#i also love penny and kady and margo and alice and fen so much like i’m not even joking what the fuck

[durindaina]

i’m rewatching the magicians and on season 2 episode 12 “ramifications” quentin asks “what’s more important than a life?” to which mayakovsky answers “you talk like life means something” and quentin says “if it doesn’t, then what’s the point? this is what magic is for” and quite honestly i’m about to start biting

[clarajohnson]

the magicians s2e13

remember when i said i hated q the first time i watched this was a lot of the reason why

you loved him i love you... :-( i'm not without sympathy for him and his sad little face

cancer plus :-((((((

lipson is so fine i wish they gave her better hair

kady/penny are so great together it's crazy to me how briefly they actually get to interact

i love how much it costs eliot to ask if julia's okay "i can tell you the way you're relating to that couch is not unknown to me"

also love the horseshoe over the door. been there bestie !!!!

eliot's book has two volumes ????

you've done enough you get to be done :-(((((( they pull no punches on the season finales

fen's baby makes me verrrrrry sad

this is how you know i'm truly liveblogging these episodes because i don't remember if this is when they take margo's eye. i hope this is when that happens that eye patch is so hot.

it really just is so interesting how much of this magic show is about saving magic which is an animating force for all life in the universe and is constantly on the verge of disappearing without ever being able to return

sad little nerd king !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EYE IS GONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bambi one eye. it do.

jesus christ this show is such a time capsule. strings cover of best day of my life.

there is so so sooooooo much to be said about q killing ember

"society of godless heathens making this the first day of our societal adulthood" such an interesting thing to say

what did otd do to the writers to make her act so undignified in this arc

with every good thing no matter how small it is it's always married to something so completely disgusting :-((((((

big thumbs down on qualice kiss unfortunately

gods like ember have parents you IDIOT !!!!!!

oh my gosh i forgot about the magic pipes how fucking fun is THAT

"anything is possible" "or was, anyway" waaaahhhhhh

unbelievably rude of this show to just mention that vampires exist and not push further on that

joseph calling her "my alice" give me a season on THAT please

"they need to think they're inspired while they're being ruled"

THE FAIRIES PISS ME OFF SOOOOOOO BAD BTW

julia quitting law school is a HAPPY ENDING TO ME !!!!!!!! show ends there congratulations julia

nobody ever believes that julia has magic they should stop it

[bitchesoffillory]

The Magicians at Summer Camp AU

I really miss my summer camp and wish I was there right now so here is how I imagine everyone as camp counselors (also I know that all camps are different this is based off of how my camp is run/some of the programs it has)

Julia- THE BEST FUCKING COUNSELOR!! She would be so good with the campers!!!! She is an expert at walking the line between fun and responsible. She’s cool enough that all of the “popular” campers vibe with her. She’s so nice and really understands the awkward kids. She is great at bringing them out of their shells and listening to them. That’s literally all campers want, is for someone to listen to them and Julia is great at it. She makes sure everyone feels included and seen, she makes being kind and inclusive cool. We stan.

Quentin- The campers WORSHIP him and he absolutely cannot understand why. It confuses him so much because he’s like, “I’m so awkward? Why?” but he ends up just rolling with it, who is he to question them. He’s so good with the quieter and more indoor kids. He plays cards with them, teaches them magic tricks, talks about his favorite books. He gets all of the campers hooked on the fillory books, so he ends up creating programming around it. He is so unapologetic about who he is and what he loves and that’s so attractive to kids you have no idea. All of the campers love him. I am so soft for counselor Q. 

Eliot- He RUNS the drama program at camp. The play is always elaborate, impeccably done, and different every summer. He comes off as bitchy at first but those kids are his little drama ducklings and he will defend them with his life. The kids absolutely adore him. In addition to the big play, he organizes spontaneous performance art throughout the summer. You never know when it’s coming or what’s going to happen. A flash dance? Spontaneous slam poetry? Shaving a fellow counselor's head? Imagine him convincing Todd to let him shave his head. There are no limits, only art. 

Alice- Organic farmer Alice. The plots are organized and there is every vegetable you could ever think of. She teaches the campers how to take care of all of the different plants, the different medicinal properties of all of the herbs, the different regions that everything comes from. At first she comes off as cold but then the campers see how nurturing she is with all of her plants. She seems all prim and proper but she really gets her hands down in the dirt. Every meal at camp contains something fresh from the garden. We love it. 

Or!!!!! Horseback riding, but I don’t know too much about horseback riding, we don’t have it at my camp but Alice is a full horse girl. She likes it because she gets to talk to animals more than other human beings and we love that for her. 

Josh- The head of the kitchen, those kids eat GOOD. All of the meals are delicious and nutritious, especially with the additions to the meal from the organic garden. Oh you have a food allergy? No problem. Josh makes special dishes for all of the kids with specific allergies and needs, gluten free? Vegan? Apple, nut, sesame or fish allergy?  Lactose intolerant? Just straight up picky? All of the above? No worries, Chef Josh is on it. He never forgets a birthday, every kid with a camp birthday gets a personalized cake in their favorite flavor. We love to see it. 

Fen- Archery instructor. There is no knife throwing at camp (thank gd) but arrows are still pretty pointy. The setup is super sweet with top of the line equipment. She never misses, ever. The campers try and set up challenges for her and she hasn’t missed yet. Standing far away, shooting a moving target, shooting blindfolded. She hits the mark every time. All of the campers are convinced that she is some type of Elven warrior who rides around defending justice with her trusty bow when she’s not at camp. She doesn’t correct them. 

Or she teaches self defense with Kady

Kady- Krav Maga. All of the campers are kind of scared of her, but they all sign up for it because they also want to be her. The campers are always super timid during their first lesson, but Kady always pulls them out of it. She’s tough and compassionate, she teaches them self defense and confidence in themselves. All of the campers walk out feeling like complete badasses, and that maybe Kady isn’t as scary as they once thought. The best.

Penny- A lifeguard. Everyone thinks that he has the easiest job at camp because from the outside it looks like all he does is tan. BUT he has to look out for a million little fuckers near open water all while sitting in the blazing hot sun for hours. That shit’s hard. Yelling every two second for kids to stop running, and no diving! He’s the hot lifeguard who is the only person who can get the kids into the water. He’s grumpy but he loves his job. SWIM INSTRUCTOR PENNY!!!! It’s like Professor Penny but in water. Honestly? I love this one.

Margo- The high king of productive discomfort. All of the “popular” kids look up to her because she is a boss bitch and she teaches all of them to have compassion and be empathetic. Meanwhile she has a very soft spot in her heart for the quiet nerdy kids and teaches them to take no shit and stand up for themselves. She is also the biggest advocate for the campers and the staff. If you are ever having a problem you are always told to go to Margo and she will get it fixed. She has no fear and absolutely will yell at the director if there is an issue.

Todd- The junior counselor that everyone hazes. He fucks up a lot but he really and truly is trying his best. 

Professor Lipson- The camp nurse who’s answer to all ailments is a bandaid and/or cough drops.

Dean Fogg- Literally the worst camp director there is. The worst. The Assistant Director does everything. 

Jane Chatwin- The assistant director. She does everything. 

[chthonicillness]

The magicians. Sorry 😔🗡<3

it took me a while to find the key to the room in my brain that i locked the magicians in but apparently there was a lot of stuff in there:

blorbo: ok my favorite character and the character i think about the most are two different things because my favorite is a tie between margo (my wife who hates me <3) penny (rare Man I Would Allow To Hug Me) and julia (most AND least normal person in the room) but also the Whole Quentin Thing occupied so much of my brain matter for so long i think it unlocked new kinds of mental illness

scrunkly: are you kidding none of these people are babies. uuuuhhhhhhh fen (the secret version who lives in my head and also my fanfictions)

scrimblo bimblo: did anyone else feel like we didn’t get enough harriet time. i wanted more harriet time. i wish buzzfeed really was for distributing encrypted magic spells that would make it so much less annoying

glup shitto: theodore “teddy” rupert coldwater-waugh existed for thirty seconds in one episode and he is Mine Now. god can you imagine a child raised by quentin and eliot. he’d be so fucking annoying. i love him. also remember victoria? she seemed like she was being set up to be a really interesting character and then she disappeared and we got poppy and josh instead. what the fucj

poor little meow meow: alice isn’t even a personal favorite of mine but i have to respect what she’s done for female meow meow rights. like she does literally everything wrong. revolutionary. also shadeless julia. she <33333

horse plinko: i’m going to push pete or whatever his name is down a flight of stairs. why did they keep him around there was literally nothing likable or interesting about him and also he ~pretend~ sexually assaulted a woman to scare her into doing magic in what like the first episode?????? i refuse to believe kady would’ve kept him around

eeby deeby: sera gamble

[spiders-hth-is-an-outlier]

The Magicians kept writing this one dude over and over again whose schtick was that he's Friend-Shaped and Easygoing and Content With His Life, and on one level I understand that they were doing a Bit, where that guy is a foil to the obsessive, neurotic roving stormclouds that mainly comprised the leads, but it was -- weird, it was a weird choice, because the lack of arc or story question or just basic motivating desires those dudes (and they were all white dudes for some reason) exhibited created this weird implication that wanting things at all was Problematic, and kind of made you a worse, more destructive person.

Like, you have three separate levels of Stories About Desire happening in The Magicians, right? A few characters are motivated by negative desires -- they want to escape pain and they aren't too invested in how, they are open to suggestion, and they can be steered into doing good or bad things. This is basically Eliot and Penny, and arguably I think Fen. They just don't want things to hurt or break or fall apart too much, and they're largely defined by the fact that they speak from experience, that things have fallen apart for them through no real fault of their own. They desire for that to, like, stop happening.

Everyone else is a pretty active agent in latching onto specific conditions which they think will make them happy and going after those conditions. Julia's whole story is specifically that. Quentin is narratively tied up with Martin Chatwin in the story of the damage created when you won't let go of your fantasy world and engage with the highs and lows of your real one. Alice is always after something. Kady has specific family problems to solve, until those disappear. Marina is ambitious. Margo is ambitious. Fogg and Jane are hellbent on literally reshaping reality to get their desired outcome. And all of those characters are likeable, but they also create problems and they break shit and they are sometimes very unlikeable, and all of them are pretty cynical, or at least are always struggling against the pull of their own cynicism. That's fine, that's tonally and thematically the show.

But then I guess to highlight this through opposition, they keep bringing back this other Weirdly Specific Dude, in the form of Todd and Josh and Charlton. He's nice. He's comfortable -- he's pleasant to be around, he likes people, he likes our heroes. He's kind of dorky. He's not especially bright, though he can have insightful moments. He's Magic Without the Pain. He's just a nice, happy guy with no inner demons or trauma-baggage, no sharp edges, no need or desire to fight for or against much of anything. You can dislike him, but you're kind of the dick for doing so; you know it, and the show definitely knows it.

It's a strange thematic choice, because it implies that all that dissatisfaction that drives everyone else is -- kind of about wanting too much? Like, the closest other characters to The Todd Collective really are Eliot and Penny and Fen, who have small-scale wants, just to be loved and to get a minute's goddamn quiet, and it's just their godawful luck that they're plagued by magic that makes that hard to achieve.

It's just a weird commitment to the bit, this specific stew of being apparently a little sheltered and not too brainy and kind-hearted and contented with what's in front of them -- that this is the person The Magicians kept introducing as unexpectedly admirable.

I don't know if I agree or disagree with that premise, exactly, but I just think it's fascinating that the show feels so strongly about this premise that they do it three separate times, and ends with two of them as love interests.

[kadywicker]

Hi! Im same anon from few weeks ago thanking you for getting me into the magicians bc dopamine etc and rn Im watching s4 (near end but im rationing it. kinda) but i dont really filter spoilers so Ive seen stuff from s5 and I have to say... every single thing I read/see sounds like a fever dream and not even a fun one. What is going on? I'm not sure i want to know.

oh my god it’s miserable man i’m so sorry. s5 is..... so bad fasdfasdf i avoided watching it for a year bc i didn’t want to waste my energy trying to p*rate it. but i watched it last weekend and let me tell u..... not worth it! there’s a couple episodes that are like? okay? i guess? but mostly it’s just. terrible writing. sexism. homophobia. nonsensical plots. bad writing. more shitty writing. like. there’s some spoilers below so don’t click if u dont want spoilers but in case u want to know what’s going on (warning for spoilers and a huge wall of text):

there’s too much magic now so spells are going off the shits bc there’s so much magic. there’s a harmonic convergence coming up which will make magic go even MORE wild. a pig man from fillory shows up saying there’s going to be an apocalypse and he needs quentin to help. julia says oh shit sorry quentin’s dead but i can do it but the pig man says only STRONG MEN can do it so he fucks off to try and go find a man for the quest. julia decides to stop the apocalypse anyway, which she thinks is the harmonic convergence. so much fucking shit happens long story short they end up DESTROYING THE MOON. they crack the moon like an egg and eliot and margo get trapped in a timeloop caused by sentient whales practicing magic to keep the kraken at bay. margo gets out of the time loop leaving eliot who figures out what to do! and sends himself back in time to stop the moon from cracking. yay world saved. MEANWHILE IN FILLORY eliot and margo were thrown 300 years into fillorys future where the dark king rules. he’s got? fucking zombies or some shit hes “fighting”? i dont know i wasnt sober for half of this season. they’re hunting fairies. eliot talks about quentin in one (1) episode and cries a little before sending quentin a letter in the underworld. earlier in the episode he tried to fuck the dark king. after that he does not bring up quentin a single other time bc gay men do not get to have compelling love stories and he spends the rest of the season mooning after the dark king he met for 3 seconds before deciding actually HES the love of his life, not quentin. fen and josh are dead in the past and margo and eliot change the timeline like three times to save fen and josh! wow yay! also they can’t save quentin bc changing the timeline would be bad and disrespectful :( they can save fen and josh by altering the timeline though! at one point alice tries to make a golem of quentin to answer some questions about a page in a weird language she found in his desk but she brings back child quentin instead and he dies so it’s whatever. after the moon shit, they’re trying to find this seed that’s depicted on that page of quentin’s bc it’s the World Seed and can create whole new worlds! which is convenient bc turns out that apocalypse was NOT the apocalypse on earth but an apocalypse on fillory they think the dark king is gonna cause. turns out no, they’re going to cause it, they need to destroy fillory to stop the dark king from bringing back an army of the dead to bring back his gay lover bc gay mean are evil and bad >:( and before they destroy fillory they need to get all the fillorians in a pocket world and then put them on a new world they build with the world seed. so much shit happens i don’t even know. there’s a heist. there’s a musical episode that’s also the heist episode. eliot makes out with alice AND kady in this episode bc god likes to see me suffer. there’s a new chatwin! she’s great her name is plum and she can travel through time! she uses these time saving abilities to save hyman- you know, the really sexist perverted ghost that spies on people? yeah well she saves him. even though the narrative forbids saving quentin, they can save that fucking guy. julia is pregnant with penny 23′s baby but it’s a Super Pregnancy bc it’s red monkey month in fillory which means it goes faster. and she’s getting affected by the baby’s abilities to travel and be Psychic. fucking charlton is there he was still in eliot’s head the whole time and he gets out of eliot’s head to bother eliot but no one else can see him so they give him hyman’s body bc hyman wants to be a creepy ghost still. quentin gets brought up a few times but mostly to talk about how he ~sacrificed for those he loved~ or what the fuck ever and also to hammer in more quentin/alice like they didn’t have a like 3 month toxic relationship and he had a FIFTY YEAR RELATIONSHIP/MARRIAGE TO A MAN AND HAD AN ENTIRE CIHLD WITH HIM but ya know alice is the true love of his life bc they’re a man and a woman <3 <3 <3 the moon is sentient? i guess? there’s symbiotic aliens? fogg gets trapped in a magic acid induced drug alternate reality? and evil fogg from another timeline ends up coming through and fucking shit up? regular fogg gets back and has to hold a cat to stay sane bc all the insanity goes into a cat? fen, margo, ALICE?, and josh end up creating new fillory bc thats definitely the list of people that knew and loved fillory the most (definitely not eliot who was high king of fillory and sPENT 50 YEARS ON FILLORY WITH A HUSBAND AND SON no no he wouldn’t know about fillory), and disappear to their new fillory. the phrase “ovary up” is used no less than 7 times during the season and in the episode descriptions. kady’s barely mentioned as to what she’s doing post finale. eliot is a professor now and oh in the last FOUR FUCKING MINUTES WITH NO BUILD UP charlton kisses him and they go upstairs to fuck <3 the dark king was getting catfished by his brother martin btw bc the dark king is actually rupert chatwin and he ends up in a time bubble with jane and that’s fine while martin gets trapped in the library or some shit i don’t know. oh and plover is still alive and doing relatively fine compared to other characters who are like, dead. fen sympathizes with him isn’t that nice. there were at least 5 different opportunites to bring quentin back and they didn’t bring quentin back or leave opportunity for that. it’s bad. santa shows up for a minute? alice gets her fingers cut off and sewn back on and can’t do magic w one hand now but she’s a master magician so it turns out fine. there’s a line about “her lunacy identifies as she/her” talking about the moon, as if the magicians has any room to make pronoun jokes when they’ve had 2 trans characters that both died and weren’t even textually trans. at one point it turns out josh and fen fucked and margo tries to kill fen in a fit of jealousy and there’s a love triangle situation. fen is now a werewolf too btw. in conclusion! it fucking sucks.

[televisionforwhales]

EXTREMELY ready for the 41st timeline Magicians fic wherein they all remember but get to do it again with much less trauma:

-opens of course with Eliot lounging sluttily on the Brakebills sign and he shakily says his "Quentin Coldwater?" because they don't know if the time-travel perfume they spritzed on that bit of Q's soul preserved his memories but he's like "I....died? Um. Hello, hi. what?" Quentin gets reuinions with every one of them where they are properly upset about his death!

-Fogg doesn't have a goddamn clue how the timeline reset but they're handling the Beast way more efficiently this time and he didn't get his eyes yanked out, so, whatever. He'll toast to that. 

-Q feels a bit guilty about being in love with two people and asks for space, sure, but mostly he gets time to figure out how to be a person again and BREATHE

-when they get the god-killing knife they all push Margo to the front and hey, turns out she was qualified to be High King all along so she rules Fillory with her wife-and-eventual-girlfriend Fen. There is plenty of real Eliot&Margo (and marqueliot) bonding that we've been denied. She gets everything she wants.

-Julia and Kady jump right in to making those Hedgewitch connections and fixing the whole damn thing. Best Bitches Fall in Love along the way. They have a triad with Penny40. (Eventual demigoddess Julia??)

-Penny40 remembers the Underworld and there could be a The Good Place-esque afterlife overhaul, maybe. Mostly I care about Penny catching a fucking break!! And he has two girlfriends to dote on like the big softie he really is. 

-I honestly have trouble seeing qualice lasting in the long term, but I'm open to other interpretations (we know our boy is open to polyamory). More than anything I'm invested in them having a friendship. Like...being actual friends who enjoy each other's company without everything being so fraught constantly

-ALSO invested in the Librarian Alice content that was set up and got no follow thru. And since every Magicians woman is a WLW in my heart and she'd be building coalitions with the Hedgewitches AND Fillory... there's plenty of girlfriend material in addition to amazing plot material, just saying!!

-Eliot pointedly asks Kady to hangout on Tuesdays between 1:30-3 and she knows he knows that's when she has her Magicians Anonymous meetings so they make it a weekly thing and he always treats her to lunch and they never talk about recovery outside of that hour and a half meeting but they bond over being completely ride-or-die for their little super nerds

-I'm a simple creature, yes, Queliot will happen. I love the idea of a slow burn between two people who are already in love but have shit to work out first! And Q would be rightfully insecure over being rejected so Mr. Eliot "Acts of Service" Waugh gets to fucking full-out wine and dine him, just, like, woo the boy proper. It's ridiculous.

-Things aren't perfect but they're pretty great sometimes!

Bonus:

-I've already written about their lunches with Ted Coldwater. He isn't the Giles to their Scooby Gang so much as he listens in confusion and pats them all on the shoulder and calls them champ.

[simplyalexeiofficial]

Am I hyperfixating? Maybe, but you can’t tell me that a “Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy Host Club” AU isn’t the most intriguing unexplored idea. All I’m saying is:

Haruhi: Quentin (Obviously, though it’d need to be twisted in a way where they’re not hiding his genitalia so much as his undetermined discipline maybe????)

Tamaki: Fen (super excitable person from a foreign land obsessed with earth things instead of commoner things? Check! Would box the romance between her and Q though, because I’m a Queliot Stan with no regrets

Kyoya: Alice (self explanatory)

Hikaru/Kaoru: Eliot/Margo (SUPER self explanatory)

Honey: Kady (less cutesy, clearly, but the dynamic with her and Penny checks out for it to fit)

Mori: Penny (protector to a person who can 100% take care of themselves? Yeah)

Renge: Josh (with a less obsessive touch, who really just likes bringing in snacks, also I recently started thinking about how good an Alice/Josh dynamic might be??? It’s be like an April/Andy from Parks and Rec dynamic)

Kadanoda: Julia (not in love with Q, but comes into the group dynamic later, could play off the yakuza fear as ex-hedge distrust)

Nekozawa: Poppy (I mean, trade in the black magic for dragons and they’re basically the same character)

Lobelia: Marina (& her hedges trying to recruit Q to join them rather than switching schools)

[bambihanson]

Okay, that was an... episode. Thoughts under the cut.

Overall: Not the strongest start to a new season, but there wasn’t a lot that made me like, Mad. Granted at this point there’s not much worse they can do than killing Quentin; the only way to go is up… I hope.

Positives

I still love these characters. Like I really do, they have a special place in my heart, even when the writers are fucking around. Every time someone else popped up on screen for the first time in a year I grinned.

I ESPECIALLY love seeing the dynamic duo Margo and Eliot back together. They’re my babes.

The sense of humor is still sharp, as expected. With a few exceptions, of course. Not every joke is gonna land. I never worry about them fucking the humor up too much - granted I’m biased bc it’s my sense of humor to a tee. Since as a late millennial/early gen Z raised by the internet I have a garbage brain.

I think we need badass, independent Julia after that shitshow end to her Goddess arc so I’m glad she’s taking the helm here. I feel like she’s kind of replacing Quentin as the Main main character which makes sense. Preferably Quentin would still be here, but the deed has already been done. They’ve already made it clear they’re not gonna retcon that shit anytime soon.

Negatives

Idk why they’re trying to tease Q coming back when it’s mostly been confirmed he’s not coming back this season.

Like seriously it makes sense for Alice and Julia to want to contact him but as someone in the real world with context it felt like a kick in the head

“Closest friends” BOOOOO MARGO WOULD KNOW BETTER. THE WRITERS SHOULD KNOW BETTER. STOP FUCKING PRETENDING THEY NEVER LOVED EACH OTHER AT LEAST OWN YOUR FUCK UP.

I hate hate hate hate hate the pig man. Like did the character bestowing the quest on Julia HAVE to be that guy??? Who thought this was funny/a good idea??? It’s like one joke (him being a literal chauvinist pig).

Not that it’s not like they didn’t write themself into this position, but I’m so tired of Eliot suffering. At least they stayed consistent with how he acts when he’s depressed/grieving (eg he can be insensitive and self medicates to hell and back).

Nitpicks

There’s so much… weird about Penny 23 and Julia’s relationship??? Idk how to feel about it. Like it’d be wholesome without all the baggage tbh

Josh x Margo is also really weird. Like suddenly she cares so much about this guy??? Like they’ve had sweet moments too but it started weird and is just… WEIRD. Not to be biased but if you’re gonna pair Margo up with someone, Fen would make the most sense.

I really don’t care about the subplot with the hedge witches. Like I love Kady but the whole mark subplot is so boring and pointless, they’re just trying too hard to give her something to do outside the main plot. Maybe I’ll change my mind as it develops but for now 😴

I still think it’d be a better finale/season if Fillory had been what died and not Q. Just sayin’

Too petty to be an actual negative but QUENTIN STILL BEING DEAD IS A NEGATIVE FOR SURE

Random Reactions Throughout (aka posts I would have made liveblogging)

Professor Penny!

This Penny feels a lot like Arjun tbh??? Like in most scenes he’s very Penny but in moments with Julia he’s very Arjun

“I’d fuck our corpses” - Margo Hanson

The girl cosplaying as Fen is SO CUTE

I forgot how much I hate Alice’s mom. Like she has her funny lines/moments but she’s the fucking worst

ALICE DO YOU NOT KNOW BY NOW SEANCES ARE A BAD IDEA DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED WITH CHARLIE

“Then came my boring brother, Umber!” Wow shade

This play reminds me of the pie people episode of Star vs where the exact same thing happens with the whole play mocking the royals

“BoooOOOOOooo what’s a taker”

Margo looks like she’s gonna fucking kill a bitch

EL HASN’T READ THE FILLORY AND FURTHER BOOKS HDKDKDHDJSJ guess Q never harassed him enough. That’d be like me not forcing my gf to read The Monstrumologist books damn

Hooray for acknowledging Alice’s discipline!

The Clock Dwarf is a mood

Are we finally gonna find out how the fuck Alice becomes Cassandra this season? Bc they could easily go down that road

Fogg not being a semi-high functioning alcoholic??? What has the world come to

Leave it to the magicians to start a scene with a character at the end of a masturbation anecdote

“What would you say to the pig?” Uh, go fuck yourself??

I’m gonna go out on a limb and say the signal has something to do with the Apocalypse

I just realized ALICE IS WEARING T SHIRTS AND PANTS FOR ONCE

Now we get to find out what horrible demonic thing she’s gonna end up summoning instead of Q… or maybe we will next week

BITCH WAIT SHE MADE A Q GOLEMN???

Bonus: Dumb Sapphic Brain Thoughts

JULIA IS SO BEAUTIFUL??? PENNY’S REACTION TO HER OUTFIT IS A MOOD

Me Love Margo

The bi jumped out, Eliot is beautiful too. Even in his mourning look 😞

I love Kady in a blazer

I ALSO LOVE KADY IN A PONYTAIL DAMN

I love when Summer’s voice gets all low and rough like that. It’s hot af

[maliro-t]

10 Tarot Drafts Babey!! You can click them to see what cards I’m going off of (or  they’re under the cut w/ some explaination). They’re in chronological order for what I’ve done so far. 

I don’t post abt process in depth that much on here but this is the kind of project that I spend hours prepping for and thinking about, and I worry there are a lot of choices that don’t make a lot of sense if you aren’t in my head so I want to justify myself.  Also I’m too excited about it to just. Not. So. Big long under the cut

thank you to everyone on this post for the inspiration!!! you’re the real heroes

My process for these involves a decent amount of reading ( I use ata-tarot as my main resource which is immeasurably helpful), write a bunch of notes, figure out what kinds of symbols/ images I’m interested in as related to the card, and then it becomes trial and error with composition until I’m satisfied.

(highlights from my Extremely Intellectual Notes include: “make them fucking ice axes you cowards”, “are they moons? are they tomatoes?”, and “it’s her reflection binch”)

So! Some thoughts for each of them!

Quentin- The Fool 

This was the one that started it all lads, and it’s kind of a given, since the fool is the one that sets the story into motion and sets us down the path, so to speak.

Eliot- The Magician 

I went back and forth on this one a little bit because there are definitely a few different people that I like in this spot and mostly it came down to Eliot not really feeling right to me anywhere else. But, yeah, creativity, individuality, a balance of logic and emotion. Eliot. (also, potential, which is why I went with a s1 eliot look. I’m not gonna explain all of my symbolism choices in these because we’ll be here forever but I wanted to make sure that one made sense lol)

Fen- The Empress

I really love the reading of El as the Empress, but this one was such a Fen card for me- Maternal archetype, unconditional love and care, facing even daunting tasks with a smile.

Margo- The Emperor

Structure, regulation, ruling with a firm hand. Armor. Yeah. High King Margo.

Fogg- The Heirophant

Keeper of forbidden/secret knowledge, often associated with tradition, institutions, and mentors or teachers. So, Brakebills was the immediate thought for me, and more specifically Fogg.

Kady- The Chariot

Kady was really tough for me, and I kept moving her around, but I like the chariot. The main association is with emotional control/force and mastery of self, which, of all of the main crew Kady is the best person in this camp imo. She’s incredibly disciplined, particularly in this area, hence her proficiency with battle magic. 

Josh- Strength

Josh was another tough one for me, but strength deals with the ability to rise above emotion and desire (the “inner beast” if you will), and while that’s not how I would categorize him at first glance, more than one of Josh’s major story beats deal with. kind of that exact thing. oddly enough. So, that plus some symbolism stuff made me really love this one for him.

Penny (specifically 40, i guess)- The Hermit

This one emphasizes being above emotion and desire, which I think maybe he’d like to think he is (he isn’t), but aside from that it also is about deliberate self isolation and sacrifice of one’s old/ material life as a part of a search for wisdom, as well as listing to one’s ‘inner voice’. I think Penny’s isolation is more about protecting himself, but I still really like this one. Also, he literally gives up his life, twice, and as a result becomes Woke Library Man.

Alice- Death

This is actually the first one I drafted, and the second I was absolutely sure about. Death is one of my favorite cards, and deals with transformation, resurrection/rebirth, and chaos, which I feel really encapsulates her whole journey from s1 to s4, with all the different (sometimes literally resurrected) versions of her we see, and her eventual search for redemption (another kind of rebirth) in s4.

Julia- The Star

Funnily enough, I didn’t actually make the hedge connection until after I’d already marked her down for this one. The star is about hope, light, and divinity, particularly in the face adversity and despite maybe having lost sight of the path, which I really, really love for Julia.

Anyways, these are the ones I really want to finish, but I have 5 others I’ve marked down If I get to them. In the mean time, this is proof that I’m actually doing something, even if it takes me ten years and consumes part of my soul along the way. 

[female-overlord-3]

Me yelling @imawriteriwrite cause I had a want for The Magicians S5

Am I watching S5? Not sure. Will tumblr spoil? I'm good with that. Do I still have random fic ideas and just want certain things to happen? That's never ending someone save me from myself. Anyway here's what I would like season 5 to go like and I apparently made Shay emotional. This is literally copy and past from our convo. Enjoy.

-------

You know what. I kinda want one thing to happen in season 5. I want them to do another big quest (to bring back balance for magic/quentin/fix whatever's happening) and there's this whole dramatic sacrifice "one will not make it to the end" line and everyone thinks someone's going to die but it's revealed that when Quentin died/how he did because of the mirror world, he created this unstable universe which is causing an issue in bringing things back to some base level.

And so Eliot is done grieving and finally at peace but knows he'll always love Q and misses him but they need to fix this world again and magic.

So the people they finally find/make them reveal themselves (coward gods who just wanna ignore the problem) say a strong magicians who's been tied to Quentin must join him to stabilize their world.

For once everyone is torn because yes they know a bit more about El & Q, but it could still be with Alice or Julia. Julia a demigod. Alice who's all powerful. Eliot not as powerful but has the most control of the 3.

The best friend. The first love (wait fuck WAIT I SAW A CLIP FROM S5E1 BUT NO WE'RE IGNORING THAT). The (beauty of) life partner.

The asshole gods say the person will reunite with Q when they've decided (aka no actual deadline) and it spans another episode. Alice says she'll go because she's strong and ready and she needs to but then she doubts because she's grieved and moved on and started her life again, a good one.

Julia wants to because that's her best friend and brother and she's strong but also has started to grow back into her goddess-like hood and made a life for herself and Penny23.

Eliot has finally stopped grieving and has started to rebuild Fillory with Margo and Fen (omg nearly all the names come out as all caps 😂) and accepted that Quentin made his choice and he missed his but he can't dwell on it any longer.

They're all arguing and saying there's gotta be another way, a way to bring Q back to them.

Eliot is the only one who doesn't voice he should be the one to go. Margo point blank says Eliot should go. Penny and Kady and Josh agree.

It's Alice who asks him if he wants to go but Eliot just stares at his hands at a loss. Yes he does but no he shouldn't. He missed his chance and he's moved past it. He shouldn't be looking back.

Julia says that's BS because now he can clearly make a decision without all the grief and pain. That he's grown and healed and better. That he deserves a second chance after everything.

Eliot let's himself consider it. Like fully and truly consider it and then a doorway lights up behind them.

They all turn and Eliot feels a pull but holds tight to margos hand, the only thing stopping him from running away and running to it. She turns his face and gives him a soft look before sighing and glaring at him. "Go. Our nerd needs you."

And eliot looks to everyone but they all understand. Julia just smiles at him and says to tell Q she loves him. Alice is glaring at the floor but latches onto Eliot in a tight hug as she silently cries. "Tell him we miss and love him. That I'm sorry. That I want you both happy. Or else I'll find a way too you" she voices. He nods and hugs her back just as tightly. He walks to the doorway and it opens for him.

He can see Q and he just stares. Q is staring at him too. Both in awe and positively terrified their eyes are playing tricks on each other but Q extends his hand in his world and Eliot steps forward and takes it, stepping through the doorway. The last thing everyone hears is their joyful laughter as the door gently closes behind them.

Queue commercial

End commercial. It's a scene where we see everyone is sleeping (I can't think of what technical term it is but ya it pans to everyone in bed sleeping) and then it zeros in on Julia and she's blinking her eyes open to a white world that's slowly morphing with color and things.

She sees what looks like a small shack and a puzzle. She walks closer to it before being stopped by a barrier. She looks around and sees everyone else is there. They all group together and then both Eliot and Quentin walk out from the small shack.

They are the happiest and most peaceful they've ever been. Everyone can both see and feel it.

Everyone finally sees why they work so well, the proof that Eliot being with Quentin was the best choice.

Both Q and El look up and see them, sad but blinding smiles spreading across their face as they wave from their spot.

No words are said but you KNOW they're happy and good and at peace. That for once having to let someone go was a good thing, that it worked out in the end.

Everyone wakes up and they all gather to the living room and just group hug. Happy and crying and feeling so much before falling asleep again. The next time they wake-up it's the lightest they've ever felt, like something's settled and the world feels right for once. It doesn't last but it does return when they think if their weird group of friends, their family, when things are hard. It's hope for better. Hope for happy. It's hope to get through whatever comes next.

[clarajohnson]

the magicians s2e8

gosh i did not remember julia losing her shade during the exorcism/abortion that is. that is soooooo interesting.

losing your shade seems to make you an insufferable theatre kid

"no hurting anyone, no casting magic, no sex" oh q you're kind of awful

looked at q's and alice's hands next to each other and felt some feelings. mortifying for me.

MARGO'S PANTS !!!!!!!!!!!!

margo's klepto proclivities are so deeply charming to me

q and margo are sweet friends. "my takeaway lately is that anything can happen at any time, so just be there while you can" :-'''''''( they are so tender with each other

i love when they have extras in the cottage like sorry do you mean to tell me other people are just going to magic grad school with no complications

anyone ever pay attention to the murals on the title card? i just noticed there's a fox on it and is that just for this episode? does it change? should i have been watching this?

julia: if reynard wanted to finish me off he'd have done it by now julia as soon as she leaves the wards: immediately encounters reynard

it's so sad that reynard is so hot

don't wanna say it. don't wanna go here. shadeless julia? hot.

i screamed when q showed up lmao dude

jalph can do anything except play niffin alice he's too babygirl

shadeless julia kicking the rasp up to eleven

q took art history. say more about that quentin.

niffin alice reading about "fixing niffins" vs future alice saying she misses being a niffin... well that is just fascinating.

i remember 0% of the library contract so this will be interesting

wait where are q and kady i like the cds

why did it take penny so long to notice alice in q's head lol

margo's little robe traveling robe >>>>>

hi. so you the nymph?

julia and margo were the best people to do this dryad thing because he says two females and they share this look and you know they've just agreed to cause some unholy terror. and sure julia goes farther than margo probably would've but it shows so much promise for their dynamic i love to see them together.

niffin alice testing q on his alice knowledge all the time. kind of feels like he loved the idea of her more than the real her at the time HMMMM. phosphoromancy. my discipline, idiot.

fen, you too, sweetie. OHHHHHH MY GOD.

margo saying "they don't want me, they want the high king" JUST WAIT !!!!! JUST WAIT BABY I LOVE YOU !!!!!!! also her trembling lower lip oh god i love margo hanson so goddamn much.

time sight viewmaster is SUCH a the magicians thing lmao

dana was a great mom actually huh

i love that the lorians have little harry potter ass wands. nation of lame-os.

my loyalty will always lie with me ohhhhhh shadeless julia you're the girl of my dreams

oh you know stella maeve had to be proud of that smirk she pulls after she explodes the forest

that's stupid. you play too much dungeons and dragons. alice quinn would never play dungeons and dragons.

fuck you pay me !!!! you tell them anglerbeast!

oh yeah gosh waking up and seeing a tiny dead body probably not the best thing for q huh.

friar joseph is so fun i love his little hangout. and i love how embarrassed q seems to be to be casting the boxing spell.

niffin alice still having tenuous self esteem oh aw :-(

bet otd had so much fun playing a niffin also oh man

"everything el promised i'm gonna deliver" yeah fen married the wrong fillory royal

queerplatonic is a fat nothing but i would never even attempt to describe whatever el and margo have going on

penny signing the library contract for magic but also for kady :'-(

"glass jaw, not a surprise"

[thehollowprince]

The Mountain of Ghosts

Another week, another episode. This one dealt with a topic that I know has been on the fandom's mind since the end of season four, so let's just dive into this.

Alice and Eliot - obviously the big part of the episode. This has been on everyone's mind since season one and the possibility of Queliot was a thing. It's been a constant back and forth, one or the other, situation since, and sadly, we all know where most of the fandom landed on that issue. This was a good episode that got to the crux of the issue here, that being Quentin. Not Alice's or Eliot's feelings toward Quentin but rather his feelings toward them.

For years I've stood here and watched the constant screeching of "Quentin loved Eliot more!" or more rarely, (seriously, very rarely), "Quentin loved Alice more!" It got to the point where I firmly believed, and still believe, that it wasn't a matter of actually caring about Quentin at all. I'm not saying that no one actually liked Q, but that was secondary to the main issue of which ship would win in the end. Shipping is a big thing in fandom, but what no one really ever wants to admit is that it's also a big problem in fandom, in that ship wars happen and all some people seem to care about is the validation that comes with watching their ship set sail or another ship sink. That's all I'm going to say about that right now, because honestly the problem with shipping in fandom is a whole other topic waiting to be made, but its relevant to this issue, so let's move on.

Alice and Eliot both loved Quentin, and whether anyone wants to admit it or not, he loved both of them back. It isn't a matter of saying he loved either one of them more, or which one was more valid because no one loves two different people in the same way. Some of the things that Quentin loved about Alice aren't the same things he would have loved about Eliot. And this episode really highlighted that. Eliot and Alice are about as different as you can get, especially when it comes to romance. They both had different approaches to their relationship with Q, and I'm so glad we got to see them resolve their differences. We finally got to see Eliot say to someone else that he and Q loved each other, and have Alice not only acknowledge it but embrace it. She said it best, "what was I going to do? Demand he be less complicated? That he only love one person?" Too often Alice is reduced to this one-dimensional girl who is only defined by her relationship with Quentin, especially by fandom, and this really broke that mold. This was a nice episode for the two of them, to work through their anger and to work together to let go of Quentin... to acknowledge that they couldn't save him. I hope this bond between the two of them keeps building through the rest of the season.

PS: please let Alice wear jeans and pants more often. She looked so much more comfortable than she does in those fetish school girl dresses.

Moving on...

Margo - I'm not sure how I feel about this whole "reclaiming the throne" thing she's got going on. I loved Margo winning the throne by her own merit back in season three, because it worked in that moment. And then last year we had her abandon the throne to save Eliot. When push came to shove, she valued one person over the duty she had as a king to her people. I'm not faulting her for that, because I understand where she was coming from, but she still gave up the throne and it paved the way for Fen to assume the throne.

I can only speak for me, but I thought that was beautiful. Having a Fillorian finally sit on the throne of Fillory felt like a major milestone, and now we're just supposed to believe that Margo gets to be the king because she said so? I didn't like that. That's one of Margo's negative character traits, her entitlement, which brings us to...

Fen - I do not like what they're doing with her so far this season. Who is the sycophantic woman? She admired Margo, of course, but not to the extent of idol worship. This is a woman who was part of the F.U. Fighters, fighting for Fillorian rights in a kingdom always ruled by outsiders. But then the moment Margo's not there, she turns into this incompetent moron, so much so that she and Josh were overthrown because they were waiting for someone else to save them, and I don't like that. That is a complete disservice to the character and the journey she's been on for the previous three seasons.

Also, this whole Josh thing that's going to come between these two women, who have had such respect for each other, leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I was one of those (probably the only) who was rooting for Josh and Margo. Were there things I would have changed about it? Of course, but I thought they worked well together and off of one another, and now we have this bullshit. I liked Josh, not just because we shared the same name, but because he was an interesting character that people, especially women, seemed to like, not because of his appearance but because of his personality. And now they've turned him into a quintessential Nice Guy™ who sleeps with his girlfriend's friend instead of figuring out a way to save themselves and Fillory.

I will say that it'll be interesting to see how Fen and Margo repair their friendship after that revelation that Margo legitimately tried to kill her, if they repair it at all.

As for everyone else...

Julia - I know we're working up to something with her and the big catastrophe, so I'm gonna let her lack of a role these past two episodes aside from support slide.

Penny - I really would like to see more of Professor Adoyodi, aside from just him doing research for class. Also, it's sad that they had him mention that "best case scenario for Travelers" is that they just become an Uber for their friends, only to have Julia ask him for a lift...

Like, y'all wrote it, maybe you should pay more attention to it!

And then there's Kady and Fogg. The Magicians is so different then other ensemble shows in that they actually use the ensemble! That being said, characters like Fogg and Kady often end up on the side because, while they're deemed primary characters, they feel more like secondary or tertiary ones. I know I'm not the only one interested in what's going on with the Hedge Witches, but we don't see Kady and what's going on with them unless one of the other "mains" needs something, usually some secret Hedge spell or Kady's fist. Same with Fogg. Brakebills was such a cornerstone for this show, and while the mains left the school (didn't graduate, just left) the institution plays a major role still, as a location if nothing else. Add to that the fact that Penny is a professor there now, and I'd espect to see more of it.

Lastly... the Dark King.

Not to toot my horn or anything, but I'm pretty damn good at predicting turns and plot twists. I can usually spot a villain or antagonist the moment I see them, but that wasn't the case here. Granted, in hindsight I should have seen in with how he was introduced, but I was so stuck on the idea that I "knew" who the Dark King was that I couldn't entertain the possibility that I would be wrong. Though, to be fair, he did have a line about illusion magic, so there's a chance I might still be right. All of that being said, it did feel a little like a cop out. All of our other villains and antagonists have been hinted long before their big reveal, and just having a completely new character shown up and go "Surprise, bitch! I'm the dark king" feels a little off to me. We'll just have to wait and see.

All in all, I'd give this episode a rating of 7.5 out of 10. I know I complained a lot, and that's because, aside from Eliot and Alice's arc, the rest of the episode felt kind of lackluster to me. Here's hoping we pick up the pace the rest of the season.

[eliotandquentinsittinginatree]

Getting back up

*Quick notes: This is in no way, shape or form related or compliant to season 5. Because I have not and will not watch season 5. You cannot take away my favorite character and destroy my favorite ship with it, and then expect me to keep watching your show, you meanie showrunners.*

This might be something that I will occasionally work on. It’s all thought out and finished in my head, so the only question is how well I will be able to put it into words. This is pretty much a teaser chapter, which I will expand on at a later date, when I have more time. English is not my first language, and I am not as eloquent or articulate as so many of the other talented writer I have had the pleasure to discover in this fandom. Alas, the plot bunny has gotten lost in my head, and now I have to write this thing out. I sincerely do hope that someone might find some enjoyment out of this fic, when it’s finished, but I caution anyone to not expect too much. It will likely be very slow going, and not as well written as it could be. :-)

It’s also entirely self-indulgent. I don’t want Quentin to stay dead. I want Queliot to happen. I want these people to all be actual friends who love and trust each other. So these are all things that I will be working towards, even though it might not always correspond well with the canon that has been established in the four seasons leading up to Quentin’s death.

Summary/teaser:

“Did I do something really brave to save my friends, or did I finally find a way to kill myself?”

- As Quentin gets the answer to this last important question, he also learns that his friends are still in need of saving.

Funnily enough, even though Quentin had spent literal years worth of time thinking about death (most specifically his own), he had never really pictured his funeral.

And, well, technically this might not qualify as a funeral, Quentin thought as he watched his friends sing and feed simple but significant trinkets into the fire, it was indubitably more beautiful than anything his broken brain could have ever cooked up.

Dean Fogg’s presence had surprised him a little, to be perfectly honest, but he certainly appreciated it.

Penny had taken him to Fillory first, where Josh and Fen had set up a memorial feast in his honor.

In memory of King Quentin Coldwater, savior of Fillory, magic, and the world.

Quentin felt unworthy of the title. After all, he hadn’t ever really handled any kingly duties the way Margo and Eliot had, and he hadn’t been the only one fighting to save all those things they were celebrating him for. But non the less, seeing as a whole kingdom raised their (metaphorical) glasses to him, as well as Josh and Fen’s honest tears, had filled his heart with warmth.

Then getting back to earth, watching the people he had come to love in each of their own specific ways, watching as Eliot and Margo had made their way into the circle, and god ELIOT! The tall man was leaning on Margo heavily, stumbling ever so slightly, face pale, clearly still hurt, still healing.

But in this very moment, he was the most beautiful being Quentin had ever seen. Alive.

Eliot was alive. They had done it. It had all been worth it.

Eliot was alive.

Thank god

Thank god

Thank god

Eliot was alive and on his feet. Quentin was unashamed of the tears that streamed down his face.

Margo, Alice, Julia, Penny23, Kady, Josh, Fen. They were okay. Sad, sure. Grieving, crying, for him, and this was still a concept that was somehow so hard for him to grasp, yet filled his heart with so much affection for each and every one of them.

But they were alive and whole and in time, they would heal.

He felt at peace.

“They are gonna be okay, right?”

The question was more of an after thought, murmured in Penny’s direction. And Quentin fully expected Penny to smile in that soft, knowing way of his (which was still so new and strange to Quentin, but somehow, fit the other man perfectly), and tell him not to worry, that their friends would be just fine.

But when no answer came forth, Quentin forced his eyes away from the group sitting around the fire to look back at his friend, and found an expression he had trouble deciphering.

“I was really hoping you wouldn’t ask me this, Q.”

The shock of those words, as well as the use of that nickname (Penny had changed so much. And the weirdest part of that was how Quentin still thought of him as the same person. As part of the team. Always one of them), made him turn around fully. 

“What do you mean? They.. they will be alright, right?” Anxiety was building up. “We. - We got the monsters out. Julia and El- Eliot, they are .. we saved them. We did it! Everett is gone, and, and you said the library is in better hands now! Magic will return back to the way it was. Why-” He had to pause to get rid of the lump that was forming in his throat, threatening to strangle him. The song behind him was coming to an end and he turned his head to cast another look at his friends. They were fine. They were fine and alive and they were together! (Well, Josh was missing, but they had an easy way back to Fillory, and he knew, he knew they wouldn’t abandon each other)  He watched as Eliot and Margo leaned into each other, both crying silently as they watched the flames consume the peach and blacken the crown. They were fine. They were alive. They were fine!

“- why wouldn’t they be okay?”

He was looking at Penny with what he hoped was conviction, but felt more like desperation. His words had been meant to come out strong, but had likely been a plea. 

And Penny.., Penny looked like he wanted to fold his body into itself, while also trying to scrape together the words needed to talk someone away for the ledge. Quentin knew what that looked like. Because he had been in both positions. Been the one trying to talk someone down, and been the one who was being talked down. Right now, he felt like he was there again, looking down at the ground from high above, but he didn’t know if he was the one who wanted to jump, or the one who wanted to save the jumper.

“Quentin, look, I.. I literally can’t lie to you about this, but I really, really want to. Because this is not on you. This is not your responsibility. But if I answer your question, I know that you will take it as such.”

Penny took a step closer to him, settling his hands steadily on his shoulders, squeezing tightly, and looking directly into the smaller man’s eyes.

“I want you to listen to me closely. You have done and sacrificed enough. For the last three years, you have been running yourself into the ground, putting out fires, while ever more kept getting started. And I know you blame yourself for most of those as well, but I’m telling you right now, it wasn’t your fault. What happened to the others, what happened to me, what happened to the world as a whole. That wasn’t your fault, man. You just died, saving the people you love. There is a ticket in my pocket for you. That will take your soul to be reborn. All the pain, all the drama and tragedy, all that will be gone. It will be a good life, Quentin. A peaceful one. No apocalypses, no self serving gods or monsters. No more broken brain. You will be happy, Q. You deserve this. So please, don’t make me answer that question.”

Penny looked at him so earnestly, beseechingly. And Quentin felt bad about not being able to follow his request.

“Why won’t they be okay, Penny? ... Please.”

The other man closed his eyes, a sigh full of sorrow and regret leaving his lips, and squeezed the deceptively frail looking shoulders again, as if in apology.

“Is the thought that losing you is something they won’t get over, really so far out of your grasp?”

The answer to that was clearly obvious in the wide, uncomprehending eyes of the shorter man before him.

“...What?”

[angeliclp]

This ep was... quite much to take in.

Seb being a Chatwin was both kinda shocking and forseeable. Because tbh I totally forgot about Rupert (and his boyfriend) and yet it makes so much sense.

Poor Eliot being the vessel again. Can’t my boy get a break once in a while?

But do they really always have to bring back that pedophile scumbag? Yes, I know he was essential to reveal the truth to Margo and Fen, and it played really well together with the fillorian parallel, but... I just don’t wanna see him ever again.

The whole free-that-pedo-asshole-from-the-bugs-so-he-can-tell-wtf-is-going-on with Gordy and Margo’s axes was hilarious though. Gotta love Gordy! And Fen for that matter.

What happened to Josh though?

That Alice and Kady arc was nice in the matter of them working together but highly confusing for me. Is The Couple just one entity, or are two sharing one body or is there a second one looming around somewhere? 

Alice being the smart one for 18 times. But that ass clipping off her fingers was... irks. I mean I am not her biggest fan but this was... harsh. Plus I still don’t really get where this is going - but this is most likely just me being slow to catch up.

And yes, Penny, Plum and the time traveling. Also something that has a whole lot of potential - hopefully something that has Quentin involved at the end of it.

[spiders-hth-is-an-outlier]

I truly can’t tell if it’s supposed to Mean Something on some meta level that almost all the female characters in The Magicians look kind of -- samey?  I mean, no shade, they’re all obviously played by absolutely stunning actresses!  But Julia and Margo and Kady and Marina and to a lesser degree Fen are all wee, elfin chicks with voluminous dark hair who are Mostly White-Passing but occasionally also Vaguely Ethnic.  Alice is the only one who stands out visually at all, which is -- because they’re framing her as the Love Interest, so she needs to seem special?  Or it’s for absolutely no reason whatsoever?  I don’t know, it’s just -- it’s weird, given that the male cast is Quentin and Eliot and Penny and Josh, who have a much wider variation in build and coloring and facial structure.  It’s like those posts you see about how Disney characters can look wildly different when they’re male, but animators struggle to differentiate female characters because they all have to have a very specific sort of Pretty Face, only like -- these are actual human people and not cartoons.  Am I seeing things?  Like, you’d think this show that’s extremely high on its own store-brand feminism would be a little more hip to the fact that Six Skinny Brunettes Plus One Chesty Blonde is maybe not the *very* coolest way to put a team together, visually speaking?  I’m not mad, I just.  I have notes.