#and we see a lot of him being at his end in 3a especially (which is also before stiles gets posessed and blurs the lines in a big way again)

[fatalism-and-villainy]

I think one thing that always bothers me about the Red Dragon arc is - well, it’s a common talking point in the fandom that each half of season 3 represents Hannibal and Will, respectively, living the lives they’d ideally want but without each other. But the thing is, we don’t actually really see much of Will “living without Hannibal.”

Like, in 3A, we get an entire episode of Hannibal’s life without Will, one in which Will doesn’t even show up (and for a season premiere, that’s an even more radical departure from the status quo - we feel Will’s absence as much as Hannibal does) but it feels like there’s this void of negative space where he is. And the contours of that void are so brilliantly and subtly suggested through the flashbacks to Gideon, which contextualizes the preparation of Bedelia (the inadequate substitute for Will Graham) and underlines Hannibal’s need to have others bear witness to his artistry (again, something only reluctantly done by Bedelia, and done in a manner unsatisfactory to him by Anthony Dimmond, the episode’s other unsatisfactory replacement for Will who gets recycled as a macabre valentine for Will). So Gideon saying “if only that someone could be Will Graham” feels like the culmination of what everything that has until now been unspoken has been leading up to.

And in 3B, we don’t really get any kind of analogue to that with Will. In some ways, that makes sense - given Hannibal’s Hannibal-ness, it’s possible to devote an entire episode to his murder and identity theft shenanigans and get some entertaining television out of it. But the life Will is living is a lot more mundane, so it’d be pretty boring to watch forty minutes of him fixing boats and playing with his dogs and eating dinner with his family.

But I do think there should have been something to indicate potential cracks there. We could potentially have had some bits of Will’s life interspersed with the expositional sections of episode 8 that were dedicated to Hannibal being a little shit while in prison, maybe featuring Will being haunted by murder (in the form of the disturbing visions the show is so good at) or missing Hannibal and feeling out of sync with Molly and Walter somehow (as opposed to waiting to get back to Will until literally the equivalent of the first chapter of Red Dragon). Or, they could have been included in flashback form in episode 9 alongside Hannibal’s memories of Abigail (especially in keeping with the themes of family, and Hannibal’s cruel contrast of the family he tried to give Will with the family Will chose for himself).

I get that time constraints were a concern, but ideally, this sort of thing would have helped a lot. Because what we actually get is somehow, simultaneously, Will leaving his family (apparently on a suicide mission) without any kind of mention of them at all, and Will seeming perfectly content with them without much qualification. (And even the book gives us more potential cracks in his marriage - both in it being made clear that Will never expected the marriage to last, and in the “maddening politeness” he endures near the end. The show does give us a little bit of that with the friction between Will and Walter after Dolarhyde’s attack, but Molly still isn’t as angry or distant with Will in the wake of that attack as she should be for me to really buy the dissolution of that family.)

So, all of that is to say that, while 3B has grown on me quite a lot, I think it fails to show us the Hannibal-shaped negative space in Will’s life. And I don’t buy the argument that we should just take it for granted that of course Will couldn’t live without Hannibal. Just as with the Minnesota Shrike, I need to see a negative to fully see the positive.

#i do think there's also something here about how show!Molly feels... softened from her book counterpart #which does what the show is doing no favors #hannibal meta #will graham #hannigram #hannibal season three #hannibal #my meta #hannibal talk #queue

[outrunningthedark]

Like Buck, Shannon and Eddie would not be besties, so definitely agree with your take there. Truly if Shannon had lived and been featured a bit longer then it would have been her and Eddie trying to navigate the divorce and because you can’t have a Ryan Murphy show without drama it probably would have resulted in some other implosion, and I just don’t think Shannon was going to get to the point of being the mother that Chris needed and Eddie’s co-parent. So by extension Buck would of course be firmly supporting Eddie and Chris….legit he would be cordial at most to Shannon.

Bless you for seeing the bigger picture. <3 I think most of us can admit that the sudden focus on Eddie + Shannon's relationship in 6B was because, at the time that plan was decided on, the fate of the show still hung in the balance. Ofc Eddie has to look back on his relationship with fondness (*gag*) to show that he's looking for that "spark" again, that instant connection. And, agree with it or not - most don't - the show wanted him to feel optimistic after seeing Marisol again, which is a direct contrast to Bobby having to talk him into reaching out to Ana. (Another example of KR & co. changing the smallest of details to make it seem like this next time was meant to go differently...) But had Shannon lived? She would have gotten the same treatment as the other "outsider" parents until (as we saw in 6B) the story had to reach a conclusion. Tim has previously said that killing Shannon off allowed the writing staff to explore more of Eddie's story (the fighting arc, Buddie conflict, confessing to Bobby and the one therapy scene in 3A). This, along with the negative fan reaction that could have been swayed had she started to change by the end of the season, should have made it evident by now that there was no intention of making Shannon a better parent, or a better friend to Eddie, anytime soon. There's no drama in that. I have noticed that people get my feelings on Shannon twisted a lot (probably on purpose because I'm so disliked for...talking about my disability? ig?), but I think her characterization is good for tv. If you don't like her it's because you can recognize that she was written to be a bad mom. And those bad moms are walking among you irl! Some even live in the houses of people you know even if those people aren't telling you about it! For me and the handful of us who have actually experienced the type of upbringing this fandom saw on screen (*waves*) - and if we can be real about it, Tim went easy on her and Chris because it's a family show - the problem (the "discourse") occurs when people are earnestly co-signing her behavior because "shit, I'd probably leave, too" or repeating ableist opinions about how hard disability on the mother, *especially* while dragging parents for not understanding issues they can more easily relate to. (Yeah, we see all of it.) TL;DR Representation does not have to be positive for it to matter. It just needs to be real. And even if that reality only connects with one person, it still matters. Everyone has a story and no two stories are the same.

#anonymous #tina speaks #shannon diaz #i am not tagging 'anti' for the ableists soz #eddie diaz #christopher diaz #tv: 911 #tv: 9-1-1

[lizzie-is-here]

girls just wanna have fun

part v- caught a vibe

“caught a vibe, baby, are you coming for the ride? i just wanna look into your eyes, i just wanna stay for the night”

wordcount:

warnings: cussing, mutual pining, fluff, mentions of teenagers being horny, brief mentions of underage drinking

a/n: damn this took a while, sorry 😩 but on the bright side, graduation was today! i’m finally freeeee

taglist: @faiirybread @softasha @edgycatx @happy-nico @local-mr-frog @minimarkive @softyutae @fezco-mylove

series masterlist

For a while, life continued as usual. Decathlon came and went, and while you all were excited to win (once again) your favorite part was what happened in the hotel.

It had become tradition to sneak down to the pool, grabbing snacks and letting out some steam in preparation for the big day. It was during this little trip that Flash had begun to run his mouth.

“C’mon, Penis Parker. Scared of a little water?” he’d jeered, lapping the pool. You’d averted your eyes away from his scrawny figure. You did not need to see a pubescent boy right now. Especially not Flash Thompson.

Said teen had vaulted himself out of the pool, dripping water as he sauntered over to Peter. As he’d gone to drag him into the pool, Peter had grabbed his arm and threw him in, belly flopping on the water with a harsh smack.

You had cackled, the team’s laughter echoing off the walls of the indoor pool.

A week later, you attended his first marching competition. It was worlds different from anything else you’d ever gone to, but the atmosphere was enjoyable. You’d cheered your ass off during his solo, watching as he smiled.

Although you didn’t understand the scoring, no matter how many times he’d explained it to you, you cheered when their name was called, practically vaulting over the bottom railing alongside MJ and Ned to hug him.

“What was that?” you’d yelled over the crowd. “They said you were, like, a 3A band, and then they had a bunch of categories and they said the school name a bunch, but-“

“We swept it!” Peter had cheered, picking you up to hug you. “We get to go to State!”

You’d grinned as he set you down. “I don’t know what that means, but congratulations!”

You’d gone to his State performance as well, watching as he got teary-eyed at the end of his show, putting everything he had into making his last solo perfect.

By mid-October, your schedule was slowing down. And then the nightmare known as Homecoming Committee began. You led it, which meant that you had the final say on the theme, the decor, the whole shebang. Which means a lot of pressure on you.

Today, you sit with the committee, reviewing the votes and suggestions for themes, plus a few of the people running for Homecoming Royalty.

“Are you running, (Y/N)?” Dawson asks, absentmindedly tossing a flyer over his shoulder. The face of some random sophomore boy flutters to the ground.

You laugh. “Yeah, hell no.”

“Ooh, saving your run for Prom?”

“Pretty much.” You frown. “Who voted for an ‘Under the Sea’ theme? This is Hoco, not The Little Mermaid.” You continue flipping through the suggestions.

“Comic books, no. Celestial, saving that for the Winter Formal. Sports, absolutely not.” Your eye lands on one in particular.

“School colors?” You wave the card up, catching the attention of your friends.

“Hmm. Blue and gold wouldn’t be too bad,” Hailee hums, looking around for any other opinions. “What do you guys think?”

Various sounds of assent echo. You all have been at this for two hours; at this point, you’ll take what you can get.

“Alright,” you say, clapping your hands. “We’ll set up posters and banners tomorrow. Nice work, everyone!”

You slump to the ground as they filter out, groaning in the empty auditorium.

“That bad, huh?” Hailee asks, leaning over a chair. Dawson hovers over her shoulder, an equally mischievous grin on his face.

You nod, checking your phone. “Yeah. That bad.”

“You know what would help?” he sings, resting his chin on his hand. They both exchange a glance. “Getting a Hoco partner.”

You sit up, watching them suspiciously. “Why would that help?”

Hailee rolls her eyes. “Because it would get it off your chest that you’re in love with Peter Parker.” she states, as if it’s common knowledge.

“What- I- ‘in love’?!” you sputter incredulously, going ten different shades of red within a matter of seconds. Really, you could give nature’s chromatophores a run for their money.

“Girl, you’ve dated a few people, but you’ve never acted like this about them.” Hailee gestures to your general disheveled state. “I’m just saying, I think it would be good to get it out there.”

“I’m not ready for that,” you say definitively. “Maybe after Hoco?” Dawson scoffs.

“You keep telling yourself that, see if it gets you anywhere.”

———————————————————————

“Guys, emergency!” The Avengers circle up hurriedly as Peter swings into the meeting room.

“Is it HYDRA?” Steve asks.

“Steve’s fashion sense?” Tony grumbles, eyeing the blond super-soldier’s khaki pants. He gets a swat on the arm from Natasha for that.

“I think (Y/N) knows I like her.”

Sam frowns. “Well, kid, it’s not like you’re very subtle. Why do you think that, anyway?”

Peter groans, hanging his head in his hands. “Today, we were in math, and I dropped my book, and then she picked it up to give it to me.”

“And… What’s so special about that?” Wanda asks, tilting her head.

“She winked at me!” Peter practically cries. “And-“

“Hey everyone!” you chirp, emerging from the elevator. You carry both shopping bags and two pizzas, balancing the weight as you kick off your shoes. “I brought food.”

“Hey, (Y/N),” Peter greets casually. “Did you stop by…” He cuts off as he spots the name on your bag. “Is that a Versace bag?” he gapes, not even wanting to see a price tag.

“Yeah,” you say as if you aren’t holding his rent in a single paper bag. “You mentioned the other day that you didn’t have a blazer that fit for Hoco, so I got your measurements from your band director. And…” You pull a perfectly-tailored black blazer from the bag. “Voilà. I was going to get a blue one to match the theme, but I wanted something that you could wear with most things, ya know? You can just wear, like, a blue tie or something.”

Peter is speechless. He carefully runs a hand over the fabric. “(Y/N), this must’ve cost a fortune. I can’t, really-“

“Yes, you can. You’re allowed to have nice things, Peter,” you chide, passing off the bag.

Tony nods, taking a pizza box from you. “See? She gets it. Stop gaping before the pizza gets cold, kid.”

As everyone settles in to eat, Peter promises to himself that he’ll ask you out for Homecoming. It’s the least he can do, after all.

———————————————————————

Peter does not ask you out for Homecoming. At least, not in the way he wanted to. He ends up asking to go as friends, chickening out at the last minute.

And he means really last minute. Like, the day of Hoco last minute.

“Of course, Peter. Still thinking about the carnival afterwards?”

“Yeah. I, um, asked Ned and MJ, but they were busy.” He hates lying to you. The truth is that both of his friends were planning on going to the fair, but in return for a day at Avengers Tower, they promised to stay home.

You nod. “Well, I’ll see you then.” Practically skipping down the hallway, you silently cheer to yourself as you race home to get ready.

Meanwhile, Peter does the same. Sliding into the kitchen, he stares at his aunt with mild panic.

“I really need your help.”

May, of course, obliges, finding him a tie and dress pants. Peter rushes to his room as she quickly irons the wrinkles from the pair of pants that had occupied the floor of her closet for ages.

He still hasn’t even touched the pricey blazer you bought him, but he steels his nerves and carefully removes it from the bag, laying it flat on his bed.

As he hurriedly throws clothes on, May runs over some general rules.

“Ok, you said you’re just going as friends, right?” she asks, pacing.

“Yeah,” he responds, gagging when he accidentally sprays cologne in his face.

May doesn’t bat an eye. “Well, you’re still gonna dance with her. It’s polite. And when you do, you put your hand on her…”

“Waist,” Peter finishes.

“Good. When you get to the carnival, text me. Also, make sure to take plenty of pictures.” She steps forward to straighten his tie, a watery smile on her face. “Oh, look at you. All grown up and ready for your last Homecoming.”

Peter laughs awkwardly, hugging his aunt before racing out the door, not wanting to be present for an emotional breakdown. He texts you, strolling down the street as he passes various students dressed to the nines, many in the midst of photo shoots.

At your own apartment, you’re panicking. You slip on a navy dress, careful not to catch your matching nails on the delicate fabric. You do your makeup to match in record time, spraying on a heaping amount of setting spray.

But it’s not your makeup skills, your outfit, or even the fact that your hair is not behaving that has you panicking. It’s that Peter asked to go as friends.

Friends.

You know it’s mostly guys who get friendzoned, and hey, boundaries are good, but damn. Not a fun feeling.

Technically, he might not be friendzoning you. He could just be unsure of your relationship.

Yeah, right.

Before you can spiral further into pessimism, a knock sounds on your door. Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

With one last glance in the mirror, you race to open the door, smiling at Peter. He holds out a bouquet, a precise assortment of light pink roses, baby’s breath, jasmine, and pale white dahlias. It’s breathtaking.

“Oh, wow,” you whisper, carefully taking it so as to not damage the petals. “It’s beautiful. Thank you so much!” You hug him, jumping up to wrap your arms around his neck. “I have a perfect place for it.”

Rather than placing the arrangement in a vase, you race to your room, tugging a plastic tub from under your bed. Filled with silica gel, you’d used it many times to preserve flowers.

Before you set the flowers in, you snap dozens of pictures, turning to Peter. “Is- Is it okay with you if I preserve them?”

He nods. “Yeah, that’s… I like that a lot.” ‘I like you a lot,’ he thinks to himself. He watches you carefully lay each flower in the grainy substance, gently covering them before sealing the box once more and returning it to its place under your bed.

You rise, wobbling slightly on your too-tall heels. You link your arm with Peter’s, smiling wide.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

———————————————————————

Thankfully, the Homecoming Committee had gone into overdrive for the decorations. Gold and navy sashes hang from the ceiling, and one large banner stretches across the far wall of the gym, emblazoned with Midtown Tech’s logo.

The music is just right, just loud enough to feel the bass but not so ear splitting that you have to yell to be heard.

“Holy shit,” you exclaim, nudging Peter. “Look at Mr. Harrington.” The Decathlon coach and science teacher was in the midst of a dance circle, busting out moves with gusto. It was somewhere between wholesome and disturbing.

“That… I don’t know how to feel,” Peter says, turning away from the scene. You laugh, tugging him along as you search for a table. When you spot Ned and MJ talking to a few of your own friends, you wave them down, grabbing some spare chairs to pull up to their already-crowded table.

“Hey, Peter. (Y/N).” MJ is characteristically bored, leaning back in her chair. A large plate of food sits in front of her, picked over. From the looks of it, she didn’t like the cake.

“Hey, MJ. Not up for a dance?” you ask, sitting your bag next to her. Behind you, you hear Peter and Ned exchange harsh whispers. She shakes her head.

“Nah. Not for me.” She spots Ned shoving Peter towards you and subtly eyes Evie, jerking her head towards you. Evie catches the memo and lightly pushes you back, sending you bumping into Peter.

“Sorry!” you both say in unison.

Peter scratches the back of his neck. “So, um…”

You hold out a hand. “Wanna dance?” He takes it, going wide-eyed under the flashing lights.

“Yeah, yeah that sounds good.” And with that, you whisk him away, parting the throngs of people effortlessly.

Back at the table, Evie rolls her eyes. “Those two are so useless.”

“Yep,” MJ agrees, grabbing a book from her bag. She watches over the edge, cringing as Peter awkwardly spins you. “This is straight-up painful.”

You, on the other hand, are loving every second. Each time your dance partner stumbles, you pull him up, swirling through the sea of either drunk or horny teenagers. Thankfully (or not thankfully, depending on how you see it), you’re neither.

On one particularly bad trip, you have to recover by dipping Peter, smirking at his blush and winking. He lets out a squeak and tumbles, taking you with him. You laugh as you lay back on the dirty floor, no one even noticing you two.

“Holy shit, I’m sorry,” Peter laughs, sitting up and helping you off the ground.

You wave a hand. “It’s no big deal, really.” You rise with a groan, dusting yourself off and helping him do the same. You narrow your eyes as a bass-heavy song comes on and several couples begin grinding on each other. “Um, let’s maybe leave the dance floor for a bit.”

You both wander over to the food and drinks, perusing the mildly suspicious brownies and punch. Deciding on a pink lemonade punch, you pour yourself a glass. Peter does the same, although he also balances a plate of cookies in his other hand.

Returning mildly defeated to your table, Brody holds up his phone. “Got it on camera. It’s still better than whatever… that… is,” he says, eyeing where the longest-lasting couple in school are getting far too comfortable in front of the majority of Midtown.

“Ew,” you deadpan, sipping your drink. As much as you want to mix it with some sort of alcohol, you want to be as present as possible. Every second with Peter counts, as cringey as that sounds.

The night continues, with a few classic party songs playing as energy comes in waves. It’s two hours after arriving when you start eyeing the exits. Hailee recognizes the look on your face instantly.

“Leaving before they even crown Homecoming royalty?” She shakes her head jokingly. “So impatient, (L/N).”

You roll your eyes dramatically, tapping Peter. “You ready to dip?”

“Yeah, but, umm… It looks like they’re not letting us leave,” he says, gesturing to where a group of sophomores tried to leave early only to be stopped by a chaperone.

You smirk. “I never said we were leaving that way. C’mon.” You take his hand, ducking behind people as you run into the halls of your school. Your muffled giggles echo through the halls. “Shhh! Hurry, this way,” you whisper, leading Peter towards the maintenance room. You freeze as you spot a teacher wander by, heart thumping in your chest. As soon as they’re out of sight, you spring into action.

You shove the door open, sprinting to the other side of the room. Chaperones are meandering around the school, and you know they’ll hear. Carefully, you press open the exit door, peeking outside before stepping into the chilled air.

Peter follows, laughing and high-fiving you. You both run from the school, passing a few confused groups on the street. The neon lights of the carnival slowly approach, acting as a beacon for you and Peter to weave through streets to finally arrive at the bustling scene of the fairgrounds. Due to how late it is, the area is mostly occupied by high-schoolers and a few families competing in cooking competitions.

As you gaze around in awe, Peter watches you. Well, no. That sounds creepy. But it’s true. The lights bounce off your glittery makeup and your short dress. He recalls you saying something along the lines of ‘Of course I’m wearing a short dress. How could I go to a carnival in a full-length gown?’

Your smile glows, and he swears he understands every single sappy romantic movie he’s watched with May when you smile at him. The feeling is different then how he’s heard it described.

No anxious butterflies, no turning stomach. Instead, he feels… safe. At home. Like he could tell you every single bad thing he’s done, and you’d still reach out. You’d still care.

And at that moment, Peter Parker realizes that he’s in love. And he really, really wants to tell you.

“C’mon, Pete! We’ve got $80 to blow and an hour and a half until the place shuts down for the night!”

He just has to figure out how.

#marvel #marvel x reader #x reader #avengers x reader #girls just wanna have fun #peter parker x popular!reader #peter x reader #peter parker x reader #peter parker #spider man x reader #tom holland!peter parker x reader #tom holland #spider man

[myjunkisyuzuruhanyu]

For what it's worth, I don't think Shoma is "unlucky" for not winning an Olympic gold medal. I think he is very lucky to be where he is right now, especially when you remember that he got his first quad and 3A at 17, which was quite late for a top skater. And of course he almost quit skating in 2019. Now he's a 3-time Olympic medalist, 2-time World Champion, GPF Champion, 4CC Champion, Junior Worlds and JGPF Champion. And he is in a country where figure skating is valued and he is able to make a living out of his career and achievements, and can help open up opportunities and financial support for other skaters too with his achievements (like carrying on The ICE after Mao moved on, leading One Piece on Ice, participating in Prince Ice World shows that involves a lot of Japanese pro skaters, leading Colantotte to sponsor and support a lot of Japanese male skaters). I think his legacy will not to be this Olympic Gold-winning superstar that's worshipped like a God, but to inspire other skaters that they can be just themselves and not sacrifice every little thing they have, to aim to become a champion. They can experience failures and mistakes, and still be able to find joy and fulfillment in skating. Heck, he can date Marin and be a World Champion. So I don't feel pity for Shoma, but pride at seeing him find his own way in this skating world.

I don't think anyone pities Shoma for not having that Olympic Gold medal or for anything else. But we can always wish for more medals for Shoma and more valuing of his achievements. 😊

The question is if being "lucky" is even a good word in skating. In the end the skaters all worked for their achievements and devoted their life to the sport to be able to get the results. With no work there will be no results no matter how "lucky" you are. But Shoma was close to winning an Olympic Gold, so in a way he got "unlucky" to miss out on the Olympic Gold even if that's not a bad thing. A lack of luck in one thing however doesn’t mean you're unlucky with what you got. "Being unlucky" in the reply or ask wasn't meant in any devaluing way.

I think if Shoma's path wouldn't have happened exactly the way it did, he wouldn't be where he is now. Things always happen for a reason and Shoma had tremendous achievements throughout his long career.

#shoma uno #replies

[bericas]

SCOTT APPRECIATION WEEK (DAY 1) → FAVORITE QUOTES/DECISIONS

scott’s willingness to do what needs to be done often means sacrifice, and it’s often a burden he takes onto himself; however, it doesn’t always mean self-sacrifice. 

(aka: talk shit get hit!!!)

#twedit #scott mccall #scottmccalledit #scottmccallweek #HELLO I LOVE HIM!!!!!! #so ive honestly never been heavily involved in other fandoms so i dont really know if this is unique or not but i think something about tw #is that it has so many characters that often they get flattened into archetypes by fandom to make them distinguishable #which makes sense!!!! but also leads to ignoring the entirety of the character in favor of tropes #and while scott is often willing to kill monsters (the beast when it stops being mason and is just the beast; the anukite; etc) #he often tries to be forgiving when the lines are blurred (theo; the betas who killed hunters in s5; the hunters in s6) #and i think a lot of that genuinely is because of who he was in s1!! he was someone who WANTED to kill peter. he wanted to. he would've #and as time goes on who he is and what he's willing to do changes and he goes from someone willing to kill to willing to die #(which: not that scott was some kind of monster in s1. he was a kid who was traumatized and hunted by a monster and so even when peter was a #dying human on the forest floor it was VERY easy to not see him this way and VERY easy to not care because scott WAS going to die; allison's #father at this point was VERY WILLING to kill him; and being a werewolf was a death sentence; and killing peter was supposed to cure him) #BUT he never actually....... is not willing to kill? it's just ALWAYS the worst case scenario. it's always the last option #and we see a lot of him being at his end in 3a especially (which is also before stiles gets posessed and blurs the lines in a big way again) #right like gerard is out of chances; jennifer is going to kill his mother and the sheriff and chris she is out of chances; deucalion #harassed him for the entirety of 3a and his pack killed people he's out of chances) #but then as it goes on the threats become other kids. become reflections of him; of allison; of stiles. these are not people he is willing #to put down. these are not people deserving of being put down. and so we see a lot less of this!!!! #so i tried to choose scenes where he wasn't joking or talking hypothetically; he was looking at (or in the case of the last gif about to fac #e down) the people he was threatening and it was not a hypothetical it was a FACT; this is what will happen next #let me kill peter; i poisoned gerard; i will kill gerard; i will kill jennifer; i will kill deucalion; i will fight for my life against pete #r; i will kill this random dude who tried to kill me if he makes me; i will put gerard down to end this war #and it's these moments that make everything else SO POIGNANT and i wish we got this explored in s5 so much more bc s5 was the season of Oh! #Scott's Baby! AND FRANKLY THEO DESERVED TO GET KNOCKED ON HIS ASS!!!!! like i know liam had fucked scott up pretty bad already when theo get #s there but SCOTT EVENT TELLS LIAM!! I CANT LET YOU KILL ME!!!!!! HE SHOULDVE LET THEO KNOW THAT HES WILLING TO KILL ACTUALLY! #IF HE WAS NOT SO CLOSE TO DEAD. IF THEO HAD COME FOR HIS FIRST. THEO WOULD NOT HAVE MADE IT OUT OF THE FIGHT. AND SCOTT SHOULDVE TOLD HIM #THATTTT WE DESERVED IT AS A CHARACTER MOMENT!!!!

[gracestone]

HSMTMTS & Frozen: Character Arcs in 3A: A Cast

As I've already speculated in this post, I think Frozen is a misdirect and that we'll end the season with an opening night for HSM2. In that post, I was still struggling with coming up with a cast for Frozen in 3A. But this brilliant anon gave me tons of ideas and opened my eyes to how Frozen could play into Gina's arc with Jamie, so here we are! I present to you: my speculation on the Frozen casting and what this will mean for the character arcs in the first half of the season.

Lily - Elsa

As I suggested in the first post I linked above, I think it'd make sense for the season to start with a head camp counselor who's not Miss Jenn. And I think that could easily be Lily's mom, because that could give Lily a great arc this season and also hold up a mirror to EJ and Gina and their relationship with their parents, since Lily's mom telling her that if she's not adding followers, she's not adding value sounds very similar to what Cash and Terri have been telling them all their lives. I imagine that Lily's mom would be a lot like Cash, so she'd not hold auditions and instead let her daughter decide who will get what role, and maybe even let her decide on what musical they're doing. Frozen has a very limited cast and would give Lily lots of time to shine on her own, so I could easily see Lily choosing that musical.

I don't think the sister bond between Elsa and Anna really fits Lily's character arc, or at least not at first, but I do think elements of Elsa's arc could reflect where Lily may be going next. Elsa's arc is about her having been confined to her room almost her entire life while she's preparing herself to become queen one day. She has no friends and is preparing to lead her people (followers) as queen, instead of creating lasting and meaningful relationships with the people around her. She then tries to break free of the things restraining her by running away and being alone, which could tie into her singing Let It Go. But eventually, she realises that what she truly needs to be free isn't to be alone, but to love. She needs people around her. And I think that's what Lily will learn in season 3. I could easily see her getting to a point where she wants to break free from her mother (and maybe she'll help the Wildcats get rid of her as head camp counselor), but then she's angry and bitter that she doesn't get the lead in HSM2 and ends up driving all the people around her even further away from her. And once she eventually loses Antoine and Ricky too, she'll be truly alone. Which is when she'll start to realise that it's not what she wants or needs. And like Elsa, she'll eventually find herself a family in the Wildcats. She just needs to make amends with them first and redeem herself. I could see Gina being the first person to truly accept her, since she can see her old self reflected in Lily and knows how hard it is to get out of that ambition-driven mindset.

Ricky - Kristoff

Within this line of speculation, Lily would be the one picking all cast members. For Kristoff, it'd make sense for her to pick Ricky, because she thinks he's talented and leading material. This would once again make him feel validated in his talent, especially if Lily doesn't tell Ricky that she's the reason he got the role. This would parallel EJ/Nini, which would fit in the pattern of parallel storytelling that's been happening with Rini over the seasons. Once he finds out about Lily stealing his harness in 2x11 AND about him having gotten his third leading role not based on his talent but because Lily cheated, he'll be hit quite hard.

I could see that reveal happening after Ricky doesn't get the role of Troy because he coasted his way through the audition and has gone down a "dark" path similar to EJ and Gina's wonderstudies arc in S1. It'd make sense, imo, for Ricky's true and lasting growth to start in a similar way to how Nini's growth started: a talented person with lots of experience in theater and with lots of leading roles under their belt tells them that they're talented and that they believe in them, only to then undermine the confidence they've created in them by giving them a leading role the wrong way. Ricky is terrified that he's not actually good enough to be on stage, so him not getting the role of Troy and then finding out that the leading role he got before that also wasn't given to him based on his talent would force him to really confront that core fear of his. This could lead Ricky to realise that the feeling he had at the end of season one ("All I know is... I want this feeling to keep going. Because this whole experience... I'm just... I'm not ready for it to be over.") that he wanted to keep going came from all the hard work he put into the show AND his relationship with Nini. Coasting has never given him that same feeling, so this could be the point where he finally realises that he doesn't want to do that anymore and that putting in the work is actually worth it, because without it he'll never get that feeling from 1x10 back.

Nini - Sven

This would likely be an insult on Lily's part, especially since she knows Nini is Ricky's ex. But it'd also be a parallel to Nini having played the back end of a cow in Gypsy, as EJ mentions in 1x01. Similar to how Nini played a fork in BatB, just like she did in the other production of BatB she was in.

And just like Sven and Kristoff, Nini and Ricky have been a constant in each other's life. She makes him feel safe and encourages him to be brave or try new things. Ricky/Kristoff being Nini's/Sven's voice would also parallel how Nini often felt like she let herself be defined by who she is to Ricky, and how she's now trying to stop doing that. It'd be a good reminder to her to not let her regress to the person she used to be.

Gina - Anna

I know what most of you are probably thinking, but hear me out. It makes sense for Lily to give Gina the second leading role, because she sees Gina as her only equal (2x02).

As the brilliant anon I already mentioned correctly argued, Gina's arc in 3A will likely be about mending her relationship with Jamie, just like Anna mends her relationship with Elsa. I could see Gina and Jamie singing For The First Time In Forever (Reprise), because it really fits the guilt Jamie feels towards Gina and that she's better off without him as a brother:

Elsa: "Anna, please go back home, your life awaits. Go enjoy the sun and open up the gates." Anna: "Yeah, but-" Elsa: "I know you mean well, but leave me be. Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free. Just stay away and you'll be safe from me."

Doesn't this sound similar to Jamie trying to hand off his big brother responsibilities to EJ and saying that sometimes the family you find is better than the one you get? It's a similar sentiment of wanting to let someone you love go so they can live a happier life, because you think you make them unhappy. And the line about being alone and free could fit with Jamie trying to tell himself that he likes being alone in LA. I think by the end of the season or maybe even earlier, Gina and Jamie will manage to mend their relationship, just like Elsa and Anna did. Maybe that could happen when Gina reachest her lowest point in S3, which I imagine will be when she thinks EJ is going to a college out of state and is considering moving back in with her mom since she misses her a lot. I could see Jamie's love for her managing to "unfreeze her heart", perhaps by reminding her of how loved she is in Salt Lake and admitting he wishes he had that much love in his own life.

I also see a super interesting storytelling opportunity in making Gina play Ricky's love interest, because it'd parallel and, more importantly, contrast the EJ/Nini storyline in season 1. I imagine Gina would be really uncomfortable with playing Ricky's love interest and she'd come clean to EJ about why she feels that way, which would mean telling him about how she confessed her feelings to Ricky during the HSM opening night. This would contrast with how EJ had to find out about Nini having told Ricky that she loves him all by himself (and through shady means), and it'd further solidify the trust between EJ and Gina. It'd also be a testament to EJ's character growth if he then responds by encouraging Gina to play Anna, because he feels that secure in their relationship and because he wouldn't want her to miss out on such a great opportunity to show the world how talented she is because of him. He could convince Gina to keep playing Anna by singing Kristoff Lullaby to her, which @madelion suggested for him, because the lyrics perfectly fit how EJ sees Gina. Especially the lines about how she lives fearlessly and how she's braver than the bravest of us. The HSMTMTS writers are very good at matching lyrics with storylines and character arcs, so I think it's pretty likely we'll see EJ sing this to Gina. Plus, it'd parallel and constrast Ricky singing When There Was Me And You to Gina, because it'd be EJ's own idea, instead of Gina asking Ricky if she could hear it, and it'd be purely for Gina, unlike how Ricky created that acoustic version for Nini. WTWMAY is also about Gabriella singing about how her relationship with Troy was a lie and expressing her heartbreak, which reflects how Gina ended up feeling about her and Ricky's relationship. Kristoff Lullaby, on the other hand, is about Kristoff realising just how real and deep his feelings for Anna are, and how much he admires the person she truly is. It'd fit perfectly with how the show has already contrasted Ricky/Gina and EJ/Gina in previous seasons.

EJ - Olaf

I could see Lily giving EJ a decent role (compared to some of the minor/background roles other characters may end up with) based on how often he's played the lead in shows before.

One reason why this would be fun is because Matt would love to play Olaf lmao. But I also have some character driven reasons for this! In season 2, EJ came to accept how much the Wildcats mean to him and how he's not ready to leave them. He realised that happiness is about other people, which fits with Olaf's realisation that "some people are worth melting for". Olaf also is a visual representation of the love and past that connects Anna and Elsa. He helps them find their way back to each other by reminding them how important they are to each other. I could see EJ play a similar role for Gina and Jamie. He already has a little bit of a relationship with Jamie, and I think once Jamie gets past being protective of Gina dating someone, EJ could help make Jamie see that happiness is all about the people you surround yourself with. And that Gina loves him and it's not too late to reconnect with her. EJ knows what it's like to have family members who are distant, emotionally, so I can see him using that to make Jamie see that he shouldn't be like Cash Caswell.

Howie - Hans

Howie proved his talent as the Beast, so I could see Lily giving him a big role again. Howie isn't like Hans to Gina, but I think once Kourtney finds out about the harness, she'll come to think of him as a Hans. And I think Howie and Hans both wear masks to hide who they truly are, but Howie wears a North High mask to hide his true, kind self, while Hans wears a kind and loving mask to hide the monster beneath. It'd be a similar contrast as the show went for by casting EJ as Gaston. And just like we see Hans shed his mask eventually, we could see Howie deciding to shed his mask. For love, in another contrast to Hans, because Kourtney makes him want to be himself.

Antoine - Duke of Weselton

I'm a little less certain of this, but I feel like Antoine would be the most logical choice for this role, especially if Lily is the one handing out roles. The Duke of Weselton is the secondary antagonist of Frozen, just like Antoine is the secondary antagonist to Lily.

I could see Antoine feeling snubbed by this casting and feeling betrayed by Lily after how loyal he's been to her. Which could lead to the two of them playing Ryan and Sharpay in the second half of the season, and them mirroring Ryan and Sharpay's HSM2 storyline, with Antoine growing closer with the Wildcats and Lily feeling utterly alone as even her closest ally has left her.

Seb - Oaken

Not gonna lie, I don't have a big character driven reason for this other than that Seb fits Oaken's wholesome vibe. And he's probably one of the Wildcats that Lily feels least threatened by, since she's never heard him sing, so I could see her being willing to share at least a little bit of the stage with him. Don't see this as me not wanting him to have songs or focus, though. I'm sure the writers will find ways to give all the characters their moment to shine in 3A, through Frozen or original songs.

Ashlyn and Big Red - Bulda and Cliff

I could totally see Lily giving the two of them the roles of the trolls who raised Kristoff as an insult to them, based on how she treated them in S2. It'd also represent how she doesn't understand their importance to Ricky and how they're like family to him. Them singing Fixer Upper about Ricky could also represent them still believing in Ricky's good qualities, even when he's clearly regressing and pulling away from the Wildcats because of Lily.

As for Carlos and Kourtney, I'm not sure what roles are left to hand out. They'll likely get very minor characters, or maybe they'll stick to their roles as choreographer and make-up artist/costume designer. But as I've been speculating, I think that's just temporary and they'll get (bigger) roles once the musical switches to HSM2.

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts speculation #gina porter #ej caswell #portwell #ricky bowen #seb matthew smith #carlos rodriguez #kourtney greene #nini salazar roberts #rini #lily #antoine #howie #kowie #redlyn #jamie porter #my post #anouk rambles

[princeescaluswords]

*clumsily does cartwheels onto the lecture hall stage, baffling the attendees, especially since my hat of fandom logic never falls off* You know who's at fault for the Sheriff being hurt? Stiles. He's supposedly a powerful and mighty archmage, yet..... he never protects his own flesh and blood with his awesome powers. He can use it to commit bloodshed with white men like Derek or Peter, but he can't erect simple wards or craft protection charms for dear old dad? How utterly selfish. He only uses his magic to impress his lovers or gain popularity. According to fandom, he can literally bend reality to prevent a gun from firing to hit him in the head, but he can't work a little magic to protect Noah 24/7? Maybe if he wasn't so obsessed with the Hales... Hmm, actually, this is making sense! He is knowingly using his reality bending to cause crimes so his life is more interesting! He is responsible for Laura's death, and Peter's victims, and the Kanima's, and Jennifer's!!! He conjured up two good looking white men to canoodle, but not extra money to help out at home. He's FORCING them to love him, robbing Derek's autonomy.

I remember that! I remember after Weaponized (4x07) how the fandom turned into a cadre of ballistics experts and tried to imply that a television show which once had an episode where a loft went from full night to full daylight in two minutes in order to drive away Japanese firefly demons would spend time and effort on creating accurate ballistic paths. It gave me a good laugh, anyway.

Parts of the fandom were so certain that "Stiles is something" that they began playing whack-a-mole with scenes, led by certain BNFs with a lot of imagination and a genuine hostility to the lead. There was the hospital scene in Monstrous (4x10) where Melissa locked Malia and Stiles a hospital room to work out their issues -- Stiles pointed it out -- but we didn't see her do it. When she unlocked the door after they had made up, certain people took that as Stiles having unlocked the door with his mind, rather than Occam's Razor that, having accomplished her goal, Melissa unlocked it. Think of all the times they said "Look at Stiles holding down/holding back a werewolf!" as if they had never heard of leverage.

It was hilarious, but I honestly don't think the urge itself was without grounds. I do believe that the production was building up the possibility that Stiles might choose to make his own way into the supernatural in some manner, especially with the mountain ash scene in Raving (2x08) -- though the 'spark' was a damn analogy! Deaton said that in next sentence! -- and with Noshiko's pronouncement in Insatiable (3x23) "more you than nogitsune." I don't think that they were going to make him a supernatural creature, but I think they were hinting at him possibly pursuing a path to power.

What happened to it? I think the production examined audience reaction and went "oh, hell no." While sometimes it gave in to fan service, the production did have a very strong grasp on the story it wanted to tell and they realized that making Stiles supernatural would be a disaster. Just as I think they recognized at some point between 3A and 3B that developing the Stiles and Derek relationship further would be a disaster. Fandom complained that after several emotionally developed scenes in 3A, Stiles and Derek didn't have a real scene together until De-Void (3x20) and that was Void Stiles kicking Derek's ass. They complained loudly.

Because I think that the production, in the end, had to limit their interaction, and the Sterek shippers have only themselves to blame for that decision. They had created a fandom juggernaut that was already distracting the audience from the stories that the production wanted to tell and the themes they wanted to explore (see Poseygate), and if they gave Stiles and Derek's relationship more importance, it would be like pouring gasoline on a fire. So they cut the scenes back. They didn't get rid of them entirely, because that would be against theme and story as well, but they were far more reluctant and cautious with their interactions.

I feel the same way with what I call the 'magical awakening of Stiles' -- they had to put an end to it. The fans were already in full-on "Schism mode," trying to spin events into Stiles needing to get rid of Scott in order to take over the show. Stiles developing any sort of ability would have been like blowing up the dam and watching it flood the village.

How did this happen? Because I feel they took one look at the fandom and realized that a majority of them had rejected one of the primary themes of the show already -- "Scott doesn't care about power; he cares about people." -- and were hungry for their favorite white boys to gain power and, more importantly, focus. They wanted Stiles to be the most powerful so he could punish their enemies and protect his one true love -- which was whatever white male killer was on the screen at the time.

How do I know this? Because everything fandom did with Stiles, they didn't do with Lydia, who was actually the one going through the awakening of her power. Sure, there are meta/stories out there where Lydia develops her abilities and becomes powerful, but it's always in the service to Stiles or Derek or Peter. I can count on one hand the number of stories I've seen where Lydia grows strong, rejects Scott's morality, and destroys Peter or Stiles or Derek slowly for what they did to her. From the content of their fiction, isn't that what they wanted?

Of course not, Lydia isn't a dude. /sarcasm

Take a common fanfiction trope -- Stiles has always been supernaturally powerful, but he hid it from Scott and even sometimes from his father. Even as he watches Scott beaten by Derek or hunted by the Alpha or the Argents, he does nothing. You see, his power is for him, an inheritance due to his super special nature. (See Claudia the Hale Emissary, Claudia the Born Shifter, Claudia the Tree Stump) And when Stiles decides to use that power, it's always for him -- or more specifically, for the white people he should be using it for, and not his best friend of years, who owes him obedience and loyalty, but to whom he owes -- nothing much.

What's amazing is how often this revelation happens after Season 1. Stiles uses his power against Gerard or the Alpha Pack or Kate or Theo or against Scott when he finally tires of Scott trying to do the right thing after watching Scott struggle against the people trying to kill Stiles (and Lydia and his father).

Because Fanon Stiles cares about power, and only some people make the cut from time to time (namely, the hot white men to whom the fandom are attracted). The purpose of his power is not to serve others, but to validate Stiles. Fandom wanted this even after the production had explored the danger of that attitude in the stories of Peter, Derek, Deucalion, Jennifer, etc. All of these people saw power as the path to self-satisfaction, and it destroyed them.

I feel that when the production saw that trend in the fandom, they had no choice but to say "Nope, Stiles never gains power," because, like the Derek and Stiles relationship, the audience would transform it into something that ran directly counter to the stories and themes the production wanted to tell. Why would a show do that to itself?

(I mark this anti stiles stilinski not because it's against him, but out of courtesy. Fanon Stiles isn't Canon Stiles.)

#teen wolf meta #anti stiles stilinski #anti stiles stans #coach finstock #teen wolf fandom problems #racism #sexism #fandom racism

[tuiyla]

are there ever moments where you like finn and think he’s a good character? just curious to know your thoughts

I really appreciate this question because it feels like an opportunity to explain myself when it comes to Finn. Because of that, this is going to be more general thoughts Anon but if you'd still like specific moments and I didn't cover what you wanted me to please let me know and we can do a part two. Cause this certainly isn't going to be a purely Finn positive post lol but on that note let's jump right in.

So I got this ask after my all-day dramatics about season 3A/ Mash Off and IKAG on Saturday and, I'm assuming, because I had a few anti Finn things to say that day. In fact, that tag has been seeing more action lately so I totally get why this question would come up. The short answer is that yes, there are and I do, but this is me so there's a much longer explanation lmao.

First, I think liking a character and thinking they're a good character can be very different things. Ultimately, these two categories of likeability and being a good character (or not) overlap with Finn for me because my problems with him are very, very often rooted in how the show treats him rather than his actions. I'm very aware that I've been harsh on him in the past, recent past, but I swear an awful lot of that is just trying to counterbalance the show because it's refusing to see the wrong in his actions 90% of the time. And that's incredibly frustrating when it's frankly to the detriment of not only other characters but to Finn, too. Which is what I mean when I say that his (lack of) likeability overlaps with his status as a good/bad character. And I realize not everyone considers framing as much as I do, that's also a valid perspective. But for me, when Finn is framed so, so often as the hero even when he does something pretty appalling, that's hard to ignore. And for the record I'm not just talking about The Outing here, that's the tip of the iceberg. He's repeatedly awful to both Quinn and Rachel, among other sins that frustrate me.

But! Your ask was about positivity and I wanna honour that. So with that brief summary of issues I have with Finn out of the way, yes, I can enjoy him at times. Rewatching the series I do find that I’m annoyed at him a lot but here’s the thing, I think there’s real potential in Finn’s character. And it’s not like Cory Monteith wasn’t the perfect guy to execute all that so I’m not sure why the writers still insisted on ruining this character by putting him on a pedestal. Just before you sent this ask I actually asked @md-drawz about Finn (thoughts which I swear I will reply to) precisely because there are aspects of him I like and wanted to get a different perspective from someone who also enjoys him more in fanon.

I shouldn’t go on more than I already am but basically, I really like the concept of Finn struggling to live up to the expectations of the All-American quarterback. I think he’s super insecure and anxious form the start about peaking in high school and being a Lima loser and yet can’t escape the pull of the high school status quo. He wants to conform so badly but that comes with accepting bullying and not standing for Glee Club peeps. Even as ND’s leader he struggles because of this, because popularity is just as important to him as it is to Quinn and he has a very unstable sense of identity so he puts it all into how his peers perceive him. This makes him flawed as both a character and especially as a leader and I’d honestly love that, if he was allowed to sit with these flaws and then grow from them. I think there’s a genuinely interesting story here that I could go on about but again, potential part two if you/people are interested. What I’m trying to say with this is that I like many of the ideas surrounding his character and themes Glee could have explored.

In practice, well, like I say the writers always putting him on a pedestal means he ends up frustrating me quite often. Because what could be a good story turns into the triumph of straight white mediocrity and feels unearned, especially in a narrative that is otherwise so obsessed with the underdog. But when I switch that hypercritical part of my brain off, I do enjoy him at times. I’m looking forward to rewatching season 4 because, save for some rough bits, I actually really enjoyed his story there. I like when he’s allowed to just be a goofy guy, when his good intentions actually show and don’t end in disaster, when he realizes that being a leader is about enabling others to shine. I like a lot of the Furt and otherwise family stuff.

I swear I don’t, like, decide to hate Finn whenever I watch Glee. And I don’t hate him, I just get so frustrated at how he’s treated as this golden child and particularly how that contrasts with Quinn when they’re actually more alike in some ways than people would think. It’s hard for me to ignore specific cases of him quit frankly sucking so much, like The Outing and many Rachel/Quinn interactions - I wish I trusted him around women. But I try to see the interesting bits in his story and cut him slack because I recognize fundamental problems with Glee’s worldview and I try not to blame Finn for them.

After I rewatched IKAG I had less of a taste for it but I’m actually writing what’s looking to be a looong essay about the four main popular kids, so that includes Finn. In that, I show him as much empathy and cut him as much slack as I do Quinn, Puck and yes, Santana, believe it or not. I also have a post planned about IKAG where I explain how I’d do right by Santana but, surprisingly enough, also Finn. Because like I said, his treatment was to his detriment as well. A character can’t grow if the writers barely recognize their mistakes as mistakes and that’s just sad. So my point with this paragraph is that if I didn’t care for him at all I wouldn’t be doing these, but I do feel like most of my positive feelings towards Finn come from fanon and how I choose to view him.

That... turned out less coherent than I wanted it to. Well, Anon, I hope I could still provide you with some kind of answer and if you were looking for my thoughts, certainly got a few of those! I find it hard not to be pissed off at Finn when watching the show but I would like to rehabilitate him in fanon.

#glee asks #anon #okay so imma tag it as anti just cause i am still critical of him #but know that i do say nice things lol #anti finn hudson #finn hudson #he's... a complicated topic in my eyes #but i appreciate this ask and the way it's worded #and i'm sorry that after the wait i still wasn't all that structure dlol #i need to look over this tomorrow #i fucked around with giffing too much and couldn't give this enough time oops

[a-lil-bi-furious]

Scisaac :D

oof, thank you for this ask, and I am so sorry this took so long to respond. It’s finals season and I grossly underestimated how much I have to do 😅 But here it is, in all it's (hopefully understandable) rambling glory: Scisaac

*aggressively hits ship button* 

1) What made you ship it?

I’ve been on the Scisaac train for a looooong time now. When I was first watching Teen Wolf, during my own very teen-y but non-wolfy years, I don’t think I actually started to ship them until a bit into 3A. When I re-watched the show, though, that scene in the club with “No, I mean you. I don’t want you to get hurt.” had me as done for as Isaac. (There’s this lovely gif set someone made, too, that’s just a close up on their hands during the syringe hand-off, and all the subtle, soft finger brushing makes me go feral.) Anyway, that scene was the shipping spark, but it wasn’t really what established Scisaac as an important relationship to me.

For me, the scene in the clinic with the dog (in 2x11 “Battlefield”) is what really cemented that. It’s funny, because this scene really isn’t a shipping scene, right? This is a learning moment which focuses more on resident-mentor Alan Deaton extending to Isaac the opportunity to learn how to use his abilities for something other than anger and power. And I love it so much for that! But the interaction between Scott and Isaac makes me weak. Because you’ve got Isaac--this jaded, abused kid who holds a lot of resentment and fear and accepted the bite, most likely, to feel like he had some modicum of control in his life and the strength to not feel helpless anymore, and in the end externalized all of that rage--experiencing this moment of raw vulnerability with two people who, by all counts, should want nothing to do with him. And we can talk about how that moment in the club was probably one of the first times anyone has shown genuine concern for Isaac’s well-being (and how this act of kindness was coming from someone he’s been hostile to) in who knows how long, but what about the first moment Isaac acts in compassion and tenderness? How long has it been since he considered himself capable of feeling something that wasn’t pain, fear, or that deep seated fury which swallows everything else? How long has it been since Isaac knew any language other than violence? For a moment he’s cracked open and everything is overwhelming and rather than using his hands as weapon and shield, he’s using them to heal. He cries, and for a moment he’s even startled--maybe scared. And what does Scott do? He immediately offers a point of connection and consolation (“It’s okay, I cried the first time he showed me, too.”)

Scott has this heart which is (sometimes dangerously) open and exposed. He cares and he believes so deeply in humanity and goodness that even when he’s spent weeks(?) fighting Isaac, distrusting Isaac, he’s also been worrying about Isaac. And the way Scott acts in this scene is so soft and curious as he’s standing by, watching. It’s like he’s just been waiting for Isaac to let his guard down just enough to step outside of what Derek’s been teaching him (about anger and control, just like he did Scott). And he gets this tiny little smile on his face as he watches it happen, because I can imagine he knows almost exactly how Isaac is feeling. Scott presents it differently and he often buries it down, but he’s angry too. All the time, at so many things, but he chooses to channel his energy into helping other people. And seeing Isaac, who up until this moment has mostly shown animosity and apathy, brought to tears when he learns he can take pain from others just proves to Scott that the tenderness pays off, that caring heals. Everyone is capable of kindness if they choose it, and to watch Isaac open himself up a little bit to that option--one that hasn’t been available to him for a long time--is incredibly rewarding. It just was such a warm, vulnerable, and genuine exchange between all three of them, and given how closed off Isaac is it was a significant indicator of the safety he was starting to feel around Scott. 

2) What are your favorite things about the ship?

re: above, my favorite thing about this ship is how tender and vulnerable each of them can be with the other (in their own ways) and how they challenge each other in ways they both really need. Scott encourages Isaac to turn away from aggression as a solution and to focus more on others, on compassionate and peaceful forms of resolution. (It’s uhhh....a work in progress.) Scott softens Isaac in a way I think he really needs. Conversely,  Isaac challenges Scott in ways he really needs. Isaac encourages him to place more focus on himself and actually attend to his needs. And also? I just think they would have fun, because Isaac = trouble and Scott 100% enjoys shenanigans more than he acts like he does. He’s a little shit at heart, and I’m here for Isaac encouraging that.

Also, I think their relationship has a good balance because they’re very different people, but I think that they have some points of relation that run deep in ways many people wouldn’t understand. For one thing, I think that Scott has a foundation of understanding for Isaac’s experience of childhood abuse and how this informs his behavior. This is entirely up to interpretation because the show never specified beyond the time Rafael accidentally(?) pushed Scott down the stairs, but even if Scott didn’t experience physical abuse outside of this incident, it’s pretty clear that Rafael is an angry, violent drunk and that the relationship in that home was toxic and (judging by his interactions with Scott and Melissa) likely emotionally abusive. It probably wasn’t always that way; it wasn’t always that way for Isaac either. The abuse that Isaac endured was different and more severe (at least in a physical sense), and whereas Scott’s dad left when he was ten, Isaac was stuck with his dad until the kanima killed him. But I think that experience of living in a home that doesn’t feel safe is something they both share. Isaac’s initial reaction seems to be to run away or retreat when he’s unsafe, but Scott’s is to make it a safe place. I could ramble on and on, but what I’m getting at is just that I think even with extremely different personalities and ideologies, they’d be able to understand each other in very specific, personal ways and help each other cope. I’m also a huge sucker for the fact that Isaac showed up on the McCall’s doorstep and that Scott’s home literally became his home--but, really, Scott became his home. And rather than run or hide when things are scary, he defends his home now (metaphorical and physical) and keeps building it up again. (And yeah, sometimes defense means beating a guy he already hated senseless over Scott not healing and then Scott probably being less than pleased about it, but it’s a learning curve okay?)

3) Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? 

I’m not sure what the general opinions are on this ship, especially now. But the most unpopular opinion I probably have is about Isaac’s temperament. A lot of people have a tendency to kind of take aforementioned softness and turn Isaac into a very gentle, sweet, puppy-like character, which I just don’t think is realistic. Really and truly, Isaac’s a sarcastic asshole with anger issues and not a whole lot of tact. And, though I tend to think he softens up quite a bit with Scott, I don’t think that changes the nature of his behavior, if that makes sense? I actually think part of the reason Isaac is a good match for Scott in the first place is because he’s this way. Scott has a tendency to ignore his own needs, which often means his wellbeing suffers. Isaac’s the kind of person to point out the bullshit, no sugar-coating, and stubbornly counter Scott’s attempts to excuse his own self-neglect at every turn. Isaac is loyal and caring, yes, but he’s pushy and aggressive about it. And I honestly think Scott needs a partner who won’t put up with his self-sacrifice; he needs someone who’s going to be persistent, because Scott also tends to be pretty obstinate.

In conclusion, I love them your honor. 

(Send me a ship and I’ll ramble about why I do/don’t ship it!)

#ty again for the ask friend <3 #spikeface #Teen Wolf #Scisaac #Scott McCall #Isaac Lahey #Ask games #To the other ppl w asks I *will* answer them i promise...just working on an academic paper too so it'll be a bit

[ianenjoyer]

here by unpopular demand: why Ian and Mickey are narrative foils 

For reference, the definition of a narrative foil is a character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) to highlight qualities of the other character. 

1. introduction to the show

Mickey is introduced to the show as an antagonist and somebody out to get Ian who, at this point, is the ‘protagonist’. He’s presented as the direct opposite of Ian: dirty, obviously not well taken care of, crass, homophobic, etc. As the show goes on we learn that most, if not all, of these things are a defense mechanism and not actually indicative of who he is but before 1x07 these are the only things we know about him. Basically, he’s introduced as a stereotypical neighborhood thug contrasted against sweet, hardworking, ambitious Ian.

2. family

The Milkoviches and Gallaghers are narrative foils, too, and in better world the show would have explored this even further but I digress. They’re similar in the way that they’re both poor Southside families trying to make money to stay afloat but the comparisons pretty much end there. The biggest difference is that the Gallagher children always had somebody looking out for them, while the Milkovich children didn’t. Talking about Ian and Mickey, it’s not to say that Ian didn’t have his fair share of having to fend for himself or that he had it easy, but at the very least his family really loved and cared about him and it’s shown really early on that Mickey didn’t have that. In fact, he lived in perpetual fear of his father and was loyal to him because of this, as opposed to Ian who hated Frank and avoided even associating with him most of the time. Ian and Mickey in the early seasons explicitly show what difference growing up knowing you’re loved and thinking you have a chance in life makes and how much that affects your personality and general worldview.

3. driving character arcs

This boils down to Mickey’s main obstacles being external and physical while Ian’s are internal and psychological. Neither one is worse or more important than the other but it does mean a lot in terms of who they are as characters and the things they had to overcome.

     3a. Mickey’s sexuality

     Ian has always been shown to be comfortable in his sexuality and, even though he wasn’t out for all of the early seasons, it was never shown to be a source of contention for him. Mickey on the other hand, doesn’t get comfortable in his sexuality until season 5 (and even then he’s shown to revert to having sex with women when he’s stressed). In this regard, Ian operates as Mickeys foil, serving to highlight how different Mickey’s experience with his sexuality was compared to Ian’s, as shown in 2x08 when you see Mickey terrified of being outed while Ian looks on really not understanding what he’s so afraid of. As Mickey said, they lived in different worlds, and moments like 2x08 or all of season 3b serve as proof of this.

     3b. Ian’s bipolar

    Ian’s return in season 4 marks a real turning point for his character. Even though his main traits never falter he seems to be, in many ways, a completely different person. As time goes on you learn why this is and, especially after Ian’s diagnosis, you see Ian and Mickey once again living in different worlds. Mickey operates as his foil here because Ian sees the diagnosis as a death sentence and has a hard time coming to terms with it. After what he saw with Monica, it seems impossible that he would see it any other way, which is made worse by the way his family talks about it. Mickey, however, has none of these pre-existing connotations or stigma about it. To him, it just means Ian’s sick and needs help, not that he’s broken or different or that there’s anything wrong with him at all. Once he gets over the initial hurt and confusion it really doesn’t change how he sees Ian at all, which juxtaposes Ian’s warped perception of himself, which goes so deep that he breaks up with Mickey after spending time with Monica and seeing the future he thinks he’s doomed to end up in.

4. relationship

All throughout the show, their storylines are inverses of each other (I’ve made a couple gifsets about that here) and the relationship itself serves to highlight different parts of each character at different points throughout the show.

    4a. seasons 1-5

In seasons 1-3, Ian is shown to be the steady one in the relationship, he has the luxury of not being terrified of being outed and having a support system, so he’s able to pursue Mickey in this way. Then, enter seasons 4 and 5, and all the stability and surety that has defined Ian for his whole life is ripped away from him. This completely flips their dynamic on it’s head and forces Mickey to both pursue Ian, and become the stable one in the relationship, in seasons 4 and 5, respectively. 

     4b. seasons 6-7

In season 6, Mickey is a reminder of Ian’s ‘past life’ and everything he was desperate to move on from. It’s not that Mickey did anything to deserve this, but the fact is Ian associated him with everything from the past year or so that had completely destroyed his life and his perception of himself. 

In season 7, Ian had gotten himself to a place where he was able separate Mickey from that and come to terms with his feelings for him. Mickey was his foil here in the sense that he represented love and passion as opposed to the precarious stability Ian had worked really hard to carve out for himself. The situation forced Ian to make a choice between the two and revealed just how much Ian values his mental health and safety, highlighting how much he’d grown from seasons 4 and 5.

     4c. season 10

In season 10 their relationship had finally reached a point where they can just be together, which opened the door for the insecurities that they both still harbored to come out of the shadows. Mickey’s feelings of abandonment and his need for Ian to prove that he’s committed go up against Ian’s commitment issues brought on by his bipolar and the connotations that marriage held for him. To Ian, getting married meant Mickey tying himself to him forever, and he couldn’t imagine why he would want to do that; to Mickey, it just meant them committing to being together forever. They were essentially looking at the same picture but seeing different things which highlighted really key parts of their personalities and the way they operate in a relationship.

tldr: Ian and Mickey’s relationship is incredibly complex, but the main thing that remained consistent through it all is that they constantly challenge each other and bring out both the good and the bad in each other and that they fiercely love each other.

#uhhhhh yeah #i literally worked harder on this than i have on school in a long time which is unfortunate but lskdfjlsdjkf #i really wish i could major in overanalyzing shows on tumblr but alas :( we live in a society #i feel like some of this doesn’t make sense lol so feel free to ask me to clarify anything #shameless #meta #t

[firelxdykatara]

hello!! i just wanted to ask- i wanna do an ouat rewatch bc CAPTAIN SWANN but its pretty long and i honestly dont care for the other characters/how badly the overall writing was handled.. which are your favourite captain swan eps? anything them centered and i think ill just skip around to rewatch their romance as they did invent romance 😭😭 ty in advance <3

they absolutely did invent romance, you are right about that and i love them so much

UHMMMM as far as my favorite CS eps, here’s a roadmap of what I personally consider key eps in their journey (some of this is from memory but I haven’t done a full rewatch in a while so i’m going through the episode list as a refresher)

2x06: Tallahassee--this is a must-watch ep for any CS fan, and I really think this is the episode that sparked the fire that CS would become as a fandom. It has everything--flirtatious banter, all kinds of tension, deliberate parallels drawn between Emma and Killian’s pasts, as well as their first meeting being intercut with her relationship with Neal (which serves, especially in hindsight, to highlight just how sketchy that relationship was, and why she couldn’t bring herself to trust Killian--because the last time she felt this way about anyone, it ended horribly)

2x08 and 2x09: Into the Deep and Queen of Hearts--these episodes cover the race to the portal between Emma&co and Hook/Cora and while they don’t do a ton for CS as a relationship since they’re still enemies at this point, it lays great foundation for their future relationship development. Plus, sexy swordfight, Hook going out of his way to save Aurora’s heart--he may be a pirate, but he has standards ok--and Emma realizing Cora can’t remove her heart without her permission? Poetic Cinema

2x11: The Outsider--more of a Killian-centric episode, it shows a lot of Killian at his worst but it’s necessary for his overall character arc and I genuinely love looking back and seeing just how far he managed to come, to the point of eventually even letting go of his (very understandable) grudge against Rumplestiltskin.

2x12: In the Name of the Brother--am I including this purely for Emma&Hook banter in the hospital, and Killian saying ‘hey beautiful’ when he’s lying on the road because he just got hit by a fucking car? You bet I am. Also, go to youtube and look up ‘ouat season two deleted scene jello’, because it’s beautiful and there was a tremendous outcry in the fandom when we realized it had been cut from the episode lmao (It’s also the episode that made me start shipping Frankenwolf, which I’m still sad never went anywhere, but they had a lot of potential and great chemistry.)

2x22: And Straight On Till Morning--A few of the episodes in between have some fun minor interactions and flashbacks (and I always approve of episodes where Killian gets one up on Rumple, so 2x15 is fun for me if i ignore all the Neal bits) but the finale is where we finally get a glimpse of who Killian could be beyond his need for revenge. He didn’t have to come back, he didn’t have to bring back the bean and help the town--but he did.

Season 3a: there’s a lot of really good stuff here for Hook and Emma that is interwoven between the A plots of other episodes. I think, as far as half-season arcs go, it’s one of the best (and everything after 4a bombed hard, but I digress) But there are a few episodes that stand out if you don’t want to watch the whole season. (I recommend starting with the premier though, it was a really solid season starter overall.)

3x05: Good Form--this is the culmination of David’s poisoned-by-dreamshade arc, and is also Peak Captain Charming Bromance. Hook not only keeping David’s secret, but doing everything he can to help save him??? Poetic cinema. It also provides some crucial Killian backstory, showing how he lost his brother to the very same dreamshade. Plus, the character development--Pan offers Killian a chance to escape the island with Emma if he kills David, and instead, he saves him, refusing the deal and damn the consequences. Also also? The first CS kiss which drove the fandom WILD.

3X06: Ariel--not only to I love OUaT’s take on Ariel, but this episode has the infamous Echo Cave scene, which involves a lot of feelsy confessions and Killian being the one to tell everyone that Neal is alive and helping Emma save him despite his own growing feelings for her.....IT’S JUST A LOT AND I LOVE IT.

3x07: Dark Hallow--oh man, I’d forgotten about this episode, but it has Killian and Neal fighting over Emma, which may sound eye-roll worthy, but Emma is allowed to tear them a new one about it and it’s one of the few times she’s allowed to actually???? put her own feelings first so I have to include it here on spec

3x11 and 3x12: Going Home and New York City Serenade--these mark the end of 3a and start of 3b respectively, and it has some amazing shit like Killian vowing never to forget Emma and Emma smiling as she replies, “Good.” And then she and Henry are in New York with their memories completely altered, but Killian shows up because Storybrooke is back and in jeopardy, and he helps Emma get back to her family and her home and, much later, Emma finds out he sold the Jolly Roger to be able to do it and it’s just. It’s beautiful ok.

3x17: The Jolly Roger--there’s honestly not a whole lot in the back half of season 3 (until the CS movie) but of course anything named for Hook is a must-watch, and this is where we get the iconic line I swear on Emma Swan--which is Killian saying he’s in love with her before he even realizes it. We also find out just what he did to Ariel, and his attempts to make amends are what lead to Zelena being able to curse him, so it’s great from a character perspective as well.

The next four episodes round out the end of the season, and there’s a lot of great stuff in them--Hook refusing to get Emma to kiss him, but Emma feeling like she can’t trust him because he didn’t tell her about the curse to begin with, and then kissing him anyway to save his life regardless of the consequences.... but the only ones that are absolutely necessary are the final two episodes.

They are colloquially termed ‘The Captain Swan Movie’ for a reason, after all.

Killian and Emma essentially have an entire Time Travel adventure all to themselves, where they accidentally ruin her parents first meeting and have to fix it so that she’ll even be born, Emma finally getting into the storybook, the pair of them dancing at a ball, Killian rushing to save Emma only for her to get out of the cell herself, because “The only one who saves me is me.” Killian saying “I would go to the ends of the world for her... or time.” Finally fixing the timeline and making it back to Storybrooke and Killian feeling like he doesn’t deserve a place at the table so he doesn’t go inside, but Emma comes out to him anyway and finds out he gave up the Jolly Roger for her, the true start to their relationship...... IM CRYING JUST THINKING ABOUT IT I’M SORRY.

I personally really enjoyed 4a, the Frozen arc was one of the last good half-season arcs of the show, but a lot of people disliked it so it’s really up to interpretation. I don’t have as many Intense Opinions on this season (except hating almost everything about 4b and the queens of darkness arc), but I will say the episodes with good Killian/CS moments are 4x02 (Emma nearly freezes to death, Killian is desperate to save her, Captain Charming teamwork, my heart hurts), 4x04 (Emma asks Killian out on a real date, he tries to get his real hand back from Gold, things go massively awry and he winds up back under Gold’s thumb), 4x08 (Killian tries to save Emma from Gold’s plans), 4x11 (the 4a finale is just great in general), and then..... it cannot be overstated how much I hate season 4b, but 4x15 is the Killian-centric ep where his past with Ursula is revealed and he makes amends to her in order to get her to leave the QoD alliance and it’s great character stuff for him, and then there’s the season 4 finale.

Both parts are worth watching, if only because Deckhand Coward Hook still being a braver, more heroic man than ‘Hero Rumplestiltskin’ warms the very cockles of my heart, and of course the second part of the finale has him helping Henry to save Emma and it’s beautiful and also Emma watches him die for her and it is angsty as FUCK but gods I love it. Here’s where it gets tricky, though--my recommendation is, turn the episode off right after Emma finds Killian back in the present day of Storybrooke and they reunite.

Just turn off the episode there and skip right ahead to the s6 musical episode (Emma and Killian’s wedding ep) and pretend they got married and none of seasons 5 or 6 ever happened. >.> (Although I will say certain parts of the Underworld arc were incredibly feelsy despite how much I overall hated the season: 5x11 (the 5a finale, Killian as the dark one STILL being a better man than rumple, we love to see it), 5x15 (I am not immune to Brothers Jones feelings ok), 5x20 (emma literally takes a True Love Test trying to find a way to save killian, you don’t get more romantic than that--also Killian telling Emma to promise she won’t put her armor back up just because she lost him again??? my HEART), 5x21 (Hook does what he can from the Underworld anyway and zeus sends him back to Emma, they really just said ‘today I will invent romance’ and then Did That)

And then, yeah, just skip to the wedding. It’s beautiful, I enjoyed the music, personally, though I know musical episodes are hit or miss with most people. And if you turn it off when the last musical number starts (after the wedding ceremony, I believe) you can pretend it was the end of the show! =DDD

.....Oh my god I just rambled for years. I HOPE YOU FIND THIS USEFUL, ANON. I 100% support a CS-centered rewatch, their episodes were consistently some of the best across the entire series, and they are truly one of my favorite romances of all time.

#ouat #captain swan #captain swan episode rec #asked #long post #Anonymous

[hldailyupdate]

This Charming Man: Why We’re Wild About Harry Styles

Variety’s Grammy-nominated Hitmaker of the Year goes deep on the music industry, the great pause and finding his own muses.

“We’ll dance again,” Harry Styles coos, the Los Angeles sunshine peeking through his pandemic-shaggy hair just so. The singer, songwriter and actor — beloved and critically acclaimed thanks to his life-affirming year-old album, “Fine Line” — is lamenting that his Variety Hitmaker of the Year cover conversation has to be conducted over Zoom rather than in person. Even via videoconference, the Brit is effortlessly charming, as anyone who’s come within earshot of him would attest, but it quickly becomes clear that beneath that genial smile is a well-honed media strategy.

To wit: In an interview that appears a few days later announcing his investment in a new arena in his native Manchester (more on that in a bit), he repeats the refrain — “There will be a time we dance again”— referencing a much-needed return to live music and the promise of some 4,000 jobs for residents.

None of which is to suggest that Styles, 26, phones it in for interviews. Quite the opposite: He does very few, conceivably to give more of himself and not cheapen what is out there and also to use the publicity opportunity to indulge his other interests, like fashion. (Last month Styles became the first male to grace the cover of Vogue solo.) Still, it stings a little that a waltz with the former One Direction member may not come to pass on this album cycle — curse you, coronavirus.

Styles’ isolation has coincided with his maturation as an artist, a thespian and a person. With “Fine Line,” he’s proved himself a skilled lyricist with a tremendous ear for harmony and melody. In preparing for his role in Olivia Wilde’s period thriller “Don’t Worry Darling,” which is shooting outside Palm Springs, he found an outlet for expression in interpreting words on a page. And for the first time, he’s using his megaphone to speak out about social justice — inspired by the outpouring of support for Black people around the world following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May.

Styles has spent much of the past nine months at home in London, where life has slowed considerably. The time has allowed him to ponder such heady issues as his purpose on the earth. “It’s been a pause that I don’t know if I would have otherwise taken,” says Styles. “I think it’s been pretty good for me to have a kind of stop, to look and think about what it actually means to be an artist, what it means to do what we do and why we do it. I lean into moments like this — moments of uncertainty.”

In truth, while Styles has largely been keeping a low profile — his Love On Tour, due to kick off on April 15, was postponed in late March and is now scheduled to launch in February 2021 (whether it actually will remains to be seen) — his music has not. This is especially true in the U.S., where he’s notched two hit singles, “Adore You,” the second-most-played song at radio in 2020, and “Watermelon Sugar” (No. 22 on Variety’s year-end Hitmakers chart), with a third, “Golden,” already cresting the top 20 on the pop format. The massive cross-platform success of these songs means Styles has finally and decisively broken into the American market, maneuvering its web of gatekeepers to accumulate 6.2 million consumption units and rising.

Why do these particular songs resonate in 2020? Styles doesn’t have the faintest idea. While he acknowledges a “nursery rhyme” feel to “Watermelon Sugar” with its earwormy loop of a chorus, that’s about as much insight as he can offer. His longtime collaborator and friend Tom Hull, also known as the producer Kid Harpoon, offers this take: “There’s a lot of amazing things about that song, but what really stands out is the lyric. It’s not trying to hide or be clever. The simplicity of watermelon … there’s such a joy in it, [which] is a massive part of that song’s success.” Also, his kids love it. “I’ve never had a song connect with children in this way,” says Hull, whose credits include tunes by Shawn Mendes, Florence and the Machine and Calvin Harris. “I get sent videos all the time from friends of their kids singing. I have a 3-year-old and an 8-year-old, and they listen to it.”

Styles is quick to note that he doesn’t chase pop appeal when crafting songs. In fact, the times when he pondered or approved a purposeful tweak, like on his self-titled 2017 debut, still gnaw at him. “I love that album so much because it represents such a time in my life, but when I listen to it — sonically and lyrically, especially — I can hear places where I was playing it safe,” he says. “I was scared to get it wrong.”

Contemporary effects and on-trend beats hardly factor into Styles’ decision-making. He likes to focus on feelings — his own and his followers’ — and see himself on the other side of the velvet rope, an important distinction in his view. “People within [the industry] feel like they operate on a higher level of listening, and I like to make music from the point of being a fan of music,” Styles says. “Fans are the best A&R.”

This from someone who’s had free rein to pursue every musical whim, and hand in the album of his dreams in the form of “Fine Line.” Chart success makes it all the sweeter, but Styles insists that writing “for the right reasons” supersedes any commercial considerations. “There’s no part that feels, eh, icky — like it was made in the lab,” he says.

Styles has experience in this realm. As a graduate of the U.K. competition series “The X Factor,” where he and four other auditionees — Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson — were singled out by show creator and star judge Simon Cowell to conjoin as One Direction, he’s seen how the prefab pop machine works up close. The One Direction oeuvre, which counts some 42 million albums sold worldwide, includes songs written with such established hitmakers as Ryan Tedder, Savan Kotecha and Teddy Geiger. Being a studious, insatiable observer, Styles took it all in.

“I learned so much,” he says of the experience. “When we were in the band, I used to try and write with as many different people as I could. I wanted to practice — and I wrote a lot of bad shit.”

His bandmates also benefited from the pop star boot camp. The proof is in the relatively seamless solo transitions of at least three of its members — Payne, Malik and Horan in addition to Styles — each of whom has landed hit singles on charts in the U.K., the U.S. and beyond.

This departs from the typical trajectories of boy bands including New Kids on the Block and ’N Sync, which have all pro ered a star frontman. The thinking for decades was that a record company would be lucky to have one breakout solo career among the bunch.

Styles has plainly thought about this.

“When you look at the history of people coming out of bands and starting solo careers, they feel this need to apologize for being in the band. ‘Don’t worry, everyone, that wasn’t me! Now I get to do what I really want to do.’ But we loved being in the band,” he says. “I think there’s a wont to pit people against each other. And I think it’s never been about that for us. It’s about a next step in evolution. The fact that we’ve all achieved different things outside of the band says a lot about how hard we worked in it.”

Indeed, during the five-ish years that One Direction existed, Styles’ schedule involved the sort of nonstop international jet-setting that few get to see in a lifetime, never mind their teenage years. Between 2011 and 2015, One Direction’s tours pulled in north of $631 million in gross ticket sales, according to concert trade Pollstar, and the band was selling out stadiums worldwide by the time it entered its extended hiatus. Styles, too, had built up to playing arenas as a solo artist, engaging audiences with his colorful stage wear and banter and left-of-center choices for opening acts (a pre-Grammy-haul Kacey Musgraves in 2018; indie darlings King Princess and Jenny Lewis for his rescheduled 2021 run).

Stages of all sizes feel like home to Styles. He grew up in a suburb of Manchester, ground zero for some of the biggest British acts of the 1980s and ’90s, including Joy Division, New Order, the Smiths and Oasis, the latter of which broke the same year Styles was born. His parents were also music lovers. Styles’ father fed him a balanced diet of the Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, the Rolling Stones and Queen, while Mum was a fan of Shania Twain, Norah Jones and Savage Garden. “They’re all great melody writers,” says Styles of the acts’ musical throughline.

Stevie Nicks, who in the past has described “Fine Line” as Styles’ “Rumours,” referencing the Fleetwood Mac 1977 classic, sees him as a kindred spirit. “Harry writes and sings his songs about real experiences that seemingly happened yesterday,” she tells Variety. “He taps into real life. He doesn’t make up stories. He tells the truth, and that is what I do. ‘Fine Line’ has been my favorite record since it came out. It is his ‘Rumours.’ I told him that in a note on December 13, 2019 before he went on stage to play the ‘Fine Line’ album at the Forum. We cried. He sang those songs like he had sung them a thousand times. That’s a great songwriter and a great performer.”

“Harry’s playing and writing is instinctual,” adds Jonathan Wilson, a friend and peer who’s advised Styles on backing and session musicians. “He understands history and where to take the torch. You can see the thread of great British performers — from Bolan to Bowie — in his music.”

Also shaping his musical DNA was Manchester itself, the site of a 23,500-seat arena, dubbed Co-op Live, for which Styles is an investor and adviser. Oak View Group, a company specializing in live entertainment and global sports that was founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015 (Jeffrey Azoff, Irving’s son, represents Styles at Full Stop Management), is leading the effort to construct the venue. The project gained planning approval in September and is set to open in 2023, with its arrival representing a £350 million ($455 million) investment in the city. (Worth noting: Manchester is already home to an arena — the site of a 2017 bombing outside an Ariana Grande concert — and a football stadium, where One Love Manchester, an all-star benefit show to raise money for victims of the terrorist attack, took place.)

“I went to my first shows in Manchester,” Styles says of concerts paid for with money earned delivering newspapers for a supermarket called the Co-op. “My friends and I would go in on weekends. There’s so many amazing small venues, and music is such a massive part of the city. I think Manchester deserves it. It feels like a full-circle, coming-home thing to be doing this and to be able to give any kind of input. I’m incredibly proud. Hopefully they’ll let me play there at some point.”

Though Styles has owned properties in Los Angeles, his base for the foreseeable future is London. “I feel like my relationship with L.A. has changed a lot,” he explains. “I’ve kind of accepted that I don’t have to live here anymore; for a while I felt like I was supposed to. Like it meant things were going well. This happened, then you move to L.A.! But I don’t really want to.”

Is it any wonder? Between COVID and the turmoil in the U.S. spurred by the presidential election, Styles, like some 79 million American voters, is recovering from sticker shock over the bill of goods sold to them by the concept of democracy. “In general, as people, there’s a lack of empathy,” he observes. “We found this place that’s so divisive. We just don’t listen to each other anymore. And that’s quite scary.”

That belief prompted Styles to speak out publicly in the wake of George Floyd’s death. As protests in support of Black Lives Matter took to streets all over the world, for Styles, it triggered a period of introspection, as marked by an Instagram message (liked by 2.7 million users and counting) in which he declared: “I do things every day without fear, because I am privileged, and I am privileged every day because I am white. … Being not racist is not enough, we must be anti racist. Social change is enacted when a society mobilizes. I stand in solidarity with all of those protesting. I’m donating to help post bail for arrested organizers. Look inwards, educate yourself and others. LISTEN, READ, SHARE, DONATE and VOTE. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. BLACK LIVES MATTER.”

“Talking about race can be really uncomfortable for everyone,” Styles elaborates. “I had a realization that my own comfort in the conversation has nothing to do with the problem — like that’s not enough of a reason to not have a conversation. Looking back, I don’t think I’ve been outspoken enough in the past. Using that feeling has pushed me forward to being open and ready to learn. … How can I ensure from my side that in 20 years, the right things are still being done and the right people are getting the right opportunities? That it’s not a passing thing?”

His own record company — and corporate parent Sony Music Group, whose chairman, Rob Stringer, signed Styles in 2016 — has been grappling with these same questions as the industry has faced its own reckoning with race. At issue: inequality among the upper ranks (an oft-cited statistic: popular music is 80% Black, but the music business is 80% white); contracts rooted in a decades-old system that many say is set up to take advantage of artists, Black artists more unfairly than white; and the call for a return of master rights, an ownership model that is at the core of the business.

Styles acknowledges the fundamental imbalance in how a major label deal is structured — the record company takes on the financial risk while the artist is made to recoup money spent on the project before the act is considered profitable and earning royalties (typically at a 15% to 18% rate for the artist, while the label keeps and disburses the rest). “Historically, I can’t think of any industry that’s benefited more off of Black culture than music,” he says. “There are discussions that need to happen about this long history of not being paid fairly. It’s a time for listening, and hopefully, people will come out humbled, educated and willing to learn and change.”

By all accounts, Styles is a voracious reader, a movie lover and an aesthete. He stays in shape by adhering to a strict daily exercise routine. “I tried to keep up but didn’t last more than two weeks,” says Hull, Styles’ producer, with a laugh. “The discipline is terrifying.”

Of course, with the fashion world beckoning — Styles recently appeared in a film series for Gucci’s new collection that was co-directed by the fashion house’s creative director, Alessandro Michele, and Oscar winner Gus Van Sant — and a movie that’s set in the 1950s, maintaining that physique is part of the job. And he’s no stranger to visual continuity after appearing in Christopher Nolan’s epic “Dunkirk” and having to return to set for reshoots; his hair, which needed to be cut back to its circa 1940 form, is a constant topic of conversation among fans. This time, it’s the ink that poses a challenge. By Styles’ tally, he’s up to 60 tattoos, which require an hour in the makeup chair to cover up. “It’s the only time I really regret getting tattooed,” he says.

He shows no regret, however, when it comes to stylistic choices overall, and takes pride in his gender-agnostic portfolio, which includes wearing a Gucci dress on that Vogue cover— an image that incited conservative pundit Candace Owens to plead publicly to “bring back manly men.” In Styles’ view: “To not wear [something] because it’s females’ clothing, you shut out a whole world of great clothes. And I think what’s exciting about right now is you can wear what you like. It doesn’t have to be X or Y. Those lines are becoming more and more blurred.”

But acclaim, if you can believe it, is not top of mind for Styles. As far as the Grammys are concerned, Styles shrugs, “It’s never why I do anything.” His team and longtime label, however, had their hearts set on a showing at the Jan. 31 ceremony. Their investment in Styles has been substantial — not just monetarily but in carefully crafting his career in the wake of such icons as David Bowie, who released his final albums with the label. Hope at the company and in many fans’ hearts that Styles would receive an album of the year nomination did not come to pass. However, he was recognized in three categories, including best pop vocal album.

“It’s always nice to know that people like what you’re doing, but ultimately — and especially working in a subjective field — I don’t put too much weight on that stuff,” Styles says. “I think it’s important when making any kind of art to remove the ego from it.” Citing the painter Matisse, he adds: “It’s about the work that you do when you’re not expecting any applause.”

Harry for Variety. (2 December 2020)

#harry styles #harry update #article #variety #hldaily #December 2020

[worldspinsmadly]

OKAY! This is going to be an extreeeemely long post with my various WandaVision theories! SPOILERS ahead for episodes 1-5, so tread carefully if you haven’t seen them yet! Also, buckle in for a lot of reading haha...

- Agnes is Agatha Harkness

This theory is pretty widely accepted but in case you haven’t heard it yet/need a reminder of what the theory is: Agatha Harkness is a witch in the comic books. She is an agent of Mephisto (basically the devil in the MCU, a sorcerer who is super powerful & does trades/grants wishes but in a monkey’s paw kind of way) and also acts as Wanda’s mentor when she is training. She is there to help Wanda realize her full potential. Reasons for this theory being accepted are:

1. Agnes = AGatha HarkNESs

Pretty self explanatory, this one.

2. One piece of evidence everyone likes to point to is that Agnes is ALWAYS wearing a brooch, much like Agatha. 

In a similar vein, Agnes dresses up like a witch in the Halloween episode (which we get tonight!!). The third comic-y reason is that she says her anniversary with Ralph (whom we NEVER see) is June 2nd, which is the start of the Salem Witch Trials. Agatha Harkness was one of the witches at Salem.

3. She (especially in episode 5) keeps showing up at the exact right time to help Wanda however she needs it. Examples include her showing up to welcome Wanda to the neighborhood and plan the dinner with Vision, bringing her along to the neighborhood planning committee, helping Wanda with the boys (showing up when they’re crying, the doghouse). She is always there, basically acting as a guide for Wanda in the town.

3. She knows that this is a fake world and that Wanda has some control over what happens. This is most clearly evidenced in episode 5 when she says “Do you want me to run that again?” She also doesn’t notice/care that Wanda has magic, which anyone else in the town would. Also - anyone else notice how she overacts constantly? (In a good way - I love Kathryn Hahn)

Which brings me to theory two:

Agnes/Agatha Harkness is the one in control, not Wanda - or at the very least, is using her power to try to influence Wanda’s actions.

1. Agatha is an agent of Mephisto. I think that she is acting on his orders to make this town and Wanda’s life in it the way that it is. Multiple reasons for this, but the main one for me is episode 5 (On A Very Special Episode), she clearly has control over/intimate knowledge of what’s happening inside the WandaVis household. How else would she know to show up when the twins are crying, or when they bring in a new dog? Other sketch things:

2. The boys only ever age up (or attempt to age up) when Agnes is there. I think that she is the one who is making them do that. If she can control every single person in town’s actions and speech, who’s to say she can’t control and manipulate the magic twins’ powers as well?

3. She clearly* killed Sparky, likely in order to try to help Wanda realize how powerful she really is and bring in the idea that she can bring people back to life. It may even be possible that Agnes wants to bring back a specific person but can’t without Wanda’s powers. *To me, it’s clear, because when she walked into the kitchen, Sparky almost killed himself with the electricity but didn’t, and then of course she “found him” in her azaleas.

4. Norm never specifies who “she” is that’s in his head.

MOVING ON TO THEORY THREE:

SWORD and (Acting) Director Hayward are sketchy as fuck, and likely are doing some evil shit and trying to pin it on Wanda.

I don’t mean this to say that SWORD is the organization that put the town in the hex, or is the one that is controlling everything that's happening, but I think it's very clear that there's something going on behind the scenes that they don't want us to know. There are lots of different ways that you can see this, but some of the ones that are most important are as follows:

1. SWORD is clearly developing weapons which Monica highlights when she says, “it also says observation and response on that door not creation.” This is apparently against the mission of SWORD itself, which does not lead to a super trustworthy organization.

2. Director Hayward is clearly trying to place blame on Wanda for things she either didn’t do or didn’t control. The clearest example of this is when he is giving his speech in Episode 5 after Monica comes back, and Jimmy Woo was speaking. Hayward keeps interrupting to explain how Wanda is evil - she joined Hydra (as Jimmy says, it’s more complicated than that), she purposefully hurt people in Lagos (it was an accident), she fought against the Avengers (before gaining their trust and joining them). (Also, side note, I love Jimmy Woo and how kind he is. We need more Jimmy Woo in the MCU). 

3. The video that he shares of Wanda breaking into SWORD...not a single. person. in the SWORD lobby turns, notices, or reacts at all to Wanda walking in, violently throwing open doors, and basically stealing a corpse. I don’t know about you, but if I worked in a secure and secretive government facility, and a rogue Avenger that’s been gone for 5 years just suddenly appeared and was using her powers to break down doors and steal a secret project, I’d probably at LEAST turn and look. 

3a. I’m honestly not even sure that that’s Wanda vs. a body double, like, there’s a reason that the only power they showed was her opening a door, breaking glass, and gently coming down into the room - all things that can be easily faked. You’re telling me that SWORD, in all their advanced tech, space travel, science, money, you’re telling me that the best visuals they have are 1. barely in color 2. blurry and 3. don’t show close-ups of her face? I think that it wasn’t Wanda who took Vision’s body, and I think the footage was fabricated. 

4. CLEARLY - SWORD has been experimenting on Vision. Whether to revive him, recreate his technology, whatever, it is explicitly stated that that is against his living will and the Sokovia Accords. IF (and I think it’s a big if...) Wanda did violently break in to steal his body, it would likely be to protect him and make sure he is being honored, not make him into a weapon. 

NEXT THEORY!

VISION IS ALIVE - and no, Wanda is not just puppeteering his corpse (this is one of the worst theories I’ve heard about WandaVision and I hate it and if I never hear it again it’ll be too soon)

1. I have several reasons to think this. First, if he weren’t alive, why would we have so many scenes of just Vision, or scenes where Vision is figuring out that something is wrong?

2. In the trailers, we see Vision leaving the boundaries of the hex (to be fair, I haven’t watched any of the new trailers, because I don’t want any spoilers) - BUT - how could he do that if he weren’t his own being?

3. I genuinely do not think that Marvel is going to make us watch Vision die again. Not a third time.

How is he alive? I think that there’s obviously an extreme amount of Mind Stone energy within Wanda, and I’m sure that there’s a world in which she could transfer some of that energy to Vision and help bring him back. Not entirely sure of the methodology to be fair, but I just have a feeling in my heart.

OKAY ON TO RANDOM THEORIES THAT I BELIEVE BUT HAVE NO EVIDENCE FOR:

1. Monica came out of the Hex with powers - my only reasoning being that her brain scan and her blood draws were both inconclusive/blank.

2. Wanda isn’t lying when she says she doesn’t know how this started or what’s happening. I think she has more control than most people in town, but I think that’s more that she is a little tuned in to the frequencies of the town than that she started it all. But I really think that Agnes is in control.

3. OH PIETRO - He’s the Evan Peters Quicksilver instead of ATJ (rip) because Agnes had to search through the multiverse for him - she can’t bring people back to life (Wanda can though...ATJ i’m holding out hope...). So anyway, she just searched through the universes and found the closest thing to Pietro that she could.

4. Aerospace engineer that Monica knows might be Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic. (The Fantastic 4 and the X-Men have a long history with Agatha Harkness, so it would make sense to bring those characters in now that Disney is able to)

5. Dottie is also a witch - she’s not identified on the magnet board with the other townspeople, she’s in control of some things.

6. Hayward might be Mephisto in disguise, who knows.

7. Magneto is going to come back at the end of the series i have no real reason to believe this

8. I don’t trust the post man.

OKAY THAT’S ALL I have to go back to work and this is way too long please send me all your theories :)

#wandavision #wandavision theory #wandavision theories #wandavision season 1 #wandavision season one #wandavision spoilers #wandavis #wanda maximoff #agnes #agatha harkness #dottie #vision #timmy and tommy #monica rambeau #jimmy woo #sword #director tyler hayward #wandavision episode 2 #wandavision episode 3 #wandavision episode 4 #wandavision episode 5 #i have to post this before episode 6 comes out tonight bc i feel like we're going to get some ANSWERS #manifesting a 55 minute long episode #marvel #marvel cinematic universe #marvel multiverse #mcu multiverse #marvel theories #marvel theory #i'm too obsessed with this show lmao

[misssophiachase]

Sequel for how to save a life please

Sorry for the delay nonnie. You got it, here goes...For anyone who didn’t read part 1 you can catch it on AO3 HERE - Let me know what you think. 

In the last part Caroline showed up hungover for her first day as a surgical intern only to discover her drinking buddy and one-night-stand is none other than her attending and famed neurosurgeon, Dr Klaus Mikaelson. 

Original Synopsis from nonnie’s prompt: Caroline as Meredith Grey and Klaus as Derek Shepherd.

How to Save a Life - part 2

Monday 6am

“I’m going to kill him,” she growled, holding her syringe precariously so it looked like she was cocking a firearm instead. 

It had been a twenty-eight hour shift so far and she decided to blame it on that if they decided to report her for malpractice or for ‘accidentally’ killing an attending. 

“Easy, tiger,” Kol offered, lowering her arm in the process. “I’m only an intern but maybe we should be conserving the life saving drugs for the actual patients. You know, just a thought.”

“Cute,” she drawled by way of response. Caroline wasn’t hungover this time, which was definitely a bonus, but it didn’t stop Doctor know-it-all from sharing his opinion more than a few times throughout her never-ending shift. 

“No Dr Forbes, not that way Dr Forbes, listen carefully Dr Forbes,” he’d chide, except he sounded so sexy and authoritative when he called her Dr Forbes. And that was every shift, not just this one. If he didn’t have such a pretty face, she’d most likely slap him, even if it was frowned upon in the workplace. 

“Trust me, I’ve been in your position too many times to count and letting him get to you is not the way to handle things,” Kol broke into her Klaus Mikaelson trance, which was probably a good thing. 

But then his words caught her attention. Too many times to count? It was only day nine. What exactly had Kol done to earn his wrath in that short amount of time?

Caroline looked at him curiously, besides his first name she didn’t know much about her fellow intern, except the fact he liked to talk a lot when most people weren’t interested in hearing what he had to say. He’d also taken an instant liking to Bonnie which definitely hadn’t gone unnoticed. 

“Who are you?”

“Just your friendly, fellow intern who has impeccable hygiene,” he offered, sending her his most dazzling smile. “And while we’re on the topic.”

“Of you having impeccable hygiene?”

“Yes,” he answered. Caroline, meanwhile, still had no idea where this was going. She consulted her watch to hurry him up given she knew how much he liked to talk. “I understand you have a room for rent and I happen to be looking for a place to stay.” 

Obviously word of her mom’s large house had made the rounds. Yes, she’d been looking for a third roommate but didn’t expect it to be Kol. Given both Bonnie and Kat were living in her upstairs bedrooms, Caroline wasn’t so sure it was a good idea. 

“Kol, now’s not the best time...”

“I can pay you three months of rent in advance and my share of the utilities?”

Now, that proposal caught her attention. Caroline needed money and fast.  But at the same time who was this guy? And why did he have so much money to spare? Most of them were struggling to get by given the hefty school loans they had to repay.  

Which brought her back to his proposal and how much she needed it. She’d just have to explain to Kat and Bonnie that she had no choice and surely they’d understand her dilemma. Well, hopefully. 

“Okay, fine,” she relented. “But we’ll do it on a trial basis. Four weeks and, if that hygiene isn’t anything short of spectacular I’ll be kicking you out much sooner.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he saluted. Caroline figured most responsible people would interview someone and at least get one reference but she was far too distracted by the attending to focus on proper process. 

As if on cue, Enzo was already bellowing at them from down the hall to get their asses into gear. Caroline wondered just what the patients must think of the spectacle. 

“Hang on, what’s your last name?” She asked, thinking she should probably know that if they were going to be living together, but he was already making his way dutifully towards the sound of the dictator’s voice. 

She’d get to the bottom of that once her shift was over. As well as drinking a much-needed glass of wine or six, her memories of that recent hangover after doing the nasty with the overbearing attending well and truly forgotten. 

Until next time, of course. 

“Nice of you to join us, Forbes,” he barked. “Dr Mikaelson has requested you join him at MRI.”

“Me?”

“I don’t think anyone else goes by that name, Forbes,” he growled, emphasising her surname for added effect.

“Maybe someone else could..” she could see Bonnie and Kat trying to silence her with their eyes. She wouldn’t hear the end of this after their shift.

“If you don’t get up there right now I’ll send you to do that enema. Remember Mrs Jones from last night? You know the patient that hasn’t...” Caroline didn’t need to be told twice given just what she’d have her hands elbow deep in.   

“Took your time, Dr Forbes. I’m just glad this wasn’t an emergency.” He hadn’t even turned his head and was too busy consulting the on-screen images. 

Rather than trying to explain herself and the fact she’d run from the ground floor ER to MRI in record time she decided to keep her thoughts to herself. Professionalism and all that, even if he was an ass.

She made her way by his side, trying to ignore just how good he smelled from this close proximity. It was a problem she’d experienced too many times to count. 

“What do you see?” He asked, finally turning to look at her. 

She was momentarily caught off guard given the way those navy scrubs brought out his eyes. Caroline closed her eyes briefly reminding herself that this was too important. This was work and he was her superior. Nothing else. 

If only memories of their night together weren’t still so vivid and causing places to stir that really shouldn’t be stirring right now. Caroline was pretty certain if her mother was looking down on her right now she’d be extremely disappointed. 

But she needed to concentrate for the patient’s sake.

“There seems to be a tumour in the left hemisphere of the cerebrum,” she noted, pointing to the screen.  

“Can you tell if it is cancerous or benign?” She looked at it again closely wondering if he saw something she hadn’t, he was the neurosurgeon after all. It was too easy to second guess herself but Caroline knew she needed to own her diagnoses. 

“I can’t tell from the scan.” She really hoped that was the right answer, especially given she’d been awake over 32 hours straight. 

“So, based on that diagnosis, what is the required course of action, Dr Forbes?”

“Biopsy surgery.”

“And what does that entail?”

“Obtaining brain tissue samples to diagnose whether the tumour is cancerous or benign.”

“Good work, Dr Forbes,” he murmured. “I want you to scrub into the surgery.” Caroline looked at him incredulously. Trying to figure out if he had a motive but at the same time really hoping he didn’t. 

“You deserve this,” he murmured kindly. Not like everything she’d experienced so far in his presence. “As much as I like to give you a hard time on the floor, you are a quick learner and you work hard. But, not gonna lie, that attitude needs some work.”

“Okay,” she replied quietly thinking the attitude was probably sexual frustration but didn’t want to share that with him. “But I fully expect you to tell me when I’m not doing a good job. I happen to be a lot more resilient than you think I am.” 

“And that’s why I like you.”

Caroline decided she needed to leave the room quickly before she said or did something she might regret. Like throw her arms around him or kiss him. She was still learning how to deal with a superior she’d done the nasty with after all.

“I’ll see you in surgery,” she offered, walking out of the room, not bothering to respond or look back. She decided it was safer that way.   

9 hours later...

“My butt cheeks have gone to sleep,” Kat groaned, her head hitting the bar. “I was tasked with just watching someone and that shit hurts, let me tell you.”

“Consider yourself lucky, Pierce, have you monetarily lost your hearing due to the wailings from the patient in 3A?” Kol shot back, tipping back a whiskey for his trouble.

“No, I was too busy trying to pretend I was professional during that x-ray of someone sticking random things up his, well you know what,” Bonnie shared, albeit quietly. 

“You do realise you’re a surgeon and a doctor so anatomy is not a dirty subject...”

“Call it a professional courtesy,” she huffed. 

“I think Bon Bon here is definitely in the wrong career, just saying.”

“If I needed your opinion Kol, I’d ask for it,” she growled. 

“For the love of god, Kol,” Caroline groaned, swirling the red wine in her glass and trying not to fall into its hypnotic tendencies. “I’m barely alive here.”

“Says the girl who scrubbed into surgery today.” 

This is what Caroline was worried about, the fact her friends would think it was blatant favouritism. She didn’t sign up for that. At least they didn’t about what happened with Dr Mikaelson and for that she was grateful.  

“Yeah with Dr McYummy” 

“Who?”

“It’s what all the nurses call him,” Kat shared. “I really think it could take off hospital-wide.” 

Caroline wasn’t sure if she wanted it to and weirdly Kol seemed freaked out at the prospect too given his outraged expression. 

“Or it could be one of those things that you accidentally blurt out during surgery. Like ‘here’s the scalpel, Dr McYummy’ and that’s just asking for trouble and a demotion for being unprofessional.” 

Trust Bonnie to see the sense in it all.

“I’m with you Bonnie,” Kol offered. “Better we don’t equate any names with any of the attendings.” Seems like the two most expected to disagree had finally agreed on something. Hopefully that would soften the blow when Caroline decided to reveal they were all rooming together. 

Caroline was still trying to get her head around everything she’d done the past ten hours, glad that she had a day off before her next shift to properly focus. And to finally get some sleep. Until it happened.

“Kol!” She looked up towards the sound.

“There goes my reputation,” her fellow intern muttered. 

“Can I buy you a drink?” Caroline was trying to reconcile the intrusion in her half asleep state. But when Klaus approached their table she knew things were unfolding and not in a good way. 

“And you wonder why I was so glad to move in with you,” Kol whispered before their attending appeared in all his glory. Something she wasn’t expecting and was trying to . 

“So, you two know each other?” She asked, probably against her better judgment. 

“Siblings,” Kol offered gingerly. 

“And you two?” Klaus asked, his expression telling her he was trying not to show his jealously but killing his brother wouldn’t be out of the question. 

“We live together.”

If this was supposed to feel awkward then it really did now. 

#klaroline fanfiction #klaroline fanfic #klaroline #how to save a life #misssophiachase

[luulapants]

Digging into the Teen Wolf credits

So I fell into a bit of a rabbit hole researching the shift in writing and directing credits in Teen Wolf, trying to find some explanations for the lack of continuity, whiplash change of directions on storylines, and the messiness of the later seasons. A lot of people (myself included) tend to focus on casting issues and Jeff Davis as the be-all-end-all of these issues, but here are a few interesting things I’ve put together:

1. Waning involvement from the original producers/directors - 

Russell Mulcahy was a producer/exec on all 100 episodes and directed 39 episodes, including every season finale and all but one season premier (5a). He was a big-shot music video director in the ‘80s. According to his Wikipedia, “Mulcahy's work is recognisable by the use of fast cuts, tracking shots and use of glowing lights, neo-noir lighting, windblown drapery, and fans.”

Tim Andrew came on as a supervising producer and progressed to executive producer, holding a producing credit for all 100 episodes. He directed 35 episodes, including some of fan-favorite suspense episodes like Night School, The Girl Who Knew Too Much, and Riddled.

While their producer credits stayed steady, it’s the director credits that interest me. Between the two of them, they directed 75% of S1, 100% of S2, 83% and 75% of 3a and 3b. S4, it drops to 58%. Back up to 70% and 90% for 5a and 5b, then plummeting to 60% for all of S6. It’s worth noting that S4 is the first season where we start to notice that whiplash effect, not really sure what characters’ motivations are. In one episode, the focus seems to be family financial drama, and then we forget about that and focus on Lydia’s powers. Then the focus is assassins, then Kate Argent - and what the hell is up with Peter?

It’s hard to say for sure, but one could draw the conclusion that the decline in director credits from Andrew and Mulcahy also suggest a decline in interest from them in maintaining the show’s storylines.

In fact, in 5b and season 6, you see a third long-time producer, Joseph Genier, step in to direct a few episodes: the rather sloppy Maid of Gevaudan, Blitzkrieg, and Genotype. We can’t give him too hard a time over it, since his only other directing experience ever was a 2016 Netflix horror movie The Secrets of Emily Blair, shitty even by Netflix standards. He also has some late-season writing credits, but we’ll get to that later.

2. The curious case of Angela Harvey - 

In order to understand the writing on TW, you need to know Angela Harvey. She climbed the ranks from personal assistant to writers’ assistant, then, starting in 3a, staff writer.

A staff writer is a salaried, stable figure in the writing department, who works with what is often a rotating door of producers and head writers. They’re usually not the “ideas” person and don’t get the final say, but they help the head writer work through the story and stay on track. Most larger shows have a whole team of staff writers. TW never had more than one at a time.

Shortly after her promotion to staff writer, Harvey got her first full writing credit for Frayed, which is a controversial episode! It’s both praised and detested for the non-linear storyline, the sometimes confusing flashbacks, and Allison’s emotional hallucination of her mother.

After that, she went back to staff writer and was a rock for the show for all of S3 and 4. In S4, she got full writing credit for I.E.D. and Time of Death. Both got mixed reviews on-par with the rest of the muddled mess of S4, but I will note one thing: the human factor. I.E.D., for me, was the first episode that really gave a more rounded picture of Liam, who until that time felt very much like a new puppy coming in to replace our favorite old dogs that went to live on the big farm in the sky.

S5, Harvey gets a promotion to ‘story editor,’ which is pretty much just a title and pay promotion. She wrote A Novel Approach and Strange Frequencies, two more mixed-bag sort of episodes with some golden moments and some crippling larger-story issues. Then she writes the slightly stronger The Sword and the Spirit and... 

Gone. She vanishes from the credits for the rest of season 5. I haven’t been able to find any specific explanations, but I did find a rather telling quote from her in an article about how black writers get hired but not promoted in TV:  “I repeated staff writer four times,” she said.

Harvey then returns for 6x2 with a shiny new title: executive story editor. I can only draw one conclusion from this sequence of events, which is a contract dispute. Harvey demanded a promotion (as she should have, given her longevity on the show!), was denied, and walked off. The show floundered in her absence and begged her back with the new title.

She got full writer credits for two more episodes for S6 but left the show for good after the second, After Images.

To me, it seems clear that they had a strong, stable voice in Angela, but her commitment to the project waned as she realized that the show had no commitment to her. She may not have been the strongest head writer, but she was an essential core, a beating heart of the show. Her contributions were undervalued and, ultimately, the show suffered because of it.

3. The rotating door of writers - 

It’s not unusual for head writers to come and go on shows. Then again, most shows have a stable core in the writers’ room to host those head writers. TW had Jeff Davis, who has frequently been acknowledged to be overly hands-on with the writing (even in episodes he did not take writing credit for), and a single staff writer: Angela Harvey and, before her, Andy Cochran (who was staff writer for S2).

S1 did not have a staff writer, but that was because Jeff had a very firm grip on the story and also because there were only four writers other than Jeff Davis (and the original Teen Wolf movie writers). Interestingly, none of those 4 writers ever returned to the show after S1. This would become a theme for TW writers.

Jeff kept even tighter control on S2, writing 8 of 12 episodes with the help of Cochran. Other than them, there were four other writers, two of whom were a writing team.

Jeff wrote 15 of 24 S3 episodes and brought in 6 new writers and one S2 writer, Christian Taylor who also produced and directed. Of the new writers, only Ian Stokes, who wrote The Fox and the Wolf would become a regular writer afterward (though Alyssa Clark did write two more episodes in S4). Stokes wrote three S4 episodes and three for 5a.

Jeff wrote 6 of 12 episodes in S4, 5 of 10 in 5a, 4 of 10 in 5b, and then did not write again until the series finale.

Starting in Season 4, the writing credits are all over the place. Most writers come in for a single episode and never again. The few notable exceptions are:

Eric Wallace, a later seasons producer

Will Wallace (not sure if related) who was a writers’ assistant that seems to have been randomly granted writing credit for 5a’s Ouroboros, despite having no other writing credits to his name previously. He got writing credit for 4 other episodes in S5 and S6, plus a random staff writer credit for 6a’s Ghosted. 

Lindsay Sturman, a lalter seasons producer who now writes and produces for Supergirl. 

And producer Joseph Genier who, as he had been allowed to direct later seasons with no previous directing credits, was also allowed head writer credit with no previous writing credits.

What can we divine from this? Chaos, honestly. An inability to resist the uninformed and careless whims of the producers. The lack of lower-level writing staff, who are usually the ones there to give stability and cohesion to the story, meant that every new writer brought in new and contradictory ideas of what the story was about and where it should go. Looking at these credits, I can’t tell if the problem was that everyone wanted to write and writing spots were being given as thank-yous in exchange for producers laying down money or if they had such a difficult time finding quality writers willing to work in that environment that producers had no choice but to step in and write as well as they could given a lack of resources.

4. The vanishing first assistant director - 

Compared to the other issues, this one seems minor. However, it seems like TW gave up on the position of ‘first assistant director’ at some point. This position is essentially the right hand of the director, making sure that set runs smoothly and the director has everything they need. 

James J.D. Taylor held the position for 50 episodes, including all but 4 episodes in S1-3a. In the first 3, Jeffrey January filled in. For the fourth, Eric Sherman, who would come to be Taylor’s backup, it seems. For 3b and the first half of S4, Sherman and Taylor traded off every other episode. Taylor tried his hand at directing for S4′s Monstrous, at which point Sherman started trading off episodes with Matt Rawls.

Taylor went back to first assistant director for S5, but intermittently and with no backup for his position. 8 of 20 episodes in 5a had no first assistant director. Taylor directed 6x2 and was first assistant for 6x4 and 6x5, but 17 of 20 episodes of S6 had no first assistant. 

Sure, there were second assistant and second second assistants, but it seems very odd to neglect such a pivotal position. What is especially baffling is that 6b had first-time directors Tyler Posey, Linden Ashby, and Joseph Genier all working without a first assistant director. To me, this speaks to staffing issues and difficulty organizing a show that was clearly on its last legs.

In summary -

Where the early seasons had focused attention and investment from the original core producers, directors, and the show runner, clearly their attention and care for the project waned over time. They failed to promote the show’s most valuable workers and failed to bring in lower-level staff to do the grunt work in the writers’ room. Instead, they pulled in more and more higher level executives, who tend to have lofty ideas about where a show goes but no willingness to dig into the nitty gritty details. Film schools could make a study of Teen Wolf: “How to run a show into the ground.”

#teen wolf #teen wolf meta #tv industry #screenwriting

[malepresentingleg]

is it 2013 again? cause i have a rant about teen wolf coming and i feel 16 y/o.

so due to dome heavy procrastination I've consumed a lot of teen wolf content, i skipped a bunch of episodes and a lot of scenes in the ones i haven't but i still have some Thoughts TM

it's good??? i had a Good Time watching, it was funny but intense and dark and i felt Feelings watching, some of the plotlines were meh (or maybe i just skipped them heh) but a lot were interesting and i loved the characters and their interaction

scott. my sweetheart. my baby. such a cutiepie, such a great protagonist 10/10 i love him and would die for him. he's so pure and cute and his little smile melts my heart. i love how he's fundamentally Human no matter how non human he is. he's a great character all around and i kinda wish they didn't do that shit to him at the end (imma get there) or treated him like he ISN'T the protagonist for such big parts of the shows

people KNOW. Stiles knows from day one, allison finds out soon, his mom finds out in season 2! the sheriff in 3, and they just become part of the gang and can help them with stuff bc they UNDERSTAND. shows like that get really tiring when the teens constantly lie to everyone around them and it was very refreshing. the running gag with the coach ruining things tho was funny and I'm ok with it.

Ok this is mellisa appreciation time. she's SUCH a great, complex and unusual mom-of-hero character. i absolutely love her and her attitude, i love how she's not simply being used as a tool to cause scott pain (just.. sometimes) and their relationship is parenting goals.

also isn't it fucking hilarious how she's a nurse but she just knows everything medical. she's also a surgeon and a mortician and a doctor. ik it's for plot reasons but it funny af.

in general women on the show.. had a lot of potential, i love them, but i hate how they were treated.

allison was all around great imo, her and scott's relationship was built very well and was two sided from the start (unlike... yeah), she has emotions, she's smart and brave, but also human and scared, she kicks ass and, again, exists outside of Scott's GF status (mostly). andddd they killed her. idk if the actress had to/wanted to leave or it was a pure writers decision bc they needed to keep just her father or something, but that would have been ok if not for all the other things

we have 3 main kickass ladies with powers- lydia, kira and malia. lydia spent close to FIVE whole seasons not knowing anything about her abilities/not knowing how to control them. cmon, it gets old. scott masters his powers after a season or two (and had control a lot sooner), parrish finds out what he is like half a season after it becomes relevant etc.

malia- do i need to explain? she was CONSTANTLY struggling controlling her abilities, no matter how badass she supposedly was. and kira oh boy, they did her dirty, didn't they?

kira was such a cute adorable character. i loved her and her little crush on scott and wanting to make friends and being freaked out about relationships, i love her discovering her past and heritage and learning to fight and gaining control and becoming a badass. but. what? they just undid all this? oh no the fox is taking over she has no control no agency of her own she needs to disappear for years now bye :( again, idk if the actress needed to leave but it was so unsatisfying and was insulting to the character. she wasn't even mentioned later a bunch like allison was, just they needed her mom for a plot tool and didn't even acknowledge it was her sword they were breaking. uhm rude?

LET WOMEN HAVE POWERS AND BE AWESOME WITH THEM. and not just minor/bad characters thanks.

i love the concept of a pack on the show and how you don't have to be a werewolf to be a part of it, how scott becomes a true alpha and how he cares about his friends. i kinda feel like in later seasons him being an alpha was more talk than show which like /: meh. like i said, he stopped BEING the main character, just talked about as if he was.

i love how friendship is valued, but i think it could be more.. i mean the scene in the motel, all season 3b, scott and lydia, all the girls with each other.. i love it. too many times tho it "wasn't enough" and only romantic love worked which SUCKS. in 6a i was so happy scott went in to try and remember stiles and the memories hit me right in the heart. then when it "wasn't enough" i was SO pissed and frustrated goddammit. i guess that leads me to the next point-

ships, should i talk about ships? i don't want hate in my asks but oh well it's been a few years maybe there's no fandom to care. I'll start with the end

malia and scott. what. the. fuck. when, out of fucking no where, they had like a lingering look or something i was just "nope. no thanks". and then every scene they had together i had to cover my eyes bc it felt so wrong and bad and awkward. jesus. no build up at ALL, they're like family, i just. ew. no. it felt way too much like "oh we gotta pair off the leftovers" or "the main character can't end up single" well guess what, he fucking can. it was. god. i can't even explain the disgust. when he needed to heal and all she had to do was kiss him ugh. it felt so fake and empty of meaning. i would 100% prefer for it to be stiles (I'll get there) or his mom who snapped him out of it.

melissa and chris, i could get aboard with that. def cute, def weird af since his dead daughter was dating her son but, well.

stiles and lydia is a ship i have conflicting feelings about. i absolutely hate the concept of "the nerd" is in love with the popular girl since freshman year and he's borderline being a creep ("oh but it's stiles! he's a dork and he's harmless" no.), completely obsessed with her and she ignores him but then they end up getting together.. i mean, it sends a bad msg to obsessed boys about how it's worth it in the end, and it makes the whole relationship feel unbalanced from the start, makes her reciprocation feel unatural. BUT, i have to admit the show did kinda make me warm up to this ship by the end, curse them. it was kinda cute. i wish there was more mutualness before it became such an important part in 6a tho.

just gonna put it out there: malia/kira and lydia/allison. i wish we saw more girl on girl interactions in general but the ones we had were very good, great dynamics.

i won't get too much into it but i.. i don't ship st*rek. i understand why they're the biggest ship (two white hot boys that interact with each other, i mean.), and i see the couple of fan service-y moments the show throws at us but just. they don't have my heart, i don't really care about them. not the characters, the characters i absolutely love! (tho this watch i skipped most of season 1 and 2 and 3a and i think that's where derek is the most asshole.. didn't he do really bad things? idr) idk if you want a bad character on the way to redemption with someone you should ship liam and theo who had way better shippy chemistry imo, even tho their ship probably wouldn't be healthy given their dynamic history, huh.

the ship that does owns my heart? scilies. I'm a softy when it comes to best friends to lovers, and their bond and relationship is just. so. pure. don't get me wrong, i love me a good platonic relationship, but there was just one to many homoerotic interactions between them for me not to ship it, hard. (not to be that person but my guess is that if Scott was white it would have been a way bigger ship, but who knows?) i love their love, i love they would do anything for each other, and i feel like there were a bunch of very missed opportunities for them in later seasons :(

so representation. this feels like a show that is trying to be Woke TM but it's not going so well. the main character is supposedly latino but it's never ever addressed. idc about "oh we want a world without prejudice" you can still fucking address it. i mean they went to Mexico a couple of times, stiles keeps saying "Mexican cousin" i mean. god. give us something. did i mention scott was told he'd make a great "nazi youth" ..

and you don't need to be a genius to see the most characters are very white or at least very white passing. and when you don't address their non whiteness they might as well be..

i already mentioned how poorly i feel kira was treated, but also mason, who is a wonderful character, gets no depth? we know nothing about him other than being gay and smart pretty much.

i also spoke about the women already but, they were really really great women characters, but not enough of them, not enough that lasted.

there's not much to talk about disability bc it just wasn't on the show. the only blind character was healed which. /: same with epilepsy and asthma..

i think the show is probably very proud (ha) with their LGBTQ+ rep bc they're like "oh let's make this insignificant couple gay bc hey nbg". examples are lydia's grandma, La Bete and marcel, i think nolan and jiang were exes and then nolan and gabe were a thing? idr if it was explicit. the couple of girls in the tent.. probably a couple more. it's nice, def better than all random couples being straight but that's not satisfying as rep.

Danny was great. i think he and ethan were.. cute? i think he was awesome, i loved danny so much and was very excited to learn he KNOWS at the end of season 3 and was waiting to see him join the pack. instead he fucking disappeared?! wtf. #WhereDidDannyGo

brett was cute rep, especially being bi but i feel like it could go into the insignificant pool which, again, is better than nothing.

mason and corey i just don't have strong feelings about. they were definitely cute and I'm glad they were together, i love mason A Lot. i think this relationship could be explored more, or at least the characters could be explored more to give this relationship more depth.

very interesting how there's no wlw canon couple, not even hinted. just fan servicey hot malia kira dance which /:

not to mention transgenderness. god can you imagine the interesting plotline of transitioning while being a werewolf 0:

i think the rep i was most happy about was ethan and Jackson. even tho i don't think there was build up or clues in the first couple of seasons, I'm happy for the actor who i know was struggling with coming out publicly, and it was very fun and refreshing for the ending. even if we got very few scenes with them the dynamic was 10/10

the biggest problem is obviously stiles. i just don't understand why, if they're so supposedly progressive, they went to that length to queerbait without following through. the whole gag of wanting to be attractive to danny and to gay guys, the whole "aww danny want to have sex with me that's so nice", the whole "do you like guys too?". it's a gag. his alleged bisexuality is the butt of a joke, and it pisses me the fuck off. they don't have to make it a big deal or have him get a bf for it to be official. it wasn't subtle subtext. it was a CHOICE. to put a spotlight on his sexuality but not deliver. -100/10 would not recommend.

also they could talk about his mental health more.

and about Scott's, please and thank you.

and everyone's.

i had some more feelings, like villains changing sides without getting a proper redemption and having no consequences, the wholesomeness of the sherriff and mellisa being each other's kids second parent eichen house (wtf??), and more, but i think i wrote enough for now.

tl;dr- good show with A Lot of problems, will always have a place in my heart bc I'm a nostalgic gal.

#teen wolf #scilies #scott mccall #stiles stilinski #allison argent #kira yukimura #malia hale #lydia martin #rant #fandom #werewolves #I'm sorry i couldn't add a read more thing on mobile but I'll edit it when i get the chance