#no but seriously i love their interactions and s5 needs to continue that

[lizziejennaforbes]

one of the best things the writers did in s4 was make ronance friends (girlfriends)

[generalluxun]

So, I recall you saying the end of S3 could work if it carried through the tragedy/despair aspect of Chloe's fall and had Marinette eventually realize the error there.

I am left to wonder, how do you think such a story would play out with what we know of S4 and so on?

Well S4 would basically be scrap metal. That godawful protracted Ladynoir strife would be canned, because a Marinette who learned from Miracle Queen would take more time to think about jer partner as a person and take him more seriously. That doesn't mean she'd fall for him or indulge his overtures, but the negligence wouldn't continue until the breaking point. They'd be a stronger team.

Then S4 could focus more on Adrienette, and Marinette actually challenging her fears using the tools she's developed from interacting with Chloé&Chat.

Zoé wouldn't need to be used as a bludgeon. So we could spend more time on her introduction. Lean into her acting/blending. Maybe she even comes off as a bit harsher than Chloé- who after the LB talk is at least 'in limbo' on her BS. Zoé's still a mashmellow on the inside but she believes she needs to front, and ironically her acting pushes Chloé to act. Two people who wants to do better pushing each other to be worse through misunderstandings. This gives Marinette a knot to untangle. You could even keep Lila on deck without utilizing her much because Marinette can worry that Zoé is 'another Lila' with her two-faced presentation. Of course this can work out over th course of the season but it gives the whole season a narrative cohesion.

'Who am I really?' Run this through Nathalie, Gabriel, Felix, etc. A nice theme.

Without beating the 'Chloé bad' drum in S5 and having to speedrun the love square(because you started in S4) S5 can focus more on the villainy side which it *should* Monarch should be a threat not an afterthought at this point.

For villains- introduce Lila's alts early in S5 but not as her alts, just as characters. Let her do some sneaky worming to set up more problems, and then the reveal near the end that hey- they were all her alts! Will be cool and not wtf.

So that's a brief summary.

[backdraft-bimbo]

The musical genius of Castiel’s confession (15x18 “Despair”)

Let’s talk about the background music during Cas’ monologue; something I haven’t seen a single person in this vast fandom mention, so lemme just let y’all in on some genius moves Supernatural made with this scene. In other words: reason number 194850 of why it’s my absolute favorite. Here we go. 

The scene starts off with obvious tension, since Billie is trying to kill them and there looks to be no way of escape. Supernatural and a variety of other mainstream shows typically use the string section–violins, cellos, bass, et cetera–when needing to emphasize stress or anxiety. It didn’t really catch my attention at the beginning since it seemed like the generic Supernatural horror soundtrack.

But then, Cas finds the figurative light in the tunnel–their hope in a seemingly hopeless situation. Right as he says, “There’s one thing strong enough to stop her”, the string bass cuts out and leaves only violins, which slide into a falling cluster chord and allow a softer, less overwhelming bass to join in. They also used a bit of piano/some kind of mallet instrument to soften the mood even further. Since music tells you a lot about a scene even before the characters say anything, that’s kind of when I was like, Okay this is happening.

As Cas begins talking about how Dean sees himself, the orchestral sounds disappear and the piano takes over. I don’t know if it’s just me, but Supernatural seems to only on seldom occasions use piano. And even rarer occasions use piano alone; it’s almost always accompanied by strings. Just rewatch some of the emotional scenes in the past (Sam’s first death, Cas’ funeral, the Destiel hospital talk) and you’ll notice how Supernatural usually leans toward the clarinet, oboe, and typical orchestral sounds. Sometimes they use no music at all, like in the s5 finale where there was only the howling wind. 

Anyway, I could go line by line on Cas’ monologue and how excellently the music follows Misha and Jensen’s acting and the emotions playing out, but I’m just gonna highlight my favorite parts below the cut. 

“I know how you see yourself, Dean.” As Castiel gets closer to his eventual confession, the most noticeable tone shift starts right here. Clarinets and strings fade out, and the piano arpeggios fade in. There are some noticeable major to minor shifts that kind of caught me off guard because Supernatural rarely goes with that kind of style, at least not in my memory. 

But my absolute favorite part is when the camera cuts to Dean’s face as the piano climbs higher and higher with this gorgeous, romantic tone, right when Cas says in his most genuine voice: “It’s not.” Nothing else in 15x18 could compare to those few seconds of Superior Composition. It wasn’t just the music choice; it was a combination of the excellent acting, how Misha delivered his lines, and the cut to Dean’s lain-bare gaze. 

And the piano just seriously blew me away in this scene. Piano is, quite frankly, the most romantic instrument. I will defend that statement till I die, and I’m certain that its inclusion was not unintentional. It clued me in that something was different about this specific interaction between the characters of Cas and Dean. Like, come on. Just listen to it. 

But even if you completely disregard the music, the message doesn’t come across any less poignant. Context slammed into me with the force of a semi-truck. This man, Dean, has never heard anyone outright deny his faults in favor of his goodness just like that. You can feel the vulnerability in Dean’s eyes, how utterly lost he looks, as Cas tells him all these things that he needs to hear. And man, oh man, that single, fleeting moment redeemed the rest of that entire episode for me. 

Dean hasn’t been on the top of most folks’ Favorite Characters lists for this season. He’s falling apart, hurting those he loves, and going through a very long identity crisis arc. But you gotta take into account that this entire season has been building up the fact that Dean has a temper–this bleeding, aching rage he can’t control, that hurts everyone in its path. And it’s destroying Dean himself too. Right up until this moment. 

“And everyone who knows you, sees it.” Back to the musicality–when Cas finishes the first portion of his speech, it ends on a soft, simple chord. There’s no unnecessary additional instruments–it’s just this assuring, beautiful piano chord that accompanies Cas’ declaration that Dean is a better person than he gives himself credit for. 

Oh, and the piano doesn’t stop there. It just increases in intensity, strings getting louder, building up behind it, until Cas reaches his next declaration: “You are the most selfless, loving human being I will ever know.” And the piano just gets softer and higher after he says this, gone solo again. There’s this ingenious, continuous play of building up musical intensity with the script until it reaches a climax, cutting back the instruments until only one sound remains, and then restarting it all over again to make the viewer feel something. 

And right after Dean says, “Why does this sound like a goodbye?”, a mournful sounding cello kicks in, and I don’t know how anyone could make a more romantic soundtrack. It’s so good. I swear the more I watch this scene the more I fall in love with it. 

Finally, Cas speaks his deepest truth, an “I love you” to Dean, and the cello continues until he tells Dean goodbye. Thus returns the Sad Supernatural Piano that I’m seriously becoming attached to, and it shifts into orchestral, ending on this tragic, burden-heavy note as Dean tries to comprehend all that Cas has told him. 

I’m personally hoping for more of this kind of composition in the last two episodes since it worked so well with our characters in this episode. (Destiel smooch, pretty please?)

What did y’all think of the music? Personally, I loved it. Tell me what you think. 

[b-rainlet]

Gotham for the fandom ask thingy.

(I ran here so fuckin fast you have no clue)

Hello anon! :D I will answer this now, so you don't have to wait any longer but also....this would be very nice to answer through gifsets...(maybe when I am feeling up for it).

For now, have this:

(It's not proof read because I just sat at this for several hours and I don't wanna look at it anymore).

Favourite Male Character

You mean...besides the obvious answers?? :D

Ngl, it's S2 Jerome. I love that little twink with his parental issues and his tragic backstory and I wanna see him happy. There's a reason I have a bunch of AUs where he ends up having a family (mostly in the form of Lee as his Mother) and gets some actual help instead of being ostracized for being a mentally ill person snapping after years of abuse.

(This also ties into my very strong feelings regarding the fact that nobody actually helps the people at Arkham. And I don't mean the main villains there, I mean all the inmates who get treated like shit and are left behind on the regurlar (remember in S2 when Arkham was about to explode and nobody was talking about evacuating the inmates???? I do).

Other than that, one of my faves is also Jonathan. Which may be a little surprising because I barely talk about him but he was my favourite character throughout the show and he had way too little scenes.

(Kinda telling that the characters I latched onto are both helpless teens who were fucked over by the people who were supposed to protect them and can both trace their villain origin story back to Jim Gordon not caring enough about them lmao).

But the cast is big and varied enough that I actually like everyone? Butch, Zsazs, Penguin, S1 and 2 Ed, Jervis, Harvey, Jim......I like them all!!

(Special shoutout to 514A too, he was soft and baby and I wanted to keep him safe and sound really desperately).

(Another special shoutout to Barnes!! I didn't expect to like him when I first saw him, given he looked like he was gonna be mean and stoic and all, but I ended up really liking him and his story!)

Favourite Female Character

Let's just pretend Ecco doesn't exist for this answer ajdkaskaslj.

I fell in love immediately upon seeing Ecco but all! the women! are so!!! good!!!!

I especially have a soft spot for the side characters. I mean, upon first watching I got attached to Alice (even though she only features in two episodes lmao), and also Kristen Kringle - who isn't talked about much within Fandom, but she was pretty and her and Ed were actually quite cute but then she had to die for him to become the Riddler which was...pretty much telling us from the beginnning 'The woman here die to advance the men's plots'.

Barbara was also a big surprise to me because I figured she'd be the female love interest and nothing more but!! her and Jerome were the best thing in S2 and also the most entertaining thing about the Maniax Plot. (In several ways, I think I had the most fun watching this show during S2 , it was just. Good).

Also upon being in this Fandom and thinking about certain characters a bit longer I also really like Vicky Vale. And Montoya. And I wish they had kept both around for longer.

(I also wish they wouldn't have made Vicky a love interest for Jim. Or Sofia. No love interests for Jim except Lee and Barbara please).

Also Selina!! I love both Selina and Tabitha with all my heart - which may also be surprising because I barely ever talk about Tabby but I contain multitudes aklskddsm, and while I like sharing my horny thoughts about Ecco, I also love to think about Tabby and daydream about her being happy and exploring her (and Selina's) issues with showing weakness and affection and their strong loyalty regarding people that they trust.

I just.....women. Women good.

(Women also deserve to have more character than just being somebody's love interests and I have enough wips that completely sideline the guys to focus on the woman instead lmao).

Least Favourite Character

I don't have many characters that I hate??

I generally tend to instantly love everybody unless they are specifically made to be unlikeable. (I also spite-like characters who are hated for petty reasons, I just have a lot of love in my heart and not much energy for hate lmao).

But there were characters who annoyed me while I was watching.

For one, I think Gotham has a variety of super entertaining villains, but the main villains of each season tend to be....boring.

Safe for Strange they all kinda fell flat for me. Theo. Kathryn. Ra's Al Ghul. His Daughter. Mostly because their plotlines were less exciting than stuff like Jerome's carnival or Mother and Orphan's Hotel of Horrors.

Or their motives seemed a lot less understandable than the ones of the other Batman villains who pretty much always come from a place of suffering and abuse and break/snap under the pressure that's put on them (continuing this take of Gotham creating its own villains by leaving behind - mentally ill - people that need help, which I think is very true to most - if not all - Batman villains).

And then you have some characters that simply suffer from the fact that the show was cut short - which is pretty much any and every S5 character that had way too little screentime, but in this specific case means Jeremiah.

Because I disliked Jeremiah a lot while watching.

Without wanting to step on anybody's toes, him and Nygma are probably the two characters on this show I ended up disliking the most.

Mostly because Miah felt like a very cheap copy of Jerome and to this day I think it was a bad idea to replace Jerome with him, since Jeremiah - to me - seems like a super flat character.

Maybe if we had gotten him without meeting Jerome first, just having a Joker character introduced in S4, maybe I would've adored him, who knows.

But in comparison to Jerome...no. Just no.

(I will spare you from any longer rambles, but I think if you follow me, I talked about the ways Miah is lacking for me before).

My made up version of Miah though? I love him.

With Nygma it's even worse because I adored him. I instantly liked him. I was 100% behind him right up until the godawful Isabella plot happened and then it just all went to shit so quickly, I couldn't stand seeing him on screen anymore.

It's surprising that I didn't stop liking Oswald but to me, Oswald pretty much stayed the same while Ed became all bitter and hard and I just miss dorky S2 Ed you know?

It actually got so bad, I completely turned my back on Nygm/obblepot as a ship because I was so severly disappointed and I barely talk about Ed because I just can't stand what they did with him.

(Another victim of bad writing).

Favourite Ship

I'm just gonna stick to canon ships because I don't ever shut up about my Fanon ships so you probably know which ones I love the most :D

There isn't much romance going on within Gotham if I think about it - apart from Jim - which I definitely prefer. You wouldnt guess it from my blog, but I am not a fan of too shippy stuff because in most cases it just means sex scenes and I can live without those. I want action! Blood! Dead People! Not a two minute make-out session between two bland characters!

I gotta admit that Ed and Lee have some cute scenes and I would definitely ship them if I didn't dislike S4 Ed so much (S2 EdLee tho?? Yes).

Also I thought Jim and Lee was okay and Baby Batcat was quite cute at times but mostly I don't care about the canon ships.

I do ship Barbara and Jim though :D

I remember right before they hooked up in S5 I was like: 'I wouldn't mind if they got back together' and then went 'yay!' when they did and I wouldn't have minded a little more 'Will they?? Won't they??' between those two and them just having the mother of unhealthy relationships on this show.

(Also Jim/Barbara/Lee poly relationship but we can't have everything).

Favourite Friendship

So many good relationships on this show!

I need to rewatch the show soon because I probably already forgot about most of them but from the top of my head: Oswald/Butch and Oswald/Zsazs

Which were both then done dirty lmao. One by having Oswald be overly petty (one of the few times I was like...Pengy...wtf...) and the other by passing up the obvious opportunity to have Zsazs find out who really killed Falcone and just...letting Oswald and Victor never interact again. 

Then of course Ivy and Selina which also gloriously fell apart. Just like Ivy and Oswald. 

(Gotham isn’t the best when it comes to maintaining friendships). 

And the biggest and most grandious friendship of them all: J Squad. 

(Who have too little scenes together honestly and then also simply fell apart after Jerome died. Consistency who?)

Favourite Quote

I don’t know, I don’t have many quotes in my head from the show. Me and my niece mostly reference: “Yeah, that’s a spoon.” - “IT IS ALSO A FORK!!1!!!”

Also: “Gotta Go! Gotta Go! They’re after me and the Scarecrow!”

(There are some dialogue blurps I have written down somewhere because they are inspriration for gifsets but in order to be able to just recite some of them from Memory, I would have to watch this show way more obsessively). 

Worst Character Death

I don’t even gotta say anything do I? :D

But I think the character death that actually made me cry was Jerome’s first death. I clearly remember crying because...he just wanted recognition! And praise! And instead he was used as a pawn and betrayed by someone he idolized and he was only 18! My poor little meow-meow!

Seriously, the only things that make me cry on this show: Jerome’s first death, any and all mention of Bruce as a baby - told by an emotional Alfred, any and all Bruce/Alfred interaction at all and Solomon Grundy. 

This made me so happy you have no idea Moment

I seriously need to rewatch this show, it’s been so long :D

But I remember being pretty excited for the J Squad Team Up - because I was like ‘If I were Jerome I would definitely work with Tetch and Scarecrow since they’re also in Arkham atm’ and then he did!!

And I also distinctly remember in S3 that I was close to falling asleep right when they scene came on where Oswald realizes his feelings for Nygma and let me tell you - it caught me so off guard, I was awake instantly lmao. 

(I knew that people shipped them but I was so used to mlm ships being popular when they only have a handful of scenes and are platonic friends that I didn’t expect them to actually have a possibility of being canon). 

From then on I was super pumped for them to deliver on that ship but well....we all knew what happened asnksnndk. 

Saddest Moment

Aside from the already mentioned scenes in the character death column, the scene where Bruce leaves and Selina runs to the airport. I always liked Selina but she wasn’t a priority character of mine (much like Bruce isn’t) but then that scene happened and in an instant, I felt super protective over her. 

She is now my baby. My daughter. My beloved wife. She deserves everything and most importantly she deserves better than Bruce Wayne. 

(Coincidentally that was also the scene where I decided I don’t care much about Bruce asldjkjlj. I absolutely adore early seasons Bruce though). 

Favourite Location

There are so many different locations, I don’t think I can adequately answer this with my spotty memory :D

But I always loved the few episodes where Alice features, because I love how her scenes are shot so probably the little carnival Jervis prepares for her.

Also!! Jeremiah's church!

Or Commissioner Loeb's secret house (Especially the Attic).

There are a lot of cool locations, I gotta gif some of them soon :D

[laufire]

Supernatural s5

I finished it a little while ago, but I haven’t had the time to make an involved post about it -or watch that much of s6 yet; I’m trying to be Resposible and the time I have has been spent in advancing fics a little bit or answering short asks lol.

-I have really enjoyed this season for the most part, but there’s something I need to get of my chest LOL: all through it, the song “Too Many Dicks (On The Dance Floor)” played in my head xDD. Like, listen, I knew what I was signing up for with this show!! I didn’t expect NOT to find it offensive or regressive on multiple occasions!! But I guess s3-4 must have spoiled me lmao. I’m not saying those seasons are the height of feminism, but if you removed its most important female characters, ESPECIALLY Ruby, the plot of the season would fall apart. That’s not something you can say for s5 and preventing the Apocalypse, just sayin’.

It wouldn’t’ve been that hard to expand Meg’s, Anna’s or the Harvelle’s part (they had good material to go there -Meg as the faithful possibly opening her eyes, Anna as the betrayed and the juror jury and executioner, the Harvelles as normal hunters fighting something way too big for them-, but barely any time and like I said, no incidence in the actual plot of the season). Hell, I’m biased but bringing back Ruby would’ve at least taken care of the problem lol. Or if the show had indulged me and kept Bellamy Young as Lucifer, at least. But everyone with a real say in the plot is a dude, or at least wearing one as a vessel (angel’s conception of gender is clearly different from humans, but in terms of ~~representation the results are the same lbr).

-My constant frustrations with Supernatural’s bigotry-related stuff lol, like I said, I really enjoyed the season (that combination is one of the most frustrating things about the show lmao). Especially Castiel’s plot. The guy has reached Potential Hall of Faves status and that’s hum. A Problem xD

But seriously, he was breaking my heart in all the best ways. His search for God (the Absent Father that the show specifically compared to John añsldkfjasf. This show ISTG!!), his disappointment and sense of betrayal at being let down (he called God Himself “son of a bitch”!!!). I was especially fascinated by his Endverse version -that AU will have its own section lol-, although it resulted in making me reaaaally nervous whenever he was close to an addictive substance :). Like yes, those scenes were lowkey humourous and adorable (like when he drinks shots with the Harvelles and Ellen is fascinated and Jo delighted -... lowkey shipping this too btw. Lowkey shipping Castiel with lots of people-, or his combo with Sam when he got drunk), but also, you know, WORRYING xD

Some of my favourite scenes of his were, predictably, his interactions with Meg or Lucifer in 5x10. The Megstiel scene was SUPER HOT (both their voices are very unf-y lol), I can’t wait to edit it. And having Lucifer call Castiel “a peculiar thing” sure was something xD (although lbr, this Lucifer isn’t keeping with his rebel angel reputation, Castiel is carrying that all by himself smh).

Another scene I couldn’t get out of my head if I wanted to is when he uhhhh... completely LOSES IT and starts beating the crap out of Dean when he was ready to give it up to Michael. “I gave everything for you, and this is what you give me?!?” ooooooof. It was hard to watch, and fascinating and intense. I shamelessly loved it lmfao.

Though my favourite moment of his is one that can only be appreciated when you know certain things about s6. It’s the scene where, unlike everyone else, he shows appreciation for Sam’s plan of sacrificing himself to get rid of Lucifer. Because yes, at this point it’s the only thing that can save the world. But Castiel isn’t saying, “Sam’s life is a small price to pay in comparison”, because he will go into s6 and snatch Sam out of the cage immediately. s5 established Sam got out, so with that in mind, he didn’t bring it up because he didn’t want to create false hope in case he failed, but he backed the plan with the intention of saving Sam anyway. I love that. I love him.

-The entire season was Missing Ruby Hours for me lmfao. Like I said, some of the problems in the season wrt female characters would’ve been at the very least lessened if she’d gotten to be here wrecking havoc. But generally I just miss her and What Could Have Been with her here. I enjoyed some of the crumbs (Sam using the witchcraft skillz he learned from her! Sam immediately knowing Meg isn’t Ruby, unlike Dean! Her knife! The ARCHANGEL GABRIEL referencing her as “the demon Sam chose over his brother”!! The callbacks with Crowley or Brady!!), but I would’ve wanted her here, dammit xD.

-Aaaaand we’re finally getting to Sam, who is without a doubt the star of the season, if you ask me. His plan at the end, to let Lucifer possess him in the hopes he can fight back for just long enough to overpower him and throw them both into the cage, with no hopes for himself? This is the kind of Big Damn Hero stunt I’m a sucker for, I won’t lie. And I love that the show felt the need to confirm he was still alive at the end of the season hehe.

He really Went Through It this season and he held on lmfao. On top of everything (the apocalypse, the guilt of being its final trigger, the addiction recovery, etc.), he also had to deal with Dean’s usual bullshit, which is no small feat xDD. Like, sure, from an audience stand-point all those things are interesting (some fave/the fuck moments are when Dean is obviously peeved that Bobby still supports Sam because he wanted Bobby in HIS corner, or when he has the nerve to say he wants to say yes to Michael because he doesn’t trust SAM not to say yes to Lucifer lmfaoooo), BUT IT’S STILL A FEAT XD

One note: for all the talk about bi!Dean, bi!Sam is so SEEN this season xDD. AFAIC he totally hooked up with that bartender Paul (RIP Paul. At least in your last moments you enjoyed Sam, who’s clearly an energetic, attentive lover 😔). And Crowley refers to Brady as Sam’s demon ex-boyfriend and nobody bats and eye lmfao (that story is so angsty... the parallels to Ruby, how he ingratiated himself with Sam by pretending to have fallen off the wagon... ouch).

-I have mixed feelings on Crowley. On his own, I fell absolutely in love with the guy on his first appearance. A demon that DOUBTS Lucifer and doesn’t kiss his ass?? That wants to get rid of him and do his own thing?? And clearly enjoys ~earthly pleasures to the fullest (his complains about how the other demons ate his tailor had me rolling laksjdfa)? The way he turned the tables on Brady? OFC I love him. OTOH boy, does it annoy me knowing that fandom GLADLY embraced him when they condemned characters like Bela or Ruby for similar things. It’s not his fault so I still like him (he’s like Gabriel in that sense), but it’s annoying!

It also annoys me how Dean Must Be Right All The Time syndrome interacts with him lol. This season Dean decides they can trust Crowley (despite Crowley killing two humans in front of him and getting him beat up by Brady lol), so they can. Next season he decides they can’t, so Castiel will be WrongTM because Dean Says So. Ugggggh xD

-To be fair, however, this season has my fave Dean so far LOL. In the love/hate scale, this one has been almost solely in camp love, barring some of those moments of irksome hypocrisy that he’s so prone to xD.

But there was something about how this season’s plot chipped away at him, you know? For all the traits he has that drive me up the wall or unsettle me, I appreciate a lot of his personality because it makes him a unique and interesting character driving the narrative -his irreverence, his ability to think on the fly and get out of shitty situations, his disbelief. Seeing all of those things under siege this season made me hurt for him in a way I hadn’t anticipated LOL. By the time he was ready to give in to Michael (and I love that what made him step away from that choice was Sam showing a trust in him he patently didn’t deserve lbr), sometimes I felt terribly for the guy.

I also wonder if this season kind of marked like... the beginning of the end for him, narrative-wise? Making him Michael’s vessel (his angel condom) is the kind of thing that turns him from subject into object, and that can doom characters ime. The fact that he ~resigns himself to Sam’s death when his identity as a character came with being His Brother’s Keeper is another slight.

-I continue having mixed feelings about Destiel too LMAO. I’ve decided I’m just going to try to enjoy the good and interesting parts while I can, while trying not to think of future developments that’ll likely sour the ship for me lol.

Because in truth, yeah, I enjoy their interactions a lot here! The Endverse was particularly enjoyable for me (back to that in a moment), but the entire season had a lot of gems. That moment in the finale, when Dean is wounded on his knees after Sam sacrifices himself, and Castiel resurrects and heals him with a touch? And Dean is staring in awe and asks him if he’s become God?? Like wtf am I supposed to do with that. WHO SAYS THAT. XDD

-The Endverse. Omgggggggg. The Endverse. I doubt I can say anything about it that hasn’t been said a thousand times, but seriously. I loooove it, all of it. My favourite was endverse!Castiel, ofc. The way he was in No Man’s Land, not an angel and not quite a human, his ways of trying to cope with that, how burned he was... I uncomfortably related to some of it too lmfao, but let’s not get into that xD.

Seeing both Deans interact was gr10 too. They really couldn’t stand each other lmfao (do you understand me now Dean?? They actually reminded me of two OCs in an original WIP of mine that are in a similar situation -in this case it’s the future version purposefully traveling to the past though-, which made me even fonder of the AU). And the Destiel? *chef’s kiss*. The bitterness, like when Castiel laughs when present!Dean berates endverse!Dean about the tortures and then purposefully says “I like past you” to hurt him asñldkfjasf. Or those looks when Dean returns to the past and tells Castiel to “never change” d’aw.

I loved Lucifer!Sam in this episode too (and personally, I think in the finale Lucifer -and Michael- should’ve changed his outfit too. Sam’s clothes just don’t get to The Devil’s levels, but that white suit was perfect). He was terrifying xD.

BTW: I’ve decided that, since we never see endverse!Castiel die, well. He didn’t xD. I could see Lucifer keeping him alive and captive out of a sense of nostalgia, as Castiel is the only other thing close to a fellow angel left. Might even decide to return his powers with time, or to ~entice him with such an offer lol. And ofc I headcanon Sam is still inside, occasionally trying to fight. Cue in all the Castiel/Lucifer and Castiel/Sam fic ideas too (I have waaaaay too many of those for this mini-verse. It’s very inspiring).

-I’m still on the fence at Lucifer’s motivations but I can’t question how the family issues fit so, so well into this ‘verse. “Family is hell” is the show’s thesis, after all xD. IMO the angels in general don’t feel like a family, they’re a military body/cult lol, but the Archangels are another matter. I guess is the whole “only four angels have seen God-slash-Dad” thing, the rest were... well, the help, apparently.

But Lucifer, Michael, and Gabriel do feel like brothers when they interact (I’m guessing here Gabriel is the Adam: discarded by the other two like nothing :)))). Raphael too, but since he doesn’t interact with them... does he get to later? Or is he the odd one out? Did the others avoid him because he kept quoting Nietzsche at dinner?? LOL.

-There are no words to explain how terribly I feel for Adam. JFC that poor KID. Who was kind and helpful and intuitive, and only wanted his mother back and to help stop the end of the world. And that Sam and Dean will leave rotting in Hell for a millennia :))). It’s kiiiiiiiiind of hard to do for your show’s “heroes” when they do shit like that lmfao. It’d be different if they never tried to make him feel he’s family, but Sam tried to convince him with the bs “because we’re blood” and they did a half-baked attempt at saving him from Zacharias, and then... yeah. At least he had Michael in the cage, but still.

-I was already spoiled of this, but the reveal that cupids made John and Mary fall in love is so chilling (good on Dean for punching that cupid asshole, btw). It puts what Mary says about John in flashbacks, about how much she loves him and how perfect he is, in such a terrifying light. And I’m under the impression that the show didn’t bother to deal with this properly when they resurrected Mary and just... I hate that tbh. It’s a narrative choice that should have a huuuge impact, dammit.

-I kind of loved how bitter and angry Bobby was about (temporarily, thanks to Crowley, his new demon bf -watch out Rufus) ending up in a wheelchair. That there were no platitudes or false sentimentality and it just... was.

-The Harvelles’ had a good send off. I can respect Kripke for wanting his faves to go on his terms lol. Having Jo refuse Dean’s offer of a fuck on their possible last night on Earth with “I rather spent it with a little thing I have self-respect”? Not because she doesn’t have feelings for him, but because she thinks she deserves better from him? I love it. This guy knows his pettiness xD

-The fact that this fandom seems to have ignored Gabriel x Kali is one of the reasons I’m never going to vibe with it, sns. Immortal exes? Check. She tricked him and killed him... but then it turns out HE tricked and he’s alive? Check. BUT THEN HE STILL GOES BACK AND SAVES HER, DYING BY HIS BROTHER’S HAND?? CHECK CHECK CHECK. Ugh, why can’t they come back to me. I know, I know, Kali is a WoC and those are only allowed one (1) appearance before they’re killed off, apparently. So it might be a good thing that she doesn’t return xD. But gosh, they were gr10.

-Death the Horseman’s intro cleared my skin. I love him. I love how utterly terrifying he is and how chilling his and Dean’s scene was. And I yearn to find a picture of the guy a little younger and with a goatee, because he’s the most perfect Discworld’s Vetinari fancast I’ve ever found xDD

-I’ve seen tons of commentary over the years, and especially lately for obvious reasons, about how this season finale would’ve been a much better ending for the show. I’m not there yet, and it does sound like the finale was a mess and this one’s was a very well constructed episode (and, ofc, the Final Love Interest was NOT blurry!!). But even if by the end I come to loathe the finale, there’s one reason I already know won’t let me agree on the s5 ending being perfect: God xDD

The episode makes Chuck come across as a ~benevolent figure and no, fuck that, do NOT want, take it away from me!! Give me God as the Big Bad Wolf, the last evil to conquer any day. It’s like Dumbledore all over again: I enjoy the character a lot more if I feel canon and I are on the same page wrt his shadiness xDD

[bellamygateoldblog]

i will never be over the way this show has continuously tried to frame bellamy and clarke as heroes and good people, or the way the fandom has almost completely embraced and supported that narrative

the amount of times i’ve read ��[clarke] saved everyone’s ungrateful asses” makes me seriously consider turning evil. like aren’t y’all bored? don’t you have a different sentence you would like to say for a change?

i want to talk about this but i probably don’t remember a lot of the details of this show so if im forgetting something or get something wrong i apologise, but i never have any desire to rewatch past s2.

clarke isn't even the hero of her own side, she took power of them using the military force of the grounders, someone else’s people, she’s forced them into alliances without their knowledge that weren’t in their best interest (while she literally had no idea what they were even going through because she’d abandoned them after upsetting their entire political structure, and this leader she’s bowing to is responsible for the slaughter of their children, has broken an alliance previously with them, has hung the threat of genocide over their heads, and who isn’t even wanted in power by her own people- dragging skaikru into that conflict, too), she’s sacrificed them and what’s best for them in order to cater to/concentrate on the grounders newest demands or pursue her own personal mission, she’s lied to and patronised them, she’s abandoned them and surrendered them to die while they were under her protection and responsibility, and in Book 2 (and these aren’t her people but in canon she’s their leader anyway apparently despite trying to blow them all up a few days before...) she’s abandoned them again, and is speaking for them without consent or any connection to what’s happening with them again,.........her inner circle/her ‘friends’ have to be extremely careful to remain important to her or on her team or they’ll be sacrificed, harmed or become acceptable losses to whatever her newest goal is too (but hey at least she says she cares about them) all while acting very ‘woe is me’ about the whole crushing weight of responsibility she shouldn’t have.

but she’s the hero, she’s beloved, she’s special, she has relationships that were never built, she and only she saved everyone again and has all the lines telling us so no matter how dishonest those statements are.

like this is where i personally see what you said in your ask most: when it concerns clarke.

bellamy on the other hand...i don’t place him at all on the same level as clarke when it comes to this. clarke has privilege that bellamy just never had as a character. and i think that does probably play into why i like him.

him being a hero to the delinquents/the 48 is completely believable to me. he was the original leader, he got them through a tough time, he chose to put himself on the line for them, and he’s the one who stayed. i also think it’s reasonable that fandom might romanticise him this way because he is one who has been shown to value the one life as well as the many of his people, a guy doing his best and making big mistakes along the way, a mixed complex bag of good and bad, i find him very likable and i love the toxic/pained/vulnerable ones lol but more than anything i find him to be one of the more interesting/entertaining characters on the show (Book 1).

we also see him torment himself with his own mistakes instead of just having other people do it for him/remind him like we see happen with clarke- and we all know fandom loves equating that with a “redemption arc” and as much as i personally dislike seeing pity parties i do like self-awareness and responsibility in characters that goes beyond a 3-second-long puppy dog look or straight dismissal of someone else’s pain, and for the most part bellamy’s expressions of this don’t come across as demanding sympathy from others but from genuine self-loathing and an honesty to himself, internalising the effects of his actions/childhood.

i know i personally prefer The Flawed Protector over The Tortured Saviour nobody asked for (same white male hypocritical moral hero in a woman’s body).

i don’t believe in assigning “hero” to any of them though like that’s the whole entire point of the show lol “there are no good guys.” and i also think a major chunk of fandom/shippers have warped bellamy’s character so much that it isn’t even him anymore, so this man they’re celebrating as a hero/good person isn’t even bellamy sometimes.

all of the genuinely “good” and kind people are dead.

i don't think i'd say bellamy was ever framed as a hero. like he was just never important enough to be, he’s just not put into those positions (despite being the male lead), clarke is. as the protagonist ig. bellamy...he’s the protector/knight of the heroes, but not the actual hero himself (applies to octavia too i think, where she acts and he reacts).

like take mount weather, clarke becomes empowered by her “wanheda” status, bellamy’s (and monty’s) part in that is lost...clarke is “bearing it so they don’t have to” (rme) which simultaneously strips the other boys from claiming the ‘victory’ of saving the 48 while still leaving them with the guilt, like it suits how i see clarke perfectly that she’s the only one to refer to the genocide (and shutting down the CoL, i realised) as “i” while monty and bellamy say “we” and it was clarke’s actions that got them to that point in the first place, but this is one of those times she’s clearly The Protagonist. if that makes sense lol.

bellamy is on the opposite side to clarke in s3 and s7 and he needs to be moved to her side in order to be on the ‘right’ one. now i don’t agree with that one bit mind you (when it comes to s3, idc about s7 lol) and i didnt see it that way but imo that’s how the show wrote it, to the point he was either demonized endlessly by fandom or woobified in a way that denied him his own agency. during s5 i don’t i think anyone was framed in a good light. i can see this applying in s6, though- where he was his absolute worst self yet, betraying his own development, failing at every point to “do better” despite claiming it, but still was given that reasurring line that they did better and saved people and was in that “heroic” position i guess? but is that because he was back to being clarke’s “good little knight” tho? (but do we claim s6??? do we really??? do we claim it ladies???)

s6 was 100% dedicated to making clarke look good/like a 'good' or sympathetic person. the bodysnatching plot (and the s6 sheidheda plot because if it was supposed to be about bellamy and address his s5 actions he would’ve been present to experience/observe those consiquences himself but he wasn’t lmaoooo. instead it was to tell the audience ‘actually clarke was right last season and here’s another reason to feel bad for her and how those ungrateful bitches were treating her’) has no other purpose for existing. clarke's character has consistently been elevated at the expense of everyone else's. but im not sure the writing did a very good job convincing me she was a good person if it was trying to do that LMAO like my interpretation of her is so fitted to canon, and no amount of throwaway lines telling me how good she is did anything to change what i saw yk? and in s6, combined with being patronised by the writers, i found her to be at some of her most obnoxious.

i don’t agree with placing bellamy and clarke in the same boat tbh. like they just come from completely different places and come across differently, especially in the way they interact with other characters.

in my experience this fandom (on tumblr) is extremely skewed in favour of clarke, like ive never seen a fandom so obsessed with their protagonist. there’s A LOT of clarke stans who stan her for being one of those “deserves better :(” characters, selfless and heroic, and support that view that she’s the superior character, entitled to other character’s devotion, love and validation yet doesn’t have to reciprocate any of it. the CL/BC ship war was just a bunch of people fighting over clarke, who deserves her more, which character is more toxic to her, which other character would 100% be her bff supportive of that relationship, treating her as a passive whose actions don’t take affect. im not sure how much i blame the writing for that because if so many of us are capable of recieving her character in this way then...why aren’t so many other people? how is there such a massive disconnect between the ways we see her?

and imo a lot of the bellamy love in this fandom comes from shipping him with clarke too rather than being because of who he actually is.

[sketchy-scribs-n-doods]

saw your post about time travel fics. do you have any particular ones you can recommend? 👀👀

Yes!! I sure fuckin do!! my good Anon!! And @astupidgaytrashcan and @applestorms , you too my dudes, I saw ur tags ! >:D

Buckle up this is a bit of a long one bc I have Things To Say

Here goes:

Yesterday is Here by CirrusGrey

["Who the hell are you?" Jon could feel his hands shaking.

The man laughed, taking a step forward and raising a hand to point at him.

"I'm you, from the future!" he said, then swayed, eyes going unfocused, and collapsed to the floor in a dead faint.]

This is the 'Everything WILL Go Right This Time Or So Help Me God' Fix-It Queen of the bunch, featuring S4 Jon and Martin hopping back in time to S1 to set things right, S4 Jon being So Done with S1 Jon, some tasty ass Bullying Elias hours, Jon finally dealing with his emotions, and some double JonMartin goodness, 10/10 recommended.

Reverb in These Holy Halls by Wolftraps (AlwaysBoth)

[Undoing the apocalypse would have been enough for Jon, if all his people survived. Without them, Jon's only recourse is making it so it never happened in the first place. He's going to do better this time.]

This bad boy said 'idk if i'm doing this right but by god i'm gonna try'. Features: Jon being Gay and Sad about shit, Jon bitching at Elias, Powerful Archivist Jon, the Web gifting Jon a cat, Found Family, shit going Wrong in completely Different ways this time around, and the avatars deciding they hate Elias more than they hate Jon.

Reflection by LazuliQuetzal

[Jonathan Sims, researcher at the Magnus Institute, is seeing a ghost. Of himself.

Of course, it’s not really him, no matter what secrets it knows, or how many arguments it brings up. So if it tells him to do something? Obviously, he’ll be doing the exact opposite.]

This one's still ongoing, but strong with almost 40k and 8 chapters so far. Bit of a twist on the time travel trope, but definitely excellently and infuriatingly well executed. Features: S1 Jon being the Biggest Bitch Ever, Gertrude Robinson being shady af, S4 Jon doing His Best, more Bullying Elias hours, Martin being Hopelessly Gay, scarily Competent gay amazonian goddess Sasha, and the Jons having some massive arguments and emotional upheaval quality bonding time.

(Also Leitner getting his pathetic little old man bones knocked sideways if that's sweetens the pot for you)

Martin Blackwood Tries to Save the World (and Drags Jon with Him) by TheRealAndian

[It's the end of the world, and Jon and Martin have no idea how to fix it. That is, until a suspicious door lands them unsuspectingly in the past, long before the apocalypse. Now they have to work together with their former coworkers and their younger selves to stop the Magnus Archives from being completed, and maybe even admit their feelings for one another.]

Jon and Martin are SUCH a mess in this one and I love them dearly for it. Featuring: S4 Jon and Martin being super soft, Plans Falling Apart, S1 crew being very confused, Elias Gets Punched ©, Helen Richardson being as lovely as ever, Get Fucked Peter Lukas , many 'oops' moments, more double JonMartin, and a gentle epilogue. <3

Your Today is My Yesterday by ArtificialDaydreams

[“My name is Jonathan Sims... and I am not from this timeline.”

It has been seven months, two weeks, six days, fifteen hours, and thirty-seven minutes since the world ended, Jon wasn’t counting, but the Beholding let him Know anyway. Offered a chance to go back Jon struggles with fixing his past mistakes and keeping everyone in the Institute from realizing he's not the same man he was before.]

This one's also in progress, but at 43k and 16 out 19 chapters done, there's loads to enjoy here! This dude features: Jon trying to figure out a balance between 'old bitchy Jon' and 'new kinder Jon' in front of his coworkers and failing, Jon being Soft for Martin, Elias being a Bitch, Daisy being a Good Friend, Helen Richardson again being the Best Ever, Hunting Down your evil boss hours, and as of the newest chapter, a Gerry being a Good Bro cameo and Martin's sweet sweet manipulation skills.

your future is optional by gayprophets

[There’s a beat of silence, Annabelle clearly waiting for something.

“Oh my God,” Martin says suddenly. Jon is staring at her blankly, either uncomprehending or flabbergasted. “Are you seriously suggesting - you’re not,” he continues, because she can’t be, he must be misreading the situation somehow. “You have to be joking,” he says, desperate, “You’re not suggesting time travel.”

Annabelle cocks a perfectly-manicured eyebrow, smiling serenely, and Jon bursts into hysterical laughter.]

Listen, l i s t en, this one isn't complete either, and technically what's there has no time travel yet, but it's one chapter has 11k of glorious world building and spot-on character interaction building up to the actual time travel towards the end of the chapter. In this chapter 1 out of 3, you get: S5 Jon and Martin being So Fucking Soft with each other (honestly my h e a r t), Annabelle Crane being a Terrifying Bad Bitch, some solid Basira, Georgie, and Melanie interactions with the boys, really some very nice character introspection and wrapping your head around the idea of time travel in the first place, and a Mighty Need for more like hhhhhhhh-

These are just my main favorites so far! I started tma on the 19th of June honestly! I'm new here, but I absorb new shit voraciously so-! asdfhsjsksk tbh I've got like 4 other fics with this same exact trope open rn (in addition to a dozen more with different tropes hahaaaa) and I'm still reading through them bc I'm a Mess lmao, but feel free to hmu for more recs (of any trope type rly) in the future! I have,,, so many,,, and the list only grows,,,, :>

[multimetaverse]

Jamie Johnson 5x09 Review

We see Jamie at his sullen worst and poor Boggy’s mental deterioration  continues apace in what was a good but downer ep. Let’s dig in!

We finally return to the season’s most important story line, e-gaming. Jamie’s doing pretty good for himself in the virtual world of gaming so much so that he’s clearly willing to throw away his chance at making a full recovery in the real world. Jamie was well out of order this ep, just constantly burning bridges and being a sullen jerk. We’ve seen this play out before where Jamie can be a little shit but they really dialed it up to 11 this ep. In general from what I’ve seen of British TV they’re not afraid to have their characters be more unlikable then most American shows but we really do need to see Jamie act like a good guy at least a few times this season

A good start would be for Jamie to actually be a good friend to Boggy who’s not doing great. His anxiety is getting quite bad and we can see that he’s desperate for Jamie to talk to him again even though the pressure of being Jamie’s stat man is making his mental state deteriorate further. The only other example of anxiety being tackled on kids tv is Jonah Beck from Andi Mack and while the writers did a very good job in S2 with Jonah’s panic attacks, that story line was abruptly dropped half way through S3 without Jonah ever seeking treatment, telling his parents, or even telling Andi herself onscreen. I don’t expect the JJ writers to make those mistakes and I would imagine Boggy actually gets real help and Jamie does find out

The Jamie and Boggy friendship has become seriously one sided this season. During Andi Mack S3 the friendship between Andi and Cyrus wasn’t really apparent on screen but it just seemed like Andi didn’t particularly care about Cyrus, she was never actively malicious towards Cyrus like Jamie is being with Boggy. We certainly need to see Jamie being there for Boggy but we also need an apology and I hope Boggy gets one #justiceforboggy

As an aside, the writers obviously couldn’t have known in advance but this e-gaming plot would have been ideal for the post covid19 S6 they’ll eventually get to filming

There was a darkly funny moment where Jamie confronts Dillon about being jetpac11 only for Dillon to reveal he’s only texted his mom to let her know he wouldn’t be coming home and Jamie just drops it without asking follow up questions. I hope we get a Dillon coming out to Jamie scene as having Jamie Johnson himself react positively to Dillon coming out would be important in setting a good example for the mostly young audience

There’s been a lot of theories as to the true identity of Jetpac11 bandied about, the one I favour is that it’s Howard Royle’s son. We’ve seen him e-gaming, he has a grudge against Jamie which might explain the use of 11 which is Jamie’s jersey number, and he’d know all about Hawkstone’s strict social media policy which would explain why he got Jamie to post a sexist comment that would surely get him in trouble. Though one strike against that theory is that he might not know enough about Phoenix to correctly guess that it was Zoe who made Jamie take down his sexist comment

I’ve heard Jethro Stevenson as a possibility which would be interesting. He’d bear a grudge against Jamie, they specifically brought up the stolen bike escapade earlier this season, and might have learned enough playing with the Phoenix kids to guess that Zoe would make Jamie take down the post. I’ve also seen it suggested that Boggy created Jetpac11 as a way to get Jamie to need him which would be quite the twist but I don’t know if Boggy is capable of pulling that off at the moment. It seems that Aisha was ruled out as a suspect as she was seen doing other things when Jetpac11 would have been playing

I liked the detail of Dillon still wearing the same clothes he left home in

Nice to see Zoe and Kat being friends and good to see Zoe not just giving up on playing professional football. Her making Jamie write an apology post and then telling him she’d be watching him was hilarious

There were a lot of sad moments this ep but I think Liam bringing his kite to the beach in hopes of ‘’accidentally’’ running into the gang was the most desperate and pathetic moment of the night. He’s burned a lot of bridges and though he has made things right with Phoenix he’s still not in the inner circle. Clearly he regrets outing Dillon and he did have the good sense to wait until him and Dillon were alone to ask when he’d be coming home but he still needs to actually apologize for his actions. I’m excited to see how his redemption arc will play out

Poor Mike, you could see how disappointed he was when he caught Jamie lying  to him. We already knew about Mike’s career being ended by injury but it hammers home that Jamie still has the chance to go pro. It also adds a nice little parallel to Graham Simmonds, Graham wasn’t injured but he had been a talented football player in his youth who never went pro and that drives him to pressure Dillon and Liam to succeed where he couldn’t. Of course, unlike Graham, Mike has never pushed Jamie like that and has always been his biggest supporter 

I don’t know why we needed an Eric/Aisha/Freddie love triangle but I assume it ends with them learning to choose lads over lasses. It already seems that they’re taking this love triangle to a more textual level than they took the Jamie/Jack/Michele love triangle from S2

Looking Ahead:

Jack’s back, wonder if she’ll interact with Jamie at all

I assume the eventual reveal that Zoe has the pendant will put a damper on her friendship with Kat

Graham Simmonds goes to see Dillon in person. That should be an interesting scene to watch

Ruby and Alba’s adoption story line comes to the fore again, I wonder if we’l lget more light shed on their past before coming to live with Becky and Dawn

There’s not much left from the S5 trailer that hasn’t already happened. Dillon playing in blue against an adult team in red is the biggest thing. I could buy part of it being a dream sequence but I also think it’s likely that there is a real game he plays in. I wonder if he ends up signing for Northport since he knows that our problematic fave Duncan Jones is stridently anti-homophobia 

Until next week Jamie Johnsoners

[piningbellarke]

my 7x01 takeaways

PROS

clarke keeping picasso is so wholesome i can’t believe they gave us that serotonin right off the bat 

everyone living in the same house is literally so domestic oh my GOD 

people are finally drinking their respect clarke juice and it’s about damn time. nobody questions her leadership once throughout this episode, even when she loses it at the end (more on that later)

along with respecting clarke, people are looking out for her. she gets asked several times if she’s okay, which isn’t something clarke gets asked nearly enough in the past 

indra! indra in grounder gear at a domestic picnic, indra snarking everyone in the house for food, indra protecting clarke from russell, indra being a prominent character after the grounders were sidelined last season. yes to all of it 

murphy showing genuine remorse for what happened to abby even when clarke forgives him. the growth that accountability shows for a character who has historically always done what he needs to survive and not felt bad about it 

jackson getting time to be rightfully upset about abby’s death. clarke isn’t the only one grieving, and it’s clear 

miller’s presence in general is a gift but specifically him being a badass and looking out for clarke and madi. very reminiscent of day trip when bellamy told clarke to keep him close, and i love it

the delinquent banter! god i hope they keep that up this season 

memori “you’re so hot right now” “stop i’m your sister” 

the return of princess mechanic 

how on earth does raven get hotter each season 

murphy calling raven miss morality hints at what the jroth said in that interview about raven being faced with her own impossible choice this season, which i’m really excited for. most of my gripes with season 6 look like they’re being addressed in season 7, and it’s a relief that those might be actual decisions instead of just bad writing. i still think this glosses over raven’s past decisions (like torturing lincoln), but i’m trying to stay positive in this section 

ROAN!!!! I MISSED HIM SO MUCH 

also i’m discovering that i almost enjoy echo’s character when she isn’t around characters that remind me of how terribly her s5/6 arc was written. hope and gabriel didn’t know echo on earth, and her dynamic with them doesn’t have the same glaring issues as spacekru or b.echo 

i’m going to make a whole different post about that echo/roan interaction because it gave my bellarke ass HOPE but also the feminist who wants echo to have a solid conclusion and some decent writing hope 

madi bringing up her birth mother was a wonderfully grounding moment 

so was the dynamic between gaia and indra! 

the overall theme of family, specifically parents and their children, was really interesting and (i think) promising for the rest of the season 

clarke going apeshit was hot as FUCK. i love the s1 energy of her yelling at a crowd. 

CONS

you know what goes here

okay but seriously i understand bob needing time off but i also wish we heard it from bob himself instead of jason. i’d feel a lot better about it that way. bellamy is a large part of why i watch the show so i know both the lack of content and the fandom negativity will weigh me down but i’m just going to cling to how good it’ll feel to see him on my screen when the time does come 

i have been over the flame storyline since season 3. while sheidheda is a loose end from season 6 they need to continue for a satisfying conclusion, i’d rather it have not happened at all. i cannot believe they just airdropped him into russell the moment i thought “oh i kinda like where they’re taking russell”

again i’m trying to be positive but i already don’t like where they’re taking jordan. he’s monty and harper’s kid. he’s not stupid. naive, yes! but some of his lines just came off as ignorant to me idk 

clarke forgetting that madi had a mother before her? you’re telling me she raised this kid for six years and just. forgets that she didn’t give birth to her. maybe i could’ve gotten with it if it was explicitly acknowledged that clarke was thinking about when the primes “killed” her, but if that was the intention it felt a bit buried in context 

overall, i think it really was a solid premiere. a LOT happened, but there are 15 more episodes to unravel it all. i think it makes sense for the premiere to be a bit crowded that way we aren’t blindsided when the information becomes relevant later in the season. 

[phoenix-fenix]

Thoughts on SU movie

- I get emotional whenever i see Pearl. But seeing her interact and laugh with Greg was fantastic

- Steven looks much more grown-up and Zach is finally able to use his usual speaking voice!

- seeing everyone singing about their backstories and their hope for a bright future was heartwarming

- Homeworld gems working on a town for their own use is what I didn't think I needed but it was great

- I'm noticing the absence of Jasper. I think they're saving her up for a big arc in season 6

- Loving the Bismuth/Lapis/Peridot trio dynamic. It's great seeing how much Lapis has changed!

- Oh no Spinel baby what's wrong with you . I love her design

- Spinel's story is pretty much Toy Story 3 and 4

- we finally learn how Pearls get their owners! Custom made and Pearl's original outfit was her default! This means 2 things, Pearl originally were very fancy clothes + Pink Diamond never bothered deciding for her Pearl what she was supposed to wear

- Amy baby girl.... I'm so glad she did find company in the end

- Oh god Pink Diamond why do you continue messing up even YEARS after your death? Seriously, what would it have taken her to let anyone at all know that Spinel was still waiting?

- And here we go again. Steven has to solve yet another one of his mom's problems. At least this time he isn't trying to defend her or anything

- Steg. Uhm. Can I say that he made my bisexual side re-emerge because he is very attractive. I know I know he has a 16-y/o boy in him but I just know that whoever designed him wanted him to be very good looking lmao

- PEARLMETHYST OPAL AAAAAAAAAH

- I love that what makes Pearl return to normal wasn't her love for Rose (no matter how important this was for her) but the remindal of her independence and being her own gem. I love it that she isnt just reduced to being some love-struck character who's only motivated by her love for another character

- seriously fuck Pink Diamond

- Ruby and Sapphire are destined to go against fate

- loved seeing Lars and Sadie again

- they're saving up the Connverse for the 6th season but this movie still gave us some pretty sweet moments between those 2

- and again, Jasper's absence makes a lot of sense. Such an important character needs a lot more time and focus to have her problems be dealt with

- The Diamonds acting like annoying overly clingy aunts who turned good felt a bit off but well

- seriously. How did White Diamond make a complete 180degree turn?

- not too happy about Spinel's resolution tbh. I think she should have stayed on Earth and started her own life instead of providing entertainment for yet another Diamond(s). It felt wrong

- uhm ahem I still need to see the promised future episode with Mystery Girl in it

- Overall an entertaining movie to show what's going on 2 years after the S5 finale but the writing felt wonky here and there. But it can be excused because it all had to be cluttered within the time frame of a movie

[upstartpoodle]

@ticketybooser replied to your post.

Oh, wow. This is absolutely wonderful. I love both of your extracts from this particular story. When George saved Ross’ life in the finale, I was positively jumping for joy. I did wonder, however, why Hanson – while wounded – would attempt to shoot Ross rather than George given the latter’s betrayal. It would have made more sense for Hanson to train his pistol on George as opposed to Ross, which is why I really like the idea of George being seriously injured in your story.

I have to say that I would pay dearly for you to write more of this story, particularly any scenes between George and Ross at Nampara during those long and frustrating hours of bedrest. That would be a real treat. Any bonding between George and Ross would be a delight to read. The days preceding George’s awakening when his life hung in the balance between his wound and the subsequent fever would be particularly interesting to read; for example, how did Ross and Demelza, as well as Dwight, come to terms with George’s actions? What emotions did all three experience as George’s life teetered on the brink? It must have been baffling for them, but perhaps less so for Dwight given his knowledge of George’s mental ill-health. Moreover, how did George cope with having to rely on Ross and others for assistance during his recovery. Poor George, having Ross attend to his needs, including conversation must have been traumatic, lol! That whole situation could make for some really nice moments of humour and understanding and reconciliation.

I really enjoyed George and Cary’s interaction in the carriage, as well as George’s reluctance to socialise. Also, I love the fact that George is still suffering from the trauma brought about by Dr Penrose’s brutality. I like this because it lets us know that George really is human and is struggling still to comprehend what happened to him. That Cary is genuinely concerned for George’s well-being is surprisingly touching even if Cary’s worries are also rooted in his desire to protect the Warleggan name. The idea that Hanson – having noted George’s strange behaviour in person on a number of occasions – would seek to discredit George as a credible witness by exposing any suspected lunacy is inspired! Will he succeed? Will Ross find out via Dwight about George’s predicament and come to his aid? On a separate note, I just love that Dwight and Caroline’s invitation is the first that George accepts following his heroics at Nampara. He knows, deep down that neither Dwight nor Caroline mean him any harm.

I’ve also been wondering how George’s relationship with Caroline changes in the wake of her threats to reveal his insanity diagnosis. Would George be timid or fearful in her presence or would the incident remain unspoken between them. Or would Caroline seek to reassure him that his secret is safe with her. Regardless of such questions, I love your story and I do hope that you continue with it. Once again, thanks so much for writing such excellent George centric stories! : D

Hi, thank you so much for these kind comments! I really appreciate the feedback and I’m glad to know that you’re enjoying my fics. I’m definitely going to write more of this story (there’s a good chunk of it already in the works) but by the looks of it, it’s going to be really, really long, so it might take a while before I’m ready to start posting it properly. I’ll get there eventually though, and I might post a couple more extracts in the meantime depending on how quickly it starts shaping up once I’m done with the month of AUs.

Honestly, the thought of George getting injured in that scenario hadn’t really occurred to me until I was sent that request, but it certainly opens up a lot of interesting possibilities in terms of character interactions. I think you’re right in that it would have made a lot of sense for Hanson to try and shoot George because a) he and Merceron have straight up admitted a whole load of shit to him and if he’s turned on them he’s in a pretty good position to use that against them, and b) he’s going to be really pissed off at the guy who’s just shot him. That scene could have gone very differently very easily, and it’s interesting to explore the ramifications of that.

There’s going to be a lot of scenes between George and Ross--these two have a lot of shit to work through, and naturally nobody’s really going to know what to make of George being seriously injured saving Ross’ life. And needless to say, George is NOT going to be happy about being stuck at Nampara with Ross for company for the duration of his recovery. I’ve only got a few scenes at Nampara so far, but they’ve all been fun to write, and once I’ve filled in the gaps, that should make up a decent chunk of the fic which hopefully I’ll be ready to start posting...at some point ha.

I’m glad you liked the interaction between George and Cary - there’s going to be a lot of those two as well. I’ve always found their relationship pretty interesting and I think there was a definite change there this series, in that it’s really the first time that I can think of where Cary shows actual, genuine concern for his nephew as a person. Before, their relationship has always been quite cold and impersonal, mostly just them plotting together, or else Cary berating George in some way (aka 1x02, 1x08) or George being embarrassed by him and his behaviour, whereas in s5 you can see that he is truly worried about George, even if his concern is equally to ensure that no shame be attached to the family because of his illness. When it comes to the whole business with Dr Penrose, I kind of wanted to deal with that in this fic since it’s not exactly the kind of thing you just get up and walk away from completely unaffected, and so that’s something that’s building up quite a bit of tension between George and Cary. I kind of felt that the show didn’t quite delve into the ramifications of 5x03 really as deeply as it could have, including with how George and Cary’s relationship might change in the aftermath of it, and so I decided I wanted to go into that here.

With Caroline, I felt that her actions in 5x07 definitely needed to be addressed before either of them could move forward as characters -- as a matter of fact, the scene with George and Cary actually comes right before their confrontation (well confrontation is maybe a bit dramatic but they’re definitely going to talk it out--idk I haven’t written that bit yet ha) over the matter. I mean George knows rationally that Caroline won’t tell, but he’s always struck me as a character who really likes to be in control, and since he’s spent a good chunk of s5 not being at all in control of the situation, the thought of someone having this damning knowledge held over his head that they could give away at any point, even if it’s really not that likely that they will, is basically just a complete nightmare to him. I mean, like I said, it’s not written yet so I don’t quite know how that’s going to go down, but either way, he ain’t happy about it.

Anyway, I’m going to stop rambling now as otherwise I might just go on forever ha. Thanks again for taking the time to write such thoughtful feedback! I love reading your comments! Xx :D

[lalaurelia]

Quick Gotham 5x11 thoughts

FINALLY WE HAVE GOBBLEPOT CONTENT IN THE EP!!! Sorry about going all caps, but I’ve been thirsty for this stuff for far too long XD

To summarize - good action here, actually nice/professional Jim, badass Babs, sweet BatCat moments, and Gobblepot scenes. Did I mention Gobblepot? Well, we have it. Now let’s get to the deets.

Oh, and sorry, but I just can’t like Ed lately. And Lee. And I’m being mean about it. Sorry.

Things are looking grim for Gotham’s green zone with the army closing in, but Jim’s being all tactical about it and hoping to stall the army enough to actually reverse the criminal orders. Criminal orders - I’ll be mentioning these several times here, because really now. But for the opening scene I love Jim and his allies being all to the point, very focused, very professional, it just makes sense and is so pleasant to see them all working together for Gotham.

Then we have Oswald abandoning the submarine plan for the sake of following his heart, and oh, Oswald, my dear, you’re so romantic. Because... who does Oswald follow throughout the episode? Jim. Jim’s his heart, his half of Gotham, his everything.

Do I love the scene where Oswald comes to Jim? Oh do I? I LOVE IT TO PIECES and yes, sorry, all caps again XD Because - you just look at it.

Jim recognizes Oswald’s presence before he sees him. He claims it’s his “recognizable odor, part dandy, part snake” but come on, he just can’t flirt to save his life, this man, and when he does it comes out this awkward XD Jim teases Oswald before offering him a drink. Now, forgive me if I’m wrong here, but he never did it before. So this is Jim’s acknowledgement of Oswald as an ally, at least, if we remove the shipping goggles no can do, I think I was born with them.

And Oswald’s monologue about Gotham, about how his life is in Gotham, how he is part of the city as much as Jim is. Seriously, when the trailer was out I was afraid they’d make the line “it’s part of you too” be addressed to Ed with the amount of screentime that mutated broccoli was getting and so many scenes that Oswald had with him. God, I’m so glad it’s Jim that hears this. They both acknowledge what Gotham means to them, and they’re always going to be united through that more than anything. Their version of being married, so to say.

Oswald is so breathtakingly beautiful in that scene too, I just can’t.

Then Ed shows up, hogs the blanket, eh, you’re barely more than a civilian at this point, Ed, and you were always a crappy shot. Do you think you make a difference? But as far as symbols go, him standing alongside the heroes is a nice touch.

Loved Jim teasing Oswald about if he still wants to fight, and him shooting back about his full pardon. Lovely banter between husbands

Then we get the good guys of the GCPD on the barricades with Bane’s soldiers down there. I’m not sure if they still had any advisors at this point, with the show’s situation being what it is, but if they wanted us to buy that Bane was ex-military and knew what he was doing, tactics-wise, they kind of… failed. I might go out on a limb here and consider this to be intimidation tactics on his part, but in the sutuation where your troops and resources are limited… that’s not the best idea.

Also. The way Bane took command was by force, sure. But first he and Nyssa made the general issue a criminal order. And the thing about criminal orders - you don’t follow them. The soldiers caved there, for plot, and because you have to know about it, you have to keep your thinking critical, to recognize the order as criminal, and well, army’s not known for a lot of that.

Jim though, I do buy (and headcanon) as having a head for tactics. First his plan to stall the army at a certain point, then him securing the higher ground for his troops - that's good thinking. But then Jim goes and also issues a criminal order, by opening fire on the army soldiers. He gets a bit of leeway there, since they’re actually protecting civilians, but - well, I guess my issue there is that they should’ve waited for Bane’s side to shoot first.

The way Bane’s soldiers were situated in that little square, though… no cover, no nothing, they just stand there like scarecrows - Jim's side could’ve taken them out in minutes. But okay, plot. And it wasn’t all bad, I guess, just kind of stupid, and I don’t like Gotham to be stupid, it’s too good a show for that.

I didn’t enjoy another scene of Oswald getting hurt, and that’s all I’m going to say about it.

Then Jim goes to save Babs and the baby and get the general too, for stopping all that. He’s being all stealthy XD And Babs helps him, distracting the guards, taking them out herself, man, girl just needed a good opportunity to. Also I was angry a bit for Jim not even asking if she was alright, but I guess he didn’t want to anger her more XD So I’m gonna be thinking he just knows Barbara enough to not ask her stupid questions.

Loved him and Babs working together in this scene, period. Now that’s a badass parents couple, if we’re talking hetero romance - and seriously. All Lee scenes were so extra and useless here. I just can’t, they make her so superficial it’s annoying. First her treatment of the Narrows in S4. Then her reverting back from it here in S5 and seemingly not giving a damn about the Narrows. The way she never sees Jim for the person he is - the only hint of her understanding him was when she was saying goodbye to him in S4, of all things. And so here, we get her saying “oh, this person needs this, this person needs that, someone do it” - you're a doctor, goddamit, DO THAT YOURSELF. Because by the time she’s arrived at the GCPD, it’s past triage time. And she only remembers the Narrows when she needs to look all concerned - and then DUMPS the people to just go do whatever she wants. Yeah. Stellar leadership skills. You couldn’t have made me dislike the character more if you tried. Or maybe you did try. I dunno.

I loved how Jim goes all soft when he holds the baby, it’s so damn sweet. Him, Babs, and little Barbara actually look like a very sweet family, and you know, since we’re not getting canon Gobblepot, I’d rather they ended up together instead.

Because Lee makes no sense. Ugh. I’d prefer not to waste any more time on this cardboard cutout of a character, so I’ll just get it all out here at once. When Jim relies on her to lead the people of the Narrows to safety, she doesn’t show any conflict, about how she wants to stay with him instead, and she just goes. Then she dumps them, people who actually rely on her too, who look up to her (poor souls), and abandons them to go die with Jim. It could’ve been a touching scene, with her feelings all in turmoil, her conflicting desires to do good and be with her loved one at the same time… but we never got that. She’s emotionless and empty in those scenes, and all we get is her being stupid, whimsical and superficial. Ugh. I don’t like hating on female characters, but I do hate on this version of Lee. And Jim also goes all stupid with her, and it doesn’t seem as he respects her, either. What was that line about her disobeying him becoming a habit? Women aren’t property, Jim, even if you’re married, and since I decided to ignore that filler ep, you’re not even married, so shut up about it, Jim. You seriously need to continue your relationships with people you respect instead.

I wonder how Babs convinced all those people to go and risk their lives though - that must have been quite a speech. And it was indeed very moving, and enough for the soldiers to finally realize the orders they’ve been given were criminal, and turn on their commander instead. GOOD.

The scene with Babs and Jim at the GCPD after that is again so soft. So cute. I love seeing that soft smile on Jim, and I like Babs being soft with him too. Seriously, I love Babs in this episode.

Then we get Oswald and the mutated broccoli scene. Kind of cool I guess. But I don’t like how he blatantly tries to manipulate Oswald when he’s emotionally vulnerable. AGAIN.

Oswald, my prettiest bird, you should’ve stabbed him. But you keep giving people second chances, and that’s a trait I love about you. Too bad I don’t enjoy that narcissist with a fondness for mirrors and would prefer for you not to waste time on him. Nothing good will come from that, only negativity, and the knife pressed to your back.

Also the scene looked too dragged out and their interactions too forced. They’d be a fun comic duo, but if you want us to buy the tension between them… it’s not working. Also - you just can’t rely on Ed for anything. Oswald trusted him with Martin and we never saw the kid. Oswald trusted him with a dog, and he abandoned it in the submarine. What the hell, Ed.

Oswald is so pretty in that last scene, I’m crying. Of course he dolled up for such an occasion with Jim! And Jim’s eyes, they flit to his side, is it any surprise even? XD

I kind of realized I completely left out BatCat scenes here, but I’ll just say they’re good and sweet and touching, and what the hell, Bruce! You don’t treat Selina like that! Stupid, stupid boy! You had half a brain to say goodbye to Alfred, at least, but man, you owe Selina big time.

This episode could’ve been made better. But I still enjoyed it a lot, mainly for good Babs content, Jim being nice, and finally, finally some premium quality Gobblepot.

I live.

[miss-musings]

My List of Top 10 Blacklisters

Let me say right off the bat that it was really difficult to compile this list. Because while I feel a lot of one-off Blacklisters are pretty much throwaways, especially all the different cults and kooky people that the show likes to keep introducing, many of the better ones (IMO) were bad guys who had been around for multiple episodes, maybe even entire arcs or seasons.

So, picking out my Top 10 -- based on how unique they were, how memorable they were, how intimidating, how threatening they were to the main cast, etc. -- was relatively easy, but ranking them was difficult. Because, again, a lot of them get way more screentime than others.

So, I'll try to rank them based on a combination of how much I personally liked them, how much of an overall impact to the story/characters the Blacklister had relative to their screentime and build-up, how well the actor did with the role, how unique and memorable they were, etc.

You'll notice that people like Laurel Hitchen, who was an antagonist but not technically a Blacklister, isn't on the list; and you'll notice that "good guys" like Dembe or Marvin Gerard who were technically Blacklisters, but weren't antagonists for Red or the Task Force aren't on here either. Tom, who flip-flopped between good guy and bad guy as the show progressed, isn't on here either; but that's because there's so much material to judge from as he was a main cast member for at least three seasons, which is unfair.

Anyway, without further ado: my list. Again, feel free to disagree and make your own lists if you like.

(EDIT: I’ve done a follow-up list of ‘Top 10 Best One-Off Blacklisters’, because so many of the below entries had multiple episodes in which to be menacing.)

Note for future reference: this list only includes Blacklisters up through the end of S5.

###

HONORABLE MENTION: MR. KAPLAN

I really wanted to put Mr. Kaplan on this list, and I had at one point, but then I realized I forgot one of the more imposing Blacklisters and had to slide him into the spot where I had Mr. Kaplan. The only reason I took her off completely rather knocking every lower-numbered entry down a spot, was because while I really liked Mr. Kaplan up until S3c, I hated how the showrunners forced the storyline where she had once been Liz's nanny and hated Red for doing her and the Keen family wrong. I love Susan Bloomaert and think she's a very talented actress who's incredibly underrated; but I loved her character more when she was on Red's team -- his cleaner, his friend, his confidant. Granted, there were some really good episodes with her as an antagonist, but I hated the way she died -- throwing herself off a bridge.

Anyway, again, I want to emphasize that this list is purely subjective. So, if you think I've done Mr. Kaplan a disservice, feel free to make your own list to give her to honor you believe she deserves. As I said: I loved Mr. Kaplan, but I felt the whole S4b storyline completely assassinated her character as we knew it up to that point.

P.S. I also feel like GREGORY DEVRY should get a shout-out, but I’ll probably include him in my list of Best One-Off Blacklisters.

10. LEONARD CAUL

This is one of those entries where I guess I kind of cheated. Caul didn’t really end up being an antagonist for Red, Liz or the Task Force. But he was introduced to us a little ambiguously with him developing photos of Liz and Red, listening to the police scanner -- and then holding Liz at gunpoint (briefly) in Red's Bethesda apartment... I really liked all of that and how it was kind of vague from the beginning whether he was on their side or not. Granted, he doesn't get much screentime even in his own episode, and honestly, after S2, I'm not really sure what happened to him. I know he was hanging around with Red up until the S2 finale or thereabouts, but yeah, whatever happened to that guy?

Anyway, it was a really tense episode, and I felt like Caul brought a level of adrenaline and urgency to the situation with Red and the Cabal, as well as the show in general.

9. IAN GARVEY

You'd think Garvey would be higher on this list, but I was never really a big fan of him. Granted, he did pose a pretty serious threat for our main crew, after he stole the Real Reddington’s bones, killed Tom and his goons knocked Liz into a coma. And the actor did a fine job. But, I just felt that -- up until his connection to the Reddington family was revealed -- he was just kind of cartoonish. A dirty cop who runs a drug cartel? Yeah, I don't care.

But, again, while I don't really like Garvey, I felt like he had such an impact on the show and the characters that he deserved a spot -- even if it was a low one.

8. MADELINE PRATT

The only female Blacklister to formally make it onto the list. (Sorry, Mr. Kaplan.) I thought her character and this episode was incredibly well-done. It was a little bit of a heist storyline, and Pratt was a good foil for Liz and Red, forcing both of them to open up in ways we hadn't seen before (up to that point). Liz became more comfortable doing criminal-type things, using her slight-of-hand, infiltrating locations and lying/manipulating people; while Red, conversely, became more human and opened up about why he has been so distant with people and the hurt he has experienced in the past.

Also, Madeline is one of the few past/current love interests of Red that we see on the show, and I really like Jennifer Ehle (mostly because of the 1995 version of Pride & Prejudice). I felt like she matched well with Spader and wasn't overpowered by his always-charismatic performance. And, while we only ever saw her in this episode and briefly in 2x14, I felt like she deserved a spot because she was such a unique character and that episode introduced a lot of character details and traits that became important later.

7. THE STEWMAKER

I really, really liked the Stewmaker -- both the bad guy and the episode. The only reason I didn't put him higher on this list is because I feel everyone else is too good (or bad, depending on how you want to look at it) to be displaced.

So, I remember reading on one of those TV-watching websites that if you weren't entirely sure about a show but you wanted to give it a chance, you should watch at least four episodes to see whether it was any good. By the fourth episode, the show should have established its characters, its dynamic, its continuing plot points, its feel, etc. Pilots, of course, always feel a little different than the shows themselves because they're filmed months before any other episode; so you have to give shows a chance to establish themselves and walk on their own two feet.

So... when THIS was the show's fourth episode... oh, buddy.

The Stewmaker posed a serious threat as he was the first person to ever hold Liz captive and feel the wrath of Red for such an offense. The episode gave us the infamous Parable of the Farmer; and continued the then-mystery of Liz finding out about Tom's shady past.

But, as for the character himself, he was just really weird. Walking around naked while he was working, but having that mask on; disintegrating bodies; having his dog with him; actually being a family man but having this criminal work on the side. And, also, we had a little bit of interaction where Liz was actually trying to do her job (for once) and profile him and use that info to her advantage.

He was a character that I feel the show has tried to redo several times -- the kooky weirdo who's very calm, apologetic and doesn't like violence but who is also fascinated by death, bodies, etc. But, of course, this was the FIRST time the show had used such a character, so it was much more memorable then and not so watered-down.

In any case, I really liked the Stewmaker and thought he was a fantastic Blacklister for the show to have in its fourth episode of the entire series.

6. MATIAS SOLOMON

So, this is actually the spot where I had Mr. Kaplan. But, while I was doing some background research on my #1 choice, I ran across Edi Gathegi's name and remembered that I left Solomon completely off the list. He had been an antagonist throughout the whole of S3a and then came back for his namesake episodes where he and his crew attack Liz and Tom's wedding, Liz gives birth to Agnes, and later she "dies" with Red by her side.

Solomon is either directly or indirectly responsible for a lot of major shit that happened on this show -- hell, just in those two episodes. And, I really like Gathegi's performance, especially considering how Solomon was a little Extra™. So he had to play him as dramatic with a penchant for flair and style ... but without him becoming cartoonish. He was just a little bit eccentric but could still hold himself and lead a team of goons in shooting up a church.

Again, I hated to leave Mr. Kaplan off the list but I felt it was a greater disservice to not put Solomon on it, considering how much of a threat he posed to our main cast throughout various points of S3.

5. THE DECEMBRIST (A.K.A. ALAN FITCH)

This is basically just an outlet for me to talk about how amazing Alan Alda is and how much I love him and wish the show hadn't killed his character off. Seriously, he's just so adorable, and it was hilarious to see him partly playing against type here. Fitch was intimidating, but I also kept wanting to give him a hug.

And, I felt like that was how Red felt toward him. He hated Fitch for the whole bullshit in that raid on the Post Office, but yet, he also respected him. That look on his face when he's having that last conversation before the bomb on Fitch's neck goes off... just heartbreaking.

And while so many actors seem to bow under the weight of Spader's performances, Alda is also one of the few actors who I felt like was on-par with him in terms of charisma and acting chops. It seems he just strolls onto the set and does whatever is required of him without a care in the world. "Need me to be gruff and menacing? I can do that. Need me to be sad and fearful? I can do that. Need me to look bored and indifferent? I can do that." God, I just love Alan Alda, and I want to give him a hug. 

But, seriously, Fitch was a Blacklister who's impact on the story goes all the way back to setting Berlin on Red decades before S2 takes place, and he was one of the few people (at that time) who seemed to know Reddington from the pre-Night of the Fire era. (It's unclear now whether that was actually true; he probably knew the REAL Reddington, but never knew our guy was an imposter.)

Anyway, Fitch had a major impact on the story because he was the one person/thing who had a connection to the raid on the Post Office, the Cabal and Berlin. So, he definitely deserves a spot on this list. And also, ALAN ALDA!

4. BERLIN

This is a weird entry, because Berlin is hardly in either of his two namesake episodes; and even when he is, his identity is obscured until the very end of "Berlin: Conclusion."

Berlin had been built up for a long time, and while I still am so frustrated that it was never addressed how he organized a giant criminal syndicate from inside a Russian prison. Honestly, for as much as for as long as he was built up, I feel like the pay-off was a little bit disappointing. Which is why he’s at number four for me.

Still, when he came back in the first half of S2, he was such a good baddie. I absolutely love when he and Red meet on Coney Island, and that weird, dynamic and layered conversation that they have. And overall, Peter Stormare's performance is fantastic. He's mustache-twirling, sure, but he was so intimidating at the same time... threatening Liz, capturing Naomi, being responsible for the attacks on Cooper and Meera, etc.

He had a tremendous impact on both S1 and S2a, so he definitely has to have a spot.

3. ALEXANDER KIRK (A.K.A. CONSTANTIN ROSTOV)

Like Berlin, Kirk is hardly in either of his namesake episodes, but we get to see him more fleshed out as a character/villain in S4a.

Unlike most villains, we actually got to see quiet moments of Kirk, where he was caring, respectful, loving and just ... generally not villainous. Most of these other Blacklisters never got those opportunities, and Kirk -- in hindsight -- was built up as a kind of hero out of a Greek tragedy. Odette tells Liz that he was a kind, caring and gentle man up until he found out about Liz’s identity as Masha and her connection to Red. Then, he flipped his shit and did whatever it took to get his (step)daughter away from him. And, honestly, I really liked his little farewell speech to Liz about how she would only ever remember him as a villain who kidnapped and threatened her and her child; and she would never remember him as the young, happy father who held her in her arms, excited at what the future would hold for their family.

God, just thinking back to that speech makes me feel such sympathy for the man... not the one he became but the one he used to be. Kirk was hurt and betrayed multiple times by Katarina, the Real Reddington, the Fake Reddington, and all these other people who played him like a puppet for their own ends. Really thinking back on it, it’s no wonder he became the broken man he is, so desperately trying to cling to this frayed prospect of happiness with the family he once had. Yes, he was hoping that Liz or Agnes would help cure him of his disease, but I truly believe that was only a bonus in his mind and he was really hoping to piece his family back together -- to have a second chance in his (step)daughter’s life and help her with her newborn.

He’s also one of the few villains with his own arc who WASN’T killed off at the end of said arc, so I REALLY hope he comes back. I doubt it, but I would really like to see it. Maybe he could help Liz understand what all happened with Katarina, Real Reddington, Fake Reddington, and everything on the Night of the Fire.

And, again, like with Fitch, he was a really important Blacklister as he was connected to both Red’s past and Liz’s. And, that scene where he’s about to kill Red, and the two stop to reminisce about Katarina, who she was, and how important she was to them ... that’s the kind of depth we don’t get out of most Blacklisters.

Honestly, even though his introduction to the audience was a little too Darth Vader/Alias-esque, I still really enjoyed the range of emotions Ulrich Thomsen got to run through in his portrayal, especially in that final episode. And while he doesn’t really have a lasting effect on the story once his arc is resolved, he was a major threat to everyone, including Liz, and the main characters to make major decisions in the latter half of S3 and the first part of S4 that showed us who they really are.

So, yeah. IMO, he deserves to be this high on the list.

2. ANSLO GARRICK

It might seem a little weird to have a one-off villain this high on the list, but Anslo Garrick -- both the character and his namesake episodes -- was an actual game-changer. Here we were, skipping along through S1, pretty complacent and chill. And then all of a sudden, Anslo Garrick shows up and turns everything on its head. The Post Office is under attack; Ressler gets seriously injured and he and Red have to make due hanging out together inside the box; Cooper et al is captured; Liz and Aram, who have little field experience between them, have to team up to try to get to safety. Luli is killed; Dembe is almost killed; Liz is threatened; Red is captured and later escapes.

God, so much happened in those episodes, and I still think “Anslo Garrick: Part One��� might be the best episode of the show to date. Seriously. Even though Red and Liz have zero screentime together, that episode is just SO GOOD. Intense, dark, with high-stakes and important character moments -- and there have been very few episodes like it since.

But, anyway, as for Anslo Garrick himself... he isn’t really all that much. He was a rabid dog sent by Fitch to bring Red in. He was intimidating, coarse, violent and gave zero shits about his actions.

This entry doesn’t really celebrate who the character of Anslo Garrick was, but more of what he represented and the major impact he had on the show at that point in time. He introduced us to Fitch, who first brought up the whole “Cabal” storyline, which was responsible for a lot of shit in S2 and S3a.

Again, Garrick woke us viewers out of our little complacency that Red & co. were just going to glide through their Blacklisters with only a few cuts and bruises and no real stakes (outside of the Tom/mystery storyline that was going on at the time). This was a good kick in the pants to make us realize that we were wrong.

So, yeah. I feel like he deserves to be Number 2.

1. THE DIRECTOR

So, you’re sitting there, wondering who the hell could be sitting at Number 1... above Garvey, above Kirk and Garrick and Fitch and everyone else?

It’s the man who if I could push a button and bring any of the show’s dead character back to life, he would be the one I’d pick:

Peter Kotsiopulos, The Director ... played by the amazing David Strathairn.

Even though he appeared in 12 episodes over what amounted to an entire season of the show (from 2x09 to 3x10), I really wish The Director hadn’t been killed off. Seriously, I have no idea how much money TPTB had to throw at Strathairn to get him to appear for as long and as many times as he did, but it wasn’t enough. I've always said that this show deserves a Big Bad (assuming that Red isn’t it), and he would’ve been great as the Big Bad for The Blacklist.

While Strathairn's basically just reprising his role as "Unethical and Shady AF Government Official and Resident Mustache-Twirler" from The Bourne Series, it's a role he's REALLY good at. And even though he didn’t get a lot of quiet moments to be humanized or come across as sympathetic, like Kirk did, I still feel like it was such a bitch move for Red and his crew to play on The Director’s feelings for/obligation to his wife as their opportunity to abduct him. I know that Liz was facing trial for murder and desperate times called for desperate measures, but I can just imagine that poor lady sitting in her therapist’s office, wondering where her husband was only to find out that he was a villain who had ditched her and fled the country, when that wasn’t the case AT ALL.

Yeah, I know The Director’s an absolute piece of shit who’s responsible for threatening the entire Task Force, publicly demonizing Liz and almost killing Red... but he was so good at being bad that I wanted him to stick around long-term. I wanted to see him and Liz have more interactions; and again, Stathairn was one of the few actors who held his own in scenes with Spader without any effort.

He was also the first one, as I recall, to set Liz on this path toward Katarina Rostova’s backstory and finding out how alike the two of them were. Remember in 2x19, he remarks how much Liz looks like her mom, and I feel like that sends Liz down a road to get answers from Red about who she was and what his connection was to her mom and her family.

But, anyway, yeah. I just love David Strathairn; I loved him in this role, on this show; and I loved how diabolical, manipulative, and just conniving his character was. I also just absolutely love the look on his face in 3x10 when he and Red are watching Laurel Hitchen on the TV and Hitchen just outs The Director as a member of the Cabal. He just goes from angry and staring daggers at Red to flustered and “oh shit” in an instant.

So, just like my Fitch entry was my opportunity to celebrate how amazing Alan Alda was, this is my chance to celebrate how underrated David Strathairn is as an actor and how much I wish he was still on the show.

But, putting all of that aside, why should The Director as a character be ranked above all those other people as a better Blacklister?

Because, The Director represented the Cabal, which was an entity that had been built up from 1x09 as a major force that had power to easily destroy everything Red, Liz and their crew was trying to work toward. They sent Braxton after info about the Fulcrum, they sent Karakurt to frame Liz, they sent that team of commandos to attack Red. They were a force that seemingly could not be stopped, and the Director was at the head of it all.

And, while I can’t find it anywhere (so help me out if you know what I’m talking about), I know there’s a saying about how the worst man is the one who does evil in the name of good. And that’s The Director. He is the embodiment of all the worst parts of The Blacklist’s villains, actual real life government officials and humanity at large. He has dozens of people killed without batting an eye because it’s all in the interest of “national security.” Or so he tells others. But, deep down, we all know that he’s only really concerned about his own self-interest.

Now that the show has killed him off, obviously, there’s no way for Strathairn to return as The Director; but perhaps, if/once the show delves more into Katarina and Red’s backstory, maybe we will see a Young Director in a flashback so that we can see exactly how he was connected to Katarina, the Cabal, and that whole mess with the Fulcrum.

Plus, I can’t get over how awesome his interactions with Liz were, and Strathairn’s delivery of the now infamous line, “I know who you really are, Raymond -- who you are TO HER.”

###

Again, if you disagree, feel free to reblog with your comments or your own list. This is all purely subjective, but -- because we’re on this crazy-long hiatus until January -- I felt like it was good to fill the time with SOMETHING. My goal with this isn’t to give a definitive list and that’s it; but rather, to prompt discussion about the topic.

Thanks for reading all the way to the end and cheers! ~mm

[primrose-path-of-dalliance]

Lotor?

ngl, i squealed when i saw this. i get to talk about My Boy!!!

thank you for the ask

(send me characters and i’ll give thoughts on them!)

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life

sorry, anti-lotor half of the vld fandom, but i love this guy to pieces and nothing y’all say can change that because 1. y’all’s attempts at critically saying he’s Bad are poorly done imo lmao, 2. i’m not so preoccupied with morality and purity culture that i stick my thumbs in my ears and try to shove plugs into other ppl’s ears, and 3. opinions are subjective.

like personally, i love complex characters set up as parallels and foils to major protagonists that are inherently anti-imperialist, archaeologists, and conservationists; are representative of a not-so-palatable reality of abuse survivorship; have issues of trauma, paranoia, and interpersonal defeatism; and are clearly being set up for a future arc that will be closely intertwined with said major protagonists—as well as driven by a deep, internal conviction and strength that has persisted against absolutely ridiculous odds—

but idk. your loss, i guess.

hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang

aesthetically: gorgeous. but i am very ace.

hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff

don’t harangue me for not calling lotor a slytherin in case you support that side lol, but i read a really good meta on this a while ago that i agreed with here.

(gonna put the rest of this under a readmore since this gets to be A Lot.)

essentially, one of lotor’s core traits is the search for knowledge and scientific advancement for its own sake. there’s no way he doesn’t love learning—he spent centuries studying a culture that was extinct, a culture that by any imperialistic measures was worthless and weak because it opposed the empire and it was destroyed. one could hardly believe he began searching for the last remnants of altea for power or ambition. he studied them because he wanted to, for the sake of it, to connect to something that’s part of him.

in a lot of ways, he does exemplify slytherin traits—he can be exceptionally ruthless when he believes he or things/people he cares about are threatened, he is unusually preoccupied with a need for power and control, and his goals could be considered lofty and ambitious. however, much of these traits and desires can easily be linked to his trauma. one might make an argument that he’s still similar enough to honerva to qualify as a slytherin, but personally i think the story sets him up as opposing haggar without hypocrisy in too many ways to be persuaded.

(honerva wanted to continue her research despite the risks, endangering an entire planet and potentially the universe, because she saw the research as empowering. she saw her research—her own ambitions—as more important than anything else, and abandoned ethics like some burdensome shackle. but lotor is seen multiple times as unwilling to endanger people and planets for his goals without either being reasonably assured of their survival (such as voltron) or their consent. he despises cruelty and the taking away of others’ agency.)

in an ideal world, i think lotor would be an obvious ravenclaw. but his trauma has encouraged him to act like a slytherin.

best quality:

superficially: HIS NERDINESS. as soon as lotor started talking about ancient ruins, learning other cultures’ customs, and rattled off an entire poem he memorized off some old-ass cave wall he probably saw like 3 centuries before, i was absolutely done for. i had been trying to maintain my skepticism of him for skepticism’s sake, but god. you can’t just throw a goddamn archaeologist in my face and expect me to not fall deeply in love.

more seriously: i love lotor’s conviction. lotor has a strong sense of self, morality, and personal drive, especially for someone with his experiences.

he accepts and embraces both sides of his heritage as defining parts of who he is. in an empire that despises altean blood, he wields an altean broadsword, spends centuries studying what’s left of the culture, and openly admires the peace, people, and traditions of altea past. and in a castle of paladins and alteans, he demands to be judged “by [his] actions, rather than [the] preconceptions of [his] race,” knowing full well that team voltron perceives him as galra, and failing to inform them of his altean blood despite the clear benefits that would’ve come from doing so.

he has a code of conduct that’s repeatedly shown in sharp contrast to the ideals of the empire—even from his very introduction, when he stands in front of an entire arena of galran soldiers and refuses to compromise his own morals for a more rhetorically effective argument. lotor’s small, four-person team of generals (compared to the typical galran fleet) seizes an entire planet while killing no one and causing virtually no destruction.

he is also incredibly self-motivated. lotor has lived for centuries relying almost completely on himself, and he will ruthlessly protect himself and his own.

his inner strength is ridiculously admirable, and i love his self-assurance.

worst quality:

idk? usually ppl say flaws or some such here, but the problem is that flaws are more complicated than just “they do dumb things because of this adjective.”

also i love flaws. they’re born of the essence that makes a character who they are. hating their flaws is ridiculous.

with that said……..

fucking hate lotor’s hair. seriously, wtf? he can tuck all of it into his helmet and have it all fall back out nice and neatly. HOW. it’s the biggest lie of the entire show alongside allura’s bun. it’s just not possible and i hate that lotor defying reality just to look beautiful is Canon.

his butt cape. like akjhdkhgkghjgk,,, a genuine BUTT CAPE. for what purpose?? preference??? drama???????? i’ve seen comparisons to honerva’s own butt cape back when she was a normal empress-consort scientist on daibazaal, which makes sense since lotor loves making Fashion Statements, but god. a butt cape.

what on god’s heavenly green earth is up with his swordsmanship? the acrobatics and the flourishing are positively ridiculous. who the fuck actually tries killing a powerful emperor and their abuser by smashing them from above with a purple final fantasy sword like they’re the hammer and zarkon is a nail. lotor is unrealistic.

ship them with:

:)

recovery and happiness.

brotp them with:

his generals. DUH. it’s clear that they’ve had a strong history together, and it’s impossible to have their relationship end here without any sort of resolution or confrontation about narti’s death. let them reunite under conciliatory terms. let them be friends again. (and let sincline return.)

allura for sure!!! their relationship development has been beautiful so far and i want to see that continue.

coran. they’re both Nerds. plus, one of them got to experience a full and long life on altea. let them talk.

the paladins in general. it might be difficult, slow-going, and hesitant/full of suspicion on both sides, but god—just imagine if they were friendly. (plus it would do worlds of good for lotor. he’s a lonely man, and it would even more clearly distance him from comparisons to zarkon.)

the blade of marmora (and keith). the show has said nothing so far, but i refuse to believe that in the past centuries, lotor and the blade have never interacted or crossed paths before. i can imagine why they would’ve been uninterested in alliance with each other, but i can also imagine what would make each appeal greatly to the other. let them interact. (as for keith, he and lotor have a lot of similarities. it’s real funny how similar allura, keith, and lotor all are to each other, really. hm.)

needs to stay away from:

haggar. she’s fake as hell and evil to boot. some ppl think that she’s reawakened some kind of dormant love in her for lotor after regaining more memories in s5, but that’s far from the case. someone who’s become and lived as she has for 10,000 years doesn’t suddenly care well about someone she’s abused horribly because she realizes she gave birth to them, and doesn’t suddenly become sympathetic in the good way because she’s “motherly” now. (not if the writing’s supposed to be decent, anyway.) she realizes lotor’s about to die and does absolutely nothing else except turn on the magic shiro television in her lab. she only finds out after the black bayard exchange has already happened, and she’s haggar. if she really wanted to stop what was happening, she could’ve done a lot more than just watch through shiro’s eyes. she’s a horrible person, folks, and lotor would do best to never see her again. (unfortunately, it’s much more likely that she will fuck his shit up some more next season. rip.)

zarkon. hopefully he actually stays dead this time, but i’ve seen some good points on how sketchy his ability to stay dead is. nevertheless, all memory of him deserves to be banished to the nether realms. lotor should never have to deal with that asshole’s legacy again.

misc. thoughts:

anyone who talks about lotor getting/not getting/deserving/not deserving a redemption arc makes me lose my shit because he hasn’t even done anything to warrant a redemption arc in the first place like tbfh. evil deeds whomst?? trying to kill voltron when?? where are these receipts of malice??? he’s never done an evil damn thing but y’all humoring the concept anyway. smh.

anyway, lotor needs a therapist, healing, and some good fucking friends. @dreamworks give lotor a recovery arc 2k18.

[alluratron]

How much of my s5 wishlist did i get?

This is just my wishlist as I posted it before with stuff I got bolded. sub points are current discussion

AKA a list of things I’d like to see and theories I want confirmed in the upcoming season(s).

more info on operation kuron. i’d like more hints at what kuron is or even full on confirmation that s3/s4 shiro is a clone.

i mean really we weren't not gonna get anything on this but i'm so fucking happy that we've been validated that kuron is different than shiro and even the characters notice it

a genuine moment between allura and lotor. they’ve both lost their home planets, after all. lotor twice over.

tbf we don't know how genuine lotor was being but even if his intentions are not, the dialogue seemed very much so at times, especially the stuff about honerva and that planet zarkon put him in charge of so i'll take it

lotor’s backstory. when tf was he born??? he knows honerva was his mother, but doesn’t seem to connect her with haggar. hell, haggar didn’t even know about honerva. so, was lotor born before the war? is he 10,000 years old? why does he look so young? was he frozen somehow? why are his eyes blue???? what is up with this guy????

ZOMBIE BABY HAHAHAHAHA. also he's centuries old and he's still alive bc the rift made him immortal(?) like haggar i guess. and he's like....an artificial sacred altean like haggar??

lotor double crosses team voltron. i don’t want him to be an anti-hero. i want him to be undeniably a villain, even if he does have genuine aspects to him. less zuko, more azula (in that we understand that azula is a product of her upbringing, but still evil nonetheless).

not yet but i still strongly believe this will come

allura’s magic. i always want more of allura’s magic. i want to learn more about sacred alteans and why allura is seemingly more powerful than what’s normal even for sacred alteans.

i mean, it was more acquired alchemy than inherent magic but there was still some inherent magic so im not complaining too much. shes still special so :')

the white lion theory. in s4 ep3, acxa says that the two sincline (i see what they did there) ships used 60% of the comet and there’s more than enough left to make the third ship. this extra comet material is definitely going to come into play somehow. it’s likely going to become the head of the sincline ships but i’d love if it became the white lion and allura piloted it. not that i think allura has to be a paladin to be valuable, but she seems to want to be one (and i just want my bb to be happy so yknow).

i mean we got a white lion, just not in the way i anticipated lol. i'm still holding out hope for a robot white lion from the extra comet material tho

keith’s heritage to be revealed. how galra is he? who is his mother?? can we meet her??? we know she was a blade but i want to know how she ended up on earth. it’d make sense if she was half galra half altean/polluxian.

ok so his heritage wasnt revealed per se but WE MET HIS MOM!!!! krolia literally looks like purple keith lmao. i expect that we'll hear the story of how she met his dad next season. also she looks mixed race. here's a post i made on why i believe she's half polluxian

yeah okay so i really think keith is part altean/polluxian. i need an explanation as to why he looks so damn human and that one fits for me.

i also really need to know why the hell keith could sense the blue lion. it’s been 39 episodes give me some answers @lauren @jds @entire vld crew.

the “for narti” squad to join team voltron. i know it’s unlikely because of lotor allying with the team, (and the trailer showing them with zarkon) but i really do think those girls deserve a chance at redemption. they’re such interesting characters and i’d love to see them interact with the team.

i also really need to know what the connection between keith and acxa is. we really haven’t seen any payoff for them meeting in the weblum or him recognising her in s3 ep6. she took a bag of scaultrite which could’ve been hinting that they have an altean (aka lotor) but they just as easily could’ve dropped that hint by how they tried to steal a piece of the teludav. acxa’s connection to keith seems to be something else at play. my hope is twins, or at least siblings.

more hints that there's something there but nothing confirmed yet. but (as explained in my polluxian krolia post linked above) acxa and krolia have the exact same eyes with the light-coloured pupils so i'm almost certain acxa and keith are siblings

narti comes back tbh. i don’t know how that would happen but i miss her and i want her back.

team voltron returns to the original lineup. i like matching colours, what can i say.

ok i massively downplayed that but seriously the bond between paladin and lion was so hyped up in s1 and s2 that the lion shuffle will never quite sit right with me. blue chose lance out of all available paladins. she didn’t go back to the castle on her own and take allura. she chose lance. that’s gotta mean something. and red has gone after keith too many times for their relationship to be over now. 4 times in one season. he loves his tiny fleshy son pls reunite them.

hunk’s family. i want to know about them. i want him to mention them at the very least. i know tyler said hunk’s mom taught him how to cook so please let him say this in canon. also acknowledge him being samoan in canon please and thanks.

he mentioned his mom at least. 

lance’s “i’m just a boy from cuba” line. i thought it’d be in s3 but nope. i don’t mind waiting for his arc because i appreciate that it’s a long one, but i’m really curious as to the context of that line. also i want to know all the people in the picture from s1 ep2.

we got some names! marco, luis and veronica aww. obvs thats not everyone but i've got my guesses as to who's who. marco and luis are green t-shirt and blue shirt, veronica is white dress, mom is orange dress, grandma is pink cardigan, and the rest are his dad, grandpa, aunt, green t-shirt's wife and their two kids (aka lance's niece and nephew)

allura and coran talking about what altea was like before the war. just some cultural background.

coran’s family, if he had one. i want to know more about this man and what he lost when altea was destroyed.

more alteans in THIS reality because there’s no way this race of diplomats were all on the planet when it was destroyed. i don’t buy that, soz.

polluxians! i really want the alteans with two sets of markings in s3 ep7 to be polluxians. mainly because i want romelle to be introduced. apparently she’s badass. more badass girls is always a yes from me.

zaggar dynamic. does zarkon know that haggar was honerva? seems so, considering how he indulges her far more than he does anyone else. does he know that she knows now?

friendship. i know that sounds really lame lmao but i really do want friendship. i want the team to hangout. i want to see pairs or trios hanging out. i want casual team banter. i want wacky shenanigans. blease.,,,,.,. @dreamworks,.,.,,. just let these dorks be friends.

garrison trio......coming through.,.,,.,in clutch. they really just saved my life like that huh.i can't believe im so blessed

lance not being possessive of allura….ever again. please stop it’s uncomf. if they’re going down the romance route for them, cool. but do it by showing allura somewhat reciprocating lance’s interest. please don’t encourage the “guy hounds the girl until she agrees” trope. it’s harassment. lance has backed off from flirting and that’s great but if there’s gonna be a romance there, maybe have allura flirt instead.

it's debatable but i'm gonna give the benefit of the doubt and say he wasn't possessive of her so much as he was worried for her safety with trick ass bitch lotor hanging around

if there isn’t a romance there, just give me them being good friends blease. their relationship has been so good and mutually supportive so please continue with that. facemask buddies would be a blessing. i’d actually cry.

that scene in the training room is actually so blessed. i love life. i love them. i love.

more of that good co-leadership shallura content. keep allura in charge 2kforever. also let them confide in each other. it’s tough being a leader. also also, let them be soft please i beg. throw it back to the softness in s2 ep5. that level of softness is what i crave.

it's not co-leadership shallura bc its not shiro but! they're definitely both in leadership positions so im loving it. allura was very much in charge and i'm so happy

the team convincing keith that they’ll always love him and he doesn’t have to push them away because they’ll never leave him. help this boy overcome his fear of rejection please.

keith comforting lance in a way that actually, uh, works. i appreciate his effort in s3 ep6 but he’s gotta do better than that for them to have a balanced friendship.

lotor’s plan. i really need to know exactly what this boy is up to?? he wants to reap an “untold amount more” quintessence to do what? it’s surely not for the empire’s benefit - he doesn’t care about them. so why? is it something to do with his mother? also, why couldn’t his ships cross into the other reality? they’re made of the same thing as voltron?

[kingofthewilderwest]

RTTE S5 HIGHLIGHTS

OKAY GUYS I WAS PLANNING ON WATCHING ONE EPISODE OF RTTE S5 BEFORE BEDTIME BUT INSTEAD I BINGED THE ENTIRE SERIES BECAUSE HOLY THOR-EFFING-CRAP.

This was such a GOOD season of Race to the Edge. As in, I absolutely adored it. Many of the episodes felt very new and original - not to mention that there were a lot of fascinating plot-centric episodes. This wasn’t some repeated attacking of the Edge (though we did get that)... we got all sorts of interesting reveals, twists, and developments. Episodes focused on all the main characters, we got some interesting characterization on Hiccup’s part that leads him to his HTTYD 2 pacifistic self, we got answers for many many many central or side plot points (Alvin’s going-ons, what was happening with Savage, what happened to Oswald, etc. etc. etc.) and it was just... aeo;anwge;goiaen....... it was so good!

SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!

Below are semi-liveblogged highlights I noticed as I was watching all the episodes:

Snotlout ranting about his S being destroyed was hilarious to me… it sounded like he was saying “my ass.” “YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE MY ASS!”

Hiccup doing more forge work to get the right concentration of Death Song amber for the volcano seals. Oh my goodness, between that and his work on the second Dragon Eye, we saw a LOT of Hiccup at his work. Love seeing smithing Hiccup come to the forefront so much this season.

The twins continuously demonstrated that they simultaneously lack common sense but contain a bizarre wealth of academic knowledge. For instance, Ruffnut and Tuffnut intellectually talking about Mesopotamian nature deities, parasitism, and symbiosis… then chiding Snotlout for not reading enough... love it.

The moment Snotlout put the bones on Hiccup’s stub to replace his leg. He used. a. freaking. skeleton. for. Hiccup’s. leg. I laughed so hard I almost had to pause the show. Best laugh I had the entire season.

AMOS AND BERTHEL ARE BACK!

Hiccup’s sword looks beautiful. The design, the hilt... <3 <3 <3 Dare I say it, but I actually like the design of this sword better than what we see of Inferno in HTTYD 2. 

Also Hiccup and Snotlout with crossbows. Actually frankly any time I see the major characters with weapons I just get happy don’t mind me.

Tuffnut Laverne Thorston and Snotlout Gary Jorgenson.

Ruffnut willing to defend Tuffnut and protect him and encourage and comfort him when he’s feeling vulnerable. Tuffnut doing contorted logic but being so selfless he’s willing to “die” for his sister. I will say it for eternity and more: these siblings are amazing.

A dragon that actually hoards treasure! I mean, HTTYD is extremely enjoyable because of its ingenuity regarding dragon species and abilities, but actually watching a dragon have a treasure hoard was… actually really fun.

Snotlout, sarcastically, to Hiccup, “You’re like a ray of light, lighting my way. Super shiny.”

Fishlegs and Astrid moments! These are so great! I didn’t know how much I needed them until I saw them! This episode really felt like the whole team was together. There weren’t factions... they have all come together as friends and were really bouncing off on all sorts of interactions.

Astrid being the hero who saves the day when she figures out the map and comes to Hiccup, Snotlout, (and Amos’) rescue.

Hiccup making a cage of sunlight. That was so freaking clever.

Snotlout is such a badass in this season. First, he snarls and says, “We’re not going anywhere without that guy!” when Amos tries to run to safety when Hiccup is in danger. Then Snotlout shows how courageous and bold he is when he’s working with Gustav on Berserker Island. Snotlout even admits to being nervous but he knows what has to be done. Snotlout shows that he can kick butt and do major damage, and you see it oh-so-beautifully-clearly. And even leaning back off the edge of the cliff when the Wing Maidens were chasing him… and that moment he took initiative when Hiccup and Astrid were absent? Seriously this moment made me realize how good of a leader Snotlout would be. Now I’m imagining an older Snotlout being a leader in battle. AHHHH SNOTLOUT WAS SO GOOD THIS SEASON OH MY GOODNESS!!!!

Snotlout. Snotlip. Dagfart. Gusteranamo. “SNOTKNUCKLES?!! HE WROTE SNOTKNUCKLES???”

Walmarket…… oh my Freja the anachronistic pun was great.

There is a skrill shrubbery. On Berserker Island.

Also Dagur’s throne totally feels like a Game of Throne’s reference.

SAVAGE TAKING CONTROL OF BERSERKER ISLAND. I HAVE SO MANY EMOTIONS ABOUT THIS. I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS. I AM SO HAPPY ABOUT THIS.

Dagur angrily screaming “OMMMMM!”

Team Heather, Ruffnut, and Astrid. Is it just me, or should we have those three together more? Great dynamics.

An episode confronting Snotlout’s misogyny.

The dragon gang getting into a huge food fight.

Bilout is so freaking queer the entire Return to Thor Bonecrusher episode holy crap. He even says “But I loved you” while he’s crying I mean like how more bi can you get.

WE GET TO SEE ALVIN THE TREACHEROUS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hiccup and Astrid sparring. Hiccup and Astrid sparring. Hiccup and Astrid sparring. Note: look how far we’ve come since Riders of Berk where Astrid could take Hiccup out in a single move.

Really awesome flight scenes (like the start of Ep 8) where we watch shots from the dragon riders’ perspective – so that we can see the dramatic and wild experience that is riding on the back of a dragon.

Tuffnut doing one-armed pushups. We underestimated those arms, yo.

Gobber singing and dancing with a drink in his hand while Spitelout laughs in the background. I could have an entire television on Gobber, Spitelout, and Stoick. I really could.

The tiny girl on Berk loading a crossbow when everyone’s preparing for battle.

Episode 8 is so good with characterizing Hiccup, Stoick, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut into what they are in HTTYD 2. Oh my gosh it’s so good with that.

Viggo saving the dragon hunter from falling in lava is EXACTLY why I dig Viggo so much. He’s not the stereotype of bad guys are heartless, bad guys don’t look out for their allies, bad guys are willing to let their cronies get the bad end of the stick. Viggo isn’t a monster.

The Singetail FARTED FIRE. XD XD XD

Spitelout named the “lazy” and “useless” dragon “Stoick.” And the part where Spitelout breaks into song. I just… I just… I can’t. XD

Draggggooooon batttttlllle! 

Do I actually like the Ruffrock ship? I think I actually like Ruffrock.

So Ruffnut said “The Changewing ate my baby brother” That could just be “baby” as a term of affection, but almost always that signifies who’s older when you’re talking about siblings. It looks like Ruff is the older twin!

“One-legged dictator with a weak chin.” I think I have my new favorite insult.

During Ep 12 during the search for Chicken... Snotlout’s mystery book narration with constant camera zooms onto his face. “Shut up, Astrid,” he cleverly responded.

The rooster! Chicken’s chicks!

Snotlout’s tan lines. :) :) :) :) :) And biceps!

I TOTALLY CALLED IT. I TOTALLY FUCKING CALLED IT WITH JOHANN. I NEVER SAID ANYTHING BUT I FIRST GOT SUSPICIOUS WITH HIM IN THE FIRST SEASONS OF RTTE WHEN HICCUP BEGAN QUESTIONING JOHANN FOR INFORMATION. AHHHHHHH. THIS IS SUCH A TWIST WITH JOHANN. WHY DO I LIKE THIS SO MUCH?