#Do you know what 4x06 does to a person. Do you even understand | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

imminent-danger-came · 1 year

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LMK Story Motif

Tang: “The thing you need to understand about the old legends, is that the story is never finished. There maybe be no more pages left to turn, but there’s always more to the journey. “

(1x00 A Hero is Born)

Tang: “It’s nice to know someone is taking in all these stories—pearls of wisdom, DRIPPING from my lips.”

(1x00 A Hero is Born)

Mirror MK: “UGH, stop that! Listen- every time we get in trouble, we turn to Monkie King or our friends or SOMEONE. They tell us a story, and we find that smidge of motivation we need. Well! Now we’re on our own. It’s just you.”

(2x00 Revenge of the Spider Queen)

MK: “Wait! I am worthy, definitely worthy! I’m Monkie Kid! Basically the new Monkey King—might have heard of me? You know, the next chapter? I’m totally worthy!”

(2x01 Sleep Bug)

Totally Not Macaque (TNM): “Haha, what would you like to hear—the Hero suddenly remembered his beloved friend the Warrior? That they lived happily ever after?”

MK: “No! Nah no no no- well uh, yeah! Maybe. Um. Okay, I don’t know why I’m telling a complete stranger this but, I guess...I kind of feel like the Warrior in the story. A little. Is that dumb?

TNM: “I take that as a complement young man.”

TNM: “The tell-tale sign of a good story—that you resonate with it so personally. But I think maybe you missed the point.”

(2x07 Shadow Play)

Macaque: “Ah MK, you really are dense, aren’t you. Haha, you saw a story about a hero who got handed everything, who didn’t have to work for anything, and you thought you were the other guy? The second the hero got real power, he couldn’t care less about his friends. That’s you bud.”

(2x07 Shadow Play)

Tang: “Now, any chance at hope lies in the hands of a monkey, and a kid who wishes he was a monkey.”

MK: “Ugghhhh Mr. Tang! Would you quit it?

Pigsy: “You’ve been reading your diary out loud LITERALLY all day. You’re bumming everybody out!”

Tang: “Hey! It’s not a diary, I’m writing the next chapter!”

(3x01 On the Run)

Sun Wukong (SWK): “Okay! Gather round everyone, it’s Monkey King story time!”

(3x01 On the Run)

SWK: “Kid, why did you...?”

MK: “Uh, well yeah- I- I was trying to do you in- in the omelet story! Do the weird impulsive Monkey King thing and escape the bad guy!”

SWK: “Well, I mean- Ne Zha ain’t really a bad guy but, did you forget about the part where I got really hurt?”

(3x01 On the Run)

(3x05 Amnesia Rules)

(3x06 The First Ring)

Tang: “But...compared to the great monk, I’m not so...great.”

Pigsy: “You’re pretty great to me tang. Besides, you’re story ain’t over—not yet.”

(3x12 The Corrupted King)

Tang: “MK, from the moment you picked up the Monkey King’s staff, their stories became our stories. It’s our responsibility to write the final chapter, no matter the outcome. If we do this, we do it together.”

(3x13 Time to Be Warriors)

Tang: “The curious thing about legends is the way we can continue to be moved by the same stories. We’re comforted by familiar tales of friendship, courage, redemption. At times, the path of the hero might seem unclear, and the stories chaotic and directionless. Sometimes it may seem as though we’ve ended back where we began, but it’s clear to see how much we’ve grown on the journey—for although the story is over, there’s always room on the shelf for another.”

(3x14 Destiny Fulfilled)

MK: “I wasn’t really gonna slice ‘em and dice ‘em you know, I just- I just thought we looked cool and edgy! But like, what if this is the point in our heroes journey where things get a little bit...darker.”

(4x01 Familiar Tales)

MK: “You’re telling me that I’m holding THE Journey to the West legend in my hand right now?”

Azure Lion: “That and a great many other tales I’m sure."

(4x02 New Adventures)

MK: “Alright! Find our friends, defeat the curse, and get back to the good old fashioned story of the week!”

(4x03 The Great Tang Man)

Tang: “L-listen you! Stop holding onto the past, it’s time to go!”

“Aah! What did I say before—earthly connections can only weight you down? Well, I don’t believe it! Your time with your family was precious, and nothing will ever take that away. The memories we make with the ones we love—they’re what lift us up! Your time here is over, but that doesn’t mean your story is finished—you’re not being cast out or pulled down, you were being lifted up!”

“The next chapter is calling you to start a new adventure, it’s time to answer the call!”

(4x03 The Great Tang Man)

Tang: “That’s it! This Tang has had it! We’ve been through a bajillion chapters from Monkey King’s Journey to the West, and I feel like we’re no closer to finding Pigsy, Sandy, or Monkey King!””

(4x04 Pig Napped!)

Subodhi: “A simple creature, with no past, no family, and no name. There is a reason you were at the center of these stories—a reason you can harness the power of the Monkey King himself!”

“Without question, you were not born from the stone as he was! Who or what you are, even I do not know the answer; but, of one thing I am certain, fate has plans for you—great plans, or foul? Time will tell.”

MK: “I- I can’t be! I’m just- I’m just MK!”

Subodhi: “The Monkie Kid?”

(4x06 Show Me the Monster) (Isn’t it so funny that he’s named MK? Like the initials of Monkey King? Haha. It’s so funny isn’t it? HAHAHA. YEAH. I’M HAVING A GREAT TIME. THIS IS SO FUN.)

Curse MK: “Hey no no I get it man—you want to get back to our monster of the week adventures, get back to our simple missions with Mei, mastering all of Monkey King’s powers and delivering noodles for Pigsy. Right?”

MK: “Yeah. Yeah actually, that’s exactly what I wanna-”

Curse MK: “-But we can’t. Not after all we’ve seen. All we know and all we don’t—*sigh*, right friend?

(4x07 Pitiful Creatures)(THE HERO’S JOURNEY INTENSIFIES. MK IS NOT RETURNING WITH THAT ELIXER)

MK: No matter what I do, it’s going to lead to pain. It’s like the Lady Bone Demon said—it doesn’t matter if I want to help people or NOT, everything I do it just- it just makes things worse!

Mei: “You’re all stuck up in your own head! None of this is your fault-”

MK: “It’s ALWAYS my fault! Ever since I picked up monkey king’s staff, I-”

(4x08 The Brotherhood)

Ne Zha: “We should have stood and fought till the end.”

MK: “We didn’t stand a chance against them, if we'd stayed, it wouldn’t of made a difference.”

Ne Zha: “So you’re just gonna stand aside and let Azure become the new Jade Emperor!?”

MK: “There’s only one person who ever stood against the Jade Emperor and lived to tell the tale.”

(4x10 The Jade Emperor)

Stories, Legends, and Tales.

#FUCKING DYING Y'ALL #LIKE.#THE STORY MOTIF LEGITIMATELY MAKES ME GO RABID #I needed to make this post before I wrote a meta/theory post #it's gonna be fucking GOOD Y'ALL #I'M. I'M DYING #Do you know what 4x06 does to a person. Do you even understand #lmk parallels #All of our characters are dead men and the story was over since the beginning #Our characters are living past their stories and have been doing so since the start. Now they're DOUBLY living past the end of their stoires #LIKE LADY BONE DEMON SHOULD HAVE WON. THAT'S WHAT DESTINY HAD IN STORE #YET MK DEFIED THAT DESTINY #HE IS A DESTINY DEFYING BOY. DO YOU GET IT.#THE SAMADHI FIRE SHOULD HAVE BURNED MEI. PENG AND YELLOWTUSK NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN FREED FROM THE SCROLL.#Every single fucking character is living past the end of their myth #lmk #lego monkie kid #monkie kid #story motif #lmk mk #lmk meme #lmk macaque #lmk tang #lmk swk #lmk sun wukong #I'm eating both of my legs! I really am!

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notsowrites · 2 years

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As I Reached For You

A 4x06 Malex Coda

A/N: I have so many thinky thoughts about where this whole "Alex was quicksanded" is going. But I of course needed to write out one of the more angsty one.

[AO3 Link]

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"You made it."

Michael rolls his eyes, dropping into the empty seat across from Max's desk. He's intimately familiar with all aspects of the sheriff's department, having spent most of the past decade locked in the holding cell for the most inconsequential of things. But this whole thing feels different, starting with Max asking him to come into the office. But who knows, maybe it's because he's powerless now. There's no alien telepathy happening these days. He's all but human.

A choice taken away from him by yet another person who believes they know best.

"Need help figuring out that proposal for Liz?"

Max frowns at him, as if he's confused by the question."No, I - you haven't heard anything from Alex have you?"

Michael shakes his head. He's trying to keep his cool these days, knowing that Alex is traipsing around the desert where cell service is spotty. But the truth is, between Mimi's death, and his own fight against human illness, the silence on Alex's end is beginning to worry him.

Surely Alex has been somewhere with cell service by now.

"He said he might be out of range."

Max nods, but he doesn't look convinced, opening up the manila folder that's sitting on the desk in front of him, spinning it around so it's facing Michael.

There's a photograph there of an SUV.

A very familiar looking SUV.

"That's Alex's-"

"I know, we ran the plates."

Michael pushes off the chair, listening as it screeches against the linoleum floor.

"Is he alive?"

"There's no sign of him."

He doesn't understand. Alex was just collecting weather balloons. This wasn't something dangerous, his bigoted father is gone, there's no one left who is going to try and kidnap Alex these days.

Max points to something in the photo of Alex's truck, and Michael glances down.

"See that? It's alien."

"The locusts," he sighs, picking up the photo to get a better look. Sure enough, there are multiple spots all across the windshield, similar to what happened to his console and the locust he and Liz tried to dissect.

"The what?"

"Liz brought a specimen to me, a genetically modified locust with alien guts. When we tried to look at it, it yeeted itself across the room and splattered across my console."

"What does that have to do with Alex?"

Michael drops the photo on the desk, making sure Max is paying attention as he points to the markings on the windshield glass. "Locust guts."

"I don't understand. Why would alien locusts be attracted to Alex?"

Michael rolls his eyes again, but stands up and reaches under the neck of his shirt to grab his half of the alien glass necklace he'd made. "Because before he left, I gave Alex the other half of this."

"You gave Alex alien glass?"

As much as Michael would like to get into the finer points of his relationship with Max, now with this new information that Alex's truck was abandoned, he feels like he needs to get out of this office and find him. But where to even start looking? The New Mexico desert is vast and it wasn't like they could just pick a place to start and hope they find him.

He's pushing to stand up and head out, ignoring Max's calls of protest when he wonders if this is his fault. Alex had asked him to take the console to Deep Sky, to run diagnostics on it to potentially make tracking down the weather balloons easier. And he'd refused. He'd let his own insecurities take over as though Alex wasn't worth trusting with it. And he'd done so just long enough for Alex to change his plans so that he didn't need the console, and could get along fine without it.

Was he the reason Alex had gone missing?

If he had his abilities, if Bonnie hadn't sucked them right out of him under her misguided attempt to save him, Michael knows things would be shaking and he'd be working to clamp down the excess of chaos inside him. He'd let the anger bubble over a little, the tiniest of releases to satisfy the itch.

Now all he does is slam his hand against the wall.

"Where'd they find his truck, Max?"

"Michael, don't do anything stupid-"

He turns around, ready to grab the folder off Max's desk.

"I need to find him, Max."

"And we will, but you're still sick and you're powerless. Just wait-"

He feels that anger at himself bubbling back to the surface.

"If this was Liz, if she was potentially missing, you wouldn't be sitting here behind a desk."

Alex is missing and Max is wrong to think he is going to sit calmly around while they devise a plan of action. He doesn't care right now that there's a crazy shape shifting alien who doesn't care if he's dead or alive.

He storms out of the office, and out of the building. If Max isn't going to help, that's fine. He'll figure it out himself.

—-------

"Spending time in a hole in the ground wasn't on my to-do list while I was visiting, ya know."

Rosa stands at the bottom of the ladder in the bunker, looking around in slight wonder. He guessed for someone who's never been down here, the place is probably slightly overwhelming with the amount of stuff he has.

"You're the only person who can help me with this." Michael slides the alien glass necklace over his head and holds it out to Rosa. "I need you to find something with this frequency."

She takes the necklace, inspecting it for a moment, before looking up at him.

"Here or-?"

He shakes his head. "We're going for a drive."

"Gonna need a little more than that if I'm cutting into my sister time."

He hates needing to talk so much when all he wants to do is get to the coordinates Max had given him, the location of where the state police bad found Alex's car abandoned, and search for him. He doesn't even know what he expects to find or why he thinks they'll even find Alex out there in the middle of the desert, but it's the only lead he has and it's not like Max can send a search party out to look for someone wearing a shimmery necklace that reacts when you touch it.

It's then he realizes Rosa appears to be missing the most important part of this whole thing.

"Alex is missing. They found his car abandoned outside town. Did Liz not tell you?"

She shakes her head. "She just said you needed my help."

That's so Liz, he thinks. He knows she's preoccupied at the moment studying his now normal cells in hopes to science together a cure.

"But I don't understand something," Rosa continues, finger running over the alien glass as it shimmers under her touch. "How is a necklace going to help us find Alex?"

"Because Alex has the other half. And I have to hope that wherever he is, he's wearing it."

—-------

Rosa stands in the precise location of the spot where Alex's car had been found. The battery had been dead, the report had said, keys still in the ignition. But all Michael can see around for miles is sand and dirt. It had been half buried, as if a wind storm had rolled through at some point. But that was what led to someone discovering it, and to the state police getting involved.

All things they can worry about later.

"I - there's nothing here, Michael."

He was afraid that might happen. It was the easiest starting point, to think Alex was with the truck somewhere. Even if he refuses to even consider what it would mean for Alex to be buried underneath the sand this way.

That's not even going to be a possibility to him. Alex is alive. He knows he is.

"Are you sure?" He can't help asking.

Rosa turns back away from him, closing her eyes and he waits. He can hear her talking to herself, but can't make out the words. She'd done the same thing when he'd been teaching her how to focus, to catalog each sound in order to isolate the one she needed.

He almost doesn't see when she moves, taking a few steps away from him, as if walking towards something.

She holds out her hand, the necklace dangling from her fingers. "Michael! Take this, so I can focus."

He runs out to her, hopeful it means she found something. The necklace immediately goes over his head and back around his neck, and he takes a couple steps back to give her space.

"There's something - it's faint. Almost like I can't hear it. But there's something…"

She keeps moving, a few steps here, a few more steps there. And Michael wonders how bad the interference from the earth is that she's having this much trouble. But he's asked her to find the smallest piece of glass in the wide open desert - this was never going to be easy.

But he had to try.

"H-here," she finally announces, stopping. "It's here."

Shovel in hand, he digs.

It's his only focus, that they may find Alex.

He doesn't think about how he's digging up dirt and rock and sand. How no one could actually survive this.

He just digs.

Eventually he abandons the shovel, getting down on his hands and knees. Whatever Rosa heard, whatever is down here, he is going to find it.

—-------

Even covered in sand and dirt, Alex Manes is the most beautiful thing he's ever laid eyes on. His hair is matted to his head from the days underground, the necklace still hanging around his neck. Michael presses their foreheads together, softly touching their lips together as the tears roll down his cheeks.

He can't be dead.

He can't.

This isn't how this was supposed to go. Moving in together was supposed to be the beginning. They were building a life together, wasn't that was Alex said?

"Max," Michael sobs into the phone that he's barely able to hang onto. "I need you."

Time passes differently as he sits in the middle of the open desert, cradling Alex's body.

This is his fault. He'd panicked, refused to trust Alex with the console. Had made Alex go traipsing around the desert chasing weather balloons without a plan.

It didn't have to be like this.

"I can't save him, Michael."

He feels the anger bubbling up beneath the surface again.

"Just heal him. Do that thing you do best."

"I can't." There's something different in Max's voice. Regret, maybe. "I asked Bonnie to take my powers."

Michael drops the phone to the ground.

What I can't live without is you, Alex had told him just a week ago. But how was he supposed to live without Alex? How was he supposed to care about this planet, about staying here, when the one person who had tethered him here for the past decade was gone? The one person who made him first believe this planet could be home.

He pushes his hand against Alex's chest, above his heart. He tries to not think about how Alex's chest isn't moving, there's no air traveling to his lungs. That his heart isn't pumping blood anymore to keep him alive.

"You said you can't live without me," he sobs, bent over Alex's body. "But what about me?"

He was supposed to marry Alex. They were supposed to get married, and start a family. They were gonna grow old together. This was supposed to only be the beginning.

Not the end.

"What about me?" He asks again.

Palm still pressed against Alex's chest, Michael starts to sing. He doesn't know if Rosa can hear, doesn't really care either. The words to a song he's only heard once. He pauses every so often to gently kiss Alex's lips, to not think about how they feel wrong. He sobs the lyrics out word by word, remembering the way Alex had looked at him that night six months ago when he'd kissed him outside the Pony. The way Alex had laid his head on his shoulder afterwards, lips pressed to the skin of his neck.

This isn't how their story ends.

The ground starts to quake but he barely feels it.

Michael opens his eyes to see his hand glowing red.

He'd almost lost Alex once. That day he'd maneuvered his way into Deep Sky, only to find Alex teetering on the edge of a ledge. It had been one of the most terrifying moments in his life. A feeling he'd never wanted to repeat. One wrong move, one wrong step, and Alex would have been gone forever.

But he hadn't lost him that day. He'd gotten there in time. He'd found him.

Because they were just finally getting the chance they always should have gotten. They were going to go on that date and hold hands while walking down Main Street. And they were going to start the rest of their lives together.

"This planet isn't home without you in it," he says after he stops singing.

Beneath his hand, Alex's chest moves.

Spitting up sand and dirt, he watches as Alex reaches out to grab onto his shirt, opening his eyes finally.

"Michael."

He's alive.

Michael let's the tears come, feels them streaming down his cheeks, dropping into his shirt.

"I got you," he says, keeping his arms wrapped around Alex. "I got you."

But Alex won't stay still pushing against him, looking around the open desert, as if searching for someone. "Where is she?"

"Where's who?"

"She said - she said I was a contingency plan."

Michael shakes his head in disbelief. Tezca? Had she followed Alex out here as he began his weather balloon search?

"Someone did this?"

Alex nods, pushing himself to sit up, though immediately reaching back to take his hand again. As if Alex needs the touch as much as he does. He watches Alex glance around again, focusing for a moment on Rosa sitting on the tailgate of his truck not far away, phone pressed tight to her ear.

"How'd you - what happened?"

"You died," he replies, voice quiet. It feels less significant in this moment now that Alex is alive in front of him. He glances down at his hands and realizes he brought Alex back.

Bonnie had taken his abilities. She'd made him human. How had he been able to save Alex?

"What's wrong?"

Of course Alex notices. Back alive and of course he senses something is off.

"She stole my abilities. She made me human. But - I just - that shouldn't have been possible." He stares down at his hands, wondering what happened to allow him to bring Alex back to life. That he was suddenly able to heal just like Max.

Like Jones.

He reaches out, trying to move something, anything in the vicinity.

Nothing.

Alex takes hold of his hand, pressing it against his heart, keeping his own on top, and Michael looks up at him, meeting his gaze.

"We'll figure it out. Okay?"

Michael nods. Because it feels much more possible to do something, to believe something, when he's got Alex by his side.

#roswell new mexico #malex #malex fic #alex manes #michael guerin #temporary character death #because i apparently like it angsty #this is my contribution to haleigh's handprint agenda #notso writes fanfic

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winderlylandchime · 7 months

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1/2 and we are at 4x06. He came back and sat down and went ‘okay so i am now fully relaxed and chill. I talked to myself in the mirror. And we both agreed that going forward, i will be now more calm.’ ‘What is this? Ohhhh Kinnetik launch party! awww he gave the check back. I knew it was killing him to accept the help…quick question, why didn’t he remove the showers? JUSTIN! Are we back to normal? Oh shit, Deb and Em are roommates!! BLONDIE IS BACK! MY BLONDIE IS BACK! Aww Brian, is gonna make a speec- why the fuck is Lindsay following him up there? Girl get the fuck out, you have nothing to do with any of this. AWW FEMALE BLONDIE IS UP THERE. See! SHE makes sense. Linds doesnt. AND JUSTIN! Now he makes sense because HE NAMED IT! Shoo lindsay, this isnt your moment. LOOK AT THEM KISSING! I LOVE THIS! This was nice! Finally my blondie is back!’ ‘Now why the fuck is Debbie ignoring Vic? Right, she’s angry but still. RAGE? A MOVIE?! HOLY FUCKING SHIT! She needs to stop being a bitch to Vic. I get shes angry but still’ ‘awwww he immediately went to Brian to tell him the news! Of course he did. MY BLONDIE IS BACK! That’s right Brian, go back to school Justin! Look at him making time to celebrate Justin. AWWWW’ ‘TED! AND EM! oh shit, this is gonna be tough, isn’t it? Yeah, i was right, this is tough. Fuck. I feel ripped in half. Im happy for Ted, i understand Em, but i want them to be friends again. Fuck’ ‘oh ben is miserable. And jealous and a bitch. Bro, he is your partner, you’re supposed to be supportive no matter what. Fuck you man’ ‘okay, i get Ted but dude! Come on. Hasn’t Blakey been through enough? Let that man live, he can’t catch a fucking break’ ‘FINALLY VIC AND DEBBIE MADE UP! We have a lot of catching up to do so let’s get to it babies! *waves to deb and vic* this is us when we grow up. Why is she bringing up what all she did for him because of aids? That’s wrong. I take it back, this isn’t us when we grow up. OH FUCK YOU DEBBIE! TOTALLY NOT US! NOT US! NEVER US!’ *he forced me to pinky promise that that wont be us* ‘did they change babylon? I dont remember this bench thing, because i know for a fact that they wouldve fucked on it by season 2. Ohhh Justin being sassy to Brian. Ohhh ibiza *says it like justin and then brian corrects justin* okay, my bad. He could have anything he wanted and he is betting school? HE REALLY CARES ABOUT HIS EDUCATION AND FUTURE. Fellas, how about this, you both fuck him. That way, you go to ibiza AND back to school? Win win’ ‘no Ben, the only piece of shit here is you. What a jealous prick. Who does that? Mike literally told him that he shouldnt judge his book cause he’s not smart enough since he didnt go to community college, which was fucked up b-t-w just to make up for hurting his feelings and this fucker cant even pretend to be happy for a moment? Fuck you. YEAH, GO OFF MIKE’ ‘aw Blake and Emmett. I need them to be friends. Oh god, i just had a realization. I sound like that chick in mean girls who wanted to bake cupcakes and make everyone friends. Blake, deserves the world!’ And now we are at the Britin/gym scene ‘it took 4 seasons for Justin to go with him to the gym? Bullshit, this man was stalking Brian like crazy in season 1. He would’ve had gym membership AND his personal trainer by episode 3. Ohhh its that guy! Damn, Brian really wants him to go back to school. What is he doing? Justin, what did you do? CRABS? What a little shit. I missed this. I missed them’ ‘Lindsay, what the fuck are we doing here again? Bagel? Hair and outfit, looking like that? Babe, what is going on? This is weird AND creepy. DUDE HANDS OFF HER ASS! WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON. YOU SHOULD’VE PUNCHED HIM HARDER AND LET HIM FALL! PIG’

Brother shouting about Lindsay being up on the stage at the launch party is so correct. WHY IS SHE THERE?

Your brother getting all worried and upset about Vic and Debbie's fight. I'm going to cry.

BRIAN DOES CARE ABOUT JUSTIN'S EDUCATION! I am so soft about that.

it took 4 seasons for Justin to go with him to the gym? Bullshit, this man was stalking Brian like crazy in season 1. He would’ve had gym membership AND his personal trainer by episode 3 OKAY I snorted at that. So accurate.

UGH the start of Lindsay and that guy. UGH

#ask winderlylandchime #dear sweet anon #queer as folk #a straight man watches qaf us 2000 in the year of our lord 2023

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hypermania · 3 years

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So how are we feeling about that brio angst?

well. i do love angst. the angstier the better. but to be perfectly honest i did not enjoy that episode at all. it didn’t feel like angst to me. it felt like a non-sensical destruction of 4x06 and 4x07. i don’t understand what the point of putting so much emphasis on the scene of beth making a choice outside of the bank was if she didn’t actually choose anything?? i know we didn’t see her actually make a choice but the implication was that she did.

last night i was telling someone that my issue with what happened in this episode is similar to what happened in 2x13. beth’s reactions (shooting rio/turning rio over to the secret service) to rio’s actions (kidnapping beth/threatening her family and kids) make sense to me but rio’s actions make no sense at all! it’s bad writing! his actions come out of nowhere. and it makes him look like a freaking lunatic (and consequently beth like a callous b*tch who doesn’t care about him at all).

but with 2x13 i feel like they did a LOT to show how much it affected beth. she came home and broke down immediately and then season 3 opened with her so very clearly struggling with what she did, and she continued to struggle with that. then, we watched for the rest of the season, and even into season 4, as they struggled to get back on to some sort of even footing, and while i did not enjoy the execution of the hitman plot, i do feel like it accomplished that goal. beth and rio were equal threats to each other, both personally and professionally. they were in a good place to move forward with a new dynamic.

and then 4x06 and 4x07 happened and they were so good?? rio finally let beth in a little bit! beth was feeling guilty! they were revisiting their feelings for each other! they were feeling protective of each other! they were finally fucking honest with each other! it was good! it was so good! we were getting somewhere!

and then 4x08 came and was like FUCK YOU NONE OF THAT HAPPENED! and i just?? why? what was the point of doing any of that??

see, the thing is that i don’t think rio would actually physically harm any of beth’s family apart from dean (and maybe stan i guess) so those threats fall flat AND they come out of nowhere. beth and rio are supposed to be on the same side now. rio keeps asking beth to choose him but he doesn’t give her any reason to?? it makes no damn sense (and it doesn’t even compel me!). he doesn’t say “this is what WE’RE gonna do” or “here’s the plan” or “here’s how we’re gonna get out of this.” he tells her to choose him and then hangs her out to dry completely. choosing him seems to mean fucking herself over and that makes no sense!!! why on earth would she choose that?? like at this point it doesn’t even feel like she’s betraying him because he keeps telling her to pick him and then giving her zero reason to do that or even a way to do that. he says pick me. she supposedly does. and then he threatens her livelihood and her family but doesn’t give her any alternative. it makes NO SENSE!! this isn’t season 1 where he’s saying if you want to do crime, you have to actually DO the crime (which was fair! he was right! that struggle made sense!). now he’s just saying “yeah um you should... do... something...” but like WHAT IS THAT SOMETHING SUPPOSED TO BE??? tell her what to do that isn’t screwing herself and her family over and she’ll do it???? I AM PULLING MY HAIR OUT IN FRUSTRATION OVER THIS!! and i’m not actually holding this against rio. i think this is just terrible writing meant to continue to cause conflict but it’s not working because the conflict makes no sense anymore. she chose crime! she committed to it! but somehow it’s the same conflict over and over and over again. it’s stagnant. the only growth we see is that beth is a little less conflicted about screwing him over, and she holds her chin high this time, which, okay fine. if that’s the direction they want to take the show, fine! but then actually take it that way! don’t have rio there waiting for her like “oh my beautiful crime princess now we can rule the world... together!” WHAT???

that’s not angst. it’s just stupid. and it’s hella frustrating because i feel like it could’ve been very easily fixed with a few minor adjustments like a reveal at the end that beth was in on it from the beginning. or that she chose him and they made a plan to do something but somehow the secret service were one step ahead and they cornered her in a way that made it so that she really did have no choice. anything but this dumb situation where he just expects her to sacrifice everything for him with nothing in return and then STILL comes crawling back to her after she “betrays” him again. i hate it! i hate it! i hate it!

somewhat related: i’m also having a really hard time with their legal logic this season in a way that is disruptive for me. was it realistic before this season? no. but i could follow the magical tv logic. but now? i don’t know what’s going on! if dean pled guilty, what the fuck would there be a trial for?? he would be sentenced and that would be that. there would be no getting out on bail. why the fuck did they say he pled guilty instead of confessed?!? that’s such a dumb mistake! and it left me confused for several episodes!

and how in the great big dandy fuck does a city councilman have ANY SWAY WHATSOEVER over a federal investigation involving the secret service?? and what do the secret service want with rio anyway? the girls were the ones printing AND laundering the cash. rio’s gang affiliations or what-the-fuck-ever don’t matter!!

AND once they decided he did matter, i thought the whole point was to find out where the money goes?? so how does him sitting on a picnic bench and opening a box of fake cash (not even taking it and getting in his car!) give the secret service anything??? what was the point of spending several episodes trying to get beth to get more information about his operation if all it was gonna take was him looking like he was going to accept that money?? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON ITS SO FRUSTRATING NOTHING MAKES SENSE.

okay. i think i’m done ranting. and since we here at hypermania dot tumblr dot gov value positivity i would just like to say that i very much enjoyed annie’s little nugget of knowledge about occam’s razor. she’s a gem and we’re so happy to have her here.

#bethrio #otp: it's just business #nbc good girls #gg408 #negativity for ts #ggconcrit #anonymous #replies #mp

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iconicbuck · 3 years

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Is he talking to Taylor here? I don't think so. My guess is that Taylor's not even there yet. I feel like this scene is in Bobby and Athena's house. They probably have a small gathering there to celebrate the success of their call. My theory about the "great" line is, Eddie comes to Buck to where he's standing and invited him to his house to finally meet Ana for dinner or whatever. Buck of course agree and he felt like uncomfortable ( I have no proof to back up his discomfort but the way how he looks when he said "great" doesn't look or sound like he's excited or happy) then Eddie is glad Buck agrees and leave him to meet the other people in the area. That moment is when he said "great" and then the doorbell rings signaling Taylor's arrival.

Then here it is, Buck and Taylor finally talking and even said they make a great team.

But what makes Eddie decides to finally introduce Buck to Ana after more than 3 months of dating?

Again, my theory about this came from a pattern of events that happened from the previous episodes. Eddie's impulsive decisions has something to do with Buck's actions. Here's why.

Taylor Kelly was first introduced in 2x06 Dosed episode. Buck clearly show interest on Taylor after rescuing her on that chopper. It was also clear he show his interest when Taylor visited the firehouse for a documentary. Everybody was there to witness, including Eddie.

Shannon was first introduced in 2x07 Haunted episode through Carla's insistence. Carla talked sense to Eddie that Christopher needs his mother though Eddie made it pretty clear he doesn't want Shannon back in his life but because of Carla and the school, he finally gave in and invited Shan to his house. After the argument, he considered reconciling with his wife after the school visit and kissed her. Though hesitant at first, he kissed her again like kissing all his pain away.

Buck jumps back to the dating scene in 2x08 Buck Actually episode. He had sex with Taylor in a public restroom. He even went as far as talking about it to the 118 especially with Bobby. Eddie was there and he heard it. Also, during the episode, Ali's been calling Buck but was hesitant at first. Closing the episode, he finally agreed to meet Ali in a shop. That's when they started dating.

It is now known to everyone that Buck is dating Ali. This is when Eddie finally had sex with his wife in 2x10 Merry Ex-mas episode. After having sex and arguments, Eddie invited Buck instead to join him and Christopher to visit Santa. Buck loves to cry about the military surprised their family videos, Eddie realizes that he fully needs Shannon for Christopher.

Buck and Ali's relationship continues to grow (but there wasn't any build up) Buck finally found an apartment for himself so Ali can stay whenever she wants. Eddie and Shannon's relationship reconciled but it feels like they're both walking on eggshells. The only push that Eddie needs is that when Shannon though she's pregnant but was false alarm. She felt like Eddie looked at her as Chris' mom but not his wife anymore and so she wanted file a divorce and eventually died in 2x17 Careful what you wish for episode.

In 2x18, Ali left Buck. She loves him yes, but she can't handle Buck's job anymore after seeing him almost died.

Season 3 both Buck and Eddie are single. Hmm suspicious.

In Season 4 (LS's crossover episode) Buck was caught staring to Marjan by Hen and Eddie confirmed it by saying "you're staring" looking disappointed. Disappointed Eddie joins Judd, Paul and Marjan instead of his partner. He was intrigued why Buck was staring at her and decides to follows her on Insta. He talks about Buck helping him build the skateboard (It was Buck's idea anyway) and not-so defending him that he's harmless but mostly. It was bordering defending but clearing him while staring at Marjan to get a reaction from her. And later on asked her to follow back Buck in Insta. A mission accomplished for Eddie.

In 4x06, Buck announced the software update to Buck 3.0 - Kinder and Gentler version of himself. It was also his declaration of moving on from the past and starts to look for his future because he was tired of looking behind his shoulder. Eddie processed all the new information and even said that Buck should allow to give himself some time to process. An advice that he's been doing to himself, allowing some time to mourn more. STUCK. Eddie met Ana again. He talked about it to Buck but nothing came out of their conversation. He almost forgot about it when Buck's bratty attitude cornered him in front of his team mates about Ana's love languages (Like as if Eddie knows, right?) Hen, Chim and Bobby interrogates him about her. It was then implied that Eddie has no plans of dating Ana but it was Bobby that pushed him to go back out there to find something real. So Eddie dates Ana in an episode called JINX.

After learning Eddie's date (an implied scenario) Buck let himself back to the market as well in 4x07 and dated Veronica. It ended up in a disaster. He talks about it to Eddie even if the date didn't end well. Information is key.

After learning of Buck's back to dating again, Eddie dates Ana again, in her house. A Math date which he set an alarm for. Eddie did even say she's a terrible Math teacher but a great cook and an amazing woman. Just like a female version of someone. Buck is terrible at Math, can cook and obviously an amazing guy. Buck asked Eddie how was the date and he answered without looking his eye that she taught her MATH. It was an intentional slap to Buck's lack of Math knowledge. Why mention Math? I will never understand. Also, Taylor Kelly is back again. Covering at the same time the 118 attending the call. Buck was with Taylor most of the 6-hour waiting call while the 118 we're almost together. An implication that everyone knows including Eddie that Buck is with Taylor talking to her the whole damn time. So that night an impulse decision was made, he tells Chris that he's seeing someone. Christopher didn't take the news right and went straight to Buck's. Since they didn't show the scene where Eddie picks Chris to Buck's house where most probably he learned that Buck just came from a double date with Taylor and Albert with Veronica, and after learning Taylor called Buck to ask for a miracle, another impulse decision Eddie has made, he let Ana introduce her to his son too soon..

While Buck and Taylor continues to be friends, Eddie and Ana's relationship continues after 3 months of dating as seen by the time jump in 4x10 Parenthood episode.

As you can see, everything that Buck does first, it affects Eddie... In a very SUBTLE WAY. Another perfect example was the lawsuit. Buck's lawyer told Buck to stop communicating to the 118 (including Eddie) until the arbitration. The none contact triggered Eddie's past from Shannon. It was an implication that he put Buck in Shannon's position. The none contact has seen Eddie in an instant downward spiral. His impulsive decisions and constipated emotions led him to jail and almost kill someone in an underground fight club. This is the same person who will do everything for his SON, fyi.

So what I'm trying to say again here is, after the episodes 4x11 and 4x12 where most probably a Buck/Taylor centric episodes, Eddie's gonna make an impulse decision again and invite Buck to finally meet Ana to his house. And Buck, most probably bring Taylor with him. We'll see about that.

#911onfox #Buddie #Evan Buckley #Eddie Diaz #Taylor Kelly #Ana Flores #Theories and Speculations because why not

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johannas-motivational-insults · 3 years

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So I don’t mean this argumentatively, I’m just genuinely confused & would like to understand this. I also struggle with empathy & take things very literally, so that could be part of why I’m not understanding. But where is Catra shown to be empathetic or compassionate? I understand that her abuse informs a lot of her actions and that’s why she is impulsive, lies, and manipulates others in the earlier seasons- they’re survival tactics that she got from SW + growing up in the Horde.

But I didn’t notice her going out of her way for others unless it could also benefit her in some way. I’ve also seen people say that she died in the process of sending Glimmer to Adora, & therefore deserves redemption because she made the ultimate sacrifice, only to then be saved and effectively made to work on her behavior and become a better person. And that would be all well & good, except we don’t really see her working on her behavior, except in the scene where she’s telling Adora that she’s working on her anger, and in the scene where she asks her to stay. I’m also not sure that she actually died, though I have heard a lot of people saying that. And I get that it’s called a redemption arc for a reason, & that the implication is that she will continue to work on her behavior and be better, but I just don’t know that we saw enough of that in the show.

So the thing with Catra is that a lot of this is pretty subtle. And as I said in the other ask that I assume you’re referring to with this, she’s often driven by a mix of selfish and unselfish motives. You’re correct that a lot of the times she does things for other people could also be seen as selfish moves because there’s something in it for her too, but that’s not always true and even when it is it doesn’t mean that that empathy or care for other people isn’t there.

Some examples of times when she shows empathy/care for others while also helping herself:

Gives Adora the sword so she and Glimmer can escape in 1x09, which is a kindness to Adora but also allows Catra to keep her job and her power (even if it breaks her heart to give up on bringing Adora back)

Warns Entrapta to stay out of Hordak’s sanctum and chases Entrapta down when she defies her in 2x03, which seems to be a mix of not wanting to deal with an angry Hordak herself and protecting a rather oblivious Entrapta from getting into trouble

(Note that in both of these examples she does this in a rather brusque or mean way, hiding her concern, but the subtext is there if you watch closely)

However, there are also many instances where Catra helps other people despite there not only being nothing in it for her, but when it’s actually against her own interests. Here’s the ones I can think of off the top of my head (but I’m sure there’s more):

Lies about Adora’s whereabouts and then her identity as She-Ra early in season 1 to protect her from the Horde, even after she’s promoted to Force Captain, which is dangerous not only to her career but to her life and limb

Tries to comfort her abuser Shadow Weaver when she sees her in distress in 1x04 and 1x10, the former instance right after Shadow Weaver gears up to attack her and "drag the truth” from her mind (anyone less empathetic would run away or even gloat)

Brings Shadow Weaver her old badge in 2x06 as a final favor when SW is about to be shipped away for good, despite it possibly being something that could get her in trouble and there being nothing in it for her (and in fact if she’s as selfish and callous as some say she’d deny SW this closure out of spite)

Turns down Scorpia’s offer to break her out of prison in 3x01, which seems to be entirely for Scorpia’s benefit as Catra has nothing to lose at this point (people just don’t see the compassion in this because she drives Scorpia away in a mean way to ensure she actually leaves)

Doesn’t tell Hordak that Scorpia “broke the recordings” that were inside Emily in 4x06, lies and says there was nothing, which turns Hordak’s anger on her instead of Scorpia (this perhaps is also motivated by guilt over how she just yelled at Scorpia and said awful things to her -- like I said, Catra is complicated -- but alleviating her guilt doesn’t help her situation at all so that’s borderline)

If you want, there’s a whole tweet thread of instances of Catra showing care and empathy for others. Some of these are weaker than others and the list may not be complete, but they’re all there for your consideration.

In addition to the things she does for other people, a lot of this is in her body language. If you really watch Catra, you can see that being cruel does not come naturally to her and she feels conflicted about a lot of her choices (or is straight up haunted by them, like her nightmare about betraying Entrapta in 4x03). Likewise, you often see her expression soften when she sees someone in distress. There are so many examples, it’s something baked into her character and it’s evident throughout the show, even when she’s at her lowest. But I think people often miss these moments because she usually shoves that initial reaction down and reacts in a way that on paper just makes her look like a cruel villain. For instance, she has a particularly guilt-stricken moment in 4x12 when Kyle calls her out for treating her old squad badly before she reacts by shoving that guilt down and reasserting her power, as that’s the only thing protecting her.

You have to understand that Catra was taught both implicitly and explicitly that compassion and vulnerability are weaknesses. And throughout the show, oftentimes when she does open up or do something for someone else it results in her being hurt/betrayed. Shadow Weaver in 2x06 and Double Trouble in 4x13 teach her that trusting people and allowing them in is dangerous and only ends in pain and devastation (and with Shadow Weaver, it teaches her the same lesson about showing mercy). When she spirals into her homocidal/suicidal breakdown starting in 3x03 it’s because she finds out Shadow Weaver left her to join the rebellion, just like Adora, and that Bright Moon is now harboring her abuser (as she understands it). Thing is, that all happens just as she’s starting to open up to and actually befriend Scorpia, and even though Scorpia isn’t the one who hurt her it still reinforces that pattern that vulnerability and kindness comes before a horrible, life-shattering event. Because of all this, she hides the empathy and kindness intrinsic to her actual character under layers of power and cruelty to protect her broken heart from being hurt again and protect herself from getting removed from power, because that’s the only thing keeping her from becoming someone’s abuse victim again after so many years suffering under Shadow Weaver’s heel.

I totally hear you about wishing there was a bit more to Catra’s redemption arc, but much like the rest of her emotional arc a lot of it is implicit. I’m very glad they added that one moment where she talks about working on her anger as well as her mini arc with Perfuma in 5x10 that culminated in Perfuma’s speech about learning to be vulnerable so you can be happy. But there’s lots of smaller moments buried in the season too, where we see her conflicted and struggling with these impulses of protecting herself vs. opening up or showing kindness. I mean, her half of 5x06 was basically about that too, though that’s only the beginning of this journey. Having Melog around was great too because they not only mirror her emotions for the audience to see but also help her process said emotions. Basically, the redemption is a process for her and a lot of it is not super explicit but in the end I think we have all we need to understand who Catra really is and that she wants to do better and is going to continue to in the future.

Really, Catra’s redemption arc is not so much about making up for what she did (which I and many others wish there was more of but oh well) as it is about rediscovering her true self and honoring that, learning to be vulnerable and kind again. In the end, her willingness to open herself up to potential rejection and loss and her kindness and love motivating her to help Adora get to the Heart and complete her mission are what ended up saving the universe, and that was a very intentional choice by the creators. Catra’s journey is not about coming back to Adora, it’s about coming back to herself, and I think that’s beautiful.

#spop #she-ra #she ra #catra #catrademption #redemption arc #catradora #abuse survivor psychology #asks #anon

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missmaxime · 3 years

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how do you feel about the show making rio so unlikable? is the backstory a fix it?

Let me start of with that I don’t think the show is making Rio more unlikable. I don’t know if you mean that they are visibly showing him committing more violence and crime. But I’m assuming this is an ask in response to the wire-scene from Sunday’s episode. Watch me under the cut go through the past three seasons and a little some season 4 to tell you how I see Rio’s character progression. I’m not really sure if this is what you’re asking an answer to, but if it’s not tell me! * Rio’s (non) POV * Escalation in violence * Different views on S3 * More into the wire-scene * Prediction for 4x06 / Backstory

Rio has always been shown to be a ruthless and violent criminal. In the beginning of S1 he had no problem murdering the girls, and has made death threats ever since. He shot Dean, killed Eddie, had Turner assassinated and murdered Lucy in front of the girls. I don’t know how people can see him any other way, it’s not something that was ever hidden by the show. He’ll go through every length to protect himself and his business. We know Beth has been a soft spot for him since Season 1 too. In the beginning because it was a fun and interesting business opportunity, but we’ve seen their relationship develop for better and worse across seasons. I think we have to keep in mind that Rio is a character we’ve seen almost exclusively through POV that aren’t his own, and mostly through Beth’s. And we as viewers see a limited amount of information about him, that we translate in our own ways. I’ve seen people interpreted the 2x01 scene where Rio shows Marcus to Beth through such rose-colored glasses for example. I can see how a viewer, and Beth, could see it as a scene that would frame him as more likeable. But I also see how that was exactly Rio’s point; He wanted Beth to see that it’s not just her who has kids on the line with her crime-life, as a way to invalidate her constant argument of ‘being a mom’ and ‘having a family’ as if that would make her special or something. She’s a drug dealer and counterfeiter like him, not a criminal with a heart of gold because they happen to have a child. Season 2 really started unpacking Rio’s character more. In Season 1, if the whole Rio/Beth – CH/MM chemistry hadn’t existed, I could definitely see the character of Rio being done late Season 1/early Season 2. But that’s not what happened, so now Rio had to become a person with connections and feelings and deeper motivations – but it’s still a character that’s in the base there to drive Beth forward as a character and deeper into crime. Which is a tricky balance, and I don’t think the show always made that work. Obviously the most clear example of that is the loft scene in 2x13. Now there’s more than one thing to be said about that scene, but I’m focusing now Rio himself. It’s the big finale, a lot of things needed to come together here and explode. Overall I don’t think the build-up was executed well, but it doesn’t help that we have no Rio POV here. His decision to kidnap Beth, confront her with her lack of taking responsibility and lying about her rotten eggs, and his complete oversight of her response to being pinned his fall guy really dropped out of – maybe not completely thin, but at least barely medium thick – air for me. Concerning the racial element I think THIS POST by @septiembrre explains this much better than white, non-American me ever will. Regardless of the fact if the racial element of 2x13 affects a viewer, this poorly executed finale left lots of people unsatisfied at best. When Season 3 started we did start to see more Rio POV, or parts of his story told through Rhea, even though it was limited. I know there’s a lot of critique on the S3 we got, that I personally don’t understand – I loved it, it was so amazingly angsty, especially the Beth and Rio interactions were so loaded and simmering with guilt and anger and sadness and desperation – but if you’re searching for catharsis in a way of Rio coming back with a vengeance with guns ablaze, then that’s really not what you got. What Season 3 did do was putting the violence and cruelty Rio is capable of more on the forefront, and making us feel the weight of it more (I don’t know about the rest of you, but in the previous seasons I felt they really underplayed a lot of it). Rio had competing gangs taken out through Turner, has Turner assassinated along with a lot of other FBI agents, he fully intended on killing Beth before the pregnancy lie, kills innocent Lucy through Mick and disposes her body gruesomely, has the girls deliver Boomer with all intention of harming him (if not murder) and full on frames Beth for Lucy’s murder with her prints on the gun. I don’t think these kind of actions weren’t going on in the previous seasons, but now it’s more on display because Rio made Beth a part of this side of crime (and with that, us the viewers). In the beginning of Season 4 I feel like we’re making a bit of a jump when it comes to Beth and Rio’s relationship, maybe one that’s a little too big compared to the distance we ended on in Season 3 (even if they seemed friendly in their last Boland Bubbles scene). Lucy’s body is found and we learn that said gun was also used to taking out some gang member of an opposing gang of Rio’s, so after Turner’s sweep he apparently wasn’t done. That gun now becomes a much bigger thing to hold over Beth (and I’m speculating because we don’t know for sure, but we can guess that now Annie’s prints are on it – which is an ever bigger press on Beth because she won’t let her little sister take the fall, while she would do so herself. And I think she’s up for a rude awakening that while she’s under the impression that Rio has always employed the three of them, what was actually going on is that Rio employs Beth, and he sees Annie and Ruby as Beth’s employees and thereby offers them zero protection). So her counter with his print doesn’t come a moment too soon. I feel like Beth asking him to murder ‘Dave’, albeit with a lie about his identity and not as straightforward as Rio might wish, is a positive shift for him. She might not pick up a gun herself to do the deed, but much like Rio has Mick shoot Lucy, she very deliberately gives a killing order through him. And with a very drama heaux set-up we see him personally – and he has no reason to not have Mick do it – shoot Fitzpatrick. Aside from the fact that I have no doubt Rio may not have knew the specifics but he knew Beth had something orchestrated, the fact that some sniper dude was the target has it really drive home to him that it’s something else than Secret Service, and that they are still active around Beth. So we’re finally here, 4x05 The Banker – which I’m gonna guess was the reason you send this ask in the first place. In particular the wire-scene. In the first scene we learn that Rio has found the tracker on his car, and he turns it off or breaks it – so he knows he’s still being watched. It makes the most sense that even if he takes the leap that he put down a Secret Service agent, that they just replaced them and Beth is likely still working for them. He meets her in her kitchen – which isn’t that common at this point, last we know he was there is after the failed hit on him. And she doesn’t even jump when she sees him, just accepts it. He motions for her to be quiet before slowly stepping into her space, and she very logically responds with a ‘what are you doing?’, and he stares back long and hard to say that he means business. He has all the reason to suspect her wearing a wire, even if this wasn’t a planned meeting, and it wouldn’t be the first time she lied to his face. It’s clear to me (but I’ve seen this interpreted differently) that Beth fast finds a solid stance in this powerplay. Rio doesn’t seem happy about the fact it has come to this, and neither does she. I’m not sure if you send me this ask because you have negative feelings about this scene, but I can tell you I can’t answer those. This scenario could have been portrayed so wrong with any other actors or the way they shot it, but I feel like they delivered superbly on it. It’s in no way sexual or intimidating like I’ve seen some posts suggest, I just see two brokenhearted people who see the little trust they rebuilt fall apart in in thirty seconds. At the end Beth ends up winning, a bitter win maybe, this confrontation. Rio’s obviously still suspicion, but she also gained some trust with her asking him to kill ‘Dave’, so setting her up as The Banker is some sort of twisted reward and punishment and test at the same time. It’s not explained, but I think ‘The Banker’ might have been a hidden figure before Beth stepped up to show her face (before her flunky’s came to collect in name of The Banker) – making this an even better set-up if it’s so because that takes Rio out of the equation altogether even. We end the episode on the note where Rio tells Beth he has people he answers to, and that they want to meet her. Which, again, sound like both a reward and a punishment and a test. We’ll have to see next Sunday what it really means. IN this episode we’ll meet some of Rio’s family, likely his boss(es) and get backstory on him. I don’t see that as a fix-it, but mostly because I don’t see anything needed of fixing. I’m glad we’re getting an insight into Rio’s past, and I love that it likely will broaden his backstory and motivations more. But I feel like the way Rio’s character and the amount and the way of it seems very fitting to the story and the perspective it’s told through. I’m not sure if this is an answer to your question, so feel free to send me a more specific one if you want to!

#gg spoilers #anon ask #rio #gg analysis #beth x rio #rio analysis #nbc good girls

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cassierobinsons · 2 years

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"(not in a weird way like dabb vs dean, in a genuinely fun/interesting way)"

LMAO! dabb is so weird for me because he'll churn out some episodes i really like and find compelling (dark side of the moon, red meat) but then he can't stop himself from writing dean half the time like dean is a real person who fucked and ghosted multiple members of his family and then scrapped his car when pulling out of the driveway. THE definition of "making up a guy to get mad at."

"tbqh a lot of takes on dean irk me deeply because they feel like they come from people who lowkey think of him as an uncouth lumpenprole trogolodyte iykwim."

OKAY. ok. it's like you're looking directly into my psyche. the phrase i've used for how people characterize dean is "lumbering ogre" but this is way better. it really does come down to people thinking dean is stupid because he grew up poor and doesn't feel the need to hide it. all those fics/posts where ivy league educated sam has to calmly explain the concept of bisexuality to dean...flames on the side of my face. and 100%, alcoholism is retconned into something that's inherently a part of who dean always was because he sucks and deserves to end up like john. which i've also never liked as a motif and feel like only exists for dean bc post season 8 everyone decided to stop giving sam any character traits.

gamble era IS dull and miserable, speak on that! all eras have their deep flaws but i watched gamble's live and it was a fucking nightmare to care about what was going on half the time.

(following on from this ask)

anon i wish timezones/my job/my v. slow typing speed didn't mean i can only answer one of these asks a day :S

dabb's whole deal w/ dean was surprising to me as someone who saw him being gassed up to hell and back pre-finale because he (and i guess loflin to some extent) really do write the secret version of dean that exists in a bitter samgirls head. dean can be a prick. he can be lacking in self-awareness. but dabb seems to take that as his default state of being. even hunter heroici which i enjoy overall has dean initially annoyed over having to work a case with cas which is so ooc it makes me want to bite lmfao. and then you have eps like 4x06 and 4x13 which are so obviously about dabb hashing out his issues with w/e meathead bullied him in high school.

dabb's dean is even horrible to kids, because dabb doesn't know what a dead in the water is and he doesn't care to find out. one of my biggest issues w/ 7x03 besides the whole butchering of japanese folklore and jewel straite playing yet another role better suited for an asian woman is that even if you think dean killing amy makes sense, the way he speaks to jacob afterwards is so fucking sociopathic that i cannottttt acknowledge that episode as canon.

DSOtM is an exception to this, and i think it's because having john w around to act as the narrative's punching bag means he lacks the energy to use dean as one too.

it really does come down to people thinking dean is stupid because he grew up poor and doesn't feel the need to hide it. all those fics/posts where ivy league educated sam has to calmly explain the concept of bisexuality to dean...flames on the side of my face.

LITERALLYYYYYY. sometimes you read a deancrit take and it's like oh i KNOW you don't know any working class ppl irl. it's not that dean doesn't have a ton he needs to work on but there's this assumption that he somehow doesn't know or understand any of his issues or where they come from and needs a third party to condescendingly explain it to him etc and i can't help but feel like it's because he doesn't express himself the way sam, the brother who reads as upwardly mobile, does. this is also the reason his alcoholism is treated as an inherent character flaw and proof he's eternally doomed to be just like his pa.

i keep hearing that sam has nothing going on post-s8 and as someone who's stuck 1/3rd into s9 i truly believe it. i know the gadreel thing is bad on an objective level but it has zero emotional impact for me because sam's POV is almost nonexistent. like i do not like s8 sam at all but at least there was something going on there! he was a hayes code homophobe with the haircut of a premade sim but it was something!

(i can't get into sam-explains-bisexuality-to-dean because i've complained about it enough lmfao I HATE IT SO MUCH)

gamble era's just... it has interesting ideas but executes all of them as disappointingly as possible because sera gamble is more interested in misery than a coherent story. it's btvs s6 but twice as long and about men (🤢). s6 is a series of meandering b-plots the show expects us to give a shit about punctuated with the odd outstanding MOTW ep that the writers were keeping in a drawer for a rainy day. every one of those b-plots is dropped in order to finally address the second apocalypse-shaped elephant in the room despite the previous ~19 eps treating cas like a fucking square for caring about it. still, the finale is good - ideologically i don't agree with kripke but he kinda went off with 6x22 - and sets godstiel up as an interesting antagonist for s7 only for the first 2 episodes to squander all of that potential for dick jokes. and i really enjoyed dick roman as a character! he feels a buffyverse villain and it's legitimately fun! but a good chunk of s7 is sam & dean moping and hashing out their issues with each other by killing women & girls. rip amy & emma! not to mention dean's dropped alcoholism arc AND sam's dropped hallucifer arc. like until late s7 gamble era was so scorched earth miserable that i wonder what exactly she was aiming for. 8 seasons and a brotherly murder-suicide?

this is getting a little long. suffice to say dabb + gamble bring the hater out in me.

#let it bleed is so fucking FOULLLLL #mindwipe + dean not knowing who lovecraft is + LISA'S BLACK BF GET'S MURDERED AFTER 10 SECONDS #i have to pretend it doesn't exist #asks #anonymous

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what-do-1000-swords-look-like · 3 years

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Hi I’m sorry to sound stupid but… what does your Taylor post mean? I understand what the point of all your other posts are, but I read the Taylor one twice and I’m still confused.

No hate, I’m just stupid and would like it explained please 😭

Omgoodness, Nonnie, you are not stupid at all!!! I have to be very honest, sometimes my typing does not always catch up to my brain and before I know it, I have a whole rambling, sometimes jumbled, post I put out there without having proofread it to not only make sure they sound like complete sentences but also that it makes sense lol. So that is completely my fault and I apologize.

If this is the post you're referring to, I only meant to point out that Taylor is really going through a similar journey that Buck has gone through in the series. There are a lot of parallels/echos, and similarities. And Buck is essentially now dating himself, but the 2.0 version. I don't know how season 5 will go, but from what we've seen so far, this absolutely tracks.

When we first meet Buck, we know that he was Buck 1.0 (as he calls himself), where he was casually hooking up with various different women, coming across as cocky and reckless, and even stealing the firetruck (which is the ultimate turning-up-your-nose to the department and truthfully actionable and firing offense at the first strike) to meet some of these hookups. As we go into the season, we soon find out that Buck, while he may be careless and reckless at times, actually has a heart and there is more to him. He genuinely wants to change his ways and do better. This is brought to the forefront even more once his relationship begins with Abby. Once Abby is gone from the series, Buck is now 2.0, as he claims.

When we first meet Taylor in season 2, she is very career-driven (similar to Buck) and is determined not only to get her big break but to make sure she never has to go back up in that helicopter, reporting on traffic. She and Buck have some unresolved sexual tension until it's resolved once Buck has decided his relationship with Abby is truly over. And this is after Buck is not thrilled that she had intended to use Bobby's personal story and the story of the firefighters being dosed but the network had shut her down on it. While they had great chemistry, it quickly becomes a matter of them casually hooking up. Chimney even points out that Taylor has "bucked" Buck and is Buckette 1.0. So while Buck was himming and hawing about him indulging in casual sex with Taylor and what it could mean for him and his character progression, Taylor was literally in her 1.0 phase. Work was her priority (which is totally fine, I don't mean to give that a negative connotation) and she was getting some where she wanted to when she wanted to and that was it, nothing deeper and nothing further. (which again is totally fine and I'm honestly extremely happy to see a strong smart independent woman such as herself who absolutely can do the same things as a man can on my screen and there are no double standards and she is not slut-shamed for it like most media tends to do)

We know that Buck eventually moves away from the whole thing (choosing to eventually pursue a relationship with Ali beginning in 2x08) and he goes through a lot of character development in the next two seasons. In 4x06, we see him telling the firefam that he is now Buck 3.0, a "kinder, gentler" version, which happens after the huge issue with his parents, finding the truth out about his birth, and him trying to determine who he is and what his purpose is.

In season 4, Taylor is re-introduced to Buck's life and it looks as if the casual relationship is going to start up again (what she says to Buck when she arrives at Veronica's apartment and his response), but instead it turns into a friendship. A friendship that Taylor sorely needs in that moment, just like Buck needed Abby's friendship at first back in season 1. We see that Buck's feelings change and he is hoping for more but Taylor keeps him strictly in the friend zone, until she doesn't (in 4x14). Similar to how things went with Buck and Abby. Abby had sought out Buck first, she had asked him out, etc but it was Buck who put up the stop sign, until he doesn't. Taylor in season 4 is evolving into Buck 2.0 and that's who she is by the end of it.

Essentially, Buck is dating himself. The two characters are very paralleled and what's even funnier is that in this interview, Oliver talks about how Buck and Taylor bring out positives in each other, and he's right. Taylor is not as rigid as when we first met her. Personally, I think it's not Buck that's making her less so like that, I think that "thawing" was there to begin with and we see that with the vaccine issue which funnily enough is that they have started to thaw out. Buck certainly contributes as does the 118 (as the interviewer mentions), but ultimately, Taylor had changed before we saw her again. Even though they teased her being back to her old self with her showing up at Veronica's apartment and what she expected from Buck, we see there's something underneath all of that. Something that I'm willing to bet wasn't there before. But ultimately, Oliver is right in what he says, this relationship will be interesting to watch and see how it not only progresses Taylor's story/arc but also Buck's. He even connects her to Abby and Maddie, stating that they were fulfilling that role for Buck and that he needs someone outside of the 118, after seeing what happened to Red. He made that connection and the kicker? Abby decides to call Buck (at Carla's urging) after seeing him being interviewed on the news about the roller coaster emergency. Buck had been trying to call Taylor to apologize for what happened at the dinner and he watches as she starts to get emotional while reporting the news, then calls Buck and tells him she needs help with the vaccines. Another parallel/echo which absolutely validates that connection to Abby that he's talking about.

My whole long point is that I absolutely believe Buck 3.0 is now dating Taylor (Buckette) 2.0. And since I love to talk about the framing of this show, I think this is also a big hint to that theory:

SHere, Taylor is focused on Christopher, someone we haven't seen her meet yet on screen. While obviously the reunion between father and son was endearing and heartwarming, the fact that the only time we see Taylor (in her very brief scenes) looking at Eddie is when the door opens, and here she's looking at Christopher but Ana and Abuela are not, but Carla is? Something is off here. Not only does Taylor stick out like a sore thumb in this group (because this was Eddie's welcome home and everyone that is important to him outside of the 118 is there), but something is completely off. Which is shown by the lack of Eddie greeting her like he does everyone else.

She is doing the exact same action another character is doing, on the periphery, adjacent to her. And who might that be? This guy:

They're literally echoing each other here. Buck never comes closer to either make sure Eddie greets Taylor and nothing is awkward or goes to her side. Instead, he stands in the open doorway, on the threshold, taking the scene in. Carla is literally sandwiched in between Ana and Taylor when the door first opens and they yell "Surprise!" And iirc, I don't think we've seen Carla meet Taylor either, another important person to Buck. Carla has always been the one who sees through things, who knows what people really want, and to give them a nudge in the right direction when needed. She did it with Abby in season 1. She did it with Buck in season 2. She did it with Eddie in season 3 and then again, in season 4. It's all connected. Ana and Taylor have been stand-ins for Buck and Eddie for each other up until the end of season 4. Just like Lena had been a stand-in for Buck for Eddie in season 3 (though it never turned romantic, because that's not what Eddie needed at the time, he needed a reliable friend, someone he could count on). And imho, the writers took it a step further and has Buck dating himself, but the 2.0 version.

But I think this will all lead Buck to where he needs to be by the end of season 5, wherever that may be. This relationship with Taylor will be important for his development in some way and get him even closer to whatever the writers are planning for him. But Buck and Taylor may "balance each other out" but it's a question of how long that balance will last should Taylor evolve into 3.0 or Buck into 4.0, and how their similarities and parallels will come into play when it comes time for them to decide what they really want.

That's all I meant, Nonnie. I think Buck is dating a previous version of himself and it will be interesting to see how this contributes and/or affects his character development in some way. I hope that answers your question better than that post could. Have a great rest of your weekend!!! <3

#ask #buck and taylor parallels #buck and taylor #911 fox #evan buck buckely #evan buckley my beloved #ask answered

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fearless-beggar · 3 years

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4x06

A kind of grumpy hot take on last night’s episode. Kind of spoilery and not very happy with Conrad:

Let me preface this with the disclosure that I’m currently in the midst of my medical training and this really bothers me when I see it in real life too.

Conrad was a huge class A dickwad this episode, and not just about Billie. Conrad Not Having All the Information™️ and being reactionary and holding a grudge for 3 years is 100% in character and he came around by the end of the episode. People don’t always get along with everyone and his dynamic with Billie, who he doesn’t like but isn’t a Bad Guy is refreshing imo.

Instead I want to talk about how he treated Nic and how the show completely let him off the hook. I totally get it man, she’s in a fragile place. You want to take care of her. You’re terrified of losing the baby. But Conrad repeatedly overstepped in a big way. He is NOT the doctor here, he’s the husband. He’s not rational or objective when it comes to her and he does a lousy job of LISTENING to his wife.

She starts the episode sure something is wrong with the baby, and he dismisses it as ptsd. Well, guess what, she was right. Extra fluid in the fetal tissues (actually a condition called called hydrops) is REALLY REALLY dangerous and there’s about a 1 in 4 chance of fetal demise in those cases. Nic has spent 4 seasons establishing her capabilities as a NP and its so annoying for her clinical judgement to be disregarded because she’s pregnant now. She knows her body and she’s a capable nurse and that doesn’t suddenly vanish because she’s growing a human. Conrad has some nerve telling Billie to be her friend and not her doctor since he spends the entire episode steamrolling over Nic and making every decision for her and the only damn person who seems to be listening to what Nic has to say is Billie.

This is best demonstrated in the scene where they’re discussing the fetal blood transfusion (Medical sidebar: baby must be O negative like her daddy for this to make clinical sense 💕💕) Anyway, Nic makes it clear she wants to be awake for the procedure as they’re discussing it. Discussing it WITHOUT her surgeon present! Why did Gabbi discuss the diagnosis with Conrad and not Nic?! NIC IS THE PATIENT NOT HER HUSBAND, THANKS! I don’t care how good of a doctor he is. HE. IS. NOT. THE. PATIENT. He also seemed to take the lead during the actual procedure, which is like fifty shades of unethical and inappropriate.

Conrad dismisses Nic completely and it’s never brought up again. Excuse me? Nic has a right to be involved in her own medical decision making. Non-sedated intrauterine blood transfusions aren’t usually clinically indicated but Nic is not your average patient, she understands the procedure and wants to be awake for it and that’s at least worth a discussion. It’s definitely worth a discussion with the actual doctor who will be performing the procedure. Nic went through a horrible violent experience, now more than ever she has a right to control what happens to her body and her baby.

It’s called bodily autonomy and pregnant women have as much a right to it as anyone else. NIC is the patient and ultimately decisions regarding her care (should be) her own. I was so disappointed with this show in the same episode they make the brilliant move to make Kit CEO. Conrad sorta makes up with Billie and admits his asshole behavior towards her, but not Nic. The writers don’t even acknowledge it as a problem, Nic never tells him to let her decide, Billie doesn’t even call him out on his bullshit. They (the writers) just let him unilaterally make all the decisions and justify it when everything turns out ok for baby. This bothers me so so much as a woman and a doctor. Society is so obsessed with telling pregnant women what they can and can’t do and I was mad disappointed with Conrad’s behavior towards his wife this whole episode and the writers treatment of Nic.

Tl;dr Conrad disrespected Nic’s ability to make her own medical decisions the whole episode and the show did not address it as wrong and I have a big fat problem with that.

#The Resident #no one cares #but I needed to get it off my chest #this is probably so rambling I hope it makes sense #I still love the show don't attack me but I can still be critical of it when I see issues #Conrad Hawkins #Nic Nevin

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livinginsunnyhell · 3 years

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My rewatch is up to 5x07. Yes I will be finishing this before the end of the season. I have no idea what episode is even out for 11.

-Sammi is batshit!!! I forgot how crazy she gets cause frank couldn’t care less about her. Her shooting Frank is crazy as fuck and I don’t understand why Lip atleast didn’t tell Fiona so they could get her out of there before the shit with Carl and Ian happens. Frank should’ve listened to Sheila. But also why is fiona letting her move into the house and take care of the kids? It’s like they all just accept it even though Sammi adds nothing but drama and then the way she tries to push Fiona out is annoying.

-Frank was a better character when he bounced off of Sheila. I liked their chemistry and storylines. Sheila made everything better.

-I really could care less about Fiona’s boy drama. It takes away from her quality as a character. But also I hate how she just kinda drops her duties of taking care of everyone just cause some guy is in her life.

- I’m not sure if I should feel sympathetic or not for V and the babies and Kevin. The whole storyline confuses me. Adding svetlana to the mix is just eh...

-also Fiona subtly moving out is super shitty.

-I think I skipped 90% of her scenes with Gus. I just could care less.

-Sammi claiming she’s trying to keep the house together is laughable. It’s like debbie six seasons later. It also shows how Fiona is legit the only person who runs the house and can keep it together.

-the end of season 4 are the best two episodes of the entire show.

-Ian! Mickey! Omg! Mickey hugging Ian’s jacket is the sweetest thing. Mickey and Ian at the psych ward. Also basically Mickey and Ian from 4x06 to now is just amazing. I love them so much. There’s so much that goes on with them in this part. The way Mickey handles Ian in the psych ward and getting our and disappearing once he does get out it’s just very emotional. It makes me love Mickey even more.

-my favorite moment between then will forever be sorry I’m late. It just speaks volumes from when Ian is trying to get out to go back to Mickey and then his constant calling to see where he is and Mickey obviously has been fighting and drinking. It’s just a really great culmination.

- they both have their own sides of the bed.

-my favorite Ian and Mickey storyline is 4x11 to now. I love how worried Mickey is. I love Mickey facing his dad. I know there’s a lot of feelings about it but when everything is said and done it just shows his strength at facing something he’s struggled with for years. I know it’s not the ideal way for everything to fall out but Mickey puts everything on the line for Ian and Ian fights beside him. And then he steps up to take care of Ian like this is the only option. It just speaks to him as a character.

-svetlana blackmailing and mocking Mickey for being gay and nearly being killed because of his dad’s hatred of homosexuality it’s really telling of her character. I know everyone likes her but I do not...

-I hate Ian cheating but I love how he can barely look at himself in the mirror. It says so much about where his head is now. Ian cheating always brings up so many confused feelings for me. I don’t condone it but they never talk about what they are to each other etc. so when Ian says he doesn’t realize how much it meant to Mickey after the porno you realize how even though they’re so connected they suck at communication. Logically you’d understand that if they’re living together etc. you shouldn’t cheat. But Ian is dealing with all of this stuff. You can tell when the porno is brought up how he doesn’t realize he did anything wrong. On some level I wonder if Ian didn’t think his happiness with Mickey would last.

-Ian’s silent tears at the psych ward hits you. Hard. So does the kiss on mickeys forehead after the bar fight.

-Mickey getting dressed up to see Ian hits you. Hard. So does the jacket hugging.

-there’s such a problem with rape in this show. No one addresses rape at all. I don’t like Matty but what happened to him was shitty and the way lip kinda laughs about it the same way he does Mickey in season 3 is just a lot to take in. And don’t even get me started on the Mandy stuff from season 2. Or the fact Ian was probably also raped when working at the club after going home with random men when he was so drugged up. I know this has been touched on before but seeing lip kinda joke about matty and Mickey at such different times is a lot.

-fionas comment about not thinking Mickey would show is valid. She saw how freaked out he was at the psych ward. I honestly don’t blame him for wanting distance and not showing up. It’s a lot to take in. She has an idea in her mind that family only takes care of family (she’s so protective over her siblings) and I think she recognizes that Mickey wants to be there for Ian and wants to make sure he’s okay (4x12 she recognizes this I think) but like she said knowing it and getting the cold hard truth by hearing it are two different things. Also all the Gallagher’s have an idea about what they’re going to have to deal with in terms of Ian so she assumes that it’s going to be like Monica but like the doctor says Ian has his own diagnosis and it’s not really fair to compare them. But from right off the bat they all do whereas Mickey is just trying to wrap his head around the fact that the man he loves is sick and he can’t do anything about it. I think if they had touched on this a bit more other than the scene in 5x08 we would’ve seen Fiona singing a different tune and recognizing how hard Mickey is willing to work to make sure that Ian is okay. And I have to wonder if maybe that was the direction they were going to go in.

-debbies raw confusion at raping Mattty and Ian’s bewilderment at doing a porno has the same energy. Except Ian’s dealing with some real shit and Debbie just doesn’t understand consent.

-I surprisingly don’t mind Amanda. I like her dad.

#gallavich #shameless #mickey milkovich #ian gallagher #ian x mickey #rewatching shameless #unpopular opinions #I don’t like svetlana #I just love gallavich so much #I can’t believe I’m almost into the Mickey missing years #idk how I’ll get through it

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horde-princess · 4 years

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A Meta on Catra’s Relationships with DT, Scorpia, and Adora

I’m so excited to write this finally ljsdflkj okay so. I’ve been thinking about why the creators would choose to center a whole season around this new character Double Trouble. They drove the plot and played a major role in a really important part of the story, Catra’s redemption. So I wanna think more about the purpose of this character and go deeper into a couple of their scenes with Catra.

tbh Catra and DT’s very first interaction says it all: DT literally takes the form of Scorpia and tells Catra “I’m about to become your new best friend.” As the season goes on, Double Trouble replaces Scorpia as a sort of artificial confidant for Catra. But it blows up in her face and the purpose of the whole thing is to shed light on Catra’s main internal conflict: her desire for love vs. her fear of heartbreak/vulnerability.

In other words, I believe Double Trouble was introduced as a foil to Scorpia. But if we think about how Scorpia is also a foil to Adora, then that means DT is like... a foil to a foil. So they’re not directly associated with Adora but a lot of what they do relates back to her. Yeah there are a lot of layers here lmao but basically what I’m gonna analyze is how Catra’s relationships with these three characters intertwine and build off each other in season 4 to set the stage for Catra’s redemption (and catradora endgame hollaaa)

So in the beginning, Catra and DT both understand their relationship to be a business arrangement. When does that start to change for Catra, and why?

Catra’s History With Betrayal

Just think about Catra’s relationships at the start of s4.. After the portal, Adora had basically severed whatever was left of their relationship, and that was shown to be weighing on Catra all season. Scorpia and Entrapta were the only other people she cared about, but Entrapta betrayed her (first by monopolizing Hordak’s attention then by refusing to open the portal), then Scorpia dared to question her decision to send their friend to die and her presence became a constant reminder of Catra’s guilt. In fact, the mere mention of Entrapta’s name in 4x03 causes Catra to snap and yell at Scorpia “we are not friends!” ... which of course isn’t true. Catra may think Scorpia’s annoying but she confided in her, her loyalty made Catra feel like she could trust her.. and that’s exactly why Catra always tried so hard to push her away. All the betrayals in her life scarred her so deeply that she wanted to avoid emotional intimacy at all costs. I’m about to get Jungian up in this shit bc we see a deep disconnect between Catra’s outward actions (her conscious) and her inner desires (subconscious) this season and it’s this i believe that leads to her breakdown in 4x10. It’s an unsustainable way to live.

Why Catra Trusted Double Trouble

So by 4x04, Catra had sabotaged her only two relationships. She was utterly alone, and vulnerable, and Double Trouble was in the right place at the right time offering their loyalty to her.. so Catra did what any emotionally stable person would do and subconsciously used a hired mercenary to try and fill the growing void in her heart. I don’t think Catra actually cared about DT much at all, like sure they got along and that matters on some level, but I think it’s more that Catra was in a vulnerable place and DT was the only one around.

So why does Catra trust Double Trouble when she won’t let herself trust anyone else? I’ve seen some posts saying it’s because Catra is self-destructive--i.e. she only seeks love from people who won’t give it to her because she doesn’t believe she deserves love--which is super true.. but I think her motivations can be better explained by saying that Catra knew from the start that Double Trouble didn’t really care about her, and that’s why the partnership was attractive to her (at first). She thought it would be safe--no vulnerability, no risk of heartbreak. But the truth is Catra’s just not as disaffected as she wishes she was.

The moment Catra really let her guard down was when Double Trouble saved her from the collapsing building in 4x04.

can we just!! talk about this scene!!!! the way her voice shakes when she says “saving me” just, oh my god... like what a touchy subject for her, right? Shes spent her whole life resenting how Adora was always trying to “save” her from everything. I’m not sure but I think White Out (2x05) was the only other time Catra thanked someone for saving her life, and she just says “thanks for getting us out of there.” So her use of the word “save” here is special and it illustrates how deeply vulnerable Catra feels this season, and more importantly it’s a sign of character development! It’s no coincidence that the theme of saving is connected between DT, Scorpia, and Adora. It’s leading up to Catra learning to replace her resentment towards Adora with something closer to gratitude.

But while the scene connects these relationships, it also highlights their differences. After Catra displays an astounding amount of vulnerability with DT, they coolly reply “well, I live to serve... for a price, of course.”

This right here is the first step of Catra’s breakdown. Suppressed desires making themselves known, one half of her heart rebelling against the other. She was pushing away her real friends and finding hollow companionship with someone she thought she wouldn’t get attached to, but it happened anyway.

The difference between Double Trouble and Scorpia must have become glaringly obvious to Catra in that moment. Whereas Scorpia was loyal to Catra out of love, DT was mostly interested in getting paid. And she was surprised by how much that hurt. She fucking hated how much it hurt, you can see it written all over her face. It’s why she fails Scorpia’s little test in 4x06. Because of Double Trouble, Catra’s true desires were threatening to break free, so outwardly she fights against it and acts more resistant than ever to being friends with Scorpia. She castigates her, calls her annoying and incompetent, harsher than we’ve ever seen... but she didn’t expect Scorpia to hit back (we did, tho. Scorpia’s an icon).

In four words Scorpia teaches Catra a hard lesson about what it means to earn someone’s loyalty. She knew she must’ve really fucked up if she somehow managed to push away the most loyal person in all of Etheria. And again the fake nature of Catra’s relationship with Double Trouble provides a reference for her to see why Scorpia’s loyalty, based in love, was so valuable, and why she shouldn’t have taken it for granted. It also relates to Adora because, similar to Scorpia, Adora had been trying so hard these past 3 seasons to connect with Catra, but she refused to forgive her and her behavior eventually forced Adora to cut ties. So Scorpia calling her out pushes Catra towards accepting some personal responsibility for everything that happened with Adora, too. Man there are just.. a ton of implications here.

Then Catra gives Hordak a fun pep talk but really it’s just her self-projecting all over him:

At this point her hateful actions and her goal to conquer Etheria are extremely out of line with her true desires and we can see it’s really affecting her mental state. It wasn’t just one thing or person that caused her breakdown, it was a combination of Adora severing their relationship, and Scorpia’s disappointment in her, and Double Trouble’s indifference towards her. All three of these situations were playing off each other and chipping away at Catra’s carefully crafted armor, revealing a desire to be loved hidden underneath... which she continued to fight against for as long as she could. Adora and Scorpia were playing their roles in helping Catra learn to take responsibility for her life, but those relationships wouldn’t have been so effective had it not been for how they were contrasted with Double Trouble’s indifference. Anyway have I mentioned how amazing and complex this show is????

Catra Loses DT and Scorpia Around the Same Time

4x07 is the last time Catra talks to Double Trouble before they get captured by the rebels. Coincidentally, Catra realizes that Scorpia left her just one episode later, which once again points to a connection between these two characters. From 4x08 to 4x11 Catra is completely alone, feeling like she has lost everyone in her life. It sets the stage for her meltdown in 4x10. But my fave part about Scorpia leaving is how it changes the way Catra thinks about betrayal.

Even if Scorpia didn’t tell Catra where she was going in the note she left, Catra had to have assumed she was leaving to join the Rebellion because where else would she have gone right? So the two people Catra loves most have now BOTH abandoned her to join the rebellion. I don’t even wanna think about how triggering that betrayal must have been for Catra.. I don’t wanna think about how the next time Catra sees Scorpia she’s going to be a full blown princess with powers and everything, just like what happened with Adora.

But there’s a key difference between Adora and Scorpia. Catra knows at this point that Adora didn’t want to leave her behind, but she did anyway to pursue some destiny that Catra wasn’t a part of, which left her feeling betrayed. Scorpia, on the other hand--the very definition of ‘loyalty’--left her specifically because Catra pushed her away. Her fear of vulnerability manifested as anger towards someone she refused to admit that she cared about, and it pushed her away.

Once again I think Scorpia is teaching Catra a lesson about taking responsibility for some of the shit in her life. It’s a privilege that Adora lost after being careless with Catra’s trust, and thus Scorpia was the only one in a position to reach Catra and help her. But I think that the things Catra learned from Scorpia are going to play back into her relationship with Adora and allow them to reconcile (when Adora deals with her own issues too).

We can also say a little about how Double Trouble’s betrayal contrasts with Scorpia’s and Adora’s. I think their complete emotional detachment is the perfect frame of reference for Catra to be able to acknowledge that even though Scorpia and Adora left her, they DID love her, and they never stopped trying to reach out to her--at least, not until Catra crossed a line with both of them. At some point, Catra went from being justified in her feelings of betrayal to overdoing it, placing too much blame where it didn’t belong and closing the door to forgiveness. So I think that’s the role that Double Trouble played there, helping Catra see that difference. Like even if someone leaves you, hurts you, it doesn’t always mean they don’t love you. Relationships take work and understanding and forgiveness and you have to learn how to handle that or you’ll always be alone. Scorpia’s the pure embodiment of that lesson, and she’s lighting the way for Catra to navigate the much more nebulous waters of her grudge against Adora.

Double Trouble’s Betrayal

So now Catra is feeling abandoned by Scorpia and Double Trouble (her only friends) and we see the disconnect between what’s in her heart and the front she’s been putting on come to a head in 4x10 when she has that meltdown. She’s kind of losing it because her fear and heartbreak are driving her down a path that she doesn’t actually want. It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion. In 4x12 she continues to hold on desperately to the idea that beating Adora will make her happy, because at this point she doesn’t see any way to turn the car around.

There’s an absolutely fantastic scene early in 4x12 that sets up Double Trouble’s betrayal beautifully, like really it’s a masterpiece. Catra’s childhood friends walk in on her in the locker room and they’re laughing and joking around and for a second it’s like... Catra longs to be a part of that again.. To have friends, to be happy. But then Kyle accidentally kicks one of Scorpia’s old doodles (a painful reminder that she’s gone) and Catra freaks out and attacks them. Kyle’s like “we used to be friends, why are you treating us like this?” So she lets them leave, feeling alone and miserable, and THAT’S when Double Trouble waltzes in... having had just made a deal with Glimmer to double cross Catra.

God it hurts so much. The contrast between her pushing away Scorpia and her real friends, and then her childlike relief upon seeing the person who just sold her out.

This scene gives me fucking chills with the nightmare-ish music and everything.. It’s like, at this point DT is just fucking with her, they’ve already got Catra figured out. This face touch is so cruel and fits with the show’s motif of manipulative affection, too. For me it felt very disconcerting to see Catra like this... unaware that she’s been defeated yet she’s so emotionally vulnerable here, she’s like putty in Double Trouble’s hands. Scorpia leaving cracked her open and, as they’re the last person left standing with Catra’s trust, Double Trouble’s in the perfect position to come in and break her.

So the next episode 4x13 has that crazy scene where Double Trouble totally obliterates Catra and I’m not even gonna talk about it lmao because yall have already done a great job analyzing it. But I do wanna draw attention to the fact that this is the only thing she says in this whole scene:

Can you believe that’s what mattered the most to her in that moment? Not that literally everything she had been working for for the past 4 seasons had just turned to dust before her eyes, but the fact that this random mercenary she hired betrayed her. And there was no anger at all, just... heartbreak.

And then look at what she says to Glimmer afterwards (setting aside the fact that Catra is basically giving up on life...) she says nothing about the war, nothing about winning or revenge. The only thing she’s thinking about is how lonely she feels.

So by the end of Season 4, I think Catra did finally figure out what she truly wanted in life. She didn’t want to be on top just for power’s sake, she wanted people to respect her, to love her, so that no one could hurt her anymore. But she was so obsessed with winning that she ended up losing everyone’s respect. Wow haha if only she could get a second chance to earn it back the right way.... like say if, idk, she was trapped in space jail and forced to team up with her sworn enemy to survive and they came out best friends or something <:)

To sum up, Double Trouble’s role in Season 4 was to break Catra’s mask and force her to consider what she truly wants. I think their betrayal taught Catra to really appreciate what a terrible mistake she made in pushing Scorpia and Adora away. It taught her the difference between someone leaving her because they don’t care about her, and someone cutting ties with her even though they do care for her very deeply, they just couldn’t take Catra treating them like crap anymore. It showed her that what Adora did was nothing like what DT did. That’s what a betrayal feels like when the person doesn’t care about you. Someone who doesn’t care about you isn’t going to beg for your forgiveness for 3 seasons and risk being obliterated from existence just to get you back.

But the real beauty of season 4 was how Catra hitting rock bottom had almost nothing to do with Adora. With the help of other friends Catra has begun to find her own reasons to change, she’s acknowledging her guilt and heartbreak and discovering the person she wants to become. She’s learning to take responsibility instead of just blaming other people. And this character development had nothing to do with romance, just like how Adora breaking free of her destiny and learning to let go of control had little to do with Catra. I love the different perspectives on love that they give us with Catra, Adora, and Scorpia. I love how this show takes the “love conquers all” trope and subverts it, saying that sometimes.. love breaks you. Sometimes it’s not enough. Sometimes it’s used as a weapon. Sometimes you have to let go of people you love, but it opens up space for you to figure out who you are and what you want and to conquer your own demons. You’ll come out the other side with a better understanding of what real, healthy love is supposed to look like. And maybe in the end, the love you always sought will find you again, in its own time, in its own way. 💘

#OK THIS IS... A LOT. EVEN FOR ME LMAO #she ra #meta #season 4 is my fave so far i just had a lot of feelings to work through ok #would love to hear what yall think xoxo happy new year's!!

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deborahdeshoftim5779 · 3 years

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BBC Merlin 4x05: His Father’s Son

Here's a round-up of my main observations from BBC Merlin's "His Father's Son" (4x05).

1- MERLIN AS A KNIGHT

I have to admit that Merlin as a sorcerer and trusted adviser appeals to me the most, but I did write a lengthy post analysing how Arthur had turned Merlin into an excellent fighter. This refutes claims that Merlin gave more to Arthur than he received in return.

At the beginning of 4x05, we see Merlin selected to play a new role: that of knight. How did this come about? Arthur Pendragon is best known for his skills as a warrior, but he deserves more credit for his military tactics. These destroy the popular yet false idea that he is unintelligent. More on the latter in a forthcoming post.

One of Arthur’s favourite tactics is using decoys. Previous examples of him using decoys include: The Castle of Fyrien (3x07), when Arthur used Merlin as a decoy to entrap Cenred’s soldiers; Aithusa (4x04), when Arthur used himself as a decoy to get Sir Percival to safety; Arthur’s Bane Part 2 (5x02), when Arthur uses Merlin as a decoy to enrage the slave traders before they escape-- by far my favourite example.

All things considered, I don’t think it takes long for Arthur to choose Merlin. Furthermore, this decision may have taken place before they reached their selected location, as Agravaine later mentions a previous attack by Caerleon on the border. This choice demonstrates that Arthur has higher confidence in Merlin's abilities than he does of in his knights-- else he would have chosen them. We must conclude that Merlin is Arthur's best fighter, though at first glance, we wonder why an unarmed man follows trained knights into battle.

Merlin is sharp, fast, has high stamina, and is incredibly resourceful. Most of all, however, he is incredibly brave. In fact, when rewatching 1x02, I was surprised to see Arthur acknowledge that Merlin was "braver than you look." This despite Arthur’s frustration that Merlin did not try hard enough during practice ("Come on, Merlin: I've got a tournament to win!").

What’s more, in that same episode, Merlin complains about his first day, but later on, we see his fascination wth the ongoing tournament. Then he admitted to Gaius that working for Arthur (in the context of said tournament) "isn't totally horrible all the time." It took one day for him to change his opinion!

Sure, Merlin would continue to treat the fighting as pointless violence, and Arthur as having nothing more in his head than a desire to knock "the seven bells" out of other people (3x04). However, even in 1x02, when he applauds Arthur's fighting, his actions tell a different story. We associate this habit of liking something whilst pretending otherwise to Arthur, yet Merlin has it as well.

As I have said before, Merlin and Arthur have profound differences, yet are profoundly alike.

2- MERLIN AS A SERVANT

It comes as no surprise that Merlin would return to serving after the beginning of 4x05. However, what that change represents sets the tone for this entire episode: Arthur dismissing Merlin's counsel repeatedly in favour of listening to his uncle.

When Arthur says, "so please, stick to what you do know," you have to wonder whether Merlin remembered being entrusted with the role of knight. Now, Arthur puts him back in his place.

Here's another example: "My conscience is clean, which is more than I can say for my room, so just... do your job, will you?" Yet just yesterday, that job involved Merlin risking his life against enemy forces by dressing as a knight.

By the way, you can tell that Arthur doesn’t believe his own excuses, because he keeps using the passive voice to justify killing Caerleon: “...a show of strength was necessary… an example had to be made… My conscience is clean…”

Merlin’s face after Arthur claims he doesn’t need anyone is self-explanatory.

3- NEW THOUGHTS ON ANNIS

Is Queen Annis a good person? Actually, no.

First of all, she knows and approves of her husband invading foreign kingdoms to plunder their wealth. Such invasions naturally cost not only the lives of Arthur's men, but her own, too.

Furthermore, despite accepting Arthur's offer of a fight by single combat, she is prepared to cheat by enlisting Morgana's power. Perhaps if Arthur had died, too, she would have felt some remorse. Yet she still takes a monumental risk with Arthur's life in blatant violation of the knight's code. One has to wonder about her reaction had Camelot plotted against her armies in the same way.

Then we have Annis calmly ordering Merlin’s execution without giving him a chance to explain himself. The lack of emotion in her voice suggests she has done this before.

Speaking of cruelty, Annis’ champion seems to enjoy inflicting pain on his enemies, yet the Queen claims that he “served my husband well.” I dread to think what she means by “served”.

I will also note that Queen Annis disdains magic, referring to Morgana as “witch”. As I have said before, Uther did not begin prejudice against magic; sorcerers were disliked and feared elsewhere, too, including by those who disliked Uther. Many sorcerers caused this prejudice by engaging in manipulative, violent, and wicked deeds.

Examples include High Priestesses using Fomorrohs to enslave people’s minds (4x06); Cornelius Sigan using his power to change day into night and acquire vast wealth (2x01); sorcerers using special blades to murder people (3x04), and so on.

None of this takes away from Annis’ complexity, nor does it undermine her immense humility when she accepts defeat and withdraws from Camelot. After all, much of Annis' rage and desire for vengeance stems from intense grief over Caerleon's death, so we can assume her marriage was a happy one.

Forgiving the man who destroyed her domestic happiness (as well as leaving her people without a king) shows tremendous nobility on Annis’ part. I think Arthur sees that, for he is always humble and respectful before her.

4- LONG LIVE THE KING

Few people respect Arthur more than Merlin. So when he doesn’t join in with cries of “Long live the king!”, you know something is wrong.

5- CONTROL YOUR FEAR

Episode 4x03 has a hilarious scene where a drunk Arthur claims he isn’t even a little bit scared, because, “I’m a warrior. You learn to control your fear.” Then Arthur walks smack bang into a pillar. Never fails to make me laugh. Minus the drunkenness, Arthur was telling the truth about controlling his fear.

You can see this at least twice in this episode: first, when he sees how many men Annis has brought against Camelot, and secondly, when he sees the size of Annis’ giant. In both cases, Arthur harnesses his fear into determination, which is another sign of a great warrior.

Next up, we have a fascinating scene where Arthur watches his men joking by the fire. It's a great way of showing Arthur’s care for these men, as well as his guilt that impending war will end their lives. In a sense, Arthur has to control his fear yet again.

6- TRUST IN MERLIN

After the above scene, Gwaine asks Merlin if Arthur is all right, and the fact that Merlin can describe Arthur's feelings without even questioning the King once again shows the unique nature of their friendship. Merlin sees Arthur's expression, and he just knows. And Gwaine knows that, hence why he does not question the King himself.

Listen to the silence after Merlin's response. Nobody questions Merlin's judgement: they just reflect. Given the way Arthur has repeatedly dismissed Merlin's advance in favour of his uncle, I think he could have learned something from his own knights.

I wonder whether the knights would ask Merlin something about Arthur in this way, whenever the king was absent. In ancient kingdoms, kings had advisers, and in order to earn the monarch's favour, you spoke to the latter first. Did Merlin ever play that role for the knights?

7- MERLIN’S IDIOCY

Now, I have a problem with Merlin telling Arthur that 1)- he would have taken any other option but to face war with Annis, and 2)- his decision to kill Caerleon “was made in the best interests of Camelot.”

Sorry, but it wasn’t. Merlin knows that. I understand that he has to rally Arthur’s spirits so that they can win against Annis, but I am glad that Arthur knows full well he has done wrong. Both Merlin and many fans do not give Arthur enough credit for recognising his own errors.

However, even these foolishly optimistic statements pale in comparison to Merlin's reckless and self-righteous interference when Arthur negotiates with Queen Annis. I burst out laughing when he trips and falls headlong into the tent, a metaphor for his impetuousness.

Merlin eavesdrops outside Annis’ tent, gets caught (so he didn't conceal himself), and then has the audacity to say, “Sorry about this!” to Arthur! Not only that, he got angry over being called a “simple-minded fool”, when he couldn’t even walk in a straight line to follow the king, got himself caught and almost killed by enemy soldiers, and made Arthur look as though he were double-crossing Annis!

I completely agree with Arthur’s anger: “Oh, I was being kind, believe me: you almost got me killed in there!” Correct. Merlin simply could not trust that Arthur knew what he was doing, and decided to interfere. Instead of apologising for getting Arthur into trouble, Merlin remains on the defensive, claiming without evidence that Arthur was “doing a pretty good job of that yourself!”

This is untrue. Arthur surrendered himself to Annis’ men. The most injury he received was a slap. He asked a favour. That isn’t risking your life. In fact, Arthur was trying to save lives, and if Merlin had been listening properly (or just stayed in bed), he would have seen that. Only after Merlin’s sudden entrance did Arthur face serious danger from Annis.

Now, Merlin’s explanation for this is, “I’m your friend! I was looking out for you.” I don’t doubt it. But once again, Arthur is right: “I appreciate that in your very confused way, you’re only trying to help, but please: don’t do it again.”

Condescending? Of course. But this time it was Merlin who provoked him into this anger.

8- MORGANA

Despite all her power, Morgana still has to defer to non-magical kings and queens. After all, she requires their military assistance to take over Camelot.

You can also see how Queen Annis detects Morgana’s hatred, greed, self-righteousness, hypocrisy, and bloodlust. In one glance, Queen Annis begins questioning the wisdom of working with a sorceress she does not trust, not least on account of Morgana being a sorceress.

In fact, Arthur’s prowess as a warrior impresses her more: “You have as much to lose as I if Arthur wins…” Fascinating scene.

9- THANK YOU, OLD FRIEND

It’s ironic that arguably the best scene in 4x05 begins by showcasing Arthur’s cynicism. No guesses why Arthur did not tell Merlin about breaking off his relationship with Gwen earlier. That speaks volumes. If he had told Merlin, I think they would have had an argument similar to that of 4x11.

Only when Arthur realises that he may die does he ask Merlin to pass his ring onto Gwen with an apology. You can see the guilt etched onto his face as he refuses to make eye contact. Interestingly, Merlin does not ask any further questions.

Arthur’s entrusting Merlin to look after Gwen in the event of his death says a lot. For example, that ring is technically royal property, yet Arthur gives it to a servant for safe-keeping, rather than his next-of-kin, Agravaine. Despite claiming to need his uncle’s advice, Arthur will not trust Agravaine with such duties. Has Arthur made a medieval will or testament? Obviously, I have no idea, however, this episode already shows Arthur’s reliance on Merlin to deal with family matters.

Another interesting aspect to this scene is Merlin’s silence after Arthur makes an indisputable point. This dispels any idea that Merlin’s advice was always correct. On several occasions, Merlin had to defer to Arthur’s judgement, because he saw the truth and wisdom behind it. “I don’t know what will happen. But for the first time since I became king, I know in my heart I’ve made the right decision.”

Got to love Arthur’s half-amused, “You’re not about to start crying on me, are you?” He expects Merlin to be either in good spirits or confident, because that is how he, too, remains confident. Arthur is an optimist, yet Merlin becomes a pessimist, so the king must pull Merlin together with light and yet serious teasing.

Needless to say, Arthur calling Merlin “old friend” implies that they have been friends for a long time. So why do some fans still think that Arthur had trouble admitting that Merlin was his friend? Also, the word “old” in this context can imply reliability, constancy. Arthur chose that word to describe Merlin’s value, as well as the length of their friendship.

The great thing about Arthur is that while he makes some serious errors, when he does repent, he does so well. Not only does Arthur graciously thank Merlin for his concern, but he makes it clear to Agravaine that he relies on Merlin’s judgement prior to entering battle. This supports my earlier statement that Merlin is Arthur’s best fighter, as well as right-hand man; Arthur does not leave for the fight until Merlin has confirmed his readiness.

On top of this, Arthur later admits that he might be a cabbage head. “I should have listened to you, Merlin. Just this once, I think you were right-- even if you are the worst servant in the five kingdoms!”

By implication, Agravaine is wrong. Arthur won’t say that, of course, but we saw Merlin’s sound advice competing with Agravaine’s lies for this entire episode. We can only conclude that regardless of what he says, Arthur trusts Merlin more than members of his own family.

And this is a theme which will continue and grow for the remainder of Season 4.

FURTHER POINTS:

Merlin’s fighting skills

Paradoxes of Arthur and Merlin’s friendship

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campchitaquamemories · 5 years

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What are your top 10 Queliot moments?

Nonny, thank you so much for waiting patiently for this one!

I was just going to write out a list (after I got done being EXTREMELY stumped because- you expect me to just pick 10??! Rude.) but then I realized that I just hit 600 followers (what?!), and I wanted to do something a bit more to say thank you to all of you for putting up with me while I’m on my bullshit. So I went back through my favorite episodes and made some gifs for you, too!

Here you go. Hope you like it!!

Gigi’s Top 10 Queliot Moments (YMMV):

10. This is from 1x03, Consequences of Advanced Spellcasting, and… it’s such a great breathing space. This whole episode, the Eliot + Quentin sideplot to retrieve the book was a delight, and it only happened because Eliot is so far gone on this boy. He could have taken literally any of the Physical Kids with him, but no, he’s got a crush on the super cute nerd that just moved in and so it HAS to be Q that comes with him. Eliot is highkey flirting with Quentin here, both as emotional support, and - I will maintain until my dying day - if Kady hadn’t blown the hinges off that door he was planning to make a move on Q that afternoon.

9. I have so many feelings???? This is from 2x01, Knight of Crowns. Things are complex interpersonally between the whole gang right now, but out of everyone parting ways with Eliot, Q is who we get to see saying goodbye. Eliot is actually high king now, and he’s not any less depressed, or damaged emotionally or mentally. It didn’t immediately fix him like he wanted (much like how magic didn’t immediately fix Quentin, but that’s a meta for another time), and now he’s staring down being all that and an unknown future ruling this frankly odd kingdom (from books he apparently never bothered to read? El, baby. SMH.) potentially for the rest of his life without his friends. The two of them are so tender, Q initially leaning against Eliot to provide support, and then he doesn’t hesitate even a moment when Eliot asks for a hug. What at that point could be the very last hug he ever gets from Quentin in this lifetime. There is such a depth of feeling here between the two of them and I’m so glad the show gave us this (in S2! I’m!).

8. 1x11, Remedial Battle Magic. Look at our babies and how happy they are?! I know they’re drunk on wine and emotions and about to seriously fuck their friendships up, but have they ever gotten a moment to breathe and be happy in each other’s presence since this? They haven’t. It’s been arguments and recriminations and quests and beasts and averting world-ending disasters since they woke up from this night. So I treasure this moment of soft smiles and touches (even Margo, I am not opposed to Marqueliot in this list at all). And of course, the threesome it is leading up to, and all of the implications and interpretations of that night that they take forward into the series with them.

7. “I’m trying to tell you, you are not alone here.” From 1x02, The Source of Magic, this bonding scene has always felt very profound to me. These two boys have literally known each other, what, less than a week now? And here is Eliot “feelings are for other people” Waugh, opening up about his past traumas to try and connect with Quentin. The only other person we’ve ever seen him do this with is Mike - Eliot’s other love interest - and we know he told Margo during their Trials. This is Q confessing his biggest fear - that if he loses magic, he will lose his tenuous hold on his mental health - and Eliot reciprocating that confession: inducting Q into the very, very select circle of Eliot’s confidantes. This is each of them accepting some measure of comfort from the presence and understanding of the other, and a moment that underpins their entire relationship from this moment forward.

6. I’m cheating with this one, but I wanted to show both sides of this dynamic, and Quentin and Eliot have not had a chance to fight for their relationship together in the main timeline yet, so these will have to work for now. The first gif is from 4x06, A Timeline and Place, and the second is from 3x13, Will You Play With Me? It’s so, so important to see these moments - even if our boys are dumb and they don’t start fighting until the very last second - when they are willing to lay down everything, and burn down the world for each other. Quentin will NOT let the Monster kill Eliot’s body, and Eliot will NOT let Quentin throw away his future to play jailer to a sociopathic child-god. When push comes to shove, they will choose each other every time. Now if we could only get them to do that when the stakes aren’t life and death, am I right?

5. Another moment from 2x01, Knight of Crowns. This coronation scene is just… Remember that they are fractured leading up to this: we’re coming right off of the fall out from the threesome, and Eliot has been spiraling for episodes now. But then we get this super tender declaration from Quentin: “So, destiny is– it’s bullshit…. For what it’s worth, I think you’re going to be a really good king.” And Eliot’s eyes just, light up, his whole face lifts. Because here is someone who believes in him, wholly and truly. Even after everything they just fucked up together, and separately, Q (someonee good and true) has faith in Eliot, and it’s infectious. They’re both looking at each other here like no one else exists in the world, like nothing is important in this moment except each other. And thats?? Beautiful?!

4. I fucking love this shot. Q kicking over those tiles and then saying “Oops.” is a whole-ass mood. Okay, so this is obviously from 3x05, A Life in the Day, and I could easily have made and entire top 10 list of JUST moments from this sequence because it’s all SO AMAZING. The beauty of all life, amiright? But this moment is so important to me. Making a conscious choice, every day to choose this quest and choose each other takes a toll. Ask anyone you know who’s been in a committed relationship for years. Sometimes it’s just fucking hard. They’ve been at this for so long that their clothes from Earth (which, I’ll remind you, they were still wearing at their 1 year anniversary) have worn thin, and they’re wearing traditional Fillorian garb. This was supposed to be over years ago, but they’re still going. And Q is struggling. And Eliot is struggling. And they argue, but neither of them walks away. I always have to stop and pause at this part of the episode, because this is so domestic and realistic that it makes me cry. And if I start crying here, I’m useless for the rest of the sequence once we get to Arielle and Teddy.

3. 1x01, Unauthorized Magic. So, so many people have talked about Q and El’s first meeting, how Eliot spread himself out on the Brakebills sign elegantly and Quentin’s one bisexual braincell shorted out to the point where, for a moment, he couldn’t even words. But I so rarely see people talk about this moment, when Quentin asks Eliot if he’s hallucinating. This look, right here, is so soft, and sweet. I’m sure Eliot gets hit on all the time, and he was 100% flirting with Quentin when he jumped off that sign and gave him an “I could eat you up” once over. But this is the moment Eliot decided that Margo needed to know about the cute new boy who thought Eliot was exactly the kind of person he would dream into existence, if he made those kinds of decisions. Right here. The beginning of it all.

2. Back to 3x05, A Life in the Day, and if you’re surprised this is my #2 moment you must be new here. This is a kiss that has been brewing for a long time. One not rooted in emotion bottles, and not one that can be passed off as being too drunk to know what you’re doing. Quentin sets his cup down, and starts to say something, but ends up finishing his thought with this kiss. It’s short, but not tentative, and Eliot is… look at his face. He’s surprised, because he’s pretty sure they fucked up their chances at this a season and a half ago. But Q is there and he’s not apologizing and he’s not panicking, and that gives Eliot the courage to reach out and pull Q back in. And for a little while, it’s not about the quest, it’s not about defeating a monster, it’s not about fixing anything they’ve fucked up. This is just about them.

1. “Fifty years. Who gets that kind of proof of concept? Peaches and plums, motherfucker. I’m alive in here!” 4x05, Escape from the Happy Place.So, this scene is where I live now, my trashcan, if you will, with these dumb boys and their dumb faces. Eliot’s absolutely perfect timing, and his delight to see Quentin is just- Just beaming out of his face here. This is the first of many chances he’s going to have to set the record straight, and he does it with style. This was a declaration of love - peaches and plums - and one that only Eliot would be able to give, and only Quentin would be able to understand. Q has been so beat down and defeated this episode, like he’s walking through a world that has faded into black and white, but we can see the moment he understands and the light comes back into his eyes. “Eliot’s alive. He’s alive.”

Honorable mentions to: “I’m Team Eliot.”, “Could I maybe have Eliot back?”, “I find you, and I don’t say magic is real, but I do seduce you”, and the extended throne room scene from 3x05/4x05 - which only didn’t make the list because I couldn’t pick a single shot to slice up for a gif.

#top 10 askbox game #queliot #quentin coldwater #eliot waugh #the magicians #nonny speaks #talking to people #gigi makes things #my gifs

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sanoiro · 5 years

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in 4x03 is one of the best scenes on the series. Lauren had never played so wonderfully, her face shattered between the love she used to feel for this man, the fear he now inspires her and the guilt she feels for how it hurts him, Tom looking like he's dying inside is awesome too. It's the first time that Lucifer and Chloe are fully true with each other without any secret left, and this truth instead of uniting them split them up.

Eps 4x03 is actually my favourite in S4 and second comes 4x06. For some, it might seem weird as there are so many great episodes but it’s partly for the reason you gave.

The actors were indeed specular in that episode but for the first time in the series, Lucifer is genuinely experiencing Chloe’s betrayal. I’m a mood for a bit of a meta post so I apologise in advance here.

In S1 he was searching for a sign that she was an instrument that would be used against him. In 1x11 he searched for wings for any deception going on, he was paranoid and it was justified in his opinion especially when you deal with Dad.

In S2 he finally finds proof that she is special that she can destroy him physically and in 2x12 he storms in but is confronted with the bitter truth - not really - that her betrayal is due to her lack of free will and therefore is innocent albeit a pawn.

In S3 he has finally made some peace with Chloe’s nature so he looks around for other obstructions imposed by his father only to find none and that is what leads us to S4. No, not just his admission to Linda that he was kidding himself over believing that Dad was responsible for everything but because he is unexpectedly struck by proof that Chloe is set against him.

The scene in the car is equally important to the penthouse scene as Lucifer does not lash out, he stays passive thinking, wondering how far this goes and this time he knows one thing although he does not admit it just yet. His father is not responsible for this but Chloe herself. She is not a pawn, that’s her own free will. Chloe in his opinion as Lucifer is unaware of Father Kinley’s real depth of interference is plottingagainst him and he cannot bring himself to harm her.

Let’s note how different Lucifer is in 4x03 in comparison to 4x07. His love for her is a big factor but Lucifer in 4x03 takes time to think he gives her space and even gives her a second chance to come clean. He believes that if they have an honest talk like they did in 4x01 - well almost honest - she will come around.

So in 4x03 we see Lucifer’s progression throughout the series. His doubt is well deep instilled in him but instead of pushing things this time he waits, he gives Chloe every possible chance to stay with any capacity she can even the one of a probability.

“But could you?”

He does not use any kind of certainty that one day she will accept him and in his desperation, he is ready to accept a possibility that may never be realised. At that point, Lucifer basically begs her to lie. He needs her to lie because he is not ready to part from her but Chloe’s refusal to give a concrete answer is what eventually has him forfeit from demanding anything else and here is when we have the ultimate betrayal in my opinion.

She runs again, she leaves, she does not put up a fight she does not try to change his mind, she does not insist that a part of their relationship could be salvaged and so 4x01′s song becomes the foreshadowing of her running out again.

PS Note Ellis giving a twitch on Lucifer’s lip like a tiny snarl but due to the character being emotionally drained that’s the only thing that can be managed…

We can, of course, meta that he was almost ready to same something more in a pathetic way, say that he was okay as long as she stayed but that wouldn’t be true in my opinion still it can be considered.

Now may I continue with Chloe?

Let’s take Chloe throughout the seasons. She has fought her attraction over and over and the greatest excuse to not give in or to explain why Lucifer is who he is, comes in 3x06 and then in 3x07. But what has solidified her relationship with him is a very simply thing. Trust and she knows she has broken that and now she knows why so many times he has broken hers or at least she thought he had.

In 3x06 she is convinced she will never know everything about Lucifer and her trust just keeps her going while her words in 3x23 were true at the end of the day he was not the Devil for her at least not as an entity that does evil but as a person who originated from a very different place than her, someone who once again she couldn’t reach but for very different reasons.

As I have said many times her breaking point is the fact that she does not feel she can accept him, not because she cannot but she fears she is too little too inadequate as a being to do so and her presence in all of this is insignificant.

Now in 3x07 when she replied what Lucifer was getting back from working with the Police she eventually mirrored her experience with his.

Chloe: Um I think, a long time ago, somebody wronged Lucifer. I think he avoided dealing with it, and he hides behind the partying and the women and the drinking, and who knows what else. And with the LAPD, working on each case, it gives him an opportunity to right those wrongs, to fight back.

So when Chloe loses that focal point she believes she shared with Lucifer she can no longer see him as part of her life because his whole entity is so much bigger than hers and her life. So It was never about whether she could accept the Devil but if Lucifer could fit in her tiny perception of the universe whilst her being enough when Lucifer knew what was outside of that. Hence why she walks away and why in 4x10 she offers us her own breakthrough. What scared her was not face but the reality that offered her, one that she was unaware of so far.

Chloe: I wasn’t afraid of you. I was afraid of losing you. That all this will take over, you’ll forget about this place and- And that you’d forget about me.

In short, she gave up on him before she could lose him but the understanding of why she did it came much later as she is as clueless as Lucifer. Again she was so scared of how large Lucifer became all of sudden that she saw herself as a forgettable, fleeting moment in his life…

So yes that is why 4x03 is so important it connects all the previous seasons to the epic S4 finale but also brings forward questions that will come up in S5 and gives us a glimpse on how Chloe might deal with her miracle status.

#lucifer season 4 #lucifer speculation #lucifer meta

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seeaddywrite · 5 years

Text

unto the breach || AK 4X06 Fic

“Since when do you have to ask?”

It’s a good point. Neither of them are big on asking before pushing into the other’s personal space -- they never have been. Deran used to climb through Adrian’s window to fuck him from behind without a word, for God’s sake, and he’s never once hesitated in sliding under the hot spray of the shower and rubbing himself off against Deran’s warm, slick skin until he turns around and slams Adrian into the tile.

But the atmosphere in the bathroom tonight is different, heavier in a way that Adrian doesn’t understand. It’s been weird between them for days -- weeks, really -- and he knows that most of that’s his fault. Deran’s given him every opportunity to come clean about the DEA and the detective asking questions about the Codys, but every time, the words turn to lead in his throat and he just can’t get them out. There’s still this little voice in the back of his head whispering that Deran sent Pope after a guy Adrian fucked a couple of times; what’s he going to do if he finds out that Adrian’s been helping the DEA, or about the Detective asking pointed questions?

He wants to trust Deran, he does. And most of the time it’s not an issue -- but with this, with something that’s so terrifying and mortifying, Adrian just can’t quite manage it.

The solemn, pained air in the darkened bathroom that night feels like something else, though, and the way that Deran’s head hangs low against his chest when Adrian enters looks like defeat, which isn’t a look Adrian has ever seen on the other man. Deran doesn’t do defeat, or guilt -- he skips straight to anger or desperation, and Adrian knows what to do with those, how to handle him while they’re in control.

So he asks permission to enter, and strips off his boxers slowly. When he’s in the shower, it takes Deran a moment to turn and look at him, and though the room is cast in shadow, Adrian catches the dark intensity in his eyes. He’s silent, they both are, and the moment feels fragile and fleeting in a way that makes Adrian’s gut clench. So he reaches out, running the palms of his hands down Deran’s shoulders and over the wet plains of his back, and their foreheads fall together. The muscles beneath his hands are tense, and if Adrian didn’t know better, he’d say Deran was shaking as they stood beneath the spray.

He’s about to say something, anything, to break the silence when Deran does it for him. The fingers in his hair are gentle, cherishing in a way that a year ago, Adrian would’ve said Deran Cody wasn’t capable of. He pushes into the touch, eyes drifting closed for a second as he appreciates the open affection and physical contact, but they blink open immediately as Deran starts to speak.

“I love you.”

The three words aren’t ones Adrian’s ever expected to hear, at least not as long as he stayed committed to Deran Cody. He’d known, even as a dumbass teenager, that none of the Cody boys ever really understood what love was. Not when the person who was supposed to teach them was two steps from a complete sociopath -- Smurf didn’t love anyone or anything except power, and her sons grew up learning that the only time anyone deserved their attention is when they did earned it. Violence and crime is the Cody way, and it always had been. Relationships are for sex, for stress relief and fun, but they never came before the family -- and Adrian has always known that no matter how deep he got in with Deran, that would never really change.

So the words rob him of all coherent thought, and he all but throws himself at Deran. His arms are wound around the other man before he even realizes he’s moved, and he kisses him thoroughly --

-- until he realizes that Deran isn’t responding.

He hasn’t pushed Adrian away. There’s still a hand at the small of his back and one cupping the side of his neck, but Deran’s passive in a way that Adrian’s never experienced, and all of the sudden, it just feels wrong. He pulls back despite the wounded noise Deran makes, putting some distance between their bodies, and stares hard at him.

“You gonna tell me what’s wrong?” he asks, breathing heavily. “You just -- you said you love me, man, and you don’t want to kiss me?” The hurt in his voice is annoying, and he knows he’s got no right to be demanding answers. The hypocrisy grates at his his nerves, and Adrian glances down at their bare feet, at the water as it swirls around the drain.

“I don’t know,” Deran says in a terribly quiet voice. He’s gone still as granite, and the expression on his face is carefully blank, though not as cold as Adrian knows he’s capable of. There’s a desperate gleam in his eyes, obvious by the moonlight shining in the bathroom window. “Were you gonna tell me you were talking to the cops?”

Adrian freezes, his entire body going rigid and cold despite the warmth of the water still pounding down on them both. His heartbeat accelerates, and it’s so loud he’s sure Deran can hear it over the water and his own voice, but Deran doesn’t move. He just keeps his gaze on Adrian, steady and overbright -- and there’s no point in lying, anymore. Deran knows, and there’s no doubt in his stance, no wiggle room to evade the question. And Adrian’s always been a shitty fucking liar -- it’s amazing he’s gotten away with his ruse this long, really, since Deran reads him better than anyone else. It hits him, then, that he’s likely only made it this long because Deran’s been willfully ignoring the obvious signs.

Oh, God.

“No,” he admits hoarsely, and hates that his voice shakes as he speaks. “It’s not what you think, Deran, fuck. I didn’t -- I never said anything about you. They found out you were my boyfriend, they brought in a Detective who asked a bunch of questions, but I never said anything. I gave them shit on Jack so they didn’t throw me behind bars, but I swear, I didn’t --”

Deran leans forward and presses his mouth to Adrian/s, effectively stopping the rambling confession. It’s so vastly different than the reaction he’d been expecting that he goes slack, letting the kiss happen, and eventually, Adrian’s fingers curl convulsively into the other man’s shoulders, his nails digging into his skin. He blinks hard against the sudden burning in his eyes, and tries not to cling when Deran pulls back. He still doesn’t know what to expect or how this will go -- Deran doesn’t seem particularly murderous, but he’s not the killer in the family, either. Maybe this is just how he’s going to lull Adrian into a sense of complacency. Maybe this is all just a ruse, until Pope can get here with his gun, or his acetylene torch.

“I love you,” Deran tells him again, his fingers sliding through Adrian’s wet hair, and even though he knows it’s stupid, Adrian’s anxiety diminishes a little with those words. “Deep breaths,” is his next command, and Adrian tries to follow. The shakes in his body make it hard, though, and he finds himself leaning heavily against Deran’s chest, cheek cradled in the valley where his shoulder meets his neck, with two strong arms holding him upright.

“It’s going to be okay,” he’s promised, and Adrian knows that Deran wouldn’t bother with reassurances if this was the end of the line. He doesn’t understand what’s happening, feels discombobulated and bewildered, and his heart is still pounding double-time in his chest, so he focuses on the words, and the honest sentiment behind them.

Somehow, that’s what drives the point home: Deran Cody really does love him.

“Smurf knew someone was talking to the cops, but when I figured it out, I -- I took care of it,” Deran continues talking, oblivious to the revelation taking place in Adrian’s head. The stammer is obvious, and Adrian doesn’t know what to do with that; he can count on one hand the amount of times he’s heard Deran stammer, or speak anything less than confidently, and it never means anything good. “No one in the family will suspect you, now. All we have to do is get this detective off your back, and this’ll all be over.”

Adrian lifts his head off of Deran’s shoulder to look at him, his brows drawn and his expression pinched. “You took care of it? With what, lies? Deran, Smurf knows all of your tells. There’s no way she’s going to believe -”

Deran shakes his head, cutting Adrian off. “No. I told them it was someone else,” he explains shortly. “It’s taken care of. Seriously. You don’t need to worry about my family -- we need to focus on the cop situation.”

“You sent them after someone else? Fuck, Deran, I don’t want them killing some poor dumbass because I --”

“I already killed him!” Deran bursts out, and Adrian shrinks back from both the sudden yell and the violence inherent in the words. “Colby fucking knew, all right? He knew you were working with Jack; he’s the one that told me. Then when Jack got busted, he figured out you had to be working with the cops, and he was threatening all sorts of shit, and I couldn’t --” Deran stops talking, swallowing harshly, and kicks the showerhead to turn off the water. Water drips from his hair and beard, and it would normally make Adrian smile ... but nothing about this situation is funny.

“I couldn’t stand back and watch Pope or J or someone kill you, okay? It didn’t matter if you were talking to the cops or not -- I couldn’t do it. I’m in love with you, for fuck’s sake, and even if everything is screaming at me to start running, I can’t. So just stop arguing with me. Please. My brothers, Smurf -- it’s handled. Trust me?” His voice softens towards the end, and Adrian finds himself closing the distance between them again, almost hurling himself at the other man.

They’ve got a lot to figure out, he knows. That detective is smart, and Adrian still doesn’t want to rot in prison for a stupid decision -- but the ground beneath his feet feels a hell of a lot steadier with Deran on his side, even when he’s clearly compromised by the murder he committed earlier that night. Adrian has no idea how to feel about that, and doesn’t even want to think about it now, not when his life are finally starting to feel less like a house of cards an instant from collapsing when the right breeze strikes.

“I do,” Adrian tells Deran, pressing a kiss to the hinge of his jaw. I -- should’ve trusted you earlier, but I do now, I promise.” His lips thin thoughtfully, and he takes a single step back, just enough that the only places they touch are his hands on Deran’s shoulders. He lifts his gaze until it’s locked with the familiar orbs of his lover, and he smiles crookedly, the first honest expression he’s given him in weeks. “And I love you too, you know. Even if all of this is the shittiest way possible to show it.” He swallows, and says haltingly, “I’ll follow your lead. Whatever you say, I’ll do -- I’m not going to tell them shit about you or your family.”

Deran nods once, his expression a little lighter. It’ll be some time, Adrian thinks, before he recovers from what he’s done that night, and he vows to himself that he’ll help carry that load, if he can. If Deran will let him.

“Can you forgive me?” he asks finally, because it’s the last question he needs answered before he can relax, even just enough to sleep that night. Adrian knows that what he’s done is not something easily let go of, especially not when it’s driven Deran to kill someone. He can see Deran getting him out from under the DEA’s thumb and then telling him to get the hell out of Oceanside, out of his life -- it would be fitting, probably. Adrian would even understand, even if it would hurt like hell.

“As long as you’re telling me the truth,” Deran answers, reaching for a towel outside the glass doors of the shower. “As long as you’re honest with me from now on -- yeah. It’s not like I’m fucking perfect, either.” He snorts a little, and dries his face on his towel before offering one to Adrian. It’s white, and he can’t help but see the gesture as a white flag of surrender. Deran wants peace, and Adrian -- Adrian can’t think of anything better.

“I promise,” he says, and drags Deran into another kiss. There’s time to deal with reality tomorrow; for tonight, Adrian figures they could both stand to lose themselves and their feelings in the comfort and warmth of each other’s bodies.

#animal kingdom tnt #my fic #deran/adrian #[i literally wrote this in an hour and a half #so it's probably a mess #but I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS #and i couldnt' help myself]

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