#it's all about the sisterhood!! the sister dynamics!! the love!! the affection!!

[babygirlgiles]

Summary: After impaling the Master and leaving his bones hanging like a Christmas ornament, Buffy goes home to a dark house. The only thing is, not everyone is asleep.

“Buffy, what’s wrong?” Dawn asks, voice so small that Buffy thinks she could pick it up and cradle it in her palms. Can water stain her insides? The way it stained the ceiling at their old house in LA when Buffy tried to flush Dawn’s My Little Pony baby Rainribbon doll down the toilet, like that big soggy mark the leak made above the dining room table? Buffy can’t replace her inside the way you can change a ceiling’s wallpaper, though. She feels whatever it is pooling inside her slosh.

Or, in which Buffy gets some comfort and affection and sugary snacks after dying/un-dying (for the first time) like she deserves, goddammit!

8.5k, 1 chapter, complete. Read it on ao3.

[thewinterwitcher]

Writeblr Garden Flower Shoppe Event #1 - Valentine’s Day

I picked…

a lovely lilypad — describe your favorite relationship (romantic, familial, friendly) dynamic *in* your wip. how does it advance the plot, how it may affect other characters, what are some special qualities you've added to make it unique, etc.

I wanted to write about my older WIP in a cyberpunkish superhero setting, RIFF, for this prompt!

I think for all that RIFF is a story about Cleora and Mayara learning how to be in a relationship with one another, my favorite relationship is the sisterhood between Cleora and Magnolia.

their relationship

Cleora and Magnolia LeChant were the youngest children in their family. Their grandmother had a very strong pride in her family’s matrilineal magic. She did not like that Cleo came out as a lesbian, and after Cleo was kicked out, Mags left with her. She’d been keeping secret that she was developing magic and that she was actually a girl. The sisters traveled to north to the city the main plot takes place in, where Cleo worked odd jobs to support the two of them, and Magnolia went to school.

advancing the plot

The story of how Cleora saves Magnolia is inseparable from the story of Cleora trusting Mayara. She can’t do it alone. She needs Mayara’s help, and she needs to feel comfortable enough to ask for help. (And also, they both need Byrd to come to their senses and stop being a stooge, but that’s a different part of it.) Cleo spends a lot of time trying and failing to follow up on the information she is able to collect, and the rest of the time just wreaking mindless havoc to try to vent her anger. It doesn’t really work for her. It’s only when she’s able to open up to Mayara after they fight that she gets the direction and resources she needs to actually find Magnolia (or what’s left of her), confront her murderer, and release her with Byrd’s surprise betrayal of their employer.

After Magnolia returns, her presence is good for Cleora, sure, but she’s happy to see that Cleo has more friends. Cleo was focused only on supporting Magnolia and keeping her happy, and never really cared about herself. Magnolia took care of her, but neither could be the other’s only caretaker forever. Maya and Byrd and Maya’s band and eventually Byrd’s punk friends bring a community to both their lives they were lacking. But ultimately, none of that would have happened if Cleo had given up on looking for her sister.

affecting other characters

Cleo is/was definitely emotionally depending on Magnolia being around and well. Both of them really want the other to be happy, but both of them do have some people-pleasing tendencies. They need to learn that everything doesn’t need to be perfectly okay all the time to have a better relationship.

Cleo’s need to find Magnolia, and then later paranoia about her being okay, definitely affects her relationship with Mayara. It’s why she first starts avoiding her girlfriend, and it’s what causes them to fight several times without knowing the other’s identity before Cleo finally breaks down. Mayara tries not to resent Magnolia for being more important to Cleo than her, which she understands really isn’t Magnolia’s fault.

Cleo’s hovering also affects Magnolia’s relationship with Byrd a bit after her return. Cleo sees Byrd as a reminder of what happened to Magnolia, and hates having them around at first. However, Mags sees Byrd as part of what helped her get through her imprisonment, and someone who truly cares about her. They end up begrudging friends because of Mags’ unwavering optimism, and also because Byrd ends up helping Cleora without being asked a lot.

unique qualities

I really wanted part of Cleo and Mags’ relationship about the sisterhood between an older cis girl and her younger trans sister. Cleo doesn’t ever stop being protective of Mags from before to after she comes out, and they bond over discussions of womanhood, the similarities between aceness and lesbianism, and their connection to their magic. Cleo’s the first person who Mags trusted with her real identity, and the first person who believed she was a girl. I really wanted someone who Mags already considered family to tell and show her there was nothing wrong with her.

how they relate to their magic

For Magnolia, discovering her magic was growing was the first sign that the feeling she should be a girl was correct. She wasn’t able to pursue a medical transition until she was a teenager (did not have puberty blockers), so knowing that something in the way her family’s magic works recognized that she should have magic like all the other women in her family meant a lot to her. She sees her magic as entirely benign, absolutely a blessing, and very, very important to her.

Cleora sees her magic as important and useful, but also as something that puts a target on the backs of her and her sister. She almost never uses it in public until her rampages, and even then she disguises herself. Cleo loves sharing what she was able to remember and take from their home about their family’s magic with Mags, but she doesn’t trust that magic or the way that it’s disseminated is entirely good. After all, her family had quite a few terrible women because they were powerful, including their grandmother.

Cleo also fears The Joybringer once she learns that the ancient goddess is real, and reaches through to reality through her sister. She doesn’t want Magnolia hurt, and wants even less for her to have responsibility on her shoulders. But really, she can’t shield her sister from the world forever.

[ariesreadtoo]

Beyond A Reasonable Doubt (Harris Sisters #2)

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (Harris Sisters #2) by Nyora René is about lawyer Ruby Harris and partner Justin Davis. 5 years ago Ruby and Justin had a one night stand in which they didn’t exchange their real names. A week later, Ruby walks into the shock of her life when Justin is introduced as one of the firm’s partners. Present day, Justin and Ruby have to work a case together and the game they played of avoiding each other is OVER! The chemistry between these two is potent 🔥 they didn’t stand a chance!! Whew!! I’m a fan of sexual tension!! As a Black female lawyer Ruby rightfully has concerns about how a relationship with her boss may negatively affect her career. I like that Justin doesn’t brush aside these concerns, he makes sure she is protected. Office Romance is such an enjoyable trope, but so often the focus is on the secret, I’m glad this story offered more than that. We get a FULL story that includes how the relationship works once it’s out in the open and we also get to see the drama with the case they are working on together. Ruby is in her early 30s and Justin is in his late 30s so they’re not only dealing with workplace drama but also their own emotional baggage. I love that we got to see them do couples therapy on page (chefs kiss)! The sisterhood and the friendship dynamic were an added bonus. Both Ruby and Justin had amazing support systems that hold them accountable. They both lead busy lives but still find time to cater to and prioritize each other. Justin is really mature, he knows he found his wife and is all about taking care of her. I mean, the romantic baths, washing of hair, full body massages, weekends away on the yacht etc. 🫦 I need me a Justin! Nyora René came back with a banger!! I can’t wait for the other sisters stories! Also, I hope Justin’s law partners Chris and Will get stories too!

_________\\\\___________\\\___________///__________\\\___________

**I don't own the rights to the images on this teasers. Credits to ownerships**

[irishseeeker]

The show is stablishing siblings relationships, even though it's just one season we got Anthony-Daphne, Benedict-Eloise as the strongest ones, although I notice Benedict had a close relationship with Anthony, Eloise and Colin, I wouldn't be surprise if it's Daphne the one who is going to talk to Kate about Anthony, especially because the show wants to focus a little more in female power but I hope I'm wrong and it's Benedict because it makes more sense given how much time they spend together

I think so too. As much as I would rather it be Ben or Colin, I think that's going to be Daphne's main plotline this season. With Rege leaving, Daphne's role is tricky enough. They can focus on motherhood which is wonderful but there's so much they could do with that when she's alone. It's sad the opportunity they missed out on not having Simon there, as Simon dealing with all his issues now that he's a father would have been such a good sub-plot for them as a couple. As they deal with them really at all in season 1. I think it's easier to put the attention on Daphne helping Anthony as well, since that's what he tried and failed to do in season 1 and draw it away from Rege's absence as I think a lot of people will be talking about that. Which is a shame, as freaking JONATHAN BAILEY AND SIMONE ASHLEY ARE PLAYING ANTHONY BRIDGERTON AND KATE SHARMA and honestly we’re all going to be like simon who? daphne who? after this season as it is going to be SO GOOD. 

Also, Anthony was unpopular for some people for how he treated Daphne and Siena in season 1. He tried to redeem himself with Daphne towards the end of season one but since this is his season, a way for his character to appeal more to everyone (even though I can't see how anyone can't adore him, especially seeing his storyline in s2 and reading TVWLM and also, look at him) but putting Daphne and Anthony together in s2 and focusing on repairing their relationship with will show his character growth as well.

I would have preferred Daphne being there for Eloise during her debut more than Anthony and Ben with Anthony as he tries to find a wife and tries to pretend the love of his life isn't right in front of him, glaring at him @KateSharma <3

The show has done well with sibling relationships, they’ve such a brilliant family dynamic and show how siblings actually behave. I also want them all to focus on Edmund and talk about him. Edmund is so central to Anthony’s story and it would be amazing if they explore how it affects all the siblings, as well as Anthony. I want to see conversations about him between Anthony and Ben who would have more memories with him, as well as Colin, Daphne and Eloise. I want to see Eloise talking about being with Edmund when he died. Violet talking about him. Hyacinth, Fran and Gregory asking about him as well as they were so young and H didn’t meet him and Gregory wouldn’t remember him. Anthony needs to talk about his dad and Ben is the person he needs to do it with, someone who remembers him and understands why Anthony needs to.

 I hope they continue showing how siblings are focus on the conflict in the sibling relationships but also on the happier side to sibling relationships. Like the ones who are very close-Ben and Anthony, Colin and Daphne and hopefully we see Eloise and Francesca this season! I'd love to see Anthony and Eloise as well taking on society together, as he'll be chaperoning her and focusing on not screwing it up like he did was Daphne's. In TSWL, the Anthony and Eloise scene was so good and heartwarming and I would scenes like that in season two. Johnny and Claudia also have incredible chemistry and we didn't get enough of them in season 1.

Anthony and Colin definitely butt heads but I'd love to see Ben and Colin teasing him this entire season and also being there for him, but I think we're not going to see a lot of Colin. I think he'll be traveling. If we do see him, I think we could see him maybe sleeping around and a bit miserable post-Marina.

I just really want more of Anthony, Colin and Ben as a trio. I really hope they keep the scene in TVWLM at Whites when he announces he's going to get married as it's hilarious but also the scene at the end of the book where they tell him to go home to Kate. Their brotherhood is so lovely and I want to see the Bridgerton women's sisterhood as well! Eloise will reluctantly end up relying or confiding in Benedict or Daphne as she's going to hate her debut but also be insecure, scared and overwhelmed. I can't see her going to Violet too much with her fears, same with Anthony for a lot of reasons, so it would be nice if they confide in each other or Eloise with Benedict or Daphne and Anthony with Ben.

I also need some Anthony, Hyacinth and Gregory scenes. As well as Anthony and Francesca being so alike and getting each other. Those are headcanons in my head I need to come true pleaseee. Hyacinth not having one scene with Anthony in her book was a robbery and I'll never be over it. Same with Francesca and when he was wicked. His little sister was a widow and her big brother Anthony didn't get one scene with her !? Anthony Bridgerton !? Come on!

I think it's more likely Eloise will go to Ben though as if they're focusing on Anthony and Daphne more in s2, Eloise and Ben already have a close relationship. There's Penelope too who Eloise will talk to but I can see a bit more conflict for their friendship in s2 as from their fight in season 1, Penelope calling her a 'pretty Bridgerton', that might be something Eloise worries about and her debut will be a lot more successful than Penelope's and there could be more jealously.

Excited to see what is ahead of us! The great thing about this show is if you read the books, you know the main couples storyline but we also get to see all the other siblings storylines before/after their books as well that we have no idea about, as well as characters like Penelope and the Fetheringtons!

[knuckle]

I'm not really sure what video game you were talking about, but I read those articles about sworn brother/sisterhood in China anyways and they were so interesting. It was esp interesting to me how the article on sworn sisterhood had some focus on romantic/sexual relationships, whereas the sworn brother article mainly focused on political/economic relationships and status based relationships, including outside the sworn brotherhood. Anyways sorry for rattling on but I was wondering if you've been able to find anything that has more information about sworn brotherhoods as romantic like the article about the sworn sisters did. The whole thing reminds me very loosely of like the concept of blood brothers in the US that I'm familiar with, but also very different? Idk I definitely want to do some more reading about everything but thank you for the initial resources, this is a really interesting topic that i was pretty unaware of before :)

Hey the video game in question is Dynasty Warriors, a Japanese reinterpretation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. What I remember reading is that fans were making jokes that Liu Bei (often considered the “main” character of Romance of the Three Kingdoms) must have had stronger feelings for Guan Yu than just “brotherhood” because of how affected he was by his death. Then the more established fandom descended on them to explain how they were like real brothers and how their sworn brotherhood was essentially adoption so any romantic shipping of their sacred bond was akin to incest. Personally from reading it, their feelings for each other don’t read as romantic. However, the conditionality of sworn brotherhood even within the novel is really clear. Additionally, Liu Bei actually adopts a son and there is even a real succession question that arises from this so acting as if sworn kinship is an analogue and equivalent for adoption when adoption really did exist on its own (including in the novel here) is a bit simplistic.

Here is a lengthy source on “the penetrated male” in the Qing Dynasty. I would send a better looking copy link but I think you’d need institutional access for page numbers. If you ctrl+f for “a 1762 case from Hubei.” It doesn’t exactly go into the dynamics of sworn brotherhood here but this case is a quarrel between three sworn brothers and the whole affair is exposed to a magistrate who is most scandalized that one of the dudes (30) let another dude (24) top him which led to his ex (31) murdering the 24 year old in jealousy than he is about some notion of incest. Of note as well is that when the third moved in with them, he immediately swore brotherhood to them, perhaps to legitimize their living together and being so close all the time. (TW: there are implications from the 30 year-old that he was coerced into a nonconsensual relationship with the youngest even though he was in love with the oldest - the article also talks very deadpan and suddenly about other possible rape or sexual assault if you read more of it).

However, elsewhere, there are clear punishments of male-male sexual relations when they are incestuous. Another quote from the book that’s important to note (for the Qing dynasty anyway: “The consensual relationships found in legal cases often coincide with some form of resource-pooling, co-residence, and fictive kinship (sworn brotherhood, master/novice ties). Sexual bonding seems to play a partly functional role, as one element of multifaceted alliances in a world hostile to individuals on their own.”

Study of this field is also complicated by the fact that “sworn brother” is often conflated with the entire Chinese tradition of “fictive” kinship which will include apprenticeships; also English language translations often leave out the “sworn” part and just speak of brotherhood. The term 契兄弟 qì xiōngdì clearly refers to sworn brothers here with the addition of 契。 The author here, simplified the term by simply referring to it as “brothers” and described it as “bond brothers”  in the footnotes. Mandarin Wikipedia talks about the homosexuality of the term as well and especially how it basically evolved as shorthand slang for gay men in Fujian based on Shen Defu’s Ming Dynasty accounts(google translate is pretty wonky but you can get a gist). The association with homosexuality is so strong that here is a Baidu article explaining how qi xiongdi were originally  synonymous with  结拜兄弟 jiébài xiōngdì (just a different term for sworn brothers) but it turned homosexual. Below here’s an English language source recounting this a bit:

I’ll just link to the li/b/gen it’s easier, and I can’t find an alternative. Basically here the author explains how qi xiongdi were essentially like marriages in that families would support one another as if for a hetero marriage in full awareness that their kids were in a romantic/sexual relationship anyway.

It IS true that in some cases sworn brothers truly considered themselves as familial brothers and would even argue this in court; it’s equally true that courts would often throw this out. It’s a complicated subject lol, but clearly gay people have been using it as a cover as well for hundreds of years.

Unfortunately, it’s a hard subject to study. Many Chinese scholars, especially of male-male relations simply note that in ancient China having sex with men was not exactly frowned upon especially if it was relatively discreet, you were bisexual, and/or not “obviously” effeminate. This makes it difficult to find scandalized tales of gay men or a deep dive into the “true” nature of men who “knew each other completely,” were sworn brothers etc. simply because it wasn’t something of special note or importance in many cases, and in many cases, close friends would just have sex with each other while having a wife and kids. For most of Chinese history, policing women’s sexuality was much more the focus than policing men’s.

Also sorry if you wanted this answered privately. I’ll delete the ask and copy this via DM if you prefer.

[magioftheseas]

Rose Stem Asphyxiation

Summary: In one life, Hilise and Gabrielle try to be sisters.

Rating: T+

Warnings: References to violence, murder mostly fraticide, suicide, child abuse... Canon-typical stuff, tbh, even if this is canon divergence.

Notes: I just don’t get enough opportunities to write fucked up sisterly relationships and if Untouchable Lady is going to give me a dynamic that I think has potential, then I’m gonna go for it. Sorry that there’s no Axion. There’s no male characters at all beyond a couple of cursory mentions. Sorry~

***Alternate Ao3 Link***

Commission? Donate?

“Hiliseeee!”

Gabrielle tackles her arm with innocent glee, but there’s a maid nearby who flinches. Unperturbed, Gabrielle beams up at her. The perfect image of the adorable little sister.

It should be satisfying if not endearing. No matter what Hilise does, it’ll always be Gabrielle who is the darling of the Inoaden household.

And yet, Hilise remembers the first time she saw Gabrielle embrace their father.

The way Gabrielle embraces her right now.

And the bitter resentment that stains her soul burns like a fresh wound.

“Are you going out, sis?” Gabrielle asks, and her bright inquiry snaps her from her dark mood. “I can come, right?”

No, it’s different.

The way Gabrielle squeezes her arm is with a hint of desperation. Unease. Gabrielle’s usually effortless smile twitches at its edges.

“Of course you can come,” Hilise says, watching Gabrielle relax.

Gabrielle who nuzzles against her, giggling all the while.

Gabrielle who has never had to fear their father, but her fear here is quite justified.

Hilise could kill her, after all. Has killed her before, in fact, albeit in a past life.

And she could never quite forget that look of sheer terror.

How Gabrielle cowered, scrambling back pathetically and looking up with those usually bright eyes torn up with hideous tears.

Hilise had let her scream her throat out raw. Begging for someone—anyone—

That...had perhaps been too cruel of her.

Next time, she’ll just snap Gabrielle’s neck first. What good came from saving her for last? If it was meant to be mercy, it was a poor execution.

The two sisters go shopping and it’s overall an uneventful trip.

--

She already knows there’s no usurping Gabrielle’s status as a darling, but at the very least, she can play the role of a loved older sister. Rather, she can pretend.

Unlike her father and her brother who will never truly love her—will never even pretend to love her, Gabrielle is different.

Gabrielle will give her easy smiles and shower her with easy affection. Gabrielle will offer her jewelry and adornment and this time, it wouldn’t be a mere childish prank. Even now, Gabrielle enjoys treats with her, humming with pleasure.

Hilise smiles at her mildly, but it feels miserable. Doesn’t fit quite right on her face, either. Well. It’s not too bad. Better than her disastrous relationship with Christian. At least Gabrielle lacks the depth to hate this arrangement.

Gabrielle is happy as long as she is doted on and spoiled.

It’s as enviable as it is contemptible.

“So, for the next ball,” Gabrielle is saying. “There’s this dress I really want to wear. You should see it! It’s going to be the start of a new fashion trend!”

She is well aware.

“I’m sure,” she replies simply, meaning it. “However, you are looking to impress Christian Parvenon as well, right?”

“Do you think he’ll like it?” Gabrielle asks, eyes alit with anticipation. She’s so radiant it makes her stupid. “I don’t want him able to keep his eyes away! Oh, but, you should get dressed up too all nice and pretty too, sis.” A touch of discomfort at Gabrielle’s smile. “As long as you don’t distract Christian, then it’s fine...”

Even now, Gabrielle can’t help but be a little entitled. It’s fine. Hilise doesn’t have any interest in him.

“I...” She doesn’t... “I don’t really care about getting a husband.”

“You don’t?!” Gabrielle gasps, aghast at the idea. She’s just too naïve to not be sincerely surprised. “Do you not like anyone?!”

“No.” There is no use in hesitating or drawing it out. “I’m not.”

“You should let me introduce you,” her sister says, already excited. “There are plenty of handsome bachelors from good families! I hear aaaaaaall about them!” She brags, proud of the social life she has that Hilise was never allowed. “I know all the gossip, too! I’ll make sure not a single scandalous guy enters the equation! You can count on me, dear sister!”

...the thing is that Hilise doesn’t doubt it.

That’s the thing, isn’t it, that Hilise never doubts a word Gabrielle says.

Gabrielle can play pranks, but like this, Gabrielle would never lie. In fact, she offers up answers without even needing to be prodded. Hilise nearly needs to sip her tea like so, and Gabrielle is already chatting up a storm about the aforementioned gossip. Quite spiritedly, at that.

She’s so eager.

So desperate.

As if this is life or death, when it’s just another vapid method of filling space and passing time. Something to do as Hilise waits for the end of this loop.

How shall I attempt dying this time?

She considers, for a second, pushing Gabrielle into it. But with how Gabrielle is still yapping away, Hilise thinks it would be too tedious an avenue to pursue.

It’d be a change of pace, but she’s not like my father nor my brother. She doesn’t have the bloodlust nor the blood running through her veins.

(Or so she thought.)

“Sis!” Gabrielle exclaims, realizing that she is not being listened to. The indignance has her cheeks puffing out. “Are you paying any attention?!”

“I am,” Hilise says simply, thinking of puncturing those perfectly round cheeks with thorns. “It’s just—that I’m not interested. Sorry.”

“Why not?!” Gabrielle demands, more out of confusion than frustration. “Don’t you want to...?”

“No.” Hilise doesn’t care to hear the rest. “I don’t want to court, much less marry.”

There’s no point. I won’t be loved either way.

“Y-You can’t just stay alone forever,” Gabrielle points out shakily. “I mean, that’s just...that’s really... Hilise...”

Oh?

Is that pity?

Is that sympathy?

Is Gabrielle sad for her?

Hilise straightens up. She sets down her cup. She folds her hands into her lap. She stares, bores holes into Gabrielle’s twisted-up face from her trembling downturned lips to her downcast eyes.

Gabrielle is at a loss for words for once.

It’s quite the sight.

“Gabrielle.”

Gabrielle perks up immediately. Attentive. Outwardly anxious. Adorable. Precious.

“If I have you,” Hilise says smiling. “I won’t ever be alone, right?”

Gabrielle doesn’t smile back.

Not at first.

When she does, it’s clear she has to make an effort.

“O... Of course...!” She trips over her words. “You’ll always have me...!”

I think...

“I’m glad,” Hilise replies, still smiling. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” Gabrielle insists. “We’re sisters, aren’t we? Obviously, I’ll always...”

When I get bored of this...

“...be with you...”

I’m going to throw myself off the roof without a bed of roses to embrace my fall.

--

She had dreamed of having a normal family once, but it was always a distant, childish dream. Even when given other chances, she had known on some level that it was impossible for her. That she wasn’t meant to be loved by her father and brother—it just couldn’t be helped.

As for Gabrielle, well—Gabrielle filled the void of beloved little sister and daughter. Even if it wasn’t Gabrielle’s fault, that was the simple fact of the matter. At least she was still innocent, Hilise thought.

And  Gabrielle could be swayed and won over with such ease. What was the harm, then, in indulging a little? What was wrong with wanting some familial love? Even if it was shallow, it was Gabrielle.

Gabrielle was innocent and lovely, right? Everyone loved her for a reason. Even if Hilise couldn’t be her, she could be with her and pretend, if only for a moment, that Gabrielle loved her.

Gabrielle was bright. Gabrielle was lovely. Gabrielle—was never going to understand.

“You’ll die for Gabrielle’s sake, won’t you?”

Whatever sisterhood she may have wanted, had wanted dearly at that, was just another pipe dream.

There wasn’t much point in wanting it. Not when she was never going to get it no matter what she did. Illusions were always meant to fade and the loop was always going to restart.

“It’s fine, you can come back, so it’s fine. Just bear with dying one more time.”

Her father was always going to hate her. Ricardo was never going to love her. And Gabrielle, well—she was too innocent of the world. Even when she snapped, she was going to be sheltered and protected. Gabrielle could be persuaded to love her, but they weren’t ever going to inhabit the same world. Not when one of them only knew love and the other...knew nothing of the sort, even as she longed so much for it.

Whatever.

Just.

Whatever.

I think I’m done with everything, with both love and family, Hilise thought tiredly. I don’t even care anymore.

--

The truth is that I could have been fine never being loved. I just wanted someone to worry about me. Did I ever have that, even for a moment? Or was that just a delusion?

It didn’t matter anymore.

It didn’t.

She couldn��t do this anymore. Because regardless of the end, they’re never going to care about her.

Trash till the end, Hilise thought, exhausted. Still...do you want to know something? It wasn’t too bad to pretend for a bit. Thanks for that, Gabrielle.

But I’m still going to throw you away with everything else.

[blissfulnightrain]

KH OC Week Day 2 - Bonds of the Heart

(Header artwork by @crezzstar​)

I really wanted to create some artwork involving even more characters Amaya meets along her journey, but due to a time crunch I haven’t been able to T_T But I figured I could at least go over the three most important people to Amaya from the start (and share some commissions/some of my own artwork ads;fsdk)!

Amaya has a unique bond growing up with the other members of the Destiny Squad. Click below the cut to find out more about her relationship with her younger brother Sora and her best friends Riku and Kairi!

Sora

(Artwork by @wingbladeweaver1357​)

(Artwork by me ajsdfj;sd it’s a year old please don’t judge;;;;)

A little over a year apart, Amaya and Sora are a very close brother and sister pair. Amaya’s more reserved, overly-cautious nature can sometimes bring up a rift between these two, especially when Sora expresses much enthusiasm over building a raft, which Amaya stands staunchly against. Still, she ultimately wants the best for him and wants to keep him safe, so for his and their friends’ sake, she does help out with some of the prep work and planning. 

Their family is very tight-knit and includes their mother, a nurse and excellent cook, their father, a fisherman, and their rambunction little sister Haru, who could use a lesson or two on boundaries xD They have a healthy dynamic at home, which makes it all the more heartbreaking when the Islands eventually disappear....

Without getting two spoilery, after the Islands disappear, their family is never the same. Sora and Amaya spend the majority of KH1 desperately trying to find each other, though they find themselves separated once more by the end of it and weave in and out of each other’s journeys from there on out. They both go through major transformations throughout their journeys and remain close throughout, but some changes do take their toll...

(Artwork by me - As Sora and Amaya both get ready for bed, the sight of a certain mark on Sora’s chest catches her eye)

Kairi

(Artwork by @wistaria-92​)

(Artwork by @n3k0c0​)

As the girls of the squad, Kairi and Amaya have a fun bond of sisterhood. Amaya finds Kairi extremely easy to talk to, especially when stressed (which happens...quite often, to say the least). Though Kairi is younger and more carefree, Amaya always finds herself taking her advice into consideration when going through with things. The two also love watching crime shows and dramas, and going shopping together!

When the Islands disappear, it’s Kairi that Amaya worries the most about, her heart hurting at the thought of her best friend having to lose a home world again. While they are briefly reunited by the end of KH1, circumstances drive them apart once more. They spend quite a bit of time apart over the next year, with Kairi in Destiny Islands and Amaya in Hollow Bastion, but they don’t grow apart. In fact, Hollow Bastion serves as an avenue to uncover some previously unknown details about her friend’s past...

Riku

(Quick sketch from last year’s oc week from me!)

(Artwork by me)

Complicated is probably the best word to describe Riku and Amaya’s relationship. Despite Amaya being Sora’s sister, being the same age she’s actually known Riku the longest. One could describe them as best frenemies at the start of the story - Amaya finds Riku’s cocky attitude irritating, and Riku has very little patience for Amaya’s constant naggy attitude towards many of his endeavors (including the infamous raft). Still, the two do acknowledge and respect one another’s intelligence, often still choosing to work together on school projects and the like.

Things change drastically when the Islands are destroyed. They are separated at first, but when they finally reunite, Amaya witnesses his slow spiral down the slipper slope of darkness. Riku’s actions and Amaya’s attitudes toward them affects their relationship greatly, to the point where they are completely alienated from one another. It is after Riku disappears into the realm of darkness that both parties are able to reflect on their actions. The year leading up to KH2 is a turning point in their relationship, where they must work together and learn to understand each other to play their respective parts in keeping Sora safe. 

When they rekindle their friendship, it’s stronger than ever, and though they must focus on the tasks ahead of them, it eventually becomes impossible for them to ignore the fact that their relationship has become something more...

(Artwork by me)

asdklfs I am so so sorry for that behemoth of a post but if you read that whole thing here is a sticker *sticks on you*

@khoc-week​ has been wonderful so far! Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far <3 <3 <3

And as always, if you’re interested in reading Amaya’s fic, it is linked here:

FFN | AO3

[olreid]

talk to me about trans laurie?

ANY TIME. under a cut bc it got long:

if you’ve looked through my lw tag some of this might be repetitive but there are a couple things that come to mind when i think about a trans reading of laurie. first, laurie does not find it easy or enjoyable to perform masculinity, and is socially punished for this from an early age. his classmates tease him by calling him dora, his grandfather frequently admonishes him for failing to be gentlemanly, and he is repeatedly compared to his mother, a resemblance that seems to anger and sadden his grandfather in equal turns. as he grows up we see him engage in a sort of passive resistance to the life set before him by refusing to put in the effort that others expect of him. he doesn’t pay attention during lessons, he hates college, he travels europe partying and gambling rather than going into business. he doesn’t seem interested in being a man, and seems more willing to self-destruct than to mold himself into the shape that is expected of him. 

this could of course be true of any man or boy; i don't mean to say that being cis means you love coercive gendering and if you have any complicated feelings at all about it you must be trans. however, such complex dynamics certainly opens the way for.. gender-expansive readings, especially when taken together with the following:

what laurie DOES seem interested in is the marches. in both the book and the films, even after becoming friends with the march sisters, he spends a great deal of time watching the girls from his window; the book describes him as “wistful” and “hungry.” this is attributed at various points to his lack of friends and lack of mother, but whatever the reason, he is clearly missing something; he himself says he “can’t live on books [alone].” what he seeks out instead is more time with the march sisters, more involvement in their rituals of sisterhood. one notable scene is when laurie is added to the pickwick club, which the girls refer to as a “ladies’ club” where no boys are allowed. beth in particular repeatedly expresses a fear of boys that stays with her her whole life, but when jo proposes adding laurie to the club, beth agrees immediately because “it’s laurie.” the implication is that laurie is not a real boy, is somehow different from the boys who frighten beth. he has become one of the sisters, and so is added to their secret club. the central feature of the group is that it is a ladies’ club masquerading as a gentleman’s club; that is, each sister has a gentleman character that she affects for club meetings and business. laurie, being a boy already, could simply be himself, but he too takes up a gentleman character, mr. weller. it is as if he feels that being a gentleman means playing a part just as the sisters do. and indeed, the pickwick club scene is laurie at his most gentlemanly; he succeeds in affecting masculinity only when he is playing a role, and never when he is being himself. 

another point of consideration is obv the relationship between jo and laurie. indeed, their relationship seems to be as much about escape from strict gender roles as anything else. they repeatedly talk about running away together; they wrestle; laurie grows his hair long because jo likes it that way, and she cuts hers short. jo’s eventual rejection of laurie’s proposal is tragic not only in itself but also because it symbolizes the end of this period of relative freedom, the closing of a door on an arrangement that might have provided some escape from the gendered parts of life both detest, and an opportunity to switch roles, as jo repeatedly expresses her desire to be a boy. after jo refuses laurie, the text says she felt “as if she had murdered some innocent thing and buried it under the leaves.” instead, laurie marries amy and becomes the “lord” to her “lady,” and jo marries professor bhaer and takes on the traditionally feminine roles of mother and teacher. neither of them seem unhappy in these roles, but one also gets the sense that in drifting away from each other, they lost more than a close relationship, and the text explicitly describes this break as a death, though what exactly has died is unclear.

in terms of the various movies, i think the 2019 adaptation provides a lot of fuel for a trans reading by emphasizing some of what i’ve discussed above. gerwig herself notes that jo and laurie “find each other before they’ve committed to a gender” and while she didn’t go FULL trans laurie, she did play up his androgyneity in a way that the previous adaptations did not. throughout the script, jo and laurie are referred to as twins; they switch roles when dancing and when acting in plays, each taking up “man” and “woman” in ways that make gender seem more like a game for them than anything else. another of the more explicitly trans scenes is an added line where amy tells laurie to dress for a party where people will be wearing top hats (men) and silks (women) and laurie calls back that he’ll wear his best silk. this preoccupation with the material aspects of femininity is reinforced in scenes like his strong reaction to meg’s party outfit, him helping amy unbutton her art smock, and his attachment to the ring that jo gives him. we also know that gerwig intentionally had jo and laurie share clothes throughout the film. as in the book, many of these scenes can be read as being about romantic attachment to one sister or another, but i think there’s also a reading in which laurie has a desire to be one of the sisters which he misreads as the desire to be with them romantically. while both texts - book and film - are much more explicit about jo’s wanting to be a boy than any desire laurie has to be a girl, they are both very clear that he wants to be a part of the march family, and the march family is a family of women, so. how much of that impulse is about a desire for freedom from manhood vs. desire for the freedom to enter into girlhood/womanhood and how distinct those two things really are at the end of the day is up to interpretation, imo

[whitleyschn33]

RWBY for the character thing

Like.... all four of them? Okay, then.

---Ruby Rose---

How I feel about this character:

For the most part, I really like her. How could you not love a character whose concept is “badass Little Red Riding Hood”? On a more serious note, I do appreciate how her outlook on things is, quite literally, fueled by love and compassion. She’s a brilliant fighter, but she only goes ham on the Grimm or people that are hurting others - her goal isn’t to kill, but to protect those she cares about and innocent people, and she will do whatever she can to do that. That’s probably my favorite aspect of her character.

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Penny is the main one, but I also have a guilty pleasure for Lancaster (cause the fanart for it is all honestly pretty adorable), and Whitley x Ruby.

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

Oscar - they’re really sweet together, but I don’t really ship it romantically. Not opposed to it, but it’s not a diehard thing.

My unpopular opinion about this character:

Hmm... not sure if this counts, but I much prefer her V1-3 voice to her current voice. It’s too high-pitched for me, personally, and it can get really grating at times.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

Let Ruby meet Whitley -

Give her a Jabberwock, no I’m not Sisters Grimm trash, what - 

I would like to see a real, open, honest conversation between her and Oz about leadership and hope. I think there’s a lot that they in particular need to discuss, and if this Salem-fighting thing is gonna go anywhere, Ozpin and RWBY need to be able to come to an understanding (and I mean understanding, none of this “Oz is completely wrong and has to come crawling back to them BS”)

---Weiss Schnee---

How I feel about this character:

Definitely my favorite of Team RWBY. She’s got the best themes, some of the best executed character development, her designs are (usually) great, I love her weapon and Semblance, even if I wish she used the Semblance less and the rapier more, and all around she is a character I very much enjoy aesthetically. 

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Uh, honestly? Freezerburn is both the only Weiss ship I have, and the only ship among Team RWBY that I have. I really prefer the girls as a sisterhood rather than romantically paired or grouped in any way, but Freezerburn is my one exception in that regard. I think that the two work well together, and I’m a sucker for fire and ice pairings, so I have a soft spot for it. 

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

Winter and Ruby (I don’t see them being particularly close, but I do like them as a comedy duo).

My unpopular opinion about this character:

See: my blog. 

Okay, but seriously. As far as that goes, I would have to say 1) that Weiss is responsible for her actions, meaning she can’t blame Whitley for “taking the inheritance” when that was a direct result of her actions, and 2) Weiss doesn’t need to be the one to take over the SDC. She would clearly rather be a huntress than a CEO, so why not let Willow and/or Whitley take over once Jacques is outed?

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

One thing I wish had happened: A few more talks/moments of growing friendship between Ruby and Weiss, since it just doesn’t seem that they interacted as much as they really should have.

---Blake Belladonna---

How I feel about this character:

I used to be a lot more interested in Blake - I am personally the quiet book-nerd type that would rather read in the corner and only speak when necessary than be the center of attention, so her character spoke to me, and in the beginning, the Faunus and White Fang plotline was pretty interesting. But after about Volume 4, the pacing and how the Faunus subplot was handled just dragged Blake down for me. Her sections became my least favorite parts of V4/V5, and it’s unfortunately made her my least favorite of Team RWBY. 

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Oddly enough, for the character that seems to have the most potential love interests, I don’t really ship her with anyone. I honestly would rather see her focus on herself before getting into a relationship.

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

Sun - I really do like the dynamic they have. Night and day, leader and follower. I think they have quite a bit of chemistry, and they’ve had some sweet conversations together. 

My unpopular opinion about this character:

Uh..... honestly? For a character that’s so representative of the Faunus subplot, her experiences with it aren’t that interesting. I kind of want to see more of her experiences with the White Fang, see how her decision to leave was because of the practices of the Fang as a whole, rather than just Adam. Having her already have changed her ways when we meet her feels like we skipped over a lot of really interesting parts of character development. Ilia kind of fills this role, but I think it would have been interesting to see Blake go through that. 

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

That the timeline with her background was a bit more consistent, since she seems to have joined the violent version of the Fang at 12 or 13, and that’s just.... no. Having her have joined at 15 would have been a bit more comfortable and make more sense. 

---Yang Xiao-Long---

How I feel about this character:

I generally like her - her attitude at the end of V6 has kind of soured me a bit, but overall I enjoy her concept and general character progression. I think her issues with Raven and her trauma from losing her arm are both interesting ideas, and I wish more importance had been placed on her adjusting to her arm and pulling herself out of her funk, since seeing the “spark” go out of her at the end of V3 was honestly one of the most interesting character moments she had had (to me) up to the point. What parts of that she does have in her development are probably my favorite parts of her character.

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Weiss (as explained above).

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

RUBY. I’m a big sister myself and as much as we bicker, when it comes down to it, I would do anything for my little sister. Please please please please, RT, let Yang treat Ruby like her kid sister more, cause the sisterly moments we have with them are golden (pun intended).

My unpopular opinion about this character:

I’m gonna earn myself some enemies with this one, but I’ve kept quiet on this for a long time, and this seems like a good place to vent a little.

I personally think that Yang’s feelings for Blake are mostly one-sided, and as things stand now, unhealthy - and this is mainly coming from All That Matters. Now, I love All That Matters - I think it’s a beautiful, tragic song, and I listen to it quite often. However, I also think that it throws up a lot of red flags on how Yang sees Blake. The entire message of that song is how she can’t trust Blake, something she says multiple times, that she feels that Blake doesn’t care for her feelings and just “destroys” her pride, but that doesn’t matter, cause the only thing that does is that she came back.

The thing is, Blake didn’t even come back to Yang - she found her by accident, then decided to stay, and as of this moment, very little of Yang’s issues with Blake that were raised in the song have actually been addressed. They haven’t talked onscreen about how Yang feels about Blake, Yang hasn’t gotten to air her frustrations to anyone but Weiss, it just feels like a disaster waiting to happen. Yang has a right to feel as though her feelings matter, that she can trust Blake, and I just don’t think that, as it is now, that’s been properly communicated and shown.

Just... if RWBY is going to get me on board with Bumbleb33, Yang and Blake need to have a lot of talks in their future.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

More emphasis on her arm and how it affects her. Just, how does it react to weather changes? How does she maintain it? What are the ranges of possibilities, and what are the drawbacks and limitations that come with it? Just - more Yang learning to live with her arm, please.

Phew, that took a while. Thank you for the ask, though!

[efnewsservice]

December 15, 2017

Rebecca Mader interview pre 7.10

Zelena, her grown daughter Robin and the Wish Realm’s Captain Hook stare down a sinister someone (or something) in this exclusive look at Once Upon a Time‘s first episode of 2018, titled “Secret Garden.”

“It’s pretty hashtag #LifeAndDeath, I’m not gonna lie. It’s hashtag #StakesAreSupesHigh,” Rebecca Mader, who returns to the ABC series tonight at 8/7c, tells TVLine of the scene above. “It’s definitely an intense moment — and a really heroic moment for Zelena, which I love. This is another moment where she puts herself on the line with a selfless act. It’s a lot of growth for my character, which I like.”

Once co-creator Eddy Kitsis meanwhile had this share about the scene, which features among other things a crystal ball in the foreground: “That room has no windows and no doors, and only one way out” — à la the Stretching Room from Disney’s Haunted Mansion attraction. “That’s a clue, for real!”

As for the school blazer sported by Robin (Riverdale‘s Tiera Skovbye), she is notattending Hogwarts (“Unless Disney bought Warner Bros…. which could have happened, we don’t know,” Kitsis says. “I havent looked at Deadline in the last 10 minutes”), but “she does appear to be practicing some witchery.”

Here, Mader shares more scoop on about her multi-episode encore as Zelena… and her new cursed persona, spin instructor “Kelly”:

TVLINE | Tell us about Kelly…. [Affecting a Valley Girl voice] Kelly is awesome. She totally loves working out and doing healthy things…. She’s so different from Zelena, it’s hilarious. When Adam [Horowitz] and Eddy first told me what they were thinking for my cursed person, I completely cracked up laughing, because it’s the antithesis of Zelena. Like, when has Zelena ever gone to the gym? Ever? [Her class] is basically supposed to be SoulCycle, which is essentially a cult. I’ve lost a lot of friends to spinning, it’s kind of sad! [Laughs] It’s like the friends you lose to CrossFit, where it’s all they talk about and they have their own lingo…. I actually went and took a SoulCycle class here in Vancouver just to sit in the back and study the teacher, and I was like, “This is one of the worst things I’ve ever done. I just want to go home and have a cup of tea,” but I got through it. It’s really hard!

TVLINE | What’s the dynamic between Kelly and Roni (Lana Parrilla) when they reconnect? It ain’t great. It ain’t great. There’s an echo of [when Zelena and Regina first met in] the other realm, that contentious relationship and the anger…. There’s a history between them that is similar to Regina and Zelena’s.

TVLINE | And in this week’s flashbacks to the other realm, at the “Emerald Acres Farm,” why does Regina show up to find Zelena? What can I say — she needs me. She needs her sister, which is great. Obviously the Evil Queen and Regina are superpowerful, but I think the sisters are stronger together. I have some powers that will help her “save the day”, and ultimately the two of us coming together is incredibly powerful.

TVLINE | Indeed, your first episode back really leans into the sisters’ bond and reminds us of how far they have come from Day 1. I love their relationship; it’s the only one that is a sibling relationship as opposed to romantic. The fandom can ‘ship a romantic thing, but a lot of people ‘ship our friendship/sisterhood, and it’s cool to have this example to show women that they can have each others’ backs. And it’s not just our TV personas but also in real life. [Lana and I] are incredibly close and we share our relationship public with the fandom on social media and that’s really empowering. It all supports the message, “We’re stronger together.”

[papermoth-bird-blog]

How to keep a secret.

As I sit in the kitchen of this small blue house, I’ve found joy watching the shadows of the palms dance about the windows. In my lonesome observance, there is no need to quantify or qualify the experience of this ordinary magic. And so, the magic of the moment remains. 

Throughout my life, I’ve thought myself an overshare-er; I talk things out, I easily open up & readily open to be wrong. I’ve never been ashamed of those qualities, even when met with people who are affronted by them. See, though I didn’t know always know it, I think I’ve always been brave. Upon reflection, perhaps I did always know it, but being brave came along with the baggage of other qualities. Brave, in my mind, was a thing bossy & arrogant people were. And I did not want to be those things. So, I adapted timid qualities. I chose to be shy, to hush the chatter box that was bursting to share my thoughts and fantasies. Others, were not always ready for that level of energy. 

My mother especially, was not always ready to hear those persistent joyful thoughts, as she swam through the depths of her life long depression. I longed to relate to it. To the sadness. I longed to understand her better and prove her wrong when she shouted at us that we didn’t love her. Of course, in my adulthood, I understand this voice of depression in a different way than I did then. How is a young girl to know how to navigate with light through such darkness. None of my siblings did, and so, we too submerged ourselves in the darkness, to understand the circumstances of our mother’s condition. 

Our childhood was complex- a tangled ball of string to be pulled at clumsily. Only now, are we beginning to unravel the layers of intergenerational trauma that affected us so throughly. Through which, we’ve uncovered all the ways we act in love. In all the ways we are ourselves. In all the ways we love each other. It’s as if we are all slowly waking from this strange dream. Realizing the rivalries that were projected upon us like a shadow puppet show. The healing of our sisterhood came in such tangible ways, that seem impossible to pin down when asked for specifics. When friends ask me how my sisters are, I find it hard to say. They are themselves, and more so everyday. They are growing, they are healing, they are becoming more light everyday. So am I. To try to quantify or qualify such matters peels away at their essential emotional natures. More importantly, in doing so, the modern mind, that works in logical was, (or perhaps more so, ways of fear) scatters tiny seeds of fear. For the mind, it is dangerous to live on faith & magic.

Faith, is the kingdom of the soul. In a car ride through Cape Breton, a friend once asked me why I always sing. “I sing to remind myself of magic”. It seemed like a logical enough thing to say. Music, or art, is hard enough to qualify in the ways it is special & magical. It is undoubtable so; for all the the ways it pulls together a community, and fills the heart even in an empty, lonely room. “What does that mean to” she asked. I shrugged and said “I believe in magic” fairly plainly “and because I believe in magic, magic follows me pretty readily”. It is true, and not in a extraordinary way (although.... some very magical things have definitely appeared in unexplainable ways). Magic appears, because my soul, despite my conditioned mind, consistently searches for the magical. The simple acts of magic- like laughter or golden sunlight. To try to explain what makes those moments magical- to take a picture even, borrows from their sincere essence, and makes them appear ordinary. And then we brush them off, as if they truly were. 

I’ve said for a long while, Magic is the science we haven’t put a more distinct label on yet. Magic is a vague vision of how extraordinary life is. It is for the emotional, the feminine- The Romantics. It is a holistic vision of the persistant goodness in the world, despite the quantifiable chaos that exists. It is, perhaps, uncomplicated in that vision, but I would argue, not naive. Everyone that walks in magic, does not turn away from the darkness offered by this existence. Instead, they choose to study the way darkness bring about understanding, how it shows us the other side of joy itself. If your mind is keen, through darkness, there is the most beautiful light. The light of having had, and the light of love itself. The dance with death and darkness shows us gratitude in the most humble ways. This is said, not to under mind the reality of how hard it is to keep up your footing when doing that dance. Surely everyone will lose the way at some point. The key is, maintaining that magical faith that concentrates that joy exists despite sadness. That there is space for both in this mysterious world. 

I’m sure I am not alone in my experience where, at times, another persistent joy is a source of profound irritation. That itself, is another complicated dance to navigate. The irritation, of course, says much more about our internal turmoil than another acting in any way that is inappropriate or objectively disdainful. The problem is, bliss cannot be taught or shared. Bliss is an act of internal magic. In my conversations with the wise people I’ve encountered, I’ve brought up my distress over this fact over and over. The replies are versions of the same: no, it cannot be taught. The answer is to listen to others, be there as they shed their layers of darkness. Just as you are able to, all others have the same bliss a part of their essential nature. Treat them as such- talk to them as if they are wise, and beautiful and capable of anything- not to fill them with delusions, treat them as such because they truly are. 

Magic is an act of love. It is a state of mind, a state of self. God is another word for it- and I suppose could be used rotationally here. But the word God is a prime example of how trying to quantify acts of magic removes the mystery, and then perverts its essential nature. See even now, as soon as someone mentions “God” people get all freaky. Flashes of imagery of a personified being, and then holy buildings, and then bigotry. The message is lost in all the symbols, all the darkness that clings to it. God is a romantic idea, it isn’t meant to objectified. Perhaps that is why imagery of God, or even the prophets, are prohibited in Islam.  It’s not meant to be picked apart, removed from its nature- it is a part of everything, and everything is a part of it. We will drive ourselves crazy trying to chase that thread. It is experienced in it’s most pure essence, only scarcely in moments. 

Most people I have known to have experienced this, were on drug trips. As I write that & it is read, the same happens again. The nature to judge the experience, to qualify it, to objectify it. “It’s a misfiring of the brain!” “It’s a chemically induced experience!”. So what? Does that really make it less real? Who are we to judge what is real, what is truth. In everyday conversations, we understand people have different points of view. Different perspectives exist, does that make all but one invalid? We are so intent on understanding life, we forget to enjoy it. The french, I suspect, understand (or at least understood it at one point). I say this because of the very nature of the word itself; “Enjoie”. In joy. Moving through life in joy. Like the hummingbird. Like every moment is magical and fleeting, because it is. 

In a recent love note from a friend (a simple act of magic in itself), she wrote “I am so proud of you in all the ways you are Brave”. The words washed over me & filled me with a love & knowing I hadn’t particularly experienced before. It  transformed my former perception of those words. I was not afraid to call myself brave anymore. Brave, is no longer a term tangled in with words like “bossy” or “arrogant.” The darkness has been striped out of it. Bravery is not the lack of fear, it is being aware of the fear, but keeping composure, despite the fear. Bravery is finding joy in every heartache and moment of darkness. Not because you have to be, but because it is the loving thing to do for yourself. 

Magic is unquantified Bravery. It is love, light and the most essential quality of a Witch. Keep the world mysterious & keep yourself curious about the world. Wear black or sparkles or whatever you wish. Let the world think what it might of you. Smile to yourself when someone calls you naive, or whatever else they may. Shine on. Faith and magic is a choice. One we can choose only for ourselves. It exists outside of dynamics of other people. It is a relationship only with yourself and our own worlds. With it, all your other relationships do shine brighter, though. I have learned that the way to keep a secret, is having something so precious and delicate, it is not worth sharing or qualifying. Keep your inner world sacred and know you are magic.

[windspirit-wild]

Sister-Sub

I grew up with sisters. In the late of night, we would stay up giggling to one another, telling stories and confessing secrets in hushed whispers. We would gather around in the bright of day to gossip and revel and share. By turns we were talking, laughing, tumbling with one another, comforting each other from the dark shadows in our lives. In these cherished moments, there was a bond forged in the moments between revelations of fears and hopes and the laughter of jokes and escapades.

As I got older, I didn’t have many friends. I was a shy loner who always felt like I was the odd one out. I read older books, children’s classic where the heroine and her bosom friend were kindred spirits, alike as sisters. The sort of deep intimacy that I wanted in a friend seemed an eccentric concept to my peers. That I might want to hold hands with my friend, or share like I did with my sisters was somehow wrong. I was shunned. In the conservative upper middle class school I attended, such inclinations obviously made me a reviled lesbian. Too young and ignorant to know what that word was, I still felt the hurt of exclusion, the confusion of being misjudged and cast out.

But in time I made friends, friends that enjoyed the sort of laughter and late night story telling that I enjoyed. We formed our own group of misfits, we shared our jokes and fears. As I grew up, I began to realize my attraction to women as well as men. With one friend in particular I found myself hopelessly smitten. But I knew that she wasn’t attracted to women, and so it was never pursued. Yet we were still the best of friends, and with her there was that similar bond of intimacy that I had shared with my sisters. Watching movies late at night, we would chatter on about the mundane and the serious, telling stories and joking and rough housing with one another, as playful as puppies or kittens romping around. It was a joy and a delight to feel that giggling intimacy.

It was a closeness that I didn’t feel with the boys or men in my life. Whether friend or lover, the relationships I had with them were different. The context and nuances were different, and no less adored. Still, a part of me yearned for that bond I had found in sisterhood, that seemed to not fit when I was with boyfriends or guy friends.

And then I met Sam.

With her is the silly and the sober, the giggling and wrestling and communing. I was still coming to grips with identity and terms, and when I joined our triad, of her and him and me, I didn’t know what to term our relationship. To the outside world, she is my girlfriend, but in the dynamic of submission? And she told me that we were sister-subs.

At first I shied away from this. The word sister reminded me of what I’d had with my sisters growing up, that familial bond. It reminded me of the sisterhood of friendship, a platonic connection. Could that word really apply to this thing that I felt, romantic, sexual? Still, I used it, because I didn’t have another phrase to use.

The other night we stayed up late to tease one another. We often switch and top one another, and I am growing into a sense of certainty in hypnotizing her. After a particularly intense moment, I pulled back to check in. There were questions that I had, curiosities into how she was affected, into what I could be doing better, into whether I was pushing too far. It led to wandering conversation, by turns full of silly giggling and sober sharing of secrets and fears and hopes. We wrestled and tumbled and she switched to topping me, all while he slept on the other side of the bed.

In that moment a realization came to me. This was, in its own way, sisterhood. This was that intimate bond that I had always longed for. This was the companionship I had always delighted in - and so much the better because we loved one another, desired one another. In between words were kisses and caresses, teasing jests and declarations of adoration. There is a deep affection and comfort found in one another. She and I do the things I always did with my sisters or the girl friends that were akin to sisters, but that intimate bond with her feels so much more complete, with it’s added layer. That word, sister, feels so much more fitting than it did before. It’s different from the bond I have with him, or with our triad as a whole.

And I adore the bond I have with my sister-sub.

[aion-rsa]

Wynonna Earp Season 4 Belongs to Nicole Haught

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This article contains spoilers for Wynonna Earp season 4

Nicole Haught has been a Wynonna Earp fan-favorite since she first set foot in Shorty’s in “Keep The Home Fires Burning,” the second episode of the show. The red-headed deputy-turned-sheriff-turned-defender-of-the-homestead grounds her love, Waverly, and the show as a whole, bringing her decidedly non-supernatural skills as an investigator and ass-whupper. And on season 4 of a show full of supernatural beings, named after a trash-talking, fringe-wearing superhero, it feels like the very-mortal Nicole Haught is finally getting the credit she deserves for being exactly who she’s been all along: steadfast, loyal, hardworking, smart.

While Nicole has always been beloved by fans, creators, and other characters, in the past, she has often been left on the outside, within the narrative. First, it was the Earp sisterhood, causing tension between Haught and Wynonna as well as WayHaught themselves. A sisterly bond like the one Waverly and Wynonna share is intimidating, and Wynonna and Nicole took some time to learn how to share Waverly and coexist with one another.

Then there was Black Badge – Nicole wasn’t part of it initially due to being actual law enforcement and an outsider to the group. Later, when they rescued Dolls and recommitted to BBD in blood in the season 2 premiere, Nicole was on the outs once again. While Waverly was only trying to protect Nicole, the outcome meant that our favorite redhead was excluded from some of the central plot points of any given episode, while newcomer Jeremy, a BBD scientist, was included instead. All love to Jer-Bear, but the story decisions have a real-world implication of making Nicole less central to the story, and ruling out certain plots that she can be involved in over the course of the season.

Enter season 4. While it would be easy to read this as the ultimate “Nicole Haught has been left behind” plot point (both for the final showdown and the garden rescue), the story choices have had the opposite effect. Nicole is now central to every episode of Wynonna Earp in a way she wasn’t before, and in a way few other characters have ever been for a stretch of six episodes – and perhaps more.

By choosing Nicole as the character to be left behind, the Wynonna Earp writers found a way to showcase everything that makes her special. Nicole kept things going on her own, but rather than that being a traditional “keeping the home fires burning” gender essentialist type of role, it’s a show of her strength as a mentor, a leader, a fighter, an investigator, and a grounding emotional center. It’s hard to imagine any other character going through 18 months of isolation, panic, and demoralization at losing their love, their friends, and their job, as the town devolved around them. But Nicole defends the homestead, devises traps, and even tried running a campaign for sheriff. She mentors Rachel, a role that one might assume would normally go to Wynonna, but instead provides an opportunity to see more of Haught’s skills as a leader/gay aunt.

For actor Kat Barrell, this season has given her a greater opportunity to show off her range. Always a highlight of the talented cast, her turn as Eve in “Friends in Low Places” was delicious, bringing in a completely different attitude than we’ve ever seen exhibited by Haught, as well as the fun dynamic of Eve-as-Haught to toy with us. Barrell has subtly layered in hints at the possibility of PTSD lingering for Nicole due to the trauma of the last 18 months, while leading with more prominent emotions, like Nicole’s happiness to see everyone return. She also had the challenge of playing a Nicole who couldn’t say what she had done in the mid-season finale, having to look like she was trying to confess to Waverly and the gang while at the same time convey her private inner turmoil to the audience. 

When Nicole and Wynonna refer to one another as “best friends” in the season 4 premiere, it rings a bit hollow. But, by the mid-season finale, their friendship feels rock solid and foundational to the show, in the same way that Doc and Waverly’s relationship, Wynonna and Nedley’s, or Doc and Jeremy’s does. Nicole and Wynonna have gone well past their previous equilibrium in which they had agreed to put any differences aside in order to do what’s best for Waverly and the team. Later on in the premiere, after the forced declaration of best friendship, we see Wynonna fight for Haught’s life and deliver her unique blend of joking around and showing genuine concern for her life, surpassing her duty to save her sister’s love to demonstrate her own appreciation and affection for Nicole’s grit. It’s been fun to see them trade roles, with Wynonna supporting Nicole’s lead in missions. When Haught eventually faces how her time alone has affected her, she’ll need another form of Wynonna’s support.

Finally, one of the greatest gifts of season 4 has been the centering of WayHaught. Nicole and Waverly’s love story has eclipsed Wynonna and Doc’s in prominence, a rarity for a queer couple on screen for even an episode, never mind in the sustained way that the show, its stars, and fans have long prioritized WayHaught. Wynonna Earp broke with the trope of chaste queer pecks on the cheek (I see you, Modern Family), giving us a reunion sex scene that is equal parts hot and loving, and completely in keeping with the on-screen chemistry and romantic history of the couple. After all, it would be strange for two people who tease one another (and are teased by their friends) about hooking up all over the Earp homestead to not immediately, ya know, have sex all over the Earp homestead. On a show where Wynonna has had acrobatic sex in/on every vehicle in town or piece of farm equipment in the barn, it only makes sense. And after the year and a half she’s had, Nicole deserves some time with her fiancé.

The continuation of Waverly and Nicole’s relationship reflects Wynonna Earp’s important commitment not to fall into the harmful Bury Your Gays trope of killing off LGBTQ characters. But it’s also a compelling take on what it can look like to show a couple that stays together on screen for the long haul. There’s nothing boring or expected about this pairing, and they certainly still have their conflicts to overcome. But rather than framing everything in terms of “will-they-won’t-they” or a love triangle, their conflicts are grounded in the baseline assumption that Nicole and Waverly love each other deeply and want the best for one another. It can lead to misguided choices, like Nicole trading Doc’s life for Waverly’s, or Waverly wanting to sit on her father’s throne for eternity to keep the world (including Nicole) safe, but their love isn’t in question, which opens up the possibilities for what kind of relationship stories Wynonna Earp can tell with these two characters

Nicole Haught is the true star of Wynonna Earp season 4, and she deserves nothing less. Our HaughtCop has somehow kept up countless revenants, vamps, witches, and other supernatural evils, without any angelic, demonic, or supernatural powers to help her. Even without the badge of the Purgatory Sheriff’s Department, she has kept her head held high and continued to fight for her found family. Hopefully in the back half of season 4, Kat Barrell’s Nicole will continue to be a strong presence as she and Waverly try to unpack her trauma, she and Jeremy work through the pain of him staying away while everyone was gone, and Wynonna provides the kind of backup that Nicole has provided everyone else for so long.

The post Wynonna Earp Season 4 Belongs to Nicole Haught appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[lhnicolelegendary]

  2017 was a fun year for great movies and tv shows. But more than that it was a great year for movies and TV with powerful and inspirational female characters and their stories!

There are some true standouts that are getting a LOT of well deserved attention but some of the ones that I personally connected with the most have not gotten a whole lot of recognition. I want to take a few minuets to really talk about the ones I really love!

I am picking my top 4 Female Power fav’s from 2017 to showcase.

Before we dive in don’t forget that all this month I am running a very special giveaway for Legendary’s coming birthday! I’m giving away two big prize baskets, one that even included the elusive and wildly popular Rose Gold Minnie Mouse ears from Disney! Don’t miss your chance to enter below in the rafflecopter! So many ways to win 🙂

#1 WONDER WOMAN

This one should come as no surprise! I was going crazy when this came out in theaters, and even back in 2016 when the media campaign really kicked it up. Wonder Woman has been a source of fascination, amazement and inspiration to me since I was nine! I loved to watch the Justice League cartoon shows (and its many forms over the years) and read the comics when I could get my hands on them.

I truly do not think they could have chosen a better actress than Gal Gadot to play Diana Prince, Princess of the Amazons of Themyscira. Gal captured the innocence, the strength, the iron will wrapped in the finest silk, and the open, honest heart that is rooted in doing what is right, no matte the cost.

The genius women behind this movie broke the mold of female characters with the visuals they used. Showing all the Amazons training and fighting in ways that were not meant to entice or capitalize on sexy female body images like Marvel does so damn often. They showed these women working hard to have the skills they do and the steel bonds that weave them together. They supported each other and empowered each other to be better, and they were there for when the other fell to help them back up. That is what gave Diana such a strong moral compass, even when she had to defy her mother, and leave her home forever to do what she believed to be right.

Diana charged across the WWI battle field when no men were even brave enough to dream of doing such a thing. For me this was the most powerful part of the movie because she had no fear of facing such danger alone and she couldn’t bare the thought of just walking away from people who needed help. She stood up for those who could not stand up for themselves and that is a truly rare and inspiring act of heroism.

I loved reading all the cool tweets and articles that came out in the weeks after. One that really sticks out for me was an article with a bunch of young children’s reactions that I read on Cosmo’s site.

Seven girls playing together during recess on Tuesday, saying that since they all wanted to  be Wonder Woman they had agreed to be Amazons and not fight but work together to defeat evil.

A boy threw his candy wrapping in the floor and a 5-year-old girl screamed ‘DON’T POLLUTE YOU IDIOT, THAT IS WHY THERE ARE NO MEN IN THEMYSCIRA’

#2 SUPERGIRL

There are so many great things this show has done on 3 seasons. I loved the light-hearted quirkiness of season one with the added layers of Cat Grant snarky inspiration and powerful sisterly devotion. Then the slightly more mature, more dynamic second season where Kara learns how to love an enemy of her planet and also how much she’s willing to sacrifice to do what’s right. And now we have season three which has gone darker than both previous seasons, but I can understand why because of what Kara is dealing with, and the underlying layers of danger that are shaping her world.

I am only going to focus on the things that happened in 2017 that really got to me about this show. The biggest moment is two-fold. To save her city, Supergirl took on her revered and god-like cousin in a battle Royale that would put Superman and General Zod’s battle to shame. Clark was at his full-strength, and fighting enraged because of the effect of silver kryptonite which made him see his worst fear (General Zod, pun fully intended above). Despite the odds being so far skewed against her, and everyone in the world thinking that no one could beat Superman, Kara-Supergirl-did. And she did it on her own, with no help or interference; my mind was blown! Part two is the even bigger fold of this scenario because of what Kara had to end up sacrificing to save the innocents of National City and the world.

Mon’el and Kara had a very intense and passionate build and burn to their relationship. I have to admit I was not happy that James got thrown to the side, but I really started to like Mon’el about half way through the 2nd season. After the truth about who he was on his planet came out, that was when I fully committed to team KaraxMon’el. She loved him, truly loved him despite the stupid things he did. Then she had to do the one thing that would rip him from her life permanently. To stop his Psycho Daxamite mother from taking over she set off a bomb created by Lena Luthor that saturated the atmosphere with lead, the one thing Daxamite’s are deathly affected by. Kara knew that doing that would mean that Mon’el would die too, and it would break her heart, but she still did it.

She was able to save Mon’el but only because she put him the pod he came to earth in and sent him into space where he was sucked into a black hole that we found out in season 3 dropped him several hundred years in the future.

At the end of season 2 in ’17 even Clark came to Kara and affirmed to her that she was the superior kryptonion, and not just because she beat him, but because she made a decision that forced her to give up her heart, and Clark admitted that he would not have had the strength to do it.

There are many more reasons to love this show and the fantastic female power that it delivers every week, and that is because of the amazing cast of strong, independent and capable female characters that don’t need men to save them. Lena Luthor, Cat Grant, Alex Danvers and Meghan–in addition of course to Kara Zor-el ;D They even threw in the most popular and well-known actress who donned the Wonder Woman gauntlets and lasso, Lynda Carter, as the president of the good old US of A. It doesn’t get much more powerful than that.

#3 PITCH PERFECT

“Say your prayers because Fat Amy is coming for you.”

I had NEVER expected to see the action sequence that kicks off the whole movie and set up for an aca-spectacular finale to a franchise I love so much! (Yes, that is largely in part because of the amazing songs and musical sequences.)

The two parts of all this that got me the most focused around my fav Bella: Beca. Yes the premise of the movie, all the girls abandoning their lives to tour with the USO to perform on military bases hoping to get picked by some crazy big shot DJ to be signed by his label is very far out there, but this is not the typical Bella competition.

Beca of course immediately catches the attention of the producer, and you can totally tell he’s fascinated by her, and she in turn is strongly drawn to him, thought she seems to not realize it. Said hot producer and DJ Khaled eventually offered a contract for JUST HER but she turned it down because she is a Bella and she was not going to stab her girls in the back like that. The best part was in the end when she told the girls about it they told her she was crazy for not taking the deal! They all go on to tell her that they realize now that they don’t want to keep singing and that real friends, real sisters always support each other and don’t hold any one back from getting their dream!

The second part about this I loved so much, and something that is so NOT a normal thing in dramedies is the fact that despite the attraction, Beca didn’t fall into the arms of the hot producer, Theo, that clearly had a thing for her. Instead she held him off and made a crack about how he now worked for her and she was going to drive him crazy.

I also loved that we got to meet Fat Amy’s estranged father and the aca-crazy he brings to the already guaranteed to be a disaster shenanigans of the Bella’s. Despite Pitch Perfect’s plot having several holes, the expected final of sisterhood and female empowerment felt natural and impactful without being over done.

#4 The Bold Type

                  I am the first to say I’m not much of a contemporary books or shows that don’t have some kind of action element to it, but this gem snagged my attention right from its first seconds! I love the dynamic chemistry between all the stars of this show, but especially between the characters of Sutton, Jane and Kat. I love seeing three girls who are so inseparable. I love that when one of them does something bitchy or stupid or hurts the feelings of one of the others, instead of losing their shit, they come together, apologize and support each other.

This show broke a lot of molds like the other shows and movies I’ve listed here and they took on a hell of a line up of real issues facing women today. They took on everything from sexism and racial issue to online bullying and rape survival in a powerful season finale that had tears in the eyes of every person that has a heart.

When the series starts we find that Sutton is in a relationship with a man in a powerful position in the company. They highlighted the age-old assumption most people would have made accusing Sutton of sleeping her way up. Instead the relationship was NOT at all about that, they truly cared for each other; but they also showed the strain it put on the relationship to have to hide their love from everyone they know. Sutton is my favorite of the three girls because her personality is so close to mine, plus I loved seeing her gain her confidence to go for her dream of working in the fashion department of the magazine and finding her courage to show what a kick ass talent she is and how she refused to give up despite making many mistakes.

Little Jane is my second favorite. I like that her story focused on her admitting that she was not what her image portrayed and her journey to discovering who she is and what she really wants in her life and career. Jane had several major story lines from having to write an article admitting she had never had a Big “O”, getting into a relationship with a notorious player,  finding ways to break past the assumptions others made of her because of her look and where she worked, and having to face the fact she was positive for a gene that can cause breast cancer in women–the same cancer that killer her mother. At the end of the season they had Jane making a huge decision that put her out on her own, but I love that they showed how supportive her tough as nails boss was of it and how she knew that no matter where she was her friends would stand beside her.

Kat is a wonderfully complex character. She had some of the more crazy but impactful story lines. She dealt with falling in love with a truly beautiful and strong feminist Muslim photographer and realizing that her sexuality was NOTHING like what she had believed all her life. Her relationship with Adina was riddled with everything from cheating to getting arrested (and dealing with the ignorant hate that people have for those who look or talk differently, especially an Arab woman.) She also had to learn how to step up into being a boss and managing the people working for her. And most importantly she learned that she needed to step away from all the things that held her back from growing into the woman she wanted to become.

There are so many shows that could be included in this list but for me these are the ones that I loved the most and I hope that if you haven’t checked out any of these movies or shows, you will and see if maybe you can’t find something of yourself in all of them. I know I sure did!

❤ always LH

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'17 Screen Favs, Disney #RoseGoldEars & more on the blog #Legendary @PitchPerfect @WonderWomanFilm #Supergirl @TheBoldTypeTV #femalepower 2017 was a fun year for great movies and tv shows. But more than that it was a great year for movies and TV with powerful and inspirational female characters and their stories!

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Spoiler alert! This article contains details from the second episode of season 2 of Wynonna Earp — so quickly get to another page if you haven’t watched “Shed Your Skin,” because you won’t be able to unmake your peace. 

If Wynonna Earp didn’t have problems with spiders before, she sure does now. The latest episode of the Syfy series saw her and Waverly take on a hoard of eight-legged creepy crawlies, only to discover there’s something more sinister (possibly demonic) at play. Not to mention the fact she might be seeing Willa’s ghost, and that Doc appears to be pulling away, both emotionally and in terms of physical revenant-hunting support.

Elsewhere, Agent Lucado, who’s now running the team, has contracted hitmen to take out Dolls (who’s easily dodging her) and struck an under-the-table deal with Doc. As for the mustachioed, still hat-less former sharpshooter, he’s secretly recruited newcomer Rosita to help him with some secret plan in a lab set up under the bar. Meanwhile, Waverly continued digging into her past trying to verify whether she’s truly an Earp, a process that saw her make up with her girlfriend Nicole Haught and consummate their relationship. But fans might have reason to worry: the final shot of the episode saw the youngest Earp (who’s still possessed by the goo she touched at the end of last season) go into “goo mode” and bite into the carcass of the dead spider they’d collected for Black Badge earlier in the episode.

Here, executive producer Emily Andras discusses some of the big moments in “Shed Your Skin.” Plus watch an exclusive video featuring Andras and series star Melanie Scrofano discussing Mercedes Gardner, a new character on the show, and Wynonna’s friend.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Compared to some of the other creatures we’ve seen in Purgatory so far, how powerful is whatever is in Waverly? EMILY ANDRAS: It’s definitely a threat. How powerful is it? It’s hard to say, but it’s definitely an alpha. It’s a predator.

And then we have Doc, who hasn’t quite replaced his hat yet. What gives? I know! Hatgate 2017. I swear, there’s going to be candlelight vigils, black armbands, people saying “Remember the Hat.” The only thing worse than if he lost his hat was if he shaved his mustache, but you got to save something for future seasons! Listen, Tim Rozon is a very good-looking man. Doc’s doing just fine, but here’s hoping that there’s some sort of reunion with some sort of headwear at some point.

We saw a lot of him and Wynonna’s new dynamic, where he seems to kind of be pulling away from her a little. Is that strictly because he’s still hurt he saw her kiss Dolls, or is that because of the new deal with Lucado? It’s a little bit of both. They just haven’t had time to kind of digest [that kiss]. Doc is a proud dude and he spent a lot of time pursuing Wynonna last year, but he’s a real manly man. I just don’t know if he wants to be anyone’s second choice. And he just knows that maybe she needs some time after killing her sister too. But also maybe he’s hurt. It’s a little bit of everything. Like all the best relationships, it’s complicated.

I especially like that we’ve now seen he’s very in tune with her feelings, even if she really hasn’t gotten there yet. That’s it. He almost reads her better than she reads herself. He definitely knew last episode that them going for a tryst in the shower was just not a great idea. It just didn’t come from a really genuine place versus a broken place. I like that he’s mature. He’s 150 years old. I feel like even after that much time, I might become a grown up, maybe. I don’t know, though. I doubt it. But he just does kind of have a sophistication and maturity to know, maybe, what she’s feeling even before she herself understands it.

What does it mean for Wynonna to have someone who can tell her when she’s not in a good place right now? It’s critical. As much as she might hate it and resents him and is furious at him in the short term, she definitely knows, in the long term, that Doc has her best interests at heart and that he does know her. They are so similar in temperament. They’re not sure that, deep down, they’re good people. They don’t hate the violence and the action and the grit. They get off on that. They’re adrenaline junkies, so it’s almost too honest, just because they’re mirror images of one another in so many ways. But Wynonna, more than ever, needs people who are going to be honest with her and what she’s going through and what she needs to succeed. So like I said, short-term pain, long-term gain, like the hat. And then we have Agent Lucado. She’s gunning for Dolls independently of Black Badge, but now she also has this other deal with Doc. Where do her motivations lie? Lucado shouldn’t be underestimated. She’s wildly ambitious and knows how to play the game. But she obviously has some personal stake in bringing Dolls down, which makes her really, really dangerous. She’s not that interested in being a good boss to Wynonna and the rest of the Scooby gang. She’s basically just biding her time and trying to figure out a way to get out of Purgatory. But because of that, she’s going to put everybody in a lot of danger, because she’s not really looking out for them or she doesn’t have their back. Dolls did, even as he was so annoying and kind of tightly wound.

We also have Rosita, who we just finally met. What can you tease about her? Is she going to fit into the group? She’s intriguing and alluring, just basically based on the fact that she’s freaking gorgeous. Doc obviously knows her. He seems to know her and what she kind of brings to the table, which is she’s some sort of chemist or biochemist. But at the same time, she doesn’t really seem to like Doc. He ultimately basically blackmails her into working for him, so whether she fits exactly into the team or not, you’re just going to have to wait and see.

We see Waverly investigating her past and it is affecting her, the fact that she might not be an Earp, but it feels like if she told Wynonna, Wynonna wouldn’t care. Would that be the case? I don’t know if that’s true. Wynonna has killed her own dad. She’s killed her older sister. All she has left is Waverly. So as much as Wynonna is open-minded, Waverly understands that their sisterhood is an incredibly important part of their lives. It’s what Wynonna’s holding on to right now. I agree with you that sisterhood is so much more than blood but I also don’t think Waverly wants to freak out Wynonna until she knows for sure one way or the other. Given all that Wynonna has gone through lately, Waverly is like, I just want to have all my ducks in a row before I bring this up.

I love that she’s trusted Nicole with this information and has her to help her with this. It’s another level of their relationship — she knows Nicole has her back and won’t judge her. Nicole’s emphasis is to make Waverly happy and support her. It was so nice that even though they had their first fight, it only made them closer and stronger and bond. It’s starting to feel like a real relationship. They’re going from the passion and the dating, although that’s all there, and they’re really connecting. I love that.

How did you know you wanted them to have a big fight going into this season as opposed to building into it? If you really look at it, they got together pretty quickly last season. All these crazy events happened but they haven’t really had time to just start their relationship. Ultimately it was a fight about Nicole’s career; she’s been denied a promotion that’s really important to her, which just serves, again, to make Nicole more of a three-dimensional character. I don’t want her to just be the girlfriend. Also, that’s what couples fight about. They don’t just fight about being lesbians or being gay or fighting demons. They fight about taxes and dishes and career and different wants and needs. It’s always been really important to me that they’re both three-dimensional characters who have real relationship challenges both supernatural and natural. Your first fight and your first makeup is such a rite of passage that it really deepens the relationship and it shows that, this year, they’re taking it to the next level.

Are there any milestones in the Wayhaught relationship that you’re very excited to tackle this season? This was the first time they’ve actually consummated their relationship. Things have been so busy that this was the first time Waverly would say they’ve had sex, which was kind of important to tackle just in so far as one of the hallmarks of Nicole’s character is she’s so respectful of Waverly discovering herself. Nicole makes no apologies for her desires and her passion for Waverly but she really lets Waverly drive the sexy bus, so to speak. That was a good, important milestone. And having their first fight was good. But also, obviously, we have a Waverly who is affected by some sort of entity. We’re really going to have to see how well Nicole thinks she knows Waverly. When is it Waverly and when is it not and is Nicole going to be able to suss that out? How well do these two really know each other and can they come together now as people, not just as lovers?

Is there anything you could possibly tease about if Dolls might be coming back? Don’t keep a good lizard down. That’s all I’ll say about that. Never count out a lizard man. Embroider that on a pillow.

Wynonna Earp airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Syfy.

17 June 2017 | 3:03 am

Nivea Serrao

Source : Entertainment Weekly

>>>Click Here To View Original Press Release>>>

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