#to me s6 is a big example of them just absolutely

[littlerosetrove]

CRITICAL THOUGHTS INCOMING

If the writers never make Buddie canon, I honestly think it’ll be a big disappointment and a dumb decision. Let me explain. 

If the writers decide to keep Buck and Eddie with either A) Natalia and Marisol or B) some other women down the line, either case is, TO ME, uninteresting and boring. And frankly a disservice to the characters of Buck and Eddie. 

Look, I already don’t have that much faith in the writers to - again if they decide to keep Marisol and Natalia around - make these two interesting, just for starters. History, aka canon, shows that the writers and powers that be don’t have much interest in making any love interest for Buck or Eddie interesting or particularly compelling. 

Abby is an exception because she was a main character in season one. Shannon in her own way is an exception too, despite being a temporary side character. 

TK, I guess, would be considered the second best “developed” character/love interest. But good god, at what cost? We effectively had to sit with TK for a season and a half to have it drilled into us that she’s selfish, career driven (in a bad way), struggles to be nice or have sympathy for others in any capacity, has unresolved daddy issues that she refuses to work on, and is an overall bitch. Wow, so glad we had to witness this for a season and a half. Oh and, no, TK may be a shitty person, but I didn’t find her to be all that interesting. (the actress was mediocre too, so that didn’t help matters)

Ali had a little sass to her and couldn’t handle the reality of Buck’s job (which is fine. it’s good she recognized they weren’t compatible). Not much else to her. Ana was a teacher, low key ableist, “nice,” and... fuck if I know what else. She was there and, to me, she was uninteresting. 

Marisol hasn’t even been set up in any way beyond us, the audience, knowing that Eddie met her on a call, she pointed out the right glue in front of Eddie’s face, and she does DIY. At best she’s a one dimensional character right now. 

Natalia is also, at present, pretty one dimensional as well. We only know her profession, but we’ve been given nothing else of substance to understand really why she has done or said anything in the show. We were shown she’s uncomfortable with Buck and his life, so she left, but came back because???? Natalia says she likes Buck, but we haven’t been shown why she does beyond her initial intrigue with his death. Her character already has a weird and rocky start, so.... Good luck to the writers.

Whether the writers decide to keep Natalia and Marisol and make them endgame, or bring in two new love interests at some point, I simply don’t have faith that the writers will make them good, compelling, and even somewhat decently developed characters. Yes I get that this show is a first responders show, and so that’s their focus, but my gosh if they can make interesting characters out of the people on their calls (not always, but sometimes), then why can’t they make the love interests for Main Characters interesting and fun to watch?????

The writers honestly wrote themselves into a corner making Buck and Eddie so incredibly stellar as an obvious romantic pairing. They WROTE these two as always having each others backs, always supporting each other, having fun together, being silly together, understanding each other on such a deep level truly no one else compares, loving each other, being protective of each other, having fantastic chemistry (that’s on the actors), and on and on. They WROTE these two as, truly, being perfect for one another in every way. 

I really do think it will be such a bizarre and dumb decision to, potentially, never make Buck and Eddie canon. 

I will also say that, for me, even if whatever LI Buck and Eddie end up with (that’s not each other) are developed well or even decently, I know I still won’t care about them. Why? Because again I already know Buck and Eddie are perfect for each other, so no one can compare. 

Yes I’m a big Buddie shipper. I also recognize there are definitely people out there that easily accept simple (underdeveloped in my eyes) characters like Ali or Ana or Marisol, etc. I get that people will go with the flow of, “Buck/Eddie seem happy with this person, so that’s good enough for me.” I get that. But I’m not one of them, and definitely not for characters like Buck and Eddie who I think deserve better than poorly developed love interests. Like gd, am I really asking that much of the writers to do better when I know they have it in them? 

In relation to all this I’ve stated in other posts that I don’t really care for Marisol or Natalia, and I don’t have to. I’m allowed to say “yeah I don’t really care for this character” without there being some deep and/or terrible reasoning behind it. I also don’t have to like specific storylines for characters. As this post indicates, I don’t care for the current romantic storylines of Eddie and Buck, but especially Buck (we’ve seen this movie four gd times already). If someone likes it in any way, that’s totally cool. You feel how you feel. 

I doubt I’ll have anyone coming onto my post debating me about this, but just in case? Please don’t bother. I don’t care that the likelihood of Buck and Natalia lasting are probably low. Same with Eddie and Marisol. I just don’t care because I don’t care for these storylines. I’m not looking forward to seeing more of either of these storylines, no matter how long or short they last. 

EDIT: Also? Holy shit I'm also just tired of Buck and Eddie being paired off with unmemorable and forgettable people. The most “memorable” one would probably be TK, but only because she’s such a bitch, and yet still uninteresting. 

TL;DR? I want better for Buck and Eddie. Letting them get together and be together romantically is, I think, the best and logical decision for these characters. 

[theawkwardanglophile]

What are your top 5 episodes??

I should have seen this coming! 😂 Thanks for the ask, Sarah, and I’m sorry I didn’t get this out sooner. My brain was mush the past couple of days and I wanted to give this my full attention when I made my decisions. And, man, I DELIBERATED on this! My criteria were episodes that were Chenford-heavy, so some eps that have like one big amazing Chenford scene (4x18 for example) were left out. And I'm sure this might change at some point, but I feel pretty good about where everything landed for now. So here we go….

5x12 Death Notice This ep just has EVERYTHING: the end of their era of riding together, being flirty at work, ridiculous married vibes (the lint picking??), LUCY LESSON (how did it take them 5 years to come up with the greatest term to counter Tim Tests? Bring back Lucy Lessons in S6!), the lengths they both will go to for each other, Tim's talk with Grey, and of course, NAKED TIME. And that doesn't even cover all of it. I just love it to pieces.

5x10 The List The absolute high this episode gave me, after a full month of bliss already with them being canon. The most delicious rom-commy cold open that I could have hoped for, trying on their entire closets and then being so painfully, adorably awkward on their date. Then Tim and Lucy being ANYTHING but subtle at work, which is just so hilarious considering they can be so stealthy when needed on the job, but trying to hide their relationship? Umm, y'all weren't fooling anyone. Maybe Nolan. And the precious first/second date at the end. The GRANDKIDS, the SMILES, the KISS. Perfection!

4x09 Breakdown An Eric Winter master performance. I just wanted to hug Tim throughout the ep. Luckily, Lucy was there for that job, and what a hug it was! Tim lets go completely and sinks into her, all his walls down. He felt so safe with her. I love how her opinion of him means everything, and she was quick to offer reassurance (I truly believe her words in 4x08 were just a slip of the tongue). But I also love how Lucy is just doing life with Tim, the things that matter. Where was Ashley, hmmm? It's Lucy that's there helping with such a significant job of remodeling Tim's childhood house, and doing some wonderful future sister-in-law bonding with Genny. Also, Tim and Lucy power-walking through the station in plain clothes? A VIBE.

4x12 The Knock The most insane double date ever? My gosh, this ep has so much fun stuff in it, so many little details, that even though Lucy started dating Chris, and Ashley decided to turn a blind eye and continue dating Tim, after watching this I had never been more convinced that Chenford was endgame. Every part of the double date is gold, and Tim and Lucy's scenes on the job beautifully showcase how seamlessly they work together (and their total lack of personal space). LOVE IT.

2x13 Follow-Up Day This ep was an early fave, and still holds a special place. TIM GAVE UP A PROMOTION FOR LUCY. Way before Court Liaison there was THIS. Lucy is his biggest cheerleader this whole ep (and, you know, always), and Grey's knowing looks during the test score scene is *chef's kiss*. And the scene outside the bakery is everything. Their faces say so much! They were being such flirts in S2, to the point that I originally wondered if they might actually start something later that season. THAT'S how powerful that scene was.

Honorable mentions:

2x11 Day of Death I know, I know, and part of me feels like it should be in the top five. I mean, it is without a doubt one of the best episodes, if not the best, they ever made. It's so powerful, and was the turning point in my shipping, because I'd only been mildly intrigued by Chenford in a few S2 eps, but DOD cemented me as a full-fledged shipper (little did I know it would become my best shipping experience of all time). But it can be a hard one to watch, and I just love those others a tiny bit more.

5x08 The Collar There are so many moments to love in this ep. It truly changed everything with Tim and Lucy, and the more I've seen their talk outside at the end, the more it grows on me. It really is so them. Even though they become CANON in this one, I think because there is so much clueless Chris, and the tough scene with the first bomb victim, it just didn't quite make it to the top 5.

3x09 Amber Anyone who was around when this aired knows we all lost our minds pretty good with this ep. It grew on me more and more over time, and I love it so much. The whole confession scene still might be the longest uncut Chenford scene...ever? Just them talking in the shop. It's insanely wonderful! And this ep gave us Parking Garage Face and the beginning of a brand new chapter with Tim and Lucy.

5x01 Double Down Editing to add this one, because I started questioning everything, and it did NOT feel right to leave this one out. What a fantastic collection of moments. The airplane kiss is top tier, HANDS, the gorgeous shots of them in the car in Vegas, it doesn't feel like pretend, etc. And even though I'm so glad they didn't cheat, I'll never be over the fact SHE OPENED THE DOOR FOR HIM AND HE WENT IN.

[all-pacas]

How does dean Cameron in S8 react to the stabbing?

dfgdfg

a) Furious with House. Not just for "I'm your boss now" reasons, but all the leftover s6 "fuck you in particular" anger and blame, now with the convenient excuse of i'm your boss now.

b) Cameron as House's boss would be an interesting mess in itself, i think. I don't think he'd respect her less (or more) than Foreman, but it would certainly be interesting for her. Cameron has always been ambitious, she's always been ready to push and prod and fight. she's a big defender of House, she excuses his behavior in early seasons, tries to white knight him in S3, takes a pretty obvious pride in being a House whisperer/expert advisor to the new team (right or wrong). If Foreman wants the world to know he's the smartest and most capable, Cameron wants to be the one who knows best, knows House, has ethics and morals and is the one who does the Right Thing. Part of this is because she is genuinely a deeply compassionate and ethical person! (We see for example how much she struggles in Informed Consent/The Tyrant, where there are no good options — she wants to opt out entirely. and cannot.) Part of this is that i think this is Cameron's version of an ego trip. She's a fixer. She's a caretaker. As much as she defends and fights for House, it tends to be based on her perceptions of his needs more than his actual needs/desires (remind me to talk about her in s3). She likes to be the one who helps. She calls him out on his cynicism and is often quite good at seeing through House's bullshit and into his empathy; she wants him to do that more.

but dean Cameron? We already see in S5 that she struggles to rein him in, that even she thinks only Cuddy is able to hit that balance of "enabling House without him directly disobeying her." I think she'd be perfectly capable of being Dean and generally holding House in check, although I think she'd probably struggle with the antagonism — House is much less tolerate of his boss arguing with him than he is of his employees. House respects Cuddy, even if he thinks she's a bad doctor. He has always respected Foreman, even if he thinks Foreman is obviously beneath them. And I don't think House disrespects Cameron, but… it's a different dynamic. She apologizes for him and defends him a lot more than Cuddy does, even when House doesn't want or require her to. And throw in the post-S6 of it all, Cameron still blaming him for Dibala… I think they would be kind of intense, and not in a good way. Cameron doesn't just want to be right because that's what Cameron does, she wants to show House up and be right because House enables murder and ruined her marriage.

c) So the stabbing happens. And first of all she's horrified and upset for all the usual reasons: she still cares about Chase because she doesn't let go of things, etc. But also this is totally House's fault. This is absolutely House's fault. First he made Chase a murderer, then he got Chase stabbed. And now Cameron has power, right? She's in charge. She's the boss. It's not up for debate. House fucked up, and House needs to be punished. And Chase probably doesn't go along, and it's just an incredible mess.

[zmediaoutlet]

10 and/or 13? 🥂

[clink] I am now having a bev so it's officially a wine party, altho technically I am having a... nitro oatmeal stout party. So!

10. Most disliked arc? Why?

Dean getting possessed by Michael, because it didn't matter at fucking all. For the culmination of a 7 year long slow-burn thing it sure came off as a shart in silk boxers, huh?

I'm not one of these people who needs there to be long-form emotional fallout conversations for every bad thing that happens to the Winchesters -- in fact I hate that, haha, 'voicemail fix-it' fics can really thoroughly miss me -- but when truly intense things happen, there needs to be some sense that there's been a ripple in both the plot and emotional landscapes of the show, to indicate that it did happen and that it was a big deal. Sam having to go back to the cage to talk to Lucifer in s11 is a good example of this. He was having those visions; his faith in god is betrayed once more; he's confronted with his ultimate enemy (and tells him to go fuck himself -- Sam, you're so goddamn cool); he does escape, but spends a full episode afterward kind of fucked up about it; then, the fact that he met Lucifer has plot ramifications as Casifer is now escaped and wreaking various kinds of havoc.

Dean finally getting possessed should've had similar weight, and it was just... nothing. The 'monster army' that Michael was allegedly inventing went nowhere. Michael de-possessing Dean and letting him loose as an open door in the bunker meant nothing, because the hunterettes had zero reaction (because they weren't people). The victims that Michael killed were those same hunterettes, NPCs at best, and I couldn't even believe that Sam gave a shit about them, much less the audience caring about them. The episode where we got to hang out inside Dean's head was boring and told us nothing new. Dean shows absolutely zero repercussions after having been possessed, and in fact the only follow-up was Sam angsting about the aforesaid boring-ass hunterettes. Following up, the only plot effect of Michael being around at all is that Jack slorps him up like a yummy snack, and Jack could've gotten angel grace from aaaaaanyone, so it didn't actually matter at all, did it?

To put it lightly: what the fuck? For what should have been a plot arc on the same level of drama and complexity as s5/s6, it was nothing. Plus I had to look at Jensen wearing that stupid hat. I was steamed, I tell you. Steamed!

[agenericplaceholdername]

I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out how DR's side characters might differ from the original show. I think what it might be is that most Ninjago seasons followed a pattern of introducing a side character relatively early on as a (potential) Ninja ally and then having them work with the Ninja/help one of them with their character arc/have an arc themselves and are present throughout the rest of the season. Lloyd in S1, Misako in the latter half of S2, PIXAL in S3, Skylor in S4, Ronin in S5, Harumi in S8 (until the twist), Faith in S9, Garmadon in S10, Akita in the Ice Chapter, Vania in S13, Twitchy Tim in The Island, and Bentho in S14. Interestingly, the seasons that didn't do this -- S6, S7, the Fire Chapter, S12, and S15 -- all tend to be seen as worse seasons. Granted, that's for other reasons in all these cases, and they're not necessarily worse, but it's just something interesting.

Dragons Rising S1 doesn't do this, probably because it's trying to establish new characters. The roster of recurring characters is larger that Lloyd, Arin, and Sora, but I don't think you can call Kai, Nya, Zane, and Wyldfyre side characters in the same way as these previous examples are. Being a ninja seems to inoculate characters from side character status. The real side characters are Euphrasia, Percival, Frohicky, Arrakore, and Geo. All of them have their own character stories and arcs, but Euphrasia, Arrakore, and Geo are all one episode wonders and don't reappear in the season.

On the other hand, Dragons Rising S2 does follow the original side character route for the most part, as long as you treat the two parts of the season separately (which is how they come off anyway). Rontu, Egalt, Bonzle, Gandalaria, Roby, and Frak all fall into the mold of characters that follow along with the Ninja for a prolonged period of time. The difference is, only Egalt and Frak really have character arcs. Bonzle has a ton of character development but I wouldn't really call it an arc.

So if a character needs to feature in multiple episodes and have an arc, then DR just has Frohicky, Percival, Egalt, and Frak over the course of 40 episodes. Personally, I like a lot of the DR side characters, regardless of their smaller screen time. Meeting Euphrasia and Arrakore is important for Sora's arc in S1, Geo's just a solid guy who helps Sora and Cole's characters, I think the Rontu/Egalt dichotomy is fun, Bonzle is a solid character and I really like the Wyldfyre & Egalt stuff. Interested to see more of Frak. That being said, how side characters function structurally in DR is definitely different than the original show, and maybe it's harder to have strong thoughts on characters who are less present or don't have arcs. Would love to hear your thoughts on some of the reoccurring side villains -- Dorama, Rapton, Cinder, Jordana. Personally super interested in Jordana's story post-S2.

The mini-cliffhangers seem like they're written for a version of DR that releases weekly. I do not understand why they exist in a show that drops in batches on Netflix. And even when Ninjago released weekly I don't think episodes ended like this so who knows.

I think we just disagree on Sora's story in S1. Is it cliche? Absolutely. Is it boring, messy, and not cohesive? Didn't come off that way to me. I think there's a pretty clear through line of her being pessimistic, not accepting she has powers, messing up and not wanting to use them, and then from E5 onward learning to be more optimistic and accepting the responsibility of her powers. She still has underlying trauma related to her childhood in Imperium and thinks of herself as unworthy and "broken," something the final stretch of S1 resolves when she fights Dr. LaRow, brings down Beatrix's regime, and stands up to her parents. I'm a big fan.

Lloyd's S2 arc is definitely worse, but I don't think the idea of intrusive visions as an allegory for anxiety is inherently wrong, especially when those visions are explicitly stated to not necessarily come true (and they don't -- from subtle differences to Lloyd just not losing to Zeatrix as he thought he would). There is development there -- how Lloyd handles stress is different by the end of S2. It does fall into the category of "well-intentioned but flawed" that a lot of Ninjago stories do though.

We haven't talked about Arin's character, but I think the longer story arcs really help him because you get this slow burn as things just pile up. The scene with everyone using their elemental powered grappling hooks while he watches? Love it. They do repeat some points a little too much but the steady loss of trust in the Ninja is tragic. Obviously they still could mess it up but I like what we've got so far.

It's totally fair to care more about the Merge than the characters. I just think that when it comes to storytelling promises that were kept/broken, the story is just not designed to go into the details of the nature of the Merge. The story about Imperium isn't a distraction from the "real story," it is the real story. Where the Merge sent people and why it happened is a good question, but we don't spend enough time on it that it seems like there's story setup that is unnecessarily dragged out. It's just something to keep in mind in the background. Instead, we focus on how the Merge impacted the characters that are still around -- Lloyd, Arin, and Sora (and later the bulk of the original crew + Wyldfyre). We'll get to the full merge lore stuff in a season (or four) so if it's not a satisfying explanation, that'll be really disappointing, but for now I can wait.

You're right that most of the Oni Trilogy "plot holes" are small questions -- I wouldn't call them plot holes because they're not necessarily contradicting anything -- but "what happened to the Oni" is an important question Hunted asks and we never get the answer beyond Garmadon's allusion to a darkness in the Departed Realm. I guess they just died then (and escaped somehow? I would say though the Realm Crystal but I doubt that can access the Departed Realm. Totally unrelated though).

I agree that most of the DR setups that have been followed through are not big questions. That was more to show that it's not like mysteries or story threads are just being piled up with no payoff.

I think whether not answering what caused the Merge is "avoiding the question" comes down to the answer and what the big picture plot of DR is. If it turns out that the Merge was part of some intricate cosmic chess game involving Ras' master, who turns out to be the big bad of DR, it'll make sense why they didn't (and couldn't) reveal it in S1 or S2. You wouldn't reveal the murderer in chapter 2 of Christie novel for the same reason. On the other hand, if it's a smaller detail (like the murder weapon), then it'll make far less sense. I agree with your Cole point 100% because in narrative the protagonists know something we don't, and if it was a big secret that we're not ready to learn, then the protagonists shouldn't know it either.

Thanks for clarifying about the tags -- still new to this so I'm trying to figure out the unspoken norms here. I agree Seabound isn't about Merlopia. It wouldn't necessarily be a better season if we learned about Kalmaar's life in school, or where Bentho came from. But S1 is about Imperium as it relates to one of our protagonists. It's not just the origin of our main antagonists -- the society itself is an antagonist, which is something we haven't seen in Ninjago before. Are technologically advanced dystopias that restrict individual expression overdone in media? Absolutely. Are they overdone in Ninjago? Not really. And it's not just copy-pasted Hunger Games -- the "mindless beasts" thing is relevant and called back well, the social ostracization of Imperium defines Sora's character and is relevant to her relationship with Jordana, the dragon hunter aesthetic is cool (though not unique to Ninjago).

I think at the end of the day, I like the character stories of DR and am therefore more inclined to look favorably on other aspects of the show and give the mysteries and lore stuff more time. Maybe the side character stuff just comes down to character vibe and not story structure. I think we probably agree on a lot of things directionally (liking Sora's S2 story and Kai and Wyldfyre's dynamic, among others, while disliking some of the writing choices and wishing they'd settle on some big mysteries while resolving some of the needless ones like Cole's journey) but I'm just slightly shifted more towards the "I like it" side of the spectrum on most points.

Okay, everyone get in the comments and let me know why you love dragons rising so that maybe I can reverse engineer why I don't-

[mean-scarlet-deceiver]

buffer bother?

it's not half as bad as people say

the opening narration is so fond of the little twin menaces; up to a point (like 25 or so seconds in) i can so easily imagine that edward is telling this story to some visitors

mavis being thrown in again to work with the twins and essentially be their minder is by far my least favorite part. i mean, i like seeing her, but i hate to see that they are locking this down as the whole of her character. #let girl characters not have to be the sensible one 2022

then again, with the new season 5 cut footage i kinda have a realisation about mavis and why the TVS did her Like That. $50 says the mavis model was one of their strongest and most reliable runners (judging by how she is used off-camera to help film the runaway trucks). her model's behavior spilled over to her TVS characterisation—she was their Really Useful clutch in filming and so it affected how they began to use her character in-story!

this sends me down a delighted reflection on how often that happens. like, daisy's model was unreliable; therefore she was used as little as they possibly could until CGI. boco's model began to get scoliosis; hence he disappears. those are the unfortunate examples but this could easily work in reverse. i am betting this is a big part of the reason why duncan, rusty, and to some extent peter sam, skarloey, and rheneas initially got so much screentime with their larger-scale models—they were probably the most reliable runners.

this sort of thing has venerable roots, as it affected how awdry wrote the series to begin with. the great western's 5700s didn't waddle, but the awdrys' pannier tank model did and therefore we got duck instead of merely montague. meanwhile his james model iirc only functioned in reverse and his henry model was super unreliable, and since he didn't have a gordon for some while the edward model generally ran all the trains on his main line set, and if you don't think all of this didn't influence his characterisations of them in the early years of the series then i have a bridge to sell you. (it totally won't take you to walney island.)

... man, i got off track

honestly, i liked bill's growl of "i still know how to biff a truck!" despite that the stories have gotten rather "younger" in S6, angelis was on an absolute roll with his narration and i love that he makes all the characters sound like adults. this is a great example. between the script and the voice acting, bill just... sounds like a real character who has spent his whole life working in clay pits... *squints* erm, quarries?

yeah, the less said about the continuity of the "quarry engines" around this era of the show the better

to be fair, S5 and S6 seemed to be doing a lot of deliberate re-working of settings and engine allocations. i'm not saying i'm wild about all their choices but i don't think it was a matter of mere carelessness.

"bust my buffers!" "i think you have." lolllll. this is a mild example in a season-long trend of the scripts subtly doing little self-owns. i really like it; (most of) season 6 has such an endearing sense of humor about itself. the way they keep making fun of their own "luckily, no one was hurt" shtick, but the joke is a little different every time... and then quips like this... it's nice. it's really very nice.

did we need to listen to bill get scolded the whole damn episode long? well yeah, it's a little tiring. on the other hand it's a great insight into what it must be like to be bill. so, y'know.

overall, nothing special. but a solid 3 out of 6 tenders.

[dontbipanicjonsa]

Did Kit suddenly lose his ability to heart-eye or is Pol!Jon actually a thing.

I'm late to the fandom but I just finished S7 and I'm having thoughts.

I'm a reader of the books, and I hadn't watched the show till now because... I suck at watching shows with hour long episodes and more than three seasons.

What made me decide to watch it was the Pol!Jon discourse I found on the Internet.

I know enough about the show to understand how unlikely and out of character this theory would seem to show watchers. At the same time, I fully believe that book!Jon would be fully capable of something like this. But also, even though I do ship Jonsa in the books, I can't deny that Jonerys is.....a big deal. Everyone expects it to happen. It's a highly anticipated pairing and....I just couldn't honestly believe Pol!Jon because it is just so against the general expectation.

So I decided to watch the show. And now I've finished season 7 and I am astounded.

Let me preface this by saying that I went into S7 already disliking Jonerys (sue me) but I still fully expected to have some serious doubts about the validity of Jonsa. I fully expected to be at least somewhat convinced of Jonerys. Even hating the idea of Jon and Danaerys together, I still expected more.

There are a number of things I would like to note here.

First, Jonerys is a romance that is told, not shown. Davos talks about Jon watching Dany's "good heart" (hehe) to tell us Jon is attracted to Dany. But then Jon immediately dismisses it- and not in a way that looks like he's deflecting. He's not only dismissing it, he's dismissive of it. His mind is not in the conversation, it is beyond the Wall.

Similarly, Tyrion says (not in those words), "yeah right, and Jon only looks at you longingly coz he wants a military alliance with you". Not sure what I'm supposed to think about that....? First, Jon doesn't look at Dany longingly at all???? Not once. Second, is this line supposed to suggest that Jon is looking at her longingly for a reason that is not desperately wanting a military alliance....? Because we already know that that's exactly what he does want. Wtf do I make of this statement?????

There are other examples, but the point remains. People keep talking about Jon and Dany being into each other, and that is what is supposed to convince us that they are into each other (well yea Dany is) but Jon gives no indication of looking at her longingly, of falling in love with her, of being intrigued by her even. He's a brick wall.

Alright, I'll concede one (1) scene where I saw legitimate attraction on his face for a second- that is the cave scene. Even there tho, it's hard to tell if he's just watching her reaction carefully or if he wants to bang her.

On the other hand, Dany shows that she is into him. Even so, when I say she's into him, I mean she's attracted to him and intrigued by him. I cannot believe she loves him.

Next, I think it's interesting that in the episode before (or was it the same episode?) Jon bends the knee, we have a number of people (Tormund, Beric) talk about stuff like- kings not bending the knee leading to people dying, knowing what's important (the fight against the dead), being the shield that guards the realm of men blah blah I don't remember the exact words. Then he sees the WW and the Army of the Dead (again) and sees a dragon die. And then, the first opportunity he gets, he bends the knee. I want to point out here that the scenes really emphasise on Jon's thinking face after every conversation he has during their little gay party beyond the Wall. They focus on the look on his face again while he's watching the Army. Multiple times. And there's clearly something going on in his head, gears are turning.

One other scene that struck me is the scene where Jon and Dany are saying goodbye to each other (the Eastwatch episode). In the same episode (if I remember correctly) Jon calls them strangers, and then the goodbye scene comes and Dany says to Jon's little morbid joke, "I've grown used to him". Him being Jon. Two things to note here-

One, Jon considers them strangers but Dany has gotten "used to him". Maybe it's nothing, or maybe it's an indication of how the two of them are absolutely not on the same page (about anything).

Second, Jon's face after she says that. It shuts down. Like a door slamming. And then he says that "wish you good fortune in the wars to come" line, which has ZERO romance, or longing, but a whole lot of bad precedent (does that make sense?). Ouch. The thought that occured to me here is that Dany is being somewhat obvious about her feelings, and maybe, just maybe Jon has picked up on it. And that is why he reacts the way he does.

I wasn't sure so I compared the scene with the Jonsa forehead kiss scene in S6, and Jon's expressions after that kiss.

My logic was this- I assume that either Jon has become aware of Dany's feelings in the Eastwatch goodbye scene, or his own feelings for her. One of these assumptions is true. Which one?

If Jon has feelings for Sansa, then his confusion/awareness/discomfort regarding that are seen in that forehead kiss scene. So if Jon has become aware of his feelings for Dany, let's see how these two scenes compare?

My dudes. There is no comparison. Go watch it.

I watched both scenes with sound off, and the difference is insane. Jon looks at Sansa's lips. There's a moment's pause that's full of tension, and then his face shuts in a way, but it's a bit confused, a bit thoughtful.

Jon does not look at Dany's lips. He does not look confused, or thoughtful. This is not a romance.

Side observation- speaking of showing and telling, it's funny how we're shown Jon looking at Sansa's wolf bits, and told that Jon looks at Dany's good heart. Yes I'm talking about boobs but wolf bits and good heart is funnier. We literally see Jon look at the wolf bits twice, talk about it himself, in a completely unnecessary conversation...as opposed to being entirely dismissive of the good heart, even when someone else brings it up.

Back to the main point, one last thing I'd like to talk about is the scene where Jon actually bends the knee (not really). First, there are still no heart-eyes. Definitely not from Jon. Second, it's funny how Jon uses the exact hand-grabbing move that Sansa used on him last season, when she was trying to convince him to do something he didn't particularly wanna do (like he's now trying to do with Dany). This means that

1) he learnt that move from Sansa. He knows how effective it is XD

2) if the Jonerys hand-grab is romance, it stands to reason that the Jonsa hand-grab is romance too. I mean both the grabs are suspiciously similar.

Then, even after Dany "promises" that she'll help the North fight the WW, Jon still bends the knee. I felt both an odd sense of urgency coming from him, and an understandable hesitation. Or maybe that's just me.

Now suddenly, he becomes complimentary of her. But there's something weird about his compliments. They are completely generic. "They'll see you for what you are" and in the later episode, "you're not like the others". Wtf does that MEAN ??

Here's the thing...Jon could have paid Dany a way more specific, genuine sounding compliment after bending the knee (complete with heart eyes). I mean she did just fly over the Wall to rescue him and his men. He could have said more, something meaningful, but he didn't. He bent the knee like a house on fire (that doesn't make sense but you get what I mean I hope) and paid generic compliments. Then he pretended to sleep until she left and then sighed very loudly.

??? Romance??? WHERE????

Then the dragon pit. Heart-eyes still missing.

Then the sex scene. What do I say? Lol.

No really. There are no heart eyes even during the sex scene. Honestly, idk what that face was. Not in love for sure.

Another side note- Arya and Sansa have talks while standing in the same place where the forehead kiss scene happened (wtf do you call that place again, the bridge.??) But no heart eyes. No lingering looks. There is no incestuous gay love between them, I can say for sure. All it does is prop up the odd incestuous vibes of the Jon Sansa scene in that same place.

ANOTHER side note- goddamn but does Sansa talk about Jon a lot.

Edit: I'm sure most of this stuff has already been discussed in other metas. My purpose here is only to put down my first thoughts after watching the season.

[mondothebombo]

The Ninja’s Love Languages

For anyone who doesn’t know, the five love languages are...

Words of Affirmation

Physical Touch

Quality Time

Gifts

Acts of Service

I had this idea last night at 4 am and i’m gonna try and make sense of it so here we go...

Jay

Physical Touch

-this one’s super easy

-hands down this is 100% jay

-when isn’t this boy clinging onto someone (esp. nya and cole)

-i mean just look (there’s so many more but i got lazy, feel free to add on)

-his first response to comfort/fear is a hug, a hand on shoulder, etc.

-and when you think abt it it makes sense

-cuz first of all just look at his parents, ed and edna

-the most affectionate and loving ppl on this goddam planet

-they showered him w/ undying love and support his whole life, ofc this kid’s gonna turn out the same

-but then if you also tie in his abandonment issues and fear of being alone and it makes even more sense

-we find out abt those mainly in s12 when he talks abt his birth parents to unagami, but looking at what happened to him in s6 when he was alone for so long on the misfortunes keep and nya dying to top it off...

-he lost all his friends not once, but twice (and that’s not including all the separate times the ninja have died) plus he feels like his birth parents abandoned him, w/o him even rlly knowing for sure what happened

-so it makes sense he’d be more comfortable showing his love by clinging onto someone, giving a hug, high-fiveing, etc.

- i hope this made sense i’m so sorry

Nya

Acts of Service

-this also makes sense

-we all know nya is a very independent person, and she doesn’t usually like all the touchy feely stuff

-this is especially shown w her and jay’s relationship

-( i didn’t want to make this all abt jaya i’m sorry)

-we know they both are two very different ppl.

-nya’s strong and independent, while jay is a lot more sensitive

-you’ll notice in the earlier seasons nya almost never initiated the affection w jay, he always the first to mention it, also coupled w the fact that she’s never told jay “i love you” (at least not yet) and we can pin this on her childhood

-she and kai didn’t have it great as kids, they basically raised e/o and the only times nya ever heard “i love you” was from kai

-so if she wasn’t used to saying it growing up, why would she immediately jump to it now that she’s a teenager/young adult? even w someone she does love

-she expresses her love in what she does and says.

-the main example i can think of atm is this

-jay’s freaking out abt catching her for the dance move and with 100% confidence she just says “i trust you” and then fucking yeets herself at him

-there’s other examples of this w the others too

-she builds their mechs and vehicles, back in the earlier seasons she always made sure the boys were taken care of when they got back from missions, she was always the cavalry, she sacrificed herself for jay back in s6 when they were at the lighthouse, and kai mentions she’s always taken care of him

-not to mention how she adopted lloyd back when he first came in

-i could go on

-does this make sense?? i hope it does

Cole

Words of Affirmation

-i had a little more trouble thinking abt cole but now that i’ve decided i’m pretty sure WoA suits him best

-cole didn’t have the best childhood either

-we now know his mom, Lilly, died when he was fairly young, judging by the flashback, i’d estimate around 10-13 y/o

-we know it wasn’t too long before wu found him

-and she showered him in love much like jay was

-just in the flashback she tells him how proud she is of him and how much she loves him

-(also look how quick he was to try and justify why he got in a fight to avoid getting yelled at when his mom mentioned him getting in trouble bc he didn’t want to disappoint her)

-now we don’t know what Lou was like before his wife died, but we know he was definitely not as loving towards cole afterwards

-Lou ignored Cole due to his grief most of the time, coupled w him wanting Cole to follow in his footsteps, and their relationship overall sucks until after the royal blacksmiths ep

-so it all falls the same that Cole would want to keep seeking out the words he got from his mother in his relationships w others (especially authority figures)

-just look at all the times he absolutely lights up when getting praised by wu or even the others

-plus thx to day of the departed, we know he’s afraid of being forgotten

-hearing the others say they love him and want him around would appease that

-staying on this train, we have...

Lloyd

Words of Affirmation

-i was tied between this one and acts of service, but then i decided

-lloyd’s life, esp his childhood, has absolutely sucked

-he was abandoned at a very young age at darklys which we know the other boys there weren’t kind, and then when he finally gets a home and a family, the weight of the world is now on his shoulders bc he’s a prophesied savior

-morro’s possession says enough on its own

-the list goes on

-then we get s8-s10

-harumi goes and absolutely destroys his trust in everyone and everything

-(after she told him she loved him)

-but also...

- then boom. yeeted through a wall

-he’s been abandoned, rejected, and used his whole life

-why wouldn’t this kid need words of affirmation??

-the other ninja have been the one staple in his entire life, and after everything he’s gone through, he definitely needs to hear that they love him and want him around every now and then

-this kid’s also emotional (who can blame him)

-he always puts all his cards on the table, more so in s11 and onward

-and we’ve seen how he always gives encouraging words to the others, mainly while they’re fighting

Zane

Quality Time

-i had trouble w zane’s too lol

-but i think this fits

-this nindroid is the purest being ever

-don’t get me wrong, zane can definitely be a smart ass and sassy when he wants to, he’s not all innocent, but u catch my drift

-let’s look at his past too

-he was all alone and by himself, he didn’t even know who he was until he found his true potential

-and he gets a family, ppl who live and care abt him

-then he sacrifices himself and dies

-when he was imprisoned on chen’s island, he was alone

-then decoded happens and we find out he’s got intense trauma from that

-he thought he was alone in his internal battle

-then boom

-he’s the fucking ice emperor. alone for decades, committing genocide

-and when he finally snapped out of it, that had to of destroyed him

-he’s spent so much time being alone and facing so much trauma, that he always gravitates towards being in groups

-we’ve seen him and pixal spend time working together in the workshop, he enjoys family meals and cooking for everyone, he’s been shown to not like it when the others occasionally fight, and an overall loving guy

-he prbly doesn’t realize it, but he’s the glue that holds everyone together

-this one was so jumbled

and last but not least...

Kai

Gifts

-now not only does this fit his personality, it also makes sense with his bad childhood

-we all know kai is a very cocky and prideful person. he’s always showing off, flaunting his good looks, and can be sometimes arrogant

-ofc under all that is a very kind and loving big brother and friend

-but bc of this he’d not only love getting gifts from fans and the others, but giving them as well

-kai, like nya, didn’t have a good childhood

-he’s not an emotional person and he was never used to saying “i love you,” instead he had to take care of his sister while trying to run a business

-his way of showing love is giving things for his family

-there’re aren’t many instances of this in the show, but the gift giving doesn’t necessarily have to be smthg physical

-he’s sacrificed himself for the others on several accounts, he offers advice when needed, giving pep talks, helping raise lloyd, he even helped jay propose to nya, those things can be considered as gifts too

(again i’m sorry if any of this isn’t coherent i just had some thoughts. pls feel free to add on if i missed smthg)

The point of this is that these kids love each other and have different ways of showing it💙💜🧡💚🤍❤️

[qqueenofhades]

did you watch lucifer season six and what are your thoughts pls and ty

Ahaha. Yes. Yes I did watch it. Then I cried for a literal hour and attempted to compose myself, only to start crying again when I lay down and kept on thinking about it. Then I had more feelings. Then I slept like the dead due to emotional trauma. Then I reblogged gifsets and had More feelings. Then @buffaluff and @flynnanimal watched it and also required emotional support due to drowning in their own tears. So, uh... we're all fine here now. How are you?

My main takeaway from the final season was the sheer amount of love for the characters, story, and fans that you could feel shining through all the episodes, and which made SUCH a refreshing change. I had feelings in my tags the other day about how a show about the devil was constantly goofy, hopeful, loving, and uplifting, rather than all the grimdark nonsense they could have easily done with it. (As I said, just imagine it as written by the GOT idiots?? NO THANK YOU.) The writing really loved everyone and wanted to give them a proper ending and emotional journey, and it wanted to show the fans that they weren't stupid for having invested six seasons of effort and emotion into this, and just... that is so much rarer than it should be? Compare all the movies and TV shows that treat their fans like the enemy, that want to outsmart them at all costs even if it means changing major plot elements, that ferociously guard spoilers and think that "shock value" means good writing, by throwing hackneyed cliche upon cliche and making everything Depressing, and just... Lucifer had its hiccups and slow points and missteps, of course, but I am SO glad they didn't do that. The entire show consisted of Lucifer slowly but steadily progressing toward being a better man, despite mistakes and setbacks and sometimes a little too much will-they-won't-they. (Season 3 was the only one where I got bored and skipped over the filler episodes with Pierce/Lucifer/Chloe in order to get to the end).

That is an essentially simple premise, but they stuck to it, and they didn't try to create more drama by randomly wrecking what they had already established. I wrote a fic all the way back in mid-season 2 (In Nomine Patris) that ended up predicting quite a few of the future characters who had not yet appeared on the show at that time, including Eve, Michael, and Azrael, and several plot points, including the very major one of Lucifer returning to hell for the sake of his daughter with Chloe. And while this might mean that I am just that good at guessing TV shows (I would like to think this....) it also means that the writers set expectations, followed through on those expectations, and didn't suddenly derail everything or turn it totally on its head just for the sake of cheap shocks. As we can all attest, they certainly caused PLENTY of drama, anguish, pain, and suffering, but they did it in a way that remained faithful to the overall premises of the story and the characters, and wanted to see them become the best versions of themselves. I cried my eyes out at the end and then thought, "hey, I might want to watch the whole series again," which, if you ask me, is the mark of doing your job right. There have been so few TV endings recently where I didn't immediately swear off the whole thing or have to pretend that canon didn't exist, so yeah.

As I said, it was just refreshing to watch something that had that essential deep generosity at its core, where the message is that everyone is worthy of love if they make the hard and painful effort to change and become better, and that even if earthly things feel small next to all this messy celestial drama, they still matter, and that you are loved no matter what. I loved that Amenadiel became God and Lucifer returned to hell as a choice in order to help all the trapped souls be able to work through their guilt and go to heaven. There were obviously certain echoes of The Good Place in that ending; I don't know if it was something they had planned all along or if the success of TGP, another series asking deep questions about life, death, morality, and human nature within the framework of a goofy heaven-and-hell sitcom, influenced it, but either way, it worked so well. Even if it tore my heart out and stomped on it on the ground, it was fitting and oh so lovely to see Lucifer, once the most selfish being in the entire universe, following in Linda's footsteps and becoming selflessly dedicated to helping other people. Just. Chef's kiss.

And of course, Deckerstar. The Hades and Persephone vibes were IMMACULATE this season, and while it did take Lucifer and Chloe the best part of four seasons to get together, they never significantly backslid, never had third-party issues or cheap cheating storylines once they were officially a couple, and Tom Ellis and Lauren German REALLY killed it this season in particular. It was never easy for them and sometimes the drama went on a little too long over the course of said six seasons, but the love story was beautiful and incredibly meaningful and always true to the fact that the actors and characters and writers (not to mention the fans) all loved it so much. They were so much the emotional heart of this, and when they went to hell together in episode 6x03 (where they turned into cartoons because wHAT even IS this show), Joe Henderson said in an interview that this was to give the fans a view into Lucifer and Chloe's future (after) lives post-6x10, and to offer them a basis to write fanfiction. I mean... the showrunner saying to the fans "here, we love you, have something to write fic about!" is likewise pretty shockingly rare. It's again an example of how this show always audaciously poked fun at itself, never took itself TOO seriously, and was always welcoming its fans and the people who loved it to do so, rather than making them feel stupid or taking joy in wrecking beloved characters or plots.

Obviously, I loved Rory, the badass lesbian half-angel goth Deckerstar child straight out of My Immortal (seriously, she was SO edgy, it was amazing), because of the fact that Lucifer's entire arc was always about feeling abandoned by his father and that he was going to have to face it for himself. Dorky Devil Dad Lucifer trying his absolute HARDEST to bond with his daughter was simultaneously hilarious, adorable, and heart-wrenching, and yet again, the Growth. We all remember when he could barely tolerate Trixie touching him, and now we're here. Also, any variation whatsoever of "this is just a brief moment of time that we must be apart, love is eternal and stronger than death and we will never really leave each other" as a line is guaranteed to make me bawl my eyes out. So that was fun.

I got a big kick out of Ghost Dan running around and trying to get everyone to see him, and had feelings about seeing him in heaven with Charlotte and his beloved Pudding Pops at the end. I had feelings about how they handled Ella finding out the truth (or rather demanding to know why nobody had told her) and of course, I obviously loved Maze and Eve and their goth/femme wedding and the fact that they got a good three-season romantic arc (indeed, I wanted more of them). My god, Trixie is SO BIG, she used to be a tiny little nugget. I love that Linda was the moral and emotional rock all along, from the first episode to the very last, and that Amenadiel was Deeply Vindicated when Charlie's wings appeared at his first birthday party. I love how Lucifer in s6 is absolute thousands of light years from Lucifer in s1. And as ever, Chloe was Perfect. I am happy that I spent six seasons with these characters and saw them become better, and that I was never made to feel like an idiot for trusting the writers to end everything in a beautiful and emotional way. Because, well. They did. Sure, maybe I could go back and pick at a plotline here or a detail there, but I don't terribly feel the need to do so? It might not have been perfect, but it was perfect, and I am so grateful that it existed.

[backslashdelta]

referencing your tag on the aro Kurt post

it started as this vibe headcanon but the more I think about the more it sort of makes sense?? and it does fix a lot of canon inconsistencies. for example how Kurt's perspective on sex and being sexy was never clear and how he did associate sex with romance, especially later in the series when he admits that he does love Blaine but also he's conflicted!! it always gave me someone realizing that while they love someone their feelings aren't romantic and Kurt feels guilty about that, which makes sense for the break up in s6-

Yes it absolutely makes sense!!

I also have seen some interesting Klaine meta about how Kurt texting with Chandler hurt more than if he would have physically cheated because Blaine puts more value on that emotional aspect of their relationship, whereas Kurt was more hurt by Blaine having sex with someone else rather than emotionally cheating because that physical intimacy is how Kurt feels the most connected.

And I think this makes even more sense if Kurt were aro. Because of course he values the emotional relationship with Blaine, but it feels similar to how it does with a good friend like Mercedes for example. The biggest difference to him, and so what he interprets as the important part of their romantic relationship, is that physical intimacy. Which is also why he didn't think the texting with Chandler wasn't a big deal, because he wasn't crossing that physical line which is where he saw the distinction.

So he's hurt by that because he feels betrayed and he does love Blaine (though not romantically of course in this scenario) and that causes the S4 breakup but he still hasn't managed to realize that he doesn't experience romantic attraction.

He has his fling with Adam and he's nice but Kurt doesn't connect with him the same way. I think this is particularly interesting because in my mind, Kurt is trying to see if he feels that spark he had with Blaine in the beginning, and he doesn't feel that so he thinks it's just an Adam thing not a him thing. But really that "spark" he felt with Blaine in the beginning wasn't romantic, it was a scared and lonely kid trying to latch onto this other boy who seemed so put together and knew what he was doing and Kurt just wanted to belong and be understood. By the time S4 rolls around he still has issues but they're different, and he's not desperate for that sense of belonging and safety the way he was when he met Blaine.

And then Klaine get back together in S5 and Blaine proposes immediately and Kurt isn't quite sure how he feels but he's tried to date other people and he never cared about any of them as much as Blaine, and his dad is talking about how he wishes he could have more time with Kurt's mom and Kurt is just like- well this must be it then.

Then of course we have S5 happening and Blaine moves to NY and they're fighting and Kurt doesn't understand why Blaine needs the things from him that he needs, and Kurt just thinks it's because he's clingy (and I mean, maybe that's partly true) but really it's mostly just that Kurt is not in the relationship in the same way that Blaine is because he just doesn't feel that romantic attraction.

It makes sense too because sex and romance are so intertwined together, and as a kid he had all these idealized images of romance that he thought he wanted but I think deep down it was very much fantasy where he didn't know what he'd do if he actually got it, and shying away from sex was a way to make himself feel better about that because then it's not that he doesn't know how to have a romantic relationship, it's that he doesn't know how to navigate the sexual aspect. Which for a young gay kid in like 2010 was probably easier to deal with, there's already this issue of gay men being considered overly sexual and I'm sure that having those sexual feelings not attached to romantic attraction would make him feel even more out of place, so he just doubled down and focused on these fantastical idealized romances.

My brain is literally so full of thoughts right now, thank you so much for bringing this idea to my attention.

[gardenerian]

Hi Mel, what's a storyline you wish got more attention/reaction from the characters? (Let's say no Milkovich stuff, since we could always use more Mickey and Mandy plots.)

For example, Fiona's marriage to Gus was absolutely brushed over. I would have thought V or Lip or Debbie would have yelled at her for acting so brashly—like is this guy gonna come live with them? What are the logistics of this?! But they barely had any reaction. Granted it was sandwiched between the usual Gallagher chaos plots and she cheated on him one second later, but I still found it really strange it was never addressed.

hiiiii beloved liz! gosh. what a question. i wish most things got more attention!

like. god. i really wish the whole thing with ned trying to find ian and instead groping lip got more attention. it makes me insane that jimmysteve is more worked up about his big gay dad rather than his dad fucking teenagers. i wish they had more space to freak the fuck out about that. i totally get that 3x05 happens swiftly and then the rest of the season is a whirlwind of trauma, but it's just a sadly common occurrence for ian to have this bypassed.

also kev's son??? where is he??????

also! carl seeing that kid get dropped. fiona handles that scene beautifully. but i just always wish for more room for carl. i wish things had been so different for his story! but s6 actually has some lovely moments for him. that shot when he comes home from juvie and stands there by himself in the living room? GAH.

andddd lip's relapse in 10x12. more! MOREEEE. more attention, more recovery, literally any acknowledgement? it could have made s11 far more powerful.

[sotorubio]

Why is Ava still the front runner for a potential season 8? Ava has been prominently ft in every season of the new gen - although im not sure if that will remain the case during s7. But srsly is no one on tumblr interested in giving other characters a moment in the sun? Finn, Yara and Mailin are top of my list!

unnecessarily long answer ahead beware 🤸‍♀️ pls read the section in parenthesis at the end too bc i'm talking abt my own opinion here n don't wanna seem like i'm discrediting yours!!

i think the reason she's such a popular pick is actually exactly bc of the fact that she's been a big part of other seasons. her possible storylines have been prefaced & foreshadowed already so moving onto her pov would make sense n be smooth.

this is mostly just my personal opinion but also just generally what makes a good story: the reason noora's season works well is bc she's a central part of eva's story too n we've seen her interactions w william in the past, the reason isak's season works is bc he's tied into the joneva plotline from eva's season & is a background topic in noora's season too, sana's season works bc her faith has been brought up time n time again in the previous seasons. in the context of druck, fatou's season works rly well bc her crush on kieu my has already been discussed & built up in nora's season.

alternatively, tiff's season flopped bc they took a main character that had zero existing storylines & invented a theme for her that was mentioned for the first time ever in a trailer. the reason ismail's season is falling flat for a lot of viewers is bc instead of focusing on the existing plotlines from season 5&6 (ava's bullying, constantin & ismail's draining friendship, the instas as group etc) they've used the first episodes to build character dynamics w completely new characters & lay the foundations for some sort of love drama plot.

TLDR the mains that work best r the ones whose stories are tied to or can be tied to the previous seasons.

for example finn & yara. do i like them? yes, a lot. do i wanna see more of them? absolutely. would i watch a season abt one of them? most likely.

what do i think one of their seasons could be about? i have absolutely no idea bc we don't know anything abt them. they're lovely side characters n in theory i have nothing against the idea of seeing them as a main. but it would mean their season is very separate & detached from everything that's happened in the series so far bc they don't have any existing topics n i assume that's why those kind of side characters aren't as popular.

as for ava i can already name 5 things that 1. could be topics in her season and 2. have an already existing foundation from the previous seasons.

but like i said - and this was kind of the point of my post - the show keeps solving all these possible conflicts n topics ava has as part of other characters' stories which leads me, an avid ava season supporter, to ask the same question as u. why should she be the one to get a season? the more they resolve the less it makes sense to give an entire season to her. don't get me wrong, i personally DO believe she should get a season. i want to see her season. even if they run out of every single plot line for her i'd still watch a season abt her. but i'm worried that if she gets a season she'll end up getting a random theme that they came up with after s6 or s7 that ultimately has nothing to do w her already established story.

(also as a side note 💌 i am in no way trying to say u shouldn't wish to see other characters' seasons. if that's what u would be interested in u have every right to think so!! i'm just explaining what i believe to be the reason behind these type of characters unpopularity as opposed to ava)

[tarysande]

S6 Thoughts: A Tale of Two Brothers

But wait! There’s more. Thoughts on the overall arc of the series, Heaven and Hell edition:

In S1, Lucifer is “vacationing” on Earth but doesn’t plan to return to Hell. Amenadiel spends that season trying so hard to force Lucifer back to Hell, where he “belongs,” that he himself Falls. We’ve got this role reversal of an angel doing evil things to return the devil (doing ... good things, like solving crimes) to Hell. It’s all very “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” 

In S2, Lucifer still has no plans to return permanently to Hell, but he’s willing to face it to save Chloe. Of course, this then leads to him experiencing his own forced hell-loop. Amenadiel is also conflicted. Though he’s changed enough that he no longer wants to force Lucifer back to Hell, he’s still uncertain where that leaves either of them. In fact, even when Lucifer pleads with Amenadiel to return him to Hell, Amenadiel refuses. However, when Mum plants the idea of returning to Heaven as a family, Amenadiel clings to that. He’s looking for a purpose. Lucifer, on the other hand, is still very much aboard the Heaven nope train. Here, we also get the foreshadowing of celestial war, and Lucifer’s rejection of Mum’s plan because “In war, there are always casualties.” He would rather sacrifice one--Mum, Uriel--for the many. But it hurts him. If he belongs anywhere, he thinks, it’s Earth ... but, ultimately, that’s shortsighted because we know he doesn’t actually want to be on an Earth that doesn’t have the people he’s coming to care about on it.

S3 is, as we all know, a bit of a mess. But, hey, it’s actually thematically appropriate! Lucifer’s having an identity crisis (wings) that just keeps giving (or taking), and even though subconsciously (we later realize) he gave himself the wings because he was, in fact, making progress reconciling his past and present, his conscious is backsliding like (pun not intended) hell. Much as he wants Earth to be home, he’s got these non-stop reminders of both Heaven and Hell. It makes complete narrative sense that this season reaches the point where he can no longer hide from himself--or from Chloe. 

In this season, we also see Amenadiel really start to settle into the idea of staying on Earth, of embracing humanity. He’s shedding the aloofness he once had. He’s learning (we later realize) how to be the kind of God who sheds mysterious ways in favor of boots on the ground. I mean, he doesn’t realize this. But Dad ... well, he has a Plan. Lucifer begins the season with sudden wings. Amenadiel ends it with his wings’ very deliberate return. 

In many ways, this season is about Hell on Earth and torture at the hands of an entity far more intentionally and deliberately evil than the actual devil. This is why the catalyst of Cain is so important. He is all the things Lucifer has been accused of being, only he embraces it in ways we’ve seen Lucifer reject and recoil from again and again. This season is torture (lol). It’s Hell. It’s every ugly thing lies beget. And much as we love Lucifer, we’re given an extreme close-up of how his omission of truth is very nearly as devastating as Cain’s outright lies. Of course, this nearly results in Chloe’s death (in more ways than one; you can’t tell me that godforsaken marriage wouldn’t have been like dying), and the devil’s vengeance results in the removal of Lucifer’s choice about the where and when to reveal his true nature to Chloe. 

Which brings us to S4, aka The Season of Angst. For Lucifer (and Chloe), anyway. Not so much for Amenadiel, who is set on the path of fatherhood, of responsibility, of partnership and not just commands he expects to be followed. In case we’ve forgotten how much Amenadiel has changed, Remiel “mini-Amen” shows up to remind us. In Linda’s “When angels fall, they also rise” of it, Amenadiel is rising again. He’s not the same as he was, no, but ... we didn’t like old Amenadiel very much, did we? Like Lucifer, Amenadiel is on a journey of learning who he is, the good and the ugly, so he can choose the parts he wants to keep with both eyes open. 

Of course, while Amenadiel is rising, Lucifer is falling. In having to deal with Chloe’s reaction to his devil face, Lucifer is put in the uncomfortable position of either growing enough to face his own darkness and self-loathing or retreating, very literally, into who he used to be because it’s comfortable and less frightening than the prospect of change and the unknown. Until it isn’t, right? The more he becomes the devil Eve remembers, the more uncomfortable he becomes. And the more frightening he becomes. Not to Chloe, as he fears, but to himself--though it takes a while to recognize it. If nothing else, we have to hand this to Lucifer’s subconscious: when it wants him to PAY ATTENTION DUMMY, it’s pretty good at getting its point across. If S3 was Hell on Earth starring Cain as the devil, S4 is Hell on Earth starring, well, the devil as the devil with bonus demons. It’s Lucifer’s earthbound iteration of a guilt-induced hell-loop. And at the tragic end, he chooses to return to the place he swore he’d never return, losing everything good in the process, but doing it for selfless reasons. So, that’s new. And it’s why there was still a sliver of hope even when things looked impossibly dark.

S5 begins with Lucifer in Hell--farther from the things he cares about than he has ever been, but also closer to his true calling. Not that he realizes it; this is Lucifer we’re talking about. So, of course it makes sense that as the season goes on, he’ll end up confused by suddenly having everything he always thought he wanted within his grasp. The Lucifer who led a rebellion against his father because he thought he could do better than God? Of course that part of him wants to be handed the job now. No--he wants to earn it. And while some of his reasons are not great, others are. His heartbreak about the injustice and unfairness of life, well ... who hasn’t felt that way? Who hasn’t wanted the power to unilaterally make things better? But that’s not how free will works. That’s not how choice works. While Lucifer wrestles with the necessity of becoming God, Amenadiel recoils from what his S1 self would have seen as his right and his calling. S1 Amenadiel would have made a terrifying and inflexible and absolute and judgmental God. Perhaps even a God closer to our imaginings of Evil than Good.

S6 is about how sometimes personal growth means we grow out of old dreams and acquire new ones. Sometimes, it’s about reimagining those old dreams, rebuilding them with new information. For Amenadiel, that means recognizing that the person he is now is the best man for the Big Job. It means recognizing that Heaven can be (a place) on Earth if he wants it to be. It means he sets aside the pride of “If God wants something done, he sends ME” in favor of delegation and accepting help--and in doing so, helping others (his siblings) discover their callings too. He learns to lead by example, tempered with love and humility.

In Paradise Lost, Milton’s Lucifer famously declares that it is better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven. But our Lucifer ... his calling isn’t ruling in Heaven. That’s the old dream of a person who no longer exists. Ironically, Lucifer’s calling is to serve in Hell. Not to serve a distant, ineffable, unfathomable being’s mysterious ways, mind you, but to tangibly serve the humans he has come to love, and who have taught him so much about himself. Who have taught him about love and sacrifice and light and darkness and second chances and hope and faith. When Lucifer chooses to return to Hell, he does so with his eyes open, just as Chloe returns to the LAPD with her eyes open. It’s a lesson that revisits the first episode of the season: Truth and wonder don’t have to be at odds. They can go hand in hand. The mysteries at the heart of pain and suffering and trauma--those are the ones Lucifer wants to solve. Because solving them isn’t about trusting to a higher power (aka the justice system, which is flawed) or designing the perfect torture. It’s about quite literally helping others set themselves free. Finding release. It’s about being a guide, not a judge. And it’s about fulfilling not the temporary desire that merely scratches the itch, but offering the tools necessary to help others determine--choose--their path to the desire they may not even realize is buried beneath the layers of scar tissue within them. And what could be more wonderous than that? Especially when you have a partner who makes you better at your calling, even as you make them better at theirs.

In the end, Heaven and Hell are what we make of them. One person’s Heaven is another person’s Hell. Love is what matters. In all its many, many forms.

[shinygoku]

gordon gordon gordon gordon

Gordon Gordon Gordon Gordon!!

He's been sneaking into these asks by proxy, so it's finally time for his dedicated session, hehe~

First impression

WUAAAGH what's up with this WEIRD LONG NOT-THOMAS and his FACE?!

Impression now

His face is still pretty weird! But you know what else it is? Part of an Absolute Legend ✨

Like, man, Gordon is such a big presence and interesting character, the entire premise leans heavily on him. I'm inclined to go as far as to say that the Blue Boys of 1, 2 and 4 here are the three most important characters for the franchise (not at all to knock everyone else lmao) and they slot nicely into a Triforce of Courage, Wisdom and Power, and Gordon has Power in spades!

Gordon is The Vain One (not James!). He's legit very strong and the fastest on Sodor (which isn't just being a big fish in a small pond because that island has some crazy cool engines!) but unfortunately he lacks humility. His success seems to have been lodged in his head before the series even begins and this Pride is the source of pretty much every single conflict he's involved in.

But when it isn't his self satisfaction in his actions, it's being smug about being such a grand, magnificent Tender Engine and he is snooty as hell about it. He seems to look at smaller engines [pretty much everyone compared to him lol] as a lesser class, particularly if they're small and cheeky and Tank Engines. This may not be the case exactly, but his way of talking to them and some other things he says are very condescending.

However... as much as a gigantic jerk he is at several points, with Gordon I kinda feel like he plain ass doesn't conceive of his words being out of line. That and having to Unlearn things... he's not innately better than everyone else. He sees things in black and white. There are Useful Engines, and those who should be scrapped. There are Noble Tender Engines and Lesser Tank Engines who exist to do the tedious chores on behalf of the Superior ones. Edward doing shunting is seen as Demeaning and contradicts Gordon’s world view that Tender Engines Don't Stunt™, and he doesn't like that one bit! (Also Edward was crossing the picket line but that wasn't Awdry's concern lmao)

Related is Gordon does seem oddly dense at times, like assuming that Tenders are in of themselves a Status Symbol rather than a large lunchbox of sorts lol, or that Tender Engines like him being too heavy for Branch Lines being because something about Branch Lines are degrading. This might be all Elitist Brainwashing influence. But still, that he just takes these as The Truth means I get to affectionately call him an idiot. And there is no other way to explain how he genuinely believes Bill and Ben were going to murder him if he wasn't missing a few brain bolts in there.

Fortunately, he does eventually start to learn the important lessons.... very gradually, but the Early Gordon is a pretty different beast to Later Gordon, and it's wonderful~

Also, I gotta give credit to him for having some moments of utter brilliance and actual grasp of reality and more complex matters, like culture. (Yeah, I'm rolling with his geniune Opera Knowledge from s6 of all things. It's good!) As much as Awdry himself may have disagreed, Gordon was in the right to want a Station Pilot and the Strike was called for (not bullying Edward for it, but myeah) ...but this leads to my next point: He seems to have a mental block when it comes to Emotions.

Certainly, he's as emotional as the others are, it's not just a scale of Snooty, Arrogant, Condescending, Prideful ....well, it is, but ALSO the more mixed and varied feelings: Shame, Sadness, Fear, Ambivilance, Irritation, Anger, Passion, Amused, Delight and so on. However, Gordon is seemingly unaware of how his words may make the others feel, and even at his cruellest it doesn't look like he's aware he's twisting a knife in. To Gordon, he's being honest, but his verbose manner ends up twisting and wriggling away from any valid point like an overgrown vine that somehow links back to how [Other Engine] is disgracing him, Gordon, by association.

Examples include: Being offended by Henry's new shape (??? Gordon dude he nearly died and this is an improvement, a good thing!), saying that Edward's age and difficulty starting a heavy ass packed load of passengers is grounds to be Retired or even Scrapped, other little insulting things like calling the likes of Thomas and James Little insistently (it seems to vary if he's trying to put them down or actually be affectionate), and many more when in the hands of inept writers who have to wheel out the same Gordon Learns A Lesson Plot every other season.

Like I said in the James post, I also think he kinda poisoned the Red guy with his snooty attitude... but I maintain that I think Gordon was unaware of this. He may know he has Influence, and enjoy that, but he really truly doesn't appear to mean to mould James into a smaller, redder version of himself. He's oblivious and from his own point of view, benevolent. Which is in fact a dangerous combo indeed!

It's... a lot o7;;

Again though, if you're looking at the books and s1-s5 of TVS you can see him grow and change. He does take a while to learn the lessons, but as time goes on he moves 2 steps forward and 1 step back, then eventually less steps back entirely. It's great! And so is Gordon. A big dumb meathead with not entirely uncalled for delusions of granduer. A dramatic so-and-so who is the best engine for his job.

I love this sophisticated jock who grows more kindness~ 💙

Favourite moment

Hm! This isn't as easy to decide lol. We all like Gordon Goes Foreign... but you know what sticks in my mind more?

hOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH

Look, I’m not 100% objective, here! But Ringo’s read of this line is fantastic (and keeps making me expect him to finish saying OOOHH SHIT) and it’s also a well deserved bolt of divine retribution for how rude he was being earlier. (As long as my essay already was, he very much needed the knocking down of some pegs here!)

Idea for a story

While both my fics with him thus far have been variations of Pre-Canon, Full-Arrogance and Snobbish Gordon (and both were a lot of fun!) ...but I cannot bear the same expired horse being beaten more when the story is set waaay later but he’s still up his own ass. Please, PLEASE writers, let him hold what growth he’s managed to gain!

I think it’d be good to accept that he’s gonna be outdated sooner or later, so have him help train another High Speed Engine and take them under his wing. The Christopher Awdry books kinda have something similar with Pip and Emma, but I think a better way of having Gordon be involved would be if he was actively doing some mentoring himself, as well as being a neat parallel with Edward, whose type was once Express only but got outclassed by A1s, and so the same can happen to this big A1 -> A3 lad and he can form a healthy relationship with some bright eyed newbie (and maybe have some self awareness and try to stop their head getting too large, lol).

Unpopular opinion

I know I just said him mentoring would be a cool story idea, but in canon? He is NOT a resident Dad type!! He’s a hotshot young man but he’s also a hot mess. He’s physically large but he’s not got the Energy of someone who dispenses sage advice and a shoulder to cry on. At best, he’s a weird uncle! One who means well but you shouldn’t take his life advice to heart because he’s actually just as, if not more clueless than you!

Favourite relationship

I feel inclined to say Thomas here. Emphatically not because Gordon is ‘old’ and Thomas is ‘young’, but because they’re so damn alike and actually make an excellent, albeit unconventional type of Rivalry.

Both are self important with genuine finesse in their respective talents, both are honest to a fault, both have redeeming qualities to offset their initial abrasiveness, and the first TVS episode is centred on the both of them and sets the tone for the series as a whole. There’s more parallels, of course, but I also wanna point out they’re effectively the mascots of North Western Rail in universe too, and I absolutely love this picture:

I also have immense fondness for the Down the Mine paradigm shift! Thomas gives Gordon grief over the ditch incident and later when it emerges the Fat Controller is gonna send for Gordon to pull him out, Thomas is filled with dread. But Gordon isn’t using the chance to lord over Thomas, he’s actually so amused by Thomas’ mishap and it coming at a time where he’s been significantly humbled, they instead become Comrades and I love it. I eat it up! Paint Pots and Queens isn’t anywhere near as good but I adore the little bit where they’re appealing for the other, equals and watching each other’s back~

But yeah, as Friendly Rivals they both feel very authentic and yet, in a daft way, sweet ;3

Favourite headcanon

He still says “Hurry, hurry, hurry!” when pulling the Express. That’s a HC as I think the show phased it out, but I like it lol. I feel like my essay on him contains most of the headcanon stuff, but it’s all based on what’s shown, baybee!

[riverdale-retread]

Riverdale S6 E4 (Rivervale: Witching Hour)

Fanfic has three tiers of flavor: Mellow, Tangy, and Piquant. (I’m going somewhere with this, please stay with me).  Mellow flavor intensity stays mostly within canon, and often write the ‘in between’ moments for the gaps left between the shown scenes or ‘extend’ the scenes that have already been shown.  This seems to have happened a lot in ye olde days of fanfic when people got threatened by Anne Rice etc.  Much of current fanfiction is in the Tangy variety - use some canon factors, but play  with them with a great deal of freedom, such as: Fraught romances between characters that never share the screen in canon, for example, or recast positive relationships in negative lights and vice versa.  But the most intense flavor, Piquant, does what this fourth chapter of Rivervale does - take the choicest relationships, character traits, faces, voices and bodies from canon, and then toss it into a whole different genre/century/planet/ universe and then push blend.

Chapter 4 of Rivervale is Piquant flavored - historic fiction, and using familiar faces to create unfamiliar new characters, and fix whatever the writer did not like or thought needed further explanation from what happens in canon by a combination of horror and the occult!  I also think Jughead Narrator recently watched The Hours - the Phillip Glass type music and the seamless shifting in and out of the three different eras of Cheryls was SUCH a treat to watch.

I’m going to talk about the performances given by the actors which I rarely do, but the capacity to play historical and /or entirely ‘off’ canon seems very uneven in the cast, and the three best deserve their kudos (and I just also wanna just flail about my faves).

This episode’s MVPs are:  Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch), Jughead/Jack (Cole Sprouse), Bitsy/Betty (Lili Reinhart)

Cheryl:

This is obviously a Cheryl-centric episode, and I love these. Petsch is the lesser-sung lead actress of this show (the most praised for various reasons is Reinhart), and in many ways what she’s asked to do in normal times is to be the counterpart to Reinhart. Bring the camp to contrast to Reinhart’s emotional realism, the showy sparkle to highlight the warm Bughead/Jabitha glow.  Cheryl is a ‘big’ character, and Petsch gives ‘big’ performances, which is why these Cheryl-centric episodes feel like events to me.

Petsch physically has a *lot* going on:  Other than her BMI, everything about her is huge (eyes, lips, sheer mouth size, the *amount* of hair, elasticity of facial muscles) and bold, and this excess unexpectedly makes her look convincing in all the different eras of costume she’s asked to wear.   No matter what, she still looks like herself.  The other person who pulls this off is Reinhart, but that’s because the operative image of the picture book white girl prettiness that she embodies has not actually changed that much over time. And really, very few people alive could pull off that giant red wedding gown with the red veil.  Iconic, and she manages to look classical, demure and absolutely unhinged all at the same time. (Yes, this, more than the blood covered white wedding night dress lol).  

She’s best able to deliver the show’s arch approximations of how people nowadays expect people of those former eras to talk.  Cheryl always had odd rhythms and an ornately campy lines to begin with, but Petsch delivered weird-to-us sounding lines that are supposed to be period-correct (“I WOULD have the truth from you”) with the appropriate amount of sincerity, kept free of camp.

The Rivervale thesis about Cheryl is that in every era, she is gay. In every era she is some sort of cult leader/ teacher of women.  In every era she is highly problematic, not just for that era but for our current sensibilities as well.  

And this is just a weird mind-game I’m engaging in but IF we posit this is a thing written by Jughead from Riverdale OH BOY HE NEEDS TO LEARN SOME THINGS about which lesbian tropes to avoid. Cheryl has the strange fixation on her ‘soulmate’ brother, but she otherwise despises men to a degree that borders on outright misandry. Maybe I just know the choicest lesbians (this is possible) but gay women really do not care about men all this much. They just don’t think about men that much at all unless a particular dude is being a nuisance to them in particular.   Cheryl though says things like “I have no need for women with husbands” and  “Men are such monsters.”  She sincerely, kindly advises women to lightly poison (so you can go work) or drug (so you can get more sex) or fatally poison (instead of getting a divorce) their husbands .  She has a persistent horror of heterosexual sex and pregnancy - and it’s a strange touch that the episode left open whether Bitsy was enduring marital rape or just that she didn’t want to have another baby.  This is a weirdly retrograde and straight-man focused way of conceptualizing a lesbian character who moreover is completely aware of and accepts her own homosexuality.

The explanation provided by this episode - that Cheryl never existed and she’s been Abigail Blossom, under a cursed immortality, all this time - serves as a neat fan-fic type ‘explanation’ for why Canon Riverdale Cheryl is so ‘off.’  She talks strangely, for one (“Nay! Cousin!” or  “Pray tell” as Cheryl would be her Abigail self bursting forth) and has strange retrograde ideas (s1 disbelief of the girls who report abuse by football players).  It’s audacious, which is fun, but imperfect because it leaves so much unexplained. For example, does the Abigail self retain awareness of her past lives as she keeps moving forward in time? How was it that Nana Blossom was able to tell all those whackadoo stories about ‘the past’? 

But see, asking questions like this takes all the fun out of both Riverdale the show and fanfic in general. Accept the premises and engage, or fuck off, really.

In any case - Cheryl has been an odd mix of highly entitled and highly vulnerable, and the triptych self shown in this episode posits that the headstrong, high-handed parts came from Abigail, and Poppy Blossom was 100% heart and feeling.   Cheryl the modern iteration whiplashed between the two.  This performance is a rendering of the same person in three radically different eras, in contrast to what Sprouse is doing, which to create entirely different people with the same face. 

By the way - At the school the only girl ever allowed to speak is Britta. This is a problem. The other girls - some not white even! - are literally set decoration.

Bitsy:

The chemistry and heat between Bitsy and Cheryl kind of threw into high relief how I unpersuasive I find Choni on screen. I adore the idea of Choni - Cheryl loving someone like Toni, who is consistently smart, the voice of reason and a source of kindness to her peers despite being from circumstances as dire as Jughead’s is adorable.  Cheryl being unable to sustain the kind of relationship that Toni would want was also an interesting development. But. Performance-wise, these two actresses do not generate heat, and it’s not to do with their actual personal lives.  When Petch’s limpid, you-make-me-weak adoring gazes finds its match like it does in the performance that Rheinhardt gives as Bitsy, I’m thrown right into the Ye Olde Lesbian Pulp fictions I used to read (Ann Bannon fans in the house perhaps??). All the yearning! The internal conflict! The swallowed tears! The passion!

I don’t think this was the intention, but the first Bitsy x Poppy kiss is followed by the first Abigail x Tomasina kiss and the LACK of romantic energy in the second pairing was just thrown into high relief. 

The scene at the jail where Bitsy shows her real despair and the retreats back to compulsive heterosexuality was a really marvelous bit of acting.  The fact that Bitsy smiles as she prepares to murder her husband through poison is the kind of wrong headed ‘women should just kill bad men’ type of thinking that keeps getting mischaracterized as feminism and lets men who do the everyday work of keeping women down (WHICH IS MOST OF THEM) off the hook as long as they are not actively daily raping someone.  Get outta here.

Jack:

We open with Jughead narrator who is  one of two characters that Sprouse plays here. Jughead Narrator is hard eyed and sarcastic.  We walk through the very well appointed, living museum house that is Thornhill. 

After Jughead Narrator comes Jack (No Last Name and not a Jones, probably? - is he a Jones??). Jack is actually menacing, and in a grounded way.  The absolute dislike, as well as what I immediately thought of as Anti-Choice rage in his face!  Very affecting because 99% of what I associate with this actor’s face is looking adoringly, almost on the verge of tears, at different people (Betty, Archie, FP, Jellybean, Gladys).  He is doing a LOT without being overbearing about it (compare to the inability of Kevin’s actor being able to do anything other than Kevin in period cosplay or Fang’s actor utterly unable to deliver ‘period’ lines).  The yanking Bitsy forward to say the coerced line about wanting another baby and pushing her back, and the glaring down at his wife with the same hatred as he does Poppy - nicely done.  And moreover, the kermit-froggy adolescent quaver he has in this voice somehow added to the general misogynist-on-a-bender frisson. When the mob of husbands comes to visit Poppy to threaten her, the only one that I was alarmed to see was Jack, leaning just so against the door frame, unabashed hatred on his face.  When Poppy shows up at the diner, he’s so furious he absolutely runs out of words.  If I used my compact and saw someone looking at the back of my head like that I would also cry.   And really the conspiracy of the men of the McCarthy Era playing with words this way - you won’t have to come back to THIS CELL - seemed so likely, and I liked the bold erasure of most real world details (due process, etc) for the drama of storytelling.

I found it amusing to consider that despite the sheer TERROR he had for her at the start and the weird stories and runaround she gave him as an adult, Narrator/ Riverdale Jughead has enough respect for Nana Blossom to give her body a calm send off into the Witchy Beyond and her soul a new start in a banging young body.  Well done.

[klainetrashnumberone]

Sorting Glee characters into hogwarts houses

Artie

I think Artie would fit in Ravenclaw. I don’t really have an essay answer as to why but.... the vibes are there. He is not really a Hufflepuff, and not crazy ambitious/competitive like Gryffindors or Slytherins so he’s fit into Ravenclaw the best.

Blaine

What can I say? Hufflepuffies hufflepuff of them all. Such a Hufflepuff. One might sort him into Gryffindor, but I don’t think this is a Neville situation. He is just vibing, he just wants to sing his acapella pop with his pals. He isn’t crazy set on a goal like Rachel (a gryffindor) or Kurt (a slytherin) and isn’t really brave in chivalrous. I’m not saying he’s a coward, Cedric for example was brave akin a Gryffindor but still got sorted into Hufflepuff.Those traits are just not what defines Blaine. He is kind, he is friendly, hard-working, extremely loyal and therefore a Hufflepuff!

Brittany

Britt seems like a Ravenclaw, believe it or not. Most would put her in Hufflepuff but does she really seem hard-working, fair and family-loving? Those are not her values at all, she seems like a Luna Lovegood kind of Ravenclaw.

Karofsky

Yes Karofsky was a bully. Yes he was a horrible person. But deep down? I think he’s a Hufflepuff. Especially after his graduation and redemption line, I feel like we really see the true Karofsky and not scared closeted bully Karofsky. And that Karofsky is a HUFFLEPUFF.

Emma

Emma seems like a ravenclaw… She loves giving advice, making her pamphlets, she’s very smart and organized! I don’t really have any other reasons, but honestly I don’t think she fits in any other houses.

Finn

Hmm, this is a tough one because I hate Finn. Okay, not hate! He’s just... not one of my faves, and I don’t really like the way his character was written. I honestly just want to make him a squib and be over with it... You know what? This is my post. I can and will make him a squib if I want to!

Jesse St. James

I’m really not sure whether he is a Slytherin or a Gryffindor.... I think he leans more towards Slytherin but I get a tiny bit of Gryffindor vibes from him too.

Kurt

Slytherin.

Mercedes

A Gryffindor with a capital G. No need to explain. I don’t think there even are any objections??

Mike

A... Ravenclaw? Maybe? I honestly don’t know. Probably a Ravenclaw but I’m open to suggestions. I’m thinking either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff.

Puck

Puck is a Hufflepuff and I do not take criticism, behind the jock persona and all the acting out he is a cinnamon roll. Period. Think of the time when he chose Glee over football. When he said that he’ll do anything to support Quinn and Beth. All the times when he cried during a klaine duet. When he saved Shelby from Quinn’s evil plan. He is actually kinda soft, but covers it all up with skipping school and bullying people and whatnot. Think of it as villain backstory, behind every villain is just a person who needed some compassion. Or a total nutcase but this is not that case.

Quinn

Very much a Slytherin. I- I don’t know who would put her anywhere else. Really. Let me just start listing things here.... spying for Sue in s1, giving Rachel an anti-makeover to get her away from Finn, aiming for ivy league schools, plan to get Beth back by framing Shelby..... Oh, and a big one! Remember that professor she slept with... in S6 I think? A Gryffindor could never. I feel like Gryffindors pride themselves on being very true to themselves and authentic, and Quinn basically fabricated a whole personality which honestly is rather impressive. Very Slytherin, 5/5!

Rachel

A Gryffindor! Yes, you read that right. Not a Slytherin, a Gryffindor. I elaborate on that in the Kurt post, but I feel like I should explain a bit more. Yes, Rachel is loud, selfish, obnoxious, annoying. And those are Gryffindor traits! You might think oh but she’s ambitious like a Slytherin... but! Gryffindors are ambitious too. That’s where the entire house rivalry stems from. Gryffindors and Slytherins both are extremely ambitious and the biggest difference isn’t in the goals, it’s how they choose to approach and achieve those goals. Gryffindors in a more uhh... unhinged way! The door is locked? Kick it down.  And Slytherins will plot and plan their way around the problem instead of barreling at it, not as obvious as Gryffindors but just as determined. The door is locked? Pick the lock. Go through another way. Pickpocket the nearest teacher and get the key. Come back later.

Sam

Hufflepuffle. Hufflepuff. I will not elaborate.

Santana

Honestly? A Slytherin-Gryffindor hatstall. I can’t explain it. I just- the vibes are unclear. I feel like I don’t really have a grasp on Santana’s character beyond the angry lebian :I

Sebastian

S-L-Y-T-H-E-R-I-N, he would absolutely tell his father about this! he is like draco reincarnated. he and draco would be bffs if they were in the same universe. or bfs 😳 who knows

Tina

Hmm okay this one is kinda hard. Hufflepuff maybe? I honestly don’t know.

Will

Will gets sorted to Azkaban, finally he is in JAIL