#deb answers

[anmechokola]

What is your favorite hobby?

Well, I guess it depends on my mood. I've been on a crochet high for about a year now, and it's been really fun for me

I like drawing too, on occasion. I used to do it more when I was younger, but the mood still strikes me from time to time. Here are some recent skecthes I made (sorry for the bad quality photo, not one of my strong points lol)

I used to make some origami as well, and still do sometimes but mostly to entertain other people (flying cranes and tumbling owls are a great hit with kids)

Oh, I also made some jewelry for a little while, including like origami earrings and necklaces

I had a papercraft phase when I was a teen that I would go back to nowadays if I had a printer, it was pretty fun

As you can tell I mostly like to do manual crafts! It's good for keeping my hands busy, and I'll probably try out other stuff with time, like embroidery or, if I have the extra income for it, some pottery classes

I'm not sure where this came from, but thanks for asking!

[octavinelleresident]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!🥰💗💖💗💖

Thank youuu!

[pagets]

♪ You’ve been a fool again, don’t run away again 'cause I'm a fool for you ♪

[gardenerian]

*SLAMS FISTS ON TABLE* WHAT ARE IAN AND MICKEY UP TO TODAY IAN GALLAGHER'S BIRTHDAY

*FLIPS TABLE IN EXCITEMENT* DEBS! HELLO!

IT WENT LIKE THIS:

6:50 AM: mickey (still half-asleep) turned off ian's alarm, crawled under the covers, and woke ian up in the nicest, wettest, sloppiest way 😇

7:10 AM: mickey threatened the birthday boy within an inch of his life to prevent him from getting out of bed 🤬

7:35 AM: mickey brought ian breakfast in bed, complete with coffee and berries and slightly burnt pancakes with extra syrup 🥞

8:00 AM: mickey threw the dishes in the sink, promising to do them later (he won't), and then directed ian into the shower for a very, very thorough cleaning 🧼

8:35 AM: mickey shoved ian out the door because unfortunately jobs exist even on birthdays???? 🚑

9:00 AM - 12:30 PM: they did their jobs, kind of. mickey announced ian's birthday to everyone they spoke to and also groped him at every stoplight 🤭

12:30 PM: they "went to lunch" 😉

1:15 PM: they actually went to lunch, stopping at ian's favorite food truck for some treats 🌭🍦

4:30 PM: mickey's gonna decide that jobs no longer exist on birthdays and take ian home 🥳

5:00 PM: they will smoke a joint by the pool and have a cannonball contest 😎 mickey will let ian win bc it's his birthday, but ian will insist he won on his own merit bc his splash was genuinely bETTER, MICKEY 💦

6:15 PM: time for yet another thorough cleaning 🫧

7:30 PM: dinner time! at a place with utensils 🍴 mickey will give ian many gifts..... they'll play footsie under the table and probably fool around in the alleyway behind the restaurant 😘

9:30 PM: the gallagher blowout shall begin 🕺🏼🍻🎶🎉 everyone will be there, ofc. ian will probably get tipsy and cry a little, lip will give an embarrassing speech, carl and franny made the cake, and mickey will facetime mandy to see it all 🥰

????? AM: ian and mickey will make out for the entire uber ride home, then mickey will shove ian through the front door, tug him down the hall to their bedroom, do a stunning drunken strip tease, and then [REDACTED] until they both pass out 😌 the end! happy birthday ian!

[lesbianologist]

You have such good analysis of this show, I need to ask. Do you think they are heading to a Deborah dies series finale? It seems like they've dropped hints in that direction (coughing in s4 finale, saying 18 months is a long time for her, telling DJ she can have her tennis bracelet when she dies). But also, they love a twist and I can't imagine their big twist, and what they've been scheming since 2015 is sunsetting their diva. It just seems too predictable. Would love to hear if you've given this any thought. (Also sent this to sapphicscholar, you two are my fav critical analyzers of this show)

this is so unbelievably sweet. this show invites such rich, layered reading, and it’s been a joy (and a quiet ache) to unpack what it’s doing. i’m grateful to be part of that conversation. thank you. truly.

i’ll answer as concisely as possible: no, i don’t believe the show is heading toward a “deborah dies” series finale—both because of what the creators have explicitly said and, more importantly, because of what this story is fundamentally about. it’s not a death narrative. it’s a transformation narrative. below the cut, i’ll unpack that further.

first, we have compelling reason to believe this isn’t the intended ending—both from the creators' own statements and from the architecture of the narrative itself. paul w. downs has explicitly stated that the storyline involving deborah’s obituary has been a central idea since season one, inspired by the story of alfred nobel. nobel, after reading a premature obituary labeling him “the merchant of death,” was confronted with how history would remember him—not as a visionary chemist, but as someone whose work brought destruction. it catalyzed a transformation. nobel responded not by retreating or dying, but by radically reshaping his legacy through the creation of the peace prize. that, downs says, is the model for deborah: a woman granted the rare and painful chance to see herself through the eyes of legacy, of what she's actually leaving behind in the eyes of others', and to decide if she can live with what she sees.

it’s not a conclusion; it’s a reckoning. not death, but the profound possibility of change. it boils down to this: can she choose it?

importantly, downs emphasized that this moment (this “obituary arc”) is designed to be the fire lit under deborah going into the final season. a spark, not a funeral pyre. and aniello, co-creator and showrunner, has affirmed that the series’ ending has always been clear in their minds (since 2015, allegedly), and part of the original pitch. while she acknowledged that it may extend (into a sixth season) (and paul has suggested the same elsewhere, i just can't find the link), the way she talks about the ending (wanting to do right by the characters, wanting to land their arcs with care) implies resolution, not tragedy. hacks is not a show that kills its protagonist for shock value (at least, i don't think so) (frankly, i think they were riffing on how a lot of shows do kill off characters lazily).

hacks is a show that takes its time, unearths its emotional bedrock, and builds toward something earned. it’s deliberate.

narratively, deborah’s mortality has never been the emotional center of the show. it’s been present, yes; everyone jokes about her dying on stage, and yes she even coughs ominously in the s4 finale, but all of that serves to highlight how aware she is of time. not how close she is to the end, but how terrified she is of not having used it well, of not leaving a legacy she's proud of. what’s more likely is that illness becomes a narrative device to reveal vulnerability, to deepen emotional stakes, to require deeper emotional care (eg. from someone like ava). not to trigger death, but to invite closeness. this is reinforced by a subtle detail: paul downs posted an image of elsa nursing anna back to health, captioned “hacks s5.” the symbolism is quiet, but clear. we’re not heading toward a deathbed, per say. but i do think we’re heading toward care, softness, the rare act of being held. of being cared for.

it makes perfect sense in the broader emotional landscape of the show, too.

deborah pushes everyone away, keeps everyone—including her daughter, sister, and friends she’s had for years—at arm’s reach. she keeps her vulnerabilities guarded, weaponized, withheld. she rarely tests others, rarely pushes back, mostly just engages in acts of harm without looking back. with ava, she doesn’t. her softness lives in the pauses between their sparring, in the moments when she lets her mask slip. no one else gets that from her. vulnerability, for deborah, is a scarce currency—and ava is the only one she spends it on freely.

at its core, hacks is a story about damage. the long shadow of frank’s betrayal, the loss of trust between sisters, the dream of late night turned to ash. deborah once had love, once had laughter, and built a life on it—only for it to collapse under the weight of ego, ambition, and betrayal. frank didn’t just sabotage her career. he stole something fundamental: the dream, the intimacy, the belief that she could have both love and legacy. what followed was decades of loneliness, pride, and estrangement. and then—ava. this strange, sharp, chaotic woman who made her feel again. who made her laugh. 

in one episode (though the number and season escapes me, because of course it does), deborah speaks to ava about marriage, about how essential it is to laugh with your partner, to be able to challenge each other. it’s one of the rare moments she lets something personal slip out under the guise of advice. what she’s really describing is longing. not just for companionship, but for something more rare: a partner who matches her wit, who provokes her, who sees her clearly and still wants to stay. it’s a description that doesn’t fit frank. it doesn’t fit marty. it barely fits anyone. except ava. ava brought her back to herself. “you made me want more for myself,” deb says. no one else has done that since frank. no one has replaced that part of her.

and maybe that’s what scares her most.

ava resurrects the dream. makes it real again. and the moment it threatens to cost her ava, deborah lets it burn—not because the dream didn’t matter, but because ava mattered more. because ava is everything. deborah calls her a creative partner, her voice, someone she loves. she could have used a million other words, like creative visionary, someone i admire, someone i trust, but she doesn't. she uses language that is rooted in love, devotion, partnership. her relationship with ava is unlike any other in her life: not transactional, not distant, not performative. it’s deeply intimate, revealing, and tender. it's steeped in the kind of romantic love she once shared with frank, but this time, unspoken and terrifyingly real.

hell, i sometimes wonder if deborah ever told frank about her childhood, her belief in hell but not heaven, or even when that belief ultimately developed.

the choice to choose ava over her dream is instinctive, gut-deep, and is what reveals the essential truth of the show: it was never about ambition, or the kind of legacy that's about career. it has always been about connection, about a legacy of love, of devotion, and about healing. it's spiritual, frankly, and it's why we see her following ava's suggestion to have new/fresh talent on the show after their talk about life and death, and heaven and hell. she believes in ava. the foundational truth in this show is about whether deborah can let go of the ghost of her past and choose something present, something alive. a different kind of legacy—not one etched in trophies or airtime, but in love.

frankly, i that’s why the season one finale ends with the phrase, “i think she will" as the title. it appears to float without context, but in retrospect, it’s the thematic hinge of the series. TIME magazine’s headline asked whether deborah would make history. by s4, we know she already has—she did make history, in resurrecting her late night career. but the deeper question is: will she heal? will she change? will she let herself be loved?

the photo from kathy, the one marcus threw out and ava saved—quietly reframed, subtly placed—is the thread tying all of this together. it’s the emotional fulcrum of the series. it’s a gesture of belief in deb. belief in heaven, in forgiveness, in healing.

and we can’t ignore the real-world meta-commentary, either.

in hacks, late night is still treated as the comedic summit, but that’s fiction. in reality, the genre has lost a lot of its cultural relevance. what remains is not prestige, but nostalgia. deb’s arc, then, may involve finally seeing that the mountaintop she’s spent her life climbing was a mirage, a constantly shifting emblem, and that it's not enough. she may realize that what she’s been chasing isn’t worth the cost if the goalpost is constantly shifting/changing.

so how does it end?

maybe a kiss. i'd be shocked if we don't reckon with their feelings about each other. i really would. maybe something scared, tender, unsure. more likely, a conversation—about the age gap, about boundaries, about what can and cannot be. a romantic pairing remains unlikely, given the history of TV and its failure to do right by sapphic stories. the pattern is clear, and the deck remains stacked. but they might take the risk.

still, what’s more probable is something subtler, but no less radical: legacy. not one signed in contracts or ratings, but one written in devotion. in choice. deborah leaving some of her life (material and emotional) to ava, mentoring her, choosing her, loving her, even if she can’t say it outright. even if it's as "close friends".

that’s what hacks has always been about: not whether deborah vance can be great in her career, or whether she and ava will kiss and/or become a couple, but whether she can let herself be loved, and whether or not she can heal and change.

if the show is as honest, intentional, and deliberate as it’s always been, then the answer will be: i think she will. because (i reference carol a lot, especially since they casually dropped it in the convo with kiki about deborah/ava): "everything comes full circle".

[anakinmoser]

[sunnysideprincess]

What do u think Tony’s fashion sense would’ve been like in the 90’s? I’m envisioning crop tops galore

OOOH yes my favourite hc is tony in crop tops okay? I imagine him attending most classes in crop tops and he gets called out by the profs? Or maybe he works part time in a car shop and does his shifts wearing this?

Meanwhile winter Tony is always all bundled up and despises the cold and we barely see his eyes peeking from behind his clothes

[m4ndysk4nkovich]

the average person’s response to being asked if they’re a lesbian: “yes, i am.”/“no, i’m not.”

debbie’s response: “uhm… no. although i know many people who have had relations with same-sex individuals. i believe all people should have the right to love whomever they choose. and, even though civil unions are legal in illinois, it isn’t enough! change is possible, it starts with us.”

[speakofthedebbie]

cherris chap is tech done but i dont like how it looks so ill be doing some major revisions. have this until then

@justawasteoftime1122 remind me to never write an aussie accent ever again /j

[gifdog]

Could you make more Dexter and or Debra Morgan blinkies? Thank you

hi thank u for the request ! i did some silly dexter ones today and i’m sure i’ll be making more as i am kinda Obsessed with the show rn lol , i’m only on s2ep1 rn tho ! i will try to make some more serious dexter ones soon !

here r some deb ones i made for you though :-3

[eightpackdiaz]

Funny how it works that some people were hating on Langdonmel and saying we were making things up yet they’re currently the most written for ship on the AO3 tag 🤭🤭🤭

people love to hate, and especially when they see others having fun!!! i genuinely was so scared of saying i liked kingdon at the beginning because i didn’t want to be booed on twitter lmao, idgaf anymore, i will ship on main!!! like you can’t have him looking at her like she hung the moon and stars and being all sweet and soft spoken and expect me to NOT ship them?!?!? like, i have eyes and a beating heart, WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!

also we are do lucky to have the amazing writers that we do, truly

[anmechokola]

(SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 1152)

Monkey D. "Reduce Reuse Recycle" Luffy

He's like well you guys obviously aren't using him

[octavinelleresident]

I'm ngl Finn will wonder how on earth Debby got into Octavinelle at times lmao (I'm so sorry Debby this freaky lil shark is staring at you from across the room)

I would ask myself too 🤣 To add an extra layer of self-awareness even Debby is asking why the hecc she got sorted in it.

But it all started when I got sorted in Octavinelle myself and thought: Mhhhh since I'm having a Twst phase why don't embrace it and go the extra mile?

And that's how Debby [Aka me?She's more of a yume tbh] was put into Twst.

For my friends the dorm fits me more than the others,if we consider is based on the "Sea witch's benevolence"

[thekenobee]

So what did you think of Prey, as I've mentioned it's a personal favourite mostly for the Sharpe childhood tragedy and his interactions with the loved Danish orphans as well as the entry of Pumps my favourite bad gay representation.

I crafted this meme especially for the occasion-

There is something so deeply touching about Sharpe’s interactions with orphans- Davi Lal in Sharpe’s Triumph or Ahmed in Sharpe’s Fortress and his instinct to protect these kids without really having to think about it.

I adored all his interactions with orphans, both in the orphanage where he grew up as well as the one in Denmark and the transition from orphanage=prison to orphanage= refuge was so heartbreaking to me.

And yes, Pumphrey’s representation was oh so BAD indeed- what could I expect from a character called Pumphrey anyway! But I enjoyed this occasionally blackmailing, high-pitched voiced tiny guy.

Apart from that, the series featured all the characters I love- Chosen Men (whom I didn’t expect to see until Sharpe’s Rifles), Boy Wellesley casually entrancing a certain Madame, and Joel Chase there to save the day was the icing on the cake! Definitely Cornwell’s best novel I’ve read so far!

[juanabaloo]

Top 5 sapphic movie recs? :)

Thanks for the ask! In order, from 5 to 1: D.E.B.S. (2004) - Lucy and Amy Mosquita y Mari (2012) - Yolanda y Mari - the one movie i would show my kid self (if i could time travel) Bound (1996) - Violet and Corky Imagine Me and You (2005) - Luce and Rachel Saving Face (2004) - Wil and Vivian - the one movie I would save from a fire (if i could only save one)

[captions top to bottom: Lucy and Amy with guns drawn in D.E.B.S. Yolanda and Mari hanging out in Mosquita y Mari. Violet reaches out to hold Corky's hand in Bound. Luce laughs as Rachel fishes her wedding ring out of the punch in Imagine Me and You. Wil looks at Vivian's hair and then stares longingly at her face in Saving Face.]

Highly reco all of these! More spoiler-free ranting, worksafe gifs, and trailer links under the cut. (one mild SPOILER ... but good news: none of these women die, like not even a little bit!!)

starting the list at Number Five: D.E.B.S. (2004) is Comedy, rated PG-13, and a campy delight. I buy the chemistry between Lucy (L below) and Amy (R ), and it's a cute enemies-to-lovers story. It doesn't take itself too seriously. And as the gif text says: Charlie's Angels but it's actually gay!!!

Best to watch: when you want something campy with some fun spy action scenes. Kissing plus. Also: Jordana Brewster!

D.E.B.S. (2004) trailer

Number Four: Mosquita y Mari (2012) is an unrated Drama (PG-13-ish IMO) that's one of my all-time faves*. Mari (L below) and Yolanda (R ) are high schoolers and they are INTO EACH OTHER. You can practically see the vibrations in between them. It's about two Chicanas and it touches on family and money and immigrant stuff. (*If I could go back in time and show my kid self one movie - out of all the movies in the world - it would be this one.) There is a lot of intimacy between them, but there's nothing explicit.

Best to watch: when you want to reminisce about high school and that friend you had feelings for. Grappling and holding hands and snuggling. Also: gorgeously shot scenes that set the mood, even with no dialogue.

Mosquita y Mari (2012) trailer

coming in at Number Three: Bound (1996) is a Heist movie, rated R, and amazing. The directorial debut of the Wachowski sisters. Chemistry for MILES between Violet (L below) and Corky (R ). Also a strong crime/thriller/heist plot, aside from all the chemistry. I don't find the violence to be THAT explicit but that's my opinion.

Best to watch: when you want to see a very sexy heist movie and don't mind some violence. Rated R for a reason (both sex and violence). Also: Jennifer Tilly and her voice! Gina Gershon in a white tank top! Both of them in leather jackets!

Bound (1996) trailer

Number Two: Imagine Me and You (2005) is a Rom-Com that's rated R, and super cute. It's love at first sight but there's some angst. Rachel (first gif below, L) is trying to resist her attraction to Luce (R ). I feel like this movie doesn't really deserve the R rating. Anyway, it's cute and fun.

Best to watch: when you want some decent angst, but a happy ending. Lots of intense making out. Also: British accents! a flower shop! Dance Dance Revolution! Piper Perabo and Lena Headey!

Imagine Me and You (2005) trailer

and at the top of my list at Number One: Saving Face (2004) is another Rom-Com that's rated R, and it's PERFECT TO ME. If I could only grab one movie to save from a fire - out of all the movies ever made - it would be this one! It's childhood friends - who reconnect as adults - to lovers. Vivian (L below in the first gif) is a dancer while Wil (R ) is a doctor, technically a surgeon. There's family and immigrant stuff, and they are both Chinese-American.

Best to watch: when you want angst with a happy ending, with some good mother-daughter stuff too. Flirting, making out, intense making out, hand holding, and yes a bedroom scene. Also: authentic Mandarin! a comforting mother-daughter relationship! a race to the airport scene!

Saving Face (2004) trailer

Lightning in a bottle stuff here, seriously. Lynn Chen (who plays Vivian) had never been in a feature film before. Michelle Krusiec (who plays Wil) had never had a lead role before. Alice Wu wrote AND directed the movie, and this was literally her FIRST MOVIE. You would never guess any of that watching this movie. They all knock it out of the park!!

Any questions about any of these movies, send in an ask!

[lesbianologist]

I think it's interesting how it was actually Deborah who clearly said the word "love" when it comes to Ava, "someone i LOVE". I find it interesting that it wasn't Ava. And like ofc Ava has said i love you in many many ways, but i just find it interesting that she hasn't clearly said those words. Do you think there is a reason for that?

i do—and i think it speaks volumes about who ava is and how she loves. ava is open, sure, but she’s also scared. she’s been hurt by deb, dismissed, and underestimated. but she shows love through constancy, through devotion, through that soft, helpless way she looks at deborah, and in all the tiniest ways she shows up for her (i’ve talked about this at length on one of my other posts about them), but “i love you” carries weight. she holds them like they might break if said aloud.

deborah, on the other hand, has spent a lifetime mastering performance. she knows how to spin a moment, how to hold a crowd, how to say things just vague enough to be safe. but when she tells the world that ava is someone she loves, it’s one of the rare moments where the façade slips—where it’s a complete confession, not a performance, and it matters that it comes from her. moreover, i think it’s important that deborah paired “creative partner” with “someone i love” because of the deliberate nature of it. that’s what frank was—both her creative partner and someone she loved/was in love with.

that’s why, if they ever kiss—really kiss—i think it’ll be deborah who makes the first move. not because she’s more brave, but because ava needs permission. she needs to know it’s safe. that this isn’t another wound waiting to happen. deborah saying “love” aloud, especially so publicly, is a crack in the armor. and ava’s been standing at the edge for so long, waiting for an invitation to cross. when it happens, it won’t be slow—it’ll be inevitable. but it has to start with deb. because ava can’t fall until she’s caught.

i know that’s not what you asked, but i think i mostly answered why, and the rest sort of just tumbled out hahaha. oops.