#IT WILL NOT GET BETTER THAN THAT THIS SEASON I FEAR

[sundeans]

Listen, I touch grass, okay? I totally understand *most* shows are not catering to my ships and that's okay.

But with this it's a little different.

There are already multiple canonically queer characters in the show and as a queer person, I believe their stories to be really really good representation.

Michael who was always gay and afraid to be or couldn't be his authentic self and married a woman and stayed with her anyways despite his sexuality because of not feeling safe to be his true self. Eventually leaving the marriage later in life and continuing to be really good friends with his ex and Co parent their children. Finding a man he truly loves to marry.

I think that is a very realistic portrayal of a black, gay man who is his age. It makes sense that people were not quite accepting when he was younger so he felt he had to be someone he was not to feel safe. I think it's really beautiful that he maintained a good relationship with his ex wife and children after finally deciding to live his true self. While it doesn't always work out that way, it can because even if they didn't work out romantically, they still loved each other and supported each other.

Hen who is a black lesbian who starts working at the 118. The firehouse is full men who are very bigoted, especially captain at the time Gerrard. She feels like an outsider from the group and like no one wants to give her a chance to do her job. Chim attempts to befriend her anyway and eventually succeeds. She hides her sexuality from her coworkers at first, having heard them talk, knows they are pretty bigoted. Eventually she snaps and tells them exactly who she is and they still don't see her as someone capable of doing the job until she proves them wrong on calls. They soon come to accept her and treat her better than before (even if they're still bigoted). Even before she opened up to Chim, he had her back from Day 1 and that really helped Hen's confidence and helped her find her place in the firehouse. She's married to another Black Lesbian who have a child together. While their relationship over the show is really sweet. It's not perfect. In the first season she cheats on Karen her wife, with her ex girlfriend who is also the biological mother of Hen and Karen's child. Hen faces the consequences of Karen not being able to trust her for quite a while and has to put in the effort herself to mend their relationship. While it's not easy eventually she does and they move past it. But it will still always affect Karen no matter what. They eventually adopt another child together and are a very happy family.

I think it's realistic because many people, even today face homophobia and racism in the world, and especially the workplace. It's a very common problem for any queer or poc person to face unfortunately.

Hen's relationship is realistic because not every relationship is picture perfect. People make mistakes. Hen made this mistake and had to face the consequences of it. SHE had to do the work to fix their relationship. But ultimately she loved Karen and made sure to not take for granted what an amazing wife she had. She made the changes and effort to change herself and her behavior. This is very good character growth and I love to see it portrayed in media.

Josh is another lgbtq+ perspective where he is out and proud about who he is though we don't have much on his story atp.

Then we have Buck.

A young firefighter who frequently hooks up with women, and later tries to seriously date with none of his relationships working out for him. He faces issues with moving too fast and rushing things and getting into relationships quickly due to fear of being alone that stems from his abandonment issues. He has a couple long term relationships Abby who he truly loved eventually left him without ever breaking up with him properly and allowing him to believe they were still together for far too long, then Taylor, they work really well together and have a good relationship until he asks her to move in just so he won't be alone. She eventually breaks his trust sharing something he told her in confidence. He eventually meets Tommy former 118 firefighter. This ends up with Tommy kissing Buck and him having his Bisexual Awakening.

This showcases a man in his 30s realizing he's not as straight as he thought he was when he thought his whole life he was straight and never realized his attraction to men until he was 32. There are a lot of reasons someone may not realize their identity until later and it's not an uncommon experience for queer people. Before it was accepted as much it was easy to not even consider other options because well, men/women is the normal. You might not even consider it a possibility for a long time just because you never really thought about it. Plenty of people don't discover themselves until later in life.

That's why I think these are not only good lgbtq+ rep but also realistic, because it's so true to the queer community that there's no age or time limit to being queer, finding who you are or finding happiness. There is no cookie cutter image of what a queer person is. Queer people can be good, they can be bad, they can be any kind of person. We will make mistakes and learn like anyone else. That's why these are realistic portrayals of queer people.

That being said, in the context of Buddie

Buck and Eddie's relationship is special no doubt and always has been. And yes, a lot of these moments CAN be justified as things just friends would do.

*But* there are also things in addition that are not so "just friends" and that add that tension and chemistry between their characters.

Eddie's relationships, have all been with women and he claims to be a straight man.

His first relationship, Shannon. He gets her pregnant and Eddie admits that him and Shannon both felt pressured by their family and church to get married. He loved Shannon yes, but not romantically. He admits that he loved being married to her, notice the wording. He never says he was in love with her. After they got married he enlisted and spent multiple years away from her and when he came back was emotionally distant from her. He actively avoiding connecting emotionally with Shannon, as well as his later girlfriends. He was never in love with Shannon. I do believe he loved her as a friend and partner but there's no evidence to him loving her romantically. With his girlfriends he frequently had sex to avoid emotional connection and when it got too serious he started having panic attacks and then unable to be intimate with Marisol.

Eddie has said he has a lot of catholic guilt, which is obvious. He felt pressured by catholicism to get married and to commit to the women he is with but he's never actually happy and in love in any of those relationships.

This can easily be seen as a queer person who is repressed and/or in denial about who they are. This sort of thing is also not uncommon in the lgbtq+ community. Many people growing up with highly religious and often bigoted families. A lot of these people end up repressing at least some part of themselves at some point in their life. So while it's possible that wasn't meant to be where Eddie's story is going, it can easily be interpreted that way by any queer person.

It shows signs of someone who wasn't allowed to be queer, wasn't allowed to like anyone other than the opposite sex. Was supposed to get married and have kids. Someone who has to repress their true selves because they are not safe being who they are. It sounds like he was taught very specific beliefs from a young age and feels guilty because none of that is who he is or what he wants and he has to keep repressing.

Then we have Buck, who recently realized his own Bisexuality.

Discovering this starts out with Buck feeling left out and jealous because Eddie and Tommy have suddenly started hanging out a lot, without him. Buck basically throws a tantrum about it and gets Eddie hurt trying to get Eddie's attention. While saying how cool Tommy is he is listing off everything Tommy and Eddie have in common. Tommy talks to Buck and ends up kissing him. Making Buck realize, oh. I like men too. Tommy eventually tells Buck he sees Eddie as romantic competition for Buck. When Buck says Eddie is straight Tommy scoffs at that. Buck then says "I don't have to sleep with everyone I have feelings for and I don't have to have feelings for everyone I sleep with"

Which idk about yall but I think that was a blatant admission of his feelings for Eddie even if Buck himself doesn't realize.

Eddie putting Buck in his will for guardianship of Chris. Eddie says he doesn't trust anyone more than him to take care of Chris. He didn't even trust Shannon enough to let her see him.

Eddie got shot and was asking if BUCK was okay. The way Buck reacted to him getting shot in front of him. The way Buck was trying to dig through the dirt to find eddie that one time. Yes they all care about Eddie but the only one reacting to that extreme was Buck.

I almost FORGOT the "Do you wanna go for the title" scene! First of all. I don't talk to platonic friends that way. That was very suggestive and flirty. That's only someone you would say if you're flirting. And the body language of Buck and Eddie. Eddie's eyes and the way Buck grabs his belt and walks and leans closer while saying it. That way as Oliver Stark puts it "very gay" there's literally no straight explanation for that one. That was pure sexual tension.

There are a lot of romantic tropes used between Buck and Eddie through the show and even if they didn't ever plan on Buddie, they certain alluded to it and hinted if not admitted Buck has feelings for Eddie at least. Even if one-sided. So it is absolutely not a stretch to say 911 is queerbaiting or might be queerbaiting because we don't know their endgame yet. But if they don't AT LEAST admit that Buck is in love with Eddie than I can say confidently it would be queerbait. There has been more than enough supporting evidence even before Buck realized he was bi. There was a lot of evidence and suggesting to Buddie throughout the show. Whether they ever planned to make Buddie canon or not.

So no, Buddie Shippers don't have their "fanfic goggles" on. It's reasonable to believe we might be being queerbaited.

Probably the most asshole thing I'm gonna say in my life but guys, guys... *holds your hand* I think this one was on you.

I don't think this is queerbait, and I don't think the show ever intended for buddie to be a thing. I think this was an echo chamber effect of people telling each other 9-1-1 was the gay firefighter show and is time to take a step back.

It was always clear to me they were just friends. The show made it clear multiple times. They are best friends, they love each other, they trust each other. Maybe that's all it is and you need to wonder why you ever thought it was something different.

There is no ambiguity, not that much room to interpretation. No actual evidence.

All I see as a still kind of oursider is fans gaslighting each other episode after episode to think this is some elaborate slow burn romance story and every time someone says that's not the case they MUST be lying.

Maybe there is no secret message every time they look at each other. Maybe their friendship really is that profound and it doesn't mean they are in love. Maybe Eddie has never admited to liking men because he actually doesn't like them.

Maybe the show is not and never was what you want it to be and that is okey.

[lsunstreakerl]

2.3k of tiny gax verse! alex, george, and charles POV. sickfic.

They're big fans of denial in the flat. It's easy enough, because if you don't address something, it's not real.

So when Max has a coughing fit one morning, shoulders shaking from the force of it, sounding worryingly thick— well. He blames it on choking on a piece of food. George and Alex let him.

It's getting colder outside, pavement wet from the rain, and they've shoved all of the blankets together. Max is starting to be scouted by teams junior teams, and...

In hindsight, it's stupid. Thinking that just because they'd never seen him get sick meant that it wasn't possible. He gets pale, paler than normal, and Alex curls his fingers into his palms. Max is curled in the middle of the futons, face hidden in George's chest. He's not snoring anymore, just a soft wheeze.

George looks up at him nervously.

"Alex, he's really hot."

Alex knows.

The season has been brutal, and Max and George have spent countless hours on sponsor offers and contracts, and they're all thin, struggling to keep muscle on. Max has been working extra at the garage, because George and Alex just keep growing, and they need nicer clothes for nicer sponsor agreements, and—

It's a vicious cycle. Alex chews at the inside of his cheek, mentally doing the math. If he and George do extra gig work, they might be able to afford medicine, but he's not sure what kind Max needs. A fever reducer for sure, and something to handle the wheeze in his lungs.

Naively, he's hoping maybe cough drops will fix it.

------

George is working at the bookstore. Alex is glad, because each cough from Max gives him a full body flinch, cringing quietly.

He hasn't gotten any better.

Alex pets a hand through Max's hair, damp with sweat. He's hot, even with the fever reducer Alex had convinced someone to buy for him in exchange for crumpled cash outside the store.

Max struggles up onto his forearms suddenly, coughing violently. It sounds wet, wheezing and thick, and he makes a wounded noise when he finally catches his breath, dropping back into Alex's lap.

"Max."

He reaches for the bottle of medicine, prepared to measure out another dose. It's probably not time for it yet, but it's the only thing that helps bring his fever down.

Max's fingers curl weakly into his pant leg, wheezing out another breath.

"I am fine, Ale—"

He breaks off in another coughing fit, doubling over, and Alex feels his blood run cold at the small droplets of crimson Max tries to hide in his elbow.

He tugs Max closer to his chest, panic steadily welling inside of him. They're in over their heads here, and there's only so much denial they can do.

Max wheezes harshly against him, forehead boiling hot against his shoulder.

"Meds."

His voice is weak, but he's fighting through it, defiant shine in his eyes even through the fever haze. Alex measures out another dose, fingers shaking. Max's cough is only getting worse, and they can't afford to get another bottle.

There's a race this weekend, and he knows, as sure as he knows the color of the sky, that Max is still going to try and attend. If they allow him to race is an entirely different story, but he'll try.

Insanely, Alex thinks he wouldn't be all that surprised if Max managed to still win. It feels otherworldly sometimes, living with him, watching him race. He's got a feel for the car that Alex and George can't quite reach, a fiery determination that seems to fuel him further than the rest of them.

Max takes the medicine like a shot. He's not even complaining about the taste anymore, like he did on the first day.

Alex tries to pretend the sinking in his heart is anything but cold, nauseous fear.

------

George is on the beanbag in the back. The bookstore knows he's stressed, and they'd mentioned having a potluck soon, to celebrate some arbitrary holiday George has never heard of. He's hoping there will be enough leftovers for him to sneak some home.

Right now, his priorities are elsewhere, anxiety skating up his fingers and arms, trembling as he types at the keyboard. He doesn't know what else to do.

They'll be out of medicine soon, and Max isn't getting any better, and there's a race coming up.

He hugs his knees tight to his chest, nervously shaking. He can't make it go away— the twitchy, nervous moments that have snuck into his everyday life. Every movement has to be worth it, every action justifiable.

He's going to throw up.

He sends the email.

------

Alex drives them to the race. Mostly because Max can barely make it to his feet, eyes glassy and perpetually sweaty, hair damp at the edges. They keep waiting for him to call it off, for him to admit that he can't do it, but somehow...

He's standing, moving like every breath hurts. Alex has to repeat himself two or three times before Max can hear him, and they can both hear each individual breath.

It sounds more like a rattle than a wheeze, and Alex and George have quietly, without ever speaking about it, taken up watching him in shifts. Sometimes the rattle pauses, and Alex feels everything inside of him plummet with fear until Max takes in another painful breath.

He's sure George also wakes up in a cold sweat, lying frozen to listen to the sound of Max's continued breathing. He's not sure George knows about the blood.

He doesn't have the heart to tell him.

------

George doesn't want to open the email. It's sitting in his inbox like a ticking bomb, because if he doesn't open it, it can't hurt him.

Can't let him down, can't shatter him into a million pieces, can't resign him to a fate of watching Max die in front of him.

He's not stupid. Max isn't getting better. Not without help, actual help, help they can't get. They can't go to a hospital, because the hospital will ask for an adult that they don't have.

They live in a precarious house of cards, and George is watching it wobble dangerously in front of him, growing increasingly unsteady with each struggling breath Max manages.

He can't possibly race— but that's not something they've said out loud. Alex is driving them, and George has a plan.

He opens the email.

From: Fernando Alonso

To: George William

Subject: Re: Why you should lie to the government

George. I am not sure how you got my personal email, and I do not want to know. Your PowerPoint was very engaging.

I will not pretend to be your brother's legal guardian. However, I have the location of a clinic that will see him and keep their mouths shut.

I have attached their contact details.

- Fernando Alonso, FIA Formula 1 World Champion [2005, 2006]

He swallows, opening the email attachment. There's an address, and a list of names. If they detour now—

"Alex, Alex pull over."

Max has fallen back asleep in the passenger seat. His breathing is worryingly shallow and wheezing, and he's both pale and flush, chest barely moving.

Alex pulls over.

------

The detour takes them six hours and more gas than they can afford, but they're almost there. Max hasn't woken up once.

George calls Max's team, apologizing profusely about missing the race, that Max would be there if he could. They're far more understanding than he expected them to be, mentioning that they're glad he's getting rest, that they'd also been worried.

They know Max would be dead before he missed a race. It scares George just how close they're getting.

He has one of the bottles of water uncapped, nudging gently at Max's shoulder. His skin is waxy, and he occasionally shakes with small shivers.

"Max."

He never responds on the first try anymore. George shoves at his shoulder a little harder, fingers tight around the water.

"Hey, wake up, we're almost there."

Usually, that would at least get something. A flutter of his lashes, an attempt to try and drag himself to the surface. George blinks back the hot press behind his eyes, trying to keep his voice steady. He doesn't want to alarm Alex, who's been driving the entire time.

"Max."

His voice cracks. Alex hears it, because of course he does.

"How is he, Georgie?"

George isn't sure he can answer without falling apart, and the panic is starting to seep in through the corners, crawling up his lungs, strangling his heart.

"Max get up. Don't be— come on, don't be lazy."

He's never called Max lazy a day in his life.

"Georgie, hey, how is it?"

Alex sounds worried from the front seat. George presses two shaking fingers below Max's jaw, resting his head featherlight on his shoulder. He doesn't actually know how to check for a pulse, only that this is what they do on TV, on the medical dramas Alex likes.

Max is still breathing, but there's a low, watery sound to it.

"George."

Alex sounds more insistent now, but George doesn't know what to tell him.

"Drive faster."

------

The clinic is a nice building, until George runs inside out of breath, frantically trying to explain that Fernando Alonso sent them, that his brother is sick in the trailer, that he's not waking up.

Max disappears into the back of the building, and he and Alex aren't allowed to follow.

Alex tugs him tight to his chest, one hand shaking as he tries to pet at the back of George's head, still trying to be strong for them both. He can feel his hot tears drop onto his hair.

------

The clinic gets one good luck at Alex and George thirty minutes later and takes them into the back too. They're both put on fluids, and the clinic was apparently planning to cater lunch, so they'll get some extra for them as well.

They're still not allowed to see Max, but Alex has his fingers locked with George's.

"Georgie."

George sniffs, still trying to pretend like he hasn't been crying.

"What?"

Alex squeezes his fingers.

"Who'd you call? To get this?"

George has been a steel trap about how he'd managed to get Max a doctor. He'd told Alex very solemnly that he had a place for them, but he needed Alex to trust him.

So far, he has. Still, George shakes his head, frowning.

"Doesn't matter."

Alex actually thinks it matters quite a bit— not that it does him any good, because George clams up, refusing to tell him anything. He confirms it wasn't a gang, he's not indebted for life, and that it was a stroke of luck, but he won't tell Alex anything else.

By the time the food shows up, a catered table of salad and fruits, roasted meats and vegetables, Alex has accepted that he's not getting an answer out of him.

------

Max has pneumonia. It's bad, apparently. It wouldn't ever have cleared up on his own, and the knowledge sits like a stone in George's gut.

It would've killed him. Slowly, relentlessly suffocating him. There wasn't any kind of over the counter medicine they could've gotten, no amount of cough drops, no miracle words to fix it.

Max is still asleep when the clinic lets them see him. There's an oxygen mask across his face, stickers on his chest attached to colorful cords that lead up to a monitor. There's another one wrapped around his finger, and he has an IV in, running up to bag of fluids above his head.

George tugs his chair closer and gingerly rests his head on Max's thigh. He's always felt untouchable, above everything else, stronger than anyone else George knows.

He doesn't feel untouchable now. He feels fragile, and George wants to curl around him, wants to protect him from everything the way Max does for him, but he can't. Not against this.

Alex's hand rubs softly against his back as he cries quietly.

------

12 years later:

Charles bumps Max's hip with his own as they walk closer to the cooldown room, grinning. The podium endorphins are starting to hit, and he's ready to chug the entire bottle of blissfully cool water waiting for him.

George is ahead of them, already scrubbing a towel through his hair, cap in one hand. He's grinning too, the special wide one reserved just for Alex and Max.

Max yanks his balaclava off, slamming his fist against his chest as he coughs briefly. Charles winces in sympathy, but George darts over immediately, nudging Max out of view of the cameras. He's gone ashen, eyes wide as he checks over Max frantically.

"Christ, Georgie— it is the fucking humidity here, always, you know it makes my lungs act up. Chill."

"Do you need an inhaler? Aleix keeps one in his bag."

Max levels an impressively unimpressed face at George.

"So does Rupert, because they are my lungs. If I needed it, I would be using it. Seriously, go sit. I'm fine."

Charles quirks his head.

"You have asthma?"

Max wrinkles his nose, rolling his eyes as he grabs his own water.

"No. George is just being a worrywart."

George glares, jaw tensed.

"Sorry, I think it's fair that it makes me anxious."

Max sighs, gripping George by the hand and pulling him into a tight hug. Charles doesn't catch what he says, too quiet for anyone but George to hear, but he sees the way his shoulders relax, leaning their heads together briefly.

He didn't know Max had problems with his lungs. Or at least some kind of problem, if it's earned him George's anxiety. Then again, George is anxious about a million things at any given moment— Charles has never met anyone with the ability to juggle as many problem as George and manage to be equally as stressed about every single one of them.

He wonders if Mercedes has designed a ThunderShirt for him yet.

Max manages to appease George, and Charles attempts to put it out of his mind. He'll ask Max about it later, when there aren't hundreds of cameras capturing their every movement.

For now, he has a podium to get to.

[afriendlyghosty]

yknow what. i wont shut up about this actually.

really, rtd? cramming the first poc doctor in between fucking tenrose doctors?? leave your peak in the past where it belongs. this is so disrespectful.

ncuti deserved so much better than this. not only was he robbed with the terrible pacing and writing from both seasons, but the length alone should be criminal. 16.5 episodes for his run, 45ish minutes each, and he wasn't even given enough grace to be in every episode. not to mention im like 95% sure he was supposed to have one more series????

his "big bads" this episode/season were killed off in a matter of anticlimactic minutes after an entire season's worth of buildup (two if you count flood). like, come on. more time was spent on his daughter-not-daughter.

speaking of poppy, my GOD retconning belinda's entire character to have had a child this entire time. i didn't think we could top how terribly martha was written/treated as a poc companion, but rtd continues to prove me wrong.

i would say i hope this show gets better, but with rtd being the showrunner, it will not be. without another hiatus, i fear that it will be run directly into the ground.

bbc, do better.

rtd, fucking retire.

[countlessmoviethoughts]

Ok, so I’ve given it a day and here are my thoughts on the final

DOCTOR WHO SPOILERS AHEAD!!! IM GONNA GO IM DEEP!!!

So I’m rewatching with my mom, so this stuff is supported by my rewatch :))

First, I’m still VERY happy about Billie Piper, I will never be upset about Billie Piper being in Doctor Who

But with that, I am REALLY really sad about Ncuti leaving like that this early. He deserved so much more than 2 short ass seasons. Him and Ruby and Belinda all together. He was an INCREDIBLE doctor and should have had a much longer run.

And SPEAKING OF BELINDA

I HATE HER ENDING my girl deserves SO MUCH BETTER

Rewatching makes the retco of her having a kid the whole time or wanting to have a kid the whole time is SO WEIRD that is a young woman in a career she cares about with a LIFE SHE WANTS TO GET BACK TO

SHE LITERALLY HAS A HOT TINDER DATE WAITING FOR HER

And I’m not saying you can’t do that with kids, but they went from her story being really good about this companion who just wants to get back to her normal life to suddenly her entire life revolving around this child. And then when they get back she makes a whole point of saying ‘well she was my child too’ AND THAT JUST DOSNT FEEL LIKE HER?? It’s like they completely defanged her character and made her this passive house wife which SHES NEVER BEEN!!!!!!!

And mind you, this is lowkey framed in the first episode of the final 2 part??? Like, when she can’t remember Poppy’s birth, that yell didn’t read sadness or despair or fear of forgetting a child, that entire sequence literally had her running AWAY from this wrong suburban life. They should have committed to the horror of a woman being forced into this suburban world that isn’t her,

LIKE DONT WORRY DARLING I don’t have an opinion on that movie but that concept of a woman being trapped in suburbia with a child forced on her against her will would have been so much better imo 😒

Overall, the concept was cool, but they needed to COMMIT instead of assassinating Belinda’s character and give Ncuti a longer run like he deserves while we’re at it.

I’m excited to see Billie Piper’s run and what’s gonna happen with that, but I really do have a lot of beef with how they did Belinda and The Doctor these last two episodes.

[umbramoons]

TECH MOMENTS PT. 27

The Bad Batch S2 E10: Retrieval

- The way he runs his hand down the front of the skiff. Oof. It reminds me of when he was feeling up the cell wall in season one. ❤

- “Yes, but with a few repairs, it will be a slightly operational heap of junk.” ❤

- “Oh! Ingenious idea.” You have no idea how much delight shot through me when I first heard him say this. He’s so cute! ❤

- He’s the one driving the skiff, obviously. I also love how it’s Omega that he lets sit behind him and hold onto him. (I’d let Tech take me on a speeder ride anytime.) ❤

- Tech is one of the ones who go in to intimidate Benni, not Wrecker! I really want to see more of his intimidating side.

- He looks up when Benni says that the Techno Union used to run this place. He probably hasn't forgiven them for what they did to Echo.

- The way he’s leaning with his arm on the wall to look down and watch Hunter infiltrate the place. ❤

- Wrecker: “You said it was unguarded.”

Tech: “It was at the time.” That is the most whispery we’ve ever heard him. ❤

- “Hunter, you have to move.”

- He flies down that line. ❤

- “The conditions of this mine are less than ideal.” He doesn’t approve of child workers, especially not in such a dangerous environment. He actually looks a little concerned for Benni, even though he's shown no care for him previously. ❤

- “Hang on.” He’s like, excuse me, you are not leaving before you tell me what happened to my ship.

- He trusts Omega with his datapad. ❤

- “I can get most of the systems back online easily enough.” ❤

- He brings up how bad the Empire is without much prompting. Like I said, after Echo, he’s the most obvious rebel.

- “Technically, this ship belongs to us.” That little shrugging motion he does with his blasters. My man has no fear, he’s sassing his opponent! ❤

- Not hesitating to take down a droid to protect the kids.

- Looking over the Marauder one last time to make sure everything is all good.

- Coming over on his own to see what’s up with Omega. He’s learned to better acknowledge her emotional state. ❤

- “Unfortunately, yes. However, there are many like us out there as well. And that is something.” The way he puts his hand on her shoulder and that GOOFY LITTLE SMILE. Tech is so wise, he’s a great big brother. ❤

- He even keeps the smile as he and Omega walk back to the ship. He’s so proud of himself for that moment.

[charles-leclerc-official]

How do you feel about the fact that Charles will likely not be the next champion after Max?

Up until the start of 2024 when Max was winning I accepted it because, well, Max has incredible talent. But I always thought, when the day comes that Max can't win it, it would surely be the next best driver winning it. And that would clearly be Charles. Because how could anyone else be better than Charles? At that time, no one expected the McLarens to somehow build a dominant car. So all cars being non-dominant, it seemed like Charles was next in line for a championship.

But here we are. And admittedly I'm not a huge Lando fan so my initial fear this year was the thought of Lando getting a championship before Charles. Now that Oscar has stepped up and even though I do like Oscar - it still hurts to think that Oscar is still so young, only in his third F1 season, and he's already in line for a championship and Charles isn't.

I know in the end if Charles gets a championship sometime in the future, I will be just as happy anyway. But right now, something about Charles being clearly the next best driver but 'worse' drivers are getting championships before him just doesn't feel right.

This too is Zak Brown's fault

and for the record, Charles isn't the "next best" he's better

[raininyourblackeyes]

LOPAREVA/BRISSAUD HOLY FUCK WHAT WAS THAT

[hamletshoeratio]

Apparently, Eloise is a mean girl and is not a girls' girl???

[clowndensation]

it's like. louis attempted to tell this story to daniel the first time, broke down, and attacked him before he could finish it.

and then decades later he's convinced himself that it was leaving the story unresolved that's holding him back from living his life fully now. so he invites daniel back again. and louis is sitting poised and put together, confident in his ability to recite his history in a pretty, poignant, neat little narrative that will resolve all the guilt and yearning and emptiness inside of him. that if he can just tell a compelling, satisfying story, maybe it will actually be that, and not the life he lived through, with all the pitfalls of his own failures lurking inside.

and then season 1 ends with him once again being forced to confront that the story he wants to imagine and the life he actually lived aren't the same thing. the boundaries around his narrative are shredded and he's left exposed, and subsequently able to face his past for the first time since that original interview. and you think, you think, "well this is it. they've crossed the event horizon. there's no use hiding the truth anymore, not after it's come flooding out into the open like this"

and then season 2 opens. not only is it back to the original, practiced distance, we now have armand literally enforcing that distance. a man sitting at the table who's interjections must be disregarded, an intentional interruption to the flow of the story. he doesn't exist to aid or add detail, he exists to distract louis when he gets too deep in the story. the only time we do get louis allowing any deep truth to come out is when armand leaves the room.

it's like. louis wants a story that's true, and the truth is what he's convinced will leave him satisfied. armand wants a story that will satisfy louis, to the extent louis will accept it's true.

[seaweedstarshine]

“That’s a bold choice, Dalek Supreme, coming to a wedding planet dressed in white! Unless you’re here to get hitched… should I be flattered?”

“We are here to exterminate you.”

“Oh, that’s probably for the best. Not sure River would be up for a marriage à trois… not with a Dalek, at any rate.”

—Eleventh Doctor Chronicles: Victory of the Doctor

[rolandkaros]

not pitting sincaraz against each other just pointing out an objective truth that jannik was not a dominate player/potential grand slam winner last season (age 21/22) and carlos will finish this season semi-dominant and with two more grand slams (+ an olympic medal) (age 20/21). you can see how quickly a player's career can turn around within one season. so any talk about carlos being washed/playing badly sounds silly to me i can't lie. yes carlos wasn't as successful this year as last year. yes carlos wasn't as successful this year as jannik. last year jannik's highlights were throwing up in a trash can and beating djoko in davis cup (exaggerating.) so i really feel like carlos's struggles this season are slightly overinflated. we talk about "he has time he has time" let's be clear not only does he have time in his career (he is literally 21) he also has time on his closest current rival (age-wise, carlos's 2024 season is jannik's 2022 season). it will be two years before carlos is even the same age as jannik is now. so like. lets be chill here u know.

[rememberdamonn]

Well written characters have a core conflict that consists of a goal that the character wants/needs to achieve, and an obstacle that gets in the way of that goal. For Damon, that core conflict is Love vs. Fear. His goal is love - to be loved, to have love. The obstacle that gets in the way of that goal is his own fear - fear of being abandoned/betrayed/rejected, fear of not being enough, fear of letting people down, fear of losing his loved ones... in short, fear of losing love. Every majorly bad decision that Damon makes, he makes either in reaction to or in anticipation of that fear being realized. When he kills Jeremy in S2, and Aaron in S5? He does it because he’s just been abandoned and rejected by Elena/Katherine. When he hides the cure from Elena in S6? He does it because he’s afraid that if she becomes human he’ll lose her. When he feeds Elena his blood in S2? He does it because he’s afraid he’ll lose her in the sacrifice. These seeds are planted throughout the entire show. In 4x15 when Damon sires Elena to turn off her humanity (another thing he does out of fear), Stefan tells him that it was a mistake because despite Elena losing her brother, she still has Damon. Damon’s reply? “I’m not enough.”

There's a conversation that Stefan and Damon have in 7x22 that lays it all out neatly:

Stefan: You really think I did the right thing by taking Caroline against her will?

Damon: One hundred percent.

Stefan: You said that's how you know you love someone. And for a second there, I actually believed you. I thought that my love for Caroline was so strong that I would do anything to protect it. But then I realized, that's not love, Damon. That's fear. That night that you put yourself down, it wasn't because you love Elena. It was because you were afraid if you didn't, you would do something terrible, and you would lose her forever. And that fear was so powerful that it overrode any love that you felt for me, or Bonnie, or anybody else. I refuse to be ruled by fear. I refuse to be you.

In 7x10 when Damon is forced to face the truth while in the Phoenix Stone, he tells his mother, “Give me a chance to let you love me.” This is representative of Damon’s entire journey throughout the show. Damon doesn’t let people love him because he’s scared that they won’t. That’s why he tells Elena in 3x19 that he doesn’t want to have to live up to anyone’s expectations, and he tells Bonnie the same thing in 8x10 when he reads her his letter. Damon’s self sabotage and his insistence on pushing everyone away is a product of the fear of what will happen if he lets people love him - but by giving into that fear, he ensures that he’ll never get what he wants most.

In order for Damon to have a successful, satisfying ending, he has to 1) overcome his fears. He does this in 8x16 when he attempts to self-sacrifice for the right reasons, in direct contrast to his self sacrifice in 7x22 for the wrong reasons - a sacrifice he makes out of fear:

“There is a girl waiting outside for you, and if you go in there with me and get all screwed up, you're gonna have problems with her, and you're gonna blame me.” - Damon to Stefan, 7x22 (S7 is written to be a tragedy but that’s another post)

And 2) he gets the chance to let himself be loved. That’s why Delena has to be endgame. Damon finally getting a chance to let himself be loved is central to his character in a way that makes any other ending a tragedy for him.

So what about Stefan? Stefan’s goal is Choice. The same way that Damon has lost in love, Stefan has repeatedly had his choices taken from him. Katherine takes Stefan’s choice away when she compels him, bloodlust takes Stefan’s choice away when he becomes a ripper, Klaus takes Stefan’s choice away when he enslaves him. This is why Stefan is so protective of Elena’s ability to choose, and it’s also why narratively, Stefan’s worst crime is taking Damon’s choice away when he forced him to become a vampire. Morally, it’s far from the worst thing Stefan has done, but thematically it’s the misdeed that matters the most. That’s why it’s brought up again and again.

The obstacle that’s getting in the way of Stefan’s Choice is Vampirism. Whether it’s his own or someone else’s, Stefan can’t choose the life he wants to have or the person he wants to be without vampirism getting in the way. For Stefan to have a successful, satisfying ending, he has to 1) reconcile his relationship with vampirism. He does this by escaping his vampirism when he’s cured. And 2) he has to have the opportunity to choose. That’s why human Stefan is immediately on vervain, and that’s why he maintains the ability to choose to sacrifice himself even after Damon attempts to compel him in 8x16. Is it the best way to have Stefan accomplish his goal? Personally, I don’t think so. I would’ve preferred to see him accept his vampirism rather than escape it, and I would’ve preferred for him not to die. But in a finale where one brother makes a choice to sacrifice himself and the other brother gets the girl, it’s clear which has to be which for their arcs to resolve in a thematically satisfying way.

[enjoyvoidblack]

Was midway through typing out a defense of Jon's decisions in light of how everyone (including Jonny) seems to think he could've done much better, but then I remembered he walked up to Jude Perry's front door and knocked and yknow what post cancelled actually. For that alone this man is an idiot (affectionate)

[mazojo]

Colin in his men era

[feelingtheaster99]

I finally finished the end of the last season of Teen Wolf this week, and I almost wish I didn’t because I think the Season 6A plot would’ve been a better ending

[incognitomoustache]

Man, that one episode of Enterprise could have been really cute if it was all about Archer loving his dog and less about him being horny for T'Pol