#I’ll definitely watch s3 and the fandom response has been great!

[buildoblivionthenwewilltalk]

see, the thing about GO s2 is that I genuinely believe it needed another go over in the script editing/ final cut stages because watching it as a whole makes the story feel so bloated and meandering - the tone is massively off from the very tightly written first season, lacking focus and not quite capturing the same wit or wisdom that the OG series and the book achieved

but then I see a little moment on a beloved mutual’s gif set and my whole heart goes 🥺😭💕🥰

[remythologise]

Hello! I found your blog via you amazingly summarizing all that's going on with the spn drama. Due to my schedules, rl stuff, some of the arcs that didn't vibe with me, my availability to find a place to watch...the rollercoaster I was used to with this fandom was more me binging it in a weekend to going months to over a year without watching it. I still haven't watched the last season(but with a fandom this big it's pretty impossible not be spoiled so I more or less know what happened) BUT oh great one I ask of thee for more information if you have it...other than being busy and whatnot, I'm not really one to keep up with the actors as well. So could you also maybe do a summary of all the stans? I'im seeing terms I haven't seen before. Who is Kelios(sp?)? Hellions?? probably messed it up but like...I guess what are the name of each legion? Who do they have alliance towards? What was their desires? Que paso?!?!?!?

Hi there! 'Some of the arcs that didn't vibe with me' me emotionally quitting Supernatural in Season 7 after they killed Castiel 😂 Anyway I totally get it, I went through the same culture shock mid-last year when I got back into SPN and tried to find where fandom was at! There's really a LOT of lore and content after 15 years though so I'll just do the broad brushstrokes based on my impressions and personal stereotypes PLEASE remember this is oversimplifying groups and individuals to tendencies and I'm very biased! Also important that there are sub-factions within sub-factions - again, I'm simplifying here!

I've also linked to the 'Super-wiki' in terms of some definitions because the Super-wiki has pages for them where the Fandom-wiki does not. Great introduction actually - only in the Supernatural fandom. There are two Supernatural wikis. One, through curation and twitter activity, supports BiBro/Wincest factions and does not support Destiel users. One is more neutral or Destiel-friendly (I don't know that the Fandom wiki has a personality/social media presence per se). You cannot make this up. There is a factional war... within use of fandom wikis.

Destiel faction

People who primarily ship Dean/Cas, love Castiel and (often, although not always) Jack, and the 'found family' of Supernatural as well as the brothers, and like the post s3 seasons too. Hated 15.19 and 15.20 for killing Dean and ignoring the other characters/narrative arc of the show. Nicknamed 'Destihellers' by the Wincest faction as a derogatory term, 'reclaimed' and shortened as 'Hellers', a nickname they use affectionately to describe each other. See more info on nicknames here.

Sometimes also ship ‘Cockles’ (the ship between Misha Collins and Jensen Ackles) although generally speaking they're more respectful of the wives of the actors than J2 shippers, who are notoriously responsible for... a vast series of insane-fan misdemeanours. Historically most were also good at keeping RPF to themselves and not harassing celebrities with it directly, although recently, particularly with younger twitter fans, that has not been the case.

Sub-factions:

The ‘Desticule’ or ‘Destiel tumblr’ - general grouping of Destiel-shipping tumblr users around 20-30 years old, usually LGBT+, most who came back to the show post-15.18 after leaving it for various reasons including getting sick of the queerbaiting. Funniest bitches alive etc. and responsible for the best text posts you’ve ever seen. Can also start stupid discourse and in-group drama when they’re bored.

'POLOL' - People of Lots of Letters, a discord group (of tumblr and twitter users) that ran on the assumption Andrew Dabb was playing a hugely intricate game of 3D chess to do with gnostic symbolism among other things, and would make Destiel canon. Have since had their own factional sub-wars and fallen apart a bit. Some of their meta was and is good and interesting! Some of it was wildly off the mark. Now generally insist that Dabb/the writers were all pushing for Destiel canon and the network is entirely to blame.

Twitter fans (TikTok edition) - younger fans around 18 and younger who (FOR REASONS BEYOND ME) started watching the show around 2018-2020. Definition of 'stans'. Tend to be very loud and aggressive on twitter when Events Happen, which like. I do get, because they've grown up in a completely different media environment and this kind of Dinosaur Politicking around LGBT+ issues is beyond them. Fancam central. Anyway stream #CASTIEL for clear skin!

Twitter fans (AO3 edition) - older fans around 30+ who kept going with the show but either don't have a large tumblr presence or just prefer twitter. A lot of fic writers, GISH-ers, and BNFs in this group. Some of them are very cool and reasonable in their opinions, some of them act like the younger stans. Some of them too accepting of what happened wrt 15.19-20 in my opinion, because, in contrast to the younger twitter stans, they grew up expecting Destiel to NEVER be canon or respected. 'Can't believe we got this far' etc.

Multiship faction

Multishippers or shippers of things not as large as the two main behemoths . Sub-factions based on shipping, e.g. Megstiel and Sastiel. I don't think these groups are very large though, and seem to have very little influence in the Discourse.

Wincest faction

LARGE overlap with the 'BiBro' faction and their opinions, which I'll get to. Ship Sam and Dean romantically. Often pretend to be BiBros on places like twitter and reddit in order for outside groups to take their opinions more seriously. 'Wincesties' etc. are derogatory nicknames given by the Destiel faction.

Sub-factions:

Multiship fans - ship Sam and Dean but respect Castiel/the 'found family'. Politically overlap with the faction of multishippers, I think. I don't have a lot of insight on this group of people honestly, but I know they exist.

Bronlies - the typical BiBro and 'Wincest' shippers most people think of, twitter user 'Kelios' is one of the would-be ringleaders of this faction - typically tend to be older white midwestern women. Historically have been pretty nasty on twitter (leading to Robert Berens, writer who made Destiel canon, occasionally subtweeting Kelios). Also tend to ship 'J2' - and take it very seriously as a legitimate thing that is really real. This is called 'tinhatting'.

BiBro faction

People who think the show should JUST be about the brothers, love Supernatural s1-3 and everything after it should have been just like Supernatural s1-3. Hate Castiel, Jack, and the 'found family'. Largely loved 15.20. Go to literally any comments section on any Supernatural article and You Will Find Them complaining about how the show should just be about the Brothers. Tend to be older, straighter, and more conservative/Republican (and male) fans. (I am aware that the definition of 'BiBro' used to refer to people who just liked the brothers but there's no definitional difference now in the discourse.) The Wincest and BiBro faction are generally much more wealthy than the Destiel faction (they being younger and more diverse/queer/left-leaning in general) and would be the biggest revenue generators at conventions etc.

Sub-factions:

Reddit bros - literally anyone who visits r/supernatural. Well, that's not fair - there are people who post reasonable opinions on there, but it's pretty rare and they get downvoted a lot. Like to talk about 'toxic Destiel fans' 'ruining the show' and how Dean is a straight man who is straight and could never possibly be gay. Might even think the confession was platonic despite all evidence to the contrary. I'm Not Homophobic I Have Gay Friends, But No Gays on MY Show!

Old Guard - group of older fans who overlap strongly with the Wincest faction, but might not necessarily ship Wincest.

GA faction

'General Audience' - These are the group of audience members that aren't 'online' so to speak; most watch the show on TV as a Casual Viewing Experience (are therefore also sometimes referred to as 'casuals'. Mostly their opinions tend towards BiBros, but they have a vast range of baffling views thanks to being Not Online and usually Not caring about Supernatural that much or thinking that deeply about it.

Sub-factions:

People who simply watch Supernatural on TV and then don't think about it very much after that.

I said they weren't 'online' but that's not entirely true; I'd probably classify people on Supernatural Facebook Groups as GA, along with friends of friends who post statuses about how 15.20 was a neat finale that wrapped up the series.

Conclusion

Supernatural is famously the show that appeals to both Republicans and Democrats, literally All Orientations, so there's a WIDE range of factions. However, most warring online boils down to Destiel vs. Wincest/BiBro - the war that started in Season 4 and has simply never ended. In terms of the 'actors' and their stans, in general, Wincest/BiBro fans love Jared, like Jensen, and dislike Misha. Destiel fans love Misha, like Jensen, and dislike Jared. Of course as with everything, there are variations and this is just a generalisation. But that's the summary of it, from my perspective!

This didn't even get into Sam girls, Dean girls and Cas girls. God. Anyway.

Hope that answered your question, anon!

[why-this-kolaveri-machi]

we are our family, even if we don’t want to be.

Titans 3.07

a bit over halfway through the season, and we still don’t have all of our main characters on the board! i love this show.

as always, typing this up as i watch. live reaction, baby! *shadowboxes*

SPOILERS AHEAD

1. i don’t think i’ve mentioned this before, but i kinda miss the old ‘dc universe’ intro. it was cool! the whole idea of it was wild and waaaaay over-ambitious, but also very very on-brand because of it.

2. this is... the third time we’ve seen dick sleeping this season? that’s a record! checking another thing off my s3 wishlist...

2.5. i guess i rag on titans all the time for its wafer-thin plotting and bad pacing, but i have to admit that this season has been a step-up from the last one in this regard. titans has very reactive rather than proactive protagonists, and a lot of the last season seemed to be: x happened, the team reacted badly, then y happened, they reacted badly, etc. this time around, it’s not a huge leap up by any means, but at least they’re doing something about it. 

i do appreciate the focus on character arcs over everything else. and when i say everything else, i mean it: arcs that started two seasons ago with no big cathartic moments, intermittent payoff and multiple relapses. big bads have ranged from interdimensional demons to superpowered assassins to whatever in the world scarecrow is, but trigon’s big weapon against the titans was to... use their worst fears against them. slade’s was to... use their fears to break them up. crane’s is to... use red hood to use their fears to break them up. even the threat of gotham’s citizens being in danger doesn’t feel real: gotham is mythologised into an entity of its own, infecting our heroes like a parasite. like. this is not to say that most other superhero media aren’t big character arcs intertwined with the main plot, but titans doesn’t even make pretend that it’s anything but.

anyway. that’s my entry #2345 to ‘give a grand unifying theory for titans’. thanks. i’ll be back with more.

3. “anger is just fear in a little black dress.” god I HATE HIM

(what’s he doing with barbara’s likeness? oh... oh god. a terrible thought just occurred to me. what if they introduce hush at the very last minute for plastic surgery shenanigans? would you put it past this show?)

3.5. jason, nooooooooo

3.75. i mean, they’re making it very clear here that scarecrow is the one in control--the one who’s always been in control--and is manipulating jason and literally poisoning him, but i hope it doesn’t end up erasing nuance or jason’s autonomy. if jason’s to reckon with the issues that brought him here, then the lines of responsibility will need to be set somewhere. 

(this applies to dick as well but more on that later, i guess.)

4. just--the phrase “40% loss of income” is so funny to me. like, gotham is full of these larger-than-life characters who are idiosyncratic beyond belief, colourful and dramatic and creating chaos just for the sake of chaos, and then there’s the regular criminals and their henchmen who just want to make a quick buck sitting down with pie charts and graphs, griping about the joker reducing their returns or debating high risk investments in, i don’t know, two-face’s next scheme.

“yyyyeeeeeaaah, my financial advisor is telling me that going all-in with a guy who literally makes decisions on the flip of a coin is probably not the greatest idea.”

4.5. god i hate smug!smarmy!scarecrow so much

4.85. as big plans to “control” gotham go, it’s pretty bog-standard. clearly scarecrow has some bigger plan in mind but it really feels like we’ve got no clear insight into him and he’s this generic creepy mystery-man who knows more than he lets on and springs a twist/cliffhanger every now and then. i liked the scenes with him and dick in 3.04 where it seemed like he was genuinely on the backfoot and things weren’t going as he predicted. for all of his faults, dick is at least familiar with scarecrow’s bullshit and knows not to give what he wants.

5. i mean... i see where dick is coming from with the “he’s not jason anymore; he’s red hood” because his immediate glaring concern is scarecrow’s drug and the damage it could potentially cause gotham? i do not doubt that it’s something batman drilled into him, too, but when you’re expected to take point on a situation where the lives of an entire city weigh down on your shoulders, it’s better to simplify things and prioritise. i’m not saying it’s great or healthy! gar is absolutely right to consider this facet of the situation. it’s just dick can’t.

6. hmmmmmmm. HMMMMMMMMMMM. 

i don’t know that i’m super fond of this iteration of oracle???? it looks like a cross between cerebro from x-men and jarvis from iron man. it’s giving me second-hand embarrassment. somebody help me.

(at least they remembered dick’s middle name is actually “john”. i like to think bruce printed D in that contract because for a while he genuinely thought richard “dick” grayson was his full name. duck duck goose, dick dick grayson, i don’t know alfred, the kid was in a circus, maybe they thought it was funny. or maybe it was a test in anger control, who knows.)

6.5 “maybe you two would like some time alone?” even AI can’t help hitting on dick grayson in this universe.

“oh mr grayson, if i only had another eye to see you better...”

6.8. on one hand, it’s a bit disconcerting that the title of ‘oracle’ has gone from barbara herself to this gigantic machine; from my impression of the comics-verse, barbara had an extensive computing and surveillance system, true, but she was very clearly the brains behind the operation. on the other hand, i’m kind of glad that the ethical boundaries that this kind of surveillance violates is a sticking point for barbara. (tho let’s be real, the nsa would kill to have this in their arsenal).

6.9. also it’s now obvious that scarecrow’s big plan is to take control of oracle itself. it’s why he had lady vic take that picture of her eyes, or why he’s meddling around with it on his computer.

6.95. if only i could ‘command sleep’ anybody overstepping their boundaries re: personal information...

7. “you can just sit back and watch as the titans destroy themselves.” i mean... he’s not wrong

8. “dick’s parents were killed by a criminal mob; he won’t work with them.” it’s wonderful that you have this insight into dick, kory, i just wish we could’ve watched some of these conversations actually happen on-screen.

8.5. i’m glad that kom’s being treated with such nuance and understanding, though it’s obvious that she definitely has a Plan of her own. (and did i entirely imagine her ability to mimic other people flawlessly at the end of s2? or is that going to come into play at some point?) i think her story has the potential to be genuinely poignant, and in a universe where being Different, either because of mental health or physical differences or whatever else, leads a straight line to Evil, it’s important to acknowledge and then emphasise that the mere fact of your existence as a Different Person doesn’t predispose you to evil. maybe your act of destroying a system that has destroyed you and not scrambling to “fit in” is only evil as defined by that system. 

8.8. “you’re trespassing, i should call the authorities, i feel unsafe.” now this is a villain lady who’s definitely aware of her privilege.

8.85. kom smirking knowingly at her sister is everything.

“oooh that’s the kory i remember”

9. conner and dick working together woo!

9.25. god i hate a villain who’s always just a step ahead, no matter what. so crane anticipated dick using oracle to track his personal communications and set him up? how did he know when exactly dick would get to do this? how long did he have that poor man tied up in that van?

(the “save me, grayson” is a nice touch, tho. send dick spiralling even further! because if there’s one thing dick will do, it’s take responsibility for every goddamn thing that goes wrong.)

9.5. ahem. i’m going to need a million gifs of conner yeeting dick across that yard, fandom, thankyouverymuch.

(i understand conner is invulnerable to explosions, but how do his clothes survive??)

9.8. oooh crane is already in oracle! i’m just sitting here laughing helplessly because they’re overpowering this goddamned guy so much. he can build a lab in arkham’s basement! he has access to lazarus puddles! he has minions working across gotham, including a fully functional chemical laboratory staffed by chemists who only answer to him! he has the crime families of gotham quailing in his very presence! he has assassins at his beck and call! he’s enough of a manipulative bastard to have red hood under his thumb! and now he has enough of a tech know-how to not only be aware of oracle, but know how to hack into it! i’m sick of exclamation marks! i’ll shut up now!

9.95. dick leaving behind that smouldering grave for a person he failed to save without taking a second to process how he feels about it and running towards his next plan to corner scarecrow: a microcosm of where his head’s at right now.

10. really hammering in the themes of this season, aren’t we. 

10.25. the interesting thing is the titans repeatedly call themselves a family this season (none more so than dick) and while that found family has helped encapsulate and put away their traumatic experiences with their ‘original’ families, it’s meant that they’ve not really dealt with those issues. and dick and gar and jason come from ‘found families’ of their own: they are twice removed, traumatised two times over. they still cling to this identity however, and because of it they’re losing each other. a family isn’t static. it’s an ever-evolving dynamic and you have to put in work constantly to keep it healthy.

10.5. anyway, that’s entry #2346. i’m here aaaalll night.

11. lookit gar the detective! half-transforming and using his powers to deduce things! what a hero! i’ve said this for a long time, but gar is the bedrock of this team, and an unsung one at that.

11.25. i’m confused about him calling this room jason’s though. it seems to me that this is dick’s room that jason later used, and one that dick’s using now. so the unmade bed isn’t really jason’s fault; dick was woken by barbara that morning, and in his hurry, he left without making his bed.

(it still confounds me that bruce didn’t find jason another bedroom in that gigantic mansion of his. you really didn’t give this kid a chance, did you?)

12. oh well. so much for the oracle.

13. ... sorry, wait. you didn’t think i wasn’t going to address the bit with dick right now, did you?

12.5. i honestly don’t think it’s very complicated: dick’s been reeling from one traumatic thing to the next, and just when it seemed like at the beginning of the season, he felt happy and secure with his team and his place in the world, bruce ups and leaves gotham to him, specifically naming him a successor and calling him a ‘better batman’. he’s lost garth and jericho and donna and jason and now hank and dawn. he’s not even sure where rachel is or what she’s doing. after being told that batman was a psychopath for moulding him into a weapon, he’s also been told that his failure to be a ‘better batman’ lead to further disaster. of course he’s going to get batman-goggles. of course he’s going to be a prick. 

12.8. i don’t know what to say. i feel his frustration acutely. i don’t think he should’ve said what he said to barbara (can people stop pushing her around this season????) but that pressure to step in where your parent fails? to clean up their messes and try to think like them? to fall into habits drilled into you when you developed them as coping mechanisms growing up? I FEEL THAT. 

every step he’s taking he’s putting 110% of himself in it and scarecrow’s still playing mindgames with all of them: i absolutely feel his desperation to take control of that game and turn it on scarecrow, no matter what it takes.

and he did apologise almost immediately, and finally--finally--actually works with barbara. 

12.9. again, not excusing him! but i get it. and i think that’s a sign of great character writing.

“did you know i just reminded emmram of all of her daddy issues? what the fuck????”

12.95. i love that dick&barbara, kory&kom, and gar are all approaching solving this mystery from different angles, each as valid as the other. also, conner is there as... emergency bomb defuser man?

13. it’s like all fancy rich people in fancy rich houses do is pour fancy rich alcohol into fancy rich glasses on pristine, untouched tabletops. i wonder what it’s like to live like that.

13.25. I KNEW IT! poor michael. it was nice knowing you.

13.5. man, kory is contending with a lot of issues that she’s successfully bottled up and compartmentalised until now. the cold reality that a child can seek out their parents as refuge and they can view the child as a piece to be moved in a greater game (never out of cruelty, though, never, and somehow that makes it worse), that truth of blackfire’s treatment on tamaran because she’s different, and her own culpability in what happened. she exchanged one family for another, after all, and left that family to die and her sister to suffer. like dick, like gar, kory’s being forced to reckon with what the titans are meant to be, the larger implications of creating their found family in their own space.

14. it’s probably because it’s one in the morning and i’ve had two glasses of wine but i did not follow that bit of exposition at all and victor freeze??? what? 

anyway. look at them solving things! together! go team!

“you made a deal with the mob?” oh the sense of betrayal on his face! fuck off, dick, your issues aren’t kory’s. 

15. conner is really sweet and a bit of an awestruck crush on kom is to be expected. especially after that power rangers-esque transformation (i say this as a former huge power rangers fangirl. i’ve seen every series until 2007 including the original japanese versions and written fanfic for all of them. so i love a cool costume transformation, is what i’m saying.)

also?

FUCK YEAH

16. i love the gotham crime families just chillin’ around eating ice cream. I LOVE THEM

16.5. that was a fun fight sequence, if marred slightly by that bit of awkward flirting between conner and kom. i wonder if she’s really planning to use him in a larger scheme to get kory back to tamaran, or maybe something else. 

16.75. so i’m assuming that scarecrow has jason either so paralysed by fear that he can barely move, or jason’s withdrawing from the drug that he’s been sucking in every few minutes. 

17. it’s nice to see them chill after a successful mission! and it can be awkward, but conner’s crush on kom and him striving to impress her is also, well, uh... cute.

17.5. i guess the dick/barbara scene was inevitable, especially given the... unresolved nature of their relationship in the flashbacks? and they’ve been through a rollercoaster together this episode, discovering and then destroying an incredible tool within a matter of hours, re-discovering just how well they work together as a team. dick’s swimming in the nostalgia. i don’t expect it to last as a long-term relationship, but i totally get why this is happening now. and hey, they’re cute!

i have a weeeirrrrd feeling that kory is going to leave to tamaran at the end of the season and that dick and kory will rekindle--or rather realise--their relationship just before that. it’s going to be devastating and beautiful and painful and i will be writing essays about it which would be me just wailing into the screen.

18. gar found molly!!!!!!! MOLLY’S BACK! \o/ gar is the BEST

19. that was a fun episode! i love this silly show, even if it does destroy me sometimes <3

[writingwife-83]

My 2020 Sherlolly Self Interview

Thanks for organizing this fun activity @sherlollyappreciationweek! 🎉 I’ll start out with a very brief “about me” section-

I live in the northeast area of the USA, I’ve been married for seventeen years, have one teenage son, and I’m in my *gulp* late thirties now. I do volunteer ministry work and also work part time from home. Among other leisure activities, obviously I love writing! I started writing original fiction when I was a preteen, but I’ve been writing fanfic under the pen name “writingwife83” for over six years now. I discovered fanfic and the world of online fandom after becoming obsessed with BBC Sherlock in 2014 after s3 aired. I read The Full House, fell in love with the whole concept of fanfic, specifically for sherlolly, and couldn’t help but give it a go myself. And as they say, the rest is history!

Below the cut I’ll talk about some of the topics and fics suggested by followers/readers. Buckle up cuz it’s a lot lol...

Ok, first up to be kind enough to give me some feedback is @readstoomuch. You said- “what inspires you. Any story (I love them all!). Who do you love writing? Who is hardest for you? And which is that one story that you had fun doing?”

As for what inspires me, first and foremost it’s the show and characters itself. Watching those two on screen, it’s not hard to be inspired! But beyond that, I find a lot of inspiration in music and art, and just generally in other creative works and people. I think for a while I had my own internal inspiration and no lack of it, but as months dragged into years lol, I have found that the rest of the shippers are invaluable in filling the gaps when I lack inspiration and motivation. Some prompts I’ve gotten from others have taken on a life I never would have expected, and that’s pretty great. I honestly don’t think writing works best as a purely solitary activity. I know myself and although there is an aspect of my writing that will always be “for me,” that’s absolutely not all it is. It’s the fun of creating with others and it’s the fun of sharing with others.

As for who I love writing and who’s hardest, I think I’ve always felt pretty comfortable writing the main characters in Sherlock. I probably especially love writing Sherlock himself because he’s fun to break down and really dig deep into his emotions and thought processes. There have definitely been times some of the side characters have overwhelmed me and made me nervous about conveying their voices accurately. For instance, Mycroft can be tough if it involves pulling him out of his shell in a way that still feels believable and true to character.

That one story I had fun doing? Well there’s no way I can say just one. 😆 As far as reader response, there’s no other fic that can compare to the fun of I Told You So, that’s for sure. But as far as the actual plotting and creating, I think the fics I’ve had the most fun with are the multi-chapters I’ve done since becoming good friends with @thisisartbylexie. Having her as a sounding board, plotting buddy, and editor has absolutely increased my creating fun and has definitely also made me a better writer.

Thanks so much for asking @readstoomuch 🥰

Alrighty, @thisisartbylexie, you asked- if there's a fic that you ever wanted to go back to change in some way, which one would it be and why? Which one do you feel "oh wow, did I write that?" in a super positive way?

Idk how to choose just one fic. There are plenty that could use some changing lol! One I’d like to fix though, would be Pleased to Meet You. I know (because I’ve been told) that there’s inaccuracies in that one seeing as I’m not personally familiar with university settings in the UK. I did actually attempt research and I thought I got the idea, but apparently it didn’t work out terribly well. But the plotting and progression of that fic is one I’ve always been happy with, so I guess I feel like it’s a shame if it came off messy in some general ways and distracted from the rest of it. I like how I was able to weave that one into the canon of the show up to that point. And tbh it actually still fits as a uni backstory for them without any conflicts to the canon. As much as I enjoy canon divergence and AU, I also have a big soft spot for fics that simply connect seamlessly to what we’ve already been given.

As for “oh wow, did I write that?” I think one of my proudest accomplishments has been Zephyr. That fic kinda has it all lol. The tropes, the pining, the romance, the Victorian setting...ugh I love it. And there’s a climactic kiss moment in that fic that’s one of my faves I’ve written. I’m so glad I wrote it because of the Sherlolly Remix Challenge in ‘16, and at your suggestion, Lexie. But I will also be forever sad that I had to release that fic all at once on AO3 once completed. That fic would have been great fun to be writing and posting as I went along! And on top of being happy with the fic itself and how it came out, I’m awfully proud of the fact that you were excited enough about the fic to illustrate it, and that @goodshipsherlolly enjoyed it enough to record it as an audio fic. Honestly, what more could a writer ask for? 🥺

@mizjoely, you said you’d like to hear anything about The Queen’s Man. Okey doke, you got it lol!

I actually went back and read through most of that fic when I got this because it had been a long time since I’d looked at it. I gotta be honest that in hindsight...I’m a little surprised it did as well as it did.😂🙈 As some may remember, it started because I saw a magnificent manip and wanted to write something to go with it, and then because that was well received, somehow it just kept going. I did very little world building and development of characters in that fic. It was largely just one shippy, romantic, pining scene after another lol. At the end I did kinda tie it all in and wrapped the story up ok, but it was definitely one of those self indulgent fics where I didn’t feel like doing the hard parts and really just wanted to write the fun stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I loved writing it, and I’m so glad it got the positive reception that it did! But it just kinda makes me laugh because it goes to show sometimes you don’t know what’s going to do really well. You could agonize over clever plotting and world building and character development etc, and be so super proud of the finished product and all your hard work, but then you share and the response is like “meh.” And then other times you legit just throw something together with barely any careful thought, and the crowd goes wild! But aside from all that, the visuals in my head of that AU are just too drool worthy to me. Molly in Medieval royal attire? Sherlock in dark armor with a Purple Tunic of Sex™️ underneath? The two of them lingering in the dimly lit hallways and rooms of a castle and gazing endlessly in mutual pining? Yes to all.

Thanks for asking @mizjoely 😘

Ok wow, see what I mean? That was long! 🤣 If you read all the way through this whole thing, *Moriarty voice* thank you...bless you. Honestly, this ship is amazing and I don’t think I’ll ever have a writing experience anywhere else like I’ve had here. I’ve seen the other side of things in another fandom now, so I can all the more so confirm that there’s no ship quite like sherlolly. The warmth, reception, and longevity is mind blowing and I’m just awfully happy to have played a part in creating for the beauty that is Sherlock Holmes and Molly Hooper. 💕

[swashbucklery]

do u think sara's been sidelined this season? a lot of people in the sara tag seem too (i think i sent this before but tumblrs been eating my asks so i thought id try again, if u dont wanna answer thats cool but could u maybe say that so i know tumblr didnt just eat my question again)

Hi, anon. I definitely got your first ask, but to be honest I hadn’t answered it because it seemed like you were really trying to lead me into a negative discussion. I work really hard to make sure fandom is a hobby that is a net positive in my life, and sometimes that means setting aside media criticism as a part of my fandom experience. I can see that it’s really important for you to get a response, though, so I’ll do my best.

Full disclosure, I also have spent zero time in the Sara tag; I have not followed ship or character tags since the Olden Times of Tumblr because I don’t find that that really aligns with how I like to experience fandom.

My short answer would be, I think, no?

I hadn’t really thought of it until you sent me a question, so if there was a change in Sara’s importance to the show season it wasn’t something I really noticed enough to bother me.

I do feel pretty great about what Sara’s arc has been in 4A overall, though. I think it’s also hard to draw conclusions about the season as a whole having only seen half of it, so if you’re worried about Sara’s story then try to be patient for 4B? We can’t know if it’s awesome or not until we see it, which means it can be AWESOME UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

(The more verbose version of my response is behind the cut if you’re interested, anon.)

Like, okay. I do think Sara’s role in S4 has been different than it was in earlier seasons, but I actually don’t think that’s a bad thing. I think it’s kind of the natural progression of her story coming out of S3, and I kind of super love it.

So like, if S2 is kind of the season of Oh God, Oh God, They’re Actually Letting Sara Be The Captain This Can’t Be Real Oh My God She’s the Captain!!! (Which it was for me, the experience of watching that season live and seeing my best Sara come into her own was just delicious and I’ll have a soft spot for it forever.) And then at the end of it, Sara does the most captainly thing I think she could possibly do - she loses Amaya and is just like, fuck everything a world without Amaya is UNACCEPTABLE and folds time back in on itself to fix it.

But S3 is the season of Sara trying to actually have confidence and trust in herself as a leader responsible for others. Because look, saving Amaya was correct and important and absolutely the right call but the big thing in 3A was the Bureau being like LOL NICE GOING, DUMBASS. YOU DIDN’T EVEN GET A CERTIFICATE IN TIME TRAVEL LEADERSHIP LIKE I DID LOOK AT MY LAPEL PIN and making fun of her for being the scruffy nerf herder we know her to be. Which was hard. Because Sara has a lot of confidence in some aspects of herself and almost none in other ways, and part of her growing into being a leader I think was starting to bridge those two halves of herself. So Sara got to struggle with that a lot this season, especially in the face of external pressure from an organization like the Bureau which on the surface seems better and more professional. And I loved watching that journey, to feeling worthy of leadership and trusting her instincts about the value of her team and feeling like she and they were enough to be able to save the day.

(And also trusting her instincts to again save Amaya’s village and know that even though it was against the rules it was the right call.)

And I think S4 is very much the story of Sara who suddenly has those things - a partner and a chosen family and a feeling of being secure in a meaningful way to spend her time (whether you can call being a Legend a job is debatable as the show has made it clear that they’re all technically homeless and unemployed, although why Ava doesn’t just pay them as Bureau contractors is beyond me especially if they’re beholden to Bureau oversight ANYWAY) - and now she has to figure out what to do from there.

The other beautiful thing about S4 is that as much as it’s about magic, it’s also actually secretly about a bunch of weird superhero buddies having struggles. Like we have Charlie who goes from being a fugitive to a reluctant legend, and John who goes from trying to go it alone to coming into the fold and trusting Sara and the team to support him. Zari who has so much anger and loneliness from losing her best Amaya and coming to terms with the fact that there may not be a timeline where she can protect her family from the future that they have to live in. Nate who is struggling with identity and masculinity in a way, figuring out how he wants to be an adult and whether or not it’s important to him to finally impress/have a relationship with his dad. Ray who is struggling with how hot he finds Nora which is so hashtag relatable, we’re all struggling buddy. And a lot of those journeys are things that have been components of Sara’s journey in earlier seasons, and I kind of love that she gets to take on the role of being in a lot of ways a mentor and support as well as a leader.

Like, we had to see Zari be angry and not know what to do with that anger on her own in 4.02, but we also had to see that she had a Sara in her corner who could support her and care about her unconditionally and help her figure out a place to put that anger - and we’ve already seen that side of Sara’s journey to know that she has the skills to be Zari’s support.

I also honestly love what they’re doing with Sara navigating being in a relationship in a new way. Like I haven’t posted about it as much as I’d like to, because sometimes I just get so many Legends feelings and I have to process them in order of difficulty. The Avalance ones definitely take me the longest because they’re big, I’m just so proud of my best Sara SHE HAS A GIRLFRIEND NOW. And it’s not just that she has a girlfriend. It’s - like I know we as an internet freaked out when Sara and Ava were kissing in bed in 4.01. And that’s very legit, because women!!! pretty!!! kissing!! sex!!! like I’m not judging, I’m there. But I am just over the moon about like - can you believe that Ava asked Sara to kind of sort of halfway maybe move in with her part-time and Sara said yes??? Sara who is finally letting go of the idea that she’s not worthy of love, that she’s going to hurt the people she cares about, and is letting herself have the things that make her happy? Because that was SUCH a good character moment and I’m not getting over it for a while.

So I feel like the moments Sara has that have been character moments are just delicious and perfect, and the moments she’s had where she’s supporting the team have made me so happy because we get to see Sara as someone who’s connected. She has all these different kinds of relationships with the people she cares about, and they’re relationships where both parties can be vulnerable and mutually supportive and I love it an awful lot. 

(I also would just like to point out that in the CoC timeline in 4.08 the whole crux of it was that without Sara the team would literally collapse. And like, obviously that was partly for jokes, the next timeline was a Charlie’s Angels/Buffy AU, but I do really enjoy just appreciating how much this show loves Sara because gosh, it is a lot.)

So I guess - I don’t know if I have a conclusion, but I feel pretty happy with how Sara’s been treated this season and I’m enjoying it? And if the opinions in the Sara tag are getting you down, you don’t have to read it to be a fan. Find folks to engage with who enrich your fandom experience and spend time with them, instead.

[snkpolls]

SnK S3E12  Poll Results (Manga Reader Version)

The poll closed with 487 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that this is the results of the manga reader poll. Anime only watchers are suggested not to read if you do not wish to be spoiled about certain events! Anime only viewers, click here to view your poll results!

RATE THE EPISODE 481 Responses

The final episode of the first half of S3 was another banger with positive reactions. Compared to earlier in the season when manga readers seemed more dissatisfied with the adaptation, we are happy to see that the final episodes of the arc turned out to be a much more positive experience!

Considering this episode was essentially just the calm before the storm, I was pleasantly entertained by it. Not the best episode because not a whole lot happened, but still it did what it needed to do.

I was super worried they would change something in this episode but thank Ymir-sama it's okay.

IT WAS AWESOME AND THAT ENDING IS ONE OF THE BEST THING THIS ANIME HAS EVER MADE!

This episode was so good! And funny! And angsty at the end! All the ingredients that make a good AOT episode

Very good, the preview was spooky and the whole episode had humor to lighten the mood, some emotional stuff and High Anxiety Cliffhangers to finish us off. Its gonna be a long 6 months.

HOW WOULD YOU RATE THE FIRST HALF OF SEASON 3 AS A WHOLE? 481 Responses

Overall, the first half of season three was satisfying for manga reading poll takers despite the changes.

All in all, absolutely stunning season. From the bottom of my heart, thank you WIT.

It was a really good episode. It followed manga perfectly. Every ep. of Uprising should has been like that. Too bad it wasn't, that why I rated the whole series pretty lowly. Honestly, I expected something better. But that was fine, not the worst. Yet, I would have changed a lot.

Really good way to end this half of the season. Can't wait to see the next half. It was nice to see a "calm before the storm" episode.

It was a brilliant idea to end the first part of season 3 right there, by doing this we were given proper construction to this arc.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SEASON TAKING A BREAK UNTIL APRIL? 481 Responses

About 37% of respondents are sad to see the anime take a break, but nearly half of voters are fine with the break stating that it’s not too bad of a wait, with some who are even looking forward to the breather for a bit (we’re looking forward to having a good rest as well although we will miss the anime!).

I'm okay with it since it means that we will a get a really well made RtS arc. But they really should've said that the break was going to be this long earlier. Or just called it season 4

Waiting is something we SnK fandom know how to do, unfortunately

As a manga reader it's easy to not be too upset since we'll have plenty of chapters during that time.

It's nice to get a breather before shit hits the fan.

I don’t mind waiting 6 months when I know it means the animation will look a lot nicer as a result

I feel like i would have been less upset if they just told us from the start how its gonna be... I hated the uncertainty

If it means a fantastic second cour then I'm all for it. I mean my life is empty and I wish I were dead, but other than that I've accepted it!

6 months for preparing myself to let Erwin rest in peace

I AM NOT READY FOR RTS THIS IS LITERALLY THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO A HIATUS WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WIT

WAIT Studio

Does Annie have some space next to her for the next 6 months?

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SCENES WERE YOUR FAVORITES? 480 Responses

The Survey Corps’ sendoff was the most favorite moment of the episode, followed closely by Eren and Jean’s nostalgic fight. Levi and Erwin’s talk after the meeting made it to third most favorite scene of the episode, followed closely behind by Eren, Armin and Mikasa’s conversation. Everyone losing their minds over meat was another favorite.

Erwin was so perfect, I loved his little laugh, I thought the whole interaction with him and Levi was done so well... god, I'm gonna miss him so much, it actually hurts.

Good breather episode, comedy gold with the dinner scenes, and the send-off was just as fun as it was touching. Also, the extra scene was creepy and great, but I hope anime-only watchers don't spoil themselves trying to find the meaning to it...

I think they did a really good work with the Erwin x Leviv talk, and EMA talk... Since enfatizing Erwin's reasons, and showing Armin's, It became more clear Levi's choice in future

I loved EMA talk... it made me pretty sad because of the events which now are taking place in the manga. That was good to see them together in the anime.

My Eruri shipping heart was in tatters, I tell you. I've been looking forward to the ""I'll break your legs"" scene for ages now, and shit, watching it was a literal punch to the gut. Erwin's beautiful roar of victory on the wall, his final ""SUSUME"" just... I was in awe.

Sasha nomming on Jean’s hand was even funnier animated

The 104th dinner scene was just perfect! It's been so long since we had a scene of such warmhearted camaraderie, it really brought back all my season 1 feels for the babies. Beautifully done.

Overall great Episode, really liked how they foreshadowed Erwins Demise and his conversation with Levi, EMA talk was great too, and the serumbowl scene made for an amazing cliffhanger

DID THE GLITCHED ENDING SCARE YOU? 483 Responses

The abrupt reminder that SNK is a horror anime definitely seemed to work!  The majority of people were scared by the ending at least a little bit, and some were thoroughly terrified.

"Blink and you'll miss it" my a**

Honestly it reminded me of how horrid the show actually is. I forget it's not all cute and funny scenes with a tinge of "yikes" that happened, but instead vice versa

I knew it was coming in the ED but didn't know WHEN and I was just anticipating it like a dark corridor in a horror movie XD

Moreso that scare me, it got under my skin and just stayed in my head the rest of the day.

Scare is not the right word. The option I'm looking for is FUCKING WRECKED

I learned that apparently a lot of you watch shit alone in the dark. But to answer the question, no, not at all.

It thrilled me to see them cleverly setting up the next half of the season this way

Only the Levi's distorted "you guys". The glitched ending was awesome

I saw some screencaps of it prior to watching so I was somewhat prepared but it was way creepier than i thought it would be, it spooked me

It wasn't actually SCARY, but I fucking loved it. So twisted and creepy

rip ears in that ending, it makes for some great youtube reactions though lol

Well, mark me down as scared and horny

SHOULD ZACKLEY’S ART BE REALIZED? 478 Responses

We suppose the real question is, when will Zackley’s “art” stop becoming something we ask about? :P All in all, most of you agree that it should not be seen or talked about. 21% of you are still finding humor in it.

HOW MUCH DID YOU ENJOY THE SEQUENCE OF EREN AND JEAN FIGHTING? 483 Responses

Most of the viewers enjoyed Eren and Jean’s antics with 84% rating the scene with a 4 out of 5 or higher. 

Mikasa letting them fight and not dragging Eren way is the best part! It's such an important character development for her. Also this Episode was full of parallels to their training days. Great episode.

Eren and Jean bringing the Drama™ (as expected of Eren and Jean)

THE SURVEY CORPS HAS NEVER EXPERIENCED A SEND-OFF LIKE THEY DID IN THIS EPISODE - FAVORITE PART OF THIS SCENE? 481 Responses

The surreal experience of getting a positive send-off like this made Erwin’s smile and shout the overwhelming winner here, and for good reason!  A smaller portion of respondents enjoyed Springlestein being themselves and a few called out Levi’s face in the comments:

All of it. Because it will be the first and the last time we'll see it

YYYYEEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH

Levi looking at screaming Erwin like "WTF Erwin"

Hange smile

LEVI'S SOFT LOOK

I like the manga version better because Levi's smile was softer there

Levi's expression when Erwin did his triumphant shout.

literally everything about it was perfect

WOULD YOU LET LEVI BREAK YOUR LEGS? 480 Responses

While 58% of respondents cannot understand why anybody would want their legs broken by Levi, a small percentage were even asking for it.

THE EPISODE WENT EXACTLY AS THE ORIGINAL MANGA! 478 Responses

So, the story behind this one is that one of the pollsters posted this “question” on our original document as a joke while another one of us was at work. When the one at work got off, they put the question onto the poll form while the person who created the “question” was not online, not realizing it was meant to be an unpublished joke. This was completely overlooked during the final proofread. It was never actually intended to make it onto the poll but since one of us always tries to rush through things, here we are! In any case, we hope you guys had a good laugh, because we all collectively lost it when we realized the mistake much too late!

wow y'all throwin shade with this Q huh

Yes, it is Erwin's birthday celebration after all

Glad that Erwin and the crowd’s screaming was a ‘dialogue’ and that he screamed again.

Makes sense, given how its purpose is to set up the new arc. Not much need to leave things out for the sake of pacing.

They done it so perfectly! I love that episode and love the hope in the air, my man similing and being happy, I love they see people cheering for them. THAT was earned.

It still modified some moments like Armin thinking of Eren and Mikasa instead of the bullies in the manga. Maybe it's better and more consistent with the following events.

Thanks God! The whole series should has been this way. Compared to the sad 1st episode of Uprising, this one was a true masterpiece.

u people need to get the salt in your blood checked, let others be dissatisfied with something they care about? please and thanks

i don't care if it went exactly as the original manga or with some changes as long as the episode is good

THE CHAPTER SIGNIFIED THE START OF A NEW ARC, BUT THE ANIME USED IT TO END THE FIRST COUR, WAS THIS A BENEFICIAL DECISION? 478 Responses

The majority of folks thought shifting the send-off to the end of the cour to create an uplifting cliffhanger was a good way to end the season.  Several people called attention to how much contrast was felt between such a positive ending and the credits scene.

I think it works great, especially the triumph of the send off and the "oh shit, what's happening" moment in the ED

should have been the first ep of the next arc, with the send off as the cliffhanger

It was a nice, fun send off for the arc. Has the suspense of the scouts going towards the foes. The next episode with the next chapter/s will be perfect for getting back into the series after 6 months

WAIT Studio used it as an effective cliffhanger but from an adaptation perspective it's just like the Wall Titan. Something to keep the audience's attention at the cost of the narrative's flow. If the season was going to be split then rushing the Uprising Arc at breakneck speed resulting in one extra episode was pointless.

The opening of 73 is a perfect opening for the second cour, so I knew from the beginning of the season that ending in this chapter would be their aim. The second half won't struggle for content, and they can either push ahead flashbacks (I expect some of Bert's parts from 96 making it into the adaptation of 77) or content that didn't make it in the first half used to extend other parts (Eren's experiments for Armin realizing how to beat Bert in 81)

I think this will help the second part by being on the way to Shiganshina to start it off.

Heck cliffhangers!

LEVI WASN’T EXPLICITLY SHOWN EAVESDROPPING UNTIL THE END OF EMA’S CONVERSATION, DO YOU THINK THIS DIMINISHED THE FORESHADOWING? 478 Responses

The vast majority of respondents agreed that as long as we saw him listening to them, that’s ultimately all that matters. A small few believe that not showing him listening in on them earlier will diminish the overall impact when he makes his decisions later, however.

I don't think it matters, especially if the anime includes a flashcut to this moment post-decision, which will make its important even more obvious for viewers who may not remember this scene at all.

I'm not sure, I guess it did seem more ambiguous here. They'll flashback to it when serumbowl happens though.

Wouldn’t have spent more time on it. This show is about subtle details. I think its ok.

It still worked, but I would have liked it to have been made clear that he saw Armin's expression when he was talking about the ocean

No, but i think it was nice in the manga to see that at the beginning of the conversation he was standing and ended up on the floor by the end of it. Small detail, but i took it like he didn't mean to listen in the beginning but decided to stay in the end because of what he was hearing?

No, because it was a detail it meant a lot more. Subtle details have greater impact in visualities, manga is a different medium and the scene was used properly for its medium.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WIT SHOWING *THAT PART* OF THE RTS ARC AS A TEASER? 480 Responses

38% of respondents believe that the teaser was a great way to keep interest in the series high. 20% specifically feel that it will keep the anime only fans invested. About 21% of respondents combined don’t think it was the smartest choice on WIT’s end while almost 10% are just not ready to see that animated at all.

Even though I already know what will happen, my body *isn't* ready for this shit to come, except for the lightning spears

Honestly, I thought it was stupid as fuck and a cheap way to keep hype up for anime-only people. I would've preferred my anime-only friend to go into RTS completely blind.

I think it's great because it lends itself a lot of hype for the next half as well as leaving it very open ended. Especially because they cut out lines about the serum.

I think this teaser shocked more the manga readers than the anime onlines.

It's the worst part of the manga they could spoil. I'm not sure what they intend to do by showing such a controversial moment

It was brilliant. Anime only watchers don't often get the experience of agonizing over certain cliffhangers monthly, but with this flashforward looming in their head, they have a whole season of suffering ahead of them. SUFFER LIKE US, ANIME ONLIES!

I really liked it but I think they could have shown a part of Bert/Reiner/Zeke’s convo since we saw Bert and Reiner at the end of the episode, and it would have anime-onlies wondering who the glasses guy is

I was shocked and hyped at seeing them include this scene, but at the same time I’m sad that anime-onlies were spoiled that at the very least Mikasa, Eren, and Levi will survive until this scene, destroying any tension of them dying

I'm really conflicted; on one hand, I was very surprised in a positive way, cause it was a ballsy and unexpected move. On the other hand, I understand that anime viewers might be sick of spoilers bc of the scene at the beginning of ep1.

It gave me anxiety lol. Please someone save my babies from their horrible destiny

One hell of a cliffhanger and I can't really imagine anything better to show everything going wrong (Colossal nuke is way too obvious, for example), but the people complaining about spoilers do have a point...

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR RTS’S ADAPTATION? 480 Responses

WHAT SEGMENTS OF RTS ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING ANIMATED NEXT COUR? 481 Responses

Over half of respondents feel that the Return to Shiganshina arc will be delivered just as well as Uprising was. 37% of respondents feel it will be much better than Uprising’s adaptation. A small few don’t have much faith in the second half of the four.

FUCK ME UP!! R.I.P. ANIME ONLIES

GIMME THE 2ND COUR NOW!

I don't know if I'm emotionally prepared for this arc

I’m going to have 6 more months to mentally prepare myself for the return to shiganshina arc and I still won’t be ready

from an adaptation perspective it's going to be the same as the previous seasons. WAIT Studio excels at certain aspects of packaging SnK into anime, but as a whole it's a bad, rather than amazing, adaptation.

Is there a "NOPE I am not ready for RtS arc" in the questions?

WHAT SEGMENTS OF RTS ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING ANIMATED NEXT COUR? 481 Responses

The most anticipated segment of the Return to Shiganshina arc is the suicide charge + Levi totally wrecking Zeke. Following closely behind are the basement reveal, the serumbowl, Grisha’s diaries and flashbacks, the ocean and the showdown with the 104th and Reibert. 

Kill me! I cannot believe I have to wait 6 months for RTS. 6 months until I can see Reiner and Bertholdt in action and the FREAKING BASEMENT!!!! I was fine with a 3 months break but 6 is too much ;____; I want to see Grisha's past animated

What everybody is waiting for the RtS Arc: the basement, Reibert fight, Levi soloing the beast titan, the ocean. Me, an intellectual: THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS THUNDER SPEARS (and Grisha's backstory)

can't wait to see historia looking graceful as hell in front of the sunrise while the SC goes off to fuck reibert and zeke up

The only thing I can think about is Zeke.... *screams* ZEKE AND EREN! THE JAEGERBROS! AND THE GRISHA FILES! SO MANY JAEGERS *dies*

I'm definitely looking forward to RTS okay, but I'm dreading it more, honestly. But the one thing I'm looking forward to, and really hoping they'll animate, is Levi taking down those Titans on the way to Zeke. I know the focus is on Erwin's last charge in the manga, and rightly so, but DAMN, I want to see Levi do that -I honestly don't think anyone, even Mikasa, could do what he did there.

I have a fever, and the only prescription is Season 3 Part 2

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

A pretty decent choice for a midseason finale. But most important, a pretty good choice for episode 49. Once we're back in April, the series will be celebrating having made it to 50 episodes. Just 2 years ago, we were wondering if we'd ever get episode 26, and now we're getting to a landmark episode that will be exciting and memorable! Nothing between chapters 70-72 could've worked as such a landmark, in my opinion, but chapters 73-74? Absolutely perfect for it.

And my ship finally got some screen time

But damn wit... I almost got a heart attack because of the glitched ending!! Please, I at least want to survive to see manbun Eren animated

For anime watchers: I enjoyed watching your confusion over that ED. May you all be prepared by April 2019.

My heart is filled with so much Eruri that I may cry. You could literally see how much concern Levi had for Erwin in his eyes.

I love Bertoto and Raina more than myself. Guess, I'll die in April.

I'm an Erwin Lover™ and the show is gonna come back right around my birthday so this was Great and I'm Fine

It was out of character to see Eren fully clothed.

The moment when SC were cheered up and Erwin was so confident and happy and then they left into the sunset gave me goosebumps and almost made me cry :') it was a beautiful, strong, encouraging moment for SC!!

Let me just tell you how fucking HYPED I am for the next season after those previews during the ED. HYPED. And Jesus fuck yes, Armin looked like a charred French fry that got left behind in the oil. THANK JESUS. I was afraid WIT might downplay that, but no, my boy gonna be the CRONCHIEST.

The glitches were great and not too spoiler-y but WIT absolutely ruined it with the Eren/Mikasa/Levi scene. They showed too much.

rip ears in that ending, it makes for some great youtube reactions though lol

Erwin looked fine as fuck

Wit, you better be paying for my doctor visit. My ears were bleeding with your little trick you pulled at the end.

This episode. THIS FUCKING EPISODE. Man what a way to end the cour. REALLY, standing ovation to WIT. That glitch ending was just like that tiny Titan-in-the-wall scene at the end of season 1 that made me go looking for the manga. Absolutely brilliant stuff.

Thanks for these polls.

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 446 Responses

Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming Uprising Arc poll!

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Hey sorry if this sounds silly but I just worry I guess lol. But a lot of people are saying the walking dead is gonna get cancelled cause the ratings have dropped and also they think this decision to have Carl die was bad or something and I don't know but it's just kind of making me worry I guess. But are you worried about that? I know I'm just being paranoid probably but I just really don't want one of my favorite shows to get cancelled. Lol. 😂😅

No worries Nonny. I know alot of people are worried about this, and I’m glad you asked because I’m seeingit all over the fandom and I wish there were some way that I could refute itwithout answering every single comment in getting tons of hate in return.

I’m not at all worried aboutthe show being canceled or about Gimple being fired. That’s something peopleare saying in response to Carl’s death. Emotions are high, and that’s whereit’s coming from, but I know it feels worrisome. So let me refute some of thisfor you:

Gimple getting fired. Remember that back in S3, the showrunner Frank Mazzura was fired, not for killing off characters per se, but forkilling them off without direction. Obviously AMC is okay with killingcharacters off. Otherwise, the show would be very different. But there must besome direction to their deaths. It has to drive character arcs, or the plot, orjust be the natural conclusion of the character’s own arc.

I’ll talk about this more onMonday, but Gimple has given several interviews in which he’s said that Carl’sdeath will very much be tied to the story moving forward. So he has a goodreason written into the story for Carl’s death.

In S3, characters werekilled off without direction, there was a huge backlash from the fans, and theshow runner was fired. Gimple took over and has since killed several majorcharacters. The first was Beth. There was a huge backlash from her death, andthis is something we always pointed to as evidence that she’s coming back.Because despite the backlash, and a petition that garnered 60,000 signatures,Gimple was not disciplined for this by AMC at all. AMC stood by him. Why? It’s theexact opposite of what happened the previous show runner. So there must’ve beensome kind of plan in place.

Many people like to say itwas just to affect Daryl’s character arc. While I’m not a huge fan of thatargument, because it suggests that Beth was not her own character and was notvery important, we definitely have seen Daryl’s character arc be affected bylosing her. So the plan could’ve been that: to build Daryl’s character arc insome way. Then you have to ask where it’s going. If Daryl’s arc doesn’t startswinging upwards soon he’s going to be a lot of trouble. I have a hard timebelieving that they killed off Beth just to send Daryl spiraling downward andend with his death. I would not be a good plan or good storytelling. But whateverGimple is planning, AMC is behind him.

Then we had Glenn’s death andthe huge backlash from that. Lots of people saying they wouldn’t watch to showanymore. There’s no way to be sure what the numbers are, but I personallybelieve that most people who threatened to stop watching probably are stillwatching. They may have left for a time but I think eventually they trickleback. Of course some will always leave when their favorite characters killedoff and that’s understandable.

Now we have Carl’s death. Mypoint is that if Gimple wasn’t fired for killing off Beth Glenn or any of theother more minor characters she’s killed off, why would AMC do anything abouthim killing off Carl? Especially when he promises that he has a plan in mind?So based on precedent, the show is not ending, and Gimple is not getting fired.The backlash always trickles off eventually.

Ratings drop. It is true that this show has is at anall-time low for ratings. But the first thing you have to understand about thatis that it still has more viewers even at its low point than most other showson TV have. I know GoT is doing better the last two seasons than TWD is, butkeep in mind that the first few the seasons of GoT only had 2 to 3 millionviewers while the first five seasons of TWD was far above that. So overall itstill the most successful show on TV, and while its ratings are down, I think,right around 7 or 8 million, it would have to drop into the to 2 million orless range for AMC to consider canceling it. It still their biggest moneymaker,not only due to episodes but also due to merchandise sales and cons. I’m reallynot worried about being canceled.

Plus there’s an interviewhere that I’ll go into more on Monday where Gimple says he’s confident not onlyof seasons 9 and 10 being a thing, but of having many seasons beyond that. Evenmore than that, though, I think that the drop in ratings is a natural thing.Someone made a really great point in my group that most shows don’t last 8 seasons.As a show continues, people who loved it in the beginning will sometimes loseinterest in drop-off. A show that’s long-running will naturally have fewerviewers at the end than they had at the beginning or at their peak. So, I’m notsure that we can count on TWD’s viewership ever going back up to what it was ins4. However, that doesn’t mean they’re getting canceled. As long it makesmoney, it will remain.

I also want to point outthat many people are leaving the show because it’s just too damn depressinganymore. S4 was a great season because we saw the group loose something bigwhen the prison fell, but they really bounced back in the next 8 episodes. Mostof them found each other (Beth excluded) and they ended with fighting words:“They’re screwing with the wrong people.” People really like to seethat kind of hope and fight in the group.

Since then, especially sinceBeth’s death, it’s been really downhill. There is a lot of darkness, a lot ofdespair, and there’s been a lot of our favorite characters dying. So naturallypeople are going to wander away from the show because there’s just no hope orpositivity in it anymore. But in a lot of ways, that’s TD’s point. Somethinghas to come in now and renew everyone’s faith and hope. And what characterexemplified that more than any other? It will have to be something completelynew something that no one’s looking for and something that’s all Gimple’s.Because there’s nothing in the comic books that would fit all this criteria,especially in the wake of Carl’s death. So if they have a major twist, likesomeone coming back to renew everyone’s hope and help them fight against Negan,is naturally going to bring a lot of viewership back to the show. Again I don’tknow the ratings will ever go as high as they once were, but I do think thatwhen hope returns, people will return to the show naturally.

So I hope so this is helped,Nonny. I know there’s a lot of negativity in the fandom right now, but Iencourage you not to let it worry you. The show isn’t going anywhere, Gimple isn’tgoing anywhere, and I think we have many seasons left of our favorite show toenjoy.  Hopefully. 😉 Xoxo! 😘

[may-shepard]

surviving (and maybe even thriving) in the sherlock fandom after s4

...OR, maybe even kind of sort of learning how to enjoy oneself again while being a johnlocker.

This is a post for people who are on the fence / still turned off by s4 / still struggling with how to frame it for themselves. 

In light of the upcoming fic writers’ retreat, in anticipation of (I hope) having a conversation or two about this very topic, and in partial response to comments that my good fandom friends have dropped recently about their struggles with feeling like they don’t want to engage with the show or the fandom after s4, I’ve been thinking about how to continue on as a johnlocker, and why I feel more motivated than ever to find a way to have a relationship with the show (albeit a substantially altered one than before), and what fandom engagement means to me. 

It probably doesn’t look like it, because I’ve participated full throttle in all kinds of conversations about the show since s4, but I do get why s4 was entirely offputting for a lot of people. While I strongly suspect that mofftiss are doing something interesting and unusual with s4, that whatever-it-is came at a heavy price: a series that looks like a hot fucking mess and actively does things that one should never do (i.e., constantly throwing into question the reality status of the story one is telling) if one wants to avoid frustrating the shit out of one’s audience. 

What’s worse, the series was promoted with a promise of FINALLY answering the question of who Sherlock loves, without delivering on that promise in a way that was in any way definitive (John? Molly? Irene? Chips?) or satisfying (JOHN???). We got a scene that was really close to the kind of thing we’ve always wanted to see, at the end of The Lying Detective, an episode that also brought us an interaction between John and Sherlock that was so awful, it singlehandedly ruined the show for a lot of people. 

Even though I love the shit out of talking about the puzzle of s4, I love it because I love how smart everyone in the fandom is, and how much I’ve learned about Doyle, and the many many intertexts the show engages with. I love how stunningly great people here are with teasing complex arguments out of this hot mess. 

I don’t love that we got this weird thing to figure out instead of actual story. I don’t love that for some reason a major plot point was John and Sherlock detonating their relationship even more profoundly than they had before. I still think that the more skillful thing to do would have been to make a puzzle for viewers to figure out, but make it actually enjoyable to watch. (Personally, I did enjoy TLD, but I’m a sucker for Nick Hurran’s direction, I thought Ben and Martin performed incredibly, and I have a high tolerance for creepy shit and violence, so.)

SO: WHAT TO DO?

I’ve been thinking about a few of the strategies I’ve put in place / fallen back on for approaching all of this. I don’t know if any of this is helpful but here it is, for what it’s worth.

Acknowledge that the showrunners are human people and human people make good choices and bad choices and questionable choices

Before s4 aired, I wrote about the fact that mofftiss had set up a highwire act with extraordinarily high stakes, as of the end of s3. This meant they could pull off an astounding feat of storytelling, or they could fall. Instead they sort of burned down the circus tent and re-encoded all the elephants...not what any of us were expecting. I mean, surprises in storytelling can be great, but this was like hey everyone, suddenly the show is going to be performed in Esperanto instead of English, have fun with that.

Questionable at best.

To sum up: good choices resulted in the following:

Ben and Martin in s1 and 2 creating this beautiful dynamic together, eyesex and all the subtext and a tragic love story with mistakes and denial and pining and hope. s3, which bumped up the subtext to the point of ridiculousness. And TAB, which doubled down on that subtext EVEN HARDER. The purple shirt of sex and the swishy coat of alone protects me and a stalwart and broken John who is finally strong enough to partner his Sherlock and enough sexual and romantic tension to drown the population of the earth planet and a Mary Morstan who is actually Moran and there’s always two of us and hey did I mention romance yet?

We got all that, and then we got--this s4 thing.

Let me tell you about writers (speaking as one). They shit the bed all the time. They make weird choices. They have strange ideas. They fail to stick the landing. When that happens, it’s their tragedy. It doesn’t have to be yours. 

Maybe this story isn’t done yet. I don’t think it is. I’m willing and able to reserve judgement, but this post is for those of you who aren’t, or can’t. 

You can still like the parts of the show that you liked before. You weren’t wrong for liking what worked for you before. You would not be wrong now, for still liking those bits. All the shitty choices the showrunners could make, did make, and might still make, do not make you wrong for liking the bits you liked.

You can still like the parts of the show that you liked before. 

Need permission for that? Here it is: BECAUSE MAY SHEPARD SAYS SO. I’ll make you a certificate if you want. 

Need more specific help? Here’s another idea:

Get selfish. Get really, really selfish.

Remember that you are here for you. You came here, probably, because thinking about John and Sherlock together is something you enjoyed. Back immediately after s4 aired, and I was still stuck firmly in the wtf zone, I had to have a talk with myself about this. 

I asked myself what I liked about the show. Why John and Sherlock, together, were so crunchy and beautiful to me. It came down to one thing: the fact that I read the show as a love story. 

I’m here for my own entertainment. This is my happy place. This is where I come when my regular writing is stuck or I want to try to hack out a new part of my skill set. I get a lot out of thinking about John and Sherlock, as characters.

I still read the show as a love story, and I will continue to do so.

That means, in light of s4, doing a lot more reading in to the little moments than I used to have to. It means cherry picking a lot harder. It means ignoring vast swaths of what we actually saw onscreen. (The fact that this is the current state of meta too helps a whole heck of a lot.) 

Playing the what if game a lot harder than I have previously has become the rule of the day. 

What if John and Sherlock are in love? They are. For me, they are, and they always will be. Will they be in canon? Get yourself to a place where this question doesn’t matter, where your personal happiness doesn’t hang on this. We’re several months on after s4. It’s time to give your head a shake and remember that John and Sherlock love each other and will always find their way back to each other, because we say so. 

If you don’t believe this, try because May Shepard says so. I’ll say it until you believe it, too: John and Sherlock are in love. The show is a love story.

I will read the show as a love story, regardless of whether it wants me to. Hey show, get ready for some sweet sweet interpretation. I hope you’re in the mood.

Still not convinced? Try this thought experiment:

Put Some Distance Between You and S4

So a few nights back I was chatting with @laughing-at-the-darkness​ (who is the best, go follow her immediately), and I jokingly said that what we need in this fandom is a reset, like the kind of perspective you can only get ten years after a television show has finished airing. 

Try this on for size:

The year is 2027. You’re looking for some good content to watch. You remember hearing, dimly, about the fact that, a while back, BBC made a Sherlock Holmes adaptation with some pretty famous actors. 

You read about it a bit first. Ah yes: the adaptation that everyone was raving about, but that did a weird thing in its fourth series. Bearing this in mind, you decide to watch. 

You’re charmed by series 1-3, and the one-off Victorian special. You decide to watch s4, bearing in mind what you know about it, that it seemed to go off the rails relative to everything that had come before. You watch, prepared to laugh along at Mary’s bullet tango and the way she just won’t seem to go away and Sherlock has a sister who is also an X-Man? What???? 

You watch it. You shrug. You carry on thinking that s1-3 and TAB are great, like you were prepared to do. 

We know what we know now: that s4 is a difficult part of canon, a stumbling block for a lot of us. If you can accept that, then you can move forward, liking the parts you like, and leaving the parts you don’t.

Moving On

I still personally have some questions about how to deal with s4 as a fic writer. There are so many potential interpretations--how does one go about sorting through the detritus? A lot of people don’t want to / can’t bring themselves to rewatch, so how much can I assume they do and don’t remember about the episodes? But these are mostly logistical issues, and solvable with some rational decision making. (I did start a fic a while back based on TST, but I wasn’t ready to finish it, and I don’t think people wanted that type of fix it in that particular moment.) s4 changed the stakes for a lot of people, so writing fic now is all about writing to a different emotional register, I think. I’m personally having fun with that, while sorting through the implications for the wips I started before s4 aired. I’m hoping we can talk about some of these issues, as writers, and as fans, but that’s a post for another day.

In any case, I’m here, John and Sherlock are in love, and I hope this is helpful in some way. I don’t want anyone to lose the thing that used to give them enjoyment, nor (on a more selfish note) do I want to see people still leaving the fandom if they don’t have to. 

[iokoye]

(1/4) I was ashamed when my first reaction to learning Jmo was leaving was relief. Not because I wanted her gone but relief that she would move on and therefore I would be free from this fandom. It's been so miserable and isolating for me as a SQ shipper to love Jmo & Emma. Finding a blog that is kind to the actress and character has not been common and even then, those blogs still show an obvious preference for Lana & Regina.

more under the cut cause it’s quite long

2/4) I love Lana & Regina, I adore them. But my initial draw to the show and relationship (and subsequently Tumblr) was Jennifer Morrison and the strong, beautiful character she played. I feel in love with her and then I fell in love with the relationship I saw forming. And while I initially found peace and hope in this fandom and a sense of self awareness in terms of my self and my sexuality, it has become a draining, wretched place. 

(¾) Do you know how much it hurts to feel isolated from your own fandom? To feel like an outcast for loving someone? To feel mocked and belittled and put down for finding inspiration in a character and an actress? How hard it is for the most popular bloggers to be the most vocally against them? And while there are bloggers like yourself who occasionally speak out against such behavior, you seem to be silent when it matters most.

(4/4) And the people who claim to be against such behavior, still follow and interact and even maintain friendships with the most hateful users. And just when I thought I was free to enjoy my ship from a distance, when I thought ‘surely they must be done. Jmo is gone and there’s nothing left to discuss.’ I find I can’t even safely return to what I love because people are as hateful as ever. I’m sorry I unloaded all of this on you but it’s something I’ve held in for a while and it’s been killing.

okay so.. i’m gonna try to reply to this in the most unbiased and non hateful way possible. 

i can relate to most things you say. before i joined the ouat fandom i was already in love with regina (not knowing that she was an asshole asjfasf) because i had seen gifs of her BUT right when i saw jen’s character i fell in love with her. i related to her character on a spiritual level and to this day it really bothers me whenever people hate on her (and still ship sq). i appreciate emma’s development, i.e. not being as closed off as she was on s1, s2 and EVEN s3, i feel like it’s beautiful and like i said because i see myself in her it’s inspiring to see someone grow this much. i’m proud of her and i love her.i can even admit that i was a jen stan like a year ago lmao, she seemed like a sweetheart and i just loved her, plus it helped that she played one of my favorite characters on ouat. 

i never really… acknowledged that i had this “ignorance is bliss” mentality but i slowly realized (and by myself) that jen wasn’t like emma at all and some stuff came up that i dind’t really like. actors are different from their characters and most people that love emma on the sq fandom separate jen from emma so that they can still enjoy the character. i’m being 100% serious when i say that i love regina and emma equally, they are part of a ship that helped me grow and get educated; finding my sexuality and my community but jennifer has never done that for me. lana? maybe. she voices her support for people like me ANY chance she gets (like she said, actors have a platform that they can use to speak up and “to help people that can’t necessarily be themselves”. this was her response to a question that was actually about me not being out to my family or anyone in real life) and i’ll admit that if it wasn’t for her i would’ve left the ouat fandom a LOOOOONG time ago, maybe how i feel about lana is how you feel about jen and i’m in no way invalidating that.

i know that the ouat fandom is gross and it’s honestly bad for your health and stuff like that. i was in a really bad place a year ago, i had zero self respect and on that year i realized that sq was never going to happen and it broke me. i started watching this show at the end of 2013 and started shipping sq on like… the show hiatus of 2014 and i never lost hope for sq. NEVER. but this fandom can bring you down all the time lmao like.. it is TRULY the WORST fandom that i’ve ever been in. the loudest voices that are considered the mouth piece for each fandom are horrible; most anti shippers on twitter are horrible and even some fans can act like misogynistic/homophobic goobs most of the time; racism - people acting like they’re racist so they can be edgy; people that ship real life people together asfjafs - i realize that it CAN be extremely draining which is why i stepped away from the fandom in the first place.

ok so… now this is the hardest topic and i’m not sure if you’re going to like what i’m going to say but know that this isn’t a personal attack on you. this is MY opinion and i’m going to describe what i’ve seen people say on social media (i am in no way speaking FOR anyone else). you genuinely seem like a good person and i’m honored that you came to me with this “rant”. i’m glad you let it out and if you need to talk some more know that i’m here. some shippers that i’ve encountered don’t like jen for specific reasons (i.e. not being vocal about her support of the lgbt+ community and other minorities for example) and no it’s not about whether or not she is up sqs ass, that doesn’t matter at least not for the issue at hand. in my opinion, some of the stuff she has done is morally unacceptable and again i’m not talking about ships (i’m not going to get into it cause i don’t want to cause drama but i have my own reasons to not like jen). i’m not going to share someone elses story because it’s not my place but if you set “ignorance is bliss” aside and try to learn why people don’t identify with jen as much then you’ll understand. i don’t know why you would be mocked for liking jen unless you defend her blindly 24/7. i have friends that are jen stans that say “hey, i understand. you’re right and your feelings are valid” and they don’t even ship sq lmao. so there’s a difference between knowing that said actor is not really a pure innocent angel and choosing to not hear other peoples opinions just because you love jen and only what you think of her matters. also, this isn’t a callout for any mutual of mine, in fact i can’t even think of anyone that i follow that does this. 

the times that i speak up against jen hate are when people target her for her looks and how “dead” her character is on the later seasons (not to mention how i cannot stand emma hate. i’m not an emma apologist but shipping sq and hating emma is shocking to me lmao). if you have anything to say about her then do so with actual arguments instead of saying how ugly she is and being vocal about it 24/7 using derogatory names for women, such as bitch and cunt. i don’t know what you mean by “you seem to be silent when it matters most” so if you could clarify i’d really appreciate it!i realize that it’s somewhat hard to acknowledge that your idol isn’t that great (unless it’s someone like depp in that case fuck you), i know that you’re lgbt+ so i’m not going to police your feelings towards her cause that’s nasty, i would never do such a thing but literally no celebrity is perfect. they make mistakes, some more than others and sometimes they’re not as vocal about social issues as they should be, which is weird to many people. everyone has their own reasons to like and to not like jen but at the end of the day what matters is what you think of her and if you don’t say that people should feel the same way, remember that not everyone sees her the way you do! some even have bad real life encounters and experiences with her and while i realize some of the hate she gets is just extra and pathetic, some of it makes sense and it’s perfectly understandable for people to be disappointed in the way she behaves.

if you think any type of hate is going to stop just because jennifer left you’re wrong lmao this fandom is always going to find something to fight over!! there’s ALWAYS drama 24/7 nonstop. i don’t want to tell you to stop loving jen. i never did something like that and i’m definitely not going to start now. hate her or love her it doesn’t matter. if you find solace in who she is as a person (and her character) then that’s fine, just remember that some people dislike her for valid reasons and it’s not just fandom drama.hit me up on and off anon if you need to talk some more! i’m sorry that you feel this way and i wish that i could do something about it but there really isn’t :/ have a good day

[sometimesrosy]

Someone made a great point on Tumblr. For a show so hyper-concerned with being PC and not offending or harming anyone's sensibilities now after S3's L death, where was the trigger warning for the mass suicide and Jasper's personal suicide? Isn't killing yourself just as significant to be sensitive to as having a stray bullet accidentally kill a gay woman? I'm a little confused by their lack of learning here...I mean, metastation even tweeted suicide prevention hotline numbers because of it.

I don’t think they intend to be concerned with being PC and not offending or harming anyone’s sensibilities. I think they treat the audience as if they are adults who can handle watching a dark and disturbing fictional show. Clearly, they are overestimating the maturity of their audience. And yet, they are not actually responsible for the mental health of the people who watch their show. There is no way to talk about these sensitive issues without disturbing some people, because they are disturbing issues. This does not mean that showing them on screen is wrong. Facing the things that hurt us, confuse us, cause an emotional reaction can be very valuable, even for people who struggle with them.

The audience has definitely been warned. This show kills major characters. Jasper was suicidal. Jasper intended to die. It was a plot line that continued the whole season. Two seasons. I think we can consider the very storyline to be a trigger warning, don’t you think? I wanted it to not be true, but I still thought it most likely that he would die this season. His suicide was NOT framed as tragic, romantic, heroic, or a brave choice. That I can respect. He didn’t teach anyone a lesson with his suicide. He didn’t prove himself right and noble and wronged by all those who were mean to him. He didn’t give his life to save his friends because his death was so meaningful and important and gave something back to the world. It was a flat and ugly portrayal of suicide. It was a bad death. He got what he wanted. No more pain. And yet. It was still a bad, ignoble death.  

I think they are not looking at their show as an example of how we should behave, true love, good representation, moral correctness, or the right choices. I’m pretty sure they’re writing a story about how fucked up the world and people are. And how hard it is to struggle through and how good people do bad things and how we can be swayed to the dark side by the choices and people who LOOK good, who look glamorous, and give us excuses for the horrors we commit. Sometimes what this show does is give us an example of how we should NOT behave. And it often shows us that even the good people, the heroes, are just as bad. None of us are exempt from our moral choices, just because we’re the “good guys” or the heroes. And sometimes the good guys give up. They don’t always win.

I think this show doesn’t say we should be like Clarke or Lxa or Bellamy or Jasper or even Raven or Luna or Lincoln or Maya or anyone else. I think this show is telling you to think for yourself and decided for yourself if something is wrong or right.

I think the fandom has always tried to turn this explicitly morally GRAY show into some sort of shining example of Good vs Evil, which is, frankly, just missing the whole point. 

None of them are cinnamon rolls. And none of them are evil. They’re all trying to do the best for their people and trying to survive the apocalypse, and you need to take them for what they DO, not for your impression of what they deserve or how they need to be protected or that they’re your baby who has done nothing wrong ever. There’s not one of them who has done nothing wrong ever. They’re all guilty. None of them is innocent. And some of them are guilty of more than others. 

I think people want to treat Jasper’s death as if it is somehow of utmost importance, changing the world, being meaningful. I’ve heard people say that he should have gotten to say goodbye to all his friends and the whole episode should have been about him. 

I say no. It shouldn’t be. Jasper opted out of the story. He solved no problems. He did not act heroically. He saved no one. His answer to the problems was to leave, let others deal, let others deal with the pain he caused. He chose to make his story a side note. It should not be the central issue.

I’m sorry. Jasper as a character, and people who are suicidal are important and deserving of attention and help and empathy and support. They are worth it, because they are. Because they are possibility and hope and human and struggling. They deserve a chance to make themselves whole again. Or at least struggle on, as they are, broken and beautiful. 

But the choice of suicide itself? We should not glamorize it and make it a way to find the attention and love people feel they are lacking in life. They don’t get anything after death. Their story is over. The impression that they’ll be vindicated after death is a WRONG impression. They stay broken. The harm remains. 

And if you ask me, you can’t look at Jasper’s story alone in regards to suicide in this episode. It was intimately tied with two other stories. Three, if you include Monty, who would be most affected by the suicide. 

Jasper’s story, of fighting to die, was wrapped up with Raven’s story. She was also fighting to die. She was working to die. But she found hope, at the last minute, and came back, willing to risk everything to live on her own terms. I think we shouldn’t talk about Jasper’s suicide without also talking about Raven’s victory over suicide, which was given even more attention than Jasper’s. And Harper’s, who we know was going through exactly the same struggles as Jasper, but chose to keep on fighting, and allowing for hope.

All of this is to say that I do not agree with you about the writers doing something shameful by showing Jasper’s death. I do not agree that they are at all being PC. They continue to show a world that is just as ugly and unfair as before. And I think that if we want to understand complicated issues like this one– which was MADE complicated in the narrative– then we need to look at ALL the issues, not just the ones that offend us, but also the ones that could enlighten us, start a conversation, and help us understand a little bit more about ourselves and the world around us. 

Posting suicide prevention hotlines? Always a good idea. Here are a few, not very comprehensive. I’ll try to post some more later that are better researched. I will also reblog when I see them. 

National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433) or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Safe Place: 1-888-290-7233

National Alliance of the Mentally Ill: 1-800-950-6264

The Trevor Project: 866-4-U-TREVOR    [X]

[itsallaskam]

sorry for so many but 7, 12, 17, 21, 27, 30, 34, 37, 40, 46, (girl squad) 51, 53, 55, 57, 67, 73, 76, 77, 78, 80

Sorry this took so long to answer but there were a lot of questions!

7. Who of the actors is your favorite and why?

Ooh, this is really tough because I really think they are all so talented. They all do such an incredible job portraying emotions without having to say anything.

However, I do think that Josefine and Thomas did a really incredible job in season 2. I think Josefine especially does a lot of good job of portraying emotions without speaking. There are so many scenes I can pick out where I could feel what she did, just from a look. I also think they together were great, they seemed to have a lot of natural chemistry that didn’t seem forced. I will also probably never get over the anxiety scene. They played off each other so well. Hence why I’m still mad that Thomas bailed, so much potential.

12. Do you think skam handles what it’s like to have a mental illness right?This is difficult since the only main character that we see firsthand experience anything (which we don’t see diagnosed) is Noora and her anxiety. I do think it was very important that they did show it and a way to help someone with anxiety. Of course there is Even with his bipolar, but you only see Isak’s experience with Even. Having a mental illness and being around/helping with someone mental illness are two very different things. There is also Vilde who is it is implied has an ED, possibly Noora has experience with that as well. I do think that Skam does much better than most television shows with addressing mental illness, but they haven’t yet really delved into having their main character having a mental illness which would be interesting to see for sure. Especially to further undo stigma attached to mental illness. To wrap up this long answer, I don’t think skam has properly handled what it’s like to have mental illness right, since they haven’t had a main character directly experience and deal with it every day.

17. Do you know any series similar to skam?I really can’t think of any American shows that are really similar, I would maybe say Friday Night Lights, only because I think it has that element of realism and emotion that Skam does. But really American shows about high school don’t come close to Skam at all.

My Mad Fat Diary is a good one I think that’s fairly similar. I think that handles mental illness in a real raw and good way where the characters are also in high school. I highly recommend that.

21. Would you want to go to Nissen? Why?I would want to go to Nissen solely so I could experience russfiering because it looks really fun and I’m sad I didn’t have one. I am a little bitter I didn’t get to be a Russ, because who doesn’t want a month long country endorsed party while you don’t really have responsibilities? Also I really want to know what their schedule looks like? What time do they start and end? My high school was much different. But, I have no desire to go back to high school.

so this doesn’t clutter up dashes I’ll put the rest under a read more!

27. What scene made you the happiest and why?This is also tough. Honestly I love all of the slomo scenes, but the top would be between the girls walking to the penetrator party and William and the boys getting out of his car or the hills but that kind of doesn’t count.

Overall I’d have to say the scene where Noora tells William off for being an asshole. The girls really hadn’t been friends for that long and Noora really went to bat for Vilde. And I think girls supporting girls is very important. Especially to the guy who really seems untouchable and is never put in his place. It’s also impressive that she essentially does this to the most popular, coolest guy in the entire school as someone who is brand new to the school. I love the idea of her taking back the balance of power from the boys. Plus I mean there is no better song for the end of it than Bossy by Kelis, it’s perfect. I love that scene a lot.

Also in the running are when William tell Noora she’s beautiful and when Noora sings Justin Beiber to Eva and when Noora gets caught lying about Eskild not being home.

30. Is Skam your favourite series?I have a hard time ranking shows, but I would say that Skam is definitely up there as one of my favorite series. It’s just so well done and really doesn’t sugar coat things and treats teenagers like people. It’s handles a lot of difficult topics well and has very relatable characters.

34. If you could be best friends with any character who would it be?I would have to go with Chris because I love how she just doesn’t give a fuck about what anyone thinks of her, which I could always do more of and she’s hilarious. I think she’s a very underrated character.

37. What is your opinion on (character name)?I didn’t see a specific character for this, so I’ll skip it for now, but if you want to ask again and pick a character I’ll do it!

40. Which character is most like your best friend and why?I think my best friend is a combination of Noora/Sana/Chris. Noora’s style/makeup. Sana’s protectiveness and fuck you attitude when necessary. Chris’ goofiness and humor. If I had to pick one though, probably Noora just less serious.

46. Do you think skam handles sexuality right?This is a very complicated question. Sexuality is a spectrum and basically in all media it is lacking. I do think that skam did a good job with Isak’s season to address his struggle with coming to terms with his sexuality. I think it was especially important his conversations with Sana about religion and sexuality and also when Eskild got really real with Isak and his bias/prejudices. Isak is a very flawed character and so was his story.I also think that they did a good job handling Noora and how she felt about her sexuality after her experiences with her prior boyfriend and also the entire Nico situation.Sexuality is deeply personal and complicated by our own experiences.I do think with what skam has addressed, it’s done a good job, but as with all media they have a lot more they could do in terms of representation, but they’re doing better than most shows. Especially in regards to teenagers.

51. Who is your favorite squad member and why?I would have to say Sana, because she gets really real with all the girls and comes off as a bit rough and prickly, but she protects and takes care of her girls and wouldn’t let anything happen to them. I love her humor and how she handles when people question her and her choices. The talks she has with Noora and Isak are so important. I think she has a very mature viewpoint.

53. What do you think is most important about the friendship of the squad?What I think is most important about the friendship of the squad is them just supporting each other. They start out really not having close friends at a new school and very quickly are supporting each other. From Noora defending Vilde, to Sana throwing a drink at Pepsi Max for calling Vilde a slut, to them all leaving when Sana runs out of the party, to them going to the doctor with Vilde twice, them taking care of Vilde when she drank too much, to the fight with Iben, to them at the cabin, to them all being there for Noora when she thought she’d been raped to when William left. I just think that it’s important that they’re there for each other. 

Especially in high school which is a complete emotional mess, I love that they have each other. They fight, but at the end of the day they’re there for each other and protect each other.

55. What do you hate about the squad?I wouldn’t say that I hate anything about them. I think I just dislike how judgy they can be of each other at times, but teenage girls are judgy. I guess I also don’t like how at parties sometimes they just split up and not see each other again? Like at the help the penetrators party or william’s party in 2x3. But there’s nothing I really hate.

57. Do you have your own squad?I do! It would be the girls I lived with in college (lol this is where everyone figures out I’m old). We have a named group text and everything and I pretty much text them everyday.

Kollektivet

67. Who would you want to share rooms with?already answered!

73. What is your favorite fanfic or headcanon & why? I honestly don’t read/look for much of either but let me swoon over you by @kiranstein is super cute and I love it. Go bug her to write more!!

76. Did you learn Norwegian for skam?I have started doing duolingo for Norwegian almost every day since I started watching haha. It’s actually been really good for me getting back into language learning.

77. What is the most crazy fan theory you’ve heard so far?That s1 or s2 was just build up to s3. Because both Eva & Noora had incredibly important journeys. The illogical William hate. Or that Noora isn’t a feminist or vastly changed from s1 to s2 because of her relationship with William.

78. What is your most favorite gifset?There are a lot of good ones so this is terribly hard but two of my favorite colorings are this one and this one even if the scenes are sad. Also one where they managed to make the super purple more than words scene look normal but I can’t find it.

80. What is a fandom related url you wish you had?I actually quite like my url, but I think initially I wanted damnskam, instead it’s the title of my blog.