#guys it is SO GOOD season 1 was already brilliant and having it go international only made it better

[a-corndog-named-schibbs]

Star Wars: Visions season 2

Sith: I spent the first five minutes thinking “what the fuck am I looking at” which is exactly what I both expected and wanted from this season

Screecher’s Reach: Not satisfied with making the greatest piece of werewolf media ever, Cartoon Saloon has branched out and made the greatest piece of Star Wars media ever

In the Stars: Kubo and the Two Strings, but with more imperialism

I Am Your Mother: Every other studio: Here’s some trauma!  Aardman: Here’s a cute silly story about a baby lesbian and her mum!

Journey to the Dark Head: Wow okay this sure is the studio that animated Voltron- EUGENE LEE YANG!?!!

The Spy Dancer: Yes, Star Wars is at its best when it says “fuck imperialism” but it’s also at its best when it says “man is this family fucked up or what”

The Bandits of Golak: Sandpiercer

The Pit: Someone at D’Art Shtajio watched Holes and went “Nice, but you know what would be even more fucked up?”

Aau's Song: Autism be damned this teddy bear is Force-sensitive!

[littlespoonsebastian]

Why Eddie's trauma scene is one of the best in the season

iN tHiS eSsAy I WiLl-

You might be wondering what I mean by Eddie's trauma scene. He has quite a few, of course he does, he saw a lot of scary stuff. But what I specifically want to talk about right now is the scene at the end of Chapter 2, when Steve, Dustin, Robin and Max find him in the shed by Lover's Lake. I think it's a perfectly constructed scene for a lot of reasons, which I will be going into now. Fasten your seatbelts and get a snack lmao.

First of all, the point I wanna broadly make is that Eddie is an amazing character as it is. His introductory scene is brilliant, all of his scenes with Chrissy showcase his internal conflict of morals so well, and of course I must give my compliments to Joseph Quinn for just... nailing his line delivery every single time. Many might not really see it, but I think Eddie's character is a clear trope diversion from "the freak" archetype. With the strong front he gives, some would expect his arc in the show to start out as a chaotic wildcard on the older kids team, and slowly develop into a more grounded, caring team player. Stranger Things ain't about that. From the get-go, Eddie is given his strong front, and by the end of the very first chapter, it's stripped away by his witnessing of the supernatural event of Chrissy's vecna-fied death. Eddie barely gets a chance to be "the freak" in the audience's eyes.

Another, smaller point I'd like to make, is that as someone on the neurodiverse spectrum, it is very easy to read Eddie as an individual with autism, from his poor academic performance to trouble with social cues to his abundance of clear stimming. This insinuates that he is never really a freak at face value, but due to his differences he gladly accepts the role of the Hellfire Club leader, and guides all of the other "little sheepies" who don't fit in.

All of that aside, though, let's get to The Scene™ in question. One thing I must preface with is that I. LOVE. NEW. CHARACTERS. ESPECIALLY the moments that they discover the supernatural elements of Stranger Things. I will never get tired of watching the OG squad taking a scared, confused newbie under their wing, and explaining everything that has happened in the previous seasons to them. I have to say though, Eddie's introduction is the best so far. I am obsessed with the way Dustin tells him "what I'm about to tell you may be a little... difficult to take." Even if you don't favour Eddie too much, you must admit that Dustin's dynamic with him is top notch.

I did not plan the structure of this essay, so let's forget Dustin for a moment and talk about trauma :)

I'm something of a whump author and film student myself, so the scene where they find Eddie is already in my good books, but let me just prove to you how good it is even as a casual viewer. In seasons 1-3, very rarely do we see a character truly traumatised, besides Will and perhaps Eleven. In a way, every surviving character who knows about the Upside Down has had a much slower introduction to the horror elements of the story, whether it be from one of those explanations I previously mentioned, or from the original kids finding Eleven in the woods before they found the Demogorgon. One character I might exclude from his point is Steve, who was thrown into the Demogorgon fight face first, but since he's an original character that's a conversation for another time.

I have never, in the whole show, seen a more realistic response to a crazy supernatural event than I did with Eddie. The guy was shaking when they found him. He could barely speak, he wouldn't let anyone touch him, he was whispering to himself over and over. It's unintelligible and the subtitles don't provide anything, but me and my friend think he's miming "I'm fine" or "it's fine" to himself over and over. His voice cracking as he finally boils over and shouts that he knows how crazy he sounds. The feeling of numbness taking over as he tells them that Chrissy couldn't move. Everything he did had me going absolutely wild.

The moment he lets go of Steve and sinks down to the floor is the moment his "freak" archetype is diverted, the moment the audience realised that his unpredictable, chaotic nature is all a front, and the moment his "cowardly" arc begins.

The acting in this scene is phenomenal. A lot of people have mixed feelings towards acting in Netflix original shows, and so do I, to an extent, but the addition of Joseph Quinn to Stranger Things is the best thing I have seen in years. I'm glad he's getting the attention he deserves, because I've loved my fair share of criminally underrated actors who stay criminally underrated (absolutely aching to talk about Iain De Caestecker right now but I must refrain.) I don't know how much of Eddie's trauma response was scripted, given that Joseph improvised quite a few of his lines in later scenes, but everything from the shaking, to the painfully present discomfort as he describes what he saw, to that noise that he makes as he tries to keep talking whilst reliving what happened to Chrissy. Fuckin... Joseph Quinn, everyone.

Now I could sit here and compliment Joseph Quinn all day, and believe me I would, but I wanna talk about Gaten Matarazzo too. Dustin's back and forth with Eddie throughout the whole scene is just perfection, from the viewpoint of someone who writes their own trauma scenes regularly. I wish my characters had the level of patience and gentleness that Dustin has with Eddie. I do not say this lightly, I would gladly trust Dustin Henderson with my life. I would let him be around me while I have a mental breakdown, a sensory overload, just anything honestly. Some little moments that have me absolutely ascending are when he tries to touch Eddie, and quickly understands that physical contact is not okay and doesn't try to touch him again. And of course the previously mentioned line when he tells Eddie he might not take his explanation well. The dynamic that these characters have is certainly one of the most outstanding in this season, much like Dustin's friendship with Steve was in seasons 2 and 3.

Now enough about acting, let's talk about my favourite shots in the scene. The best one by absolute miles has to be the shot of Eddie slowly sinking to the floor with his back against the wall. At first, so much is going on and you don't know where to look, at Steve recovering in the background, at Robin and Max looking unsure of who to tend to, at Dustin slowly approaching the foreground, or at Eddie, literally lowering the protective walls he put around himself as he lets himself be vulnerable around someone he trusts (Dustin). The chaos of the first few seconds in this shot perfectly encapsulates the release of tension, and the audience's relief that no-one was hurt. Whether you guessed that Eddie would release Steve or not, I'm willing to bet that you were still relieved it didn't break into a fight scene. As the cooldown comes to an end, the focus is brought to the two characters on either side of the foreground: Dustin and Eddie.

Eddie has literally sank below the other characters, showing his vulnerability and willingness to trust them. This is starkly contrasted against the previous shots, where he stands above the others and has one character, Steve, under his complete control. And Dustin is crouching opposite him, lowering himself to the same level to comfort him, to assure him that he's not alone. And he really isn't, Dustin knows that Eddie has just seen something inhuman and unnatural, but he also knows that everyone in the shed has seen things like that too. Without even saying it yet, he's letting Eddie know that he isn't crazy, and he's willing to hear him out.

I think this shot, and this scene as a whole, really shows just how impactful a trauma response can be in a show like Stranger Things, that honestly needs it, I mean Jesus H Christ these kids adjust too well to the Upside Down and monsters and shit. I hope for more of them in season 5, seeing as a lot more characters have witnessed supernatural events in Volume 2.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

- Seb :)

[cannoli-reader]

My notes watching Wheel of Time Season 1, episode 2

Posted on readandfindout.com on 11/19/2021

1:48 – Just for the record, on this so-woke show, the two blackest actors are playing Padan Fain and Eamon Valda. Not even cool bad guys, but scummy, marginally competent, bad guys. And rapists.

2:46 – More stupid world-building and “characterization”. I hate hate hate hate hate these lazy monologues about something pointless that is supposed to be profound and allegorical, or some experience or anecdote from a character’s distant past that is incredibly on-point and relevant to the current situation. Seriously. Back during their strike that messed up broadcast schedules about 10+ years ago, I opined that they didn’t deserve anything because TV writers are the absolute lowest form of fiction writers. Nothing in the production of the five major fantasy series I’ve seen adapted for the screen since then has changed my mind in the slightest.

By the way, there had better be something other than “cutting off an Aes Sedai’s hands prevents her from channeling” to explain how the Children of the Light got around “live witches being somewhat hard to (execute)."

5:00 – As abstractly symbolic intros go, this is not the worst. I’m still going to start using the Skip Intro button unless I see it’s somehow relevant to the coming episode.

6:20 – One thing that has never occurred to me, regardless of medium… if they were going to prevent the Trollocs from crossing the Taren after them, they would be effectively stranding them in the Two Rivers. With all the people the boys left home to protect.

8:36 – In the Borderlands they have a saying, ‘The look of the Eyeless, and the Noseless and the Lipless is fear.’

9:30 – I like this version of how Moiraine screws over Hightower. The book version seems not have landed with people as much, and the fandom doesn’t have much sympathy the boys being disturbed by it, which feeds into the myth that Moiraine is always right and smart and everyone should never doubt her because she’s the bestest.

11:27 – “I know, instead of showing character interactions on screen, why not just yeet one of them out of there and then have Mat tell the audience what it would have been like!” “Brilliant Rafe! Book authors are just morons, aren’t they!”

11:52 – Yes, this! Rand’s articulated thought is an actual thing. Like, Moiraine has good reasons for doing what she does, but she also badly handles the Two Rivers boys, so their reasons for being wary of her are also good.

11:55 – Also making it possible for any of them to be the Dragon kind of undercuts that this is something Rand struggles with when he is finally told what specifically the Shadow is after him for, but if done right, it gives opportunities to explore the conflict in dialogue, rather than internally as ITB. Not super confident it’s going to be done right.

13:55 – “Words are important and how we use them is important.” Spoken on a TV show that’s going to mess up all sorts of words, and misuse them dramatically. Edit from the Future: Oh, you sweet summer child.

14:50 – "The Power inside you is the smallest part of your strength. It’s your mind and how you use it that will mean much more in the battles to come.” Explains so much about Egwene, really.

15:35 – That Moiraine has already sensed Egwene’s channeling ability should rule her out as “the most powerful channeler who ever lived.” Meanwhile, ITB, normal people don't care who is a more powerful channeler than whom. To normal people, they are all just channelers, and normal people more likely to call them Aes Sedai than channelers anyway.

17:01 – “It’s the wind that listens to you” is neat wording, harkening to “touch the wind that moves the sun”.

21:07 – I suppose getting the dream stuff out in the open right away works, to stop the fans whining about them not trusting Moiraine and saving time.

22:35 – I like this conflict. It informs the rest of their relationship. Even if to the uninitiated, Rand comes off as petulant, based on the ITB world-building, he’s got legitimate questions.

23:34 – The word “bastard” is never used, once, in the whole Wheel of Time series. In a series where the main character discovers that he was born out of wedlock, with the circumstances of his birth and parentage being a significant and traumatic issue for him, and where a major character conceives a royal heir outside of marriage as well, with her pregnancy being an issue with her character over three books by the original author. Take all your woke bullshit and gender studies nonsense and shove it where the Dark One will be confused, because that’s way more important! That people in WoT don’t even have the concept of legitimacy says way more about gender relations and women’s agency than all the substituting of the word ”person” for “man” or “woman” in the world, or finding ways to cram LGBTQ issues into a series that is already overstuffed with material that it doesn’t have time or room to adapt to the screen.

Even Brandon Sanderson, with all his other blunders, abuse of anachronistic language and misconceptions about the themes and setting, did not make this mistake. He used “interrogate” more times in one paragraph than Jordan did in 11 books, but he was not stupid enough to use “bastard” in the mouth of a character in a world where female social dominance is unquestioned and even mass murderers and Darkfriends are appalled at rape.

More relevant to the plot, Rand’s prior understanding of Egwene taking the Wisdom job and cutting off his nookie nicely establishes that his anger at Egwene’s choice to follow Moiraine is not petty relationship crap, but genuine betrayal that she’s siding with outsiders.

23:47 – Mat is trying to talk Rand into being more reasonable in his hostility toward Moiraine. Because if you’re going to swing and miss that hard for the setting, why not the characters, too? That is a kind of Mat-like rationalization, but it’s the sort of thing Mat says, rather than does. He talks about being practical and self-preserving, but then he acts according to principle.

25:43 – I don’t think Moiraine actually hopes her “sister” in Whitebridge will let them stay. And “wars and witches” kind of do concern them. The effective portrayal of the Three Oaths requires writers who are on the ball, and reasonably clever. But shows keep hiring TV writers instead.

25:45 – Waiting for the zinger question, and it better not come from Valda.

26:00 – There is no worse Child of the Light to alter into an Inquisitor of the Hand of the Light than the egregiously unsubtle and incurious Eamon Valda, whose only tactic is “the charge”.

26:43 – I could be wrong, but I also don’t think the Children ever refer to Aes Sedai as sisters. Even when Niall and Balwer are plotting their PR campaign about the Tower split.

27:27 – “Madam” so they have French in this world?

27:58 – NOOOOO! They would never recommend someone seek out a sister for Healing! What is this?

28:09 – The idea of Moiraine grinning sycophantically like that in the books is highly amusing to me. It kind of looks like Lan is thinking “seriously Moiraine?”

You would think the Children would be questioning how Moraine and company managed to escape Trollocs when they managed to inflict that wound and meanwhile, no one else shows any sign of injury.

29:20 – There’s just something wrong about Moiraine being the one to tell the kids “it may not be the truth you think you hear.”

29:49 – I like the ruins. It’s the kind of thing that WoT should have. They’ve been through the equivalent of two falls of the Roman Empire, after an apocalyptic cataclysm.

30:05 – Nosewart.

30:17 – I’m thinking Nynaeve’s moment of revelation is going to be her saving Moiraine’s life when she turns up again by Healing her.

30:21 – We need singing even less than the books needed dress descriptions. Which were actually important. Unlike the singing.

31:08 – Moiraine only tells people things when she needs a reaction. She told the story of Manetheren to sway the ire of the villagers. She would not whip it out when the kids are already in a good mood and especially not when the last on-screen words with Rand were a fight. Don’t want him getting too full of himself.

31:48 – Nosewart

32:21 – “They knew no help was coming.” Yes, who betrayed them again, Moiraine? See this is why, regarding Rand being suspicious, this is a bad time to bring that up.

34:30 – Sweeping vistas and scenery shots. The TV equivalent of dress descriptions.

36:33 – Don't sniff on camera! First off all, sniffing has a particular meaning in this fandom and second of all, you have a certain osenay artway issue to which it calls attention.

36:50 – You’d barely know Perrin was a widower, if Egwene hadn’t mentioned Laila twice on the journey now.

37:50 – I guess this is their adaptation of how Perrin becomes a Coyotebrother. Because that looks too small for a wolf.

41:05 – Okay, at least with Moiraine being unconscious, there is some excuse for her not telling the boys what Shadar Logoth is. However, Lan on his own would absolutely tell them. Moiraine acts like they have no agency and will behave as she expects. Lan acts like they’re idiots. The former would just sit where they were left and not move without permission, and the latter would not trust them to behave.

43:00 – Which he does.

43:30 – Now they might think this version of the Shadar Logoth story is more economical, but it utterly destroys the lesson of Aridhol, which is that doing things for the wrong reason, and fighting the Shadow with the wrong attitude, is just as bad as being on the wrong side! This is incredibly important, because it informs the stakes of Rand’s internal conflict for most of the story!

And let’s not even get into the potential motivation such as the fact that it conveniently fits with a specific political narrative, leaning into “Walls are bad” and steering away from any implications for extremist methods and their narrative, where what side you are on is all that is important and any tactics are justifiable if your heart is in the right place. In WoT, motivations matter. Using evil methods to a achieve a good end is self-defeating, and the penultimate major lesson for Rand to learn. In later books, we believe a mentor figure who declares that unless Rand pulls his head out of his ass, his victory over the Dark One will be as bad for the world as his defeat, because Shadar Logoth is an example of how that can be.

44:59 – Be neat if this is the same spot where Rand sees Sammael get Mashadared.

45:27 – Good, right profile. Keep showing that right profile, Egwene! No, stop, don’t turn. No, no. Not the left side… And cut to wide angle. Phew.

45:51 – Lan, you have now let all four Emond’s Fielders out of your sight. Are you really doing any good poking at Moiraine’s shoulder?

47:30 – Mat-Perrin interactions are weird. Mostly because they barely exist ITB.

Also, I’m thinking somehow Mordeth is going to infect the dagger from Laila. Or Mat will take up an already infected dagger, because he gave his own away, which is no less dumb.

50:00 – This is all very stupid, because they were specifically warned against touching anything. Whereas they were not in the books, and the dagger was just something Mat picked up at random, instead of specifically messing with stuff he knew he should not, against instructions.

51:18 – One problem with CGI creeping evils is that it’s hard to get horses to react to it. Aldeib’s just standing there in the background, chillin’, because Moiraine can’t run so they can’t have her horse run off, but it looks very incongruous.

I do like this version of Mashadar. For my money they will never top the depiction and atmosphere of Shadar Logoth from the WoT PC game, but this is an interesting way to do it, especially when you remember how much Moiraine’s weaves in the prior episode looked like the book description of Mashadar.

52:08 - “Why don’t you hoist me up?” is a very good question when directed at someone canonically eight inches taller than you.

52:43 - Good use of the power-wrought sword’s properties.

53:19 - The person who says “I’ll find you” when forced to part from their love interest always must shortly after jump from a great height.

54:20 – Forget Rand and Mat, you guys left Bela!! Narg’s lines are cut, and Bela doesn’t carry Egwene out of Shadar Logoth. This show is bullshit.

55:07 – Nynaeve FTW!

[filipinoizukuu]

I saw your post about the FA's translations, and I totally agree. Sometimes, when they do not translate accurately, is to make it sound better or cooler in English, but it just ends up taking away a lot from the context and characters. We know how one of the most affected character interpretations is Katsuki's, a main character, no less. And Izuku and Katsuki's relationship too, which is something super super wrong, considering is deeply intertwined with the main plot of the series, thus if someone misinterpreted their dynamic, this person would miss a bigass chunk of the message the story has.

Here is the panel you mentioned before btw

I remember when I read this, only 10 or 11 chapters into the manga (?), and I was like "...I'm...pretty sure this guy didn't say that" khshsjdhs

OK FIRST OF ALL LMAO HELLO MANG!! THANK YOU SO MUCH AND DW ABOUT IT I TOTALLY GET WHAT YOU MEAN !!

(this is your warning for a long post ahead!)

In any case, I still think you're very correct on this! Not to ramble a bit, but Horikoshi's particular talent in developing the plot of MHA is actually very very brilliant and there are a lot of blink-and-you'll-miss-it details that together, assemble the big picture of what MHA is.

Translations are such an integral part of being able to understand foreign media. MHA or otherwise. The simplest of details say a lot about a character and often times make or break a series because everyone knows that strong character dynamics are what carry even the shittiest of plots.

First and foremost, I want to clarify that because of the nature of fan translations and the fact that most of it is volunteer work/ written out of pure enjoyment of the manga--we shouldn't judge these fan translators too harshly (if at all) for interpreting it the way they want to. FA, as far as I can tell, is a fan-based group that works out of donations.

The first thing I wanna bring up is that when it comes to fandom and its works, there are two types: Curatorial and Transformative. Now, the transformative part is something that must be very familiar to a lot of you. Fanfiction, fanart, and most headcanons fall under Transformative Works (i.e. AO3) because they are all about transforming the canon world to fit each individual's personal preferences. Meta-analysis posts and Character Breakdowns are also classified under this.

Curatorial on the other hand are fandom interactions made with the explicit purpose of being as close to canon material as possible. This is working out the logic of quirks, for example, or memorizing as much canon content about your favorite villain as possible. These are more cold, hard undeniable facts that lend themselves to the DIRECT VISION the creator/author had while making this media. If you were to ask me my opinion on this, this would be the moment where I tell you that the Curatorial side of fandom is where fan translations should (for the most part) fall under.

What people need to know though is that oftentimes, fan translations do not.

Translating isn't and has never been a one-is-to-one process. There are hundreds of thousands of aspects in a language that make it so that it isn't perfectly translatable. Colloquialisms to sayings to dialects, to just plain-out words that don't have a proper English translation to them! Manga is made by and for a Japanese audience, so obviously in a lot of instances, there will be cultural nuances that will not be understood by anyone who hasn't immersed themselves in Japanese culture/language.

So what does this mean then for fan scanlations?

It means that a vast majority of translators teach themselves to only get the essence of the message. They take the dialogue as they understand it and translate it to something of their interpretation. When language and cultural barriers exist, translators do what they can in order to make it understandable to the general populace. This means making their own executive decisions on how they see a character speaking. In example, if they see Todoroki using very direct and impersonal Japanese--one translator might interpret it to mean that Shouto is stiff and overly formal, while another may see it as him being rude and aloof.

The problem is, translators are fans just like us.

Like with the image Mang posted above, the translator based the usage of curse words off of their understanding of Bakugou's character. The lack of foul language in the original Japanese might have made the translator think "Oh. There just aren't enough Japanese cusses for his character." And took that as an initiative to make Bakugou's lines more colorful and violent because this was working off of the image Bakugou had had at this point in canon.

But Codi! You may cry. Wasn't it proven multiple times that Bakugou prefers concise and short lines? They should've known better!

Yes. Maybe they should've known better. But tell me honestly in your first watch-through of MHA, did you perfectly understand Bakugou's character either? Did you catch the whole 'direct and no flowery language' aspect of his language when you first saw Season 2?

Most people don't. I only really understood this fact after I'd read multiple discussions of it and even double-checked the manga myself. These are the kinds of things that only become noticeable with a sharp eye and some time to scrutiny. But the fact of the matter is that when it comes to fan translations, the clout and recognition are always going to go to who can post the quickest.

Am I excusing erroneous translations? A bit, I guess. It's hard for us to go in and expect translators to catch all these errors before release when we ourselves only catch these errors like 4 months in with a hundred times more canon context than these scanlation groups did at the time of its release.

Still, there are plenty of harms that come with faulty translations.

When a translation is more divorced from the original's meaning than usual, it creates a dissonance between what is actually happening versus what the audience sees is happening. This looks like decently-written character arcs being overruled and rejected by most of the readers because of how 'jarring' and 'clumsy' it seems. By the time translators had caught on to the fact that Bakugou was more than just a ticking time bomb, we were already several steps into showing how significantly he cares for Deku.

The characters affected most by these translation errors are often those with the most subtle and well-written character arcs. A single mistake in how the source material is translated can make or break the international reception of a certain character to everyone who isn't invested enough in them to look deeper into the canon source.

It creates hiccups in plots. Things that seem out of character but really aren't. Going back to MHA in specific, the way that inaccurate translations hurt both the 'curatorial' and 'transformative' parts of the fandom is that people have begun to cite them as proof of the main cast's characterization.

Bakugou and Todoroki are undeniably some of the biggest examples of mistranslation injustices.

Katsuki, in a lot of people's minds, has yet to break out of the 'overly-aggressive rival' archetype box that people had been placing him in since Season 1. One of the most amazing aspects and biggest downfalls of Hori's writing was that at first, nearly every character fit into a very neat stereotype for Shonen Animes (Deku being the talking-no-jutsu sunshine MC, Uraraka being the overly bubbly main girl, Todoroki being the aloof and formal rival). He made the audience make assumptions about everyone's characters and then pulled the rug beneath our feet when he revealed deeper sides of them to play around within canon.

What made this part about Horikoshi's set-up so good though were the many clues we were given from the very beginning that these characters were more than what they acted like. Even from the very first chapters, for example, we learn that Katsuki (as much as he acts like a delinquent) dislikes smoking because it could get him in trouble.

That is just a single instance of MHA's use of dialogue to subtly divert our expectations of a character.

Another example is when they replaced 318's dialogue of the Second User saying that Katsuki "completes" Deku with him saying that Katsuki merely "bolsters" him. This presents a different situation, as that line was meant to reinforce the importance of those two's relationship as well as complete the character foils that MHA is partially centered around. By downplaying their developed connection, it becomes harder for the MHA manga scanlations to justify any future significance these two's words have on each other without mottling the pacing of the story.

AKA, it butchers the plot.

With every new volume, there are dozens and dozens more of these hints and bits scattered around! So many cues and subtle foreshadowing at the trajectory of everyone's character arcs--yet mistranslations or inaccurate scans make it so that we don't notice them. This is what I mean when I said that some character arcs are being done great injustices.

Until now, many people can't accept that Katsuki Bakugou cares for anyone other than himself (much less his rival and MC, Izuku Midoriya), nor can they accept that Todoroki would ever willingly work by Endeavor's side. The bottom-line then becomes that because of people missing heavy bits of characterization that become very plot-significant in the future.

When it comes to the point where people can no longer accept or fit their interpretation of the earlier manga events to what is happening in canon, the point of a translation fails completely because it has lead people to follow an entirely different story.

TL;DR - Fan scans are hard. Translating is hard. Don't get too mad at fan translations, but also maybe don't treat them as the catch-all for how characters truly operate. Thanks.

Side note: DO NOT harass FA for any of these things. FA is actually a pretty legit and okay source for scans (they've been operating since like 2014 ffs), but regardless of that they still don't deserve to get flack for their work. You can have any opinion or perspective of canon that you want, I don't care. These are just my two (more like two million tbh) cents on translations. I suggest reading takes from actual Japanese audiences tbh if you wanna know more about the source material of MHA. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[galaxina-the-pyro]

There's NO PnF x Epithet Erased AU and I'm Here to Correct That!

Well, really I just wanna theorize on what everyone's epithets would be and to just have an excuse to talk about the show, because "Epithet Erased" (produced by @jelloapocalypse) is fucking amazing and ya'll need to stop what you're doing and watch it on VRV (also available on YouTube if you can't afford VRV like me - but if you CAN afford VRV, you totally should considering making an account so you can support this AMAAAAAZING project) Go on. Do it.

So - a little info dump for ya'll who aren't in the know...ahem...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h97aI5SZHk4&ab_channel=JelloApocalypseJelloApocalypseVerified

SO! In the world of Epithet Erased, there are those who are gifted with the rare power called, you guessed it, Epithets. Some have them - others don't. The ones who don't are called Mundies, and the ones who do are called Inscribed. Those who are Inscribed each have a unique word attached to their soul that allows them to do "stuff" depending on the given word.

Ex. One of the main characters of the series has the Epithet "Goldbricker", which allows him/her to turn objects into gold, including him/herself.

Inscribed are able to train and hone their powers so that they can gain more abilities in the process - however, depending on the word you get, you may be the most dangerous being in existence, or have the lamest superpower ever. Though, do not be fooled - even the dumbest sounding words can hold their weight in ways you never suspected if you use them right.

Inscribed and Mundies alike are all ranked by three stats: Stamina, Proficiency, and Creativity (arguably the most IMPORTANT stat for Inscribed). These stats dictate one's power and durability within a battle or even for everyday tasks and jobs, like building, or stuff like that.

In the end, Epithets are NOT in any way, shape, or form connected to genetics - Mundie parents can conceive Inscribed children, and Mundie children can have Inscribed parents. All of it is randomized, from whether or not you'll have one, to the word you get in question.

Now with all THAT out of the way, I can go on to ramble about the possible Epithets the REST of the gang has.

NOTE: this isn't me saying EVERYONE listed would be Inscribed if they WERE in Epithet Erased because that's not possible - chances are, someone like Isabella would be a Mundie while that one background character named Baltazar the Ballpit Kid would be Inscribed. This is just for funsies! (Also, because Perry's an animal he doesn't get an Epithet, sorry)

So...without further ado...what I think the cast of PnF's Epithets would be:

Phineas: "Lightbulb" (an Epithet that seems useless on the surface - Phineas is able to cause lightbulbs to appear from thin air upon thinking of an idea. But he's ALSO able to generate electricity and use it in battle, and can use it to charge his machines and anything he builds)

Ferb: "Toolbox" (Ferb is able to pull an assortment of tools and useful gadgets from seemingly nothing, hence him being a literal "toolbox" - these tools vary from things like hammers and saws to actual weaponry. Lord help you if he gets his hands on an ACTUAL toolbox or anything like it)

Candace: "Gatekeeper" (This was a tough one - basically, "gatekeeper" refers to her control-freak personality. Her abilities can be as small as being able to lock or unlock doors from afar/without the use of a key, to being able to create doors and gates to keep people in or out of something or somewhere)

Dr. Doofenshmirtz: "Self-Destruct" (This probably doesn't count because "Self-Destruct" is two words, but DANGIT I'm gonna do it anyway because this is just too perfect for Dr. D! Doof's ability allows him to cause explosions of any kind within the vicinity, including himself. He takes recoil damage from this ability, but it's actually really powerful if used correctly [which luckily, given that he's PROBABLY a Bonzai Blaster in this, his Proficiency is probably too low for him to use it that way, though I'd imagine his creativity is as high as Phineas and Ferb's])

Isabella: "Daydream" (This Epithet allows Isabella to create illusions and false realities with her mind - oftentimes it's to her detriment, as one of her most utilized "fantasies" is Phineasland. However, she can use this ability to trap her enemies and can even summon "imaginary friends" to help her in battle)

Buford: "Wind" (Though the word is simple, Buford is able to control the winds around him - even to the point of creating gusts to blast at enemies. He's also able to fly effortlessly through the air, though for a short period of time [pray that you're not beneath him when he runs out of air]. The catch? His power is through farts and belches...shut up, you all know this makes sense)

Baljeet: "Multiple" (Baljeet's Epithet allows him to project numbers and math problems for all to see - it COULD also allow him to increase in size and to create clones of himself if his Creativity was much higher than it already is. Luckily, he's at the very least able to use these numbers as projectiles)

Vanessa: "Rock" (Which refers to her being the kind of person people can open up to ["Candace Against the Universe"], her tough, firm personality, as well as the kind of music she listens to. With this Epithet, she is able to turn parts of her body into pure stone [much like "Goldbricker"], making her nearly invincible)

Major Monogram: "Screen" (Is able to appear on any screen without the need of a camera - he can also take control of any device with a screen so long as he is inhabiting it...which...kinda puts Carl out of the job, so...uh...let's fix that!)

Carl: "Intern" (Yeah. His Epithet is Intern. Because that's what he is. His ability is a wildcard, as it allows him to work in any environment with high proficiency, but depending on the location he's in he's either a force to be reckoned with or is completely useless in battle. Ex. in an office setting, he's just really good with numbers and writing checks and stapling papers, etc., but in a hospital setting he can have the ability to heal you in battle)

And that's all I really got so far. I might add more in the future. If you guys think their Epithets would be different, I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts!

"Epithet Erased" is fun, creative and such a joy to watch, it'd be a crime for this project to not be completed from a lack of viewing. It's got poignant humor, a cast of quotable, likable characters I guarantee will make you all smile, FANTASTIC MUSIC LIKE OMG IT'S SO GOOD YOU GUYS, an engaging storyline, and is just a charming DnD-esque adventure throughout. And that's just seven episodes - that's right. Season 1 of Epithet Erased has seven beautifully made episodes that you can watch on YouTube/VRV now right on your computer or phone or whatever!

Seriously, I do not kid you, this series has the potential to be as good if not better than shows like "Avatar: the Last Airbender", it's that brilliant. And again, IT ONLY HAS SEVEN EPISODES SO FAIR! It'll only take you, like, three hours to watch them all at most! So really, you don't have an excuse NOT to watch this wonderfully made series! I implore you to give it a look - you will not regret it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMesNJy06kM&ab_channel=ChimericalNightcoreChimericalNightcore

[eurosong]

Undo my ESC 2021 - Semi-final 1

Good afternoon, folks! Every year, I take a look at each semi-final and share what feasible change I would make – as small as changing a few lines of the song or an element of staging, or as big as a different song completely winning a national final – to make it even better (just in my own opinion of course!) This year will be harder than usual, but I’ll try to set aside my conviction that every 2020 artist should have been able to return to see how different SF1 might look. Let’s go!

🇱🇹 Lithuania: PiN was in the Roop's hands, and whilst I fell in love with some of the underdog songs they were up again, most notably Home and Never fall for you again I wouldn't take away the chance away from the Roop. There's nothing I'd change about Discoteque, and I love their nod to On fire, but the way that they also took things in a different direction to last time.

🇸🇮 Slovenia: I may be in a small minority, but I absolutely love Amen and I loved Voda too! Ana Soklič has so much presence and stunning vocals with so much texture and depth; she can sell me pretty much everything. My only change would be to insert Slovenian language lyrics!

🇷🇺 Russia: I was initially really disappointed that we wouldn't see the iconic Little Big on the ESC stage - but I commend the way they wanted to share the limelight with other artists. The unexpected Russian mini-NF ended up being a revelation and very diverse for its size. I liked all three songs, but I think that the best hands down won. There is nothing I have to change to Russian woman, one of the most powerful propositions of the season for me. I just hope juries will value it and we won't see a Telemóveis style situation!

����🇪 Sweden: After a year of being happy with the result in Sweden - I was always in Dotter's corner, but who can't love the Mamas? - we return to more familiar terrain of an MF result disgruntling me. Tusse has charisma and talent, but his song is lacklustre at best for me. My fav was, once again, Dotter, and I wish that either she'd taken the win or that the Mamas got their shot at ESC as main artists.

🇦🇺 Australia: I really enjoy Technicolour, one of the more out-of-left-field entries from Oz. I am so intrigued as to what the Diane Warren song offered to Montaigne was like, as I'm certain that this isn't it, but I'm glad she trusted her gut and went for something so distinctive. My one change would be to get rid of the unnecessary key change at the end.

🇲🇰 Macedonia: When there was a nationalistic furore with attempts to stop Vasil from representing MK, I was entirely on his side even though his song for me is one of the least appealing of the edition. I'd still want him to get his chance at ESC - but his Sudbina would have been such a more compelling entry for my taste.

🇮🇪 Ireland: Lesley Roy served nostalgic pop wonderment for the second year in a row, and another song that has etched itself already onto my life's soundtrack. I don't know what I'd change, except perhaps translate one of the choruses into Irish Gaelic - it'd make the message of a return to home even more resonant for me.

🇨🇾 Cyprus: Cyprus and I haven't seen eye to eye for several years now, and it's a shame as they were one of my favourite countries of the 90s. I do enjoy El diablo more than their last trio of songs, but I find it leans too heavy on a clear inspiration from Gaga, which takes away from some of the more original elements of the song. So, I'd rework the chorus, and also change some of the lyrics elsewhere because some lines just flat out make me cringe.

🇳🇴 Norway: I seem to have been in the minority of people delighted at MGP's final results! I had bigger favourites - the rambunctious sea shanty that is Vi er Norge, the kickass empowering Witch woods or the pulsating groove of Playing with fire - but I wouldn't take Tix' win away from him given how meaningful it was for him and what the guy has been through. My change? Revert partially or entirely to the Norwegian version, Ut av mørket; for me, it hits my heart harder.

🇭🇷 Croatia: Sincerely, my biggest disappointment of the NF season potentially - I wish Damir had been internally selected, not just because of my wish to see all ESC'20 alumni return, but because his was the best Croatian song for me since Moja štikla. Tick-tock is harmless but if we can't get a Damir return in this hypothesis, then I'd go for Rijeka, which captivated me with its epicness on first listen and has just risen in my estimation since. Though, given Nina's histrionics after coming second, maybe I'd have Albina perform the song instead.

🇧🇪 Belgium: I was prepared to not be on board with Belgium this year despite my long-lived love for the country - I found Release me, whilst orchestrated beautifully, entirely lacking in dynamism; and I really couldn't stand the way the band dumped Luka unceremoniously. And yet... this lush piece of art is one of my favs of the entire season. And there's something different and singular in Geike's voice. So the only thing I'm changing here are the dudes' attitudes to ESC so that they can value it more, especially Alex.

🇮🇱 Israël: As one of the most naturally charismatic performers of 2020, I had high hopes for Eden's return and the original idea of a mega-NF for her seemed really promising. Instead, we ended up with an uninspired strewing of songs, of which the best didn't even get the chance to be recorded by her. Set me free was my favourite of the three that got to the final, but I feel they've really worsened it with the revamp, in between the hail mary pass of the whistle vote and the extra emphasis on "I'mma". I would have Eden perform Shoulders instead - I don't know how it NQd and think it would allow her to showcase her personality a lot more.

🇷🇴 Romania: I really enjoyed Roxen's selection last year - small but quite diverse, and I felt the best song won. My change would be to have seen a similar national final with 3 or 4 other songs of hers this time, because I'm not convinced in Amnesia anywhere near as much as I was of Alcohol you.

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan: I wish they had gone with something at least a bit different rather than this cut, smudge and paste from last year that is so on the nose with its "you loved Cleopatra, so you will love this, won't you?" feel that it even namechecks the previous song. Efendi has a lot of talent and could have shown more diversity here.

🇺🇦 Ukraine: I'm getting used to the surprise revamp of Šum by now, but the question still remains for me, why did they do it? They needed to cut about a minute off the duration of the track, but to me, that doesn't explain why they also had to change the melody in large parts of the song. I'd be tempted to revert to a shortened form version of Šum version 1.

🇲🇹 Malta: Another unpopular opinion, but I'm just not that into the Maltese song this year. The lyrics are great and Destiny has poise and presence and PIPES and I'm sure she'll do well, but the style - a glammed up Electro-Velvet, essentially - doesn't heat me up, and I feel like the different parts of the composition are too dissonant from each other, like we have 2 or 3 songs in one here. My change would be for her to have gone with something more soul-ish in its sound, like AOML was.

And the AQs of this semi

🇩🇪 Germany: How did juries decide upon this, especially when there seems to have been many promising artists in the German selection? No shade against Jendrick who seems like a lovely chap, but the song sounds like the cheerful four chords on a ukulele you hear repeated as royalty free background music on Youtube tutorials, merged with a post-chorus breakdown taken from a Stefan Raab b-side. I would have gotten out my phone book and given Lilly among clouds a call - she gives me the vibes of being able to create something totally show-stopping.

🇳🇱 Netherlands: My original slight disappointment at this was more because of how high I have Grow than any fault of its own. It's another gorgeous composition from Jeangu, with probably the best set of lyrics of the year, and this is going to be a moment. I change nothing.

🇮🇹 Italy: I like Måneskin and their performances at Sanremo were brilliant - but they were far from being at the top of my favourites list. I would have given the win to Madame with Voce, or Ermal with Un milione di cose da dirti. Both would have been my #1 of the entire year, both move me deeply. Madame showcases contemporary Italian style with classic songwriting, whilst Ermal almost created a companion piece to Fai rumore - Diodato wanted to hear the sound of his loved one, whilst Ermal struggles to make a noise and say what he feels about his love.

Join me soon as I take a look at SF2 and its songs (and France, Spain and the UK, the auto-qualifiers from that semi!)

[teddy-bear-surprise]

Chapter 2: The First Assignment

Link to the table of contents and disclaimers: 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐲 ✷ 𝐌𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐤𝐢

A/N: Sorry for the long wait :( I just started writing the third chapter so that should be up relatively soon too... It was supposed to be a part of this chapter but I had to separate it bc google docs starts crapping out after like 10 pages

Mitch and Marcel exited the foyer after a long introduction and walked along the clean marble hallway. As Stilinski followed Marcel, he cautiously scanned the walls admiring the outdated yet stylish design. The heels of his oxfords clicked vibrantly with each stride, echoing against the tall ceiling. As their steps approached Genevieve’s hiding spot, she scampered back into her sanctuary. She stole a quick glance into the hallway, locking eyes with Mitch.

The sudden and unintended eye contact with Celestin’s daughter drove a stake through Mitch’s heart and invoked the dozens of warnings that Didier and Hurley had drilled into his head the prior week. Whatever you do, Stilinski, don’t engage with his daughter. Hey, Stilinski, remember that Marcel Celestin will literally rip you to pieces if you fuck up. Don’t forget: if Celestin even suspects you might be interested in his daughter, you’re deader than dead.

Mitch averted his eyes and gave his head a quick shake, ridding himself of the ridiculous internal commentary. He clearly understood the severity and danger of his employment, but he struggled to wrap his head around the notion of a father as overprotective as Marcel. Mitch never had anyone worry about him like that. When he joined the CIA, he was only able to do so because of his complete lack of family, friends, and life. He had always seen himself as expandable to a certain extent. Stilinski would put his life on the line, time after time, because he just could not fathom anything more important than his mission. In attempting to understand Marcel’s neuroticism, Mitch realized that Marcel’s mission was handing off his “business” to Genevieve, and that– like him– Marcel would stop at nothing to see his mission through. Even so, Mitch questioned the validity of the horror stories he had been bombarded with regarding the Celestins.

A lock snapped loudly, bringing Mitch out of his trance, as another one of Marcel’s employees opened the door for them to enter Marcel’s grand office. The walls were lined with glimmering trophies from Marcel’s past and photographs of him and Genevieve; Mitch was struck with surprise to see a mafioso’s office look so ordinary. The floor here was no longer made of stone and was instead a smooth dark wood. In the center of the room there lay a large, illustrious rug with a heavy mahogany desk sitting atop it. On the wall behind the desk, two grand windows brightened the room and gave it life.

Marcel continued walking in front of Stilinski, making his way to the looming chair behind the desk. He sat himself down, motioning across the desk, and told Mitch to take a seat. Mitch pulled out a chair and rested his body weight on the arm as he lowered himself onto the seat. He then leaned forward and looked at Marcel, waiting for further instruction.

“Stilinski,” Celestin began, “After Didier assesses your physical abilities today, I have a job for you. Tomorrow, I want you to take my daughter, Genevieve, to Paris. It’s been years since she’s been to the city and I’m having a soireè next week so she needs a new outfit. Your job is simple, keep her alive, make sure she gets something nice, and obviously don’t fuck up.”

“Of course, Sir. It would be my pleasure.” Mitch replied immediately, though his mind was churning.

“Let’s consider this a gesture of good faith. You get her there and back in one piece and you get to keep your job, you fail and… Well, I think you know what happens then, don’t you?”

Stilinski took a deep breath, “Yes, Sir. I am aware. Thank you for this opportunity, I won’t let you down.”

Celestin nodded his head towards the door, indicating that Mitch should leave. “Good, I wouldn’t want to lose another half-decent guard to incompetency.”

Mitch nodded while he got up and walked to the door. As he reached for the knob, the door swung open and he came face to face with Genevieve. Again. He looked down at her, unintentionally, before quickly backing away and letting her pass in front of him. She kept her eyes on him for another second before waltzing towards her father’s desk.

“One of the guards gave me a note telling me to meet you down here, what’s going on?”

“You know what, Genevieve, you got here just in time. Stilinski, stay here for just another minute and shut the door, will you?”

Stilinski closed the door again, “Yes, Sir.”

“Genevieve, I want you to meet our newest guard, Mitch Stilinski. He’s going to take you into Paris tomorrow to pick some things up for the event I’m planning for next weekend.”

Genevieve turned and glared at Mitch, slightly squinting her eyes, “Really?”

She had not meant it in a rude way, but she was truly shocked that her father would let the ‘new guy’ take her into the city.

“Sorry,” Genevieve continued. “That sounds like a brilliant idea father.”

Marcel smirked and waved his hand, dismissing the both of them. Mitch re-opened the door, holding it open for Genevieve. She walked past him without so much as a glance. Genevieve slipped back into the library, slamming the door loudly behind her.

Mitch, as confused as ever, shut Marcel’s door quietly. He walked rapidly away, trying to figure out where the gym was. He eventually found it, the first door to the right of the foyer, and saw Didier patiently waiting inside. Didier was leaning against a padded wall, wrapping his hands, dressed in a black t-shirt and sweatpants.

Didier greeted him nonchalantly, “So, Stilinski, how’s the first day going?”

“It could be better. Celestin already gave me an assignment and I don’t know if I’m anywhere near ready to take on this kind of responsibility.”

“Well then, you better learn soon.” He chuckled at the quip and rolled his eyes, “I kinda figured that out on my own, Axel. I’m gonna go change but I’ll be back in a minute.”

Stilinski stumbled into the locker room, trying to find the locker with his number on it. When he had been tattooed with the crow on his neck, he was assigned a number. Mitch had been given the number 7 following the death of the original number 7 in a gruesome shoot-out. The number was hidden within the bird’s eye, forever marking him as one of Celestin’s disciples. He scanned up, down, and across until the number 7 caught his eye. It was hidden in the far right corner of the locker room and when he opened it, it contained the same black shirt, pants, and hand wraps that Didier had. Mitch carefully took off his suit, hanging it in the locker, and put on the black ensemble. He wrapped his hands quickly as he walked out of the locker room.

Mitch and Axel sparred for over an hour, neither one could seem to knock the other down long enough to win. It seemed that, though years ago, Hurley’s training had stuck in their minds. Both of their hands were covered in bruises beneath the wraps, only a few punches away from dislocating a knuckle. They panted heavily as they threw punches and kicked at each other with sweat dripping into their eyes. Mitch approached Axel, hoping to win the match with a final punch, but Didier was more experienced and used Mitch’s own momentum against him. He punched Stilinski sharply in the jaw, knocked him onto his back, and held him down with one knee.

“5… 4… 3… 2… 1… I win!” Didier lifted his knee from Mitch’s chest as he stood up.

“You know,” Began Stilinski, “I would normally be mad that you beat me, but I’m so tired right now that I couldn’t care less.”

“Yeah right, Stilinski. I know I hurt your ego.” He held a hand out to Mitch.

Stilinski stood up, “I’m serious, the jet lag, the sparring, and the weird threats… I’m exhausted from all this shit and it’s only day one.”

“You’ll get used to it. Why don’t you tell me more about this new assignment of yours while we do a few miles on the treadmill?”

“Great, running and talking. My two favorite things. I’ll agree to it this once, but only because I don’t have the slightest fucking idea about what to do tomorrow.”

A few rooms down, Genevieve continued obsessively daydreaming about her outing to Paris. She could hardly even remember what stores she used to shop at in the city, let alone how to dress for an event as nice as the one her father was planning. Along the bottom row of the library shelves, there was a handful of fashion magazines, they were all a few seasons old but she figured they would hold up well enough. After all, how much could fashion really change?

Genevieve leafed through the pages, dog-earing the outfits she thought might be appropriate for the occasion. She closed her eyes, letting the sun seep through her eyelids as she pictured herself walking down the long staircase in a shimmering sage dress.

In her mind, the ideal dress would be fuller than full, putting at least two feet between her and everyone else; it was to have a laced corset bodice covered in lilac petals and small beads; and the straps would hang loosely off of her shoulders, brushing her skin ever so slightly. Unfortunately, however, Genevieve knew that it would be impossible to find such a dress on such short notice. She continued flipping through dozens of magazines until dinnertime, jotting down the names of certain shops and designers that were based in Paris, and hoped that one of them might be able to produce a miracle. Soon after, Genevieve’s night came to a close and she drifted off to sleep dreaming about the following day’s adventures.

“Genevieve, my darling, it’s time for you to get up. You’ve got to go into the city to find an outfit. Remember?”

Marcel sat down on Geveieve’s bed, rubbing her shoulder softly. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. At only seven in the morning, the sun had just begun it’s work and shone weakly along the horizon. Its rays reflected off of the curtains and into Genevieve’s eyes, causing her to turn away from the window.

“Yes, I remember.” She sighed with uncertainty, “Papà, I’m not quite sure I’m up for this today. This seems like such a big step to take… for me, and for the new guard.”

Genevieve’s stomach churned and her heart began beating quickly. Suddenly, it felt like the whole world– despite its beauty– had put her into a chokehold. She breathed with shallow gasps, never seeming to get enough oxygen. Her arms grew weak and she laid back down, praying that the horrible feeling would subside.

Her father’s eyebrows furrowed together, “You’ll be okay, my darling. I would never let anything happen to you. I promise.”

Marcel got up and opened Genevieve’s door, calling out for someone to bring a glass of water.

“But what if something did happen? What if…”

Marcel cut her off, “I know you’re anxious. I know, but give it an hour, and then you can decide if you want to go or not.”

His words, while not very helpful, provided some comfort. For some reason, Genevieve had a nasty habit of developing nauseating anxiety in the early morning. It had been happening since she was a child, but as she had not woken up before nine am in many years, she had grown unaccustomed to the feeling. It used to just set her back by a few minutes, only occasionally proving to be a real problem. Now, however, Genevieve felt like she had been hit by a two-ton garbage truck.

The same man who had brought her lunch yesterday walked in with a tall glass of water. He handed it to Genevieve who sipped on it slowly.

“Well, I’ll be in my office if you need anything. I’ll check back in an hour to see how you are. Sebastien, let’s go.” Her father patted her head and walked out, Sebastien closing the door behind them.

Genevieve sat up and leaned against the wall, breathing deeply and naming everything in her vicinity. She saw her bed, her hands, the door, the windows, and the glass of water on her bedside table. Her skin felt the cool fabric of her bed, the cold glass between her palms, the single feather poking out of her pillow, and the wall behind her head. Her ears could pick out the faint sound of voices outside, birds chirping, and the wind blowing. With each inhale, she could smell breakfast being made in the kitchen mixing with the fresh scent of her bedsheets. Taking a sip of water, she noted that she didn’t quite taste anything, but that always seemed to happen when she got to the last step.

During the next fifty-five minutes Genevieve’s breath became more natural and her heartbeat slowed. Still leaning against the wall, she bent over to place the empty water glass on her bedside table, wondering why she held onto it for so long. Her father came in soon after as if he had telepathically sensed her newfound calm.

He sat beside her, taking her hand in his, “So, was I right? Are you feeling better now, Genevieve?”

“Yeah, I guess I do feel better.” She let a small smirk take over her face.

“See, daughter, all you needed was some time. That is our most precious resource. Not our money, not our network, not our assassins… It’s the one we take the most for granted, our time. One day, you’ll see just how little time we really have.” Marcel let go of her hand, “Now, you go on into the city to find something nice to wear.”

Genevieve stood up and ushered her father out. She figured it was time to get dressed since she had already wasted so much time. After changing, she brushed her teeth and rushed downstairs, hoping to make the most of her time. While Genevieve was not necessarily excited to be going shopping, it was an opportunity that she had not been able to experience in a long time.

Her father led her to a car that was waiting out front with Mitch behind the wheel. He tilted his head down by an inch when he noticed her as a sign of respect. Genevieve slid into the back seat quietly, pulling her backpack over her knees. As she looked back towards him, Marcel shut the car door and gave her a soft smile. He patted the side of the car and Mitch slowly drove away, the sounds of gravel crunching beneath the tires. Genevieve turned solemnly towards her home, watching it shrink into the horizon. This outing was a new type of adventure for both herself and Mitch, and neither of them knew what to expect.

[justasparkwritings]

The 1: Well Enough Alone

Previous: Making It Count 

Pairing: Hoseok X Reader

Genre: Slice of Life / Angst / Strangers to Lovers / FWB

Rating: NC15

Word Count: 3.2K

Warnings: Swearing, Drinking, Mentions of Recreational Drug Use, Mentions of Consensual Sex

Summary: Hoseok returns to New York to make sense of the mess he’s made. 

Listen: the 1 by Taylor Swift

         The beginning of summer in New York was a mixture of heat and stench, the smells of the city rotting under the suns unrelenting gaze. Summer in the city was a mixture of absolute hell and immense pleasure, as rooftop parties, pool gatherings and air conditioning entangled themselves with the sweat and grime of the subway. It was your favorite season, sun dresses and eyelet shorts with chunky sandals and sunglass fashion was enough to tide you through until fall.

            It also meant that Hoseok would be returning, his first time back since your tryst in January. You decided to meet at the bar, and you hoped that you’d fall back into the ease and comfort of your first romantic escapade.

          You stepped into the bar, the summer sun illuminating the typically dark and dingy business. You turned your head, craning to see the brilliant smile of Hoseok, only to come up short.

           “Looking for someone?” A man said, arm slipping around your waist. You turned; eyes wide.

           “Hobi!” You called, wrapping your arms around him, pulling him to you. He laughed cheerfully and inhaled your shampoo, the scent bringing him back to whispers over tequila and scratches in the night. He held you tight, savoring the comfort of your familiarity.

           “I missed you, Y/N.”

           “I missed you, too,” You blushed as you pulled away from him.

           “Shall we?” He gestured towards the bar and you moved to take two seats in the corner, far from the growing crowd but close to the air conditioning. He left briefly to get drinks, and when he came back, he winked as he handed you your glass.

           “Manhattan Goes Hollywood,” He said, taking a sip, “not as good as yours.”

           “You remember that?”

           “I remember a lot of things,” He said. You blushed again. “Did you break our promise?”

           “My promise to you? No, I didn’t.” You said.

           “So tell me, what adventures did you go on?” Ho-Seok didn’t stop smiling.

           “I went to Rome,” You informed him.

           “No way,” He was surprised.

           “I did, I got lost and had to ask no less than five strangers in broken Italian how to get back to my hotel.”  

           “Did you go alone?”

           “My friends and I went, but we took a day to explore the sites we wanted to see, alone. Katie went to Verona, Emily went on an olive oil tour. I went to see the Saint Valentine skull and got lost.”

           “No!”

           “Yeah, it was awful, I had several panic attacks,” You sipped your drink, the alcohol warming your already too hot skin.

           “But you made it back,” Hoseok tipped his glass to you, humor in his eyes.

           “Yes, I made it back before dark, but barely,” You laughed, embarrassed at your blunder.

           “What else did you do?” He was egging you on, daring you to share wild escapades you’d had while he was touring, the ultimate adventure.

           “I took molly at a Kim Petras concert in Bushwick,” You were unsure how he’d respond to your foray into illicit drugs. In true Hoseok fashion, his shock came across in a raucous laugh.

           “You didn’t!”

           “I did, it was, euphoric,” You said.

           “I can imagine,” He responded, eyes veiled with an emotion you couldn’t recognize. “You didn’t text me though.”

           You bit your lip. There were unclear boundaries in your relationship, this cat and mouse, never sure what was okay and what wasn’t, putting things out into the universe to see what would stick, often coming up short as he crossed time zones and continents. By texting him, he meant purposefully seeking him out. Not the snapchats, drunken messages late at night or voice messages sent. Hoseok meant you hadn’t texted him or sought him out when you realized you’d be in Europe at the same time. He meant you didn’t reach out when you saw something that reminded you of him, or when you heard BTS in the speakers at Target. You’d written the texts, you’d almost hit send dozens of time, but each time you stopped yourself. Hoseok didn’t want a relationship. He wasn’t interested in settling down. It didn’t matter if you felt a connection to him, if your heart wanted his every day. He made it clear in January, no matter how many times you turned his words, his actions, over in your mind, you came to the same conclusion.  

           You were both playing the game, but only one of you could win.

           “I didn’t know you wanted me to,” You said, eyes unable to move from his.

           “I did,” He said.

           “You didn’t text either,” You reminded him.

           “I know,” He said, eyes darting to your lips.

           You stayed like that, unmoving, eyes trying to communicate what had happened in the months since you’d been in each other’s orbit.

           “You saved the voice messages,” You said.

           “So did you,” Hoseok countered. It was moot point. There was no upper hand.

           “Do you want to get out of here?” You asked, ice saturating your drink, the unrest in your body making you uncomfortable.

           “Your place?” He questioned.

           “You’re forward,” You forced a laugh, a poor attempt at breaking some of the tension.

           “We don’t have to-

           “I know,” You stood.

           “We can but, I’m happy just being,”

           “Together,” you finished.

           “Yes,” He nodded.

           You nodded in response before standing up and much like before, your hands found each other’s as you guided him back to the street. Hoseok looked left and right, before glancing down at you.

           “Are you trying to navigate us, or just being cute?”

           “Can’t I be both?”

           “Sure, Hoseok, sure,” You laughed again, guiding him down the familiar streets to your apartment. “How long are you here for?”

           “Four days,” He said.

           “Doing?”

           “A photo shoot, somethings for MTV, Today Summer Concert series,”

           “Holy fuck, how did I forget?” You stopped in the middle of the street, staring at Hoseok. “Friday, right?”

           “Yes,”

           “That’s so exciting! It’s going to be a fucking madhouse!” You were giddy, new BTS content? Yes, please.

           “I know, I’m excited,” He took your excitement and leveled up. Euphoria seeping through his chuckles.

           “How are the guys feeling?” You asked.

           “Good, excited to perform again,” He said, energy flowing freely between you.

           “It’s not like it’s been years since you performed.”

           “No, but you still miss it after a week or two off,” Ho-Seok said.

          Hoseok had a few weeks off… why didn’t he come to New York sooner? YOU’RE NOT HIS GIRLFRIEND, yelled the voices of Emily and Katie.

           “What are you going to perform?” You asked, pulling yourself back to him.

           “I can’t tell you that,” He laughed again.

           “Please?” You begged, bottom lip jutting out, eyes swelling.

           “What do I get in return?” Hoseok’s tone was teasing, you both knew he didn’t want anything from you.

           “What do you want?” You asked. You had reached your apartment, and as you walked up the two flights of stairs, Hobi thought about what exactly he was trying to get from you. He didn’t want anything, and yet, he felt like he wanted everything from you and with you. He had kept your voice messages and wouldn’t delete your voicemails. He had a file of screenshots of drunk texts you’d sent, confessions late at night… He couldn’t count the number of times he reached to text you… the phone calls and facetimes he’d said were an accident but were really his feeble attempt at reaching out to you. All he wanted was to talk to you, to tell you about the shows, to fly you to him, to talk to you, to be with you. But he couldn’t.

           “Come to the show on Friday,” He offered.

           “What?” Your heart stood still.

           “Come to the show, I’ll put you on the list.” He tried to brush it off like it was nothing, an innocent outing.

           “Hoseok, would the guys be okay with that? Is that allowed?” Your mind began to race with possibilities.

           “Why not? Yes, it’s allowed, we can hang out after,” He shrugged.

           “Okay,” You said hesitantly.

           “Yeah?” His smile was back.

           “Yeah!” You smiled.

           Hoseok pulled you to him, first in a hug, then his lips found yours. He missed the way you tasted, the way your fingers scrunched around his shirt, holding him to you by the thread count. He missed the sounds you made, the warmth he felt in your embrace. He’d missed you.

           Hoseok slipped out before you awoke, a kiss on your cheek and a note on your nightstand. He’d have management send a car for you on Friday morning and bring you to the Plaza to watch. You’d get brunch with the guys after, some secluded five-star restaurant that the team had arranged. You were impressed that he’d scribbled this much before 6AM, and more impressed that he’d found a sticky note in your clusterfuck of a desk.

           As you sat with your girlfriends the next day at lunch, you relegated your previous escapades.

           “He’s your international fuckbuddy,” Katie said, sipping on her espresso.

           “Isn’t that the best of all the worlds?” Emily asked.

           “I think?” You said, unconvinced.

           “You think? He fucks you when he’s in town, then it’s no strings attached the months he’s gone. What’s wrong with that?” Katie prodded.

           “Nothing’s wrong with it,” You said shrugging.

           “You’ve caught feelings,” Emily said.

           “I’m just not sure that that’s what this is,” You dipped your toe in the water of their judgement.

           “Does he call you when he’s gone?” Katie pressed.

           “Sometimes,”

           “And you text often?” Emily asked.

           “Often enough,” You said.

           “Aren’t you just strangers who fuck? I don’t understand this confusion,” Katie said, eyes narrowing.

           “I don’t know if that’s all it is,” You tried to explain.

           “What would give you an idea that you’re anything other than American pussy?” Katie asked.

           “The way he looks at me, and the things he’s says… He waxes poetic every time we’re together,” You told them.

           “To get you into bed?” Emily asked.

           “Why would an international idol fuck with me?” You questioned, more force behind your words than you’d intended.

           “You’re hot and intelligent?” Katie offered.

           “Beautiful and charismatic?” Emily added.

           “I just mean, he could be fucking anyone, right? But he’s sleeping with me on the off days he’s in New York. He says things… He doesn’t treat me like a fuck buddy,” You were growing flustered and upset. Couldn’t they understand what you were hinting at?

           “Other than only fucking you when he’s in town?” Katie laughed; disbelief written across her face.

           “And barely speaking to you otherwise?” Emily said, unlocking her phone to check her emails.

           “Never mind,” You rolled your eyes.

           “I’m just trying to understand-

           “I don’t want to talk about it,” You said, disappointment in your eyes.

           You’d shared almost every detail of your relationship with Ho-Seok. From how his hands felt on your body to the things he’d whispered to you as you laid in bed. They’d told you your relationship was nothing more than sex, that Ho-Seok was far too busy and important to want anything else from you.

           If you thought about it rationally, it made sense. But in your heart, as you looked into his eyes, or read his texts, or saw the number of missed facetime calls you shared, you knew it was more. There was something there in his gaze, in his words, in his kiss. Why else had he promised that you’d see one another again, the next time he was in New York?

           This was your mindset as you stepped out of the chauffeured car at the Today Show. The whir of the crew and BTS handlers buzzing as they prepped for the performance overwhelmed your senses as you were guided to where the men were.

           “Y/N!” Hoseok called, moving from a conversation with Namjoon to hug you. The men glanced at you, taking in your appearance as Ho-Seok spoke to you. “You’re here! It’s going to be so great.”

           Your smile faltered, you hadn’t expected a kiss, on the lips or cheek, but a brief hug? Hadn’t he been in your bed two nights ago, moaning your name, coming undone inside you? The prying eyes made you uncomfortable as you glanced around at the men trying to focus before their early show. The energy was electric, caffeine and adrenaline mixing with the vibe of an early summer morning in the greatest city in the world. It was intoxicating.

           “Guys, this is Y/N,” Hoseok called, looking at his six bandmates. “You can introduce yourselves later.”

           The men were guided to the stage, where they were introduced and began their performance. You’d never seen them this close, and were in awe of every note, every step, every movement. Ho-Seok commanded the stage, oozing talent and sex appeal as he led the group through routine after routine. You were equal parts amazed and so turned on. You recognized his hip thrust, the slight twerk of his ass, the furrow in his brow. His voice was gorgeous, clear and strong over the throngs of screaming ARMY. Who wouldn’t want something more with him?

           Your mind was hazy as they came off the stage, interview segments completed. Ho-Seok crashed into your arms, holding you tight.

           “You were so fucking good,” You said laughing. He laughed to, merriment filling the dressing room.

           “All for you,” He said, resting his sweaty forehead against yours.

           “Ew, you’re so sweaty,” You said.

           “That’s not what you said the other night when you were sticking to me.”

           “Two can play that game,” You replied, eyes squinting.

           “Oh?” He asked, daring you to say something in a room filled with his brothers.

           “Don’t think I didn’t notice your hips, or that furl of your brow,” Your words were hushed, an intimate conversation between lovers.

           “Mm, recognized them, eh?” He smirked before untangling himself from you. “Give us a bit, we’ll go to brunch.”

           “Okay,” You said, and you stood still, watching Ho-Seok walk towards the showers as his hand slowly slipped from yours.

           The other men moved around you, showering, changing, thanking staff and wrapping up their time at the Today Show. It was the highest viewed concert series, with the largest audience that the Today Show had seen since One Direction and BTS’ last foray in the summer heat.

           After thanking the hosts and signing a few merch items, BTS left, you in tow, to pile into a few vans headed for brunch. Ho-Seok insisted in taking a separate car, just the two of you, or at least it was until Jin decided he needed to chaperone.

          “Oh, yeah, I hear this place is good, I did some research,” Jin said as the car moved through Manhattan.

          “Mm, I’m starving,” Hoseok commented. His fingers were wound in yours, and your bodies were close together, shoulders touching.

          “Y/N, what are you going to get?” Jin asked.

          “Maybe eggs, but I’m kind of feeling waffles,”

          “And a mimosa,” Hoseok laughed.

          “Oh, bottomless,” You said giggling.

          “Mostly champagne,” Hoseok said.

          “With a drop of orange,” You added.

          “Your favorite,” He glanced at you, smile crinkling his eyes. He remembered.

          The three of you piled out of the car and were ushered quickly into the restaurant, Hoseok’s hand still in yours. As you sat down, Hoseok on your right, Namjoon on your left, you took in the Bangtan. Their striking beauty was blinding. How each of them had managed to find their way to Big Hit and stick it out was beyond you. There couldn’t possibly be anyone in the world more beautiful than them.  

           “Y/N, tell us, how is your friendship with J-Hope going?” Namjoon asked as he sipped on his Bloody Mary.

           “I’m impressed you stay friends with him,” Yoongi muttered.

           “I’m an excellent friend!” Hoseok exclaimed.

           “It’s going well, yeah, I’m glad we get to see each other when he’s in town,” You smiled at the men, hoping they won’t notice how flustered you’d become.  

           “He’s a good friend, always so optimistic,” Taehyung added.

           “Except when he’s blasting music, dancing at four thirty in the morning,” Yoongi commented.

           “It was one time!” Jungkook said, coming to his hyung’s defense.

           “Why were you even awake?” Jimin asked.

           “I was preparing for –

           “You barely slept,” Yoongi said, voice serious.

           “Nervous energy,” Hoseok responded.

           “The performance was amazing,” You interjected, noting the tension between the two men. “I love how you pull out your back catalogue for every performance.”

           “We fight about it, a lot,” Namjoon said.

           “Only because some of us are wrong,” Jimin said.

           “You’re just mad because –

           “Let’s not fight when we have a guest,” Namjoon interjected.

           “Yeah, we can fight on our flight to Brazil,” Jin said. “Plenty of hours to bicker,”

           “Y/N, do your other friends like Ho-Seok?” Taehyung asked.

           “Um, they’ve never met,”

           “They haven’t? But he spends so much time with you, talking to you, about you,” Jin rambled.

           “Um, yeah, it’s just never lined up,” You took a large swig of champagne, “I’m sure they’d like him.”

           “Unless he’s dancing at-

           “Shut up Yoongi!” Jimin said through laughs.

           “So Brazil, what will that be like?” You asked.

           As the boys launched into their excitement for returning to South America, you sat and lost track of your thoughts. How many times had they called you a friend, said they were glad Ho-Seok had a friend like you, wanted to become your friend. Friend.

          Is that what you were? You grew uncomfortable as the conversation lingered on, the men laughing and Namjoon translating quickly the funny things they were saying. Hoseok kept an arm around your shoulders, eating with his non dominant hand, just to hold you close. You felt no comfort in his gesture as your anxiety grew.

           “They think we’re friends?” You asked, Hoseok’s hand in yours as the car took off towards Brooklyn.

           “Yeah, aren’t we?” He countered.

           “I don’t know, do friends know what it’s like to be inside the other?” You scoffed.

           “Y/N,” He said, cocking his head toward the driver.

           “I’m just asking,” You responded.

           “Can we talk about this at your apartment?” He pleaded.

           “I’d prefer to talk about it now,” You turned to face him.

           “We’re friends,” He was treading lightly, you could hear it in the breath he put into the word ‘friends’.

           “Aren’t we more?” Your voice betrayed your cool demeanor.

           “I, I don’t think we can be,” Hoseok said.

           You turned to face forward, hand slowly slipping out of his. You made a list of every sad song you wanted to listen to as you drank the half open bottle of Prosecco in your fridge, tears inevitable. Ho-Seok didn’t say anything, didn’t try to bring you back to him. The gravitational pull had been severed and you both were spinning.

           “Thanks for uh, making sure I got home, and for letting me spend the day with you,” You said, unbuckling your seatbelt.

           “Of course, can I walk you up?” His eyes were sad.

           “No, I don’t think that’d be a good idea,” You said opening the door to the summer heat.

           “Y/N,” He was searching for you.

           “Hoseok, have a safe flight, okay?”

           He leaned in to place a kiss on your lips, but you turned, lips landing on your cheek. Getting out of the car, you didn’t look back.

           Why couldn’t you have left well enough alone?

Next: Never Gonna Grow

[somilkyshaky]

Skam España - Season 2 - Episode 1, Clip 6: Las amistades peligrosas

Hey you! Finally, we’re finishing the first episode! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go check this post; here you go for the first clip and here for the last I posted, the fifth clip.  

Well, let’s go for a 7 minutes clip (prepare yourself a lot of time, it’s going to be long, but like LONG).

Hi everyone! Today we’re here for a new tutorial: “How to prepare yourself for a date with your crush?”. I’m sorry, but the music and the fact that it almost takes 30 seconds of the clip is clearly here to take it with humor, and tbh, I live for this shit.

“Nah.”

What I love is that it’s so accurate. For example, we all screamed to our mother to not go open the door for the person ringing (what I mean is that it’s great because the viewer can immediately relate to Cris).

Another touch of humor, we discover she tried, like, A LOT of sweater. I mean, at this point I can’t say anything but that I love Cris. (Oh, and poor teddy bear who doesn’t know his fate yet.)

“Breathe, you’re great.”

The music stopping and coming back and stopping again when the door closes, the teddy bear and this face. You don’t know how much I’ve laughed with this clip; everything is meant to be funny.

“Now is the moment of your life.” god this song xD

--

Look at her breathe out again, I love her (and wow, this door is... dark).

Yep, you’re right my dudes, she checks her out.

No but more seriously, look how chill she seems. The chin is high, hands in the pocket, her shoulders are opened, and I mean, this look (+little bonus for the left raised eyebrow), 100% confident; BUT I can’t help myself thinking that she must be freaking out internally (we can notice the movements (swings maybe?) she does with her body, most of the time, we let out our “anxiety”, our stress with these kind of gesture, so yeah).

“Hello, I’m awkwardness! I’m the one who makes you pose as a dummy. I’m sure you’ll love me!”

“OMG THE LOVE OF MY LIFE IS A DUMBASS, AND SHE IS CLUMSY AND AWKWARD AS FUCK, MARRY ME ALREADY!” (I’m sorry, sometimes I think I’m funny even if I know I’m not.) 

“I hate myself.” (relatable btw)

Everything in this clip is brilliant. It’s such a funny way to show something real and still be accurate. I’m sure we all had the opportunity to see ourselves in Cris at the moment, this clumsiness/awkwardness; I’m sorry but I’m a gay mess like Cris, I’m just happy to have my representation. (Oh, and the little “vale” from Joana is cute af, it’s not awkward or anything, it’s perfectly in character: confident but reassuring)

--

Okay so… the next sequence is like… we’re going to have a lot, but when I say a lot, I mean A LOT of things to say, because these two are a fucking goldmine. What I’m trying to tell you is that we’re here for a loooong time together (but I’m sure deep down you like it).

Cris being like “Okay, does she like my room? How does she react?”

Btw, her room is like, wow. They really did a good job with the decoration. Yes, I know, we all saw it, the “LIPS”; “KISS”, I know. Oh, and I love her laptop. I’m sure I can’t see a lot of references but, yeah, we already have too much to say x)

I love how Joana is looking at the entire room. Joana is me. I already said it in other clips, but Joana “sees” thing, she is observant (to me it’s a quality).

I’m so bad at catching it, but Cris’s reaction at the length of the film kills me. Plus, am I the only one laughing so hard as she tries to do small talk? xD (which btw doesn’t work at all because Joana doesn’t complain about the film)

Joana, a complation: Confused Joana – “Meh” Joana – Shocked Joana. 

God… This face kills me. More seriously, at the moment, they really aren’t on the same wavelength. Cris complains about the film, when Joana just says she likes it. Cris’ all reaction is really interesting. It’s like the “typical” teenage reaction in front of a school work, but at the moment, there’s also this need to just- say something; because she’s like this, she’s the one who talks for the sake of talking. She talks without really thinking about it; but let’s keep this for later okay? (Oh, and yes, Joana’s gaze, but it’s going to be like that in the rest of the clip so…)

Some teasing. I like that. There really is a chemestry between these two that I love. I like how Joana is like “Oh I see, she’s going that way” and Cris is completely in character and is just “pitching into” her, in a way? (trying to translate a french thought in english is a disaster, believe me).

Thank god, I like to see some repartee. It’s so fluid, you need to remember that they know each other for literally, 2 DAYS, and we already have this kind of complicity. Brilliant.

Look at these happy girls.

I don’t know how to interpret the fact of Joana’s smile slowly fading and then her gaze quickly going back to the laptop, as if she was realizing something or I don’t know. It’s impossible to catch it in pictures, but just look at her after the joke. Plus it’s hard to interpret it because we have a “jump cut”:

We see her smiling and looking at Cris. So… I don’t want to misinterpret things so I’m just going to shut up and continue. Even if maybe (and I say maybe because the rest of the clip proves me wrong until the end), there’s Eloy and the fact that she knows she shouldn’t get to close from Cris even if she wants to.

--

“Guys, you’re annoying, I’m on a date.”

More seriously, the filming is pretty nice; we have the camera moving from a shot where we have both of them to a shot with only Cris and her messages, maybe to show that she doesn’t pay attention at what is Joana doing anymore (which also means that the rest of the time she was indeed paying attention at every single movement of Joana).

To support my thoughts, when her mother interrupts them, we come back to a shot with the two girls; she isn’t “captivate” by the messages anymore.

Little bonus for the “please Mom don’t say something stupid, don’t ruin this” face.

I live for this shit.

Joana still being a meme + the iconic “My friend heard you” because it’s so fucking accurate (don’t lie, we all said it once + send some love to your mom btw, she deserves it, even if most of the time she embarrasses you).

Joana’s face be like “I was laughing, but I’m trying to not show it because I know it’s already awkward enough, so I’m just going to smile and be reassuring.”

--

“Stay chill. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Stay calm. Stay fucking calm. OMG is she really doing this? There’s so much tension. Send help. Please.”

I’m sorry but the “We’re good with what we have.” ? I don’t know if it’s the exact translation, but it’s so ambiguous. I love that.

“Don’t show anything. You’re not destabilised. Stay chill. WtF the TeNsiON. I’m FucKiNG DEstaBiLIsed.” + Joana clearly looking at how Cris is reacting, she’s such a tease (not in the bad way though, I’m not insulting her calm down). Yes, don’t worry, I didn’t forget. BOLD+1500.

Come on, just look how proud she is, while Cris is dying internally xD I’m dying too btw.

Some interesting body language though, the fact of Cris trying to get back her shit together by sitting straight and Joana having her chin really high and her shoulders open; it clearly shows who is at ease and who isn’t imo x) + (yes there’s a lot of things happening) Cris crossing her arms in front her is a way to “protect herself” (not from Joana, but from the overwhelming) and most importantly to “control” herself and kind of find a way to seem more confident or at least not affected.

Cris coming back with her small talk and Joana being like “Yeah, act as if nothing just happened, I saw you panicking anyway.” But more seriously, it’s interesting to see that Cris is a fucking mess. I mean, she tries her best to sound and appear confident, but FUCK she isn’t xD And btw, one of Cris’ most important characteristic is her joking all the time to get rid of every “problematic” situation (it’s not something bad, but I don’t think it’s good either, as we could see in the last clips).

Joana just laughing at Cris’ “joke” and not continuing the conversation is me in 90% of the interactions I have with people (but it’s not what’s important). The most important is that, in a way, it reinforces the fact that they still aren’t really on the same wavelenght, and I think Cris can feel it because of this little look:

It’s also clearly a moment (before this look) where Cris is trying to get back her composure + this little look is there to check if Joana is still in a “teasing mode” or not with her (I think); but tbh, I don’t feel a lot of awkwardness in all of this.

--

Her phone saving her, just look how fast she grabs it xD (Nope, I didn’t miss Joana’s thing she always does with her nails/fingers, don’t worry.)

Yes guys, you’re used to it now, this is “worry”; not the BIG worry though, but the mouth dropping a little, the eyes openning, the movement backward. It’s not a lot, but it’s here.

“My crush or my friends?”

Joana, baby girl, it’s not really allowed to look at someone else’s phone/messages. She is so sneaky xD

But yes, a sweetheart.

(I don’t talk a lot about the movement both girls do with their legs, but, well no, I don’t want to say it’s “anxiety” because in the moment it’s not, but it’s still a way to let the “pressure” out, you know? I mean, we all do this kind of things unconsciously when we are with people, especially when we “like” them. Anyway.)

Joana smiling as she looks at the bowl (+shaking her head) because Cris just placed it between them is PRICELESS.

Btw, Cris not answering for a party is… wow? I mean, they didn’t place all of this in this clip for nothing. It allows them to show that Cris is maybe, yeah no, clearly interested by Joana. It just reinforces things.

Cris’ little glance at Joana (did I already say she’s clumsy? No? She’s so fucking clumsy and I love that).

Joana noticing the glance, but she doesn’t glance, no no no, she STARES guys and we’re here for this shit.

She notices Cris’ discomfort and embrassed smile, but keeps staring.

And then we have THIS; but this time, there’s nothing awkward, to me it’s just really cute. Oh, and of course, all this dynamic with their glances and stares shows even more that Joana is way more confident and at ease than Cris.

(I’m wondering if it’s really acting or just Tamara and Irene messing around, trying to hold a laugh and just being two dumbasses. Nah, I think they’re just amazing at representing simple things. Yes, I’m having a debate with myself, just keep reading!)

That’s cute.

Look at this proud and happy Cris. We’re finally seeing her a little more at ease, her chin is higher and her shoulders starts to open, because yeah, during the past 2 minutes (more or less) we have her shoulders really tensed and closed with her head really low, kind of forming a “protection” around her; but now yeah, she’s finally relaxed thanks to Joana being all the time so chill, smiley, not awkward and reassuring in her own way.

--

2:50 of the clip and I already have 23 pages on my Word. We’re not even at the HALF of the clip, I’m already dying. Anyway, I already haven’t said a lot of things but everything is brilliant, so let’s continue and start having some real conversation between these two.

--

FIRST. How did these two end up in this position? One of the other mysteries of Skam España.

A thought just like that, before this shot the movie was only a music, whereas here we have a conversation; maybe it’s showing that Cris finally pays attention too what is said (I don’t know).

(Little disclaimer, I never read “Les liaisons dangereuses” (because yeah, it’s French) but I tried to understand the story to be sure that I’m not missing too many things about what’s going to be said. Anyway.)

--

Look at how Joana seems so interested by the movie, so “in it” (French thoughts sorry). Plus, I think it’s the first time we see it (it’s going to be recurrent later) but she plays with her necklace. It’s the first time they want us to notice that necklace btw. We know that the movie is about relationships, love, etc… and the particular moment they’re watching is important because it’s a “““break-up”””. I find it interesting to make her play with her necklace at this specific moment because it’s one of the first hints about BPD. She feels more affected than others by this kind of scenes.

And YES, Cris’ stare. Plus, we go from this shot to this shot:

Here we literally have Cris’ point of view, what she sees + this close shot gives something really intimate. I love it.

She can’t stop staring, that’s… wow.

Joana noticing the stare and looking up.

Cris looking back at the laptop. It’s not really an embarrassed smile though, there’s nothing awkward here. Yep, Joana looking at her lips.

Joana shaking her head in disbelief is the entire fandom in front of Cris being a gay mess. CRIS’ SMILE THOUGH. And yes, there’s NOTHING awkward, that’s super cute I’m dying.

“Is she really…?”  (I love how the close shot, which represent intimacy, is thrown away and we come back to a larger shot when the mother interrupts the intimacy)

“Yes, she is…” + Joana being a cute adorable dork when she laughs + thank you for giving us some representation with our periods! (and yes, I’m not that surprised by this situation, my mom is literally the same.)

SO MUCH COMPLICITY I’M DYING. DO YOU HEAR ME?

--

(yes, Cris is looking again at Joana, but come on I can’t put every gaze in picture xD) The famous “No puedo evitarlo”… Let’s be completely transparent; this whole clip is a HUGE foreshadowing for their entire relationship, and I’m here for it.

Cristina “seriously?” Soto Peña or Cristina “I’m judging you; a lot” Soto Peña, choose your fighter.

Disappointed Joana (+ a bit annoyed).

Btw, Cris dropping her opinion on the characters with no argument and just saying that he is a son of a bitch and that she is an idiot, is so much in character + “I would tell him to fuck off”, well darling… you won’t... and you will, in a way.

What I love about all of this, is that this clip is here to show what is Cris’ vision of love and relationships at the start of the season because they need a starting point to show how much she is going to grow through this season.

Still “not impress” Cris, and yes, another hint for Joana’s BPD (the fact of not being able to control the feelings, even if in this case, it touches everyone and it’s just Cris who doesn’t realize it. It’s hard to act coldly and we have here another characteristic for Cris and Joana, they’re different on this point, we have a more “mature and rational” Joana) + It’s really discreet, but Joana glances many times at Cris lips (yeah, that’s it).

--

OUF. Disappointment. Again. It’s really hard to catch Joana’s “annoyance”, but her rolling her eyes at Cris’ joke is priceless. They really aren’t on the same wavelength (at least, for the movie, they really are at ease with each other, but not on their thoughts/belief). Oh, and Cris still joking about everything… (though, I think it’s just her way to “flirt” maybe) just let’s keep it for later.

“No, I’m serious” and we go from a wide shot to a close shot. Joana brings back some intimacy; the shot makes the viewer understand that it’s going to be important in the next seconds. Brilliant.

And oh wow… we never saw Joana like that before. The head is forward, the jaw is a little clenched (what I mean is that her mouth is “hold”, it’s not dropping), the gaze is straight ahead, the eyebrows are a little frown, and maybe the nostrils are a little wider (not sure) + the tone is- I wouldn’t say “harsh”, but there’s still some anger/annoyance behind it + the big annoyed sigh before she starts talking + the gestures/movements she does with her head to reinforce what she says, they are quick and short (btw, when she said “the count is a son of a bitch”, the movement with her head says no, she doesn’t agree with what she says, yes guys, the details, it shows a great acting too) + the “right?” to end her sentence. She’s confronting Cris, no jokes allowed; and tbh, I like that, I like this part of her character.

(Okay, maybe you’re right, having such a deep conversation about love at the first date is a little bold; bold+1502)

(Just look at when Joana sits up) she was smiling, and now we have… a destibalized Cris (yep, again). I like how she looks up, a little to the right, it means that she’s really thinking about it + yes, she’s clearly avoiding Joana’s gaze (it takes her 6 seconds to look back at her). Oh, and I LOVE how the camera is moving between their two faces. When Joana talks, she is in the shot because Cris is looking at her; when Cris is talking and NOT looking at Joana, we only see her on screen, but when she finally looks back at Joana we have this shot :

I already said it no? BRILLIANT.

Yep, Joana seems “calmer” (good job, you see, you’re making progress!); the eyebrows are a little raised, the mouth is slightly curved, and wow, she’s like, really listening to what Cris is saying, just look at her eyes, she’s so attentive.

Look at Joana slowly starting to smile again, we see you girl.  Oh, and Cris thinking she’s bad and talking about her grades starts to show some insecurities, even if she’s joking about it + she’s right even if Joana doesn’t confirm it, there’s revenge in the story (and btw later in the season too, so much foreshadowing).

--

I don’t know why, I just like this shot/scene in general. It’s intimate, they’re really listenning to each other (those gazes god…), and their conversation is pretty deep.

--

Yep, looking again at her lips.

I love how they “exchanged” the shots, let me explain; now, when one of them is talking, we have the camera focused on the other, we literally see how they’re looking at each other and it means so many things: the most important isn’t their face anymore, it’s the words of the other, it’s how they’re touched by them; it’s deep because what we see on screen is Cris (okay), but it’s also Cris “seeing” herself react to Joana, how she feels about Joana’s words (you see? Yeah I know it’s really far from just looking at the body language, and maybe I’m completely misinterpreting, but it’s important). GOD I REALLY LOVE THIS SHOW BECAUSE IT’S BRILLIANT.

Oh, and on a more “down-to-earth” analysis, the frown shows that Cris is really focused, she’s attentive, even if her eyes and the curves of her mouth are more like “I’m not sure I’m following you.”

Guys, I’m not joking. Find someone who looks at you like that when you’re talking. This is beautiful.

God… on close shots like this, so many things are happening; when I said “goldmine” earlier, I wasn’t joking guys; I really invite you to do the same, just take the time to look at the details (if you noticed the little eyebrows relaxing, and then raising really quickly; and her mouth opening a little and also relaxing around the words “happy/love story”, I’m proud of you!)

“I don’t really agree with you, honey.” The raised but at the same time frowned eyebrows, and the little movement of her head shows “surprise”, or more like “um- wait.”

“But what kind of love is that?”, thank you Cris. Wow… finally we have Cris having a deep and serious talk. And I like her vision of love (because yes, she has one!); she doesn’t understand the point of suffering: “all the count does is make her suffer”; we have a really sweet and soft Cris here.

Lips again, it’s getting redundant baby girl + when the camera was moving from Cris to her, she was already looking at her lips.

Exactly the same face from earlier, still in the “confrontation”, but this time I also see a little more “disgust” maybe, or “disbelief” (the mouth is a little more opened and the eyes are wider) but in my head it means some kind of “are you serious?” but weaker (you know? God, I really don’t have the level to do this kind of things in English).

I don’t know how to interpret the return to this shot; but I think it’s because they want to include these two in the same shot because the “when you love someone, blah-blah…” will have a real meaning for both of them later in the season, because they will both suffer of the absence and of being ignored by the other. And YES, Joana queen of foreshadowing.

I’m not talking a lot about what is said, because I don’t really like this vision of love. I know that suffering is a part of it (but it’s not love which makes you suffer, it’s how you deal with it) and that Las amistades peligrosas have a really “complicated love story”, but to me, it’s clearly not healthy. Maybe it’s love, but not the “good kind” of love, you know? Also, OF COURSE, it’s a new hint for Joana’s BPD; they suffer way more than others when it comes to not being able to spend time with people they love + all this conversation shows “something new” about Joana; I mean, it seems that she way more experienced than Cris about relationships, etc.

(Yep, Cris is a little taken aback by the “and?”)

To me, Joana’s face means some kind of “You really don’t understand what we’re talking about, don’t you?” (but soft). It’s like she’s trying to find something on Cris’ face or in her gaze (it’s really a feeling I have, I don’t know why? what? how? I just follow it and I don’t think I can interpret it; I only can notice it and share it with you).

Lips, AGAIN (and yes, her head is leaning forward). And this time, yeah, Cris was staring at her eyes she can’t have missed it; and guess what?

“Let’s look away and try to talk about something else” (yes, you’re good, you noticed that Cris’ mouth is way more opened, congrats! A little before she moves her gaze, you can see it slowly opening, even maybe her chin “trembling” but it’s really discreet).

(Do you realize that that there are so many things happening each second?) When Cris starts talking, Joana’s chin quickly rises, kind of a “come back to reality” – LIPS. AGAIN. – “What is she talking about?”.

Okay, that’s cute.

But with this joke, we come back to a wider plan; the intimacy and depth are gone.

Wait, I just realized this now but, look at their legs, they are SO close, omg.

--

“Oh, maybe I was wrong, my future wife is brilliant.”

Again guys, find someone who looks at you like that when you’re talking + this “Sí”; I’m dying + on the shot before Joana looks at her lips (it’s not surprising anymore) + just look how attentive she is, it’s really cute + yes, we’re back with the “intimate shot”, and the fact that we see the reaction of one girl when the other is talking.

“Excuse me, what?”

Look at her, she is so unconfident about everything she says, she can’t believe Joana likes her idea.

Yep, we’re back with that. “I said it just to say something”, one of Cris’ most important caracteristic. She thinks what she says isn’t important, or serious. Joana is, right here, the only one who takes what she says seriously. We thought that Cris is someone really confident and everything, but with this first episode we already have A LOT of hints showing that she maybe doesn’t have a that strong self-esteem as we thought, and this is a really important point.

Joana, queen of reassurance.

Can she be cuter? Come on, that’s amazing she’s so proud of herself, thanks to Joana. They already have so much “power”/effect on each other. 2 DAYS GUYS, 2 DAYS. And, yes, close shot again, we keep jumping between intimacy and “normality”, it becomes more and more fluid and natural between these two (I love this show so fucking much).

“Vale”- “Vale”; just go dig my grave.

Happy girl.

And OMG we’re playing again with the shots, Joana is looking at Cris and then we have this:

And then the camera isn’t moving anymore, we only have cuts to show each girl, the rhythm is a little faster.

Lips + LIPS guys, no subtlety anymore xD

“OMFG iT’s HApPeNiNG!”

No but more seriously, I can’t catch the reaction in one picture; but the mouth and the smile dropping in the blink of an eye + her eyes widening + her body slowly going backward and raising a little.

The funniest is that we don’t see Joana at the moment, we only see Cris’ reaction and it only gives more “suspense”. This is BRILLIANT.

--

The camera moving with Joana, WHILE she looks at Cris’ eyes + Her gaze shifting between her eyes and her lips + Cris being completely somewhere else, trying to look away; she doesn’t process at all what’s happening.

This is cute, but at the same time I can’t help but laugh and I don’t know why xD (it’s not awkward though). Yes btw, bold+1550.

THIS. It doesn’t last long, but wow… There is so much intensity; and at the same time, it shows so many things about how they both feel. Cris is completely lost, her mouth, her jaw and her eyes, she has no control of it (wide eyes, mouth a little open; you can see this expression even more before the eye contact, because there Cris already had a little movement with her chin, kind of realizing what’s happening) + she doesn’t move at all.

At the opposite, we have a “determined” Joana, she knows what she’s doing; I mean, everything is in her gaze + the mouth and the jaw, she has a total control of it + well, she is leaning, like LEANING forward; and we stan.

This is cute; these little smiles, it takes all the rest of the awkwardness away (and there wasn’t a lot left).

It’s hard to describe everything, so I’m giving you some leads: Joana doesn’t have a lot of things to say here, her face isn’t moving a lot, everything is in her eyes, and of course some movements with her lips. On the other hand, Cris is WOW; her eyes shifting all the time and her mouth are SO EXPRESSIVE; take your time to look at everything, because in what? 5 seconds, there’s a lot.

(I’m wondering if the smile is maybe more Irene than Cris, because it quickly goes back to something a little more “apprehensive”; just a thought like that, no real analysis just a feeling.)

This last gaze… at this point I just let myself be carried by so much intimacy and tension.

Just a quick remark, it’s not a secret but Joana is so much more at ease, because Cris really can’t “stabilize” her gaze and keep the stare as Joana does.

And yep, we’re back to the same situation than in the second clip. We have Cris who immediately breaks the connection, while Joana stays in it. In any case, I don’t know if she really was ready for a kiss (let’s wait 3 long weeks now xD).

When I first watched this clip, I wasn’t really surprised by the mom coming; I mean, they didn’t make her interrupt them multiple times for nothing.

Oh, and bold+1600 just for remaining so chill and keeping this little smirk during all the “leaning forward” thing.

--

“For fuck sake.”

We stan a queen rolling her eyes 24/7 – We’re used to it now guys, worry, again. Her face is really like “No come on, don’t tell me you’re leaving.”; that’s cute.

(Okay, quick remark again with the shot, we have Cris’ pov who’s looking at Joana, blahblah, you understood.) A lot of people think “Now we know it, it’s Eloy texting her, she knows she almost fucked up and she’s just fleeing”; and I’m not so sure about that. First, yes of course, worry and annoyance: the worry is here with the openned mouth just before and the huge breath she takes, and annoyance, with the loud sigh, the thing with her lips, her eyes and the cold “I have to go”. Here is my opinion: if it really was Eloy, that she was supposed to meet him for exemple, why would she had asked Cris to watch the movie, perfectly knowing the length of it? No, I think it’s maybe her parents asking where she is, because maybe she hasn’t told them she was out because her reaction is close to a “I’m screwed” + a quick reaction and decision like that, I think hints again for BPD (when I say hints it’s stupid because it’s just her reacting to the world around her, but I think you understand what I mean).

Cris being so desperate: “Already?”; “Um, shouldn’t we finish the movie?”; it’s cute though, she doesn’t want her to leave, but damn it’s so clumsy xD

New aspect of Joana, she is a little destabilized and we don’t have her usual confidence. She is really avoidant with a quick, low, and weak “yes”; she is already grabbing her jacket, kind of fleeing Cris. A messy excuse “I’ve already seen it” (why are you here then? xD I mean, I know it’s not a lie because there’s a chat about it, but it just makes me laugh) + her voice is “different” you know? Yeah, really, we have a completely other Joana here.

“Fuck.”

“I’ll walk you out”, Cris really tries xD

And damn we really have Joana “pushing her away”; it’s like in the blink of an eye, she completely changed even if she’s really polite and everything, and it’s brilliant

+ Here (pictures) we have Joana with the joke and this cute smile which gives her back some confidence - but then we have the other gaze with all the “composure” she tries to keep fading again.

Some hope with the “Well, I’ll see you on Monday, right?” + You even can see (before the picture) on Cris’ agreement, we have a smile forming and she seems so relieved, that’s cute (an yes, close shot on Joana, so Cris’ pov).

--

Fuck, those pupils.

Cris’ emotional journey be like:

“What the hell just happened?” – Queen of eyes rolling (god, this sigh).

“It’s so unfair!” (her eyes shifting everywhere, kind of processing the situation) – The most interesting face, because I’m not sure how to interpret it. I hesitate between two things: a movement to bite her lips or cheeks or whatever; OR it’s a “common” movement, we do this kind of thing when we’re speechless, when we want to talk but nothing comes out, as if our mouth follows our thoughts but our throat doesn’t; it helps us to regain our composure in away (+ there’s so much frustration; again, all of this is here to add some humor).

We have a movement backward, to breathe a little, to let things out; and just look at this adorable gay mess, she’s so cute + “Well… at least we spent some time together, it’s not that bad…” – “Fuck, of course that’s bad! I hate my life.” + Cris closing her eyes as the ending screen comes, come on, stop being so on top…

--

Bold score: 1600 (congrats Mrs. Bianchi).

What I love with this clip is that it tells us what’s going to happen (they’re going to have the “No puedo evitarlo” and the “don’t you love me?”; they’re going to suffer; Cris will go through all the stages of what she calls “idiot” here). It just allows us to have a starting point for Cris and Joana’s growth through the season; and this is brilliant. And yes, we are fucking clowns.

Anyway, we finally finished this first episode! It was long, but so interesting to do. We already have so much information about Cris and Joana, that’s brilliant. Again, a quick reminder, I don’t pretend to be an expert or whatever, I just share with you my thoughts, and of course there must be a lot of mistakes and I’m sure I forgot a lot of things.

I’m going to take a little break with Skam España, which means that the next analyses won’t come soon, and I’m pretty sure I won’t do all the clips because it takes me too much time; but yes, definitely, I’ll write other reaction, don’t worry about that!

I hope you enjoyed, thank you so much for reading!

[evak-fic-rec-turtleanon]

Evak Fics - Co-Workers

A list for coworkers/colleagues. Includes fics where they are not exactly colleagues or coworkers but related to them working together in a way.  

No Flirting in the Science Lab by smilexdarling (728 words) - Isak and Even fall in love at school, but this time, they're the teachers.

sweet creature by Skamtrash (1k words) - Along the lines of "We’re both baristas and sometimes I have trouble reaching for things and I show up to work one day to find a personalized stool with hearts and my name on it i hATE YOU but also thanks"

Pumpkin King by i_once_wrote_a_dream (1.7k words) - Isak grins, and taps the crown. “You’re the dumbest king I’ve ever met.” They work on a pumpkin patch.

White Elephant by HazyCosmicJive (1.8k words) - Vilde turns the office Secret Santa into a White Elephant Secret Santa.

stuck on you (what did i do?) by itjustkindahappened (1.8k words) - a teacher AU with zero teaching and a lot of crushing.

settle down by allyasavedtheday: Chapter 21 Model Au (2.5k words) - Isak was not prepared for a partner at this photoshoot. Chapter 35 Model Au Part 2 (1.9k words) - Prompt fill for where they’re doing like a couples photoshoot or something with Mikael and now they can’t stop kissing each other and everyone’s too endeared to be frustrated with them

in sickness and in health by wyoheartsmusic (2k words) - Emma is crushing on her teacher until she finds out he's very much in love with his husband. So this is in Emma's pov.

love doctor by princevaltersen (2.3k words) - “Looking through Tinder and rating guys in the paediatric unit is definitely something that you shouldn’t be doing at work.” Doctor au.

Email from Somewhere by wyoheartsmusic (2.4k words) - Isak gets an email from no one. He asks Even for help.

Did you hear oxygen and magnesium got together? OMg by sugarbeat24 (2.5k words) - Isak and Even are chemistry partners. Fluff and chemistry jokes ensue. They are not co-workers but this is cute.

Colleagues? - SKAM Fic Week Day 5 by glbertblythes (2.6k words) - Isak and Even have been work colleagues for three years - a couple for two - and they like to call the office their "second home" for multiple reasons.

It Only Takes a Taste (When You Know It's Good) by shakespeareandsunshine (2.8k words) - It would be bad enough if it was just some mystery coworker stealing meals from the office fridge. Then Isak could hate their anonymous ass in peace. But no, Isak has a very good idea who the culprit is. And seeing the villain in the breakroom every day, smiling at Isak like he has nothing to apologize for was testing Isak's very limited patience. And also probably his self-control, although for an entirely different reason.

I Don't Date Cops by jinglebin (2.9k words) - Isak gets a new colleague and he's instantly smitten. Until said collegue tells him he doesn't date cops. b99 au

just a little bit out of my limit by theyellowcurtains (3k words) - Isak is pissed about where he got placed for work experience, that is until he meets his fine ass supervisor.

Pictures of You by MacksDramaticShenanigans (3.2k words) - The au where Even is a photographer and Isak is his infuriatingly gorgeous model

Can't We Be Sweethearts? by HazyCosmicJive (3.3k words) - in which Isak and Even work at a summer carnival together

EVEN by LiliMane (3.5k words) - A friends with benefits or kinda of an enemies with benefits type of situation. 'Whatever. People come and go. Sometimes they don't come at all. Sometimes they only send you money. And the ones that come don't stay too long. But that's how it is and there's nothing I can do about it. Not that I want to do anything about it.'

Adrian and Markus by ufologies (3.9k words) - Isak and Even go undercover on a case that unexpectedly ends up bringing them closer together.

i bet my life on you by janesargnt (4.8k words) - “Ok, so it’s settled then,” said Elias, getting to his feet. “If Bech Nӕsheim loses, he has to give Valtersen his car. If Valtersen loses, he has to go on a date in said car.” B99 au.

from my lips my sin is purged by slvtherxn (4.8k words) - After Even's last relationship with his coworker ended quite messily, his boss has forbidden him from dating any more of her employees. It takes him ten seconds alone with his new trainee before he decides to date him in secret.

Fuck Tha Police by MacksDramaticShenanigans (5.2k words) - “This,” Eskild said, spinning the photograph around so everyone could see it, “is a picture of the latest piece of vandalism from our favorite little street punk.” he finished with a heavy sigh. They are both cops. 

Thank You for Flying Norwegian Air! by orphan_account (5.4k words) - Isak and Even are both flight attendants who definitely don't have feelings for each other.

Don't worry, I've got you by everything_else (5.7k words) - Isak gets a job at a coffee shop.

18 Secret Santa Horror Stories That'll Turn Anyone Into A Grinch by GayaIsANerd (6.1k words) - Some secret Santa, some unfortunate google results, a whole lot of complaining and a heart full of gratitude. They work for a website that is like a Norwegian Buzzfeed but different.

i tried to be strong but i lost it (i knew it was wrong, i’m beyond it) by orphan_account (6.3k words) - Even has a thing for his intern, Isak has a thing for his boss, they're both a bit clueless and their friends just want them to get their shit together.

Crying Over Spilt Milk by MacksDramaticShenanigans (8.4k words) - The boys get their hands on Isak’s resume; Isak gets his hands on Even. Coffee shop.

my heart held a ledger by cynical_optimist, strangetowns (8.6k words) - A hitmen AU, wherein Isak and Even hate their jobs but love each other. This 'verse is now on permanent hiatus but it can still be enjoyed as a standalone oneshot.

Unclassified by bri_ness (9.7k words) - "Separate fiction from fact, romances from tragedies, the stories you want to experience from the ones you’d rather ignore." Isak and Even flirt in a library while having some deep thoughts about cataloging.

Merry Kiss My Ass (under the mistletoe) by TheGirlNoOneKnows5 (9.8k words) - Working in retail during the holiday season is a nightmare. Especially when Isak has to work right alongside his just friend and not at all crush, Even. Among freaky customers, secret santa presents and constant reminders of his one night of passion with Even, Isak doesnt know if he'll make it to the new year. If only he could figure out who was behind all the random mistletoes he keeps finding...

Is This What You Wanted? by cuteandtwisted (9.9k words) - Isak is filthy rich and Even is a hardworking male model who just got signed to his father's agency. Even gets an awful offer from Isak: one night with him in exchange for money, and begins to despise him. Little does he know that everything he thinks he knows about Isak is wrong.

sweeter than wine, softer than a summer's night by dewdrops (12k words) - Isak and Even work at an amusement park.

Valtersen's Anatomy by evak1isak (12k words) - Isak Valtersen, a nurse intern, happens to fall in love with one of the new interns, Even Bech Næsheim, from the mental health team.

when your heart is bleeding, i'm coming to get you by cosetties (13k words) - Isak doesn't exactly expect his hookup from last week to be the love advice columnist at the school newspaper he's working at. He also doesn't expect to fall even harder for him than he already has, which is a shame, really, since Even's crushing on someone else.

Ground Me by Bellakitse (13k words) - In which despite his father helping with rent, Isak still needs money and therefore a job. Isak gets a job at a cafe and meets a barista who's beauty blows Isak away.

i broke the world for us by cuteandtwisted (16k words) - Isak is 'heartless', young, busy, addicted to work, and incapable of committing. And Even is a repairman who fixes things around the office, who sees right through his smokescreen, and who might end up 'fixing' Isak's cold heart.

turn my blue heart to red by allyasavedtheday (16k words) - “Did I scare you?” Even asks teasingly, waggling his eyebrows as he leans casually against the counter beside Isak. “Never,” Isak scoffs, sending a fierce scowl in Jonas’ direction when he catches him smirking at them both. Jonas is under the ridiculous impression he and Even have a crush on each other which is not true. Doctor au.

I Just Want You For My Own by Twinklylightseverywhere (19k words) - Even loves the holidays, really. He loves spending time with his friends and family, drinking hot chocolate by the fire, exchanging gifts, the like. You know what he doesn’t love about Christmas time? Working in a fucking Post Office.

Taste by MermaidsandMermen (SophiaSoames) (21k words) - Isak Valtersen doesn't do feelings. He doesn't do relationships. He's a good boss, and he knows his shit. Then that asshat Naesheim swans in like he owns the bloody place and Isak's carefully managed world starts to fall apart. He's impulsive and stupid and childish and probably the last person in the world who should be allowed to run the Food and Beverage department at the Radisson Blu, however many brilliant ideas he has and seems to manage to miraculously pull off. It's a match made in hell. Enemies to lovers.

Dear Friend by bri_ness (26k words) - Isak and Even work together in a failing video store, and they cannot stand each other. Isak and Even both signed up for the Love Letters dating service, and they’re both falling for their anonymous pen pal.

is it gravity, or are we falling in love? by mels (28k words) - Isak works at a coffee shop. There's two things he loves about the morning shift: 1, how beautiful the city is when it's sleeping and 2, avoiding the hot guy who he happens to have a crush on. Until one faithful day, he has no choice but to work with his crush.

A Fucking Bet by Crazyheart (32k words) - Isak and Even are just friends. They make a bet and decide to fuck only five times and then go back to being friends again. Isak hopes that he might be able to fuck his crush out of his system, once and for all. Who knows what Even’s motives are. They work at KB

We Don't Need to Whisper by staylucky (34k words) - Isak Valtersen is a new teacher at Bekkulaget with an embarrassing crush on the Head of Upper Juniors, Even Bech Naesheim. His mentor, Christoffer, is constantly winding him up and Isak's beginning to doubt if teaching is for him.

(WIP) Magic Eight Ball by folerdetdufoler (35k words) - Last update Dec 2019. His cubicle is in the bullpen, but at the edge, across from the offices along one wall. When the Chief makes his announcements Isak stands near the middle, leaning against someone else’s cube, reading emails on his phone instead of paying attention. This time, though, the Chief is introducing some new hires to the office: a sports editor, a city editor, and a marketing head. When Isak looks up to finally acknowledge the new team members, he gets a good look at the guy who is going to make his life a living hell.

Blind by evak1isak (44k words) - Isak has sex in a dark room with a random stranger, but he only hears his voice. He hears that voice again: it's his new boss', one of Norway's richest men.

(WIP) Medically Speaking by Ms_Tassimo (44k words) - Last update Aug 2019. Working as a hospital porter was not how Even Bech Næsheim saw his life ending up. But here he was; mopping up sick after a stupid mistake. However, the hot doctor with the nice smell? That just about makes up for it. Too bad Dr Valtersen seems like a bit of an asshole with a hell of a chip on his shoulder.

I'll Be Coming Home, Wait For Me by dahlstrom (47k words) - The diner AU. Even and Yousef open a 1950s American-style restaurant together - Even is the creative genius in the kitchen, Yousef keeps the trains running on time, and Isak, Chris B, and Magnus are all along for the ride. Falling in love over food while Elvis serenades from the jukebox. Welcome to the Throwback Diner.

such a beautiful mess by skambition (48k words) - Isak works at Kaffebrenneriet to save up some money for a trip with his friends. Normally, working there is chill. Until Isak starts to work together with Even, an arrogant hipster with horrible taste in music, that keeps using the phrase 'sex hair' and is not only judgemental and stupid, but also so hot that Isak sometimes can't breathe around him.

On call by MinilocIsland (49k words) - Isak knows what he's meant to do in life - surgery. And he can't wait to show everyone that he's good at it. That is, if he'll ever get a goddamn chance. Not getting hindered by ridiculous, charming guys whose main advantage in the operating room simply is the length of their legs. Or - a hospital AU, with both Isak and Even as intern physicians.

Around the Corner (My Very Personal Christmas Shopper) by Crazyheart (51k words) - Isak (22) works in a record shop for Jonas. Isak’s best colleague and friend is Eva, who works in the shop, too. Isak is still in the closet. He says things as he thinks, though. Doesn't like snowglobes. Even (24) comes and asks for a job. The two get off on the wrong foot, although Isak finds Even irritatingly attractive. Additionally, Isak has just gotten a personal Christmas gift shopper.

Masquerade by Sabeley (53k words) - Isak and Even were best friends before one botched mission tore them apart. When they are assigned to go undercover as newlyweds at an oceanside resort where couples are going missing, can they put their differences aside for long enough to solve the case? And can they fix what’s broken between them before it’s too late?

(WIP) and it falls just where it needs to be by mmxii (53k words) - Last update Aug 2018. An au where isak works at a campsite and there’s suddenly a new guy joining their team. featuring a completely chill isak, a suspiciously quiet cat, and a three-year-old asking way too many difficult questions.

Caught in the Crossfire by CrochetingWords (65k words) - AU where Isak and Sana are partners working for the Oslo police department. Even used to work for the Oslo PD and is now Oslo's most well known private detective assisting the department in cases while also blogging about them. Isak is not impressed when he shows up on one of his crime scenes, because what other reason is there to publicly blog about your cases than being fame hungry.

(WIP) a careful hypothesis of the heart by StMisery (87k words) - 12/13 chapters posted. Isak and Even don't start out on the best of terms. Isak had been waiting nearly a year for the position of researcher to open up again. If he got it, he'd be working his dream job within one of the best biotechnology companies in the world. He applied for the position, heart in his throat, only to be passed over for the new recruit. When he discovered the new hire was also the son of the CEO, well, that was an unforgivable offense.

You Don't Even Know Me! by cuteandtwisted (101k words) - The one in which Isak and Even are interns who got off the wrong foot and don't like each other at all (except that they do).

[muirahara-woods]

I haven’t watched a single episode of season two, nor do I intend to at any point in the next couple of weeks (college is a cruel bastard), but here’s a list of theories based on the few glimpses I got from my dash and my own completely baseless assumptions:

- I know that’s there’s a police arc, that was pretty much covering my dash! So: the cops finally corner BH6 for their vigilantism (bc technically, it is super illegal). It’s framed as a complex moral dilemma but falls flat overall since Disney can’t actually say Fuck Cops. The cop who is bold enough to stand up against the superheroes is a bland-looking white guy. Everyone sides with the cops and BH6 are suddenly public enemy #1. An automated police force gets involved at some point, and people actually think it’s a good idea instead of horrifying.

-the gang runs a DND campaign. Fred is DM. Halfway through, they get interrupted by some villains but they just start playing with them.

- Fred vapes

-Tadashi gets a posthumous degree? Which, I mean, good for him, but I really hope that death also burned away his college debt

-so if Tadashi was getting his bachelor’s, does that mean we have a confirmed age for him? I figured Baymax was something along the lines of a senior design project, but if that’s true his death just got infinitely sadder. he was really THAT CLOSE to graduating

-on a related note, Hiro has to do a fundraiser or get a shitty job to pay for his own textbooks (which are just those goddamn online homework subscriptions that cost $150 each because capitalism loves to extort STEM majors).

- big hero 6 gets the in-universe equivalent of Snapchat or the like. we see some of the gang doing some stupid dangerous stuff (but completely hilarious) to put on social media.

-everyone headcanons that Hiro can skateboard, but may I present to you: Aunt Cass is better at it

-Aunt Cass dates Tony Hawk for an episode but he’s never mentioned or acknowledged, he’s just sitting around and tweeting during every time we see him

-Karmi gets an internship but the work is using equipment and programs that neither the researcher nor the interns know how to operate. While she’s stressing about that, she starts forgetting assignments and falling behind on homework and has a small breakdown, exposing more of her character (perhaps pressure from her family? Pressure from herself?) Its turns into a nice bonding moment between Hiro and Karmi

- can you tell why I haven’t been on social media lately from that last one

-oh wait doesnt Karmi get an internship at Liv Amara’s company? And she’s totally evil, I think, so Karmi unwittingly becomes the best and most dangerous villain in the city. Like she just starts out doing some basic research into antibiotics or healthcare tech but Liv realizes that what she’s making could be used as the perfect weapon. It becomes a sort of extortion situation once Karmi realizes that she’s being used, where she has to keep making weapons or Liv tells her heroes exactly what she’s done

-gogo learns how to juggle

-Baymax goes to Vegas. He gets kicked out of every casino- not for cheating or counting cards (he actually rakes in some cash) but every owner thinks he’s a street performer soliciting customers in the casino, instead of an actual robot

- Globby vapes with some of his own slime. It smells like grape juice. Everyone is horrified.

-Trina comes back and becomes Obake 2.0, which I hope isn’t a final-form sort of thing, bc as much as I liked Obake I would really like Trina to be her own villlain. The successor and daughter to one of the most powerful super villains in the city? And she’s a robot??? She’s basically unstoppable physically and mentally, trying to mimic Obake is a downgrade honestly

- #giveTrinagunhands2020

- Trina steals baymax to make or copy part of her new body

- (specifically the gun hands)

- ((my phone autocorrected that to fun hands. my phone knows what’s up, do the writers??? @disney contact me for an internship))

- a character comes in that matches one of my BH6 OCs to a T. I will become irrationally angry, both at my obvious lack of creativity in character design and my cowardice at not posting my OCs sooner.

- we get a closer look at the privatized nightmare of San Fransokyo, and glimpse into the dark and seedy world that the CEOs like Krei must operate to make their dirty billions. I don’t watch any of those dark, gritty shows about businessmen doing shady things to build their empires but it’s an episode of that.

-NBB dies and is reborn as a smaller, cuter weapon of mass destruction a la BabyNut

-Hiro wears Tadashi’s hat in a really dramatic scene. I will already be crying.

- The mother daughter crime-dancing duo make a comeback, but now they’re really into polka

- we get a badass EDM-themed character. It’s difficult to tell if they’re a hero or villain bc all their dialogue is bass-boosted

-honey vapes and it’s rainbow-colored bc she’s a brilliant chemist who makes her own smoke-juice

-I don’t know anything about vaping and these jokes aren’t funny anymore were never really funny to begin with

- the cop arc is resolved when the hero cop faces off w Trina and she OBLITERATES the man in battle. Robovillain beats robocops every time

...yeah, that’s all I got. Time for me to go back into hibernation.

If you’ve made it this far, please yell at me in the notes for all of this. Thank you and good night

[ayankun]

real quick before I get into season 6

So this is my second time watching Season 6 and I’m p. excited.  This last week or so I’ve been dredging up bits and pieces, but most of it is a blur.  It seems the memories that lasted this whole year were mostly of the huge armored truck and the nonbinary character who works at *spoilers*’s tech startup.

I’m curious to see if the second time through it’ll settle in like it belongs.  I remember Season 5 really didn’t make any sense to me until I saw it again.

But really I’m just excited that in 11 hours I can watch the new stuff?!

But first, before I forget, here’s my last thoughts on Season 5.

So remember how I was surprised at Season 1′s structure, that it folded up nicely down the middle with some pretty tidy symmetry?

None of the other seasons do that.

Instead, I remember particularly strongly how jarring the end of the Ghost Rider arc was in the middle of Season 4.  And then again when the (what I’m calling) Kasius arc also wrapped up mid-season.

I’m not sure when I read about it, but it probably was circa Ghost Rider, that they’d intentionally decided on what I’m pretty sure they called “pods” of episodes, these seasons-within-a-season sort of narratives.

Season 2 sort of kicks it off, what with the race to Terragenesis taking eps 1-10 and the Afterlife/splinter SHIELD stories filling 11-22.  Then Season 3 has the monolith/Maveth mystery to start, followed by Hive & the Inhumans for the second half.  S4 is super poddy, obviously branded as Ghost Rider/Agents of Hydra, and S5 also splits neatly into future!Lighthouse and present day!Lighthouse.

Two points to make on this:

Kasius is such a rockstar villain that I feel really bad for Hale/Ruby/Talbot.  They’re so apples and oranges but having the highlight come first allows for unfavorable comparisons to be made.  It’s like asking any well-to-do Kree to compare Xandarian snail to oops all berries.

Good thing they’d had all this practice writing complete stories in 12 eps, since I’m hoping Season 6 (and obvs Season 7) will still feel as fully formed as their longer antecedents.

Anyway, that first point is my major point for S5.

S3 already feels like the second half of S2, and its internal halves are the most similar to each other as any of the other “pods,” so it’s not like people have a reason to go around saying “I liked the first half of the season waaay better than the second.”

(although I might.  I might say that, actually.  but not because the halves were branded separately from one another)

And S4, though the two halves are barely identifiable as coming from the same show much less the same season, they’re both good.  Robbie Reyes is perfect.  The effort to incorporate new MCU topics/aesthetic from Doctor Strange is great.  Robots who just want to be a real girl is my JAM.  All the Framework cameos really make my day!  And then Robbie Reyes comes back all deus ex machina (ironic) and saves the day, and

it makes sense that he does because the function and nature of the Darkhold was well established in part 1 and

it’s GREAT that he does because he’s perfect and we miss him.

Then here comes S5.  I really really respect so much about the creative decisions that took the story where it went (ie, outside Papa MCU’s sphere of interference), and getting to reuse the same set in a different context while minimizing “on-location” shoots is just technical and financial genius, okay. 

But there’s so much about the first half, in the future, that compels me waaaaaaay more than the gritty anger of the second half. 

Kasius, WOW what a villain.  Dominic Rains, everyone.  I have nothing unkind to say about the performance, the character, anything.  Impeccable.  Spectacular.  Perfection.

The mystery of the season opener!  We had the tag scene where Coulson’s “in space” and plenty of time to ruminate on the how and why, especially with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 coming out right as S4 ended and Thor: Ragnarok literally sizzling in the theaters at the same time as this season started.  They answer the question by the end of the episode, but not before several characters come up with and pursue several different theories, and that’s fun.

What a way to capitalize on the Inhuman storyline your show’s been about for years now, without forcing Papa MCU to contend with all this good work you’ve been doing.  Just go somewhere he can’t reach you (the future), and then un-write all of it anyway.  V. tidy.  Extra style points will be awarded.

LEITMOTIFS.  If y’all’ve seen BSG, then you know Bear McCreary is a master of the art.  But this season has so many good themes, my friends.  The Daisy/Quake theme that’s been knocking around for a season is here in full force, and Sinara’s is the best bad guy theme you could have wanted, and dearest sweetest Flint has the best great guy theme you ever heard.

Just, while we’re here.  Sinara.  She says nothing for episodes (it feels like, I wasn’t counting) and her first line is a scornfully growled “compassion.”  Give it up for Florence Faivre !!!  She hardly has any lines but you always know exactly what she’s thinking and what she’s about.  Sinara and Kasius have the richest on-screen chemistry of anybody on any show from any era fight me on this I dare you.

Mack’s coming down from his second life in the Framework, and that suuuuucks that these folks never have a moment to rest before barreling into their next story.  But he gets to be a father to Flint!  And Yo-Yo gets to be a mother!!!  UGH why couldn’t they have brought Flint instead of Deke lololol oh well.

I think I know another reason why Lincoln seems overhyped to me.  That other Inhuman, Ben I think his name is?  He’s in like two episodes, serves a narrative purpose, and is disposed.  I know Lincoln’s in like 18 times as many episodes but they have the same exact overall impact on my brain-hole.  Imagine if it was Ben that came back with them instead of Deke.  That’s how I feel about Lincoln.  Like, how did this obviously disposable character make it this far?

Then you have Deke.  You love to hate him.  He’s a very well-fashioned character who is flawless in making you feel the way the showrunners want you to feel.  That’s the kind of character that gets killed off twice and still comes back, and it doesn’t surprise you.

So, Enoch.  Enoch is everyone’s favorite character, right?  Right.  Give me genderless robots with a soft spot for humanity ANY DAY.  PLEASE where are they I need them.  (I’m un-repressing memories of S6 and I feel like somehow I should be careful what I wish for)  Man I remember with 1000% clarity the absolute glee I felt sitting down for the opening montage of S5 the first time, how ballsy weird it was, just watching this freaky bald alien of a man go swimming with some fun electro pop number playing in the background.  100/10 please make more television like this

 More monoliths!!  The time one is so pretty!

(remember when there were more monoliths and no one knew where they came from or what they did but then it didn’t matter because they got instantly exploded?)

The low-key obvious answers to the season’s questions, what with the Inhumans running all over the shop, Quake there to tear everything down and Flint there to put the pieces back together I’m not crying you’re crying

Oh man, and Simmons getting to mentor not one but two Inhuman youths to be confident and trust in themselves and their powers.  What a ways from the fear-panic response to Daisy when she turned.

Also, yeah, it has to be said, this show’s blatant “you’re different and that’s okay” agenda sits very well with me.  Agents of SHIELD says LGBTQ+ rights!

So anyway, part 2 falls a little flat for me because its strength is its themes, but I’m not really compelled by the stakes and definitely not by the villains and not really even by the intra-team drama.

Obviously S2 touched on parenthood, but it was pretty specific.  S5 digs in and brings us a lot more on the topic.

Kasius desperately desires his father’s approval but very deeply despises the methods and the people who earn it.

Hale was indoctrinated by Hydra and was very earnest in wanting to uphold the values of the organization, until the organization (and Whitehall) shared with her their narrow appreciation of the gift of her loyalty.  Even then, she struggles to make sense of this loyalty, only realizing too late that being a good Hydra pawn and a good parent are categorically mutually exclusive.

Ruby, obviously, is like a mini-Kasius, the brave-faced rebel who wears her mother’s disappointment on her sleeve like a badge of honor to pretend that it isn’t crippling her.

The Von Strucker kid, boy is he messed up (and his Hydra dad had something to do with it)

((echos of Ward are still heard even this far after his demise, and we know what his father figures were like))

Poor Talbot, got some brain damage and some Hydra conditioning on top of that, cracked that noggin wide open.  He just wanted to do good by his family.  Just wanted his son to know he loves him.

Polly and Robin.  The daughter who needs constant special care because she’s stuck inside her own mind and the mother who’s been through hell and back and still manages to do her best.  Even when she knows she won’t always be there for her daughter.  Even when she knows she’ll be replaced.

May getting a glimpse at the life she and Andrew once talked about.  Getting a chance to do right by that little girl.

Mack recovering from getting that same glimpse, from the echoing memories of a life time spent with his greatest regret erased.  Being roped into being a thug and threatening that dad without knowing the meaning behind his threat -- being told that people like him don’t deserve the privilege of parenthood.  But then getting to know Flint, and having Yo-Yo at his side while they fast track this kid through all the things he’s gonna need to know in order to be the Big Damn Hero the world needs him to be.

The timey-wimey promise that FitzSimmons will one day be parents to a brilliant daughter who will unfortunately give birth to a Deke.

Coulson and Daisy.  Another parent placing enormous expectations on his daughter, desperate that she be ready for his responsibilities because his time is running out.  A daughter who mishandles these expectations and refuses to stop fighting a losing battle, not because she’s not ready to step up, but because she doesn’t want to face the fact that she’s losing the man who raised her.

Anyway, aside from all this good Theme work, part 2 wades perfunctorily through musty remnants of the previous season, from The Doctor to The Russian.  Which makes sense, because that season ended in a way that left so many loose threads -- but then this season comes along and summarily ties them up, all cute little bows, the lot of them.  Dusts its hands.  Nothing to see here.  Move along now.  Time’s up.

[almaasi]

reaction post typed while watching JIBcon videos (part 2 of ?)

Cockles panel

in which Jared is abusive to Misha :C :C :C (and Jensen is maaaaybe angry about Destiel not being canon??? whoa)

previous post HERE

-

03:51

how long’s it been, 3 days? 4? idk but HI LET’S WATCH MORE

i was 11 minutes in, after 2 hours. oh boy

-

just rewatching the bit where the fan asks if they can sip the apple juice and i just realised jensen said “no!!” at the same time misha nodded and said “yep”

-

aaaaand jensen watches misha drink before he licks his lips and drinks too *u*

-

03:56pm

misha: “supernatural the series will be ending, it’s been announced, but we will be doing a puppet show in jensen’s backyard... for another ten seasons”

i would pay money

misha’s joking but i would pay money

-

and jensen’s mouthing “oh my gaaahd” at misha bc he did not expect 500 people to cheer that

jensen: “THAT’S BRILLIANT”

yes

yes it is

-

“no seriously i think we’re gonna do that”

i would legit love that pls do

-

the apple juice is getting to him already

-

04:00

fan: “what one thing you won’t miss after it’s done? and don’t say each other, that’s not true”

shoutout to that fan right there looking out for all of us

-

04:0

misha: “i’m not gonna miss jared and jensen hurting me”

jensen goes all quiet, misha touches his leg

AND THEN MISHA APOLOGISES FOR FONDLING HIM

this is so fucking complex but also probably so simple

on the one hand that touch was automatic, assuring jensen, but also misha’s aware of how that exact kind of touch is not especially consensual in the context of what he’s talking about

they kind of seem to have two separate relationships, the personal/private/convention-performance one... and the on-set one. off set, misha’s in charge and jensen is his princess, but then on-set, misha is a sexually abused puppy

and honestly i don’t know how i feel about this, so i try and figure out how misha feels about it. like... it’s pretty obvious he doesn’t enjoy being hurt, but rarely actually gets upset about it (i.e.: the airplane), and still maintains an apparently consensual, respectful and emotionally intimate relationship with jensen and jared outside of set??? it’s confusing to me and what i’m seeing here isn’t really helping me understand yet

-

04:12

oop the video finished, time to move to the next one

i’m still torn on this issue

like it’s...... funny, i guess? jared army crawling onto set to hurt misha? BUT ALSO IT’S NOT, and it shouldn’t be, it’s only funny because they apparently find it funny

or at least jensen does, but jensen loves misha the most, so like.......... 

god i still don’t know

every year i’m still baffled by this

i just want jared to stop hurting misha

those poor inner thighs

-

part 2!!

JIB10 - Jensen and Jared and Misha panel part2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd8O2-_Akk0&ab_channel=thiniassk

04:16

misha’s now talking about mark (sheppard?) and how mark wants other cast people to make “an environment where people are happy to go to work” the way the spn cast does

back to the thigh pinching though. so misha can quote that with total conviction... so i guess despite the pain he does enjoy it?? maybe he’s just a masochist and likes being hurt, idk...... and yet he says he won’t miss it once it’s over

who knows if i will ever understand this

-

04:1?

extended eye contact with misha as jensen says “i would’ve loved to have slept in”

UH HUH

-

04:?5

OH GOD IT’S HAPPENING IT’S HAPPENING THEY’RE LYING ON TOP OF EACH OTHER

in which jensen is being misha and misha is being jared

“yeah you sexy bitch you like this”

????????????????????????????????????????

-

and then misha pulls jensen up by the hand~

that did not last nearly long enough

-

ARE YOU KIDDING ME THEY DIDN’T EVEN GET TO RECOVER OR FINISH THE SENTENCE BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE COMES ON STAGE

UGH

EVERY FUCKING TIME

WHEN DO WE NOT GET COCKBLOCKED

-

OH it’s not even everyone else it’s just jared

does he have internal alarms that go off when jensen and misha are being publicly intimate and he has to show up with a cowbell and a taser

-

04:30

jensen is definitely tipsy now

-

04:41

jared: “i was like ‘shut up bitch’ and you were like ‘yeah, hit me’

jensen facepalms and misha mouths “no i didn’t”

?????

jared is such a wildcard in this dynamic

on the one hand they’re advertising themselves as the model set relationship, and there’s obviously love between them, but on the other hand they’re all being abused by jared 

i 

i’m so perplexed

-

04:35

https://youtu.be/dd8O2-_Akk0

misha to jensen: “do you... you wanna tell your... your dream?”

jensen shakes head “nope”

jared: “whoa!! this just got really romantic” (backs up)

(thank you jared for trying to keep out of this, i guess)

-

04:44

i just took a lil break and i’m back now

i thought a bit about what i’ve watched so far today and compared it to the first part of the panel that i watched last time, and i’m trying to figure out if the energy is different because i’m in a different mood or whether it actually changed around the same point i paused last time, around the 11 minute mark. the first part of this was flirty and silly and fun, and then that vibe kind of plummeted... i guess it was because they started talking immediately about the abuse on set

but yeah, no, just typing that made me realise i’m right, the energy did change. misha mellowed out and jensen followed suit. despite getting tipsy and being more open to shaking his ass, he and misha remained subdued

like.. jensen clearly finds the abuse hilarious but i don’t think misha does. he loves jared and jensen both but i think there is legit pain there. people can be both abusive and loving, you know? jared’s awful but also nice, and i guess i enjoy his obvious outward support for jensen and misha’s romantic relationship, but i’ve always found it harder to appreciate him, compared to the effortless love i have for misha.

misha always, ALWAYS demonstrates that it’s absolutely possible to be dominant without hurting or demeaning people, and jared is just... not like that.

and yeah this upsets me enough that i’m now blurry-eyed with tears while typing this

it’s been kind of hard to enjoy this part of the video and i needed a moment away to figure out why

my favourite jibcon will always be the one where jensen leaned in to kiss misha. he was upset and misha went to comfort him, and supported him the whole time. i was thinking the other day how that energy was fresh. like they’d only just begun a sexual/romantic relationship in real life, or were about to and were eager for it. and this time it’s clearly been years and they’re more comfortable with their attraction.

but like.

yeah i’m disappointed that jared is on stage now. i can’t help it, i always am. his presence just seems especially upsetting after everything misha’s told us

i’m in no way saying they’re not friends, because they are, and i can’t doubt that they’ll be friends for the rest of their lives, happily and comfortably, but at the same time i will never be able to deny that jared is abusive. he violates consent in every possible way and just because it’s funny doesn’t mean it’s okay. these three spin the stories to make us laugh, but truly, under all of it, i find it upsetting.

someone’s always gonna say “but misha’s fine, he can take it”

but abused people can be fine, because they tend to be the strongest people, yet that doesn’t make the abuse okay. he’s not agreeing to it, he’s showing up for work each day because he has an obligation to and a family to feed. and he does love working there, and the people he works with, DESPITE the abuse.

i just. i don’t want people watching this to ever think that it’s okay for friends to hurt you. it’s possible to be bullied by friends. in fact that seems most likely in my own past. you may still be their friend, and your love for them may be warranted, and understandable, because they are lovable, but that doesn’t make their actions okay

-

anyway

-

05:05pm

misha: “are you wearing a t-shirt that says destiel is real?”

jensen’s hand ZOOMs to him i.e. “stop talking”

also he tied the pocket scarf around his neck and it looks good

-

I LOVE THAT EVERYONE CHEERS

omg remember when people would boo

THIS IS BETTER

-

is jensen like........ pumping for more cheers or being sarcastic? can’t tell, it’s kind of both

-

and then jensen just goes “DESTIEL IS REAL”

his tone is like.........forceful joking? but also he just SAID it ???

jensen: “is it? is it??”

crowd: “yes no yesss noo”

-

https://youtu.be/dd8O2-_Akk0?t=12m59s

jensen: “where? where is it real?”

misha: (pulls jensen down) “don’t get in a fight with people, honey”

HONEY. HE DID JUST SAY HONEY RIGHT?? HE SAID HONEY.

me: wrote a fic called He Called Me Honey

OMG.

misha is the best and will always be the best and his support is the best and i love him more than words can say

-

05:13

k but

i think people’s claims that the destiel thing annoys jensen do have truth to them. his middle finger is on the mic, he’s PISSED.

but ........

honestly i don’t think it’s for the obvious reason. right now, *tilts head*.... looking at this, i think he’s actually more annoyed that destiel is not canonically canon. from what he sees, people are seeing something that’s “not there”, because despite him acting, he can’t hide his attraction to misha. and it’s still the old stuff from season 4 and 5 that put down the basis for all this, when he didn’t realise his pupils were dilating in the first few weeks with misha. and the storyline pushed them together.

theory: jensen’s annoyed about the destiel thing because it’s not as canon as he wants it to be.

maybe.

just........ the way he reacts to destiel stuff out of panels seems way more supportive. he’s just currently feeling attacked by the disparity of opinion in the room, everyone yelling about their take on it, whereas his question was legitimate: “where are you guys seeing the romance?” because (despite his best efforts?) dean still hasn’t kissed cas on screen.

deleted scenes = deleted destiel. i’m still 80% convinced when cas came back from the empty, there was a shot where dean kissed him. and it wasn’t used. (i have no proof. this is a theory. just with the setup to the scene, and the way jensen flirts with misha on set, i refuse to believe there wasn’t a kiss shot at some point. even if jensen was messing around for giggles. he knows what’s up, deep down.)

anyway, my point is, i don’t think jensen understands the romantic subtext. i think he understands physical touching, spoken words, kisses. and he hasn’t seen that in the show. i think he absolutely acts dean as being best friends with cas, but the subtextual romance comes from the writers, editors, and people picking up on jensen’s unconscious attraction.

but jensen has not seen what he would interpret as Romance in the show. and i think he’s miffed that other people see it, because in his interpretation that means it’s actor bleed. i think he just doesn’t get it. not saying he hasn’t studied subtext and stuff, as a director, but i think for him personally, romance is romance when it’s seen (hence him touching cas a lot more when he directs). and any bold choices he’s made as dean interacting with cas have been hidden away by the producers.

again, this is all theory, my take on it. the other theory is that he doesn’t support destiel and doesn’t like talking about it at all. but THAT IS NOT TRUE and if anything, *THIS* and *THIS* prove that

-

05:50pm

k well those links just took me 20 minutes to find, and i still can’t find the version with the actual fanart. it was sunshine yellow, dean and cas were naked in towels, drinking coffee, and dean has a boner under his towel, and jensen drew a speech bubble saying “who the fuck are you?”

 but yeah i think i gotta stop for today. I WILL BE BACK. maybe tomorrow, maybe in a few days. still got 4 minutes of this panel and then jensen & misha’s solo panels to watch. and i wanna get all my reaction posts up before the ‘good omens’ series drops at the end of may!! because maybe i’mma post reactions to those on tumblr too c:

hope you’re all having a decent day <3

Elmie x

[tinkdw]

14x03 watching notes and mini meta

My feelings are summed up with this gif x:

So much good stuff, where to start?! Longer / specific meta’s to a topic are linked and underlined. Okay, let’s dive in :)

- Sam’s beard. This was too good I had to do a quick visual meta on it right after I watched it. Dean really loves scruff on men, has flirted with guys with scruff, literally told Cas he liked his peach fuzz, but on Sam? HELL NO thats my brother! Brilliant, funny, sibling jibing, cute and bi!Dean stuff Bobo, kudos.

- Dean’s repressing his memories and pretending he doesn’t remember just like Hell, a callback to season 4. While he’s got a different Supernatural scar (Michael wound v Cas’ handprint which is another Supernatural forced bond v chosen bond with Cas theme just as Amara was) and all the Dean / Michael parallels going on since season 4/5 pointed it out and Dean in the end bravely went against his duty and destiny to be true to himself instead of the Michael mirror he was supposed to be while now he’s being told/asked again “are you like Michael or are you your own person?” Next up: PROVE IT. Excellent.

- The perfunctory Jack hug v the Cas eye love making wow, I mean I speculated that we wouldn’t get a hug because thematically it made sense not to with the holding back and empty space theme between them so having a Jack hug but not a Cas one was so jarring and supposed to be. It was done so well to show how much deeper the feelings are between Dean and Cas without a hug. Wowzers. Dean is looking at Cas then Jack launches in to hug him which he accepts but then just continues to just keep staring at Cas. Those two can convey more with their eyes than most can do with their whole bodies, it was so intimate and so much while at the same time showing the whole empty space holding back thing we yelled about all of last year after the mirror opposite of Cas being restored to Dean, on top of the romantic music when the scene starts but crescendos like crazy as soon as Cas enters and ends when Dean walks out. Pfffft.

Kaia, Cas and Jack mirrors, Dean’s metaphorical “am I like Michael?” arc and all the rest under the cut.

- Kaia! My anon from last week was right kudos! I’ll admit to having been totally wrong about that link with the scar, this is cool! The symbolism of Michael, epitome of the metaphor of toxic masculinity and Dean’s hang ups being terrified of little queer girl Kaia is just... wowzers. So much symbolism there, meanwhile Dean is literally stuck in the middle being harmed both physically and emotionally by this tug of war. All we need is for Kaia to become textually good, be emancipated, to help Dean defeat Michael (come on, the symbolism of the two of them doing it together? With help from Dean’s family Cas, Sam and even maybe Jack?!) and we’re good to go on a Dean Sublimation Winchester to Dean Emancipation Winchester textual storyline. 

*grabby hands*

- Dean’s comment of “I didn’t mean to be a dick” while Jack’s all “everything is my responsibility” which is Dean’s MO makes me FEEL THINGS. 

- Dean is throwing himself into the case to avoid his feelings and left Cas behind with ease. IMO, totally metaphorical as well as useful for the plot. Leaving his feelings and things that make him emotional behind? Better leave Cas there then, can’t have Cas and all the feelings that go with him next to him just being Cas when he’s precisely trying to bury his feelings, running away from them. Sam then acknowledging that this is “kinda your thing” is great. Yes Sam.

- Note the different music between Cas and Dean and Sam and Dean’s “moments” >...>

- Jody loving Sams beard lol, I just... love this. Whatever meta wise, it’s gold :p

- SAM AND SERIAL KILLERS!!! Just before we get Dean and horror movies! Showing their different interests! Yasssssss :D :D :D :D :D THIS IS MY ENDING THE TOXIC CODEPENDENCY LETTING THEM BE THEIR OWN PEOPLE JAM!

- Jack was going to leave and now isn’t because he wants to help someone, he is truly a Winchester.

- IT’S MARKED GROSS STUFF. All the headcanons of Dean and Cas doing domestic shit around the bunker. Throw in Sam on occasion too where Sam and Cas both eye roll at Dean’s childish antics with indulgent smiles and you got me one happy headcanoning fangirl. Thanks Bobo :)

- One of my dads! *internal screaming*

- “My mum probably hates me cos I ran away” Sam mirror?! Jack mirror obviously, but hey everyone’s a TFW mirror. Everyone’s a mirror of someone who’s a mirror of someone these days. It’s hard to keep up.

- Dean’s barrelling ahead but Sam has actually done intel, he is the rightful leader here. Dean is an emotional liability. This is gonna rear it’s head.

- Ok but is the necklace clearly not cursed...

- “First love strikes quick and to lose it like that” - I mean!! 

A. Great that the GA get the textualisation that it was romantic that we’ve known since the ep aired, but great that it’s clearly canon now not just subtext. Though showing that clearly the subtext they did use (which was ALL DeanCas parallels) was supposed to show a romance story there >....>

B. Sam totally gets losing your first love to a Supernatural being and being set on revenge, throwing yourself into hunting to mask the pain. Jess rearing her head so late in the game is heartbreaking.

C. Insert matching gifs of Kaias death and Cas’s death too (which we paralleled to Sam x Jess and John x Mary at the time). Pffft. Then straight on to taking about Dean. More pffffft.

- Kaia was trying to stab Claire when they first met. Ok we get you want to write Destiel but openly queer Bobo, I love it, keep going.

- Jack losing someone and blaming himself while Cas looks like he is too. Jack is lamenting his powers... really to be a good Cas mirror he needs to find the solution here thanks to his mind and his human, powerless side to show this is just as powerful as having ‘powers’.- Oh look! He does ;) That’s not significant at all. Side eyes.- Cas is so proud :p

- Dean definitely seemed to have a Michael callback moment there. Excellent, I’ll be keeping a tabs in case it continues as per my spec that he will display Michael-esque behaviour over the season for plot and metaphorical reasons.

- Dean “I’m gonna do whatever it takes to defeat Michael” and going Michael on Kaia is an exact mirror of Nick murdering the neighbour in a fit of rage over “I’m gonna so whatever it takes to get revenge for my family”.

- Kaia / Bobo points it out that he’s like Michael okay lol hammer to the face but good that makes it simple :p

- Scared - “you always have been”. Flashback to Dean going nuts at Kaia and calling it what it is. Fear. No brainwashing, just Dean. As I said at the time >...> Of course it was all Dean and this is him too, it’s about how scared he is to be alone, to lose the people he loves, to feel unloved, unwanted, unuseful and all his hangups. This whole thing has been a giant neon sign pointing at Dean’s inner demons since day 1 and Bobo is clarifying for us just as Dabb clarified the Jack-Cas stuff earlier because of course it only makes sense to their character arc if they’re making their own decisions.

- God I love them.

- I’m already expecting stans to be mad that Kaia saved the 3 best hunters. *rolls eyes and moves* on ITS METAPHORICALLY SYMBOLIC and IMPORTANT TO THE PLOT.

- Jody feels like a John callback here about raising hunters and feeling like you’ve already lost before youve started whilst at the same time clearly is Bobo lamenting the loss of Wayward Sisters. Man... clutches heart strings.

- Cas “you made me so proud”. He’s so sweet and kind and argh. Proving that Jack is both hunter and angel. “Let’s go on a hunting trip” and Cas making soup?! End me! where’s the fan art?!!!!!

- Oh dear. Jack... Chekhov’s bloody cough.

- Dean actually opened up within one episode?! Wow. Character growth! He admits he was repressing and it was stupid. He admits he does remember some stuff as a clear mirror opposite to how long it took him to open up in season 4. He felt like he was drowning. Wow the depression metaphor. Now he feels responsible again. Sigh... a whole season of Dean pain. Well, we were prepared, let’s just tighten that seat belt.

- ALL THE HUGS FOR BOBO!!!

[thepunktheory]

Why GoT Season 8 sucked - Welcome to my TED Talk

I hadn't been a GoT fan from the first minute. However, once I had watched my first episode, I was all in. I binged all season, devoured the books. Needless to say, I was both excited and anxious about the final season. We could clearly see a decline in quality once the show had left the charted territory marked by George R. R. Martin's books. So, I had dialed down my expectation for the final season. Nevertheless, Benioff and Weiss managed to fuck it up beyond my wildest imaginations. About three episodes in, all I wanted was for the show to be over. It was almost painful to watch! So, what did Benioff and Weiss do to ruin it all?

What has Game of Thrones always been known for? Unforeseen plot twists, cleverly crafted stories, impressive characters along with intense character development, epic battles and (very important) strong female characters who seriously kick ass. Let me tell you in detail how all of that went down the drain with season 8.

I'll begin with the amazing female characters as that is what pissed me off the most. I have thoughts on Dany, Arya, Brienne, Sansa, Yara, and Cersei so prepare for a longer rant.

Brienne had always been one of my favorites in the show. She was strong, smart, stood up for herself and others. I was cheering for her when she finally got to be a knight in this season. Well, my joy was short-lived. After the big battle, Jamie, Brienne, Tyrion, and Podrick play a drinking game and Tyrion assumes that Brienne is a virgin. She stalks off into the night only to be followed by Jamie who ends up sleeping with her. The next he leaves a weeping Brienne behind as he heads for King's Landing (and Cersei). Let dissect everything that is wrong here. First of all, the fact that Brienne is a virgin is presented as something that appears to be a problem. Problems need fixing. So, of course, good guy Jamie is there to help her out. Seeing her cry because of some dude is jab the character that was built over 7 seasons. Don't try to tell me it was to make her human. We already know that. Brienne isn't perfect, she's also had her share of heartbreak. This scene only served one purpose: to remind us that in the end Brienne is a woman, weak and governed by emotions. No matter how amazing she is on the battlefield, she's still just a weeping girl. The scenes I mentioned have absolutely no relevance to the bigger story, don't do anything in terms of character development and were altogether simply unnecessary. Also, I was rooting for Tormund and was really sad to see him cast aside.

Next, some quick thoughts on Yara. Well, where was she this season? We get to see her for half a heartbeat before she's shipped off to the Iron Islands, never to be seen again. The fact that she was there in the final episodes, to say just about one sentence, felt more like a concession to fans than anything else. Her story arc doesn't really get any form of closure. It's like Benioff and Weiss had completely forgotten about her this season.

Just like Brienne, Arya had also been one of my favorites. I cheered when she killed the Night King (more on that later) but was somewhat flabbergasted during the penultimate episode. For the last 7 seasons, she trained to become this badass assassin and now she was headed to King's Landing. Killing Cersei had been one of the main driving forces that have kept her going and in the penultimate episode of season 8, she was closer to her goal than ever. Anyhow, once she and Sandor get to the capital he basically tells her to skedaddle as there's only death to be found here. Arya is like "K, bye." Her whole story was building up to this and now she just turns to leave. One could argue that she finally overcame the hate inside her, her thirst for revenge or whatever. But this is not the way it's presented here. A man tells her it's too dangerous for her and ever the good and obedient little girl, Arya decides to leave. Something sound off here?

With Sansa, I think I get what Benioff and Weiss wanted to say but their writing is just terrible, so it comes across the wrong way. I love that she ended up as Queen in the North but before that, we have one scene that really irked me. She’s talking with Sandor and kinds of says "well, it's really good that all this shit has happened to me. Otherwise, I'd still be a little bird." So, I guess, what writers were going for was for her to come to terms with her past and embrace who she is now. How it came across: being a little bird is a terrible thing, (There's nothing wrong with living a sheltered life, are you arguing that the only good way to live is to be mistreated?) ultimately all the shit that happened to her was okay anyways (it was not okay).

Now what you all have been waiting for: Dany. Benioff and Weiss really murdered her for good. She's always been an intricate and complex character, not without flaws but with a desire to become a better person. Writers decided to take all that, wrap it up real nice with a bow and throw it out the window. What we get in season 8 is a mad Queen with no feelings and no remorse. I was so angry when Benioff and Weiss claimed it was foreshadowed that she'd go mad. Why? Just because the Gods toss a coin when a Targaryen child is born? It wasn't foreshadowed that she'd go batshit crazy within the blink of an eye. We knew she struggled with her heritage, but in the past seasons, Dany always made a point to distance herself from her father's actions, made a point to not be like him. Remember when she was heartbroken because her dragons had grilled an innocent child? Over my dead body is that the same character who burns down an entire city without thinking twice or without the slightest hint of internal conflict.

When it comes to Cersei Lannister, I was equally disappointed. We barely get to see her this season, she has just about 6 sentences and isn't quite herself. I was already pissed during the first episode. Euron Greyjoy (don't even get me started on that twat) wants to bed her. And Cersei holds a more or less elaborate speech, basically telling him to go fuck himself. However, he cocks his head to the side and claims that he'd rather have a go with her. So, of course, Cersei gives in without further discussion and sleeps with him. That is not the Cersei we know. I talked with some people about it and they argued that she had to in order to convince him that the child in her belly was his. Well, I beg to differ. It's just written terrible and out of character. Cersei has always been a strong character, she doesn't bow to no-one. In this season she's but a shadow of herself. Especially the penultimate episode was a letdown. Her life ends with Jamie holding her and Cersei keeps muttering that she doesn't want to die and she doesn't want her baby to die. Well, Cersei had faced death before and we know this is not the way she deals with it. She's always held her head high, unwilling to give, strong to the very end. The Cersei Martin created never would have cowered like that. 

As we were talking about foreshadowing with Dany. Does anybody remember the prophecy Cersei got back in the day before she was married? It stated that she'd have three children with golden crowns (Joeffrey, Tommen, and Myrcella) but Cersei would have to watch them all die. Thus I am convinced that however much she wanted the baby in her belly to live, Cersei knew that it wouldn't happen. That's another reason I am convinced her final scene is absolutely out of character. I won't even talk about the rest of the prophecy as Benioff and Weiss really fucked up that front. This leads me to one thought that was also expressed by Martin himself.

Writers nowadays try so damn hard to surprise the audience, they don't even care that the stories often don't make sense anymore. The fact that somebody might have guessed the correct ending isn't a bad thing. It means that what you wrote/produced so far paints a picture of the characters it's coherent. You can't build a story, fill it with clues and then just take another route because you feel like. What you get from that is endings like GoT Season 8 (or Captain Rogers in Avengers: Endgame).

So, what else did I hate in season 8? The battle of Winterfell. Sure, the battle scenes were rather epic but there were just so many things wrong in that episode. The first 20 minutes were almost black, meaning most viewers weren't able to see a thing. I heard the explanation that you simply need a super expensive TV, then the episode looks fine, that's what the colors were calibrated for. If that's not a big fuck you to all the fans than I don't know what is. Next, there were so many strategic mistakes in there. We don't have time to unpack all of that, but who had the brilliant idea to put all the women and children in the crypts? With the dead people. When the Night King is coming, whose best trick is to resurrect the dead. Also, killing the Night King didn't seem that big of a deal. After 7 seasons build-up for that battle, I expected him to be a bigger problem. I mean, I love that Arya was the one to take him down. But one dagger was really all that was needed? Somebody could have sent a sharpshooter in season 1 and the problem would have been dealt with

Finally, let me give you some examples for the lazy ass writing done by Benioff and Weiss. Do you remember that in the past seasons it was actually hard to kill a dragon? Well, in season 8 Euron Greyjoy kills a dragon with a single freaking bolt. Why does that happen? Because Danaerys forgot about his fleet (According to Benioff and Weis). Are those guys seriously trying to convince me that nobody in Dany's council remembered that Greyjoy is still alive and kicking? What the fuck?! Another example is the scene were Missandei gets executed. Had it been written by Martin, Tyrion would have held a smart speech and pleaded with his sister (nope). More importantly, Missandei would have had some inspiring last words for Dany. All she says is Dracarys. You know how that felt to me? I bet this was Benioff's and Weiss' thought process: "Well, we could let her do a speech. But then we have to come up with a speech. Let's just make her say Dracary and the audience can come up with the rest."

I’m sorry to say that it's obvious how overwhelmed Benioff and Weiss were with writing season 8. They clearly lacked the skills to bring the show to a worthy end and I'm sad to see so much money being wasted on that. Honestly, it felt like they didn't even care anymore and just wanted it all to be over. HBO should have just hired some fanfiction authors to do the job. They would have done infinitely better. I don't even think that all the decisions made in this season were bad. They were just terribly executed. You know, I can imagine Dany going nuts even in Martin's version, just not the way Benioff and Weiss portrayed it. It's the kind of story arc you can only pull off if you are an excellent writer, otherwise, you just slaughter your characters. You need internal conflict, development - more than CGI effect and dragons. As we are speaking of dragons: I had hoped the dragon would turn Jon into a piece of steak and grill him instead of the Iron Throne. But of course, the golden boy had to survive...

Season 8 is a really unworthy end to a show that had once been great. My only hope is that now George R. R. Martin has some motivation to finish his books. Hopefully, he'll show us soon how it was meant to be and how you get the job done properly.

Thank you for listening to my TED Talk.

[mylittleredgirl]

What are your favourite science fiction shows? (Besides Star Trek because I've already watched those!)

Okay I’ve thought about it and:

Space shows:

Babylon 5: WATCH THIS BEAUTIFUL POETIC SHIT i love it and sometimes it’s a bit terrible but if you just let go into it and decide that people do talk exactly like this in the future it’s so fucking good. Like upsettingly good. Somewhere along the way clunky dialogue gives way to in-universe shakespearean perfection that gives you the feeling that you’ve discovered a religion but you’re not 100% sure what it entails. At the end of season 4 pause and consider if you’d like to enjoy the feeling of completion and “yeah team good guys!!” you’re experiencing for a while before going on, because Season 5 reshuffles the cast of characters and muddies the waters in a way that never quite gets paid off. I never really got into Crusade but there was less of it to get into and because frankly I was still young and innocent in the ways of television and spent a few years heartbroken that I watched all the goddamn way to the end of Babylon 5 without the Talia Winters resolution i was waiting for. In the final accounting, I will always choose Deep Space Nine over Babylon 5 when asked to choose a favorite space-station-based epic war arc with religious symbolism, because B5 is right on the edge of how dystopic a future universe can be before I start to feel uncomfortable. most people call that edge “realistic”. 

Stargate SG-1: UGHHH Stargate SG-1 is a fuckin GIFT because it’s a little “what if a sarcastic highly capable military dude from the late 1990s travels to outer space with his brilliant weirdo friends to do battle with villains that would have fit in really well in classic Star Trek” AND “what if almost every planet was kind of a stereotype of earth at a specific time and place like classic Star Trek” AND that delicious 1990s staple of regularly subtexted white people het and slash and femslash combinations where nobody ever just fucking FUCKS. Seasons 3 and 4 contain some of the best episodes for het unresolved sexual tension seen outside of The X-Files. Everyone should watch it but be prepared that if you go online and start talking about SG-1 or Stargate: Atlantis a generation of your fandom foremothers are gonna show up on your posts wailing about the Before Times like we lived through some kind of fandom ‘nam and can never trust again. 9/10 everyone should watch this even though “Stargate SG-1” is not a very good title for a TV show.

and Stargate: Atlantis: if Star Trek is my religion i worship on Sunday morning then Stargate: Atlantis is the one I dress in leather and take to bed on Saturday night because I have never I mean ever shipped anything as long or as hard as I have shipped motherfucking John Sheppard and Elizabeth Weir in this goddamn show. out of every crumb the TV show gave us the fanfic writers cooked up a goddamn feast. not only have I never watched more than a handful of episodes in seasons 4 and 5 but I basically stopped watching new television entirely for almost a decade so, uh, proceed with caution after the midpoint of season 3 and I have like 285 favorite fanfics to show you.

Futurama …….. tbh i’ve never watched past the original seasons because i’d come to a place of internal closure and i fear change and it was inside the Stargate Atlantis hangover period discussed above, but that’s more psychology than anyone wanted to get into on this post. basically my ideal expression of humor can be found in “the farnsworth parabox” and whatever the episode is called with the neutral planet because that is some a+ loving sci fi trope mockery and i love every line of it.

That specific brand of earthbound sci-fi show where there are almost certainly aliens involved but our heroes never get to seek out new life and new civilizations: 

The X-Files: what can i say about the x-files??? this is INDUSTRY STANDARD fucking shipping territory fucking NO ONE does unresolved sexual tension better and honestly the day i will know i have met The One it is because they will present me with a non-fat dairy-free toffuti cutie rice dreamsicle and say “i have done my research and understand your romantic needs and expectations.” this shit is so formative that i literally watched the episode “jose chung from outer space” so many times that i wrote it out and then memorized it as the most perfect work of fiction i had ever encountered.the television without pity recaps of seasons 8 and 9 (which tbh i unironically love and consider an internal spinoff come fight me) literally kept me alive in a very dark period of time. “very dark” is also how to describe 98% of the scenes in this series so while on the one hand there’s some horror-style gore there’s only like a 50/50 chance you’ll be able to see any of it. i reblogged all the shippy gifsets about the seasons 10 and 11 reboot and did not watch any of it and honestly i feel pretty ok about my life and my choices. if you are willing to read fic written in the first person and don’t mind that 1990s-esque think-of-the-children notion that scully’s a virgin you will literally never run out of fanfic. 

Twin Peaks: this is my newest fandom love and I am loving the entire nonsensical ~aesthetic~ of it all so much that I can barely breathe. i don’t know what the fuck is going on. no one knows what the fuck is going on. i want to cross-stitch every frame on a pillow. twin peaks avoids being grimdark because it’s so stylized. the characters are all these perfectly odd creations and a handful of them are genuinely good people trying their best, but like it opens with the murder of an abused teenager and no one gets an unambiguously happy ending. watch this if you want to go along for a ride that will soak into your cells like pacific northwest mist dampening a flannel shirt and will leave you just a little bit stranger than you were before. in the back half of season two you’re safe to go make a sandwich whenever james, nadine, or dick tremayne show up on-screen.

Earthbound sci-fi shows that don’t involve aliens at all:

Jake 2.0: i’m literally never over the one season of this turn of the millennium sci fi geek fever dream where experimental government nanites give an IT helpdesk tech with a heart of gold the ability to control technology with his brain and the NSA kind of goes “… i guess?” and lets him live out the secret agent fantasy he is really not prepared for. you probably can’t find it anywhere. it’s a light-hearted found-family gem with more characters of color in positions of power than its network contemporaries, and the late-breaking discovery of four never-aired episodes include my favorite TV episode that was actually a fanfic (tied with the X-Files episode “Arcadia”). the most benevolent single act i have ever experienced in fandom was when someone burned the Lost Episodes to a cd-rom and sent them to me and now i can’t even remember who it was. i’m not saying that jake foley deserves a tumblr renaissance but 📢JAKE FOLEY DESERVES A TUMBLR RENAISSANCE.