#to the point of renewing would be up in the air imo

[hell0mega]

if our flag means death came out 10 years ago at the height of tumblr fandom obsession, or even just 5 years ago at the height of tumblr fandom discourse, just. god could you imagine. do i even have to go into it.

[endiness]

Debunking misinformation about Netflix's The Witcher (Part 5)

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7]

"The show was supposed to have 7 seasons."

So. This isn't quite true and this rumor has largely been based off of what was basically a misunderstanding of what Lauren said and the subsequent misreporting of that along with the media never really following up on any of her clarifying comments, either — all of which is the thing that I really want to get into.

First off, I will preface this by saying that at one point, Lauren did say something along the lines of how she pitched "season 1, then season 2, season 3, 4, 5, 6, 7" to Netflix. Unfortunately, I cannot find this quote at the moment, but I do think that should be noted. However, as far as I can tell, the main source of the rumor that the show was originally planned for 7 seasons is not based off of Lauren having said that but rather this SFX/gamesradar interview instead:

Which Lauren later went on to clarify what she meant in another season 1 interview:

And in an interview for season 2:

The basic gist of what she was saying was that she initially mapped out 7 seasons with the idea of 1 season = 1 book, essentially, which she mainly did in order to have an overall sense of where the characters were going. So, was there a rough draft, outline for 7 seasons? Sure. Were there definitive, concrete plans that the show was always supposed to have 7 seasons? imo, no.

Just to address this, too, and how the subsequent misreporting of inaccurate information spreads: People — and not just the fanbase but other media outlets, too — usually cite this Hollywood Reporter interview with Henry Cavill as proof that the show was always supposed to have 7 seasons because he said he'd be up for doing that many:

But Henry Cavill was never directly quoted as saying that, and given that he was never directly quoted, it's likely that the interviewer asked him something along the lines of "Would you be part of the show for 7 seasons?" which prompted the answer he gave — and there is a difference between Henry Cavill himself saying that there's going to be 7 seasons and he's down for being part of the show for that long vs an interviewer asking him if he'd be up for doing 7 seasons of the show (which has been based off of the subsequent misreporting of what Lauren said in the first place) and him answering yes.

On top of that, here's an earlier season 1 interview Henry Cavill did with Elle where he talks about how many seasons he hopes the show goes to:

Which imo also only goes to show that the idea that there were ever any definitive plans for 7 seasons is not an accurate depiction of the situation.

"The viewership for season 3 was bad."

Season 3 debuted at #1 on the Top 10, it stayed at the #1 spot in the Top 10 for a total of 3 weeks, and it stayed in the Top 10 altogether for 8 weeks.

It had approximately 54.8 million views over the course of 186 days — 6.9 million views in 2 days (from Netflix's Jan-Jun 2023 data) + 49.7 million views in 184 days (from Netflix's Jul-Dec 2023 data.)

It was also the 5th most watched show in Netflix's Jul-Dec 2023 data, which I think is the most important factor because regardless of how the season-by-season numbers look and any potential drop in viewership, it was still one of the most watched shows on the platform during that time period.

"The show was cancelled and it was cancelled because of season 3."

The show was already rumored to have been renewed for season 4 and season 5 back in September of 2022.

So, long before season 3 even aired or it was announced that Henry Cavill was leaving the show or any other season 3 related issue. Given that Netflix already has a track record of shows rarely going beyond 5 seasons, if that, I think it is entirely probable that it was renewed for season 4 and season 5 back in 2022 with the intention for the show to end after that point anyway — although, granted, this hasn't been confirmed.

Also, like, despite claims otherwise, the show is following the books and the books do have a set endpoint. The show ending where the books do is not the show being cancelled, it's just the show coming to its natural conclusion like the books do. Also just to say, but it is entirely possible for the show to adapt the last 3 books into two seasons anyway. Baptism of Fire largely focuses on Geralt's story, not Ciri's as she's hardly in that book, whereas The Tower of the Swallow largely focuses on Ciri's story, and both books roughly take place over the course of summer/fall. It is extremely probable that S4 will cover Geralt's story in BoF and Ciri's story in TTotS (especially as we already know that Bonhart will appear in S4 and he's really not that prominent of a character until TTotS), leaving the remainder of TTotS and The Lady of the Lake for S5 (which roughly covers winter/spring, just to give a sense of the timeline in the books.)

[cbrownjc]

Can I also add that given the advertising AMC has been doing for Season 2 of IWTV, I think the cancellation of the podcast actually has more to do with Mayfair Witches than it does regarding IWTV?

Because remember, despite the title of that podcast, IWTV wasn't the only show that was being covered by it. Mayfair Witches was too, and not just in an offhanded way. That podcast basically covered and was really for both shows not just IWTV. And that was a major thing people were complaining about after Season 1, that the podcast (as well as the official IWTV Twitter Feed) were being heavily used to push Mayfair Witches too.

Both shows were supposed to be in tandem with each other -- promoted together, etc., in order to promote the whole Immortal Universe.

The problem was, however, that only one part of AMCs Immortal Universe was hitting (IWTV). And the other part of it (MW) was most assuredly not.

A lot of the promotion for IWTV Season 2 reminds me a lot of how HBO promoted Game of Thrones and now promotes House of the Dragon. Even the Episode Insider shorts after the episodes now very much mimic what HBO does after episodes of GOT would air and after eps of HOTD air. AMC has been flooding the zone with advertising and promotion. And not desperate advertising, but very much "we are building something of high quality here" advertising.

Mayfair Witches, in contrast, was being desperately pushed during Season 1, as shown by the podcast and Twitter feeds. And we might see the same wrt Season 2 of that show as well.

Anyway, my point is that I believe the podcast was canceled because with only IWTV being the one show people cared about, the point of the podcast no longer fits with the reality of the situation going on regarding what AMC actually wanted from it. Which was both shows pulling in viewers and critics, and working together to set up this new universe.

Because, at the moment, only one of those two shows is really doing that.

AMC is talking about a Talamasca show. They have teased a NIght Island miniseries in the past, and that too might still be in the cards. But has there been any talk about a spinoff that is specific to Mayfair Witches? Because, if you've read those books, you could actually do one, focused on the ancestors in the Mayfair family very easily. But, nope. Nothing.

I wouldn't be surprised if, after Season 2, MW isn't renewed and is just quietly ended . . . if the retooling it's supposedly going through doesn't work. And then we might begin to hear more about things like the Talamansca show . . . and maybe even hear about the podcast getting rebooted, (probably with new hosts), with an adjusted focus on whatever direction AMC is now going to take the Immortal Universe after Season 2 of IWTV.

AMC reportedly paid a LOT of money for the rights to both book series and I don't see them just sitting on them and doing nothing with them, which is what canceling both shows would do. They want to build a universe out of this but given what's going on with MW . . . they might be in the process of having to retool how that universe is going to be set up and promoted. Which is possibly why the podcast got the ax.

IMO, if they ever want to do an official podcast again, they no longer want it in the format it was originally in.

I'm not saying anything I've said here is true or correct about what happened, btw. These are just my feelings about it and what might be going on wrt why the podcast got axed. I just feel a lot of things wrt the Immortal Universe, podcasts and any other things, are now on hold until AMC knows for sure what direction to take things. And Season 2 of MW needs to come out before they do.

what are your thoughts on the official iwtv podcast being cancelled? i think it's a shame, although it wasn't perfect. some people are saying it bodes ill for a season 3 renewal, although i don't really believe that. a lot of fans didn't much care for the podcast, maybe it just underperformed. season 3's renewal depends more on season 2's reception than anything else, I'd think!

Soooooooooooo.

I think it's no secret that I had my problems with the lack of background knowledge in it (at display at least, which might have been intentional!), and the way that some statements made in it by host or "expert" guests were taken as fact. *coughs* "Armand is so much better for Louis *coughs*

I liked having it. And I have listened to it repeatedly. There are some great bits in it!

But, and I was just talking to @cbrownjc about this (who mentioned it) TWD has no official podcast either, so it's not a matter of performance, or foreboding.

I would have liked having it back for season 2, but there are also a lot of great fan podcasts around by now. I'm sorry for Naomi, but... let's check out those?

[ambelle]

I agree with everything you said about the writing on the Titans show, especially “Tell me with a straight face Dawn or Babs are well written 😭).” They were clearly written as secondary characters, almost purely as Love Interests, while Kory has had slow, but continuous, overall progression and growth. Dawn IMO was a Babs substitute. (They used her because they weren’t sure they would be able to add Barbara to the story). It probably would never be conceded, but would explain why Brenton thought at some point DD would be a thing in the present. However, as soon as the show runners could go to Gotham and use Babs, Dawn was conveniently dismissed. Dawn was with Hank, but still had feelings for Dick (which Dick did not reciprocate). Furthermore, Dick’s rekindled relationship with Babs was lame AF. They argued for 5 episodes; Dick all-of-sudden has renewed feelings for her. They kissed and held hands once. And while people were losing their 💩 because he asked her to go to San Francisco with him it was obvious that he just did it because he knew she wouldn’t. They’re rekindling served mostly so that he could have frontline access to any leads GCPD had on Red Hood and Scarecrow. While Dick’s relationship with Kory was shown to be one built on trust, interdependence, and caring. They live together, work together, are raising a family together - something that Dick has always wanted. The man literally saw his future daughter with Kory before returning from the Lazarus Pit which signaled his deepest desires of having a flesh and blood family and the DK endgame. Noticeably, the relationship between DK is the least problematic.

I gotta admit the comics have traumatized me and probably a lot of other people. So has other shows I’ve watched with BW.

I was very anxious starting the show because I expected Kory to be harassed and mistreated by everyone and I expected her to be replaced by Dawn. By I think 1x03 I was like “heh…well this is new.” Like I was waiting for it to get wildly disrespectful and it just never did. If Babs was in s1 thanks to the shitty books I would have been worried about a love triangle with Kory as the losing point.

But instead what we got was Dick not returning feelings for Babs stand in and Kory always being the one he was asking to come with him or stay. And seriously S2 didn’t have a ton of DK scenes but it had a ton of development for them. She knows him better than Dawn and never turned her back on him. Dawn did it 3 times in a row in s2 so did Donna. And Dick’s never treated Kory poorly and refuses to throw her under the bus. They are genuinely friends and partners. I think it’s such a nice change of pace to just see a bw on tv not dealing with racism micro aggressions or chasing after a man who doesn’t want her. I can finally just watch a freaking show in peace.

And yeah like you said by time Babs showed up I was shrugging because I was already confident and then Greg came out and confirmed DK was endgame before s3 even aired. Even if DB wasn’t them arguing 80% of the time that interview Greg gave just made it all a big joke.

I’ve actually never seen a show runner come right out and say “hey this is the endgame pairing”. That’s a first. Maybe he felt that was necessary because of what happens with Babs in the books. Still wild though LOL.

[laufire]

The 100

Top 5 favourite characters: Murphy, Echo, Raven, Emori, Octavia. Those are always at the top, but the order varies lol. Right now Murphy is winning because I keep thinking as of late how much I value his storyline, how different it is from your classic male hero part.

Other characters you like: Diyoza, Indra, Gaia, A.L.I.E., Becca, Luna, Niylah, Jaha, Anya, Monty, Harper, Josephine...

Least favourite characters: at this point Bellamy or Kane are below Clarke in my ~affections lol, but she’s still first in the list out of principle, until I know how things end xD

Otps: Emori/Murphy, Diyoza/Octavia, Echo/her entourage, Raven/an unlikely good ending, Clarke/Josephine, Indra/Sheidheda (with her killing him at the end of it, preferably :D).

Notps: Clarke/anyone but Josephine, Bellamy/anyone.

Favourite friendships: Raven & Echo & Murphy & Emori, Echo & Octavia & the Diyozas, Indra & Memori.

Favourite family: Spacekru (as of s6-7 minus Bellamy xD). Indra & Gaia’s relationship is one of my favourites too.

Favourite episodes: I’m going to go by season, Because: 1x10, 2x12, 3x11, 4x13, 5x09, 6x08, 7x10 (so far).

Favourite season/book/movie: season 5.

Favourite quotes: currently thinking a lot about “She said due North” and about Murphy’s rant to Clarke in “God Complex” and how it put the idea of turning herself into a nightblood in her head IMO.

Best musical moment: Murphy singing in 6x01 ofc.

Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: getting the Diyoza-Echo-O team-up I’ve been dreaming about since s5.

When it really disappointed you: pfft. Most recently, with Raven’s current storyline (7x10 and 7x12 were an improvement but I’m not ready to be cautiously optimistic yet, given how little screentime and focus she actually had on them lol).

Saddest moment: been thinking about Raven’s reactions after Finn’s death lately too :((((

Most well done character death: I did like how they did Diyoza’s.

Favourite guest star: I really digged Josephine’s actress last year lol (apparently she’s going to be in a film with Richard Harmon? Josephine is living her best life somewhere lmfao).

Favourite cast member: acting-wise I’m all about Adina Porter (and of the younglings, Harmon, Morgan and Teles). And reading a few interviews has renewed my appreciation for JR Bourne.

Character you wish was still alive: I would love to hear Diyoza weight in on a lot of what’s happened after her death, ngl (especially wrt Bellamy like. I want to hear her Thoughts LOL).

One thing you hope really happens: that my faves’ endings don’t suck.

Most shocking twist: s7′s behind-the-scenes bullshit xD

When did you start watching/reading?: I started the show more or less as it aired (I think there were 3 or 4 episodes out?), but quit just as I started 1x13 because I was booooored. Then I only heard about it from afar until I heard of the s4 finale; I LOVED what I was getting from my dash, so I watched 4x12-13 and it convinced me to catch up before s5. I almost quit because I found 2x01 just as boring EXCEPT for Murphy & Raven’s scenes, that literally saved the show for me.

Best animal/creature: tentacle!Bellamy (jellyfish, in particular. Penance is Bellamygate 2.0 foreshadowing, people).

Favourite location: NOT BARDO THAT’S FOR SURE UGH. I’m an Earth gal. And I loved Becca’s island/house/lab.

Trope you wish they would stop using: sooooo many lmfao. Though it’s more recurrent lines/motifs than tropes (if I have to hear “bear it so they don’t have to” ONE MORE TIME!!!).

One thing this show/book/film does better than others: I think it has amazing female characters who’ve gotten unusual storylines (not all is good, but the good is great), and that they’ve done something amazing with Murphy, partially unconciously.

Funniest moments: I think I’m the only one here that hasn’t gotten tired of Sheidheda’s antics lmao.

Couple you would like to see: this late in the game I might prefer it if there were no new couples lol. But if the show decided to pull Niytavia or Echoven or something like that, with build-up, I wouldn’t be mad.

Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: same as above. And frankly, I’m not sure I want any more appearances of dead characters.

Favourite outfit: Emori’s Prime Looks have become my sustenance.

Favourite item: Raven’s raven necklace... it was so cute, I miss it.

Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: nope.

What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: an alien in some planet none of these people will ever hear about, just living my life, chillin’...

Most boring plotline: the prequel’s backdoor pilot. I can’t convey just how little I care.

Most laughably bad moment: Morley’s acting in 7x10.

Best flashback/flashfoward if any: I love Octavia’s flashbacks this season.

Most layered character: at this point it’s Octavia sns.

Most one dimensional character: I mean, plenty of the newbies are one-dimensional, but I don’t mind because I don’t want them to take that much space and it’s not working terribly so far.

Scariest moment: Raven’s character assassination is terrifying.

Grossest moment: ... they seem to have climbed up of an alien’s butthole so. There’s that.

Best looking male: I remain strangely attracted to Richard Harmon lmao.

Best looking female: EMORI. HER FAAAACE.

Who you’re crushing on (if any): I would definitely crush on Emori. Or Raven. Or Echo. Or Indra. Or...

Favourite cast moment: Adina Porter and JR Bourne dancing in full costume lol.

Favourite transportation: the nice little rocket that’s saved spacekru’s ass multiple times :D

Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): Penance had some beautiful shots. And Emori got a mirror scene!! There were a lot of beautiful shots in Morgan’s episode, too, like in the Becho flashback.

Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: lololol. In all honesty, I try to avoid thinking about that and just ~go with the flow.

Best promo: given fandom’s frenzy... leaving Morley out of it might’ve been unintentionally genius (intentionally it was clearly just petty xD).

At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: there was plenty I loved in s1, but what I hated about it kinda cancelled it out. It was the s4 finale that did me in. If I can’t quit the show it’s because of it xDD

[thestupidhelmet]

Hyde and Jackie's relationship is still healthy at this point. The focus, however, is on Hyde dealing with the newly-discovered family and how he can -- and wants to -- fit into it. Working in the corporate world is antithetical to who Hyde is, but he forces himself to bear it. His desire to connect with W.B. (and prove himself worthy of W.B.'s love so he won't get abandoned by a third parent) is more powerful than his discomfort.

His scenes with Jackie during this arc revolve around the above storyline. After one particularly tough day for him at work, for example, he snaps at her. But he apologizes immediately and makes sure she knows she did nothing wrong; it's him having a hard time acclimating to his job.

That kind of interaction is common in healthy relationships because people are people. They get stressed out. As long as each partner is self-aware, self-reflecting, and can own their behavior and mistakes (most of which will, hopefully be minor and not relationship-fracturing), the relationship will remain healthy.

"Winter" (7x11) is the beginning of the unintended end of Jackie/Hyde that season 8 being greenlit led to. Hyde (and Donna) is written out-of-character to manufacture the conflict that leads to his break-up with Jackie.

Once I began participating in the active fandom and through writing my first two fanfics (Reflections Through the Glass and Hyde's Long Way Home), I realized that the second half of season 7 planted the seeds of Jackie and Hyde's ultimate destruction on-screen (not in the canon T7S universe, which we were deprived of seeing).

Since the S5-S7 showrunners intended to have Hyde and Jackie become engaged at the end of the series, they put the characters through a ton of conflict so that the series ending would feel more rewarding. They and the writers did a bad job of it, imo, with rare exception ("On With the Show" [7x16]), and fumbled worse when they had to revise and rewrite episodes to accommodate the fact T7S was renewed so late into S7's production (episodes were already airing; the series finale was written).

Thinking about the lunch Jackie made Hyde. SHE WAS THE BEST GIRLFRIEND EVER. Honestly at this point he didn't deserve her. The little heart face? THE TROLL STATUE FOR HIS DESK? She made him a sandwich! She knew he needed the suit and drove almost the way there with it and saved his ass. Her little care package was everything.

Also, I remember WB saying that Jackie was always in the office and I love that so much😭 She was so happy for him. And I know that if he had ended up working with red she would've been there too. Annoying red 🤣. If not it would've been ooc.

Idk, thoughts?

@those70scomics @burkhaart @kayyqua @that70sbitchsstuff

[illegiblewords]

Some thoughts on a FFXIV fanon thing that rubs me weird under the cut.

I’ve been noticing a few folks, overwhelmingly Emet-Selch/WoL shippers (often lovely people), treating it as a given/canon that the WoL is the Fourteenth member of the convocation and Persephone and love interest for Hades and we will get canon confirmation in the future.

I’m not offended or anything. Even annoyed or peeved feel too strong for me. Whole thing’s just super odd imo.

There are so many different ways to spin the WoL. Some people don’t want any shipping in the equation, or only go ceremony of eternal bonding with other players/RPers. There is no set gender or race or job or even age. There are players who ship the WoL with a Scion, or an Ishgardian, or an Ala Mhigan, or a Doman, or a Garlean, etc. All kinds of orientations at work too. And many, many personalities.

Even within Persephone as a goddess and concept--a lot of people have been focusing on her as sunshine and light and spring-making-flowers-grow. One of the other names of Persephone is the Iron Queen. She is very much the co-ruler of the Underworld, and has absolutely challenged judgments by Hades successfully or executed judgments of her own. People feared to speak her name at times iirc. Her name Kore represents her as the Maiden but part of what makes Persephone as a deity interesting imo is her duality. She’s light AND darkness. Even if you focus on her aspect as spring purely--she would be the renewal of life. Rebirth. Rejuvenating what is barren. Creation through bearing young. Possibly nature red in tooth and claw. Plants may be part of it yeah, but that does not make her an ingenue.

As folks know I have a billion alts. I’ve analyzed the convocation, and part of my own practice at least involves avoiding names that are almost certainly taken by other convocation members. Ex. Mitron literally cannot be anyone but Poseidon with that ocean theme lol, Halmarut is a shoo-in for Demeter given those plants. But knowing the main deities and all, there are plenty who are likely up for grabs. Persephone is one, yeah. And for Nivienne, I do play into that--though not in the ingenue or flower-lady sense. I figure Cenric is probably Thanatos, with the duality of either Eros and Thanatos (Love and Death) or Hypnos and Thanatos (twins, Sleep and Death) at play to reflect Nald’Thal. A certain sir-who-has-not-been-shown-yet is Dionysus. Kiyo is probably Hestia while I could see Kokono as Eris and Asklona as Mnemosyne. Osk, J’mor, Cesaire, and Svatomir would take more thought, but for a general WoL I mean I could absolutely see the devs making them Prometheus. AND, given the devs like to surprise players, frankly I wouldn’t even be shocked if it turned out Minfilia/Ryne was the Fourteenth while the WoL had a different role.

Point is, so much is up in the air here. And while I’d be all for a Dragon Age-style multiple-choice romance option, currently the devs don’t seem to know how or have plans to implement that with the MMO format. So for canon we’re most likely to get flirty options with many different people, with room for interpretation.

Idk. It just confuses me when people speak with certainty about how the WoL was definitely the Fourteenth and was definitely Persephone and was definitely goodness and light and romantically involved with Hades and all about those plants. There’s nothing wrong with headcanoning a WoL that way, and for buddies who have done this again--not annoyed on this end lol. It literally just rubs me weird because of how much it does not apply to many of my WoLs, including the one I am alluding to as Persephone.

[twilight-deviant]

So I never saw the Timeless movie but enjoyed your feedback on the show while it was in progress and agreed with you much of the time-- is the movie worth watching ? I'm scared it's going to be rushed, sloppy, and ly@tt garbage

First of all, thank you for valuing my opinion enough to ask. I haven’t rambled about Timeless in awhile, but I’m flattered you enjoyed and remembered my feedback when I did. ♥

Sadly, I have to report that Timeless finale is a movie disliked by Garcy fans, Riya fans, and gen fans alike. Pretty much the only way to like it is if you’re the target audience: Lucy/Wyatt shippers. Or maybe if you’re a very, very casual fan.

Full disclosure: I have not actually watched the Timeless movie. Like you, I feared it would abandon everything Timeless stood for, everything we loved, to waste its last moments on Lucy/Wyatt fan service. Aaaaaand I was right. Good call me on not watching it live. It might have broken my heart. I got the information later through friends and research. And tbh, hearing everything second-hand was actually hilarious. Yes, it was upsetting, but the writing is SO BAD, I actually laughed. Out loud. I may have cried laughing. It’s just… so bad. XD

I spent months dreading a worst case scenario for the movie, and when the time came, it was every bit that. (And then some? Somehow?) But when it got here, all of my fears turned to hilarity. I was RELIEVED. After months of being afraid, I finally felt free. I thought “This is what I was afraid of?” Because toxic shippers in the fandom got everything they wanted, just the way they wanted, but it is HORRIBLE! Because what they wanted was BAD. It watches just like the badly written fanfiction they demanded. Which is ALL this movie is: badly written fanfiction.

To quote Claudia Doumit when she read the script: “It feels like a fan wrote the movie.” Perhaps she means that in a positive way, but if a professional is writing “like a fan,” spoiler alert, it’s never a positive thing. It’s a “basic” thing.

Timeless movie is SO BAD that it is the least rewatched episode of all Timeless. Delayed returns on it are borderline embarrassing. Few people except Lucy/Wyatt shippers wanted to subject themselves to it a second time. Not to mention that support for Timeless and a third renewal fell into steep decline after the premiere. It seems not many people want more if this is the “more” we might have to look forward to.

imo, Future television writers should study this movie for direct examples of what NOT to do. It’s every worst case scenario, presented to you at breakneck speed. You barely have time to get over one absurdity before the next one hits. Not gonna lie. I’ll give kudos where due. I am legitimately IMPRESSED that writing managed to get every single thing wrong. Do you know how statistically impossible that is?!?!

Timeless movie really sort of took all the negatives, low points, disproportionate focus on romance, and bad writing of S2 and ran with them. That’s what it is. Concentrated S2, minus any good parts.

Basically, if you are a fan of Flynn, Lucy, Rufus, Jiya, Jessica, Emma, Connor, Denise, good writing, feminism, no plotholes, Riya, Garcy, or TIMELESS, please do not watch the Timeless movie. Save yourself. If your first (only?) priority is Wyatt and Lucy/Wyatt, go right ahead. It was made just (only?) for you.

Though obviously, I can’t/won’t stop you from watching. You may still want to form your own opinion, and if so, you have my full support. I hope that you find something appealing to make it worth your time. I especially hope that if you don’t, it doesn’t ruin Timeless for you, as it has other people. I still may watch it myself one day. I may. But not for entertainment purposes. Really just to mock it from a more informed standpoint. I’ve considered live-blogging the event. lol.

As is though, I basically know the entire movie through aforementioned friends and research. And I will summarize below the cut on the ways this movie failed Timeless and its fans. (PS: This is by no means everything. There’s just SO MUCH and I got tiiiired thinking about this monstrosity! Anyone is free to add on whatever I didn’t cover.)

[Spoilers]

Future Lucy gives the journal to Wyatt, the writer’s attempt to take something that has always been Flynn/Lucy’s thing and make it a L/W thing. (Somehow, we’re supposed to ignore that this Lucy already would have given her journal to Flynn in 2014. Conveniently, illogically, she has it again. So she can give it to Wyatt.)

Future Wyatt announces that Jessica was lying about being pregnant. Right out the gate. Great. Now, they get to kill her. Don’t worry, writing will strip away her entire character first so we don’t feel guilty when an “evil Rittenhouse agent” dies. It’s fine to kill a woman who was brainwashed from childhood, but let’s not kill a baby. We’ll just erase it instead. That’s different because reasons.

Writing introduces a new stipulation that people can coexist with time travel, but staying too long will kill them. This will come in handy later.

Also the new, updated Lifeboat will conveniently be able to do whatever the plot needs. Coexist? Sure. Autopilot? Suuuuure. Able to jump multiple times on one charge as if it had a nuclear core like the Mothership? Why not?!

If you thought Rittenhouse wasn’t scary anymore in S2, well hold onto this writer’s beer. Gone is any intimidation or purpose they once stood for. Now that Emma is running things, all that matters is stealing art and money from the past. Caution: Never go full two-dimensional evil.

Wyatt decides Jessica has to die and he’s the one who has to do it. But after half an argument from the team, he gives in and agrees not to. FLYNN will clean up Wyatt’s mess instead! Because suddenly, all that matters is he loves Lucy. Not his family. Not stopping Rittenhouse. No, he has to do this so that Lucy can be with Wyatt and Rufus can be alive.

Flynn tells Lucy that the journal can be unreliable. Despite this, he goes to 2012 and dooms himself because he believes, without a doubt, that Lucy’s heart will always belong to Wyatt, something he, ya know, got from the journal. And that neeeeeever changes. I mean, some guy said it was unreliable, but his name escapes me right now.

When 1x06 first aired and we heard the story of how Jessica died and how it was very much Wyatt’s fault, painting him in a negative light, I thought to myself (almost three years ago), “Wow. If we ever get a flashback of that night, writing is going to retcon all of that so hard so that it doesn’t look like Wyatt’s fault.” And lo! It’s Jessica’s fault now. She made Wyatt get jealous on purpose. She made him drink too much. She MADE HIM let her out of the car, per text orders of Rittenhouse agent. Poor Wyatt, what a victim. (Periodic reminder that Timeless hates women.)

Writing in the scene with Jessica’s death is so bad that we’re actually left with no alternative BUT to believe Wyatt was the original killer that night. Rittenhouse agent tells Jessica to get out of the car. This saves her life. No other person is seen on this road (save Flynn later) that could be the killer. And what’s the other course (the original timeline)? Without instruction, Jessica would have stayed in the car. And died. Wow, I can’t believe Wyatt killed Jessica in a drunken, jealous rage, but also I can. Also also writing just told us he did. If Rittenhouse wanted to make sure she was okay, they would tell her to stay in the car with her soldier husband, no matter what. That would save her. But what do they do instead? Hmmmm…….

Flynn kills Jessica and hurries to the Lifeboat, feeling the effects of coexistence taking affect. Set course for any time but this one, am I right? Wrong. Nah, better just die. Flynn sends the Lifeboat back to 1848 for the team and stays in 2012 so he can see his family one last time and then die. Because true character development is letting your five-year-old die violently two weeks before Christmas when you still have the life and power to prevent it.

Why does all of our correspondence end the same? Reply, reply, and then *crickets* Notice me, senpai. TToTT

For some reason (I mean, I know the reason. It’s bad writing by an idiot), dead Flynn’s fingerprints do not pull up when police find a John Doe on the beach. Despite the fact that he worked with the NSA and his prints would be on file.

I can’t with this woman:

Anywaaaaaaay, Rufus returns in a way that breaks all time travel rules thus far established in the show. Even though the team was traveling in 1848 with Flynn, suddenly it’s reset so that Rufus was there the entire time. Which, even if writing wants to claim that’s SOMEHOW possible, is still illogical because to overwrite that timeline, the characters’ memories would have also been overwritten. However, they remain perfectly intact with everyone remembering Rufus died. (Except Rufus, of course.)

Flynn dies because he stayed in the past too long. The writer would then go on twitter and pretend the matter was out of her hands, even though she’s the one who set the condition. She WROTE the rule that killed him, SO she could kill him. (This was previously not going to be a condition on coexisting time travel. Source: Interviews in which it was suggested that had Timeless been renewed for S3, Future Lucy and Wyatt may have stuck around for a few episodes.)

Arika would also say on twitter that, in her opinion, Flynn didn’t deserve a happy ending, to the uproar of many.

Writing tries to claim that Flynn was always the person who killed Jessica in 2012. Deer lord at the plotholes.

And the holes keep comin and they don’t stop comin. ♫

It’s Christmas now. For some reason. When the team returns to the bunker, there are Christmas decorations everywhere and we���re told that it’s Christmas in present day. Even though it was May yesterday.

There are more than a dozen ways to save Flynn at this point, but Arika doesn’t like him and just wants Lucy/Wyatt to bang. So you can bet none of them will be used. Also because she’s an idiot, the woman claimed on twitter that Flynn can’t possibly be brought back because he died while time traveling. Uh-huh. First off, what? He absolutely can be saved. Secondly, tell me how Rufus died again?

The characters acknowledge Flynn for a minute (in a toast give by WYATT, of all people) before promptly forgetting he ever existed until the end of the movie. When they need him again.

When Rufus wants to get intimate, Jiya tells him that she suffered some form of abuse while stranded in the past. That’s it. We will never talk about this again. Forget it ever happened. They brought it up just to scar Jiya even further and then ignore it. Anyone who tells you Timeless loves women is lying. Timeless wants to torture and torment women. FOR NO REASON!

Emma is the only person who cares Jessica is now dead. Because it sure as shirt wasn’t going to be her husband who like two days ago was desperately trying to get her to come home to her “family.” (Remember kids, women are just baby makers. If there’s not a baby in there, she’s garbage, and a minute spent mourning is a minute you’re not banging the next lady.) Emma plots revenge on the team, and honestly, by this point, I say let her do it. They’re horrible people.

Lucy boldly says she won’t be Wyatt’s second choice. So she can forget she said it in 10 minutes, when she’s suddenly fine with it.

Rufus is alive again, but all of his memories after 2x03 are conveniently erased. In his timeline, Lucy/Wyatt have been together this whole time, and he’s their biggest fan. He actually, canonically, verbally says that he’s “Team L/yatt.” That’s great because otherwise we’re left with a Rufus whose last words on the subject are:

“You are so worried about your stupid Lucy-Jessica soap opera that you forgot that there are other people here. Who matter to each other. Who love each other. If anything happens to her, Wyatt… I don’t think I can ever forgive you.”

Yeah, we can’t use that in the Lucy/Wyatt movie. Better erase the black man’s memory since he’s no longer serving his purpose: head cheerleader of the white couple!

Because Rufus’s memories are gone, all S2 development in the Riya relationship is gone with it. Damaging them even more after Jiya spent 3 years in the past (becoming hardened and almost a different person) and then watched him die. Don’t worry, writing will address none of this.

Rufus compares Lucy/Wyatt to Aragorn/Arwen. As a Tolkien nerd, I’ll throw down over this alone. IN WHAT WAY?!

There’s a pregnant woman in labor because leave no cliche unturned. Wyatt delivers the baby because what did I just say about cliches.

Lucy’s hormones go all a-twitter when she sees Wyatt holding said baby. Outside? In weather they admitted earlier is deathly freezing? (I mean, the mother might want to hold her own baby, but no. She has to get in line. Lucy absolutely HAS to have an epiphany that she needs Wyatt’s babies.)

Lucy decides that since Wyatt’s mistreatment of her was technically from another timeline, she can let go off all self-respect and tell herself he didn’t mean it. Also almost everyone else is dead or has their memories erased, so only they will know. Now Lucy can be with Wyatt and no one will judge her? Yay?

Despite Emma’s big speech in 2x10 about abandoning the pillars of “old Rittenhouse” and striking out on her own, she still backs down immediately when Denise makes Benjamin Cahill tell her to knock it off and surrender.

Emma dies at the hands of some deus ex machina random sniper. Letting us know the writer could no longer pretend she cared about any of this and just wanted to make Lucy/Wyatt bang. Are they banging yet? Bang now! Will this convenient and corny mistletoe move things along? Are they banging yet?

So Denise saves the day. In the most anti-climatic way. Meaning Rufus was never actually necessary and could have stayed dead. Actually, none of the team was necessary. Nothing in these episodes was necessary. All it took to end Rittenhouse was Denise and Ben. Roll credits.

Lucy decides NOT to save her sister Amy. Even though it’s what she has been fighting for since episode 2. Her reasoning? She says that trying to save the people they love has negative effects. (Let’s get one last jab at dead Flynn by saying, “Look at all the awful things that Flynn did in the name of saving his family.”) This is said in spite of the fact that Amy is SUPPOSED to be alive, and leaving her erased IS an alternate timeline, carrying the potential of being more catastrophic than SAVING HER and setting the events right.

PS: While in the past, Lucy JUST SAID, “What’s the point of saving history if we don’t save the people in it?” And then saved a stranger that was supposed to die. Writing for this movie does not care about consistency, only what’s relevant in the moment. And clearly the writer wanted Amy to stay dead.

Leaving Amy dead creates this lovely paradox:

Writer is too ignorant in time travel to understand that current timeline is erased, Lucy is now with Noah, and that is our endgame. Movie proceeds with Lucy/Wyatt ending.

The Mothership is dismantled for no reason. So now the team is stuck with ONE time machine for any future situations. Remind me again. Remind me. Why… did we have the Lifeboat in the first place? Oh yeah, Connor kept it in case the crew of the Mothership was ever stranded. And it came in handy after the Mothership was stolen. Right, who needs two time machines? Scrap her, boys!

In a flashforward to 2023, we see that Lucy is teaching at Stanford again. And she just got tenure! Which is a throwback to the Pilot, but completely ignores that it is not what Lucy wanted for herself, only what Carol influenced her into doing. Lucy’s dream job was to teach at a small college in Ohio. (Source: 1x14 conversation with Lindbergh.) But who CARES WHAT LUCY WANTS?! Certainly not a writer who barely knows the show upon which she is the showrunner.

Lucy is a thoroughly horrible fake feminist now. At her job, she teaches a general history class, but only talks about women in history. When a male student brings this up, Lucy says, “I meant to get to the men, but we just didn’t have time.Maybe in the spring, okay?” So he gets to sound sexist for valuing his education. Oh, wow, thanks. Feminism isn’t about ignoring men and acting like they’re not important. It’s about EQUALITY! Label your class as “Women’s History” if that’s all you’re going to teach. Also what if they don’t HAVE YOU next semester, Lucy?! They’re going on to their next classes completely unprepared. Remind me again how this woman got tenure? Because she didn’t get it in the Pilot due to her unconventional teaching methods. Somehow not adhering to your own course description is the secret to success?

Lucy and Wyatt have two twin girls named Flynn and Amy. There are so many bad fanfiction cliches I want to cry. TToTT Why are you making me cry? Never. name. the. second. generation. after. characters. that. died. It’s. THE. corniest. thing. Petition. to. stop!

Jiya and Rufus started “Riya Industries.” That’s right! They squeezed not one, BUT TWO fandom ship names into this nightmare. If you needed further proof no one was taking this movie seriously, here ya go.

2023 Lucy does take the journal to 2014 Flynn in the bar in Sao Paulo, but everything about it is wrong. Not only do Rufus and Wyatt accompany her, but the conversation leads to Lucy telling a man who just lost his family that he can change the past but will never save his family. Also he’ll die. And he should just accept all of that but still do what she says and sacrifice himself to save a world that hates him. And the entire conversation takes place in about a minute. I mean, people had a hard time believing Flynn would buy into Lucy’s story and do what she said after 2x08 premiered. Now? NO EFFING WAY!

A clip (deleted scene from Pilot) of 2016 Flynn at the end shows him about to raid Mason Industries and start us over again. In other words, he is stuck in Hell loop for eternity. His family will die in 2014, he will do horrible things he hates to save them and the world from Rittenhouse, and he will die unnecessarily to save the world. Then Lucy will go back in time, give him the journal, and start him on this quest all over again, knowing full well that he is a good man and this will destroy his soul. But she doesn’t care (actually smiles as she approaches him) because he “did bad things” and the writer thinks he deserves this. Even though Lucy is the one who set him on this path and one can EASILY argue it is all her doing and Flynn was nothing but her tool. Don’t worry, she gets her happy ending.

The movie closes on a young girl designing specs for her own time machine. Motives unknown, other than general interest, same as Connor in the beginning. The writer thinks this is an AMAZING open ending, leaving plenty of groundwork for more Timeless when fans get it renewed for a third time. (It is not. No one cares. You killed Timeless and flew all its plots into the ground.)

In conclusion, yes, worst case scenario on every single plot point. Timeless does nothing to prove or even suggest it deserves a third chance. I personally am left wishing it had never been renewed after the initial cancellation following S1. Let it stay dead now. Forever. It has done nothing to deserve yet another chance.

RIP Timemess.

[kae-karo]

☕ merlin writing/direction of the show cause i've been salty about that lately lol

slkdfjklsdjfkldjfs oof (send me a ☕ and a topic and i’ll give my opinion)

okay first and foremost i watched the show Many Moons Ago so my thoughts are probably a little basic compared to what i might think if i rewatched it right now but i’ll do my best

first and foremost the concept of the show was a++++ it left a lot of great openings for comedic irony and i still remember some fucking hilarious bits of trying to dance around the ‘merlin’s a sorcerer and has to hide it’ thing. like. the hilarity of that show was fantastic imo, that’s probably the thing that sticks with me the most (merlin faking being an old hag in the cave just deadass killed me i had to rewatch it several times it was so fucking funny)

what i did Not like, if i remember correctly, is that there were some plot points that felt.....pointless, for lack of a better term. like they were just trying to fill space even if it didn’t really do much for the plot, or add complexities (as shows tend to do when they’ve been on air for a while) that just make things weird and complicated

unrelated to writing/direction i definitely thought katie mcgrath (morgana) was hot as hell i mean can u blame me??? not only was she a badass but she was a witch also????? (interestingly she and her character arc remind me a lot of claudia from the dragon prince, like she was pre-dragon prince obvs so i wonder if they took some inspiration from her)

ahem anyway back to the point here. which was that they did not make it gay in spite of the fact that it definitely could’ve and should’ve been. i know i’ve reblogged gifsets but i think that was honestly the first ship i really had that i was like ‘wow are they really not gay????’ mostly bc of the way they bond (yes i know we want to also encourage male intimacy without it being romantic but also we want mlm romance too okay) like i think it would’ve felt natural to the story for them to end up together romantically (can we get a story continuation in the house???? please????)

which leads me to my last thot™ - that the story ended without really ending, whether bc they wanted to leave it open for future revivals or bc they were hoping that leaving it the way they did would encourage support and it’d be renewed for another season or what but i feel like there will always be a gap in my heart waiting for the Real end of the show (much like firefly rip)

anyway takeaway here is i was gay for morgana, we should’ve gotten merthur, and i will be holding out for a reboot until the day i die

[neven-ebrez]

I was really intrigued by your season 14 spec. I know we'll never know for sure but can you talk a little more about what you think Dabb originally planned for the season? Around which episode do you think it got changed?

Are you talking about the ghost structure of S14 anon? I still plan on updating my narrative structure over the years meta but in a nutshell I think the major beats were going to be:

Michael allows himself to get “eaten” by Jack as a kind of ultimate trap for God in order to bring him back out of hiding (the question of Jack’s soul is then forced to be debated/vague instead of immediately answered)

Jack kills Mary as a reprieve from her missing John (this is repurposed into an “accident”).

Jack brings back Lucifer when he feels abandoned by his family (this is repurposed into hallucinations that go nowhere in order to burn off the rest of Pellegrino’s contract).

Michael takes over Jack, turns on Lucifer and extracts the grace Lucifer stole from Jack and becomes as powerful as God (this is completely dropped and there’s less structural evidence for this than the rest, but it’s my ongoing theory)

The situation forces God to show himself again (it’s like Mousetrap and God is the rat who just got caught).

We go into the end of S14 with God playing victim again and inserting himself into the story. Lucifer would go on to get a redemption arc probably. S15 would end on God revealing his true colors. S16 would then start as the last season in the same way true S15 is about to.

The structure is burned at 14x15 (technically 14x14). I haven’t dug my 8x20 meta back out yet but I’m updating it in my drafts and in it I talk about the ghost structure of S8 briefly, where God (and not Metatron) was originally going to be at the end as the final boss to “beat”. Then there’s 8x22 where Crowley was “undoing” all the good the Winchesters did. Sounds like the start of S15? Yeah? Dabb’s S14 altered ending and S8’s original (show ending) ghost structure have a lot in common. I’m talking the bare bones of the writing. Playing God’s game and knowing how to stop playing. The Gates of Heaven and Hell in the balance. The building of allies. Saving Kevin/Jack. Castiel finally doing the right thing and it not blowing up in his face. Defeating the “father” by Dean embracing who he is and going after what he wants for himself. Sam learning who the real enemy is.

All the things I see people being excited about now, the things Dabb is now addressing in PR, these are things I remember us being excited about back when S8 aired and Dean began peeling back his layers in hopes of making it past the final level. We got burned then but not because the writers/showrunners were malicious. The show simply got renewed and the original S8 structure had to be burned. So now the original S8 ending meant to span the last three episodes can now be stretched into the entirety of S15.

I think Dabb, as a writer under Carver, was a big fan of S8’s original ghost structure. We see this in 8x08 imo. So it’s no wonder it was always going to go back to God and his mechanisms being the problem. If I were to go back and write narrative structure meta on S8 now, I feel I’d be forced to talk about this. I’m getting off track. Stuff like Jack mercy killing Mary? Lucifer actually returning? This is all in the foreshadowing and symbolism of 14x11-14x14. I can say these things would happen with great certainty. As well as God showing back up, just in a different way. The other stuff is in foreshadowing too (like with the Mousetrap game), just foreshadowing that comes AFTER the structure burn. I can only guess Dabb didn’t feel the need to instruct the writers to eliminate these bits because at that point he himself had to reconceptionalise his own episode. For all we know, he didn’t even inform them J2M decided to make S15 the end. This is BTS guesswork btw. The only thing I can point to that supports this theory is that the burnt structure’s foreshadowing still remains, bizarrely. Like with S3 and S8, the end of S14 will always stick out as “wrong” in this regard.

[jeonakookie]

I Wish (4)

Pairing: JungkookxOC

Word Count: 2.7k

Summary: Zoya and Jungkook had lost touch years ago. When a situation brings them back into each other lives, they try to go back to how things were as best friends once again. But a lot can change in 8 years. People. Feelings.

Masterlist

Just like the night before, everyone was sitting in the waiting room chatting and having lunch. Jungkook and Zoya talked amongst themselves, catching up on things they’d missed out on over the years.

“I always managed to watch you all on music shows and tv appearances, but mum still talks to aunty every now and then and that’s the only way I really hear about you personally. Sometimes you were too busy and couldn’t call aunty, so I didn’t hear much then.” Despite Jungkook and Zoya losing contact, Zoya's mother and Jungkook’s mother had kept in touch. They often spoke and occasionally mentioned their children. Sara knew of Jungkook and Zoya’s lack of communication and offered to get his number by asking his mother but by then Zoya thought it’d be too awkward. None the less Sara would fill Zoya in on how Jungkook and Junghyun, Jungkook’s older brother, were doing. Junghyun was an older brother to Zoya equally as much as he was to Jungkook and she missed him just as much as she did Jungkook. Junghyun would be home a lot more often than Jungkook and after indirectly asking how the other was through their mothers all the time, eventually they’d speak every so often to each other. Junghyun also offered Jungkook’s number after hearing of their situation, but Zoya kindly declined. By then it had been two years of radio silence between them; it had been too long.

“I heard about you from mum as well, Junghyun would also let me know about you too. You always saw me on the TV, but I always waited when I got to talk to mum and dad before hearing of you.” Jungkook reminisced over how he would look forward to those times, but he would never admit that. “I specifically remember when my mum told me that you spent months applying for jobs and apprenticeships after you thought you flunked your exams and wouldn’t get into university. Turns out you got in and had to withdraw your application from dozens of apprenticeships and jobs.” Jungkook chuckled and shook his head.

“I really thought I’d failed. Stop laughing Jungkook. It’s not funny.” Zoya whined and pushed him.

Jungkook calmed down for a few seconds and said “I’m sorry, but I never met anyone who would immediately start applying for jobs before they even got the results for the exams. Just because they thought they failed.” He then proceeded to laugh again.

“Ugh, you’re a jerk. Oh my gosh. Stooop.” Zoya whined once again. “It’s not even that funny” She grumbled whilst rolling her eyes, and then proceeded to cross her arms and sulk.

“Aw come on Zoya. Don’t pout.” Jungkook said, and then suddenly his face was centimetres away from Zoya’s and she could feel the soft release of his breath when he quietly mumbled, “I’m sorry.” Zoya’s breath hitched and she was frozen for a moment as her heart raced and she felt her face burning up.

“Okay.” She squeaked out. Jungkook leaned back again and Zoya was frozen in the same position a few seconds longer before gathering her wits about her and shaking off the shock. However, the question still lingered on her mind: ‘What the hell was that? Am I overthinking things?'

“How is everyone? Oh and Imani, the little baby!” You’d have to be blind to miss the way Jungkook’s eyes lit up when he mentioned Imani. Jungkook loved Zoya’s siblings, but her baby sister, Imani, stole his heart the day he saw her. The Kadih’s and Jeon’s were like family, and it really did seem that Jungkook was more excited about Imani’s arrival than either Adam or Zoya. Zoya laughed at Jungkook’s cute excitement.

“Mum is great, she would have loved to see you. Adam is still a child but in college, you know doing what college students do. The little baby is now 10. Not exactly a little baby, but still…a baby.” Zoya naturally babied her siblings, much to the distaste of her brother.

“10?! Wah! And Adam in college?!” Jungkook exclaimed and then scratched his neck awkwardly whilst saying, “I hear she asks about me a lot, mum is always telling me.”

“Mum asks about everyone Jungkook. Junghyun gets asked about the most because he’s the favourite. I guess that’s the eldest’s charm.” Zoya giggled, enjoying teasing the boy and does her scarf flick. Jungkook just rolls his eyes.

“So, the scarf…are you bald or…” Jungkook laughs. Wrong move Jungkook. Zoya’s soft gaze hardened in point-one seconds and her eyebrows narrowed. It turns out the whole room heard Jungkook because the girls turned to Jungkook and Zoya wide-eyed and everyone was immediately silenced, Jungkook’s boisterous laugh died down when he felt the tension in the room.

“Zoya…” Lauren starts.

“Bald… Did you just ask me if I’m BALD? Does it look like I’m bald?!”

“Oh dear…” Alice mumbles. The boys didn’t know whether to intervene or not, Namjoon went to stand up to do something but Alice stopped him. “Let her be…she’ll calm down.”

“What, are you going to ask if I stick the pins in my skull next? If I shower with my scarf on?! Oh of course, If you must know I use HIJAB & SHOULDERS!” Zoya’s hand flew about and, in all honesty, Jungkook looked terrified.

“How long do you think this one will last?” Hope asked.

“I’m sorry but what’s going on?” Arielle spoke the question on all the boys’ minds.

“Zoya doesn’t really have outbursts, but when she does…well as you can see, once it starts you just have to wait till she finishes and probably console the poor sucker who dared to open his mouth. There are a few things that are just an area you don’t touch and joking about the scarf most definitely is one of those areas.” Hope explains as she, along with everyone else, watches helplessly as Zoya tears into Jungkook. Namjoon translates Hope’s explanation, but their faces still showed confusion.

“Oh, and guess what, yeah it does get hot, but don’t worry because we have a BUILT IN AIR CONDITIONER!” The girls winced with every sarcastic remark Zoya shouted. Zoya looked flushed and her breathing seemed ragged. She grabbed the bottle of water next to her, taking a swig whilst leaning back in her chair and simply said, ‘So no Jungkook, I am not bald.”

Jungkook just looked at Zoya with his mouth slightly agape. Then laughter was heard. A ‘reduced to tears, rolling on the floor’ laugh from Jungkook. “Wow, you really haven’t changed much. I had no idea what you said half of the time through that rant, but I think I should be glad I didn’t.” Zoya smiled at his comment and shook her head. “Yeah, you should be glad, stupid. Next time I will annihilate you Jeon Jungkook.” She finished with a serious pointed look.

He raised his hands up in defeat. “Duly noted. She scares me sometimes.” Jungkook said the last bit to Zoya’s friends in English, to which, despite being confused by his reaction, smiled and agreed with him. Zoya simply rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time today.  

After explaining to the whole group why she’s wearing a scarf, their faces changed from confused to understanding.

“So, you’re not bald then.” Jungkook teased and Zoya almost pushed him off his seat. Everyone else laughed at the scene before them.

The rest of the lunch period consisted of jokes and laughter. Zoya’s phone buzzed with a call and she picked up, seeing it was her mum. “Amma, yes mum. Yes. Yep. No. You won’t believe me even if I told you. Oh my gosh, no amma!” Zoya rolled her eyes at her overprotective mother as she went through answering her usual round of questions. Zoya made eye contact with Jungkook as she said, “Just speak to this person and you’ll know where I am.” Zoya shoved the phone to Jungkook’s ear and he looked startled and made a wild gesture as if to say, ‘What are you doing?!’ and Zoya replied with a nonchalant gesture for him to speak. “Er…Hello?” His greeting came out as a question and in English and Zoya mentally face palmed and gave him a face as if to say, ‘What are YOU doing?!’. Jungkook’s eyes went wide as there was shouting that could be heard from the other end and Zoya and everyone else, who’s attention was caught by the shouting on the other end of the phone, was watching her plan crash and fall. Zoya expected her mum to be happy to be speaking to Jungkook, but instead she could make out her mum saying, ‘who are you and why is my daughter with you? Zoya! Zoya!’

“Oh my gosh…” Zoya groaned, “Speak Korean…now.” Jungkook seemed dazed and Zoya had to break him out of his state of shock and push him to talk so her mum didn’t think she was just hanging with random guys.

“Anyeonghasaeyo imo. Jeongguk-imnida.” Jungkook finally said meekly. The response was more muffled, but it was hard not to recognise her mum being excited and gushing over Jungkook. “I’m well, yes.” Jungkook continued to converse with Zoya’s mum and chuckled along with her, his once tense form nownmore relaxed. Zoya tried to listen to their conversation but she mostly got the one-sided conversation from Jungkook, until she heard Jungkook laugh as he pointedly looked at her and say, “Did she really?”.

“Amma, can you not! Stop telling him information he can hold over me.” Zoya shouted so her mother could hear her plea. “Give me the phone.” Zoya goes to reach for it, but Jungkook stretches away from her and carries on talking to Sara.

“What else did she do?” he asked whilst still looking at Zoya, this time with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Raisins?” He repeats with a quirked eyebrow and Zoya’s eyes widen and she gets up to reach for the phone with renewed desperation.

“Not even they know that! Give me the bloody phone!”

“Know what?” Lauren pipes up, curious about what they don’t know about their friend, because they knew a lot.

“Nothing you need to know.” Zoya snaps.

In Zoya’s opinion, her mother was practically giving away trade secrets. Jungkook followed her action and stood up. Any sensible person would give up at this point, knowing that Jungkook is more than half a foot taller than Zoya, and ask for the phone back in a civil manner. But Zoya was far from sensible when it comes to such situations and she stood on the seat and jumped for her phone, but Jungkook quickly backed away from her reach.

“Yah! Jeon Jungkook!” Zoya threatened. “I will cuss you out.”

“Jungkook leave her alone.” Namjoon says and just as you were about to thank him for being on her side, Namjoon carries on by saying “Her friends said that they have better stories.” If looks could kill Zoya’s friends, especially Alice, would be long gone.

Jungkook smirked and bid Sara a goodbye and promised to speak to her more often and visit his mum more and listen to all the other motherly advice one could give. Jungkook handed Zoya’s phone back to her and dodged her punch to his shoulder. Zoya also said a quick goodbye to her now, content mother. “So…these stories of yours how good are they?” Jungkook asks and looks to Namjoon to translate.

“Speak. I dare you.” Zoya tries to threaten Alice.

“Well there was this one time, I think we were 17.” Then again Zoya’s threats rarely worked on Alice.

“Don’t you dare translate.” Zoya pointed at Namjoon as a warning. As Namjoon opened his mouth to either respond to Zoya or ignore her warning, an alarm rang from Zoya’s phone. It was 1pm already: Zoya had set an alarm just in case they lost track of time, so they could leave on time. Her shoulders sagged in disappointment and she made little effort to hide it on her face. “We have to go now. It’s already 1. We need to grab our stuff and get going or we’re going to miss our train.” She murmurs and saw that her friends’ faces mirrored hers; the boys’ faces also showed they knew that it was time to go too.

The atmosphere in the room had become sad and the group started to say their goodbyes.

“It was nice to meet you...” Alice started with Jimin.

“Bye Jimin, it was really nice meeting you.” Zoya gave a quick hug and smile. Before leaving the two to say goodbye, Zoya whispered “Get his number” and with a quick wink she left the two.

___

Zoya finished thanking Namjoon and was left to face Jungkook.

Zoya gave him a sad smile and Jungkook pulled her into a hug. “You’re going to leave tomorrow.” Zoya says her words muffled into his chest and Jungkook sighs.

They pull back and Jungkook, resting his hands on her shoulders, tells Zoya, “I know but, we’ll talk as much as we can yeah?” He gives a hopeful smile. This time it was Zoya’s turn to sigh.

“Jungkook…I don’t know.”

“What are you trying to say?” There was a hint of hurt in Jungkook’s voice.

“I’ve missed you, but when we lost contact years ago…it hurt. I don’t think I can deal with that again. You just stopped calling less frequently slowly until one day you never called again.”

“That won’t happen again tho-“Zoya cut Jungkook’s protest off.

“You barely had time when you were a trainee. You’re even more busy now and I’m in my final year of uni.” Zoya’s head moves down and her eyes are trained on the floor. “It was nice seeing you Jungkook, and we can still be friends but let’s not make promises that we know we can’t keep.”

Jungkook cupped Zoya’s cheeks and forced her to look at him, and Zoya’s eyes widened at the sudden intimacy of contact and proximity of Jungkook to her face. “I let you go last time, and I lost my best friend. I’m not letting that happen again. Do you understand?”

Eyes still wide, Zoya slowly nodded and her heart fluttered at Jungkook’s persistence.

“Good.” He murmured, looking her dead in the eye, and it would be a lie if Zoya said she had to stop herself from losing herself in them. ‘What is happening to me? Snap out of it!’ She thought. Zoya forced herself to put a safe distance between herself and Jungkook and cleared her throat.

“Okay, cool.”  Zoya acted nonchalant even though she felt anything but that. “I guess I’ll talk to you soon?” Zoya says unsure.

Jungkook smiles in reassurance. “You better pick up.”

“Hmm, I might be busy.” Zoya teases. Before Jungkook replies, Yoongi blocks Zoya’s field of vision and hands her his phone. She gives him a questioning gaze.

“Your number. Pass me yours so I can give you mine.” Yoongi clarifies.

“Oh okay.” They exchange numbers. Zoya was surprised. Though she got along well with Yoongi she didn’t expect for him to want her number. Zoya smiled as she handed Yoongi’s phone back and he gave her a gummy smile in return. “You better call me or text me now that you have my number.”

Yoongi laughs, “I will, don’t worry.”

Suddenly Jungkook clears his throat and Zoya and Yoongi both turn towards him. The boy looked annoyed at the fact that his time with Zoya was cut short.

“Zoya!” A call from her friends let her know that it was time to go.

“It was nice seeing you all, I hope to see you all again soon.” Zoya bowed and waved goodbye as she left with her friends.

____

As the girls made their way out, they all spoke of the day. “I still can’t believe all this happened.” Lauren says with a big smile on her face.

“Trust me. We watched BTS for the first time in concert AND met them twice. It’s crazy.” Alice agrees.  All the girls nodded along with the two.

“So, did we get any numbers?” Zoya asked, looking specifically at Alice.

“Jin gave me his.” Hope mentioned whilst giggling.

“I got Jimin’s number.” Alice starts.

“Oh, me too!” Arielle says excited. Zoya raises her eyebrows in surprise as does Alice. ‘When did that happen?’ Zoya thought.

“How nice of him…” Zoya said with a polite smile. She could feel that this was not going to end well. Alice’s eyebrow raised and muttered under her breath about Jimin being too nice.

“Am I the only one who didn’t get digits?” Lauren said in disbelief. Alice and Zoya comforted the poor girl.

A/N Thank you to everyone who is enjoying this series so far, you guys are awesome.

-A

Masterlist

[newhumantype]

ODAAT meta: Penelope x Schneider + what on earth are the writers thinking?

Okay SO I have not been able to stop thinking about Penelope and Schneider’s relationship in ODAAT season 3. The alvareider subtext was so fucking LOUD that I'm now beyond thinking that I'm reaching or that it’s all an accident, and I had to work out my thoughts.

IMO, The writers can only be doing one of three things at this point:

1.) Beginning to hint at a future of penelope x schneider by slowly dialing up the intimacy between them and emphasizing their importance to and reliance on one another in their lives so that a future romantic relationship seems not only plausible to the casual viewer, but inevitable and right.

2.) Purposely giving alvareider shippers little tiny things to hold onto because they have no intention of actually Going There with them but don't want to alienate those viewers entirely because they need all the support can get.

3.) They haven't decided either way about where they want to take them so they're toeing the line between friendship and potential romance so they can keep their options open.

Below the cut I’ll discuss why I’ve come to this conclusion and make my best guess as to which option is the most likely (which of course only matters if we get another season, but I can’t think dark thoughts right now).

I want to preface this whole thing by saying that I would still enjoy the show very much if Schneider and Penelope were established full stop as just friends. In fact I could probably be more easily swayed away from shipping them than I could for almost any couple I’ve ever shipped if the show were to really tell me why they would not work together.

But, in three seasons, they have yet to do that in any substantial way—by, for example example, giving either of them legitimate romantic partners who are clearly better suited for them and on whom they can emotionally rely. And yet, at the same time, we have to face the fact that everything that points to them being a match is only subtext. In season three it got very close, we're talking photo finish close, to becoming a surface level discussion, but it didn't quite make it.

To me, this all culminates in that scene at the wedding where Pen invites Schneider to sit with her. They smile at each other, she mentions that they're the only single people there, and then, BAM, another romantic option (whose character, though fun and cute, was not fleshed out at all this season...we only care about Avery because Schneider says he does, and even that is hard to believe because they were not shown bonding or spending any real time together) jumps in front of them. Pen and Schneider had been about to share a moment, their mutual singledom and strong emotional bond were just about to be discussed, and then the whole subject faded into the background in the blink of an eye.

Season 3 subtext, as @actuallylorelaigilmore  adeptly explained in greater detail in her wonderful meta essay, can be read as Penelope and Schneider tentatively testing their interpersonal waters. Is Pen his much older sister? Are they best friends? Co-parents? Penelope had to face a lot of hard facts this season: Alex smoking weed, Elena having sex, learning to be unashamed of her anxiety attacks; what she’s never had to think about or look at closely is why she chooses to rely exclusively on Schneider for comfort during her darkest moments. For as much talk as there is about Schneider being another family member, this is a glaring example of how he doesn’t quite fit that mold. Why does she rely on him as opposed to her family, and as opposed to her current or past significant other(s)?

It’s my view that none of these parallels or almost moments could have been  accidents because nothing on this show is ever an accident. I love it very much, but odaat is not subtle. This is a show that gets in its characters' faces and makes them confront hard truths head-on—truths about themselves, about the world around them, about their relationships. Look at Lydia and Leslie, for example. They have a very hard-to-define relationship, one which does not fit into traditional boxes. When they first started seeing each other, Lydia was happy to simply continue in secret or ignore Leslie’s concerns about the nature of their relationship until the end of time, but she was not allowed to. And, thus, by the third season we have them self-defining as non-sexual platonic companions.

This is a show about identity, about defining who you are and embracing it, no matter how uneasy, multifaceted, or inscrutable a concept that is. All they would have to do, then, in order to quiet the latent (and, increasingly, blatant) potential for Alvareider would be to follow their traditional formula and face the subject head-on. Of course, there have been several comments made over the years in this vein. Pen has talked about how she isn’t attracted to Schneider--but then again, there have been times when she’s expressed attraction. In season 3, we all heard Schneider refer to her as his sister, but at the same time their physical intimacy became much more pronounced and their romantic journeys paralleled each other in a way that is difficult to ignore or brush off as coincidence.

In a show based around a set of core values and hard truths, any ambiguity eventually becomes really glaring. They address everything, so why not Pen and Schneider? We know they are aware that some fans ship them. Justina, Todd, and Gloria all liked a tweet the other day from someone saying as much. Any conversation around the show, any tags, are bound to contain talk of it. After seasons 1 and 2, I would not have thought that the creators were saying much about Pen and Schneider’s relationship at all, but season 3 is a whole new animal.

If option 1 is the truth, I believe they’ve only been maybe planning to let Pen and Schneider get together this year. The Alvareider subtext really has just hit a fever pitch, despite nonetheless remaining absent from the actual text of the show. Since it does air on Netflix and renewal is not definite, perhaps they did this to give Alvareider shippers hope without feeling ready to address it directly, but with plans to do so in the future That would make sense. It’s always good to prepare an audience for getting two beloved characters together because that is a big deal and you want to not blindside your fans with something so monumental.

Option 2 is also possible, but I don’t want it to be. Odaat is so kindness forward. I don’t want to believe that they would drag fans along for the sake of it. They haven’t done that in any other respect, so I’m choosing to not think it of them now, although I will continue to recognize the possibility.

Option 3 is...most likely, I think. Maybe they see the potential we do, but just don’t know if they want to shake up the dynamic until they’re sure. As I’ve already said, the decision to put them together would be a huge one. I completely understand them liking Alvareider in concept but not quite being sure if they want to go there. Perhaps they added the subtext this season on purpose in order to say, “maybe???” In truth, a lot of the discussion around Pen and Schneider is like, “omg I love their friendshp a lot > they love each other and rely on each other all the time > their romantic lives always leave them unsatisfied in some way > they aren’t as close with any other adult as they are with each other > wait do I SHIP them? Is that weird? > omg I ship them!” Season 3 could be the writers feeling out the possibility for themselves.

No matter what, there has got to be some reason that they have not written the episode about why Pen and Schneider would never work romantically, or at least taken pains to more rigidly define the parameters of their friendship. Granted they are not an obvious match, and perhaps the writers had not thought of them together initially at all and did not see a reason to deny it so unequivocally then. But on a show where no emotional stone is left unturned, continuing to ignore the subject and leave the possibility open means that they are saying Something. What exactly that something is, I of course can’t say at this point. I wish I could. But for now I will take Pen and Schneider’s own advice on the subject, and won’t give up before the miracle happens.

Thanks for reading. Hope this made sense. I’m sure other people are saying this same stuff, and more succinctly than me, but I hope you got something out of it, anyway. :)

[nostalgicidiot]

I was tagged by @ifishouldvanish to share 9 albums I’ve been listening to lately 🥰. Thanks a lot! The Spell by Cellar Darling | They are a Swiss progressive/folk metal band who relased their second album this year and I was enamored immediately after falling in love with their first one last year. It’s a concept album and I simply love the narrative (a girl falling in love with death) and how it is structured/implemented. I love its complexity and apparent contradictions: soft parts followed by heavier ones, the use of classical and folk elements, and I’m just a huge fan of Anna’s voice and could listen to her all the time. My absolute favorite piece would probably be Fall, (which I had to put on my Ineffable Husbands playlist ofc), which stands out because it is much shorter than the rest of the songs and uses a very different style, sounding almost ethereal…and I’m so in love with it. The entire album is an interesting and beautiful piece of art imo. It was described as a dark fairy tale by critics and that’s exactly what it sounds like.

The Sticks by Mother Mother | Mother Mother are what the kids call a mood (they probably don’t use that term anymore but oh well). Mostly upbeat music with much darker and sometimes very funny, sarcastic lyrics? If I were a song, I’d probably be one by Mother Mother. I love this album because it’s one of my go-tos when I want some nice background music for working on things. And I mean that in the best way possible: it’s really motivational without being too distracting, if that makes sense? It’s such a nice indie rock album which perfectly captures the notion of wanting to retreat into a remote forest and stay there for a couple of months? (While you don’t do that, ofc, and instead choose to pretend-smile through it all.) Also, Dread in My Heart will probably be my personal theme song for forever. (Little Pistol is my favorite. Closely followed by Infinitesimal. It’s such a good album tho.)

Echoes by Pink Floyd | Oh boy, where do I start this with this one? Pink Floyd is one of my all-time favorite bands. Never stood a chance, because the same is true for my parents. So what’s better than to listen to one of their best of albums which contains all the gems? I half-jokingly stated that I want The Great Gig In The Sky to play when I’m on my deathbed, because it stirrs something in me I cannot describe and I legit cry every time I listen to it. Shine On You Crazy Diamond is an experience in itself, Wish You Were Here is a classic ofc (and I use it on nearly every fanmix, whoops), Time throws me right into a midlife crisis and I will forever be soft for Nobody Home (which isn’t on there but deserves an honorary mention). Electra Heart by Marina and the Diamonds | I’ve been a fan of Marina ever since I heard Hollywood for the first time. Well, it’s been more of a gradual process of hearing this song for the first time, thinking “nice” and then forgetting about her until Electra Heart hit the market and found its way into my CD collection. I always gravitate back to Marina at some point, her lyrics are on point, I love her voice, and she expresses this peculiar and particular feeling of temporarily lostness so well? I love all of her albums, but Electra Heart has a special place in my heart, because it was the one that made me fall in love with her (and I’m very glad I did). Black Holes & Revelations by Muse | It’s the sound of my youth. Seriously, I take a trip down memory lane whenever one of their songs comes on. While I don’t listen to them as often as I used to, I still love them a lot and admire their artistry, they are so versatile and never fail to deliver (psychadelic songs and sad ballads on the same album? I love). It’s hard to pick a favorite album, I mostly chose this one to listen to because I was in the mood for it. Masseduction by St. Vincent | She’s been around for some time and I’ve mainly dismissed her music until last year. It’s not that I disliked it, it just wasn’t something I actively tried to get into? Then spotify started to put a few of her songs on my mixes of the week and the rest is history (I was a fool because her music is right up my alley and I should have known). I had Los Ageless on repeat for weeks (the piano version is beautiful as well, with a completely different vibe) and Smoking Section, Happy Birthday Johnny, and New York suffered the same fate. I can’t list them all but I’ve really enjoyed this album. (On a different one, but All My Stars Aligned? Such a beautiful, beautiful song) The Silent Force by Within Temptation | So I’m seeing them live next year (still cannot believe it) and this has sparked a renewed interest in their music. It was never gone, but I need to be in a certain mood to listen to their songs. With Muse I was talking about memory lane, when it comes to Within Temptation it’s more like an express highway. So many memories connected to their music, especially to this album - man that was a wild time (more like metaphorically speaking, it was a pretty dark period in my life, actually). Still, most memories are good ones because they were the first (symphonic) metal band I ever listened to and that opened whole new doors for me. Even after almost 15 years (boy do I feel old), this album has lost nothing of its magic and I love coming back to it. No Need To Argue by The Cranberries | I recently binged Derry Girls and it definitely made an impact in more than one way. Been a fan of the Cranberries for a good chunk of my life and this album is one of my favorites. Like ever. It’s crazy how much memories are connected to music, right? The Virgin Suicides (OST) by Air | First things first, that movie…kinda traumatized me. Is it smart to listen to its soundtrack then? Probably not. I’m not known for smart decisions, so it should not come as a surprise that I do so regardless. Especially because I think it’s a great album. Playground Love is such a good song and the rest of the others do not disappoint either. It has a very weird vibe to it (which perfectly matches the movie), but sometimes that’s what I’m in the mood for. But nothing will ever beat Le Voyage de Pénélope” for me when it comes to Air. I’m gonna tag @mightynott @bogsnails @queenology @aziraphae @regalpotato @thesongandthesunset and everyone else who reads this and wants to do this!

[dominicvail]

thjslove replied to your post

“do you think this could be end in one of them getting killed and...”

omg what CM receipts? ��

@thjslove cm is one of the most convoluted behind the scenes messes i have ever witnessed and i am just Astounded till this day like, i’ll bullet point for you because i Genuinely will be here writing this for 3 hours if i do details;

think of all the female cast members that have ever been on cm?? yeah?? a lot! well, the only ones who left in non suspicious circumstances? Lola Glaudini (elle) and Jennifer Love Hewitt (kate). Literally. The only ones. 

one time (between seasons 8 and 9) they almost cancelled the show because aj cook and kirsten vangsness decided they didn’t like that their male costars were making $70,000 more PER EPISODE than they were (this was back when they did 24 eps a season so like... i’m not gonna do the math but that is A Lot Of Money). (they renewed it last day of renewals, it was the same year cote de pablo walked from ncis because of the same reason, legit the only reason they got anywhere was b/c they said ‘we both get raises or we both walk’. 

btw while this was happening, minus Moore, the rest of the male cast was holding up negotiations so they got perks on top of being paid over 50% more than the women. 

this sequence is the kicker

u know season six, the jj and prentiss absences??? 

it was because they both got fired, listed as ‘creative decisions’ (that’s important later), which basically seemed to amount to ‘we want both less women and for her to be younger than both of you’. 

they fired aj cook flat out as her contract had expired that year, in the middle of a 2 parter, and didn’t even want to let her do an exit???? they legit had to fight for the right to have her to film an exit episode (they negotiatied 3 episodes, one for finishing the 2 parter, one exit, and one for when prentiss exited). 

brewster’s contract had Not expired (also important later), they just only decided she should be in 8 episodes. 

it’s important to the sequence of events that i mention outside influences, b/c the cm fans were PISSED. There was a straight up public outcry, i have Never seen a response like it in my many years of obsessive TV watching. People were Very fond of Prentiss and JJ and were Not impressed they were being booted as unnecessary to the narrative, those pesky creative decisions!!! the petitions and public support towards them were pretty incredible actually. 

by that point there wasn’t much that could be done about Cook, but seeing the response CBS kept making Brewster film Way more than those 8 episodes she got slotted for actively dragging her along, Still fired but p much unable to find other work realistically??? b/c they kept calling her back in???

public support was still Overwhelmingly on the actresses side. 

To the point that CBS started ardently claiming the actresses were fired for Monetary reasons. Yeah, they straight up lied, and still lie about it today. I have seen cbs affiliate websites print said lie bluntly in their articles (i no longer read cbs affiliate anything). 

I listed the pay scandal first for perspective on the money lie. At that point i think the men on the cast were wearing about $110,000 an episode, and it got out Cook was earning about £50,000 an ep, and we never heard about Brewster’s salary But when i say she made a Big Deal over finally getting paid as much as the men in the past couple of years i mean it, so we can assume she was also being paid a lot less. My point being, if they needed to save money, it would have been more profitable for them to fire One man on the show than two women. They pay gap was that much. 

so they lied, still lie, about why they fired them and it wasn’t even a good lie. 

ANYWAY

i know the show’s writing isn’t really applicable but Prentiss and Seaver  were never meant to be main characters on the show together, where they dragged out prentiss’ exit, they overlapped and Rachel Nichols had very little to do. 

Anyway, by the time the late eps of the season were airing (and i assume they looked at how many viewers cut loose when brewster left) cbs straight up rang up aj cook and asked her to sign back on (why she was in the last ep despite only being hired for 3 eps that season). She said she hated them but she had a young kid at the time and regular work that was local was helpful (plus, u know, i bet it was a great ego boost).

the season finishes airing, it goes on hiatus with the cast listed 4 season 7 as the men, garcia, jj and seaver. 

u know how i mentioned paget had a contract for s6 still but they cut her episodes down??? Well, CBS used the fact that they wouldn’t let her work on the show anymore despite being signed on as evidence that she was breaching contract if she didn’t go back as a regular for season 7. They threatened to sue her for breach of contract. The only reason prentiss was in s7 was because they used what they did against her that she had no power over to threaten her. So, u know, super nice. 

meanwhile, they fire rachel nichols, don’t bother to actually tell her they’d done it!!! and she found out on fucking twitter (and rachel is such a nice person, and she was absolutely vilified and abused by every idiot on the internet too thick to realise none of the above was her fault jeez). 

so s7 happens w/ the same cast as before, but brewster will Only work to contract and refuses to sign on again for s8. Understandable, tbh. 

they hire jeanne tripplehorn, fandom is disgusting as usual, like, absolutely vile, not surprised just disappointed. 

at the end of season 9 (they have 2 year contracts so like.. it was the end of her contract), despite everything in the  storyline process indicating otherwise and how much of a farce for her character what went down was... Blake left???? No more Jeanne???

Not one peep from bts over what happened.

if that sounds suspicious to you, it is, one of the crew members let slip they’d all been gagged and were not allowed to talk about it. So cbs learnt it’s lessons in as such that they learnt to hide their shitty actions rather than not do anything shitty.

p sure there was another pay scandal in here somewhere too??? 

in terms of The Gay(tm), Reid was like, conceptualised as bi from the get go but that thing in season one with Lila happened so the execs said he could not possibly be bisexual. Yeah. Yeah u read that right. Most ppl laugh at that one and say uhm do you not know what bi is??? but honestly it was just an excuse they knew full well what they were doing imo

why? they did it again! the writers, producers and Brewster all agreed on a scene where an episode opens w/ prentiss waking up in bed with another woman, guess who nixed it!!!! cbs. They also put a gag order on That little fact too! Kirsten Vangsness, bless her, did a podcast a few years ago on afterellen (before it got fuckawful and was with it’s original owners) and, i’d say ‘let slip’ but she knowingly dropped that truth bomb knowing full well she shouldn’t have. I love her. 

lately they’ve made brewster do “interviews” with some of those cbs affiliates where they try and get points??? for saying prentiss was gonna be gay??? like they’re not the ones removing the rep from the show??? and expecting a pat on the back for... refusing to have any kind of gay rep in a show that is by this point conspicuously straight (not that LA isn’t, but it’s not nearly as bad as cm). 

the whole mess with Gibson is... Wild b/c as much as i Loathe the dude he supposedly attacked cbs would not just fire their white guy show lead for no reason and i didn’t see any above the level sites claim any funny business there, but he got fired and cbs rang up Brewster and asked her to be the show lead which, honestly, after being fired for being old and irrelevant must have been AMAZING.

she also takes the time to point out to anybody who asks about her and aj being fired for money reasons that no, it was not about money at all. She basically calls her bosses out for being liars in public interviews frequently and it’s Amazing. 

i’m sure there’s more crap but i’m not recalling it rn

honestly cm bts drama is Wild and this doesn’t even get into the Patinkin drama (which while drama, is not actually anything to do with cbs). 

Interestingly enough, it’s super hard to find out all this stuff unless u were in the fandom the whole time because they’ve bloody lied So Much it’s all everyone even believes anymore. It’s disgusting. 

Still can’t believe  ncis:la’s female cast has done this well for so long???? These are just CM’s reciepts, they have a history of doing this stuff over and over on multiple shows, i know of it as far back as when trek tng was airing in the 80′s and can name more in between. 

[multimetaverse]

is marty coming back?

Probably. But he arrived in Utah on Friday and left today. Garren posted on instagram on Friday that he was in Utah and had a surprise for us and Peyton, Emily, and Luke commented on the post and Michelle Manning liked it. Josh also answered two asks about Marty possibly returning a few days ago and gave coy answers instead of his usual Marty is gone. And fwiw Sofia posted a picture of Buffy and Marty from 2a on instagram and before she deleted it, Garren commented that he ships Muffy and she liked the comment. And on Saturday night Garren had a live and when asked if he’s on Andi Mack he replied that he plays Marty from the party, in present tense. It certainly suggests that he came back to film a scene with Buffy, probably a dramatic cliffhanger, for what could be either eps 8-9 or 10-11 depending on if this Saturday counts for the ep 10 and 11 block they film this upcoming week and next week. 

I discussed what Marty’s return might mean here. They’re shooting basetball scenes for Buffy’s new team on Tuesday and Wednesday so I don’t think he’ll show up there unless they filmed a quick scene between Buffy and Marty at the school on Saturday. We don’t know for sure how many episodes Marty will be in and there is a possibility that it’s just a one ep arc. But, I think that’s highly unlikely; it might have made some sense if he pops up in the series finale as a kind of final farewell but he’ll reappear around 15 eps before the finale and they likely aren’t even at the mid season finale yet. By the time Marty returns he’ll have been gone for 29 or 30 episodes, I can’t think of any recurring character on a kids show that is gone for that long only to be brought back for one episode (if anyone does know any examples please chime in). 

And why bring him back for just an episode or even two? To sink Muffy a 4th time? Is Marty gonna tell Buffy that he still has a girlfriend? And if Buffy has a boyfriend why bring back her old flame? And why is there even space in Buffy’s arc to slot Marty back in? Why go to the trouble and expense of bringing Marty back? The show would have needed Garren to be willing to come back, Disney to sign off on it, and ABC to let him take some time off General Hospital, why gamble on it all coming together?  Imo the show is bringing back Marty because there is a pressing need to have him fill a role that no other character can and that role can only be Buffy’s endgame love interest.

I talked here about why the show didn’t recast Marty and when they might have known that he wouldn’t be back for S2. It seems from the writing of ep 21 and Garren’s comments on his lives that they would have known by December at the latest that he wasn’t coming back in S2. This coincides with the first hints of the extremely messy Buffy’s crush story line being written. I don’t think Garren was lying back in December when he said he wouldn’t be back only to trick his fans until he could return 8 months later for a show that hadn’t even been renewed yet at that point.  

This is an exercise in Kremlinology but we can also use Josh’s tumblr as a rough guide. Shortly before Head over Heels aired he answered an ask talking about how different Garren seemed from Marty and Josh said that Garren had changed a lot since he had last been on set which sounded ominous and clued people in to the fact that Marty’s story line wasn’t going to end well. He liked a review of Head over Heels that speculated that Garren had been let go and he’s shaded Garren numerous times on tumblr and twitter, most notably when he made a post and said nice things about all his co-workers but all he said about Garren was that he had nice clothes. To me it doesn’t sound like Josh thought that he’d be working with Garren again.

And up until just a few days ago when people asked him what happened to Marty he would usually say that Marty partied to hard and needed to go to the General Hospital and when someone suggested shipping Marty and Cyrus he said that Marty is gone. There’s also his infamous dead ships of Andi Mack post which included Ciris, Muffy, and J*rus. I think at the time he wrote that he didn’t know Marty would be returning as we know that Ciris and J*rus are definitely dead. There’s also the poll of Buffy’s crush that he reblogged then swiftly deleted after adding that very few people were right but S3 is coming, the only options with few votes were Jonah and Walker. Again when he reblogged that I think he didn’t know that Marty would be coming back. And of course he mentioned that the endgame ships had changed before which most likely was a reference to Muffy.

Lilan mentioned in a recent interview that they only get the scripts a week in advance and it’s very likely that Marty’s return was confirmed only days before Garren flew to Utah. While they may retcon some of the Buffy’s crush story line to suggest that she did in fact have feelings for Marty it seems likely that Walker will be her crush for part of 3a. Maybe they go on a date or two but Buffy doesn’t feel a spark? Or much less likely she could have a crush on Jonah and not act on it and later realize that she only liked Jonah because he reminded her of Marty. Walker must reappear in S3 for a reason but I’ll be interested to see when he shows up on set again and if there’s any overlap with Garren.

The main argument I had against Wuffy is that there was no drama, angst, or stakes involved. And the main argument I had for Juffy was that Jonah was the next best thing to Marty. But if Marty returns we’ll get Muffy back which had the best chemistry of the het ships and automatic drama and angst and stakes. I don’t think it would take more than 4 or 5 eps to set up endgame Muffy if, and this is a big if, the writers are able to write good scenes for them. 1 ep for Marty’s shocking return, 1 ep to deal with the bad terms they parted on and reconcile, and 2 or 3 eps to let them have cute moments and spend more time together as their feelings grow before Buffy decides that she really does like Marty as more than a friend and they attend the Bexie wedding together.

Again this is all speculative and maybe they just wanted Marty back for 30 seconds to just sink Muffy one last time or the cast was just trolling us and he wasn’t even there for Andi Mack but I think it’s for something more substantive than that. As Garren’s return seems like a Hail Mary on the show’s part I suspect we’ll see signs of Buffy’s story lines stalling or beginning to fall apart sometime later on in 3a before Marty returns. With the kind of luck Terri apparently has she could clean out Vegas. It’s funny in a way that Garren’s departure did a lot of damage to the show and his possible return would likely do a lot of good for it. To borrow from The Simpsons, Garren is the cause of and solution to all of the show’s problems. 

[hopevalley]

Sorry I haven’t been around very much lately. My interest in this series is tanking hard and fast and I’m trying to just step away from it and reserve judgment for when the new episodes air. 

I’m glad so many of you are excited for the changes, but I’m mostly dreading them. I can’t muster even an ounce of excitement for a S7 renewal because I can’t help but feel like I won’t enjoy the rest of S6 very much, at least not the way I was before the latest drama hit us.

Eh, it’s hard to explain. I was already sick of this series acting as a set of revolving doors for actors and characters. We’ve lost some good and interesting characters over the years. As much as I want to kick Lori in the shins, her character was good for the first 4ish seasons of the show; IMO the character of Abigail is going to leave a hole no matter what magical creative editing they try. And the thing is... It wouldn’t have been a big deal if they hadn’t spent the entire life of the series sending actors off and pulling in new ones!!

I hate to say this, because it sounds so mean, but most of the characters on this show are mediocre at best to me. Lee and Rosemary? DULL. Jesse and Clara? BORING. Elizabeth? Passsss!

The reality though is that this isn’t the characters’ faults. It’s not the actors’ problem. It’s the fact that they get shallow storylines on a good day and only when the writers need to fill in some time with them. None of it really rings true to me because the storylines never go anywhere or mean anything solid. I can’t get into Lee and Rosie when they barely feel grounded in the town, let alone in their relationship with one another or with others.

Jesse and Clara are just about the biggest blow, though. They could have had such good storylines but they’ve spent season after season on Standby. Am I still supposed to care? I guess I do, but I don’t feel invested in them.

And I should feel invested. I should! About characters that have been here this long? ABSOLUTELY.

Then we have characters like Frank who had a good backstory that, like Jesse’s but worse because it was in the spotlight, was just absolutely squandered. Heck, the two characters never interacted after they both decided to stay in town and that never came up for even a SECOND.

Bill has an interesting backstory too, and it’s been largely nothing since it was revealed. In fact, they don’t even know what to do with Bill anymore, to the point where he’s just kind of an annoyance, and THAT ANNOYS ME. I think it pisses me off mostly because they just write Bill however they want the storyline to go, regardless of whether or not Bill would, you know, actually act that way. I dunno, in S4 when he finds AJ, I can understand him being suspicious of her, but the man dealt with internal corruption in the Mounties (the bigger, more organized law) for LITERAL YEARS OF HIS LIFE and yet he kind of scoffs at the concept of AJ not going to the law when she was threatened (even though she says the law is in the railroad’s pocket, which HE KNOWS IS TRUE). Like...c’mon.

The thing is that this show wants conflict and tries too hard to create its own, and in doing so warps its own characters or uses them up and spits them back out again.

I think I’m at the point where I’m just so frustrated with all of the yucky things that it’s hard for me to be positive about the good stuff.

Don’t get me wrong; I enjoyed Fiona and Lucas and all of that, but they aren’t the reason I tuned in to S6, and I refuse to place whether or not I stay for S7 on their shoulders. 

It’s just extra awful cause I busted my ass to put that website together and now it’s just languishing. I have to consider the very real possibility that I won’t want to continue to maintain it after S6 starts airing again. It just really sucks to have been so hyped about S6 only to now be considering deleting my blogs at the end of the season.