#rewatching seeing stars and getting emotional over the girls :C

[madefate]

loona's former favorite pastime. antagonizing blitz.

loona's currently favorite pastime. teaching via to antagonize stolas.

[anonil88]

Malcolm and Marie live blog

I don't usually do liveblogs for movies but yea.

Spoilers ahead!!

I love that its modern timed but very 70s stylized.

A tune indeed.

When you are high and drunk on success and

How the white critic reacts is why I feel like gatekeeping my scripts. At the same time some things I do make are about race or involve.

Marie sitting on the patio smoking is a mood whenever men are talking.

So he's pretentious and unaware.

Whoever chose the music for this, I feel like we would be Spotify mutuals.

Can this nigga stop pacing.

Also can he stop talking;

Marie is so tired and unimpressed.

Also little booties matter and are to be bitten.

Oooo the tension and the jazz.

Title Card over mac and cheese.

Shitty boxes mac and cheese but still mac and cheese.

Tbh i always wonder if spouses/significant others get upset when their spouses don't acknowledge them during speeches.

John sounds so much like his dad but I really hope his acting style differs from his dad a lot.

Guilty confession?

He did not profit off of his partners backstory and then not even acknowledge her.....I.....

If that ever happened to me catch me cussing my partner out during the beginning credits, the end credits, in the car, and at home.

GASLIGHTER!

The way I'm excited for Zendaya to give me some, oooo can she work with Regina King. Please on my knees I pray.

Um no that's not your job to coddle your lead.

He's a dick and the type of dick who makes himself look like a good person around other people.

If Sam Levinson is trying to make his viewers more of misandrist, it's working.

I feel like Marie has her flaws probably a lot of them and we will surely see as this continues, but Malcolm needs to learn how to apologize sincerely.

70s vibes! 70s vibes!

Them kissing and talking about criticism and dreams makes me miss a partner. A partner that I've had and haven't had.

Women really are behind every great man.

Yea sir you fucked a happy moment.

Oh visual allegories for looking in from the outside and cat and mouse chasing and looking from the outside in.

She's saying she doesn't feel noticed by you.

Gas lighter :0 he called her an emotional support dog, bruh.

I would LOVE to co-write or take a writing class held by Sam Levinson. The fights i write are very much in this same realm of reflection and anger and monologue.

Sam.....sam.....are all the sides inside of you doing okay sir?

The ugly side of dating and being in a relationship with someone who struggles with their own demons.

Honestly I could close my eyes and listen to this script being read without seeing these characters visually. Just close my eyes and get a sense of these characters like it was a radio story.

Oh. Oh this is a new wheelhouse of Zendaya acting; a different voice is like breaking through here and her expressions aren't the same we are used to. You can literally hear another character in there....hmm.

Mans is outside really fighting with his invisible demons lmfao.

Selfish ass, how after everything she said you came out of it thinking about your own craft and self instead of how you hurt her.

So she's conditional.

Me: did sam (a white man) say nigga this many times in his script or are the actors adding their own inflections. Not just the lingo used but the topic of race and directing etc. being written by a white writer about black characters is always gonna be a critique when you're writer is a white person.

Alexa play Broken Girls by Saba

He is so hurtful.

A clown nigga a clown look in the fucking mirror you bozo head ass looking like you need some Mehron clown white and a size 16 in clown shoes.

John is doing a really swell performance and reading of these lines.

He is reading her for her insecurities by bringing up his experiences with other women and that.....is yikes.

Arguments can get messy like this in real life but it takes a lot of maturity and control to either not let it get to this point or have a healthy conversation afterwards.

This film is really shot on some very crisp lenses.

They sitting there like 🚬🧍‍♀️🧍‍♂️.

Leftover Mac and Cheese and unfinished cigarettes.

The nyt etc. pay walls are so annoying, but there is a work around look at the articles on incognito or add a period at the end of the url.

He sounds like his daddy so much here, weird, this is the only part I'm eh on the dialogue it feels real but a bit out of pace in how they are bouncing off one another.

Nail scissors? So the end is not the only part he based off of Marie. 🙄

ITS A GOOD REVIEW YOU DINGUS but also its a full review they are going to critique things. She isn't wrong though he did profit off of a woman's story that was not his own to profit from.

Yes Malcolm because unfortunately all marginalized people look through a lens of life that is inherently political because of the world they live in.

He is so mad and upset and had a lot on his chest. But I think he Malcolm and Sam are talking about something thats an issue and a non issue. Being critiqued for you art is hard but also Malcolm is not super self aware. He's like a stand in figure of for example rich depop sellers who wanna be oppressed so badly they yell at others instead of examining their own personal behaviors and ethics.

Oh Marie, when you know the spark is gone and you pick fights because.

He ain't even ask her to read?

One critic I have for most of hollywood actors is they learn their cry and that is it. A change from this is Margot Robbie, I adore her fluctuations of crying being similar but the crying is carried differently for each character. If I had to say any actor that does a cry scene amazing its this woman right here (Amy Adams)

You stole her story from her and gave it away, she has a right to be upset and angry and a rubber band ball of emotions.

Citizen Kane, not the cinematography, but the story is it even that good? (Unpopular opinion but meh, maybe in my rewatch it will be better.)

But that is what people want authenticity and whatever authenticity means to them. What is real for one is false for another.

To be honest look at the criticism of Euphoria, well earned, but a lot of people were like this isn't real even though he literally wrote about his own life. People said it was inauthentic like....wtf.

Ahh the smoking is just a habit, he quit and she didn't.

CAST ZENDAYA IN A HORROR MOVIE PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING. Get Lupita and Zendaya and some more black actors preferably less known ones in a horror movie. One with a interesting script and story, directed by Regina King. Please and thankyou.

I love Marie yep that was amazing.

Behind every great man is a greater woman, one that deserves her credit for how she has stood behind. I wonder the stories of those women, what they have sacrificed or not sacrificed. Their thoughts and feelings when the world is surrounding their partner and views them as a plus one. (I'd write a short script about this but I think do I have the time, can I, or am I equipped ?)

He is a shitty person for bringing up his exes, like she even said I don't wanna know any of that.

Imagine being on anti depressents and rarely having a sex drive and then when you do your partner starts talking about their exes and tearing you apart for all your faults.

I love when you see peaks of Zendaya's cadence in roles.

Tension, what if's and he didn't even bring her up in his speech.

Marie to herself and the audience:

He is not afraid that he will loose her but as my character says in my unreleased story, "i can't wait til you give me a fucking reason to leave your ass." Malcolm expects everything in order for not even doing the bare minimum and she is only asking him for something as simple as consideration. She just wants him to be considerate. He wants to get married and considers their relationship like rolling down a hill at full speed and he cannot apologize, he cannot be considerate, and he cannot admit his wrongs. He can only offer her I love yous that he probably does mean but he does not back up outside of what he's done for her in the past. The past which was more of her experience than his and he sees his part in it as a burden. He doesn't use his own vantage point of the past to further his career he uses her. He does all of these things without a real apology or thankyou because he is not afraid to loose her.

The restrictions of quarantine and the panorama have made Sam's writing very no frills. I wonder how other films from other directors and writers that are filmed in small contained crews like this will be structured. But this was a very good movie gonna add to my letter box 3.3-3.5

Oh shit this is my song,

Ratings/overall thoughts:

Script is like a C+, B- : I could go into my heavier big brain thoughts on the script but I don't feel like it. You catch hints of it above it centers conversation on race and privilege, mainly the writers and questions i have that won't be answered but Sam did make me grow disdain for Malcolm over a short time. Which is sometimes hard to do because im one sympathetic person but the sympathy i have for Malcolm is at 0. Maybe a 2 at some scenes but then it quickly goes back to 0. Some parts of the dialogue miss the mark or hit the are off balanced. While some of it like Malcolm's bathroom speech albeit mean is really strong or their conversation when he comes back from peeing really shines for me.

Performances: B+ to A- because they carried the script further than it could of gone with less talented actors. The monologues do well to showcase their current skill levels which are already high af and leave room for anticipation in where these actors go next.

Zendaya holding a knife: A+ with a gold star. That switch on and off and on is delectable.

John being a shitty boyfriend but following Marie like a lost puppy: B+ with a good job written at the bottom of the paper, Malcolm being nervous a frantic dialed up with more realistic nervousness would have sold me completely on Malcolm's anxious waiting.

Cinematography: A and a participation award.

The mac and cheese: A+ for the easy mac. Wish it was like Annie's or Velveeta.

Cigarettes: Participation award and their picture hung up for student of the month. Why the grill lighter? Everytime Malcolm opened up his mouth Marie was like sparks fly.

The music: A++ with a prize. Whoever picked the music probably makes good Spotify playlists.

[h2bakugou]

Hey! I was wondering if you could write about the reader with Jean Grey powers (xmen) who keeps to herself until the bakusquad decide to recruit her? Then after hanging with them the reader opens up and bakugou starts to have feelings for her and confesses? Thank youuu

a/n: hiya! of course! i haven’t seen xmen in a minute oof i should rewatch them. thank you for the request hun!

summary: after watching you in action and then sulk off to your room alone, bakugou and the bakusquad get tired of seeing you alone so they decide to recruit you, but bakugou’s feelings for you only get stronger

key: (y/n) - your name / (f/n) - first name / (l/n) - last name / (e/c) - eye color / (h/c) - hair color / powerful psychic abilities -  your quirk; for more info on this, you can look at the jean grey wiki page

warnings: swearing, fluff

wordcount: 1.5k

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»»————-　★　————-««

Watching you in action was riveting. You had immense power, power Bakugou hadn’t seen in a while. It was an unusual power. After seeing All Might and other pro heroes fight, comparing you to them felt a little pathetic, not that the way they fought was weak, but you exhibited power from not just strength, but with emotion, with your mind, with your body.

You were unique in so many ways. From the way your hair seemed to turn to fire when using your quirk, to the way you’d manipulate the energy around you to fight.

It was even more impressive seeing you fly form your amazing control of telekinesis.

But he couldn’t understand you. The more he tried, the more he hurt his brain trying to figure you out. Even Kaminari didn’t make his head hurt this much.

You were a book, with thousands of pages if not more. But you were so shut off, closed in. You didn’t even talk to Midoriya which Bakugou thought everyone did.

The only time you ever talked to anyone was when you were spoken too. You opted to stay to yourself, but Bakugou was tired of seeing you this way. Why didn’t you have friends? Or maybe you did and they just didn’t go here.

Whatever the case was, Bakugou was going to get you to be his friend, and for the first time, Bakugou was going to put forth the effort in making the friendship.

“Oh hey bro!” Kaminari slung his arm around Bakugou as he sat down on the couch.

“Shut it Dunceface.” Bakugou waited for the rest of his quote on quote ‘squad’ to show up. And when they had, he began to speak.

“We’re inviting another person to the group.” Bakugou didn’t mention them as a group a lot. But he was serious. And he didn’t care about his pride for two seconds, those tow seconds being right now.

“Oh, Bakugou went and got a heart!” Sero joked. 

“(Y/n).” Bakugou spoke, turning around to look at you sitting at a table reading a book.

You lifted your head and looked at him, confusion written on your features.

“He wants you to join our group! Come on!” Kirishima says with a smile. You can feel heat rise to your face, it’s not an intense blush but it’s happening.

Cautiously you stand and walk over to the group, your closed book in your hand.

“Uhm thanks.” You thank them for inviting them over to their group.

“We’ve never really talked, tell us about yourself!” Mina is excited to actually hear you talk.

“Well uh my name is (F/n) (L/n) and I like to read sometimes.” You sit down beside Bakugou, who had taken a seat when you walked over.

Bakugou’s head was swarming with all sorts of feelings. You were warm, you radiated energy and heat. He could feel how powerful you were just by sitting beside you.

- - -

Shortly after talking with the group, you’d opened up a bit and you were, for the first time in a while, comfortable with a group of people that you could call friends.

It wasn’t like you isolated yourself on purpose, you just never made the executive decision to make friends. You were here to learn, you didn’t really see a point in it, at the time, but now, having talked with the Bakusquad, you’d clearly missed out. Life was so much better when you weren't spending it alone moping in your room wishing you could make friends super easily.

Over the course of a week or two, you’d began to eat lunch with them, opting to hang out after training and class, and even spending time with Mina to do some girl stuff and sleepover things.

But it was Bakugou who you’d grown somewhat closer too. He would train with you, one on one. You’d spar and often ask to be partnered up in class activities.

You’d gone out on a walk with Bakugou, heading off campus before curfew.

“It’s weird being off campus.” You sat on a swing, you’d come to a park that was nearby, while Bakugou approached the one beside you.

“We do everything on campus, but I guess it is called school for a reason.” You joke, pushing back off the ground so you could swing forward a bit.

“Why’d you invite me to your group?” You questioned, curious about why it was Bakugou who made the big decision on recruiting you.

“I was tired of seeing you all alone. You clearly have skill so you should be making friends and shit.” Bakugou pouted, he hated being open, or merely he hated expressing feelings that made others think he was all soft and shit.

He was, to an extent that he’d only let people, the people who were really close to him, see those feelings and that side of him.

“I always struggled to make friends.” You began, deciding to open up to Bakugou. It seemed fair since this was clearly not the norm for him.

Bakugou’s head turned to look at you, he could read you like a book now, you’d pulled back the cover and all your pages were showing.

“I was just always focused on training and controlling my quirk. It’s always been super tough, and when it gets out of control I could really hurt someone. I never wanted to lose control and hurt the people around me, the people that I cared about.”

Bakugou knew what that was like. He had an explosion quirk, danger was always prominent, he could easily hurt someone if he got too angry.

“So I pushed everyone away, you can’t hurt people if you never surround yourself with them, right?” You try to crack a joke at the situation, but your failed attempt just makes you sigh.

“So when you were willing to invite me to your group, I didn’t know what to do, it was hard, but you just opened your arms and accepted me. I guess that’s why I gravitated to you so much, because you know what it’s like.”

“I do.” Bakugou added, he was inwardly happy to see that you’d caught on to his situation.

“But I can’t wrap my head around you. You’re so funny to me. You always criticize Midoriya and even Kirishima and Kaminari, but with me, it’s like you’re a whole different kind of Bakugou.”

“I could say the same about you. When I first saw you use your quirk, I was so fucking impressed it was insane. I couldn’t understand how someone like you wasn’t aiming for the top. You made me so angry seeing you alone.” Bakugou gripped the chains of the swing set.

“It drove me crazy, seeing you all alone, spending time with yourself like you were too important to make friends. It really pissed me off.” Bakugou looked at the ground.

“Because that was me.” Bakugou kicked at the red mulch under his feet.

“I hated the idea of making friends but those losers crept up on me, and as much as I still hate them, they’ve been there for me through all of this shit.”

“It was Kirishima who grabbed your hand when the league caught you, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve always admired your duality.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Bakugou looked back up at you, the sun was beginning to set and you’d have to head back to U.A. soon. God he wanted to kiss you right now.

You looked so beautiful, the way the orange and purple sky mixed with the sparkling of stars beginning to light up like a city in the sky, the glow of the sun dripping below the horizon made your skin look radiant, like it was covered in thousands of tiny stars itself.

You were beautiful, everything about you was beautiful, he couldn’t fathom it.

“You’re strong when you need to be, but you’re able to open up and acknowledge your weaknesses.” 

Bakugou couldn’t resist any longer. The rustling of chains startled you as he darted up and took a few steps closer to you.

“Shut up.” He murmured before pressing his lips to yours. The swing was pushed back as you rose to your feet, your lips connecting to his like they were magnets.

His kiss was enough to make you realize one thing. Katsuki Bakugou was in love with you.

You kissed back but pulled away shortly after.

“Why’d you do that?” You questioned. 

“I needed to. Was it bad or something?”

“No! No! It was nice, I liked it.” You admitted, flustered.

“Can you stop making excuses and just realize that you’re still learning.” Bakugou intertwined his fingers with yours, securing your hand in his as you began to walk back toward the campus.

“Yeah.” You whispered.

When you arrived back at the dorms, Mina was surprised to see your hand in Bakugou’s.

“Someone’s in love!” She cooed, excited for the two of you. You looked away and let out a small giggle while Bakugou’s cheeks burned red.

"Shut up!” He yelled, rushing up the stairs with you to his dorm.

You and Bakugou hung out for a little while but it was safe to say that not only had you made some new friends, you’d discovered love for the first time.

»»————-　★　————-««

masterlist

[darkpoisonouslove]

Ranking the Winx Club Finales

I recently finished my rewatch (and first watch of a season and a half) of Winx Club and wrote out my thoughts on all of it. However, to send off a year that was in experience a lot like watching this series - meaning, generally frustrating and downright disappointing whenever I got excited over a thing with a few highlights that actually stuck the landing - and to get out any remaining feelings over the series, I have decided to rank the finales from least to most favorite. I just have a lot of rage to spare over season 8′s finale and needed an excuse to do so. Plus, I am being thematic here goddammit! Here we go:

8. Season 8

Yeah, I really spoiled that already. To sum it up:

But let me elaborate. Like I already said, this finale enraged the living fuck out of me. I just cannot comprehend whatever possessed them to write a finale so, so... excruciatingly devastating... to a season that started out with a lot of promise and had some extremely solid decisions (except for the art style, which is just NOT IT). This finale is an absolute disaster in every way. First, there is a new plot point introduced mere minutes before the finale and it is never tied into the overall narrative of the season which doesn’t do it any favors, especially after the two halves of the season already have trouble connecting together into one overarching story. The reason they brought in the creatures from the Dark Dimension was to distract Valtor while Winx make their attempt at stealing the stars which could have very well been a role filled by Arken confronting Valtor in an opportunity to clear up all the muddy details around their partnership and bring together the two halves of the season. The Winx’ plan had potential that was completely wasted by their own interruption instead of seeing each girl (provided Layla was playing Icy, Stella - Darcy and Musa/Tecna - Stormy) doing her best to pretend to be the Trix she’s posing as to give the Trix the due role they should have had in this finale. Instead, we get an Icy that is a complete opposite of the character we’ve known her to be for seven seasons all for the sake of a wish she doesn’t even get fulfilled despite her decision to help. Her motivation is a direct contradiction to the original plan of the Trix and disrespects her character from all previous instances of her being on the show for absolutely no reason as she is left with nothing in the end and the whole backstory they invented for her out of nowhere and couldn’t fit in any way with anything previously known about her was in vain because it was never resolved. Winx essentially manage to defeat Valtor once they wish for their own power-up and are gifted powers they haven’t really earned only to be pronounced great heroes who even get their own constellation in the sky. Come again? There was no narrative tension in this episode, no big climax to resolve what is supposedly the biggest threat in the universe at the moment, and no actual emotional conclusion to the season. It can’t even be called a messy wrap when so many threads were left hanging in there. A true disaster on every front.

7. Season 6

Even if you count both 6x25 and 6x26 as the finale of season 6, the structure is still lacking big time. Acheron who is the main drive of the entire season is defeated before the end of 6x25 and the Trix who are the other main villains were also more or less neutralized at that point to leave absolutely no stakes for the last episode so they had to pull some bullshit to fill it. The Winx are useless for the entire episode, including Bloom whose battle with the Trix is an absolute joke. Like, they can’t even think of syncing their attacks so that she can’t protect herself from all three of them with her ridiculously small shield and Bloom couldn’t even bother to actually buy herself enough time to leave the Legendarium. The only saving grace of that fight is the little emotional moment it causes for Bloom but that was also not really set up at any point of the season so it was just out of the blue. Selina changing her affiliations permanently even after the imminent threat for her life was neutralized made about as much sense as her turning evil in the first place and the fact that they needed her to lock the Legendarium made everything 1000% shittier because of how convenient it was that she just decided to turn good again without any justification for her course of actions. That coupled with the lack of consequences for any of her actions (she nearly killed Flora for heaven’s sake and no one even brought that up?) plus the dreadful info dump monologue they gave her just brought the whole thing down. The wrap-up of the season was also underwhelming after they had an entire episode that was mainly free of villains in order to close the other storylines... but, of course, there were no other storylines. Pretty disastrous.

6. Season 7

Just like in season 6, Winx were pretty useless here as they really didn’t do all that much for the plot. Luckily, the fact that the Trix were brought in allowed for the villains to have a battle that was more intriguing and provided some action as for a finale. The other key elements of the season (fairy animals, Trix, wild magic, Kalshara and Brafilius and the time travel) were actually woven together pretty well to make for a pretty satisfying finish to a season that really lacked any solid plot. The mini worlds and the Tynix transformation did not have use in the last episode but that wasn’t too catastrophic. There was actually a pretty emotional moment between the fairy animals and Winx that would have been even better if their relationships had been better developed throughout the season... You’d really think that since fairy animals were the main point of the season and there was no solid plot to account for, they would have taken the time to pay attention to Winx bonding with their fairy animals but nah. I am still impressed with how touching their goodbye was given the fact that they didn’t really have all that much time to actually become close so bonus points for that. The very last scene is a little generic but what else to expect from a season that has sung all its songs already (thank god that there were no musical numbers in this because I have a feeling it would have been even worse)?

5. Season 5

Season 5 could at least pat itself on the back for dealing with the main villain of the season even if there were a couple iffy things about the whole deal. I’m taking away consistency points for a) the fact that the Throne was supposed to be activated with the seals from the Pillars of the Infinite Ocean, yet suddenly stealing a random Sirenix would do, b) Tritannus being defeated by simply having his trident taken away even though he literally grew in body mass implying that the power of the Emperor’s Throne had seeped inside of him (also confirmed by Mystery of the Abyss) and c) the mutants inexplicably turning back into people once Tritannus lost his powers even though they never turned back during his times of relapsing back into a human thanks to running out of pollution. His defeat was just ridiculously easy and Bloom got to do it even though Layla was the one with the personal connection to Tritannus and the one most directly impacted by his actions as her family fell prey to him. Instead of getting to shine in a season that focused heavily not just on her home world but on the environment from which her powers come, she got benched in favor of Bloom getting to do everything again with only mild assist from Layla’s cousin. They should have kept it in the family and left Layla and Nereus deal with Tritannus. The Trix were blasted out of the narrative extremely conveniently and the rest of Winx were saved twice by the mutants just turning their back on them instead of destroying them right then and there and then being turned back into their original form as well. There wasn’t the usual teamwork of the whole Winx unit which I am still salty about despite being sick of all the time they reached for convergence in that season. Theredor fighting alongside Winx (different from his own daughter) was a nice touch but the king and queen of Andros coming off as so helpless (and apparently the only people in the castle unless you admit that everyone else drowned) was frustrating. Where was the Andros army? We only got Tressa, Roy, four of Winx and a handful of mermaids. Is that the whole population of the Heart of All Oceans? Additionally, the finale left no time for any emotional resolution of the season’s events, especially considering the big deal that Daphne’s revival was. Instead they opted for a musical number at the end. Not the best form.

4. Season 3

Season 3 had a finale and then another finale. Granted, better than season 6 that had a finale and then filler but there was not a lot of glory to the ending of a story with such a strong opening and emotional moments that send you bursting into tears. The spell of the four elements was pretty decent in its first appearance in 3x25 but the way Valtor lost it all was a real let down after the climatic confrontations between him and the Winx girls throughout the rest of the season. His return was more or less a desperate last attempt at personal revenge against Winx as his goal was mostly out of reach at this point. The spell of the elements was brought down in both its use to create clones of Winx’ boyfriends and in its power as it was much easier to undo in its reappearance. The saving graces of this season’s finale are the couple emotional moments sprinkled through both 3x25 and 3x26. Bloom’s willingness to sacrifice herself for her friends and the world was the thread that the finale hangs on as she is mostly the one resolving the whole conflict which was a bit dissatisfying after the emotional damage Valtor inflicted on all of them directly or indirectly. There is a few moments left to recover from the emotional intensity of their battles against Valtor but nothing that really addresses the seriousness of the trauma they had to survive because of him. The Trix didn’t even get to have a last stand of their own in either of the last two episodes despite the position in which they started the season but that was more or less unnecessary anyway since we’d already seen they can’t hold their ground against Enchantix Winx even with a boost from Valtor. Overall, the finale is pretty weak, especially as a follow-up of the dynamic and strong experiences that the season put them all through. It was the first finale that was confined to a single episode (or rather two separate battles spanning over an episode to end the season) and there wasn’t enough tension building in the confined storyline an episode told.

3. Season 4

The season 4 finale is overall a solid conclusion that delivers both a final battle with the Wizards and enough time left to address all the other storylines left unfinished. The final battle was pretty short but there was enough intensity in the previous couple episodes to have covered the action demand that the season had already set up and it also provided the opportunity to have Winx come back together as a team after Layla split up. Not only that, but Nebula and Roxy also get to play their part while the Wizards make their last desperate attempt to regain the upper hand. It’s pretty climatic for something that length that also left about 15 minutes of the episode still to fill. Everything that had to do with the closure of the Earth fairies storyline was emotional beyond belief and gave more depth to all of them and Layla’s decision to join them. Winx had to face all of the separate responsibilities they have on their shoulders and find a way to balance them all so that they can pursue their dreams. There was a plethora of emotional moments and a deserved spotlight shined on Layla’s situation and how she’s dealing with it, plus the others’ feelings. It was a really touching finale and also an inspiring one to see Winx stand behind their dreams while still balancing their responsibilities. It seemed to achieve the initial goal of the season to have them adapting to the adult life they were shifting into.

2. Season 2

I’m gonna be honest, I had a very hard time deciding whether this would be number one or two because the season 2 finale had a lot more character moments that were very moving. It really corresponds to the season since it was more character driven than the first one and the finale suited that. However, ultimately I decided that it would take silver because of a couple minor things that bring it down. To get that out of the way, the second portal to Realix that led Winx there was imo a copout that destroyed pretty much all of the tension that the entire season spent building around the search for the Codex. It just felt so wrong for there to be another way to enter that dimension and to me it was a big disappointment. Especially since the key to activating the copy of the Codex was the color riddle that was a ridiculous panicked attempt on the writers’ part to show that Stella isn’t useless and has what to give the team but it only made her look worse in my eyes. Also, minor gripe for the fact that there wasn’t that much of a final battle since everything ended with a single convergence. Of course, there were several battles across the episode between different sides that made for good action and tension and there was magic involved in more ways than simply the convergence in order to defeat Darkar but it was still a bit of a letdown to never truly see him put his everything in battle. And the fact that Griffin and Faragonda held him off for as long as they did on their own actually hurt his credibility as a threat as well. But hey, on the plus side, remember when the teachers actually helped and did not leave the fate of the whole universe in the hands of 16-year-olds? Good times! The MegaTrix and her? their? battle with Darkar was epic. 20/10 on that concept alone, plus it really brought a great feeling of vindication after the number Darkar did on them and felt so satisfying even if they were also part of the villain team of the season. They were portrayed as three-dimensional and weren’t cast out of the narrative without care just because they were villains and that was actually probably the most solid moment that the Trix have ever had on the show (just minor gripe for the fact that they were supposed to be trapped in Realix when the dimension was sealed forever but they were later somehow brought out of there which was never explained). Sky’s speech to Bloom was actually a pretty emotional moment and the payoff from it felt earned and allowed for Bloom’s victory against the darkness to feel natural and in place. It was probably one of their best moments as a couple. Plus, the cute little interactions that we got during the celebration party to send off the season on its merry way made for a great finale. (And a shoutout to the Musa x Riven scenes both in 2x25 and 2x26 because that was some good shit and some cute shit and it was exactly what we deserved).

1. Season 1

Season 1 reigns supreme with its finale. There is just no other finale that can rise to the level of the first one that was built for about one third of the season so that the last episode could dive right into the action without wasting time on setup. This is also the only place where we truly and fully get to see each of the Winx and the Trix (well, minus Layla who hasn’t been introduced yet) showcase their powers but especially Bloom and Icy. It is the longest battle we have seen and it builds a lot of tension on top of what was already there to leave you on the edge of your seat. The exploration of magic in this episode makes it so iconic and such a great watch even on the 300th time. There isn’t really much more to say than simply “It is epic”. What makes it even better though is the fact that there is enough time left in the episode to wrap up everything else and not in a rushed way. The battleground is extended to the locations that have already suffered the previous battles to show the full extension of the action and to setup the wrap-up that comes at the end. They even find the time to let some of the minor characters have distinct and touching moments as well and thus expand the universe of Winx further than just the main characters. Speaking off, they all get their moments, too, and the Specialists aren’t left out of that (you will never catch me not fangirling over Sky and Riven fighting back to back). The finale also doesn’t forget about the overarching story about Bloom’s origin which is commendable considering the constant lack of consistency the show suffers. This is really the only finale that isn’t lacking in any of the departments and manages to provide a truly fascinating story that keeps you entertained and in suspense while at the same time does not discard the emotional payoff or the logical continuation of events. It just excels in every way.

Well, this is my analysis on the finales of Winx Club. What started out as a bitch fest actually left on on a positive and uplifting note to make for a great ending to a harsh year. Let’s see what beginnings 2021 will bring! ;)

[quarterfromcanon]

27-29 for the get to know my favorites game

Hello, lovely! Thank you for these. :) Trios turned out to be a surprising challenge (I apparently have more favorite groups of four than three), but I’m pretty happy with the ones I remembered after giving it some thought. The final picks are under the cut! <3

Top 5 BROTPs

1. Paula Proctor & Rebecca Bunch (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) - Naturally, this was the immediate choice that sprang to mind. It’s the first relationship on the show I really fell in love with, and it’s the one friendship in the series that consistently tugs on my heartstrings. It’s flawed, complicated, and messy but the genuine connection underneath it all is strong enough that I’m hopeful they can work through their problems. I would’ve preferred to see more emphasis on that effort in the fourth season (and a lot more work on Rebecca’s friendships with Heather and Valencia as well), but I want to believe things improved between them after the finale. 

2. Steve Harrington & Robin Buckley (Stranger Things) - The general public opinion of Steve Harrington has been on such a journey since Season 1, bringing him now to a status of common fan favorite. As such, I think a delicate balance needed to be struck in finding a suitable match to team up with him on adventures. This person needed to:

A) Have good chemistry in their interactions with Steve

B) Bring a new dynamic to the table that he didn’t already have with an existing connection 

and most importantly 

C) Be a unique and engaging character that the audience would care about individually, so they didn’t get lost in simply being an offshoot of Steve’s story. They couldn’t be relegated to perpetual sidekick with little else to define them.

As far as I’m concerned, Robin Buckley fits the bill on every account. She’s artistic, resilient, loyal, and - especially endearing to me - a movie buff. She has a quick wit, a sharp mind, and a big heart. Being friends with Robin helps Steve take the specter of his high school self less seriously so he can put it behind him, and she helps him more fully embrace the person he’s becoming in the wake of that lost status. Having Steve for a friend helps Robin resolve some lingering emotional scars from school as well. It gives her an opportunity to share her authentic self with a peer and - to her relief and ours - find acceptance after revealing a pretty important secret. I can’t wait to watch the two of them be adorably nerdy and goofy bros at Family Video in Season 4, presumably with some daring fights against dark forces when they’re off the clock. Does saying I hope Kali comes to Hawkins somehow and bonds with one or both of them mean I can speak that into existence? I’m doing that now. It’s worth a try. If it happens in some capacity when the time comes, know that I will throw a One Blogger Party of epic proportions. 

3. Wynonna Earp & Nicole Haught (Wynonna Earp) - I had to use this specific screencap because it perfectly encapsulates the chaotic energy that makes me loves these two together so much. Their separate approaches to their shared work environment are at pretty much polar opposite ends of the spectrum, but they make a pretty solid team when they play to each other’s strengths and communicate. They also both love Waverly most of all, so it feels like they were bound to work out their differences eventually since neither would want to make her feel torn between her sister and her girlfriend. The hijinks they get up to in each other’s company are just top shelf. I look forward to at least a little bit of fun like that from every season. If I wind up having a lasting partner later on down the road, it’d be cool if their personality balanced well with my sister’s on this level. I’d also be really happy if I ultimately gelled with her person in a way that sounded unlikely at first but worked. Fingers crossed for both outcomes, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

4. Emily Thorne [Amanda Clarke] & Nolan Ross (Revenge) - I have two things to quickly clarify for those who are unfamiliar with this show.

#1 She has two listed names because she was born Amanda Clarke but goes by Emily Thorne for most of the series to hide her true identity. 

#2 Despite the impression this picture may give, Nolan is not marrying Emily; he is simply walking her down the aisle. 

These two are there for each other through so much - the looming threat of discovery, jail time, capture, near death experiences, heartbreak, the passing of loved ones, etc. - and they make it to the other side with a deep bond the likes of which they’ll never experience with another person. It is at times heavily one-sided because of how much drama Emily deliberately dives into, but it’s something that she tries to make up for during her more self-aware and less self-involved times. There’s genuine love and mutual respect there by the finale and it’s really gratifying to witness the journey they’ve taken together. 

[~Slightly spoiler-y closing statement after these brackets~] I was pretty sure I knew where the show was going with romantic ships by the end. I knew for certain it wasn’t my personal OTP for her because they’d already killed that person off quite some time ago. There was a part of me that could’ve found some contentment in leaving the story with these two as a couple. After all, one of my favorite ship dynamics is Reluctant Acquaintances to Best Friends to Lovers, but it was not to be. That being said, the platonic friendship they shared was a big part of the heart of the show and I cherish it for that. Nolan was a rare exception for Emily, a genuine bond formed in the years when she was tried to operate like her heart was made of stone. I also think working with Emily gave Nolan a sense of purpose and let him flourish in his area of expertise. I’m not sure how either of them would feel about the musical reference but, to slightly paraphrase from Wicked: because they knew each other, they have been changed for good.

5. Penelope Stamp & Bang Bang (The Brothers Bloom) - I have seen Rachel Weisz and Rinko Kikuchi in more roles since this movie than I had prior to watching it for the first time so, if anything, my fangirling over this friendship has gotten worse rather than more manageable. x) This post classified the film under the subgenre whimsical noir. It turns out that’s a style I instantly adore every time I stumble upon it. One of the titular brothers, Stephen, lives so deeply immersed in the variations of the world he writes for their heists that even those closest to him are essentially characters he can interact with on a daily basis. His feelings for them as people can get very muddled with his feelings for them as interesting OCs to move through narratives. A big trouble with this is that his living archetypes can often get reduced to clichés. He’s not always mindful of their nuances or allowing for the full range of their autonomy. Penelope is selected by Stephen to serve as the “manic pixie dream girl” who will be his brother Bloom’s forever love and Bang Bang is essentially presented as a “dragon lady” stereotype. I haven’t done a rewatch in years so I may be giving the movie too much credit here, but I remember this choice feeling at least semi-deliberate. It could be interpreted as a way to illustrate how Stephen warps real life to fit his vision. At least, I can definitely remember scenes that felt like they debunked the one-note assessments of these two. What I genuinely love, though, are the little moments when Penelope and Bang Bang are able to just spend time together with little to no interference from Stephen or Bloom. They share their hobbies and teach each other new skills. It feels like they truly perceive one another as whole human beings on a level that neither guy is capable of doing since they’re both so immersed in the drama of the plot. When the women are with each other, they get to be more than an extension of the men who maneuver them; they get to be themselves. Penelope is the only one Bang Bang clearly wants to maintain contact with once the heist is finished. I think that says a lot. Honestly, this is another BROTP that could slide to OTP. If someone wrote fic of them completely severing ties with the brothers and going off on their own - romantically or platonically - I wouldn’t be upset at all. 

Top 5 Trios

1. Luke, Leia, & Han (Star Wars Episodes IV - VI) - Oh dear, I’m overwhelmed just looking at a picture of them together. Star Wars has been a part of my life since childhood. Getting to watch the original trilogy felt like a rite of passage (when I was really little, Mom used to find things for us to do outside the room while Dad watched because she was afraid some of it might scare me). Princess Leia resounded with me on a level that almost no other fictional royalty has ever quite matched. Han’s wardrobe is still some serious #aestheticgoals and I would 100% wear replicas of his jackets and vests if I had them. I also remember thinking that Luke’s new look in Return of the Jedi was SO COOL with the all-black wardrobe and green lightsaber. Wow, imagine that, an edgy costume change that shared vibes with the common Disney villain color palette called to me as a baby fan of antagonists and antiheroes! Who ever could have foreseen that sudden spike in appreciation? :P Anyway, one of my lingering sorrows about the more recent trilogy is that we never got to see all three of them as aged adults in each other’s company. I still wanted our new cast to get their time to shine, of course, but I do lament the absence of at least one little trio reunion.

2. Luna, Neville, & Ginny (Harry Potter series) - The Silver Trio, pictured here with the first set of three that comes to mind when thinking about the books and movies. I do still love Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but I’ve found a growing appreciation for this other team-up over the years. They’ve been through a lot too, even if they are not always present where the main action is. Bullying, loss of parents, manipulation of the mind and body, abuse at the hands of authority figures - they’re all left with internal (and probably external) scars to bear. There’s also something to be said for how strong they all were in the school year set during Deathly Hallows, when the Golden Trio wasn’t around to inspire and unite those who wanted to stand up to ever-increasing tyranny. It can be easy, unfortunately, for them to get written off based on the oversimplified stereotypes that have gotten associated with them. People remember Luna as being weird and spacey, Neville as awkward and hapless, and Ginny as bland and lovestruck. They’re all far more nuanced than that, and they accomplish great things while fighting for and beside their friends. I’m planning on doing a re-read of the books at some point, and I really look forward to revisiting these brave kids.

3. Irma, Marion, & Miranda (Picnic at Hanging Rock) - Ah, yes, my very recently discovered darlings. I have many thoughts about them all. I’ll try to keep this as condensed as I can while still making sense. Some spoilers will follow, although those won’t answer every question the story poses. There are audience members who ship the above characters as a throuple, which I totally get, but for me it’s like soulmates of a different kind. These three have met at a point in their lives when they all burn with compatible intensity. They long for the same dream version of youth, for a way to begin life free from the confines of a world that won’t accept all their hearts contain. While the people that surround them may not be willing to bend the rules, nature itself appears to show them mercy. How often do we see a story of girls who just... love other women so much that a sacred location goes, “Y’know what? I’m gonna help you escape your restrictive society. Permanently.” This miniseries definitely depicts the setting as being involved in messing with the investigation, as a mystical place that befuddles unwanted intruders. I love the way these three fortify each other in times of pain and fear, and there’s something deeply moving about how standing side-by-side helps them defy the odds.

4. Sarah, Alison, & Cosima (Orphan Black) - Okay so, technically, when I picture our core team in this show, the net is a little wider. My mind tends to also include Felix, Mrs. S., Kira, Helena, Donnie, Delphine, and Scott. However, I think you could kinda argue that those characters have a stronger connection to one of the above three than they do to the other two. Thus, this ends up being the central triangle. They’re all such solid performances and the fact they’re all played by the same person is incredibly impressive (not to mention the, like, twelve other clones Tatiana brings to life throughout the series). Watching them go from tense strangers to sestras was wonderful. I’m glad they had each other through the increasingly complicated web of lies and schemes they had to unravel and survive. 

5. Galavant, Sid, & Isabella (Galavant) - Remember how James Marsden was in Enchanted? If you dialed down the deliberately cartoonish quality of that performance and allowed for more not-so-G-rated humor, I feel like you’d have a general sense of what Galavant is like as a character. Sid is his squire and Isabella is a princess whose mission happens to combine with Galavant’s, albeit fueled by different driving motivations. They find themselves involved in a lot of shenanigans because of Galavant - even in his own universe, he’s into the whole dashing knight thing more than is strictly necessary - but they make a fun little team to follow through the world of this musical television series. I’ve gotten fuzzy on the details since I watched it air live four years ago, but I remember the series being enough of a summer feel-good time that I’d be game to revisit the show again someday.

Top 5 Family Relationships

1. Stevie Budd & The Roses (Schitt’s Creek) - The whole fish-out-of-water setup for this series was already pretty fun in and of itself, especially given how outlandish their lifestyles evidently were before the show begins. The thing that makes it special, though, is how the absence of all their expensive distractions finally helps them prioritize being a family. The Roses do a lot of work to reconcile who they were with who they find themselves becoming in the present. It’s sweet to see them collectively conclude that growing closer to each other is one of the few things they do not regret in the slightest. They also silently agree to adopt Stevie along the way and, boy, does that give me a lot of Big Feelings, particularly in the later seasons.

2. River Song & The Ponds (Doctor Who) - I think it’s been like seven years or so, give or take, since I watched Doctor Who with any regularity. These three have resurfaced in my mind many times since then. They all love with such fierce and unwavering devotion, spanning lifetimes. It’s fascinating - and often heartbreaking - to learn about the things they’ve experienced and endured. Oh gosh, and once the show reveals how River’s story overlaps with theirs, and you pay attention to how she looks at them, IT HURTS but it’s so engaging to watch. The emotions are all flooding back just remembering them now. Argh, what great characters... </3

3. The Tico Sisters (Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi) - Rose appears in two installments of the third trilogy, but this is the episode that has both Tico daughters. We never get to see them interact onscreen in the film, but I still feel the bond between these sisters so intensely. I found out later that Kelly was present for the filming of Paige’s death scene (which happens so early in the movie that it doesn’t feel like a big spoiler - please forgive me if it is). I’m glad that was something they decided to do behind-the-scenes, because it definitely informs Rose’s grief. She’s sitting in the dark, picturing her big sister’s final moments with such horribly vivid detail that it feels like she was there, and yet she can’t do anything to change how it ends. The shape of the sisters’ necklaces immediately establishes that they were a unit even when acting independently, that they felt like two halves of a whole - all they had left of their family. Now there is only one, and that fact is a weight around Rose’s neck both figuratively and literally. It serves as a visual reminder of how she carries Paige’s absence always, trying to discover and embrace who she is on her own while still honoring the memory of a relative she loved so deeply. I think she reaches the end of Episode VIII feeling like she’s someone of whom her sister would be quite proud. I’m very proud of her, too. 

4. The Tyler Siblings (Wonderfalls) - Jaye is comically different than the rest of her family, and the show establishes that right out the gate when we learn that she’s the only one whose name doesn’t rhyme with the rest (left to right, the others are Karen, Sharon, Darrin, and Aaron, respectively). Her relationships with her parents could certainly lead me off on some analytical tangents but, predictably, it’s the sibling stuff that interests me more. I think it could be said that all three do more living inside their heads than they do out in the world, and that they’ve all grown up to be borderline loners (Ironically Jaye, who is considered the most troubled, is the only one I remember being shown to have formed and maintained a friendship). Aaron’s a very philosophical and analytical person, so you get the sense he talks to himself more than to others, although he still manages to resurface from those deep contemplations so he can goad and tease his sisters from time to time. Sharon is high-strung, competitive, and brings that “disaster lesbian” energy to basically every social interaction she has. Jaye’s standoffishness seems to stem from both the difficulty of fitting in with people and the fear that connections will fall apart once they manage to form at all. They’re all just messes trying to make the best out of the situations they face, and I appreciate that. I also enjoy how prominently the Jaye and Sharon sister bond features throughout the show’s only season. It starts out on pretty rocky ground, but they grow a lot in regard to how willing they are to communicate and express their love for one another. 

5. The Brothers Proctor (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) - The family dynamics in their house are in need of some serious work, without a doubt. I’m just really touched by how close these two have become without Paula’s notice. It’s possible they always were, in that we-fight-but-we-care way that siblings can often be, but the supportive side of that really moves to the forefront as they get older in the series and it warms my heart. There’s such a glaring difference between The Household As Paula Views It and Things That Are Happening While She’s Not Paying Attention. I can’t help using fic as a way to explore that. I happily find excuses for her sons to make pop-in appearances, just to check up on them. I'm so pleased that, as of Season 4, they seem to have become fairly well-adjusted in spite of everything. Oh, and I am still not over the revelation that they attend renaissance festivals together, in character, for fun. What precious cuties who would no doubt dislike me referring to them as such! Paula, please give them an extra hug from me! 

[witchylittlefox]

My Thoughts and Feelings About Star Wars as of 2019

I held off sharing my complete feelings on this franchise/fandom because I wanted to wait for TROS to be out. since I have seen it now I’m ready to share how I feel about disney owned Star Wars, the fandom war, reylo, and TROS. Heads up these are my opinions and if we disagree that’s okay! But I would appreciate some respect when it comes to nasty comments because some of the things I’m going to say can be..... controversial in the reylo community.

Preface: I have been a Star Wars fan since I was 4 years old. I somehow figured out how to used a VHS machine and I would insert Return of the Jedi and rewind to watch it over and over again. To this day that movie is my favorite out of all of them. Star Wars was something my brother and I shared together and he would lend me all the EU books. I loved all the stories about Jacen and Jaina Solo at Luke’s jedi academy. I grew up with the prequels and yes, I am a prequel defender but they were corny as hell. So not to toot my own horn but I was very much invested in the lore and commited to the series before Disney bought it.

Disney Star Wars: Disney had absolutely no idea what they were doing with the movies (atleast when it comes to the Skywalkers + everyone related to the OT trio). They spat on the OT character’s legacy. They turn Luke into a character who seems to care nothing about helping his sister. No way in the world would Luke just throw a lightsaber off a cliff. Han and Leia are treated a little better (more so Leia), but Disney is passive agressive with them and make them out to be these horrible parents that decide to send away their son because they’re scared of him. No wonder Ben turned out the way he did. Rey, well......they could of written her better and don’t get me wrong I love aspects of her but this should of been Ben’s time to shine. HE should of been the main character of all the movies. Finn? Would of been cool seeing more perspective from an ex stormtrooper but nahhhh let’s just make him fawn over rey in the first one and then in the second give him this whole arc making us think he’s getting somewhere and then another badly written character ruins it. Poe? Well he atleast got more of an arc than Finn but he’s still so flat.

The Fandom Menace And the Fandom War: I decided after TLJ came out that I was not going to label myself in this fight. It seemed like (or atleast on Tumblr) that you couldn’t be a Reylo if you hated Rian Johnson. Rian was made out to be this “savior” of some sorts, just because he focused the movie to be more Reylo centered. YES he is talented. YES I’m thankful he gave us more of a Reylo plot, But jeez that guy is an ass (I didn’t want to cuss in this but oh well lol). Calling out fans on Twitter? Calling them names? Ridiculing Mike Zeroh? Which say what you will about Mike (not a huge fan of him tbh) but god he’s a fan of the series why are you making fun of him? But those people who are apart of the Fandom Menace are not innocent. A lot of them (NOT ALL, but most) only make videos on Youtube hating on Star Wars because it’s cool. They use the hate to get attention. I’m just not all about that. I agree with them on a lot...but seriously at what cost do we have to allow this. Both sides are annoying and immature and I choose not to take a side. I will like what I want about Star Wars and dislike what I want about Star Wars. I am not going to be a sheep. So yes... I am a Reylo, hardcore since TFA came out in 2015 and yes, I think Rian Johnson is a crappy person and I won’t be seeing any of his movies ever again (besides rewatching TLJ) because I don’t want to give money to someone who fuels the fan war. That being said, I dont support (whether that be my viewership or money) anyone who is in the “Fandom Menace” and does the same for the other side.

Reylo: The only thing I really cared about in this sequel trilogy was Reylo. I honestly started to care less about the other characters like Finn and Poe, which in my opinion is sad and just goes to show how bad Disney was at writing these characters. What got me so choked up about their relationship was how raw it was. It wasn’t some unrealistic clean romance. There was no love at first sight (at least on Rey’s end.. can’t say for Ben). It felt so real to me. They reached a level of intimacy that honestly in my opinion reached higher than sexual intercourse. Unconditional love is something that I hold close to my heart, it may be because of my faith, but the fact that Rey saw through Kylo and could see that at his core he was just Ben, emotionally hurt and lost, just wanting someone to believe in him. And she did! she believed in him when his uncle and mother easily gave up hope for him (again horrible character writing bc uhhh sry but isn’t hope supposed to be a theme with them???). And Ben loved her in return!! He protected her and not this stupid patronizing crap that Finn does (Which side note: THAT PISSES ME OFF SO MUCH LOL. John Boyega was wasted with this stupid character). Ben knew her strength and worth and only did what a man should do in a relationship, not overstep, not take control but add his part to the relationship, creating symbiosis. If you look up the meaning of “Dyad”, this comes up:

specifically, sociology : two individuals (such as husband and wife) maintaining a sociologically significant relationship

They are equal. No one is better than the other. They are two sides of the same coin and they complete each other.

And at last....

TROS: Well crap. This movie was...... not amazing. I will have to say that I have only seen it once at this point and may make an edit to it if I change my mind. Honestly though... I can’t see myself changing my opinion but it may happen after a second viewing. I had been following the leaks and yup pretty much all true. And yep... Ben dies. Not only does he die but he barely gets any time to shine when he is redeemed. I am grateful we finally got the Reylo kiss we all waiting for but did he really have to die??? I know lots are saying he didn’t die because we didn’t see him show up as a force ghost in the end but obviously there is no confirmation from Disney on this. The fact that he died for her to live just supports everything I have said above. But where was her emotion? I expected her to be crying? it seemed to appear like she couldn’t care less, yet she was the one who went in for the kiss first and then she seems to be fine when everyone is rejoicing and hugging in celebration? Why didn’t they add him in as a voice in her head or something (ooh fanfic idea! :) ) Why did Rey call herself Rey Skywalker?! I’m sorry but she DOES NOT desserve that title plus she is still a Palpatine! That does not change anything. Don’t get me started on Palpatine.... bringing him back was the dumbest decision ever and undid everything that Anakin did. Now I would of been slightly okay with it if they got Anakin in to help to defeat him but we only got his voice and a bunch of other jedi’s voices sharing words of guidance (which ngl it was nice hearing Ahsoka) but holy heck you could of atleast added ben to the mix. They could of both heard the voices and ended Palpatine together? Also what happened to Rey and Kylo fighting through the various scenes of the past movies? I thought that was a leak? They did absolutely NOTHING to tie up the OT and PT. It has no ties to PT, besides Anakin’s voice and some of the other jedi in the mix (Mace Windu, Ayala Secura, Yoda, Ahsoka Tano, etc..). I know I’m nitpicking but I am atleast grateful we got their voices I just wish we actually got to see their faces. That’s a lot of negatives though so here is what I did like:

Babu Frik.

Rey’s kind heart ( you see that when she greets the little girl on Pasaana, helps D.O. and the snake creature)

The banter between Finn, Poe, and Rey

C-3PO ( they really did him justice)

Ben (just all of him everything about him)

Lando was pretty good

Seeing Wicket at the end with his child ( I think that’s his child?)

Wedge Antilles showing up for like one second ( although that could be a negative because I thought he was going to be in it more because of the book Resistance Reborn. WHICH OH YEAH..... this movie retconned that book btw! So not only was it a horrible book but everything in it doesnt matter)

Conclusion: So yeah, I am not happy. But in the end I will always love Star Wars no matter what. This franchise has taught me so much about hope, love, and even redemption. It was such a fun ride on here. There were ups and downs ( anyone remember that Reylo discourse a while back lol) but we made it. Even though as Reylos, it didn’t end the way we wanted it... we still were proved right. We fought hard against the antis when they kept trying to tell us Reylo wasn’t a thing and boy were they wrong..... they were very wrong. I don’t know what the future holds in store for Reylo’s story or even Star Wars but all we have to do is look forward and have hope for Ben because just as the great Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker once said:

"No one is ever really gone."

May the Force be with you all.

[idkwhoiamanymorebutwtf]

Peridot: Why she’s not around often, and why there’s still hope.

K, so I love Peridot. I love her so much. More than life itself. Why is she just..never around? Back in season 4, during the whole zoo arc, she had a lot of use? Like, she could have avoided any issues getting there for starters, being a technician. And she’s more accustomed to how homeworld works than the others? When Aquamarine and Topaz were kidnapping people, she wasn’t there to help rescue the humans, or when Steven got back. And the fact that she was the one who provided Homeworld with a list of names? That’s good fodder for her character! She got Steven kidnapped! Cmon, she’s gotta have some sort of reaction! But no. Nothing until Raising The Barn. Lapis left and that opened the door for more development when it came to Peridot. But what did we get? One episode of her being sad and then nothing until Made Of Honor. And like??? Where was she when we found out about Rose being Pink Diamond anyway? I mean, she was living under the same roof as the gems! Then there’s the fact that she had such a minor role in Reunited? And only got her star because the whole cast was due for a makeover, which just completely took any sort of focus away from her star! Which we were all waiting for her to get for three years! What did she do in the movie? It was a good opportunity to get more of her. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl were incapacitated at the time. Steven didn’t have his powers. Peridot could have finally had a chance to be a part of saving the world! She should have been! She knew about the injector Spinel used, and the writers could have at least tried to act like she was doing something! But instead she. Bismuth, and Lapis all stood and stared at the injector for what, forty something hours?!? I swear, that scene where Steven says, “I have no more friends to help me-”, completely forgetting about Peri and the other’s until they’re shoved in his face, was leaked audio of the writers forgetting my girl exists.

Now, I have a lot of hope for Peri in season six, because the writers- weather they did it on purpose or not- set her up for a lot of character growth. Some people see the way she was written as lazy too. Her being so happy-go-lucky, joky, and fun? It’s been seen as poor writing by many people. But I see something behind it. Because her character has become forced. And i’m certain the crew noticed it. Who didn’t? I still love her, but that’s just because i’m literally obsessed with her. But in all my obsessions and dozens of rewatches of every episode she’s in...i’ve noticed something that changed the way I see her personality. 

Peridot has a very self destructive personality. It’s not shown there at the surface, but throughout the whole show, there have always been notes of it. Back when she was a homeworld gem, despite  what her initial ego may suggest, I am under the impression that Peridot was pretty low ranking. She places herself above Pearl’s, but not much else? I’ll assume they’re more valued than Ruby’s, because Ruby’s seem to be considered pretty expendable. But like? She places Quartz Soldiers higher than herself, and while some of them, namely Jasper, are respected, we’ve seen from the way the Amethyst’s at the zoo are treated that they aren’t typically very high class. And her original devout loyalty to homeworld means she’d probably already have practically no self esteem with her lower ranking and homeworld’s obsession with conformity? Plus Peridot didn’t have any powers and that can’t help at all. And yeah, when shd joined the Crystal Gems she had to denounce the whole system, but her entire life before that point, her inferiority was a f a c t to her. Joining the Crystal Gems must hay have helped her views on life and her morals, but I’m not sure she became any healthier as a person? Like, yeah the Crystal Gems taught her basic values and morals. But they didn’t teach them to her in a way that made sure she understood, they just kinda got mad at her when she messed up and let her figure it out herself. I’m not saying the Crystal Gems did anything wrong. But like..she really learned that it was fine for people to inflict arbitrary rules onto her without justifying it and then get mad when she breaks their silent rules. Like when Amethyst supported her making fun of all the other Crystal Gems and then got mad when Peridot made fun of her. Obviously we all know making fun of people to their face is wrong. But she didn’t. And the way she learned was too vague because she just learned that if you upset someone it’s always your fault and that you don’t need to understand, just to blindly apologize so things are okay again. And in the episode Too Far, Peridot tries so hard to make Amethyst laugh. To please Amethyst. It’s why she ended up insulting Amethyst in the first place! Her need to please starts showing itself very clearly at that point. Now, the Crystal gems only ever taught her how to be a good person. But that changed. Enter Lapis Lazuli. A deeply traumatized gem. A gem who was irritable and emotionally volatile. And Peridot, who was taught by homeworld that she didn’t matter, and by the Crystal Gems that other people did matter, and had a right to be angry at her whenever they pleased for reasons she didn’t understand, was absolutely vulnerable to how Lapis acted. Now, she clearly doesn’t go out of her way to please people she doesn’t know. But she did know Lapis. She had an overwhelming desire for Lapis to like her as well. And so we leave a gem whose bound to be very sensitive and have countless triggers (and is prone to angry or emotional outbursts)...alone with a gem whose all set up not to stand up for herself and that when someone’s upset at you, do anything you can to make it right, and it’s absolutely your fault. Immediately after being left with Lapis, though, her personality hadn’t changed into the wacky funtime dorito a lot of my fellow fans (and the critics too), like to criticize. And that’s because it wasn’t until Too Short To Ride that the final piece of her self sacrificing, horribly self-destructive personality came into place. If you don’t recall, there was a scene where Peridot was upset. At first Amethyst just..comforted her. But, well, when Peridot didn’t immediately feel better and fake joy for Amethyst...her tablet was nearly thrown into the sea. This was treated as completely fine and normal. And Peridot, i’m sure, suffered for it. Because there came the idea that things worked out better if she was who people wanted her to be. Peridot changed after that. Amethyst had punished her for being sad. And Lapis must have taken it poorly if Peridot ever got angry. Those things combined with the rest of her character arc? Of course she started trying to lighten the mood whenever she could. Of course she dedicated herself to being happy and silly and making sure everyone else was alright. And this is deeply written into her subtext, most notably in Raising The Barn. Now, at first I thought that episode was meant to highlight that Lapis was a very bad ‘friend’ (or gf, however you wanna read it), to Peri. But well...the show never treated it like that. They never treated lines like “i’ve been bending over backwards for her” or “I can’t tell her how I feel” or “There are things I should tell you, but I know they’ll upset you, so I don’t say those things”, and of course “We don’t matter. Lapis needs us”/”We don’t have a choice in this.” like they were about Lapis being toxic- even emotionally abusive to an extent, which is how I initially read it. Lapis never learned a lesson. No one said Lapis did anything wrong. Of course, I do still think Lapis was wrong there (she made the choice that they were leaving without consulting Peridot. She got angry at Peridot for lying to her when she had no right to. Etc), but now I realize that it wasn’t just Lapis being awful and having no consequences.That episode was there to shove this aspect of Peridot’s personality in our faces. And most of us missed it completely. Of course, it makes sense, seeing as many things Rebecca and the other writers weave into the show are only there in hindsight. It took me twenty views and multiple rants about how the way that episode showed their relationship was pointless, to realize just what the point is. And what’s more? In the climax of the episode, Lapis leaves. Peridot is emotionally open with Lapis, the thing she’d been afraid to do, the thing that goes against her self destructive way of thinking...and Lapis leaves. That is why I am 100% sure Peridot is still stuck in her self destructive behaviors with no one noticing and no real support system to help her deal with it. 

So yes, the writers set her character up perfectly for the future. Weather they meant to or not. We’ll only see if it was bad writing or a perfect setup once the show is over. And well...I hold out hope that this was purposeful. Because if there’s one thing I know about Rebecca Sugar, it’s that she’s a genius at story and character writing. There’s no way she didn’t mean for this to happen. Or at least, that she hasn’t seen the open door and decided to take that opportunity. I have a lot of respect for Rebecca, and I want everyone to know she will most likely do our Peri justice.

I would love to have any thoughts? Weather they’re agreeing with me, adding to my thoughts, or criticizing what I said. I would love any discussion on this topic because it’s been bouncing around my head for a long while now.

[virginlimbs]

On the film “Us” by Andrew Haworth

Us is the greatest movie of the decade and I have seen it five times so I figured I owed it a review.

When I saw Get Out, my audience was quiet and disturbed the entire runtime but cheered at the end. Us had people jumping and laughing the whole time, but when it got to the end: silence.

My sister turned to us and said, “I loved it until the ending.” I wasn’t sure what to think. The ending hit me like such a freight train that I was in denial. There was no way they were switched, that didn’t make any sense.

We talked for an hour outside the theater unpacking the implications of the ending. As we talked, we realized the ending not only worked, it made the movie even better.

The movie begged me to watch it again, and I obliged. I went to a different theater and saw it in Dolby Prime and told the person next to me to stop talking. I was not fucking around. This movie was a powerful object and it demanded respect and thought and patience.

Details that were cloudy the first time came into horrifying light on a rewatch. Red’s opening monologue, which at first seemed like scary gibberish, was now full of pathos and horror. I had seen what it was like down there. I knew the rules of the world. And now I had to picture a fully conscious woman performing her own C-section.

I saw the movie twice more in theaters. I was so drawn to it, like we were te-(glottal swallow)-ethered together. The week of its release, it was all I talked about with people. “Have you seen Us?” “It’s about capitalism.” “No, that theory’s bullshit.” There were people who were as shaken as I was, and as overjoyed that a movie this powerful and exciting and thought-provoking could exist and be released and make a bunch of money. And then there were people who wondered why there was an escalator in an amusement park.

None of their hole-poking diminished my enthusiasm for the movie. I knew I was being tested by God *looks up and cries* and it was their loss. But it was a frustrating and thankless task to try to convince them otherwise. We had seen the same movie. Unpacked the same ending. But they were hung up on details, questions left unanswered. They felt the movie was pretentious, alienating, and implied they were dumb for not getting it.

Us would only be condescending if it explained its world in full. Like Star Wars, it is so steeped in such a rich mythology that if you get on its wavelength, you will not worry about why certain things in the background are not explained. You will want to watch it again and again to figure it out, and the mystery will excite you. Us is ambiguous about certain things, but not others. The characters are clear. The family dynamic is clear. And the message is clear. For every “us”, there’s a “them”.

I get it. Us either REALLY works for you or it doesn’t. And I have no interest in trying to convince naysayers. I have a lot more fun talking with people who actually liked it. But when I turned it on this fifth time, wanting something I’d seen before as I digested a pint of ice cream after a long day of work, I was under its spell once more. And I couldn’t just sit there and let it wash over me. Every shot was full of meaning or an interesting idea and they bubbled up in my head until the idea of a relaxing evening was out the window and I was frantically taking notes on my phone. I’ve read a lot of articles about this movie. I’m in no way an expert, but I have a lot of thoughts about it and a lot of enthusiasm for it. It moves me and brings me so much joy and reminds me why I fell in love with making and watching movies.

On a technical level, it’s unsurpassable. Shots are poetic but never flashy, always in service of a story beat or character reveal. The shot compositions are in the tradition of classic Japanese movies, and the final shot even mirrors the ending of the great Sansho the Baillif (which I saw yesterday for the first time.)

There is not a score that is quite like the one in Us. The music feels like it has been around since the beginning of time. And the I Got Five on It remix? Come on.

I love every performance so much. Everyone understands their character so well. Everyone feels like a family member. You feel every awkward moment, every victory, every horrified stare. And Lupita Nyong’o gives the greatest performance(s) of all time.

The script is generous with its humor and its horror. And in any other movie, all of this would be plenty to make an enjoyable ride. But Us gives you so much more, so much you didn’t realize you needed. I’ll do my best to tie all of this together, but here’s what I noticed this time around.

Chronologically, Red and Adelaide meet as children. The tethered chokes her, pulls her down, handcuffs her to the bed, and waits for her to wake up so she can give an evil grin and rub it in her face that she gets to leave. This is not a quick, desperate act to get what she wants. It is malicious and sadistic.

Now Adelaide’s got a family. But she feels scared and maybe a little guilty, like most people who’ve committed a crime and have to keep running. She can only express this in half-truths to her husband, how she’s worried the “mirror girl” might come back. On our second viewing, we realize she’d be coming back for revenge.

Red’s parents were very lax with her which allowed her to wander off. Adelaide is protective and paranoid, like a drug dealer or the Irishman, someone who cannot enjoy to the fullest what she has fought so hard to win because she knows what’s out there. She knows what could happen to Jason if he gets curious about that funhouse.

Enter Red. Adelaide’s worst nightmare. The girl she trapped down there finally found a way out, and she’s pissed. She moves like a ballerina, calculated and efficient.

The Wilson family dynamic is so well expressed through their actions and teamwork and love for each other in this scene. Adelaide grabs her kids, yanking them out of frame away from their tethereds, keeping them safe. She cares so much for them and just wants to survive.

In comparison, Red is unfeeling and sadistic. Her husband and children are her pets. She has trained them like dogs to move at her command: a horrifying hand gesture and clicking of the tongue. She even pets Pluto as he stands on all fours by the fire. They are tools, like scissors.

She hates her family because they are not her choice. They are horrifying reminders of the world she was dragged down into. And Adelaide’s family is a reminder of what she could’ve had, so she resents them as well. She doesn’t care if they die, she doesn’t see them as surrogate children, they are a “fuck you.”

But her outlook makes total sense. She was taken from her normal world and trapped in a nightmare. Forced to have sex, give birth, mimic the privileged actions of the girl up above with whatever surrogate was available underground.

“The shadow hated the girl.”

Gabe interrupts her monologue. He thinks we’re still in a weird home invasion movie. These are random dopplegangers, the only ones, and they’re just crazy. But Adelaide knew this was going to happen all along.

“You want ME, right?”

The family is split up to fend for themselves. But apart from Red, the other tethereds are just under orders from up top. They have no personal stake in this, they just like killing. Red is the only one who has a score to settle. She wants to take her time, rub it in Adelaide’s face just like it was rubbed in hers.

Jason realizes early on in the closet that he can control Pluto, but Pluto cannot control him. Pluto has to move Jason’s arms up and down physically to mirror his. This is frustrating for Pluto. Jason saves this information for later.

Everyone escapes their tethereds, for now. They hop on the boat, their previous laughing stock, now their life raft, and head to the only other house they know. As the boat drives away, Jason is the one we hold on as Red stares at him. She is getting the idea to kidnap him to lure Adelaide to her. This is the advantage she has over Adelaide, how untethered she is to emotional baggage. Jason is just a tool for her to manipulate how much Adelaide cares for her children.

“They look like us.”

“They don’t even know that yet.”

Earlier in the film, Adelaide tells Zora to turn her phone off and go to bed. Zora waits for her mom to leave the room to secretly use her phone under the covers. Later, when Adelaide needs Zora’s phone to call the police, Zora pretends like she doesn’t have it to avoid getting in trouble, but Adelaide knows she does. Adelaide’s not dumb, she’s just a mom stuck between trying to raise her kid well and letting her have fun. These are sweet games we play with our parents and the subtext is “I love you.”

The white family, on the other hand, is full of hate. Their kids do not play these cute games. “Just because we’re in our rooms doesn’t mean we’re sleeping.” They are filthy rich with a backup generator and they are miserable and they die the quickest. This, even more so than Get Out, is perhaps Jordan Peele’s ultimate comment on white horror films. Their characters last for less than ten minutes while the Wilsons survive the whole movie. And when Elisabeth Moss asks Ophelia to call the police and it plays “Fuck Da Police” as her tethered slits her throat, it’s a master filmmaker taking back years of stereotypes and tropes, stomping on them and proclaiming that there is a new era of horror underway, horror so full of ideas that you (like me) will have to watch the movies 5 times.

The murder of the white family is the most hardcore scene in any horror movie of the decade. It is truly shocking how matter of fact it is.

The Wilsons arrive and Adelaide is taken captive. The kids go in to save their mom.

Jason puts on his mask as he grabs a weapon to make his first kill as if that will absolve him of what he is about to do, rather than accepting his ability to kill as part of himself. Zora, not wearing a mask, rolls her eyes. She’s accepting who she is. Jason immediately removes his mask after killing Elisabeth Moss.

Jason watches Zora kill the second twin and beat her way past being dead. She is her mother’s daughter. Jason’s arc is beginning to illuminate: he is slowly noticing how violent his family is. Could that be inside him as well?

“We’re Americans.”

Weapons used in the film:

Golf club

Baseball Bat

Flare gun

Scissors

Boat motor

Geode

The stick you use to move logs in fire

Once they’re in the fancy house, Gabe wants to settle down. They’ve made it. But Adelaide knows they have to keep running. Capitalism! But everyone’s excited to drive the fancy car.

Jason sees his mom kill one of the twins.

Umbrae hops on the car and Zora slams on the breaks, sending her flying into the trees. Adelaide leaves under the guise of making sure she’s dead. But when she sees defenseless Umbrae, hanging upside down from a tree, laughing but clearly bleeding to death, Adelaide does nothing.

She sees herself in Umbrae, ruthless, doing anything to survive and get ahead. But she also sees the daughter she would’ve had if she had stayed down there. This is also why she’s so upset about Pluto dying. They are all her children. She has grown up and matured in real society with real parents. She is a mother and her heart is full. But Red has the heart and mind and priorities of a 9 year old. She doesn’t want kids. She wants parents.

Jason backing up to kill Pluto is like in the Matrix Revolutions when it’s revealed that Neo has powers outside of the Matrix. It is a great, haunting, ambiguous moment that I’m sure made a lot of people frustrated in the theater, just like the Matrix Revolutions.

Then Red naps him. Her gamble worked, and Adelaide was distracted by caring about all these kids.

Adelaide goes after him. The shot on the beach when she sees the line for the first time? COME ON!!!

Us is very biblical. Abraham. 11:11. “God is testing me.” Jason holding up his arms like Jesus on the cross as he backs Pluto into the fire. Red becoming a religious figure to the tethereds. Red has CREATED a mythology for the tethered, but of course neither her nor Adelaide know what really created them. Humans play God in her theory about government experiments. And “God brought us together that night.”

Adelaide has spent her whole life trying to forget the tunnels. Red has been forced to spend her life trying to make sense of it. Her social learning ended at 9 years old. Her theories about government experiments seem based on sci fi movies she probably caught on TV as a kid, right before she was pulled down there.

No one was there to guide her. She became tethered long after the “experiment” had been abandoned. She believes in God because her parents probably took her to church and she’s latching onto any explanation. But the situation is unexplainable. Does it matter if it’s a government experiment? There are many aspects of the film that imply it might be supernatural. We can only see it how she sees it: God testing her as she becomes the savior of the tethereds.

But the important detail she skips past because she really doesn’t have any proof of it until this past night is that the tethereds are not monsters. They are products of a nightmarish environment. If given a chance in society, they can learn to talk and function normally and dance. The film doesn’t even imply that there is a good twin or a bad twin. Both are capable of violence and vulnerability.

Red steals the word “tethered” from the Hands Across America commercial at the beginning.

Cutting between the tethered stuff mirroring the above ground stuff? Pure cinema. Get the fuck out of here. Adelaide having a whole stage to dance on while Red is forced to run into walls is the perfect visual metaphor for every idea the movie is throwing at you.

“If it weren’t for you I never would’ve danced at all.”

Red hugs Adelaide as she plunges the stick into her.

You are forced to remember Red has the mind of a nine year old as she whistles a mouth-full-of-blood rendition of itsy bitsy spider. Then Adelaide strangles her to death.

Adelaide laughs with relief when Red is dead because now she is free to enjoy the life she had always imagined without looking over her shoulder. Their tethereds are all dead. Jason can run free.

“The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout

Down came the rain and washed the spider out”

Jason puts on the mask at the end, keeping Adelaide’s secret. He’s horrified by the realization about his mother. Earlier she told him, “Stick with me and I’ll keep you safe.” Now she smiles. They’re driving through a post apocalyptic wasteland. He doesn’t really have a choice. He’s sticking with her.

[darkfoxartstudio]

The Sequel Trilogy and a Fairy Tale Heroine's Journey.

(I posted this right after TLJ, and I thought it would be worth reposting today)

The Reylo community is a beautiful place let me start by saying that. I have been a part-time meta writer/fanfic writer/silent observer of discourse/and an okay “artist.” It has been a pleasant experience for me over the last two years. I have learned quite a bit about literature, storytelling, cinematography just by being a fan of a fictional couple who I thought had a spark of something. We all invested a lot of time into theory and art of all mediums. I have made friends that I wouldn't have otherwise. The ride has at times been bumpy.

As I sit and try to take in everything in The Last Jedi I admit I am overwhelmed and rightfully so. Rian Johnson has given us so much in this movie to pick through, and over analyze for the next two years. I admit like some of you, I was confused after my first viewing and very conflicted. I wanted Ben and Rey together so badly that when they didn't end up together, I was a bit upset. I was mad at Ben for rejecting Rey, but then I was mad at Rey for rejecting Ben. My emotions were all over the map.

A lot of us felt the same way, some of us freaked out left the fandom, cried in a corner, and some took a minute to really start sifting through the wreckage.

What I have found in that wreckage (as well as many others) is a beautiful treasure. We got way more story than we could have hoped for. It is complex, it is layered and no doubt we will find tidbits of something new while rewatching it until Episode 9.

In this meta, I am going to attempt to shed light on the Heroine's Journey using a fairy tale template if you will. This will hopefully help decipher where we are in this cycle, even though it can at times skip around. I am going to give my full disclosure that I am an amateur. I don’t pretend to be the end all be all super meta writer who knows all of this as fact. I am simply using the Heroine's Journey as a guide and placing my own wet of views on what we’ve been given thus far. I highly recommend at the end of this analysis that you buy a copy of The Heroine’s Journey: Woman’s Quest for Wholeness by Maureen Murdock. I also suggest you read this blog by Theodora Gross. This is where I get the “template” for the breakdown of a Heroine's Journey as it is usually told in a fairy tale.

*Remember- This analysis is based on the fairy tale stories thus the template I am using provided by Theodora Gross.

The basic break down of a Heroine's Journey in a fairytale setting according to Theodora Gross is this

1. The heroine lives in the initial home.

2. The heroine receives gifts.

3. The heroine leaves her initial home.

4. The heroine enters the dark forest.

5. The heroine finds a temporary home.

6. The heroine finds friends and helpers.

7. The heroine is tested.

8. The heroine dies.

9. The heroine finds her true partner.

10. The heroine finds her true home.

​

Firstly, I am using this example for a few reasons.

JJ Abrams stated that Star Wars is more like a fairy tale or a western. Here is the actual quote from The Force Awakens Bluray commentary.

“This whole location of Maz’s, of course, mirrors the cantina from A New Hope, as this Starkiller Base mirrors the Death Star. These were the kind of locations that felt like a given in Star Wars. For example, we looked at it like a Western or a fairy tale. What are the elements that you’re going to see that makes it this genre, this specific genre? And clearly, in a Western, you’re going to have the dusty main street, the saloon. You’re going to have cowboys. You’re going to have the bad guy, who’s probably dressed in black. You’re probably going to have a castle, and a prince and a princess, if you’re looking at a fairy tale. We wanted to give these sort of, fundamental, not cosmetic, but, sort of, prerequisite elements. These locations in which we can set our new story and our new characters.”

     2. George Lucas has stated Star Wars is for children and it is a fairy tale.

So if we apply Theodora’s template for the Fairytale version of the Heroine's Journey to Star Wars more particularly to the Sequel Trilogy and Rey, we get this breakdown.

 The heroine lives in the initial home

    The Force Awakens introduces us to our heroine, Rey. We get a glimpse into her harsh everyday life by following her through a Star Destroyer in the barren desert of Jakku- a junk planet on the outer rim. She lives alone in an overturned AT-AT working all day just to feed herself. Like most adventures or fairy tales the main character longs for a different life. Rey longs for her family and even watches a ship leave the planet. We see this in Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Cinderella. Another more similar example is how Luke wanted to leave Tatooine and looked longingly at the twin suns wishing for adventure-- this is part of Joseph Campbell's Hero’s Journey and yes there are similarities, but they are not the same at all. But for the sake of Star Wars and this discussion, I’ll throw in these comparisons. 

    The point of this setup is to show the audience how bad the conditions are for our heroine or how they are longing for something - a change, a person, adventure, etc.

“And this idea that she won’t share with him here is, of course, because she feels like the only belonging she’s ever going to have is her family and if she leaves she’ll never get a chance to see them. So there was a very powerful idea that what she desperately wanted was belonging, which she’ll get, but just not how she expects.” JJ Abrams TFA

 The heroine receives gifts.

    Unexpectedly Rey receives a gift in the form of a bright round orange droid- BB-8. This is not the only gift Rey receives. She acquires a blaster from Han Solo, and eventually the Skywalker Legacy lightsaber. I would like to take this moment to note these steps do occur in order. However, storytelling is fluid and just because the heroine receives a gift later in the steps does not void the order of the heroine's journey or take it back a step.

Another example of gifts would be Luke acquiring R2D2 and C-3PO. But he also gets the lightsaber later on. It's important to point out here as well, that in a lot of adventure type stories, we have a Call to Adventure, Refusal of the Call, The Mentor, etc. That is part of myth which is a part of every story in existence essentially in some form.  Please watch these videos for reference (they are a bit long and old), but it goes over the themes and myth integrated into Star Wars. And please remember that George Lucas focused on Joseph Campbell's model of the Hero’s Journey when he first wrote A New Hope. Also yes as George has stated these stories are meant to rhyme. That does not mean they are a play by play of the plot. However, themes are similar, because the message of Star Wars is the same. “It is about love.”

 The heroine leaves her initial home.

    The First Order is hunting BB-8 and forces Finn and Rey to flee the planet for safety. According to Theodora sometimes the heroine is given away, runs away, or she chooses to leave. If the heroine decides to stay her home is destroyed in some way. An example of this is Cinderella. Her happy home is destroyed when her stepmother makes her work as a servant after the father dies.

    In Star Wars Luke chose to leave after the death of his aunt and uncle. Anakin was taken by Qui Gon Jinn (Haaa, Liam Neeson - “Taken” get it- get it? I know I’m lame) and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

 The heroine enters the dark forest.

    Rey runs from the safety of Maz’s castle into a dense dimly lit forest after she Refuses the Call. In other fairy tales like The Lassie, the girl enters the dark forest after losing her temporary home. Sleeping beauty grows up in the forest, and Rapunzel enters the dark forest after leaving her tower.

    The refusal of the call in Star Wars (hero’s journey) Luke initially tells Obi-Wan he can’t leave Tatooine because of his family. Anakin does not want to leave his mother. Since Rey is a heroine her journey is slightly different but similar at the same time. She doesn't want to go on this adventure because she is holding out hope that someone will come for her on Jakku. Looking back in hindsight after viewing The Last Jedi Maz is forcing Rey to face the truth. “I see it in your eyes, you already know the truth. Whoever you are waiting for on Jakku, they’re never coming back.”

    Rey is not ready to face this reality yet. It is this belief that her parents were coming back is what kept her alive for so long. It was a survival coping mechanism that eventually she started to believe. However, deep down she’s always known.

“She’s telling Rey what she needs to hear, which is, “Stop trying to go home, it’s not right, it’s a waste. And that the belonging you seek is not behind you, it’s ahead.” And this is the thing that she can’t accept right now. The idea that she has anything to do with this man that she thought was a myth just this morning, and now here she is being told that his destiny is somehow tied into her choices and her actions. So, when Maz asks her to close her eyes and to feel it and to let it in, she’s not just setting up the moment at the end, when Rey is battling Kylo Ren, but she’s also telling her to stop looking and stop trying to understand and just feel and it is that great lesson of the Force. But she can’t do it. She’s not ready. She can’t take it in.”

 The heroine finds a temporary home

    Now we jump ahead a bit here because stories are fluid and there is no one formula or beat for beat plot that matches a heroine's journey even though they do follow a direct path. Rey’s temporary home in the entire arc of this story is physically Ahch-To and metaphorically the Resistance. If the story ended completely with The Force Awakens, then her temporary home would have been the Falcon and even her friends Han, Chewie, and Finn. But we know this is a trilogy, and the pace of this journey will be slower. Think back to the Hero’s Journey which is integrated into this framework and note that Rey didn't even Accept the Call to Adventure until the end of The Force Awakens.

Theodora notes that the heroine may think she can stay in this temporary home, but she will eventually have to leave again. Snow White's home was with the dwarves who helped care for her. Sometimes in the temporary home, she finds her true partner, but not in the right form or at the right time. Examples Beauty finds Beast in her temporary home, but he is still the Beast, selfish cruel and unkind. Rapunzel meets her prince but loses him again. Cinderella enters the castle to go to the ball, meets her Prince, but it isn't the right time. She has to leave this temporary “home.”

Rey takes up residence on Ahch-To until she can convince Luke to return. Rey knows this is a temporary home because once she succeeds, they will leave. But what is more interesting than anything else and more telling is that Rey meets her true partner, but he is not in the right form nor is it at the right time.

Ultimately Rey loses Ben again. And I want to stress this again the metaphorical home she has with the Resistance still stands. We are in the middle chapter of the story. Rey left the temporary physical home only to still hold onto the Resistance as the temporary home. And before you try to come at me with pitchforks-- when I say the Resistance, I mean it as an organization, not Leia and Finn or Poe. Those people are her friends, but she is seeking shelter in this metaphorical temporary home because Rey does not know fully who she is yet. Yes, she's a Jedi, but what is her place in all this? Wage war on the FO as the mascot Jedi for the Resistance? Or is it to find the true meaning of the Force, and try to establish some sort of balance with Ben Solo. Remember Luke played this role of legendary Mascot and embraced it-- it led to failure, hubris and the creation of Kylo Ren. Rey’s story is so much bigger than your standard Jedi or weapon of the Resistance... sorry got a tiny bit sidetracked here but you get my point. 

The heroine finds friends and helpers.

Luke fills this role to a T albeit begrudgingly. The heroine finds them and enlists their aid by being kind to them and giving them what they need. Later on, they help her when she is forced to leave her temporary home.

Rey finds Luke and tries to enlists his help by telling him she won't fail he like Kylo Ren. Rey attempts to reassure Luke that she can do what Ben could not and at the same time pleads with him to help his sister, Leia. Luke does indeed help Rey after she flees Ahch-To by facing Ben on Crait. Giving her a chance to save her other friends (who have also helped her along the way Finn, Poe, Leia etc.) and what was left of the Resistance.

The heroine is tested.

    Heroines can go through agonizing periods of testing. Rey is tested in The Force Awakens when she fights Kylo Ren. She is tested on Han’s freighter when she has to figure out how to help Han escape the gangs. She is tested when she goes up against Kylo in the interrogation room.  Make no mistake about it,  Rey will still run through the test and trials all the way up to the end of Episode 9. So what were her trials or test in The Last Jedi? If you thought The Force Awakens was tough on her, The Last Jedi was downright brutal and with good reason.

Most of Rey’s tests are not physical in The Last Jedi like they were in The Force Awakens.

The first test is to convince Luke Skywalker to return- she fails.

She fails at her Force training (according to Luke) when she goes straight to the dark and doesn't even try to stop herself.

In the cave when she asks the mirror to see her parents. The cave reveals Rey's deepest fear- she is alone, her parents are gone. But this test in the cave does have its positives even though it devastates her. It is forcing her to confront the truth she already knows - They are dead, and they were nobody.

Rey faces her biggest test in The Last Jedi when she refuses Ben's hand. At this point, Rey has already seen a vision of Ben’s future. It moved her to tears and prompted her to seek him out against all odds. When Rey realizes, Ben isn't in his true form she has to reject him. She begs him to not go down the path. But again it's not the right time yet. This is the part of the fairy tale/heroines journey where she loses the Prince/Partner again.

Although this is heartbreaking for both her and Ben the test does have its positives. Rey finally accepts the truth about her past with Bens help albeit he was a little harsh. But he also makes Rey say it. He doesn't lead the conversation by saying they sold you for drinking money, then forces her to admit it to herself. He prompts her to say it FIRST, then he confirms what they did/or his interpretation of the events. Notice Rey does not correct him. Rey learns to let go, even if it does means she has to let him go too.

 The heroine dies.

    Attached to the test and trials (again according to Theodora Gross) is a journey into death. Persephone's journey into the Underworld, Snow White’s temporary death/ deep sleep in the glass coffin. Sleeping Beauty and her hundred year sleep.

    Rian does an excellent job showing us visually Rey’s death, during a time of testing. Rey ships herself into essentially Hell (Snoke represents the Devil) in an escape pod that looks like a coffin. Again visually this is stunning, it ties in Snow White’s death and Persephone’s journey into Hell. Also one could tie in Psyche’s descent into Hades. It all represents death.

    In Star Wars we see literal death and metaphorical death. Han Solo went under a Sleeping Beauty type death. The trope was subverted, and the Princess woke the sleeping “Prince” giving him a kiss at the time of his awakening. There are other “clues” that give a nod to Han Solo’s slumber and Reys metaphorical death. The escape pod also says Property of Han Solo. Rian specifically asked for it to be written on the coffin-shaped escape pod. You have to stop and ask yourself why? General Audience viewers are not going to know it says that or even see that anything is written on it so why bother? Because Rian is telling a more in-depth story here. Nothing he has done throughout this entire movie is without thought and purpose.

What is the purpose of the death of the heroine?  Well, let's think about what happened to cause Rey to run to the other side of the Galaxy-- and descend into the metaphorical underworld, to begin with. What was happening? Luke wasn't teaching her the way she thought he would. It was proving to be difficult especially once she learned the truth behind his self-imposed exile. Luke refused to get involved, his way was not working for her. Rey wanted to act.

According to because the Heroines Journey Project in this step, the new way of life is too limited.  Success in this new way of life is either temporary, illusory, shallow, or requires a betrayal of self over time.

Wouldnt be Rey be betraying everything she stands for (Hope) if she just stayed away like Luke wanted her to? To give in, to let Ben Solo’s fate remain on its current destructive course? That is not Rey, it isn't what she represents in Star Wars at all. The purpose of this metaphorical death is to shed away this ideology Luke had about himself and about the Jedi.  

 The heroine finds her true partner.

    We have not reached this point in the story. The Last Jedi ends with the heroines death (step 8). But we will get here in episode 9 and since there are only two steps left I say that is fitting for Rey’s overall arc.

    In this step the partner is in his true form, the beast has transformed into the Prince. Theadora notes that in fairytales it may not seem like much of a love story because most tales are told shorthand (the prince dances with the princess three times) But lucky for us Star Wars although forced to tell such a story shorthand has and can do it. The core to this step in the journey is that the heroine and the partner recognize each other.

   For Ben and Rey this could mean that they finally see each other clearly. Recognizing that the balance is not all Light or all Darkness. Or that both light and dark live in both of them. Perhaps they realize that both sides of the war are wrong and the only real way forward is through love and acceptance.

The heroine finds her true home

    Rey had to leave her initial home to find her place in the world. This could be with Ben, Finn, and the rest of the Resistance which she has coveted as a second family or perhaps will occur in Episode 9. In fairy tales, Belle can finally live with the Beast, and Cinderella can live in the castle with her Prince.

    There is usually a partner in these situations although it is possible to end the story without one. However, considering the heroine's journey, and the theme of Star Wars I believe we will get a happy ending for both Rey and Ben.

I’ll leave this quote from Theadora’s blog here.

“If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of the heroine finding her true partner (does she really need a man to be her partner?), you can think of it as a metaphor. The true partner is also the other side of herself, so the story shows us the integration of the feminine and masculine, human and animal, sides of the personality. I don’t know, really: I just know that the partner is usually there, that the heroine is eventually united to a prince. Perhaps it means that a union with the right other is one of the highest things we can achieve in this life, perhaps it’s about unity within the self. Either way, it seems to be part of the story.”

If you have read other meta on the Anima and Animus, you’ll understand that reference that I bolded above. Rey and Ben fit the Anima and Animus profile, I can’t express that enough. The theme of The Last Jedi throughout marketing was Balance. We have been given very blatant clues about the balance of the Prime Jedi First Order. The symbol on the floor of the temple was pretty close to a Yin and Yang symbol. We know that The Art of The Last Jedi had concepts of Rey seeing Kylo on the other side of the mirror in the Dark Side cave. Rey and Ben have been mirrors of each other since The Force Awakens. (I go into depth on Kylo/Ben’s mirror cave here). You can see it in their choreographed fighting at the end. They emotionally mirror each other (both are lonely, and were isolated). They are coded in dark and light clothing. Even when Ben speaks to Rey its as if he could be talking to himself in a mirror. This happens in both Episode 7 and 8.

The merging of the Anima and Animus is paramount to the end of a Heroine's Journey. Only then can they be complete. Rian has repeatedly stated (paraphrasing) They are both two sides of the same coin two halves of the protagonist. For Rey and Ben to not come together in balance at the end of Episode 9 would be odd, to say the least.

I've seen arguments that Ben has to die or endure some type of harm to be redeemed. But to that, I throw this line at them. “It isn't about fighting what we hate, it is saving what we love.” - Rose Tico

Sure, Ben will continue to suffer, as Rey will continue to go through trials but only until they recognize each other. I don’t think Ben has to be mortally wounded or die to gain redemption. Star Wars is about Love.

From a storytelling perspective, we’ve had a tragedy and redemption in death. Ending the Sequel trilogy (a heroine's journey) with redemption in death is repetitive and doesn't fit the structure. It is my own personal opinion that we will get happy ending with redemption in life.

[mccoysmascara]

re: sexist tropes and female characters

Ok so something I wanna talk about

I just saw somebody in the Star Trek tag calling T’Pring a “bitch” because of something she apparently did in one of the ST novels. Evidently, she and Spock had a talk early on wherein Spock said she didn’t have to marry him, and she said she’d wait if he paid her way because as a husband or blah blah he has to, and then she went and had an affair with Stonn while Spock was in Starfleet. And OP here called T’Pring a “bitch” and said “I have no compassion for that woman”. 

So here’s the thing.

Number one, just to get it out of the way: This is a ST novel. The novels are widely regarded as quasi-canon, particularly TOS novels because let’s be honest, nothing in TOS was particularly continuity-conscious anyway. Some of the early episodes use the wrong name for Kirk, and some of the ST books just muck up every timeline in the damn universe. The novels cannot be read as canon and therefore this thing that T’Pring did in this book cannot be counted as canon. However, for the purpose of this post I’m going to give you that leeway: sure, let’s call it canon. 

With that out of the way, let’s get to the nitty gritty. Star Trek TOS aired in the late 1960s. Most of the novels were published through the 80s. There are some trends and tropes you may have noticed in your 80s movie rewatches that you should be able to recognize in your ST media from the era. As with any of ST’s branches, the books are a product of their time. One of those tropes that you see a lot, and not just in the 80s but maybe more blatantly at the time, was the “lying bitch cheating wife who’s just in it for the money”.

This is a trope you see A LOT, especially in romantic genres where the sweet, bubbly girl-next-door falls in love with her married boss and he leaves his harpy wife in the end, or any number of “dramatic” plotlines centered around How Hard Life Is For Us Upper Middle Class White Folks. Gosh Darn.

Yeah, it’s not fucking new. We still see it. So, when I see something like that in a Star Trek novel (or show, or cartoon, or movie, or...) I tend to go: Ah. This is a sexist trope. A sexist trope which has been everywhere. I have seen this sexist trope and I recognize it here. Damn. These writers suck.” Because with how many fucking writers Star Trek has had (and now many of them have been shitheads) you’re gonna see Sexist Tropes a lot. You’re gonna see the Emotional Woman, the Scorned Ex, the Cheating Greedy Wife. 

The key here is what you do when you see these tropes. Do you:

A. Recognize them, accept their presence, and hold on to that grain of salt that you keep in your pocket at all times when consuming media B. Freak out over how sexist it is and make a lot of posts online C. Call the character a bitch.

For me personally, option A is the best move. And while option B can be productive with modern media where the writers are still alive and getting paid for this particular piece of work, I don’t think it’s as useful for older stuff--but still a valid reaction even so.

Option C is where we have an issue. You see a sexist trope in media anTd you respond with more sexist language. You respond by falling for it completely, and calling a character a “bitch”. You’re the worst, imo. 

T’Pring, like any character in any media, is not autonomous. She did not choose that course of action. The writer did. The writer put that to her character and a publisher went “yeah alright”. The writer went for a sexist trope to make the character less likable, relying on our ingrained misogyny to go “UGH what a cheating greedy bitch!” rather than making the character unlikable by literally any other means.

And you go and fall for it, and start calling a female character a bitch. Good for you, great thinking there, champ.

[veronicamarsbars]

Veronica Mars: Secrets.

Been rewatching Veronica Mars recently and decided that my feelings for Logan have to be expressed somehow, so why not write a quick Reader x Logan one shot? I love Veronica and Logan together, but I felt more inspired to write it for the reader instead. 

Prompt: You’re crashing at Logan’s hotel room, to get away from family & friends, when he brings home a girl...

Word count: 2,400

Warnings: None

Pairing: Logan x Reader

Logan almost flipped out when he walked into his Neptune Grand hotel room and saw you eating out of a bag of crisps on his couch in front of the TV. Not only did he not expect to see you there, it being only just after school and all, but also was just about to bring in the girl who's father had testified against him in the murder of Felix Toombs. His brown eyes widened at the sight and he stumbled back towards the door where Hannah was, stammering out something like, "Oh, I think I might've left something in the car..." 

You take this single moment to dash into his bedroom, turning the TV off, crisps in hand, you close the doors behind you. Your room, or the room that you've been staying in for the past few weeks, is on the opposite side of the hotel room, the one Duncan Kane used to occupy before he fled the country. But because Hannah would've seen a stumbling teenager with a bag of crisps and wild couch hair run past Logan... well, that idea was of course completely off the table. Instead, you'll just have to hide in here and hope for the best -- that they don't need the bedroom to do what they want to do.

You hear them settle on the couch as the TV is switched on, so you relax a little and thank your lucky stars that this room has a bathroom suite. You turn over on the mattress and plug earphones into your MP3 player, jamming them into your ears so you don't have to listen to their lovey-dovey talk. Logan has been a friend to you for the past couple of months, nothing more, and you're still not so sure how you feel about that. But now that he's bringing girls over... well, it doesn't fit so comfortably with you after all. You chuck him a text, letting him know how much crap he'd be in if you didn't practically leap from the couch and tumble into his room in time.

You: You're lucky I'm so quick and agile. BTW -- plugged in some music so u can make out all u want. Just don't moan too loudly or I might vom.

Logan: I thank you and thank you again. DW not 2 much making out happening here, but ty 4 the heads up. FYI do NOT go looking under my bed. U don't wanna c what's under there. Tootles.

Sometimes you admire how well Logan uses text-talk but most of the time it irritates you, and he knows it, so he does it more than often.

Not too much making out? Now that's a lie you'll never forget, why else bring the her home to a hotel room where no parents can keep a watchful eye? And the part about not looking under his bed? Of course you would snoop, it's almost what you do best, other than sleeping over everyone's houses in Neptune because going home is just too much right now, of course.

You glance at the closed door and then duck down close to the bedroom floor and peer underneath the bed. A few boxes lay close together, some odd dirty laundry the cleaners never found... and a white coloured CD with black marker writing: Mix For Y/N. 

You quickly shuffle around through Logan's belongings, hoping to not find anything too incriminating, and finally pull out his old CD Walkman. You plug in your earphones and slip the CD inside, then press play. Immediately your ears are engulfed by loud screamo, intense guitar filled music and you almost yelp loudly-- almost. You pull the earphones away, still hearing the echo of the music even when they're no longer in your ears, and then find your phone to text Logan once again.

You: Wow. U are an idiot.

Logan: Hey! I told u not 2 look!

You: My ears are suffering.

Logan: UR own fault

You laugh quietly to yourself over his last text and then decide that chilling on Logan's bed with your own, non-screamo music plugged into your ears will just have to do for entertainment until his girl leaves. You've grown used to the Logan Smell, and it's not a bad smell either. You hope he doesn't mind you snuggling up in his blankets... soon, your eyes grow too heavy and sleep overcomes you all too quickly.

Hannah leaves, thankfully only a small kiss goodbye, and Logan's thoughts go suddenly to you. He feels guilty that he had to push you out of the living room, but thankful that there didn't seem to be any complaints. You don't know a lot about the murder case, but you believe Logan when he says he didn't do it. You don't know Hannah's connection to the case, or how her father falsely testified because of his link to the Fitzpatricks. 

Logan walks quietly towards his room, carefully listening out for any sound from within. He hears nothing so he decides to knock but there's no answer. When he opens the doors he immediately spots you curled up on top of his bed, wrapped loosely in some of his blankets, your MP3 Player still on and playing tunes. He nears the bed and watches you breathe rhythmically before carefully pulling away your earphones. He goes to leave but then notices the blankets aren't over your body completely, so he tucks you in and then closes the bedroom doors while he awaits his next guest outside on the couch. 

You wake up and notice your turned off MP3 Player, wrapped up in your earphones on the bedside table. You remember you're inside Logan's room and wonder if they've finally left or not. You rub the sleep from your eyes and get up from the bed. You twist the doorknob and open the door barely, to see. You hear voices, Logan's and a girl's. Blonde. But different, not the girl who was here before. Jeez, how many girls can he have over in one night? She turns around for a quick second and you realise it's Veronica Mars. You gasp close to inaudibly and back away from the door, right now you're on good terms with Veronica so if you walked out from Logan's bedroom... well... you know the history they have.

"It's alright, Y/N, you can come out."

Your eyes widen as you hear Logan speak and suddenly wonder if you could just hide under the bed instead. However, you know you can't just sit here now that he's mentioned your name, so hesitantly, you walk out of his bedroom, meeting eyes with Veronica. She smiles, although you can never tell if she means the friendliness behind it or not.

You smile back, "Hi... Veronica," you glance quickly at Logan who only seems to be amused by this, "It's seriously not what it looks like."

Veronica looks between both you and Logan.

Logan laughs, "Yeah, I had a surprise visit by a girl I've been seeing and... well Y/N had to go hide for me."

Veronica shakes her head, "Right, that girl, Hannah, huh? How's that working out for you?" You notice an edge to her voice, and wonder if it was on purpose or not.

He looks away, as if ashamed, and you suddenly wonder who this Hannah girl really is... "Fine Veronica. Just fine."

She then looks over at you, still no emotion that you can properly identify, and you're unsure if your good terms just turned to bad terms, "Are you staying here?"

You glance again at Logan who only shrugs at you, "Yes... Yeah, I am."

"You know, your friends are worried about you."

He quickly interjects, "Why would her friends be worried?"

She rolls her eyes, "Because Logan, Y/N hasn't been going to school much lately and she isn't staying at her own house anymore, clearly."

Logan looks to you, as if questioning you. He knew you weren't at home much these days, because of your being here obviously, but he didn't know you weren't making much of an appearance at school. You blamed him not seeing you on the very different class schedules you have, besides Journalism, but you would just excuse yourself by claiming you were busy taking photos for the articles. He usually didn't think much of it, at least, until now.

"You haven't been going to school?"

You look to your feet, "I... uh..."

Veronica turns to Logan quickly, "She's been staying here but you haven't noticed her disappearance from school? Are you kidding?"

He throws his arms up, while sitting down on the couch, out of frustration, "Haven’t you noticed I've been a little busy, you know, trying to clear my name of murder?" 

She shakes her head and doesn't reply.

You sit on the edge of the couch, looking at him apologetically, "Logan, I... I'm sorry I lied--

"If I ask how your day has been at school and you tell me that it was fine, I expect you to have actually been there--

You roll your eyes, this conversation quickly starting to sound like the ones you have with your parents on a daily basis, "Since when did school matter to you? Didn't you just blow off like two months of it with Dick and Beav's step-mom?"

Logan sits back into the couch defeated, although definitely pissed. Veronica doesn't say anything, although you do spot a sense of enjoyment out of all of this.

Veronica packs up her laptop and slings her bag over her shoulder, "I should probably get going, we can talk about your case tomorrow if you want." She passes Logan and heads towards the front door, "See you Y/N!" 

You sigh and regret what you said about Logan and Mrs Casablancas. "Logan, things at school," You sigh again, "Things at school are shit right now, and I didn't want to tell you about it all because you've let me stay here for the past couple of weeks and... I guess I didn't want to mess that up."

He doesn't look at you for a moment, but when he finally does, he seems to understand. "Why has it been shit?" His voice is quiet and genuinely caring; concerned.

You shrug, "Those friends Veronica were talking about... let's just say them worrying about me is a total lie. They just like to gossip. And my parents, well, you know all that."

He scoots closer to you on the couch, an arm wrapping around you to bring you closer to him, "Neptune is a shithole." His statement is so matter-of-fact you can’t help but laugh.

Shaking your head you reply, "I really am sorry though, I shouldn't lie to you if I'm staying here."

He sighs, "It's okay. I guess I don't expect you to tell me everything..."

You look up at him with a grin, "Why, because you don't tell me everything?"

His eyes widen, and he feigns shock, "Excuse me?"

"This Hannah girl, huh?"

He shakes his head, "That is nothing to worry about."

You screw your face up in confusion, "What's that supposed to mean?"

He leans his face close to you, his cheek brushing against your face, his nose almost touching yours, "It's just something I have to do."

"Something to do with the case?"

"Yeah," he says it quietly, almost too quietly, and you know whatever it is he's doing, he's not so proud of it.

"Don't get into any more trouble."

His body shakes with the laughter, "Starting to sound like... hmm... everybody I know."

You look into his eyes meaningfully, "I'm serious Logan, that night on the bridge must have been scary enough for you, you don't need anything else right now..."

Logan suddenly thinks back to the van that swooped him away unconsciously one night, after the bridge incident, when he woke up in some shed or warehouse with a man pointing a gun at him, playing Russian roulette with his dick. He hasn’t told anyone about that, and he probably won’t be sharing it with anyone any time soon. He looks at you seriously, no more Logan wit or sass, "I promise, I won't do anything to cause me anymore trouble, okay?" Although he says it, he’s not so sure how true that claim really is.

You lean in, only slightly closer, and squeeze him with your arms around his neck. “I know you hate it, but I’m only saying it because I care.” 

You begin to release him from your hug, but before you can settle back into the couch, he turns his head and follows you back into the cushioning. His lips touch yours and at first your startled by this kind of affection from him, but you kiss him back, your hands sliding up the back of his neck into his hair. He pushes you back so you lie down instead of leaning upwards, a gentle hand on your waist and the other leaning on the couch cushion. You continue kissing as his body brushes over yours, heated and impatient, your hands fumble at his shirt. He slips it off with ease and your unfortunately reminded of the many times he's had practice with all of this, but you push it to the back of your mind, well, more like it's forced back as he unbuttons your own shirt. He dips closer to you, his heated kisses leaving your lips and instead pressing on your neck, a trail of them left towards the center of your chest. 

Suddenly, two sharp knocks bang against the front door and your both apart in seconds. You look at Logan and he looks at you, him shirtless and you as good as it, both surprised but not regretful. His eyes cling to yours for a moment but then the door shakes again with a couple more knocks and your both reminded someone is waiting to be answered. He quickly kisses you again before picking up his shirt, telling you that whatever it was you both were doing is most definitely not over yet.

"Hello, guys? I left my phone!" Veronica's voice echoes from outside the hotel room and you quickly do up your shirt in haste as Logan answers the door.

Veronica walks in and quickly retrieves her phone but as she heads back towards the front door she eyes you, "Y/N, your buttons aren't done up right. Maybe I should knock a little longer before--

Logan shakes his head, pushing her out the front door, "Annoy, annoy like the wind, Veronica!" As he comes back towards the couch he smiles at your blushing cheeks, "Oh don't worry about it, Veronica isn't a gossip, just nosey." He kisses you gently and slowly, drawing it out for a moment before breaking away, "Now, where were we?"

[jamessandersweb]

13 Reasons Why: Confused About Jeff Atkins? Let's Check the Tapes

Still reeling from the loss of Jeff Atkins? So are we. With all of the flashbacks and dream sequences, 13 Reasons Why offers a lot to think about when it comes to Liberty High's star pitcher. For instance, did you realize Jeff's car accident happens prior to the events in the first episode? If you rewatch the season, you'll find Jeff only appears in Clay Jensen's flashbacks. Moreover, Jeff's death is the one Principal Bolan and many of the students are referring to when they mention a drunk-driving incident that rocked the community.

Because Jeff is mentioned in season two, you may want a refresher. Let's break down the six tapes that explain exactly what happened to Jeff Atkins.

Tape 2, Side A

Jeff makes his first appearance in the third episode. He sits in the library with Clay, his peer tutor. At first, the scene takes on the mundane appearance of high school life as the two argue over the proper use of the word "unique." However, the scene establishes two things: unlike most of the popular kids at Liberty High, Jeff's not quick to make harsh judgments about his classmates, and he's open to offering Clay advice about women.

Tape 3, Side A

The next time we see Jeff is in one of Clay's dream sequences. The pair meet on the bleachers during the Winter Formal and watch Hannah Baker sitting alone on the other side of the gymnasium. Jeff encourages Clay to dance with Hannah, but the dream then turns dark. Jeff stands in the bleachers, bleeding from his forehead, while he mocks Clay. The image is brief, but the moment hints at Jeff's fate and foreshadows Clay's emotional devastation.

Later in the episode, we once again see Jeff at the Winter Formal - but this time we experience a version of the truth through the combined perspectives of Hannah's tape and Clay's memories. While the boys argue about dancing, we learn Jeff made a bet that if he got a "C" or better on his next history paper, Clay would attend the formal. The detail seems trivial in the moment, but the information establishes that the pair have formed a bond. More importantly, we see Jeff's first official act as Clay's matchmaker, a task he continues until the night of his death.

Tape 3, Side B

For those with sharp eyes, this tape is the most revealing when it comes to Jeff as a permanent fixture of the past. His scene opens on Clay's comment to Sheri Holland: "I used to be a peer tutor." In that moment, Clay stops to look at the library station he shared with Jeff during their study sessions. The camera pans over Clay's shoulder, and we see a flashback of the two boys sitting across from each other. Then the perspective changes so that the guys are in the foreground and present-day Clay is in the background. Even though the scene revolves around a discussion about the Dollar Valentine Survey, the abnormal angles and perspectives highlight the remorse Clay feels for the loss of a friend he didn't even realize he had.

Tape 5, Side A

This is the first tape to directly refer to the circumstances surrounding Jeff's death even though we see very little of him in the episode. The thing that we do see is Clay running down the street at full speed. At the time, we don't know why he's running. However, the narration laid over the image is Hannah's recorded voice: "If I'd known what would happen, what that night had in store, I might never have walked through that door." She sets up a timeline that indicates three ominous things are on the horizon. The image of Clay running ties directly into one of them - Jeff's accident at the corner of Tanglewood and Bay Street.

Tape 5, Side B

In the 10th episode, we're given the full story of Jeff's death. The episode opens on the scene of his accident. The camera pans over the broken stop sign toward two cars in the distance. The sequence of events haven't been made clear yet, but we can see that Jeff's car has been T-boned by another vehicle, which would indicate that he ran the stop sign. Then the camera moves in closer to reveal Clay talking to a police officer, and we realize that he must have been first on the scene.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves here, so let's rewind.

The events of this tape occur on the night of Jessica Davis's party. For the sake of brevity, we'll fast forward through the non-Jeff parts. Essentially, Clay and Hannah get into an argument. This causes Clay to leave the party prematurely, and Jeff attempts to keep Clay around by inviting him on a beer run.

When Clay questions whether his friend is sober, Jeff replies, "Two beers, two hours ago. I'm good."

Nonetheless, Clay decides to walk home, which gives us our first and only solo moment with Jeff. We follow him back into the party where he asks Sheri to move her car so he can pull out of the driveway. This is how his death connects with the narration on Hannah's tape.

As Sheri leaves the party, she notices Hannah sitting at a piano and offers our heroine a ride home. Unfortunately, the girls crash into a stop sign when Sheri gets distracted by her cellphone charger. Hannah insists they report the incident, but Sheri refuses and leaves Hannah stranded on the side of the road. We know at this point that the downed stop sign is the same one from the beginning of the episode, and our stomachs knot as we put the pieces together.

Related:

How Old Is the Cast of 13 Reasons Why? An Age Investigation

Cut to Clay sitting alone on a playground where he hears the distant screech of wheels and a violent crash.

Then the episode leaves us in suspense for a few moments as Hannah goes into the Blue Spot Liquor Store to make a 911 call. That's where the story attempts to fake us out by indicating the police already received a call about an accident. Sadly, though, the truth trickles to the surface - Jeff died at the same intersection where Sheri demolished the stop sign.

In a touching scene with Jeff's parents, Clay tells them the truth about that night: "I was the first person to get there. I was walking home, and I heard the crash. I found Jeff. I found him. I don't know - I thought - I thought maybe I'd try CPR. Something. I don't know. It was me. I'm the one that called 911."

Clay then confesses he didn't think Jeff was drunk that night. As he says these words, the images that follow show Jeff dead in his car with alcohol bottles strewn across the floor and passenger seat. We know from earlier in the tape that the drinks don't belong to Jeff - they're actually part of the stash secured on his beer run. So for those of you who were worried, the accident wasn't Jeff's fault. The downed stop sign set the entire scenario into motion, and Jeff Atkins was the unfortunate victim of fate.

Tape 6, Side A

In case you've forgotten, this is Clay's tape. BUT when we look at the storyline through the filter of Jeff Atkins, this episode feels like an homage - a chance to say goodbye to the only popular kid at Liberty High who lived with compassion and decency.

The backdrop is still Jessica Davis's party, although this time we watch Jeff use the threat of torture and a wonky baseball metaphor to broker a connection between Clay and Hannah. In fact, Jeff's guardian-angel-like matchmaking skills are in full effect when he bluntly states, "Go talk to her, man. You're the reason she came." Not to mention, he suavely intercepts the beer-pong-loving interloper, Troy, who threatens to torpedo the couple's intimate conversation. And since the details of the accident transpire on the previous tape, we leave Jeff Atkins on this generous note.

For those of you still brokenhearted about the loss of our hero, take heart. We do get a brief appearance from his character in the seventh episode of the second season, but don't expect a new storyline. Just think fond thoughts of our beloved Jeff and know that he deserved better.

13 Reasons Why: Confused About Jeff Atkins? Let's Check the Tapes published first on https://filmstreaminghdvf.tumblr.com/

[letsgetnutsclub-blog]

2017

Previously posted by LGN XYZ on Facebook

Hello there.

Proper writers and ‘bloggers’ and that will have done their 2017 write ups already. Fortunately, we’re crap, and so we’re doing it now. It’s not quite over, but it’s pretty much over. The year. And other things.

That was a terrible intro. Quick! Look to the past!

Chronology

We were going to just move through the year, like these things often do, but on second thoughts: balls to that. Our memory’s knackered and we’re tired, and some FUCKING CUNT IN ANOTHER FLAT is banging the floor like they do. So let’s just group things in vague themes and crack on.

Oh, this’ll be us talking about music, by the way. We should have said that at the beginning.

Making a bloody racket

We love a bloody racket in musical terms, and oh man do we miss going for a boogie to a bit of drum ‘n bass. It’s a great finisher. Back when dubstep was newish, it was fine and all, but a set had to finish with d’nb or it was a snore. Hip hop’s good and all, but in a club it’s a bit samey and mid-tempo unless you ramp up to a bit of d’nb.

Anyway, at the beginning of the year, Emeli Sandé – yes, Emeli Sandé – put out an absolute banger. Breathing Underwater (Matrix & Futurebound remix) is an absolutely euphoric belter. Love it.

And euphoric rackets brings us onto PC Music.

We were already grooving along to Charli XCX’s Vroom Vroom EP. It’s a massive smash of fairly aggressively old/new sounding rave-ups.

It was from there, we think, we learned of your SOPHIE. In what will become a bit of a theme in this ramble, late to the party we discovered the PRODUCT stuff SOPHIE put out in 2015. Most especially we fell deeply, deeply in love with JUST LIKE WE NEVER SAID GOODBYE, which is an absolute beauty of a track. A drumless banger. Listening to it daily. LOVE.

Back to Charlotte, 2017 was the year where she evidently was setting some self challenge of releasing a new track every week or so. Of her fifty-seven collaboration, the Mura Masa one is our fave. Whilst that steel pipe (drum? glockenspiel?) sound is so very now it’ll sound so very old in a year or two, 1 Night is an undeniable tune.

But Number 1 Angel – Charli’s album-in-all-but-artist-description ‘mixtape’ – was a bit of a revelation. In 2016, the people’s queen of x Carly Rae Jepsen won everything with her album-not-an-album Emotion Side B, and in 2017 Charles did the same. This prompted us to launch our catastrophic opening hour gambit for LGNXYZ02, but more of that later.

Number 1 Angel is so great, we’ve conspicuously not listened to her SECOND bloody album-not-an-album Pop 2 – that she casually threw onto the stack at the end of the year, forming a pair of “I call them mixtapes” 2017 bookends – because we’re a bit scared and want to have time to appreciate it / holy fuck it’s got a standard to live up to.

Soz.

Anyway, the first of the two had a very snazzy website put together showing off the producers. A bunch of your PC Music sorts – SOPHIE, A. G. Cook, Danny L Harle...

Huge Danny is another we’d sort of let slip by. He did a song with Jeppo a while back, and we thought it was okay, but we’re NOT INTERESTED in anything Emotion-era that falls outside the Emotion and Side B+ sets (what Lil Yachty advert song? Huh?) and so we paid little more attention.

Anyway, he produced one of the best on N1A, called ILY2, and with a penchant for initialisms this year he released an EP called 1UL. We gave it a listen, and moved on.

But then later in the year, we moved back. And gave it many more listens. The title track (another with that bloody plonky percussion sound) is a great wee thumper.

It takes us a while to catch on sometimes. Soz 2.

Taking a while to catch on

Two big ones we got to late in similar fashion were songs by Tinashe and Dua Lipa.

Again, we listened to the albums when people were wanging on about them, and didn’t give them enough time. That’s one of the drawbacks of streaming. When we were kids, if we took a punt on an album, that fucker was getting listened to. It took us a good while to learn to love Breakbeat Era, but we put the effort in and got there. Now, we’re flighty and don’t give things the time.

But we love a good music video. And these two have absolute belters of music videos.

Company, by your Tinashe, is an incredibly impressive performance video. A single room, a few people, some cheaty edits to cover the joins in a sweatily energetic and near-relentless routine, it’s fucking great. She looks amazing. And the song, it turns out, is absolutely magic. A smooth-as-anything r’n’b thumper, with a very enjoyable bleepy noise thrown in there. From 2016, but for us it’s a 2017 jam.

And your Dua snuck in an all-conquering number 1 hit and vaulted from alt-pop to pop-pop on the back of an all-time great music video for New Rules.

The minor flaws of the slightly wonky head-nod bit and the girl getting accidentally whipped in the face by someone’s hair only make this gem shine brighter. It feels like a home-grown triumph – don’t spoil it for us by telling us it cost $1mil and was directed by someone super-established. The choreography is tremendous, the look is great, but more than anything the core concept is so strong, it’s hard to think of a narrative vid and a song that go together so beautifully. It’s so good. We rewatched it a zillion times.

And from love of the song and video came a love of the song. And going back to a few of her previous singles too. Well done, all involved.

Music videos are important

Maybe in 2018 we’ll get back into making them.

Dua became a big hitter thanks to that incredible music video. And some existing big hitters released some big videos too.

Katy Perry launched what is apparently now trad to call an ‘era’ with an astonishing music video for Chained To The Rhythm. A proper megabudget job, but really, really darkly bleak and upsetting. What with political things as they were and are, it is still genuinely affecting to watch. A big shiny pop video has never been so harrowing. It was a real “oh fuck, she means business” moment, and did the job in creating a massive wave of publicity for her doing ‘woke pop’.

She then followed it with a song making a blunt non-metaphor about fucking. Didn’t do so well.

We quite like Bon Appetit, though, and Swish Swish did a Sound Of The Underground whereby it grew on us a thousand percent thanks to hearing it sounding massive at a disco (Unskinny Bop, natch). Astonishingly bad video, though, providing a peculiar seesaw end to the ‘era’.

And unfortunately clashing with Taylor Swift bringing out her own megabudget megavideo.

Look What You Made Me Do is pleasing if only for the fact that it was another underline that big pop stars are still in the business of spunking big money on big videos. High score for spectacle, with odd grade slipping due to the fact the rush to get it finished evidently left the first half slightly out of sync.

The song’s alright, but Ready For It...? is the real banger. We dig it. Haven’t given the album more than one listen, though. Maybe we’ll come back to it.

Selena Gomez’s Bad Liar was a leftfield anti-pop pop smash that we liked and grew to like more. We’ve not given this video many rewatches because we find it faintly unsettiling in its own way (is she digitally de-aged in it? What’s going on?)

And switching musical directions in the reverse, Lorde came back with a surprise disco banger in Green Light. Again we weren’t sure at first, again it grew on us, again we played it at LGN. Our initial judgement is often pretty shaky.

What isn’t shaky however is our enduring love for Ariana Grande. LGN was in part built on a night round one of our houses, singing along to Spotify, accidentally playing Problem on loop and loving it. Confident outspoken feminist queen of casually shutting down douchebags whilst releasing banger after banger.

This year, the hundredth single off of Dangerous Woman, again an awesome video grew our love for a song. Everyday is a song that more or less passed us by on the album. But seeing her grooving around in her big puffer jacket whilst diverse snogging kicks off around her in the really fun video made it move up onto our faves list. She’s the best.

We’re not going to be able to say anything in this superficial and pointless ramble to do justice to the fucking awful nightmare of what happened in Manchester, so we shan’t try. It’s heartbreaking, and the One Love response had us in tears.

Memory

George Michael died last Christmas, and as with David Bowie and Prince, it shamefully took his death for us to dig back into his music. And in George’s case, fuck we remembered some belters. Freedom ‘90 is an incredible tune, and one we played to triumphantly finished LGN04. His cover of As with Mary J Blige is ace. Multiple Wham! megasmashes which should have been on our playlist all along, apologetically we remembered them.

We also reminded ourselves what an incredible album Music Box is. Can’t remember what inspired us to have a bit of a Mariah Carey dig – perhaps just closing with her as queen of Christmas in the last 2016 LGN, and then rehearsing the lyrics to Hero when we wanted to close with it this year. A very, very strong closer. So good we chose it twice.

And you know who else we rediscovered this year? All Saints, mate. We saw them live (supported by Melanie C and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, thankyouverymuch) and it was everything. They looked incredible, they sounded incredible, they played the old hits and the new hits, they looked like they were having a fun old time of it, it was brilliant. We never saw them way back when, but this was pretty unbeatable. They played Chick Fit, which made us happy as that is an underrated smash. And they made us check out the new album. AGAIN, something we slept on when we first heard it, but One Strike is a top tier groover. Hurrah.

The joy of being part of a pop crowd

The All Saints gig was at Kew Gardens, and we were wary of it being a yummy mummy sitdown picnic fest. Which it was, but with a dancing area right in front of the stage, which meant we could get right in a wee crowd of heroes to boogie around like it was an awesome club gig.

AND SPEAKING OF AWESOME CLUB GIGS. We saw Yelle. For the somethingth time, always great, and this time in Canada.

We were a bit wary early on as the support DJs were kicking out some ace danceable tunes and the crowd was extremely sparse, an the venue inside was very swish and new which can sometimes be a bit of an atmosphere cooler. But when they came on, the crowd packed the dancefloor and it went off. Banger after banger after banger. Yelle chucked out a bunch of singles in 2017, all ace, all massive live, adding to a set of just the best fun jumping around pop joy. Love love love.

We were in Canadia for a hol, but deliberately coincided it with Tegan & Sara doing a hometown Con X show. This wasn’t a rave-up, was in a big modern concert hall, stripped down and partially acoustic-y. But was the joy of being a part of another sort of crowd. A crowd that love Tegan & Sara. T&S spent two albums doing the big pop thing, and it seems like they’ve had enough of it for now.

On stage and in interviews, they’ve spoken of how they wanted to be prominent queer voices in the mainstream, but now want to retreat a bit because the mainstream is gross. They spoke of playing big festival and support slots with the audience not really giving a shit. So here they were, playing a big small show for an audience who really gave a shit. It was wonderful.

Two days later, and well over a day without sleep, we were back in London, in another big modern concert hall, seeing Camille at the Barbican. Camille is someone you really should see live. Her albums are often beautiful, and floaty, and dreamily lovely. Live, she turns it into a big thumping dance performance. We can’t describe it without making it sound several times more shit than it is; it isn’t shit at all. It’s clatteringly, physically brilliant.

New love

In a not dissimilar fashion, Chela’s Bad Habit video is worth a look. It came out this year, and has the handclaps and odd clothing and weird dance moves that aren’t a million miles from Camille’s show. We’d never heard of Chela before, but liked this song and video. And it prompted us to look into what else she’d done.

And holy fuck, she’s incredible. No album, a bunch of scattered singles over a few years, but such tunes. And so captivating to watch. It helps that she’s beautiful, but it extra helps that she’s got fully awesome seemlingly-DIY dance moves. We watched the video to Romanticise a million times. More than New Rules. It’s just her grooving around in a single shot, a few digital paint splashes here and there, but it’s fucking great, and the song is an absolute bop. A megabop.

We were hyper obsessed with Romanticise for weeks, playing it pretty much daily. It’s SO GOOD. And in the past week or so, we’ve gone the same for Handful Of Gold. Go and watch it, again and again. We can only hope Chela decides to pop over to London this year, because we will be there with our shapes ready to be thrown. She’s fucking great.

Four discos

Oh aye. We put on some discos.

In 2016, there were three LGNs. In 2017, there were four.

For LGN04, Saturday 4th February, we moved to sunny Dalston and the Moustache Bar Dalston and had a good old time. The now trad quiet beginning, and hopeless flyering of the empty streets, gave way to a busy crowd by the end. Someone requested Martha and went nuts for it when we played it, which was ace.

LGN05 was just one month later, on Satuday 11th March. We felt bad for the few people who came early doors, and we made a real mistake running out to futilely flyer again rather than start a dancefloor amongst ourselves. But again it came good, chums arrived, and the crowd again filled in at the end and was so happy singing along we did a double finish (there’s little better than having a crowd belting out Hero AND It’s All Coming Back To Me Now one after the other).

And then the Let's Get Nuts crew had a bit of a crisis meeting. It’d become very stressful, three of us organising a disco together, and we were getting a bit narked with each other. We had all sorts of extra-disco things to worry about, and rather than break up as chums, we decided to break up as a disco. Or at least go on hiatus, like your One Directions or your Sleater-Kinneys.

But here at LGN XYZ, we really needed the continuing distraction, and so spun off to do basically the same thing, just with fewer people prepping it and poking at the iPad. Our LGN chums still chums, they thankfully came along to provide incredible and invaluable dancing support.

We approached The Victoria and they gave us a post-gig slot on Friday 19th May. Like absolute idiots, we figured we’d inherit something of a built-in audience – the venue being home to G R R L S and PINK GLOVE, and us following a Two Piece Records gig. We kind of didn’t, and had another harrowingly quiet beginning as people were spread out within the actually-pretty-big pub.

But again – AGAIN – it came good.

Our chums kept us going early doors. A heroic solo-discoer was there throughout and encouraged our riot grrly tendancies. And a trio of Charlotte and Jeppo lovers cheered our alt-pop hearts. By the end, we had people strutting to Shamir and raving it up to N-Trance.

You can read about LGNXYZ01 in a separate post where we blethered on about that, and about LGNXYZ02, which on Friday 10th November brought us back to The Star of Kings, in our follow-up jibber.

And so that was that

2017, in bits of music there.

Run The Jewels probably deserve a mention too, as they keep our ear into a bit of hip-hop, whilst we’ve drifted away from paying much attention otherwise. Kanye’s still on heavy rotation. Lizzo popped out a couple of new bops. And Fiona Apple’s 2012(!) album The Idler Wheel... remains our go-to when we’re not feeling big and poppy and want to feel some feels and sing along with something sadder.

And in fact, let’s finish with something really emotional.

Annie Hardy, from your Giant Drags, put out an album called Rules at the beginning of the year. It packs a fucking whallop. Her partner and baby died the years before, and some of the songs are about that. It’s a record that can really kick the shit out your heart.

Start 2018 as you mean to go on.

This was an odd way to end this long and rambling post, wasn’t it? Ah well, it’s happened now.

Happy new year. x