#while fair game has some possible to interpret as flirty moments
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i saw a picture that show a comparison between nuts and dolts, fair game, arkos, gelato and grandmasters i put it in my page if you want to see it
Gonna be honest with you I don't care about any of those ships, I don't even know what grandmasters is. Out of those, only Arkos has a real canon basis which would make it meaningful to compare (though if you like the other ships of course it can still be fun to compare anyways). So yeah sorry I have no interest in that.
#rwby#ask#maor koren#I have somewhat complicated feelings about fair game because of how like#the fandom was so willing to see fair game as definitely happening compared to none of that for nnd?#while fair game has some possible to interpret as flirty moments#and nnd has a ton of build up#and I get why ppl liked fair game but the contrast in fandom reaction has always been strange to me#and also. gestures at the entire way that one exploded
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Cassandra x Maiden----Anonymity Ch.5 (NSFW!)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
'Cassandra's favorite', the other maids call you.
You can't tell if they mean it as a good or a bad thing. Hell, you can't even tell which of the two it really is.
Being her 'favorite' does not make you immune to harm in any way; bruises litter your shoulders and sides from when she grabs you too forcefully and cuts from her nails sting at your neck and stomach, renewed each time she comes to take a kiss.
None of that existed back when you were something of zero interest to her. On the other hand, she's told you several times you're 'a thing of beauty' --her thing of beauty-- and she won't let anything ruin a natural piece of art.
If you know anything about Cassandra, it is that she takes art very seriously. Your interpretation of the word greatly varies from hers, you're sure, but it doesn't change the fact she won't easily raise a sickle on you.
Cassandra won't break you. She won't let Daniela do so, either. Bela doesn't even care to hurt you. It means you're safe for now...
Unless Lady Dimitrescu decides you're best taken away from her daughter. Permanently. You don't dare meet her eyes, but you can feel them on you, scrutinizing, every night at dinner.
You're pretty sure she knows.
The thought sits heavy in your mind while you're cleaning bloodied steps off a corridor at three in the small hours of the morning, along with another maid. Adella is a quiet and hardworking one; the two of you make a good team and you know you'll be done in record time.
But it only takes a single moment for everything to go wrong.
Adella is hastily walking back to you with a bucket of fresh water in hand when you hear a different set of steps approach from the side. You make to warn her, but it's already too late.
The collision happens at the turn where the two passageways meet. As soon as you see black robes dripping wet you pray to whichever God will listen for mercy.
Because Cassandra has not been in a good mood all night and she is not the understanding type regardless.
Adella gasps and shakingly backs away, a waterfall of apologies spilling from her lips. Cassandra rolls her neck and draws her sickle, advancing on her slowly. She looks terrifying.
"Don't move now." she orders.
And you just- can't watch this. You don't know why, but the realization you cannot hits you like a speeding truck. You can't stand there while the the woman you frequently kiss cuts away at a girl you know is as good and compassionate as a human under your circumstances can possibly get.
You react.
Before you can even think how impossibly stupid you're being, you drop the mop in your hands and dash forward, crashing into Cassandra's form. Your right arm wraps around her waist and your left grips at her wrist like a vice. Your heart is pounding. You don't even know what you're saying;
"Cassandra, no! Please. Don't." Cold and rigid as she is, it may as well be a statue you're holding. "Cassandra, stop. Please." Once impulse dies down, you realize you've just signed your death wish for two seconds of playing hero.
And you thought you were smarter than that. Ha. But maybe, just maybe, part of you wants to die, so long as it's quick and painless.
With Cassandra, though, you doubt it. Especially with how lethal she sounds when she says:
"You. Disappear." You hear, rather than see, Adella scurrying off for her life. "As for you..."
You only register a blur, nausea, cold nails piercing at your neck, over already existing marks. You are shoved into the nearest wall so powerfully you can't breathe for all of ten seconds. It's a wonder you don't hear any cracks from within your body.
Cassandra is on you, her fingers harsh on your chin and breath chilly on your lips. "Good pets don't bark against their own masters. What made you so bold, hm?"
You don't answer, too busy summoning your mental strength for what comes next. The way her eyes and the lines of her pretty face have hardened, she looks nothing like the flirty girl who comes to steal kisses from you at random times during the night.
"Maybe I've been too nice to you. The first time you call my name and it's for some other maid?"
She looks like she wants to let out a bitter laugh, break something and slice you into stripes simultaneously. And then you realize; Cassandra is jealous.
It doesn't get any worse than that.
"Maybe I should make sure you never say anything again." The corner of her lips curls up in dark amusement as she talks. "You don't talk much, anyway."
Well. She did say she wouldn't let anyone ruin your looks. Never promised anything about what's on the inside.
You're shaking, even if her grasp doesn't leave much room to do so. Your brain is restlessly trying to come up with something to get you out of this mess-
"I'm of way more use to you with my tongue intact." you somehow manage to speak without stuttering. It makes you wonder where the hell this confidence came from.
Cassandra stills for a moment. Her grip eases the slightest amount, probably from surprise.
You wonder what the hell you're even doing, yourself, when you bring your hands to her sides and lean in, to the curve of her nice jawline. You've never kissed her neck before, but you remember from the times you've given her a massage that she's very sensitive around it.
Cautiously, you press your mouth to the soft spot under her ear.
She smells so good and her skin feels so smooth you're not exactly forcing yourself to kiss her. If you're going to be mutilated anyway, the part of you that must be severely messed up muses, you may as well take some pleasure for yourself beforehand. Who knows, it may change her mind along the way.
So you lick her there and suck over her faint pulse. You don't get any stimuli from her, at first.
Until her hand trails from your shoulder to your nape, urging you harder against her. It's the green light to keep going.
You put all your skill into it as you lavish her neck and collarbones with open-mouthed kisses. She's loose and moaning low in her throat now.
You can't tell why, but the sound echoes right though your adrenaline-induced system, tickles down your spinal cord to pool low in your stomach. You either had a kink for danger you never knew of, or you developed one in the castle.
Whatever the case, your fingers are working on the buttons of her outfit and she doesn't seem like stopping you has even crossed her mind.
When the robes barely hang onto her shoulders, Cassandra maneuvers you to the closest room, shuts the door and presses you against it. Hard. Your lips slide together hungrily. You taste wine on her tongue.
At this point, your hands are the only thing supporting her outfit on her. She looks too fucking sexy for words like this, half-undressed, lipstick smeared, so turned on and ready for you. But you also want to see more of her, so you let the black fabric drop.
She's getting impatient, though. Being more vocal, tugging your hand to the apex of her legs.
"Cassandra." you moan when you push the midnight lace of her panties aside and touch her. She's so wet.
Her mouth falls open in a soundless gasp, brows drawn softly. "Oh, you're lucky I like my name on your lips." she says, breathless.
You did start this trying to prove to her how useful your tongue can be attached to your body, however... so it's only fair that's how you finish it.
Finish her.
Cassandra looks dazed and confused when you kneel in front of her, but it's quickly replaced with a broken moan when you take her into your mouth. You revel in every single gasp you coax out of her, every minuscule shake of her perfect thighs.
She bites into her own hand when she reaches her peak, nails leaving four parallel marks on the wall.
You're gentlewomanly enough to pull her outfit up for her while she's coming down from her high. Your gaze takes its sweet time admiring the contours of her chest as you button it closed. She really is the most attractive girl you've ever seen, if you somehow don't take into consideration her body count.
"Good?" you ask when she opens her pretty eyes to look at you.
"It's not cute to be smug, plaything." Cassandra makes a soft grimace at you, though you can see the lazy, satisfied smile tugging at the corner of her lip. "But. I suppose your tongue has its uses to me, after all."
You gently push off the door to let her exit at her leisure. The movement makes you realize you won't really be able to move tomorrow, with how sore you already are.
To your surprise, Cassandra takes a moment longer in the room.
She turns back to you and raises her hands to your torso, then carefully adjusts your wrinkled shirt. Her long fingers smooth over the imperfections she caused...
And you don't know why after everything the two of you just did, it's this that feels the most intimate.
The same digits brush over your throat as she pulls away.
By the time your mind starts working right again, Cassandra is already gone. Absently, you trace over the weeping scratches on your neck.
-
-
Later, at the main hall of the castle...
"Oh, boo, look who's late again." Daniela rolls her eyes at Cassandra's fashionably delayed arrival.
"Surprise, surprise." Bela smirks, casually leaned against the side of the fireplace.
"Are you two done being insufferable or should I come by later?" Cassandra asks.
"And scar our ears and minds with another round of your 'oh's and 'ah's, sister? I think not." Daniela comments.
Bela raises an eyebrow in amusement. "Had a nice time?"
"You two have very active imaginations, you know? Tells a lot about you." Cassandra chuckles. "She was just giving me a massage. But do go on. Be thirsty. I can wait."
Daniela and Bela share a look, thrown off their game by the nonchalance.
Cassandra hides a smirk under her hood and steps out first, into the peerless dark.
#cassandra dimitrescu#cassandra dimitrescu x oc#bela dimitrescu#daniela dimitrescu#resident evil village#fanfiction#the thirst is real in this one guys#you have been warned
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“Last Call” and Canon Bi Dean
This is going to be very long, very rambly, and very emotional.
Really though, I had high expectations going into this, and quite honestly? Jeremy Adams blew me away.
This episode is about Dean’s growth, it’s about who he was to Lee, and who he is now, about overcoming his own desire to just stop caring and keep on fighting for the innocent. But most importantly to me? This episode canonized bi Dean.
So let’s just get right into it, we know from the beginning that we’re meeting Lee, Dean’s old friend that Sam doesn’t really know or isn’t really close with, but the way Dean leaves? He doesn’t want to bring down the mood of Sam and Eileen in his post breakup depression funk? Good grief.
The bar is cool and right up Dean’s alley, and right out of the gate we get the promo scene with the waitress that we were all wigging out about. And my hunch was right, Dean just kinda rolls right by, which man, Dean from season 1? Hell no. She’s just his type, clearly into him, and yet, Dean’s world literally falls away when he sees Lee Webb singing onstage.
You can’t really do justice to the way with words to the way that Dean looks when he sees Lee and realizes who he is, Jensen and Christian have so much NUANCE in their scenes together, and the history behind them is palpable, even though we don’t know the extent of it. And Lee is just the same way, looking Dean up and down and “Dean Winchester,” just to hammer home that something is going on here and we should not ignore it.
“You got time?” “Always.” Bruh. There are so many details that we can pick up on about them, their relationship, who they were to each other. Even Dean’s little “you sound good,” come on guys, what the fuck?
That’s another thing: why don’t we know the history? Why do they shy away from talking about why they split apart? Dean is clearly upset when Lee mentions Arizona, what happened? Why did John and Dean never mention Lee? And obviously Lee knows John, hell he seems more sorry than Dean does that John’s dead, but then again, the Dean that Lee remembers idolized John, so that’s definitely a big change for Lee, because Dean clearly doesn’t idolize John anymore.
I just want to hear about everything that’s mentioned in the episode in more detail: Lee and Dean went hunting together, presumably alone, since John caught them drunk on a hunt. What went on? I think we know. How often did they hunt together? How long had they known each other? D E T A I L S please Jeremy Adams!!!
“I don’t think I have seen you since Sammy was in college.”
“Right.”
“I mean, hell, I thought you were-”
“Dead?”
Also Lee does this little teasing laugh and everything about them is soft and my chest hurts.
“I mean, that’s usually how this ends, isn’t it?”
And what I want to talk about here is Lee’s reaction, because he doesn’t shrug and do the usual “so it goes” that so many hunters do, he looks at Dean, like really looks at him, he sighs and says a simple “yeah” with this look that’s so soft and so full of something and Dean looks away (doing his eye motion thing he does with Cas) and Lee breaks contact too and looks down and smiles and oh my god. I told yall this was going to be rambly but I didn’t draw breath while typing that lmao.
I wanna know about the Arizona thing, I want to know why it made Dean uncomfortable when Lee mentioned it, and I want to know why it’s glossed over. These two were like best friends, you can tell, and for them to just stop talking? Hm.
They swap tales, talking about the triplets that they “split em up fair and square” even though that’s not possible and they had an orgy obviously. Dean has this look with the waitress again and you can tell he appreciates it but like? That’s the end of it? In the next scene she’s gone and it’s just Lee and Dean talking, Dean making Lee laugh and enjoying it, it’s just so...romantic?
And even though, the second that Lee doesn’t recognize someone he should puts all of us, as the audience on alert, it doesn’t even cross Dean’s mind that Lee is doing something wrong, it’s not even on his radar.
“There’s nothing you can’t have, man.”
“Then who’s gonna kill the bad guys?”
“Somebody else.”
And Dean looks away, because it’s clear what Lee is asking. He’s asking for Dean to stay.
When Lee starts up the band, I was just struck by how much they look at each other, getting in each other’s space, Lee leaning forward, Dean watching him walk away. Guys. This happened in front of our faces on screen.
“Can’t sit around lip syncing ‘Eye of the Tiger’ when no one’s watching.”
This is a callback to the ghost sickness episode, but also an intimate moment that no one gets to see of Dean. Sam catches him in the act of it on that episode, so how does Lee know he does this?
And then, let’s get to the singing. Dean’s always postured to Sam that he can’t sing (which we all know Jensen has the voice of an angel) and the buildup to him actually singing was so beautiful, because Lee knows he can, he teases him with the “Eye of the Tiger” thing, winks at him, keeps trying to pull him onstage, stands there and bites his lip when Dean’s singing. I mean. I’m at a loss to what else you would think about them, it’s just plain as day: they were together.
The whole thing is just so playful, and we never see playful like this from Dean. It’s flirty and funny and sweet and just such a nice change of pace, so good for Dean to be with someone that clearly wants to be with him, who he has history with (amidst the divorce he’s currently in w Cas). Even when they sing together they can’t keep their eyes off of each other and the whole thing is honestly too much it’s so fanfic-y and I can’t handle it.
And then, the big thing, Lee slaps Dean’s ass in the middle of the song, and Dean doesn’t blush, he doesn’t stand up straighter like that’s weird or wrong, he grins this huge amazing beautiful grin and says “you son of a bitch.” What else are we looking for here? He’s bi. He’s bi. With the lighting behind him and the bar named Swayze’s and Lee staring holes through him, we finally saw onscreen, canonical proof that he’s bi. Sure, it’s been hella subtextual before, but this is text, and no one can ignore it.
At the end of the song, one of Lee’s hands is gripping Dean’s shoulder, and Dean’s arm is around Lee’s waist?????????? Help??????
They round it all out with kicking some gross guys out of Lee’s bar, and Lee stares at Dean and says “still got it.” I mean....I’m running out of ways to say the same thing over and over.
“Best friend’s don’t just leave without saying goodbye.”
“They do if they deserve it.”
Hmmmmmmmm, something to think about with these lines.
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on okay, but this is not you.”
Compare that with:
“Cas, this isn’t you, this isn’t you.”
Cool. Fine. I want to die.
Lee became the monster because he thought there was no point in being a good person anymore. You can’t stave them off so you might as well “have a little fun.” Which I think is interesting because of how apathetic and hopeless Dean’s been since Chuck, since Jack, since Mary, since Rowena, but when it comes down to it, he’s always going to care, which is why we love him.
But what I really want to talk about is the way Dean’s face twists when Lee touches him, he turns his head away, his face contorts, like he wanted Lee to touch him, but not like this. We’ve seen Dean’s heart break so much in this show, he’s lost so much and so many, but this is something so different. It’s not only betrayal, or a realization that he has to kill Lee, it’s the loss of what he had with Lee, what he felt for him. It hurts to watch as an audience member, and I can’t imagine how it is for Dean.
Dean’s voice also breaks when he tries to call Lee back, in case you still had any tears left to cry.
The gunfight is intense, but not nearly as intense as what’s coming.
“I don’t know you.”
“You don’t Dean? I am you. I’m just you that woke up and saw that the world was broken.”
“Then you fix it. You don’t walk away, you fight for it!”
No double meanings in this episode are there? Perhaps this is a little bit of what happened between them all those years ago bubbling to the surface?
And then we get one of the best fight scenes in the show, and you know when Dean gets that cue stick, that it’s game over for Lee, but what I wasn’t expecting is the sheer heartbreak on Dean’s face. They both look down at the wound, like they’re both surprised, and Lee holds Dean, he fucking holds him, and this fucking piano music plays when Lee says “okay” and drops to the floor, and Dean leans against the pool table because fuck, how much more can he lose?
And because not even THAT is enough, ten seconds of divorced Destiel distress? Where Dean clearly wants to talk to Cas but Cas is still giving him the cold shoulder and it breaks Dean’s heart but he doesn’t know how to fix it????
There’s just so much to unpack here, the show is teaching us new things about Sam and Dean and Cas all the time, and yet I feel like I really know Dean know, I;ve seen a little bit of him that I had never seen before, and I’m just grateful. I’m grateful for Dean, grateful for these writers, grateful for his growth. I’m grateful for the angst and the happiness he had with Lee, however fleeting, and I’m grateful that I get to leave this episode with the fact that Dean is oncreen bi. Sure, it can be up to interpretation, he didn’t come out and say it, but that’s because he didn’t have to. Lee knew, so we knew, and that was all that mattered.
This silly, weird show is important to me for so many reasons, (clearly, since I talk about it all the damn time), but Dean especially is so important to me, I see so much of myself in him, and him being allowed to be him, without some grand coming out scene is even better than I could have ever hoped for. So thank you, Jeremy Adams, for giving us bi Dean, and one of my absolute all time favorite episodes in the show.
#supernatural#dean winchester#bi dean#dean#supernatural meta#spoilers#spn 15x07#this is SO LONG!!#lee webb#meta#my meta#writing#i cried writing this and i am unashamed
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The Angel of the Night
Summary: When the chance to party comes along, none of the Avengers can resist the call of a night out but can the crush you have on a certain Captain stay hidden after a few drinks.
Author Note: Writing for Nicki’s Holiday Challenge being hosted by the beautifully delightful @dreamingintheimpalawithdean, the prompt I was given is in bold.
Word Count: 1127
Warnings: None, just some fluff and some flirty, suggestive Steve
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Letting your hair down was something that didn’t happen all that often when you were part of an elite group tasked with keeping the world safe. So when the opportunity arose to forget your responsibilities and drink the night away, there wasn’t a single member of your team that didn’t jump at the chance to have some fun.
Hearing rumours of a fancy dress party taking place at a secretive underground club, the excitement within Stark Tower was palpable. The thought of being able to spend just one night away from training or active combat missions was exhilarating and the fact that everyone attending would be in some form of disguise meant that you would be able to have a good time without being the centre of attention. So, as soon as it had been decided that you were going, you had grabbed Natasha and, after a quick consultation with Tony, you had all ran off to gather everything you would need for your costumes.
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After running around the city for a good portion of the day, and spending so much money that you had potentially drained one of Tony’s bank accounts, you arrived back home to start getting ready. You were so happy at the prospect of being able to spend an evening having fun with your colleagues that you could hardly sit still at Nat attempted to put the finishing touches to your look.
“Y/N! For the love of god, can you please sit still, just for ten minutes. I just need a little more time and then you can go and harass someone else with your craziness.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just been so long since we’ve been able to relax that I just want to be out there having fun. It’ll be nice to spend some time in the city without having to worry about taking care of some major international incident.”
Rolling her eyes at you, Nat turned back to the task in hand; styling your hair into elaborate curls and pinning it into place. She’d been forced to listen to your running commentary on how wonderful tonight was going to be for the entire afternoon and was desperately trying to instil a vague level of calm in you so that she could finish the job. Just a few minutes later, she stepped back to admire her handiwork.
“Ok, you’re done. Now go and chatter away to someone else – Tony’s probably started the drinking already so go and find him.”
With a smile on your face, you hugged her and leaving her room, you danced off through the hallways to find your favourite partner in crime.
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Arriving as one big group was ever an option so in order to keep from drawing too much attention to yourselves, you walked through the door of the club in small groups of two or three. As you and Tony had worn coordinating outfits, it was only natural that you were together and, as Wanda had been ready fairly quickly, she had jumped in the car alongside you.
Heading straight for the bar, you took in some of the amazing costumes that people had put together; there were a fair few Captain Americas and a handful of other superheroes, as well as pirates, Disney princesses and even a medieval knight. It was wonderful to be able to walk through the crowds and not be recognised. Grabbing a cocktail from the bartender, you quickly drank the fruity, tropical tasting beverage and made your way to the dance floor, determined to have the most fun possible.
Dancing however was made a little complicated by your somewhat over the top costume. While Tony has dressed as the very epitome of evil – a devil – you had come as the exact opposite; wearing a flowing white dress and shining halo, you looked every inch the angel you were supposed to be. The only thing causing any real issue was the fact that your wings kept getting in the way whenever you tried to spin around. That wasn’t going to stop you though – it just made everything a little more interesting, especially when you almost smacked a fellow partygoer in the face with the tip of your wing.
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Despite spending the night dancing and drinking with various members of the team, hours passed before you finally caught a glimpse of Steve. As you stepped off the dance floor to rest your aching feet, you saw him standing to one side, drink in hand, talking to Clint and dressed as an iconic movie figure. There, not more than ten feet away from you, stood Steve Rogers, fedora on head, whip in hand, looking like the best interpretation of Indiana Jones you have seen outside the silver screen.
Your breath hitched in your throat as he raised his glass to his lips, swallowing down the last remaining drops of the amber liquor before he started to make his way over to you. You soon gave up all hope of acting like a normal human being as he got closer to you, the crush you’d been harbouring for the captain for almost as long as you’d been a part of his team choosing this exact moment to rear its ugly head. Trying to bluff it out, you simply threw yourself headlong into a conversation with him.
“Indiana Jones! Well, aren’t you just the most handsome man in this place?!”
“Why thank you. What are you supposed to be?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m an angel of God. I mean, look at my dress. And the wings….I’m pretty sure they give the game away.”
And look he did. In fact, it felt as though time slowed to a standstill as Steve’s eyes raked across your body, taking in every inch of you but finally stopping on the bodice of your dress that cinched you in and pushed you up in all the right places. You’d tracked his eyes as he stared at you, finding yourself unable to stop watching him. You hadn’t even realised that he’d started talking again until he waved his hand in front of your face to get your attention.
“Y/N? You still with me? You zoned out on me there.”
Pulling yourself away from your thoughts, you tried desperately to recall what Steve had said but had no success. Instead you just stood there, staring up at his perfect features.
“Do you want me to repeat myself?”
Nodding at him, Steve moved a few inches closer, so close that he was now pressed right up against you. He dipped his head and whispered in your ear.
“I asked if you wanted to get out of here. I want to see if you’re really an angel when I get you alone.”
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Tagging: @waywardimpalawriter @eileenlikesyou-maybe @hexparker @zepppie @helvonasche @mysteriouslyme81 @chainez-8 @everything-but-the-not-natural @redlipstickandplaid
#Nicki's Holiday Challenge#Steve Rogers x Reader#Marvel Reader Insert#Captain America#Steve Rogers#Tony Stark#Natasha Romanoff
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“The Flag House” | Directed by Michael Klick
Right off the block, we would not be HYH if we didn’t note the hat! In this opening sequence it is clear that Quinn is confused and beginning to remember the diner. Klick (who has been the show’s line producer since the series started) and David Klein (director of photography) choose to portray his confused state with the blurry diner as Quinn’s face enters the camera from the right.
It’s not every Sunday we see Quinn checking out a woman’s behind and, well, this just had to be included for posterior posterity. Also, note how the patron is also flirty and the background is a bit dreamy and unfocused as Quinn begins to recall Nicki and his surroundings.
The children were shown playing basketball twice and, it seems clear, there was more to it than simply setting up Quinn’s later conversation with the boy. We know that basketball is Quinn’s sport from “Separation Anxiety,” when he said, “I see you like to use potassium chlorate… but the smell reminds me of the visitors' changing room at a high school basketball game.” Who knows if Quinn ever really played high school basketball given the backstory we have for him now but it seems clear these children, happily and carelessly playing, may represent everything Quinn did not have.
Note that Klein chose to make these shots relatively colorless and stark. The tones are muted with a predominance of gray.
One of the first camera angles Klick and Klein depict of the flag house is, interestingly, from the point of view of the flag itself. One could interpret this as patriotism literally blocking our perspective, or maybe Klick and Klein just thought it would look cool!
The Works of Franny Mathison #1: “A Cat”
We’re fairly certain the set designers weren’t thinking about Laura’s cat from season five but we just appreciated Franny’s drawing (bottom left) so we threw this in. We’re wondering how many of these were drawn by the twins themselves.
The Works of Franny Mathison #2: “Very Big Mommy”
And while we’re touring the Mathison Progeny Art Gallery, any child psychologists care to ring in on the drawing above the dresser? Carrie is very large compared to a very small and very red Franny. We’re happy Carrie is smiling!
The Works of Franny Mathison #3: “Quinn & Mommy Living in a Tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G”
Franny uses the evocative color of purple to represent and link those whom she loves the most. We’re kidding, but the “C” and the “Q” in Franny’s tree are the same color. We get that the star nightlight shown early in the season was just a star but this…
maybe, just maybe
(It’s possible Franny didn’t actually draw this one but the artwork in this kid’s room is certainly not to be ignored.)
This is pretty standard Homeland with its themes of watching and being watched. Here, however, Klick and Klein shoot Saul looking up at the camera almost like the trapped animal he is. The grey colors are almost prison-like. Saul is, narratively and physically, in a small place, a cornered man in every way.
This, too, is a fairly simple shot of Carrie coming to a dramatic realization. Carrie has a choice: seeing her child or giving a deposition in which she will compromise Dar. Situated almost perfectly between two black and white windows, we understand how she’s caught in the middle.
And, well, the videographer was just plain creepy and reminded us of all those weird side characters on The X Files.
Okay, the letter is just starting to seem very, very weird. Dar is constantly offering, pocketing it, unfolding it. (We know of another letter that seemed to mean a great deal...) We’ve even seen the names when he was in the car last week. First, Dar, please consider email. Second, we’re wondering if there’s more to the letter than meets the eye. Is Dar trying to covertly communicate something to Keane with these names? Are they characters for next season? Any other theories?
Keane’s pose jumped out here as provocative. It’s “man spay” in every way (there are legit warnings against this pose on NYC subways in order to allow seat space for people). Some of us considered this to be a nonsexual version of Sharon Stone’s iconic Basic Instinct pose but regardless, this girl is clearly not bowing to the boys without a fight. Klick likely intended her to look masculine and dominating.
Once in awhile we must take a moment for a man with the solemn hubris and pedigree to pull off what F. Murray Abraham does here. It was a beautiful acting moment. Nothing more or less. Except, perhaps, these may be our last moments with this fine actor who has made us feel so much anger, confusion, and interest over the years.
Again, the flag house is filmed from the inside out with the boy--and, yes, we’re gonna say it--the symbolic maybe-fill-in for a young Quinn John. Quinn was looking at those boys playing basketball with much nostalgia.
It’s a dangerous game of ding dong ditch this boy is playing… and didn’t we all think it was about to be more of a crisis than it was? By the way, what’s the phone number of the CIA landscaper? This winter has been mild in NYC, but still, that’s some nice upkeep.
Arguably the lighting for Quinn’s flashback is rather forced with its blaring yellow tones. This shot, however, is decidedly evocative, with messiah levels of light chosen by Klein. And, again, the window.
More framed artwork adorns the Mathison household, but this caught Sara’s eye because the photo on Carrie’s desk on the far left is the same one of her and Franny from season four. Sometimes prop continuity is nice.
If we’ve learned from set spying, it’s this: they don’t shoot any frame on accident. So… the church steeple as savior Mira is rushed to Saul may have been intentional. The gray winter landscape and colorless cars (part of the call sheets) were also intentional as Klick painted a wintery, bleak visual narrative.
This is the final scene with Mira (ever?) and, Manhattan hazy behind them, she she stands over Saul and asks him, “When has that [humiliation] ever made the slightest bit of fucking difference to you?” God bless you, Mira Berenson.
Klick keeps the camera on this shot for a surprisingly long time. Note Andrew, his medals and honors displayed across his chest and the word “cowardice” sitting just above them, his gaze fixed squarely on his mother.
Klick has several frames of the sock puppet troll images cast onto the figures of O’Keefe and Dar. These men are, literally, wearing their own lies. Also, note the continuation of the gray tones within the Onyx scenes.
We’re not sure what to say about this but it sure has the fandom buzzing (is Quinn going to be framed?) so we thought we’d throw it in.
These shots were simply beautiful; Saul (in a possible callback to... My Fair Lady? A Streetcar Named Desire?) is almost calling to the sky (the gods?) in search of Carrie in the first shot. The second shot shows the seemingly endless brownstones with Saul at his ultimate destination, Carrie’s home. Note that Carrie’s house lights--on the right of the shot and beside the steps--are the only ones lit on the darkened street. One could argue that it’s Carrie’s home which is the light of “truth,” considering what Saul discovers inside.
Some have argued that it’s meaningful that Saul gets into Carrie’s home from the hole that Quinn, in his paranoia and depression, created in “The Man in the Basement.” Quinn claims to have thought “someone was trying to break in” and it’s ironic that Saul is ultimately the one who does.
Klick chooses several shots of ascending stairs in this episode, and we suspect this is important as all the characters seem to be rising out of the swamp of murkiness as they unravel the conspiracy. The very first shot of Carrie features her and Max making their way up the stairs to Franny’s room. In this sequence, Saul is first shown ascending the basement stairs and then after tea (!) ascends the second set of stairs to Carrie’s hidden room. Finally, when Carrie goes to Quinn in the final scene, she is again shown climbing stairs. (The caveat here is that NYC is a very vertical city.)
The sweeping panorama of Carrie’s bulletin boards was almost exactly how they shot Onyx’s enormous sock puppet reveal last week. Together with Sean Callery’s score, Saul and the viewer are given access to this surprise underworld of Carrie’s mind: a different kind of conspiracy this time, one in which fragments of truth, instead of lies, are uncovered.
The production designers put plenty of thought into Carrie’s bulletin board. Note that the strings are in primary colors and actually represent a certain kind of logic. The strings and sticky notes that are blue represent Keane (Democrats take note!) while the red represents Dar (Republicans take note!). Yellow seems to represent the FBI.
Fun fact: The news article above has a by-line of John Kretschmer who has been the production designer on Homeland for years.
Again the direction here plays with the glare of Keane’s laptop screen. The lies aren’t projected onto her, as they were with Dar or O’Keefe, but literally reflected back at her (much as they have been with Max). In one of the most heartbreaking moments of the season, Keane comes face-to-face not only with these lies but with her own decision to bring her son out from the shadows and into the light.
As pointed out in past Director Chair features, Klein loves his blues, and the final scene was beautifully backlit with the blue tarps surrounding the house creating almost a sci-fi feeling. Blue, notably, is often associated with clarity as all the pieces start to fall into place (which is the actual logline for the finale, by the way).
As noted earlier, Carrie ascends the stairs to get to Quinn who has his own truths to reveal. The use of her cell phone light here is almost star-like. That’s likely a notable choice by Klick and Klein because so often flashlight sequences depict a long beam of light. In this shot, however, Carrie emits a single point of light.
Only Homeland could make a close-up of an assault weapon seem so beautiful. Note, again, the circle of light in the distance.
One of the final shots of the episode depicts Belli in the bullseye in an eerie mirror of his own targeting of Astrid in “alt.truth.” Strangely, Belli appears to be looking upward, not at the group seated all below him, but across the street to Carrie and Quinn, who are waiting in the wings.
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