#but I know Morgan's coming in season 4 so I will endure

[lab-gr0wn-lambs]

Oh. Ftwd is doing the whole um. ''cowboys and indians'' bullshit. alright.

[emsee22]

Clear

Jim says in season 1x5, when he has a period of mental clarity during his infection, "I'm clear now."

Burnt bodies - The burnout, Morgan is clearing walkers and putting them to rest.

Away With You - Probably just a warning to people who come across Morgan's town

Giant Green Bush Cricket- grasshopper is visible on the wall by the burnout location when Rick, Michonne, and Carl walk by it. There is also a green cricket at the beginning of Beth and Daryl's segment in Inmates.

Green/red/orange route - These routes often get associated with the map to Terminus, but those routes are red, green, and blue. The arrows in Morgan's town are red, green and orange. Maybe there is blue too and I have to rewatch it.

No guilt, you know that - Morgan tells Carl to never say sorry around the end of the episode. This is paint on the wall that you can't read well until Morgan tells Carl to never say sorry.

Just Listen - I think this graffiti is just Morgan asking people who come across his town to listen to the warnings

Turn Around And Live - another warning to people who come across his town

Clear written on the cars

Green/red/orange ladders - Coordinates with the whole Green/Red/Orange arrows/routes.

Same Ending

Pigeons in bird cage - I wrote this because Beth is associated with bird cages, however I think Morgan just uses these to distract the walkers, so I don't think it is significant to TD. He uses rats in a similar way.

Only 1

Not Shitting You / Told You (axe through curtain booby trap) - I think this is just another threat to those who enter unwelcome to Morgan's town

The Shrapnel

The Bad Meat - allusion to cannibals at Terminus, or allusion to the oncoming illness that TF endures at the prison beginning season 4; allusion to Termites eating Bob's leg, tainted meat.

Her Ankle Twist - I know we often connect this to Beth, but she did not twist her ankle, she stepped in a bear trap.

You Know What Now - I get it now?

You only get ten

Sick after blood cover - I am thinking this has to do with the illness at the prison, considering one of the identifying aspects of the illness was blood coming out of the mouth and eyes. It can possibly be referring to something else.

Zach Turned - We know based on how Morgan retells what happened to Duane, that "turning" means a lot of things. When Morgan is describing Duane, he says Duane Turned away from Jenny because he couldn't bring himself to kill his mom. Zach was Beth's boyfriend who turned his back to get the shelf off Bob, and in doing so, a walker grabbed his foot and bit him. Zach gets eaten and the helicopter falls onto him at the Big Spot. Also could imply turning into a walker.

Eugene Turned - I think this is referencing both Eugene lying about the cure, causing GREATM to turn on D.C. I also think this references Eugene's double crossing route regarding the Saviors in later seasons.

stopping IBBEN / IBBEN lived - Most likely referencing a character in the Persian Letters, all of which can be read here. I only read the two letters penned by Ibben. https://www.bartleby.com/lit-hub/persian-letters/ ; I found other reference to Ibben as a port city in Game of Thrones, as well as some gnome character in World of Warcraft, but idk if that is part of the game, or a character someone made.

Firefight on Aberdeen - There were so many firefights in TWD, I am not sure what this means, but the etymology of Aberdeen is mouth of the river Don. There is also a neighborhood in Georgia called Aberdeen, about an hour outside Atlanta, located on Flat Creek and Northlake Drive. The closest place to the neighborhood of Aberdeen, GA, is Herschel's Farm. However, there is an Aberdeen St in Atlanta, but it just has a few residential homes. It's located about 10 minutes from Grady Memorial Hospital. This might also be coincidental, but Melissa and Norman were filming in 2018 for Ride in Aberdeen, Scotland https://www.amc.com/blogs/normans-ride-through-scotland-with-melissa-mcbride-is-full-of-surprises--1006145

The arrow wound, the knife wound - I am not sure specifically what this is referencing, but it most likely has to involve Daryl due to the arrows. I am thinking it references the walker Daryl pins with a few arrows outside the moonshine shack, and Beth then stabs it in the head with a knife.

RILEY SHOAL - This is a fishing spot in Putnam County, GA (most likely, but there is also a Riley Shoal in South Australia). I am fairly certain Eastman lived by a topographical feature that bares similarity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoal#:~:text=Shoals%20are%20also%20known%20as,to%20as%20a%20shoal%20complex.

List 1: Green shirt; IBBEN; the campers near the burnout; The happy one in the forest; Every dead rat; B..Ked Zach? - I can't make out the words at the end, but it looks like 1 or 2 words and then Zach. I believe Eastman is the happy one in the forest. The burnout I think was the place where Morgan was burning the corpses. Every dead rat could both be referencing how Morgan lured walkers with rats, but also what Lizzie was doing to the rats in season 4.

You Listen

Don't Lie You Know

The door knob, you had the knife, you had the gun - I simply think this has to do with Morgan being unable to put Jenny down in season 1. They focused a bit on how Jenny Turned the handle on the door to the hideout. I also think Jenny Turned on Morgan's walls have a double meaning. Jenny Turned into a walker, and Jenny Turned the doorknob.

The cellar - Morgan was in the cellar when Jenny got in and killed Duane

Two pieces, use pieces to calc risk

Here's here vs Here's Not Here - "There's something I realized just lately, that all life is precious, but that is not about killing or not killing. It's about... what you do with the time that you have. And the... the people that you have, ya know?" Morgan to Eastman when burying Grace in the walking dead. Eastman pulled Morgan back from essentially the dead. Morgan was just surviving, but not living. I think this calls back to Beth and Daryl in Still. Beth says things to Daryl like "Killing them is not supposed to be fun," and how he needs to be who he is, not who he was. Also to put away places like the moonshine shack (that remind him of his past), or else it kills you. Then she points to her heart and says "here." It kills you inside. Beth also bares similarity to Eastman in that she cared about treating the biters like the people they were once (funeral home, covering up the Rich Bitch, etc).

Sometimes interrupt with the start

Tech use, KIA's on ADC, NO (underlined) KIA's on BEF. 10 sec, go. No KIA's on BEF No KIA's on BEF, NO KIA's on BEF!!! - I'm going to take a total TD guess on this. Killed in action on aide-de-camp (Dawn). Beth not killed in action. 10 second window to get to the body before the hoard makes it difficult. Aide-de-camp is an assistant to someone high-ranking, which if Dawn was working for the CRM, it would make sense. There's lots of other things ADC could stand for in military terms.

No more Cypress

How many days or how much time? - I think this can be alluding to a lot. How far behind Morgan is from caching up to Rick? How long TF was separated after the prison? How much time since Atlanta? How much time till a bite victim turns?

We pull up on detection

Higher Ground - In Alone 4x13, Sasha mention several times that what she and Bob need to do is find some higher ground to start their own kind of sanctuary in.

It doen't matter - In Still, Beth asks Daryl to help her cover up the Rich Bitch walker, and his response is "it don't matter, she's dead." The chalk excludes the "s" in doesn't.

We weren't supposed to be there

Sixteen hours in, Nineteen on the floor

Use Green Route!!! - I wonder if this can just be a note to Morgan's self on which routes in her town are not booby trapped. I am going to be looking more closely at the Terminus map and the interstate signs TF is following to figure out which characters are on what route.

Sinch Nose - Alar cinch sutures are a type of stitch to control lateralization of the nose.

Jenny Turned - she turned into a walker, and she turned the doorknob

ABBeY turned - There is no character named Abby/Abigail in the walking dead. In Fear the Walking Dead, there is a yacht called The Abigail that served as a primary location until it was taken by the Mexican border patrol and overrun by walkers. I can also read this as meaning an abbey, which is a building occupied by monks/nuns (TWDDD) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--kREnf2VHY . That could just be coincidental, or they have been planning for the spinoff for a very long time.

Duane Turned - Duane Turned away from killing Jenny, and thus turned into a walker

Pretend, cut it - The only thing I can think of here is the Grady scene where Dr. Edwards turns on the deep vein thrombosis machine that Joan refuses to have after she is bit, and then proceeds to cut off her arm. There's this whole scene where he tells Beth he is bored and that he wants to do research. Then he feeds her guinea pig. I think Edwards was possibly experimenting with cures on the wards. I learned the name of the machine from @twdmusicboxmystery video on the cure theory. This machine prevents blood clots, so why would Edwards turn this on for a person who is bleeding out about to have her arm cut off?

Blood Cover

Warn options or not

In bad case/HARDCORE

Green Route!!

Cypress Street handoff

Every one turns - I think this just goes to show Morgan's lack of trust. There are so many different meanings to turning.

Abibel - I am still uncertain the meaning of this phrase, but it is also written under the chalk drawing of the smiling sun in season 4

Full sweep - just a self reminder for Morgan

Weekly trap integ, wires, ropes, gun, ammo, knife, 15 spikes, gurney, REPAINT - another self reminder for Morgan

Transport sweet harvest

Burying her, burying him - I think this is literally referencing Duane and Jenny, who Morgan goes back to lay to rest in a later season of Fear the Walking Dead.

Transport BEF, transport the harvest - We used to theorize that How the Harvest Gets Home 5x16 would be Beth returning with Morgan, and that Beth was the harvest. But here, BEF is transported as an individual thing. It's almost like Morgan first transported BEF somewhere else, and then the harvest. The harvest was written on the trucks in 5x16 and that is when Morgan finally reunited with Rick.

Just gets worse

You won't tell them what you saw There is another graffiti on the fence that says something and ends with "asshole" that I couldn't quite make out. This is not a complete theory, and just a list of interesting things I saw in the episode. Please comment your thoughts.

[rcksmith]

Spring breeze part.4 — Spencer Reid

Icon by @obiwansjedi

Part.1 Part.2 Part.3

Sumarry: After the breakup, Spencer and the Reader follow different paths and lives. But, after 8 years, Gideon's death brings an avalanche of emotions, putting the two face to face again in a reencounter that could break their hearts again — season 10 —

Couple: Spencer Reid /Gideon's daughter!reader.

Warnings: mention of death, mention of violence, death of the father, depressive thoughts, murder, crying, swearing, a lot of anguish, mention of love, fluff (but it has a very fluff too, I'm not a monster)

Word count: 5k.

A/N: This is the most sad chapter that has, I promise that the next will be very cute.💖

I saw Gideon's death episode again to make it as faithful as possible for you guys. I used the original Criminal Minds chronology too, being 8 years from Gideon's last appearance until his death.

English is not my first language, so I so sorry if have a mistake.

Let me know if you want to be added for a taglist for a specific fandom (Criminal Minds, The Umbrella Academy, Riverdale, Roman Godfrey, or all)

Requests are open. Love you ❤️

— — — — —

Hunting bandits. Save people. Improve the world a little bit every day. Those were the three things Spencer believed it was worth to be at BAU. It was worth fighting for, holding on, staying sleepless for days, being haunted by murderers by day and nightmares at night. For what it was worth looking at the abyss, even when it looks to you

Reid could deal with human perversion, with the thousand and one ways to practice heinous crimes, the sowing of evil and cruelty. He could cope with constantly being inside insane minds, learning his whys and mechanisms. He could take it. He put up with it day after day, case after case. He endured being tortured, stay being held at gunpoint, having a piece of his essence plucked with red-hot iron month after month. Spencer knew he could handle it.

But he couldn't handle death. Goodbye. It shattered his soul far more than difficult cases, pushed his own sanity to the limit. Perhaps burying his feelings as deeply as possible was just a method of delaying the wave that would drown him at one time or another. Inevitably.

Each farewell took a piece of Reid away. His father, his mother, Ellie, you, Gideon, JJ, were just a few of the people who left, living their lives elsewhere. But what about those who died? The victims, the children, Hayley, Maeve, Emily (even if only for a short time) and so many others. These took much more than a piece of him. Maybe costu his whole soul.

Spencer felt himself harden over the years, the cases, loss after loss, day after loss. He felt the purity of his own heart slip through his fingers like sand, the faith in humanity to be put to the test. Sometimes even faith in himself.

Was that the price to pay for that job? Being constantly vulnerable? See his life and the lives of the people his loved most at gunpoint?

It was worth?

Maeve's death shook him more than any other, sucking all the pink glow from his world, leaving him with only the cold feeling of hopelessness. A very deep void. It took a long time for memories of she not to hurt like red-hot iron, for his breathing not to be heavy. It took a long time to be happy again.

And when Spencer felt healed from the deepest wounds, the most visceral pains, he was hit again. Deeply. If Maeve's death was a wave that brought him down, Gideon's death was the tsunami that destroyed him.

“It's Gideon.” Hotch's voice confirmed the fear of everyone in that cottage.

Then Spencer felt shattered. Torn apart. Torn like a rag doll and placed on the fire. He wanted to scream, to scream so loudly that he would never regain his voice. He wanted to break something, destroy some, run away.

But run away from whom? From what? That pain or himself? If Spencer had been able to tear off his own skin at that time and be someone else, he would not have hesitated. Not having dropped to his knees in that cottage was a miracle, because Spencer no longer knew what was holding him upright.

Jason Gideon, in many ways, was all that Spencer had. He knew that they took different paths and traveled different roads, living different lives, but he believed that they always end up on the same, even one they was old. Spencer was sure that if he was dying on his knees, Gideon would be to rescue him. For all those 8 years, it was extremely comforting to think that Gideon was out there, living life, finding the hope he had in college, finding the brilliance the world had.

And Reid knew that Jason had you. And you had Gideon. That was the most soothing and comforting thought. No matter what, he knew that you would take care of Jason, just like he would take care of you. But now... now Spencer's world had dissolved in the air. Like a sandcastle knocked over by the wind.

And the pain was surreal.

When he realized, he had left the room, close to the... body. If he could, Spencer would have moved away from himself. How would he take it? One more death, another psychopath. How many other people he love will are died at the hands of the work he did every day?

The answer to all of these questions was frightening, and Spencer wasn't sure if wanted them.

The trip to the coroner was the worst Reid had ever done, talking about the body was the worst conversation he had ever had. And when Morgan put his hand on his shoulder and said that he couldn't close himself now, that they were going to get that son of a bitch, all Spencer wanted to say was that he couldn't take it anymore. That he couldn't breathe. The emptiness was too oppressive. So much visceral pain.

But that was not what Spencer said. He just clung to the only lifeguard in the middle of the rough and deserted sea: justice. Gideon deserve it.

Reid doesn't know how he managed to get back to the Gideon’s house, how he managed to hear Hotch and Rossi talking about what could have happened. But he was there, standing, by some miracle.

“Do you know who might want to have done this?” Hotch asked Stephen, who had arrived, his eyes red from the crying he struggled to hold.

“No. I know he had a list of things he wanted to do before he died... That's how we came back to speak, one of the things was to get back in touch.” His voice was so reminiscent of Gideon's that it was stabbed in the heart of Reid.

“Didn't he talk about being chased? Feeling anything strange?” Rossi commented.

Reid watched Stephen's expressions carefully, first because he reminded Gideon a lot, and second because he looked for any clues in his reactions.

Stephen took a second to think before saying: “No, but we both don't keep in touch daily, you know?” He swallowed a sob, probably with regret, but then his eyes lit up with some information: “'But Y/n surely know, they both spoke to each other every day, if my father was thinking differently, surely she know.”

The mention of your name hit Reid with a very different wave. Bringing a very different feeling than it should. At that moment, he felt himself holding the air.

For a second, a lapse of consciousness, Spencer had not connected any of this with your physical presence. The notion that you were Gideon's daughter was obvious but, for some reason, Spencer didn't think about the fact that you were going to be there. That you would share the same air with him again, the same place...

“We will have to call her, bring her here to see if something has been left, or taken. If there is anything important on the scene.” It was Hotch.

“I called her as soon as you guys called me.” Stephen said “She arrived from California the day before yesterday, my father and she were going to travel.” He tried to swallow the crying, his eyes trembling.

"And you weren't going?" Rossi added.

“I have a son and a wife.” He gave a smile broken by the sadness of the mourning “They would stop by before I go… Y/n was going to tell me the news, since our schedules hardly match much, she works as an astronomer in…”

“Caltech.” Spencer completed, without even realizing it, like a thought out loud.

“Yea.” Stephen agreed.

Spencer felt a chill go from head to toe, and another ton of feelings were thrown at his back. The reality that he was going to see you again hit him hard. Like an arrow. Suddenly, Reid wanted to get out of there. Run as far as possible.

He couldn't see you. He had no ability to deal with those feelings now. Not now, when his life was so overwhelmed with emotions for Gideon’s death that he still hadn't dealt Not when you aroused the feeling of... hope. Spencer can’t could hope, of any kind. Not for them to be taken from him with visceral force. Reid was already hurt enough for handling another fall.

“... But I don't think it's a good idea for my sister to be here, anyway.” Stephen continued to speak.

Rossi and Hotch frowned: “Why?”

“They were very connected. Seeing this scene is not going to do her any good...” he sobs this time “Y/n is not like me… she is sentimental, emotional. ”

“As long as you're trying to stay calm, she'll be the opposite.” Hotch completed.

“I just don't want my sister to suffer anymore and...”

But it was too late for Stephen to complete. It was too much for Spencer to escape. It was too late to be born again, in a different life.

A gray car moved forward on the stone road, at too high a speed not to have washed several road fines. That was so much typical of you who hurt Spencer's heart pieces more than he thought possible. More than he thought he could feel at the time. You were always so wild at the wheel. But Reid didn't have time to finish a thought, not even Rossi, Hotch, Morgan who was with them or even Stephen. Because car brutally stopped it, the door opened and…

And it was as if the sun came out from behind the clouds after years. As if summer had finally come after decades of overwhelming winter. In a burst, everything you've ever represented for Spencer has come back for him once again. And he felt the same thing that he felt when he first saw you, 8 years ago. And he was catatonic.

You got out of the car in a very hurried and desperate way. And as much as there were tears in your eyes and redness in cheeks, Spencer has never seen anyone so beautiful. Your hair was longer, in a brighter shade, maybe you had dyed it. Your features were more lyrical and beautiful, and Reid thought that the passage of time had no effect on you. While he considered himself just less clumsy over the years, you proved to be blooming like Romania's most superb rose.

“DAD!” But that was when your desperate voice brought Reid's consciousness back to earth.

You weren't calling your brother, you weren't asking why, you weren't in mourning. You were in denial. Disbelieving. You called out to your father, with the certainty that he would show up. And the despair in your eyes hurt Reid more than being shot.

But before the agents could do anything, you were running towards the house and Stephen ran towards you, taking you in his arms, trying to keep you from getting inside.

“LET ME GO, STEPHEN!” You struggled, trying to get rid of your brother's arms, your hair messing with the wind, tears streaming down your eyes. “They are wrong! It's not our father! Let me fucking go! DAD!”

“Y/n” Stephen had a broken heart in his eyes, some tears streaming down his eyes “You need to calm down before you get in there !”

“LET ME GO!” Yours sobs broke the hearts of the four agents over there “DAD!” You was cryng out, almost like a prayer, in a desperate call.

"He's gone, Y/n.” Your brother kept his arms stronger in you, trying to contain you while you struggle in trying to break free and go inside the house, under the illusion that you would find your father there.

“NO!” Now your crying was continuous “I spoke to him yesterday! It's not him, Stephen!” Then your brother turned you to him, holding you tight, and you melted into a visseral pain “It can't be him!”

“I know...” he sobbed, looking at you with the same shared pain “I know...”

So you gave yourself up to a painful, loud and desperate crying, the kind that won't let you breathe. And, unlike Reid, you fallen down. Your knees found the stone and grass floor, your hands clasped on Stephen's shirt, who knelt on the floor with you, delivered the pain you both shared.

You knew what your father's risks were in working in such a dangerous profession. Expose yourself to constant and frightening danger. You always knew about the risks, you just tried to ignore them all your life, sinking your fears about your father not coming home at night. Then, when he let the BAU, that fear dissipated. You felt a colossal weight being lifted off your shoulders, like tons of lead, and you let go of a fear so great that you didn't even know you had it.

For 8 years you thought that the chances of him not coming home were over, that the chances of seeing him the next day had increased dramatically. For 8 years you two traveled together, stopping at every type of diner for milkshake, chocolate ice cream and mint - his favorites - For 8 years you had your best friend, the only thing you knew you had in the world. You always knew that if you were drowning in the ocean, it would be your father who would give his lungs for you to breathe.

You didn't see a life without Gideon.

For you, you were crying for hours in what one day was your father's backyard, totally devastated, but for the rest of the world it was a matter of minutes.

Your sobs were so loud and real that Hotch and Rossi caught themselves with watery eyes, perfectly understanding the pain you were going through, the devastation. The two had lost many people, many of them being essential pieces to be able to continue breathing. Many of them felt wounds that would never heal.

But it was Rossi who approached you, the pain at the top of his throat, his mind wandering the day Gideon said he was going to have a little girl. Unlike Stephen, Rossi never saw you in person, but the sparkle in Jason's eyes whenever he talked about you, or with you on the phone, was enough to know that you were one of the essential pieces to keep breathing.

“Hi, my name is Rossi.” He knelt in front of you and your face went towards him, your cheeks and nose as red as your eyes.

“M-my dad talked about you."” You were still sobbing, slowly letting go of Stephen's shirt.

"Good things, I hope.” The two of you laughed like a sigh, and soon the pain returned to your eyes in a visseral way. “I know this is not fair, and I know it is asking too much, but I need you to go inside and try to find something out of place. Something that whoever did this to your father may have taken or left. ”

You closed your eyes in pain, tears streaming as you sobbed. Your hands, trembling and cold, went to your face, perhaps trying to hide from reality, perhaps wiping away tears. Maybe both. When you looked back at Rossi again, you saw the pain in his eyes too.

"I don't know if I can do it.” You admitted, your voice shaking.

"I know.” Rossi took his hand to yours, squeezing comfortingly “But only you can help us now, help other daughters not lose their father to the same killer. Being inside in the house can bring information that is in your subconscious. I promise you will make it, we will all be here with you.”

His handshake got stronger, and it reminded you of your father. That should have been the same way he comforted the victims' relatives, the way he was supposed to act with people.

'Everyone is somebody's son.' That's what Gideon said. It hit you like an atomic bomb. And, for a moment, you thought it was possible to die of sadness.

You squeezed Rossi's hand tightly, as if you were looking for courage. When you opened eyes again, you gave a weak nod. Carefully, as if any sudden movement is capable of causing you more pain, you stood up, your legs wobbly, your heart bleeding, sadness clouding your vision. Rossi put his hand behind your back, in a way to make sure him were there, as an anchorage in reality that would not let you get lost in the valley of sadness and pain.

As you walked up to the house, you didn't see the other agents, you didn't see the trees, the cars. At that time, you didn't even know what color the sky was anymore. It was like a suspended moment, when the world is in slow motion, the hemisphere is terrified. The sadness was palpable in the breeze, in the way that the rays of the sun did not reach the ground. The whole land looked like mourning.

As soon as you stepped inside the house, the smell of home and Gideon hit your nose, and you felt your face tighten in an expression of pure pain. You didn't notice the agents coming in behind you, you didn't notice Penelope and JJ. You just saw the furniture, the decor, his stuff. As if Gideon had just left for the market and was going to come back.

Everything was in was there. Minus the most important thing: him.

You did not notice when Rossi left you, you did not notice who approached. Everything was in a haze of pain.

But that's when you saw the strong blood marks on the floor, stuck to the wood with possession. A cold shiver as sighed from death ricocheted through your entire body, bristling all over your skin. In a burst, like the bursting of a violin string, the mist dissipated, the state of tupor burst, and reality hit you with overwhelming force.

And then the plug fell.

Jason Gideon had died.

You fell again, barely noticing the sobs and loud crying starting to come out again, the most desperate and painful in you life. But this time the arms that took you were different, bringing with you sensations that you haven't felt in a long time. That a long time ago you forgot that you could feel.

They were long, thin, and contained a vigor hidden beneath the thin facade. The smell of his presence was… heaven. That feeling was your anchorage on the high seas, in the valley of despair, and you clung to him for fear of drowning, of not finding your way back home.

You didn't have to see it to know who it was.

You turned to the arms that took you, now Spencer kneels with you on the floor, and you cried in a way that you never cried before, with a visseral pain. Your hands went to the brown cardigan he wore, closing there as if the fabric was your only chance for salvation.

So you looked at the immensity of the his brown irises.

"He was the only thing I had, Spen.” You sobbed loudly with the crying, gently swaying his coat, your voice utterly torn.

Spencer felt his eyes sting, his throat lock and the remains of what was his heart ache in a hideous way.

“I know.” He felt a tear run down his left cheek, his hands on your arms.

At this time, the two of you supported each other. Gideon meant a lot to you two. An irreplaceable role in yours life. And Spencer knew that was what you were talking about when you said:

"He was the only thing we both had.” You closed your eyes, your hands still firmly on his coat, your heart pounding.

But this time Spencer's voice was just as broken when he said: “I know.”

Then he hugged you.He hugged you for everything. He hugged you because it was a pain that only you two could understand. He hugged you because you needed it, and because he needed too.

Jason Gideon had a special connection with you two, a connection that only the two of you had ever experienced. Each relationship with Gideon was different, special in different ways, but only the two of you had him as a protector, mentor, a much more paternal and confidant figure. He was the kind of person you could leave your life in his hands, the kind who would teach you the secret of the worlds, show you what goodness was and at the same time strength. And you two had that.

You stained Reid's coat with tears, and Reid stained you with the strong smell he had. He stepped far enough away to be able to see your face perfectly, at a considerable distance, and, against everything he had ever done before with anyone, he took your face in his hands, his eyes fixed on your in pain shared.

“We will catch how did it.” Reid assured you, as if he had tattooed this words on your skin. You closed your eyes in pain, but he brought you back “Hey, keep looking at me."

So you did it. Because you would always follow Spencer. To hell if he asked.

"Don't take your eyes off mine, okay?” His voice was so sweet, so gentle, and you couldn't have done anything but agree. “When was the last time you spoke to Gideon?”

“Yesterday.” You replied “We were going to travel to the beach today, I took a vacation from work.”

“Was he at home when you two talked?”

The team looked at each other, with several questions in those look.

You denied it, the hiccup now because of the shortness of breath you had because of the crying.

“He stopped at Roanoke for...” and that's when you seemed to remember something.

Your eyes widened softly, your lips trembled, and you let out a stammering sigh as you try to remember something very important.

“What do you remember?” Spencer stroked your cheeks with his thumbs, trying to calm the beating of your heart that went back to being frantic and making you focus on the question, not the sea of ​​emotions you felt.

“He…” was when your eyes fluttered before meeting Reid's again. “He said he saw a woman on the news who was found dead. And ... and that he had to make sure of one thing ”

Rossi looked at Hotch, who gave an attentive and objective expression.

“Did he tell you why?” His eyes closed again and you sobbed. Reid moved closer, bringing your face back in his direction again “Look at me, Y/n.”

As soon as you did, he gave you a gentle smile, but contained all the pain in the world. He understood what you were felling.

“Why was he interested in the case?” He changed the question.

“I-it was something about...” you searched in your mind “Girl named Tara. I don’t know. He mentioned about a blue butterfly tattoo on her ankle as well, and that it was something to do with a… a case or something.”

“1978” Rossi interrupted and everyone looked at him “Gideon and I worked on a case in 1978, the suspect was never caught and Tara was a teenager who we thought had been kidnapped by him. The killer left dead birds in the hands of the victims ”

“But he didn't mention birds and...” That's when your eyes, fluttering, darted around the room and you stopped abruptly.

Spencer turned his attention to you again, seeing that you were staring somewhere. His hands slowly left your face and he asked:

“What?”

“The board.” You pointed to your father's board, which had a beautiful brown bird.

“Does say anything to you?” Rossi turned his attention to you.

You shook your head, your body too exhausted to go to the painting and examine it.

“He shot the board.” You looked at the agents “My father loved that painting, he never would have done that. Even though my father is stunned, he has the best aim I have ever seen.”

“The devil is in the details." Rossi went to the pinting and, after two seconds, turned to the team and said “I already know who did this.”

You let out a gigantic sigh of relief as the agents split up to continue the case, speaking so fast that you couldn't keep up.

“I helped?” You looked at Spencer, tears still shining in your eyes.

He smiled and nodded “Very.”

But when he got up, you took his hand, making Reid turn his attention back to you again, a questioning look on his face.

“You're going to get it, aren't you?” The sob invaded your voice "Promise me that you will catch him, Spen."

Reid took his hand in your, giving you a strong, comforting squeeze before saying:

"I will. I promise.”

And then he left, along with the other agents.

- - -

You thought you knew what pain was, the loss, the tightness in the heart. You thought that your many relationship breakdowns showed you what it was like to suffer. But you have never been so wrong. None of that compared to how you were now, to what you felt.

You would trade that feeling for anything in the world.

This was terrible. A cold, coercive, brutal and cruel feeling. As if you were at the bottom of a black ocean, unable to breathe, falling deeper and deeper, consumed by the overwhelming cold of the water.

It was impossible to say in words how you felt. But if it were you had to define it in one word you would say: pain. A pain that bends you, a pain that makes you want to scream, that pierces your lungs so that it is not possible to breathe, but that even so, you fight for air.

It was pain at its rawest, most brutal, sharp and atrocious like a dagger blade. You would go through Dante's hells for eternity instead of living one day with that pain.

Since Spencer and the agents went after the person in charge, you have sat on the steps of the front door, watching the nature, the shaking of the trees, but your attention was so far, far away. Perhaps unattainable.

Gideon always loved watching the seasons go by, and in that moment, you wondered if looking at the same thing he looked at every day would make you feel close to him. Feel with him. It had only been three days since you last saw him, when he picked you up at the airport, but you felt like you were past three lives. How would you go without it? How were you able to think of living without it?

You pulled your knees up against your chest, hugging your legs, the metallic, atrocious and icy taste of devastation stuck to yours in your mouth. The trees shook hard, forcing the birds to fly away, but you didn't feel cold. You were not feeling the cold breeze hit your body, nor were your muscles contracting in exhaustion from the hard wood of the steps you were sitting on.

The hunger, the cold, the heat or the craving could not reach you, as if the pain had paralyzed all your system. Probably your soul.

You didn't see when Stephen put father's blanket over your shoulders, nor did you hear his sobs for seeing you so devastated. But you smelled Gideon, and the warmth of the blanket was like having his arms around you again. Then the rest of the water in your body found its way to your eyes and crying was as automatic as breathing.

You were clinging to Spencer taking the son of a bitch who did it, trying to chase away any other thoughts that weren't about that. You didn't want to think about what would happen after he was caught. Which meant his capture for you. It would bring justice to Gideon, honoring his name, his life, but it wouldn't bring him back. What was taken from you would not be repaired, regardless of the end of that damned man.

When he was caught, you would have nothing else to focus on instead.

You don't know how long you stayed there. Hours? Days? The those peach and gold tones in the sky is from dusk or the dawn of a new day?

You had lost track of time, as if your watch had stopped since the time Gideon died.

The sound of cars on the road was the only thing that pulled you out of your fucking valley, and as soon as the black SUVs stopped, you stood up as if you had been waiting your whole life for that moment. The blanket fell from your shoulders, heart accelerated at an alarming rate, and for a second, everything was gone from your mind.

Rossi was the first to get out of the car, but yours eyes darted to Reid. You wanted to run, ask what had happened, listen to the answers. But you were paralyzed in place. Afraid of the truth, of reality.

What would become of you after that news?

Spencer came towards you without hesitation, and you couldn't take your eyes off him for a second. He didn't say anything, nor did he explain anything. It was not needed. The way he reached out his hand and placed your father's rings in your palm were enough answers.

Your whole body shook and you looked at Reid with more emotions than askers.

"He is dead." He told you, and it made you fall down again.

But this time you fell into his hugging, clinging to him in despair. There were many meanings in that embrace: gratitude, relief, fear, pain and grief. And Spencer hugged you back in the same way.

You two stayed that way for a while, even when the agents went to talk to Stephen, even when Garcia and JJ left the house, even when the cold wind hit you both.

“Thanks." You heard yourself say it, and Spencer shook his head, signaling that it wasn't necessary, and the two of you moved away.

So you went to Rossi, and hugged him too. In that second, Rossi could feel Gideon in that hug, and it took a second to not cry.

“Your father was a great man." He told you when the two of you walked away, and you agreed on a sad smile.

"He was." You looked down at the rings in your hand, staying a second there before turning to the agents and saying: “You guys are going to the funeral, aren't you? I ... my dad would like it w-very much.”

"Of course." Rossi guaranteed it.

As they walked away and went back to the car, heading for their own houses, your eyes met Spencer's and he whispered in the air to you:

“I will see you at the funeral."

You nodded, giving you a sad, grateful smile. And while everyone was leaving and you were looking at the rings in your hand again, you had a feeling that your story with Spencer had just started over.

A/n: I also lost a very important person to death, and for everyone who went through it too, I mean that no one is alone! My message box is open if you need anything! Love you❤️

Tagged @gublersuvula

@peculiarinsomniac

@measure-in-pain

@nobutalsoyes

🍒 @misshale21

[papermoonloveslucy]

TV TIMES

June 27, 1965

Every so often a new comedienne is hailed and toasted by the critics and public. None of them in the past 15 years has shown the talent or endurance of Lucille Ball. 

Cara Williams (1) was touted as "the new Lucy." She never came close because the old Lucy was too good for her. Carol Burnett (2) has had some good innings, but is discovering that it takes more than a rubbery mouth and a knack for slapstick to be a great comedienne. 

Nanette Fabray (3) skyrocketed briefly as Imogene Coca's successor with Sid Caesar, but without Caesar both gals found their comedy careers progressing at a very uneven gait. 

Elaine May (4) - of Nichols and May - is more a method actress than a comedienne and hasn't much of a track record without her partner in comedy. Audrey Meadows (5) never found herself as a comedienne after The Honeymooners (with Jackie Gleason). 

Connie Stevens (6) tried to follow in the late Gracie Allen's path of non sequiturs, but her timing is way off the mark. Elizabeth Montgomery (7) rang the Nielsen rating bell consistently this season, but no one knows for sure if she can do it without an imaginary broomstick for a prop. 

Martha Raye (8), who is a veteran at the business like Lucy, is the only comedienne that comes to mind as a genuine competitor in this league. Lucy beats her out in the versatility department because she can play it for the quick chuckle or the big belly laugh. With Martha it's the big boffola or nothing. 

Lucy has that rare faculty for bringing a wild line of dialogue or an almost ludicrous situation into the realm of believability. When she and former husband Desi Arnaz were about to embark on the I Love Lucy TV series 14 years ago, a nervous CBS-TV program executive inquired, "But will people believe she is married to a Cuban bandleader?" 

His fears were groundless. It didn't matter if it was a Cuban bandleader or a bowlegged Martian. Lucy can stare at the most hard-boiled skeptics with that wide-eyed by-golly-it's-true look and convince them of 'most anything’. 

Even within the cramped confines of weekly domestic situation TV comedy, Lucy is able to display enough sides of her many-faceted comedy personality to sustain threadbare plots. As with Charlie Chaplin, the audience savors the technique employed, even though they can foresee every turn in the script. 

At a CBS convention of affiliated station managers in Los Angeles last May, Lucy and Don Knotts posed as owners of a "35-watt TV station" in a short skit which wasn't particularly loaded with laugh-lines. But Lucy in an old blue hat and a wraparound fur neckpiece, and Don in a luau shirt, knew just the attitude to strike. Just their way of standing there was enough to give this audience the message. Sinclair Lewis never said it any better in his novel "Main Street." 

Next season (her fourth without Desi) Lucy will play it minus the kids and Vivian Vance, who wanted no more of TV's weekly treadmill. Lucy may be doing it only because she is responsible for a huge TV production corporation, but underneath that she may also have a feeling of responsibility to a talent she has spent many years developing. It's fun to be the champion, too.

#   #   #

FOOTNOTES FROM THE FUTURE

(1) On the Desilu sitcom “December Bride” (1954) had Harry Morgan’s Pete stealing many scenes griping about scatterbrained wife Gladys (who was never shown on camera). When Morgan moved into his own spinoff series, Gladys was finally revealed in the form of Cara Williams on the initially popular “Pete and Gladys” (1960), a show not produced by Desilu. The program did not last long but Cara came was escorted directly into her own series “The Cara Williams Show” (1964). Molded by CBS as the next wacky redhead to follow in the comedy heels of Lucille Ball, the plans quickly went askew following an unfavorable network power shuffle and the canceling of her sitcom after only one season. With her momentum completely gone, her career went into rapid decline. 

(2) Although Lucille Ball did not give Carol Burnett her first big break (Broadway and Garry Moore did that), Lucy was her biggest fan and the two developed a life-long relationship that saw them both take turns starring on each other’s television shows.  If anyone can claim to be the heir to Lucille Ball’s Queen of Comedy title, it is Burnett. 

(3) Yet another funny redhead, Nanette Fabray was born in a trunk and was more known for her Broadway musicals than her television shows.  In 1974, Lucille Ball cast her in her first post-sitcom TV special, “Happy Anniversary and Goodbye”.  

(4) Elaine May was best known as a writer and monologist. She would be nominated for an Oscar for screenwriting in 1979.  She was best known for performing with Mike Nichols.  Not really a contender to Lucy’s throne, but in a class of her own. 

(5) Audrey Meadows was a real rival for TV’s 1950s housewife as Alice Kramden in “The Honeymooners”. They only problem was that Alice wasn’t funny, like Lucy, but tolerant and in love - like Ricky.  In 1986, redhaired Meadows played Lucille Ball’s sister on “Life With Lucy”.  Although critics admired the chemistry between Ball and Meadows, they hated the show, which was canceled after that episode aired.

(6) Connie Stevens was a sparkling strawberry blonde, as sexy as she was ditzy. At the time of this article, she was appearing in a ABC sitcom titled “Wendy and Me” in which George Burns (as himself) was her landlord!  

(7) Elizabeth Montgomery had remarkable success playing Samantha Stephens, a witch married to a modern-day mortal in “Bewitched”.  Montgomery’s father Robert was an Oscar-winning film director. Her husband was William Asher, who was one of the original directors of “I Love Lucy.”  As director of his wife in “Bewitched” the show often strongly resembled “I Love Lucy”. Montgomery was more an actress than comedienne but she had the most fun playing Samantha’s mischievous twin cousin, Serena. 

(8) Martha Raye was known as "The Big Mouth" and considered the female equivalent to Bob Hope, combing her comedy with work for the USO during World War II and beyond. 

~ INSIDE TV WEEK ~

Monday, June 28, 1965 ~ a network re-run of “Lucy and the Old Mansion” (TLS S3;E22), first aired on March 1, 1965.

One redhead replaced another for the summer of 1965. “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” (a rarely re-run series), replaced “The Danny Kaye Show.” 

Wednesday, June 30, 1965 ~ The re-runs kick off with “Lucy Makes Room for Danny” (LDCH S2;E2), first aired on December 1, 1958.  It was a cross-over between “The Danny Thomas Show” aka “Make Room for Daddy” and “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” aka “I Love Lucy” to mark the fact that “Danny Thomas” was taking “Lucy’s” time slot and ‘moving’ to CBS.  Lucy and Desi did a reciprocal appearance as the Ricardos on Thomas’s sitcom, which was filmed at Desilu. 

The day this TV Times supplement was included in the newspaper, this was the headline. 

[korra-the-red-lion]

So I wrote a post the other day about how annoyed I was at Black Lightning’s cancellation. So, some random guy on the internet tried to mansplain to me as to why I needed to get over it because the CW’s treatment isn’t as bad as I think it is. Thank you to @legends-of-shield for replying to that guy, I’ve since blocked him. And thank you to @i-prefer-the-fictional-world and @badwolf-timeandspace for adding excellent additions in response to him.

Now, I just wanted to highlight in this post some problems regarding the women, PoC, and Queer people who work for the CW. Anyone who sees this, please feel free to add on because I’m only going to talk about things I’m aware of, and don’t want to spread any misinformation.

First off, Candice Patton has been treated like SHIT by the CW for years. She has been attacked by ‘fans’ of the Flash because she plays a Black Iris West. She’s endured racist attacks, sexist attacks, and hateful remarks during her time there. Only when push came to shove to Grant Gustin finally say that he supported Candice. Iris had zero agency in a storyline that was about her death. She had no storylines outside of Barry since mid-way season 2, I believe. Then, when she seems to be getting a really awesome storyline in season 6, they throw her into the Mirrorverse where she basically stands around and talks to Eve. Iris gets sidelined way too often for someone who is the second protagonist of the Flash. Like for fuck’s sake, Arrow let their female characters do more. 

Danielle had to basically put her foot down when the producers and writers wanted her to have yet ANOTHER love interest in season 4. She was tired of Caitlin’s storylines being her falling in love with someone who either leaves or betrays them. They were going to pair her up with Ralph. Imagine being considered one of OG trio who are supposedly the smartest people in Central City yet your storylines are you falling in love...again and again.

Kara Danvers has lost agency in her own story multiple times. As a Supergirl fan, it is really hard to constantly watch her shoved to the side in favour of what? Mon-El’s character development? Winn coming back for a pointless two-parter? Then there is the lack of proper screen time for Nia Nal, and Alex in recent seasons. Alex’s adoption storyline who? Nia having ONE episode in all of season 5 in favour of Lex and William? The reason why Dansen isn’t as popular as it should be isn’t from lack of trying, it’s from the fact that time that could have been spent on them was spent of Willy and his backstory episode, or Lex and Lillian having evil conversations about how evil they are. (No hate on Jon, because he is amazing, but too much focus was on Lex). Oh, maybe Kelly should also be allowed to have a storyline, or is that too much to ask? 

China Anne McClain released a video yesterday, and it turns out that the CW DIDN’T BOTHER TO EVEN TELL THEM BLACK LIGHTNING WAS DONE AFTER THIS SEASON. They literally figured out the news the same time we did. That is awful.

Vanessa Morgan told the world that she was being paid less than all her white co-stars. Toni hasn’t had a legitimate storyline since season 2. I swear to God that her only lines in season 5 were “hey babe” “babe” and “Cheryl.” She went from badass Serpent Queen to Girlfriend of Cheryl. How disappointing.

Oh, and what about Cheryl? Her role was radically reduced the last couple of seasons as well. For what reason? Not super clear.

Then poor Veronica has her weird daddy fetish storyline that has legit been going on since season 2. PLEASE GIVE CAMILLA SOMETHING TO WORK WITH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.

Now, what happened to Green Arrow and the Canaries? The show has been stuck in limbo hell for 10 months now. This is really disappointing when you know that there were a lot of people, even people who maybe didn’t like Dinah, Laurel 2, or Mia, were excited to see it happen. Instead, you slap us in the face with Superman & Lois. THEN IT TURNS OUT THAT S&L HAS HAD A LOT OF SHIT GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES BEFORE IT EVEN HAS AIRED UGH.

Firing a black, female writer because they dared to make a point of picking out the very large flaws in your show? Sounds about right. Quietly letting Andrew Kreisberg even though multiple women complained about him being a sexual predator? Hmm super not okay. The only reason why they made a statement about Hartley Sawyer was because so many people complained. And let’s not forget the countless times they have allowed toxic people in the fandoms to get away with this kind of bullshit behaviour. 

I’m going to stop here for now. These are just a few examples of how the female, PoC, and Queer people have been treated on and off screen. Like I said above, please add on if you know anything. I’m tired of being told to shut up and be happy with what we’ve got, because what we’ve gotten so far is scraps. Thanks if you read this far.

[galadrieljones]

A Funeral: Chapter 4

Fandom: Red Dead Redemption 2 | Pairing: Arthur x Mary Beth | Rating: Mature

Content: Existential Angst, Friendship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Nature, Touch-Starved, Humor, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Angst, Violence, Hurt/Comfort

Summary: To help her process Sean’s death, Mary Beth asks Arthur to take her on a hunting trip, somewhere far away. He agrees, and on their little journey together, they find quietude and take comfort in their easy bond. In their desperate search for meaning, they endure a number of small trials, which bring them closer to one another as well as to the unchecked plights of the natural world.

Masterpost | AO3

Thanks @bearly-tolerable for the banner!! ^_^

Chapter 4: A Kept Man

After dinner, Mary Beth uncorked a bottle of bourbon she had snuck from the camp’s stock.

“Don’t let Karen know you took that,” said Arthur, smiling. She poured him a little into his tin cup. “She’ll feel left out.”

“Oh Karen can blow her whistle all day long. She knows where the booze is.”

“I don’t doubt that.”

The sky was big overhead. Like a huge winter river of stars. Arthur liked this part of New Hanover. He missed Valentine. He went back there some weeks to pontificate. Towns and cities and things, they were better when the roads were all dirt and the people lacked pretension. He watched Mary Beth in how she regarded the deep greens and blues of her surroundings. She had a dreamy way about her in how she would put her chin in her hand and just look around at the world as if she were both filled with a deep wisdom on its natural charms and beauties and also seeing it for the first time. She was probably the nicest girl he had ever known—since Eliza, maybe. That was an old wound. He situated himself by the fire, leaning against a big rock and drinking from his cup. Mary Beth smoked a cigarette and offered him one, but he declined. The night felt very late, but Arthur knew that it was not. It was only the late winter season, coming on early spring. He checked the watch in his pocket—a quarter to nine. He deliberated on whether he would prefer to sleep early and get a jump on the next day, or just let the night unfold. He did not feel particularly tired that day.

After a little while, Mary Beth spoke. She was looking at him like his face were some complicated puzzle, and she had begun sorting through the pieces on her own. “Arthur,” she said.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said.

“I often wonder what you were like before I met you.”

“Ain’t much to know,” he said.

“Maybe that’s not it,” she said. “Maybe I wonder what you’d be like in another life.”

He kind of focused in on her. It was an odd sentiment. “How do you mean?”

“Like,” she said. “Would you have gone to college?”

He felt himself blushing, laughing a little. “I don’t know about that, Mary Beth. I don’t think I’m particularly cut out for the collegiate life.”

“Oh, I do,” she said. “I think you’re perfect. Or maybe once. Probably you’re too old now.” She sort of nudged him, it was a joke. “Only fooling.”

“I know. But I ain’t arguing.”

“I want to go to college,” she said, getting lost in the fire. “Just reading, and writing. All day. With a big desk in a big room with a window. Or maybe a small desk in a small room. Either way. As long as I got a window.”

“Where do you reckon you’d go to college, Mary Beth?”

“Maybe California?”

Arthur nodded, took a drink. “I see. You’d do well, of course,” he said. “I’d like to see you there. It would be a fine picture.”

She smiled. “If you had gone,” she said, looking down into her glass, “would you be a artist? Maybe a photographer?”

“You know I have met a photographer,” said Arthur. He tossed a pebble into the fire. “By the name of Albert Mason.”

“Really?”

“Oh he’s around here, somewhere,” said Arthur. “You’d like him. He’s the bumbling sort.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, you like me, and I saw you was talking to Kieran the other day. Showing him to read and what-not. You take to the bumbling sort.” He smiled. “That’s a real nice thing you’re doing by the way, Mary Beth. Teaching Kieran to read.”

She shrugged. “I enjoy it. He’s a nice boy. Like Seany was, ain't as clever though.”

“He’s all right.”

“Tell me about Mr. Albert Mason,” she said, leaning toward him. “What does he photograph?”

“He’s been taking pictures of the wildlife in these parts,” said Arthur. “A funny sort of man. Always getting himself into trouble. I’ve helped him out in the past. Prevented him from being consumed by carnivores on more than one occasion, herded some horses. You know. He’s got terrible instincts. Though I suppose I envy him his naïveté.”

The fire popped a little. Mary Beth took a long stick and stoked it good. “I know what you mean,” she said. “All these women of St. Denis, so safe in their bustles. Sometimes I’d like to smack them, you know? That would be uncouth, but it’s true. A woman needs a little perspective I think or she’s gonna get bored and kill herself. That’s what Miss Grimshaw says, and I don’t always like Miss Grimshaw, but she tends to be right on these sorts of matters.”

Arthur laughed at this, under his breath. “You’re funny.”

“I don’t know,” she said, blushing. She tossed the stick and refilled their cups with liquor. “Hey, don’t you have one of them in your past, Arthur? One of them women?”

“Which women?”

“One of them women with no perspective. I mean no disrespect. But they seem to be the ones always finding husbands and good men to keep a watch on them.”

Arthur sighed.

“Mary, right?” she said. “What is it with Mary?”

“Mary is the name of a woman I once knew.”

“By which you mean, you nearly married her. Am I wrong?”

“You’re not wrong, Mary Beth.”

“What kept you?”

“She didn’t…appreciate the life,” he said, slowing down his thoughts. “No, I don’t blame her. She married a banker or something. An accountant, I don’t know. He died. Her father is a drunken moron. He'll be dead soon, too, I suspect. Looking back now, I don’t know what I was thinking. I think she’d have preferred me to be a kept sort of man.”

“You don’t want to be kept?”

“No,” he said, looking at her. The light was low and orange. Her face looked warm and freckled. “I do. But not like she wanted. Change is possible, Mary Beth, but I lost her. It’s for the dogs now. I ain’t the indoor sort anyway, I suppose.”

This amused her, but also seemed to sadden her in a way. She had her chin in her hands again, looking at him, sort of wide-eyed and young, but she wasn’t a spring chicken. She had seen the bad parts of the world same as he. She had that little blue satin book in her lap, though she had not touched or opened it since they sat down. The fire light made her freckles stand out real bright and big and this made her look so distinct from any girl he had ever really known. It was an odd comfort.

“Arthur,” she said. “You’re about the only fool I’ve met who knows just how lost he is.”

He wanted to laugh at this. “Ain’t that the truth.” He took a drink.

“But you ain’t a fool,” she said.

“Oh?”

“No. You’re just Arthur. I look at men like Dutch—they’re fools. I don’t know. Don’t get me wrong. He’s been good to us. But sometimes it seems like…like he’s living in a different world? Like he don’t see the one I see. But you see the world I see. If that makes sense.”

“It does,” said Arthur. Now, he lit a smoke. He offered it to her, but she declined. He took a long drag and studied the burning tip. He didn’t feel like talking about Dutch. “What about you?” he said, blowing smoke, smirking. “You got any fellers in your past or present you care to share on?”

Mary Beth smiled and nudged him with her shoulder. It had broken the ice. “Nothing comes to mind,” she said. “You known me long enough, Arthur Morgan. You ever seen me going with any men in town?”

Arthur laughed. “Not that I can recall. Then again, I don’t see everything.”

“Trust me when I say you ain’t missing nothing.”

Arthur sighed. He tossed the cigarette into the fire. “Sometimes,” he said, picking up a reed from the earth, shredding it between his big fingertips, “—sometimes I think about heaven and hell.” He was getting dreamy now too, watching the pieces of the reed strip away until their was nothing. “How perhaps we are stuck in the inbetween. Like a purgatory. I have always felt pulled in two different directions. You ever felt that way?”

“Sure,” said Mary Beth, “but that can’t be all anyone thinks about. They’ll go nuts.”

He laughed. “You’re right.”

“These moments,” she said, looking up at the sky, looking at him. “The here and now. These are what really matter, Arthur. Being here, with you. I ain’t been so free in—in months. It ain’t worth it, getting riled into the past and the future, heaven and hell. If there is anything I have learned in my short and stupid existence here on earth it’s that life is too short. You know what I mean?”

He was looking at her now, and she was looking at him. He smiled because of truth and beauty and all that. Something he’d read in Keats a long time ago. It felt right. He felt a piece of hair that had fallen out from behind his ear some time ago, wisps in his face. Mary Beth reached very kindly to tuck it away for him behind his ear. She was smiling now, too.

“Thank you,” he said.

“You need a haircut, Arthur Morgan,” she said.

Arthur felt a little soft. He thought maybe it was the bourbon. “Probably,” he said.

But then.

There was a shifting, somewhere in the surrounding tree matter. Arthur had lived enough of his life hunted in the woods, his instincts were instantaneous. He sensed something, a movement in the dark. It was not the horses. They were on the other side of that tree over there. He must have looked alarmed because Mary Beth became nervous.

“What is it?” she said, straightening up, tightening the shawl around her shoulders. “Arthur?”

“Just a minute,” he said. He stood. He held out one hand like to shush her as he looked around. The other hand he laid upon his pistol, he drew it calmly but with intent. “Mary Beth, do not move.”

She nodded, very serious.

A figure came flying out of the bushes then, a big one. It was so fast. At first Arthur thought it was an animal of some sort, but it was not. It was a man, a real fucking gnasher but a man, and he went straight into Arthur’s gut, hard as bricks, and tackled him to the ground a million miles per hour, and Arthur’s back hit with a big, empty thud. He was being pummeled by the man’s fists before he knew what was happening, his vision going white, and then a gun went off somewhere real close, ringing into his ear like a fuckin explosion and suddenly half his body was on fire and his left sleeve was getting wet. He came into the moment when the man let up to catch his breath and made a grab for his pistol, but he managed only to knock it out of the assailant’s hand instead. He did not recall losing grip on it or how it had gotten there. His shoulder was killing, and it was all he could do to grab the man by the throat.

“Arthur!” said Mary Beth. Her voice pierced the thick evening sounds. She sounded frantic but the next thing he knew she had picked up the hot pan off the fire and thrown it’s boiling contents onto the man with the fists. The man cried out and she smacked him over the head with that pan, hard enough to uncatch his balance, and this paused his assault to the point Arthur was able to break free, throw the man to his back and sit on top of him. He pressed his hands around the man’s neck, in a kind of trance, choking him out till some pipe in the man’s throat collapsed beneath his grip—an unsettling sensation. The stranger died instantly.

It was quiet after that. Arthur tipped over, off the man and heaved and rolled onto his back and then his side and spat a bunch of blood into the dirt by the fire. His jaw felt loose, his mouth and eye were bloodied good, and he was fairly sure he’d been grazed by a bullet in his left upper arm.

“Sweet fucking Jesus!” said Mary Beth. She sounded relieved and exasperated all at once. She fell beside him and held his head between her palms and pushed the wet hair off his face and wiped some of the matted blood with her sleeve. He blinked a million times till he saw her clearly, then he shook out his head, looked around, and finally tried to realize what the fuck had just happened.

“My fucking lord,” he said, half-groaning, getting up slowly to his hands and knees. He stumbled, perhaps concussed, sitting back on his heels to catch his breath. Mary Beth was just crouched there looking at him. She still held his cheeks in her hands like she was trying to convince herself of his reality. “What the hell just happened?”

“Arthur, my god. Are you okay?”

“Huh?”

“You’re real bloody here, on your sleeve. I think you was shot.”

“Shot?” said Arthur, remembering now. The pistol, it had gone off erroneously. He looked down at his left sleeve to where Mary Beth was referring. It was, like she said, soaked through with blood, all the way through the coat. “Shit, you’re right.”

“Who the hell was that crazy man?” she said, busying herself now, removing his jacket so she could get a better look at the wound. “Arthur? An O’Driscoll?”

He was wincing and flinching in pain as she yanked him out of his jacket. He grunted, squeezed his eyes shut. Ever the gentleman, but this shit hurt. “Careful, my lady.”

“Oh shit,” she said, stopping in her tracks. “I’m so sorry, Arthur. Am I hurting you?”

“Only a little,” he said, smiling anyway. “But don’t worry about it.” He patted her on the shoulder, breathing good and heavy. “You done good, Mary Beth. Your quick thinking just saved my life.”

“Oh, please,” she said, very flustered. “That ain’t the point, Arthur.”

With his coat off finally, he could breathe again. She tossed it by the fire, which had half gone out from the scuffle. She tied off his wound with a huge strap of linen she’d had in her pack. Arthur took a moment to catch his breath. He closed his eyes. He concentrated. He was fine. This was a simple flesh wound, and it would heal normally. Once he felt able, he managed to look up, get to his feet barely, and stagger over to where the man lie dead now, his throat collapsed in the weeds. Arthur surveyed the ragged clothes and the ugly face and knew immediately that it was the third man from earlier that evening—the one who’d got away off that bridge. “Shit,” he said. He wondered for a minute if they were O’Driscolls. He didn’t know all of them, and they didn’t all know him. It was a big gang. “I knew I should’ve went after him.”

“Arthur, I don’t think we should stay here,” said Mary Beth. She was completely ignoring him, it seemed. She had begun to pack up their things. She had taken down the tent. He hadn’t even realized.

“Mary Beth, what are you doing?”

“We got to leave this camp right now.”

“Excuse me?”

“What if there’s more?” she said, wide-eyed and busy. It was a habit she had learned from Miss Grimshaw. “He might have gone and got his buddies. If they’re O’Driscolls, they’ll be back with big guns.”

“And if they ain’t? They could just be dead beat bandits, Mary Beth. Still plenty of them fools roaming the wild.”

“I don’t care,” she said. “You’re shot in the extremity, and I ain’t taking no chances.”

Arthur sighed, hooking his thumbs to his belt as he watched her scurrying. “Then what do you suggest we do?” he said. “It’s night, Mary Beth. I don’t fancy pushing forward at the moment.”

She was folding up his bedroll now, tucking it away to the back of his horse. “I reckon we ain’t far from Emerald Station,” she said. “Is that correct?”

“Yes,” he said. “We ain’t far. Why?”

“I know a homestead up there,” she said, packing away his rifle, his shiny guns. “It’s big and clean, a farmer and his French wife. Karen told me about it. They got a bed and breakfast.”

“A bed and what?”

“A bed and breakfast. They take in travelers, Arthur. As long as the travelers got a good look about them. If you get my drift. We can go there, sleep indoors. Get you cleaned up proper.”

“You think I got a good look about me, Mary Beth?” he said, tipping his thumb to the corner of his mouth. He still tasted blood. “I’m half-beaten to Sunday.”

“Maybe not,” she said, dusting her hands off on her dress. She began to stamp out what was left of the fire. “But I do.”

He laughed at this, spat into the weeds. She was right. But then he winced, hard. The pain in his arm was a nasty bit of a graze. The bullet hadn’t stuck, but it still hurt. “Okay,” he said. “You got me there. What do you suggest?”

“I suggest you get on your horse,” she said, “and follow my lead for once.”

“What are you planning?” he said.

“Ain’t no fool’s errand, don’t worry,” she said, getting up into her saddle, scrubbing her dear Winston behind the ears. “I don’t take to fool’s errands, Arthur. Just a good, clean con.”

“My kind of business,” he said, getting on his horse. Slowly. “Take the lead, my lady.”

“Can you ride?” she said.

He gave her a look. “Of course I can ride. What exactly do you think I am, Mary Beth?”

“Well, you ain’t kept that’s for sure,” she said, putting her horse into a trot. “Arthur.”

He laughed.

As they got back on the trail, somewhere close by you could hear the cackling of predators, he thought. The river streams whooshing by with the wind and under the stars. His arm hurt, and his face, but it really wasn’t so bad, he decided.

[snk-oc-guide]

Guinevere Arlert

Sorry it’s a bit long!

Name: Guinevere Arlert Meaning: White shadow, white wave. Nickname: Gwen Alias: Eve Smith

Age: 26 Gender: Female Species: Human Birthday: 13 May Birthplace: Wall Rose (Undefined town) Current Residence: Wall Rose Sexual Orientation: Bisexual Relationship Status: Complicated Languages Spoken: German, English

rowan: i said this before but, the inhabitants of the wall speak in a made-up “un-named” language. all other languages are since dead to them. unless a specific family’s ancestors have worked hard on preserving their “mother tongue” and have passed it down exclusively to the family through the years. it would be easier to just delete the “languages” section from your bio completely.

Life-Long Dream: Explore outside world Goals: Join Survey Corps Likes: Animals, cooking, combat technique Dislikes: Strength training, loud sounds (people based) Bad Habits: Muttering, avoiding eye contact, unclear speech Hobbies: Cooking, 3DMG training, combat Fears: Being touched, her brother and sister dying, The Walls falling.

Personality: Sweet, shy, cunning, quiet

Gwen has a lot of trust issues concerning physical contact. She has an extremely high IQ and is agile and sneaky. She comes across as very shy when you first meet her. That said, even people who have known her for years still find she’s quiet, reserved and even skittish in some situations. The only time she’s really ever comfortable and ‘in her element’ is when she’s on a mission. She’s completely focused and ready to give commands.

rowan: the definition for “cunning” is “having skill in achieving one’s ends by deceit.” if she is shy and sweet, than i doubt she is going to be cunning or manipulative at all.

also, being shy, it won’t be easier for her to “take the lead” and give orders, despite missions being her element. it would be something she has to work past and grow out of. instead of shy, i would call her “antisocial”, in which she is awkward in social situations, and/or doesn’t really want to be in other people’s company/interact with them. just because she is quiet, doesn’t mean she is shy! but people always assume that, so i would keep that assumption in the bio. as i can see a bunch of the characters making that mistake.

Favorites:

Foods: Sweet rice, fruitcake

Colors: Blue and light grey

Seasons: Autumn

Activities: Cooking, horse riding,

Time of Day: Dusk

Appearance:

Height: 5’ 2”

Weight: 54 kg

Hairstyle: Short, slightly curly, kept in a messy bun mostly.

Hair Color: Blonde

Eye Color: Hazel (red and gold hints)

rowan: hazel eyes don’t have red tints to them, or any eye color really. that’s a bit too unnatural for the snk-verse. hazel eyes typically look like a mix of brown and green.

Skin Tone: Pale beige

Body Shape/Build: Small build, squishy tummy

Birthmarks: Several on her neck

Scars: One on her right ankle from a piece of shrapnel impaling it.

Health:

Memory (any issues with this?): None

Sight (do they need glasses?): No

Mental: Mild anxiety, Social Anxiety Disorder

Physical: Average

Sleep patterns: 4 hours (at most)

rowan: definitely not a healthy amount of hours to be sleeping.. especially with that “at most” there. if you’ve ever had to run on only four hours (or less) of sleep, then you’d know it’s shit and you feel sick and sluggish. that behavior from a soldier could be fatal.

if she has a reason for lack of sleep (nightmares, perhaps?) then at least raise it up to 5 hours in the least.

Allergies/Other: Mild touch aversion

Abilities/Statistics:

3DMG: 8/10- Technique is refined with natural aerial balance

Intelligence: 11/10- Classed as a technical ‘genius’, high factor IQ

Martial Arts: 7/10- Technique is ideal, however strength is somewhat lacking

rowan: strength behind hits is a big part of fighting. if her strength is a problem, then her stat should be lower. an idea of something is nothing when compared to putting it into action. i would give it a 5 or 6.

Battle Skill: 8/10- Endurance and strength are missing factors

rowan: no idea what battle skill is supposed to apply to, so i’m crossing this out. in my opinion, battle skill speaks for fighting abilities and strategic plays, but martial arts and strategy is already listed. so it cancels out.

Agility: 8/10- Naturally balanced on the ground, but speed is only used in short bursts

rowan: for someone who gets at most, 4 hours of sleep, her agility should be about a 4 or 5. she may feel energetic at one point (a side effect of being sleep deprived), but that short spark will die down and she’ll just be tired and slow-going.

Strategy: 9/10- Intellect contributes greatly under pressure

Initiative: 7/10- When in command of her squad, she does well with coordinating attacks and formations, however struggles when placed elsewhere

rowan: unless you’re going to remove “shy” trait from her personality, her initiative needs to be much lower. i would put it at a 3 or 4. shy people, definitely won’t be the ones to take control when the situation allows it.

if she is shy, and can’t exactly lead because of it, i wonder how she is commanding her own squad at all.

Teamwork: 3/10- Fearful of people and struggles with communication when not in her own squad

Passion: 10/10

rowan: overall, these stats need some work. it’s odd that she seems to be good at everything except teamwork. it looks a little too op, and a lot like levi’s stats.

Affiliation: Survey Corps Grad. Rank: 2nd Status: Alive

Relationships:

Parents: Unnamed (Deceased), Erwin Smith (adoptive brother)

Siblings: Armin Arlert (younger brother), Kira Arlert (twin sister)

Love Interest: Levi Ackerman

Best Friend: Erwin Smith

Friends: Mikasa Ackerman, Eren Jaeger, Armin Arlert

Heroes: Levi Ackerman, Erwin Smith

Quote: “Never to suffer would to have never been blessed.”

History/Life:

Eve Smith was born Guinevere Arlert. At age eight, she was playing with her twin sister, Kira, in the street with the other girls in their neighbourhood. Her little brother, Armin, was just 1 year old. After the sun went down, they continued playing hide-and-seek in the back streets, alone. Gwen was grabbed by unknown hands and knocked out. When she woke up, she was tied up with many other young girls and boys. All she heard was voices talking about all the awful things old men would do to the children. She was regularly beaten over the course of the week’s journey. Lucky for her, a squad of soldiers intercepted and took her to the nearest town. She was given to the Smith family and told, for safety purposes, her new name was Eve Smith.

rowan: the kidnapping thing is a reasonable and realistic event. giving a random child to the smith family? not so much.. and for safety purposes? what safety purposes? it doesn’t click to me.

from what i’ve read, gwen doesn’t have anything special or extraordinary about her to make her a prime target for constant kidnappings. she was probably just unlucky that time. plus, the squad of soldiers intercepted the and took in the kidnappers, thus the danger was over and she should have been sent home.

Gwen grew up very close to Erwin, they both showed an avid interest in the outside world. Gwen was very quiet and nervous, hardly talking to anyone but Erwin. When he decided to join the military after their father was killed, she went with him, to join the Scouts. Upon joining, she showed natural talent with the 3DMG and was very agile. Her endurance and strength training was a struggle for her though, but she made up for it with her intellect and agility in gymnastic feats.

When training, she met Kira. Identical twins, but complete personality opposites. Once realising they were sisters, they became very close again and formed a tight bond, Gwen and Kira graduated at age 16, 2nd and 6th rank, respectively. Once graduating, Erwin and Levi were sent to the South Scout regiment and Kira and Gwen were sent to the North. After two years showing off high skill and ability, they were moved to the Elite squad, Gwen eventually taking over as Captain Arlert (from graduation, she earns this rank after a total of eight years). (Story takes off sometime between now and next paragraph)

rowan: if gwen was kidnapped at age eight, she would still be able to remember her original family clearly. thus, she would remember kira, and already know she is her sister.

also, there is no such thing as the “south regiment” or “north regiment” there is only “the scout regiment”. another note would be that levi isn’t in the story yet.. he doesn’t enter the survey corps until much latter, when erwin has already taken place as the commander, and he is captured and forced into joining.

i should also point out that erwin and her wouldn’t have been in the same training corps, since he’s older than her (early thirties at least).

After a long mission, in the year 854, with few casualties, they return to Wall Rose. A parade through the streets with the body of a 6m Titan they captured and two days later, Gwen and Kira sit on the streets with their elite members, Tristan, Morgan, Enid, and Gareth. They spent the day on their 3DMG sets, traveling to the South, where the Southern Regiment are returning the next day.

When they arrive, Gwen waits in the crowd, excited to see Erwin. They watch as the Scouts arrive, beaten and weighed down with the dead. The people are not happy. Captain Levi walks up front, clearly exhausted and defeated. Abuse is hollered from the crowd, majorly differing from the reception they got. Kira grips her sister’s hand and pulls her out in the street, stopping the Scouts from moving forward. Kira screams back at the crowd, angered and vengeful. Gwen spots a young man rushing towards Levi from behind with a stick poised to strike. On an impulse, she wrestles him to the ground, gaining an advantage by surprising him. Once other Scouts assist in holding him down and Kira helps her sister up, Erwin finds them. Levi mutters a word of hurried thanks and leaves. Erwin offers them a room with the South Scouts.

I don’t know if she’s too sue-ish. I’d love any constructive criticism or  comments you have!

rowan: overall, gwen could use a little tweaking. i would completely overhaul her backstory. you could keep the part where she is kidnapped, but do not have it so she is given to the smith family. just send her back home.

so! yeah! just work on the things i pointed out (or at least think them through) and you’ll be good to go.

[justlindseymorgan]

If you’re at all familiar with The CW’s “The 100”, then you’re probably aware of Lindsey Morgan. Lindsey has played the ever-evolving bad-ass mechanic Raven Reyes on the hit show since it’s first season and it looks like she’ll continue on. Outside of her success as an actress, Lindsey enjoys the more leisure side of life often indulging in books and possibly catching a few zzz’s. Be on the lookout for more of Ms. Morgan’s appearances in the near future as she is continually working!

Tell us about your home life before you were introduced to the industry. I had a very suburban childhood. I grew up in Houston, Texas with virtually zero ties or knowledge about the film industry. I think I was a normal kid. I was a pretty high achiever from debate team to swimming to journalism to drama club. I had a lot of interests but a lot of things I was just good at. There was nothing I was great at. I think that variety of interests made me realize I need to find something that can encompass all my interests and acting was the only thing that did that for me.

What was it about acting that captured your interest? The idea of transformation has always fascinated me about acting. The idea that I can start the day as one person in one life and in one world and end it somewhere else as a character made it seem like my life would always be exciting and interesting. Acting feels like it’s never mastered, which can be frustrating but also means an infinite ability to be creative and to continually learn and evolve. I love that.

Have you ever forgotten your lines? Of course! It happens here and there. I may miss a line or skip it by accident. I try not to. I don’t like changing the lines of the writer or their intent.

Tell us some film projects you’re currently involved with. I just signed on to an indie that shoots this June but I’m not sure what more I can say until it is announced. But, a film that I am very proud of “Summertime”, just premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival so I’m excited to see where it goes next.

How was your character Raven Reyes introduced on The CW’s hit show, “The 100”? Raven was introduced in the second episode in a very iconic way. Full of fire and sass with shit to do. If you haven’t seen it it’s on YouTube.

How has Raven changed over the series? You really see Raven evolve over the last five seasons. You see her grow up and mature. She came out of the gate, guns blazing. She was very strong and very naively sure of herself but then her strength and her self assurance was tested over and over again. I feel like we as people all of have pillars of strength inside of us, what we can depend on, what gives us strength, what catches us when we fall and most of her pillars were taken away from her; Finn, her love, her friends, the physical strength in herself, the use of her body, her mind, her brilliance, her purpose and her value. She’s been repeatedly tested in a various ways and she has failed and succeeded, broken down and rebuilt sometimes stronger, sometimes not and I love that. I love her humanity and constant evolution.

What do you look forward to the most this season? This season is all about character evolution. It’s been six years since the end of Season 4 and six years is a very long time for changes to occur. Some of your favorite characters are going to change, for the better or the worse, and you’ll have to watch how it all plays out.

Are you currently reading any books? I just finished The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. My PA at a Comic Con I was doing in Melbourne gave me the book as a gift because I am the lead fan cast for the role of Mare Barrow. It turns out Victoria was also a guest at the same Con. I had no idea and basically devoured the book in three days. I am ready to start the next one.

What is a song you listen to on repeat? I listen to a ton of music but right now I can’t stop listening to Cardi B’s “I Like It”.

Being from Houston, who is your favorite artist from there? Beyonce’, obviously.

Who would you enjoy working with if given the opportunity to do so? My acting idols are Meryl Streep and Daniel Day Lewis.

How do you feel about the portrayal of women in Hollywood versus how men are portrayed in Hollywood? I think it’s mostly unfair. From the archetypes women have been portrayed as for centuries to the pay gap between men and women. It just feels like for some unknown reason it was just decided in Hollywood women would be deemed as “lesser” but in reality all the women I know are strong, fierce, capable and had to endure unfair disadvantages to progress in society and life that men never had to, all with the expectation of having perfect makeup. It reminds me of that famous quote said about Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in the 1930’s, “Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels.” I feel that is how women are portrayed and made to feel in the industry when compared to men.

What are your thoughts on the ongoing allegations coming out about some of the industry’s “big names”? It’s shocking and heartbreaking. I feel for the victims and can completely sympathize and empathize on why they would stay quiet and how it could be such an epidemic because so many people were afraid of being black balled. That’s a very real thing. I feel like that kind of behavior will not be condoned or hidden anymore because everyone is taking it very seriously and I am very glad about it. It feels like there is finally some security in the industry and I thank the fearless victims for standing up and creating that for the rest of us.

What is a guilty pleasure of yours? Sometimes, if I am super busy and I finally have a free day, I will sleep as long as I humanly can, which can be about 14 hours. Then, I’ll just spend the rest of the day lying around with my eyes closed, not even watching TV or looking at my phone. Just lying, doing absolutely nothing.

You recently had a birthday. How did/do you plan on celebrating? I haven’t begun to think about it! Maybe skydiving?

What do your hobbies include? I really love being active so anything that has to do with exploring or traveling or experiencing something new, I’m all in!

Lastly, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? Believe in yourself.

[likos064]

The Reasons Behind the Musings

The following exchange takes place in the comments, but I thought I’d repost it here because it explains a bit about my motivation to post Musings of a Newbie. I would also like to apologise for not responding to the other answers I have received. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. It was really kind of you.

I thought I’d explain a bit more why I chose the questions I did and respond in turn to your answers.

Every question is motivated by a specific complaint that I saw on my dashboard during season 11 of The X-Files. One continuous complaint was how many horrible things have happened to the characters, especially Scully, since the beginning of the show. The reason why I asked about the ensemble cast is because I believe that some of the abuse heaped on the characters is due to the size of the cast. When John Doggett and Monica Reyes joined in seasons 8 and 9, they were tormented quite badly as well. And every time the focus turned on Skinner he had to endure all sorts of torture. However, quite a few were upset when they found out that one episode of season 11, Kitten, would primarily focus on Skinner and his back story. And the addition of the characters Einstein and Miller was mostly met with disdain. 

Furthermore, you pointed out one downside in that the actors became exhausted with the amount of work they had to put in due to the limited cast. It also meant that they couldn’t easily pursue other projects while doing the show, and had to be nearly paranoid about possible injuries or illness. Some of it was mitigated with the use of cell-phones in season 2, as David revealed while they did press for season 10 - both didn’t always have to be available at the same time. However, some storylines were directly motivated by the actor’s availability e.g. Scully’s original abduction being due to Gillian’s pregnancy and the delivery of Piper, Mulder becoming an absentee father due to David leaving the show, and Scully staying behind with William, despite the the clear threat against the child, due to Gillian’s contract for season 9.

2nd R: A pattern that shows up continuously on my dashboard is that when the show doesn’t provide what people want - mostly lack of confirmed romance, no kissing etc., or the storyline goes in a direction that is less than desired e.g. continuous storylines centered around Scully’s fertility and reproduction, they will attribute it to the lack of female input. Therefore, I was curious as to what that would mean in practice. The current commentary is too abstract for me to understand what is meant. However, I do agree that a more diverse and inclusive writing and directing pool would lead to a more welcoming working environment, and The X-Files certainly worked as a springboard for a lot of careers e.g. Alex Gansa & Howard Gordon - Homeland, Frank Spotnitz - The Man in the High Castle, Vince Gilligan - Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul. 

3rd R: I will have to disagree with you when it comes to FOX being willing to end the show if Chris Carter wanted to. As I mentioned before, there was a plan for a movie franchise, even if it did not come to pass, after season 5. There were also attempts to end everything in season 7 e.g. closing up the storyline with Samantha, getting rid of the Cigarette Smoking Man, and season 8 e.g. forcing Mulder permanently, at the time, off the X-Files, tying his storyline and motivation to William and giving Mulder and Scully one perfect moment of happiness in Existence, which is probably the least cliffhangery season ending we’ve received. FOX ordered one more season, as the numbers went up again following David’s return, when Mulder came back from his abduction. David’s contract had already ended and he was not willing to extend it, while Gillian signed up for both season 8 and 9 at the same time to achieve parity in pay. Chris Carter was set to leave, however, he stayed for Gillian, whom FOX demanded complete her contract. At the moment FOX has still not said whether there will be one more season or not, though I suppose after their acquisition that is now up to Disney. Thereby not saying that Chris Carter doesn’t have a monetary gain in continuing, however, as far as I can tell it has never been solely up to him as to whether there will be more or not. At a Paley conference in conjunction with the second movie, I Want to Believe, he explained the difficulty in planning when you never know who will be available to you in terms of writers, directors, and actors. Furthermore, they never knew if they were going to get another season.

Last R: While I agree that there was lack of women involved in the show there are still quite a few that could have commented. True, there were only two female directors during the original run, one in season 7 and one in Season 9 Episode 7 John Doe, as you already mentioned, and at that time David wasn’t around in any official capacity. However, the reason I used Joel McHale and Robert Patrick as my examples was because they spent a comparatively short time on the show. Robert Patrick got added in Season 8 and made 40 episodes, with his last being Season 9 Episode 19-20 The Truth. Annabeth Gish as Monica Reyes appears in Season 8 Episode 14 This Is Not Happening, and appeared in 26 episodes during seasons 8 and 9. She would have had a couple of episodes with both of them together, and she was there for both Season 9 Episode 16 William and Season 9 Episode 19-20 The Truth, when David was on set as he directed the former and came up with the original story together with Frank Spotnitz and Chris Carter. She was also there for season 10 and 11. Joel McHale only had two episodes in season 10 My Struggle I and My Struggle II, and one in season 11 My Struggle IV and he still commented on it. Martin Landau was only in The X-Files: Fight the Future and had only scenes with David and still compared them to Spencer Tracy and Kathrine Hepburn. 

Furthermore, there were a few recurring female characters. Sheila Larken as Margaret Scully joined in Season 1 Episode 13 Beyond the Sea and has a total of 17 episodes through seasons 1-5 and 8-10. She is also married to R.W. Goodwin who worked on the X-Files during its Vancouver years as a co-executive producer, executive producer, director and writer. Melinda McGraw as Melissa Scully joined in Season 2 Episode 8 One Breath for a total of 4 episodes, her last appearance being in Season 5 Episode 6 Christmas Carol, though David was absent as he was promoting Playing God with Angelina Jolie. One might even count Megan Leitch, the actress who portrayed Samantha Mulder as an adult. Her first appearance was in Season 2 Episode 16 Colony, and her last Season 7 Episode 2 The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fait making it four episodes in total. Admittedly she had hardly any scenes with Gillian, but she was in episodes where they both appeared. Or even Rebecca Toolan as Teena Mulder, who also first appeared in Season 2 Episode 16 Colony, and came back in episodes through seasons 2-4 and 7 with Season 7 Episode 11 Closure being her last episode, bringing her up to ten episodes. 

Laurie Holden as Marita Covarrubias was introduced in Season 4 Episode 1 Herrenvolk and became fairly recurring during season 4 and then appeared more sporadically during seasons 5-7, her final appearance was in Season 9 Episode 19-20 The Truth for a total of ten episodes. Veronica Cartwright as Cassandra Spender appeared in Season 5 Episode 13 Patient X to Season 6 Episode 12 One Son making it four episodes. Mimi Rogers as Diana Fowley joined the cast in Season 5 Episode 20 The End and came back for a few episodes during season 6-7 until her final appearance in Season 7 Episode 2 The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati totalling 7 episodes.

There were also a number of female writers. The first being Marilyn Osborn who wrote Season 1 Episode 19 Shapes, followed by Sara B. Cooper as Sara B. Charno who wrote the episodes Season 2 Episode 12 Aubrey and Season 2 Episode 21 The Calusari. Kim Newton wrote Season 3 Episode 11 Revelations and Season 3 Episode 22 Quagmire, the latter with some assistance from Darin Morgan e.g. conversation on the rock. Valerie Mayhew and Vivian Mayhew wrote Season 4 Episode 6 Sanguinarium, Jessica Scott wrote Season 5 Episode 9 Schizogeny, and Dr. Margaret Fearon who wrote the story for Season 10 Episode 6 My Struggle II together with Anne Simon, the latter who worked as the science advisor in 1998 as well as during the revival. 

Kristen Cloke wrote Season 11 Episode 7 Rm9sbG93ZXJz together with Shannon Hamblin as well as worked as an actress as  Melissa Rydell Ephesian in Season 4 Episode 5 The Field Where I Died and she is married to Glen Morgan who was a writer for season 1, 2 and 4 and came back for season 10 and 11 to both write and direct. Karen Nielsen was a script coordinator for season 10 and 11 and wrote Season 11 Episode 9 Nothing Lasts Forever, and she is the one who rather gleefully announced that the whispering between Scully and Mulder was between Gillian and David and would not be revealed.

In season 11 both Carol Banker and Holly Dale directed, episode 6 Kitten and episode 8 Familiar respectively, even if Carol Banker’s episode mostly focused on Skinner. But she was also a script supervisor from season 6 to season 9, and an actress as Carol in Season 7 Episode 17 all things, which admittedly once again had less of David.

One of the reasons that I find it so fascinating is that the shipping fandom, those compelled by David and Gillian’s chemistry to pair up Mulder and Scully is mostly comprised of women. But when it comes to the show, the men seem far more impressed. Almost enamoured, or maybe its envy. Maybe they wished that they had that kind of connection with someone. Maybe we all do.

[theliterateape]

I Like to Watch | The Walking Dead

by Don Hall

I have this great idea. At the end of Return of the King, following the battle to destroy Sauron, we follow Aragorn and Gandalf as they continue battle lesser evils in Middle Earth. You know, maybe like a Balrog with delusions of grandeur or an evil faction of dwarves. In the meantime, Sauron, instead of being destroyed, is held captive and we get to know him a little better. Maybe we extend the saga to show his backstory and exactly how he became evil?

Hell, we could milk the battles for years!

No?

How about this: a The Princess Bride follow-up wherein Count Rugen survives the sword fight between he and Inigo. Then, later, the two form a bond and travel the countryside looking wrongs to right.

NO?!

OK: After Luke Skywalker kills the Emperor and we spend three prequels on the backstories of both Vader (as a kid) and the Emperor (as a Senator), we jump forward in time. There is a new threat with a bad guy not quite as bad as Vader because he's so openly conflicted and kinda horny for the female Luke. Then, when things come to a head at the third sequel, we bring back the Emperor so we can kill him AGAIN!!

No. You're right. That is a shitty idea.

At the (long) tail-end of the pandemic, the rest of the 10th season of The Walking Dead resumed airing and I found myself undeniably un-inspired. I didn't really care much for The Whisperers and after they bumped Rick Grimes off and then carted him away on a helicopter, the show sort of fizzled. I couldn't figure out what was missing (besides Rick) so I decided to go back to the beginning and watch the whole thing again.

The zombie trope goes back a ways into horror history. The concept of the dead re-animating and going for our living throats has elements of the Golem, aspects of Frankenstein's Monster, and a historical basis in the slavery practices of the French in Haiti.

The zombie archetype, as it appeared in Haiti and mirrored the inhumanity that existed there from 1625 to around 1800, was a projection of the African slaves’ relentless misery and subjugation. Haitian slaves believed that dying would release them back to lan guinée, literally Guinea, or Africa in general, a kind of afterlife where they could be free. Though suicide was common among slaves, those who took their own lives wouldn’t be allowed to return to lan guinée. Instead, they’d be condemned to skulk the Hispaniola plantations for eternity, an undead slave at once denied their own bodies and yet trapped inside them—a soulless zombie.

In 1968, George Romero shot (on a budget of $114,000) what was originally entitled Night of the Flesh Eaters and later renamed Night of the Living Dead. He didn't refer to his walking dead as "zombies" but as "ghouls." 

The grainy black and white film was far more than a gruesome horror flick—it was an allegory for the protests of both the Vietnam War and the riots of those fighting for Civil Rights. Later, his sequel of sorts, Dawn of the Dead, is another social satire disguised as gore flick with the zombies (he now called them zombies) acting as stand-ins for the suburban consumerist ethos. 1985's Day of the Dead is an allegory about the mindless authoritarianism of the military. Land of the Dead was a satire of class division; Diary of the Dead spoofed the age of blogging and YouTube.

What were the zombies? How did they come to be? Romero gives us a comet. A cosmic incident with no more explanation. This gives the satirical representation the foreground.

Along came more zombie apocalypse movies: Re-animator, Dead Alive, 28 Days Later. Certainly a lot more including Night of the Creeps and Zombie. In 2004, we get Zach Snyder's brilliant re-make of Dawn of the Dead. This list of the undead had as much in common with the classic atomic monsters as they did the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park—these ghouls were created by man. These were the inevitable result of humankind's hubris and god-complex. We created the end of the world and now must make sense of our creation.

In 2003, Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore co-created a long-running comic series published by Image Comics: The Walking Dead. In 2010, AMC picked up the comic for a television series of the same name and what set these zombies apart from the previous strain is that one didn't have to be bitten in order to turn. These zombies represented a natural human-wide disease that re-animated anyone who died. Like a bizarre metaphor for Purgatory, becoming undead was inevitable for all living people. This created a completely different dynamic for those surviving.

Which brings us up to speed.

I was hooked to TWD for the first four seasons. The conclusion of the Governor arc was satisfying and everything about the prison was exceptional but I was exhausted by the time they arrived at Terminus. The thing became taxing to follow and I believe I'd hit my limit. I dropped away until I was talking to a friend who loved the show and she told me that Negan was the best villain she'd ever seen.

I rejoined the Grimes Gang with Season 5. Terminus cannibals. Again, I got sucked in. The tragic end of Bob. The back-and-forth conflict of Gabriel. The whole Beth in the hospital with the corrupt cops was weak but that may have been because I don't find Beth remotely interesting. Then we get to Alexandria and the dynamic between the people so blind to the world that they're having cocktail parties and the group who have endured almost comical loss and tragedy makes for some excellent storytelling.

Then came Season 6, episode 4 He's Not Here. 

Both loosely connected to the journey of our merry band yet set completely apart, this standalone episode finds us with Morgan (the extraordinary Lennie James) being brought back from the insanity he's afflicted with by Eastman (an equally wonderful John Carroll Lynch). Eastman slowly brings Morgan back from the edge.

A psychiatrist, Eastman tells the story of his prison practice. He explains that he has worked with over 800 incarcerated patients and only one was irredeemably evil. He tells him of that patient, Crighton Dallas Wilton. While a model prisoner in the eyes of the prison staff, Eastman saw Wilton for what he was, an evil, manipulative psychopath. When the time for Wilton's parole came up, Eastman was the one to interview him and it was here that Wilton realized that Eastman had seen through his facade and attempted to kill him. 

Later, we find out exactly how evil Wilton was and how Eastman came to be who he is in this apocalyptic world.

This episode is beautifully done and, upon re-watching the whole thing all over again, stands out for one important aspect. Eastman tells us that in this world of heroes and villains surrounded by the undead, there is only one truly evil person to watch out for.

The Governor isn't evil. He's an asshole. An authoritarian. He's also insane from grief which has driven him to become a villain. He's no more or less brutal in many ways than Rick. The Terminus cannibals are likewise justified in their choices as sickening and horrifying as they may be.

Eastman is warning us of true evil on the horizon.

That evil is Negan.

From the moment we see him (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and his barbed wire bat, Lucille, he is the embodiment of gleeful malevolence. He is brutal and he fucking loves it. He kills both Abraham and Glenn with such casual smug pleasure that the fact that he just offed a beloved character who has been on the journey since the second episode of the entire franchise only hurts more.

Negan is the anti-Rick. No conflict within himself, convinced that he is righteous in his path with so little regard for even his own Saviors (his 'relationship' to Dwight is a thing of remarkable cruelty). It isn't even the body count (both the Governor and the Terminus gang kill more onscreen) but his enjoyment in brutalizing people, teasing them into submission, then gutting them on the street is Hannibal Lecter territory.

Negan is the one truly evil man Eastman warns us about.

In my marathon from the start, I realized sometime during Season 8—I had no interest in seeing any more following Negan's defeat. Having seen the episodes before, I didn't want to see the character redeemed. I didn't want him to be at all relatable. I wanted Rick to kill him and for a sense of closure.

Now take a peek at Season 8. The writers wrote the end of the series in this one. The alliance of Alexandria, The Hilltop, and The Kingdom against The Saviors. Eugene finds his safe place and Gabriel struggles to redeem himself. Fucking Carl dies! Rick beats Negan one-on-one in a field and cuts his throat with a piece of stained glass. FINIS. OVER. DONE, for chrissakes.

Carl's death means nothing if the ending isn't peace. I'll be honest, the first time I watched Carl die, I didn't much care. He wasn't a heavy weight character in my mind. The second time, I bawled like a baby because, in a few weeks, I watched him go from scared kid in the camp when Rick (presumed dead) strolls in to the young man sparring with Negan. Carl's vision of Rick's future is the end. Except for the Negan part. FUCK THAT. Negan doesn't get to survive.uck that

Rick cuts his throat. He doesn't instruct Sadiq to save him. Negan dies. Maggie gets her revenge. Rick makes his "a better world" speech. Cut to black.

HBO’s Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, The Leftovers. All could have continued following their obvious and arguably brilliant endings but they didn’t. Game of Thrones could’ve just stopped as soon as the Night King is defeated but they couldn’t help themselves and tarnished the legacy of one of the most watched television series in history. I loved Lost all the way up until they explained everything poorly.

I get it. AMC needs the cash cow. Lots of people employed so they just have to continue the tale but, man, when you get to an ending that good, walk away.

[catherine-batty-author]

The show made me do it....

Hi @tinkdw , @ibelieveinthelittletreetopper , @elizabethrobertajones I wanted to post this to a couple of meta writers / bloggers I follow here re my thoughts about Destiel. 

Firstly, just so you know where I’m coming from, I’m a writer of fantasy/crime/thriller/romance fiction. World building a subtle development of characters is part of what I do.

I watch crime dramas – I’m horrible to watch them with because I ALWAYS work them out – because I PAY ATTENTION to what is on screen, both textually and sub-textually. I also believe that TV is an expensive media and what screen time there is is short. So if something has made it to screen, no matter how small, it is of significance. Writers, directors, actors, editors all felt this was MEANT to be seen. I also believe that just because two characters have great chemistry doesn’t mean they have to be a canon couple. (Morgan and Garica from Criminal Minds is one of the best one screen platonic friendships on screen, I’m glad the writers were brave enough to keep them that way and not push them into a relationship.)

I’m a whoivan so I am no stranger to fandom and there is no way you can be in ANY fandom and not know of Destiel.

Now, until last year I had not seen Supernatural. It was one on my watch list but never got around to it. So I decided to start with series one DVD and see how I got on. And ok, some of series one was a bit shakey, some of the stories not great… but the premise, the backbone of Sam and Dean, their relationship – THAT was great from the start and kept me watching. It still keeps me watching.

As I got to season 4, I wondered if everything I’d heard about Destiel was real. It wasn’t why I was watching, it was the brother’s journey that kept me going. Shippers are passionate, GIFS can be created to emphasize a point, but when those GIFS are out of context of the episode – did they still stand up as “Destiel”? So I went into season 4 open minded. (PS I’ve also had no issue accepting that Dean is a repressed bisexual – hints have been made all along, character building)

Oh.Dear. Lord. It’s real.

But let me take a step back. When watching S4 most of the time I was watching Cas on screen, his intensity with Dean appears to be him trying to work out the man he saved. His orders were to pull him out of hell, put him back together again. He did that, and in doing so he knew EVERYTHING about Dean until that point. He returned him to Earth the same bright souled, flawed human that he was, along with all his loves, fears, hopes and dreams. Everything he was, and everything he hid. His self loathing. Castiel KNEW everything about Dean.

But knowing someone and understanding them are different things. What I see in most of S4 is Cas trying to understand Dean. Because the man he put back together is not the man he sees and knows is really there. (He sees performing Dean before the other important people in his life do.)

Dean for his part mostly looks like his every hidden fantasy walked into the barn that day. And because it’s not a door he’s even prepared to peek through, it’s all unsubtle looks at Cas, his body language screams attraction when his actions say otherwise. (And “The Rapture” was fantastic as showing that he is drawn to CAS not JIMMY.)

S5 was seemed to build more on above, but if their plan was to end at S5 then you could say that they are brothers-in-arms. Castiel the angel that can’t quite figure out the human he saved and Dean the human who never felt worthy of this new friendship/crush, which also left him bemused.

S6, Dean with Lisa. Well this was where I was wondering if Destiel would be ticked to the curb. But no. Dean needed to experience what he thought he had wanted. What he believed his parents had before that November night.  He tells Lisa in S5 that when he pictured himself happy, if was with her – but the reality wasn’t what he wanted. He cared about them, loved them. But when he walked away from them after Cas took their memories, he wasn’t broken.

Cas in this season is clearly falling for Dean. He goes from intrigue and mild jealousy (Anna) in S4/5 to full on heart eyes by the end (The Man Who Would Be King) is just epic.

S7 – despite the reduced role of Cas, it was great for setting up grieving Dean for later seasons. When Cas is lost to the Leviathans, Dean is equal parts upset and angry for Cas’ actions. But in the end he still carried that trenchcoat around for months, in various cars. But he did the same with Bobby and the flask, and there is no ambiguity as to his feelings towards Bobby. For me he grieved the loss of family in both cases and in similar ways – that was until they both return. Dean’s reactions are different to the return of Bobby and Cas. Subtly different, but different never-the-less. (Then you compare the loss of Cas and Bobby in this series to S13? There is NO comparison. He hasn’t lost a friend/crush or father figure, he’s lost the absolute love of his life).

And Cas/Meg? Well there is a great relationship. Two great actors and chemistry, with an obvious set up for a possible “impossible romance” (which could have been enthralling in its own right if Destiel wasn’t pushed in my face 😉 ) but their chemistry worked so much better in the platonic sense.

I’m only half way through S8, Cas is out of purgatory and this is for me when Destiel the ‘romance’ is going canon. Benny’s reaction alone when Dean and Cas reunite is telling. You can see his brain going ‘friend my ass!’.

For the most part, what I’ve seen is subtle acting by all parties, a slow progression from strangers to comrades, to friends and now friends who are clearly falling for each other - it could have stayed platonic with some odd but explainable behavior between Cas and Dean. It is all there, on screen if you look. Now, I may be a few seasons behind but I know what is happening currently and I’m highly encouraged they are showing a deeply complex, touching and enduring love story where the characters have gone on an epic journey to find that love. The genders of those characters means fuck all.

I know for many of you what I’m saying is old news. But I wanted you to know that someone who has only recently started watching Supernatural and went in with an open mind, I can clearly see what is in front of me.The show made me do it. I ship Destiel. They are one of the greatest OTP’s of all time. It isn’t imagined. It isn’t exaggerated by GIFS.

For those of you who have studied this series into the minutest of details (and not just for Destiel) and those of us who are observant and see these small things as we have watched – we are being rewarded. For those who choose not to see, or have their own petty reasons for not wanting see such a powerful love story, well they are the ones losing out on something spectacular.

Wow, this ended up being longer than expected (a theme in my writing, haha!) and it didn’t go into any real detail!

Keep on meta writing and being awesome in this fandom - your blogs make me smile.

[aion-rsa]

Fear the Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 1 Review: The End Is the Beginning

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This Fear the Walking Dead review contains spoilers.

Fear the Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 1

After everything the world has endured these last several months, it just doesn’t seem productive to harp on what did or didn’t work about last season. I’m even willing to give John Dorie’s San Antonio Split a pass at this point. If anything, we’re lucky we have anything new to watch at all, especially with some series being outright canceled because they’re too difficult to produce in the age of Covid-19.

With that being said, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the way “The End is the Beginning” kicked things off for Fear the Walking Dead‘s sixth season. And that’s certainly something I don’t think a lot of us expected—that a spin-off prequel to The Walking Dead would have legs. But here we are, courtesy of Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg, who return for their third season as showrunners. While they haven’t enjoyed a sterling track record, when Fear works, it really works. A lot of that rests on the shoulders of its strong ensemble cast. Lennie James was a strong addition to the series back in season 4, crossing over as he did from TWD to join Fear’s motley crew. 

Which brings us to the elephant in the room—namely that James’s Morgan Jones survived the tragic upheaval of last season’s finale, “End of the Line.” How did Morgan survive being shot by Virginia (Colby Minifie) and being left for dead as walkers slowly closed in? We learn that he survived thanks to the largesse of a mysterious stranger who heard what would have been his last words over the radio, exhorting his compatriots to live. Does this constitute a magical dumpster moment, akin to what rescued a Glenn in TWD’s sixth season? You can read my expanded thoughts on Morgan’s mulligan here.

In the meantime, if we go along with the conceit that Morgan has spent the last five or six weeks convalescing in a tricked-out water tower, the rest of the episode works. Again, a lot of this falls on James, whose strong performance immediately invested me in Morgan’s physical and existential battles. He’s struggling with a crisis of faith as well, though mostly in himself. Last season’s theme was one of altruism—led by Morgan, who was determined to help people whether they wanted aid or not. This had dire consequences, of course, leading not only to Virginia’s attempted murder of Morgan but also the group being split up and sent to different settlements. So it makes sense that Morgan is so resistant to making new friends in this episode—even if they’re just as hell-bent on aiding strangers as he once was. 

As we soon find out, the last several weeks have been difficult for Morgan. In that time, he’s become the walking dead himself in more than just the metaphorical sense. He’s got one foot in the grave, thanks to gangrene and a bullet fragment lodged near his pulmonary artery. The only upside to this is that his necrotic flesh allows him to blend in among the dead, as Nick often did when camouflaged in walker blood. 

Even in the best of times, removing the bullet would be risky. But Morgan doesn’t want it removed. Is it because he believes he deserved to die? Is his suffering meant to be some kind of twisted penance for failing to save every last living person in a world gone bad? Knowing Morgan, the answer to those questions can only be yes.

This still doesn’t stop him from being befriended by Isaac (Michael Abbot, Jr.), a onetime corpsman in the Marines and now an expectant father. As it turns out, he’s also one of Virginia’s former rangers who escaped after a change of heart brought on by one of Morgan’s earnest videotaped messages. “I changed,” insists Isaac. “So can you.” 

But change can mean something else entirely in a setting like this. Change can be a positive thing, yes, but in a world in which Hell is full, change can also mean never going to your reward. It can mean failure is your constant companion, dragging you down so close to the very earth that you can taste the soil. That’s where Morgan finds himself yet again, beset by failure and misgivings. In other words, it’s not easy being Morgan Jones, especially when a bean-eating, axe-wielding bounty hunter named Emile (Demetrius Grosse) is hot on his trail.

I honestly thought Morgan’s battle with Emile would play out throughout the first half of the season, and not come to a head as it were by episode’s end. What’s worth noting is that the promise of salvation for his friends is what motivates Morgan to strike a deal with Emile, trading his life for theirs. But it immediately becomes obvious that Emile poses a bigger threat to Isaac and the secret town that will serve as a new settlement for people looking to flee Virginia’s rule. For that to happen, and for Isaac’s newborn daughter to have any chance of survival, Emile has to go.

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By episode’s end, Morgan finally embraces his rebirth, declaring over the radio to Virginia, “Morgan Jones is dead. And you are dealing with someone else now.” As to whether he deserves this second chance remains to be seen. One could argue that this is yet another rebirth for Fear as well. For now, I’m cautiously optimistic. And any kind of optimism nowadays, even a little bit, can go an awfully long way as the real world awaits its own mulligan.

The post Fear the Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 1 Review: The End Is the Beginning appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[dontshootmespence]

No Answer

A/N: An anon request for a fic with the season 4-7 team where an unsub is stalking the team, so he knows about Spencer’s relationship with the reader, which they’ve kept secret. @coveofmemories @sexualemobitch @jamiemelyn 

                                                            ----

For the last week and a half, the unsub had been sending live video feeds straight into the BAU as he tortured his victims. He kept them for no longer than a couple days and during that time, they experienced unimaginable pain. The other thing? They were all connected to one of the members of the BAU in some way. Former victims, a family friend of JJ’s, liaisons. Every victim was connected to a member of the BAU for maximum psychological torture. This was about the team, not the actual victims.

The team was close, with Garcia getting closer and closer to tracking his location with each video. She had to narrow down proxies every time, and this guy was good, going through dozens, if not hundreds of proxies every time he sent out a feed.

As they searched and scoured through the files they had thus far, comparing notes with the profile, another video came up on the screen. The mask they’d come to know popped up. It was like a bad horror movie. “I’ve got another victim,” the distorted voice claimed, stepping out of the frame and revealing a young woman in her lingerie, strung up by chains and bleeding from small cuts on her arms and legs. 

No one could recognize her. She had a blindfold over her eyes. But the second Spencer walked back into the round table room with his cup of coffee, it dropped out of his hand and to the floor. “No!” In an instant, the tears welled up in his eyes, unable to peel his gaze away from the screen. This couldn’t be happening. How did he even know? No one knew...

“Who is she?” Hotch asked. Unfortunately, by the look on Reid’s face, he was pretty sure he already knew the answer. 

“She’s...she’s my girlfriend,” he said through shaky breaths. “We’ve been dating for eight months...Hotch, we have to find her. I c-can’t lose her. I can’t.” He felt his breath catch in his throat as he began to hyperventilate. His lungs were on fire. He’d just seen her this morning. Less than three hours ago, he’d kissed her goodbye and told her to have a good day at work.

Everyone gathered around him, trying to make sense of the fact that he even had someone who he was hiding from the team, no less that she was now in danger. “We’ll find her, kid,” Morgan said confidently. “I promise.” It was a good thing Reid wasn’t looking at him, because his eyes were fixed in horror on the screen. Reid’s girlfriend was dangling from chains and doing her best to remain calm. 

“Do you want to hear her voice?” the man asked, walking up to Y/N’s side and grazing it slightly with the tip of his knife. “Say hello to your boyfriend, love.” Spencer watched, the anger curling his hands into fists, as this man caressed his girlfriend’s cheek and ran his hand running through her hair. “Say hello.” 

His voice was more insistent this time and she gasped against the cool metal. “Spencer don’t come here!” she screamed. “He just wants to fuck with you all, don’t give him what he wants.” Just before he cut the feed, Spencer watched Y/N wince, the tip of the knife cutting into her side. Her muscles spasmed as she tried to pull away, but the chains kept her from going to far. And then he couldn’t see either of them anymore.

Immediately, Spencer spun around in anger, picking up a container of pens from off the table and hurling them toward the window. “When I get my hands on him-”

“We’ll do whatever the circumstances dictate,” Hotch finished.

But Spencer wasn’t having it. “You better hope you get to him first, Hotch.”

Garcia had seen everything from her place in the office, so apparently, he not only knew how to gain access to the Bureau, he knew that Garcia wasn’t with them at the time. “How is she connected?” she asked, before glancing at Reid. 

“My girlfriend.” He didn’t even look up as Garcia scurried back to her lair to grab her laptop and bring it into the conference room. 

The moment she came back, she sat at the table and started her run down. “I have it narrowed down to this 10 square mile location, but the second I zero in past here, he’s going to notified and whoever he has...” She couldn’t finish the sentence. With Reid right behind her, she couldn’t say that the second she started narrowing the location down further, his girlfriend was probably dead. 

She said nothing. So far, they’d narrowed down the suspect pool to a white man in his 40s or 50s with money. With the amount of research that had been done on the members of the team, he had to have a lot of time on his hands, which presumably meant that he had money to take care of himself while he continued his crime spree. Due to the depravity of his crimes and the fact that having a live video feed was of the utmost importance, they also concluded that he likely had no personal connection to the team; the part of the crime that got him off was the psychological torture he inflicted on the team. “Do it, Garcia,” Hotch said. “We’re not giving him the chance to get away.”

Doing as she was told, Garcia typed away at the keyboard, narrowing down the location in a matter of about 30 seconds. “Sending it to your phones now.”

Without a word, Spencer turned around, grabbed his vest and ran down to the car as the rest of the team followed closely behind. 

                                                           ----

It had been approximately 5 hours since Y/N had been taken, and as they drove, Spencer couldn’t help but imagine the pain she’d gone through. Being taken by a killer himself, he knew the physical pain she’d endured, but psychological torture seemed to be this unsub’s MO, and he understood that all too well. “We go in first,” Morgan said, turning toward Reid and noting the fire in his eyes. “We’re gonna get her out of there.” 

The building was small, but isolated, which is why it hadn’t been found. There was a car outside, so at least, as far as they knew, he, and in turn, Y/N, were still here.

As they walked the musty halls of the building, Spencer heard a scream, hurrying passed Morgan and pushing the door open. “Back away!” he screamed, his throat raw with anger.

“Spence, don’t,” she whispered, grunting as the unsub let her chains down. She collapsed like a paper doll on the floor, exhausted and in pain. Without a thought for anything but his own anger, Spencer lunged toward the unsub, knocking the knife out of his hand. He reeled back over and over again, hitting him in the jaw and reveling in the way his bones crunched under his hands. 

A mass of screams filled his ears as he hit the man over and over again. “Kid, enough!” Morgan pulled him off, Reid’s strength taking him by surprise. “It’s over.”

The unsub was no longer moving, though he was still alive. JJ peeled his mask off, and as they’d figured, none of them had any idea who he was. Pulling away from Morgan, Spencer collapsed to the floor by his girlfriend’s side. “Baby, it’s me,” he breathed. “It’s okay. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

With every ounce of strength she had, she crawled into his lap, sobbing silently. “Who is he?” she asked. “Why did he do this?”

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “That’s the problem with this job. Sometimes...you just don’t know.”

[criminalmindscastandquotes]

Criminal Minds Opening and closing Quotes: Season 6

Season 6 Episode 1 The Longest Night

JJ: “A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another.  If these minds love one another, the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if these minds get out of harmony with one other it is like a storm that plays havoc with the garden.” The Buddha.

Season 6 Episode 2 JJ

JJ: Jean Racine said, “A tragedy need not have blood and death; it’s enough that it all be filled with that majestic sadness that is the pleasure of tragedy.”

Season 6 Episode 3 Remembrance of Things Past

Rossi: Marcel Proust wrote, “Remembrance of things past is not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were.”

Rossi: Mark Twain wrote, “When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not. But my faculties are decaying now, and soon I shall be so that I cannot remember any but the things that never happened. It is sad to go to pieces like this, but we all have to do it.”

Season 6 Episode 4 Compromising Positions

Prentiss: “We all wear masks, and the times comes when we cannot remove them without removing our own skin.” Andre Berthiaume

Garcia: Abraham Lincoln said, “Whatever you are, be a good one.”

Season 6 Episode 5 Safe Haven

Morgan: “All humanity is one undivided and indivisible family. I cannot detach myself from the wickedest soul.” Mahatma Gandhi.

Morgan: “But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.” Robert Frost.

Season 6 Episode 6 Devil’s Night

Hotchner: Niccolo Machiavelli wrote, “If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.”

Hotchner: Thomas Kempis wrote, “Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of its trouble, attempts what is above its strength, pleads no excuse of impossibility; for it thinks all things lawful for itself, and all things possible.”

Season 6 Episode 7 Middle Man

Hotchner: “Without heroes, we are all plain people and don’t know how far we can go.” Bernard Malamud

Hotchner: “The herd seek out the great, not for their sake but for their influence; and the great welcome them out of vanity or need.” Napoleon Bonaparte

Season 6 Episode 8 Reflection of Desire

Garcia: “Fame will go by and, so long, I’ve had you, fame. If it goes by, I’ve always known it was fickle. So at least it’s something I experience, but that’s not where I live.” Marilyn Monroe

Garcia: I believe humanity was born from conflict. Maybe that’s why in all of us lives a dark side. Some of us embrace it. Some have no choice. The rest of us fight it. In the end, it’s as natural as the air we breathe. At some point, we’re forced to face the truth. Ourselves.

Season 6 Episode 9 Into the Woods

Morgan: Ralph Ellison said, “I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.”

Hotchner: Elise Cabot said, “Evil endures a moment’s flush, and then leaves but a burnt out shell.”

Season 6 Episode 10 What Happens at Home

Hotchner: “When we were children, we used to think that when we grew up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability… to be alive is to be vulnerable.” Writer Madeleine L’Engle

Rossi: “Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes they forgive them.” Writer Oscar Wilde

Season 6 Episode 11 25 to Life

Morgan: “There is no such thing as part freedom.” Nelson Mandela

Morgan: “All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered. The point is to discover them.” Galileo

Season 6 Episode 12 Corazón

Reid: “No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.” Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.

Reid: “The best and most beautiful things in life cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” Helen Keller.

Season 6 Episode 13 The Thirteenth Step

Prentiss: Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, “What really raises one’s indignation against suffering is not suffering intrinsically, but the senselessness of suffering.”

Prentiss: William Glasser wrote, “What happened in the past that was painful has a great deal to do with what we are today.”

Season 6 Episode 14 Sense Memory

Morgan: “Hunting is not a sport. In a sport, both sides should know they are in the game.” Comedian Paul Rodriguez.

Prentiss: “Nothing revives the past so completely as a smell that was once associated with it.” Novelist Vladimir Nabokov.

Season 6 Episode 15 Today I Do

Prentiss: “There’s no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.” Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Rossi: “It’s hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head.” Sally Kempton

Season 6 Episode 16 Coda

Reid: “Tomorrow, you promise yourself, will be different, but tomorrow is too often a repetition of today.” Author James T. Mccay

Ian Doyle: Honore de Balzac once said, “Most people of action are inclined to fatalism, and most of thought believe in providence.” Tell me, Emily Prentiss, which do you think you’re gonna be?

Season 6 Episode 17 Valhalla

Prentiss: Lao Tzu said, “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”

Prentiss: Journalist Dorothea Dix wrote, “Confession is always weakness. The grave soul keeps its own secrets, and takes its own punishment in silence.”

Season 6 Episode 18 Lauren

JJ: Psychoanalyst Walter Langer wrote, “People will believe a big lie sooner than a little one, and if you repeat it frequently enough, people will sooner or later believe it.”

Prentiss: “The secret to getting away with lying is believing with all your heart. That goes for lying to yourself, even moreso than lying to another.” Author Elizabeth Bear.

Season 6 Episode 19 With Friends Like These…

Reid: Lizette Reese said, “The old faiths light their candles all about, but burly truth comes by and puts them out.”

Morgan: Siddhartha Buddha said, “It is not his enemy or foe that lures him to evil ways.”

Season 6 Episode 20 Hanley Waters

Morgan: Poet Antonio Porchia wrote, “Man, when he does not grieve, hardly exists.”

Season 6 Episode 21 The Stranger

Seaver: “Every journey into the past is complicated by delusions, false memories, false naming of real events.” Adrienne Rich

Hotchner: “Sometimes human places create inhuman monsters.” Stephen King.

Season 6 Episode 22 Out of the Light

Rossi: Agathon said, “Of this alone, even God is deprived, the power of making things that are past never to have been.”

Hotchner: Doménico Cieri Estrada wrote, “Bring the past only if you’re going to build from it.”

Season 6 Episode 23 Big Sea

Rossi: “The sea has never been friendly to man. At most, it has been the accomplice of human restlessness.” Joseph Conrad

Morgan: “We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch, we are going back from whence we came.” John F. Kennedy

Season 6 Episode 24 Supply & Demand

Hotchner: Thomas Hardy said, “And yet to every bad there’s a worse.”

Rossi: “What lies in our power to do, lies in our power not to do.” Aristotle.

[madwomanlexie]

Twd got the meme thing

1) my all-time ultimate fave character:  

 C A R O L  (I have so many feelings regarding this beautiful character--in the way beginning I underestimated her. I thought she would become zombie fodder in seasons 1 and 2--even though I liked her and just wanted that nice redneck dude to find her daughter so they all could be a cute family together. NOW look at how far she’s come. I just want her to be happy and finally heal and love herself. P L E A S E.)

2) a character I didn’t used to like but now do: 

Father Gabriel (I use to call him Father Garbage)

3) a character I used to like but now don’t:

Abraham (Liked his one-liners but then he treated Rosita like shit)

4) a character I’m indifferent about:

Carl (I used to call him shit kid back in season 2-now he’s just meh-kid)

5) a character who deserved better:

G L E N N   R H E E  (I will never get over it--he was treated so unfairly by the writers before his brutal and unnecessary death)

6) a ship I’ve never been able to get into:

Abe/Rosita (because gross-she’s in her 20s and he was 50)

7) a ship I’ve never been able to get over: 

Caryl!!! (I will go down with this ship no matter the pain I endure and there’s been A LOT of that)

8) a cute, low-key ship:

Boah (It would be been adorable!)

9) an unpopular ship but I still enjoyed it:

Rick/Lori I guess. (can’t really think of any others)

10) A ship that was totally wrong and never should have happened:

Andrea/The Governor (Because...SERIOUSLY??)

Carol/Tobin (don’t get me started on that one)

Rick/Jessie (Just because things happen in the comics, does not mean it’ll work and be good in the show. Especially with how terrible the writing has been since s5)

11) favorite storyline/moment:

TOO MANY!! I still can’t get over all of No Sanctuary. That reunion, dude. Michonne bonding with the Grimes family in s4--gahh!! Daryl finding Carol in the Tombs. So much more!

12) a storyline that never should have been written: 

TOO MANY!! Batboy and that whole shitastic arc for sure. The whole Carol vs Morgan thing made my ass hurt too. Constantly making Daryl feel guilty and hate himself over deaths of others. Constantly making Carol suffer emotionally. Sorry I could go on and on...and on and on and-

13) my first thoughts on the show:

“This show seems pretty good regardless of the gore and zombies...even if that Sheriff dude is an idiot”    ( When the show aired in 2010, I had no idea that this twd world did not have a zombie genre so of course the characters wouldn’t know anything about ‘em. Still, sorry Rick. You’re lucky Glenn saved your dumb ass.)

14) my thoughts now: 

“This show isn’t like how it was back in the earlier seasons. Now its just an on going shit-fest of torture porn and incompetent writing. The writers need to try a little bit more than...not at all.” ( and to stop relying onthe damn comic so much--this show actually became popular because it was unique and it was doing it’s own thing and only using bits n’ pieces of story arcs) I can turn this into an on going bitch-fest but I shall stop there.

@onedayyoujustchange  Haha thank you so much! I think I got a little carried away. Opps. There’s typos galore but oh well I say

[rocknvaughn]

Transcript of the new Colin Morgan Interview

Colin Morgan is a man of many talents. Enigmatic performer. Charming Ulsterman. Method actor. Qualities that have underpinned his ability to reinvent himself at every turn. Since bursting onto the scene over a decade ago, Colin has transported us back to the Middle Ages, explored the meaning of life as a twenty-first century android, and broken a few hearts as a troubled Victorian shrink. Gee Wong talks to the rising star about the intensity of the roles he plays, his way with accents and why he’s giving social media the cold shoulder.

Arranging an interview with Colin Morgan is a lesson in timing. Given that his brisk schedule and unforeseen events have thwarted our previously arranged powwows, it’s a relief when the phone eventually whirrs into life. He introduces himself in his deep loquacious Ulster drawl and all is forgiven. “I’m glad we’ve finally got the chance to talk, there’s been a lot of back and forth, hope everything is alright?” he says. The raw accent, while expected, is captivating to hear for the first time—largely because he’s a master at disguising those native vowels.

From the West End stage to television to the silver screen, the vocal gymnastics have been key to defining this award-winning actor’s march toward stardom. In fact, they often go hand in hand with the intense and angst-heavy roles he clearly relishes. “I couldn’t write down any specific reasons why I go for a part because it really is instinctive. It’s more of a feeling than a reason, you know what I mean?” he explains. “It’s like when you meet someone and you just click, but you don’t really know why, but you just do. It’s a bit like that. I’m meeting a character when I read it on the page and if it does something to me, it literally calls.” His confidence in an ability to single out roles is striking and the approach clearly works for him. “It has to be the only way. The scriptwriter, director and producer—theyre all on board because they’re passionate about a project and you’ve got to come in and respect there’s been a lot of hard work gone into the stage where they’re casting—these things can go on for years!” Auditions must be pretty intense then? “Yeah, I can feel it sometimes in auditions—if you can’t come in and deliver that level of what’s come before then you shouldn’t be there. You’ve got to love it.”

For his breakout performance—as the eponymous young wizard in the BBC’s fantasy drama Merlin—Colin owned an English accent so convincingly that his burgeoning fan base couldn’t quite believe he was from County Armagh. What’s his secret to cracking an accent? The answer is, of course, a lot of talent, practice and immersing himself in the role. “When I’m working on a character the voice comes first, or initially the way they move, it all influences each other,” he says. It’s a habit that’s seen him in good stead over the years. “Just like a runner training for a marathon, you need to do your training, listen to a lot of people, the way they talk and move, and imitate a lot because you’re working in the business of mimicry,” he admits. “It’s a case of muscle memory for me. I love accents, I love doing them, as many as I can really.”

He’s recently been back on the box—fine-tuning his Received Pronunciation English—in the supernatural period drama The Living and the Dead. It’s a darkly written role about grief and holding onto the past, with no shortage of terrifying apparitions to hammer home the message. What was it like returning to the fantasy genre after a few years away? “It’s weird because fantasy implies a story is lifted from reality. I don’t feel like I get affected by the genre because the character is just living their story,” he says. “For me, it’s all about the script and reaching into the character that I can inhabit.” The actor gave his all to the role, including staying in accent throughout filming. “I didn’t plan on it at all on the first day, but after we did our first scene it just stayed with me for the whole shoot. You’re in costume and even on your lunch break you’re still dressed as the character, you’ve still got the long hair and the beard,” he explains, laughing. “You still feel it—the person and the voice are just part of it.” So, in reality, not as odd as it sounds. “It’s just so much easier especially when you have a Northern Irish accent. To try and go from that to an English accent from 1894—they’re miles apart!”

Talking of his appearance, his fans set Twitter alight after the first episode. The reason? A sit-up-in-your-chair topless scene that let slip an ‘all growed up’ physique and, inevitably, a new-found pin-up status for the actor. It’s a far cry from his fresh-faced debut in Merlin at the tender age of 22. Nevertheless, the comments went right over his head—he shuns social media. “It’s just not me really. You have to want to do it,” he states without hesitation. “It’s an amazing medium for getting the word out for shows, promotion and for staying in contact, but there are a lot of negative sides as well.” Can he point out a few of the downsides? “When the words you want to say don’t have to be said face to face people tend to say a lot of stuff—that’s not something I think is healthy for an actor to be an open party to,” he adds. I get the impression he’s been burnt from personal experience and now views his privacy as sacrosanct. When pressed further, he confesses to a distaste for so-called ‘insta-stardom’ and all the baggage that comes with it. “The good stuff can make you arrogant, the bad stuff can stay with you forever,” he declares.

That said, don’t call him a technophobe. Although he doesn’t watch much television these days, he’s all for the BBC’s decision to simultaneously broadcast and stream his latest show. “It’s brilliant. It’s absolutely in keeping with how people are watching nowadays. When I do watch television, it’s on catch-up, Netflix and Amazon.” He does also venture online to shop and email. He has googled himself once—purely out of curiosity—which was enough to put him off for life. So, how does he receive feedback on his performances? “I never hear about it unless it’s mentioned to me. Fans show their support in many different ways. A lot of them write fan letters, which I think is much more in line with how I’m likely to respond.”

A low-fi solution indeed, but totally in keeping with Colin’s old-school, yet easygoing style. Not much fazes him: was turning 30 a big deal last year? “No, not really, weirdly. I can appreciate it’s one of those milestones in your life,” he states matter-of-factly before pausing and reflecting on intriguing new possibilities. “At the minute, I think I’m still on that younger side of the age bracket, but I’m looking forward to being an ageing actor and getting to play all those great Shakespearean roles as well.”

A busy year it certainly was. Having played the lead in the mystery drama Waiting for You, he returned for the second season of the UK sci-fi drama Humans. Apparently, there was tremendous pressure to live up to the first season, which was a surprise hit for Channel 4—its biggest show in 20 years. “It definitely went up in scale, much bigger, much faster, lots of new characters and more storylines,” he says of the production. “I think fans will have loved the direction it went in.” A third season looks like a shoo-in.

Then there was the closing chapter of The Fall. Over the course of the show’s story arc critics and audiences endured the stuff of nightmares as Gillian Anderson’s detective hunted sadistic serial killer Paul Spector, played by fellow Ulsterman Jamie Dornan. Colin joined the show in season two as enigmatic detective Tom Anderson and reveals it was equal parts tension and anticipation during the filming of the endgame. “A pure page-turner! I couldn’t wait to get the next page of the script and that says a lot about the writer’s skill,” he admits. What was it like working with Gillian? “Just brilliant. Gillian’s a consummate professional, such a joy to work with and she has a really good sense of humour. She had really heavy scenes, but she was just able to let go after filming.” What about Jamie? “Absolutely brilliant, he’s had global success and he’s exactly the same as when I first started working with him. He’s a real talent.”

If last year was good, then 2017 is set to be even better. He’s in final talks on a number of projects, including another film that he hopes will start shooting in the early summer. Meanwhile, he’s attracting considerable attention from across the Atlantic. “There are a lot of exciting dramas happening, and right now a lot of American things are coming through,” he says.

Talk turns to the day of his photo shoot, which I suspect might not have been the most enjoyable experience for the publicity-shy actor. “It was brilliant! The guys were so good! It was basically a group of people in a room with a camera having a bit of a laugh,” he volunteers, somewhat enthusiastically, before pausing as if to compose himself. After a few seconds he continues: “Obviously, in any of those situations it’s not a normal thing to be photographed, it’s not really second nature to me. So, anything that makes the whole experience relaxed, enjoyable and fun that’s the key, and the guys really did that for me.”

It’s apparent he draws a clear distinction between performing for his art and self-promotion—the later of which he accepts as part and parcel of his profession. “I think it’s important to divide the line between your professional and personal self,” he says. I press him further on how he finds the right balance between championing his work and maintaining a safe distance from media intrusion. “With so many shows being on TV there is a commitment in terms of publicity that wasn’t as strong as in the past. Yes, when you work on a job, it’s important that you’re proud of it and you want to support it. The other side of it is the nastier side, which can backfire on people.” A diplomatic answer tempered with his signature frankness.

It’s nearing the end of the interview, but his last remarks remind me of something he said at the outset that neatly sums up the actor’s perspective. “Whenever I did theatre, I’d go in, do the job, go home and trust that the work we had done was enough. We didn’t need anyone’s approval, disapproval or opinions.” In our current hashtag culture, it’s refreshing to hear someone completely unfazed by fame, while somehow still managing to wear their sensibilities so lightly.