#but there is just something abt lear…….

[callixton]

i’ve been a lear boy since i first met edmund in myself but man working on serpent’s tooth really did something. i think it might be above hamlet 4 me quite honestly

[ursamajori]

guys will look at their tragedy friends’ blogs and then be like woah i saw a spoiler for a tragedy

[astroels]

Dream girl

E. Williams x Reader

Sum: leaving a party with a pretty auburn headed girl and smoking with her, just having a good time.

wc: 1.5k

Fluff, making out

a/n: thought abt this last night and thought it was a cute idea

It was never a good idea to leave a party with a stranger, but the eye contact made with the lonely girl across the room sparked an understanding. It only strengthened when she walked towards you with a shy smile, asking you if you'd want to go elsewhere with her. You said yes, not only because she seemed like a sweetie, but you needed the company. The party was getting lonely, just babysitting your full cup while standing in a corner waiting for your friends to leave. Besides, it wasn't often you got to meet someone who made you feel comforted on meeting basis.

You sat next to the pretty girl in the back of her run down truck under the stars. You didn't know this would be "elsewhere," but it wasn't bad. She didn't speak much as she drove to this field, only small talk here and there over the music she played to fill the silence. Now that you were finally sat and comfortable, you decided it was time to actually talk.

You looked towards the girl, adjusting the blanket you shared at an awkward distance. "Is it too late to ask for a name?" The girl looked back at you curiously. "Maybe. could be a killer afterall." Her tone seemed to be a playful one. You chuckled awkwardly hoping she was joking. "If you are, please make it quick and put me out of my misery." You touched your heart to add exaggeration. She gave a light hearted chuckle and bit her bottom lip. "Ellie." She didn't strike you as an Ellie, but it fit her. "Pretty name for a pretty face." The words came out of your mouth naturally without double thinking it. The way Ellie's face gave a shocked expression made it less embarrassing. You could almost see the way she reddened with the moonlight.

When you told her your name, she complimented it. Everytime you shared eye contact, it made you want to melt, she felt intense in the most comforting way possible. Even though you felt okay with this girl, anxiety still knotted your stomach, it wasn't everyday you met someone and spent time alone with them automatically. Your thoughts were interrupted by Ellie's voice. "Uhm, do you smoke?" She glanced at you while pulling out a pre-rolled joint from her hoodie. Her features looked so soft when she looked at you, her eyes practically seducing you. You smoked, not without a friend, but you guess Ellie could count as a friend. "Yeah, I do." You smiled after replying. "Great, okay here." She passed you the joint, reaching into her jeans for the lighter.

She lit the joint as it layed between your fingers. It somehow felt wrong for you to take the first drag, so you spoke up. "You take the first one, Ellie." Her name sounding foreign to your tongue as it rolled out. She scooted closer towards you; the warmth that radiated off her body was just a couple of centimeters away. "Uhuh, you go ahead." Her words sounded like a whisper so close to your ear. They tempted you to turn her way, to look for something more, but you settled on just looking forward. You made a noise of agreement and took the first drag, coughing a little after. "Mm, y'got baby lungs." She chuckled at her own teasing. Her comment made you feel small but confident in a way to counter it. Turning your head to face her, you spoke. "Not always." You stared at her eyes for a second, watching hers bat up from your lips.

"Here." You held the joint to her lips, not allowing her to grab it. She hesitated before accepting the babying. "What're you doing?" Her voice came out in a low raspy tone as she licked her lips. " 'm helping you out." You said innocently, smiling. She hummed in agreement, accepting the help in taking a drag. You took another drag once the smoke of Ellie's had disappeared into the air. You both shared the joint, talking about interests, getting unconsciously closer physically. She learned about your interests that you fixated on, your classes, favorites, almost everything was talked about that night.

"Mmm what about instruments, play any?" The awkwardness had faded and turned into comfort in each other's presence. "Hmmm," You laid your head on her shoulder wondering if you should tell her about the guitar you'd gotten. It's totally lame to have one and not know a single thing about it right? Oh well, the you didn't have much train of thought left after Ellie put out the joint. "Got a guitar, dunno how to play it though." You felt Ellie's laugh vibrate from her shoulder. "Does that not count?" You looked up at her. "Not quite." You scoffed jokingly. "Yeah, well what do you play then?" You felt her stare down at you. "Guitar actually-- could teach you if you'd like." Your heart lit up at the thought she wanted to hangout again after tonight. "For sure." You were certain she could feel the way you grinned childishly. "I'll give you my number before we leave, pretty girl."

Your head shot up, looking at her in uncertainty if you heard correctly. "Pretty girl?" You questioned, checking to see if she meant it or it was a casual pet name. "You're really pretty y'know." She said it in a raspy whisper that made your heart flutter, feeling it knot into your stomach. You felt Ellie's hand come up to your face, laying on your cheek. Her hands felt clampy as if they'd been sweating, but you weren't going to mention it. "You are too," was all that came out lowly. As the words left your lips, you felt her other arm, with a beautifully done tattoo you might add, snake around your back. At first, it was just closeness that consumed both of you, basking in the warmth. But soon you were straddling her thighs as both your faces inched closer to each other, discarding the blanket that once covered you.

Ellie's eyes looked hazy with pink tones; it made her all the more attractive. You saw Ellie scan from your eyes to your lips to back to your eyes. Even in the silence, there was a mutual understanding of what's to come. You grabbed Ellie's face and pulled her in, locking your lips with hers. She held a grip on your curve that sat above your ass. Her lips were so soft and plump, you were glad they felt as good as they looked against yours. Soon, Ellie's energy switched into a more dominant one, biting the bottom of your lip for access. Her tongue felt slick against yours as you moaned in pleasure. When she pulled away, her lips looked swollen to match her dreamy eyes. She soon went after your neck instead. She left sloppy kisses near your ear, teasing with licks here and there. The noises she pulled from you only increased her ego to keep on going. As she got lower to your collarbone, she increased the time she spent, sucking to leave marks on display that she was there.

She made her way back up to plant a final kiss on your lips. She then moved past your face to rest her head on your shoulder, pulling you into a semi hug. With your face so close to her neck, you decided to tease her. "Ellie--" you whispered near her ear. You felt her body shudder at your voice. You planted kisses along her neck, experimenting with different ways to see what drew noise. Your softly bit her neck while kissing, and she let out a shaky whimper, something you hadn't heard from her before. You did it again which let her release a breathless moan. You enjoyed that you could do this to her. Not surprised she was into biting, you pulled away so you could face her. "That's interesting," you purred in teasement. Ellie stuttered while trying to find a response and hide the red that covered her face.

With no words to say to your comment, she let out an awkward laugh. "I like you," You couldn't tell if it was a confession or question, but you took it as the one that pleased you most. She rubbed her hand up and down your back in soothing motions. Your smile reached your eyes without you wanting it too. "I like you too, Ellie." You planted a kiss on her and got off. "Now take me home please." You demanded while tilting your head and smiling to make the remark lighthearted.

Once you reached your apartment complex, you waved goodbye to Ellie; She stayed parked near the entrance, you assumed it was to make sure you made it in safe. You looked into your pocket to find your keycard, but instead you were met with a paper.

"Call me :) (307) xxxx-xxx"

You looked back to Ellie, she winked and like that she was gone. She was the girl you'd dreamed of.

[visenyaism]

lear girlies!! im curious as someone who never rly vibed with it, what abt lear makes u go insane i love ur thoughts

So King Lear is at its core a play about how the power dynamics of dynastic politics just absolutely tear a family apart, and the entire country as a result. Daughters who are raised in a household where love is only something that can be exchanged for power love their father until he is weaker than them, and then they cast him out into the storm. It’s like nuclear-level emotional fallout from the relationship between love and power at all times it’s so crazy good.

I really am a sucker for cognitive dissonance as a theme in any and all narratives, like the mind in conflict with itself and the desire to repress the irrepressible. King Lear doing the sight without seeing AND the truth in madness bits simultaneously is so compelling to me. Gloucester can only see the truth after his eyes have been carved out of his skull, Lear can only understand the emotional reality of his family after he has gone completely insane. The only real and honest characters in the whole play are completely removed from power: the fool, the unnamed servant who decides the de-eying of Gloucester is too much to be complicit in, edgar specifically when he’s in disguise as poor tom, and cordelia. King Lear is so bleak but so so compelling.

​Also i feel like most shakespeare plays only have one thing going on but king lear puts some of the juiciest most compelling bits into its B-plot. Edmund as a bastard being more aware of how power dynamics have warped his family and having no room for love being a perfect foil to King Lear who refuses to see that and mistakes one for the other and yet they never have a conversation. it’s so good

[askarss]

i always thought the fanon was cannon well i quess you lear something new everyday well you can belive what age schezo is and i can believe mine wwe all have our own opinions any ways this comic is amzing keep up the good work

cool cool glad this was resolved and thank u. just don't be weird abt it cause even if he's aged down to be shipped w arle it has a weird feeling abt it cause like. he is a grown ass man in canon. and him being shipped with arle is just. kinda yuck no matter the way u frame it

[guideaus]

tristamp ep 5 thoughts pt TWO

wolfwood calling it a mercy kill feels weird when there wasnt even enough info abt rollo. he wasnt exactly running around at vash trying to force him to kill him to finally deliver him to god, at least then it'd fit more, and maybe there could be something else said about vash forcing his ideals on others (at least in stampede so far), but it wasnt convincing enough for me to understand wolfwood's side, esp compared to the other scenarios

it also makes me think abt how livio and wolfwood are technically in the same position here, just not as comically villainous/whatever, and i wonder if its an intentional thing, like showing wolfwood thinks they deserve to die for how they are or what.

stampede also showed him using that narrative doom juice, so theyre probably gonna kill him for the third time in a row, so if he does think he deserves to die (not for his actions, but for what others have done to him), that feels bad...

meryl and roberto continue to stand around and do nothing. if they dont even attempt to broach the topic of the photo to vash in the next ep i'll be annoyed

the wind coming back is weird?? idk if it was supposed to be nice, but it kinda just seems like its a good thing rollo died lmao?? instead of it being bad a child is being sacrificed, maybe if he did get fucking sent to heaven early, then they wouldve got their wind back. which... needless to say, is a bad message lmao. it wasnt even a narrative sacrifice thing for rollo (which i wouldve strongly disagreed with, as well), it just doesnt make sense lol

i dont think elendira was formally introduced, but she had a bio on twitter, so i will say its weird she's im assuming is a happy lab rat stuck in an apparently non aging body. idk if shes still a trans woman, either. she also seems to be narcissistic, or something, kind of like how they seem to be showing zazie, which is... weird. they havent formally introduced her, but its kind of a red flag beyond criticisms of pacing or designs. its very weird

also kinda weird conrad seems to be the only guy responsible for these human experimentations. i feel if they used that cult, it wouldnt be impossible to hand shit down.

nick being in the same car as vash at this point is kinda inconceivable for me concerning stampede lol. the thing in the manga that made them both stand down was vash empathizing with wolfwood, while in stampede wolfwood (a stranger at this point) gets one last jab in to vash where it hurts, theres no opportunity for vash to similarly call him out on something as well bc he doesnt know shit abt him. if that was me, i'd have leared that i shouldnt be telling this guy shit or he'll rub it in my face later. there is no reason they should be together considering.

zazie's design is... weird. not sure how to verbalize my thoughts on it

i guess them trying to give monev the gale (now rollo) a real backstory besides him inexplicably being trained for 20 years to kill vash is something, but also nothing they did here made sense so fsjdsdfhshjds????

[patrolclaw]

ranting abt the wc "lemon" issue, tw for all the big bad stuff (zoo/pedo/rape/etc). i will be discussing this in detail, so please be aafe and don't read if this may trigger you.

i'm gonna preface this by saying that i know nothing will be done about this. i know ao3 in particular is a huge enabler for these kinds of people. this will never go away.

but i'm frustrated. sickened.

i remember being a kid and learing about fanfiction for the first time. and what did i find? something called "lemons". a lot of them. being that i was looking for warrior cats content (y'know, the books about CATS?) finding anything sexual is concerning. but it wasn't juat sexual. oh no, that would be too simple. not edgy and taboo enough.

i still remember some of them, more vividly than i would like. there was one about tigerclaw coercing cinderpaw, to spite fireheart, apparently. there was the brambleash hate-sex/borderline rape fic. the one where dustpelt comforted fernpaw after she was raped by darkstripe by... also raping her. the one where squirrelflight taught her underage daughter about sex by shoving her tail inside her. there were a number of those tail-sex fics. always an obsession with heat cycles. far too many about older cats "teaching" younger cats, or just straight up kittens, about mating.

this, of course, was not good for my developing mind. warrior cats was not the only culprit, but it's something i loved then and still do now. it's an issue i've seen ongoing for years. about 14 years, actually, though i'm sure it began just as soon as the series did. it's personal. it warped my perception as a child. it made me normalize these awful things, because surely it can't be that bad if people are writing these things, right? it hurt me.

i will also say that yes, you can explore "dark themes" respectfully and appropriately in media, even media like warriors. i read a really good oc fic once about a cat recovering after being raped by her clanmate. it focused on her recovery and inner turmoil. at the end, she has a loving network of friends and even a mate. when she decided to tell her mate about what she went through, as well as her doubting herself for giving away the kittens sired by her attacker, she is assured that no, she didn't deserve to hurt, and that she made the right choice. throughout the story, she suffered and struggled with her trauma. but never once was it sexualized. the incident even happens onscreen, but it was done without any of the gratuitous cat genital descriptions found in the countless other fics that include sexual violence. it can be done. but the people who talk about "dark themes" really just mean they want to write porn. that's the difference.

like i said before, i know this will never go away. truly, i do. but that doesn't mean i'll ever be okay with it.

this is an example of the kind of content i'm talking about. every time i go to ao3 to check if the fics i've been reading have updated, i'm greetes with things like this. every time. i'm sick of it.

unfortunately there is no resolution. that's all there is. i just really needed to get that off my chest. if you read all that, or even skimmed, thank you.

[propertiesofjoy]

what, then, keeps bringing us back to king lear?

[sir-sunny]

thh hcs cuz why not

makoto:

-he likes to paint his nails but everytime he does, he makes a goddamn mess all over his hands and the table

-he has dimples

-he's a really affectionate person; he gives hugs as a greeting, he'll grasp someones hands to show that he's listening intently, and he leans against people's shoulders

sayaka:

-she loves stuffed animals 

-when she gets really excited about something, she talks really loud and waves her hands around, its v cute

-she likes to bake. she'll make cute little cupcakes for just about any occasion. passed a test? cupcakes? won a competition? cupcakes. got a divorce? c. cup..cakes,,

leon:

-he has a pet bearded dragon

-he's a huge nerd abt superhero movies and comics

-he likes the idea of growing his hair out but he just cant stand the awkward phase in between long and short hair so he always ends up grabbing a pair of scissors and chopping all off

chihiro:

-they like to take walks while its raining

-they like to host movie nights with their friends (they always pirate the newest movies ;))

-i love love love the hc that they work out with sakura. and sakura is just so happy to help and the two of them are such good friends

mondo:

-his favorite snack is toffee peanuts

-he attends lots and lots of protests; protests for women's rights, gay rights, civil rights, you name it. he really passionate and yells very loudly

-he failed his driving test like three times

taka:

-he can play the violin

-he holds so much tension in his shoulders for the love of god someone get this guy a professional masseuse

-his class notes are upsettingly perfect. from his handwriting to the organization and color coding, its just unreal

hifumi:

-he loves to cosplay

-his depiction of characters are very diverse in his illustrations; he draws disabled people, plus sized people, poc, and so on

-him and chiro like to play pc games together

celeste:

-she'll vent to grand bois cheri (her cat) for hours on end, its very cathartic

-she gets freckles when she goes outside :) she hates it. she always carries a parasol with her when its sunny

-she won't tell anyone but she fucking LOVES rock and roll

sakura:

-she's quite the artist; she loves painting

-she's actually not the biggest fan of donuts, but she loves going on donut dates w hina so its ok

-she owns so many house plants and she takes good care of them too; she likes learing about plants so she knows a lot abt them

mukuro:

-she's actually really good at doing makeup; she doesnt do her own often, but she likes doing her friend's makeup

-she can do parkour 👀

-her favorite season is winter. she honestly loves playing the snow like a child (shes uuhh really intense in snowball fights)

junko (non-depair):

-she has quite the sweet tooth and she's always chewing gum

-she honestly hates wearing boots; theyre a pain to put on and theyre just too heavy

-she wants to be a voice actress; she has a VERY wide rage of voices

kyoko:

-she takes really good care of her hair; she cuts it and styles it herself. its very soft and silky and pretty

-makoto swears that she has a loud, guttural laugh (he loves it) but good luck ever trying to get her to laugh that hard

-she likes cloud watching. its very soothing to her

byakuya:

-he easily gets emotional when watching movies

-he cant see for shit without his glasses. if he loses track of them, he goes full velma mode

-he's actually kinda ripped; he takes really good care of his body (he's the type who looks thinner with clothes on amirite)

hina:

-she's very clumsy. she's always got scratches and bruises on her legs

-she's taken many boxing classes and she knows a lot of boxing moves (shes so buff are u kidding me)

-she's a VERY restless person. shes always moving; rocking back and forth on her heels or swaying her body from side to side

toko:

-despite making fun of hifumi, she likes reading and writing fan fiction

-she's afraid of the dark

-her and kyoko are really good friends and she will occasionally cloud watch with her. she genuinely enjoys their time together

hiro:

-he loves watching shitty movies and making fun of them

-he's a really sympathetic person and he's really good at giving his friends advice. or if they just wanna vent, he'll listen for hours

-his living space always radiates calm energy. the moment you walk in he offers a cup of tea and lights an incense

[greensaplinggrace]

honestly THANK YOU for saying all that abt baghra bc i thought i was going crazy from not liking her??? bc i haven't read the books and only summaries of them on wiki and like. i dunno why ppl like her actually even in the show bc this guy, her son, is like "i wanna make the world better for us grisha" and she's just like "no." even tho he sees that she's MAKING HERSELF SICK from suppressing her powers! she's literally like in bed coughing in the flashback yet seem much healthier at the little palace. also like after everything, after her disapproval, after the fold, after centuries of waiting for the sun summoner.. he never abandons her. he makes sure she's cares for. he doesn't harm her. and i have to wonder if baghra has ever thanks him for that, for just not leaving her alone. like i dunno how im suppose ro believe aleks is a heartless villain when he still cares for his abusive mom like this. like has baghra even told her she loved him (honestly she reminds me of a classic emotionally unavailable asian parent but maybe that's just me). also im wondering if baghra ever told aleks that he had an aunt.. bc like.. now that u bring up her isolating him it's like hmmmm...

not at me being like alina... why do u trust the bitter old woman who literally beats u with a stick and verbally abuses u every chance she gets.. just bc she showed a bad painting... like.. pls use two braincells to see that who u figured out as his mother... is also using his protection..

like baghra could've upped and left with alina. but no. she stayed bc she knew she was safe under aleks's protection.

alsoim just impressed that after his first friend tried to drown him and harvest his bones... he didn't go into hiding???? he still wanted to make a safe heaven for grisha!!! HE STILL WANTED TO PROTECT GRISHA EVEN AFTER HIS GRISHA FRIEND TRIED TO KILL HIM FOR HIS FUCKEN BONES. like... this is the guy im suppose to believe is the villain???

honestly i feel like part of the reason why LB's plotlines seem so bad and disconnected (and sometimes outright racist but that's another rant) and why darkles is disproportionately more violent and villainous in the later books is bc she didn't expect the darkling to be so popular and wanted to stick with her guns of making him the villain. but also wanted the money from aleks's popularity. but like you can't have ur cake and eat it too.

Well thank you for sending this ask! It's very sweet and very passionate. I'm glad you liked my post! I didn't put as much thought into it as some of my others lol. I kind of just talked. But it was nice to be able to finally talk about some of the problems I have with both her character and the fandom/author's perception of her.

HERE is the post this is referring to, in case anyone's wondering.

👀👀 You've hit the nail on the head for so many things, here!

Baghra is extremely emotionally unavailable, basically to the point of neglect. She's also verbally and physically abusive, traits which I doubt were only reserved for her students and not her son. Baghra claims she would do anything to protect him, but I've known a lot of parents who have that mindset and yet still harm their children because they think it's "good for them".

Aleksander stays at Baghra's side for years, and even when they're opposing each other she's never too far away from him. Idk if you've read the books but he does eventually hurt her. And as much as I don't like Baghra, I think his actions were horrid. But I'm also honestly kind of surprised it took him so long lmao.

Yeah I mean, in terms of isolation, let's not forget that she never wanted to introduce him to his father, either. Baghra's sense of eternity clouds a lot of her judgments on relationships, which means she views most people as dust and therefore teaches her son to as well. The problem with that is that he's a growing child, and he needs those social and emotional attachments for healthy development.

I would bet quite a bit of money that Baghra has either never told him she loves him or she has told him so few times it's practically forgettable.

And everything becomes more complicated because so many of Baghra's actions are understandable because of her life and her history, but the impacts they have on the people around her, especially Aleksander, are permanently damaging. And the fact that that's never gone over in critical depth in the books or how it's glossed over in fandom is just very disconcerting. Like, acknowledging Baghra's failings doesn't mean we're excusing Aleksander's actions, it just means we're holding Baghra liable for her own. Which the fandom should be doing, considering she's the epitome of an abusive parental figure.

And Alina trusting Baghra over Aleksander is even more confusing! Especially in the show!! This is the woman who beat her and abused her and tortured her friends when they tiny little children (and who probably still does so now that they're adults). This is the woman who mocks you and harasses you and insults you on a regular basis. Why does Baghra revealing she's Aleksander's mother make Alina change her mind?! Like fuck, I'd just feel bad for Aleksander. No wonder he kept it a secret, I would too! And that painting is enough evidence?! Really?! A random painting shown to you by this abusive mentor that's been making your life hell. That's what you're going to betray your new lover over?

The friends trying to harvest his bones thing is a good point, too. I think Aleksander, especially show Aleksander, is incredibly idealistic. I think he cares too much for others - those he's deemed worth his care (a sentiment given to him by Baghra). Despite everything she's tried to teach him about hiding and abandoning others and never caring and never doing anything to help or reach out or connect with people, Aleksander still continues to do so. It's likely because he never got it from Baghra growing up, and so is desperate for those emotional needs to be fulfilled elsewhere.

His turning point, when Baghra tells him it was understandable that those kids tried to kill him because the world is such a hard place for them - that's crucial. And the reason it's possible as a motivating factor is because of that idealism and that desire to help and that desire to be everything his mother isn't. Baghra tells him this trauma he just experienced was because of the oppression of his people, and instead of following her lead and accepting that, going into hiding and abandoning everybody to their misery, he goes I can do something about that. I can make it so this never happens again. Which is usually how trauma like that combines with one's core personality traits at a young age, especially when there's none of the essential support systems in place to aid in recovery (ie, the role Baghra should have been filling but wasn't, because she decided to exacerbate the problem instead).

And yeah, one of my biggest problems with the ham-fisted "beating you over the head with a sledgehammer of evil deeds" look-how-bad-this-character-is! portrayal of the Darkling in the later books comes from the impression I get that Bardugo doesn't trust her readers. She's so desperate to have us hate this character and think him an irredeemable villain, not trusting any of her readers to engage critically with a morally gray character, that it feels quite a bit like condescending fucking bullshit. Which ew, I know how to engage with literature, thanks.

She really does seem to look down on a large part of her fandom, and imo, the infantilization of the female characters in her books seems to carry over to her impression of most of her female readers as well. Which is why the Darkling's character arc gets fucking destroyed. But he's still a good cash grab, of course, so she'll shake his dead corpse in front of the fandom for money every time she wants something from it.

Also! Another reason I think her plotlines feel disconnected (I'm sorry Bardugo I respect you as a person, but shit-) is because the writing in SaB is just bad. I mean, nevermind the absolutely nauseating implications of the way she portrays the Grisha as a persecuted group who's situation is never actually fully addressed as it should be, considering Grisha rights is what her main villain is fighting for (imo for a series called the Grishaverse, LB seems to be pretty anti Grisha), but her characters and story alone are just wrong for each other. They don't fit together.

And the ending is one of the main pieces of evidence in that regard! You can’t say the ending where Alina isn’t Grisha anymore is her “going back to where she started” when she’s always been Grisha. She just didn’t know she was Grisha because she denied that part of herself that she was born with.

Alina is reluctant to move forward or change, she struggles with adapting, and she’s very set on the things she’s grown attached to throughout her life. She also has some latent prejudices against the Grisha, and so denies the possibility of being Grisha for those reasons as well.

Alina’s lack of powers in the beginning of her life because she willfully doesn’t learn about them to avoid change versus her lack of powers at the end of the book when she’s accepted them and then they’re stripped away from her by outer forces are two entirely separate circumstances. You can’t make a parallel about lost powers and lack of Grisha status bringing her back to the start when she was always Grisha and she always had powers and she simply refused to come to terms with it because of personal reasons.

The first situation is an internal conflict that indicates a story about growth and a journey of self acceptance. Denying herself the opportunity to learn about her heritage and to find acceptance with a group of people like her because she’s tied to the past and because of the way she was raised is the setup for a narrative that tackles unlearning prejudice and learning how to connect with a part of her identity that was denied her and learning how to grow independent and self assured. It’s the setup for a different story entirely. The second situation is an external conflict that centers around the ‘corrupting influence of power’... for some reason.

In a world where Grisha do not have social, political, or economic power and they are hunted, centering your heroine’s journey of self acceptance and growth around an external conflict about... the corrupting influence of power (in a group of people that don’t actually have any power?!) just doesn’t work. It is literally impossible to connect the two stories Bardugo is trying to push in Shadow and Bone without seriously damaging the main character’s developmental arc.

The only way a narrative like this would work, claiming that she has gone back to where she started, is either a) if the Grisha weren’t actually a persecuted group and instead were apart of the upper class, or b) if the one bad connection between the two instances is acknowledged - that Alina denied a part of herself crucial to self acceptance and growing up, and that losing her powers at the end has also denied her. It is a tragedy, not a happy ending.

Alina suffered because she didn’t use her powers. She grew sick. It was bad for her. This was not a resistance to 'the corruption of power and the burden of greed', it was her suffering because she couldn’t fully accept herself.

Framing the ending as a return to the beginning can’t be done if you don’t address how bad the beginning was for your main character. You brought her back to a bad point in her life. You regressed her. This should be a low point in her arc. It should be a problem that’s solved so she can finish developing organically or it should be something that is acknowledged as a tragedy in it’s own right, for the future the world (the writing) denied her.

This is a ramble and it makes no sense and I’m really sorry, but my point is that Bardugo put the wrong characters in the wrong story. The character arc required for organic development doesn’t match the story and intended message at all. The narrative doesn’t fit the cast. She's got two clashing stories attempting to work in tandem and she ends up with both conflicting messages that fans still can’t comprehend in her writing and an ending that doesn’t suit her main character to such an impossible degree that it’s almost laughable.

So yeah, there's a few reasons why I think the story and the plot feels so bad and disconnected. I hope you don't mind me making this answer so long! 😅 I was not expecting to write this much.

[callixton]

stast!edmund & goneril literally make me want to cry & throw up btw…… like they are SO CLOSE TO GETTING OUT. THEY R SO CLOSE TO CONNECTING. and they never quite get there they’re always ships passing they’re never quite having the same conversation they always find one last way to twist the knife……..

[aguecheek]

knocking politely on your door. do you have any twelfth night hot takes it's okay if not im just hyperfixating on it so intensely rn

bro listen to me i ALWAYS have twelfth night hot takes. BIG DISCLAIMER that all of this is completely subjective and absolutely not authoritatively true in any way shape or form. if you disagree with me at all, you’re well within your rights to do so, and I don’t feel the need to convince you otherwise. This is ONE POSSIBLE INTERPRETATION. What I’m talking abt in this post is one way I think I’d like to see the play interpreted and performed one day, because I think it adds a lot to the dynamics and gives the actors a ton of new things to explore in a way that could keep the play fresh, especially for actors or audiences who have potentially seen it done a bunch of times. Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeares most openly and explicitly lgbt plays, and I love thinking about new ways you could explore that. 

Anyway my hot take of the day is that Olivia is a lesbian experiencing comphet!! More below the cut.

I think that one of the reasons she’s spending so long mourning her father and brother is (yes, obviously she’s in mourning, I don’t mean to undermine that) at least partially because it’s a viable excuse to turn away suitors like Orsino. She spends all her time cooped up inside, turning away any men that come to the door, spending all her time instead with Maria, Malvolio, Feste, and Toby. Andrew only comes in later, and honestly I’m gonna talk about her relationship to a few of the aforementioned people and how it fits into this narrative in a hot sec. 

In my opinion, she latches onto Cesario because she perceives him as nonthreatening, sort of a “safe” man. Then, later in the show, when she mistakes Sebastian for Cesario and marries him, I feel as if it’s because she doesn’t actually love Cesario, and nor does she actually love Sebastian. So when she gets married, it feels very much like she’s marrying a Man, not a Person, you get me? 

Okay, now I wanna talk abt Toby, Maria, Andrew, Feste, and Malvolio. Toby and Andrew first! Toby is Olivia’s uncle, and he’s pretty invested in marrying her off to Andrew.  There are two different interpretations of that intention that could fit into this narrative. The first is the obvious route: homophobic toby. the second is, i think, a much more interesting one, which is the consideration that toby and Andrew may or may not have been having a thing. This is when you get into the possible potential story that Toby’s somehow figured out what his niece is dealing with and is trying to be helpful by taking her off the market but remaining with Andrew himself, giving all three of them that freedom to be in their proper relationships, while keeping up appearances. This also possibly explains one of the reasons he’s so willing to throw Malvolio under the bus for Olivia’s love. Because he knows she can’t ever accept his advances. Do i think he’s right for trying to set Olivia up with Andrew in this hypothetical subtextual narrative? No, not really, but do I get where he’s coming from? Yeah.

Feste is interesting, because he’s a clown. And clowns are ALWAYS interesting. Feste is, I think, slightly more interesting than most clowns. Because he actively influences the plot, and has relationships within the circle of characters. He and Olivia have this wonderful teasing relationship, where he sometimes seems almost to take on a mentor-like figure for her? I don’t know if anyone else picked up on that when reading it or watching it, but there are a couple moments that make me go Hm, that was kinda cute and uncle-y, yknow? Anyway, clowns always strike me as strange fourth-dimensional genderless beings, not bound by the confines of the fourth wall or the world of the story. Feste ESPECIALLY, though. Like touchstone’s just an asshole, Lear’s fool is mostly just fourth-wall breaking and goofy, and feste like……..knows things. This is my really roundabout way of saying i think feste is olivia’s personal GSA LMAO

Maria I don’t have much to say about, like I think there could  be something between her and olivia, but that would just depend on the actors playing them. There are a few moments textually, but not so much that it’s a super easy read of things.

Now, Malvolio is Interesting. Because take this narrative and then put in the cross-gartered stocking scene. I’ve been trying to put my emotions about the way this could play out down for a really long time, and I’ve having a hard time doing it. I just think it would be really awful for both of them. If you took my quiz you probably know that I have a lot of sympathy for malvolio and that i think what was done to him was unforgivable. But i have a lot of sympathy for olivia too, and I just think that this scene could be very funny or very heartbreaking or both and I’d love to work with two incredibly experienced actors to see what they could do with it.

Ok ok ok now let me talk about olivia, viola, and malvolio, because they all have something super interesting in common—the ‘vol’ root, meaning ‘wishing.’ It shows up in words like benevolent, and in other characters like Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet. Twelfth Night is about a lot of things, but with the fact that three characters have the vol root? It’s interesting to think about. Olivia spends most of the play wishing for Cesario, Viola spends most of the play wishing for Orsino, and Malvolio… well, his name is a literal direct converse to Benvolio’s name, Malvolio means ill-wishing and benvolio means good-wishing, but that’s tangential. Malvolio still spends the play wishing. What he’s wishing for is up for debate, is he wishing for Olivia? For status? For love in general? Up to the actor. But I think the important point I’m trying to make here is that Viola is the only one who actually gets what she’s wishing for. Olivia marries someone, yes, but she doesn’t marry cesario. Cesario who is...wait for it...Viola. (Not including potential interpretations that present Viola as trans or nonbinary, I LOVE those interpretations and absolutely don’t mean to undermine them in any way with the point I’m making here. For the purposes of this narrative, I feel the need to present Viola as a woman or female-aligned.) Olivia spends the play wishing for a woman and then marries the closest male equivalent that’s available. If that isn’t a narrative that could easily be presented as a lesbian with comphet, I’ll eat my sword.

Final thing I wanted to point out is Olivia’s direct parallel to Antonio. She spends the play pining for Viola, while Antonio spends the play pining for Sebastian. I think it’s made pretty clear in 5.1 that Sebastian returns Antonio’s feelings, at least partially, which often gives me pause to wonder about what tha means for Olivia and Sebastian’s marriage. All i’m saying is that if olivia’s a lesbian, and sebastian’s with antonio, they’ve essentially accidentally achieved what toby hypothetically set out to do with sir andrew.

Basically, I guess all I’m saying is that theres a ton of meat there for actors to sink their teeth into, and I’d really love to put on a version of this show that follows this narrative when im in college, because i think there’s so much to explore with lesbian olivia that mostly isn’t all that touched on. When people think of lgbt themes in twelfth night, often their minds will leap to sebastian and antonio, or orsino and viola, and I absolutely know why, and to be honest I do the same. But i think theres a fuckton to be explored with lesbian olivia, and that it’s worth spending some time contemplating, even if you ultimately decide that this interpretation of the character is not your cup of tea.

[butchhamlet]

45, 29, and 12

maria this got so long i am so fucking sorry. you hit the right buttons to make my brain go so so fast

12. character you can’t bring yourself to care about

did this one over here but i’ll elaborate: i love puck as a concept/character trope and I Am Looking Respectfully at titania but... midsummer simply does not work for me and i think it’s because i can’t get attached to any of the main characters! idk like of course i side with the four lovers against their parents/city rules, and of course i side with helena and hermia against the boys because i’m a feminist like that /s but my most shameful shakespeare confession is that i still sometimes mix helena and hermia up :(

29. pick a setting or concept to stage [play] and share some ideas

one time i had an INTENSELY elaborate dream that i got to direct hamlet at my school and then i woke up and thought about it for a solid week so here were some of my concepts:

the costumes are very purposefully anachronistic - it’s a mix of time periods! everyone fights with swords but also hamlet takes selfies and smears his eyeliner on purpose. the adults are the most consistently dressed in period clothing; the kids are looser. i want laertes in a suns out guns out t-shirt. i want hamlet with eyeliner. i want art hoe horatio

if i have a pinterest for costume ideas no i don’t (s/o to victor for helping me)

the set in the dream was VERY clear, it was like... you know those cheap risers that middle school choirs use. like that but bigger and better. there was the ground floor of the stage ofc and then there were three big platform layers and the idea was that it was almost a split-screen for when different things happen - ex. when the troupe of players do their thing, all the “audience” members sit on the ground floor while the players act on the platforms. when ophelia is talking about hamlet’s dishevelment scene she’s on the ground floor and we watch hamlet walk across the top platform, looking... disheveled! also the ghost never touches the ground floor! because he is not alive oooooooo

sort of going with that kind of theatrical separation. emphasis on hamlet playing shit up for the audience. turning his pain into something theatric and consumable. less and less so as the play goes on and his suffering gets harder and harder to spin into something other than what it is

hamlet is explicitly transmasc; gertrude and ESPECIALLY claudius/polonius don’t really know what to do with him / how to deal with it and certain lines (like claudius’s about unmanly grief) are VERY pointed jabs abt this

polonius SEEMS very comedic and goofy and like a well-meaning old man on the outside but every now and then we see the mask slip and he’s legitimately frightening to both of his children

i think i toyed w the idea of a horatio/ophelia double casting

also toyed with the ideas of 1) laertes returning in act 4 to the song gasolina and 2) hamlet coming back in act 5 with sunglasses and one of those fruity lil umbrella drinks from his england cruise

45. share a Shakespearean hot take or unpopular opinion

i have a whole list of these in a google doc so im just gonna leak them all feel free to ask me to elaborate:

hamlet is trans

edmund is also trans

hamlet has OCD

midsummer is overrated im sorry it’s cool and puck is fantastic but it’s just… idk not nearly the best comedy

lady macbeth is sexy in a “could step on you” way. macbeth is sexy in a “booty shorts and crop top” way

prospero fucking sucks

so does lear but prospero sucks The Most the tempest is a horror story send tweet

gertrude did nothing wrong you’re all just misogynists

if you tell me hamlet has an oedipus complex i’m legally allowed to peel you

[mikeshanlon]

iwwv anon and PHEW OK. I def did not expect that essay and now I feel bad cause I KNOW my thots r not gonna be articulate or right. nonetheless! i think Oliver does qualify as an unreliable narrator cause hes. very oblivious but not like... Richard papen (who is a whole ass clown don't get me started on tsh) but not like addy from dare me(I will support till the day I die that dare me is da like I WILL die on this hill) who sees what she wants to see. 1/?

i think he just... thinks that his friends r diff ppl than they actually r? that doesnt rly make sense but yea. what I mean is that everything the characters do is coated in that empathetic view Oliver has which is usually wrong? so we don't get an objective look into the characters. meredith is my girl like I love the hot popular girl trope deconstruction but at the end of the book she's not at a great place like she's w someone that doesn't love her like she needs to be loved... 2/

I guess the most probable ending is that James never meets Oliver again and that everyone is kinda stuck on what happened but that's soo sad and I really don't want to think abt it. ngl iwwv wasn't like my fave book ever and I really don't understand why people are so obsessed with dark academia sometimes but what i rly liked abt the book is that despite how fucked up everyone is and how toxic they r to each other they do at heart care abt one another...3/

like I rly liked that esp cause at that point the only other da book (other than dare me!) that I had read was tsh and godd every character is so fuckinh annoying and they all hate each other. i was super confused by it till I saw someone saying that it's satire and I felt my mind explode. I feel like this is so long but I didnt rly properly answer all you wrote sorry! I think its a pretty good book tho it has some crazy quotes like hold awn Im gonna look at the highlighted stuff on my copy.. 4/

Were you in love with him?” “Yes,” [...]Yes, I was.” It’s not the whole truth. The whole truth is, I’m in love with him still. LIKEEE PHEWW OK OK OK. WE OUT HERE. that line literally made me go crazy. I'm so sorry for any spelling mistakes or like general mistakes I made here English isn't my first language, it's 1am and I wrote this in the notes app w/o looking it over. so like.. NOT a professional review lemme tell you. 5/5

 Ahh im so sorry I did not see this before I yeeted for a month!!!

Oooh okay first of all dare me as a DA… I’ve only watched the show but like yeah I see the Elements for sure.

Also yeah I can understand what you mean abt Oliver being an unreliable narrator now… Ig my view of unreliable was more like they are purposefully twisting the truth or omitting facts or just literally don’t know shit but I get how personal bias can make the narrator unreliable. I do think the assertion that Oliver thinks his friends are different than they actually are makes sense. He sees James in a very positive light and though I like James a lot and think he is better than, like, Richard, he definitely has darker moments and manipulates Oliver at times (again I’d like to think it’s not the most nefarious thing in the world but like him just being shitty bc he’s in a dark place and he one, wants to do anything he can so Oliver doesn’t figure out he fought Richard so Oliver still thinks of him the same way/bc he knows Oliver would do something stupid like get himself arrested for James; and two, is very jealous that Oliver is with Meredith after Richard dies and has sort of a somewhat positive outcome from Richard’s death versus James being riddled with guilt and anger). And yeah, the probable ending is they never meet but I refuse to acknowledge that so LGNRG. Also that line makes me go CRAZZZZZZZZZZY!!! There are so many great lines, both using Shakespeare and on their own and its like okay give me a moment im going bonkers…

Personally, I haven’t read that many dark academia novels yet (bc for some reason i can barely finish a book rn sigh) but the concept interests me. I think what’s compelling is the setting/atmosphere of like ~mysterious college vibes~, and the idea of a sort of niche, obsessive bond and pursuit of knowledge with a tight knit group of friends (and the like inherent homoeroticism in every single DA elrngenrg). Like Dead Poet’s Society (the film I haven’t read the book) isn’t Dark in the same way most other dark academia is by like, obsession and death and manipulation (though of course there are dark elements with Neil’s storyline), but I think the other building blocks of academia are present there in a more wholesome way and you can see why people are drawn to that idea. As for the more Dark aspects I think it’s interesting to analyze things like group psyche, obsession, manipulation, etc, like what went wrong for everything to take such a dark turn???

 But, like everything else, it really has to be done well or else its just like okay….… I’ve tried to read TSH twice and I may try again but from the 100+ ish pages I read I totally get what you mean. IWWV is so interesting to me bc the characters are all very compelling and multifaceted and I like that they are a close friendship, we come in after 4 years of them spending all the time together and to me that is apparent. Like you said, we can see fissures and problems especially as the novel continues but there is care there between them. That also makes the decision to let Richard die much more interesting and sinister imo, as well as how all of them interact with each other after he dies, and how the roles of the group change without their “leader” so to speak. Also, maybe it’s just bc I like Shakespeare, but I think the academia part of IWWV is so much more accessible compared to TSH. Like I don’t know every Shakespeare play or anything so I didn’t understand every nuance or was like immediately like oh this is from Cymbeline or whatever the fuck, but you could understand the gist of things and it made sense that they spoke in Shakespeare lines bc that’s all they’ve been doing for four years and also theatre kids are Like That. Their pretention also provided any Layers to the story, like the parallels between the characters they play and their own arcs, how some of the lines echoed their own thots, foreshadowed, or they were able to say things through Shakespeare (I’m thinking of like, Oliver realized he loved James during Romeo and Juliet, the foreshadowing that James was going to ruin Richard’s life and that he dislikes Meredith/Richard when he quotes Mercutio at the start “A plague o’ both your houses”, the exchange Oliver and James had onstage and had that kiss during King Lear before Oliver was arrested,etc.) (Also I think the structure of some of the dialogue being formatted like a play really helped make it feel more realistic and immersive). Versus TSH which is just so pedantic and dense and hard to follow at times im like I get they are smart but what??? And maybe that’s part of the satire aspect (or maybe im dumb) but like donna I read TGF I know you are pretentious and info dump abt random obscure shit anyways so erglknerg. Like to me there was a Point to all of the academic Shakespeare stuff in IWWV and it was the soul of the book, and M.L. Rio made it very interesting—like the way that the directors reimagined the plays and had Julius Caesar be like a modern political play, the cool mirror shit in King Lear, the Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet performances where they did them at events and interacted with their environments (which were one of my favorite parts of the books bc I just think that concept is so interesting), etc. For TSH the shit they did literally just felt like “okay look at them they’re smart see you can’t even keep up!” like okay… I felt lost a lot and only like snapped into reality whenever Henry (?) was like oh… murder….. and even then I was like idk what this dude is saying but like he’s being darksided LMAO. And I also agree that it’s just like… Richard being thrown in the middle of this group could lend itself to some cool ideas but its hard to believe that he fits into the friendship group and hes just like hell yeah I love Greek so much and lets go kill this guy other than like okay ur gay and stupid and just want to impress Henry or whatever his name was (which he was but I digress). It’s just not as impactful to me as this close friend group falling apart. Ik TSH fans might be angry if they see this (and of course I haven’t finished the book so my perception may be warped but I also kno many ppl felt that way u did) bc I’ve seen ppl say IWWV is just like TSH but “lackluster” or whatever and while I can see some parallels (mostly b/w Richard and Henry and Alexander and Francis), I really think M.L. Rio expanded upon common DA tropes and the interesting parts of TSH but made it her own and interesting and oh yeah there are actually multiple compelling female characters and LGBT characters (and no incest)!!!

[bronanlynch]

hamlet, much ado, CORIOLANUS, henry the fifth (guess which one I had to c&p)

tbh I assumed u were just really really excited abt coriolanus which like. valid and mood

HAMLET: Do you have any specific/creative ideas on staging a production of Hamlet?

oh boy do I........ ok first of all I would def borrow some of the set/lighting stuff from the production that I saw a few months ago (the one with ruth negga as hamlet) bc there was a lot of really really cool stuff w doors and silhouettes that I thought was super effective. also extremely a fan of having hamlet played by a woman or a transmasc actor bc like. ok. I don’t think trans!hamlet was necessarily what that production was going for but that’s how it came across to me, a transmasc person like. I’ve seen hamlet played by women in a way that felt like hamlet’s a woman in that version, regardless of how much or little they change the script/pronouns. the ruth negga version was like. oh. hamlet is trans and also even if that wasn’t what they were going for it’s still the only portrayal of a transmasc character that’s ever resonated with me personally. not to get into gender stuff but I very rarely feel like I recognize myself in fictional depictions of trans people but something abt this specific hamlet just. really vibed w me y’know? something about the mannerisms and the costuming and the way his depression isn’t specifically abt his gender stuff but that sure doesn’t help (all the layers of being referred to/referring to himself as unmanly, talking abt hating femininity contrasted w how much this version of hamlet clearly cared abt ophelia+gertrude, another reason for everyone to disapprove of his relationship, etc)

anyway tl;dr my ideal production would make hamlet trans, also I’ve been kinda vaguely considering what the costuming might look like if u set it further back in history like. more like the time that the sources shakespeare was working on were from bc then I could use the stuff I learned for my dissertation abt early medieval clothing for something

also I hate how every single production I’ve ever seen has done ophelia’s ~madness so I wanna do a version where she’s playing the same game hamlet is of like. pretending to ~go mad~ so that ppl won’t see her as a threat except it doesn’t work bc there’s a moment when she’s like. giving out the flowers and too much of her anger comes through at claudius. when she leaves the stage for the last time claudius gestures for one of his guards to follow her out with the implication that he’s having her killed (later, when gertrude comes back to say that she’s dead, so does that guard and claudius nods like. yeah good job u did the thing). also laertes tries to follow ophelia when she leaves but claudius stops him, I don’t understand why you wouldn’t play it like that he can’t just let her go like that

also also if hamlet doesn’t die in horatio’s arms what’s even the point, from a narrative perspective as well as a homoeroticism perspective. also in general horatio needs to be present throughout and like. important? bc too many production neglect horatio but like. he’s the one who makes ppl care abt hamlet anyway I’m gonna stop now before I go into an entire essay

wait no that reminds me of the actual academic essay I did write abt generational conflict in hamlet and why u gotta cast the parent generation as like. obviously older than hamlet’s generation in order to get that across. also bc lots of productions cast hamlet & gertrude closer in age than hamlet & ophelia which. hmmmm. don’t love that

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING: Go off about the best female character.

beatrice muchado is a strong contender but also everyone already loves her so I have less to say that hasn’t already been said, I would be tempted to say viola twelfthnight if I weren’t so firmly on team viola/cesario is trans, I love ophelia a lot but I hate the ~madness scenes, most of my favorite women in shakespeare productions I’ve seen have been women playing male roles like please I would love to talk abt the all-female julius caesar where brutus was a butch lesbian, or like. gwendoline christie as titania in midsummer except titania and oberon’s roles were swapped (which I have mixed feelings about bc the oberon/nick bottom stuff is played as a joke which like. to be fair that’s how titania/bottom is usually done and I know the joke isn’t actually just ‘haha they’re gay’ it’s abt the weird magic shit and the fact that puck and titania are messing with them but. y’know. the experience of being in an audience laughing at two dudes kissing did not make me personally feel great. however I fucking loved pretty much everything else about the production so it balances out to still being the best midsummer I’ve ever seen and also one of the best plays I’ve ever seen full stop)

also best is such a vague and subjective thing like. Idk I love a lot of them for different reasons, y’know? I do think beatrice and maybe juliet are the ones I would say are the best written, gertrude is a close third bc it really depends on how she’s played in any given production but one of my favorite parts of hamlet is in the last scene when she drinks the poison if it’s framed as her knowing exactly what’s going on and daring claudius to stop her and admit his own guilt

CORIOLANUS: Which gay pairing has the most evidence? (Conversely, which pairing do you wish had evidence?)

cesario/viola+orsino is canon send tweet. but really like. usually the cross-dressing heroine changes back into women’s clothing at the end to restore heteronormativity or whatever and I know that viola does say “hey I’m gonna go change” but never actually does and orsino still calls them cesario after that in one of his very last lines so like. I’m just sayin

 brutus and cassius’s deaths are basically the same as romeo and juliet’s, and are therefore also a pyramus and thisbe retelling, in this essay I will

HENRY V: What is the best monologue/soliloquy? in general I’m not that into king lear but edmund’s “now gods, stand up for bastards” monologue is extremely good and sexy, somewhere there’s a recording of riz ahmed doing it that’s just. chef’s kiss

as a hamlet stan my favorite hamlet soliloquy is his first one, the one that starts with “oh that this too too sullied flesh would melt,” and ends with “but break my heart for I must hold my tongue” which not to be a basic bitch but that’s one of my favorite lines in anything ever

also antony’s funeral speech for caesar gets me (almost) every goddamn time. the one singular exception to this was the shakespeare in the park production a few years ago where they were trying to do shallow modern political commentary that really didn’t work and actively undermined the themes of the play

[kingjasnah]

Star Trek TOS

literally i post abt tos so much theres no way anyone who’s looked at my blog for more than five seconds doesnt know all this

Favorite character: i literally love spock so much its not even funny like thats it its just spock with his eyeshadow pushed up to the brow bone and the fact that there cannot be a small furry creature on screen without him picking it up and holding it and the inherent dry bitchiness of it all...... :_;

Second favorite character: uhura probably. we genuinely genuinely stan. somehow she’s gayer than spock dont ask me how.

Least favorite character: i’ll take a cop out and use a minor character but i cant believe they gave riley TWO EPISODES....two REALLY GOOD episodes...the lear/hamlet one was iconic

The character I’m most like: oh probably christine but like. if her being a spock girl was more of a wlw/mlm solidarity thing. also we love miss majel in this house and i think i too would try and make soup for friends who are ill :(

Favorite pairing: k/s is a universally accepted truth but triumvirate deserves a shout out here.

Least favorite pairing: hmmm spock/a woman i guess what was up with that. im not counting that romulan captain cause i love her. still havent seen aos so seriously yall what the fuck is up with spock/uhura.

Favorite moment: probably any amount of bones & spock interaction because its literally always good. actually most things bones says in general (mint julep). like i want to say its the one with the roman planet where bones is like ‘you dont HAVE feelings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 aaaaaa!!!!’ and spock is like ‘You Dont Know Me Bitch’ and bones is like ‘oh shit. yeah im worried abt jim too’ wtf WAS that. but also there was that bit in (was it called eye of the beholder??) the one where spock mind melds with an ambassador so hes like quoting love poetry at uhura and bones it like ‘thats not spock!’ and when spock says something bitchy to him back he’s like ‘thats spock!!!’.

but literally any interaction with them. any one. bones keeps accidentally caring a lot about spock (’do not pursue me further captain’/’shut up spock we’re rescuing you’/’......ok CAPTAIN mccoy) and its really nice to watch all the time. honorable mention cause its not tos technically but all the k/s/b interactions from star trek 5.

Rating out of 10: NOTHING gets better than this 10/10 lads