#also prepare for the biggest spam of your life lol

[marleneoftheopera]

Amy Manford and Blake Bowden in AIAOY.

[marc-spectorr]

well, last time i wrote here i said i was going to catch up on all the suff i’ve missed and i am still doing that and you want to know why i’m taking so long? cause your girl caught fucking covid in the meantime😫😫😭😭

so yeah the past week or so has been hell for me, i had every possible symptom ever and i spent days just sleeping, nothing else. for real, everything i did hurt in some way, so yeah it was not fun. but i’m better now, thankfully. can’t wait to be fully okay and full of energy again ugh. now that i’m a bit better my catching up will continue and so be prepared to receive asks about stuff you most likely forgot happened lolol.

also in the meantime the exam results came in and it went well, so i'm super happy and extremely grateful to you and the book club for all the good luck wishes and all the love you guys showed me, that really helped me during the exam. i’m glad to hear that work is good (for the most part) and i hope your coworkers aren't driving you too crazy lately. remember, don’t stress or worry too much, don’t overthink stuff cause in the end it will all be alright. i promise you that. also take your time to recover, breathe, drink a lot of water and nurture your body. you deserve all the love in the world, for real💞💞

also aaaAAAAAAA i wish i could see your pets, i bet they are the most wonderful little creatures ever. just as adorable as their owner ;)🤍

i could never imagine my life without my pet either, it would be too empty, dull and sad🥺😭

i am still catching up but welcome to all the new nonnies out there (santi and vermillionsails and anyone else, i’m so so happy to see you joining our book club, loads of love to you guys!🧡)

also i can’t wait to see all the things you published in the meantime (like i see you posted a couple of the celebration drabbles and i am so so excited to read them and the future ones that'll come!!)🤎

ilysm callieee, i hope you are having a wonderful day and are feeling a bit better. i hope to catch up soon so that i can send in all my crazy thoughts and comments that no one asked for lmao🤭🥵.

it’s good to be back, this blog became my safe spot, my little comfort area so it’s always good to come back and talk a bit💓💓

okay last quick random thing, if you don't mind callie, what is a phobia of yours? and what are your biggest pet peeves?

i want to get to know you a little more and these are the first questions that came to mind lol

okay that's it for now, loads of love my sweet callie, remember i'm always here for you💕💕💕💕

-🧸

ahhjdjdj oh no,,, hope you get well and are fully back to your amazing self soon teddy!! covid is brutal ugh but i’m so glad to hear that you’re feeling better! sending you a ton of good vibes, love, and strength ✨

AYE YAAAYYY!!!! congratulations on acing your exams honey 🥳🎉💕 you worked incredibly hard for them and i’m super happy that everything went well! at least you can finally rest and relax, and not worry about school for now :) hehe yeah work has fortunately been alright,,, it’s just tiring, you know? sometimes i wish i can take off a whole week but im saving my vacation days for a trip im planning later this year 😭 but thank you for the lovely reminder, darling! the stress and overthinking is no good at all and im really working on focusing myself for the sake of my mental health ksksks.

weeeeeee take your time catching up! there’s zero rush at all! i’m still taking it slow with writing but i’m crossing my fingers that tonight i’ll be able to work on the next prompt and post tomorrow. i know these drabbles have been sooo delayed i’m pretty sure others forgot about them lolol but i’m excited to write nonetheless. but feel free to send in as many messages as your heart desires haha!! submit one ask or spam me with fifty, it’ll make me smile either way!

okay now for your questions. hMmm… i wouldn’t necessarily call it a phobia but i am scared of heights :((( there was one time i visited this park that had a bridge and i couldn’t even walk through it without my legs shaking and my hands gripping onto my friend for dear life haha. i’m fine on planes tho which is great bc i love traveling. i guess i just have to be in an enclosed space that makes it look like im really not that high up to be okay with it LOLOL.

for pet peeves, i HATE it when im in the middle of talking and someone cuts me off 😤 like pls let me get my thought out first ksdjsjks. i also don’t appreciate it when people borrow my stuff and not return it to the exact place they found it. i go crazy when im trying to look for something and it’s not there ;-; this one mostly applies at work but i don’t like it when my coworkers assume that i’m not busy with my own responsibilities and dump theirs on me thinking i’ll be able to work on them just like that. rude. 🙂

but how about you teddy? what are your phobias and pet peeves, if any? and if you have any more questions, send them :) im pretty much an open book and would also love to get to know you!

ilysm sweetheart and it’s good to have you back! i hope you’re having a wonderful day/night ❤️

[dr-oshawott]

LoL Support Champion Stereotypes

Take note that this is bad and is not meant to be taken seriously.

Alistar: This guy lives for the turret dives and making those Flash W Q combos.

Bard: Probably watched Aladdin too many times or just wants to screw someone over: whether it be through his magical journey, ult, or roaming

Braum: Generally a guy who isn't looking to be toxic but just might if you don't follow up his engage.

Blitzcrank: Probably really hates squishy supports or just wants to make the enemy bot lane's life a living hell. Plus they're probably him because Pyke was taken or banned.

Janna: Probably one of the most laziest players you'll ever see. Though agressive one's that poke with W can be irritating.

Karma: These guys love to poke you out of lane and intimidate with the root. Chances are she'll level up her Q in the early game, so try to pick a kill support

Leona: Where do I start? I could go on about how they go ham 24/7, how their overloaded kit of CC, damage, and 10,000 armor/MR make you want to uninstall. Why her W doesn't have a longer cooldown so she can't engage all the time is anyone's guess.

Lulu: There are two types of Lulu players. One group tries to be appropriately aggressive and lose more than half their health for doing so (me), or there are ones that are perfectly aggressive and can manage their mana correctly so they're always prepared. So Lulu's can either make lane a living hell or you'll wish you dodged from all the feeding she did.

Morgana: You love to see your enemies cry as they sit in a 3 second root while they rapidly rightclicj to avoid danger but can't because the root lasts forever.

Nami: This is either a player that's actually nice and plays fair champions or they're one of league's assholes. The latter will use champion emotes when you see them to tilt you.

Nautilus: Chances are they really love bioshock and/or keeping someone in one place for a long time. Ones that duo with Jhin on the other hand kick puppies.

Pyke: Chances are they're an asshole in game and an real life. Seriously, whoever designed this character's kit needs to retake a physics class because a support that's designed to execute is not balanced in the slightest.

Rakan: They're either playing him as some ghetto Leona or only because Xayah's the ADC. They're also probably nice people.

Sona: Sona players like to piss off the enemy in the lane with their stupid Q and an ult that guarentee's death most if the time. Plus they have a heal as a crutch so that's fun.

Soraka: These players only know 5 things, and those are flinging Q all over the place, mashing W on the carry, warding, putting E under the carry, and keeping an eye on everyone's health. Paired with a poke carry like ezreal, she just hates everyone and everything.

Tahm Kench: These guys are either the biggest trolls on the planet, ths most ass-wipe of a person, or really good at sustaining their carry. His tounge taunt is funny enough, but his laugh spam will make you wish emote spam was a reportable offense.

Taric: Probably 'Heya' fans or like the playstyle of a healing tank. That and they live for incoming teamfights with the ult and love that chest

Thresh: Finally I get to talk about the evil King of support. These guys always talk shit in chat, spam their mastery 7 and land hooks like they script. The ones NOT like that though are tolerable, but dealing with Thresh is nevee fun unless you're uninteractive yourself by playing Sivir

Zilean: He probably pairs up with an Aatrox for the never-ending death or thinks his carry isn't smart enough to stay alive. That and BOMB THROWING.

Damage supports: I've decided to clump all the mage supports ("supports"), such as Brand, Velkoz, and Zyra, because they all go as following:

People who play Damage supports are pieces of shit.

Supports are supposed to hold the carry's hand and help the team out with utility, not be some kind of fucking secondary midlaner and ruin the game for bot lane. People who play them are either upset they didn't get a role known for killing, or they're so bad at the game they need to lane with someone else just to do anything but die.

[frenchibi]

Tagged~

Ok, hold on to your hats people because this is going to be a long-ass post. I have been told my cuts don’t work on mobile (?? TUMBLR PLS) so if this doesn’t work I sincerely apologize in advance for a lot of scrolling :’) Alright so I was tagged... like 6 times I think? And I’m just going to answer them all in here xD

Also I’m gonna tag a bunch of people and you can just... decide which ones you want to do, do several, do all of them, do none at all - whatever you prefer xD @cheatos @chxngsey @fairylights101writes @cheetahleopard @snowflakers @notinvidia @anyadisee @tallihoo @lalikaa @seijouho @astersandstuffs @phea-chan @owlkaashi-keiji @heirxx @thehibiscusthief @screamingnitrogenchallenge @fandang1

...alright, let the oversharing begin :’)

1. Tagged by @grand-king-toru (thank you, and you’re tagged in all the other ones too, obviously!!) and @queeniwaizumi (your tag was a little different but basically all your questions were in this one too so I didn’t do it separately FORGIVE ME TAT - and ofc you’re tagged too!!)

Favourite place: My apartment, or on top of a mountain, or in my car, or at my mom’s house, or in a Café in the center of my city where I can sketch people Relationship status: Single Favourite colour: Phtalo blue and magenta Pets: I have allergies :’) Last song I listened to: We Know The Way from Moana Favourite tv show: If we’re talking anime, it’s Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (by a MILE). As for non-anime shows, I’m currently enjoying A Series of Unfortunate Events very much (those books were my childhood & I’m so pumped for this series you have no idea) First Fandom: Harry Potter probably, first anime fandom was Inuyasha Hobbies: writing, drawing, singing, skiing, driving my siblings places (being the oldest is GreatTM), currently trying to learn to play the guitar Books I’m currently reading: Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn (and 50 others I started in Better Days™ when I had more time for reading) Favourite book: Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness, Harry Potter by JKR, Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianne Wynne Jones, Die Stadt der Träumenden Bücher by Walter Moers Worst thing you’ve ever eaten/tasted: Milk that had gone off. It’s gross. Living alone is hard, please don’t make the mistakes I did.

2. Tagged by @seidou-chan (thank you, you’re also obviously tagged in all the others as well~)

Name: call me French :D Nickname: French, Frenchie Gender: female Sign: Pisces Height: 155cm Sexual Orientation: Pansexual Hogwarts house: Gryffindor/Ravenclaw Favourite colour: (see above) xD Favourite animal: Dolphins, Turtles, Owls Time right now: 1:15pm Average hours of sleep: Ideally 8, currently 3, I probably need to see a doctor about this Cat or dog person: Allergies :’) (tbh I love both ok) Favourite fictional character from Harry Potter: Ginny Weasley (, Sirius Black, Molly Weasley, Hermione Granger, Bellatrix Lestrange) Number of blankets you sleep with: One Favourite singer or band: currently Of Monsters and Men Dream trip: Cities! I love sightseeing :D Also Skiing, always skiing. Dream job: Musical singer/actress When was this blog created: 20..13? Started out as a Supernatural blog xD When did your blog reach its peak: Still climbing hopefully What made you decide to make a tumblr: blame @notinvidia

3. Tagged by @marleeb (ty friend, we haven’t talked much yet so sorry for the spam of information here xD Feel free to do whichever of these tags interests you :D)

5 things you’ll find in my bag: Notebooks (at least 3) Assorted pens Allergy medication My wallet Haikyuu keychains :D

(see also this post)

5 things you’ll find in my bedroom: An enormous bookshelf (ca 1,5k books, 850 mangas) Assorted recording devices & equipment A large easel and all sorts of art supplies (acrylics, aquarelles, watercolors, pastels, colored pencils, crayons, markers, modeling paste, ink, soapstone) The door to my kitchen xD My workspace w/ computers and legal dictionaries ^^

5 things I’ve always wanted to do in life: Publish a novel Raise children Own a house with a private library and a large conservatory full of plants Perform on a large stage (did that, was amazing, love to do it again) Become a translator (lol I had no idea what i was signing up for)

5 things that make me happy: Singing (is the ultimate joy of my life) and performing w/ my choir Getting feedback for my writing (makes me ecstatic ngl) and exchanging ideas with people My brilliant, lovely, multi-facetted family My warm, patient and understanding friends Being able to create, and share my ideas to people who care about them :D 5 things I’m currently into: Moana (it has consumed my life and my life is infinitely better for it) Haikyuu (and the wonderful people I’ve met through it) My original stories (which I cannot wait to work on more) A Series of Unfortunate Events (the netflix series is so great and it really lives up to the books in my opinion??) Wasting time on tumblr and ignoring the BA-thesis that I need to be writing (and my work because why be responsible)

5 things on my to-do list: *cringes* my thesis My invoices & VAT returns Get someone to help me change a lightbulb (this is not a joke, I’m short) Finish writing two letters to friends that I’m working on :D (though this one I’m looking forward to) Finish writing the 60+ fics I’ve started and work on my original projects too :’)

(what a boring to-do list is2g)

5 things people may not know about me: I OVERSHARE ALL THE TIME (you knew that) I’m a legal translator (German/English) and I work freelance I am allergic to EVERYTHING I…really love…girls… I speak 4 languages (and a fifth one barely) :D

4. Tagged by @ghost--fox (this was a while back and I’m sorry for being so slow ;-; THANK YOU FOR TAGGING ME!!! I did your other tag too, below this one :D - obviously you’re tagged in any of the above if you feel like it xD)

Rules: Put your music on “Shuffle” List the first 10 songs Tag 10 people

1. Avicii – Hey Brother 2. Nothing’s Carved In Stone – Spirit Inspiration (Zetsuen no Tempest Opening) 3. Suzanne Vega – The Queen and the Soldier (I’m gonna base an AU on this just you wait) 4. The Cab - Endlessly 5. Blue Stahli – Anti You 6. Ramin Karimloo – Show Me Light (Have I yelled about how much I love him? I love him!!) 7. All Time Low – Cinderblock Garden 8. Genesis – Follow You Follow Me (I have no regrets, love me some 80s Phil Collins) 9. Ayumi Hamazaki – Dearest (Inuyasha Ending) 10. Nightmare – Sekai Wo (Death Note Opening)

5. Tagged again by @ghost--fox :D THANK YOU!!

A - Age: 21 soon xD B - Biggest fear: not making a difference C - Current time: 2:08pm (this took long omg) D - Drink you last had: I actually bought a fresh coconut and drank it :0 (my allergies are like “uhm girl that was a bad choice” but tbh it was worth it) E - Every day starts with: Removing my retainer and taking my allergy meds F - Favorite song: Empire by Of Monsters and Men and Invincible by Hedley G - Ghosts, are they real: Idk fam H - Hometown: Munich I - In love with: being inspired & motivated?? it’s the BEST?? J - Jealous of: healthy people K - Killed someone: couldn’t even if I wanted to L - Last time you cried: Out of frustration in December M - Middle name: Johanna (after my grandmother) N - Number of siblings: 4 (3 + an older step-sister I see twice a year) O - One wish: Stop using religion as an excuse for hate crimes P - Person you last called/texted: My dad/my friend Nina respectively Q - Questions you’re always asked: Can you chill? / Can you drive me to [place]? / How’s it going with your thesis? - pls But also: Are you doing okay? / Do you need me to listen? / Sing with me? – YES THANK YOU R - Reasons to smile: Fanfiction and fanart exists. Hot chocolate, tea and fluffy blankets. Music, Art, Books, Stories. Stars & the sky. Brilliant people are making brilliant things every day. A small act of kindness from you to a stranger can make all the difference. S - Song last sang: The Lasset uns nicht zerteilen chorus from Bach’s Johannespassion in my singing lesson (in preparation for our next choir concert), and then assorted Hamilton songs on my drive home xD T - Time you woke up: 7am U - Underwear color: dark blue V- Vacation destination: Cities w/ lots of art & culture :D W - Worst habit: biting my fingernails & cuticles I HATE MYSELF X - X-rays you’ve had: lots for my teeth (wrecked a tooth and used to have braces also), one for my knee after a hiking accident Y - Your favorite food: lasagna (w/ meat or spinach honestly I like both a lot) Z - Zodiac sign: Pisces

...and lastly, 6. Tagged by  @missellaineous (this is also super old I apologize but I liked your questions so :D - feel free to do any of the other tags if you want xD)

1. What can’t you sleep without? My phone. Literally I use it as an alarm clock xD 2. What are your favorite kind of socks? :0 I like big fluffy warm ones – and also I like skiing socks because they fit really tightly and they’re also super warm xD 3. What’s your favorite snack/meal/drink? Atm I am very weak for cookies (I have… phases. At one point I ate so many gummy bears that now I just cannot), my favorite food is lasagna and my favorite drink is water or tea (no milk, no sugar, I dislike sweet drinks except if it’s hot chocolate xD) 4. What’s your favorite kind of weather? …do you know the artist Yuumei? A lot of her pictures have spectacular skies that are like… the sun breaking through dark clouds after a storm? That. That’s my favorite weather. It’s so… motivational and  hopeful? Idk, but I love it. 5. What do you like to listen to/do to relax and feel better when you’re upset? I love the songs from musicals because they’re great to sing along to and singing always improves my mood :D I have endless love for Les Mis, Phantom of the Opera and Hamilton atm. Also what always helps me is, in my mom’s words, to “talk to someone who doesn’t hate you”. Because I tend to hate on myself a lot when I’m upset (for not being better, happier, healthier, enough) and it helps to talk to my friends, who objectively don’t think I’m as awful as I tend to think I am ^^ And they’re all really kind and understanding (and/or blunt when I need someone to tell me to snap out of it). 6. What’s your favorite store to shop at? HOO BOY ok I love bookstores (because duh, books) and lately I’ve also been loving Muji a lot? xD Also we have an art supply chain here in Germany that has GREAT STUFF and I always go overboard xD 7. What color do you wear the most? Black probably, but that’s because most of my pants/leggings are black. Other than that I own a lot of blue and also a lot of red, esp. dresses :D 8. What’s your favorite (video/board/social/party) game to play? That’s hard?? I don’t play a lot of video games but I absolutely adored Undertale. Funnily enough we play card & board games a lot when we meet with my old friends from school, but tbh I don’t have a favorite. I recently learned how to play Skat, which is really enjoyable? (Google tells me apparently that’s mainly a German thing, ok.) And, eh, I’m not a big fan of parties & party games ^^ 9. Any guilty pleasures? When I have time, I watch objectively bad or cliché anime and write commentary xD Also I spend way too much time playing The Sims if I’m totally honest... and scrolling through my dash. Damn. 10. If you could go anywhere (in real life or in fiction), where would it be? Or fiction??? HOGWARTS?!?! Teach me all the magic pls?! …ok but for real though I would love to visit some of my online friends :’)

Alright that’s it, thank you all again and sorry I’m slow and this is a huge post full of way too much information, I’m gonna let myself out now

[incaseyouart]

Omg i’m so sorry to everyone that I haven’t answered in the past few days! I’ve been really busy shipping out zines etc @_@ I figured rather than spamming everyone on my dash I’ll do a batch-answer. 

1. For digital I use the watercolour and pen brushes in Fire Alpaca. For traditional the Koi waterbrush (medium tip).

2. Thank you that’s so nice of you to say!! <3

3. I know I’ve gained a good audience by posting frequently and interacting with other members of the community, and just in general trying to stay positive! Also remember to tag everything you post to make it searchable!

4. Aw thanks~ The asks aren’t annoying!! I appreciate every single one (well.. mostly. some are clearly jokes lol). Just use reference - I usually Google-image search! I also have some drawings/tips on hands here. 

5. On your lineart layer select the box “Protect alpha” - this means that any colour you lay down will ONLY affect the pixels on your lineart. You can do this for any layer. It’s basically the same function as a clipping mask.

6. You’d have to go into your pen settings I imagine! For me it’s the Wacom Desktop Centre.

7. Fire Alpaca has a lot of help files on their website, but like everything in art, mastering something just takes a lot of practice! Things that took me a bit to figure out was the “Protect Alpha” option (which lets you lock pixels and colour JUST on them and nothing else), and how to use the “snap to gridlines” in perspective - so, setting up the vanishing points. I’m still getting used to that one. Just play around with each tool for a bit and look up what it does, and how best to use it! 

8. I would highly encourage you to try developing your OWN style - one that you can uniquely say is yours. You can of course take inspiration from other artists (and here I encourage the plural). If it looks TOO similar, as you’re suggesting, then you might be accused of tracing, and the original owner of that style (and any of their followers) might be annoyed. Style comes organically with practice, and you should also embrace multiple styles - that’s what makes an artist versatile, and versatility in a competitive market is very crucial for success. Good luck!

9. I have a few tutorials here - but none for that specifically. This is a cool image I found on Google. When in doubt, box it out!! Basically every figure in existence can be planned out with boxes (or circles/ellipses). 

10. Use reference. 

11. Hmm, I don’t think so... I don’t usually link the pose reference image(s) I use. I will, however, link the reference if it’s from another artist. I mean, it’s always a good idea to link back to reference - that’s a good practice that I should do more. 

12. You can drag around the different windows by holding your mouse down on the top of the window, and then you can snap that window into/beside/underneath other windows! 

13. You can for sure look at my art for reference, but keep in mind, my anatomy skills are not as good as the real thing, so I would highly encourage you to use actual references of the real human body/whatever it is you’re drawing. Thanks for asking!! 

14. Please browse through my digital art and drawing tablet tags! 

15. Lol I would love to get snowed on all day :P Thanks for going through my tutorials ^_^ I hope they inspired you to want to start arting! 

16. Yaaay I use an Intuos small on a Mac too! You should use Fire Alpaca it’s the best (and free). For tips, please browse through my digital art and drawing tablet tags! I don’t have the buttons set on my tablet right now actually haha - except for the top button on the pen is set as eyedropper. 

17, 18, 19. You need to inform your parents that you have a friend who relies on your help via electronic devices! Also yes please do take a breather from life for a bit - sounds like you’re a bit overwhelmed! If you want to DM me you can and we can talk more :) 

20. You can draw however you want! There is never any pressure to draw realistically, other than from yourself! Being able to render realistically is a useful skill - and my professors would argue that before you can accurately caricature anything you must know how it works realistically - but for sure you can branch out into cartoon-like style! I always encourage artists to adopt several styles (see answer #8 and these posts)

21. Sounds like you’re drawing at too small a resolution and/or canvas size! Try a canvas of at least 2000X2000 pixels set at 200DPI. Also I find the line quality much better in Fire Alpaca than in SAI (that’s mainly why I switched over). Good luck! 

22. I DON’T have all the tools a human can have - that, in my eyes, is having a Wacom Cintiq, or a Cintiq companion. I literally just use watercolour paints+paper+koi brush, or my Mac+Fire Alpaca+Intuous. I also have markers and pencil crayons, which I used to use exclusively from 2004-2013 (I miss them actually) but yeah now I only use a few things. It’s not the tools that make the artist great, it’s knowing HOW to create art! Like wizards/witches and their wands - some tools do enhance your skill (obviously), but you must know the craft FIRST. 

23. I own Canson brand sketch books! Mixed Media (90lb paper) and Watercolour (140lb cold press)

24. I used my smart phone camera, scanned it in and touched it up with Photoshop. The biggest edit I did was making the background around the drawings white. Here’s a tutorial about how to do it (with a different image)

25. Wahoo thanks for the follow and the compliment <3 GO CANADA!

26. YAAAAAAY OUR BABY HAS ARRIVED! I have shipped all the Canada ones out, and I shipped another 45 today to the US and other countries, and the rest should be out by the end of the week!! I’m so happy you got it, thanks so much for the support!! 

27.  Age difference doesn’t really matter THAT much, in the grand scheme - well, maybe it does for the teen years. If she has a partner currently, and she seems happy, then I would try to just stay her friend for now! You could maybe gradually drop hints that you like her, and gage her reaction? 

28. Could it be acid reflux, or heart burn, or an accute respiratory condition maybe? I’m not really well-versed in medical things, and I don’t know anything about your level of fitness or health, so it’s difficult to answer... >.<

29. The print was drawn out by a friend who got them printed onto sweaters at a local print shop! We tried to find and buy it online but we couldn’t find it anywhere >.< 

30. Prepare for it like any other interview - dress like you want to succeed (but also be comfortable). Know your portfolio really well, so that when they ask questions you won’t have to flip through it or hesitate. Be knowledgable about the job/thing you’re applying to as well, so you’re go to go for trivia about the interviewer. Smile and make an appropriate amount of eye contact (demonstrate active listening). Here is a good LinkedIn article about interviews.

31. Aw thanks~ yes yes most of my life is quite happy and I can’t complain ^_^ Have a good one!

32. Thank you!!!! I hope 2017 is super productive for me as well!! Graci and ciao~

WHEW! Feel free to DM me if you want to know more~ 

[goodverbsonly]

The Originals

Hooo boy, I got out my laptop to type up a Book Review, because I’ve read for once or something, and there’s at least AT LEAST two reviews I want to do (including Lost Stars by Claudia Gray, which is EXCELLENT, by the way) but instead, The Originals came to an end last night, and I probably should stop spamming my followers with follow-up posts.

I should also give it a rewatch and a few days before I make this, but here goes nothing:

(obviously spoilers for the finale and every episode that comes before??)

my impression of it is that i don’t really need another rewatch of it. at the end of 5x12 and the first few seconds of 5x13 klaus nearly kills himself. 5x12 has a lot of lead-up to prepare us for his death, and the only thing accomplished in the finale is more of that. my main question the whole time was “how is elijah going to die?” because the only thing i knew for sure going into the finale was that elijah cannot make it out of the story alive. this episode could have been done in 15 minutes, and i just don’t have it in me to feel anything for a story that is unnecessarily dragged out. if in 5x12 klaus hadn’t had already said his goodbyes and he had spent the time looking for a way to cure hope, and the siphoning had been presented as a last ditch effort, i think i could get behind this episode, but instead it felt long and short at the same time. long because the action of the episode didn’t occur until the very end, which made the scenes leading up to the inevitable drag and feel tedious,  and short because nothing happened. to get the gist of the episode, i could watch the very beginning and the very end. (the least they could do, and maybe would have done in 16 or 22 episodes, is drag out how the hollow affected klaus instead of it being just a passing concern.)

so i left the finale of what has probably been my favorite show, and make no mistake - it will continue to be my favorite show, completely underwhelmed and disappointed. with hayley gone and rebekah getting to take the cure (my tvd knowledge is cursory so idk how that actually works since i know that damon takes it. can someone please EXPLAIN it to me) and knowing elijah was never gonna make it out alive and freya and keelin starting their own family, klaus’ death isn’t the Poetic Justice i always thought it would be. i honestly hadn’t given the Finale much thought, but I actually thought the end of last season was an effective season finale. open-ended enough but also very final in a way. can klaus find happiness separated forever from his family, from his daughter? no - absolutely not. but does that sacrifice, taking the dark magic into himself to save hope, at the cost of never seeing her again, at the cost of never seeing elijah or rebekah again, show the kind of growth that the premise of the originals promised? YES. As does the finale of season three. Klaus locks himself away so that one day his family might come together. That isn’t a choice klaus would have made on tvd, or in season 1 or 2 of to, but it’s a choice klaus was able to take, because he has learned, because of hope because he has a daughter, what it means to be selfless.

while obviously taking the dark magic and dying for hope in season 5 was Noble and Brave and a Decision Early Klaus wouldn’t have made, it’s not one that is narrative-ly satisfying to me because there was One Really Obvious Solution and one Really Obvious Problem.

The solution is to have Elijah take the Dark Magic, like he offered. I don’t mean to say that Klaus lets Elijah take the dark magic, because that would be Old Klaus, but that instead, by a trick or a mistake, the dark magic gets siphoned into Elijah instead of Klaus. Ideally, this is Elijah’s Last Act.

Why allow Klaus and Elijah to die when only one of them needed to for the plot? (Because Klaus is no good without Elijah? This is a perception of Klaus’ not a reality. Because what is Elijah’s Purpose without Klaus?) Klaus and Elijah’s stories are so intertwined that it is almost impossible to imagine one without the other. Except that Klaus has a Purpose and a Story beyond Elijah and her name is Hope. Even in tvd Klaus has had motivations that were not all about Elijah, but from the beginning, Elijah has been about Klaus, whether to help him or to hurt him. Elijah had to die, because anyway you write an ending for this show (or at least, anyway a team of writers who have shown again and again that they do know what the show is about -which they have; I haven’t agreed with every single choice they’ve made, but they absolutely have never lost sight of the Objective or Thesis or whatever) means that Elijah has succeeded in his One True Purpose which was to protect Klaus, to Redeem Klaus, to make Klaus into the kind of man a fifteen year old would be proud to have as a father. And this ending starts to become undeniable as early as season  two, when Rebekah asks Elijah what he’s going to do now that klaus has found happiness. If Elijah’s purpose or at least his objective is to die -to sacrifice - for klaus’ redemption or happiness, why leave hope parentless, when they could have just as easily left klaus alive?

The Problem is that hope is parentless. She has family, but they’re all going their separate ways, living their own fulfilled lives, while Hope has to be alone. while she’s got family left, they’re all doing their own thing, having their own lives and their own families. Hope is consequently left by the wayside.

Also, the problem is that the narrative allows klaus to hypothetically find peace. while i am thankful that we didn’t have a fifteen minute montage of each character finding peace because to is not necessarily the same Kind of Show as tvd, and in a different time, i think the ending of klaus and elijah disintegrating into nola would have been unbelievably satisfying (and it is still beautiful right where they first discussed hope. this is actually unbelievably beautiful). it gives klaus a way out of a fate that he finds absolutely worse than death -which is that chance to be a Terrible Father to Hope. he has this one last heroic action that saves hope’s life, but he has been a father to her for a terribly small amount of it, and klaus has still never proven to us that he is capable of sustained...gentleness.Especially since at every separation, klaus is reluctant to reenter hopes life because he believes he will be a terrible father, klaus’s death reads to me like another way for klaus to avoid finding out if he’s like mikael. (and i get that it’s not. but it feels a little hollow - lol - to leave your daughter when your all she has left, especially when your biggest fear is that you will only hurt her.)

klaus doesn’t necessarily deserve a “happy ending” and to didn’t give him one. what he sacrificed was a lifetime or dozens of lifetimes with his daughter. but to me, he gave up the chance, the opportunity, to prove that he was capable of not just not doing harm to the people he loves, but to being a positive choice.

But Anna, you might say, in your Ideal Ending, Klaus does get his happy ending, and you just said he doesn’t deserve it.

Sure, but in my ideal ending, Elijah dies and the people around him filter off, and no life without Elijah is necessarily a Good One for Klaus. Plus, klaus would have to live with the knowledge that elijah has sacrificed everything at every turn for klaus. It’s the Perfect Tragedy, in some ways. To the very end, Klaus has struggled to keep his family together, and to the very end, Elijah has loved him more than that. His struggles have separated them, but this time, he’s not all alone, the way he has always feared. He has Hope. One day, Klaus may die, but it is not until he has learned to be a Man. For more than one heroic action. it also gives elijah a fulfilling story in that his lifes work was not in vain, and we see this because klaus can live with a conscience of his own. he no longer needs elijah by his side, no matter how much he may want him there.

But Anna, isn’t that ending unfair to elijah? well I mean sure, but tvd and the last few episodes have established that Vamps Can Find Peace, and Elijah will find peace with hayley so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

that’s probably about half of my feelings, but the most important ones, i had about the finale, and in conclusion, i would have been happy if the originals only had the one season. god, have you watched season one of the originals lately? it’s so good.