#leave me alone top Blake stan

[sevi-fuk]

Blake tops

Sorry anon, can't hear you cause of how loud Yang is railing Blake on a table

[tkmuses-archived]

Aia x Daimon

that’s…a lot of blood. 

“Did you kill him/her?” 

‘  so i should be thanking you then?  ’ 

‘  just be careful, alright?  ’

Aia x Finn

“For the first time, I know in my heart I’ve made the right decision.” 

“I know you will and I know that tortures you.”

Aia x Kylo

don’t ever do that again. 

❝ don’t touch that, it’s valuable ! ❞ 

“Is that the best you can do?” 

❛ I love you. Now save me. ❜

Aia x Poe

“I have known you as many things, but never as a coward.” 

“Look me in the eyes before you kill me.”

Alessia x Yev

Will you marry me?”

“are you watching porn?”

Ari x lyana:  

“ blow a kiss my way for good luck. ” 

‘you’re important to me.’

❝ It’s a little late to turn back now. ❞

❝ you taught me to never trust anyone. ❞

Audra x Bev

❝ you could, but you just don’t want to. ❞

“Sorry–are you okay?”

‘  you should go with him.  ’

Audra x Bill

❝ i don’t want to leave yet. ❞

“Whoa, that is off-limits until, like, the tenth date!”

Aurora x Wes

‘it was supposed to be fun, and you ruined it.’

‘i don’t believe it.’

‘something strange happened here.’

Averie x Kit

‘what’s this between us?’

‘i wish you were here.’

‘something strange happened here.’

❛ Be excited. Or at least look excited. ❜

Axel x Daniela

‘i wasn’t ready to say goodbye.’

‘you met me at a very strange time in my life.’

Axel x Regan

‘we are not the same, and never will be.’

Bambi x Blake

“She haunts my dreams. Just kidding. She does, though. “

❝ Well, now that you’re back,

Bambi x Yev

“ Don’t be an ass.”

“what’s with the hat? are you having a bad hair day?”

Baze x Chirrut

i’m not going anywhere without you. 

‘  sometimes i impress even myself.  ’ 

‘  you’ve always been my favorite.  ’ 

❛ You have a heart as soft as a baby bird. ❜

Bella x Eggsy

- you’d kill me?

Bella x Jason

- “ Did they see me? Oh. They saw me. ”

Ben x Bev

“…Do we always end up on top of each other?”

“That’s not your wallet is it?”

“Wait, you’ve really never been on a date before?”

Ben x Stan

❛ You cannot change the world on an empty stomach. ❜

Beth x Seth

❛ There are no bargains between lion and men. I will kill you and eat you raw. ❜ (probs not at her but defs at a human)

‘you’ve never hurt me. ever.’

❛ Who told you that? ❜

❛ You don’t remember? ❜

❛ Did someone hurt you? ❜

❛ Who’s blood is that? Is that your blood? ❜

‘stay there. i’m coming there to get you.’

“For the first time, I know in my heart I’ve made the right decision.”

Betty x Bruce

“Goddamn right, you should be scared of me.”

❛ You know, you’re brave joking like that. ❜

❝ You are so beautiful. ❞

Bjorn x Arik

❝ No, we are not having this conversation! ❞

i was never that young.we are all in danger.

Bjorn x Claudia

‘i wasn’t ready to say goodbye.’

“Sorry, were you sleeping?“

”If you love them, then I want to as well.”

❛ Are you going to just keep staring or are you going to come touch? ❜

“ Relax… just lie back and let me make you cum. “

‘we’re in a public place and i just spent the last half hour making you ridiculously aroused’ sex

“Not my neck! It’s summer, I can’t wear a turtleneck in the sun.”

Bjorn x Elena

‘i wasn’t ready to say goodbye.’

‘i’m not like them.

Bjorn x James

“That’s not the point.”

❝ Don’t you get it? Everybody dies here. It’s just a rule. ❞

Bjorn x Sarah

‘  i think i’m dying here.  ’

‘  thought you said you didn’t feel pain.  ’

Chell x Roman

If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.

You can’t fight me, you’re miniature.

‘  so what, we’re just not gonna talk about it, huh?  ’

Delilah x Tommy

‘don’t say that about yourself.’

‘want to come with?’

❛  the blood on my hands scares me to death.  ❜

Dina x Billy

You want to walk out of my life, there’s the door. Hell, I’ll even hold it open for you.

‘  let’s talk. alone.  ’

❛ I’m always gonna love you. ❜

❛ Be excited. Or at least look excited. ❜

Eddie x Bev

❛ You know I’m here for you, right? ❜

Eddie x Bill

❛ You can’t live in the past. You gotta move on. Let it go. ❜

Eddie x Richie

Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.

‘  you did good. you did so good.  ’

Eddie x Callie

“ is this where we all sing kum-bah-yah?”

“i’m so proud of you.”

“i’m sick and tired of missing you.”

❝ I love what you’ve done with the place ❞

‘  i don’t hate it, by the way.  ’

Essie x Thor:

❛   We should carve our name in this tree. ❜

❛ There’s no way for them to understand. ❜

Foxx x Brodie

❛ It’s a reason to get up in the morning. It’s a reason to smile. ❜

❛ I don’t like the way I feel. ❜

“there’s no where else i’d rather be.”

Foxx x Malia

❛ I’d like to forget what you did. I’ve tried, but I can’t. ❜

“i want you to know that i’m happy for you.”

Freja x Arik

❝ Of course I know what I’m doing. I wrote this book. ❞

Freja x Claudia

there will be no second chances.

Freja x James

❝ You’d like that, wouldn’t you? ❞

❝ I already did that dance, made my life a living hell! ❞

Freja x Morgan

❝ You’d like that, wouldn’t you? ❞

‘  you’ve got a warm heart.  ’

Freja x Sarah

‘  most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs.  ’

‘ you  know  ,  i’m  fine  here  on  my  own  .  ’

Freja x Wade

‘ Fairs for losers. I’d rather win. ‘

❛ Life is not something to endure, but to live. ❜

❛ A lot of people lack that gift: knowing when to fuck off. ❜

“don’t you miss me?”

“i thought it was for the best, but it wasn’t.”

❛ Maybe you could stay a little afterwards? I don’t like being alone. ❜

❛ What? You mean to tell me you didn’t come here to just cuddle? ❜

❛ I’m ready, if you are. ❜

“I love making you squirm.”

Georgie x Elena

‘  you should go with him.  ’

let’s kill this son of a bitch.  ’

Georgie x Roman

“I’ll consider kissing you if you can beat me.”

“Prison? Occupational hazard.”

‘  just be careful, alright?  ’

Grace x Steve

“as much as i don’t want to leave, i have to.”

‘i like your smile.’

‘i can’t lose you.’

“ You sound so sexy when I’m going down on you “

“ Get on your knees.”

‘the elevator broke down’ sex

‘crotchless underwear is a thing’ sex

Hailey x Matteo

❛ It’s a reason to get up in the morning. It’s a reason to smile. ❜

❛ I told you I would make it. ❜

❛ Eventually we all have to accept full and total responsibility for our actions, everything we have done, and have not done. ❜

Heidi x Loki

“Are you a sorceress, woman?”

❛ Give me your hand. Give me your hand. ❜

❛ And when it’s done, we’ll both be free. ❜

Ian x Arik

tell me what you want.

“beg for it.”

‘you caught me masturbating’ sex

“fuck me like you hate me.”

Ian x Elena

it worked, just like you said it would.

“ Touch it. ”

John x Brodie

“They think you killed her.”

“You’re the reason they’re dead.”

John x Gray

❛ Trying to make a run for it? ❜

John x Lyla

“ please just … leave me alone. “

‘ please, just spare my husband. ’

John x Malia

❛ You wake up with a death wish today? ❜

John x Marley

‘ you should go with him. ’ 

‘ you won’t lose me. ’ 

❛ You think you’re hunting us? We’re coming for you. ❜ 

❛ There’s a huge difference between what we work for and what we live for. ❜

❛ You should be resting. ❜

John x Matteo

❛ I’d forgotten the world is full of nasty surprises. ❜

John x Wes 

❛ Why should I believe you? ❜

❛ I have never been welcomed anywhere in my life. ❜

Jude x Harley

“ friends aren’t allowed to kiss one another. ”

‘you ought to be asleep.’

“ is this just a joke to you?”

“ be careful… she is a hair puller ”

“you’re so sexy when you’re hot and bothered.”

❛ How come you know more about medicine than a doctor? ❜

❛ You can’t shut everyone out. You have to have someone to love, someone to hold on to. ❜

Julien x Aleia

❛ I’m hungry. Let’s get a taco. ❜

“you’re such a goddamn idiot.”

“i just wanna look good for you.”

Lacey x Ace

❛ Don’t tease. ❜

❛ Gimme that! Stop it! I’m warning you! It’s not a good day! ❜

“ i stopped caring a long time ago. “

“ i love you. “

Lainey x Nate

‘  so what, we’re just not gonna talk about it, huh?  ’

‘  hey, come on. you look great, okay? you look great!  ’

Leon x Ace

I don’t do fashion, I am fashion.

Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.

‘  it’s okay, you put up a good fight. he kicked your ass, but you put up a good fight.  ’

Leon x Billy

You can’t fight me, you’re miniature.

❛ Some things in our lives are inevitable. ❜

❛ I’m mad at the world, and you just happen to be in it. ❜

Leon x Tara

‘  i’m not mad, i just wanna know where you’ve been. that’s all.  ’

❛ I love you, and I’m not going to stop loving you. ❜

“They fucking loved you.”

“ can’t we just have a little fun? ”

Letty x Callie

you’ll always be a friend. ’

Letty x Matty

❝ Bold move, even for me ❞

“I’m not angry at you, just at myself… Because I knew this would happen.

Lex x Ace

I distrust camels, and anyone else who can go a week without a drink.

❛ Your life is either defined by the system, or by the way you defy the system. ❜

❛ They grow up so fast, don’t they? ❜

Lex x Billy

Two wrongs don’t make a right, but they make a good excuse.

‘ the risk i took was calculated , but man , am i bad at math. ‘

Lex x Nicolle

❛ You have every right to be mad at me, but I am telling you the truth. ❜

“You talk a lot in your sleep.”

‘am i making you uncomfortable?’

❛ I’m somebody new now. Everybody likes me. ❜

Liam x Daniela

‘don’t touch me.’

‘is it my fault?’

Liam x Regan

‘are you still alive?’

Liz x Peter

“I can’t tell them! Do you have any idea how they’d react?”

“ ever kiss in the rain? ”

Maria x Claudia

we are all in danger.

I do not fear ridicule. I never have.

Maria x James

”Can I trust you?”

“Let’s tell them the truth. Tonight.”

❛ I love that thing you do when we kiss. ❜

“bend over.”

“do you know how bad i want you?”

Maria x Sarah

‘  despite everything i’m still human.  ’

❝ Is this what it’s like to be you? ❞

Maria x Wade

“You know, it sounds like you guys didn’t really think this all the way through.”

❛ What’s the big hurry? We’ve got plenty of time to play. ❜

‘break up’ sex

Mike x Bev

‘ all i’m saying is… if there’s a god, is this something… does this seem like he would allow this? ’

Mike x Bill

❝ no matter what happens, don’t forget about me. ❞

❛ Courage. It is contagious. ❜

❛ Death doesn’t let you say goodbye. It just carves holes in your life, in your future, in your heart. ❜

Mike x Donna

❛ We can have any future you want. ❜

❛ It wasn’t your fault. It hurts. ❜

❛ It’s a reason to get up in the morning. It’s a reason to smile. ❜

Mike x Maisie

❛ Stay. I want you to stay. ❜

“ i think i’m gonna like it here. ”

“i’m so proud of you.”

Mike x Richie

‘ i think that we were all drugged. ’

Mike x Stan

‘  that’s the dumbest thing i’ve ever heard. that is not a real thing.  ’    

Millie x Aaron

“It’s been too long since you’ve really smiled.

Nat x Bucky:

“please, please just trust me.” 

‘i’m not going to hurt you.’

❝ I never thought I’d be back here. ❞

Yeah, so… I may have accidentally told steve about us…”

‘can i kiss you?’

‘ i trusted you.

Nate x James:

‘  i think that i’m still human.  ’

‘  i can’t forget it, though i’ve tried.  ’

Nate x Morgan:

❝ Hey, I try not to look at her like that. ❞

❝ I just wanna sit here and enjoy this place for a while. ❞

Nate x Sarah:

‘  i’m sorry if i smothered you.  ’

‘  you could still be what you want to.  ’

‘i wasn’t ready to say goodbye.’

Nate x Steve:

❝ I thought I lost you, for real this time. ❞

‘ Because I got tired of the endless disconnect. ‘

“I’m not going to die today.”

Nate x Wade:

“Is that my shirt?”

❝ Evil will walk the Earth!  ❞

Noah x Malia

❛ There are certain kinds of connections that are so deep that when broken you feel the snap of it inside you. ❜

“she’s innocent… mostly. she killed neighbor but the bitch had it coming.”

“what happens when they find out?”

Ofelia x Svetlana

“You always this quiet?”

‘ Fairs for losers. I’d rather win. ‘

Ollie x Poppy:

❛ Let me tell you what ‘Like a Virgin’ is about. It’s all about a girl who digs a guy with a big dick. The entire song. It’s a metaphor for big dicks. ❜

“i still get jealous.”

“You think you’re funny?”

Orion x Claudia

careful, or your foolishness will outweigh your usefulness.

‘stop pretending life doesn’t terrify you.’

Orion x Elena

‘  you’ve got a warm heart.  ’

‘you met me at a very strange time in my life.’

❛ You’re trembling … are you sure you’re okay? ❜

“ I love how your breath pauses when I put my mouth on you.”

Tell me how badly you want to fuck me…”

‘comfort’ sex

Orion x Morgan

i come to say good-bye and thanks for nothing.“

Did they see me? Oh. They saw me. ”

Padme x Anakin

i want to be happy but i don’t think i deserve it.

tell me what’s wrong.

❝ ’ just friends ’ don’t look at each other like that. ❞ 

❝ don’t we deserve a happy ending ? ❞

Patty x Donna

“C’mon, the cops are stupid, they’ll never catch us.”

‘  yeah, i love it, but not as much as i love you.  ’

Petra x Arik

❝ We bust in there, we fight through the carnage, we bail with the book. ❞

Petra x Claudia

you’ve got a second chance.

❝ Nice, you know I’ve always wanted to talk to you. ❞

Petra x James

“You know, it sounds like you guys didn’t really think this all the way through.

‘  you’re killing him!  ’

Petra x Sarah:

“I’m not going to die today.”

“ is it bad i really want to kiss you right now? ”

‘  yeah, i love it, but not as much as i love you.  ’

‘  i never gave up on you.  ’

‘  just be careful, alright?  ’

“Don’t shoot!”

❛ Is there anything you can’t do with that tongue? ❜

“i need you so bad.”

‘i thought you were dead, but you’re not and i can’t believe it’ sex

Petra x Wade:

“You looove me, you love me this much!

“You can help each other. You’re perfect complements to each other.”

‘of course i care. you’re my family.’

“Ah, it was all my fault.  Wasn’t it?”

Pol x Mickey

”I’ve missed you so much.”

Pol x Svetlana

❝ Is this what it’s like to be you? ❞

❝ You taught me to trust you, you taught me to believe in you, and I do. ❞

Porun x Daimon

you aren’t acting like yourself. 

please don’t do this. 

“I’ll go easy on you.” 

❛ I know I love you. I know that you love me. ❜

Rey x Soka

‘close your eyes and hold out your hands.’ ‘

it looks good on you.’

‘  no, nothing about this is okay! nothing about this is okay!  ’

❛  Close your eyes, you can trust me. ❜

  i don’t mean to be laughing, but are you okay?  

Sadie x Brodie

❛ If they knew we were here, they would have killed us already. ❜

Sadie x Gray

❛ Get to the car and get out of here. ❜

Sadie x Lyla

‘ you’ll see him again. ’

❝ it’s the closest thing i’ve got to a family.  ❞

Sadie x Malia

‘you’re not safe here.’

’i’m not like them.’

Sadie x Marley

‘ looks like god just cut you a break. ’

Sadie x West

you were supposed to leave. 

i’m not going anywhere without you. 

just breathe. 

“You’re a beautiful woman. You deserve a beautiful life.” 

'it hurts.'

Sidney x Charlotte

- ‘  if you’re still breathing, you’re the lucky ones.  ’

-  ‘i wasn’t ready to say goodbye.’

Sif x Graham

❝ I never thought I’d be back here. ❞

“I peeled potatoes for one day and I almost died. I love you.”

“I remember when I found you.

“i won’t let them hurt you.”

❛ How can I help it? How can I help but see what is in front of my eyes?“

❛ So long as human beings stay human, death and life are the same thing.”

Scott x Hope

❝ Bold move, even for me ❞

‘would i ever lie to you?’

❛ I miss you when you’re gone. ❜

Teddy x Lyla

❛ Stay. I want you to stay. ❜

❛ Oh god. What is that thing? ❜

❛ You just relax here, I’ll keep you safe.You rest up and heal. ❜

Tilde x Eggsy

‘i thought i might have lost you.’

‘this is your favorite song, right?’

❝ Do you think we can talk about this first?❞

- ‘you met me at a very strange time in my life.’- 

‘you’re not safe here.’

Tony x Claudia

it worked, just like you said it would.

‘ I’m not the answer. Look at me, look at this. ’

Tony x Pepper

‘it’s okay. i couldn’t sleep anyway.’

‘i can’t lose you.’

❝ We’re having a boy ❞

Val x Gray

❛ You can’t fight them. You have to hide. ❜

❛ You are afraid. Don’t be. ❜

Vella x Atom

❝ This isn’t official procedure. ❞ 

❝ Just promise you’ll kiss me goodbye ❞

‘stay there. i’m coming there to get you.’

❝ well looks like we’ve found ourselves in a bit of a dilemma. ❞

❝ oh the things I’d do to you if we were alone. ❞

Venus x Eli

❛ Don’t fucking patronise me! ❜

“shut up and dance with me.”

“why does it matter who i was with?”

Winnie x Aaron

“I’m not doing this.”

Winnie x Arik

“ I really don’t want a party hat, please and thank you. ”

‘  don’t think about the consequences.  ’

Winnie x Sarah

‘  most of us are bitter over someone.  ’

Zelda x Charles

“I’ll let you down. I will always let you down. I’m not enough for you to be satisfied.

“This is why I don’t let myself fall in love.”

❛ When you love someone, you love the whole person, just as they are, and not as you would like them to be. ❜ (vampire zelda era idk?)

❛ It’s a very difficult era in which to be a person, just a real, actual person. ❜

❛ Scold me; deny me. Damn me forever. But don’t leave me. ❜

Zelda x Eden

❛ There are no bargains between lion and men. I will kill you and eat you raw. ❜

Zelda x Gray

❛ I loved them, but I didn’t need them, and I thought that was the way it was supposed to be. ❜

❛ You’re not evil. Just confused. ❜

ANYONE U HAVE MUSE FOR:

‘  i promised i’d keep you shitheads safe and that’s exactly what i plan on doing.  ’

‘  hey, come on. you look great, okay? you look great!  ’

‘  you’ve always been my favorite.  ’

❛ I’ll never forget the first time I saw your face. ❜

❛ I love you, and I’m not going to stop loving you. ❜

❛ If you were going to die, I was going to die with you. ❜

❛ Courage. It is contagious. ❜

❛ You think you’re hunting us? We’re coming for you. ❜

❛ Can you ever forgive me? ❜

❛ What can I say? He’s going to break hearts. ❜

❛ You can’t live in the past. You gotta move on. Let it go. ❜

❛ And when were you planning on telling me? ❜

❛ You wake up with a death wish today? ❜

❝ I’ve been so selfish because I love you so much. ❞

“You’re the reason they’re dead.”

[itsclydebitches]

RWBY Recaps: Volume 6 “Alone In The Woods”

I stan one grandma and one silver-eyed warrior.

Seriously though. Ruby and Maria were the MVPs of this episode and one of the things I want to emphasize going into this recap—right here, right now—is that the Brunswick grimm didn’t create the feelings of hopelessness and inevitability that the girls are fighting against, they enhanced it. To a staggering degree, yes, but these feelings aren’t just coming out of nowhere and I think it would be a mistake to go, “See! All this negativity regarding the mission was just a result of The Apathy. They’ll be fine now that they’re away from the farm.” They’ll be better, but I don’t think they’ll be fine. We saw hints of the girls’ dwindling hope before the farm and we get one clear hint of it after they’ve left. More significantly, we can see a correlation between how much The Apathy affected them and how hopeful the character is outside of its influence. Basically, in descending order we’ve got:

Maria

Ruby

Oscar

Weiss

Yang/Blake

Qrow

Ozpin (currently)  

I’ll be spending a fair bit of this recap pointing out moments where we see these differences between the characters because it’s an excellent writing tool. Here we have a literal event also functioning as a metaphor, in which The Apathy’s power allows us to witness an over-the-top display of the characters’ feelings; an overt summary of where everyone is at right now. And though these feelings will no doubt become more nuanced now that they’re away from the farm, they certainly haven’t disappeared.

But let’s start at the beginning.

We open with a shot of the moon, which has so much more significance now that we know Remnant’s history. I mean there’s a whole lot of philosophical and symbolic stuff we could delve into—Humanity is broken! Scattered! It needs to be made whole and/or we need accept that the moon is still a good moon even if we can’t make it ‘perfect’!—but honestly I just see it, think of the Gods, and mentally go, “You bastards.”

As people already pointed out when we got the sneak peek, Ruby is separating herself from the group while everyone else sits close together: her team huddled shoulder to shoulder as Oscar and Maria fill the rest of the room. Qrow is obviously separating himself too, though it says a lot about her thought process that when Ruby reminds him that he can talk to her and Yang, that advice doesn’t extend to herself. We don’t see Ruby seeking out the physical comfort of her team and we certainly don’t see her voicing her fears—biting off complaints in front of Weiss was a perfect example. Ruby is great at pinpointing what other people need without attributing the same things to herself. Because she’s the young prodigy. She’s team leader. She’s the one with silver eyes. Regardless of what aspect of her personality you pick out, Ruby is always the one with responsibility on her shoulders and therefore the one who can’t afford to break. We see a lot of that in this episode.

Qrow has moved onto a whole bottle now and stares morosely out the window. He notes that the storm is lessening and that they’ll be able to leave at sunrise. Ruby says that’s good and Qrow follows it with a, “No. I don’t have a good feeling about this place. Especially with me around.” This exchange is their current relationship in a nutshell: Ruby finds the silver lining, Qrow immediately shuts her down. And of course it all comes back to self-loathing. It might look like things are getting better, but remember that I’m here. So no, they won’t stay good for long.

What’s perhaps most aggravating is the continued cruelty that worms its way into Qrow’s pessimism. He doesn’t just give a fake smile and assure Ruby he’s fine, like many other characters would. He rolls his eyes at her concern and gives a sarcastic “Suuuure.” Qrow doesn’t just reject Ruby’s support, he finds it stupid. That response was very much a, Really? You want to know if I’m okay? Don’t ask stupid questions, kid—which is a kind of personal attack that Ruby doesn’t deserve, in the same way Oscar didn’t deserve to have his identity rejected just because Qrow is struggling with his own.

Keep in mind that throughout all of this I’m still aware that The Apathy is impacting their mood. But as said at the beginning, all these emotions are real. Qrow doesn’t get a free pass for his attitude just because The Apathy is making it easier for him to act on the way he feels. 

Meanwhile, Maria’s bedtime story is a series of diaries and damn, that woman reads fast! She’s already on volume three by the time everyone comes back inside and she’s learned plenty about how difficult it was for people to build here. Blight, expenses, cold… and yes, grimm. It was by no means an easy settlement. And though it’s just a small line thrown into a larger explanation, I’m interested in the fact that these people apparently wanted to live on their own despite so many difficulties. We don’t hear much about those outside of the Kingdoms—with the exception of Blake’s history—and that this group would weather all this hardship for the chance to live independently says a lot about how not everyone is happy with the system Ozpin set up after the Great War.

Ruby interrupts Maria’s story to announce that “Qrow said we should get some sleep.” Notably not Uncle Qrow. Everyone immediately stands with the exception of Maria who has the best reaction, delivering in a caustic voice:

“The last thing you’ll catch me doing is letting some kid tell me what to do!”

There’s nothing I don’t love about this line. This is how you have a truly compassionate character vent their frustration. Because no matter Maria’s beef with Qrow (and boy, is she justified in it), the suggestion to sleep is objectively a good one. They fought grimm, got into a train crash, witnessed the Saddest Story Ever, beat up on their former headmaster, trudged who knows how far in the snow, found a creepy town, found some dead bodies, and just had emotional conversations with their besties. Sleep is so freaking necessary right now… but Maria doesn’t want to acknowledge that because it’s Qrow giving the order. The difference between her mini tantrum and the others’ we’ve seen? Maria’s doesn’t put anyone in danger. It’s not Yang refusing to move in a grimm-infested forrest until she gets the answers she wants. It’s not Qrow punching a sobbing man in a child’s body. Maria vents, but does so in a way that only impacts herself. I might be tired come morning, but it’s not going to hurt any of you if I stay up longer with this book.

Plus she calls Qrow a kid. Valid. Compare how Maria acts around Qrow to how she acts around Ruby. For Maria, literal age isn’t important. Qrow might technically be the other adult here, but he sure as hell isn’t acting like it. Ruby might be the second youngest, but she’s handling things like a champ. Only one of them is the “kid” in this situation.

“Go to bed,” Maria mimics, playing the roll of a child herself. Though again, in a way that hurts no one. Qrow isn’t even in the room to hear her. Ruby realizes all this and smiles—one of the first genuine ones we’ve seen since the beginning of this Volume. Maria is funny like this and yeah, at least some of that reaction was probably deliberate. She wants Ruby to hear her playfully mocking her uncle and loosen up a bit.

The camera turns towards the fire and we get a quick cut to hours later where it’s burned out completely. The morning light shines through the window. Well, color me surprised. Given the horror tropes last time I fully expected the girls to wake up (or start dreaming) in the dead of night, but in some ways it’s creepier for everything to go down on a bright, sunny morning. They live in a world with literal monsters. A bit of daylight isn’t going to save you.

At least everyone was smart enough to sleep in the same room together. With the exception of Qrow, but he already went off by himself after telling everyone else to stay in pairs. Dude, you’re so lucky you didn’t die this episode.

Sometime during the night Qrow found two more bottles that he emptied before passing out and when the last finally slips from his fingers it shatters, startling the hell out of Ruby. Here we get our first glimpse of how she’s able to resist The Apathy, how much more hope and determination she has than everyone else in her group—Ruby literally isn’t as tired. Not only did the bottle not wake anyone else up, her yell didn’t either. These are trained fighters suffering from PTSD who are entirely devoted to one another, and your leader’s scream doesn’t rouse you? After a whole night in this place the rest of the team is in deep.

We see quickly though that this isn’t the kind of cursed sleep that some of the fandom thought we might get. Everyone can wake up, it’s just extraordinarily hard. Weiss complains about Ruby opening the window curtains and Qrow tells her to leave him alone. When he doesn’t stir after that we finally see some of the anger Ruby is housing. She snatches another one of the bottles and hurls it against the wall. That wakes Qrow up fast.

Her frustration immediately gives way to concern though—another reason why I think she would have reached out a hand to Ozpin if she’d been given a chance. We get her reminder that Qrow can talk to them and Ruby moves in for a hug.

Thus begins a theme this episode of Qrow rejecting physical affection. Here he lets Ruby hug him, but gives only the most perfunctory pat on her back and then immediately pulls away. We see it again in the cellar when Ruby is legit screaming about how they need to get out of there and Qrow’s only reaction is a, “Hey! Get off me!” He focuses on the unwanted touch and keeps struggling in their grip up until he spots The Apathy burning in the doorway.

Now granted, there’s a lot of other things at play here, but it doesn’t surprise me that one of them is Qrow’s discomfort with, not just compassion, but physical compassion. After all, his semblance has a radius. We see during the fight with Tyrian that the kids can stand a few feet away from them, but they shouldn’t “come any closer.” Once Ruby does, she’s nearly brained by a falling beam. Those who are literally close to Qrow are the ones who get caught up in his semblance. During times of peace when things are looking up? He gives in, letting Ruby hang off his arm or sitting close to everyone at the Haven house. Now though? After Jinn’s vision? Qrow doesn’t just think he’s undeserving of comfort, he shies away from the physical proximity that comfort is usually delivered through. He’s cursed and he’ll be damned if he lets anyone get close to him—figuratively or literally.

It’s also worth pointing out that most of this shot takes place through the window. This technique can mean a lot of things in television and cinema, including evoking the feeling of peeking in on a private moment (think Rear Window), using the frame to divide people (you’re on one side of the line, I’m on the other), creating a sense of balance (or lack thereof), and producing a feeling of distance—for both the viewer and the characters.

Ruby and Qrow might be together in this shot, but the frame is no longer balanced. Their expressions are hidden from us, there’s height to make them appear small, and there’s even a bit of a Dutch Angle, usually used to show unease; that the world is suddenly confusing and off kilter. In short, Ruby is trying to offer that comfort and the cinematography is doing everything it can to tell us that it’s not working.

“Let’s just get out of here,” Qrow says, which is at least something they can all agree on.

And then. Then! Oscar being treated like a human being!! 

Oh this did my heart good to see. His interaction with Blake was short, but filled with excellence. That right there was a true early morning sibling exchange.

I don’t wanna do work.

Me neither. I want food.

YES. Wait. Are YOU going to make the food?

…No.

alkdjdakhfadihfg.

Thank god. Keep this up. Let them push back against Qrow’s belief that Oscar isn’t his own person with simple, everyday interaction. Let him worm even deeper into their lives so that the next time someone suggests that Oscar doesn’t have his own, intrinsic value he’s got four big sisters ready to stand up for him.

Connected to this, I also love everyone screaming for him while running from The Apathy. No one abandoned Oscar in their own fear. They had faith that he’d be ready to take them out of there.

They remembered he has a name.

Good shit, good shit.

So everyone gets the flatbed and bike ready, but when Qrow puts his foot up on it one of the tires blows. Nice callback to the broken coffee table. Of course, rather than tackling the new problem—Ruby: “It’s just a flat tire. I’m sure there’s a spare”—Qrow gives up. Remember, he’s both the one with the least hope in their mission and by extension the one most swayed by The Apathy. One minor setback and he’s ready to just stay there, despite his earlier desire to get the hell out of dodge. Qrow plops himself down in the snow and starts drinking again.

Maria, please talk some sense into him.

Not that Qrow would listen to her, especially after she makes the comment that they’re all “beacons for bad luck.” (Oooh nice contrast to our Beacon (school) of hope.) It’s a nice reminder that yeah, Maria might have gotten an info dump on Remnant’s history, but she doesn’t know anything else about this group, including the fact that Qrow actually has a bad luck semblance. She’s already watched a movie of humanity’s greatest secrets. Someone should really fill her in on the rest.  

That comment sparks the conversation that we all knew was coming. Yes, we can clearly see The Apathy at work here… but we can also see who has the determination to fight it. Yang says that it seems like the universe doesn’t want them to make it to Atlas, the same kind of twisted logic we’ve seen from her for the last two volumes. She knows she can’t trust Raven, but believes her anyway. She knows she agreed to deliberately separate from the train, but then acts like this is some kind of spiteful karma. She knows something as simple as a snowstorm in, you know, winter isn’t a sign that their mission is impossible… but she’s going to turn it into a sign when she wants to justify giving up. Yang is very good at taking innocuous things and/or things she originally agreed to and then using them as “evidence” when she feels like it. Like agreeing to a career that’s all about risking their lives and then going, “Actually if we’re risking our lives there should be payment in the form of secrets.”

That’s what Blake latches onto next. She bemoans the fact that they always have to fight to get by and Ruby and I both go, “????”

Ruby: “Yeah, but that’s what we signed up for.”

Thank you! Yes, that is exactly what you signed up for and, The Apathy’s influence aside, no one is willing to acknowledge that. You signed up for a hard life. You signed up for battle, but only Ruby both recognizes and admits to that choice. The Apathy’s extreme influence helps us see that these girls still haven’t found new motivations since Mountain Glenn. In their minds they didn’t sign up for this kind of hardship because they saw being huntsmen as a track towards adventure (Yang), recognition (Weiss), and an escape from a previous life (Blake). Without that ethical drive, experiencing the dark side of their careers—like the Fall of Beacon—really kind of broke them. In that way they’re still kids, told by adults and the rest of society that the thing they’re so excited to do will be hard, and they claim they understand this… but are then surprised when, shock, it actually turns out to be hard.

Oscar has a slightly different view. He actually didn’t sign up for this, so he points out that they’re supposed to “save the world. Not just delay the inevitable.” Ignoring for the moment that Salem’s victory is in no way inevitable (that’s the Raven in you talking), Oscar doesn’t even have the guilt of knowing that he chose helping people as his career to push him forward. Some bullshit magic chose him specifically to “save the world”  and now everyone thinks that’s impossible, so why exactly am I here again?

It says a ton about his personality then that Oscar, despite having the most objectively justifiable reason to give up, is one of the more tentative in his complaints. After that line he doesn’t gang up on Ruby like her team does, pressuring her to give up like the rest of them. He also immediately does as Qrow asks and sets about finding a new tire, even though The Apathy and his own apparent uselessness should convince him to just sit there—like Qrow is. But Oscar keeps going. We’re seeing glimmer after glimmer of how he’s a “like minded soul” to Ozpin. Both keep getting up no matter how many times they’re knocked down.

Ozpin, of course, is also worth acknowledging here. We don’t know if he can hear/see everything that’s going on that deep in Oscar’s mind, but even if he can his self-loathing is currently even worse than Qrow’s. Combine that with The Apathy’s influence and it’s absolutely no surprise to me that he never makes an appearance. (To say nothing of the fact that the plot isn’t ready for him to come back yet.) Though it goes against his core characterization, Ozpin is currently the least hopeful of the lot. Ruby is holding them all together until he re-discovers his own convictions.

But boy, is it hard. I wasn’t kidding about the other girls ganging up on her. They’re pressuring Ruby to give in to them through both words and by physically invading her space. That balance in the frame we were talking about? Two cuts show us that it doesn’t exist: everyone is on one side and Ruby stands alone on the other. It’s hard to stand up to that kind of peer pressure in general, let alone when you’ve got a grimm weighing you down.

Yang tries to spin the decision to leave the relic with more selfish logic: Salem probably won’t find it for a couple of years at least. Hell, “It might not even happen in our lifetime. We could be done with it now.” I’ve spoken about this in other metas, but this self-centered thinking is really at the heart of the issue. The girls expected to kill Salem just as soon as they were a bit stronger (they probably assumed, naively, that they’d be done in the next few years) and now they’ve learned that this is a multi-generational battle. Protagonist Status aside, the in-world implication is that they won’t reap any rewards. This is a fight that requires true sacrifice: planting seeds in a garden you never get to see, if I may quote Hamilton. And right now they’re say ‘no.’ That’s not my responsibility. That’s not worth it. Drop this stupid thing and maybe we’ll have peaceful lives before Salem wins. No one else matters.

Ruby gets far enough to unclip the relic and dangle it over the well, her hand shaking as badly as Yang’s. She’s “really tired”… but Ruby is also currently stronger than the others. She faces The Apathy as well as her entire team doubting her and says no, this isn’t the right thing to do.

Too bad red eyes startle her and the relic drops.

Her reaction is so telling though. Ruby maintains her determination, even in the face of the problem being literally taken out of her hands. It would have been so easy to just relax into the mistake, acknowledge that whoops, didn’t mean to drop it… but is it so bad that I did? It takes more strength to go after the relic again than it would to just hold onto it. Ruby’s freaking amazing for demanding they go back down.

The reactions piss me off though. (Yes, yes even with The Apathy’s influence.) Like Qrow’s cruelty towards her concern, the girls aren’t just indifferent to Ruby’s emotion here, they’re mean. They act like they’re putting up with a naive, annoying child whose finally gotten on their nerves one too many times. If you watch Yang and Blake they trade the embodiment of an “Ugh here she goes” look. Yang then has the gall to say that Ruby just imagined the thing in the well. That’s a standard horror trope: protagonist sees something scary and friend immediately says nah, monsters aren’t real! Except, you know, they put that reaction into the mouth of a girl who fights monsters for a living. I also love the logic here, or lack thereof. Grimm, Ruby? C’mon. We’re surrounded by woods where we were attacked by a ton of grimm just yesterday, hanging out in an abandoned town where everyone is dead in their beds. We’ve got a magical object that specifically attracts grimm, a guy with a bad luck semblance, and we’ve been spewing negative emotion non-stop for the last 24 hours. Why would you think there’s a monster down there??

So yeah. Rational thought is out the window right now. Ruby stands her ground though (I STAN ONE FIERCE CHILD) and says she’s not leaving without the relic. I legit worried for a moment that her dead-eyed team would go, “Okay fine. Then we’ll leave without you,” but luckily RT didn’t take it that far. They all agree to go back down with her—further showing how Ruby’s determination helps combat apathy, both natural and grimm-induced.

Qrow yells for the “farm boy” to find them a spare tire and then goes to drink himself into oblivion. Maria rightly sneers at his lazy, childish behavior. Qrow’s bitching about the “stupid lamp” and the “stupid tire”? Maria snaps that he’s the stupid one here.

Keep dragging him, Grandma. Maybe if you get him mad enough it’ll break through some of that self-loathing.

We then begin a series of parallel edits where Maria sits reading the diary while the girls explore the sewers below. It helps build suspense to catch glimpses of the writing—things like “I did it!” and “my solution” and “The huntsmen pointed them out to me the other day”—as they near whatever is laying in wait. By the time Maria turns the page and finds the awful illustration of what was brought into town, the girls have already found it for themselves.

During all this we see even more how little Yang, Weiss, and Blake don’t trust Ruby while under The Apathy’s influence. When they turn out their lights (omg no) none of them take out their weapon like she does, even though we’ve seen in the past that it’s an instinctual reaction to copy her, especially when it comes to keeping themselves safe. But they’re too tired and there’s no grimm, remember?

They finally spot the relic and Ruby, bless her, smiles. No matter how much of a burden it is, she’s so relieved that she found it again.

Aaaaand she finds something else too.

Like the others, Ruby isn’t quite herself right now. She cowers and screams rather than immediately fighting back, but at least she’s able to get off a couple of shots before The Apathy’s cry does them all in. Maria drops down into the well for a rescue attempt (!!!!) and recognizing the grimm at hand just tells them to run.

So they do. Why didn’t they keep heading for the well exit? I have no idea. That seemed a little contrived to suddenly head deeper into this maze, but whatever. It’s more atmospheric to face The Apathy underground and it gives RT the opportunity to throw out another corpse leaning against the wall. Yeesh.

“I can’t do this,” Yang says, a line that obviously speaks to more than just her inability to run away from the grimm. Then Blake flat out drops.

It says a lot about both of their states of mind that after a candid conversation about protecting one another, Blake isn’t able to rouse herself to help Yang and Yang doesn’t even realize Blake is about to die. The ability to keep going, even for a beloved friend if not for yourself, is just gone.

Not so for Ruby and Maria. They’re each still able to get to their feet—the only two continuing this fight here and the fight out there—literally pulling everyone else along. Ruby yells for Blake to get up and she gives the creepiest line in all of RWBY’s history.

Blake: “It’s fine.”

With The Apathy’s claws literally inches from Blake’s cheek, Ruby lets loose her silver eyes.

It’s enough to knock them back, but not defeat them all. More importantly though, Ruby’s power seems to have knocked something into the girls as well. The recovery they make is staggering and I think it’s more than just The Apathy loosening its hold. As we’ll see in a second, the power is literally tied to love of friends, family, and humanity as a whole. Ruby just gave everyone a big dose of love-infused hope. Despite the episode’s title, the point here is that they’re not alone in the woods. 

Weiss gets up the steps and shouts that the door is locked… and I’m sorry for laughing. But it just reminded me so much of First Year Hermione in the Devil’s Snare, shouting about how there’s no matches for a fire. Weiss. Are you a crazy powerful fighter capable of breaking a measly lock or not?

Yang comes to lend her a hand, but The Apathy knocks them down with their cry again. I love that they separated the partners here—Ruby trying to keep Blake safe—and we see Yang reaching for Weiss as she collapses again, muttering “No, no, no, no.” We then get a nice shot from Maria’s perspective as she slowly pieces things together. An experienced, silver-eyed warrior herself, Maria is the only one still able to move and she crawls to Ruby, asking what color her eyes are.

Damn if this poor grandma isn’t getting crazy revelation after crazy revelation. At least this one is able to save their asses. She coaches Ruby through drawing on the emotions that will activate her eyes. Think about the people you love. Focus on keeping them safe. “Life is beautiful. It’s precious. And it must be protected.”

The silver-eyed warriors are embodiments of the cause Ozpin fights for: protect humanity, no matter how hard. No wonder he was so interested in Ruby when they first met.

So for the first time we not only get to see Ruby using her power intentionally, we also see it destroy. She only froze the dragon grimm at Beacon and injured Cinder rather than killing her. Now, Ruby’s eyes turn all The Apathy before them into dust. With knowledge of what she’s drawing on and some measure of control, Ruby is growing more powerful.

Hell yes.

They come out into the wine cellar where Qrow is drunk beyond belief. Between all the alcohol and The Apathy it doesn’t even register that maybe his kids are panicking for a reason. He just yells at Weiss for wasting precious alcohol. Because yeah, Ruby might have done some damage, but The Apathy isn’t dead yet… and Weiss has beef with both the grimm that nearly killed them and with a cellar stuffed full of drink, courtesy of her mother. Now she’s given the chance to burn both to the ground? Weiss isn’t passing that opportunity up.

“Now we can leave,” she says. Once everything is on fire.

(Someone please make a version of the Elmo GIF with Weiss raising her arms maniacally as everything burns behind her. I’d like that.)  

During all this we also get a wonderful little bumblebee moment as Yang grabs hold of Blake’s hand. A bright spot amongst all the horror.

They re-unite with Oscar, who is literally just,

and then they get the hell out of there. Driving away everyone is able to start thinking again, with Maria laying out how two of The Apathy were brought into town to try and keep people safe—a messed up form of self-medication in a world that doesn’t seem to care at all about mental health. “They drain your will to go on” and once you get the whole pack? You’re done for. Presumably everyone went to bed and just… never bothered to get up again.

Maria then straight up chucks the diary into the snow, which was an incredibly sad gesture to me. Like yes, they obviously don’t need the diary anymore, but it’s still a diary, the last surviving remnant of the family given that Weiss burned the house down. That action, for me at least, speaks to Maria’s disgust at the choices here. Not only that people think they can remove the bad parts of life without damaging the good, but that, financial difficulties aside, this fool actually thought he could get rid of huntsmen and replace their protection with grimm.

That was a rejection of them and it lead to the deaths of an entire town. Now apply that scenario to a much bigger picture. What’s gonna happen if the girls reject their own status as huntsmen and the town becomes the entire world?

Nothing good.

Weiss is the first to apologize. God bless this girl, that must have been hard to do, especially coming from an abusive family. Weiss has developed remarkably good communication skills in the last two years. I’m super proud of her. I’m also proud of Yang for stopping the bike and following Weiss’ apology with, “Me too.” She could have easily reacted with more anger—well we wouldn’t have even been in that awful place if it wasn’t for Ozpin—but she takes responsibility for at least some of her part in this mess. That’s such a good step forward! Go Yang!

The only thing that still worries me?

Yang: “We can’t quit until the lamp is safe.”

That’s, again, not a drive to fight. Yang is now clearheaded enough to be where Blake was back in Episode Four: we’ve got this powerful magical object, I have enough sense to recognize that we can’t abandon it, so let’s just get the stupid thing to Atlas and then we’ll be done. They’re still thinking selfishly outside of The Apathy’s clutches. Okay, okay, we are responsible for the relic… but why do we have to be responsible for anything else? Because this is the life you chose. Because no one else is equipped to do this. Because it’s the right thing to do. Because someone has to. At some point soon they’re going to need to tackle the fact that Atlas is just the first step of many, many more.

Ruby asks how in the world Maria knows so much and we end with the bombshell that, to be frank, most of the fandom was expecting: “Well isn’t it obvious, girl? I had silver eyes.”

The “had” now seems to be the important bit. Given the power of silver eyed warriors, it wouldn’t surprise me if—like the Maidens—they were once hunted for their power, either to claim it or remove it as a threat. We might learn that Maria isn’t just blind but at one point had her eyes entirely removed.

With that revelation the group keeps on driving. 

Honestly? I’m super surprised they’re out of Brunswick already. Based on the slow exploration of the house and some tweets from RT—“Welcome to Brunswick Farms!”—it looked like we were settling in for the long haul, a series of episodes slowly revealing the creature and then figuring out how to destroy it. Instead we blew through everything in twenty minutes. Right now I don’t necessarily think that’s bad, I’ll just be curious to see how we’re going to fill up the rest of the Volume. Perhaps we’ll be getting back together with JN__R sooner than expected.

With that in mind, let me make a final comment about my newfound optimism. After today’s episode I’m not as convinced that we’re going to have that awful ‘Jaune slams Oscar/Ozpin up against the wall’ scene. I’ve spoken with multiple friends about how RWBY has gotten more literal with its opening credit imagery, but so far we’ve actually seen a fair number of metaphors for Volume Six:

Ruby and Weiss didn’t literally chase each other down the train, but that image demonstrates the strong support we’ve seen them giving one another this Volume.

Blake and Yang didn’t literally sit at a table and mope, but those actions also reflect the continued work that needs to go into their relationship—especially when compared with Ruby and Weiss.

We didn’t literally see Qrow get grabbed by The Apathy, but it definitely had the biggest effect on him. It helped to pull him further down.

We didn’t literally see Ruby soloing The Apathy and we definitely don’t see her using Crescent Rose like that. But that shot nicely reflects how she stood alone against the rest of her team. She was the only one initially willing to go back for the relic and by extension the only one figuratively facing The Apathy, as well as all it represents. 

In the same way, I’m less convinced now that we’ll literally see Jaune grabbing hold of Oscar and doing him more bodily harm. Rather, this image might just be another representation of the mood: Jaune will be pissed. But hopefully by that point RWBY, Oscar, and Qrow have found their own determination and can back Ozpin up a bit.  

Here’s hoping for more bright spots in general now that they’re out of that hell-hole... despite what these expressions imply. 

Other Things of Note

A potential detail of the merge: Oscar’s pacing looks very Ozpin to me. People have already pointed out that he’s holding their cane like Ozpin (baseball bat charge into the house aside) and now he seems to be walking like him too.

When Maria talks about the solutions the townspeople were coming up with she says, “It sounds like it worked. At least for a spell.” Granted, I don’t think the writers used it deliberately, but I still like that the word “spell” made it into common vocabulary. It shows that yeah, people once knew about magic (at the very least Maidens were once common knowledge) and language grew to reflect that.

There is… a random trunk on the floor now. Was that there before?? I honestly don’t remember. Either way that was a jarring image for me. Open the treasure chest, Oscar.

Ruby and Yang sharing a blanket together. Awww.

It’s clear now that Ruby ignored her silver eyes all through Volume Five so that we could have this dramatic reveal, but it’s still an annoying choice. All they needed to do was provide a five second conversation where Ruby brings it up and Ozpin puts off revealing more secrets, or Ozpin brings it up and Ruby makes it clear she’s not ready to handle that conversation yet. (Her first use of her eyes is connected to the trauma of Pyrrha’s death.) Little details like that would have given RT space to set up this arc without leaving us with the annoying question, “Why the hell is our normally strategic leader ignoring the best weapon she currently has?”

This is just a little complaint, but I wish they’d done a bit more with how the townspeople died. Given the range of resisting/not resisting The Apathy that we saw today, it seems a little unlikely that everyone went to bed one night and simultaneously stayed there until they starved or whatever. Idk. Just seems like they could have done more with the story, but as said, we’ll have to see what the rest of the Volume holds and whether it was worth leaving the farm so quickly. 

[head-and-heart]

The 100 Highlights - “Damocles: Part 2″ (5x13)

Hey guysssssss. 

I’m back to cover my final highlight recap for Season 5. After this, I’ll be going more in-depth on analysis/criticism of the overall season so enjoy this lighthearted blundering while you can. :)

To read other posts in this series, you can click here. 

Tree is really out here (as always) doing his best work. The score during the opening sequence this episode was *kisses fingers*

I have to say that I did enjoy Bellamy protecting Madi in various ways throughout the finale. He promised Clarke that he would, and it feels like he’s living up to that promise. First by stepping in front of her to protect her from Octavia, and then later when he told her “we’ll be right beside you”, ensuring that he would have her back the entire time. And that he would be there to advise her whenever she needs his help.

“Now we win.” Lousy shot. Ha. Sorry, but that was hot.

“You’ll never know your daughter.” Good. Fucking. Riddance.

“We’ve been here before, Madi. We were the criminals. The 100.” I get weak for any reference to the original hundred what can i say i’m a starving woman

“You can execute them because they’re the enemy, or you can break the cycle. You can be better than them. You can be better than us.”

I do like the theme of Season 5 being about breaking the cycle. Let’s hope that the writers really do mean that when they say it.

I also enjoy the return of motivational speeches Bellamy. Madi may have been the figurehead throughout this episode, but it was really Bellamy leading the way. He may have changed, but he’s still the heart. He still inspires people, and I’m glad that he got to the be the one to have this moment where he changed the tide of the war. It felt like a nice wrap up of his journey over the course of “Book One”.

“We’ll wait as long as we can.” “Deja vu.” MONTY IS THE ONLY REAL ONE HERE. My first thought when Raven said that line was “oh ffs not this again”. 

I did enjoy the parallel of Monty saving Murphy’s life like Murphy did in 4x13. 

“First we save their lives. Then we let them prove they deserve it.” “The commanders told you that?” “No. Bellamy.” aksqinsks first lemme laugh at Clarke’s skepticism about the flame telling Madi to spare them because that bitch KNOWS that they would never be so noble lmao. Second lemme appreciate my crumbs.

I mean ... I guess we finally know how the radio calls were addressed???

Clarke’s hopeful little smile when Bellamy sat down next to her on the ship was really cute. She looks so guilty and nervous. Eliza raised millions for the Blarkes in this episode.

“THAT’S BRILLIANT!” Me, every single time Bellamy Blake speaks. Thank you for the enthusiasm, Clarkey G.

Bellamy and Clarke are so, so, so awkward in this scene between them but it kind of feels like ... the start of something? Like, they both have made huge mistakes and still found it in them to forgive each other despite it. And now they know how much the other cares for them. I have to hope that it means they’re going to move forward. For real, this time. How they’re supposed to.

“You’re not mad at me for leaving you in Polis?” “The commander told me not to be.” Anyway, Bellamy’s jokes still suck and Clarke still laughs at them so ... some things never change?

“I’ll meet you on the bridge.” That was a weighted fucking look, my dudes. I liked that Bellamy thought to include Clarke. It felt like an apology, in a way. 

Also, WAS THAT THE S5 BELLARKE THEME I HEARD IN THAT SCENE. Cause if so, it’s fucking beautiful.

THAT LOOK BETWEEN THE BLAKES. BOB AND MARIE HAVE SO MUCH CHEMISTRY.

“Cheer up. I wasn’t invited either.” I LOVE A WOMAN

“Your mistake was liking it. Power. It’s the kiss of death. It’s okay. I liked it, too.” Ivana and Marie are both such compelling actresses and HEY LOOK THEY GOT CHEMISTRY. I honestly really enjoyed this short scene between the two of them. They were enemies and yet - no hard feelings. Because the war wasn’t personal to them. We didn’t get many scenes between Charmaine and Octavia this season (or obvious reasons) but I’m intrigued to see if we’ll get more in Season 6 because they work really naturally together. And they seem to understand something about each other (or, at least, Charmaine understands something about Octavia). 

Bellamy and Clarke leading the meeting on the ship ... it felt like old times. I really loved that everyone looked to them for guidance in that scene, despite everything that happened throughout the rest of the season. Gives me hope that we might (finally !) get that co-leading dynamic back in Season 6, especially since they were the two that will be informing the others of Monty and Harper’s discovery. 

Bellamy, in particular, gave me serious Chancellor vibes in that episode. He really stepped into his leadership boots this season, especially near the end there. 

Dear god, please get rid of that goddamn flame as a viable form of leadership. If anyone from Eligius starts following it next season I’m calling B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T. Let Bellamy and Clarke lead, dammit! 

Also ... Zeke looked to Bellamy for permission to speak. Not the Commander. So jot that down, honey’s.

“And Bob’s your uncle.” “I thought you hated that phrase.” “It’s growing on me.” STOP this was cute (and now i’m cryingggggg cause that was Monty and Raven’s last interaction ever)

Clarke taking the bindi off of Madi. 10/10 great scene, let’s burn it now.

Marie in that tank top ... ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm where’s the nearest bucket of holy water

“Kind of like closing the door in the floor.” “Kind of like that.” I liked this callback. Octavia is soft with Bellamy in this scene in a way we haven’t really seen all season. It’s ... oddly nice? Coming from someone who has never cared for Octavia.

“You’re my sister, and a part of me will always love you.” “Does the other part of you still wish I was dead?” “The other part wishes a part of you was. Yeah.”

OKAY. I really liked this scene for a couple of reasons. The first being that I think it clarifies the line from 5x12 where Bellamy tells O that he wishes she was dead A LOT. It basically confirms that Bellamy was referring to the part of Octavia that is blodreina, which doesn’t feel as out of character (whereas Bellamy wishing for his sister’s death did). 

I also really like that, even though Octavia tells Bellamy that she loves him and he tells her that he loves her, too, he doesn’t forgive her. Bellamy and Octavia feel like they are finally on the road to establishing healthy boundaries and burying their dysfunctional relationship in place of building something new. I’ve always wanted this to be textual on the show and I never anticipated that we might actually get it. What they did with the Blakes this season is probably one of my favourite things to come out of the season.

And, as always, Marie and Bob are stunning together. This is a large part of the reason that I’m actually okay with Octavia surviving this season, because they work so damn well together.

I feel like Tree doesn’t get enough credit for his work so I have to mention, again, how beautiful the score was during that scene. He elevates the show so much with his music. In the scene where Clarke and Bellamy woke up, alone, it had such an eery feel to it. I really liked it.

Ngl, my FAVOURITE moment in this entire episode was Bellamy and Clarke’s soft-ass fucking smiles when Bellamy’s pod opened. Like, Clarke’s face when she was watching Bellamy wake up? A BITCH IS IN LOVE. And Bellamy was so soft too ughhhhhhhh Platonic Excellence

“Hey.” “Hey.” HEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

LISTEN. BELLAMY BLAKE DESERVES TO WAKE UP TO CLARKE LIKE THIS EVERY SINGLE MORNING FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE OKAY? OKAY I’M GLAD WE’RE ON THE SAME PAGE

...

I’m a Big Fan. They’re so fucking cute. That was so domestic. How do I move on?

“Why is it just us?” I literally stood up and yelled “BECAUSE IT’S FATE DUMBASS”

“That’s the way mom and dad wanted it.” I stan my new Bellarke warrior 

“Can I just say that - wow - I mean, I can’t tell you how good it is to finally meet you. Weird, but good. Great, actually.” WHY IS THIS LITERALLY ME WHEN I MET BOB AND ELIZA 

ALSO JORDAN IDOLIZING BELLAMY AND CLARKE? RELATABLE. THIS WOULD 100% BE ME IF I GOT TO MEET THEM

“Who are you?” WHY THE FUCK AM I LAUGHING. Bellamy is so intense and he’s got his deep voice and he’s wearing his intimidation face and him and Clarke are both looking at Jordan like “what the actual fuck is going on” and then there’s Shannon Kook with his adorable fucking smile and his adorable fucking voice and he’s literally a bundle of sunshine and these two people are just glaring at him. BELLAMY, CLARKE, SWEETIES, PLAY NICE THAT IS YOUR GODSON YOU ARE TALKING TO

“My name. Right. I didn’t tell you my name. Sorry. I haven’t met anyone before, so clearly I suck at it.” Reason #2 for Jordan being the most relatable character ever. I, too, am the most horridly awkward human in the world. Step aside, Clarkey G, I think I’ve found my TRUE self-insert on this show.

Monty and Harper are just the loveliest couple on this show. I never anticipated how much I would love them when they hooked up in Season 3. Wow. It was really nice to get all of those shots of them in peacetime, just loving each other, on the ship - especially after how little screentime they got throughout the rest of the season. Also, I swear that Shannon has a mixture between Monty and Harper’s smiles. What is this sorcery?

“Smart like his father.” “Kind like his mum.” CAN YOU HEAR ME CRYING ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE ON EARTH 

(Also ... sounds like my new damn favourite character.)

“Hey Bellamy ... hey Clarke.” WTF MY EYES ARE SWEATING

“Wait ... take care of our boy.” Listen, Jordan. Madi failed me. I’m counting on YOU to parent trap them. Okay? Okay.

But seriously, the fact that Monty and Harper trusted Bellamy and Clarke to take care of their kid, that they wanted it to be them ... is A Lot. I’m excited to see how that goes in Season 6. 

When Jordan opened the window and the new planet appeared and the music started swelling I got fucking shivers. Holy hell. It was so beautiful. TREE WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME 

“Can you see it? Is it beautiful? It is in my dreams. I hope we do better there. I hope Jasper was wrong and we aren’t the problem. I hope your lives there will be as happy as mine has been. Be the good guys. May we meet again.”

GUYS THOSE WORDS FROM MONTY ARE FUCKING EVERYTHING

LIKE, THESE ARE THE EMOTIONAL BEATS THAT THE REST OF SEASON 5 HAS BEEN MISSING

This is honestly the first real time where I’ve had hope that they might actually break the cycle. That they might build something new. Its the end of an era, but it feels like the start of something new. I genuinely cannot predict what is going to happen on that planet. Which is a new feeling. And I like it.

And of fucking course it would be Monty and Jasper (and Harper) who are responsible for breaking that cycle. Of course. This is the best thing they could have done with Jasper’s memory, is sending Monty on this mission to do better for the rest of humanity. And this is the best send-off I ever could have asked for for any character. Monty and Harper have been with us since the beginning. It just feels right that they should get this ending, that they should be the ones who usher in the next generation of The 100. Like. Wow. I’m speechless.

Also, that Bellarke side hug was er nice. That’s the most domestic they have ever looked. Idc. Bellamy staring at the Earth alone on the Ark in 4x13 and 5x01 vs him staring at the new planet with Clarke at his side is the ONLY parallel I claim.

The final shot of them through the window with the planet reflected around them was STUNNING. Honest to god the most beautiful shot I think this show has ever done. 

“End Book One” on Bellamy and Clarke, together, staring at the new world and the new hope they will deliver to their people. Maybe that’s what the first five seasons were really about. Bringing them to this place, where they are staring at the future - side by side, as a unit, ready to face whatever comes next.

Fuck. 

I have to say that I enjoyed the second half of that episode way more than the first half. I feel like it had a lot of emotional beats that I really wanted to see throughout the season (that we just weren’t getting) and it also teed up a lot for the next season. I’m so intrigued by what they’re going to find down on that planet, and I’m excited for the writers to really break the cycle and build something new - hopefully something that involves more character moments. 

I still haven’t decided if I’m going to continue with this series in Season 6, but stay tuned! I hope you enjoyed reading all of my recaps throughout this season. It’s been a ride ahaha. See ya on the other side, folks. 

[stunudo]

BAU Prep School AU: 2018

Welcome to the Frederick Buchanan Institute located in scenic Quantico, Virginia, a senior high academy that shapes the best and brightest minds. Its motto is “Behavior, Analysis, Unity,” the mascot the Submariners, colloquially “the Unsubs”. The small school supports the most accomplished faculty from across the country.  2016-2017 school year  Class of 18

(Image link)

Uphill

September 11, 2017 6:58am

Grant Anderson had barely slept the night before in worry over remembering to cast the school flags at half-mast. It had been an annual tradition since before he took over from the old groundskeeper, an indeterminate amount of years ago. He arrived at the school in the peaceful, yet creeping silence of the pre-student hours. He quickly parked in his usual spot and rounded the school in nearly a circumferential path, the American and Virginia State flags were listless on the solitary hill before the student parking lot. He said a simple prayer of remembrance as he steadily lowered the cords.

He sighed as he walked into the building, the heavy front doors creaking in the quiet. Grant Anderson turned to open his office and begin his day but something in his periphery stopped him. He paused and spun back to the large entrance hall that broke out into twin curving stone stairwells. There in the middle of the space was a stone table, where a tiny, antique, single-person submarine was held inside a glass display case. It was held, because in that moment Grant Anderson found it missing. In its place was a very underwhelming plastic model and a notecard. In stunned silence he approached the case, which was meticulously wiped down after the switch. The note read: ‘Good luck without Old Unity guiding your way.- New Canaan International School.’

Grant hunched over to read the note under his breath, “Oh shit.”

7:19am

Kate didn’t appreciate the incessant media reminders of the day that tore her family apart. She leaned against their kitchen island while Kit was talking to his toys instead of eating his cereal. She remained in her flannel pants and thermal long sleeve pajama top; this was not a day she chose to deal with people, especially not teenagers who couldn’t completely grasp the meaning of the anniversary. Someone of them weren’t even born, like Meg. It had been sixteen years since her mother, Kate’s sister went to work in Manhattan and the entire world changed.

Still, Meg was her silver-lining. The most impossible outcome of that day and the trauma it caused. Two years after losing contact, Kate’s sister Liz showed up on her doorstep, homeless, pregnant and desperate. And today that silver-lining was taking her time in the shower.

“Meg!” Kate called up the stairs, the water audibly gushing through the thin door.

Meanwhile Meg was sitting on the closed toilet lid, texting Maya as she walked into school. She was dressed and avoiding the awkwardness of the day as long as possible. She loved her aunt and uncle, but somedays she wondered what it would have been like if her mom were around. If maybe, just maybe she got her shit together. The brunette girl sighed and locked her phone. Time to start their yearly ritual and try not to make Kate cry, more.

Sept. 12 4:02pm

Coach Morgan wasn’t holding a standard practice today, instead he was in full Under Armor running outfit; his ripped body hugged thoroughly. He stood stone faced waiting for the team to exit the locker rooms in their running gear. Eventually his forty players were lined up before him, three uneven rows of bulky teenagers.

“Submariners!” The Coach’s deep voice barked in to the afternoon heat. “The New Canaan Cougars disrespected us this weekend. Those fools stepped foot in our house and took our mascot. Now!” He began pacing in front of his team. “Are you going to put up with that?”

“No!” A few players answered in various ways.

“I’m sorry? Are you going to LET them disrespect this school?!” He cocked his head to the side in exaggerated listening.

“NO, SIR!” Forty voices proclaimed.

Coach Morgan grinned, “That’s right. We won’t be able to put the pain to those guys until playoffs, but, for now, we run laps. Together. As a team. Because we don’t lose focus and we don’t back down.”

Derek grabbed his whistle off his chest, “Line up by jersey number, we stick together.” The whistle blast got the kids scrambling to fall into line. He waited a minute before giving another shrill alarm, sending Iggy Cruz, the kicker, off to lead the team down the hill. Derek knew the pace would quickly dwindle as they fought to keep their spacing even to his attentive glare. He followed behind his number 93 for the first lap as soon as he crossed their starting point he sprinted to the front of the pack, taking over the lead. It was going to be a long practice, for coach and players alike. In the middle of all the sweat and swearing and straining bodies, May Howard was formulating a plan.

Sept. 14 12:57pm

Jordan Kyle and Alex Blake were making quiet conversation across the staff table as Spencer was munching on his perfectly edged sandwich while reading over some worksheets. The lunch Chef Rossi prepared smelled amazing, yet still he dutifully ate his prepared sack lunch. The women were whispering about more personal details of their summers and Spencer was dutifully playing ignorant. What Stan Kyle had removed from where, was really none of his business, nor how long it took to get him back to, uh, normal in any arena.

The wizened Chef had been avoiding the sixth period lunch hour in the staff room because he was avoiding his ex-wife, though not belligerently; more like a puppy that had to lick his wounds after a round of play that was more than he bargained for. Today, he had outdone himself and needed the extra time for preparations; he quietly made his way towards the half-occupied table with his own tray of food.

“David! This is amazing quiche!” Jordan covered her full mouth with her hand as she spoke. Her bright eyes sparkling with delight. He shrugged, smugly.

“Wait until you get to the cannoli.” Alex murmured conspiratorially.

“How’s everyone? I fell like I haven’t heard much from you lot.” Dave tried making small talk.

“Good!” Spencer perked up. “Hotch gave me a prep period this year and you wouldn’t believe how much time I have now.”

“That’s great kid.” Rossi nodded, inspecting his slice of cheesy egg bake. It was a little moist, he took a mental note.

“How was Turkey?” Jordan asked him, Alex unsubtly rolling her eyes at her friend and colleague.

“It was great, Jordan, thanks for asking.” He grinned, the amusement at Alex’s uncomfortableness equal parts reassuring and instigating. “Cyprus was my favorite though.”

“Cyprus third largest and third most populated island in the Mediterranean?” Spencer added after a few eye daggers and a swift kick from Alex beneath the table.

“Right from the brochure, look at that.” Dave deadpanned. “The people were great, really welcoming. It’s amazing, the ones who have the least in this world are willing to share the most.”

“The constructs of community vary from culture to culture, but the village mentality leaves personal possessions nearly impossible. It is innate generosity.” Spencer built on the complexities of Dave’s experiences.

“Well said.” Alex finally spoke up, after the bell rang, freeing her from Dave’s retelling of the vacation that could have been hers.

Sept. 15 11:38am

As a new student in the middle of her high school career, Lena Curtis was less concerned with fitting in and more focused on keeping up with the rigors of the new academic environment. She had been eating alone, earbuds in while reading over assignments or syllabi. Lucas and Jake had been watching her on and off the first week of school, both innately empathetic and seated in the cafeteria two tables away. Now, they just had to acknowledge that they had been staring and perhaps they could talk to her. Fortunately for all them, May Howard wasn’t one for beating around the bush.

“You guys going to invite her to eat with us or do I have to?” She huffed as she sat down between Jake and her more socially acceptable twin, Cissy.

“Be our guest, Howard.” Lucas took a massive bite of his panini as he waited for her to own up to her bluff. She looked to Jake and back to the smug lineman. She slid back off the bench seat, shoving her hands in the pockets of her pressed khakis. She didn’t want to scare the new girl, Azalene, she remembered from last period Physics.

“Hey.” May’s voice was gruff because she was trying to remain calm. “So, a few of us have Physics with you and were wondering if you want to sit with us. It’s cool if you’d rather study, I know there is a lot of homework and I don’t want to pressure you into a forced social in—”

“No, that’s fine. Nice, I mean. Thanks.” The girl’s twin French braids bobbed with her enthusiasm. “I’m Lena, by the way.”

“May, I mean—I am May.” She stepped back as Lena grabbed her stuff, giving her lunch group a double thumbs’ up behind the acquired newbie’s back. Jake’s face broke into his signature grin while Lucas waved obviously. “The big one is Turner, Lucas, then there’s Jake and Cissy.”

“She’s your sister, right?” Lena looked down, either because she was trying to hear May or because she didn’t like looking people in the eye, it was hard to tell.

“Yeah, stuck with her since birth, but its fine. She grows on you.” May shrugged as a half smirk quirked up her usually hidden dimple.

“Hi!” Lena smiled shyly as she say down with her backpack and tray.

“Atta-girl, Howard,” Coach Morgan muttered his approval of his player reaching out to one of the new kids.

“What’s up?” Luke Alvez leaned in, following Derek’s line of sight.

“One of my kids reached out to the Curtis girl. Glad she had the balls, so to speak.”

“Right, Lena. It’s about time, they’re in my next hour together.” Luke shrugged. “Cafeteria duty is pretty chill, huh?”

“As long as nobody crosses Turner over there,” Tara Lewis nodded back to the group they’d been watching.

“Oh, come on now, that’s not fair.” Derek laughed. “Turner is good. Honestly I can’t think of anyone in here we really have to worry about.”

“Why are so many of us on this hour?” Tara asked confused.

“I think it’s a ratio thing, fifth hour has more students having lunch, so there are more of us. Hotch knows what he’s doing.” Derek shrugged, not mentioning that Lewis and Alvez were still new to the school and Hotch wouldn’t leave them to the wolves alone. Derek wasn’t complaining, having back to back lunch breaks were the dream. Meanwhile, Tara shifted from foot to foot. She hated losing her momentum in the middle of the day, she felt like cafeteria duty was a fairly menial task. Luke was quizzing himself on student’s names and learning who were friends outside of class.

Sept. 25 6:37pm

Derek walked behind Penelope as she strutted into the library, taking a deep breath to prepare herself for the coming meeting. The first Booster Club gathering of the new school year, which meant new students, new ideas and old standbys making the upcoming calendar filled with possibilities. She carefully placed the school’s tablet and her phone on the central table. Grant had rearranged the hefty study desks into a semicircle complete by a collection of chairs in arching rows for the parents and additional student participants.

“Okay, thanks for coming to the Fall meeting again. I know you’ve got your hands full this season and it means a lot that you’re here tonight.” She made sure to give her boyfriend her appreciation, who had yet to be home from school for the day.

“Hey, this is important to me too. Don’t worry about me, I’m good.” Derek held her hand against his chest. “You ready?”

“For another record-breaking year? Hell yeah. Let’s just hope everyone else is.” She grinned before sneaking a quick kiss. They were still alone anyhow.

The meeting went effortlessly, or Penelope Garcia and Michel Foyet were so prepared that it felt more like a conversation than an agenda-riddled requirement. Derek sat calmly to Penny’s right as Mrs. Jordan Kyle was to her left, nodding and smiling in encouragement. The parents were enthusiastic and those that usually overreached were pleasantly absent. Midway through a mother and son made their way to the back of the meager crowd, Penelope smiled as they sat down nervously. The meeting wrapped up before the hour was up, leaving the attendees to break into their own bubbles of conversation. Jordan thanked Penelope for a job well done and went home without much fuss.

Derek and Mr. Howard were talking football as Penelope approached the late arrivals.

“Hi! I’m Ms. Garcia, welcome to the Boosters Club.” She held out her violet manicured hand to the mother and then the anxiously quiet boy.

“Thanks, I’m Rebecca Garner, this is Regi, he’s a freshman this year.” The brunette woman confided in a slight accent.

“Regi is short for Reginald, right? How royal.” Penelope grinned, letting the student roll his eyes at her observation. “If you are looking for service to the school hours, check with Michel, they have the sign-up lists for the semester.”

Regi nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. Rebecca looked impatient with the gesture but smiled sympathetically to Ms. Garcia anyhow. “Thanks, nice meeting you.”

“Of course, thanks for coming.”

Derek called for Chinese pick up as Penelope cleaned up the library from the meeting. She hated leaving it less than she had found it, Grant was anal, but he worked himself too hard as well.

“Ready, Baby Girl?” Derek sighed as she gave the room a tertiary glance. “Penelope.” He was tired and needed some cuddle time.

“Yes, I guess. So? My place or yours tonight, Lover?” She asked as he held the door for her.

Sept. 26 4:08pm

Hotch had driven the same route home for the past five years, a scenic and unrushed ritual. He mentally left his day behind him, focusing on the yardwork and dinner awaiting him. There was an oddly satisfying feeling that he was able to come home to his family at a reasonable hour each and every day. His few years practicing law proved how treasured this possibility was. The leaves lined the neighborhood thoroughfare as he made the turns methodically. He passed a teenager mowing the lawn on one corner and a family walking home from school down another block. It was the American Dream and Aaron Hotchner sighed contentedly as he acknowledged his reality with gratitude.

Though it was breezy, their front door was open for him and Aaron quickly found Jack and Haley in the living room which doubled as Jack’s play spot, an octagonal area fenced off in the middle of the room since he had begun crawling at the beginning of summer. The plastic sides had been folded inwards, leaving Jack’s mat and toys strewn across the room.

“Hey!” He smiled as he set his briefcase in the foyer.

“Wait, Aaron, stay there.” Haley called hurriedly.

“Okay? Any particular reason why?” He chuckled, but listened, hovering in the archway between the hall and the room which held his family. “Hey, buddy!” He called to his son who had been thumping a block against another toy with a satisfying and repeated thwack. Jack’s face burst into a drooling grin and he began crawling to his dad.

“Wait for it…” Haley warned quietly. When Jack reached the recliner, he pulled himself up and continued toward him determinedly. His tentative feet taking him away from the grounding of the furniture, but he managed a good four or five steps before falling back into a crawl. Haley clapped excitedly, the joy upon her husband’s face unparalleled.

“Alright, Jack-Attack!” Aaron bent down and snatched up his giggling son. “Has he been walking all day?!

“Just since lunch. I almost called three times, but I figured seeing it firsthand would be more impactful.”

“Well, that’s the best welcome home I’ve ever had. Good job, buddy!” Aaron kissed the baby’s head and brought him back across the room to his toys. The little family spent the next half hour getting Jack’s consecutive step total up to nine before breaking up the fun for dinner preparations and yardwork. Aaron expertly strapped Jack into his carrier, complete with noise dampening earmuffs so the Hotchner men could clear the yard with the leaf blower before settling in for the night.

Next Chapter: Messy

@mentallydatingspencerreid @dontshootmespence @ultrarebelheart @lyrasilverroseelizabethamanti @cynbx @rikersgirl22 @pllfrommars @wheresthewater  @darknesstoglowing @adropintheocean1234567 @tleighstone12 @unitchiefwives @sam-carter-in-training @prettyboysjello @ddreammcatcher @thegirlinflames  @night–hawk @t25luver @onlyalittleteenwolfobsessed @thismiss02 @literallyprentissstwin

[your-dietician]

What will ESPN’s coverage of the NHL look like next season?

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/nhl/what-will-espns-coverage-of-the-nhl-look-like-next-season/

What will ESPN’s coverage of the NHL look like next season?

The network’s coverage starts with the July 21 Seattle expansion draft, hosted by Chris Fowler on ESPN2. John Buccigross will host the NHL Draft two days later. Those shows will be produced by NHL Network.

When Gross spoke over the phone this past week, ESPN (which reportedly paid $410 million a year for seven years of NHL rights) and Turner ($225 million a year over the same period) still hadn’t divvied the games. The NHL had yet to release its 2021-22 schedule. Its puck- and player-tracking data has not seen the light of day.

“One thing we’re trying to get our arms around is what analytics teams and coaches use to showcase in our game coverage, our studio coverage,” Gross said. “Camera positions is another thing we’re looking at, talking to the league to see how we can showcase and document the games.”

Strategy and speed are the buzzwords Gross hears in his daily conversations with NHL people. Capturing both, while serving hard-core fans, hooking viewers from the massive pool of casual sports viewers who don’t give hockey much thought, attracting diverse genders and backgrounds . . . all are among Gross’s concerns.

“There has to be a level of entertainment without it being forced,” he said. “There’s really nothing worse on TV than forced fun. We have to find our spots, when we get [Chris] Chelios and [Mark] Messier together, who have a relationship. We’ll mix and match with other folks.”

Chelios and Messier, along with Steve Levy, will likely work the major events. “We know how that works,” Gross said. Hearing the two Hall of Famers, owners of some sharp elbows, chime in on player safety decisions should be interesting.

While he may not be hockey’s answer to Charles Barkley, Chelios does seem like a straight shooter. In a phone call, he acknowledged he wasn’t looking for a gig when he reached out to ESPN after the announcement. He was calling as a dad, hoping that his daughter, Lightning TV reporter Caley Chelios, was on the network’s radar.

“I like to think I’ll call it like it is,” said Chelios, 59, “Even though it’s a little different than when I played, hockey’s hockey.”

Messier, Chelios, Hilary Knight, Ray Ferraro, Brian Boucher, and Cassie Campbell-Pascall were among the first names Gross mentioned when speaking about his roster, but a lineup has yet to be solidified. He noted that women will be featured prominently in on-air roles.

The list of local connections is long, from Boucher (Woonsocket, R.I.), A.J. Mleczko (Nantucket/Harvard), former Red Sox play-by-play man Sean McDonough (Boston), Buccigross (who has Boston roots), Rick DiPietro (Winthrop/Boston University), ex-Boston College Eagles Blake Bolden and Bob Wischusen, and Emily Kaplan, a former Globie.

Gross said another fan favorite from the past, play-by-play announcer Gary Thorne, remains an option. He spoke with the agent for Thorne, 73, this past week.

“We’re not done yet,” Gross said. “We want to see what the schedule looks like, and what other decisions we have to make. We still have time.”

What’s the game-changing idea that will separate ESPN? It won’t be glow pucks and robots (fun as they were for younger fans in the ’90s). What’s hockey’s version of the K-Zone?

“Some people thought the first-and-10 line would be too intrusive,” Gross mused. “Now you can’t really watch a game without it.”

AWARD SEASON

One voter’s ballot in depth

Connor McDavid became the first unanimous MVP since Wayne Gretzky in 1982, collecting all 100 first-place votes for the Hart Memorial Trophy.DARRYL DYCK/Associated Press

I consider it a privilege to vote on year-end NHL awards as part of my duties with the Professional Hockey Writers Association. I’m not alone. My peers and I want to get it right.

When it came to this season’s MVP, I believe we did.

Connor McDavid earned all 100 first-place votes for the Hart Trophy, becoming the second unanimous MVP ever (Wayne Gretzky, 1982). McDavid’s 105 points in 56 games goes down as one of the most dominant seasons in league history. He was playing at a different speed than everyone else.

In the voting bloc — trimmed from about 175 to 100 members, and dispersed regionally to address imbalances created by the divisional-only schedule — we saw some refreshingly progressive thinking, and as always, some strange calls. One Edmonton writer voted McDavid’s teammate, Leon Draisaitl, second for the Selke. Draisaitl made strides this season, but it would be generous to call him an above-average defensive forward, much less elite.

In this space last year, I delved into my methodology, which blends in-person viewings, video study, and number-crunching. Obviously this season, I relied more on the latter two. I was among the few beat writers who traveled all season, but I only watched the East Division up close.

My ballot, and some quick takes:

Hart Trophy — 1. McDavid; 2. Auston Matthews; 3. Nathan MacKinnon; 4. Aleksander Barkov; 5. Brad Marchand.

Relatively easy calls. McDavid was incredible, and the other four were the driving forces on good teams. Marchand was ranked as high as No. 2 on six ballots.

Norris Trophy — 1. Adam Fox; 2. Cale Makar; 3. Charlie McAvoy; 4. Dougie Hamilton; 5. MacKenzie Weegar.

A youth movement, and an ECAC/Hockey East top three. Makar (UMass) missed 12 games, or 21 percent of the season, leaving the door open for Fox (Harvard), who was the Rangers’ MVP in his second season. McAvoy (BU) might be the best five-on-five defender in the game. Weegar opened eyes after Aaron Ekblad’s injury. Eleven blue liners earned top-three votes. Victor Hedman was down-ballot for me, after an injury-plagued regular season. Don’t ask me why someone gave Kris Letang a first-place vote. Fun fact: Fox is the first player of Jewish descent to win a major NHL award.

Calder Trophy — 1. Kirill Kaprizov; 2. Jason Robertson; 3. Alex Nedeljkovic; 4. Josh Norris; 5. Igor Shesterkin.

Kaprizov (27 goals and 51 points in 55 games) was a slam dunk, though Robertson had a brief midseason run that made it interesting.

Lady Byng Trophy — 1. Jaccob Slavin; 2. Jared Spurgeon; 3. Barkov; 4. Roope Hintz; 5. Johnny Gaudreau.

I’ve said before that writers should not vote for this. Referees should. Slavin, an elite defender playing heavy minutes, committed one penalty all season (for shooting the puck over the glass). Good enough for me.

Selke Trophy — 1. Barkov; 2. Patrice Bergeron; 3. Joel Eriksson Ek; 4. Phillip Danault; 5. Joe Pavelski.

Barkov had a strong MVP case, but his 200-foot excellence was properly recognized here. Bergeron is still Bergeron. Could see Danault, after his lockdown playoffs, be front of mind for a lot of voters next season.

The PWHA does not vote on the Vezina Trophy (the general managers selected Marc-Andre Fleury), but we do pick the year-end All-Star teams. My goalies, in order, were Andrei Vasilevskiy, Fleury, and Juuse Saros. We also pick All-Rookie teams. I had Kaprizov, Robertson, and Norris as my forwards, Ty Smith and K’Andre Miller as my defensemen, and Nedeljkovic in goal.

ETC.

League will not rush to judgment

Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league is waiting for an independent review of the Blackhawks alleged cover-up of sexual abuse before proceeding.Karl B DeBlaker/Associated Press

The alleged cover-up of sexual assault by the Blackhawks was the leading topic in Gary Bettman’s annual pre-Stanley Cup Final news conference this past week. Rightfully so.

Bettman said the league learned of the allegations “relatively recently” and will wait for an independent review.

According to a lawsuit filed in May, a former Blackhawks player alleges he and another player were assaulted by then-video coach Brad Aldrich during the team’s 2010 championship run. The team’s leadership, which included current GM Stan Bowman, were allegedly informed of the incident by then-skills coach Paul Vincent, whom the players had told.

Aldrich later worked at a high school in Michigan, where he was convicted of sexual assault involving a student. He is now on Michigan’s sex offender registry.

Multiple ex-Blackhawks, including Nick Boynton, Daniel Carcillo (then with the Flyers), and Brent Sopel, spoke out this past week. One unnamed player told The Athletic that “every guy on the team knew.” Captain Jonathan Toews took issue with that, telling that outlet he didn’t hear about the allegations until the end of that summer. He said he couldn’t say for sure if the team “mishandled” the situation.

Bettman, a former lawyer, pumped the brakes. “Let us see what the investigation reveals, and then we can figure out what comes next,” he said. “I think everyone is jumping too far, too fast. This is going to be handled appropriately and professionally, and done right.”

Let’s hope so.

Beijing Olympics not a given

Commissioner Gary Bettman said the NHL has concerns over the feasibility of sending players to the Olympics next winter.Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Later in his Q&A, Bettman shared the league’s “real concerns” over whether it was “sensible” to have a two-week shutdown for the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Wait, what?

After sitting out 2018 — and watching interest in Olympic hockey wane — the NHL and NHLPA last summer collectively bargained to participate in the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympics, pending further agreement with both parties, the IIHF, and IOC. But there is no plan yet.

COVID-19 variants remain a worry, and NBC isn’t likely to lobby on the NHL’s inclusion following the expiration of the TV deal. The NHL hopes to release its 2021-22 schedule shortly after the Cup Final.

“Time is running very short,” Bettman said, which came as disappointing news to Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman.

“The Olympics is one of the biggest dreams of mine and I haven’t been able to participate in one. This might be the last chance I get. That sucks to hear,” said Hedman, who was left off Team Sweden in 2014. “When you get an opportunity to represent your country on the biggest stage, it’s one of those things that you’ll probably never forget. For me, it’s obviously something I’ve been dreaming about my whole life and something I want to do before I hang up my skates.”

Pride working on title defense

The Boston Pride, two-time Isobel Cup winners, are preparing a title defense for 2021-22.Mary Schwalm/Associated Press

The NWHL’s Boston Pride are deep into an Isobel Cup summer, hauling the trophy from New England lake houses to the Grand Canyon.

As he preps for a title defense, coach Paul Mara is playing his cards close. After a few defections, he’s using his newfound salary-cap space — the league doubled the ceiling to $300,000 — to bring in some outside help.

“Working on a few things,” he said.

The NWHL is feeling momentum entering its seventh season. An influx of sponsorship dollars, visibility from its Isobel Cup playoffs broadcast on NBCSN, and a lot of player raises have elevated the mood.

Since last month, the four franchises under league control — the Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, and Minnesota Whitecaps — were sold to private owners, making it a league of six independent clubs. Expansion is on the horizon, with Montreal a primary target.

Also notable: This past week’s draft, which was streamed on Twitch, included appearances from a range of pro sports personalities, including NHL league and team executives, and USA Hockey reps. The NWHL hasn’t always had such vocal support.

For all the growth, players aren’t yet earning a living wage. Contracts are yearly. Outside opportunities create a talent drain.

The Pride lost president Hayley Moore to the AHL (vice president of hockey operations), replacing her with 1998 US Olympian Colleen Coyne. They are searching for a GM, after Karilyn Pilch this past week signed on with the Chicago Blackhawks’ scouting and player development department.

They also need a few good forwards. Mary Parker, Carlee Turner, and Lexie Laing departed for job and school reasons. Czech standout Tereza Vanisova signed with Leksands IF in Sweden, which will better help her participate in a demanding Olympic training schedule.

League MVP Jillian Dempsey, recovered from shoulder surgery, returns with All-Star linemates McKenna Brand and Christina Putigna, the No. 1 defense pair of Kaleigh Fratkin (two-time NWHL Defender of the Year) and Mallory Souliotis, and netminders Lovisa Selander and Victoria Hanson. That crew, plus whomever Mara can lure to town, should keep the Pride near the top of the standings.

Unlike last season, when the Pride got a boost from No. 1 overall pick Sammy Davis (BU) and six drafted rookies, the draft won’t have a major impact. Because they lost their 2021 first- and second-round picks when they traded up to select Davis, and dealt their third-rounder to Buffalo for future considerations, the Pride picked in the fourth and fifth rounds (Weston’s Finley Frechette and Beverly’s Abby Nearis, both forwards).

The NWHL’s player pool was thinned after the NCAA granted players an extra year of eligibility, leading many of the top draft-eligible players to return to school. Because of that, Boston isn’t the only team that believes next year’s draft will be loaded.

Loose pucks

Bruce Cassidy (left) has been promoting from within, with assistant coach Jay Pandolfo (center) leaving for Boston University.Winslow Townson/Associated Press

The Bruins have promoted from within of late, calling up coaches from Providence and the player development ranks. It makes sense that fourth-year P-Bruins coach Jay Leach would replace Jay Pandolfo on Bruce Cassidy’s staff, but player development staffers Chris Kelly and Jamie Langenbrunner will also get a look. Like Pandolfo, they were two-way forwards with long NHL résumés . . . As for Pandolfo, the move to BU gives him a shorter path to a head coaching gig. Albie O’Connell, who is entering the final year of his deal, has had a spotty run . . . Bruins strength and conditioning assistant Kenny Whittier also made the move to BU . . . A few first-timers joined NHL benches this past week, including two ex-players, Alex Tanguay (Detroit assistant) and Tuomo Ruutu (Florida assistant), and André Tourigny (Arizona coach). The latter move was particularly interesting, for a league that often recycles head coaches . . . Toews, after a year out of the spotlight with a mysterious illness, is back on the ice. He posted a video message to fans after a practice, saying doctors told him he has “chronic immune response syndrome,” a catch-all term for constant, debilitating stress reactions. Still dealing with a few symptoms, the Blackhawks’ captain believes the condition was brought on by a nasty bout with COVID-19 in February 2020, before the pandemic hit in full; the toll of 13 NHL seasons; and the year-round hockey training schedule he’s followed since he was a young teenager. “I think there’s a lot of things that just piled up,” he said, “where my body just fell apart.” He hopes to return in October . . . Edmonton trimmed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’s $6 million cap hit, but took a beating on term, when it locked up the No. 2 center to an eight-year, $41 million deal with a full no-move clause. He will be 36 when it expires. “No contract is perfect,” GM Ken Holland acknowledged . . . Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon’s take on game jersey ads, which are coming to the NHL sooner rather than later: “If we look like Formula One or NASCAR, that’d be fine with me.” . . . Glad to see college athletes everywhere get a chance to make some cash off their name and image, following the Supreme Court’s hammering of the paternalistic NCAA. A small step, long overdue.

Matt Porter can be reached at matthew.porter@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyports.

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YEAR IN PHOTOGRAPHS 2016

I’m not going to lie to you, it keeps getting better and better, life that is.  Maybe thats because I’m trying to suck up as much as I can all the time.  Why watch it go bye, but instead live it, be in it, take it, crush it, grab it, repeat.

I’m trying to relax.  It’s honestly hard, especially when you’ve been programmed to work work work, never a dull moment, can’t sit still.  If I’m not doing my day job working on movies, I’m with my lovely girls, I’m reading about photography, shooting, editing, shopping, eating, studying, upping my game, trying to swallow up everything I can while I can.  Why not, right?!?!

To say it’s been a year is an understatement.  I’m blessed, blessed on belief to have such a wonderful wife, kids, the JAY OHH BEE, home.  It’s like the world opened itself up to us and said come on in, make a mess of things, spray paint, laugh, cry, relax, go, go, go, etc etc etc.  Incredible on all fronts to have arrived at the end of 2016 with smiles, left nothing on the field, no stone unturned, no page unread, checked all the boxes, and then some.

I think the year shows, especially in these photographs.  The places we went, the things we saw, people we met, experiences we banked, the highs the lows and everything in between.  Milestones, journeys, down time, working, family, friends, traveling and more.

To my girls, keep on keeping on.  I will take you there, you can ride with me any day and I hope I can with you too.  Love you with all my heart.  To my wife, boy am I lucky.  My muse.  My love.  My Amanda.

Check out these photographs, no seriously - CHECK.  THEM.  OUT.  Don’t do that thing that we do, where you scroll through real quick and then click LIKE or simply move on. Rather take the time to read the captions, look at each photograph for longer than a second, let the picture wash over you.  We live in a world where our attention spans are five seconds.  Take it in for a bit. Whether you like them or not, that’s okay, at least, hopefully, they made you feel something!  Enjoy.

To see more photographs, please visit:

www.andrewcalof.tumblr.com

www.instagram.com/abcalof

1. Tree, Malibu, January 17, 2016

From below there is this beautiful park at the basin of a hill.  When you look up, the people hiking the hill look like ants.  So we decided to go for it and upon summiting, we came across this beautiful tree, weathered and old, recouping from the winter sun, with very few leaves, silhouetted against a California sky.

2. Sophie Teener’s 100th Birthday, Minneapolis, January 24, 2016

Words can barely describe the joy in my grandmother’s eyes as she turned 100 last January.  We celebrated with a luncheon at Beth El Synagogue, a very special place dear to her, friends and family traveled near and far.  This photograph is perfection like Sophie.

3. Sylvie, Palm Springs, March 26, 2016

We weren’t happy with our room.  We were on the outskirts of the property at La Quinta, but it all gets put in perspective when the girls couldn’t believe there was a pool right outside their door, basically our own private little spot.  With each stroke, Sylvie gained more and more confidence as a swimmer.  Each day she’d throw on her swimming suit, run out through the door, and into the pool. She wouldn’t sit still, until this precious quiet moment, with a towel around her body, eyes glazed over, staring off into the distance, silence, and then I clicked the shutter.

5. Palm Springs 5pm, Palm Springs, March 27, 2016

When I think of Palm Springs, this is the picture that comes to mind.  Old deco patio furniture, palm trees, clean line architecture, case study homes, my hero Julius Shulman, rolling mountains, green grass, blue skies, and flat roofs.

6. On Set Office Christmas Party, Atlanta, April 13, 2016

Those that know me well, know that I like to to creep around our movie sets, Leica in hand, when I come for a visit.  Office Christmas Party was some of the best times I’ve had making a movie because we were making it with good people.  The ‘magic of the movies’ is something special, and what I love about this photograph is that it exemplifies that magic.  The operator shoots the camera, the boom guy records the sound, fake snow falls from the cherry picker, Jason and Olivia perform, and the A.D. readies to yell cut.  Not mention the set is made to feel like it is the top of a building but is firmly planted on the ground.  Can you say, magic?!?!

7. Wellington, New Zealand, April 27, 216

Michael and I were on our way to the airport after leaving the set of Ghost in the Shell.  Our driver wanted to show us a few quick sites in and around Wellington, New Zealand before we caught our ride home.  So we drove to the top of Mount Victoria and the view was stunning.  The vast city below, the bay creeping its way inland.  We were on the other side of the world.

8. Blake & Sylvie, Los Angeles, May 21, 2106

This is what best friends looks like.  This was photograph was made just after their performance of Cinderella by Ovation Performing Arts School at Sherman Oaks Elementary.  Capturing that sense of purity, proudness, and exhilaration is something that makes me want to take photographs of young people.

9. Amanda, Louvre, Paris, May 30, 2016

That Day in Paris, we sat in Room 77 of the Louvre, 19th Century France, as the world swirled around us.  Though the pictures are stagnant moments in time, the room seems to breath life and energy as people from all ways of the world pass back and forth, looking at such beautiful creations.  It’s easy to get up in all of it, feel rushed to see it all, but instead we’d rather take a minute and soak it all up.  

10. Musee d’Orsay Clock, Paris, May 31, 2016

It was important to me to capture this image while visiting Musee d’Orsay.  I had a feeling this particular clock would be a busy stop for tourists.  To get it clean would have been a miracle, so instead, what made sense was to shoot all the tourists as silhouettes, clean edges but blow out the light coming through the clock face.  I love how it’s such a center piece of the museum.

11. Art Students, Paris, June 1, 2016

Place des Vosges is special, particularly on this day when we came across these art students sketching in the park.  Eager minds capturing the energy and flow that is this beautiful setting of fountains, trees, tourists, and statues.  This photography hopefully captures the beauty of those making beauty.

12. Pont Neuf, Paris, June 1, 2016

Classic Paris.  What’s unique about this photograph is the height of the water in the Seine.  Record rain fall blasted France while we were there, so much rain that even the Louve was shut down for a few days, art was moved to higher ground to protect against the chance of flooding.  This photograph was inspired by Peter Turnley’s book French Kiss.  It’s classic, it’s timeless, could be the 1651 or 2016.

13. Amanda, Jardins du Trocadero, Paris, June 3, 2016

This photograph was taken on our final full day in Paris.  There is only one place to truly shoot a subject against the Eiffel Tower skyline and that place is Jardins du Tracadero.  Amanda is so happy in this picture.  She wanted to recreate a photograph she saw on Instagram.  I love her black scarf, the way she wore her hair that week, and her cute little body.  I must’ve had her walk up and down the stairs ten times to capture this image.  It’s my favorite from our trip.

14. Estella, Chicago, August 5, 2016

It’s interesting how you can take many many photographs, create albums, selects, modify many, throw away lots.  And then go through those photographs some time later only to find a gem that you had originally thrown out.  When I originally made my Chicago album, this photograph wasn’t even included, but I absolutely love it.  Estella’s expression of feeling slighted (about what, I don’t know!), the bent knee, doritos, and those sunglasses right out of the movie The Crush.  It’s her to a T!

15. Shiloh, Sylvie & Friends, Chicago, August 6, 2016

I love Amusement Parks.  That sense of awe, energy, and excitement.  Feeling older like it’s a place you belong.  I have no idea what is driving their reaction, but I was lucky enough to capture their expressions.  And then the ride started…

16. Amanda, Santa Barbara, September 4, 2016

My Model.  My muse.  My Wife.  She’s my everything.  That black dress, that iPhone light just enough under her face to light it up, those high strappy heels, that necklace, and those little pockets.  She’s confident.  She cool.  She’s beautiful.  Amanda.

17. Ned Specktor, Los Angeles, October 9, 2016

Ned and I wandered Hollywood Boulevard shooting a marketing campaign for his upcoming show The Movement - a motivational musical that helps people grasp their passions through music and dance.  We came across this space just off the boulevard and Ned laid down like Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly before him, gracefully dancing in his white stans.  This kid was born to bring people together, dance and music his tool, his thought process his weapon, and much more.  We must have shot 100 frames alone in this little alley but his grace mixed with the his power seemed to have come together nicely in this image.

18. Estella & Sylvie, Carlsbad, October 22, 2016

We celebrated my dad’s 70th birthday in La Costa California this past October. For dinner one evening we went to the Chart House in Carlsbad, right on the ocean.  There were these amazing rocks and lights making the view of the ocean incredible. But the view was missing something.  Luckily Estella and Sylvie were near by so they jumped up on the rocks and held each other tight, two sisters connecting, letting their differences fall aside for a brief moment to show just how much they love each other.  And scene…

19. Estella, Madison, November 20, 216

This photograph was taken a top the Children’s Museum in Madison, Wisconsin.  It was important for us to take the girls there to see where their parents went to school.  There is this great lookout point of the capitol up on the roof.  Estella turned right as I clicked the shutter and we made this image together.