#bonnie meta

[queerly-autistic]

One of my favourite things about S2 was that we got to see so much in terms of Ed's relationships with women, and it just made me love him even more (if that's humanly possible). We didn't see him interact with many women at all in S1 (I think it was only the posh ladies at the fancy party which was...yeah, not a good experience), so S2 actually giving us a glimpse into his friendships with all these (very different) kickass women was so, so special.

I love that, as messy and fucked up as they all are, and even with the 'well we're pirates, we're not normal and we will fuck with each other' threat that hangs over everything, Ed's relationship with Mary and Anne is still so affectionate, and they both thrown their arms around him the moment they see him. Even though Ed is incredibly tactile, I don't think we've actually ever seen him be hugged like this, and it's just so lovely to watch him be embraced and clearly feel very safe being embraced by these women (and I can't with the way he clings to them, as well). I also love that this is a wlw/mlm friendship; yeah it falls apart later and turns into delicious gay-on-gay violence (and I wouldn't alter a note of it), but I love seeing this sort of affection between queer women and queer men, there's not nearly enough of it.

Don't even get me started on the BFF handshake he has with Anne - I want all the history there, give me six spin-off films about their adventures please.

And then we finally get a glimpse of his relationship with Jackie, which is similarly just lovely, but in a different way? You get the sense that they could sit there for hours, talking shit about the world, all whilst casually ripping the shit out of each other (but affectionately). You also know full well these two have talked extensively about men and know pretty much everything about each other's sex lives - we didn't see it, but I'm absolutely certain that Ed went into full gushing details about sleeping with Stede, just like Jackie did when she talked about The Swede fucking like a jackhammer (historical accuracy ftw).

And, again, whilst they're still pirates, and it's messy, the entire thing feels incredibly...safe, particularly from Ed's perspective? He feels more comfortable around Jackie than he is around most other characters (apart from Stede), just like he was with Anne and Mary.

And then, just to hammer the point home even further that Ed has, generally, fantastic relationships with women, and connects with them, and feels relaxed and safe with them, you have Ed and Zheng becoming instant BFFs literally minutes after meeting each other. Ed goes 'ooh, very cool woman kicking ass and killing people, she shall be my best friend, immediately', and Zheng is automatically incredibly relaxed and open with him, too (suggesting she feels as safe and comfortable with him as he does with her).

All I want in life is to see Ed and Zheng get silly-drunk with each other (and this is why we urgently need a S3).

And none of Ed's relationships with these women are a fetishistic 'I love women because they're fabulous' thing, or an overly patronising paternalistic 'I love the women and I must protect them' thing - all the relationships he has with women are very equal, very comfortable, fully believable, just fantastic friendships to watch play out. I feel like, given everything we see on screen, Ed generally feels a lot more comfortable and safe and open with the women he knows than the men he knows (Stede is the only other person he is this physically affectionate and comfortable with). Which is probably very understandable? Yes, the women he's friends with are all violent pirates too (that's part of the joy of it - none of them are lovely demure morally pure women, they're all violent pirates), but Ed has a lot of experience with specifically overtly abusive men - right back to watching his dad abuse his mum. And that's a distinction that matters: the show treats the violence of normal piracy and the violence of abuse very, very differently. Ed is not used to being treated softly or affectionately by men, as we saw in his shocked reaction to Stede holding his hand. I don't think it's any wonder that he gravitates more towards friendships with women (or that the men he feels the most open and safe with, such as Stede, Fang, even Frenchie, are very pointedly the opposite of the abusive men he has experience with). I just love love love that being friends with women is such a core part of Ed's character, and that we got to see all of these fantastic relationships in the show.

[mega-ringsandthings-world]

The thing is. The thing is about black sails is. What did they get in the end for all their pain and suffering and blood? Well, nothing. Absolutely nothing. In the end it all came down to nothing and it meant nothing and they were remembered in history as monsters and died as monsters. But yet it meant everything. They failed, every single one of them, but the fact that they failed meant they tried and that meant everything. They failed in the end, so what was the point of it all? Wouldn't it be better off if none of them had tried, if none of them had bled and struggled and fought or even met? But THAT is the point! The point was in the living, not in the dying, not in the failing! It was in the trying! The way they tried because of each other and for each other! The way they tried to beat against something that could not and would not ever move in their lifetimes! Flint tried for Thomas and Miranda tried for Flint and Miranda tried for Thomas and Silver tried for Flint and Mr. Gates tried for Flint and Max tried for Eleanor and Eleanor tried for Max and Charles Vane tried for Elaenor and Mr. Scott tried for Eleanor and Mr. Scott tried for Madi and Silver tried for his men and Billy tried tried tried and the Maroon Queen tried and Madi tried for freedom and Jack tried and Anne tried And Jack tried for Anne and Anne tried for Jack and Anne tried for Max and Max tried for Anne, and Eleanor's grandmother tried for her and Eleanor tried for Woodes Rogers and Woodes Rogers tried for her, and Woodes Rogers tried and Edward Teach tried for Charles Vane and Jack tried for Charles Vane and on Skull island, Silver may or may not have tried one last time and they all tried and it meant nothing and yet everything. Everything. Because the point was not the losing, but that they fought at all to win.

[metamatronic]

Oooh you wanna hop on the bonnie bro is jeremy fitzgerald theory so bad oooh you wanna add it to your au so bad oooh

i’ve already got three different jeremys in this auuuu

(((though it would be funny as hell to have a fourth lol)))

[massivedonutface]

The originals really should've been obsessed with Bonnie. The way Bennett witches were wrapped up in everything, they most likely knew several of her ancestors over the centuries. Damon too should've come to mystic falls seeking Bonnie out, especially with the somergraham chemistry it could've been really interesting

[24kmagiic]

I've been reading your fics for years and I gotta say I love how you write Bonnie. She's so fierce. How do you think Bonnie being with Klaus would influence her personality/character in canon?

First of all, thank you! I’m so happy you found joy in my fics and hope to continue them all. My musings for Bonnie have been so fickle recently.

So! To answer your question, I think being with Klaus would allow Bonnie to “unmask”. So much of her character has been suppressed so her true personality is sort of a mystery. We draw conclusions but what is actually canon? Bonnie went from being a quirky "mean/party girl" to being an uptight recluse in a span of five episodes so which one is the truth? In the first three episodes, she seemed fun, slightly immature, and dismissive of anything 'deep' and then she became a broody 'bitch' who's morally sound and incorruptible. I don't think that happens overnight with the discovery of the supernatural world but that's how they portrayed her because they didn't give a damn about her development. OR it could be that they changed the progression of her character at the last minute and didn't think anyone would notice. I did.

Klaus wouldn’t necessarily turn her into a “villain” as we love to fantasize, but by Bonnie suddenly creating and enforcing boundaries, along with an unwillingness to put on the brave front she usually does, it would feel (to them) like disrespect and they'd 1000% make her out to be villainous.

I think the box she’s been placed into would shatter and Bonnie would be faced with the fact that yes, she has simply been tolerated all these years by the only friends she’s ever known. I think this would cause her to lean on Klaus heavily and we may even see her codependency shift from Elena to him. Let’s face it, our girl is seriously co-dependent. Klaus would of course benefit from her codependency but it'd probably skeeve him out because as clingy a Klaus can be, I feel like he despises clinginess. He gives off Cancerian energy and, as a fellow cancer, I can attest to this. We can be clingy but you can't because, ew.

That said, Bonnie's codependency wouldn't look like what you'd normally expect when you think of your local co-dependent idiots. It's not following him around everywhere and doing everything he says.

It's harming herself for his benefit.

In the same way she was so eager to die for Elena, she'd try to do the same for Klaus except he would not allow it.

Bonnie sees NO value in her presence in other's lives. It's why she's so gungho to sign up for martyrdom. But not because she actually thinks that the world would be better with them in it. It's because she can't bear the thought of surviving without them.

Because in WHAT world do we benefit from Elena over Bonnie? Or Klaus over Bonnie? NONE. And if she digs deep, Bonnie knows that. But in HER world, they have to outlive her because she can't handle losing yet another person.

So on to the driving force behind her co-dependency. Abandonment and therefore, Abby and Rudy, and let's face it, Sheila. This girl has been abandoned three times in three different ways.

Before you hang me out to dry, forget I mentioned grams because I know you're chomping at the bits to correct me.

Abby represents physical abandonment and so does Rudy. The fact that you'd just up and leave your only child is beyond my comprehension but we've already beaten that dead horse so let's move straight into Rudy, the other dead horse.

While he was physically present some of the time, he was still gone a lot and did the bare minimum when it comes to children. Food, clothes, and shelter. Emotionally, he was completely gone. Showing up at the high school graduation after the hard work is over is such deadbeat behavior but again, the horse is dead, no need to whack it.

Now, take a deep breath and think about how I'm about to chop Sheila's ass up real quick.

This type of abandonment, I don't have a label for but it's so unique to Bonnie as a character that maybe by the end of it, I'll coin a catchy phrase.

Bonnie mentioned that Sheila was a drunk (even though the writers abandoned that idea) but let's go with it. As a product of TWO alcoholic parents, (who both came from alcoholic parents) I can attest that there is a unique form of abandonment that borders emotional, physical, and mental neglect.

Sheila had 16 years to help Bonnie wield her magic and defend herself against the great evils out there and instead, she chose to get drunk and 'ramble' about the occult. WHO is going to take a drunk person seriously about any of that? Family or not, ain't a soul out there that'll believe anything you say when you can't control your intake. It sounds like everything Bonnie knew, she had to piece together from the tidbits Sheila bothered to mention.

She left her granddaughter utterly defenseless and yeah, you can argue that she was following Rudy's wishes but guess what. RUDY WAS NEVER THERE! He left Bonnie in Sheila's care so if Sheila decided to teach her granddaughter magic, then what the hell was he going to do about it? Stay home?

I think Sheila used that as an excuse to shy away from the deeper issue which is her ultimately losing her own daughter to magic because Sheila never saw Abby again after she left Mystic Falls and I can imagine how painful that must have been but knowing the evils out there, it was completely neglectful to leave Bonnie defenseless.

Humans always operate in extremes. They go from one extreme to the next without ever addressing the root cause. Both Rudy and Sheila felt like they failed when it came to their relationship with Abby so they did the COMPLETE opposite with Bonnie and in turn, created a whole new network of problems. They are the root cause of our self-sacrificing, co-dependent queen because they were so focused on Abby that they never once considered Bonnie.

I tend to be long-winded as hell, my apologies. You're probably wondering, 'Well, what does all this have to do with Klonnie?' Well, I needed to explain my view of Bonnie before I could get into how I think her being with Klaus would affect her personality and character.

For the first time in her life, Bonnie would actually be considered. As boneheaded and selfish as Klaus is, when he's in love, he is surprisingly considerate and while all we truly got from him in canon was heavy admiration (cause he ain't love them hoes), it was a nice glimpse into what could have been for him.

Let's use his relationship with Hope when we reference Love.

First, let me say that the writers did a terrible disservice of having him abandon Hope for all them years but when he was there, he always looked out for her best interest. When Freya entertained the thought of Hope binding her wolf as Klaus's mother did to him, we got to see him fight for her even if Hope herself thought that's what she wanted. Klaus uniquely understood what that would do to Hope and did everything in his power to prevent it, including threatening to dispatch his own family.

As for Bonnie, no one understands abandonment on that show like Klaus Mikaelson and he would instantly catch on to Bonnie's toxic behavior pattern. He'd see right through the lies she'd weave and while it may have worked on Gilbert the Younger, it ain't fidna fly with Bad Ass Mikaelson, the man who carried his family around in coffins because they threatened to leave him or jeopardize their relationship.

The two of them are two sides of the same coin. Where Bonnie internalizes her abandonment issues, Klaus externalizes his. While Bonnie has an "I'd rather die young than live my life without you" approach to love; Klaus has an "I'll kill you and every mf in here before I let you go"' approach.

It'd be a very toxic paring at first but once they 'healed', they'd work so well because each of them has a love that the other has been looking for. Bonnie has been waiting for someone to fight for her whether she knows it or not. She wouldn't know how to handle it at first because it's too much and very dangerous but deep down, she'd feel relieved to finally know what it's like to be fought for. As for Klaus, he's been waiting for someone to give up everything to be devoted to him because in the past, people so easily discarded him to go after what they wanted and it was never him. He's always left behind in the grand scheme of others. Rebekah easily discards him for love. His mother bound him with a spell to hide her own transgressions, Elijah, though loyal, was always at risk of falling in love and detaching himself from Klaus and the threat alone was enough to drive Klaus to commit the most grisly murders.

So, again, to answer your question, simply put, I think they'd bring out the absolute worst in one another at first but not in the ways you'd expect. Like I said earlier, Klaus would force Bonnie to work on her boundaries in general because he's notorious for overstepping boundaries and he's the perfect punching bag to practice on. But once they got over the initial shock of one another and realized that they both (essentially) want the same things from one another, they'd mellow out.

I hope that somewhat answers your question. If you have any follow-up questions, please submit them because I definitely cut myself short for the sake of "brevity" lol.

[bird-inacage]

Only Friends: Why Ray x Mew is Doomed to Fail

This show is consistently catching me off guard and I LOVE that. I was not expecting this to come out of the fallout, mostly because I didn't see Mew ever choosing this. But here we are. As soon as the final scene of Ray and Mew dancing at Yo's bar came on screen, I was wildly uncomfortable. Something felt so inherently wrong and off-kilter with this image. So let's discuss why.

Resigned Acceptance VS Active Choice

Let's be clear firstly; Mew hasn't chosen Ray. The entire exchange between them is Mew doing calculations in his head. And what he concludes is if someone loves you far more, then you don't lose out. Logically it's a far easier and safer proposition to try. (Whereas with Top, who was supposedly so out of Mew's league, has now caused Mew a tonne of insecurity because of his betrayal). Ray can't hurt him because Mew has never regarded Ray as suited for that spot.

It's with an air of resigned acceptance (and an obvious lack of any enthusiasm) that Mew accepts Ray's pursuit of him. Like a lukewarm shrug, 'Yeah. I guess. I suppose. Why not.' Right now Mew needs a distraction and here is his perfect opportunity to appear as if he's 'moved on' already. That he's unaffected. Mew is only doing all of this because he's hurting. If Top hadn't cheated, his stance on Ray would still be unwaveringly firm.

This also serves as an ideal way to punish Top. Top's reason for cheating was thinking (wrongly) that there was something going on between him and Ray. So why not rub that in his face and actually have something going on now to spite him? Top's worst nightmare manifested.

Mew Playing Mew 2.0

I had a really strong feeling this episode that Mew was trying to emanate Ray, especially with his new look. Bit by bit, Mew is denouncing everything that once made him who he was. He's trying to embrace the opposite end of the spectrum and his closest point of reference is Ray.

Ray isn't responsible. Ray is impulsive. He has everyone else taking care of him. I think in some ways Mew may envy Ray at times. The luxury to be reckless, spontaneous and have people around you to pick up the pieces. To test run Ray's 'fuck it' mentality for a change and forego accountability is freeing, it's seductive.

However, Mew 2.0 is just Mew playing 'dress up'. It's a costume and a form of armour but nothing more. Mew is not coupling up with Ray as his authentic self (and ultimately the 'self' that Ray fell in love with). The man Ray loves VS the man Ray is now dating are two different people. There's already a layer of falsehood sandwiched between them.

Ray's Glorification of Mew

In Ray's eyes, Mew can do no wrong. The way that Ray sees Mew is faultless, blemish-free, almost saintlike. Mew is his saviour and Ray holds him on a incredibly high pedestal. This puts an enormous amount of pressure on anyone who is the subject of this adoration.

When we love someone, what we really desire is to be seen for all the things that makes us painfully human. The things we hate about ourselves; the ugly, the unsightly, the flaws - for someone to know us at our very worst and still love us despite all that.

Ray's opinion of Mew means he can never truly appreciate who he is as just another person who has his faults and shortcomings. It also means Ray is likely to look to Mew to have the answers, to share his wisdom and that's just not always going to be the case.

For now, Ray may be basking in the awe of living his ultimate fantasy but I don't think he'll be able to cope with the reality being less than perfection. Of Mew being less than perfection. You've set Mew up to fail, and you've doomed this relationship to fall short of the spectacular grandeur you may have conjured in your head.

This pairing is fundamentally not on equal footing. Mew is vicariously living through Ray like some rollercoaster ride to hedonism. Ray is a means for him but not a destination.

[artist-issues]

I saw you answer an ask on Toy Story, which was super interesting, and also say:

"It’s an incredibly good movie series. Not Toy Story 4. But the rest of the series."

I didn't actually see Toy Story 4 because I felt the first three tied the story up very well, and we got a really good arc through those first three. It just felt unnecessary, and what I did see from it didn't make me eager to go out and watch it.

Could you expand on where you think Toy Story 4 goes wrong? If the other three convey selflessness, living and finding purpose, then what does that Toy Story 4 try to convey? Does it contradict the others?

I think Toy Story 4 goes wrong by trying to make Woody selfish. I mean, you could say that he isn't selfish to leave Bonnie and his friends and embrace the "Lost Toy" lifestyle. You could say "he just went from taking care of one kid who didn't really need him anymore to taking care of every lost kid who could need him, and finding lost toys homes. That's what was happening with the lost little girl at the end!"

Okay, you could say all that, but you'd be wrong, because 1) that is not what was happening at the end. And 2) even if it were, that is not a selfless ending for Woody. Furthermore 3) it undoes all his character development and progression from the first three.

You didn't see the fourth movie, right? So let me break it down a little.

Woody's character progression goes like this:

1: Obsessed with being The Most Important Toy to Andy --> Remembering that what's great about being a toy is being there for Andy when he needs them, regardless of how often or special that is.

2: Fine with no longer being The Most Important Toy to Andy, but considering leaving because Andy will eventually not need him, ever --> Realizing that being there means being there, even if it's just to watch and love from a distance, instead of protecting yourself to no end.

3. Committed to Being There even if he's not needed --> But this includes being there for his friends, even after they choose to abandon him and the mission. (It's important to note that Woody only offers ((by getting in the box to Bonnie's)) to leave Andy if Andy chooses to give him to a kid who needs him more.)

The whole idea is that Woody belongs to someone. He's not his own. He's a toy. Toys belong to their kid; they don't have the right to just leave. If they did, they'd be bad toys. Because you never know how much a kid will be heartbroken, or whether or not they might need you down the road. Every movie before Toy Story 4 is Woody doubting that, but then coming back to it. That's why in Toy Story 3, when everyone is in Andy's Room sad because he won't play with them and he's about to leave, Woody is totally onboard with staying in the Attic for years—because maybe they'll get to be played with by Andy's kids. He's loyal, and selfless, because he knows he's not his own. He's willing to go to Bonnie only because it'll mean staying with his friends where they're needed; but ONLY if ANDY willingly gives them up.

Enter Toy Story 4.

Woody's having a hard time adjusting to Bonnie's Room because 1) he doesn't get played with, his role in the games is taken by Jessie. So he's right back where he was in the first movie, stuck in a closet watching another toy get played with. And 2) Dolly is the leader of the room, so he's not even really allowed to be helpful to his friends during their off hours, because she's got that covered. So he feels directionless.

UNTIL Bonnie goes to school for the first time. She's not allowed to bring toys. Dolly is fine with this but Woody goes anyway because he's sure Bonnie will need something.

And in this beautiful first portion of character development for Woody, he does not sneak out of the backpack and get Bonnie to gain comfort from him, her one and only toy, at daycare. Even though he totally could've. He could've seized his moment in her heart. But he didn't. Because he already learned that lesson in Toy Story 1-3: he doesn't need to be everything to the kid. He just needs to do what's best for the kid, and to do that, he has to be there.

So instead he throws her a bunch of craft supplies to play with when nobody sits with her. She gets distracted by making Forky, a toy made from a spork and some pipe cleaner.

Bonnie is, from that moment on and throughout the rest of the movie, without exception, OBSESSED with Forky. There is no other toy in her mind. But Forky is a lot like Buzz was in the first movie after learning he's a toy: he doesn't understand what's so great about that, and would rather go back to being trash. He keeps trying to jump in garbage cans while Bonnie's family takes a road trip. And for some inexplicable reason, none of the other toys really care about this. But Woody, knowing what Bonnie needs, basically posts a 24-hour suicide watch on Forky and keeps pulling him back over to Bonnie, out of the trash.

The problem is, Woody isn't that excited about this. He is just doggedly resigned to it as his duty. He keeps rescuing Forky and getting no love in return; Buzz sort of tries to be supportive and offer to help, but nobody else seems to care about Bonnie and Forky, and Woody thinks this is his only way to be useful so he really doesn't want their help.

Which is stupid. Because if he were really committed to being selfless and loving Bonnie, he'd let everyone help. Because the point isn't "how will I feel if I fail to do this on my own? What's my purpose?" That's selfish. It's "you-focused." The point should be "How can we get this job done best for Bonnie?" with no consideration of "self." That would be selfless, which is the point of Toy Story movies.

Anyway. I'll speed up.

Basically by Act 2 Forky comes to understand (thanks to Woody) how great it is to be a toy. But no sooner does he want to go back to Bonnie (on the road trip) than Woody suddenly gets distracted. His whole life's mission of doing what's good for his kid is derailed because he finds Bo Peep again. Meanwhile, Forky is captured by a villainous antique doll with no voice box, who is fixated on being bought by a little girl and thinks that if she had Woody's voice box her dreams would come true.

Bo Peep has been living as a Lost Toy. Basically the movie sets this up as if Lost Toys take care of each other, patching up injuries and having fun together even when no kids are around: they're just doing the same sort of thing that the reformed toys at Sunnyside Daycare do. But in a playground/fairground setting.

Bo Peep doesn't want to be with one kid. She wants to keep doing this more selfish lifestyle, where she can be played with whenever she wants, help toys whenever she wants, and avoid the heartbreak of a kid abandoning her.

Understandable.

But thats the opposite of everything Woody's learned in the last three (and a half) movies. He could've made the decision Bo Peep is making at any point in Andy's childhood. But he's already learned that being there means Being There, regardless of what the kid can do for you.

I mean, I hate to point it out, because I know people will try to make it an allegory for "staying in an abusive situation," even though that's NOT what I'm saying, but seriously—think back to Sid's House in the very first movie. They don't lead all the broken toys to a life of freedom. They force Sid to be a better kid, but the broken toys stay there. Because they're Sid's Toys.

Contrast that with the "hardship" Bo Peep has been through...Bo Peep just...got pawned off. She didn't have body parts removed and sewn onto other toys. She didn't get strapped to a firework or melted down. But she's treated like this revolutionary, independent, strong-woman toy who's introducing this great concept of freedom to Woody.

That's all wrong for Woody. And for most of the movie, he resists it, so that's good.

But what it comes down to, at the end, is Woody deciding to choose what he wants over his ideals of selflessness and loyalty. He wants to stay with Bo Peep (because romance) and he wants to be needed. Lost Kids and Toys "need" him more than Bonnie.

To be fair, they try to build up to this in a way that makes sense for his character. They try really hard, they do. They show that Woody is still selfless when it comes to the happiness of kids and toys; he willingly gives up his voice box so that Forky can go back to Bonnie, and the doll villainess can have a shot at her dream. They show that he's ready to support that villainess and help her find a kid she could be true to even after the kid she wanted rejects her. They show that he really was going to leave Bo, even at the very end, even though he didn't want to—and it takes Buzz insisting that Bonnie will "be all right" without him for Woody to give it all up.

They do try.

But that's the thing. The only way they could set up Woody's decision to abandon his friends and his kid for life as a Lost Toy was by centering it around this idea of "where I'm needed."

But 1) "where I'm needed" is too self-focused for Woody, because of all the reasons in Toy Story 2 and 1, and 2) you can't have it both ways. You can't say Woody's all about "where he can be of service best" and all about "what he wants." Those two focuses contradict one another, in Woody's case.

That's what it boils down to. They took the characters that are literally made to say, "live your life for others, love regardless of whether or not you're loved back," and they try to say, "nooo, actually, that's toxic, you have to do what you want, what feels most fulfilling to you, self-care, etc." And they do their best to shoehorn Woody into that by saying "what he's most fulfilled by is being needed."

That's all wrong for Toy Story. Woody developed away from making all his decisions based on where he's "needed" in Toy Story 2. Woody expressed loyalty to both Andy and his friends perfectly in Toy Story 3 by putting himself in Bonnie's box and letting Andy decide, his owner decide, where he should be.

And then Toy Story 4 comes along and says, "No, Woody gets to decide, and he decides where he's needed, and he's fine with separating from not only his kid, but his friends."

This post is already too long but also, if you try to spin it so Woody's still in-character and selfless by helping Lost Toys find kids, it starts to make no sense. If the Lost Toy lifestyle is so great, because you can pick up playtime with kids and put it back down whenever you feel like it—and you should, because kids will always get older and throw you out—why should Woody ever help Lost Toys find a kid to go home with? Why wouldn't he say, like Bo, "hey that's nice but eventually they'll grow up, it's a dead-end, just stay out in this playground with us. That's what's best for you. Be a Lost Toy like us."

The only possible answer to that question, which IS supposedly Woody's fulfilling ending, is, "Because maybe some toys just 'want' to go home with one kid. And if they do, they should be allowed to do what they want. And Woody can help them, because helping them is what he wants."

Allll back to "what YOU want" which is the opposite of being a toy. Anyway. The horse is dead, I'll quit beating it.

[andreal831]

Did you ever ship Stefan and Bonnie?

I'm actually so shocked I've never discussed this here because I was obsessed with Stefonnie for the longest time and this post is making me fall back into it.

Stefan and Bonnie had such a beautiful friendship in the early seasons. It was very similar to Caroline and Stefan. I was actually rooting for Bonnie over Caroline initially when it was clear Delena was going to be endgame. I love Steroline, but Stefonnie would have been such an organic friends-to-lovers ship (we know I love a good friend-to-lovers over enemies-to-lovers). Especially, since this was the time Forewood was still going strong and I loved them too. It would have been such a great time in TVD with these ships.

But of course, the writers refused to let Bonnie have everything and eventually shifted Stefan's attention from being split between his two friendships with Caroline and Bonnie to only Caroline. They only ever really get it back in the final season and it was essentially just to rub it in for Bonnie that Stefan, her once friend, murdered her love. This whole storyline was clearly just designed to isolate Bonnie completely from the group. Stefan was supposed to spend the rest of his life making it up to her and then died so we didn't even get to see them repairing their relationship. If they were going to get together, it would have to be before this.

Stefan is the first vampire that Bonnie starts to feel comfortable with after her, very reasonable, hatred of vampires. Because he put in the effort. Even Caroline just wanted Bonnie to get over her fear/hatred without putting in too much effort. But Stefan spent time making her feel comfortable. And the fact that he had Grams approval goes a long way with Bonnie. Stefan on multiple occasions attempts to stop Bonnie from doing dangerous spells that he does want to happen, but he prioritizes her safety. He had so much respect and love for her from the beginning.

Him asking so gently if he can come in and her little nod. This right here shows that their friendship at the bare minimum should have been prioritized. How do you not see romantic potential in this??

Even when he was a ripper, he never harms Bonnie. Or when Stefan and Damon had to kill her mom but Damon does it so *Elena* won't hold it against Stefan. Let's be honest, if Elena can forgive Damon for murdering her brother, she would have quickly moved on from Abby's death. But, to me, it was so important for it not to be Stefan because *Bonnie* never would have forgiven him.

I would have much rathered Stefan getting stuck on the otherside/prison world with Bonnie and repairing their friendship and developing a romantic relationship. Stefan was so protective of Bonnie that it would have given Bonnie a lot more support than she initially got from Damon. I know I am just biased and hate Damon, but I felt like their development was forced. Literally. They never would have interacted like that in other circumstances. I do think Damon needed that friendship, since the only time we see him have any character development is with Bonnie, but that wasn't Bonnie's job. Forcing her to befriend a man she hated, a man who murdered her mom, for his development was just never a favorite story of mine. But Stefan with her would have given her some comfort. I think she also would have had more faith in Stefan coming back for her and saving her if he was forced to leave her behind.

They fit so well together. They both have similar morals and a strong sense of righteousness. They both will sacrifice themselves for those they love and will bend their morals for their loved ones, but at the end of the day they are the heart of the friend group. They also were always trying to stop the other one from sacrificing themselves, understanding that the people the other was harming themselves for wasn't necessarily worth it.

Bonnie deserved to be loved like that. After losing her entire family and everyone she cared about, she deserved to have someone love her the way Stefan loves. And Stefan wanted to be human again. He would have taken the cure and they could have left Mystic Falls behind, coming back for holidays, but getting away from the toxic relationships they had with their family and friends.

As for storytelling purposes, this just shows that the show prioritized ships they viewed would be the most popular (which was based in racism) over the actual storytelling. Bonnie and Stefan has so many similar stories that they could have bonded over, like their summer that no one knew they were missing and their parental issues. But also their history. Elena and Stefan were not the only two reflected in the story with Silas and Amara. There was also Qetsiyah. The full circle story that could have been if they had Silas' shadow-self (Stefan) fall for Qetsiyah's descendant (Bonnie), leaving Amara's shadow-self (Elena). Instead the show spent time forcing parallels by retconning itself with flashbacks.

I loved Bonenzo and Steroline, but if they had done Stefonnie right, it would have been my top ship. They had so much potential to show the development and to actually allow the characters to experience their emotions and work through their trauma. They would have helped each other as friends and fallen in love as they did. They are two of my favorite characters from TVD so it is no wonder I would love them together.

Now excuse me while I go find some fics to read!

Thanks for the ask!

[vitrisimbre]

both jo and bonnie tricking kai with sending their magic away

both jo and bonnie having matching scars from kai

both jo and bonnie being two of the only people in the world he cared about in any way, even if it was warped and extremely fucked up

[bonnielunkas]

if your favorite character has ever been horribly misrepresented by the fandom at large, you may be entitled to financial compensation

[klonnieshippersclub]

so do you think bonnie needs kids to be happy??

Bonnie doesn’t need kids to be happy. No one needs kids to be happy. Not everyone wants to have kids. But Bonnie does say she wanted the life they Caroline was having with Stefan. Which was having a home, a boyfriend, kids, and a family. She wanted to have something to come home too. She was tired of being alone in the world.

Unlike characters like Hayley, Caroline and Elena. This was the only time Bonnie ever admitted to wanting a future that had nothing to do with anyone else from Mystic Falls.

All Bonnie has ever wanted is family. She immediately wanted to go with Lucy after just meeting her. Despite loving her friends, that connection doesn't feel the same. It makes sense for Bonnie to want to settle down one day and have a family of her own. Children are part of that dream. She's more than just a good friend and a powerful witch. She'd want to create a happy home as a mother. Is having kids a necessity? No but it's what she wants and would make her happy.

Bonnie’s relationship with her mother is strained. Abby never wanted to stay with her or check in unless she’s forced. Rudy kept busy with work and her last memory of him was dying in front of her. Grams is gone. Bonnie’s alone and she didn’t want to stay that way. If the other women could want more for themselves. Why shouldn’t Bonnie? She already spent 8 seasons fixing and caring for her friends. What is the difference if they’re related to her?

TVD writers were able to write an entire five-season-spin-off around the Mikaelson’s, give two seasons around the Gemini coven, and give us six seasons of Liz Forbes. All of those characters are white. The storylines and push for the one black family weren’t there. They written Bonnie to be so disconnected from them and it’s bullshit.

So if Bonnie fans in any way are creating more family for Bonnie. Changing up their lore to sound like a family and not women playing servitude then YES I’m for it.

[scrubnuggey]

You know, while I'm still thinking about FNAF:

I truly and sincerely believe the Springlock suits were put into the series exclusively as a contrivance because Scott wanted the dramatic irony of William getting stuffed into a robot like his victims.

As far as economics goes: how much more maintenance is a suit like that gonna cost? What about the reliability? Hell, think of the actual logistics of it! I mean, this far into the series with the Funtimes and Faz-goo it's kind of a moot point but it was still kinda absurd around when FNAF3 came out.

And the point phone guy makes about "the characters matching the performers"? You could just have a second animatronic shell minus the robotic bits and add supports for a human actor. It also doubles as a replacement shell for the robot! Less complicated, less maintenance, less expense overall.

Or, if you really have to do the combo suit/robot...why not just design the robot *around* the person? Make it so there's no need to crank it because there's enough room for a performer anyway! Or, if you *insist* on a full robot design, then make it so that the *default* is suit mode and the crank is for robot mode! That way, if the locks fail, your robot just falls over instead of a performer suffering multiple puncture wounds!

I've just thought about this a lot and for as smart as William and Henry are said to be, the design of the Springlock system is just bad. The only reason it's in the lore is to kill Will.

[melmedardasworld]

I read your metas and loved them! What is your opinion about the Traveller's storyline? I really thought that we would get more Bennett history since it was revealed that Qetsiyah is one, but it was mostly focused on the Parker family, really.

First off, thank you for your kind words and taking the time to read my thoughts! The Traveler storyline certainly had a lot of potential, especially in relation to Bonnie’s rich family history. It was a shame how they wrapped it up so quick and just made a mess out of it. It didn’t help that we got the love triangle being dragged and forced once more to come to the conclusion that true love doesn’t exist; it was just a spell to break a 1500+ year old curse. I know TVD is a romance show, but come on…. It was corny to me.

While the show introduced significant lore surrounding the Travelers and the witch community, through Qetsiyah and Silas, it did more to explore the Parkers than the already established Bennetts. No surprise it was around the same time JP had plans to kill of Bonnie for good but Kat convinced her that there was more to tell, we would have gotten Liv as the go to witch for the MFG. Considering that the Bennetts are a prominent witch family with a deep-rooted history in magic and set the TVD lore of the universe for us, it was a missed opportunity not to delve into their family's connections with the Travelers.

Qetsiyah and her descendants: Qetsiyah stands out as one of the most powerful witches in the universe. If her storyline had been more entwined with her descendants, too, we could have expanded on how her actions created ripples throughout supernatural history. Her creation of the Immortality Spell led to significant schisms for magic, the impact of which could have been explored through Bonnie’s bloodline. This could have included infighting among offshoots of her bloodline or even other Traveler branch clans (like the Parkers or Silas’s family, for example) who either supported or rejected Qetsiyah’s actions. It’s what we the show so often popularized as the Balance of Nature aka the Spirits. I believe this relationship dynamic could have been enriched by introducing Bonnie to (distant) family members who did adhere to the strict ideals to not use magic without rules (the Spirits / Spirit Magic) or those betrayed by their forebears for cursing them. Also, her having zero interactions with Bonnie?? Nah that’s some bs.

Potential for Infighting: I also think this would introduce a narrative where the Bennetts’ bloodline suffers from centuries infighting due to differing ideologies about magic and the use of their powers. The show could have introduced family members who either aligned in favor of Qetsiyah’s actions (replacing Markos and his group) or fiercely opposed them (we already had the Spirits and we only saw the Bennetts at the forefront of it), providing more depth to Bonnie’s character development and the complexity of magic and it’s lore.

The Travelers Curse

The origin and implications of the Travelers’ curse were also somewhat convoluted to me when it was revealed tied to Stelena and true love not actually being true love or destiny. As I said, we also got a whole new witch family introduced when the Bennetts were right there. Onto my thoughts about how the plot could've gone.

Historical Context: When Qetsiyah created the immortality spell, it caused a schism within the Traveler community. Many of the branch family’s (Parkers and Silas’s) already feared the power of Qetsiyah and her family. They knew they were powerful, and Qetsiyah was a step above that too. But with her true immortality spell and defying Nature itself for love, they believed that this family's seemingly unlimited power was a threat to them. Keeping the Balance was just an excuse they could use to strengthen those fears and cripple her and her family. So even after Qetsiyah’s brother killed her to redeem his family, the other Traveller covend insisted on further measures—leading to what is known as the Traveller’s Curse placed upon Qetsiyah’s descendants. Again, this introduces some intrigue and infighting in one of the earliest witch covens.

The Curse’s Mechanism: To prevent future disruptions by his family, Qetsiyah’s brother promised the other Traveler families to limit the power his bloodline, forcing it to scatter whenever they attempted to congregate as large coven. If they did, this resulted in disasters and plagues or their death, effectively suppressing the extraordinary abilities and potential of Qetsiyah's descendants. The Bennett witches today may be known but remain unaware of their full history—their curse hidden and forgotten even from them.

Living Bennett Witches: Contrary to the show’s narrative, which suggests very few Bennetts are left, I feel it’s important for the story to recognize that their bloodline is significant and widespread. Even on an individual level we get so much of their feats, inventions and spells. This concept would open the door for multiple lines of the Bennett family, allowing Bonnie to discover relatives with diverse views on magic, some aligned with tradition and others breaking away from it.

Thematic Depth and Character Development

The motivations behind magic use in TVD could have been explored more deeply. The recurring theme in the TVD universe was witches maintaining the balance of Nature often felt hypocritical and biased and even bitter. Yet the Bennetts frequently disrupted it with their feats.

Nature’s Perspective: The concept around Nature as an entity that puts things back into balance is intriguing. Rather than being strict overseers, the witches could have been portrayed as part of a wider supernatural ecosystem, where even supernatural beings like vampires, hybrids, and werewolves might eventually be normalized instead of abominations and whatnot.

Potential for Conflict: By aligning the story with Bonnie's journey, we could have seen infighting not just among the Travelers, but also among witch factions within the Bennett line—those adhering to Nature's rules versus those who pursue Qetsiyah's radical legacy, even if that wasn't her intention at all. Such tensions could have elevated Bonnie’s journey as she navigates her identity, her ancestry and power.

I know you said you’ve read my metas but below some links on my theories and the travelers / Qetsiyah and the Bennetts specifically.

My Love-Hate Relationship with the Travelers

Qetsiyah's Legacy

Modern Bennetts and Nature

[andreal831]

You’re so right about Hayley being a baby. I saw an edit of her during the trend “who we saw going through x / who actually was going through x” and even if I already remarked myself before of how young she was, that slideshow killed me (+ I grew up watching H2O so :().

My baby I love her she did not deserve what she went through

Ok that trend actually broke my heart with the different fandoms. It is so easy to forget how young they all are when things are happening. The show purposefully makes them appear older so that it's less creepy.

This is what it actually looked like when Stefan and Damon brought chaos into their lives. They were babies.

I also saw one with Mikaelsons on how they looked when they were turned. Finn looked the same as the oldest so I included Hayley to remind everyone how young she was.

And how young Hope really was when she lost her mom.

It really puts things into perspective of what everyone in TVDU went through when they were turned and how young they truly were dealing with everything.

[confusedraven1]

as much as i desperately wanted and would’ve loved to see an anne bonny and mary read kiss on screen, it makes a lot of sense in context why we didn’t.

OBVIOUSLY, anne and mary have been in a relationship for a long time. they have the same attitudes as those middle-aged/old people that think it’s fun or funny to “hate” their spouse, which is really hurtful and toxic to the ones involved, and makes those around them uncomfortable, but they brush it off as “oh you don’t get it, but you will.” we don’t see them kiss at all because the way they “love” each other is by finding new ways to hurt each other (“keeping things fresh”), and kissing is more intimate. their relationship isn’t intimate because they aren’t in that “intimate” headspace—they just view themselves as “stuck” with the other.

it’s not until ed and stede point out how fucked up their relationship is that they finally reveal the real reasons why they’re constantly at each other’s throats: mary hates that they’re cut off from people, living on a random, low traffic island, and attempting (and failing) to sell a bunch of old shit while anne resents that mary doesn’t want to go back to pirating and being adventurous cause she’s afraid she’s too old.

mary and ed both hold on to the same bitterness: that love dies, that there’s no excitement except waiting to see how you’re gonna cark it. they both wanted out of pirating—mary got the “retirement” package ed had wanted with stede in china, and it turns out she fucking hates sitting still (“i wasn’t made for sitting idle”). she has to do a lot of the manual labor (trapping, killing, prepping food) and hates anne’s cuckoo clock; not only is it annoying but is probably just another reminder of her life ticking by without moving.

anne and stede both have an eye for fine things and are collectors, but anne’s antiques are EVERYWHERE, piled up on top of each other, a huge safety hazard and useless since it’s just sitting around not being sold. anne got to keep her “fine things,” but it’s choking out her relationship with mary. anne craves adventure and anything (or anyone) new, so she immediately latches on to stede, someone she can relate to and is another opportunity to hurt her partner.

after their fight, anne disappears and slams the door behind her, much like stede did when he left. i think anne realizes they both want the same thing and they were just doing what they had been doing cause they each thought that’s what the other wanted, but they’ve never actually talked about it. so anne burns her collection, their house, all of the shit keeping them stuck there, and tells mary they’re free, they can do whatever they want.

both anne and stede torched their lives so they could be with the people they loved and wouldn’t have anything holding them down, then came back with a new perspective and more love than they had before. mary looked at anne in awe, like she couldn’t believe anne would really change for her, then acceptance when she realized they could finally move on. (we get that expression of awe from ed later after buttons transmogrified into a gull, then a look of acceptance as he flies away, because ed realized, “holy fucking shit, people do change, and maybe i can, too.”)

hugging is a form of comfort, and i think anne and mary needed the comfort a hug provides much more than the intimacy a kiss gives. they needed the space to ask for forgiveness, and then give and receive it. hugging gave them that space and that forgiveness.

[edslacefront]

I want to hear that conversation between Izzy and Calico Jack so bad like how did he phrase "hey so I'm sicking the British on this fag who managed to become our Ex's new boy toy will u go get him out of there pls"

But no deadass I'm so curious about their dynamic actually god I want to see Captain Hornigolds crew back in the day so bad getting ungodly levels of wasted and commiting heinous crimes and having gross gay sex sorry