#ava based on that one scene in s1

[kaisollisto]

[powerbottomblake]

ok I finished my rewatch here is the S1 recap brought to you by my brain juices having been put in a blender after that. I will tell you guys, rewatching S1 after watching S2 is so incredibly rewarding this show is just. really good!! it is!! now here are my various disorganized thoughts:

shannon's death scene is so much more hard-hitting on a rewatch. the way when she's being carried she asks for mary then reaches for her is so incredibly intimate she's surrounded by her sisters but she wants mary at her side and the ensuing goodbyes are very much heart-wrenching and there is NO way to read shannon/mary as not romantic especially since we later get hints from everyone that it was pretty much an open secret? everyone knew their relationship was special. props to the cast for delivering such an emotional scene that comes this early in the show (the tear falling from beatrice's face to land on shannon's as she kisses her forehead and says "I'll miss you, sister" is just. Cinéma. Filmé)

the way it is stressed time and again that resurrection is something the halo provides specifically for ava. there's also the way there's a direct parallel with areala bc they're both the only warrior nuns to have received the halo AGAINST their wills and I think you could say resurrection happened for areala too which is very interesting and very neat (the way these two bookend the cycle of warrior nun being fed into the church killing machine)

the way it is basically textual that vincent was the drunk driver that caused ava's accident and that is INSANE. they're both at the center of how the trajectory of their lives was fundamentally rewritten and they're both the cause that sets them on their path. vincent becomes her father figure and develops genuine affection for her and he fills a place in her life that has always been empty before and this really sets the scene for their S2 interactions.

on the topic of vincent there are so many scenes where he stands around in apparent deep meditation and comes afterwards with answers or a set course and those are literally the moments he gets his visions/messages from adriel and it happens right under our noses and we're none the wiser!! you only catch it on rewatch

ava's bisexuality is hinted at so early like literally the first person to hit on her and offer her a drink is a girl!! and then when she escapes the cat's cradle she says "I'm gonna make love to" pointed look at a girl "someone" like it was there right at the beginning

JC is the best person to have a first lay with! I am a person who subscribes to ship having to be each other's true loves not necessarily their first loves and JC was safe and harmless enough for ava to explore things that were denied her in her past life (sexuality, desire, infatuation) bc in the grand scheme of things JC does not matter. and ava subconsciously KNOWS this. ava is never 100% vulnerable or open with JC and not just bc of, you know, the supernatural things happening around and to her constantly but even the most basic information abt herself she withholds for a LONG time. JC is very interesting thematically bc he's what ava thinks freedom looks like and what she thinks she wants but absolutely not what she needs (which is basically what she explores all throughout S1). He's an uprooted vagrant person not beholden to anyone but his own whims but that means he never develops any significant bonds there's no purpose and no real belonging with him. Hell, he leaves his partners of 18 months for ava who he met a week ago. His entire character is based on leaving whereas ava wants, deep down, someone who will stay for and with her. all throughout.

the vincent monologue at the end of episode 1 hits different on a rewatch "prophets are hard to come by in these times" and he went and fashioned himself into one!! this whole things has been him trying to find a type of salvation that the church does not offer him!! especially since he's haunted by who he was in the past and when he joined the OCS he thought maybe this darkness is a demon that can be exorcised and confronted that it was in fact all him he wanted a miracle powerful enough to banish that very darkness. adriel probably sensed that vulnerability in him and came to him in visions using that to get him onboard

mary's whole s1 arc is basically that tough action guy whose wife gets killed and he goes on a rampage to find out who did it and why. she's a female john wick. which. again. I am puzzled by the fact that shannon and mary was apparently not written to read as romantic?? my dearest people you WROTE it that way. you tapped into the romance tropes.

lilith is somehow both an eldest daughter (derogatory) and a middle child (derogatory). and also a bitch and a delight and I love her so much

JC. repeatedly. and I say. REPEATEDLY. offers ava moments of vulnerability where he opens up abt himself and his life and ava offers NOTHING in return. ava is extremely guarded even as she wants him and only offers up her story when she has to and even then it's mostly to distract him from asking questions abt who the people after her are. and that's juxtaposed with how ava, after that very painful moment with mother superion and being offered comfort from beatrice, legitimately opens up to beatrice almost instantly there. Beatrice hugs her once and ava is like I spent 12 years not feeling anything below my chest I didn't kill myself I have a very complicated relationship with nuns and thus catholicism bc I wasn't treated well like the contrast there is mindblowing.

bringing me to my next point: ava instinctively: 1/knows beatrice is safe, 2/knows she is safe with beatrice, 3/ wants to trust beatrice SO BAD. and she wants intensely, for beatrice to believe her and (then in the back end of season once they're paired up) to believe in her

ava fleeing the OCS is done so well bc in 24hrs she gets put through mother superion's psychological warfare, then she hears abt the previous halobearer who I'm sure she was picturing as someone of a certain age then sees the picture and realizes shannon died young, then she goes visiting the murals of the cat's cradle and all the warrior nuns are pictured young and fighting demons, constantly, AND THEN she reads that part abt how areala died her second death YOUNG too. she gets hit with the reality of this fate, the danger of it, the certainty of a death that'll come sooner rather than later as she's appointed humanity's champion while having to fight horrors beyond a normal human's comprehension constantly. ofc my girl bailed. it's all done so very well everything that has to do with ava's arc is insanely well written

jillian calls beatrice "a petite member of the clergy" when she sees the footage of beatrice taking out an entire security team and that is SO FUCKING FUNNY. imagine calling beatrice petite to her face

on that topic beatrice's hallway fight gets projected to a room full of journalists and I am obsessed with that. did she go viral on the internet were there memes abt ninja nuns going feral

all throughout when something happens that pushes against the Norms and Rules beatrice will question it and it can come off as cold but really it's bc Beatrice strives on structure!! if she has to step outside the bounds of it, it better be righteous and worth it. like when she asks if vincent is intent on not giving the halo to lilith and keeping it within ava and he says yes her first reflex is but lilith is next in line. but the politics. this isn't to say beatrice was FOR killing ava like the moment she hears it could kill her she's NOT down to take it away from her but everytime the Order of Things is challenged Beatrice has to be walked through as to why. and if it's WORTH it. which oh boy the way this ties to her S2 arc makes me slightly insane bc ava comes barreling through that structure and beatrice says yes. she is worth upending my whole world for anyway-

Which is NOT to say that beatrice will take well to any kind of authority you actually have to earn her respect otherwise beatrice has. absolutely. zero chill. the tone she takes with duretti who's the fucking CARDINAL. from VATICAN. a pope HOPEFUL?? she is polite yes but curt and cold and very much flirting with impertinence like duretti tries to seduce her into his clique the way he did lilith and it fails astronomically and she basically tells him to go fuck himself?? to A CARDINAL?? DIRECT OVERSIGHT OVER THE OCS?? FROM THE VATICAN??? "you may always count on me to remain faithful. to God." and did you call him a power hungry whore too did you give him the finger beatrice???????

anyway I miss this show so fucking much

[ecoamerica]

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[pretendfan]

{I need you}

🖤Raylan Givens x Winona Hawkins🖤

{S1 episode12: The time when Winona visits Raylan late one night at his motel room, reimagined with more smut and conversation between the characters}

A/N: This is exactly what happens when I start watching a new show and I get invested, this is just a practice story of getting used to writing Raylan, none of this was asked for or probably makes sense but here it is🤣Givens brainrot💀but that gif thou “he gimme that look, the panties coming off…”

{Warnings: 18 plus ONLY, nothing but net smut, if harlequin romance wrote smut, cheesy but hot, loosely based on scene from season one, teasing, oral sex (both parties), p in v, happy endings, minor argument}

🖤3.1k🖤

Wrestling with the idea of either closing his eyes for a quick rest, or refilling his glass with more bourbon, Raylan Givens makes his choice then instantly regrets it when he hears a soft knock at his door.

There were few people who knew of the US Marshal’s whereabouts at this motel, he was just out of Harlan but Raylan knew that folk talked, so anyone could be here for a little chit chat on someone else’s behalf right now to try and put the wind up him.

…Raylan Givens had a lot of enemies, but he wouldn’t have it any other way, enjoying the chase was a perk of his job amongst others of course.

Being back in Kentucky for too long already he wondered again who it was calling at this late hour, taking a generous gulp of his drink he puts the tumbler down, hoping the visitor behind the door at least was a friendly one as he gets up from his bed.

What with Boyd and his dad Bo up to their usual bullshit, whilst Arlo was still performing his old tricks as well, and then there was Ava who was currently giving him the cold shoulder. These thoughts causing Raylan to grab his gun by the bedside table, just in case, because it could be absolutely anyone waiting to speak with him.

Sure he had a name for himself being both quick to judge and on the draw, gun happy he wasn’t Raylan just knew when to shoot first, defusing a situation with one glance which was exactly how he had ended up here back in his hometown.

Shaking these ridiculous thoughts from his mind Raylan slowly opens the motel door, and is shocked to see his ex wife, but the moment passes when he swiftly ushers her inside the room.

Quickly trying to gage the look on Winona’s face but even after all this time, he couldn’t help but stare down at her and get lost in those damn blue eyes, the ones that had watched him leave time and time again.

“What’s happened-“

“It’s nothing, I shouldn’t even be here.” Winona states looking away from Raylan, eyeing the door like she had just made a huge mistake.

“Is it your husband Gary again-“

“Are you surgically attached to that damn hat of yours?” Winona asks with a laugh cutting off her ex husband, whose dark brown eyes are rewarding her with a heavy stare.

“Is that why you’re here to talk about my damn hat!”Raylan stops talking when he looks down, to see Winona removing the gold wedding band from her left hand.

“I’m here for you.” Winona explains eyes wide as she glances at Raylan, who in turn removes his hat from his head revealing dark dishevelled hair.

“Clearly but why is that-“ Raylan starts to ask but is cut off, when Winona takes a single step forward, and then she kisses him purposefully on the lips.

Raylan leans closer into the embrace unsure where to place his hands, so he puts one on Winona’s right hip ever so gently, causing her to entwine both of her hands into his white tank top with a tight grip.

Moments later she pulls away like a skittish animal placing a hand over her lips, watching Raylan whose brown eyes are trained on her causing Winona to smile widely despite herself.

“That-“

“Shouldn’t have happened.” Cuts in Winona with a quick nod, whilst trying to keep her voice firm but it’s no good, she knew exactly why she was here and resisting was never her strong point.

“Well it looks like you enjoyed it.” Raylan informs Winona with a smirk on his handsome face, him moving nearer to his ex wife who looked like she also wanted to have some fun.

Raylan remembered the signs and seeing how Winona was breathing heavily, eyes gliding over his form, whilst her hands were balled tightly into fists he knew that he was moments away from providing her with some relief.

“I know why you are here.” Raylan states with a smug smile unable to look away, watching as Winona undoes the belt around her long pea green coat which makes him momentarily forget how to breathe.

“I need you.” Winona declares in a soft voice as he watches her pull off her coat, revealing black lace underwear to match those black heels which were in fact driving him wild.

Raylan didn’t need to be told twice as he tipped his head to kiss Winona, who invited him back in tongue and all as they made out almost like desperate teenagers, whilst he guided her onto the edge of his bed.

Standing in front of Winona he looks down to watch her hands make short work of his belt, closely followed by his pants zip as Raylan shrugs off his white tank top, then pulls gently on the back of her hair to remove the clip that resided there.

Looking up from her task in hand Winona smiles up at Raylan, who was taking in her curly brown hair spread across her shoulders, and the curve of her breasts in that lacy bra that should be on his motel floor by now.

Reaching a hand round her back to unclip said item of clothing, Raylan gives Winona a confused glance when she moves his hand away, a playful look bringing out the pretty features on her face.

“My turn first.” Winona states with a bite of her bottom lip as she uses both hands, to free Raylan from the confines of his pants, eliciting a warm groan from his mouth as she takes his thick cock in her right hand.

With her thumb circling around the head of his cock Winona grips her hand tighter around Raylan, who she notices has his mouth parted gently, whilst his eyes are watching her every move so it was time to put on a show.

Removing her hand suddenly Winona continues to look up at Raylan, who was hard and ready but she just wanted to tease him a little first, spreading kissing from the top of his thighs to that damn V shaped muscle he had silhouetted on either side of his hips.

Raylan’s whole body jerks when Winona finally licks the head of his penis, then opening her mouth starts to take him with the help of her tongue and the muscle memory of doing this many times before.

When he is as deep in her mouth as he could go, Winona hears groaning from Raylan as he strokes the back of her head, and she continues to lick the underside of his cock whilst sucking hard on his full firm length.

“Fuck, your mouth feels so good.” Raylan hisses as he places another hand on Winona’s head, which makes her start to suck sloppily as he guides her, his breath quickening which causes his thighs to shake.

Winona doesn’t relent she wants to suck him dry as she continues her tempo, re introducing her hand to grip onto his length until a moment or two later the hot sting of his release hits the back of her throat.

The noises and soft swearing that escapes from Raylan’s lips make Winona groan, swallowing his seed and not missing a drop of the salty nectar, until he gently pulls her away from him.

“Wow.” Raylan declares followed by another slew of curse words until he then states “Now it’s my turn.”

“I’m the one making-“

“Stand up.” Raylan cuts Winona off in a deep authoritative voice, that has her doing exactly as she was damn told for once whilst he steps out of his pants.

Mouths entwined once again Raylan gently pushes Winona onto the bed, she complies and lays down on her back hair spread angelically behind her, but the look on her face told a completely different story.

Raylan places a hand on either side of her head as he hovers above Winona, who he sees still has that look on her face the one that always got him into bed, but now it was his turn to make her lose all control.

Tracing kisses down her front Raylan stops at one of her breasts, following the curve with his tongue causing Winona to arch her back in response, covering his mouth over her nipple still encased in the bra which briefly annoys him.

Treating the other breast with the same respect, Raylan focuses on the task at hand unable to resist pinching her nipple, which causes Winona to gasp as their eyes lock and he grins back looking cocky.

“I still know what you like.” Teases Raylan with a dark chuckle.

“Well stop talking and put that mouth to work then.” Winona states with a lick of her bottom lip.

“Yes ma’am.” Raylan nod with a smile reconnecting his lips to bare skin, as he lowers his head and traces kisses, down south towards Winona’s belly button pausing to look up and see her watching him very carefully.

Placing his hands on her hips Raylan holds Winona in place, brown eyes focused on the black lace underwear tracing the fabric with his thumbs, whilst letting out a hot breath that he wasn’t even aware he’d been holding.

“Ass up beautiful.” Raylan demands watching as Winona silently does what he asks of her again, letting him pull down the underwear to reveal heaven as he almost forgets what he was in fact doing.

Winona kicks away the second to last item of clothing, whilst Raylan moves backwards off the bed to settle on the ugly motel carpet, on his knees naked as the day he was born but with a wide smile on his face.

Moving closer Raylan starts to kiss Winona’s soft inner thigh, but not without using his tongue on the other side, he liked to do things properly eyes darkening as he takes in her pussy and like a man possessed he darts out his tongue.

Licking along her pussy lips with a purpose as his mouth meets her clit, the tip of his tongue teasing the bud of delight when he hears Winona sigh, like sweet music to his ears causing his cock to jerk in response.

It’s when he covers his whole mouth over the throbbing peak of nerves, that Winona cries out hands launching out to grab onto anything, catching one of his muscled arms and forehead as she lifts up off the bed.

“You need to stay still.” Raylan states lifting his head up to see Winona with glazed eyes, biting her bottom lip so sharply he was sure he would soon see blood.

“What if I don’t?” Winona asks with an arched eyebrow aimed in her ex husbands direction.

“I will stop-“

“Fine by me I don’t need you, I know what I like.” Winona retorts flippantly always on the defensive with Raylan, even during sex it seemed but this time she knew she was right.

Raylan watches with a choked breath as Winona uses her right hand to spread her wet lips, showing him exactly how she liked it with those lithe fingers of hers, which was a sight to behold but he desperately wanted to taste her again.

“You just keep those magic fingers of yours there.” Raylan informs Winona grabbing her wrist to move her hands upwards.

Watching as she places two tips of her fingers over that pretty pink bud, Raylan’s cock leaking from the sight but he uses his own fingers this time, watching as he pushes one inside of her pussy then uses his tongue to taste her delicious sweetness once again.

“Holy shit!” Winona whines as she moves her left hand from Raylan’s forehead to his thick hair, tugging at the front which causes him to grunt back but carry on devouring her pussy regardless.

Introducing a second finger Raylan feels Winona’s fingers rubbing harder over her clit, he could sense she was getting close especially when her pussy gripped his fingers even tighter, making him wish she was riding his cock right this second.

Pushing her hand away Raylan quickly covers his mouth once more over her mound, tongue exploring the sweet yet tangy flavour, groaning when he feels Winona yank his hair harder at the very same time that she finds her release.

Raylan rides out Winona’s orgasm with his mouth firmly attached to her pussy, his tongue feeling her walls spasm as she soaked his face with her juices, until she is yanking his head away by his hair taking deep breaths as she finally lays still.

“That was-“

“Think you could fuck me?” Winona ask with a wry smile, when she sees what Raylan is packing, his penis which was cocked and ready for some action.

“What do you think?” Raylan questions but not waiting for an answer, as he drops onto the bed manoeuvring himself, so Winona was now on top of him.

Raylan watches in awe as Winona finally removes the lace bra to reveal her breasts, arching himself up so he could finally taste her nipples, enjoying the feeling of them hardening on his tongue.

Placing his hands on top of her thighs to hold her down, feeling the head of his cock brush against Winona’s wet lips causing him to rock his hips, then curse as she lowers herself onto his shaft hands moving to her waist instead gripping tightly.

“Good girl, taking me so well.” Raylan states when Winona is fully seated on him, eyes closed whilst her hands hold firm onto his broad shoulders.

“Can I ride you now?” Winona asks opening her eyes to reward him with a sexy wink.

“Like a rodeo horse use me however you want, because I have got the best seat in the house.” Raylan laughs teasingly but the sound soon fades, when he feels Winona start to move on his hard cock.

Moving her hands from Raylan’s shoulders she slides them down the hard plains of his chest, feeling his muscles spasm under her palms as his chest hair tickles her fingers, but right now she was more interested in being fucked the good old fashioned way.

Winona cups her breasts with her hands noticing the look on Raylan’s face, so she continues to play which he clearly appreciates, because he starts to desperately thrust upwards causing him to hit her sweet spot over and over.

This causes Winona’s pussy muscles to clamp down hard on his cock, with Raylan clenching his teeth together because he was being milked, and he wasn’t going to last much longer so he speeds up which makes her cry out above him.

“I’m coming!” Winona shouts as she places her hands back, onto Raylan’s now damp chest, as she feels her orgasm rinse her body dry and a various array of noises escape from her mouth.

Pretty soon Raylan finds himself following Winona as he jerks his hips once more, then feels his release as he chases his high shallow thrusts causing Winona to groan, until he finally relaxes back down on the bed.

“Did I just make you meow?” Raylan asks Winona continuing before she can reply “I’ve never made a woman meow before!”

“And you still haven’t-“

“Are you sure?” Raylan asks cutting off Winona with a laugh, as he opens his arms wide and she moves off him, welcoming his embrace in the heat of the moment.

“Definitely sure Raylan.” Winona smiles as she catches him staring at her, suddenly feeling safe in his arms burying her head in his neck for extra comfort.

Silence ensues as both parties are lost in their own thoughts, still holding each other close as if it was all they had, because in some ways they always seemed to find one another each and every time.

Moments later Winona breaks away from Raylan’s arms, avoiding the look on his face as she gets up from the lumpy bed, attempting to locate her underwear in the dimly lit room.

“One for the road?” Raylan asks causing Winona to look up eyes wide, but then she rolls them after spotting him point at the bottle of bourbon on his bedside table.

“Shouldn’t you have offered me a damn drink first?” Winona questions with a smirk getting dressed back into her underwear, she then locates her heels and steps into them.

“Maybe next time-“

“Raylan.” Winona warns whilst putting her pea green coat back on, then placing a hand into her pocket to retrieve the gold wedding band putting it back onto her left hand.

“What did I say now?” Raylan begins with a snort sitting up on the bed, watching as Winona wraps herself away in her coat then gives him one to those looks like he was in trouble.

“You haven’t said anything-“

“You were the one to come round here and see me!” Raylan cuts off Winona in a stern tone which she didn’t appreciate right now.

“Well you were very quick to turn me away weren’t you?” Retorts Winona raising her voice because she hated to be told facts that she already knew.

“Let’s not kid ourselves here-“

“No, we shouldn’t because this was nothing and I need to go!” Winona declares with a look that signalled this was all over.

“Fine by me!” Raylan shrugs as he watches Winona stare at him once more, a small smile on her face but then she quickly turns to leave, causing him to share a vacant grin with his motel room.

Trouble in the homestead he didn’t care about, but all Raylan knew was that he was a better man than Gary, yet Winona hadn’t stayed with him which still hurt more than it should’ve even after all these years.

Winona was the only woman to have such a chokehold on him, even now as he let her walk away feeling like a loser all over again, knowing that he would need to talk to his ex wife about this at a later date.

For now though he just needed to locate his pants and finish off his drink, in that order maybe treating himself to a couple more shots, because he was now wide awake and all he could smell was his ex wife’s perfume on his bedsheets.

What unfolded had been fun of course it was exactly what he needed most nights, but Raylan was left wanting more something unheard of normally, but Winona always knew how to play with his heart.

Pants back on Raylan finishes his drink in one swift gulp, then pours himself another which follows the same demise, until he lays back down on his bed grabbing his hat to place back over his face.

…because he definitely wasn’t answering again if anyone else knocked on his damn door.

[confusedspaceotter]

A little(?) recap/guide thingy Warrior Nun edition:

This is my attempt to make a wn guide and will cover some basic information about the show, the plot and a brief introduction of the characters + my personal options about them.

A long post since I’ve been hypervixated on the show since s2 dropped.

Some basic info

Warrior nun(2020-) is a show created by Simon Barry based on the comic book character Warrior Nun Areala by Ben Dunn.

The first season of the show aired on Netflix( which we will refer to as Netflop) on 2020 July and was renewed for a second season that was released on November 2022.

Sadly, in December of 2022, that show was cancelled by Netflop BUT AFTER 6 MONTHS OF HARDWORK BY SHOWRUNNER SIMON BARRY, THE CAST AND CREW OF WN AND THE WN FANDOM, ON JUNE 28 2023, IT WAS ANNOUNCED BY SIMON BARRY ON TWITTER THAT THE SHOW WILL RETURN!!

(I’m so proud of us for real, I know is late but happy pride everyone 🌈)

Now on to the story( and the reason why I fucking love this show other then Avatrice)

The plot

The story begins with a quadriplegic 19-year-old orphan, Ava Silva, when she wakes up in a morgue with religious artifact known as the halo. Soon, Ava discovered that she now have superpowers and she was hunted down by both the owner of the halo, the Order of the Cruciform Sword(OCS for short), a group of secret warrior nuns that works for the Catholic Church that fights demons, and the literal demons from hell, who wants to use the halo to open the gates of hell.

Tl;dr Local 19-year-old girl Ava Silva who was previously quadriplegic and dead, was resurrected by a literal angel halo slap on her back by one of the secret nuns that work for the Catholic Church, Ava now has to fight literal demons.

(Slight s2 spoiler below)

Oh and she got a really cool sword and a gf later and that’s why we call her bisexual Jesus.

The characters

Not going to go too in-depth because if I do this post will go on forever, so I’ll give a brief overview of them + my some own opinions on them.

( I tried to keep it as spoiler free as possible but there might be spoilers of s1 now let us begin!)

1. Ava Silva( portrayed by Alba Baptista)

- Local quadriplegic orphan was resurrected by a mysterious devine donut so she’s understandably confused

- But that’s also why she’s so passionate about life( because she’s been trap in a bed for like years)

- Also that’s why I would describe her as child-like because she basically didn’t get one( she got a TV buddy in the orphanage tho, props to you Diego🫡)

- Chaotic ™

- At first glance, she might seem selfish but that’s only because girlie just wanted to live okay

- Is trying her best🥹

- Funny?!( personally I love her humour)

- Solid 10/10 character development in s2

- Will forever be my baby💕

- (Now slight s2 spoilers)

- AVATRICE AVATRICE AVATRICE( for those of you who don’t know, it is a wlw ship between Ava Silva and Sister Beatrice)

- Still can’t believe our bisexual Jesus got resurrected twice

- I just fucking love her okay

2. Sister Beatrice( portrayed by Kristina Tonteri-Young)

- part of the OCS

- Asian repppp( as an asian, any asian rep is a automatic W)

- Is the smart one( Carmila comes very close)

- Knows a shit tone of languages because of that private education( *in Mary’s voice* “yasss private education”)

- Is the one in charge because of how trustworthy she is

- Everyone is so badass but she is The badass( shameless plug to the badass Beatrice compilation I made)

- (Now on to some S1 spoilers)

- she’s a lesbian, gay🌈🌈🌈

- Asian lesbian representation my beloved

- Her coming out scene is literally perfect I’ve never since something this beautiful on TV for a long time

- It’s just so sincere and real and emotional and it’s making me feel stuff which I will allow

- (Now even more spoilers about s2)

- DID I MENTION AVATRICE

- also really really love how she now expresses herself more openly( get that character development Bea✨

- I can’t wait for them to reunite 🥹

3. Shotgun Mary(portrayed by Toya Turner )

- part of the OCS( as an independent contractor)

- just trying to get revenge for her gf sister warrior Shannon

- gives no fucks

- get shit done

- Miss “Baby girl I’ve got two shotguns” Mary

- Might look scary/ cold but she cares about everyone(yes, even Lilith)

- The older sister of the OCS

- The kind of friend that will whoop your ass if she thinks your making a bad decision to knock some sense into you

4. Sister Lilith(portrayed by Lorena Andrea)

- Part of the OCS( her family have been serving the church for like ages)

- Was supposed to be the next halo bearer(until it got shoved into Ava by accident)

- So she dislikes ava(understandable, again she’s the one who’s supposed to be the next halo-bearer)

- Ambitious

- Believes in the church/the rules more then the people( part of the reason why she is determined to get the halo back from Ava)

- Will do anything to achieve her goal(even if it meant hurting her friends/family)

- Strive for perfection(because she doesn’t want to disappoint her mother

- (S2 spoilers below)

- Idk what happened to her in s2

- The only way I could justify her actions is she was brainwashed or something

- Personally, I understand/like S1 Lilith more

- Doest stop her from being hot and making me simp for her tho

5. Sister Camila(portrayed by Olivia Delcán)

- must protect at all cost

- The youngest out of the OCS

- The most inexperienced(again coz she’s the youngest)

- Beatrice is her mentor/ closest big old sister( absolutely love their dynamic)

- Camila 🤝🏻 Ava being the chaotic child™

- Is the tech girl

- Is shy and soft but

- she’s very capable of whooping your ass

- Seeing her slowly growing and believing in herself more is just🥰🥺

6. Mother Mommy Superion(portrayed by Sylvia De Fanti)

- Mother of five (the OCS kids

- Girl boss✨

- Very protective of her kids

- Caretaker of the sister warriors( she trains them too

- Might seem harsh but is only because she wants what’s best for them

- Now how did mother superion get her title ohhh I wonder👀( it will be answered in S2)

- She means business

- Milf( okay have you seen her??

- Everytime she shows up my monkey brain just goes “mother is mothering.”

- Is serious like 90% of the time ( ohhh but I wonder whyyy did something happen I wonderrr(( also will be answered in S2))

7. Father Vincent(portrayed by Tristán Reuten)

- Is a man(I know is obvious but he’s literally one of the only few man in the cast I had to give him a shoutout

- The man in charge and give orders to the sister warriors

- One of the only few people Mary trusts( I view them as mentor & mentee but I can also see adoptive father & adoptive daughter too)

- Calculative(you know, from being a strategic leader to the warrior sisters

- The authority figure that kinda gone rogue( by being on Ava’s side

- Respected by the sisters warriors( you know he is a father after all

Other random shit

Reasons why I recommend this show:

- it’s wlw( yes I’m once again talking about avatrice what about it)

- one of the few shows on the market rn that actually have a diverse cast( and not just a cast full of white people and one black/Asian/Latian-American person)

- with a diverse cast, comes with multiple characters speaking in languages other then English( Spanish, French, German etc)

- a almost all female cast

- and they are all strong badass women who will whoop your ass

- a show with Christian/ Catholic themes which fits well into the narrative( ie is not overly anti religion but also not too religious that gives you religious trauma)

- which brings us to the clever parallels and metaphors( one of the most obvious one is Ava, a character that was resurrected by a divine power, is a direct reference to irl Jesus)

- the character development is real( the main character was held accountable for her actions, realised her mistakes, takes responsibility and learns to do better)

-we got action, we got comedy, we got heartfelt scenes, what more do you need?

Now since I know nothing about cinematography I’ll just link this wonderful edit I found on YouTube and let it speak for it self.

Hope this guide thingy helps!

[inmyarmswrappedin]

I would say, based on this clip, that Druck is targeting a younger demographic than it used to. Some other thoughts:

As the social media manager confirmed yesterday, the topic of SA won't be touched upon this season! I was quite sure yesterday that this is what they were going for, so I had to recalibrate a bit.

So, I would say that Mailin likes Finn and, it feels like, has liked him for quite a while.

Fatou and Mailin are done revising for the upcoming Bio final. Fatou asks Mailin to see if Ava and Nora have any plans. Nora says Finn is throwing a party because his family is gone for the weekend. This makes Mailin sit up straight, and ask if only Nora and Josh are invited or anyone can come. Nora's like, "I mean I'm sure everyone's gonna be there lol?"

Mailin tells Fatou, who's like, "okay let's go!" Mailin asks if Finn will actually want them there since he didn't invite them directly. Fatou's like, "uh I'm sure as Kieu My's girlfriend, I'm automatically invited." She reassures Mailin that he didn't tell them directly because he probs understood the invite would make the rounds through his social circle.

Then Mailin is like, "UGH I don't have anything to wear!" Fatou's like, "why am I in a 13-year old show all of a sudden?" But then she picks up a top of Mailin's we've already seen and says that looks cute. Mailin's like, "Cute?!" as if she doesn't want to look cute, but maybe HOT, or smart, or something, idk.

Then they talk about where they're going to get the booze, if they're going to buy beer or borrow some of Mailin's mom's booze. Fatou thinks mom-booze is better because they won't get a hangover.

Cue the usual s1 girl squad assemble montage. This clip is very, very reminiscent of s1 vibes. It doesn't come across so much as the vibes we got from s2-s4, but more like, "omg going to a party for the first time with my girlfriendsssss and the guy I like is gonna be there!!!"

We get a quick look at the side characters like Isi's boyfriend who gets a line, and Lou who asks where the kitchen is. This is my first time seeing Lou in a clip and she was just so amazing at asking where the kitchen was. 5/5 stars.

Ava talks with some guy who knows Finn from boxing. S4 reference! Kieu My and Fatou are harassing Finn and asking him to box. Finn looks at Mailin all embarrassed and says not now. Then he says he does a kind of boxing that is more spiritual, mind and body. (Chess boxing apparently.)

Dance scene, but Mailin is in the sidelines. Finn comes over and they kind of hang around without saying anything. Mailin asks where Josh and Nora are. (Are they FUCKING?) No, they're just getting them pizzas. Mailin's all, "omg I could eat a pizza right now... Even though I ate earlier." Finn says that eating is the best way to relieve the stress from the exams, because he's not some kind of floozy who brings up orgasms at every opportunity I suppose. Mailin is very touched by this.

Mailin raids Finn's fridge and continues drinking. Suddenly she's like sloppy drunk. Now she's with Isi, Kieu My and Fatou. They're playing FMK. Isi's bf doesn't know what FMK is or how it works because he actually grew up in a cult and only recently has managed to leave. (Cult survivor rep!) In all actuality, it's probs because Druck's younger demographic who's only now tuning in, might not know what FMK is.

Anyway Mailin is asked to choose between Isi and a couple other people. She's like, "Fuck no one! And marry no one because that's such an outdated institution jdvhdjv omg I'm so dunrk right now..." (Edit: LOU takes this moment to be like, "right on, sister!" My god how I wish Lou broke free of the Sporty Spice chokehold and hit on Ava or something...)

Finn shows up with a hotdog and it's like, "it's just a game, you don't fuck or marry or kill anyone for real." Mailin says that he did actually kill the pig in his hand. Wow, this banter is really getting me going. Finn's like, "yeah I guess you're right..." And then Isi's like, "I CANNOT TAKE THIS SEXUAL TENSION ANYMORE. Finn, FMK? Angela Merkel (Isi you're so out of date, is Olaf Scholz too good for you?), myself, or Mailin?" Isi also apologizes to her bf, because, having grown up in a cult, he doesn't realize this is just a game and Finn won't proceed to fuck Isi immediately.

Anyway, Finn looks like a deer caught in headlights. Kieu My's like, "you've already killed the pig so who do you want to fuck COME ON." Mailin realizes she cares a bit too much about the answer despite her strict no fuck and no marriage policy, gets queasy and goes to barf in the bathroom. Unfortunately we don't get to know if Finn is crushing on Mailin back!

[sapphicscholar]

A/N: This is my first venture into the Hacks fandom as a writer, and I'm really excited about building this tour-based, post-S1 series out! I'm way more familiar with East Coast and a bit of the Midwest comedy scene, so we'll mostly be sticking there, but I'm looking forward to it! And thanks to @whystickaround for the fun tattoo prompt!

Fic Preview

Ava knows there is a calendar. A meticulously organized one that tracks the ins and outs of Deborah’s daily schedule. But also, that is all Marcus, and every last one of Ava’s email addresses—even the old Yahoo one from her grade school days that includes an absolutely humiliating, unironic inclusion of “qt”—is barred from even accessing, let alone editing the calendar. And even though Ava is technically “present” during Marcus’s incessant daily check-ins—though, let’s be honest, literally any game offered for free in the app store would be more interesting than the reminders about what she’s hawking on QVC—each time the jet touches down, she finds herself surprised by the new city.

This time, they’re in some midwestern college town that reminds Ava of gross frat boys and packed lecture halls and football games she’d never even pretended to care about before dropping out to pursue comedy writing full time.

“Are you even listening?” Deborah snaps, waving a hand in front of Ava’s face.

“Course,” she scoffs, slipping her phone back into her pocket. “Got that gig at the … the pig place. Flying Pig? Blind Pig? Drunk Pig?”

“Really stellar performance here. Can see why you didn’t quite make it to graduation.”

Ava flings a hand over her heart. “You wound me. I’ll have you know my Adderall-fueled cram sessions were highly effective.”

“Well then go bum some off of one of these kids I’ll be performing for and find me somewhere with Diet Coke, but only—”

“—from the fountain. Yeah, dude, I know. It just tastes better.” It’s one of the few things they’ve agreed on from the start, no matter how absolutely fucking batshit Ava still finds it that Deborah has an at-home version.

Ava throws a coat on and pulls her beanie down low enough to ward off some of the winter chill that apparently lingers well into March and April out in the flyover states. It’s almost enough to have her missing the absolute asscrack of America that is Vegas.

[ecoamerica]

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[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

It would be cool if they did another 400 days type mini series with some characters. like showing us the beginning/middle/different parts of the apocalypse from the perspectives of: Marlon, Louis, Violet, Sophie, James, and Lilly. I think it would do well

I think something like this would do well, too. We talk about this a lot and I keep hoping that if we continue to talk about it, they’ll somehow hear us and actually do it haha. 

Just think of the possibilities- a game with each episode dedicated to following a different protagonist during a different time in the apocalypse, telling a previously unheard story. They could even do more character-driven stories that focus more on that aspect rather than the walkers and outside dangers, y’know? 

Really the only downside I could see if they actually did this is that people outside the fandom would be whiney about it? I mean, people who casually played Telltale games would look at Skybound like “Rehashing old characters who aren’t muh Clementine? Pass.” Y’know? And to be fair, I could see people within the fandom being disappointed, too. 

But a majority? I think we’d all be happy to just have another twdg installment if Skybound wanted to make one... as long as they leave Clementine alone. That’s my one condition haha. 

Leave her alone, Robert. 

I’ll even throw out a bunch of possibilities for episodes-

Carley and Doug - I would love an episode that starts with Carley working as a reporter just as the walkers come. We could meet her crew, go through when they were attacked and explore the trauma she experiences after watching her producer get eaten alive in front of her. 

Then, in comes our hero: Doug. Doug saves her life, and the two of them manage to escape and hideout. This is the perfect time to explore Doug’s character, too, as well as the relationship he and Carley had before they met up with the drugstore crew. 

We can learn more about how Carley came to be so good with firearms and more about Doug’s technical background. Not only that, but it would be interesting to see these two actually interact since, y’know... they canonically have romantic feelings for one another. 

Then the episode could end with them meeting Glenn outside, who brings them back to the group at the drugstore. 

The St Johns - Here me out, but I would totally be on board for an episode about these people and how they starting picking off their farmhands for food. We don’t even have to play as any of the St Johns, we could play as a farmhand that actually escaped that fate after discovering what these people were doing. 

It could definitely be more horror based, too. Like a cat and mouse sort of chase scene with the protagonist and Andy or Danny with them escaping with their life at the end and journeying off. 

We could also see more of the bandits and how that agreement came to be with them. We could see more of Jolene, too. 

Lilly - Okay, I want to know what the hell happened to Lilly between s1 and s4. From what I’ve gathered and inferred, Lilly wandered alone for years before finding the delta, the first place she ever considered home since... well, the motor-inn. Which... is nuts. 

Then there’s all the trauma of losing Larry on top of what a piece of shit he was. I know I laugh at her for being all “No more ice cream, no more hair dryer” when she was telling Clementine about Larry cutting their power but we don’t know much about just how abusive Larry was. 

Plus, we don’t know what happened to her mom. Larry still carried her wedding ring even into the apocalypse and died with it in his pocket. There’s just... a lot of things. 

So I think an episode about Lilly by herself could be an interesting exploration of her being her own enemy, y’know? When I say character-driven, I mean solely character-driven with Lilly having flashbacks or nightmares or talking to herself or even hallucinations. Think Michonne, but even better executed. And with no ghost children. Maybe a ghost Larry, though. Which is arguably worse. 

And it could end with someone from the delta finding her. 

Christa and Omid - I feel like this is an obvious one since everyone loves these two and we’re still salty that they never brought Christa back. So it’d be cool to see these two either before meeting Lee’s group, or their time with Clementine between s1 and s2.

This is the only time I’ll allow Clementine to be here. If they feel they have to plop Clementine into this, then do it this way. We could explore Clementine’s guilt of what happened to Lee and the trauma she suffered while with the stranger, we could explore Christa’s pregnancy and learn more about her and Omid’s relationship. 

We could see some dad moments with Omid as he and Clementine bond, perhaps dive into the fear and anxiety of a baby that’s coming, too. 

Kenny and Sarita - So... while Kenny’s not my favorite person, I can’t deny that I’d be interested in seeing him after he apparently escapes the walker horde after killing Ben and what he went through before he met Sarita. 

Hell, have an episode where we play as Sarita as she stumbles upon Kenny and how she saved him from the restaurant he was hiding in. We could get a glimpse into Kenny from Sarita’s point of view and what they went through during their time together. We could learn about Walter and Matthew, too. 

Honestly, I just want to know more about Sarita as a character rather than a plot device to die in order to further Kenny’s development, y’know?  

Bonnie - Yeah, yeah, I know. No one likes Bonnie and “who wants to play as Bonnie again?? she sucks??”, but damn it... I want them to redeem how badly they fucked up with her story in 400 Days. 

I want an episode about her struggling with her drug addiction and how it affected her when the dead started walking. What she was willing to do to get her fix, y’know? Bring back Leland and Dee and how they helped with her road to recovery.

Leland himself even said that when they found her, she was still so stuck on those drugs. I think exploring that could be a fascinating experience. 

Jane - An episode about Jane and Jamie? An exploration of Jane’s struggle with keeping her sister alive while having that internal survival instinct trying to take over all leading to her finally giving Jamie what she wanted- to leave her. Then how that guilt and loss took a toll on Jane and hardened her.

And like, I know Jane is kind of in the same boat as Bonnie where a lot of people [specifically Kenny followers] absolutely hate her and would whine about an episode dedicated to exploring her character, but I don’t care. I’d play it, I’d love to understand Jane more, even if I don’t particularly like her. 

David - This one is here for selfish reasons. I want an episode all about David. I don’t care what you do, but I want to see David’s struggle of literally losing his entire family in a single night, as well as losing the world to the apocalypse and having to move forward.

Like... seriously, remember what Kate was all “I bet David was happy when the world ended” or some shit? I actually disagree, Kate, since the day the world ended, he lost his father, mother, brother, uncle, his fucking children, and you, his wife within a night.  He spent years thinking you all were dead while traveling with Ava and his unit, fighting the dead and trying to survive.... but no, the day the walkers came was probably super great for him. Ugh. 

The bonus is we get more Ava, too. Also, I don’t think anyone would oppose if you threw in the whole “David and Lingard might’ve had a thing”... just sayin’. We stan bisexual David. 

Javier - Throwing this one in there because I think an episode about Javi, Kate, Gabe, and Mari would do incredibly well. Everyone misses the Garcia’s, everyone was bummed that we ever got a follow up to what Javi was up to after ANF. 

Y’know... since ANF was a mess, they probably didn’t feel they could do a follow up because people wouldn’t play... but I’m telling you, we’d play another adventure as Javier Garcia. I don’t know what kind of story you’d tell, but it doesn’t matter. Well, it does... but ya get me. 

Plus, more Gabe and Mariana content. C’mon. 

James - *slams fists on table* I want my James and the whisperers episode damn it!! And I’m gonna keep saying it until someone either makes it or pays me to shut up. 

I don’t care if you like James or not, you can’t deny how fascinating it would be to have an entire episode dedicated to the whisperers. On top of that, we’d get to see James and Charlie and how their relationship suffered during their time with the whisperers, as well as James realizing what a monster he became. 

Maybe we could have a scene where James actually makes his famous mask, or a scene of James escaping them and leaving Charlie behind. It could end with James in his camp until he hears gunshots one night. When he goes to investigate, he finds Clementine and AJ trying to escape Lilly and Abel and we get him intervening from his perspective. 

There ya go, there’s a second Clementine cameo that doesn’t fuck everything up. Ta-dah. 

Sophie and Minerva - A popular one that most of us would want. Them after they were taken away and how they suffered within the delta. It’d be cool to play as Sophie, and tragic since we know how that would end. But we could be the one who acts out and tries to escape all while doing our best to keep Minerva from giving into them... which again, imagine the heartbreak. 

The Ericson crew - Like with the twins, this would be a popular one that most people would want to play. While I’d rather they kept their fingers off Louis and Violet since they’re bound to fuck them up, I can’t deny that I want to know what happened at the school during the first days. 

We could even play as Ms. Martin as she chooses to stay and take care of all these kids, how she bonds with them before inevitably meeting her fate in the greenhouse. 

And c’mon, you know you want to see baby child versions of our Ericson kiddos. Imagine Louis and Violet at these young ages? Seeing other kids we never got to meet? We’d eat it up! ...Well, assuming they did a good job with their characterizations. Y’know. 

---

Those are all the major ones I’d like to see, but hey, if any of you had other ideas for episodes following characters I didn’t mention, feel free to share! 

[aspiestvmusings]

ZEP: S1 - TEAM MAX

This is part of my ZEP: S1 Thoughts Master Post

Here’s the new & updated long analysis post for ZEP S1. This one features the whole season, all 12 episodes.

Just me...dissecting & analyzing the storyline...with focus on Zoey & Team Max. But since the stories are so intertwined, there’s Zoey/dad & Zoey/Simon talk, too. Among other things...relevant to it all...

ZEP: MAX & ZOEY -  THOUGHTS 1 [LINK HERE]  

TEAM MAX

Translating Max’s behaviour:

If we pay attention to what Max says, then they have informed us via his lines what it is that he’s not okay with. And it’s not what some seem to think - that Zoey dosn’t love him back/return his feelings & won’t want to start dating now. It’s not that he chose to take the 6th Floor job as a “punishment” cause she didn’t plead him to stay and tell him he loves him. It’s not that he was mad at her & in his anger sang “Bye Bye Bye”. It’s not that he was unnecessarily cold & rude towards her…after 1x08..when he moved to 6th Floor… only because what some fans think …that he’s an example of “good guy trope”

What Max has an issue with is Zoey changing & changing their friendship. It’s that she’s dishonest with him, her best friend. It’s that he doesn’t like that she can read his mind…both because he prefers to keep his private thoughts & feelings private, and because he doesn’t want to “push” her with a sudden heart song…which he now knows he could do unintentionally. Before she got her power, he could just keep his feelings towards her a secret & not push her, but now he has to watch himself…and avoid feeling feels around her. Because he knows she can hear his deep feelings.

He’s not comfortable with her knowing how he feels about her (1x07/1x08). He’s not comcortable with everyone knowing how he feels about her (1x11).

After 1x08 he knows the details of her secret power. And…interestingly… he does not sing any love songs to her anymore…for a while. The tone of the songs changes. We only ever hear him since twice after he learns her secret. First a “duet” of the song “Here I go again” in 1x10 as he moves to the 6th floor, and second is “Bye Bye Bye” in 1x11. He doesn’t really mind her hearing the song in 1x10…as it’s just what decribing what he’s doing. And then there’s the karaoke bar, where his inner song & outer song don’t really match. He might sing “Bye Bye Bye” as a response to Zoey asking her to stop Leif singing that sad song, but you can see that he’s not really feeling it.

This is supported by his comment to Leif that he’s not (sure he’s) over Zoey. And by his “mood” and the way he “secretly” glances over at leaving Zoey. Which means that in her presence he’s trying to  disguise his real feelings…. so that she would not be able to read his real thoughts. He migth sing a song to her that makes her think he’s mad at her & moved on, but we, the viewers, are let in on the truth, cause his real feelings shine through during the scene. Yes he’s heartbroken and a bit “mad at her”, but he really let’s those feels shine on this moment..to “fool her”. And this is confirmed at the end of the episode, when all it takes for him to stop pretending to be upset with her is for her to take the first step. And re-confirmed in the Finale, when we see that he can make himself think & feel…what he wants her to hear…

Yes, of course he was ALSO heartbroken & a bit disappointed, because he had hoped she would return his feeling…now, but that’s what he hoped, not expected/demanded to be the only option. He even said it several times - he needed some sort of response, some sort of answer from her. And though a part of his decision to keep his distance was cause he felt hurt and heartbroken (she did brake his heart a bit…cause from his POV he chose the other man… cause it was not as she said - she can’t choose cause she’s got so much on her plate cause of her dad & her superpower…so it’s understandable he was a bit sad) most of his post-superpower-reveal behaviour was fueled by her unclarity & her dishonesty. She’d promised him honesty & truth, and she revealed the truth…via her heart song, but then she tried to claim the truth is not the truth (not say that perhaps there are more possibilities than his interpretation of the song, but claiming it’s not at all what the song meant, when they both know what the song meant.) That’s what upset him.

And that’s why he needed to put some distance between them. And again, they’ve explained his motivation & reasons via dialogue in other scenes. And… interestingly enough…what started as him trying to experience things outside their tiny two-person-bubble-world ended up becoming so much more. When he started the season with no desire to climb the career ladder or get out of the “best friend zone” then by the end of the season things had changed… and he actually liked the opportunity he got via his promotion, and he even learned he’s good at it (even Leif complimented his leadership skills). And the distance did both them good…as we all predicted… cause they really needed to grow individually & figure things out…separately… before there could ever be a possibility of them as a duo.

I’ve touched this in my past posts. And will again in future posts.

A closer look at 1x09:

Though there was not much Max or Z/M in this episode, there were a few scenes. The elevator scene & the “what do you think I should do?” scene. And we could see Max is practicing social distancing from Zoey. Because no matter how much he cares about her, and proved he’s a good friend by checking up on her & giving her great advice regarding her dad in last weeks episode, he really was hurt by her.

Also…one way he can minimize Zoey “reading his mind” is by removing himself from the same room. And since he doesn’t consider her knowing his secret thoughts fair if he can’t hear/know hers, then one effective way to prevent that from happening is not being around her. Maybe he doesn’t want her to hear that despite acting “hurt” he can’t “hate” her. Maybe he doesn’t want her to hear him sing about being hearbroken. Maybe…. In short: minimizing their contact might be related to something as simple as just trying to avoid her knowing his secret feelings… (the outer expressions & inner thoughts not matching)

As to Max saying that she didn’t give him the right answer might’ve been about something else. And though we saw his facial expression change as she was saying that “The Zoey who sang a love song to him will miss sitting across him at the office, but would never stop him going after what he wants”, I think his answer might’ve been about her asking “Was this the right answer?” Cause that seemed to be the thing that made him make his choice.

Because that implies she was not being 100% honest with him, and instead giving him the answer she thought he wanted to hear. (we saw her do the same with Simon. First asking for his thoughts on the kiss, before revealing her thoughts…so she could base her choise on the other persons choice) It kinda does imply that she still doesnt know how she feels, and isn’t doing what she herself wants. Instead trying to guess what he think she wants her to say. Which is not what Max wants her to do. He wants her to be sure of her choice. Make her own choices. (and unlike many viewers seem to think… I don’t think he’s actually pressuring  her, or demanding a love confession as a response to his own. I see it as him listing the “facts” (options), and asking her for her take on it all.

I kinda think he made his decision because she asked “was this the answer you wanted?” more than anything else. Because this tells him that she doesn’t know what she wants. Though her answer “as the Zoey who sang that she is his…romantically” being so “not personal” might’ve also played a part.   And there’s another plot in this episode that actually gives us a hint what the whole “Max promoted to 6th floor” thing is about.

< Edited for clarity: As said, I think her adding “was that the answer you wanted to hear” sealed the deal. But… if we look at what Ava told him on the 6th floor on that Saturday, then he was also looking for a different answer in general. An honest answer, and that she’s had some clarity about her feelings (and them) and all that. And also… some indication of a possible future possibility of them.

But… she gave him no such answer (or hope), she included her answers as her boss, and friend, but left out the answer as “a romantic possibility”. (cause based on those 1x08 songs all Max knows is that she has feelings for 2 men & he’s one of the possibilities…yet she’s not showing any indication that she’s leaning towards the possibility of them M/Z.) And I think the order of her answer matters, too. She first replies as his boss, then his friend (and completely leaving out the third pole…which they both know based on the heart song is a role she has, because the songs reveal the persons secret inner feelings). And they’ve been friends for so long, but she’s been his boss for just a short time. So to prioritize that role over friends…gotta hurt, too. And in general her reply was centered around work and work hours - she’ll miss sitting across from him in the office, not that she’ll miss their friends movie nights…

So he’s gotta make a move… instead of just waiting for something that’s never gonna happen.  Cause we might know/see more, but all he knows is the little she’s shared with him. So to his knowledge the heart song is the ONLY indication she’s even considering “them”. He is a romantic at heart, and he “put himself out there”, yet she’s not given him any real answers (all the things she said in 1x07 that he then understood as “she just needs time because of her dad thing, and everything else” and accepted as we saw based on the 1x07 end elevator scene, and was willing to wait and give her space, became “untruths” in his eyes in next episode. So even if she spoke the truth then, he doesn’t believe those words anymore, so for him she has no clarity on the whole thing, and she’s not given him any “hope” or “answers”.)  Edited for clarity />

Unless my other hunch is correct… That Ava is on a spy mission, and the whole recruiting thing is a plan related to the competition for a piece of code between 4th Floor & 6th Floor that is happening in the next episode.  Cause there are just to many coincidences: she approaches him on a day when the 4th Floor boss is gone (on a tech conference…which she might know because of the glitch in the watch software that shared everyones calendar events with everyone else…). And it was just luck that this followed an even where Max showed that he’s good at thinking on his feet (he actually did save the pitch by joining Zoey) And we learned his past good work has also been noticed: the escape room.  This job offer also happens just before the company is about to get an important “job”. Too many coincidences.

And maybe Zoey/we are all wrong, and Joan & Leif both taking that same day off doesn’t mean they’re together, but that Leif is working on another side-project. We’ve seen his sketchy moves with Joan. We know he wanted the job Zoey got. So how do you “hurt” your competitor? You tear her team apart. It could be that Leif is behind this transfer. Cause last episode also told us that everyone in the office are actually very aware of what’s going on between Max & Zoey (interrupting them, hearing their talks & noticing that they’re not hanging out as much lately…which even Simon noticed. So he might’ve overheard them OR he saw S/Z kiss.). So the timing was also good cause IF there would be truth in this then Leif would know the best frends are going through a rough patch, so it was worth to take the gamble (he maybe couldn’t be 100% sure Max wold take the offer, but he might’ve been quite certain)

So much for wild theories…. (This one is topped only by Simon being behind the transfer…to eliminate his competition… when it comes to Zoey. Which I don’t think is true, but oh….what drama it would allow to be written…where he’s not aware that she can hear his secret thoughts & hence will find out. I would want this to be true ONLY for that scene) And though it’s 95% certain that both J & L “missing from the office” at the same day/time is no coincidence (read: they were together…which only makes me want to know more…is Leif playing her because he knows she wrote the peer review or …not), and everything implies that Joan could not just “end it”, I sometimes enjoy coming up with wild/fun theories…

One thing that maybe supports this theory of mine is the actors (Skyler Astin, who playes Max) comment that he started to call the 6th floor DRK POINT… which if we follow the SPRQ POINT logic gives us “DARK POINT” instead of “SPARK POINT”…meaning there is something sketchy going on.

And obviously he’s not gonna stay on the 6th floor, so something has to happen for him to return/be returned. Either it’s a scham, or someone (Joan, The Team, Zoey) “fight for him” & get him to return to the 4th Floor.  

Also..the whole Max/Aca convo in the dark 6th floor parallels his “romantic storyline with Zoey”:

Max: I hadn’t really planned on making a move. Things are pretty fine for me on the 4th Floor.

Ava: Are they? Or are you stuck treading water? Waiting for something to happen that maybe never will?

Again…if we apply these words to the M/Z situation, then it fits, too. He’s “fine” with how things are going with them. And then the scary boss lady makes him question if he really is OK with it. Or is he stuck…waiting for something to happen between them… (for Z. to admit her feelings..etc) …that may never happen… and as a romantic at heart… he needs to know if there’s a future possibility…

The whole 1x09 Z & S plot was a shortened version of what’s been happening between Z & M in several past episodes. Zoey was reacting to Simon not giving her a clear answer. It actually tells us a lot about Z&M, and parallels that story.

Z: We have a chemistry & a bond that is undeniable. I guess I was hoping that after the kiss you’d have some clarity about all of it.  Clarity you still don’t have, and maybe never will. So… I have to make a change instead of just sitting around and waiting & hoping for something to happen. So this is me saying to you..officially… I can’t, and I won’t do this anymore.

If we apply this to the other duo, then the parallrels are obvious. What Zoey was feeling (about Simon’s answers) is exactly what/how Max has been feeling  about her answers to him. And the whole quote/dialogue by Zoey summarizes the other pairings story perfectly: Instead of clear answers Max has gotten vague half-truths from Zoey. If we change a few words/details (”after the kiss” = “after the flash-mob”, then this fits them, too).

And just like Zoey claims she can’t just wait for Simon to have clarity (which he can’t cause he’s not letting himself go through the stages of grief propely..etc) about his feelings,  while hoping something to happen, same applies to Max decision in this episode. His talk with the 6th floor boss tells us that this could’ve been a speech given from Max to Zoey. Cause this is exactly what he’s done by taking the job offer. He can’t just sit around waiting for her to catch up/for something to happen. This is him saying “no mo’”

Both for his & her’s sake. Cause he really needs her to be true to her words, and be 100% honest with him. Tell him how she feels. And he really does “deserve” an answer, not sort-of-answers (avoiding giving him a clear answer…no matter what it is). And she needs to make up her mind on her own, and do what she wants, not what she thinks she should do in his opinion. He wants her to choose on her own…without telling her what she has to do. He has shown her his cards (love confession via flash mob, saying that he’d choose love over lust…but she needs to make her own choice), and now it’s her turn.

This show is known for doing parallel stories. The work related story paralllels the personal storyline of the episode. In 1x08 there was a “glitch” in the watch program & a “glitch” in Zoey’s powers. And trying to fix them led to new issues arising. In 1x08 we heard about Tobin & Leifs SPELLaversary tradition..and in the end Leif sang “I put a SPELL on you” to Joan. And so on…

This all leads me to a theory I’ve had about a coming song/dance number, and this weeks episode told me what the song has to be…IMO. To “solve” all this Zoey has to do a surprise flash-mob performance for Max. To Christina Aguilera’s “What a girl wants”, because if I look at the story so far, then those lyrics summarize the situation (whole s1 arc) almost perfectly. And since there have been kind-of spoilery rumours about another “heart song with a twist” happening later in S1, it matches. Just like the 1x06 flash-mob was real., so will be this one. And this time its not Zoey thinking that Max is just singing her his heart-song (it’s not real), now Max will think that Zoey’s “glitching” again… until he realizes that its real. ETA: DID NOT HAPPEN

A closer look at 1x11: 

In 1x11 Max tells Leif that he's (not sure he's) over Zoey. That his crush/live for her is still there, and to get over her he must pretend/show her that he's doing fine. Then a few moments later we see Zoey signaling him to stop Leif's karaoke singing, and then we see/hear him sing "Bye Bye Bye" to Zoey. And we know he's not really feeling it. He's trying to make her see as if he's over her. 

But even the lines he sings tell us that it's an act. He sings "I loved you endlessly, but you weren't there for me". Even when he is singing "bye bye bye" to her, he is singing a heart song to her, singing about loving her. It is made cldear to the adudience, but not Zoey, that the feelings she hears are not his real feelings, but ones he makes himself feel...because he knows she can rwad his mind, and he has no intention of letting her knwo that he is heartbroken (like Leif), hence he makes himself feel "mad"...and it works... she hears the song he wants her to hear. But he betrayes himself already when he secretly looks at her leaving. 

Then in the end of the episode he "forgives" her...so fast, so easily...and we can see his demeanour change in seconds. He goes from looking unhappy/mad at her...to all smiles. ALl it takes is for her to take the first step..in repairing their "argument". It's made clear that he was hiding his real feelings, and "pretended" to be mad at her. (we know hes uncomfortable with her reading his inner thoughts, and about singing herat songs to her) 

Then all our doubts are gone in the finale, when it is confirmed to everyone that Max can make her hear what he wants her to hear. He can change his thoughts by her request. This is shown when he changes a love song to a sexy song by her request. And then stops singing, and clears his mind of all thoughts...by request. This confirms it to anyone still in doubt. (it's also an interesting piece of info we got. We now have confirmation that he'll do anything she request. And that he can change his heart song, and since he knows she can read his feelings at any moment, he can make himself feel the feels he wants her to "hear" at the moment. He slips at times, when he forgets to check his thoughts, but when he concentrates he's able to choose the tunes his heart sings...)

MY PERSONAL TAKE/THOUGHTS:

As human as her feelings for Simon are (you can’t control who you find attractive…), and as much as this can happen IRL then Zoey/Simon is a no-no… simply because of his relationship status. Cheating storylines are not cool. Hence I cannot stand behind that “ship” or the possibility of accepting them as a viable possibility. IF he didnt have a fiancee, he’d be a candidate, but that’s not the case…he has a SO. Hence Team Simon cannot even be an option. No matter how much they try to promote it all as a love triangle & no matter how much they make Simon make bad decisions and wrong moves (going to her place & talking to her about his feelings, kissing her) seem “nothing serious”…. it’s wrong. It’s just as her best friend decribed it in 1x08. If things were different, yeah, but we’re not talking hypotheticals.

So IMO there’s one clearly wrong choice netween these two. I mean… I would not care if they would have her stay single, or develop new interest (Tobin)…as long as it’s not “morally questionable”. Z/S would be like Joan/Leif started… sketchy, and wrong. And hopefully having seen those two helps Zoey understand that…. see the parallels (she has a hint that one is playing the other)

As for “Max is being too pushy”… here’s how that goes: he’s been in love with his best friend…for some time…and not said a thing. She accidentally finds out after she gets her superpower. And all the while his feelings seem to grow deeper. And now that she’s aware of his feelings, it seems she’s become more aware of her own (similar) feelings and/or she’s developed them. And sure…after his peer reviews (that “he doesn’t show initiative”) & seeing that his best friend is interested in someone else…who would be just another “not good option” similar to her past bad relationship decisions, …and after getting mixed signals from her, he made more direct steps.

He sang her his heart songs, but he didnt push her (no, “Hand picked” is not like a date, just “are you free to go and eat”). She only felt pushed because she could “read his mind”. Also… he didn’t sing to her while being in a relationship with someone else…he kept his distance. And at the same time she seems to have become more and more aware about her feelings for him, and she was giving him “wrong signals”. His response - the flash mob was a response to that. And he was just upset that she ran…without any real response (not interested, can’t right now…cause I’m too occupied with  dad thing). All he wanted was some sort of respose, and he told her so. She avoided telling him how she really feels (as Mo put it… he’ll understand if you say you don’t know, but you owe your friend an answer)...delaying it…as long as she could.  

Also… any rational person would be confused about hearing that someone has superpowers. Again…she avoided giving him an explanation, instead telling him “fairytales of superpowers”. And in the end he was okay with her answer - that she can’t give him an answer at the moment. Even though he was upset, we saw he was still gonna be her friend (even if keeping some distrance, and not doing the movie nights), and that he was sure that one day she’ll be ready (the 1x07 elevator end scene, where both men think she’ll choose them…in the end..when she’s ready)

And in the latest episode we saw that no matter how hurt his feelings were, he did not stop being her friend. As he said “he’ll be there…always…and be the shoulder to lean on”. And you could tell that a huge weight was lifted off his shoulder when he knew her real feelings. When she did what she promised in last episode…be 100% honest with him. Sure… it only happened because of the glitch, when she sang him the heart song, but nonetheless it made things more equal. As he said - it’s unfair that she knows how he feels & can see into his heart but he cannot see into hers. The glitch changed that. Gave him the opportunity to get the answers she “owed him”

So… it’s undertandable that he felt hurt and confused when he saw her sing a heart song to someone else… right after finally giving him some answers. But…during he same conversation he processed it all, and also explained it to her - one song about love, the other about attraction. And he didn’t say “choose me”, he just explained the meanings to her (cause it was obvious she didn’t understand it herself), and told what his choice would be, while saying that he knows she’ll make her decision on her own….cause that ’s what she’s like.

As a friend he doesn’t want her to make the same mistakes she has in the past..hence him being “upset” with her. Cause to him it looks like she wasn’t completely honest (something she promised to be) with him - singing her heart feelings to him, and then to someone else. Claiming that she can’t lose him as a friend and that’s why she’s not ready to try being more than friends, when to an outsider it looks like the real reason is, as he put it - cause she’s confused about her feelings… for two people. All she’d have to tell him…from start… would just be honest and simply just say (more clearly) that she has to focus on her family & dad at this time, and ask for time. She kinda did at the end of 1x07, but because she’s not good with emotions and feelings…and she delayed her answer, she didn’t really let him in…and be the friend she needs at the time, it wasnt as clear as it could’ve been.

So far all his “pushy” behaviour can be seen as being a good friend -  he’s trying to help her not start another overly complicated relationship…which she told him (in Pilot) is not what she wants anymore. He points out to her why Simon is not a good option - he’s taken. Yes, part of his “pushiness” seems to come from trying to be less what his peer reviews decribed him like & competitiveness (knowing Simon is kinda his competition). But from his POV… (before she told him about her superpowers& sang him her heart song)… she’d been shown more interest in him (checking him out, giving mixed signals) & at the same time he’s in a bit of hurry because if he doesn’t act soon she may make a move on the new guy/the new guy may make a move on her. So it makes sense that with all of that happening at the same time he seems…to some… to "push” her towards being more than friends… Cause unconciously he may realize that if he doesn’t make a move …now… he may be too late.

And though it all… he’s still there for her. He might be “mad at her… just a bit”, but he still goes to check on her, still gives her advice, and space… after he knows what’s really going on. (he “pushes” her to confont her feelings about her dad, and deal with it instead of running). He’s not looking for something in return. We saw that over and over in several episodes. He verbalized it in 1x06, and his face/look told it in the end of 1x07 elevator scene.

Also… “Mr Nice Guy” is better than “Mr. Cheater”…any day… in my book. And it surprises me that there are those who think that “nice guy who goes after his best friend” is worse option & worse clichee than the “hot new guy, who is willing to cheat”. For me one is clearly wrong behaviour the other just depends on your preferences.

To quote Mo : Max is funny, and funny always wins. Hence… being Team Max.

So… while up until things got overly complicated, both men could’ve been options, by now the show (writing etc) has made it pretty clear that they’re going for Z/M endgame.

Though the showrunner/writers at times love to focus on the “love triangle” (I still don’t see it in the writing…I only hear it being described so by the showrunner etc), and how they want to continue with that…for a while… which makes it seem a bit like they’re seriously pro “cheating plots” and “human feelings are messy…hence we let the main character continue making bad choices” because “we love the love- triangle drama”, there’s still more evidence in them not really taking it further than the kiss. But yeah… at times the showrunners comments make it sound like he thinks more like the HIMYM creator did and less like Dawson’s Creek creator did. Too fixed in loving the “triangle drama” & not going for character growth… But… I truly hope that all that has just been misleading…and the storytelling is what tells us how it goes.

They already let Simon make a bad move - the kiss. That should be the line over the line that they won’t cross again. He may continue pursuing her by singing songs to her, because he read her heartsong in the wrong way (because he doesn’t know why she did it, and what’s behind it), but if they follow the character growth path, and their current direction… they won’t let him/her go into the “cheating plot” territory again.

Why I’m Team Max

I’m Team Max. Have been since ep 1x01, confirmed in 1x02 (he bought her dad soft food) & I had no doubt by ep 1x06.

I love Z/M friendship (BFF for life), but I also see the romantic potential. I do think they should’ve focused more on their friendship bond during the season, and less on the “triangle”, but I guess I’m also a SUCKER for “best friends to romance” trope? (Mondler, Peraltiago…). He is her support system (now that her dad’s almost gone) & she needs to lean on him & be his support system [she can’t, reeally, right now, cause she’s a mess because of her dad’s health]

Why I’m not Team Simon: see Zoey’s reaction when she goes to buy more Cheesequake & runs into S & J.  One simple, single & clear reason: He has/had a SO/fiancee. That disqualifies him immediately for me. IF he wasn’t, I might consider it as an option, but since he is/was… it’s not an option for me. He might not be any more after 1x09, but all that had happened/he did…happened while he still was. And he/they can’t take it back. But what Simon need right now (after ep 1x09 end) is time alone & processing his grief & everything.

Also… for me personally, S & Z bond is over grief experience. His songs (mostly) have been about needing her help with grief and what it has done to him & his relationships, so what she needs to help him with is that… dealing with the grief. But being a mess & grieving does not excuse any of his behaviour (kissing other women while being engaged…etc). So I support Mo’s speech to him during the brunch & I support Max’s take - S’s totally engaged, morally questionable guy…

The whole S. thing is exactly what the show said Z’s not looking for in relationships in the future: unnecessarily complicated (messy), exhausting for everyone, not good.

I’m Team “good guy BFF wanting more than friendship” over Team “cheating on his fiancee because he’s a mess” any day.

I don’t think she should’ve been actively pursuing anyone during S1 (the time she’s losing her dad), but since the writers decided her focus would be on two men…a lot… then out of those two options only one would work - Max. But not before she’s done some soul searching, and grieving, and character growth. (Hopefully his advice to her at the end of 1x08 finally got through, and she’ll be dealing with her grief actively & hopefully this time with her 1x09 speech she means it that she’s no longer continuing the emotional affair with the engaged-til-now-man (she played a big part in breaking them up…even if the roots of S&J’s problems were from long ago…) and focuses her time & energy on the #1 man in her life..her dad.

...even though “right now” (up to ep 1x09) , being the messes they are & having no clarity, and not leaning on their suppor system, and instead trying to “cheat” on their best friend/fiancee… S. & Z. “deserve” each other. They both are avoiding dealing with their grief, and both are not taking advice from loved ones, instead doing what they say they won’t do anymore… the next moment.

One step forward two steps back - it has made me kinda dislike both characters (and its never a good sign, when I start disliking the main character because of the writing…which tries so hard to create drama where there is none), cause as “human” as it is for them to be like this because of their grief, they are both “voluntarily” making the wrong choices… even if they keep getting good advice on how to deal with things…they ignore it & say it’s cause of “grief”… yet neither was actually dealing with the emotions regarding their dads.

And both “blame” it on their grief. When it all could be easily “fixed” if they just talked to their loved ones (she to family & best friends M&M) & he to his fiancee and therapist (if he doesn’t have any other family)… then they would’t be constantly doing the opposite of character growth.

But sadly… IF the show would go there with S&Z  then since there is nothing besides the grief bond [and physical attraction] there, then after they satisfy that… it’s over after that one night [I still cant believe that the cheating kiss did not give them both clarity…without question…but TV writers love their love triangle + “cheating” drama…even if it feels completely unorganic & non appealing] because all of it was built on a big “lie” - she didn’t “get” him, she used her superpower to connect with him, and you can’t build a lasting relationship on such foundation.

So I have no idea why the show is focusing so much time on trying to claim these two are an option…instead of showing them both grow as characters, and actually deal with their grief… with the help of people, who actually can help. (So yes, I am dealing with it all by ignoring the “love triangle” claims and the two characters acting stupid & only focusing on the “one step forward” grief support bits…not the “2 steps back…emotional chating” bits..during my re-watch of the eps aired so far.)

[papermoonloveslucy]

SORROWFUL JONES

JULY 4, 1949

Sorrowful Jones is a remake of the 1934 Shirley Temple film, Little Miss Marker. In the film, a young girl is left with the notoriously cheap Sorrowful Jones (Bob Hope) as a marker for a bet. When her father does not return, he learns that taking care of a child interferes with his free-wheeling lifestyle. Lucille Ball plays a nightclub singer who is dating Sorrowful's boss. 

Although the official opening night in Hollywood took place on Independence Day 1949, it was premiered in New York City a month earlier, and seen in Australia on June 24, 1949. 

Directed by Sidney Lanfield Produced by Robert L. Welch Written by Edmund Hartmann and Melville Shavelson based on a story by Damon Runyon 

CREDITED CAST

Lucille Ball (Gladys) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. With Richard Denning, she starred in a radio program titled “My Favorite Husband” which eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,” a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960 (in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death in April 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With Lucy,” also with Gordon, which was not a success and was canceled after just 13 episodes. She died on April 26, 1989 at the age of 77. 

Ball's singing voice is provided by Annette Warren, who also sang for her in Fancy Pants and later provided the singing voice for Ava Gardner in Show Boat.  Her first screen dubbing was for Lured featuring Lucille Ball, although Warren did not dub Lucy’s voice. She provided the singing voice for Pepper (Iris Adrian) in the Bob Hope film The Paleface (1947). 

Bob Hope (Sorrowful Jones) was born Lesley Townes Hope in England in 1903. During his extensive career in virtually all forms of media he received five honorary Academy Awards. In 1945, Desi Arnaz was the orchestra leader on Bob Hope’s radio show. Ball and Hope did three other films together. He appeared as himself on the season 6 opener of “I Love Lucy.” He did a brief cameo in a 1964 episode of “The Lucy Show.”  He died in 2003 at age 100.

Mary Jane Saunders (Martha Jane) makes her film debut. She went on to do a season of TV’s “Tales of the Welles Fargo” (1960-61) and made two appearances on “My Three Sons”: one with William Frawley and one with William Demarest. 

William Demarest (Regret) is best remembered as Uncle Charlie on “My Three Sons,” a role created after the death of William Frawley. Demarest and Frawley appeared together on screen in The Farmer’s Daughter (1940). He was nominated for an Academy Award in the biography, The Jolson Story (1946). Demarest did two other films with Lucille Ball: Fugitive Lady (1934) and Don’t Tell The Wife (1937). He died in 1983 at age 91. 

Bruce Cabot (Big Steve) appeared with Lucille Ball in 1934′s Men of the Night. In 1950, he joined Hope and Ball once again in Fancy Pants.  His main claim to fame is rescuing Fay Wray from King Kong (1933).

Tom Pedi (Once Over Sam) did one season of the short-lived sitcom “Arnie” (1970-71).  He was in the 1980 remake of Little Miss Marker, upon which Sorrowful Jones is based. 

Paul Lees (Orville Smith) was blinded by enemy artillery during his service in World War II. He received 32 military decorations and ribbons, including the Legion of Merit. Despite his lack of vision, Lees learned to act and signed a contract with Paramount. He would memorize script dialog by having someone read it to him twice.

Houseley Stevenson (Doc Chesley) was a British-born character actor who had just finished doing The Paleface with Bob Hope. 

Ben Weldon (Big Steve’s Bodyguard) appeared on “I Love Lucy” as the thief who breaks in to the Ricardo apartment to steal “The Fur Coat” (ILL S1;E9).  He was seen in a season one episode of “The Lucy Show.” 

Emmett Vogan (Psychiatrist) did four movies with Lucille Ball previous to this one. In 1954 he played Mr. Bolton in The Long, Long Trailer. 

Thomas Gomez (Reardon) was an Oscar nominee for Ride the Pink Horse the previous year. In 1953 he was seen as Pasquale #2 on CBS’s “Life With Luigi”.  He did a 1964 episode of “My Three Sons” with William Demarest.

UNCREDITED CAST (with connections to Lucille Ball)

Ethel Bryant (Nurse) was also seen with Lucille Ball in Broadway Bill (1934), another film involving a racehorse.  John Butler (Jack - Bettor on Green Diamond) was also seen with Lucille Ball in The Affairs of Annabel (1938). 

Bill Cartledge (First Jockey) was also seen with Lucille Ball in The Joy of Living (1938). 

Maurice Cass (Psychiatrist) was also seen with Lucille Ball (and John Butler) in The Affairs of Annabel (1938).

Michael Cirillo (Horse Player) joined Bob Hope in Paleface and Son of Paleface as well as Critic’s Choice with Hope and Ball in 1963. 

Charles Cooley (Shorty) was seen with Hope and Ball in Fancy Pants (1950) as well as a dozen other Bob Hope films. He also was a regular on “The Bob Hope Show” on television. 

James Dearing (Spectator) was in eight other Lucille Ball films between 1936 and 1954. 

Jay Eaton (Horse Player) was in eight other Lucille Ball films between 1937 and 1946.

Chuck Hamilton (Police Officer) was seen in the background of eight other Lucille Ball films from 1937 to 1950.

Selmer Jackson (Doctor) was in six other Lucille Ball films between 1933 and 1949. 

Kenner G. Kemp (Bookmaker) was in seven other Lucille Ball films between 1936 and 1960 as well as doing background work on a 1965 episode of “The Lucy Show.” 

Bob Kortman (Horse Player) was in four other Lucille Ball films between 1934 and 1950. 

George Magrill (Horse Player) makes the last of his nine film appearances with Lucille Ball. He started in 1933 with Broadway Thru A Keyhole. 

John Mallon (Horse Player) was also seen with Hope and Ball in Fancy Pants (1950). 

John ‘Skins’ Miller (Jockey) was also seen with Hope and Ball in Fancy Pants (1950) and previously with Ball in The Big Street (1942). 

Frank Mills (Horse Player) makes the last of his ten film appearances with Lucille Ball. He started in 1933 with The Bowery.

Ralph Montgomery (Horse Player) was one of the policeman on the scene in “Lucy Goes To The Hospital” (ILL S2;E16) in 1953. 

Ralph Peters (Taxi Driver) was also seen with Lucille Ball in The Big Street (1942). 

Suzanne Ridgeway (Nightclub Patron) was also seen with Lucille Ball in That’s Right - You’re Wrong (1939) and The Magic Carpet (1951). 

Arthur Space (Plainclothes Policeman) was in four other films with Lucille Ball between 1945 and 1950. 

Bert Stevens (Nightclub Patron) was a background player in four Lucille Ball films as well as one episode of “I Love Lucy,” and many of “The Lucy Show.”

Sid Tomack (Waiter at Steve’s Place) was also seen in The Fuller Brush Girl (1950) with Lucille Ball. 

Harry Tyler (Blinky) did three other films with Lucille Ball between 1937 and 1950. 

Walter Winchell (Himself, Voice Over) was a journalist and radio host who was the narrator of Desilu’s “The Untouchables.”  He also joined the cast in their satire of the series on “Lucy The Gun Moll” (TLS S4;E25). 

The film was made at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, with location shooting in New York City. This was Lucille Ball’s 70th film! 

The New York Times, August 16, 1947.  Note that Lucille Ball is not mentioned.  (Thanks to @ericthelibrarian​ for the scan)

THE STORY

Sorrowful Jones (Bob Hope) is a New York bookie who keeps his operation hidden behind a trap door in a Broadway barber shop. He suffers a financial setback when a horse named Dreamy Joe, owned by gangster Big Steve Holloway (Bruce Cabot), unexpectedly wins a race and Jones has to pay all the bettors.

Jones learns that the race was fixed by Big Steve, who tells him about giving the horse a "speedball." It turns out Big Steve has informed all the bookies in his circle of friends about the fixed race, and demands a sum of $1,000 from each one of them in exchange for this information.

Before the next race, Jones learns Dreamy Joe will lose, but still takes bets on the horse from his customers. He even takes a bet from gambler Orville Smith (Paul Lees), who leaves his four-year-old daughter Martha Jane (Mary Jane Saunders) as collateral. Orville overhears a phone call where Big Steve reveals that the race is fixed, so he is killed by one of Big Steve's goons, Once Over Sam (Tom Pedi). Jones is forced to take care of Martha Jane and brings her home with him. 

The next day Jones gets help from his ex-girlfriend, burlesque performer Gladys O'Neill (Lucille Ball).

Big Steve tells Jones he is being investigated by the racing commission so he is quitting the race-fixing business. Big Steve plans to make one final race before he gets out of the game, where he is fixing it so that Dreamy Joe will win. He also transfers the ownership of the horse to Martha Jane, unaware that she is Orville's daughter. After the race, Big Steve will kill the horse by giving it a high dose of "speedball."

Jones tries to find Martha Jane's mother, but discovers she is dead. Gladys suggests that Jones give all of Dreamy Joe's winnings to Martha Jane to help her survive, or she will contact the police and tell them about Jones' operation. She has no knowledge of Big Steve's plan to fix the race.

Big Steve finds out that Martha Jane is Orville's daughter, so Jones must hide her to protect her from being killed. When hiding on a fire escape's landing, Martha Jane falls down and is seriously injured. In a coma, the little girl calls out for Dreamy Joe.

In order to save Martha Jane and wake her up, Jones and his partner Regret (William Demarest) steal the horse from Big Steve at the race track. They take it into the hospital room where Martha Jane lies. Martha Jane wakes up and the police find out that Big Steve is responsible for Orville's murder.

After Big Steve is arrested, Jones proposes to Gladys. The police want Martha Jane to be placed in an orphanage, but Jones and Gladys, who have married, decide to adopt the girl. They go away on their honeymoon together with their newly adopted daughter.

TRIVIA & BACKGROUND

“Little Miss Marker” (1932), a short story by Damon Runyon, inspired the film Sorrowful Jones.

Damon Runyon’s 1940 short story “Little Pinks” served as the basis for the Lucille Ball / Henry Fonda film The Big Street (1942). 

Little Miss Marker (1934) starring Adolphe Menjou as Sorrowful Jones and Dorothy Dell as Bangles Carson. Shirley Temple as Marthy Jane. The film was directed by Alexander Hall, Lucille Ball’s one-time fiance. 

Sorrowful Jones (1947) starring Bob Hope as Sorrowful Jones and Lucille Ball as Gladys O’Neill. Mary Jane Saunders as Martha Jane. 

40 Pounds of Trouble (1962) starring Tony Curtis as Steve McCluskey and Suzanne Pleshette as Chris Lockwood. Claire Wilcox as Penelope Piper.

Little Miss Marker (1980) starring Walter Matthau as Sorrowful Jones and Julie Andrews as Amanda Worthington. Sarah Stimson as the Kid.

"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on November 21, 1949 with Bob Hope and Lucille Ball reprising their film roles. 

“Havin' a Wonderful Wish (Time You Were Here)” by Jay Livingston with lyrics by Ray Evans is sung by Lucille Ball (dubbed by Annette Warren).  

“Miss Beverley Hills of Hollywood” comic book issue #6, January / February 1947 promoted the film. Lucille Ball still is purporting to have been born in Butte, Montana. Here her birth date is also incorrect: August 6, not August 8. Note how much the Drama Teacher resembles Lucy’s mother, Dede Ball.

Lucille Ball advertising both Armstrong Tires and Sorrowful Jones. 

Lucille Ball advertising Sealright Sanitary Containers using Sorrowful Jones.

In “The Bob Hope Christmas Special” (1973) Lucy opens a small wooden box and removes a lock of Hope’s hair she says she snipped from his head when they were making Sorrowful Jones together.

The film was mentioned when Lucille Ball and Bob Hope guested on “Dinah!” in 1977. 

In 1989, after Ball’s passing, a clip from the film was incorporated into “Bob Hope’s Love Affair With Lucy.” 

[saraa-lancee]

So what issues would you like them to tackle that hasn’t already been done on the show before?

(I just want to say this is my first ask ever and I've been here since... God maybe 2013? So thank you!!)

I would LOVE to see a new dimension to sexuality. I'm also casually of the team that's "Sara herself should say Bisexual" because Bisexual has only been said once on screen and Nate said it casually.. We have a scene where Sara says tells Nurse Lindsay that Lesbian isn't a bad word yet the show kinda doesn't act that way about Bi. Bi erasure is an issue that would be interesting-- since Sara is with Ava, it would be neat to have some line of "i didn't pick a team" or just along the lines of Still Bi With A Woman.

(They also missed an opertunity with Charlie to use neutral pronouns of some kind)--> a discussion further on gender identity would be cool too. There are casual set ups for this with Charlie, like in the Shakespeare episode, but nothing is ever really taken completely seriously or honestly even explicitly. I would really enjoy a nonbinary or intersex narrative in this particular context because I feel like the team of legends (as the people the characters are) would fit really nicely with that. But it would be cool to have a trans character that Gideon helps? Because the arrowverse trans character (in Supergirl-- Nia) is already transitioned. It would be cool to have a transitioning characer in a really casual way even (a particular scenario would be New Character leaving sickbey while someone else walks in. Other person asked if New is feeling OK and New just says like "oh yeah, just my hormones.). But yeah anything with gender identity.

I always hunger for more disability stories, but based on how they Wrote Sara's blindness... yikes. I remember watching a panel or something on YouTube about how Caity was hoping that Sara was at least going to have a cane or be shown to struggle with some stuff, but the writers ignored all of that. So its kind of touchy based on that but I think it would be really neat to have someone with a prosthetic (or even just an amputation, someone born without a limb, etc.)-- it would be a beautiful narrative about 'Gideon can literally grow you a new arm' and that character firmly saying no, this is me, having this difference doesn't make me less, you aren't "fixing" me because I'm not broken, I like myself, etc, whatever.

I know that for me personally one of the best things about the show is that Sara and Ava don't have to come out, and everyone just treats them like normal, but I think some kind of homophobia narrative would be good, not to a big extent but just to the extent like in S1 when Kendra and Ray move in 1950s and that dynamic only with the girls. Like, for the show to acknowledge homophobia in such a direct way, as they did with interracial relationships. This beyond the obvious homophobia of the Nazis. (I personally can't think of an aspect where its implied, but sometimes I can miss or misinterpret implicated stuff like that).

I would love to see a return to POC cultures and narratives (narratives outside of racism) S1 with Kendra and Carter and the Egyptian culture aspect, Amaya and Zambesi aspect. We see a tad bit of this with Zari and the bollywood scene, and Japan post WW2, but they are more side aspects now. It would be neat to go to India or other places in southeast Asia (culturally), or Central/South America. Overall, I would just like to see more of that cultural aspect because human culture is something that interests me a lot and I feel like can be easily casually thrown in with time travel--- traditional clothes, buildings, and ideals (an example of the ideals is the discussion in feudal Japan about the cultures views on death).

I feel like there was a lot of potential with Hank and Sara to continue that discussion about women in power. Yes, we have discussed this before. We do it a lot in second season with the JSA and even Jonah Hex but I think Hank had a lot of potential to add a dimension to that discussion. (honestly see next paragraph for more). That whole episode with the Minotaur i would have loved if they'd been a bit more explicit with that-- yes, obviously a woman can be in charge (in Hanks mind) but he has the right to walk in there and take over because her experience doesn't matter and also we will do whatever he wants. Sara spends almost the whole time just rolling her eyes and bitting her tongue besides a light quip in the beginning asking if a girls ever punched him. in the past Sara has literally exerted dominance over men so I was just kind of disappointed with that dynamic. I love the character of Sara as an "unconventional woman" or a "strange friend" and I've noticed comments like that pretty much stopped after the 3rd season. I know some people hated those comments but I think they can be good. I enjoyed them and would like to see them again because it's literally just Sara being unapologetically herself, a strong woman, doing whatever she does, no matter how weird or unconventional it is. (Which is an integral part of Saras character to me)

BUT its also not necessarily "new" issues. Issues don't go away in real life-- we had multiple issues about Race in America with Jax, from different points in history (Slavery and the 1950s). Jax even mentions how he still experiences Rascism today. The issues don't go away and just because they are mentioned once doesn't mean they can't (and shouldn't) be examined from other points in history. IE just because the show has talked about it before doesn't mean we can't talk about it again from a different angle and/or perspective.

I see a lot of potential with Astra with the racism thing (people are nicer to me in literal Hell) but it also would have been interesting with Mona, to show a different type of racism would have been INCREDIBLE.

I also can think of maybe a scene or two that would have just been a nice touch with Zari (either one, but I have a soft spot for Zari 1.0, and I think with her life as an illegal Muslim would have been an enriching perspective) as a Muslim. They are very good to her character in the way that she obviously abstains from Liquor and Pork, and observes Ramadan. But one thing that would have been interesting is for Zari to experience early 2000s (or honesty still right now) xenophobia. Especially Z1 since being a Muslim is Illegal in 2045 there was a lot of emotional potential there. (Although I feel like I can understand why the writers didn't want to touch that because of current conflicts).

Since we're going to outer space (that was actually confirmed right? Or was it just hinted and I misread??), I think issues will have to be character driven rather than time period driven. But therin we have a lot of potential-- a race of aliens without distinct genders (wait, so your worth can be dictated based off of your genitals?? Plus sexuality stuff there), aliens confused about race (I don't understand some of your skins are different colors... and your people treat each other differently based on this?). We could introduce a matriarchal society, which the crew with Captain Lance feel particularly unphased by. Perhaps we have a completely pacifist society or aliens made of inorganic materials (debates about what constitutes as alive, what lives are meaningful, etc.) You get the idea(I adore star trek so you can imagine my glee thinking about some of those scenarios).

I think for me, the hard shift to comedy was at the expense of some of my favorite aspects of the show and also things that set it apart. This Found Family is so rewarding because they are all so so different but those differences enrich each other. They become better people and feel at home without having to change who they fundamentally are. And they are whoever they want to be. I feel like now the show has simply had an incredibly jarring tone shift thats trying too hard to be a comedy. (This one is just an opinion but a joke among all the serious is always just a lot more funny to me. I find myself laughing more at one liners and random stuff in the early seasons. Now it feels like 'ok, what's the next ridiculous thing.')

I think... humanity is pretty dark. But humanity also rises above. This is why I adore the episode from post WW2 Japan and to me it personally really stands out from other episodes in s4/s5. The idea of creating and destroying, pain and sadness locked inside, terror and hatred for the beings you share the planet with. That pain creates monsters. Sometimes by accident. (Sara's pain turned her into the version of herself she called a monster.). And also about embracing your passions (Mick hiding his writing). In that episode, we still have jokes about Godzilla. Garima appears and its hilarious. But it's also an incredibly powerful narrative about pain and fear and shame and gives a perspective that the western audience wouldnt... necessarily think about (the actual consequences and what the bomb actually literally did.).

That darkness makes the light so much more meaningful. If everything becomes light... than why are we still fighting?

Sorry if this is jumbled, I'm on mobile so.

Also, sorry if this is a rant or whatever. I am very passionate about this topic and oh boy if I was on a computer and had the time I'd probably repondd with a link to a doc.

[sol1056]

anons on the dragon prince

Yes, we all know the comparison points, so I’m skipping those to focus solely on tDP. Alright, starting from the top.

It does speak volumes [...] that tDP has seemingly (and unless proven otherwise in s2 by a fan theory coming true) killed one of a major CoC after only 3 episodes [but] the fandom, and PoC fans more importantly, still trust Ehasz/Wonderstorm and the story to not let them down ...

I was talking to someone the other day who DM’d me about finally seeing tDP, who said something along the lines of “I feel like I can breathe.” Which isn’t that far off what @ptw30 and I were telling each other, when we binge-watched tDP the night of its release. 

First episode, we were both a little ennnhhh over the animation style. Second episode, we barely noticed that anymore. Third episode, everything went to hell in a handbasket and yet our shared reaction was something along the lines of, “I feel like I can settle in, and let the story go where it’s going. I don’t have to stress about this. The writers have got this.” 

Think of being a passenger when the driver isn’t sure where they’re going. They slow repeatedly to check road signs, show an ‘ehhhh oh right no no we’re fine’ expression (or say it out loud), or switch lanes back and forth unexpectedly. Eventually you’re going to give serious thought to pulling out your phone and offering to navigate, just so someone in the car has a clue. Failing that, you end up worrying whether you’ll get there on time (or at all). 

Not once did tDP give me the remotest worry about where it’s going. Even if it seems counterintuitive that we could get to a Manhattan happy ending by way of a Brooklyn character death, the story must have a good reason. We can relax and enjoy the trip. 

It’s hard to pin down what creates that trust for an audience, because it’s so many things. It’s a combination of setups and payoffs. It’s getting emotional beats at regular intervals. It’s having questions raised and getting just enough answered that you don’t feel like the story is covering for not actually knowing and/or hoping you won’t notice it’s making things up as it goes along. 

More behind the cut: tDP’s handling of race, who’s right vs wrong, and whether tDP’s storytelling can/will surpass AtLA.

I rewatched The Dragon Prince recently and it's amazing how carefully they show racism in only 9 episodes [where other shows failed in multiple seasons]. You can see what happens when people in charge care not only about their own characters, but also the audience following their story.

It’s a very thoughtful story, in the sense that the writers clearly put a great deal of thought into each character’s perspective and place. General Amaya is a walking poster child for How To Do This Shit Right Yo, as is Ava. It makes sense that no less attention was paid to the potentially complicated issue of racism, and how viewers’ real-world experiences would impact and layer on top of what the story is trying to do. 

I mean, tDP could’ve decided that Amaya would be deaf... and then proceed to make up its own sign language. Or that magic could (and should) heal disabilities. When the story did neither, it told me the writing team is aware stories don’t exist in a vacuum: that disabled viewers have also been waiting to see themselves on screen, as characters with agency, treated with respect. 

(The lack of subtitles for Amaya may’ve confused those of us who don’t know ASL, but it was absolutely a gift to those who do. It was saying: hey, this is just for you. All those times you’ve missed something that hearing people take for granted? Now’s your turn to be the one in the know. And come on, that’s just awesome.)

Will tDP stumble at some point? Sure. Stories and people are complex things, and the world is a thousand times more so. It’s not the stumbling that bothers me. It’s when a story is thoughtless, because it won’t even recognize its stumbles, let alone fix them. 

I really struggle with liking the show, specifically because it seems to take the stance that the elf girl was "right" to betray the other elves (leading to the slaughter of her entire team). beyond the pain of the ribbon, she doesn't seem to show any sadness or remorse, and then it seems that the human characters are quick to condemn the elf assassins, instead of the king's slaughter of the dragon king. what writing purpose does this serve?

It serves to prompt exactly what you’re doing: asking questions.

The story is full of conflicting interpretations of events, actions, reactions, and motivations if you just think twice. The humans may fear the elves, and do their best to prevent the elves from succeeding --- but Harrow acknowledged explicitly that it’s not as though the elves don’t have just cause. Harrow wasn’t going to go down easy, but I saw no condemnation on his part upon the elves’ retaliation for human crimes. 

Callum argued with Harrow over why Harrow couldn’t just ‘make peace.’ When Rayla shows Runaan the egg and demands Runaan call everything off, isn’t she effectively arguing the same thing? Additionally, Rayla went into the castle determined to make up for her failing; if she’d succeeded in her mission (especially with Callum’s misdirection), it’d be a very short story, indeed. Instead, the three protagonists end up unified in their hope that this could prevent any further bloodshed. 

Note that I say ‘further’ because what is done, and out of their control, is done. Rayla didn’t act out of a wish to betray; when she choose not to assassinate the prince, she acted out of a hope there could be peace. When the first ribbon falls off and the messenger-arrow flies overhead, Rayla’s assumption makes sense, based on those two details: her team achieved at least one of their goals. We don’t know their fate (other than Runaan), but it also sets up a later plot-point where Rayla discovers the team did not, in fact, all return intact. 

For that matter, by the time she learns those details (and concludes who won and who lost), she’s already befriended the princes. From the very first scene, it’s clear Rayla isn’t cut out for this assassination business. She’s incapable of seeing targets. As Ezran later notes, she sees people as, well, people, even when they’re strangers. Is it really so surprising that she’d waffle even more, once those strangers have become something nearing friends, or at least allies? 

So she chooses to keep silent, and her motivation is wonderfully complex, from a writer’s perspective. She wants peace, and believes returning the egg will do that, so reminding the two princes of her role in their father’s death would alienate them, and put her desires at risk. She likes the princes by that point, and doesn’t want to hurt them with such news. And she’s also feeling guilty for the part she played, especially knowing her secret (not just of failing her mission but of preventing anyone else from succeeding) is probably already known. 

Most of that thought process seems to get decided early in the journey. After that, Rayla goes through all the stages as she realizes the consequences of failing to fulfill a sacred oath: anger, bargaining, grief. At the end, Rayla weighs the two options --- keeping her hand, vs killing someone innocent of any crime --- and decides her hand is a small sacrifice in comparison. 

(Note that thematically, this is echoed in Ava’s story. Ava’s paw was caught in a trap, and escaping came at the cost of her paw. Yet Ava remains perfect as she is, and it’s only other people who require Ava appear to be whole. Part of the reason for going up the mountain is to save the egg, but Rayla also implies she wishes she could save her hand, too. Ava’s story is telling us that such a disability doesn’t and shouldn’t render Rayla broken or useless.) 

Alongside that, the boys don’t seem to have fully put together their father’s role in the current situation. I think Callum might have (in a roundabout way), but not so much for Ezran. It’s a process, though. First we’re shown the princes were raised with a bias they’ve never had reason to question, about elves being bloodthirsty monsters. The story lets Rayla call them on it and express her hurt, and the boys are remorseful. 

The story also doesn’t position Callum (as human) as always knowing the rightness of things; hell, it takes Rayla calling him a mage before he even realizes the meaning of what he’s done. The story also shows the boys are eager to learn (and willing to question their assumptions), when Callum asks Rayla what it’s like in her country.

By the end of S1, both princes have worked their way through several points: from ‘all elves are bad’ to ‘Rayla is the one exception’ to ‘maybe elves aren’t the monsters we were told they are.’ The next logical step is for them to begin questioning their father’s actions. Like you, the story is leading them into questioning things that they took for granted when the story began. 

That’s the purpose of creating a story where perspective shifts with each new character: the story is rewarding you for digging deeper.    

A story that doesn’t want those questions raised --- that isn’t prepared to grapple with them --- would tell you from the get-go, “elves are plain evil, that’s all there is to it.” Or, “humans are always good and their actions are righteous.” Any hint of a conflicting perspective would eventually be revealed as false within the story, or a minor oversight outside the story. 

Where tDP is so well-crafted is that it’s given everything enough layers and conflicts that poking at the story reveals more underneath. All you have to do is give it a bit of thought, and you can see a larger picture, and that larger story’s view may be tilted from what you’ve seen so far, if not flipped outright (or flipped back again). That’s the beauty of a large cast where each character has their own motivation, agency, reasons and beliefs and assumptions: there’s always another side to things.

That’s what makes a story truly rich and deep. Not the worldbuilding, not the complexity of the final solution, not the number of product placements or jokes or high-octane fight sequences. It’s characters with individual perspectives and motivations, agreeing and conflicting per their own purposes, and each one seeing themselves as the hero of their own story.  

...what is it about TDP that makes it a good show for you? What is it you like about it, what about it pulls you in? And would you say it's on par or close to the quality of Avatar?

I think my answers above have probably already covered your question, but I’ll add this: I think tDP has potential to not just be ‘on par’ with Avatar but to leave it far, far behind. 

I mean, AtLA is already ten years old. In 2003, Ehasz’ credits consisted of three freelance episodes for two shows, and one episode as a staff writer. That’s it. That he catapulted from that to head-of-story for AtLA speaks to a definite talent --- but of course he’d get better from there, with ten intervening years of continuing to hone his craft. 

I’d say there are two places where it’s most apparent: exposition and humor. While I (mostly) like AtLA, the exposition could be somewhat clunky. It needed to be in there, but it wasn’t always quite as deft as I would’ve liked, in terms of combining information with characterization. 

The writing in tDP is far superlative in that regard. We get exposition, yes, but it's not delivering answers so much as answering one thing to raise ten more questions. There are almost no “as you know Bob” exchanges. When Rayla talks about what her country is like, it’s exposition, but it’s also a wonderful characterization moment; Rayla’s love for her world shines through, along with a certain ambivalence about her place in that world.

The other place Ehasz has improved a thousand-fold is his humor. One of the things I hated most about AtLA was its use of bathos: taking a serious moment and turning on a dime to crack a joke and trivialize the moment. (Sokka was the worst offender, but no character was immune.) As AtLA went on, the story scaled back on that, but it still raised its head often enough to make me wince.

In contrast, tDP’s humor is seamlessly organic. When Rayla yells, “I’m not falling for that flashing frog trick again!” she’s deadly serious, but that makes the bizarre phrase even funnier. When Gren translates Amaya’s sarcasm and has a beat in which he’s clearly trying to find a family-friendly way to translate “bullshit”... that beat is the joke. We don’t need someone gesticulating wildly to tell us it’s funny. 

At the same time, Ehasz is clearly unafraid, now, to let the serious moments be. He doesn’t trivialize the characters’ emotions with a joke; the story isn’t afraid we’ll see it as cheesy or asinine -- as less -- when it’s being sincere. 

As Carol Burnett once put it, comedy is tragedy at a distance. What tDP is doing isn’t comedy in that sense, where the characters themselves (as AtLA often did) use humor to distance themselves. Instead, it’s humor most often in one of three modes. 

One is when a character intends to crack a joke: Soren and Claudia jibing each other, or Callum attempting to lighten everyone’s spirits. This is kept relatively light, so it’s not a constant thing, as if too much levity is to be feared.

The second is simply a witty delivery, like Rayla when her temper’s up. She doesn’t deliver the line “I’m habsolutely hurious” as if she expects a laugh; she is angry, after all. Or when Soren decides to let Callum 'win’ the bout: Soren’s melodramatic as all get out, but he’s not mocking Callum, for whom impressing Claudia is a big deal. Soren’s dramatic words and over-acting are actually a wonderfully compact characterization that tells us a whole lot in a single scene of what someone should expect when Soren tries to ‘help’. 

In the penultimate episode, when Rayla accepts the consequences of her choice and decides she’s okay with paying, this is a significant emotional beat. Her conclusion is... well, it makes sense given her thoughts to this point. 

But it’s also a blunt and rather startling way to put it. Again, this isn’t cracking a joke to create distance from emotion. It’s wittier than that. 

Ezran’s shock as he registers the words is barely two frames. Any longer and it’d be overplayed. Between basically saying someone's friendship is worth a body part, and Ezran’s half-beat of shock, the combination definitely startled a laugh out of me. 

And here’s the thing: in AtLA, one of the two would’ve cracked a joke. The story would’ve backed away from what really, underneath, is a pretty phenomenal admission. Not just of friendship, but also of how Rayla herself has changed so significantly between when she made that oath, versus where she sits now. 

Ezran’s response is both funny (again, in a witty sense) but also just as heartfelt. It’s also extremely telling in terms of Ezran’s characterization. 

The one character most likely to crack a joke --- Callum --- doesn’t always, either. In fact, sometimes he’s remarkably vulnerable and honest in ways Sokka, his spiritual predecessor, wasn’t allowed to be. At the same point that Ezran and Rayla are having their heart-to-heart, Callum’s admitting freely that he doesn’t have immense power; he just has a swirly stone that does the work for him. He doesn’t make a joke of Ellis’ compliment, nor make fun of himself. 

Ellis’ line was delivered seriously, as she has every reason to believe her perspective is true. If Callum were to joke, he’d be mocking her sincerity, and the story is willing to respect that Callum is someone who responds to sincerity with sincerity of his own. 

In a word, tDP is unafraid of its own heart. 

[gaemichwi]

Trick or Treat 2020 Author Letter

First off, wow am I excited for ToT 2020 <3

If none of the prompts inspire you, please write whatever you’d like! And thank you in advance for whatever you end up creating :3 Have fun!

DNW:

NSFW

character bashing

identity headcanons of any kind (race, gender, sexuality)

whump

real-world politics

huge focus on unrequested characters

AUs other than canon divergence

animal torture/killing

If you write me a trick: I'm not too good with horror/gore, so please avoid! But everything else is A-OK!

Kingdom Hearts

Fandom-Specific DNW:

anything crack

Fandom-Specific Likes:

found family

angst (incl. themes of depression

Yuffie/Leon (either as a ship or just interacting together, they’re hilarious)

complex/contradictory emotions

kids being dumb kids

Aqua being everyone’s mom and forgetting to take care of herself

when characters are vulnerable/open with each other

canon-typical things from source material

Prompts:

I'd really love something post-canon. For instance, what Axel and Xion are up to in Twilight Town and their introspection/feelings on being back in the place where everything happened. Or like, Kairi's thoughts about going to the lab to search for Sora in her memories in Radiant Garden. Aqua preparing for her second descent into the Dark World. What Yuffie & Co. are up to now that the Restoration Committee isn't needed anymore. That type of stuff :3 If none of those appeal to you, then please write what you'd like!

I have no idea what Luxu could be doing post-canon to be honest, but if you have ideas? Or you could go back to the Age of Fairytales for any fic relating to him. I love thinking about his friendships with the other Foretellers, and I'm not against him secretly pining for Ava.

I generally enjoy canon-based works more, but if an AU idea strikes, I’m partial to local business AUs where a character owns or works at a bakery, flower shop, tattoo parlour, coffee house, etc, and Character B is a customer or coworker or related to an employee or something. Though I think this could also be cute in canon with the Twilight Town kids working for Uncle Scrooge at his bistro.

Also, just in case this prompts literally any inspiration whatsoever: I’ve always loved the idea of Xion and Vanitas having a sleepover and bonding over angst and painting their nails black while discussing the cute dumb blondes (Roxas or Namine for Xion, and Ventus for Vanitas) in their lives.

DuckTales (2017)

Fandom-Specific DNW:

anything adult-themed

Fandom-Specific Likes

all the kids individual quirks

Louie’s misguided attempts to get rich quick

Lena/Webby friendship

kids being dumb kids

any kind of S1 Della angst or side-quest involving finding her

the garage full of dangerous cursed items

canon-typical things from source material

Prompts:

Cute kids going on adventures? Yes :3 I love DuckTales, so anything that's similar to a scene in the show would be amazing. I love all of them equally, so you can choose the character focus. Also, anything that builds on that one episode in S2 where they visit each other's dreams would be great too with Louie the cat and Huey the ridiculously tall, and especially Dewey's little High School Musical schtick with the blob.

"I think that's supposed to be my romantic interest, but I'm too threatened by that concept so it never takes shape."

I don’t know why, but I also think it’d be hilarious if the boys discovered KPOP and tried to make their own boy band with questionable results. Louie would try to monetize it, Dewey just wants to be lead singer, and they drag Huey along with all of it. Webby would be their biggest fan right up until they play their mixtape for her. It’s terrible.

FFVII:

Fandom-Specific DNW:

literally any Cloud ship

crackfic

Fandom-Specific Likes:

Turkfic, either where they angst over something or end up in shenanigans

the more introspective things, like how characters feel about the Plate dropping, Aerith dying, etc

Yuffie/Vincent (either as a ship or just interacting together, they’re hilarious)

angst

Wall Market shenanigans

the world-building aspects of FFVII, with Wutai or Junon

Barret & Marlene interactions

when characters are vulnerable/open with each other

canon-typical things from source material

Prompts:

I'm really interested in what the characters were doing during the On the Way to a Smile novellas, but if you're not necessarily familiar with those then anything based in the original game's canon would be great too. Little in-between scenes would be fun, like when they're setting up camp for the night or entering a new area for the first time.

I generally enjoy canon-based works more, but if an AU idea strikes, I’m partial to local business AUs where a character owns or works at a bakery, flower shop, tattoo parlour, coffee house, etc, and Character B is a customer or coworker or related to an employee or something. I think this could work well for anything based in Seventh Heaven, whether in Midgar or Edge depending on where in the timeline you want to write!

Also, I love reading the different interpretations of how Elena got hired as a Turk between Before Crisis and FFVII canon.