#otp: irreplaceable partner

[noweakergirl]

Maisie Peters wrote The Last One about sasusaku, she told me so herself

[offlineblues]

heck, i'm complaining here too about fandom nonsense i keep seeing every now and then in the past year and a half that's bugging me again (it is OTP discourse)

tldr it's about the unnecessary aiyusa disrespect and i just get so so tired of seeing it tagged or spoken about with such nasty intent......

people who dislike aiball will do EVERYTHING to avoid calling Yusaku and Ai partners, even when they canonically call each other "saiko no aibo" aka "best partners". even when they canonically live and die for one another because they're irreplaceable to one another. even when they have gone through so much and both pursue a future where they won't ever have to be apart again!

this goes beyond just friends, it's a mutual unconditional love and respect! it's wonderful!

this fact about their bond DOESN'T inherently or automatically make it romantic, you know. yes, it can and is viewed romantically, and i agree (bias). still, your ship preference outside of these two is not threatened by Yusaku and Ai's bond or their importance to one another. so why do people make such a big deal about being disdainful about them?

even if it's not your thing romantically, platonic love can be a really beautiful thing, especially for these two. i really respect and appreciate the people who, when they do prefer Yusaku with someone else, don't see Ai as a nuisance or try to write away the influence and importance in Yusaku's life he holds. they're equals, that's the point of the show, to coexist and see eye to eye...

i think some people need to watch the show again instead of being hateful in the character tags and shipping tags or being covertly disrespectful with the "ew, don't tag as ship!" stuff. y'all really test my patience for real i'm just going to keep pressing the block button i can't deal with the negativity........

i don't even want to get into the "aiyusa is gross because Ai is like an adult" stuff i saw a few months ago. he's literally an artificial intelligence with free will and instinct that was 'born' from Yusaku's suffering and trauma. trying to give him a human age is so incredibly strange. and i guess if you are, go with 10 i guess LOL

ok rant over just stop being so straight up mean what the hell i want to enjoy my time on this website without someone complaining about my OTP for a month or two without a fresh new take trying to invalidate them. it's been 4 years since episode 120 give me a break with fandom drama stuff for real

[voiceofsword]

Don't ask an enstarrie about their otp worst mistake of your life

The main story. Ouuuugh. Tatsumi just casually complimenting Mayoi or initiating affection.

Tatsumi saying "I think it's a waste you always hide your beautiful face, Mayoi." like the first time these two had a one on one conversation... okay man

Also the main story showing that they both help each other!! Physically and emotionally!!! Tatsumi helped Mayoi when he got sick from being in public and trying to help him with his deprecating thoughts. Tatsumi confides in Mayoi about what happened at reimei before the others and Mayoi carried him when he was tired or in pain. Mayoi says he wants to see the human and dark side of Tatsumi. I'm adding the quote it's so good.

"I hope I will always be the one who understands and accepts him. Including his faults, his dark side – his everything."

SS... screams. The fucking. Line. "Haha. It's okay, Mayoi. You are like a great mother to these kids. Meanwhile, you're also an irreplaceable partner to me." Followed by Mayoi saying "I'm not a mother or a wife, please?!" They're soooo ♡ it's a bit of a debate to alkaloidPs on whether alkaloid should be called a found family and although I'm kind of in the middle I will admit these little interactions are cute. Tatsumi casually assigning Mayoi as a mom friend and him as the dad. Real smooth of you. Side note: I think Tatsumi gets to see another side of Mayoi because later on in the story Tatsumi points out a growth in Mayoi's character and tells him to quiet down after he freaks out about it and Mayoi retaliates by telling him he's the reason he made any noise in the first place. I don't think they'd bicker that much honestly but ♡♡♡ pouty Mayoi could you imagine. Only Tatsumi gets to see it though booooo. There's no lines that really stand out but also Mayoi (+ the juniors) do notice when Tatsumi's health is declining further on in the story. The juniors are more subtle but Mayoi asks when they're on stage. Teehee

They never really get big moments so the rest of what I have are just small little funnier pieces of dialogue... sobs. I'm gonna follow this ask up with one more story though... hehe

THATS SO SWEET... i do remember some of this from main story (especially mayoi carrying tatsumi on his back when his leg pain started to act up again)

its always so ww lovely (lol) when charas constantly go out of their way to help, uplift each other. especially when they make it a point to nurture both their perceived good and bad sides, they can appreciate everything about the other person and feel safe with them regardless 🥺

always being alert for when the other is down so they can pick them up... its one of the reasons i think they mesh well, on account of tatsumi (chronically ill) and mayoi (mayoi) being two people who've both struggled with their health for various reasons, that they can have someone they can openly rely on and eventually not feel like a burden, but that doesnt necessarily mean they will treat each other like glass (i think early on this is more the case but as time advances i can only hope they grow more confident with each other..? pleading emoji again)

but also the. that line kind of just took me out. suethdtgushwergu its so silly. i think while tatsumi is probably completely genuine in some of the things he says that fluster mayoi itd be even funnier to consider him saying stuff like that to fluster him on purpose, considering mayoi makes such a big deal out of it. not to laugh or anything, but because he thinks its cute. arghhghh. holy man who is a little cheeky and little creature who tries his best not to melt in his light. tatsumi seems to be a man that has a lot of affection to give while mayois completely foreign to the concept.

putting this under a read more because it doesnt really pertain to ttmy but more a comment on the found family debate u mentioned, but along the vein of the ss comment

(i personally do think alkaloid could be kind of a found family, but i understand some people's wariness towards it since a lot of the time it just forces the characters into nuclear roles — it's rly easy to forget ur friends can be your family too :').

ofc that line leaves little to the imagination as to what tatsumi means but i think in This Case implying he's the 'dad' of alkaloid is telling of himself for Obbligato Reasons™. putting them in what he considers to be traditional roles and choosing himself as the father figure of the group shows that hes someone who subconsciously takes charge and 'bears the burdens' of the rest of alkaloid. this is ofc not me trying to say that should be the case, fictional or not, but judging by tatsumis past behavior it just makes sense to me that this is a thought pattern he would pick up.

but its also killing me that he cant find another way to express his appreciation towards mayoi than being like You are like the mother to my children. asjhkdsdkjhfkj. can somebody teach this man how to flirt normally!!

that being said, theyre all like.. almost the same age so the assertion is rly funny to me, i love tatsumis old man roleplaying sometimes. i truly do think in his head that he thinks this family dynamic is 100% real. the other 3? not so much)

[faintingheroine]

Catherine heathcliff for the ship thing

A+: OTP

The most passionate love story ever told. Childhood friends, interclass romance, ghosts, revenge, emotional cheating, all in one. Somehow both completely sexless and incredibly horny.

What I love about them is that they are very messed up and tortured and passionate, and both are “bad” people, but also their love for each other is genuine. It is not lust, it is not love at first sight. They truly love and understand each other. They fight in half of the scenes where they are together, but you also understand the incredible bond these two people have. But it is also not bland “friends to lovers”. It has passion and anger. They are each other’s everything, it is comradeship as well as passion. I can’t imagine shipping either with another person.

Heathcliff is a gruff, grumpy hero. Catherine is rich(er), pretty, spoiled. In the hands of a worse author, I could not have understood what they both see in each other (or indeed what Edgar and Isabella see in them). But no. Heathcliff is charismatic, he is intelligent and sarcastic, and unabashedly evil. And Catherine’s so well-written that she both annoys you, but you also completely understand why Heathcliff and Edgar are obsessed with her. Heathcliff at one point says that “it is not in (Edgar) to be loved like me”, and this applies to Catherine too, she simply has in her to be passionately loved. Readers both find her irritating and sometimes hate her, but they also completely understand why two men are obsessed with her.

(On that note, I tend to root for the third wheel, but I would never say “poor Isabella, her love is unrequited”. I pity Isabella for the abusive situation she is in but not because her love is not returned. Her “rival” is Catherine Earnshaw!)

They are irreplaceable for each other. They have history. To me, any dynamic that wants to mimic Heathcliff and Catherine without the partners being childhood friends is doomed to fail. What gives their relationship its poignancy is their shared childhood. So it both has the emotional poignancy of that, and the passionate horny intensity on the top of that. What’s not to love?

I tend to love passion and extreme obsession in my love stories. I love The Letter from an Unknown Woman by Stefan Zweig for instance. Cathy and Heathcliff are the rare case where that level of intensity is achieved and the love is reciprocated.

This is not even getting into the beauty of the language and Heathcliff after Cathy’s death. Omg, that’s a whole another level of greatness.

[marshmallowgoop]

ryuketsu for the ship meme,,

OTPs of all time... 🥺

They are EVERYTHING to me: This one is probably pretty self-explanatory. I made a whole blog about them, have a page listing my meta about them that's... not small, and they're the reason I watched the series at all. Just in terms of the pure impact it had on me, I'm not sure if any piece of fiction can ever top that scene of Ryuko hugging Senketsu in the bathroom (Episode 5). It's what kickstarted my realization that monsters—and monster romance—is my favorite niche.

Concept is more appealing than execution: Buuuut I feel like there's a lot of missed potential here. An earlier version of the story, where Life Fibers were more individualized, where Senketsu struggles with the two sides of his identity, feels stronger. As I put it before:

I think a more fleshed-out examination of Life Fibers, where they’re not just mindless, vicious beasts, would have provided a much more compelling plot—especially with writer Kazuki Nakashima consistently stressing that Kill la Kill is ultimately a story about “a lonely young woman meeting and losing an irreplaceable partner” and his attempt to “make a form of intimacy that transcends love and species”! I adore Ryuko and Senketsu, don’t get me wrong, but I feel that their love and friendship would have been even more powerful had it actually represented a real coming together of humans and Life Fibers. As it turns out, an older draft of the series does go further with the concept, and while I can understand it getting scrapped for being “too much,” I’m still attached to the possibilities and wish the final product had gone more in that direction.

They drive me crazy/insane /pos: Yeah... that's probably clear....

Relationship goals <3: On the one hand, I'd be the first person to point out their flaws, but on the other... I just think they're so sweet. One of my favorite things about them is their good communication, which I've written... a bit about. But seriously, that moment in Episode 2 where lonely, closed-off Ryuko tries to open up to Senketsu? One of my favorite gosh-darn scenes in this show.

Also... get you someone who looks at you the way Ryuko looks at her uniform.

(I don't think she ever has these sparkly eyes for anyone else in this show.)

People that ship them need therapy I think: I mean... it is a ship composed of a girl and her alien clothes.... But if it can work for Venom, it can work for Kill la Kill, too!

I blorboed so hard that they're basically my OCs now: Yeah, probably, lol. (I say, thinking wistfully of the 150,000-ish words of my Kill la Kill fairytale AU that I've only ever posted snippets of and that probably has so little to do with the actual series that it could pass as original fiction.)

I need a 30k hurt/comfort fic on my desk by Monday: It's been a long time since I looked at Kill la Kill fic, but I remember that Senketsu wasn't even tagged in 10% of the stories on AO3 back in the day. I'm desperate for more about these two, and there's so much hurt/comfort fodder. Death, what it means to be human, feeling like you're unworthy of the one you love...

Who even thought of this?? This is a crackship: It feels like it should be, but... they were totally teasing it, I swear!

They're going to be the death of me: Yeah, probably...

They,,, kimss,, holde handss,,,,: Plz... I think a lot about that one scrapped design of Sync'd Sen where Senketsu's hand was over Ryuko's “so that they would always be holding hands as they fought.”

Plus that time Ryuko deliberately put Senketsu's glove on before going to sleep in the manga.

And how they hold hands on a happy beach date...

Yeah. I will never be over them ever.

[lesbiansanemi]

A, F, L, X, Z :3

A. Ships that you currently like a lot. (They don't have to be OTPs because not everyone has OTPs.) Friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc. are allowed

Hehe, so obviously there is Renkaza. They are who most of my fanfiction is about these days. Something about them just scratches all the right pieces of my brain, I love them, and there is just so much to work with regarding them. They are my little meow meows

Also in demon slayer, my poly hell ship of Mitsuri/Shinobu/Obanai/Sanemi. I am definitely the only person on the face of the earth that ships the four of them, but there is just something so perfect and amusing about Mitsuri having her three partners, who are all only dating her and merely putting up with the other ones, and something about Mitsuri being so cute and sweet and kind with her three bastard partners standing behind her being goddamn assholes to everyone around them lmao

But I have also been think a lot about Denji and Power's friendship recently too. It's just... so perfect. They are perfect for each other in every way, and every time I see them interact it makes me smile

I am also very ALSDJFOANFEWO about Yuuji and Sukuna's relationship recently too (any variation of it) just because of how wonderfully fucked it is and all the different ways to explore it. There's just a lot of potential there, and I really love Yuuji and Sukuna

F. What's the longest you've ever been in a fandom?

Hmmm... I think the fandom I've consistently remained at least semi-active in for the longest would be Doctor Who? I tend to go in phases with it but I always circle back around to it. But I've loved the series ever since I was 12 so eight going on almost nine years for that one!

L. Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn't one of your faves.

Aki serves a wonderful place in the narrative and is interesting in regards to how he develops other characters! I might not really care much about him specifically, but his role in the story is irreplaceable and I can appreciate him for that

X. A trope which you are almost certain to love in any fandom.

Corruption arcs, hands down. There's just something so... lovely about watching the slow moral decay of a character, seeing them become the very thing they swore to destroy, etc etc, it's... satisfying? But also cathartic in a way.

Also (somewhat) found family. I say somewhat because I tend to be picky with how it's handled, but if it's done right in the way I enjoy, I'll go feral for it every time

Z. Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go!

I have been working a lot on my complete role reversal AU for demon slayer, and I genuinely think it's one of my all time favorite fics I've worked on. There's just something so fun and interesting about taking all the characters and switching sides with them, and figuring out not only how to make that make sense for them and keep the backstories similar, but also keeping them in character! Based on feedback I've gotten from readers, I think I'm doing a good job with that, and it's just a super fun and interesting thing to work on, especially the demon versions of the Hashira! I've got five out of nine of their backstories completely written out (Shinobu's, Mitsuri's, Obanai's, Tengen's, and Sanemi's) with Kyojuro's halfway finished and I am so excited to finally work on Gyomei's, Muichiro's, and Giyuu's, especially because the three of them are the Hashira I work with the least in fics, so I'm excited to play around with them

<3 <3 <3

[wrymbloods]

once again making you all look at them

[reshirement]

Sending one right back at you :) for the OTP questions, for bagginshield, 1, 6, 12, 27, and if you’re up for it 29 & 30! (no pressure of course I know it’s a lot)

hey, no worries @sunnibits! i love these! i used to have a friend where i’d post question lists that were sometimes a mile long, and she’d come into my inbox like ‘ALL OF THEM HAHAH’ so i’d have to spend two days writing an essay. 😂 not to say i didn’t do exactly the same thing 👀 but in any case thank you for the questions!

1. Who is the most affectionate?

This is a tough one because I think they’re both very affectionate, if in different ways. Physically affectionate, Thorin is going to top out on this one. If he wants to hold Bilbo (and Bilbo doesn’t seem to be in any kind of mood to stop him in a serious manner) he’s going to hold Bilbo or take his hand, give him a kiss, wrap him in his cloak and rest his chin on top of his head, that sort of thing so there’s absolutely no mistaking how he feels. 

Bilbo, on the other hand, while he enjoys that sort of affection very much, I think would show it more in other ways. Rearranging meetings or taking on additional projects in Erebor when he thinks Thorin has too much on his plate, making sure Thorin eats more than once a day and eats well by cooking for him (honestly he will feed this dwarf hobbit style if he can get away with it, food is important), having a warm hearth, hot bath and a filled pipe ready for Thorin when he returns for the day from wherever he’s been, little daily things beyond the physical that absolutely radiate love and care.

6. What is their favorite feature of their partner’s?

Hm. If you asked him, I think Bilbo would mention Thorin’s blue-grey eyes, the strength of his arms, the silver-threaded fall of Thorin’s hair. Things you can wax lyrical about in a sonnet or a story, things that make sense to share in conversation. But really, his favorite bits of the dwarf are probably more intimate, personal details, like the curve of his ear, visible on the rare occasions Thorin puts his hair back in a loose tie, the slight curl of the smile hidden just under his beard when he’s teasing. The roughness of his hands, the paler, almost dainty skin of his feet always hidden by heavy boots (once he stops chuckling about them, anyhow). Pieces of Thorin that feel like they’re just Bilbo’s, those are his favorites.

As for Thorin, I think he mostly appreciates Bilbo’s softness both in face and body (something the dwarf has not had much of in his life, and indulges in with Bilbo), watching the laugh lines develop around his eyes and mouth, the smirk Bilbo gives him when the hobbit feels he’s done something exceptionally clever, or when they share a private joke. 

I also think he probably also has a fascination with Bilbo’s ears, but never brings it up because that’s just asking for a teasing volley about their pointed similarity to the ears of elves (which Thorin would vehemently disagree with both on principle and because honestly they look absolutely nothing alike, he’s spent a lot of time considering this, you see).

12. Who initiates kisses?

Depends on which part you’d consider ‘initiating.’ Thorin, for sure, is the one to swoop in for a peck on the cheek, a full snog or anything in between whenever the whim strikes him, but Bilbo is what I like to call a kiss angler. He’s the one who is going to make eye contact and tilt his head just so, or lean in just a bit too close over Thorin’s shoulder to see what he’s working on, probably with an additional, unnecessary hand on the shoulder that will tilt their faces that much closer. 

This tactic is often subtle, and is meant to draw the dwarf in without technically shifting his focus from anything else, and honestly is such a common occurrence that the movement won’t even register with Thorin before he complies and Bilbo gets his kiss (not that he would mind in the slightest!)

27. Who would sing to their child back to sleep?

Both of them. Thorin has nephews he raised, so I’m sure that move would be old-hat to him, and as a lighter sleeper, it would probably be him most often rising in the night to see about a child’s distress. 

I think Thorin would absolutely sing to soothe a child as a go-to method, crooning a lullaby or two, and while I’m certain Bilbo would sing as well if a child wanted him to, he’d probably have to be asked first. After all, Bilbo’s a story-teller, and more likely to offer a tale over a song to calm and distract a little one from fears in the night.

29. One headcanon about this OTP that breaks your heart.

I think Frodo is right, Bilbo knew the value of the mithril quite well, but I don’t believe he knew at first when it was given to him, or had any inkling of it’s value, other than as a gift from someone he loved (whether he realized it yet or not) that he was profoundly worried about given the dragonsickness and the armies at the time. 

But eventually, Bilbo found out. Whether from a dwarf friend visiting him in his home, or an old history book he was perusing years down the line, eVENTUALLY Bilbo learned what the mithril was, how incredibly valuable, how profoundly irreplaceable, and Thorin had handed it over freely with his heartfelt ‘It is a gift’ to Bilbo whilst in the throes of dragonsickness where he trusted not even his own kin.

Now as I said, years down the line, Bilbo’s at home, he’s coping, he’s living. He’s pushed it down in the traditional hobbit style of ‘I’m going to keep everything right here and then one day I’ll die.’ (considering the people he lived with in the Shire, there wasn’t exactly another option for him.) He’d loved Thorin then, and still does, but it’s a painful, perhaps romanticized  tragedy, one that exists solely in the writers’ mind. Perhaps other than a double-handful of small moments, there was no real tangible proof that Thorin felt as he did, and it would be easy to convince himself over the years that whatever connection they appeared to have was perhaps a one-sided one. That they were dear friends, nothing more. After all, it’s easier to grieve a personal loss if it’s confined to the tragedy, and not the shape your future might have taken.

But the mithril, once the gravity of that gesture truly sinks in, what it meant, what it means. I can imagine that unlocking some terrible floodgates, and all of a sudden the battle was only yesterday and he’s grieving because Thorin loved him too, and he’s angry, furious. Angry at Thorin, angry at the both of them for not saying anything sooner, angry at himself, the dragon, the armies, the sickness. 

Angry at what he lost, what they all lost, and I can’t imagine him being anything but horrendously overwhelmed, and feeling heartbrokenly alone. I think the mithril shirt would in that very moment go from a nostalgic comfort to a terrible burden, and I believe the night that Bilbo discovered the true worth of the mithril was the same night it ended up in the mathom-house. 

30. One headcanon about this OTP that mends it.

Now that that godawful headcanon is out of the way, how about this one for the book!verse? After the Battle of the Five Armies, Erebor held too many ghosts. Thorin did not fall, (though perhaps he meant to fall, what with the leaving behind of the armor before making that suicidal charge) and abdicating was not only the best option considering his actions under the goldsickness and how that might impact Erebor and future treaties with neighboring kingdoms, but also he fact that he’s lived his whole life for his people, he has succeeded in securing their ancestral home, and maybe carving his own path is now a desired option. He’s free. 

Fili and Kili also live, but don’t want the throne. They’ve been raised in the Blue Mountains, and they love their uncle, love Erebor because of Thorin, and without him there, they’re not super interested in entering the line of succession, so Bilbo and Thorin travel to the Shire because Bilbo is adamant that it would be good for him, and Fili and Kili follow. It is closer to their mother, after all, to visit back and forth. 

And perhaps the book Bilbo writes is helpful to them staying on the down-low. Everyone important in their life is sure to know the truth, so what if these three unnamed dwarves are the other hidden residents of Bag End (or perhaps, just one hidden resident and two visiting nephews), kept safe from discovery from friends and family both, and Bilbo and Thorin, somehow, had their happy ending?

tl;dr: THE LINE OF DURIN IS FINE, EVERYONE IS FINE.

[mtvswatches]

Jane the Virgin 2x13 Chapter Thirty-Five

Spoilers disclaimer (please read before sending messages or writing comments.)

Click here for previous recaps!

Stray thoughts

1) So, it happened…

Question is, is it going to last…? Or will it be over by the end of the episode, as per usual?

2) When your ship finally gets together…

3) So, Rogelio and Xiomara broke up and they’re spending the next morning together having breakfast? I truly hope this will last… 

4) I loved this ad!

Kind of seems like the trailer for a B horror movie, doesn’t it? 

5) If I needed any more reasons to not like Rafael…

6) And I like Lina 10000% more…

JANE: So you weren't drinking at work. LINA: Oh, of course I was drinking at work. But ever since they put in the new rules, I bring my own booze.

7) And the moron is back at it.

Also, I still don’t believe Rose is dead. She just can’t be. She couldn’t have been so careless as to fall for that trap.

8) Ugh, Rafael is the worst okay? Jane told him about her feelings for Michael and he just went “No” as if he had any saying in who she can or cannot date? Excuse YOU?! And he keeps saying Michael is a “bad man” or whatever but all Michael has ever done is love Jane, rescue their baby, and punch Rafael. Well, that makes him a good guy in my book. Jane does a great job of pointing out how hypocritical he is when he says he doesn’t want Michael around his family because he’s a “bad, bad man” but has zero qualms about having Petra around when she still has to prove she’s fully redeemed. Petra has done some of the shadiest things in this show, including covering up for her mother’s crimes and getting herself impregnated with Rafael’s semen without his knowing. I keep feeling Rafael always wants to have his cake and eat it, too. And you know what I say to that?

9) “It’s nice to see that now you’re single, you’re dating dad.” That is exactly what I thought! This hardly seems like a break, considering they’ve had breakfast and dinner together since they broke up. I guess they’re still processing? I think they’ll be apart for a while, but I seriously cannot fathom these two not being together. They’re this show’s endgame couple, in my eyes.

 10) Fets chips?

This kind of feels like an homage to Community’s Let’s.

11) How did I not see this one coming? Of course it’s the Moron.

And of course she’d be stealing booze and letting the help get the blame...

12) What bizarre version of Brave Heart is Rogelio filming? I NEED TO SEE IT!

I desperately need to see this time-traveling masterpiece! 

13) Is Paola Lola, the stalker? I’m calling it.

14) I really don’t understand why Michael is made out to be the bad guy because he punched Rafael – which, okay, not cool – when Rafael literally turned him and almost ruined his career on a whim because of petty jealousy AFTER Michael had rescued their son? Why isn’t Rafael the one doing the apologizing? I DON’T GET IT!

15) When my OTP finally gets back together but I need to play it cool...

Also, I really like that Jane turned to Rogelio for advice, and how they’re helping each other with their relationship issues. 

16) I CALLED IT!

17) This is some fanfiction shit and I’m here for it.

And how long did they last apart? Not even three days… I really don’t know if the writers will be able to keep these two apart. Like, I know that right now they do need some time off, but I can’t imagine them not being together or, god forbids, being with other people. 

18) Xiomara is going to break Rogelio’s heart again, isn’t she?

19) She kind of did, but not really? I mean, they had a very mature talk about how they need to actually stay apart because she is not changing her mind, which I totally respect and I’m kind of looking forward to the writers sticking to this. As a woman who has zero interest in having children, I really feel that’s a storyline that’s rarely portrayed in media. It seems as though writers do not know what to do with these women after a while, as if eventually the only way to make their lives meaningful is by having them have a family. Yes, Xiomara did have a child, but that wasn’t truly an informed choice. Now that she is mature enough to make one, she’s realized she doesn’t want to have any more children, and that is totally okay. On the other hand, I truly feel Xiomara and Rogelio belong together, so I fear the writers might have written themselves into a corner by having them have so polarizing opinions about having children. How will they reconcile if neither of them gives in and changes their mind? Does it have to be Xiomara the one who does? I don’t want her to, but at the same time, I want Rogelio to get what he wants. There must be some loophole, it is a telenovela, after all.

20) OH.

Jane didn’t ask him to, but that would be a huge sacrifice, wouldn’t it? 

21) She does look gorgeous.

22) Ugh, everything reminds her of Rogelio! It’s so sad! 

23) Rogelio is willingly giving his stalker all the intel she needs to go Misery on him and what’s going to happen to him? Do not touch my fave! 

24) OMG, I died!

25) *slow clapping*

 JANE: Michael is willing to give up his job. Does that make it okay? I didn't think so, because it's not about that. The problem is I'm choosing him. And I am choosing him. Either accept it, or don't, but if you don't, you're the one who is making it worse on our son, not me.

And I might be cold-hearted but his “I don’t want to be replaced” does not make me feel sorry for him nor do I understand him any better.

You don’t want to be replaced? Then you should go out of your way to make sure that you are indeed irreplaceable for your son. You go be with him as much as you can, you show up for everything, you change diapers, you take him to school, you play with him, you act like a father, and that’s how you won’t be replaced. Not by holding your kid hostage so that his mother doesn’t move on with someone else… Unless, of course, what he means is that he doesn’t want Jane to replace him as her partner... 

26) I guess he is making himself irreplaceable… for Petra’s children. And what about Mateo?

27) *slow clapping again*

PETRA: What happened?

RAFAEL: Excuse me? PETRA: I'm guessing Jane rejected you in some way, so now you're here? I'm not a second-class citizen, Raf. But I'm not a second choice, either. You should go.

This guy! He just cannot fathom being rejected, right? Why doesn’t he just focus on being a good father and a good man, and let the rest happen organically? He’s like a fucking ping-pong ball going back and forth between Petra and Jane, declaring his undying love to either depending on who rejected him earlier. I’m borderline hating him now. I guess idiocy runs in the family.

28) Seriously?!

29) Well, I didn’t expect them to last a single episode…

Kudos to them. I should keep count, though. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are problems in paradise in the next one. 

30) Uh-oh…

31) The scariest words he’s ever heard… 

32) That’s an interesting cliff-hanger. I’m not too scared for Rogelio, though. I think they’ll use the kidnapping as comic relief, as opposed to Mateo’s kidnapping, for instance, which was played for drama. It might serve as a cathalyst for Rogelio and Xiomara to stay together or stay apart. On another note, I’m high-key hating on Rafael now, and I’m curious to see if I could be finally swayed into not only liking but also rooting for Michael. We’ll see.

33)  Hope you enjoyed my recap, and, as usual, if you’ve got this far, thank you for reading! If you enjoy my recaps and my blog, please consider supporting it on ko-fi.Thanks!

[faithandfairies]

The Nanny: A Few of My Favorite  Things

I thought I’d talk about what I liked most about The Nanny. I’ll make another post detailing what I disliked most.

1.My favorite thing about the show was actually Fran’s relationship with the children.  You’d think that it would be her relationship with Niles or her relationship with mr. Sheffield, but it’s not. I think it’s not always easy to write a woman’s relationship with children and make it believable, make it work, but The Nanny managed it.

They spent the first two seasons establishing Fran as irreplaceable in the children’s lives, but by the 5th episode they had already managed it.

I love how her relationship with each of the children differed, how she adapted her parenting to what each of them needed. I love how when she came into all of their lives they truly were all in need of a mother and that she filled that role tremendously in different ways for each of them. 

Maggie needed someone she could talk to and learn from about what it was like to grow up. A friend and a mom. Someone who’d be supportive and uplifting. Brighton needed someone who wanted to be around him, who wouldn’t be afraid of him or mind his jokes and might even share in them. Or see right through them and one-up him. And Gracie needed someone who understood her, who could speak her language, who could be there for her and love her as she was. And Fran was what they needed for all these children.

She gained their respect by caring what they needed and trying and managing to be that for them. But also by being the only one that could go against what their father wanted and make Mr. Sheffield see and do things her way. She also never let the possibility of getting fired keep her from letting her voice be heard and doing what was best for the kids even if it went against what Mr. Sheffield wanted. It came to the point where the kids trusted her advice and Mr. Sheffield trusted her judgment and ended up leaving more and more up to her when it came to the kids and the house.

But she also got Mr. Sheffield to actually spend time with his kids, to get to know them. And the kids knowing that Mr. Sheffield was much more likely to give into her than to them, both because she knew how to work him, because of how she looked and of how much he trusted her, they more often than not went to her when they wanted something done from their father. And left her to deal with him. 

It was my favorite thing about the show.

Fran was these kids their mother long before she legally became it years later. I love how with all of them you could tell her influence in their lives. They loved her for who she was and they picked up little things from her that reminded you that they were her kids as much as they were Mr. Sheffield’s.

Gracie pretty much became  a tiny version of her throughout the show and I loved it. To Gracie especially I think Fran was the only mother she really remembered. To the point where I think the first time Fran left she actually wanted to take Grace with her.

Usually when a father marries a (younger) woman when he has teenage or adult children it takes them forever  to accept her, if they ever do.

But I think with Fran they were all waiting for her to become a legal part of the family and were all relieved when she actually did. They embraced her as their mother immediately, from 21-year old Maggie to 13-year old Gracie.

Even when she was the nanny and they had almost all hit puberty they all panicked when Fran left. She wasn’t even nanny-ing them as much anymore as that she was mom-ing them. Being the light in their lives, bringing joy and happiness, being there for a kind word, good advice, a loving hug, to share in their favorite pastime and making their lives and communication with their father easier.

I also loved that Fran’s looks weren’t the only reason Mr. Sheffield kept her around. I mean that was half the reason why he hired her in the first place, the other half being that she was available when no one else was when he needed a nanny. But that is not why he kept her around. He kept her because she was actually good at her job. There’s this running joke on the show that as his nanny Fran didn’t actually work, but I beg to differ. Sure, she didn’t cook or clean-Niles did that-but she was exactly what those kids needed. And Mr. Sheffield wasn’t kidding when he said that he came to rely on her to take care of everything Niles didn’t take care of.

Fran wasn’t a professional nanny, and I think what that meant for her and that family was that she wasn’t able to keep her emotions out of her job. She sincerely poured her heart and soul into those kids and bettering that family and quickly fell in love with each of them. I think it’s why they took to her so quickly too. Because they were more than a job to her and they felt that. She had no real working hours, no real boundaries in how she presented herself to them or in how she handled them, it worked.  While it was mostly tangible in her clothing and how she showed up to breakfast in a robe and Mr. Sheffield commented on how inappropriate that was, that was her approach to everything. It meant that she was there whenever the kids needed her and when they were at school she was doing her own thing. Visiting her mother or getting her hair or nails done. And it made her presence felt when she wasn’t there. Where the house sometimes fell into disarray when she wasn’t around and the kids panicked.

It came to a point where she didn’t even leave the kids on her days off unless the kids really weren’t home. And where if they left with their father they all wanted her around because nothing was the same without her. So that’s how family outings that included her happened. And then those turned into family vacations. Where at some point Mr. Sheffield ended up missing her even more than the children did whenever she didn’t go with.

2. Niles. I just loved everything about Niles. His intelligence, his scathing remarks, how much he loved Fran. How he was the first of any of the characters to realize Fran and Mr. Sheffield were in love with each other. How he rooted for Fran and Mr. Sheffield to get together and was right there with them in everything, sad over break ups, happy and excited over milestones, frustrated over lack of progress. Niles was the ORIGINAL shipper and Fran and Mr. Sheffield were his OTP. 

3.Fran’s relationship with Niles. I love how these two loved and supported each other. They were mischievous together, sharing gossip and keeping each other’s secrets. And they both took care of each other and stood up against Mr. Sheffield and others for each other. Fran made it so Niles got into the butler’s association. She also made it so when Niles got sick he could actually take an impromptu sick day or two and she would take over without Mr. Sheffield saying anything. And Niles got Fran her job as the nanny back probably more times than I can count. He was also invested in her future in the Sheffield family. He knew before both Fran and Mr. Sheffield that they were in love with each other. And he was invested in them getting and staying together romantically. Both for Fran, Mr. Sheffield and the children and himself. He knew Fran was good for that family before even they knew. And he knew they were good for Fran. She was the missing piece to their happiness and they were it to hers. But her marrying Mr. Sheffield was also good for Niles. It meant softening of his current boss towards him and the children and gaining a boss that was also a dear friend. Someone who was kind and loving and had his best interest at heart as much as she did Mr. Sheffield’s and the children. Fran being younger than Mr. Sheffield it meant that were Niles to outlive Mr. Sheffield Niles would always have a place at the Sheffield residence if need be. Because he was as much family to Fran as Mr. Sheffield and the children were. So Niles was invested in their future both because he loved them and wanted to see them all happy and because his future could very well hinge on their future together.

4. Another favorite thing of mine was how Fran subtly ended up teaching the entire family Yiddish and Jewish customs. And I loved that they embraced  Fran’s culture, where by the end the children were mixing Yiddish into their every day conversations, Jewish superstitions into their every day lives and wanted to take part in Jewish traditions. Like Brighton begging his father for a Bar Mitzvah and how they ended up happily celebrating Hanukkah in the Sheffield household. Maggie excitedly telling Fran about dating a Jewish boy knowing she’d love the idea of one of her children with a Jewish partner. Then marrying him in a Jewish wedding that involved stepping on glass. On top of that the children also embraced Fran’s family. Brighton loved Grandma Yetta. And Gracie loved Sylvia and often went along with Fran when she visited with her.

5. Another thing I loved was Fran’s sexy way of dressing and her blase attitude towards kissing and enjoying kissing dates contrasted by the fact that she didn’t actually end up sleeping with any of them. Not even Mr. Sheffield until they were married.

I’m sure a lot of people assumed that she did sleep with a lot of her dates at first. Mr. Sheffield sure did I think. And C.C. and even Niles must have assumed she’d slept with Mr. Sheffield plenty of times before they tied the knot. Only they didn’t. C.C. even called her a slut. Which, to be honest, I wouldn’t have cared if she had slept with her dates before she got with mr. Sheffield in earnest. Hell, I was actually crossing my fingers for her to sleep with mr. Sheffield long before they got married. I’m all for trying the merchandise before buying it, but that’s another story.

But I kind of love that they managed to give her a sex-positive and body-positive attitude, had her be someone who loved looking and feeling sexy while still being conservative about who she ended up in bed with and when. They-well, actually Mr. Sheffield did I believe- actually pretty much confirmed by the time that Fran and Mr. Sheffied were a couple that she hadn’t had sex for the duration of her time at the Sheffields. Whereas with Mr. Sheffield they made no such comment, even though I don’t think he had sex either. Which makes me think it’s cute it’s pretty much universally assumed (by men especially) that women need another person to get them there. Whereas that assumption is never made for men.

6. I love how much crap on the show actually passed inspection. There were so many sexual innuendos on this show that I was surprised they actually made it on-screen. To the point that it actually made me wonder whether I was crazy, whether I’d heard right or caught the actual meaning. This show was very good at saying what it meant without saying what it meant.

There was this comment Fran made about making up for mr. Sheffield being bottle-fed.

There was another also by Fran about C.C spending her free time with a fifth of scotch and a fresh pack of batteries. Which kind of brings me back to mr. Sheffield thinking women need a man to spend their free time with and assuming that about Fran. But I digress.

I think there were plenty more but these two stuck with me. 

The great thing was that a lot of it also happened while Niles was in the room and looking at his face made me think I was usually on the money when it came to the meanings. But seriously, I think they passed muster because people might have been counting on viewers not actually getting it and if they did it was hidden enough to get past kids. And to be denied away.

7. I loved that this show made fun of itself and its characters. There was a lot of “breaking the fourth wall” I think it’s called.

There was Fran Fine meeting Fran Drescher. And Fran Fine telling Fran Drescher about what was currently happening in her life only for Fran Drescher to tel her that was the story line on her show at that moment. Niles saying that he thought the butler on Fran Drescher’s show stole the entire show.Then Fran Drescher telling Fran Fine to tune in for the series finale. Then Fran Fine told her she wouldn’t miss it for the world unless she was busy delivering her babies at the time. The both of them looked at the camera. It was a great moment.

And there were similar moments like that although probably none as great as that one. 

There was C.C. poking fun at the show ignoring the actor’s real life pregnancy. By talking about how shows do that by having the actor hide their belly behind props, only for C.C. to hide her belly behind props as she was saying this.

There was young Fran Fine, Young Mr. Sheffield and Young Niles checking in on what their current lives were like. The presence of the young versions of the characters leading to some great moments.

I loved any moments when the characters talked to characters/people they weren’t supposed to know were there, like Young Fran thinking she was married to mr. Sheffield only for Fran to turn around and tell her she was the nanny, ending with Young Fran running out of the house screaming.

I loved Fran reminiscing only to share her favorite memory of their wedding with mr. Sheffield allowing us to see glimpses of a wedding between them. Him telling her that never happened. And after he left her turning to the camera and saying she added that one in for us.

But I also loved things like how the show was hyper aware of the not-so-healthy things it played up for laughs. Including Sylvia’s unhealthy overeating, Sylvia and Fran’s conditioning to be obsessed with weddings, marriage and children, Fran and Sylvia outrageously using their sexiness and seduction to gain favors from men, Fran knowing she was a doormat from between halfway through season 4 to halfway through season 5. I almost stopped watching because of how much I hated the doormat-ness and desperation to her character at that point. But I loved how aware the show was of itself. How Fran was aware that she was being desperate and a doormat. It was mostly played for laughs which I disliked, but they also had Gracie comment on it in all seriousness as being something bad and unhealthy. Which, young Grace voicing that opinion kind of took away from it a little bit, because of her age. But I still appreciated the sentiment. Especially because from the time Fran came into their lives Gracie was always able to pinpoint everyone’s psychological problems accurately and phrase it eloquently due to all her time in therapy. Although, come to think of it they also made Fran fully aware of it to the point that they went into it psychologically which led to her almost leaving Mr. Sheffield because she realized what she was doing was damaging and unhealthy to her.

8. All the LGBTQ+ characters and references. There was Fran’s rainbow color-filled wardrobe. There were references that involved the idea that Niles was gay, mannerisms that made you wonder whether Mr. Sheffield was gay. That Niles wouldn’t mind being gay with Mr. Sheffield. That Val and Fran were gay together. Having them adopt a child from Cambodia together. Hell, that entire episode surrounding that adoption was gay as hell, between Val and Fran both being the girl’s mother, the couples fights and couples’ therapy, Fran being beyond distraught over her fights with Val and her mother’s misconception that her hysterics were over her relationship with Mr. Sheffield being on the rocks. And having another character talk about how a lot of people thought Val and Fran were a lesbian couple in High School. There was even a hint at some point on the show that Val had (sexual) fantasies about Fran. Which made me think about Winona Ryder’s character on Friends that was in love with Rachel. Fran Drescher and her then husband actually said they didn’t want the characters of Fran and Mr. Sheffield to get together. And while they were pressured into it and it worked and I loved it, I do wonder what kind of ending Fran Drescher and Peter Marc Jacobsen originally had in mind. If they simply would have had the characters go their separate ways or something else entirely.

9. 8 Actually brings me to 9. Which is how much this show reminds me of Once Upon a Time(OUAT) in little ways. Which I love because it makes me wonder if some of the inspiration for OUAT actually came from The Nanny. I’ve talked about this before but the more I watch this show the more little things remind me of OUAT. I think I’ll make a new separate more elaborate post about this.

[mild-lunacy]

Shipping Sherlock/What he needs

Ahh, I realized why people shipping things like Sherlock/happiness (or 'whoever brings him happiness') always seemed vaguely unfortunate to me, but I couldn't pinpoint why (aside from the OTP is always the only Light and the Way). I mean, this ties into the reasoning of some people I know who don't multiship, but nevertheless feel they'd have to ignore S4 to keep shipping Johnlock, or have stopped doing so.

It's not merely that I don't ship things 'cause I want characters I love to be happy. I mean, I sometimes want that (but then I've only ever wanted Harry Potter to be happy, and even then I shipped him mainly with Draco Malfoy, of all people). Usually, of course, I don't. Really, I just don't think of relationships as the key to *happiness* in life, even if I'm a huge devotee of love in general and romantic love in particular. I don't think joy requires romance, but on the other hand, I prefer love to happiness. Further, I think of happiness as kind of a shallow thing, as compared to true fulfillment and satisfaction (which sometimes involves happiness but isn't anything so straightforward). And if you start thinking of the goal as *fulfillment*, first of all, it's ridiculous to think of romance as the primary source, particularly for Sherlock Holmes (of all people). And secondly, it seems weird and wrong to suppose some random OC or, say, Lestrade can actually replace John in a non-romantic way, as Sherlock's partner in the Work (his true source of fulfillment). In fact, John's being irreplaceable and necessary to Sherlock is kind of a major point of his characterization.

I think I enjoy necessity more than happiness. That's my fundamental divergence, and why I really feel shipping Sherlock (or anyone) with 'happiness' seems unfortunate and wrong. The true underlying force in our lives is the unique logic that drives us; what defines us. Sometimes it makes us happy, sometimes it tears us apart. Being who you are is a difficult, dangerous and heartbreaking thing. And sometimes in order to really be who you are, to reach your greatest potential, you need another person (or people) at your side. You just need them. They're part of you. There's no escaping it: it's not about happiness but necessity. Sometimes it's the furthest thing from happiness, because this sort of thing is an inescapable burden. Just so, Sherlock cannot escape John, and John cannot escape Sherlock, even when he tries. And both of them have tried, in their own ways. Of course they have. Anyone would, at some point.

It's hard for me to see the appeal in a fluffy love, a relationship that is simply about emotional satisfaction or 'health'. People are very interested in 'health' and 'balance' these days, and it's not that I don't see why it's a good idea, but I suppose it's hard for me to care. Other people's (or characters') happiness isn't really an interesting thing to me, in storytelling terms. I suppose in this, me and Steven Moffat are very alike, haha. I'm also definitely interested in drama. I suppose the major difference is that I like to see the consequences. I like to see how things work out, too.

I also don't really have a protective instinct when it comes to most characters I love. That's what it comes down to. I don't feel the need to save Sherlock from John (or anyone else). I don't feel the need to second-guess his needs and desires, only to understand them. I think he needs John, and John needs him. I think TST and TLD only reinforced that, more strongly than ever. It's *really*, really obvious. That's really all I need to know.

In part, it's just that it's fictional. And in part, it's that I think people think things are 'imbalanced' (and thus 'unhealthy') way too easily, using way too much projection. I think it's a bit funny to project onto Sherlock and John in particular, 'cause neither of them are like most people, or have the same needs most people do. And I think that sometimes, the satisfaction of one's needs isn't an easy thing or a pretty thing, and one's needs themselves aren't pretty.

That's certainly the case with John. Not unlike Sherlock, he's all angles. All harsh, volatile and explosive, difficult to love. When he's bad, of course he's awful, but so is Sherlock-- and Sherlock understands. And I think John values that shared understanding they build together-- slowly, painfully, implausibly but permanently-- more than any happiness, and so do I.