#and I really like her and josh more as a couple this season (though I was hoping for a bi awakening for her but can't have everything)

[jenhoneys]

ok I'm much preferring s2 of schmigadoon (schmicago) over s1 anyway—not that s1 wasn't an absolute delight—but melissa seems so much more adorable to me like I really like her and she has her little quirks sometimes that make me go oh my gosh she's so so cute

#I feel like she's really coming into herself/growing into her skin and confidence #which is really lovely to see #and when she had that performance with jenny + emcee you could tell she was really enjoying herself. and her sweet moment with the barber #I'm just really loving this season's arc for her #and I really like her and josh more as a couple this season (though I was hoping for a bi awakening for her but can't have everything) #and I adore cecily anyway so this was nice #schmicago #schmigadoon #melissa gimble #cecily strong

[queerfables]

911 season 6 liveblog part 3

6x12

I love this scene with Wendall carefully pulling down Bobby's walls. I'm keen to see more Bobby content (tbh every character they ever focus on I'm like "Yeah! More of this please!" because they have great characters and always nail the character driven stuff

Oh shit Wendall checked himself in to try and help the people in there? Oh no

Buckley siblings taking care of each other T_T

Lmfao @ Josh being like "did I get my time wrong?"

Oh no cute Buck is hiding from Maddie's check ups at Eddie's

AND THEN HE IMMEDIATELY FALLS ASLEEP THAT'S SO CUTE

Jesus this is an extremely fucked frame up job

Is it bad that I feel a lot more chill about Bobby being arrested than I might otherwise on account of he's married to a cop?

Aw, Buck is fucked up about almost dying. Hugs for him.

6x13

Buck got maths superpowers? That's hilarious and amazing

Yeah so this is why you can't help kids lie to their parents

But it's kind of fair of Denny to be upset when he was just in a car accident and his dad is in surgery. This is was maybe not the right way to approach that conversation.

Oh God I hope this lady who lied about being Maddie and Chimney's neighbour isn't going to try and take Jee-Yun

Are Buck and Eddie on a date??

Why are they all dressed up together this is so cute

Buck is suddenly a poker genius this is fun

Oh Eddie is so into it

Karen giving voice to my exact thoughts, Nathaniel should have told them!!

Okay this is getting ridiculous are they not allowed to say the word vibrator on network TV or something?

Buck do NOT call women you haven't spoken to in years to ask them if they were sexually satisfied for fucks sake

I would love to hear what Taylor has to say though she would be so mean about it

6x14

Chimney trying to get back on track to his Guiding Light speech about Bobby xD

Robbie!!

Jesus Christ I knew something bad was going to happen to productivity obsessed boss but I still was not prepared for how awful it was gonna be

Nobody but Athena could make citing legalese sound so dramatic and moving

Lmfao "how about this book?" and the tiny child shaking her head dramatically

Aw Bobby sent Chimney to the academy to get Robbie back that's soft

6x15

Wait are they trying to resuscitate the corpse

Oh I see she's not dead

A living funeral. Huh.

Awww Buck is hitting it off with the end of life doula

I wonder if Maddie and Chimney are being audited because they filed taxes as individuals but they're actually a defacto couple

For fucks sake what happened to no info they don't ask for. Guys come on.

Omg did Athena's collar fake his death??? Amazing

There is no way it can by true that getting married has such a major impact on your taxes. Where I live, there isn't really a difference between marriage and defacto relationships. Can that be true??? America is bizarre

I am rapidly catching up on this show and I'm not sure if I'm ready for that

6x16

Hen and Chimney got arrested?? Lmfao!!!

Lmfao everyone is planning the wedding even before Chimney proposes

Watch that child with the ring please

"You guys realise you're just pitching potential calls right?"

Oh no Hen and Buck are on opposite sides of the should Chimney propose question that's bad

Lol one of these characters of the week randomly has the exact first and last name as an ex boyfriend of mine

I bet the kid is at the book shop

Oh I get why Hen and Chimney were arrested now.

Lmfao of course it's gone

I'm pretty sure Jee has the ring and that Maddie is gonna find it and propose to him because that would be so cute

Oh Hen you're so worried about him

This was probably not the way to tell him though

LMFAO Athena stopping Chimney from saying her name so she doesn't have to arrest him for real

Little Jee's cute babbles as she wanders around

"Tiger tiger tiger!" "Is that a carrot?" So true.

#911 abc

[jstarr86]

CH 1

1992

I stepped out of the car, the moving van pulling up behind it. Florida all the way across the country. I didn’t know what to feel, it was pretty so far but I was kinda scared it was different and I didn’t know anyone. I saw my mom talking to someone and walked up to her. She paused looking down at me a smile gracing her face.

“This is Natasha, Sweetheart this is Ms Lisa” I waved she seemed really nice.

“Hi.” I said shyly. A little boy ran up a large smile on his face as he stopped looking at me.

“Hi I’m Joe.”

“Hi,”

“What’s your name?”

“Natasha.”

“Wanna play?”

“Um sure ok.”

“Cool come on.” I followed him not knowing I’d be doing it forever or that I’d met my best friend.

3 Weeks Later

I was playing with Joe, we’d played every day since I’d moved in. It was summer so he was really the only person I knew right now, but I was ok with that he was really fun to be around

“Hey do you wanna go to my cousins with me I’m sure no one will care.” He said goosing the ball

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah why not we’re going to be in school together they’re my best friends kinda like you. They’re twins.”

“Ok.”

“Joe are are ready to go? Hello Natasha.”

“Hello Ms Lisa.”.

“Mom can Natasha come.”

“If her mom there is ok with that I’m sure it’s fine.”

Getting to his cousins I followed Joe as he walked in and I already saw him talking to two boys

“These are my cousins, guys this is Natasha and this is Jon.”

“Hi.”

“Hi I’m Josh.”

Fatu twins and Anoai. I’d been friends with them since day 1 and when that used to be how they were called or triple threat. The four musketeers My best friends, my life. I was so grateful for them, they’d had my back since I moved here and I know my life wouldn’t be the same without them hell I don’t think the move or my life would be as amazing had I not met them

I’d met Joe at 6 when my family moved to Pensacola and we became next door neighbors. My father was in the Navy, I had been born in San Diego California spending the first 6 years of my life in Miramar California since my father was stationed there. TOPGUN I’m sure you’ve heard of it and it’s a real place it’s not there anymore it was moved to Nevada but back then it was also at that base. When I was 6 my father got a promotion and we moved all the way to Florida. They’d found a nice little home off base and that’s where I met Joe; He’s been my best friend since, and within weeks I was friends with his cousins Jon and Josh, those three have been inseparable their entire lives and Joe is just an extra brother instead of a cousin. Always hanging out, playing sports, watching wrestling every week, always together. I spent the summer playing with them and once school started I met more people but no one was ever like us four. We all went to school together our whole lives minus Joe's freshman year where he was at some private catholic school until he got Ms Lisa to switch him to Escambia where the twins and I were. All my classes was always with at least one of them, even though they were a year older I was smart and was skipped a grade so since I’d known them we were together. So much so that rumors always flew as we grew that it was more or like in late middle and through high school I was sleeping with all of them. My ego loves that because they were all fine as hell but was so far from the truth, for the most part. I had lost my virginity to Joe when I was 14 and he had just recently turned 16. His birthday was in May and mine was in August like the twins. Yeah we thought the other attractive but it was mostly a I feel comfortable with you do this, we always knew we were better friends and this never changed our relationship but come that Christmas season we’d both learn that someone was seeing me as more than a best friend and had for a couple years.

When we turned 12 I went from Nat to Snickers. At first I hated it but now I’m used to it. It stuck and everyone ended up calling me it. My best friends had called me it once it was clear puberty had it and it hit hard. One day I was the normal tomboyish girl not really anything and the next morning I had boobs, curves and a ass. I remember waking up freaking out crying and putting clothes on that didn’t fit me before I jumped out of my bedroom window and walking the two feet knocking on my best friends a blanket around me. He opened the window looking at me like I was crazy.

“You sick of something Nat?”

“Can I borrow some clothes?”

“Um yeah, why you have tons.” I sighed opening my blanket as his jaw dropped.

“Yeah and they don’t fit help me.” My shirt that used to be normal was to the middle of my stomach not being able to fit over my boobs and my shorts were way to small

“Holy shit.”

“Joe!”

“I um yeah come in.” He grabbed a big shirt and some basketball shorts handing me them and I quickly went to put them on. I went shopping with my mom getting all new clothes and the twins when they saw me freaked just like Joe.

“What the hell where did all that come from?”

“Where’s Natasha and what did you do?”

“Shut up.” I said embarrassed “everyone at school is gonna be saying shit.”

“And we’ll fight them. But for real you look thicker than a snicker got damn.”

“Jonathan.” I wined

“I mean Nat you woke up like that.” Joe said pointing at me.

“Yo most girls would kill for that like damn you got thick.” Josh muttered. “Lemme touch it.” I glared at him but inside something cluttered in my stomach

“Snickers.”

“What about them.”

“Nah that’s you.”

“Yeah all that booty thicker than a snicker.”

“Our snickers.”

“I hate all three of you.”

“No you don’t.” They responded and after that the name stuck

I walked into Joes room tossing my backpack. He chuckled knowing I wasn’t very happy.

“You ok Snickers?”

“Kinda.”

“Wanna talk about it.”

“I’m tired of being a virgin.”

“Oh. Well I mean we’re 15 we’ll you about to be I just turned 16 and I didn’t know you-“

“Bullshit you're my best friend you know I am when the hell have you seen me with a guy let alone you guys won’t let one near me.”

“Cause we hear how they talk about you we ain’t letting some asshole just date you to hit it and tell everyone. They care about all that.” He said pointing at me “and not this.” He said poking a finger into my chest where my heart was

“Will you.”

“Will I what?” He asked looking up from his game

“Take it.”

“Take what?”

“Joe really, ugh this is already weird, take my virginity.” He dropped the controller looking at me like I was crazy.

“What!?”

“Your my best friend why not.”

“Why me why not one of the twins?” He asked confused and it made me nervous maybe I shouldn’t have asked but I couldn’t ask the twins Jon plays to much and Josh, I couldn’t ask Josh even if I wanted too.

“I’m closer to you and Jon plays too much I’ll hear about this the rest of my life if I asked him and you know it and I can’t ask Josh. Joe I only trust you guys, please.”

“Why can’t you ask Josh?”

“I can’t.”

“Snickers.” He said making me look at him. “Oh shit do you like him, like like him like him.”

“Joe.” I whined blushing.

“Oh my god how did I not know and since when.””

“If you tell him I’ll slit your fucking throat.”

“I won’t but you like him.”

“Ugh yeah ok I like Josh”

“Since when?”

“A little while. So I can’t ask him.”

“Why not like wouldn’t that make you wanna ask him more.”

“No because what if he says no or is weird or it changes shit and if he says no it’ll bother me and I don’t wanna catch more feelings if I sleep with him Joe it’ll probably make me like him more and I can’t do that.”

“You sure about this?”

“I’d rather it be someone I trust and am comfortable with and your my best friend.”

“Ok.” I looked up at him shocked he’d said ok he got up as I looked at him.

“Where-“

“I’m not doing this and taking a chance of having a baby we’re kids we don’t need that I’m sure there’s a condom in this house.” Five minutes later he was back and locked his door holding up a foil pack. “Told ya.”

“Shut up.”

“You sure about this Snickers like once we do this you can’t take it back.”

“I’m not stupid I know that.”

“Look of you want I’ll see where uces heads at if he likes you too, then you can ask him.”

“No, cause then if he does I don’t wanna be clueless.”

“ like he’d care like that Snick you got as hell besides I think he’s a virgin too.”

“Joe”

“I’m just making sure, like this is a big step.”

“I’m a big girl.”.Joe gently touched my face lowering his lips to mine as he kissed me. It felt good but also felt weird. Slowly I got into it and we ended up on his bed. I moaned when he kissed around on my neck and he pulled back

“You ok?”

“Um yeah that, that felt good.” He nodded doing it again. We made out a while his hand sliding up my shirt. We slowly undressed as Joe would ask if I was ok or sure.

“Natasha.” I looked at him as he looked down my eyes following his before looking at him. Joe was handsome as hell they all were. “You sure about this?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me if I hurt you.” He kissed me slowly moving as I gasped it felt weird and kinda hurt but also felt good. “You good?” I nodded as he slid all the way as I winced in discomfort. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re good, move.” I replied touching his face.

Most girls I’d heard those first time wasn’t the best and it hurt and while yeah it hurt a little when Joe first started it wasn’t bad. It was different.”

“Wow.”

“What?” I asked.

“You, that,.”

“Joe.”

“What Snickers, ya can’t get shy now not after that.”

“I’m not your just funny.”

“You sure your ok?”

“Yeah Joe you didn’t really hurt me, I mean you got a big dick at least I’m assuming and it hurt a few seconds when you first started but no you didn’t hurt me.”

“Get up I need to change the sheets.”

“Um ok.”

“Snickers you bled a little that’s why I was so scared I hurt you.”

“Joe.” I said touching his face. “You didn’t hurt me, I don’t think you ever will Your my best friend and thank you.”

“Always, I always got you Snickers. One day we’ll make sure you never want for nothin.”

“I know you guys say that all the time.”

“Because it’s true we don’t care where you go what you do who you end up with we got you.”

“I know bear I love you guys too.”

“By the way you really are perfect.”

“Joe.”

“You are,”

JON POV

I looked at my twin like he was crazy, I kno he ain’t really just say that. No Fuckin way

“Snickers?” I asked as he nodded “Snickers our snickers? Natasha? Natasha Aiyana Smith?”

“Yes Jon, damn! Who the hell else you think I’d be talkin bout.”

“Not Natasha not our Snickers that’s for sure.” I replied. I was shocked he liked her like for real for real. “You do know Joe hooked up with her right uce?” He immediately got pissed. Face red and all but as my brother my twin I couldn’t not tell him.

“I hooked up with who?” Joe asked coming in with his bag, staying with us and thank god Snickers wasn’t with him.

“What!?” Josh said glaring out our cousin, and tossing his water. “Always.”

“Dang what I do?” He asked

“You hooked up with Natasha!”

“Um yeah like 6 months ago, she wanted me to take her virginity wanted it to be someone special that she trusted and said those options were me or one of you two.”

“Well uce, uce likes her?”

“What?” Joe asked looking at my twin who was pissed. “Since when?”

“For a while, damn why ain’t she come to me?”

“Because y’all joke too much and she quote loves Jon but ain’t trying to hear his mouth cause he’d never shut up and she didn’t wanna ask you cause she has a Fuckin crush on you and ain’t wanna be weird. Besides she’s known me longer and better she’s legit next door.”

“So y’all like dating?”

“No.” He laughed “that’s like my fucking sister.” He looked at Josh before speaking “why ain’t you say anything no one had a clue and I know she don’t. Otherwise I know she’s had asked you shit I even tried talk her into tellin you.”

“I ain’t think she’d like me like that shit uce we grew up together and now I can’t.”

“Why? She thinks we cute you know that so she probably do like you.”

“Well she ain’t gonna do anything now if she did you done hooked up with her.”

“So what we ain’t dating it didn’t work we work better as friends.if you had said something you’d have taken her virginity dumbass cause when she came to me I found out she likes you that’s why she wouldn’t ask you, she didn’t want you saying no and it being weird and she ain’t wanna catch feelings.”

“But you know Tash man hell people been sayin she fucking all us what she gonna hook up with me and then really feel that way uce. You know her she ain’t about to be what everyone says. Snickers ain’t-“

“Tell her or I will.” Joe said.

“Why she-“

“Do it Josh, trust me. She been feelin you uce.”

#main event jey uso #wwe jey uso #wwe #jey uso #the usos #jey uso fanfiction #jey uso x reader #jey uso smut #wwe roman reigns #roman reigns fanfiction #jimmy uso

[littlerosetrove]

HOLY SHIT!!!!! 🩷💜💙 I have a lot to say.

My initial Spoiler Thoughts for 7x4 in no particular order.

The Bachelor stuff, as expected, was cringe. In a fun way, but still cringe. Chimney definitely has a little crush on Joey (hello bi Chimney? 👀), and clearly Maddie and Josh are huge Bachelor fans. I learned that it was Jennifer LH that loves the show and so pitched this crossover to the writers. Good on her since she helped create Madney and Buddie. <3

Eddie gave Buck a look at Buck's comment of, “Sorry, I have a rule that I don’t date anyone I meet on a call.” 

Bobby could tell something was off with Harry… from the waffles? Also, was that the same actor who plays Harry? It’s been a couple years, so no surprise he’s grown a lot and looks a bit different since we last saw him I think in maybe season 5A.  

That has to be a low-key dig at Buck with Eddie saying “...it’s like that thing when you meet somebody and you just, click.” A reference to the cemetery scene and Buck saying the nonsense about how Natalia, after talking twice, sees him. As Eddie should. 

Ravi is back! He looked fantastic and beautiful. Heh, loved the brief comedy bit of him asking who was gonna go into the sewer. 

Eddie had Marisol babysit Chris twice in one week? ……..I feel mixed about that. I know Eddie is in a better place than he was with Ana, but for him to leave his kid with his, as far as we can tell, casual girlfriend? What confuses me and makes this harder to even analyze for why Eddie is comfortable with this is that, hi. We still know jack shit about Marisol. We just know she and Eddie are casual boyfriend and girlfriend, but not serious. And because we don’t know anything about Marisol nor their relationship, there’s too much to guess why Eddie is, again, cool with having Marisol babysit Chris. I’ve also seen some Latina folks, in the past few days, comment on the stereotype of people like Ana and Marisol playing “the perfect” girlfriend, being motherly and such, and there not really being anything else there. I have no further comment on that, but something to put out there I guess.  

Buck complained to Maddie about Eddie having a new friend. And Maddie saying that Buck probably kept digging at Chris for questions. Buck is definitely feeling very insecure that Chris finds Tommy cool, and has some kind of connection with Tommy already (though we know nowhere close to what Buck and Chris have or will ever have). I feel for Buck, I do. Cause y'all, this guy is going to have abandonment issues probably the rest of his life. Yes he should know his place in Eddie and Chris's life by now, but....idk, it's still hard for Buck to trust his place in peoples lives. Buck go back to therapy, please.

Oh so Eddie has wanted Buck to hang out, like with the basketball games, but Buck has passed on that. Thus Eddie invited Tommy. And Eddie had looked so excited at the prospect of Buck getting to come watch the fight as well. 

Ohhh really interesting scene with Athena and Harry. Harry even brought up the incident of years ago, of a cop pulling over his dad and pointing a gun at Harry. Harry in this scene was asking, basically, which is more important being a cop or my mom. Harry has the impression Athena cares more about being a cop and………. well………. history shows she does “”understand”” the cops side. 

Honestly? I really think Eddie was talking to Tommy on the phone at the station. Given the episode, it probably was. Some may say it could be Marisol, but given how miniscule a role she’s played *gestures* in everything? Nah, it was Tommy. Even from his dialogue I could catch, idk, I still say Tommy. And goddd Buck was trying So Hard to get Eddie’s attention. Buck honey…. you’re embarrassing yourself. 

The scene with Athena and the mom who accidentally shot her son got me. Well done, I cried. Let me also just say I’m so happy to have 911 calls that aren’t longer than necessary, but more so just right. Season 6 had an issue of dragging out the calls. 

Ha! Chimney covering for Buck at the court and calling himself a beard. Chimney knows something is up, especially with Buck. 

Can I just say, I loved seeing Eddie look so happy?? Being more at ease looks fantastic on him. <333

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Eddie act so broey with someone. Tommy really brings out Eddie’s “hey bro man dude what’s going on” side. Interesting interesting… But I am glad that Eddie has someone to connect with about the army, his interest in fighting, and apparently cars???? Stuff like that. 

Tommy called Buck Evan, the entire episode. *squints* I’m not mad about it, but I’m a little ?????? about it. I don’t recall any past girlfriends of Buck who called him Evan. Always Buck. And Buck always introduces himself as Buck to everyone, sooooooo what? The only people to ever call Buck Evan is his parents, Maddie, and Eddie once in the memorable and iconic Will Scene. Like having Tommy call Buck Evan certainly sets him apart from everyone else and definitely past love interests…...

Good on Maddie for rightfully being pissed at Buck for, even though he’s not sure he did it intentionally or not, but for hurting Eddie. I’m a bit pissed at Buck for that too. Like Maddie said, you don’t hurt the people you care about. 🤨

Well I’m glad that Athena stuck by Harry’s side through the whole process, buuuut I still think Athena needs to retire. (we know she won’t, especially with the confirmed 8th season, and who knows how many more. maybe in the last season.) 

Eddie feels bad? Nah see it’s explained in this post by @bihoebuck about how neither Buck nor Eddie are right or wrong. It’s a quick post, read that and it’ll make sense. 

I can't wait to see and hear more from Eddie next episode. Buck may now be focusing on his queer awakening instead of figuring out his feelings about Eddie (spoiler: he's in love with Eddie, we know this), but all of this must get Eddie thinking too. And not just "oh Buck was feeling left out, and I feel like I may have left him out too." Nah there's gotta me more to shake loose in Eddie's head, you know??

BI BUCK IS CANON BABYYYYY!!!! I gotta say the build up to the kiss was really good. And? Like y’all. I really liked how confident Tommy was. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders, saying a lot of right things to clear the air about Chris (that Chris couldn’t stop talking about Buck) and Eddie and such. Tommy even admitting that he’s a bit jealous of the family at the 118, since we know it was Not like that when he worked there. I’m guessing it’s not like that even at the station he currently works at. Now. Once again though we have another case of Buck Misunderstanding the mother-effing Assignment. And I do feel sorry for Tommy because Buck is… basically pivoting in his jealousy about Eddie - feeling like he’s losing Eddie and Chris because Buck will probably forever have abandonment issues - and instead of continuing to really think about why he’s feeling jealous in any regards about Eddie, he’s now thinking, “Oh. I was just wanting to spend time with Tommy. And oh holy shit I’m into guys? Yeah. Yeah I am!!” And so Buck’s queer awakening is kinda clouding his judgment and perspective. Don’t get me wrong! Buck is definitely bi, BLESS, but now he’s going to focus on this part, focus on Tommy, instead of figuring out his feelings about Eddie. I think Buck is still afraid to truly look close at his feelings for Eddie and untangle what it all means. I really wonder just how long Buck will consciously and subconsciously avoid thinking about what Eddie really means to him. I just hope Tommy doesn’t get hurt along the way. =|

PHEW. I got most of my thoughts out, but I’m sure I missed some details. Another really good episode in my books. Not perfect, but pretty dang awesome. 😎

#911 spoilers #9-1-1 #my thoughts #long post

[mermaidsirennikita]

well now that the crown is over it's time for one last ranking of the seasons

Lol good lord

Season 2--I think this was the most dramatically consistent, despite the Kennedy episode; the cast was across the board at its absolute strongest; and the throughline of Philip and Elizabeth's marital issues was so good. The intense argument they had on the ship was literally just a couple fighting and was somehow some of the most riveting TV I've ever seen? Plus you had additional standouts like the episode where we saw the seeds of Charles's Various Issues sown after Philip almost kills him in a murder-suicide by plane because he's so annoying (while also doing some genuinely intense trauma delving into Philip's own childhood) and, the delving into the Wallis and David being Nazi sympathizers/the brief returns of Jared Harris and John Lithgow, Matthew Goode doing the absolute MOST!!! with Vanessa Kirby in that absorbing fail relationship... It was a lot. Even the Kennedy episode couldn't sink this ship!!!

Season 4--Olivia Colman had some adjusting to do (and so did Helena Bonham-Carter, though to a lesser extent; imo, the Matt Smith -> Tobias Menzies pipeline was the easiest transition the show ever had, and it's in part because Philip had such a personality transition due to his arc in season 2, so Tobias playing a more settled if still wistful for what could have been Philip who'd become Elizabeth's attack dog made sense) but she was fully settled into this cold but also weirdly funny Elizabeth, so out of touch and brittle yet also comically so. But let us be real, Josh O'Connor and Emma Corrin OWNED this season. The thwarted chemistry of the Australia episode. The transformation from shy Di to broken wife to resolved and jaded icon who's decided to break off and also use her influence for good. ALSO, the only PM performance that matched Lithgow's was Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher. Her chilly meetups with Elizabeth, the one PM than Peter Morgan seemed to acknowledge was never enamored with Liz (and I think he's exaggerated a lot with the others lol), the general looming doom she represents... Amazing. Plus, we get one-offs like Elizabeth choosing her favorite child and the show trying to dodge it being Andrew, Margaret's hot young thang though tbh the show severely condensed that relationship (wrong season but my thoughts remain lol) ... Perhaps the most bombastic season, amazing.

Season 1--a great setup of so many issues that would follow Elizabeth, the only season where we see "the woman", fab setting in with Claire, Matt, and Vanessa, and incredible performances from John Lithgow and Jared Harris (who legit never fails to make me cry when he looks at his family for his last Christmas and starts crying). The "I ASK YOU TO MAKE AN EXCEPTION FOR ME"/"... no" scene with Matt and Claire is an example of their magic together. And I say this as someone who has never found Matt Smith compelling in any other role ever. Also, the way Vanessa Kirby made such a splash with her resentful anger at Elizabeth... God.

Season 3--I was initially frostier on this season, but upon rewatch it's still good TV and had some great standout moments. Tobias Menzies is an excellent Philip, and of course you get the introduction of Josh O'Connor, whose Wales episode and monologue about how he won't be a complete person until his mother dies (when we all know Charles will never be a complete person)... So good. It does suffer from the transition a bit, and I'll be real, I don't think Emerald Fennell really worked as Camilla at any point on the show. This also began the serious issue the show has with really glossing over the complexities of Camilla and her relationship with Charles--the idea that they had this straightforward star-crossed lovers thing, the omission of his other women and her genuine love for her husband and dislike of the idea of being Charles's wife versus his mainstay mistress... Meh. But still, good TV with some great performances. And I'll never be over "MUMMY I HAVE A VOICE"/"no one wants to hear it". One of the coldest takedowns I've ever seen on television, lol. Josh and Olivia were great together. (Also: a really good Anne, especially in this season.)

Season 5--there were things to like about this season. But ultimately, it was a flop. Elizabeth Debicki is such a good older Diana ("older" as in a woman who never even hit 40... Jesus) but the show seems like it couldn't decide between her being a little girl lost who was so easily manipulated, and a spoiled brat who was just upset that Charles didn't love her!!! I find Imelda Staunton horribly miscast as this rather watery Elizabeth, which is a very odd transition from the seemingly-silly-but-deeply-cold woman Olivia played. Jonathan Pryce could've played a really good Philip, had he had a script, and same with Lesley Manville. Dominic was a total miscast as Charles, and go from the FABULOUS scene with Josh O'Connor screaming at Emma Corrin about how she needs to be nicer to his mistress to this guy who's like. Breakdancing with the kids, because he sooooo loves the At Risk Youths (which is so racially coded, and looks a lot worse now that we know Charles is one of the people who asked about Archie's skin tone). The whitewashing of Charles in the last two seasons of the show is INSANE. One standout is the episode about Mohamed Al-Fayed because Salim Daw is an ACTOR!!!! baby but the show is also incredibly fetishistic and offensive in its treatment of the Fayeds so. At what cost. I find it rather odd that the show missed an opportunity to track the interesting angle of Philip and Diana's relationship after s4 (Tobias and Emma were great together, of course) because Philip really was advocating for her on some level up until the last minute in Charles and Diana's marriage (when Diana was like "UMMMM REMEMBER HOW YOU SPEAK TO YOUR BETTERS ROYAL WHITE TRASH" lmao because she did legitimately have bluer blood than Philip) and that's the kind of quirky thing The Crown used to thrive on.

Season 6--Again, Debicki and Salim Daw give strong performances (as does Khalid Abdalla as Dodi, but he barely gets time, so). Again, the Fayeds get a horrible treatment from the script, but in terms of acting probably the best moment of season 6 was Mohamed's reaction to Dodi's death. Otherwise, pretty horrible. Ghost Diana was bizarrely handled. This fiction that Charles and Diana were on good terms in the end was... lmao. She hated that man. Anyway, it was laughably bad, William and Harry were hopelessly miscast (justice for Harry, lol, PM dropped some obvious hints that he was less than happy with the royal family but I'm like my guy you really could've done more, give us stronger Chaos Harry foreshadowing you coward) and it just ended so weirdly. I hate.

Man, what a ride. I will always love the first four seasons. But damn, it crashed and burned.

#the crown #i finished that shit and went '.... that's it?'

[coconut530]

Heyyyy everyone! I just wanted to take a bit to gush about the WT I’ve been binging the past three days, Not Even Bones!

I’d seen this WT on the Saturday page for y e a r s , but it never looked that appealing to me. Last week, I binged Silent Screams on Canvas, and learned that artist was on NEB as well. That, combined with my desire for a darker story, and the icon nagging me like Shiloh and Lavender Jack did, made me cave and start it.

Let’s start with the characters. Nita’s our protagonist, and she’s.. interesting to say the least. Most of the time I can see where she goes but there are some instances where I question the writing a bit. And though I do get squeamish over her.. hobbies, the story usually justifies it pretty well or Kovit manages to say something. Speaking of Kovit, you can see most of these images have him in it 😂. Uhh but I have to say he’s a really good character, despite what he does. In the end he only does it because of his nature and the society that enables him. But his design is cool across all three styles, he’s a caring guy, and the rules he poses for himself make the story really interesting. S2 was my favorite, I think for all of the things we found out about him. Next we have… Fabricio. I… truly don’t know what to think about this little dude. He’s a little annoying, for starters, bc he always escapes!! And his morals are grayer than a thundercloud! And I don’t know what he truly wants! But regardless, I think he’s a good foil character for Nita, forcing her to confront herself when she’s too far gone or giving her a goal to reach. That’s our main three, but I do want to give a couple shoutouts. Adair is like.. so fun. He gives those fun trickster vibes, and to me sounds like Josh Grelle. Diana is fun too, giving Nita a friend when Kovit isn’t there. Gold is a bit annoying sometimes, but I like how she brings out a different side of Kovit. Overall these characters are very interesting, and their designs in the latter seasons make it all look and feel so immersive and unique.

So, I started it. S1 was a little rough, since the story was new to me and I wasn’t a huuuuge fan of the art style. But the story was engaging enough and I think the art fit with the tone of the season, even if it wasn’t my favorite. Overall it was interesting to see this WT go deeper than the advertisements of simply “girl who’s mom finds supernatural creatures and she dissects them”. We actually learn more about those creatures and the hostile world they live in.

S2 was what I was really waiting for, since Glamist was the artist for that one. And BOY did it deliver! The story just got more engaging from there, with Kovit’s backstory coming up more and Nita getting more desperate, and Glamist’s art made it look soooooooo goooooood!!! What I really noticed in this season was the imagery that Glamist drew. You can see it in the panel above where Kovit is behind bars made out of money, MMMM so good. There’s more like that, which is a sticking point alone. And! Before this I’d only seen three WTs of mine have moving panels: Shiloh, Nevermore, and Time & Time Again. BUT now I can add this one to the list! The one where Adair was like “What have you done?” also moves, and it was so fluent and amazing. There’s another one where Kovit swings his knife around, and I was floored by that one. This season was so great with characters, story, and art, and it just makes me soooo excited to see Silent Screams come out as an Original.

I just caught up today with S3, and it is still so good. I was a teensy bit sad to see Glamist go, but Starpiper keeps that same style nearly to a T, the imagery is still so strong, and the panels still move from time to time. It is nice to see Nita and Kovit’s relationship still so strong in this season, even when Kovit is brought down to his worst. This season is still going on, so I don’t have tooooo much to say, but it’s been really good so far. Excited to read a new ep today.

Anyway, if you’re a fan of like Shiloh or Silent Screams and looking for another story like that to enjoy, check Not Even Bones out!

#Not Even Bones #Not Even Bones Webtoon #Webtoon #Gosh it’s so good #And I haven’t had anyone to talk to about it in real life so in here I go :) #Epic #Expect maybe some more drawings in the future bc that art style is MMMM

[blues-valentine]

A debated opinion but I wouldn’t mind if Can I Have This Dance is a full group song with each couple having their own part, preferentially during Homecoming/Prom because that would be so cute, that if Rina gets Right Here Right Now and I Just Wanna Be With You because it’s more meaningful since it fits their whole arc.

In fact, High School Musical 3 as the school production for the season Rina is a couple and Ricky is a senior is perfect. Look at those lyrics:

Everything about Rina has been about change.

Ricky's fear of change and Gina's life constantly changing so she dosn't allow herself to think too far ahead but Ricky is been her yes. So for Right Here Right Now, if Rina’s arc for S4 is like I predict it will with them feeling unsure about their future because is Ricky's last year at East High and now their whole public relationship with everyone inserting themselves into it then the lyrics fit just right: "I'd wish this moment was ours to own it and that it would never leave" and then with being afraid of the future and linking it to Gina’s speech about her life being all about maybe and holding onto the present and the journey: "Right here, I promise you somehow that tomorrow can wait for some other day to be, but right now there's you and me". Ricky’s senior year/decisions approaching: "We know it's coming and it's coming fast (but right now, there's you and me) so let's make every second last". And we back again with the theme of change: "A bend in the universe is gonna make everything in our whole world change (it's changing) and you know that where we are will never be the same". It’s prefect for a moment when they're feeling like nothing is going like they want it to because of their fame and time is running out.

Then there’s Just Wanna Be With You: "You know how life can be. It changes over night. It's sunny then raining but it's alright. A friend like you, always make it easy. I know that you get me every time. Through every up. Through every down. You know I'll always be around. Through anything you can count on me." I mean, "I thought we sort of got each other" is pretty self explanatory for them and it really highlights the rollercoaster that has been their journey though out all these four seasons.

Actually, I can see this song being sang by two different couples (the full song does), the first part for Ryan and Kelsey on the piano (could be Seblos) and Rina taking it off from where Troy and Gabriella start since it’s the part that fits their relationship and most of it till the end kind of like in the movie version (the rehearsal, not the actual show). I can see that song being Rina focused but with the other couples as backup.

And even Gabriella's solo Walk Away is so Gina coded and it mentions change. This song is when Gabriella had to leave East High earlier because she got an early admission into college. "I guess I should've known better to believe that my luck had changed. I let my heart and forever. Finally learn each other's name. I tell myself this time is different, no goodbyes 'cause I can bear to say it. I'll never survive the ones that's coming if I stay. Just walk away and don't look back 'cause if my heart breaks it's gonna hurt so bad. You know I'm strong but I can't take that." And I just remember Kristoff Lullaby: "You light the world for me. You live life fearlessly, braver than the braver of us do" and Ricky’s “Gina’s a fighter and she’ll come back for opening night” Like, Gina is Gabriella. I'm sorry, she's so her coded.

And we know there's only one person that can sing Scream and that's Ricky Bowen and the line: "Yeah, the clock's running down, hear the crowd getting loud. I'm consumed by the sound. Is it her? Is it love? Can the music ever be enough?" that's Ricky Bowen coded. I can imagine him singing this when he is feeling overwhelmed about having to make decisions about his future, about music, about having to be away from Gina. Josh would eat this bad.

CIHTD is aesthetically iconic but the lyrics can apply to every couple on the show so I wouldn’t mind that one being a group song with all the pairings together singing some parts because it would look pretty cute on a big scale dance. “A Night To Remember” needs to happen too. Like, it’s basically a need for them to do this.

#hsmtmts #gina porter #ricky x gina #rina #ricky bowen #text post #hsmtmts season 4 #rina hsmtmts #high school musical the musical the series #seblos #jetney #madlyn

[mischas]

i think you’ve talked abt this on the blog before but the js decision that sethmer was the “light/fun” couple and ryissa was the “dark/angsty” couple genuinely aided in the destruction of the show. the balance was so much better in s1 - there’s a sweetness to ryissa that’s never replicated again (for obvious bts reasons ofc, but the writing didn’t help either) and the push and pull of sethmer feels rlly natural instead of how contrived it becomes in late s2 and with the college arc. having the comic book storyline happen alongside the trey storyline is laughable and is probably when the show starting jumping the shark when it comes to relationships. there was so much depth to sethmer that got wasted and of course josh & stephanie’s only storyline ideas for marissa were just ways to punish mischa.

It absolutely did. It's ridiculous and shoots them all in the foot early. The shifts in s2 were massively impacted by irl stuff though so bts dynamics and writing were going hand in hand. I reckon they were going hand in hand all the way back in s1 too and we just didn't totally know about that until recently. At least I didn't. Not as much, at least. The bts stuff also comes from JS' preference for Rachel and SS as his self-insert relationship that only grows as s1 progresses. It just does, and that we've known for a long time. I think there was some old late s1 press saying the writers were partial to SS and were never gonna make them unlikeable. And it's just like... ok then. First off, being likeable has nothing to do with emotional resonance and grounded storytelling. There's a reason Adam says their stuff should've been stretched for entire seasons to really make things impactful and tell a worthwhile story. And I think he says it in the nicest way possible, but he's basically saying they never made it meaningful enough. Or at least beyond s1 they didn't.

Seth's 127 departure is so impactful on 201 and that iconic scene at the end of 202 but then it's mentioned like... one more time in 214? Summer spends s2 mad at him but flirting with him in the same breath. And that's fun but like... give us something meatier. We later learn in 310 that Summer's mother abandoned her. Let's dig into that!! And how Seth leaving and coming back expecting a reunion was incredibly fucked up! But they just do not go there ever in a real way and it's too bad. Seth has done fuck all to deserve Summer's forgiveness/love in 214 but he gets it anyway. And his obsessing over her sex life is not cute!!!!

I'm sure I've written entire books worth of content about RM needing more lightness. Their s1 balance being what it is just makes me more sus of bts influence. Marissa's dealing with SA/death/violence/depression/substance abuse this whole time and they can never spread that wealth around to ensure everyone's got some good drama going on. It's essentially that Squidward window meme from s2 on, lol.

#ask #anonymous #i also think moral superiority is a big thing going on with both couples #marissa and seth are always the screw ups #203 is them being like... damn i guess we're both fucking this up huh #with marissa/mischa that feels very bts-influenced though #who knows with ss #it's never made total sense to me why ryan is so avoidant of marissa in s2 and why marissa is made to unevenly Pine #but now we know

[outrunningthedark]

Maybe it’s just me but I’ve never really had hope for buddie to be confirmed in the first place. Like I do ship them and if they did I would be happily surprised but really it’s just never something I’ve entertained as a possibility and I don’t know where the people who believe it will happen have been but we just don’t get ships like this imo.Maybe there’s a few exceptions even if I can’t think about this right now but when a character’s introduced as straight or nothing has been said so we assume straight and then fandom ships them with an equally assumed straight person the show and networks and all that don’t want them together because they’re ‘normal straight people’. Like in LS from the beginning TK’s introduced with a bf he wants to propose to, they don’t lose their normal character since that was him from the start. Also if it’s acknowledged that all the buddie moments were building up to a romantic relationship then it sheds light on other similar relationships in other shows or films that we were ridiculed for shipping when really it’s not so different. I really don’t know if I got my point across here and I’m sorry this got so long winded, maybe I’m just a cynic but I think my buddie dreams will have to be contented with fanart and fic.

It's definitely not just you who has felt that way, lol. We hear it all the time, just more aggressively. To expand on what you said, the biggest piece of "evidence" in favor of this argument is that it's been six seasons and neither one's sexuality has been altered or allowed to evolve in the slightest. And it's not the opportunity wasn't there, right? Maddie and her "boy crush on Eddie" remark or saying she wouldn't want Josh to date her little brother. Then TK (falsely) assuming Buck was being flirtatious. Tim (he was the main show runner those years) could have said any of that meant something moving forward (maybe a "Buck is canonically bi, but we haven't explored that part of his story...we're waiting 'til it feels appropriate"), but the only part he addressed was the TK thing, and he connected to Tarlos since Carlos wasn't physically present. Compare that to Nancy becoming the first bi character of the 911verse. She came out while in a relationship with Mateo. She is still in that same relationship now. The show isn't trying to "prove" she's bisexual by having her hook up with or date a woman. It's just a part of who she is. And then there's the fact that all four (technically five, with David) queer men of the 911 verse (Michael, Josh, TK, Carlos) are written as gay, not bi. Tim & co. appear to have some *opinions* (thus far) about bi men, it seems. If they date a woman? Straight. Date a man? Not into women (never were). I will continue to say, though, that people are giving the network too much grief. The canon couples very rarely do anything intimate as the seasons progress, with Henren as the outlier because 6x06 was a flashback, so *if* anyone with influence was concerned about the optics, Tim has an "excuse" not to push things too far - that's not what the focus is anymore. And even *if* someone at the network was all "idk about this :/" that's still on Tim for dodging the discussion six years in. Get out ahead of it and the message would have been received much sooner - if you're against even one of these guys getting with a dude...this ain't the show you should be watching. Move along. (Tim has no problem putting LS fandom down, so I don't see why he'd act different with OG. TBH, it's either his own biases about Buck and Eddie as men that is keeping him from making them canon or it's similar to his reaction when the Tarlos fandom "complains" - he knows what's gonna happen if Buddie goes canon; they will dominate the discussion - he doesn't want the fandom giving their opinions or asking for content more than they do already.)

#anonymous #tina speaks #tv: 911 #tv: 9-1-1 #buddie

[matan4il]

You joked the other day in an anon response a funny line like "I don't even need to see these 2 bozos kiss" and it actually really drove home a point I was trying to crystallize in my head.

I have watched this show live since the beginning and I don't think people really comprehend how different S1 was from the rest. When it came back S2 honestly, totally different show. In fact it was almost Hallmark like it was so pure. S1 was for sure more sexual and gritier.

So at this point its like I just want Buddie Canon and if there is someone homophobic blocking it then please do it without the kissing. I would think it was a cop out but at this point I just want it you know. Queer actors play straight people all the time, so I don't think it's fair to let straight actors not, but like please I will take it.

If you just want them to like grab the back of the other's neck. Or forehead touch. The thing is this isn't a very sexual show so you could do it like that I guess. I don't think they ever showed Michael and David ..

And what really kills me is kissing aside making them Canon really wouldn't change the intimacy of how they are written because they already are written so much like a couple you know??

So I would be disappointed but seriously I will take them anyway I can get them at this point. I'm happy to fill in the blanks in my head and fanfiction.

Hi lovely Nonnie! Thank you so much for your response to this post! And also for the kindness about my awkward brand of humor. XD :*

I very much agree with you that s1 was darker and more sexual, though it wasn't necessarily a positive view of sexuality. We got a sex scene of Hen cheating on Karen with Eva, we got Buck having sex as part of his self-destructive pattern, as well as the sex with the shrink which was actually her taking advantage of him (as I discussed more in depth in my Buck & consent meta). The one "positive" sex scene we saw was Buck with Abby, but even that one came in ep 107, when we had already heard her calling him her boy toy in 106. So s1 was the only really sexual season, and actually getting a sex scene was not a positive during it. From s2 onwards we indeed have such a huge shift in the tone of the show! But we still only get sex scenes (rather than implied/referenced sex) in a negative context, such as the ones Buck has with Taylor in 206, which she's clearly portrayed as "the wrong choice" (as opposed to Ali). Basically, sex scenes in the world of 911 are a bad sign, while sex which is positive, which is good and loving (even when it's implied to be naughty or kinky, like Bathena's), is only implied. That's why I never expected or even wanted any sex scenes for Buddie.

Now kissing, that's different. You're right about us not getting any Michael and David kisses. IDK to what a degree that had to do with the fact that a big part of their story overlapped with the height of covid, but I find that 911 still managed to pull of a cute, loving, beautiful (even while it was minor) love story for them. So maybe with the exception of Michael saying yes to David's proposal, the lack of kisses didn't bother me much. And when we got to the proposal, we found out Michael's actor was fired due to being an anti vaxxer, so it made sense they wouldn't be able to film a kiss with him.

For other couples, Bathena, Madney and Henren, I do think it matters that we see them kiss. Especially Henren, as they're the show's only current canon LGBTQ rep (sorry Josh and Carson, your meet cute in 516 is still not integral enough to the show to count). But just generally, I think it matters how, despite sex scenes only being shown in a negative context, 911 makes it clear that sexuality is healthy, beautiful and even vital to a good romantic relationship. So those scenes implying couples having sex and getting to enjoy it and be fulfilled by it? It would be too much if they didn't include kissing.

And in that context, I do think Buddie should kiss. They should be treated equally to all the other couples on the show. Also, I agree with you that there is no reason in the world why straight actors should get away with playing gay, but refusing to kiss a same sex character. Incidentally, I also think neither Oliver, nor Ryan would have any issues with kissing another guy as a part of their job.

But for me, personally? Yeah, I can be okay with not seeing the kisses because Buddie are so there. They're so stupidly in love with each other, it's almost like kissing is just the fine print. It's exactly like you said! They have so many of the ingredients of a romantic r/s, they're so practically married, that if they officially got together, the difference on the surface would not be so big. But there would be a big shift below said surface. For example, they'd still be giving each other heart eyes like crazy, as we've seen them do. But as a couple, for the first time, they would know exactly what those heart eyes mean. And they would look at each other like that with the knowledge that they're allowed. That it's mutual. That it's intentional. That they get to look at the other man like he's the most amazing person to ever exist, and that man was theirs, that amazing man chose them. THAT is where the difference would lie, and kissing would only be an extension of that, not the source.

So yeah, you get me exactly right, Nonnie. I want to see THAT so much, I will take it even without any onscreen kissing. I'm glad my throwaway line helped crystalize things for you, I hope this reply was also a good one for you, and thank you for letting me babble on about this subject! Have a great day! xoxox

(If you're looking for my ask replies, here is my ask tag! xoxox)

#buddie #buddie meta #911 meta #911meta #911 #eddie diaz #evan buckley #edmundo diaz #evan buck buckley #anti-buckabby #bathena #henren #madney #mavid #9-1-1 #ask #anon ask #911onabc #911 on abc #911abc #911 abc

[thebreakfastgenie]

Ellsberg variant (which I’m sure you’ve told me about but do you think *I* remember?) but also 💜💜💜 (I meant to send this sooner but I saw it when I was still on the train last night at like. 11:57 PM)

No worries!!

So I explained the basics of Ellsberg Variant here but I'll go through some of it again and add some things! So basically, the idea is there is a break in at Josh's therapist's office, and copies of his records are stolen. This is a variation on what happened to Daniel Ellsberg; the future Watergate burglars broke into his psychiatrist's office looking for his file to retaliate because he leaked the Pentagon Papers. They did not find it, but these fictional guys are more successful. The burglars make copies, so nothing is missing, so the break-in isn't really reported and no one really knows about it until an advance copy of an upcoming tabloid with a hit piece on the White House staff, including the stolen records, is anonymously delivered to CJ's office. I don't have a snippet to share unfortunately but I can talk about it!

What I'm really excited about writing is the first day. The high stakes mystery of it all... CJ ends up consulting with Danny, but of course she can't tell him what it's about, and he's the one who finds the break-in buried in local news. CJ spends a couple hours figuring out what's going on before going to Leo, and at first he's made she waited but realizes she was right to wait until she had something concrete. Shortly after that they bring Josh in to tell him together. That goes... not great, but about as well as it can. Josh has to verify the stolen records are real, as well as provide CJ with the rest of his file, in case anything else was stolen and hasn't been published yet so she can be prepared (she doesn't force him to do this; he agrees it's necessary even though he hates it).

The burglars basically sold copies of high profile patient records to the highest bidder. The buyers (Republican) can't give them to a legitimate newspaper, but once they're published in the tabloid, the news media will report on the break-in and leak and they'll be out there. They discuss trying to go to court to stop the publication, but decide that will only draw more attention to the issue, and the records will be entered as evidence and maybe even be posted on the internet by whoever has them.

It's basically a combination emotional story and thriller/drama as they try to figure out what happened. Danny might get a moment where he refuses to write the kind of coverage other papers are writing. It's mostly gen, with the same level of pre-relationship Josh/Donna friendship I would write in a canon-compliant season 3/4 fic. Amy will probably show up, but Josh and Amy are not together (they're already broken up if I can make the timeline work). There will definitely be some CJ/Danny; I haven't decided how far it'll go, but it won't be the main focus, this is more of a plot fic. I tried writing the first scene a couple times but haven't had a draft I'm happy with. I do know the first scene is from Carol's POV and talks about how she later recounts her memory of the envelope containing the advance copy a bunch of times for CJ, Leo, White House counsel, etc., and she's always completely consistent. I really want to play with this idea more!

#ty ally!!

[atomicpoetrymusic-blog]

Just wanted to say my piece about hsmtmts s3 as a whole, and why it means so much to me. This is a full on ramble (what can I say, I shouldn't have gotten started), so don't feel obligated to read.

This show has been so important to me recently, as I have been going through a lot in my personal, professional and general life. 'Finally Free' and 'Here I Come' in particular mean the world to me, I honestly cry when I listen to them.

Secondly, I just absolutely adore Rina. There is something so special about this relationship, and though I have a couple issues with that final scene, I have to say the build up over the seasons was beautiful (and super frustrating, but in a good way). Josh and Sofia have such great chemistry, and the characters are so wonderfully written, it's insane. As a writer, I want to have this level of skill. I feel like I can't fit all my thoughts on Ricky and Gina into an overview of what I enjoyed, so I'll move on.

I really liked the new characters, especially Jet and Maddox, and was so happy with the brief appearances from the other cast members (especially Seb and Big Red). Although I never particularly liked or connected with Nini (nothing to do with Olivia, Nini just wasn't my cup of tea), her goodbye scenes were really well done and made me emotional.

I really like that Redlyn both came out, but were still happy in their own relationship. They clearly love each other, and are comfortable enough with each other to be open and honest, which is honestly so nice to see. Whether they further explore that or not, it was a sweet way to end the season for them. I also just love the fact that we see Ashlyn go on this whole journey of discovering her sexuality, and then Big Red just swoops in after not being seen for ages, casually announces "I'm bi" on an international stage, and then just dips. Honestly, so in character for both of them, I love it.

I myself have struggled with anxiety for pretty much my whole life, so Kourtney's arc has also meant a lot to me. I genuinely sobbed when I watched 'Let It Go' (the song, not the episode). It also goes to show that even if you put up a brave exterior, or are interested in performing, you can still have these nerves (as a shy, introverted theatre kid when I was younger, I can relate), and also that they can persevere, even if you have made steps to reduce the fear.

Carlos's body image issues are also something I can relate to, and I liked how they handled it, though I think it should be touched on more next season, if only briefly. It felt a little pushed under the carpet in favour of moving the plot along - due to episode lengths, budgets and behind the scenes stuff, I completely understand why, it just felt a little underdeveloped.

Because I am a diehard Rina shipper (and have been since season 1), EJ's plot this season has been harder for me to digest, but I think the writers handled it fairly well. We have seen in previous seasons how he feels undervalued by his dad (Cash Caswell is a terrible father, and I will stand by this), and EJ's struggle to achieve perfection is really quite difficult to see, as he just keeps being let down by his dad over and over again.

Ultimately, I think he needs to develop himself without a romantic relationship to fall back on. EJ needs to learn who he wants to be in his current stage in life, and focus on himself. I do agree that he hasn't had the recognition he deserves for directing and featuring in the show, but he also didn't take into account what others (especially his girlfriend) were feeling about how he was treating them, and he, like Gina did before him, needs to find balance between achieving his goals and maintaining healthy relationships. Another reason why Portwell just aren't suited to each other right now.

Jet and Maddox's sibling relationship was also pretty well done, and I love that by the documentary promo release, they are basically the epitome of sibling culture - teasing, but ultimately caring. As a little sister myself, it felt natural and sweet, and Maddox teasing Jet about his crush on Kourtney is absolutely something I would do to my brother. Saylor and Adrian definitely both exude big sis/little bro vibes when they're together, and were well cast, specifically as siblings.

I also liked the Ricky aspect of the Jet/Maddox dynamic, and what it meant to his character as a whole. Ricky, being the sweet sunshine child he truly is, tries to get to know Jet, despite knowing nothing about him, in an attempt to 'wear his dark soul down'. He really believes that he can get through to Jet, even though most of the others are wary.

This is a pattern with Ricky, it seems, as he has also attempted to break down the barriers with Lily, and actually succeeds at getting through to Gina. Though his relationships with each of these characters are different (and have different meanings not just to the audience, but to Ricky as well), it shows, rather than tells, that Ricky is the kind of person who sees the good in people and actively tries to encourage that goodness. This is character writing at it's finest, and the writing team should be proud.

I saw somewhere that Ricky's interfering in the sibling rivalry was because he, as a child of divorce, had the idea that getting 2 people in a room will magically get them back together and everything would be ok. As a child of divorce myself, this take hit me hard, but I can't say I disagree. It is quite interesting how this sort of behaviour and thinking can develop over the passage of time, and I think it was well-executed.

Gina, as well, has had really good character writing. Despite it being her 'Summer of Firsts', she shows how mature she can be, not just in her breakup scene with EJ (which was very well done), but also in taking Emmy and Alex under her wing. Despite the slight missteps in her approach to begin with, she ultimately helped Emmy out of her shell, and supported her through her nerves. Gina really did manage to find balance between wanting a leading role, while also being there for others, and it was done in a way that felt natural.

This is nowhere near everything I have felt and observed about this show, but I'm happy for now.

In conclusion, I love this silly little Disney show more than I probably should, and I can't wait for season 4.

#hsmtmts #ricky x gina #rina #gina porter #ricky bowen #ej caswell #ashlyn caswell #carlos rodriguez #kourtney greene #hsmtmts s3

[mermaidsirennikita]

The Crown S5 review?

Eeeeh I'm still not sure where it ranks for me. For me, the seasons are probably--

Season 2

Season 1

Season 4

and then the last two spots belong to 3 and 5 but I'm not sure what order they're in. It's not a bad season of TV, but it's not up to par for The Crown and I'm not sure why, entirely. Because it had moments, but those moments were not consistent. Frankly, I think they pulled a lot of punches this season, where season 4 was nothing but punch after punch--and I don't get that. Like, why make a season as inflammatory as season 4 was, and then get scared after people react to that...?

Anyway, here are semi-organized thoughts

I Liked:

Elizabeth Debicki's Performance. Though I think Emma Corrin was a perfect 80s-era Diana, Elizabeth was perfectly cast for 90s era Diana. She had the accent down, the mannerisms (looking up from underneath her lashes, the head tilts, the wry smirks), Diana's snarky delivery and sorrow mixed with frustration and yes, vengefulness, along with the sense that she's kind of a good time girl who wants to have fun? One facet of Diana that people overlook is that she was a Sloane Ranger before she married; she married very young; and I found that a couple of the things the show pointed out about Diana (her codependence with her children despite her being a great mom, plus her desire to get out and be a bit messy in her 30s) are very common among women who get into bad marriages and have kids quite young. They experience the shit most of us do in our twenties like a decade later. I thought it was very authentic, and far, far, far better than whatever little girl lost routine Spencer had going on. Basically, the Emma to Elizabeth pipeline gives me Diana perfection.

The Fayeds. The Fayed episode was one of my favorites of the season? The acting was good, the pathos were great, I loved the way you could see Diana genuinely getting along with Mohamed. Plus, that episode had the flashback return of David, and that actor is just... great lol.

Diana and Hasnat Khan. Hasnat Khan is a figure that I think is really hard to fictionalize, but the actors had good chemistry and I really liked that soft little love arc. Even if lol it's gonna lead to one of my complaints.

Diana Being Petty. I'm so tired of victim complex Diana portrayals. Diana had fire and wit and she did go after the royals at points. By no means do I think she wanted the monarchy done for (she wanted the throne for William). But the individuals? Oh, she wanted them annihilated lol. Best scene of the season was her dialing no over and over.

What I Didn't Like:

So Much Miscasting. Look man, anyone who followed up Josh O'Connor giving like... an actual career-defining performance as Charles was gonna have a hard time. Dominic is not a bad actor. But he's not it for Charles, and he knew it. He and Elizabeth lacked chemistry, which took a lot of the tension out of their marriage story scene at the season's end--compare that to Josh and Emma's fight. Josh and Emma had chemistry. It made Charles and Diana's issues even more tragic.

Imelda was also miscast, OR maybe she could've done better with a better script, but like... It just wasn't working. She's a good actress, and the truth is that Liz has had less and less to do after her great personal crisis (her marital issues with Philip) settled in season 2. But like as the season went on I kept waiting for Imelda to inject more into the role, and it didn't happen? And again, I don't wanna blame her, because the writing was just--trying to give her something and giving her very little. But things like Dominic and Imelda both skipping the Windsor accent that everyone else nailed in previous seasons was just weird to me.

Jonathan Pryce I feel was less miscast, but again he had little to do that made sense or mattered; Lesley is a great actress but they gave her like, nothing? And Margaret had shit happening lmao. She had kids to raise, her health was failing (by the end of the season Margaret will be dead in less than 10 years). I get why they did a Peter Townsend retrospective episode, but it was weird to me that that was alll they did for her, and Margaret and Elizabeth's confrontation felt so hollow.

Wasted Time. The pacing and time allocation for this season was SO WEIRD. Look, let's be real fucking honest here. What people wanted from this season of The Crown was the War of the Waleses. They advertised that. It's what we were all looking forward to. And there was really? Relatively little of that. There could've been other family dramas to get into, but they obviously didn't want to (Andrew and Fergie, Anne's divorce). And I think PM knew the War of the Waleses was the big show, and he got scared and swerved at the last minute. It was.... a choice.

And the thing is? Not anything nearly as interesting was happening for anyone else all season. So we got like, Philip palling around with his ambiguous lady friend which caused marital issues that I don't think Philip and Liz had at that point lmao. And they just kinda settled on sorta being discontented in their marriage? Which was weird because elsewhere in the season he was very ride or die defensive of her, and frankly they've seemed comfortable since season 2's end.

We had a whole episode dedicated to THE PRINCE'S TRUST LOL. And like.... yeah, Tampongate, but Tampongate was mostly used to be like "oh look, middle-aged people in love", which has always been the royals' attempts to downplay that lol. And it's like... no it's still pretty weird and he was pretty married, y'all. Having PRINCESS ANNE be like "I think that was rather noble and cool" like lol??? ANNE????? It was just weird, man. And The Prince's Trust is cool for a one off subplot, but to be the backbone of a whole episode???

Then you had shit really rushed and shuffled about at points--the Hasnat Khan subplot just flickered away, the Fayeds were introduced in ep 3 and didn't come back until ep 10.

Toothlessness. Look, PM is not anti-monarchy at all lol. But last season, there was an element of like... scathing cynicism towards the family and the institution, and that by and large was missing here. Except for in some Diana scenes, the Fayeds' complicated relationship with British shit in general, etc. That was really pretty missing here. Charles is progressing it, Camilla is suddenly ready to step up lmao, they're just a family!!! And like.... Not just s4, but all of the previous seasons had a sense of doom about it all that just wasn't here. It felt like the abuses of the family were just sort of washed away.

Which leads to...

Inconsistent Characterization. Some of this may have come from the recasting, but I don't think so? There was an adjustment in s3, but this was different. Charles ended season 4 as this like, borderline monster who's got a terrible relationship with his parents and is really pretty spineless. Suddenly, with very little explanation, he has a spine and is like, actively maneuvering to get rid of his mom and REVOLUTIONIZE THE MONARCHY LOL. Listen man, I'm not saying Charles hasn't had some successful power plays, but uh... they happened pretty recently. His mom being at death's door is what gave him that opportunity. He wasn't there in the 90s. He did not have the capital and Philip was guard dogging her.

As mentioned before, suddenly Philip and Liz are on the rocks again to give them something to do... Anne is suddenly like Team Charles lol. Elizabeth lost a lot of her coolness, and we really like... we know it's a hard time but we don't really see her have that hard time.

And it's not just people who were recast at risk here--John Majors begins the season weirded out by these freaks and at the end is like IT WAS AN HONOR AND PRIVILEGE and I have no idea why lmao. Because he mediated the divorce? Why??? A waste of Jonny Lee Miller, tbh.

And then there was just shit I didn't totally get. Like the Romanov episode. How was that the most graphic Romanov execution I've ever seen? How was that meant to indict the Windsors but then whoops never mind?

So yeah, there were like... moments? But I walked away from it feeling like they came so close to hitting the target and veered at the last minute. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it and it did feel very different from the previous seasons. I never got that feeling that I was watching The Crown, a show where you get the "DUNNNUNNNNUNNUNUN" music over someone like, mournfully sipping tea and looking out a window, and you go "my god, this is CINEMA". They never earned that lol.

#the crown #like was it still better than lots of TV i've seen sure lol but that's more bc of mOMENTS than the whole

[dancing-mylife-away]

i was tagged by @renbhullar :)

List 5 favourite shows (in no particular order) and answer questions accordingly.

castle

9-1-1

major crimes

fringe

leverage

Who is your anti relationship in 2? definitely bucktaylor 💀

How long have you watched 1? from when it first premiered in 2009!

How did you become interested in 3? my mom watched the closer and then major crimes and eventually i got interested in major crimes so i caught up on it during season 3!

Who is your favourite actor in 4? definitely anna torv, though josh jackson is a really close second. but anna was always INCREDIBLE in every episode, and the differences between olivia and altlivia, and even olivia when she was like, possessed by william bell were just amazing. you can tell just from a gif if anna's playing olivia, altliv, or the william bell olivia. and her performance in marionette!!

Which show do you prefer 1, 2 or 5? i love castle and leverage dearly, leverage was very much a formative media for me watching it back when i was in high school but i gotta go with 911. that show has permanently altered my brain in a way no other show has lol

Which show have you seen more episodes of 1 or 3? castle, since it has more total episodes than major crimes

If you could be anyone from 4, who would you be? probably astrid because she was involved in everything but nothing that weird ever happened to her on fringe 😂

How would you kill off your favourite character in 5? don't make me think about that :(((

Would a 3/4 crossover work? i mean.....not really but they are both technically crime procedurals and major crimes did sometimes work cases with the FBI, and fritz worked for the FBI until season 3 so it ~could~ work, just not very well 😂

Pair two characters in 1 that would make an unlikely, but strangely okay couple. hmmmm....i don't know. i never actively shipped anyone on castle other than castle/beckett and lanie/esposito and never really thought about any other potential couples or ships

Overall, which show has the better cast, 3 or 5? both shows have the perfect cast with peak found family vibes, but i gotta go with major crimes. i love my cast with an average age of 40+, they are all so dear to me

tagging @mayasdeluca @jackreichel @buckleys-diaz @lacallemojada

#hannah's boring life #genuinely one of my favorite things about major crimes is that everyone except amy and rusty are around 40 or older #it's so much fun #tag games

[love-fireflysong]

Welp, and as promised here's me once again restarting up WIP Wednesdays! I think we can all agree to just forget the fact that my last update for one of these was back in *checks archive* NOVEMBER????? Oh, uh shit. Huh. Damn that creativity slump was really kicking my ass there for a bit oops. Did not realize that it had been an entire four months since I last shared anything lol.

So, from the bottom of my heart: my bad. So please find it in your hearts to forgive me asjdhjakshdas.

Thankfully at least, I think I'm starting to find a nice after work/morning routine that should hopefully keep that creativity up again. Four mornings are spent cross-stitching for a couple of hours with a little bit of pc gaming afterwards, one (which is smack dab in the middle of those four days) is like 4-6 hours hanging out in a starbucks/library and ONLY writing, and the other two mornings are my days off of work where I just game for like 12 hours straight lmao. Routines are good for the heart and soul me thinks.

Plus, the slightly warmer weather and more sun is making me feel WAY better about life and picking my ass up out of that seasonal depression so that also helps a shit ton not gonna lie lol.

Enough taking about me trying to get some semblance of a life back together, here's the shit that (almost) everyone's actually here for: a teensy little sneak peak from my new outlast au piece!

The only reason that Ashley refused to give in to the pain though, was because she knew that no matter what pain she was currently feeling, Chris was feeling it magnitudes worse. That he could feel far more than the metal slicing into muscle, that he could feel the stickiness of the blood that coated Josh's back, the fabric of the more than likely entirely soaked jumpsuit digging into the cuts and making them only sting more. That he could feel each and every one of the small pieces of rubble that still continued to dig into the bloody palms of Josh's hands, left nearly shredded from his frantic attempts to chip at the thick wall of his padded prison cell in order to make a gap just barely wide enough for him to squeeze through. All as he dealt with not only the insistent, burning itch in Ashley's left arm from where the word carved there was still healing—plus whatever other aches and pains she had gained in the last couple of hours since her long-awaited release—but his own long, angry, and still weakly bleeding gash on his right arm. A parting gift from one Rick Traegar during his own desperate escape from the confines of the Male Ward. A ward that he had only barely managed to escape with his life in that first hour.

And now for the bit for the people who don't give a shit about my writing: cross-stitch update! Obviously not a huge amount of progress since my last pic, since I've only sewn once since then. But that skiploom is certainly coming along okay and should hopefully be finished tomorrow morning if everything goes smoothly!

#wip wednesday #my writing #cross stitch #until dawn #pokemon #outlast au #climbing chrash #is it bad that i missed putting these poor kids through absolute hell on earth and terrible emotional/physical trauma? #cause i really really have lol #anyways cross your fingers for me on friday morning when i sit down for another quarter-day session of writing #got one of my roommates to pick me up some earplugs when they went grocery shopping yesterday #and if i'm really lucky they'll be able to block out all noise so i won't get distracted from writing by the music playing in the starbucks #or the noise of people walking around me and talking in both places #or thats the hope at least lol #that what i really need when it comes time to concentrate when writing is just quiet #though i suppose also going to see a doctor and maybe getting back on my meds would help too now that i think about it #considering those meds are literally just to help me concentrate and focus on shit sjkdhaskdjhasd

[georgealias]

on a similar note to your gina post (which i def agree with, even though they’ve always let her show far more skin than anyone else (in terms of the girls), the camera work on her entrance and her outfit surprised me and not in a positive way)- i wanted to bring up matt and josh in this same episode… sure their characters are 18-19, and 17 about to be eighteen respectively, but this show is about high school kids and the whole… let’s have some shots of pouring water on shirtless boys for no real reason at all because anything can be a camp tradition… felt very much just like a gratuitous wet shirtless scene.

like it really did feel like the writers taking any excuse to have them be wet and shirtless rather than this being an actual proper scene for the purpose of carlos embracing himself with the boys. the carlos thing didn’t have enough buildup to feel… like enough reason for them to want to write this in? if that makes sense. and this show’s target audience like? is pretty young? so what they have a couple of early twenties men taking their shirts off to… look hot for pre-teens/early teens, that’s a little… bizarre.

i have no idea went you sent this im so sorry

yo that is actually a super interesting point. i did find it strange how they handled Carlos’ story arc this season becuase it seem liked the writers just kept forgetting he was a character they could use. his story couldve been really well done but all we got was a hand full of half ass lines and an uncomfortable sexualised scene of him that the attempted to frame as self-acceptance.

i feel like this was glossed over by the writers and a lot of viewers because guys are constantly sexualised in the media but not in the same way women are. even though that scene of Carlos was sexualised, its easy to over look it. the same can be said for the shows treatment of Gina. throughout the whole show, but especially this season, she has been framed in a sexualised light. her wardrobe this season is particularly creepy, especially with how the camera lingers on her. not to mention the show frames her relationships with EJ and Ricky (not even gonna start on that yikes)

ultimate i think the biggest problem for the show is that its about high schoolers. the kind of relationships and themes they want to show will always need to be handled carefully, especially since the cast is so young themselves. but i dont think the writers are equipped to handle writing for the kind of stories they are telling or the audience they are writing for.

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts season 3 #gina porter