#sorry this is SO long

[bats-and-the-birds]

I like to think about young Dick Grayson a lot, and right now I'm specifically thinking about him from the Justice League's perspective.

Like, imagine you're in the Justice League, maybe you've been there for a few months, maybe for a few years, but either way, you know how it works. Superman's terrifyingly powerful, but you get over the fear factor as soon as you see him cry over a sad cat video, and Wonder Woman's still a bit intimidating, but as long as you're good and truthful, you can trust that she won't crush your head like a grape.

And Batman... well, you've made your peace with the fact that you'll never figure him out. You know literally nothing about him, other than the fact that he claims to be fully human, but you're not even really sure about that, because you're pretty sure he just materializes in the shadows sometimes. The only things that you're 100% sure of is that you're terrified of him, and you're so glad that he's not on someone else's side.

And then, suddenly, he has acquired a child. Just like everything else, you don't find out immediately, because god forbid that man tell his team anything. But you start to hear vague reports of another shadow trailing behind Batman in the night. Superman asks him about it one day, but of course, he doesn't respond, and they all wonder, but it never gets brought up again.

But one day, unexpectedly, that shadow is at a league meeting, and he's not as shadowy as you would have thought. In fact, he's wearing the most vibrant costume you've seen, and you spend all of your time with other heroes in spandex. He's also young. Terrifyingly young. It's his twelfth birthday, actually, he explains to the league, and he pestered 'B' until he agreed to take him to a meeting. You all agree later that he looks younger than twelve. And you worry about him, because why is this child in Batman's care? Can he really be trusted to look after someone so small, so young, so seemingly fragile?

Besides, Robin (Robin, his name is Robin, he's a songbird for christ's sake), is everything that you'd think Batman would hate. He talks everyone's ear off with a giant grin stretched across his entire face. He begs Superman to fly him around and cackles and claps as Wonder Woman demonstrates basic sword maneuvers for him. Before long, the whole team is in a better mood. Meanwhile, Batman stands in the shadows, his face impassive, with no explanation about the little masked boy that walked into the room hiding under his cape.

He leaves just as he came, disappearing under Batman's cape as the two exit the watchtower together, and the whole league is left to wonder how the fuck that child ended up in Batman's care, and whether or not they should intervene, because spending prolonged time in Batman's company cannot be healthy for a child.

But then he starts showing up more and more, popping up in some places that you know from Batman's glare he's not supposed to be. He's teamed up with that speedster boy and the two of them cause havoc, but Robin takes the lecture he gets with a grin and gives a half hearted promise to behave.

You steadily start to realize that he might not be as out of place in Batman's company as you originally thought. You realize that the boy is a performer through and through, and that extends to that grin of his that dazzled the team when they first met him. You get the impression that sometimes its genuine, yes, but you'd never know if it wasn't. His exuberance is a persona held in place as meticulously as Batman's grim seriousness.

And though you'd assumed that Batman's sidekick (partner, the boy insisted, rather intensely, though his smile never faltered) would be well trained, this kid could take down league members, you're sure. You quickly realize that he enjoys fighting, and he fights viciously, giggling and putting on a show, but leaving broken bones in his wake. Your first impression is that Robin was more human than the demon they called the Batman, but you quickly start to question that too. If Batman can materialize in shadows, then Robin can fly. He twists through the air like gravity doesn't affect him and lands with so much grace that you'd think he had hollow bones like his namesake. You're not fully convinced he doesn't, considering he climbs up the bat with no warning, clinging onto his back like he belongs there (you quickly start to think he does), or he'll throw himself through the air with no more warning than a quick 'catch' yelled to his partner. And Batman catches him. Batman always catches him. Everyone keeps an eye on him when he's up high, but there's a part of you that feels like it's impossible that he'd ever fall. Or at least, impossible that Batman would ever let him hit the ground.

And you start to think that Robin's exactly where he's supposed to be; perched on Batman's shoulder, hiding in his cape, or fighting by his side. You still hope there's a normal boy behind the mask, going to school and making friends with someone to tuck him in at night, but you also can't imagine anything normal about Robin, and maybe that's why he needs to be by Batman's side, and maybe that's why Batman needs him too.

[witchlingcirce]

Okay I’m sorry but I feel like people are missing the point of Jace’s speech!!! The whole point of this conversation is about his insecurities and how he views his bastardy.

Do I think he should be insulting the small folk? No. But I don’t think you guys understand- people viewing Jace and his siblings as bastards and unworthy of the throne is quite literally now where introduced to Joffrey and him.

The topic of being a bastard is so prominent to his character! Throughout the first season Jace is constantly reminded that he’s a bastard and how ‘strong’ he is. Him being a bastard has caused problems in the past as well.

—> During the fight with Aemond, he’s reminded of Harwin being dead and also Aemond calling Jace a bastard (fight inevitable led to Luke cutting out Aemonds eye —> Aemond killing Luke).

—> During the aftermath of this fight, the topic of Luke and Jace being bastard is really prominent and it’s being thrown around the room for everyone to see and hear. I can’t imagine how embarrassing it must be for your cousins to be like “just look at them, everyone already knows”.

—> having to watch his brother fight for his legitimacy in front of the entire court room. Seeing a man call your mother a whore, and than watching that same man be beheaded (and he’s legally ur uncle too lol).

—> Him asking Rhaenyra with so much contempt if he was a bastard.

There is more examples of his, Luke and Joffs parentage being consistently mentioned throughout the show but those are some examples.

So, here is Jace who has quite literally watched his, his family and especially his mothers claim be put in question and almost taken away because of his existence- and than here he is seeing other Targaryen bastards being able to claim a dragon.

He even says it during the argument, that him having a dragon makes his claim legitimate. But seeing all these other people claim a dragon, well what does it mean?? This is backed up in season one when Alicent mentions to Viserys (or maybe Cole? My memories a bit foggy) that she’s surprised his dragon even hatched. Why?? Because he’s a bastard

I don’t think argument comes from hatred towards the small folk (although he used some colourful language…), I think it comes from so much built up resentment all coming out. I mean, what claim does he even have??? Wouldn’t everyone else also have a claim???

For so long he’s been so insecure about himself, about his future and about how others view him. This is really just him releasing his pent up anger towards a situation that’s never been able to leave him alone.

To those who have read Fire & Blood, than you understand that these words will quite literally come back to haunt the actions of the end of the dance.

Anyways that’s just my pov on this fight- Jace you will always be loved by me.

[oliviasroses19]

I’m in my Colin feels again (I mean I always am but this time it’s too much and I must get it out) so buckle up, grab some tea and biscuits, and maybe some tissues depending on if I can get this written correctly.

I know people wish Colin would have suffered more before Pen forgave him but this man was suffering long before we saw him on screen flirting with the debutants on the street. Colin spent the whole of his four month tour missing Penelope and then kept missing her up until their reconciliation. In his own words he spent his whole tour yearning to receive word from home, from Penelope, in fact. We all know he missed her more than he let on initially and baby boy was desperate to hear from her. He surely cannot think of a logical reason for her silence. Their last (known to him) exchange was shared affirmations during their romantic platonic dance. I wish we would have gotten some sort of screen time of him whilst on his travels to get a little more depth of his spiraling from the loss of her letters that leads to his fake persona but I digress. He comes home and tries to get back on track with her only to receive many a cold shoulder from Pen, first at the garden party, and then at Lady Danbury’s ball where he finally learns of the reason for her silence. He is desperate to get back in her good graces and wasted no time with his apology (the next morning, he obviously couldn’t sleep).

He then finds a way to make up for his callous remark (we’ve all read the words enough and frankly I do not wish to repeat them) in the form of helping Pen find a husband.

Only, this doesn’t help with his missing her. They get to spend more time flirting laughing together like they used to. But there is also the ticking clock running down the time they will have together. Yes, he is dumb when it comes to Penelope, but not too dim witted to not realize that as soon as she is married, things will not be the same as it had been in the past. We see him start to realize this more at the Full Moon Ball. As soon as she starts interacting with Lord Basilio and Remington, yes he gets jealous, but there’s more to it. He’s getting a glimpse of how things will be when he’s not the one she gossips with or spends time with. He’s missing her before she is even wed.

And then the kiss happens.

And she gives him up while he realizes what he has truly been missing and why he missed her so deeply when she didn’t respond to his letters and he will continue to miss her because she is looking for a husband that is not him.

Then we have proper yearning while he watches her with Debling and it is eating him alive. He is trying to accept letting her go and he becomes a shell of a man in the process. He needs his Pen. Thankfully, Mama Bridgerton talked him out of his stupor and prompted him to act.

He professes his feelings for Pen and admits that he prefers sleep because that is where he might find her. He has been following her request for distance (kind of, sort of, maybe) since the willow tree. He follows her around like the golden retriever boy he is because he will take any interaction possible, even if he has to hear her talk about how Debling is not displeasing to look at. He misses her so entirely that he will take any form of Pen he can get. Even the non tangible, dream version of her. Because up until he crashed Debling’s proposal, he thought that was going to be the future extent of Pen he would have. But now he has told her how he feels and she wants to be so much more than friends.

He thinks he doesn’t have to miss her anymore. She’s going to be his wife.

But things still aren’t right between them. Colin is the king of reading Pen (well most of the time, boy still doesn’t realize she loves him). She’s high strung and not as open as he is used to her being. He is still missing her.

He finds out the reason is Whistledown and suddenly he’s missing the idea of her he had in his head. He thinks he doesn’t know her and he is also worried about the possibility of losing her if she is found out. Again, missing her before she is gone. She gives him an out from marrying her which he, rather harshly, puts down. He is upset, rightly so, but he cannot imagine not being with her. He knows what life is like without her in it and he cannot, will not, does not want to let that happen again.

We then have the fight outside the modiste and he is able to somewhat reconcile the two women he thought were separate. The wedding happens and for a moment, they are together, and nothing else matters.

But the moment is ruined when the Queen crashes their dance, and now the very real fear for her safety is again taking precedence.

He separates himself from her physically and a bit emotionally yet he still misses her. Colin could have slept anywhere in their apartment but chose the very uncomfortable settee right outside their room so he could be close. It is just as hard on him to not be near or with her as is it for Pen to not be with him. He is yearning for her but WD is still looming over them.

Then there is Cressida. Another thing that can take Penelope away from him. We finally see him admit how much he longed to hear from Penelope. The “I miss you” from the Four Seasons Ball was over shadowed by his rake fake persona and I fear it hasn’t been taken seriously enough. He did miss her, he wasn’t just saying it to get into her good graces.

I think when he tells Cressida he longed to hear from Penelope, he remembers why she didn’t respond. It is because he hurt her. This is another step in moving forward through the WD issue. He understands they have both unfortunately hurt each other. I think this makes it easier for him to forgive her (along with the argument outside the modiste) for the hurt she has caused him.

He then royally screws up appealing to Cressida. It breaks my heart watching our teary eyed boy admit his failure but Pen is not angry with him. She sees him trying and loves him all the more for it. He’s starting to see her in her entirety, starting to understand her reasons for WD. They are so close in this moment but still are not quite where they need to be.

We see more yearning in the blanket for the settee scene from both Colin and Penelope. They miss each other, the easiness of their friendship and now the future of their marriage.

He reads her letters again, because he misses her. Not hearing from her was the catalyst in his rapid down badism and is now key in realizing that the Pen he grew up with and the Pen he now knows are both capable of being witty, sharp, and sometimes harsh He starts to miss her a little less. He now sees he has always known her and no longer feels that loss.

Penelope plans to reveal herself and they are one step closer to not missing eachother.

The next time (that we know of) they see each other is at the Butterfly Ball. The worry he feels for her while being put in the spotlight is palpable. Everything can go up in flames at any moment and he could lose her forever. If he thought he missed her before, it is nothing compared to the possibility of never having her again.

But this doesn’t happen. The look of fear is replaced by that of utter pride, love, and adoration of his best friend as he watches her triumphantly declare herself as WD. Now all of the pieces are in place. Whistledown is out in the open, he has reconciled Pen and WD, and has admitted to his envy. They can now be emotionally, physically, and mentally together. He no longer has to miss her.

Colin “my wife” Bridgerton never wants to miss his Pen again because he has spent entirely too long missing her. I cannot WAIT to see them in their happy, wedded, mom and dad bliss next season. They will be insufferable to the entire ton.

——————————————————————————

If you’ve made it through my ramblings, I sincerely thank you. I hope it’s coherent enough and makes sense. Colin is such a complicated character and I love analyzing the way Luke plays him. All the nuances Luke slips in there truly make me love Colin even more.

[theaceofarrows]

Group text

Dick: [laughing while looking at his phone] Please tell me I'm not the only one seeing this

Tim: [looking at his phone] Oh my gosh

Damian: What? My phone is charging. Just spit it out

Dick: [in a Bruce voice] Weekend safety brief, One: don't add to the population; you know who you are. Two: don't SUBTRACT from the population; once again, you know who you are- [brakes off into more laughing]

Jason: [reading off the list] Three: stay out of the hospital, the newspaper and jail; please. Wow ye of little faith much?

Tim: [reading off the list] Four: if you do end up in jail, establish dominance quickly and non lethally. Yeah, wow...

Damian: Tt. Of course he sent that knowing you heathens

Jason: Hey, "don't subtract from the population; you know who you are" your grouped right in there with me kiddo

Damian: [grumbles]

Tim: Well, at least us three aren't the "you know who you are" in the first one [looks at Dick]

Dick: [gasp] Hey!

Damian: True

Dick: [arms crossed] I don't know whether to be offended or laugh

Tim: [shrugs] If it makes you feel any better for all we know Bruce could have been referring to himself

Jason: [chokes on laughter]

[angel-fruitcake]

what are your thoughts about castiel’s overall characterization throughout the series? I often see people say they made him a “joke” the longer the show went on and that they don’t like how they made him less menacing than he was when first introduced

tbh as the show progressed, i believe that the writers slowly but surely forgot how to utilize Castiel as a character. some people might disagree with me about this, but imo the only one who actually even came close to realizing Cas' potential was Kripke, and that was partially bc he created him. spn honest to god struck gold, not just with angels in general, but with Cas, and Kripke recognized that almost immediately from the fan response to him. Cas was introduced in season 4 as a minor character, and by season 5, he had already earned his spot as one of 3 leads.

once Kripke peaced out, it took exactly one (1) season before the writers were already trying to throw Cas away like fuckin garbage, despite him being a fan favorite. but once they realized that that decision would quite literally get the whole series cancelled, they were forced to bring him back. that whole situation is proof to me that many of the writers, at least at that point, simply did not understand what they held in their hands (something something you don't know whatcha got til it's gone).

once they stopped trying to get rid of him, i think one of the things that irritated me the most was how much they depowered Cas at just about every corner. so yeah, i'm in the same boat as a lot of people with that. but i also understand that leaving Cas at full angel power would've allowed him to solve pretty much any problem the Winchesters had, so they couldn't exactly do that either without the story becoming too boring. i acknowledge that they were in a bit of a tough spot as far as that went.

but even still, i feel like there was a happy medium that was overlooked. Castiel had so many really cool and interesting aspects as a character that were under-appreciated or not fully explored. for example, Cas theoretically knew every language ever created, yet we never saw him speak anything other than english or enochian (he didn't even sign with Eileen!). the most he ever did was translate some texts from other languages to english, which is just not the same. i would've also loved to know more about Castiel's true form. they gave us the tiniest hint of what Zachariah's looked like (six wings and four faces, one of which being a lion), but all we ever really got for Cas was his skyscraper height (although i will admit to the beauty of his true form being left mostly up to fan imagination). it just felt like post season 5, the writers' idea of angels in general devolved into a more stereotypical concept, rather than the terrifying biblical version during the Kripke era.

i could go on and on about Castiel; he holds a very special place in my heart. while i do love how gentle and domesticated he became in the later seasons, i still think overall he was dreadfully under-utilized and mishandled as a character. but i wouldn't necessarily say they turned him into a "joke" over the years. i just don't think the writers truly understood how much potential he had, therefore he was misrepresented (and kinda mistreated) time and time again.

[pumpkinandcoat]

My TUA4 thoughts

Its been a week now since the final season premiered and I have finally been able to compile all my thought together

This is an essay.

Spoilers for season 4 of The Umbrella Academy

(obviously)

With the fourth and final installment of The Umbrella Academy finally released, brings the long awaited conclusion of the Hargreeves family. And suffice to say… people hated it.

Even when this show is at its weakest with its plot, the thing that makes the show so good and what many people love about the show are its characters. They are all very distinct and memorable. And in TUA3, while it's riddled with plot holes and frustrating choices, is still a lot of fun to watch because of the character moments and the relationships between the different siblings.

That is why TUA4 is so infuriating, because it takes these special and memorable characters and it morphs them into these weird versions of themselves. Every single main character falls victim to this. They regress as characters into these versions of themselves that shouldn’t exist anymore.

Luther has become a stripper. His arc has almost no dignity from the get go. This only very loosely connects with his arc in TUA2 where he works at a bar, but as a bodyman and not as a ‘professional dancer’ so as to why the writers chose to make him a stripper is weird. He has returned to live in a run down version of the academy. There is no follow up on Sloane and he mentions her only one or twice in the whole season.

Diego is somewhat resentful of fatherhood, and he misses his old life of excitement when he was a vigilante. He is unhappy with his life and he seeks the higher purpose that he thinks being a criminal deterrent will give him.

Allison yearns again to be a star and neglects her relationship with Claire in the pursuit to regain her fame. 

Klaus, as soon as he regains his power, turns back to drugs. There is no attempt for him to hold onto his sobriety, even though as we see in TUA2 and TUA3 he is (mostly) sober for three years with his powers fully intact. We don’t even get a scene of him struggling with the ghosts coming back to haunt him before he is off to go buy drugs, and then he becomes a victim to sex trafficking. 

Five’s working at the CIA. After a lifetime of hardship and struggle, after he is forced into organizations where he has to complete different missions - first as a child with Reginald in the academy, and later as an adult with the commission - and after he is ready to retire at the end of TUA3, he joins into another organization instead.

Viktor moves away to Canada and is again isolated from his siblings and alone. Shown to have no lasting and meaningful relationships in his personal life.

Every single character is reverted back to an old version of themselves that they have grown from by now. The writers strip them of all of their character growth and substance and reset them to their base characteristics. Worse than that they write them as stereotypes that they are portrayed as at the beginning of the show, in which they are shown to be more than just those stereotypes and have at this point for a lot of them grown from them all together. They are now reduced back to them but without any of the nuance or layers that they had before, and again stripping them of all of their character growth and personality. 

The writers absolutely refuse to let these characters grow in meaningful and satisfying ways.

The relationships between these characters as well are also poorly written. Many of the strong relationships we see in the past seasons barely have interactions with each other, such as Klaus and Five, Diego and Klaus, Allison and Viktor to name a few. With Allison and Viktor we only really have one meaningful scene between them where they talk about how they aren’t close anymore and then there is no further discussion or resolution between the two. And with many others at best they get fleeting minor interactions where they maybe exchange one line or comment. Then there’s the characters who we’ve been waiting to interact for a long time, like Five and Claire, where in the first season Five expresses his desire to live long enough to meet his niece but in season 4 we don’t see them interact even once.

But by far the most insulting relationship is the one between Lila and Five and Diego. 

Two fucking words: Character Assassination.

The way that they wrote Five in this season is so completely baffling. Because the writers felt the need to give Five a love interest this season they decided to pair Lila and Five up and in doing so they destroy both Five and Lilas character, and the dynamic between Five and Lila, Five and Diego, and Diego and Lila.

There are two faucets as to why this relationship doesn’t work: the in-show context and the real life implications of the pairing.

In-show: Five and Lilas relationship hinges on the fact that they are stranded together on the subway for 7 years, unable to get back to their families. In the second to last episode of the entire show they are taken away from the rest of the characters to be put in this pocket dimension for the sole purpose to develop a romantic relationship between the two of them. 

For Lila as well, but especially for Five this makes no sense for their characters and butchers everything they represent and everything they stand for. Fives' driving force for his whole character is his family. Everything that Five does, every action that he takes, everything that he endures and pushes himself though, is for his family. His family's safety and survival matter more to him than his own physical, mental and emotional well being. They are the only people in the whole world that Five cares about.

Five survives 40 years in the apocalypse, with abysmal chances to get out, where any normal person would kill themselves, Five endures for the miniscule chance to get back and save his family. He spends years working for the commission, killing hundreds of people, after being the only surviving person on earth for 4 decades, to buy time so he can get back to his family. Five spends 45 years trying to claw his way back to his family. And when he does make it back to them, Five spends 28 straight days trying to prevent three different apocalypses across three different timelines so his family would live.

After 7 years on the subway Five gives up on getting back his family, and when he discovers a way back he keeps it a secret, even when he knows they are facing the apocalypse and certain death again? It doesn’t make sense for his character at all. Yes, he was tired at the end of TUA3 and was ready to lay down and die with his family by his side, but that was again after three failed attempts at preventing the apocalypse in a very short period of time. He also isn’t with his family, separated and isolated once again.

In terms of Five and Lilas relationship - It doesn’t make sense for Five, whose sole driving force throughout the entire show is his family, to turn around and betray his brother by engaging in a relationship with his wife. 

The dynamic between Five and Lila throughout the seasons has progressed from enemies to begrudging allies to a close friendship between the two, a progression that could not have happened without Diego. At the end of TUA2 and the start of TUA3 these two hate each other's guts, but because they both love Diego they are willing to put their shit aside and be somewhat amicable. Then, because they also both have a connection through the commission they team up and to go back and investigate and it's here where they can move past their past and are able to slowly form a friendship.

Yes, they are very similar characters and they have a unique bond. They can understand each other in a way none of the others can, because of their unique experiences at the commission and as being used as tools of The Handler. But this doesn’t mean they are suited for each other romantically and in fact is exactly why they aren’t. They both have deep trust issues, paranoia, and a kind of bitterness towards the world because of their experiences. With Lila and Diego, the reason that they work so well is because Diego's trusting nature and goodwill in people shows Lila that she can open herself up to people and to trust and love.

And the showrunners take all of this characterization, all of the love and devotion and the deep bonds between these characters and they throw it away because they wanted to give Five a love story. In the second to last episode of the entire series we see a three minute montage of Five and Lila on the subway for 7 years, and then three scenes of them in the greenhouse before they return back to the main time.

The writers destroy these characters and destroy these relationships for 15 minutes of screentime.

There is no resolution to this plotline. There is no reconciliation or understanding about what happened. Lila dies on dubious terms with both Diego and Five. Five and Diego die hating each other.

In real life: The actor who plays Five, Aidan Gallagher, was a minor during the filming of TUA1/2/3, and this was the first year he filmed where he was legally an adult, being 19 years old when filming TUA4. 

From the first season of the show, when he was 14 years old when filming, he has been heavily sexualised by a certain group of the fanbase. 

And the creators of the show, who have known him since he was a young teenager, at the first opportunity they could, paired him with his 34 year old costar - They met in the filming of the second season of the show, when Aidan was 15.

They waited - literally waited - for him to turn of legal age so that they could make his character have a love story, and then regardless of morals, regardless of plot relevance, regardless of if it even made sense for the characters, proceeded to pair Five and Lila up. Completely uncaring of the story, the established relationships between the characters and the overarching arcs of these characters.

The writers literally had to completely separate and isolate Five and Lila from the rest of the characters in their own timeline for over half a decade in order for it to make sense for them to develop a romantic relationship between them.

The decisions of the creators in this season are just so insane.

In continuation of Fives character this season - he abandons his family twice. Firstly when he finds the cipher to the subway and can return home, but chooses not to. Then secondly while his family are facing a life or death situation and another apocalypse, he physically fights Diego, and when Lila intervenes and implies that their relationship is over, he abandons them in the middle of the fight, to return to the subway.

And finally we get to the finale, where Five - again whose entire character is built on the love and devotion he has for his family - decides to erase himself and his entire family's existence from not just one timeline, but across every single timeline in order to correct the universe.

Five has never cared about the timeline. In fact he has always actively been working against it for his family's survival. They are supposed to die in TUA1 but Five will not allow that to happen and he goes against everything and every one to ensure that they live. He does this in every single season - goes directly against time and the universe to make sure his family makes it out on the other side. Now he is happy to give up and give in and not just to let his family die, but to have them permanently erased as if they hadn’t existed at all.

Even with the Five diner, we see all these Fives who have given up on trying to save their family after trying and failing to save them countless times - over 100,000 times - they resign themselves to a life of solitude with only alternate versions of themselves for company. Surely some of these Five have had to make the same connection that our Five makes, but they won’t sacrifice their families existence for the sake of the main timeline. But our Five, the Five that we follow, the Five we’ve personally seen struggle and fight to make sure his family is safe is the one who does.

I just cannot express how much this season disappoints me. The fundamental misunderstanding the creators have with their own characters and their own show is unbelievable. Even at the show's weakest, what makes it so engaging, what makes it so great, is this dysfunctional ass family who love each other. Their unbreakable bonds even when they are at odds with one another. How in their own weird way they do care deeply for one another. 

And the creators when telling the final story of these dearly beloved characters, destroy the bonds between them and send them off with a big old Fuck You to the audience to boot.

I cannot fathom how the same people who made TUA1 and TUA2, created this. Truly I cannot.

The conclusion from all of this I have come to is that the creators of this show are obsessed with writing perverse storylines. More subtle in the beginning, but now at the expense of the story and the characters themselves. Even since TUA1 there have been very weird romance story lines. Luther and Allison, and though not explicitly stated, the dynamic between Five and The Handler in the first two seasons is extremely uncomfortable.

And in TUA4 it all comes to the forefront where despite all of the complexity and nuance in the previous seasons of the show, they are willing to throw it all away to write these weird creepy storylines that nobody but themselves asked for or wanted. Luther becoming a stripper, Klaus being sex trafficked, Lila and Fives whole relationship.

Again I cannot express how much this season disappoints me. I cannot comprehend the decisions the creators of this show made. I cannot understand why they chose to destroy everything that made this show great. I cannot fathom how they could end this show in such a way and then pat themselves on the back for a job well done.

This has made me so deeply upset in a way that I just can't express. I have completely lost all respect for the creators of this show. I’m glad that it's finally come to an end so the creators can’t keep continuing to ruin this show and its characters.

Goodbye, Hargreeves family. You all deserve so much better.

[yesbothways]

Any decent reads floating around where the Arcane creators themselves talk about their ideas for Caitlyn's story arc? Some of these reads here on tumblr are missing most of what happened, maybe on purpose, maybe not. I thought it was pretty clear that in season 1, Caitlyn was a class traitor and also Vi's OTP. She breaks the law to continue to investigate and uncover the corruption of Silco and Marcus and to let Vi out of prison, risks her life while sustaining injuries yet endures on, brings Vi and speaks before the Council in a way (along with Jayce and some other players aligning with her) that leads to the vote for Zaun's independence. There are multiple moments where we see Vi look at her in genuine surprise, and I think it's clear that solidarity and vision is why Vi is falling in love with her. The show is primarily interested in complexity and how small characters are compared with what's happening, especially cycles of violence. So there was about zero chance that Caitlyn's story would go that one way the entire time. The way they carefully crafted the set up of Caitlyn's mom voting for Zaun's independence at the moment of being murdered by Jinx, Caitlyn talking to Jayce about trying to integrate the complexity and loss of what happened and hold on to her core ethic, her fixating on her chance to have prevented her mother's murder with a little more willingness to use force and violence with her confessing to her grieving father, "I had the shot," and repeating to Vi, "I had the shot, and you stopped me," and the way she snapped when Vi compared her to her mother's murderer all maintained the integrity of her character for me while pushing her past an extreme. Which is what this show does to characters.

And I thought how young and naive she was in season 1 despite being intensely perceptive set us up to see how without her alliance with Vi she would reasonably get played by someone brilliant and experienced like Ambessa in collusion with people like Maddie who present a facade of something she believes in. Caitlyn's power suddenly rises when she inherits her suddenly lost mother's power, and she essentially stands in the hole Marcus left as the only person who knows what's going on who isn't also a part of it. Ambessa then drastically accelerates that consolidation of power around her by getting the city leaders to collectively declare martial law and appointing her the commander. Caitlyn's character was set up to reject that foray into unchecked use of power, and the theme that it's love that causes the sort of confusion she had during that whole era gets laid out in words as a theme in the show.

They also had Vi say openly to Cait that she would do anything to bring her mother back if she could, and when Cait then got the completely unprecedented chance to bring Vi's father back, she completely flipped and tried as hard as she could to help make that happen. She nearly dies multiple times for those choices, not even going into all the details they put into the final duel with Ambessa. She even says aloud to Jinx, "In hating you, I've hated myself," and then lets Vi let Jinx completely free before the final battle. Caitlyn is a game-changing character, because of the choices she makes. And I think she makes sense as an OTP for Vi specifically. That's even with the pivot to seeing how wrong it could go instead in S2 during the time when Caitlyn starts making the choices people with power tend to make. I feel like it's a real thing that right now some people just cannot do both the lived experiences with the realities of police violence and rise of fascism in the USA and themes in a fantasy show that evoke those. And that is honestly totally fair to me. But I'm seeing folks saying that Caitlyn and Vi going down with the strike team and destroying shimmer while fighting the gangs that were fighting each other for Silco's organized crime operation was Caitlyn ruining Vi's character. Vi was literally going to go do that by herself and probably die, and the Enforcers before Caitlyn got involved were definitely not going to do any of that. They have a shared mission and vision, and that is the crazy, unprecedented thing their love forms around. I think all of the stuff that happens is extremely complex on purpose. I have never loved villains more than I did Silco and Jinx. And Viktor. My God, Viktor. Seeing Zaun thriving in a world without hextech while in our main world also seeing how Jayce responded to causing the death of one boy and how Viktor reacted to the death of Skye when they are essentially responsible for a drastic deepening of inequality and crimes against humanity was a total mind-trip. At one point, Viktor's human face split in half and another non-human face emerged... like I genuinely don't know if it is actually possible for this show to be more complex. And I do think Caitlyn and the love story between Caitlyn and Vi is as rich and complex as anything else, and it really works for me on those terms.

[delicatefestcloud]

I just saw someone call movie firstprince toxic bc Henry told Alex "sometimes I feel like you don't know me at all..."

I can't believe people, especially those who read the book, could miss the point of that scene entirely: Henry was terrified. He believed that coming out was not an option AT ALL for him. So what he meant by "you don't know me" was "you don't know that I can't do what you're asking of me" which is to fight for their love. During that whole monologue, Alex was quiet, listening as Henry let all his frustrations out:

" I didn't grow up with a loving family"

"I have centuries of history bearing down on my shoulders"

"I can't afford to be reckless"

"I will not trade one prison for another"

These are legitimate points that Henry was making, and Alex respected that, but he also understood that Henry was looking at what Alex wanted: for them to be happy together - not out (yet), just together- as impossible because it's not sustainable to live in different continents and have a secret relationship forever when you're a prince and he's an aspiring politician. With the spotlight on both of you like that, you will be found out. Alex finally understood just how "out of the question" Henry believed them being together publicly to be. That's why he told him "fine, I'll leave, but nothing will ever happen to you (if you decide that you can never let anyone love you. You will live the rest of your life alone, is that what you want?)."

Henry was then forced to see that he is at a crossroads:

Either he lets Alex go, never see him again, live his life in a way that the crown approves of, and never be happy.

Or,

Admit to himself that the love he has for Alex and the happiness he found with him are worth the terrifying notion of one day facing his grandfather and the country and saying "This is who I am, this is the man I love, I know you'll never accept that, but i'll take your disapproval over not being with him -over being miserable for the rest of my life."

He chose the latter. How could he not? when Alex, the love of his life, the man of his dreams, flew across the ocean for him, and was standing right there, in tears, fighting for them, all while making it clear that he will respect Henry's wishes if he tells him to leave.

This scene started with both Alex and Henry seeing something that the other did not see: Alex did not see just how walled-up Henry was about the idea of them ever being able to love each other in public. And Henry did not see that there just may be a chance for them to be happy. That him living his life alone and miserable is NOT set in stone.

I love this scene so much because they actually listened to each other. They both considered the points the other was making. Neither of them was trying to "win" the argument. They were both stripping themselves bare, being the most vulnerable they've ever been in front of each other.

Henry did not just change his mind out of nowhere: for the first time in his life, he was given a glimmer of hope, and he let himself be brave enough to take it.

[emptypapertowelholdermodelx]

weekly rituals with my deities - a study in motivation, worship, routine, & relationships

while working with apollo today he approached the subject of my lack of relationship with the deities i have been worshipping. he acknowledged how it bothered me. while praying to hekate, she pushed the word “try” into my mind several times as i lamented about how i “couldn’t” keep up with everyone i wanted to, and how my faith was waning as i lacked devotion, focus, and motivation. apollo and hekate, together, suggested i pick a day of the week to worship each deity separately. j can continue my small, daily routines (sleep for hypnos, yoga for the morrigan, pills for apollo, etc.), but i may find it easier to pick a day to devote to each deity as well. i worship seven deities, and there are conveniently seven days in the week.

all of this was confirmed when i saw a post here about how i should do the same. i knew apollo and hekate sent the post my way to confirm what they were already telling me - sign, if you will. confirmation.

in that case, i’m writing my routines and devotional acts out here, as a way to stay motivated, accountable, and have it on hand whenever i need it.

every day i plan to pray to them more intensely than usual and offer something small, whether that be a portion of my meal, a flower i found, or a cool rock.

sunday; apollo’s day. pray to him, offer something to him. sunbathe in the window, or outside, in the morning. make a point to dedicate my medicine-taking to him. journal a little, and do a weekly tarot spread to honor his divination aspect.

monday; the morrigan’s day. pray to her, offer something to her. read one of my books about her. do an intense yoga routine to get the blood pumping - no skipping out on this! journal while praying to her.

tuesday; anpu’s day. pray to him, offer something to him. do some shadow work - this could be free writing, a tarot spread accompanied by journaling, or following some prompts. i’ve found that anpu really appreciates when i perform shadow work, and as a death deity, i think ill start a trend of working through my death trauma with him on tuesdays.

wednesday; hyacinthus’ day. pray to him, offer something to him. on wednesdays i will make a point to talk and pray to him while i water my plants, pick weeds, and check on the overall health of my garden and health plants. i’d like to also do some introspective journaling on love and the trauma i am working through, as hyacinthus’ main goal with me is to build a healthy relationship with my partner.

thursday; hypnos’ day. a soft, calm day. not much goes on. i offer to him, and pray to him. perhaps i can take an extra long nap. i can cleanse my bed altar, make it all tidy, and do some devotional prayers and restful activities in bed. i will also make a point to dedicate that night’s sleep to him, and invoke him to appear in my dreams if he’s willing.

friday; hekate’s day. offer to her and pray to her. read one of my books about her. perform a magical spell or ritual, no matter how big or small. right now it’s hard to do full blown spells as i’m working in the broom closet at my christian sisters house, so i don’t have much of my supplies. but manifestation and intention setting will be one way i can accomplish this.

saturday; hestia’s day. pray to her and offer to her. clean my room and tidy up my space in dedication to her. light a candle while i pray to her, and let her energy fill my room. maybe do some baking in her honor, like a sweet desert or an attempt at bread.

i am hoping to follow this routine for my gods and myself. this will help me refocus on my practice and get in touch my deities again, who i’ve been slightly neglecting in favor of doing nothing all day.

i had an insightful time with apollo and hekate, and hope they’re proud of me as i implement their ideas into the coming weeks <3

[nekrosdolly]

albert wesker hcs pt.2 (re1-re5) (18+)

a/n; overall headcanons for whiskers himself! both nsfw and sfw, mostly nsfw. these are just my opinions and if they're ooc, i'm sorry. i'd like to say that im so down bad it's horrible and laughable. probably my longest post yet my computer is killing itself.

cw; nsfw content (i.e. kink talk, genitalia discussions and descriptions, mentions of dubcon and CNC, collaring mentions, cockwarming, impact play, light bondage, bdsm themes, dom/sub relationship)

˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ hex codes ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖

applies to all variants

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ - overall skintone is #F6E5DE

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ - his eyes are #adcfe6

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ - his cock starts with #f6e5de, fades to #F1D8CD. tip is #ffc8b5.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ - his hair (pubes included) is #F0E2B6

₊˚⊹♡size and habits ₊˚⊹♡

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ - he's 8" in length, definitely can't close your fingers around it. thick vein on the underside.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ - 6'2 in height, more lean than muscular. towers over most.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ - definitely well groomed. not very hairy in general, thus he doesn't have very much hair to groom. cuts his hair (in the bathroom by himself mind you) every month.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ - re1 eats as needed, the healthy 3 times a day, and plenty of water to stay on top of his game. re5 doesn't have the need to eat or drink. he's no longer 100% human and his appetite diminished within months of taking doses of Uroboros.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ - reads a lot when he's not working. non-fiction, science-based literature to expand his knowledge. his wits came naturally, sure, but that doesn't mean he can't maintain them. at home, when he's truly by himself, he doesn't wear his sunglasses. he has an actual prescription pair that's a similar style to his sunglasses, just without the tint.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ - his guilty pleasures are romance novels. the vampire kind, specifically. he finds them entertaining though he often makes fun of the cheesier ones. when he stumbles across the occasional good one, he rereads it over and over again until he's worn out the spine.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ - he drinks wine. not one for beer, truthfully, but will drink some here and there. whiskey is his second choice.

⋆˙⟡♡⟡⋆˙kinks⋆˙⟡♡⟡⋆˙

୨୧ - (re1) at the beginning of your relationship, he'll only do something if you ask him to. he's never thought much about sexual exploration given his long, *long* history of solitude. he refuses to do anything that might injure you- knifeplay, gunplay, impact play (light or hard), etc. sure, he'll tie you up if you ask, he doesn't mind. he plays into your desires.

୨୧ - (re1) the more he researches, the more he finds he likes. he buys some ribbon to bind you with- the flimsy kind you can get out of quickly should you need to. he loves pink on you. he only binds your wrists together, nothing too intense. maybe he blindfolds you, uses a toy on you, or overstimulates you. consent checks regularly, as well. you use safewords should you need them.

୨୧ - (re5) fully established kinks. he's less human and less rational, but he knows to respect your boundaries. he leaves bite marks all over you and demands that you don't cover them up with makeup or clothing. he likes owning you. you're given a collar, of which you can put on or take off as you please, but during which you are fully submissive to him and whatever he wants you to do.

୨୧ - (re5) consensual nonconsensual (cnc) is his favorite. of course, you have to be wearing your collar for him to take advantage of you. safewords are a must for the both of you. he's never submissive, definitely a hard dom. he doesn't feel the need for knives or guns, but he does love impact play. loves shutting up your bratty mouth by slapping you and manhandling you. he's switched to handcuffs instead of ribbon if he deems them necessary.

୨୧ - (re5) since Uroboros has diminished his humanity by a good chunk, he's more animalistic towards you. aside from marking you up, he's obsessed with breeding. adores cumming inside you until you're leaking it. he knows you love it just as much as he does. at some point, it becomes routine. "such a slut. can't go a day without being fucked full of cum." he degrades you lightly, nothing that would genuinely hurt. simple things i.e slut, whore, toy, doll, dumb, stupid, etc.

༘⋆✿ favorite positions ༘⋆✿

๋࣭ ⭑ - (re1) he likes seeing your face. he loves watching your face twist and contort with the pleasure he gives you. adores being able to see all of you, all of what he does to you. eye contact drives him crazy. if you're blindfolded, he won't finish until you're done. he'll ask if he can take your blindfold off between kisses to your face.

๋࣭ ⭑ - missionary is a must. your first time with each other is missionary- the romantic first time you'd see in movies where he takes his time to make you feel valued. the lotus position is another one he likes if you're going to be on top. he's okay with you riding him too, if you really want, but he'd prefer to be the one in control.

๋࣭ ⭑ - if you both aren't feeling sex, he loves getting you off by having you sit on his face or using his fingers on you. he doesn't need anything in exchange either. he's found that he doesn't like receiving head, as he finds it to be degrading towards you, and that's the last thing he wants. but if you insist, he allows it. he mutters praises as you take him down to the base, swallowing around him in an attempt to not gag.

๋࣭ ⭑ - mutual masturbation is something he's weak for. he loves watching your hand try to fit around him as you stroke his cock so eagerly, his fingers buried in your weeping entrance.

๋࣭ ⭑ - (re5) he prefers less intimacy, not like how he used to. he thinks it's too human, something he's made quite clear that he's not anymore. he'll fuck you just about anywhere. he prefers doggy with his arm around your neck, keeping you in a chokehold. bonus points if you beg him to breed you in this position.

๋࣭ ⭑ - what he gets, he'll give. you give him head, something he's come to enjoy, he'll give you head with the same enthusiasm.

๋࣭ ⭑ - cockwarming is a must. prefers it while he's either reading or working at his desk. sometimes, he'll make you read to him and thrust up into you occasionally so you stumble over your words. when he gets impatient, he pins you down and fucks into you until he comes at least twice inside of you.

๋࣭ ⭑ - wearing your collar? he'll fuck you while you're cuddling. spooning is preferred, but whether you're sitting on his lap, lying on top of him, or him on top of you, he's putting his cock inside you. very rarely does he do slow and soft, but if you're both tired, he'll be careful with you. he loves sitting you in his lap, his forceful grip on your hips, and moving you like a ragdoll. superhuman strength pays off in situations like this. his fingertips leave bruises that make his cock twitch whenever he sees them.

˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗ pet names ˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

𓆩♡𓆪 - (re1) calls you darling, dearest, dear, little dove, dove. adores praising you and could for days on end. (i.e. "that's it, dear, you're doing so well for me. are you alright? should i stop?)

𓆩♡𓆪 - (re5) calls you pet, dear, bunny, darling, slut, whore, dolly. praises and degrades you. (i.e. "what a good fucking whore, taking my cock so well. you were made for taking my cock, my personal whore. i'm going to ruin you for anyone else." )

[esoterictboy]

frat tboy x sorority tgirl…

idk this makes no sense outside my own brain but ur posts are making me 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

-🫐🐾

(no that’s really cute haven’t felt like answer these in a minute but this got me!!! sister and brother sororities/frats sometimes like assign pledges to help one another)

I think it’d be cute if we were at the same party manning the drinks and you couldn’t make eye contact cause you were shy and since I’m shy too so I get it. Im making eyes at you and you’re wearing one of those cute pencil skirts and my hand brushes up against your thigh, while Im making you laugh. Until I’m standing right in front of you and you can feel the front of my jeans pressing up against you since I’m crowding you against the counter. You can feel my bulge through the fabric and I can see your eyes starting to get all big because you’re trying not to smile. I can see the strap of your thong peaking out so I slip my finger under it and tell you it’s cute a pull it back so it snaps against your waist. You bite your lips trying to ignore the heat between your legs. Then I’ll make some joke about how you should join the wet tshirt competition and you say it’s too embarrassing and so I’ll lean in until you can feel my breath against your neck and say ���it’s just cause I wanted to see your tits”, like a secret. My hands will slide up the back of your shirt and I’ll scratch my nails down your skin. You tell me that you want me to see so you take my hand and pull me into the bathroom and lift your shirt up, you’re looking away like it’s embarrassing but your tits are really cute and your nipples are so puffy and when I tell you this you smile. I’ll ask you if I can touch them cause they just look so soft I wanna squeeze them, and when you say yes and I start rubbing my finger over them you’re covering your mouth so you don’t whimper to loud and have people hear us, I’ll ask you if I can put them in my mouth and you nod vigorously. I laugh cause that was cute, and you can feel my breath against them. I start mouthing at them, and sucking one before moving to the other and switch off by massaging them and getting them nice and wet while you try to stay upright humping against nothing but the fabric of your panties because your so turned on. I stop and your skin is still wet when I ask if you wanna fuck.

15 minutes later my pants are around my knees and I’ve got one hand on your waist and another on your tit pounding into you from behind and telling you to look how pretty you are in the mirror. I’ll slide my hand down and play with you until you cum so loud one of your sisters comes to the door asking what’s going with my dick still inside you and your knees buckling. You’re still shove yourself back on my dick and stuttering out “e-everything’s f-ine” to try and get her to leave.

[triaelf9]

hey folks who interact with creative works online! just a tiny PSA

If you don't like a character, that's totally fine! If you have a different reading of a situation in a show & have issues with stuff that's going on, that's also fine.

What is NOT fine is to ACTIVELY SEEK OUT fans of the characters you don't like and talk shit about them, the characters they have feelings about, or the content they've posted b/c you, Freddy McHatesalot really needs to tell everyone how much you dislike a...fictional character.

You are totally welcome to consume content in your own space in whatever way you see fit. It is disrespectful of the fandom space to try to drag other people into your space and interact with you if they don't want to. And dunking on a character in writings or art of them is fucking rude as hell to the person who put work into into the creation they made out of some feelings they were having.

Also. side note, it is possible to enjoy a character who is Wrong About Some Things or Isn't Doing The Right Stuff In The Right Situation. Sometimes it's possible to like a character and disagree with them, and shitting on people b/c you can't see what they see in a character is pretty trash garbage and is 90% of why I just make silly little art for me and my own silly feels and hope folks get a chuckle or some enjoyment out of it too.

[two-crows-in-a-trenchcoat]

tmagp epilogue came put today

I've been saying for weeks that Colin is either gonna be the first to die or the last man standing ig we were all right the first time

probably

I think

given gwens scream

if he's not dead from that he's endgame for sure

also gwen wanting a manual bc lena must have kept some kind of guide after getting her fired for not doing her job is so funny

girl if she wasn't doing her job properly why would she have information on how to do her job that she wasn't doing

they're all so fucked

[crescentmel]

i watched the x-men films for the first time ever here are my thoughts *spoilers obviously* :D

small backstory: i was going to go watch Deadpool & Wolverine however i have seen the previous deadpool movies but i’ve never watch the x-men films at all, my knowledge of that universe is minimal. my coworker suggested i at least watch Logan before watching Deadpool & Wolverine so i did.

Logan is easily one of the best Marvel films i have ever watched in my life, like top 3 films for sure it was amazing im still thinking about this movie weeks later. so i watch Deadpool & Wolverine and realize im low key obsessed with logan so might as well watch all the x-men films ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

ALSO I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE FROM THE COMICS DONT COME FOR ME

The Original Trilogy

Overall i enjoyed the first two films, i think The Last Stand might be my least favorite of the whole franchise im not gonna lie

i’m just gonna say it, i was so not here for the Logan & Jean romance, like im kind of a hater so if this upsets you than this post is not for you lmao

ADORED JEANSCOTT WITH MY HEART AND SOUL !!! THEYRE SO FUCKING CUTE !!!!

Right of the bat, Logan & Jean’s romance felt SO forced. like it wasn’t believable for me, in the first movie it felt like Logan decided he was in love with Jean, not that he is actively falling in love with her, it was kinda weird

Meanwhile you can like clearly tell that Scott & Jean are in love with each other, but it feels like Logan’s character is just disregarding that

I understand in the comics it’s supposed to be a love triangle of sorts, i just think that if they wanted to do that for the films they could have portrayed it better

Ororo is an angel i love her

charles & eric need to make out

scott summers you ball of sunshine

i’m glad the rogue crush thing died in the first film bc ohmygod that was hard to watch

my favorite is X2 of this trilogy i really liked the plot and how it expanded more into Logan’s story

The Wolverine Trilogy

Origins wasn’t like, super terrible? i guess? my least favorite of this trilogy for sure though

i liked the plot twist that his girlfriend of 6 years was manipulating him, i didn’t see it coming, i was like WOW that’s fucked up

was disappointed he forgave her like wtf 😭

deadpool thing was weird i didn’t like that

good film to learn logan’s backstory, his brother was so fucking annoying though

The Wolverine was a decent film, if ur looking for an x-men film that’s more action centric than mutant centric this is your film

it felt like a wolverine side quest lol, nothing crazy going on, but i liked it more than Origins

logan is just tired

snake lady’s powers were cool

this girl is never going to see logan again so at least she got what she could

it goes without saying that Logan 2017 is the best film in the whole x-men/fox franchise

i could definitely make a whole post going into a deep dive of Logan but i’ll just keep it short

Logan’s dedication to taking care of Charles warms my heart in a way you cannot imagine, he truly cares so deeply for that man, charles gave him the opportunity of having a new family and i feel like logan will always be grateful for him

Logan & Laura :’)

it was like watching Logan go from only caring about kids in a “i’m a teacher” way to seeing Laura in a “i’m her caretaker now” kind of way, like there was a shift in his character that he wasn’t expecting

my little family of three that definitely lived happily ever after

my favorite scene of the whole film was when Logan realizes that it was his clone self that stabbed Charles, and his immediate gut reaction was to say “It wasn’t me” and to reassure Charles that Logan would NEVER do that

so that Charles would never die thinking one of his closest friends (AND SON FIGURE) would ever betray him like that and kill him

LIKE THAT WAS SO IMPORTANT TO LOGAN, HE DIDNT WANT CHARLES TO DIE THINKING HE KILLED HIM ;_________;

Logan 2017 the film that you are

X-Men Prequel Films

oh boy here go

right off the bat i’m going to say Days of Future Past exceeds all four of these films, so fucking good, my favorite after Logan

but yeah First Class wasn’t like, terrible per say, i just found myself a little bored ngl

absolutely here for eric & charles love story, they’re literally friends to lovers to enemies to still lovers but they’re still enemies i adore it

i liked the character that mystique brought (& jennifer lawrence) but it was just such a jump from the mystique in the first films

also i just think that if eric wants to kill his abuser then he should go for it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ just saying charles it was a lil weird u wanted to stop him

i get the premise, setting up the basis of the x-men, but i just found it a little lacking

DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

amazing 10/10 movie, i genuinely enjoyed every second, actually felt like a superhero movie

great balance of logan not knowing what the fuck is going on vs charles knowing exactly what to do next & logan just going along with it i love it

i’ve heard legends of how amazing quicksilver is in these films and this went beyond my expectations, fantastic character AND amazing showcase of his powers, the writers cooked on this, also makes me want to rewatch wandavision bc i didn’t appreciate his character enough son i’m so sorry

prison breaking out eric sequence was amazing

there’s so much more but just overall amazing film

apocalypse was definitely something? i mean it was probably difficult to follow up days of futures past so i can’t blame them, not like the worst film ever but ….. idk

THINGS I LOVED !! young jean & scott :’) !!!!! genuinely so happy to see the beginning of their friendship & romantic relationship, they’re literally so fucking cute AND young storm omfg a baby 🫶🏾

took me a second to realize it was oscar isaac lol, also OUCH eric’s little family but also like wtf was that death ??? 😭

idk plot was just kinda everywhere, nothing super memorable, also i just found it funny that logan was there for like less that 5 minutes and all he did was grunt lmfao at least he popped off on stryker for the millionth time fuck that guy

uhm dark phoenix

the one and only highlight for me for dark phoenix was once again, jean & scott lmfao

the whole solar flare & alien race thing was kinda weird, they didn’t even explain the alien race thing that well, idk what to even say about this movie

i thought it was weird that hank & eric were suddenly jumping on the “let’s kill jean” train when like they know she didn’t mean to kill raven ??? 😭 like wtf

someone explain the timeline bs to me bc i was surprised that jean “died” AGAIN.

wasn’t the point of futures past that logan now in the present is experiencing the new timeline in which charles, scott, and jean are all alive

so why did jean die in this, does that not defeat the purpose, like she’s alive in the present

or were they trying to plan another prequel film in which she comes back, again. then it’s just a repeating storyline from the og trilogy

anyways it was kinda bad

i don’t even want to talk about The New Mutants i’m gonna be real, it was also bad

and that is my long af reaction to watching all the x-men films for the first time. if you’re reading this and read all my yapping then thank you i really appreciate it lol 🫶🏾 in conclusion, i’m sad i missed out on a whole era of these movies when they were being released (probably bc im avengers obsessed lol) but i’m glad i did watch them now, and now i have a new universe to hyper fixate on lmfao (and logan) amazing movies !! gonna go rewatch Logan now ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

also here is my full x-men movies ranking, deadpool films included:

[hoziersmilligan]

rolling with the idea that every one of john winchester's kids are fated vessels for the archangels, i would like to propose adam being raphael's vessel.

based on true religion, raphael is an angel of healing and protection. his name means "god has healed", and he is the patron saint of medical workers. he is rooted in health and healing, and so is adam. beyond the obvious connection of raphael being a patron saint of medical workers and adam wanting to become a doctor, adam to his core is a healer. he healed himself; a human who has the strength to survive being locked in a cage in hell for 1200 years is not one who rests in self-destruction. he also healed michael. not physically, but mentally. an archangel like michael, who for his whole life has had immeasurable amount of control over heaven and earth, being locked away for millennia with absolutely nothing to do is bound to break mentally. and you could argue michael did in some ways, but in no ways specifically negative. adam kept michael sane, grounded, in the cage by his presence alone. they clearly communicated in the cage, as they came to an "agreement" about who can control their body, and i think the humanity adam brought into the cage is what kept michael from cracking, whether intentional or not.

also, in regard to the "protection" that raphael reins over, adam seems to resemble this. while we get few canonical goals and traits for adam, one is that he cares and is protective of his mother. he wants to become a doctor to pay back and care for his mom just like she did him. he hates his dad, john winchester, not just because of what john did to him, but for how john treated his mother. adam even shows some protection over michael when he takes over the body in 15x08 when michael starts becoming erratic and angry. he tells the winchesters to "give it a rest" when they upset michael, and while he phrases it in a way that seems to protect the winchesters from michael, i think the opposite is true as well. adam doesn't want michael lashing out for his own benefit and safety as much as for the winchesters.

and in a more canon sense, raphael's devotion to michael is representative to adam's. while never explicitly said, raphael stayed with michael in heaven even when raphael ceased to have faith in their father. he believed in his brother even when he didn't believe in his goal. adam treats michael a similar way. it’s clear in 15x08 that michael and adam have talked about michael’s father a few times before, judging by adam’s exasperation and the lack of overall anger michael expresses towards adam's opinions about god (while yes michael shows anger, he's an archangel. if michael was truly that angry adam would not be able to express his opinion like that). adam is willing to stand by michael's side, defend him, heal him, be "his guide", even though he doesn't believe in the same goals as michael. adam is devoted to michael, much like raphael was, not because of michael's endgame or unchecked loyalty, but simply because he is michael. he's someone they both love.

and one thing less michael-related and more in line with how sam, dean, and adam are all fated vessels for lucifer, michael, and raphael. in relation to their father, dean, like michael, was devoted to his dad. unending loyalty and a willingness to look over any mistake. they both are lost without their fathers, for better or for worse. sam, like lucifer, once had faith in his dad. there was a time for both of them where they were just as devoted to their fathers as their brothers were, but they both lost it along the way. they both started questioning their dads and opening themselves up to new viewpoints that directly disobeyed their dads' wishes. and in doing so, they both were disowned. adam, like raphael, was an easily forgettable child. they both were never the main focus of their fathers' plans, and because of this they both lost faith in their dads. maybe they didn't completely despise their fathers, but they had no reason to really care for them.

this topic also opens up a can of worms. does michael see raphael in adam? is that why he was more accepting towards him in the cage then he would've been towards most other humans, especially sam or dean? did he find normality in adam in the early days of the cage because of how his soul seemed to resemble his brother's?

[unsiredtribrid]

thoughts on posie? if penelope came back, could you see them getting back together near the end and it making sense for both of their arcs? (this is assuming the writers stuck to hosie= sisters lol)

I'm gonna answer this, now that I'm past the episode where Penelope is gone (on my rewatch).

There was never any angle where hosie were sisters at all, since season 1's arc between Hope, Josie and Lizzie all revolves completely around Josie's crush on Hope. But I'm gonna just assume you meant if we lived in an alternate universe where the show was written without any romantic feelings and somehow the twins and Hope actually did get along and act like sisters.

Although imo, even if Josie didn't have feelings for Hope and Hope didn't also crush on her, it still wouldn't have ever been like sisters... Hope's relationship with Ric is very odd and never fully feels parental to me, even though she does say he's the closest thing she has to a father in season 2. It almost feels like they're co-workers or like he's grooming her (he is, unfortunately. I don't even mean sexually/romantically, I just mean that there's an episode in season 4 that reveals in a flashback that Ric is only being nice to Hope because he's afraid of her and wants to make sure she protects his daughters. Which is probably also why he kept trying to encourage them to get along). Obviously Hope should not be operating like Ric's co-worker because she's a teenager, but y'know... that's part of why the relationship is so fucked up to me.

Anyway, this is a tangent and several rabbit holes and not what you asked.

I don't particularly ship posie myself just because... I dunno, I just don't ship it, lol. I don't even have any good reasons for that, it's just not my cup of tea. I don't usually like the exes trope with my ships, but on top of that I hate how it feels like Josie doesn't really like Penelope or admire her in any kind of way that shows she has respect for her.

Penelope very clearly has deep feelings for Josie and you can see it just on her face several times through their scenes. She's glowing when she sees Josie smiling when they descend the stairs for Miss Mystic Falls because she thinks for one moment that Josie is going to listen to her and just do what she wants to do. The chemistry on Penelope's side, even just during the dance rehearsal, makes it so obvious how much warmth Pen has for Josie.

I also think there's like a hint of depth to Penelope that people often overlook because they just say she was mean to Lizzie. Which, she was, lol, but people forget (and honestly I forgot it too, because the fandom kind of gaslit me by just saying Lizzie was the one being treated poorly all season 1 and some people even said Pen was ableist. anyway) Lizzie was also really cruel to people. I'm always gonna point to the talent show episode for this, because we see examples of Lizzie calling the other witches fat, berating/borderline yelling at Josie for voicing her thoughts on the talent they're performing and wanting to do something else, etc. I mean, that was an example of what happens when Josie says blatantly what she wants to Lizzie. We even see Penelope still suited up in the uniform Lizzie wants her in, despite her not liking Lizzie. Lizzie is still kind of queen bee, even if the other witches don't like her, presumably because her parents run the school. And then in the AU episode, the jinni points this out too by saying that in public school, the students aren't as careful with Lizzie and aren't afraid to tread on her feelings. That, to me, also further strengthens the narrative that the students at the boarding school did hold back to some extent.

The other seasons, from what I remember (I'm only on season 1 of my rewatch) do show the students being mean to Lizzie in retaliation, but I don't think it's to the extent of how Lizzie was treated at Mystic Falls High in the AU. Though, they do laugh at her funeral, which is??? Wild. And there is another conversation to be had about how the showrunners treated Lizzie on a zoomed out scale because, like... I do think it's weird they chose to make her have bipolar disorder and then they picked the storyline where she's the one who's mean and self-centered. That by itself is a bit weird, just because they intermix the two topics completely irresponsibly sometimes. That issue spreads out into the fandom and how people talk about pretty much everything involving Lizzie and there's so much that's just problematic. I think that's also why people think Penelope's line "you're a black hole of time, love, etc" is ableist. But I tend to think it was more just that like... the ableism of Julie was seeping in and interweaving itself with an attempt at showing that Lizzie actually is ALSO just mean to people and inconsiderate, which is not because she has bipolar disorder. The two are separate and because of incompetence from Julie, the two mix themselves and it turns into a mess of bad representation. Does that make sense 😭 I also think that's why she thought certain things would be okay to go unaddressed. So. Ultimately, I think Lizzie was not written cohesively when it came to her mental illness, some of the ableism of the showrunners came through and then sometimes the other unrelated parts of Lizzie's character that just suck (her being kind of mean) get completely erased by the fandom because of their frustration with the other things. And I think in the new narrative by the fandom, Penelope tends to suffer a large brunt of alllll of that. So people just blanket say she was ableist and that's it, when I think there's just way more going on for that conversation.

Anyway, another tangent. What I mean to say is I think some of Pen's meanness is because she doesn't like that Lizzie herself is mean to the other witches, including Josie. It would help if we saw more of it on screen, but the bones/implication of that are still present if you watch the show. Penelope also has a friendly rapport with other characters, so she's not just mean all the time. She wants to help MG and genuinely smiles when she sees him dancing with Lizzie, she helps Raf with a cloaking spell and disguises it as making fun of Lizzie but I honestly think she just likes the boys, she basically gives Landon therapy and tells him the secret about his mom... etc. I think Penelope is pretty well liked at the school, so I think Lizzie broadly fits the mean girl trope more than Pen. It's just that Pen was traumatized when she learned about the Merge and the girl she loved maybe being absorbed, so she started lashing out at Lizzie because she was upset. Not a great way to go about it, which is why I think Hope and Josie's dynamic is more interesting/beautiful, but anyway.

I think the fandom puts too much on Penelope, even if she's not my favorite character. And I think she genuinely probably was a good girlfriend to Josie, but despite that Josie doesn't seem to like her. I assume their breakup was pretty ugly and maybe Penelope said some nasty things, but idk. Josie is also, understandably, very defensive of Lizzie and is upset/angry that Penelope doesn't like her. Because at the end of the day, Lizzie was her first best friend and she's her twin sister.

But moments like where Josie tells her "you and I only make out when slugs are possessing our brains" or when, after their kiss, Josie says "I hate you" just... jgrkhj turn me off from the dynamic. I don't really like that kind of dynamic in a ship? I prefer it when it feels like both characters are like unreasonably obsessed with the other to the point of it being almost reverent. I love when ships almost elevate the other person to being worshipped in their mind. Like with hosie, I love how Hope was coveted by Josie for years and years and she saw her as someone who was strong/good/beautiful. I love "Of course I did. who wouldn't?" and the implication that she thinks Hope is just the most perfect thing to ever exist and she just pines after her even when she tries to ignore it or squash it. I also love how, in return, Hope trusts and is drawn to Josie even when she has no real 'reason' to be and she's nice to Josie for things she never would be for anyone else. It's very hard for Hope to be angry with Josie and it pretty much just... doesn't happen? She has this soft spot for her that's bordering on completely unreasonable and I think it's incredibly romantic. In that way, they both return each other's energy. In contrast, with Penelope, Josie harbors all of these complicated feelings. She clearly still likes Penelope and misses her when she leaves, so there are unresolved romantic feelings present, but yeah.

It just doesn't feel as big a deal as the ones she has for Hope, so the ship just never hit for me. There's also no build up and we have no idea how they started dating or... any of that.

So I get why people love posie, but for me I just don't care about it, I guess.

Trying to put aside my biases, do I think they could get back together at the end? Well, for starters, both of their arcs are incomplete. Penelope was written off and we knew almost nothing about her. Josie's arc was absolutely butchered, had no real climax or conclusion and her write off made zero sense.

So it's hard to say, like, would it make 'sense' for the characters when they weren't fully formed like they deserved. I think it's plausible that they could date again, especially since Josie decided to separate herself from Lizzie and we're supposed to assume the Merge issue is resolved now. So.. maybe? That being said, the writers and showrunner made it extremely vague if Josie was going to be near Penelope in Belgium.

When asked, Brett basically dodged it and wouldn't confirm if it's the same school/if she's with Penelope. Which... I guess I'm okay with, since I'm not a posie shipper. I can see how, if you care about sapphic rep, this might be kind of a cop out answer, especially after how poorly posie was treated to begin with. But at the same time I think that might be the best way he can answer it, because making it official that she's with Penelope would be almost sloppy too, since her character never came back and we never had more of that arc develop, y'know? Like just in a writing quality kind of way, it might make more sense for it to be open ended I suppose.

But basically, to answer the original question, I do think it's plausible they could date again with all those obstacles cleared. It's just not my personal choice for Josie