#black knight 1x01

[1liv]

Kim Woo-Bin as 5-8 in Episode 1 of 'BLACK KNIGHT'

#black knight #kim woo bin #kdramaedit #dailynetflix #tvedit #kdramadaily #netflixedit #5-8 #blackknightedit #kimwoobinedit #kdrama #kim woo-bin #black knight kdrama #택배기사 #black knight 1x01 #black knight gifs #vsnom

[aaand-read-all-over]

Windows: Notes on Prejudice and Consequences

A recurring theme that I think is found in Merlin is the use of windows as a symbol for watching the impacts of Magic and the prejudice against those who have it from a (seemingly) safe distance. As if the effects of persecution don't cut deeper than the purge it attempts.

1x01: Morgana turns her face away from the beheading of Thomas Collins in defiance and denial, as she watched from her window. While she has not yet accepted that she has Magic herself, she acts as a fiercely outspoken ally to those who were persecuted in the great purge. Morgana also turns her face away as she tries to deny her inherent qualities and avoid suffering the same fate.

Referenced in 1x04

“I can’t stand by and watch him die.” “Then don’t look.”

Arthur is recognizing the extent of his father’s elitism and rigid views, which enrages him and inspires him to defy Uther. 

Callback to Morgana turning her face from the window in S1E1 because she cannot bear to see Thomas Collins die.

Arthur and Morgana know that they cannot stop the horrible fates that await those who have Magic, and Morgana cannot bear to watch.

1x09 Morgana and Arthur speak at the window in half-light, as she begs Arthur not to fight the Black Knight. Morgana knows Arthur’s future is dire, but she can’t tell why she feels that way. Morgana has an innate ability to sense the dark Magic that revived Tristan's spirit.

The half-light represents the half of herself that Morgana has to hide not only from herself, but also from those she loves.

Merlin and Arthur look down through the window to where the Black Knight stands still, not eating or sleeping. There is no uncertainty that the Black Knight is conjured from Magic, and that the Magic is sure to kill whomever blocks its path.

2x07 Morgana watches the building of the Witchfinder's pyre outside her window. The punishment for sorcery has only increased in severity in the time that she started to accept her true nature. The glass of the window represents the final, fragile barrier between Morgana and the fate she would suffer if she were found out.

(Gwen is so afraid for Morgana to be found by Auredian because she is always and forever an ally.)

2x08 Arthur must convince himself that Magic has no place in Camelot and that he was wrong to think it ever could. As he stands at the window, half in darkness, he separates himself from Magic and can’t look Merlin in the eye. 

“I am indebted to you, Merlin. I had become...confused. It is once again clear to me that those who practice magic are evil and dangerous. And that is thanks to you.”

Arthur can sense that what he is saying is wrong, but Merlin does not usually lead him astray. Merlin has always been his voice of honest advice and earnest reason. If Merlin tells Arthur that Magic cannot be legal in Camelot, he has no choice but to believe him. Arthur is fighting his instincts to embrace what he knows is right and fair because of the judgments from those around him.

Arthur looks out the window, away from Merlin, looking down on and keeping himself carefully separated from the people he started to believe he should protect.

4x03 Merlin watches Uther’s vigil through the same window where Arthur declared all Magic was evil in S2E8. This time, Arthur joins Merlin at the window and suggests that they use Magic to save Uther’s life. 

If Magic can save Uther’s life, Arthur may change his attitude, and Merlin has real hope for the first time that he could be able to finally live freely.

Arthur would not confide this desire in any other person because he knows that Merlin holds no judgment toward others. 

“If you were me, and it was your father, would you use Magic to save his life?” Merlin’s answer is immediate and confident, giving Arthur all the resolve he needed.

The vulnerability and openness in Arthur’s face is as fragile and clear as the glass of the windows they stand by -- so delicate that Merlin is afraid to blink. If he blinks, Arthur's vulnerability might crumble. If he changes his mind, the opportunity might be lost forever.

5x11 Arthur stands at the window and contemplates if he should free Mordred and Kara, despite their Magic. This time, he claims it is his decision to make. 

Arthur stands on his own, and Merlin is proud of him for choosing to give Kara a chance to repent. Arthur chooses to pardon a person with Magic, so long as she repents for killing innocent men.

Kara refuses to apologize and seals her fate. 

“I’ve made a terrible mistake, haven’t I?”

Arthur sits at the window and recognizes his error. Arthur could be referencing any number of things. He may be regretting his decision to execute Kara, not making an exception for Mordred, or the lasting impacts of his lifelong position on Magic.

I maybe could expend on this a bit, as it is all very precariously pieced together at the moment. Feels like it should ultimately be more of an essay than a list of notes like this? idk lol

#merthur #morgwen #merlin #bbc merlin #merlin bbc #merlin emrys #arthur pendragon #morgana pendragon #guinevere pendragon #please I literally can't stop talking about Merlin #all of my friends are going to cut me off if I don't stop #windows symbolism

[mintedemrys]

Alright I'm gonna take another swing at the hornet's nest today because fuck it

I'm also going to be slightly amending a belief I've held staunchly since the show freaking aired

I don't think Arthur is 20 in season one.

Think about it. The Great Purge began with Ygraine's death. If we are to believe that Arthur is exactly 20 years old in season one, we must also believe that the entire Purge - from conception to execution to capturing Kilgharrah and all the horrors in between - happens in less than a year.

In 1x01, Uther does not say "It has been 20 years since the Purge began" he says "twenty years since the Great Dragon was captured" meaning that there is an indeterminate amount of time between the start of the Purge (Ygraine's death/Arthur's birth) and Kilgharrah's capture.

So, my new estimate for Arthur's age in season one is twenty-four, prior to the Black Knight episode that names him as "coming of age" and making him Crown Prince, which puts him at 25.

Does that align with the medieval concept of "age of majority"? Probably not, but neither does the costuming, accents, language, or setting of the show, so if they're taking liberties with everything else, we can assume they took liberties here too.

Now, we can adjust what we know of the other main characters going off what we know about the Purge, and Arthur's probable age.

Merlin is likely 19-20 when he comes to Camelot. Reason being that Balinor was hunted after the Purge - after Kilgharrah was captured and Balinor escaped Camelot with Gaius's aid. If we assume the Purge lasted 4 years, which is the most likely - and shortest - amount of time for such a widescale and massive genocide to happen, then we can assume that Balinor fled to Ealdor at Gaius's urging, stayed for a few months at the most, before Uther's men caught wind of him and hunted him down again. This would put Merlin's birth shortly after Arthur's fifth birthday, as Balinor didn't even know that Hunith was pregnant by the time he left Ealdor.

Morgana's age is a little tougher to estimate, because while we know the circumstances of her birth, we don't have canon confirmation of the timing. But what we do have, however, is cast confirmation that Morgana is older than Arthur. Now, if we go with my personal favourite theory, which is that Uther grew tired/annoyed with Ygraine's inability to conceive, and went on to have an affair with Vivienne first, that would put Morgana at a minimum two years older than Arthur. My theory on this matter is also that if Vivienne had birthed a son, Uther would have abandoned Ygraine for her, and raised that son as his own, leaving Ygraine penniless but at least alive. I believe though that since Vivienne had a daughter, that Uther gave up hope there, and likely distanced himself from Vivienne and Gorlois from that point on (which we can also then attribute Gorlois's death to, since we're told that Gorlois died when Uther refused to send reinforcements to him). So, to sum up, we can assume Morgana is roughly 26-27 in season one.

Gwen, we have absolutely no point of reference for, unfortunately. We don't know when she was born, we have no significant events in the timeline that we can pinpoint for her birth, so her age is the most questionable. I've seen estimates that Gwen is 18 in season one, I've also seen younger estimates. Personally, I like to think that she's at least a couple years older than Merlin, but still younger than Arthur, so let's say about 22-ish. (I don't have an estimate for Elyan because I still cannot decide whether he is the older or younger sibling, so let's discuss that too.)

The knights range in age in my head between early 20's (Lancelot and Elyan) to early 30's (Leon and Gwaine) at the time of introduction. The exception being Mordred, who I assume to be somewhere between 18-20 in season five, since we don't actually know how old he is in season one, though he looks to be under the age of ten.

And all of this, of course, is running on the assumption that the entire show takes place over the course of ten years. I saw someone say recently that "well we never see winter or fall so REALLY the first two seasons are one year, then 3-4 is one year, then a three year break, then like. 6 months for season 5, so its only really been like five years!" Like.... okay, firstly, lets take a moment, alright, we know that there are time skips happening in canon, the events are not linear, though they are chronological, these episodes are not really happening back to back, if that was the case, everyone would be dead on their feet exhausted by like 1x10. The only real back-to-back episodes are the two-parters, and Kilgharrah's release, and even with Kilgharrah's release, there was still three days in between those episodes that we didn't see.

So what do we know?

Well, we know for certain that there is one year in between seasons 2 and 3 where Morgana went "missing" with Morgause. We know for certain there's another rough year between seasons 3 and 4. There are three years in between season 4 and 5. That's five years already of time we do not see. Now if we allow a year each per season as well, and just accept that things Didn't Happen during winter or fall, that rounds us up to a nice even ten years.

So, in the end that gives us the following in season 5:

Arthur - roughly 35 by the time he dies

Merlin - just on/under 30

Morgana - 36/37-ish

Mordred - 18-20

Gwen - roughly 32

And all of this is dependent entirely on how long the purge lasted. Because it's just unfeasible to believe it all happened in less than a year. Possible? Yes. Likely? No. Camelot is a well-supplied and well-defended kingdom (mostly) but they don't have the resources to create, begin and end a massive genocide at the level it committed, in less than one year.

And that was far more math than I expected to do before midday on a Wednesday but here we are I guess. If you've read this far, let me know what you think. I want to talk about this, and I am so tired of the "Arthur's 16 in season one" rhetoric, so let's talk about it please.

ETA: a very quick google search shows that the common age of majority in medieval England was 21 for men, and as low as fourteen for married girls, so yeah, we are Taking Liberties here. many liberties. all the liberties.

#bbc merlin #merlin #as always these are my OPINIONS and nothing more than that #this is all speculation #because we are never given any actual DETAILS in the show and that still bothers me #meta

[saphirabluish]

I'm watching Black Knight 1x01 "Episode 1"

#BlackKnight #trakt

[nerdrabugento]

Acabei de assistir a Black Knight 1x01 "Episode 1".

#BlackKnight #trakt

[middlemisty]

1x01 thoughts

Gosh the fact that it's snowing on Snow when Charming wakes her up is so poetic I love it

What if I kept a running tally of every time someone in this show says “I will always find you” or some variation of that cause I swear its like every episode. 

Season 1 Evil Queen hits hard

Gosh Henry is so little in season 1

Emma wishing on that blue star candle and Henry showing up, her family showed up

Not Henry just drinking straight from the juice bottle like this kid didn’t even use a glass

 Robert Carlisle is so freaking good as rumple 

Rumple says that Emma will fight the final battle but isn’t the one she fights with the black fairy and Gideon in season 6 technically the final battle?

I WANT HER NAME!!!!

Granny just casually knitting Emma’s blanket at the table 

I always forget Jaime Dornan was Graham. 

Emma really took that sign out

THE CURSE ITS HERE!!!!

Is the hard disk recovery drive thingy Emma used actually a thing

Did Regina just like not think Henry was going to realize he was the only one aging in Storybrooke? 

Charming fighting with baby Emma in his arms is actually so impressive like he kept her so safe while literally sword fighting with 4 black knights

Regina calling our world absolutely horrible still makes me chuckle 

I can’t remember if Gold actually had his memories during the curse cause season 1 I remember him basically acting like it

Omg I forget it just ends with the clock moving

#once thoughts #ouat #once upon a time #emma swan #snow white #prince charming #henry mills #regina mills #ouat episode thoughts

[princeescaluswords]

Invalidating Interpretations

I’ve been on a tear recently about my view that people’s belief in ‘all interpretations are valid’ not only misrepresents what interpretation means but also serves as a cover for racism, sexism, and other immoralities.  Fandom has lionized the idea that the consumption of media can be solely an emotional exercise which comes with no responsibility whatsoever.  On a certain level that’s true -- when a person sits in their home and thinks ‘wouldn’t it be cool if Stiles Stilinski was actually a god’ it has no consequence beyond their own entertainment.

But the problem is that it doesn’t remain there.  People are shaped by the media they consume, unless you don’t think any politician has allowed media’s representation of life in the 1950s to inform their vision of how the world should be.  I don’t think it would be very hard to find real examples of people’s ideology conforming to a fictional representation.  How many people’s ideas about the colonial-era relationship between European settlers and indigenous natives were formed by the story of the first Thanksgiving?  

We are influenced by the stories we consume, and we influence others by the stories we tell.  That bears with it responsibility, whether the story is on MTV or AO3 or Tumblr or any other public space.   This means that the interpretation of those stories should not simply depend on emotional response.  Anyone can tell canon to go f*ck itself, but that action brings with it commensurate responsibilities depending on what they do afterwards.

Let me give you two examples of what I’m talking about from my own fandom and use it illustrate this. 

Derek Hale held the act of turning someone into the werewolf in high regard -- “The Bite is a gift” -- which made Scott forcing him to Bite Gerard especially heinous.  This interpretation is not only unsupported but it is also used as a cover for racism and abuse apologism.  

The phrase was uttered three times on the show -- once by Derek in Wolf Moon (1x01), once by Peter in Visionary (3x08), and once by Scott in The Benefactor (4x04).  Every single time it was used to manipulate others, and none of them were sincere.  Derek used it to try to get Scott to help him find the person who murdered his sister; Peter used it to get Derek to ask Ennis to bite Paige; and Scott used it to try to repair the damage he did to his and Liam’s relationship by panicking after Biting Liam in Muted (4x03).   None of them meant it.  

Derek did not believe that the Bite was a gift, because his actions didn’t treat it as a gift.  When telling Scott how cool being a werewolf was didn’t make Scott do what he said, he abandoned the gift approach and told Scott how being a werewolf would endanger everyone he cared about.  If the act of the Bite is  something solemn and sacred, why did he charge Jackson like a horror-movie villain and then how did Jackson get in the lake?   When Jackson rejected the Bite on his way to Kanima-dom, why did Derek abandon him?  Why did he not get angry when Scott accused him of Biting Jackson to kill him? Why did he give the Bite to some kid he met in a graveyard when chasing an omega?  Why did Derek not even check on Lydia until Venomous (2x05), six episodes after Peter gave her the gift?  Why did Derek Bite Victoria in the middle of a battle? Derek didn’t treat his betas as if he had given them a gift.  He didn’t object when Peter described the Bite as “increasing his power and numbers?”  There is not a single instance where born-wolf Derek treated the Bite as special.  

Why then is the interpretation that Derek held the Bite as a sacrament so popular?  Because it justifies their racist condemnation of Scott as hero and justifies Peter’s and Derek’s abuse of Scott.  Scott’s antipathy toward lycanthropy is not a reasonable reaction of a teenager who had been told that not only his life is now and will forever be in danger, but he will also become a threat to everyone he cares about, but instead  it becomes ingratitude.  And of course, it allows them to dismiss the reality that Scott had little agency in that scene in Master Plan (2x12), that he was being forced to do Gerard’s bidding, and to concentrate on intensifying the violation of Derek (when they aren’t busy trying to turn it into rape).   

It also a defense for Peter’s and Derek’s abuse of Scott.  Scott’s lycanthropy stops being something horrible that happened to him, and starts being a reciprocal obligation he has to Derek and Peter.  Derek isn’t stalking and manipulating Scott into helping him find Laura’s killer, he’s punishing him for being ungrateful.  Peter didn’t ruin a teenager’s life and then gloat about it; he gave him a gift.   If you treat Scott’s Bite as a “monkey’s paw” scenario -- as one racist anon did -- then he’s simply got what he wanted and is unhappy about it.  Derek and Peter shouldn’t have to waste time being kind to this selfish prick.  Derek lying to Scott about the cure isn’t that bad if Scott insulted the Gift that he no longer wanted.

The above interpretation is unsupported by any actual scene or any actual script excerpt or anything really, but it does serve the purpose of excusing Hale-style abuse and undermining Scott’s position as heroic protagonist.

Scott McCall had a strict no-killing possibility which was a result of his own sense of moral superiority and a black-and-white view of the world.  This interpretation is not only directly contradicted by canon but it is a fundamental aspect of the racist idea of the Left Hand, by which is meant that White Men Can Kill Whomever They Want.  

Scott McCall didn’t have a strict no-killing policy.  Not in Season 1, not in Season 6.  He didn’t get upset at Derek for killing Peter (he got upset because Derek deceived him about the cure) or mourn Kate’s death, in Season 1.  He didn’t stop Derek or Peter from killing Gerard in Season 2.  He did object to Derek executing Lydia and Jackson for things that were beyond their control.  His rise to being a True Alpha in Season 3A wasn’t due to him not being willing to kill; his rise to True Alpha was partly due to his refusal to let others manipulate him into killing.  He was certainly willing to threaten Gerard and Jennifer with death.   He didn’t argue that killing the Oni was wrong in Season 3B; he did argue that killing Stiles was wrong.  He didn’t hold his father in contempt for killing the Chemist, or get upset about dead Berserkers, or tell Satomi, Chris, Derek or Braeden not to use lethal force again the hunters-turned-assassins.  His objection in Season 5 was about -- once again -- killing those taken and turned against their will into monsters.  The show literally addressed this in The Beast of Beacon Hills (5x19):

Scott: Deucalion? You shouldn't trust him. 

Theo: And you're the one who let him live. 

Scott: I'm not a murderer. 

Theo: You still think you're gonna get through all this without killing anyone? 

Scott: I didn't say that.

He didn’t say that.  He never said “no killing, ever.”  Derek had killed.  Chris had killed.  Theo had definitely killed, including him.  Stiles had killed.  He didn’t consign them into the outer dark.  He didn’t refuse to work with them or listen to them.  

This ‘interpretation’ is about nothing less than justifying Peter’s murderous behavior and Derek’s attempted imitation.  By pushing Scott’s moral stance to an unrealistic extreme, they try to demonstrate it as unworkable and arrogant, even in the face of evidence to the contrary.  The problem is that they’re not doing this to ask serious questions about when it is a valid option to kill; they’re doing it to justify Peter’s and Derek’s and Stiles’s supposed (but not real) and Theo’s and sometimes even Deucalion’s casual approach to murder.  They re-interpret a nuanced position about the value of every individual life into a some sort of arrogant white knight platitude.

And they will do this, even if they have to discard 90% of canon, if that is what it takes to enable Sexy White Men (and only Sexy White Men -- they never use this to justify Kali, or Monroe, or Gerard, or the Doctors) to be treated as the heroic protagonist in their tales.   That’s why, mysteriously, in all those Steter fictions where they execute Scott for not being willing to kill (in one of the most ironic tropes in history, which has become quite popular), they never have Stiles or Peter kill police officers for objecting to their murder sprees.  They never have Stiles shoot down deputies saying “you would stop me from protecting who I love, you must die!”  Weird, isn’t it?

It’s not weird at all.  These interpretations are not meant to be serious investigations of the production; they’re meant to serve emotional needs which if they admitted openly might subject them to censure, and rightly so.   In conclusion, not all interpretations are valid.  

#teen wolf meta #teen wolf racism #scott mccall defense squad #teen wolf fandom problems #fandom problems #fandom racism

[sunflowers-insherwood]

Allan A Dale Analysis - 2x06

Investigating Allan A Dale’s Character Through For England...!

2x06 of BBC Robin Hood arguably presents some of the most dynamic character relationships and power plays of the entire series, and it was for this reason I came away from rewatching it a few nights ago and instantly began to scribble notes. Originally I aimed to write about the wider relationships within the episode – Guy and Marian’s as well as Guy and the Sheriff’s are particularly interesting here – but alas, I just couldn’t stop myself from writing about my favourite character Allan A Dale, who also goes through one of the climaxes of his general progression and betrayal arc in this episode. As a fan favourite, Allan is often seen throughout the fandom as the victim of a series of worsening situations, and while this is a credible interpretation, it often forgets to acknowledge Allan’s agency and his decisions to go ahead with actions that slow the greater good. Although I agree that Allan’s betrayal and further descent is largely worsened by the actions of those around him, in this essay I hope to restore his accountability and show how he initiates several violent acts, all while victimising himself by placing the blame on others. I will walk through the episode chronologically, analysing his motives, actions, and their consequences, trying to establish a fair view of Allan’s reasoning in this episode, as I examine not just his actions, but the decisions he made in order to complete them. (Wordcount: 3.2k)

This can be read alone, but works best when read after my 2x05 confrontation analysis.

This episode is the first time we see Allan operating fully outside of the gang he’s been a part of for the rest of the series. At the end of 2x05, Robin finds out Allan is the spy who has been working for Gisborne, and they truly clash for the first time. In 2x06, his first scene occurs right at the beginning, as we see Allan trek back into the forest with the hood of his cloak up to avoid being seen by the gang, in order to gather the money from his stash. However, he arrives only to find the gang have found his money, as they proceed to yell at him for being a traitor and keep his stash. The gang’s pain here is understandable; Allan hasn’t been able to explain that the catalyst for his betrayal was physical and emotional torture, (he told Robin but Robin dismissed this and likely hasn’t told the gang) so they think he was more willing to work for Gisborne than he actually was. The pain of the wound is fresh, him having been told to leave by Robin what can only be assumed to be a day or so before. To them, they are taking his ‘blood money’ to help the poor. However, Allan now has very little to survive on. He essentially only has the clothes on his back, as he can’t go back to camp to collect his belongings, and so only has what he left with. His worse possible situation has become his reality overnight: he has gone from having both friends and money to neither. I imagine when the reality of his spying first hit him, he calmed himself from the worry of being thrown out of the gang with the promise of money; he’d have no friends but a means to survive (which is what he wanted the money for in the first place, he wanted financial security), yet now he has neither. However, he still repeatedly tries to reach out to the rest of the gang, saying he never wanted this to happen, but is interrupted by the black knight carriage that drives between them and he runs away, likely to avoid being caught by the Sheriff’s men but also to re-evaluate his situation, as he’s now probably feeling especially vulnerable. In his eyes, this is another situation where Robin or the gang could have given him a second chance but haven’t. (Sidenote, he and the gang are literally divided by the Sheriff’s men, if that ain’t symbolism I don’t know what is).

So now, feeling completely abandoned by the rest of the gang, who have not just been passive in their dislike but have actively taken his only money, he goes to the only person he has left – Guy. Yes, he could’ve left Nottingham and begun a new life, but this would have been extremely difficult, especially keeping in mind that Robin saved Allan from losing a hand when he was poaching to survive after his brother stole everything from him in a similar situation before. Basically, surviving alone is hard, and he knows this, so his quickest and easiest option is to go to the one contact he has who won’t reject him instantly, which is Guy. By the end of the episode, I argue that Allan has more spiteful motivations, but I believe he initially goes to Guy out of necessity, rather than as an act of vengeance against the gang by siding with the enemy.

And luckily for him, Guy agrees to take him on! Some more stuff happens but as I can’t remember it, I’m not going to deem it that important. The next time we properly see him is when he walks into the wrong place at the wrong time, and the Sheriff instantly calls for him to be hanged. We see him arrested, although never in the cells, however you can just imagine the anguish he’s going through there. I always view Allan as at least partially traumatised from his almost-hanging in 1x01, and now he’s been told he’s going to be hung again and is left to wait in a cell, knowing how painful a death it’s going to be, and without any hope of rescue. So now, on top of his exhaustion from sleeping rough for a night or two, having to completely adapt to a new environment and knowing his friends all hate and reject him without him being able to explain his actions, he’s also grappling with imminent death through his worst fear – he’s having what could be described as a really, really terrible time. Even Guy tells the guards to ‘take him away’, so he is essentially abandoned by everyone he knows. He is completely cornered with no way out.

Let’s expand our view for a minute and just think about Allan as a person. I love a good personality test, and my personal favourite is the Enneagram. The Enneagram categorises personalities into nine types, with a person’s basic desire and basic fear at the crux of this designation. I believe Allan to be a Type 7 with a 6 wing (7w6), which essentially means his biggest fears are of being deprived and in pain, and of being without security. If we go back to the episode, taking into account everything he’s just had to consider – a painful and imminent death, the loss of his friends, and loss of a shelter and money – and place that in the context of his worst fears – being deprived, in pain, without security - we see a man who has every single worst fear come true in the space of around 24 hours. And then, what if on top of this, we place him on a flimsy wooden plank on top of a vat of boiling liquid, pitted against the man who personifies why his life is now awful: we see a man who has lost everything, who is completely cornered, who has nowhere else to run, but an instinctual desire to survive. (Allan’s ideas of right and wrong aren’t as strong as the rest of the gang’s, and his desire to survive places these even further back on the priority list.)

Now, this doesn’t excuse what he does when he’s fighting Robin over that pit of boiling oil, but it does give an outline of just how emotionally wrecked he’s feeling. In that moment, it’s him versus Robin, him versus the man who is the reason why his life has gone to shit. I’m not saying that everything is Robin’s fault – while the inability of the others, especially Robin, to listen to Allan’s side of the story definitely accentuates his problems, he is still to blame for willingly feeding Guy information and the consequences of that – but to Allan, it is easier to blame everyone other than himself. In his head at this moment, he is the complete victim, as especially in the early moments of processing what is happening, it is easier to be angry at others rather than accept any of his own responsibility for what’s happening. So he’s angry at everyone in lieu of being angry at himself, and hence he takes the initial swing, initiating the fight despite Robin trying to stop him. (It was these moments in the fight which prompted me to write this essay, to investigate his reasoning, because before I viewed him as pretty much a complete victim, but here is an explicit example of how that is not true). Both Robin and Allan are being prodded by the guards to force them to fight, however, so I’m unsure how quickly he would take the first swing without their insistence.

They begin to fight, and I can’t remember all the ins and outs of their conversation as they fight but it’s mainly:

Allan: You should’ve given me a second chance.

Robin: When did you become so low?

Allan: When you started thinking you were better than everyone else.

Robin: Not better than everyone else, just you. Allan is now furious, as in his view, Robin has just completely backed him into a corner by forcing him out of the gang and taking his money, and is now lecturing him on morals, because Allan tried to find a way to survive despite this. (A difference in their priorities: Allan’s to survive, Robin’s to be good. Robin would rather die knowing he stayed true to his morals, but Allan would rather live). But the moment that is most interesting is when Robin is distracted, and Allan decides, completely of his own volition, to go for Robin with what should be a killing blow (Robin manages to twist out of the way last minute). But for all intents and purposes, Allan directly tries to kill Robin. He isn’t prompted by the guard’s stabbing at him, at the very least this isn’t shown, and he has the time while Robin is staring at Marian to properly consider what he’s about to do too. On screen, there is a wide shot of him getting ready to swing, which lasts long enough to see the action was, to some extent, mediated. This is the moment where you could lose faith in Allan as a good person, because he just tried to kill Robin in cold blood. There was no individual catalyst or bad influence (apart from the boiling vat of oil) like when he was previously pressured into betraying the gang, it’s entirely of his decision. Let’s break down the motives behind this action. He’s in the midst of the angriest he ever gets at the Robin and the gang, full of bitterness about his position, as well as in the heat of a life or death situation with the philosophy of ‘I’ve got nowhere else to go.’ In his eyes, he can either die right now, or live to survive another day and even gain the respect of Guy and the Sheriff, possibly guaranteeing him further work. That’s the first possible reasoning – he sees this more as a business opportunity to prove his loyalty to someone else and stay alive.  The other reasoning, of which his motive could be a mix of both or just one (I think it’s a mix), is that he’s genuinely so hurt and furious at Robin that in that moment he does just want to kill him. However, if he was motivated by such an emotion, it has to be interpreted as more of a spur of the moment decision as killing Robin would essentially completely seal his fate of never being able to get back together with the rest of the gang (which does become one of his largest desires by the end of season 2, so taking that into consideration, the moment he goes for Robin he’s likely not thinking of the consequences).

These moments as he’s fighting are so interesting to me, as so much of the time Allan is painted as a victim – which I realise I am kind of doing now – but it’s important to note just how much stuff he does of his own volition. I see these explanations as not excuses for his actions, but reasons, because he does decide to try to kill Robin, just as much as he decides to continue selling information to Guy after being tortured into agreeing. At the very least, he was completely out of rope, so it shows just how far he’s willing to go to protect himself when so much (or arguably so little) is on the line.

Straight after the moments where we see him at his most vicious and vengeful, however, he’s able to jump down from immediate danger, and while the wider fight between the merry men and the guards are happening, he sees John and instantly tries to reach out, saying a genuine thank you for helping save him. Despite being completely willing to kill Robin, he is easily able to thank and attempt to reconcile with John. This might be part of an ‘eye for an eye’ philosophy, as Robin pushed him away from the gang multiple times, but John has done nothing to directly hurt him. The only person Allan has anything against is Robin, the gang are collateral damage in this conflict between the two of them, and it just so happened to be Robin forced to fight him. It would be interesting to see his reaction to having to fight any other member of the gang, as I think he would act very differently – much more defensive than offensive. It also could be because Robin is the person Allan envies the most even when they are friends. He makes a dig of this nature at Robin when talking to him after he’s revealed as the spy in 2x05 (if you can’t defend yourself, attack, could be the ideology he’s using there), likely due to the Ron-Weasley-style insecurity of ‘you’re always in the sun and I’m always in the shade’. This is the same insecurity that Guy preys on when torturing him to convince him to sell him information, and it gets through to Allan, so it obviously runs deep. Robin is the person he has the most internal and external conflict with. When talking to John, it isn’t instant life or death, so he is calmer, and the only reason Allan even came close to killing Robin was due to the fact they were both captured and made to fight. If this hadn’t happened, I imagine Allan would’ve just stayed out the gang’s way until he found a way to get back to them. So he tries to reconnect with John, as he is a friend whom he holds nothing against, to show his gratitude and perhaps find some sympathy or allyship in the gang. All he gets is a punch in the face, though, which is kinda sad. However, this is, when considering John’s vantage point of the situation – Allan just betrayed the gang and tried to kill Robin – completely fair.

After the fight is over, the rest of the gang have made a safe getaway and Guy and the Sheriff are arguing over what to do next. The camera cuts to Allan nursing his bruised jaw from where John punched him, looking not only physically hurt, but pretty emotionally ruined too. When Guy orders him to move, he moves so slowly that it’s definitely more than just pain, but also exhaustion and him processing the full extent of what he just did and what happened to him. He tried to kill Robin, he tried to reach out to John and got rejected, and now he’s going to have to work for Guy for the foreseeable future. He now knows what the gang think of him for joining Gisborne: they see it as a direct attack against them, rather than him trying to survive. He’s dealing with the worst parts of himself while having to accept that he’s truly hated by the rest of the lads, and not just Robin. The fight was the climax of his bitterness and anger, but I think from this moment, we see him begin to realise he wasn’t the victim, and regret and grieve his actions. Although he does go along with the Sheriff’s orders while at the castle, he is subdued about it, replying to Marian’s demands for an explanation for his worse actions with a quiet helplessness as he just ‘knows what side  [his] bread is buttered on’ (2x12). He doesn’t like what he’s doing, shown by his multiple attempts to help the lads while at the castle, but he knows he must do it to survive. His instincts of self-preservation are too strong, and I think this leads to his main internal conflict and possible self-hatred, as he battles between doing what he can to live, and doing what is right. He has a lot of time for self-reflection at the castle, as he comes to term with what he has done, is doing, and must do in the future.

We don’t see anything else from Allan in this episode, but most notably, the camp dynamic is completely thrown after the fight – Much struggles with the silence as the eat at the end of the day, and as a team of five they are generally less mobile. They are able to fight well still, but in 2x06 after Robin writes his letter to Marian and says goodbye to them, about to sacrifice himself, they take a long time to read his letter and realise what he’s about to do. I think that, had Allan been there, he would’ve been able to read Robin better and prompted the others to read his letter more quickly. Here, his looser moral code and intuition would’ve proved highly helpful to the gang. On top of his, in his absence, Much gets even more of the bullying, as he worries more and the others increasingly tell him to ‘shut up’, leading to Much’s outburst in 2x12 which is only resolved by Allan coming back. Interesting, despite expecting Much to be the one to hold a grudge, he’s the first to welcome Allan back into the gang as they fight together, showing that he missed Allan’s presence much more than he let on, and felt the gang’s dynamic shift because of it. Much acts as the emotional compass for the gang, so to see him be so thrown by Allan’s leaving portrays how unstuck the others also feel.

All in all, Allan’s actions in 2x06 stem directly from his confrontation with Robin in 2x05, building on the insecurities and bitterness which Robin failed to acknowledge and address, instead diminishing his experience and taking away all options, until Allan’s only course was to leave the gang and join Guy – not yet in vengeance, but in the name of self-preservation. This backfires as he is almost hung by the Sheriff, left alone to face the threat of his worst fear. His fight with Robin later in the episode shows his anger and frustration come to a head, to the point where he, for a moment, intends to kill Robin. Allan’s inability to take any blame upon himself forces him to direct his anger onto others. Luckily for him, this passes quickly, and he tries to reconnect with other members of the gang but fails to do so. He is then forced to resign himself to working for Guy at the castle, on a side he ever intended to permanently be on. He is very much at fault for his actions, but the decisions made by Robin and Robin’s influence on other members of the gang (by not letting Allan tell them his side of the story) worsen his situation to lead to his permanent working for Gisborne. His actions at times seem spiteful, at others desperate, and the impact other people have on him directly motivate many of his decisions – but at his worst, he has the full agency to make terrible decisions of his own accord.

Thanks so much for reading if you made it this far, I hope you enjoyed my take! I’ve loved writing this duo pf essays of character exploration, they’ve truly helped me to understand Allan’s reasoning further. If you’ve anything to add, please don’t hesitate to! Your response to my 2x05 analysis was so kind and I’m genuinely honoured to be part of such a wonderful fandom.

#allan a dale #robin hood #bbc robin hood #character analysis #robin of locksley #for england #allan a dale analysis

[emachinescat]

**This list will be updated as I post new work.  In this list are ALL of my Merlin fics from the last 11 years.  Titles with stars beside them take you to Tumblr.  All the rest go to AO3.

In-Progress

Moments

The Most Hallowed Alliance (Harry Potter Crossover)

The Power of Three

Multi-Chapter

A Game Well Played

As Luck Would Have It

Follow the Leader

For Arthur

In the Back of Our Minds

Of Remorse, Rescue, and Repentance  

Ransoming Emrys

Sorcerer 

The Visiting Prince

This Cold Land

Too Far

When It All Comes Crashing Down

Your Kiss

One-Shots

And That Would Be Enough*

Between*

Chilly Confrontations

Different

First Impressions

Frozen Revelations

He Should Wear Armor

I Shall Have Lived a Little While*

I Should Not Dare to Leave My Friend*

It’s a Zoo Out There

Knock*

Not Alone

Not an Idiot

Nothing

Pain Has an Element of Blank*

Prince Dollop Head and the Bear-Faced Monster 

Ransoming ... Myself?

Servants Are People, Too

The Day that Camelot Forgot*

The Great Rabbit Rescue

The Royal and the Restless

The Last Night of the Kings

The Masks that Most Suit Us*

The Neglected Neckerchief*

What’s In a Name?

Window of Opportunity

Episode Tags

A First Time for Everything (5x01)

A Mother’s Love (1x13)

Descent Into Madness (3x01)

Hero (4x02)

No Apologies Necessary, Just Strongly Encouraged (4x04)

So Close (4x03)

Stone Cold (4x01)

Stop the World and Die for You (4x05)

That Poor Mother (1x01)

Character Study & Introspection

Burn

Does This Crown Make Me Look Bald?

Hate

Night and Morning with My Tears*

Something About Merlin

Stuck on You

Worthless, Worth Less

Crossovers

A (Fake) Psychic and a (Real) Warlock Walk Into a Bar (Psych)

Camelot Has the Hiccups (How to Train Your Dragon)

Hey, Arthur, I Know What We’re Gonna Do Today! (Phineas & Ferb)

How to Be Thankful for Small Favors (How to Train Your Dragon)

How to Make It to Tomorrow (How to Train Your Dragon)

Iron Knight (Iron Man) 

Old Habits Die Hard (Skyrim)

Re-Rewriting History (Supernatural)

The Most Deadly Alliance (Harry Potter)

Welcome to Camelot (Welcome to Night Vale)

Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Wrong Drink (Doctor Who)

Poetry

I Don’t Regret It

I Hate Him

Words Cannot Express

Parodies & Crack

Arthur’s Twelve Days

Golden Eyes

Harry, Merlin, and the Angsty Showdown of Doom

Merlin A to Z: An I Can Read Fan-Fiction

Merlin’s Twelve Days

Merlin’s Twelve Days of Christmas: Again

Now You Know

Playing Dress-Up

Rosco the Time-Traveling Salesman

Swagger

The Bigger the Word, the Louder the Scream

The Great Dragon and the Quest for the Homunculus

The Many Songs of Merlin

The Physician from the Black Lagoon

To Write a Fan-Fiction

Total Knockout

Twelve Days of Merlin

Why Do You Hate Me?

Yeah, Right, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight!

#merlin #bbc merlin #arthur pendragon #fanfiction #masterlist #emachinescat #merlin masterlist #ao3 #fic list #one-shots #multi-chapter #character study #introspection #crack #episode tags #episode au #parodies #all genres #angst #humor #friendship #romance #fluff #magic reveal #hurt/comfort #whump #lots of whump #merlin whump #all my fics #fic recs

[the-girl-in-the-high-castle]

The King and his Hand:

The reason why I truly believe in the “Bastard King and The Hand Without a Hand” ending is because of what Jon and Jaime each represent in their side of the story. I also believe the scene from 1x01 was there for a reason, since it never happens in the books. I believe they are the same chess pieces on the different sides of the chess board. Kingsguard and Night’s Watch. Black and White.

In that scene we have Jaime mocking Jon, but we also know it’s more of Jaime’s bitterness being channeled there than any true intention of mocking. 

Jaime idolized The Kingsguard, he idolized it’s members and thought that he will find glory and honor there, instead, he found only pain, shame and hypocrisy. The people he admired revealed themselves to be a bunch of hypocrites who valued their ‘’honor” over human life. He found himself having to choose between family and duty. The same goes with Jon and the Night’s Watch. Everyone close to him told him how it’s a great honor to serve as the brother of the NW, everyone except Tyrion and Jaime. They were harsh but they told him the truth, Tyrion with jokes and Jaime with mocking. What he found there was rapers, murderers, but also people who got condemned for doing nothing wrong. He never got what he expected and he had to fight hard for respect, and stand still while his family falls apart. Jaime became despised by the entire kingdom for saving thousands of lives, hated his whole life because he couldn’t stand and watch people die, even as practically a boy of 17. Jon let go of his honor and pride and made peace with his enemies so he could try to save humanity from a terrible fate, and he got murdered for it.

Some people like to use the metaphor ‘’two sides of the same coin”, but I don’t think that’s quite right. That’s why I use the chess board one. They are two identical pieces on two sides of the chess board, two opposing sides of the battlefield, doing the same thing for people they care about. Something like a rook and knight combined. Never going straight, always going out of their way and bending the rules of fair play and honor to protect the ones behind them. Powerful, but never for their own gain.  

Two characters that deserve the respect they never got.

Two people who least of all wanted to rule end up ruling. (Jon is a bit  different about that in the books, but it serves the  purpose in the show)

And I do believe their paths will cross in the books, and leave an important impact on the story. 

#game of thrones #got #ASoIaF #jon snow #Jaime Lannister #king jon #hand jaime #bastard king and a hand without a hand #the ending we deserve

[biblio-bitch]

Teen Titans 1x01 Blind Reaction

I haven’t watched the OG Teen Titans yet. Sue me. I wasn’t allowed to watch cartoons as a kid so I’m playing catch-up here. As usual, spoilers and cursing under the cut! Also. apologies for the short sentences, it was like 3 am.

A disclaimer: This is entirely for fun and a lot of the comments I make are based on my preferences for media as well as the way I, as a writer, would have written things.

If I say something you disagree with (more likely in my analysis posts than my reactions) then I am more than happy to hear your opinions so long as you are respectful! 

If you followed me for Detroit Evolution content I promise I’ll post the rest soon. Formatting and proofreading takes ages. I also might start liveblogging my adventures in screenwriting so look out for that!

That being said, let’s get into it!

[In brackets is added post-watch.]

Holy old animation Batman. It feels like Phineas and Ferb.

BB Sounds like Phineas.

The cheesy intro tho

Seriously which Robin is this cause I think it’s Dick but Idk

“Titans Go!”

The theme song is iconic

Love the OG Raven design

Is the theme Japanese?? It kinda feels Japanese

I love that Starfire’s outfit isn’t like literally a bikini it’s nice since she’s designed like a sixteen year old

Epic fight scene™️. Makes me feel like something’s going to go wrong.

“I am stronger than I look” fuck yeah Star get his ass

Honestly wtf Rob you’re like twelve and you don’t have powers??? Also is he wearing steel toe boots?? I thought they were converse at first. Seriously Batman, what’s with the child soldiers??

Cyborg?? I love him

Ouch that was a fail

Ok the bo staff is a Tim Drake signature as far as I know so wtf???? Which black haired mf is this???

It’s Dick. I googled. [I love DC and I realize that most of the Robins were designed before having diverse characters was a thing but literally they all look the same. Like personally I’d love to see a Romani or other non-white rep for Dick.

 {I gleefully return to this post with news that Dick is canonically Romani! He’s been played so often as white, including in the new Titans, which I will be making a post about, but he was confirmed to be poc in Devin Grayson’s Gotham Knights. He’s part Romani on his mother’s side. She, according to Tim Seeley’s twitter, is an immigrant. He was originally presented without a confirmed ethnicity! My apologies for being uninformed about this. I stated Romani specifically here before knowing because I had seen people talk about him as such and really enjoyed it.}

 Maybe a mixed Jason? I feel like Tim is white mostly bc he’s rich IN GOTHAM,,, but like I never turn down the possibility of poc characters. Damian is canonically middle eastern so if I ever see a live action Damian not played by a middle eastern brown kid I’m rioting.]

What a petulant child. Blaming each other. Now they’re fighting. [This part feels very overdramatic to me personally. I do think that if this wasn’t animated it would be toned down quite a bit. That being said? I do think it’s in character for Dick, especially late Robin-era Dick, to have outbursts like that, especially as a character that I see as needing a lot of control.]

Oh wonderful. He quit. That’s overly dramatic.

Oh goddamn it Slade.

I’m not supposed to know he’s Slade yet tho huh. [Rip the element of surprise with that, I have a habit of learning everything from things before investing my time in it, and my obsession with other versions of DC comics isn’t helpful in this situation. Also the 25 pages of AO3 I’ve read about the Bats gives quite a bit away.]

Oh ew that’s a plasma monster

He looks like fuckin,,, Underbelly! that mf from the Red Hood/Arsenal comics. [Underbelly is the personification of the criminal world. I got through four RH/A comics as of posting this so once I finish that storyline I’ll probably post about it]

“It’s pointless to get upset about Cyborg” breaks glass. [I personally really fw Raven being like ‘master of meditation i feel nothing’ but then these dumbasses get all up in her brain and she ends up loving them like honestly that’s amazing]

“I’m fine” fucks up that punching bag. Master of emotions this bitch. [I don’t think that this little tantrum is entirely because Cyborg left. Again, Dick was raised by Batman, and neither of them are too good about losing control and fucking up. This to me is very much a mix of guilt for having driven away a friend and teammate, anger at Cyborg for leaving, and also anger at himself for a perceived failure. Bruce really needs to get his kids therapy bc the complexes are really shining through.]

Now they’re sad like bitch ur the one who kicked him out???

He’s eating something and it’s gross.

“That stuff can’t be good for you” Robin,,, sweaty,,,

The puns. Jeez Louise.

Immensely powerful half demon lady and the best you can do is some cans?? [Again with the things you shouldn’t know, Theo. Yeah I get that she’s still a kid and the demon lady thing isn’t exactly revealed yet, but I maintain that the barrels -- which I realized that they’re barrels not cans -- could be improved upon]

“You giant zit”??? A Child [Seriously how old is he because it’s concerning that he seems as young as he does. @ Bruce wtf did you do to your kids]

Phase three what an ominous asshole

Again with the puns Rob like jeez just fight this mf

Star,, you’re an alien?? Why are you screaming??

Both eyes on the road while flying Raven

He just extends the bo again bro what kinda bat bullshit is this

Cyborg saving the day!! We gotta love that. “Still got the sonic if you still got the boom” what kids I love them

I love that he just,, brought Cinderblock with him. He’s just that powerful.

Wtf is up with this knockoff Alfred mf with Slade? Also?? What stereotypical villain shit Slade step it up. [Titans (2018) Slade is like,,, so much better at this. Hell, even Arrow Slade is more nefarious.]

[I know it’s stupid to say this about an antagonist from a kids show vs two YA/Adult shows but like?? Titans Slade had the Motive, and Arrow Slade was Deep. In my defense here, I’m only on Ep 1, I’m sure he gets more interesting as the show progresses.

My non-sleep deprived rating? 9/10. Points off for melodrama but points on for nostalgia and attention grabbing. I’m not really into kids shows so I did my best to be fair despite that. Personally I think it’s a little much on the fighting especially for a pilot and it definitely seemed a little bit rushed. But, the animation is fun, I love the way each character is distinctive in costume and personality.

Keep in mind I prefer watching things with writing/pacing like Arrow, The Flash, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the new Titans TV show and all of my ratings are going to be skewed based on a preference for stronger and darker material. 

With that in mind, I did enjoy the episode and I do want to continue watching. I think if I had watched this as a 10-11 year old, it would’ve been amazing.]

#theo watches Teen Titans #teen titans #dc comics #dc universe #dc multiverse #I rly bought a dc universe subscription for this #it's like 8 bucks and I read comics too so it's worth it #if you have hbo ur set tho #raven dc #starfire #robin #dick grayson #og wonderboy #beast boy #cyborg #I know enough to have ships already #tbh robin/starfire is cute as hell #and is supported with comic evidence #*cough Red Hood and the Outlaws cough* #*kori gets her powers zapped and says Dick's real name while she's knocked out* #raven and beast boy are kinda cute too

[campchitaquamemories]

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

[kcwcommentary]

Voltron Legendary Defender Commentaries

Because I like having things organized, I’ve compiled a list of links to all of my commentaries for Voltron Legendary Defender.

Season One

1x01 – The New Alliance

1x02 – From Days of Long Ago

1x03 – Defenders of the Universe

1x04 – Some Assembly Required

1x05 – Return of the Gladiator

1x06 – The Fall of the Castle of Lions

1x07 – Tears of the Balmera

1x08 – Taking Flight

1x09 – Return to the Balmera

1x10 – Rebirth

1x11 – Crystal Venom

1x12 – Collection and Extraction

1x13 – The Black Paladin

  Season Two 

2x01 – Across the Universe

2x02 – The Depths

2x03 – Shiro’s Escape

2x04 – Greening the Cube

2x05 – Eye of the Storm

2x06 – The Ark of Taujeer

2x07 – Space Mall

2x08 – The Blade of Marmora

2x09 – The Belly of the Weblum

2x10 – Escape from Beta Traz

2x11 – Stayin’ Alive

2x12 – Best Laid Plans

2x13 – Blackout

  Season Three 

3x01 – Changing of the Guard

3x02 – Red Paladin

3x03 – The Hunted

3x04 – Hole in the Sky

3x05 – The Journey

3x06 – Tailing a Comet

3x07 – The Legend Begins

  Season Four

4x01 – Code of Honor

4x02 – Reunion

4x03 – Black Site

4x04 – The Voltron Show!

4x05 – Begin the Blitz

4x06 – A New Defender

  Season Five

5x01 – The Prisoner

5x02 – Blood Duel

5x03 – Postmortem

5x04 – Kral Zera

5x05 – Bloodlines

5x06 – White Lion

  Season Six 

6x01 – Omega Shield

6x02 – Razor’s Edge

6x03 – Monsters & Mana

6x04 – The Colony

6x05 – The Black Paladins

6x06 – All Good Things

6x07 – Defender of All Universes

  Season Seven 

7x01 – A Little Adventure

7x02 – The Road Home

7x03 – The Way Forward

7x04 – The Feud!

7x05 – The Ruins

7x06 – The Journey Within

7x07 – The Last Stand Part 1

7x08 – The Last Stand Part 2

7x09 – Know Your Enemy

7x10 – Heart of the Lion

7x11 – Trial By Fire

7x12 – Lions’ Pride Part 1

7x13 – Lions’ Pride Part 2

  Season Eight 

8x01 – Launch Date

8x02 – Shadows

8x03 – The Prisoner’s Dilemma

8x04 – Battle Scars

8x05 – The Grudge

8x06 – Genesis

8x07 – Day Forty Seven

8x08 – Clear Day

8x09 – Knights of Light Part 1

8x10 – Knights of Light Part 2

8x11 – Uncharted Regions

8x12 – The Zenith (part 1)

8x12 – The Zenith (part 2)

8x13 – The End is the Beginning (part 1)

8x13 – The End is the Beginning (part 2) 

#voltron legendary defender #voltron #vld #voltron criticism #vld criticism #voltron critical #vld critical #commentary

[snarkelf]

I have a fear for Eternals that I might have to see Black Knight and Ikaris in the same general vicinity as one another and I'm gonna have some Ratatouille-ass flashback but instead of fond, nostalgic childhood memories it's gonna be to Game of Thrones 1x01 and I'm gonna break into tears

#DJ Rambles

[anthonybrxdgerton]

A Discovery of Witches reread

Last week I re-read A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness and it took me a long time to do it; I had to pause every few pages (sometimes paragraphs) because of the choices characters made I didn’t agree with. I will be doing my reactions about episodes as well (as soon as I re-watch them) and comparing the show to the first book.

My reactions, notes and everything under the cut. There are some trivia I forgot about, some minor changes book vs tv show, some stuff referencing the next books and what not. 

BEWARE OF SPOILERS FOR THE BOOKS. IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BOOKS, DON’T READ THIS POST. Enjoy!

[ a discovery of witches | shadow of night | the book of life | time’s convert ]

the book takes place in 2009 in the span of 40 days

miriam and marcus have very different taste in music (The whole area seemed unoccupied, although from somewhere there came faint strains of a Bach cello concerto and something that sounded an awful lot like the latest hit recorded by the Eurovision song-contest winners);

marcus wears converse and he's BLOND (so are nathaniel and satu); 

the killings that occurred at the time (a.k.a jack’s doing) were the reason matthew thought that vampires are going extinct and are not able to sire anyone else;

Patience, alas, was not the strong suit of Bishop women - you can clearly see that in the books as well as in the show;

sarah and rebecca's mother's name is joanna  (which only matters to me because it’s my name too);

matthew came to oxford at 1989 (when he met hamish); 

matthew was 37 eyars old when we was re-born as a vampire and baldwin was in his late twenties or early thirties. marcus was in his late twenties and diana is 33.

marcus is into red-heads (but phoebe is not a red-head, which will be notet later by baldwin or matthew (i don’t remember which)) ;

"I asked if you were hungry.” Why he continued to do so was a mystery—when was I not hungry? #relatable, I’m Diana here;

“I love your hair,” he murmured. “It has every color imaginable—even strands of red and black.” which will be important later on when diana’s hair change

matthew knows how to knock the cork off with a sword (and now i feel robbed that we didn't see it)

both matthew and hamish won all souls prize fellowship

"What’s your name?” I asked, smothering a smile. “Timothy,” he answered, rocking back on his heels. He was wearing mismatched cowboy boots, one red and one black. His eyes were mismatched, too—one was blue and one was green. “You’re more than welcome to check your e-mail, Timothy.” “You’re the one.” He tipped his fingers at me, pivoted on the heel of the red boot, and walked away. - i just love Timothy, okay? He’s a sweetheart PLUS he is somewhat important in The Book of Life

ashmole 782 has been missing since 1859 but gerbert had it a thousand years ago and “it is a strange book, is it not, Diana? A thousand years ago I took it from a great wizard from Toledo. When I brought it to France, it was already bound by layers of enchantment."

diana's fingers were already colorful (mostly blue) especially when she was angry/stressed 

Somewhere in the center of my soul, a rusty chain began to unwind. It freed itself, link by link, from where it had rested unobserved, waiting for him. My hands, which had been balled up and pressed against his chest, unfurled with it. The chain continued to drop, to an unfathomable depth where there was nothing but darkness and Matthew. At last it snapped to its full length, anchoring me to a vampire. -  matthew could feel the chain if diana wanted him too. I think she weaved it subconsciously without realizing she’s using her weaver’s powers at the time

Matthew also knew his faults, anger chief among them. Typically, Matthew’s rage was so destructive that once the poison was out of his system, he disappeared for months or even years to come to terms with what he'd done - first reference to the blood rage 

matthew used to be friends with marquis de lafayette 

when marcus was dying and matthew told him about vampires, marcus thought he was tormented by a demon 

“Holy God,” Marcus said softly. Staring at the picture, he tried to imagine what it would be like to receive a photo of his own father ripped to pieces and tossed into the dirt to die. - a.k.a. WAIT TILL SHADOW OF NIGHT AND NOW I'M CRYING I JUST LOVE MATTHEW AND MARCUS’ RELATIONSHIP SO MUCH OKAY

Matthew wore his pilgrim’s badge only when he was afraid he was going to kill someone or when he was thinking of Eleanor St. Leger—or both. - i wish they kept it in the show too especially since it created the tree of life in bishop’s house

My aunt was good with spells. Emily wasn’t but could fly for short distances and see the future.

 Matthew’s books were arranged not by size but in a running time line. Those on the first bookshelf were so ancient that I couldn’t bear to think about what they contained—the lost works of Aristotle, perhaps? Anything was possible. - headcanon that he has books from a Library of Alexandria (maybe he got them from Philippe or Hugh or Godfrey?) 

“It was spring, you were bored, and so you got up one morning and went to Italy to make war. Your father had to beg forgiveness from the king on his knees”. now I NEED TO KNOW WHAT MATTHEW HAS DONE 

“Perhaps, but one thing hasn’t changed in all these years. Whenever there’s a crisis, there’s a de Clermont nearby.” - it should be their motto, really

diana has visions too - i know it's obvious but i completely forgot about it since the show didn’t include it at all except for episode 7 when everybody saw the past 

Matthew was unusually tall for the time, though not as tall as he became once he was a vampire - being reborn as a vampire not only makes you stronger but bigger and taller too.

His mother strode forward and slapped him, hard, across the face. “How dare you ask that question?” i need to see it, WHY DIDN’T YOU INCLUDE THIS, SHOW?

 marcus is "good at wheedling information out of people."

“And you are going to give me gray hairs—long thought impossible among vampires, by the way—with your courage, your firecracker hands, and the impossible things you say.” -  i just like it and i wonder if deb already knew that diana would do that for him in the book of life?

Baldwin had him by the throat before the words were out of his mouth. Their heads close together, one dark and one bright, they rocketed to the far end of the hall. Matthew’s body smashed into a wooden door, splintering it with the impact. - friendly reminder that Baldwin is a much better fighter than Matthew and the show SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF MAKING HIM WEAKER

Vampires didn’t usually get all of their names (5) when they were reborn but over the years.

One reason the de Clermont family was so long-lived was that each member had different skills in a crisis. Philippe had always been the leader of men, a charismatic figure who could convince vampires and humans and sometimes even daemons to fight for a common cause. Their brother Hugh had been the negotiator, bringing warring sides to the bargaining table and resolving even the fiercest of conflicts. Godfrey, the youngest of Philippe’s three sons, had been their conscience, teasing out the ethical implications of every decision. To Baldwin fell the battle strategies, his sharp mind quick to analyze every plan for flaws and weaknesses. Louisa had been useful as bait or as a spy, depending on the situation. Matthew, improbably enough, had been the family’s fiercest warrior. His early adventures with the sword had made his father wild with their lack of discipline, but he’d changed. Now whenever Matthew held a weapon in his hand, something in him went cold and he fought his way through obstacles with a tenacity that made him unbeatable. Then there was Ysabeau. Everyone underestimated her except for Philippe, who had called her either “the general” or “my secret weapon.” She missed nothing and had a longer memory than Mnemosyne. - i really like it and i wish it was in the show too. That being said I really am interested what are the talents/skills of Verin, Stasia and Freya.

A helicopter,” Baldwin said. “It was waiting in Clermont-Ferrand to take me back to Lyon. - does Baldwin have a house there? 

”Fancy seeing you here, Miss Bishop”. It was what he always said when I sneaked into his study at home or crept downstairs late at night for one more bedtime story. FRIENDLY REMINDER THAT STEPHEN TOLD HER THE SAME THING IN LONDON TOO

Let me know if you need anything, Ysabeau.” Baldwin brushed her cheeks with his lips. - WERE THEY ENEMIES? FRENEMIES?? I THOUGH THAT HATED EACH OTHER WHAT IS GOING ON I NEED ANSWERS ESPECIALLY THAT YSABEAU SAID SHE HATES HIM IN BOL AND THAT HE TRIED TO BANISH HER FROM JERUSALEM ONCE

Marcus was Matthew’s son. He was my son. / When the door swung open, Marcus’s blue eyes met mine with a twinkle. “Hi, Mom, we’re home!” I JUST LOVE IT, OKAY, WE NEED MORE OF THEM IN THE SHOW

Marcus prefers whiskey even though all of his family loves wine

One morning Marcus turned on his heel and stormed back to the house, leaving his father alone in the old apple orchard. “Diana,” he growled in greeting before streaking through the family room and straight out the front door. “I’m too damn young for this!” he shouted as he left. - I LOVE YOU MY BABY DRAMA QUEEN

Gerbert had always wanted to be included among the Knights of Lazarus, and my father refused him time and time again. - which is why he sent Juliette to spy on Matthew and it gives interesting layer that he told about The Knights in the show. He’s so bitter loool

Stephen Proctor could timewalk into the past OR into the future hence why we saw him in the 1x01 - he wasn’t just a hallucination, he probably timewalked into the future to make sure Ashmole 782 is safe

also, at the end of the book, right before they timewalked, Matthew noticed that there are some annotations in his “Doctor Faustus” copy he made that he didn’t remember putting them there. - is this a sign that 16th century Matthew somehow subconsciously remembered Diana or his fight with Kit or something? I wish that was explained too because that’s interesting.

this is so long I’M SORRY. Overall, I had very hard time re-reading this book especially when Matthew was so possessive and controlling. I wanted to punch him every time he said or did something. Show!Matthew is definitely more bearable and les creepy. Also, I love the familiar/platonic relationships between Marcus & Matthew, Marcus & Diana, Marcus & Miriam, Miriam & Diana, Sophie & Diana, Sarah & Marcus and more. Too bad the show didn’t care about those relationships too much. As for the romantic relationships, I wish I knew more about Miriam & Bertrand, Philippe & Ysabeau, Sophie & Nathaniel too.

#a discovery of witches #all souls #diana bishop

[multifandomexpialidocious]

Spells in ‘The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ Season 1

1. Spell to summon a familiar (1x01)

Spirits of the forest, I pronounce my intentions to thee. Come forth and seek me and equals we will be. Not master and servant but familiar to familiar, to share our knowledge, our spirit and our traits.

2. Spell to remove a hex (1x01)

If truly I am cursed today, let water wash the hex away. 

3. Memory-erasing spell (1x01)

Listen to my voice. Hear my words, and forget I said anything. Bless your mind and your heart, let these painful thoughts depart.

4. Arachnophobia-inducing spell (1x01)

Spider O’ Spider, pray why do you spin your pretty white web so fine and so thin? To catch all the flies, and make them into pies. Spider O’ Spider do you not see here comes a big, buzzing blundering bee. He’ll spoil your fine net whilst you fume and you fret, but no mercy you grant and no mercy you’ll get.

4. Spell to summon the Weird Sisters (1x02)

The weird sisters hand in hand, travelers of the sea and land. Thrice to thine and thrice to mine and thrice again to make up nine. Peace! The charm’s wound up.

5. Astral projection spell (1x04)

Vola anima per aeterna. (repeat as necessary)

6. Spell to hang people up in the air with invisible force (1x04)

Light as a feather, stiff as a board. (repeat as necessary)

7. Sealing-spell. (1x05)

Ex spiritibus enim sie te aeris. Qui Omnipotentiam Tuam parcendo clavem ad. Ostium ligate Diabolum hunc! Hoc captionem et daemonium ab grandus cincinno.

8. Demon-trapping spell (1x05)

Turpis et inferni in terris pariunt. Adiuro vos tamen hoc graecas munus.

9. Spell to trap a sleep demon (1x05)

Turpis et inferni in terris pariunt. Et furantur verba haec locutus sum vobis Laetitia. Punctum baculus parit malediction. Adiuro vos tamen hoc graecas munus.

10. Spell to disrupt an astral projection (1x06)

Liberate tuteme ex fuga, [Sabrina]!

11. Exorcism incantation

[Apophis, the Devouring Worm.] We call forth the witches from the shade. Those who came before us, and died, so that we might live. Visit us, Sisters. Intercede on our behalf. I call forth the powers of Lilith of Aradia, of Morgan Le Fay. Visit us, Sisters. Intecede on our behalf. I call on Black Annis. I call on Anne Boleyn. I call on the Witch of Endor. Visit us, Sisters. Intercede on our behalf. I call on Hecate, on Artemis, on Luna to expel this demon. Expel [Apophis]. Return him to the Dark Lord. Visit us, Sisters. Intercede on our behalf. I call on Hildegard of Bingen. I call Marie Laveau. I call Tituba, I call Mary Bradbury. Visit us, Sisters. Intercede on our behalf. I call Nehman, Badb, Macha. Visit us, Sisters. Intercede on our behalf. I call Circe, I call Moll Dyer. Visit us, Sisters. Intercede on our behalf. I call on Juventas, the virgin, on Juno, the mother. Lend us your power. Expel the demon. Visit us, Sisters. Intercede on our behalf. [...] [I call upon Cybil Leek. I call upon Priscilla Spellman. I call upon Francis Spellman. I call upon Evanora and Locasta Spellman.] [...] Come forth, Kindly Ones. Come forth, Mother of Darkness. Lend us your power. Expel the demon [Apophis]!

Visit us, Sisters. Intercede on our behalf. (repeat as necessary)

12. Protection spell (1x07, 1x10)

Qui affecto protego, mixtisque iubas serpentibus et posteris meis stirpiqu.

13. Spell to grant courage (1x08)

Strength by day, strength by night, give him strength and give him might.

14. Spell to summon Prudence Night (1x08)

Hic ante circulum appareatis prudentiae, Prudence. In pulchra figura humana et tortuositate aliqua.

15. Resurrection spell (1x08)

Hounds of Heaven, Hounds of Hell, Hounds of Earth, Guardians of the Door, we summon thee to help us resurrect the fallen son. Nos si vocare te. Nos si vocare te. Nos si vocare te. Nos si vocare te.

We bow before the Door that divides the World of the Living from World of the Dead. With humble gratitude, we ask that it be opened. Apei ianuam. Apei ianuam. Apei ianuam. Apei ianuam.

Unholiest of Spirits, we offer thee a life for a life! O Mighty Dark Lord, by whom all is set afire, they power be thy path, thy will my desire. (background: Vita est vita. Vita est vita. Vita est vita. Vita est vita.)

The Hounds invoked. The Door opened. The price paid in blood. [Thomas Kinkle], we entreat thee. Rise! Rise! Rise!

16. Spell to open a portal to limbo (1x09)

Redi ad periculum tuum.

17. Spell to summon the Greendale Thirteen (1x10)

I call out to the Greendale Thirteen! To the witches hunted by mortals! Betrayed by their own kind. Hung from this tree by their necks. Arise, Sisters. Arise.

18. Tornado creation spell (1x10)

Boreas, North Wind, I summon you.

Euros, East Wind, I summon you.

Notos, South Wind, I summon you.

Zephyros, West Wind, I summon you.

19. Spell to compel a person to escape by running (1x10)

Hear me, hear me. Run away. Live to see another day.

20. Hellfire-summoning spell

I, [Sabrina Spellman, daughter of Edward Spellman], Child of Night, call forth Fire from the Pit! Ater ignus, fusce fume. Te evoco ut potentium tuam monstres. Cupidibus flammis hic veni. Caelo sub isto, harc arborem consumo. Lucem tenebrasque tuas monstra. Impetuum tuum evoco ad devorandum. Hanc arborem ac omnes hospitas devora.

OTHER VERBAL SPELLS (undiscernible):

Spell to possess a newly deceased body (1x01)

Weird Sisters' blood curse (1x01)

Witches' baptism chant (1x02)

Spell to summon the Red Angel of Death (1x10)

NON VERBAL SPELLS/MAGIC

Curse detection (1x01)

Blood curse reversal (1x01)

Vodoo (1x01, 1x05, 1x06, 1x07)

Malum malus divination (1x01)

Resurrection (via Cain’s Pit) (1x02)

Purification juice (1x02)

Illusion magic (1x02)

Rendering men impotent (1x02)

Scrying spell (1x05)

Love potion (1x06)

Invisibility i.e. "to pull a wool over the eyes" (1x07)

Enchanting a ballot box into favoring someone (1x07)

Immobilization (to prevent physical assault) (1x08)

Mind-reading (1x09)

Constitution balancing substances (1x09)

Sleep potion (1x09)

Keeping a witch in place (1x09)

Heart-numbing balm (1x10)

References:

Rosie Knight. (October 26, 2018). "OUR 5 FAVORITE SPELLS FROM CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA." Available at https://nerdist.com/5-best-spells-chilling-adventures-of-sabrina-netflix/

Subtitles from Netflix. (2018) "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

#caos #the chilling adventures of sabrina #sabrina spellman #salem #hilda spellman #zelda spellman #ambrose spellman #prudence night #dorcas night #agatha night #faustus blackwood #constance blackwood #ms. wardwell #nicolas scratch #church of night #spells #magic #netflix #caos spells