#Marcus looks a lot like Annie in my opinion | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

harpersplay · 3 years

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Genuine non-troll white woman here - you wrote "So I already knew that Good Girls was a white feminism phantasmagoria...But, jesus fucking christ, y'all are just showing your true colours lately. The way you talk about a MOC in relation to a white woman is disgusting." Not asking you to call out specific people or posts or start any kind of flame war but what would be a general example of what you are talking about? I follow a good chunk of people and I'm not seeing this maybe b/c I'm not following the same people, maybe out of willful blindness, maybe I'm not recognizing it - again, b/c of ignorance, etc. Just trying to understand what you mean - and not do it obviously, if I am doing it.

I apologise for taking a longish time to answer this. Honestly, I wasn't sure I wanted to get into it. Anyway, I'd first like to say that this is all my opinion. What bothers me might not bother someone else. BIPOC are not a monolith. Even subsections aren't. Not all Mexican trans men are a monolith. Neither are all Japanese lesbians. You get the idea. And that's not even including people like Ben Carson or Caitlyn Jenner—people who support and work for policies that actively harm the marginalised group of which they are a part. Secondly, I know this isn't your intention, but asking POC to tell you what is ok to do and what is not is a slippery slope to "my [blank] friend said this was ok." Finally, the fandom is quite small so it is pretty hard to give general examples. I don't know if it's more trouble to quote specific posts or not, because some will think it is about them anyway. Anything I'm going to mention I've seen on Tumblr, Instagram, Reddit and/or Twitter. But there are definitely popular Tumblr blogs that all push the same narrative. Oh, and one last thing, I haven't seen any of what I'm referring to from people I follow.

Ok, let's go. For a very long time, mainly WOC have pointed out the racial problems within the show and the extremely dismissive attitude about those problems from mainly white women. And while these same women have written thousands (even tens of thousands) or words about Beth (it's always Beth) and her struggles and the amazingness of such a complex female character (ymmv), they brush aside commentary about racism as either nitpicking, not understanding the show is about the 3 women (tell that to all the white men with fleshed-out storylines), or misogyny. The last is especially hostile because they are often talking over Black women and misogynoir is a very real fucking thing that couples the fun of being hated for being a woman with the delight of good old-fashioned racism. They espouse the idea that people having a problem with Beth are all covert & overt misogynists. But talk out the other side of their mouths that they can't possibly be racist even when they support racism in the show or ignore concerns brought up by fans of colour. And that is just the absolute height of hypocrisy. Because by the former they acknowledge that people in a marginalised group (women) can still be anti- that group (a phenomenon with which I agree). But in the latter, suddenly they don't understand that concept.

Specific to the post you are responding to, fans that purport to like Brio write about the relationship in ways that reveal how much of their enjoyment comes from Rio being inferior to Beth. It's all about what he can do for her, how he acts against his best interests for her, how he literally denies himself sexual pleasure for her. Those are all meant to show how in love he is with her. But the show never bothers to tell us why. And, no, this is not because the show is so deep. Other romantic relationships they have scenes that are explicit about the characters' feelings. But Rio, after being shot, after being betrayed, after being mocked, is just so in love with Beth....because. (MYSTERIOUS!) And the Beth stans are more than fine with this because they think everyone should be as obsessed with Beth as they are. But it's bad storytelling. And, in this particular case, it gets into very dicey racist tropes. A white women treating her Latino lover like an afterthought is not the same as a white women treating her white lover like an afterthought. It just isn't. And if some of these fans are as smart as they pretend to be, they know that. They just don't care. Much like the showrunners.

There was so much talk defending the drawn-out Boland marriage because why can't we understand how hard it is for Beth—who is, at various times, claimed to be emotionally abused by Dean or staying with him because it is safe and comfortable—and we don't appreciate how difficult it is for her (I may be one of the few divorced people talking about this show on Tumblr, so this has always made me laugh). Yet there was nothing but glee when Rio flipped on his brousin (who was written as both abusive and safe) for Beth. Where was the empathy for Rio and how hard it was for him? Especially because, unlike Beth, he didn't even have one parent? Hadn't the Beth stans used her very tragical history™️ to explain away her every shitty act? idk, not having any parents and going to jail (as a minor?) and being betrayed by your family seems pretty tragic. But I didn't see them all of a sudden excusing Rio's bad behaviour. Because, feminism or something?

What about Beth's feelings? Last season she spent trying to have him killed. This season she spent looking annoyed by him. Throughout both she talked down to him in a specific white woman way that every BIPOC has experienced, even if some of them are cool with it. There were multiple opportunites for Beth to talk about her feelings with Ruby and/or Annie, but the writers made the deliberate choice to always make it about sex (and god, the immature way they had these three grown women talk was fucking obnoxious). She spent the last 2 seasons also wanting him out of her life to the point that a majority of her actions in S4 were motivated by getting to Nevada with her husband and kids. Beth doesn't care about Rio but Rio needs to put Beth above everything because he's just so in love like he's never been before (which is blatant Marcus & Rhea erasure). And anyone who doesn't think Beth would have just as happily been sitting on that bench plotting how to "run the city" (hahahahaha!) with Nick if the situation worked out differently hasn't been paying attention.

So, what do we have? A white woman who is constantly excused (by the loudest portion of the fandom) for all her ill treatment to her Black BFF & her Black husband, her Asian coworker, her Latina "friend," and Rio (among others) because her life is hard and who is not required to even be nice to her supposed "endgame". And a MOC who is expected to accept being treated poorly by the white woman because he loves her.

And, a last thing, this attitude grossly crossed over into talk about real people when the fans—who self-righteously claimed to be above anon sources or talking about the actors—latched on to the narrative and enjoyed blaming the MOC actor for the cancellation of the show, even dragging his insignificant (in terms of influence) Black wife into it. All while conveniently ignoring that the creator/showrunner is a white woman. The star & producer is a white woman. The people making the decisions at NBCU & Netflix were white women. All white women with so much more power than the Latino actor.

Shit, did I answer your question? I know this is a lot. But I could honestly make mulitple posts on each issue I touched on here. Basically, white people ain't slick, be they content creators or fans. We see how & what y'all talk about. We see that Rio not having a last name is not a big deal to you and we know why that is. So we're fucking tired. And we're over a show that had so much potential crapping all over their POC characters to prop up a white woman. And we're repulsed by the white women in the fandom who use their tears to seem oppressed and who toss around the word misogynist because POC dare call a Karen a Karen.

#nbc good girls #good girls nbc #racism in the text #racism in fandom #fragile whiteness #white feminism #what fandom chooses to talk about #and what it chooses to ignore #anon asks

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marvelous-tunes · 3 years

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"Anyone who knows me at all knows that ‘Game of Thrones’ is my life, so the fact that Maisie was here to present this... I want to grab you, I can't, we're social distancing, but thank you so much for coming here to do this. That video, anyone who was in the video, Selena, Zoe, Ed, Griff! and my soul left my body when Annie Lennox was on that video, that was like 1000 surprise birthday parties where all your friends are jumping out like like, ‘AH!’ and you’re like, ‘This is just the best.’ I want to thank the BRITs or anyone who decided that I would be worthy of this incredible honor. I’m really really proud to be a part of this musical community especially in a year when we all needed music so much. But what we needed even more was the help and support that we got from the NHS and the key workers who are here tonight - thank you for everything you have done for us. This is a really cool one [award], I love this. I am so indebted to and grateful to my British fans. I love you so much, thank you for everything you have done for me. We’ve had so many amazing memories in the last 15 years playing Sheperds Bush Empire to playing the O2 Arena to playing Wembley Stadium. And, hey, because of you, last year I even almost played Glastonbury, so. But we all know what happened next. The world changed and I ended up putting out three albums instead so. Making ‘folklore’ and ‘evermore’ was one of the most unique, cathartic, extraordinary experiences I have ever had, I would love the opportunity to thank the amazing people that I made those albums with. Thank you Aaron Dessner, Jack Antofnoff, Joe, Justin Vernon, The National, Marcus Mumford, Jon Low, Serban Ghenea, Lauren Sisk, and HAIM! I want to thank my friends and family who know exactly who they are, whose opinion of me never changed whether my stock was up or down. If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that you have to look around you every day and take note of the people who have always believed in you and never stop appreciating them for it - never take them for granted. There are so many incredible new artists in this room tonight and a lot of people watching who have goals and ambitions and dreams. for themselves - I need you to hear me when I say that there is no career path that comes free of negativity. If you’re being met with resistance, that probably means that you’re doing something new. If you’re experiencing turbulence or pressure, that probably means you’re rising. And there might be times when you put your whole heart and soul into something and it is met with cynicism or skepticism; you cannot let that crush you, you have to let that fuel you because we live in a world where anyone has the right to say anything about you at any time. But please remember that you have the right to prove them wrong. I love you all, thank you so much for this beautiful honor, thank you to the BRITs. This is amazing!”

—Taylor Swift accepting the Global Icon Award at the 2021 BRIT Awards

#quote

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flamediel · 4 years

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yo dont know yashua you cant say he's racist how woulf you feel if someone judged you based on your religion and called you racist and sexist for it? its his right ot believe what he wants and you are being like a nazi attacking him

ok, look. I was just gonna delete this or respond to this w a meme and laugh it off (and the girlies on my snap KNOW this made me cackle) but we’re talking about a particularly insidious brand of racism and misogyny and I feel the need to elaborate. for those who didn’t see this is the post we are discussing.

Let’s start by discussing the tradwife movement. this post was tagged as tradwife, so you can’t tell me it’s not associated with the movement. the hashtag is at the top of the pic and tagged in the description, so it’s hard to miss. Yashua commented on a post with those hashtags being VERY visible saying he liked that, so he v obviously subscribes to those ideas.

What is the tradwife movement? it means “traditional wife” and it originated in alt-right spaces as a means of getting women to subscribe to right-wing ideals. This NYT Opinion piece by Annie Kelly, a Ph.D. student researching the impact of digital cultures on anti-feminism and the far right, describes this phenomenon in incredible depth. Here is a short explanation of where the movement started, pulled from Ms. Kelly’s article

“Some members of the alt-right have been weighing whether the absence of women from their movement is a problem. In 2016, the Swedish nationalist Marcus Follin, who calls himself The Golden One on YouTube, made a video titled “The Women Question.” In it, he urged his followers to dial down the open misogyny and consider new strategies to win over more women to the white nationalist cause. Mr. Follin was responding to statistics from the Austrian presidential election that year, in which female voters helped swing the election away from the candidate of the far-right Freedom Party. “You might not like that women have the right to vote, you might not like that anyone has the right to vote,” Mr. Follin conceded, “but it’s about winning a long-term political victory.

Enter the tradwives.

Over the past few years, dozens of YouTube and social media accounts have sprung up showcasing soft-spoken young white women who extol the virtues of staying at home, submitting to male leadership and bearing lots of children — being “traditional wives.”

If you read through that tiny snippet of the article, what are some keywords that stand out? for me, it’s “alt-right,” and “white nationalist.” The racism there is unmistakable, and while Yashua may not be white he has previously expressed some incredibly racist viewpoints, like how him kissing a Russian woman ended racism and his saying the n-word despite doing the most to separate himself from the black community when it’s even slightly inconvenient for him. If he’s following and participating in tradwife circles, then he’s also v much a part of white supremacist and anti-black movements (yes, POC can be parts of those movements, no it does not make it ok).

The article also makes it incredibly clear how misogynistic the tradwife movement is:

Female fears of objectification and sexual violence remain as potent as ever; the tradwife subculture exploits them by blaming modernity for such phenomena, and then offers chastity, marriage and motherhood as an escape. As one such YouTube commentator, a teenager, told her audience, traditionalism does “what feminism is supposed to do” in preventing women from being made into “sexual objects” and treated “like a whore.”

It’s a lie, of course. Modesty has never been a safeguard against degradation or rape, and we know that a rapist is no less likely to hurt a woman simply because he’s married to her. But it’s not difficult to see how it could be a seductive lie; the continuous headlines made by the #MeToo movement, paradoxically, were eagerly shared among tradwife networks, as supposed proof that sexual liberation had made life unacceptably dangerous for women.

if you read this and aren’t completely appalled by how this movement preys on women’s fears to push them into pursuing subservient roles in relationships with abusive men, then idk how to better explain it for you. White female victimhood has always been weaponized by right-wing movements to tempt them into joining their ranks, but for a man of color with a predominantly brown, Latin American fanbase to be advocating for this shit? He is exposing mostly young, impressionable women of color to a culture that wants them dead, and that will happily manipulate them in order to achieve their ends. he has a platform, and he’s using it to explicitly harm his fans. This has nothing to do with religion, it has to do with the explicit rhetoric of the movement that he showed support for. he isn’t racist and sexist for being Christian (although, Christianity in and of itself is heavily tied to racism and misogyny and, like most organized religions, its members need to evaluate these stances to make sure they don't perpetuate them) he is racist and sexist for supporting ang giving a platform to the tradwife movement.

Now that we’ve discussed the movement as a whole, let’s talk about the meme itself. Of course, the biggest umbrella is Jesus Christ, alluding to how Christian faith protects followers from the “rain” or any harmful things. that’s fine, that’s just Christianity. the problem is what comes next, the husband's umbrella labeled with “protecting” and “providing for the family.” UNDER that, and thus presumably less importantly, is the wife’s umbrella labeled with “managing the home” and “having children.” The meme very clearly positions the wife’s role as subservient to the husband’s. Look, it’s perfectly okay to want to be a housewife and devote yourself to kids, but this responsibility is not less than that of the breadwinner. Housework is literally a necessity in maintaining livable conditions, and the reality is in traditional family setups it’s considered menial. if a wife wants to stay home and take care of the kids that’s fine, and if you want to marry a woman that’s into that then that’s also fine, but that woman is not lesser than you. Her role is equal to yours, and just as necessary to sustaining your life as yours is to sustaining hers. Putting a woman’s role under yours, no matter your ideal family dynamic, is sexist. That is a very basic misogynistic ideal, and we cannot ignore that.

Now, onto your comment specifically.

“how woulf [sic] you feel if someone judged you based on your religion and called you racist and sexist for it”

I am not judging Yashua based on his religion. He is a Christian, and I don’t judge him based solely on that fact. I judge him based on specific problematic things he’s said to support his Christianity. Calling Buddha an “old fat man” is racist, regardless if you’re a Christian or not. Implying that women are subservient to men is sexist, regardless if you’re a Christian or not. These are not isolated incidents with him, and they point to deeper-rooted beliefs that are frankly concerning. It’s not about the fact he’s Christian, it’s about his specific beliefs.

I’m not going to pretend that there are no problematic sects and beliefs in Islam, but I am comfortable in the fact that I don’t support them, and in fact actively advocate against many of them. I’m literally going into Human Rights to help fight the racism and misogyny ingrained in my country’s religious laws. this is by no means comparable to Yashua, and if you’re implying that I’m racist or sexist on the very basis of my being Muslim you are not only wrong but also islamophobic as fuck.

“its [sic] his right ot [sic] believe what he wants”

Yes, it is. So long as those beliefs don’t actively harm other people, especially marginalized groups like these do. and guess what anon? if he has the right to believe what he wants, so do I. and I believe he’s a racist, misogynistic asshole who is in desperate need of self-reflection. The difference between mine and his beliefs is that mine don’t actually harm anyone and are well-founded. his are actively hurting his fans, and he needs to fix up because he is spreading incredibly fucked up beliefs.

“you are being like a nazi attacking him”

um. yeah, NO. it is not like nazism to call someone out for perpetuating alt-right ideas. if anything, calling out pro-nazi propaganda is uhh. probably one of the least nazi-like thing someone can do. also equating me calling out a problematic meme to a literal genocide is anti-Semitic and tone-deaf as fuck. Don’t pull that shit here.

well then, I think this is a good enough response. I am very passionate about these issues, and if someone else wants to discuss them I am happy to, but just an FYI, I expect you to be coming in with proper manners. the only reason I answered this ask is because it was an important conversation starter, but if anyone brings this energy into my ask box again it’s a straight block. I hope that’s clear, and that this was helpful. Let me know if you want me to adjust the tags on this post, I did my best but I know this can be a triggering topic, so if you need anything specific tagged just shoot me an ask or a dm. Stay safe!

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bourbon-ontherocks · 4 years

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(Previously, on GG rewatch...)

Aaaaah, I remember February 2020 me, anxiously waiting for this premiere and Beth's expression of grief... How naive of me, right?

"This person that you knew... or whatever" I CAN SEE BETH'S BRAIN REPLACING THIS "WHATEVER" BY A GIANT "FUCKED"!!!!!!

Every time I see Lucy on screen I regret that we didn't get to see her more, every line that comes out of her mouth is pure gold

I get that the girls had to invole JT to test the cash, but do they really have to tell him EVERYTING about their recipe? Isn't that, what's the word again, oh yeah, DUMB??

Oh snap, isn't that where @missmaxime's blog title comes from?

KRYSTAL!!!!!!!

I'm not sure about how schools work in the US, but is Marcus going to the same school Jane does? In which case, why didn't Beth know Rhea before/ran across Rio at random PTA events? And if they're not in the same school, how did Beth get Marcus a spot in the soccer team? And how did she track down Rhea while not even knowing Marcus' name (it hasn't actually ever been pronounced out loud on the show)?

I'd like to point out to everyone that if Beth managed to sign-up Marcus to anything at school then she knows his LAST NAME...

Enjoying my last minutes of Turner on screen... This choice of a romantic song for him visiting Rio's room isn't coincindental, mwahahaha!!

What? Lucy's got more than one bird? Where are they??

This first exchange between Lucy and the girls is absolutely surreal. Like, any normal human being would run out of here immediately. Nobody's acting sane. This show is nuts

"You know how you help the family of the guy you ended?" "Yeah, you get a teardrop tattoo and you call it a day." Um, Mick does have a teardrop tattoo, right?

"Thinking of you" Aaaaaah, I love a good Turner double-entendre!!! Also Beth's look in that scene is probably my favourite ever

So, um throwing the money in the fire (since when any of them has a chimney BTW?? I thought this couch was facing the TV) is an extremely dramatic move, but couldn't they just, you know, bury it in the attic and wait for the dust to settle??

Diane explaining to Sara how to fix her gag reflex is one of my favourite comedy moments of this show, like ever.

"All to pay for something that anybody on planet Earth would expect to be covered." Literally me, every time I hear about the US healthcare system. Poor Gwen, though...

Bhahaha, I love that this show tried to make us believe that Beth was pregnant this season while she's literally getting wine-drunk in the premiere!

I know that it's a controversial opinion, but Annie's desperate quest for batteries and toothbrush adventures crack me up every time, and the fact that she doesn't even once think about using her hands says a lot. Also I have questions about this Minions toothbrush: who uses it in Annie's home?? It looks like a kid's thing that Ben would probably discard, but the way it was proeminently sitting in the bathroom shows that it's used often...

Hahaha, I like that Beth tells her kids she'll "ask daddy" about painting the room purple but just didn't do it and went for the painbrush!!!

... Did Rio timed his ambush operation on Turner just so he could reach gold status at the hotel?? Extremely on brand

Okay new theory: Kowalski is actually Rio's real last name. They would have gone for something less improbable for a fake name, rule number one of fake ID is to sound plausible so you don't get caught.

RIP Jimmy, you'll be missed

Bonus 1: I’m totally losing it on this stuffed lion in the back and the idea that it’s now taking some space in one of Rio’s storage units...

Bonus 2: Isn’t she gorgeous?

#gg rewatch #find your beach #also can someone explain to me what's the point of Below Deck??#I mean I get that NBC promotes its other shows through gg but this one sounds like an improbable concept

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darriness · 4 years

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Klaine Fic - You’ll Always Be The Home - Chapter 5

Author: darriness

Fic Summary: Everything is finally settled in Kurt and Blaine’s life…right?

Link to: Prologue - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4

Rating: T

Chapter Word Count: 2874

Chapter Summary: Decision

Author’s Note: Just the epilogue left. Thanks to my beta @darrenismydarcy . Enjoy!

AO3 Link

“Are you okay, Aiden?” Blaine asks in concern as the boy just keeps staring.

Eventually, Aiden shakes himself out of his shock and furrows his brow, “So...you’re my brother and sister?” He asks.

Bethany nods, “Technically, yes. It’s a long story.”

“And you?” Aiden asks, looking over at Kurt.

Kurt gives a closed lip smile, “I’m not your brother.” He says before talking out of the corner of his mouth to Blaine, “That would make our whole situation incredibly wrong.”

Blaine chuckles lightly before he coughs and shifts in his chair to grab Kurt’s hand, “This is Kurt. He’s my husband.” He says.

The reaction from Aiden is immediate. His eyes widen before he scoots back in his chair and adopts a defensive pose as he eyes the pair warily. Blaine’s heart drops at the display and he sighs a little. Part of him had hoped for something better.

“You’re gay?” Aiden asks.

Before Blaine can answer, Bethany’s voice rings out in the room, “They sure are!” She says, “And if you have a problem with that you can march your OshKosh behind back where you came from.”

“Bethany…” Blaine warns, tiredly, as Aiden’s defensive pose switches to ward off Bethany.

Bethany shakes her head, “He can’t come into our house and…”

“Annie, he’s seven.” Kurt interrupts, quietly but firmly.

Bethany shrugs, “Yeah? And? I was seven. I punched our dad for it.”

Aiden’s eyes widened, “You punched father?”

“Okay!” Blaine interrupts to cut off Bethany’s reply. Instead, the sixteen-year-old just lifts her eyebrows and purses her lips as if to say ‘yup and I’d do it again’. Blaine sighs and runs a hand down his face, “Aiden, we should probably get you home. Your dad is probably worried sick about you.”

Or at least Blaine hopes that’s the case. Blaine had thought about running away a lot when he was a kid. He just hadn’t really thought his parents would care if he were gone. Obviously, as later evidence would show, he’d been correct.

Aiden’s face is a mask of conflict. His eyes are squinted and his lips slightly pouted as he looks back and forth between Kurt and Blaine. Blaine feels a little like he’s being dissected.

“Father says that being gay is a sin.” Aiden finally says quietly.

Blaine feels Kurt stiffen next to him and sees out of the corner of his eye that Bethany’s eyes narrow but Blaine feels no anger or hatred in Aiden’s statement. It’s just that. A statement. Of what he believes to be fact.

Blaine sighs, “Aiden, if that’s what your dad says then…”

“Why do you keep saying ‘your’?” Aiden interrupts with a curious head tilt. Blaine’s brow furrows in confusion, “You keep saying ‘your dad’ instead of ‘dad’. You also said they WERE your parents.”

“Is this kid really only seven?” Blaine hears Kurt whisper next to him while squinting his eyes.

Blaine gives a rueful smile, “There’s a reason we’ve never met, Aiden.” He says, softly, “Bethany and I didn’t even know you existed until today. We haven’t spoken to our parents in nine years.”

“Why?” Aiden asks.

“Because I punched our dad in the stomach.” Bethany deadpans, “Several times.”

Aiden’s eyes flash momentarily in alarm before Blaine sighs again and explains, “You know how your dad told you that being gay is a sin?” Aiden nods, “Well, when he found out I was gay...he didn’t like that very much.” Bethany snorts from the other couch as if to say ‘understatement’. Blaine smiles softly at her before turning back to Aiden, “Some bad stuff happened and he kicked me out of the house.” Blaine smiles at Bethany again, “And Bethany came with me because she didn’t agree with our mom and dad. We’ve been on our own for nine years.”

Aiden is quiet as he stares down at his hands still clasped in his lap. Blaine’s not sure what telling him would do. He’s not sure how Aiden truly feels about any of this. If he’s being honest, a small part of him hopes Aiden truly believes his father’s words. Because living with Marcus Anderson when you disagree with him is torture and Blaine wishes that on no one.

Eventually, Aiden looks up with a small smile on his face, “If it’s alright with you, I’d...like to get to know you two.” Blaine blinks owlishly as Aiden turns with a little grin and giggles (the most seven-year-old thing he’s done since entering the apartment), “You THREE.” He corrects himself, shrugging at Kurt.

Blaine lets a slow smile spread across his face as he grabs Kurt’s hand and squeezes, “I think we’d like that, Aiden.”

“Your dad’s not going to like it.” Bethany warns and Blaine knows she’s correct.

Aiden nods and swallows, “It would appear, from everything you’ve told me, that he won’t.” He then adopts a mischievous smile, “But I’ve become very good at being sneaky. I doubt he’ll know I was even gone today.”

Blaine lets out a chuckle. Everything about Aiden had led him to believe he was just like their father. Appearances can truly be deceiving.

“I think we’ll get along just fine then.” Bethany says with a decisive nod that makes Aiden’s face light up.

-- -- --

Bethany pouts as she leans against Blaine in the doorway to the apartment. He slings an arm loosely around her shoulders as they watch little Aiden Anderson making his way to the elevator. Seeing a seven-year-old about to walk into the streets of New York City on his own should have been something they tried to stop but spending an afternoon with Aiden had convinced all of them that he would be fine.

“We’re not letting you leave by yourself!” Blaine had protested when Aiden had told them he should probably get back home.

Aiden had given Blaine a rather placating smile, “I’ve been making my own way around New York City since before I could tie my own shoes. I have the subway map memorized and four different phone numbers for car services or cab companies in my phone if I need them. This isn’t my first time making my way home on my own.”

It had become abundantly clear that this kid was a kid of the streets...in a three hundred dollar suit.

That doesn’t mean, though, that Blaine hadn’t given Aiden his cell phone number to text when he got home.

“Can’t we keep him?” Bethany whines as Aiden waves from the elevator as the doors close.

Blaine chuckles softly and kisses the side of Bethany’s head, “He’ll be fine.”

Bethany grumbles, “You couldn’t handle one more?”

Blaine tugs Bethany inside and closes the apartment door, “I can barely handle you as it is!” He jokes.

Bethany scoffs and punches him on the arm. Blaine oofs and rubs the spot as he chuckles. Considering the emotional roller coaster of the day he feels...light.

He finds it interesting how growing up with the parents they did shaped each of them differently. Bethany had become opinionated, strong, and surprisingly loyal. Aiden had become smart, resourceful, and kind of sneaky. And himself? He’d like to think he became responsible, independent, and a better parent than either of the ones he was given.

“I’m a delight.” Bethany says with a turned up nose.

“Oh sure.” Kurt chimes in, walking up to the pair with Eugene the Unicorn in his arms, “I say that to Blaine on a daily basis after you’ve yelled at us for...something. It’s a new thing every day.”

Bethany tries to glare but ends up fighting back a laugh and failing. She giggles and shrugs as she grabs Eugene from Kurt and twirls him toward her bedroom, “Your lives would be boring without me!” She calls and then she’s gone.

Blaine sighs and flops down on the couch, “She is right about that.”

Kurt hums as he sits down next to Blaine. He grabs Blaine’s arm and brings it over his head to snuggle against his chest, “Crazy day.” He says.

It’s Blaine’s turn to hum, “Crazy day.” He repeats.

“Are you okay?” Kurt asks.

Blaine hesitates but only for a moment, “Yeah, I think I am. I mean, will the fact that my parents basically had another kid to replace me hit me at some point and cause me to freak out a little? Sure. But...he seems like a great kid.”

Kurt sighs and rubs a hand on Blaine’s thigh, “You know you’re not replaceable in my world, right?”

Blaine kisses Kurt’s head and leaves his lips there, “I know.” He whispers, “I know.”

-- -- --

“So, you have to help me out.” Kurt says, two weeks later, as he knees his way across the mattress toward where Blaine leans against the headboard. Both are in their pajamas, each in soft cotton t-shirts and pajama pants, and the soft lighting in their bedroom makes for an intimate setting.

Blaine ‘hmm’s as he threads his fingers together over his stomach. Kurt comes to rest with his knees against Blaine’s hip, leaning back on his heels before he continues, “How long is long enough to bring up the topic of having a baby after your husband’s mother who abandoned him passes away and he discovers he has a little brother he never knew about?”

He says the entire sentence in one breath with a wince and Blaine’s not sure if it’s the face or the sentence itself but he breaks up laughing. Kurt drops his wince to chuckle along with him before shrugging, “There’s no precedence for this situation and I love that you’re talking to Anthony, but I don’t know...what’s off limits.” He shrugs again with a sigh.

Blaine smiles softly and reaches forward to thread his fingers through Kurt’s, “Nothing is ever off limits with us.” He whispers, and Kurt gives him a shy smile, before Blaine sighs and speaks at a regular volume, “I actually talked to Anthony about that today.”

Kurt raises an eyebrow but stays quiet.

Blaine licks his lips, “I’ve been thinking about what we talked about on our honeymoon a lot, and like you, I didn’t know if there was a length of time that was appropriate to wait after...everything.”

Kurt gives a small smile, “And?” He asks.

Blaine sits up slightly and reaches with his other hand to rub his fingers on Kurt’s arm just under Kurt’s shirt sleeve. He looks at his wandering fingers as his face breaks into a smile.

“Anthony says that there is no specific length of time. There really IS no precedence for this. He said that my gut is the best judge. If it feels right deep down, then it’s right.”

“And?” Kurt chuckles, a little more insistent. He shuffles on his knees and shakes the hand he has in Blaine’s.

Blaine chuckles and then looks up at Kurt with a wide smile, “And I think, if you’re willing, we should start the process now.”

Kurt squeals loudly, claps, and jumps on Blaine. Blaine oofs, chuckles, and stabilizes Kurt who is now straddling his hips.

Blaine tilts his head up and catches Kurt’s lips in a kiss just as the door to their room flies open. They both turn to find a very wide-eyed Bethany, clad in her tank top and pajama pants, with one hand on the doorknob and the other on the door jam.

“What?” She asks alarmed, “What happened?”

Kurt leans his temple against Blaine’s as they both smile at her. Bethany’s face goes from alarm to skeptical very quickly.

She turns her head slightly and squints her eyes at them, “What’s with the smiles? Did we win the lottery? You have to tell me if we won the lottery. It’s against the law not to tell me we won the lottery.”

“Should we tell her?” Blaine stage-whispers to Kurt.

Kurt scrunches up one side of his face as he looks at Bethany, “Hmmmm, do you think we should?” He stage-whispers back.

Bethany huffs and puts her hands on her hips.

“She might be upset.” Blaine whispers, still in his not-so-private conversation with Kurt. Even though he’s joking and high on endorphins at the moment, he still knows there is a very real possibility that Bethany will not take this news well.

Kurt hums, “Yeah...I think she can handle it.”

Bethany all but growls, “Okay, one of you better tell me or I’m running away to join the circus.”

Kurt and Blaine chuckle before Blaine smiles at his little sister, “Kurt and I…” He pauses to look at Kurt who nods at him, “are going to start the process of having a baby.”

Bethany doesn’t do anything for a moment. She stares at them frozen and Blaine gets a sinking feeling in his stomach that this isn’t going to end well.

Just as he’s about to backpedal and say that they can totally have a discussion about it, Bethany lets out a large squeal and runs to the bed. She tackles the pair, Kurt still astride Blaine’s hips, and the three fall into a pile on the bed as she hugs them.

“Oh my God, this is amazing!” She shrieks, “This is the best news ever!”

The trio sits up and Bethany hugs Blaine again as he chuckles in relief, “You’re not upset?”

Bethany quirks an eyebrow, “Upset?” She asks, “Of course I’m not upset! Only,” She pauses with a finger in the air and Blaine and Kurt both lift their eyebrows waiting for her to continue, “there are only two bedrooms here. I’m not sharing with a screaming baby.”

Kurt and Blaine look at each other. Both realizing, at the same time, the potential ripple effect of this decision, “I guess,” Kurt starts, “we’ll have to look for a new place.” He shrugs at Blaine who nods in return.

Bethany claps and bounces between the pair before she suddenly stops and lays a hand on each man’s arms. Her face is serious as she looks back and forth between them, “You have to let me be the baby mama.” She says and both Kurt and Blaine immediately choke on their own spit.

“What?” Blaine splutters.

Bethany nods, “It makes perfect sense! I’ve seen the movie. Surrogates cost a lot of money AND if I have the baby then it’ll share both of your DNA!”

Clearly, Bethany’s brain is going a mile a minute but Kurt and Blaine are still trying to process her original suggestion.

“Annie, honey, you’re sixteen.” Kurt says gently, “That is such an amazing offer but...you’re sixteen. You can’t be our surrogate.”

Bethany shrugs, “Then wait a couple of years. I’ll be eighteen…”

“And starting college.” Blaine interrupts, pulling his arm out from under Bethany’s hand in order to lay his own on her arm, “Annie, Kurt’s right. That is SUCH an amazing offer but we can’t ask you to do that and we wouldn’t LET you do that. Part of my job as your guardian is to try and keep you from getting pregnant too early. I’d kind of be failing on that if I took you up on your offer.”

Bethany smiles ruefully as Blaine shrugs. She sighs and bites her lip, “All right but...I get to choose what colour you paint the nursery!”

Blaine laughs, “I think that may be a harder sell than the surrogacy thing.” He says, pointing to Kurt who has his eyebrows raised toward Bethany in a ‘Excuse me?’ sort of way.

“You are welcome to offer suggestions.” Kurt says with his nose turned up, before smiling and pulling Bethany to him in a side hug as she giggles.

“So,” Bethany declares a moment later, “since clearly we’re not getting any sleep tonight, I suggest we grab snacks and spend the night picking out baby names.”

Kurt and Blaine look at each other at the same moment with identical expressions on their face.

“Actually Annie…” Kurt starts but Bethany shakes her head, and finger, at them.

“Nuh huh.” She says, “This is too big a moment for the sexy times I pretend you don’t actually have. This is a family moment. We celebrate together.”

Blaine and Kurt look at each other again and have a silent conversation between them. She’s not...entirely wrong.

Eventually, Blaine sighs, “All right, Annie. You go get the snacks.”

Bethany cheers before kissing them both on the cheek and climbing off the bed. She leaves the room, declaring loudly that all the Oreos are hers.

Kurt is on Blaine the second she’s gone, catching his lips with his own and pushing him back on the bed. Blaine goes with a surprised squeak but doesn’t protest as he fists the back of Kurt’s shirt.

“Hey!” Bethany’s voice rings out and the pair on the bed jumps. Kurt looks up and Blaine tilts his head backwards on the mattress to look upside down...and sheepishly, at where Bethany stands in their doorway again, “I said no sexy times! It’s not like you can actually make the baby yourselves anyway!”

Kurt and Blaine laugh as Kurt drops his head onto Blaine’s shoulder and Bethany leaves again to go get snacks.

It may not be hot sex, but their night is perfect.

#klaine #klaine fanfiction #klaine fanfic #my loves #my stuff #you'll always be the home

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pynkhues · 4 years

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In a previous ask I asked if you thought the writers dumbed the ladies down, thanks for answering by the way, but what about Rio. Do you think they dumb Rio down so Beth’s ideas look good? Like this episode wouldn’t Rio know that about the car wash? It seems easy enough to figure out?

You’re welcome, anon! And I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to get to this. The pandemic just sort of threw a grenade into my life in many respects, and I still feel like I’m scrambling to catch up on things – including my ask box – particularly for asks I have longer replies to like this one!

As for your question – it’s a really interesting one! I don’t disagree with the sentiment at all, and can completely understand where you’re coming from. It is obvious, and seems a bit of a convenient pivot for a character who’s generally been depicted to us as very intelligent, a step ahead, a kingpin, etc. etc.

Probably surprisingly, my answer as to whether or not they’ve dumbed Rio down in s3 to make Beth look good is actually no though. I mean - gosh - think of his re-introduction this season which was entirely about showcasing how well he was able to play Turner and ‘handle him’ in the way Beth had no capacity to. In fact, a lot of this season was about positioning Rio as competent, powerful, and aspirational overall for Beth, but actually in some ways Ruby and Annie too. He’s really their yardstick in how they measure themselves and their own success, and I think a lot of this season was trying to add dimension to that and him overall, both in the slightly softer ways (i.e. Rhea, Marcus, and even Mick) and the harder ways (Lucy, Turner and even Beth).

Which brings me to something I’ve actually thought since 2.04 but never really elaborated on here beyond brief mentions, haha.

I think the show is running a subtextual storyline with Rio. I think it’s been running that storyline actually since Turner’s introduction in 1.04, and that it’s been on-and-off successful on a textual narrative level – mostly because they don’t give us enough of it. I do think it’s there though, and pretty consistent if you’re keeping an eye on it, but it doesn’t really bleed through enough to sate audiences beyond that. (And hey look! I’m one of the people who doesn’t usually have too big of an issue about Rio’s lack of screen time!)

But yes, haha.

What I’m getting at is that I think there’s a parallel, very present storyline that is trying to tell us that Rio’s business and operation was already under the microscope by the feds before the show had even started, and that Beth and the girls getting him arrested in 1.10 has been a hurdle that’s had major ramifications.

So let’s break that down a bit.

I feel heat on, I shutdown.

The seed for this storyline is, in many ways, planted with Beth’s monologue in 1.02 where she tells Rio that if he kills her, Ruby and Annie, he’s ultimately playing himself (there are hashtags and movements after all, haha). The set-up here is that Beth is an outlier for Rio in more ways than one, but there’s also an inference that Rio’s used to pulling the trigger first, and dealing with the fallout later – something that’s reiterated through his handling of Eddie in this very season, and then later Lucy in s3.

But we’ll come back to that.

The point here is that Beth calls him out on not being as subtle as he thinks he is, which is a fact that the story doubles down on with Turner’s introduction two episodes later in 1.04. Turner’s FBI, and he’s in town specifically investigating Rio. It’s immediately clear that there are a lot of gaps in that investigation, and in a lot of ways Beth bridges those gaps for Turner, but still. Turner was always onto Rio before Beth was ever in the picture.

In this sense, Rio’s seeming position in the crime world is already splintering – he has the feds on his tail already. Something happens – we never find out the details – in 1.04 which has one of his boys shot badly (Eddie), and Rio deliberately drops him off with somebody who’s very much on the perimeters of his operation (Beth). That same boy is later pinned by the feds and blackmailed by Turner (1.07) and something happens that quickly leads to Rio not only shutting down business, but seizing all of his assets from everyone, including Beth and the girls (1.08).

He has Eddie killed, orchestrates a test in 1.09 to see how much information Eddie actually leaked to the feds – a test Beth took personally – before he tries to cut her out and Beth retaliated by having him arrested in 1.10.

I’m out, I’m done, time for something new.

Which means starting s2, Rio’s business hasn’t actually been up and running since 1.07, and he’s now got a very public arrest on his record too.

I don’t think it’s an accident that Rio’s shown as virtually alone in s2 outisde of Beth, Marcus and Gretchen, rather I think it’s a deliberate effort to show where his priorities have resettled – which is in business (which Beth is, which I’ll come back to shortly), his son, and his freedom respectively.

But yes.

Let’s talk about work.

Rio tries to get Beth to handle Boomer (2.01), the key witness in the case she’s just given a lot of weight to through the Fine & Frugal job in 1.10, but generally speaking, I think Rio’s still technically, professionally shutdown for the first half of the season. Not only that, but he seems to be trying to disentangle from fake cash generally to get into prescription pill distribution – a pretty distinct pivot for him.

This could be a bit of a controversial opinion, but I don’t think he printed any new cash in s2. I think everything he left for Beth was stuff he had before she’d gotten him arrested, and I think that that’s demonstrated with him giving it to her in the first place (Beth says it herself in the same episode – if they can’t wash it, it’s just paper) and with him flipping his game overall.

In other words, I think Rio was still shutdown and trying to figure out how to redistribute the work he could operate, while he handled the court case and no doubt tried to cover his losses.

And in that incredibly stressful set of circumstances, I think Rio threw a line out to Beth as someone who owed him and was unencumbered by other networks in the crime world, and she bit, she delivered, and then Rio took advantage.

Something that was only ever made more complicated by their relationship, of course, haha, but even after that, I think he justified her presence in his life as a useful and unexpected card in his deck, and someone to keep his bed warm. In that capacity too though, I actually don’t think Rio ever intended for Beth to find out about the pills. I think he was already building that operation, saw an opportunity in Boland Motors, and worked it.

The point is that things were fraying for Rio back in s1. I think that things were getting back on track for him at the start of s2, but then fell apart in a way that was bigger and worse towards the end of it.

Beth successfully wrangled half his business, sure, and he not only let her, but he made a bad choice in investing too much in Boland Motors because he thought he had a better handle on her overall. Boland Motors ended up not just being the front for him to wash the cash he’d made via the girls, but was now the key stop-point for the drugs he was bringing across the border.

I’m sure he did have other operations at this point, but Boland Motors was BIG, and it blew up for him twice over.

First when Beth dumped him in 2.09.

Then with the FBI raid in 2.10, which ultimately rendered their cash useless in 2.12.

Something I imagine was only made worse by Ruby dumping the pills that would ordinarily be delivered through the car airbags in 2.10 too.

So who made your money?

Which brings us to where we are in season 3, where actually a lot of this seems to come to a head off-screen. I think this season actually really quickly established three things that work together and with the information of previous seasons pretty effectively, just that it was hindered by it being too subtextual, and not quite textual enough in certain parts.

1. Rio’s operation is still kicking, albeit not without challenges. He’s able to set up other crews, while mobilising his own to assassinate Turner from what is essentially a lockdown situation. The first episode is devoted to telling us exactly how powerful Rio is, while also how much he isn’t. We get Rio playing puppeteer with Turner and the crime world, but we also get the disconnect from his child as symbolised through the model airplane, and the lack of connection he has to his family through Beth and Rhea’s relationship. It’s a really great character breakdown to parallel Rio’s control over his professional life, and lack of control over his personal one.

2. Rio’s lost professional networks and is struggling to re-make them. This is actually the point I think we needed more of in the show, because I do think it’s there, but I don’t think it’s as textual as it should be. I’ve said it on here before, but we know from 1.03 that Rio’s never designed his own money – it’s what he sent Beth, Ruby and Annie to go collect from Canada after all, and that design was cooked by 2.12.

We also know he was washing cash through a variety of local businesses prior to his arrest in 1.10 as per the news report in the same episode, and from the fallout in s2, it seemed like those networks had dried up, hence him giving Beth the money to wash in 2.04 and then jumping all in on Boland Motors.

Beth also latches onto this concept in 3.04 when she tries to negotiate with Rio for her life, telling him “no cars, no pills, no cash, it’s gotta hurt”, and he responds, pretty simply with “You don’t know my interests.”

Which she doesn’t, particularly as she latches onto the idea of Rio needing money, because I don’t think he does, and I think the introduction of the G Wagon this season was a significant symbol in teling us that as an audience.

I don’t think Rio needs money. I think he needs to be making other people money.

I think he needs the business.

It seems to be something underlined in Rio’s confrontation with Gil in the bar later in the episode. He’s holding Gil to get the name of the person designing his money, because Rio knows the value of the product, and he needs to rebuild professionally after the arrest, raids and his own disappearance, and it’s only re-emphasised by Rio taking over Beth’s operation when he finds out. She owes him enough, is on the backfoot enough, that he can own all of it, knowing she’ll let him.

3. Lastly is that Rio is, and always has been, a dangerous person with a ready and willing trigger finger. He handles his rotten eggs – for better and for worse.

Sophie, what are you going on about??

A good question, me, haha. I guess my point in all of this is the fact that I think Rio’s comfortable financially but is in deep in crime and as a result has a lot of people relying on him (both above him and below him) to build business. Since the shutdown in s1 and his arrest then disappearance, I think shit’s hit the fan, and a lot of his old professional avenues have been cut off, and that Beth presents to him as this sort of perfect in to a world he’s just been re-ostracised from.

The carwash was obvious, of course it was, but I think that was sort of the point? I think it was a narrative signpost of how many steps backwards Rio’s operation has had to walk, and how far Rio’s been boxed into a corner (something I actually do think would have re-emerged on a textual level this season given we know we were supposed to be meeting Rio’s crime bosses).

I think he wanted another Boland Motors sort of operation, and forcing Beth’s hand created Boland Bubbles, and I think the prospect of that was a relief to him in more ways than not (hence his tone shift in 3.11).

Beth is, after all, a logical person in many ways for Rio to invest in because she owes him, and because she has no other ties in the crime world. I’ve said this in multiple other posts, but I think Rio’s really deliberately kept it that way. I think he sees her potential, yes, and I actually do think a part of him wants to protect her (again, 2.07 being the clearest example of that), but I also think he sees her as an asset for himself. She’s quick on her feet, exists in a world he can’t – that world being middle class, white mama – and he can throw down a challenge to her, knows she’ll rise to meet it, and present a solution.

She did it unprompted in s1 with the secret shoppers, prompted when given the means in s2 with Boland Motors, and then prompted with a threat in s3 with Boland Bubbles.

For all his talk of not knowing how to incentivise her in 3.10, he really does know, and more than that, he knows how to prompt her to level up in a way he can then take advantage of.

Does this mean that Rio can’t or doesn’t come up with the ideas? Of course not! (Athough I do think he likes outsourcing them, haha) But I think he’s aware of where he stands and who he is and what he looks like, and I think that’s been compounded by a period of time that’s been dangerous for him both personally and professionally, and fuck - - exhausting too. I mean – he was shot! Three times! In the chest!

But I do think Rio’s a kingpin too. It’s just been a hard year, y’know?

(Because I think it mostly has just been a year? There’s something to be said here after all given we know there was only eight months between early-s1 and 2.12 given the timestamp, and now only two months apparently between 2.09 and 3.03, so it very well could’ve been only little over a year in canon? That said, requesting any sort of logical timeline on this show feels like a trap, haha).

I don’t know though! This is just my theory. What do you guys think?

#beth x rio #beth boland #rio #gg 3.11 #3..10 #gg 2.12 #missing scenes #rio the mvp #crime time #welcome to my ama

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michellespenscratchz · 4 years

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What about Claptrap for the character thing :D

First impression The “Jar Jar Binks” of Borderlands.

Impression now Does anybody actually hate Claptrap? Or is he just fun to pick on?

Favorite moment The first time we played through Tales from the Borderlands, we saw that there was a Mystery Vault Hunter we couldn’t afford to recruit at the end. My husband was all like “Wow, who could it be? Maybe it’s Roland!” and looked it up on Google. His reaction was not unlike Ralphie in A Christmas Story when his secret message from Little Orphan Annie was “Be sure to drink your Ovaltine.”

Idea for a story Uhh. Once upon a time, Claptrap overheard Marcus Kincaid telling lots of cool stories to a would-be Vault Hunter. Claptrap thought he could do the same. He printed up flyers and put them all over Sanctuary, then waited eagerly for his throngs of rapt listeners to hear his account of the Vaults on Pandora. The one dog who showed up kept scratching itself during the important parts, and fell asleep right before Claptrap got to recount how he saved the Vault Hunters from total annihilation. The end.

Unpopular opinion I liked having a Claptrap in our TPS party because it was always fun to see what his special ability would do.

Favorite relationship Not sure if this counts, but I got a kick out of the interactions between Claptrap and Hammerlock at the beginning of BL2. “I must have been particularly cruel to puppies in a past life” is a household phrase now. XD

Favorite headcanon Since Sasha is the one to bring Claptrap if you recruit him to fight the Traveler, I headcanon that Sasha has been spending time at Sanctuary since Helios fell. Part of the reason is to get away from Hollow Point. Part of it is because Moxxi won’t abide Fiona’s presence in Sanctuary after what happened to Scooter, but she agrees to Sasha coming to town to do any Vault Hunter-related errands on Fiona’s behalf.

[Original Ask]

#ask meme

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fairhairedkings · 4 years

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hello, I was wondering if you could explain Beth x rio to me? From the first two seasons it seems like Beth is using rio to be independent and just likes his power. And rio also is a business person before anything else, which makes it hard to see the dubby part as in character for rio. The tension between them is amazing but there doesn’t seem to be genuine feelings? It feels like Rio is just there to progress beths journey, not actually be part of a canon relationship

hi! thanks for the ask! i will try to do my best with it, but i will be honest, my general attitude towards connecting canon with my shipping and writing is as follows:

so what i am talking about from here on out is my own personal interpretation of events and characters, which has (perhaps obviously) led to me shipping these two. there are lots of other lovely and talented people in the fandom who have probably answered similar questions if my answer isn’t what you’re looking for or if you’d like to read multiple opinions.

i’m putting this under a cut because i find it difficult to read long posts on my dash.

your first point - that beth in the first two seasons seems to be using rio to be independent and that she’s attracted to his power - i agree!

the second - that rio is a business person above all else and thus the dubby seems out of character - i kind of agree with. what season one primarily shows us of rio is rio as a business person, but season two picks up on the other little character pieces and fleshes them out a little more. for example, him showing marcus to the girls at the park, suggests that rio might be understanding of beth’s fear that jane is at that house.

(someone actually asked me about rio going to get the dubby and whether or not this was out of character before, so here is that post.)

the thing with rio’s character is that we don’t actually know that much about him. we’re told a few a things, shown a few, and there’s other stuff that happens off screen, but with an impact on how we see his character. like we don’t see him kill eddie, but based on what he says to turner and how he acts, we assume that he did kill eddie/have eddie killed, which leads us to make conclusions about who he is as a character.

i think what it comes down to is whether you only want to think of him strictly in terms of what we’ve seen on the screen or if you want to fill in blanks yourself. as someone who writes fic, i’m generally in the second category. i can’t help it. if i like a show, i want to engage with it and make all these connections, consider how things work.

and honestly, when it comes down to it? from the beginning, rio has been there to progress beth’s story/journey. beth, ruby, and annie are the main characters. the secondary characters are there to further the journey of those three. i/we talk about them all as if they’re more than what we see on the screen, like they’re capable of having motivations and complex inner lives, but they are characters. they have lots of different writers and it is entirely possible that each of those writers approached a character differently without considering how other writers were approaching the same character. (there are definitely continuity problems in the show, as well as some issues with representation.)

fandom tends to step in here, creating explanations and lost moments to improve/”fix” these things. so brio heavy blogs are always going to emphasize the moments that support the idea of these two being able to work things out or the idea that they have genuine feelings for one another (maybe they write meta or fic or make other kinds of content like gif sets and photo edits). and i do think that there are a lot of signs in canon that this is a potential outcome.

but i also think that as creators in fandom, it’s like we’ve been given a bunch of materials without any real idea of what it’s all supposed to make in the end and we have decided that we’re making it into a tent, so every time that we get new pieces, we work them into the tent, embellishing it, making it waterproof, putting in some netting to keep the bugs out. at any minute, the showrunners could show up and be like “what the fuck, those are not the materials for a tent, you were supposed to make duffel bags.” that might be true, but the tent is still nice and obviously we were able to construct it using what we’d been given. (depending on the show/ship, you may have absolutely no material, but you do not care. and that’s fine too. maybe there’s another group over there turning the same materials into a boat. cool.)

as for a canon brio relationship...i have never let canon get in the way of a good ship. plus we’ve already had them hooking up more than once and just by continuing to be in business together, they’ve definitely got some kind of relationship/connection going on. even if they never get together in canon, i’m still going to ship them. i’m probably going to keep imagining the two of them having some kind of feelings about each other just because i like it.

anyways, thank you for asking and i hope that this answers your question at least a little bit.

#Anonymous #mine #writing #good girls nbc #beth boland #rio #beth x rio #brio #meta

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elixir448 · 5 years

Text

Good Girls 3x01 Thoughts and A Very Bad Attempt at Speculation

What an episode! I felt like we were moving at breakneck speed and the commercial breaks weren’t enough time for me to catch my breath. It was super fun to watch the episode live with everyone and freak out together, even though I doubt I’ll be able to pull it off next week.

Anyway, if it’s not obvious, I really loved the episode and now that I’ve had some time to digest everything that happened, I have a lot of thoughts.

Opening Montage

This show loves a good montage, particularly an opening montage. This one did not disappoint and really dove straight into the meat of the episode, which was Beth struggling with her guilt over shooting Rio (see below) and the girls trying to perfect their counterfeit cash.

I love that there was no dilly-dallying. No prolonged pretense that the girls are law-abiding citizens now. Nope, they’re trying to do everything they can to get their money-making hustle started up. All the jobs make so much sense:

Beth - she loves crafting, she uses it all the time and she’s good at it. There’s literally no place that makes more sense for her to work at!

Ruby - I recall from last season that she had a friend who worked at a nail salon and did her nails for Thanksgiving and it just makes sense that she would be good at doing nails since hers have always been on point during the last two seasons.

Annie - the shot where she was skidding into view was perfect! The job fits so well with her recklessness and I felt like it was such a good callback to her driving the Porsche in 1x01.

Beth’s Guilt

I know people have had a lot of thoughts regarding this. I agree with some of them and not so much with others. Personally, I think it was well-handled overall and I don’t think we’ve seen everything that this storyline has to offer yet. We’re only on episode 1 of a 16 episode season!

One of the main complaints I’ve seen is that Beth was pretty flippant at times with the fact that she killed Rio, saying things like “I don’t wanna bring him back” and “I think we could take him because I’m guessing he’s mostly skull.” While I agree that these remarks are flippant and disrespectful, I also think it’s really significant that this only happened in the presence of other people, like Ruby, Annie and Dean. In the first instance, with Ruby and Annie, I think she was trying to downplay the extent of how messed up she must have been feeling to have approached Rhea and Marcus in the first place; by saying that she doesn’t want Rio back, it makes it seem as though her only intent was to try to help Rhea and Marcus in some way, rather than because of the fact that she has been profoundly traumatised by what happened. Don’t even get me started on the fact that Ruby points out “It’s not going to bring him back!” This is Beth’s best friend and sister and for her to feel the need to point this out shows that she recognises that there is something extremely unhealthy about Beth’s behaviour but also that it’s about more than just guilt.

With Dean, I think it’s notable that he apologised about the fact he brought up Rio, acknowledging that it might be a trigger for Beth. That indicates that over the 4 month time skip that we’ve had, it’s potentially an issue that has come up. By living in the same household as her, he maybe picked up on the fact that she is not, in fact, okay. Trigger is a word that is very much used in the context of mental health issues and it’s significant to me that even Dean has picked up on this. Furthermore, she never even mentioned that she was going to paint the girls’ room purple to him; she clearly doesn’t value his opinion very much and we know that Beth is a fairly emotionally clammed-up character; I can’t see her revealing the slightest thing to Dean about how she feels regarding Rio’s death, beyond her crying and collapsing into Dean in 2x13 following the shock and trauma of it all.

Another thing that’s important to acknowledge is that nobody, not Dean and not even Ruby or Annie, knew what Beth and Rio were to each other. Hell, Beth didn’t even know what they were to each other. They shifted from antagonists, to two people who were orbiting around one another, back to antagonists, to two people who had sex, to business partners, to friends (and very tentatively on Beth’s part, Rio was a confidante for her), to lovers and then to ‘work’. There was probably so much more in between and a lot of overlap. Even the terminology I’ve used here doesn’t really fit their relationship! I mean, it’s hard to put the label of lovers on Beth and Rio when they had sex twice and never even had a defined sexual relationship. And they were always orbiting around one another. They still are. They never interacted once in this episode and yet Rio’s shadow hangs over almost all of Beth’s scenes. These storylines are driving the plot forwards and this episode basically pulled that rope that’s been around the two of them for so long now even tighter.

Let’s bear in mind Ruby and, in particular, Annie’s reaction to finding out that Beth and Rio had sex; basically, they were shocked, horrifed and, on Annie’s part, judgemental. They never saw Beth and Rio in the moments that we, the audience, saw them in. In 2x09, Dean believed that Beth having sex with Rio was a direct consequence of him cheating when we know it wasn’t; Beth also hit Dean right where it hurts and said that she just really liked having sex with Rio but we know that she was emasculating Dean in that moment.

By acknowledging how torn up she is over Rio’s death, Beth would have to unpack everything she felt for Rio, after she ‘murdered’ him. She was never able to do this even while he was alive; in fact, she struggled to even acknowledge what was happening and the connection between them. If she shared this with the people in her lives, none of whom understood what she and Rio were to one another...well, what would be the point? He’s gone, she feels guilty and the truth is that guilt and remorse don’t bring people back from the dead.

We get it but they don’t and they never have.

The other complaint I’ve seen is that Beth’s guilt seems to be solely tied to taking Rio away from his son. I can partially understand this but I do think that it’s not the sole reason for Beth’s guilt and it certainly wasn’t the only reason for her guilt that was depicted in this episode. The opening montage alone is a terrific example of this.

It starts with Beth in this dimly lit environment and then when she snaps out of it and realises she’s in front of a customer, we see that she’s actually in a shop and the customer is in a brightly lit portion of it, in front of the counter, while it’s much darker behind Beth. It might mean nothing but the way that scene starts really indicates to me that thinking of Rio takes Beth to a dark place.

In the opening scene, Beth reflects on Rio. The man. The fact that this was a man she knew. But did she really? He’s gone now though. And she feels weird. Suddently confronted by the abruptness of death. There’s no mention of his family in this scene at all. She thinks mainly about his death, how it’s haunting her and how she isn’t sure if she ever really knew him. It’s clear to me that she doesn’t just feel guilty because of Marcus. The scene really underlines how much time Beth has spent thinking about Rio and about him alone.

Despite this, she has four kids. The introduction of Marcus in 2x01 gave Beth an insight into Rio’s life that he had carefully orchestrated to make her realise that they were more similar than she wanted to admit and that they had similar motivations. Their children are certainly not the only things in their lives that connect them. Beth and Rio see each other and they always have. They enjoy the thrill they get from crime but they also have families to provide for. It’s justified until it isn’t. Basically, I think Marcus being a major perpetuating factor for Beth’s guilt makes complete sense and it would be strange if this was less of a factor than it was portrayed as in this episode. They were both parents and of course Marcus is representative of the pain she caused when she shot Rio.

Rhea’s Cheque and Rio’s Money

I’m going to include this discussion here just because I think it links up nicely with Beth’s guilt. Also I weirdly love that Beth and Rhea were wearing the same colour in this scene. I don’t really know what it represents but Rhea has clearly opened up to Beth over the past 4 months and Beth opened up to Rhea in this scene, sharing her financial troubles, so maybe it has something to do with that.

It was so difficult to watch these events unfold on screen. I remember thinking gosh, I really hope Beth doesn’t cash that cheque but also kind of hoping she would because of the plot potential with the consequences of such an action.

Beth is at her very lowest here. I think the last time we saw her come close to this was when Dean took the kids in 2x08 and we saw the aftermath of that in 2x09. Emotionally, financially, ethically and morally, she has hit an absolute low and she knows it. She obviously feels like a crap person and spent the entire night thinking about cashing the cheque, about Rio, about Rhea and about Marcus. Honestly, it’s heartbreaking to watch.

I think it’s really important to highlight the financial burden she’s facing at the moment. She risks losing the roof over her family’s heads. Her kids’ heads. Her babies.

It’s also important to point out that, of the three girls, Beth is the only one who is in a dire financial situation right now. Stan is raking in the money at his new job, even though both he and Ruby clearly don’t love it, and the Hills are making ends meet for Sara’s post-transplant medications. Also, as they no longer seem to be paying a lawyer to have the charges against Stan dropped, it looks like that financial burden has been removed too. Annie no longer has to pay a custody lawyer and is not at risk of losing Sadie (I have no clue what happened with the drug felony charges; I think that was dropped as a storyline between seasons 1 and 2); I do think she needs money for hormonal blockade medication but it was not mentioned in this episode. My point is that, in this episode, it’s very clear that Beth is in big trouble financially and is imminently at risk of losing their family home.

I love that the writer’s aren’t shying away from the implications of such an action and that it’s a real moral dillema, both for Beth and for us as the audience. They aren’t portraying Beth as a sanctimonious individual in this episode. She doesn’t know that Rio’s coming for her so she has nothing to fear on that front in this episode. She ruminates for an entire night. Just because she thought long and hard about it doesn’t justify her actions. Of course it doesn’t! It’s still utterly reprehensible and she’s agonising over that. But it’s necessary. And I love that the writer’s are choosing to depict such a complex, deplorable act on screen by a main character!

New and Returning Side Characters

JT - I cannot even begin to describe how happy I was to see JT in the first episode. We knew he was returning from the news during hiatus but this was even better than I expected. The actor had such brilliant chemistry with Retta in season 2 and with Christina and Mae in 2x09. The four of them just clicked and were hilarious in the two scenes they shared in this episode. I wonder if the issue with him using Ruby’s address for access to her school district will be explored further in this season or if that storyline won’t be mentioned again, especially since it seems that scam is just running in the background now!

Lucy - She is just precious! I adore her already and Charlyne Yi is amazing. I am so consistently impressed by the casting for this show and I really feel like Charlyne is going to fill the James Lesure shaped hole in my heart right now. She clearly adores Oju (sorry if I’ve spelt that incorrectly!) and I’m starting to wonder if Annie kidnaps Oju as a way of preventing Lucy from getting in their way, for example, if she demands a cut or if she decides to tell someone about the counterfeit cash or take advantage of the girls in some other way, just like they have with her. Or perhaps Rio interacts with Lucy at some point this season? Oh my god. All the possibilities are making my head spin!

Krystal - What a genuine sweetheart! Noureen DeWulf did an incredible job and I pretty much fell in love Krystal immediately. The fact that she thought to give a gift basket to the Hills? And the whole scene with the gag reflex? I adore her. I’m really crossing my fingers for a Stan and Krystal friendship arc. They are both such wholesome individuals and I hope that Ruby comes to recognise Krystal for who she seems to be so far, which is a genuinely nice gal. Also, we know that Onyx (played by Megan thee Stallion) is going to be up to no good so I’m excited to see her interact with Krystal and Stan on screen! God please give me Krystal and Stan having each other’s backs.

Rhea - Jackie Cruz is a boss. From what I’ve seen bouncing about on Tumblr, she’s supposed to be appearing in 4 episodes of what has been filmed so far. I really loved her and Beth’s friendship in this episode, even though the foundation of it is deceitful and extremely unhealthy on Beth’s part. I’m not sure if Rhea will find out what Beth has done and I can only imagine the fallout and angst should Rio ever share it with her. But I can’t help but love the two of them. I mean they were chatting about hot coaches! We rarely see Beth loosen up like that with people. Just compare it to her interacting with the PTA mums in 2x10. The difference in Beth’s demeanour is striking. I’ve seen some theories that Rhea already knows who Beth is and is playing her, which is definitely possible. My gut instinct says no but my theories for this show have been wrong so many times before. I also just want to see Rio’s face when he realises that Beth has inserted herself into this private part of his life; he’s going to be absolutely furious and I am here for that plot.

Marcus - How were the fandoms predictions and fanfic writers’ portrayal of this character so accurate? He’s an angel. And he and Jane are clearly best friends! Is this what dreams are made of? And he loves planes too. This episode. Oh my god, this episode is feeding me. Please let Rio give Marcus the planes he made in that hotel room. Please! Ahem, moving on. Manny has said several times that their is something that stops Rio from killing Beth in this season, a line that he won’t cross and that it’s addressed early on. I’ve seen some theories that it could be because Marcus adores Beth. It definitely could be! But I wonder if there is another reason why, particularly if the doors into the crime world are really blown off their hinges in this season and they have a common adversary or goal.

The Hills

I cannot emphasise how much I love Stan and Ruby. For me, they are definitely the heart of the show alongside the three girls. This episode really doubled down on that and I missed them so much.

So the Hills are managing to pay for Sara’s meds, particularly with the money from Stan’s new job. It seems that he’s having to step in to prevent people getting too forward at the strip club and is getting into some physical altercations because of it. I am so excited for his storyline this season, especially after Manny said that it is the storyline he is most excited about. I mean, I’m scared. But here for it.

Sara’s struggling with her meds and I remain shocked by how completely adorable lil’ money is.

I’ve already said it but I want a Krystal and Stan friendship. I’m so curious to see how the strip club ties into the overall plot of the season. It has to have something to do with the counterfeit cash right? And maybe Onyx becomes involved at some point?

Ruby’s scene on the phone with Gwen is so incredibly important. I always do my best to be nice to people who I’m on the phone with, even when it’s frustrating. The scene was so well done and I loved the message of how you don’t know what someone else going through. So be nice. And we know Ruby’s nice. But she’s also scared for her daughter and frustrated with Stan’s job and we all get it. Even Gwen does.

Annie and Sadie

Oooooofffft. Could that call out have felt more like a burn? I feel like Annie kind of needed to hear this and what Mae has said in her interview, about Annie becoming more cautious and little more introspective, makes so much sense now. Of course it would be Sadie that would trigger such a shift! Although not for long apparently, given the inappropriate crush that Annie seems to develop (from 3x04 synopsis); I do still think that it’ll be on the doctor that Rob Heaps has been cast as but I kinda wish it would be some else. I am curious to see how the writers handle this moving forwards because Annie’s already done some pretty serious self-reflection in this episode and I really do think that whatever happens, she’s not just going to forget what Sadie said. I imagine it’s something she’ll struggle with this season.

Also, fuck Noah (I posted the exact same thing while watching the episode). He sucks.

That scene with the toothbrush had me hollering. I know some people hated it but I guffawed my way through it. For me, Mae really delivered on the hilarity in this episode, alongside Lucy. Her bickering with Ruby while she was trying to make a dumb point was sooo good.

Agent Turner

I know a lot of people hated Turner and are glad that his character’s gone. But god, I’m going to miss that obsessive, sanctimonious son of a bitch. I adored him as a character and James Lesure was absolutely fantastic. Also, can I just say that he was a total snack? Especially in that suit. Killer. I’m also kind of bitter than I won’t see some of my wishes come true this season, mainly seeing more scenes between Beth and Agent Turner and them having a drink together, even if they were still antagonists. We coulda had it aaaallllllll!!!!!!

I’m really, really going to feel James Lesure’s absence and I wish him well on his next project.

I love that the writers understood the importance of giving him a final scene with Beth. These two have been playing a cat and mouse game for two seasons and I needed a farewell to their relationship. His pop-by on Beth’s place of employment was really well done and Christina and James killed it, although they always do so why am I surprised. Him saying “It’s not easy making an honest living” really takes me back to the moral hypocrisy he displayed with Stan in season 2, stating that he did what he had to, to get to the letter of the law. Don’t get me wrong, I love complex, rich, fun characters like Turner and I really like that writers chose to display this facet of his character again, with him fully believing that he has the moral high ground over Beth.

Rio

Right. As soon as I saw Turner walking with that plastic bag in his hand, I knew he was going to see Rio! The planes! The planes! If he gives a plane to Marcus in the next episode, I will die. Happily.

Also, I was struck all over again by the way Rio moves, talks and his presence in that scene in the hotel room. Manny brings so much to the character and it’s really amazing to watch.

We got some really important insight into Rio’s character in this episode, one of which is that there have been significant periods where he has been absent from Marcus’ life, which is such a great piece of character insight. We saw Beth struggle to balance crime and family in season 2. We saw Rio attempt to comfort her and share his own experience in 2x09 (”It’s lonely at the top.”) and I really loved that this episode shed some light on the fact that Rio is like Beth in this aspect. That he struggles just like her and misses his kid. Retrospectively, it adds this kind of tragic depth to the first bar scene in 2x09.

That last scene. Ohohohohoho. So much to talk about. It seems pretty clear to me that Rio has a pretty solid alibi with how much he interacted with the lady in the hotel lobby. I love that, of all things, he wants to chat loyalty points and EXCUSE ME “NEAT”. I never thought I would hear that word come out of Rio’s mouth but here we are. And I’m into it. Also, the way his voice shifts when he says business. Oh boy oh boy.

So it seems pretty clear that Rio’s spent the past 4 months playing Turner, clearing the board for himself to come in (I think this is going to have repercussions which I love because we always see the consequences of the girls’ actions but rarely of Rio’s actions). I’m also really curious to find out if Carlos Aviles’ character was in the van and if he’ll say anything about it? Maybe to Beth or if we’ll see him and Rio interacting at some point this season.

The whole thing with the billboard was a great touch and really doubled down on how devious but also cocky Rio is. I really got the same vibe from the final scene of the The Usual Suspects, where Kyser Soze uses the items around him in the room to construct an elaborate, convincing lie for law enforcement. And they fall for it. Gosh, brilliant.

Also, loved Rio’s outfit in that last scene. And looks like there’s no nose ring either. I had a feeling there wouldn’t be, even with the video that dropped on Valentine’s day just because of that shot of Rio in the season 3 trailer, without a nose ring.

So that’s it! I have no clue where else to slot this in but Beth’s hair and clothes. A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++!!!!!!!!!! Like, her hair doesn’t really look like a wig anymore and those sweaters. THOSE WELL-FITTED BLOUSES. I could not stop staring. She’s a literal angel.

Also, quick warning that I’ll probably reblog and add stuff to this because I’ve definitely left some stuff off of this because I’m too tired to finish.

#nbc good girls #beth x rio #gg season 3 #elizabeth marks #annie marks #ruby hill #manny montana #reno wilson #stan hill #and every other character i'm too lazy to tag

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seksipomminpurkaja · 6 years

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oh just do all of them i'm not the one to pick

*cracks knuckles* one from each universe

1. Is most likely to go on a rant for an hour

Anze about the state of politics.

Trias about any conspiracy theory,

Jane, about anything really, she’s the talkative one of the mobsters

2. Starts or wants to rant but restrains themself

Ode, but she’s lived her whole life shutting up about everything.

Hazel, but he slips from time to time bc he has Opinions.

Annie, most of the time about Marcus but she has no one to blame

3. Is surprisingly articulate

Maya, lil girl has lots of thoughts and through learning from Lucas she can put them into comprehensive sentences.

You’d think from Harlei’s use of slang would stop her from being articulate, you’re wrong.

Pietro, having his challenge being mute but he’s not dumb and he thinks a lot about what he’s gonna say

4. Is surprisingly inarticulate

Vitany, the olde tongue stuck to her and now she speaks seemingly weirdly

Maz when they get excited, a job handling lot of people you’d think they could put out good grammar in vocal conversation but alas, they get excited their mouth doesn’t keep up with the thought process

Frans, he’s somewhat smooth talker, but some of that charm is when the lads and ladies have no fucking clue what he’s saying other than maybe cursing in french

5. Has no off-switch

Anze, if not looked after, he would work himself to death

Alia, same thing as with Anze. And hatred for cultists has no pause

Jonas, the ball of anxiety and self-hatred never sleeps

6. Doesn’t know when to quit when they’re ahead

Romir, came around to bite him in the ass few times, just when you think you’re invisible, some bigger guy shows up and beats you to pulp

Jack used to gamble a lot, made profit but also lost all of it. Think he’d learn from that, but then he found drugs and alcohol and hey, he’s still alive so why would he stop

Lola, it was that stubbornness that got her arm blown off

7. Argues they are right despite evidence to the contrary

Rene, ‘nuff said

Enrique has bit of that habit of not giving up on his views until the very end (he does give up at some point tho)

Sarah does it for a living

8. Freely admits they were wrong about something

Nayden, he’s the prime example of owing up to his mistakes, yes he was wrong about the elven demigod, and the mage, and sure he didn’t trust the army either (he was raised in a farm and to be suspicious about everything) but he made amends and grew quite fond of everyone mentioned

Tia, she’s stubborn and wants things to be done her way sometimes, but Harlei has the last word always, and sometimes it’s better that way, Tia apologizes for strongly opposing the captain sometimes

Penelope, the only time she’s been wrong tho was when Lola brought Pietro in and she insisted that he’s going to get them all killed. He turned out to be a great work partner

9. Plays innocent

Vilya, look, none of this chaos is her fault, some idiots just decided to summon her without fully understanding what will happen, it’s like throwing a slab of meat to a wyrm, what did you think was gonna happen summoning a trickster demon

Ihn, every chance he gets, look officer i have no idea what you’re talking about two murders right around the corner, me and my buds just arrived

Pietro, he refuses to acknowledge the two androids running around

10. Settles into a begrudging silence when outplayed

Amir, whiny commander goes into his hissyfit corner to think about what he’s not done

Sangre, he is Never outplayed HOw Dare you THink THAT

Jane, Sarah would just outright shoot the other person, but the gf if less triggerhappy and more ‘cold shoulder’ type o gal

11. Changes subjects when they start to lose a debate

Jalan, she doesn’t wanna continue into the losing territory so better put that sweet tongue to use and distract

Akiph, he has a history of getting into debates he doesn’t know half the facts and just as much he switches topics

Marcus, or just straight up flee

12. Is slow to anger

Nayden, he’s a teddy bear, why would you want to make him angry, who hurt you

Maz, it takes some serious work to get that roly poly boiling yet somehow quail and moran did it

Penelope, she’s mellow like that

13. Has a hot temper

Odelia, she’s small and angry and won’t be stomped over ever again

Alia is the princess of pissed off

Sarah, it’s her redeeming quality

14. Is known for their rudeness

Again Ode, she has a particular distaste of humans and the like, and whatever they’ve created (Lew is just so bad at this whole human thing he has a certain charm to him in her eyes)

Jade, you win million dollars if you catch her not being racist and shouting slurs or throwing knives at innocent people

David, another doctor with no bedside manners, he deal with the mob just ok, but others, nah.

15. Is often accidentally rude

Lucas, he’s brash and a man of few words, and it also takes a while to get used to all this weird shit happening and meeting lots of new people, there’s bound to be few hiccups for men like him

Harlei, some things just slip her brain to mouth filter

Ira or Sam, both are programmed weirdly don’t question it

16. Is very polite or mild mannered

Sharni, the brothel raised no foul-mouth, though she did commit an arson at one point. But she’s quiet and has good basic manners

Tobias, out of all the clinic he’s probably the most plain and ‘normal’ (also a true mvp, caught enrique fingering juno in the supply closet and said nothing)

Annie, her family is higher class so that might explain it

17. Is blunt or otherwise painfully honest

Nics, he has no time for bullshit when there’s arrows poking out of his friends’ backs

Roben, tells them how it is

Marcus, truly has a way with words even in serious situations

18. Likes to tease others playfully

Maya, bls let the child play

Tia

Lola!!

19. Is serious

Brianne, Anze, Nics, Lucas, the list goes on

Like half of them

Just Pietro and Penelope

20. Is questioning or nosey

Helga a little bit, just has that built in suburban mom kind of nosy

Trias, LET. HER. KNOW. THINGS

Marcus, sticking his nose everywhere it should not be (more than just metraphorically)

21. Is secretive

Yu-Wen, no one knows where she’s exactly from, probably from the north-west islands of the great sea? who are her people? when did she learn to sail and fight with two swords? no one knows

Kadiz at first, it might’ve been 20 years between escaping the lab and making contact with Quail, and even after that she kept herself secret and a mystery for everyone else than the strike team

Pietro, but just because he fucked up and doesn’t want anyone knowing he even exists

22. Does their best to seem tough or mysterious

Lew, he’s tough, don’t get me wrong, but he’s also a kind of show-off

Trias, but honestly she spills out a lot, so she’s on the very edge of mysterious, she’s that because no one knows what her motives are because it can’t be as simple as “hey why tf not”

No one, everyone’s a fucking flamboyant peacock showing off their best and worst and then there’s pietro, there’s not much to say about him

#i should not have done all three i'm so tired #and my brain is melting i have so many ocs #which is not even that many ocs #you can actually pinpoint the spot i lost my shit #(at 18)#took me 236 years but here it is #ocs #is-that-what-i-think-it-is

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abubakerchikhaliaphotography · 8 years

Text

Artist Analysis Comparison: David Bailey & Annie Leibovitz

Attitude: a settled way of thinking or feeling about something.

David Bailey

David Bailey is a British fashion and portrait photographer born in Leytonstone and raised in East Ham in East London. When he was young, Bailey found interest in natural history leading to his love for photography. Bailey suffered from undiagnosed dyslexia thus causing him to have problems in his school life. He left school at the age of fifteen and reportedly attended only 33 lessons in one academic year.

In 1959, Bailey became a photographic assistant at the John French studio and in 1960 he became a fashion photographer for British Vogue. Soon enough, Bailey became insanely successful - getting attention from then American Vogue Editor, Grace Coddington. Coddington was also a model and praised Bailey for him and his work saying, “It was the Sixties, it was a raving time, and Bailey was unbelievably good-looking. He was everything that you wanted him to be – like the Beatles but accessible – and when he went on the market everyone went in. We were all killing ourselves to be his model, although he hooked up with Jean Shrimpton pretty quickly.”

Bailey once said, “It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter, because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the ordinary.”

Since Bailey’s work was focused mainly on fashion photography, he has multiple images of famous models such as Kate Moss. In 2013 for Vogue Paris, Bailey was the photographer for her appearance in the magazine. In this picture, it is unclear whether or not Moss is wearing makeup thus leading the viewer to believe that she is naturally this beautiful. Most of Bailey’s work is in black and white which compels the photos to look smooth evening out Moss’ complexion. Moss has very prominent facial features such as her widely spaced eyes and prominent cheekbones. Moss looks directly down at the camera with a blank stare, almost as though she was looking over her shoulder and captured without her knowing. Furthermore, her hair which has been styled with tight curls makes her face look smaller but also exaggerates her strong features. Moss’ look on her face almost replicates the ‘Heroin Chic’ trend that grew in the 90’s with her angular facial structure and dark circles under her eyes. Bailey effortlessly captures Moss’ portrayal of attitude.

Who is the stylist? Geraldine Saglio is a French stylist based in Paris. After finishing her studies at Esmod Paris, Geraldine began her career as Emmanuel Alt‘s assistant for Vogue Paris. In 2009, she became Fashion Editor for the magazine. Since then, Geraldine has built a reputation to collaborate with numerous companies : Dior, Louis Vuitton, Hermès and Mango.

Which photographers has this stylist worked with before? Saglio has also worked with Mario Testino, Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott who have worked for Versace.

Who do you consider to be the most important person in the creation of this image – the stylist or the photographer? In my opinion, I feel as though both the photographer and the stylist play equal roles in producing the perfect image. In this case, the stylist did have an agenda to present Kate Moss as almost ‘royalty’ in the fashion industry. Bailey, as a photographer, has a job to capture the natural that Moss already

“Models are casted carefully and I gladly take in the crew’s opinions as well. For beauty especially, it is important to have the makeup artist be inspired by the model’s features as well.” – Jamie Nelson

Jamie Nelson is a contemporary fashion and beauty photographer who discovered her passion for photography at the age of seventeen. She moved to California to attend Brooks Institute of Photography where she graduated and moved to New York City to become a fashion and beauty photographer. Her work can be found in magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, Allure, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar and many more. Her commercial collaborations range from Maybelline to Sony - working with celebrities such as Solange Knowles and Gwen Stefani. In addition to this, she has directed videos for Vogue Portugal and Vogue Taiwan. Her global success has allowed her to be represented in places like New York City, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Germany and Dubai.

I personally agree with Nelson because when it comes to photoshoots, everyone has a role in order to allow the photographer to capture the perfect shot. For example, the hair/make-up artist has a responsibility to create the perfect look for the purpose of the shoot as well as the model. The stylist has the job to create a story/message in the look for instance establishing a purpose for the shoot. The photographer has a role of taking advantage of angles and manipulating lighting in order to encapsulate the message the behind the photo through the model.

In my opinion, if I was the photographer for a photoshoot, it would have to have intense preparation and planning. I would have to find the right hair/makeup artists, creative stylist and perfect location to shoot. I would find some inspiration on how makeup on a model should be done and always keep in mind the purpose of the shoot. The styling of the model would have to reflect the theme of the photoshoot. David Bailey is a visionary keen on the ideals of beauty and the concepts of it. His way of thinking is similar to that of Nelson’s in the way that they believe that a photo shoot is a collaborative effort between all the cast and crew.

I think that the image has been subtly edited, only enough to remove any imperfections such as wrinkles or spots. This wouldn’t have a large impact on the viewer of this image but it may set unrealistic body standards for the viewer of this image.

Personally, I like this photo because of how simple yet effective it is. The image is simply of Kate Moss looking into the camera with a blank face with her makeup looking very natural but her hair being an important factor of the image. It reminds me that as a photographer, it is sometimes better for the photo to not be so complicated but instead just capture a simple photo that is still effective. As humans, we tend to overthink things therefore it is better to just take a look at the more effective parts of simple things.

Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz is an American portrait photographer born on October 2nd 1949 in Connecticut in the U.S. She is the first woman to have held an exhibition in the National Portrait Gallery in London. She photographed John Lennon on the day that he was assassinated by Mark David Chapman in 1980. Her career began when she started working for Rolling Stone magazine as a staff photographer. In 1973, she was promoted to chief photographer of Rolling Stone, a job she would have for ten years. For the decade that she worked for the company, she started the company’s trend of taking intimate photos of celebrities for the covers. Furthermore, she became aware of more magazines that she could work for, even if it was just to build her portfolio. Leibovitz said that she takes interest in people who "open their hearts and souls and lives to you." Photographers such as Robert Frank and Henri Cartier-Bresson influenced her during her enrolment at the San Francisco Art Institute. Leibovitz said that “their style of personal reportage‍—‌taken in a graphic way‍—‌was what we were taught to emulate." Portraits by photographer Richard Avedon are described as a powerful and important example in her life.

The black and white picture of actress and activist Angelina Jolie is strong because of its simplicity yet effectivity. Angelina Jolie doesn’t have any noticeable flaws therefore it may be considered that she is naturally beautiful. The dominant colour is black which in my opinion symbolises mystery and also strength, power and provocation. The picture is smooth in the way that Leibovitz has opted to go for a monochrome look thus compelling colours to flow and blend. Jolie has striking features such as her high-arched eyebrows, big and wide-set eyes, prominent cheekbones and her large lips. The lighting in the picture contours her cheeks which makes her face look very structured. Jolie looks into the camera with her head resting on her hand which accentuates the strength of the photo along with the symmetry of her face. The image’s strength is almost intimidating because it is very rapturing. Furthermore, it makes Jolie look effortlessly regal even though it very simple.

I think this photo has been very slightly edited. I think the only aspects of this photo that have been edited are the monochromatic look and it may be airbrushed. I don’t think it would have a large impact on the viewer because Jolie is notorious for her natural beauty.

In my opinion, I think the style of photography combined with Leibovitz’s creative approach is very inspiring. She said in an interview “You to have trust in what you think. If you splinter yourself and try to please everyone, you can’t. It’s important to stay the course. I don’t think I would have lasted this long if I’d listened to anyone. You have to listen somewhat and then put that to the side and know that what you do matters.” This is very important to me and I think a lot of aspiring photographers should take on this advice. When starting out on photography, we often tend to think that a picture has to be perfect with complicated editing, expensive/high end cameras and an editorial set up. However, perfecting a photo shouldn’t be difficult, nor should it be overthought. A perfect photo is captured when the photographer’s vision is encapsulated and their passion overcomes them, thus leading to perfection. Sometimes, pictures can be ruined if the photographer overcomplicates the image and does not leave it alone.

Comparison

Describe the subject of both photographs.

In Bailey’s photo, it is a picture of Kate Moss in black and white with tight curls in her hair and a blank look on her face. For Leibovitz, it is a picture of Angelina Jolie staring into the camera with some curiosity expressed by the look on her face and how her head rests on her hand.

Describe the colours captured within both photographs.

Both pictures are monochrome however I feel as though the lack of colour allows the viewer of the image to focus mainly on the subject on the photo and does not create a bias.

Are the colours symbolic or anything or do you associate the colours with anything specific?

I feel as though the black background and black sweater that Jolie is wearing in Leibovitz’s photo evokes mystery but also strength, power and provocation. In Bailey’s photo, the black and white is less intense thus exposing more aspects of the photo to the viewer e.g. Moss’ dress, her hair etc.

How do you feel when you look at each photograph? What is your initial response/ feeling toward the 2 photographs? What do the photographs remind you of? Explain your answer in details

I feel as though both pictures were taken to capture the beauty and power of both women. For example, the camera is angled lower from Moss’ face in Bailey’s photo almost as though she is looking down on us - possibly to make the viewer feel intimidated. In Leibovitz’s photo, it is not done so much with angles, but instead the unbalance of colour. With the only visible part of the picture is Jolie’s face, it evokes a sense of significance and how she is important in the media. The longer you look at the photo, the more you are enraptured by her beauty and the eye contact that Jolie makes with the camera is enticing yet daunting as her face emerges from the dark background.

Describe which photograph you think is most effective and state why

For a fashion shoot, Bailey’s picture is a lot more effective in the way that he displays the stylist’s vision, the makeup artist’s look and the hair stylist’s idea. It is also a very simple yet hard-hitting photo of Moss as it does not have any complicated editing or styling.

Explain, in detail, how you plan to make links to the photographer’s work in your own work.

For my work, I would like to present my theme through simple ways: the diversity of adolescence. I want the photos to evoke a reaction from the viewer and almost have them question its purpose but also have them think about what the theme could be.

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darriness · 4 years

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Klaine Fic - You’ll Always Be The Home - Chapter 2

Author: darriness

Fic Summary: Everything is finally settled in Kurt and Blaine’s life…right?

Rating: T

Link to: Prologue - Chapter 1

Chapter Word Count: 3389

Chapter Summary: Decisions and news

Author’s Note: I’m the worst at summaries. Don’t even bother reading them. Just read the chapter lol Also, it was brought to my attention that there may have been confusion with the chapters for this fic. Just note that there is a prologue before chapter 1. So TECHNICALLY this is the third chapter but it’s chapter 2 because of the prologue. I’ll stop rambling. Thanks to my beta @darrenismydarcy and enjoy!

AO3 Link

“Do we ever have to leave our honeymoon?” Blaine asks four days later as he kneels on the bed where Kurt has been lounging with a book for the past hour.

Kurt looks up from his book, lazily, and his breath catches at Blaine’s appearance. They haven’t really worn anything more than swim trunks and tank tops since they arrived in Fiji three days ago but right now Blaine is only in low hanging shorts and his golden skin and easy smile take Kurt’s breath away.

Blaine smirks at Kurt’s expression before moving forward on his knees toward his husband, “See something you like?” He asks.

Kurt swallows, “You are unfairly attractive right now.”

Blaine chuckles as he puts his hands on either side of Kurt’s shoulders and leans in to press a slow, warm kiss to his lips. He hums when he pulls back, “Just right now?”

Kurt chuckles as he rolls his eyes, “Stop fishing for compliments.”

Blaine smirks again and shrugs before sitting down on his hip and leaning on his hand that he rests on the other side of Kurt’s hips, “You didn’t answer my first question.”

Kurt closes his book and puts it on the nightstand before putting his hands behind his head and giving Blaine his full attention, “To answer your question, yes, we eventually have to leave our honeymoon.” Blaine pouts and Kurt laughs, “We have jobs to get back to, and a Bethany to think about for starters.” Kurt reminds.

Blaine waves a hand, “Bethany’s practically an adult.” He says.

Kurt laughs, “I know sixteen-year-olds THINK they’re adults but...she’s not done needing you by a long shot.”

“Needing us.” Blaine says and Kurt shrugs, conceding the point even though he knows he’ll never have what Blaine and Bethany have and that’s okay.

“What are you going to do with yourself when Annie’s off at college?” Kurt asks, curiously.

Blaine pouts his lips thoughtfully, “Probably cry for a while.” He says and it’s Kurt’s turn to pout, sadly, up at him before Blaine shrugs, “But then, I don’t know, I figured you and I would have a little one of our own?”

He asks the question almost hesitantly. They’ve talked about kids, and both want at least one together, but it’s always been hypothetical. Both of them had been content with raising Bethany.

“You wouldn’t...want a break for a while?” Kurt asks, running a hand up the arm Blaine is bracing himself on, “You’ve been raising another human since you were fifteen. I would have more kids with you tomorrow but is that what you want? Would you rather we wait and just be us for a while?”

Blaine sighs and shifts slightly. Kurt wonders if he’s made Blaine uncomfortable and hates that he’s ruined their relaxed Fiji honeymoon vibe.

Eventually, Blaine looks up at Kurt through his lashes, “I can’t think of anything better than raising a child with you.”

Kurt beams at him and leans up to press his lips to Blaine’s. Blaine joins the kiss easily and they lazily make out on the bed with the afternoon sun shining in through the floor to ceiling glass doors of their room. They’ve had more sex over the last three days then any other three day period in their entire relationship, but there is something cementing and gratifying about this moment in a none sexual way.

“We’ll have to talk to Bethany.” Kurt whispers when they finally pull apart.

“Not it.” Blaine whispers back before moving back to press his lips against Kurt’s. They’re both laughing this time, though, so it’s more a meeting of teeth than lips but neither care.

“Wanna go for a swim?” Kurt asks when they pull away for a second time.

Blaine hums, thoughtfully, “Only if you can keep your hands to yourself while we do it. We’re going to end up arrested one of these days.”

Kurt rolls his eyes without any heat, “Please. One, you’re just as handsy. Two, it’s a resort in Fiji - we won’t be the only handsy ones. And three, you are my husband, I can be as handsy as I damn well please.”

Blaine smirks, “Yes sir.”

Kurt quirks an eyebrow, “Ooooh I like the sound of that.”

Blaine throws his head back and laughs and Kurt smiles.

“Come on,” Blaine says when he’s calm, flicking his head toward the beach outside their room, “let’s go swimming. And if we get arrested, there will be punishment.”

It’s Kurt’s turn to smirk, “Yes sir.” He repeats.

-- -- --

It’s two weeks since their honeymoon and Blaine and Kurt still giggle every time they look at each other or catch sight of their rings. There is an overabundance of giggling in the house which usually causes Bethany to roll her eyes even as she smiles at the pair and their ridiculousness.

Tonight, Bethany is staying at a friend's house and Blaine sits, almost vibrating, on the couch as he tries to read a book and wait for Kurt to get home from the grocery store.

They’re going to have a date night.

A slightly silly concept considering they are married but, seeing as they live with a 16-year-old, nights by themselves are few and far between so they take advantage of them when they come along. They’re going full out; dinner, candles, a movie, groping during said movie, and sex. Lots and lots of sex.

Kurt grunts his way through the front door and Blaine leaps up from the couch, tossing his unread book onto the cushions, “Here. Let me grab some of those.” He says, taking a few of the bags from Kurt’s hand, “Did you bring them all up on the first go?”

“Of course I did. Gives me a workout.” Kurt snarks.

Blaine laughs as they make their way into the kitchen, “Some might say going down and back up the stairs a second time is equally a workout.”

Kurt levels him with a look that would be bitchy if they weren’t so ridiculously in love that anger isn’t a thing they do nowadays (they’re both sure fighting will return...they’re just enjoying the lack thereof), “Yeah, well, considering what our night holds I don’t think I needed to workout at ALL before hand.”

Blaine smirks, “Touché.” He says as there is a knock at the door.

They both turn in its direction with identical curious expressions. They aren’t expecting anyone. That had kind of been the whole point of the evening.

“Maybe I dropped something and a neighbour is dropping it by?” Kurt wonders, almost to himself, as he riffles through the bags to check.

Blaine shrugs and figures there is only one way to find out. He walks over to the door, laughing when Kurt calls out ‘You better not offer sexual favours for the return of produce!’

He’s still laughing when he pulls the door open but his laugh is cut off abruptly when his eyes land on the figure on the other side. He and the person on the other side of the door stare at each other, neither speaking, for what feels like hours.

They are silent and starring long enough for Kurt to come out of the kitchen anyway, “What did I drop?” He asks but goes quiet when he comes to stand next to Blaine. Whether it’s the general vibe of the moment or the fact that the person on the other side of the door isn’t someone Kurt has ever seen before, Blaine’s not sure. But right now, Blaine isn’t sure of anything.

“Dad.” He chokes out and his throat feels raw and scratchy. The name coming out like sandpaper against his vocal chords. It’s not a word he’s used in many years, and a word he never thought he’d use again to the man in front of him.

Marcus Anderson shifts almost awkwardly. Everything about him in this moment seems awkward in Blaine’s opinion, and it’s so different to the mental memory Blaine has of his father. Marcus Anderson is a commanding presence, usually. He’s not an overly tall man (a little under 5’11”) but his general presence seems to make even taller men shrink in comparison.

Now, he stands in a three piece suit (which seems wholly out of place in the basic but neat hallway outside Kurt and Blaine’s apartment), shifting from one foot to the other and adjusting his lapel and cuffs almost reflexively. Blaine can’t help but remember his own actions on the day of his wedding and he swallows hard, trying to rid himself of the mental connection. He wants to be nothing like his father.

“Are you going to let me in?” Marcus asks finally and it’s then that Blaine realizes he and Kurt have just been staring.

Blaine turns to Kurt, whose face has morphed from the happy relaxed expression from the kitchen into a scowl with blazing eyes, and clears his throat, “Um, yeah, sure. Come in.” He says, backing up and opening the door further.

Marcus steps between the pair and clears his throat as he passes Kurt. Kurt tracks the older man as he makes his way into the living room and stands just in front of the coffee table.

“Did I catch you in the middle of something?” Marcus asks.

“What do you want, Dad?” Blaine asks instead of answering. He silently curses himself for not sounding stronger. He had wanted that to come out angrily but instead it comes out almost resigned.

Marcus clears his throat and nods down at the carpet, “Is your... sister here?”

“No.” Blaine answers, simply.

Marcus nods again, his eyes moving around the room without really landing on anything, “I have news. For her.”

Blaine’s eyes narrow. What could that possible mean? Neither Blaine or Bethany have had contact with their parents in seven years, what possible news could their father have for Bethany, and not him, that he felt he couldn’t impart over the phone or email or, Blaine figures, not at all.

“Evelyn is dead.” Marcus says simply, finally meeting Blaine’s eyes.

Blaine instantly feels like he’s been punched in the chest. He stares back at his dad but his eyes aren’t really seeing. He’s finding it hard to breathe and hard to swallow. Out of his peripheral vision, he becomes aware of Kurt looking back and forth between Blaine and his father.

“Who’s Evelyn?” Kurt asks, anger seemingly forgotten for the moment as curiosity takes its place.

Marcus breaks eye contact with Blaine only to sneer in Kurt’s direction and it’s that action that shakes Blaine awake, “Get out.” Blaine whispers over the lump in his throat.

Marcus’ eyes snap back to Blaine, widen, and then narrow, “That is a very rude way to treat a guest, Blaine. I thought I had taught you better.”

“You taught me nothing.” Blaine spits, “Now, get out.”

Marcus’ narrow eyes regard Blaine for a moment longer before clearing his throat once more, straightening his suit jacket once more and nodding, “Bethany is welcome at the funeral.” is the last thing he says before marching out of the apartment. Blaine doesn’t miss that he waited long enough to make it seem like it was HIS idea and not Blaine’s.

The door closes audibly behind his father and it’s the only indication Blaine gets that he actually leaves because he’s still staring at the spot where he was just standing. When he hears the click (his father is too prim and proper for something as ‘low class’ as a slam) he blinks for the first time in what feels like forever. Why can’t he remember the last time he blinked? Why are his eyes so dry?

He becomes aware of Kurt next to him when the other man clears his throat, “Ummm, what’s going on? Who is Evelyn? What the fuck just happened?”

Blaine runs a shaky hand down his face and pulls his bottom lip out slightly as he removes it, staring off into the middle distance, “Evelyn is our mother.”

-- -- --

Kurt’s not entirely sure how to act.

He’s been trying to take his cue from Blaine but trying to figure out what Blaine needs from him without outright asking (he’d tried and gotten a strange ‘What kind of question is that?’ non-answer in return).

Blaine seemed last night to want to forget his father had even visited. He had clapped his hands together after a moment of silence and declared that the groceries weren’t going to put themselves away. He’s been speaking mostly in cliches ever since.

They’d gone to bed right after dinner and while Kurt had understood the night they had planned wasn’t really an option anymore, he had mourned it a little. He’d mourned it a little more when he’d spooned up behind Blaine in bed and gotten a ‘I’ve got a headache’ cliche in return. He wasn’t sure if that just meant no sex (which isn’t what he had been aiming for anyway) or no cuddling but when Blaine had shrugged his shoulder slightly, Kurt had taken the hint and rolled away. He’d fell into a fitful sleep only after he knew Blaine had done the same a few hours later.

Now, the morning sun is shining through their small kitchen window and the pair is sitting at the kitchen table with mugs of coffee in front of them. They haven’t really spoken since waking up almost a half hour ago, but Bethany should be getting dropped back home any time now and Kurt’s still not sure how they are going to tell her.

He coughs and Blaine looks over at him with a curious expression, “Have you...thought about how you’re going to tell Bethany?”

Blaine pouts thoughtfully before shrugging, “Best just to rip the bandaid off, I guess.”

Kurt’s nerves bristle at the cliche. He wants to shake Blaine and ask him what the hell the cliches are for and why he’s acting so strange but he also doesn’t want to make Blaine mad at him - a fight isn’t what he wants or thinks Blaine needs right now.

He takes a deep breath and lets it out as Blaine continues to look at him curiously, passively. Kurt licks his lips and tries again, “Did you...want to tell her by yourself? I can...make myself scarce.” He gestures out of the kitchen as if his meaning isn’t clear.

Something flashes in Blaine’s eyes for the first time since his father’s visit the night before. He reaches across the table and grabs Kurt’s wrist, locking eyes with him and his eyes look pained, “Please stay.” He says.

Kurt nods repeatedly, “I will. I will.” He reassures.

Blaine mirrors his nods before pulling his hand back. He nods continuously, almost to himself, before his eyes settle back into the passive stare they held before.

The sound of a key in the front door grabs their attention and they both turn in its direction to hear the door open and Bethany enter, “Hey guys!” She calls with an obvious smile in her voice, “I don’t care how late you stayed up last night - I want waffles! Let’s go get breakfast!”

They don’t answer her, and a few seconds later she all but bounces into the kitchen and smiles wider when she sees them at the table. She’s wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt with her hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun. She’s slightly out of breath, almost like she ran up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, but her smile is so bright and her vibe is relaxed...until she catches the vibe of the kitchen.

She stops with a hand on the door jam and looks back and forth between Kurt and Blaine with a furrowed brow, “What’s going on?” She asks.

Kurt looks at Blaine, who is staring at his coffee. There is one thing Kurt knows for sure in this moment: no matter what he’d do to help Blaine, and Bethany, through this, telling Bethany himself is not something he’s going to do. This news shouldn’t come from him.

He coughs and it seems to shake Blaine out of his thoughts. The other man looks up and gives Bethany a pained smile that fools no one, “Have a seat, Annie.” He whispers.

Bethany follows the instruction cautiously, lowering herself into the seat she usually occupies at the table and continuing to look back and forth between them. She laughs awkwardly after another beat of silence, “What? Did someone die?” She asks.

Kurt can tell she means it as a joke but when he looks over at Blaine, who winces slightly, in the ensuing silence Bethany puts her hands flat on the table, “Burt?” She asks, her voice taking on a panicked note.

Kurt does feel like that’s a question for him to answer. He reaches across the table, quickly, and lays a hand on Bethany’s arm, “Burt is fine.” He says and for good measure he adds, “Carole and Finn are fine, too.” He sort of loves that his family is Blaine and Bethany’s family, too, and even though his heart is hurting and confused, it also swells at her concern.

She nods and looks back and forth between Kurt and her silent brother, “Then who? Or what? You haven’t said no one died. Did someone die?”

“Mom did.” Blaine whispers suddenly and the room goes silent again.

Kurt’s still got his hand on Bethany’s and he squeezes it slightly as he waits for her to react. She’s looking at Blaine with wide eyes. Kurt’s not sure how he thought she would react, hell he STILL isn’t sure how Blaine is reacting, but he knows he wants to be there to help with whatever it is.

Bethany blinks a few times, “How?” She finally stutters out.

Blaine adopts a thoughtful expression, “I...don’t actually know how she died.” He whispers.

Bethany shakes her head, “No.” She says, “I mean, how do you know?”

Blaine looks at Kurt, briefly, before turning back to Bethany. Kurt wonders in that moment if Blaine is going to lie about how he came to know this information, “Dad, uh, came here last night.”

Bethany swallows thickly and nods but doesn’t say anything. She turns her eyes to look at the table in front of her. They’re slightly wide but otherwise dry. Kurt’s not sure why he was expecting tears.

“Bethany?” Kurt says after another moment of silence. So much silence. She looks up at him with a surprised expression, like she forgot he was there, “Are you...okay? Do you...need anything?” He tries asking her what he asked Blaine the night before, hoping she’ll be more receptive.

She blinks and then coughs slightly before looking at Blaine, “Is there a funeral?”

“On Sunday morning.” Blaine reports, “Dad said you were welcome to go if you want.”

Bethany’s brows furrow, “If I…” She stops and shakes her head before starting again, “I think we should go.” She says with a decisive nod.

Kurt and Blaine turn to each other for a moment before turning back to Bethany, “Ummm, Bethany…” Kurt starts.

“Dad said YOU were invited. Not me.” Blaine clarifies.

Bethany’s brows furrow even further and she shakes her head, “That’s bullshit!” She explodes. Neither Kurt or Blaine reprimand her for her language, “Now I want all three of us to go even more.” She smirks, “It’ll be the perfect send off - piss her off one more time.”

Kurt’s eyes widen in surprise at her declaration before he turns to look at Blaine, gauging his reaction. To his surprise, Blaine actually laughs slightly, shaking his head and bringing a hand up to his mouth.

“I should have known that would be your reaction.” Blaine says, almost to himself.

Bethany amazes Kurt (and Blaine) on an almost daily basis, she truly is an amazing young woman, but her reaction brings Kurt back to that night seven years ago when he first learned about the night Blaine and Bethany’s parents abandoned their two children. Bethany, seven at the time, had stood up to their father on her big brother’s behalf, going so far as to punch their father in the stomach to keep him away from Blaine.

Bethany winks with a smile, “I’ve always got your back, big brother.”

#klaine #klaine fanfiction #klaine fanfic #my loves #my stuff #you'll always be the home

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bourbon-ontherocks · 4 years

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(Previously, on GG rewatch...)

So I think this might be my favourite episode of all Season 3? Before Beth becomes entirely unsufferable and the plot goes South...

No. Not the G-Wagon. Rio's supposed to be TASTEFUL.

God, who stares at their rearview mirror like that???? Rio is a dramatic bitch and I'm here for it.

Mirrors. Idiots eyefucking their own reflection. A dark and romantic soundtrack. This is Brio in a nutshell, guys. Also. Not even the first time I watched this episode did I believe for one second that Beth and Rio would meet in that scene. This is just such obvious GG fanbaiting...

The Boland dynasty???? Ugh, someone holds my hair while I throw up....

Can we all agree that Marcus does NOT look interested in the airplane at all??

Greg's hairstyle this season is... no, I won't talk about it. It's awful.

BEN!!! <3 <3 Also Mae's acting in that scene is amazing. I don't understand at all the appeal of Annie x Nancy though.

So, Annie is both club valet and gas station manager, Ruby works at a nail salon, and Beth at a card shop, and somehow they seem even more broke than in season 1??? Why?? Aren’t these jobs better?

Excuse me, Judith IRONS DEAN'S UNDERWEAR????? *Retches*

"What would he do?" said the terrifying mini-Rio back in action.

So, um, on the same day, more or less, Beth learns that Turner's dead AND Marcus didn't come to soccer??? And it doesn't ring ANY alarm bell????

Oh hi Gayle, a character I give absolutely zero shit about and had actually completely forgotten...

Gosh, is this show just a waste of excellent actors chemistry?? Like Mae and whoever plays Dr. Cohen really work well together, why did they have to ruin it with such an awful storyline??

Honestly, Dean's thorough dedication to squinting at every spicy detail on a graphic calve tattoo says a lot...

There really are too many French songs in this show. Like seriously, one once in a while is okay, but this is getting ridiculous.

So it's probably the fourth time I'm watching this episode, I still don't understand what is that sort of big sausage Annie shreds to pieces and puts in the oven. It is sweet? Savory? Apparently it can be eaten cold too since she eats a piece while she cuts it. What is it???

The mirorring dinner scenes with Beth and Judith's power struggle are a masterpiece and honestly one of my favourite moment in the ENTIRE season. Also. If my hypothetical husband introduced a quite impactful new religious ritual on our kids because "I thought that would be fun" without asking for my opinion first, I think I'd probably rip his balls off. Dean's relationship with his mother is fascinatingly problematic, and I don't understand how Beth keeps defending him all season after THAT.

I'm not sure I get Judith's point, though. On one hand she seems to sympathize with Beth's housewife frustration, and on the other hand she purposefully doesn't make her life easier. Is she jealous that Beth is having what she couldn't have?

Honestly I'd get mad too if ANYONE reorganized my pantry. It's like, ultimately disrespectful.

Is there a secret code in the world of gangbangers that says that everytime you see a picnic table you gotta sit over it??? Is that a thing? That being said, I really like Beth's western-inspired confrontation with Gil. Rio would be so proud!!

Beth, locking the door and then resting against its GLASS panel makes no sense. If the guy's gonna pull out a gun, you're dead anyway.

Oh, so last week it was croissants and now it's casserole?? Why is this show obsessed with French?

"I killed a frog in science," Kenny said with a smug smile. God, I hate this child.

I absolutely ADORE Beth's face when she tells Judith "We coulnd't have done it without you" while her smile clearly says "I WON, NOW GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, BITCH!!!!"

"SHE AIN'T COMIN'"!!!!!!!!!! FAVOURITE DRAMATIC RIO ENTRANCE OF ALL TIMES!!!!!! Also, love the ringing in Beth's ears

Bonus: Lovebirds. A reunion

#gg rewatch #Not just cards #look at how he stares down at her with such awe in his eyes #in another universe you'd think he's about to kiss her hello #ugh I miss them so much #YES I KNOW IT PROBS WON'T HAPPEN BUT LET ME KEEP MY SHIPPER GOOGLES ON OKAY????#we're all clowns in this house #nbc good girls

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elixir448 · 5 years

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Good Girls 3x02 Thoughts

The Opening Scene

I think we all knew that Rio was knocking on Rhea’s door, rather than Beth’s. Even so, this opening scene was a gift. Of course, it is meant to mislead the audience into thinking that we are going to see Beth and Rio come face to face for the first time since she shot him but there’s so much more to talk about!

First of all, this season is really setting up Beth and Rio’s relationship as the major driver of the plot and, arguably, this has always been the case. The show is definitely about the girls but Beth and Rio’s relationship (both personal and professional) pushes the story forward. In my opinion, it’s second only to the girls’ changing motivations for being in crime, in terms of plot progression. Manny referred to Beth as Rio’s “archnemesis” in a recent interview and I know a lot of people disagree with this and think it’s funny. While I think the terminology is perhaps a bit off, I think the idea is there and what I love about it is that Beth and Rio’s relationship is so difficult to define, which I touched upon in my 3x01 thoughts post, and it’s impossible to encompass what they are to each other with one word. They have been so many things at so many different times and, gosh, now they have history. A painful, spiteful, kind of tragic, extremely messy history. I love that this season seems to be gearing these two up for what looks like a major confrontation at some point. I can really see things exploding between them later in the season, on a level beyond the alley scene in 2x07.

I’m digressing but the point is that this scene really sets them up as antagonists again, which they have been on and off for the past two seasons. In fact, I’d argue that the term never really departed from their relationship at all and it looks like we’ll be going back to the facade of one-dimensional antagonism for a little while but with the weight of the history they now share, it seems unlikely that they’ll be fooling anyone.

I think it was @foxmagpie who pointed out that Beth is staring into the mirror that Rio smashed in her fantasy in 2x05 and I practically had a stroke when I read that. The way the scene is set up, with Beth and Rio both looking in mirrors is so symbolic of their relationship and what they are to each other. While I would hesitate to call them mirror images, I certainly think that Beth and Rio are similar in the fundamental ways that shape a person but they are so different in others, particularly in the ways that they occupy the worlds that they live in and the lives they have lived.

While Beth is staring in the mirror, we hear Dean say “well, how much did you get for it?!” and it’s quite startling and almost intrusive. Beth and Rio aren’t even in the same room but they’re basically having a moment. And of course Dean has to intrude. Even though Dean is Beth’s husband and despite everything he did in season 2 to keep her, it really represents to me that Dean has been the outsider ever since Beth and Rio met. And, despite Dean’s belief that Rio has been forcing his way into Beth’s life, the reality is that he is the one who has been intruding into their relationship.

Rio has a new car! It’s a G-wagon, it’s loud and kind of pretentious. I do miss the Cadillac but I love that his new car lines up so well with how he’s been this season, which is loud! He had Agent Turner and several other FBI agents killed in the first episode alone. If that’s not loud, I don’t know what is.

Marcus and Rio’s reunion was the sweetest thing ever. I thought my heart was going to explode and release like a ton of rainbows and sunshine and unicorns. The way that Rio held Marcus really said everything about how much he missed his son. Rhea seemed a little ticked off about his sudden reappearance but happy and accepting overall, which really just adds to what we have already learned about the breakdown of their relationship and Rio’s presence in Marcus’ life. I know I said it last week but I have to say it again. I love how much this detail further humanizes Rio, beyond what the introduction of Marcus in 2x01 achieved. He’s not infallible and he has his own, very personal, flaws that affect his family. Just like Beth.

I’ve been seeing a lot of speculation that Rhea knows more than she has been letting on to Beth. Again, I don’t think that’s true. I think Rhea really just saw her relationship with Beth as a genuine friendship and I don’t think she knows anything else. Towards the end of the episode, Beth of course speaks to Rhea and I think that once Rio realised who Rhea’s soccer mum friend was, he filled Rhea in enough for her to realise that Beth intentionally sought her out and cultivated a friendship. This could mean that he told her everything but I doubt that very much. I think he probably told her just enough for Rhea to feel a great deal of hurt over Beth’s actions.

I am a little disappointed that we never got to see the scene where Rio clocks on to the fact that it’s Beth that Rhea is talking about. We’ve been robbed! But honestly I loved the episode so much that it’s fine I guess.

Annie, Sadie, Gregg and Nancy

I really love, love, loved the writers including how difficult transitioning can be because of people around you not keeping up, even if they are fully accepting. I’m not surprised though because the writers have handled Ben’s arc so well.

As for Gregg and Nancy attending couples therapy, I’m not exactly surprised. I do wish that they had parted ways but I do recognise that it’s such a difficult situation to handle with a newborn baby and I do appreciate the realism of it. I personally grew up with a mum who put up with way too much and lived a life that she was way above but she didn’t walk away because of me and my brother. I also see what people mean when they talk about wanting to see Beth take control and walk away from Dean for good because staying together for the sake of the kids is overrated, and I also see how this relates to wanting Nancy to walk away from Gregg. Believe me, I really want to see Beth and Dean part ways, with regards to their marriage. But I also really empathise with the situations Beth and Nancy are both in, for different reasons. Nancy can, of course, financially support herself and her child but Dakota is a newborn baby and I can see why parting ways with Gregg at such a time would be so difficult when they both want to raise their child and be around at all times as he grows up. For Beth, it’s really about financial security and stability and it’s so interesting to me that she continues to chase this with Dean, as he clearly has sunk the family business multiple times before (as discussed by Beth and Annie in 2x04). I think it’s become a bit of a habit at this point, which I am keen to see broken this season!

As for Annie attending therapy. I love it! I think Annie’s at the beginning of a really interesting, introspective path this season and we really saw it doubled down in this episode, with her being called out by Ben once again and comparing her life to a major road traffic accident. I really hope the writers continue with these random introspective moments for Annie, sinceI’m really enjoying them. Her scene with the kid prior to the therapy appointment was A+++, so funny! I wonder if that kid is going to turn up again, especially since he was in quite a few bts pics during hiatus. He’s such an amazing little actor too!

I’m really interested in seeing where her arc goes. We know that she develops an inappropriate crush in 3x04 and I think we all think it’ll be on her therapist; if this is the case, I’m really curious to see whether her therapist finds out and if he reciprocates because it would be incredibly unprofessional and unethical if he pursued something with his own patient.

Also, Annie is the manager! I straight up hollered during that scene. Mae’s line delivery continues to be hilarious and totally spot-on.

(Side-note here but I love that Beth was drinking a slushie again and that she answers the phone call from Ruby with “hey lady.”)

Judith, Beth and Dean

I really loved Judith and Beth’s scenes in this episode and the depiction of the archetypal mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship. I particularly loved how it emphasised that Dean cannot defend Beth at all; not once in the entire flipping episode did he say a word to help her.

Throughout the episode, we see that Judith is a lot like Dean when it comes to Beth. They don’t listen to her and they don’t see her. Beth had to repeatedly explain that her workplace sells “not just cards” and this is strikingly similar to Dean’s blatant disregard for Beth’s opinions and thoughts.

I think the writers and Jessica Walter did a fantastic job of capturing the complexity of a character like Judith. I’m quite passionate about this kind of thing because I grew up in a family where it was commonplace to see a sort of bitterness develop in women who had suffered a lifetime of simultaneous oppression and complete disregard from men and who had, as a result, developed a kind of internalised misogyny. More so, I love that the writers portray Judith as a character who is very much aware of this bitterness and yet she still personifies what those very men expected of her and she now expects the same from her daughter-in-law.

And yes! I wished that the writers would touch on mental health again and I got it! The discussion about post-partum depression is SO IMPORTANT. Women aren’t just mothers once they have kids; yes, it’s often a crucial part of their identity but it’s certainly not everything. Not even close to everything.

Judith sacrified her working life to raise Dean because her husband made more money than she did and it was expected of her to raise a child; she did not feel like she could have both. She patronises Beth in this scene, acting as though Beth should know better by now. What I love most about this is Beth saying that Judith’s happiness was important and that she shouldn’t have quit. It represents so much growth to me because we’ve seen Beth back-slide into the misshapen family she has with Dean. This really represents to me that, internally, she’s moving forwards and she won’t let herself be held back by Dean.

(Another side-note but I love that Beth affectionately calls Kenny “KB” and that his full name is Kenneth Irving Boland.)

Beth

We talk about it all the time but Beth is veeerrryy good at compartmentalising. We’ve seen it numerous times. With relation to this scene, I love that she clearly feels weird about Turner’s death and that the girls seem to appreciate the possibility that she might be upset over it, as her and Agent Turner did have a weird kind of relationship that she enjoyed sometimes. I think, in her own way, she resented him but also respected his ability to see through her and match her. She definitely really enjoyed the high she got from one-upping him.

Despite this, Beth lays down the flowers and is all about business again. She processes her emotions and moves on and we’ve seen her do that a lot. She did it with Dean in 1x01, when she wrecked his study with a sledgehammer and yanked the pig off of Boland Motors but then went straight back to sorting out financial matters with him and being civil. She resented Mary Pat for extorting them but she seemed to come to terms with how similar they were in season 1. She was tearful over Dean’s cancer diagnosis but she processed it and came up with the idea to launder money through stores. We’ve seen it now with Agent Turner, her processing his death and moving on. I love how perturbed the girls were by Beth’s reaction; they really have clocked on to this side of Beth that they never saw before the events of seasons 1 and 2, how she can’t quite get enough crime and they are maybe now realising that Beth has always exhibited a kind of ruthless pragmatism.

The only person we arguably haven’t seen her do this with is Rio; she’s never been able to process her relationship with him. Following the ‘breakup’ scene in 1x09, she was clearly grieving something and she couldn’t move on like she had with any of her other relationships. Instead, by having him arrested (even if it was only for a short time), she ensured Rio could not turn his back on her.

As I said before, Rio’s shadow hangs over Beth’s arc and Beth’s shadow hangs over Rio’s scenes. Beth continues to learn from what she saw of Rio and she continues to try and emulate him. What I love most of all is that this is rarely successful, compared to what she manages to achieve in this episode by playing on her own, personal strengths, for example the scene where she speaks to the manager and lists all of the community positions she holds. Despite this, she has a lot to learn and she really needs to stop and think sometimes (gosh, I don’t know if she’s ever going to do that haha) before barrelling into a situation. Annie is absolutely right; Beth will never be Rio, no matter how much she tries to think like him or act like him, because they have their own strengths and the world regards them differently.

I do love that she has clearly learnt a couple of things from Rio, such as outsourcing in order to launder the counterfeit cash and, my personal favourite, she’s finally realised that there are consequences for screwing up. In this episode, she teaches Annie a lesson about how, if they continue to be taken advantage of by criminals attempting to renegotiate deals, eventually everyone will know and exploit it. It really reminded me of Rio’s rotten egg lesson in 1x07. Say what you want but these two definitely have some good teaching moments haha.

Don’t even get me started on Beth completely zoning Dean out and thinking about crimeing. She’s just always thinking about crimeing, so much so that she lets her mother-in-law come into her house and belittle her, solely because Judith is cleaning up after the kids and Dean (and ironing Dean’s boxers, eewwwwww); clearly, Beth’s priorities have shifted alot over the timeskip. That scene where she just goes full mum Bethie mode, serving lemonade and walking like an absolute queen to the truck, to get what she wants from the movers. That hair, those big blue eyes, that sweater and that French music! Perfection! AND SHE HAS A CHINESE SYMBOL TATTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! ON HER HIP!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!! I NEED RIO TO REFER TO THAT AT SOME POINT THIS SEASON!

Ahem. Anyway, my second favourite scene in this episode was the scene between Beth and the mover in her backyard. Gosh, it was amazing. And I loved her blouse. The music, the intensity, the power play, the staring. Oh my god. I have watched it about 100 times already. It was genuinely a stunning scene and both actors killed it.

Dean and Gayle

I think there are two potential ways this is gonna go. Either Dean cheats with Gayle, after attempting to resist the temptation and grounding himself in Beth and their family, or he experiences some attention at work that he doesn’t necessarily appreciate, paralleling the attention he paid his female employees who were in a vulnerable position. Maybe it’ll be both?

Regardless, I think that this arc is really going to further separate Beth and Dean and their respective interests. I mean, so far Beth and Dean’s arcs have been entangled; even in season 2, Dean is drawn into Beth’s crimeing with Rio and the family business he inherited was used to launder money. Now, Beth and Dean have very different and separate storylines with regards to their work. Beth is crimeing and Dean is unaware of what she is up to, as she has absolutely no interest in confiding in him (I mean, she suspiciously asks him why he needs money from her; she clearly doesn’t see him as anything more than just Dean at this point). The only link they seem to share now isn’t the dealership, work or crime. It’s really only their kids. I think we’re going to see their paths diverge further this season, particularly following the kiss (which I think will be in 3x04 based on Beth’s flowery blouse in the released pictures but she’s worn it numerous times before and has already worn it in this episode, so who knows!)

Also, classic Dean paying too much gross attention to a woman’s body, even as a tattoo, making inappropriate comments and judging the movers for being ex-convicts. God, Dean is such a prick.

Ruby and Stan

The scene where Ruby felt that she and Stan were not being seen by the sales assistant was also really important. Gosh, I love how this show incorporates things that are not just relevant today but have always been relevant, you feel me. I also really loved that Stan defended his passivity in this situation with some very legitimate reasons. Fighting for what you believe in is great but it’s also okay to feel exhausted and just want to get something done. I really felt that and I feel like everyone can relate to that on some level.

I know nobody needs to hear me say this again but I’m so scared for Stan this season. Like, Manny has me scared by saying that he’s most excited for Stan’s storyline.

And yesssssss. Ruby confided in Stan. I’m so happy! What a stark contrast from Beth and Dean. These two really are the ideal relationship and couple.

That Ending!

It was basically painful to see Beth following up with Rhea throughout this episode, knowing that Rio had put the pieces together and was gearing up to reveal himself to Beth. I also love how genuine the phone call was between Beth and Rhea and it kind of broke my heart but it really is deserved. Gosh Beth, you are a whole ass mess and you and Rio really deserve eachother.

I have considered how this was going to play out so many times and I have thought of so many different ways it could have happened. We haven’t even seen it all yet but I genuinely think Rio revealing that he’s alive to Beth happened perfectly. I love the way we hear his voice first (just like Beth heard his voice first when she met him in 1x01), the way that the camera keeps Beth in frame and pans to Rio slipping into the chair next to her, not taking his eyes off of her and savouring her reaction. You can just tell that he’s thought about this moment so many times! I’ve said it before but there’s something in the way Rio moves, this kind of elegance and grace that I’ve never really seen before.

Him slipping into that chair is straight up perfection though. To me, it represents all the ways that Rio continues to just casually slip into all the parts of Beth’s life, just like he always has since the beginning of their relationship; it doesn’t even feel like an invasion, if that makes sense. That side shot we get of Beth’s face really captures how wide her eyes become, they’re practically swallowing her face she’s in so much shock.

The ringing in her ears, the way all the noise disappears from the room but we can hear the thunk of the chair as Rio sits in it and the sound of his hands clasping together, everything else becomes unimportant. THE WAY HIS HEAD IS TILTED. HOW MANY FREAKING TIMES HAS HE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS?!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don’t even get me started on Rio’s extra AF ass kissing the bullets she shot him with as he lays them down in front of her and lists the organs that she injured in the 3x03 promo. We see how close he leans in but doesn’t touch her. I am so curious to see how he leans in and how quickly it happens. The faux gentleness in his eyes and face and voice, referring to her as “his girl”. Where is the lie?! Beth really is his mess to clean up. I am really loving the dimension that is added to their relationship with this. Like, I hate you and I want to kill you and I’m planning to kill you so nobody else can do it. It has to be me. And then when Rio realises that he can’t kill Beth, because of the bombshell she drops, I can’t wait to see that shift into something like I hate you but I guess I have to deal with you and nobody else can touch you.

As for what I think the bombshell will be. Lemme just get this out there. I don’t think it will be pregnancy for so many reasons, which have already been discussed in the fandom. It may have something to do with Beth’s operation, maybe it’s something that she does in 3x03 that we haven’t even seen yet or maybe we just won’t know until we watch the episode lol.

Anyway, I’m super excited for 3x03 and can’t wait discuss it and them speculate on 3x04 afterwards.

#nbc good girls

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