#justified 1x10

[theitaliansalad]

spoilers for that scene in 1x10 under the cut.

so. that scene. the choking “kink” scene. 

Daemon doesn’t grab Rhaenyra by the neck because he doesn’t love her or because he wants to hurt her. he grabs her by the neck because Daemon is a fucked up human being. he’s violent and chaotic and messy. he is incapable of dealing with his own emotions. he has no control over himself.  

he acts insane throughout the whole episode. Rhaenyra herself says so. he tries to keep his mind occupied at all times, preparing for war, because if he lets himself feel, he’s gonna crumble. 

it’s not that he doesn’t feel. it’s that he feels too much and doesn’t know what do to about it. 

he grabs her by the neck because in the mist of grief and anger and desperation, he just found out that the brother he loved so dearly and that he so insistently tried to protect - Viserys, his big brother, he’s never trusted him. never. never had any intention of trusting him. not once. not at all. 

Daemon is the kind of person who kills his wife by smashing her head with a rock. 

so he grabs Rhaenyra by the neck. and she kind of laughs when she realises that Daemon doesn’t know. he does not know because his own brother kept their family secret from him. 

Daemon grabs her by the neck but it’s not about Rhaenyra and Daemon as a couple. 

it’s not about Rhaenyra at all.

[ladyluscinia]

This post has at least 3 threads on it that I've enjoyed and the most recent one going around is a great bit of meta work (special mention to @bromelads 🎉), but since apparently it's now generating Izzy drama (lol naturally) I want to pull a piece from one of my earlier threads that I think sums up my stance succinctly:

Izzy did not support Edward in running away to start a circus OR support Edward emotionally while shuffling the circus off the table because he's Izzy and also having a breakdown, but people will genuinely act like the first one is the greater and perhaps unforgivable crime and it's insane.

[talaok]

Late night

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!reader

summary: Derek asks spencer about a late night he had.

warnings: mentions of smut, but just fluff

a/n:(obviously) I'm rewatching, and I got to episode 1x10 and I had to write about this scene(please tell me someone remembers it)

"Easy there tough guy, have some coffee with your sugar, "Derek said, a smirk appearing on his face as soon as he got a glimpse of the obscene amount of sweetener Spencer was putting in his coffee.

"I need something to wake me up" Spence explained, not showing signs of stopping.

He was tired,

God, he was tired,

He wasn't used to this, no, not at all,

and it wasn't like he was complaining, he had the time of his life last night,

He felt like he was dreaming, or hallucinating really,

it just didn't make any sense.

You didn't make any sense.

He was a nerd, a weirdo, a robot, things that until now, he had learned weren't appealing to the ladies,

but still,

there you were,

somehow interested in him,

enough to spend the night with him,

enough to let him get a mere 3 hours of sleep last night.

"late night?" Derek asked, grinning widely.

"very" Spencer couldn't help but smile, as flashbacks invaded his mind.

his mouth on yours, the taste of your tongue, the feel of his hands on you, of your soft skin, of your curves, the feel of you, and then finally of your voice, your sweet sweet voice murmuring his name, and moaning loudly into the thick air.

"my man" Derek said proudly, making Spencer cuss himself internally.

shit, that's right,

he wasn't supposed to know about it,

nobody was,

not until you knew what it was,

not until you were ready.

"not that kind of late night" he lied, and surprisingly, it was convincing, no pitching of the voice, or weird hand ticks, nothing, just his usual self.

"ok so tell me" Derek walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, and right at that moment, you entered the kitchen "what does keep young dr. Reid awake at night?"

You stopped in your tracks, your lips involuntarily twitching into a smile as you heard those words.

Spencer glanced at you, his cheeks immediately turning a brighter shade of pink,

"wait let me guess" Derek started, thankfully too deep into his thoughts to notice the not-so-subtle looks just exchanged "memorizing some obscure textbook?"

You bit down a grin, going to pour some coffee for yourself.

sure,

if by memorizing a textbook he meant every single inch of your body,

"no, no, no." Morgan waved his hands, correcting himself " working on cold fusion" he tried again

You had to bring the mug up to your mouth to cover the wide smile on your lips, as you looked at the scene, Spencer's cheeks continued to redden as he felt your eyes on him.

"no, I got it, I got it, I got it" Derek tried to guess again

"watching star trek and laughing at the physics mistakes"

You couldn't help it this time,

a small laugh escaped your throat, and you opened your mouth to justify yourself once both the men turned to look at you, but Spencer interrupted you "Actually, there aren't that many scientific errors in star trek, especially considering how long ago it was made. there are certain improbabilities, but not that many outright errors."

Morgan raised his eyebrows at you, his eyes expressing very clearly -this guy huh?-, and you smiled knowingly, your eyes, in turn, saying -I know, trust me I know-

Derek smiled at your expression before going back to Spence "Right" he said, patting his shoulder before leaving quickly, not wanting to hear one more second of his rambling.

You smiled, walking closer to the now-beaming man.

"so, late night huh?" you asked

"the best of my life"

[clonecaptains]

Justified | 1x10 Hammer

[actualhumantrashcan]

something about Taika’s performance as Ed Teach is just so gender.

like many, many other actors would play his femininity as a joke and the show is a comedy so maybe they’d feel justified in doing so, but Taika doesn’t. he lets Ed’s feminine energy shine through in such a genuine and authentic way. I don’t have the gifs but yall know what I’m talking about like the entire scene in 1x10 in the pink robe could be played for laughs but it ISNT it’s just so refreshing to see an actor lean into that in a way that isn’t mocking or two-dimensional. I mean the sheer sensitivity this man puts into such a fucked up and violent character is insane, and I hope he gets recognized for it more as the season goes on.

[darklinaforever]

Girl, you are so insanely misogynistic, when a woman is married to a violent and abusive man, she’s completely allowed and justified in cheating on him.

You can support creeps, stalkers, rapists and pedos but draw the line at cheating, lmao.

Literally, Daemon in F&B never abused Rhaenyra emotionally and physically.

The choking scene in 1x10 is completely OCC.

But you buy it anyway because it justifies your hatred of Daemon. Once again, you'll buy whatever hatred against Daemon the show gives and you'll be happy.

Then, like I said not only is the 1x10 scene is OCC but it also demonstrates the terrifying habit of the screenwriters to amplify the violence suffered by women in the GRRM universe without any good script-valid reason, in addition to adding scenes of various abuse and variety non-existent in the basic source material, all for pure shock value on the viewer.

This aspect is criticized as much as the fact that Daemon having strangled Rhaenyra makes no sense with the first 8 episodes of HOTD in relation to the Daemyra relationship, in addition to the fact that it never existed in Fire and Blood, so the source material from which this show is taken.

We are filled with the fact that Daemon strangling Rhaenyra makes no sense with his character and the Daemyra relationship, therefore being OCC in HOTD, and not being present in the source material either. So a pure free invention for the shock of the screenwriters who adds non-existent violence compared to the source material and consequently the empires to stimulate the shock of the viewer.

At no time do we justify Daemon's behavior. On the contrary. But you are unable to understand that.

How the hell does pointing out these crucial things make me a misogynist ? On the contrary, it is HOTD's treatment of female characters that is misogynistic.

I didn't know that it was feminist to add gratuitous violence towards female characters, so you teach me something...

Then, if we are all so against Rhaenyra cheating on Daemon, it has nothing to do with the fact that she is a woman, but simply because once again it does not exist in the source material. And no, Daemon cheating on Rhaenyra in F&B has never been proven and we are just as against Daemon cheating on Rhaenyra.

The strangling scene Daemyra, and the kiss scene between Rhaenyra & Mysaria are just as OCC as each other. We criticize both. Neither should have happened. It's not complicated to understand.

On the other hand, when did I support stalkers, worse rapists ?! (While I literally made a recent post again to take down characters who commit rape...) You have so little argument that you have to lie to be able to send me a request ? You're pitiful. The same thing about pedophiles. When did I support up with pedophiles ? Unless you're trying to say that Daemon is a pedophile and... you're still wrong.

Oops.

Oh and if it's because of my ships such as Sessrin, Sareth or Sebaciel, my god, I have already explained from what angle I ship Sebaciel and that this relationship or Sareth and Sessrin does not were not pedophile ships :

Oh and in case someone tells me the stupidity about Daemon being a groomer again :

Have a good day, you who complete yourself in your stupidity and your wickedness.

[goodwhump-temp]

Rin Okumura Whump - Blue Exorcist

Yukio Okumura Whump Stupidity is contagious

Season 1 1x01 The Devil Resides in Human Souls - Bloody fist, face cut, held down 1x02 Gehenna Gate - Hunted, almost falls, trips, slapped, dragged, restrained, emotional 1x04 Garden of Amahara - Sobbing (reading Manga) 1x05 A Boy from the Cursed Temple - Flustered, chased, knocked down, almost bitten, almost shot inconspicuously 1x06 The Phantom Chef - Restrained multiple times, justified anger, dies (of horrible food), loopy, held, master chef battle against a pokemon, collapse, hurt feelings/crying, knocked back 1x07 A Flock of Plovers - Thrown, knocked down, choked 1x08 Now A Certain Man was Sick - Jumpscared, hits his head, slapped, dropped heavy rock on his foot, chased, thrown multiple times, knocked down 1x09 Memories - Targetted, hurt with holy water, squeezed, pain, stabbed, bleeding 1x10 Black Cat - Headbut, bloody nose 1x12 A Game of Tag - Smacked, knocked down, punched multiple times, feral, pinned, bloody face, knees collapse 1x13 Proof - Headlocked, sliced, impaled, bandaged, traumatic flashback 1x14 A Fun Camping Trip - Depressing high school flashbacks, panic, restrained 1x15 Act of Kindness - Knocked back, knocked to the ground, unconscious, reveals powers to friends, tail hurts, goes feral 1x16 The Wager - Feral, collapse, unconscious, targetted, imprisoned, nightmare of turning into a demon 1x17 Temptation - Moves while imprisoned, crystal prison broken, unconscious, squeezed, dazed, collapses unconscious, knife held to neck, confronted by ex-friends [insert season 2 here] 1x18 Hurricane - Face sliced, misunderstood, held at gunpoint, punched, stabbed, punched down, held by the head, exhausted 1x20 Mask - Targetted, sword to throat twice, held at gunpoint, shot with tranq, paralyzed, passes out, weak 1x21 The Secret Garden - Targetted, pinned to the ground, knocked down 1x22 Demon Hunting - Betrayed, held at gunpoint, thrown, unconscious, captured/imprisoned, chained as ritual sacrifice, extreme pain, bleeding 1x23 Truth - Bleeding profusely, extreme pain, unconscious, carried 1x24 Satan's Spawn - Punched, confronts Yukio, punched multiple times, bloody, weak, shot, collapse, bleeding profusely, emotional

Season 2: Kyoto Saga (This is loyal to the manga; when making season 1, the manga wasn't completed, so the studio came up with the rest)

2x01 Small Beginnings - Avoided, sad 2x02 Strange Bedfellows - Sad, not trusted, drunk, passed out/carried 2x03 Suspicion Will Raise Bogies - Hungover, tired as balls 2x04 Act of Treachery - Trying to prevent Bon from making the same mistakes as him and his father, emotional, leash tightened, pain, passes out 2x05 Mysterious Connections - Imprisoned 2x07 Like a Fire Burning Bright - Can't draw Kurakara (scared), no confidence, re-imprisoned, sentenced to death, friends worried, depressed, emotional x2 2x08 From Father to Son - Mental block 2x09 Through Thick and Thin - Mental block 2x10 Unbowed and Unbroken - Mental block broken, badass 2x11 Shine Bright as the Sun - Soloing the impure king, no confidence, emotional pain, badass, confronted by angry Yukio, punched, collapse, unconscious 2x12 Candid and Open - Flustered

[darkpoisonouslove]

HotD S02E03

I watched this on Monday; I just wasn't in the mood to review it until now. I was pretty hyped for this episode because the last one was entertaining and I saw spoilers for several things before I got to it that made me freak out (affectionate). I was hopeful that we'd get something good but wary at the same time since this show doesn't have the best track record... Oh, boy, was I right to be wary. In short, I didn't enjoy this episode a lot. In fact, it's my least favorite from the season so far. And I will tell you in detail my always correct opinions:

I see they've added new imagery to the opening which makes it even better! I love the whole idea that all this history is woven from blood and the fact that parts of the canvas are just bloodied without any embroidery on them only makes it more brutal. It's as if they're saying that there wasn't even any history written there; it was just bloodshed for the sake of bloodshed.

The way that that skirmish in the beginning escalated into an outright battle that claimed so many lives is chilling. I found it odd that the episode was named "The Burning Mill" when that's referring to the battle that happened in the first scene and we didn't even get to see but then the theme emerged as the episode progressed. This senseless bloodshed is an omen of what's to come, of how everyone is going to lose themselves in the war and just continue the massacre without even remembering what started all of this, bringing all of their grievances - petty and justified alike - into the fray and using them as an excuse to unleash their full rage.

In that regard, Rhaenys is absolutely correct. She ate in that scene and I liked that this also contextualized her behavior in 1x09 more (I'm vindicated that she also mentioned Lucerys mutilating Aemond as a factor that led them all here). However, it is also frustrating to hear all this, especially after the scene of reckless bloodshed we already witnessed. It is too late for this conversation. It should have happened in 1x10 when no murders had occurred yet and the bad blood could have been contained. Now it no longer matters.

I have heard enough about Criston getting a promotion he doesn't deserve. It's true but a) it's almost like that was the entire point of him becoming Hand - to show the recklessness and bloodthirst he and Aegon share and b) that's a strange attitude coming from Rhaenyra stans when she hasn't done anything to reinforce her claim to the throne since oh, her half-assed attempt to marry Jacaerys to Helaena in 1x06. Her actions afterwards have harmed her cause and yet, people still insist she should get to be queen.

I dislike how quickly Criston left King's Landing. As Hand his main duty would be to advise Aegon (not that he's doing such a great job of that but regardless) and he's already setting out to go into battle. This could be another argument in favor of why Criston shouldn't be Hand and I could agree with that but I wish they would have spent more time on him trying to adjust to his new position instead of shipping him away to do what he's already experienced and good at doing. I would have wanted to see them explore his character a little by showing him struggle in the role of an advisor and the constant tension between him and Alicent, then used that as his personal motivation to head the charge to the Riverlands to escape the feeling of being a fish out of water, potentially earn Alicent's graces again alongside a victory for their side.

Mysaria singing Rhaenyra's praises was a bit much to me, especially since Aegon has absolutely nothing to do with the arson to her establishment. He wasn't even king yet at that point so that couldn't be counted towards his (lack of) political prowess.

The great paradoxes of the writing for this show continue to amaze me. Such as the way in which the writers try so hard to make Rhaenyra the most graceful, considerate protagonist and somehow they still went all in on her viewing Baela and Rhaena as tools. You're never going to believe that you heard this from me but there was a great opportunity for a perfect scene between Rhaena and Luke and they missed it. Considering that having no dragon seems to be Rhaena's one defining plot line and Aemond "stole" Vhagar from her because Aegon, Jace and Luke were being mean to him, they could have had a scene where Luke realizes how isolating and even hurtful not having a dragon is. It would have made me take a moment to think about him as a character and given more substance to Rhaena's struggles now, especially since outside of her engagement to Luke Rhaenyra appears to deem her entirely superficial. You could say that she trusts Rhaena so much as to entrust her the care for her children but that's not the impression I really got from those scenes. They were certainly trying for it but isn't it funny how Rhaenyra is begging Rhaena to make the sacrifice to "be a mother" to her children after she spent years refusing to make the sacrifice of... backing up her claim to the throne with a suitable marriage? The HotD writers are unparalleled in having their actions blow up in their faces.

The scene of Daemon infiltrating Harrenhal was drawn out to me. We didn't need quite as much ambience from Harrenhal to get the impression of it being a haunting, cursed place when the hallucination from later in the episode conveys that perfectly well on its own. And the lack of resistance Daemon faced was evident in the guard that didn't attempt to fight him already. They could have cut some of that.

Love how they made such a big deal about Daemon insisting on being called "Your Grace" when Alicent was called that during her whole marriage to Viserys and continues to be called that despite the fact that she's Queen Dowager now. Logically, her receiving the title (without ever demanding it) could have never threatened Viserys' or Aegon's rule because she has no claim on the throne while Daemon's behavior comes off as if he's trying to muscle in on Rhaenyra's turf. But I much more enjoy the idea that no one in their right mind wants to give the impression that Daemon would ever even get to sniff the throne while people continue to defer to Alicent with that title because they respect her in her quality of being queen.

I'm at least relieved that they explained why there's a race to claim castle at all considering that Larys is supposed to be the Lord of Harrenhal and he's on the Greens' side. He didn't really care for it, huh? He just wanted to have Alicent stuck in his web and didn't give a shit that the residents of Harrenhal didn't buy his "tragic fire accident" PR campaign.

Speaking of Larys, I was expecting something huge from him after all this material that he got to work with in the last couple episodes and I would still like to see more from him (aka not just a single scene per episode) but at least for now he came out swinging. The fact that he ensnared Aegon to do what he wants of him in the exact same way that he ensnared Alicent has the best, funniest, most tragic implications. With the small difference that he's completely bullshiting Aegon, of course. He just saw a weakness and sank his claws right in it. I was wondering last episode why he only chimed in, interrupting Aegon's outburst when Aegon switched to throwing blame on Alicent, especially since the long pause before that would have been the perfect opportunity to speak up. It was like he was waiting for Aegon to make his way to accusing Alicent, just to make sure that there's tension there. This episode confirmed that he's trying to sever Alicent's control over Aegon and insert himself in that niche of pulling the king's reins. It does make sense considering that he appears to have lost his grasp on Alicent herself and it also doubles as revenge on her.

What even is the dynamic between Alicent and Criston at this point? I knew not to hold my breath but that doesn't change the fact that I need (a) scene(s) between them explaining what the hell is going on, especially in Criston's head. We literally wouldn't have had this problem if they'd taken the time to establish the relationship before jumping right into having them fuck. That said, I did enjoy the callback to 1x01 where Criston asked for Rhaenyra's favor but now he's setting out against Rhaenyra and when he asks for Alicent's favor, she grants it despite her anger at him. The way his mood instantly improves at that is touching.

Good for Rhaenys on still pushing to have Rhaena named heir of Driftmark. Corlys needs to be hit over the head so he can see the vision.

Helaena is also on the "no grieving, we repress our emotions like Greens" train. They are all so emotionally damaged and Alicent can't help them because she's the most damaged of all. (Love how Otto just abandoned her to take care of all the kids and steer them on the right path on her own so that he wouldn't have to face the results of his failure to do the same.) Despite the truth of that, I think there was more to her not comforting Aegon while she's constantly talking about Helaena's pain. She doesn't even seem to mourn Jaehaerys as much as she mourns what came upon Helaena. I'd say that's definitely guilt because she steered this course of events (as much as Otto and the rest of the Small Council). She put Aegon on the throne to protect his life (and Aemond and Daeron's) and in doing so, she set up Helaena to take the damage from the war and the attacks on their family. While with Aegon there's all this baggage of Viserys destroying her life for him (even if she can't admit it) and his entire existence necessitating this course of events and she just cannot make herself even more vulnerable in order to comfort him. Especially since in that moment, she was angry at him and only had helplessness left in her that was crying to turn into violence as we see it happen when Alicent takes out her frustration on Criston.

This also makes me think back to Helaena saying in 2x01 that Jaehaerys may not want to be king. On some level I think that was her trying to rationalize why she couldn't see any future for him in her visions. But it was also an externalization of her own feelings about being forced to be crowned alongside Aegon despite all the danger that brings. They were all trapped from the beginning. Being crowned instantly locks them all - both sides - into war but there was no guarantee that if Alicent hadn't put them on the throne, they would have been spared. In fact, what happened to Jaehaerys only points to the opposite. I believe that's what Helaena is forgiving Alicent for. Because Alicent was so afraid of losing her children that inadvertently she set up for her daughter to lose hers. And Helaena understands the pain that Alicent was trying to avoid so she forgives her.

I wasn't feeling the Small Folk scenes in the previous episode but this one was a fucking disaster. And why? Just so that they could foreshadow the Dragonseeds. Everyone involved in scripting this show needs professional help.

Aegon and Aemond got about a minute of shared screen time and it still brings forth the full force of their internal conflicts and mommy issues. Aegon sure went "Does mommy prefer Aemond? Even though I'm king? Does she wish he were king?" only to go get wasted and revert back to bullying his brother.

Baela engaging in some Daemon-like behavior. I'm not exactly sure what her game plan was, however? If she wished to attack them, she could have made Moondancer incinerate them all. They would already consider this an attack and an act of war so what was the point? Other than not completely disregarding Rhaenyra's orders, I suppose. At least Baela has more self-control than her father.

Daemon really got hit by that train wreck of emotions he was trying to escape from. Love how he found a soul mate in his 15-year-old niece and he cannot bear the thought that she matured and has outgrown him now. He's so pathetic fr.

I was so excited about seeing Alys but she barely got anything in this episode.

I do not wish to hear anymore shit about Criston's plan for Arryk when Rhaenyra's scheme to meet up with Alicent was even more harebrained. Girl, what was your contingency plan in case Alicent had instantly reported your presence to her knights once she left the Septa? She could have ended this war right then and there. It's even frustrating that she didn't but I suppose I can see why.

Alicent has a lot to deal with in this scene. The fact that Rhaenyra made this trip at all and (falsely) believes they can reach an understanding alone probably made her head spin. I'm surprised she didn't look for a paper bag to help her stop hyperventilating. To be confronted with undeniable proof that she grasped at straws for her own peace of mind so that she could avoid the guilt of betraying her husband and steering the realm towards war surely shook her whole world. To the point that she couldn't even process what was happening anymore.

That's the thing though. Rhaenyra has to face the idea that her father gave up on his staunch support for her rule but she only has to live in that reality for a minute. Instead, her big internal conflict resolution here is that the warpath is set and they cannot escape it. Which in a certain way could still shake her belief in herself that has been perpetuated by Viserys' insistence she'd be the one to unite the realm. Because even if she does, she (and her siblings) would have torn it apart first. It could still be a lot to deal with but her struggles are undermined by how late it is for this. I already talked about this but we are several episodes past the point of no return. This scene, the whole conflict they've built up for Rhaenyra in this episode, has missed its mark because it should have happened a lot earlier.

Alicent may be falling into the sunk cost fallacy but she is also completely correct that by this point war is unavoidable. Aegon will never cooperate with Rhaenyra after what happened to Jaehaerys. And to be honest, for how big a deal they made of Rhaenyra's grief over Luke, she sure didn't seem to be having that hard a time putting it aside for this scene.

It's funny how the show is trying to present Rhaenyra as so thoughtful and considerate when she is stubbornly stuck on getting that crown. There is something to be said about how similar she and Alicent are in believing what they want to believe. Yes, Alicent was only using Viserys' misunderstood last words to justify - to herself first and foremost - putting Aegon on the throne and "betraying" her husband and Rhaenyra. But Rhaenyra is also ignoring common sense to believe that "she was meant to unite the realm" just like daddy said. The men of the realm were never going to accept her as queen without a bloody conflict when there was a male heir and Rhaneys warned her of that all the way back in 1x02. Since then Rhaenyra has stubbornly refused to acknowledge the idea that the only way for her to unite the realm without any bloodshed would be to step down (maybe not even then considering how staggeringly willful Aegon is).

I already put out some thoughts on the promo for next episode^ so I'd just like to add that I am enraged by them having Alicent talking about how Aegon's only been king for weeks and the realm has fallen into war. The only reason why the realm was at peace while Viserys was king was that he was alive at all and served as a figurehead since by that point Alicent and Otto had been ruling for years. Viserys himself set up this war when he appointed Rhaenyra his successor and then proceeded to have legitimate sons. He is the one to blame here and it is especially outrageous for Alicent to diminish not just Aegon but herself as well because, like I said, she was the one ruling for years before Viserys died. I can only take this as a result of her conversation with Rhaenyra, an expression of guilt over disregarding Viserys' wishes and putting uncontrollable Aegon on the throne when Rhaenyra probably wouldn't have harmed him and Aemond and Daeron based on her words to Alicent. However, while Alicent is still in shock and processing, she is conveniently forgetting that Jaehaerys was brutally murdered despite Rhaenyra's best intentions. And that should be the reason why she looks like she's deep in depression and doesn't give a single fuck anymore rather than feeling like she's wronged Rhaenyra. The realm would have never been spared war when there are legitimate sons to inherit the throne unless they had been slain. So Alicent did take the only option that she had and she should work up to accepting that but it would be foolish to hope for it with all that we've seen so far. What can I say? It appears that the HotD writers strike again.

[kvetchinglyneurotic]

Share something about your time loop Ted idea featuring Jamie?

So back in the days of yore when I watched Ted Lasso for the first time, I got to the scene in 2x02 where Ted and Jamie are at the bar and Ted's like, "having a tough dad pushes people to be great" (paraphrased, obviously) and I had to pause the episode for a second to be like. why would you say that??? to anyone??? but especially to Jamie after you saw his dad throw a boot at his head???

Anyway in this fic the powers of the universe are also like "why would you say that" and trap him in a time loop about it — I'm not sure exactly how long the loop will be, but it'll probably start the morning that Ted and Jamie meet and the bar and end after he calls Jamie to let him know he's back on the team. I debated between 1x10, 2x02, and 3x11 for the setting, but I already did an alternate 1x10 in The Hedgehog's Dilemma and although I think Ted's advice to Jamie in 3x11 is terrible and potentially dangerous, I do like his conversation with his mom at the end of that episode and didn't want to undo it through time loop magic.

Loops include, in no particular order

several where Ted is convinced that his pep talk to Jamie about his dad is the only thing he doesn't need to change

convincing Roy to come back as a coach exactly once and never managing to replicate it

getting dragged to the hospital by an alarmed Jamie when he tries to explain that he's in a time loop

getting a time loop password from Beard and Beard instantly believing him when he uses it during the next loop

at some point he figures out that he should probably give the rest of the team a heads up that Jamie is coming back instead of springing it on them

the actual solution to the time loop is just to internalize that his and Jamie's situations with their dads are very different and, you know, not tell Jamie his abuse was justified because it made him great

[sneakyboymerlin]

I have one silly goofy rule: if you vague me, I won’t always be as transparent in return… especially when you call me a bitch. I also enjoy literary and media analysis as a hobby (there’s a reason it’s my best subject lol), so I don’t exactly mind a chance to talk on it.

Gwen’s boobs visible below the cut.

Breaking: Tumblr user “Arthur The People’s Princess,” who calls Arthur a “tsundere,”’calls ME a bitch and accuses ppl who think Merlin is not a villain of “babygirlifying” him 😭😭😭 very “do as I say, not as I do.” liiiike at LEAST say it on anon 💀💀💀

But this is even funnier because… the show’s main tactic to make Arthur appear superior was by only ever contrasting him to people far worse than he is (e.g. Uther or the villagers in 5x03). But they had a second tactic, where they would “make a character ooc so their fave would seem better.” For example, the 4x03 deleted scene btwn him and Gwen (thank god they deleted it), the format and characterization in 5x01-5x03, etc. It is quite clear that they set up conversations to tell-don’t-show how grand Arthur is, even though he is surrounded by people who have the exact same standards and more. He is coddled by the narrative as a form of overcompensation for his flaws and dormant character progression. This is also influenced by his status as a rich nobleman (prince, then king) wherein a servant like Gwen believing that commoners are just as worthy as nobles means nothing, yet a king believing in this somehow makes him uniquely worthy. Credit and reward is unevenly distributed.

This “babygirlifying” of Arthur (calling him a tsundere and princess) is a pretty obvious attempt to dismiss his serious faults (the bigotry that leads him to act tyrannical towards magical peoples, continuing his father’s genocidal legacy). Because white cishet women are typically viewed as weak and harmless, comparing or associating a character with “womanly” traits/tropes can be used to give the impression of harmlessness or innocence. This is, of course, misogynistic, among other uses.

The slight against Gwaine is also very interesting, because it tends to be the type of merthur shipper that the op is, not the people who pay attention to Gwaine, who reduce him down to “clown manwhore.” But more on that later.

The show is centered on Arthur’s need to progress from a stuck-up bigot into the king who will fulfill the prophecies, bringing peace back to the five kingdoms and returning magic to the land… so why is it so difficult to understand why people might pay attention to Arthur fulfillment of (or lack thereof) the story’s structural promise? Other people possessing flaws does not negate Arthur’s flaws, which had a wide impact due to his excess of power, wealth, and reputation.

Gwaine being tentative towards magic, Morgana indulging in tyranny, and Merlin’s questionable navigation of prophecy do not in any way rescind Arthur’s central flaws. He is the one who continued to ban magic, despite Gaius making Dragoon’s innocence clear in 4x07, despite accepting the Dolma’s aid in 5x09, despite the unicorn incident in 1x11, right after a sorcerer saved his life in 1x10. And still, after a sorcerer saved his life in 1x04. After he recognized how many Druids had been slaughtered for their association with magic. These are events he knew about but chose to ignore to stay in his comfort zone (idolizing Uther and justifying his own privileges).

Also, the fact that op can only approach this topic through a merthur lens (the comments about Arthur and Gwaine both imply merthur) is more telling than any analysis I could write. Merlin and Gwaine do not exist only in relation to Arthur. We’re not the ones reducing him down to “clown manwhore,” because unlike op, we don’t see his character or connections as trivial by comparison. I know I for one have written multiple analyses on Gwaine’s characterization, traumas, and beliefs — flaws and all — because I believe there is more to him than many surface-level readings ascribe. Try looking in a mirror next time you say it.

Toodles 🛳️

[canonedhours]

This is for 21!

As someone that has witnessed abusive relationship in their family and has worked with abuse victims for years...

Being an asshole to someone in one moment is NOT emotional abuse. When has Izzy ever been an asshole to Ed other than the 1x10 scene? When he wanted to kill Stede after Ed was the one to suggest it in the first place? Or is it abuse to call the English on STEDE? Or when Izzy wanted to leave Ed and Stede alone and Ed lied to him to stay? Ed was always always in control of the situation. Even with the English he found a way out.

My aunt called my uncle whiny and pathetic after he lost his job cause he showed up drunk. He beat her up so bad that she had to go the ICU. And she said she was robbed, so he wouldn't go to jail. It happened a lot, him hitting her when she "said the wrong thing". He bragged about it to his friends. Until finally my dad helped my aunt get away from him and get a restraining order.

Point is... emotional abuse is constant. It's not an one time thing. That's just being an asshole. And that doesn't mean you get to harm the other person. You can't "provoke" someone into hurting you. It's never "He was just angry, I got him angrier with what I said".

And I think that's why I am so bothered with some takes here. Because people seem to think that hurting someone that said the wrong thing is absolutely justified. Or that because you are POC you can't be abusive.

21 for reference

27.

[honorhearted]

Turn Week, Day 7: If I Could Change One Thing...

Aside from the obvious wish of getting all five seasons, it's too bad the show wasn't more character-driven rather than plot-driven. I understand why it was, and I still find it absolutely great and a comfort show, but I'm the type who watches for characters and their interactions. I felt robbed of these dynamics, in particular: Ben and his father, Nathaniel (they should've talked about Samuel sometime after 1x10); Ben and Sackett (I wanted more crazy!uncle x nephew-esque shenanigans); Ben and Samuel (it would've been way more impactful to see some brotherly flashbacks prior to his d.eath), and more of the Culpers in general. Even though they were best friends who grew up together (sans Townsend), it never really felt like it since no one ever truly reminisced or cracked inside jokes, nor behaved like close friends beyond the occasional quip (unless you count the Ben x Anna prank in 2x4). Granted, I understand that it's a time of w.ar and thus, levity isn't as common, but they are human, and it'd make sense for them to behave as such from time-to-time. It can't be b.usiness 24/7.

Secondly, every Culper had some form of t.rauma, so I really wish the show had delved into that beyond the surface. Here are some thoughts centering around the individual characters:

Ben: I wanted to see more of his struggle with faith. A man of God betrayed the Cause (Rev. Worthington), and then he shot him in cold b.lood. That assuredly messed with him, and his guilty conscience had to have suffered even more so once he discovered his own side was responsible for Sarah's husband's d.eath. Then when he learned Hale's last words had been warped for the sake of furthering the Cause, rather than his friend being truly remembered as Hale wished to be, Ben learned right then and there that history could and would be altered by people he admired (GWash) to justify the means -- himself included. The knowledge that he and his friends were more or less pawns undoubtedly added to his anger in S4, in particular, and I wanted to see a genuine struggle with all of the above rather than superficial scrapings.

Abe: After his imprisonment, he definitely should have suffered from some type of P.TSD, yet he more or less just "walked it off" after shaving his beard and cleaning away the grime. Most people can't recover from that type of event unscathed, so it would've been interesting to give Abe an actual character arc beyond a.dultery and his brief turn-around in S4.

Anna: The night she was attacked and had to s.tab/s.hoot that Queen's Ranger undoubtedly stained her for a long time. Maybe an allusion to night terrors or making her jumpy could've helped, rather than just turning it into a cliché girlboss moment.

Caleb: Arguably, Caleb got s.hafted the most of this group. He always struck me as more of a punchline rather than a real person, because comic relief characters are rarely multi-dimensional in terms of development. It's sad that just when the writers were finally giving him an arc, it was cut short and sped up to meet with the time constraints. I don't think it was a poorly done arc, per se, but naturally, I wish we could've seen it drawn out and given the proper time and dedication that was originally intended.

[arbitrarygreay]

I'm back on my "defending Alder" bullshit, but to be fair, the show is on my side! Eliot says in After The Storm 2x6 that he retains empathy for Alder's decision making, that he is still Team Alder. That bears out in the writing for the show, in that we see all of the characters basically concede all of the points Alder made to justify herself. (And let's not even get into the potential consent ethics around the Mycelium making everyone witches. We'll allow that feel-good hand-wave.) Obviously, the most important characters to consider on who compromised are Tally, Petra, and Anacostia, the characters who had the most stake in condemning Alder's actions. Khalida, too, but her turn is already quite obvious. Tally, of course, made the call to kill Penelope, and then embraced receiving training from Nicte. Don't quite remember if she was present for Scylla controlling people with crows, but everyone else just accepted it, so I don't see her suddenly finding that a crossed line. Of the three, she does the least to concede Alder's points, but she's also quite far from being a part of military authority for most of the season, so. Anacostia murders Vira for Pushing Sterling, and then uses (Spree-specific!) Pushing herself to have the Camarilla surgeons murder each other. The only Spree tech Anacostia doesn't eventually use is the delayed-charge bottle/balloon burst. Petra, meanwhile, is subject to that old TV chestnut of "fuck Civilian Oversight" (second only to "we love prosecution attorneys, defense lawyers are scum"), and Petra doesn't even have the excuse of immediately necessary self-defense that Anacostia had. Preceding that, Petra had to sacrifice the conscripts in order to delay the Cession invasion (which, sidebar, mirrors the Battle of Juarez, where Jem Bellweather led a "disastrous" cover charge to give the Swythes time to create a storm). Not to mention that the show kind of hand-waves Willa's complaints against Petra's leadership in the field, though perhaps Petra's "they're killing my soldiers" moment in S3 was meant to be a contrast in attitude to that past. This all goes back to that campfire conversation in 1x10.

Tally: How are we any different from the Spree if we just puppet whoever gets in the way? Alder: Taking the body and will and voice of another is a violation. It is against our code. But I had no choice. If you knew what was at stake, you'd understand.

When we slice away the actions that everyone eventually shared with Alder, only a few unique transgressions remain: 1) The Liberian Martyrdom. Balanced by their kid-gloving of Nicte and Scylla having done way more of it. 2) Alder's puppeting and pushing of Wade. What differentiates this from the cases above is that Alder did it to a nominal ally, not an established enemy, in reaction to the threat of retirement, and against The Spree instead of the Camarilla. Alder's true sin is that she kept going it alone. We see what she could have done instead through how Wade is treated in S3. In 2x10, Petra was actually following Alder's footsteps in trying to intimidate Wade. That relationship was by no means destined to be productive. However, in S3, Petra invites other people to the table. She states that she would bow to Anacostia serving as her conscience. Then, she has M build an honest relationship with Wade, keeping Wade in the loop of information. And most importantly, Minerva speaks of how they got over themselves and the power-jockeying games to find common ground, instead of holding onto that military-civilian divide, which Alder could never let go of. Petra's growth over the course of the show is mirrored in her relationship with Abigail. It may well be the case that if she had pulled off the coup in S1, she wouldn't have done any better, still trying to be controlling to the expectations she had for herself and others, the "her high haughtiness" that Willa loathed. By later S2, Petra has become much more sensitive to the personal over the abstract, allowing her to decide that she would fight alongside Nicte, and then let her go on the run. But still. Petra's murder of Colonel Jarret is quite a blurry line from puppeting Wade. Just who gets to decide who is the enemy of the nation, foreign or domestic? It's really easy to interpret Wade's actions in S1 to be what Jarret did in that office. Tying her hands, threatening her power. Having the audacity to ask that there be some accountability to non-witches. If the Camarilla didn't have protections for Silver, should they have just permanently puppeted the man?

[princeescaluswords]

Thanks for posting about fandom racism and racialised lenses. I’m sorry for messaging anonymously. I don’t want to risk racialised pushback on this platform - I try to keep this a place where I can chill.

I saw another great example of the ‘lack of empathy towards Scott’ thing recently. A fan was saying how they felt so sorry for Theo because Scott had told him he was ‘barely even human’.

And don’t get me wrong. Theo is a great, tragic, complex and hella good-looking character. There are a lot of those in TW, including, of course, Scott.

But it’s like, *dude*. Scott tells Theo that *mid-murder*. He’s seconds away from death and saying that to the person who is *actually killing him*.

These are such small things to notice, right. But cumulatively, god, they can wear some of us down.

This is going to sound like a non sequitur, but have you ever watched right-wing populist talking heads like Tucker Carlson, Matt Walsh, or Ben Shapiro complain about Hollywood's 'woke agenda' when it comes to recasting characters with non-white actors? It's fascinating. They very often take pains to inform us about their disdain for the cultural property in question. And while they're simultaneously telling us that we couldn't pay them enough to watch it, they also tell us why the recasting is bad and it ruins the story, though they never get around to telling us why it's so important that the character be played by a white actor.

They sound uncannily like Sterek shippers about Teen Wolf the Movie.

And not just about the movie. I mean, Anti-Scott Fandom will underline every incident from the series that makes them hate Scott McCall while demonstrating that they don't remember (or choose not to remember) any context surrounding those incidents. As you pointed out, they can find empathy for Theo after Scott delivered a mild insult (and it is mild considering that Scott 'clinging to his humanity' is so often used as an attack on him in this fandom) to the chimera while Theo was in the middle of killing him. But let's be fair. It certainly wasn't kind of Scott to point out that Theo was so evil that he pretended to be the pack's friend so he could murder Scott and enslave the others.

But then again, they do so love Derek Hale, who took the time to tell Jackson Whittemore how much Jackson deserved being murdered in Co-Captain (1x10). And, to make sure I am not a hypocrite, the context was that Derek was about to slaughter Jackson because serial-killer Alpha Peter had ordered Derek to do it.

Or they can tell us that Scott wasn't a very good friend to Stiles in Seasons 1 & 2 because he didn't pay attention to Stiles's emotional needs, but it was perfectly fine for Stiles to live vicariously through Scott's lycanthropy. Or to condemn Scott to Cocytus because he didn't have faith in Stiles in Season 5 after everything they had been through together, but it was perfectly understandable that Stiles had so little faith in Scott in Season 3A that Chris "Ever See a Rabid Dog?" Argent had to call Stiles out on it.

Scott is bad because he's sexually obsessive with Allison, though Stiles's stalking possessive behavior toward Lydia is not. Scott is bad because he was fooled by Theo, even though Derek was fooled by Peter, Kate, Peter again, Jennifer, and Peter a third time. Scott is bad because he keeps trying to go back to a normal life, though Stiles is perfectly justified trying to abandon Scott in Battlefield (2x11).

And so on, and so on, and so on.

It's not just a lack of empathy. It's entitlement. Certain characters just get to be mean to other characters when they're scared or overwhelmed or just having a bad day, and certain characters don't. Certain characters get to be "sassy," and certain characters don't. Certain characters get to pursue what makes them happy regardless of what's going on in the larger world around them, and certain characters don't. Certain characters get to make mistakes and be treated with empathy and compassion, and certain characters are held to a standard that reduces them to saint or demon. Certain characters are labeled villains when they get the people they've recruited killed or literally murder innocents with a quip and then be celebrated for it, while certain characters are labeled boring, one-dimensional, and cheats when they try their best to save people and refuse to use murder as a tool to get what they want. Anti-Scott fans -- hell, not just them, every Sterek authors who has Stiles argue "I know that Derek was an asshole, but he meant well, so, Scott, you have to submit so I can get laid!" -- cannot explain to anyone why only white characters get the benefit of that doubt, anymore than Tucker Carlson can explain to anyone why its a sign of the downfall of civilization that the actor playing Ariel in the live-action version of The Little Mermaid isn't white or Zendaya got to play Mary Jane Watson.

BUT IT'S NOT RACISM.

[peachlvs]

i rewatched the episodes again, and izzy's whole “redemption arc” should have been left out honestly. i know the writing is suffering because we have fewer episodes this season, but the writers chose to spend a lot of that very limited time focusing on izzy for some reason, and yet his character is completely inconsistent.

it doesn't matter that the crew accepts and supports him, it still doesn't make sense for him to suddenly be singing songs and wearing makeup, when he was threatening to kill ed for acting soft and not wanting to be a pirate in 1x10. this 180 turn was not set up in any way and they have not justified it. season one izzy was not secretly dreaming of love, acceptance and community lmao, like WHERE are these motivations coming from??

i really thought this episode batch was where we were gonna see him own up to his part in the whole kraken ordeal, cause his whole arc DOESN'T WORK without that. but all we got was ed apologizing AGAIN, making izzy out to be the victim, when we all know he was creaming his pants from eating toes in season one.

THIS is what feels like fan service to me. in the worst way. this feels like fanon actually.

it feels like since izzy was such a popular character in season one, they thought they had to redeem him so that they could keep him around and make his stans happy, cause it would not make sense to keep season one izzy around for this long.

there are some other issues with the writing this season, that i blame more just on the cut down to 8 episodes, but this whole izzy thing is on the writers cause they chose to put so much focus on him. if they didn't have the time to write a proper redemption arc for him, the whole show would've been better served by spending that time on the other characters; like jim and olu, who've been completely sidelined this season.

[knownoshamc]

Listen I am all for people talking about things they dislike, but I draw the line in posting negative stuff on other people's posts. It's something I've seen in the OFMD fandom too and yeah it's specifically about Izzy.

Again you can dislike him, but you also can't ignore what the writers themselves have said about him, or... everything that happened in s2? The thing that annoys me the most about this is that they say that Izzy had it coming cause he was an asshole to Ed in 1x10. So if you are an asshole to someone that was clearly about to snap anyway, justify getting amputated??? In what world.

Anyway don't put such views not only in the tag but on posts too. Yeah block exists, but you already have seen the comment, so