#lana fucked up so hard I lost the respect I had towards her as a writer

[holden-norgorov]

A seriously angry recap of all the things I hated in the finale.

Because I had to write down all the disappointment and outrage that I have inside, otherwise it will consume me until I die. I had to give vent to everything that disgusted me in a less-detatched, more personal way than the unemotional one my objective thoughts usually are expressed with. If you want to read highly pissed-off complaints for healing purposes, this is your post. 

Implying that discovering that your mother is also your step-sister is a more validating reason to commit murder than being yourself a victim of physical and psychological abuses for years during your childhood. Offensive, short-sighted, self-erasing. By suggesting that Wolfgang killed his father and uncle out of this revelation, the writers nullified the character’s self-worth, depth and integrity.

“I’m not worth it”. “Wolfgang, you are!” It turned out he wasn’t worth it at all because things didn’t change. Nobody had any kind of conversation and the result was that Kala was portrayed as happy staying in the loveless, unhealthy marriage she was already in and that Wolfgang kept being the “lover” who wasn’t worth being chosen. Rajan became suddenly so important that an entire two-seasonal storyline of the most epic love story of all time had to be thrown out of the window just to please him? Who the fuck cared about him? He was selfish and sexist for two seasons, and a lame, uninteresting character with no personality beyond being a kiss-ass.

Capheus being a clown for all the episode irritated the fuck out of me. He had always been particularly joyful, but 1) not at this ridiculous, over-the-top level, and especially 2) not under these circumstances. This is war. They are all risking their lives and could be found and killed in any seconds. He is risking his whole political career and has left all his loved ones home alone. One of his clustermates is imprisoned in a BPO facility and likely being tortured. This is possibly the worst you could get: this episode was not meant to feature lighthearted, careless people joking around and being idiotic. His behavior is completely inappropriate and disrespectful of the situation. Someone with a brain, in those circumstances, would have slapped him in the face. What the fuck.

Nomanita getting an entire scene exclusively used to provide a last-minute backstory capable of justifying Lana’s selfish decision of taking Paris from Kalagang and giving it to them out of nowhere and with no apparent reason. I am so mad about this, it almost seems deliberate from Lana. Paris was a turning point for Kalagang, a pivotal moment that represented their first and only chance in all the show to be finally happy and together. Nomanita already had it all. Nomanita have always been the healthiest, happiest couple. They could have married literally anywhere else and it would have changed nothing in their relationship, because they had already had 24 episodes of domestic and happy moments. Why Paris of all cities? This was an intentional betrayal to Kalagang fans and storyline.

Lito’s freak-out about the carbs is beyond any fucking comment. It vividly looks like they all are on camping, or taking a funny, enjoyable trip. The writers should be ashamed of themselves for cheapening such a beautiful show and such wonderful characters with stupid moments like this and so many others (such as: Nomi’s coffee moment, Wolfgang jokingly pointing the rocket launcher on Capheus, Rajan asking Kala to teach him to use a gun as if they were not in a dangerous, life-or-death situation but just having fun, Puck with Sun’s hair and so on: there are a lot).

Sun and Mun being OOC as fuck and acting as if they were old acquaintances was just ridiculous and forced to an exponential level. This is entirely the writers’ fault and has nothing to do with time constraints, because the writing was just cheap and the characters unrecognizable. They had only met twice before this phone call (and both times by mistake). Sun here was weirdly intimate and emotively open despite having been closed and guarded of her interiority for two seasons sometimes even with her other selves. Mun was the very definition of cringe. “I think those two words might have made getting shot worth it.” Give me a fucking break. Who are these people? And don’t even get me started on the inconsistency with the line “I am not very good with words” that goes directly against the very reason why Sun was interested in him in the first place (i.e. the passionate way he talked about her to her teacher and the cautious but accurate analysis he provided of her psychology while fighting in the graveyard). Here they were odd and extremely cliché to the point of contrasting with their very essence.

Capheus greeting Rajan in that way was so wrong and insulting both to attentive viewers and to all the people in this world unable to obtain proper medications for themselves or their loved ones. It disregarded and destroyed everything about Capheus’ character and almost made me vomit. Rajan embodied all the socially powerful people directly responsible for Shiro’s improved sickness that almost caused her death in S1. Rajan’s unethical business was the very reason why Capheus had to be involved with Silas Kabaka in the first place, resulting in all his S1 storyline that almost led him to his death. Do any of you remember Capheus and Kala’s expressions when Rajan revealed this? Both of them had never been so hurt and incredulous during all the show. Capheus’ blind forgiveness of someone who was the ultimate reason of one entire season of his suffering and fighting for survival left me utterly speechless and offended. The writers turned all of this into a joke, especially considering Capheus storyline in S2: he had decided to politically represent his country, his own people, exactly because of the injustices they had to face on a daily basis because of poverty and unfair hierarchy. Welcoming Rajan, the symbol of this hierarchy that basically made his whole life a living hell, in that way was incredibly unbelievable. I was seriously shocked by this.

Kala’s behavior when Rajan arrives in Paris can be explained only in two ways: a) either she was on drugs all the time, which means she was capable of making them using her knowledge as chemist and then taking them because she was so desperate for Wolfgang that she wanted to be high, or b) she was just under a love spell. These are the only explanations to the way she behaves here; in both cases, she clearly wasn’t herself. Logic, continuity and coherence were all non-existent. The facts: Kala had made promises to Wolfgang both in 2x10 and 2x11 and the only reason why she hadn’t explained things to Rajan yet was that he had shut her off and sent her away without giving her the opportunity to do so. But her mind was crystal-clear and she was finally ready (in fact, her entire storyline had been built in order to make her brave enough to finally make this decision). But in here, she betrayed every promise she had made to Wolfgang and basically became a lying coward, erasing all the character development she had been through. She acted as a bitch. This confrontation was unavoidable at this point. She let Rajan believe that the real problem in their marriage was her nature as a sensate, which actually has never been a source of conflict at all (she didn’t want to marry Rajan even before realizing what she was). I wanted to slap her for how she acted in this whole episode. She also really felt under a love spell because for 23 episodes she had never spontaneously kissed Rajan before out of sincere will. In 1x02, Rajan kissed her and she didn’t even return the kiss (the only reason why she didn’t break it was that they were at their engagement party and it would have been highly inappropriate); in 2x01 she kissed him out of pity and guilt because she felt responsible for breaking his dick and ruining their honeymoon. And that was it. So, witnessing her starting a kiss to a man she spent two seasons being uncomfortable with (especially physically) and feeling objectified by felt really wrong and unexpected and utterly unreasonable. She seriously looked like she was on drugs, I was in disbelief.

Aunt Kirsty overtaking a whole team of BPO soldiers supposedly using her unknown superpower ninja abilities was so ridiculous and cheap that it was like the writers themselves wanted to prove us that they could do everything they wanted and ruin all the show’s credibility as they pleased. Seriously what the fuck was that. Sense8 became a cartoon for kids and we didn’t know? God.

The complete lack of Wolfgang’s PTSD was absolutely unforgivable and unrealistic. We are talking about a man who spent all of his life building several walls to protect himself from the outside, trying to keep everyone at distance exactly because of the traumas he experienced since childhood that he couldn’t recover from. He has always been emotionally secretive and unavailable to everyone except Kala (and she took two seasons of serious efforts to make him finally open up and expose himself). He was tortured daily several times when he was under BPO’s captivity: he had and needed to show both physical and psychological scars in the aftermath. PTSD was a natural response that inevitably had to happen and be shown both for credibility and for a matter of character’s coherence and integrity. Wolfgang being rescued from this severely traumatizing condition and not showing the slightest consequence of it was beyond idiotic. And worse: from that moment he actually started acting more carefree and behaving in the exact opposite way than the one that should logically be expected from someone with his personality going through an experience like that. He started joking around and taking everything lightly and in a more emotionally invested way than he had ever done even before this imprisonment. It was like watching a fairy tale of stupid bullshit. What a fucking mess.

Rajan’s evident privileged treatment from the writers was so obvious and cheap that it ended up being nausea-inducing. He was literally everywhere and for no reason at all since he had no abilities. In the club, he is the only sapiens being close to the physical exchange. Why on this planet should this be safe or acceptable or even convenient since he is incapable of doing anything? Every other non-sensate was far away, even members of the Cluster such as Lito who could have been useful through sharing. Instead Rajan was on the front. Ok. And the idea that Wolfgang, a taciturn man who spent two seasons being jealous of Rajan, would spontaneously approach him and thank him for doing absolutely nothing is hilarious. Rajan didn’t save Wolfgang. Kala was the one who intervened to prevent Lila from shooting him. Rajan stepped in only to save Kala and was able to steal Lila’s gun just because she was already being attacked. And as soon as that happened, she took the gun back because Rajan obviously didn’t have a clue on what he was doing (which is acceptable, because he just wasn’t suitable for that situation: the mistake was including him there in the first place). Daniela herself had been previously shown to be comfortable in using a gun. Why not exposing her to the physical place of the exchange instead of Rajan? I seriously don’t get it. Which advantage could Rajan provide to the situation? The writers were so transparent. The same can be said with the Napoli’s scene. Rajan is the only sapiens entering the camorra building without any reason or combat skill. WHY. Not only he is untrained and incapable, but he also doesn’t even know the plan (Kala has to explain it to him while already inside and targeted by enemies!). It’s like they did everything in their power to include Rajan everywhere and let him be some kind of saver or hero that he clearly is not. The writing was insulting. Rajan mistakes a taser for a gun but then uses that same taser to save Kala’s life? How stupid do the writers think we are, exactly? Not to mention that Wolfgang being unable to treat Kala’s stomach wound was completely OOC, but then again, Kala and Wolfgang were both RAPED as characters in every way possible in this episode. Wolfgang was able to canonically treat a much worse wound when Felix was almost killed despite being in evident pain. This was all ridiculous. And what about Lila shooting Kala in the stomach? In this very episode she was able to shoot dead five people at a great distance without even trying when stealing Whispers. She was a hired gun, and here Kala was literally in front of her. Nothing in this scene makes the slightest sense, I swear.

The scene where Will asked where Sun was, as if he wasn’t able to mentally connect with her was absurd. And Nomi actually taking five minutes to visit her was just a cheap way for the Sun x Mun exchange to happen and was incoherent. “I found Sun” doesn’t make sense because they are telepathically connected and Nomi shouldn’t need to find her. Cheapness for everyone.

Kala spontaneously kissing Rajan again when she finally has the occasion to physically be with the love of her life after he was tortured and nearly killed is probably the most absurd and embarrassing moment I have ever seen in television. It’s beyond any rational comment at this point. I was about to throw something at my screen. And Wolfgang accepting this despite probably believing that Kala and Rajan had already talked things through was incoherent, unthinkable and hysterical. WHO-ARE-THESE-CHARACTERS. This moment destroyed me more than I can convey with words. It was a betrayal to two seasons of marvelous Kalagang growth and development. I could ramble about how much I hate this moment for pages, but I already wrote a post about it and it would be better for me not to stop too much on this because it literally broke my heart and enraged me more than anything else ever did. Kala and Wolfgang were entirely different characters.

Jonas and the Mother talking like walking encyclopedias contrast so heavily with the cheap writing of the episode that their scenes end up being really laughable and impossible to be taken seriously.

The song sequence was completely useless, pure fanservice garbage that stole real usable time that was very much needed since many storylines were left entirely open without justifications. The “What’s Up” moment in 1x04 became iconic because it conveyed a precise message that was the core of all the show, was a set up for everything that came after and had also the purpose to show the ability of each character to connect all together for the first time. Instead, the song sequence in this episode was obviously insert only because the first one really gained a huge success in the fandom and they simply wanted to reply it for fanservice purposes. But this was entirely pointless and the very definition of a waste of time. The characters felt very much like the actors themselves goofing around, and there were also completely avoidable coherence mistakes (Felix and Rajan on the train) that cheapened the already-compromised credibility of it all. The editing of all the episode was bad, especially in this scene.

Other time gets wasted showing characters eating pizza without a tie to the plot or anything at all. Were the writers deliberately trying to make the worst choices possible? They basically did everything wrong and handled the time horribly.

I already talked about the bullet scene, but Kala being able to visit Wolfgang while unconscious was another cheap mistake. I’m particularly angry because for 23 episodes Sense8 was able to be almost flawless in coherence, but this episode is just a giant mess. This moment is OOC and simply wrong on every aspect, and who wrote it surely must have been a stranger to the show.

The last half-hour of the Special is so weird. It’s like the writers suddenly forgot that the main characters are sensates. Will asking Kala what she wants was another ridiculous moment that was so incoherent with their scene in 2x08 that I seriously considered this to be an intentional way for the writers to let us know that they willingly fucked up with Kalagang. The main peculiarity of their interaction in 2x08 was that Will was able to read Kala’s emotions without asking and state out loud what she was afraid to admit to herself: that she loved someone else. Their interaction in 2x08 was based on clarifying that Kala was not suffering from a feeling indecision but a morality struggle, and that Will exactly knew what she wanted. Their moment in 2x12 disregards everything about it. Will acts like he doesn’t already know what she feels and asks her questions as if he couldn’t read her emotions, and Kala is supposed to show signs of romantic indecisiveness despite her troubles were never feelings-related? In 2x08 Kala couldn’t stop talking haphazardly (as she always does when concerned about something) and here she just silently shrugs? This moment is beyond laughable and goes against everything established before, and the characters are frankly unrecognizable.

It’s unbelievable the idea that two whole seasons of perfect Kalagang development led to a conclusion where Kala holds hands with Rajan and Wolfgang sits behind them as a complete stranger. It feels like a nightmare. I am homicidal about this. They really destroyed them, both as a couple and individual characters.

 Amanita clearly states in 1x07 that she is afraid of and hates fireworks because they symbolize war and are a failure. So why is she perfectly happy here when they are used during her own wedding? It wasn’t that hard not to be OOC. The writers really wanted to discredit the canon in every way, I’m incredulous.

The conclusive physical, actual orgy which includes also non-sensate characters sends a horrible message. First, it goes completely against the symbolical meaning of the previous orgies (which were meant to show the sensates’ ability to share sexual arousal every time someone in the Cluster was having actual sex; it was nothing physical or carnal but purely abstract and metaphorical). Second, it’s highly offensive to asexual people, because sex is conceived here as the highest expression of love and the only way to resolve untouched confrontations (instead of having actual conversations). Third, it provides sexual erasure to Lito (canonically gay), Nomi (canonically lesbian) and Kala (canonically demisexual). Fourth, it goes against the well-praised theme of inclusivity and diversity of the show because everyone at the end turns out to be the same (pansexual), thus erasing every single representation provided in the previous episodes. Fifth, it portrays an unfair and insulting view on how sexuality actually works. The idea of a man — whose entire storyline is built around the fact that he is completely, exclusively gay and couldn’t manage to even fake a relationship with a woman — willing to have sex out of the blue with someone of the opposite sex is gross and actually sick. Sexuality is highly intimate and personal: it’s not about open-mindedness, but about self-comfort. It’s disrespectful to think that a gay man would be okay to get laid with a woman, because he just is by nature not comfortable in that situation. I am a straight guy and I could never picture myself with another man, it would make me unhealthily uncomfortable with myself. This applies to everyone’s very own sexuality. The same can be said for Kala, who here is depicted as a promiscuous woman willing to share her body with the very same man who she couldn’t bring herself to feel comfortable with for two seasons. Kala was a very moral person described as demi-sexual and she could only be comfortable in a sexual scenario with Wolfgang because they are sensates and their level of trust and connection is unparalleled. If Wolfgang and Kala hadn’t been sensates inside each other’s heads and feelings, Kala would have never slept with him: she needed that kind of intimacy and closeness to open up sexually. The Kala who pulls Rajan down and gets almost hungry of being used as a sex object here is not the usual Kala from the first 23 episodes, it’s another character entirely who sends a conservative and sexist unacceptable message.

Wolfgang’s sudden bisexuality is not representation, nor something to be proud of: it’s just an offensive, out-of-nowhere twist created only for shock value. One of the first traits that we understand about him in the show is that in order to avoid opening up emotionally, he constantly sleeps around with women only. This is canonically confirmed in two occasions: first, in 1x04, when he and Felix talk about their teenager adventures, nothing is mentioned about them being open to relationships with other boys (and if Wolfgang had been bisexual, it would have surely been pointed out in this moment); second, in 2x01, we canonically see him picking up girls using a date-app which features women only. This highly indicates that he is not into men, because if he was, he wouldn’t hide it at all. Also, if he had really been sexually attracted to men, he would have surely fallen for Felix because of how close they are, and this didn’t happen. This is not to say that sexuality is permanent or unaffected by change. But if Wolfgang’s character arc had really been about a sexuality struggle, an appropriate path of self-discovery should have been shown and developed carefully. People just don’t wake up and decide to change sexual orientation out of the blue. These things require internal process and self-questioning. This sudden twist is a joke to people who really have to face a complex self-examination in order to understand whether their sexuality is changing or evolving.  

Wolfgang touching Rajan’s lips before kissing him is a slap on the face of Kalagang’s fans because that was THEIR intimate gesture, and theirs alone. 

Wolfgang and Rajan barely know each other. Wolfgang would NEVER perform that private gesture with anyone but Kala, and the idea that he would make love to her with her husband included is pure nuts. This was the ultimate bullshit from the writers who managed to annihilate everything about Kalagang. It’s almost as if Lana had personal reasons to sabotage them in every way possible, because the result is just too heavy-handed and transparent not to be intentional. I seriously hope that she didn’t feel the need to ruin them just because they are a straight couple, because that would make her discriminatory and petty as fuck. This moment was seriously unwatchable and unbearable. I don’t have the proper words to describe the utter disgust I really experienced.  

[alolanrain]

Boundaries

“Can you stop?” Ash turned to Miette who had suddenly grabbed his hands. His long tail slapped against her leg and his and the doberman anthro looked a bit ashamed. “I’m not wanting anyone touching me today.”

“But you let Serena do it.” Miette pointed out and hugged. Dropping Ash’s hands and he brought it up to his chest. Pressing his other fingers into the palm to crack some of his junctions.

“I don’t like it when she does it either!” Ash couldn’t help but hiss. Fur bushing up on his tail as it continued to lash in annoyance. “I don’t like it when Bonnie tries to suddenly brush my tail when I already had brushed it or when Clemont decides to pull in my ears to get my attention when he can just call my name. Respect my boundaries.”

The last sentence must have hit Miette hard because she wilted and pinned her ears back. “I’m sorry.” She muttered.

“You should have already known that.” Ash stated. Leaning back tiredly against the wall and watched through a doorway as Serena got ready for the contest that was about to start soon, the girl completely oblivious to what’s going on behind her. “Respect everyone’s boundaries, not just mine and yours, it’s only the polite thing to do.”

Miette now looked truly scolded and Ash huffed before turning away. Rubbing the bridge of his nose as the thought of another conversations on do’s and don’ts with his friends later on. People of Kalos in general, Ash had found out, where very keen on touches. Which Ash loves don’t het him wrong! It’s just that they can’t take a simple ‘no’ without getting huffy about it.

Serena perked up when she noticed Ash walking towards her. The brown tabby swung her tail over to curl it around Ash’s tail but he jerked his away and wrapped his tight around the leg furthest away from her.

“Ash.” Serena frowned.

“My boundaries, Serena.” Ash looked interesting the mirror and noticed the dark circles under his eyes, pulling at the skin slightly before looking at Serena in the mirror. “How many times have I told you that tail holding is for couples only in Kanto cultures?”

“But your in Kalos now,” Serena frowned, “and friends twine tails all the time.”

“No,” Ash turned to look at her actual face instead of the mirror, “they don’t Serena. Clemont has made comment after comment how weird you kept trying to twine our tails together since we aren’t a couple, even then Bonnie stayed how cute it was, and we aren’t a couple.”

“We could be.” She pointed out. Fur fluffing up in anger and being called out by Ash once again.

“Serena, I’m gay.” Ash hissed. Shocking the girl. “I’ve stated my general likeness for guys and even made a few comments about passing people. I’ve stated my sexual identity by waving a pride flag during the Kalos pride parade last week.”

“I just thought you were doing that to be good ally.” Serena looked frantically as she was metaphorically cornered.

“No Serena, I’m very much gay, but this isn’t about that.” Ash took a step back, “this is just about the tail holding. I’m asking you, for the tenth time, please stop already.”

He didn’t wait for her answer. Moving around until he got back over to where he and Miette were standing earlier and looked back at Serena. “I hope you win still Serena. I have business to do while your gonna be compensating so I’ll meet up with you and Bonnie and Clemont once I’m done.”

Just like that he was out of the back stage room, down the several hallways, and out the doors. Pulling up his phone to see where the next Champion meeting is being held at in the city.

————

He and the gang were helping out at a large day care slash nursery with Diantha the next time he got asked for someone to touch his tail.

“Ash,” Diantha’s smooth voice drifted behind Ash’s back, making the boy turn as much as he can while holding a baby Eevee in his arms, “you have egg shells in your tail.”

“I do?” Ash asked. Tail pulling itself up and Ash furrowed his eyebrows. “I can’t see anything.”

“It’s at the base,” she explained, “I can get them for you?”

“Please.” Ash held still as Diantha’s giant angel wings kinda foulded over her and Ash as she reached down while still holding a baby Chespin to her chest. Both babies cooed at each other, Eevee popping her head over Ash’s shoulders.

It only took like five seconds for Diantha to brush off the egg shells, luckily they were in large chunks. She straightened up and brushed a hand on her pant leg knees, getting rid of anything that clung on like dust or something else.

“Thanks!” Ash perked up. Smiling even wider when Diantha chuckled and nodded. Though as he turned he caught Bonnie’s slightly jealous stare. Ash doesn’t know why Clemont little sister loves his tail so much, she’s got lovely little golden eagle wings to take care of herself.

————

Class in Alola was going good, that is until almost everyone was scared by Ash screeching and his tail flinging something across the room. The mysterious object had almost hit Mallow and Lana if they hadn’t ducked out of the way. It crashed into a podium and Tsareena caught it easily, holding it up into the sunlight so that everyone in class could see it was a carry-on brush.

“Kiawe!” Ash sprung up from his chair and swirled over to the black panther anthro behind him. Who looked to serious and dignified for anyone’s liking. “What the utter fucking hell?!” The curse had slipped out of Ash’s mouth before he had time to process it, though that didn’t matter when Kiawe stood up to to face Ash angrily.

“Ash!” Kukui stood up from his desk. Large gray angel wings streatched a little from behind his back as he tried to get his borders attention.

“You had a knot in your tail!” The panther shouted back. “It’s very rude to come to school ungroomed.”

Ash spluttered at how justified Kiawe sounded, making his fur stand on end even more. “That doesn’t mean you get to touch me without my permission!”

“I was doing you a favor!” Kiawe shouted back. Both of their haunches rose as Ash took a step forward in challenge.

“Both of you,” Kukui got out from behind his desk, “stop now this intsiant.”

“A favor is tapping my shoulder during break time or offering a brush during lunch.” Ash hissed again, “not ignoring the principle of basic boundaries and doing so yourself even without warning me either.”

Before both Kiawe could retaliate, Kukui had opened his wings more and shouted both their names. Making the two flinch and tails curling around their legs as the looked up at the angry teacher.

“Kiawe, go to the east hallway.” Kukui commanded.

Kiawe growled and snatched his brush from Tsareena as he went. Turning to hiss at Ash one more time who stood his ground and puffed his chest out in another silent challenge. Kiawe took a step back into the room in anger.

“Kiawe!” Kukui bellowed, making every student flinch, “hallway. Now.”

The panther scampered out and down into the hallway to go slump against a wall until the Professor came to get him.

Ash didn’t dare give any inkling or look as the cat who caught the green macaw until Kukui turned around and glared down at him.

“North hall,” he swung his hand to point to the opposite one that Kiawe entered, “now.”

“But that’s not-“ Ash started but was drowned out by the Professors own growl. “Alright I’m going! Even though it’s not my fault.” Ash muttered the last part while scooping Pikachu up from his desk and slinking out of the classroom to sulk. At least the north hallway has windows that looked out into the forest and the coast line that he could see from the third story of the building.

Ash slumped down onto a banister and forced himself to watch the clouds roll by and burning the sound of waves crashing on far off shores into his mind. Waiting for the Professor to talk to Kiawe before coming to him.

It wasn’t long, maybe like half an hour to fourth five minutes, Ash doesn’t really know since he lost count after twenty minutes. Ears flicking as he heard Kukui’s heavy steps before seeing the white coat and tan chest in the corner of his eyes.

“I’m not apologizing.” Ash stated. Refusing to look at the Professor and even going so far as to turn his back to the older man when Kukui joined him at the banister.

“Ash.” Kukui sighed disappointingly.

“I have nothing to apologize!” Ash’s voice rose an octave.

“You have to understand though,” the Professor tried to calm himself down so he could explain to his border, “Alola’s, and especially Akala’s, practices and religion are very stricted on grooming and presenting to everyone. Kiawe-“

“But what about my practices and religion?” Ash butted in. Staring at his teacher with hurt eyes and clenched teeth.

“... what?” Professor Kukui paused. Caught off guard by Ash’s sudden burst of anger once more.

“What. About. Mine?” Ash seethed. Looking even more furious. “Kiawe comes from a very different ethic and background from me. He doesn’t know how Kanto does their grooming practices because he never asked, unlike me who actually learned as much as I could before coming to Alola.”

“Kukui was left mouth gapping as he tried to scramble to calm Ash down. “But-“

“Unlike Alola,” Ash continued to truck on, “Kanto’s grooming is sacred. Only for direct family like mother and siblings or mates. Kiawe is niether a sibling, mother, or a mate to me.”

“Well I see where you’re coming from-“ the Professor tried butting in again.

“And that’s besides the point that Kiawe didn’t even ask me first! Instead of just trying to yank my fur out of my tail.” Asb snarled as he started to pace a little up and down the hallway as he ranted. Pikachu looked at his trainer with a complex stare before glaring at Kukui when the man moved closer to the Pokémon. Cheeks sparking as Pikachu bared his own teeth at the Professor.

“My tail is sensitive! It takes me an hour to even comb out the most basic knot without hurting myself. So I’m sorry I didn’t have the time to get a big knot out of my tail before school started, not all of us have short and easy hair like Kiawe.” Ash turned back to the Professor with something close to a closed mout yowl. “It’s not my fault and I refuse to apologize when Kiawe ignored my basic boundaries as a human being and never asked in the first place how my region see’s grooming practices as.”

Professor Kukui’s year sunk deep into his hands. The quiet that insued after was only broken by Pikachus soft coos when Ash returned to his partner.

“Head to Principal Oaks office,” Kukui finally made up his mind, turning around without facing Ash, “I’m grabbing Kiawe and will meet you in there.”

Ash didn’t say a word but he bristled and hissed under his breath at his teacher. Swiping Oikachu up and storming loudly to the principals office.

Principal Oak’s eye brows flew up as Ash and Pikachu came stomping into his office. The boy doing a half-ass bow and a lame apology for being so brash before sinking down into one of the two chairs in front of the man’s desk. Refusing to answer any questions until Kiawe came into the room, escorted by Kukui who looked extremely tired about this whole thing. The man couldn’t help but feel the migraine building up in his brain.

Another yelling match insued only five minutes after both boys were sat down near each other. Two cats anothro’s hissing and spitting vile words that Principal Oak didn’t even know they knew. Kukui looked even more done while the situation escalated.

Principal Oak spread his eagle wings wide, glad for a second he made his office wide enough to accompany his wing span, and growled at the boys to sit down and be quite. The man punched the bridge of his nose and he gathered all of what the three had told him and yelled at each other.

“So, Principal Oak?” the Professor glared down at the two boys who looked far together justified on their behalf, “what’s the verdict?”

Both boys looked at the Principal before glaring back at each other. There was only one thing to do in this situation.

“On behalf knowing both Kanto and Alola’s traditions and practices... Kiawe will be getting one hour of after school detention which he will be learning about as much other regional practices and religion in that hour and a call home to his parents about what happened today.” Principal Oak grabbed a red slip from his desk and signed off on it, handing it to a horrified Kiawe who stared wide eyed at the red detention slip. “On the fact that he disrupted class, ignored another student’s boundaries, and in fact happened to hurt said student even if it was on accident.”

“Mr. Micron will be watching over detention today and I wouldn’t be late since he can be quite harsh.” Principal Oak sighed heavily before looking over to Ash who squared his shoulder and glared right back at the old man.

“I understand that Kiawe didn’t know about how Kanto goes with grooming, but you could have told him before hand.” Oak pointed out.

“He never asked.” Ash bit out. His harsh words made Kiawe’s fur prickle. “None of them asked unlike me who wanted to learn everything I could without defending people, even then my fur is sensitive and it takes hours working out a big knot which I don’t have time for with other things in my schedule.”

Oak hummed knowingly before turning to his computer, pulling up Ash’s school profile and noting multiple doctors scribble and notes about how surprisingly sensitive Ash’s fur is. “You’ll also be staying behind to do detention, half an hour and on an opposite day the Kiawe. Your mother and my cousin will be getting a call to since Professor Oak is also listed as a guardian of yours.”

Ash silently took the red slip, noting his stars Tuesday of next week instead of Kiawe’s Thursday of this week. He chose not to say anything but pet Pikachu between his ears. The mouse Pokémon cranes his head to coo worriedly at his trainer.

“Professor Kukui.” Principal Oak called putting to the teacher. Startling the man a little as he must have been spacing off. “After this you’ll need to find someway into fitting a study section of other regions religious and traditional practices, the sooner the better, since we can’t have this happen again.”

“But sir-“ Kukui looked a bit panicked and Ash couldn’t help the slight vindictive feeling brewing in his lungs even though he tried to punch it down.

“No.” Oak was hard to shut the Professor down. “This is the first time your class had a border amongst their rank, sooner or later this would happen. Though I wished things would have settled outside of class,” he gave both boys a pointed stare, “this would also give your students an edge if they ever wanted to leave Alola to go travel across the world, let’s not forget that Ash took his time to research and respect our ways as much as he can. It’s only good if we do the same.” He looked up at the Professor who stared at him with wide guilty eyes. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Principal Oak sir-“

“Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?”

“... Yes sir.”

“Good,” Oak huffed, leaning back to look at all three before him, “now out of my office and back to class. I’ll be sending you an email explaining what I want happening during that untinfo study Professor Kukui.” All three walked out of the Principals office and Oak can’t help but place his head on the desk. Sighing and near screaming. Wings fluttering behind him in stress.

[cristalconnors]

BEST SONGS of 2019

20. “MOTIVATION”- Normani

“Why would we ever do something instead of falling into the bed right now?”

Watching the 2019 VMAs, it was easy to feel despondent about the current state of mainstream pop. And then Normani descended from a basketball hoop, breaking up a string of lifeless performances of cookie-cutter top 40 with a preposterously physical tour de force that harkened back to an era when pop fame felt like something closer to a meritocracy, when talent mattered more than spectacle. It felt like a major arrival: at last another pop goddess that truly had all the goods. The public may not have caught up to her quite yet, but “Motivation” is a statement of purpose for Normani: I’m here, I’m very fucking talented, and I’m not going anywhere.

19. “SO HOT YOU’RE HURTING MY FEELINGS”- Caroline Polachek

“I cry on the dancefloor, it’s so embarrassing”

The charms of “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings” are seemingly endless. First, there’s that title that makes you chuckle the first few times you hear it. Then, there’s the pre-chorus that title is effortlessly plugged into: a crystal clear image of lovelorn insecurity placed atop a sublimely simple melody that builds into a harmonious, show-stopping chorus. But the song’s zenith has got to be that bridge, marrying a mind-bending, distorted vocal solo that more closely resembles electric guitar with the singsongy refrain “show me your banana,” effortlessly striking a balance between the highbrow and the silly, casting Polachek as the carefree pop diva she perhaps always should have been.

18.“WAY TO THE SHOW”- Solange

“Candy paint down to the floor”

“I want it to bang and make your trunk rattle.” I think about that quote a lot when listening to “Way to the Show,” the grooviest track on When I Get Home- the one whose meandering funk bass line and countless key changes build to an explosion of synth runs and gun cocking, showcasing Knowles’s growth as both a songwriter and curator of mood as she crafts a singularly hallucinatory, heavenly vision of Houston and the sounds that raised her.

17. “WONDER BOY”- ARTHUR RUSSELL

“I’m a wonder boy. I can do nothing”

The back catalogue of notorious perfectionist and genreless chameleon Arthur Russell is so vast, so varied that even 27 years after he was taken from us, we’re still being treated to new material. Every single song of his that’s been released posthumously, including all 19 tracks of Iowa Dream, feel like their own revelation, each of them a uniquely dazzling bucking of all your expectations of what a song of his should sound like. “Wonder Boy” is unique in how tidily its melancholy, frosty images of impermanence sum up the tragic story of Arthur Russell the man- the brilliant artist who never found success and only ever managed to put out a single album while he was alive- the wonder boy who could do nothing.

16. “I THINK OF SATURDAY”- Moodymann

“I called you on Thursday... I called you on Friday...”

“I Think of Saturday” starts simply enough, listing the days of the week almost as a gimmick, evoking soul and early rock filtered through a house lens, until halfway through the song when the beat drops away, introducing a brief sample of Joe Simon’s “With You in Mind” that’s followed by the reintroduction of the beat, but now accompanied by a recurring distorted, dissonant chord that reframes the song as a sinisterly rousing account of unrequited desire and delusion that refracts itself over and over again. 

15. “SOFIA”- Clairo

“I think we could do it if we tried”

The opening bars of Clairo’s “Sofia” sound like a really good Strokes knock off, but the song quickly reveals itself to be something vastly more interesting, unfolding itself steadily over the course of three minutes as she and producer Rostam Batmanglij subvert well worn pop tropes to craft an exquisitely textured, soul-baring, and ultimately hopeful anthem for young wlw everywhere.

14. “LARK”- Angel Olsen

“What about my dreams?”

Olsen’s widescreen, abstract vision of a break-up song is thrillingly unbound from the constrictions of song structure and narrative, favoring instead the visceral power of strings and drastic dynamic contrast to craft a symphony in miniature, a “journey through grief” as Olsen herself describes it, that announces the bold, panoramic vision of her fourth album.

13. “WALK AWAY”- (Sandy) Alex G

“Someday I’m gonna walk away from you. Not today...”

“Walk Away” evokes the sense of being trapped, stuck in a cycle of recognizing unhealthy relationships or habits and being unable or unwilling to do anything about them, looping the simple two line refrain over and over and over again to weave a hopeless, woozy tapestry of crunching beats, acoustic and electric guitar, mournful piano and harpsichord, and distorted vocals.

12. “THIS COUNTRY MAKES IT HARD TO FUCK” (BJÖRK REMIX)- Fever Ray

“That’s not how to love me!”

Björk isolates the most memorable line from Fever Ray’s “This Country”- “this country makes it hard to fuck!”-and explodes it, distorting it and stretching it across a fearsome sample of the droning, discordant flutes from “Song of the Alféreces and Dances of the Chinos,” evoking a kind of tortured funhouse mirror image of the current state of reproductive rights that rightly recasts Fever Ray’s song as a horror film.

11. “ABOUT WORK THE DANCEFLOOR”- Georgia

“I was just thinking about work the danefloor...”

“About Work the Dancefloor” is Georgia’s ode to the cathartic, restorative powers of the dancefloor, where your worries fall away as you melt into the crowd and language abstracts itself, as evidenced by that perplexing chorus that doesn’t seem to mean anything- and why should it? When you’re lost in her pounding bass and gurgling synths, that incoherence is strangely comforting. You can cast whatever meaning you want onto it and work through it physically, together. 

10. “GONE”- Charli XCX & Christine and the Queens

“I try real hard, but I’m caught up by my insecurities”

The jelly squiggles that criss-cross Charli XCX and her collaborator’s faces on the artwork released for the singles from her latest album Charli suggest a kind of symbiosis, a cosmic intertwining of sorts. But only “Gone” achieves a true melding of the minds, where Charli and Chris’s best and boldest instincts collide, complimenting one another seamlessly in this dizzying vision of insecurity and isolation that unravels into a stunning pop abstraction. 

09. “CELLOPHANE”- FKA twigs

“Why don’t I do it for you?”

Usually for FKA twigs, more is more. Her songs are busy, even the slower ones, packed to the brim with glitches, unusual rhythms, and a million little details that pull attention, giving them texture and making them extremely immersive listening experiences. “Cellophane” pares those idiosyncrasies back. They’re still there, but the focus is twigs’s voice, which bends and cracks and really emotes in a way we’ve never heard. Her voice is naked and unvarnished, allowing her to be truly vulnerable in a way we’ve never heard either, and it’s heartbreaking. 

08. “CINNAMON GIRL”- Lana Del Rey

“If you hold me without hurting me, you’ll be the first who ever did.”

“Cinnamon Girl” is the culmination of every other ballad she’s ever written. They were practice and this is the real deal- a painterly missive on tumultuous love that reads like a pained confession whispered in confidence, something Lana’s always done well, but her composition has never been so exquisite or immersive, so beautifully in concert with her poetry or her velvet voice, or so flawlessly constructed, effortlessly building toward a show-stopping finale that asserts Lana as the postmodern princess of Americana.

07. “COOKIE BUTTER”- Kim Gordon

“Industrial...metal...supplies...”

“Cookie Butter” has got to be the most stunning showcase of the power of Kim Gordon’s voice, as she drags out some vowels, muffles others, attacks consonants and bends words until they don’t sound like words anymore, all atop a trance inducing beat drives towards the song’s unlikely climax- Kim Gordon saying “cookie butter” in the most impossibly distinct way you could imagine that carries the weight of an EDM drop, leading the track into it’s disorienting second half that both clarifies and obscures the half that came before it. Haunting and addictive. 

06. “CATTAILS”- Big Thief

“You don’t need to know why when you cry.”

To hear Big Thief talk about the process of writing and recording “Cattails” on their episode of the Song Exploder podcast, one is struck by how organic it was. Adrianne Lenker describes it as a “magic wind” that swept through the studio, the song kind of falling out of them in one take. That sense of life comes through in the song, the simple, sublime repetition, bounce, and build of it sounding like a transmission from deep within the soul, a cosmic image of nostalgia and grief that is as cathartic as it is heavenly.

05. “GOD CONTROL”- Madonna

“I think I understand why people get a gun.”

“God Control” is ostensibly about gun control, though you’d be forgiven if you had a hard time discerning what exactly she’s trying to say. Like some of her best work, it’s provocative and maybe a little empty, but damn if it isn’t supremely interesting and compelling as hell. Madonna taps into a sense of apocalyptic malaise and skepticism of authority that feels at times remarkably in tune with the public consciousness, at others a grotesque caricature of it, to uniformly fascinating results as she spins a deranged disco yarn that, once those swirling strings hit, is downright euphoric. 

04. “GOLD TEETH”- Blood Orange, ft. Gangsta Boo, Project Pat, & Tinashe

“We gon’ rumble in this ho!”

Blood Orange takes Project Pat’s “Rinky Dink II/We’re Gonna Rumble” and explodes it, gifting it both playful levity and added depth with a rollicking beat minor chord synths respectively, effortlessly criss crossing Hynes’s many disparate strengths and interests in the most effortlessly rousing and joyful track in his entire ouevre, elevated by the powerhouse Three 6 Mafia reunion verses of Gangsta Boo and Project Pat himself.

03. “INCAPABLE”- Róisín Murphy

“I don’t know if I can love, in all honesty.”

“Incapable,” Róisín Murphy’s virtuosic disco epic, stops time. That indelibly simple bass line loops over and over and over again until you’re lost in it, the song slowly building itself on top of it, adding claps here, hi hat there, rising towards a stunning sequence backed by whooshing synths where the song really comes alive, where an almost boastful breakup anthem morphs into a glamorously melancholy self-indictment in which she ponders that maybe it’s her there’s something wrong with, creating a dazzling dichotomy between the pitfalls of introspection and the bliss of the dancefloor.

02. “MOVIES”- Weyes Blood

“The meaning of life doesn’t seem to shine like that screen.”

“Movies,” appropriately, plays out with a big screen gloss. Those arpeggiated synths feel like they’re slowly expanding as Natalie Mering coos atop them, wondering how if movies are fake, how come they’re more real than anything in real life? As the synths suddenly give way to frenzied strings, the song splits itself open, giving itself over wholly to the melodrama, the sweeping enormity of feeling that Mering so masterfully conjures as she longs for the vitality, the simple answers, and the meaningfulness of movies.

01. “DO YOU LOVE HER NOW”- Jai Paul

“There’s a time for everything.”

On June 1, 2019, when I first read the news that Jai Paul had released new music, news so momentous it was accompanied by a red “breaking news” banner on Pitchfork’s home page, I immediately found my headphones and sequestered myself. I knew whatever I was about to listen to would require my undivided attention. Quite frankly, I was shocked it existed at all. After the notorious, devastating leak of his music in 2013, he’d exiled himself so thoroughly that it was easy to believe he was just gone forever. But here it was, the second coming- two (2!) new songs, effectively doubling the amount of  (completed) material he’s released in an official capacity. 

Pressing play, I was a little nervous that it wouldn’t live up to my expectations, that it might somehow diminish the work of his that I’d loved so much, that changed the way I think about pop and R&B. That didn’t end up being a problem. While “He” is excellent, “Do You Love Her Now” is maybe the most stunning piece of music he’s ever written. Billowing, moseying guitars provide the heartbeat for what starts as a straightforward, sublimely simple send up of 60′s and 70′s R&B. But this Jai Paul we’re talking about, and nothing he does is simple. Nuances and complexities creep out organically from the fabric of the song- synths whiz in and out, harmonies soar to the forefront of the soundscape seemingly out of nowhere and fall away just as suddenly, crafting an immersive, richly textured listening experience that is unpredictable, washing over you like a wave, building, cresting, and crashing over and over again. 

[theonceoverthinker]

OUAT 3X09 - Save Henry

It’s time to save Henry...or everyone, save Henry!

See what I did there? Stealthy pun. I can do those on occasion.

Anyway, under the cut you go for the semi-smart stuff, unless you want to save yourself!

Press Release

While Henry’s life hangs in the balance, the race is on to stop Pan from gaining full magical powers from the heart of the truest believer. Meanwhile, in Storybrooke of the past, Regina decides to fill a void in her life and, with Mr. Gold’s help, sets out to adopt a baby.

Main Thoughts - Characters/Stories/Themes and Their Effectiveness

Past

Wow, Loving Lana’s acting in this first scene with Archie. She’s so muted and given how Regina’s usually up there in the extra squad, it’s so noticable. She looks while not unhealthy, still sickly in a way because of how miserable and lonely she is. It’s a fantastic way of showing just how badly her life needed love and how much of a change for the better Henry was for it. (Not to beat a dead horse, but THIS is the kind of acting a lack of a heart should grant one, Graham!)

Pre-redemption post-childhood Regina flashbacks tend to fight an uphill battle of making Regina sympathetic while also not turning their backs on the fact that she was a legit villain, and this one, like the best of them, handles that concept well! Regina does some bad and illegal things. She casts a curse, chews out basically every Storybrooke character she interacts with, and has Sidney steal Emma’s medical records. But this flashback isn’t about those things. It’s a story about how love started the trajectory of Regina’s redemption.

That’s where the focus is on and appropriately so.

Watching that story is adorable. It’s the first time we see Regina soften to someone immediately and in such a loving way. We see the struggle Regina went through to acclimate herself to motherhood. Look, I’m the daughter of a single mother and I was a bit of a problem child myself: This shit hit home.

The ending story of the segment even shows post-early early signs of her redemption by just showing how Henry’s happiness takes precedence over an ensurement of the safety of her vengeance.

“Sometimes, being a good parent can mean having the strength to give him up.” This line is so important. I like how someone in the real world gives this extra level of validation to the “your best chance” mantra of the series. OUAT has some questionable morals and questionable redemptions. I feel comfortable saying that while I do really enjoy the redemptions we see throughout the series, that statement applies to pretty much everyone in the main cast. Someone (I think @justmilah) put it best at the convention: They’re a bunch of people who probably don’t deserve happy endings but are given them anyways.

Now where am I going with this?

The one message that was always spot on was “your best chance” (Or rather, the giving up line). Parents should put their children first. To give it that real world validation, even if it doesn’t happen in the scene in question, was such a good idea. It’s not that I care about legality in this series.

Present

”You have everything and yet you claim to know what I feel?” I was really torn about how I felt about that line. On one hand, I’ve talked a fair amount about how I dislike Regina’s “woe is me” thing, Emma having a lot of people in her life does nothing to move Henry from being her number one priority, and I don’t think comparing pain is conducive to anything. However, the scene with the Lost Boys where Emma brings up this conversation is a fantastic point for her character and her reaching the Lost Boys with that idea of unexpected love and family is incredibly effective.

Regret vs. Remorse. I think the difference between these two camps is so important, both for this scene and Regina’s legacy. Even as far into the future as Regina’s Good Queen coronation, those vines never would’ve stood a chance against Regina. Regina grew to feel remorse for her actions. That was quintessential to her redemption. If she didn’t, Regina may not have garnered the fandom that she has today nor deserved the happiness she found. BUT, Regina’s path, for as evil as it was, did lead her to Henry, and that is something she’d never go back on. He was the encounter she needed to happen in order to redeem herself and more to that, she loves him. Meeting and getting to know her son was worth it all to her and I get frustrated seeing this line get occasionally misconstrued to saying that Regina regrets nothing because she got something she wanted, like Henry was just a salt shaker on a shelf when the actual situation is nothing like that.

And it makes for a truly badass moment that simultaneously doesn’t take away from her redemption. That was really hard to do, and without going too heavy handed with it, the scene by the tree worked out flawlessly!

Insights - Stream of Consciousness

-Those establishing shots set the perfect mood of panic and urgency just before the curse hits.

-”He would’ve understood.” He was begging you not to kill him! XD

-Rumple is such a little shit and I love it. Like, if Regina’s gonna come and gloat, he’s gonna make sure she doesn’t get to celebrate her victory and push every button he can while he still has the chance. And all without leaving his cell!

-I just had a thought. So, as soon as Regina says she’s going to kill baby Emma, Rumple starts talking about the hole in her heart. And Regina and her guards just BARELY miss Emma. Was Rumple stalling to ensure that Emma got away?

- @ussjellyfish, I finally get what you were talking about with Regina’s love of paperwork! Her desk more loaded with paperwork than Smash Bros is loaded with characters and death!

-”What are you feeling?” “Nothing.” The subtle honesty of that line hits me HARD!

-”A child. That can provide so much meaning.” Archie, one shouldn’t have or adopt a child in order to solely give their lives meaning.

-”I need a child, Gold and I need your help.” “Well I’m flattered, but uninterested.” “Not like THAT.” One of my FAVORITE exchanges in the series! XD

-”Well, a mother of some sort.” Even cursed, Rumple is out for fucking BLOOD! -”When you become a parent, you must put your child first.” So Rumple is cursed during this scene, but one has to wonder what exactly, if anything, is his relationship to Bae under the curse. Are they estranged or is he straight-up dead? I use the dead angle in my Golden Hook fanfic, but I’m curious to hear other thoughts.

-Fun fact: If Emma yields a sword, that sword can hurt the unhurtable in exactly the way she wants to! (See also: Season 6)

-Rumple went to fucking bank for you, Regina! Like, not a single flaw!

-Damn! Amazing acting on Lana’s part again! Like, the SECOND she sees baby Henry, she falls in love with him. The gasp, the way her eyes bulge, the softness of her form! It’s amazing!

-Gotta HAND it to Killian! His hook is really doing a good job of keeping Felix in place!

-Awww! Beverly Elliott!!! She just makes me smile!!! <3

-I love how Regina just knows that Mary Margaret is the best person to stick her baby with! <3

-”Well, as long as your plan holds together, she will.” FUCK MACHISMO ISLAND.

-Baby Henry’s reaction to Gold’s shop is EVERYONE’S initial reaction to this little shop of horrors!

-”My memory’s not what it used to be.” *Sighs* Fucking Rumple. I love you.

-”Oh you really know nothing of what I’m talking about.” I love how even when Rumple actually is cursed, even with Regina’s confidence in the opening, she doesn’t buy that it actually happened for a second.

-”Look at what motherhood has done to you.” I love how Rumple’s line (This one and the ones that preceded it) is basically praising the makeup department and Lana’s acting! That’s actually so adorable and deserved on the writer’s parts! <3

-Okay, everyone’s wash of relief upon seeing Henry wake up genuinely had me choked up. The smiles on everyone’s faces and the deep breaths and the music...I think I need a minute *Sobs into eternity*

-”Young sir.” And letting him stay in the captain’s quarters?! Killian, you fucking adorable softie!

-Okay, now THAT’S the Archie who doles out great advice!

-”A glorious curse.” Regina, I love you! XD

-”Too much pizza.” I love the implication of this line that Henry DID have pizza before his trip to New York, but it wasn’t REAL pizza. XD

-Damn, the Jolly Roger’s captain’s quarters are so fucking fancy!

-”I’m sorry it had to come to this, Henry.” No you’re not, you little bitch!

-*Neal and Rumple hug* Sorry, I think I’ve got something in my eye...TEARS! Like, that entire resolution got me choked up.

-*Pan fails at taking Henry’s heart* Yeah! Suck on that, you little bitch!

-”You raised him well.” Awww! Golden Queen contrast!

-Stupid thing to point out, but after all of that hullabaloo in “Dark Hollow,” why were we using the fucking lighter?

-”A hero, a villain, a pirate.” I love how David doesn’t classify Killian as a villain despite being fairly justified in it! Captain Charming FTW!

-”You have a dad now. Now and for forever.” I’M NOT CRYING! YOU’RE CRYING! “I’ll never leave you. Okay, buddy?” THAT JUST MADE IT WORSE!!!!! AND IT’S NOT EVEN BEING SAID TO HENRY!

Arcs - How Are These Storylines Progressing?

The Mission to Save Henry - There’s such a good feeling of payoff here! Everyone’s working together, communicating, and making risks for each other. David and Emma’s conversation towards the end of the episode about how they all accomplished this is just a testament to how far they’ve come.

Regina’s Redemption - What else is there to say? Regina’s redemption was such a big part of this episode and I already talked in length about why! Well, I guess I want to say that this arc is where Regina really takes her form. She knows she’s done bad and she’s still pretty selfish in a lot of respects, but love pushes her to new emotional heights that neither she nor the audience ever expected!

Emma Accepting Her Parents - Just look at the relief on Emma’s face when she hugs her parents who can both go home with her! <3

Rumple Finding Bae - We finally get to see a big reconciliation between Rumple and Neal! I really liked it, but that having been said, I wish there was more to it than simply “You saved Henry, now I forgive you.” Call me angsty, but that slow rebuilding of their relationship was really great. The fact that they have so far to go is part of what made “Nasty Habits” the fantastic experience that it was. To see it all over so soon after that makes me wish for more. That said, one can make a case that they haven’t fully reconciled AND that at the time they wrote this, Neal was on the chopping block and that resolution with Rumple was best off happening here for that reason.

Favorite Dynamic

Regal Believer. Who else could it be? Just...I love these two! Now, part of me feels bad because Henry plays a much more passive role in this episode than he does in other cases where Regal Believer’s won. In the past, he’s just a baby and in the present, he only has one or two scenes where he talks to anyone. But Henry’s effect on Regina just by the sheer fact that he exists is so much in and of itself. Just by being Henry, he inspires Regina to be her best self.

Writer

Christine Boylan and Daniel Thomsen come off of “Good Form” to write today’s episode! And you know that I loved it. “Solid” is the word of the day here. There’s so much that has to be resolved here and it’s paced so well that one would be surprised by all that was accomplished! Like, Henry is “saved,” Emma recruits the Lost Boys, Rumple is recovered and reconciles with Bae, we see Regina and Henry’s origins, and we see the plan to escape Neverland enacted. That’s a lot for forty four minutes! But the writing and pacing make it feel so natural and while fast-paced, never rushed.

Rating

Golden Apple. What a fantastic episode! It’s beautiful, emotional, tightly written, and has some solid character work! It’s just enjoyable as hell!

-----

I’m all caught up...with last week’s entries! Still three left to go, but I’ve got this!

Thank you all for reading and to the fine folks at @watchingfairytales!

Next time, we relocate from Neverland...to The New Neverland. See you guys then!

Season 3 Total (86/220)

Writer’s Scores: Adam and Eddy (19/60) Kalinda Vazquez (17/40) Andrew Chambliss (17/50) Jane Espenson (10/30) David Goodman (20/40) Robert Hull (20/40) Christine Boylan (20/20)* Daniel Thomsen (20/30)

* Indicates that their work for the season is complete

Operation Rewatch Archives

[witandcoffee22x]

TV show questions: Smallville!

Yessss okay!

my favorite female character: Lois Lane. I don’t even have to think about this one. I loved her from the moment she stumbled into that corn field to find Clark naked and unsuccessfully told herself to look at his face. Lois was a funny badass with a secret heart of gold. I feel like her introduction was a breath of fresh air for the show.

my favorite male character: Clark Kent. This show was all about his journey. I may have rolled my eyes at a lot of his decisions but his big heart and sincerity always won me over.

my favorite book/season/etc: This is a tough one. Season 4 was the one that made me fall in love with the show (and introduced Lois) so I’m going to have to go with that one, but if we’re talking later half of the series then Season 9 gets my vote for sure.

my favorite episode (if its a tv show): The show had 10 seasons…way too many episodes for me to narrow down one favourite!

my favorite cast member: I honestly don’t know that much about the cast but Michael Rosenbaum (Lex) always seemed like he was hilarious and Erica Durance (Lois) seemed like she was/still is a total sweetheart.

my favorite ship: Ooh boy. Clark/Lois (Clois) without contest. I loved these two and every stage of their relationship. 

Not quite enemies or rivals but bickering constantly while we try to figure each other out? Yes please.

Low key respect/admiration that results in them agreeing to be secret friends (”Oh we’re friends now?” ”I won’t tell anyone if you don’t”.)? Umm fuck yes.

We still bicker and pretend that we don’t like each other but you know me better than anyone and I will talk about all your great qualities behind your back? Even better.

Oh shit I might have feelings for you oh no wait I definitely have feelings for you and that can’t happen so I’ll shove that waaayyy down for the time being? So. Effin. Good.

I thought I lost you for good and I couldn’t deal (also the world ended in a different timeline) so I’m going to look at you like you’re the goddamn sun and openly express how great you are until I just can’t take it anymore and kiss you? I’m having a heart attack.

You’re it for me. You make me want to do better/be better and also here’s everything there is to know about me because I love/trust you and want to make a life together.That’s. Mother. Effin. Growth.

I could go on about these two for hours but ultimately I loved the growth these two experienced together. Lois started out as a teenager adrift-an army brat without roots or direction-and found family and acceptance with Clark and the Kents who helped foster a sense of purpose. Clark started out afraid he wouldn’t be accepted and scared to be who he was/face his future and Lois was always there to punch him on the arm, make him feel normal, and push him to keep moving forward even before she knew about the superpower aspect. They were in each other’s corners even when they annoyed the hell out of each other and I loved the progression of their entire relationship.

a character I’d die defending: Lois again. I will never understand the hatred (and misogyny) that was directed towards her character and Erica Durance who played her.  

a character I just can’t sympathize with: I’ll probably get flack for this one but…Chloe Sullivan. I honestly loved her for the first half of the series but I found in the later seasons they did her a disservice by portraying her as infallible. Clark, Lois, Oliver…they were all allowed to make mistakes and own up to it and grow. Chloe’s questionable actions were always “justified” or never her fault. I feel like this made it hard to connect to her character as the seasons went on. 

a character I grew to love: Tess Mercer. I couldn’t have cared less about her when she was introduced in season 8 but she really grew on me. I almost said Oliver but let’s be real–I loved him from the get go.

my anti otp: Hmmm I have two I suppose. Lana/Lex for sure - talk about an f’d up, manipulative relationship and I hated that the show chose to make Lana a main source of contention for Lex and Clark when there was already so many possibilities there. The loss of their friendship should have been more about their differing philosophies and Lex’s slow descent into darkness, not romantic rivalry. I also don’t love Clark/Lana. I have no problem admitting that they were kind of sweet in the first two seasons (Clark setting up that movie screening outside for her birthday? Adorable!) but they grew to be unhealthy. Clark could never see past the girl-next-door version of Lana that he had placed on a pedestal since he was a kid and Lana constantly guilted Clark over not being ready to share all of his secrets. The show had these two so obsessed with each other that it held them back and refused to let them grow as characters…even their goodbye arc makes me cringe. Separately I liked both the characters but together…not so much. (** No hate if anyone likes either of these ships though…they just weren’t for me!)

[iokoye]

(1/4) I was ashamed when my first reaction to learning Jmo was leaving was relief. Not because I wanted her gone but relief that she would move on and therefore I would be free from this fandom. It's been so miserable and isolating for me as a SQ shipper to love Jmo & Emma. Finding a blog that is kind to the actress and character has not been common and even then, those blogs still show an obvious preference for Lana & Regina.

more under the cut cause it’s quite long

2/4) I love Lana & Regina, I adore them. But my initial draw to the show and relationship (and subsequently Tumblr) was Jennifer Morrison and the strong, beautiful character she played. I feel in love with her and then I fell in love with the relationship I saw forming. And while I initially found peace and hope in this fandom and a sense of self awareness in terms of my self and my sexuality, it has become a draining, wretched place. 

(¾) Do you know how much it hurts to feel isolated from your own fandom? To feel like an outcast for loving someone? To feel mocked and belittled and put down for finding inspiration in a character and an actress? How hard it is for the most popular bloggers to be the most vocally against them? And while there are bloggers like yourself who occasionally speak out against such behavior, you seem to be silent when it matters most.

(4/4) And the people who claim to be against such behavior, still follow and interact and even maintain friendships with the most hateful users. And just when I thought I was free to enjoy my ship from a distance, when I thought ‘surely they must be done. Jmo is gone and there’s nothing left to discuss.’ I find I can’t even safely return to what I love because people are as hateful as ever. I’m sorry I unloaded all of this on you but it’s something I’ve held in for a while and it’s been killing.

okay so.. i’m gonna try to reply to this in the most unbiased and non hateful way possible. 

i can relate to most things you say. before i joined the ouat fandom i was already in love with regina (not knowing that she was an asshole asjfasf) because i had seen gifs of her BUT right when i saw jen’s character i fell in love with her. i related to her character on a spiritual level and to this day it really bothers me whenever people hate on her (and still ship sq). i appreciate emma’s development, i.e. not being as closed off as she was on s1, s2 and EVEN s3, i feel like it’s beautiful and like i said because i see myself in her it’s inspiring to see someone grow this much. i’m proud of her and i love her.i can even admit that i was a jen stan like a year ago lmao, she seemed like a sweetheart and i just loved her, plus it helped that she played one of my favorite characters on ouat. 

i never really… acknowledged that i had this “ignorance is bliss” mentality but i slowly realized (and by myself) that jen wasn’t like emma at all and some stuff came up that i dind’t really like. actors are different from their characters and most people that love emma on the sq fandom separate jen from emma so that they can still enjoy the character. i’m being 100% serious when i say that i love regina and emma equally, they are part of a ship that helped me grow and get educated; finding my sexuality and my community but jennifer has never done that for me. lana? maybe. she voices her support for people like me ANY chance she gets (like she said, actors have a platform that they can use to speak up and “to help people that can’t necessarily be themselves”. this was her response to a question that was actually about me not being out to my family or anyone in real life) and i’ll admit that if it wasn’t for her i would’ve left the ouat fandom a LOOOOONG time ago, maybe how i feel about lana is how you feel about jen and i’m in no way invalidating that.

i know that the ouat fandom is gross and it’s honestly bad for your health and stuff like that. i was in a really bad place a year ago, i had zero self respect and on that year i realized that sq was never going to happen and it broke me. i started watching this show at the end of 2013 and started shipping sq on like… the show hiatus of 2014 and i never lost hope for sq. NEVER. but this fandom can bring you down all the time lmao like.. it is TRULY the WORST fandom that i’ve ever been in. the loudest voices that are considered the mouth piece for each fandom are horrible; most anti shippers on twitter are horrible and even some fans can act like misogynistic/homophobic goobs most of the time; racism - people acting like they’re racist so they can be edgy; people that ship real life people together asfjafs - i realize that it CAN be extremely draining which is why i stepped away from the fandom in the first place.

ok so… now this is the hardest topic and i’m not sure if you’re going to like what i’m going to say but know that this isn’t a personal attack on you. this is MY opinion and i’m going to describe what i’ve seen people say on social media (i am in no way speaking FOR anyone else). you genuinely seem like a good person and i’m honored that you came to me with this “rant”. i’m glad you let it out and if you need to talk some more know that i’m here. some shippers that i’ve encountered don’t like jen for specific reasons (i.e. not being vocal about her support of the lgbt+ community and other minorities for example) and no it’s not about whether or not she is up sqs ass, that doesn’t matter at least not for the issue at hand. in my opinion, some of the stuff she has done is morally unacceptable and again i’m not talking about ships (i’m not going to get into it cause i don’t want to cause drama but i have my own reasons to not like jen). i’m not going to share someone elses story because it’s not my place but if you set “ignorance is bliss” aside and try to learn why people don’t identify with jen as much then you’ll understand. i don’t know why you would be mocked for liking jen unless you defend her blindly 24/7. i have friends that are jen stans that say “hey, i understand. you’re right and your feelings are valid” and they don’t even ship sq lmao. so there’s a difference between knowing that said actor is not really a pure innocent angel and choosing to not hear other peoples opinions just because you love jen and only what you think of her matters. also, this isn’t a callout for any mutual of mine, in fact i can’t even think of anyone that i follow that does this. 

the times that i speak up against jen hate are when people target her for her looks and how “dead” her character is on the later seasons (not to mention how i cannot stand emma hate. i’m not an emma apologist but shipping sq and hating emma is shocking to me lmao). if you have anything to say about her then do so with actual arguments instead of saying how ugly she is and being vocal about it 24/7 using derogatory names for women, such as bitch and cunt. i don’t know what you mean by “you seem to be silent when it matters most” so if you could clarify i’d really appreciate it!i realize that it’s somewhat hard to acknowledge that your idol isn’t that great (unless it’s someone like depp in that case fuck you), i know that you’re lgbt+ so i’m not going to police your feelings towards her cause that’s nasty, i would never do such a thing but literally no celebrity is perfect. they make mistakes, some more than others and sometimes they’re not as vocal about social issues as they should be, which is weird to many people. everyone has their own reasons to like and to not like jen but at the end of the day what matters is what you think of her and if you don’t say that people should feel the same way, remember that not everyone sees her the way you do! some even have bad real life encounters and experiences with her and while i realize some of the hate she gets is just extra and pathetic, some of it makes sense and it’s perfectly understandable for people to be disappointed in the way she behaves.

if you think any type of hate is going to stop just because jennifer left you’re wrong lmao this fandom is always going to find something to fight over!! there’s ALWAYS drama 24/7 nonstop. i don’t want to tell you to stop loving jen. i never did something like that and i’m definitely not going to start now. hate her or love her it doesn’t matter. if you find solace in who she is as a person (and her character) then that’s fine, just remember that some people dislike her for valid reasons and it’s not just fandom drama.hit me up on and off anon if you need to talk some more! i’m sorry that you feel this way and i wish that i could do something about it but there really isn’t :/ have a good day

[yuzuria]

whatever points u havent done yet, if it's fandom then gntm

heeey nice, thank u bio-chan :*

under the cut because this is gonna be long, i know you want only gntm but i took the liberty to add my dr opinions bc i won’t prob have this opportunity to voice them out prompted (not rly) in the future

a - ships that you currently like a lot. (they don’t have to be otps because not everyone has otps.) friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc. are allowed.

the otp atm is obviously komahina, it’s incomparable for me, i’ve been in rare otp fandoms for years so it’s like being enveloped by a fresh sea breeze when i got into it, it’s the most popular ship in dr, has the most fan content where the good ones outweighs the bad ones, and their relationship was fulfilling, it’s also the closest otp of mine that has reached canon.

other ones i love a lot right now are:

dr ships: hinata/servant (it’s komahina but i’m so invested in this dynamic in particular and there’s almost no content for it), kamukura/komaeda, kaede/miu, tenko/mikan, kirigiri/sayaka, touko/komaru, sonia/akane, lowkey shinguuji/amami and pekoyama/koizumi

dr friendships i’m invested and want to see more: komaeda/sonia, komaeda/kirigiri, komaeda/any girls tbh let him have platonic relationships with girls, familial komaeda/monaka, amami/kaede, hinata/natsumi, tsumiki/asahina, sakura/asahina, dr1 girls

gintama ships: tae/sacchan, kagura/nobume, takasugi/zura, kyuubei/tsukuyo (guess which ones are your influence)

hnk ships: diamond/bortz, ghost quartz/lapis lazuli, rutile/padparadscha, cairgorm/phos, cinnabar/phos

c - a ship you have never liked and probably never will.

dr: all het ships minus celesgami but i also grew out of it eventually, they’re all mediocre at best and i dislike the popular hetero ones-- namely, naegiri, hinanami, kamunami, kuzupeko, sondam, souda/sonia, akanidai, saimatsu, kaimaki.. also i never saw the appeal of chishimondo and the pairs involving the three. mahiyoko is forced in my opinion and their “moment” which gained them an alternate title “soapies” was distasteful. soudam is simply boring while i dislike hinadam out of spite. nobody asked but my most hated ships are komaegi, komamiki, hinaegi, kamuegi, and komahinaegi (stay those out of my sight)

gintama: shinsengumi centric ships, joui centric ships minus sakagin and takazura (i entertained the idea of the former but never beyond platonic), gintoki/every girls minus tae, sakamutsu, hijimitsu, tsukisachi, mutsumata, bantaka, takahiji, konzura, the gross pedophilic ones, okikagu, kamusoyo, sabunobu, ginshin, etc

d - a pairing you wish you liked but just can’t.

i don’t really have pairings i “wish” i liked because i know what i love and what i don’t tho the hnk one is an exception, i think i have the need to say that,, but i guess i feel envious with the content victuuri is getting i wished i i liked it so i have a lot of merch to buy whenever i go to cons but nah... im happy with my own otp

e - have you added anything cracky/hilarious to your fandom? if so, what?

i don’t even know if they’re considered hilarious, probably annoying which are a lot in my twitter, this one is my fav wholesome headcanon though

this one is my first dr post which somehow has the most notes i have ever gotten

i don’t think i have one in gntm

f - what’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom?

i’m not active in atla but it’s basically my first fandom and i still love and enjoy the fandom content so yeeep

g - have you ever had an otp? if so, do you remember your first one? who was in it?

embarrassing but toph/aang

h - what is your favorite source text for fandom stuff (e.g., tv shows, movies, books, anime, western animation, etc.)?

anime but most of the time it’s just a way for me to get into a fandom and i usually like the source material (manga, games, etc) more

m - name a character that you’d like to have for a friend.

anego

n - name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

gintama: tae fighting and an arc of her own, gags with nobume or takasugi, in general less of that blue pubes and more about girls without their respective dudes’ influences which suck because the girls are amazing yet the arcs they’re centered in still revolves around dudes i am so tired

dr: more focus on asahina :/, kirizono and kaemiu content pleaaase, and komaeda making friends other than his boyfriend??? 

o - choose a song at random. which ship or character does it remind you of?

I got Lucky Stars by Lana Del Rey, yeeep, komahina

p - invent a random au for any fandom (we always need more ideas).

i’ve always wanted spies/mafia au with best gintam girls, guns and aesthetic black or white clothing or military clothing whatev keeps me going 

q - a fandom you’ve abandoned and why.

sports anime fandom, i used to be in multiple sports anime fandom but after getting into gintama i dropped all of them and lost interest,, give me sports anime girls you coward... other than basketball or volleyball idk moe catastrophe or the most “feminist” game of the century that is keijo

r - which friendship/platonic relationship is your favorite in fandom?

sasaki/nobume, kagura/tae, and gint*ki/tama in gintama

komaeda/monaka in dr

s - show us an example of your personal headcanon (prompts optional but encouraged)

my default headcanon is all my fav girls are lesbians

after sasaki’s death, rather than going with the shinsengumi or military in general i want nobume to stay with the yorozuya

nobume becomes a transfer student in 3Z and wears a black sailor uniform with long skirts, sports a nailed bat, and an honor student. sasaki adopted her from young age and is the most doting father ever during the festivals and always cheering for her, “yes that’s my elite daughter, nobume-san” i teared up. kagura, on the other hand, had a growth spurt in the middle of their third year so she looks like her yorozuya movie design with her glasses up and taller than nobume.

i have a hc how komaeda/hinata/kamukura would look like as girls too

komaeda: has a long messy hair, wears the same clothing as the regular one (pants and not those sexy short shorts with thigh highs and garter belt, regular komaeda would wear that though ;) ), petite and still 180 cm

hinata: same hair, around 165 cm, regular bust size and has strong arms that can carry her tall gf, pretty packed, wears skirts with suspenders

kamukura: same features as hinata but her long hair is tied in a low ponytail, then same clothing

t - do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending? 

kagura never had interests with boys and when she grows up that’s where she realizes she’s a big lesbian and in love with nobutasu ;;

komaeda feels EXTREME distaste towards memes and puns, he doesn’t like them at all, he leans in a poetic side when he speaks, make him a pretentious john green character than a meme fuck (remember when he said if the sunflower is the symbol of hope then he’s the ground where the roots cling on?? and also one of his few hated gifts is a ring with a bad pun??)

w - a trope which you are virtually certain to hate in any fandom.

girls who only serve as a plot device especially a manpain, bonus point if she’s pining on the said dude but ends up being sacrificed for the dude

MC dude whose dick wants to be sucked by almost everyone, it’s tiring and gross

pedophilic themes

moe slash fantasy slash harem slash romantic comedy slash ecchi

pretentious characters with god complex

y - what are your secondhand fandoms (i.e., fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)?

v*ltron unfortunately

saiyuuki a bit bc of you and emilia

fire emblem/persona (i played some games but never finished it so i mostly don’t feel too attached with them)

some other video games

kpop

[theonceoverthinker]

OUAT 1X22 - A Land Without Magic

We are finally here!!!!! I can’t believe I’ve written 90 pages for this Season AND managed to stay on schedule AND get a couple of notes, too! Btw, for my loyal readers, I’m going to do a brief overview of Season 1 in an upcoming post before I get started on Season 2, and I hope you’ll all read!

Okay! No more disclaimers! If I may paraphrase Darkwings Duck’s catchphrase, “Let’s get magical!”

General Thoughts Past I feel bad, but I didn’t have a lot to say about the past events that I didn’t discuss in either my “Both,” “Insights,” “Arcs,” or “Flip My Ship” section. This is a really good segment, but there’s not much of a story to discuss. Charming’s mission to get Snow is a good show of his character and he fights his obstacles valiantly, but there’s not much of a story going on apart from that. Charming doesn’t have to learn anything and mostly serves to be a contrast to Emma in the present, and again, that’s really cool, but again, I discuss that in just a bit where it’s more appropriate, and the same can be said for the excellent dialogue between him and Rumple. So yeah, go read those! Present As I type, I’m trying to decide whether or not I like the moment where Emma believes. On one hand, it almost feels like a leap. However, I think I do. Emma takes Henry’s last words to heart and because he believes in her and she knows what she saw, she believes in him, and that makes her believe too. I think it’s adequate and I’m willing to accept it as shorthand.

I do have one problem with this present segment and it’s Jefferson. I really tried to keep him off to the Insights section where stuff that doesn’t affect my scoring of the episode (It’s not going to have a big impact, but I do have a lot to say), but given the amount of screentime he gets and what he interrupts, I found it unavoidable. Fuck, I forgot that Jefferson appears in the hospital scene, and it’s such a shitty moment. Now, as I said earlier, Regina deserves consequences for her actions, but having her time with Henry as he lays unconscious in a hospital bed is not what should happen. Those consequences should be (And thankfully are) given by Henry, Emma, and the Charmings come Season 2. And why would he expect Regina to pay him back now? I wouldn’t have this problem, but Jefferson was characterized as someone who was intelligent in “Hat Trick” (Mad, but intelligent all the same), and given how he knows Regina and her current frame of mind, why would he expect her to say anything but “fuck off” at this moment? And that projection of not having it in you to kill someone - where does that come from? It’s not like we’ve ever seen Jefferson explicitly say that he’s a pacifist, so why is there so much emphasis on it? Finally, how does Jefferson know what to do with Belle? It would’ve been one thing if we saw them interact or saw Jefferson reference that he knew where she was, but as it stands, it’s weird because there’s no way in hell that Regina would’ve told anyone except MAYBE the Magic Mirror that Belle was even down there. I’m glad Belle gets to appear and the payoff to this ridiculous setup does work, but that doesn’t change the fact that the setup still sucks. I was positively gutted by those quiet moments that passed as Emma and Regina heard about Henry’s passing. The way that everything slowed down and the strings played so mournfully just speaks to the love Emma’s grown for Henry over the course of their time together and the grief she feels in that moment is just so sad. It left me speechless. Additionally, when it came to the goodbye kiss, Jennifer Morrison deserves all of the awards for her performance. You see that perfectly imperfect quivering in her chin and the rapid running of her tears. Finally, I want to give Lana and the writers major props for showing Regina’s grief over both losing Henry (almost) in terms of his death AND her emotionally losing him as a result of the curse breaking. Lana’s breakdown as she tearfully cradles Henry’s pillow (One, or rather I can argue that she kisses it, her own version of the Swan Believer kiss) doesn’t erase her villainy (Note how she smiles at the cloud of magic), but still instills Regina’s love for Henry too.

Both Let’s talk about those kickass Maleficent fights. We get a cool contrast between Emma and David as they fight to get the egg out of and into Mal, respectively. David fights like a classic hero, but more than that, he’s able to pick up strategies and form ideas, showing how seasoned of a fighter he’s become. However, Emma, having never faced such a creature before, uses more basic tactics (Averting the dragon by running and shooting it with a gun). And even her last throw is spontaneous and brutal, making her fight so unique, but also allowing for her to accept this fairytale world in her own way.

Also, all the props in the world to Isham for his composing, So much of the tone of the story here was reinforced with his music and whether it gutted me or gave me goosebumps, I was blown away. There were great choices to deliver the optimal feelings from the swells to the choice of what instruments should take over and when. Insights -Ok! I actually like Graham in this scene! His actions make sense and he was pretty intelligent! My one nitpick is that giving up his heart (His words, not mine) is a bit of a stretch. -I know that I’m watching a fight between Rumple and Charming, but all I’m getting are proto Golden Hook feels. Hey, someone had to inspire him to learn how to use a sword! XD -Not gonna lie, that “it’s her son” line does not fit you well, Rumple. Look, I get it. Regina royally screwed up with Henry and I think by now, you all know that I love Emma. But I love Regina too, and while there should definitely be consequences in regards to what she did as far as Henry goes, it shouldn’t erase her role as a parent. -Also, I like the allusion to Belle during Rumple and Charming’s scene in the flashback. We both get to see how Rumple’s perception of Belle and their love (And love in general - compare “a flicker of light in the darkness” with “love has killed more than any disease”) has changed since “Skin Deep” and we get to allude to her return. -I like how Emma doesn’t just kiss Henry here. She seems to mull it over and to me, that seems like if she kisses him, it’s saying goodbye, and since there’s still a chance, she’s not going to say goodbye just yet. -The conversation about breaking the curse between August and Emma was really good because it served more as a general pep talk. -Regina, just tell her, “she’s a dragon!” It’s not hard and it’s probably better that Emma knows ahead of time! -Maleficent, that candle trick was just so freakin’ cool! -Nice foreshadowing, Mary Margaret! -Also, I may have complaints about Jefferson’s appearance in this episode, but I have no complaints with his...appearance. He could be my nurse any day the way he wears those cute scrubs. -If there was ever an episode that positively sold me on the idea that Rumple was always supposed to be caught between being good and evil, it was here. Whether Rumple knew or not that the curse was about to be broken (And given his reaction to the return of Belle’s memory, one can reasonably argue that he didn’t), that act of stealing Henry’s last chance from Emma and Regina was just plain evil! -Props to everyone’s acting. All of the little snippets of people remembering and reflecting that in all of 1-2 seconds of screen time is just fantastic! -The way Rumple looks like he’s going to sprinkle the magic from the bottle only to just drop the whole thing in is funny as hell! Arcs Emma’s journey of belief - What I like about Emma’s journey is that this journey never quite ends, but there are clear milestones that she reaches. In Season 1, it’s an ability to believe two things (1) in magic (2) in Henry. And it was done so well. While I got a little lazy bringing this point up in my Arcs sections in the latter half, there were few episodes that didn’t affect this arc. And I think what made the arc better was that we got to see Emma have moments of failure where she herself lost belief. When moments like that happen, it makes an arc all the more dynamic. Anyway, back to the episode at hand! Emma’s reactions to the curse being real - though they’re smaller in order for the episode to keep its actiony pacing - are all distinct and just great! Snow and Charming and MM and David finding each other - This episode does something so lovely. All season, I’ve been talking about how Snow and Charming and Mary Margaret and David are physically apart/together and emotionally together/apart in comparison to their counterpart, and this time, the story brings both sets of them physically together, both through the story of the past and present. While Snow and Charming coming together was a foregone conclusion, MM and David weren’t as easy to peg down. So, just as Snow and Charming are coming together, David and MM are on the cusp of being torn apart physically after having already been torn apart emotionally. Favorite Dynamic Emma and Regina - They are just explosive here and it is amazing! That first scene together is just brutal with the shoving and screaming and voice breaking, and it comes from this place of gut punching sadness. You see the struggle that these two women have had with each other and while they’ve put it aside at moments, it’s never been after something like that. Remember how a few episodes back, I talked about Rumple and Gold working together, but all the while being snippy towards each other? Well now, we have that but with an added venom twenty-two episodes in the making. There’s this balance of trust, but a lack of trust at the same time, and it gives way to mistakes and weaknesses for both of them. And despite their differences, they still grieve for Henry in the same way and respect how each other does it (With a stunning contrast to the Swan Believer kiss for Regina in Henry’s bedroom), giving us both a sense of where the story might go for Regina as well as reminding the audience that she’s his mother too. Writer I don’t know how people can say A&E are bad writers when episodes like this exist. A&E are overambitious, but when it comes to telling a singular story, they’re quite competent, for the most part! This episode’s writing really builds the sense of urgency that it needs to tell its story. Furthermore, apart from Jefferson, every character was given an amazing moment to capitalize on just what makes them so great, whether it be Charming fighting a dragon, Emma’s kiss on Henry’s head, Mary Margaret’s post-engagement promise, Regina’s scene in Henry’s bedroom and subsequent smile when magic returns, Rumple holding Belle and then bringing magic back, or August’s final speech to Emma. Rating 10/10. You see? Jefferson didn’t hurt my score too much at all! What a wonderful episode! We were provided amazing closure to the season and all major arcs, got to see every major character have a shining moment, and every emotional note hit just where it needed to. I’m so happy and satisfied with what we got and I had so much fun watching everything coming together! Flip My Ship - The Home of All Things “Shippy Goodness” Dragon Queen - “I knew you couldn’t resist bringing her over.” I didn’t realize before now that Rumple was also a Dragon Queen shipper! Congratulations, Rumple! Welcome to the team! All the same, it’s cute to have your basement dragon wife! Rumbelle - Rumple’s also a Rumbelle fan! “You’re real.” I wonder how many hours did Rumple pretend that Belle was there while in his castle or shop or home. It’s clearly been some. I already discussed how in the past, Rumple’s dialogue to Charming reflects how his perception of Belle has drastically changed, so I’m going to fangirl about the present here. Hearing Rumple’s voice crack as he assures Belle that he’ll protect her is so adorably heartwarming and tearjerking. Look, for as much as I love Rumple, I’m no Rumple woobie, but damnit, I can see how people do because his moments of vulnerability are beautiful. All the applause in the world to Rebert Carlyle. Snowing - Rumple’s also a Snowing fan! Look at him getting his OTP ready for their big moment! And what a moment it was! I found the recut awakening to be just as powerful as the original because of all the the character that Snow and Charming now have! Also, their proposal was just beautiful, as was their resolution afterwards. They were delightfully simple and yet majestic as the music swelled around them! Additionally, when the curse broke, there was this wonderful moment where they were just holding each other and trying to figure out what to say before Snow speaks. It’s only 2-3 seconds long, but it just says so much!

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Thank you so much for reading, whether you’ve been with me since episode 1 or just came here for my grand finale! Writing these reviews takes a ton of time and your likes and comments are always appreciated. I’m going to be doing an overview of Season 1 before I start production on Season 2. This will be a moment for me to reflect on how my perception of aspects of the Season changed over this rewatch, who was the best writer of the season, my top five favorite dynamics, and why I think Season 1 was both as successful and as beloved as it was!

Special thanks to the fine folks at @watchingfairytales again. This is some of the most writing I’ve ever done on this website and it’s all thanks to you! Additionally, getting an expanded platform has been really nice. As a small page, it’s very much appreciated.

Writer Tally for Season 1: A&E (60/70)* Liz Tigelaar (17/20)* David Goodman (41/50)* Jane Espenson (54/60)* Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg (38/40)* Daniel Thomsen (8/10)* Vladimir Kvetko (9/10)* (* = Their work for the season is complete)

Operation Rewatch Archives