#kinda like how in 3x08 he's trying to get through to her that even if her parents were cowards

[andthebubbles]

okay so some real quick thoughts of 3x05-08

cressida got seriously short-changed. but i don't think the writers were anticipating that people would even like creloise

eloise almost had like a retcon re her friendship with cressida? did she think that was all fake? from what i recall (i might be wrong ofc) she first played into hating her because she pretended she was LW, even though she totally knows she's not, but basically she wanted to take pen's side. and that was it, really. so... i feel like the cressida stuff (and her being shipped off to wales) could've been avoided if they'd just talked. idk

eloise is still... hmmm..... still has some growing to do. but it's fun now, watching her, because i don't find her annoying anymore, unlike in s2

benedict's really floating. but i do feel like his season is next. though, are they really going to have the actor for michaela on standby for four years, if that's the case (eta: i suppose she could have a sideplot for s4, if benedict is lead. i'd love that)

and, actually, i suppose i would not mind fran/michaela next. but i don't want john to die :( but even the priest knew he was gonna die!!!!!!!!!! so i guess he's gonna :(

i very very very much enjoyed anthony's pretty face :3

and all the a&b moments!!!

anthony was half OOC. but all his moments with benedict were lovely so i'm good :3 and he had a nice moment with colin too skjfgnkfg but, too short!! haha

i always need more anthony + any sibling. but i think i like a&b in particular because you can see how close they are

hmm i think i said this elsewhere but i think they resolved the LW stuff too easily. but yeah, they really are using the queen as like, the get out of jail card lol

still trying to decide if they gave cressida a storyline just to put a spanner in the works for LW, or for it to somehow be linked to sophie....... ... is cress gonna come back? hm

colin finalllly got malewifed... finally accepted his role as pen's number 1 simp. good on him. took him a while. had to get through some cringe fragile masculinity moments--or were they just 'wanting to be good enough for pen, wanting to do things for her, wanting to save her' - oh perhaps that's the same thing

i love portia!!! and polly walker is an amazing actor

i wish that cressida wasn't so alone that she felt she had to resort to blackmail. eloise abandoned her by pretending to think she really was LW... and she never turned back from that. kinda like she gaslit herself. idk, i'd have to watch it again, but idk if i can be bothered

as i said in the 3x08 post, iiiiiiiii felt like it was only the last 10 mins or so of that ep that really felt like bridgerton. and i enjoyed that part.

the pacing was off in places. and the characterisation. re pacing, the biggest problem ones i can think of are ep 2 and the first half of ep 8 or so. ep 8 didn't even feel like it should be there at one point.

anyway, these are all initial thoughts

tl;dr we got some lovely a&b!!! and anthony's face is pretty. and benedict and fran are queer. and there was lots of peneloise. and creloise got crushed to the ground

and i feel like i'm missing something. missing lots, in fact

eta:

pen continuing to write LW under her real name is not the same

the discussion of power they touched on in the show is interesting; i also rather liked it in A Thousand Cuts by wall-e-nelson, can't remember which chapter though

[raayllum]

Rayla, confident in everything she does until the finish line, and Callum, uncertain until his “moment of truth” pans out. I’ve been thinking about how these insecurities and flaws follow them into S3 a lot lately. Both have moments of “redemption” in Rayla’s case and “confidence” in Callum’s before S3, with Rayla successfully saving Zym in 1x09 and choosing her path in 2x07, removing her hesitance, and culminating in her tackling Viren off the Pinnacle. For Callum, he learns to depend on his magic and believe more and more in his own capability, culminating in him jumping off the Pinnacle after her, not without his own doubts, but determined to make it work lest he lose her. 

In some ways, Callum has curbed his; he’s learned to rely on his magic and is confident that it’ll work out for him the way he wants by S4. But I wonder if he might feel a bit more like Rayla, now, that he choked at the finish line and let her slip through his fingers when it mattered the most. Meanwhile, Rayla is still trying to make up for how she ‘choked’ in 3x09 (likely in her mind by not fully dying alongside Viren and ensuring his death, somehow through that). Both she and Callum have had to ‘harden’ their hearts because of their separation, and I wonder if their reunion will help heal this continuing wound. For Callum, he’ll get a second chance at keeping Rayla safe and bringing her home, making up for that past ‘mistake’; for Rayla, she may be able to learn that even when she doesn’t pull through, even when she does fumble at the finish line, it doesn’t mean a loss of worth. She can make mistakes and still have value - and who better to help her learn that than Callum, when she taught him just the same in S2?

[handonhaven]

I feel like this whole maliLandon thing is going to lead to a lot of conflict between Hope and the super squad. And that it will lead to them dividing between sides. I think that is one of things that this season has been leading up to between Hope and her friends. Becaue, Hope has constantly been sacrificing her happiness for the greater good, she spent this whole season listening to her friends when it came to Landon instead of trusting her gut instincts, she could have saved him and had the real him back alot sooner if she had just done what she wanted instead of what was deemed "right" and "logical". Not to mention the way the super squad treats Hope and Landon these past three seasons. I mean they're always so willing to sacrifice Landon like it's nothing. And they just use Hope however they see fit, not really caring about how she might feel or what she might need(I know that is an unpopular opinion for so reason). And the fact this has been on going since season 1 drives me a bit crazy. They're just terrible "friends" and when it comes to Landon(especially this season) it really drives home what Clarke said to him back in season 1. "No matter what anyone at that school tells you, you'll never be one of them." And body other than Hope and I guess Wade has treat him like he was one of them. Like he did belong at that school. And they've always treated Hope like a weapon since the monster started to show up. I would go on and give certain times but I feel like it would make this way longer than it needs to be. But anyways back to my point I think this maliLandon thing will lead to some conflict between Hope and the super squad. Because I feel like have of them(maybe more than half) will that Landon is gone or dead. While Hope will say that he's still alive in there. And she would want to do anything to get not only Landon back but Cleo as well. And if I'm right and that does lead to a conflict between Hope and the super squad or cause them to divide and take sides. Then I hope it lasts longer than an episode or two. Because I feel like something like that really needs to happen. Hope(and Landon when they get him back) tells them how she's been feeling all this time with how they treat her and make her feel. And they say their peace. Both sides will be mad at the other for while and then by the end of they make up with them realizing they have to be better friends to Hope and Landon. But like I said if something like that does happen I want it to last way longer than an episode or two. Because I just feel like that is something they've been leading up to and it would make for a good storyline. Thoughts?

Oh crap, I hadn’t thought of this, but I totally agree with all you said. This could end up being a repeat of what happened in 3x08. And it’s even worse this time! Because last time, Malivore getting out was just a risk, and that made none of them want to help Hope save Landon. But now Malivore is literally right in front of them, so what are they gonna do now if they believe that Landon is gone and think the only way to get rid of Malivore will end up hurting Landon or killing him? Great... I could hardly stand seeing none of them care about Landon after they thought he died, and again when they didn’t care if he died in the prison world, I don’t think I can take seeing it again but there’s probably a good chance we will.

You’re absolutely right. Hope has sacrificed her happiness for everyone else so much in the past, and that did lead to a lot of what’s happened this season. I agree, like in 3x05 when she felt like she had to stop looking for Landon and accept that he was dead for everyone else’s sake, if she had kept looking she may have gotten him back sooner. If everyone had been more willing to help her, they might’ve been able to find a way to get Landon back before, without him getting possessed by Malivore. But I think once Hope knew there was a chance to get Landon back in 3x07, she totally changed and wasn’t gonna give up. She was fighting for Landon and her happiness with him no matter what. So I was really glad that she changed in that way and was like that throughout the season, I think that’s been very important for her character. But I do wonder if what’s happened with her and her friends in the past and how that’s affected her and Landon is gonna be an issue now with what’s going on. And yes! Exactly, they’ve all been willing to sacrifice Landon, not caring about him or how their actions would affect Hope. Using Hope when they need her, at the expense of her own well-being... yeah, true, it’s an unpopular opinion. I think because some of those characters, like the twins, are fan favorites, so people don’t wanna acknowledge this stuff I guess? Idk, but yes, it’s been going on for a while and got really bad this season. And I feel the same way, honestly, particularly with Landon and how little they care about him just hurts. And especially when you consider Landon’s background and how he’s not been cared for his entire life. But now he has Hope, who cares about him more than anyone else does, she’s really the only one left who cares about him. But then the people around her have encouraged her to not care about him so much like?? That’s terrible and heartbreaking, and Landon deserves someone who cares about him and is willing to fight for him no matter what the way Hope does (especially now that Raf is gone, the only other person who cared). But ugh, that Clarke quote. That is so sad now looking back at that and how things have been. So true, Hope has really been the only one to treat him like he was one of them. The others have briefly, maybe in season 1 and the beginning of season 2. Josie treated him pretty well at the beginning of season 2 when they became friends. But that friendship is basically nonexistent now, because she’s not shown she cares about him with all that’s happened this season. And even Wade hasn’t seemed to care much. Like, he’s been his friend but it’s kinda felt like he just wants someone to play D&D with. He didn’t act at all sad when he thought he died, but quickly found that one new girl to play D&D with in 3x06 (can’t remember her name, she disappeared after that). So... yeah, idk. It’s all quite weird, and very sad how everyone has treated him and Hope and how they’ve used them, especially Hope, for their own benefit without really caring. Like, I understand they need Hope a lot because she’s the one who’s able to help them, but they just don’t act like they care if it affects her, and don’t seem that grateful either.

True, this whole thing with Malilandon could lead to conflict with them. Although, they did have 3x14 and 3x15 with Hope and the twins as an attempt to bring them closer. And I thought that’s what was supposed to happen with them, but that could’ve just been another case of them telling and not showing. They’ll often have these conversations with characters that end up meaning nothing. Which also reminds me of another thing that I find so sad now, which was in 2x08 when Lizzie told Landon to come back to the school and face Hope and Josie, “they will help you face whatever comes next. We all will.” Okay... when? When did any of them, besides Hope, help Landon face anything after that? Lizzie said that but then did nothing to follow through. She did nothing to help him with all that he’s faced this season, so I can’t imagine it happening now. And it could be the same thing with Josie and Lizzie telling Hope she wouldn’t be facing Malivore alone. All it took last episode was Hope driving away for them to give up and not go after her to help her. So unless they seriously change and decide to help her save Landon this time, this could be bad.

You make very good points. Especially if it’s hard to get Landon back, and if it starts to seem too risky and less likely that they’ll get him back, I can also see that causing them to divide. Because we know Hope isn’t gonna give up. All that she did to fight for Landon in 3x08 and everything else she’s done she said she would do all over again if she had to. So I’m sure we’re gonna see that happen again to some extent, and if that does cause problems and some kind of divide, yes, I also think it should last longer so that it’s actually addressed in the right way. It’d be great if they let Hope and/or Landon say something about how they’ve been treated, but I doubt they will tbh. For whatever reason, the writers ignore the way the other characters have treated them, it’s never talked about. So I don’t really have any hope that it’s gonna be acknowledged, though I’d love if it was. And I think having conflict would be a good way to bring it up if the writers let Hope say something about it. And I agree, it would have to last longer but could make for a good storyline if it was a way to finally talk about everything and fix how they’ve been treating Hope and Landon. I’m so ready for Hope and Landon to have good friendships. I think there is a chance that the writers could hopefully have the others side with Hope this time since they were trying to bring Hope and the twins closer. Who knows, maybe they’ll suddenly have everyone deciding to support and help Hope and Landon this time... which would be surprising tbh, based off of how they’ve been before. But I’m very curious now to see how that’s all gonna work out.

[phoebehalliwell]

ok, but let's talk about this au: phoebe's pregnant in season 3. from cole. so her child is not a source, but a 50% witch, 25% human and 25% demon, which means there's a big possibility of some lousy pregnancy tricks. i can honestly see phoebe finding out about her pregnancy somewhere after 3x08, more likely in 3x10? what do you think about prue's reaction in that case? and all the other stuff?

i think it’d be like. like ten times funnier if it’s like phoebe’s like oh no i’m pregnant with cole’s baby what will this mean for our relationship! and there’s some demon named belathzor attacking us an unrelated yet equally stressful event! and prue and piper are both like big agree we will support you through this cole baby thing but let’s also like. not get murdered! and phoebe’s like oh blah blah blah do i tell cole i’ve gotta tell cole i feel like he’s been pulling away from me something something something there’s like a scene where phoebe’s got like five pregnancy tests on the sink and they’re all positive and her prue and piper are all staring at them like huh. well that’s gonna be a thing when suddenly belthazor attacks! prue starts telekinetically throwing things at him including a lamp the shower caddy and the pregnancy test belthazor sees the positive pregnancy tests and is like. oh. on a completely unrelated note i’m gonna leave now. and prue piper and phoebe are all like okay that was weird?? meanwhile cole’s back at his apartment trying to like bring this up with phoebe bc he can’t be like Hi So I Was At Your House Trying To Murder You Today Couldn’t Help But Notice Your Sister Threw a Bunch Of Positive Pregnancy Tests At Me — Yep Uh-huh That Would Be Me The Mighty Demon Belthazor Can We Circle Back To The Pregnancy Tests Tho? bc um. that would be a bad idea. so he’s gonna have to wait for phoebe to tell him and he’s going to have to pretend like he doesn’t know anything. and now he definitely can’t kill her. or maybe he definitely should kill her. tbh he’s never gotten a hit knocked up before so this is all very new territory. he could just like. kill prue or piper which gets rid of the power of three but keep phoebe alive. hmm but then phoebe would probably hate him. i mean scratch probably like definitely. so murder’s off the table. or he murders phoebe changes his name and moves to morocco and pretends like this whole thing never happened. those are the two options. equally weighted. so like blah blah blah i feel like we’re changing the storyline a bit but like cole commits to the bit of like. he’s gonna be a Dad™ so he’s no longer trying to murder the charmed ones but at the same time he still hasn’t mentioned the fact he’s belthazor he’s just now like. fighting on their side. and the charmed ones are fighting some demon of the week and belthazor comes in for the kill and they’re all like okay?? what was that?? and prue’s like okay maybe it’s like some sorta prize thing like he wants to be the only one to kill us but then it happens like two three more times and piper’s like okay am i going totally crazy or is belthazor now trying to help us and prue’s like okay here’s what’s up and they like lure belthazor or they summon him and trap him in a crystal cage and prue’s like okay what’s your deal and belthazor’s like 😬 and prue’s like oh motherfucker you’re in the thunderdome now what’s ur fuckin deal and like electrocutes him and belthazor’s like no no look like i’m trying to help and prue like electrocutes him and piper’s like what if he’s actually telling the truth and prue’s like how are we supposed to believe a demon and there’s like a beat and they’re all like truth spell? so they cast a truth spell and they’re like okay bitch what’s your endgame and he’s like i’m just trying to keep you safe and prue’s like why? and belthazor’s like bc i’m in love with phoebe and all heads turn to phoebe and phoebe’s like woah hey no i do not know this guy no i am not like in a relationship with i don’t even know what that is going on? and then belthazor just shifts back into cole and everyone’s like ........ and the sisters are like okay break time cole you’re staying in that crystal cage what the fuck and they’re all having a little chat in the corner of the room and cole’s just like standing there in the crystal cage with a truth spell on him like record scratch freeze frame 🧍‍♂️ yep that’s me. you’re probably wondering how i ended up here. meaning prue’s like did you know???? and phoebe’s like what that my boyfriend was the demon trying to kill us no!! and piper’s like scratch that does he know you’re pregnant and the baby’s his? and phoebe’s like no i haven’t told him yet! and cole’s like uh actually no i do know and they all glare at him and he’s like u guys whisper pretty loud and prue’s ready to electrocute him again and phoebe’s like no!! and prue’s like he’s a demon phoebe! and phoebe’s like yeah and my boyfriend! and piper’s like yeah and the baby daddy. and they’re like not the time pipes! and phoebe’s like look we have him under the truth spell and he said he’s not trying to hurt us and cole’s like that’s true and prue’s like oh so what were all those times before and cole’s like well i was trying to kill you and prue’s like 😤 and cole’s like but i’m not anymore and phoebe’s like 😤 and piper’s like what changed your mind? and cole’s like. 🤐🤐🤐🤐🤐 bc he really doesn’t want to say bc it’s hella embarrassing but he is under a truth spell and he has like already kinda said it so like. i’m in love with phoebe and i wasn’t supposed to be and i wish i wasn’t but i am i didn’t know it was even possible to feel the way i feel and i know it’s impossible to want the things i want but being with phoebe makes me want to be a better man and now all i can dream about it some day settling down and raising kids together and living a full life together which is impossible i know it and if there were any way i could change the way i feel i would take it i would love to go back to the simplicity of being a demon the cold cruelty but i can’t i wish i could kill you but i can’t because i love you i love you and there’s nothing i can do about and all the girls are like okay! well that’s a lot. 

[chaeshosie]

What’s Happening with Legacies Season 3 and How do all the Theories Fit?

hello quick disclaimer i am very confused with tumblr and i haven’t used this in years i’m just lazy to summarize the essay so i’m putting it here

also this is a 6-page essay i just think i should warn people beforehand

~~~

Season 3 focusing a lot on consequences and obsession

As we’ve seen through most of what season 3 has been released so far, a lot of the character arcs and plot developments that the writers are trying to pull off have something to do with consequences. Some of the observable ones are the consequences of Hope’s actions from the recent episodes, Josie trying to find a sense of normalcy at MFHS after dealing with the consequences of Dark Josie during the earlier parts of season 3, the consequences of Lizzie kinda betraying MG in 3x08 being MG leaving the school, etc. I think that the “big bad” of the season isn’t really a creature, Malivore, or the artifact, but rather the antagonist of the season considerably be the consequences that the characters deal with as a result of their actions. If we take into thought the Puck theory and how his character in the Shakespearean play mismatched the couples, the dynamics between the characters and the ship of the show (mostly Handon-Hosie) in the episodes after the 3x03 can be considered the consequences of Puck matching the wrong people together. The most noticeable of these consequences are Hope and Josie’s lack of interactions and Hope’s obsession with Landon.

While we’re on the topic of obsession in relation to consequences, let’s tackle how 2x11 can possibly be foreshadowing to Hope’s character arc in season 3. Hope and Alyssa Chang are essentially reflections of the same character. They’re both considerably reckless with magic and both come from tragedies in their families (parents’ deaths) that they at least partially blame themselves for. In 2x11, the audience watches as Alyssa tries to kill Kym and MG while under the influence of the Obsession arrow. What we can consider the consequences that Alyssa faces here is not only Kym leaving, but also MG (who she had a crush on) distancing himself from her. Now we can see parts of that being reflected in Hope’s arc throughout season 3, most noticeably starting by around 3x04. Hope has been obsessed with Landon and even just protecting him in general (but let’s be honest, it’s been like that partially in season 2 also) that she’s going through such lengths just to make sure that Landon’s safe. This reaches to the point that she’s already hurting the people she loves like Josie and Lizzie while her obsessive love for Landon seems to be her driving force this season. This very much reflects how Alyssa willing to hurt MG, whom she had a crush on, just to get what she wanted. I think it’s good to note also that in this episode, it was Pothos that was pulling the strings and not Cupid. In mythology, Cupid or Eros is the god of attraction, affection, and passionate desire while Pothos is the god of longing, yearning, desire. Seeing as to how obsession is quite linked to one’s desire we can see how this plays out for Hope’s arc involving her desire to keep Landon alive while balancing her relationships with the other characters. In relation to Hope and Josie or rather Hosie in general, longing and yearning can be referenced to how they’ve been slowburn for most of season 3 with their very small amount of interactions and how their ship has always been mostly about longing and yearning, even stemming from Josie’s crush on Hope when she was younger.

Even the references they make throughout 3x09 have something to do with consequences and/or obsession. Let’s start with the monster references they’ve made. In fact, the first monster Hope references, which is a cherub, is very often mixed together with imagery of Cupid. Cherubs are known for helping people deal with sin that separates them from God (Judaism) and also said to keep record of everything that happens in the universe (Christianity), but more on that will be expounded later on. On the other hand, pixies grant wishes in exchange for favors, which can fit to the kitsune!Hope theory with its similarity to how kitsune grants supernatural wishes in exchange for kindness. The Jinni reference can be related to how Lizzie was “obsessed” with trying to find the perfect reality; we’ll go back to this reference in a while. We also have a reference to an artifact similar to the Inari wishing pot which is the Monkey’s Paw. The Monkey’s Paw is said to be a story that acts also as a cautionary tale which reminds us that unintended consequences often accompany the best intentions.

Now that we’re on the topic of artifacts, let’s talk about what the artifact, which is believed to be an Inari wishing pot, is connected to the whole plotline of season 3. We see three different historical figures connected to it, namely Einstein, Rasputin, and Napoleon. In relation to consequences, these three people have all experienced some kind of consequences that may or may not be related to the artifact. But with the fact that the writers take the effort to acknowledge that they owned the artifact, it can be assumed that these consequences have something to do with the wishing pot. We’ll focus on Einstein more compared to the other two because he was seen having a direct relation to Clarke in the flashback scene in 3x09. Considering that in the scene where Einstein and Elsa were seen, it looked to be like they were leaving their house so I assume this is when they left Berlin to go to the United States. Based on what I researched on this history, before they reached the train station, Einstein and Elsa had to close up their house at Caputh. In the scene, we saw them about to leave their house right before Clarke and the guys he was with (I’m guessing Triad at the time) raided the place looking for what I assume would be the artifact. Clarke also mentioned that they had to find it before “der Fuhrer” got there. “Der Fuhrer” was actually a term used to refer to Hitler at the time, which lines up well with history given Einstein’s historic distrust of the German political body especially with Hitler’s sudden rush to prominence. This line suggests two things, either Clarke meant that Hitler and/or the military was going after Einstein or that Hitler knew about the artifact’s existence. Moving later on to history, Einstein was said to indirectly have caused the atomic bomb due to a letter he wrote to the U.S. President Roosevelt about the Germans possibly making an atomic bomb, which then led to the death of thousands with the bombing of Hiroshima. In fact, if we look at the history of these three historical figures, their “consequences” have something to do with death. Einstein with the deaths caused by the bomb, Rasputin having been said to predict that if he died because of a Russian nobility, their whole family would be assassinated (which did end up happening), and the deaths associated with Napoleon due to his persistence towards victory with the French Revolution. Given that we’re going to see a banshee in 3x10, a supernatural creature which is said to literally be the “harbinger of death”, I’m thinking that we get to see these consequences to Hope’s wish of bringing Landon back finally coming into play, seeing as to how the consequences of the past three historical figures had something to do with death. Aside from that, as observed by some people, the wishing pot can be seen in the background of the season 3 poster as some kind of window of sorts.Interestingly, windows are often associated with symbolism for opportunities, fresh starts, beginnings, protection, views or opinions or perceptions. I think the opportunities part could be attributed to “opportunities” that would come depending on what wish you made with the Inari wishing pot while the “fresh start” could not really be fresh but more in the sense of Hope starting to finally have something to her character or possibly even a fresh start as a tribrid (??). Windows can also mean that one is too quick to judge, which can be applied to how Hope’s obsession over Landon has made her too quick to judge everything around her thus affecting her relationships with the other characters in the Super Squad.

Hope’s Character Arc and How the Theories Affect It; The relation of Kitsune to Sprites in the context of the Puck and Kitsune!Hope Theories

Now that we’ve covered most of what 3x09 really adds to the theories, let’s go to the theories themselves. So for this, we’ll be covering the Puck theory, possessed!Hope or kitsune!Hope theory, and the “the Landon that came back is actually MaliLandon” theory. Let’s go over the Puck theory real quick first. So in short, a sprite named Puck Goodfellow was the MOTW in 3x03 aka the musical episode and was sort of a “good” monster in the sense that he didn’t really directly affect the plot or try to kill the students but then he was more of a psychological monster that influenced the relationships of the characters with one another (Hope and Landon in particular). Seeing as to how he was able to control or implant memories/thoughts into the students’ minds makes me assume that he has some kind of telepathy powers. In fact, in some folklore it is said that some sprites have telepathic powers, specifically to project thoughts in the sense of psychic persuasion and confusion inducement/misdirection which I think is what we see Puck actually practice a lot in that whole sequence with MG trying to figure out his identity. Although they actually did tackle three celtic supernatural creatures in season 3 alone, I think Puck is the one with the most important role. Several stories describe sprites as mystical beings that either help humankind or trick some unsuspecting human into a sad tragedy of sorts. I think we would be able to watch Puck do both of that as seen in the earlier episode and later on in season 3 if/when he does come back. 

So how does the Puck theory relate to the kitsune!Hope theory? Well in Japanese folklore, sprites exist as yosei. They’re said to more or less have the same powers as yosei are simply the Japanese counterparts for sprites and the difference is mostly just in the term used to call them. Yōsei or Yousei, are small magical creatures (specifically fairies or sprites) which can regularly attract ghosts to them. What differs Yōsei from their European counterparts is that they can learn the human spoken language, and they also have mastered sign language. The one thing that actually directly links Puck (as a yosei/sprite) to the whole theme of consequences surrounding death is that many folklore actually included beliefs that yosei could bring the dead back to life. The thing is though, that there’s this thin line between yosei and yokai, the latter being where kitsune usually falls under. In fact, some kitsune are often mistaken by several folklore to yosei (depending on which story you read). One example would be Hakuzōsu, a kitsune that takes over the place of a monk it killed, who is often mistaken as a yosei in some stories. The essential difference between yosei and yokai is that yosei are shape shifting animals and water-spirits and city ghouls (if you know spirited away, those are practically yokais). Meanwhile, yokai are, yes, demons, but are the embodiment of a moment: a feeling of dread and bewilderment, or even awe and wonder of an event; OR a strange sound or peculiar scent. This doesn’t necessarily mean that yokai are automatically evil, it’s just the strong association of a specific distinction to them such as emotions or a scent. This is the reason why some kitsune are often mistaken for yosei, as they are also shape shifting animals with a strong connection to nature. Some yosei can also be mistaken for yokai, one example being tsukumogami which are spirits that haunt household objects. This is why some stories have both kitsune and yosei interacting with one another or at the very least acknowledging each other’s existence, a favorite reference yosei make about kitsune being the Tamamo No Mae. Another thing that helps connect kitsune to the whole theme of consequences involving death is that kitsune can be consumed by negative emotions easily, especially when it comes to seeking vengeance, to the point that it can lead to death. 

How I think the rest of s3 will play out if these theories do end up happening, esp with artifact

Now that we’ve established the connections between the Puck theory and the kitsune!Hope theory, this is how I think these two theories would play out in season 3 alongside the Inari wishing pot (the artifact) and the possible MaliLandon theory. 

First of all, let's connect the theories to the episodes of season 3 that have already aired, basically 3x01 to 3x09. In connection to what Clarke said in 2x01 about Hope being Malivore opening the gates which would most likely end up allowing other monsters including the kitsune to escape at some point during season 2. While Hope was in a coma from 2x16 to 3x01, it's assumed that the kitsune possessed her, which would be easier for the kitsune since it's easier for them to possess people who are asleep or in a comatose state. From late 3x01 to early 3x03, this is the closest we get to Hope's actual personality outside of being obsessively in love with Landon. We even get to see Hope being critical of Landon and upfront with him in the end of 3x02 and for the first three-fourths of 3x03. In fact, we can actually connect Hope starting to become more attached and we could say obsessed with Landon after her interaction with Puck. For most of 3x03, we see Puck mess with the minds of the students, making them believe that he was always a faculty at the school. This could obviously be taken as a form of psychic persuasion as part of the telepathic powers that several sprites have. Then we see Puck talk to Hope right before she goes on stage to sing Always and Tomorrow. Interestingly, their conversation hardly has anything to do with Hope and Landon's relationship entirely. In fact, it was more focused on her legacy as a Mikaelson and how opening herself to feel that heartbreak that came with the loss of her parents is what allows her to grow. It would've been the perfect chance to see Hope grow as an individual character outside being Landon's girlfriend and finally see her live out the Mikaelson legacy along with the build up of her character in The Originals. But instead we see her sing a song directed towards Landon, get back together with him, and proceed to become more and more obsessively in love with him in the future episodes. I think that Puck didn't exactly put any kind of love spell/potion on Hope, but rather he mostly used psychic persuasion. The fact that we've already seen him do it throughout the episode might as well be the writers priming us to consider the possibility of Puck telepathically messing with Hope's brain. But if you take Puck's lines about losing people and feeling that heartbreak and think of it from the kitsune's perspective. Many kitsune usually travel in packs (similar to werewolves) so imagine what it would feel to the kitsune who's been consumed by Malivore thousands of years ago, having lost the rest of her pack at this point and as alone as Hope probably does. I honestly think that the kitsune might have even possessed Hope not purely out of spite or for revenge against Malivore, but because it was still weakened from being stuck in Malivore for so long without being able to feed that it relied on a powerful body she could find. And honestly, what's more powerful than a tribrid? So I think Puck's words spoke not only to Hope, but to the kitsune as well. But along with these words, Puck did some kind of telepathic psychic persuasion that allowed the kitsune to surface more with Hope and have more control. Considering how both Puck and the kitsune know what it's like to be stuck in Malivore, it would be understandable for Puck to take the kitsune's side. This is also putting into consideration that by the time of the musical, the kitsune must have spent a few weeks to at least a month in Hope's body which would allow them to have enough strength to gain control. In the episodes after 3x03, this is when Hope begins to use her "wolf eyes" more. The noticeable difference though with her eyes is that they are more gold-toned compared to the usual yellow color of the other werewolves' eyes. This along with gold lighting from the previous season 3 episodes can be attributed to the connection kitsune has to the color gold. Aside from this, kitsune often flash their eyes as a sign that they're in control (this was also utilized in a korean show centered on kitsune/gumiho so I'm taking reference from that also). Then we reach 3x04 where it's very possible that the kitsune killed MaliLandon/Landon by having sex with him, taking his life force, and reducing him to his original goo form. The catch that the writers included here is that he took Hope's Mikaelson necklace with him, which can also possibly be the kitsune's life orb in its jewelry form. Then we move to 3x05 where the artifact is first introduced. Seeing as to how the artifact is an Inari wishing pot based on the jewels, structure, and the fact that it opens, it makes sense for Hope to be the only one able to open it considering that she's possessed by a kitsune. Here we get the wish that Hope makes which is to bring Landon back. But then we also put into consideration the kitsune's wish which is to get back their life orb. I believe that the artifact mixed these two wishes together, bringing back MaliLandon and creating a mirror version of Landon that's the more "idealized, perfect" version of him. This is in the sense that a new malivore portal appeared (which would give the kitsune a way to get the necklace back and a way for MaliLandon to come back) and hope got her idealized version of landon (which was missing the necklace because he's not really Landon or MaliLandon). By 3x08, Hope starts to work to get Landon back which ends up with her putting Lizzie and Josie in danger. Considering how the Malivore portal can be assumed to have opened somewhere around 3x07 and Hope getting Landon back the episode right after, this could be the artifact granting their wishes. But then to get her idealized version of Landon, the wishing pot can only grant wishes involving material things. This is where the dark magic in 3x08 comes in which gives the artifact something tangible to form into that idealized version of Landon that we see in 3x09 and possibly the later episodes as well.

Focusing now on 3x09, the lines "those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it" vs. "those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it" are very easily applicable to the situation with the artifact and with Hope's character arc. We see that Hope has already seen firsthand what obsession does to a person yet she still hasn't "learned" from it which is why she's repeating it in season 3. Aside from this, we can also take into consideration that Puck matching the two people together and being wrong could also mean that he does end up fixing it later on. The line is also a reference to Handon and how they’ve broken up and gotten back together way more than the number of k-pop albums I have. And that they also need to learn from the history of the artifact and the consequences that come with using it. The line about not remembering the past can be a direct nod to how those who are consumed by Malivore are forgotten by everyone. This could be in reference to how the kitsune was forgotten by the world because of being consumed by Malivore, and this is also considering that kitsune existed mostly in the Edo period (1603-1867) which is also near the time Puck must have existed (if we take into Shakespeare’s years of being alive which were 1564-1616). This allows us to consider the possibility of Puck and the kitsune having at least aware of the existence of the other considering the close relations between a lot of the supernatural creatures. That being said, this could have a factor in the psychic persuasion that Puck did in 3x03. To address what other people are saying that “Puck’s dead why are you still making theories you’re just desperate” whatever, remember that sprites/yosei are literally shape-shifting animals and/or spirits. Puck could’ve easily just shapeshifted when the Necromancer stabbed him, especially since the original form of sprites are usually depicted as small creatures that are often not easily noticeable by the human eye. In relation to the kitsune, the color of Hope’s wolf eyes have become more similar to the common yellow color of other werewolves as compared to the gold color earlier in the season. This is most likely because of the kitsune spending too much time away from her life orb (in the form of the Mikaelson necklace) which caused it to lose its control over Hope over the episodes.

Given that Hope/kitsune has already used the artifact, certain consequences which would most likely involve death would follow in the next episodes; explaining why we get a banshee in the 3x10. I think that there’s three possible options to how this would go: mirror version Landon would die which would cause Hope to go crazy obsessed over protecting him again, the kitsune would die because of being separated from her fox marble/life orb for too long, or Alaric would die since they’ve been hinting at it already with the sphinx which would allow for Josie to enter the storyline and back into the SBS drama. Given that the mirror version of Landon is bound to die anyways since it’s not really Landon but something that the artifact conjured from dark magic, he has to die at some point. Given how Hope feels this need to protect Landon, I think that there would be some kind of conflict with Hope’s character in that context when it comes to the two versions of Landon (mirror version Landon and MaliLandon). On the other hand, if they go through with the kitsune dying, I think it would end up being anticlimactic in the sense that they never really had to deal with the kitsune in the beforehand. Lastly, if they do kill off Alaric as part of one of the consequences  from Hope’s wish would obviously cause something to come up between Josie and Hope’s relationship, especially given that Hope had guilt tripped Josie to help her in 3x08. This would also cause another rift between Hope and Lizzie given how Lizzie reacted for the most part of 3x09. This would allow the audience to see Hope finally go through the consequences of everything she’s done in 3A just to get what she wants.

On how Puck and the kitsune can come into play in 3B, I think that Puck would most likely come back after the death to sort of patch things up in a sense which works with his “putting people back together.” I also think the part of his plan to “break people apart” would be pertaining to separating Hope and the kitsune so that Hope wouldn’t be possessed by the kitsune anymore. Once the two are separated, this would allow Puck to “put them back together” by suggesting a sort of team up between Puck, the kitsune, and the Super Squad to get MaliLandon and the kitsune’s life orb back. This would serve the goals of the kitsune and Hope so it also seems likely that they’ll reach that agreement some point in time. Lastly, Lizzie saying people get hurt whenever Hope gets in the way and that she’s only there when she needs something could be some sort of foreshadowing towards Hope needing something from the artifact which was her wish, even if it is very OOC for this line to describe Hope’s character in the earlier seasons, but it also hints on the possible consequences being that someone gets hurt, possibly leading to the death of someone that majority of the characters have a direct relationship to. Oh and also, Emma being in Shanghai seems to be either intentional or coincidental considering one of the most popular kitsune figures, Tamamo no Mae, was born in China.

~ END ~

i have no idea what tags to put lmao

[blanket-hole]

Im calling this the faberry files cos I feel like a spy when I'm really just very gay

This is just basically timestamps of every faberry moment I could find as I was rewatching season 1-3. I don't know if anyone wants to see it but I just put it here cos why not. I wasn't really planning on posting it but here we are so it features my gay ass commentary. Anyway there u go.

gay ass looks-

-1x04- so far I’ve seen a gay ass look Quinn gives Rachel at 35:36

-1x05-39:50-not that gay but a little bit, also long

-1x09-43:02 she looks so adoring

-1x10-during endless love

-1x11-9:37 voiceover is mean but just look at those eyes and tell me I’m wrong,34:00 she literally looks so adoringly I can’t

-1x12-10:41 pretends not to see her only to look straight (or not) at her

-1x15-35:02 they’re even talking about love at the time and sitting weirdly close for enemies

-1x16-41:30 

-1x20-43:06 I can’t really see where she’s looking under those long ass lashes but I think when Rachel does that little giggle she stares at her while smiling, might just be Faberry goggles tho

-1x22-9:05 I think thats like the cutest smile my little gay heart, 14:23 Quinn is fully checking her out rn like not even subtle they’re on stage

-2x04 16:12, 41:48 at Rachel singing

-2x07-23:19 that could in no way be regarded as a platonic look of enjoying the song, especially since its just started 

-2x09- 43:04 part of dog days but its just so cute them holding hands also weird since they are still meant to hate each other lol

-2x10-6:03 this could just be my Faberry goggles but im counting it :D, 31:20 staring at Rachel while she looks sad

-2x11-11:04 could be at puck but she was looking at Rachel before when they were further apart so imma take the w also Diana looks really cute in this bit

-2x16- 4:27 is being kinda mean but also the way she looks at her <3<3<3 :DD also 5:21 if u don’t want to wait through a bit of a scene and the look then is suuuuper gay, 43:17 she looks so proud of her girlfriend :DDDDD

-2x18-52:49 she looks like such a proud girlfriend in this bit

-2x21-1:29 its only a quick look from Quinn tho

-3x06-28:26 Quinn gives Rachel the GAYEST lingering look at the end of the song (unless my eyes deceive me but I don’t think they do cos I’ve checked like 3 times :DDD)

-3x07- 25:00 this is possible the outright gayest look from Quinn ive ever seen, its during one of the songs but I had to put it in

-3x08- 41:10 the look of joy on Quinns face when Rachel touches her shoulder is just pure gay energy

-3x14- 17:27 ‘for the rest of my life’ looks at Quinn, ffs just get married already, 24:07 she literally bites her lip like wth how is this not canon

-3x19- 39:08 kind of but Quinn looks really happy when he says Rachel Berryand its so cute

Scenes together-

-before I had this idea- the “eavesdrop much” talk, and a couple of other things e.g. the ru Paul scene and the sweetie scene. 

-1x05-41:59 during somebody to love weird foot tap thing

-1x06- 18:34 gay ass looks as well, 22:58

-1x07-21:45, 28:53 (the you obviously have a lot you need to express scene), 32:07 they just get wierdly closer for no reason

-1x09-26:09 not much but still

-1x13-3:06, 11:01

-1x15-34:18 sitting really close together next to each other when they’re meant to not like each other?

-1x20-5:42 they also sit really close and a bit of gay staring

-2x02 35:40 (on left of stage next to mike) they’re seen really close and talking, 38:55 standing unreasonably close and also in weird positions for a conversation, 31:28 Quinn looks really sad when Rachel sings to Finn (could also be a Fuinn thing tho so idk)

-2x04 28:11

-2x08-9:44

-2x13- 30:51

-2x14-8:19 its shortcut the level of gay panic on Quinns face is enough for its own spot

-2x15-0:03 how closeted is it to be the only two in the celibacy club fighting over a guy that neither of them want or need lmao I just think its really funny

-2x16-9:31 the level of gay panic on racehls face when she says she’s right is just a mood, 22:27 I think this is  a scene about miscommunication and Quinn blatantly states that she thinks Rachel is much better than Finn and that she believes in her I have a lot of feelings about this scene but ill leave it at that

-2x17-16:20

-2x18-2:38 not much tho, 10:53 they’re being civil and touchy feely also leads into pretty/unpretty, 21:50 when it pans to Quinn it makes it seem like it would be a Fuinn jealousy scene but she doesn’t look jealous at all just a bit sad i think she possibly is worried about Rachel and while she understands (which is why she’s helping) she wants her to feel beautiful in her own skin sorry if I read a bit too far in lol

-2x20-29:42, 33:12, 35:30 I love how finn last episode said Quinn was so closed off with her feelings and then this scene like maybe she can be herself around Rachel idk

-3x01-10:57 Skank Quinn fully checks Rachel out as she’s leaving in this scene also right after a scene where she said she’s not interested in the boys

-3x05-22:55 talking about finchel tho

-3x08-0:00, 21:54, 37:48

-3x11-14:28,20:00 is also a gay ass look but shes talking to Rachel so I put it here

-3x12-13:09 she only taps Rachel tho

-3x13-15:43 Quinn is acting like the stereotypical ‘gentleman’ and its very Faberry canon esque, to put it the best can

-3x14-34:28 this scene I just can’t the way Quinn lights up when she see her and her voice softens a bit and what she said this is the gayest scene no-one can explain it it a hetero way just ahh

-3x15-10:28 they’re holding hands :DD

-3x19-31:48 

-3x22-23:12 those tickets cost so much money I swear they should have been way better friends after high school pft, 40:15 Quinn looks so proud of her girlfriend

Possible scenes, could be just drama-

-1x09-29:27 could be at Rachel

-2x10-12:40 kind of about being sad about Finn but could be jealousy?

-2x16- 34:47 could be about Faberry but is framed as finchel or fuinn

-2x17- 37:28 probably just finchel drama but still Faberry jealousy

-2x18-17:16 they say how they’re ‘fighting about Rachel again’ and Im putting it in idc about finchel :DD

-2x19- 23:19 more about Fuinn like always in this category but Faberry jealousy

-2x22-2:27, 3:29, 8:25 finchel/fuinn/faberry jealousy

Sitting really close when they’re meant to not like each other-

-1x15-34:18 

-1x19-32:33 

-1x20-19:16 in the scene Quinn kinda checks her out but then they stand really close so I put it here

-2x02 23:24 sits really close to Rachel when she dresses in her Britney Spears costume and in the scene Quinn looks like she’s purposefully trying not to look at her and at 29:20 Quinn chose to sit right behind Rachel again, 39:52 seen sitting right behind her again

-2x10- 35:03 standing really close when it would make a difference if Quinn stood anywhere else (e.g. next to her friends or boyfriend) I just think its weird lol

-2x15- 6:28 (before Quinn starts plotting against Rachel, they’re in celibacy club together but all they do is argue so its still a bit weird)

-3x07- 4:54

I dont know where to put this-

-2x17- 35:10 they kinda just look a bit nervous and small interaction I just wanted to add this because I thought it was cute the way they moved around each other idk

-2x20- 14:46 Rachel knows Quinns eyes so well she knows the flower and colour of the ribbon (also gardenias are for secret love which it would surprise me if Rachel already knew)

-3x04-20:26 Rachel isn’t sitting near her boyfriend or anyone she’s even really friends with its a bit weird that shed be sitting in the corner right next to Quinn away from the other chairs

Songs- Ive probably missed a bunch of these but I tried lmao-

-somebody to love

-halo

-ride with me

-no air

-keep holding on

-bust a move

-proud Mary

-crazy in love

-imagine- there is a gay ass look

-you can’t always get what you want

-dont rain on my parade

-my life would suck without you

-gives u hell

-hello goodbye

-like a prayer

-home(kind of)

-give up the funk

-any way you want it

-faithfully

-dont stop delieving 

-Empire State of mind

-ice ice baby

-toxic

-damn it Janet

-time warp

-sweet transvestite

-start me up/living on a prayer

-hot patootie

-forget you

-umbrella/singin in the rain

-I think I wanna marry you

-just the way you are

-ive had the time of my life

-Valerie

-the Dog days are over

-the most wonderful day of the year

-welcome Christmas

-heads will roll/thriller

-fat bottomed girls

-sing

-blame it on the alcohol

-tik tok

-do you wanna touch

-afternoon delight

-get it right

-loser like me

-pretty/unpretty

-born this way

-pure imagination

-New York New York

-Fix you

-last Friday night

-hit me with your best shot/one way or another

-I cant go for that/ you make my dreams

-I kissed a girl

-feed the world

-summer nights

-we found love

-gotta be starting something

-Im sexy and I know it

-stereo hearts (not technicaly but a lot of Faberry so I’m putting it in)

-fly/I believe I can fly

-heres to us

-its not right but its okay

-its all coming back to me now

-paradise by the dashboard light

-we are the champions

-tongue tied

-you get what you give

[anxiouslynumbme]

Carmuel Missing Scenes/Moments

A/N: Hello! I hope you're all doing well. So I was planning on posting the last 2 parts on the same day but that would've taken way too long, so I decided to just post the part I'm done with. I also forgot to add a quick note for last chapter, I’m aware that I ignored the show’s timeline (with 3x07 and 3x08.)----I kinda just put the whole murder plot in 3x07, 'cause it worked with the chapter. But mainly, it's because I wanted 3x08 to entirely be about Carmuel/Samucarla. Anyway, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy.

WARNING: (Explicit Sexual Situations, Strong Language.)

3x08 - Part 1

_______________________________________________________

Given everything that'd happened, Carla was taking her time to get back into the swing of things. But then again things had been terrible, so maybe she shouldn't bother. A fresh start was probably the best option and she was lucky that she even had one. Carla had dodged too many bullets, it was time she stopped walking into the line of fire.

Going to Polo's funeral had provided a closure Carla didn't know she'd needed. She wasn't just letting go of someone she loved, she was letting go of everything that'd come with him. Unfortunately, it also meant she had to let go of all the good memories as well. And that when sadness hit viciously, mourning for Polo, the Polo she remembered before all that shit had happened. He was gone, and Carla wanted to believe that she could remember him for the good things because the bad things had been buried with him. But it wasn't that simple, was it?

Life for her had gotten calmer after the funeral, stagnant, even. Carla liked that, it was a much needed change of pace. But life was also moving fast, soon everyone was starting their own journey, paving their own path, and while Carla never liked to admit to these kind of things, it was sad that they wouldn't be sharing their lives with each other anymore.

Carla wasn't gonna lie to herself, she didn't have many friends, there were a few select people she was going to miss when she left Spain. And try as she might, Carla couldn't stop thinking about one person in particular. Samuel had occupied her mind every second of every day.

They had called each other, it was mostly Samuel. Carla was still feeling a considerable amount of guilt and she had tried to keep their phone calls short and terse. She was preparing both of them. But Samuel, Samuel was relentless, calling, trying to get her to agree on meeting.

But then everything changed.

Carla had told him the exact date she was leaving and it was like a bucket of ice water that she'd felt being dumped on both of them over the phone.

And that was when Samuel had started pulling back. He called less and less and when Carla was brave enough to call, sometimes he didn't answer. Days passed quickly after that, Carla got busy making arrangements for the wineries and Samuel was busy avoiding her, so she didn't really know what was going on in his life.

Carla would be lying if she said his actions weren't just a bit confusing; since he was the one so adamant on 'hanging out' before she left. But Carla also knew he was only trying to protect himself from what he knew was coming, or maybe he was just done with her. Which was what Carla wanted in the first place. So why was she so frustrated with him?

Carla was getting more irritated with the situation every day. Samuel had finally realized she was right and he was letting her go. She should be grateful that he'd woken up and realized they had no chance of a future anymore.

Carla was glad, she was okay with it. Until Lu and Guzmán had planned an outing to get everyone together, including Samuel, of course.

The gathering was held at this cute, cozy bar. It was pretty mellow and atmospheric; twinkling lights all over the ceiling, soft music playing in the background so people could actually hear each other. A perfect place for friends to hang out before everything changed and they all went their separate ways.

They were all currently sitting around two tables, which they'd pushed together earlier in the evening. And other than a 'hello' that was meant for the entirety of their group, Samuel hadn't tried talking to her, he didn't even grant her a private greeting.

Good for him. It was for the best.

"All right, darlings," Lu began, standing up and addressing the table, raising her glass. "I'd like to make a quick toast. . .we've survived some serious shit, haven't we? It's a little crazy to think about the insanity that's been in all of our lives. Everyone here has been through a lot, some of it we share, some of it we don't. But we're all here right now. Together. And I'd like to think that we've grown enough to understand each other.

"To be there for each other, even if it's not physically." Lu paused, eyes brimming with tears. "I guess I'm just grateful that when it mattered most, I wasn't alone. We'll never forget what we've been through and who we lost - " Lu's breath caught in her throat as she stuttered over her words and Carla felt an instant need to comfort her friend, grabbing her hand and squeezing gently.

Sitting on the other side of Lu, Nadia put a hand on Lu's shoulder, rising up next to her and nodding reassuringly as she started speaking. "As Lu was saying, we'll never forget. We are always bound. So here's to everything. To the people we lost.To the good memories and the bad ones, too. To Las Encinas, for bringing us all together...to long nights spent studying and - "

"Oi, speak for yourself!" Rebeca exclaimed jokingly, causing a round of laughter to break out.

"Anyway." Nadia glared playfully at Rebeca, before turning to smile softly at Lu. "To unexpected friendships. To the scary, uncertain future. To sticking together no matter what, and having faith even when things turned bleak and it felt like there was no light at the end of the tunnel. To - to loving each other regardless of the consequences." Nadia said the last part staring at Guzmán and he was staring right back.

Carla found her eyes darting to Samuel, catching his eyes for less than a second before he quickly averted them.

Nadia wiped a single tear that'd escaped her eyes, before smiling widely at the whole table. "To friends. To family!"

"Yeah!"

"Damn right!"

Cheers and excited affirmations exploded all around Carla, who was only focused on one thing.

While Carla had no right to be angry with Samuel, she was a little pissed off at his new found dismissive nature. Ever since she'd decided to study abroad, Carla's been having second thoughts, but they were just thoughts. Normal, predictable doubts that came with big decisions and life-changes. It didn't mean Carla was going to stay and it definitely didn't mean Samuel was going with her.

They were too young to feel like this. Carla questioned her sanity sometimes, the fact that it seemed like she was always going to be this far gone for him. How could someone feel this much at this age? That was why she'd pretended her feelings for him were sexual compatibility for the longest time. Their chemistry was just intense and it could be easily interpreted into something more than it was.

But staring at him on the other side of the table as he talked with Omar, her eyes unable to focus on anything else, Carla was hit with realization yet again that she was in love with him.

Samuel was wearing a simple black, long-sleeved shirt with faded blue jeans. His hair was longer, but not too long, just long enough to make her fingers itch to run through it. His lips relaxed into half a smile as he listened to whatever Omar was telling him. Her eyes shamelessly admired his features. His sharp jaw which she wanted to lick with her tongue, his rosy, full lips that she wanted to kiss until they were both crying out for air. The slim, pointy slope of his nose, releasing breaths she wanted to feel on her skin.

Then Carla reached his eyes. And they weren't on her.

And she fucking hated how her heart kept yanking its own strings calling out for them to stay on her. They always had. His eyes were always on her, one way or another, they always seemed to find her and latch on. But Samuel hadn't looked at her, really looked at her since that morning after Polo's death.

After their conversation that day. Carla had finally allowed herself to believe they were going to take advantage of whatever time they had left, that it wasn't the worst idea in the world. The other - more logical and prominent part - knew it was easier to just let things be, and not stir any more unnecessary pain. They'd had enough of that, it was better to leave things, untouched, clean, and simple for once. It was naive and reckless to start something when she knew the ugly, inevitable end.

And yet as Carla watched him, she suddenly didn't care much about any of that, she knew the risks and she still wanted him one last time. But it seemed Samuel was more in agreement with his logical side these days. The one time she wanted him to give in to his feelings and run to her head on, he was distant and guarded.

Carla knew he felt her gaze. Every time she trained her eyes on him, she could literally see him squirm in his seat, his fingers raking through his soft hair as he pretended to listen to the conversations around him. And Carla could feel his own fleeting gaze when he thought she wasn't aware of it.

Carla decided it was time she made a move before letting him go forever. Just one last conversation. She just wanted to look at him.

Samuel was getting a drink from the bar when Carla walked up to him. "Hello."

He visibly stiffened but glanced her way. "Hi. How have you been?"

"Good, you?"

"Good."

God, this was ridiculous.

"Uh, wanna a drink?"

"No, I actually can't drink, Nina's orders."

"For how long?"

"She promised soon I'll be able to, little by little. And soon better come quickly because I'm losing my mind a little."

That earned her half a grin. "I'm sure. But hey, alcohol isn't that great, you know? You're not missing much." he tried feebly.

"Says the guy who can drink any time he wants."

He smiled. "Fair enough."

Carla took a deep breath. "Wanna go for a walk?"

What was she doing? Why was she pushing it?

"A walk? Now? It's quite late."

"Yeah, it's too crowded in here."

It really wasn't.

Samuel looked away from her. "I - I don't think that's the best idea."

"Oh. Why?"

"You know why."

"I do." she sighed. Fuck. "Well, I'm just gonna get some fresh air before going home. Good night, Samuel."

Carla went back over to say her goodbyes quickly before making her way out of the bar. Samuel was finally being smart about his relationship with her, and Carla was still trying to get him alone. Carla felt helpless, she honestly wanted to just talk to him, know exactly why the sudden change of heart, what had changed.

So Carla'd made a risky play with him just now. But if she knew Samuel at all, it wasn't actually all that risky.

And sure enough after a few seconds of being outside, he was on her tail.

"Really, Carla?"

His voice came out annoyed and Carla grinned; before turning around to face him. "What?"

"You're seriously making me walk with you?"

"And how am I doing that?"

Samuel cocked his head, quirking an eyebrow. "You know I'm not gonna let you walk by yourself at this hour."

Carla beamed. "Samuel, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. It's not my fault you're sexist and think women need looking after."

Samuel scoffed, gaping at her like a fish out of water and Carla bit her lip trying to hold in her laughter.

"I know what you're doing," he grumbled but there was a hint of a smile on his face. "And I'm not sexist, I'm protective."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that."

Samuel shook his head and started moving his way down the street. "You're unbelievable."

Carla took two fast strides to keep up with him. "Thank you."

He smirked, eyeing her. "Wasn't a compliment."

"It sounded like one to me."

"Of course it did."

They were quiet for a moment as they strolled side by side. The street was so calm, peaceful. The only light available was the gentle yellow and red glow from the lamp posts around them. It seemed like no matter where they ended up being, things were just always calm and serene with Samuel.

"That bar was really nice," Carla told him.

Samuel smiled. "Oh, yeah? You liked it?"

"Yeah, very comfortable."

"I go there all the time. I showed it to Guzmàn, he seemed to think it was great for a hang out."

Carla should've known. The place had Samuel written all over it. And she'd just noticed it was actually close to his neighborhood. "I see why you love it,"

"Yeah, when I'm there, it kinda feels like home somehow."

"Hmm." In a corner of Carla's mind, she wondered why had he never shown her the place.

A beat of silence and then he asked nervously. "Are you hungry? There's this awesome 24 hour American diner nearby."

There was the Samuel she had been missing, the one who wanted to spend time with her. A tug of guilt followed her selfish thoughts. She had to say no. But Carla was leaving soon and it wasn't a crime to want to be with him one last time.

Fuck it.

"Sure."

"Great, but it's actually not that close, walking might be a bit of a drag."

"How far?"

"Near my building, which is not that far from here, maybe seven blocks away from it."

"Okay, we can call a cab then."

"It's also not that far," he chuckled, pausing to look around, considering something. "You know what, we could just bike there."

Samuel started striding back towards the bar, which they were now half way down the street from, noting that she wasn't following him, he gestured for her to come along. "My bike is by the bar."

Oh, no.

Carla trailed behind him toward his bike and and some other bike she'd never seen before. "We could just call a car." she tried again

Samuel glanced at her. "It's not worth it. Don't worry, you won't ride with me, you can borrow Omar's."

"I'm wearing a skirt."

"So?"

"It'll be more difficult, I think," she said lamely, wishing she was at least wearing high heels, so she could use that as an excuse, but no such luck.

He straightened up from unlocking his bike and gazed at her dubiously. "Carla. . .do you know how to ride a bike?"

"Of course I do." and she did. A little. 

Samuel was onto her, Carla could see it through the poorly hidden laughter in his eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, this should be no problem. Come on."

"I don't want to."

"Right. Because you can't."

"I told you I can."

His smile stretched even wider as he crossed his arms behind his back. "Okay, let's see it then."

They stared each other down for a long moment, Samuel wasn't backing down, challenging her with his eyes. Whatever.

"Fine, I can't ride a bike, happy?"

Samuel laughed heartily. "A little. I bet the first thing you learned was driving a car, right?"

She smiled. "No, I used to know how, self-taught, actually. I'm just a bit rusty."

He furrowed his brows. "Self-taught?"

Carla shrugged, not wanting to sound at all like she was complaining, feeling especially privileged for what she was about to say. "Yeah, I never needed it, you know. But one day, my parents felt like I should have one anyway, so they bought it for me, but never really bothered to teach me.

"But I used to watch Mirella teaching her kids on these really old bikes and I silently took pointers from afar. However, it got boring rather quickly, so I just gave my bike to one of her kids. You're right, I prefer cars anyway."

His frown deepened but then he shook his head. "Okay then, that's all right, we could hail a taxi, or. . ." he trailed off with an sneaky smile.

"Or what?" Carla asked, confused.

"I could teach you."

Carla laughed. "No, thank you."

"It's so easy. You said you know the basics, right?"

"Yes, but I - "

"That'll make it even easier. It'll be fun, I promise." he stepped towards her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her over to the bike. Carla was so focused on the touch of his hand on her skin that she'd missed when he called her name.

"Carla?"

"This is useless. I don't need to, Samuel. There's a reason why I never had to learn." she huffed, successfully covering up her flustering thoughts.

"Riding a bike is a very important skill to learn. Get on." he said, fixing the seat, so it could be higher.

"You just never give up, do you?"

"Nope. Get on, let's go."

Releasing a breath, she climbed on to the saddle. "Now what?"

Samuel grinned, looking her up and down in a way that made her insides clench. "You pedal." he joked.

"Wow, you should do this professionally."

"It's an option, for sure." he laughed lowly.

"All right now, we need to work on your balance," he began seriously. "Stand up, but you should be touching the seat, that's why I adjusted its height - yes, exactly like that - and just walk forward with the bike."

Carla started to slowly walk, instinctively looking down at her feet.

"No, don't look down, look straight ahead." he instructed, Carla tried to keep her gaze ahead, but every few seconds she would peer down again.

"It's okay," Samuel said, moving in front of the bike, facing her. "Just look at me, it'll make it easier to have something to focus on."

It was easier. Once she'd looked up, her gaze locking with his, Carla's eyes didn't move to her feet again. She was so lost in his eyes, that she hadn't noticed they were half way down the street again and the startling fact that her feet weren't touching the ground.

"Good, good," Samuel encouraged, voice a bit husky. "Keep them off the ground, it's all about balance."

They worked on her balance for a long time, Samuel insisting it was the most important part. Until finally he decided she was ready to try pedaling.

"Let's stop for a second," he then bent down, catching her right ankle and Carla almost jumped at the sensation. Fixing the pedal up in the right position, he looked up at her, meeting her eyes and something about the moment was - strangely hot and arousing.

Samuel stood back up, puffing out a heavy breath. "Okay, walk again, and then slowly start with your right foot.

"Yes, like that, and then you can add the left."

Carla followed his instructions slowly starting with her right, followed gently by the left. And then she was actually pedaling, the bike started to glide down the street.

Samuel hurriedly jogged next to her, one hand holding the handlebar and the other was on her lower back, caging her in, in case anything went wrong.

After a while of Samuel keeping up with her, Carla felt confident enough on her own. "Okay, I think I got it now. You can let go."

"You sure?"

"Positive." he hesitantly loosened his grip, Carla was okay at first but the bike suddenly started to wobble and Carla stumbled sideways, but thankfully, Samuel was immediately there, steadying her before she fell.

She giggled. "Sorry, let's try that again."

And they did, again and again until she finally got the hang of it.

"All right, I'll concede, this is pretty fun," she said, after riding alone a few times, Carla glanced up at Samuel; to find him already looking at her with such fondness in his eyes, it made her swallow harshly.

"What?"

"Nothing. Smiling looks good on you, that's all."

"Are you using a line on me, Samuel?" Carla quipped, trying to hide the way her cheeks heated at his statement.

His lips curled coyly, taking a step closer to her, holding the handlebar and bending his head down so he could stare at her as she straddled the bike seat. His eyes finding hers with evident lust, flicking to her lips and then back up.

"I don't need it."

No, he didn't. That look alone made her core prickle with attention.

Carla loved all sides to Samuel. But this one - the confident side; that had first confronted her that day at the club, that'd grabbed her by the neck and lay the best kiss of her life on her lips - she particularly and immensely enjoyed that side.

"A bit cocky, are we?"

Samuel tilted his head to the side, shrugging innocently while a sly grin graced his beckoning lips. He was so fucking handsome.

This whole biking lesson was already weirdly turning her on and this wasn't helping the situation. Carla needed to kiss him. She leaned in a little more, feeling a bit dazed from his breath dancing on her lips, Samuel didn't move away, his chest now heaving as their mouths softly, teasingly grazed each other.

Suddenly Samuel pulled back, clearing his throat loudly with a cough. "Uh, okay, yeah, so let's get something to eat, right?"

The sting of rejection was stuck in her lungs and Carla tried to gulp it away. She shouldn't have even tried, he'd made the right move.

Quickly brushing it away, glad that he still wanted to hang out. "Yeah, let's do it."

"I'll send Omar a text to tell him we're taking his bike, he's going home with Ander anyway."

"You have the key?" she asked, knowing there must be a U-lock on Omar's bicycle.

"I have a copy, he has mine as well."

"That's adorable."

"Shut up."

A minute later they were on their way. The breeze felt so good on her skin, gliding down the street next to Samuel. It was incredibly cliche, but Carla had never felt so free or so at peace as she was in that moment. She let out an abrupt, loud laugh of giddiness, Samuel turned to look at her with a huge smile on his face.

"What?" he asked, raising his voice so she could hear him in the space between them.

"I love this!" she shouted back.

Samuel laughed along with her. "Told you!"

Letting go of the handlebars, Carla spread her arms wide open, enjoying the wind blowing through her hair.

"No, no, Carla! You're not ready for that yet. Put your hands back!"

"Stop worrying!" she said, still laughing for some reason.

"Put them back, Carla. Now!"

"You've never done this?"

"Of course I have, I've been doing it since I was a child."

"This is my first time. Don't let me do it alone."

Carla could see him rolling his eyes even from her position, before finally complying with her request. Both of them holding out their arms like six-year old idiots, their laughter ringing across the quiet street.

_______________________________________________________ 

"I told you to hang on." Samuel scolded for the tenth time since they'd sat down in the booth.

"Samuel, it's just a scratch. I'm fine."

Carla had fallen off Omar's bike, one second she was having fun and laughing, the next she'd swerved to the side and landed on her ass. There was a small scratch on her knee and a slightly bigger bruise on her elbow.

"Carla, I'm sorry, I should've known you weren't ready to ride - "

"Samuel, I swear, I'm okay. It's not even bleeding, I'm sure you've had a lot worse," she said, holding the ice bag to her elbow - that Samuel'd asked for once they'd reached the diner.

Okay, so maybe it hurt a little but he didn't need to know that.

"It was really fun." Carla hastily added when he tried to open his mouth to protest.

"Yeah, it was." he smiled but it quickly vanished, replaced with a frown. "But you're hurt."

"Oh my god, Samuel, drop it. I'm fine."

"All right, all right, I'll stop."

A second later the waitress arrived at their booth, carrying their food trays.

"There you go, sweethearts," she said warmly, putting down their burgers and sodas on the table. "Need anything else?"

Samuel looked at Carla to confirm she didn't need anything, before answering. "No, thank you."

"Enjoy your meal," she said, sauntering away.

"Bacon on burger. Why have I never tried this before?" Carla wondered at the flavor exploding in her mouth.

"To be honest, I'm surprised you've even tried burger or bacon at all." Samuel teased, taking a bite.

Carla wanted to retort but in all honesty, he was right. She wasn't much into junk food.

She shrugged, agreeing. "I've only tried it once or twice."

"Ooh, one too many."

Carla smiled. "Most of the burgers I ate were cooked at home, where we can make sure they're organic and healthy."

"Of course."

"They're actually pretty good, you should try it."

"I'll stick to my greasy, unhealthy food, thanks." he grinned.

"Don't knock it till you try it, Samuel. Follow my example," she said, proving her point by taking another bite of her burger.

Samuel's eyes suddenly clouded with emotion, his voice was soft as he pointed to her chin. "You have something . . ."

A transporting moment of a nostalgic memory hit Carla hard and fast. She could see it in Samuel's eyes that he had been transferred to it as well. The beautiful, heartwarming memory that usually brought her comfort thinking about it, was now chocking her as she stared into his eyes.

Carla looked away first, feeling a wild urge to flee. She plucked a napkin from the box in front of her and wiped all around her mouth. "Did I get it?"

"Um, yeah," he replied, his voice conveying a hint of sadness.

The silence that followed was tense and awkward and she hated it. Carla hated it so much, she was willing to bring up a topic of discussion they were both trying to steer clear of.

"One more year at Las Encinas, you must be thrilled," she said sarcastically, hoping that the topic wouldn't completely ruin their night.

Samuel snorted, dipping a fry in ketchup before eating it. "Oh, I am. I can't wait."

Carla smiled softly. "I'm sorry. But it's better than expulsion, right?"

Samuel didn't answer right away, peering around the diner thoughtfully. "I guess, yeah."

"It wasn't fair. What'd happened wasn't fair. At least they fixed it, though, and you can finish school now."

When he only nodded in response, Carla contemplated asking her next question. "Speaking of, do you know what you wanna do - after?"

"Um, kinda, yeah. I think I wanna be a lawyer."

That made so much sense.

"I can see it," Carla said, sipping her soda.

"Really?" he asked, a note of hope in his voice.

"Oh, definitely. If anyone is gonna bring justice to the people who need it, it's you, Samuel."

Shyness washed over his features as he smiled at her. "Thank you, I hope I'm able to."

Carla wasn't so lucky in that aspect, she didn't really know what she wanted to do with her life. That was why studying abroad was a good idea. Traveling could expand her horizon, gain her some experience.

"You know." Samuel's voice stopped her racing thoughts. "You'd make a great lawyer, too."

"What? I highly doubt that." she laughed dismissively.

"I'm serious. You could talk your way out of anything."

She gaped at him. "That's not true."

"Yes, it is."

"Okay - would that be much help as a lawyer?"

"Of course it would be, you could do it for other people. You can say anything and the judge and jury won't stand a chance."

For some reason, his words didn't set well with her. "So you're saying that I'll be able to defend the guilty by what - Lying or manipulating my way out?"

Samuel looked genuinely shocked. "That was not what I meant at all. And I never said guilty or lying or - "

"It was implied."

"No, it wasn't. Carla, I just meant - "

"No, it's okay," she cut him off. "you're not wrong."

Samuel didn't say anything back for the longest time, and Carla was unsure if she should be thankful for that or not.

"I'm sorry," he started cautiously. "I realize now how it sounded. But I honestly didn't mean it that way. I just meant you're very persuasive and smart and calculating. And yes, sometimes you can be a bit cunning. But that doesn't mean you won't use it for the good side."

"Okay . . . So you're saying if I were to be a lawyer, I could use my dark powers to do good."

Samuel laughed lightly. "Something like that. You would help people, Carla, I'm sure of it."

Samuel made Carla question herself in the best way possible. Carla knew she wouldn't do much good in the world. But there he was, making her believe she was capable of more, that she was better than she believed.

"I guess we'll never know, because I'll never be a lawyer."

"You could if you wanted to."

She grinned. "That's the thing, I don't want to."

"All right, that's fair." he half-smiled.

They spent the next hour focusing back on their food, discussing random things, and avoiding the giant elephant in the room.

"Do you wanna get dessert?"

Even though Carla was full, she didn't want the night to end, so she said yes.

"What would you like?"

Carla skimmed over the menu. "I could go for some ice cream."

"Me too, that sounds good."

Later as they were eating the tasty treat, it was kinda pathetic how they were both eating the ice cream they'd ordered so slowly, it was starting to melt.

It was painfully obvious that neither one of them wanted the night to be over.

Samuel was beginning to affect her ability to function. The ache she could feel in her bones for him was constant and incessant. Carla was terrified to think she might always feel like this. The relentless need to be near him, the permanent place that had nested in her heart with his name engraved on it. It was too much to think about. The always of it all.

Because Carla missed him so much and she was doomed to miss him forever.

Carla couldn't bring herself to be selfless and call it a night. To tell him 'this was fun, I'll see you when I see you, I guess'. What could she say to him? Was this goodbye? Was this the last time she would ever see him, in this American diner tonight?

It didn't feel right. But Carla couldn't ask him to stay longer either.

"Come home with me." Samuel blurted out so suddenly and so fast, Carla wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly.

"What?"

Samuel sighed deeply, his fingers running through his hair. Glancing away before settling his burning, yet nervous gaze back on hers. "Come back with me, I mean, we could just continue talking and stuff at mine - if you want to."

Carla's heart hammered in her chest. "Well, I do have to make sure you arrive home safely."

His smile was bright and wide. "That would make me feel better."

_______________________________________________________

The tension was suffocating in the narrow hallway in front of Samuel's house. Both of them stood there, not moving. Facing each other.

Time had stopped for them, their eyes refusing to look at anything but one another. Samuel didn't open the door and Carla knew it was because of what was going to happen once they were inside, the thought of it terrifying as much as it was exhilarating. They could both feel it, they couldn't hide from it anymore.

They were succumbing. Carla felt it in the simmering heat around them, their bodies were done fighting it, it was inevitable. Her skin was starting to itch, agitated with the need for his touch, she could uncomfortably feel how ready she was for him. And Carla could see it all over Samuel, his erratic breathing, the way he fidgeted in the spot, the way he clenched his fists in anticipation.

But Samuel's yearning eyes also looked scared, actually they were terrified.

"I want you, Carla. I want you so much," he said thickly.

The desire in his voice, his eyes, all contradicted his sudden apprehensive body language.

"Samuel, you don't have t - "

"You don't understand," he interrupted urgently. "I feel like I can't do this because of how much I want you. It's fucking painful."

Her stomach twisted anxiously. "Okay, I --"

"You're leaving, Carla."

"I know." her eyes lowered with guilt. She was making it harder for both of them. "I'm sorry, you're right. This was a bad idea, we shouldn't."

When Samuel didn't say anything in return, she instantly got the message. Carla nodded curtly, making a move to leave.

Samuel caught her arm before she could twitch another muscle, edging his body so close to hers, his smell enclosing the space around her; till she was breathing in nothing but him.

"We shouldn't because it's going to hurt like hell when we're done. I'm gonna have to let you go after. Again." his voice was low and pained.

"I know." was all she could say, her eyes glued to his.

"But I - I think it's gonna hurt way more if I let you go when I know I can have you right now. Even if it's temporary. I can't live knowing I wasted a chance to be with you."

His words made their way throughout her entire body, spreading warmth all over. "Samuel, I'm sorry --"

He shook his head vehemently. "No more talking."

Her heart thudded heavily at his abrupt throaty command. And then her next breath was stolen by his mouth crashing down on hers. Carla gasped, the familiarity of his lips, his taste, making her want to moan in relief while simultaneously crying.

Samuel parted her lips open, spinning her around till her back hit the front door, his tongue tangling with hers. His exploration was deep and slow and it made Carla's ache rise to new heights, she gripped his hair tightly, scared that this moment like all the others they had shared, was short-lived and fleeting. Or worse, it was just a dream. These thoughts made her latch onto him harder, pulling him closer, her lips leaving his and trailed open mouthed kisses down his neck, sucking and biting the way she'd wanted to for what felt like forever. She could vaguely feel his hand digging into his pockets, probably fetching his keys.

"Fuck, Carla - I can't think." He groaned in her ear. "I need to get my keys."

Carla continued leisurely, her hands traveling down his chest until she was palming his hard member through his jeans. Samuel growled lowly, fisting her hair, pulling her head back and connecting their lips passionately.

He was right, Carla couldn't think either, it was hard to concentrate on anything except devouring him. But they needed to get that key.

Carla pushed him back slightly. "I got it." slapping his hand away from his pocket.

Samuel let out a low sound of protest when she let go of his lips, but he quickly got to work on her neck, desperately lavishing her skin with his tongue. She managed to finally pull his key, which was buried inside his left pocket under his phone.

"Found it." Or at least Carla hoped she did and it was the right one.

Samuel mindlessly grabbed it from her hand, trying clumsily to slide it into the lock.

"Ugh, where the fuck...?" he whined impatiently. Her hands moving all over him, distracting him even further.

Finally the door was shoved open, both of them stumbling inside, Samuel kicking the door shut after them. He blindly walked her back until she could feel herself meeting the wall beside the kitchen. His hands couldn't seem to decide which part of her to touch, his fingers tracing and clutching whatever inch of her he found, sneaking under her blouse and tracing the soft skin enticingly. His lips kissing up and down her neck deliciously, his teeth biting, before smoothing his tongue over the mark lovingly.

Carla wasn't fairing any better, enthusiastically hiking up his shirt, needing it off him. Samuel backed off for just a second to peel it off and throw it to the side. He immediately dove back in, his palms traveling up her thighs and under her skirt, tracing the outline of her underwear before ripping the thin material off.

Carla gasped at the action. They were both desperate, feverish and so fucking eager. She could feel the overwhelming, blazing eruption of physical and emotional need. Pent up feelings and sexual desires. Denied love. All of it was spurting into million bursts of electrical charge being passed back and forth between them.

This was them, unabashed and unreserved. It was that magnetic bond they couldn't explain.

"We should slow down but I can't." he rasped against her lips. His fingers leaving her waist to unbuckle his belt, trying to unzip his jeans hastily.

They weren't slowing down. They had time to savor and indulge later.

Carla took a moment to appreciate the sight of a shirtless Samuel with his jeans unzipped and low on his hips. Her hands took charge, frantically sliding her palm under his boxers, fingers grazing him gently.

"Fucking hell." he moaned hoarsely, lips attacking her collar bones, his fingers tugging on her green, silky blouse impatiently, finally unbuttoning the damn thing and sliding it off her shoulders swiftly. Carla's palm was now stroking him gently, her fingers tightening their grip each time.

"Fuck, stop, Carla, I won't . ." Samuel broke off with a keen groan, his hand catching hers to stop its movement before slamming it against the wall beside her head, his lips instantly finding hers again.

His free hand slid back under her skirt, finding her heated sex, his finger delicately touching her sensitive clit, rubbing softly in a circular motion, before slowly parting her entrance and slipping inside, his lips letting out a moan at the sensation.

Carla gasped low in her throat, trying to stifle a loud reaction, his fingers dipping in deeper and causing electricity to shoot through her. It felt too good. Too exquisite, and Carla was impatient, she needed him. Her hand firmly grasped his hard length again, making Samuel's breath falter as she guided him toward her center.

That was when Samuel completely paused, drawing back to look at her. Carla's breath hitched from the intensity of his eyes. His Adam's apple bobbing in his throat anxiously as his dark browns shone with so many ripples of emotions; love, lust, longing, relief, fear, sadness.

"Carla, I - "

"Shh, I know," she said, pulling him closer. "It's okay."

And then he pushed inside her in one agonizingly anticipated motion, their eyes clinging to each other just as much as their bodies were.

The feel of him after so long was overwhelmingly gratifying as he rested inside her for a second, giving both of them time to adjust to the achingly familiar feeling. Samuel panted harshly, his hips starting a rhythm so gentle, almost painfully so, as though trying to cherish every single tick of the intimate act. But then he perfectly gained momentum, matching both their needs. His mouth was sponging kisses all across her face, till his lips reached hers muffling their moaning as their tongues swirled hotly with each other.

"God, Carla." he grunted loudly. "I thought I'd never - " he stopped, seemingly forgetting what he was was about to say, as he drove into her faster, pinning her to the wall.

Carla had closed her eyes in ecstasy, trying to imprint every touch, every sound he made on her brain. Samuel's pace began to stir the fire already within her as he sank in and out of her faster and deeper. Her fingers clutched his hair, unable to stop herself from pulling on it hard, causing Samuel to moan and give even harder thrusts.

"Holy - fuck, Carla." his movements were growing in urgency, as he intensely and thoroughly fucked her.

"Samuel." she whimpered into his mouth, pleasure taking over every inch of her as she met his thrusts ardently. It was coming to an end. Way too soon. Carla wasn't ready for it to be over, but it was all too much, they both couldn't stop their shuddering bodies as their hips bucked against each other harshly. Carla gasping out his name one last time, her climax striking her fiercely. With a few last vigorous thrusts, Samuel tucked his head into her neck, growling out his own release.

His body sagged against hers, the only thing keeping her from collapsing on the floor. It was a few minutes before Carla's brain picked up on her surroundings again. Samuel's head was still buried in her neck, and his body was shaking against her.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly. Was he regretting it? She didn't want it to be awkward or sad. Carla thought they'd decided to not think or talk and just enjoy each other while they still could. Did he regret it?

"I - yeah. I'm okay." he breathed unsteadily, his breath tickling her skin. "Fucking wonderful, actually. You?"

Carla smiled to herself in relief, they were still on the same page, he didn't regret it. "Same."

"We forgot to use a condom," Carla told him softly, not overly worried, they had done it before, their first time of course, being the first case.

"Shit." he mumbled into her hair. "We should really pay more attention to that."

Carla sighed, running her fingers through his hair. "I know. I am on the pill, though. You're clean, right?" He nodded against her.

"Me too."

Samuel finally craned his neck back, and Carla's heart squeezed in her chest. His eyes were so soft, sated and pretty, Carla almost pouted at the beautiful sight of him, raising her palms to stroke his red, flushed cheeks. 

"You look so cute," she whispered.

Samuel scowled in mock offense. "I just fucked you against this wall and you think I look cute!"

Carla laughed so loudly in response, that Samuel couldn't keep his stern look on, a smile breaking over his face.

"Cute?" he gently let her down, still clinging to her waist, which was good because her knees were barely holding her up.

She laughed harder, shrugging. "Yes. So cute and sleepy." she teased.

"Oh, Carla, I'm not sleepy one bit."

The promise, almost warning tone of his voice halted her laughter as her eyes focused on his intense ones.

Not giving her time to comprehend the meaning of his words, his lips caught hers, his arm dragging her by the waist away from the wall, and holding her to his chest. Carla could feel them moving around the house, her eyes closed, trusting Samuel to lead the way to his bedroom.

It was a blur till she opened her eyes, releasing his mouth to find they were standing in front of Samuel's bed. His lips smirked sinfully at her, before grabbing her by the waist and roughly tossing her on the bed.

Fuck.

Slowly climbing after her, he rested on his knees, his heavy-lidded eyes staring down at her. "We're nowhere near done."

_______________________________________________________

Much later, they were both completely naked on his bed. Carla was sprawled against his chest, her right ear pressed against his heart, listening to its soothing, comforting beat as his fingers massaged her scalp lazily.

Maybe it was because they unleashed the tension and she was way more relaxed, but Carla felt brave enough to say what was on her mind.

"You stopped calling."

Samuel stilled under her for only a second. "You did too."

"Because you stopped answering. It would've been selfish of me to push you further, I - I thought you'd finally let me go."

She hated how her voice broke at the last part.

"I was trying to." he admitted quietly. "But I've accepted that I can't."

"Samuel."

"I also wanted to give you some time, you know."

Carla frowned. "Time for what?"

He sighed. "Polo."

Carla stiffened, lifting her head to look at him. "What?"

His eyes didn't meet hers. "To deal with his death and everything else. I know that at some point you - um, I know what he meant to you once and I knew you needed some time to process."

Only Samuel. Samuel who hated Polo with everything in him, understood that Carla felt differently; that she was sad, the she'd needed time to mourn Polo and he didn't judge her.

"You're so considerate, it's a little annoying."

He rolled his eyes, but couldn't hide his tinted cheeks. "It's called common decency."

"Perhaps, but some people don't deserve it. I know how much you hated him, Samuel, and rightfully so. But thank you for understanding."

"Of course. So - how are you dealing with everything?" 

Carla knew he wasn't just asking about Polo, but also everything with her family, the drugs, the withdrawal.

"I've been talking to Nina a lot. Obviously she doesn't know everything, but it's been nice to at least try and sort my shit out." Carla rested her head back on his chest.

"I'm glad you have someone to help you with everything."

"It's a very slow process because it's still so weird for me, honestly. And really fucking difficult to actually talk about stuff and work through them. Baby steps, I guess."

His fingers still combing through her hair, tugged gently, urging her to look up and meet his open and warm gaze. "I'm proud of you."

A wave of pure and crushing affection rushed through her forcefully, and she abruptly captured his lips.

He smiled into the kiss. "What's that for?"

Because I love you, Carla thought to herself but she couldn't say that. Carla had already taken enough, she'd already let herself bask in his presence. She couldn't say that to him and then bolt out of the country.

"Felt like it, do you have a problem with that?" she asked, kissing him again. Samuel hummed against her contentedly, biting her bottom lip.

"Never," he uttered with conviction, making Carla's heart lurch in her chest.

I love you.

The words were lodged in her throat, fighting against logic, begging to be let out. To finally let him know. Carla wanted to freely express this genuine, real and astounding emotion. There would never come a time when Carla wouldn't marvel at how much she felt for him. In such a short time he'd had her. Since the first time all of this had started, it had been a haze of a deep and intense connection. Carla had never wanted someone one so much, never had the surge of sexual attraction quite so powerfully.

But then want turned into need which tuned into something beyond what Carla'd thought she was ever capable of feeling. Something terrifyingly real.

How was it that there was a time when Carla couldn't care less about his existence and now it felt like she couldn't live without him.

But she had to.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Samuel asked, his fingers tracing the furrowed lines of her eyebrows.

You. I love you.

It would be a new low for Carla if she gave in to yet another one of her uncontrollable desires and told him. She would only be serving herself, quenching her thirst to get the feelings out. What was the point? She was leaving. It would only hurt him.

Don't tell him.

"Carla?" he sounded worried.

Don't say it. Don't be selfish. Don't tell him.

Carla had denied it for so long, all she had to do was keep it in a little longer and then they would be out of each other's lives. The words were pointless. There was no need to add salt to their wounds.

"Carla, what's wrong?"

Don't say it.

"I love you, Samuel."

[enkelimagnus]

Unpopular opinion: This recent season of shadowhunters makes me kinda glad it got cancelled, if it weren't for the bare minimum of Raphael content and Malec I would have stopped watched. They continue to treat their characters or color poorly, especially downworlders.

I’ve had this thought a couple of times.

I do enjoy some elements of the season, but there’s a lot I dislike, and a lot is due to Magnus and Maia’s treatments in the season. 

I also don’t understand certain decisions made in writing and in storylines. 

It’s really sad to me that this season seems so sloppy. I struggle to remind myself that it was written BEFORE the cancellation, because it seems to unfinished, sloppy, and fast-tracked through. 

If it was written before the cancellation, the Sizzy development makes little to no sense, and so do the Maia/Jordan “forgiveness” *pukes* scenes, and everything. 

It’s like this season, especially 3B, was made to try and cram the most possible in 10 episodes, and give all the fanservice. I don’t understand how this could happen, except showing that no one really cares about the story anymore. 

Season 3A actions mostly only have consequences on characters of color. Magnus loses his identity and powers, Maia loses her boyfriend and her pack, Raphael is arrested and turned mundane, Luke’s writing doesn’t make ANY FUCKING SENSE?????

Jace doesn’t suffer ANY consequence after being the Owl from 3x01 to 3x10. 

It also backtracked on everything the story stood for. It was especially sensible in episodes 14 and 15. 

First, we have the Maia story. 

Maia, whose entire storyline up to 3x14 was that she was not forgiving Jordan, because she was moving past him and that he didn’t deserve forgiveness. With a story of abuse, and a metaphor for rape through the Turning and its sequels, it was a story of a strong woman fighting for herself and overcoming PTSD. Suddenly, she was forced into apologizing and forgiving, because Jordan was dying. The writers engineered a situation in which a woman had to tend to her abuser’s wounds and listen to the very excuses she did NOT want to hear from him. 

This was not closure. Closure was had in 3x08. We did not need to “go back” and have forgiveness, because forgiveness isn’t something that every character and every person deserves. 

Second, the Clave & the System.

The show has always told us, always, to question the Clave and the authority, because they are bad. 

In 3x14 and 3x15 though, we've had the absolutely contrary. 

This goes very much against how the entire show has framed, or tried to frame, the Clave. 

Until nowthe Clave was Imogen Herondale, early Lydia, Aldertree, Valentine, Malachi Dieudonné, Jia Penhallow. They were “The Law is the Law”, they were characters who were unjust because they followed antiquated, racist rules and ideals and beliefs. The Clave was the system to dismantle. 

Following 3x15, the Clave is now Alec Lightwood, Simon Lewis, Underhill, etc

we have: 

- Magnus facing issues because he's a Downworlder staying at the Institute, which is a problem that's against the Rules of the System

- Izzy bringing Raphael back because following the Rules of the System is better 

- Simon being mad at Maia for not following the Rules of the System 

- Heidi cheating the System and getting Death 

- Clary not letting Jonathan get captured, and getting Aline sayng this is badthis is a huge glorification of the System™ as a whole.

As well as an obvious way for characters to get closer. Simon and Izzy are suddenly on the same side, with their earlier love interests, Maia and Raphael, on the other. Magnus cant really refuse Alec's offer to move in together, because he's almost defenseless now. Clary and Jace are on the same side against Aline and the Clave, and also against Jonathan.

The Clave goes from authoritarian government to take down, to hard but fair justice. This is very sad, and very annoying to watch. 

When a show is entirely based on race metaphors and the idea that racism breeds genocide, you can’t have the very basis of the racism machine be “good guys”. 

It’s almost as if the writers don’t care anymore, and if the writers don’t care: why should we? 

Add to that the fact that, at the end of 3B, we will basically be in the same situation as at the end of 2B. Jonathan dead, Valentine dead, Lilith gone, Clace, Malec. 

Season 3 has some highs, and a lot of lows, and yes, it makes me think, often, that if this is what season 3 is like, then what would have been season 4? And would I have even wanted to watch season 4? 

[wasiandonuts]

The Good Place Season 3 Finale: after-thoughts

*SPOILERS! duh..also it is very long, read at your own discretion*

So, that was a rollercoaster ride of a season. It started with Eleanor finding Chidi, for like the 803rd time, and it ended with Eleanor having to say goodbye to Chidi. After years of getting the soul squad back together, they are all having to face the torments of The Bad Place once again. Can’t they get a break?

Before getting in to Chidi and Eleanor’s storyline, I want to start with Michael, Janet, Tahani, and Jason. 

For Michael, he is just the sweetest demon in the entire universe. In the first season, he was not only an evil liar but also hated humans and did not want to do anything else in his immortal life other than to punish the four humans. Now, he literally is doing everything to save the four from eternal damnation while trying to fix the inevitably corrupt modern society we live in today. To me, he truly had the greatest glo-up. I am very hopeful to see Michael return to his Architect position and perhaps solve mankind’s greatest issues. In this episode, it was very insightful to see how he referred to himself as middle management because he technically is. The stress of the pressure of running this universe-changing experiment is insane and the humanity in Michael really showed during the finale.

Janet, too, had a great character arc within this season and throughout the show. She/It (remember she is not a girl!) was merely a physical version of Alexa and now, Janet is almost like the humans with feelings and the incredible ability to throw shade. I do feel bad about the situation with Jason. To be honest, I never really gave much importance to it until the finale. Going in to season 4, I see what the writers did there. They set up this supposedly insane love story between a Floridian DJ and a “Busty Alexa” (Eleanor’s words, not mine) who fell in love hundreds of years ago in literal hell. Now, Janet is going to play a much larger part in the new neighborhood but importantly, she/it is now a human-like member of the Soul Squad and will probably be Eleanor’s source of strength in the upcoming season(s). Woo go Janet!!

Tahani al-Jamil has been through a lot. Just this finale episode alone she was the first to be targeted by the Bad Place and their schemes. It was almost deja vu when she was planning to plant the ‘Marc Fake-obs’ joke on John, but then again, the Good Place reminds us of the evolution each of the characters went on. Though she is a supporting character, I would really like to see her play a bigger part with keeping the integrity of the soul squad together during the upcoming seasons and perhaps find love herself.

I felt kinda sad that Jason Mendoza wasn’t in this episode that much, but his character providing some much-needed comedy relief in all of the heaviness in the finale. I do wonder though why he is back in the monk outfit, maybe to keep him quiet for safety purposes. There must be a secret Schur reason why he is in different garb for this iteration of the Fake Good Place. Like with Janet, I think they are pretty cute together and I need at least some happiness. Also, he is also one of the remaining few to not have an ex or a gossip blogger in the new Good Place yet. It will be interesting to find out. I think it will either be his dad or an ex-dance crew member or even Pillboi.

Okay. Here we go. I just rewatched the episode a few times to not only feel the feels but also to catch any details that the podcast mentioned and I might have forgotten. Without knowing it, the entirety of the show’s plot relies heavily on the unlikely relationship between Chidi Anagonye and Eleanor Shellstrop. Looking back at this season, there were little hints that the writers planted that makes this ever the more heartbreaking.

In 3x08 (Worse Possible Use of Free Will), the entire episode is basically a flashback through cheleanor’s development in Reboot 112, a previously mentioned version in season 2. I was really excited to be fed that day and the subsequent episodes but I just rewatched it again and I noticed that the same type of situation happened again. (yes I know, reboots happen every second in this show) At the end, Eleanor promises Chidi that they will find each other again and that they are true soulmates. Even in the very first episode of season 3, Eleanor comes to Australia to ask Chidi for help to be a better person and the end of season 3, it once again is Eleanor in a doorway meeting Chidi. 

A lot of this season had to do with faith and memories. the Janet(s) episode reminded Eleanor, in this case, who she was because she did not remember and Chidi, like the amazing man he is, snapped her back to reality with a kiss and all was well (for a few eps). The sad part is that this time, when Chidi won’t remember Eleanor or any of the gang, Eleanor can’t just kiss him back to reality because he doesn’t even know how much she means to him. 

I cry a lot at very emotional things, but this episode was a kicker. It touched a lot of people since 1) the writers are very good and also very cruel, 2) the past few episodes saw a happy cheleanor, and 3) it was all very real in a way. We all have dealt with loss and love. Seeing one person love another and miss another but the partner doesn’t remember is so devastating. In all of the reboots, every one of them forgot everything. The sad thing is only one of them can’t remember the rest and that one is the moral glue that held all of the squad together. And looping back to a previous episode when Eleanor is crying and talking about how she is both happy and sad, she mentions something about love isn’t a sure thing and now, that love that she has been so afraid to give for the longest time was ripped away from her and now she has to watch and take care of the man she loves from a distance.

Going in to season 4, we are steering less towards philosophy and hard factual morals but rather towards the pathos side of things. What it means to be a human in the face of adversity and tragedy is the theme for upcoming seasons. I do hope the slow burn of Chidi finding Eleanor again is not so slow because they truly deserve to be happy in the little dot on top of the ‘i’. I also wish for less reboots now and tears because I never expected a comedy show that makes fart and sex jokes and puns all the time to make me sob over fictional characters but here I am and I don’t regret it.

Gah this whole episode was all too much. The memory video was touching and also very soft. The line that made me bawl was when Chidi said “I am gonna miss you” and his voice cracks, then Eleanor responds “but you won’t” and then “Bye, Chidi”. I felt that. To end, I just want to say thank you to Michael Schur, Megan Amram, and Jen Statsky for this episode and the entire crew for this crazy, funny, smart, and now very sad show that never fails to make my day. Also lots of hugs to Jameela, Manny, D’Arcy, Ted, and most especially Kristen and Will for gracing our screens. By the way, KB and WJH are two of the best actors I know and I love them as Chidi and Eleanor. Ok good night everyone and thanks for reading my braindump about my feelings. 

Everything is fine.

[ralfstrashcan]

3x08 Reaction / Commentary

Clary is so rebel putting her hands up first and then dropping her stele lol.

“So you can salt-ify her, too, when she inevitably attacks.” Great thinking, Luke! Also, how did they know it's salt? Did they lick it?

Ohhhhhhh I like where this is going!!

Ominous Elevator Rattling Powers Activate!

FunFact: I thought the shadow moving on the wall behind them was some demon Lilith summoned but it was just Simon's shadow. Oh dear.

Instant Sunroom Powers Activate!

Also, Lilith is a dirty liar. They totally didn't 'stay exactly where we are.’ (Also, now I'm having Reichenbach Fall Flashbacks.)

But what's with the other disciples? Do they get texts with the new address of the moved hang out spot? Man, that sunroom's gonna be so crowded.

........you mean New York, right, because the Lightwoods were banished from Idris for being in the Circle, which is why the Lightwood kids grew up in the NY Institute? *sigh*

.........because any orphaned Shadowhunter immediately gets tossed out into the streets instead of being raised by other Shadowhunters, you know, to be a soldier and serve the heavenly duty of killing demons. Makes sense. Okay, sorry, I get it. Jace is trying to get into Alec's head and it's clearly working and that scene was totally dramatic, but... it also didn't make sense.

How the hell does Possessed!Jace know about that? Alec had two opportunities to talk to him about his drama with Magnus (in 3x05 and in 3x06) and he chose to evade the topic altogether both times. In case he didn't change his mind off-screen and talked to him in the short time between Jace allegedly returning from the City of Bones and them discovering his possession (time that was spend with Maryse at the Hunter's Moon btw) then Jace can't know it from Alec. So, where did this knowledge magically appear from? @kaysgreenery suggested that Lilith did some research on Magnus's dating history and taught Jace all the details but why the hell would she do that. I'd like to think that this Possessed!Jace has the ability to somehow warp into the thoughts and minds of the people around him and snatch information on how to hurt them the best, but.... I don't think that's the case or that it will even be addressed how he learned that.

Again, arguing with possessed people. I still don't get it. Then again, from Simon I don't really expect more. (Sorry, Simon.)

.....yeah, Disgraced-Ex-Circle-Member-turned-Downworlder-who's-not-even-allowed-to-enter-Alicante, do tell how you plan to get that intel.

................................dude you're so sounding like Clary right now it's not even funny anymore. So yeah, thank you Izzy for being the voice of reason.

For a second there I got my hopes up that they were going to address Possessed!Jace's mindreading-powers. </3

Alec doesn't approve, lol. But I'm super into it. Lightwood siblings gooooo!! Also, love that face.

This sounds like they're gonna dive into Jace's subconsciousness or dreamscape or whatever and this would be so cool!!!!

1) Pretty skylight 2) I acknowledge that that Equilibrium Rune does make sense on the wall

Yo but why was he standing there holding the sword? He could have put it in its fancy stand as soon as he arrived. And why wasn't it on the fancy stand from the get-go? Where do they store it when there's no trial?

Sassy. I like it.

Yeah, way to misunderstand your assignment, dude. Did you even go back to that building or did you go straight to Maia to whine a little? *sigh*

“Right now, bigger fish to fry.”

Wow, finally someone who can prioritize sensibly. I'm impressed.

Yeah, a decision that should have been Simon's. Because he's the one who the case is about. And if he's constantly hating on Kyle that's helping no one. Just sayin'.

“I'll still take my not-magically-invincible girlfriend with me, you know, just in the unlikely case I get the upper hand and Lilith needs some leverage.”

Seriously, this whole Mark Business started because he was up against someone more powerful (the Seelie Queen) that held Maia hostage and blackmailed him into obeying. Didn't he learn from that?? Apparently not.

Especially because the Vampire nose at their disposal seems to be malfunctioning, falling out of commission whenever the Plot calls for it.

That smile tho.

“Especially when the Clave kicked you to the curb for breaching the Accords, slaughtering Downworlders.” Yeah, those werewolves really look like they're seconds from throwing Maryse a welcoming party.

“Well, then a deruned ex-Circle member is the last person you should be talking to.” Lightwood Women being extra reasonable this Episode, I dig it!

Also, how exactly does Luke want to “negotiate Clary's release”? I mean, call me old-fashioned, but I thought you needed leverage for a negotiation. What exactly does Luke have to offer the Clave in exchange? A few Selfies? (They might actually go for that lol.)

I'm sooo calling bullshit on this because of Maryse's behavior during the entirety of Season 1, but whatever. Also, “was having an affair with”? Does that mean Robert's relationship with this Anne-Marie person fell through? Why? In the two weeks tops that passed since 2x16? I need answers!

Luke/Maryse-Shippers crying in the distance. What is that pairing even called? Luryse? Marke? Lightluke? lol. Lightway?? (Tho that's probably a li'l ambiguous cuz there are several Lightwoods. And now I imagined Luke with Robert. Ew.)

YEAH I LIKE THAT

Imagine, if you could harness the luminous power of Parabatai Runes you'd never need electricity again.

NO WAY ALEC I THOUGHT HE WAS  A C C I D E N T A L L Y  THWARTING YOUR ATTEMPT AT RESCUING JACE

Dramatic Stare is Dramatic

What the hell dude lol are you trying to get yourself kicked out of the van (possibly while it's still in motion)?? Seriously. This I-know-you-so-much-better-than-your-current-boyfriend-talk is waayyyy out of character for how Kyle behaved towards Maia and Simon so far so what the hell.

On a different note, I find it very intriguing that Simon doesn't feel temperature (and is maybe even immune to very low or very high temperatures?) and I'd love to see this explored in the show.

Okay but what are the chains chained to? Magnus's furniture?? (There's not one shot where you can see where they end. Very frustrating. They're probably chained to Plot Convenience.)

That is a fine comeback.

What was Magnus even doing? He couldn't have been prepairing because he was prepared already when they tried earlier. So, what was he doing? Reapplying his make-up maybe?

Okay, but Alec's eyes were already rolling back in his head earlier

did he specifically un-roll them again

to have the last roll??

Drama Queen. Magnus chose wisely.

THAT HAIR FLICK I CAN'T

This confirms like every head canon I have on how incredibly badass Izzy is and always was, so thank you. I always had the feeling that she's probably a better fighter than Jace but didn't show it because she knew he needs the limelight and she doesn't. Also, they have super limited time and the first thing they do is watching sweet childhood memories. Priorities.

Well, I would hold hands in that case, just to be sure.

.........could have prevented this from happening. *sigh*

Lilith killed all those Seelies, does that mean she has to stay in the Seelie Realm now and that the Seelie Queen owns her life? lol

So that exchange between them was kinda enlightening but also not at all because whaaaat. Can't Lilith just track Jace, the person she herself possessed? That's a little inconvenient and dumb because she's ass powerful but can't do this easy thing? If the Mark of Cain can only be borne by a Daylighter and is also the only thing that can banish Lilith, does that mean there was a Daylighter before who bore that Mark and banished Lilith? Or was she never on earth before and banished, in which case, how does she know that's the only thing that can banish her? How do her visits to the Seelie Realm work? I thought you need to be summoned to leave your home dimension as a demon so if she was in the Seelie Realm before could she have easily walked over into the Real World as well? Was the Seelie Queen alive when Lilith last visited the Seelie Realm (which would have been at least during the time of her predecessor) or do they have pictures of her somewhere so that's why she knows what Lilith looks like? Also, that line with the complexion

is rich, coming from the Seelie Queen, like seriously, glass houses, bricks.

Same, Jia. Because what the hell, Clary.

One, I don't get why Clary told her the truth about the wish when she didn't have to, like, wasn't it her main goal to keep that truth from ever coming out?? Why would she just spill? Just because it was a dramatic gesture? Then again I also don't understand why those guards tried to restrain her immediately after she let go of the sword, like, did they want to put her back in her cell right away? And why does she need to be unrestrained to talk? Why not just put the sword back on its fancy stand and make her touch it again to tell the rest of the story? So many questions.

Two, the wish from the angel wasn't a one-time-voucher to kill everything with demon blood. Clearly, because Clary used it to bring back Jace. It was simply a wish that could be shaped by the person making the wish. So just because that wish was powerful enough that it could be used for mass murder doesn't mean the wish itself is inherently evil?! What the hell, Clary. It's like she's trying to argue why using the wish was like a public service to Shadowhunter Society?! Who's going to believe that?? At least she didn't say something pathetic like “To you, an insurmountable evil is a world overrun by demons, to me it's a world without Jace in it” because, honestly, I was half expecting her to, lol.

Sidenote: Until the end of Season 2 the Shadowhunters hadn't even figured out that the Mortal Mirror was in fact Lake Lyn, so without Clary figuring out what the Mortal Mirror was, still having that wish wouldn't have done them any good. Of course the middle of the apocalypse is always the best time to try and start figuring out where the long-lost third Mortal Instrument is, so I totally see your point, Jia.

..........why would Shadowhunters allow a feral wolf pack in the forest around their capital when Downworlders aren't even allowed to set foot into Idris? That makes no sense.

...................did Luke forget to mention the weird bloody altar? What was even the point in sticking his fingers in then? *sigh*

If Jonathan's in there I will flip my shit. Lilith definitely took him with her in that fancy display vitrine.

Okay, no Jonathan, I'm relieved.... but Jonathan was clearly stored in there in 3x03, so, Show, explain yourself. Why did Lilith decide to repot him? To better stare at him longingly? (Also, why aren’t the ley lines getting corrupted again? I’ve been wondering for a few episodes about that already....)

Just don't let your phone fall in there. That would be awkward as hell. Pun intended.

........................................................Simon. Si-mon. Are you for real. I don't even have words for this level of stupidity and recklessness. But sure. Leave those two alone to fight whoever decides to come in, without your fancy forehead mark to protect them. I mean, it's not like this is the exact reason you told them to stick close to you less than five minutes ago.

Yeah well, would have been weird if he had been studying ancient demonic languages when he was still a mundane. Also, why is no one taking advantage of the great change-werewolf-pun-opportunity??

Are you shitting me why doesn't she just say she's Izzy? She has the same Runes as Young Izzy in the same spots and everything. Then again, they cast Young Izzy looking nothing like Emeraude Toubia, so I couldn't even blame Young Jace on calling bullshit and not believing her. But this line of reasoning only makes sense if Izzy is aware that her younger self looks nothing like her which she can't possibly be because they're supposed to look alike, being the same person and everything.

Okay, so their little sing along was a little touching (tho a lot ridiculous, too, sorry) but I'd be seriously creeped out if some stranger wanted to prove their legit-ness by singing my kiddie lullaby to me like what the hell man.

Those are a lot of Claries, but why are they all wearing the same thing?

Absolutely loved the whole scene with Alec and Jace.

Okay but how did Young Jace know that he needed to bring her here? Did Young and Regular Jace ever meet? I need answers!!

Thank you for this precise and not at all vague information, Luke, as always.

I can't really make sense of that Maia Kyle Whatever Scene so I'll just leave it uncommented.

Edit: Since I was delayed in posting this for several days (because my lappy decided it would be a great time to die on me) I've had some time to think about it. I didn't like the scene when I first saw it, but I couldn't really put my finger on why. Now I know it's because of the way Maia acts, I feel like this is ooc for her. Maia is unapologetic, she takes no shit from anyone. Remember how she told Kyle off in that flashback when he wanted to decide if she got to go to college or not, or how she put Russell in his place when he thought he could comment on her relationship with Simon, or even how she pre-emptively refused to apologize for hooking up with Jace when she thought Simon expected an apology? The case I'm trying to build here is that Maia is very aware of what she wants, what she will accept in regards to behavior of another person towards her, and where she draws the line, where she will put her foot down and not accept something. So seeing her basically begging Kyle to not act like he's in any way likable so she can cling to her resentment for him is strange for two reasons:

1) It makes it seem as if she's not in control of her emotions, as if her resentment is something she needs to actively fuel to maintain it. This is the stellar opposite of how she acted towards him in the last episode, where she was confidently hostile.

2) It makes it seem as if what Kyle did isn't something where it's entirely reasonable and justifiable to be angry and hurt and unforgiving about even after a long time has passed. When someone betrays and abandons you like that (like Maia undoubtedly experienced his actions) you don't really need to exert yourself to not-forgive that person. That's natural, isn't it? Of course one could argue that it's not as black-and-white here because she was in love with him and it's not like he was some stranger betraying her.... but to be honest, the way she acted towards him up until this very scene, including the flashbacks, didn't really make it seem as if their past loving relationship was influencing Maia. So I really don't get why it's suddenly the case.

I mean, I do. If Sizzy is endgame (yikes), then Simon and Maia will have to split up at some point and Maia and Kyle will probably be a thing somewhere along the way. But I feel like this current behavior isn't really ic for Maia and that's why it annoys me, even though I have nothing against the pairing Maia/Kyle per se.

Where they seriously trying to make it seem as if Izzy would kill Jace lol I didn't believe that for a second. I was also totally distracted by the fact that she licked her lips and her lip stick stayed on fleek like how do you do that Izzy let me in on your secret powers please.

Leaving all that aside this scene was perfectly acted and very intense..... but. I don't know if that makes me really insensitive or something, but they were under immense time pressure. If all it took to get them back was grabbing hold of each other's hands I really don't get why Alec and Izzy didn't do just that. There would have been enough time to placate Jace when they were back in their own bodies without the very real threat of getting lost in Jace's mind forever hanging over their heads. Of course it would have been a shock for Jace to be ripped out of his environment and be thrown back into his body, but honestly, he must be so heavily traumatized by all that Lilith did to him that this little thing wouldn't even register in comparison. So yeah, call me heartless, but it would have been more efficient to grab Jace and talk him down once they were safe.

I'm asking again. How did the Seelie Queen know where Jace was? And, seriously, why didn't Lilith think to check Magnus's appartment, I mean she must know Alec is Jace's parabatai and that Magnus is Alec's boyfriend and a powerful warlock. When Jace didn't come back to her it would have been reasonable to assume that the other Shadowhunters had gotten to him and would try to save him, seeking out capable help.

Soooooo Magnus is officially Asmodeus's favorite. Dubious honor.

I don't know if it's the camera angle or that cute eyebrow crunch, but to me Magnus looks so much like a cat while Lilith is choking him, so I was inappropriately cooing during this scene. Shame on me.

If those are the chains immediately after Lilith takes Jace... does that mean he was chained to himself the whole time??? Like, ankles to wrists?????

Edit: Found a BTS pic that explains it:

So apparently there are these neat anchorages that anchor the chains to..... the fluffy rug!! Extremely durable and a hundred percent tearproof!!! Hell yeah.

I get that Alec feels super guilty but honestly, think about it. If he'd killed Jace he wouldn't have killed his body. He would have killed his consciousness, his soul maybe. Meaning the possession would have been given free reign over his body. Killing Jace while they where inside his mind would have killed the last part that was fighting against the possession. It would have made everything way worse.

Funny you say that like it's a cute quirk when really it's pretty invasive and selfish.

Oh man, those subtitles totally ruined the suspense. (Also, how is Clary supposed to learn and understand when she's dead, lol.)

I'm so thrilled to find out how they're gonna get rid of that death sentence. Or will Clary be a fugitive from the law for 3B? I'd totally be up for that, too.

(Gif Source, BTS Pic Source)

[zhilan]

Genuinely, I think the show is trying to show Abigael as more violent now that she got her full demon side back ? Because whatever people think about Abby, she was never impulsively violent for no reason. Yeah she could be cruel but never to people she liked. And the sisters knew that too cause they never saw Abby as an actual threat (once past the “miscalculation” 😭) and even Jordan wasnt actually scared of her. But then since season three started (the real one) they had her randomly throw people through Windows and actually threatened Jordan. And if we know she wouldn’t have hurt him because well, it’s Abby, it’s a lot more violent than she used to be. But as you said it goes against season 1 (tho to be fair they have been going against season 1 since the beginning of season 2) and the you make your own choice thing. So I thought maybe that’s the reason ? They want to show a more natural prone to violence now that she has her full demon personality back ?

i’ve been thinking about that too. 3x08 seemed kinda wild to me, but you’re right. it’s probably because of her demon form. although honestly so much about the show is confusing to me. for example, so to what extent does someone actually lose their power when their demon form is stripped? abigael seems more or less the same. it certainly doesn’t seem like she’s more powerful (implied in 3x03), just more reckless if anything. so is it just a behavior thing? and how does this even work, stripping her demon form but not her powers? (why didn’t her mum strip her demonic powers?) and when abi stripped parker’s powers, in his convo with maggie he said he’s human... which means his demon form was stripped too? which leads me to macy, who technically isn’t half-demon, but has demon blood. did that also poof when abi stripped her powers? 

i feel like we’re in a world of guessing game lmao. even the whole demon vs. witch | good vs. evil situation, i can’t quite grasp how it is, exactly. with macy, it always seemed like her demon-half wanted to take over her, but it was never the same with parker/abi where it’s trying to kill them. is it because macy’s is only in her blood therefore that makes it different? and if so, then does this mean that demons just really are objectively evil, because what else could it mean, that abi and parker’s demon-halves literally tried to murder them? and if they’re objectively evil, if it is who they are then... arguably are they even “accountable” for the evil things they’ve done? NOT excusing them, just genuinely trying to understand. in s1 they make it seem like it’s your choice. that you have a choice, and that the choices you make are what make you who you are. but for example, remember when parker “killed” his mother? it wasn’t his choice. or it certainly didn’t seem like it. his demon-half took over and went out of control, through no volition of his own... is he accountable then? like it’s just fuzzy. if, for example, abi being half-demon means she has no conscience... (i mean she certainly doesn’t seem to feel any sort of guilt when it comes to killing)...if she isn’t capable of feeling remorse, is that her fault that she was literally born that way? which leads to, is it any demon’s fault that they are that way then? and does that not just come off like. some beings are just born good, some are just born bad, and if you’re born demon then well, sucks for you, you got the shit end of the deal. i mean we’ve yet to really meet a bad full witch. and we’ve only ever seen half-demons (not blood, so not macy) not really be able to handle two halves to co-exist. and we’ve certainly never met a good demon. 

again, i’m not making excuses i’m just trying to understand charmed’s concept of what is good, evil, as well as what it means in relation to witches, demons. i mean even in the latest episode, macy was about to vanquish willow but they stopped the second they found out she’s a witch. the word witch is what stopped them so there’s clearly an association of witch = not evil. or at the very least witch means you get benefit of the doubt, whereas demon means no benefit of the doubt? lmao i feel like the show maybe needs to be a little more clear on this? or maybe i’m the only one who’s confused? idk :))

[zdbztumble]

“Ice Shack” - J/H

Figured I’d try fleshing this out into a full story. To give myself some grounding, I decided to treat this as an alternate take on Episode 3x10, “Ice Shack,” except moved up one slot to be immediately after 3x08, “Jackie Bags Hyde.” From there, the domino effect would cascade through the remainder of the series, though I can’t say I’m likely to do much more than this. If anyone likes what they read here and feels like running with this continuity, I’ve no objections.

SHOW TITLE

INT. FOREMAN BASEMENT - NIGHT

The gang, sans Jackie, has just finished a round of poker. KELSO and FEZ exit out the basement door, glum looks on their faces, while a very self-satisfied HYDE leans back in his chair, counting out his winnings. On the couch, ERIC and DONNA watch Hyde and trade whispers with one another.

HYDE: (laughing) Man, you guys gotta learn to spot a bluff.

DONNA: I can’t believe you faked us all out with two pair. How did you make that look good?

HYDE: Zen, baby. Zen.

He rises, gathers his coat, and makes for the door.

HYDE (cont’d): Alright, I’ll see you later.

Donna nudges Eric lightly. He nods and looks up to face Hyde.

ERIC: And just where do you think you’re going, young man?

HYDE: (beat) Home?

ERIC: Yes...you’d like that, wouldn’t you? Just waltz out that door, head back to your apartment, and sit around with your poker winnings and your alcoholic dad, never thinking about the consequences of your actions. You know, we’ve been down this road with you before, mister.

HYDE: (beat) Foreman, if you don’t tell me what this is about, I’m gonna kick your ass.

ERIC: You just plant your ass back in your chair, because we have something we need to talk to you about! Don’t we, honey?

Donna nods. Hyde shrugs and heads back to his chair. Eric and Donna inch across the couch to get closer to him, and Donna reaches a hand out and places it on Hyde’s knee.

DONNA: OK, Hyde...is there anything you want to tell us about your date with Jackie on Veteran’s Day?

HYDE: (beat) OK, bye-bye.

He stands again, but Eric and Donna stand too, and push him back into his chair.

ERIC: No, no, no! You don’t get to do that, pal.

HYDE: Whatever, man. So we went on a date. So?

DONNA: ‘So?’ Hyde, she stalked you for weeks, you told her to ‘die away from you,’ then you decked that guy at the barbeque, took her out, and neither of you have said anything about it.

HYDE: (shrugs) Nothing to say.

ERIC: Yeah, see, you I expect that from, but the cheerleader? You went with her to the mall out of pity and she wouldn’t shut up about it until halfway through the third film in my Godzilla marathon.

DONNA: Hyde, we just...you know. If anything happened...

HYDE: Nothing happened. (They stare) Nothing happened. I got us some pizza, we sat around, nobody talked...throw in a stash and a guy pissed off his film turned out blank and I might as well have been hanging out with Leo.

DONNA: Huh. So...that’s it? It was a dud date, and it’s all over?

HYDE: Yeah. I mean...yeah. Well...yeah.

ERIC: (beat) Hyde...

HYDE: What? I’m telling you, it’s over. She said she didn’t feel anything, so - that’s that.

DONNA: Wait - she said she didn’t feel anything?

HYDE: Whatever.

DONNA: But what about you?

Donna and Eric both break into matching grins. Hyde shifts in his chair.

HYDE: (beat) Oh, no. You got it all wrong, man.

ERIC: Oh, I don’t think so, Hyde.

HYDE: No, I - so she thought the kiss was -

DONNA: Oh my god, you kissed?

ERIC: The horror!

Donna and Eric gape at Hyde, who jumps to his feet.

HYDE: Hey - listen to me! I do not like Jackie! I can’t like Jackie! I only took her on that stupid date to shut her up about all this fantasy hero-worship crap she’s been on! So we kissed, and she felt nothing, and she hasn’t said anything and - and I don’t care! It’s cool! It’s - it’s totally cool.

ERIC: Oh...well... (reaches out to take Hyde’s hand) It’s OK, Hyde. I know your poor orphan heart’s breaking now, but you’ll find true love some day.

Hyde yanks his hand free and storms out of the basement, while Eric and Donna fall against each other, laughing.

MAIN CREDITS

BUMPER

INT. FOREMAN BASEMENT - DAY

The next morning. Hyde sits in his chair eating oatmeal. Eric and Donna, dressed for winter, sit on the couch. They stare at Hyde and grin. As Hyde raises a spoonful toward his mouth, he stops, but doesn’t turn to face Eric and Donna. They don’t stop staring. Hyde resumes eating, but pauses again with the next spoonful. Eric and Donna keep grinning at him. Hyde finishes his bite, but when they still won’t stop, he shoves his spoon into his oatmeal and turns to face them.

HYDE: This is going in both your faces if you don’t knock it off. I swear to God.

DONNA: I can’t believe it. Tough, trouble-making Steven Hyde - no ties, no girlfriends - falls in love with Jackie Burkhart.

She cracks up as she says the name, and she and Eric lean their heads against each other as they laugh.

HYDE: I don’t “love” anyone. If I wanted to date Jackie, my interest would be strictly academic.

ERIC: Academic?

HYDE: Yeah, man. Think of it like an experiment. See, Jackie comes from money. Corrupt, Republican, corporate stooge money. She comes from the Man. Now, I’ve already taught Jackie zen. If I bring her into the full world of experience offered by sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll, then I’m turning the Man’s own child against him. 

Eric and Donna stare skeptically.

HYDE (cont’d): See? It’s like, I’m the virus, and Jackie’s patient zero. Through her, I corrupt the system from the inside. That’s how you bring on the revolution, man!

ERIC: Your lips mouthed some conspiracy mumbo-jumbo, but all my ears heard was “I wish she were mine.”

Donna starts laughing again. Hyde flings some oatmeal Eric’s way, and he dodges it.

ERIC: I dunno, Donna. Someone might have beat us to the draw on the bedroom this weekend. We might have to settle for the back of the van.

DONNA: Oh...as long as I’m with you, Eric.

ERIC: That’s my girl.

They cuddle.

HYDE: What are you talking about?

ERIC: You know - the cabin.

HYDE: What cabin?

DONNA: The trip to Kelso’s uncle’s cabin. Didn’t he tell you? We’re leaving any minute.

A horn honks off-screen. The three share looks and head upstairs.

CUT TO:

EXT. FOREMAN DRIVEWAY - DAY

It is a cold, snowy day, and KELSO is standing in front of his van, parked with its back facing the road. He paces and rubs his hands together. Hyde, Eric, and Donna come outside through the kitchen.

KELSO: Hey. So, you guys ready to go?

HYDE: Kelso, man, what the hell? You didn’t tell me about this trip?

Kelso looks as if he just noticed Hyde was there.

KELSO: Oh. I’m sorry, Hyde. I forgot.

HYDE: Well, as long as there’s beer, I’ll forgive you. (claps Kelso’s shoulder) Let’s get going.

KELSO: Wait, Hyde. You can’t come.

HYDE: Why not?

KELSO: Because! Because...

He steps around Hyde to reach Eric and Donna.

KELSO (cont’d): OK, I might as well let you in on my master plan here. See, what this whole trip is about is a romantic double date, with you two, me, and Jackie.

ERIC: OK, see, Kelso - double dates usually work better when the second couple are actually dating.

KELSO: So, it’s a secret double date. I told Jackie the whole gang was coming, but I didn’t invite Hyde or Fez. (to Hyde) No offense.

DONNA: (beat) I’m out.

She and Eric both turn to head back inside, but Kelso moves to block their way.

KELSO: No, I need you guys! Look - I wanna win Jackie back. I love her, I miss her...and I’ve been getting, like, nothing from Laurie lately.

Donna rolls her eyes, Eric grins, and Hyde fumes. Kelso ignores them all.

KELSO (cont’d): I wanna show her that I’ve changed. That I’m not the lying, cheating guy I was when we dated the first time. Or the second.

HYDE: By tricking her into a double date when you haven’t even broken it off with Laurie yet?

KELSO: Exactly! And, Eric and Donna, you guys are, like, the perfect couple, so if you’re there, I can just copy all the sissy, loser things that Eric does, and I’m gold!

ERIC: I mean - he asks so nicely, how could we refuse?

DONNA: Kelso, I am not doing this!

KELSO: Oh, come on! You guys get a romantic weekend out of it, and I’ll have tons of beer! We won’t even need a refrigerator 'cause it’s so freaking cold! (crosses to Hyde) Oh, but I need to grab the beer and gas on the way, so...I kinda need it back.

He holds out his hand.

HYDE: You need what back?

KELSO: You know...my money.

HYDE: What money?

KELSO: My money from the poker game last night.

HYDE: Kelso, that’s my money.

KELSO: No, it’s mine! I brought it!

HYDE: And you lost it!

KELSO: Well, since when does losing it to you in a poker game make it your money?

Hyde stares, and Eric and Donna roll their eyes.

HYDE: OK - fine, Kelso. I’ll pay for this trip - with my money - on one condition: I come too.

KELSO: What? No, Hyde! That throws off my whole plan!

HYDE: Then you’re not getting my money.

KELSO: Well, what do you want to come for anyway?

ERIC: Yes, Hyde - what do you want to come for?

HYDE: (beat) Kelso, all your master plans are stupid and blow up in your face. I could spend my poker winnings on beer, movies, and nudie mags, but those are there every weekend. Watching you crash and burn - that’s something special, man. And I don’t wanna miss it.

KELSO: (beat) Alright, you’re in. But we’re not bringing Fez! He’s all over Jackie right now, and I don’t need him trying to sabotage me.

ERIC: Yes, we wouldn’t want that. Would we, Hyde?

Hyde glares at Eric, who moves with Kelso to get into the front of the van. Hyde and Donna linger by the back. Donna takes a few steps toward Hyde.

DONNA: Hyde - you really do care about her, don’t you?

Hyde shifts on his feet.

HYDE: No...but do you wanna go through all that again? (imitating Jackie) “Oh my god, you’re so beautiful, Michael!” (imitating Kelso) “Oh my god, you’re so beautiful, Jackie!” (imitating Jackie) “But you screwed Laurie and made out with Pam Macy - you’re a dirty dog and an idiot!” (imitating Kelso) “Well, I’m gonna keep cheating on you, talk about breaking up behind your back every five seconds, then cry like a bitch when you break up with my dumb ass!”

DONNA: (laughing) Well, deny it all you want - this is the sweetest I think I’ve ever seen you. But I think it’s good for Jackie that she’s on her own right now. So please tell me you’re not gonna use this trip to crawl all over her like these other dorks.

HYDE: It’s like I told you - she didn’t feel anything. That’s that.

He looks down at the ground. Donna sighs, and reaches out to rub his shoulder.

DONNA (cont’d): Ugh, I can’t believe Kelso. And what about poor Fez? We’re leaving him all alone this whole weekend.

HYDE: Actually, I think he’ll be fine. He had some plans.

DONNA: What plans?

CUT TO:

INT. MOVIE THEATER - DAY

A packed theater sits back to enjoy a special screening of WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. Pan across the first row until we arrive on FEZ, munching away at popcorn and chocolate. His eyes are wide and his mouth hangs open.

FILM (aud. only): Who can take a sunrise (who can take a sunrise) Sprinkle it with dew (sprinkle it with dew) Cover it with choc'late and a miracle or two...

Fez sits up straight and sings out, as loud as he can...

FEZ & FILM:  The Candy Man! Oh, the Candy Man can!

Everyone sitting around Fez glares at him. He smiles apologetically and slumps back down into his seat.

CUT TO:

INT. FOREMAN LIVING ROOM - DAY

LAURIE sits on the couch in her bathrobe. She watches TV and sips at a mug of coffee. KITTY enters through the kitchen door. Seeing Laurie, she sucks in a deep breath and puts on a hard smile.

KITTY: Good afternoon, sunshine. We missed you at lunch. And breakfast. And dinner last night.

LAURIE: Yeah...I would’ve made it, but it interfered with my plans to not spend more time in this dump than I have to.

KITTY: (Laughs) So, ah - what do you have planned for the day?

LAURIE: Same as every day. Lie here, do my nails, avoid talking to you. It’s not going that well so far.

Kitty crosses to turn off the TV. Laurie makes a hollow gesture of protest, but doesn’t stir from her spot as Kitty joins her on the couch.

KITTY: Honey, you’ve done nothing but party all night and sleep all day for months.

LAURIE: Oh, come on, Mom.

KITTY: Oh, not ‘come on.’ Sweetie, I’m worried about you. The way you’re going, you’re going to end up like...like Aunt Martha.

Laurie sits up straight.

LAURIE: You think I’ll end up like Fat Martha? With the beer gut?

KITTY: The poor woman couldn’t even play putt-putt.

Laurie stands.

LAURIE: I can’t believe you’d say that about your own daughter! And if I ever take three hours at that game, it’s only because it’s really hard to get it in the hole!

She storms upstairs. Kitty picks up the coffee mug she left behind.

KITTY: Not a problem anyone’s ever had with you, I’m sure.

CUT TO:

EXT. ICE CABIN - DAY

Hyde and Eric unload the van as Donna, Kelso, and JACKIE stand back and take in the small, rickety ICE SHACK sitting on top of the frozen lake. Kelso grins, while the girls look incredulous.

DONNA: This is your uncle’s cabin?

KELSO: Yeah...now that we’re here, I guess I can tell you that part too. It’s more of an ice shack.

JACKIE: It’s an outhouse!

KELSO: No, it’s an ice shack!

He crosses over to a large metal barrel just outside the shack.

KELSO (cont’d): This is the outhouse. And the hot tub.

The girls glare. They join Eric and Hyde on their way back to the van, but Kelso walks after them.

KELSO (con’d): It’s for fishing. My uncle comes out here all the time! It’s gonna be a blast. Just us, in this beautiful snow, all weekend long, with plenty of beer. And we can catch all the fish we want!

HYDE: Oh, I see. So, on the ride back from this weekend in Hell, we can enjoy the smell of dead fish the whole way home? Oh, boy!

Jackie moves to Hyde’s left, as far from Kelso as she can get. Donna takes a step closer to Eric.

DONNA: It’s kind of cold.

ERIC: Oh, here - take my jacket.

He shrugs his jacket off and drapes it over Donna’s shoulders.

DONNA: I love you!

ERIC: God, were are such the...

They both turn to look at Kelso.

ERIC (cont’d): ...Perfect couple.

Kelso rolls his eyes. Jackie shivers.

JACKIE: I’m cold, too.

KELSO: Well, damn, Jackie, I can’t control the weather!

He notices Eric and Donna glaring at him, and catches on to his mistake.

KELSO (cont’d): I mean - of course you’re cold, Jackie!

He makes a big show of taking his jacket off and presenting it to her.

KELSO (cont’d): Here - take my jacket.

It is now Jackie’s turn to roll her eyes.

JACKIE: Forget it. Donna, let’s go inside.

DONNA: (to Eric) How does that sound to you, honey?

ERIC: I think that sounds like a great idea, sweetie.

DONNA: Oh my God, let’s go!

The two of them link hands and follow Jackie towards the ice shack. Kelso starts to follow, but Jackie holds up a hand to stop him.

JACKIE: You’re not coming in.

KELSO: What? Jackie, it’s my uncle’s cabin!

ERIC: Well, Kelso, you can always warm yourself up in the hot tub.

He drums lightly on the rim of the barrel. He disappears inside the shack with Donna. Jackie lingers in the doorway and looks at Hyde, still by the van.

JACKIE: Steven, are you coming?

HYDE: In a minute. Think I’ll fumigate the van for a little while first.

JACKIE: Won’t you be cold?

HYDE: (shrugs) I don’t feel anything.

He and Jackie look at each other. Jackie breaks away first, disappearing inside the shack and closing the door behind her. Kelso crosses over to Hyde and scoffs.

KELSO: Man, can you believe this? I mean, what’s the point of bringing Eric and Donna along if copying all his dorky moves doesn’t work?

HYDE: Yeah, man. It’s almost as if a half-assed plan to trick a girl into liking you by pretending to be someone you’re not is a bad idea.

KELSO: I know, right? I mean, that’s impossible, but it’s so close to what’s happening here.

Hyde sighs, claps Kelso on the shoulder, and pulls him along as he steps into the van.

BUMPER

INT. MOVIE THEATER - DAY

WILLY WONKA continues. The “PURE IMAGINATION” song plays off-screen. Fez has finished his popcorn, and is now chewing a piece of bubble gum. As the song’s first three chimes sound, he blows a bubble. On the second three chimes, he sucks the bubble back in his mouth. He repeats this pattern two more times, the bubble getting larger and larger each time, until...

CUT TO:

The bubble blows up, becoming a pink BUMPER.

FEZ (V.O.): Ai!

FADE TO:

INT. VAN - EVENING

A CIRCLE is in progess, starting on Hyde.

HYDE: Man, Kelso, I am so happy I’m not in your shoes right now. I mean, every part of your plan - the trip, the cabin, copying Foreman - has backfired. This was such a good way to blow that poker money!

Pan to Kelso.

KELSO: Jackie just doesn’t know how much fun ice fishing is. I mean, I was out here for four days with my uncle once. He fell in the ice, lost all his fish, and woke up a hibernating bear. I laughed my ass off! And I’m tired of everyone ragging on the shack. It’s cozy.

Pan to Hyde.

HYDE: Kelso, “cozy” is sharing a bed, or a couch, or the back seat of a Lincoln. Dragging a chick along under false pretenses is no way to get cozy anywhere. If you want to get down and dirty in a place that’s down and dirty, you’ve gotta be up-front about it.

Pan to Kelso.

KELSO: You’re just not thinking about what you can do when you throw a cot over the ice hole and...wait. Jackie drives her dad’s Lincoln...

Pan to Hyde.

HYDE: Yeah, well, that’s just...whatever. Look, Kelso - why do you even wanna do this, man? You’re still with Laurie, and Jackie’s moving on. Seeing other people. And some of them are pretty cool. Can’t you just give her a break?

Pan to Kelso.

KELSO: Man, it’s just not the same with Laurie. I mean, I know Jackie. I understand Jackie. I care about Jackie. And...and why do you care so much about Jackie?

The circle is broken. Hyde and Kelso stare at each other from opposite ends of the back of the van.

HYDE: What? That’s crazy, man! Who said I cared about Jackie?

KELSO: Yeah, you totally care! You let her take you to the mall after we broke up, you went to jail for her, and...and you took her on that date on Veteran’s Day!

HYDE: No I didn’t.

KELSO: You so did! And you’re keeping me in here, when I could be in there doing it!

HYDE: Kelso, Foreman and Donna are in there. The only thing you’re gonna “do” is get your nose rubbed in how much better they are at this than you.

KELSO: Oh, yeah? Well, just what happened on your date? You scam on her?

 HYDE: What? No, man! It was nothing!

KELSO: You did it in the back of the Lincoln, didn’t you? Man, you don’t do that with another guy’s girl! That’s where we used to do it!

HYDE: We didn’t do it! And you also don’t trick your ex-girlfriend out to a frozen hell-hole so you can try and win her back while you’re still seeing the skank you cheated on her with. And Jackie’s not your girl anymore!

KELSO: Well, is she yours?

HYDE: She’s nobody’s! She said it herself at the end of the date, the kiss meant nothing!

KELSO: (gasps) Kiss? You’re dead, Hyde!

Kelso launches himself across the van at Hyde, and the two begin wrestling.

CUT TO:

INT. ICE SHACK - EVENING

Concurrent with the scene above. The shack is even dirtier-looking on the inside, with various pieces of fishing gear and winter clothing adorning the rough walls. Benches surround three sides of a square hole in the ice. Eric and Donna share the right bench, while Jackie sits on the center one. Eric has a fishing line in the water.

ERIC: Boy, ice fishing’s fun. Don’t you just love it here, Donna?

DONNA: Oh, Eric...it doesn’t matter where we are. It’s being together that makes it fun.

ERIC: You’d rather be anywhere else, wouldn’t you?

DONNA: Literally anywhere. You know me so well.

ERIC: Eskimo kiss!

They start nuzzling noses. Jackie looks on in disgust.

JACKIE: What the hell is with you two today?

Eric drapes an arm around Donna, and they both smile at Jackie.

ERIC: Oh, didn’t Kelso tell you? We’re the...(with Donna) perfect couple.

JACKIE: Yeah - perfectly nauseating!

ERIC: Well, if you don’t like what you see in here, missy, there’s some beautiful scenery and a wind chill near 10 just waiting for you outside.

JACKIE: At least you’re better company than Michael. God, can you believe that idiot? Who picks a small, smelly shack like this for a friends’ weekend? I don’t even think we could fit everyone in here!

ERIC: (flat) Oh, no. How could Kelso make such a terrible mistake?

Jackie pouts and looks at the door.

JACKIE: What’s keeping Steven? I hope he’s not too cold.

ERIC: Oh, a little worried about ‘Steven,’ are we?

Donna swats his chest playfully, and he withdraws his arm from her shoulder.

DONNA: (to Jackie) Jackie, we were saying earlier that it’s a bit strange you didn’t have anything to say after your date with Hyde the other day.

JACKIE: (shrugs) I didn’t think there was anything to say. I mean, at the time, I thought it was the most romantic moment of my life. Steven was jealous, he defended my honor, he took me out...and for a poor person, he can splurge when he wants to, ‘cause we got the good pizza. But when we got to the kiss, there just wasn’t anything there.

ERIC: Wait, so - Hyde can’t french? Well, that is just so good to know.

JACKIE: No, it wasn’t that. It was a hot kiss. I mean, hot. I just didn’t feel any different than I had all day.

DONNA: (beat) Jackie, you spent that whole day obsessed with Hyde.

JACKIE: (beat) Hey. Hey, you’re right, Donna! And Steven - Steven said he didn’t feel anything either, but only after I said I didn’t feel anything. And just now, when I asked him if he was cold, he said it again. But not like he really didn’t feel anything. More like he was upset.

ERIC: Jackie, to be fair, we’re sitting in an ice shack we were told was a cabin, with a trash can just outside that’s going to be our toilet and bath for the whole weekend. ‘Upset’ covers pretty much everyone right now.

JACKIE: Oh my God. What if Steven did feel something? And he just covered it up because he’s vulnerable and afraid and thinks no one would ever love him with those awful sideburns? And what if the reason I didn’t feel anything during the kiss is because I was already feeling all my love for Steven the whole day up to that point?

She rises and starts for the door, but Donna reaches out to take her sleeve. Jackie sits back down.

DONNA: OK, Jackie, slow down. Ever since you and Kelso broke up, you’ve been all over the place with guys, but the last few days, you haven’t worried about that at all. And I think that’s good for you.

JACKIE: But Donna, I have to talk to Steven. What if -

DONNA: You can talk to him, Jackie. I’m just saying that everyone needs some time alone. You can get to know yourself and get more comfortable with who you are.

ERIC: Yeah, Jackie. At least until you find your... (puts his arm back around Donna) ...perfect couple.

DONNA: (laughs) Yeah. (beat) And, you know. After that, too. Sometimes.

ERIC: What do you mean?

DONNA: Well, Eric, I love you, but I need some time for me too.

ERIC: Yeah, but that’s not what you’re talking about. You’re talking about time to yourself as in, not being with anyone. Are you saying you’d want a break from...from us?

DONNA: Eric, it’s not a big deal. I mean, you need some time to yourself too. It’s not like we go everywhere together. We don’t go to the bathroom together.

ERIC: (voice breaking) Well, we’ll have to up here! We don’t have a choice!

Before they can continue arguing, a loud crack sounds from outside the shack, and Kelso and Eric’s yelps can be heard. Eric, Donna, and Jackie hurry to the door.

CUT TO:

EXT. ICE SHACK - EVENING

The door to the shack opens, and Eric, Donna, and Jackie spill out just as Hyde and Kelso leap out of the back of the van. Hyde’s sunglasses are crooked and he holds his right hand in his left. Kelso has his right hand over his right eye. The cracking sound continues.

ERIC: You guys, what happened?

KELSO: I don’t know. All of a sudden, the van just started shaking!

HYDE: ‘All of a sudden?’ You jumped me, you tool!

DONNA: Uh...guys?

Everyone turns to watch as Kelso’s van slowly sinks into the ice. Kelso looks horrified, while the others seem torn between anger and schadenfreude. Kelso whips his belt off.

KELSO: Quick, everyone give me your belts. Together, we can pull it out!

A splash of water shoots up as the van begins sinking quicker. Everyone takes a step back. Kelso looks around pleadingly, but no one else moves to take their belts off. The van disappears beneath the water.

HYDE: Man, this master plan just keeps getting better and better. For me.

JACKIE: (to Kelso) Michael, what ‘master plan?’

KELSO: Who cares, Jackie? I’m losing my van!

Jackie pouts at Kelso as he stares at the hole where his van used to be. Hyde rubs his right hand, and Eric and Donna glare at each other.

FADE TO BLACK

COMMERCIAL

BUMPER

INT. ICE SHACK - NIGHT

Later that night. Donna sits on the right bench alone, while Jackie and Hyde share the left bench. Donna has her arms crossed, and Jackie watches while Hyde holds a cold beer can to the knuckles of his right hand.

Someone bangs on the door.

KELSO (v.o.): OK guys, I’m getting really tired of being kicked out of my shack!

No one even looks up.

ERIC (v.o.): Donna? Honey? I think this is enough alone time for one night, OK?

DONNA: (stands) Can it, you dillholes!

She sits back down. Jackie takes the beer can from Hyde.

JACKIE: Here, let me help you.

She holds it to his knuckles.

HYDE: Don’t hang on to it too long. I need it cold when I pop it open to drink.

Jackie rolls her eyes and looks around the shack.

JACKIE: God, how could Michael think this would win me back? After all the crap he did, he’d have to take me to Aspen before I’d even consider letting him touch me again.

HYDE: You mean you’d consider it at all?

JACKIE: (beat) No. Why, do you care?

HYDE: (beat) Whatever.

They look away from each other. Another knock comes to the door.

ERIC (v.o.): OK, we’re gonna go for help, but just so you know - Kelso’s already talking about sharing warmth, and I don’t know how long this walk is, so you just think about that during your alone time, missy!

Donna, Jackie, and Hyde all share looks of disgust.

CUT TO:

INT. FOREMAN LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Kitty paces behind the couch nervously, while RED sits in his chair reading the paper. Laurie enters from the stairs.

LAURIE: Alright, I’m here. Let’s get this over with.

She throws herself down on the couch.

KITTY: Good evening to you too. Honey, we feel that you need some direction in your life.

RED: (not looking up) And by we, she means her.

Kitty scowls at Red before turning back to Laurie.

KITTY: Laurie, you have no future ahead of you, and you have nothing in your life right now. Just look at how you spent today. You sat around, watched TV, and drank all your father’s beer.

RED: (looks up) And in the future, always save one beer for Daddy.

LAURIE: (to Kitty) Look, will you get off my back? I have a plan for my future, alright? Find a guy who’s loaded and get married.

KITTY: You? Married? I think you left out the part about the unexpected pregnancy and the quickie divorce for your fiancee!

RED: See, Kitty? She has it all worked out. She’ll find someone who’s rich, and nice, and...not Kelso. Someone who can take care of her.

LAURIE: Exactly! (beat) But - Daddy, I could have a career of my own if I wanted, right?

RED: (beat) Well, sure. I just don’t want you to set yourself up for...like what happened at the college. If you set the bar too high, the fall might be...you’re just so pretty!

KITTY: Oh, I give up.

She storms upstairs. Red stands.

RED: Kitty, wait! (to Laurie) Here’s five dollars.

He slips her a five and runs after his wife. Laurie stares at the money and sighs.

The doorbell rings. Laurie stands and crosses to the door. She opens it to reveal Fez, his face and hair a sticky pink mess of bubble gum.

LAURIE: What the hell happened to you?

FEZ: Please don’t laugh. They all laughed. The audience, the usher, the ticket boy...even the Oompa-Loompas seemed to mock me with their doompaty-doo-doo.

Laurie bites her finger to keep back a laugh.

FEZ (cont’d): I cannot get the sticky out! Please, help me?

LAURIE: (shrugs) Well, at least someone’s day sucks worse than mine. Get in here.

She takes Fez by the shoulder and pulls him inside. She struggles to get her hand free; once she does, she lightly pokes him in the back with one finger to guide him into the kitchen.

CUT TO:

INT. ICE SHACK - NIGHT

Donna stands and looks out the window. Hyde and Jackie still share the left bench. Hyde is now drinking his beer, while Jackie holds his right hand and examines his knuckles.

JACKIE: What I don’t understand, Steven, is why you’d even come on this stupid trip if you didn’t care about what Michael was up to.

HYDE: Have you been sleeping this whole time? Gilligan does better with plans than Kelso. I’m getting prime-time entertainment here - with beer.

He holds up his can and takes a sip.

JACKIE: Then why did you keep Michael outside instead of watching him try something with me? And (holds up Hyde’s hand) what were you two fighting about in the van?

HYDE: (beat) Uh...boy, Foreman’s sure been gone a long time, huh, Donna?

DONNA: Yeah. I hope he’s OK. (turns to face the others) But what did he have to get so worked up for? I’m with him. I love him. Why can’t he see that ‘time alone’ for me doesn’t mean ‘time broken up from him?’

HYDE: Come on, Donna. If it surprises you that Foreman’s a spaz at this point, you haven’t been paying attention. I mean, the guy’s got no self-esteem. He’s still floored you’re even with him. Yeah, he was a little insecure, but you didn’t need to leave him out there with Kelso. I don’t know what that guy meant by sharing warmth, but whatever it is, Foreman’s not gonna like it.

DONNA: (laughs) OK, maybe that was a little much. (looks back to window) I wish they’d get back soon.

JACKIE: (to Hyde) And what about your insecurities, Steven? Did you or did you not feel something after our date on Veteran’s Day?

HYDE: (beat) Does it matter? You didn’t feel anything.

JACKIE: Well...

HYDE: Wait. You did feel something?

JACKIE: (beat) I thought I didn’t. But now, I think maybe I did. Ugh, I don’t know!

HYDE: Well...(beat) I did. And I do.

Jackie’s left hand goes over her heart. Donna looks back over to them, grinning.

DONNA: Aww...

HYDE (cont’d): (to Donna) Get bent! (to Jackie) So, what happens now?

Jackie closes both her hands around Hyde’s right.

JACKIE: I think Donna was right that I need some time for myself. But, when that’s over, I want to give us another chance. So, Steven - will you wait for me?

HYDE: So, you use me as a shoulder to cry on over Kelso, stalk me for weeks, send me to jail, and when we finally go on a date and I tell you I felt something, you expect me to wait around while you take time to sort things out? (beat) God help me, I’ll do it.

Jackie beams and throws her arms around Hyde’s neck. He struggles to keep a straight face as he pats her back. Donna happily looks on.

CUT TO:

INT. FOREMAN LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Red leads Kitty back down the stairs.

RED: Now, try not to worry so much. Laurie’s just a child, after all.

KITTY: She was a child ten years ago, Red. She is a woman, and that woman is going to end up with a beer gut and gout!

Red sighs. He takes Kitty over to the couch, and they both sit down.

Laurie bursts in from the kitchen.

LAURIE: (to Kitty) OK, look. The reason I haven’t done anything with my life is because I didn’t know what I wanted to do.

KITTY: Well, sweetie, the post office has a dental plan that’s -

LAURIE: Shhh! But earlier tonight, something happened that made me realize that I’ve found my passion. Hair!

KITTY: (beat) The musical?

LAURIE: No! (she tugs on her hair) Hair! Look!

She steps to the right of the kitchen door and holds out her hands in presentation. Fez steps out, with a short, closely-cropped hairstyle. All trace of gum is gone. He stands with his hands on his hips and a very satisfied expression.

LAURIE (cont’d): Fez had a little accident, and I fixed it! And when I thought about it, I could see that this is where all my talents were! Mom, Daddy - I’m going to beauty school!

KITTY: This isn’t something you do through the mail, is it?

LAURIE: No. It’s a real school!

KITTY: Oh. Well...yay!

She starts applauding.

RED: Congratulations, sweetheart!

LAURIE: Thanks, Daddy! (to Fez) Come on, Fez. Let me practice a manicure on you, and I’ll introduce you to my easy friend Susanne.

Fez grins, and he lets Laurie usher him back into the kitchen.

RED: So, Kitty, what do you think?

KITTY: Eh.

RED: Yeah.

He turns on the TV, and they settle down on the couch.

CUT TO:

INT. ICE SHACK - NIGHT

Everyone is still in their same places. A knock sounds at the door. Donna hurries to unlock it. Eric is waiting outside, his cheeks and nose red with the cold.

DONNA: Oh my God. Are you alright?

ERIC: Oh, yeah. Three mile walk to the nearest rest stop, three miles back, snow, wind chill, no big deal.

Donna cups his head in her hands and kisses him.

DONNA (cont’d): Eric, I’m sorry.

ERIC: (beat) Me too. (gestures over his shoulder) One of the truckers offered us a ride. He’s waiting outside.

DONNA: My hero.

ERIC: Perfect couple?

DONNA: Of course!

They share another Eskimo kiss, gather up their things, and head outside. Jackie and Hyde stand. As Jackie collects her bag, Hyde takes his jacket off and puts it around her. She looks at him.

HYDE: (shrugs) You looked kind of cold.

JACKIE: Thank you.

She briefly places a hand on his cheek. They get their things and head outside.

CUT TO:

EXT. ICE SHACK - NIGHT

Kelso is standing right by the doorway of the shack as Hyde and Jackie leave. He notices Hyde’s coat around Jackie, and that the two are walking closely together and smiling at one another. He gasps in shock.

FADE TO BLACK

CREDITS

INT. FOREMAN BASEMENT - NIGHT

Fez, in his new haircut with Eric’s bathrobe over his clothes and Red’s hat in his hands, dances around the basement while “I’VE GOT A GOLDEN TICKET” plays on the record player. He uses a pool cue as a cane.

END.

[handonhaven]

I wasn't planning on talking about this, but ever since the trailer and the summery of episode 1 came out certain people have gone into overdrive. Pretty much all the same stuff they always say. "Hope should just dump Landon, he doesn't deserve her love and devotion" 😑😑😑 and "They made Hopes whole story just be about a boy. Why does Landon/Handon get so much screen time over all the other characters?" Etc etc.

Okay look Landon is the only one who's actaully earned Hopes love and devotion. Everyone else just acts as if they're entitled to it. With how they always treat her(very unpopular opinion I know but it's true).

Hopes story has never been all about Landon. It's always been about saving everyone else, doing what's best for everyone. Even if it means sacrificing herself and what she wants/what makes her happy. Season 3 was the first season she actively put herself and what she wants first(and even then she still was doing what was best for everyone else at times). And a part of that just so happens to be Landon because she loves him and he's the one who makes her the most happy. And in 3x05 when Hope was in the therapy box was a whole give a way. That she's just tried and done always putting herself last and sacrificing what she loves(ie Landon and what else she just doesn't want to sacrifice anymore) just to save everyone else. And I honestly don't blame her for some of the things she did in s3, not excusing what she did not at all. But at the same time I don't blame her.

Now what I'm about to say might upset some people but there's two reason why Landon/Handon gets so much screen time is bc 1. Landon is a lead and at the very core of legacies is Handons story, so of course they'll be getting more screen time. And I think 3x16 was trying to drive that home of a lot of people. As well as about a 100 other that have been shown/said throughout the show.

2. The other reason why other characters don't get much screen time or even a storyline is bc more often than not is bc the writers/showrunners just don't really care all that much for those characters. One example of that is Rafael. And as much as I love his character, you can just tell the feeling wasn't the same for them. Bc he was gone for must of s2 and when he was around they made him be all about his feelings for Hope. Same thing goes for the twins. You can just tell that they didn't really want to have them in the show in first place(even Juile herself said she didn't want the twins. But things change I guess). Because they've haven't been doing anything with their characters, they've done more with Cleo's character than they have with the twins. I think the most I've seen them do with the twins was the whole dark Josie storyline. The rest of the time their storylines have been about love interests. I'm not sure if I forgot any of their other storylines bc once s3 hit I just kind of stopped paying attention to their storylines(not bc I don't like their characters but bc their stories just kind of just keep going around in circles and I really don't want to watch the same thing over and over again). And idk if in season 4 they're going to start giving the twins and other characters more screen time/ more storylines but I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't.

Wow sorry that got long haha. But any thoughts on this?

It’s just the same old thing with the antis, can they really not think of anything else to say? But yeah, everything you said. What is it Landon has to do to earn Hope’s love and devotion? You’re so right, he treats Hope far better than any of the other characters do, unpopular opinion or not, that’s the truth. He’s not done anything that’s made him undeserving of her love. And for them to even say that after he went his whole life without being loved is horrible. And I’m so tired of them saying Hope’s storyline revolves around a boy (especially when all most of them want is for her storyline to revolve around Josie), because exactly! They must not be paying attention to the show if they don’t see that Hope’s storyline has always been about her being the hero and saving everyone. Which is why them saying that Landon is all Hope cares about and all she thinks about contradicts her actions throughout the show when she has continuously been there for everyone. And yep, to the point where she has sacrificed her own happiness with Landon for the sake of everyone else. And yes, I loved Hope’s development in s3 because she was finally putting herself and her happiness first. And that didn’t mean that she no longer cared about her friends because, like you said, she was still trying to be there for them and do what was best for them too. And exactly, Landon is the one who makes Hope happy, and I felt so bad for her in the therapy box in 3x05. That really did say it all, you could definitely tell that she’s so tired and just wants to be happy for once. And same with in 3x10, when she said “we can never just be happy,” it never seems to end for her. And I don’t blame her for what she did in s3 either. And you’ve also gotta consider that everyone had pushed her into a position where she was most desperate and left with no other options. Plus she also didn’t even think Lizzie or Josie would be in danger in 3x08, and she believed they could make it until the dark magic started to infect them and then she apologized. But what she did still ultimately ended up saving Landon from the prison world, otherwise they may never have found another way if they hadn’t created a rift.

And very true about screen time for Handon. People still refuse to believe that Landon is the male lead despite Aria’s name appearing right after Danielle’s in the credits and Julie literally saying that they casted Aria to be the leading man of Legacies when he auditioned for TO. Both Hope and Landon are the leads of the show, and yep, their story is the main story, so obviously it’s gonna get more focus. And yes, that’s been made clear throughout the show.

It does seem like the writers don’t care as much about the other characters. And I love Raf too, don’t get me started on the way they treated him. And it’s so weird because it seemed like they had bigger plans for him at the beginning. It took them a while to find Peyton, if I remember right. And I thought he and Landon were gonna be the brothers of the show, it seemed like they were setting up a love triangle of sorts with them and Hope (not that I wanted that), but then, like you said, he was hardly in s2. It’s like they scrapped any plans they had for him and didn’t know what to do with him after s1, even though there was so much potential.

And yeah, same with the twins. But idk if Julie said she didn’t want the twins on the show? I just thought having them on the show, at least as mains, wasn’t always part of the plan. They had always talked about a “Hope spinoff,” no mention of the twins. Julie had said Hope and the twins wouldn’t be friends because of the age gap. And from 5x12 of TO, I’d guess they hadn’t planned on them being mains for Legacies at that point either, otherwise they wouldn’t have made the age gap so obvious. And they had no interactions between Hope and the twins either, yet they made sure to establish a relationship between Hope and Landon in that episode. So I do feel like Handon was always part of the plan and they most likely decided to have the twins be main characters later on. And that really does show because they don’t seem to know what to do with them anymore either. True, they definitely did more with Cleo last season than the twins, and I do feel like the dark Josie storyline was the last real storyline they had. And I agree, their storylines now mostly have to do with love interests, and they do feel repetitive or just like they’re not going anywhere. And people will complain about Handon being repetitive, but look at what they do with the other characters, it’s far worse. Despite there being some repetition with Handon, like with them being separated and being put through horrible things all the time, there’s still development and progression. But with the rest of the characters, I feel like there’s hardly any progression at all. I feel like they’ve even gone backwards with some of the characters as well, especially last season. I actually thought the writing for the twins, and all the characters, was pretty good in s1. I liked all the characters and was interested in their storylines, but now, especially after s3, I’m just not interested anymore. S3 really changed my mind about some of the characters tbh, mostly because of the way they treated Landon and Hope. So idk if they’re gonna give the other characters more screen time or better storylines in s4 either. But honestly, because some of the characters have kinda been ruined for me, I’m not even sure if I’d care much if they did give them more of a storyline. I’m really just watching for Hope and Landon at this point, ngl. But hopefully, for everyone else’s sake, they can do more for the other characters next season that other fans will enjoy.

[televinita]

Zoo 3x08

♫ If you’re looking for truth, don’t come looking for me ♫

-- Echosmith, “Safest Place”

And if you are looking for me, I will be over here playing Mitch's new theme song on repeat while you read.

But first:

WELL ALL RIGHT THEN. Abigail found the secret passcode to earning my wrath, and it's called "emotionally torturing Jackson about his family and failure to save them and/or being responsible for their deaths" (LISTEN ZOO I know you don't know this but I am still pretty emotionally compromised about The O.C. and Ryan's savior complex and the number it did on his head after a certain fiery car accident of his own, so I don't think now is the best time to prod this wound.)

I'm not saying I can't use this footage of Jackson strung up by his wrists, or that I didn't feast like a tiger upon the spoils of said emotional torture, just that.......actually on second thought I can't remember why I came to this review complaining.

(Also wow I really enjoy the part where Jackson started to snap out of Zen mode when he heard she'd compromised Mitch, and him desperately trying to talk Mitch out of Duncan mode. I still do not know quite how to articulate what it is that delights me about their relationship to each other, but Jackson's side of it was on full display)

Alpha Ship

Keep you far, keep you far from what I know You'll be fine, you'll be fine, just don't look closely now

First of all,

"Aunt Jamie can't really hold her liquor" OMG. I'll take "things that definitely still happen in the AU where Mitch and Jamie had a life together" for $200, Alex. (that quote in some context, at least. maybe not the two-man abduction carry)

Anyway I am just gonna be over here making high pitched squeals about Mitch smoothing her hair out of her face and everything else about these 4 seconds before Max starts talking, because I kinda feel like this is as close to an aftermath-of-rescue with them in these positions as we're going to get this year, and I would like to to wring every drop of visible Caring I can out of it.

"If the team finds out what I've done, I will lose everything. I'll lose Clem -- Jamie -- everything."

Well that hurt me good and deep. Can someone please call all the ambulances? My heart is under attack.

He has a fair point to be worried about: even if they understand, how would they in good conscience be able to keep him around if they don't know what he can do as Mr. Duncan, or how Mr. Duncan takes over? How can they be sure of their own safety alone with him, given how the biodrive might affect things?

On bright side: I forgot I had seen the kiss in this episode early, so that was a bolt out of the blue of PURE UNADULTERATED SHIPPY JOY when my eyeballs encountered it after seeing the context of Mitch being Sketchy As Heck and deserving none of Jamie's wholly sincere reassurance*, but desperate for it anyway. I choose to believe he was on the verge of spilling the beans at that point, but maybe not quite all the way there until the kiss sealed it.

*you are hereby forgiven for the Reiden Tower lies

Morgan & Morgan

I love Squirrelly!Mitch and I loved everything about him and Max working together and accidentally almost having some heart to hearts. Especially Max The Number One Mitch/Jamie Shipper giving him advice that Mitch actually takes about coming clean (or tries to take; thanks for being both the solution to and the cause of all our ship problems today, Max!).

The temporary blindness side effect was my favorite part, especially his insistence on hiding it when Jamie needed an actual airplane-crashing scenario to be distracted enough for only moderate concern at his short-circuiting and Max's oddly eager intervention (honestly, at a certain point he might as well have been hopping along singing "We're off on a secret mission!"). I enjoyed the humorous elements, but would not have opposed a multi-episode arc for the more serious, if this show had made room for it.

Bizarro Alpha Ship

Lies unfolding, cover your eyes

I've remained pretty neutral on the whole Duncan Reveal thing, and I think the reason is: listen, if you want to give me two Billy Burke characters at the same time on one show, then that... well, let's just say this is a fair imitation of the list of Billy Burke characters I have scoured the far corners of the internet, libraries and streaming video sites to enjoy.

But. THE ENDING. 100% agree with empress-of-snark's assessment:

I’ve never really wanted to see one of my otp’s beating each other up, but like…. I get it now. There was something immensely satisfying about seeing Jamie elbowing/kicking Mitch in the face, and I don’t understand but I enjoyed it (probably cause it wasn’t really him technically, but).

I also really enjoy when he first turns around with that eerie, dead-eyed stare (oh hey Gary Matheson redux) and she realizes who he is. This is ONE thing I'll admit sci fi does well -- the mind control / body takeover trope. I delighted in this exact same thing once on Under the Dome’s third season. There is nothing more chilling than seeing a character you would have sworn on your life would never harm their significant other be prepared to do exactly that, with no off switch. It's a much better experience as a viewer to know that it’s beyond their control than to find out they are actually human monsters, though.

And it's an even better experience when Jamie just steamrollers over any unhelpful emotions she's about to have with the steely resolve of Fine, It's A Beautiful Day To Kick Your Ass, and suddenly I'm wondering how low-prole it would be to edit and remix this fight with a subtle backing of "Move, Bitch." (why is the chorus of this song always relevant to my interests)

In other words: all fear and trust and betrayal issues can take a backseat for now because Jamie has one job right now, and I love that she has enough confidence and skill to know she can go through him if she has to.

Odds and Ends

I sat through Logan's entire waste of screen time in order not to lose my understanding-the-plot momentum, and so far I regret that decision.

Okay fine the Kenyatta family spooning was pretty adorbs.

Max trying to use the L word = aces

Out of all of AI Logan's comments, "I have an unfortunate announcement" is my very favorite. I want to use that all the time. Why isn't easy embedding of sound clips a thing.

Jackson attempting to strangle Abigail with his legs? Kinda workin' for me.

I think my favorite thing about Max and the Summoning Rod is that it's very much like the things Mitch ran Jackson through last year. Not so fun to be the guinea pig getting told to buck up, is it?

Should it concern me that I didn't even realize Clem was absent (off in Tankland) until they mentioned her?

Overall: minus Logan's non-AI scenes, WHAT A FUN AND WILD RIDE THIS WAS. By far the highest quality-per-minute density of the season for me. Superb sister episode to Howler Sloth.

I've had so much fun skipping back through it and watching the characters run around*, I keep legit forgetting the plane is going crazy because there is an octopus with snake legs (or something) they had to hack to death. There is so much IN this episode I can't possibly cover it all. It feels like lasted 900 years in a good way.

*or in the Morgans' case, sometimes, remain calm and blissfully unaware while the women nearly die following the Bitches Get Stuff Done model; the juxtaposition between the two drastically different panic levels cracks me up every time.

I have already watched a few minutes into episode 9 because that was a WTF cliffhanger, but I think this is as far as I am gonna get before next new episode.