#thinking about ep5 Luke a lot….

[tobytost]

accepting some truths

[bridgertonnteas]

I have gotten a lot of anons about Bridgeton season 3 & the Polin "deleted scenes", so let me make things clear!

I said it again & again there aren't many deleted scenes, it was only one scene in the end of ep8 a lot of people telling me that on reddit someone is saying that 2 long deleted sex scenes were cut, but that isn't true at all & the same person is saying that people who got early screenings of 1-6 episodes had extra scenes, but again that's false

There wasn't any other mirror scene in ep7 & There wasn't any angry sex scene in ep7 either. There was however a different version of when Colin argued with Pen in the streets at night, instead of him just making her get into the carriage, he gets inside as well & makes her go home

By the way in the version that we got of that scene, he just doesn't leave her in a carriage. I have seen some people misunderstanding it, but he has been following her with another carriage and left after the carriage she took with his own carriage still following her, it was his way of protecting her from afar, the other version might be clearer, but both have the same outcome

As for ep8, there was a montage at the end that was mostly Polin making out/kissing fully clothed, & few seconds of them doing more like him going down on her, him kissing her neck and smiling playfully at their reflection in the mirror, them doing it in bed & her riding him at the end ( the few seconds we got of that was from that montage). In those scenes of them doing more during the montage; she was either wearing a nightgown or a robe, she was never naked in those scenes & he was shirtless or covered from the waist down, but the state of their undress was never like ep5 first-time scene

Nicola didn't have other scenes of her being naked or almost naked, that only happened in ep5 & the furniture-breaking scene was the first time scene in ep5, both Nicola & Luke confirmed that and even posted a picture of it, so why doubt what they said!

Even the showrunner & writer of the show addressed that in a recent interview that was released after part2 was released

In the early script draft, there was indeed a scene that wasn't filmed as far as I know of Polin in bed talking about his journals & her editing them, but again as far as I know it was never filmed. if it was filmed then it never made the cut

There were different takes on the epilogue, but all of them had a similar outcome

And by the way, deleted scenes or different takes of some scenes someone either shondaland or the main show account one day, or someone from the cast & crew could post them in the future, but who knows. It's possible, but at the same time don't get your hopes up

That's all I wanted to say because there's a lot of misinformation around and some people sadly built their idea & image of this season based on fake spoilers and got disappointed when those spoilers didn't come true and I think they should let go of those fake spoilers already & rewatch the season & part2 with a clearer mind because it's rather obvious how those fake spoilers are clouding how they think about the season!....

[tossawary]

So, I don't really like the characterizations in this "Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire" novel. They're serviceable for the most part? They're mostly fine. There hasn't been a "yeah!!! THAT'S the character I know and love!!!" moment so far for me, but there have been a few "ohhh nooo, HARD disagree on this characterization choice" moments. This following passage from Leia's POV is one of the paragraphs that wrinkled my nose the most with its baseline heteronormativity / amatonormativity / sexism:

(CONTEXT: Leia and Luke are on the Falcon with Lando, Chewie, R2-D2, and C-3PO, on their way to try and get Han back from Boba Fett, who has not yet delivered Han to Jabba the Hutt. Luke and Leia had actually separated after the events of Ep5, briefly, so that Leia could try to track Boba Fett and Luke could build himself a new lightsaber, but they have met up again for this mission.)

"She turned and watched Luke as he cleared the micrometeor dust from Artoo. Luke wanted to rescue Han as much as she did. Which was interesting, given that she'd felt the competition from them for her attention. A lesser man than Luke might take advantage of a rival's absence, but so far he had not. That was the thing about Luke. He wanted to win, but he wanted to win fairly." (pg55)

I don't like this. At all.

Where to start? I resent the fact that this is a thought being put into Leia's head as a character. A lot of Leia's thoughts in this novel are too focused on weighing the men around her as romantic partners for my taste, though this is partially because the book keeps having them hit on her. Like, yeah, she's thinking about Han all the time because she loves him and they're trying to rescue him from Boba Fett, but I feel the text could be flavored more with her also occasionally thinking about the loss of Alderaan or her career in the Imperial Senate or her work for the Rebellion, anything to remind us that Leia as a female character has a lot more going on in her life and past besides her male love interest(s).

"Luke wanted to rescue Han as much as she did. Which was interesting, given that she'd felt the competition from them for her attention."

Leia thinking it's "interesting" that Luke wants to rescue Han is a weird fucking choice. Luke and Han have been friends for a couple years at this point, working in the Rebellion together. They're FRIENDS. In the films, Han saves Luke's life once during the Death Star run in "A New Hope" and then again on Hoth in "Empire Strikes Back", so Luke also owes Han a couple life debts. Han was also only targeted and captured by Darth Vader because Vader was after Luke, so Luke is likely to feel partially responsible for Han's capture and wants to fix it. Of course he wants to rescue Han.

"A lesser man than Luke might take advantage of a rival's absence, but so far he had not."

Like, I understand that this is Leia thinking that Luke is DIFFERENT compared to other guys; this passage isn't suggesting that Luke Skywalker would ever leave a friend behind due to something as selfish romantic jealousy. Leia is thinking poorly of OTHER MEN not known to us, sure. But the fact that this is Leia's POV means that it's LEIA noticing again RIGHT NOW, years into their friendship, that Luke is a Nice Guy, and it just contributes to the problematic pattern of having Leia always weighing the men around her romantically. The particular timing of this passage makes it feel like Leia IS a little surprised here and now that Luke would weigh friendship over trying to "win" her attention away from a "rival", and that's a shitty thing to have Leia think at all about Luke and the other men in her life.

Leia's surprise implies to me that, while Luke was getting his robotic hand, they never had a normal fucking conversation about what had happened to Han and what they wanted to do about it. Like, framing him as a "competitor" suggests to me that she doesn't know Luke fairly well by now? Luke and Leia are ALSO FRIENDS, in my mind, but the poisonous "men and women can't ever be friends" mindset is insidious. If I was writing fanfiction here, the recovery post-Ep5 would be the perfect point to have a scene of Luke and Leia grieving together, even if they don't actually talk about it, so it's weird to me that that didn't apparently happen. Like, sure, maybe neither of them had a full emotional breakdown and talked about all of their feelings for hours, fine, they don't know they're siblings yet and their feelings for each other are weird, but I don't think it's OOC for Luke to have said something like, "This is my fault. Han saved my life and I owe him. Leia, we'll get our friend back, I promise."

Like, damn, just let them be friends. Friends who have confusing Force feelings about each other sometimes, sure, but still friends first and foremost rather than "woman" and "suitor". The way that Luke and Leia act in "Return of the Jedi" always suggested to me that Leia had flat-out told Luke by then that she's in love with Han and Luke was cool with it; honesty cutting through any more potential love triangle nonsense. There's no "competition" anymore!

"That was the thing about Luke. He wanted to win, but he wanted to win fairly."

Again, I DO NOT like Leia framing herself as something to be "won" at all. Gross. This is just... a weird thing for anyone to think to me, especially Leia, who has a thousand other things to think about in the fight against the Empire besides love. If Leia didn't come up with this thought on her own, then someone else must have said it or something like it, and I really don't like the idea that it might have been Luke, who ALSO has a thousand other things to think about in the fight against the Empire. I don't like this characterization.

Of course, this is one small passage, not written with bad intentions, and I can admit that I am not reading it with generosity. But the way Leia's POV scenes up until this point have largely prioritized potential romantic connections as the central thing she's thinking about has been really annoying, and this passage is where that pattern gets concentrated into something even more direct, so it annoys me even more than it might have on its own. I do kind of enjoy that most SW relationships are a hot, confusing, poorly defined mess on a good day; their lives suck a lot of the time. I do not need the story to be purely about THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP where no one is motivated by romantic love.

But I do wish I could ban anyone writing Leia's POV from ever having her think about the men around her as "rivals" for her attention. No. Bad. There's a fucking war on. Her parents are dead and planet is gone. Give her A SECOND THING to think about besides love, please, since apparently it's too much to ask SW that Leia (or Padmé after her) is regularly given another female character to talk to.

[nalyra-dreaming]

The most recent interview with Assad and Eric with Rotten Tomato has me thinking that maybe Armand and Daniel did not have a relationship back in the 70's. That it was just that one night. Assad's comments about Daniel not being able to love Louis like Armand could implies that he is jealous of Louis and Daniel and does not think Daniel is good enough for Louis. Also what Eric said about Armand underestimating Daniel, not realizing how smart is. Very different from the source material. It seems like we are seeing the beginning of their relationship. I was so positive Devil's Minion happened in the past but now I think it might be coming in the future. Was all of the Luke and Assad sightings just ship baiting us? I am excited for Eric and Assad but I wanted Luke and Assad too. Now I am sad.

.... I didn't read it like that at all.

Like, they cannot really talk about all that, that is something that needs to be remembered. Ep5 apparently is the past DM episode, and as said before, that will probably show the more horrific beginnings of the DM arc.

And I'm sure episode 8 will be cataclysmic for them, too.

I... am not sure that Eric's comments necessarily imply that nothing happened back then - I mean, even WITH DM happening 4 decades are a long time to change, character-wise. The Daniel in Dubai would of course be a very different one from the one back then - whether that would indeed be "just" the Daniel in the apartment, or if there was indeed a 12 year relationship (developing) there.

Also, I did not read the jealousy angle either. I mean, there is a lot going on. But it's way more complicated than that. Assad says: "Armand is terrified that Daniel knows Louis a bit more than himself - what he is very sure of is that Daniel can't love Louis in the same way Armand can."

Like... that's not jealousy? That's curiosity and insecurity, because Daniel is able to reach something in Louis Armand could not. Which... has to do with the interview/tale.

I don't actually see it much different from the source material, and in any case, we might want to wait to judge that until the season has run^^

[saltygilmores]

THOUGHTS WHILE WATCHING GILMORE GIRLS: S3/EP5/8 O Clock At The Oasis (Part 2)

Lorelai is going to learn a valuable lesson in this episode. Which is to never, ever let your guard down around Emily Gilmore. Here is a list of the following fatal errors that have occurred to lead up to Lorelai’s upcoming three ring shit-circus.

1. Lorelai accepted Emily’s invitation to the DAR furniture auction with only mild resistance

2.Lorelai confesses her crush on Paddle #17, Peyton Sanders (as played by Jon Hamm) to Emily, aware that he is a member of the Upper Crust and this, without a shadow of a doubt, is going to come back to bite her in the ass

3.Lorelai allows Emily to facilitate a date with Hamm by retrieving his phone number for her.

4.Lorelai appears to have silenced the little voice in her head that reminds her that Emily never does a favor like this without strings attached.

5.Lorelai turns down David Bowie tickets unaware he will cease touring in less than 2 years.

Let’s get on with it.

Hamm unexpectedly phones Lorelai to ask her out on not one, but two dates at once. First to dinner, then to a David Bowie concert. Hamm is loaded and owns a jet and has a pilot's license and enjoys trips to Hawaii and has access to premium concert tickets. What he was doing at some lame furniture auction in Connecticut in the first place is anyone's guess. In a whirlwind 3 minutes, Hamm asks Lorelai on two dates, she gets ready for one of the said dates, leaves on said date, comes home and declares it's over because he was boring. Why couldn't Crusty have made such a quick exit in the series? I swear.

Here is what Rory is reading (thank you @frazzledsoul):

Hamm is never seen again. But hey, we're just paving the way for Alex, the only non-Luke boyfriend of Lorelai's that I ever thought was Good. (he's still so far away though).

Totally read "He was horny" at first.

...Says the woman who had long term relationships with Crusty, Max Medina and JasonDiggerStiles. Lorelai is a magnet for dullards. Could hearing Hamm talk about wine and tires really be any worse than listening to JasonDiggerStiles discuss insurance? Lorelai goes onto complain that she nearly fell asleep listening to Hamm dominate the conversation with his varied interests in things like cars and wine and aviation. Hey, at least he has interests. You've certainly done a lot worse. LORELAI GILMORE complains that HE TALKED TOO MUCH. Caps Lock and Italics added for extra emphasis. Lorelai GIlmore, in turn could think of nothing to discuss but a story about getting drunk on cheap booze in the back of some guy's car when she was 14. Really Lorelai, you can't just grit your teeth for one more week and take his David Bowie tickets?

Rory has the best pajamas again.

Okay then, enjoy your dirty dreams about teenage boys I guess (she then expands on it so it becomes a threesome with said teenage boy and David Bowie). Rory might be the only teenage girl on Earth who gets woken up by her mother to hear her sex fantasies.

You sure you want to let this opportunity pass you by, Lorelai? "A heart attack in late June 2004 forced the cancellation of some dates near the end of Bowie's tour. Bowie retired from performing live in 2006, making the 2004 tour his last." You’ve got less than 2 years to see DB. Suck it up sister and take those damn tickets. JasonDiggerStiles is certainly not going to take you in '04. The next day, Lorelai stops by Emily's house and gets the third degree about the date. Hamm is a major mama's boy. Mama Hamm is a fellow Society biddy and spilled the details of their date to Emily. Quite predictably, as Lorelai tries to impart on Emily that there is not going to be a second date, Emily ramps up the guilt and manipulation and calls Lorelai selfish. I can see why Lorelai would sacrifice Hamm and his plane and Bowie tickets just to avoid this. And in about a minute, it will get worse.

Run, Lorelai. Run

I suddenly had this crushing sense of DeJaVu while watching this scene. and then I remembered this season 1 episode:

Season 1, Episode 16, Star Crossed Lovers and Other Strangers. Emily Shanghais Lorelai into FND with a different society dullard (named Chase) who is so boring she attempts to escape out a window (Richard catches her mid-escape, takes pity on her and covers for her). So with some minor details tweaked, history is repeating itself. Emily gives Lorelai her blessing to date some Society Dullard that Lorelai has no interest in, Emily resents Lorelai for not liking the guy and tries to forcibly couple them anyway, Lorelai resists the urge to murder her mother with a rusty chainsaw, Lorelai continues to date different dullards and Crusties anyway (not you Alex, you’re cool).

Lorelai thought she was home free after leaving Emily’s, but no. Enter Richard. He's a real wildcard. Sometime he’s the only voice of sensibility and sometimes he’s just another clown in the three ring shit-circus.

After sending Rory to Dwight's house to water his lawn so she won't be late for work, her phone rings a second time, and this time it’s Dad. If this was taking place a few years later and cellphones had caller ID, imagine how much different things could be! *dreamy fantasy music*

Salty Gilmores is proud to present: Stick Figures Gilmore Girls 2024.

Not only is Hamm’s Mommy Emily’s DAR friend, his father is also Richard’s golf buddy (funny, when Lorelai was asking them for his number earlier they didn’t act like they were that close to his family) and both Senior Hamms took great offense to Lorelai’s first degree murder of Peyton’s fragile male ego, so now the shit is trickling downstream to the elder Gilmores before landing on Lorelai.

Holy cow. What a drama queen. Look at him sitting there all smug twirling his random magnifying glass. All because Lorelai won't agree to a second date with some random Society Shmo that nobody has spoken of before and never will again. Richard tells Lorelai she "just doesn't understand her mother's world". I think it's safe to say she does. What is this strange feeling I'm experiencing? Is it sympathy for Lorelai? Ah, it feels weird, but it'll pass.

[ghostiewriter]

I have a big theory on obx 4, hear me out:

It’s been confirmed OBX 4 will be leading up to the Season 3 finale flash forward. It will contain “flashbacks” of those 18 months and show us what happened right after coming back from South America with the gold. It’s confirmed by Netflix’ description that the reason they take the deal to find Blackbeard’s treasure is due to financial problems. So the pogues were living for months on rich land, until they weren’t…

I believe Part 1 will be jumping between those flashbacks vs the present showing us those 18 months dealing with money and the reason they got to have financial problems and I think it’s due to JJ. I have this theory that he is the one that will be struggling the most with having money and hasn’t yet understood that it can be taken away. Or that there’s something that he is internally struggling with and the pogues don’t know (like Luke coming back and threatening him). That small JB x JJ interaction in the teaser about “nothing to lose” “no, we actually have everything to lose” feels like the dynamic that we’re going to be seeing and the bike ride is a dumb bet JJ makes with Rafe and ends up losing. And it seems the bike race is ep 1 so they straight up go with the main conflict of the season. Rudy also said JJ has a big question for himself throughout the whole season.

Maybe the mid season finale (end of ep5/part 1) takes us to the exact point of the Season 3 flash forward with them taking the Blackbeard deal and Part 2 is now like the present and it will probably involve the whole Morocco plot and those people that are clearly following them.

If this season is heavy on JJ’s issues like how season 1 was heavy on Pope and the rumor about Luke coming back and messing with him is true I could believe that Jiara is truly broken up or have some sort of angst plot in the flash forward from Season 3 but mostly because of JJ going through his own self sabotaging and if we are having the childhood bffs to lovers to exes to lovers again I won’t even be mad. If only it gives us the big kiss and reunion in the finale.

i think there is definitely some interesting potential for jj angst that affects his friendships and his relationship with kiara!! i just hope it's done well and doesn't feel stupid/out of character/forced tbh!! because a lot of the jarah b breakups felt that way and i wouldn't want the same for jiara

[veryace-ficrecs]

Hey! I saw your pjo fic list and was wondering if you could do a spoiler free list for tv show fans like maybe just book one stuff thanks!

Of course I can!

Percy Jackson TV Fic Recs (Spoiler Free)

So! the way that I've done this is divided it into two levels of spoilers. The first half will be fics that are spoiler free up to the currently released episode (as of right now, that's ep5 A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers). The second half of the list will be spoiler free up to the end of the first book, and subsequently the end of the first season of the show.

Keep in mind that most fics will be based on the books, and there may be some events that are either re-arranged, or happen differently then they may have in the show.

This list will include all ratings and tags, so read at your own discretion! Enjoy!!

Spoiler Free up to Ep 5: A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers

A Hephaestus TV Special by Alexandra989 - Rated G

Olympus tunes in to a Hephaestus TV Special- featuring Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase on the Thrill Ride of Love.

Episode Four: I Plunge to My Death by beady_toast - Rated G

He took a deep breath, counting to three before letting it go. He could see a little better now, faint light breaking through the window as the scenery whizzed past outside.The floor of the train felt hard and cold against his back, every bump sending a jolt to his heart. He opened his mouth to speak, but second guessed himself.

Annabeth still seemed to be considering whether or not he was worth keeping around at all. Grover would be insufferable. That guy (goat?) liked his sleep almost as much as he liked food.

“You asleep?” He whispered, words slipping out before he could decide whether or not he wanted to say them.

The silence was deafening, filling Percy’s ears with static. He chided himself for even thinking anyone would be awake. It was a stupid, childish–

“Yes,” a soft monotone voice replied. Percy fought the urge to smile. Silence stretched between him and Annabeth.

dangerous games // percabeth by annabxth - Rated G

percy shook his head helplessly, as if in disbelief of what she was implying. his face was sickly pale, his veins were prominent now, and his under-eyes a stark red. his face was sheen with sweat. annabeth knew he didn’t have much more time if they didn’t hurry. she moved to close the door, urging them to go, but percy called out again. “wait.” he said. he dug into his pocket. his hands trembled as he carelessly flicked the cap off of his pen, allowing it to become a sword. he offered it to her. “take this.” ~~ the arch scene in episode 4 from annabeth’s POV.

verklempt by achievingelysium - Rated T

Annabeth never liked water. ... Percy was nothing like she imagined the most important person in her life would be. He was her ticket to a quest. He wasn’t much of a reader—didn’t like books—but had sharp eyes and could think fast. Luke said he was a natural with his sword. He drooled in his sleep. He was quite possibly the most annoying person she’d ever met. And… even though she wasn’t supposed to, she liked him.

The start of a legend by Phantomxlegend - Rated G

When you just find out you’re a demigod and immediately get thrown on a world ending, life or death style quest. It can be a little stressful. Or Just some small Grover comforting Percy because y’all forgot about Grover.

A Mother's Love by wiseassrat - Rated G

"She must've loved you a lot to put up with that guy--if it makes you feel any better." Actually, that did not make him feel better. That did not make him feel better at all. Grover puts something into perspective and now Percy feels undeserved guilt about his mom. Takes place just before their first quest.

Packed and Petrified by DancingInTheSliverGlow - Rated G

In the lightning thief, Percy Jackson defeats Medusa and then promptly sends her decapitated head to the greek gods.

When the olympians got a package “best wishes percy jackson," Zeus probably said something along the lines of, "At last, my bolt! Finally, your son admits to steali-" and then gets turned to stone for like five seconds.

This is what I imagined happened, starring: Zeus mostly as a stone statue (we all like him better that way), Poseidon, Hermes, Martha & George (the snakes on Hermes caduceus).

Decided Family by greensgables - Rated G

Despite what most people might think, Grover is very aware of the fact that he doesn't have family at Camp Half Blood. Or he didn't, until Percy came around.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spoilers For the end of The Lightning Thief! Proceed With Caution!!!!

a girl who sees it all by thesleepingsiren - Rated T

Annabeth is hyperactive and hyper-observant, and there’s something about the way Percy deflates when he thinks nobody’s watching that makes her wonder. She’s noticed things. The way he furrows his brows when praised or his wide eyes when anyone asks him to hang out or do anything besides spar. When he makes someone laugh, his eyes narrow like he’s trying to decide whether it’s with him or at him. The way his nose crinkles when he’s struggling through Homer and how he apologizes with a self-deprecating joke. How initially resistant he is to a hug or any comforting contact before he melts into it, whole body relaxing. Sometimes, when he’s lost in thought, he scratches at his collarbone—a scar she doesn’t know how he got. He has a lot of scars she doesn’t recognize, old ones. Or, Annabeth picks up on Percy's childhood, and makes sure he knows he's deserving of friendship. Set after the TLT quest but before SoM.

Styx by Soggy_Ice - Rated G

Summary

The river Styx reflected his face against its murky water. It smelled of beer, seven-layer dips, and sweat. It smelled of garbage. For a moment, Percy was Gabe’s apartment again, locked inside his temporary room for the summer while Gabe’s voice demanded for his mom’s salary, as if his mom were the one who spent every night gambling. His reflection showed a boy, knuckles white over the edge of the boat, glaring at him with the same dirty hair and glowing green eyes. He was angry. Percy didn’t realize that he was leaning over the edge until Annabeth pulled him back, raising an eyebrow. She gestured at Grover, shaken up, murmuring prayers under his breath as they made their way down the river. Right. Underworld. Meeting Hades. For the bolt. For the quest. For his mom. OR Percy and Styx bonding.

Across the Hall by Deerlie_03 - Rated T

The lives of the Jackson family pre-The Lightning Thief as told by a mortal neighbour who wants nothing but the best for the young woman who recently moved in across the hall, pregnant and without anybody in her life, and her unborn son

mundane by laruegard - Rated G

"I don't like not knowing how to do things." "Well, that's an easy fix. I'll teach you." or percy teaches annabeth how to play video games while theyre at the lotus hotel and casino.

anytime, kid. by polypanpercyjackson (ineedibuprofen) - Not Rated

“So…,” Drew drawls, motioning with her chin to Percy’s chipped blue nails. “What’s with the nails?” Percy sits across from her, glaring up at her warily, “Why do you care?”

little oracles by Arten - Rated G

I laughed. “You? An architect?” I don’t know why, but I found it funny. Just the idea of Annabeth trying to sit quietly and draw all day. Her cheeks flushed. “Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down, like a certain god of earthquakes I could mention.” It wasn't until Annabeth watched Percy's face crumple that she realised that perhaps accusing someone of being the ruiner of all good things just like his father, right after he admitted the lengths to which his mother had gone to protect him– from marrying an awful man to literally dying to make sure he reached Camp– was the worst possible thing she could have ever said to anyone ever. Even if he had just laughed at her for thinking she could ever be an architect.

[pterodactylterrace]

"I don't understand why Alicent didn't accept Rhaenyra's apology in ep6 but did in ep8

The apology in ep6 felt way more sincere to me and happened before Rhaenyra had done anything that bad. I mean the worst thing she had done at that point to Alicent was getting her father fired (which Alicent was more than prepared to forgive her for as we see at the beginning of ep5) and sleep with Cole (Alicent doesn't even know that Rhaenyra lied to her about going to a brothel with Daemon). But then in ep7 Rhaenyra's son takes out Aemond'e eye and Rhaenyra shows zero empathy and even asks him to be "sharply questioned" while he's sitting there bleeding from a hole in his eyes. She insults Alicent. She then lets Alicent believed she murdered Laenor to strike fear in her and marries a man who hates her father and is known to be dangerous. Then in ep8 her husband brutally murders Vaemond (who is also supposed to be part of his family) without a trial for saying the exact same thing that Alicent, Aemond and Aegon have said out loud. Rhaenyra's "apology" in ep8 doesn't contain any mention of Aemond (does she even know he's her brother?) or reassurance that she will keep Alicent's children safe (whereas in ep6 she proposed a marriage between Helaena and Jace, which I know can be seen as her taking Helaena hostage but it can be also be seen as a genuine effort to build a relationship between the families). Is it me or is this really stupid? Or maybe I'm missing something?"

https://www.reddit.com/r/HOTDGreens/s/OFHTcsesQ6

My answer is, likely out if desperation. The plan to have Luke disinherited due to his bastardy ended up failing. That was meant to be the catalyst for keeping Rhaenyra off the throne.

It seems the original plan in episode 6 (iirc) was to sway Viserys into seeing reason and replacing Rhaenyra as heir. That didn’t work, either.

Now, Viserys is dying, the only man willing to say the truth in open court is dead, the walls are closing in and Alicent submits and admits defeat.

Then Viserys mumbles some incoherent stuff about Aegon and prophecy, which Alicent thinks he is referring to a prophecy he thought he had about having a son that would wear the conquerer’s crown.

Now she thinks she has the official green light from the king to do what she has wanted to do this whole time and allow Viserys eldest son to inherit. A lot of people don’t realize that it’s Rhaenyra that is taking Aegon’s birthright.

A birthright is something that is rightfully yours, just because you were born. Being born male, Aegon rightfully should be heir. Rhaenyra’s claim is “daddy said so”, not a birthright. She was named heir, not born heir like Aegon was assumed to be.

The master of laws was on board with Aegon being crowned king. The precedent had been set. It was that very precedent that allowed Viserys to rule to begin with. Daughters aren’t supposed to inherit before sons in this system. It’s bonkers chauvinistic, but it’s fantasy. No real people are being hurt.

TLDR: Alicent thought she lost the battle to get Rhaenyra’s claim renounced in episode 8, so she submitted and was going the “pray for mercy” route Otto suggested.

Thank you for the ask! Always happy to throw my 2 cents in 😂

[overpoweredcacti]

S17 Ep5 post-watch recap

I have way too many thoughts, this is going to be long and probably disjointed.

So I feel like a lot happened, but at the same time not really? Overall though, so far I'm really here for this Gold Star mystery and the MK Ultra/behavior modification/Frankenstein's monster stuff around it, I just hope they commit to it? I know so far they've made it a point multiple times how it's a "conspiracy theory" and it's "based on a half-truth" and so on but at the same time things just don't add up? Most notably, if the government has nothing to do with this, why would they care enough to hide it? Who has enough influence to stage Emily's arrest etc?

Anyway, since this was very complex I'll try to break it down to characters.

Damien/Jade

Honestly? I'm really enjoying them so far? They have a fun dynamic?Wish I knew their actual ages, maybe it was shown and I just didn't pay attention. I think Aiden was around 26? So I'm assuming they are around the same , give or take 2-3 years. So these 2 meet up, 1 is dead ("assassinated by the FBI", which is an interesting way to phrase it. I wonder if that will come back on either Rossi or Emily. One giving the order, the other following it.) And Peter and Dana are 'missing', and we have no idea what they look like. Okay, cool.

So they are tech savy enough to operate Voit's network (wasn't that used to be a weather app lol? That whole comment on people posting their racist opinions on that neighbor app, which was featured in ep 3 too, seems like a reference that my not-american brain is not clicking with) and they can put together bombs. It was weird that nobody picked up on the fact that Jade has to be in the park to make that call? Why was everyone just standing in a circle and worrying when they could have sent people to scour the area lol All the while ignoring Voit who was at least smart enough to not run.

Voit

So Voit. This little shit. Every scene he was in I just kept repeating 'you little shit'. Very entertaining bordering on frustrating. His whole demeanor of being like a kid in candy store was funny I'll admit that. That first scene with him going "Dave Dave Dave" took me out. My dude is def dying by the end of the season tho. They can't keep him around for much longer. And I honestly can't tell if him doing morse code was meant to be noticed by the team or not. Because I'm thinking that he is in fact making up the identity of "North Star" and trying to get someone killed? Also, that reveal that he gave the identity of the strike team to Damien? Chef's kiss. He's truly Hannibal Lectering this season. Aaand he has a point with Garcia and Tyler and that whole fiasco last season. I'm glad they are bringing that up because that should have some kind of consequence. (Voit giving them a ship name tho? And talking about carbon footprints? I'm not sure I like him sounding like stan twitter. I mean it's obviously a reference for the fandom to get, but still. It's...a writing choice for sure.)

Garcia/Tyler/Luke

I'm lumping them together because the show is apparently committing to the love triangle bit. Which I'm not that big of a fan of, in general.

This might be an unpopular opinion but the more episodes we have the more I feel like the show doesn't really know what to do with Garcia this season? Like that entire exchange in her office, that ends up with them being back in the bullpen? It was...weird? So Voit smells, okay, cool, did we need to spend this much time on this? It honestly felt like a waste of time that didn't lead anywhere because we are back at the bullpen anyway? Like, narratively, what was the point here?

Luke is still not checking on JJ after throwing a bomb on her, cool lol. Love that he was the one deciphering the morse code tho, and that he dismantled the bomb. Love it when the show remembers character traits.

Tyler remains another frustrating part of this season for me? Everytime he does something where I go "hey cool, that's nice, I kinda like you" he immediately does something else where I go "okay, go fuck yourself now". Like, doing off-the-books work for Emily? Great, cool, love it. And then goes behind her back like it's nothing. So 'Teresa' might be an actual person, but the phrase could also be relevant? Maybe it's another anagram, idk. Either way he's warning someone while keeping Emily in the dark. In conclusion, I don't trust him lol.

Emily

So the framed arrest/mugshots are coming into play, that's great, I'm glad there was a point to that. (Weird choice to drop the name of an actual existing website as the leak but okay). Someone is really out to get her that is connected to this whole ordeal but there's no indication it's either Damian or Jade. Someone also convinced Brian to change face. Also, was he trying to gaslight her? Is that going to be a part of Emily's "breakdown arc" that she is questioning her own sanity? That could be interesting. Or, we are going full scifi and they made him somehow forget his previous alignments. Seems unlikely, but who knows. Anyway, she is on restricted duty and is clearly over it. Just, everything. Great scene by the end. She was going to back to her "spy roots" and moral grayness and it's slowly breaking her. Genuinely think she is one of the most complex characters of this entire show. (Shout out to her speaking Russian too. I know it's just a phrase but it's a nice callback.) Love her bond with Rossi as well. And just all her scenes, great. If there's a character I'm really happy with this season, it's Emily.

Rossi

Honestly not that much to talk about? For the audience this is not the first time he interacts with Voit, but great scenes. He is also losing it, clearly. Maybe I expected a bit more? Confusion, at least? As in, having a hard time differentiating with the real Voit and his halluciVoit?

JJ

I'm biting my fist every time JJ is on screen because I'm just so nervous how that is going to end. She is clearly not okay, everyone is dealing with something and not taking notice of her issues. Loved to see her in charge on the field. She was also the only one competent enough to finally tell someone to shoot the wheels, lmao.

Tara

Tara wasn't given a lot this episode tbh. She was aiding Luke, sure, but this may have been her least active episode. So we have the scene with Rebecca losing her shit, that she's in danger, okay. I mean, they are cute? Wish they would talk more instead, but cute scene at the end, none the less.

I have absolutely no idea where the next episode is going lol. I expected a cliffhanger, we didn't get a cliffhanger. Zero clue as to what comes next.

[whatamidoingqueer]

reasons why i genuinely hc luke and alex as exes:

1) in ep2, the hand grab. it looks so natural btwn the two of them, almost like a habit, and they both acted so awkward after. and i really have no clue why the showrunners added that. it doesn’t add anything to the scene imo; we already know the boys are cool with physical contact, and usually that scene would only be included in shows to set up a romance.

2) in ep3, when alex poofs in and says “i met a ghost friend, and he answered a lot of questions,” luke gets really pissy all of a sudden. right before, luke was having a fun, upbeat convo with reggie, but right after, he got soo whiny. it might have been bc alex was gone the whole day without checking in, but i think luke might’ve picked up on alex’s energy when he briefly mentioned willie, and immediately reverted to jealousy. and then he shifts right to talking about julie, as if he is trying to prove he’s moved on, too.

3) ep5 “relax, im happy for you.” bitch, no one says this to their friend if there’s not a history there. i can maybe see if luke was trying to tell alex he didn’t have to hide his Gay Side. but alex seems pretty secure with his sexuality when around the guys. and the only other explanation i can think of as to why alex would try to deny his feelings for willie is to protect luke’s feelings.

4) luke had mommy issues and every single gay person i know has mommy issues and has either moved out or threatened to move out/run away multiple times by 16-20yo.

i dont think this will ever be canon, but i just really think it makes more sense than if they weren’t together.

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

I Need to Talk About “Problematic Faves” within TWDG [2/?]

 Backstories, the introduction of these characters and the importance of first impressions.

"Nice to meet’cha, I’ll be your disappointment for the evening.”

When I first started questioning why I like David as much as I do, I thought back to when we were first introduced to him in ep1. 

He didn’t leave the best first impression since the first words out of his mouth are along the lines of “You’re a real piece of shit.” Plus he, y’know, punches the shit out of Javi for not being there when their dad died. 

On one hand, fair enough to be distraught that your father just died and your brother was no where in sight... but, on the other hand, do you gotta get violent? 

Maybe it’s just because I’m an only child so I don’t understand how the whole sibling thing works, but punching your brother and then tossing him a beer before saying “I love you” seems.... not good? 

But, it’s also very telling in what David and Javier’s relationship is right from the start, and sets an idea for what’s to come throughout the rest of the season.

Say what you will about ANF: it’s a mess, it’s the worst season, whatever. But, when I tell you that it has one of the best openings to a game, I mean it. 

Everything about it is damn near perfect. Not only does it start right at the beginning of the apocalypse, but it tells us so much about our main protagonist and his backstory, it establishes the strained relationship he has with his brother and the rest of his family, and it introduces us to the walkers in a different light. 

I can’t watch the opening and NOT get chills every time little baby Mariana holds that cup in her hand and says, “Papi’s awake.” 

When they go see that Javi and David’s father is up and about after dying, it’s just chaos from there and I love it. 

Fight me all you want, but it’s an excellent start to the season. 

Unfortunately, ANF couldn’t keep that momentum going, but that’s a whole other discussion for another day. 

Back to David, something about the way he was initially presented stuck with me until we finally reunited with him at the end of ep2. 

So I thought back to other character introductions, how their backstories came into place, and how it affected their endgame.

A character’s introduction is crucial when it comes to storytelling, whether its subtle or in your face. You don’t want to give too much away,  but you want to give the viewer a taste of who this person is and what their importance is in this story in a more subtle but clever manner.

When introducing a character, you have the think about what their endgame is. How is this character going to change over the course of the story? How are the choices of this character going to affect our protagonist, the world around them, and the overall plot. 

Knowing these things can help you to sprinkle in little details within their introduction that tie into their endgame. 

When we first met Kenny back in s1, he was just this dude who wanted to get his wife and kid back to Florida, hop on a boat, and live the rest of the apocalypse with his family on the water. 

He was nice and showed concern over how Lee was doing with Clementine. He has a character design that gives away parts of his past as a fisherman before he tells us anything about it, and his accent [+overall voice acting and dialogue] tell us a lot about his upbringing prior to the events of s1.

We only got that glimpse of what was to come of his character after the walkers attacked Hershel’s farm. 

Shaun is stuck under the tractor with walkers pushing against the fence and Duck is grabbed. We as Lee are faced with the choice of who to help first: Shaun or Duck?

Regardless of our choice, Kenny obviously runs to save his son. He gets Duck out of harms way, but when Shaun begs for help, Kenny runs away, leaving him to be eaten by the walkers. 

This portrays the possibility of Kenny being cowardly, selfish, or someone who freezes up in moments of danger and runs.  It also sets up the guilt that lingers in his [and Duck’s] mind all the way through to ep3 and onward. 

When you think about Kenny, without knowing what happens to him in ep3, and you have to take a guess about what tragedy could take place to further his development, as well as bring that guilt full circle, what would you say?

Easy. He loses his family. Of course he does. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like it, but it makes sense that this would happen based on our first meeting with him at Hershel’s farm in conjunction with the themes of the game. 

So what does this have to do with him being a “Problematic Fave?” 

Uh, everything?

Ever heard of a “tragic backstory?” You don’t think such thing plays into why we loves characters like this?

Kenny the family man has a lovely wife and son. He does everything in his power to protect them, and it’s not enough. He was not enough to save his son, nor was he enough to save his wife.  

He lost them both within seconds of each other, being a witness to Katjaa’s suicide and the agonizingly slow death of his son, and he had to keep going in order to survive, even though he had nothing left.

In the beginning, Kenny was a regular John Doe like the rest of us. 

He had a job that kept him at sea a lot, he fell in love with a pretty vet and had a child with her. He thought this all would blow over and he could go back to Florida with his family and live peacefully. 

Season 1 is Kenny’s tragic backstory.

We got to live this tragedy with him, so when s2 comes around and we’re given his second first introduction in the series, we already have all this knowledge of what has happened to him, what his relationship was to Lee and Clementine, and the assumption that he was already dead.

Season 2 was what cemented a lot of people’s love and hate for him.

I have a theory that those who hate Kenny tend forget that 1st episode back in s1, choosing to solely focus on the Kenny from the meat locker in ep2 and all the negative repercussions that stemmed for our choice there, while those who love Kenny tend to look further back and take everything into account when analyzing his character. 

They sympathize with the man Kenny used to be, and are struck by this tragedy of who he became by the time s2 ended. 

Kenny from ep1 of s1 is not the same person as the Kenny from s2 ep5, and his journey is not only compelling from a character development standpoint, but a huge factor in why he is the favorite character of so many. Few characters are built up and developed that way he is. 

But can we say a lot of the same things about Kenny’s introduction in s2 that we can say about s1? Does it drop hints about what Kenny’s potential endgame could be? 

Yes, but it’s not quite as effective as it could’ve been. 

One of the first choices you make after meeting back with Kenny is whether or not you’ll sit with him at dinner. 

It’s a non-assuming choice, one that shouldn’t warrant any big repercussions, right? 

Except it’s the games way of presenting us with the choice of siding with Kenny under a more innocent pretense. It’s a taste of what’s to come. 

Based on our previous knowledge of him, as well as his seemingly good nature [one that reminds us of the beginnings of s1], we watch the way he presents himself to Clementine and decide if we want to sit with this old, nostalgic connection, or the new connections. 

Will you sit with Kenny, or will you sit with Luke and the cabin group? 

Will you side Kenny, or not?

This is what led everyone to believe that the final showdown would be between Kenny and Luke, and they really dropped the ball on what they built up here when they decided to replace Luke with Jane. 

Kenny’s part still holds fairly strong, but everything about it isn’t as well done as S1. 

And because I know I’ll be asked: as for his introduction in S3..... I don’t consider Kenny or Jane characters as much as I’d say they’re obstacles the writers had to throw in to give the illusion that our choices actually affected Clementine significantly when they really didn’t. 

He immediately dies in a car accident after being paralyzed and left to the walkers while Clementine runs away with a crying AJ. This does very little for the story of ANF other than to add fuel to Clementine’s own “tragic backstory.” 

So I don’t count it here. 

I want to talk about another great character introduction: Minerva.

Minerva is a special case compared to Kenny and other character introductions. We’re not plopped down in front of her like “Hi, I’m Clementine, nice to meet you, Minnie.” 

We actually spend two whole episodes only hearing about her, building her character up slow and steady, until we finally meet face to face in ep3. 

This complicates our first impressions of her, but only a bit. 

The game pretty much tells us Minerva’s backstory:

From what we’re told, Minerva was a sweet, musical girl who didn’t even like killing walkers. She loved her brother and twin sister. She and Violet were in a romantic relationship, and Violet gives us plenty to chew on about how lovely her voice was and how she was such a good friend. Her and Sophie’s “deaths” left everyone at the school devastated to the point where they actually started using their graveyard again. 

She almost seems too good to be true, don’t you think?

Then we find out she’s not dead. 

It turns out, Marlon and Brody lied about the death of the twins to cover up the fact that Marlon traded them away to the delta in order to save themselves and the rest of Ericson. The truth only comes out after Brody confesses everything to Clementine before her death dealt by Marlon’s hand.

So not only are we told that Minerva was this wonderful person, but that she was traded away with her twin sister to a group of people who, based on our first impression of Abel, are a dangerous threat that’s back for more of them.

Your mind swarms with the worst possibilities of what those people could have done to them, and you even question whether or not they’re still alive. 

Until we meet Lilly again and find out the truth: they turned them into soldiers, forcing them to fight in their war. 

Keep in mind that this is all apart of Minerva’s “tragic backstory” and we haven’t even truly been introduced to her yet. This is everything that the first two episodes have built up. 

We finally get our first glimpse of her in the trailer for ep3.

Everyone goes nuts. 

Minerva was so hyped up. Everyone was talking about how good she looked and how they couldn’t wait to meet her and learn what happened from her perspective. Everyone theorized about her role in the next two episodes and how maybe we can enlist her help in getting our friends back and reuniting her with Tenn and-

Then we get actually meet her.

Turns out, she is none of the things the game told us she was. 

Not anymore, at least.

She is not our friend or our ally and she is not going to help us get our friends back. She is fully brainwashed into the delta, and that’s the tragedy of Minerva’s first real introduction. 

She is a betrayal of everything we’ve been told due to the crime Marlon made of trading her away. We will never get to meet this Minnie we heard so much about. 

Instead, we get the husk that remains. 

This husk is one of our antagonists for the rest of the game. 

Knowing all of this, why do people still love her? Why are there fix-it fics and AUs where Minerva is “saved?” 

Because we all wanted to meet the Minnie we heard so much about, but instead, we got Minerva, the brainwashed soldier from the Delta who, under Lilly’s fucked up rule, killed her own twin sister in order to prove her loyalty to the group. 

We wanted Minerva to be on our side, to betray the delta for the school she once called home. But she didn’t.

Instead, she became our final antagonist of the whole series. 

Minerva, like Kenny, is a tragedy and we like that. 

I don’t mean that we like it as in “I’m so glad those horrible, traumatizing things happened to you!” but we like it in a way that it colors these characters gray. 

Suddenly, their behaviors are not portrayed the way they are just because they’re the “antagonist,” but because they’re a complex, three dimensional character. The game didn’t hand them to us and say “They’re evil, that’s all you need to know.” 

They took the time to flesh these two out in a clever way that got to us, either in a positive or negative light.

We are drawn to gray characters with interesting, albeit tragic, backstories that we can sympathize with.  

But, when you consider that this IS the apocalypse, doesn’t everyone have one of these “tragic backstories” in this series? Just like how everyone is actually a “Problematic Fave?” Does this really play into why we like them when it’s not even something unique to their character?

That’s a good point, so in order for us to like a character like this, do they have to have an even more intense, tear-jerking past than the rest in order to stand out?

Well... no. 

Nate’s the easy example for this one. 

I honestly don’t know what this dude’s about, and I don’t know if I even care, but somehow Nate tends to end up on everyone’s “Favorite Characters from 400 Days” list. 

Granted, he is a bit of a refreshing character to run into in this environment, what with him being so laid back, sarcastic, gross, and even sadistic in a way that’s mean to be comedic. 

But what do we even know about him or where he came from? 

Well, we know that he’s apart of the group that fan-favorite Eddie accidentally shot at, leading Nate to chase after him and Wyatt as a form of revenge. After that, he picked up Russell and headed back to a gas station where that old couple shot at them. 

The old man reveals that Nate’s been there before and attacked, stating that he’s here to finish them off. Nate denies this, but asks if Russell and him should finish them off and take all their stuff. 

From there, who the hell knows where this dude went. 

But that’s all we got. 

No “tragic backstory” from Nate, no implications of one, unless we missed the nonexistent detail that his previous group was his family or something. Even then, he doesn’t seem so concerned about the state of the world. He doesn’t have an issue picking up a random kid who could be dangerous. He was bored, after all. 

Nate is a character whose backstory has nothing to do with why people love him.  He’s an oddball out, in this case. 

It’s a different story when talking about how he’s introduced, though. This is where he has most in common with Kenny, Minerva, and all the rest of these “Problematic Faves”: He has a great impression. 

Well, assuming that you played Russell’s story before Wyatt’s, I suppose.

Nate’s likable, albeit insane, character isn’t dependent on who he was before or how he suffered. He’s a character who represents those in the world who thrive in times of disaster, choosing to take it as it comes, do whatever it takes to survive, and even get a sick thrill out of doing these problematic things. Odds are, life was boring before and now he truly gets to live. That’s all made clear in how he presents himself to Russell and the player. 

And.... I guess it worked? He is the “Problematic Fave” of a handful of people int he community, after all. 

Now that we’ve discussed three separate characters and their backstories, how they’re introduced, and how these two things affect their role within the story as well as our feelings towards them, I want to touch on one more thing before I go back to David. 

What does all of this say about the people who throw this annoying phrase of “Your fave is problematic” at those of us who find these characters with great backstories compelling? 

Do they not care or understand these backstories or what the introductions meant? Do they ignore them so that their perspective seems to be the correct answer? Are they so quick to judge based on the surface level that they don’t bother thinking twice about anything?

Do they feel that this character has wronged them, therefore they find they can’t bring themselves to tolerate them anymore? 

Or are they just being a bag of dicks who don’t care about anything other than berating anyone who dares oppose them and their opinions?

Well, yes and no to all of these possibilities. 

I’m sure there are people out there who don’t have a full grasp of what made Kenny the way he is in s2 because, well.... they’ve never lost a loved one. It’s easy to say “Get over it” to just about any troubling situation we’ve never found ourselves in. Even if we do feel for this character, sometimes it’s really only surface level because we don’t have a full comprehension of what they went through.

When I took acting back in high school, I had a teacher who could cry on the spot. We all assumed that he was just a good actor who could turn the tears on and off at any given moment, but then he explained how he did it. 

He lost his father in a drunk driving accident the same day he gave his last performance on stage as a high school senior. Whenever he needed to cry for a scene, this 58-year-old man would think back to the last conversation he had with his father that morning, and then about the moment he learned his father had died. 

Even in moments that didn’t require him to cry, but to develop a character and portray that convincingly, he pulled from that life experience. He also could sympathize with certain characters that we’d consider problematic while the rest of us were barely scratching the surface. 

He told us we need to come to terms with any tragedy in our lives and use it not only to create characters of our own, but to understand the ones most wouldn’t give a second glance to, and help relate ourselves to the real people around us. 

Since my high school days, I’ve experienced the loss of a longtime dog companion, and the alarming health decrease of two close family members. While I’ve never lost a child, a spouse, a parent, or a sibling, I find that a part of me can’t completely hate Kenny or even Minerva because I get it to an extent. 

So it makes me wonder if those who look at these backstories and still brush them off do.

But, there’s another argument to be made here. 

Maybe they do understand and that’s why they hate someone like Kenny. 

They have lost a loved one before or experienced some sort of trauma. They know about the grief, guilt, and anger that it can lead to. But, they also know it’s not an excuse to be mean, cold, or abusive to loved one. 

They know that such trauma can lead to lashing out, but the difference is between someone who knows what they’re doing is wrong, they need help, and they try to get it... and someone who using it to explain away why they’re broken and unfixable. 

Some see Kenny as someone who can’t change, or won’t change. That’s how they’ve interpreted him based on their experiences as someone who’s lived through these things, or been around someone who has. 

In their eyes, Kenny isn’t redeemable, “tragic backstory” or not. 

What about those who felt wronged by a character? 

I’ve come to the realization that this why I don’t like Minerva. 

She wronged me in the way that I had to watch either Louis or Tenn die because she showed up on the bridge with the illusion that she would take her brother to a better place. 

Louis, my favorite character across the entire series, and one that I’ve taken so much comfort in during the more recent darker moments of my life. Tenn, a character that I wanted to watch grow and become what characters like Ben or Sarah weren’t allowed to be come. 

Because of Minerva, the only way for both Louis and Tenn to survive is if I let Louis get kidnapped, resulting in him becoming mute due to the delta cutting out his tongue, I have to break AJ’s heart by telling him that I don’t trust him, and I have to watch Violet be devoured alive by a horde of walkers. 

I’m not willing to let Louis die, but I also don’t want him to lose his tongue, so in my route, I trust AJ to shoot Tenn and give Minerva what she wants. 

And no matter what? Clementine gets bit because Minerva sliced her leg apart, leaving her slow and weaker when trying to get away. I firmly believe that if Minerva hadn’t done that, Clementine wouldn’t have been bitten for the sake of “parallel.” 

It’s a situation that could’ve been avoided if Minerva hadn’t showed up, but her will to see and kill Tenn was strong enough for her 

People who love Minerva might not see it that way, or if they do, they’re a lot more forgiving than I am.

Believe me when I tell you that I can see this being a reason for the hate towards any character like this. 

Like Kenny. Lot’s of Kenny talk. 

I know there are those out there who loved Kenny in s1, but by the time s2 ended, they couldn’t stand him because s2 wronged them in their portrayal of Kenny and what he had become. This wasn’t their Kenny. 

To finish this segment off, allow me to answer that last question I posed:  Are they just being a bag of dicks who don’t care about anything other than berating anyone who dares oppose them and their opinions?

Of course, then there are the children who like to fight. The answer for why these people hate such characters is because they think of themselves as... let’s say, Batman. 

This community needs a hero to vanquish anyone who likes or enjoys these problematic characters and it’s a job only they can do! They’re the hero for sending that anon hate to your inbox!

This is an excuse to be a dick and we all know it. 

So, what does all of this Kenny, Minerva, and Nate talk amount to? 

It helped me in understanding a reason in why I like David so much.

I already knew that I enjoyed learning more about who he was prior to the outbreak, as well as having light shed on his and Javi’s relationship, but not in the way I initially thought. 

You see, ANF is different in the way that it feeds backstory to the player- through flashbacks. At the beginning of each episode, we play as Javi in the past before the apocalypse happened. 

From there, we get to see what David was like compared to what he is now, but they tell it to us through Javi’s point of view and we have to pick apart his character through that forced perspective. 

From the flashbacks alone, as well as ep1′s beginning, I put together that:

David was a single father trying to raise two incredibly young children. We’re never told what happened to his first wife. I used to assume that they ended up divorced, but now I’m more on board with the idea that she’s actually dead and that’s why David has full custody of Gabe and Mariana. 

Putting the pieces together now, it makes sense of why he married Kate when they’re clearly not compatible, and why he has these high expectations of her. David’s mother and father are still together, and with family being a big theme in ANF, it leads me to believe that David felt his children needed a mother figure in their lives in order for the family to be complete. He needed a wife. 

While I think he did love Kate, and she obviously loved him enough to marry him in the first place, David didn’t love her the way he should have. 

Kate tells us that their marriage was fucked up. We clearly see that given how she reacts when she sees David again, as well as when David himself confesses that things aren’t working out between them and that’s why he wants to go away.

They’re always arguing, he has those expectations of her as his wife and she’s fed up with it, and things are just.... not working. Of course they’re not. 

He wanted a wife to make him feel more complete, as well as give his children that mother figure. He wasn’t out there trying to find the love of his life. For all we know, he already had that with his possibly dead first wife [note: shoot, add “possible dead wife” to the list of shit David’s got going in his backstory for future reference]. He thought that he could try and change Kate from who she is because he was desperate for this to work. 

David and Kate should NOT have gotten married, but I can understand the stress David was under with having to raise two children as a single father while dealing with untreated trauma from being a soldier, his confidence in himself as a normal human-being deteriorating due to his “I’m a soldier and I can’t function here” mentality, working a shitty job while going back and forth on whether or not he should go sign up again, having a strained relationship with an irresponsible brother who lost his baseball career due to a gambling addiction yet still never being around when David needed him. 

David marries Kate and things don’t fix themselves. 

And then Javi does come around, and David doesn’t know how to act or what to say. 

Then his father keeps from them that he has cancer and he’s not planning on getting treatments for it. 

When his father loses his battle with cancer, everyone is there except Javier. David’s there holding his hand while his dying father asks for Javi.  

I get why David’s upset that his father isn’t seeing him because he’s looking for Javi. Is it selfish to feel jealous or heartbroken when it’s your father that’s dying? Yeah, but it’s a realistic feeling. Most of us have felt some level of this but don’t want to admit it because we don’t want to see ourselves in a negative light. It’s easy to look at David and be like “What a selfish prick.” 

But... why wasn’t Javi there? Everyone makes it clear that he should have been there, no excuse. Everyone was there for hours, for days but Javi was no where to be found. This plays beautifully into Javier’s character growth throughout the season, but what about David? 

Compared to the “tragic backstories” of Kenny and Minerva, David’s seems... a little mundane, huh? 

He has problems focused more in the real world rather than the apocalypse world. 

Every bad thing we’ve ever learned about Kenny and Minerva happened after the walkers. 

Plenty of people have served in the military and dealt with trauma rooted in their service.

Plenty have either been divorced or lost their spouse, were left as a single parent to raise the kids they love but are afraid they’ll fuck up if they do it alone. How about those who are apart of an unhappy marriage? 

Nearly everyone has worked a job they hate and know the toll it can take on your mental health. 

Left in the shadow of a more successful sibling, no matter how hard they try to be on that same level and earn that love, too. 

A parent with cancer, or another life-threatening illness.

Feeling as though they can’t function because they’re not built to live in such a humanly “normal” world, eager to find where they belong and have a fulfilling purpose. 

Everything David has going on prior to the apocalypse is real and relatable, and I like that this is the route they took with him. Rather than having him be like Kenny, who seemed to live happily with very little issue and only began to suffer when the apocalypse came, they took a route similar to Lee and Javier. 

“Things weren’t great before.” 

That being said, do any of these things justify David’s bad behavior towards Javi, Kate, Clementine, and everyone else? Does it justify the bad things he ends up doing during the events of ANF.

Hell no! 

David can be a real prick and amazing backstory/introduction or not, I am not okay with that!  

But look.

Listen.

ANF is such a mess. It’s a disaster. 

It’s ‘s2 mess,’ but on crack.

I firmly believe that David is one of the better things to come out of it, except he got severely fucked over by just how terrible ANF’s writing could be.

They started off so good. David is established and he has some of the better character moments in the entire game, but it’s all buried underneath the bullshit. 

They actually gave us David, who dealt with a lot of “normal” shit to try and find his place and be happy, made him have problems that we can see ourselves having and relate to, making us question ourselves, and then they gave him what he wanted. 

David met up with Ava, he found Clint and Joan, and they created a community together where David got to be this leader with a purpose. He got what he wanted at the sacrifice of his children, wife, brother, and parents, something he didn’t even have a choice in. 

They had all the right ideas... 

I love the different take to David’s backstory. I love the way he was introduced in ANF. I love the way these things managed to weave themselves throughout ANF despite it being...... ugh.

People who hate David, like the one who listed all of those lovely attributes of his in the previous part, think he is nothing but a whiny, selfish, asshole because of the way he’s introduced and portrayed in flashbacks and... I disagree to a point. 

He is an asshole a lot of the time, especially when you don’t side with him [heh, sound familiar] but that doesn’t mean he’s not a compelling, relatable character to study and infer about. And y’know what? I like that he’s not Mr. Nice Guy. Someone like him wouldn’t be. He is a person who can nice moments, and he has bad moments. It doesn’t excuse the shit he does, but it at least adds a depth to it that I appreciate. 

I’m mature enough to recognize these his bad behaviors, acknowledge them, and infer more about his character without makes excuses and pretending that him having a tough time means it’s okay for him be that way. 

I can see what they were going for as far as his endgame, but I’ll talk more about that later. 

As for the conclusion of this long winded segment: 

A character’s backstory, first impression, execution of developing these small seedling details into an overarching story plays an important role in the growing love of a character, problematic or not. Both love and hate can be stemmed from the maturity and knowledge of the viewer based on how relatable and sympathetic they find these ideas. 

[Continued in 3/?]

[weak-hero]

honestly if i were rachel or luke’s real life partners i would be..... concerned...... like their chemistry is just A Lot

oh boooiiiii i could feel the heat through the screen!!! my mood for ep5 is just:

on the real note, considering Midge and Lenny’s interactions prior to s3 were purely focused on Midge’s journey to the world of stand-up, I think and I truly believe it that Rachel and Luke had a blast when they finally got to film a scene where it was all about feelings and anticipation, human nature and all that stuff.

[asterroses]

i think the hatred for bonnie was due to the fact that she plays the i'm sorry forgive me card a ton and says how she's going to make it up to the group/clem specifically. it was like, cool, yeah. bonnie's alright. she's neutral. but thEN SHE JUST UP AND LEAVES. IF YOU DONT TRY TO SAVE LUKE SHE'S PISSED AT YOU TOO. "I DIDNT MEAN FOR THIS TO HAPPEN CLEM". OK BONNIE. i personally never forgot about mike. eff him. but we didn't have a connection and he's forgettable until you remember arvo tbh

yeahhh i guess so,, she really did play that sorry card a lot but i have no clue if that’s just cause of,,, the bad writing of s2. mike i feel like he was just forgotten about so he’s easy to forget , but doesnt he also play that sorry thing when Clem got shot ?? its been awhile since i’ve seen/played s2 ep5 so i cant really remember jsdlksl both of them just up and leave but idk hh

[grey1444]

Thanks to @icarusfallsforwalls for tagging me!

Five Songs I’ve Been Playing on Repeat: Ambient1 / Music for Airports- Brian Eno Weightless- All Time Low Starting Line- Luke Hemmings Figure Me Out- The Summer Set Space- Biffy Clyro

Currently Watching: All Time Low documentaries - most recently Straight to DVD Ted Lasso  Doctor Who Royalties (*just gave up after ep5) Currently Reading: Way too much archiveofourown and foundations of blockchain. I need to get back to books. Last Movie Watched: I have the attention span of a gnat for narrative since the pandemic started. Unless you count "How Did We End Up Here," the 5SOS doc, the last movie I actually watched was Casablanca. In September 2020.  Notes about the songs below the break, because it turns out I had a LOT of feelings. Also, in my defense, I do listen to a lot of podcasts, but yeah. I’m in the tank for music right now big time.

1. “Ambient1/Music for Airports” – Brian Eno       Every night.        Calm, repetition, ambient, minimalist sounds. How I turn my brain off.

2. “Weightless”- All Time Low 

I’m new to this song (thank you, Michael Clifford) as of September, but it is hitting me just exactly right. Here are a few of the things I love about this song: 180BPM of emo adrenaline rush build and release, Sincere hopefulness, Sweet melody and heavy distortion, THAT HOOK. THAT BREAKDOWN. Jack Barakat’s pick slides into the crash of the killer hook and some gorge riffs, Rian Dawson going hard and his rolling drum fills upping the momentum even further on the chorus Zack’s heavy gritty bass Did I mention I really freaking love the post-chorus instrumental freaking breakdown. Oh, and Alex Gaskarth. 

[Opening, sweet melody and emo vocal at the front, driven from underneath by an electric kickdrum (?) and a single repeated eighth note on guitar]

Manage me, I'm a mess Turn a page, I'm a book half unread I wanna be laughed at, laughed with, just because I wanna feel weightless and that should be enough [starting to build] But I'm stuck in this fucking rut Waiting on a second-hand pick-me-up And I'm over [BAM DRUMS/GUITAR/BASS STING] getting older

[pre-chorus] If I could just find the time Then I would never let another day go by [bass Bass BASSSSSSS]

I'm over getting old [CRASH INTO THE HOOK] MAYBE IT'S NOT MY WEEKEND BUT IT'S GONNA BE MY YEAR And I'm so sick of watching While the minutes pass as I go nowhere And this is my reaction To everything I fear [Alex’s voice on FEAR is transcendent] 'Cause I've been going crazy, I don't wanna waste another minute [pause, head bang] here.

3. “Starting Line” - Luke Hemmings //  This whole song is a visceral energy rush that builds and builds and builds. It's painful, beautiful, desperate, and hopeful. Some of the most evocative turns of phrase I’ve ever run heard in the lyrics and that drop FUCKS

"In and out of focus, moments that I keep  Something for the pain and something so I sleep Won't you comfort me? Warm the air that I breathe Visceral in doses, hiding in the seams  Standing on the sun and I don't feel a thing Won't you comfort me? Take the fear I don't need I wake up every morning with the years ticking by I'm missing all these memories, maybe they were never mine I feel the walls are closin', I'm running out of the time I think I missed the gun at the starting line. 

[This **feels** being shot from a gun. My muscles say SPRINT]

:: MAH HEART:: 4. “Figure Me Out,” The Summer Set // I could not pick this band out of a lineup & I don’t think I know any other song of theirs, but Spotify kicked this song out as a rec and it’s a freaking ANTHEM of hope and self-discovery in a gorgeous rocking rhythmic swell. … “I don't know just where I fit in / Cause when I open my mouth I know nobody's listening” [ouch] [Chorus] But I believe there's more to life Than all my problems Maybe there's still hope for me to start again Get my feet back on the ground And pull my head out of the clouds I think it's time for me to figure me out … [Outtro] I just want to fall in love Before I'm dead So I can make my parents proud Hope my feet don't fail me now Cause it's time for me to figure me out

5. “Space”, Biffy Clyro // EPIC beauty and the soothing of the soul. I think the lyric, “There's always a space in my heart for you” is about coming back to a lover, but somehow, because of the quiet and the grandness of the vocals and instrumentation, it very much feels like I’m being told, me specifically, by the universe, that I’m seen and there’s a place for me. The mix of staccato and extended deliveries of the vocals follows the plink, sweep, and swell of the orchestration. “Heart” is a quarter note long and then it’s THREE BARS. It’s like being immersed in the ebb and swell of the deep ocean, someone holding you tight and safe, words spoken and sung directly to you and you alone, and it feels like something grown and transcribed rather than written. Simon Neil’s Scots accent comes out in the rounded extended twang of simple words like “you” turning a single syllable into a quiet microcosm of the orchestral swell. The original is goooooorgeous, but in 2020, Biffy Clyro decided to up the stakes and recorded a orchestral version with a CHOIR and a FULL ORCHESTRA at Abbey Road. (Because the universe freaking needed it) Whoever the sound engineer is deserves all of the awards for capturing this glorious monster perfectly – giant drums hitting hard but never once overwhelming Simon’s gorgeous soft tones and particular inflections. I really really REALLY love this song. 

Seriously, click the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSBelw5CzI8 “There's always a space in my heart There's always a space in my heart There's always a space in my heart, heart Will you wait, will you wait for me? There's always a space in my heart I'm still caught in your gravity”

[wazafam]

Rory and Jess might be the most controversial relationship in Gilmore Girls - some fans love Jess's intelligence and bad boy ways, and others think that he was just flat-out terrible for Rory and should have been ditched on the double. He remains controversial right through to the Year In The Life revival, where he reappears and makes fans wonder if he's still in love with Rory, and with good reason.

RELATED: Gilmore Girls: 10 Most Confusing Things About Rory

At the end of the day, Rory and Jess were incredibly important to each other, and they always will be - and that's something that any fan of the couple can get behind. From his time as a reluctant and angry teen to a successful author, Rory and Jess will always be there for each other, and fans of the couple will love these episodes.

Updated May 7, 2020, by Rose Moore: Fans are still hoping that a second season of Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life could be forthcoming - and while there are no official plans, there are some hints that a sequel is on the way. If it does, a huge hope for Rory and Jess fans is that there will be more between the two as adults, as they were only given a few scenes in the revival, and those scenes suggested that Jess still has some feelings for his high school sweetheart. In the meantime, though, there are some great episodes for fans of the couple to rewatch. 

15 The Bracebridge Dinner (S2 Ep10)

This isn't the first time that Rory meets Jess, but it's the time that really points toward what is waiting for them... and for her and Dean. In this episode, Lorelai has a huge dinner planned, which is canceled because of a snowstorm. She ends up inviting the townspeople to the event instead (seeing as everything is already arranged), and when the dinner ends in a sleigh ride, Rory ends up sharing a carriage with Jess. It's romantic enough there, but Jess pushes Rory to really think about her relationship with Dean - and everyone knows what is coming.

14 A Tisket, A Tasket (S2, Ep 13)

Stars Hollow has all kinds of ridiculous and adorable traditions, and this episode focuses on one of them - the picnic basket auction. Here, Jess decides to outbid Dean for Rory's basket, although tradition would dictate that Rory's beau take the honor. It stokes the resentment between Jess and Dean, for one thing, but it also creates space for Rory and Jess to spend some time together, and realize just how much they have in common.

13 There's The Rub (S2, Ep16)

Jess proves his literary chops in this episode, where Rory tells Dean that she wants to spend time alone, only for him to catch her with Jess and Paris. Of course, she originally did want to spend that time by herself, and she didn't invite either Paris or Jess over, they just kind of (individually) showed up. But it's a great one for Jess fans, as it shows that he has the ability to connect with Rory and Paris on an intellectual level - something that Dean fails to do.

12 Teach Me Tonight (S2, Ep19)

Despite Jess's intelligence, he struggles with schoolwork (out of boredom and a lack of motivation, largely). Luke, however, thinks that he needs tutoring, and this is where Rory comes in. Of course, their 'tutoring' really just gives them more time together, a deeper connection, and pushes Rory to realize how much she cares.

RELATED: Gilmore Girls: The 5 Most (& 5 Least) Realistic Storylines

This is especially clear in 'Teach Me Tonight', when they go for a drive together, and Rory wants to keep driving rather than going back to study. Of course, every fan knows how badly that goes, when they end up in an accident.

11 Lorelai's Graduation Day (S2, Ep21)

Some of the best episodes for Rory and Jess are some of the worst for Rory and Lorelai - and this is definitely one of the worst for that, as Rory misses her mother's graduation because she's playing hooky with Jess in NYC. Of course, as much as this was a terrible-daughter moment, it was a seriously romantic day for Jess and Rory, as they wander Manhattan and flirt all day.

10 I Can't Get Started (S2, Ep22)

This is one of the big ones for Rory/Jess fans - as after a whole lot of build up, the two finally kiss! Of course, it's not quite as romantic as it should be, given that the kiss comes at Sookie's wedding, which Rory is attending with Dean. However, when Jess asks to come back to Stars Hollow, and then this happens, everyone knows that Rory and Dean are on their last legs.

9 Eight O Clock At The Oasis (S3, Ep5)

Dean and Rory are still together at this point, but it's obvious that they are on the way out, and that Rory and Jess are going to be the next cute couple of Stars Hollow. The episodes in between their kiss at Sookie's wedding and them actually getting together are packed with great moments of chemistry, but this is a particularly noteworthy one. Rory gets caught dealing with a broken sprinkler, and Jess ends up coming by to fix it... but, as they stand together soaking wet, Rory tells him that Dean is on the way to help her himself. Showing remarkable consideration for their relationship, Jess turns the sprinkler back on, and walks away... leaving Rory (and fans) gazing after him.

8 Let The Games Begin (S3, Ep8)

It's taken far too many episodes since that first kiss at Sookie's wedding, but Rory and Jess are now together - and they are absolutely adorable. Between dealing with Luke and Lorelai's reactions to their own first moments as a couple, this is a thoroughly heartwarming episode... even if it does have its moments of awkward teen love. Still, at this point, everything is exciting and new for the two of them, and it's a great episode to revisit that new love feeling.

7 Face Off (S3, Ep15)

This may not be a favorite, because most of the episode is spent with Jesse not treating Rory wonderfully, but it is an important one - and has a great ending. The focus of the episode is Rory and her inability to call Jess to make plans, but her fury with his casual 'maybe we'll do something' attitude that ends up with her home alone.

RELATED: Gilmore Girls: The Main Characters, Ranked Worst To Best Character Arc

Throw in some Dean-with-a-new-girlfriend, and it seems like Rory and Jess are on the rocks... until he shows her how much he cares, and they get a sweet moment in the end.

6 Happy Birthday Baby (S3, Ep 18)

Having worked out their issues from Face Off, by this point in the series, Rory and Jess are happily, totally in love. Their relationship is often complicated, with as much time spent apart as together (far more time spent apart, in fact), but this is an episode that really shows how good they were. In it, Rory is making plans for university, and Jess is being 100% supportive. He is planning how they will stay in touch, thinking about visits, and showing her that he has every faith that they will stay together after she has gone to Yale. It's just a shame that this didn't actually happen.

5 Nag Hammadi is Where They Found the Gnostic Gospels (S4, Ep13)

Another slightly sad episode for Jess and Rory, as they've broken up at this point - but again, a big one. This is the episode where Jess, after all his time with Rory, and then his time apart from Rory (and his horrifying exit from Stars Hollow), finally tells her that he loves her. Sure, he then drives off, and this is after a day of running around avoid each other, but it's still a big moment.

4 Last Week Fights, This Week Tights (S4, Ep 21)

Rory and Jess may not actually get back together in the original series, but this is a moment that they could have done - and some might argue that they should have! Jess, after being away for quite some time, is back for his Mom's wedding - and he has started to grow up. This is also a great episode for Jess and Luke, as Jess acknowledges everything Luke did, and really thanks him for it. It also could have been a great one for Jess and Rory, as Jess heads to Yale and asks Rory to come back to New York with him. There's no way of knowing if they may have worked out had she taken him up on the offer, though, because she turns him down.

3 Let Me Hear Your Balalaikas Ringing Out (S6, Ep8)

This isn't the most romantic episode for Jess and Rory, but it's one that shows just how their relationship grows (and gives every reunion fan hope for the two of them!). At this point, Rory has dropped out of Yale and is living with her grandparents and not talking to her mother, so when Jess returns to see her, he is understandably surprised. And when she learns that he has written a book and generally got his life together, she starts to question her own choices. In many ways, it's Jess, and the moment that he calls her out on her current situation, that gets Rory to head back home and get back to what she really wants. What fan doesn't love Jess for that?

2 The Real Paul Anka (S6 Ep 18)

True Rory and Jess fans are still hoping for a second revival and a chance for these two crazy kids, but in the original series, this is the last big Rory and Jess moment - and it's a doozy. In 'The Real Paul Anka', Rory is still furious with Logan for sleeping around when they were broken up, and when he heads out with the Life and Death Brigade, she heads out to Jess's publishing house event. Unsurprisingly, they have all kinds of chemistry, and when Jess asks if everything is 'fixed' and she says it is, he kisses her! Which would be amazing, except of course, she is cheating on Logan, and gets upset and confesses everything. Poor Jess... but what a final kiss!

1 A Year In The Life: Summer

By the revival, it seems that Rory and Jess are almost completely out of each other's lives - Rory is dating someone else (who she routinely forgets about) and having an affair with Logan in London, but when Jess comes back to town in the summer, there's still chemistry between them. They also still make perfect sense together. Jess is now matured, and is still helping inspire Rory, as he is the one who plants the idea of writing a book in her head. At the end of the revival, Jess tells Luke that he's completely over Rory, of course, but the way he looks at her says otherwise.

NEXT: Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life: 10 Questions Fans Still Have About The Characters

Gilmore Girls: 15 Best Episodes To Rewatch If You Miss Rory and Jess from https://ift.tt/2WJkvVi

[kotorswtor]

Sincere thanks for your interest in me mentally banging action figures together!

It started with the thought of Din borrowing Boba’s in-home bacta facilities after getting extremely banged up in BoBF ep5. Thinking about how doing bacta therapy for the first few times probably feels like you’re drowning (and renders you physically vulnerable in ways that were very explicitly shown in ep3.) If you want to keep a patient from re-injuring themselves or damaging expensive equipment, you probably need either general anaesthesis or something pretty near to it, or other options to keep them calm and relatively still. Thinking of Atash kluging a means to keep Din from freaking out in there, in a way that respects his personal and cultural anxieties, hits a lot of tropes I enjoy.

It’s also just been an interesting time trying to sort out how Atash would feel and what she would do about the events of Mando S2. She was a prospective candidate for Jedi training, missed her matriculation date because of Order 66 and wound up in the Inquisitor program instead after a terrifying childhood/early adolescence. The fall of the Empire gave her an out, and as of 9-10 ABY, she’s only just barely starting to settle and figure things out for herself.

Having directly experienced the alternative, she’s 100% on board with “we need to get this baby to a safe, stable place where he can receive care and education from other experienced Force sensitives who have their heads on straight.” But everything that she learned in the meantime (let alone the likelihood that Force prognostication is gonna give her some insight on how the next quarter-century will shake out) has her...unconvinced that Luke can provide that.

Girl help, I’m having Mando/OC thoughts again against my will