hard Time was kind of overrated. Mostly for the plot line with the cellmate; I think I’m a little burned out on seeing stories that have a moral of “deep inside us is a line between humanity and savagery and when pushed to the limit, even the best of us would turn to murder.” It’s been done to death, and it’s really not truthful, at least for many people.

- I think I may have a little bit of a crush on Major Kira. It would never work out if I met someone like that in real life, though. I’m a laid-back, atheist, creative type; she’s a deeply devout former insurgent. Given certain real-life crushes I’ve had recently; maybe I’m just into strong women with big, expressive eyes who wear their hearts on their sleeve and have a spine made of fuckin’ steel. I have no idea what this says about me.

- MORN

- Favorite Episodes: In the Pale Moonlight, The Visitor, Improbable Cause/The Die is Cast, In Purgatory’s Shadow/By Inferno’s Light, In the Cards, Duet, The Wire, Civil Defense, The Magnificent Ferengi, basically the entire Dominion War arc.

[hiding-under-the-willow]

oooh ok LaHoF questions

1. what was the first scene you came up with? (im pretty sure it was . well. the house on fire. but just in case.) (and if it was where did you go from there/what did you think of next?)

2. how did you come up with the idea did something inspire you or did it just spontaneously appear in your mind one fateful day or what?

3. what is your favorite part(s) ?

YIPPEE!!! These are such good questions man

1. The first scene i came up with was actually the tent scene from the first chapter! The fire came next, the rest of it came from me trying to figure out how to link those two scenes and build on the themes and deciding where the story would go after that. I think the deep dark thing was the third thing that came up. Oh, fun fact! The chapter with Wels and Hypno, the one where Wels and Hels have their fight out in the nether, didn't exist in the original story outline! I got to that point in the writing process and went 'no wait there's something missing here' and ended up with that like 7500 chapter which helped immensely with pulling everything together for that bit of the story.

2. Okay. This is the point at which I let you all in on a little secret. At least half of the things I write start off as Zeph storylines in my head. The tent scene was originally thought up as an encounter between Hels and Zeph, bc I was interested in like the idea of what would happen if a hermit were to mistake him for Wels, how he would use that opportunity. Zeph is like my little test dummy I throw scenarios at them and sometimes I take one of those scenarios and extract the themes out of it and go 'oh actually this would be incredibly compelling with this character instead'. Which is exactly what happened with that tent scene.

I had always kind of wanted to explore Hels and Beef's dynamic before this since it isn't explored in canon and tbh is kind of ignored by a lot of fic writers, but this was the only idea I had which had ever really compelled me in that department. It was like watching the puzzle pieces all fall into place at once it was great. The fire also came very naturally. I've always had an association between Hels and fire, and the idea of him burning one of the hermits' bases has always kind of been living rent free in my head bc of his whole 'I am going to destroy this place and everything you hold dear' mentality. It's something that's bounced around in Zeph storylines, and a series of dreams I had a few years ago that a few old followers might remember me posting about, but this was my first good opportunity to put it to paper in a way that was narratively fulfilling. Something about the season 10 setting just really lended itself to this narrative and I don't know how to explain it but it is quite literally the easiest a fully formed storyline has ever popped into my head in my life.

3. The chapter 3 deep dark scene is so everything to me. The fire as well is obviously beloved in many ways. There are a million little character moments i could name that drive me personally insane. I actually fucking loved writing Beef's dream flashback to the cloning machine from the fire chapter? Something about taking the actual events and dialog from his video and recontextualizing it was so satisfying. I love artistic recontextualization!!!! Then there's a chapter coming up soon. That i am very excited to write. To say the least. I've had a draft of the dialog sitting around in my notes for months. There is an illustration already done for it that I can not wait to post as well.