#which i both like more than 2x03 actually

[raayllum]

Ezran trailer analysis time

Specifically that one vision he has of his parents because it was framed differently than I'd expected, and I think it's all the more interesting for it, so let's talk about it.

Beyond being utterly gut wrenching, I think the framing of this scene says a lot. Losing Katolis isn't just losing his home, but losing his parents all over again. Ezran never got to know Sarai, but he knew they walked the same halls and ate at the same people, knew some of the same people. He's been constantly working towards being the king both he and his father wish Harrow had been, which is simultaneously a more true (Harrow was imperfect) and less true aspiration (Harrow could've been perfect if he'd followed these steps) to grasp, let alone understanding of his father.

Because this is how he pictures his parents, but that's never how they actually were.

Sarai never stood off to the side just holding his father's hand. We never actually see Harrow sit in his throne (unless I'm forgetting something) in any of the flashbacks we're privy to, but just in Callum's dark magic fever dreams. When Sarai and Harrow ruled, they ruled side by side, both with their own throne. But all Ezran can picture is his version of his father with his imagination of his mother; Sarai as a companion and support but not queen to the father forced to rule alone after her death, which was all Harrow had ever known.

It's honestly this scene more than anything that makes me think Callum will indeed stay in Katolis by the end of the season. While there could still be alternatives (leaving for Xadia to study/teach magic, with Soren and/or others stepping further in to help Ezran feel less alone) or characterization reasons (I don't think Callum nor Rayla would want to spend their whole lives at court), this scene coupled with Ezran ruling alone ("It's not fair you have to go through this alone") as well as the emphasis of his and Callum's bond being at odds and then repaired this season + Dreamer's Nightmare ("Think of it as being like a protector, like your mother")... I don't know, something about how Sarai and Harrow are framed, making them the uneven towers of Katolis as is, while also being inaccurate... Callum standing by Ezran's throne in a similar manner maybe wouldn't change the inaccuracy of the flashback / vision (which could be framed like that just for convenience's sake) but it would change the vibe.

You've got me, Rayla, probably Bait. We're all here for you. (2x03)

I'm here, I'm your partner, your brother and protector, and I'm not going anywhere.

[adhd-merlin]

*based on my observations and my subjective opinion!! don't come at me with data. unpopular episodes I don't like did not qualify (4x08 I'm looking at you).

[serpercival]

Putting this here both for my convenience of remembering things and also because if YOU THE READER have any particular episodes or just general concepts you'd like to see get the foxtrap treatment I would genuinely love to hear it. Drop me an inbox. Disclaimer ahead of time that there's a particular late season Trapper John, M.D. episode that I will not be touching with a ten foot pole because I would feel so rude introducing people to the series with it and I'm not going into any more detail than that.

SO. Fics currently on the docket for whenever the hell it is I finish Mating Habits because I'd really like to do a bunch of episode fics:

Misc. pre-canon traphawk relationship development

MASH 1x03 Requiem for a Lightweight

MASH 1x06 Yankee Doodle Doctor

MASH 1x09 Henry, Please Come Home (weird choice I know but there's some major traphawk relationship stuff slotted to happen in this one)

MASH 1x13 Edwina (Trapper/Edwina fic :3 no really trust me. R came up with 90% of this one and hey future Percy fully deserves a co-author credit)

MASH 1x23 Ceasefire

MASH 2x03 Radar's Report (you know why)

MASH 2x06 Kim (you also know why)

MASH 2x12 The Incubator

MASH 2x16 Henry in Love

MASH 2x22 George (I just need to. Been wanting to write something for that episode for ages and this is a great opportunity)

MASH 3x07 Check-Up (again you know why)

MASH 3x21 Big Mac - Five-Star Expectations

General beejtraphawk and the kids stuff

Trapper gets his job as chief of surgery in 1969-70 depending on if we want to stick exactly to the TJMD timeline or not - in 1x12 Boom! he has his ten year anniversary

TJMD 1x01 Pilot

TJMD 1x17 If You Can't Stand The Heat (the children's zoo pcp explosion episode guest starring Ed Winter as a guy who gets pcp exploded. no seriously. I have no idea what I'm going to do with this I just know I need to do something)

TJMD 2x07 Earthquake (Gonzo and Trapper rent a cabin together. again no idea what I'm going to do with it but I need to do something)

TJMD 2x09 Have I Got a Girl For You (Trapper proxy-dates Gonzo by taking a girl who's interested in him on a truly weird number of dates. Coincidentally aired Feb. 1st, 1981 which is prime timing for that in the foxtrapverse. Also I made reference to it in Professional Courtesy so come on I've gotta do something with it)

TJMD 2x16 King of the Road (Gonzo daddy issues episode)

TJMD 4x08 Thanks for Giving

TJMD 6x02 My Son the Doctor (JT's introduction to the series)

TJMD 6x07 A Fall to Grace (I have not seen this one yet but it's a Big One and I'm sure I'll be able to do something fun with it)

TJMD 6x18 The Unholy Ghost (JT sees an actual real ghost. again seriously. this show is bonkers)

oh my god that's so many things. that's like twenty things not counting the fact that "general beejtraphawk and the kids stuff" is at minimum five separate things. I will not be doing them in order lmfao they'll just be as I feel like it and god knows if I'll ever get to all of them but WE TRY because with the exception of things I've noted there are very specific ideas behind all of these.

[navree]

people who got angry at the writers of 2x03 for talking about how rhaenyra didn't put any thought into her meeting with alicent and can't be surprised at the outcome because "rhaenyra shouldn't have to offer any concessions" are baffling and probably lacking in brain cells because that's literally spot on. rhaenyra went into an attempt at peace talks without any attempt to conciliate the opposing side and was surprised when the peace talks devolved and ultimately failed. it's bad decision making on her part, it's bad leadership and governance insofar as she has the ability to govern, and given that we're meant to see her as a legitimate claimant to be the sovereign, it's entirely reasonable to judge her on those standards.

because rhaenyra should have thought of concessions. she's making a big ask here, and it's entirely fair that she make offers that could actually appeal to the opposing side other than "War Bad :(" because the other side knows that, like in every conflict ever, they've just decided that the potential outcomes of winning the war matter more than the lack of war in its entirety. it is doubly important that rhaenyra offer concessions because she is also no longer the only wounded party. any peace talk to avoid the dance would need to hinge on both sides acknowledging that there has been serious wrong done to each part. on rhaenyra's end, the man whose rule is law proclaimed her heir but that was taken from her, and her son was killed unexpectedly during the negotiation phase. on aegon's end, he has the precedent of centuries of westerosi legal custom, and his six year old was murdered for absolutely no reason through no fault of his own or even aegon's. these are major grievances that both need to be dealt with fairly and with the understanding that restitution on both sides needs to be made. i mean, hell, rhaenyra only gives a passing mention to the fact that she did not, in fact, order two assassins to force their way into helaena's bedroom and make her choose which child to die. not even offering to allow daemon to face any sort of legal justice at aegon's hands is a gigantic fucking blunder on her part.

rhaenyra is no longer in the position where she can make unilateral demands because she is no longer the only person who has suffered or dealt with material consequences. hostilities are now as much motivated by personal desires for revenge as they are for legitimate succession reasons, and rhaenyra knows that because the entire reason she meets with alicent is to try and break the cycle that started with luke and then moved to jaehaerys and then the cargylle twins afterwards. i mean, hell, look at what alicent says at the end of the conversation when she tells rhaenyra it's too late. she mentions that the equivalent to armed forces have been mobilized, that one of the most personally powerful military men is actively marching to engage in warfare, and that aemond, someone who is not only ruthless but, as far rhaenyra knows, has a vested personal interest in doing things like avenging his beheaded nephew, is going to be involved. rhaenyra's thoughts, were she a competent leader/administrator, should be "what can i do to get them to at least press pause on this so we can negotiate further". the fact that it wasn't is a failure on her part, the fact that she did just think she could come in and go "let's stop fighting" when there are issues that she needs to address on her side now is a failure. it's entirely acceptable to call her out on this.

and i would have given this same criticism if a peace talk was initiated by alicent with that same mindset. if alicent had tried to negotiate with rhaenyra and been the one pushing for it, she should have had some restitution to offer her for what happened to luke, and for sending ser arryk to murder her in her bed. that would be a reasonable thing for rhaenyra to accept, since those are grievances that the greens need to address in any peace talk with her in turn. but the difference is that alicent is aware of the fact that she'd need to do that, because she already did it. she's the one who says they need to send terms to dragonstone after aegon's coronation that rhaenyra can find acceptable and agree to without feeling humiliated or losing face amongst her own supporters. she sends otto with those terms with clear messages to be conciliating, and even leverages her and rhaenyra's former emotional investment in each other to drive home that these are peace messages (in contrast to rhaenyra starting out with 'if i wanna i could murder you' which is a very bad way to start a peace talk, and rhaenyra knows that because immediately when called on it she acknowledges that it's a fuck up on her part).

there's a section of this fandom that believes rhaenyra is the rightful ruler, but then actually refuses to judge her on her merits as a ruler. she wants to be the sovereign, fantastic, but that means she's going to be held to a higher standard by both other characters and the audience, because she's now the key decision maker and also responsible for literally everything that happens on her end (i don't know if some of y'all were just too dumb to qualify for apush but i am smart so i took it and i remember when we talked about the truman presidency in that class and "the buck stops here"). it's not the writers being shitty to rhaenyra to point out that this plan was flawed from the getgo because there were serious issues in her thinking that meant it could never succeed. it's just the simple truth of the situation.

[nimata-beroya]

I was trying to answer this ask and got posted before I was finished so i had to delete it 🙈😔

So here's a new attempt to answer it

Anonymous asked:

Hi, nonnie!

Not worrying about that bastard (affectionate) is mission impossible at this point, but yeah, let's keep our hopes up.

Oh, they're not alleged. They're confirmed by Jennifer Corbett herself. And I don't know if it's good or bad to know those titles. My imagination is overworking trying to figure out what could happen in each episode, and I'm sure I'm wrong in everything I come up with, but let's see…

I think the season starts with the scene in the beach with the giant crabs. The very first scene will be Tech telling Omega to focus on her studies that was shown at Celebration back in May, then they'll meet Phee Genoa, the new lady at Cid's parlor. I think both episodes will show how the Empire is getting stronger (as in spoils of war) and how much worse things are in the galaxy (ruins of war).

For "The Solitary Clone" my first instinct was to think it is about Cody, but no, it won't be about him. I'm divided among 3 possible storylines.

A new clone. The first season we got Howzer, so it's possible that another new clone will be introduced this season too. However, of all, this is the idea I think has fewer chances of happening.

That it's about Wolffe. Also it would make sense if he, like many other seems to do, is questioning orders and deserts and go as lone wolf wrecking havoc around the galaxy. This is a more wishful thinking than I actually think is going to happen, but it fits perfectly for the episode title.

Or it's about Crosshair. It makes sense. I've always said that he's very lonely, and (even if I don't believe he had it removed) supposedly having no chip would make him even more lonely, being the only clone who stays with the empire willingly. In here, we'll see the scene where Rampart praises him for his loyalty (which is in the trailer that they also showed at Celebration). And could be a parallel to 1x03 when we saw him at the peak of ruthlessness.

For "Faster" and "Entombed", I have no idea what could happen there.

"Tribe", on the other hand, I think this is when the batch goes to Kashyyyyk (as rumor has it) and/or team up with Gungi.

The 2 mid-season episodes are where we'll see Cody at last 😁 It's an appropriate time for him to appear after they have us waiting for the moment half of the season, and It'll leave us hyped for the next episode, because "The Crossing" airs the same day of Mando season 3 premiere so now TBB will have to fight for ratings (stupid bc I'm watching both, but some people will choose one over the other). Anyway, a friend of mine (@takadasaiko ) suggested that this could be a Crosshair episode (if the episode 2x03 isn't his) and I can see why. If the 2 previous are Cody's, whatever happens there might prod Crosshair to reconsider things and do something drastic (I'm hoping it's something good, but it could be something very bad 😞😭😭😭)

Episode 10 "Retrieval" could be the mission with Rex

The next could be the one with the monster/cloned zilo beast. I mean, with "Metamorphosis" as a title, it fits 😆

"The outpost" and "Pabu" are a mystery to me 🤔

"Tipping point" could this be the one where they go to Dooku's place in Serreno? Maybe. Possibly because I think whatever they find there, it's what push them to go to Coruscant in the finale. And I'll die of anxiety when they do 😩

And there you have it, my dear nonnie. I'm pretty sure nothing of this will be as I imagined. I'll be lucky if I get right a thing or 2, but it's fun trying to figure it out anyway 😆

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!!! 🎉

[love-byers]

for 2 years i've been wondering what the connection is between the byler scene and the max scene. like they didn't seem similar at all, but after reading this i realized something.

earlier today i was thinking about the track "Letter to Willy" and wondering why it sounded so familiar. after some listening im 100% sure it's because "Letter to Willy" is a version of "Eulogy", a song from the s2 soundtrack. i'm 100,000% sure and i painstakingly edited this to make it clear to anyone listening

"Eulogy" plays whenever the scene is related to death, more specifically a character who has died. hence the name. a eulogy is a speech written to honor someone who recently died, often times read at their funeral. which is interesting, because the first time we hear "Eulogy", it's not an actual eulogy. so clearly this has a deeper meaning.

here's are all the times the track has played, as far as i'm aware

season 2

2x01 nancy cries about barb in the bathroom

2x01 mike puts his toys in the donation box and remembers el, who is believed to be dead

2x03 hopper shows el the cabin for the first time

2x08 hopper sits with joyce after bobs death

2x08 mike tells the group about how bob founded the av club

season 3

3x01 joyce has a flashback of bob

season 4

4x03 mike and el fight

clearly there is a pattern here. (and for the hopper and el one, if you watch the scene there are multiple references to dead characters. hopper mentions his grandpa, and hides a box of sara's things right before the song plays. this could also be representative of the death of el's old life.)

"This is your new home."

"Home."

so if "Letter to Willy" is 100% directly connected to "Eulogy", what does that mean?

(i'm not sure if "Letter to Willy" plays in more than those 2 scenes, but i'm pretty sure it's just the two so i'll proceed on that)

so we can assume the two scenes are related to someone or something that has died. obviously, max is reading her letter to billy at his gravestone. unknown hero agent man is dead and there is shared imagery of gravestones, but mike and will aren't talking about that when the song plays. they're talking about mikes fight with el, again.

mike and el's fight. the scene that "Eulogy", aka the theme for DEATH, plays in.

mike and el's relationship died during that fight. even mike knows it, he keeps trying to say it in different ways. "A fight you can't come back from." go back and watch the scene, and look at el's face when mike says "you're being ridiculous" she is so so done with him. mike is right, this is a fight they can't come back from.

i also think "Letter to Willy" could be implying that the truth of the situation is being hidden. max later admits that vecna was right, she wanted billy to die and that is a source of her guilt. in the letter she implied she had just frozen and wishes she had done something, but that wasn't the whole truth. it was partly on purpose because billy made her life a living hell.

and with byler...i mean do i even need to say it? mike isn't not telling the truth, but he's not saying the whole truth either. he dances around the reason he didn't say what eleven wanted him to say, he won't even say what that thing is. and if you ask me, a byler truther, this is also indicative of mike and will not outright saying their feelings for each other because they're both closeted.

"Eulogy" plays when mike and el's relationship dies.

"Letter to Willy" plays when mike and will are talking about the death of the relationship.

Churchgate: The Dear Billy Connection

If you missed it somehow, here's the original Churchgate post. Heads up I'm going to be re-sharing a few other people's ideas here but they will all be tagged of course.

First, let me share the last of the information I've gotten since that post. The only exclusive stuff I have is that I spoke to someone who confirmed Noah is filming in Atlanta the entirety of next week when the Church set is also filming. I talk to this person occasionally and they are very reliable.

The crux of Churchgate is that Will is going to be possessed, though I'm also down for a Vecna'ing, and Mike will be the one to snap him out of it. This is very similar to what happened to Max in the episode 'Dear Billy'. And well it turns out that that episode has insane foreshadowing for Churchgate.

DEAR BILLY:

If you remember, there was a weird easter egg where the OST when Max reads out her letter to Billy is actually named "Dear Willy". The connection to Churchgate might just be the reason behind that. Let me refer to a community post made by my friend @greenfiend who was just talking about this today.

If the church scene is a confessional, Mike might finally have to share the full truth he was talking about holding back in this scene. So will Will.

2. Mentioned in the post but both scenes would be taking place in, or right next to, a graveyard.

3. A crane has appeared on the set of the church. To perform the Max levitating stunt in Dear Billy, they used a similarly large crane to hoist her up in the air. This is the only other time they've used a crane like this to film a ST scene. Remember Sadie also wore contacts and rehearsed prior in studio to film this scene, just like what's happening with Churchgate.

4. Dear Billy introduces the idea of a demon "Spawn of Satan" haunting the Creel family. This ends up being Henry, or rather possessed!Henry (in TFS it is revealed he has been under the influence of the mindflayer just like Will).

5. Dear Billy has Hopper escape the Russian Gulag into the sanctuary of a Church where he eventually reunites with Joyce.

And finally:

6. Dear Billy is the episode famously directed by Shawn Levy, director of Season 5 Episode 6, who has hinted / told us he is directing an angsty Byler scene, and is currently on set possibly for the church.

[coop-of-coffee]

The Great s2 spoilers (?)

Okay, I just wanna share my thoughts on something, and that something being: ace Orlo.

So, throughout s1 there was the ongoing joke (if you can call it that ig) of Orlo being "a virgin" and some teasing about him not being into women, etc. Since then, I was very 🕵🏻 about all that, making me think that he was either asexual, gay or both.

On the first episodes of s2, Orlo's uninterest in sex was made clearer. And that's when we get to ep 3: Orlo lets Velementov know he got laid the previous night, clarifies it was with a woman and it was his third time having sex.

Later, we see him passionately making out with a guy, which ends up in them having sex, and we know it was his first time with a man bc he was "experimenting", as he put it. Then is where something particularly interesting comes up: he says it felt more or less the same way than when he had sex with a woman, which, to summarize in a word, basically says it was "meh". Plus, he added he'd rather be reading a book.

Having sex with that man didn't make him have the feelings he was supposed to have regarding sex, it didn't get him there and it's obvious he was trying to (hence the "experiment", which, given his other times with women, he was also experimenting, hoping to feel what was expected of him to feel). That scene, at least for me, was the confirmation that he is asexual.

In episodes 4 and 5, we see Orlo clumsily flirt with Katya, the teacher. And in the following ones, it is clear they started a relationship, which is, to an extent, also sexual. I was kinda expecting the writers to do something like that, because hoping that they would truly look into Orlo's asexuality was, sadly and all things considered, unrealistic.

(not that being ace = not having sex, but in a "he found someone, so he'll now have sex and that's how far exploring this will go" way)

However, I must admit the sex scene Orlo and Katya share in ep 6 kinda reinforces that he's asexual/in the ace spectrum. While he does seem to be enjoying it, it doesn't necessarily mean that he was sexually attracted to Katya (or maybe he was? I feel like that was unclear and it made me doubt a little, but only as to say "maybe he's demisexual"), and it was more of a combination of having her read a book to him, listening to the author's words and an obvious sexual stimuation.

Now, before his relationship with Katya began, I considered him either gayace or aroace, giving s1 and early s2 stuff. When he was kissing that guy in 2x03, he seemed to be way more at ease than in pretty much any other scene where a woman looked suggestively at him, where he'd look away or was visibly uncomfortable. I now think he is biace solely because he did seem to like Katya, but I'd be happy to be proven otherwise, bc I feel there's much more material to back up gayace or aroace Orlo, despite being biace myself.

In ep 9, where he calls things off between them after Catherine finds out about the money, their goodbye isn't sexual. Granted, it wouldn't have to be, but given the rest of the characters and the show itself, you might guess why I point this out lmao.

In conclusion: Orlo is definitely aspec. There's canon material, which includes dialogues, as evidence. While I'm not angry or upset about how things were handled regarding this part of Orlo, I am disappointed because, imo, it had so much potential. I would have loved to see this explored, to have some scene with Katya luring him into her room and him being hesitant or not thrilled about where that was heading. I would have loved to see a scene like the one he had with the man, but with Katya, where he'd actually talk afterwards about how he feels about sex (i.e. neutral/uninterested/nothing). It had potential to be played with, and come up with something funny like, idk, Velementov walks into them and hears them giggle and they're under the sheets or smth but they're just reading and Velementov is confused and leaves but Orlo covers himself either way even tho they were fully clothed. The show already has a lot of sex, so I do feel that not going deeper into Orlo's asexuality was a wasted opportunity.

[tomwambsmilk]

Hiiiiiii I’m continuing to go insane over my own tomgreg betrayal post, because I’ve had this idea bouncing around my head for the last couple of weeks of Logan as the closest thing Succession has to a classically Luciferian figure. By which I mean, for one thing, his uncanny ability to make people believe his lies even when they know they shouldn’t, to such an extent that characters in succession constantly have to question what is real. The fact that he’s the only character on the show to fully perceive evil things as good (what Aristotle’s ethics deems as the evilest a person can be) - mostly demonstrated by the way he values ‘being a killer’ and by the way he REVELS in chaos and sowing discord (see: "boar on the floor"), whereas other characters on the show do terrible things but express varying degrees of guilt and discomfort in doing so, and view it as a horrible necessity rather than a good in itself. The fact that he loves nothing more than he loves himself, even his children. The way in which he demands that Kendall sacrifice himself for him - an act of supreme selfishness that he frames as an act of love. The fact that he takes joy in corrupting the people around him, like Greg.

And most damning of all? One of the most famous literary depictions of Satan, Dante's "Inferno", paints the worst crime of all as betrayal, and traitors are in the lowest circle of hell. The worst betrayers, Brutus and Judas, are perpetually being chewed on by Satan. And when Logan demands loyalty, he demands it specifically in the form of betrayal. He demands that Roman betray Kendall in 1x06. He demands that Kendall betray Stewy in 1x10. He demands that someone betray the mole in 2x03, and he demands that Shiv betray Tom in 2x10. He effectively demands that Tom betray Shiv by giving up her location in 3x02, which Tom circumvents by claiming ignorance, and that Shiv betray Kendall in 3x03. He demands that Roman and Shiv betray Kendall in 3x09 and, failing that, demands that Roman alone betray both his siblings. While he doesn't demand that Tom betray Shiv in 3x09 it is what earns him Logan's favour. (ETA: When Roman refuses not only does he fly into a rage and mock the very concept of love, but reveals that he’s already persuaded their mother to betray all three of them - making “oh shit, mom, he got to you” one of the most heartbreaking lines of the series). The bonds of love that his children have for each other (and their spouses) are not sacred to him - on the contrary, they're something he has to actively root out and destroy, and we're made to understand that he's been actively pitting them against each other for their entire lives.

At some point I think I'm going to write a post that breaks it down more analytically, because I actually think Tom's journey through the Waystar ranks and into Logan's favour somewhat mirrors Dante's descent through the 9 circles of hell (Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, Treachery) either in acts that he participates in or acts committed by others that he enables, culminating in his betrayal of Shiv. (It's Tom specifically because he's the only one we actually see go from being out of Logan's favour to in Logan's favour over the course of the show). It's not a perfect one-to-one (because I don't think this was intentional on the part of the writers), but there are enough parallels that it's really fascinating to me.

[raayllum]

ALRIGHT, time to talk about the poster in lovely HD.

First things first, I want to talk about these two ladies (?). The upper one closer to the moon looks more like an elf, and is gazing down at the second, closer woman. I've seen people speculate Ziard due to the hair, but none of this usual clothing appendages are there, so I lean towards a new character, and possibly being the human Aaravos had a special connection to. We see what looks like the arches of the Moon Nexus framed behind them, which was the case both when Rayla went through the portal in TTM and when Lujanne used historia viventum to show Callum the way things looked before. Souls of hate and love, maybe?

We see other Moon symbols throughout the posture sure as archangel lunarises, which seek out Moon magic (1x01) and can be used in illusion spells (2x03, 3x09). We also see the enchanted lotuses from 3x03, though for what purpose is unclear (more on that later).

Moving down, we have a fully celestial, quite happy Aaravos. He's in full flourish and clearly using Moon magic for someone, as begetting the moon behind him, though whether he's constructing lotuses or channeling energy into his Key (perhaps making it able to sense Moon magic) is unknown. While the lotuses in 3x03 were occasionally different colours, the deep purple here makes me think of dark magic. If he is channeling his cube, perhaps he's taking moon energy from the lotuses (or moths) surrounding him to put inside.

I don't think I need to scream much further than I already have about the Moon rune glowing on his Key and having it displayed with his usual star symbol (rune cube foreshadowing symbolism my beloved). This bodes well for theories in which 1) Callum goes too far and does something knowingly risky to free the Moon fam for Rayla's sake or 2) does something risky to help Aaravos to protect Rayla's life, each subsequently to being possessed and/or playing into Aaravos' hands. Thank you goodnight.

Then we have the book, which is deeply fascinating. It seems like a very Moon book, the fragments framing it similar to the ones we see on the lotuses and possibly evoking one of the archangel lunaris' flying around. It wouldn't surprise me if the book contains a variant of Deep moon magic of some kind, whatever that would look like. The crescent curved moon is also similar to the symbol we see on Aaravos' poem page for the Midnight Star in show (2x08). I do wonder why each side of the book looks so different though, with no actual visible moon in sight besides the tiny gemstones and the crescent moon, the other side being entirely dark (which, to be fair, is pretty moon-y).

We also sort of but don't quite see Aaravos' famous chest piece, though it is a-glowing. Whether it glowed all the time pre-Fall we just don't know, as the only time we've seen it glow/be filled in is 2x09 when he's channeling magic through Viren, but who knows. It does mean that the cube is even older than his banishment and that if it does hold his chest piece, it was placed after (if it's tangible at all, which has always been one of the biggest questions).

This is perhaps the weirdest thing that I am the most interested in, as alongside his crown and bangles, this is the biggest design difference between Aaravos in-show and out. In show, both in his mirror and even 'pre-Fall' (aka the timeline for the 1x01 shot is probably a lie anyway), Aaravos' hip thingy is a lot more simplistic.

However, Aaravos does have all his flowery (and I mean that literally, it looks like petals) adornment in his concept art.

The fact they have a lotus flower flair to them always felt interesting but ultimately like a coincidence, but perhaps not. Either way as pictured below, it seems like he's either constructing or dismantling the lotuses, which is Eyes Emoji either way.

The most... surely metaphorical / abstract portion of the poster, though, is I'd imagine the very bottom. I hesitate to read into things too literally (one of the S5 posters had Finnegrin's ship being blasted with lightning and Domina watching the waves, and while she featured in the season and played a role in Finnegrin's aims, the scene itself as portrayed did not come fully to fruition) so I'm gonna go with a more symbolic read, just as as disclaimer.

Lastly we have these two figures. I'm assuming the one in white is an elf and betting on young Aaravos or Leola, though it could be someone else connected to the Moon arcanum (the elven daughter who vouched for exiling rather than eliminating humanity?). The red and black shadow figure feels far more sinister (blood and stardust, anyone) but if you lighten the shadows, you get something even more... interesting, shall we say.

Rather than standing up straight, this figure almost seems to swoop down with a draconic like claw and a face that reminds me the most of Sir Sparklepuff's features, honestly, perhaps boasting a similar kind of blood (Viren's) and star (Aaravos) and dark magic (the staff?). It is also clearly moving toward the more humanoid figure on the bottom right, which gives a "corruption is reaching / coming for / offering things to you" sort of vibe.

[princeescaluswords]

You completely missed my ultimate point. It doesn't matter if the headcanon isn't malicious. I don't think it is malicious. It's just racist.

It ignores and degrades the relationships portrayed in canon by aligning with hostile fanon interpretations.

For example, one of your major points is that Derek, in your application of this headcanon, is respecting Scott's desire to be "as normal of a teen as possible." That was absolutely true in Season 1, when Scott was being hunted by the Argents and the alpha. But I actually watched Season 2, where we get these three scenes out of many that show us that things have changed.

In Ice Pick (2x03):

Scott: What am I supposed to do? I can't just stand by. I can't pretend to be normal. Allison: I don't want you to be normal. I want you to be alive.

And this one in the same episode.

Stiles: All right, all I'm saying is maybe this one isn't totally your responsibility. Scott: They all are. And you know this thing's gonna get out of control. That makes me responsible.

And this one from Venomous (2x05):

Derek: I don't know why you think you have to protect everyone now, Scott ...

That doesn't sound like someone whose primary desire is to be as normal of a teen as possible. But what that interpretation that Scott's primary goal is to be normal does do is reinforce the fanon criticisms that the True Alpha arc 'came out of nowhere' or that Scott 'rejected the wolf.'

Derek did indeed try to keep Scott out of it, but not because he was respecting Scott's desire to be normal or respecting Scott's statement that he wasn't part of his pack. Derek told us why in Tattoo (3x01):

Derek: A rival pack. It's my problem. I know you wanna help, and you did. I owe you one. Now go home. Go back to being a teenager.

He's trying to protect Scott here from the Alpha Pack. And I asked, why would he want to protect Scott and not Stiles? That headcanon does, however, play into the constant fanon refrain that Scott's relationship with Derek isn't one he needs.

And then there's summer school, which I don't know what is like in your part of the world, but in California is not a 24/7 situation. But emphasizing summer school as a reason that both Derek and Stiles don't want Scott to help does happen to reinforce the 'dumb Scott' stereotype.

As for Stiles deciding that Scott need a break, I have to ask -- who the hell is Stiles to determine that? You don't treat it as a misstep for Stiles to make that decision for Scott in contravention of Scott's and Stiles's Season 2 behavior (and their Season 3 behavior and their Season 4 behavior, etc.). This part of the headcanon reinforces the fanon racist talking point that Stiles should be the one in charge.

This headcanon doesn't exist in a vacuum. On one side there is canon, with which this headcanon doesn't conform in any significant way. On the other side is a fandom that has spent a decade implying that Scott is stubborn, aggressive and more trouble than he's worth -- "Why would Derek ask for help he doesn't need yet from someone who isn't in his pack," -- that Scott is dumb and a poor student "someone who is trying to bring his grades up," -- and that Scott doesn't have the right attitude to be the lead protagonist. -- "and someone who doesn't want to be a part of the supernatural world to begin with?"

When a single glance -- and only a signal glance -- tells a large part of the fandom that it's most likely that Derek turned to Stiles over the summer and that Stiles turned to Derek over the summer, and that both Stiles and Derek -- who canonically love Scott -- decided to deceive him forever for Scott's own good, I can't help but think that there's a little more at work than just good feelings.

Almost Universally Accepted

If you ever wonder why people like me think the Teen Wolf fandom has become fundamentally corrupted by racism, you simply need to recall that there is, as one person on this site remarked recently, an 'almost universally accepted' headcanon among the fandom. Based on a single glance near the end of the first episode of the third season, Tattoo, a large number of people in this fandom believe that Stiles Stilinski helped Derek Hale and his pack look for their kidnapped betas over the summer between Scott's and Stiles's sophomore and junior years. In terms of the television production, this would be the hiatus between Season 2 and Season 3.

At first, it seems a perfectly harmless headcanon, but I believe it's a blatant example of how fandom racism degrades media literacy. Allow me to walk you through my reasoning. To start, most headcanons exist in a neutral state with regards to canon. When you speculate on a character's favorite ice cream flavor or whether they spend Christmases with their grandparents, it is most likely not going to affect how you view the canon. This particular one, however, modifies a crucial canon event, one which establishes both the relationships and a major part of the plot for an entire season. Coincidentally, those relationships and that plot are primary motive forces for the lead protagonist's character arc. Thus, accepting this headcanon requires the viewer to radically reinterpret the starting point of an entire season differently than the production's actual intention. It's such a radical change that any critical thinking requires a person to ask what the goal of this headcanon could possibly be, since it simply cannot fit within the canon itself.

Point One: The headcanon is entirely unsupported. Consider the image at the top of this post. That look on Stiles's face is, as far as I can tell, the sole trigger behind the creation of this suspect headcanon. Stiles makes eye contact with Derek and, apparently, looks guilty to the fandom. From this, Stiles is supposed to be sharing a private moment of remorse with Derek, to which Scott is not privy, about their inability to find Boyd and Erica over the summer.

Even given the possibility that the look on Stiles's face could also be interpreted as genuine concern for the fates of Boyd and Erica, regret that something new is coming for Beacon Hills, or even frustration that Scott is getting involved once more in something dangerous, the headcanon's interpretation does not in any way mesh with the actual lines spoken in the scene.

Derek: A pack of 'em. An Alpha pack. Stiles: All of them? How does that even work? Derek: I hear there's some kind of a leader. He's called Deucalion. We know they have Boyd and Erica. Peter, Isaac, and I have been looking for him for the last four months. Scott: Let's say you find them. How do you deal with an Alpha pack? Derek: With all the help I can get.

If Stiles has been working with Derek all summer to find and rescue Boyd and Erica, this dialogue makes no sense. Wouldn't Stiles already know about the alpha pack and how it works? Why would Derek not list Stiles among the people searching? It would require Stiles and Derek (and later Peter and Isaac) to deliberately decide to exclude Scott. Those who adhere to the headcanon never actually explain why that Stiles and Derek would want to conceal Stiles's participation in the search from Scott, but that's not their point.

Yet, while a conspiracy might explain why they don't reveal the secret here, it doesn't even begin to address while it is never mentioned elsewhere during the season (or any season). It also renders the dialogue between Derek and Stiles and between Peter and Stiles in Chaos Rising (3x02) incongruous. It makes the relationships between Stiles and Isaac and Stiles and Boyd incoherent. It makes the way Stiles treats Derek throughout the rest of the season nonsensical. But that's not all.

Point Two: It shreds characterizations for everyone but Scott. Take Stiles. In the last appearance of Stiles in Season 2, he tells Scott that "you still have me," in an incontrovertible statement of support. Why would a Stiles who made that promise hide this information from Scott; not just in this scene but in every scene about the Alpha Pack to come. If he was trying to keep Scott out of the supernatural things, then he didn't do a very good job; after all, he's the one who tells Scott about the Darach once Stiles discovers it. If he's secretly angry at Scott for something (whether it be not finding him when Gerard kidnapped him or some other fandom-conjured reason such as Scott 'ignoring' him all summer), then why wouldn't he use it when he argues with Scott in Unleashed (3x04), Frayed (3x05), Motel California (3x06) or Currents (3x07)? For this headcanon to be even remotely valid, it has to suppose that Derek and Stiles established a positive working relationship, but Derek is the one person to whom Stiles doesn't bring his ideas about the Darach. Why the sudden and unexplained change in regard?

Take Derek. If Derek trusted Stiles enough to have him help his pack look for Boyd and Erica over the summer, why would Derek so casually and cruelly dismiss Stiles's assistance after the recovery of Isaac ("Not You!"). If Derek is simply trying to keep Scott out of this -- which is actually seen on the screen -- isn't it callous of him to not have tried to keep Stiles out of it? And if Derek is angry enough with Scott not to seek his help over the summer (though this emotions doesn't stop him from accepting and asking for Scott's help visually on the screen), why doesn't Derek ever bring up that he trust Stiles enough to help but not Scott?

Keeping this a secret throughout the entire season doesn't match anyone else's character, either. Why didn't Peter use it to needle Stiles in Chaos Rising or needle Scott in Unleashed? Why does Peter, who is consistently portrayed as manipulative and using other people's misdeeds to excuse his actions ("I'm not the only dysfunctional family member.") not use it to undermine Derek's or Isaac's trust in Scott? For that matter, why doesn't Isaac use it in any of the conflicts he has with Stiles? It simply doesn't fit in with anyone else's behavior or characterizations.

Part Three: It does, however, serve to undermine Scott's role as lead protagonist. This is, at the base, the point. It's not really a starting point for Sterek that they claim it to be; a massive conspiracy doesn't really establish the impetus for their relationship considering how they both canonically treat Scott later. It does, however, serve as a coded way to establish the white male characters in the show as a social group in and of themselves, one from which Scott must be excluded, perhaps because of his inadequacies (he has to go summer school, see, which in Beacon Hill seems to be envisioned as a boot camp-slash-gulag) or his sins (not sacrificing Allison) but there has to be a reason. When you take in the way it doesn't fit into anything happen and doesn't really help what they want to happen, the only logical reason for the creation of this headcanon is that it demonstrates their belief that Scott does not deserve his position as lead protagonist, and that Stiles's professed loyalty is slowly being transferred to a man he had on a list of people responsible for human sacrifices twice.

But it is inevitable that such headcanons go against the themes of the show, the plot of the show, and the established characterizations of the cast, because consistency is not really important to parts of the fandom. What is important is that it suggests the true focus of the story should be where the believe it belongs: any white male character. This ill-fitting whim has become almost universally accepted, to remove a character of color form his position as lead protagonist with a subtext so deep it appears for exactly 2 seconds.

It is indeed racism.

[rinisbowen]

ej’s breakup with nini and her holding solid to her decision to end things is a huge part of how ej actually gets to the person he is in season 2, especially in 2b, and i think we kind of forget that a lot... tbh i know i did. 

like- i know gina is given a good bit of credit by the fandom for his season 1b/2a changes, and i think she likely deserves some of that, but i think 2x10 really points out how much we as a fandom forget about the fact that ej and nini had like- a relationship. and that relationship was definitely rather surface level in a lot of ways, but the impact it had on ej as a character really wasn’t. 

remember how much kourtney was gushing about his appearance? especially if you take into account the character intro promos... nini and ej both were looking for something in that relationship that wasn’t ever going to be real. 

so it kinda caught me a bit off guard in 2b how much ej seemed to have been effected by that relationship, but i’d suspect she’s the last girl of a series considering the “first valentines day without a girlfriend” and the “just because you’re single for the first time in your life” lines from 2x03 and 2x10, and is more the straw that broke the camel’s back than about nini herself. (i mean obviously ej clarifies to ricky that he’s over nini, but that’s been obvious). 

he told her nini loved her, but she couldn’t say it back for obvious reasons... and while i don’t know how much ej would at this point still call what that was ‘love’, i think the fact she was probably the first girl to NOT be able to say it back... and probably the first girl to ever break up with him... (like i can’t say this for certain, but it’s the vibe i’m getting). like- ej’s a serial dater, from what we’ve seen, but he thought that nini could be different because she makes him feel like a good person. (i don’t remember the quote but, he says something along these lines) 

i still definitely think it’s less about nini herself and more about the weight of his relationships and rejection... but it’s still kinda neat to think about his character evolution this way. his arc after the breakup, from the truth telling phase (oof) to everything else, like him getting gina the plane ticket as his like “redeeming selfless act” marking the end of ej’s redemption arc... none of that would’ve happened without nini showing him that he did in fact mess up. i don’t think he’s ever had to face these kinds of consequences before from the way it was framed. 

the aftermath of that relationship is in many ways what made ej the guy we have in season 2, which is kinda interesting to think about, because of nini, he’s forced to truly look at himself and his actions for what feels like the very first time.

[acenancy]

The Ace x Nancy x Tamura of It All

I’m here as a hardcore Nace shipper (see the URL) to throw my two cents into the Ace x Nancy x Tamura discussion.

Some of you straight up hate Tamura and that’s cool, I get it, no judgement, but I personally like him a lot as a character. And I LOVE the connection he and Nancy have. Their repartee is entertaining, they share a passion for solving mysteries which is key to being Nancy’s friend, and their very different life experiences help balance each other out. 

You know, since one of them is grounded in reality and the other is navigating through life in a supernaturally charged hellmouth.

That being said, I hope they grow closer during S3 WITHOUT becoming explicitly romantic. And I think that may be exactly what happens! At most, I think that while solving magical mysteries, Nancy and Tamura will engage in a fun little flirtationship  that will lead to genuine friendship. His partnership with Nancy would be solidified this way as well as his honorary membership to the Drew Crew. This could serve three purposes: 

Forcing Tamura to accept the supernatural elements of Horseshoe Bay, thus weaving him more intricately into the plot.

Creating tension between Nancy and Ace 😏

Exploring and adding depth to whatever sort of relationship they’re trying to establish between Tamura and Ace.

I see all of this playing out fairly simply: while Nick and George are busy juggling real life and a wedding, while Bess devotes her time and energy into researching her family history and finding love, and while Ace prioritizes Amanda, Nancy finds herself without proper backup. So! Perhaps unintentionally, Nancy gravitates to Tamura. There's crimes and mysteries to be solved and since her friends are not fully available to her, who better to turn to than the guy who’s job it is to investigate these things? And so begins the Nancy and Tamura buddy cop comedy that is both dreaded and highly anticipated depending on what social media outlet you’re using.

Though let me repeat: BUDDY COP. 

I really don’t think we’re going to have an Ed and Lorraine Warren situation on our hands with these two. Truly, if the S2 finale is anything to go by, I think S3 will allow Nancy to grow into herself outside of a romantic or sexual relationship. She’s not running from herself and into someone else’s bed anymore. She’s embracing and learning to love herself. I’d even go so far as to say Nancy’s love interest next season will be...Nancy lmao. 

As for Tamura, if they decide to give him a romantic interest, I think they would either have his ex-fiancée reenter the picture or maybe even do him dirty and stick him with Temperance for plot reasons. A doomed Tamura x Temperance romance would actually be fun to see, in my opinion, and would be a great way to open Tamura’s eyes to the supernatural. That’s just me spit-balling, though. Whether it’s because of Temperance or not, I think Tamura is finally going to have to accept ghosts and witches and magic are real this season. It’s just a requirement for working with Nancy Drew.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, we have to address the Nace of it all. Sorry to Tamura but I do believe you’re being used as an obstacle in True Love’s way next season. I think fandom’s general consensus is that the more time Nancy and Tamura spend together, romantic or not, the more jealous Ace will become. While I agree, I think Ace’s jealousy will stem from somewhere a little deeper than just seeing Nancy with another guy. 

Take Gil, for example. Ace was sort of jealous of Gil, but more than anything he was wary of him and concerned for Nancy’s wellbeing when she was with him. Unlike Ace, Gil never had anything to offer Nancy except for sex and a getaway car. He sure as hell was never her number one person. In fact, he wasn’t even Nancy’s number five person. There was never a reason for Ace to be envious of him.

Tamura, on the other hand, can prove to be just as much of an equal to Nancy as Ace is. As chief/lead detective, he also has power and influence that Ace and Nancy do not, and access to people and resources that Ace does not have (unless he can hack into them). Tamura can help Nancy bend and break the law without consequence if need be, too. And, although naive in regards to the mystics of Horseshoe Bay, he is just as smart as Nancy and has, on the rare occasion, even been one step ahead of her. Tamura is an asset, to say the least. Together, he and Nancy make a formidable duo.

That’s what will make Ace jealous. More than the prospect of romance between Nancy and Tamura, I think that Nancy finding another intellectual match is what will rub Ace the wrong way. They’ll find themselves at a brief moment in time where Nancy will turn to Tamura for assistance before anyone, including Ace, and Ace will realize he absolutely hates that someone who is not him is Nancy’s partner in crime now.

Maybe Nancy won’t notice, but Ace will probably realize his love for her is not of the philia sort. I’m sure Amanda also will. And? Maybe Tamura will see it too.

Which brings me to one of my favorite dynamics of the show: Ace and Tamura’s.

I’m not gonna sit here and spin my crazy conspiracy theory that they’re brothers. Though that idea will always hold a special place in my heart, slowly but surely I am accepting that Ace’s long lost brother really is Grant. I’m being a total grownup about it. I swear.

Nevertheless, I do think they’ve been trying to build some kind of relationship between Ace and Tamura since before Tamura even met Nancy. What sort of relationship? God, I wish I knew.

They meet each other first, which doesn’t necessarily mean a lot, but it’s worth noting that they’re on each other’s funny little shit lists before Nancy even enters Tamura’s picture. It’s also Ace and Ace alone that hears from McGuinness that Tamura will be replacing him in the same episode. Then, of course, we have that crazy Shabbat dinner in 2x03 that exacerbates their antagonistic relationship further. Then there’s their snarky banter and all of those totally unnecessary side-by-side shots of them saving Noah in 2x10. Apart from Nancy, Ace is the only member of the Drew Crew that we’ve seen Tamura develop a real connection with, even if it is an unfriendly one. And, as of now, their relationship doesn’t even have anything to do with Nancy.

So where are the writers going with this hilarious and hostile bond between Ace and Tamura? Has all of this really just been buildup for a romantic rivalry? Hey, maybe! I really can’t figure out another reason why the writers have gone out of their way to create their dynamic since the Brother Theory has been disproven. But something tells me this may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

And when I say “this”, I mean Tamura taking a step back from Nancy once he realizes he may just be filling in the love of her life’s shoes. Because that’s where I think all of this is going. Not necessarily anywhere romantic between Nancy and Tamura, but somewhere more friendly between Tamura and everyone.

At the end of it all, Tamura is going to finally embrace the supernatural, he’s going to become an ally to Nancy, Ace, and the rest of the Drew Crew, and, when the timing is right, he’s going to hop onboard the Nace ship with the rest of us. 

I HOPE.

Side note: this is just where my head is at. I truly respect all of your opinions and ask that you respect mine too. If you agree with what I’ve said and want to talk, let’s talk! If you disagree and want to talk, we can talk too! Please, just don’t get nasty with me. This is a television show about fictional characters at the end of the day, and I am a real person. Much love to you all. ❤️

[multimetaverse]

HSMTMTS 2x09 Review

Spring Break was a bit of an odd ep but helped move some key plots forward. Let’s dig in!

Well people can no longer claim that Portwell is one sided. We finally got Gina’s pov and she starts off the ep uncertain whether the shift in their relationship means that EJ likes her but by the end of the ep she seems sure of herself and that EJ likes her back. I liked that she didn’t try to pretend that nothing had changed or that she hadn’t noticed potential signs that EJ might like her; it always sucks when tv characters act like idiots. 

Perhaps the most important reveal of this ep was that Gina has a much older estranged brother who left her and her mom many years ago. That certainly makes her backstory more tragic and is definite set up for her brother to eventually return.

The writers continue to give Portwell great tropes, capping this ep off with an airport rom-com trope that also calls back to EJ getting Gina the place ticket so she could come back in S1. Not only did Gina keep EJ’s Duke sweatshirt but she altered it to fit her better which is both sweet and bold in the assumption that it was hers to keep. Gina got her sign when not only did EJ show up to drive Gina home and take her luggage but he brought her the granola bar that she had wanted but forgot to pack. I wonder if her posting on her story that she was ubering home after her flight was cancelled was intended to see if EJ would show up since the camera focused on her posting it. Also sweet that she’s taken to calling EJ, ‘ Eej’. 

EJ’s opening was good, shows a lot of his character growth from the selfish guy he was in S1 and how he’s learned to value other people which of course leads into his feelings for Gina. We got another great use of the camera as character tonight when Gina was laughing after her facetime call with EJ until she realized that the camera was on her. 

Jack was a lot of fun. Though he didn’t really change Gina’s mind over anything like the ep description said he would.  Seemed like Gina was largely over Ricky and wondering about EJ at the beginning and the end solidified her feelings for EJ but Jack didn’t really play a role in that, it’s not like he encouraged Gina to reach out to EJ or anything. There’s a vague sense in which Jack being nomadic linked him to Ricky’s unreliability in Gina’s eyes with her craving stability but that’s a stretch. Jack mentioned that the second most dangerous part of a plane ride is when the plane takes off, a hint to the blossoming Portwell relationship where in order to take off one or both of them has to risk a confession even though they could be turned down.

This ep might seem a bit weird in hindsight. The zoom parts probably won’t age well and five years from now people might be wondering why they had Gina hang out with a manic pixie dream boy of sorts for an ep.

The path is clear for canon Portwell in the finale with EJ being Gina’s second chance at romance and her first kiss since they clearly telegraphed it out of nowhere. I’ve been impressed with the great work the writers have been doing since 2x05 to build up Portwell as a ship but also work on Gina and EJ as individual characters; they’ve been the highlight of the season so far. 

There was discourse this past week over how well or poorly Portwell has been set up. Objectively very few ships on this show get much in the way of set up or consistent writing. Redlyn and Kowie had barely any set up before getting together. Seblos had none (though in fairness that was due to Disney restrictions) and Miss Jenn and Mike Bowen didn’t have much set up either. Rini did get lots of development in S1 but that’s because they had already dated and were the main ship of the show. The show’s not really about slow burns, if Jenzzara canons in the finale they’ll count and if Rina ever got together they’d also count but neither of those ships have gotten consistent development with Mazzara not being in several eps and Gina and Ricky not even interacting for the past 3 eps. 

Is Portwell a slowburn? In a sense since they did feature quite a bit in each other’s S1 plot lines and even had a fake dating plot but it is true that they were platonic and not that close in S1 so it’s a wash. There was clear set up for romantic Portwell in 1x10 with team wonderstudies and Gina staring at EJ (which interestingly enough looked more like set up for Gina to pine over EJ). I think the main problem is that even though we saw Gina and EJ hanging out in the background we didn’t get any scenes of substance between them until 2x05. It was a mistake and there should have been some scene, like EJ and Gina commiserating in 2x03 over being single on Valentine’s Day or something like that. Hell there was even that still from 2x01 of EJ and Gina looking at each other at the piano while they were in the frame between Ricky and Nini singing and having a moment  which would have been good foreshadowing but that shot wasn’t in the ep.

Whether Tim just really wanted Portwell to be a surprise in 2x05 as a mid-season twist to throw the audience off of what looked like a Rini/Rina triangle or he was unsure as to whether he wanted to go with Portwell or if he just planned it out poorly we may never know. Regardless they’ve had great writing for 4 eps in a row now which puts them slightly ahead of the 3 eps in a row of development Rina got in S1. I’m sure if someone added up their screen time they’d find that Portwell has more screen time this season than Kowie and more screen time than Redlyn or Seblos  got in S1. 

Caswell cousins was fun and Ashlyn did in fact paint EJ’s nails. 

Set up for Seblos drama next week, it’s refreshing to see Seb being jealous over Carlos flirting with other boys that’s definitely not something you see on Disney shows.

Ricky got some healing done with his mom. Enough to cover their issues? No but this is probably the best this show is capable of. There was a brief mention of therapy sandwiched between other options which sounds more like checking off a box then setting up Ricky actually going to therapy. I noticed Lynne was smiling at odd times like when she told Ricky she knew about his breakup with Nini; whether that was poor directing or acting I don’t know. Who knows if we’ll see Lynne again. As an aside still so wild that Tim named Lynne who’s been a kinda shitty mom after his own mom who he seems to be fairly close with.

Really liked You ain’t seen nothin as a song but not a fan of the Tiktok style vid. I’ll level with you wildcats, I’m too old to really get Tiktok, it just seems like a crappy version of Vine to me. Let you go was good, seemed better fitted for Joshua Bassett’s voice than some of his previous songs. A big sign that they’re not circling back to Rini for a long time for sure. Though on that note we got a bit of a hint that Ricky was Nini’s muse which may one day come back as a way to help bring them back together. 

Looking Ahead:

If there’s only 3 weeks left till the Menkies, with only 2 weeks left for rehearsal due to spring break, it’s hard to see East High winning unless North High is disqualified or has to withdraw. 

Lily is in a promo photo so she’s likely the unexpected facetime Ricky gets which is what I had theorized. Also makes it much more likely that she’s the party crasher Ricky re-evaluates in the finale though what Tim actually wants to do with those two I do not know.

There’s little point in bringing back the Valentine’s chocolate since there’s no real stakes. Rini are already broken up, Gina hasn’t spoken to Ricky since 2x06, and it’s not like Nini and Gina were ever close so even if they stopped talking to each other it wouldn’t really affect the show in any way. 

Seems pretty likely that Second Chances refers to Gina realizing that her first try with Ricky failed but her second chance with EJ won’t and that leads to her sharing her truth and cue the Portwell confession and kiss, perhaps with an assist on EJ’s end from Mazzara. We’ve gone well past the point where Portwell can be brushed off as just a plot device to help Rina but Tim is playing with fire by getting the audience so on board with Portwell if he’s once again going to have EJ lose a girl he likes to Ricky in S3.

Gina certainly needs to talk with Ricky and I do think that happens in ep 11 or 12 and leaves them on better terms. As I mentioned last week, if Tim was smart he’d slam the door on Rina if he’s going with canon Portwell or vice versa. If he wants Rina to be a slow burn he’s really botched the writing this season, it’s been too one sided and too angsty to sustain any kind of momentum or audience interest. They haven’t even interacted for 3 eps now and not only has it not affected the show but it’s inarguably made Gina’s story line much better.  Again I don’t think he’s smart enough to not try and do Portwell and then later Rina but he’s accidentally set up the Rina story line to quite easily slam the door permanently on them by having their conversation be closure for Gina who’s moved on and an apology from Ricky who never liked her back as much as Gina liked him.

Not looking forward to seeing Nini basically live out Olivia Rodrigo’s life in future seasons

Curious to see Carlos’ apology song to Seb. Ricky helping him with it is a great way to help start redeeming Ricky’s character in the audiences eye’s. According to Matt there is a bit of a Ricky/EJ rivalry this season and if it’s really happening the sleepover would be a good place to do it though I hope it’s not about Gina. 

Until next week wildcats.

[landonkirbyappreciation]

Whenever I see someone call Landon useless and weak. All I think is "Landon useless and weak? I wonder which Landon they're talking about?"

Because Landon Kirby is far from those things. He spent his whole life going through non stop trauma. Grewing up he went from crappy foster home to the next and he had to deal with all of that alone. To then finding his mom only to lose her day later to finding out who is father is what he wanted Landon for. To then being willing to spend his life alone with monsters coming after him just to keep everyone at the school safe in s2. To then having to spend the day watching his brother die, he was even willing to give up a part of himself only to find out he lost his powers. So he lost his brother and his powers all in one day. To then melting and being stuck in malivore for weeks. To then being stuck in a PW filled with monters while also being huntered by malivore. And he was able to fight off and kill all those monster without any help and WITHOUT his powers. That fact right there not only makes him more capable but also stronger than anyone else at that school. To then being possessed by malivore, to then giving up his life to save everyone from malivore(and those people don't even care that he did that or what Hope had to do. But that's another story).

As for Landon being "useless" Landon is the one to figure out the monster problem more often than not. He helped Wade with his fairy powers and if it wasn't for him Lizzie would be dead. I could go on but I think this ask is long enough. But needless to say if that's weak and useless then I want to be weak and useless like Landon Kirby

Literally all of this!! The way people have been calling Landon useless and weak for years has gotta be one of the dumbest arguments I’ve seen and there’s no way they’re actually watching the show. Like everything you listed, Landon has gone through so much trauma and pain his entire life, both mentally and physically. Just the amount of severe physical pain he’s endured at his time at the school, how much death he’s experienced, is insane to me. And that added to the years of mental trauma he had throughout his life, plus infinitely more of that at the school and all of last season... it’s crazy. Anyone who can survive that is the exact opposite of weak and useless. And he’d survived so much of it on his own, without any help. Especially in season 3, like you said, he survived a prison world full of monsters with no help, while having no supernatural powers at all. Having to learn how to fight and survive on his own. And I totally agree with you, that makes him stronger than everyone else. The fact that the squad was scared to go to the prison world just for a short period of time to save him when they all have supernatural powers and Landon had survived there for weeks, or however long, with no powers at all like?? And also like you mentioned, all the sacrifices he’s willing to make, especially the biggest one where he just died and no one even cares, no words.

And exactly! He’s figured out the monsters so many times. It was like his first day at the school when they were gonna officially let him stay (in 1x09) and he was the one who figured out the monster and was also the one to bring it into the real world for Hope to kill. He also helped figure out the slugs and get rid of them, he also killed the monster in 2x03, his subconscious saved Hope in 2x07, and he saved her in 2x11, and like you said, he helped Wade and also saved Lizzie’s life twice, and he saved Dorian as well. And that was all before everything he went through and survived in season 3. So anyone who calls him useless is just showing that they don’t actually know anything about the show when it comes to Landon and are just blinded by their hatred. Fr, I would love to be as “weak” and “useless” as Landon Kirby, aka incredibly smart and strong and able to survive anything.

[terrainofheartfelt]

Okay I can’t stop thinking about who perfectly you’ve assigned the Hart of Dixie roles! Cause like…Vanessa is the outsider to the Upper East Side world, and yeah, Serena & Blair are the lifelong best friends but also Serena is the one who accepts Vanessa first and forms a friendship with her (that the writers then ruined but we don’t need to get into all that) while Vanessa and Blair form a begrudging respect, all just like Zoe, AB, & Lemon! And also even like…yeah Nate is the Golden Boy just like George Tucker but he also is a himbo just like Wade, and he also never feels Good Enough or like he’s earned anything and yeah! And Dan and Lavon is less obvious at first, but Lavon is implied to have been away from Bluebell for a long time and is in a way an outsider himself, which is why he becomes so close to Zoe so fast, because he understands her and what she’s going through. And also Lavon is just naturally welcoming and is a Professional Piner himself too and idk…George/Lavon friendship = Dan/Nate friendship actually with Serena as their Lemon and I just!!! Anyway!!!

S, I love you for this ask.

yes!!!!! I can't stop thinking about it! Zoe, AB, & Lemon is precisely what I want for Vanessa, Serena, and Blair! and I've just been really taken with the idea of Vanessa & Zoe parallels lately...like, how Vanessa feels like an outsider in the family she grew up in so she seeks a life and a family outside of it, and how she and her mother love each other but they don't exactly understand each other but if called upon her mom would put up a barricade between her and the himbo she's pining over. Blair being threatened by Vanessa's mere existence from the very beginning but them both reluctantly softening when they are forced to see how similar they are. Serena being the bubbly happy-go-lucky in between!

I've thought mostly about Nate/Wade similarities, but the George Tucker parallels! Golden Boy (tm) who wants to find his own path and break away from his political family! But I think Nate has an inferiority complex re: Dan the same way Wade has one re: George Tucker. He feels like what he has to offer isn't enough! and he is searching for depth in his relationships, beyond the shallowness that it's easy for him to exist in. he wants meaning, he wants to do something of substance but it takes him a while to define what that means for him!

The Dan/Lavon stuff I've really only thought about in terms of Zoe & Lavon's best friendship and Lemon & Lavon's torrid romanceship, but yeah! Like, that scene from Tom & Wanda's wedding when Lavon is like "I insist that we dance right now." that has the same energy of Dan & Vanessa on that rooftop at the end of 2x03.

oh oh oh OH and we talked about how the George/Lemon breakup in s1 is sooooooo derena. like, that speech about "you deserve more than my fidelity" and "a part of me is in love with somebody else" big dan humphrey professional yearner energy.

ummmmmm what else have I thought about? Uh, Vanessa and Jenny having some Zoe & Rose moments, Rufus being everyone's dad because no one else will a la Brick Breeland. Grandma Betty vs. Cece Rhodes in a fight who wins? Brick and Alice having something that could be like Rufus and Alison....Joel/Wade being the true Date of the show....the Bathtub (tm) of course....the brain trust that is Lavon & George & Wade and wishing that could be Dan & Eric & Nate. Just....ALL the found family.

[onetwothreefarkle]

I wanna talk about seblos and rini and personal growth.

Seb says "I thought we could have something that grows with us" in 2x03, which is an acknowledgement that over time they are going to grow and change as individuals and that their relationship will change and grow, and that in order for their relationship to succeed in the long term they need to embrace that.

Ricky and Nini break up in 2x08 because Nini is growing and changing and Ricky (understandably imo, given all the massive and difficult changes in his life) is trying to hold onto a version of her and a version of their relationship that doesn't exist anymore, and in turn is stifling not just her growth, but his own.

Ricky's biggest moment of growth in season two is finally letting go of Nini properly and deciding not to sing Let You Go to her, because he finally starts to accept that what they had isn't right for them anymore, and instead focuses his energy on being a good friend and helping Carlos write a song for Seb.

In 2x10, Ricky directly compares his relationship with Nini to Seb and Carlos and comes to the conclusion that while he and Nini are over, Carlos and Seb have something "worth fighting for" and in doing so creates a clear connection between the two relationships in a way that highlights their differences, and presents the narrative that what seblos has the potential to be more long lasting than what Ricky and Nini have or had.

Which brings us back to seblos.

Seb actually expressing his unhappiness in 2x09 and 2x10 is a moment of growth for him, after spending most of the rest of the season keeping his discomfort bottled up. The fact that he is a little bit petty and mean (especially in 2x09) shows that Seb has grown to feel more comfortable expressing those negative emotions around Carlos, which so important.

Carlos responds to this by not just hearing what Seb is saying, but by dealing with those feelings. Writing In A Heartbeat is a big moment of growth for him because up to that point he's shown Seb how he feels with expensive gifts, but hasn't actually used his words to make Seb understand just how much he cares.

And Seb allows Carlos to have this moment of growth, forgiving him for his mistakes and accepting his apology-in-song-form. Just as Carlos hears Seb's unhappiness, taking those feelings seriously and dealing with them as best he can, which will hopefully allow Seb to feel like he can be open with his feelings more in the future, Seb hears and understands what Carlos is trying to say with In A Heartbeat, which will in turn encourage Carlos to express his love more clearly moving forward.

tl;dr: Seb and Carlos have the kind of relationship that allows both of them to grow as people, and to grow together, in contrast to Ricky and Nini who held each other back from personal growth.