#too many of these die hard stans are beyond help and it’s not my responsibility to teach you to care about other human beings

[baby-girl-aaron-dessner]

A lot of the harassment I’ve received from die-hard Swifties revolves around the rhetoric, “Taylor doesn’t need to speak out because this is politics and she’s not a politician.”

I don't know how detached from reality you have to be to dismiss what's happening in Palestine as some far away “political issue”.

I can only conclude this type of person is a moral monster. I don’t know how to convince you to care about children being burned alive. I don’t know how to persuade you that men who are being held in concentration camps deserve our support while they are being anally raped with flaming hot iron rods.

How am I meant to teach people to have compassion for other human beings?

[catcherkazuya]

can we just talk about an actual legend?

I have been waiting for this day for 3 WHOLE MONTHS (probably longer actually) and I am NOT about to hold back on anything.

I have a damn blog dedicated to him, so this should not be hard lol.

I just love miyuki kazuya so much, sometimes I want to cry when I see him. he is my everything, and i unapologetically will give my right arm for him to be happy 💕😭

he is the epitome of dedication and talent. ever since I first started reading/watching daiya - I knew that he was going to be my favorite. other than miyuki being insanely charming and attractive (c'mon terajima knew what he was doing), I loved how snarky and confident he was. I thought he was such a perfect match for sawamura; all of their little quirks allowed them to mesh and only propelled their growth together. there's something so interesting about miyuki that I could not place my finger before now, but I think what I love about him most is his contradictory nature. he does this thing where he internalizes all of his obvious emotions/feelings (happiness, sadness, anger, etc.) so that he never appears vulnerable, and instead replaces with characteristics that will distance himself from others - such as sarcastic humor, being overconfident, and having a snarky demeanor. but what I love is how his emotions crack through from time to time, because his dedication to baseball overrides his dedication to keeping his feelings boxed up.

And honestly, it's soooo cute 💕

like, when he became captain - he was so resistant to the position because he didn't want the responsibility of people relying on him for non-baseball related stuff. but realistically - he loves his team and he loves success, so he put his heart into being captain. he motivated the team by taking the initiative to go above and beyond - with batting, with drills, with running, with strategy. I think 50% of the time, he doesn't realize that he's inspiring the team. But the other 50%, he's super aware of his actions and purposeful with his intent, making difficult things look easy just to piss his team off enough to motivate them to out-do him. he's such a trickster and it's his best quality (though it is frustrating lol).

and I'm not gonna end this without talking about how I would bear that man's children in a heartbeat if he asked. (he's 18 so I can now talk about it bc I would gladly be the first to bust it wide OPEN for him) I've definitely made too many thirst posts to count, but I would like to reiterate that his catcher gear DOES THINGS TO ME 😩💘💕💖 LIKE FUCK. ooooo and that smirk and his jawline AND HIS EYES JFC . Lord, his eyes are molten honey chocolate and i can't help but want to die when I look at him. oh oh oh, and I have to mention THE THIGHS (the namesake of my blog). I would do ANYTHING to just be in the presence of those glorious thighs.

jjjesus, he's just too gorgeous and I don't have enough words to express my absolute attraction to him 💝😍💗💗💕💖💕💞❤️💓

anyway, in conclusion - if you don't stan miyuki kazuya, then you should start. because miyuki day should be a damn global holiday.

happy birthday to seidou's captain, cleanup, catcher and clutch hitter.

our king, miyuki kazuya

{11.17}

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

How do you feel about Catra, Shadow Weaver, and Hordak? I know you said you find SW interesting but like on a scale how redeemable do you think these characters are. Ive seen a lot of infighting in the fandom cause some people love one and hate another and I just figured you would approach the topic nicely

Oh damn, happy to respond! (Under the cut because I don’t know how to shut up.) 

I think I’ve seen some of the posts that you’re talking about, and my friend did tell me that there was apparently tension between Entrapdak and Catradora shippers for that very reason. Still, I should start off by saying that the only character who is probably completely irredeemable is Horde Prime. And knowing this show, they’ll find a way to humanize even him if they are so inclined. The great thing about She-Ra is that there aren’t so much heroes and villains as there are complicated people. Undertale is the same way. This might sound weird, but I legitimately hope Horde Prime does get humanized, because otherwise it’s just way too easy for all of the characters to band together and take him out for a happy ending. This show has never had a character that was pure evil before, know what I mean? 

With that in mind...let’s talk about Hordak. 

I know, I know...before Horde Prime was known to us...Hordak basically was Horde Prime. That’s the role he played in the show, and it’s not like he isn’t guilty of countless war crimes. He’s a conqueror, and yeah, conquerors should not get off scot-free. But...Hordak is also clearly an abuse victim. That doesn’t excuse him from what he’s done, but I can’t just ignore it. He was so eager to get back to Horde Prime, so determined to please him and prove himself to his “big brother.” and the moment that they’re reunited? We see what a nightmare it is for Hordak, see him get mentally violated and brain-washed. This can’t be the first time it’s happened, and yet all Hordak wanted was to return to Horde Prime. This man is so sheltered and so emotionally stunted in relationships, that I doubt he understands the full ramifications of his actions. He certainly doesn’t understand that he’s in abusive relationship. Hordak is just doing what he knows. He could learn better, if he learns to accept what a monster Horde Prime is. (But first he’ll need to break from the conditioning.)

 I genuinely like how it took Entrapta, a character who isn’t really loyal to either side, to reach out to him and help him understand how it feels for a person to care about him, and not fear him even when he tries to be intimidating. And whether or not you ship them, (I do, I admit it) Hordak clearly has feelings for her and that guides his character in Season 4. I don’t know if Adora and the others will agree to take him in...but Entrapta will remember the bond they had. I just feel so bad for this guy, even if he has killed countless innocents. My philosophy about redeeming villains is very much a pragmatic one...will Hordak’s redemption spit in the face of all his victims? Perhaps. Will it bring them back to life? No. But neither will executing him or throwing him in prison. If he can heal, if he can learn better, and do better...why should we waste that growth? Why shouldn’t he be allowed the chance to make up for what he’s done? It seems to me like there is everything to be gained, and nothing to be lost, in letting him redeem himself.

Of course, there are many types of crimes...let’s move on to Shadow Weaver.

....She’s a child abuser. Plain and simple. That is a hard pill to swallow, that is a very difficult thing for me to look past. I don’t think I can do it. The way she treated Catra, the way it’s ruined Catra and Adora’s relationship...it’s unspeakable. She manipulates Catra one last time and leaves her high and dry so she can escape and go to Bright Moon...whereupon, she starts grooming Glimmer the same way she did Micah. I know it seems silly to be more upset about child abuse than what probably amounts to genocide on Hordak’s part...but part of it is how relatable the crimes are. There’s a reason most Harry Potter fans hate Umbridge more than Voldemort. Most people don’t know a mass-murderer, and excusing a character like Hordak won’t change their perspective on murder being wrong. But plenty of people might know an abuser, and abusers thrive on a culture that blames victims and downplays the effects of abuse, or otherwise excuses those responsible. We need to get better about sending the message that abuse is real, and wrong. But the great thing about She-Ra is that it depicts the cycle, from Shadow Weaver to Catra. If Catra is redeemable, why not Shadow Weaver? 

And here’s the thing...I’m not saying she isn’t redeemable. Just that I don’t expect this show to fully redeem her, and I’m 100% behind that outcome. She could be allowed to live in peace with the other characters, her victims might forgive or at least tolerate her. (Especially if she wins over Micah again.) But even if I find her genuinely compelling...I’m not seeing too many outcomes where she would deserve this mercy. Shadow Weaver has done terrible, selfish things, and her only loyalties seem to lie with knowledge and power. She’s completely unrepentant, and while she acknowledges that she was “hard on Catra” she also refuses to apologize. Shadow Weaver strikes me very much as a kind of “no regrets” type of person. But she also has a fascination with power, and any time she sees a youngin’ with a lot of potential, (Micah, Adora) she seeks to train them. Considering how poor her record is...she needs to stop doing this. I might be inclined to forgive Shadow Weaver, if she acknowledges her own short-comings, apologizes to the people she’s hurt, and realizes that looking after children is not something she’s cut out to do.  

Finally, there’s Catra. 

In many ways, she’s my favorite character. (Though I also might go with Glimmer.) The story is largely centered around Catra’s journey alongside Adora’s...she might as well be a secondary protagonist. What’s more, she’s a character who we basically know is going to get redeemed, Noelle has all but told us that it’s going to happen. I’m fine with her getting redeemed but so help me god if she dies in the process....if any aspiring writers are reading this, please stop killing your villains to complete their redemption arcs. Let them enjoy being redeemed. Please. Anyway, where was I? Ah that’s right, Catra. There have been times that I was beyond frustrated with her because she was purposefully choosing to be “evil” as Double Trouble lampshades at the end of Season 4. By the time she opened up the Portal, after sentencing Entrapta to die, nearly dooming the entire world, causing Angela’s death, and despite it all she still blamed Adora even though she only did all of this because she wanted to beat Adora...yeah, I was really running out of patience for Catra. And even now, I can’t really bring myself to agree with the fans as they draw parallels between Catra opening the Portal and Glimmer activating the Heart of Etheria. I’m sure this was intentional, too. The echoing of two characters dooming everyone through an impulsive, reckless choice. However...as I said, Catra was pretty much going off the deep end when she opened the Portal. She just wanted to stick it to Adora. I realize I may be biased as a Glimmer stan, but Glimmer was at least trying to defeat the Horde. Her intentions, however misguided, were noble. She thought she was doing the right thing. Catra just didn’t care. 

All this, and you might think I’m Anti-Catra, that I await her inevitable redemption with gritted teeth. But that’s not true at all. Catra is a character who is her own worst enemy, and characters like that have a knack for winning my sympathy. She continues to dig herself into a deeper hole and hurts those around her in the process. Part of her journey is realizing that and presumably working to change it. This is why I love how distant she becomes from Lonnie and the others in S4. Why I love Double Trouble betraying and completely shutting her down with their monologue about her. Why I cheered louder than you can imagine at “You’re a bad friend.” Because it was such an amazing crossroads in the development of both Scorpia and Catra’s characters. To be clear, I love these moments not because I dislike Catra, but because I genuinely like her as a character, and Catra as a “good guy” is a lot of fun. I don’t know how many people remember what it was like in the first episode when Catra and Adora were still besties, but it was just generally fun. I miss that dynamic. I want Catra to learn from her mistakes. Because I rambled on about the terrible things Shadow Weaver has done, and onscreen those were primarily done to Catra. She’s a character that I am rooting for one-hundred percent. A character who is almost a deconstruction of the tired writing trope “They had a hard childhood, and now that you know that, they are redeemed.” Catra turns that on it’s head. “Promise” is one of my favorite episodes for this very reason. Few moments have gotten me as choked up as Adora saying that she thought Catra didn’t care about being Force Captain, and Catra exploding with “Well I was lying, obviously!” It was a reveal that I genuinely didn’t see coming, but it makes so much sense, and demonstrates how much Catra has sacrificed for Adora and how much that weighs on her every time she makes a villainous decision. 

TL;DR: I am one-hundred percent on board with Catra and Hordak redemption, and tentatively on board with Shadow Weaver redemption.

[hollywillows]

fear is only a word - eddie kaspbrak

Eddie was your best friend.

But that was it.

Right?

Edward Kaspbrak had always been there for you. You had met him one day when you were both probably around six.

Eddie had been in the Barrens all day with Bill Denbrough, Stanley Uris, and Richie Tozier. He had run out of juice in his aspirator, and was currently choking, bent over and gasping for air.

All you could remember from that day was sprinting to the store, buying Eddie some new filling for his aspirator. You ran back and he thanked you for saving his life. You'd been friends ever since.

Now things were different. Now you realized how beautiful and kind and delicate Eddie truly was. You had a crush on him, and you were afraid to admit it.

But Eddie didn't know.

Things were changing, many things. Georgie had gone  missing, many kids were going missing, and everyone had been seeing some weird clown.

You had, too. You hadn't confessed your true fear to the Losers, but your fear was Eddie.

Losing him.

You were honestly embarrassed by that stupid, stupid fear. If Eddie found out, you wouldn't be able to even.

Now, you were standing outside the house on Neibolt Street, and you were currently scared out of your mind. You and your friends had already been there before, when Eddie has broken his fragile arm.

You'd been furious with Greta when she 'signed' Eddie's cast. You remember having to be calmed down by Stan to stop screaming about how rude she was. You were the second person to sign the cast, adding a heart that made Eddie blush.

The thing inside the house frightened you just as much as losing Eddie did. It could become anything, It was everything. It could control everyone. Could control everything. And that scared you.

Standing in front of the house, in front of your friends, you wouldn't admit to the fear. But it was prominent on everyone's faces, was something plain and clear to see.

Bill was first to walk in, opening the creaking door slowly. You glance at the others, the frightened Stan, the worried Eddie, the gulping Richie. You follow them inside.

The floor creaks under your every step, making the house all the scarier. No conversation was held until you turned, convincing poor Stan to walk in with you.

Climbing into the sewer wasn't easy, it was hard and smelly. As Eddie climbed down, you couldn't help but gasp at his slightest slip.

________time skip because I can_______

Eddie's Point of View

I was frightened, beyond my mind. But Y/N being there somehow calmed me. She was always there.

We had found a screaming Stan, and she had been the only one able to calm him down. She was a genius, she was brave, and she was nice to be.

Truth be told I had a little crush on her.

Okay, a big crush on her.

But that was okay, right?

Y/N's point of view

I look over my shoulder for him before I realize it. "Guys, where's Bill?" I ask, beginning to get frantic. "Where is he?!" We all scramble to our feet at that moment, looking around.

"Bill!!" Eddie screams behind me, all of us running now in search of our leader.

Eddie trips into the water, getting up.

"Stay out of there, man, it's greywater." Richie says as I help him up.

We get to an open area and see Beverly, floating midair. "How is she in the air?" Richie asks from behind us.

"Guys, look." Stan says, looking up. We see bodies floating.

"The missing kids." I conclude. We shift our attention back to Beverly, looking at her.

"Help me up." Ben says.

We climb onto each other and pull her down, shaking her in fear. Ben leans in, kissing her, receiving some gasps from the rest of us.

It was adorable, honestly.

Beverly gasps and she and Ben exchange some words before we all join in a group hug. Eddie and I look over. We still couldn't find Bill.

We find him, looking at Georgie, with a gun to his head. When he pulls the trigger, Georgie falls to the ground, and soon sprouts new legs. New arms, a new body entirely.

Bill shoots him, but it isn't loaded, as Mike screams. We all jump onto him, fighting as he turns into our fears.

_another time skip because why the hell not_

It becomes our fears again, and we fight with everything we have, all screaming in terror. I see Eddie's face as he screams 'I don't love you!!' And I smash my fist straight into it, anger pulsing throughout my body. When Beverly stabs into her father's face, It starts to become less and less of a monster. Dying, we assume.

"That's why you didn't kill Beverly. Because s-s-she wasn't afraid. Now we aren't either. Now you're the one who's afraid. Because your going to die." Bill says confidently.

It falls into the well, holding onto the edge. "He t-t-Th-rusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts." He mumbles. "Fear." Is all he says before falling.

Eddie looks over at me. "I was your fear?" He asks, hurt.

"No. You not loving me was my fear. You not feeling the same way." I mumble.

"You... you love me?" Eddie asks, looking up to meet my eyes. I nod slowly, afraid of what his response would be. His lips curve into an adorable smile. "I love you, too." He says, making me smile even wider.

The next thing I know, I feel soft lips on mine, and at first I'm shocked, but the next second, my hand is on his shoulder and I'm kissing him back. It's magical.

And it's how we will spend the rest of our lives, in this pure, happy bliss.

987 words

[novantinuum]

Movie Night (one-shot)

AO3

Rating: K

Words: 1200~

In which Stan and Soos bond over movies, and Stan has a rare moment of emotional vulnerability.

He’d taken pity on the kid that day, inviting him to stay at the Shack after hours to “watch a movie, or whatever.” When his morose expression finally lifted and glimmered as bright as one of his Fourth of July firecrackers, Stan knew he’d made the right decision. He knew how rough this day was for the kid. Might as well offer him a little something to help make it better. Of course, to be fair Soos wasn’t actually a kid anymore since it was his eighteenth birthday, but no matter. Once Stan passed fifty, suddenly everyone was a kid in his mind.

“What we gonna watch, Mr. Pines?” Soos asked with wide, eager eyes, munching away on a thick slice of meat lover’s pizza.

Stan finished off his third, and promptly licked the grease off his fingers. “It’s your birthday, kid,” he said. “Pick whatever you want.”

Soos set down his plate and crawled across the plush carpet to the video cabinet. Opening the wobbly doors revealed two shelves full of VHS tapes, ranging from old 60s westerns, to black and white period pieces, to a good selection of the 80s greatest hits. He didn’t own anything recent. Rather, the odd mishmash of entertainment was just as antiquated as Stan himself. He watched with intrigue as the kid began shuffling through his selection.

“Let’s see, you have Return From the Past… Grandpa the Kid: The Long Nap… Exterminators…” He piled VHS tapes on the carpet, digging through to the back of the video cabinet. Seeing something he must have recognized, he flashed a toothy grin. “Oooh, you have the entire original trilogy of Galaxy Wars!�� he exclaimed, holding the tapes up. “Those are like, my favorite movies in the whole world!“

Cold, bitter recognition caused Stan’s heart to sink about as far as his butt did in the cushion of this chair.

“Heh, those nerd movies?” Stan jokingly scoffed, scratching at the nape of his neck. “That really what ya’ wanna watch?”

“Sure, if you’re okay with it.”

He made a dramatic show of deciding their evening’s fate, pursing his lips and stroking his chin like a second rate Bond villain. “Hmmm. Well, I did say whatever you want… Sure, sure, pop ‘em in. Hell- heck, might as well make a full night of it, watch all three.”

“Really??” Soos beamed. He nearly stumbled over his feet running to the couch, and suddenly Stan found himself smothered in the sturdy, earnest embrace of this young man. “Thank you, thank you, Mr. Pines!”

He popped in the first movie of the original trilogy and settled in at the foot of the couch, the two sharing a six pack of Pitt Cola and a bowl of popcorn between them. Every few minutes, Soos would rattle off a “fun fact” about one of the actors in the movie, or how they filmed a certain scene, or how they recorded the lightsaber noise. Stan nodded as he listened, genuinely impressed with the sheer breadth of knowledge he had about all this. It reminded him a lot of- well. No matter. No sense in letting his mind wander in distant memory tonight.

“Hey, you know what’s funny?” Soos asked after they finished the second one. “Your copy of Return of the Jedi totally doesn’t match the others, dude.”

He cracked open another can of soda. “Oh, that?” he muttered. “Well, I bought it some years after the others, so of course it wouldn’t.”

He didn’t even buy the first two. That was- well, it was his brother. Ford. He was the nerdy one who was into all this sci-fi space battle stuff. Stan found them shoved in a closet a year or so after That Winter. They were some of the only movies Ford owned. Curiosity pulling at his heart, he watched the two- Galaxy Wars: A New Hope and Galaxy Wars: The Empire Strikes Back- while nursing a beer one night. (All right, so maybe it more than one beer.) The point is, they were some of Ford’s few personal belongings beyond mere academic awards or boring textbooks or clothing, so they must have meant something truly special to him, right? When he finished the second movie and realized there was a third one- one that Ford had never gotten to see, because of you, because you pushed him too far- he drove himself to the video store and snatched up the first copy he could get his hands on. He wanted his brother to have it, if when he finally came back. He watched it alone that night, imagining how Ford might react to the plot twists. How Ford would gleefully pick apart the bad Hollywood science. He totally didn’t cry at the end when the galaxy was saved. Or when Yoda died. Or when he realized Luke and Leia were twins. Nope, he definitely didn’t shed a single tear over this silly movie franchise, not at all.

He hadn’t watched through these movies since. They brought up too many melancholy memories for his own comfort, he supposed. Too many ghosts of the past. And now, watching it with Soos, the kid’s childlike excitement constantly reminded him of Ford…

The way his eyes would light up at any new discovery.

The depth at which he cared for the characters in the fictional shows he watched in his youth.

Soos let out a yawn towards the beginning of the third movie, and curled up closer against the foot of the couch. His commentary was few and far between this time. It was late, about half past eleven. Stan could tell the kid was nearly tuckered out. Still, when the scene came when Luke realized he and Leia were twins, brother and sister, for some unknown reason he felt compelled to say something.

“Y’know,” he said quietly, “I’ve never told ya’, or anyone else here, but I’ve got a twin. A brother. Ford… He’s just as nerdy as you, actually.”

Stan let out a soft chuckle, his words fading into silence as he realized what he’d just admitted. What he’d never told a single living soul in this entire town, what he’d never entrusted to anyone.

“I… I miss him a lot, kid. A whole damn lot.” He tugged at the collar of his undershirt, suddenly feeling indescribably uncomfortable at sharing such personal detail, and yet all the same… Once he’d started rambling, he found that he couldn’t stop, like deep down he needed this release. “Heh, I suppose that’s why I get ya’ so much. Why your birthday’s such a hard time. ‘Coz… anymore, my own’s not that great either, y’know?”

The sudden silence prickled at his nerves. He glanced down at the kid, aching for any sort of vocal or non-vocal response, heart thrumming in the silence he left his admission to die in, and…

Soos’ mouth was wide open, breathing gently in and out.

The kid had already fallen asleep.

He almost barked in laughter. It was just his luck, wasn’t it? The one moment he tried opening up to another human person for once, and no one was awake to hear it. Perhaps this was the world’s way of telling him that no one else needed to know. It was his burden to bear, his past. He’d hate to force the kid to carry that knowledge with him too, and on his birthday no less.

Carefully, Stan pulled himself to his feet with a grunt. He nabbed a spare blanket from his own bed, and then returned to the TV room. With a watery smile, he tucked the blanket around Soos’ sleeping form.

“G’night, squirt. Happy birthday.”

[mysilverylining]

The Case for Vivian Stoll Being the Big Bad...

*Disclaimer:  I’m a forever Jason Dohring stan, who’s afraid if he goes back up in those fruit trees we’ll never coax him back down again.  So when it comes to Chase Graves?  There’s a bit of confirmation bias here.  I’m pulling for him to survive the next episode, preferably outside of a cell or a freezer.  I can’t believe I spent almost 3 days rewatching and writing this up.  I like to tell myself I’m being Veronica Mars, but I’m probably closer to Bo John.  

Personally, I LOVE Vivian Stoll.  There aren’t enough ruthless female villains in fiction, by far.  I was really looking forward to what lying liar, RT was planning to do with her this season, and was really disappointed when she was “killed” off.  

Her motive?:  Zombie Island won’t be ready for another 1.5 years, and she is  beyond ready for D-Day.  For somebody who could rattle-off the time span between the July 4th retreat and Wally’s murder (21 months and 21 days), I can’t see her sitting around waiting for disaster.  She peddles worst-case scenarios, and would want to take the fight to the humans before they had the opportunity to gather in numbers or call in the National Guard.   As a secondary motive, I think she was staging a coup with Fillmore Graves, a company she married into.  

Point-by-point analysis under the cut.

Helicopter Crash:  

We never see Vivian get on the helicopter.  Was her body recovered?  Burned beyond recognition?  Scattered in tiny pieces over the countryside?  We’ll never know, because Liv conveniently mutes the television during the news report.  

Harrison Graves

Vivian’s beloved “deceased” husband.  First scratched and extorted (by Blaine?).  He wanted to selflessly leave her so that she wouldn’t have to be celibate, but while he slept, she scratched herself and became a zombie.  He found his own source of brains, and a week later, he never returned home again -- implication, killed by Blaine.  Vivian vows revenge.

Some Possibilities: 

Harrison died at the hands of Blaine or another party.  Vivian died in helicopter crash.

Unsatisfying story-telling.  You shouldn’t tease a vendetta and then kill off the injured party before they can get answers or revenge.

Harrison died at the hands of Vivian.

Infinitely more interesting.  Did Harrison learn of Vivian’s plans to escalate a zombie/human war?  Did he have to be silenced?  Did he inform his thoroughly-ripped, but absent brother of his suspicions?

Who would make a better scapegoat than a formerly criminally-opportunistic amnesiac?  He can’t even defend himself.

Harrison is alive and being held prisoner somewhere.  

Vivian’s prisoner?

On Zombie Island?  

Harrison is alive and pulling the strings from behind the scenes

My #2 theory, if Vivian turns out to be dead after all.  The lack of closure on his death really stands out for me.

Additionally, why does she volunteer the information that Harrison was going to leave her.  “He didn’t want her to lead a sexless life” is valid reasoning, but a bit TMI for complete strangers.  Had Harrison drawn up divorce papers at some point?  Was she trying to get out in front of it  in case those papers surfaced?

Contracting Zombie-ism:

We only have Vivian’s word for how it went down.  A General in Equitorial Kundu (ha!) turned biological weapons on his own people and a dozen Fillmore Graves employees.  Two weeks later, later at the annual 4th of July retreat, every single Fillmore Graves employee contracts the virus.  Vivian, motherly saint that she is, cures them all with a scratch.  

Where else do we hear about biological weapons?  Oh yeah, Ravi tells us in ‘Looking for Mr. Goodbrain’ that ‘Aleutian Flu’ is code for biological weapon. And Katty Cake is doing the investigation.  

Did things go down at the retreat like Vivian said?  Or did she turn a biological weapon on her own employees as an experiment in creating super soldiers?  A pre-Max Rager Super-Max?  She owns the formula for that, by the way.   

Another theory - does she hope to infect Seattle’s humans with the bio-weapon to force a join-us-or-die situation?  

Vivian and Chase 

Vivian volunteers plenty about her husband and her employees.  Just one great, big, happy family, she says.  But she never mentions Chase even once.  

Right after the news report of the helicopter crash, Major tells us that Chase is taking the reins, and is flying back from Tripoli (via Paris, perhaps?).  

Our first glimpse of Chase is at Vivian’s wake, where he has a bit of a temper tantrum, shutting off the music and berating everybody for their revelry.  

Is Chase the enemy of fun?  Does he have a stick up his existent and totally adorable ass?  Only Liv knows the answer to that, but a few episodes later, we see him at Finnegan’s and Coons’ wake, laughing and smiling in the background while Major sings with his crew.  What makes this wake different?  #NotVivian.  

When first introduced to Liv, he sharply cuts her off when she’s attempting to express her condolences for Vivian.  But relaxes enough to give her the Dohring-smolder, once she lets the Vivian subject drop.   While Vivian seems to have a “Bring it on/Come at me” attitude towards D-Day/Chase seems much more cautious and disciplined about about discovery, doing everything possible to maintain zombie secrecy.  He worries exposure will lead to extinction (is he lacking confidence in his army?)

He immediately quizzes Liv on the Tuttle-Reed murders.  His language is specific.  He wants hard evidence to have the culprits “put away”.   

In a later scene, he  worries about the safety of the Chaos Killer victims, but he never says a peep about catching Vivian’s killer.  Which, I suppose, could be an argument that he’s her killer (revenge for killing his brother?)

Some possibilities

Before his death, did Harrison Graves confide in Chase about concerns with Vivian?

Does Chase suspect Vivian of less-than-pure motives for zombifying the Fillmore Graves employees?

Assuming Vivian is the Big Bad, is Chase the fall guy?  Once he’s killed/arrested/neutralized, will she come out of hiding with a sob story about how she tried to stop him from starting a zombie/human war, but he overpowered and imprisoned her?  

Tuttle-Reed Murders

We start the season immediately after the Max Rager massacre.  Vivian learns that Clive Babineaux, a human with connections, knows about zombies.  She has three choices.

Do nothing - Pray that Clive keeps his mouth shut, and doesn’t ruin everything.  Walk on eggshells, hoping not to make him suspicious.   

Kill him.  Make it look like an accident - Too risky when she doesn’t have anybody inside the ME’s office.  If caught, she could make some powerful enemies. 

Turn him into an ally 

We know that Vivian went with option number three.  First, she gave Clive/Liv/Major a tour of the campus.  Humanized the experience with warm stories of her love for her husband, her employees, her family. She’s caring, nurturing, and has all the PowerPoint slides to put a mind at ease.   However, Clive isn’t so easily convinced.  After the tour, while still on campus property, he expressed his uneasiness with the secrecy of a private army, “armed to the gills”.  He needed an incentive.  How sweet was it, the way he peeked through the classroom window to make sure little Wally was getting a proper education.

Of all the zombie families in all the gin joints, it just happens to be the family Clive shares an emotional connection with that wound up dead.  

A visibly sad Vivian hears the news about the Tuttle-Reed murders, but was she sad about the murders themselves, or in the necessity of sacrificing Wally and his fam?  Liv visits, and in dialogue-less montage, allies Team Z to Fillmore Graves.

Vivian fans the flames in the aftermath, selling the “humans want us dead” tale to her employees.  

Zombie Truthers 

Where are they getting all of their information?  

Assuming Vivian wants this war to begin sooner rather than later, are the Truthers her unwitting ace in the hole?

Did she post the Tuttle-Reed address on the zombie message board?  

Did she anonymously give Harley a heads-up about the tracker in his vehicle?  

Baracas 

Is utterly crucial to Fillmore Graves in a post D-Day world.  In 3x1, we learn that the Chaos Killer victims were whisked away from Max Rager to Fillmore Graves, where they’re debriefed and sold a cover story.  

Vivian hand-picks Baracas as her mayoral pawn, and will do anything to get him elected. 

While Chase Graves is understandably invested in helping Baracas win the mayoral race, the writers go to the trouble to show us they have no past association.  

Chase:  “Carey, I should probably meet this candidate we’re bankrolling”. 

Baracas: (when told Chase wants to meet him:  “Who?”  Carey Gold:  “Only the most important zombie on this planet.  Endeavor to impress.”  

Did Chase arrange the shooting of Baracas?  Possibly.  It definitely helped win the election, but I don’t get that impression.  The best response for the mastermind would be to let the shooter get away, but Chase fires WAY too many bullets up into that balcony.  He’s not trying to miss.  

I’m with Peyton when it comes to Roxanne’s murder.  Baracas doesn’t want his predilections getting out, but he doesn’t seem to be complicit.  

Weckler 

We know Vivian put security details on the Chaos Killer’s victims, including her pet politician Baracas.  Presumably, security reported back to her about Baracas’ visits to Roxanne the Dominatrix, and the peeping tom who witnessed everything.  

It’s two birds with one stone - turn Weckler’s daughter into a zombie, and then blackmail him with her safety.  “Keep your mouth shut about Baracas, and while you’re at it, we’re going to need you to steal the memory card evidence.”   Oops.  You weren’t supposed to murder her.

I’m guessing that the second lawyer’s whispered comment to Weckler had been for him to confess and halt the investigation in exchange for Tatum’s safety.  

The prison guard is almost incidental. Anybody could have paid him to kill Weckler, and anybody could have paid the second killer who killed the guard.  

Stolen Cure 

Why did Vivian learn that Major was human again?  She didn’t do anything with the information.  In fact, she was dead ten minutes later?  So why did the writers go to the trouble of showing us that scene?  

Major, right before the crash:  “She wants to talk to Ravi about how I was cured when she gets back.”  

***Sidenote.  Ravi doesn’t share a single scene with Vivian or Chase.  I’m predicting this is on purpose, and he’ll do something undercover in the finale.

Assuming Vivian wants to start a human/zombie war, a cure for zombie-ism is her worst nightmare.  She can’t have her fighters being captured and cured.  

Chase, on the other hand, doesn’t ask about a cure.  He seems to assume Major was human all along, and just really fucking lucky.  

Aleutian Flu

So Aleutian Flu is code for a bio-weapon, and this particular strain has been traced a specific Paris - Seattle flight.  At the time of Katty’s killing, all passengers have been interviewed, with the exception of four first-class passengers.  

Old racist woman, who knows nothing.

Sikh father with a baby, who heard a barking dog nearby

Miserable husband, whose wife ended up in coach due to a mixup.  To appease her, he traded seats with 17D, Patrice Gold.  

???  

Between the barking dog and the napkin with Katty’s name written on it, my boy Chase is looking awfully suspicious here.  

On the other hand, (1) Liv and Clive have a list of the four passengers, and would both recognize his name if he used it.  (2)  is he stupid enough to leave evidence connecting him to a murder on his nightstand?  (3) is he even more stupid to bring the woman investigating the murder back to his bed, knowing the napkin was there?  

Possibilities

If Chase was on the flight, did he also switch seats with another coach passenger?

Or had Katty already interviewed him and cleared him from suspicion.

Is that why he had the napkin with her name on it?

He clearly did not have sex with her.  His scene with Major earlier makes it clear that he knows Zombie/Human sex is off limits.

And Catty wasn’t a zombie at her time of death.

But SHE wouldn’t know the danger of sleeping with him, and there was nothing stopping her from shoving a napkin at him with her room number.

I mean, I WOULD!!!

Or is the napkin there for another reason?  He jotted the info down while listening to a voice mail?  He thinks their luggage got switched?  Vivian manipulated it somehow?  

Assuming Vivian is the Big Bad, she would know the date of her “death” in advance, and would have time to send Patrice to Paris to await further instructions.  

Like “Chase will be on flight xyz at this time.  Make sure you’re on the same flight, and release the toxin then.”  

Vivian Stoll vs. Chase Graves 

Most of this analysis rests on the assumption that Chase remained in Tripolli prior to Vivian’s death.  It’s completely possible that he came back to Seattle weeks or months earlier in order to wreck mayhem everywhere.  

Where Vivian edges Chase out, is that we’ve been shown her connection to the different entities:  the Tuttle-Reed family, Harley John and the tracker in his car, Baracas and the other Chaos Killer victims, the cure, and her admission of infecting all of the FG employees.  If Chase shares any of those connections, we haven’t been shown on screen.  

Where Chase edges Vivian out, is we’ve been shown a connection to Katty and the Aleutian Flu through the napkin and White Fang.  If Vivian shares this connection, we haven’t been shown on screen.  And if Chase was in fact on this flight, that negates the idea of him being in Seattle all along.

Potential Accomplices:

Zack Stoll:  Share’s a last name with Vivian, but seems genuinely decent.  Also, caught in the blast, though it looks as if his upper half makes it out.

Carey Gold:  Maybe?  A little TOO convenient, especially with Clive learning she’s Patrice’s mother.  Has constant access to Chase.  Capable of slipping Katty’s napkin in his pockets while he’s naked tanning (thank you Rob Thomas!).  At least mildly involved, as Tatum is living in her home, and her daughter was on the flight from Paris.  Still, I don’t think she’s the main accomplice.  She seems surprised too often, and only owns one everyday dress.  Pay your employees better, Chase.  

Patrice Gold:  Probably capable of conspiring without her mother’s knowledge.  Her seat number was written down on Katty’s napkin, and she was obviously the passenger Katty was killed to keep from interviewing.  Also, Tatum seems more frightened of Patrice.  

Justin:  My choice for most likely suspect.  

Becomes Major’s Insta-BFF at a time when he needs one the most.

Convinces Major that he’s a great guy, then targets Liv for romance with Major’s blessing.  

The cans of Super Max.  Liv initiated that request, but from Chase’s reaction to the theft, I’m guessing they were under lock and key.  

Not saying Chase wasn’t an asshole to shoot him, just that I feel like there’s something more to the Super Max angle.  

Who found the guns in Harley John’s truck?  Oh yeah.  This guy.  

Who worked the Baracas party where a shooter fired the same guns?  You guessed it.  Justin.

In Conspiracy Weary, Justin lies and tells Liv that Harley John’s compound wasn’t worth checking out.  It hadn’t been used in months.

Liv questions this statement aloud once she gets a look at it. 

Harley’s been building his underground bunker for all this time.

And the machinery was so loud, even the neighbors could hear it.  

 Justin conveniently pulls Major out of the party mere moments before the explosion.  

Too. Good. To. Be. True.   Nobody’s that sweet and pleasant.