#he deserved better than he got and i adored his relationship with kurt

[cryscendo]

lgbtq+ characters in glee (2/6)

elliott “starchild” gilbert - portrayed by adam lambert

“i think that what you have is real and worth fighting for.”

#glee #elliott gilbert #lgbtq in glee #my stuff #god i love him #also sifting through his scenes made me realize how much of his screen time he spent being sucked into glee club drama #when in reality he was just trying to chill and be in kurt’s band #he deserved better than he got and i adored his relationship with kurt

[hopefulobjectmiracle]

A quick analysis of the puppy scene in 3x15, because my OTP is perfect.

This is honestly just a whole lot of gushing and flailing, tbh. Because Kurt and Blaine and their relationship are wonderful and I love them so, so much. So much so that I can write paragraphs on a scene that is barely one minute long. 

This somehow ended up being much longer than I intended, oops. Hope you enjoy it :)

We start off this scene with Blaine alone at his locker, presumably putting away his belongings from his last class, and you can still see Kurt’s ‘Gay-diddy-gay-gay-gay’ class council election poster on the inside of Blaine’s locker, even months after Kurt lost the election. But Blaine still keeps it up, because he loves Kurt, and if he had it his way, Kurt would win everything. Awww. He appears to be deep in thought, and when Kurt hides behind Blaine’s locker, speaking in the world’s most adorably terrible British accent, it startles Blaine for a second.

And man, does that make me sad. This is a kid that has been bullied, undoubtedly shoved into lockers and pushed here and there just like Kurt was. He hears an unfamiliar voice and immediately flinches back in fear, expecting the worst. 

But it isn’t the worst - it’s the best. Because it’s Kurt, the person Blaine loves more than anything, hiding behind the locker, and it’s Kurt speaking in that cute-ass accent holding a stuffed puppy in front of his face. 

(Side note - I once read that Chris Colfer improvised the dialogue and accent of this scene, as well as coming up with the name for the puppy, which totally checks out since Chris is a huge Anglophile.)

And as soon as Blaine recognizes his boyfriend, his face breaks out into the sunniest smile, and he does his signature “Kurt-made-me-laugh” move, the blushy head-duck (see here for reference). 

Kurt also looks similarly delighted to see Blaine, because Blaine is lovely and Kurt loves him so, so much, and because he’s also excited to show Blaine the gift he got him and help Blaine out with his problems. Kurt really loves Blaine, y’all. He looks so damn proud of the stuffed animal he got for him and equally proud of his own ability to make Blaine laugh with his clever puns. 

Kurt goes on to explain that Finn won the stuffed puppy while out at the amusement park for Senior Skip Day, along with thirteen others for Rachel, and as soon as he says this, Blaine nods along as if to say - oh, of course, that Rachel - because Blaine is considerate as hell and knows his friends very well. And in honest-to-god Kurt fashion, bb stole the puppy from his brother, because Kurt is the definition of Be Gay, Do Crime, and he also recognizes that Rachel does not need 14 different stuffed animals. 

He pouts a little right then, telling Blaine that he wanted to give it to him so that Blaine would have something, since Kurt wasn’t able to convince Blaine to go with them on the field trip. I wonder how that conversation went. 

Also, pouty Kurt is fucking adorable. Protect him at all costs.

Blaine is melancholy again, telling Kurt that he would have just brought the mood down for the group. And when Blaine says this? Kurt stops beating around the bush and gets straight to the point. 

Sweetly stroking the stuffed puppy, Kurt tells Blaine that he understands him. That he gets that family problems are hard, because they’re hard for him too. He uses himself as an example to try and get his point across to Blaine more effectively, and mentions that he and Finn disagree on nearly everything, but at the end of the day, they love one another and are always there for one another despite their differences. 

I’m also getting so many brotherly Furt feelings from Kurt referring to Finn as “the big lug” and talking about how much he loves him. Ugh. I also cry at the line where Kurt tells Blaine that he only has one brother and shouldn’t give up on that, given what happens to Finn. I wish we’d gotten more of that relationship in canon before Cory’s untimely passing, because they clearly had so much love for one another, both on-screen and off.

Anyway, Kurt sees the love he has with his brother and wants Blaine to be able to experience the same thing, because he loves Blaine so, so much and he thinks that Blaine deserves everything great in this world. He also brings back the cute-ass accent, and upon seeing Blaine look upset, bumps Margaret Thatcher Dog against Blaine’s cheek to get him to smile again - which Blaine absolutely does; his face is bright and sunny again because of Kurt’s silliness. Awww. 

Kurt tells Blaine never to give up, and Blaine indignantly responds that Cooper is the one who is leaving for a big audition. Kurt pauses, and tells Blaine that Cooper hasn’t actually left him yet. He says that Cooper is waiting in the auditorium, hoping that Blaine will come and talk to him and make things right. This line very strongly implies that Kurt and Cooper coordinated this, and that Kurt made an effort of talking to Cooper to try and arrange a meeting with Blaine - because in a matter of mere days, Kurt was able to glean how important their relationship was to Blaine and wanted to do everything he could to fix it. Give him all the boyfriend awards, folks.

I’m kidding. Please don’t start the Better Boyfriend Olympics again, lol.

Blaine huffs out that talking doesn’t actually work with Cooper, and that he’s tried it to no avail. And Kurt just nods knowingly, as if he was aware that Blaine would say that. And though it isn’t explicitly mentioned, I bet he did know. He then goes on to say that perhaps talking isn’t the best answer for Blaine. Maybe there’s something else, a better method of communicating his feelings that would work more for Blaine. 

Okay. You know what this reminds me of? Flash back a year, to Silly Love Songs. This is (perhaps unintentionally) a direct callback to 2x12. Back when Blaine was still crushing on someone who is not Kurt, he said this to the Warblers about his idea to serenade Jeremiah. 

Blaine (2011): I'm not really good at talking about my feelings. I'm much better at singing them.

And here are Kurt’s words, from more than a year later. 

Kurt (2012): Maybe talking is not the answer. Maybe you need to show him how you really feel in the best, most honest way you know how. 

Can I just stop right here and squeal a little bit? Because Kurt knows his boyfriend so, so well. He remembers the things that Blaine tells him, even things from over a year ago. He holds onto this key piece of information about Blaine, because Blaine is important to him and the things he tells Kurt are worth remembering. And here, in this scene, he puts his memory to good use to try and remind Blaine of his most effective and heartfelt form of communication so that he can help Blaine mend fences with his brother. 

GIVE HIM THE BOYFRIEND AWARDS, FOLKS!

Kurt is so, supportive of Blaine and just wants the best for him, and it just boggles my mind when people claim that Kurt didn’t love Blaine as much as Blaine loved him, because from even short simple scenes like this one, anyone can tell that it isn’t true. 

After listening to Kurt, Blaine stops, and for the first time, genuinely considers it. Prior to this, all of Cooper’s attempts at talking couldn’t get through to him. Blaine still felt the jealousy and resentment from all those years growing up. But after hearing Kurt’s advice, he puts that aside and realizes that some things, like family, are more important, and so he makes that decision to go see his brother and try and express his feelings in a different way. 

Blaine turns to go meet Cooper, and Kurt watches him go, looking so damn proud of his boyfriend and so, so hopeful...

Y’all know what happens next. Blaine and Cooper, a pair of brothers, sing a breakup song. Yet somehow, it works. Singing manages to communicate all of those emotions that were suppressed before, and opens the doors for real conversation between the two of them. They do successfully patch things up, with Cooper finally recognizing Blaine’s talent and Blaine trying to support Cooper in future endeavors. They are on a path to a close relationship, which is all both of them had ever really wanted in the first place. 

And if not for Kurt’s advice, this may not have happened. Y’all heard that right - Kurt Hummel helped Blaine patch things up with a member of his family because he knew how important it was to Blaine, and he knew how badly Blaine wanted this even if Blaine didn’t let it show. From all the bits and pieces of information we’ve gathered over the years about Blaine’s family, they don’t appear to be all that close, which is why it’s even more important for Blaine that he is able to reconcile with his brother.

(For more of my thoughts on Blaine’s family, feel free to check out this analysis of mine. Yeah, this is a shameless self promo. Deal with it.)

So...what was the point of this analysis? I’m not quite sure. I suppose I just had a lot of feelings about Blaine, Klaine, family, and the way that Kurt shows love. Like I’ve said millions of times, just because Kurt is more subtle in the way that he shows love to Blaine, doesn’t mean that it’s any less powerful. Scenes like this, in which he handpicks Blaine’s own words and uses them to push Blaine towards something he was too afraid to admit he really wanted? Kurt helping reconcile Blaine with his family? This is Klaine at its best, and scenes like this are why I will always, always ship this couple. 

Kurt and Blaine are incredible, y’all. 

Peace. 

#idiots think blaine loved kurt more than kurt loved him #klaine #klaine meta #glee 3.15 #blaine anderson #kurt hummel #cooper anderson

[poseidonsvodka]

Okay so this seems to be an unpopular opinion but I totally loved Blainofsky. David was so understanding and caring, he helped Blaine find himself again after he and Kurt broke up. Which I think is complete Bullshit, I used to be a hardcore Klaine shipper in the earlier seasons, but the more shit that happens the more I don’t think they should be together. One main point is both Blaine and Kurt keep hurting each other, and it’s a pretty toxic relationship. Blaine is obviously a kind of clingy guy who needs a lot of attention and love from whoever he’s dating and that’s okay. Kurt on the other hand likes a little bit of space which is totally okay too but their communication skills together are just terrible. So it started when Kurt thought him and Blaine weren’t doing that well so he started flirting with a random guy at a music store rather than actually talk to Blaine about how he feels. Then obviously Blaine feels betrayed and Kurt claims Blaine did the same with Sebastian (which isn’t true because you can see that Blaine tried brushing of Sebastian’s flirting multiple times even if they still hung out) And Kurt is totally flirting back with chandler. Anyway Blaine says that Kurt was right (which he wasn’t) and things are okay again even though it’s Blaine who made the effort to fix it while Kurt just fought about it. Fast forward to when Kurt is leaving and he seems to be neglecting thinking about what might happen to him and Blaine, and Blaine is obviously upset about it. I mean Kurt does have a point with all the college stress but he could have at least checked in with Blaine. Anywaay they get through that then Kurt gets a Job at Vogue and all that Jazz, and he seems to only talk about Rachel and His lives rather than asking Blaine anything about how high school is. It carries on to Kurt actively ignoring Blaine’s calls rather than being busy, which is basically Kurt neglecting his boyfriend’s feelings yet again. (Again Blaine obvi needs some serious attention) So Blaine cheats and that is totally on Blaine in no way was it okay for him to cheat but then again THEY SUCK AT COMMUNICATING THEIR EMOTIONS. Because everytime something goes to shit its the same thing Blaine being extra needy and Kurt neglecting him or just neglecting to talk to him. Obviously Blaine should have also tried to communicate his emotions better. But then again as you can see in the scenes when he did try to talk Kurt just cut him off. (I’m not Kurt bashing seriously I think Kurt is an amazing character and an amazing friend but there was something seriously wrong with Klaine). Anyway Fast forward again, Kurt forgives Blaine surprisingly easy in my opinion and they get engaged (the exact thing he told rachel not to do) but anyway he said yes (Yay). Timeskip they’re in NY and Kurt thinks Blaine is suffocating him and they agree that Blaine should move out even though you can see Blaine was devastated, but he understood it was for the better of the relationship, and honestly yeah I kinda agree with Kurt that people need space. BUt he didnt really have to start a fight about it and basically imply that Blaine was not welcome by saying “MY HOME”. Blaine moves out they get better and that’s great, then Blaine starts having body image issues that he so does not communicate well and Kurt starts a fight with him and Calls Blaine annoying. (tbh if anyone i’m dating says i’m annoying I’d cry and tell them to leave immediately). Then there’s that whole debacle with June and Blaine risked everything just to make sure Kurt got to sing along and it was rlly cute. Another Time Skip, Kurt Breaks off their engagement because he needs space...again and then he claims that they are kids and the entire thing again implies that Blaine is a little too clingy for Kurt’s taste which begs the question (WHY ARE THEY DATING WHEN THEY AREN’T COMPATIBLE?) Blaine is heartbroken and he flunks out of NYADA (and honestly even though they broke up I can’t imagine that Kurt would just let that happen he isn’t that kind of guy so I thought that was kinda weird.) Soo Blaine moves back home starts dating Dave who helps him kind of put the pieces of his broken heart back together. And Dave is so sweet and caring with Blaine and he really did help him see the good in Kurt again and he was so understanding and supportive throughout everything. Honestly, I know that a lot of people haven’t forgiven Karofsky but he had an entire redemption arc, and I’m not saying that excuses everything but his character development was great. Anyway I think Blaine should have stayed with Karofsky because they seemed adorable together and Dave seemed to give Blaine all the attention he needed. I think Kurt should have ended up with someone who could understand that he needed his space and his boundaries without that being an issue for them, because that was obviously an issue for Blaine. Anyway throughout this entire post I was bashing on anyone I just genuinely think that early Klaine was cute but the more it progressed the more fucked up it genuinely got. They both deserve to be happy and it’s obvious that they loved each other but that isn’t all it takes, and I don’t think they should have gotten back together. Blaine cheated and honestly I don’t think Kurt should have forgave him for that and Kurt ripped Blaine’s heart out when he ended things between them and I don’t think that’s something that should have been forgiven either because as Blaine said it “i’ll never forgive you for this” SO yes this is one long ass rant but I loved Blainofsky and I want Kurt to be happy but I don’t think Klaine is the way to go. (i’m talking abt the Major Klaine issues obvi they’ve been through a lot of shit together as well but still)

#Klaine #blainofsky #david karofsky #dave karofsky #blaine anderson #Kurt Hummel #sebastian smythe #Kurt Hummel x Blaine anderson #kurt x blaine #David karofsky x blaine anderson #dave karofsky x blaine anderson #Karofsky x Blaine #Not Klaine friendly #Blainofsky should have been endgame #Kurt deserves to be happy #so does blaine #so does karofsky #glee #glee season 5 #glee season 6 #Glee season three #All Klaine problems #Glee spoilers #i'm sorry klaine lovers but i think it's the truth #everyone deserved better

[benisasoftboi]

Unorganised thoughts on Trails of Cold Steel IV:

WHY ARE THEY CALLED CLASS VII?

WHO ARE CLASS VI?

Anyway - I started playing Trails in August, and I’ve finally, finally caught up (yes I know Hajimari I can’t read Japanese) and like... what do I do now?

It’s a fantastic series and I’m so, so glad I picked up Trails in the Sky on a whim last summer

This game was long. Is it longer than the other ones? It felt that way

The best part was the first chapter because Rean wasn’t in it and yeah I still don’t like him!!! But seriously, it was astonishing how much more I was enjoying things without him

I audibly groaned when goddamn bonding points returned in the second chapter

Actually that was a lie, the best part was Any Time My Angel Estelle Was On Screen

I missed her so much

I let her get the final hit of the game against the boss because she’s the best

Speaking of angels I caught three Wazy cameos!!!

Also Gilbert came back and if there had been a camera on me... I quite literally teared up a little I was so thrilled

I hate the curse it is dumb and rips all the nuance out of the characters. People do not need a goddamn evil curse to be swayed to extremes by overzealous nationalism. Trails I know you are better than this, I played Sky and Crossbell

Fav new location was Milsante (liked Alster too, though). I really like going to tiny little outposts and villages in JRPGs, they make the world feel more real

What the hell was up with the Osgiliath Basin? As in, Giliath Osborne??? Is this going to be a Hajimari thing?

Oh yeah, HOT TAKE, Alan Richard >>> Giliath Osborne. I was reading an LP of Sky FC while playing the game, and Richard’s motivation is clearer and less over-complex, more sympathetic, and he’s just generally a far more human character

Alan Richard best political antagonist in the series fight me (Rufus Albarea distant second)

For best supernatural/cult-y antagonist I’m stuck between Weissmann and Joachim. Or maybe Campanella lol

Oh uh speaking of characters named Georg I will never not hate everything about the George and Angie subplot. Angie should have died and George should have stayed evil, or it shouldn’t have happened at all. As it is, it was a complete waste of time - you could take it all out and NOTHING would change

Angie would have been the perfect character to sacrifice as well, she’s just important enough that it would feel like ‘oh shit’s getting real’ but not so important that it’s unbelievable

(like Olivier. I could not fully believe they’d actually kill him, and the moment Laura told me ‘they never found the bodies’ I was like, oh, so they’re definitely all still alive, cool)

I mean, it would be a Bury Your Gays, but honestly... there are things I like about Angie, but is anyone really looking to her as a lesbian role model? I hope not. Yikes

So yeah I guess I hate George now for getting my hopes up and then being boring. Shame

I did the Towa romantic ending, of course. I genuinely think she’s the best match for Rean, of all his love interests

Chaaaracters

Rean: Still the least interesting person. Not a good sign when I’m sadder about the robot dying than the main protagonist yeeting himself into the sun (side note, the two endings thing? Unnecessary and dumb). There is no reason girls would like him this much, blah blah I’ve said it all before. Liked his new hair. Honestly would have respected it if they’d had the balls to kill him off. I basically never even used him in battle lol, Juna became my new team leader

Juna: Honourary protagonist imo. I’ve changed my mind since CS3, she’s my fav new Class VII without a doubt. She’s just really good and full of personality and depth and OH GOD WHY IS SHE CRUSHING ON REAN WHY FALCOM WHY

Kurt: pls falcom don’t try to force this aroace king into a nonsense ship with Sully I liked her but what are you doing, anyway Kurt is great and he got cool new swords and he got to hang out with Mueller, who I adore, I love Kurt

Altina: I also love this little bunny. Her relationship with Millium is so lovely and seeing her grow and become her own person made me so happy and OH GOD WHY IS SHE CRUSHING ON REAN WHY FALCOM I LITERALLY SAID SHE HAS THE BEST RELATIONSHIP WITH REAN OF ALL THE GIRLS BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T DO THAT IN THE LAST GAME WHY DO YOU HATE ME????

Musse: Yeah I’m still not sold on Musse but I liked her better this time! I like a smart, confident girl! Just stop being weird about your teacher and we’d be golden!

Ash: Good boy. Sweet boy. Ash and Joshua game now Falcom

Alisa: Still cannot believe she’s presented as the deuteragonist by the marketing - but you know what? Solid arc, she got some closure with her parents, maybe she and Jusis can get together for tea and complain about their messed up families. She’s never going to be a character I like all that much, but I don’t dislike her. I just wish she hadn’t clearly been written as ‘Rean’s love interest’ before anything else

Elliot: I love Elliot, I really do. I mean, I wish he hadn’t been flanderised to the point of speaking in music puns half the time, but he’s a solid, consistently pleasant character

Laura: Goddamnit Falcom please give Laura anything resembling an emotion regarding her dad dying. Also you tell me she’s kind of oblivious and stuff but we never see it. I like Laura but she really could have been more

Machias: I love Machias, fight me fan base. He’s so funny to me. It feels like, at this point, all he really wants is a nice office job, near a nice coffee shop, where he files papers and sometimes gets to yell at corrupt rich people, but NO, he has to run about in dungeons and fight monsters, and are you FUCKING kidding me, ANOTHER crazy snake cultist!?!? It’s great, he’s the only one who’s just done with it all and love it

I low key headcanon that he and Jusis are kinda dating at this point, but we don’t see anything because the games are from Rean’s POV and they don’t want to tell him because they know he’d be weird about it

Jusis: I still really like Jusis! He’s interesting, and his surrogate brother-sister relationship with Millium is so sweet (yes, I saw that bouquet catch, Falcom, and I hate it, stop it, gross). Awesome to see him confront his brother, obviously I let him have the final blow. Rufus was a great antagonist. Jusis has some of the best development over the games, and is also really fun to use in battle (apparently I am the only one who feels this way though :/ ah well)

Fie: I was surprised by how much I liked Fie’s confession scene, seeing as I don’t like Rean/Fie at ALL. Fie finally gets to have feelings about her dad, and we see her working with Zin at the end! Very happy for Fie, best girl

Emma: Ahhh I still find Emma kinda dull and exposition heavy, but she also had a nice arc, I liked her relationship with Rose, all good

Rose beat me at Vantage Masters for 40 minutes lol

Gaius: It’s still extremely funny to me that Gaius became one of the most important people on the continent *off screen*. And he still doesn’t really do anything. He has his own airship now, I guess. Justice for Gaius

Sara: Kind of faded from relevance after CS1, but I do really like her all the same. And I loved her speech at the end

Crow: At the end his hair got darker and everyone was like ‘you’re back to normal!’ and I literally did not realise he was meant to have been looking different

But anyway Crow is a really good character and I literally never didn’t enjoy him. I love the bit where Jusis and Machias team up to call him a cringy edgelord, because they are right. Crow is fantastic

Towa: Towa has never done anything wrong in her life and all of Erebonia should pay for her therapy

Patrick: I cannot believe how much I love Patrick now, compared to CS1. He’s just such a sweetie. Good boy

Elise: Take her to the sun with you, Rean. Pointless character

Alfin: Is she the heir now? I hope so. She’s such a funny character, not my fav, but I enjoyed her

Angie and George: Should have died, moving on

Celine: I love her, but did she really need a human form? No, no she did not. Great character though

Tita: Special mention, because you know what? I do not like this version of Tita! Like I said, I was reading FC recently and she was so much better there! Now a third of her lines are just her saying ‘Agate’ in various different tones. And it feels like she’s lost a lot of her confidence, where’s the little girl who followed us up Carnelia Tower? I would have preferred them to just not bring her back at all

Duvalie: Haha I love Duvalie she’s great. Stop implying that she’s crushing on Rean. Literally WHY would she. Ugh

Rose: Everything about Rose is great, I would play a full game about her backstory. More Rose

Ships!

Obviously I like Machias/Jusis because I am BASIC

I didn’t like Olivier/Schera back in Sky, but you know what? They sold me. It’s cute (even if I feel Schera’s character was neglected in favour of Being A Love Interest, sigh). Though I’m not sure when Olivier made the switch from ‘Schera is one of many people I flirt with’ to ‘Schera is my one and only’?

But am I the only person who’s kinda on the Oliver/Schera/Mueller train? I’m not normally into OT3s, but Olivier and Mueller have one of the best dynamics in the series, and Schera and Mueller would probably get along great if they were ever allowed to properly interact. And you know Olivier would be down

Like I say, I do not like Jusis/Millium at all, it’s not a ‘I like another ship better’ thing, it just massively skeeves me out because of the maturity difference 

Ash/Tatiana was unexpected but adorable

Patrick/Elise, because I want Patrick to be happy and Rean to be mad

Also Elise/Alfin, sorry Patrick

I hope Anton and Sharon really do get together. Sharon deserves unconditional love and Anton deserves a happy ending

Sharon also deserves to hook up with Sara like once

I also sort of feel like Sara/Claire would be fun

I’ve actually like Gaius/Linde from CS1, I’m happy it’s kind of a thing now!

If Lila/Maybelle is the LET’S GO LESBIANS Trails ship, then Emily/Theresia is LET’S GO BABY LESBIANS

Vincent/Margarita. They’re both horrible people. At least this way no one else has to deal with them

Joining my Kloe/Josette in the ‘crack ships I love that have very, very little canon basis’ is Fritz/Kairi, based on their interactions in that one mission and then that they’re eating together at Mishelam. It’s pretty much just a height differences thing, lol

Miles/Elnan. I have literally no justification for this

Other stuff There was this one scene where Gaius says how nice it is that Mueller cares about Olivier and Mueller just snaps his head round and the scene ends, and I don’t think it was meant to be funny but I laughed for like a full minute

The intro to the music at Mishelam is extremely creepy to me

I love the Pom Party mini game a whole lot

There were... a lot of typos in the second half of the script. It’s massive, so I’m not mad, but I hope there’s a patch at some point

BERYL BERYL BERYL BERYL BERYL I love her

Uh if we’re still doing romance next arc please give us a gay option, no Crow did not count

I hate divine knight battles! I really do! That last one against Ishmelga was really hard and not in a fun way! In a ‘this is bullshit fake difficulty’ way. Please don’t bring them back!

The true final battle, though? FANTASTIC, now THAT is a final boss! One of the best in the series, like that’s such a fun gimmick!

I got it trapped in break state and spammed Heaven’s Kiss/Quick Star, because I’m a strategic gamer 

I am embarrassed by how long it took me to recognise Lucy

KLOE CAMEO!!!

Oh and I assume Kaela is going to be important next arc, since it’s in Calvard?

I love Thomas??? And Rosine???

Why was the grandmaster reveal hidden behind watching the ending twice, why do that? Great scene, though

My theory is that she is Aidios, I will cling to this for as long as possible

I probably have like a million other things to say that I’m just not remembering right now. Look forward to random shouts into the void about it in upcoming weeks, followers

I really enjoyed this overall, despite the problems I mentioned above. It was just fun, I like the cast, the gameplay is great... just a solid game

Trails is a really fantastic franchise - not perfect, but what is? I’ve had such a fun time with it over the past half-year, and I cannot wait to see what happens next. Thank you, Falcom, the localisation team, the VAs - stellar job all around

This is normally where I’d end on a joke but like. Nah, I’m just happy. Cue ‘The Whereabouts of Light’

#long post #cold steel #cold steel 4 #trails of cold steel 4 #cs4 #cs4 spoilers #cold steel 4 spoilers #trails of cold steel #kiseki #kiseki series #trails series #:)

[chatterbox-daily]

Day 15: Favourite LGBTQIA+ Ship(s)

Hello Lovely People!

Now brace yourselves…this is quite a list.

- Magnus Bane & Alec Lightwood (Shadowhunters), there’s just something so captivating about Malec - they’re from two different worlds and at first Alec is still in the closet and is all about duty and honour to his family and their reputation and Magnus is this all powerful Warlock and Alec catches his eyes immediately and from their first meeting you know there’s a spark, and you watch as their relationship forms and blossoms; yes it had its ups and downs, but they fought to be together and in the end, they got their happy ending and I absolutely love their entire story 😍

- Ian Gallagher & Mickey Milkovich (Shameless US), Gallavich went from haters to lovers to husband & husband. Their relationship is a very rocky one indeed, and you seen them essentially grow up together and I haven’t finished the show, but I just love them and i love that no matter Howe much they tried to put their thing down - they just couldn’t and they’d fight one another, for one another and their relationship.

- Elena Alvarez & Syd (One Day At A Time), I love these two soooo much; they are both geeks and very awkward at times, which makes them even more adorable and I loved it when they went to comic con and cosplayed as the 4th Doctor and the TARDIS (as I’m a huge Doctor Who fan) they are soooo cute.

- Adam Torres & Becky Baker (Degrassi: TNG), Adam was one of the first transgender characters I’d seen on tv and at the time, as friend had came out to me as transgender and I understood and accepted that this was who he was - so seeing this relationship was amazing, especially seeing the struggles of Becky and her religious views and her parents views and I hate that they didn’t get to reconcile, and that his last words to her were i love you and they truly loved one another - i would’ve loved to see their relationship if Adam hadn’t died!!!!

- Callie Torres & Arizona Robbins (Grey’s Anatomy), Callie and Arizona are one of my favourite couples on Grey’s Anatomy and it broke my heart that they broke up and I loved their relationship and badass they both are in their respective fields. I miss them on the show.

- Captain Raymond Holt & Kevin (B99), They are both different but similar and their dynamic is hilarious, i love their relationship with their ‘fluffy boy’ and their relationship is absolutely great!

- Nomi Marks & Amanita Caplan (Sense8), These two were so great together and i thought their relationship was beautiful, i loved that Amanita accepted the senates and that they were all there at Nomi and Amanita’s wedding at the end of the series.

- Sara Lance & Ava Sharpe (LOT), I love that at first they had this competitive flirting thing going on and that their lives were both very chaotic - but i love that they did adapted to each other’s lives and that Ava is now apart of the Legends and that they are co-captains and that they are engaged!!!!! Sooooo cute!

- Kurt Hummel & Blaine Anderson (Glee), Kurt and Blaine were one of my favourite couples on the show, other than Brittana. I loved the slowish burn of the relationship and that they were supportive of one another - even when Kurt decided to transfer back to McKinley and then Blaine transferred there too and their shared wedding with Brittana was cute.

- Santana Lopez & Brittany Pierce (Glee), My other favourite couple on Glee, i loved that they were best friends wayy before they were girlfriends and that they loved each other unconditionally for everything the other one was, and their duets were everything. Plus, i love them. Both very talented women.

- Princess Bubblegum & Marceline (Adventure Time), they are two of my favourite animated characters and I love their dynamic, hate/love relationship (throughout most of the show) and they are total opposites from their appearance, personalities, likes and interests - but they are both amazing, and badasses and I just love them!!!! 😍

- Waverley Earp & Nicole Haught (Wynonna Earp), i love everything about this couple, i mean Waverley is too cute and Nicole lives up to her name and i love that their relationship and how unlike Waverley’s last relationship, Nicole actually respects her and although Nicole was Waverley’s first girlfriend and eventual wife - they were so powerful together and once again (as I’ve said several times now) i love them!

- Willow & Tara (BTVS), MY FAVOURITE LGBTQIA+ COUPLE EVER! I loved the show growing up and i loved them and the Tara was the best partner for Willow out of all her relationships - i hated that Tara was killed off and she was too pure for this world and deserved better and so did this relationship - how powerful they could have been…

- Grizz & Sam (The Society), I hate that this show was cancelled, and that we didn’t get to see more of this amazing couple - the fact that this is the only deaf/hearing LGBTQIA+ couple on a tv show - I love that Grizz started learning American sign language (ASL) to communicate with Sam and that they found real love in the midst of chaos of the shows events and situation.

- Carmilla Karnstein & Laura Hollis (Carmilla), despite the fact that one is vampire and the other is human - I loved how oblivious Laura was to Carmilla’s flirting and they fought against all the supernatural stuff together, and how they stood up for one another and although they were off and on again - by the end of series and later film, they are still very much in love and happy together.

This is my favourite tv show couples, I could go on with couples from films, books, comics - but that’d be an even longer list…

Chatterbox :)

#lgtbqia+ #pride month #celebrate #shareyourpride #glee #adventure time #buffy the vampire slayer #the society #carmilla #wynonna earp #sense8 #brooklyn nine nine #grey's anatomy #legends of tomorrow #shadowhunters #shameless us #degrassi #one day at a time

[spaceorphan18]

How would you rank the following characters: Kurt, Blaine, Rachel, Mercedes, Santana, Brittany, Quinn, Finn, Tina, Artie, Mike, Puck, Sam? And why?

So, this is the post that killed my computer 4 times! (Lol - no, I think the computer system updates were doing that - but for some reason, trying to answer this one just pushed the whole thing into overload, and I had to completely reinstall Windows.  **shrugs**) 

So, let’s see if I can answer your ask properly this time.  

I’m not sure how you wanted things ranked, but I just did it from least favorite ot favorite, because I don’t think there’s any better way to do it. 

13. Puck - I have complicated feelings about Puck, partly because I have no connection to his story, and partly because I have complicated feelings about Mark Salling.  I don’t hate him, but I have zero attachment to the character, settling him down here at the bottom. 

12. Quinn - Yes, she is my avatar, but honestly that’s more for aesthetic purposes.  Quinn, unfortunately gets caught in two different modes for most of the show - bitchy and crazy.  I’m not a fan of either.  She does get some softer moments, and I do like those -- as well as when she stands up against Sue and when she’s sexing Santana - but that’s about it. 

11. Tina - I hate to put Tina so low, she isn’t by any means a bad character.  I think she suffered the most from the writers not really knowing what to do with her.  Her plotlines were mostly in the background or tied up with the men she was interested (and more times than not - the guy got the focus).  Tina deserved more than she got - but her lack of developing interesting story lines is what has her so low. 

10. Artie - Honestly, I think my increasing adoration of Kevin McHale has saved Artie a little.  Like Tina, I think the writers weren’t sure what to do with him - and often made him a jukebox character, which would be mostly fine if he weren’t so consistently a misogynistic asshole.  Still, he gets slightly more to do than Tina, and is a tad bit more entertaining in doing so. 

9. Brittany - There are some reasons I really enjoy Brittany; she’s a great dancer, she has some of the best one-liners on the show, and her unique unicorn-ness is sweet.  On the other hand, the show’s frequent use of infantilization with her, as well as in the later seasons she would just be mean for no apparent reason, has me pulling back on enjoyment of her.  So, she gets to sit down here in the middle. 

8. Finn - Finn is actually a character who has grown on me a lot over the years, because honestly, ask me five years ago, and he’d probably be sitting at the bottom.  Season 4 Finn is fantastic as a character who is trying to figure out himself and where he belongs in the world.  And it’s real shame we were cut short on the fullness of his story.  The first three seasons, he’s fine - and I buy him as the struggling male lead of the show.  That said, so much of his story is tied up in Rachel - and, like most of the couples on the show, the two of them are better when they’re not in a relationship with each other. 

7. Santana - Santana’s another one who is hit and miss.  On the one hand, I enjoy her snarkiness, and her ability to play as foil/frenemy of other characters.  On the other, she can be too mean - and unfortunately slides back into her basic bitchy-ness when the writers need her to go there.  But overall, I enjoy her more than I don’t. 

6. Mike - While Mike doesn’t get a whole lot to do, he’s a sweet muffin, whose kindness radiates out of him.  His character is unfortunately a little one-note at times, but unlike nearly every other character on the show, there’s nothing offensive about him - and I appreciate that. 

5. Rachel - Probably higher than you might expect! For the most part, I do like Rachel, when she gets to be funny, and when the writers aren’t giving her things purely because she’s the main character.  Yeah, she’s a bit insufferable during the middle seasons.  But there’s a lot going on with Rachel, and I appreciate that. 

4. Sam - Sam, like Mike, is another sweet muffin, who really has no problematic aspects to him.  He’s a bit more developed than Mike, and ends up in story lines with characters I enjoy, hence getting raised a bit higher. 

3. Mercedes - Mercedes is a ball of sunshine, and a talented sweet cinnamon roll.  I just like her a lot because she has a kindness about her lacking in a lot of the other characters -- and might be one of the most relatable female characters on the show.  The writers didn’t do service to her. 

2. Blaine - Blaine is my precious muffin.  If you need an explanation as to why I enjoy him, I think you might need to spend a little more time on my blog.

1. Kurt - Kurt Hummel’s story is one of my favorite fictional stories.  **shrugs** I’m sure by hanging out on the blog, you can piece together why :) 

#Anonymous #thanks nonny! #sorry it took so long #that's how s.o. sees it

[twoblueheartslocked]

Mini Para: July Flashback.

Rating: PG.

Pairing: Seblaine.

Sebastian: @colorsicantsee

Blaine: @twoblueheartslocked

Time: Four and a Half years before the events of ( Hold On To The Memories, They Will Hold On To You ) Start of July before Blaine’s Senior Year and Sebastian’s Junior Year. Blaine (almost 17) Seb (almost 16).

Location: Westerville, OH- In a Starbucks tucked away in a little nook.

Info: The First Flashback. Blaine and Kurt break up before Kurt heads off to college in New York. Sebastian tries to contain himself.

Warnings: N/A

Extra Warnings: (This RP is not Kurt Hummel friendly. You’ve all been warned.)

Notes: Some canon events remain in place while others have been changed. Some things may even be out of order. You can consider this sort of canon divergent AU. A few changes are that Blaine’s parents are different from the show (His mother is Filipina), he didn’t cheat on Kurt or date Dave and Sebastian is younger than Blaine. Feel free to send a message if you have any questions!

Blaine’s POV:

Blaine turned his music down, the poppy sound of Perry fading away as he pulled into the crowded parking lot of Westerville, Ohio’s Starbucks. There were better coffee places, but it was less likely a bunch of people he knew would be milling around a Starbucks. He’d done well to keep his friendship with Sebastian Smythe hushed and he wanted to keep it that way. Sebastian, for his part, did as well. It wasn’t really a secret, but people talked and it didn’t matter that it truly was just a friendship at the end of the day. He tried to ignore the nagging, annoying little voice in his head that scoffed and nagged at him about how he was totally attracted to Sebastian and liked his company more than most of his McKinley friends. Why else are you driving to meet him after the events of the past week, Blaine?

He pushed the thoughts away and pulled the mirror from above his head down and gave himself a quick look, noting that his eyes were only still just a little red and the puffiness from crying had gone away completely. He got out of his SUV, making sure to shove his wallet into the back pocket of his rolled, bright coral shorts and made his way into the shop to get out of the July heat, his Sperrys threatening to melt into the pavement.He glanced around the store, scanning for the tall familiar form of his tentative friend and frowned when he couldn’t find him.

He pulled out his phone to shoot a text when it started to vibrate in his hand, the words making him smile and rolling his eyes as he did as he was told. 

Seb: Turn around, Killer.

The smile was still faintly on his face when he made his way over to Sebastian. His companion had actually secured their nook table that deemed them hidden out of view. The spot was usually taken up by students hoping to get some work done or couples making out and the thought made him blush a little as he sat down across from Sebastian who had made himself at home, long legs spread out and taking up way more space than he needed. The other boy, smirking as usual, slid two biscottis and a grande white and green cup over to Blaine. Blaine picked it up, already smelling that Sebastian had remembered the cinnamon in his drip. His heart gave a little flip because self absorbed Sebastian had remembered the cinnamon and the biscotti but Blaine being Blaine ignored it like usual.

“Thank you. I’ll get the next round, okay? I can’t believe you managed to snag our spot.”

Sebastian’s POV:

Sebastian couldn’t stop the excitement that flared in his stomach anytime Blaine’s name flashed across the screen of his iPhone. He always cancelled his plans in favor of meeting Blaine at Starbucks or to toss around a football or anything he wanted, really. Sometimes Sebastian felt extremely lame because of his all consuming crush and that he’d rather drink stale coffee to the sounds of a ‘cafe pop’ playlist than meet random boys or drink in furnished basements.

Their friendship had been sort of a blur and came out of nowhere. He knew that sounded totally cliche and annoying but wasn’t that just how relationships in high school worked? You suddenly had so much in common with somebody and grew so close that you couldn’t understand how you went without this person in your life before? Sebastian had been obsessed with ‘winning’ Blaine over. He hated that this bashful kid just kept turning him down with shy smiles and dismissive waves of the hand and that his boyfriend was always around and wasn’t intimidated by his sharp wit. Seb hadn’t experienced being turned down before. He became jealous and his mean streak reared it’s monstrous head when he threw a salt spiked slushie at Blaine. All he wanted to do was stain Kurt’s precious clothing, the only thing he seemed to be passionate about.  After the slushie incident, Sebastian had sent flowers and visited Blaine to apologize. Somehow they grew close and met more and more often just to talk. Sebastian had to laugh, he was turning down dates with public school seniors just to read magazines in companionable silence, just to watch Blaine’s cheeks turn red when he teased him, to feel the spark of what could be when their thighs would touch squeezed into a diner booth.

It wasn’t any surprise that Sebastian made his driver get him to the coffee shop before Blaine so that he could get his regular drink and snack. He constantly assured Blaine that he understood that they were just friends and lied and said he was on the same page but couldn’t quell his crush. All he wanted to do was impress Blaine, it wasn’t even about winning anymore and that was like, a really scary thing to admit. He was totally sprung and spent too much time picking out outfits that looked like he didn’t care and memorizing orders and favorite songs and staring at his phone waiting for his phone to buzz.

Sebastian smirked when Blaine turned around to see him in the nook that they both preferred. He pushed Blaine’s coffee and biscotti towards him, “You deserve the best spot in the house. I had to fight a few pre teen girls but it was worth it.” Sebastian took a sip of his iced Americano and smiled around his straw, he hoped Blaine would notice. “So, what’s up?”

Blaine’s POV:

Blaine scooted himself up towards the table, sitting his phone down in front of him face up on the tiny table. He’d shut the sound off because Coop had been harassing him all day about his upcoming visit to Ohio. Just a constant stream of texts all morning pushing Blaine to make sure their parents had the house in order for him like he was freaking royalty. As if Blaine didn’t have enough issues of his own. His mom, Imelda, had laughed softly and given Blaine’s hand a squeeze telling him to just appease his brother because it made him happy. He only obliged for his mom because who cared what Cooper wanted.

Blaine found himself chuckling at the thought of Sebastian scaring preteens away with his rude language and idle threats and again his heart did the little flippy thing that felt familiar and brand new all at once when he told him that he deserved happiness. He cleared his throat and proceeded to pull the lid off of his coffee so he could dip his biscotti into it. He took a bite and Sebastian had put just the right amount of sugar and cream and cinnamon into the cup. He smiled to himself and swallowed before looking over at his friend.

“I can’t wait until I see Sam tomorrow night so that I can tell him that you’re actually just the sweetest, softest boy around.” He laughed, his shoulder coming up in a shrug. “You don’t have to worry though, because he’ll never believe me.” He watched Sebastian take a sip of his drink, his signature smirk had been replaced by this new thing that Blaine liked to say was his smile because he’d never seen him give it to anyone else. His teeth were showing and Blaine got a little glimpse of the crooked teeth that were hidden on his bottom  and top teeth. Blaine had been delighted to hear that picture perfect Sebastian Smythe had undone a bunch of expensive dental work all because he hated his retainer. Blaine was secretly glad because it was so adorable.

He could wax poetic about Sebastian Smythe’s teeth all day but that’s not why he’d come here. He’d come here to get away from the pitiful Facebook and Instagram messages his McKinley friends kept sending him. Telling him they were so sorry and that they just were so surprised about the thing that had made Blaine’s eyes red and puffy. Well, everyone except Sam who knew Blaine like the back of his hand and knew that things had been far from perfect.

Blaine finished his food, chewing thoughtfully for a moment trying to compartmentalize all of his feelings about the situation. He licked his lips and looked up at Sebastian. 

“Kurt and I broke up.” He paused, pursing his lips together. “I mean, I’ve told you how off everything has been over the last few months and with him going away to New York in a month I feel like this is the best move.” He felt a little wave of sorrow as he talked because of course Blaine had loved Kurt and he valued their time together but there was this sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he thought back to some of their recent fights. Kurt had gotten mean and anytime Blaine took longer than five minutes to answer a text he would make accusations that Blaine was ‘probably out screwing Sebastian’ and even went so far to accuse him of sleeping with Sam, too. Which was... laughable. Everything they did was strained- from their intimacy to New Direction solos to where they’d eat for dinners. He flicked his eyes up to Sebastian, trying to gauge his reaction. Seb knew that things had been rocky but he didn’t know about the accusations. He wondered how he’d feel if he knew.

Sebastian’s POV:

Sebastian rolled his eyes but didn’t stop smiling. He shook his head and leaned back into the leather covered booth seat. “Please don’t. I’ve worked really hard on my image, you know.” Sebastian spread his legs under the table, his knees knocked into Blaine’s leg. It sent a little thrill though his body before he gently maneuvered his long legs so that they wouldn’t invade the other’s space. Sebastian wished he could keep his knees pressed to Blaine’s leg, wished they could hold hands under the table or kiss over their coffees. He caught himself being pulled from his daydream by Blaine’s sober tone. 

He watched Blaine’s face as he spoke, he noticed his red rimmed eyes and it all made sense now. Sebastian fought to keep his face even. He didn’t want to break out into song and dance and flip the table in excitement just yet. The other boy was obviously upset. Seb couldn’t really understand because he had never been in a serious relationship and was always the one to not return calls or texts. He was his friend, though so he needed to chill out and be there for him. “How do you feel?” Sebastian chewed on his green straw, suddenly a little anxious.

Blaine’s POV:

Blaine arched his brow a little impressed by how calm Sebastian was being. He hadn’t made a joke about his relationship or made any kind of swipe at Kurt at all. He shouldn’t have been surprised though, Sebastian had come so far over the year they’d gone from acquaintances where Sebastian shamelessly flirted and made Blaine feel things he shouldn’t while having a boyfriend, to being a massive asshole and getting Blaine hurt, to remorseful and learning about how his words could hurt people all the way to now. Where he was actually sweet and funny and paid attention. If people could see this side of Sebastian they wouldn’t talk so much crap about him behind his back. If people could see this Seb they’d all be clamoring for his time and where would that leave you? Blaine didn’t like to think about it. He liked having this piece of Sebastian to himself. Sounds super friendly. A voice in his head taunted. Blaine ignored it.

He thought for a moment, wondering how he was supposed to feel versus how he actually did feel. There was pain, he’d built a pretty solid relationship with Kurt over the last almost two years. He had loved him. Of course there was pain. He’d cried for two nights after it was over but now he wasn’t sure how he actually felt. It was startling when he realized he felt free.

“I feel, I don’t know, relieved?” He licked his lips and looked into Seb’s lush green eyes. “I- I  don’t think we love each other anymore.” He shrugged, he’d struggled with the revelation over the last few weeks. The truth hit him when he realized all they did was fight and things were often incredibly uneasy when they were once easy. “I mean, we had a good run but… it’s not like he’s going to wait for me to move to New York. He would end up ignoring me and growing apart from me anyway. And eventually we’d hate each other and why do that to ourselves? It was amicable enough.” Was it? Kurt had been livid to the point of screaming and then suddenly he’d just gone calm. An eerie calm and then the calculating look he’d given Blaine was cold and borderline scary, but he’d agreed eventually.  

He paused, wondering how much to give away to Sebastian. “He was starting to get really weird about who I was talking to. Like not just you, but Sam as well. I’ve never done anything to make him worry. I was faithful and did anything he asked me to.” He bit his lip, trying not to let the negativity seep in. “I don’t know, Seb. I feel like this was the right decision.”

He brought his coffee to his lips and took a drink. The caffeine burned through his veins and suddenly Blaine wished they were in the car driving around with the music blaring. 

“But, hey I won’t be going to New York this Summer now. Coop will be here but I can ignore him. And Sam will be camping with his family. Tina’s going to visit some distant relatives and David and Nick are… who knows what they’re doing. So, we get to spend extra time together. I mean, if you can handle that.”

Sebastian’s POV:

Sebastian always knew that Kurt was a little jealous behind the scenes. Blaine had told him so before and even cancelled on him a few times because of it. He told himself it was because Kurt was insecure and maybe deep down really was a little threatened by him. He should have trusted Blaine, though. It was true that Blaine had never done anything nefarious to Kurt, had never caused any damage to their relationship. He and Sebastian were strictly friends (sad as that was.) and Seb even forced himself to control his flirty tendencies (which meant he really liked him because he flirted with everybody.) “As long as you feel okay. This is a move in the right direction.” He winced internally, how generic was that sentiment. 

Seb sat up in his seat and cleared his throat. He needed to cheer Blaine up. “Hey, now you have the entire summer to be a single man. Think of all the cool shit you can do now.  You can go anywhere you want, do whatever you want.”  He wanted nothing more than to spend his favorite season with Blaine. Images of fireworks and swimming and bike riding filled his brain. “I’m down, B.” He would always be down for him, always be willing to drop everything to be where he was. Sebastian knew it was pathetic but he couldn’t help it. It was his best kept secret, how huge his crush was and how utterly heels over head and back again he was. Sebastian finished his drink and pushed his biscotti towards Blaine. “Celebratory biscotti.”

Blaine’s POV:

Blaine laughed, shaking his head at Sebastian. “You’re just dying to say something about Kurt, aren’t you?” He bit his bottom lip to keep from smiling too big, a little ashamed of himself for having such a good time so close to his break up, but he couldn’t seem to help himself around Sebastian. There was just something about the other boy that just made him feel relaxed and comfortable and sometimes Blaine felt like as long as they stayed friends he’d be okay. Sure, he had Sam and Tina and David and Nick but there was something different about being with Sebastian. He didn’t like to look too closely at it though, terrified that he’d ruin this dynamic they had going on. “Go ahead, I’ll let you get in one good swipe but then you gotta promise to behave.”

Blaine gave Sebastian a thankful smile because of course he was trying to cheer him up. Trouble was that he didn’t even need to try. Blaine was already feeling better just being around him. “Yeah, single. Do whatever I want. Hmm…” He narrowed his eyes playfully,  “And yet I’m choosing to waste my free time with the likes of you.” He laughed, taking the sweets that Seb had offered him and dunking it into his almost empty cup of coffee. Kurt would have tisked at him for eating more than one in the middle of the day. He finished it, making a show at how good it was before speaking again. The nickname made him smile to himself even bigger. 

“So, what are you doing right now? Is your fancy driver around here somewhere? You should send him away and spend the day with me. We could take a ride and go get burgers and shakes from the root beer stand and drive around and listen to music. I’ll even let you pick the music.” He looked up at Sebastian, his eyes wide and face probably far too hopeful. “Please? It’s my treat and besides, it’ll make me feel so much better. I promise the stench of public school doesn’t seep into my car like it does clothing.”

Sebastian’s POV:

Was Sebastian so obvious? He laughed, his wide smile that was rarely seen broke out across his face. He really did want to talk shit about Kurt but thought that he could keep that suppressed until he texted Hunter later. Seb cleared his throat dramatically, as if he were about to put on a show and sat up straight. “If I only get one chance I better make this good. He dresses like a depressed librarian that lives off of lean cuisines and thinks that unseasoned boiled chicken is too spicy. He’s so generically bitchy and mean and pre-maturely geriatric that if he started to do drag, he could be a Bea Arthur impersonator. Actually, I’m almost positive all of his humor comes from The Golden Girls anyway. You’re so better off without him.” He sighed and laughed again. “I’m done. I promise I’ll behave as best as I know how.”

Sebastian looked into Blaine’s golden eyes, bit his bottom lip, leaned over the table. He nodded and pulled his phone out to text his driver to leave the parking lot. “If I get to pick the music then I’m all yours.” Seb rolled his eyes and stood up from the table to stretch his legs, gathering up their trash to throw away. “The scent of your hair gel sort of covers up the public school smell anyway.”  He elbowed Blaine in the side, smiled wide so he knew the joke was good natured. “I’m gonna blare Nicki Minaj and I want a large strawberry shake with extra whipped cream and extra cherries.” Sebastian started to walk backwards towards the door, his eyes on Blaine the entire time. “This is going to be the best summer ever, Killer. Promise.” 

/fin.

#seblaine #seblaine para #seblaine canon divergence #mini para #july flashback #Mini Para: July Flashback

[rogueninja]

Okay so we all know who your top ships are... who are your unpopular ships? Or obscure ships? What characters from what series do you think about often in either good or bad ways? Who is a character that you hate that others love? If you could rewrite a story or part of a book, what would it be and what would you do differently?

Ok I am digging through my brain right now bc if I’m not able to hyperfixate on something then I tend to forget I even liked it. Ok buckle in bc this is gonna be long af. YOU ASKED FOR THIS, REG.

I’m putting a readmore so as not to torture my followers lol

Thinking about Veronica Mars. About Veronica/Logan. Do they have a ship name?? But I love that show and i was THERE for them. They were kind of a surprise ship for me, in that when they got together I was like, wait, WHAT? Like I was totally caught off guard. But there first kiss is, like, sooo romantic to me haha. It’s my fave scene in the show. But Logan is suck a prick sometimes. And they break up like every five minutes. And every season Logan gets accused of murder which of course he ends up not being the murderer. And they get back together eventually and I’m like really? But deep down I am rooting for them lol. I really enjoyed the new season of Veronica Mars that came out last year, actually. The ending made me SO SAD THO.

I also used to watch Supergirl and I thought Kara and Mon-El were adorable. He was very Carswell Thorne-esque, RH, I *think* you would like him. I never watched past season 3(?) though, and he shoots off into space and I never caught up so a few months ago I actually googled what happens and [spoiler] he ends up marrying someone else in the future or something so I was like, ok I’m not investing any more time in this show lol. (Also I had to google Mon-El’s name just now bc i forgot which is a bad look BUT I WAS REALLY RIDE OR DIE FOR THEM FOR A WHILE lol). Also I loved Martian Manhunter in this show, he was my favorite character. But the CGI for him was awful, omg. He had practical makeup at first, they should have just stuck with that.

Speaking of Martian Manhunter, I also used to watch Young Justice and loved Miss Martian/Superboy. Am I basic??? lol oop. But I love basic love stories. Anyway, I thought they were super cute. In season 3 though they’re kind of on the rocks. I haven’t watched season 4. I also loved Artemis/Wally West, but of course that had to end tragically.

Also, let’s talk about Nightcrawler. Allow me to set the scene. Little Kat is 13 and just rediscovered the cartoon she saw a few times as a kid called X-Men: Evolution. And thus, a weird obsession with the German, blue demon boy began. I loved Kurt Wagner. In the cartoon he starts a relationship with Amanda Sefton and I thought they were a-dor-a-ble. She accepted him for who he was, and they had a really nice healthy relationship. A lot of ppl shipped him with Kitty too which i am honestly all for idec I JUST WANT THE BLUE BOI TO BE HAPPY.

Can we talk about A:TLA too??? Like, obviously Zutara, amiright? Power couple. Like, Kataang is.. fine, but its probably my least favorite part about the ending, haha. Also, consider: Tokka. Toph is bae and can get anyone she wants, and she clearly had kind of a crush on Sokka and I think they could have been awesome. It actually kills me that they never say who Lin and Suyin’s father is in LoK. I had a whole theory that it was that kid The Duke from Jet’s band based on like 2 scenes from the series. There’s a tumblr post I made about it somewhere in the ether lol.

I also just remembered Tahnorra (Tahno/Korra) from Legend of Korra. It’s hard for me to explain this one. It’s a weird combination of being hyperfixated on the first season of the show when it came out, and I think I stumbled upon some fic or something???? And I thought Tahno was hot or something??? And FUN FACT, he was voice by Rami Malek BEFORE HE WAS COOL. So like before Rami really got big I knew who he was. He also basically played the Avatar in Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 and I thought that connection was hilarious. It was kind of a problematic crack pairing but there was one author in particular whom i follow to this day hoping she’ll update her Tahnorra fics…. *sigh*

Okay one last ship…. I used to be ride or die for Outlaw Queen in Once Upon a Time (aka Regina/Robin Hood). Like, before TLC, I had a personal tumblr renaissance for that ship alone. My only existing published fanfic is for that ship. Taylor Swift’s 1989 came out that year and I related every dang song to that ship. I loved Regina so much and I just wanted her to be happy. That show is a dumpster fire, though, and spat all over my hopes and dreams. *sigh*

Also, lightning round for obscure pairings I ship and/or never talk about:

Frank Castle/Karen Page (The Punisher) ok this one isnt that obscure but I never talk about it… but the pining, oh god the pining

Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth (GoT) THEIR 5 SECONDS TOGETHER ARE THE ONLY WORTHY PART OF SEASON 8. everything after that never happened

I already listed Roy Mustang/Riza Hawkeye (FMAB) as a top pairing previously but I feel the need to mention it again bc it was for real my OG OTP… LIKE U WANNA TALK ABOUT PINING…. *sobs*

Percy/Annabeth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) This used to be my fave book series and i loved how their relationship developed over the course of the books

Neville Longbottom/Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter) ok can we TALK ABOUT THIS??? They were both badass misfits and they were perfect for each other. But noooo JKR has to announce they marry some nobodies…. this is the only change the last movie did right

Midna/Link (Zelda: Twilight Princess) I honestly have no explanation for this lol

Qui-gon Jinn and Shmi (Star Wars) CAN U IMAGINE if anakin had a proper father figure and didnt have to abandon his mother to slavery

Obi-wan/Satine…. (Star Wars: The clone Wars) we know whats up

OK, to answer some of your other questions: character I hate that others love. HMMMM…….

This one seems too easy/obvious but Professor Snape? Like obviously there’s already a ton of discourse surrounding this but he was gross, mistreated his students for years, committed atrocities, couldn’t get over his high school crush, and we’re supposed to believe he’s a hero in the end and HARRY WOULD NAME HIS SON AFTER HIM….. uh no. “Always” is gross.

I’ve literally been wracking my brain for days and I can’t think of any more characters for this. OK I did some googling and I remembered some LOL.

Ross from friends…. I literally can’t stand him. He’s so entitled and just the worst. He tries to act like he’s the nice, sensitive guy, but really he is so full of himself. Joey on the other hand is portrayed as a womanizer but is actually super sweet and I love him

Archie from Riverdale… I have only seen the first 1.5 seasons ish but he is the worst…. we’re supposed to believe he’s some easygoing musically gifted football player but instead he manages to pull off being bland as heck and actually kind of a terrible garbage person

Nick from chilling adventures of Sabrina. I hate characters that are like hitting on the main character even though she has a bf and are like dark and broody and sexy blah blah blah…. I liked Harvey way better. I never finished season 2 tho

Emma Swan from Once Upon a Time? Idk she was fine she just got old after a while

If you could rewrite a story or part of a book, what would it be and what would you do differently?

HM. First, Harry would name his son Remus Rebeus Potter LOL. Ok but real talk there was a headcanon floating around forever ago that Harry should have become a professor at Hogwarts instead of an auror and I am 100% on board

Ok, ok….. what abouuuttt…… OK, is star wars when Han and Leia get together. I like them as a couple, but the entire first half of the movie Han is being such an ass. And when they kiss the first time, he’s being SOOO creepy. It’s like so quintessentially 80s romance. and HERE’S THE THING. They actually filmed (or maybe just wrote?) a version of that scene that WASNT CREEPY. And i’m like WHY DIDNT YOU USE THAT?!? So I like to pretend that’s the version that actually happened.

This part is way harder than the shipping portion. If I think of anything else i’l dm you. I HOPE YOU ENJOY READING THIS NOVEL LENGTH POST OF ME RAMBLING ABOUT MY FIXATIONS OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS. If anyone actually read this far, you deserve a cup of hot chocolate and a blanket

#regolithheart #ask #answered

[audikatia]

3.05 The First Time

Rating: 5/5.

Best Song: One Hand, One Heart. I actually don’t think the song itself is the strongest, but I really, really, really love how it’s paired with the love scenes.

Memorable Quote: “You take my breath away. Not just now; tonight on that stage. I was so proud to be with you.” -Kurt

General Notes:

Just a heads up, there’s gonna be a lot of notes. Sorry not sorry.

Literally any time Kurt or Finn refer to each other as their brother gives me life.

Rachel’s actually being aware of Finn’s dreams that are not in some way directly related to hers? Wow.

So, I love that Kurt is the one who brings up sex with Blaine instead of the other way around. Blaine doesn’t mention what Artie said, doesn’t approach the subject, just lets Kurt take the reins on the whole topic. It feels much more organic than taking this next step in their relationship just because of the musical.

Darren Criss saying “masterbation” ruins me. So is his little hum when he kisses Kurt.

Why the fuck would Artie want to talk to his teachers about their sex lives? And why are they talking to him about it???

lol Grant Gustin is so fucking adorable and I cannot see him as a villain like at all. Also, can we please have a musical episode of The Flash? Or maybe there was one… I stopped watching like two seasons ago.

Blaine’s heart eyes at Kurt paired with Kurt’s brush on his hand. Ugh.

Omg, I love Artie’s suspenders! Little kings from playing cards. Cute.

Finn’s really like, “you’re just using me for my body?”

Oh, I forgot they actually bring back Mike’s storyline about his strained relationship with his father. I figured it was just a one-and-done plotline.

I remember being so happy for Beiste. She deserved better. Why can’t my favs just be happy?

Are there really enough gay people in Lima for there to be a thriving gay bar? This would have been more plausible if they had set in a few towns over or if it was more secretive or something. The gay storylines are like the only storylines they treat carefully so I’m just surprised by this.

Sebastian would never actually wear a fucking stripped polo to this gay bar. Seriously? He would not go for the middle school prep boy look. Is it possible for a character to already be OC in like his third fucking scene? But, his outfit is forgiven since he has the perfect bitch move of giving Kurt a Shirley Temple. Yes, this is the bitchiness I crave.

Does Kurt just never drink? Did April Rhodes really fuck him up that badly? Why am I advocating for a fictional underage character to drink?

Karofsky is thriving and I’m happy for him. But also, he deserves something more meaningful than a bunch of older men being into him because he’s a bear cub. You deserve to be cared for and treated right, Karofsky.

Blaine is a horny, happy, and sloppy drunk and I fucking love it.

Kurt is so fucking cute breaking up Sebastian and Blaine’s dance by always getting between them, and Blaine is fucking oblivious to everything except Kurt. I love it.

I just learned that we were robbed of a longer makeout scene in the back of Kurt’s car and I am livid

Do not walk home from a gay bar in a homophobic state while you’re underage and drunk. Blaine, honey. I’m concerned.

Blaine has a picture of Kurt on his dressing table and that’s so fucking cute. I wish we had gotten a close up of it like we did of Blaine’s picture in Kurt’s locker.

Oh, Artie’s concern over the show and then everyone giving him flowers is so fucking cute. Is Artie the most universally liked member of Glee Club? Well, him and Mike.

Santana and Puck playing against each other is fantastic and I love it.

I cannot even begin to state all the ways that it’s not okay for Mike’s dad to not come to the musical. Unforgivable. Mike, I’m your dad now. I’ll support your dreams of being a dancer.

Finn knocks it out of the fucking park with his explosion about how he thinks his life is over and how he isn’t good enough to succeed in life. I hate that he has self-doubts, but I love how he admits them and plays through them and how he opens up to his loved ones about them.

Ugh, Kurt and Blaine had an honest to god conversation apologizing for their behavior and how they love and support each other and how they want sex to be something special between them. And Rachel and Finn have an actual conversation about support and love and having sex for the right reasons. I know it’s a musical show, but I like it when the characters actually talk instead of sing for big moments. And I also like that even though they were similar conversations, the two conversations had different approaches as well as different tones and set ups that were unique to both couples. It could have been just basically the same conversation twice with names changed, but instead both couples got what they deserved.

I love everything about the last few moments of this episode. I love Kurt and Blaine’s little nose touch, I love the clasped hands, I love Kurt brushing his thumb over Blaine’s chest, I love Finn having flowers in his lap ready to give to Rachel at the end of the show, I love Kurt’s smile when Blaine is on stage, I love Blaine’s smile at Kurt when they’re in bed, I love Darren’s long eyelashes.

#Glee #audi rewatches Glee #Klaine

[klaineownsmysoul]

hello. i've just started glee (lol i know i'm super late) and i'm obsessed with klaine. could you explain why you don't like season 6 klaine? should i not watch it

First off - welcome to the Klaine fandom!  Its never too late to join. I’m pretty sure as long as this show is streaming somewhere, new people will be discovering it all the time.  I myself am notorious for wandering into a show after 3 or 4 seasons - Modern Family, Supernatural, 24 - are some prime examples of shows I was late to the party to and then lost my mind catching up on. Secondly - congratulations on having excellent taste! 😉  Klaine is really the only thing worth remembering Glee for.  

With regards to your question about season 6?  Well, I’m not sure where you are in terms of episodes and seasons and I don’t want to spoil anything for you if you don’t want to know, so consider the rest of this post as one giant spoiler. I would also never want to dissuade someone from watching, so please keep in mind this is just my opinion on things.  I watched through to the end as did all of my fellow Klainers here so its doable.  Its just not the easiest or prettiest thing.

**********Spoilers below************

I think for me, the word that comes to mind most and sums season 6 up best is waste.  They were utterly and completely wasted in those final 13 episodes. These were going to be the last eps we were going to get with them and my reaction week after week was “tick tock bitches, where’s my Klaine?”   Their storyline - if you can even call it that - went nowhere.  People’s opinions on season 6 varied - some liked it, some like me loathed almost every moment of it, some disliked it as it aired but have mellowed since - but I think one thing we could all pretty much agree on is that no one wanted to go back to Lima.  Doing that erased any forward momentum they gathered during the last half of season 5 episodes when they finally dumped all the dead weight holding this show back and concentrated solely on an NYC arc.   As off kilter as those eps felt Klaine-wise, at least they were interesting and a move in the right direction.  Watching Blaine waste away in Lima alone for all of season 4 and then ¾ of season 5 pissed me off to no end.  It shouldn’t have taken so long to get him and Kurt back in the same place and I’m not going to get off on a rant here about how they never should have been separated in the first place.  I could write a dissertation on how that one decision - de-aging Blaine and making him a junior - was the dumbest fucking thing this show ever did.  And considering the dumbass decisions this show made along the way, that is really saying something.  But I digress.  They ended season 5 in such a good place relationship wise that to decide to break them up again in the season premiere and then have their story grind to a halt for 7 episodes before they got married was a knife to my heart week after week.  Breaking them up in a cold cruel flashback was bad enough.  Having Blaine be so upset that he was kicked out of the school he worked so hard to get into, his so-called friends forgot all about his existence and he had nothing and no one to lean on so he had to move back home to Ohio was terrible.  But the worst of the worst - Blaine and DK.  That was an unforgivable sin as far as I’m concerned.  It goes against everything that makes Blaine Blaine and was nothing but a giant glowing middle finger from RIB to the Klaine fandom.  To bring back a character that was not missed, not even mentioned during season 4 and only once in season 5 and placing him in a romantic relationship with the soulmate of the boy he physically and emotionally abused for months on end was in the most appalling taste possible.  It was deliberately aimed at our fandom by RIB as the ultimate “fuck you.”  Nothing more because they are petty little assholes.  Every single time he was within 50 feet of Blaine or god forbid touched him, my soul died a little.  The Blaine I know and adore would never ever ever in a million years look at him and see anything but the guy who drove Kurt to Dalton because he feared for his life.  And Kurt?  He realized he fucked up, left NYC to come back to Lima for Blaine and then…nothing.  Nada.  Zip.  Zilch.  He spent more time as Rachel’s god damned cheerleader than he did trying to woo Blaine back, which would have been the only redeeming piece of them being apart.  Because it had to come from Kurt.  He was the one who ended things; Blaine never wanted to leave.  So the apology and reasons and the heartfelt declarations of love that we are accustomed to coming from Blaine had to come from Kurt to make this worthwhile.  But sadly, like every other aspect of season 6, they fumbled this too.  Badly.  They danced around each other awkwardly for 7 episodes and nothing was accomplished or moved forward.  I can’t get into an angry rant here about their wedding; I will be here all damn night. I have made my feelings crystal clear about that already during many a rage post, but let’s just say that ep may be the biggest disappointment I have ever experienced tv wise.  Nothing was theirs, nothing about the wedding had anything to do with them as a couple.  They were a throw in and then thrown aside just as quickly.  Their 30 second “reunion” if you can even call it that after 7 eps of pure hell was yet another slap in the face.  Blaine’s “there’s no one else” was everything that he needed to hear from Kurt and a small novel of explanation more.  But no.  We weren’t gifted with one of those trademark heart to hearts that we got during season 3; those convos that separated them from every other couple on this show and made me believe that even though they were so young, they really were meant to be.  And then once they were married, they disappeared.  Sure they were around physically, but that’s it.  Dalton burns down and Klaine is given fuck all to do story-wise.  A place that held so much importance for them as a couple was destroyed as a plot device and their reaction was limited to Blaine’s sad puppy eyes at the beginning of the ep.  We got one sentence from Kurt in some ep I can’t remember about Blaine getting into NYU for the next semester and that was the extent of their future plans.  They never had a conversation about moving back and what they would look like, what that would entail in terms of living arrangements and how they would do better as a couple now that they know what they have and how much they don’t want to lose each other again.  Nothing,  Season 6 should have built upon 5x20 and culminated in their wedding.  We should have gotten wedding planning and vows and honeymoon destination discussions and ring shopping and they should have had a wedding that reflected who they are as a couple.  It should not have been a means to end so Glee could show off their super awesome double gay wedding that managed to unite 2 fandoms that generally don’t get along in their utter dislike.  Congrats - RIB managed to craft an ep where 2 fan favorite couples got married that was panned by both fandoms.  That takes a special level of obliviousness.  

More newbies introduced in season 6 that no one needed and just took up valuable time that could have been put to Klaine or wrapping up the stories from the already bloated original cast.  I wasn’t going to invest myself in characters with an expiration date, so spending endless time on them was time I wasn’t going to get back.  Everyone and their mother propping Rachel up and telling her how great she is, how much of a star she is, and how nothing that’s happened to her could possibly be her fault because she is perfect was infuriating.  Pointless duets between her and Sam when we all knew their weird sudden relationship wasn’t going anywhere.  Having Mr. Schue and Coach Sue getting as many duets as Klaine did during season 6 is a sentence I should never type but I just did.  Neither Kurt nor Blaine getting a solo at all.  My god, how the fuck did that happen?   Why did that happen?  It was like they went out of their way to screw Kurt and Blaine as individual characters and and as a couple.  Having an entire episode centered on some bratty preteen who sang more than Klaine did.  Having 2 episodes without Kurt and Blaine at all and the only reason they threw Blaine into the 2009 flashback was because people flipped the fuck out at the idea of him not being in a 3rd episode out of 13.  

There’s a reason why during 3 @comewatchklaine rewatches, the only full ep from season 6 we watched was 6x13, the series finale.  Some kind soul pulled together the Klaine bits from eps 5 and on and all of that was only about 40 minutes long.  40 minutes.  40 minutes worth of Klaine in like 7 episodes and that doesn’t include the first 4 because those were a complete waste.  The locker scene and flash forward were the only bits that felt authentically Klaine to me.  That is what I choose to remember because the rest of it taints this show to me.   

So long story long, that is why I loathe and despise season 6 as a whole. I’m sorry I don’t have more positive things to say.  Please don’t take my words as a reason to skip the end - if you want to watch, go ahead.  I would never want to be why someone missed out on something they might enjoy.   Season 6 could have and should have been amazing; so amazing that saying goodbye to them would have been heartbreaking.  Instead, I was glad I got to see them get married and that they got the happy ending they deserved, but that was about it.  If that’s how little this show thought of them at that point, I was glad to see it end.  I will always be grateful that it gave me Klaine because I will love them always.  I will never forgive them, though, for the appalling way they were treated and its why I make a concerted effort to avoid anything RIB has a hand in now and in the future.

#klaine #still hate season 6 with a fiery passion #I guess not enough time has healed this wound #anonymous

[paramecie]

Okay I need to talk about dark phoenix under the cut because I have so many opinions. I’ll stay vague at first and then get into real spoilers at the end, with what I didn’t like and what I liked

IN GENERAL

- THE MUSIC WAS INCREDIBLE. Not surprising since it was composed by Hans Zimmer, but it truly gives an incredible mood to the movie.

- I feel like it’s one of the most feminist superhero movie I’ve ever seen? Not in everything, but the women were _central_ to the story and the men ... well. You could get rid of all the men in the story (except maybe for Charles) and you’d still get the same movie. A nice change, if you want my opinion.

- Jean Grey is one of my favourite character and I LOVE Sophie Turner; so this movie was completely my kink lol The entire cast is amazing, but she truly gave everything she’s got in this movie, and it shows. 

- there’s not a lot of cherik scenes, but the few we have are GOLD. 

- the fights were excellent! We get to see them all fight together, and it works so well.

- SPACE !! The scenes in space looked AMAZING.

.

TRUE SPOILERS !!!!!! 

 !!!!

!!!!!

What I didn’t like : 

- Charles looked like he didn’t care that much about Raven’s death. He didn’t even scream her name, or rush towards her, he just looked ... cold. I guess they wanted to focus on Hank’s grief first because they needed to explain why he would want to kill Jean, but it did strike me as weird and it made Charles look uncaring.

- The scene where Jean force Charles to walk up the stairs. It made me really uneasy. 

- @akasanata mentioned a good point : all three of the main women characters died (more or less) at the end, which is ... not good. At all. Chastain’s character had to die, I hardly see how they could have done it differently, but I have mixed feelings about Jean’s maybe-death and Raven. 

- Erik getting angry over Raven’s death felt a bit forced, as did Hank and Erik bonding over their love for Raven ... but ah I kinda accepted it now? The end of xma showed that Erik considered Charles and Raven as his last surviving family, and he said just before to Jean that he was tired of losing loved ones; even if Erik changed and calmed down, he’s still Erik at his core and he’s always reacted with anger after losing someone.

- More backstory about the aliens would have been nice, but tbh I only wanted to see all the mutants interacting with each others so I couldn’t care less about the villains lol. They could have just put an alien wearing a “I’m the bad guy” t-shirt and I would have been satisfied.

- They still can’t make people fly without it looking ridiculous eh. All the scenes where Raven, Erik, or Ororo were flying looked cheap.

- Quicksilver ???? I mean, I’m glad they focused on the women, but he’s Erik’s son and as far as we know Erik still doesn’t know? 

- Scott. Sorry mate, I just don’t like you, you have the charisma of an oyster.

What I liked : 

- Jean. The movie focused on Jean’s struggles, and did an amazing job at showing her internal conflicts. It’s her battle, she got rid of the threat on her own and didn’t need help, only reminders that people loved her.

- CHARLES AND JEAN’S RELATIONSHIP. It was the highlight of the movie, seriously, she’s his daughter, period. 10 years old Jean was adorable. When she says “I know. You did it out of love.” to Charles ??? YES. THAT SHIT RIGHT THERE.

- Refusing to tell a 10 years old girl that his father rejected her is completely understandable, Charles was right to keep it from her, she was a child. But from Jean’s point of view, she had to deal with the guilt of killing her two parents for years, only to discover that one of them is still alive? Yeah, I’d be pretty pissed if I were her. Charles also points out that the cosmic force in her makes Jean incredibly full of rage, she’s not exactly rational at this point. 

- When Jean asked Charles if he’s going to kill her and he replied with a broken voice “oh Jean, never. Never.” GOOD. EXCELLENT. 

- ERIK. My man. Listen, I hated Erik’s characterization in every movie except xmfc, and now I can said that I finally liked another one. Erik living in Genosha in this dusty shack? YES. Erik actually saving humans from Jean? YES. 

- ERIK ACTUALLY LISTENED TO CHARLES AND CHANGED HIS MIND. He listened to Charles for the first time, can I get an AMEN. 

- Erik’s fight in the train scene ??? HOLY SHIT. The casual way he uses his power, the ease, the way he moves, everything was excellent. It was actually ... incredibly hot lol. I feel like we’ve never been given a scene like this with Erik before? Anyway, I’ll take a 24hours loop of this moment, please.

- Erik protecting Charles and Jean by blocking the door with metal scraps! YES! That’s WHAT WE WANT!!

- Kurt’s fighting was also excellent. Truly shows his potential. 

- We get to see Charles using his powers to fight too !

- the kitchen scene between Hank and Charles was incredible, in my opinion. Hank feels guilty, he’s desperate and angry, so it does make sense for him to lash out at Charles - you’re not coherent when you’re in mourning, and Charles had been the last disagreement between Hank and Raven. Charles is right when he said that Hank’s not being fair- but Hank’s lost in his grief and can’t see past his guilt and anger. Charles has never been good with grief either, but he deals with it differently : he tries to ignore it, or to numb his feelings (often with alcohol). So we have these two people, mourning in completely different ways;  it’s not surprising that they got angry at each other.

- Erik’s little speech to Jean about how revenge never got him anything and just made him hurt those he cares about ? I never expected Erik to actually say it in canon.

- Speaking of Erik’s speech to Jean, the way Erik repeated “whose blood is this??” more and more urgently BROKE MY HEART. The panic in his eyes and voice ! You can see that he starts to worry about what Jean has done, that he’s suspecting that something went really wrong and he’s thinking of Charles, Raven, all the ones he cares about in the school.

- JEAN’S “I HAVE TO PROTECT MY FAMILY” killed me, IT KILLED ME GUYS

- THE FUCKING ENNNNNNNNNNNNNND !!!!! “Jean Grey school”?? YES. Hank as director ?? YES. Charles retiring in Paris? YES. ERIK FINDING HIM IN PARIS??? YES. BRINGING A CHESS BOARD WITH HIM? YEEEEES

AND THEN

Erik reminding Charles that Charles saved his life and gave him a home once, and Erik wants to do the same !!!!!!!!!!!! “You saved my life and offered me a home, i want to do the same for you” OH MY GOOOOD THEY’RE GOING TO LIVE TOGETHER I can’t BELIEVE And Charles is like, so ready to cry, he’s so touched by Erik’s words, and then their little banter ashfjgjglhkjf I DIED

- Also, there’s actually an easter egg in french? Like, the café they’re in is called the “café des vieux copains” aka “café of old friends” and they’re in the “rue de la paix” aka “Street of Peace”. Nice. 

Charles’ characterization (I feel like it deserves a category on its own because I don’t agree with most posts I’ve seen about it) : 

- I didn’t expect to like Charles’ character arc. I LOVE Charles and, if he’s not perfect, he’s always been driven by his love for others and mutants and that’s like, the core of his character. Hence why I’d never accept a world where he’s become vain and selfish ... and it just so happens that it’s fortunately not how I felt he was portrayed in the movie.  

He was pictured as stressed, nearly close to a burnout. I mean, can you picture the amount of pressure he’s under? For the first time in three decades, he managed to do what he dedicated his life for : to make a world where mutants and humans coexist, where mutants are accepted and loved ! It’s exhilarating, and yet terrifying. He knows better than anyone that one small mishap could tip the balance to their disadvantage and destroy everything he’s worked for, could endanger all mutants all over again. And because it’s Charles, he bears the burden of this terrifying possibility all by himself, because that’s how he always did it - protect the others, shoulder the weight of their burden alone. 

In the beginning of the movie, he’s happy, pleased that everything worked out, and yet you can see that he’s definitely not okay - he drinks a lot, has a temper, makes more and more rash decisions about his x-men. Raven calls him out on it, but he refuses to see the truth because then he would have to admit that he can’t actually control everything and keep the perfect world they created. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we don’t see him teaching anymore; he has to focus on their public image, on keeping their fragile balance with humankind, and this is slowly taking over what he loves : teaching. 

I see the Charles’ character arc in xmdp as Charles slowly realizing that he can’t protect everyone, that his desire to control everything didn’t keep Raven and Jean alive, and accepting that he has to delegate and trust others to do their best to keep mutants safe. Anyway, he NEEDS to rest, he needs to mourn, and I thought that his retirement was the best ending we could have for him ! 

#xmdp #xmen #xmdp spoilers

[365daysofmchart]

Reflecting on McHart: 3x08

The One Where Kurt Saves Diane, the title alone had me swooning about my favorite couple and my God, they did not disappoint! My reflection on McHart in 3x08 of The Good Fight can be found below the read more ‘cause my God, so long. Apologies for the delay!

1. “Sweetheart, have you seen my bag?” “Check the other closet.”

Sweetheart. Oh, my heart! And the other closet, implying that there is another closet, but also, after them showing us more of the layout of their home in this episode it actually makes less sense that they have a large walk-in closet in the vicinity of their bedroom. In fact, what we saw of the layout made no sense whatsoever! There’s a window in the foyer that indicates the end of the house on that side while their bedroom indicates the same on the other side, but then it’s just wall at the end of the hall and WHERE IS THE REST OF THEIR HOUSE??? Honestly though, they’ve got so much in that bedroom that I guess who needs a rest of the house? Also that’s just a generally odd location for a bedroom. Just saying.

...Look, I know I should be grateful that we’re getting Diane’s home/McHart home life at all, and I am. I promise, I am! ...But there’s so much thought that seems to go into the tiniest of details decor-wise, why can’t the same be done for something AS BASIC AS A LAYOUT AND A CLOSET FOR A WOMAN WHO HAS THE WARDROBE OF A QUEEN?!?! A CLOSET FOR A WOMAN/CHARACTER WHO IS KNOWN FOR HER FASHION?!?!!?!?! Sigh. Anyway. Yeah... I’m still not quite over the closet thing in case you haven’t noticed. But onto other things now...

2. “That reminds me, we’re invited to Mar a Lago for the weekend. ...That was a joke.” “Oh, God, you have to give me more of a signal when you’re joking or I’ll end up with a heart attack!”

Apparently Kurt still hasn’t learned that he can’t use the same expression for everything... and apparently Diane still believes that repeatedly swatting at him is effective punishment. Ah, so much has changed for the better since Landing, but I’m glad that this aspect of their relationship has not! Haha!

3. That whole goodbye! The kiss that lingers just a second longer than it has to, her sing-songed “I love you!” and his “Love you, too.” Oh, and... “All I know is they don’t deserve you.” Happy sigh.

4. Honestly just that whole. fucking. opening. scene. It was just SO DOMESTIC. The news, asking where something is, clothes slung on chairs, just that little bit of disarray of a typical morning and them weaving in and out of each other’s routines in the most natural way, them meeting and sharing a little moment before they part for the day with I love you’s. Oh, my McHart! And I know we’ve been blessed with that domesticity all season and I know I’ve mentioned it in every reflection I’ve done on them, but much like the closet situation, I’m STILL NOT OVER IT. I will NEVER be over domestic McHart!

5. Okay. Confession time. When I saw Christine wearing that cream/gold suit in interviews, there was a wee little part of me that felt hopeful that it could be a vow renewal outfit. (Not that I thought it was going to happen, but the image came and it was quite lovely and wouldn’t it have been nice???) It was not. But she looked beautiful just the same!

6. “Hello, handsome.”

FUCK. ME. UP. That is all.

7. “You told me I was bad at lying, and it’s true. But you’re bad at it too.”

Okay, but she’s not bad at lying. She’s actually really good at it. Like really good. ...She’s just bad at lying to him, and that’s actually like the sweetest thing??? ...Pretty sure Kurt is just bad at lying in general though, haha.

8. “We’re in this together now. So if you’re in danger, I need to know.”

That whole little speech of his... They truly are married, a family, one unit. One’s problems are the other’s. They are so fucking in this, and it’s taken so long but they’re here and so entirely committed and in love!

9. “Kurt, there are certain work things touching on politics that you can’t tell me, and there are certain things touching on politics that I can’t tell you. We have found a way to bifurcate our lives and make it work. So trust me when I say I can’t tell you.” I actually love that this was acknowledged--both by the writers for our benefit as well as by Diane in this conversation. Their contrasting politics have always been an aspect of their relationship but we’ve rarely seen the effect they’ve had on them (aside from the way they get them all hot and bothered) or how they manage them within their relationship. Politics are hard. Harder yet for two who are so passionate and even more so in this current political climate. And while they accept the other for who they are and their beliefs, they do know it’s a delicate dance and this is one of the ways that they work to care for their marriage. They protect themselves by keeping elements separate from their marriage, and yet... “I will overlook politics to help.”

...when it comes down to it, they are still on the same team and their partner’s needs and safety will always come first.

And that hug right there. ...It’s like a hug for my soul.

10. I just... I really don’t understand the purpose of these closets??? (Yes, I’m on about the damned closets again.) Diane has a small selection of clothes/shoes/bags in hers, Kurt has shoes, multiple umbrellas, a toolbox, and... a hamper maybe?, and who knows what else above, all rather random. Again, they must have a walk-in but these also don’t seem to be coat closets either, EVEN THOUGH they also don’t have a closet or any kind of hooks in the foyer (why???). IT JUST DOESN’T MAKE SENSE. AND MY FAVE CHARACTER (who is also the main character!) DESERVES A HOME SET THAT MAKES SENSE!!! ...Alright, I’m done for real now.

11. I feel like there are home cameras that already send you notifications when they sense movement, so I think all of that electric work and the lasers were a little extra (not to mention getting the stickiness of duct tape on the woodwork... Diane may not be pleased), but I like the spirit, Kurt! LOL!

12. Awww... Kurt’s lil office! But I spent so much time pausing and analyzing each and every photo in there... and they’re all just like military-related stock photos? LOL! ...And then there’s his mug that has a flag on it and text that suspiciously ends in “... AGAIN” Can Diane go and visit him soon please and “accidentally” knock it off his desk? It can be during an act of seduction!

13. They haaaaaad to bring in a perky young blond, didn’t they. Really? Reeeally??? Perhaps the point was to show us that he hardly paid any attention to her, that there was no flirtation whatsoever... or perhaps it was in fact to stir up the memories of his past indiscretion. Either way, definitely could’ve done without. Thanks though, TGF!

14. Wait, does Diane have two home phones (given the one he called was a line dedicated to her, given the recorded message), and her cell phone??? I mean they must have a joint home phone... unless they just kept their numbers and have two lines?

15. Not gonna lie, kinda mad that NSA guy 1) didn’t know who Kurt was like right away and 2) wasn’t fanboying over over him/them. I mean he’s in on her every call and text but out of the loop on Kurt and Diane? I. Think. Not. (Also NSA guys fanboyed over Alicia so I think a part of me is like SO WHERE’S THE INTEREST IN DIANE?!?! ...Also, also throwback to “I think Will and Diane get it on.”)

16. That look on his face when he finds out. And while I kept faith in him, that face was striking and certainly speaks volumes regarding what is to come.

17. And Kurt-Fucking-McVeigh saves the day. Saves Diane.

18. So it’s all over and done with, Diane is in the clear... and all she wants is to go home and find solace in the arms of the man she loves.

19.  The way she pulls his arm around her as she settles herself beside him, nuzzling in, the two snuggled up there on the sofa at the end of the day. It’s all positively adorable and this is everything I’ve wanted in McHart!

20. The thing about the hacking is that is wasn’t just a politics thing with Kurt, it was a morality thing, too. It was wrong and we know how high his ethical and moral standards stand. And yet, he fixed it, and it wasn’t for glory or points (as he doesn’t even tell her!) or anything but pure love. And honestly, I was afraid that, even though he did in fact quietly fix it, he might still harbor resentment toward her for being involved with such a thing. But with the way he accepted her into his arms then going beyond the bare minimum nothing-is-amiss response by pressing a kiss to her forehead and rubbing her arm, it’s clear that he’s accepted it, accepted her for who she is, flaws and all, and is moving forward. As she has before. Honestly, the love these two have for one other!

And just a few other things...

Kurt is so clever!

I feel like Diane must own about as many umbrellas as she does fabulous coats.

I will never tire of seeing Kurt all spiffed up for his new job! ...Of course I’ll also never tire of seeing him in plaid and jeans, either. (Why do I have a feeling that Diane had a field day getting him outfitted for the position? Haha!)

“I took care of it.” “I’m glad.”

*Cough* Closets *cough*

This episode was so entirely lovely and had my heart positively swelling! And maybe the’ve been so nice to us this season simply to throw us off of the scent for the finale... but no matter the reason, I’m grateful to have had all of these beautiful domestic and loving scenes! Here’s to many more!

-E

#McHart #Diane Lockhart #Kurt McVeigh #The Good Fight #Reflecting on McHart

[xavierfiles-blog]

When Will Marvel Stop Being Cowards And Let Nightcrawler Be Amazing?

In AGE OF X-MAN: THE AMAZING NIGHTCRAWLER #1 by, Seanan McGuire and Juan Frigeri everyone’s favorite blue and fuzzy mutant is the most popular and famous figure in the world. This is the best indication we have that this alternate reality is actually the utopia it is claimed to be. Over forty years past his introduction and it still shocks me the Kurt Wagner isn’t the biggest name, not just in comics, but in media as a whole. Nightcrawler possesses the winning combination of an incredible and visually exciting design alongside a charming and likable personality. He has been beloved by X-Men fans for generations but has not been able to teleport himself out of that bubble and into solo success.

It isn’t that Kurt has been ignored, writers pretty much immediately got the appeal. Nightcrawler was a pet character for his creator, Dave Cockrum. While Dave was drawing UNCANNY X-MEN and Chris Claremont was writing, Nightcrawler seemed to be the break-out character, pulling a lot of focus. This lessened after John Byrne began drawing the title and wanted to focus on the Canadian Wolverine. Still, Nightcrawler remained a popular mutant. He was the second X-Man to get a solo mini-series and briefly led the X-Men in the mid-80s. During the mutant madness of the early 90s, Nightcrawler was positioned as the lead character in Excalibur. But as time went on it became clear that no one was able to figure out what to do with the character.

Credit to Marvel, it hasn’t been for lack of trying. Nightcrawler just started his 5th solo series, but none of them have lasted past issue #12. While the jury is still out on THE AMAZING NIGHTCRAWLER (it had an enjoyable but imperfect first issue), only one of his solo series actually got to the core of what works about the character. Dave Cockrum’s 1985 NIGHTCRAWLER limited series sees Kurt on a swashbuckling adventure where he gets to become a pirate, save a princess, and live out his Errol Flynn fantasies. It isn’t a self-serious character piece or an examination on the human condition, it is just a beautiful drawn romp by way of Edgar Rice Burroughs. This is the sweet spot for Nightcrawler.

Other attempts to kick off a story about the character fell on their face by looking at the wrong aspects of Nightcrawler. Chris Kipiniak and Matthew Dow Smith’s 2002 NIGHTCRAWLER for the Marvel Icons line examined a relatively recent (at the time) development for the character, his ordination into the Catholic priesthood. Ignoring the fact that no one involved in this story knew how priest work, it is an interesting angle, but one that fundamentally changes the character and his appeal. Up until around 2000, Nightcrawler’s faith was an aspect of the character, but not the defining one. He was religious in the way most religious people are. It was part of his life sure, but it didn’t define every action he made. Kurt wasn’t one to go on moody diatribes about the existential nature of faith. This series focused on that at the expense of the joy and energy that normally comes when Nightcrawler is on the page.

I’m curious why external media choses to play up this aspect of the character. In both his appearance on X-MEN: THE ANIMATED SERIES and X2: X-MEN UNITED, Kurt’s defining characteristic is his piousness. Perhaps the creators see the appeal of exploring the duality of a demon on the side of angels, but in execution it never goes deeper than that. I wouldn’t advocate for eliminating his faith, it is an interesting dimension to the character, only to balance it with other aspects of his personality.

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Darick Robertson tried again in 2004 with a book that leaned really hard into the supernatural. This is post-Draco, a horrible story when Kurt was revealed to be the son of a satan. It mixed those ideas with the well-established concept that his adopted mother, Margali Szardos, and his sister/lover were both powerful sorceresses. Again, this could be a fun concept if it was just Nightcrawler plus magic. Instead it became an overly dark and serious story about exorcism, abuse, and the destruction of relationships.

The crux of this twelve issue series deals with Nightcrawler’s brother Stefan Szardos. Kurt was forced to kill a demon possessed Stefan to prevent his brother from murdering children. This led to the formation of the mob the chased Kurt in GIANT SIZE X-MEN #1. It’s a dark origin for the character, and one most writers tend to leave in the past. It doesn’t play to any of the swashbuckling strengths that Nightcrawler has and doubles down on some of the worst tendencies of mid-00s comics. The last issue is Nightcrawler having an existential crisis while talking to Mephisto. It isn’t what anyone wanted from the character and that tone is a big reason why it didn’t resonate with readers.

The closest we have gotten to a Nightcrawler ongoing that actually worked was Chris Claremont and Todd Nauck’s 2014 series. It came in the aftermath of Nightcrawler fighting his way out of heaven and hell to come back to life in Jason Aaron’s AMAZING X-MEN. Tonally, the book hit a sweet spot, while probably leaning into the X-Men elements of the character too much to make it stand out. The first arc dealt with magic thanks to the return of Margali Szardos, but it was done in a whimsical, Excaliburesque way. Claremont smartly built up a unique supporting cast around Kurt, including the students Ziggy and Scorpion Boy, and an antagonistic love interest in the form of The Crimson Pirates’ Bloody Bess. Nauck’s artwork elevated the series by providing a joy that is essential to the character.

Unfortunately, the series had several roadblocks to success. Claremont’s tone and character voices were as good as his plots were bad. It was a mishmash of canon that was better left forgotten with a writing style that never evolved out of the 80s. The market dynamics at the time did little to help the book last. AMAZING X-MEN had just recently begun, and it was already marketed as the “Nightcrawler book”. Many customers weren’t going to double dip on the character. At the same time, Marvel was starting solo series for MAGNETO, CYCLOPS, STORM, and DOOP. Those existed in tandem with five other X-Men team books, two Wolverine books, and two books featuring secondary X-Teams. The market was flooded with X-Men and Nightcrawler didn’t stand a chance.

Even with these failures, Kurt Wagner remains beloved and his current mini speaks to that. In the Age of X-Man, the only intelligent thing Nate Grey did was make Nightcrawler the biggest star in the world. He is a celebrity in every sense of the word. He is beloved and iconic as a movie star and the premier superhero. It is no coincidence that the book is titled THE AMAZING NIGHTCRAWLER, or that the logo is a riff on Spider-Man’s. In the Age of X-Man, Kurt is as loved and well known as Spider-Man is our world. The trick is replicating that adoration.

Nightcrawler should be a slam dunk as a solo hero outside of the X-Men. If writers can lean into the swashbuckling adventure and away from existential questions of religion, they have a shot at making Nightcrawler a world-wide phenomenon. Let Kurt fight The Spot or Kraven The Hunter to get him out of the bubble of the X-Men. Let him join the Avengers and prove his mettle against the biggest threats. Let my dude be what Spider-Man is, the iconic character of the Marvel Universe. He deserves it.

PS: Give him his damn beard back!

[petersthree]

how about two top fives? top five characters you werent supposed to like but you did and top five characters you were supposed to like but didnt

Ooh nice I really have to think about this! And I hope this is what you meant but I took this to be what the narrative wanted you to like and/or who fandom likes a lot 

Characters I Wasn’t Supposed to Like But Did: 

I remember when I started Buffy, I saw that fandom had hated Dawn and I was going in prepared to be like, oh man, I’m probably gonna hate her too I wonder why she’s so annoying what does she do? And then I watched and I just…didn’t get it? I understood why she wouldn’t be anyone’s top 5 but I absolutely adored her and she was tied for #1 favorite character for me 

Probably Cersei Lannister lmao. She was a massive bitch and I was rooting for her death the whole time, but god she was one of the most fun characters to watch and I loved to hate her so much that she’d go on screen and I’d be like “YESSSSS” 

People really hated Carl from TWD and I think that’s lessened a lot nowadays but man I always adored that kid. I know he had his annoying moments but I absolutely adored him and he’s the only reason I ever continued on with the show after Glenn died. 

I’m going to be honest. I really don’t hate Ross from Friends. Yeah he’s pretty shitty and his views are outdated af (maybe even for the 90s?) but I thought he was a funny character and honestly, I thought that with the exception of Phoebe they were all kind of shitty characters (Chandler made fun of Monica’s weight multiple times from a friend to being her husband and was with Cathy while she was with Joey, Monica assumed a maid was stealing from her, etc.). Also side note, Ted from HIMYM annoys me a lot but honestly I didn’t go through the show hating him. I went through the show with him as my least favorite each season and being far more invested in Swarkles and their story, but I ultimately did stick through the show to hear his story, and to see how he may have grown in order to find and be with Tracy - and when he met her I was happy not only because we finally saw how he met the Mother, but because he was finally with his soulmate (until the show fucked it up, of course). But anyway, idk, as much as I love Swarkles and the other characters, I don’t think I would have been able to follow the show if I hated the main character and wasn’t invested in him finding happiness

Kali from Stranger Things. Her story was underdeveloped, sure, but I’m hoping to see more of her in the coming seasons and I’m going to be real, I feel like if she was played by someone like Dacre Montgomery fans would have been raaaaving about how amazing Kali was and how they were excited to see more of Kali in the future. 

Characters I Was Supposed to Like But Didn’t: 

Michael Cordero from JTV. I actually started out liking him, just not wanting him and Jane together, because - and don’t get me wrong before I say anything; Rafael has messed up too, but the extent Michael did things was on a far greater scale to ruin a relationship forever IMO. He made a plan with Petra for her to get Jane’s baby, even when Jane wasn’t sure, he was directly responsible for Mateo getting kidnapped - which wasn’t his intention, but later when Rafael reported him, Michael knew this, went undercover, and still initiated a fight with Rafael saying that he got him fired, and did this while Rafael was right next to his infant son, who ended up getting hurt. Then he continued to just stalk Jane afterwards, and I just couldn’t understand how a character like Jane, who despite being so full of love and forgiveness still loves her son above all else, was with and married a man who tried to get him out of her life and directly hurt him. The more I watched the more I disliked him, and I hated the bad implication of fans ramping up Rafael to be evil while Michael was the “good guy” who “deserved” Jane (and there’s a bad implication there that even though both characters are white, most of fandom didn’t realize Rafael wasn’t a man of color until recently, and that Michael was literally portrayed and shown as Jane’s “white knight” in the narrative). 

Maggie from Supergirl. I tried really hard but I just couldn’t, and I’m going to be honest I think it’s most likely just because I was both really starting to dislike Supergirl and also because I was majorly annoyed at the whole Fl*riana Lima situation, and while I tried not to let it affect how I saw the character, I usually couldn’t look at Maggie after a while without feeling vaguely annoyed - so that’s honestly much less about the writing and me not being able to separate character from actor in that case to be completely completely honest

Trish from JJ. IDK if the show cares if we like her but the fandom adores her and I’m just….eh. I didn’t care about her in the first season (I disliked that she tried going with Jessica even though it was something that made Jessica vulnerable, and that fandom consistently pushed Trish up and would bash Luke) and in the second season she just got much worse to me. I’m not watching s3 unless JJ comes back on Disney plus but from what I’ve heard, I’m not going to like her there either. And I don’t think any of it is OOC from the Trish we’ve seen in the show tbh. I hated her more with each episode, but each progression seemed natural (for the show they’ve written, not what the comic counterpart is because I can’t speak to that at all) 

Dany from GOT. Unlike with Trish, even though I started hating Dany from like….season 5 onwards (although by s4 I was starting to get kind of annoyed) I am still on the crowd that she (like most characters) was written massively poorly in season 8. I think it could have been a natural progression for her to have been a mad queen, but the show rushed it and made a huge jump that her character shouldn’t have made with the story that they wrote. That being said, her being a mad queen didn’t surprise me and while I still love book Dany, show Dany was a huge white savior and watching almost every POC die for her story while she was touted as a feminist icon was………………………eh 

Kurt from Glee ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh my god I hated him. He was a massive hypocrite most of the time (I mean everyone was but he really grinded my gears) and after like 2 seasons he always seemed to act like he was better than everyone. Honestly insert him, Rachel (half the time), and Will in here and I like…did not like them 

put “top 5” anything in my ask and i will answer

#janie gets asks #Anon #this took me like 30 minutes to write lmaooo

[miasswier]

miasswier’s ultimate glee ranking: 44

44: Special Education

Written by: Brad Falchuk Directed by: Paris Barclay

Overall Thoughts: I actually really enjoy this episode! It doesn’t quite measure up to Furt, but as far as competition episodes go I think it’s pretty strong. Will is actually a decent teacher for once (even though Emma has to push him to be so), and basically everybody gets their moment in the limelight, even if it’s for just a brief period of time. I love episodes like this that really remind you that Glee is an ensemble show.

What I Like:

Everybody has a little role to play in this episode, and the ones who don’t really get storylines (Quinn, Sam, Mercedes) still get to sing and be the center of attention for a little bit. Give me all that ensemble shit.

Kurt looks so goddamn cute in his Warbler outfit.

They actually manage to balance McKinley and Dalton fairly well. It doesn’t feel like McKinley is being left in the dust, but neither does it feel like Kurt is completely forgotten. Plus, it’s kind of nice to see Kurt in a scenario where the only person he’s being overshadowed by is his best friend, whom he interacts with regularly. I know some people were frustrated that they sent him to Dalton, but I really loved it. It really gave him the opportunity to shine.

Blaine laughing to himself when Kurt’s joke about working at a cat rescue at the bottom of a coal mine totally flops.

Will calling Rachel out for her bad attitude and bad sportsmanship. It’s funny how she was so intent on getting Sam to stay in ND because “we need him if we want to win Nationals!” but as soon as he compromises her star power he’s on her shit list. Oh, Rachel.

Although I wish this hadn’t happened in front of the whole goddamn choir room, and I wish the context had been different, I do still think Santana was in the right by telling Rachel about her and Finn. Finn shouldn’t have lied about that (telling someone you’re a virgin when you’re not is shitty as fuck), and honestly, if Santana hadn’t spilled the beans I feel like Finn never would have.

Carl and Emma getting married. Even if it only last six episodes, I still think they were cute and good together.

“Wait, you didn’t know about that?” OH KURT

That whole scene in the green room is just absolutely amazing. I agree with Lauren – best greenroom ever.

“And you let me comb my hair with it?”

“I’m not nervous. And you know why? Because show choir is stupid.”

BASICALLY EVERYTHING ABOUT LAUREN ZIZES I LITERALLY ADORE HER.

Puck crying during the hipster’s performance.

Puck standing up for Kurt to Karofsky.

“Where’s Puck? I haven’t seen him since yesterday and I need him to get me a churro.”

What I Don’t Like:

I wish Rachel had broken up with Finn for lying to her about Santana. I don’t like that they took the “I’m not mad you had sex, I’m mad you had sex with her” approach, because it makes it look like Santana is this demon sex lady who spoiled Finn for Rachel with her magical vagina which is all kinds of racist. I’m sorry, but if my SO told me they were a virgin and then it turned out they’d lied, I would be super pissed, and honestly wouldn’t even care about who they had sex with. I just don’t like how this whole thing played out.

Rachel cheating on Finn with Puck. It was vindictive and awful, but also it just goes to show yet again that Glee doesn’t fucking know how to break their couples up without having somebody cheat. Also, it felt like a really cheap way of making Finn the victim so that the rest of the season could focus on Rachel pining after him and trying to get with him yet again, and so that he wouldn’t look like as much of a douche when he got back with Quinn. Also, it was SUPER out of character.

The whole magic comb storyline. One of my issues with the way that Brittany is portrayed by fandom (and why I have such a hard time reading fics where she’s involved as a major character) is how she’s always infantilized because, for a lot of the show, she wasn’t. But here, she is. Actually, for most of her relationship with Artie she is. I don’t know if it was some kind of way to flip the power dynamic (Brittany is popular and a cheerleader, but she’s the one who needs Artie because she’s like a five-year-old) or what, but I really don’t like it. She’s not very smart, but she isn’t a child, and I hate when they portray her like she is (especially since she’s meant to be such a sexually empowered character).

As I mentioned before, I don’t like the context of Santana telling Rachel about her and Finn. I do think she was in the right, but I really wish it had been in the context of “yo, your boyfriend is lying to you, you deserve better” and not “I’m a bitch and hate you for no reason and want to cause drama”. Hashtag Glee Hates Girls.

Blaine is a real dink to Kurt after he auditions for his solo. Go away Blaine, those are not encouraging words.

Kurt going to Rachel instead of Mercedes for song advice. It felt so contrived, and honestly, I wish that their friendship had continued from Duets and not from this, because in Duets it felt natural, but here it’s just like “oh, this is just an excuse for Rachel to sing a song.”

Rachel telling Kurt “this has to be personal, this is about you” and then instantly making it all about her. Shut the fuck up, Rachel, go throw your pity party somewhere else.

Songs:

Don’t Cry for Me Argentina: I like this song, but as I literally just said, I don’t like that Rachel was like “this is about you” and then made it all about herself and the pain she was feeling. That being said, the moment when Kurt raises his hands and Blaine gestures that he shouldn’t is one of my favourite Klaine moments of all time.

The Living Years: I think this performance is kinda funny, and Puck crying is hilarious.

Hey, Soul Sister: Blaine may be a dink in this episode, but boy can sing. This is one of my fave Blaine solos, actually. I love this song as is, and he sounds amazing on it. I’m literally weak for Darren Criss’s voice.

(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life: A really fun, energetic number. Quinn and Sam sound better on this one than they do on “Lucky”. Plus, it’s nice seeing someone other than Finn and Rachel leading the charge.

Valerie: This song is GAY. Mainly because it makes me feel gay things. The dance is awesome, too. I have no idea how Brittany managed some of those flips in heels. Amazing.

Dog Days Are Over: I love this song, and I’m so happy they gave it to Mercedes and Tina instead of Rachel because Rachel would not have sounded good here, and Mercedes and Tina kill it. I love this performance. The end, when they’re all hugging, brings tears to my eyes. Ah, the nostalgia. Good ol’ Glee.

Final Thoughts: While there are definitely things that frustrate me about this episode, I still think it’s really strong. The music is good, the plots flow, and everyone gets a chance to shine. To top it all off, it has some pretty funny moments. Considering how weak the rest of season two has been thus far, I think it definitely stands out. There’s also a nostalgia element for me. I still remember watching this for the first time and geeking the fuck out at Blaine patting Kurt on the knee. Ah, young love.

#ultimate glee ranking

[queerbrownfox]

Another Queer Bites the Dust at This Year’s Golden Globes

Awards Season!

If you’re like me, you’re probably suffering right now with an existential quandary, somehow caught in the space between knowing that award shows do not matter in the scope of things and only represent the Hollywood establishment which is only a tiny portion of the arts and being glued to your TV set to see who wins best picture this year.

And if you’re also like me, by which I mean queer (or care about queer stuff), you were probably pretty psyched for this awards season. The Favourite, The Green Book (not to be confused with The Green Mile), Bohemian Rhapsody, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Boy Erased, Rafiki, Colette, Lady Gaga’s existence, and more . . . there have been so many queer films to come out (heh) in 20gayteen. 

At the Golden Globes this past weekend we saw an array of queer films nominated, and, I’ll be honest, I was pumped. It looked like it would be a great year for representation.

But then.

So without further ado, here’s the piping hot dish of queer erasure casserole that was the 2019 Golden Globes, folks.

Thought this year was a success for queers everywhere after the Golden Globes? Well, in point of fact . . . nope. Despite wins by The Green Book, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Favourite, and The Assassination of Gianni Versace, which all told queer stories, this year’s Golden Globes failed queer audiences massively.  Let’s break it down.

1. The Green Book? More like The Story Book.

The Green Book is a film that tells the story of Dr. Don Shirley, an insanely talented black pianist, and his white driver, Tony Vallelonga as they travel through the deep South on tour. Shirley, who happens to be a queer black man, and Vallelonga, despite their early differences (like Vallelonga’s being super racist), navigate issues of race and class throughout their journey and eventually end up as friends and comrades.

Sounds great. Except. 

First off, the movie was adapted and directed by Nick Vallelonga, the son of Shirley’s driver, who wrote the book that The Green Book was adapted from. In other words, it was the white man’s version. The film has come under constant fire since its public debut from none other than Shirley’s family, particularly his brother. Mhmm. Bad news.

Next, the trailers released for the film and other promotional materials don’t even nod to the scenes in the film in which it is revealed that Shirley’s oppression is criss-crossed with his identity as a queer black man. True, the preview shown during the Golden Globes ceremony did include a clip that revealed the pianist’s identity, sandwiched between shots of Vallelonga beating up people who were attempting to assault him. 

All in all, the movie smacks not only of queer erasure, but an elixir for white guilt. We as white people love to eat up feel good stories about white people who reach across culture and race boundaries to form “color-blind” relationships built on true empathy and compassion (see The Help, Shawshank Redemption, Hidden Figures). Stories that often take place, (coincidentally?) in the 1960s at the height of segregation. Which is funny, because it perpetuates the idea that race issues are all resolved now, as a result of the compassion shown by white people to black folks Way Back When. As anybody who’s got a sense of what’s going on in the world—or their own backyards—that’s far from the case.

Just sayin’.

2. The Assassination of Gianni Versace: Or, Another Straight Gets a Golden Globe for Playing a Gay and Everyone Eats it Up.

Ah, Darren Criss. This isn’t the first time we’ve been down this road. Have we. 

It started with Glee. Criss played Blaine, opposite Chris Colfer’s Kurt Hummel, an adorable baby gay with an impossibly effeminate singing voice that was ear candy if I’ve ever heard it. Criss, of course, very talented too. I lived for their relationship as boyfriends on the show, and tried to suck it up and pretend not to be disappointed when I found out that Criss (somehow???) was not queer in real life.

Then there was Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and now, Gianni, in which he plays the famed designer’s killer, Andrew Cunanan. All gays. All roles he was praised the hell out of for performing. He even won a GG for best actor in a limited series last Sunday.

And sure, Criss recently stated in a Bustle interview that he will no longer play gay characters so as not to be “another straight boy taking a gay man’s role” as the actor said.

That’s all fine and good, but that article was published in December. And at the GG’s this year? No mention of it in his acceptance speech. At all. If it weren’t already too little, too late for the guy, that last snub certainly makes it so.

I mean, I sort of forgive him for Glee though.

And finally. The worst offender of them all. 

3. Bohemian Rhapsody, But, Like, Without the Part Where Freddie Mercury Dies from AIDS.

This one pains me. I don’t want to admit it happened. But it did. And it was REAL bad.

Rami Malek. Even as a lesbian, I love him. Okay, I said it. He’s a cutie, and he’s extremely talented (See Mr. Robot), and his voice sounds like how coffee would taste (I imagine) if I liked coffee. And when I saw the first trailers for Bohemian Rhapsody, I was PUMPED. Thank God they got an actual person of color to play Freddie Mercury who, most people don’t even know, was also a person of color (yeah, his name was Farrokh Bulsara). The likeness, too, was pretty impeccable.

Freddie Mercury was one of the most famous bisexuals of his time, rivaled only by David Bowie, perhaps, who together produced perhaps the greatest and gayest moment that rock music ever saw when they collaborated on “Under Pressure.” Malek, always an enigma, I’m not going to jump to conclusions about his sexuality since he’s never stated it publicly, but, let’s just say he’s only ever dated women. 

Which is all fine and good on its own.

But Bohemian Rhapsody had already come under scrutiny for “straight-washing” after the release of its first trailer, which completely masked Mercury’s queerness, quickly followed up by another trailer that gave audiences a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it dose. As an article featured on Into stated regarding that sprinkle of queerness, “It’s the kind of passable moment that straight audiences wouldn’t take offense at and gay viewers could feel like they had some semblance of representation.”

Needless to say, we were off to a rough start.

So while I was watching the Golden Globes, watching Rami Malek walk on stage and accept his Best Actor award, of course I was nearly praying in my head that Malek would mention Mercury’s queerness. That would have made things better for disappointed queers. And honestly, Mercury’s memory deserved it, along with all the others who had their lives cut short during the AIDS epidemic.

So what brilliant lines had he to say about that? Nothing. Not a mention of AIDS or Mercury’s queerness was uttered by Malek or the production team who accepted the GG for best Drama.

Frankly, I wish I could say I was surprised. Or enraged. Or something. But as the 2019 Golden Globes ceremony came to a close half an hour late, I just had a kind of half grimace on my face.

As my mom would say about every fashion choice I made in high school: Disappointed, but not surprised. 

It was looking like it was going to be a good year for queers during award season, but we’re really not starting off on a great foot. Yet, I should add, we queers and allies should take courage, and tell ourselves that it’s not over until the last white guy receives an Oscar. Our fates are not yet writ. With a little over six weeks left, we have two options.

First, for those of you who are staying tuned in, have hope. There are a lot of queer films, TV shows, and artists in the running at this year’s award shows. The Golden’s are pretty indicative of how the Oscars turn out, but they’re not a direct reflection. And there’s still time for people, (Ahem, Rami Malek and Darren Criss) to do justice to the queer community as potential allies.

Second, for those of you who don’t care about awards shows, take pride in knowing that you’re probably right. It probably doesn’t matter. Nothing really matters, after all . . . ♫

#lgbtq community #lgbt writers #awards season #golden globes #bohemian rhapsody #film #queer films #queer culture #the green book #american crime story