aceofnace

[aceofnace]

you ever just remember that final season of Nancy Drew and get mad? I sure do 🙃

Haha, I do! I've calmed down about it a lot lately because I've started watching other shows with amazing ships to take my mind off it all, but I do still get incredibly salty when I remember all the little things like: Ace being excluded from every important Drew Crew moment of the season (and literally ALL the group hugs), Bess being ooc and the worst platanchor ever, Nace being apart for most of the season, no love scene, only one post-4x03 kiss scene and it was IN TOTAL DARKNESS, no "I love you" scene (the writers have no reasonable excuse for excluding that) unnecessary love interests, giving Nace better moments with those love interests than with each other, ending the series with Nace about to embark on their own journeys that would keep them apart for years...I could keep going. I have a long list of complaints about season 4, and I will probably never get over it. I know it could've been way worse, they could've found out about the cancellation AFTER they finished the finale, which would've left us with a Nanstan endgame (I would've never recovered), but that doesn't mean I have to be happy and satisfied with the ending we did get.

While watching 4x03, I was about to declare Nace my number one ship of all time (or at least top 3), but the rest of the season ruined them for me. I mean, I still love them. They're still on my list of favorites. But season 4 did nothing to establish them as a couple (because they didn't become one until the last 30 seconds) and it did nothing to progress them as a ship. Nancy spent more quality time with Tristan this season than she did with Ace. And not only was their kiss better lit than Nace's last kiss, but it had more feeling to it, too. Nace's last kiss was such a HUGE letdown for me. The breaking of the curse was so anti-climactic, and the lack of "I love you" before or after the kiss (and with no love scene following it) just made their kiss so meh and nothing special to me (it felt like it was only added because the writers knew we would riot if it wasn't), which was not what I wanted or what I was expecting from their last kiss ever. They truly dropped the ball on that.

Hmm...you know, maybe I haven't calmed down about it as much as I thought I had. Whoops.

#thanks for the reminder anon #nace #nancy x ace #ace x nancy #nancy drew #asks

[aceofnace]

no nace sex scene really makes me upset

SAME. I wanted one more than anything. And I know we didn't get one because there wasn't enough time for one. Had they been officially and properly notified of the cancellation sooner, I'm sure they would've found time to squeeze one in. Am I a bit angry that canonically we've only ever seen REAL love scenes between Nancy/Nick, Nancy/Owen, Nancy/Park and Ace/Amanda? HELL YES. But to be honest, I'm not sure how they would've topped Nace's scene in 3x13 anyway. Not just the sexy bits, but the morning after scene. How could they have recreated it and made it better without just copying it? So, to me, that love scene is real. It was real enough to make Nancy so desperate to be with Ace all season long. And while we didn't get to see it, all we got was a too-dark, long-awaited kiss, we KNOW that two seconds after that scene in 4x13 ended, they were ripping each other's clothes off and probably not even making it all the way to Nancy's bedroom before consummating their new relationship. Sadly, though, our imaginations are just gonna have to be enough with this one.

#but hey I'm sure there will be plenty of awesome M and E rated fan fics to get us through these dark times #and in a way they'll be better than what we would've gotten on the show #because they'll be uncensored without important bits having to be cut out for time #nace #nancy x ace #ace x nancy #asks

[aceofnace]

I am so mad at their ending

open-ended and up to interpretation?! seriously? ughhhh

this season was a mess until the end

See, I didn't take their ending to be open-ended and up to interpretation at all. They ended the show together and in love. Sure, they may go their separate ways for a while—Nancy on her soul eater elimination mission and Ace in his pursuit of higher education—but that's not going to change the fact that they are each other's person, the love of each other's lives.

As much as I think most of us would've loved to see a flash-forward of some sort showing us Nace married with kids living a happy life as adults, there simply wasn't time for that. So instead, we end the show with Nancy still 19 and Ace still 21, two very young people trying to find their place in the world. They're too young and have been through too much in too short of time to really give them the sweepingly romantic ending of, say, a marriage proposal, but it is confirmed by the director herself that Ace's "will you solve this part of the mystery with me" was the equivalent of a proposal. And Nancy's overjoyed response of "Yes. Always. Forever" tells us everything we need to know: not only are these two endgame, but they are in it for the long haul. Their ending to me does not feel open-ended. I feel that they made it very clear that no matter where their lives take them on different paths right now, they will find their way back to each other once they've accomplished their goals, and they will be together, forever. Not only for their last lifetime on this side, but for eternity on the other.

And I think that's pretty neat.

#of course that's just my interpretation #i can understand the frustration that we didn't get more #but they ended the series holding hands and hugging and smiling #and so very in love with each other #and they also left it in a way that if there's ever a reboot or revival or a movie #there'd still be more of their love story to tell #nace #nancy x ace #ace x nancy

[aceofnace]

Manifesting our Nace endgame because if this show takes away one more thing from me I don't know how I'll cope! thanks for being an ear for this tough season!

Here's to endgame and ignoring everything awful that came before! (if we don't get our endgame I will pretend this entire show didn't happen!)

Manifesting with you! If the series does not end tonight with Nace together and happy, you will probably be seeing me on the news. There's no way they would set them up for the last three years and give them this star-crossed lovers storyline if they weren't making them endgame, right? RIGHT?!

I'm hopeful, but I've also reserved some space for doubt because you just never know who you can trust when it comes to TV these days. Either way, whether they end the series together tonight or not, they will always be endgame to me, and if I have to turn to fan fiction to get the happy ending I so desperately want for them, then that's exactly what I'm going to do.

#good luck to all of us tonight #manifest a happy ending #check back in after the finale so we can either cry happy tears or scream bloody murder together #nace #nancy x ace #ace x nany #asks

[aceofnace]

Bestie catch up on Nancy Drew so we can scream (in a bad way)

Well, Anonymous, I should've replied to this the night you sent it to me so we could've screamed together in the worst way. But I made the mistake of being lazy and not getting around to answering anything in my inbox right away (shoutout to the rest of you who sent me something, I will get to you too, I promise!), and now I've moved past wanting to scream and rip my hair out. Does that mean I'm happy now? Of course not. It just means I'm moving through the stages of grief at an impressive pace (yay me!).

So, initially, 4x12 did make me want to scream. And rip my hair out. Oh, and vomit. I allowed myself to get spoiled on twitter beforehand, and what I learned about the end of the episode delayed my viewing because I mentally could not bring myself to watch it. Earlier in the day, I was joking about a potential Nanstan kiss, but I didn't actually think it would happen. In this economy? In a Celine Geiger episode? I DON'T THINK SO! Yet it did happen. It fucking happened. In the penultimate episode. The last episode before we collect our Nace endgame. How the hell are we gonna bounce back from that? How the hell are they gonna have Nancy realistically go from starting to move on with Tristan to getting with Ace in forty minutes, when most of those minutes will be spent closing out other characters' storylines? Oh, man, when I say I was ticked off...

But now I've had time to calm down, to cool off, and just...learn to accept it. Accept whatever they're going to give me in the next episode. Because I still truly believe Nace will end up together. And that their endgame will be satisfying in at least an "oh, look! Pretty people are kissing!" kind of way. We'll get to see that amazing, unmatched chemistry one last time, and it will be spectacular, I'm sure. And then, after the credits roll, we can all go rush to AO3 to read and/or write some of the best damn Nace fan fiction the world has ever seen. Stories where Nace slow dance with each other and go on dates, where they investigate supernatural crimes together, where they move heaven and earth to protect each other, where they give each other kisses on the mouth and forehead and they hold hands and have sexy times and maybe even get engaged and married (and pop out some babies for people who like that trope). Oh, those stories are going to be glorious. And Nace will continue to live on in our hearts (for at least a little while, anyway), and we'll always get to think about how cool it would've been to see ANY of those fun, romantic moments played out on our screens.

This is such a sucky way to end one of my favorite ships of all time, but I guess we just need to remember how lucky we are that we're even getting any conclusion to their story at all, when so many other shows were cancelled this last year without ANY warning. I'll take a rushed endgame with only one tiny little Nace kiss shoehorned in at the end over their story potentially ending after 3x13 with them freshly cursed and Ace never knowing Nancy loved him. That would've been THE WORST.

Anyway, Anon, I hope you check back in with me after the finale, and I hope we can scream together in a good way. Not gonna hold my breath, but maybe, just maybe, we'll get lucky.

#i'm going to need therapy after this show is over #who am i kidding i already need therapy #nace #nancy x ace #ace x nancy #asks

[aceofnace]

"Ace is basically experiencing what Nancy was experiencing in 4x02: because of the black door, his feelings for her have been locked up and kept out of his reach, and it’s making him a little crazy." - I'm so glad there is an explanation for the way Ace has been acting towards Nancy!! I have been so disheartened to see Ace not care about Nancy being in danger and for them to have been so hostile towards each other (his anger towards her was scary). I'm glad there's reason for it but I'm also super sad we had to waste so much time on these horrible interactions instead of cuteness.

Keep in mind, this is all just speculation! I'm not sure if Ace yelling at Nancy has anything to do with the black door or not, but I really hope it does. Otherwise, I have no idea what the writers are thinking with some of these out of character choices they've been making all season.

I personally didn't find his anger toward her to be that bad (it was honestly no worse than when she was yelling at him about Chunky in 4x07), it was more the reason why he was yelling at her that bothered me. But hey, the season synopsis did mention we'd see "the ire of Ace", so here it was...3 episodes from the end...following 2 episodes of no interactions or even mentions of each other (other than Nancy alluding to Ace being immature and closed off when talking about how great Tristan is).

How the hell we'll get to a "satisfying" Nace endgame at this point is beyond me. With only 2 episodes left of the whole series, we have Ace falling madly in love with a ghost and Nancy most likely being soulmates with a Sin Eater. They're going to drag these other LIs out until the very end, which makes me wonder if Nace even kiss and become endgame in the finale, will they be cheating on their new significant others? Somebody please make it make sense!

#sorry #i'm feeling a bit salty right now #i knew they'd drag this out all season #but now we have our endgame ship seemingly not even in love anymore #and all they do is fight #i love angst #but this is not serving AT ALL #nace #nancy x ace #ace x nancy #asks

[aceofnace]

I am just so sad to have seen Ace yelling at Nancy over this ghost and acting like he hates her, this was rough for me

I get it! But remember that right now, Ace is basically experiencing what Nancy was experiencing in 4x02: because of the black door, his feelings for her have been locked up and kept out of his reach, and it’s making him a little crazy. I mean, when it happened to Nancy, she tried to kill him! It’s more painful to watch now, though, because Nancy’s situation was played as humorous while Ace’s situation is very serious. And there are only 2 episodes left. I have no doubt this will all be explained in the next episode, and I don’t think we’ll go into the finale with Nace still not loving each other anymore, but we’ll just have to wait and see!

#hopefully the next episode heals us #we deserve it #nace #nancy x Ace #ace x Nancy #asks

[aceofnace]

I have no faith in these writers ever since Ace got stuck in the liminal space and Nancy didn't even notice and hooked up with Park in a closet while truth serum made her reveal her feelings for Park (with NO mentions or thoughts of Ace). Nace never gets good content. Even Tristan is treated better than Ace. 4x10 was everything the finale of season 3 should have been with ACE when he was in danger.

We the fans do all the hard work, the writers give Nace the bare minimum and I'm pissed. At the end of the day, fanfiction and what could have been is not enough for me, Nace failed onscreen.

Ace getting stuck in the liminal space and nobody noticing he was even gone until it was almost too late is actually my villain origin story. Actually, all of 3x10 was my villain origin story. The fact that Nace had been building up to be THE ship and then they put Ace in danger and instead of having Nancy going feral over trying to find him and save him, they had her hook up with Park in a coat check closet, even after finding out from Connor that Ace had missed his job interview with him (that should have been a HUGE red flag for Nancy, but nope). To be honest, I had never felt more insulted in my life. It felt like a slap in the face. And somehow, Ace took the news better than I did because I really, really, really loathe that episode. The only part I can rewatch is their hug at the end. The rest makes me feel icky.

It does seem like Nancy gets the best shippy content with all her other love interests and Ace is always left with nothing. The writers are like, "Hey Nace shippers, wanna see Nancy slow dance? Okay, here! You can watch her slow dance with Park! Wait, that's not what you wanted? Okay, here's her slow dancing with Tristan! Oh, you want to see her slow dance with Ace, the man she loves, her person? Haha, no way! That would make you too happy! Here, go back and watch this season 1 scene of Ace dancing with Laura instead."

And don't even get me started on how half of 4x10 was Nancy freaking out over Tristan being hurt when they never even showed us Nancy finding out that Ace had the last piece of Charity's soul and then they spent 3.2 seconds saving his life in 3x13 and nobody was freaking out over how much danger he was actually in. I will admit, these writers sometimes make very odd choices when it comes to this ship. Choices that make no sense to me. And it sometimes has me wondering how much they actually like Nace. Remember, a post season 2 interview did state that the writer's room was an even split down the middle between Nace shippers and Namura shippers, so maybe that explains what's going on here: not all the writers are on board with Nace, and maybe it makes it difficult for some of them to write something they're not into. I don't know. I can't think of any other explanation. Kennedy and Alex handed these people an absolute gift with their natural but insane chemistry and Nace has been a big part of the reason a lot of people have started watching the show to begin with, so I have no idea why they didn't take full advantage of any of that.

#i love this ship but sometimes wonder why #when we've been given so little #i think it's just the chemistry that gets me #so that even if there aren't shippy moments between Nancy and Ace #i can still feel how much they love each other #without that chemistry this ship would be nothing #nace #nancy x ace #ace x nancy #asks

[aceofnace]

I don't think a one frame still plucked out of the scene at large highlights the true emotions within it. For instance that frame you chose for Nancy with Tristan, the scene in it's entirety and the performance Kennedy gives doesn't communicate curiosity and a mystery to solve, but actually Nancy growing closer to Tristan and getting intimate in a comfortable way, recognizing this person as a safe place. We can't hype fixate on a single frame to communicate the true intentions of a full scene performed.

I think what people are forgetting is that Nancy confessing a sin at the black door changed everything. Nancy wasn’t romantically interested in Tristan before her sin was eaten. It took her having her memories and feelings for Ace altered to get her to even consider Tristan as an option. So, even if she’s “growing closer” to Tristan, it’s only because she has forgetten she’s in love with Ace. Plus, if she thinks Tristan is her soulmate, now she’s probably feeling obligated to fall for him. Because it’s fate and destiny, so why fight it? But we all know as soon as Nancy gets her real memories back, she’ll be back to loving Ace. It’ll always be Ace for her (and if you think any different, you haven’t been paying attention).

Again, we don’t know the real deal with Tristan yet and Kennedy said we won’t until the finale. So it seems pretty clear to me that this bond she seems to be forming with Tristan is a misdirection and in the end will mean nothing. So any romantically charged scenes they may share together just feel kinda forced to me, especially since it has literally come out of nowhere. But that’s just my opinion!

#Nace #Nancy x Ace #Ace x Nancy #asks

[aceofnace]

Nancy's eyes are full of hope and optimism for the future when she stares into Tristan's. Kennedy is so talented to create these distinctions, but I do think there is a new type of love portrayed towards Tristan since the reincarnated soulmate concept was introduced. Nancy feels enamored with him, but in happy way. But when she interacted with Ace it was in a tortured way, feels like writers purposefully made Nace really upset together and to highlight how light and happy Nancy is with Tristan. I need to see how this all ends, but like Kennedy and Henry are giving their all and the chemistry is pretty amazing - very talented actors!

Wow, haha, I have an entirely different perspective on Nancy and Tristan than you do! I haven't actually seen the "hope and optimism for the future" that you have seen when Nancy looks at Tristan. To me, when she looks at him now (like in their last scene together in 4x10), she looks more like she's in a trance. Like she's under a spell. I tweeted a comparison yesterday showing the differences in how she looked at both Tristan and Ace the moment right before touching foreheads with them, and the difference was pretty obvious to me:

In the screenshot with Tristan, she looks...intrigued, maybe? And why wouldn't she be? Now she's thinking maybe he's her literal soulmate. She also looks curious to me. Like she's got a new mystery to solve. Which, again, would make sense. However, in the screenshot with Ace, she looks like she's getting lost in his eyes. You can actually see the love and yearning on her face. The girl is down bad for him there.

Now, of course Nancy's interactions with Ace this season have been tortured, but it's not for the writers to highlight how light and happy she is with Tristan! It's for the writers to highlight just how badly Nancy and Ace want to be together, and how miserable it makes them to have to stay apart. If the writers wanted to make it look like Tristan was the better option for Nancy, or that there was any chance she would choose him in the end, then they wouldn't have made Nace so tortured over this death curse. They would've just been able to part ways, stay friends, and move on. However, it has taken the black door altering memories to get Nancy to finally stop shedding tears over not being able to be with Ace.

Sure, Nancy has had some light, happy moments with Tristan, but they paled in comparison to how light and happy she was in her hallucination with Ace. As an example, here's how light and happy she looked when she thought they'd finally gotten together:

Talk about hope and optimism for the future. That's why this death curse has been such a torture especially for Nancy—because she knows now exactly just how happy being with Ace makes her. We've never seen her smile like that any other time on the show. Ace truly makes her happy. And if you go back and look at past interactions with them over the first 3 seasons, they were never tortured, even when they were jealous over other love interests. I've seen a few people this season talk about how "toxic" Nace is for each other because they make each other "miserable" and it's like, no, they don't make each other miserable, their death curse makes them miserable. Big difference. Remember:

And here's the thing with Tristan: he's been such a small player in the season. In his actual human form, he's only been in four out of ten episodes so far, two of which he was only in briefly. His other two episodes he was featured predominantly in, but it's interesting to note that in 4x06, Nancy still wasn't romantically interested in him. She thought he had hot arms, and she really appreciated him saving her life. And their slow dance at the end was a sweet moment for them, but the writers made it very clear that while Tristan was all in while dancing with Nancy, as soon as Nancy heard Florence's engine, she was taken out of the moment and was distracted. And then in 4x10, she started showing some interest BUT this is two episodes after she went to the black door, and now memories and feelings have been altered. Had she not gone to that door at what we assume was the end of 4x08, she wouldn't have had that moment with Tristan at the end of the episode, because her feelings for Ace would still be at the forefront.

To me, I don't detect anything sweet or romantic when I see Nancy and Tristan together, and that's not even my obvious Nace bias talking. I get the weirdest vibes from Tristan and the whole storyline altogether. This whole season has felt off to me, in an intentional sort of way. Like things are not as they seem. At this point, I'm not even convinced Tristan is real. There's a big twist coming that's going to explain everything and we'll know then if I'm right or wrong. Either way, the odds that the writers suddenly decided to give Nancy a soulmate who wasn't Ace and are purposefully trying to make it look like Tristan makes Nancy happy while Ace makes her miserable are very slim.

And obviously, Kennedy's chemistry with Henry is good because her chemistry with literally everyone on this show is exceptional. You could put her in a scene with probably anyone in the world and she'd have you believing they were soulmates destined to be together. She's just that good.

#nace #nancy x ace #ace x nancy #nanstan too i guess? if you're into that? #asks

[aceofnace]

The it's not just about nace crowd makes me laugh, bc even if it was for some people that's completely okay, poeple can watch a show for a ship. But also who said it was? No one is asking for the other characters to disappear, I love the ensemble, we're just asking for quality nace scenes. Another thing that drives me insane is how they're treating ace this season? Why wasn't he there during the group hug or the cake fight, why did bess say she told him not to come, why is she acting like she couldn't care less about him, why has he been so isolated and it seems like the drew crew doesn't really care about him at all???? all of this happened before they supposedly used the black door so it's not smt supernatural, you're telling me they did this just like that? For what i'm so confused????

Yes! People are allowed to watch a show for any reason they so choose! Whether it be just for a ship, or an actor, or whatever. And they're also allowed to talk only about that reason if they want to. We all know this show isn't just about Nace, but it seems to be the thing about this show that the fans go feral over the most, so a lot of us tend to focus on them a majority of the time. And it's even easier to focus on them right now because nothing about Nace is adding up this season, so we're all just wondering wtf is going on. They are seriously the bigger mystery this season than the black door (at least, to me).

I, too, have been driven insane this season by the treatment of Ace. Bess declaring her new best friend to be George and even telling her she has been for a long time? And to "not tell Ace"? Not letting him go through the portal in 4x06 to save Nancy but they trusted some guy they barely knew to bring their friend back safe? Over the guy who's madly in love with her and knew that high school like the back of his hand? All of Nancy's passive aggressive digs against him since 4x09, suggesting he doesn't communicate his feelings, he's immature, and he's complicated? And the writers not including him in the group hug/cake fight scenes? It's been a rough couple of months for Ace fans. I'm expecting (or at least hoping) there will turn out to be a good explanation for all of that in the end (after all, something really weird is going on), but even a good explanation won't give us the Ace/Nace scenes we should've been having all along.

(Also, regarding your comment about all this stuff happening BEFORE the black door, keep in mind that depending on what sin Nancy confessed and how long ago that sin took place, it's very possible this show has been giving us a hybrid of pre and during black door mind altering scenes all season long; it's the only theory that helps keep my anger at bay.)

#nace #nancy drew cw #nancy x ace #ace x nancy #asks

[aceofnace]

I was honestly expecting the most romantic season of tv I'm not kidding bc what do you mean soulmates who are separated by a love curse that's such an incredibly good plot, the stuff of dreams ships never get. But let's be real they kinda botched it, no matter how it turns out, we had half a season where they barely interacted and we're never going to see their big moments together and them being madly in love and solving crimes together and protecting each other and moving in together and getting engaged( I had this wish that it would be Nancy who proposes bc it would be such a big thing coming from her and for ace to see someone actually want that with him, it would mean so much growth for both of them). Now all we can hope for is they don't slap us with Tristan and Nancy as soulmates, give us as many moments of them together and give us a flashforward of their happily ever after ..

I was expecting that too, especially after the first 3 swoonworthy episodes of the season. I thought, this is THEIR season. But boy, did it go downhill fast. Episode 4 had NO Nace interactions, and then 5-7 just had painful ones (how many times did they break up again?). Episode 8 seemed promising...but then 9 and 10 ruined it again with no interactions. Now we're heading into episode 11 with both Nancy and Ace seemingly falling for their new supernatural love interests and it's like WHAT? With only 3 episodes left to go? Make it make sense!

Obviously, they were hoping for a season 5, and they wrote the season with that in mind. But that tells me if we had gotten a season 5, this still would've been dragged out well into next season. So the only solace I can take with all this is that it's a good thing they found out the show was canceled before they finished writing the final episode. Because if it had been canceled after, then the series would've ended with Nace not together. And even if it had been renewed for a season 5, with the writers/actors on strike for who knows how much longer, there's a chance next season would've eventually gotten cancelled anyway, or it would have at least extended a Nace endgame for another year or more. This way, although it's going to be rushed af, we're still going to end the series with the knowledge that Nancy and Ace are together and in love.

I am hopeful we'll get a little flash-forward epilogue that might show Nancy and Ace married, or at least engaged. Bonus points if they show us one of them proposing. I'm just not sure how they would fit that into the finale, but it's really all I want at this point. I'm so sad that so many opportunities were wasted this season (that should have been NACE slow dancing!). This was supposed to be their season to shine. And it started out so promising! I have no idea how or why they lost sight of the plot so heavily, but they did. And I know some people will say, "You know, this show isn't just about Nace" and while that's true, once you make your titular character and another main character star-crossed lovers and add in something like a curse keeping them apart, you're kinda making them the main focus—especially when you drag it out until the very end. So, it's understandable that a lot of us are solely focusing on Nace and how disappointed we are. We expected more. We deserved more. But that's just my opinion.

#i can't believe how polarizing this season has been for the fandom #i was so sure we were all going to be happy and love it #but really it's just depressed a lot of us #oh well #nace #nancy x ace #ace x nancy #asks

[aceofnace]

4x10 was truly one of the worst tv experiences of my life bc what was that with Tristan and Nancy, literally what in the fresh hell was that? They looked so in love, they have them so much it's driving me batshit. Even with the theory of the black door I can't accept that, the only way I'll stomach it is if he's some form of ace or has half of his soul on top of the black door. If they're going to go the Tristan is her soulmate in every lifetime but she's gonna choose ace in this one I might need to be committed bc who does that to their main ship in the last 2 eps of the show, the only form I'll accept is if she's been destined for Tristan but she's been choosing ace in every lifetime too. I can't even begin to imagine how they're gonna wrap this up in a way that's remotely satisfying, bc they're gonna need half of the last 2 eps to just be about nace, I'm sorry but now that we're getting no scenes of them actually together I'm gonna need a sex scene a rain kiss the most romantic hug and I love you soulmates in every life confirmation and a wedding or a scene that confirms they're married with a daughter or something I'm not kidding

I get it. Somehow, I was less angry after first watching 4x10 than I was after watching 4x09, which makes no sense because Tristan wasn't even officially in 4x09, but I think it's only because I went into 4x10 with the lowest of low expectations that we'd get any Nace so I was at least a little prepared. But I wasn't prepared for was...that ending scene with Nancy and Tristan on the floor. Yeah, they looked a little too cozy. And Nancy used her soft voice with him that she normally only uses with Ace. And that forehead touch? NO, THAT'S HER MOVE WITH ACE! WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING?

Look, at this point, I have no idea what's going on, other than it's something very strange and will end up explaining everything in the end. But will it be a satisfying explanation? That remains to be seen. My guess as of right now as to how or why that scene took place is this: if Nancy went to the black door with a specific sin with the purpose of erasing/altering her feelings for Ace (so that they could be happy again and easily move on), then it could explain why Tristan is so enamored with her—because the sin of hers that he ate was charged with her love for Ace. And maybe Tristan doesn't remember a sin once he's back in his human form, but it's possible that he subconsciously does. And as for Nancy, her newfound feelings for Tristan are easy to explain: the black door altered her memories and her feelings. She has only really shown any actual interest in Tristan since the episode after she supposedly went to the black door. Even in 4x07 when she told Ace she'd gone through an intense situation with Tristan and wasn't sure how she felt about it yet, it was easy to see that she was testing him. She wanted to see if that bothered him. And when Ace showed no signs of it bothering him (even though it absolutely did) she was visibly disappointed and so upset she dropped the dice she was holding onto. No, these "feelings" Nancy suddenly has for Tristan are not real.

If you re-watch that last scene with them, surrounded by candles, staring into each other's eyes while talking about walking paths together many times before, it's actually not as romantic as it seems upon the first viewing. Compare how Nancy stares into Tristan's eyes with the way she has been staring into Ace's eyes ever since the scene in his apartment in 3x13. There's just no comparison. When she looks at Ace, you can feel the deep yearning, the desire, the unadulterated love. When she looks at Tristan at the end of 4x10, she looks curious. Like she's trying to solve a mystery. But she also, honestly, look like she's maybe under a little bit of a spell. There's no real warmth to her. There's no longing there. And yeah, they touched foreheads, but they didn't kiss. WHY didn't they kiss? This is Nancy we're talking about here. This girl doesn't shy away from physical contact with men she's attracted to. If she had wanted to kiss Tristan, she would have. Heck, she was trying to kiss Ace for all of 4x01 even though she knew it would kill him. Now, you could say, "well, the Glasses interrupted them before they could kiss", but they really didn't. There was plenty of time for either Nancy or Tristan to lean in and at least touch lips, but no attempt was made by either one. That is WEIRD. Especially with how that scene was set up. Again, something very strange is going on here.

I feel like I'm getting off-track here, so I'll get back to the point of your ask. The soulmate thing is weird and very out-of-the-blue. I'm not sure where they're going with it, and I'm not even sure where I'd want them to go with it. I don't really see the point of introducing a character late in the game and then revealing that he and Nancy have walked this world together many times before as soulmates. That would be a very interesting (unaffectionate) choice for the writers to make, knowing how rabid the fanbase has always been about Nace and how we've been calling them soulmates since season 2. So we'll just have to wait and see what they've got up their sleeves. I'm with you, though, I could definitely get on board the train of Nancy choosing Ace in every lifetime, even though she's been destined to be with someone else. Any other scenario will probably not sit right with me.

After all the pain and suffering we've gone through this season, we deserve to get a "sex scene a rain kiss the most romantic hug and I love you soulmates in every life confirmation and a wedding or a scene that confirms they're married with a daughter". I'm hoping we at least get one of those, but I'm not sure if we will since time is running out and it's running out fast. No matter what, we'll get at least one more kiss, and it will probably replace their last one as being the best kiss of Nancy's life. But we might have to just accept that's all we'll get in the end, and we'll just have to dream of what could've been had everything been done differently.

#i knew this season would be painful #but i thought it was going to be the fun kind of painful #but it's not it's been an awful experience for me post 4x03 #this show has made me miserable #i really hope something in the next 3 eps makes up for that #but i'm not going to hold my breath #nace #nancy x ace #ace x nancy #asks

[aceofnace]

I'm honestly expecting the worst and the best from the final 3 episodes. On the one hand I'm thinking there is no way they're giving Nancy a soulmate that's not ace even if they thought there was a fifth season, he's some version of ace or something similar, they can't just not give us nace soulmates after they hinted at it, and there are some signs there is some sort of connection btw ace and Tristan, the writers know how much we love nace and they also seem to love them. On the other hand I think I'm being delusional and I'm going to get my hopes crushed and there is no way they're going to do two supernatural secrets related to nace what with the black door also coming into play???? Idk idk 😐😐😐😐 I'm kind of spiraling out of my mind

First of all, your thinking is correct: they're not giving Nancy a soulmate who is not Ace, especially not a character who was introduced this season and has only been in 4 episodes (2 of which he was only seen in minimally at best). One could claim, "well, but they didn't know it was the last season, so maybe they had bigger plans for Tristan for future seasons" but I really don't think that's the case. The writers have known for a long time now that Nace is where it's at for this show. A majority of the show's vocal fans online ship them. Nace is even one of the main reasons why a lot of people have started checking out the show in the last couple of years. The chances that the writers decided in the 11th hour, "screw those Nace shippers, we're gonna make some rando the love of Nancy's life!" are very, very slim. I know some people don't trust these writers for whatever reason, but I do. I at least trust them to give us the Nace endgame they've been working toward since early season 2.

Now, on the off chance they did make Tristan Nancy's soulmate, I think maybe he'd just be one of her soulmates (remember Nancy's "maybe we get more than one" comment to Carson in 3x13), and Ace would be another one. And she'll choose Ace. Nancy always chooses Ace. Not only in this lifetime, but in probably every lifetime before. But again, I'm not sure Tristan will turn out to be a soulmate. Because I still have my suspicions on exactly who/what Tristan actually is. And now some people are starting to look into the lyrics of songs that have played during Nancy and Tristan scenes and it's making them question his role in the story even more.

I don't think you're being delusional at all. You say "there is no way they're going to do two supernatural secrets related to Nace", but why not? We all thought there was no way they would keep giving us steamy Nace scenes that turned out to be dreamscapes/nightmares/hallucinations, yet they did (as frustrating as that was, haha). And the fact that this curse and them getting together has been dragged out until the series finale means that their love is a big, important part of the overall story. No ship with some new, random character is going usurp what has been built up with Nace for ultimately 4 seasons now.

Believe me when I say I've never felt more confident in my life that two characters were going to be endgame. And not only endgame but futuregame as well. I think the series will end with us knowing unequivocally that Nancy and Ace are madly in love and always will be. And that once they are together, that's it. There will never be anyone else for either one of them ever again. I believe that is what all of this is leading up to. And some people will complain (and rightfully so) that we didn't get enough sweet, romantic, domestic moments with them as a couple, but it is what it is. The show could've been canceled after 3x13 and we would've been left with the knowledge that Nancy and Ace were cursed for eternity and would never get the chance to live a happy life together. On 8/23, we're at least going to finally see them happy and together, and I will cherish that no matter how brief it may be.

#i'd say ride the wave but i drowned a long time ago #so just...hope for the best #nace #nancy x ace #ace x nancy

[aceofnace]

incorrect nancy drew 3/∞

#this is just about the greatest thing i've ever seen #this would have been an actual scene had we had them for longer #nace #nancy x ace #ace x nancy

[aceofnace]

I'm so disappointed in what happened with Nace. Way too much unpleasantness for me, I wish we could have a do over. They were so wasted.

Even if they get together at the very end, they've been so tainted for me. It's clear the writers don't really care about them or how could this have been allowed to happen? Don't even get me started on Tristan and him getting everything we wanted for Ace and Nancy. I'm just sad and angry about Nace. Nothing can make them better for me. The show is already over. I'm supposed to hold out hope an entire relationship can be developed in 4 measly episodes when last episode Nancy and Ace didn't even share a scene? We're supposed to be happy with scraps? This is Nancy Drew and her endgame we're talking about, it just sucks. I really feel used, like we promoted this show for Nace and then got strung along every single season to only get a last-minute rushed together endgame if we get anything at all? This is not how you write good romance. We were used.

This was also my initial reaction after 4x09 (which...admittedly...I still haven't even watched; everything I know about the episode comes from what I've seen people talking about on Twitter), and also, of course, 4x06.

(This may end up being very long, so I'm adding a cut here)

WHY did they choose, in the FINAL SEASON, to give Nancy and Tristan a slow dance, and not Nancy and Ace? Tristan showing up at Icarus Hall in a rented suit holding flowers and asking her to dance? Imagine how swoon-worthy that would've been if it had been Ace, not the guy who was created by the writers to appear in only a handful of episodes the final season with no real shot with Nancy? Make it make sense! Or don't even get me started on the flirty text thread! Are you freaking kidding me? With Ace, her texts have always been simple responses like "no" or not any response at all (even after the one where he told her he'd be more romantic after the curse was broken, and he then asked if she was still awake...she gave him NOTHING!), but she gives full, cute responses to the guy she's literally known for less than 2 weeks? Again, make it make sense!

I've been so frustrated by all of this, just like you, until I really stopped and thought about it last night. First of all, Ace can't even attempt to do anything romantic. He ended things in 4x03. Told Nancy to move on. Which was very understandable, given what happened to Nancy after the ritual. He's already been giving her mixed signals, so attempting to do anything other than stay away will just make things worse between them right now. And there was such a small window between when Ace found out Nancy had feelings for him at the end of 4x01 and when they tried to break the curse in 4x03 that he didn't have time for any grand gestures. Besides, it's hard to be romantic when you've got a death curse looming over you.

Now, the curse. The curse can be used to explain away why we're getting no romantic moments between Nace this season (because Ace will die!), but then one can also ask, "why tf is the curse still here? Why is it being dragged out to the end?" And look, I GET IT. If you're thinking that, I'm right there with you. But it is what it is, and since the curse is still here and ruining any chance we have of seeing sweet, domestic Nace before the finale, I'm going to make the best of it with what I'm about to say about it.

The curse has ruined everything. Or has it? Yes, it's just a plot device to keep Nace apart until the end, probably because writers don't like getting their main ships together for fear people will get bored after. And since these writers probably held out some hope (no matter how foolishly) that they'd maybe get a season 5, they were going to make sure Nancy and Ace didn't get together until the finale...or heck, maybe not even until sometime NEXT season if they'd been lucky enough to get one! But plot device aside, this curse is actually the best thing that's ever happened to this ship. Why?

Because it sets them apart from most other mundane ships. Nancy and Ace could've gotten it on back in season 2. Jealousy was at an all-time high for both of them. They obviously wanted each other. I was so sure a hookup was imminent. And if they had given into their urges and gotten freaky with each other in the back room of The Claw (my dream at the time), they would've already broken up by now and gotten with other people in serious relationships until maybe getting back together in the end. I actually prefer what's happening now. Because even though we aren't getting the sweet, cute, romantic scenes Nancy is being given with other love interests, what we are getting is soulmatism. Nancy and Ace are two people who love each other. Who are in love with each other. Who are the loves of each other's lives. And their inability to be together just makes their bond stronger even as they're drifting apart. Because it's showing them, showing us, they don't want to live without each other. It's showing us that sure, other hot guys can hit on Nancy and make her smile and take away her pain for a moment, but at the end of the day, it will always be Ace. Ace is her true north. Her person. Ace is the one she wants to be with forever. And we know it's no different for Ace.

I really don't think we would've gotten all of that with Nace without this curse storyline. And I personally love that I can say my otp are canon soulmates.

Look, it's easy to be mad at Tristan for getting all the sweet moments with Nancy (and I am, trust me!) but honestly, what's the big deal about slow dances or seashells? It's way more romantic to risk your entire future to break someone's father out of prison without even being asked to. It's way more romantic to drink potential poison to prove someone's theory is correct and to keep her from getting arrested. It's way more romantic to make a deal with your shady relative in exchange for helping to save someone's life. It's way more romantic to almost let an entire city drown in a tsunami just so you can live a long, happy, not-cursed life with the man you love. Nancy and Ace's romance has never been conventional. It's been slow and gradual. Organic. Their love for each other blossomed through trust and admiration, not flirting or cheesy romantic gestures. And that's okay. To me, that's more than okay. Because that tells me that once the show ends with them together, I can feel pretty confident in my headcanon that they are staying together forever. One day, they'll get married. Start a family. They'll grow old together. Yeah, we won't get to see it, but we'll know without a doubt that's how their story will go.

And I do believe whatever sweet moments Nancy has shared with Tristan this season will be completely forgotten about as soon as the curse is broken. Ace himself said in a text that he would be more romantic after it's broken, and I believe him. That boy has loved her for so long but hasn't been able to express it—either because he didn't think she could love him back, or because expressing it could literally kill him. Once nothing is holding him back anymore, he's got years of loving her in secret to make up for. I'm sure he's had all sorts of romantic ideas forming in that brain of his this whole time, and now he'll finally be able to do something with them.

Maybe we'll only get to see one or two moments before the show fades to black, but I will gladly accept whatever they give me and will just be thankful knowing my ship made it out alive and happy.

With all this said, I can totally see where you're coming from (and my response is in no way trying to convince you to think like me!) and I'm so sorry Nace has been tainted for you. Every time we get an episode that has little or no Nace interaction now, it breaks my heart. I hate it. It makes me so angry. But I'm still holding out hope that it has all been for a reason and that the writers will wow me with a big twist. Maybe I'm just being naive, and if that's the case, I'll take the L . If not, then maybe, just maybe, this can all be salvaged in the end.

#just a warning #if you send me an ask #i'll probably write you a novel for a response #gah i hate seeing so many people unhappy with nace #this has been so many people's comfort ship #and it does feel like their potential has been wasted this season #it makes me so sad #but i'm ride or die till the end #nace #nancy x ace #ace x nancy

[aceofnace]

Nace is truly my biggest ship loss. I was baited into watching this show for them and they have only 1 real kiss and might not even get together until the last minute. 0/10 would not recommend.

Hey, Anon, I feel your pain! I'm not counting it as a total loss just yet, because who knows what the remaining 4 episodes have in store for us, but I do understand the urge to consider them a loss. Why? Because think of all the things we could've had with them and most likely never will:

-Slow dances. Nancy's had them with two love interests, Park and Tristan. Ace had one with Laura. Slow dances are a staple for any good ship. They can be romantic. They can be angsty. They can be tension-filled. They can just be sweet and cute. And Nancy and Ace have danced together zero times in the four years we've known them (about only 7 or 8 months for them). Now, am I hoping there will be a flash-forward epilogue scene in the finale of Nace on their wedding day slow dancing with each other as newlyweds? Or maybe dancing together on their first trip to Paris during a sunset? Absolutely! Do I think we will get either one of those? Of course not!

-Dates. Could you imagine how AMAZING Nace dates would've been? Just the two of them out to dinner. Or having a nighttime picnic under the stars like Carson and Kate. Or hell, even just them sitting in the front seat of Florence while on a midnight stakeout trying to catch Chunky Velez. Nace dating era would have SERVED.

-Fun, flirty moments. Quick—name the last time Nancy and Ace flirted with each other. Or, rather, name any time Nancy and Ace flirted with each other. They never have. But had we gotten to see them in a relationship, they would've been flirting all the time. I could just picture Nancy sitting on Ace's lap while he's hacking. Or her lovingly teasing him over every little thing he does. Or the two of them acting so over-the-top in love with each other in front of George to annoy the hell out of her. I would've loved to see flirty Nace, because it would've involved lots of smiling and them being HAPPY.

-Kissing. Lots of kissing. I can see why Nancy referred to her kiss with Ace in 4x03 as the best kiss of her life. It was EPIC. When Nancy and Ace's lips meet in a kiss, they are both ALL IN, whether it be in a dream or real life. Those two certainly know how to kiss, but mainly just each other. After observing them kissing their other LIs throughout the seasons, you can see a major difference in how they kiss others vs how they kiss each other. And while I'm certain they will have one more kiss, maybe even two, before the end, it won't be enough. Because as much as I love epic kisses (and I think their last ones will be that), I also love the simpler ones. The forehead kiss. The "see you later" peck on the lips kiss. The kiss on the cheek. The kiss on the chest before getting out of bed to go get breakfast. I would've given anything for a whole season of Nace kisses as they tried out every single kind. How sweet would that have been?

I could keep going, but I won't because I'm making myself sad. We could've had it all, but instead we'll be left with next to nothing in the end. And it breaks my heart. Now, whoever "baited" you into the watching the show I'm sure had no idea things would end up this way, so definitely don't blame them! I've been with this ship since the day the show premiered in 2019. And personally? I don't regret loving them, no matter how their story ends. I do think you should wait 4 more episodes before giving it your final "recommend" rating, but sadly it probably won't make much of a difference. Nace will most likely be rushed at the very end. We'll collect our endgame but have very little to show for it. I'll still always love them, though, and they will continue on after the finale to live a long, happy life together in my head, and that's gonna have to be good enough for me.

#sorry my response was so long #i have lots of THOUGHTS #many of them not good #many of them make me mopey #oh well it is what it is #nace #nancy x ace #ace x nancy #nancy drew cw #asks