#thoughts on s1 e12

[mossterunderthebed]

my baby Yuuji is so feral 💖

[werewolfsmile]

The Eliot Spencer Details Masterpost

I have been recording details about our beloved Eliot Spencer on my latest watch through. And now, it's finally time to reveal the details!! If I have gotten any details INCORRECT, I beg of you to correct me, at which time, this post will be updated and credit given. (Note: S1 was aired out of chronological order. I am going by chronological episode numbers - aka the correct order - and providing the episode titles as well to minimise confusion.) !! This post contains details from Leverage: Redemption! Read the episode references carefully if you are wanting to avoid certain spoilers !!

Shirtless Moments

S1 E7 The Two-Horse Job: The flashback scene when Aimee asks Eliot what his excuse was for not coming back to her, we see him being dragged/tortured, shirtless. "Tell us what you did with the monkey!"

S2 E2 The Tap-Out Job: Eliot is shirtless for the fight match.

S4 E9 The Cross My Heart Job: Ehh he's not completely shirtless here but whatever. At about 16 mins in, Eliot and Parker are getting changed together, Eliot strips to a singlet then throws his shirt at me the camera. (I didn't include other scenes of Eliot in a singlet here because in this scene he's actively undressing, whereas in others he's not.)

Necklaces

The earliest sighting of his guitar pick necklace is S1 E2 The Homecoming Job. It continues to pop up frequently in episodes, though noticeably less in S1. I thought about recording every occurrence of it here but ... lmao it's in legit waaayyyy too many episodes for me to bother.

S2 E10 The Runway Job: Honourable mention of the necklaces Eliot wears with his fashion week outfit. The longer one is kinda dogtag-esque, the shorter one is ... I think it's a fleur de lis? He also wears a range of chain necklaces later in this episode.

S4 E18 The Last Dam Job: Bird pendant (possibly kingfisher) visible at 34 mins 39 seconds. Full credits to @wolves-in-the-world for this one including the time stamp! You can check out their reblog of this post with more details here!

Dammit Hardison

S1 E13 The Second David Job: The FIRST INSTANCE of dammit Hardison in the entire show! Said upon discovering each other in the gallery, around 4 mins 15 seconds.

S2 E1 The Beantown Bailout Job: Said around 22 mins 30 seconds, immediately following, "What are the odds that Eliot's crotch will actually explode?" Iconic.

S2 E6 The Top Hat Job: When setting up for the magic show and discovering the rabbit missing, roughly 19 mins 45 seconds.

S3 E3 The Inside Job: Running from security, around 31 mins 30 seconds.

S3 E4 The Scheherazade Job: Trying to enter McRory's at the same time, around 1 min 30 seconds.

S3 E5 The Double Blind Job: This is an honourable mention because this time NATE is the one to say dammit Hardison! 9 mins 15 seconds.

S3 E6 The Studio Job: Upon discovering the master tape isn't in the case, roughly 32 mins.

S3 E7 The Gone Fishin' Job: Eliot and Hardison running in the woods for their lives, arguing as always. This one is a bonus 'dammit' because Hardison says it straight back to Eliot after Eliot yells it at him! Around 21 mins.

S3 E12 The King George Job: Discussing Hardison's forgery work, followed by Eliot regretting touching anything. Around 23 mins 55 seconds.

S3 E13 The Morning After Job: Pretending to be cops and accidentally ending up with a prisoner to take back to jail, around 16 mins 20 seconds.

S3 E14 The Ho Ho Ho Job: Honourable mention of Chaos mocking Eliot by saying dammit Hardison. Roughly 21 mins 15 seconds.

(phew, S3 was rough on Hardison! given what Eliot was going through with the whole Moreau thing.... ooh that's delicious angst)

S4 E5 The Hot Potato Job: Honourable mention for Sophie saying it this time! While playing the role that was meant for Eliot, around 24 mins.

S4 E6 The Carnival Job: Mixing chemicals for a distraction, roughly 25 mins 30 seconds.

S4 E17 The Radio Job: Hardison running away from being thrown off a high floor, around 5 mins.

S4 E18 The Last Dam Job: Sneaking around at the Bellington Dam, roughly 13 mins 35 seconds.

S5 E1 The (Very) Big Bird Job: 'Accidentally' putting a brew pub menu in front of Eliot, around 10 mins 20 seconds.

S5 E15 The Long Goodbye Job: Emotional scene that we do not speak about, around 12 mins 40 seconds.

RS1 E1 The Too Many Rembrandts Job: After knocking Harry out and asking Hardison to help carry Harry, and Hardison refuses. 11 mins 40 seconds.

RS1 E2 The Panamanian Monkey Job: Upon discovering that security is headed to the vault where Parker is, and the only way down there is through the vents. Around 34 mins 10 seconds.

RS2 E1 The Debutante Job: We get 3! In this whole episode! Probably to make up for Hardison being gone for most of Redemption. Anyway! First one when Eliot and Hardison are in Ralphie Roy's place and Hardison has no idea who Ralphie is, around 23 mins 15 seconds. Second is when they're breaking into the elevator and Hardison won't help fight or move the unconscious guards, roughly 37 mins 40 seconds. And third, after the job when Parker says that Hardison was the one who took out all the guards. Around 45 mins 10 seconds.

RS2 E3 The Tournament Job: Right at the start after Eliot says gaming isn't a sport and Parker texts Hardison, so Hardison starts blowing up Eliot's phone. Lmao. Around 4 mins 20 seconds.

RS2 E4 The Date Night Job: After realising Breanna stole his truck, Eliot says dammit, then aims it at a grinning Hardison, since Breanna is already running away. Around 46 mins 50 seconds.

Dammit Parker

S1 E4 The Snow Job: Parker jumps out of a second floor window, Eliot catches her. 15 mins. (Parker gets a dammit from Eliot before Hardison does!!)

S3 E8 The Boost Job: Parker driving erratically, Eliot thrown around in back seat. (Technically there's a pause between dammit and Parker but I'm still including it) 35 min 35 seconds.

S5 E12 The White Rabbit Job: Searching the mark's house, Parker wants to steal a shirt. Again, this isn't technically a proper dammit Parker, as Eliot instead says, "Put it back! Dammit." But I'm still including it because it was aimed at her. 21 mins 20 seconds.

RS1 E9 The Bucket Job: Parker is pretending to be a hacker heavily modelled off Hardison. Not a proper dammit Parker as, again, Eliot only mutters "dammit" under his breath, but still counts to me. Just after 18 mins.

RS1 E10 The Unwellness Job: At end of episode, after Parker admits that she didn't even learn Eliot's name till after the team broke up the first time. 44 mins 30 seconds.

RS1 E13 The Hurricane Job: After washing up on shore and entering the Beacon Inn, Parker and Eliot are bickering about Maria. He doesn't strictly say dammit Parker but there's absolutely no doubt who he's directing the dammits towards. 3 mins 30 seconds.

RS2 E6 The Fractured Job: When farewelling Billy and Parker says next time she'll finish telling him about the robot bodies. Again, it's just dammit not dammit Parker but it's close enough. 41 mins.

RS2 E8 The Turkish Prisoner Job: Another standalone dammit that is most definitely aimed at Parker! When breaking Romero out, Parker says she's a firefighter (with far too much glee), around 14 mins 30 seconds.

RS2 E10 The Work Study Job: A full dammit Parker this time! When Parker reveals that it's super easy to steal from a university and produces a whole bunch of stuff, roughly 22 mins 40 seconds.

Very Distinctive Moments

S1 E2 The Homecoming Job: Eliot ID's the weapon from the gunshots, around 8 mins. Later, he ID's a guy off his knife fighting style, around 18 mins 50 seconds.

S2 E6 The Top Hat Job: ID's a CIA guy from his stance, roughly 7 mins 45 seconds.

S3 E11 The Rashomon Job: ID's the smell of peppermint on Hardison's breath, around 21 mins.

S3 E12 The King George Job: ID's former British paratroopers by their haircuts, 30 mins 10 seconds.

S4 E1 The Long Way Down Job: ID's a former spetsnaz guy by his footprint, 13 mins 45 seconds.

S4 E5 The Hot Potato Job: Honourable mention of Eliot ID'ing ex-military personnel by their stances, he just doesn't say very distinctive. 18 mins 50 seconds.

S4 E11 The Experimental Job: Honourable mention of Eliot ID'ing a helicopter by the whumpa-whumpa (there's 7 of them did you know). Around 7 mins.

S5 E3 The First Contact Job: ID's military satellite transmission by the static, 7 mins 20 seconds.

S5 E9 The Rundown Job: ID's a Navy Seal who enlisted between '90-'95 by his watch, around 16 mins.

RS1 E2 The Panamanian Monkey Job: ID's a drone (Breanna's) from the sound. 11 mins 50 seconds.

RS1 E3 The Rollin' On The River Job: ID's Russian mob by the tattoos, 36 mins 30 seconds.

RS1 E7 The Double-Edged Sword Job: Honourable mention for Maria ID'ing the way Eliot disarmed her gun, 7 mins 50 seconds.

RS2 E4 The Date Night Job: Eliot ID's a guy as not having a distinctive anything - which is what is so distinctive. 20 mins 40 seconds.

RS2 E13 The Crowning Achievement Job: ID's MI6 off their search pattern, 6 mins 50 seconds.

Known Family

S1 E6 The Miracle Job: When discussing Bibletopia, Eliot says his nephew would like it. This is the ONLY mention of a nephew in the entire show, Redemption included; nor is there any direct mention of a sibling beyond this (which leads me to believe that this nephew is actually the son of a close friend/cousin/military buddy, rather than a direct family relation, but that's just my headcanon).

S2 E3 The Order 23 Job: When talking to the abused boy, Randy, Eliot says he has an uncle named Randy.

S5 E11 The Low Low Price Job: Eliot's dad owned a hardware store and he wanted Eliot to take over one day. But Eliot wanted to get out of that small town, so he joined the service. Fought with his dad the night before he left and hasn't been back since. He goes back at the end of this episode and knocks - but his dad never answers the door 😭

RS1 E9 The Bucket Job: While interrogating/torturing Eliot with Red Haze, Bligh says that Eliot's dad's friend from Vietnam has invited Eliot to join them for Christmas. At the end of the episode, Eliot goes to join them for dinner, only to get a message from 'J' that his dad was a no show. This 'J' is widely accepted as Eliot's unknown sibling but that is incorrect! 'J' is Eliot's dad's buddy from Vietnam!

RS2 E6 The Fractured Job: The ultimate Eliot family backstory episode!! (if you haven't seen it yet and don't want spoilers, skip this one!) Eliot was adopted by a black couple, Billy and an unnamed woman, after being abandoned/surrendered at a hospital as a baby. His father was a war hero who got none of the glory and sustained a wound, ruining his civilian career path, so Billy never wanted Eliot to follow in his footsteps. Eliot loved the stories of his dad in the military so joined up to be like him. His mother died while Eliot was on an op and he couldn't get leave to come back for the funeral, deepening the rift between him and Billy. Ultimately, they reconcile, (Eliot says his dad was always a hero to him, Billy say's he's proud of Eliot, they hug), and I cry every time 😭❤️ [Edit: Eliot being a baby at the time of being found at the hospital and consequently brought home by his adopted mother is unconfirmed and my presumption. We have no clear info on his age at adoption. Thanks to @nival-kenival for picking that up!]

Phrases: Ain't

S1 E4 The Snow Job: Said to Nate, right before Nate tells him to go skip some rope.

S1 E9 The Stork Job: Says it twice while conning Irina.

S1 E10 The Juror #6 Job: Upon being told to go help Parker instead of watching a sports game, Eliot takes his beer back.

S2 E2 The Tap-Out Job: Discussing the fights the mark runs, says they ain't the UFC.

S2 E3 The Order 23 Job: Said right before threatening to throw Randy's abusive father over the railing of a stairwell.

S2 E4 The Fairy Godparents Job: Upon spotting a hitman sent to kill McSweeten and Taggart.

S2 E8 The Ice Man Job: After hearing Hardison call himself the Ice Man, says he won't bail him out when things go wrong.

S2 E9 The Lost Heir Job: While trying to get Parker to the court room and end up cut off by the police.

S2 E11 The Bottle Job: When Hardison wants help to clean up Nate's apartment and Eliot refuses.

S2 E14 The Three Strikes Job: When Nate says to meet outside the ballpark but Eliot refuses because now he's sucked into the sport.

S3 E3 The Inside Job: Twice while arguing with Hardison about how to rescue Parker, once when Parker offers him a lift down the stairwell with her on her harness rig and he refuses. This is the most he says ain't in a single episode!

S3 E7 The Gone Fishin' Job: Once when the militia try to make him kneel, later when the militia kid catches him and Hardison near the train tracks.

S3 E11 The Rashomon Job: When Sophie changes her story to mock Eliot's accent and mannerisms.

S3 E15 The Big Bang Job: When confronting Moreau with Hardison.

S4 E1 The Long Way Down Job: Upon arriving at the base camp and complaining to Nate.

S4 E7 The Grave Danger Job: When looking for a buried Hardison and hearing the sprinklers.

S4 E10 The Queen's Gambit Job: At the end, swearing revenge on Sterling.

S4 E12 The Office Job: Arguing with Hardison about Eliot's sandwich while searching the warehouse.

S4 E13 The Girls' Night Out Job: When trying to convince Nate to socialise at the very start.

S4 E14 The Boys' Night Out Job: Exactly the same as the previous episode, so this one barely counts.

S4 E17 The Radio Job: In the patent office, when trying to figure out who lured Nate into this situation. The same scene is used later as a flashback.

S4 E18 The Last Dam Job: Warning Nate of the consequences of taking a life with your own hands.

S5 E2 The Blue Line Job: When ambushed by Marko when leaving the ice rink.

S5 E9 The Rundown Job: Once when going to wring information on the hit out of Riley, once when Hardison steps on the trigger plate of the claymore.

S5 E13 The Corkscrew Job: First time talking to Betty about how Leonard's a jerk.

RS1 E1 The Too Many Rembrandts Job: Twice when ambushed by RIZ thugs in the warehouse.

RS1 E2 The Panamanian Monkey Job: Once when discussing Ryan Corbett at the start, once when refusing to let Hardison have a turn with the diamond-tipped drill.

RS1 E3 The Rollin' On The River Job: When warning Breanna to be certain of her calculations for how to get him and Parker out of the casino's vault.

RS1 E8 The Mastermind Job: Once when discussing hiring people to overthrow a government, once when discussing how they're going to do like 6 things at once, including saving Harry.

RS1 E9 The Bucket Job: Said twice while talking with Blanche, after Blanche helped rescue Eliot from RIZ.

RS1 E14 The Great Train Job: While digging through the tainted soil with Harry.

RS2 E1 The Debutante Job: When trying to get to Volkov's plane with Parker and seeing that two guards are in the way.

RS2 E5 The Walk In The Woods Job: Talking to Paul after rescuing Harry, who was pretending to be Eliot.

Fun fact: for every ain't that Eliot says, Hardison says at least two more. And that's too many for me to bother recording!

Phrases: Y'all

Never. Not even once.

Hardison, on the other hand, says y'all all the damn time - every season, multiple times, sometimes even multiple times in the same episode.

Honourable mention for Chaos saying y'all as an incorrect mockery of Eliot's accent in S3 E14 The Ho Ho Ho Job.

... Okay, okay! So Eliot says it a few times in Redemption! But only in ONE episode!

RS1 E1 The Too Many Rembrandts Job: Said 4 times when playing a character and convincing people to clear out of the auction house.

That's it.

Aliases

These are all the names that Eliot's gone by or used on cons that I could find, not just full blown aliases.

S1 E1 The Nigerian Job: Detective Lieutenant Carden (the scene with this alias was cut from a lot of versions of this episode)

S1 E4 The Snow Job: Vince Fetkey, Hans Von Schwesterkrank

S1 E7 The Two-Horse Job: Brad Mackie

S1 E9 The Stork Job: Dale

S1 E12 The First David Job: Professor Sinclair

S1 E13 The Second David Job: Professor/Dr Adam Sinclair

S2 E2 The Tap-Out Job: Kid Jones (on the fight match poster)

S2 E4 The Fairy Godparents Job: Coach Brewer

S2 E5 The Three Days Of The Hunter Job: Earl

S2 E9 The Lost Heir Job: Officer Hilts

S2 E10 The Runway Job: Julian

S2 E14 The Three Strikes Job: Roy Chappell

S3 E1 The Jailhouse Job: Dr Abernathy

S3 E2 The Reunion Job: Lloyd Hickey

S3 E4 The Scheherazade Job: Guy Hamilton

S3 E5 The Double Blind Job: Phil

S3 E6 The Studio Job: Kenneth Crane

S3 E7 The Gone Fishin' Job: Agent Quint

S3 E8 The Boost Job: Skeeter

S3 E9 The Three-Card Monte Job: Detective Moffat

S3 E10 The Underground Job: Eric

S3 E11 The Rashomon Job: Dr Wes Abernathy

S3 E16 The San Lorenzo Job: Ray Laroque

S4 E2 The Ten Li'l Grifters Job: Charlie Siringo

S4 E4 The Van Gogh Job: Lieutenant (only granting him this one because CK played him in the flashback)

S4 E5 The Hot Potato Job: Tom Boonen

S4 E12 The Office Job: Mr Dennis

S4 E14 The Boys' Night Out Job: Luigi

S4 E15 The Lonely Hearts Job: Jackson Cooper

S4 E16 The Gold Job: Tobias Bowden

S4 E17 The Radio Job: Cowboy (*cough* John McClane *cough*)

S5 E2 The Blue Line Job: Jacques "Jack" Labert

S5 E3 The First Contact Job: Willie Riker

S5 E5 The Gimme A K Street Job: Steven Turner

S5 E6 The DB Cooper Job: DB Cooper/Young Steve Reynolds (again, technically not an alias but whatever it's here anyway)

S5 E7 The Real Fake Car Job: Barry McElroy

S5 E11 The Low Low Price Job: Archer

S5 E14 The Toy Job: Carl

Honourable mentions of Eliot being called: "Rambo" by Hardison in S1 E2 The Homecoming Job [thanks @independent-fics for this!]; "Emeril" by Parker in S1 E3 The Wedding Job [thanks @aardvaark for this one!]; "Sparky" by Parker in S1 E10 The Juror #6 Job and by Tara in S2 E15 The Maltese Falcon Job; and "Skippy" by Hardison in S3 E7 The Gone Fishin' Job.

RS1 E1 The Too Many Rembrandts Job: Will Gallagher

RS1 E6 The Card Game Job: Glenn the Savage

RS1 E7 The Double-Edged Sword: Emmett Milbarge

RS1 E8 The Mastermind Job: Frank Farmer

RS1 E10 The Unwellness Job: Hank

RS1 E12 The Golf Job: Reed Wilkins

RS1 E13 The Hurricane Job: Calvin

RS1 E15 The Muddy Waters Job: Armus Vagra

RS2 E7 The Big Rig Job: Kris

RS2 E8 The Turkish Prisoner Job: Nick O'Brien

RS2 E10 The Work Study Job: New Blood, Caterpillar

Honourable mention of Eliot being called "Skipper" by Hardison in RS1 E16 The Harry Wilson Job.

Known Associates

This is in direct reference to hitters/people from the criminal world that Eliot knew or was aware of prior to the Leverage Team. Quinn is not included in this list due to that distinction (sorry Quinn).

S1 E3 The Wedding Job: The Butcher of Kiev

S2 E7 The Two Live Crew Job: Mikel Dayan

S3 E11 The Rashomon Job: Gutman

S3 E15 The Big Bang Job: Chapman, Damien Moreau

S3 E16 The San Lorenzo Job: Damien Moreau

S4 E4 The Van Gogh Job: Frank, Randall

S4 E6 The Carnival Job: Roper

S5 E4 The French Connection: Rampone

S5 E9 The Rundown Job: Riley

Trivia

S2 E6 The Top Hat Job: Eliot claims he only sleeps 90 minutes a day, and that he cured his claustrophobia as a kid by locking himself in the woodshed behind his house for a couple nights.

S3 E6 The Studio Job: Eliot is nervous to perform in front of an audience, to the point that Parker startles him and she's surprised that she did. Interesting to note that he seems to have no issue playing sport in front of crowds.

S3 E7 The Gone Fishin' Job: Eliot says he hates beets.

S4 E5 The Hot Potato Job: Eliot chews gum. He does this throughout a LOT of episodes across the seasons but I've only noted down this one episode for it.... thanks, past me 🙄 [Edit: thanks @nival-kenival for more info! Another confirmed episode is S1 E2 The Homecoming Job, and S3 E13 The Morning After Job!]

S4 E9 The Cross My Heart Job: Eliot says he fought a guy with a Nerf sword in Damascus, 2002.

S5 E11 The Low Low Price Job: Eliot drives an F-150 to his dad's house in Oklahoma. This is a THIRD vehicle that apparently belongs to Eliot, in addition to the Chevrolet Silverado and Dodge Challenger we see in other episodes. The F-150 is not seen again.

S5 E12 The White Rabbit Job: Eliot has 'special sedatives' aka a little psychotropic he picked up outside of Bogota.

Eliot mostly walks at the back of the group, presumably to be the rear guard and make sure no one falls behind. See ... just about every damn episode for evidence.

RS1 E3 The Rollin' On The River Job: Parker says that Eliot has cut his way out of an ice cave, escaped a gorilla enclosure, and catered a wedding for the mob.

Eliot is seen wearing glasses throughout various episodes. A flashback in S1 E1 The Nigerian Job shows him wearing presumably his own glasses. All other instances of him wearing glasses (that I can think of) are when he takes someone's glasses for a con. It is unconfirmed if Eliot actually needs glasses to correct his eyesight or not, but is a fandom headcanon. In S3 E1 The Jailhouse Job there is an interaction where Nate ribs Eliot for taking so long in a fight, and Eliot says it's because of new glasses. An argument could be made that this means Eliot does require glasses. [Thanks @independent-fics for picking this up - for pretty much all the details pertaining to Eliot's glasses!]

And there you have it! All the details that I've spent the last 3 months collecting!! Now it's time for me to take a good, long break because my brain is fried! 😂

Once again, let me know if you find any errors so I can update the post. Data from Redemption S2 is where I've most likely missed things, since I don't have it on DVD and it's sooo much harder to scrub through streaming footage to find things. When will they release RS2 on DVD I need itttt.

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! I hope this post can be a helpful reference for you!

[savagewildnerness]

The Score of S2E5/E12 Don't be afraid, just start the tape.

OK, Someone was asking about the repeated piano notes that recur in S2E5 so I thought I’d have a quick go through the episode.

Please bear in mind that I have not listened to the soundtrack for season 2.  In S2E1 I was so profoundly moved by the exquisite violin music in the first 15 minutes that I was totally overwhelmed and I had to watch the first part of the episode several times to take it all in and be composed enough to continue watching.  

The way the music impacted me there, hearing it for the first time alongside the drama, as intended, made me realise I absolutely do not want to listen to the score before watching the whole of S2 and so not feel the emotion from it as intended, alongside the drama the first time I watch the show!  

I’ll spoil myself by analysing every trailer to the millisecond and reading your analyses… but the music: NO.  I even regretted knowing the Come to Me reprise before it was in the show.  

And even the S1 score… I know it well, but I listen to it on CD in the car, so I’m not familiar with the track titles as I’ve never really looked at most of them…. So, that said - this will not be referencing tracks on the score.  Perhaps I’ll return to this in more depth - analysing the music more thoroughly and with reference to the score after the series is over, but for now…

Piano pedal:

The piano pedal and theme recurs 5 times in the episode, and looking at when, I realised it is all related to Louis uncovering his suicide attempt as it culminates (on the fourth occurrence) in the full theme…

I transcribed just the first bit of slow notes, which isn’t very interesting, but here it is:

Musically the theme is just 5, slow pedal C’s the first and last occurrence - bookmarking the delve into the uncovering of memory.

The second occurrence adds an Eb, suggesting it has somewhere it is starting to head towards… but is still just 5 slow pedal notes.

The third occurrence starts the theme for a fair amount the theme and the fourth occurrence is the full theme.

1 - 5 slow pedal C’s. This occurs in Dubai at this point:

Daniel: How often has Armand spared a life?

Louis: Armand could see I was partial to you

I.e. When Daniel first opens up the concept of exploring his and Louis’ memories of San Francisco, we first hear the pedal C’s

2 - 3 C’s, an Eb and a C - 5 slow notes.  This occurs in Dubai

Daniel: I want to know, for me, what happened between us

So, the first two occurrences are Daniel opening Louis up to the idea of exploring what really happened at the first interview in San Francisco.

3 - Slow pedal C’s and Eb’s into the start of a longer piano theme.  This occurs in San Francisco

This is when Louis is talking about Claudia leaving on the train and him staying behind with Lestat and then…

Daniel: And then what?

The theme starts as Louis talks about this first contemplation of suicide and continues through Daniel’s plea to be made a vampire

4 - Full theme in San Francisco

This begins after Louis and Armand’s argument; after:

Louis: I loved her (Claudia)

Armand: But she didn’t love you.  Not like he did.  Not like I have.

Louis: I know

I don’t know if this is on the season 2 soundtrack, but I’ll presume it is, and it’ll be this, full version that continues now in its full form, through Louis going into the sun.

5 - 5 slow pedal C’s in Dubai, as at the start

This occurs when Armand returns, at the end of the episode

Armand: I could see you were partial to him.  I preserve your happiness even when you don’t or can’t.

Louis and Armand: I had a hunch

Armand: Daniel might prove fruitful in later times

The other, creepy soundscape with distorted horror/electronic sounds (YUM!) happens for the first time after Louis’ suicide attempt when Daniel is mentioned and it scores all the horror elements with Daniel and Armand, where Armand is basically torturing Daniel, trying to find out what makes Daniel fascinating to Louis and Daniel is terrified he is going to die.

The first occurrence:

Louis: He’s alive?

Armand: The boy? The fascinating boy.  He’s fine.  He’s just fine.  Oh, he’s fine.  You’re fine.  We’re all fine.

It continues as Daniel recounts what he can remember - the corpse, etc. and develops as Armand seeks what makes Daniel fascinating

I didn’t really delve into this part, but - violins/strings and a more familiar to most episodes, though sparser, predominantly piano and violin score with lots of high and thinner notes than usual return when Lestat is mentioned between Louis and Armand and Armand talks about listening to the tapes and why Louis did the interview.  It’s very pared back, but the “The drum was my heart” theme (Ahh… is that the origin track for the theme?  Anyway - you know the theme dooo doooooo, do doooo dooooooo one!) is there with high pedal strings as Lestat speaks to Louis and it suddenly drops away as Lestat vanishes…

Armand’s “easeful death” talk with Daniel as he eases him to his death also has a more musically full (and  beautiful) theme.  It reminds me a bit of Moonlight sonata and has Armand-romance-theme vibes in its gentleness - beautiful, delicate and simple.  Then a violin comes in and it becomes increasingly poignant and emotional and eventually (I feel) it has a romance to it too, especially from when Armand says “It’s the comfort we all long for” - it sort of resolves to a musical home.

Again, there is more resolved piano & strings music at the end with Daniel and Louis.

OK, so only a little analysis.  I just watched the episode once and made a few notes.  I basically did it to work out if those repeated piano pedal notes had a specific connection.  And they do - it is specifically tied into (at least as I understood it, from my listening) the uncovering of Louis’ suicide attempt.

Let me know if you’d like me to look at the music ever in the future.  I dunno… part of me feels like killing a fairy to analyse stuff like this rather than just experience the magic, but also I find it very interesting.  This is only a first little touch on stuff.  I could analyse and actually think about it…

Gosh, I adore Daniel Hart’s score!  And I love how unusual and differently this episode was scored compared to other episodes…

Let me know if this was daft of me or if you’d ever like me to look into the music at all.

[karothefool]

about S1 E12, the storm

Zuko was one of the only people on ship that wasn’t there to hear Iroh’s story, so him deciding to get the ship to safety instead of chasing the avatar isn’t a new development brought about by a deeper understanding with the crew

He either realized how bad the storm was getting and decided on his own that the safety of the crew was more important than the avatar

or he had it in mind the whole time, even while he was declaring the avatar was more important than anything

Moments like this in the show is why I love fanfics of Zuko bonding with his crew.

Zuko getting to know them better after this episode, once they’ve relaxed with him somewhat after knowing the truth to his backstory..

or even bending canon to have him getting along with them beforehand, his actions going completely against what they know from his first introduction

Idk, my thoughts are all over the place right now. If anyone has any I’d love to hear some fanfiction recommendations

[cynthia39100]

Merlin rewatch 2024

I got my Merlin box set today! Very excited.

Since it's a new year, I want to start a proper weekly rewatch, not fast forward or skip anything. Maybe write down some new thoughts. If I post anything it will be collected in this post.

[Directory]

Episode tags

S1: e1, e2, e3, e4, e5, e6, e7, e8, e9, e10, e11, e12, e13 [roundup]

S2: e1, e2, e3, e4, e5, e6, e7, e8, e9, e10, e11, e12, e13 [roundup]

S3: e1, e2, e3, e4, e5, e6, e7, e8, e9, e10, e11, e12, e13 [roundup]

Scene analysis

S1: e1, e2, e3, e4, e5, e7, e8, e9, e10-1, e10-2, e11, e12, e13

S2: e1, e2, e3, e4-1, e4-2, e6-1, e6-2, e7, e8, e9, e11, e12, e13-1, e13-2, e13-3

S3: e2, e4-1, e4-2,

[luna-moon-26-20]

Foxhole Force Episode Guide

Hi everyone! Since season 1 is finished I thought I'd write an episode guide and add it to the collection of information of the story.

Feel free to share it as many times as you want so we can spread the knowledge about this series and maybe bring new readers to enjoy the AU 🙌🏻

(I think I avoided all major spoilers)

SEASON 1 - LIST OF EPISODES

S1 E1: Call of the Fox (Part 1)

Neil Josten arrives at the City of Palmetto in a last attempt to find his mother alive. After getting attacked by Ravens and saved by mysterious warriors in colorful suits, Neil finds a job at the Foxhole Court, a sports Youth Centre meant to be a safe haven for kids in risky situations.

S1 E2: Call of the Fox (Part 2)

After finding out his coworkers at the Foxhole Court were actually the Power Rangers, Neil gets roped into the team when he merges with the spirit of the Red Fox, becoming the new Red Power Ranger. Despite trying to refuse the responsibility, Neil accepts it and stays in the city long enough to join the battle against the Ravens.

S1 E3: What it takes to be a leader

Neil feels slightly ridiculous and lost when he morphs for the second time after the Ravens find a new target at the beach. When Coach tells him he is supposed to be the leader of the team, he argues that Kevin would be better suited for the job. 

S1 E4: A done deal

Neil has trouble morphing into the Red Ranger and is forced to stay behind while the others go out to fight a new monster and the Ravens. Later, Andrew ropes Neil into a fake training session where he interrogates him. After getting berated by Coach, Neil and Andrew come to an understanding.

S1 E5: Unexpected allies

Neil runs into some trouble searching for his mother. Lieutenant Mureau and a new perfect Raven are sent to destroy the Rangers for their constant interference. They almost succeed but a new and unexpected ally wearing the same outfit as the Rangers prevents it from happening. 

S1 E6: There’s no I in TEAM

The team hits a wall when their dysfunctional dynamic causes a target to get hurt and taken by the Ravens. The Rangers have no idea where the Ravens continue to produce these terrible monsters from but they are strong and difficult to fight, especially because now the Ravens can make them grow as tall as buildings. 

S1 E7: A dead end

The Ravens decide to ruin the team’s Sunday plans when they attack a local school that is holding a science fair at the gym. The Rangers pour themselves into the battle, trying to protect the students and teachers present, and even the Black Ranger makes an appearance to help them. 

S1 E8: Smoke and… mirrors?

The team is unbalanced and fractured but the Youth Centre has to remain open for the kid’s sake and they have a fundraising to host in the middle of which there is a Raven alert. Neil gets trapped and relives some of the trauma from his past. He vows to recruit the Black Ranger into the team.

S1 E9: A fool’s errand

Neil is having an off day in which he keeps butting heads with his coworkers at the Youth Centre. The distance between him and the Red Fox is wider than ever. He sets himself on a mission destined to fail as he tries to recruit the Black Ranger into the team. He and Andrew end the day on pretty unfriendly terms and Neil feels more isolated than ever from the rest of the team.

S1 E10: Neil who? (Part 1)

A Raven alert wakes the team in the middle of the night and they are introduced to Captain Engle, a new perfect Raven stronger and faster than any other they have encountered. The Red Fox is tired and hurt and not even the Black Ranger can help Neil get rid of Mureau.

S1 E11: Neil who? (Part 2)

Alone and unmorphed, Neil faces off against Riko. Riko turns his world upside down by revealing the thing he’s been after and that he believes Neil knows its whereabouts. Later, Andrew helps Neil out of a panic attack but also gives him an ultimatum.  

S1 E12: A Swift exchange

As he recovers from his injuries, Neil is faced with the deadline Andrew has set. Kevin starts acting weird: violent and angry. He begins to transform into a Raven, injuring Andrew in his attempt to escape and save everyone from himself. 

S1 E13: Between a rock and a hard place 

Neil and Andrew, on a quest to find the truth behind the Ravens and Neil’s family, go to the library together. But the building collapses on them leaving them trapped underneath. With nothing else to do but wait, they play a long round of their truth for truth game. 

S1 E14: How to kill two birds with no stone at all

The City of Palmetto is more dangerous than ever when the Ravens decide to change their modus operandi. Neil starts doubting their protectors’ role and asks about a cure for Ravens no one believes exists. Discouraged, he goes into battle hesitating until it becomes clear that it is either kill or be killed. He discovers some coincidences about Kevin’s past.

S1 E15: The Red Fox

The team runs into an energy source so powerful the monitors at the Command Centre go crazy with alarms. In a desperate attempt to stop the Ravens from getting it, Neil touches the source and the amount of energy affects him in unimaginable ways. Scared and injured, he follows his instincts towards Andrew who is the only one who knows how to handle him. 

S1 E16: A quiet state of mind

Neil has to spend an entire day without his Fox. Alone and at the verge of constant panic, he is too happy to spend the day with Andrew in Columbia as a distraction. Neil becomes aware of a certain way in which he is starting to think about the blond. The Rangers respond to an alert in which Matt singlehandedly deals with the monster.

S1 E17: All for the game

An alert brings the team face to face with a monster that traps them in another dimension to play a deathly game of exy. With the way the Black Ranger plays and fights, Neil starts to suspect Andrew might be the Back Ranger. He confronts Andrew on the roof and the night takes an unexpected turn.

S1 E18: Don’t ask for the truth

Neil lives a couple of weeks in pure bliss as he and Andrew delve more into the new nature of their relationship. However, the appearance of a woman from Andrew’s past changes the course of their day into one of tense emotional reactions and a complete emotional withdrawal from Andrew.   

S1 E19: Black Danger (Part 1)

After two long weeks of absence, Andrew finally comes back to the Centre. After a panic attack from Neil because he doesn’t want to fail his duties again, the team faces Muldani on the beach. The Youth Centre is attacked by Riko and all his perfect Ravens. Andrew gets hurt and Abby declares he is trapped inside his own mind.

S1 E20: Black Danger (Part 2)

Neil ventures into Andrew’s mind to try and bring the blond back from wherever he is trapped inside. Going through Andrew’s memories, Neil is faced with several sides of the blond that leave him unsteady and worried. He gets some unexpected help during his quest to find Andrew.

[neros-very-first-fiddle]

BEE’S TOP 20 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER EPISODES EVER:

20. S4 E1, The Freshman

Sunday and her gang are just so much fun to watch. I wish there were more fun vampire stoner-types in the show. I love the whole college allegory with Giles leaving Buffy to figure things out on her own. especially showing how she goes from being scared to realizing she does actually have the power to survive without an adult watching over her. Also I think about the klimt poster game every time I see a college dorm now.

19. S1 E9, The Puppet Show

The first (and only?) Buffy episode to ever genuinely scare me. I watched it late at night, alone in my room in the dark when no one else was awake. I don’t fuck with doll horror movies. The puppet skittering about Buffy’s room made me tremble. Also I just love anything theatre related and watching Giles very poorly do a magic circle was fun. And! Framing Snyder as a villain was such a good choice. And I think about him saying “I don’t get it” at the end of the ep a lot. Just really fun in general.

18. S1 E12, Prophecy Girl

“I may be dead, but I’m still pretty.” Her outfit is iconic. Her reaction to finding out she’s going to die is heartbreaking and realistic. I love that Xander is the one to revive her, forever cementing him as one of Buffy’s best friends and a crucial part of the gang.

17. S3 E20, The Prom

The class protector award will always make me tear up, like fuck. people in a town that actively ignores the horrors acknowledged that Buffy was keeping them safe from the horrors. she deserved that moment so much.

16. S3 E13, The Zeppo

I am a Xander apologist and I’m not afraid to say it. This episode is so fucking funny. I love getting to see what goes on in the background of every Buffy episode. I think it adds so much more to Xander’s character to know that he gets left out of the main plot and has his own wacky adventures that he doesn’t talk or brag about. He is the epitome of Just A Guy. He knows he isn’t like Buffy and the rest of the scoobies, but he also knows he can be just as brave as them. The moment where he’s in the basement and smiling about the bomb about to go off, “I like the quiet,” shakes me so much. Iconic.

15. S2 E6, Halloween

Ethan Rayne’s first appearance! I love how kitschy it feels. willow’s costume is gorgeous.

14. S6 E16, Hell’s Bells

Jesus fucking christ. The portrayal of dysfunctional families is just spot on. Anya looks stunning the entire time. Xander choosing to walk out because he loves Anya too much to even risk following in his family’s footsteps and abusing her is so heartbreakingly real. Is Xander in the wrong for ever letting their relationship get this far when he had doubts? ABSOLUTELY. Also the scene when Anya walks down the aisle crying makes me want to sob, it’s such a perfect shot. Ughh

13. S6 E8, Tabula Rasa

fun amnesia episode! I love seeing what’s inside the characters when they don’t remember anything about themselves. the loan shark bit is so stupid and funny. Giles and Spike having a father/son relationship is perfect. “RANDY GILES??!?? might as well call me desperate for a shag Giles.” also “a vampire with a soul? God, how lame is that?”

12. S4 E12, A New Man

This was the first Buffy episode I ever saw! Caught it on tv and fell in love. I remember watching willow and tara float the rose and thinking “gay.” Then I saw Giles and ethan laugh together over drinks after he, like pinned Ethan down in a crypt and I thought “gay.” And you know what, I was right on both fronts. Also spike crashing the car is so funny.

11. S2 E7, Lie To Me

Everyone talks about wanting to see more of ford, and we get to see more of the main girl, but all I want is Diego/marvin content. I love his stupid sparkly blue cape. I also love how Buffy reacts to finding out ford has cancer; “I’ll kill you myself.” Being in a horrible situation doesn’t excuse the horrible crime you’re about to commit! He’s just a very well written character

10. S7 E15, Get It Done

After watching this, I had to lie down for a moment because it was so much and I cried (which I rarely do with tv shows). The origins of the slayer just fucking wrecked me. The first slayer was just a girl who was violated and used.

9. S2 E22, Becoming pt. 2

Genuinely just one of the best season finales of all time. They perfectly took away everything Buffy had and brought her to the point of no return. The part when Angel asks her “what’s left?” before attempting to stab her with the sword, but Buffy shuts her eyes and perfectly catches it and says “me” is the most breathtaking, iconic scene ever. Gut wrenching and absolutely devastating.

8. S7 E7, Conversations With Dead People

Willow’s conversation with Cassie is so jarring. Buffy’s conversation is so so great and fun. Also “mommy’s milk is red today” is such an INSANE thing to write.

7. S2 E19, I Only Have Eyes For You

I love the concept that a haunting is just a house re-enacting a terrible night over and over again to try and understand what happened to it. This is extremely similar. Just a guy replaying his greatest and final mistake in an attempt to gain forgiveness, to somehow make everything turn out all right because he can’t live or die with that guilt. And the connection to Buffy and Angel’s relationship is just the cherry on top.

6. S2 E17, Passion

I’m a sucker for Angel’s monologue in this one. The scene where he kills Jenny is just, so. Her death perfectly shows how serious things have gotten. All the fun and games are over. Having Giles find her in his bed is absolutely sickening, but I love how they set up the fact that Giles has never seen Angel’s letters until then, he isn’t aware that’s the paper and handwriting from Angel and not Jenny. Also the shot where Willow and Buffy find out that she’s dead is great. I love that we see it from outside the house, looking in.

5. S4 E10, Hush

Astonishing that one of the greatest episodes has extremely little dialogue. the end from Riley’s perspective is just that his girlfriend screamed and the heads of these demons exploded… did he think she had like a banshee scream ability?? I would’ve. Giles’ drawings are so fun

4. S5 E7, Fool for Love

“I’ve always been bad” -jump cut to spike writing bad poetry. I love the little detail that Halfrek was the girl who turned down spike in 1880. The entire subway scene is perfect. Every slayer has a death wish. Buffy saying “you’re beneath me” is so perfectly cruel, and throwing the money is too. the end with spike going to kill Buffy then seeing her upset and comforting her is just a perfect picture of their entire relationship.

3. S4 E22, Restless

“Props?” “No.” “Props?” “YES!” Death of a salesman should have a cowboy in it, actually. Spike selling himself out as an attraction is so believable. like yeah, he would love to be photographed all the time by admirers.

2. S5 E16, The Body

One of the best portrayals of grief I’ve ever seen.

1. S6 E7, Once More With Feeling

Duh. I rewatch this episode A LOT. Anya and Xander’s song gets stuck in my head pretty regularly. I listen to the music on spotify. Hinton Battle kills. I recently watched this with my friend who does ballet and she said Dawn’s dance was really good! BROADWAY LEGEND HINTON BATTLE!!! Spike and Buffy’s kiss at the end is so perfectly built up and executed. Just an absolute masterpiece.

[drowninnoodles]

Not an ask. Just thought it'd be fun for you to read.

I'm rewatching gravity falls with a friend. It's his first time watching. I'm having way too much fun directing his attention towards the mysteries and secrets. Not enough to spoil anything but enough to make him think about the show all the time and theories about everything.

We're also ranking all the episodes. We've only watched upto Boss Mabel so far.

S1 E09 The Time Traveller's Pig

S1 E03 Headhunters

S1 E07 Double Dipper

S1 E05 The Inconveniencing

S1 E12 Sumerween

S1 E01 Tourist Trapped

S1 E02 The Legend of the Gobblewonker

S1 E04 The Hand That Rocks the Mabel

S1 E11 Little Dipper

S1 E12 Boss Mabel

S1 E10 Fight Fighters

S1 E08 Irrational Treasure

S1 E06 Dipper vs. Manliness

Headhunters and The Time Traveller's Pig were executive decisions by me because of the Ford references.

GODDAMIT GOBBLEWONKER AND BOSS MABEL ARENT ON FIRST PLACE??!!?! IMPOSSIBLE!!!!

But yeah references and foreshadowing>>>>

so i forgive you/j

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Sunday, August 11th

LISA: He didn't say you were a freak. DAWN: Forget it. LISA: He just said you were ... freaky. Which, you know, freaky can be ... sort of cool.

~~The Body~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

I don't want you like a best friend by Kittenwritings (Angel/Cordelia/Wesley, T)

He's Got the Look by fatalfae (Buffy/Angel, T)

5 times she thought about kissing [the other woman] and the 1 time she did by Kittenwritings (Cordelia/Fred, T)

time for school by skargasm (Xander/Spike, M)

Когда ты в Риме by B_E_S (Buffy/Angel, M, in Russian)

Remember to Forget by fatalfae (Buffy/Angel, G)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Against All Odds, Ch. 8 by CheekyKitten (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

East of Nevada, Ch. 13 by Blissymbolics (Buffy/Spike, R)

Morning Stretches, Ch. 6 by CheekyKitten (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Lost in Desolation, Ch. 3 by Melme1325 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Mysterious Destinies, Ch. 1 by EnchantedWillow (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

With Sprinkles, Ch. 42 by dogbertcarroll (anime crossover, Xander, FR15)

Aim High, Ch. 7 by Buffyworldbuilder (Stargate crossover, Buffy, FR13)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Angel, but yellow by livefromthegraveyard (Angel, worksafe)

A Buffy/Spike collage by sunflower1109 (worksafe)

A Buffy/Angel collage by sunflower1109 (worksafe)

Vid: Nothing in common by Faith Victoria (Willow and Vampire Willow)

Manips: Swapped by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, R)

[Reviews & Recaps]

thinking about how buffy the vampire slayer jokingly dismissed the idea of giving xander more relevance... by butchrupertgiles

Never Kill a Boy on the First Date Fashion Part Three by theoverlookedoneedits1997

Lies My Parents Told Me thoughts by justsolas

The Delightful Lightness of Season 4 by Opposite-Essay-1093

Just finished my first run through of the series. My thoughts. by InnocentPerv93

[Recs & In Search Of]

Fic rec: Falling by Kally77 recced by flowspuffy

LightningStrokeHere seeks the name of the ending song from the episode "The Harvest" S1E2

Graduation Day reaction video by The Horror Bandwagon recced by Cailly_Brard7

[Fandom Discussions]

Angel should tell Spike that he doesn’t deserve Buffy... by nicnacsnonsense (critical of Bangel)

In Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered Amy invokes Diana for a love spell... by theredpharaoah

I think in regards to angel and spike, the rest of the demon fighting world sees Buffy as... by finalgirl1984

"the sister that used to be a big ball of universe-destroying energy" by debujandobirds

S1 E12 Helpless - Some questions & thoughts by Littledittydee

Did Snyder bring about his own end by being a control freak or was it something more sinister by sKullsHavezzz

Tried to explain every cover of Buffy The Vampire Slayer seasons by Cailly_Brard7

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

James Marsters Huntington Comic & Toy Con 2024 Reports, Pics & Videos via dontkillspike

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[arcanisfrog]

Something I don’t see people talking about is how unnecessarily HARD third person goes for the episode titles and descriptions

They are always so on point and well thought out

My favorite might have to be S1 e12 Coda. A final musical flourish before the end. The end of a life, the end of hope for weepe. Bazinga!

[thenerdykneazle]

A Win

Summary: Sebastian has a creative interpretation of who won your last duel.

A few lines in reference to S1 E12 of Community.

Sebastian Sallow x F!MC

Word count: 2767

Warnings: Mature content (not super explicit but definitely sexual), 7th year, aged-up characters

Seventh year was gruelling. There was easily twice as much homework as sixth year. Every class was overly complicated and utterly confusing. You lived in constant fear of NEWTs that loomed over the end of the year. You rarely even got time for adventuring or kicking dark wizards’ arses. Your one saving grace was Crossed Wands. You duelled every single week. This month, you and Sebastian had been facing off one-on-one. He had won the second duel, but you won the first and the third. The two of you would get very intense, and it seemed like half the school would come to watch.

Your fourth match was particularly rousing. You had each landed spells that had you feeling rough. Sebastian hit you square-on with a blasting curse. You had banished him into one of the stone walls before slicing his arm with a severing charm he couldn’t quite roll out of the way of in time. There were several basic casts that had various parts of your bodies stinging. Finally, as Sebastian dodged an exploding charm, you caught him with a summoning charm. It hit him on the ankle and dragged him feet-first toward you. From the shock of it, you held onto the charm a bit too long and Sebastian slid into you just as you disarmed him. The impact knocked you on top of him, though you caught yourself enough to keep from headbutting his face.

You had still ended up lying on top of him, though. You held your torso up with one hand on the ground and the other on his chest. He had let out a grunt when you landed, as your hand slamming his chest knocked the wind out of him.

He gave you a crooked smile as your cheeks flamed red. “So, how’s your Sunday going?” he asked.

You chuckled as you pushed yourself to your feet. He was sad to have you leave him so soon. He so rarely got to be close to you lately. He missed being huddled next to you as you sneaked into the restricted section or up to an Ashwinder camp.

You reached a hand down to help Sebastian up, which he gladly took.

Lucan declared you the winner of the duel since you had disarmed and pinned Sebastian. “That was brilliant!” he said. The fifth-year looked up at your with stars in his eyes.

“Thanks, Lucan,” you replied with a smile.

“Maybe you could help me with the banishing charm sometime?” he asked hopefully.

You gave him an amused smile. “Sure thing! After I get patched up, though, okay?”

He gave you an enthusiastic nod before trotting off to his friends.

You and Sebastian limped off toward the Undercroft after talking with your friends and other classmates about the duel. “We’re 2 and 2 now,” Sebastian said as you entered the secret room.

You looked at him, your brow furrowed in confusion. “I think you need to check your maths on that one, Sallow,” you said.

He smirked at you like he knew something you didn’t. “I don’t think so,” he replied. He leaned in so close to you that his lips were nearly brushing your ear. “Anytime you’re on top of me, it’s a win.”

His warm breath fanned over your neck, sending a shiver through you. You could feel your whole face go red. Sebastian was often a shameless flirt, and you knew it was because he loved getting a reaction out of you. He pulled his head back to observe if his words had the desired effect. He smirked as he observed your flushed cheeks.

“Do, erm, do you have a, uh, wiggenweld? I forgot to grab some before the duel,” you said, stammering as you tried to recollect your thoughts.

“Of course, I do,” he said with a grin. “Unlike you, apparently, I came prepared.” He produced two bottles of the green liquid from his robe pocket. He handed you one of them. He held his up for you to cheers. You clinked the bottles together before downing the potions.

You sighed in relief as the aches faded from your body. “Thank you. That’s much better,” you said.

He looked down at you with a worried expression. “I didn’t hurt you too badly, did I?”

You rolled your eyes. “You’re the one who went flying into the wall and got dragged across the floor. I should probably be asking you that,” you replied.

“I just want to be sure you’re okay,” he said sincerely.

You couldn’t help but melt a bit at the way he fretted over you. The worried look in his big, brown eyes always softened you up immediately. The way he was still standing so close to you made your knees feel like you were recovering from a jelly-legs jinx. Sebastian’s hands came to rest on your waist as he continued to stare down at you. You could see every freckle on his face in perfect detail from the proximity. Your eyes lingered for a moment on his lips. They looked soft and inviting. Sebastian noticed your gaze, and it made his breath hitch. His teeth sank into his lower lip as he looked down at you with half-lidded eyes.

“I also really want to kiss you,” he admitted.

You slapped him on the arm. “Stop joking around,” you said, rolling your eyes again. You tried to step out of his grasp, but his grip on your waist tightened as he pulled you back toward him. He brought you even closer than you had been, and you gasped a bit as your body was pulled flush against his, knocking roughly into him. You looked back up at him with a questioning expression. He liked to rile you up, but he didn’t usually hold you captive.

“I’m not joking,” he said in a husky voice. His face was so close to yours that you could feel the warmth of his breath hit your cheeks as he spoke. He brushed a stray lock of your hair back off your cheek, letting his hand come to rest on the smooth skin.

You were certain he could feel your heart pounding in your chest as it was pressed against his. You had half a mind to close the precious few centimetres between your mouths yourself, but you were still fairly certain he would pull away laughing any second now. The thought kept you from leaning into the comforting warmth of his hand on your cheek.

You just continued to stare up at him, wide-eyed and frozen in place. Your hands hung limp at your sides. It was certainly not the reaction Sebastian had expected, and he began to panic. “Merlin, I…I thought you felt the same,” he said apologetically. “I’ve misread your kindness as something more. I’m truly sorry.”

The brushes of your hand against his. The stolen glances. The lingering hugs. He had not misread any of it. He was quite right about your feelings toward him. You snapped out of your daze as he began to pull away from you with his gaze lowered to the floor. Your hand bolted up to pull his back to your cheek.

His eyes met yours again as he gave you the questioning look this time.

“Ask me,” you whispered as you stroked your thumb over the back of his hand.

His confusion deepened for a moment before his eyebrows raised in realization. His tongue ran over his lips, leaving behind an enticing sheen on the pink skin. His gaze was intense when you met his eyes once again. It was as if he could see into your mind – or perhaps your heart. His voice was gruff when he spoke up. “May I kiss you?”

“Yes,” you breathed out.

He leaned in slowly, using his hand still on your cheek to guide you to him as well. His lips met yours in a soft embrace, and you could neither anticipate nor prevent the small whine that left your throat. Hearing the needy noise escape your lips sent his blood rushing south. He felt feral, and he could only barely resist ravaging you right then. He had wanted this for so long. He could hardly believe it was finally happening.

His kisses turned hard and desperate as he moaned against your lips. His grip on your hip was bruising as he backed you up against one of the stone walls of the Undercroft. You clung to his back to keep yourself steady as he walked you backwards. The cold wall on your back was a stark contrast to the heat radiating off the man pressed against you.

The kiss was dizzying, though that could have been from how long it had been since you had taken a breath. Sebastian broke the kiss to focus his attention on your jaw. You gasped the cool air of the underground room into your lungs. He continued to trail to kisses along your jaw and then down the side of your neck, nuzzling into your silky skin as he went. He found a particularly sensitive spot above your collar bone, having tugged your shirt out of his way, and you let out an unhindered moan at the pleasure his lips were giving you.

He moaned back at you as he ground his hips into yours. His hands had begun roaming over your body, running up and down your arms and over your back and hips. “Merlin, you sound obscene, love,” he rasped. “It’s quite sexy.”

You couldn’t help but chuckle. “I could tell,” you quipped before bucking your hips up against his, pressing your core to his very obvious erection.

He whimpered at the friction. “You’re playing a dangerous game, darling,” he warned, sliding his hands down over your arse and pulling you tighter against him.

You gasped as his length pressed harder against you.

Sebastian quickly pulled back to look at you. ���Are you all right? Did…did I hurt you?” he asked nervously. Despite all the dangerous places he had dragged you, he was always concerned about hurting you. It was a bit ironic, though you still found it sweet.

“I’m fine,” you assured him, bringing a hand to his cheek to sooth him. “It felt, um, quite good, actually.” The burning heat of embarrassment had returned to your cheeks.

Sebastian smiled meekly. “I like making you feel good,” he said, stepping closer to you again. He wrapped his arms around you and held you against him. “I never want to hurt you again.”

“You didn’t hurt me, Sebastian. Really,” you insisted.

Sebastian stared down at the floor as he spoke. “I did, though…” he said. “I–Not just now, but…in the Scriptorium.” He glanced at you as if begging you not to make him elaborate further.

“Sebastian,” you said softly. “That was years ago. And we were in dire circumstances. I’ve never held that against you. You even offered to take the curse yourself, but you know Ominis and I didn’t want to cast it.”

He nodded but didn’t reply. A few tears had started slipping down his cheeks.

“Oh, Seb,” you said, doing your best to wipe them away. They had started falling more quickly.

“I’m still so sorry,” he said in a broken voice before clinging to you tightly. You embraced him just as tightly in return. “I caused you so much pain, and I don’t deserve your friendship, let alone your affections.”

“Even if you believe that, surely you can see that you’re not the same person you were two years ago,” you said. You rubbed your hand up and down his back in an attempt to sooth him. He only sobbed harder, though.

He held onto you like his life depended on it. His grip was on the verge of making it difficult to breathe, but you wouldn’t dare complain. Sebastian had buried his face in the side of your neck, repeatedly muttering apologies into your skin. You assured him that he was forgiven.

After a few minutes, he settled down. He pulled back just enough to wipe his face with his robe sleeves. “I’m sorry for sobbing like a child,” he said as he dried your neck with his sleeve as well. He still wouldn’t look you in the eye, focusing on where he kept dabbing his sleeve to your now-dry neck instead.

You held his face in both of your hands and gently turned it towards you. He finally looked at you, and you could see the sadness in his deep brown eyes. “You are my most loyal friend, and you have done far more for me than would’ve been necessary to make up for whatever pain you caused in the past. I’m grateful for every day I have you in my life, because you make it better. I don’t hold the Scriptorium against you, nor do I judge you for caring about it now. The very fact that you’re so bothered by the pain you caused proves you’re a different man now. There’s no need to apologize for that.”

Sebastian pulled you back into a kiss. It was just as desperate as you had left off, though it was a different kind of desperation now. It was a kind that begged you never to leave him. You slid your hands from his cheeks to tangle in his hair. The feeling of his soft lips pressed hard against yours made you wonder how you’d gone so long without it. “I love you,” he breathed between urgent kisses.

The words made a hot desire spread through your body. Your hands gripped him more frantically, pulling at his robes and hair to bring him any bit closer to you that you could. “I love you, too,” you said, breaking the kiss only just long enough to get the words out before diving back in. You trapped his lower lip between your teeth, tugging it forward gently.

Sebastian let out a moan at the feeling. He had you pinned against the wall with his body as he kissed you deeper still, sliding his tongue past your lips to lick into your mouth. His leg was pressed firmly between yours, furthering your arousal. You were both moaning messes as your tongues met and your hands groped over each other, grasping everywhere you could reach.

You were so lost in each other that the rest of the world had ceased to exist in your minds. As such, the sound of the gate rattling open had you jumping out of your skin as fear prickled up your spine. Sebastian had leapt off of you, spinning around to face the entrance. He had whipped his wand out before he recalled where he was and the fact that there could only be one person entering the space.

“Good evening,” Ominis said casually as he strode into the Undercroft. He could hear you and Sebastian panting to catch your breath, though that wasn’t exactly surprising. “Did Sebastian challenge you to a rematch already?”

The amusement was clear in Ominis’s voice.

“What?” you asked, still feeling dazed.

Ominis furrowed his brow. He stood facing you, but he was still standing on the other side of the room. “Were you not…What are you doing down here?”

“We were snogging,” Sebastian stated, drawing out the ‘s’ as he panicked in vain to find a different word.

You sent a death glare toward him.

He shrugged. “I couldn’t think of another word,” he whispered to you.

You rolled your eyes at him. “Idiot,” you grumbled. “He meant that we were snog…ging.”

Sebastian gave you a smug look.

“You’re right. It is hard to think of another word,” you admitted.

Ominis shook his head at the both of you. “Well, if you two are quite finished, we’re supposed to work at the greenhouses together this afternoon.”

“Right. Sorry, Ominis, I totally forgot about that!” you said.

“I wonder why,” he said sarcastically. “But I’m glad you morons finally admitted your feelings for each other. You’ve no idea how painful it was waiting for either of you to come to your senses.”

You were too embarrassed to sass him back for calling you a moron. Ominis turned to leave the Undercroft, and you and Sebastian followed behind. Sebastian caught your hand and leaned in to whisper in your ear. “Don’t think I’m done with you yet.”

“Please try to behave until I don’t have to listen to you, Sebastian,” Ominis said in an exasperated tone, making the two of you blush. Sebastian still winked at you before pulling you along toward the greenhouses.

[sugar-coated-prat-dragon]

Title: Arthur was in the dungeon for hours, before Gwen arrived to retrieve the flower for the antidote🥀

Episode: "The Poisoned Chalice" questions #3

Questions by @tansyuduri

Tagging: @miyriu

Books used for reference: Potions and Poison, The Poisoned Chalice, Sword and Sorcery and Merlin Complete Guide

Question: Uther: “Gaius says? That’s exactly what makes it so!”

Is Uther’s attitude meant to imply that he doesn’t trust the psychian’s opinion because of the hand he played in suggesting using the old religion to give Uther a son?

If so, why would Uther forgive him? The only thing I can think is if Gaius talked about how magic had tricked him and gave Uther something else to blame?

My answer: Actually, the books makes it clear that Gaius warned Uther that no good would come of using witchcraft at Arthur's birth and Uther acknowledges that. He decided to go through with it regardless.

In the aftermath, the pact of silence on their parts about the details of the magical pact. only brought the king and the physician closer together, because of their shared secret.

I think the reason for Uther’s harsh words in the episode are simply because only nobles have worth in the kings eyes and while Gaius is generally well-regarded, despite his lower rank… Uther often shows little faith in him.

“Uther shows little faith in his physician - although he later apologizes for the betrayal” (Source: Merlin complete Guide)

Book description:

- BEFORE THE PURGE: Once Gaius was a sorcerer and a friend to sorcerers - as Uther is aware. It was due to his magical knowledge that Gaius was chosen to negotiate with the sorceress Nimueh to arrange an heir for Uther.

This pact not only brought the king and the physician together, the shared secret bound them to each other for ever.

NOBILITY: To Uther, only nobles have any worth.

Those of lesser rank may become well regarded - Gaius, for example - but their fortune is entirely dependent on the king's whims.

Uther shows little faith in his physician, accepting the word of the stranger Edwin Muirden that Gaius is incompetent - although he later apologizes for the betrayal.

- 'I should have listened to you. You said that no good would come of using witchcraft at Arthur's birth.'

Gaius was in no mood to argue with the king over things long since past. 'You wanted an heir, he said. 'You thought it was the only way.'

Both physician and king fell silent, thinking of that terrible time.

Question: Gwen: “HE'S STOPPED BREATHING”

Oh look our first hint Merlin is immortal. I find his brand of immortality intersting. HE CAN DIE.. then he just comes back after a bit?

My answer: It’s funny because when I first watched this episode, I legitimately didn’t even consider that Merlin had died and come back. I thought Gaius had simply been mistaken.

It wasn’t until after reading the books that it became crystal clear that Merlin had died not only in this episode, but both times he was hit by the Sidhe staff blasts. (S1:E7 and S1:E12)

Both books back it clear that not only did Gaius literally bend down and try to listen for a heartbeat. He tried his hardest to detect the faintest sound of a heartbeat or hint of movement, only to hear nothing and recognize that his charge was dead.

Book description:

The doctor put his ear to Merlin's chest, listening for a heartbeat, trying to detect the faintest sound or hint of movement.

There was nothing, and Gaius suddenly felt like an old, old man. 'His heart has stopped.'

'He's dead?' Gwen's voice was dull with shock.

- An age passed, it seemed, and Gaius worried that it was altogether too silent. Merlin's head rested far too still on the pillow.

There were no croaking gasps. Nothing.

'His heart has stopped.. He let his words tail off as he stood back, not wanting Gwen to hear the telltale cracks in his voice.

- Gaius retreated another step from the bed. He had no answers to give her. He couldn't tell her the truth, not when he wanted to believe the lie himself.

But destiny amounted to nothing; he couldn't argue with the evidence of his own eyes. He had failed the boy. Merlin was dead.

Thought: Merlin’s death after being given the poison remedy was rather quick?

My answer: Merlin lasted much longer against the flowers poison then was shown on screen.

The book mentions that Arthur had returned hours before Gwen was able to grab food in a desperate attempt to see him and sneak down to the dungeon’s masquerading as the servant who would bring him food.

Gwen also felt guilty about the time she spent taking detours in the corridors in order to evade the guards as she was chased.

Merlin held out for hours after Arthur returned with the antidote (Uther kept his son in that cell for.. Far too long) and after he’d already drained a lot of energy summoning his magic to protect the prince from a great distance.

That’s really incredible if you think about it.

He held out as long as he could before dying.

Good thing he’s immortal.

Book description:

News of Arthur's return had reached them some hours ago, as Gwen - on one of her errands - had overheard the guards talking.

- Arthur had no real idea of how much time he had waited, but he was starting to count the paces as he moved around in his cell. And that meant it had been too long already.

Far too long.

- 'It's my fault,' she concluded mournfully. 'If I'd got here sooner.' She relived her flight through the corridors.

All those stupid detours as she'd sought to evade the guards. 'If I'd been quicker..'

- Finally Merlin fell quiet. His head sank back onto the pillow and he lay still. His breathing, though, was ragged and far too rapid.

Gaius watched as the light in the centre of the blue ball faded. And then the sphere itself disappeared, leaving Merlin's upturned palm lying empty on the sheet.

Whatever the globe's specific purpose, it seemed its job was done.

The boy was spent, overcome with exhaustion. His complexion was paler, the grey around his eyes deeper than ever. The fight, as Gaius had feared, had taken a severe toll.

Just as the light had faded, so Merlin was fading now.

Gaius' hopes were fast following suit.

[edogawautism]

i remember when i first watched s1 e12 of bsd, I thought mori was just some random doctor who cared about his daughter and didn't have any relevance to the plot or anything

[dragontamerno3]

DS9 S1 E12-15

I have been sorta nursing my health for the last couple of days as I've had some pretty bad pain days and didn't really feel up to giving a full recap as I watched something. I'm still feeling crappy so this may continue for the foreseeable future. Yay chronic illnesses... Anywhoo on to the recaps.

E12 - Vortex

This is another Odo episode. Was kinda expecting to just blank out and let this one pass without much thought, but I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't particularly like it, but it had some good moments. Up to this point there didn't seem to be much to him besides "security dude" but getting to see that even he has temptations was a nice touch for character development. There are potential clues on who/what he might be in it but ultimately I knew it was too early for him to get to meet his people so I was curious to see where it actually led. When he ultimately let the dude and his daughter escape by letting the Vulcans take them to safety was really where the episode changes for me. That's literally at the end so it doesn't do much but change my star rating on it but it let me see that Odo has a heart and I look forward to seeing more of softy Odo. If he truly is a grump with a heart of goo (this is a pun laugh with me) then I might actually come to like Odo.

6/10

E13 Battle Lines

Typical "two sides have been fighting for centuries and refuse to stop story." While I agree with Sisko's decision not to let Bashir change the "coding" of whatever was keeping those folks alive after dying over and over again, I was on the side of ending it until Shel-la (I think) said he'd use it to win the war finally.

I felt bad for Kira when the Kai died and when it became clear that she couldn't leave again because of it. Kira's reaction was pretty much how I would have (at least in the sense of "Why aren't you DOING something") and she's growing to be the fiesty Kira I know and love.

5/10

E14 The Storyteller

This one had me laughing probably more than I should have been but I had a fun ride on this one. I in no way thought this one was a "good" episode but seeing Miles in any uncomfortable situation like this is generally worth my time. I know that Bashir and Miles become friends at some point but seeing them have this awkward interaction at the beginning, the pulling of teeth to make Miles socialize with anyone let alone a chatty Bashir, and then the bait and switch on the surface. Chefs kiss. Bashir also had too much fun laughing at him. lol

I don't have much to say about the plot itself, it was okay. I do enjoy a "we created our own monster" story, though generally its also tied to a "this person is a monster" character so it was interesting to see it manifest as a storm like thing.

6/10 for the giggles

E15 Progress

I really like this episode but I don't like how it ended. To me, it doesn't fit with the Kira that we've met so far. This is the first time that I could see the Ro Laren skeleton to Kira's character design cause I could see Ro doing the same things.

Having her, of all the crew, touch down on the surface and run into (at least) 3 folks trying to live their lives away from the pain of what the Cardassians did to them, was the perfect set up for this. Everyone else would have fought them harder or would have taken them without their permission within minutes. And then when the old man gets hurt and she stays to nurse him back to health for a while, it really felt like she was settling back into the Bajorian refugee type where they all help each other no matter what their title was. It was really touching and beautifully set up.

What I don't agree with is what happened after Sisko reminds her that while it's okay to be conflicted but it's not okay to get stuck, she decides that she is going to drag this man away from his home unwillingly. Yes, if she left him there he *probably* wouldn't have survived and yes she had a job to do, I'm aware of all of this and even accept that these are the reasons she acted the way she did. But I feel like war exhausted Kira would throw all she had at him and still let him decide his own fate, given how much the Cardassians had ruled over them. I feel like he should have been allowed to choose where he wanted to die and it felt out of character that Kira didn't agree.

With that said! The idea that she helped him finish building a few things or fixing things up and then she turned around to burn it all down was a pretty dramatic touch that I didn't see her doing. It was a very powerful ending.

7/10

[elvisflowerchild]

something that is so cute and underrated moment with scooby doo and the gang in mystery inc is when (in s1 e12) the monster is attacking people in the vegan place, the gang immediately goes and finds each other to make sure they're safe.

isn't that sweet?

like their first thought is to grab everyone and then run away from the monster.

[hotpocketcasserole]

X Files Season One

It's like 1 in the morning and I got work tomorrow so I'm gonna just go ahead and get some thoughts out about the season.

I first watched this in the mid 00's when dvds were becoming more popular. It started with reading the book series at my school library. I couldn't catch them on tv but I could save up my allowance and buy the dvd sets on the military base where my dad worked. They cost so fucking much, I think they were like 90 bucks per season. But I did a paper route and saved up what I could to buy at least three seasons. And I watched the absolute shit out of those dvds. I still got them on my shelf.

My husband and I started watching them again on Hulu and while I do miss the feeling of popping in a dvd, going through the menu and listening to the music and watching the special features that came with it, being able to stream the entire 9 (original) seasons is so convenient. Except when it fucking lags but w/e.

I thought the first season was a little shaky for a few episodes but like a newborn horse it found it's footing very quickly. Mulder and Scully always felt like a natural partnership to me. I never really thought of them as romantic despite it sometimes being hinted or implied. Maybe it's my young gay ass but I thought they were better as two workmates that work well with one another, keeping the other in line. Scully tries to keep Mulder grounded in reality while Mulder encourages Scully to be more open to the possibility of the extraordinary. I'm not gonna rank all the episodes but I will mention a few notable ones. Best episode: S1 E13 - Beyond the Sea

Easily one of the best episodes ever. Scully is given more space to grow as a character, we learn more of her faith and her family, and is a rare episode where Scully plays the believer while Mulder is the skeptic. Brad Dourif is absolutely amazing in every scene he's in. Great Episodes:

S1 E3 / E21 - Squeeze and Tooms Tooms is such a frightening villain. And introduced so early, right after two ufo episodes. The first Monster-of-the-Week. S1 E1 - Pilot Classic episode. Some wooden acting but an absolutely classic pilot episode to jumpstart the series.

Do you think I'm spooky?

S1 E12 - Fire Crowley from Supernatural plays a fantastic villain with pyrokinesis targeting wealthy British families. Terrific episode

S1 E4 - Conduit I loved the part where the sequences of binary numbers that the kid wrote out put together formed the face of the kidnapped woman.

S1 E20 - Darkness Falls I remember reading the book version of this and loving it so much. Like the episodes Ice and Firewalker, Mulder and Scully head out into the wilderness to investigate and are met with forces beyond their understanding. Love those kinds of episodes. In this case, it was glowing gnats that sucked people dry.

S1 E2 - Deep Throat Hey, Seth Green was in this one! Mulder and Scully go hunting for experimental aircrafts and ufos. That's always a fun time. I prefer Monster of the Week episodes generally but the alien subplot is very engaging.

Bad Episodes:

S1 E5 - Jersey Devil A boring episode. Spoilers, it was a feral woman who lived in the woods.

S1 E7 - Ghost in the Machine I used to like this episode as a kid but now it's just kinda cheesy. The AI would have been just slightly more believable if they didn't make it say "Program Deleted" after killing a dude.

S1 E9 - Space Boooooooring.

The Worst Episode: S1 E14 - Yeah, that one There really isn't much to talk about with this one. It's pretty transphobic. And the ending was awful. Like, it implied that they were aliens or something? I'm more than happy to write this off as non canon.

Anyway, my husband and I are now a few episodes into season two. Season one is a classic. It has some hit and miss moments, some very forgettable episodes, but it also helped establish the characters and really set the tone for the series. I can tell right off the bat that the success of this series led to a higher budget for season two and a lot more risky moments.

Season one will always have a special place in my heart for just how nostalgic it is.