#they are so silly I really want to see their interactions in s5

[macaroonkitti]

the monkey bros (Macaque and Wukong) doodle pls <3

Average post-season 3 interaction between these two idiots

[reiderwriter]

Hello there baby, are your parents bakers? Cause you're a cutie pie lol sorry couldn't resist the urge to flirt with my favorite writer💕How have you been? How was your day? I wish you a wonderful day and a lovely night💕

It's my first time here sending an ask but lately I've been thinking about shy!Spencer x flirty!reader, I just think is such a cute couple.

So if you're taking requests, I was thinking about early seasons Spencer completely falling for the reader and the way she's so flirty but sweet and kind, the way he'd be blushing hard at anything she says and how he'd like the way she's always touching him cause he felt cherised and desired.

It could be fluff or smut or both cause I can picture them going slow with the relationship but Spencer being eager to please her and show how much he loves everything about her.

You said about choosing a emoji, so can I be the 🐇anon?

A/N: Thanks for the request! Shy Spencer is the best because he's so dumb and silly and doesn't realize when people are attracted to him. I've said it before, but he's basically every nerdy main character in 00s romcoms that are "unattractive" because they wear glasses. I hope you enjoy the fic~♡

Warnings: mentions of case details, slight spoilers for upto s5

With a degree in law and a deep-rooted hatred of businessmen, you'd certainly found your calling in one of the FBI White Collar divisions. Putting away the sleazy bastards was easily one of the biggest perks of the job, but every coin had a second side, and yours was you actually had to interact with the cretins before you could take them down. 

You'd dealt with bribes, dinner invites, and sexual propositions more than a time or two, and had to remind yourself that kicking anyone of them clean in the balls was most likely a firing offense, if not legally off the table. 

The man in the case you were currently working - possibly Bill Hodges, possibly Daniel Brady, possibly so many more men - had been a typical white collar freak until he'd moved on to murder. And when you'd been so close to nailing his ass for fraud, too. 

You'd had no choice but to call in whatever unit it was that actually got to put bullets in the bastards, sure that you were going to be strong-armed out of months of work for the glory of taking down a spree killer. 

Instead, you got Spencer Reid, delivered freshly to your desk like a lamb to slaughter. 

“Sorry, you're the agent from the BAU?” You asked, raking your eyes across his body, smiling at his obvious discomfort with the attention. 

“Yes, Doctor Reid. I'm here for more information on the Hodges files.” 

You dusted your skirt off as you stood, moving around the desk to grab the file. You held it out to him but pulled it back when he reached for it.

“I'm sorry, you're really in the BAU?” An embarrassed look fell across his face, and you instantly felt shitty. 

“Do you want to see my credentials?” 

“No, I'm sorry, it's just - I wasn't expecting someone so…pretty?” 

The embarrassed look deepened to a flush, and you brightened at the sight. You weren't lying. He really was pretty, and you hoped your comment hadn't come off as patronizing. 

“You're adorable. Here's the file, I’ll be at your team briefing in half an hour. Spencer, right?” 

He nodded, finally waking up and taking the files as you pushed it against his chest, using the movement to step slightly closer. 

“I'll see you later then,” you trailed your look down, getting a good look at all of him before meeting his eyes again. “Save me a seat?” 

“I should… I'll, uh, go now. Thanks for the-” he stammered, pointing to the file, backing out of your space slowly, like an animal trying not to show its back to a predator. 

Unlike the long line of scumbags filling the halls and case files of your floor, Spencer was without bravado or ego. His lack of both meant that you were interested. You were very interested. 

Half an hour later, you practically sprinted to the 6th floor, bouncing up the stairs to the office where you'd take your meeting like a giddy school girl. 

“Hello, sorry, I'm not late, am I?” You asked, quietly opening the door and letting yourself in. 

“Agent Y/N, no, perfect timing, Penelope was just about to brief us on your case,” Hotch said, rising and giving your hand a firm shake. He looked around to find a seat to usher you into, but you quickly dropped yourself into the seat right beside Spencer Reid, grin deepening as he flushed and offered you an awkward yet endearing smile. 

Unconsciously, you shifted closer, shooting him your own smile before the meeting officially began, and you were forced to keep a straight, serious face. 

The entire case progressed in much the same way, with you doing everything you could to fluster Spencer Reid and him doing everything in his power to convince himself you were being friendly. 

“Spencer, do you have a phone number?” You asked after slipping out of the meeting, trailing him back to his desk. 

“Yeah, we have to keep connected for cases, so I have a phone.” 

“Great. Your number - what is it?” 

He rattled off the digital as you scribbled them down on a notepad. 

“And Hotch's number is-” 

“Oh, I won't need that. Thanks, Spencer.” You said waving as you left to slink back to your desk. You could hear him calling out behind you, confused. 

“Y/N… Y/N, we split up on cases often, if there's an incident and you need to contact us it's better to have all of the team members numbers,” he panted, jogging to catch up with your focused pace. 

“If I need to contact you, I'll take myself to Agent Garcia’s office and use her direct line,” you said, finally stopping yourself at the elevator and pressing the button. 

He caught up, and stopped abruptly next to you. 

“Oh… oh, yeah that's… that's efficient.” 

You stepped onto the elevator when it arrived, leaving Spencer hesitating whether or not to climb in himself, desperately wondering why you'd ask for his number then. 

“Goodbye, Doctor Reid,” you said, pressing the door close button and blowing him a kiss just before the doors blocked you from sight. 

To tell the truth, you'd had a lot of fun flirting with Spencer on the phone from Penelope’s office during the case. The woman was an inspiration, even if her flirting had a completely different purpose and meaning than your own. Her friendship with Derek Morgan was admirable, but you didn't want to be friends with Spencer Reid. 

“Hello, handsome, what can I do for you today?” You asked, picking up the phone and basking in the stammers that answered you down the line. 

“D-Do you need me to get Morgan for you?” He said, his voice treading lightly. 

“Unless Derek Morgan has, overnight, managed to turn into a 6’1 Doctor with a penchant for cardigans and leather satchels and an IQ of 187, then I am absolutely not looking for him. I have case details.” 

He brushed past your comment, but he kept the slight stammer through the conversation, right until you signed off. 

“Until next time, sexy.”

“Um, yeah… thanks…beautiful?” he signed off, and you guffawed in laughter even as Penelope stared wide-eyed in your direction, not believing her ears. 

“Please forgive our little test tube genius. We forgot to add flirting skills to his childhood curriculum, and now, alas, the poor thing doesn't know a damn thing.” 

He'd called back a few hours later, and you'd purred more compliments down the line, but this time with the team surrounding him as they closed in on your unsub. 

“Hello, this is beautiful speaking. How may I help you?” You giggled down the line, picking up the call after only a single ring. 

“Y/N,” he breathed, catching his breath awkwardly as he struggled to remember why it was you were needed. 

“So… um, like… Hotch has a question about the files you sent earlier. He needs Penelope to… do something as well.” 

You could almost see the awkward nod through the phone. 

“Great. Pass me over to Hotch, then, hot stuff.” 

You heard the tell-tale sound of Derek Morgan’s cackle in the background, and you couldn't help but let another giggle slip out. You were a gonner, and, hopefully, so was he. 

The case wrapped quickly after that, spree killing being a quick game of cat and mouse out of necessity. You weren't happy with three bodies, but it sure as hell was preferable to more. 

You greeted the BAU team at the jet hanger as they returned, reclaiming your fraud files for paperwork and using that simple chore as a reason to get close to Spencer again. 

“Good work out there, Doctor Reid.” 

“What, he's not hot stuff anymore now he's in front of you?” Emily Prentiss laughed, throwing her go bag onto her shoulder and trailing behind where you'd started strolling alongside Spencer. 

“Oh, he's still hot stuff. He's just hot stuff with three PhDs that just stopped a spree killer,” you said, sighing dreamily. “How do you do it?” 

“We were all there too, you know,” the other woman chuckled as you made it inside the building and to the elevator. 

“Yeah, well,” you said, taking a second to reach out and straighten out Spencer's skewed tie, smoothing his jacket and generally just touching him in whatever way you could, respectfully. 

You didn't even bother to finish your sentence, just leaning closer to his ears and whispering directly into them. 

“You're very cute when you're flustered, Doctor Reid.” 

You stepped away for a second while the rest of his team teased him, stepping to the back of the elevator to ascend to your floor while the others departed on theirs. 

They filed out one by one and you sent them off with a smile and a wave, signing in defeat as you realized there was no longer a reason for you to interact with the good doctor ever again. 

If you weren't so stupidly aware of him, you'd almost have missed the fact that Spencer didn't leave the elevator when his teammates did. He instead turned to you and, with the brightest red you'd seen on his face to date, stammered out half a sentence. 

“I.. Y/N, I was just… curious, if you, by any chance…” 

Your eyes widened in joy as you anticipated his question, silently begging him just to spit it out. 

“I was wondering, i-if you had… a boyfriend?” By the end of his sentence, even he seemed unsure of whether that was a question he should really be asking. 

You'd been throwing heart eyes at him for says, and he was asking if you were in a committed relationship. 

“No,” you said slightly breathily, as if your body were trying to expel all the anticipation it had stupidly built up. “No, I don't have a boyfriend, Spencer.”

“Great okay,” he smiled, a boyish grin if you'd ever seen one, before backtracking quickly.

“Well not great for you, great for me. Not that you can't be happy alone, I don't know how you feel about…romantic entanglements and I-I-I’m not saying that your life isn't,” he searched for the words with his hands, as of he could grasp them as a life line while he was sinking fast. “-Great without a boyfriend or anything like that, I'm just - really - pleased that position is currently… vacant?” 

“Spencer?” You said, feeling like a cat who got the cream as a smile twitched at your lips, pulling the corners up as you listened to him ramble. 

“Yes?”

“Do you want to be my boyfriend  or are you asking for a friend?” 

You'd meant the words as a joke  but he stood contemplating for a second. You pushed a hand against your mouth to suppress the childish squeal from popping out. 

“It would be a bit presumptuous to shoot straight for boyfriend, right? How about date ....partner?” 

You couldn't stop yourself from closing in on him then, practically cornering him in the elevator as the floors passed you by.

“Presumptuous would be thinking I could have a boyfriend when I've been begging you to stick your tongue down my throat with my eyes for the last half hour. I thought they taught you body language at the BAU?” 

“They teach us how to catch criminals, not how to see when someone is giving us…fuck me eyes, Y/N.” The curse left you a little dizzy - this was it, this was what you'd been trying to do all week, to get under his skin and get him to let his guard down so you could capture him. 

“Doctor Reid, I'm a little scandalized! I didn't know you swore. What a dirty mouth you have.” You reached up with both hands, letting your thumb on his lips before pretending to wipe something away at the corner of his mouth. You were in the perfect position to notice his throat bob as he swallowed.

The elevator pinged at your floor, and you left him behind you with one last swipe of your fingers at his chin. You weren't expecting him to follow, but he did.

“Y/N…please, Y/N…. Can we just…?” You relished the awkwardness in his voice as he trailed you again, a satisfied smile settling onto your face. 

You just kept walking. Or you did until you felt a large hand wrap around your wrist and pull you sideways into the nearest storage cupboard. 

You gasped as he pinned you to the wall, close not, but his eyes still hesitant on what to do next. 

“Spen-” He cut you off with his lips on yours, silencing you before you could get the final word. His lips were clumsy at first, but you felt hot under his touch  arching yourself up into him. His tongue pushed into your mouth as he found his stride, your hands tangling in his hair as you held on for dear life.

This was it. This was what you'd been waiting for. 

Reluctantly, he pulled away, both of you gasping for breath to fill your suddenly empty lungs. 

“Was that….what… you wanted?” He panted, resting his head on yours. 

There were no words. It was what you wanted but now you wanted more, needed more. You settled for a quick nod as your tongue flamed, unable to say anything helpful. 

“Good. Great…” he removed his hands from you and scratched at the back of his neck, putting a more respectful distance between the two of you as he cleared his throat. 

“I'll just-” he pointed to the door and started making his way out. You sighed again, watching him walk away down the hall, his hair a mess, his tie askew, and a whole lot of your lipstick staining his lips. 

Surely, he'd notice by the time anyone else did. If not, you'd just effectively staked your claim on Doctor Spencer Reid, and you couldn't be happier about it.  

[cloudycleric]

tl;dr for my bi vs gay mike truthers video

basically, summarized, through my own research ive concluded... mike wheeler is....

unlabeled!!

i don't think the whole bi vs gay mike truthers thing needs to be a thing. like i dont get why it was ever as controversial as it was. you can very much interpret the first few seasons of stranger things through the lens that mike wheeler did in fact have a crush on el. or, you can support the theory that neither of them had a crush on each other, but mike felt a sort of comp-het impulse to have a crush on el. whichever theory you support is fine.

but, (if you believe this) just because mike never had a crush on el doesn't mean he can't be bisexual, mike could very well be gay as well & only experience attraction to men, but honestly, who cares! i don't think we need to force a label onto mike if the show doesn't want to give him one (yet, if they do in s5, i will update this).

being a bi mike truther doesn't erase mike's obvious queerness, & being a gay mike truther doesn't make you biphobic. it's just not how it works. at the end of the day, mike wheeler is queer in some way shape or form whether he chooses to identify as gay, bisexual, unlabeled, or whatever the fuck he wants.

i'm learning different styles of literary theory & criticism in my english classes right now, & i think something that they said in the class about criticism & theory about writing (& various forms of media, it doesn't just have to apply to writing) is that criticism & theory helps us see stories & interpret things in an infinite number of ways, & i think that's really nice. the only problem is when people start declaring their theories as true.

i've fallen into this, i'm sure a lot of bylers have, into the over analysis train. as much as i love theorizing about byler, looking at the cinematography & writing & editing & lighting & whatever, at the end of the day, we're all just theorizing based on the evidence that is presented to us. just because a light shines on will doesn't necessarily mean that mike sees him as his sunshine & true love, but we can definitely theorize that that's what it means! & after byler is confirmed canon in s5, (or god forbid it's not), we can finally have a resting answer to our theories. but again, a story is a story, you can still have theories about it even if the show is over.

it's your choice whether or not you want bi/gay mike truthers to interact with your page, it's your social media experience & you should be able to tailor it to how you see fit. the only thing i get upset about is the fighting over it. i just think the whole super heated debate about it is a bit silly.

anyway, that's my two cents. this was longer than what i thought it was gonna be & honestly more comprehensive than the video, so. i hope this makes sense. if you're a gay mike truther, you're valid. if you're a bi mike truther, you're valid. if you're an unlabeled mike truther, your valid. if you're using your analysis & theories as facts & as justification to be mean to others over the internet, you are in fact NOT valid.

[runninguplenorahills]

what's on your s5 wishlist? the silly, goofy things!!!

Omg that’s a cool question, thank youu!🌟

The time is probably gonna be put to better use next season, but I would really want a Hopper/Mike interaction in which Hopper apologizes for wtf was going on in s3💀. I love Hopper but s3 was not it! It was such a drastic change in character and especially after s2 Hopper’s attitude towards Mike in s3 doesn’t make sense. And that hug at the end of s4 was far from enough confirmation that everything’s okay between them imo. Especially if we’ll actually get an interaction between them next season I think they should take the time to have Hopper explain and apologize. 5mins max! That’s all I’m asking for.

I need scoops troop to split up! And they probably will, like, Dustin’s so gonna be with the party next season, but what I’d actually really like to see is Robin, Vickie and Erica all being in a group together. Idk, I just kinda feel like this has potential to be funny but also meaningful and I’d love that! (I know Erica and Robin are both in scoops troop but to me it’s just important that Robin and Dustin don’t spent every single second with Steve💀).

Some kind of Joyce and Mike interaction! Anything really, I need it!

KALI! I want her back! I need her back!

Ted making an outta pocket comment about El 😭

Ok this will sound very bad but imo getting rid of characters like Troy and well, Troy, was one of the dumbest things they did. Simply because getting rid of the bullies makes the main characters feel less like outcast and the fact that they’re outcasts is a huge deal. It’s important. Like, no one can tell me that they had the impression that the party were outsiders while watching s3💀. And I kinda miss that. I miss seeing that yeah, they’re the outsiders but they find strength within each other. I miss it being shown the way it was in s1! So, again, this sounds bad but if we’ll see the party back at school in s5 I need a scene where they get bullied. But not without a purpose of course.

Mike coming out to Karen. Would also actually really love for Mike to come out to Lucas and Dustin but the show’s definitely headed for a Mike/Karen coming out scene.

Karen getting involved in the upside down stuff! I personally think she will but who knows?

I need them to come up with the worst plan ever and for a Mike to be like: “you can’t be serious!”

Yk what would be really fucking great? If we got to see wtf happened during the 2days time skip💀

Aaaaand that’s it. Because everything else on my wishlist is way too elaborate to put here lmao

Thank you so much for the ask <33333

[lnc2]

idk why people think the ladrien dynamic would be the marichat dynamic now that the sides are shifting (expanding) reciprocation like these are not the same people to each other??? ladybug isn't chat noir so why would she act like him and adrien is not marinette so why would he act like her? also this is not a s1 blank slate this is s5 and these characters all have history together every interaction every side has ever had with each other informs everything they do now.

ladrien s5 is completely about the ramifications of strike back. it was never going to be nor should people want it to look like anything we've seen in the past for other sides because it's not other sides.

s5 we're seeing these boxes break down. in the same way marichat is not the new ladrien and ladrien is not the new marichat adrinette is not the new ladynoir nor is ladynoir the new adrinette.

marinette isn't going to be calm and silly around adrien like ladybug was around chat noir because that's not what she does. she's panicky and confused and so so scared and that's the battle adrien is going to have to fight. likewise i don't expect to see ladybug falling over herself trying to get with chat noir in any major or meaningful way because she is convinced that any relationship, but especially with him, will result in the apocalyptic chat blanc timeline.

ladybug and adrien i expect will be awkward around each other in the way that they will be trying to reconcile their new feelings with their old feelings while dealing with this sense of guilt that hangs over both their heads- ladybug for not knowing it was felix she was handing the miraculous over to and adrien for switching places in the first place and believing he's responsible for the whole mess.

marinette and chat noir's dynamic i expect will be some echo of what we've seen in past seasons– maybe just shyer or more uncertain. historically marichat scenes have been the vehicle through which marinette has been able to see the more serious/softer side of her partner and adrien has been able to find out more about marinette's mysterious crush. with marinette's skittishness around adrien as himself i'm sure there will be some big question in his mind when he interacts with her as chat noir– who is buttercup? where does adrien stand? is she really "over" chat noir like she said before and how can he steer her towards his civilian self if at all. meanwhile marinette believes chat noir has fully moved on from ladybug and she feels like she's too late so she'll be uncertain and wondering if she really did miss her chance, why it matters when she can't date anyone in the first place, and who exactly is chat noir crushing on now. idk how any marichat scenes will play out but i imagine these are the big questions that will hang over these interactions.

but ultimately what i think this season is working towards is the full unraveling of the gordian knot that's been woven between these two so that they can come out the other end knowing each other as the complete picture, marinette and adrien, ladybug and chat noir, two kids who very much love each other and want to call each other nauseating nicknames and have creepy cabbage patch children.

and idk i think that's exciting and i wished we embraced the nuance of the square when we talk about the dynamics more.

anyways i'm hype for this season

[raayllum]

just wondering, whenever you go off about the cube placement (which like, iconic✨) are you focusing on which sides are in frame for the scene/moment, or what is currently facing on top? or does that change depending on circumstance? not sure if that makes sense but just curious :)

I typically focus on whatever we're seeing most overtly - so whatever sides are noticeably in the frame! As well as what's being discussed or happening in the scene around the cube to like, provide context. Obviously not every single rune placement or whatever is always important, that'd be silly and nigh impossible if you want to keep a certain amount of consistency in terms of how the cube is like, physically laid out, but what consistency is there is interesting and paints some very exciting pictures

So now is as good a time as any to talk about it I guess!

[ Side note: A simple layout of the cube is that Sky and Star are opposite (usually depicted as top and bottom), with Earth and Moon being opposite, followed by Sun and Ocean being opposite all wrapping around the other two. ]

1x04, the Cube's first appearance

In a box of keys in the game room of the Banther Lodge. We see Star (I), Ocean (I), and Moon (I) depicted.

A few things interesting about this arrangement that's interesting is that the Cube did not have to be laid out this way. You could've kept Ocean on display, kept Star, and had Earth on display as well (the way we see it depicted a second later in S2 with foreshadowing S4 etc). My first thought was Oh maybe they wanted the Star primal facing upright specifically (or upside down the way it is on Aaravos' chest). But we don't see either of those either. The Star primal isn't facing either up or upside down, it's just there. Which seems peculiar given that it's clearly always been associated with the Star primal. The only reason to necessarily frame it like this (if there is one) is because you actively want Moon to be on display for the Cube's first appearance, which is... something we will routinely come back to, just you wait

But the second shot of the cube is definitely the one that we're probably the most familiar with in terms of the show drawing attention to it, with Star (II) on top, Earth (I) to the left, and Ocean (II) to the left

We don't see the cube again until the very end of the episode in which Rayla tosses it to Callum and reaffirms the Game motif surrounding the Cube / Aaravos' machinations in some of my favourite pieces of future foreshadowing

A piece from a children's game

It's our first strong instance of Sky (I) and yet again, Earth (II) and Ocean (III) which takes the primary spot in this shot, for sure. Which just lends itself very well to the theory of both Aaravos' prison being in the Sea of the Cast Out, under the water, and that he will likely be set free in Book 5: Ocean, which is all but confirmed to be the title of S5.

Then Callum drops it and it interacts with his primal stone and we learn that it's a glow cube with possibly more secrets in store than he realizes ;)

1x05 Viren Foreshadowing

Next time we see Callum with the cube it's in early 1x05 (which Rayla has already noted his fixation with it in the novelization by this point / on this fine morning) and it's directly after Viren has used a butterfly to disguise/heal his corrupted form. This is similar to how Claudia's fiery dark magic smoke transitions into the primal cube storm in 1x04. We see Callum looking at the Star rune (III) with nothing else really in focus.

You can see Sun vaguely below Star, but it's not sharing the frame in the same way we've seen before. One interesting thing I've noticed in shots about the Cube is that generally, Sun is displayed very rarely, and so is Earth, outside of its purposeful Ocean-Earth-Star trifecta. This absence of Sun has always struck me given the Sunfire elves have the most overt history with Aaravos up to this point: the murder of Queen Aditti, the Sun primal being able to remove dark magic (and therefore Aaravos being able to possess/control people), Khessa's murder, Karim's "This rising sun has now become a falling star," the Orphan Queen's title logo having a Sun primal symbol.

And again, the Star primal is not facing upright, so it doesn't need to look like that - except for the next shot, which features Ocean (5) and Moon (IIII) while Callum ponders the cube, again

Callum then uses the Cube on the primal stone again and we get a ton of Sky and Ocean (aka makes sense, since we want to establish the Ocean rune is there later for this episode in particular and Callum's arc with Sky magic).

Then he uses it on Rayla, leading to yet another piece of foreshadowing that haunts me the most

1x05 Foreshadowing Boogaloo

What gets me here is again, did not need to have Star (IIII) be what was in this shot at all, and that when Rayla initially stops him, his upper arm and the cube is mostly out of frame. She then pulls him down and brings the cube directly into frame to the point of taking up half the space while she continues her trend of ominous Cube foreshadowing statements. Last time it was "I hope it was worth it to you, putting everyone's lives in danger," this time in response to Callum messing with magic / interacting with her, she says, "This doesn't end well for you" and we also get a little glimpse of Ocean (6) and of course, Moon (5) most prominently in display

We see a rare Sun (I) display with Bait and then again we see it in the boat with Star (5) and Ocean (7), as well as Moon (6) while he contemplates why it is glowing (but I hand-wave that under just wanting a shot change for the scene in general and then we don't see it at all for a few episodes until 1x09

1x09 Moon Arcanum Foreshadowing

Its involvement in 1x09 is almost surely to foreshadowing Callum's initial inklings with the Moon (7) arcanum that S2-S4 have kept building on, as well as setup for Lujanne's illusions being well, illusions, ahead of time

Ironically we see the cube less in S2 but it's arguably the season where we learn the most about it, with Callum's sad "It doesn't glow for me" scene in 2x01. However, the scene doesn't actually have him looking a the Sky (III) arcanum until the very end. They actually give a moment to stroke and consider the Moon (8) arcanum first, since that was his initial let-down with Lujanne, and we see the typical other trifecta of Moon-Star-Ocean when he first picks it up

We don't see the cube again until 2x06 and it's the Big One, arguably, with

An elven archmage named Aaravos

Which, I think the displays of Star (7), Moon (9), Earth (3), Ocean (9), and the context of the letter being bookended by Harrow's gifts to Callum (the sketchbook memory, and now the cube), the fact this is when it is called a Key, etc. with Ocean most prominently on screen, all speak for themselves. Like just... everything? Good. Good

2x07 and Merging Metaphors

The scene between Callum, Rayla, and Bait about the cube is one of the most important I think for the framing of the language used to describe the Cube because it's the first scene to reconcile the "Cube as a Game piece" motif (started in 1x04 by Callum) directly with the "Cube as a Key" language (started lowkey in 1x04 by Callum, but completely dropped until the letter the previous episode). Here, we have Callum musing, "He said it was a key, but a key to what?"

We see Sky (5) primarily - makes sense, as Callum will be connecting to / unlocking the secret of that particular primal pretty shortly - and Ocean (10), which if Aaravos' prison is under water and is unlocked by the end of Book 5 and he requires the Key to get out, it would make a lot of sense.

And then Rayla walks out, merging the metaphoric and literal language into one: "You practicing magic or are you losing to Bait at a game of rolly-cubes?"

And you would think given that the scene is discussing Callum's anxieties over not being a Sky mage and that again, like the previous half of this scene, would highlight the arcanum he's going to connect to. But it doesn't

Instead we yet again see Star (8), Ocean (11), and Moon (10), the Moon rune being lit up by Rayla as they agree on needing a breakthrough.

The 2x08 Dark Magic Dream Sequence

Don't have the bandwidth / space to include all the pictures because there is a lot here but: Earth (4) and Ocean (12) are most prominently displayed when he lifts it out of the pile of keys. The Dark Mage Callum card for "dig deep" on the game Battlecharged features Callum holding the Cube with the Moon (11) rune displayed as he lifts it out from another angle as well, so fuck it, I'm counting that implication. Then the Sky (6) rune changes from its original form to the dark magic sigil. However I find these shots the most eye emoji in terms of implications, particularly if next season is Ocean (12) and things with the Cube go the way I think they might and/or Callum has an incentive to do dark magic (the coins with the Moon fam perhaps?)

Then of course all the sides of the Cube turn to the dark magic sigil to symbolize Callum's perceived destiny closing around him (and before that, dark Callum's "You need to accept your destiny" having Moon and Ocean once again the most prominently displayed).

In 2x09 we don't actually see any symbol beyond the Sky (7) rune nor is there a moment after Callum's achievement where we see him hold the rune up to himself for a full circle moment (also leaving more of the Cube's more negative associations / implications fully intact). 3x02 probably has the least important Rune scenes simply because there's plenty of growing creatures and explorations and is one of only two times we see the cube the whole season so I'm basically writing that off.

See, I'm not talking about every single instance the cube shows up. I'm normal.

3x08 and Turning Tides

However 3x08 is when we get arguably the biggest positive consequence of the cube, in that it reminds Callum the pendant from Rayla is a moon opal and can be used for the history spell Lujanne had shown him in 2x01. This allows him to see what really happened to her family and help place agency back in her hands, rather than her feeling obligated to take on a shame induced suicide mission out of guilt. And again, we see our Moon (13)-Star (9)-Ocean (13) trifecta.

4x01 - 4x04

So the first time we see the Cube in S4 is when Soren goes and picks it up in 4x01, messing with it, and constantly making it flicker with Moon and Star on display. Most noticeably, however, it takes place when Callum is talking about trying to decipher and the mirror. And twice, Soren presses down on the Star rune like it's a button with Ocean prominently on display, the Moon rune being what's most visible when Callum reaches over to irritably reclaim it (and we know by the end of 4x01 just how much he's associating Rayla with the Moon).

So the first shot of the cube in S4 is of the Moon (14) and Ocean (14), and then switches to Ocean (15) and Star (10)

It's also worth nothing that the cube being in Callum's little 'shrine' corner initially with his drawings of his mother and of Rayla in 4x02 (before Stella takes it) isn't the case in 4x01. It's somewhere different, perceivably, as Soren picks it up, and Callum either puts it back in the shrine spot or puts it there as a new spot after the fact

When he's in his office trying to decipher the mirror, the Star (11) rune is what is most consistently on display with one Sun (approx. 4 or 5) and then another Ocean (16). We see Sky (8) when Callum comes over to inspect the Cube upon seeing it glow and turning away from the mirror. Then of course you have the big Rayla shot with Stella holding the Cube on her shoulder

I've said it before and I'll say it again: the scene did not need to be shot or framed this way. The season had a million opportunities to show Stella making the Star arcanum glow, most notably ones in which Callum wouldn't even be aware of it. The same way that Stella and her connection to the specific Star arcanum has to be tied to a Rayla plot line in future seasons and during the timeskip, otherwise why not just have her be a little Xadian friend Ezran could have made during trips to visit Zym? And even then, why align it so heavily with Rayla's moonlight halo'd re-entry into Callum's life unless all of those things are going to be even more tightly bound than they already are?

It reminds me of the "Callum realizing he can do dark magic to save her" scene in 2x07, in which there were many ways we could've had Callum stumble upon the solution, but the writers chose to show him drawing Rayla, show that she's someone he's developing feelings for by having the book flip back to his previous crush, and have Callum realize the dark magic stuff from there. On that note, if you are interested in more thoughts of how Rayla (and Rayllum's arc) has already been interwoven with Cube symbolism in S1-S3 I'd check out this meta of mine here.

Then of course you have the 4x04 intro when Callum doubles back to get the cube before they depart for Xadia, leading to the classic Star-Earth-Ocean trifecta we haven't seen in a little while or so noticeably since 2x06, as well as the Ocean and Callum staring directly at the Star arcanum on the cube.

This of course means that once Callum has fully turned to stone, he is facing as far away from the Sky arcanum as possible, and it's the arcanum symbol most directly facing Aaravos when he lifts up Callum's piece. This may be because Aaravos knows he can take away Callum's agency/freedom or because he knows Callum will willfully sacrifice it under certain circumstances, or perhaps barter for someone else's freedom, but it's not a sign of anything good, I'm sure.

Callum snatches the cube up and brings it along, playing with it while Zubeia, Rayla, and Ezran discuss Aaravos laid overtop.

Z: Aaravos was able to give them something they wanted very badly. Aaravos chose as his instruments people who had strong minds and strong hearts, but who had an insatiable thirst and fascination with magic.

Rayla: Mages. Z: Yes, mages were his prey.

So we have Moon (approx 17) in every shot, followed by Ocean (18), Star (13), Sky (9), and a rare Sun (6), once again reaffirming Rayla's link to Callum's magehood when Ezran as an alternative and right there, and Zubeia directly paralleling what Aaravos says to Viren in late s2: "Search your heart. There is something you want very badly." It is also worth noting that Zubeia's description of mages isn't entirely accurate of Callum. His desire and love of magic is very strong, but not insatiable (cue him rejecting dark magic after using it once in spite of the power it would offer him, and him not going through with the lightning rod plan in 2x04). In contrast, Callum is willing to risk himself without hesitation and with only minimal hope for his loved ones, specifically Ezran and Rayla, no matter the cost.

And with that out of the way, last but not fucking least we have

Unable to Let Go 4x07

After the possession the next time we see the cube is a couple episodes later in 4x07, and it is the last time we see it in the season. Callum takes it out in the Crystal Labyrinth led by N'than, and then upon having his selection of any five of the primal gems, Callum picks a gem of the magic type he's used the most after Sky magic (because no he doesn't have any favouritism at all, why would you say that). But hey: moon ones are the prettiest.

Then crossing the Bridge of Darkness, Callum drops the moon opal, retrieves it, and...

This one drives me particularly crazy because I love my light and darkness motif, as well as likely pushing Moon to appear just a couple more times than Ocean does for the unofficial 'competition' of "what rune shows up the most?"

Then in the cube's final scene for the season, and upon being prompted by Rayla to take a different path than the one of darkness Callum is worried he's on, Callum resolves to throw away the cube. This gives us a Sun and another prominent Star rune, the second in this episode and 100% symbolizing Aaravos and Callum's lurking fear of him.

And then of course we see the Star-Ocean-Moon, with Callum lifting the cube up and, I shit you not, looking at the moon rune of all things when he is unable to part with it. This of course leaves the Star primal on display but also the Sun, and we know that Callum has a variety of reasons to feel a fixation / strong attachment to the cube that he's unwilling to let go of, but given the interplay between Rayla and the moon rune and the upheaval in their relationship, I do think his relationship with Rayla is something you can read into this moment, especially when it's her advice that makes him resolve to try to let go of it in the first place.

Conclusion

So like, we did it. We reached the end. Ocean and Moon show up the most. What's the point of all this? Fuck if I know, I'm incredibly sleepy, but I have my theories.

Ocean popping as often and in the manner it does indicates not only that Aaravos' prison is related to water (specifically the Sea of the Cast Out) but that he is going to be out of his prison by the end of S5.

Given the line about Callum figuring out secrets, we will probably know at least what the cube is supposed to do or how it is supposed to work by the end of S5, even if we may not see it come to fruition yet. I personally think we will see the cube in action and be used for at least one of its intended possible purposes in S5

Only three characters are really represented with the cube runes, being Rayla, Callum, and Aaravos. Part of this is because Sky is Callum's primary magic, Star magic is ubiquitous with Aaravos currently, and the cube never had time to foreshadow Moon outside of Rayla because Moon was book one

For Earth and Ocean at the very least, they are tied to representing seasons for now > characters, although Rex Igneous having the location of the prison and a Tidebound elf helping to create or seal the prison, that would be a very nice complement

In spite of the Sunfire elves fairly in depth recent history with Aaravos, the Sun rune is almost never displayed. Meanwhile Moon, which is linked historically to only Luna Tenebris, is displayed with a consistency either equal or slightly lesser / more than Ocean, with a wide margin between those two and all the other sigils

Earth is also almost never displayed outside of the Earth-Star-Ocean trifecta

Even after losing magic, Callum relies on the cube very little as a magical tether. The seasons where the cube is most relevant to the plot and occurs most frequently is S1 and S4

The Cube is more closely associated with general primal magic / other magic types than Sky, in spite of Sky being Callum's primary arc in S1-S2 in particular and his primary type of magic (with Moon as his, currently, only secondary).

The Cube was the main tether to the Game motif prior to S4 when it became more aligned with Aaravos. The metaphorical inner workings are currently tightening and being fastened together, and I'm really excited about it.

And I think that's everything, I am so sorry that this is so long, and I hope that you enjoyed reading it. As for me, always remember:

[alanshee-keeper-of-realms]

Hey, OP! It's been five years since you've made the post, but is the offer to learning Ninjago Fandom Lore still open? You were there when the ancient scripture was written, you are a relic and lorekeeper of the past, and I am sitting criss-cross apple sauce and willing to hear ye olden tales. That is to say, I watched the show before s3 was even a concept, up until s5 started where I dropped it due to a combination of reasons, but I never forgot how I did want to watch it. And now over a decade later I learn this silly lego show of my childhood had a FANDOM, and I have missed all the moments with the community. Which seems very entwined with fan-show creator interactions to the point they throw OCS into their works and have fans send voice requests to sing the theme song and put it into the show finale. It's like the fandom is that child whose birthday you missed through being totally absentee. A shame :') this is my Pokemon, it's to us what Pokemon is to 90s kids. A show you could've been there since the Pilots and most of everyone is in your age range.

Of course I will always be up to speaking on the lore of the Ninjago Fandom!

Now for the newer anti groups this is your warning. We were the Wild West Kids so we did a lot of stuff that the Modern fandom would be ick about.

I guess that can be the first lore, the OG fandom had crackshipping everywhere, but some of these actually became a thing. One of the original now controversial ships that road a popularity wave alongside Jaya and, yes, Colya, was Greenflame.

Garsako was lovingly taken care of LadyMarissaGarmadon like they absolutely were crazy for it.

I was hiding in the corner with Zaya or Snow Phoenix as I called it

Bruisehipping was huge there was an artist called Blakkycat who was in the Tumblr side known for their Bruishipping Art I actually adopted their OC Chua, more lore

Serpentine Babies EVERYWHERE like everyone had a Serpentine Oc istg it was awesome Blakkys Bab Chua was one of these but he was popular due to his Shenanigans here's some Art for ya

That's Chua! So yeah I'm his caretaker now since Blakky left years ago. Blakky and I actually came up with a very Popular AU let's see if some of the Olders Remember this

Overlord Nya, and yes she's pulling a Katara and using the water in Blood to control it Blakky and I would talk for hours over this AU and the Fandom loved it just as much for a bit, Blakky created the Art I supplied Ideas.

This was I would say 2013/2014,

Season 3 oh man that was a trip, we actually Mourned Zane like held a funeral its funny now thinking it especially with how many times he's died and come back. We all really thought you know logically he was 100% gone

The Love Triangle thing was rough suddenly the Colya and Jaya fans were at each other's throats....people actually got hurt and friendships badly shattered a bunch of us were horrified like outsiders called us the most toxic fandom at least until Voltron stole that crown and we had Season 6 confirm Jaya. But this is why some wince at these ships

Nindroid Jay oh goodness Prpledragon created him and the Fandom was head over ass with AUs with this version I'm pretty sure you can still find the Comic Prple made partially for the AU

Then season 4 ohhhhhh man

I remember fondly the Tournament of Elements held here on Tumblr, like the whole fandom dozens of artists forming their own Art Tournament in honor of it

Then Zane was brought back and it was like we'd won the game celebrations everywhere lmfao

And the uproar that was Garmadons death

Ahaha I can continue but this is getting long so just let me know if you wish for more. I do indeed hold the texts and I'm more then happy to share

I have been Agent Alanshee, The Guardian Alanshee, The Winged Guardian Alanshee

And then Alanshee Keeper of Realms

For anyone who might recognized me

[hazmatazz]

what's on your s5 wishlist? the silly, goofy things!!!

oh hello!!! i made this post a while ago just rambling about byler kiss. i may want different things now but most of that still stands

i'll try to focus on silly things! in the perrrfect world:

i'd love to see the party all together again. like that one post talking about them playing twister or maybe they have a little dance party or maybe just somethin something. let those guys be free <3

mike has to wear one (1) rainbow thing

i REALLY want to see more of robin!! she's so fun. i esp want to see her interacting with others (esp mike or max...)

i also would love to see nancy and el. independent girl arcs <3

MORE DUSTIN TOO AHAHAHJFJDHDKSBFO esp w the party but just ARG! also not with steve. steve's cool and all but i want more of that boy by himself or with a party member. core 4/6/7 shit

getting off of the silly track uhh

when they're kissing i want will to accidentally get his hand stuck in mike's hair for a sec (goofs)

uhhhhhh i could probably think of more but not rn </3

[terrainofheartfelt]

What are your insights on Georgina's relationships with Serena and Dan?

ooooh interesting and frighteningly open-ended!

it's interesting because Georgina is such a different personality from them, yeah? And I think that's the crux of the draw for her: Serena and Dan both have this compulsion to always believe and hope for the best in people, even Georgina. Like, there's a reason she and Serena became friends in the first place, right? There's a wholesomeness to the both of them that Georgina finds compelling, and I think it's both because she knows she can corrupt it, but never so much that they'll shut her out forever.

and for Serena's and Dan's sides of it...we don't really see all of what Serena and Georgina did together, but we can guess, and I think for her she was almost - set free from the idea that she didn't have to be Good with Georgie, they could be silly and self-destructive and Serena could sort of...surrender to the pain she couldn't name, but it never would be as bad or as dark as whatever Georgina was carrying. Blair is the friend who's always trying to pull her up, to keep her grades good and her mom from finding out her indiscretions but Georgina didn't ask perfection of her, and for the broken teenage girl that Serena was before the show, that had to be kind of liberating.

For Dan its similar, I think, but a little less fraught, up until Milo I suppose. With Georgina he doesn't have to be the good student or the good brother or the good son or the good boyfriend, and he can sort of....surrender to his bitchy side? Because he is a Bitch (I love him so much), which is something he has in common with Georgina, they're equals in a way for that. and in s3 Georgina is the person that he can make bad decisions with and have uncomplicated kinky fun. the sub!dan agenda begins with georgina after all. Until it becomes complicated, because he hadn't bargained for Georgina's possessive/jealous streak.

and Serena and Dan both fall out with her because Georgina crosses a line that is so egregious and nearly breaks both of them. for Serena it's the Pete trauma, and for Dan, it's Milo. but what interesting is this: Serena cuts Georgie out and means it, wants nothing to do with her and takes pains to keep her out of her life when she comes back to nyc. And after s1, she keeps on keeping her distance, Georgina and Serena never interact in any meaningful capacity after that, and they never initiate contact, it's always Blair or Chuck or Dan that brings Georgina back around for whatever reason.

But after Milo, arguably the biggest heartbreak of Dan's life, he still interfaces with Georgina directly in s5 and, of course, has a close personal relationship with her in s6. Serena, the always gracious, always forgiving Serena couldn't open the door to Georgina again. but Dan could. Dan does. and I think it mostly has to do with the spot he's put in in s5, being so grievously betrayed by Blair and Serena (at the same time!), and effectively abandoned by everyone else in his support system (Alison, Jen, Vanessa, Rufus, Nate). Georgina has already done the worst thing she could ever do to him (take his child away from him), so in his hurt, he goes with the devil he knows, and steers into the skid, leaning into the aspects of his personality that being with Georgina brings out in him, without a check this time.

going through my meta tag for that previous ask, I found a post from Ivy that says it plays into "Dan's need to belong to someone" he needs to belong to someone, and if it's Georgina, then so be it. there's something to her possessiveness of him that - in spite of himself - he cannot walk away from. And in that sense, Serena shows more strength of character than he does, because it's a marker of her personality too, wanting to belong to someone, always trying to make a home in someone else. unlike Dan, Serena knew that the person she was with Georgina is a person she never wanted to go back to. and she decided that her sense of self wasn't worth sacrificing for a home (a lesson she learned from being with dan! he looks at me like I want to believe in myself and all that).

[fantasybuff3186]

Deflagaration ml s5 thoughts

So I finally watched it and well since I didn’t expect much I was not that disappointed but I too think they could have done things a bit better. We did get to see glimpses of marinette and adrien feeling sad about their course of action but it was not enough.  More time should have been dedicated to this plot line which I think could have been established extremely well in four episodes. 

Besides this I really liked the episode. I finally started thinking fondly of zoe as opposed to my indifference to her earlier, the adrinette was adorable as hell and it makes me glad to see how they started dating.  I absolutely loved Plagg and Zoe’s friendship. Obviously Adrien is the only one who can be cat noir best and who plagg feels closest to but Zoe and him was actually sweet. I really want Zoe and Plagg to interact more at some point in the future. That friendship is too sweet to just never bring back.

I loved Gabriel’s silly dance and Nathalie’s reaction to it. Especially the switch between refined and goofy as hell. Gabriel Agreste keeps getting sillier and smarter. The smart part is scary but makes everything better at the same time,He has been smart for a while but just felt the need to mention it here. Him using his brain more is good training for when Lila takes over because she is going to be a hundred times more difficult.

The resistance group Nino had truly was an admirable move and their plans were actually smart. It was honestly really nice to see them try and help their new heroes and to see the civilians accepting of ladybug and cat noir leaving. I can finally see where the chlolila comes from and I do find it interesting. I know we did not see much of Lila but I really do admire her evilness, chloe on the other hand just annoys me. 

Anyway I think thats all I want to say for now. 

I will end this post with Gabriel’s silly dance.

[constantstateofpain]

for the character list thing I wanna see you do Jay!!

EHEHEHEHE

favorite thing about them:

idk even as a kid i loved him 😭😭

i think i just really kin him. but we’re not going into that.

he’s just always so fun on screen, i love seeing him a little dumbass <3

least favorite thing about them:

skybound …

okay imma be fr. i loved skybound as a kid and still have so much fun watching it during rewatches.

however!!

JAY HAD TO STOP OH MY GOD. like nya said no!! like jay, ilysm but a no is a no!!

also like i love skybound but god i could rant ab that too 😭😭

favorite line:

god he has so many good lines. hmmm i think that one interaction with cole in s5 is so funny.

“why’d you touch the scary painting, JAY”

“because i didn’t know it would do that, COLE”

or like that one in s7 “lefty, righty, nice to meet you. DO BETTER-“

there’s way more but these are the ones that come to mind right away.

brOTP:

him with zane or him with nya!! jay and zane, they’re just so silly when they’re on screen together i love them!! him and nya took bc really they’re both techs and ngl it was a missed opportunity not having them bond over their love of inventing. ik they had to fade out his tech thing bc they were too many of them on the team but shh idc!!

OTP:

bruise!! idk they’ve always given off couple vibes to me. like an old married couple who gets divorced every week but still ends up back together. i love their interactions. i also think mudshock is cool, although in a very specific circumstance. like jay is dating cole and nya but latter two aren’t dating each other. i just don’t know, cole x nya just didn’t do it for me. also i just hc cole as gay so-

anyway-

nOTP:

i think im okay with any ship as long as like they’re not like problematic yk? ( jay x lloyd, something inc3st, etc).

like if you give a ship and they have little interaction, i’ll be like “okayy, can i have an explanation of your vision” and that’s pretty much it.

random headcanon:

he fidgets a lot but he also chews on things. LIKE ALL THE TIME.

he asked lloyd if he could borrow a pencil once while he was working on a blueprint for smth and well … lloyd had funeral for the pencil afterwards 🫡

unpopular opinion:

god idk?? i don’t know a whole ab what opinions are popular ab him LMAO. uhmm. guess i’ll give another hc then?

jay is absolutely trans masc (he/they/zap)

they want to dress more fem bc it seems so fun but they’re worried ab dysphoria and passing. nya is his number one hype man 😎

song i associate with them:

yes, that is three songs, your point is? the first two are purely off of vibes. ik odoriko has smth to do with dancing so yk. i’ll have to look up an english translation later. yeah the second is also just really off of vibes and the last one gives skybound angst 😔

i have entire playlist for him, i could go on and ON.

favorite picture of them:

such a silly guy

[sallysellsseashellssundays]

Disclaimer: This post is going to be Anti Moffat for anyone who’s reading and is a fan you’ve been warned.  

“Closing Time” is the twelfth episode and it was an alright episode mostly b/c I think Craig and the Doctor have good chemistry and get along pretty well.

The Good: I love the little references like to the robot dog (K9) and the Doctor saying sometimes he forgets who he is. Craig telling Eleven he always wins and always survives gave me major TLV flashbacks, I wonder if Eleven felt the same way considering he just had his whole ‘I don’t want to put people in danger’ thing. The baby’s face when Craig is getting attacked inside the house lmao that baby 1000% looked like he was actually worried!!!  Eleven said he was leaving Amy and Rory behind b/c he doesn’t want to put them in danger, but then has Craig investigating with him (a not seasoned companion with A BABY) and damn it really reminds you of how selfish the Doctor can be at times. I’m so glad he addressed this himself but at the same time I love that Craig reminded him of all he’s done for Earth. Eleven’s interactions with Craig (who I wasn’t expecting to see again) has made me realize one of the major things that has bothered me about all of S6 and a big chunk of S5...I wish Eleven didn’t have companions. I’ve absolutely hated how Eleven treats Amy and Rory with how he constantly seems like he doesn’t care about them or want to be anywhere near them, but his interactions with almost every “minor” character have been absolutely lovely! And now I’m wishing we could have had maybe companions that stick around for a very short while or maybe just one episode b/c I don’t think Eleven is mentally/emotionally ready to let a friend in yet actually, not after how Ten’s life ended. The Doctor saying he always believes in all his friends oh man definitely one of Eleven’s best moments.

The Bad: The “I speak baby” thing is kind of silly not gonna lie, it was played for jokes but a baby wanting to be called Stormageddon and asking for a hot babysitter just doesn’t mesh well with me. Was it just me or did the Cybermen sound weird? Almost like they were speaking too fast or something.

The River: She was reading the files on those 3 children at the end being eyewitness accounts and... I just hate how they keep having the Doctor having such an impression on people when they meet him as children. Realistically speaking I feel like if you see some random stranger like that when you’re a kid you would never remember them. Now I’m confused about River b/c I thought she was trained to kill the Doctor from birth, but it sounds like here she didn’t want to kill him? But after she regenerated she seemed to know her mission was to kill him which is why she did the lipstick thing...

The Unresolved: Ok so now we have the Doctor dying storyline for the finale which I’m not looking forward to b/c I already know Eleven doesn’t regenerate. I stand by my statement that this storyline would have been more clever during Matt’s last season.

Overall I feel like there wasn’t much in the way of plot and the Cybermen were just sort of there. It was alright mostly b/c Craig and Eleven are a good team, but even then I didn’t like it as much as “The Lodger” episode.

[aithuzah]

What is your opinion on the knights (Lancelot, Gwaine, Elyan, Leon and Percival)?

Overall, I think they're a lot of fun! But I wish they'd had more screentime as individuals with character development and growth that contributed a bit more to the story as a whole. That's a problem with every side character in the show, though--they're almost never used to their full potential.

Percival gets the worst of this because he has like....no lines lmfao. one time i counted and he said literally 12 words before Arthur knighted him. He's sweet and funny, I love his teasing relationship with Gwaine and the whole quiet gentle giant thing he has going on, and when I was first watching the show with my friend we just called him Sir Muscles because we could never remember his name and the silly sleeveless chainmail is great.

But we know the least about his history and beliefs out of anyone, and it seems like Arthur knighted him more out of desperation and trust in Lancelot's judgement than a genuine assessment of his character. It would have been cool to get to know him better and to see his relationship with Arthur in particular develop more, considering he's supposed to be one of the trusted ~Knights of the Round Table~ and all, to reaffirm his worthiness of that trust after the crisis was over.

Leon.....I'm sorry Leon but his character has never really interested me personally haha. I can appreciate him in an objective way, like how he stood up to Morgana or his comedy in the assassin episode ("oh you're going to kill Arthur? that's hilarious, take a crossbow"), but he's always been pretty forgettable to me. The jokes about "Immortal Leon" and such in the fandom made more of an impression on me than the character himself.

It's mentioned once or twice that he grew up with Gwen and Elyan, and I would have liked to see that "childhood friend" dynamic explored more, especially once Arthur started courting Gwen. ORRR, what if we saw Leon struggle to reconcile his conventional, law-abiding nature with his loyalty to Arthur and his unconventional, rule-breaking ideals? I think that would have made him feel more well-rounded and human than the Generic Loyal Knight character.

Speaking of knights' relationships with Gwen, Elyan is a really fun character! I think their sibling relationship is super sweet. But a lot of my memories of him are really vague, both because it's been a long time since I've actually watched the show, and because he was never all that heavily discussed in fandom. He's overlooked even more than Leon, and was sometimes actively hated, so I feel like his role and personality weren't as consistently reinforced in my mind and my impressions are a little muddy now as a result. I'm still SO sad that he died trying to save his sister, only for her to be enchanted during his death AND (iirc) the whole mourning process. I do think he suffered Merlin Side Character Syndrome (I wish we knew more about his life outside Camelot, his past with Gwen and Elyan, etc), but I remember he had a lot of fun scenes with the rest of the knights and I think there could have been a lot more to say if people (including myself) paid more attention to him.

Compared to everyone else, we know a LOT more about Gwaine and Lancelot--their histories, their beliefs, their goals, their values, all that good stuff. (Even though Lancelot was only in a handful of episodes, all of them centered on him in one way or another.) So I love them both and could say a lot more about them, but I'll try to keep it brief heheh. I've already talked about both of them quite a bit in other posts.

I think their personalities are a wonderful contrast; Lancelot is outwardly noble but subtly playful, whereas Gwaine is outwardly playful but subtly noble. It is a Criminal Crime that they barely interacted in canon (did they even ever say lines directly to each other?? I don't remember), because I think they would have gotten along alarmingly well.

It really pains me that Gwaine became the idiot comic relief in season 5, because he showed a lot of depth and strength of character before he became a regular and they stopped doing episodes that highlighted him as an individual. And with Lancelot dead and Gwen either enchanted or relegated to doing her queen thing, it felt like Merlin lost all his friends in s5, even the ones that were still technically there.

Lancelot is 100% my favorite knight just because he was so casual about Merlin's magic. I think that's something Merlin desperately needed in his life, and I'll always be sad he (and we as viewers) didn't get more of them being partners-in-literal-punishable-by-death-crime and just having FUN with Merlin's abilities.

The Lance/Gwen/Arthur love triangle was handled really badly in multiple ways though. First of all, Lancelot did the dumb "I don't want to make her choose between us....so I'm going to make her decision for her by removing myself as an option" thing that I hate. And then he dies in the SECOND EPISODE of the season where he would have been living in Camelot full time!! And the whole enchanted Gwen/undead Lancelot thing? ughhhh.

I don't really hold any of that against him as a character, I just hate that they're plot points that removed him from the story when the story only ever benefited from having him in it--or were just a big dumb waste of time, in the case of the zombie love triangle. That screentime could have been spent on Merlin/Lancelot/Gwaine shenanigans!! We were DEPRIVED, I tell you.

[the--highlanders]

28, 30, 34, 42 :3

O:

(sticking this under a cut bc it got long hdfk)

28. Who should have been a companion but wasn’t?

I think last time I did these asks I talked about Kirsty? and I still stand by that, I love her. she would have been so much fun as a companion. but this time I'm going to throw in Molly from Evil of the Daleks as well!! I just find her super endearing even though she doesn't have much screentime. she's shown as adventurous and clever and bold enough to challenge the lie that Victoria's in Paris.

and I think she would have had fun dynamics with Two and Jamie as well - we don't get much of her with Two, but she clearly sees him on the same level as Maxtible and Waterfield and is a bit flustered and nervous interacting with him, so it would have been fun to have a character who was kind of. similar to Katerina in a way, with a little bit of push-and-pull between a companion who's expecting the Doctor to act in a particular social role, and a Doctor who's adamant that they're something else entirely. and Molly has a little bit of that gentle tension with Jamie too, in the scene where he's insisting she use his name, and the way she's a bit intimidated by him but also wants to look after him. I love Victoria dearly of course but it would've been interesting to see them pick up Molly instead!

30. Who did you not used to like, but really like now?

oougfjhkd idk omg!! I think I came to most eras of the show with an expectation that there's something good about everyone. Clara definitely grew on me but that's more to do with the writing and the fact that she's a more interesting character in s9 than in s7 (which isn't necessarily a bad thing!! like Moffat made some Dodgy choices obvs but I also don't think it's the worst thing in the world to have her unfold to the audience, and in many ways she grows and changes quite naturally). in terms of classic who, maybe Peri? not that I didn't like her when I started watching her episodes, but I didn't expect to like her as much as I did.

34. Best two-parter?

the first one that jumped into my mind was World Enough and Time/the Doctor Falls and. yeah I do genuinely think they're brilliant episodes and probably my favourite new who series finale. the shift away from 'the series ends/the Doctor regenerates after a universe-ending disaster' was such a breath of fresh air.

The Stolen Earth and Journey's End are also super fun to me. like they're just so silly and fan service-y that I can't help but love them. + I have really fond memories of just having gotten into Torchwood, going on holiday and having no wifi to rewatch it, so watching that two-parter just for the Torchwood content.

there's a lot of others that I like though! the Empty Child/the Doctor Dances, the Magician's Apprentice/the Witch's Familiar, Hell Bent/Heaven Sent. even ones like the Rebel Flesh/the Almost People and Under the Lake/Before the Flood have some cool ideas in them, though they're not really top of my rewatch list.

42. Favourite series?

HHH okay favourite new who series is definitely s10. I'm lesbian.

tempted to say s4 for classic who? all of Two's serials are strong ones (I mean. there's not really a Two serial I dislike except the Space Pirates), I love Ben and Polly, and the War Machines and the Tenth Planet are really good as well. the only one letting the side down for me is the Smugglers honestly, and that's mostly because I hardly remember it rather than me thinking it's bad.

s5 and s6 are close contenders though!!

[literaphobe]

Hey hope you have an ok day dude you seem really cool

THANK U!! today was meant to be a bad day but the bad stuff is over now so i’m really happy!!!!! anyway y’all wanna know this random thought i had in the supermarket. ok so jules was like. the first person i befriended in the she-ra fandom right? we had this one interaction where i replied to some post she made asking for advice on what scorpia should rename the fright zone in her fic that she was writing at the time. anyway i replied thinking she wouldn’t even see or acknowledge it but she like reblogged w my response and said she liked it and i was right. anyway for some reason i decided i HAD to talk to her and befriend her somehow. before this i was still on the fence regarding talking to anyone in the fandom at all, which..... so stupid but also really smart. i think i was considering just sticking to myself and making my silly little posts all by my lonesome. anyway that changed and jules made some post about wanting her mutuals to talk to her so i instantly sent her that post and willed our friendship into existence. the whole point i’m trying to get to is this: i thought that jules was some big established blog in the she ra fandom JDJSJDJD and she’s definitely a veteran given her two whole ass years watching the show but she didn’t start making posts till after s5 just like me except i was two weeks late to the party. in my head jules had like thousands of followers and i was this silly little noob randomly waltzing in two weeks late to the party. anyway so i was shocked to find out jules had like?? about?? 400 followers?? at the time? she was shocked to find out that i had like 7k+ at the time too fjdjdjdjdjddj i think which to me is just really funny because her vibes are just inherently way cooler than mine and i act like i have 3 followers. to me at least. and u mentioned that i seemed cool so i suppose this story is relevant to ur ask. KDKSKDKD sorry i have thoughts in supermarkets sometimes

[sheblah]

I don't know if my other ask went through but I'm salty too about how DT got shafted in season 5. They were vital to season 4 and then they just only show up for one episode? That's it? Then, we only see them one more time and they don't even have a speaking line? Really?

BIG rant about s5 below, scroll if you don't want to see negativity.

I don't see your other ask :( tumblr is mean

Ok I could go on and on about this. Before I go off (again), let me just say briefly there are a few things I did like about their appearance. I liked that even they didn't want to join Horde Prime after seeing what his side was like. I liked that they just kind of... took an entertainment gig after they were done spying, because the most important thing to them isn't actually destroying lives, it's just using their talents to make a living. I liked how they (Swen) slid Scorpia the microphone and winked at her, implying they were encouraging her to perform and boost her confidence. I liked that, however brief, they were shown using their skills to fight Prime's forces without any ulterior motive that we know of, because they didn't want Prime to take over Etheria either.

That said...

Why the HELL didn't the Alliance hire them? Really, what's the reason? DT had already worked for the Alliance in the past, they clearly didn't have any loyalty to Prime, they proved they were able to gather valuable information while disguised as a clone, the rebels knew personally how powerful an asset their spying could be, and DT needed a new source of income after their last gig got flooded out. There was every reason for DT to offer their services, and every reason for the rebels to purchase them. What, could all the kingdoms of Etheria not scrounge up a modest bag of coins between them? Were they nursing a grudge over the Flutterina thing? Did they decline a potentially tide-turning asset just because they found DT's personality unsavory?

"They couldn't trust them, they know DT is prone to switching sides," I hear you say, and that would be valid except DT already tried to join Horde Prime, didn't like it, and left of their own volition without so much as a counter-offer. They weren't going to switch to his side. "Maybe they didn't want to get involved in the war because it was too dangerous." They already got involved in a war! Heavily! They worked with and against warlords and powerful magical individuals! They fought She-Ra herself in their debut episode! And they seemed to have a pretty great time doing all this!! Danger doesn't seem to be too big a deterrent for them. "Too easy, as usual" - that throwaway line in S4 could have set up spying on Prime as a real challenge for them. The show wouldn't even need to show them or have them talk that much - just quickly establish that they're undercover and occasionally sending the rebels information.

There is not a single reason I can think of why they wouldn't work for the Alliance after that episode. I was honestly blindsided when they didn't appear in the next episode - not even a silent shot of them and Perfuma + Sea Hawk going their separate ways. What happened to them after they escaped the dome? They were partially paralyzed, reliant on the heroes for basic movement, not to mention their job just became obsolete. Where else could they go? How could they leave? How long did Sea Hawk have to transport them before they could walk? Or did the heroes just leave them paralyzed on the ground as soon as the immediate danger had passed?? Cause that doesn't seem like their style.

Or, instead of helping, they could have gotten chipped and become a serious freaking problem for the heroes. Prime could've scanned their mind for the heroes' weaknesses, seeing as DT spied on them for weeks/months. They could've been used to spy on the heroes again, this time against their will, and it would've been especially hard to notice because they could hide the chip with their shapeshifting. I won't go too much into it because us DT stans have created a whole AU about it now, but you can imagine all the possibilities that weren't explored.

Hell, they could've, I dunno, met Catra again? The person they interacted with most in S4? Even if it was just a scene of Catra telling them off and realizing she doesn't need to give her time or energy to someone who never cared about her, I would've been fine with that, because at least that would acknowledge that DT was significant to her in the last season. But no, she never even mentions them. Instead they interact with Perfuma and Sea Hawk, two characters with practically no relevance to them. And they interact with Scorpia, who treats them with hostility even though she's only known them as an ally - they were both in the Horde when they met, and they were both with the Alliance when they took down Hordak's forces. They've never been enemies. Knowing her personality, shouldn't she have been, I dunno... kind of happy to see them, even? Since she seemed to like them in "The Valley of the Lost," and they helped her and Glimmer get into the Fright Zone? I don't know, maybe that's too optimistic, but she was literally the only one of the three who'd ever talked to them in a significant capacity, but based on their S5 interactions alone you'd almost think they had never met face to face...

I know they're not a major character. They were never going to have a ton of screentime. But even the couple minutes of screentime they did have could've been utilized a lot better than, say, appearing in a jokey episode, acting kind of silly (and kind of weirdly incompetent compared to S4?), getting their physical agency removed, and then vanishing until a 3-second silent cameo at the end of the season. If they wanted to keep that episode and just expand on DT's presence a little bit, it would've only taken a few seconds here and there to show that they were doing something important with their time behind the scenes.

This character just had a lot of potential, and I feel almost all of it was wasted, and while the season is very, extremely, historically important for gay media (let us never forget that), it fell flat with the only nb representation it had. I'm not nb, but I felt that pain in my soul. Like... seriously? They were interesting and cool and fun and mysterious and impactful the entire last season, and this is the treatment they get in the finale? They get easily outsmarted, manhandled for two minutes, say a few funny lines, and then just disappear? Weren't they important to the showrunners? From the marketing for S4 you would think so, but now I'm not so sure...