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#and then in s5 we will finally find our way out of this god awful miscommunication trope</3
bylertruther · 2 years
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do you ever think about the fact that throughout the entirety of stranger things we’ve always seen mike practically shout his love for will from the rooftops by throwing his everything into believing, protecting, and helping will no matter the stakes, and how a majority of byler moments are initiated by him, and how will has always loved him back quietly despite being the one canonically confirmed to be in love, and how will is almost always on the viewer’s right in iconic byler moments but in season four we find him on the left in what used to be mike’s spot because their “roles” have switched AND when we’re taken out of the viewer’s pov and put in jonathan’s pov we see jonathan Come To A Realization here because while mike has always made it clear how special will is to him and how different their relationship is, will has always managed to keep the true depth of his feelings a little closer to his chest and it’s only when he publicly takes up that support role that mike has played for him previously that the audience is purposely made to realize, too, how romantic it truly is, because coming from mike everyone might have thought it was his usual overzealous theatrics but when the same tenderness and earnest love comes from will they realize oh. this is... this is actually something more. this is how they are this is mike and will like nothing has changed and no time has passed but it’s now that we realize just what it is, and now that will is starting to slowly but surely come out from this curtain he’s hid behind his whole life and voice that yes he loves mike of course he does he’s always loved him and loves him in precisely the way that mike expresses he needs to be loved there is simply NO conceivable way that they can come out of this hellish slow burn miscommunication trope not in full acknowledgement and eager acceptance of this love they have for each other and have always had and always will !!!!!!!!
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#byler#like. do i make sense. am i making sense.#tagging my posts is so scary now tht there's 92380923028020 of us bt. i can be brave ig .. [trembling in my boots] [sweating shaking crying]#s1-2 was mike loving will more than anyone and not being afraid to show it and s3 was him thinking he had to grow up n out of tht love#bc clearly it's just a kid thing and they'll get over it if they just get girlfriends#and it ended with him having his italicized 'oh.' moment as the byers drove away#and s4 was mike thinking he had lost will for good that time only for will to show him that he's wrong he never lost him and he won't#s4 was about will showing mike that he's always loved him back s4 was abt will showing mike what it means to be in love with someone#s4 was abt will showing him tht he's just as lost without him as mike is without him and tht he doesn't need to be normal or cool#he's absolutely perfect just the way he is and he's loved and needed for who he is not all that he can or can't do#s4 was mike stumbling and will catching him and carrying him the same way that mike carried him in s2#and s5 will be about them supporting each other and living their complete and total truths now that they see there's no reason to hide#and then in s5 we will finally find our way out of this god awful miscommunication trope</3#they're a team they're best friends mike needs will and mike is will's heart mike makes will feel better for being different and will shows#mike that he doesn't need to conform and be 'normal' to be worthy of love that he has no obligations to others that everything he is is what#encourages those around him to fight the good fight#and that support and love and the way that they'll come to see each other wholly and truly is what will defeat all evil <3#it's all coming full circle is wht im saying !!!!!#mine#also when i say audience and we i mean the general audience bc i kno my brothers in byler Understand n Watch The Show With Their Eyes#<3#also no i will not structure my posts in a way tht makes sense u will read my uninterrupted stream of consciousness and WEEP
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luciferloveschloe · 3 years
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goodbye, lucifer (but not really!)
I cannot BELIEVE that I just watched the last episode of my favourite show.
I usually cram everything I have to in tags under gifsets I reblog, but for this final season I'll go through the pain of actually writing shit down. I'll try to keep it short, and I'll try not to ramble. (Edit: Did not accomplish that.)
what i loved
SCREAMS
God, soooooooo much!!
Deckerstar baby
Okay, so when Rory showed up in the trailer I was like "Ugh, another annoying angel? Meh." FORGIVE ME, my sweet murder child! Of all the things I thought they might do, a Deckerstar baby was DEAD LAST on my list. And a daughter no less, I just... When she says she's Lucifer's daughter, I was like *SCREAMS*, but when we learn she's Lucifer AND Chloe's daughter, I completely lost it. My boyfriend's on a trip with his friends this week and I'm sooo grateful for that, I made the weirdest, loudest, ugliest noises while watching this season, I ran around our apartment like a maniac, I squealed and laughed and cried and just generally lost my mind. But when she says that?? Oh my God. Also the way Lucifer reacted when Chloe shows him the pregnancy test? Straight outta fanfic.
Lucifer being a father
Oh my God?? I've always said he'd be the BEST father, and actually seeing it on screen... I love the parallel of him being ridiculously over the top with Rory at first, just like God and Lucifer in S5. The way he looks at her when he sees her playing the guitar? Their duet?? Instantly one of my favourite scenes. Them driving in the Corvette, their last day together, how he keeps her from killing Le Mec? Just murder me.
Established Deckerstar
All the hugs and kisses?? The declarations of love, the besotted looks, the absolute power couple we got? Their look from Maze and Eve's wedding, OH MY GOD???? Just, these two are so pretty and we got SO MUCH. Also, their scenes with Rory?? I just love them so much...
(More under the cut!)
Ella's storyline
I wanted a reveal for her so badly, and the way it turned out was brilliant! I loved her figuring it out for herself and calling everyone out lmao. I especially loved poor Carol returning to that room full of shocked people. They had some GREAT punchlines and gags this season, absolutely hilarious! I also love Lucifer's parting gift for her and that she finally found a good one with Carol.
Hugs, so many hugs!
That's it, that's the paragraph.
The Police storyline
As a white person who has literally never once had a problem with the police, I know this is not my place to say, but I think they did a good job? Not giving into the "a few bad apples" excuse but acknowledging that the whole system needs to change? I also really enjoyed the scenes with Amenadiel and Officer Harris, showing what policework could and should look like.
Maze and Eve's happily ever after
I'm so glad auntie Maze and auntie Eve got their happy ending! And that wedding was a bomb. Also, "You're my hell!", lmao.
Dan's ascend to heaven
First of, great to know his only torture was Belios' lack of table tennis skills. Secondly, how very fitting for the show that they didn't hand Dan his happy ending easily, that he fought and won it for himself. Him as a ghost and him as Le Mec was equally funny, and his talk with Trixie was just perfect, literally tears you guys.
Amenadiel becoming God
I mean, dude's perfect for the job! From the loyal, distant, obeying servant to a God who wants to work as a team with his siblings, who wants the Celestials to experience the human world, who hates injustice and loves fiercely? In this universe, I couldn't imagine anyone better suited to be God.
Nobody misses the case of the week
At least I don't! God, I wish they'd tried this out sooner.
The bittersweet ending
Let's preface this by saying I HATE bittersweet endings. Give me a happily ever after or else. And yet, and yet!! I think the ending they settled on is perfect. Would I have loved it if Lucifer had a life on earth with Chloe, Trixie and Rory? God, yes. Do I get emotional over him being alone in hell, again? Goddd, yes. But still. I so love that he found his calling in the end, that they reunited, and that he actually makes good on his promise from S5 to change the system. Also, I don't care if this is canon or fanon for now, but they totally spend time in heaven with Rory and visit earth whenever they like. And this would have been my ideal ending - them being free to go where they like, and I don't see why they shoudn't. It's definitely more satisfying than just traipsing off to heaven indefinitely, so I really, really loved that.
what i didn't (do feel free to skip this!)
Lucifer missing out on Chloe's life on earth and being alone in hell again. Chloe being left again.
Time travel shenanigans. I just finished Dark and that was enough of a mindfuck. Do not want to think about loops for this show, thank you very much.
Chloe felt a little too housewifey in the first episodes, but it thankfully didn't stay that way for long.
Lucifer and Chloe talking about keeping secrets for a whole episode, and then NOBODY TALKING ABOUT URIEL AND CANDY. I mean, ahhhhhhh! If you don't want to talk about it, then don't, but don't remind people of it constantly and then NOT discuss it. It drives me mad, honestly, how many times they referenced these storylines only to completely ignore them when there were opportunities to resolve them. Ahhh. That's what fic is for, I guess.
Adam. Like, why? Bye, dude.
what i'll keep with me
When someone I'd just met at my boyfriend's cousin's wedding in 2019 recommended this "funny, little show" to me that intrigued them because they were interested in finding their faith, I really didn't think I'd write all this three years later.
Lucifer is my third fandom, and it won't be my last, but it sure as hell - ha - will stay with me. I resonate so deeply with Lucifer as a character because he fights with the idea of God, fights with this concept of a benevolent father that everyone seems to believe in but never fit his experience. I come from a Christian family and studied theology, but somewhere along the lines I had to come to terms with the fact that the faith I had as a child and teenager didn't fit me anymore. I want to believe again, and maybe someday I will, but right now I don't know that. So Lucifer's journey with that meant a lot to me. I'd like to find what Ella did, I guess.
Although I never really thought Lucifer needed redemption, I loved the whole "anybody can be redeemed" message as well. And hell reform! Hell is such a weird, awful construct - speaking as the theology expert - bringing a bit of purgatory in in this universe is really fucking cool.
Also, I binged Lucifer when I was alone in hospital late at night. That experience alone I'll never forget.
So, I guess - thank you!! Thank you to the cast and crew, to the fans who campaigned for season four, to Ildy and Joe, to the writers and the directors and the people who brought lunch: Thank you so much for this incredible show. I'm not ready to say goodbye, not by a long shot, and I hope this fandom feels the same.
Yabba dabba do me, I love my stupid little show!!!
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delphines · 2 years
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I was tagged in some creator-specific tag games by @samanthamulder @usermurdocks and @fionagallaqher (thank you all!!). The games are different, but similar, so I kind of merged them into one. I'm tagging everyone mentioned in this post, but as always only if you want to! And feel free to adjust the prompts/rules however you like.
Part 1: List 10 sets by other creators from 2021 that got under 1k notes
First of all I'd like to encourage everyone to check out my end-of-year shoutout post, where I listed my favorite sets by all my mutuals in 2021. Here's 10 more lovely sets, in no particular order:
txf 4x10 timestamp roulette by @samanthamulder - I’m obsessed with this coloring and the typography is so elegant
pacific rim set by @usermurdocks - I’ve never seen this film but wow, the coloring is stunning!
lucifer s6 episode titles by @lenakluthors - every gif really captures the energy of each episode and I love it
jafael set by @janevillanueva/@mulderscully​ - this set single-handedly got me to rewatch jtv, it’s incredible
wlw set by @marysberry - the blending is gorgeous!
hailey upton set by @hillaryscotts​ - I don’t go here but I’m in awe of the blending and the yellow/gold colors
deckerstar set by @lucifersmorningstar - the lyrics are absolutely perfect for them and the blending and coloring is just amazing
chloe decker set by @bishmonts - stunning typography and blending, and perfect choice of scenes!
deckerstar relationship development by @fionagallaqher - it’s so beautiful and I can’t tell you how excited I was to see this in my notifs
aurora & lucifer morningstar set by @samcaarter - honestly some of the best blending I’ve seen, that second gif with the photo frame is so clever
Part 2: Content creator 2021 wrapped - list your own creations according to the prompts
I’ll put this part under a cut:
4 creations of which you’re proud. These are goals you scored. Nothing to do with notes.
MSR in txf s1: my first time putting multiple gifs on one canvas
Charlotte Richards: I’m really proud of this one, I think it looks nice and I had a lot of fun making it
Deckerstar tropes part 1: I liked the typography on this and I think it adds to the comedy of the scene (also I promise I’m going to continue this series soon lol)
Lucifer seasons: I made this right before Lucifer ended for good and I’m happy I was able to make something that reflected my love of the show
3 creations others loved. Include the one that one that got most notes, great comments, or the classic ‘how dare you!’
Howl’s Moving Castle: my post with the most notes from this year
Amenadiel & Chloe: I’m so happy this one got notes, Chloe and Amenadiel’s relationship makes me so emotional. And this is the post that got the classic ‘how dare you’ haha
Bi Chloe: glad to see others love our bi queen
2 creations that stretched you as a creator: style, colouring, blending, text, etc. include the one that should have got more notes.
Legends of Tomorrow: this took so long and I do wish it had gotten more notes, but I’m just happy with the way it turned out
Rory’s wings: coloring this was difficult and I could probably do better now, but I was really proud of it at the time
1 creation of yours that you find most aesthetically pleasing to the eye and self AND 1 creation that broke and (maybe remade you) as a creator – we all have that one.
Mazeve: I think this one is aesthetically pleasing and I’m proud of it
Lucifer s1/s5 finales: this one broke me, like full-on destroyed me. I was still a new gifmaker when I made this and hadn’t really gotten the hang of coloring. And oh my god. I am a fundamentally different person than I was before I tried to color this, and anyone who’s tried to color either Lucifer s1 or Lucifer 5x16 (let alone both at once) knows why
0 the creation that never was because nothing was working that day.
Idk if this counts, but before Lucifer s6 dropped, I was going to post a mortal!Lucifer gifset based on Lucifer missing his vulnerability. At the time I was so certain mortal!Lucifer was the ending we were going to get and, well… Maybe it’s for the best I didn’t post it lol.
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cruelfeline · 4 years
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The Hordak Bleatings Masterpost
The new and improved Masterpost! All of my ridiculous bleating in one place! Now with categories to allow you, dear friends and neighbors, to better marvel at the utter nonsense I get up to in my spare time. It shall be updated every so often/when I remember. 
some of these categories may overlap or perhaps not be perfect; I tried; there was... a lot
Enjoy!
Biological/Medical Musings
A Fairly Comprehensive List of Hordak’s Clinical Signs
I Wrote Too Much About Hordak’s Arms
And Then Someone Asked About His Elbows So Voila
Someone Else Asked About His Eyes
Yes; I Did Measure Hordak’s Ears via Fuzzy Math; You’re Welcome
A Brief Word About Dentition
Some Sad Thoughts About Clone Lifespan
I Like to Headcanon that Clones Have Naturally Different Eye Colors
Counting Hordak’s Ports
Thinking About Terrible Ways Prime Could Institute Biological Control
Doing Very Fuzzy Math And Wondering Just How Young Hordak Could Be
Spending Way Too Much Time Figuring Out Whether Hordak is Left or Right Handed
Why Tiny Food is Probably Ideal for Hordak (a joke ask I essentially took Seriously)
Discussing Hordak’s Temper
Considering Whether Hordak Needs Oxygen
Discussing Whether Prime and his Clones are Genetically Identical
Hordak in Relation to Other Characters
Entrapdak
Hordak Can Get Close to Entrapta Because He Needn’t Fear Her
Discussing Entrapdak Age Discourse
Bit More Regarding Hordak’s Maturity vs. Entrapta’s
Hordak Didn’t Manipulate Entrapta… But Catra Did
Assessing that Unfortunate Moment When Hordak Snapped at Entrapta
Further Assessing Hordak Snapping at Entrapta by Noting When He Doesn’t
On Hordak’s Wardrobe Change
Entrapta Shushing Hordak is One of My Favorite Interactions
The Entrapdak Scene Was Also One of Self-Love
I Really Like How Entrapta Talks to Hordak About Failure
Hordak Tells an Actual Lie and Succeeds
Entrapta’s and Hordak’s Social Differences Help Them Connect to One Another
I Would Have Appreciated A Scene Where Entrapta Learns About What Happened To Hordak
Hordak Takes Strength From Realizing That Entrapta Came For Him
Hordak and Entrapta Just Like One Another, and I Enjoy That
There is a Huge Difference in How The Alliance and Hordak React to Entrapta Being on Beast Island, and it’s Jarring
This is Mostly About Catradora But Kind of in the Sense of Why Entrapdak is Better, so Here it Goes
Entrapta Didn’t Teach Hordak How to Love; She Taught Him How to Be Loved
The Soup Scene is a Condensed View of Why Entrapdak Works in Light of the Rest of Hordak’s Arc
Hordak and Entrapta Search for One Another Alone, and it Makes Me Sad
I Love How Hordak Scooches Over for Entrapta to Join Him on his Throne
Catra
The How-Catra-Manipulated-Hordak Masterpost
Watching Catra and Hordak Switch Roles in Season Three is Fascinating
Hordak and Catra’s Low Points Indicate Their Core Problems
Did Hordak Abuse Catra? Did She Abuse Him? The World May Never Know
Comparing Hordak and Catra in Terms of Consequences and Agency
Hordak and Catra’s Apparent Ages Likely Affect How People Judge Them
Why Doesn’t Hordak Subdue Catra?
Losing and Regaining the Will to Fight is Another Hordak/Catra Parallel
Sometimes I Wish The Show Would Focus Less on Catra and More on Hordak
Why Catra Besting Hordak Isn’t As Satisfying As Catra Besting Shadow Weaver
Hordak Exhibits Some Level of Trust in Catra Even in Season 2... and She Betrays It
The Difference in How Hordak and Catra Handle Relationships followed by Why They Are Like This 
Some Brief Words on the Differences Between How Hordak and Catra End Up Driven to Destruction in Season Four
Musing About What I Actually Would Accept as “Hordak Abusing Catra”
I Think It’s Kind of Funny that Some Expect Catra to be Suspicious of Hordak Post-Canon
Two Scenes That Look Distressing Side-by-Side
Discussing How Catra and Hordak Start Off as Parallels but Later Deviate Due to Character Differences
Adora
How Adora and Hordak End Season Four Differently
Hordak and Adora Parallels
I Wonder if Adora Recognizes Some of Herself in Hordak
Other
This is Actually About Shadow Weaver, but Compared to Hordak, So…
Hordak Doesn’t Seem to have a “Rule the World!” Moment (compared to Shadow Weaver)
On Hordak’s Weird Interactions with DT
Watching DT Circle Hordak is Interesting
Let’s Compare the Circling Scenes, Shall We?
What Wrong Hordak’s Arc Teaches Us About Clones and Hordak
Wondering if Hordak Actually has Control Over the Etherian Horde (could he have stopped the war?)
Prime
There Is A Huge Difference In The Standards Prime And Hordak Hold Others Two Versus Themselves
Hordak and Horde Prime Handle Their Own Vulnerabilities Quite Differently
The Difference Between How Prime and Hordak Use Anger
The Moment Prime Touched Hordak’s Face is the Moment I Truly Knew That Something About Hordak’s Backstory was Very Wrong
Clone/Origin/Prime-Related Sadness
The Clone Thing
More Distressed Bleating about The Clone Thing
Hordak’s DMV Photo Disturbs Me
Hordak Isn’t Actually an Idiot About Disease Transmission
On Hordak’s Bodily Autonomy, or Lack Thereof
How Much of Hordak is “Hordak?”
I’m 99% Certain That Hordak Sucks at Lying Because he Literally Couldn’t
You’d Think Hordak would Think Things Through, But…
Hordak isn’t Really Proud of “Hordak” (with a bonus Adora mention)
Hordak Provides Excellent Fridge Horror
Hordak’s Behavioral Pathology Isn’t Actually Pathology
So! That Purification Ritual was Really Something
Despite Erasure, Hordak Remains Himself
The Clones Are Essentially Trapped By Prime And It Upsets Me
I Get Annoyed That The Clones Aren’t Discussed More By Our Heroes
Again, I Wish The Show Acknowledged The Clones A Bit More, Wrongie Edition
Wouldn’t It Be Swell If Prime Really Did Manage The Clones Like Livestock? 
It’s More Emotionally Poignant That The Clones Are Individuals Rather Than Drones
Prime’s Doctrine Ensures Hordak Blames Himself, and it’s an Awful Control Measure
Hordak Probably Isn’t Dumb for Using Uninsulated Cables; Rather, Clone Sadness is in Play
Why I Can’t See Hordak and the Other Clones As Colonizers (unlike Prime) (also a whole convo thread)
Thinking About Clones and Self-Care
Each Clone Will Have to Realize That They Were Victimized
Wondering if Horde Clones Might Feel Anxious Sleeping Alone
Why Prime Might Encourage Some Autonomy in His Clones (spoilers: for cruelty)
Completely Arbitrary Classification of Clones Post-Prime!
Prime is an Actual God to the Clones and it is Terrifying
Canon Plausibility of Blanket Burritoing Horde Clones!
I Appreciate That, Despite Their Devotion, the Clones are Portrayed as Legitimately Suffering due to Prime
Catra and Adora have Happy Memories; do the Clones?; does Hordak?
Morality/Punishment/Redemption Related
Morality is (sadly) not a Universal Thing
Don’t Talk to me About the Reset as “Proper Punishment”
Why Hordak Doesn’t Just Become a Good Citizen
I Think About Hordak’s Choices a Lot
Hordak as an Abuse Mimic Rather Than Pure Evil
Looking at the Horde Child Soldier Thing From a Certain POV
Emotional Support is a Necessary Part of Healing
Hordak Was Forgiven Without Redemption, And I’m OK With That
Hordak’s Arc Speaks Directly to People who were “Raised Wrong”
I Wonder if Hordak Would See anti-Princess Propaganda as Propaganda
Semi-Intelligent Plot/Story Observations
Hordak’s Portrayal is a Function of Character Lens
Hordak Gets Very Legit Development in Season Four
She-Ra Isn’t a War Drama and Here’s Why
Hordak Suffers From a Distressing Lack of Agency
Hordak is a Weirdly Unenthusiastic Lord
The Season 4 Finale Reframes Hordak’s Vulnerability 
Untangling Hordak’s Backstory in Light of What We Now Know
Why Hordak Getting Possessed is Narratively Good
Hordak’s Rebellion and Subsequent Possession Essentially Summarize His Story
There Are Big Differences Between Hordak and Prime’s Etherian Wars
It Is Pretty Unlikely That Hordak Would Have Pulled The Portal Lever
It Occurred To Me That Hordak May Initially Ignore FO’s Tech Because It’s Just Really Old
An Assessment Of The Villain Intro Cards, Focusing On Hordak
I Think It’s Silly To Blame Hordak For Everything - Especially When Considering Prime
Literally Just a Thread Explaining Why Hordak is Sympathetic
Some Words On Exactly How Terrible DT’s Reveal Was For Hordak
The Escalation of Hordak’s Situation is Really Something
An Anon Asks a Normal Question and I go on a Tangent About Hordak Compensating for his Inability to Innovate via Entrapta and Catra
There are Monumental Differences Between the Galactic and Etherian Hordes in Terms of Brainwashing and Agency
Thinking About Why Chipped Etherians May Not be That Sympathetic To Clones After All
Random Bit of Logicking About Why Hordak Calls the Princesses a Rebellion
Figuring Out Why I Find Hordak So Much More Sympathetic Than The Princesses
Brief Musing on How Hordak Might Face Antagonism From Both Sides Post-Canon
Hordak’s Story Touches on the Concept of the Imperfection of Authority
Someone Asked Me if I Found Hordak’s S5 Arc Satisfying
Discussing Whether Or Not Hordak Planned on Leading Anything After Conquering Etheria
Taking Apart an Abysmal Twitter Take Because It’s Fun
Talking About Prime’s Clone Troops v. Robot Troops
Talking About Hordak’s Emotional Age
Hordak’s S3 Backtory Being Part-Delusion Helps Emphasize the Inequality in Attachment Between the Clones and Prime
A Few Not-So-Nice Acts Hordak Commits That I Find Justifiable
Random Headcanons of All Sorts
Stupidly Cute, Pointless Headcanon #3825 (ears covered)
Stupid Pointlessly Cute Headcanon #4853 (yawning, with appropriate artwork)
Stupid Pointlessly Cute Headcanon #2938 (snoring)
Stupid Pointlessly Cute Headcanon #1423 (REM sleep)
Stupidly Cute, Pointless Headcanon #7845 (blushing)
Random Hordak-Related Thought #2935 (forearms)
I Like to Think That Hordak Does Cute Things in his Sleep
I Like to Think That Hordak’s Eyes Dim While He Sleeps
Literally Me Just Having Emotions
Thinking About the Stress of Maintaining His Image in the Horde
Why Hordak’s Trauma is Particularly Disturbing To Me (compared to Catra/Adora)
Catra Overcomes her Fear of her Abuser; Hordak Does Not
All of my Emotions over the S4 Finale
Hordak’s Goddamned Smirk Lied to Me
I Have Feelings about Hordak’s Enforced Self-Care
I Need Hordak to Know that He is Loved
Hordak Goes Pew Pew and It’s Cute
Watching Hordak Lift Things Makes Me Smile
Hordak’s Unreasonable Expectations Make Me Sad
Please Just Let Hordak Rest
A Sassy Post About People Complaining the Hordak and Catra are Forgiven
All My Words About That Hordak/Adora Scene
Hordak Taps the Asphyxiation Lever With Two Fingers And It Makes Me Happy
I Wonder If Individuality Felt Blasphemous To Hordak
Please Don’t Stab Clones In Their Ports, Thank You
Hordak Clasps His Hands And It Makes Me Anxious
Hordak Shaming Catra Mimics the Purification Room And It’s Disturbing
Watching Hordak Give Up Is Heartbreaking
I Worry About Hordak Handling Anxiety
People Being Considerate of Hordak Makes My Heart Smile
I Wonder If Magic Was Frightening to Hordak at First
Thinking About Hordak Progressing in Terms of Self-Care
Prime Never Calls Hordak by Name, not Even Once
Just Being Sad While Realizing the Sort of Life Hordak had to Look Forward To
Strange Fic-Like Things No One Should Read
Please Consider: A Concept Masterpost
Hordak Practices Eyerolling
Imp Hacks Up The Worst Color of Hairball
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cssns · 4 years
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We’re here!!! *SOBBING UNCONTROLLABLY* It’s time for the CSSNS20 Roundup!!!!
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It has been quite a ride y’all... 
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I just want to take a moment here at the beginning of the post to thank everyone who has ever been a part of this event from 2018 to now. Y’all are the ones who made this event what it is and I cannot be more grateful to have had the privilege of manning the helm for the past three years. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!!! There’s been too many participants over the years to name everyone, but I have to give a shoutout to my personal support team and the mods from all three years. Each one of them has contributed in innumerable ways and this event never would have happened without each of them and their contribution. @hollyethecurious​ @winterbaby89​ @katie-dub​, @thisonesatellite​ and @profdanglaisstuff​. Thank you so much ladies!!! I never could have done this without you all!!!
Now that the event is over, I want to let everyone know that I will be inviting other supernatural fic to the collection over on ao3. When I first started reading fan fiction, I stumbled across the Black Swan and Red Hooks Collection, a collection for smutty fics, that continues to grow today. I want to do the same thing with the Supernatural Summer Collection. As more supernatural fics are written, I will invite them to the collection.
We are now at the close, and it’s time to round up all the wonderful fics and art that we’ve been blessed with in this year’s event. At the end of the post, I’ll highlight all the fic from previous years that have also updated this summer.  Active MC’s will continue updating until they are finished. And without further ado, HERE WE GOOOOOOO!!!!
Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.
On June 1st, @itsfabianadocarmo dropped a vampire aesthetic inspired by the Countess from American Horror Story: Hotel. SOOO incredible! It gave me chills! You can find it here.
On June 3rd, I ( @kmomof4​ ) dropped Of Darkness, Vampires, and Soulmates. I figured that since this was our last year, I should write for it for once. Breathtaking art by @spartanguard. Banner Prologue Ch1 Ch2 Ch3 Ch4 Ch5 Ch6 Ch7 Ch8
On June 6th, @demisexualemmaswan dropped By the Moon’s Rise, featuring CS as werewolves. Oh my WORD! The pack politics going on…It is off to a fantastic start and I can’t wait for more!                                                   Gorgeous art by @courtorderedcake. Killian Emma David
On June 9th, @snowbellewells dropped A Cottage By the Sea. An Enchanted Forest Lieutenant Duckling AU. The last chapter left me CHEERING and I can’t wait to see where she takes this!                                                                  Lovely art by @searchingwardrobes. 
On June 11th, @katie-dub dropped Awakening, her fic inspired by the TV show Being Human. I am not familiar with the show, but this fic, oh my WORD!!! I had no words, and so I reblogged with gifs. Can’t wait for more!!!
On June 14th, @lassluna dropped her fic, Swan’s Hourglass, a Legend of Zelda AU. I absolutely LOVE her use of the side characters and Emma is absolutely bad ass!!! Can’t wait for more!!                                                                  Beautiful Artwork by @eastwesthomeisbest.
On June 17th, @hollyethecurious​ dropped her Vampire Diary’s inspired The Craving In Between. Fun, intriguing, and SPICY!!!                                          Perfect Artwork by @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713​.
On June 20, @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713​ dropped her original Angel!Emma/Demon!Killian aesthetic. Absolutely PERFECT!!!
On June 23, @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713​ dropped another aesthetic that I was inspired to write a fic for! The Moon… Tells the Sea is the tale of were-mermaid Emma and her mate. aesthetic on Tumblr
On June 25, @eastwesthomeisbest​ dropped original Vampire!Killian artwork His Sweet Kiss. BREATHTAKING and sooooo chilling!!!
On June 27th, @kymbersmith-90​ dropped her Soliciting for Dracula: Outtake. So GREAT to be taken back to that universe first presented during CS Halloweek last year! Original fic on Ao3 Tumblr link with art
On June 29th, @imlaxdris71​ dropped her Shadowhunters AU, The Price of Blood. I am not at all familiar with Shadowhunters, but this fic is so AWESOME already and I can’t wait for more!!!                                                                          I was thrilled to provide artwork for this incredible fic!
On July 2, @ohmightydevviepuu​ and @thisonesatellite​ posted The Sword and the Heart, their retelling of all of s5. Let me tell you, THIS is what we should have gotten on the show!!! I can’t WAIT for the next chapter!!!                         Awe-inspiring artwork by @thisonesatellite​ and @profdanglaisstuff​.
On July 5, @snowbellewells​ posted For Once, Don’t Let Go, her CS ghost story. Spooky and soooo SWEET all at once!!!                                                            Chill-inducing, perfect artwork by @hollyethecurious​.
On July 7, @stahlop​ posted Making a Memory, her fic inspired by The Parent Trap. This fic is absolutely AWESOME, y’all!!! Lisa has sucked me in to this blending of one of my all time favorite live action Disney movies and Once canon and I CANNOT WAIT for more of it!!!                                                     Lovely and perfect artwork by @gingerchangeling​.
On July 9, @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713​ posted her original vampire aesthetic. Mm mm mm mm mmmmmmm!!!
On July 13, @shardminds​ posted her Witcher AU, Silver for Monsters. I have been BESIDE myself waiting for this fic, even though I’m not familiar with the show and the first chapter did not disappoint!!! Can’t wait for more!!!          Swoon-worthy artwork by @artistic-writer​.
On July 15, @eastwesthomeisbest​ posted original Fairy artwork, Within You, inspired by Carnival Row. Absolutely BREATHTAKING!!! Then on July 26, she posted Fear Me Or Love Me… It’s All the Same, and reduced me to a screaming flailing mess!
On July 18, @lovelivingmydreams​ posted Labors of Love, her Greek gods AU. This fic is fantastic and I am LOVING every bit of it!! I’ve been told to strap myself in, so I have and am eagerly waiting for the next chapter!!!            Beautiful artwork by @mariakov81​ Banner Ch1 Ch2 Ch3 Ch4 Ch5 
On July 21, @jarienn972​ posted La Sirena, her Siren Emma fic. A BEAUTIFUL mystery and I can’t wait to see where she goes with this!!!                      Gorgeous artwork by @courtorderedcake​.
On July 23, @shireness-says​ posted A Fate Woven in Thread and Ink, her fic inspired by The Night Circus. This fic is pure magic. Absolutely STUNNING in its beauty and I am BESIDE myself waiting for the next chapter!!!               Incredible artwork by @eirabach​. 
On July 29, @winterbythesea​ posted The Truth In a Masquerade featuring dueling CS at a vampire masquerade! WELL WORTH all the teasing we endured on the discord!
On Aug. 1, @profdanglaisstuff​ posted The Eternal and Unseen, an epic tale of fae, werewolf, and vampire coming together to defeat a common enemy. This fic is absolutely INCREDIBLE and I can’t wait for the next chapter!!!        Beautiful artwork 1 2 3 by @carpedzem​.
@xhookswenchx​ posted her werewolf MC, Waning Moon, on Aug. 2. I am soooo in LOVE with this beautiful fic and can’t wait for more of it!!!            Beautiful and precious artwork Banner 1 2 3 4 5 by @mariakov81​.
@whimsicallyenchantedrose​ posted her MC, More Than All the Jewels in the Realm on Aug. 4. Kinda a ghost/soulmate MC. You’ll see what I mean… Absolutely FANTASTIC already!!!                                                               Beautifully haunting artwork by @searchingwardrobes​.
@thejollyroger-writer​​ posted the first chapter of THE WASTELAND on Aug. 6, where the hero group goes on a magical journey to save Killian. This world she has built is INCREDIBLE and I am loving this fic soooo much!!!                    Incredible artwork 1 2 3 4 5 by @spartanguard​.
On Aug. 8, @imlaxdris71​ posted her werewolf MC, The Beast of Aurum. My heart hurts so much for Killian ALREADY!!!! I can’t wait for more!!!               Artwork by me, @kmomof4​.
On Aug. 10, @eastwesthomeisbest​ dropped original Demon Killian artwork, I’m Your Darkest Dream. Gave me CHILLS!!!
Aug. 13, @ohmightydevviepuu​ posted  From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea as part of her writersmonth2020 project. A 3a divergence that is absolutely HEART WRENCHING and BEAUTIFUL!!!                                                     Beautiful artwork by @mariakov81​ 
On Aug. 14, @spartanguard​ posted her fix it fic for West Side Story, Even Death Won’t Part Us Now, featuring CS as vampires. I am absolutely BESIDE MYSELF over this fic, y'all!!! I love it sooooo MUCH!!! Breathtaking and perfect artwork 1 2 3 by @thesschesthair​.
Aug. 18, @hollyethecurious​ posted her Sleepy Hollow AU, Some Legends are Best Kept as Legends. This fic is MAGNIFICENT and I can’t wait for more!!! Artwork by herself.
Aug. 20, @darkcolinodonorgasm​ posted her Siren Emma MC, A Song of Sin and Desire. This is gonna be an INCREDIBLE fic, y'all!!! I love it already!!! Gorgeous artwork by @artistic-writer​.
On Aug. 22, @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713 posted fantastic original artwork for a fic by @teamhook​ that she posted in September, The Wolf and the Savior. The setup of this fic has me on the edge of my seat and I can’t WAIT to see what’s next!!! 
Aug. 24, @courtorderedcake​ posted her demon MC, Majestically To Far Beyond. This fic really is fun and I am LOVING it, y’all!!! Can't wait for more!!!                             Artwork by me, @kmomof4​.
Aug. 26, @cocohook38​ posted her Dark Swan/Werewolf Killian MC, I’ll Be Waiting For You By the Blood Moon. This is a FANTASTIC take on the Dark Swan and I can’t wait for more of it!!!                                                              Breathtaking artwork by @eastwesthomeisbest​.
And finally, rounding out our event on Aug. 30, @seriouslyhooked​ posted Lost Souls and Reveries: The Sequel, a continuation of her CSSNS18 fic, Lost Souls and Reveries. This first chapter was soooo precious and lovely and I can’t wait to see where she goes with this!!! Exquisite artwork by @clockadile​.
Over the course of the summer, we had several fics from previous years update, in some cases, several times! 
Until the Stars Are All Alight by @whimsicallyenchantedrose​ updated several times. Beautiful artwork by @clockadile​. This is her LOTR/CS crossover and I love it sooooo much!!!!
@kymbersmith-90​ updated both of her fics from CSSNS18, Slayer and Divine Intervention. Perfect artwork complements of @hollyethecurious​ (x) (x). Both of these fics are sooooo GREAT, even to someone who hasn’t watched either show that they were inspired by!!!
@courtorderedcake​ updated Hallow, her epic fic of Fae princess Emma and Dark One Killian. We have now journeyed to Sultana Jasmine’s court and we are closing in on the end of their journey!!! Latest Tumblr chapter link with art
@darkcolinodonorgasm​ updated One Day, her LadyHawke inspired AU that she kills me with every single chapter!!! We are now on ch5 of 7.  Tumblr ch link Beautiful Artwork by @sherlockianwhovian​
@eirabach​ rewrote her CSSNS18 submission Glow for the CS Rewritathon this spring and summer. It can be found in its entirety in the CSSNS20 collection on ao3 here. I loved it when she originally wrote it, and I loved it even more this time!!!
Well, that’s it, y’all!!!! Who would have thought when I came up with this idea almost three years ago now that we would have such participation and enthusiasm across this fabulous fandom? We have been blessed with EPIC, INCREDIBLE, GORGEOUS, BREATHTAKING, FUN, LOVELY, MAGNIFICENT fics and art these last three years!!! As I said at the top of this post, the collection on ao3 will continue to be active as well as this blog as more supernatural fics are written and shared. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for coming along on this ride with me. Y’all have all made it soooo worthwhile!!! All the love, everyone!!!
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staliasjeronica · 3 years
Text
Riverdale S5 Ep11 Thoughts *Spoilers*
thoughts under cut to keep tag from being cluttered :)
- Oh yeah I forgot that Chad was blackmailing Veronica about the dirty dealings in her company even though it’s not her at all (unless it’s just been so long and I’ve forgotten but she’s my baby and I feel like I would’ve remembered but-
- Hiram and this dumb prison is one of the worst things for this show it’s a constant plot of people escaping and it’s so annoying like sure Hiram owns it and he was in the jail but no one has, like, taken him back to jail…??? Hiram is a fucking disease smh
- “back to remote learning” why didn’t you just stay that way though… like even right now in covid schools are opening back up and kids are complaining because it’s still not safe so like… just… go back to it??? I’m so not built for this world fasdhfkahf
- Veronica and Smithers 🥺🥺💞💞
- the way Veronica hugs Archie is so cute bc she’s so tiny but like she always gives her all and Archie is just 😐 never giving anything ahjfsdfsh it’s quite sad you can tell how done KJ is with Varchie lol
- “I really hate that I’m dragging you through this.” … what about constantly pulling him into your mob boss father mess that the writers refuse to allow you to escape from?
- “until you and Chad are officially done, I think we should keep our distance.” Varchie bones!!! you just KNOW that Archie has been looking forward to this because that man is whole heartedly in love with Betty and has been since forever and that while Chad prolongs the divorce papers, Archie will not be waiting for Veronica considering he doesn’t want her. Varchie = bones we love to see it!
- now who tf would join Penelope Blossom’s ministry… no one, realistically.
- can Cheryl stop being given the craziest and usually most boring plots ever please...
- Not someone holding a gun to Tabitha literally don’t hurt Riverdale’s best girl weirdo
- these bitches really haven’t aged huh…. poor Veronica though being robbed but like they stole some watches or something and the opal like that’s all you take..?? okay-
- Fangs 💞💞💞💞💞 also rip to him having to work with his ex tho
- STOP HAVING ARCHIE GO TO HIRAM WE’RE TIRED
- You know considering the whole reason why Hiram is still here as the villain and ruining Veronica’s life/growth to keep her in his plots al because Mark is a big soap opera celeb and apparently brings in money, you’d assume they would give him GOOD shit instead of everything he’s gotten. If they hadn’t of hired Mark can you imagine how much better off the show would be if they didn’t have to keep him around bc of his status????? God why-
- Reggie’s always there for Veronica muah…. oh fuck me I guess fjasjkdf
- “I work for one Lodge and it’s not you.” lmao okay??? you acting like that’s a flex, and that you’re working for the better Lodge who literally left you to die after the Serpents thought you shot Fangs so-
- MARTY BEING WHY REGGIE IS WORKING FOR HIRAM…….. YOUR DAD IS ABUSIVE LET HIM HANDLE HIS OWN DEBT??? God both Veronica and Reggie are always fucked over when it comes to their parents huh
- don’t you just love when they make characters act ooc for a plot ahhhhhh it’s totally fun to watch and totally not frustratingly annoying
- “FOR OLD TIMES SAKE.” 💞💞💞 we love Veggie even though they made Veronica act ooc and hurt him back then and they weren’t given an actual chance.
- “don’t be such a Betty” now why is Betty so surprised she only ever had fun when she was with Archie, when she’s with Jughead all she did was do what she wanted and order him around so likeefjhakdfh
- “he shouldn’t really be my problem anymore.” BUGHEAD BONES YASSSSS
- I know it was just a sound they used but like that squish sound when Darla kicked Tom’s face… did she like smash his face in damn what is this The Walking Dead?
- see the problem with them randomly bringing characters/parents in when they need them is that they’re never around so like no one really cares… like they could have utilized the parents so much (and Skeet and Marisol never would have left) and it would have been so much better than random appearances that make them look incompetent and awful parents because they’re never there during all the other times their kids need them. but we have to see the two toxic parents that won’t go away constantly??? literally what the fuck
- Betty calling Jughead’s writing cringey wbk she’s never liked his writing she was just stroking his ego bc she was his gf and had to be supportive lmaoo
- why are these 60+ year old men beating up Jughead like for why???
- so they just forgot that Tom was checking in on the convict huh gotta love dumbing down characters for plot!
- Fangs with his switchblade muah
- jealous Tabitha muahhh over a password
- “wait THE BETTY?"
- Cheryl looks so good
- Find meaning in his death… girl didn’t you not care that your husband killed your son over the illegal maple stuff I forgot the plot but it was something illegal and dumb
- “drain the vein” …...
- Reggie helping muah
- Why is Archie acting like an ass? like sure he doesn’t know that Chad is abusive and toxic but c’mon fucker you cheated on her and never apologized and you don’t even wanna be with her in the first place so why are you acting like you’re personally hurt sit down
- God Archie really hates Veronica huh… I don’t even blame him considering the shit she’s brought him into time and time again.
- Jughead was kicked like maybe five times yet he was fine falling out of a two story window and the serpent imitation but now he needs antibiotics..? plot convenience!
- literally don’t remember anything about Doc tbh or him talking to Donna and Bret like—
- ever since Negan people are obsessed with bats with barbed wire.
- also! yes please kill Hiram <3 I know they end up saving him bc of the opal but c'mon
- they searched basically nothing for five seconds wow such great detective work you guys!
- we know you just want his manuscript Jessica
- Cheryl with her rainbow skirt how cute!
- “daddykins” girl you’re like 25
- Veronica acting like she cares about Hiram fjsadhkfhas these guys thinking that they’d kill Hiram even though they need him lol
- bad bitch Ronnie we love her even though she’s gonna have to save her father to save others and get her opal </3
- not Veronica calling Archie first and not Kevin considering Kevin’s dad is there…. this is the pandering va fan service bs we have bc it makes no sense and it’s so forced
- Fangs knowing Archie rides with tools in his truck mmhm that’s a little sus idk how but archiefangs agenda coming through!
- no one would actually believe that Jessica ashkjdfsj and they take this bait…??? you gotta be joking lmao
- Jug got to help doc this time 🥺😭
- …. tell me why when he said boyfriend I immediately thought of Reggie I hate myself for wishing fahsdjkfsafj
- okay as cheesy and corny and awful the fight scene is since they posted a clip of it, them working together is so refreshing and nice we love leader!Veronica bc she’s so good at it. but the show only cares for Betty which is funny since she’s an awful detective fbahsdjfj
- my god enough with Jason’s body!!!!!!!!! you burned his body please let him stay dead let his body rest
- okay but the back and forth from Betty and Jessica is so good like I wish we could get that kind of rivalry drama type stuff all the time. too bad they refuse to let Veronica act like a normal person and get angry at being cheated on and such :/ when will Veronica slap the fuck out of Betty
- he’s not a blameless victim but Betty take responsibility for how awful a person you are PLEASE
- THE VOICEMAILLLLLLL Jughead only speaks the truth! it’s weird that he only realized what we all knew about Betty after but whatever, finally he gets upset like damn. also jeronica crumb he’s the only one to ever include Veronica smh ALSO Cole acted the fuck outta this voice mail muah
- the way Betty just sits there uncaring… she really is a freak huh god when will someone punch her in the face and take her ego down a million notches she’s so annoying
- “that’s darkness.” …?? what?
- the way bh’s relationship parallels jughead’s with Jessica though. the unhealthy habits, the bad energy, etc. except Jessica left it and Betty didn’t and it turned Betty into whatever the fuck this is. I miss s1 Betty :/
- so when will they sue Jessica for drugging them? mmhm probably never
- poor Tabitha being the only one who cares about jughead tho
- oh no I forgot there was a random musical number…
- you’re gonna have Betty and Tabitha act like THAT and not put them together so rude
- when will Cheryl be free from her mom. is was like turned on by abuse or something sigh why do the toxic (and most boring!) parents get plots and screen time and everyone else doesn’t...
- Veronica would be able to do Moree than pepper spray but whatever only Betty is allowed be “badass"
- fangs being fangs ugh so sexy my babyyyyy
- Trevor Stines is so attractive it’s a shame they only bring him back for five seconds to traumatize Cheryl over and over again though </3
- wow varchie in a pop’s booth what season is this again??
- god it’s so upsetting how amazing varchie would have been as just friends…
- the way he smiled at Veronica was so contradicting to the blank, “please don’t” expression when she was telling him she was gonna get divorced as fast as possible. why can’t he just admit he doesn’t want to be with her!!!!!! my god they’ve put off barchie long enough just let them be together so their characters can finally act in character and stop being so awful and annoying
- “this cause” what cause you fucking weirdo
- not Hiram threatening the mayor he could literally be your downfall if we had good writers fjasdkjfasf
- jughead how would you have killed him with a small wooden basket
- I like doc so much but I know we’ll never see him again until we randomly need him seasons from noow
- Betty wasn’t hit by the drugs until after the message though… how would she not remember? it didn’t seem to be doing anything to Betty until the bunker
- hopefully since they’re friends now Tabitha can make Betty act like a decent human being <3
- the way Tabitha looked at Betty please stop doing this to me...
- maybe we can finish that dance!!!!!!!!!!!!!! jabitha rising bughead dying we love to see it!
wow that episode felt like it was two hours long but thankfully I finally finished it… don’t have many actual thoughts but anyways hope you enjoyed my live blog of my thoughts!
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angelatmidnight1 · 3 years
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hey there! so glad you're back, and happy new years btw!! idk if you're taking prompts atm so don't feel like you have to write this straight away (since you just posted a new fanfic anyway, and it was worth the wait as always), but i was thinking maybe you could write something with wattson and loba? because on this current season, loba is trying to be nicer to her, to kind of make up for the S5 accident, and i mean we love to see that character development lol. cheers!
A/N: Hi, happy (very late) New Years! I’ve actually picked up Loba as my secondary main, so I was really excited to write for both her and Wattson. This story is based on quest events from season 5 and onward, as well as the Legends’ dialogue mainly between Loba, Wattson, and Crypto (this video kind of shows the lines, but I couldn't find the one I originally watched). I was also inspired by a post from @thebliznet, which helped the story along a lot. Thank you for allowing me to mention your post and the blog! I hope this story is to your liking anon :). I had fun writing it.
Unleashing Your Inner Wolf- After Wattson’s accident, Loba has kept a watchful eye over her. This is especially true after Revenant has sworn to ruin the thief’s life. When the murderous simulacrum joined the Apex Games, Loba was hellbent on killing him herself. But, this wasn’t a job she had to do alone. Loba had all of the Legends wrapped around her fingers with the dirt she had on them, and she was pleased to have them at her disposal. The job was simple: find the artifacts she needed, locate Revenant’s source code, and end his miserable existence. So, when Wattson wandered into the building alone to retrieve an artifact, her plans literally went up in flames. Not only was she further away from what she wanted, someone nearly died, and it wasn’t the demonio. Loba secretly thanks the gods for Wattson’s recovery; the engineer has a harsher view of the world now, yes, but she’s alive. It was the first and last time that Loba would put someone in danger on her behalf. After having her as a teammate during a couple of games, Loba discovers some new, interesting information: Wattson spends a great deal of time speaking with Crypto. And, the thief finds their nervous, awkward interactions absolutely adorable. Loba decides to take the engineer under her wing to teach her the art of flirting. But first, she has to teach her the most important lesson out there: self love. Wattson finds her lessons a bit unorthodox, and is reluctant to open up. So, Loba’s first job is getting her to smile...and maybe laugh, too.
When Crypto fell on the battlefield, Loba was quick to toss her bracelet and teleport to his aid. She had a Guardian Angel backpack and there were fences set up within their hideout to deter an enemy push. She was just slipping her bracelet back on when someone else rounded the corner and ran over to the downed hacker. It was Wattson, who put her Interception Pylon in the center of the room to deny incoming projectiles. The engineer heard an angry “bloody hell” from the explosive expert outside, which made her grin inwardly. Natalie knelt down and rubbed her hands together to generate a charge. Unlike the rest of the Legends, the engineer revived her teammates by using her equipment like a defibrillator. 
“Got you Tae J---ohhh…” Instead of pulling him up, Wattson accidentally dropped him back onto the floor, covering her mouth with both hands. Crypto landed with a heavy thump and a groan. 
“Ugh, Natalie..” The hacker winced, prompting her to start the revive again, her mind still racing to finish her sentence. 
“J...Joules and Watts are tied for my favorite units of measurements. And yours?” Natalie giggled nervously after she successfully pulled the man back onto his feet. She looked over her shoulder to see Loba staring at them like they each had two heads. But then, the enemy Bangalore shot at her through the window, giving the engineer and hacker a welcome distraction. 
“...I’ll get better at this. I promise.” Wattson smiled and pushed a Phoenix Kit into Crypto’s hands. Crypto sighed and put the healing item to use, giving her a small smile of his own. 
“Thank you, Natalie.” Tae Joon huddled in the corner of the room to stay out of enemy sights. This prompted Natalie to put another fence at the doorway that would lead to them. No one was going to get in and hurt her friend; not if she had something to say about it! So, when she heard someone approaching, Wattson immediately pointed her Mastiff at the door, ready to take down whoever managed to slip in. She yelped and fired at the thief when she stuck her head in; fortunately, there was no friendly fire allowed in the Games. 
“Relax, it’s just me.” Loba frowned and walked further into the room. “The whole squad’s down and a wall of death is coming our way. We need to move.”
“Got it!” Wattson hopped to her feet and offered a hand to the hacker. Crypto reached up to take it but froze, looking over Natalie’s shoulder. For some reason, the thief was still looking at them. The engineer arched a brow and, since she didn’t see what he saw, she grabbed onto his hand anyway. “Let’s go, Crypto. Allons-y!”
Crypto stood without a word and followed the engineer out of the room. Wattson didn’t release his hand even when they were well inside the ring. The hacker cleared his throat and gave the woman’s hand a gentle, but urgent squeeze, and she promptly let go of him. But, since Loba was trailing behind them, she saw everything, and a knowing smirk graced her lips. 
Loba found the engineer in her room after the match was over. Her high heels sounding throughout the hallway announced her arrival way before she did. So, by the time the thief sauntered to her doorway, Wattson was already facing her. 
“Ah, there’s the little heart breaker in the making…” Loba grinned and leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed against her chest. The engineer furrowed her brows and pushed her organized clutter further back onto her desk.
“Huh? What’re you talking about?” Wattson appeared even more confused as she approached her. Loba glanced to the woman’s desk; besides the textbooks and random sticky notes everywhere, the thief didn’t see any obvious signs of a romantic rendezvous. No roses, no letters, and worse: no shiny trinkets. 
“I used to think hand holding was a dying art. No more lingering touches, or a bat of the eye. Nowadays it’s just sloppy grabbing, a couple minutes of heavy breathing, and then...nothing.” Loba let out a wistful sigh as stood behind the younger woman, putting her hands on her shoulders. “It’s all quite dull, if you ask me. But then, I saw you and Crypto holding hands…” 
The realization hit Wattson and her face turned pink. For a moment, she was at a loss for words, so the thief continued. “And it was so refreshing to see. It’s subtle. Innocent.  And yet...intimate. Especially with the right person.” 
Wattson hopped out of her chair and faced the thief, her pink face quickly turning red. “I...I didn’t...I wasn’t...he was injured!” She stammered, suddenly unable to meet Loba’s teasing gaze. “I only held his hand to make sure he was okay!”
“Oh, of course, beautiful. That’s kind of you..” Loba chuckled and stepped in front of her. She knelt down, “In fact, it was so kind that it must’ve stuck with him the whole time he watched you walk away~.”
Wattson looked up with a gasp and finally met her gaze. Her face grew even redder as she struggled to find her words again. “...Crypto and I...we--we’re just friends. That’s all. I’m sure he was just...um...w-watching my back. His drone is very useful on the battlefield.” She put a hand on the back of her neck; it was burning hot, just like her face. 
Loba didn’t want the engineer to pass out on her, so she took a step back to give her some breathing room. “I can’t argue with you there. But...what do you think of him?” She tilted her head to the side and smiled. “He’s  on the quieter side, I’ll have to admit. But he’s very handsome, no?”
“...Well..maybe...” Natalie toyed with the ends of her shirt as she looked to the corner of the room. There was a radio that Octane gave her a while back, and Loba caught her looking at it. This made the thief smirk again. 
“Where’d you get that? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a radio like that before.” Loba strutted over to the little device and picked it up. Natalie perked up and hurried over to gently take it from her. 
“Oh! Octavio gave this to me. He spray painted it using my favorite colors.” The engineer visibly relaxed and finally allowed herself to smile. Loba’s eyebrows rose and, grinning, she couldn’t help but to tease her again. 
“Oh, so there’s two people vying for your affection. You like to have options.” Loba giggled when the engineer’s face turned a deeper shade of red. “I like how you think. There’s so many beautiful people out there...why limit yourself to one?”
“No! It isn’t like that, really!” Natalie insisted and put her radio back down so she didn’t drop it. “I mean...Octavio and Ta---er, Crypto, are attractive, yes.  But I wouldn’t flirt with them! Because...well, I...don’t know how.”
Loba wanted to laugh, but this new bit of information surprised her. She arched a brow and crossed one leg over the other. “You don’t know how?”
“Well, I know how.” The engineer corrected herself and fiddled with her hair next. “But I don’t know what to say! Plus, I don’t want to make things awkward between us.”
Loba’s eyes softened; the engineer was too cute. “Aw, it’s alright, doll. A little harmless flirting every now and then doesn’t hurt anyone. Keeps things interesting, if you ask me.” She smirked, playfully nudging her side with her elbow. Natalie stiffened and pursed her lips.
“That’s easy for you to say. You flirt with everybody.” The engineer muttered, giving her a coy smile when Loba feigned offense. 
“Oh, come on,  I do not flirt with everyone. I’m very selective in who I choose. Not everyone is worth my time.” Loba fired back with a grin. It didn’t seem like she was winning the engineer over, so she decided to switch tactics. “I suppose you can say there’s a certain elegance to flirting. If you’d like, I’ll show you. Free of charge, of course.”
Wattson looked up at the woman skeptically. The engineer didn’t know her as well as some of her other friends, but she didn’t believe that she would steer her wrong. “Er..how do you propose to do that?” 
Loba beamed at her and gestured to her closet with a manicured hand. “Put on your favorite outfit, then stop by my room.” She grinned and sauntered back out into the hallway. She looked over her shoulder and saw the uncertainty lingering in her eyes. She sighed, “Trust me, beautiful. I won’t embarrass you. I know just what you need to have whomever you like flocking over to you.” 
“...Okay, Loba. I’ll be there in a moment.” Wattson smiled and waited for her to leave so that she could change clothes. 
Natalie opted for a simple outfit with her favorite Nessie shirt and jeans. She stepped out of her room and closed the door behind her. Then, she wandered down the hall until she got to the thief’s room. She could hear music playing as she approached the door, and found the thief idly swaying to the beat when she stepped into the room. 
Loba beckoned for the engineer to come closer, another smirk on her face. “Come on in. I don’t bite.” She snickered, her cocky smirk giving way to a small smile. “You look cute.” 
“Merci. Um...so what will we be doing, exactly?” The engineer peeked behind Loba to see a pole in the corner of the room. She blinked; what on Earth was this woman planning? 
“Well, before we work on making your special Legend fall for you, I think you could use a bit of a confidence boost.” Loba smiled and strode over to her pole, hooking an arm around it. “I’m going to teach you how to pole dance.”
Wattson’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates, and her face turned a bright shade of red. Loba immediately put up her hands.
“Hold on, it’s not what you think. I didn’t say you were stripping, nor does pole dancing have to involve it. This is about doing something fun, something that makes you feel sexy. Because when you feel good, you look good. And others notice it too…” Loba smiled at her hopefully and extended a hand. “Won’t you give it a try, love? If at any point you don’t like it, we stop. Simple as that.”
“Umm...a-alright…” Natalie blushed even more as she took the thief’s hand. Loba beamed excitedly and led her to the pole. 
“Wonderful. Now, let’s just set the mood.” Loba had the best wireless speakers that a thief could get their hands on, and she switched the current song to something slower.
“Mmm, there we go. So! The first thing you want to do is take your dominant hand, and reach high above your head.” Loba demonstrated what Natalie needed to do on the opposite side of the pole. “Then you want to...ah, hold on.” She let go of her side of the pole and walked behind the engineer. “Make sure your shoulders are down and back, like this…” 
Loba took her shoulders and gently maneuvered them in the correct position. Her nails gently brushed against them as she drew back, causing the younger woman to squeak and flinch. The thief looked down at her with an arched brow. “...What?”
“Pardon (Sorry), Loba! It’s just...your nails are long, and that tickled a bit.” Natalie smiled sheepishly and rolled her shoulders. Loba chuckled and stood behind her again. 
“Oh, not a problem.” The thief put her shoulders in the correct position one more time; then, smirking, she stood back in front of her to continue the lesson. “There we go, perfect. Next, you want to stand on your toes, and take three steps with the leg closest to the pole. So, like this…” 
Loba walked Wattson through the rest of the steps for a basic, fireman spin. The engineer caught on quickly but, although she was performing the moves correctly, her overall movement was pretty stiff. It didn’t help that Octane wandered down the hallway, drawn to the music, and curiously poked his head in the room. He wasn’t wearing his usual mask and was eating a candy bar; but, when he saw Natalie pole dancing, his jaw dropped...along with his snack. Thankfully, Natalie didn’t notice him because of the music and her focus; Loba, on the other hand, heard the sound and she glanced at the door. She narrowed her eyes at the daredevil, mouthing ‘get out, or you’re dead.’ She grabbed her staff and pointed it at him to show that she wasn’t messing around. Octane held up his hands and, nudging the candy bar back towards him with his leg, he picked it up and took off down the hall. After a few more spins, Wattson stood up straight and looked up at the thief. 
“Loba? Did I do it right?” Natalie panted a bit and rubbed the back of her neck. Loba turned back around; the engineer got the moves down to a T, but there was still something missing. She looked so shy, so unsure of herself...and, perking up, Loba knew exactly what she needed. 
“You did, and I’m impressed. I don’t see many people catch on to this sort of thing so quickly.” She complimented, slowly making her way back to her side. Wattson re-assumed the position by the pole, assuming that they were going to practice again. The thief chuckled. “There is just one, tiny thing I think you need to do…”
Wattson looked up at her and stepped away from the pole. She was flattered by the compliment...but, the mischievous glint in the she-wolf’s eyes made her falter.  “Okay...what is it?” 
“...Smile.” Loba grinned and latched her hand onto her hip, giving it a quick squeeze. Wattson yelped and lurched away from her hand, but Loba was quick to close the distance. When the engineer pushed her hand off of one hip, she just squeezed the other one instead. Loba already had her laughing before she even pinned her down onto the mattress behind her. 
“Nohohohohoh! Nohohohoh Lohohohohba, dohohohn’t!” Natale panicked and tried to roll away from the she-wolf. She arched her back when Loba’s manicured nails found her sides, giggling loudly. “DohohoHOHOHOHN’T!”
“Don’t what?” Loba grinned and gently poked at her belly, tracing five manicured nails up and down her torso. Wattson’s giggles picked up to laughter and she bucked her hips. 
“DOHOHOohohohohn’t tihihihckle mehehehehehe!” The engineer squeaked and struggled harder when the thief slipped her hand underneath her shirt, clawing at her bare stomach. “LOHOHOHOHBAHAHA!”
“Oh, that tickles? I had no idea.” Loba smirked and lifted her shirt up to give her better access to her stomach. She slowed her tickles to gentle, featherlight strokes along her tummy. This still made the engineer laugh, but not quite as hard. “Why didn’t you tell me you were ticklish before? That would’ve made things much easier.”
Natalie giggled uncontrollably and sucked in her belly to try and escape the tickles. Not only did it fail, but Loba kept up the slow, teasing pace, which sent ticklish shivers up her spine. “N-Nohohohohohoh ihhihiht wohohohohuhuhldn’t!” She tittered, another laugh escaping her as the thief gave her hips another squeeze. 
“Yes it would!” Loba snickered, kneading her thumbs into the woman’s hip bones. Wattson squealed and bucked her hips, but Loba didn’t let go of them. “A smile can bring even the hardest of men, and women, to their knees, falling for you...”
The color came rushing back to Wattson’s face as she squirmed in the she-wolf’s iron-hold, giggling. “Okahahahay! Okahahahay I’ll smhihihihle MOHOHOHOHRE!” Natalie shrieked and laughed when Loba’s fingers scribbled back into her stomach. “STAHAHAHAHAH!”
“Oho, yes. You certainly will be smiling more...” Loba teased and swiped her nails from one side of her tummy to the next. She laughed at the squeal it produced, which only encouraged her to tickle faster.  “You’re stuck with the big bad wolf, and she’s going to tickle you to pieces~.”
Wattson fell into a deeper fit of laughter and increased her efforts to escape. The thief’s fingers strayed away from her stomach and scritched to her lowermost ribs. Natalie’s eyes widened and her laughter went up a few pitches as she rocked side to side. “NOHOHOHOHOH! PLEHEHEHEAHAHSE DOHOHOHOHN’T!” She begged, pulling at her trapped arms repeatedly. Loba had her arms pinned underneath her thighs and despite all of her struggling, they didn’t move an inch. “LOHOHOHOBAHAHA NOHOHAHAHAHAHA!”
Loba raised a brow and grinned, suddenly swiping her nails up the entire length of her ribs. Natalie squeaked and arched her back, causing the thief to giggle. “I think this is a good spot..” She purred, resting her hands back onto her lowermost ribs. She kneaded in between the bones and moved up her ribcage. The engineer kicked her legs against the bed and laughed louder, which made the thief smirk. “Aw, does that tickle? That looks like it tickles so much..”
Wattson turned crimson at the teasing and she shook her head, filling up the room with her laughter. Her laughter was so infectious that Loba laughed along with her, poking her fingers into her uppermost ribs. “No?” She tilted her head to the side when Natalie shrieked and threw her head back, laughing. Then, grinning, the she-wolf leaned in and repeatedly tweaked those ribs. “Are you sure?”
Wattson shook her head even harder and whipped her body around, trying to avoid her long nails. When that didn’t work, she opted for attempting to buck Loba off of her...which also failed. So, the engineer continued to laugh herself silly and make futile attempts to escape. “NAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I-I MEHEHEHAHAHAN--AH!” The thief leaned over and blew a raspberry onto her bare stomach. “DOHOHOHOHN’T DOHOHOHOH THAHAHT HAHAHAAHA!”
“Do what?” Loba chuckled and blew another raspberry, snickering when the engineer bucked her hips again. She blew another raspberry on a different spot on her stomach, and then another one somewhere else. She resumed wriggling her nails on her uppermost ribs while she continued blowing on her stomach, sending the engineer on a one-way trip to hysterics. 
“THAHAHAHAHT!” Wattson screamed and shut her eyes tight, her laughter sounding squeakier each time Loba’s lips made contact with her stomach. “STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP THAHAHAHAHT! PLEHEHEHEHEAHAHAHSE!”
Loba paused, pretending to think, only to resume tickling the younger woman’s ribs and stomach. “Hmm, what if I don’t want to stop?” She hummed, swiping her fingers back down the length of her ribcage. The engineer yelped and snorted, making Loba giggle again. “What if I find it enjoyable to make you laugh so much?”
The thief eased up on the tickling so that Natalie could speak. Wattson’s laughter died down to giggles as Loba squeezed her sides and hips. “Iheheheheheheheh ahahahahalready ahaahahahaham!” She tittered, snickering as Loba stroked her nails up her torso. Loba wriggled her nails in slow, circular motions just underneath Natalie’s ribcage, causing her to jolt and giggle harder. “I’m ahahahahalrehehehady laahahahaughihihihng!”
“So you are. But, I think I can make you laugh a little bit more, no?” Loba smirked and tickled further up her ribcage. This time, she pressed her fingertips into the bones and kneaded each rib individually. Wattson’s eyes bugged out and she squealed, dissolving back into laughter. 
“NOHOHOHOHOH! YOHOHOHU DOHOHOHN’T NEEHEHEHED TOHOHOHO!” The engineer yelled, kicking her legs out again as she laughed. She twisted her torso around, but Loba kept up with her struggling and focused on the most sensitive ribs. Her laughter and squirming grew more desperate by the second, and Loba took advantage of her adorable state to lower herself back towards her stomach. By the time Wattson noticed, it was too late; Loba took a deep breath and ducked her head down, blowing a raspberry right over her navel. Natalie shrieked and thrashed around violently, but this didn’t deter the she-wolf. “NAHAHAHAHA STAHAHAHAHP! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHP IHIHIHIHIHIHT!”
Loba was still blowing the raspberry as the engineer cackled out her demands; she made sure to empty her lungs. Then, instead of complying, she brushed her fingers against her uppermost ribs again while she blew another lung-emptying raspberry over her navel. By then, Wattson was howling with laughter. After a few more raspberries, Loba reached up further and burrowed her nails into her armpits, prompting a sudden shriek of desperate laughter. 
“NONONOHOHOHOHAHAHAHAHAHA! PAHAHAHAHAHS IHIHIHCI! PAHAHAHAHAHAS IHIHIHIHCI! (Not there! Not there!)” Natalie screamed and pulled at her arms as much as she could. Loba smirked widely and stopped tickling, but kept her nails pressed into the woman’s armpits. 
“Well, well, well...look what I’ve found…” The thief purred, applying just a little bit of pressure to make her shiver and giggle. “This spot must be terribly ticklish, huh?” She slowly raked her nails back and forth where her armpits began, looking down at the engineer with a smile. “Call it woman’s intuition.” 
Wattson sputtered and giggled heavily, teetering on the edge of laughter. She gave her arms another sharp pull, but it didn’t do anything to free them. When she didn’t respond with understandable words, the thief gave her armpits a quick scribble, making her shriek and laugh. “YEHEHEHEHS! Ihihihihiht tihihihckles! Sohohohohoh leheheheht mehehehe gohohohoh! Plehehehehease…” She pleaded, staring up at the thief with nervous, giggly anticipation. 
Loba playfully tutted at her and shook her head. “Aw, Natalie. When have you ever known me to walk away from a gold mine?” She simpered, sneaking her hands underneath her arms and scratching away at her hollows. 
Wattson screeched and burst out laughing, bucking against the mattress. The thief focused on the very center of each armpit, where the muscles split. Loba almost toppled over from how much Wattson was squirming; so, for a moment, she believed that the younger woman would somehow be able to free herself. So, keeping her fingers buried in her right armpit, the thief shifted her weight so that she could reach above her bed. 
“AHAHAHAHAHAHA LOHOHOHOHOHBAHAHA NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHN!” Natalie cried out, squirming as far to the left as she could to try and get away from the intense sensation. “DOHOHOHOHOHN’T TIHIHIHIHCKLE THEHEHER--HEHEHEHEHY!”
While Wattson was laughing, Loba lifted up her left arm and slipped her wrist through a restraint above the bed frame. It was soft, black, and made out of nylon, but sturdy enough to keep her arm in place. The she-wolf stopped tickling to do the same thing to her right arm. Now, she had easy access to her armpits and torso. Loba settled back down onto her waist, making a dramatic show of wiggling her fingers in the air. 
“There we go, much better.” The thief began, grinning as Natalie paled and tried to tug her wrists free from the newfound restraints. “Now there’s nothing in my way…” She whispered tauntingly, lowering her hands even closer to her exposed armpits. Wattson’s eyes were locked onto Loba’s wiggling nails and she squirmed, already giggling.
“Nohohohohoh wahahahait! WahahAHAHAHIT!” Natalie squeaked and jumped when Loba held her nails just inches from her armpits. The she-wolf cocked her head to the side and smirked at her. 
“...Yes?” Loba chuckled, wiggling her fingers in the air again. She wasn’t even touching Wattson yet, but the engineer squealed and giggled harder the closer her fingers got. 
“PLEHEHEHEAHASE STAHAHAHAHA!” Wattson yelled, her arms twitching from how much she was trying to pull them down. The phantom tickles caught up with her and she started laughing, making the thief laugh in turn. 
“What? I’m not even touching you!” Loba giggled, barely pressing her fingertips to her armpits. The engineer screamed and bucked her hips; now, Loba was laughing almost as hard as she was. “Seriously? I don’t even have to do anything, do I? You’re too ticklish for your own good.” She smiled, letting her words hang in the air. Just when Wattson thought she was going to attack her armpits, the she-wolf switched gears and started stroking her sides. 
Wattson shivered and wiggled, biting her lips to trap the giggles. Loba arched a brow at her and, grinning, she jabbed her fingers into her ribs. The engineer flinched and grinned widely, shaking with the laughter that she refused to let free. 
“That’s not going to work, love…” Loba sang, rubbing her fingertips between the bones. Wattson gasped and let a few giggles slip out, but she was determined to hold out. Loba leaned in again and slowly started scratching her way up her ribcage. “I know you want to laugh. And, it would seem that I’m exceptionally good at making you laugh…” She continued teasing, causing the engineer to giggle even more. The thief continued tickling her ribs and even her stomach before finally descending on her armpits. Loba dug five wiggling nails into each armpit, causing Natalie to scream and cackle loudly. 
“NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHON LOHOHOHOHBA! AHAHAHARRÊHEHEHETE ÇAAHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHARRÊHEHEHETE ÇAAHAHAHAHA! (Stop it! Stop it!)” Wattson shrieked and threw her body around, laughing harder when Loba tickled faster. Loba chuckled and jabbed her fingers into her armpits instead, making the engineer let out another cry of laughter. 
“Sorry, beautiful. But I never did pick up on the language of love. You’ll have to translate for me..” Loba jeered, scribbling away along the poor woman’s armpits. Wattson tossed her head back again and shook with laughter. Any words that she tried to say were lost as she desperately tried to escape the woman’s devious nails. Loba kept up the tickling for a good five minutes before slowing the scribbling down to slow, gentle strokes. “You know what? There’s something I meant to ask you..” She remembered, slowing the tickling down even more so that the engineer could breathe and speak. 
“...Whahahahahahahat?” Natalie panted and snickered, grateful for the small break, but still twitching from the residue tickles. Loba, since she noticed how especially ticklish her right armpit seemed to be, traced a nail just around that particular armpit. 
“You know, all of this talk about flirting and charming others has got me wondering...who is it you have your eyes on?” The thief inquired, taking that same nail and poking it into her armpit at random intervals. Wattson snorted and pulled at her right arm, her cheeks reddening. 
“I-I dohohohn’t hahahahave mhyhy ehehehehyes ohohohn ahahahanyoohohohne…” Natalie giggled; when the engineer looked up at her, there was skepticism written all over her face. And that one, lone finger poking into her armpit noticeably picked up speed. “I’m sehehehehrious! Lohohohohbahahaha plehehehehase!” She tried again, rolling her body to the side and frantically giggling.
“Aw, sweetie. I’ve been doing this sort of thing a long time. I can always tell when someone has a crush…” Loba purred, starting to poke all five of her fingers into that same armpit. Wattson yelped and turned her face into her shoulder, loud laughter mixing in with her giggles. In fact, she was giggling so loud that the thief had to speak up so that she could be heard. “Would you like to know what else I’m good at?”
“NOHOHohohohohohohohoh!” Natalie rejected and resumed kicking at the mattress. She was dangerously close to laughing; so, the thief positioned her free hand by the woman’s left armpit while continuing to tickle the right one. 
“I’m also good at picking out lies…” Loba muttered with an evil grin, spidering her all ten of her nails against both of her armpits. Wattson started bucking her hips again, hysterical laughter filling up every last corner of the room. 
“I’M NAHAHAHAHT LYHYHYHYING! AHAHAHAHAH I’M NAHAHAHAHAT!” Natalie argued, her trapped arms twitching in place as she fell deeper into hysterics. It didn’t matter how much she pulled or bucked; her arms stayed above her head, and Loba was having a blast tickling her super sensitive armpits. The thief decided to drag her nails along her outer left armpit while she continued tickling every inch of the right one. “PLEHEHEHAHASE LOHOHOHOBAHAHAHA  I’M NAHAHT LHYHYHYINHG HAHAHAHA!”
“Yes you are! Just tell me who it is. I’ll keep it a secret.” Loba promised and, smiling, she flicked her nail against her left armpit. Wattson squirmed to the right and squeaked, so the thief did the same thing to the right armpit. She laughed when the engineer jumped to the opposite side, so she kept on alternating the pokes, amused by the little ‘dance’ she was doing. 
“IT’S NOHOHOH OHOHOHOHNE HAHAHAHAHA!” Natalie insisted and shut her eyes, her laughter completely taking over her. “I DOHOHOHOHN’T HAHAHAHAVE A CRUHUHSHAHAHAHAHA!”
A small part of Loba believed her, but another part of her wanted to keep tickling just a bit longer. She could tell the engineer was reaching her limit, though, so she wanted to give her one last good tickling before she stopped. So, with a small sigh, Loba grabbed onto her right arm with her left hand. Then, with her right hand, she pressed her fingertips into her uppermost rib. Wattson arched her back and kept on giggling but, when she tried to pull her arm down again, it didn’t move at all. The restraints were already keeping her limbs still anyway, but Loba’s grip made it virtually impossible for her arm to have the slightest movement. Natalie froze as the panic seeped in. 
“Last chance, beautiful. Tell me who you have the hots for, and I’ll stop.” Loba demanded, vibrating her fingers against the bone. Wattson shook her head and laughed, pleadingly looking into the she-wolf’s dark eyes. “If you don’t...well, let’s just say I’m sure you’ll come around…” She continued warning, smirking as she slowly inched toward her armpit. “So? Who’s that special Legend?”
Wattson breathed heavily, her body going rigid in anticipation of the incoming tickles. She kept her eyes on her just in case she decided to have mercy...but Loba wasn’t so easily swayed. The engineer scrambled to provide her a satisfactory answer, but she took too long, and the thief wasn’t a fan of waiting. Loba kept a firm grip on Natalie’s arm as she wriggled her nails into the right armpit, scribbling along the area where the muscles split. 
The engineer thrashed in Loba’s grip, convulsing with laughter. She repeatedly shook her head and tried to get even the smallest bit of leverage on her arm, but the thief wasn’t having any of it. So, Natalie didn’t have a choice but to take the tickles and laugh her head off...which is exactly what she did. 
“AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH NAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Wattson gave up on trying to speak and resumed laughing into her shoulder. “SAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
“No can do, love. I gave you plenty of chances to come clean. And you didn’t take them.” Loba donned her best pitying voice as she fluttered her fingertips into her left armpit, now tickling both armpits. Wattson squeaked and scrunched her nose up from how hard she was laughing.  “I told you what would happen…” She whispered, leaning over to resume blowing on the engineer’s stomach. 
Wattson yelled one more time before her laughter became silent. She was too tired to struggle, so she laid limp as the she-wolf tickled her. Loba stopped the tickling altogether when she didn’t hear anymore laughter, reaching above the bed frame to undo her restraints. The engineer’s arms felt heavy as she finally brought them down, trembling and giggling. 
“I’ll tehehehell yohohohu...I’ll tehehehell yohohohu..” Natalie gasped for air and sat up, pulling down her shirt and rubbing her arms together. Loba chuckled and shook her head, crawling off the bed to give her some space. 
“No need, beautiful. I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough. And I’m sure whoever it is will love hearing you laugh just as much as I did.” She winked, giggling when the woman’s cheeks reddened. Loba strode away from her just to turn off the music. Then, she returned to the engineer and sat beside her. The thief’s expression became more serious and she turned to face her. “Mind if I give you some advice on pursuing this mystery lover of yours?” She quipped and offered her a smile...but, something about the way she asked made Wattson look up. And, when she did, the smile also disappeared. 
“Yes? What is it, Loba?” Natalie put her hands in her lap and eyed her curiously. Loba sighed and stared at the wall for a moment before looking at the engineer. 
“I haven’t always been honest with you. With anyone, really. Because after I lost my parents...well, I didn’t think any of that mattered anymore.” Loba admitted quietly, frowning for the first time in the time she and Wattson spent together. “I learned that the world is a cold, unforgiving place. And as long as I got what I wanted, nothing else mattered. I had to claw my way out of the slums to get where I am now, so if I broke someone’s heart or stole some old guy’s jewelry, so what? At the end of the day, I took care of myself. Because I didn’t have anyone to do it for me.” She sighed, putting one hand over the other as she remembered her parents. Wattson blinked and opened her mouth to speak, but the thief held up her hand.
“I don’t want you to feel bad for me, Natalie. I’m fine. I’m just...what I’m saying is that once the demonio joined the Games, I realized that I didn’t have to do everything by myself anymore. I lied to you, to everyone, to get what I wanted. And..I almost got you killed. I just want to tell you that no matter who you fall for, always take care of yourself first. And do it by yourself. That way, no one else gets hurt if things go south…” Loba affirmed, looking directly into the engineer’s eyes. “And if they’re dishonest with you, make sure you walk away.”
Wattson’s gaze didn’t falter as she looked up at the thief. She took on a serious expression, too. “You did what you did to avenge your family. I don’t blame you for that..” She answered firmly, which surprised the thief. Loba expected anger, rage even….but she got quite the opposite. “If Revenant did that to my family, I’d…” The engineer trailed off, suddenly getting louder, her eyes momentarily engulfed with fury. But then, she calmed down and sighed. “I don’t even want to say it. But, I also think that people can change for the better, if they want to. I’ve seen it myself.” A smile sprung onto Natalie’s face as she put her hand over Loba’s. “So no matter what you choose to do, Loba, I forgive you. You’re a part of the Legend-ary family now, for better or worse!” Natalie giggled and beamed up at the woman. Loba chuckled and patted her hand; she wasn’t the emotional type, but the engineer’s words made her heart feel warm. 
“Thanks, Natalie. Now, it’s getting late. And I have some...things, I have to take care of. Why don’t you go break some more hearts and tell me about it tomorrow?” Loba quipped, pulling her hand free to poke Wattson’s sides. Wattson lurched away from her and laughed, hopping off of the bed. 
“Okahahy...I’ll see you around, Loba!” Natalie smiled and bid the thief farewell, hurrying out of her room and down the hallway. Loba noticed the slight strut to her walk as she left, which made her heart swell with pride. 
Aw, they grow up so fast… 
16 notes · View notes
alphabees-writes · 3 years
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We may co-parent, but only because you and I both agree that he is our pansexual child...
(Pet peeve: mostly-canon-compliant Sam fics that insist on him being gay rather than bi or pan.)
So much of this Glee rewatch/first watch of S5-6, has been "God, look how they massacred your character, Sam."
Like, I knew they did it to others... Kurt and Blaine got different ends of that stick, and then even characters like Sebastian (who just does NOT work as a piece of set-dressing in S4/5, like that's NOT a role for that character, and it hurts seeing him reduced to that)...
But with Sam, I can't help but watch the beginning of S2, and I look at it like... Duets could have happened EXACTLY the way it did, except for the final scene at Breadstix either being with Kurt, or being Sam coming out to Quinn... and NOTHING ELSE in his storyline up to that point would have had to change...
But they then go on to give Sam all this weird stuff with Blaine in S4/5 and then weird insensitive comments in especially 5b... Like, the writing was never good, but finding a new character to focus particularly on hurt more this time.
I love our pansexual son and I will pick him up on Wednesday!!!
Ok real talk I am in fact, on mobile, so if this is a jumbled mess that’s why. It’s got nothing to do with me being a jumbled mess.
We can co-parent this pet peeve too and may I introduce you to its sibling? The “Sam is straight but One Guy (usually Kurt in my experience) is ‘his exception’ and 100% the only guy he’ll ever be attracted to” which I have seen way more times than necessary in fics. Like... he can just... be bi or pan with a general leaning preference for girls if you want Kurt to be the only guy within your plot that he’s into? I hate it!!!
Holy shit I just typed a huge paragraph and accidentally deleted it did I mention I hate mobile??? I hate mobile. Anyway I will now be performing voice to text.
Sam is done so so dirty by the glee narrative. He goes through so much incredibly serious shit things that would not fly if he was a girl (not that it should fly if he was a girl) and I won’t touch on that here because it’s dark. It upsets me to think about. It’s strange, because he’s one of the few cases in which I can see his trauma reflected in his behaviours later on, but never in a way the writing seems to build to intentionally.
The way they handled his friendships too? Awful. I used to like his friendship with Blaine, it was one of the few things I liked about Blaine in general, but now it all just makes me nauseous. Where was his bond with Kurt? Oh— sorry, can’t have that anymore even though they literally lived together. RIB’s favourite gay needs some Lima arm candy! He needs to be “stupid” so that Blaine’s the cool calm rational one!
I have a LOT of thoughts about the one scene in 5B I think you’re referring to. I hate hate hate that it exists at all, glee had no right to pick a topic that serious only to dump all over it and then brush it aside once the episode was through. Again, not something I’ll speak on here because it’s just... ugh. Nobody needs to think about that.
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flying-elliska · 4 years
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S5 Review pt.1 : the Good
Arthur season is over, time to analyze it as a finished story ! This meta in 3 parts will go over the good, the bad and the mindboggling. My general impression of the season : excellent beginning, very meh middle, interesting ending. In short :  flawed but I feel people calling it a total disaster really are not making any effort to see it objectively. So ; let's dig into the why and how.
What I liked about this season :
A story made with and for Deaf people : It’s pretty evident when watching the interviews that Winona and Lucas really really enjoyed making the season and that it offered them an unprecedented level of representation. The creators obviously did their research, working with the people of the IVT. Personally I feel like I learned so much and the clips showing aspects of Deaf culture were among my favorites. It felt like a nuanced, rich, in-depth perspective, with details like choosing to get a cochlear implant or not, the testimony evening, the sign language class, Noee’s sign dance, the different ways to enjoy music, how to speak to someone who is Deaf, etc...showing that not everyone within that community has the same story or opinion, that they’re just people with their unique challenges but shared needs, as well as the really awesome culture that is part of being Deaf. It felt really respectful and a thousand miles away from the usual miserabilistic clichés - it brought up some concern about how difficult it is to be rejected/invisible in today’s society, but it was balanced with emotions like curiosity, admiration, and awe. I came to SKAM for the representation but I absolutely love getting educated about groups I’m not part of and I feel this is truly where the season shines. Learning from Deaf fans was also hella interesting. 
A complex discussion about disability : A central plot point, and one of my favorites, was Arthur learning to overcome his (now internalized) ableism. We see that Arthur is an overachiever and this change in his life upsets this idea of the perfect life he has in mind. He repeadedly lashes out at the other Deaf people he meets, makes fun of sign language, underlines how he is ‘not like them’ at the beginning because he is still clinging to his own self image. We can understand where this comes from when we see how condescending towards any sort of weakness, and focused on performance over empathy his father is. But as he learns to meet actual Deaf people and see the diversity and beauty of the community, he learns there is no shame in that sort of difference and learns to stand up for himself and that was amazing to see. Another important part was Laura and Melchior’s inclusion and beyond being very funny, they highlighted the idea that although disabled people have different, sometimes competing needs, they also have things in common, and that deep wish of not being discounted/othered/excluded. All the disabled characters this season were complex, real people, not there just to teach others a lesson or inspire them or be pitied or the butt of a joke, and that is so sadly rare nowadays. Even though some bits did feel a bit like a PSA, I feel like overall it was very well done. 
The politics of desirability : A theme running through the season is the idea that who we are attracted to is socially constructed and can really be biased by our prejudices. Alexia expressed this idea (albeit clumsily) in the bar scene early on, and this came back when she talked about her insecurities. This was also present in Laura’s insistence that disabled people have certain needs like everybody else. And finally, it’s present in Arthur’s own struggles - his fear of not being able to sleep with his girlfriend with his hearing aids, and his own difficulties in seeing what is happening with Noee and him saying ‘she’s deaf’ to the question ‘is she beautiful’ even as he is obviously into her. Our society gives us this incredibly narrow set of criteria for who is considered attractive - thin, white, able bodied, etc - but people’s actual real patterns of attraction and finding beauty are, when you set those prejudices aside, and see the beauty of people for who they are and not how well they fit a box, so much more broad and generous and diverse and I loved how this season highlighted that. 
Technical excellence : God, the cinematography this season was absolutely off the charts, it makes me wish they could redo previous seasons with this amount of style. Shots like Arthur under the shower, or that party at the Asso with the blurry dancing, the shots in the pool, or the ones from the farm episode...INCREDIBLE. The sound editing was used sooooo well to put us in Arthur’s shoes, it was a wonder and I really felt how intense the change must have been for him because of that. And the acting is impeccable. You can really feel how well these actors know their characters by now, they have total mastery of their portrayal. Robin did an awesome job with tough scenes, but just...everyone was on their best game really. 
A nuanced portrayal of abuse : Arthur’s relationship with his father was thouroughly heartbreaking, and it felt very real. I am very grateful that they didn’t try to redeem him - it’s important to show that even if you are trying your best, some people are toxic abusers and the best thing you can do is take your distance. I felt it right away, in the subtle way he was dismissing and belittling his wife and son, in the ways he was asserting his control over them, and I wasn’t surprised at all when more came out. It surprised me in the beginning that so many people were arguing that the father was caring, just strict - I feel like the signs were so obvious but I guess that’s the point. Abuse is a pattern that becomes visible over time and abusers can be perfectly charming and reasonable to people who don’t know what it’s like. Growing up with that is isolating and terrifying and it does awful things to your self esteem and your capacity to be in tune with your feelings. We can see that when Arthur basically defends his father’s actions because he is still so eager to have his love and placate him. Arthur’s behavior did not come from nowhere and it was inspiring to see him grow past that and realize he did not have to perpetuate the pattern and make his own choices. Also, his relationship with his mom was very sweet, supportive (her smoking weed with him was awesome) but complex - the way he was mean to her sometimes, condescending bc of her lack of studies ; the way she blamed herself for not seeing sooner - she must have been subjected to Patrick’s more emotional abuse, and so she will probably feel like she should have reacted sooner or known and that’s like...painful ugh. This whole thing was so raw and real. And it was incredibly important to see the nurse and her Jerome - adults, with medical knowledge - see Arthur’s situation and tell him that sometimes you just have to leave. 
Highs and lows of friendship : Basile !!!! I was not a fan in s3 but the great aspect of POV shift is allowing us to see some characters through a different angle - even though I think Basile went through a lot of growth too. In Lucas’s season he was meant to be the annoying gross overly straight guy as a contrast - but for Arthur he is this devoted friend that is so open and sincere in his affection that his awkwardness comes off as endearing instead. You really understand why those two are friends : Arthur is smart, sarcastic, he can help Basile with social awareness and hype him up, but he’s also so painfully guarded and finds it hard to express emotion, I think, and it makes sense he loves Basile’s spontaneity and big heart. Meeting his grandfather was also so funny and endearing, as were all the marks of more physical affection he wasn’t afraid to show Arthur. I think having a friend like that is part of what allows Arthur to finally stand up on his own - whether against his father or deciding he needs to be single to figure himself out. As for the Gang in general, I loved the moments where they were all happy together (the early graffiti clip is truly one of the shining moments of the season for me) but their later spat is also quite understandable to me. I find it very realistic that although they are trying their best to accomodate their new friend’s disability, they’re going to mess up, that’s part of the process. The most important thing, I think, when faced with someone who is different from you, is to engage with it (respectfully) - ask questions, not assume. And communicate ffs.  I also really liked those moments where the Crew and Gang came together, it gave this big end of high school vibe where all the squads merge and there is this feeling of having gone through an ordeal together that makes everyone closer.  There were also so many funny moments  that were absolute gold (the wheelbarrow ! the dinosaur balloons ! Imane getting attacked by chickens ! Emma and her horse! ).
Arthur on his own : I liked the more introspective moments we got this season. The successive alarms while he was angsting about his hearing coming back were such a clever way to put us in his perspective - there is already a lot of stress linked to a morning alarm, isn’t there ? We all know that moment in the morning where we don’t want to get out of bed and face the world, and taking that emotion and adding Arthur’s absolute stress at realizing that this change is lasting, it was really effective. Arthur’s link to water, as a symbol of another world where sound is much more diffuse, is quite interesting too. And the moment in last episode where he puts his glasses back on, too, as a more obvious sign of a disability that is very socially accepted and that is just part of who he is, just as his hearing loss is. We also got a moment with the bench of loneliness that was an interesting parallel with s3. (I love how the Buttes-Chaumont parc has become this double symbol in Skam France of both loneliness/alienation/putting on a mask and growth/return to authenticity.) And I like that he ended up the season single and deciding to figure himself out. It’s a big aspect of his character that he has spent too much time trying to conform to expectations and that he was super walled off as a result, that he hurt others without realizing, that he found himself boring, that he didn’t seem to open up to his friends, etc...and in the end he is a lot more open but he also knows there is a part of growth that being in a relationship cannot bring him. He can’t use women the way his father did. I respect that a lot, honestly, it’s what saved the end of the season for me, that they didn’t end up putting one girl above the other and made it about Arthur being lost and needing to find his way on his own. 
The tornado and the sunshine : The new characters were awesome. Her role in the plot set aside, I really liked Noée as a character concept. I think Winona was awesome, and I liked Noée’s mix of warmth and feistiness. I like that they let her be angry at the way the world treated her, and compassionate at the same time. Also her headbutting that guy in the club that didn’t want to listen to her was !!! iconic. I loved her style, too, and that dance was so beautiful. Camille was a great addition to the team too, Arthur was lucky to find someone that patient and his dry humor but sunny disposition were great too. It was cute to see him with Mika as a couple of gurus - that we did get a Deaf/hearing couple was a good addition to the season, I think - and I hope we’ll see both of those new characters next season, too. 
Queen Alexia : She was definitely one of the characters I had the most emotions for this season. She’s just so cool and her perspective on life is just so mature and interesting, her acceptance of herself and others so inspiring - a lot of the early clips with her were adorable. I loved how supportive she was in such a creative, playful way - that game she made for Arthur, the boards she brought, etc. The moments she talked about her insecurities, if bittersweet because of what happened later, remains one of my faves from the season. She was so beautiful framed by rainbows (also apparently that’s her sign name ? Amazing.) And the moment where she sings was just...oof. She was really brave and strong to be able to do that, to express her emotions and hurt in such a public, dignified and creative way. It was a moment of reckoning for Arthur, putting him on the spot and recognizing how much he hurt her, but it was done in such a graceful way - the way she signed to signal her acceptance of his Deafness, the reminder that she loves him and won’t be able to forget that immediately, and a rejoinder to recognize his feelings towards Noee, etc. She wasn’t perfect (organizing that meeting without asking really pushed it a bit too far - you can’t rush someone else’s self acceptance) but she was just ...really good. 
Elu as an established couple : One of my biggest reproaches to s3 is that they didn’t give us enough fluff after all the drama (time constraints, I know, etc.) But this season they really delivered. And listen I know some fans love to blather about fanservice but fuck it, I just love seeing a healthy domestic queer couple on screen !!!! It’s just so bloody healing, because they feel real and in love like nothing I have ever seen on screen before. Maybe because so often straight actors are so awkward at playing queer intimacy and they’re really not. Seeing them in their new appartment was like a pure shot of serotonin - morning croissants ! fairylights everywhere ! but I also liked that it wasn’t too fluffy one note. We can still see that Eliott struggles with MI, that Lucas has some insecurities, but yet their devotion to each other is still as strong, as in “he’s my boyfriend and I love him.” It was a hopeful note throughout the season, Lucas being persistent and devoted all through the challenges of being with someone who is mentally ill. Also, I really liked Eliott’s role this season, as a sort of...provider for the Gang ? Getting them a van, bringing them to the cool graffiti place, making this fresque for them...you can feel he’s not 100% part of the gang because he’s older, already in college, etc, but at the same time he has sort of an observer role that can give them things no one else can. I feel like Lucas confided in him about the troubles they were going through and Eliott can empathize with being treated different, the fear of losing your friends...so Eliott helped them in his unique way, through art. And him having this new secret place he can bring more people to, and so full of color and sharing his art with people and !!!! God I’m emo he’s just my fave character ever really. 
The pressure of the future : Listen the last year of high school in France is horrible, there is the pressure from the BAC + half the people are passing entrance exams and doing interviews for the stuff you want to do later and it’s so stressful and I’m glad they touched on that at least a little. Emma really embodied this theme this season, of the pressure of not wanting to know what you want to do later. It’s really when you realize that they’re all so young and being asked to make such big decisions for their entire lives is really sort of fucked up, and I think her being there is a way to dedramatize not knowing, and gives Arthur the freedom to see he doesn’t want to be a doctor ; I liked the apt comparison with Imane’s passion for medecine. I wish we’d seen more of Arthur figuring out his real passion (did he make that painting or what ?) but I appreciated this storyline. 
Overall, I think this season was full of excellent moments - either funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking, or edifying - and it provided some much needed quality representation for the Deaf community. In that, and having educated a lot of people, it is at least somewhat a success. However, as a whole, it did not quite come together for me, which is what I will analyze in my next post. 
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female-overlord-3 · 4 years
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Me yelling @imawriteriwrite cause I had a want for The Magicians S5
Am I watching S5? Not sure. Will tumblr spoil? I'm good with that. Do I still have random fic ideas and just want certain things to happen? That's never ending someone save me from myself. Anyway here's what I would like season 5 to go like and I apparently made Shay emotional. This is literally copy and past from our convo. Enjoy.
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You know what. I kinda want one thing to happen in season 5. I want them to do another big quest (to bring back balance for magic/quentin/fix whatever's happening) and there's this whole dramatic sacrifice "one will not make it to the end" line and everyone thinks someone's going to die but it's revealed that when Quentin died/how he did because of the mirror world, he created this unstable universe which is causing an issue in bringing things back to some base level.
And so Eliot is done grieving and finally at peace but knows he'll always love Q and misses him but they need to fix this world again and magic.
So the people they finally find/make them reveal themselves (coward gods who just wanna ignore the problem) say a strong magicians who's been tied to Quentin must join him to stabilize their world.
For once everyone is torn because yes they know a bit more about El & Q, but it could still be with Alice or Julia. Julia a demigod. Alice who's all powerful. Eliot not as powerful but has the most control of the 3.
The best friend. The first love (wait fuck WAIT I SAW A CLIP FROM S5E1 BUT NO WE'RE IGNORING THAT). The (beauty of) life partner.
The asshole gods say the person will reunite with Q when they've decided (aka no actual deadline) and it spans another episode. Alice says she'll go because she's strong and ready and she needs to but then she doubts because she's grieved and moved on and started her life again, a good one.
Julia wants to because that's her best friend and brother and she's strong but also has started to grow back into her goddess-like hood and made a life for herself and Penny23.
Eliot has finally stopped grieving and has started to rebuild Fillory with Margo and Fen (omg nearly all the names come out as all caps 😂) and accepted that Quentin made his choice and he missed his but he can't dwell on it any longer.
They're all arguing and saying there's gotta be another way, a way to bring Q back to them.
Eliot is the only one who doesn't voice he should be the one to go. Margo point blank says Eliot should go. Penny and Kady and Josh agree.
It's Alice who asks him if he wants to go but Eliot just stares at his hands at a loss. Yes he does but no he shouldn't. He missed his chance and he's moved past it. He shouldn't be looking back.
Julia says that's BS because now he can clearly make a decision without all the grief and pain. That he's grown and healed and better. That he deserves a second chance after everything.
Eliot let's himself consider it. Like fully and truly consider it and then a doorway lights up behind them.
They all turn and Eliot feels a pull but holds tight to margos hand, the only thing stopping him from running away and running to it. She turns his face and gives him a soft look before sighing and glaring at him. "Go. Our nerd needs you."
And eliot looks to everyone but they all understand. Julia just smiles at him and says to tell Q she loves him. Alice is glaring at the floor but latches onto Eliot in a tight hug as she silently cries. "Tell him we miss and love him. That I'm sorry. That I want you both happy. Or else I'll find a way too you" she voices. He nods and hugs her back just as tightly. He walks to the doorway and it opens for him.
He can see Q and he just stares. Q is staring at him too. Both in awe and positively terrified their eyes are playing tricks on each other but Q extends his hand in his world and Eliot steps forward and takes it, stepping through the doorway. The last thing everyone hears is their joyful laughter as the door gently closes behind them.
Queue commercial
End commercial. It's a scene where we see everyone is sleeping (I can't think of what technical term it is but ya it pans to everyone in bed sleeping) and then it zeros in on Julia and she's blinking her eyes open to a white world that's slowly morphing with color and things.
She sees what looks like a small shack and a puzzle. She walks closer to it before being stopped by a barrier. She looks around and sees everyone else is there. They all group together and then both Eliot and Quentin walk out from the small shack.
They are the happiest and most peaceful they've ever been. Everyone can both see and feel it.
Everyone finally sees why they work so well, the proof that Eliot being with Quentin was the best choice.
Both Q and El look up and see them, sad but blinding smiles spreading across their face as they wave from their spot.
No words are said but you KNOW they're happy and good and at peace. That for once having to let someone go was a good thing, that it worked out in the end.
Everyone wakes up and they all gather to the living room and just group hug. Happy and crying and feeling so much before falling asleep again. The next time they wake-up it's the lightest they've ever felt, like something's settled and the world feels right for once. It doesn't last but it does return when they think if their weird group of friends, their family, when things are hard. It's hope for better. Hope for happy. It's hope to get through whatever comes next.
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spnjediavenger · 5 years
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Chapter 2: Motels and Memories
Disclaimers: I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters
Time frame: set early S5
Notes: flashbacks made possible by @sarimaposthumous ; we are connecting our fics a little bit (hers is called The High Priestess – go check it out). More background on her character, Shane to come!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2: Motels and Memories 
           Elliana’s legs were sore and her stomach was empty. It had only been a few days but her money ran out and she hadn’t slept in a real bed since leaving her home.
           After walking so far, her legs finally collapsed underneath her. She sat on the ground, taking in her surroundings to find somewhere to rest, when her eyes stopped on a rustic-looking building around the corner. She begrudgingly got up and walked to it and stepped inside, only to find out it was a bar.
           She sighed and ran a hand through her slightly messy hair and asked to just use the restroom, finding any excuse to be inside for even a little bit. It didn’t take any more than that for the employees to be concerned, and the manager had approached her when she came out, offering a meal in exchange for her story.
             “Kid? Hey, kid!” Dean called from the driver’s seat, snapping Elliana from her trance.
           “What?”
           Dean rolled his eyes but responded. “I said, ‘we’re here’. Let’s go.”
           Ellie grabbed her backpack, duffel, and Anaya’s leash and opened the Impala’s door, following Sam and Dean to their next motel, and sighed. Even though she was used to these places, she still hated them.
           “The hunters that travel – how do they live? Where do they live?”
           “Sometimes they sleep in their car in the middle of nowhere or will squat in any empty house if they’re low on money. When they do have money, they just stay in motels.”
           “Sounds kinda crappy, but it’s better than sleeping outside,” Ellie said, giving a sad smirk as she thought of the past couple nights before stopping at the bar; sleeping under bridges or in a secluded corner, only being able to get a few hours’ sleep each night because she was too afraid of being caught off-guard.
           After almost 24 hours on the road, Ellie supposed she was willing to accept anything besides the Impala’s back seat to sleep on.
           Once the guys paid for a room, they piled in and set their things down. Taking a quick look around, Ellie saw a small bathroom ahead, a small kitchenette, two beds, and a couch in front of a TV.
           “Ok, I don’t know what you’re used to-“
           “I’ll take the couch,” Elliana interrupted Dean.
           “No, I’ll take the couch,” Sam said, not wanting a 13-year-old to have to sleep on a motel couch.
           “Your chivalry is appreciated but not necessary,” Ellie said, a light smirk on her face. Sam looked unsure so she rolled her eyes and continued. “If it bothers you that much, we can trade off. I’ll take the couch this time, you can take it next time. Ok?”
           Sam let out an airy chuckle and nodded his head, turning towards the bathroom but groaning when Dean ran past him to get to it first, practically closing the door in his face.
           Ellie held in a laugh and unhooked Anaya’s leash, letting her roam around the small room while she took a few things out of her backpack.
           As soon as Anaya was free, she padded over to Sam, who now sat on the edge of one of the beds. The dog placed her head under his hand and sat in front of him. Sam couldn’t help but smile. He had to admit – it was pretty nice having a dog around.
           “So why ‘Anaya’?” he asked Elliana, gently stroking the dog’s fur.
           “It’s Arabic; means ‘care’ or ‘protection’,” she responded, not looking up from her bag.
           “So is she your protector?” Sam said, hoping some light prodding would get the girl to open up to him a little bit.
           Elliana sensed this, though, and turned to look at him; at first, however, she was thrown off by how close and calm Anaya was with him. She was not a very trusting dog, aside from with Ellie, and was always quite standoffish with strangers.
           The dog’s apparent trust in the younger Winchester put Elliana a little more at ease so she sighed and answered him. “Shortly after I started hunting, I was in trouble with a werewolf. She came out of nowhere and tackled it, giving me the chance to get my knife back and kill it. So, I took her with me. Her senses are good and she’s been a great hunting partner. We protect each other.”
           Sam blinked in surprise, not expecting an actual answer from Ellie. But his surprise was replaced with a small smile as he nodded and looked back to the dog.
           “I’m surprised she’s like that with you,” Ellie added absently, going back to organizing her things. “She never takes to strangers at all hardly; she’s known you for like, 2 days and is acting like your friend.”
           “She obviously knows an awesome person when she sees one,” he said, smirking Ellie’s way.
           “Wow, and here I thought Dean was the cheeky one,” she joked, giving no reaction.
           Baby steps, Sam thought.
           Another day, another state, another hunt, and of course – another motel.
           Elliana and the Winchesters just completed a hunt chasing a shapeshifter, and let’s just say Ellie, for once, couldn’t get into the motel soon enough. Exhaustion slowed her movements and clouded her mind; all she wanted was a shower and some sleep.
           Once in their room, Dean, as usual, ran to the bathroom first, getting an eye roll from both Sam and Ellie. Sam allowed Ellie to go next, leaving Anaya with the boys. Dean walked past, giving her a quick pet, and walked to his bag to throw his dirty clothes in it. He turned around to see Sam’s shocked expression.
           “What?”
           “You pet the dog…”
           “She was there, I walked by, why not? Don’t make a big deal out of it,” Dean said, quickly dismissing the matter. Sam smirked a bit but dropped it. It wasn’t just the dog, though. Elliana had been with the boys for about five days now and she was slowly growing on Dean – even if she was still a bit wary of them both. Dean had even put himself into the switching for beds idea with her and Sam.
           Elliana got out of the bathroom and clomped over to the couch, but Dean put a cautious hand on her shoulder and nodded to one of the beds.
           “I know it’s your turn for the couch, but why don’t you take the bed tonight? Looks like you could use it,” he said simply, doing his best to keep any traces of a soft demeanor from showing on his face.
           Ellie wanted to protest, not wanting to be babied, but her sore muscles and tempting look of the beds won her over. She gave Dean a quiet ‘thanks’ and went over to the bed, falling not-so-gracefully onto it with a happy groan, Anaya quick to join her, laying across her owner’s back.
           Sam and Dean let out silent chuckles and went about their post-hunt routines.
           One week with the Winchesters and Elliana was still fairly closed off. She would talk to them, but the second they brought up anything personal, her communication cut off for a short time.
           The next motel they were in was a bit nicer than any of them were used to, and this time an extra person met them there. Upon seeing someone in the room when the door was opened, Elliana drew a knife from her belt and held it up defensively.
           “Who are you?!”
           “Woah, kid, hold it!” Dean called, grabbing the knife from her hand.
           “He’s with us, Elliana,” Sam coaxed a bit urgently, not wanting a situation starting.
           “Kid, this is Cas, Cas this is Elliana,” Dean said, gesturing to each person as he introduced them.
           “Elliana,” Cas said contemplatively. “What a beautiful name.”
           The man’s relaxed demeanor and gravely voice had a strangely calming effect on Ellie, causing her to relax her shoulders. “Thanks…” she said, hoping none of the guys could see the light blush dusting her cheeks. “It means ‘God’-“
           “’God has answered,’” she and the angel ended up saying at the same time.
           Ellie looked at him, confused. “Are you religious or something? Not many people know that name.”
           “Cas is an angel,” Dean said.
           “No way.” The bright smile on Elliana’s face shocked the boys. After a week, they hadn’t gotten anything other than a tiny smirk; Cas is around for a minute and she smiles. “Like, a real live angel? From heaven?!”
           “Yes,” Cas answers, a bit surprised at her reaction. “My full name is Castiel, but here I am mainly called ‘Cas’.”
           “No way,” Elliana repeats in awe, still smiling.
           Cas was still fairly new to humans and their emotions but he could see a sparkle in her eyes as she looked at him.
           “Cas, how’d you do that?” Sam asks, jaw dropped a bit.
           “Do what? I don’t understand.”
           “Get her to smile? We’ve been tryin’ for a week now,” Dean added, just as dumbfounded as his brother.
           Ellie rolled her eyes a bit then turned her attention back to Cas.    
           “What’s heaven like? Do all angels look human? How come you’re on earth?”
           Cas couldn’t help the small smile that made its way on his face the innocent questions and excitement in Elliana’s voice
           A few days later, another state, another hunt, you know the drill.
           Elliana, Sam, and Dean sat in the small living area of their current motel room, eating dinner before they would turn in for the night. Elliana sat on the couch with Dean, to both boys’ surprise, and Sam sat on the chair perpendicular to them.
           “Alright kid, it’s been a week and a half of you bein’ with us and we don’t know squat about you. I get you don’t trust anyone but you gotta know by now that we’re not here to hurt you,” Dean said, bypassing any gentler ways to bring the topic up.
           “What Dean means,” Sam interjected, knowing he’d be better than his brother with touchier topics. “Is that we’d like to get to know you a bit. It doesn’t have to be anything that deep if you don’t want. How about a question for a question? You can ask us anything, then we get to ask you something,” he finished, a hopeful look and easygoing smile on his face.
           “Look, you’re not going crazy; and I know it’s a lot to process. I’ll tell you everything you need to know and answer any questions as long as you tell me what happened. Does that sound like a deal?”
           Ellie looked at the table and let out a sigh. The man seemed nice enough. And the thought of talking about her experience to someone who actually believes in the supernatural? She felt a small spark in her chest at the idea.
           “Ok…how about a question for a question? You can go first since you gave me food,” Ellie said, giving a weak smirk and finally giving some attention to the meal in front of her.
           He nodded and thought about it for a second before asking, “What’s your name?”
           “Elliana. What’s yours?”
           “Shane.”
             “Ok,” she whispered. “You can go first, I guess.”
           “Where are you from?” Sam asked, deciding to start small.
           “Where are you from?”
           “Pittsburgh,” she answered simply, testing to see what little she could get away with telling him. Even though Ellie wanted to get things off her chest, she was still wary.
             “Pittsburgh.”
           “Are you a hunter?”
           “Yes,” Shane answered as simply as Elliana, making her purse her lips a bit. She should have known better than to ask a yes or no question. “Do you have any relatives you can contact or stay with?”
           Though the next question was a bit heavier, Ellie stood her ground and let out a simple ‘no’. She took a drink and considered her next question more carefully.
           “How did you…first find out monsters were real?” she asked.
           Shane continued playing along. “Through a tragic experience.”
             “How did you guys become hunters?” Ellie asked the boys, learning from last time.
           “Our dad was one,” Dean answered, immediately seeing the game Elliana was playing. “What happened to your family?” Sam gave him a bitch face but Dean just looked straight at Elliana.
           She took a deep breath and held it for a second, wondering whether or not to start opening up yet.
           “What happened to your family?”
            After Shane had opened up to Elliana a bit and told her that his adopted daughter’s family was killed by demons, explaining herself was easier. It was relieving, then, to tell what happened to her. She told her story, voice quivering, and tears escaping by the end. She wasn’t sure if she could do that with the boys yet. Part of her wanted to, but she just didn’t know if they would be as trustworthy as Shane.
Seeing Elliana’s pause, Sam shot Dean another look and spoke up. “Our mom was killed by a demon. Our dad became a hunter after that so, naturally, we eventually did too,” he explained, willing to level more with Ellie than Dean was. And at this statement, Ellie, again, couldn’t help the shock on her face. Could this be possible? She thought. Another person who’s family had been killed by demons?
Flashes of her parents laying dead in her living room came across her mind as well as picturing Jenny being alone, also surrounded by her deceased family.
The demon, in a different body, throwing her dad against the wall, sliding a knife into her mom.
A young girl with no knowledge of the supernatural, wondering what happened to her family.
Two young boys growing up without a mother, their father surely hell-bent on revenge.
A few tears slid down Ellie’s cheeks and she heard Anaya let out a small whine, jumping onto the couch to push herself through her arms.
“I…me too,” Elliana said, not bothering to wipe away her tears, though they began falling a bit faster as she continued. “My brother moved after he got possessed a few years ago…then my dad got possessed an-and the demon killed my parents a day after he left my dad. Not that it mattered anyway.” Elliana whispered the last part, focusing her gaze down to her hands as they made their way through Anaya’s fur.
“Why do you say that?” Dean asked gently, a newly found softness in his expression.
The girl just squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. She didn’t notice Sam get up and sit next to her until he put an arm around her shoulders. When she didn’t do anything to push Sam away, Dean hesitantly put his hand over one of hers. The affections make her cry a little harder, as she wasn’t used to being cared about even before she had first left home.
“He-he was just…he never…” she tried continuing but only ended up letting out a quick sob and being pulled into Sam’s side. She allowed herself to cry into his shoulder and Dean to rub soothing circles on her back in comfort. She hadn’t planned on letting them in so much, but boy did it feel good.
Two weeks in and Elliana wasn’t sure she wanted to leave the Winchesters. Once she opened up to them, she truly saw they were caring and that they had begun to care about her. And she didn’t want to let that go.
“Look, kid – I know you’ve got a strong head on your shoulders and are about as stubborn as they come,” Ellie let out a sly smile at this, “but I really would like for you to consider staying here for some time. Hell, maybe you and Jenny can go into the hunting business together,” Shane chuckled.
 Ellie frowned a bit, remembering Shane’s kindness and hospitality; she felt bad for leaving so quickly, but she knew she had to keep moving. At least with the Winchesters, she could do that and have companionship going with her.
She smiled lightly as she stared out the Impala window, grateful she found something good. It wasn’t long before she dozed off across the back seat, an arm draped across Anaya.
Sam caught a glimpse of her sleeping and nudged Dean, nodding his head towards the back with a fond smile on his face. Dean glanced in the rearview mirror and smiled at the peaceful smile look on Elliana’s face.
Her form shivered ever so slightly and Sam shrugged off his flannel shirt and draped it over Ellie, resting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a light squeeze before sitting back in his seat. Ellie had begun thinking more highly of the boys, and they had started thinking the same of her.
Chapter 3 ->
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calliecat93 · 6 years
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RvB16 Episode 12 Review: Docudrama
Earlier in the week, Joe confirmed that the season’s final episode count would be 15 total. This will make it the series’ shortest season, though Joe has said that the final runtime is the same as S12. My point is, we are in the final stretch my friends. So last week had some mixed responses regarding Tucker... and IDC cause Grif got n Energy Sword! WHOO!!! But now, after ten straight episodes of our heroes being separate, it’s time to bring them back together.
Overview
This episode has a rather interesting premise. You know how movies have those behind the scenes documentaries/features? Well this episode is shot as one, beginning with the actors for Wash and Carolina... having sex... while the two real ones look. Jax wanted sex appeal... though he apparently plans on making a Grimmons scene so you know what? Add all the sex appeal Jax! Also hope you all can tolerate shaky came cause haha... we get light eight straight minutes of it... be afraid people.
So Sister, Tucker, and Grif have just arrived, so at last the gang is back together! We even have Grif showing off the new sword to Simmons and them proceeding to come up with sword puns, all while Simmons is in awe. Ah I missed these two being together so much. Donut also appears to joint he party! Grif isn’t happy about this considered that... you know, Donut’s with the bad guys. But Donut apologizes for getting everyone into the mess to begin with and wants to help get them out of it. This seems to satisfy everyone for now, but... yeah don’t fall for it viewers.
Grif reveals the deal to meet with the Cosmic Powers and tries to get everyone on board with it. The Freelancers have concerns however and Sarge isn’t willing to give up the gun yet. But Grif, as well as Sister and Tucker, explain about the shield protecting them and Grif trusts Huggins enough that he thinks it’ll be safe. Carolina worries that this is a trap, while Wash is just happy to be back in the usual ‘get involved in shit with the others’ groove. Before a final decision can be made, Jax wants to know more about if time travel is a bad thing or not once Tucker explains about the time line being damaged. As such, Jax wants to interview everyone and create a timeline based off everyone’s travels in order to see if there are any true consequences to all of it.
So the interviews are conducted, where it’s implied that Sister shot JFK and Grif may have killed Ceaser. Oops. Caboose also discovered Chinese finger traps. The most interesting though is Donut talking about how Chrovous saved his life and has been nothing but respectful towards him. The Reds and Blues on the other hand, well... yeah... anyways, onto the results! Jax concludes that while the Reds and Blues have failed in fixing any past mistakes or losses, there so far haven;t been any actual consequences to their shenanigains. He would know since, as it turns out, he’s been using Sarge’s gun to do some time traveling of his own. More on that later. The unified time line... well... it’s a dock. No seriously, it is an actual drawing of a dick. Science is mean man.
With that out of the way, Grif again presses everyone to meet with the Cosmic Powers. Wash still has concerns though... namely in how this is supposed to help find Church. To say that everyone is confused would be an understatement. What Wash is refereeing to is Chuch’s message last season... which IDT he ever did get told that it was just a past recording. Carolina tries to pass it off as him fooling around and while t looks like Wash realized that he lapsed again, it very clearly troubled him. But anymore discussions bout that will have to wait as the Reds and Blues take the guns and head for the Cosmic Gods. Oh and what did Jax do during his time travel you asked? He got actors like Tommy Wiseau and The Dude form Big Lebowski and cast them as the leads. Wow... wow... oh and the studio doesn’t like it, so they cut the funding and with the Reds and Blues gone, Jax can’t fix it. So much for no consequences, haha...
The Reds and Blues arrive at what we can now refer to as Starseat, the base of the Cosmic Powers. Although Jax briefly pops in via the open portal to convince them to help get funding back. It ends when Atlus throws his weapon into Jax and knocks him back into his own time. Oh and we also learnt hat Kalirama is Atlus’ wife... and sister... did I ever mention how fucked up mythology can be?! We also find out who Golfing Guy is. So there’s been a popular theory around that he is Jenkins, who was the ‘camera man’ for Blood Gulch and was in one of the S5 alternate endings. And... it is indeed Jenkins... well Genkins to be exact. He also says that the pink one is going to steal the hammer, HMM... so once intros are done, Carolina asks to hear everything form the beginning. Atlus begins to talk... and because Joe is a jerk, the episode ends there. JERK!
Review
Lets get the annoying out of the way first. SO the documentary style? I liked it! I think Joe mentioned last year that he’d wanted to o an Office-style episode in S15, but simply didn’t have the time. This was a nice place to revisit the idea. but... Joe honey, why did there have to be shaky cam? Okay I know why. It’s documentary style, and those have plenty of shaky cam. It annoys the people watching so Joe got that down... the problem is it annoys the audience. I definitely think that he should have had maybe some int he beginning, and left it after that to make it more bearable to watch. Still credit where it’s due, he got the desired emotion out of me. I’m also kind of annoyed that Tucker is back to being his usual self after the last episode, though he is acting more like regular Tucker so I guess we’ll see what happens.
So the Reds and Blues are finally together again and let me tell you, THANK GOD. I did not realize how much I missed everyone being together until this episode. I lied that it wasn’t overplayed and everything just... went into place. Grif and Simmons joking around, Sister getting referred to by her actual name, Tucker and Wash’s little ‘hey’.s to each other, it was just nice. I also liked how they discuss the issue. There’s the irony of Grif trying to get everyone to follow the plot now, the Freelaners asking questions, the Grif SIbs and Tucker explaining what they found out. Like it’s not over the top... I mean there’s plenty of humor like Grif knowing that he was gonna have to lie to Sarge to make him cooperate. But as much as I’ve enjoyed the crazy time shenanigans, it was nice to have a more calm episode of everyone just discussing what the next step is for them. IDK why I liked just seeing everyone talking so much, but I do.
There was just a lot that I loved. Like the shipping joke in the beginning, Grif still trusting Huggins, both Donut’s return and his interview bit (that hurt...), Simmons trusting Grif’s word and siding with him over seeing the Cosmic Powers, Caboose and the finger trap, the Reds and Blues trying to give themselves epic titles, it was all just great. Even with the heavier moments like Wash having another memory lapse and Carolina still trying to hide it were nice to see... and also hurt, but still well done. Everyone was just, for the most part, happy. I missed the happy.
So time travel stuff. Honestly IDK if this is a Closed Loop anymore or not due to Jax taking actors... though tbf aside form John Wayne IDT any of them are dead in the current time. So what we can conclude with the info that we have is that with the current brand of time travel, you cannot change the past. If you got your men killed or betrayed someone? You can’t change it. You feel bad about your sex life? Can’t change it. You lose a penny? Can’t change it. Now the whole ‘pizza doesn’t exist’ thing is still a huge hole... but we COULD attest that as damage to the timeline. It’s a consequence of the time travel. As we just saw with Jax’s movie losing funding, there are consequences to making changes and we saw that with Sarge where recruiting the new Reds ultimately did nothing for him.
There’s still a lot unclear about time travel, and with three episodes left IDK how Joe is going to explain it all. Maybe he won’t and we’ll have to see if he does next season. Now it looks like we’re finally getting some exposition which I think is sorely needed at this point. My guess is we’re going to learn about how Chrovous got locked away and hopefully just why tie travel is as dangerous as it is. But there’s also Genkin’s comment about ‘the pink one steals the hammer’. It seems to hint that whatever Donut is going to do, next episode he’s going to do it. IDK where that’ll lead, but I imagine that it won’t be good for our heroes...
Final Thoughts
This is probably my shortest review so far, but even so I loved this episode. The shaky cam was annoying as Hell, but it had a lot of fun moments that makes it forgivable. Plus it was just so good to have everyone back together again after so long. We have three epsodes of S16 left to go, and honestly I have no idea what to expect at this point. All I know is that whatever happens, we’re not ready for it.
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themostrandomfandom · 7 years
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Hi! How would you personally rank the seasons of glee from your favourite to your least favourite & why?
Hey, @sitandsingtoyou!
Since I watch Glee almost exclusively for the Brittana, it’s probably no surprise that their narrative treatment is the single biggest factor that determines how I feel about any given season. 
If Brittana have a prominent, well-wrought arc from season premiere to season finale, then chances are I’ll like said season no matter what shenanigans are going on with other characters or storylines. 
The same is also true in reverse. 
That said, for the purpose of answering this ask, I also considered factors like the overall storytelling (beyond the Brittana of it all), the music, the presence of any standout episodes, general cohesion, etc., when making my rankings.
The final list appears after the cut.
WARNING: Here be strong feelings about Glee and more than a little bit of negativity about its writing and production. Note that the views expressed in this post are the author’s personal opinions based on her preferences, and they may very much differ from your own.
___________
In order from favorite to least favorite:
S6: As I discussed in this post, in addition to providing our girls with the happy ending they always deserved, S6 offers much of the best-written, most fully-developed, adorable, emotional, poignant, and narratively-satisfying Brittana we get throughout the series. We’re talking fanfic quality stuff, and not just in bits and pieces here and there but basically across the board in every episode in which Brittany and Santana feature. While there are a few things I’d change, on a whole, I can’t think of a more enjoyable canonical culmination to Brittana’s journey. As for the non-Brittana stuff, while there are, admittedly, some really low lows—many of the middling episodes of the season are an affront to screenwriting—there are also some suprisingly pleasant turns. Don’t tell anybody, but I actually love most of the New New New Directions and find the storylines that focus on them (as opposed to the adults of Lima and alumni advisers) kind of delightful. While the series finale itself somewhat underwhelms me, the flashback sequence at the end of episode 6x11 totally makes me cry. A lot of this season is about getting back to what made Glee fun and likeable in the beginning: good tunes, camp gags, and stories about a ragtag group of underdogs overcoming adversity through love and music. In general, I feel like S6 does a nice job tying up the loose ends for glee club members old and new and fulfilling the main thesis of the show (“Something is special because you are a part of it”).
S2: Brittana’s S2 storyline is one long, amazing roller coaster ride of emotion. It’s hard to describe exactly what it felt like watching it all play out for the first time as the episodes were originally airing; I hate to use the word “special” because it sounds so quaint, but it’s kind of the only term that really fits. Because the “Sex is not dating” line in episode 1x13 was initially treated like a one-and-done deal, going into S2, no one in the fandom really expected to see a fully developed Brittana romantic storyline—and yet that’s exactly what the Back Six gave us, and each successive Locker scene brought elation, heartache, fear, hope, and continued anticipation. Nothing beats S2 Brittana angst, and especially not the Hurt Locker, which is far and away the ship’s pièce de résistance. Then beyond the Brittana, the rest of the season is generally high quality, at least as far as Glee goes. There’s some nice tongue-in-cheek comedy, iconic scenes, and heartfelt character development, plus episode 2x19 is one of the show’s musical high points overall. As always with Glee, some pitchy moments sneak their ways in and a few episodes beg to be forgotten, but for the most part S2 is Glee in its stride, and it’s held up well over time.
S1: Since Brittana are not yet main characters, they don’t have a main text S1 storyline, per se. Still, when you fill in the gaps, there’s a lot going on with them on a subtextual level, enough so that rewatching S1 knowing what will eventually happen in later seasons will provide a strenuous cardio workout for any serious Brittana shipper. There’s plenty of excellent Heya improv to go around, and the classic “Brittana on the back row” can’t be beat. Plus, Brittana’s mini-arc with Finn between episodes 1x14 and 1x15 is heartbreaking. Still, the reason why I rank this season so highly has less to do with Brittana in particular than it does with overall quality: Simply put, I think that Glee had a better idea of what it was about during the first thirteen episodes of S1 than it did throughout much of the rest of the series. While later on the show would struggle to balance comedy and drama, realism and camp, trying and failing to be all things to all people, in the beginning, it was just an earnest, theatrical little show about nerdy choir kids trying to find their places in the world, and it didn’t take itself too seriously. Though many of the S1 storylines were schlocky—hello, fake Schuester pregnancy!—there were more than enough heartfelt performances and excellent character moments to balance them out. For instance, for as much as I generally dislike Finn, the “I’ll Stand by You” scene in episode 1x10 is so well done on every level. Whatever Glee became in its later seasons, in S1 it was at its core still good. It hadn’t forgotten what it was all about yet.
S3: Now we’re getting to the bottom of the barrel. I rank S3 fourth on my list not because I really enjoy it all that much but because it’s less terrible than S5 and S4, at least imo. The season’s biggest issue is that it’s all over the place in terms of quality. Sugar was a blessing, but Rory not so much. Likewise, on the Brittana side of things, there are some really high highs—our girls officially start dating! they share their first on screen kiss! they have a fabulous time at their senior prom together!—but there is also the giant bugbear that is Santana’s “coming out” arc, which is awful on so many levels. The writing and characterization for Brittany and Santana vacillates wildly throughout the season. In some episodes, like 3x04 and 3x13, it’s really great. In others, like 3x16, it’s utterly headache-inducing. And it’s not just our girls who suffer from spotty writing throughout the season; Quinn’s storyline is a complete mess, and Sue is an unbelievable Yosemite Sam caricature of herself whose exploits are so exaggerated that they make it virtually impossible to suspend one’s disbelief enough to enjoy her scenes. While the Troubletones are a musical highlight for the whole series—and the “Rumour Has It/Someone Like You” mashup is the best musical performance in all of Glee, hands down—a good soundtrack doesn’t make up for some of the season’s more glaring deficiences, and especially not the way Santana’s storyline was treated both inside and outside the universe of the show. Though there are a handful of S3 episodes I will rewatch for my own personal enjoyment, there are many that I’d prefer not to recall. S3 was the first season of Glee to bring in new regular writing staff beyond RIB, and with all its inconsistencies and the disuniform quality of the episodes, unfortunately, the inexperience really shows.
S5: With the exception of episodes 5x12 and 5x13, I hate almost everything about S5—and, yes, that includes the majority of Santana’s NYC episodes. I get that Heather Morris was largely off the show during this season, so it’s not that I blame TPTB for pairing Santana with Dani or making her Hummelberry’s sidekick. It’s just that it breaks my heart watching Santana repeatedly throw herself against a brick wall as she tries over and over again to win Kurt and Rachel’s friendship and trust, always to no avail (see here and here). In theory, Hummelpezberry could have been a really fun brot3—god knows that myriad fanfic authors have been able to pull it off to great effect—but in canon it never really worked, largely because the writers were reluctant to stop using Santana as a convenient heavy whenever they needed to generate synthetic conflict in an episode, even though she had long since ceased to function as an antagonist in terms of her narrative arc. While there were plenty of zingers and jaunty musical numbers in the Loft, I could never really enjoy them because the happy times never lasted. Santana was made to feel like an outcast in her own home, and for someone who loves that character as much as I do, it hurt to see her feeling so lonely and ostracized. Once she ran off into the sunset with Brittany, things took a turn for the better. Still, there were really only a handful of bright spots overall. Anyone who’s read TKTD knows that my second favorite ship on Glee is Samcedes, and I did truly enjoy the cute little romcom that was their 5B storyline. I also loved the Sancedes and later Brittanacedes friendship moments on the tail end of the season. But in general, everything felt strained and disjointed, and my ultimate sense is that the tragic early loss of Cory Monteith proved an insurmountable hurdle for the season’s creativity and writing direction on a whole.
S4: I liked the production of Grease, but otherwise this season was one long fail from start to finish, and there is not a single episode out of the twenty-two that I at all care to revisit. Though I’ve been able to rationalize and justify and meta my way through the Brittana arc, doing so is just more intellectual and emotional trouble than it’s worth. Throughout S4, the depiction of every established character including our girls seems OOC, some to an incredibly noticeable degree. Sam Evans, whom I loved in S2 and S3, absolutely gets trashed, going from a goofy, lovable dork to idiot Finn Hudson Version 2.0. Episode 4x04 represents one of the worst and most misguided writing decisions I’ve ever seen made on a primetime TV show. That a group of professional screenwriters would sit down and say, “Let’s break up three of our flagship couples not for any good or compelling narrative reason but simply because we want to ‘spice things up’ and see how our heavily-invested, emotionally vulnerable, primarily teenaged and young adult audience reacts!” boggles the mind, as does the fact that they were then surprised when their viewership numbers dropped off dramatically thereafter. I do want to say that I liked Marley Rose, Unique Adams, and Kitty Wilde, though I otherwise found the New New Directions kind of meh. Overall, this season is the one that seems to stray the farthest from Glee’s original premises and spirit. There isn’t much that’s fun, triumphant, or satisfying. There’s just a lot of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, cultural insensitivity, bad writing, and miserable story arcs in scads.
Thanks for the question!                                  
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banrions · 5 years
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season 6 of the vampire diaries 
aka: the shit i’ve never seen before bc i quit in s5 way back when. so this is BRAND NEW INFORMATION. (whoops this got long but it;s not under a cut bc i do what i want)
iiiii was skeptical at first. elena wallowing for damon is.... not my favorite narrative of events and i was like, guys i can’t do a season of this thnk fuck they did not make me. 
STEFAN BE GODDAMN NICE TO CAROLINE, OR PERISH. 
oh my GOD JEREMY GILBERT IS THE MOST FUCKING ANNOYING PERSON ON THIS GODDAMN SHOW AND IN THIS WHOLE UNIVERSE. this guy is SUCH a bad actor. i don’T CARE ABT HIS PAIN bc he is the Worst ™
matty, i usually love you and like i do feel your pain bc you don’t act like a toddler like jeremy does, despite the amount of supernatural bullshit that you constantly have to deal with, but your new pal is an asshole and this whole, “i’m gonna protect the town and kill vampires thing is... dumb”
that said, enzo is VERY annoying and has definitely overstayed his welcome and i do in fact support you idiots in killing him. 
i sort of hope he takes jeremy down with him but unfortunately, i have seen legacies and that turd showed up and i know he’s kicking around somewhere. 
i like jo laughlin. from the goddamn get go. like, i liked her when she showed up in legacies. and i knew there was tons of stuff i wasn’t getting when she showed up as a ghost there, but i liked her bc she was a mama!ghost to the best twins in the world. but now i LOVE HER. i’m so sad for her inevitable death this sucks. 
i HATE kai/mon-el, right from the fucking get go. that said, whatever the fuck his actual name is (chris?? is it chris? i feel like its chris bc white dude actors that straight girls fucking love are always named chris) he’s good at playing evil. like. i hate kai, but he’s doing a great fucking job. i’m clearly supposed to hate him he’s a goddamn murderous serial killer.
also, this is.... not how the siphoning magic works in legacies? the twins just hold ppls hands and use their magic and it doesn’t hurt them? also, this merge thing is... optional??? on legacies they make it seem like it’s some unavoidable thing that’s just going to happen to them. with liv and luke they feel obligated to be the leaders of their coven. so.... ????????
fuck i finally like bonnie. the moment she ran to the porch and no one was there GUTTED ME. so clearly, the reason i didn’t love her for 5 seasons is bc she’s always tied up with FUCKING JEREMY THE WORST PERSON EVER or any other annoying fucking dude. 
ohhh gosh. the progression of caroline and liz’s relationship is SO GOOD AND SO DELIGHTFUL AND I LOVE THE FORBES WOMEN SO MUCH THIS OBVIOUSLY INCLUDES THE SALTZMAN FORBES TWINS WHOMST I LOVED BEFORE LIZ. sorry liz. i did technically know you first but i never loved you upon first watch. but i love you now, if that helps.
ummm liv and luke, you have not historically been my favs since your introductions. but the whole, lets just let our sociopathic brother kill our big sister so we don’t have to do this bullshit ritual and die too is..... real fucking shitty of you and i like your big sister more than i like you and yall need to BE BETTER SIBLINGS SHE SAVED YOUR FUCKING LIVES ASSHOLES. TRY TO SAVE HERS.
yes good liv, like that. 
sort of. 
i’m sorry but i just.... dont care abt damon’s love for elena or what the fuck ever i’m so over this romance drama.  he’s such a dick. he’s still running around whining abt shit that doesn’t go his way. with elena, with bonnie, and with alaric. it’s not cute or romantic or whatever, he’s a piece of shit.
so’s stefan, fyi. i’m not saying at all that i’m team stefan™ or wht the fuck ever. they’re both fucking dicks.  
FCUK liz’s sickness is SO AWFUL AND SO SAD AND I HATE SAD CAROLINE I CANNOT DEAL WITH THIS.
seriously tho, it’s A Lot. liz looking at her office as she walks out... fuck man. i actually rlly ended up liking her friendship with damon, i think it’s the most i ever give a shit abt damon and find him tolerable. 
FUCK BABE CAROLINE IS THAT ADORABLE LITTLE ACTRESS WHOM I LOVE. I CAN’T DEAL WITH THIS. 
ohhh nooooooooooooooooo caroline is singing at the funeral 
f u c k
tyler, i’m sorry but you’re also becoming rlly annoying. you’re yelling at liv abt how you would have done anything for her, and how dare she go off and try to die and leave him alone, etc. dude. she’s known you for like what.... a month? a couple of months? her brother who was her best friend just died, and her sociopathic other brother who killed her whole fam is now powerful and the reason that happened. i don’t think she’s thinking too much abt the dude she’s known for a few months who won’t stop screaming in ppls faces or grabbing ppl more powerful than him. chill out a little bro. 
jeremy needs a fucking haircut. what the fuck. he’s not going to art school? he’s going vampire hunting? that’s.... stupid. god i hope this is the last we see of him. 
ohhhhh my god i actually LOVED the bonnie/damon pancake jump hug reunion. 
the whole, “oh no i’m gonna flip my humanity switch” thing is... already a little tired. i don’t find humanity flipped stefan fun or excited or interesting at all. and i get why caroline would but i dont find this arc interesting or satisfying. 
there is smth sADY AS FUCK abt the salvatore mama and i do not trust her or her vampire dolls one damn bit
damon’s whole, “i’m selfish, i’m bad, i’m so in love with you” schtick is... rlly getting old, my guy
Caroline, wedding planner extrodionare is p great
I’ve seen enough spoilers to know this wedding is going to go terribly and everyone is probably going to die horrible deaths, so everything is ominous rn
yep. that went SO BADLY. 
SO.
SO.
BADLY
alright so FUCK kai, but also props to chirs whatshisface bc he was v good as a villain.
iiiiii kinda sobbed at all of elena’s goodbyes????????? I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT (except for the fact that i am A Crier™) but like, daMN IT GOT ME. 
iiiiiii may have enjoyed this season??? overall???
well, bring on season 7, i guess 
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awed-frog · 7 years
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The Season Finale/Bye, Boys
I know I'm late - I had to work all day yesterday and today, and when I first got those jobs I’d anticipated I'd be frustrated about missing the finale live, but, well - after last week's episode, I mostly wasn't interested at all. When I sat down tonight to watch it, I almost didn't want to. I was highkey convinced I wouldn't like it, and, yeah, I didn't. Not particularly. I've suspected for a while that Supernatural lost its grandeur and sense of tragedy years ago, and all that's left is a bunch of occasionally magnificent, but mostly unconnected, monster hunts - that they're grasping at straws to avoid going down paths that would actually make sense because they don't want to go there - and this finale confirmed all that with the subtlety of a badly driven tank. 
(Really - I was hoping things would be different, but they're not. As much as this show held my hand and made me laugh and cry in difficult moments and distracted me when real life was plain unbearable, the magic is no longer there. I watched the finale with that same awful weight in your stomach you feel when faced with that one person you no longer love - when you look and look and you don't understand how you could ever love them in the first place, and then your eye catches something - they way their mouth curves into a smile, perhaps, or the once beloved lilt in their voice, and you realize that oh, that's how. 
But still, it's over.)
So, what happens next?
The honest answer is, I don't know. I've been mostly off tumblr for a week, and while I missed chatting and talking with you guys, this self-imposed break really brought home just how my world has shrunk. I tend to be very intense in what I like, and over the last year, 90% of my free time has been Supernatural. Writing stories, writing metas, creating the odd graphic, reblogging other people's posts and ooohing and aaaawing at their creations and insight - that was great, but it also cut my mental landscape into a tiny little postcard. And this past week - I did things. I discovered new stuff, I read real books, I faffed around weird Wikipedia pages, I lost myself in other series, I planted beans and basil and edible flowers. And I liked it - a lot. So whatever I do next, I'll be on tumblr a lot less, because - I’m sorry - I’ve been fearing for a while that Supernatural simply wasn't worth this level of devotion, and this finale pretty much confirmed that. So - really - I’ll keep reblogging gifs and I’ll probably write the occasional headcanon and feel free to ask me things and come talk to me and everything else, but please know that I'm not that positive about this show anymore, so if you want rainbows and ponies, my blog's probably not the best place to get them. I'll definitely keep writing, and I hope I've got enough love left in me to finish my DCBB, but other than that - I think I'm done. It's likely I'll watch the show next year, but I'll certainly not anticipate new episodes and squeal at the screen and bleed my own blood all over it or anything. And maybe this will hurt at some point - God, I loved this show so goddamn much - but for now I'm just numb. 
So, here goes - quite possibly, my last meta. 
Cas: Yes, They Went There
This is what we’re all wondering, isn’t it? Is Cas really dead? 
No, he isn't. If Misha was leaving the show, we'd know about it. Like, of course they'd keep it under wraps until the last episode, but it'd be out today - no reason it wouldn’t. Plus, from a narrative point of view, Cas' death doesn't make any sense. He just died after fucking up - again - and he never got to make his Big Choice between Heaven and *coughs* humanity, plus they're having so much fun jerking us around with that yeah so maybe he and Dean they're in love thing, why would they stop now? So, honestly, his 'death' was his only good moment during this season finale. Like, he obviously wasn't brainwashed brainwashed, so it didn't make any sense he wouldn't involve Sam and Dean in his overly simplistic scheme, plus he's been acting stupid and out of character the whole time he was on screen - and, I get Cas is hard to write, but come on. Renting a cabin under the name James Novak when he can hypnotize it out of some guy without leaving a paper trace? Reading books and taking online classes about childbirth? This from a guy who's not a guy at all and has instinctive knowledge of physics and whatever and knows perfectly well that thing inside Kelly isn't a human child, anyway, so he might as well take woodworking classes for all the good that would do him? Uh. Not to mention his random snooping into alternate dimensions he knew nothing about when he was supposed to be taking care of Kelly - if AU!Bobby had killed him, or if he'd fallen into a pit or whatever else, Kelly would have remained alone in that cabin basically waiting for Lucifer to find her. Honestly - why do they bother writing Cas at all if they can't get him right?
Destiel: Still Subtext
And more bad news: five seasons of queerbaiting - and counting. This season finale had to be the one with the least amount of UST or pining or any kind of fuckery between them since, I don’t know, ever? Sure, there were moments, and I could list them, but why should I? Look at Cas doing his own thing, and what does it matter if he was staring at the water (possibly thinking about that fish which started everything, and by everything I mean Cas’ love for humanity, and by humanity I mean Dean), and what does it matter if Dean, as usual, is the one fretting about Cas and worrying about Cas and being all undignified and unmanly? It's been years, and Dean was unusually chatty during the whole finale, so I'm sure some of us were like, ALERT ALERT THIS IS WHEN IT HAPPENS (not me, because I'm grumpy and disillusioned), and nope, not the time. Better luck next season, guys.
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Honestly, at this point there are no good options. 
Like, I’m sure there are already two hundred codas out there about the Nephilim resurrecting Cas and Dean kissing him out of sheer relief, but yeah - that’s not gonna happen. My bet is - if they’re being decent about things, Cas will be saved in some way and the eye fucking will start again, dragging on and on to some series finale which, no doubt about it, will indicate the two of them are actually sleeping together, because look at that painting in the background and the label on that beer - it’s obvious; and if they’re not being decent about things, our Cas is definitely dead and Sam and Dean will meet AU!Cas in their search for Mary and at that point things will get Weird, because Dean will be Grief-stricken and Unhappy, and Cas won’t know or love him at all, and then what? Again, at best the whole thing is definitely gone and buried and Supernatural will remain the main Wikipedia example for queerbaiting (but until that very last moment, we’ll speculate this is really about destiny and falling in love in every universe and whatever), and at worst we’ve got yet another cringeworthy dance between the two of them as Dean gets over AU!Cas just as AU!Cas falls for Dean, cue romance tropes, cue will they/won’t they, cue shoot me now.
Guys - I still believe there was something there. More: I believe it was subtextually indicated, for years, that Dean and Cas were in love, and this season kept giving us confirmation that subtext is a thing and that it matters (the latest hint to date is Dean’s I’m actually Sam’s parent speech), but the fact is, subtext is not enough. There are dozens of ways to bring a romance into text without resolving it so it stays ‘interesting’, and the fact they haven’t done it yet - we should stop excusing their behaviour. If Cas had been a woman, the possibility of a relationship would be confirmed by now. So, whatever.
Gold Star, Sammy!
For someone who's been pretty much a secondary character in his own story for the whole season, or, let's be mean, the whole show after S5, Sam suddenly got some unexpected attention, and was the only person to get a win out of this finale. His character development was mostly subtextual, but it was clearly leading somewhere, and this was exactly it. Sam's naturally ambitious and driven, and he's suppressed this aspect of his personality for years because freak and vessel of Lucifer and whatever else, but now, after years and years of penance and invisibility and praying to a God who didn't give a flying fuck about him, it looks like Sammy's all grown up. Yay. There he is, a leader of man, a consummate warrior, a witch. Not hiding, not underplaying his skills, not feeling guilty at all - and finally. Sam got to hug his mother and defeat all of his archenemies - the BMoL's gone, Toni's gone, Lucifer's gone, and Crowley's gone. And none of them need to weigh on his conscience, because, lookie here, Sam sort of forgave them all (except Lucifer, but, then again, he's not really dead, is he?). No, Sam got to reject the BMoL's pernicious influence on his pure, noble soul, he got to work with Toni, who'd cruelly taunted and tortured him, and he got to be nice to Crowley, which mostly didn't make any sense because Crowley and Sam always hated each other. And even the fact he lost Mary and Cas in the end - that doesn't affect his shiny character arc at all. Sam's been ready to lose Cas several times before now, and he's accepted it in a way Dean never has; and as for Mary - narratively, Sam got what he needed from her: a declaration of love and an admission of guilt - the confirmation that nothing was ever actually his fault. Now he can finally move on.
I have to say - despite the fact it was a fucking long time coming, this sudden bout of character development felt hurried to me. All that talk about leading others - when had Sam ever expressed an open interest in it? Until last season, he seemed warily determined to settle down with ‘someone who understands the life’ and be as normal as he could, and now out of the blue he’s King bloody Arthur? Like Crowley’s sudden meekness and suicidal schemes, Sam becoming the top pilot of the Rebellion was not out of character, exactly, but was rushed and badly written - this whole episode felt like someone had said, Okay, these characters need to get here, and there’s this chapter in the middle which explains how but lolz, who’s got time to write that? Let’s skip to the good parts. Rewrite, try again
Dean “I hate that I love you” Winchester
Dean is Sam’s parent - this has been my Dean tag for a while, and boy, they went to such lengths to finally confirm it textually it was very nearly out of character. Because, I mean, this is Dean, and as much as I appreciated that whole speech, that's so not who he is. I'm going to be generous and say he was under the effects of a lot of drugs, but still - this is the guy who never blurted out more than one tearful line in his entire life when under threat of imminent death, and speaking from the heart with such eloquence is not really his thing. Jensen pulled it off, but only just. But, whatever - nice to see some of the subtext they weave in this show is actually significant - and, full offense, now that it's textually confirmed Dean always felt like a parent to Sam, more than a brother, I hope that those who are convinced he actually wants to bend Sam over a couch and do “bad things” with him will finally take a cold shower (possibly with holy water) and step away from the whole thing. 
Other than that moment, though, which, dreamworld or not, Dean really needed, this season was disastrous for him. His arc's been downwards as much as Sam's been upwards, and, as we predicted, Dean ended his year in a very low place. Both his parent figures are gone - Mary swallowed by an alternate dimension, Bobby who flat-out didn't recognize him - Cas spent weeks ignoring him and now he's dead, Crowley's also dead (and however much they tried to downplay their relationship in this finale, we know there was something there), and the world is ending - again - because Dean didn't need to wait for the birth to know in his heart Lucifer's kid's gonna be a threat to, like, everything.
So, uhm, I really don’t know how to feel about things. Dean tried to be more open this season, which mostly went badly for him, but he also fixed things with his family - look at him letting Sam step away into danger (and, I mean, we don’t need any more confirmation because text, but in that moment he was definitely coded as Sam’s parent) and focusing on helping his mom instead (anon - I know I still have to answer your question about why I think Dean’s perfectly happy fixing cars and baking pies for his family while Sam’s off to Congress, and that meta’s mostly written, but here you see it again - Dean, the feminine, blue-collar character, is content with staying at home while his masculine, Ivy League educated brother goes off to war). I guess this means the brodependency is definitely over? Too bad Dean will be too busy mourning Cas and saving the world to actually appreciate it.
(Then again, #NoHomo.)  
Crowley: At Last, We Know
Crowley's arc has trasparently clear for a while, and it's mirrored Cas' so precisely the question of his death was becoming a when, and not an if. When we were speculating about his fate, I wrote somewhere that much would depend on the kind of story they were writing - if this is a coming of age thingy, then Crowley wouldn't have needed to die, because he's not a father figure (no matter how many times Dean’s called him Daddy); but if this is a tragedy, then the textbook solution was to have him die for the heroes. It's a The Last of the Mohicans ending: an überdramatic I know you'll never love me but I care so much about you I'll sacrifice myself all the same thing, and, look - what can I even say? 
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I'm upset because I really liked Crowley and there was so much we didn't know about him and Mark is outstanding and aaaaaargh. On the other hand, at least they did him the courtesy of a noble ending (Rowena, of course, being a silly woman, got a humiliating and prolonged off-screen death, because, yeah, who cares, and the same pattern was applied to Toni and Ketch) and he got to bow out on his own terms: for Dean, and with a self-inflicted wound. 
Still, his death, like Eileen's, signals there's no believable happy ending in sight for our forlorn heroes. They'll probably stay alive long enough to kill the Nephilim and fall into the Apocalypse World of Doom™, and then they'll die*.
*Terms and conditions apply, because it would make sense if they died and it would make for a heartbreaking, tragic ending, but hey, the movie deal's still on the table so better leave everything unresolved and have them drive off into the sunset on their own. 
Mary: No Means Yes
I know some people like Mary, and I do think she was a good character, but as a person, she was kind of awful. I won't go back to everything she did wrong all season, but I will point out that her only redemptive point is that she sucked as a mom because she was not a Traditional Woman, and that sort of made her interesting and we raved about their courage all season, right? How Mary could have been a 1950s housewife and instead look at her - much BAMF, such wow. And yet we now know that Mad Max woman I do what I want façade was just that - a façade. Because when Mary was brainwashed, where was the real part of herself? Her most cherished piece of soul? The writers left no doubt, no margin for error: back in the kitchen, preparing horribly unhealthy yet terribly American lunches for toddler Dean, cooing at baby Sammy, her flat spotless (where are Dean's toys?), her ironing almost done. This is, apparently, the person she wishes she could be - what every woman should aspire to be: a mom who's 100% dedicated to her kids - someone who hovers around the house in her nightgown, ethereal and effortlessly beautiful and probably shaved bald (legs and armpits and lady bits shaved and trimmed and waxed and moisturised and perfumed and pleasantly soft and babyish), humbly content with this family God has given her. And, by the way, when she gets back to reality, that's who she becomes - she shoots Ketch, who'd dared to sully her marital bed and hurt Dean, she sobs in Sam's shoulder, she anxiously looks after Kelly because women always bond over periods and pregnancy and mascara and stuff, she tearily reassures Kelly that yes, dying for your unborn son, even if that son is a demon and the scourge of the Earth, is the done thing and anyone would do the same; her final act - punching Lucifer in the face - is completely out of character for the smart, ruthless hunter we know she can be. Instead, it speaks of a mother’s love - a kind of adrenalinic - you hurt my baby boy, I’ll make you bleed sort of thing. This, of course, is supposed to speak in her favour, because give me an emotional woman over a rational one any day. Honestly, if I didn't find Mary so annoying I would welcome the moment when she'll meet the other Mary - the woman who let her boyfriend die rather than dooming the world. As it is, I’m finding it hard to be excited about anything S13 has to bring, though.
Kelly: Blessed Are You among Women
I know that Supernatural doesn’t have the best record with women, and this finale, even coming as it did on the legacy of Eileen’s death, did not disappoint: from Toni playing her mother card and then dying off-screen, to Rowena left a burned husk in a non-descript room, to Mrs Hess cowardly attempting to escape as her operatives kept fighting around her, both episodes were a testosterone festival of testicles and bad beer. Still, what they did to Kelly was very nearly unforgivable. To recap: they basically took a smart, modern, career-driven woman, had her raped by her actual lover (marital rape’s still not a crime in 49 countries, by the way, and it was completely legal in many Western countries until the 1990s), got her pregnant, and then turned her into a Stepford mother. Because, of course - what else could she do? Get an abortion? I know we’re all theoretically in favour of that, but who can really go through with it, the heartless monster? And as for killing yourself - it may be your life, your body and your decision, but it's also a sin, and a big no no. Just be grateful your demon baby still needs your internal organs to survive and shut up. So, well - they basically sucked away her every choice Kelly had until she was this bouncing pregnant ball who got no say over her own destiny and on top of that, her last few days were spent building Ikea furniture and painting a nursery for the literal Antichrist who'd claw his way through her stomach to be born. Honestly - I'd say I haven't seen such a demeaning and antifeminist storyline since the last encyclical letter - except I saw the exact same thing on The Magicians only three weeks ago, so apparently misogyny's back in fashion? 
Then again, we already knew that. Just look at how people are voting.
(If you're interested, hedge witch Julia, raped by a god, manages to abort after a series of mishaps - like, the Planned Parenthood doctor who tries to help her is brutally murdered by a demon of some kind and Julia has to rob a bank and doom a friend to certain death in order to get another procedure because pregnant women are selfish bitches - only, what do you know, that part of her soul who could feel love and empathy is snipped right up along with her uborn child, so whooopsie. She'll only get her back if she forgives her rapist, and she does, because that's apparently our role as women in 2017 and fifty years of feminism taught us nothing.)
Bite-sized Rants
Toni being a mother - yeah, that didn't have anything to do with anything and that last scene of S11 was just proof of how little they plan ahead. I just read somewhere that this is the problem with modern television - that series will be automatically canceled or renewed no matter the storyline depending on how much money they make, and this means nothing makes sense anymore - stories that were supposed to last one season are artificially stretched to last forever because ratings, while things that were conceived as trilogies - we’ll never know how they end, because not enough people were watching. So, I mean - I am sort of pleased that I got there before they did and wrote a line one year ago about Dean eventually forgiving Toni because ‘a parent’s love - that something he understands’ - because, yeah, that's exactly the ploy Toni used on Dean and it worked, so, points, but at the same time - that whole BMoL thing was so wonky and stereotyped and Nazi-shaped and My God, really? The only character who barely made sense there was Ketch, but, unfortunately, that’s also the easiest character to write and the one who’s most commonly found on our screens: Trigger-happy Psychopath Charms Everyone with His Wit and Good Looks.
(Plus, Ketch was yet another piece of the Dean is Bi mosaic that went nowhere, so I’m not feeling very charitable right now.)
The other hunters - look, it's just not believable anymore. So apparently Sam and Dean know who everyone else is, people are okay following Sam anywhere even if he used to be the actual Antichrist or whatever and there are rumors about how he went to Hell and I don't know what else, and on top of that this Men of Letters thing is just something everybody knows about now? And yet Sam and Dean never contact these people, and more importantly, don't share their super secret Bunker full of weapons and lore with any of them? Not even Jody? Nice, guys. Real grand of you.
(Plus, what is this bullshit - why do Sam and Dean send everyone home after torching the BMoL’s HQ when they know perfectly well Lucifer  and/or the Nephilim are about to destroy the actual world? Maybe ask for some back-up there?)
Cosmic consequences, shmosmic consequences. Dean killed Death, and so what? Cas killed Billie, and so what? There is no way to even argue the current mess has to do with the cosmic consequences Billie promised, because all of it is basically of their own doing: Mary walking away when she should have stayed, Sam trusting the BMoL even as they kept kidnapping him and threatening him and killing random people, Cas being his usual self-sacrificing self and Crowley thinking he knows better than anyone else (or, well, as this episode pointed out - they both “needing a win”) - there was no supernatural involved there. So...?
(Plus, this is yet another example of a big narrative thing of the Destiel variety going nowhere. Cas killing Billie for Dean, Cas nearly dying while confessing his love right, left and centre and then - out of nothing, here is the ‘divorced parents’ routine - Cas is decorating a nursery with a brainwashed Stockholm victim and Dean’s priority is to - who even knows?)
That reference to Romani people was almost worse than that bit about the Arab Spring. Please, for the love of God - your show is watched abroad. If you do use history or politics, maybe Google it first?
The BMoL have te power to create ‘mystical dampeners against magic’ and yet they absolutely needed to kidnap Mary to ensure the continuation of their evil schemes? 
Sam and Dean can become virgins again but can’t mix themselves some old-fashioned explosive?
Mrs Hess had people studying the Winchesters for years and yet she doesn’t know which is which?
Dean finally got to fire his grenade launcher and we didn’t even see it clearly?
Handful of Disorganized but Well-meaning and Kind-Hearted American Mavericks Defeat Superpowerful European Organization Complete with Private Army Without Breaking a Sweat - Jesus, enough.
Claire was too busy to save the world? Where was she? Coachella?
Crowley looking at Dean when he called them beautiful, that fight between Ketch and Dean being heavily paralleled with Dean beating up Cas...when are they going to bring that stuff out of the subtext?
Cas being so easily seduced by Paradise - didn’t Dean reject those exact concepts back in S4, and didn’t Cas switch sides because of it? But I suppose he’s just, forgotten, because that’s what happens when you take online lamaze classes or something?
Honestly - I apologize for being so negative. There were some brilliant bits here and there, but as I said - on the whole, I’m just tired. Supernatural seems determined to tell a story by not actually telling it, and at this point I’m really tired of doing the job it for them. I’m fed up by how little Dean cared about Crowley (because, if nothing else, that was one complex and interesting relationship and a narrative dream they threw away out of fear it would awake old ‘Dean is Bi’ ghosts) and I’m fed up by how anticlimatic Dean’s reaction to Cas’ death was (we’ve seen more dramatic scenes over a nose bleed, but I guess these two episodes were so action packed they had no time to insert a random #NoHomo lady, so even a Merthur hug would have been way too much) and I’m fed up by the fact that Jesus Christ, they have such talented people working for them and why won’t they just let them? 
Guys, I don’t even - I’m going to bed.
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staliasjeronica · 3 years
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Riverdale S5 Ep3 Thoughts *Spoilers*
Thoughts on the episode under the cut! I literally can’t wait for us to all be free of Bughead. And I heard there were some Jeronica crumbs AHHHHHHH SCREAMING!!!
- OMG THE CALLBACK TO THE FIRST EPISODE. THE FIRST VOICE OVER. Beautiful. I love that so much.
- FP having to leave </3 I’m not ready to not see Falice
- Hiram looks good roughed up tbh
- Reinstating Sheriff Keller?! YESS. They were sleeping under the boxing ring??
- FRED NO PLEASE 💔💔💔 MY HEART. He really did miss graduation just like he said before 😭😭
- Also not Riverdale but why is there always an ad literally five minutes into the ep??? But at least the Joe Keery Taco Bell ad came on so… it���s okay!
- My family was so excited when I got my cap and gown and seeing Mary just… messing with it brings me back.
- The callbacks to s1 are gonna fuck me up aren’t they 😭😭 Cheryl crying is always so beautiful
- I had to miss most of Alice and Betty’s convo because my mom’s trach came out but Betty saying that thanksgiving would be the two of them LOL as if Betty cares about her mom’s feelings…
- I was thinking that the senior’s pictures in the capsule was gonna be someone’s relative so we could find out a little bit about Sweet Pea or Fangs’ families smh
- THE “SECONDARY” GROUP HANGING OUT TOGETHER YESS. THERE’S A SERPENT PAGE AHHH
- So Weatherbee can join a cult but when Archie is wrongfully accused of murder and then placed into an illegal boxing ring, no one gives him a break… irl they probably would have lol
- Sweet Pea and Reggie hugging idc they’re step bros. The Kangs kiss was kinda cute ngl WHY DIDN’T CHONI KISS? Veronica going up to Archie unsure what to do :(
- Veronica bringing back Archie’s stuff :((( why does VA have to break up first smh they’re the hotter couple.
- Them making out was so weird… like knowing Archie doesn’t want to be with her and Veronica doesn’t either… like I get it but still it looked so forced. I think it was on purpose which bodes well for their acting skills but-
- The entire idea of break up sex is so weird esp when it comest to cheating/lost feelings like why would you want to do that… BUT VERONICA LOOKS CUTE AF RN
- Jughead’s VO on V’s face, and Jughead looks good….
- TONI’S GRANDMOTHER. AND SWANGS, glad they remember their friendship exists. “including my girlfriend.” “We’re so proud of you, Toni.” AHH
- Archie watching everyone he cares about with their parents :(
- Still wondering how Betty is valedictorian… makes little sense. But her speech is good so I’ll let this fanservice slide I guess
- ARCHIE SINGING THE SONG MY CHOIR SANG FOR GRADUATION OH MY FUCKING GOD MY HEART
- Everyone looks so cute in their cap and gown!! Alice’s gaze at FP how sweet 🥺🥺
- Swangs! Reggie!! SP’s reaction to Reggie makes me again hc them as step bros and friends that is all.
- So sad but I feel so… enlightened. Like I did when I graduated.
- NOT PENELOPE… wait she’s giving herself in for Cheryl??? Since when has she ever cared about Cheryl… but she’s doing good so-
- JB in the fucking side car lmao
- Falice 💔 “îs this is? the end of our story?” STOP HEER SWIPING GHERE FINGERS OVER HIS LIPS FUCKKKK when they have the most romantic and passionate kisses over everybody, rivaling Barchie as they should!
- FP GETTING A RIDE ALONG WITH THE SERPENTS PLS
- It’s so annoying that there’s absolutely no Barchie whatsoever like they cheat and then give NOTHING???
- Veronica’s outfit is so fucking sexy
- Veronica handing over full ownership of Pop’s to Pop 🥺❤️ I love the most selfless woman in Riverdale. GOD. The way Pop’s is both her and Jughead’s home though.
- A bobby pin why-
- Josie’s cat ears 🥺❤️
- Keeping her serpent jacket and knowing she’ll be queen later yess.
- Cheryl is all of us “finally” NOW LET THE UGLY BEANIE STAY GONE.
- I think Jeronica is on the same step mmhm
- So all V’s reaction but not Betty’s…? The woman he loves? The woman who loves him? Betty supporting him no matter what though 🥺🥺
- Veronica being worried for Archie though I totally understand.
- Why isn’t Cheryl going to Highsmith? IF YOU DON’T GO, I WON’T GO.  It’s amazing Cheryl is fixing the Blossom family name but couldn’t she also go to college…? NANA TOPAZ WANTING TO SEND CHONI CARE PACKAGES 😭😭 “Toni, you know I love you with every ounce of my soul.” I HATE THIS. “Don’t say it.” STOP STOP STOP “Then you never shall.”
- JUGHEAD ASKING ABOUT VERONICA MUAH TAKING MY CRUMBS
- JUGHEAD REALIZING TTHAT V DIDN’T KNOW WHAT ARCHIE WAS PLANNING.
- OMG IS BETTY FINALLY TELLING JUGHEAD YESS and he’s in her bed LMAO
- Betty you always say you should tell Jugheead when shit happens but you never do until you’re forced to. (aka Jughhead finding out) BUT LOL HIM NOT KISSING HER BACK. Nvm take us back to the VA sex scene…. it’s so dumb like at least break up sex makes sense for them but bh???
- So… they had Jeronica not care about being cheated on?????? lol ok
- Betty saying she should be with V so she wouldn’t have to say “Archie” after her revealing Barcheating
- V slap the fuck out of B now. WHY AREN’T YOU MAD AT BETTY? SHE LITERALLY—
- So what was the point of having Barchie cheat if no one was going to care or have any fallout… NORMAL HIGHSCHOOL ANGST? CHEATING ISN’T—
- Veronica looks so good though when she’s crying ugh we love a queen
- “I wish I had said goodbye to him” so they said that its would be someone you wouldn’t expect her to say it to and it was towards ARCHIE? What kind of actual bullshit???
- Not Archie’s main memories being with Veronica. He literally doesn’t love her anymore. This fucking show really did nothing with Barchie how fucked up is that. BUT HER WAVING TO HIM THAT WAS SO CUTE PLS
- “Barchie cheated and Archie doesn’t love V anymore.” “I LOVE YOU” literally… what the fuck is this show?
- “Don’t bro me.” ???
- They’re literally acting like Barchie never cheated. WHAT WAS THE POINT THEN??? God I wish the writers knew how to write.
- Jeronica wearing blue colors though muah
- BH IN THE SAME BED ALL SPLIT APART LMAOOOO. AND THE COUCH LOL bh break up say the words now
- Of course you’ll always love Betty, Jughead, she’s gonna be your step sister <3 for real this time
- THE COOPER’S ANYMORE…. when it was literally the Jones’ and the Cooper’s literally moved in with them. THE ANDREWS? The Bunker of course “honey I’m home” sjdkfahsjlfkak
- This is actually quite sad though. A little weird, but sad.
- But see how normal Jughead acts when he and Betty break up? I’ve been saying it!
- THE COUPLE LITERALLY BEING WHAT BARCHIE SHOULD HAVE BEEN!?  Mmmhhm
- ADULT BARCHIE SLAPSSSSSSSS.  Can’t wait for my Jeronica crumbs… can’t believe I’m actually saying Betty being FBI doesn’t seem that awful (yet, until it’s in every line and shoved down our throats)
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