#the crossover between the people who think show not tell but also think subtext is bad in unnervingly high tho

[ssaalexblake]

I know it's unlikely that there's an overlap between these two camps in fandom, but i cannot overstate how hilarious it is that the most common complaints i get in my activity feed bitching about 13's era are either 'it was too blatant they said Everything out loud and didn't show instead of telling' and 'ugh Why is it subtext and not said out loud' (both of these sentiments are paraphrased and summarised by me bc they always come with a Lot of waffle, and nobody knows the word subtext anymore apparently) because. It's just funny.

But i'm honestly not sure which one is worse, because on one hand at least camp A acknowledges that stories with no subtext are bad even while they show the media literacy of a toad in not noticing anything that happened that wasn't spelled out for them, but camp B at least Noticed the subtext even if they lack the understanding that stories without layers are either crap, or made for the 2-3 age demographic.

[joviewinchester]

Part 2 to the supernatural MBAV crossover ✌️ Also this is on crack so I’m sorry in advance. Lol.

“Oh my gosh, Jack! We’ve been living here for two weeks! Do you know what that means?! We actually live here.” Y/N said excitedly.

“Yeah. I like it here I hope we stay awhile.”

“I have a boyfriend now! Do you know how cool that is?”

“You what?!” Dean exclaimed.

“Don’t eavesdrop! It’s none of your concern.”

“Yes it is. I’m your dad!”

“Moms handle the boys and the periods, and she promised me she’d visit sometime this week, so therefore, it’s none of your concern.”

“Since when have you had contact with Amara?”

“Since like a month ago. Uncle Chuck taught her about the world of cellphones. She promised she’d drop by for at least an hour. You don’t think she’s going to flake on me do you?” Tears welled up in her eyes. Dean held his arms out for a hug.

“Hey, come here, kid. Your mom has done a lot of bad things, but if there’s one thing I know for sure about her, it’s that she never says something unless she means it. Now about the boyfriend thing…”

“His name is Benny, he likes Star Wars, and he’s a calculus nerd. Good enough?”

“Come on Dean. Calculus nerd? You have nothing to worry about.” Sam chimed in.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right, Sammy.”

“Does that mean that me and Jack can go hang out with him and our other friends tonight?” Y/N asked hopefully, putting on the puppy eyes she had inherited from her uncle.

“Fine, but don’t be out any later than 1 am okay?”

“Got it. Would you be mad if we left right now?”

“No. It’s fine. Go ahead, but Jack she is not to be left in a room alone with this punk. Got it? Good.”

Y/N rolled her eyes. “Drama queen.” She muttered.

“I heard that!”

“Good!”

All of their friends had already arrived by the time they got there. The only thing missing was pizza.

“Dude the delivery guy was so slow last time though. Someone should just go get it. I’m starving.” Ethan complained.

“Not it.” Y/N and Erica said at the same time. Benny and Jack both looked at Sarah.

“Um…don’t look at me. I’m babysitting.” She gestured to Jane who was sitting peacefully watching Dusk.

“I’ll go.” Jack volunteered. Y/N tossed him the keys to the Jeep.

“Don’t wreck my baby.” She said sternly, laying on the floor beside Jane.

“Careful. You sound like your dad.” Jack joked. Y/N threw a pillow at him.

“Okay. Okay. I’m going.”

“So this Dusk thing, what is it even about?” Y/N asked. Erica immediately jumped in.

“Oh my god. It is so good. You’ve never seen Dusk? It’s about a human who falls in love with a vampire and vice versa, but there’s also this werewolf that’s in love with the girl, but she ends up choosing the vampire because, duh, she’s in love with him, but anyways it’s so good and you have to watch all of them with me some time.”

“I’ve seen the Vampire Diaries but I’ve never watched this.”

“Oh my God. Don’t you just love the Salvatore brothers?”

“I love Damon, but I’m not huge on Stefan. Oh and Katherine is so hot, but my favorites are Kol and Kai.”

“You have a thing for murderers with sociopath tendencies and you’re dating Benny?” Erica asked.

“Okay, just leave me alone. Kai is hot and he had reason to murder his entire family.” Literally the entire room was just looking back and forth between them in confusion.

“Remind me to never leave you two alone.” Sarah said.

“Did you just say murdered his entire family casually in a sentence?” Benny asked.

“Yes. If you guys watched the show you would totally get it. Although Jack doesn’t and I made him watch it but then again his biological dad is literally satan-“

“Wait. Wait. Wait. First of all, Castiel isn’t his biological dad? Second of all what is his biological father a serial killer or something?” Ethan asked.

That was when Y/N registered what she had said. “It’s not my place to tell you guys about his biological dad, so like please don’t tell him I told you anything.”

Everyone agreed and dropped it. Soon after Jack came back with the pizza. “Who’s hungry?”

“I am.” Erica whispered passive aggressively under her breath. Sarah elbowed her and gave her a look, mouthing the words shut up.

Benny, Ethan, Jack, and Jane all grabbed a slice.

“Want one?” Benny asked.

“No I’m fine. Thanks though.” Y/N said. Her mood had noticeably dropped, and it was because she was thinking of her mother. What if she didn’t come like she’d promised? Well, at least her cousin Gabriel promised a visit soon, despite her father’s protest.

“Hey what’s wrong?” Sarah asked her.

“It’s stupid. My mom told me that she was going to visit me sometime this week, but I’m worried she won’t show up.” At that very moment Amara appeared in the room. Now there was a lot of explaining to be done.

“Holy shit! Who are you and how did you do that?!” Ethan exclaimed.

“Wow. Gorgeous alert.” Erica said, ignoring the fact that a woman she didn’t know had just appeared out of nowhere. Y/N immediately jumped up and hugged her.

“I missed you, mom.” She muttered into her hair.

“Mom?!” They all asked at once.

“Woah. Woah. Woah. So what are you then?” Benny asked.

“Why are you guys not very freaked out about this?” Jack asked.

“We know about the supernatural, but nothing like this.” Ethan said still in shock.

“So, you made friends? I’m proud of you. How’s your dad doing?” Amara said.

“Same old. Same old. Sad, confused, protective.”

“Wait how do you guys know about the supernatural?” Jack asked ignoring the side conversation.

“That depends. How do you feel about vampires, warlocks, and seers?” Benny asked.

“Wait! You’re vampires?!” Y/N exclaimed suddenly.

“Not all of us. Just Erica and Sarah.” Ethan said.

“You guys haven’t even the ones killing people have you, because that would suck because then I’d have to kill you.”

“No, but really?! Kill us?!” Sarah exclaimed.

“My family hunts the supernatural! You guys have got to stay on the downlow or my dad and my uncle will straight up kill you and not think twice, please be careful!”

“Are warlocks on that list?” Benny asked.

“Wait, you’re a waflock and you didn’t tell me?!”

“We still don’t know what you two are and I think I speak for everyone when I say I would like to know!”

Y/N sighed. This would be a long conversation. She took in a deep breath. “So, my dad is the vessel of the archangel Michael aka the person Michael needed to possess to win the apocalypse which already happened by the way. My dad kind of saved the world. My Uncle Sam on the other hand is the vessel of Lucifer who is Jack’s biological dad which makes Jack a nephilim, and by the way Lucifer is actually pretty chill. But that’s beside the point. This is Amara my mom aka the darkness aka god’s sister which kind of makes me a Demigod which makes god aka Chuck my uncle and Lucifer, Michael and Gabriel my cousins which makes Jack my second cousin and also by the way Castiel is an angel too. Oh and also my dad is kind of gay for Cas but neither of them will admit but you know, subtext.”

They all looked at her with wide eyes. “If you plan on sticking with me welcome to my dysfunctional family.” She announced.

“Are they okay?” Amara whispered.

“Maybe. I don’t know.” Y/N whispered back.

“Ya know what? Cool. Also can we just talk about how Y/N has hot parents? MILF alert. Like it finally makes sense why she is so pretty.” Erica said casually.

“What’s a MILF?” Amara asked her. Y/N face palmed.

“It’s good. It’s a compliment, but don’t say it to anyone , ever.” Y/N tried to explain.

“Anyways…I guess I’m gonna go and let you all process this interaction. Benny, call me. Bye!” They all left, and Y/N insisted that they take the Jeep and not just teleport.

When they got back to the house everyone kind of just looked at each other awkwardly. “Mom and I are gonna go…what do normal teenage girls do with their non supernatural mothers? Paint their nails? We’ll go do that. See you soon.”

Dean looked at Jack waiting for an explanation. “I’ve got…homework. Yeah. Anyways bye.”

“What just happened?” Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. “Don’t know. Don’t care.”

[jcmorrigan]

001 - Kingdom Hearts

Favorite character: On the villain side: VEXEN IS BEST ORGANIZATION XIII MEMBER. Shoulda stayed evil, though. I like it when he complains and screams about everything and hates everyone. He's one of my favorite villains, just, like...in general. So fun to write. Also attached to Demyx, but I actually liked him more in III than II because it reminded me of my rawr lolspeek weeb days when I f/o'd him without knowing what f/o'ing was and then transitioned this to shipping VexDem like heck. On the hero side: MY GIRL KAIRI! But honorable mentions go to Sora, Riku, Aqua, Ven, Terra, Xion, Roxas, Lea, Ienzo, any Disney character I loved beforehand (this is way too fuckin many to list), Merlin (OKAY I WILL SINGLE HIM OUT), Yen Sid (I'LL SINGLE HIM OUT TOO), you know what let's also single out the Mickey+Donald+Goofy power trio...just...any KH hero who isn't part of the Yozora stuff or the KHUX stuff. ...Except I also LOVE Strelitzia, and she is the only KHUX-exclusive kiddo I care about but I care about her MANY. (Oh, and there's a least fave I have who's a "hero" but that's a debatable label). I would go on about why I love all of them but...that's too many characters to elaborate on

Least Favorite character: See, I think the real answer is Yozora, but the thing is I just tend to forget about him or not care (unless I'm doing a weird AU where he's Noctis' bratty Nobody, don't ask). He kinda represents the Shark Jump and I don't like watching that scene where he literally petrifies Sora for not being strong enough. But again, I can just kinda forget about him if he's not fed to me through a social-media unit. The one I LOVE TO HATE is Master Eraqus. The man actually triggered me back in the day. He is purity culture. He is the overbearing parent who will not accept you unless you are perfect. He is by and large the reason VAT didn't communicate with each other properly. He was the one who taught Aqua to think in absolutes. He lied to Ventus for years and then insisted to kill him was the only option, and then, when Terra tried to defend his brother figure/friend without knowing WHY Eraqus was doing such a thing, Eraqus didn't offer an explanation and instead switched targets to Terra citing that the problem was Terra's lack of OBEDIENCE. Eraqus is just very "my way or the highway" and uses his moral high horse to justify doing things that utterly lack compassion in any regard, which is something that GETS to me on a deep level, and let me tell you, I hated him for so long until I realized he was actually a super fuckin fun guy to imagine as a Bigger Bad in AUs that either have the KH protags teaming up or have villain protags needing a "greater good lawful evil" figure. And I just have found too many good memes about him cheating at chess and killing children. I have to laugh. Making fun of him is fun. He's a ridiculous character. That said, this recent trend of "erase everything bad he ever did and paint him as the ultimate hero of the saga" makes me raise eyebrows for SEVERAL reasons

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): VexDem, SoRiku, Kairi x Jaune Arc (RWBY), Aqua x Rosalina (Super Mario Galaxy) x Bayonetta, IsaLea, Ventus x Papyrus (Undertale), that was six but they all needed to be mentioned

Character I find most attractive: Ienzo. HOO BABY he is adorable. I saw someone make a Valentine's Day gifset of KH and FF characters shortly after III dropped and seeing his smiling face paired with a romance quote made my heart FLUTTER

Character I would marry: Probably Ienzo, see above. He's also a very kind guy. Favorite redemption in the modern era.

Character I would be best friends with: I hope the Destiny Trio would adopt me into their friend circle the way they've tended to do with every other inter-world denizen they've come across. I would love to have them as my positivity squad. Or, y'know, two positivities and one "it's okay to screw up" guy. Just. I would love to hang out with them. I often worry that I'm unlikable to my faves, but even though I would usually prefer to hang with the villains, I can pretty much guarantee these three would be open-minded about me. (Do I kiiiiinda wanna be friends with Vexen though? Of course I do. He'd hate me but maaaayyyyybe he would see me as one of his pet idiots who makes him look smarter, and we could bond over our fragile egos?)

a random thought: You ever think about that one NPC lady in Traverse Town who refused to tell you where she was from because it was none of her business? You ever wonder where she WAS from? What her world was like? How she ended up being the survivor of the Ansem Apocalypse when it hit her? All I know is that when I read her lines out loud (I used to read KH speech balloons out loud all the time), I gave her a Southern accent for no discernible reason and I stand by it. That woman has a twang.

An unpopular opinion: I don't want KHUX to be canon because I feel it's smaller-scale and takes a lot of mystery out of the worldbuilding. I always assume that the KHverse just includes ALL worlds in fiction, and that includes their thousand-year histories, meaning the Age of Fairy Tales should've happened long long long LONG LONG LONG ago and not five generations. And whatever screwed up the world should've been more than just five people having a fight, and whatever saved it should've been more than just five people getting along, and Daybreak Town really suffers from having to stick to mobile-friendly graphics and therefore is the least aesthetically attractive KH town ever, and I don't like that Lauriam and Elrena used to be such selfless people. I do still love Strelitzia because she's shy and relatable and quirky (sitting on the roof) and she questions authority and if you go with shipping subtext she's probably bi (or pan?), but I don't like the "Lauriam's dead sister for his arc's drama" bit. I liked when Marluxia was angry because he wanted to run Organization XIII but it was in the hands of an idiot who wasn't him. And more than anything I just like imagining that the Age of Fairy Tales was something bigger, further in the past, and more mysterious than something designed for a mobile game. Scala ad Caelum, however, I like a lot better because there IS a lot of mystery there and also it's a very pretty town with an amazing design.

my canon OTP: I really only count the Disney couples as the "canon" ones, so this is a question of picking my favorite Disney couple that shows up onscreen. I hope I'm not forgetting an important one, but I think the title has to go to Aladdin/Jasmine, which is always perfect in everything. (This would be an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT STORY if KH had ever adapted Treasure Planet, and if it ever gets the mind to adapt Treasure Planet then even if I don't care about that game I will immediately declare that Amelia/Doppler takes the KH canon OTP crown. *taps watch* Get on it Squenix)

Non-canon OTP: SoRiku, which I counted as "basically canon" after DDD until III decided it wasn't sure. But I'm just a sucker for how DDD is the two of them all "HE'S GOT MY BACK AND I'VE GOT HIS AND I'D DO ANYTHING FOR HIM SO LONG AS HE'S HAPPY." It's just the best kind of Friends-to-Lovers, except when you take all canon into account it's Friends-to-Rivals-to-Enemies-to-Friends-to-Lovers and that's a very juicy dynamic. BUT ALSO: VexDem, which is a nostalgia ship SO STRONG I had to accept that it eclipsed my former Vexen ships by a mile and I wanted to go back to my roots. That one, I have a much longer essay about that I'll just have you refer to so I don't repeat myself for pages. To make a long story short, their scene in III was JUST DELICIOUS.

most badass character: OOF THEY'RE ALL BADASS but in the end it's between Sora and Aqua, because Sora gets the widest RANGE of abilities across the series that he masters while Aqua gets the most POWERFUL abilities due to her Mastery (Command Styles seem like they'd be the most OP things ever in-universe and I'm here for it because flashy battle moves make brain go brr).

pairing I am not a fan of: SOKAI, Xehaqus, RikuNami, Vanitas/anyone not evil

character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): OH BOY. KAIRI THE MOST. YOU ALL KNOW WHY: lack of screen time, Fridging for drama, forced romance to invite death flags (they really wanted to milk that death to get people talking didn't they?), giving Alyson Stoner ZERO direction to actually follow up on Hayden Panettiere's performance. But then I remember that they made Vexen redeem and lose his entire personality and I just...uuugghhhh. I can't believe he died twice in this series. And then Demyx is FUN but also I know he's flipped sides as well, which means he won't be fun much longer! Xehanort seems to switch motivations to whatever makes him the biggest threat (and several of Eraqus' old flaws seem to be mysteriously glued onto him), Sora isn't a motormouth anymore, Riku just doesn't get anyone who cares about him anymore because everyone's distracted by Sora and Kairi, IS ANYBODY GOING TO ADDRESS THE ACTUAL ISSUES THAT DROVE THE WAYFINDER TRIO APART, oh God Marluxia and Larxene you're good guys now what have they done to you

favourite friendship: I really like each of the trios. But you know what's even BETTER than the trios? If you put...all of the trios together...meaning Sora, Riku, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Aqua, Terra, Ven, Roxas, Xion, Lea, Hayner, Pence, Olette...and then you added Isa back in there...and you gave them Ienzo...and you brought back Naminé...and you say that Subject X is Strelitzia and you have her turn back up so she can have justice done...AND YOU HAVE AN ULTRA KEYBLADE GROUP OF FRIENDS. As for Vexen, any purely platonic relationship I have for him is a crossover but trust me I have many crossover pals for he

character I want to adopt or be adopted by: See everyone I listed above in the friendship question. They can either mentor me or let me be their big sis/mom. But also, I will GLADLY be Merlin or Yen Sid's daughter. (But also would I kiiiiinda wanna be a VexDem daughter? This is the worst idea. Still wanna try)

[rafael-silva]

Thoughts and Connections Between Danny + 10.14 + McDanno + 10.07 (Steve going after Doris) + 10.12 (Magnum PI crossover): an essay

Okay, so. After thinking about 10.14 (and writing a continuation fic for the episode), I have some thoughts. They may be optimistic or just trying to grasp why that episode turned out as it did and that ending…but here I go. A little long, but I’m trying to connect some dots that is season ten and understand. This going to cover Danny + 10.14 + McDanno + 10.07 (Steve going after Doris) + 10.12 (Magnum PI crossover).

For the life of me, I can’t think of a single reason why 10.14 ended that way. For a while, the show has been hinting and teasing the idea of Danny and Rachel getting back together (which, I also have a lot of thoughts on, that are Hell No to that ever happening) and I’ve been constantly saying and repeating that Danny. Is. Much. Smarter. Than. That. Getting back together with Rachel would have been disastrous, them trying yet another time to make it work. I knew that would eventually end with Danny’s heart breaking again, and I couldn’t watch that happen. So thank God Danny and Rachel aren’t happening; with Danny telling Quinn during the Thanksgiving episode that things aren’t working out, Rachel barely being mentioned, and everything that happened during 10.14.

But here’s the thing. If 10.14’s sole purpose was to inform us that Danny and Rachel aren’t happening, then what the hell. A simple line from Danny could have confirmed that, especially with the first two points I mentioned above.

Stay with me here, I’m hoping there’s more to 10.14, connecting it to something in the coming episodes, because it just doesn’t make sense to me. At all. They introduced the perfect woman for Danny, in every sense of what perfect means, their chemistry, their playful banter, the way they looked at each other, their connection to the East Coast…I thought to myself, wow, Danny finally found the woman for him. And I was excited. Until I wasn’t. Aka: until they killed her off. Which, again, baffles my mind. Because why. Do they want Danny to end up alone? Because they had the perfect chance, but they blew it.

Remember that fic I wrote for 10.14 that I mentioned above? (Shamelessly inserts link here) One of the comments posted got me thinking. The comment mentioned something Danny’s woman said in the episode: “Things are going to work out for you.” And I started to wonder if that was the writers’ way of simply telling us Danny is going to be okay or if there’s more to it. Subtext. I will come back to the subtext in a little bit. I will mention that Steve’s love life is pretty nonexistent, with him meeting Emma the vet again and telling her he’s the problem, that his work life takes over his personal life, it ends with her wishing him the best. And that she’s seeing someone.

So, both Steve and Danny had women for them to date, women with great compatibility to each man (Danny mentioned that Steve and Emma’s first date went really well) and the writers had every chance to make both couples happen, but they didn’t. The last time, if I recall correctly, where both Steve and Danny were in relationships at the same time was Lynn and Melissa.

Also, I can’t help but notice how Steve said his work life takes over his personal life, that’s why his relationships don’t work out, but he spends his personal time with Danny and Charlie. And going to principal conferences for Charlie with Danny instead of Rachel. And tracking down the father of Charlie’s school bully with Danny. Like. Danny and Charlie are Steve’s personal life. So, in not so many words, Steve’s dynamic with Danny is Steve’s successful relationship. It’s almost like Steve can’t be in a relationship because he’s already in a relationship with Danny. 

And the fact that Danny has been living with Steve for quite some time now. And with the events of 10.14, it’s Steve’s turn to look after Danny. So I think they’re going to be living with each other for some more time.

Back to subtext. I’m going to take you back to two episodes: 10.12 (the Magnum PI crossover) and 10.07 (where Steve goes after Doris).

Danny wasn’t in the Magnum PI episode, but he was mentioned. More than that, it was clear, even though I don’t watch Magnum PI, that Magnum and his partner Higgins, are the show’s will-they-won’t-they couple. Which is all well and good, and you notice the similarities between them and McDanno. Ever since the beginning of HF0, Steve and Danny are constantly teasing, bickering, bantering, even other characters teasing them about how long they’ve been married. It’s become text, rather than just subtext. And everyone sees it, even people who don’t watch the show.

There are direct comparisons between MagnumHiggins and McDanno: Steve is a SEAL, so is Magnum. Steve is impulsive and reckless, so is Magnum. Higgins is an ex-MI6 agent, and yes, Danny isn’t an agent but his career as a cop and detective comes close. Danny and Higgins constantly tease their partners in very similar ways. Not to mention the clear as day physical appearance similarities between them, too. MagnumHiggins are literally the hetero version of McDanno. Also, don’t forget that the parallel between them was explicitly stated on the show; when Magnum and Higgins were bickering and Tani looked at Lou and went, “remind you of someone?” and Lou replies yes.

And now to 10.07. I wrote another post pointing out all the McDanno and just how much McDanno we got in that episode, and I will point out again, that that episode was written and directed by Alex. He pretty much showed us he’s the captain of the McDanno ship, right down to the ‘oh my god there was one bed’ trope. I won’t go into too much detail regarding this episode but I will sum it up by saying: McDanno.

Now, up until 10.14, all those episodes and moments seemed like what we’ve been getting since the beginning of the show, the teasing and pulling and the hinting and ups and down we usually get with McDanno. They didn't seem out of place or weird, because they are natural and what we’ve always seen and expect at this point.

But with 10.14, and the recent potential for both Steve and Danny to be in good, healthy relationships (but that not happening), the ending of 10.14 and that line, things are going to work out for you, I can’t help but wonder if it is all pointing and directing to one thing: canon McDanno.

I know, I know. I may be naive, and I may be overthinking all this, reading too much into it and it all could just not be that deep. But still, it’s driving me absolutely nuts here. Danny’s woman was right there, and they killed her. That choice, they made. Why. It has to be for a bigger purpose, and that purpose better not be Danny and Rachel getting together.

Entertain the idea for a second: that bigger purpose, being McDanno.

I could be out of my mind but…

Or yes, it could just be the writers doing what they’ve always done, teasing McDanno without them becoming canon.

It just seems like season ten, from the beginning, has been building towards that. Hell, Steve told his date how much he loves Danny and how they're always being compared to a married couple.

Also, Lenkov shared a shot from the upcoming Valentine’s Day episode where Steve and Danny are sitting closely next to the each other (cuddling, if you ask me), which may or may not mean anything. But I’m just saying. Both men are probably (almost definitely) still single by that episode given the timeline, so, yeah.

And the mystery of the Champ box is said to be finally solved by the season finale along with its secrets, so who knows? It could all be related.

I thought Danny and his perfect woman could have gotten married at some point.

But could we get a McDanno wedding instead?

My mind keeps going back to 8.10 and Danny’s hallucinations. That last one, with old McDanno sitting together on Steve’s beach. And Rachel’s absence in all of Danny’s hallucinations. The one constant thing in them being Steve. 

I just really wanna know what the writers are doing.

[a-l-ias]

5 Fandoms Tag Game

@theshadowedqueen82 Thank you, love!!! mwaaah!

Pick 5 shows, then answer the following questions (don’t cheat!).

Superstore

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Carmen Sandiego

Star Wars Rebels

Avatar: The Last Airbender

1. who is your favorite character in 2? Oooof there are so many that I just can’t pick one, so I’m gonna list them in no particular order: Ahsoka, Captain Rex, Obi-Wan, Steela, Padmé

2. who is your favorite in 1? Amy Sosa, the wonderful QUEEN

3. what’s your favorite episode of 4? Good lord, there are so many that I adore because almost all of them are masterpieces, but I think that the fact that The Future of the Force (S2E10) had the first Rebels appearance of the grown-into-the-force Ahsoka and it made me almost die on the spot makes it rank a bit higher than all the others

4. what’s your favorite season of 5? I absolutely adore the second season: toph Toph TOPH TOPH

5. who’s your favorite couple in 3? hahahaha there’s no canon couple, but I will die on the hill that is Carmen and Julia (or RedJule, if you will)

6. who’s your favorite couple in 2? there aren’t any canon ones, really, and I don’t exactly ship any...but there are some background subtext Anakin and Padmé moments that really extrapolate on their relationship and makes Anakin’s fall *coughs* more believable

7. least favorite episode of 1? Every time I watch Superstore, I always have to skip Maternity Leave (S4E6) mostly because of that one scene between Amy and Glenn where she tells him to k*ll h*mself

8. favorite episode of 5? It’s a bit unpopular of an opinion but I ~love~ The Painted Lady (S3E3) because of how much Katara has grown, how dedicated and unapologetic she is about never turning her back on people, and how united it shows the gAang

9. favorite season of 2? I’m certain season 3 is where Clone Wars really hit it’s stride -- before that, it was a bit disconnected from the plot it was filling in and wasn’t quite sitting in the tone of the prequels, but then they settled in with the darkness of Anakin and all his foils while simultaneously showing exactly how good he is and how easy it would be for someone in his position to give into that fear and anger he does

10. how long have you watched 1? I think I started it three years ago after nagging from a friend of mine and I’ve never regretted it

11. how did you become interested in 3? The trailer came across my dash and I thought it looked interesting, and I WAS CORRECT

12. favorite actor in 4? Tiya Sircar! Good lord she blew my mind in Trials of the Darksabre and I’m always able to feel the emotions she pumps into her character

13. which do you prefer, 1, 2, or 5? YOU WANT ME TO CHOOSE BETWEEN AVATAR and THE CLONE WARS?!?!?

14. which have you seen more episodes of, 1 or 3? Ummmm...I’ve seen all the episodes of both, but I’ve watched through Superstore more times

15. if you could be anyone from 4 who would you be? EZRA I think I would give anything for a mentor like Kanan and also be able to wield a lightsabre like that (though I could do without the terrifying past, but all the characters have one, so we’ll just skip past that because I wanna commune with Lothcats)

16. would a crossover between 3 and 4 work? Maybe...? It would seem pretty forced (though Carmen Sandiego characters in the Star Wars Universe would be so cool Carmen as a bounty hunter Ivy as an engineer Zack as a pilot Shadowsan as a Jedi)

17. pair two characters in 1 who would make an unlikely but strangely ok couple. Amy and Dina. No hesitation

18. overall which show has a better storyline, 1 or 3? I don’t feel like I can compare them like that...I mean, Carmen Sandiego has an entire underlying plot, but Superstore covers a whole shitload of topics in mind-blowing ways even though it doesn’t have a sustainable plot larger than, like, 3 episodes

19. which has better theme music, 2 or 4? hahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahaha Clone Wars is iconic

@hairasuntouchedaspartoftheamazon @ironxprince @mandaloriandragontrainer @athingofvikings

[ferociousqueak]

A Review of the Year – Writing Meme 2018

I’ve been really terrible at answering memes I’ve been tagged in these last few weeks. Sorry about that everyone! But it’s a new year, and both @mordinette and @ripley95things tagged me for the thing a couple days ago so let’s get things started right :D

Total number of completed stories:

If you count all the one shots from Desstober (when I wrote a one shot for Dess most days), about 19. Considering the longfics I still have in the works, I’m clinging to that number to remind myself that I can actually finish the things I start.

Total word count:

I’m gonna go with words posted because the words written are kinda scattered and hard to count, so: 45,869. Oof. Probably my least productive year in a while, but that’s fine. Can’t change it now. That just leaves more words for me to write in 2019 :D

Fandoms written in:

Pretty exclusively Mass Effect, but @pagerunner and I are still kicking around a crossover for the shows Lucifer and Leverage.

Looking back, did you expect to write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expected?

I definitely started 2018 with grander aspirations, but circumstances converged on me so that I had next to no Me Time for about, oh, nine months. (Not for the reason that length of time usually implies, but the real reason is headdeskingly similar *sigh*)

What’s your own favorite story of the year?

This question is so haaaarrrrd! Because I like a lot of things I wrote for different reasons. I like You shouldn’t have come here because it’s kind of the first moment Dess starts to grow up. I like All’s Fair because it’s finally letting my OTP ship sail. I like I know you do because it’s such a great brother-sister moment between Dess and Hadrian. I like You should have seen it because it was kind of a sweet moment and much-needed support between Dess and Alli. I like Light in the Dark because I don’t write nearly enough Vetra even though I love her with my whole heart. I CAN’T CHOOSE AND YOU CAN’T MAKE ME.

Did you take any writing risks this year?

Not especially. Well kind of. Not in technique or structure or anything. I’ve held the Hannah/Dess ship pretty close to my chest for a while now, but even though I’ve intended them to be endgame since pretty early in writing Hawks and Doves, I’ve written them almost exclusively platonically with a lot of subtext hinting at more romantic feelings. But in All’s Fair, they finally, finally, FINALLY kissed! I considered that kiss, and this ship, a bit of a risk because I’m working with one canon character who’s basically an OC and another OC, so there’s next to nothing in the games that hints at their story. It’s a whole new ship, specific to my universe, and it’s friends-to-lovers on top of it. I took a risk in hoping I’d written their relationship well enough to this point that anyone reading the story would either 1) at least be able to see the natural evolution of their relationship, or more ideally 2) actively want them to get together. So far, the response to them getting together has been overwhelmingly positive, so I feel like this risk paid off :D

Do you have any fanfic or profit goals for the new year?

YES! I wanna finish All’s Fair (or the gala fic, as I’ve been calling it) because then the whole Hannah/Dess ship will be solidified and I’ll finally be able to get on with things in Family Resemblance without that little turn of events hanging out there. And I know I’ve only got the first chapter posted, but there’s a whole lot more I’ve written. I just started posting it in November and then the holidays started happening so :/ Right now, I’m a couple hundred words away from having the next three or four chapters done :D

Best/most popular story of the year?

I’m not exactly sure how to measure this one, but I’m gonna say the first chapter of All’s Fair takes the cake because it’s a completely new ship that wasn’t in the games, and it’s had a pretty positive reception. And for just one chapter of OC shipping (and so far the only thing that’s happened is one kiss), it has about 100 hits, which is pretty good for me!

Story of mine most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion:

I don’t quite like the implication behind claiming something is “underappreciated” because I’m always thrilled for any appreciation, but one story I think didn’t quite get the platform I would’ve like for it was Light in the Dark. It’s a good story, but the fandom for Mass Effect: Andromeda petered out a bit when BioWare said they were putting the franchise on ice. What can you do :/

Most fun story to write:

I had an absolute ball writing all those one shots for Dess in October, so I’ll take them together and say Between the Letters was the most fun :D

Story with the single sexiest moment:

I don’t usually write sexy things, so the kiss in All’s Fair is definitely the sexiest thing I wrote last year. Maybe People like you have no imagination is up there too, but it didn’t have the same emotion behind it.

Most sweet story:

I think Light in the Dark also gets this one. It’s a formative moment between Vetra and Sid as they’re trying to make it on their own, and despite the challenges, they can still take a moment to be sisters.

Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:

Justification, the chapter of Family Resemblance I posted last year, made me consider other aspects of my OC Bethany Greenwood. Before that chapter, she’d started to fade into the background, but after Justification, I have more plans for her :D

Most unintentionally telling story:

In 2018? Hm… I’m drawing a blank. If I’ve written anything that’s telling, it’s probably more obvious to others than it is to me :P

Hardest story to write:

FAMILY RESEMBLANCE OMG

Write an alphabet fic, I said!

It’ll be fun I, said!

Let’s make it a political intrigue crossed with a family saga spanning 30-ish years! And change perspectives every chapter! No big deal!

*cries about it*

Biggest disappointment:

That I didn’t write more :/ But I’m trying not to be disappointed about that. You can’t drive by looking in the rearview mirror. I might not have written as much as I wanted last year, but I have plenty to write this year :D

Biggest surprise:

That so many people are so enthusiastically on-board with Hannah/Dess :D My heart is so full that so many readers were rooting for them!

Number of fic chapters written in 2018:

One *cries about it*

Number of chaptered fics completed in 2018:

I think I need to call my lawyer…

Relationships:

Mostly Hannah/Dess, but there was also a little Dess/Adrian that was fun (if a little sad) to write! I also wrote a little bit about Dess/Cassia and their . . . interesting relationship. I consider Cassia aromantic and Dess demiromantic, so neither one of them considers their sexual relationship something that would ever last once it stopped being fun. They are friends, though, and Cassia does care about Dess being happy, so she’s actually very happy to learn about Dess and Hannah finally making romantic overtures :P

Proudest achievements:

Honestly, that I was able to write anything at all. I was especially happy about fleshing out some of Dess’s background and character (especially the parts that don’t include Hannah) because I feel like she’s more than just a love interest now. And the fact that I wrote 18 one-shots for her in one month surprised even me! I wanna do that again, but with Sana this time :D

Writing goals for 2019:

Finish writing All’s Fair. This is at the top of my list because I really can’t proceed with Family Resemblance until All’s Fair is done. Thankfully, it’s not supposed to be that long, maybe 40k words at most and I’m already sitting at about 20k.

Continue writing Family Resemblance. The next chapter is K (Kismet) and it’s mostly finished but still needs some pretty heavy editing—and it’s gonna have a special appearance by Adrian Nyx :D Then L (Liminal) still needs Alli’s half, but it’s gonna loop Bethany Greenwood into the story more tightly in Michael’s half, which is already done. Then M (Mindoir) still needs to be written, and I’ve been putting it off because it’s gonna be so hard on everyone :( Then N (Nexus) has Alli’s half done and about half of the second part, which will be from a perspective that’s neither Hannah’s nor Michael’s :D Really if I can work Alli through the rest of her pre-Alliance life (O, for Opportunity) this year, I’ll consider it a win.

Write a month of one-shots for Sana. It was a lot of fun when I did it for Dess, and I have a lot I want to write about for Sana in the same way! And for anyone wondering, yes. There will indeed be at least a brief glimpse at baby!Sana :D

Who knows? I might even post a little smut ;)

I think I’m also gonna start keeping closer track of my word counts this year. I’m not gonna set myself a word count goal, but I think it would be informative to know when I’m most and least productive and figure out why. Let’s say every first of the month I’ll tally the words from the previous month and break it down from there. Yay spreadsheets :D

Now for tagging! How about @pagerunner, @servantofclio, @black-rose4, @tarysande, and @thievinghippo. Only if you want to and if no one’s tagged you already, of course!

[ourimpavidheroine]

quick question how canon is your wuko stuff?

Quick you say? Quick? Heh. I don’t really do quick.

Well, if we’re going to get technical…none of my work is strictly canonical because Wuko is not actually a canon thing. I mean, people can go on about subtext and how well the characters suit each other and such but the reality is that Bryke clearly accepts and indeed even includes openly same-sex couples in canon (see: TLOK comics) but have chosen not to make Wuko canon. I don’t know what to tell you, you’d have to take it up with them. (Yes, I’m salty.)

But I am assuming you mean canon outside of the whole Wuko is actually a headcanon thing, so moving on!

For starters, none of my fic is comic-compliant - which, by the way, I’ve tagged on AO3. That’s because I wrote the first one over 3 years ago and obviously there were no comics to be compliant with. Since I have not, for the most part, enjoyed the TLOK comics at all I will not be going back into my previously written fic to edit it into being comic-compliant. None of my fic takes the TLOK comics into consideration at all.

I also wrote some of my fic - most notably, Please Excuse My Penmanship - before Bryke’s commentary about Prince Wu was released on Book 4′s DVD. Specifically, the parts where they threw out vague references to him being in either boarding school or at Republic City University when the Red Lotus killed Queen Hou-Ting as well as the fact that he requested Mako to be his bodyguard after seeing his picture in the paper. In all of my fics the assumption is that Wu was raised as the Crown Prince and lived a very sheltered life in the Palace until the day that Hou-Ting was assassinated and he was spirited away to Republic City by the Dai Li; also in my fic Lin Beifong assigned Mako to Wu for reasons of her own. So if you are looking for fic that adheres to those two bits of commentary by Bryke then you’ll be disappointed in mine.

If you are looking for fic that takes place during the show and is canon-compliant (short of Wu being in RC at school before Book 3 and demanding Mako specifically as his bodyguard) then my collection The Prince and the Bodyguard will probably appeal.

If you are looking for fic that takes place immediately after the finish of Book 4 then Please Excuse My Penmanship will probably appeal. (The notes about the comics and the Book 4 commentary still apply, obviously.) There are some Beifongs involved, most notably Huan Beifong, whom I headcanon as autistic. 

If you are looking for fic that takes place during Wu’s two years of putting together the abdication he discusses during the final episode of Book 4, then Dear Diary or: How I Had a Second Coronation and a Dalliance with a Detective might appeal. It does include some OCs and takes place in Ba Sing Se; there are also many other canon show characters involved. Is it canon? Well, as much as you can get when you are writing about something that happens 2 years after the show ends and that isn’t based on the comics and/or Bryke’s commentary. 

The rest of my work? There’s stories that focus directly on the Beifongs (where Wuko exists but is in no way the focus of the fic) and stories that focus on Wu and Mako, but are they canon? That completely depends on what your definition of canon is.

Is your definition of canon as something only taking place during the source material’s timeline? Then the rest of my work isn’t for you.

Is your definition of canon taking into consideration only what the showrunners have said and/or done? Then you’ll be moderately disappointed with my work. I do keep it firmly lodged in the world that Bryke created, but I do take some liberties (including ignoring all of the heavy-hitting only a straight person could write this homophobic world dealing with Korra’s coming out in the comics - my world isn’t homophobic, because as a pansexual damn near in her 50′s I’ve got zero desire to write that). 

In my mind, there are three different categories when it comes to Fanfiction: 

CANON

Filler fanfic: The kind of fanfic that focuses on scenes that were implied but that we weren’t shown in the source material and sticks to pure canon as closely as possible

HEADCANON

Broadening fanfic: The kind of fanfic that runs parallel to canon but delves deeper into the source material and broadens and expands on it through giving agency to minor characters, creating OCs and/or is set in either pre- or post-canon time periods

Fix It fanfic: The kind of fanfic that stays in the canon world but is there to “fix” the source material by taking a major thing that happened in the source material and either ignoring it or changing it; a major character death, for example, or a major plot point (like writing that Su Beifong was the one to attack Republic City and deploy the Colossus rather than Kuvira, for example) or, yes, creating a romantic relationship between characters that is not canon

CANON?

What Is The Source Material Anyhow fanfic: Korra and Asami are here on Earth and Korra works in a coffeeshop where Rich Girl Asami the Korean Pop Star flirts with her and they wear cute sneakers and lacy bras and have mobile phones and bending what’s bending?

Crossover fanfic: Korra and Asami meet the kids from Scooby Doo and have adventures in the Mystery Van where Korra bends at the Bad Guys and Velma tries to get into Asami’s pants, much to Daphne and Korra’s utter jealous rage

Smut fanfic: Fuck characterizations, fuck the source material, this is porn, all we’re here for is fucking, preferably as nasty as possible

In all but The Prince and the Bodyguard my fic is solidly in the Headcanon category, and straddles the Broadening/Fix it border. Fix It because Wuko is not actually canon, after all. Broadening, however, because I really do stick to the world and canon events, even though most of it takes place in the future. 

I can tell you that I am a 49 year old woman who was in a same-sex marriage with kids (and who was widowed three years ago) and therefore has not only a whole shit-ton of life experience but also has previous fanfic writing experience under her belt. I can also tell you that I have done exhaustive research on certain aspects of Imperial China, for example, so that I can write Wu’s background as a Crown Prince of the Earth Kingdom in a way that I think is not only canon but goes far, far deeper than Bryke were ever able to do on 23 minutes a week on Nickelodeon. Some people appreciate this sort of epic novel approach I have to my fanfic; some people just want to see Wu and Mako holding hands and having a sweet little kiss in the turtleduck boats and could not give a shit about all of my research and efforts to enrich the source material. Which is fine, by the way! It’s just not what I am writing.

I have two kinds of readers: the kind that read the first couple of fics I linked to above who enjoy them and leave nice feedback and go on their merry way without bothering with the rest and my RIDE OR DIE readers who inhale all of my work over a couple of days barely coming up to eat or do anything else and who send me these amazing heartfelt (and sometimes delightfully incoherent) letters about it and who loyally follow my work after that. There doesn’t seem to be much middle ground! I appreciate both kind (although I confess to really loving my RIDE OR DIE readers).

So really, it’s up to you, as the reader, as to what you want to read. 

The sad truth about it is that there is so little Wuko fanfic out there that I think your choices are pretty limited. It’s a show that ended over three years ago that was aired on Nickelodeon, written for adults but aimed at kids. I loved TLOK - obviously, I’ve written close to a million words about it - but in many ways it was kind of a mess. A well beloved mess! But mess, nonetheless. With very little exception most of the fanfic out there is based on Korrasami, and most of that doesn’t really give any real thought to how canon it is or isn’t. It is what it is.

However, this much I can tell you about my fanfic: I love Wu and Mako as a couple. I loved them together in the show and I continue to love them. I am currently writing 12 years into the future from the end of the show, so they are not exactly the same people they were when the show ended. (God, I would hope not. Most of us do mature and change.) They have a life, they have kids, they’ve gone through a lot. They are still together. In my fanfic they will always be together, end stop. Is it canon? Well, obviously Wu and Mako living in Republic City and having three (soon to be four) children together is not canon. That is not in the show. But then again, neither is Wuko itself. So take that as you will!

[ethanalter]

'The Girlfriend Experience' Season 2 talks money, politics, and Trump

Louisa Krause and Anna Friel in ‘The Girlfriend Experience’ (Photo: Starz)

The first season of The Girlfriend Experience adapted and expanded upon the 2009 Steven Soderbergh film. Season 2 of the Starz series, premiering Nov. 5, takes its cue from another Soderbergh joint — the director’s Washington D.C.-set HBO series, K Street. Debuting to great fanfare in 2003, that show has mostly fallen into obscurity now, available only on an increasingly dwindling supply of DVDs. But writer/director Lodge Kerrigan tells Yahoo Entertainment that K Street absolutely provided a reference point as he started to plan out his portion of The Girlfriend Experience‘s second year, which also takes place in the nation’s capital and explores the nexus between the personal and the political.

“He was kind of ahead of his time,” Kerrigan says of Soderbergh’s K Street techniques, which included having actors interact with real-world political figures like James Carville and Howard Dean. “It tried to get narrative close to documentary.”

No politicians appear on camera in The Girlfriend Experience, but the current powers that be in D.C. are specifically name-checked, up to and including Donald Trump. Kerrigan reveals that he rewrote his storyline — which takes place a few months ahead in our own future, around the time of the 2018 mid-term elections — after the Republican candidate achieved an extremely narrow victory in the race for the Oval Office. And the series reflects the profound public cynicism with the political system that’s set in since that divisive election. (It’s not at all coincidental that The Girlfriend Experience is premiering Nov. 5, almost a year to the day since Election Night.)

“I’ve always believed that democracy is a very thin veneer and really the country is run by money and has been run by money for maybe centuries,” Kerrigan says. “The level of open corruption now is really kind of shocking. You can see clearly how much money has influenced politics.”

Lodge Kerrigan, the writer/director of the ‘Erica & Anna’ storyline of ‘The Girlfriend Experience’ (Photo: Starz)

And money certainly plays a leading role in “Erica & Anna,” alongside actual stars, Anna Friel and Louisa Krause. Friel portrays the Erica half of the titular duo, who oversees a Republican super PAC willing to go to extreme lengths to see their preferred candidates in office. That’s what leads her to hire Krause’s high-end escort, Anna, in an attempt to ensnare a big fish donor.

But Erica — who recently ended a relationship — may be looking for her own girlfriend experience as well. “Lodge was very specific about not wanting to use labels like, ‘Erica’s a lesbian,'” Friel says. “This relationship just happens to be with a woman.” As the former Pushing Daises star points out, she has her own personal history with intense female relationships: in 1994, when she was a teenage star on the Channel 4 series Brookside, she and co-star Nicola Stephenson shared the first-ever lesbian kiss to air on a British soap opera. “To this day, it’s still the most-asked for photography, because it was such a huge thing at the time! It was even used in the London Olympics opening ceremony directed by Danny Boyle, because it was part of British pop culture history,” she says.

As in the first season, the sexual content in The Girlfriend Experience goes well beyond a lip-lock. The first episode, for example, opens with Anna visiting a male client who gets off on getting rough with her. “For me, it was pretty easy because it’s part of my character’s job description,” Krause says of playing those emotionally-charged moments. “It’s even in the stage directions. I created my own origin story for Anna and each of the people she has to satisfy.” Among the details she slipped into Anna’s biography — and which aren’t directly referenced in the show — is her love of Disney movies (particularly Cinderella) and that her all-time favorite song is the 4 Non Blondes favorite “What’s Up.” Krause even dreamed up the scenario that she thinks led Anna into the world of providing girlfriend experiences: “In my head, she ended up sleeping with a visiting professor at her college who introduced her to that world, so she never finished school. I love using my imagination for that stuff.”

Friel and Krause in ‘The Girlfriend Experience’ (Photo: Starz)

When it comes to who holds the power in their onscreen relationship, both actresses agree that they imagine Erica to be the one who’s in control of where things are heading. “She’s the person that Anna falls for,” Krause says. “The business transaction of love suddenly turns into a very real thing for her. She’s got to navigate new emotional territory with this woman who fascinates her.” At the same time, Friel suggests that there will be some reversals along the way. “The dynamic will change consistently, and you’ll just keep being shocked by that. Erica has been the submissive one in her past relationship, so she almost treats Anna as she’d been treated. She’s very cold and suppressed, and I think that’s her covering up her vulnerability.”

Unlike The Girlfriend Experience‘s first season, which told one story over 13 episodes, this edition has parallel storylines that each run for 7 installments and deliberately don’t intersect. While Kerrigan wrote and directed every episode of “Erica & Anna,” his collaborator Amy Seimetz oversaw “Bria,” which stars Carmen Ejogo as an escort that enters the Witness Protection Program. (Starz is airing one episode from each storyline back-to-back each week.) “We really wanted to push the boundaries of the format of television,” Kerrigan says of this unusual structure. “Amy and I were excited by the idea that as the show progresses, the format progresses. And really, it’s a conversation; there’s some mirroring that’s going on. There are no direct crossovers, but you can definitely see connections between the two storylines.”

And one of those connections involves how the Trump era is directly impacting both our political system and women’s individual liberties. “You’ll never see [Trump] in the show,” Kerrigan says. “But there are references to him throughout.”

The Girlfriend Experience airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on Starz.

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

‘Ride With Norman Reedus’ Season 2 preview: 5 things we learned during our set-visit lunch

Review: ‘Alias Grace’: A fine murder mystery with a feminist subtext

‘Stranger Things’: The Duffer Bros. on the FX challenges in Season 2

[darkshrimpemotions]

Okay, I'm seeing this a lot in The Order tag. So let's go through these, because I just watched the first 5 episodes of The Order and I'm tired of the tag being clogged up with "it's just a knockoff of The Magicians!!" nonsense.*

Guy (Jack, who does look like Quentin but actually isn't all that similar to him) gets accepted to a normal, non-magical, prestigious university with the ultimate goal of pledging a specific club. There are other ulterior motives for this as well but they're a tiny bit spoilery.

He didn't know said club (The Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose) was magic, but he did know about the club itself since basically early childhood, and he's not supposed to. Everyone who's not in it thinks it's an urban legend, basically. He does get involved with a blonde girl who knows about magic, but she's still pretty low-level. She's also really ambitious and just desperate to prove herself, whereas Alice was way above everyone else's level and afraid to see what she could really do.

He does get caught up in some bad stuff because The Order is bad. They are horrifically amoral and power-grabbing, and use dark magic to contort things to their own benefit. Some of them justify it by thinking when they gain enough power they can fix the world's problems, but it's pretty clear from the get that you don't climb within The Order by being a good person.

The Beast thing is...not what it seems and not remotely similar to the Martin Chatwin situation. By a long shot. That is literally all I can say without massive spoilers.

The person who originally tells him all magic has a cost is the blonde, and she's right. In this case the cost is more immediate though. So you get to see exactly what happens if the person doing the magic doesn't pay the price themselves. Which makes the people in The Order more terrifying, because of how often they let--or even bribe--those around them pay the price.

The actor who plays Todd IS in it. He has a much larger role and his character is adorable. There's actually a pretty large crossover between TM fandom and TO fandom, and we joke about TO being a self-insert fic Todd writes in his spare time.

All that being said, it's really not that much like The Magicians. For one thing, there's none of that "magic comes from pain" b.s. For another, the characters actually act like kids in college, to a hilarious degree. It's a surprisingly funny show for something with so much drama and gore woven in.

It also has some interesting stuff about class warfare and elitism, which I feel like The Magicians never really addresses in a sustained way. No, Julia making it as a hedge witch doesn't count, because she's still a privileged rich kid and later you find out she was always supposed to be at Brakebills anyway. And Kady's story with the hedges is closer but doesn't get nearly enough attention. Even what the Library is doing in season 4 is more of a side plot.

Whereas in The Order, the main character is a poor working class kid that is being actively shut out of opportunities mundane and magical because he doesn't have the right family connections, despite being smart and driven and actually pretty Julia-like, rather than Q-like. And he deals with that classist bullshit right alongside dealing with magic and normal, non-magical school stuff.

It's literally ever-present, the subtext of rich privileged people flexing power over everyone else to get what they want...including how even when they think they're helping, it's just a white savior complex because they still treat other people like furniture to arrange to their liking rather than human beings.

This is embodied particularly in two characters who don't seem overtly evil or ill-intentioned, too, which I think is important. Their shiny benevolence actually makes them more horrifying, IMO. After all, what's scarier than a monster who thinks they're doing the right thing?

Does it have things in common with The Magicians? Yeah, of course. Although I'd argue it has more in common with The Secret Circle. But meanwhile, The Magicians also has things in common with Harry Potter, which has things in common with The Worst Witch (the book series, which predates HP, not the Netflix show based on it). That doesn't make them knockoffs.

Tropes happen. Literally nothing is new or original. The sooner people realize that and stop declaring similar things knockoffs because they share some tropes, the happier we'll all be.

Just saw the trailer for Netflix’s new show The Order.

Am I crazy for thinking it looks like a knockoff of the Magicians?

Guy (who looks weirdly like Quentin including the hair) gets accepted to prestigious magic university (it looks like Brakebills and also starts with a B).

He seemingly didn’t know magic existed beforehand, gets romantically involved with a blond girl who is much more knowledgeable about magic.

He gets caught up in some bad stuff involving other people and a beast starts hunting them.

Edgy brunette tells him “All magic has a cost”

And the actor who plays Todd is in it??