#they literally foreshadowed them getting back together in their breakup!!

[userlaylivia]

@nikkiruncks, @poguelandia, @tudorgirl

[calliopieces]

headcanon: Kiyi and Tom-Tom help Maiko get back together after Smoke and Shadow

(this post doubles as sort of a director's commentary on my latest fic that literally no one asked for, but I thought it would be fun to do! LOL)

So we all know that Mai and Zuko broke up in the comics... but their last panel together in Smoke and Shadow Part 3 is them holding their younger siblings, which we can argue leaves things on a pretty hopeful note

(and if we REALLY want to push the Maiko agenda, dare I say it's a foreshadowing of some sorts?)

Additionally, at Emerald City Comic Con 2017 (timestamp 17:52), Gene Luen Yang implied that the breakup is only temporary.

Anyway, shipping aside, I love this part in Smoke and Shadow where Zuko worries about Tom-Tom losing his innocence after getting kidnapped by the 'Kemurikage'. We also find out that him and Mai babysat Tom-Tom on one of their picnic dates.

Going off of this, I have a headcanon that the abducted kids would occasionally gather at the palace after the Kemurikage incident to essentially have group therapy sessions (an initiative by the Fire Lord, because he's worried that the kids might be traumatized). This is how Tom-Tom and Kiyi became friends.

One day, they heard that Mai and Zuko are 'boyfriend-girlfriend'. Here's how it went down on my fic:

“You know, I heard from Dad who heard from other guards who heard from the kitchen ladies that the Fire Lord and Tom-Tom’s sis are boyfriend-girlfriend.”  Hearing Guri, Constable Sung’s son, join in on the conversation made Tom-Tom hyper-aware that he probably shouldn’t say anything bad about Zuko, especially now after knowing that he’s the Fire Lord.

Between the events of the ATLA finale and The Promise Part 2 (which is where Mai breaks up with Zuko in the throne room), I think it's safe to say that Mai would be at the palace for a considerable amount of time. I think it would be funny if the news of their breakup didn't reach ALL of the palace employees---so Kiyi and Tom-Tom took it upon themselves to have their siblings spend more time together.

Another thing I had so much fun writing is this interaction between Mai and Kiyi:

“We already met before. That night in the graveyard,” Mai stated matter-of-factly, causing Kiyi to whip her head up with stuffed cheeks, noodle broth dribbling down her chin. She felt her previously strained smile give way to something more genuine, imagining her younger self.     Instead of scolding her for poor table manners like what her own mother would have done, Mai took out a handkerchief. And, driven by instinct, she wiped the girl’s face—the movements gentle and unhurried.  

Meanwhile, here's my favorite exchange between Zuko and Tom-Tom:

“Do you like my sister, Mister Fire Lord?”  The question took him by great surprise, the fact that Tom-Tom still refused to drop his title never even registered. But despite the unprompted nature of the question, it was one that he could give an answer to at any time of day—and at any stage of his life. “I like your sister very much,” he declared, staring straight into Tom-Tom’s eyes. It was a truth that he has stood by since he was twelve, deeply rooted in the fiber of his being. It was an innate warmth that he believed he would carry forever—one that beats in tandem with his inner fire.  

Near the end of the fic, Mai and Zuko also have a conversation about Azula, and how their messed-up nation didn't give her a normal childhood, while Kiyi and Tom-Tom happily chase glow moths in the background:

“Do you ever look at Kiyi and wonder whether Azula would have been as happy if this country wasn't so messed up?” Mai asked, her gaze curious.  “Every day,” he replied, and generations of siblings being pitted against each other flashed through his mind. “That's why I'm doing my best to give her a normal childhood—with a country that hopefully isn't as messed up.”  “I’m glad that kids today can at least have that much.” She looked at Kiyi and Tom-Tom who were laughing as they continued to chase glow moths, then turned to Zuko with a smirk. “Era of love and peace and all.”

If you've read my rambling all the way to the end, thank you! Here's the link to the fic if you wanna read (please give it some love)

[lunar-years]

Do you think they originally had a different plan for Ms Bowen? Tbh I thought it was a wild move to break up RK since almost everyone was rooting for them and their romance is just how shows like that go, but I do wonder if Ms Bowen was supposed to be something more for Roy. Then the chemistry with Jamie exploded all over the place and they switched tracks

hmm I mean maybe in very early drafts they had larger plans for Ms. Bowen, but I can't imagine it was still on the table when they were plotting s3, because if so they would have just written that instead of writing an entire season of roy and jamie best friendism and maybe more, lol.

I understand why people were/are upset about roykeeley breakup but I personally was expecting it when I went in to s3 based on where we left them in the s2 finale. And I gotta say that after rewatching s2 it feels more inevitable to me than ever that this was where it was always headed between them. Which is not to say that I think their problems are insurmountable or that there isn't a path open for them to get back together! I definitely do! But yeah, s2 is just episode after episode continually showcasing what isn't working between them. They're already foreshadowing the downfall practically from the moment they get together. (and i do think it's interesting that the Christmas episode, which is arguably roykeeley's best s2 episode in terms of them geling within their established relationship, was added later. If we hadn't gotten that, wow we wouldn't have much at all of them genuinely being on the same page, would we?) Biggest shock for me was that the breakup was offscreen and that the follow up to that arc was so shoddy and disappointing.

As for Ms. Bowen... I think in the s2 scene, Roy is drawn to her not only because they have a nice back-and-forth banter going, but also (and crucially) because of the momentary allure of her lifestyle, which is so very different from his own. On the one hand Roy is stressing about Keeley's photoshoot, where the VF people have already told him he's basically going to be a prop to make her look good. So he's feeling insecure and like Keeley is on her way up while he's on his way out, petering into irrelevancy in the public eye. On the other hand is Ms Bowen. And in that moment, he almost feels like he's on more equal footing with Ms. Bowen, who's just a regular woman with a regular profession outside of the spotlight doing well for herself, than he is with Keeley. So Ms. Bowen provides him a temporary relief from the problems of his own life in a way that appeals to him (for three hours, apparently).

But like, the reality is that all we see them talking about is Ms Bowen being good at her job, what her jobs entails, Phoebe, the other children, etc. He doesn't learn her first name! It's pretty harmless flirting, not a very deep connection or a particularly meaningful conversation, and I don't think we were ever meant to see it as such (just my opinion, there's a bunch of shippers out there I know!). She's an easy escape, and then Roy's phone buzzes with the reminder to go to the photoshoot, and Roy steps back into his own life, which he was always going to return to.

I'm honestly less clear what the point of her reappearance in s3 was for because I'm not sure it really works as Roy's big epiphany moment for me... her telling him he was stuck is literally nothing Rebecca didn't already tell him! and "I hope that mess didn't cause too much damage" is such an odd Realization™️ line to prompt Roy to action because 1) he already knew it caused damage. He was there and saw Keeley's face when he told her he'd talked to Ms Bowen for 3 hours and 2) I dislike how that frames it as Roy flirting with Ms Bowen being THE driving force in the r/k breakup, when the reality is it was the very tip of the iceberg in a relationship that was falling apart no matter what. I think you could argue it was the point of no return, so maybe that's what they were going for? But they don't make that very clear because they don't write a very specific apology for Roy, do they! ugh. idk. If anyone has better insight they want to offer me please do!

[cloudycleric]

my full thoughts on byler from the stranger things day 2023 posts:

(transcript from https://youtu.be/jTl45Q0lfWw?si=_Abbiv7SMqALUJdU , please check it out if you have time :) )

so the first thing is, we saw in these videos that the stranger things account, and we've seen this in previous posts too, they're not afraid to post about ships; especially fan ships. because we got in an elmax specific reference. there was a lot of jopper there was even jancy, lumax, elmax, but notice how there was never any mileven or byler.

you might be like "oh well if there was no byler mentioned and there was no mileven mentioned, then maybe they're just trying to be normal about it." no. no. let me explain let me fucking explain right now.

there's a theory that mileven is already broken up in case you didn't already know. the scene of them in California ("from Mike from Mike"), that [that scene] was technically their breakup, or that they're not really sure if they are still in a relationship. like it's kind of rocky. especially since Mike said this was the "first real fight that they've ever had". definitely some questions on whether or not they're still together, that kind of stuff, since they don't seem to be too close when they get back to Hawkins.

people theorize that they are broken up, or they've already broke up, that they broke up off screen, on the car ride to Hawkins. there's a bunch of stuff about that.

I think byler not being mentioned and mileven not being mentioned works more in byler's favor than it does for mileven.

byler is obviously something that The Duffer Brothers have tried to subtly build up over time. this is quite literally Four Seasons in the making, or if you don't want to count season 1 this is three seasons in the making. hours and hours worth of runtime for this subtle little buildup. and we know that the duffers don't feel the need, or the writers don't feel the need, to come outright and say whatever they're trying to convey. Will came out to Jonathan but he never went, "I'm gay." we, as the viewer, are supposed to take these little pieces and piece it together in our minds. we're supposed to realize through all these little hints, "oh will is definitely gay and he has a crush on Mike."

now even outside of the show, in media campaigns, in advertisements, in marketing--the show is slowly trying to shift you away from paying attention to mileven and closer to paying attention to byler. there were more byler moments in these videos than there were mileven. they never said it outright but the facts are there.

I don't know if it was always their intention for Mike to end up with Will, but there is evidence in The Stranger Things Bible that from day one they wanted will to have sexual identity issues. if they're trying to subtly build up at something like byler I don't think that they would ever really try to bring [it] light to people who haven't already heard [of] it. the vast majority of stranger things fans, like casual stranger things fans that just watch the show when it comes out, they have they have no fucking clue what byler is, or they might know that will is gay but they're not sure about Mike.

and so I don't think Netflix, or stranger things writers, or marketing teamm would go out of their way to make [sure] that more casual audience try and pay attention more to byler than they do mileven. and then, on the flip side, they're trying to not feature mileven as much, so when they do build up to byler they're like, "look at these subtle hints that we were giving you the whole time."

there was foreshadowing from episode fucking one. they built up will to be gay and people were oblivious (but the real ones knew). and then when it came out everybody was like, "oh I see what they mean now. in the first episode and in the first season and how this was a gradual buildup to will coming out."

now what I'm trying to say is I think that they're trying to do that with byler, even if it's just through media campaigns.

...

they are trying to get you subtly to try to take your mind off of Mike and eleven, off of their relationship--and I'm not trying to say they're pointing you in the direction to look at byler, but the fact that they're trying to take the spotlight off of what most fans consider to be the "main relationship" of the show should definitely be something worth acknowledging.

...

I'm not going to sit here and be like, "if you still ship mileven you're delusional," or like "fuck you, I hate mileven," that kind of shit, because if you do like mileven, that's fine. I personally disagree with you. but don't come out here and say--oh my God I literally saw somebody in the Instagram comments being like, "fuck you for not putting in mileven." girl. these are the creators of the show. how. how are you going to be like "fuck you" to the creators of the show for purposefully not including parts of the show that they don't want you to pay attention to??

...

the way that the cast treats the You're My Superhero speech from Mike, and now the way that the people who fucking make the show treat that monologue--not confession, they never refer to it as a confession--as a monologue...

I don't know. why don't you guys just like sit and think about it.

[end transcript]

[userlaylivia]

god the biggest issue with tsc is there's just too many ships and they are all such good ships ugh like cadam is my otp 100% but I also ship diadam and jassie they were amazing ships as well then you have chamberlake and fayana and fayelissa and fayelee and fayke and adaye god they are such amazing ships!! I do wish the show slowed down on all the romance but then again we wouldn't of had all these good ships if they had lol I do feel the first half was a little better than the second but I loved the show so much and if the cw gave it a second chance I think s2 would've been so good and focused on the entire circle and fleshed out the other characters more!! thomas dekker said they had plans for that with adam it just sucks the cw didn't do the budget right ugh and for those idiots out there saying the show was cancelled because of cadam you are so very wrong lol they don't cancel shows over ships lol and cadam was the main ship they were always gonna happen even if they hadn't gotten together in s1 they eventually would've happened and fyi they weren't over, they would've gotten back together down the road and if you think otherwise you're in denial!! they literally foreshadowed them getting back together in their breakup lol I do believe diadam would've gotten back together down the road and jassie definitely would've happened but cadam was ultimately endgame!! sorry for the rant it just annoys me when I see old posts blaming them for the cancellation because even if they hadn't of happened I think the cw still would've cancelled it because they are idiots!!

[goginaporter]

rina, rini, and change

ricky and nini literally being built to fall apart

- love born out of childhood and that connection

- nini said ily, ricky couldn’t say it back bc of parent’s divorce and dealing with that change in his life

- nini goes on self discovery/growth arc, comes back different

- ricky is shocked that things cannot go back to the way they always were

- nini more confident, discovering she does not need to rely on boys

- after ricky is “friendzoned” by nini, he accepts it instead of fighting it (key first step)

- fighting with gina at hoco before apologizing (another sign of growth) and giving her a ride home and befriending her

- in same ep, pushing his dad to move forward and put himself out there, showing his acceptance of the divorce just as he’s accepted the breakup

- gina continues to represent this positive change for him and as she is ripped away, we see him regress and thus also push nini to regress as well (almost kiss in 108)

- ricky saying something is different after seeing gina bc he feels how he has slid back and her being there is a reminder of how change can be positive, something he has stopped believing in

- also exemplified by him thinking his parents are back together

- him realizing that parents are not together rattles him and I would argue drives him to confess to nini if almost to fix it, esp with his mom saying “not all couples are meant to be together (her and his dad, him and nini). sometimes people change.” (i.e. major foreshadowing lol)

- nini had gone on her whole girlboss journey but we see her accept ricky’s ily after she thinks that she got rejected from yac; her change didn’t work so it’s okay to slip back to who she used to be bc it’s predictable

- but BAM she did get accepted and even though she leaves yac, it was a place for her to continue to curate that girlboss arc even if that school wasn’t the right avenue. this comes at odds with her relationship with ricky and leads to the rose song and to their breakup. they had both been grasping onto the relationship as an excuse not to accept the people they had grown into and when they let go (as ricky sings) it is when they are able to move forward

- love did not grow and evolve with them as they changed and became different people so even though it was present their second time around, it wasn’t enough bc they had changed and the love stayed the same, rooted in childhood (exemplified by nini closing out that chapter of his childhood with the lottery ticket and staying in his past just as she was leaving him behind)

ricky and gina being built to last (despite some bumps)

- their first conversation being one shrouded in deceit on gina’s part, at least a little, but it was still enough to push ricky to stay. one talk with a girl he barely knew who believed in him, which was more than what he got from all the other people in his life

- this conversation, though it came from a place of slight deception, is reinforced with honesty as we see in their conversation in the car after homecoming. them “getting” each other because they are outsiders is beautiful bc their loneliness calls to each other and for the first time, they get a response

- this friendship (though it was always loaded with more from the beginning) allows them not only to forge new connections with each other (ricky who had barely made new friends since childhood vs gina who never stayed in one place long enough for these friendships to form) but also with the theater kids, allowing them to jump headfirst together into changing what made them outsiders in the first place

- we see this bond strengthen and grow as they tease each other throughout the photoshoot, gina all but tells ej, her former partner in crime, that she cares about ricky, and she helps calm ricky down at the prospect of miss jenn leaving + the show falling apart by asking him to play guitar. they lobby compliments between each other (showing how they had admired each other from afar even before hoco) and you feel this nervous excitement and tension that exists between crushes. ah young love

- them walking into the aforementioned rehearsal together and big red asking ricky what happened with gina and ricky replying with “I’m not sure yet.” suggesting his willingness and intention to get to know her better

- in each of these episodes we’ve seen ricky open up to gina slightly but this true mark of change and evolution for him is how he talks to her about his mom and her new bf. things that he used to only talk about with nini are now easily spilled to gina; he trusts her enough to go to this party with her and leaves when she does, showing this invisble string that exists between them. this moment almost definitely solidifies how their fates are now inextricably tied to each other now. for ricky, his mom was a huge question mark in his journey to accepting the divorce, so for gina to help him see that it’s okay to put his happiness first in this situation and not immediately solve it surprises and lightens him. even in the face of comfort from nini, his primary goal at the beginning of the season, he still rushes (presumably) after gina. him and nini were not on bad terms before the party and we only see him snap in the face of the thing that helped him accept change literally walking out of his life

- no surprise then that he that he turns back to nini and regresses, undoes all that change, when his change agent is gone. this isn’t to say that gina is responsible for the shift in ricky but she is the muse that guided him towards growth and her absence leads to his backtracking.

- her coming back (temporarily as they had believed at the time) reveals to ricky how impactful she was for him and he almost mourns what could’ve been; the flashback scene shows this to us for both of them as well as they hold each other for what they think will be the last time

- ofc fate has other plans so! the change we see ricky really grappling with all of s2a is his connection with gina and the person that has pushed him to be vs his role as nini’s bf and how that shoehorns him into a clingy, annoying version of himself that he has outgrown (though he refuses to fully accept that)

- after rini breakup, he talks about how he still hates change but is able to write let you go and move on. lily is his way of trying to find what helped him the last time he broke up with nini (which was gina) unfortunately, lily is not, and never will be, gina, and so that doesn’t work. however, ricky rolls with his punches and he finds himself right where he needed to be. at camp shallow lake with gina porter.

- no surprise that gina sings of finding her balance and then we see her reconnect and reconcile with ricky, the only person we see across seasons to know and accept and love her

- ricky singing kristoff’s lullaby and singing to gina specifically when he says that everything he knew about love, she had changed. gina believed in him, affirmed him, and helped him on his journey of growth and of becoming a better person. it’s why, as opposed to s1, even though he is aware of his feelings for her, he does not cross the boundary of her relationship with ej but instead invests in their friendship and in making her happy. she has changed him for the better to the point that his romantic love, just as his platonic love developed, shifts from selfish to selfless

- though they have grown from their s1 selves, ricky and gina are still able to connect and fall for each other. given that they’re soulmates, it’s inevitable.

- they fell for each other when they least expected it in s1 and it helped them move from this shared identity of outsiders (which will still always bond them) to people who belong somewhere. in s2, even though things are weird between them bc of rini and gina’s confession, they still have things that they only tell each other. and in s3, when gina says they are different people, we still see them falling deeper for each other over the course of the season, founded on the connection they forged in s1. with rina, the love flows and grows with them because that is how it started.

[royalequeenofships]

HSMTMTS Season 3 Predictions and Character Analysis

Ricky & Nini:

Ricky and Nini have a complicated relationship. I feel like they have the whole dynamic of “right person, wrong timing” vibe. They have chemistry and a bond with each other. However, for them to grow as a couple, they really need to have character development first. Nini really needs to figure herself out and who she truly wants to be and figure out her dreams and how she wants to pursue them. We had the whole YAC arc in season 2, where she goes there because she thought it was something that she wanted, but she realized that YAC was not truly what she wanted and isn’t what makes her happy. So, she’s slowly trying to figure herself out with independence and not relying on anyone except herself. In Season 1, most of her moments were with Ricky, with only the YAC arc really showcasing her independence, but her reliance on others in season 1 and parts of season 2. For example, Kourtney was the one who submitted her application to YAC, and partially her reasons for coming back to East High were also her relationship with her friends and Miss Jenn. Also, the fact that Carlos posted her song online, and she asked Ashlyn for help to write “Ain’t see nothing.” However, in episode 11 and 12, really starts showcasing her independence and stop relying on others for her journey. She BECOMES the one other people rely on, she hypes everyone up for their performances and is really figuring herself out and blossoming like the Rose. It is a great metaphor for Nini’s journey, and the fact that she herself calls Jamie’s brother instead of other people doing it for her, really makes it more special. Gina could’ve easily called her brother and be like “Oh yeah I have this friend who’s a great songwriter, yadda yadda.” But she does it herself, which is really great. Now with Ricky. Many people would agree with the fact that he truly does need therapy. He needs to learn how to handle change, and dare I say, realizing that other people are more important in his life. Personally, I felt like Ricky was very selfish this season. Last season, he was being selfish as he broke up with Nini because he couldn’t say I love you, and once school started again, he wanted Nini back so badly, but he proved himself worthy at the final episode when he stops being Troy to give Nini a chance to perform for YAC. However, this season once he and Nini are back together again, he was being selfish and thinking of himself again. When Nini goes to YAC, all he could really think about was how HER leaving was affecting him and his relationship with her.

For example, he would ask Gina for help on HIS own relationship, and sending Nini the message of how much he missed her and wishes she would be there because HE misses her so much. And thinking that Nini came home for him and him only. Plus, he thinks that the rose song that she wrote was SPECIFICALLY related to him, and then the whole situation with Miss Jenn and his dad, in which he was only thinking about himself and his feelings, with no regards to theirs. However, in episode 10, he finally stops being selfish and really opened his eyes to his surroundings, as he helped Carlos with his song for Seb. I hope this development continues, and once he realizes that he needs to stop being selfish, and is able to handle change and mature as a person, then maybe the Rini ship can happen once again. Another thing I’ve noticed about their “angst” in season 2 was the long-distance relationship, especially in episode 3. Although, Ricky and Nini were in the same city, throughout the episode, it still felt like they were going long-distance, which was probably foreshadowing their breakup. They only communicated through their phones that episode, and even at the end, their songs for each other wasn’t sang in person, but through the phone. As for predictions on the Rini relationship, I think that if Tim only plans on 3 seasons, then Rini will probably get back together at the end of Season 3, but if he has 4 seasons planned (which I am hoping for), then Rini will probably get back together then. Now we also have to take into consideration the career of Olivia Rodrigo. We do not know if she wants to continue with HSM, and even she herself is not sure. What I think will happen is, if Olivia decides she wants to take her music career to the next level, I think a really easy way to write her out without breaking the contract, would be to have her travel to L.A. to work on her music for the summer, so that there will be reason as to why she is absent for most of the season. This will probably take 1 episode to do and Olivia can spend the rest of her time focusing on her music. However, if Olivia decides she still wants to work full time in this season, then she might stay in Salt Lake and do the musical and write some songs for Jamie, etc but personally I think Olivia would want to focus on her music more than the show, as she posts about it more on social media than the show, and even with interviews. Nini might return for the final episode when summer ends and the new school year starts, so Olivia might just be in like 2 episodes. That’s my take on Rini for now, we get back to Ricky later.

E.J. & Gina:

Portwell is literally my favourite ship of the series, and it is just amazing. I personally would not like to see any angst in their relationship next season, but honestly it is probably going to happen and here’s why. Their relationship was built really steadily and took a long time to flourish. With other couples, like Seblos, Redlyn and Kowie, they got together awfully fast, taking 2-3 episodes to truly get together. So, the angst that those couples go through gets resolved rather quickly. Seblos with their relationship gets solved within 1-2 episodes, for the whole “does he like me because im the only gay one” storyline. Redlyn has the whole “Antoine” situation (which I will get back to later) and the “Red’s future” which again, took 1 episode to resolve. And Kourtney and Howie took 1-2 episodes to resolve the whole “Howie is from North high” and “Why Howie seems weird”. The reason is because those couples got together really quickly, and therefore their angst can be easily resolved through that, and wouldn’t really take time to fix. As you can see, Rini took a while to really get together. They were childhood friends off screen and we get to see their past relationship through flashbacks in season 1, but technically they took around 10 episodes to fully get back together. They have their cute., fluffy episodes for the first 4-5 episodes of season 2, but then their angst slowly starts to build at episode 5-6. It drags on until episode 8 where they fully break up, and counting episode 9 with their take on how they’re handling the breakup, so that’s around 5 episodes worth of angst for the couple that took 10 episodes to get together. So, with Portwell, they’ve technically been building them up at the end of season 1, but we’ll truly count the buildup starting from the Quincenero episode, which is episode 5, and they had 7 episodes worth of relationship buildup. So, I think, for the first 4 episodes, we’ll see some fluff and cute moments between the two when summer starts (and hopefully some kisses cuz like please I need to see at least one), but the angst will probably start in the middle of the season. It might take like around 4-5 episodes to fix, but I truly believe that they will not break up, and it will get resolved either near the final episode or the final episode of the season. Now for the REASON of their angst. I truly think the only “angst” worthy storyline is about EJ going off the college. As I can’t think of anything else that can topple their relationship. Firstly, EJ knows about the chocolates, which makes me think that he probably knows about Gina’s past crush on Ricky. Secondly, they resolved the whole “Big Brother” situation, and EJ knows that Gina doesn’t see her in that way. And the character development of E.J. and Gina. Back in season 1, they were arrogant and straight up ambitious people, who really don’t care about how others feel, but they truly changed as people in season 1 and 2, and had their character development moments. The contrast with them and Rini is that Season 1 focused on rini’s relationship development and season 2 and maybe 3 will really focused on their CHARACTER development. For Portwell, I think that would be flipped as they already had their Character development in season 1 and 2, so we probably will see their RELATIONSHIP development in season 3. So, since they already had their character development, I think it would be pointless to have unnecessary drama about their personalities or jealousy or whatnot, since they truly developed as people. So, the only thing I can possibly think of for their angst is EJ college arc. I know that they will probably fix it, but still I’m dreading to see it as I don’t want Portwell angst anymore. ☹ (ALSO PLEASE GIVE ME A PORTWELL DUET!! I NEED IT! Also, an EJ solo)

Ricky & Gina:

Personally, I do not ship Rina. I don’t think they would make a good couple; however, I think they would be really good friends. Someone they could confide in about their issues like Gina said “Sometimes I tell you things I don’t tell anyone else” and Ricky being like “I think we do that for each other.” We didn’t really get to see Ricky and Gina resolve their issues in season 2, partly because of Ricky’s character development. I am hoping to see in season 3, Ricky working on himself and fixing up his friendship with Gina. I think something that might happen is when Gina is going through her angst with EJ, and Ricky going through his own angst with Lily, they might be able to give each other advice and on how to handle it. However, PLEASE for the love of God, do not drag the whole love triangle back, because we do not need it. Gina has truly gotten over Ricky, and Ricky never seeing Gina as someone for his romantic relationship anyways, and he really needs to work on himself more, they should not be together as a couple. However, I do hope that they amend their friendship and is able to confide in each other once more, which I think will be cool and really help with Ricky’s character development.

Ricky & Lily:

Now this one. We know they will not be endgame, and I am 90% sure of the fact that Lily does not have romantic feelings for Ricky. Sure, she might find him attractive (and I mean who can blame her, Joshua Bassett is gorgeous), but she definitely does not like him in that way. We can see it when she “confesses” to him, she said to him “I like your brown hair and brown eyes” which are all physical descriptions of him, nothing about his personality which makes sense because she barely knows him, so how could she develop feelings for someone she doesn’t know. She has also stolen the harness, so we know that there would be no way that she likes him, and at the end of season 2, we don’t even get to see her feeling guilty about doing it, because she likes him. So that definitely setting in stone on how she’s only using him and manipulating him. Now for Ricky, yes you might be thinking “oh he’s calling her, why?” But Ricky does not know what we know. He was not there when Lily was talking to Gina about their roles as Belle, he was not there when Lily was laughing at Big Red, he was not there when she had a conversation with Miss Jenn, and he was not there when she planned with Antoine and when she stole the harness. In Ricky’s eyes, the reason that she was so mean to them is because of the Menkies, and their schools were enemies and rivals for it. He doesn’t know about Lily’s evil and ambitious side, and he believes that the Menkies might have made her that way. For example, he knows that the Menkies has turned Miss Jenn into someone different and a little bit mean, so he assumed the same for Lily, and when she asked for a second chance, Ricky gave it to her as he didn’t know. I feel like for the first couple of episodes, it will show Lily and Ricky “bonding” or getting to know each other, but Lily lying about the whole situation and really planning something behind his back, but we don’t know what yet. Maybe Ricky will be like “Huh, she’s a cool person, I’m starting to like her.” But then figuring out her plan, and finding out that she stole the harness. He then will be very upset and kind of heartbroken as he gave her a chance and she was only manipulating him the whole time. Maybe then, his character development will continue to grow and he will realize that he does not need to be in a relationship right now, and that he needs to work on himself and mature as a person. And I think him and Lily’s “relationship” will be a strong pushing point that he needs.

Seb & Carlos:

Now Seblos is one of my favourite ships in the show, and I love them to bits and pieces. However, as regarding their relationship, I feel like they have already resolved all their angst in season 2, it will be hard to make up angst for them in season 3, if they ever have one. I would like to say this though, I knew there was going to be angst for them in season 2, but the way they built it up, I thought the angst would be about how Carlos’ family is really rich, and Seb can’t compare because he lives on a farm, and it might make him self-conscious. Cause that’s where it seemed to be leading in the first few episodes of Season 2 (the sled, cashmere etc.). However, they brought a completely different angst to them which I thought was pretty surprising. Personally, I think they should’ve done the “class/money” difference in season 2, and then maybe the whole “why are you with me” angst for season 3, but maybe they MIGHT switch it around for season 3, and have the whole “class/money” difference then. Although, that’s probably the only “issue” I see for them ever, cause they’re a power couple and like what other angst could there be? Maybe they’ll introduce a new love interest but I highly doubt it because they already resolved the “I choose you always” in season 2. So, hoping there’s no Seblos angst, but if they do decide to throw in one, that might be the one they’ll do.

Big Red & Ashlyn:

Again, Redlyn is one of my favourite ships and they’re just so amazing. However, their storyline is hopefully again, all fluff for season 3, but one thing I realised that they didn’t really resolve in season 2 was the whole “Antoine” storyline. After episode 7, they never really talked about it again and introduced the new angst next episode with the whole “Career” thing. I feel like Antoine will be a more recurring character in season 3, as he only got like what? 10 minutes worth of screentime this season? (Maybe even less) and especially at the end as he joined Natalie in the final scene. So maybe there will be more of him in the next season, and slowly moving in on Ashlyn and making Big Red feeling like he’s not good enough, and then maybe Redlyn will FINALLY get their “I love you” confession then, because WE NEED IT! I’m manifesting for Redlyn “I love you” next season, and I think the whole situation with Antoine would be a nice way for Ashlyn to TRULY confirm to Big Red how much she loves him and how grateful she is for him, and vice versa. (Also manifesting for more EJ and Big Red friendship moments, like maybe Big Red goes for EJ for advice for his relationship with Ashlyn, and maybe EJ confiding in Big Red for Gina as well)

Kourtney & Howie:

As for Kourtney and Howie, they’re probably still going to work at the pizza shop together and continue to bond. A plot point that I think will be very interesting is maybe Kourtney trying to convince Howie to move to East High, but Howie kind of not wanting to, because he spent like 3 years there and it’s kind of his home. That might be a nice storyline to do, or it can be the opposite, where Howie is trying to transfer to North High, but Kourtney being worried like “Is he going to North High for me? I don’t want that, what if he hates it here”, but Howie confirming that he’s going to North High because the environment for him is better there and less competitive and toxic than North High. That might be a storyline that can happen for these two. I would also like for them to have a duet as well; I think Dara’s strong voice goes well with Roman’s soft voice and it would mesh well together.

Miss Jenn & Mr. Mazarra:

Now this one is a toughie, but I have some theories. Now we know that Ricky has given Miss Jenn permission to date his dad, which is another great character development for him, as he’s handling change and seeing other people’s happiness. However, as soon as he gave her permission, Mr. Mazarra confesses his feelings for Miss Jenn, which seemingly makes her happy, as we did get to see a little smile on her face when he did. Throughout Season 2, Benjamin was really the one comforting her, and giving her courage for the Menkies. We see it through episode 8, when he helped Miss Jenn film the commercial and how he put so much effort into making her coffee and setting up a table, just so she could relax. Same goes for episode 10, when she confides in him, and he acting like a therapist to her and accepting her anxious feelings, and helping her feel calmer and better. They are both opening up to each other. And I believe Miss Jenn truly appreciates him as a colleague and a friend. Now another moment is when Ricky’s dad comes to the show with flowers, and she was talking with Mr. Mazarra at the moment. When he called out her name, she smiles awkwardly and immediate turns to Mr. Mazarra saying something along the lines up “Why we always running into him?” and very awkwardly makes his way to him and you could tell she was slightly uncomfortable, with her awkward smiles and everything. This really contrasts from episode 3, where she herself walks up to Ricky’s dad and starts up a conversation, and how now, it is the other way around. Now, the whole problem of Mr. Mazarra leaving for Caltech. He confesses his romantic feelings to Miss Jenn, and really emphasizes on how she’s the only one who is stopping him from running off the California, which I believe that she is a big part of why, but also not fully. We really get to see Mr. Mazarra bonding with a lot of the students this season as well, E.J., Ricky, etc. I feel like he truly cares for his students, and in season 3, maybe he is thinking about if he really wants to stay in Utah for his students and of course, his budding relationship with Miss Jenn. Now, there was a scene in episode 4, where he was confiding to EJ about his rejection from Caltech. And he admits to EJ how he doesn’t think about Caltech very much anymore. He’s made his peace with it. This kind of mirrors EJ’s situation about Duke. EJ didn’t get into Duke from his own accord, but rather his dad got him in. Same can be said for Mr. Mazarra, EJ’s dad made the call for him for Caltech, and he didn’t really get in from his own as well, as he said previously, He was rejected many, many times. So maybe next season will really show him and his decision of staying at East High back in the fall, or leaving for Caltech. Now moving back to Miss Jenn. Next season, I feel like will focus on her and the students more, as this season, she was a really crappy teacher, and kept pushing them due to stress and wanting them to beat her ex at the Menkies. This season, I believe that she will return to the teacher that she was in season 1, and really focusing and hyping up the kids’ talents. I would love to see that Miss Jenn come back, and really help her students. Of course, the whole love triangle debacle will probably be fixed, I can maybe see Miss Jenn going out on a date with Ricky’s dad but thinking of Mr. Mazarra the whole time, and Ricky’s dad is a good man, so he might notice something is different about her, and tells her to go for it, her relationship with Mr. Mazarra before he moves or something. Also, since in season 2, we got to see Mr. Mazarra comfort Miss Jenn a lot, maybe this season will have Miss Jenn comforting Mr. Mazarra about Caltech, and if he truly wants to leave his students. Another thing I’d like to maybe see is Mr. Mazarra singing a song for Miss Jenn. We know that Mark St. Cyr has a good voice, as we saw from the Christmas special. So, him singing to Miss Jenn even though he doesn’t like musicals that much and all that, would show a lot of character development from Season 1.

Overall Plot:

Now, I have a few theories about summer. I’ve seen a lot of people saying they will go to a camp like “Camp Rock” which I think will be very likely to happen, and they put up a musical. What I can also see happening, is like High School Musical 2, where they go to a resort for work, and then putting up a musical there for the audience as well. Or they could just stay in Utah, and just relax for the summer, and not have any musical but just a lot of original songs about their summer in general and the stuff they’re going through. If they do a musical, I don’t think that they’ll do a musical from a movie or theatre, but rather write their own musical. I think it would be a really interesting concept, it can show us more imaginative and creative concept for a musical and have more original songs for the season. I would truly love to see that.

So that’s all for the character analysis and predictions I have for Season 3, sorry if it’s long lol

[thedaytheworldburned]

‘Lonely Boy’ Lyric Analysis (The tattoo on my ring finger)

Ahh, another nice title with a long subtitle for TXT.

Released with the Minisode 2 album, May 2022. The song is a Kai-Yeonjun unit - aka, the two people in the storyline who DO have the defined positions. Yeonjun is the eldest member, the focal point of the storyline (at least during the Dream Chapter), the one filled with self-loathing, and the one who... well, dies a lot. Kai is the sweet youngest member, a literal angel with a broken heart, and the one who seems least affected by the shenanigans in the Dream Chapter. He became the kind-of-not-quite focal point of The Chaos Chapter.

The song is about the loneliness that comes after the breakup that presumably happened between the previous album and this one, and has a few different elements. The falling out of love from ‘Anti-Romantic’ is there, as the boys realise that their partner wasn’t as perfect for them as they thought. There’s the loneliness we see in tracks like ‘Drama’ and ‘We Lost The Summer,’ and also the only somewhat tangible remnants of the relationship - memories, a mark on the finger and on the soul, but no actual person there with you.

I say, as someone who has never been in a relationship...

But none of that matters, because I am a Media student, and this is media for me to analyse. In the album’s story of breakup - loneliness - went bad - freedom, this is most certainly the ‘loneliness’ part - the moment directly after the breakup, when your heart is still broken and you can’t really get up the energy to do anything.

While the title, ‘Lonely Boy’ is pretty self-explanatory, the subtitle ‘tattoo on my ring finger,’ refers to a line in the song, as the boys describe the mark left on their finger (likely a metaphor for a mark left on their soul) after the partner leaves. Interestingly, this is a black mark - not a red one, which would suggest romance. No, this mark has been burned and blackened, and has become (as a tattoo) a permanent, evil mark.

Full lyric analysis below the line.

Lonely Boy (The tattoo on my ring finger)

The second line here is also, ‘A goodbye full of regret.’

‘I’m fumbling unreasonably’ here is also, ‘I fidget with my hands.’ The last three lines of the verse are also translated, ‘There’s no you, you are gone. What was left craved with sharp needle not only my fingers, even my heart.’

I like the alternate translation because the meaning is clearer, even though they essentially say the same thing.

The first line here is also, ‘stabs deep, mercilessly,’ and the third is also, ‘mark that replaced the ring.’

The second line here is also, ‘story that won’t change.’

The first line of the last verse here is also translated, ‘when we held hands, it became one.’ I assume they are talking about the star here, especially because the star is healed when the boys come together.

The end of the verse (from ‘it ain’t there’) is also, ‘there’s nothing like that. A scribble that lost it’s meaning.’

Which is of course the time that I talk about the doodles from ‘Run Away.’

The second line here is also, ‘Why was I like that back then?’ And the last two lines are also translated, ‘Now I can’t even reminisce, should just leave it be.’

The second line here is also, ‘Memories that remained by my side.’

Conclusions

It’s ‘Anti-Romantic’ 2.0, but, instead of just foreshadowing a breakup and loss of love, this time it’s the real thing.

[multismileee]

911 4X13 COMMENTARY (LITERALLY WHILE IM WATCHING IT) - this is going to be pretty long

The first call about the Bridezilla was so funny, the way that Buck just give out random information about makeup while everyone else is just staring at him like of course he knew that, the way Chim was ready to walk forward when they were doing the SPARTCUS moment, Hen holding him back, and Eddie’s “Good luck with the wedding” with a small thumbs up LMAOO 

Omg no, I hope that Hen’s mom is okay.

I’m glad they brought back Vanessa Marano, I love her.

David, Michael, May, and Harry playing charades... don’t touch me, they are so cute.

Uh oh, Bobby acting weird. I think he relapsed and started drinking again which would explain the need for the shower. 

Hahaha Hen’s mom not being a fan of any of the exotic food is so funny

OH NO, SHE COLLAPSED!!! Please, she better be okay.

I know this is not important but the way Hen matched her mask to her outfit... Icon 😍

SOMEONE HOLD ME BACK, THIS DOCTOR ABOUT TO GET THIS HANDS RATED E FOR EVERYONE.

The blatant racism is disgusting, I’m so glad that 911 is talking about this and how the doctor is clearly dismissive because she is a black woman and omg the comment on her weight ugh disgusting.

Eddieana gross, sorry I will never like them together.

Christopher is so adorable (also he looks so much older omg) and Eddie wanting the sofa to be perfect for the mystery guest, awww.

CARLAAAAAA YES I MISSED HER!!

Aww no Carla’s dad :(

“it’s easy being with her” yes because that’s what it should be like when you’re dating someone (I am totally being sarcastic if you cannot tell)

Carla is such a queen, “Make sure you’re following your heart, and not Christopher” AHHHHH, please manifesting an Eddieana breakup scene.

Aww the two cakes for the two birthdays they missed with Carla, I’m so soft!!

Omg the way he glances at Ana and Christopher like he’s thinking about Carla’s words :0

Oh no, Maddie is definitely not okay. She seems tired and just very withdrawn :(

That call was intense, I feel like there’s more to Charlie and the women that meets the eye.

I knew it, his shirt smelled like bourbon. Unless this is a whole misunderstanding, but it seems unlikely.

I knew something was off with Bobby during the pileup in episode 11 and that it was going to come up again.

Charlie and Christopher talking is so cute aw.

Suspicious, I have a bad feeling about his “mom”.

YES I LOVE HEN AND CHIM MOMENTS, their friendship is so cute.

Omg small backstory moment about Chim and his mom?? we love to see it.

Hen and her med school buddies trying to figure out what’s wrong with Hen’s mom is a scene I didn’t know I needed but I’m so glad we got it.

Omg not her collapsing again, and it being really bad. Let’s hope she didn’t rupture it because I cannot deal with Hen’s mom dying.

Jee-Yun is adorable, but I hate hearing her cry

Omg nooo Maddie probably thinks she’s a bad mom because she feels like she can’t help Jee-Yun stop crying and she already had doubts that she was going to be a bad mom because of her parents :( Buckley parents, if you see this, I despise you,

Hen going off on the doctor, period as she should.

“we” THE AUDACITY. How dare he try to take any credit for something he missed because he didn’t want to listen to the patient and that a group of med students caught in 5 minutes.

Chris wanting to give things away to help Charlie aww stop they are so cute.

Look I was never the biggest fan of Ana, she’s nice but seemed kind of bland as a character but she’s really pulling through this episode.

Yesss Ana, thank you for realizing something is up with this woman.

Poor Athena, she’s trying to be supportive but Bobby is being distant anyways :(

YAY HER MOM IS OKAY, LET’S GOOOO!

“I won’t be here forever” If this is foreshadowing Hen’s mom’s death, I am going to cry.

Omg no, She’s poisoning him with EYE DROPS!!! What in the world is wrong with her. I knew there was a reason they focused on the cabinet but I couldn’t figure it out.

I’m sorry but Charlie calling because his “mom” is choking due to the eyedrops is instant karma.

Uh oh, Athena following Bobby.. this never ends well. Um who is she????

Thank goodness they found out that Charlie was being poisoned.

Omg nooo Maddie, you’re an amazing mom. She needs to go to therapy :(((

THE DRUNK DRIVER?? Oh that makes so much sense, Bobby can feel for her.

Communication problems between Athena and Bobby, omg I hate it.

“Who said this marriage is working” I knew it was coming and it still hurt.

MY HEART DROPPED WHEN EDDIE GOT SHOT. I KNEW IT WAS COMING BUT OH MY GOD.

Ngl I kinda thought that the “mom” was the shooter but I was wrong.

Can I just say that the way Buck froze is such a clear contrast to the last time (in Eddie Begins) when Eddie was buried, that time he was screaming and clawing the ground hoping to do something. In this episode, he froze and it was like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

If Buddie not canon then why have the 45 second shot of Buck and Eddie staring at each other, why have the camera focus on Buck’s reaction, why have Eddie reach out to Buck before he passes out?? Maybe i’m just a clown but it’s all adding up for Buddie canon.

Overall, I am an entire mess after this episode. I haven’t even watched the promo yet but I am terrified for the finale. Everyone is such a mess omg.  Also, I am currently in English class, watching and commenting on the episode instead of paying attention lmao.

[kaypeace21]

It’s Will’s bear from s1 . You can see it when joyce enters his room when the radio starts playing “should I stay or should I go.”

Lol this popular mileven instagramer muted comments only on this post (and none of their other posts . literally 100s of their posts don’t have blocked comments) - all so they could spread misinformation. They wouldn’t have muted the comments if they didn’t know they were lying . I can’t . They’re so desperate. I needed to correct this 😂

Mike didn’t get her another bear before the 3 month time skip cause they didn’t get back together . You think that kiss/ conversation about presents would have been that awkward if they were still dating? El was just helping pack and grabbed Will’s old bear which was in his closet -since Will obviously doesn’t use teddy bears anymore. 😂 We can even confirm it’s Will’s room based on the very distinct wallpaper in his room.

Mileven kissing (as Will’s bear literally comes between them). El kissing Mike in Will’s room (with Mike in front of Will’s open closet) as Mike keeps his eyes open the whole time. And Mike looks incredibly confused after her confession & kiss. Mike even says before this he didn’t “remember “ saying he loved her and then says it was just something he said “in the heat of the moment “ cause he was arguing with Max . They weren’t romantically together again. Why lie and say he didn’t remember or mean his love confession if they were still dating ( especially cause El dumped him over lying before )? He said that cause he didn’t want to rehash their romance . I can’t ... 

It wasn’t a break it was a breakup. Like Max and Will said in response to Mike  “ she said she dumped your ass! That doesn’t sound like a break?!/ it wasn’t!’ Or El knocking all the candy out of the machine, except the kit kat Mike wanted. Slogan of kit-kat “ having a break , have a kit kat.” In other words, it was NOT a break. It was a breakup. Difference is - in s4 it’ll be El who can’t accept this fact , not Mike. Max having to correct El that Mike is her “ex boyfriend” after the breakup (in s3) foreshadows this.

They also tried to twist stuff about crazy/stupid being about mileven cause they stalk my blog . Even tried to bs the ghost and ghost busters thing as romantic after I showed how it was a burn and connected to et . 😂

[lunar-years]

ted lasso might be the first show to successfully straightbait the audience and make the gay/poly relationship a more plausible ending than heterosexual romance

As someone who was not invested in them and didn't care one way or another what i will say is that watching that finale for the first time I FULLY believed tedb*cca were about to get it on, multiple times lmao. The straight baiting with that damn gas leak was REAL and even though it's (cough...kind of funny to me 😭😆, as someone not invested in the ship who also thinks a lot of those shippers have stepped way over the line in the way they've treated the creators and therefore did sort of deserve it...I say as I go hide...) I also did feel bad for them on that one, haha.

The royk*eley post-breakup sex to end the episode only for them to not be back together in the next one was also bait-y I guess, though I am still unsure why any royk*eley fan (of whom I count myself among) wanted them to randomly get back together that fast after roy's sort of shit apology and without resolving literally any of the issues that led to their breakup. I remember after that episode aired i wrote a LONG rant about how they better not be back together just like that (because everyone was saying they were, like it was fact)...and then I cheered when they thankfully were not. like even as someone who sees a path forward for a rk reunion, it would've been terrible writing. Also, at least that was foreshadowed by Keeley telling Rebecca she'd have to be at her worst emotional low to do something so stupid (kiss rupert) - as Roy walked down the stairs. OPE. So I feel less bad for those shippers for that particular moment (they did do rk dirty plenty of other times during the season that I DO agree with being frustrated about, lol, this instance just isn't one of them) because I do think the narrative was clearer about where that was headed and also, the writing was kind of on the wall for them at that point. By even the halfway point of the season rk endgame no longer made realistic sense.

which is all to say...you are definitely right and though I am firmly an eventual ot3 endgame truther, I do think the most plausible relationship between the three of them immediately post the show's conclusion is Roy/Jamie. In my head they get together first and then Keeley joins in down the road after her hot single girl era.

[scoundrels-in-love]

Although I am not happy the breakup happened, because I have no love seeing Mi Joo and Seun Gyeom in pain, this must be the most at peace I’ve ever felt over a kdrama breakup. (And I’ve seen people being angry and thinking it’s baseless and I just want to defend Mi Joo again, but that’s another talk.)

There are several reasons for it and I don’t even know which to start with. I suppose the best way to put it would be that it’s so damn well written.

It’s not a noble idiocy trope - Seun Gyeom doesn’t break Mi Joo’s heart because he wants to ‘protect’ her from heart, Mi Joo doesn’t break up with him so he could pursue some higher goals without her hindering him, while the underlining emotion in either case is that they don’t trust the other and themselves together to overcome what hardships there may be.

Instead, Mi Joo has crashed back to worse than any expected reality with how cruel and underhanded Seun Gyeom’s father is (in her mind, he was adult who had now broken away from this unhealthy environment and something so makjang as all this didn’t really seem plausible to her), she is hurt and she is vulnerable. Like she says - she values herself more than anyone else, and also because no one else will value her so highly. Although not true anymore, lifetime of pain and carefully built & maintained defensive is hard to put aside in a moment of intense hurt when everything she wants and briefly had only promises more pain.

In fact, it’s not even that she believes their relationship isn’t worth it (aside from the very heavy handed reality check which makes any possibly future for them dubious) - she asks him if she can make a mistake. It’s not only an echo of their conversation when he refused to put blame on her for his father’s actions of bribing her, as she now refuses to put it on him. She does feel like it’s a mistake, but it seems to promise least immediate pain (except she’s kinda wrong, whoops, but it’s mistake for a reason).

On the other hand, Seun Gyeom actively subverted noble idiocy trope by underestimating what his father could throw at him and Mi Joo as well. He took a stand that no matter what, she’s his strength and together they will overcome anything his father dishes out. (And he isn’t wrong, it just won’t be unbreakable stand from the get-go.)

Also, although I doubt it’s conscious on her part and more of writer’s created motif, they’ve managed to solve every ‘mistake’ made by communicating and not giving up on each other.

Speaking of foreshadowing, I do feel like a breakup (and its resolution) was foreshadowed all the way back in, hm, was it episode 5 or 6? Whenever it was that they had a run together and Mi Joo asked what will happen if she loses sight of him and he told her he will wait for her to catch up.

And essentially, that is what happened - in the storm of hurt, she lost sight of Seun Gyeom and how much he cares and values her, how he will value her above anyone else, how she can rely on someone else to hold her together and soothe her pain, how enduring their bond already is and how much she cares to keep it.

He will wait for her to surface from the immediate hurt and regain sight of the safety line (’do you think I am over my head to want to be with him?’ because she does want to be with him, it just seems an unreasonable want, similarly as Dan Ah had deemed her feelings toward Yeong Hwa). But because she’s his finish line, the thing he looks forward to run to, he will not stand there and expect her to run the whole marathon alone. He will meet her halfway (quite literally running toward her, it seems, in preview).

And because of how we’ve seen them, how they’ve been written, it’s actually plausible to believe they genuinely want to be together, care for each other as people not just because it’s some loudly proclaimed love. Their shared silences and their shared stories that the other listens to attentively, all of it has convinced me of this. And that they can and will overcome these obstacles, internal and external.

That aside, there are some things I expect will happen in next episode that will well and truly hurt - such as Mi Joo picking up the gun again because she’s lost her ‘real’ thing and must resort to safety and sense of self-chosen home through it again.

But you know what? I will retract and say, no, this breakup, or at least similar tension, was needed for Mi Joo’s growth. Because although she went to the meetup with Seun Gyeom and committed to it, it didn’t fundamentally challenge her internal set up. It didn’t ask her to stop being so cautious, to become ‘greedy’ as she had said to Dan Ah. She has to allow herself to want the real thing, not just settle for a fake, even if it is a risk, even if it allows her to be vulnerable. (Just like Dan Ah had to do this, admit that she wants it and reach for it, although it immediately creates possibility of loss and pain.)

Mi Joo needs to experience and see that the real thing is more than something to hold on, too. It’s something that reciprocates and actively protects, and wants her there.

That she is loved and that loving yourself also means letting others love you, instead of retreating to familiar walls of solitude.

Something that Seun Gyeom and Dan Ah (and possibly, Yeong Hwa) also need to learn and they are slowly learning to.

[retvenkos]

anti Ricky Bowen anon - he's just so clingy and annoying! Nini can't have her own life, he constantly wants to be with her and gets upset when he isn't...

I totally agree!

I feel like Ricky is not in the place for a relationship (and never has been throughout the series thus far) and he really needs to come to terms with himself and everything that is happening with his family before even entertaining the idea of having a relationship with someone else. he is 100% smothering nini and while he has relatable reasons, it's still not okay. he needs to figure himself out, and he can't do that while nini is there.

and yes - ultimately, nini is still caught up in her boy drama to the point that she's not living for herself. she can't have her own life, because she's carrying around this dead weight. it's the same problem i had with nini in season 1, and while i understand that these problems take time... i would have really liked to see some growth from season to season, y'know? nini says in season 1 "i won't be a doormat," but literally that's all she's been this entire season. she's just there for other people.

i wanted her struggle to be about grappling with whether or not her dream school was her dream since it didn't have everyone who mattered to her, not grappling over ricky and how she should deal with him. it's the same storyline as last season, and i just wanted something fresh for her. especially after 'born to be brave' i really just wanted a different angle. something new and not intertwined with boys.

but! hopefully this will lead to some self discovery with nini and she can fully, 100% move on from her boy drama. and hopefully, ricky will learn a lesson about attending to his needs in a more direct fashion.

idk though, i hate it when the arc of a female character is just 'learning to live without the boy'. or her character comes at the cost of a guy. can we just... leave that in the past?

anyway, i'm surprised with the direction they took rini this season but i'm also... pleasantly surprised? hear me out - at the end of season 1, ricky and nini were together despite my not liking the idea. they were together, i couldn't argue it, so i'm glad that the ~love~ ricky and nini share isn't "strong enough" to get rid of all of their individual problems, and i'm glad that they actually have to work through some of them.

i'm also very interested to see if nini somehow echoes ricky's moms words from the end of season 1 - "not all couples are meant to be together" - when a breakup with ricky happens. i hope something like that happens because back in season 1 i thought that line meant something for rini. i thought it was maybe foreshadowing them not getting together. if i was right in the foreshadowing and it's the reason they're not endgame, i would be very satisfied.

[whatiwillsay]

The Duality of Lover

Hi! It’s me, the Cruel Summer anon, back with some more hot takes! Is this probably clownery? Yes, but it sure is fun! So take this analysis with a grain of salt. 

In light of the new Kaylor timeline, I have had some thoughts about Lover as an album. I think there are definitely a lot of songs about Joe (or Lily, or whoever you think was Taylor’s muse for the album), but I also think there are a large collection of songs about Karlie. In terms of the timeline, I think these songs describe the “Messy Summer of Mess,” or the summer of 2016 and subsequent end of the Kaylor romantic relationship, as described by @swiftiesleuth’s new Kaylor timeline. 

For a quick breakdown, here are the songs I think are about Kaylor:

Cruel Summer

Cornelia Street

Death By A Thousand Cuts

False God

So let’s get into it!

First off, we have “Cruel Summer,” which, in addition to being my favorite on the album and possibly my favorite Taylor song of all time, sets the tone for the entire chapter. If you’ve read my previous analysis, you know that I do not think this song is optimistic in any way, shape or form. Genius says that this song “narrates the fragility and uncertainty at the beginning of Taylor’s relationship with Joe Alwyn,” and I really just have to side-eye that description. Why? Well, as per my last analysis:

it’s cool, that’s what I tell ‘em/no rules in breakable heaven

they say that we’ll just screw it up/in these trying times, we’re not trying

I'm always waiting for you just to cut to the bone

if I bleed, you’ll be the last to know

said “I’m fine” but it wasn’t true/I don’t wanna keep secrets just to keep you

This ain’t the beginning of a communicative, healthy relationship, folks. That’s all I have to say on the matter. (You can read my other post for more.)

Next we have “Cornelia Street,” which I also think is a Karlie song because of the following lyrics:

I’d never walk Cornelia Street again

baby, I get mystified by how this city screams your name

back when we were card sharks, playing games/I thought you were leading me on

you hold my hand on the street/walk me back to my apartment/years ago, we were just inside

barefoot in the kitchen/sacred new beginnings

First of all, the obvious: in this song, Taylor links her lover very specifically to Cornelia Street and NYC as a whole. New York City definitely does not scream Joe’s name. But, as many before me have pointed out, it’s pretty inextricably linked to Karlie. I mean, Taylor literally has a song called “London Boy,” which makes it clear to me which city Taylor associates him with. London = Joe, NYC = Karlie.

A lot of arguments linking “Cornelia Street” to Joe are because the song appears to depict the beginning of a relationship–and obviously, in the traditional Kaylor narrative, Kaylor would have been together for a long time at this point. However, I think this song makes a lot of sense with the new Kaylor timeline. I could see it taking place sometime in late summer/fall 2016, in a time when Kaylor reunited and Taylor thought she and Karlie might actually work things out. Taylor’s word choices in this song support the idea that this is the beginning of another “on” period in an on-and-off relationship. 

In the bridge, Taylor contrasts the true beginning of this relationship (which was “years ago”–a lyric that definitely does not fit Joe) with the present. The notable difference between then and now is how public the relationship is; their relationship is not “just inside,” as it was years ago. Now, her partner can “hold [her] hand on the street.” If you buy the Kaylor timeline, this song takes place in the fall immediately after the “Cruel Summer” from that song–perhaps Taylor thought Karlie might choose her over Josh once and for all, so they would not need the same level of secrecy as they once did. (I don’t think this lyric is about bearding–Kaylor were always publicly affectionate–but if you buy my analysis of “Cruel Summer,” the relationship may have been kept secret from Josh.)

She also calls the present a “sacred new beginning,” which would be redundant unless this is not the first beginning this relationship has had. The lyrics back when we were card sharks, playing games/I thought you were leading me on also allude to a shared history–and the idea that this might be their chance to make a relationship really work, when Taylor felt led on by her lover in the past. 

While “Cornelia Street” is definitely a romantic song, it’s sad and desperate in the same vein as “Cruel Summer”–it focuses on the strong possibility that this relationship will end, unlike a song like “Lover,” which very clearly foreshadows commitment. 

Next song! “Death By A Thousand Cuts,” which is overtly a breakup song. Taylor says this was inspired by the movie “Someone Great” on Netflix. Maybe it was, but we’re all mad here, right? So I'mma do some wild speculation and say that I think it could have some personal inspiration as well. 

Notable lyrics:

I see you everywhere, the only thing we share is this small town

but if the story’s over, why am I still writing pages?

quiet my fears with the touch of your hand/paper cut stings from our paper-thin plans

gave you so much, but it wasn’t enough

Is NYC a small town? Nah, but I do think it’s still notable that this song ties Tay’s lover to a geographical location just like in “Cornelia Street” and “False God,” both of which I think are about Karlie. The lyric also has similar vibes to “I get mystified by how this city screams your name." 

I also think the "still writing pages” lyric is telling–the relationship with Karlie is long over, but Taylor still feels compelled to tell the story even if it hurts her (“paper cut stings”). The “paper cut stings” and “paper-thin plans” lyrics form a direct contrast to the song “Paper Rings.” (Might do a more in-depth analysis of this later, but I’m just saying it’s interesting for now.)

And finally… “False God,” because:

we were crazy to think/crazy to think that this would work

I’m New York City/I still do it for you, babe

the altar is my hips

you’re the West Village/you still do it for me, babe

even if it’s a false god/we’d still worship this love

Is it a sexy song? Yeah, but it’s also very fatalistic; it’s basically a song about having an argument with a lover and then patching it up through sex. And knowing the relationship might still be ill-fated even if you resolved this particular argument with some wine and ~sexy times~, which is why I do not think it is about Joe. 

First of all, we have the obvious geographic connection; NYC is very much a Kaylor thing, not a Joe/Taylor thing. I have no idea how you’d even argue that the “West Village” line refers to Joe–it just makes so much more sense for it to be referring to Karlie. 

Second, the lyrics are very queer-coded. The lyric “the altar is my hips” seems very much like a reference to going down on a woman. Which is by no means an exclusively lesbian thing, but you get the point. The song also connects back to the religious imagery that Taylor uses in “Don’t Blame Me” (oh, Lord, save me and baby, for you I would fall from grace/just to touch your face). Subversion of religion is just a very gay thing, which makes sense because lots of people very literally think gay love is a sin. If you don’t believe me, see: “Holy” by King Princess, “religion (u can lay your hands on me)” by Shura, “Animal” by Troye Sivan, “God In Jeans” by Ryan Beatty, the music video for “Take Me To Church” by Hozier. Taylor and Joe’s love is not a fall from grace–but love between two women would qualify.

Anyway, all this is a long way of saying that I think Lover is at least partially inspired by the Kaylor breakup; songs like “Cruel Summer,” “Cornelia Street,” and “False God” aren’t as happy as they initially seem. I also think “Afterglow” and “The Archer” could have hints of the Kaylor narrative, but this is WAY too long already, so I’m gonna end it here.

And lastly: thanks, Cam, for posting these! I’d submit them to a Kaylor blog, but yours is my favorite gaylor blog, and also, uh… babygate. Obviously I do not believe the girls are together still, so I think the strong Kaylors would not appreciate my hot takes at the moment. 

SUBMISSION⬆️⬆️⬆️

amazing stuff!  tysm for writing this stuff up and submitting, i bet if you do end up starting a blog you’ll get lots of followers who would love more great content like this!

[butmakeitgayblog]

i just heard one of olivia rodrigos new(ish) songs called deja vu and it tempted me to write a messy clexa breakup fic where lexa rebounds with costia (but isn’t over clarke, of course) 🙂🙃 but i was wondering if you had tips for writing angst because it’s so easy for it to become static

Ok but do clexa get back together 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

Anyway, angst. That's hard to say, I don't really write a whole lot of angst, but generally when I do, I try and write it in a way that it'll make the reader feel the angst right along with the character. Possibly even more so.

(Just using Lexa as an example since you said she's the one rebounding)

Have a clear cut image/vibe in your mind as to what you want the feelings of that character(s) to be and why they're having them. Don't just say "the character was depressed", explain the depression and how it manifests. Does that character lose the will to shower? Change clothes? Why? Is it because this shirt reminds her of that date, or those shoes remind her of that vacation? Can she not force herself to go places that they used to go? Does she think about Clarke while kissing Costia? What thoughts does that inspire? Anger? Regret? How does that bleed out into her actions in the moment? After they've had sex? I find showing, not telling, is a big part of conveying emotions especially with angst.

In breakups, it's never just the breakup that is painful. Explore those other nuanced things. The feeling of seeing something funny and her first instinct is to send it to Clarke except... shit. She can't. Clarke coming up in her suggested section because she unfollowed her. Costia saying something and the first thing that pops into her head is how Clarke would've argued that point. Ya know? All the little things that reopen wounds that she is so desperately trying to mend. It's like 10 breaches in her emotional dam but Lexa's only got two hands and she's barely keeping her head above water. Does that make sense? Give their emotions action.

Another thing that I personally do, which wouldn't exactly work for this premise, is that I use a lot of foreshadowing and hints, so that as things unfold the reader can look back and think "ooooooh my God that has a whole other meaning now that I know this." It tends to make rereads more interesting, or at least I hope it does 😬. For example, in demon au, there's going to be a pretty emotionally devastating chapter near the end (no clexa doesn't die), but it'll make so many things throughout the fic have so much more meaning and depth.

Don't make characters whiny, that gets boring. If you have a character that could very easily fix their issues and they just don't, it's hard to feel bad for them. Struggling to do better is one thing, just sitting there for 3 chapters complaining about the same issue but doing zero to fix it or cope ain't it. Also, try not to put characters in easily solvable situations. Miscommunication is a very real part of life, but make it plausible. If it's literally just an instance of Clarke easily being able to say "I didn't cheat on you" or whatever, then that can be kind of eyeroll worthy. I once read a fic where for an entire chapter it was super "angsty" because one character thought the other was leaving and was sad, but then it turned out the other character wasn't actually leaving, they just hadn't said it to them for some reason? During the entire long ass night they had been together? It was strange and left me very 🤨

And lastly honestly, just write what hurts your own feelings lol. If something makes you go 🥺😔 then it probably will to your readers too.

But take all this with a grain of salt because I'm a novice and just trying to figure this shit out too 😅. Good luck lovely!

[sarahreesbrennan]

Could you speak about Nick's heroic moment that impressed you? You mentioned Sabrina's heroic moment that impressed you (Lupercalia) and Harvey's heroic moment that impressed you (saving the witches) so I wondered if you had a Nick moment!

Buckle up kids, it’s time for me to get emosh about Nick Scratch!

Yes I do have a Nick moment, and I am happy that you asked about him! (Apologies for taking so long to reply to this and other CAOS questions I have in the queue, life has been a frenzied whirligig.) I know the rules of love triangles, and one must play fair.  

(It has been interesting writing a proper love triangle, which I hadn’t before, and seeing the many reactions to it. I have one friend who was for Harvey in book 2, but in book 3 she switched to Nick. I have one friend who still loves Harvey and was mad he only got one POV chapter in book 3. I have my father, who is scandalized by the thought of love triangles and wishes for people to Commit to Each Other, and is firmly Team Nabrina and Harvalind without knowing either of those ship names! I Cannot and Will Never tell my father about the sex demons.)

I think everybody noticed the moment where Nick Scratch sacrificed himself to Satan to save Sabrina and also the world. It’s such a big moment and a big sacrifice that it instantly makes many forgive him for all his mistakes. And it’s the very end of that part, and I’ve noticed with Netflix binges even more than with usual TV, the end is the bit that sticks most with people and leaves the deepest impression. You can’t just click on the next episode. You have to sit with what happened. 

That moment of heroism wasn’t overlooked. But early in Part 3, we see inside Nick’s mind in hell, and after weeks of torment he’s still fighting. Wrestling the fallen angel, as Jacob wrestled the angel, and saying no, he won’t give up. The kind of heroism that struggles on, and on, even when it’s tough and thankless, is more difficult than impulsively going down in a blaze of glory. It’s hard to feel good about that kind of fight. It isn’t glorious, it isn’t flashy, and it takes bedrock strength and rare courage. I was so impressed by that moment, and I did worry it would be lost, since Nick’s wild acting out from trauma and satanic possession follows. That inspired Nick’s plotline in Path of Night--to think about how Nick was tormented, and how and why he was able to resist the Dark Lord.

Writing Nick’s POV in hell in Path of Night was tricky, as I couldn’t save him and I knew he would be in a dark place even after being saved! Had I been told people would be reading about a fan favorite character being trapped and tormented while stuck in their homes due to pandemic... I don’t know what I would have done. (I mean, I would have asked the time traveler giving me these tips to give me lottery numbers, please.) I hope I would have been brave and written him the same way I did. 

Book 1 (Season of the Witch) is the family-focused book, because Part 1 is about family coming through for Sabrina, and ends on her toasting them at home. Book 2 (Daughter of Chaos) is the romance-focused book, because Part 2 has many people starting new relationships and exploring what relationships mean to them, and ends with Nick coming through for Sabrina. Book 3 had to be the friendship-focused book, as Part 3 had Sabrina on missions with her friends, who were coming through for her by going to hell and fighting monsters and knowing what was up with her at last. 

It couldn’t be about Sabrina and Nick’s romance, any more than Book 1 could really be about Harvey and Sabrina’s romance, because I was foreshadowing a breakup in both books. Both relationships were loving, but terribly damaged by lies (for which I blame Satan!). And all of these people need to find out who they truly are.

A character who only works in a romance isn’t a good character, and I think Nick is a good character. So when you’re examining a character on their own, you have to pose and answer these questions: who IS this person? What do they care about? How can they be taken apart, and put back together? Consent in CAOS is a big and thorny theme, (and a big and thorny subject generally!), and is discussed extensively in Daughter of Chaos, and that plays out in Path of Night, where Nick has his selfhood stripped away from him and has to try and claim it.

The epigraph for the book is a Dostoevsky quote: ‘Hell is the suffering of being unable to love.’ Nick says himself in Part 1 that Satan doesn’t want his servants to love, and hell is Satan’s kingdom, a place of utter loneliness. What do you do, in a book about friendship, with the plotline set in hell?

The truly lost are those who don’t realize they are lonely in hell. Lilith is ruling hell but missing Greendale, because Lilith underneath it all is a team player--she tried to be on Lucifer’s team for millennia until he made it clear there would never be any reward for her work, and in Part 3 she tries to be on Sabrina’s team, and goes to Zelda for help as an ally. There’s hope for Caliban, because in his reaching out for Sabrina, we see he can be lonely in hell. And what about Nick, in the lowest point of that lonely place? 

I like someone who’ll do epic things for their love, but I don’t like when a character only cares about their love--I think that’s small-hearted. Fortunately I don’t think Nick’s that kind of character at all. He undoubtedly loves Sabrina dearly, but he also had a breakdown about being expelled from school, and even under Satan’s dire influence he found a nice white shirt and came to a magic ceremony because he wanted to be part of it: he cares about community. But his is a community in which caring is forbidden, so caring about that community is a paradox in itself which many of the witches have to deal with, forcing them to lie to themselves and each other. (Zelda and Prudence, very much caught in this trap.) Nick and Prudence both project an air of confidence, but Prudence was literally willing to be consumed in order to matter, and Nick willing to be consumed in order to be loved. (But what is there to love, if you’re consumed?)

Nick’s acting out under the influence of Lucifer in Part 3 is like Harvey being impelled to his father’s violence by Lucifer, though it goes much deeper: that influence brings out the specific dark impulses you DO have, while you might never have acted on them. A lot of Nick’s dark impulses are based on insecurity and his terrible coping mechanisms for dealing with that insecurity: he was gutted when expelled because he doesn’t have a home to belong to. He was raised (and abused) by someone possessive and murderous, who told him as abusers do that only she could love him, and then tragically his community’s ethos confirmed that belief for him. He mentions in Part 1 that he envies mortals because they can love. He’s told by his community that what matters is Satanic power, so he’s instantly made insecure by Caliban Prince of Hell, but he’s also insecure about Harvey because of the idea only mortals can love and be loved, and he’s afraid he can’t be loved by Sabrina as she loves this mortal. Of course, that worry itself makes it plain to us Nick is fully capable of love and of being loved, but that is anything but clear to him.    

The witches are starving for love, and that’s love in all senses of the word. Sabrina does a ton to save and help Nick (to the point of overlooking her own pain and betrayal), but she can’t do it on her own because nobody can: everybody needs a net of community to catch them. 

I mentioned that Book 3 was about friendship because it sets up Part 3, in which friends come through for each other. Nick’s part of that. Sabrina isn’t the only one who comes for him in hell: the mortals came too, and that’s important. Nick’s the witch who is always talking about and interested in mortals, and it was interesting to explore in Path of Night how that came to be. He’s also protective of the mortals--all the witches know mortals die easily, it’s why they call them that--but Nick came to protect Harvey in Part 1, and in Part 2 argued with Sabrina that mortals shouldn’t be fighting Satan as Sabrina planned to fight Satan. Obviously he cares about Sabrina more than he cares about them, but he worries about the mortals in the same way you’d be much more concerned about a toddler toddling into battle than a ninja, even if you were in love with the ninja. It says something about a person, when their impulse is to shield the vulnerable rather than target them.  

In Path of Night it was interesting to explore the potential for friendship with the mortals for Nick. Roz and he have a lot in common, as the big readers of their groups, and were open to being charmed by each other in Part 2. Theo would be an amazing friend for anyone, as he’s ride-or-die for his friends, and also very clear-eyed about them. (Not being romantically interested in them helps with that.) It would obviously be good for both Nick and Harvey to start seeing the other as a person rather than an avatar for their own insecurity. And at the end of Part 3, when Sabrina was off in hell and he certainly wasn’t trying to win her favor, Nick showed up when the mortals called, stayed for them, and fought for them. In another time, he died for them. They came for him, and he came for them. Showing up is a good start. I always love a character who shows up: Sabrina constantly, Ambrose and Hilda and Zelda fighting their god for love, Harvey squaring his shoulders and going in to shoot his brother, Theo hurling his own body at the gates of hell.

But the mortals aren’t Nick’s friends yet: they don’t really know him, and Harvey is triggered by lies, which Nick has had to live by. There is someone, though, who does know him. The big romantic plotline of Path of Night is Prudence and Ambrose coming together on adventures far from home, and the thread about friendship there is that Ambrose is working out whether Prudence likes Nick romantically, or Ambrose himself. In Part 1, Prudence is spiky with Nick because he just dumped her and her sisters (as told in book 1). In Part 3, she’s mad at him and tells Sabrina they don’t work as a couple because she has no time for men who betray women, and Prudence is mad at him in Book 3 too. But in Book 2 and Part 2, she’s helping Nick, hanging out with him, and talking him up to Sabrina. It’s Ambrose, the oldest of the coded-young characters and one of the few with a loving home, who sees and names Prudence’s feelings for Nick, for whom she has a pet name. It’s complicated, in their world and with their respective pain, but he is her friend. She’s the one he opens up to at the end of Part 3.

But Nick doesn’t know Prudence is his friend. Lucifer, known as the Father of Lies, systematically takes apart Nick in Path of Night, to get him to the place he’s in when we hit Part 3. He has to convince Nick that what Nick always feared is true: nobody cares. There’s the physical torture element, which I touch on lightly but enough to be clear it happened, but wrestling with inner demons means more. To quote Faulkner, ‘the only thing worth writing about is the human heart at conflict with itself.’ Nick imagines sleeping a lot throughout Path of Night, imagines peace (another epigraph for a Nick chapter is Dante’s ‘Peace to your hungry soul’), but he’s not really sleeping and there’s never any peace--I deliberately made him more and more tired as the story goes on. Not only tired, but sick at heart as the devil tempts him: he’s offered books, a return to childhood and his mother, a return to school, the story of epic romance he wants to be the hero of, mortal acceptance and affection, and finally Prudence as a friend he trusts to tell him the truth. When he uses his sharp mind to discern flaws in all Lucifer’s illusion he’s shown just enough reality to hurt him. (Harvey and Sabrina have much pain and history to work out and there’s love there, as shown by the two names on Sabrina’s candle, but Sabrina and the Fright Club are all risking their lives to save Nick, and Lucifer sure doesn’t want Nick to realize that: Lucifer’s trying to induce despair.) 

When we see how someone is tempted we also see what they value. In Nick’s case it’s his mother’s love, his mother’s books, a home, romantic love from Sabrina, mortal connection, friends, his school and the opportunities for relationships and knowledge it offers. Then we see everything Nick wants stripped away from him, exposed as illusion. To quote from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, one of CAOS’s forebears in the genre and because I love Buffy, ‘Take all that away, and what’s left?’ The answer is ‘Me.’ When all that’s left is you, then you just might be enough. Even if you always feared you wouldn’t be.

At the end of Path of Night, I couldn’t have Nick be saved, or even have Nick realize he was worth saving, but I wanted the ending to be as happy for him as it could be, by showing my audience that there was hope for him to be found, in all senses of the word. I wanted the reader to feel they’d learned more about who he was, gained understanding of his flaws, that there was greatness in him despite said flaws. Sabrina and the mortals ARE coming to rescue him. Prudence DOES care about him. And saying no, in that loneliest and darkest place, meant something. 

So. That’s Nick’s hero moment for me.