#i mean this whole show has a chokehold on my emotions but like this scene specifically

[rrxnjun]

it does fit him kinda but i also just can't imagine him just teaching someone maybe i just don't know awsten enough🫡WAIT HOW HAVE I NEVER HEARD ABOUT THAT???? but this is my new fav fact about them wow🥹 wahhh tommy does deserve everything he is a savior for real🫡 my minecraft addiction is unhealthy istg i don't think i will ever be able to get out of the phase at this point it's a lifestyle ngl 🤣🥲but i'm glad to hear that u also had a minecraft phase it's just such a fun game!! ohhh i never really got into sideman but they seem very funny that's for sure!!! tbh the first time i ever heard of alex will and memeulous was through probs wilbur but i listend to their podcast in quarantine and they were very funny tbh so i understand the chokehold!!!

I DID SEE SO MANY CLIPS FROM IT IM AO EXCITED FOR THE ALBUM I CANT WAIT!!! NINGNINGS SOLO WAS SO GOOD SHE IS JUST SO AMAZING EVERYTHING WISE ITS CRAZYYY and i'm going to be very upset if the solo songs do not make it to the album they will hear from my lawyers for sure!

take ur time with it u have the all the time in the world to listen to her! my fav song from her is definitely you're here that's the thing, it's like the cutest song ever but i also really love apple cider those two would probably be my favs and also sunny day as well!!!

WE LITERALLY ARE 🫢 it has never really happened to me before as well so i'm very surprised! I LOVE THE DIRVER ERA DUDEEE🥹 SO SAME LOVE THE MAN SO MUCH i will always be thankful for austin and ally for introducing me to the amazing man ross lynch is🫡 i listened to wallows and they are pretty good definitely will listen to them more however nothing dethroned scrawny for me so i'm staying with my basic as hell fav song🫡 BAEKHYUN HOWEVER I FOUND ONE OF MY NEW FAV ARISTS I THINK!!! amusement park is just so me core i love it so much!! claiming it as my song hihi! but the whole ep was🤌🤌🤌(i still believe in u beating him one day!!!)

OH MY UR REVIEW JUST MADE MY WHOLE DAY MY GOD!!!🥹 IM VERY GLAD THAT U DIDNT REALLY DISLIKE ANY OF THEM AND THE FACT THAT SOME OF THEM MADE IT TO UR PLAYLIST IS JUST🥹🥹IM VERY GLAD THAT U ENDED UP LIKING SOME OF THEM🥹🥹🥹

lovely neighbor!!! hi!!🤭i think i knew that u were slovak but i kinda forgot:( HOWEVER I MIGHT ACTUALLY VISIT SLOVAKIA IN LIKE 2 WEEKS OR SO!! VERY EXCITED TO SEE THE COUNTRY!🥳(or more like the one city we will be visiting)

IM GLAD U ENJOYED!! I ENJOYED TALKING ABOUT MUSIC VERY MUCH AS WELL AND THANK U FOR LISTENING TO THE HUNGARIAN SONGS U ARE VERY LOVELY FOR IT!!! and also if u have any slovak song recommendation tell it to me pls as well!

LMAO NO PROBLEM FOR WRITING HER AS A CHEATER I KNEW THERE WAS PROBABLY NOT LIKE "ANY GOOD REASON" THAT U WROTE HER AS THAT BUUUT HAVING A CRUSH ON MY GF💔💔HOW COULD U /j

LMAO probably most likely it would be similar but i actually want to see them and like properly throw jisung up in the air like i still think about that every time i see jisung!! u portrayed it so well my lord!!!! oh my the renjun bathtub pics inspiring it just makes it even more perfect my god!!! THE LAST SCENE IS JUST SO SUPER GREAT IM VERY GLAD UR INNER JOHN GREEN PULLED THROUGH XD I LOVE IT WHEN MEN ARE SIMPS ITS SO RARE BUT I LOVE IIIT🫡 i wrote it right after i read it and my emotions were all over the place it showed very much i think xd AND THAT IS CRAZY WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF THAT PLAYINGGGG (liebestraum anon💕💕)

no thats so valid i couldnt imagine him being a guitar teacher either LMAO. and tommy deserves the world for that song alone AHAH also i understand the minecraft lifestyle the other day i wanted to download it too but it didnt work and i am not paying for that game so i just gave up after a while lmaoo. sidemen are funny sometimes but sometimes they also miss w their humor so take it as you will AHAHA. i didnt listen to the eboys podcast if u mean that one!! i am not a podcast girlie tbh i dont enjoy listening to people talk jfkdals but their videos were honestly my favs. also i sometimes still watch george memelous drinking vids where they watch terrible movies because i just think that is peak comedy

MY GIRLFRIEND NINGNING DID SO WELL the solo is stuck in my brain i NEED A STUDIO VERSION ASAP. i honestly never really stanned any girlgroups but aespa have such a chokehold on me istg- my friend said its only bc theyre the girl version of nct sound-wise and i was like :D ok then.

I STILL HAVENT LISTENED TO BEABADOBEE BUT I PROMISE TO GIVE YOU A REVIEW OF THESE IN YOUR NEXT ASK

no bc when austin and ally aired i was fundamentaly changed as a human. everything about ross lynch was just- DFJKA i even watched the teen beach movie like three times because i had such a crush on him LMAO. i wasnt really ever big on r5 (however i still have some of their songs in my playlist) but the driver era are sososo good. scrawny is so good!!! i think my fav from wallows (at least atm) is definitely wish me luck. it has such a good sound and the lyrics are honestly sososo good ugh. YES CLAIM AMUSEMENT PARK!!! ITS ONE OF MY FAV SONGS EVER AHHH i personally claim bambi because it's my nickname irl and when he came out w the song i lost my shit so hard i made it my whole entire personality. (thank u for believing in me. rather than beating hyuck i now fantasize about us going to a baekhyun concert together in my dreams<3)

THANK U TO INTRODUCING ME TO HUNGARIAN MUSIC!! i really have nothing against trying songs in diff languages if thats what you were afraid of!! i really enjoyed all of the songs they were so vibey<33 your music taste>>> AHAHA ITS OKAY IF U FORGOT IM SLOVAK i mean i dont really talk abt it here as much?? on my main tho,,, i dont shut up about the fact i even shitpost in slovak sometimes bc i just can. slovak music recs are hard for me to give bc i dont listen to slovak music much?? and the ones i do listen to i would get clowned for in slovakia bc they are just objectively not good songs but theyre my guilty pleasure AHAHA but if you really do wanna listen to some i recommend my by yael (it was in my top 10 on spotify wrapped last year LMAO), vďaka ti by yael and puerto (which is a badbunny cover lmao but listen to the ver on youtube and not spotify bc the spotify one sucks ass), valeriya by samey (THIS is a guilty pleasure for sure. the rap is weird but the lyrics are beautiful), staré časy by medial banana, káva by medial banana, záverečná by iné kafe, nad prahou by zoči voči and včera som miloval by fishing strip (for some good slovak punk rock<3) ALSO WHICH CITY ARE U VISITING (if u wanna tell me ofc)

the renjun bathtub pics....altered my brain chemistry so much iykwim. like i knew my man was hot but i didnt know he could get THIS hot. AHAHA MEN BEING SIMPS IS RARE BUT SO FUCKING GOOD thats why i even started my series in the first place the original title was the simp diaries bc its all about men being simps AHAHAHA

[herestoburiedsecrets]

The way that the Captain’s almost-coming-out scene has such a chokehold on my emotions

[nini-ricky]

Typecasting (S2E02) Thoughts

- Mazzarra literally has me DEAD definitely a great way to start the episode

- i absolutely love the support system they all have for each other and it really shows how much they have grown as a family

- how did my dumbass completely forget that the last time nini was going away it led them to breaking up omfg im a fake fan y'all

- this whole flashback with them saying goodbye to each other really has me crying right alongside them i am literally so in love with them. like seriously the chokehold rini has on me is concerning

- the scene with lily in the cafeteria i seriously couldn't like,,that's a big no for me sorry sis

- GIRL GROUP YES I AM HERE FOR IT (also tercet HAHHAHAHA)

- "with a little bit of spice girls. my mom's been showing me their music videos" i felt like I've aged sm in that one line fuck

- ash is literally such a sweetheart i love her

- oh, did I mention I love Big Red?

- "Dude, I don't think you've ever disappointed anyone in your whole life" THEIR FRIENDSHIP IS EVERYTHING

- seb is so wholesome and pure

- I completely understand ricky's hesitancy about auditioning without nini. the whole reason ricky really got into theater was because of her, and doing this without her probably feels there's something missing

- "not for me this time. for you." I absolutely love this sentiment. It's definitely something I think young teenagers, especially like ricky and nini who are in relationships need to learn. to put yourself first.

- why mazzarra gotta be so mean for tho w/ like calling ricky unreliable and shit, like sir you are an educator wtf

- gina you can't fool me with the "co-mark" i know my baby is scared since she's always been a kind of lone wolf in a way, and being part of a team is new to her

- nini's 'team kourtney' shirt I love it

- BIG RED'S FACE WHEN MISS JENN START SINGING IM IN LITERAL TEARS

- BELLE NUMBER YES

- oop lily being like s1 gina WITH gina no less,,,interesting...very interesting

- prestigious schools make me wanna YAC (hehe you get it?)

- EJ with the boombox PLEASE and it's a BLUETOOTH BOOMBOX

- this girl group is going to fucking serve this season

- "trust the outcome" i think this was a great line in terms of kind of showing nini what kind of path she wants to go down - are you solely working towards one goal or is the journey towards that goal is what counts

- ash being emotional about someone using wondering as their audition piece

- oh ricky's audition im CRYING PLEASE

- BIG RED TAPPING YES SIR IM HERE FOR IT (also love the big red + ricky friendship)

- I KNEW BIG RED WAS GOING TO BE LE FOU I JUST KNEW IT looking forward to EJ and Big Red as gaston and le fou too omfg

- ashlyn as belle im literally gon cry

- lily really needs to learn respect smh

- I absolutely love miss jenn's constant support she gives her students

- ricky and nini facetiming i love them (side note: I don't really think ricky should've gotten the lead, like based off his audition and stuff so)

- I really do feel bad for Nini, like I completely understand the FOMO

- EJ AND ASHLYN AS BELLE AND GASTON JSKKJSK I CANT

- oop-- lily,,,

can't believe episode 2 is already out! I'm excited to see what's coming up in episode 3, the sneak peek looks quite interesting and given what I've heard about it over the course of the last few weeks. eeeekkkk im so ready for another week to fly by!

[comebackbehere23]

This one I’m quite disappointed I never finished, I think it had some potential.

Alex Danvers isn’t meant to have nice things.

Of course she has a nice job. A beautiful bike. An amazing apartment. And a drop dead gorgeous wife. But the rest of her life? Yeah, she’s pretty sure there’s some cosmic plan to make sure that all her happy moments are ruined. She doesn’t get to enjoy them. Nope. Like now, she’s three days into her honeymoon and she should be relaxing on the beach but instead she’s pacing the length of the L-Corp’s private jet while ranting to her all too amused wife.

“Three days. We were supposed to be gone for two weeks.” Alex whines. “They couldn’t even manage to keep my sister in one piece for longer that seventy two hours.”

Maggie chuckles and sips her champagne, “I put money down on the betting pool for at least five days so I’m pretty disappointed.”

“And we don’t even know what we’re going home to! All J’onn said is that she’s alive. How is that meant to comfort me?” Alex demands. “I know what alive Kara looks like. It isn’t pretty.”

“Do you want me to kick Winn’s ass?” Maggie asks with a sympathetic smile.

“And what will that fix?” Alex snorts.

“Probably not a whole lot, but it’ll make me feel better and I know it makes you laugh.” Maggie shrugs as she stands to approach her wife. “I’ll even put him in a chokehold.”

“As much as I really would enjoy that,” Alex sighs as she trails her hands down Maggie’s arms to interlace their fingers. “I think we should probably focus on fixing whatever they messed up.”

“Mm, fine. Next time?” Maggie offers.

Alex smiles into a kiss, “Next time.”

By the time they finally touch down on the DEO headquarters, Alex’s stomach is in knots and Maggie is continuously squeezing her hand to calm her. The ramp of the plane descends and Maggie has to grab a hold of the back of her wife’s leather jacket to keep her from slipping through the half-cracked metal. As soon as they’re in the clear, Alex is off and Maggie simply walks behind her; she knows better than to get in Alex’s way right now.

As Alex takes off into the building and ignores the stares, her heels click anxiously on the tiles of the halls as she heads towards the medical quarters. Ahead of her, she can see a group crowded around the sun bed and her heart immediately drops as she calls for J’onn. The man turns to face her, and Alex is surprised by the many emotions that play across his features; worry, sympathy, confusion. He displays it all.

“Where is she?” Alex snaps.

James looks to her slowly, “Alex…”

“I didn’t ask you, you cheap rundown ripoff superhero.” Alex snarls, and James immediately furrows his brow. “J’onn, where is my sister? What happened to her?”

“Alex, you need to understand that this was an accident.” J’onn begins, and his calm voice simply grates on her nerves. “Kara and Lena made contact with a foreign crystal, when Kara didn’t arrive to a crime scene we sent the DEO to investigate and we found...well, this is what we found.”

J’onn steps further aside to show Alex the tiny body that rests in the chamber. The tiny body of her sister, a shrunken version of her sister that has to be no older than four. The air disappears from her lungs as she slowly approaches the cot and looks Kara’s vitals over as she touches her small wrist to check her pulse. For a moment, she thinks she’s dreaming. Because how can this be possible? She talked to Kara last night about engagement rings and destination weddings.

“H-How did this happen?” Alex whispers.

Winn awkwardly clears his throat, “Lena was sent a package anonymously and we uh we may or may not have suggested she open it.”

“And by we he means he.” J’onn adds in.

“And uh when Kara found out that I told her to look at it, she flew over and this happened.” Winn mumbles as he rubs the back of his neck. “Alex, I know I messed up. I’m sorry.”

“I’m suddenly rethinking telling Maggie not to kick your ass.” Alex growls. “Why would you suggest Lena open the box? Where is Lena?”

“Hey, babe. There’s some kid playing with the test tubes in your lab.” Maggie calls as she walks slowly in the medical bay. “Might wanna check that out. And if you have any dwarf scientists on your staff then I apologize in advance.”

“Winn, go get her!” J’onn orders.

Maggie watches him run by with a frown, “Not a little person then.”

“No. That child happens to be Lena Luthor.” Alex snarls as she waves her hand to present her slumbering little sister. “And this? Well, this is my baby sister. And she is now a baby.”

“Oh my God. What the hell?” Maggie breathes out, and Alex turns her burning gaze to stare into wide dark eyes. “You guys seriously messed up.”

[onlyhereforangst]

WWR

Ahhh the hiatus is finally O-VER. & that’s the sweet smell of survival! ...or is that apple pie? 🤔

Let’s get down & dirty 🕳🐇

So real time when I watched the first scene with Bishop/McGee on the phone with Sloane/Gibbs, something Bishop said stuck out to me but I wasn’t *quite* sure what they might do with it until the Jimmy/Ziva autopsy scene. Now- let me paint you a picture: Nick confides in Jimmy that he has trouble with lost/missing kids because of this tough case undercover, right? Great, makes sense they bonded after paint night PLUS as Ziva confirmed for us - Jimmy is the team confidant, secret-keeper, etc. Which is all fine & dandy, very touching- yada, yada. NOW think back to that first scene- McGee answers Jack with a “he couldn’t stay here” but does so relatively quickly, semi-nonchalantly like maybe there’s some hesitation because he didn’t want to throw Torres under the bus for leaving, but honestly it seemed just casual to me. Ellie on the other hand, glances at McGee as she feels she’s about to spill beans and says “He’s got a thing about lost kids.” First- flashback to the original swan!Nick scene when she already knew before the rest of the team that was a thing. And second(!!) if this is such a big deal to Nick that he told someone like Jimmy in confidence but it wasn’t something he “talked about often” tell me- whyyyyy is he telling Ellie then too?!?! Exactly my freak out. Nick opens his heart & his deepest fears to Ellie, it’s fine & I’m crying.

^^y’all that was just one scene 🤦🏻‍♀️

I digress- swan!Nick was a sight to behold, I won’t lie. The motorcycle, the fierceness in his eyes, actions, everything- it was wonderful & that’s the tea. PLUS we got more backstory on Nick (see above), while it wasn’t much I don’t care, I’ll take what I can get. Aaaaaand in reference to swan!Nick, you cannot convince me Nick didn’t add a little something extra to his chokehold on Victor as payback for all that “apple pie” shit last ep- boy check yo-self, your jealousy is showing & I don’t hate it.

At first I didn’t love that Gibbs told Ellie to stay & she just listened, and ask @hellokaelyn I even tried to tell myself not to get annoyed because I had a strong feeling one of my predictions was going to come true & she’d still get to punch Victor (ask the Ellick gc- I called it. Well, at a different time in the ep, but still. I’m going with it). AND THEN we got that whole TSA drama scene and I actually screamed. Like legit, a loud shriek left my lips. Nick ready to beat a man, Ellie rushing in and getting 🎶haaaandsyyy🎶 - I mean literally, girl you felt the need to touch his shoulder, flip to your other hand and drag it across his arm to his chest AND place a hand on his back?? But actually who wouldn’t want to 🙈 Ok and then the eye contact. *swoon* Nick doesn’t look back to Victor ONCE after Ellie steps in aaaand he visibly calms down just by her touch & presence. The callback to their vulnerable talk after the paint night fight was just 😩 (insert headcanon that Nick promised Ellie he wouldn’t get into any more fights.) Then THEN we get Ellie telling Nick that Victor isn’t worth it... “not to you anyway” (which we’ve decided can go one of two ways- as a continuation of her sentence that the fallout of punching Victor won’t be worth it for Nick - my personal favorite, orrr that Ellie was saying she wasn’t “Apple Pie” to Victor, but maybe she is to Nick??) Regardless, the resulting punch was BAD. ASS. And that is when I screamed. Looooved seeing Ellie but her big brain aside & lead with her emotions 😭 Because then we got to see McGee: a mood. Smirking at Torres like- you’ve got it so bad, don’t you? And while we didn’t get to see Nick’s reaction, well...that’s what fics are made of, right? 😏

Ziva’s goodbyes: I’m sooo glad we got this scene, not just for the Ellick content but for the character arc in general- I’m really glad Ziva got a more proper send off/goodbye even though, my NCIS senses are tingling about the openness in which they ended this ep...that big 400th ep is looming & I just can’t help but wonder who may *pop* by 🤔 Anyways back to Ellick- Ziva calling Nick out again AND his growth. Going from straight denial to a smile & laugh that speaks volumes (yeah, yeah- I knew you wouldn’t leave without saying anything, I’m working on it), followed up by Ziva’s smirk that says she knows that he knows she’s right 🙌🏼🙌🏼 he better do something about it now. Then her goodbye to Ellie was perfect- the Odette thing is relatively in the open which is necessary for No Secrets 2020 & it was a big giant suck it to the Bishop haters 👊🏼😏. Ok plus the handshake between two strong female leads instead of a hug 👏🏼👏🏼 OH and I almost forgot, Ziva’s face when she said Nick let her win...that did not look like a face that believed what she just said was true. That was her version of, I’m aware of the lie you told, you wuss.

I THINK THATS IT. There’s tons of other thoughts on the episode, not Ellick related, but I’m gonna stop here before it becomes ridiculous 🙃😘

[jonsameta]

Hi, me again!

jesuiscommejesuis: Haha, I’m on that GoT grind and probably won’t stop until the premiere 😂. I trust your opinion so unfortunately you have to endure another ask from me. Anyway…I think that most of us have considered the possibility of Jonsa not being canon. (RIP me if that happens). But my question isn’t about whether Jonsa will be or won’t be (I’ve come to terms with the fact that GoT will end how GRRM always intended it to end) it’s about what that possibility means for all of the evidence, clues, foreshadowing, etc that we’ve gathered. In your opinion will Jonsa not happening render those clues and meta meaningless and we were all crazy after all? Or do they take on a new meaning and point us in a new direction? Idk if that even makes sense. Maybe I’m just afraid that Jonsa wont happen and I’m afraid for no other reason other than that I will have looked and sounded insane to all of my GoT friends and had nothing to show for it. Also do you know of any interviews or blog posts from GRRM possibly supporting Jonsa? Same for D&D? Or any other people on or working with the show? Thank you so much!! 💙

—-

Hi there, 

The thing about theories is they’re like Shrodinger’s cat. If you try to be objective, you have to entertain the possibility that it won’t happen, but it can’t completely be false until proven otherwise. That said, some theories are more probable than others because there’s material within the text that thematically undoes something. This is because a story’s themes (which differs depending on the adaptation but it can’t be completely divorced from the original source either) define its boundaries because they essentially make up “the heart of the story”, not the plot. They give the main characters a moral dilemma that drives their journeys. Considering the themes of the story - both bookwise and showwise - Jonsa is very probable because it answers a lot of long standing character arcs that go beyond these characters and provides a bookend that Jon/Dany cannot considering R+L=J. 

I think anything in this story has to be considered according to the politics - even the fantasy part because the personal is political. With such a spread out story only the themes and the morality dilemmas of politics that the smallest moment can have is what holds it all together. And I think the strongest argument for the probability of Jonsa comes from a structural level of gauging the politics. 

Jon’s parentage is a political game changer and the way it’s been built up it cannot just be for personal angst - especially when the element of his parentage revealing him to have a higher claim than Dany is brought up. It doesn’t just affect him or his relationship with Dany. It affects Westeros and Dany’s own longstanding goal.

Jon may not want to be king, but Dany is walking in as a very unpopular figure into the North and the way she has gone about her campaign hasn’t improved her reputation and only worsened it. And Jon himself will lose popularity after having 1) bent the knee to a Targaryen, 2) consorting with a Targaryen and 3) being a secret Targaryen. 

Dany doesn’t realise that although Jon claims to have pledged his allegiance to her, it doesn’t mean the North has fallen into her hands. He’s only lost their faith from this move so no Targaryen by themselves could claim the North. Not to mention the Vale and Riverlands are more allied to Sansa than they are to Jon. To regain faith, he’d have to separate himself from Dany and the Targaryen identity a bit and yet he would need a political statement that only a marriage alliance to Stark could give if he were to remain in power. There’s also the pesky issue of how unknowingly Sansa and the Starks have more allies than Dany (or Jon without the Starks) does as everyone comes into Winterfell. So Sansa’s constant label as “key to the North” and the importance of marriage alliances becomes very important here. He can’t become king or even gain the faith of the people (back) without Sansa. So in that case, the whole notion of the Pact of Ice and Fire being fulfilled through Dany and Jon falls apart because Jon will be seen as an outsider. @thelawyerthatwaspromised has even written a post with infographics to make it easier to understand. It’s like R+L=J resets the chessboard. Ironically, what the audience thought Jon/Dany’s union would do politically is far more possible through Jon/Sansa. 

As it makes sense as a political match, the possibility of it happening and impacting the narrative increases a lot more. The original outline also matters here because clearly the pseudo-incest tag didn’t stop the author. However, as the characters haven’t interacted in real time in the books and aren’t close, there’s not much people have asked him about it nor has GRRM has said about it unless you count his vague reply once (”I won’t say more than I’ve already said in the books”). I’d say there’s more to be gauged from what he has to say about other ships that fandom roots for, that isn’t as positive as they make it out to be - whether Jon/rya, San/San, San/rion or Jon/Dany. It’s not obvious because he hardly shuts down possibilities but there’s reading between the lines. It becomes more obvious through a process of elimination. It’s also because Jon/Sansa as a ship tramples over so many ships that fandoms have banked on that people are inclined to dismiss it rather than re-evaluate the pre-existing ships. 

On the show, people have been coy too but there’s more content to gauge as the characters have already reunited and their dynamic has become pretty pivotal to the story. Where D&D shut down Dany and Yara ever happening, in the same panel they evaded a question about Jon and Sansa being developed as a romantic relationship. Aiden Gil/lian commented on how Jon’s parentage opens up possibilities for Jon and Sansa’s relationship romantically at the end of season 6. Sophie was asked about it post season 6 and she said it was possible because it’s GOT and they’re cousins. Also, there’s Liam Cunnin/gham who once liked a Jonsa fanvideo lol and he barely has any likes. Sophie has said it’s possible, even as she joked about how it would be embarrassing to film an intimate scene. Kit has somehow avoided all questioning, but he has some pretty interesting reactions regarding Jon and Sansa’s relationship - either in the words he chooses (”She twists him like no one else”) or how over the top his reaction to Sansa is when he talks about how annoying she is to the point where he’s flushed and red and laughing while saying “I’ve gotten really animated now that Sansa has come into the story”. Bryan Cogman has a lot to say regarding this dynamic too, that he even wrote Jon leaving Ghost behind to watch over Sansa when he left for Dragonstone. 

What helps regarding the show is that it’s not just the actors or the political sense, but the camerawork and visual framing that makes their scenes very confusing because they’re shot as a romantic couple about to happen, as @trinuviel has explored in her series “All is Subtext”.  This notion that it was “framed” or “shot” that way was echoed by multiple reviewers and podcasts through season 6 and even into the beginning of season 7. 

A huge part of this was because it very subtly visually paralleled more positive romantic ships on the show like Ned/Cat, Jaime/Brienne, Robb/Talisa, Sam/Gilly, Missandei/Greyworm and even Jon/Ygritte to some extent. This is over a course of 7 episodes under 5 different directors. One of the most telling scenes for me was when they did two back to back parallels to Ned/Cat and Jaime/Brienne after Jon chokeholds Littlefinger over Sansa and they go on to give a Jaime/Brienne-esque goodbye. The same director Mark Mylod directed both the season 6 Jaime/Brienne and season 7 Jon/Sansa goodbye. Bryan Cogman even confirmed that the Littlefinger chokehold was meant to parallel Ned doing the same over Cat. 

But in my opinion, what weirdly cemented it was how Jon/Dany contrasted Jon/Sansa’s dynamic and framing. There were a lot of structural decisions made that undercut the Jon/Dany “romance” and made Jon/Sansa look more compatible and romantic, which is something I explored in my “Undoing Romance” series. Again, this is looking beyond the actors. The biggest tell for me was that they never got a first kiss so romantic tension was never released but just dissipated over plot exposition. Moreover, how is it that Jon and Sansa have more parallels with romantic ships than Jon/Dany do? Why do Jon/Sansa have more Robb/Talisa framing through season 6 than Jon/Dany through season 7 if that’s what’s happening? Why was there no passionate first kiss like theirs? We just skipped to the sex in between a montage that told us how related they are. 

Why didn’t Jon look back at Dany when Jorah did, while he looked back at Sansa? Why does Jon react more violently to Sansa’s suitors than to Jorah? Why are these characters caught in triangle with interlopers, who pose a political threat but are also interested in one romantically? Why is this dynamic given so much importance where there’s tension but also there’s emotional vulnerability that pours out contrasting Jon/Sansa’s and Sansa and Arya’s season 6 and season 7 battlements scenes respectively. Why did they reveal R+L=J at the end of season 6 - the season in which people questioned what the hell was happening in the Jon/Sansa dynamic and a whole season before Jon met Dany. Both season finales also teased conflict because of political claims that change because of R+L=J. Where his parentage reveal, relieves Jon/Sansa of the direct incest factor because it biologically distances them, it makes Jon and Dany biologically more related - especially because she’s heavily inbred herself. 

So it is a situation of “will they/won’t they?” but even more subtly because the cast and crew always skips past discussing it and with Jon/Dany happening people take it as accidental chemistry. There’s no heavy dismissal from the TPTB though when there could’ve been or laughing at it like Tormund and Brienne, which is totally for laughs and a show ship. What they do keep saying is that this relationship is key to watch and you have to wonder: why is it so important? To me it’s not about the actors chemistry or singular scenes. It’s about the story’s intrinsic narrative structure and the camera framing that makes the visual subtext convey more than the text does. 

The show frames Jon and Sansa’s relationship is odd because we know they weren’t close and Arya was his favorite and yet they take up quite an important part in each other’s arc at this point, where they both want to trust each other completely but don’t and yet their vulnerability comes out most around each other in these last two seasons. They’re being built up more slowly than Jon/Dany and more subtly so while people expect a full blown romance, I expect something more subtle, more quiet and thus emotionally rewarding for these characters individual and collective arcs. If it happens, D&D are building it up as a plot twist/game changer because it’s related to politics. But it’s not to say there can’t be emotional catharsis too because these characters have a lot of issues that they answer pretty well. 

Hope that answers your questions. 

- lostlittlesatellites

[fuzzyporcupine]

lips like sugar | chapter eleven

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Eren/Levi

Summary: The last thing Levi wanted was charity. But a sugar daddy? That doesn’t sound too bad.

FULL -  1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11

Levi tries not to think about the past. It holds nothing but swollen eyes and unshed tears as far as he is concerned. Never being one for the pity, that suffocating sense of useless, Levi does not bring it up. Not to Eileen, not to… well, he guesses there really has only been her. Until Eren, that is, the bright-eyed bastard the man can be. That is why he is thrown off kilter when Eren mentions it.

Of course, the question is just mentioned in passing. In between Eren asking him how he likes his fucking eggs for Christ’s sake. Levi doesn’t know if the man is being intentionally unsubtle or is just horribly bad at trying to hide his ulterior motive. He likes to think it’s the latter – puts a little bit into the dent of the Superman armor Eren parades himself in, makes him more human.

“Just curious,” Eren adds as if to soften the blow. Levi could scoff, but he holds his tongue, instead looking up to stare off into the delicate, brunet curls swirled around the base of Eren’s neck.

“Just curious,” Levi repeats, slow and baiting. He feels like this must be what people mean by living domestically. The breakfast served hot and fresh, questions about dark pasts. Well, maybe it’s not the textbook definition. Regardless, he likes the feeling, even if it does dredge up unpleasant memories of watching a pimp throw his mother into a wall. “Shouldn’t you be focusing on not burning your apartment down?”

There is a wicked grin on Eren’s face when the man turns around, spatula in hand. “You underestimate my culinary expertise.” Eren takes the next couple of seconds to lamely toss the spatula up into the air a couple of feet and catch it on the retreat. Levi would be lying if he said the whole sight wasn’t extremely arousing.

“Loser,” Levi mumbles, trying to hide the fluttering in his chest with elementary taunts. His face is blazing, and god, Levi is just really terrible with all of this. Eren – Levi takes back the whole bastard bit – plays none-the-wiser to Levi’s obvious lapse in mentality. Allows him precious silence while Levi wanders away from the scene of the crime like the cat who tried to catch the canary but ultimately just ended up destroying the upholstery.

He tries not to think of it as a walk of shame, but it becomes just that. Hell, the only thing missing is a sad background song and his head hanging low to mark his disgrace. How is he actually so terrible at this?

“So, bacon man or sausage man?”

God fucking dammit.

Levi spends the day apartment hunting… which proves to be an all-around depressing experience. It’s just that Levi can’t expect to leech off Eren forever – wouldn’t expect that, no matter how much of a sugar daddy Eren claims to be. There has to be a limit. So far, Eren hasn’t seemed interested in showing one, but then again, Levi doesn’t think he has been quite demanding for a… a sugar baby. Fucking hell.

He sighs deeply for what feels like the thousandth time, eyes beginning to go hazy from concentrating on the pulsing LED screen on the laptop.

“You okay?” Eren plops down next to him, nursing a can of generic beer. There is a concerned expression on the man’s face, a deepening in the brow. Reminds Levi of when Eren caught him on the wrong side of his eviction. That this the same Eren who drove a stranger home after paying for their loaf of bread. Who searched all the ass-end parts of town with Levi in search of Mittens. It’s Eren, and even if Levi doesn’t want to use his money, he does want the man’s support.

“No,” he mutters, defeated and annoyed. And somehow, it feels intimidating to turn and face the man. To truly express that he feels fucked three ways to Sunday. He wants so badly to conceal this weakness, because it’s just that. Weakness. Another sign that he’s a piece of gutter filth who would have never been pulled from the impoverished chokehold if not for the rich philanthropist beside him.

There is a beat of silence, a slight movement that causes him to finally give way to the man. Eren’s gesturing, obviously unsure with how to breach the topic, trying to speak through his limbs.

“I…” The man looks slightly like a gaping fish, and if not for the dire situation, Levi would probably find the reaction a bit amusing. “I have a spare condo on the other side of town.” Eren’s hands are flying up before Levi has a chance to ask him how much of a charity case he actually looks like. “Okay, before you say anything, before you say anything, I came up with a plan.” Levi cocks a brow at this, never underestimating Eren’s intelligence, but merely the idea that Eren would be suggesting something other than giving Levi a free condo. “You could work for me.”

Levi pauses, giving a moment’s reflection to realize Eren is being serious. “I’m not exactly corporate material.” Imagining himself in a fitted suit, charming the asses off white-collar somebodies – it doesn’t feel right. He’d be a stranger in his own skin, trying to impress an elite bastard who wipes his ass with sheets of gold. Worrying his bottom lip, Levi breaks eye contact with Eren, trying to find some kind of resolution in the swirls of the hardwood flooring.

“You don’t give yourself enough credit. Anyone would be crazy to underestimate you, Levi.” It’s not exactly enough of a confidence builder to convince him to storm into Eren’s office building the next morning, but it is enough to get him to glance back up into that bright-eyed gaze. Then, just like the tide, Eren pulls him in with a gentle squeeze on the knee. A silent reassurance. But Levi has none of Eren’s charm, none of the man’s graceful way with words. So, he settles for letting his body fall sideways into Eren’s, allowing his head to drop on a firm shoulder.

Eren just holds him closer.

The temperature has begun to steadily rise in the past few days, and though it’s not quite low enough to warrant the freezing rain, Levi still feels chilled beneath Eren’s coat. The sidewalks are lined with slush, and Levi’s worn soles aren’t really doing an adequate job of standing up to the cold ground. Eren had offered him a ride this morning, but Levi refused, needing the cold air in his face for a change. Needed some time to think, more like – uncoil all these emotions tangled up in his gut.

He figures Eileen will have an earful to give him about the whole situation, but Levi doesn’t know how biased that opinion will be. Eileen has always been protective of him, each becoming the other’s unofficial family. So, he’s understandably a little nervous about breaking the news to her.

There’s a frosty sheen on the glass door of Paws for a Cause when he raps his knuckles against the hard surface. The shelter does not open for another couple of hours, but Levi always enjoys the time spent with the animals before shop open; and he knows Eileen will never deny the extra help.

There is a quiet thud of footsteps, followed by a wrinkled smile in the window. She opens the door in a rush, hurriedly signaling Levi into the shelter.

“C’mon, shorty, you’re going to freeze your ass off out there.” Levi smiles, pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek as he steps through the entryway. “Where’s your fancy boyfriend, What’s-His-Name? Shouldn’t he be keeping you out of this mess?” Levi resists the urge to roll his eyes, knowing Eileen only has good intentions.

“Let’s just say I’m concerned for his ‘spaghetti and meatballs’.”

“Damn right,” she states, grin playing on the corners of her mouth. Regardless, she’s quick to lay a fragile hand on his forearm, paired with a delicate smirk. All deep lines and faded skin, still beautiful in her own magnificent way. There’s a gentle tug and Levi’s following her down the hallway to her makeshift office, no words needed.

She opens the door, motioning for him to take a seat in a rusted, old metal chair. Tells him she’ll be right back, then he’s alone, left to filter through his own thoughts as he stares into the blank abyss of the off-white walls.

The office is cramped, never intended to house a desk in the first place. There are adoption papers strewn about the desktop, pens left uncapped and haphazardly abandoned. It’s a real mess, and it has Levi’s brow twitching in anticipation. He’s offered to tend to the office before, but the idea has always been cast aside with a flick of the wrist and a smile. Though, Eileen has always seemed to have a method to her madness.

In his scrutiny, Levi is stopped by a photo framed on her desk. He looks much younger, hair longer and face full of acne. There is a half-smile forming on his lips, eyes partially sheltered by a curtain of dark hair. In his arms, a brown, wide-eyed puppy, ears floppy and tongue hanging out from the side of its mouth. Levi reaches for the picture, traces the edge with his thumb.

He’d been so angry back then. So naïve. Wanted an outlet to focus all the unfiltered rage he’d felt deep inside himself. That had brought him to Paws for a Cause with a rock in his hand and a grunge on his shoulder. Levi still remembers Eileen dragging him back to this office by the shell of his ear. Gave him a choice to work to pay off the damage or be given over to the police. Two days later saw him buried in bundles of fluff and fur.

Levi doesn’t think he’s ever truly thanked Eileen for her kindness, not in the way he should have. That she deserves so much more than he has ever been able to give her. Because who truly knows what could have become of him if she’d not taken him in, given him a job? Probably washed up on the side of the highway, living beneath a bridge with track marks lining his arms. Closes his eyes and grips the photo slightly tighter.

The quiet meow breaks him out of his thoughts.

And there are tears falling down the contours of his cheeks before his eyes even reopen.

Eileen is smiling, an internal glow emitting from her expression as she cradles the kitten in her arms. Not just a kitten, Mittens. Mittens, who he thought he’d never see again. Who he thought would starve to death beside a grimy dumpster.

She looks freshly cleaned, grey coat seeming to shine beneath the office’s florescent lights. Levi supposes he has Eileen to also thank for that, as well.

Placing the frame back onto the desk, Levi pushes himself up out of the chair and stumbles over to Mittens. He is shaking as his hands come up to stroke her head, earning himself a noise of thanks from the tiny kitten.

“How?” he asks, still dumbstruck and dazed.

“I found her rummaging around in the back this morning. She must have followed your scent here.” It’s then he realizes that he is still crying like an infant who has missed breakfast. Like a goddamn baby. But there is not one ounce of himself that can find it to feel ashamed. Not when he snuggles Mittens close to his chest and realizes how much he had truly lost with her absence. It might be edging towards slightly unhealthy, but Levi needs this cat, probably more than Mittens needs him.

“Thank you, Eileen,” he whispers, pulling her into a tight hug with his free arm. “Thank you so much.”

Levi still thinks that it is not the thank you she truly deserves. Could give this woman the world, and he would still feel indebted to her kindness. But it’s a start, and Levi can accept that.

[baskny-blog]

NOLA's Grosser Gets Personal; Raps, Relationships, and Reality on His New Project "PONY"

Photography: Connor Crawford

Rarely does a project from an underground artist manage to strike the intricate three-way balance between raw emotional content, well executed and thoughtful rhyming finesse, and most importantly, organized packaging that is clear and concise. New Orleans based artist Grosser manages to check off all three of these boxes on his second project “Pony,” released January 21st

Production wise, “Pony” is a refreshing menagerie of booming, lo-fi production that thumps with percussive fury. Stylistic tropes of the quintessential southern sound are blended effortlessly with rugged lyricism and delivery that seems to be clearly rooted in the east coast sonic movement. This pleasantly unconventional stylistic pairing is in many ways a metaphor for Grosser himself as an artist; a VA born and raised emcee transplanted to New Orleans, a city rich with hip hop history.  

“Pony” as a project functions almost like a Pandora’s box of emotion; once you open the lid the emotion literally flies out. Grosser seems to share his deepest self with his listeners; with depression leading to despair, and finally manifesting in the cold, steeled sense of determination present throughout the entire project. This honest and thoughtful display of emotion makes “Pony” as relatable as it is inspiring; it’s the story of an emcee passionately battling his own depression. The star studded features on “Pony”, including Chicago based artist LUCKI (f.k.a. Lucki Eck$) serve to further strengthen the ability of “Pony” to stand alone as a complete project. Raw talent, thoughtful honesty, and a focused aesthetic make “Pony” a must listen and confirm Grosser as an underground emcee that deserves close attention.

  Photography: Ben Davis

I had a chance to chat with Grosser about himself as an artist, “Pony” as a project, his creative process, and the next steps for him and his sound.  

B: Let's start basic: where are you from, what’s your background, and when did you start rapping? Grosser: I was born and raised in Virginia, and then moved to New Orleans for college. I graduated from Tulane with a degree in philosophy and political science, and couldn't even come close to bringing myself to leave NOLA after I graduated. As far as rapping, I was freestyling with homies a bit at the end of high school and a lot in college, and then started writing stuff down when I was about 19. I've always been playing music though. I've played drums for over a decade and played other instruments throughout my childhood and adulthood. Rapping became my outlet as I grew older and my life circumstances began to drastically change. B: What would you say your biggest sonic influences are in general, including music outside of hip hop? G: This is a question I take very seriously I'd say the first band to really influence me deeply was Rage Against the Machine, who I probably still consider to be my favorite band. I was influenced by politically driven hip hop at first, like Immortal Technique and shit. Now a days I'm genuinely influenced by the whole spectrum, from popular top 40 to very lo-fi indie music. Obviously I'm drawn to Atlanta, Chicago, LA, New York, you know, cities with hip hop strongholds, but I'm also influenced by all the various niche movements - like what's happening in Broward county, FL right now, and all the infinitely deep corners of soundcloud in general.  I have a bunch of friends in bands here in New Orleans so I have a decent pulse on the general indie band scene. Finding new music and new influences is what gets me up in the AM.  

B: Wordup, what would you say your biggest hip hop influences have been? G: Yeesh - at the start it was just the 90s and the greats -  Nas, ‘pac, Zack de la Rocha, Immortal Technique, Tribe, Eminem, Kanye, Wayne, Company Flow, Dilla, MF DOOM, stuff like that. Then I became obsessed with Earl, still am, and now find myself influenced by a ton of different modern hip hop shit - Travis Scott, all of OF, Thug, Future, Carti, A$AP. The list is low key endless because I can be influenced not only by someone's sound but also their place in the culture/the fabric of the genre. I don't rap like Uzi but I'm definitely enamored by his and someone like Yachty's aesthetic. However, if I had to pick one rapper that I was straight taking notes from, teaching myself how to rap, it’s definitely Earl back when I was in college. Earl is a fucking mastermind - raps wise and production. B: As a white rapper, what do you feel your role is in hip hop right now, given both the tumultuous situation the country is in right now, and the revolutionary origins of the genre itself? G:  I think it's massively important for white people to be doing a lot more listening than talking, so that's what I'm focusing on. Listening to the POC and women in my community and those affected by all this madness more so than I. I'm very attracted to and identify with the revolutionary roots of hip hop.

B: If you could sum up “Pony” in three thematic concepts what would they be?  

G: I'd say the three most prevalent themes of “Pony” are the idea of self concept, battling w and understanding mental health, and relationships. B: What did this project mean to you? What do you want this project to mean for the listeners? G: First and foremost, I'm always trying to grow with each new project, even every new song I write, so that was my primary goal. I wanted to sound of “Pony” to impact the listener in a personal way, really invade the listeners brain and shit, both sonically and lyrically. But, I also see great benefit from being able to play something in public and have it be enjoyable to a general mass of people, so I try to maintain some form of radio-esque sensibility in what I'm writing these days. For the listener, I wanted “Pony” to be somewhat of a self-exposure; I find that that's generally why I make music period. I tend to feel, as many do, wholly unknown by everyone around me, and music is a way to show someone what's really going on in a matter-of-fact way. B: Talk about the influences of New Orleans and NY on your sound, as well as the ways in which these cities are different and/or the same. G: What I'll say is you just have to come here. New Orleans got me as a young kid and has turned me into an adult real fast. It's not America here, more like the northern Caribbean. The general swagger and demeanor the people is what I feed off of the most - it's pretty much impossible for one's surroundings to not bleed into their art. NY is a city that I personally have less experience in, but have spent time there and have immersed myself in the culture via art - mainly music but also visual art and poetry. I always feel like I have much less privacy in NY than in NOLA - just by nature of the design and population. New York artists were obviously the first to teach me about rap, and invented the genre itself, so I obviously owe a lot to the culture and people of NY. B: What do you think of the direction of hip hop currently, mainstream and underground? G: Shit, I think it's a goddamn renaissance. I do however think that the rapping ability of these modern guys gets overlooked and misjudged pretty immediately for a myriad of reasons; addiction to the culture over content, media representation, vocal inflection, the list goes on.  Admittedly, some of these 'rappers' aren't rapping, they are more after a pop music icon mold. That being said, the same judgements of inability were bestowed on to Young Thug until everyone looked up the lyrics to 'Halftime' on genius and tried to rap along with him, immediately realizing how fucking money he is...point being, a lot of these guys can flat out spit.

Grosser: To Me, It has some similarities to the abstract expressionist movement in the 60's and 70's. Artists were ridiculed for their lack of precision, style, ease of making work, abundance of work, perceived difficulty of work, etc etc. Just because someone closed their eyes while splattering a canvas with one color of paint doesn't remove it from genius. A similar mindset and ear; understanding this music as a 'avant-garde' movement, while treading lightly on classic examples of excellence is much needed for understanding/enjoying the raw talent of a lot of these guys. Don't get me wrong, there are a million wack rappers out there who I don't fuck with, but I just don't think that if someone doesn't bring a classically fire 16 then that removes them from the upper crust of hip hop. It’s all cyclical though, I wouldn’t be surprised if hyper-lyrical rap takes the main-stage in the coming years.

B: Art is often a reflection of life. Talk about the process; the feelings, events, passions, and people that went into the creation of “Pony”. G: I mean, for sake of not getting overly dark I won't get too deep into the details, but I had a woman in my life, and, for a thousand and one reasons, but largely due to my own deteriorating mental health at the time, it wasn't a safe or healthy relationship. All of those emotions, my battle with clinical depression, and the realities of living with all the other fun disease titles doctors want to assign are embedded into “Pony”, and pretty much all the art I do in general. Apart from my past relationship and personal battles with mental health, the concepts of truly knowing oneself (very difficult), and truly knowing other people (more difficult, probably impossible), drive a lot of my lyrical content. B: As an artist, if you could tell yourself one thing two years ago what would it be? What would you say to yourself two years from now? Where do you hope to be? G: If I could give myself a piece of advice two years ago I would say to put a chokehold on every penny you have an only spend money collabing with people that you really trust and you know you can benefit from. In two years I hope to have a big Internet following based off my music, you know, lots of Twitter and Soundcloud followers and all that, in addition to making records that people truly respect as great art. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t dream about fame, but my most important goal is to make music that leaves an impact with each listener, every single time.

Photography: Erica Lipoff