#Royals 4x04

[raayllum]

I should have seen it before. Ha! Long ago, it was a human who saw through the Fallen Star's schemes and helped Xadia put an end to them. You look so much like her.

[las-vegas-princess]

“You okay?”

“I’ve never been better.”

“Good. Welcome home.”

[fyeahjacquelinecarlyle]

[herhighnesseleanor]

Welcome home.

[sorenkingsley]

[willobertgifs]

my mother was hosting some who-gives-a-shit luncheon, so take whatever the chef prepared for that. that menu was caviar and champagne.

[silviasi22]

Jasper & Eleanor | A ray of light [+4x04]

[the-royals-weekly-recap]

The Royals Episode 4x04 Recap:

Overall, I liked this weeks episode. Here is the recap:

I loved the opening shots of the episode. It was so well done. I love whoever does the framing of shots for the episodes. They do so well. 

I love the interaction between Duchie, Cyrus and Helena. They are so hilarious together. I loved the Lion King reference Duchie made by calling Cyrus ‘Scar.’

Maybe I was wrong about Robert being involved with the blackout. He seems genuinely worried about the city. But I still feel like he’s hiding something. 

Len is so snarky. I love how sassy she is. Even to the King of England. 

Oh Len being worried about Jasper breaks my heart. She just got him back and I think she might be worried about losing him to these riots. 

I don’t like Jasper being stuck in the ambulance while being strapped to a gurney. They should’ve left his hands free so he could escape if need be. 

I love the whole interaction between Sarah Alice, Len and Willow. Len really is proving to be a big sister figure to Sarah Alice. I love how even in a time of crisis, Sarah Alice can make everyone smile and laugh. 

Jasper’s dad is there?! What the hell? There has to be a reason he’s back and trying to get along with Jasper. 

Liam. What are you trying to pull by being attentive to Greta? You just used the poor girl and your acting like you didn’t do anything wrong! That’s not the Liam I know and love. 

I’ve been waiting for the interaction between Jasper and his father. You can tell Jasper has a lot of pent up aggression towards his father and it’s pretty awesome that we get to see him finally release that anger on the person who almost tore him and Len apart. 

God. I feel so bad for Greta. She fell for Liam only for him to betray her and then her father rubs that in her face. I feel so bad for her. 

I love Eleanor taking charge. She’s showing that she can be responsible and take care of her people in times of crisis. I love Princess Eleanor Matilda Henstridge, ruling monarch in residence. I love this whole interaction between Rosie, Len, Willow and Sarah Alice. I got such sister feels from them. 

I love how they used glow sticks to light the way back into the palace. I love Len using a teasing voice as she’s talking everyone through the tunnel. She would make a great Queen one day. 

God, Jasper’s dad is so cocky. He reminds me of season 1 Jasper. I’m glad Jasper is totally different from his father now. I would gladly take season 4 Jasper over season 1 Jasper. 

That was probably really hard for Greta. She fell for Liam, hard. I can only imagine how she feels now that her heart is broken. 

Okay. I’ll admit. Robert’s speech on the bridge did give me chills. If anything, he’s a great speech giver. 

I love the interaction between James and Len. I actually did a countdown when James walked into the stateroom to see how long it would take to see everyone before he walked back out and made a comment to Len. Let the old man do his job, Henstridges! He is one of my favorite characters besides Len and Jasper. I love how he threw his arms up as he walked down the hallway. 

Oh my heart broke when Robert told Len he didn’t find Jasper. Her smile falling and her putting on her fake smile and bringing people in. I don’t like when she wears her fake smile. 

Oh her smile when he walked into the room and how instantly their eyes are connected to each other. That’s true love. The way Jasper walks over and just kisses her so deeply shows that he’s happy to be home. Whether it be at the palace or a hospital, just as long as he has Len in his arms, he’s home. 

There’s the Liam I know and love. He’s definitely on his way back to being season 1 Liam and I can’t wait for that. 

Oh. My. God. FML is right, Jasper! I can’t wait to see how this plays out. I’m sure Jasper is going to tell Len that her grandmothers “boyfriend” is actually is dad playing a con. The question is, will he tell Helena and Duchie? 

Alright, I’m sort of starting to like Robert and Willow together. I still think he’s hiding something but I just hope he doesn’t hurt Willow in the long run. 

There’s the recap for this week! I’ll be back next week with another recap!

[cyntheriaeleanor]

[televisionpromos]

The Royals 4x04 "Black as His Purpose Did the Night Resemble" Promo - A total blackout in London sparks chaos. Willow's feelings for Robert grow stronger. Eleanor opens the palace to the public. Jasper finds himself in the middle of a riot.

[raayllum]

Was thinking about the similarities in differences in how Zym’s threat is referred to (what the mage fam is originally trying to stop) vs how Aaravos is framed by Zubeia and to a lesser extent, Rex Igneous. Viren, and by extension, Claudia, likewise believe in the inevitable calamity same as Zubeia, even if they believe different forces will cause it. For Viren and Claudia, they fear what Zym will do if he is allowed to grow up, and later, what he may become if he is reunited with Xadia and his family. For Zubeia and Rex Igneous, they are wary and fearful of what a grown Aaravos may force on the world if he’s reunited with this plane of existence and freed from his mirror.

Yet Zubeia focuses on words that are more feeling. Not something as vivid but vague as death and destruction (like Viren and Claudia, and of just humanity) but of the sorrow Aaravos will bring. Cascades of heartbreak and loss, much like the loss of her friend, Ibis. She focuses on the immediate and personal but extends it beyond herself. Whether she always thought this way, or has grown to think this way during the timeskip and due to her friendship with Ezran is unknown, but I thought it was a interesting difference.

One side focuses on the fear mongering horrors of what a child could be. The other faces an enemy they intimately know will devastate scores of families and communities at best with just a small team of trusted companions to fight it.

[las-vegas-princess]

The Royals - 4x04 “Black As His Purpose Did The Night Resemble”

A total blackout in London sparks chaos. Willow’s feelings for Robert grow stronger. Eleanor opens the palace for the public and Jasper finds himself in the middle of a riot. 

[emachinescat]

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

In-Progress

Moments

The Most Hallowed Alliance (Harry Potter Crossover)

The Power of Three

Multi-Chapter

A Game Well Played

As Luck Would Have It

Follow the Leader

For Arthur

In the Back of Our Minds

Of Remorse, Rescue, and Repentance  

Ransoming Emrys

Sorcerer 

The Visiting Prince

This Cold Land

Too Far

When It All Comes Crashing Down

Your Kiss

One-Shots

And That Would Be Enough*

Between*

Chilly Confrontations

Different

First Impressions

Frozen Revelations

He Should Wear Armor

I Shall Have Lived a Little While*

I Should Not Dare to Leave My Friend*

It’s a Zoo Out There

Knock*

Not Alone

Not an Idiot

Nothing

Pain Has an Element of Blank*

Prince Dollop Head and the Bear-Faced Monster 

Ransoming ... Myself?

Servants Are People, Too

The Day that Camelot Forgot*

The Great Rabbit Rescue

The Royal and the Restless

The Last Night of the Kings

The Masks that Most Suit Us*

The Neglected Neckerchief*

What’s In a Name?

Window of Opportunity

Episode Tags

A First Time for Everything (5x01)

A Mother’s Love (1x13)

Descent Into Madness (3x01)

Hero (4x02)

No Apologies Necessary, Just Strongly Encouraged (4x04)

So Close (4x03)

Stone Cold (4x01)

Stop the World and Die for You (4x05)

That Poor Mother (1x01)

Character Study & Introspection

Burn

Does This Crown Make Me Look Bald?

Hate

Night and Morning with My Tears*

Something About Merlin

Stuck on You

Worthless, Worth Less

Crossovers

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

Camelot Has the Hiccups (How to Train Your Dragon)

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

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

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

Iron Knight (Iron Man) 

Old Habits Die Hard (Skyrim)

Re-Rewriting History (Supernatural)

The Most Deadly Alliance (Harry Potter)

Welcome to Camelot (Welcome to Night Vale)

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

Poetry

I Don’t Regret It

I Hate Him

Words Cannot Express

Parodies & Crack

Arthur’s Twelve Days

Golden Eyes

Harry, Merlin, and the Angsty Showdown of Doom

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

Merlin’s Twelve Days

Merlin’s Twelve Days of Christmas: Again

Now You Know

Playing Dress-Up

Rosco the Time-Traveling Salesman

Swagger

The Bigger the Word, the Louder the Scream

The Great Dragon and the Quest for the Homunculus

The Many Songs of Merlin

The Physician from the Black Lagoon

To Write a Fan-Fiction

Total Knockout

Twelve Days of Merlin

Why Do You Hate Me?

Yeah, Right, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight!

[herhighnesseleanor]

I will find you here inside the dark I will break through No matter where you are I will find you I will find you

Jasper and Eleanor find each other after the blackout.

[nothingunrealistic]

billions season 4 timeline cues

4x01 chucky rhoades’s greatest game: wags’s kidnapping allegedly takes place 27 hours after the first morning scene with axe.

4x01 chucky rhoades’s greatest game: the instagram photo that shows rudy and mafee together at the tmc picnic was posted 19 hours prior to rudy being fired.

4x01 chucky rhoades’s greatest game: it’s 10:50 when chuck goes to see commissioner sansome at night.

4x02 arousal template: chuck announces his run for attorney general at the 92nd annual feast of san gennaro, which took place on september 12, 2018.

4x03 chickentown: a news article says that chuck was the u.s. attorney for the southern district in september 2013, when a whistleblower first reported sugarvape.

4x03 chickentown: chuck mentions that he’s spent the last eight or so years putting people in jail, probably referring to when he first took office as the u.s. attorney.

4x04 overton window: most of the episode happens on the day of the democratic primary for the new york AG election; a 30-day timeskip brings the characters to the aftermath of the general election, which in real life occurred on november 6, 2018. (in real life, the primary happened on september 13, almost two months before the general election. given that 4x02 ended on september 12 with chuck announcing his run for NYAG, it’s most likely that the primary date was shifted and the general election date was kept the same.)

4x05 a proper sendoff: chuck, wendy, axe, and rebecca go out for dinner, and chuck mentions that it’s wendy’s first night out in a month.

4x05 a proper sendoff: chuck goes to work for his first day as NYAG. typically, the new NYAG takes office on january 1.

4x06 maximum recreational depth: mafee mentions that he’s going on vacation to mexico “next month.”

4x08 fight night: taylor and axe both make appearances on cnbc’s halftime report, which airs at noon on weekdays.

4x08 fight night: wags carries out the 95th annual NYSE christmas tree lighting, which took place on november 29, 2018.

4x09 american champion: mafee is absent from the tmc scenes, appearing only in a flashback; this could mean he’s taking the vacation that he mentioned in 4x06.

4x10 new year’s day: it’s new year’s day.

4x11 lamster: mafee mentions that royal rumble was two months ago. royal rumble is a wrestling event held at the end of january every year; in 2019, it took place on january 27.

4x11 lamster: the episode takes place over two days.

4x12 extreme sandbox: axe says that the liquidation of saler’s means that rebecca has made over a billion dollars “in a few months’ time.”

4x12 extreme sandbox: connerty texts sacker at 8:40 pm to ask when she’ll arrive.

4x12 extreme sandbox: axe deletes rebecca’s contact information at 11:51 pm.

4x12 extreme sandbox: everything from axe and rebecca discussing a painting to wendy spending the night at axe’s apartment takes place over two days.

conclusion: season 4 takes place from mid-2018 (probably before september) to early 2019 (after march). some liberties have been taken with the timeline of being elected and taking office as the attorney general of new york. for some reason, episodes 4x05 through 4x08 take place within a single month, while nearly three months pass between 4x10 and 4x11.

[cjrae]

Dueling Fairytales. Or: Why Lucifer won’t take a Queen.

One of the most popular fan theories is that Chloe will become the Queen of Hell. The appeal is strong on the surface as it does several things;

- It codifies Lucifer and Chloe’s relationship into a formalized, wedded partnership as King and Queen.

- It answers the question “What will happen to Lucifer and Chloe when she eventually dies?”

- It elevates Chloe to a seemingly exalted position, which is coded as a reward.

The trouble with this theory is that if Chloe became the Queen of Hell, that would undermine the major themes of the narrative. To emphasize my point, let me pose a question.

Is the story telling us that Chloe needs to become worthy of Lucifer or that Lucifer needs to become worthy of Chloe?

Actually, let’s flesh this question out a bit more.

Does Chloe need to go through trials that test her commitment to kindness in the face of abuse to be elevated to a higher status in order to receive Lucifer as her reward? Or does Lucifer need to learn restraint, a higher degree of empathy and to be on the receiving end of kindness in order to grow up so that he can learn, not only to give and receive love, but the responsibility that comes with a duty of care?

If these sound like two completely different stories, you’re absolutely right. The first one is Cinderella, the second is Beauty and the Beast. And in regards to the question of the Queen of Hell, they’re both relevant because these two tales are dueling in Season Four with the introduction of Eve.

The Cinderella Story

Cinderella; a girl who has no control over her life, serving a cruel family that takes advantage of her and erases her identity in service of the family’s needs, but whose kindness, compassion and empathy in the face of grief win her friends that help her escape her prison and find freedom.

Fits Eve to a tee, doesn’t it? She’s highly empathic, makes friends at the drop of a hat, even with people who are inclined to dislike her - i.e. Ella and Chloe. She’s kind, but not stupid. She only needs one look at a situation with all the actors in the room before she can pick out what’s going on between Lucifer and Chloe.

What makes Eve’s story highly compelling is watching her abuse her virtues attempting to fulfill the themes of her own story, which ultimately causes her to fail.

The central theme of Cinderella’s story is her commitment to kindness in the face of her family’s abuse. The one thing the Cinderella cannot be, if she is to succeed, is selfish; to allow it would be to invite that poison into her own psyche. That isn’t to say that the Cinderella is doomed to be a doormat either. She rebels by going to the ball (or in Eve’s case, to Earth). However, there is a difference between standing up for yourself, acknowledging your own needs to be valid and worthy of consideration versus prioritizing your needs over the needs of others, irregardless of what they feel.

Which is exactly what Eve does. Her pursuit of Lucifer is highly selfish.

Lucifer is telling Eve “no” in multiple ways, including verbal at the end of 4x04. He doesn’t desire a relationship with her, he’s trying to work through something very painful and he’s not in a good place right now. He is in love with someone else and Eve knows it.

Unfortunately, what Lucifer wants is irrelevant. Eve wants him and she intends to have him because Lucifer is her second chance - Adam couldn’t love her because he was remained in love with Lilith, but this time will be different. This time Eve thinks she can win. So she pushes him into showing her his Devil face and pours balm on the wound inflicted by Chloe when she kisses it.

What Lucifer misses in that moment is that Eve’s easy acceptance of him as the Devil is a giant red flag in and of itself.

The Virtuous Daughter

The Beauty; the member of her materialistic family who prizes practicality, hard work, and making the best of any situation in the face of ruin. The one who will sacrifice herself without hesitation to protect the ones she loves, who puts her needs last.

Chloe is a homicide detective instead of the virtuous, youngest daughter, but the Beauty is often characterized by her devotion to duty - filial duty in particular. Sure enough, who is Chloe emulating? Her beloved father, the cop killed in the line of duty.

Beauty and the Beast is a more interactive tale between the lovers than Cinderella. It is through cohabitation with the Beast and learning about each other that the Beast learns to put others’ needs above his own, rising above his former self absorption while the Beauty learns to accept the goodness within the Beast, not only for his attempts to do better, but for who he is as the Beast.

This is literally the story of Season 4 - of Chloe coming to terms with Lucifer being the Devil and reconciling the fact that she is in love someone she’s been told is the personification of evil.  It takes her the entire season to fall in love with the Devil as opposed to the Lost Prince (echoing the earliest written versions), who she’s been in love with since Season 2, and it comes in stages.

- 4x02, the ax scene when she realizes that Lucifer’s love for her is genuine, soothing her fear that, once again, like with Pierce, she’s been used as a pawn in a game she had no idea was being played.

- 4x05, when she throws herself between Lucifer and the anticipated explosion. The moment they both realize Chloe would sacrifice herself to protect the Devil. 

- 4x07, when Lucifer chooses justice over punishment and brings Tiernan into the station, sacrificing his own need for vengeance and proving to Chloe that the Devil is a good man. Chloe is still bifurcating Lucifer, but she acknowledges that he is both angel and Devil in that critical scene on the balcony. 

- 4x09, the traditional recognition of the Beast and the Prince as the same person, when Chloe realizes that his Devil form is a manifestation of Lucifer’s declared self-hatred.

Chloe’s love is not a redemptive object the way Eve wants her love for Lucifer to be. The transformation from Beast to man requires Lucifer to understand and forgive himself - Chloe can’t do it for him. Chloe’s acceptance can serve as a guide on that path, but Lucifer must do the work himself. He clings blindly to the idea that Chloe’s acceptance will either save or condemn him in a single moment - and when he attempts to force the issue he’s unable to accept Chloe’s “I don’t know” as an answer. 

The Prince Of Darkness

Lucifer ends up caught in the middle of these two stories as each of them casts him in a very different role.  The show frames Lucifer’s struggle between these two opposing visions of who he is as good and evil, but there’s something to be said for the idea that Lucifer would simply like to know which story he’s in, thank you very much!

Is he Eve’s Prince? A static, perfect figure that she will receive as a reward - her vehicle of escape and self-actualization?

Or is he Chloe’s Lost Prince? A man, trapped in a form not his own, battling his own worst impulses in order to regain the original identity he has lost?

And, in a twist, each woman assigns qualities of the other tale to their version of Lucifer - Eve’s Prince is a bestial version - Lucifer as he was in the Beginning. Primal, impulsive and living entirely in the moment with no care for the consequences of his actions. Chloe’s Lost Prince, however, is more of a tragic figure; sundered from himself, split into two - Prince and Beast.

The Beast is a protagonist of his own tale, but both as the Beast and as the Prince he is an object of rescue, which is not something Lucifer needs or wants from Chloe. Lucifer has no desire to be saved - it’s a concept that we’ve watched him actively reject before, when Amenadiel suggests that the return of his wings means he’s been forgiven. Chloe’s role in the tale is to learn to accept the Beast, letting go of the Lost Prince. 

As the Cinderella’s Prince, he’s simply an object, not a man. Lucifer’s role as Eve’s Prince is a vehicle to elevate her to an exalted position that will remove her from the prison she’s lived in most of her life to a place where she will be loved.

It’s only after Lucifer rejects both Eve and Chloe’s objectified visions of him that he’s able to look at himself and get to the core of what has been torturing him since, arguably, the beginning of time. He is neither Prince - instead he is a man in nearly unspeakable pain as he sits in Linda’s office, knuckles white as he finally identifies and articulates the problem - his self hatred.

The King and Queen of Hell

Both Cinderella and the Beauty share the traditional raising of status, but in Lucifer’s case it’s worth asking - is becoming the Queen of Hell a good thing?

I would argue that question actually has nothing to do with either Chloe or Eve and everything to do with Lucifer himself and why he became the King of Hell.

Both Cinderella’s prince and the Beast’s royal status are their original identity. But in Lucifer’s case, becoming the King of Hell is the curse from his Father. However you interpret God’s motive for punishing his son, the bottom line is that Hell is somewhere that Lucifer hates. It is not, nor has it ever been, home to him. It’s not a place that he is proud of, nor does he relish the work he does there. He has enough pride to do the job to the best of his ability, but we know he’s delegated out as much as he could, even if Lucifer’s hands are far from clean.

In short, Hell is nowhere that Lucifer wants to be. He certainly doesn’t want anyone that he actually cares about to be there either.

Eve, however, needs Lucifer to be the King of Hell. The first half of 4x07 is, from Eve’s perspective, the high point of their relationship. Lucifer is the most intimate he’s ever been with Eve when they’re lying in bed after punishing Julian.

Of course Eve wants that back - enough that she’s willing to listen to Kinley when he tells her that, if she wants Lucifer to love her, she needs to convince him to go back to Hell. As much as Eve recognizes that Lucifer doesn’t want to rule Hell, it’s where he could “be a King again,” which is exactly how he was acting when he was closest to Eve. And, of course, ruling Hell would be different “with a Queen by his side.”

So she, once again, succumbs to selfishness - and is called on it by Chloe in the wake of it’s consequences. “How could you be so selfish?! Naive!”

Eve had already lost Lucifer, but her attempt to force her ascension to become Lucifer’s Queen only crystallizes that they’re not right for each other, as she’s faced with losing Lucifer’s friendship and respect. He would have to be the one to elevate her to that exalted position and he’d already told her “I don’t like who I am with you!” rejecting the role of Prince to Eve’s Cinderella.

Lucifer’s desire to be his own man, aligns much more closely with Chloe’s desires. Chloe has no need for pomp and circumstance. She’s always been the practical member of this partnership - sensible shoes, boring sedans, Costco runs and reading a bedtime story to Trixie. There is room in her life for desire, but Lucifer’s presence is enough to fulfill that.

In fact, in the moment when Chloe tells Lucifer she loves him and begs him not to leave, she is finally asking for something for herself. The Beauty has learned to allow herself a healthy dose of desire rather than a complete devotion to duty while Lucifer, as the Beast, has learned the value of love, empathy and a duty of care. Chloe and Lucifer have transformed each other into better, more complete versions of themselves.

Presumably, if Hell can be faced and fought in Season 5 and Lucifer released from the burden of the throne, then having the “curse” lifted might allow him to leave the Devil in the past and simply be Lucifer Morningstar, the identity he’s fought for since the pilot.

But, of course, if that happens, then Lucifer will no longer be the King of Hell. Therefore, he has no need for a Queen.

And They All Lived Happily Ever After? 

The time for despair has passed - neither Lucifer nor Chloe can afford it. Instead, they (and we) are awaiting the reversal; the change in the status quo that will give them the opportunity to challenge Lucifer’s fate. If they are successful, then there may in fact be a new Queen of Hell, if Lilith comes into play.

But if she appears, she will likely not be Lucifer’s Queen, but a new ruler come to usurp the throne.

Long live the Queen.