#we should never forget our s2 roots

[lola-andheruniverse]

Fix It Wednesday - Caryl Fanfiction Rec

We are getting closer and closer to see Carol on TWD:DD and I'm having bittersweet feelings. Half of my heart is so damn excited and hopeful. The other half? It's still bitter about all the caryl spinoff fiasco. Lucky us that fanon exists and caryl endgame is 100% guaranteed (TWD:DD S2, I'm rooting for you, don't let me down).

Today fix-it takes us right at TWD finale because Carol should have gotten on that damn bike. i'll tell you the truth, but never goodbye by averita/@gerri-berry is available both on AO3 and on 9Lives.

Summary: "There’s something wild beating in Carol’s chest now, something hot and bright and reckless. Her heart is hammering like she’s already whistling through the wind, nothing in front of her but Daryl’s wings and the open road." Or, how it should have been. Finale fix-it. Rating: G/General Audiences Word count: 729 Published: November 20, 2022

This fic is short but heart-mending. I love all the callbacks and how our author plays with promises as a theme - some made, some broken, some remade, always on the intention to be fulfilled even when the odds may not be in favor. It's beautifully written and a very satisfying fix-it.

Give it a read, dear caryler, it's worth your time. And our author deserves some love and appreciation, so don't forget to leave kudos or a nice review to her, okay? Be kind to each other out there, be responsible, be empathetic. And, if possible, be hopeful. Caryl on!

[raayllum]

just a fun lil fandom question, did the tdp fandom go crazy for rayllum after s2’s finale?

Let me take you back to pre-s2 days. It was a six month period I remember very fondly between September 14th 2018 to February 15th 2019. Most of the focus of the fandom was going through the show again, worldbuilding speculation, and individual characters. TDP had done so much in its first nine episodes, but a ton of shipping wasn’t one of them—notThere are only four or five real ships in the fandom back then, most of which had the same amount of content. There was Runaan/Tinker (end credit art unnamed Ethari), Raydia, Rayllum, Gren/Amaya, and Viren/Harrow. 

There was a handful of other ships (Amaya/Opeli, Soren/Marcos, Soren/Callum, Callum/Claudia) but the two biggest ships, I think, coming out of s1 were Raydia and Rayllum. Which makes sense. None of the other ships besides Rayllum I mentioned really get content outside two or three episodes in the season and are naturally given obstacles. We know absolutely nothing about Tinker. Gren and Amaya are separated for the foreseeable future. Soren is told to kill the princes. Viren and Harrow’s relationship greatly sours after 1x03 and continues to do so.

But I’m getting off topic (although I could talk about early day shipping to feel free to send in as many asks related to that as you want). So, overall yes, post season one, Rayllum and Raydia were the biggest ships in the fandom. Rayllum through actual screen time and dynamic, and Raydia through possible potential. Raydia was also the biggest ship in the fandom before the show came out when, although the fandom was Very Tiny, Rayllum was comparatively a tugboat. 

My actual point here is that post season one, pre season two Rayllum in fanon was a very different thing. I know I’ve talked about it on my blog here before, but post season one Rayllum was an overall small fandom. Bigger than it had been pre show, and probably slightly bigger than Raydia, but not by much. We had a slew of very talented oneshot writers (hi @jellyjay) and “Sides of the Moon” as the main multi-chapter (hi @kuno-chan) and that was about it. There were 5ish pages of fanfics on ao3 with Rayla/Callum as a ship pre-s2. Granted, there’s probably a lot of smaller fics / drabbles, like my own, that didn’t make its way from tumblr to ao3. 

Which again, made sense. By the end of season one, Rayla and Callum were good friends, and there were plenty of hints that they would lend themselves well to a future romance, but there were no real explicitly romantic indications the show would go that route. It truly felt 50/50 (or maybe 40/60, 60 being romantic to me, personally, anyway) and that would be the presumed status quo for many seasons, if not the whole show. We thought there would be six seasons back then — one for each primal — and I thought we would maybe start getting hints of a romance in season four and maybe, maybe see them get together in season five. I was prepared to do a two year slow burn at least. Or, really, to just see them be good friends for the rest of the show and I would’ve been perfectly content with that. All I wanted was them continuing to have cute/enjoyable interactions and a positive impact on each other.

Going into season two, all I expected was that Callum would get over his feelings for Claudia, and all that I hoped for was more of the same five course meal season one was. (My previous otp had a wonderfully supportive dynamic on a show where character’s didn’t Talk to each other, and they didn’t end up together and worse of all, took eight seasons, six of which were terrible, to end up both smiling at each other at the same time. So Rayllum smiling at each other all the time in s1?? I did not know what to do with myself, lemme tell you.) My one big wish for the season was that Callum and Rayla would share a hug and then that was shown in the season two trailer. 

I was not expecting another hug. I was not expecting three more.

Which is to say: season two came in like a sledge hammer. Suddenly, the romantic subtext was not only there, but not subtext or implication, but gobsmackingly canon. Implied (Callum) or explicit (Rayla) feelings on both sides. Multiple hugs, greater emotional and physical intimacy, so many shoulder touches, heartfelt confessions, hurt/comfort whump. A season ending of the two of them alone, travelling in Xadia, that was naturally rich and engaging fanfic fodder. 

To help illustrate my point further, as I think it can be hard to explain the leap in Rayllum from season one to season two in every single way to someone who didn’t experience it, I have enclosed a graph.

Like, I thought we would maybe get the type of shit we got for Rayllum in season two in like, season five. It’s one of the reasons I’ve been baffled that people have claimed Rayllum is rushed post season three, not only because of how much legwork season two put in to earn that relationship, but because the leap from s1 to s2 vs from s2 to s3 is shown above and... it’s clear which one is bigger. Now the leap, while massive, feels very natural. 

But there’s a reason why yes, the fandom went ham for Rayllum after s2. It gave enough shipping fodder for people to be excited for it to be canon or won over if they were on the fence / wanted them to stay friends post season one. There was also a really nice bout of romantic potential leftover ahead, after all. 

No other ship (Soren/Rayla, Callum/Claudia) could compete in screentime, future narrative, or for whatever reason what people latched onto. Rayla/Claudia was almost completely obliterated. (Which is kinda too bad because people shouldn’t let canonicity dictate what they give their time too... but I’m also slightly petty and Raydia was another white gay ship being privileged over a healthier interracial het ship, and requited Raydia — ie. Rayla liking Claudia back — squicks me out, so... It’s also kinda nice?) And I get it because again, season two did not fuck around. 

You had pining. You had increasing concern and closeness. You had softness. You had battle couple vibes. Best friend vibes. Keeping secrets and supporting each other. The admiration. The trust. Everything that season one had but like, x5 at least, with a cute romantic slant to boot. 

Suddenly, Rayllum was on its way to not only being canon but endgame by the next season, with a boatload of new, cute, and emotional interactions to enjoy from season two. They would be travelling Xadia, alone. Callum had gotten over Claudia, leaving the path clear. Rayla had clearly fallen head over heels. He’d drawn her, which was a very early, post-s1 wish for the tiny ship fandom. The ship soared in popularity with an explosion of fanart and fic, and more than that in some ways, but way more multichaptered fic. My own included, as I also started writing far more meta than few pieces I’d had before.

It was sort of a positive double whammy of an experience, tbh. Normally I tend to like either canon ships who don’t tend to get as much screentime as other ships (with one exception getting more but still being unpopular), less / pseudo-popular ships, or both. So to have Rayllum always receive the most screentime (and crazily enough as of season three, might honestly have the most screentime out of any relationship whether platonic or romantic in the show?) and be decently popular in the fandom when it was small? Already a delight.

Having Rayllum greatly increase in both fanon and canon content simultaneously? A great and surprising boost of joy in my life, tbh, and what I hope every shipper can experience at least once because... It was truly incredible and was (and has continued to be) one of my best fandom experiences of my life. 

Almost nothing will compare to watching season two of the first time with no spoilers and thinking that the 2x03 scene on Phoe-Phoe was the peak for the season, and getting Romantic Vibes from 2x04 and a hug and thinking “omg are we actually Doing This??” and then having 2x07-2x09 be a resounding Yes. 

This long, rambling answer is just my way of saying yes, people lost their ever loving shit over Rayllum post season two, myself included, and I enjoyed every single goddamn minute of it.

[dil-ibaadat]

Excited for more Dowry!

Just wanted to applaud you regarding your ask about emmys - I am shocked so many people are disappointed, unfortunately I think romance isn’t a valued genre, and despite how much I think JB should have got a nomination, it was obvious to me that they wouldn’t.

Also, people forget that when S1 got all those nominations, hardly any TV had been released that year, and there was less competition. It’s a popular show for ratings but it’s never going to sweep the awards.

Also regarding JB getting this new part (which I cannot wait for), again we knew they would have less screentime in S3, he is coming back and I’m sure they have planned around it, and also less screentime means it’s less likely there will be drama for them which has been my biggest worry.

Plus, if the actors are able to work on other projects while also being in Bridgerton, surely they will be around for longer? Because they can do both and don’t need to pledge their soul to Shonda for eternity.

And as you say about fanfiction - I’ve read some great fanfic that has included Simon in S2 which we wouldn’t have for if he had been in the show. We can just let our imagination floooowww

i completely agree!

regarding s1's emmy nominations, i do think s1 in general had a better-crafted story and a fresh take on a woman's agency in a very traditional and staid era. romance as a genre, especially in the regency, basically invented the concept of unresolved sexual tension as a way to build romantic conflict without actually having to refer to sex or physicality in any real way. bickering and banter replaced physical touch and simulated the sexual intimacy people longed for in these dramas.

bridgerton's season 1 flipped that script by showing what happens after the happily-ever-after on screen in a very explicit way and also raised the little-thought-of issue of women not having adequate sexual education. it's mindblowing to me that a girl such as daphne would get married at 18 and enter her wedding night with zero knowledge of what was going to happen to her. i also appreciated how they depicted pregnancy as a legitimately terrifying thing for women to go through and how many women (like eloise) were afraid of it. historically, media and society have rarely talked about these kinds of anxieties primarily to ensure that women were not put off by the idea of marriage and sex. these were important issues the show raised, and some of them struck a chord.

while i think season 1 made a grave error in following the book plotline of sexual assault and not addressing it in a more nuanced way, the overall story in season 1 was cohesive and focused on one thing: the lack of agency women had in society and how they were the only ones who could help and understand each other in such an oppressive atmosphere. this is shown by daphne's marital issues, marina's unplanned pregnancy, violet's struggle to assert herself against anthony, and even penelope and eloise's varying attempts to establish themselves independent of the role society had trapped them in. and all of these plotlines were connected to each other, in at the very least a tangential way. i was not that interested in saphne, but overall, season 1 was somewhat engaging and poignant, even if there were no characters i fell in love with or majorly rooted for. i understand how it garnered a nomination for outstanding lead drama (although, as you pointed out, it was definitely helped by the weak showing that year because of COVID).

season 2 on the contrary kind of lost the plot and had no cohesive storyline. all i took away at the end was that there was a love triangle because anthony proposed to the wrong sister (but don't worry, he figured it out in the end!), penelope became progressively meaner as lady whistledown and still nursed a major crush on colin, and the featheringtons were broke and had resorted to white collar fraud to keep themselves afloat. these are three different stories. none of them have any real connection to each other. it was like watching three movies broken into chunks and layered over each other. i'd only bought the ticket to see one of them. it was ill-paced, disjointed, and exhausting to watch. thank god for the chemistry between the leads and their excellent performances or i'd've checked out long ago.

re: your other points, i think we all knew next season would be polin-focused and that kanthony would have a role not unlike daphne's in s2. that's OK! as long as they're happy and content, i'm happy. i don't need the show for content, i have fanfic for that. i'm good, :DD.

oooh, simon in s2 would have been quite interesting. now you've got me thinking about him and daphne interacting with kate... hmmm...

[issaxcharlie]

You’ll always be the answer

Pairing: Charlie Gillespie x Fem Reader

Requested: YES💚

Summary: For the first time Charlie and Y/N have to do an interview together and things get pretty interesting and chaotic as always with the couple.

*In the wired autocomplete section the part of the question that was covered will be in bold*

Pretty much based in the we say we’re friends world, (yes, again😤 I love their dynamic I’m sorry) you only need to know that Y/N is a musician by profession, wrote the JATP soundtrack, a childhood friend of Charlie and now his current girlfriend.

The couple is completely excited because today they have their first interviews after the confirmation of the second season of Julie and The Phantoms, and usually they are not on the same interview team so this is new. Charlie always does them with the band and the singer usually does them with director Kenny Ortega representing the people behind the scenes.

“Hello everyone, I’m Charlie Gillespie and I play Luke in Julie And The Phantoms.”

“And I’m Y/N Y/L and I play Daniela in Stardust.”

“Baby, you are here today as the songwriter of the album.”

“I know?” She thinks for a few seconds until she realizes what she said. “Oh. Well, this is embarrasing. Make my selfpromo accident worthwhile and watch Stardust after watching JATP!”

“Nice safe, beautiful. Pretty natural.” Her boyfriend teases as she smiles proudly.

“I like to believe I could be an actress.” Charlie begins to laugh at the seriousness with which she answered and looks at her, full of happiness. He loves that they can enjoy moments like this where their careers can go exactly on the same track.

They know that it will not always be this way so they should make the most of the experience.

“I’m excited to have you back, Y/N. And a pleasure to meet you Charlie. You both sure are full of amazing energy, I love it. Let’s start with the questions. Charlie, this is your first leading and in a fairly complete role, you acted, sang, danced and even wrote one of the songs, how was the experience?”

“Pure magic. They are all incredibly talented and so supportive of us, they worked so hard to unleash our full potential in an accelerated manner. They had a lot of patience with me in the dance part, they taught me to use my voice properly, they supported me in the change to electric guitar, it was simply a dream to work with every single person in the project.”

“Sounds amazing. Next question is for you, Y/N. Much has been said about the unreal chemistry between Julie and Luke. How was it for you as his girlfriend to have to witness it live? As I understand you were present throughout the recording."

"Oh man, it was awesome!" Charlie laughs at her pure response and the interviewer looks at her in disbelief.

"I'm Team Juke all the way. I know I may sound like a liar or something since I'm the girlfriend, but here's the thing.

I can't see my Char in Luke. Charlie is so good at bringing him to life that I can't believe that cool rockstar is my adorable goofball. It’s like Clark and Superman with the glasses thing. Beanie and electric guitar? Oh, hi Luke. You are so hot, wait... don’t tell Charlie I said that! Bandana and acoustic guitar? Hey baby, give me a kiss in the forehead and sing me to sleep.

What I was saying again? Oh, yeah. So... I see Juke and I’m soft, they are perfect for each other.”

“So you think Luke is hot, huh.” he pretends to be jealous and folds his arms.

“What can I say, I have a thing for rockstars, my legs melted during now or never."

He snorted a laugh. “Good to know.”

The interviewer cannot contain a laugh of her own.

"It's always a pleasure to have you here, Y/N. You are such a character and I always enjoy listening to you, and I love that even though the years go by and you are no longer so new in the industry you continue to have that fresh and iconic personality."

“Thank you so much Maria, If I can be myself here it is thanks to the beautiful atmosphere that your interviews always have.”

“My pleasure, ‘golden star’. Let’s continue. Y/N, We know you already knew Charlie, but who did you get along with better from the rest of the cast?”

“Oh my, definitely Owen. He was Charlie's roommate throughout the project so we hang out together a lot in our free time taking turns as third wheel. I'm pretty sure he's going to apply the same card to me this second season now that I'm gonna be the roommate.

But it’s okay, I totally deserve it. May the best third wheel win, Joyner!” Charlie grins and does a fistbump with his girlfriend who looks really hyped about going back to Canada with the band.

“I’m rooting for you, girl! Let’s go back to Charlie a little bit. The album that Y/N wrote is a resounding success and a very important piece for the series to be as brilliant as they are. I imagine that the four of you have a special affection for the album, but how do you feel that your girlfriend was the one who wrote a soundtrack of that level for such a special project in your career?”

Charlie looks so proud. He looks at her in a way that makes the young woman blush.

“I’m just so blessed that the things happened they way they did. She’s the love of my life, you know? I couldn't be more proud to sing her songs. She has always been insanely talented and nothing gives me more happiness that knowing she gets to do what she loves and is able to share it with the world.”

The singer's eyes water and she puts her head on the actor's shoulder, who kisses her hair sweetly.

“You two are so pure and so cute to watch, I have a new favorite celebrity couple.”

They continue the interview for a few more minutes and then they have to move on to the second section, in which they are handed some boards with the most searched questions on the internet regarding them.

“Okay guys, introduce yourselves again. I’m not going to be in the segment this time so you’ll have to help each other.”

Both agree without confessing that they have seen videos of this segment until 5 in the morning when they have nothing to do the next day and have sleepovers.

“Hi, we are Charlie Gillespie and Y/N Y/L and will be doing the wired-autocomplete interview today!”

“Okay handsome, let’s start with yours.” Charlie smiles and takes the sign in his hands, while his girlfriend removes the first tape and reveals the first question.

“Does Charlie Gillespie have a girlfriend?” Charlie smiles proudly and kisses his girls nose.

“I do, and she’s so adorable.” He touches gently her cheek and she closes her eyes at his touch.

He gives her a light kiss in the forehead and then uncovers the next question.

“What is Charlie Gillespie like in real life.”

“I’ll answer this one, Char’s a total goofball. He is cheerful, funny, always full of energy, talented, caring, and really, really hot. All done, next question!”

He laughs while blushing and reveals the next one. “Is Charlie Gillespie married?”

“Well I tried but someone ate the ring.”

“I would do it again, it was really good. Answering the question, he is not yet, but he is taking too long, maybe one of these days I will declare myself.”

He opens his eyes wide, he knows very well that his girlfriend is capable of doing it, and honestly he wants to be who does it, so he makes a mental note to prepare everything soon. Thank god he is working on the rings already.

“It’s Y/N still dating...”

“If the question says Ross Lynch I’m goin’ to lose it. No shade though, man.”

She laughs, after the James Larkin show, a lot of people showed anger as they felt that she was a much better match with the blonde, and Charlie couldn't help but feel a bit offended.

“...Charlie Gillespie! Yes, baby!” Both high five, Charlie looks almost relieved, is adorable.

“The answer is always yes folks, get use to it.”

“Who is Y/N’s best friend?”

“Well, this one is easy.” She turns to see Charlie and gives him a flirtatious little smile. He blushes and reaches out to kiss her, but she answers the question just before their lips touch.

“Ross Lynch.” She leans over and presses her lips against his for a few seconds as Charlie reacts to her response and then gapes in disbelief.

“You did nOT.” He laughs and and wrinkles his nose feigning annoyance.

“Yes I dID. But to be honest, has to be this man right here. Not a lot people know this but we’ve been best friends all our lives, so yeah. You baby, of course.” He blushes and kisses her hand, clearly happy with the answer.

“Is Y/N going to be in Julie And The Phantoms S2?”

“Will you?” He asks, genuinely curious. She never tells him what Kenny secretly confesses her about the project so as not to be unfair to the other members of the band.

“I will, but probably still back the scenes, guys. I'm really enjoying this part and learning from the best of the best so I am very happy not to be in front of the camera for now.”

“And you are doing an amazing work, love.” She grins and kisses his cheek.

“Thank you for watching us being ridiculously corny for 30 minutes, don't forget to watch Julie and the Phantoms Season 2 only on Netflix! I feel sorry for that poor people that will have to see how cheesy we are.”

“We were still recording Y/N, but never mind. The editing team has a lot of work ahead.”

“Well, damn. I’m sorry guys!” Charlie laughs for the thousandth time today. There is nothing better in life than sharing your days with your best friend. He can't wait to formalize that ‘forever’.

Thank you for reading✨

NEXT PART HERE

Taglist: @writerinlearning , @ghostofmgg, @strangerthanfanfiction713, @thebloodthirstyvampress, @kinda-really-lost, @kcd15, @magnet-girl, @aliandthephantoms, @stxrkspidey, @pinkrockstar19, @s0uz4s, @shycupcakealissa, @cookiebuba, @fangirlangioma, @sageellsworth05, @twist3dtinkerbell, @sunsetcurvenotsunsetswerve, @caitsymichelle13, @ifilwtmfc, @luckylouiebug, @bibliophilewednesday, @totomoshi, @siennanoelle01, @lunashadow6955, @bookfrog247, @morganayennefertyrell, @kiss-themoongoodbye, @rachelle3musicals, @imsydneywalker, @really-dont-forget-it

[alyblacklist]

Do you think the keenler storyline is going anywhere? I used to be sure that it was, I mean why else would they have them kiss and have sex. However now that Liz has been gone for five episodes and she is being quite mean to Ressler (the whole pointing a gun to his head and pretty much telling Cooper about them sleeping together) I feel like a relationship between them will never happen and the writers are just trying to make us forget or dislike Keenler.

Ok, on to the asks about Ressler/Keenler in 8x09 where things were said, but only through contact lenses and earpieces. Thoughts below the jump, because it’s a long post that will (hopefully) address all of these at least in part.

I do think it was Liz speaking through the doppelganger at all relevant times. They haven’t given me a reason not to think that at this point. She knew things only Liz could know. So I assume (unless we get new info) that everything Mia Collins said to Ressler was actually Liz telling her what to say to him (and likewise to Aram and Cooper). I did express to BlacklistRoom on Twitter that they were evil for having faux-Liz call Ressler “Donald” on screen before real Liz does. And at first, I thought maybe that was some sort of signal to Ressler that things were amiss because real Liz wouldn’t do that, but in the end I think it was just the writers playing their usual games. NOT because they hate Keenler or Keenler fans (they’re the ones who made Keenler canon, for God’s sake), but just because they love to toy with fan emotion. They give you a Wing Yee birthday nugget one ep, they throw in a loose “Donald” in another from the lips of a faux-Liz. They know exactly the emotional points to hit if they’re paying attention to social media (and they certainly are, to a point). 

I did catch that accurate observation on Twitter that the doppelganger did not have her finger on the trigger while pointing the gun at Ressler’s head. I’d like to think the actress and crew are careful enough to catch such things as her finger was nowhere near that trigger (and she knew how to shoot that unnamed FBI agent during the chase) so I hope that was purposeful, perhaps as a small signal to the audience that Liz never really intended to hurt Ressler, even though he of course couldn’t see what was going on behind his head. A nod, at least, to the idea that Liz doesn’t really mean to hurt him.

Before I get too much deeper into my personal impressions of the scene, I want to specifically address the anon who wonders if she’s alone in finding it hard to root for Liz or Keenler in all this.

Of course you’re not.

Darker Liz isn’t for everyone. If I had a dollar for every time someone has told me Ressler deserves better than Liz over the past five years, I’d be able to buy you dinner (even at NYC prices). Never mind how many have abandoned the ship over that exact issue or related issues over the seasons. But I also think you know that I don’t share your viewpoint. Maybe that’s why you send me asks, or maybe you’re just using my inbox as an outlet to find those who agree with you. I don’t know and it doesn’t matter (although I admit if it’s the latter, publishing your thoughts on your OWN page rather than in my inbox might be preferable because as much as I enjoy asks to a point, I’m a little tired of ship hand-holding asks. I like what I like and trying to explain it or defend it gets a little tiring.)

All I can say is after five years of deep investment in this fandom and these characters, it takes a LOT more than an absent female lead and a bumpy episode to capsize my ship and send me into the pit of despair. For me, this is the expected price we pay for the ship being canon now versus only at the very end of the show. The Blacklist has never been about showing smooth, happy, relationships. Angst, drama, tension is the name of the game. You have to decide for yourself whether you can stomach that on a week to week basis and especially this season because they warned us – “good AND difficult” – difficult!  - for Keenler. I reconcile the conflict by the fact that Ressler still WANTS Liz and BELIEVES in Liz despite her flaws and if he does, then so do I. The man has some blinders when it comes to Liz, certainly, but not the sort that they love to mock him for on screen. He’s not thinking solely with his male parts brain, he’s thinking with his actual, in his head brain and he LOVES this woman despite her crazy and I love that about him. He’s smarter than most people give him credit for. And I am also of the view that real life and ships do not need to be equivalents. You can love two flawed fictional TV characters without being a person who wants to see those things manifest in real life. (I also ship Wanda and Vision for the record).

So I think we can all agree that this episode – and Liz’s absence generally – has been more “difficult” than good Keenler-wise. Ressler himself told us in those early episodes before her departure that it’s different if you see her, and it certainly is. We’ve been robbed of Liz’s thoughts and emotions entirely ever since she last graced our screen in Ep. 8x04. (And of Ressler’s reaction to said departure, for the most part). At the same time, I think Liz recognizes that too as she hasn’t to our knowledge directly engaged with Cooper, Aram OR Ressler since she left except through surrogates. Purposeful choices on the part of the diabolical writers.

As I said in my earlier ask response tonight, I remain of the view that Liz is in control of her actions and is doing her own risk/benefit assessment in how she responds to the situations she finds herself in. 

I do NOT think that means she has lost all emotion or feeling for Cooper, Aram OR Ressler, but as she explained to Townsend, “Reddington has an army on both sides of the law. I can’t do this alone. I need a partner.” She believes that the Task Force – all of them – are tied to Reddington in their own way, including Ressler, and she doesn’t expect them to violate those arrangements/principles for her. She’s moving outside the boundaries of those relationships to shed light on the secrets that she believes are being kept. Did she involve them this week?  Yes, but I think only because Townsend forced her hand on dealing with his sister. I doubt she would’ve sent her double to the Post Office otherwise. (I totally agree that the Post Office needs better security protocols btw – the idea that Liz can continually breach their defenses has become absolutely laughable at this point).

But, part of that is personal relationships.  She needed Ressler to give her the door codes and he did. Why? Not because he’s her patsy or her f--- boy or whatever derogatory term someone wants to slap on him (!), but because he loves her, flaws and all. The whole letting her go/letting him go thing has always had double meaning, back to S2. 

Cyranoid Liz: You should let me go. Ressler: Those days are over. Cyranoid Liz: Why? Nothing’s changed.

Has nothing changed? He let her go in S2 and then she shot Tom Connolly and he beat himself up over it. Then, the “I can’t let her go” (Ressler pointing the gun in S3 outside the Russian embassy), followed by that car chase and then Red in the next episode, Eli Matchett:

Red: Ressler is a law-enforcement robot. The FBI winds him up– Liz: That’s not true. He’s a person. He’s a good person. Red: Look at me. You need to let that go, Lizzy. I have survived for a very long time now, and I assure you, I didn’t do it by relying on the goodness in people.

I’d submit it has and it hasn’t. All these seasons later, she is once again having a hard time letting him go and so is he (with respect to her).

Ressler: Why’d you call? Liz: I don’t know. I guess– because every time we say goodbye, I’m afraid we might actually mean it.

Both with eyes open wider this time and yet, still wanting the peaceful night, free of all the distractions. 

Yes, he let Liz’s double go physically without much protest. Emotionally? He hasn’t let go of Liz. Not one bit. And Liz saw that, through her cyranoid. He’s still on her side. He still wants to believe in her, no matter what she’s putting him through (and poor Ressler, he’s really enduring a lot – though I hope the tide will turn on that at some point).  He had no reason to open that door, and yet – he did. He doesn’t want that one night to be just ONE night and deep down, I don’t think she does either.

“I won’t give up on you.” 

He hasn’t, yet. “But I still need to do my job, Keen.” She better not push him too far because the day he does is the day I worry. He’s desperate not to repeat the mistakes of the past, he’s desperate to trust her this time. Not because he’s thinking with his small man-part-brain, but with his HEART. He loves her. He’ll do anything he can for her within the limits of his conscience. They are each others’ second chance.

I don’t view Keenler or Ressler’s feelings for Liz or Liz’s manipulations of Ressler as fatal to the ship because I accept that this whole thing – Liz’s mission – is the battle for her soul  that the writers have teased for years . Which side will win? Hopefully the right one. The hopeful one. The one that makes second chances happen.

Cheers.

[edenmemes]

game of thrones (s2) starters

❝ two cups of wine? that’s not much at all. please, have another cup. ❞ ❝ you don't need to live your whole life taking commands from old men. ❞ ❝ what did you say? did you say i can’t? ❞ ❝ i will not fail you. ❞ ❝ i don't go serving some shit king who's only king because his father was. ❞ ❝ do you want to stop me? stop me. ❞ ❝ you must be their strength. ❞ ❝ i’ve been fighting far longer than you. ❞ ❝ ‘ how can a man be brave if he's afraid?’ ...that is the only time a man can be brave. ❞ ❝ you are the biggest liar i have ever met. ❞ ❝ we looked for you on the battlefield. you were nowhere to be found. ❞ ❝ i’ve been here, ruling the kingdoms. ❞ ❝ i could show you the streams to fish, the woods to hunt. ❞ ❝ we heard you were dead. ❞ ❝ power resides where men believe it resides. it's a trick, a shadow on the wall. ❞ ❝ you don’t even have the decency to deny it. ❞ ❝ we share a common enemy. ❞ ❝ brave? a dog doesn’t need courage to chase off rats. ❞ ❝ aren’t you always so clever with your schemes and your plots? ❞ ❝ someone once told me that the night is dark and full of terrors. ❞ ❝ the king does not ask; he commands. ❞ ❝ loyal service means telling hard truths. ❞ ❝ i don’t like you. i don’t like your face. i don’t like the words oozing out of your mouth. ❞ ❝ if half an onion is black with rot, it's a rotten onion. a man is good or he is evil. ❞ ❝ a man without friends is a man without power. ❞ ❝ that’s twice i’ve warned you. ❞ ❝ no one can survive in this world without help. no one. / let me help you. ❞ ❝ i’ve never heard you hide from the truth. ❞ ❝ calling yourself king doesn’t make you one. ❞ ❝ you can’t avenge if you’re dead. ❞ ❝ these bad people are what i'm good at. out-talking them, out-thinking them. it's what i am. ❞ ❝ are you trying to frighten me with magic tricks? ❞ ❝ the histories won’t mention you but i will not forget. ❞ ❝ sometimes i wonder. if this is the price for what we've done, for our sins. ❞ ❝ it's hard to put a leash on a dog once you've put a crown on its head. ❞ ❝ wise men do not make demands of kings. ❞ ❝ it's like stepping into a dream you've been dreaming for as long as you can remember, and finding out that the dream is more real than your life. ❞ ❝ i'll remember it all until i die. rhat was the best day of my life. ❞ ❝ the more people you love, the weaker you are. ❞ ❝ it’s better to be cruel than weak. ❞ ❝ do it. all these bad people, they can’t stop you. forget about them. come with me. ❞ ❝ you're not the person you’re pretending to be. not yet. ❞ ❝ my place is by your side. ❞ ❝ would it be excessive of me to ask you to save my life twice in a week? ❞ ❝ i’ve gone too far to pretend to be anything else. ❞ ❝ you promise me these things, but you don’t know. none of us know. ❞ ❝ show me how you fight. ❞ ❝ leaving that battlefield was like being dragged off to prison. ❞ ❝ you’ll say nothing to anyone. do you understand? ❞ ❝ you can’t talk about it without blushing. ❞ ❝ i don’t need trust any longer. i don’t want it and i don’t have room for it. ❞ ❝ cleaner ways don’t win wars. ❞ ❝ i always hated crossbows. take too long to load ❞ ❝ i’m not questining your loyalty. i’m denying it’s existence. ❞ ❝ you don’t have to call me ‘your grace’ when no one’s around. ❞ ❝ you need to be careful. no one can know you’re here. ❞ ❝ this city stinks like dead bodies. ❞ ❝ where i come from, guests are treated with respect, not insulted at the gates. ❞ ❝ i’ll be silent as the grave. ❞ ❝ i understand you don’t like me, and while that saddens me greatly, i did not come here today seeking your affection. ❞ ❝ you know my family name. you have me at a disadvantage. ❞ ❝ a very small man can cast a very large shadow. ❞ ❝ what is dead may never die, but rises again harder and stronger. ❞ ❝ some say the beauty most desired is the beauty concealed. ❞ ❝ that’s exactly what they are - stories. ❞ ❝ keep out of sight. if things go wrong - you run. ❞ ❝ you want to rule? this is what ruling is. lying on a bed of weeds, ripping them out by the root one by one before they strangle you in your sleep. ❞ ❝ you might find it difficult to rule over millions who want you dead. ❞ ❝ you don’t know what i’m like. ❞ ❝ i’m not like most men. ❞ ❝ look around you. we're all liars here. and every one of us is better than you. ❞ ❝ i will love you from this day until my last day. ❞ ❝ i have heard tales of your beauty and grace, but the tales do not do you justice. ❞ ❝ you have a tender heart, just like your mother did your age. ❞ ❝ that’s a fine little blade. maybe i’ll pick my teeth with it. ❞ ❝ how do you sleep when you...have those things in your head? ❞ ❝ they’ll be singing songs about you as long as men have voices to sing. ❞ ❝ you should give me the reins. i’ve been on horseback for the past nine years. ❞ ❝ how unspeakable of me to go on and on, when all you want to do is rest. ❞ ❝ what you just did is punishable by death. ❞ ❝ tales of your courage and wisdom have never been far from my ears. ❞ ❝ you shouldn’t insult people that are bigger than you. ❞ ❝ the streets aren’t safe at night. ❞ ❝ i have come to love you from afar. ❞ ❝ would you like something for the pain? ❞ ❝ and who are you that i must bow so low? ❞ ❝ a lion still has claws and mine are long and sharp. ❞ ❝ i will keep you safe, my love. i promise you. ❞ ❝ asking me questions is bad luck. you’ll probably be dead soon. ❞ ❝ have you grown fond of me? is that it? ❞ ❝ knowledge is power. ❞ ❝ sometimes those with the most power have the least grace. ❞ ❝ how do you kill a dead man? ❞ ❝ i saw it in his eyes. hated me. he never met me before, but he wanted to hurt me. ❞ ❝ not very noble to accuse a lady of dishonesty. ❞ ❝ there’s nothing more sickening than a man in love. ❞ ❝ threaten me again and i will have you thrown into the sea. ❞ ❝ i am very good for keeping secrets for my good friends. ❞ ❝ i promised to protect them. promised them their enemies would die screaming. ❞ ❝ you’ve been having those dreams again. ❞ ❝ would you please shut up? you think you’re better than me. ❞ ❝ don’t trust anybody. life is safer that way. ❞ ❝ boil this for an hour and drink the tea. makes all your pain go away. ❞ ❝ it must be odd for you to be the disappointing child. ❞ ❝ you love your children. it’s your one redeeming quality / that and your cheekbones. ❞ ❝ nothing is worth what this will cost you. ❞ ❝ i thought they were going to kill me. ❞ ❝ i heard you suffered a terrible head wound. ❞ ❝ i know that our enemies hate each other almost as much as they hate us. ❞ ❝ do you understand we’re losing the war? ❞ ❝ wish i could stay and celebrate, but there is work to be done. ❞ ❝ i’m sorry for your loss. ❞ ❝ it’s just words to give us a little warmth at night. make us feel like we’ve got a purpose. ❞ ❝ death is boring, especially now with so much excitement in the world. ❞ ❝ i’m glad you’re not dead. ❞ ❝ more ravishing than ever. war agrees with you. ❞ ❝ i never thought i’d have reason to doubt your loyalty. was i wrong? ❞ ❝ only death may pay for life. ❞ ❝ smart people don’t find themselves in places like this. ❞ ❝ i will shield your back and give my life for yours, if it comes to that. ❞ ❝ do not speak to me like i’m a child. ❞ ❝ i want you to know what it's like to love someone, to truly love someone. before i take them from you. ❞ ❝ you may cover it up and deny it, but you have a gentle heart. ❞ ❝ there are times when i look at you and can’t believe you’re real. ❞ ❝ betray me, and you will wish you hadn’t. ❞ ❝ he who passes the sentence should swing the sword. ❞ ❝ gods help you. now you are truly lost. ❞ ❝ look around. you start thinking you know this place, it will kill you. ❞ ❝ i want you to curse and fight until your heart’s done pumping. ❞ ❝ they’ll never know what you’ve done. they’ll never know how you died. they won’t even know your damn name. ❞ ❝ you are a man without honor. ❞ ❝ does it give you joy to scare people? ❞ ❝ there’s been talk of other forces at work. dark forces. ❞ ❝ strike hard and true, or i’ll come back to haunt you. ❞ ❝ one day i pray you love someone. i pray you love them so much, when you close your eyes, you see their face. i want that for you. ❞ ❝ you are far too smart to think i will succumb to flattery. ❞ ❝ i had terrible dreams last night. i could not sleep until the sun was shining and the birds were singing. ❞ ❝ all my life i’ve been knocking men like you into the dust. ❞ ❝ you will not provoke me to anger. ❞ ❝ there are people who want to hurt me. ❞ ❝ i’m no ordinary woman. my dreams come true. ❞ ❝ i will take what is mine. with fire and blood, i will take it. ❞ ❝ you’re a sharp little thing, aren’t you? ❞ ❝ i always thought i was a brilliant liar. ❞ ❝ i’m yours and you are mine. ❞ ❝ you defend these men who insult you behind your back. ❞ ❝ we’ll stay warmer if we stay close. ❞ ❝ i would kill for you. do you know that? you’re mine. ❞ ❝ do you hear them out there? they want your head. ❞ ❝ you’re brave. stupid, but brave. ❞ ❝ don’t be afraid. i can take care of myself. ❞ ❝ a day will come when you think you're safe and happy, and your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth. ❞ ❝ why do you hate me so much? have i ever harmed you? ❞ ❝ this will be my last war. win or lose. ❞ ❝ you're too smart for your own good. has anyone told you that? ❞ ❝ you have forsaken every vow you ever took. ❞ ❝ eny isn’t attractive. ❞ ❝ treat your oaths recklessly, and your people will do the same. ❞ ❝ they will all come to you, little lion, to rest a crown upon your head. ❞ ❝ the world is built by killers. so you'd better get used to looking at them. ❞ ❝ the gods have no mercy. that's why they're gods. ❞ ❝ your crimes are past forgiveness. ❞ ❝ i don’t want to leave you. ❞ ❝ if this is a dream, i will kill the man who tries to wake me. ❞ ❝ you talk about war as if you understand it. ❞ ❝ i don’t want your grief. i want my vengeance. ❞ ❝ what? what? why are you staring at me? ❞ ❝ you are the moon of my life. that is all i know and all i need to know. ❞ ❝ i’d say you possess above-average intelligence. ❞ ❝ i’ve been waiting all night. what is wrong? ❞ ❝ oh, are we friends now? ❞ ❝ never swung a sword before, have you? you look like a baby with a rattle. ❞ ❝ maybe i am dead and i just don’t know it yet. ❞ ❝ i’ve seen your face almost every day. and for that, i consider myself very, very lucky. ❞ ❝ the only way to keep the small folk loyal is to make certain they fear you more than they do the enemy. ❞ ❝ i will pray for your safe return. ❞ ❝ this is the safest place we can be. ❞ ❝ the worst ones always live. ❞ ❝ i’ve never much liked my head, but i don’t want to see it removed just yet. ❞ ❝ your childhood must have been awful. ❞ ❝ who do you fight for? ❞ ❝ now you’re arguing just to argue. ❞ ❝ i hope you gave them quick deaths. ❞ ❝ you want me? here i am. ❞ ❝ the thing about you i find so interesting is absolutely nothing. ❞

[cloveroctobers]

GENEVIEVE ALIU —

IG info/bio: @/genevealiu1 | 19k followers | currently on a journey as a junior doctor living in 🇦🇺🤎 | blm.card.co🖤 | sk💛

26 years of age

Born and raised in Glastonbury, England

Pisces sun? + libra moon?

Mother is Guyanese and works for a non-profit organization

Her father is Nigerian and works in property management

has one older brother who is a Prosthetist and resides in Nigeria with his pregnant fiancée

She can’t wait to be a auntie!!!

And a younger sister who is a medical laboratory technician

To say the least, their parents were happy that their children fell into the medical field. Based on their cultures it was a honor to have their children in these professions

Vieve grew up with a sassy demeanor and her parents have old videos on their camcorders to prove it lol, it never fails that the pair brings out the embarrassing vids during the holidays but vieve genuinely appreciates them 

Although thanksgiving is a RACIST American thing, vieve never misses the opportunity to share what she’s thankful for in life and counts all of it as blessings! But it’s still fuck the pilgrims

Has held a friendsgiving before, loves any moment where she can host gatherings or attend them! either is quite fine. She loves being around people

the only time she likes to look back on the past is to see how she and her family carried themselves then and how the evolved into who they are now, it’s interesting to see

Loves “how it started vs how it’s going” posts and might have participated in a few

Always knew from a young age that she wanted to help people in some way, she was always doing something to help around the house and especially her aging/sickly grandparents

Felt offended that many people around school that she thought were her friends would stab her in the back labeling her as this “fake saint” since she rather spend her time volunteering instead of going to house parties in hs

Don’t get it twisted, she still went to those too & had her fun but definitely felt like it was the same routine and nothing ever felt fulfilling at these functions after awhile

Well known with all the cliques around school but had her own group of friends that fit into many of those cliques but she never felt obligated to stick to one social group. If you were nice and cool with her, she was the same to you, if you weren’t? Depending on her mood, she’d ignore you/say things under her breath or be “fake nice” as a form of being the bigger person

Has a curly hair routine that she consistently follows (after struggling to find the right products to make them flourish) and gets annoyed with if her curls don’t turn out the way she knows they can, it’s always frustrating when things don’t turn out the way you want them to but isn’t afraid to at least try

Three times is the charm! Is one of her mottos

loves bright colors, flowy attire, big hats, brimmed hats, bucket hats, berets, etc...

Has faced racism/prejudices and bullying growing up in public spaces—mostly school/uni & some of those same hatred actions online now that she’s dating seb

Because of that there were times where she felt insecure but deff grew to forgive, heal, and rise above the hate, she knows her worth

Has never been happier in a relationship than she is with seb, he’s her “moody long-haired, soft-hearted bby”

they’re both complete fools for each other and vieve is more vocal about her being in love/finding her soulmate whereas seb doesn’t mind showing it rather than speaking it—even tho he’s on a podcast but we mind our business okay?!

Seb is thinking of moving to Australia with vieve, he’s ready to risk it all for this woman, HIS woman 🤩

canon: gives more than she should/taken advantage of/not reciprocating in relationships... ex) how she dated a guy that she did everything for! especially financially and also struggled to find her worth but once she did? Her aura shined brighter than before— Ik chill out there Rocco

Also believes in loving yourself first to attract what you need in this world and found that in her career and seb. I hope they’re endgame! Since they’re the only couple I rooted for this season? Except for tai & ciaran maybe? They’re probably not endgame but whatever

They still get nervous/shy around each other even tho they’ve been together for months now + are in a long distance relationship which is too cute! I think since they’re in this for the long game they can look back on moments and still feel the way they felt in that moment. You know if you get the chance or have already heard elderly people talk about their relationships and how they get all starry eyed? That’s vieve & seb, that shit gets me right in my feels ew

Vieve’s love language is quality time, it’s what she shows and likes along with acts of service from her partner

Makes the best jollof rice & her fav dish is Metemgee

Trying to be on a plant-based diet only but will have her cheat days on occasion—mostly when she’s drunk and forgets her diet plan lmao that’s me getting double cheeseburgers or anything with dairy drunk af

now living in Australia, she tried to like vegemite but...the it’s a no for her, respectfully ofc! She never wants to disrespect anyone

besides the food, the atmosphere is much nicer since she feels like she’s on a holiday almost everyday and that there’s much more to see and do when she has the time

Loves the beaches and is thinking about surfing lessons

yes she enjoys those doctor shows and can agree that most scenarios are not the same as rl ofc but great question!

Since she’s a junior doctor now, and on her way to graduation! She feels so accomplished and having this chance to complete what she’s wanted her whole life in a different place, makes her super emotional

All those stressful all-nighters will be worth it. She mostly did it on her own but is nothing but humble and Is thankful to those that have helped her along the way, what kind of person would she be if she didn’t mention them?

and when COVID hit, she was one of many already on the frontlines. Her studies became altered but this wouldn’t stop her for her mission on this earth, this was her purpose and she knew we would conquer it all—but definitely has empathy and gets angry with how it’s being handled from time to time

She’s been exposed to it first hand which aboustely worries her parents, seb, her friends, and friends from the villa

Keeps up to date when all medical news, has a whole app dedicated to health

Learning French with some of her free time and is doing well at it

It was only natural for her to become closer to elladine since their men are homies and have a podcast together

They’ve hung out a few times on a double dates before the boat vacation & once just as girls before vieve left to Australia

Vieve is always offering advice but knows that every relationship is different and what works for her and seb won’t work for elladine and Nicky, she loves them together and knows everyone has bumps in the road

feels there’s some sort of tension between her and Harry now? Which she found a little off putting since they were supposed to be friends but she realizes that Harry has a condition but it’s also not an excuse for him to treat her shitty sometimes which he does and feels like it comes out of nowhere most times but he always apologizes yet vieve is slowly getting tired of this unhealthy habits

So they’re talking less these days, which he notices!

She wants Harry to find his happiness too! If he hasn’t found it in mc first that is

has met Tim— he’s a great laugh and seems like a nice guy—they follow each other, talia and jake in person when she was out with seb—they were also super nice and congratulated them on their win, she went up to miles once on a night out—he’s still a arsehole, priya reached out to her via dm about her new boutique that she wanted her to model in someday, Hope was just as stunning in person along with Siobhan, Chelsea & mc s2 were also kind, and a couple of the guys also wished her and seb well

She’s also noticed some of the shit talking coming from Elisa, Allegra, Lucy, and mc s1 (subtle shade from mc, basically about how vieve reacted if mc decided to give Harry a go but that was only brought to her attention thru fans) online but again, vieve peeped it and felt majority of it didn’t require a response. She was too happy in life rn and she had a man and they don’t

Plans to get a komondor, thinks they’re super cute! — seb does not “if you love me, you’ll love our child.” “It’s a bloody mop dog! And I’m a cat dad, you know that!” “Don’t talk about him like that, he’s got feelings just like your cat babies!”

I feel like she’s a matcha & Frappuccino lover, tries to keep her drinks simple and feels guilty when she has to make adjustments but the heart wants what it wants

Mini Countryman owner, she also drives like a “granny” better safe than sorry! She hates fast drivers, there’s absolutely no need for it!

Minimal makeup: eyeshadow, moisturizer, & a nude lip and she’s good to go

Secretly obsessed with among us, second life, and SIMS!!!

Celeb crushes? Heath ledger, Tyler posey, KENDRICK SAMPSON, Jordan fisher, Algee smith, Donald Glover, Mack Wilds, Khleo Thomas, Robert Ri’chard, Tahj Mowry, & Hasan Minhaj

Listens to: DaniLeigh, ABIR, Mary J. Blige, TORI KELLY, Us the duo, 11:11, Jacob Latimore, fifth harmony, joya mooi, & Greentea Peng, etc...

Anthem: The Cheetah Girls — Cinderella

[thefirsthogokage]

I just started watching The A List on Netflix. My GOD this is so frustrating I might not even go beyond the first episode.

So, the bitch shows up to camp, classic cliche, and does a bitch thing. No one should like her. And yet, they seem to immediately forget she did a bitch thing after our heroine (who also is kind of a bitch), was trying to help the girl up, grabbed her hand, and the new bitch then let go. In full view of everyone, and yet everyone sees it like the heroine dropped her. The bitch keeps being a bitch, deliberately sits on the heroine's bed dirty, and yet seconds later this other girl says "she's actually pretty cool, but you being mean to her makes you not cool."

What the ever living fuck?! I haven't been this frustrated watching anything in a while.

Not to mention other directing choices with this show.

And why the fuck are we supposed to root for the heroine when she's an asshole too? Slightly less of an asshole, but still an asshole.

And it's so bizarre, this character talks about herself like she's been at this camp before, but she clearly hasn't. Holy fuck this is awful.

Oh look, now a scene that is way too dark.

My god.

I'll watch the second ep, but I have no hopes for redemption.

Oh no wait, is it the evil girl narrating? I can't tell, both the heroine and the evil girl kind of sound the same. Or maybe it's a third girl? No idea.

The girl who plays the evil girl is kind of playing it too strong. Like, chill, if I were there I'd be right there with the MC thinking you were a frickin' nut job with that facial expression.

Oh, btw, HOW THE FUCK OLD ARE THESE PEOPLE SUPPOSED TO BE?! They look mid-to-late 20s at best. Like, usually when playing teens someone looks like a teenager, even a background character.

"My boyfriend is about to graduate college, I'm too mature for this." Uhh...YOU SHOULDNT BE DATING SOMEONE THAT AGE, AND YOU LOOK LIKE YOU GRADUATED YEARS AGO.

Btw, this is supposed to be a supernatural horror thing, and it's filled will all the cliches.

"Never been away from home" boy must be in his 30s.

It's like CW casting age-wise, but not the sex. So, I guess that gives it a point?

I'm definitely done after this episode.

She wants her locket? How childish is this shit?

"Can we just...be real?" OMG I WANT TO VOMIT AT THIS WRITING AND DELIVERY!

I JUST want to know WHAT the evil person is.

Ew. Just ew.

I am interested enough in the plot to go read the summary somewhere....And I did. Pretty boring, honestly. Sounds a bit messy. Evil girl is really a dead girl brought back to life or something by a scientist or whatever. The acting and writing are really too terrible to continue. It sounds like S2 was marginally better, but it would be a waste of time to watch any of it.

[simplylove101]

Random Tangent About Ships & Cheating SLs

So, I was talking with my friend Lauren (@backtothestart02) yesterday about how when it comes to watching our shows and seeing certain ships of ours having cheating sls & how that affects how we feel towards them. This convo kinda came about cuz of the recent development we’ve heard about on Riverdale where Betty & Archie are gonna be cheating on their respective significant others with each other in the next episode... Which, okay, at this point I don’t even watch the show anymore since it sounds like it’s pretty much on crack these days (at least more than usual lol) so this isn’t your typical rant about “OMG HOW DARE YOU MESS WITH MY OTP LIKE THAT” in regards to that sl (re: yes, Bughead was my ship when I watched it but my investment in the show has been pretty much non-existent for way over a year now so that’s not my goal with this rant fyi lol) It’s just more the frustration of the excitement I’ve seen from people being all “YAY CHEATING” Cuz, yeah ok, it’s a silly TV show. Obviously. I get that lmao It’s just the reactions I’ve been seeing that are funny cuz there’s people who talk about toxic relationships and normally how cheating is a dealbreaker but in this one specific case we’re all suddenly cool with it... Okay lmao but yeah, if the ship has to happen because a character died or cheating is involved... doesn’t that already cheapen that new relationship too (and their character development along with it? lol)

Anyway, I actually just really wanted to use this as a chance to rant about my ships that made me deal with cheating sls and why those are basically the worse “obstacles” a show can throw at ships. At least that is, if you want people to root for them long term. lol Cheating obviously happens in real life, but then that’s usually the end of a relationship. Which is why I don’t think it’s surprising that when it comes to fiction, I find the element of cheating to be something that kinda taints my otps for me if it occurs in the story. 

I can think of a couple of cases where I was able to accept it cuz the show mostly did right by them after the situation by showing the growth and how that would never been an issue again. But the cases where the cheating happens and it just feels like this thing that makes it so you can’t enjoy any of the things that came before it with that couple? That sucks. It feels cheap and like, really bad writing.

I think my thoughts on this subject stems all the way back to my very first TV ship: Jackie & Hyde from That 70′s Show. Anyone who really watched that show remembers that 2 episode arc of where Hyde thought Jackie cheated on him with Kelso (she hadn’t ofc but he did see her comforting him in a way that would be suspicious considering Kelso had wanted her back) so he cheated on her with a random nurse as payback. I remember watching the next episode heartbroken at the scene where Hyde has to tell her what he did after he realizes that he pulled that move for no reason at all and Jackie ultimately breaks up with him on the spot. Which I applauded her for. Because the girl had gotten cheated on by Kelso so much that she vowed that she wouldn’t let that happen to her again. Her relationship with Steven was supposed to be different, and up until that point, had been. It was a step back for all the development they had spent with them all season, but with how raw Hyde was during that scene and the scene where he tells Jackie that he loves her (evidenced by the fact that he actually isn’t wearing his usual sunglasses in either of those scenes), it can be said that it was clearly just a momentary regression. Do I think they could have handled it better towards getting them back together? Yeah. But then it was a sitcom so you gotta keep that in mind too. lol Otherwise, they mostly did right by them once they were back together until things got shaky again. But then this rant isn’t about how they deserved the endgame they were supposed to get and were robbed of. LOL But yeah, this is one of the rare cases they weren’t completely tainted for me.

(For those of you that have never seen this ep....)

Another case of a ship where cheating happened, but in this case did have my ship pretty much tainted for me at the time was Joan & Adam on Joan of Arcadia. This is more a lowkey scenario cuz nobody who sees this will know them basically but I loved them dearly and I watched that show (pun not intended at all lol) religiously when it was on so when that sl came very much out of nowhere I was (I’d say) rightfully upset about it. There was no reason to have Adam cheat on Joan. It was just plain character assassination of a fan favorite, and for what? Drama??? I still have no idea. All I know it was a far cry from the boy who charmed his way into Joan’s heart in S1 who wasn’t even thinking about sex when they got together (Heck, *she* was the one who thought they were supposed to have sex in S1 at one point and again, that wasn’t even on his radar at the time lol). Enter later S2, he makes her feel pressured about them doing it a bit and then later he cheats on her with this random girl that we saw a couple times talking to him because of this... Um?? That’s just bad writing cuz it’s OOC. lol What’s worse is that Joan found out about this in the 19th episode of the season so when the show got cancelled, there had been barely any development after that. There was some since there was like 3 episodes or so after that, which meant there was just enough time to get them to a sorta neutral place with each other since they had the same friend group but otherwise, not much closure for shippers. Which was frustrating. You can’t just take that sharp of a turn in the story that late in a season with an unguaranteed next season with your main couple, especially if the cheating is coming out of left field. You just can’t, not if you want me to root for them at least. So.... yeah. That was bad. lol Definitely an example of why sometimes cheating does not need to be a storyline on a show.

(For context...)

I was trying to think if there were any ships before this one that i would want to mention, and there might have been, but I can’t think of them at the moment. Which means next on the list is Zoe & Wade on Hart of Dixie. They’re still a big otp for me, which does show I was able to move past their cheating sl but again, they did get tainted a bit too. In some ways, their sl gave me some deja vu with Jackie & Hyde. At least in the way that the guy chooses to sleep with someone in a very rash way, and you just know this is gonna lead to an automatic breakup the second the girl finds out. There was no denying Zoe was gonna break up with him. It was heartbreaking to watch her come to the realization that he had cheated on her. And it was frustrating because it felt like they only got to be a proper couple for like maybe 4 episodes and then they pulled that move. It was like, you’ve been setting me up to root for this couple and... now what? They had undeniable chemistry so I guess the writers always counted on that for when they would ultimately bring them back together and they were right. I was able to root for them again, and it helped there had been some time that had passed (a whole season of them not being together!) and I was missing them a lot. But that said, it still felt like a misstep. Because when you wanna write a breakup, we should just throw in a cheating sl then? There were plenty of other ways to break up Zade, but they went in that direction. It just felt very lame, lazy and pure character regression in a way that didn’t make sense with the story they were telling imo. They were able to show that Wade had matured later on so it worked out, but this is one that made me upset so thank goodness they made up for it. lol

(I dare you not to tear up lol)

Okay, the last ships I’m gonna mention briefly are both on The Bold Type. 

Everyone in that fandom has expressed their frustration with how they handled the Kadena sl where Kat cheated and then they tried to have a open relationship to let her explore a bit or whatever in S2. I actually get where it wasn’t that bad cuz Adena told her she could see the other girls. Enter the next season, Kadena have sex when Kat is still in a relationship technically (I don’t care if she got the approval to see if there were still feelings there or not from Tia, that didn’t mean sleep with the ex. That meant talk) This is one of those cases where for me, cheating is never the ideal way to bring a ship back into the story. I know it happens but this didn’t make Kat or Adena look that great as characters for me. I know shit happens, just saying from a preference. Not gonna get deep into the awkwardness of S4 between these two, beyond saying that after S1, it does seem like the writers don’t fully know how to write them now still. They were a fan favorite ship for the show, and I think despite the bad writing for them sometimes in these later seasons, still are, but they really gotta start being more consistent with them if they want them to be rootworthy again. And please write Adena in character my goodness. The way they wrote her in 4x07 was just not it.

 Which brings me to Janestripe,

They seriously dedicated a whole first half of a season dragging out the reveal that Ryan did more than kiss the lady he cheated on Jane with. I know beforehand the majority of the fandom hated Ryan already and thought Jane should have been with Ben instead, which honestly... ok, whatever. I still say Jane was having doubts about Ben so she was already starting to check out of that relationship a bit before Ryan declared his feelings for her at the end of S2. That said, once again, cheating isn’t ideal so I liked that Jane turned him down until she broke things off with Ben. I think people forget that the person in the middle of a triangle is making a choice and just cuz it’s not the choice you the viewer wanted doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to be the wrong one. Frankly, Ben was kinda dry for me. Idk. Anyway, I appreciated that they were trying to tell a story of growth for Ryan... Until they weren’t. lol They really could have kept it as a kiss but they started planting those little signs that it wasn’t between Ryan looking guilty during convos and then him telling the story again about what happened & it sounding like bullshit. We all knew but they made us wait 9 eps for Jane to figure out. Which was frustrating. I get what message they were trying to send in the end and I respected that but they couldn’t do it faster?? They were sending a lot of signs they were making them endgame by showing how serious they were getting but now? I don’t see them ever interacting again, unless they did find a reason to bring Ryan back but Idk. I just don’t get painting them in that kinda light if you were just planning to tear them down before the season was even over, you know? They could have just ended them in S3 and I would have got it. But they dragged it out into a whole another season and why??? lol

I’m trying to figure out what more I wanna say about this topic. lol Beyond just thinking that I can’t stand cheating sls. I can barely stand any kinda love triangle sls as it is. Why must these tropes exist?? All they do is cause drama in fandoms. Which is prob why I don’t do them in the first place. lol

Anyway, I’m done now. lol

[titconao3]

Frank Castle for the character ask!

Refers to this ask, send me a character and I’ll list…

(brace yourself, it’s pretty long!)

favourite thing about them

OMG OMG do i have to choose *flail*He seems like a pretty chill guy when he’s not in full-on emo guns-out murder mode. Not the kind to ask himself pointless questions that will only cause distress, and that seems so… nice. Soothing. He’s good at waiting for the right moment, the right shot (sniper skillz!). He can be quiet.(Well, I’m not sure Dinah or Curt would agree on that one ^_^ put the gun down Frank - put that gun down. Please?)This appeals to me, probably because I’m always doing the brain-churn thing inside and I wish it would just stop rather often ;-)

He is generally practical-minded and down-to-earth (well not so sure about the razor blade under the skin, but he wasn’t 100% sane at the time? although I’m not sure he ever is, really… but then, he was even less sane!), but he doesn’t overdo it: he doesn’t feel the need to advertise his skills, he just does what he believes he has to do. With extra bloodspill and gunpowder on top.He reads books but doesn’t make a big deal out of it, he knows himself pretty well, he understands how people work. He makes mistakes, but he deals with it and ploughs forward. Like Matt, he is Will and Purpose. Like Matt too, if he gets ploughed over while he’s on a mission, he doesn’t care. He can be his own casualty, as long as the mission gets done. People who care for him find that extremely scary (and it is!) but it’s also something I can admire.

He is, as Root said about Shaw in Person of Interest, an arrow. The calm centre in the middle of the hurricane.Some people probably think he’s dumb because he doesn’t dazzle you with words or convoluted strategies… those people don’t last long.

He also generally doesn’t pretend - what you see is what you get, and when he loves / likes you it’s full on to the death unless you betray him. In that case, it’s to YOUR death. (Hi, Bill.)

least favourite thing about them

Hm.Well, what he does is, in fact, bad. But we can’t hate him for it because we know why, because the bad guys are even worse, because he puts limits to his acts and abides by them… and I don’t want to root for him. But i do, all while knowing i shouldn’t. 

Don’t make me have complicated feels, Frank è_é (which is also probably what his friends think about him, tbh).

Also, shoes on furniture: NO.

favourite line

I don’t know… You gotta do what you gotta do? Pretty iconic. Or, I really like pancakes? I killed him (you didn’t)?Or the One batch, two batch, Penny and dime thing?Maybe I should say whenever he says nothing, or just one word. I like that he doesn’t overuse words. He’s short, to the point. Bit grunty at times, sure ;-) but he doesn’t obfuscate.

brOTP

DAMN don’t ask me to choose.Curt is a wonderful, wonderful friend who goes with Frank until he thinks Frank goes too far; then he’s not afraid to confront him. Curt is The Best I hope Curt can go back to his girlfriend and explain stuff and that he’s happy!

Dinah’s ambivalence around Frank is fascinating - she hunts him, listens to him, uses him, respects him, enables him… and he, on the other hand, avoids her, pulls her out of a burning vehicle (it’s a trend), calls her for help, argues with her… theirs is a complex relationship, and I’m in for it!

Early days Billy, they seemed so close and I can’t help but be all ARGH T_T about it. Would Billy have made the same choices a few years earlier? Would he have betrayed Frank and let his family be killed? Was the closeness we saw, in the army and outside of it & even involving Frank’s family, all a lie?So. Many. Questions! So. Much. Angst!

I would love to see more Brett & Frank as reluctant team partners *evil cackle* 

And then of course, there’s Matt! All their interactions in DDS2, the evolution, the respect that grows there all while their philosophies are at odds… or are they? etc etc. 

Last but definitely NOT least, MICRO! I missed David and generally speaking the Liebermans so much in S2. There already were kids in canon for Frank to be attached to! *coughcough* David and his robe, David not taking any of Frank’s BS, David helping Frank, being scared for him, yelling at him… 

OTP

Hm. Matt, or Beth, or Maria ;-) i really liked Beth, they seemed to hit it off and she looked like someone who - like Maria, and the people who matter in his life - wouldn’t let him forget there are two people in a partnership. He can, I think, be very self-centred, and can wilfully ignore his actions impact others when he’s on his quest. Someone who recognizes he can be an asshole and calls him out on it, while still providing an anchor that reels him back in. Someone he can care for / be protective of, but who he knows deep down doesn’t need him. He needs to feel needed, I think, but if nothing counterbalances that he can be way too overbearing.

Maria, Beth, Matt can protect themselves (well, Matt less than the others, he can’t protect himself from himself) and are no frail little things; but Frank needs to feel needed and Beth, for example, shows appreciation of his behaviour with her son, appreciates he’s respectful with her, etc. She needs that in her life, she is clear about it and he certainly provides. Maria raised two kids on her own and didn’t take any of his shit.

Or, generally, Frank/peace; but that won’t happen…

nOTP

i don’t ship him with Curt (buddy vibes), Dinah (not really buddies but I don’t get the shippy vibes at all either), or Karen. Or Billy, I think it’s a thing too but it’s way too sad / doomed for me.Also Micro seems too into his wife to have anything left for Frank ;-)

random headcanon

Our big boy Frank is a bit of a health nut. As a Marine, it was drilled into him that his body is a weapon, and he takes care of it so it serves him well. Okay, so sometimes he forgets he can’t pick up another one if it gets destroyed like he can a gun, but generally speaking he exercises regularly and if he can, he’ll eat well (the macrobiotic line in S1? I never got over it!).

unpopular opinion

Probably not being into Kastle?Generally speaking, I don’t ship Karen with anyone, so no Kastle for me. No beef from me if you do! Ship (or not) and let ship (or not) ^_^ 

I actually really like the idea of Karen and Frank as friends, because she refuses to take his bullshit and he is 200% grateful for what she did for him - seeing him as a person, reminding him of his family even if it hurt, etc. That’s canon and I can definitely roll with it, and I don’t see the need to add to it just because he’s a guy and she’s a woman. I like strong relationships that don’t need love / sex on top of it. Those relationships matter too, including between people identifying as different genders.

song i associate with them

To be honest, I’m not that good at music stuff; I don’t listen to a lot of music and when I do it’s usually stuff I’m familiar with over new. I prefer the quiet ^_^However, this time, I will give you one: Marilyn Manson’s Killing Strangers. Not only do the lyrics fit, it’s also written about a vet’s PTSD.

favorite picture of them

no idea… sorry ^_^

[sol1056]

followup on shiro

following up on my post about stereotypes, and now to talk specifically about Shiro... First off, he’s got too many unusual elements to be a stereotype. My suspicion is the problem you’re asking about has its roots in the EPs/writers thinking it’d be slick to play with story conventions, and didn’t realize their mistake until too late. It’s the most likely reason for their bewilderment that a not-insignificant chunk of the fandom assumed the story would be Lance-centric.

It’s not stereotypes. It’s more like a movie’s opening shots making you think it’s a Dracula movie, and you’re like, cool, except halfway through the movie forgets about Draclua to focus on his valet. You’re gonna be mighty pissed if you’d settled in for Dracula and suddenly you’re forced to watch some tertiary character mend buttonholes or press a dinner jacket until the credits roll.

Ultimately, what I think we have here is a conflict between conventions. The part of the audience brand-new to the story seems to also be the part using a pro-fic (published, original works) lens. The part of the audience who remembers some/most/all of the original story seems to be using a fanfic (derived works) lens. There’s a fundamental disconnect between the two, though, and both require seeing Shiro as expendable. 

It’s a huge risk to mess with convention -- especially if your intended audience is less-savvy/younger. It takes seeing/reading a wide range of stories to roll with reversals and subversions. Kids just haven’t had the exposure. But all you really need is a viewer most comfortable with conventional storytelling patterns, and you’ll have a viewer who’ll feel betrayed when the show doesn’t meet those unspoken expectations.

Behind the cut: the conventions of prologues and character introductions, S1 with Lance as implied protagonist, S1 with Keith as expected protagonist, and why neither works with Shiro in the frame. 

the conventions of prologues and character introductions

Basic rule of stories: introduce the core POV first. Although most often also the main character and the protagonist, that’s not necessarily so -- but it should be the character who’ll provide our ‘view’ of the story. It’s also the character who’ll go through the biggest arc, as a result of their experiences. Frex: Watson as core POV, while Holmes is main character; Aang is the hero but Katara’s arc as core POV is far larger. 

A prologue bypasses this ‘first introduced’ assumption. If we get a series of quick scenes (or a cold opening) and then a jump to seemingly-unrelated location, a significant timeskip, or whole new characters, we’re going to think ‘prologue’ and start over. 

VLD gives us prologue as background; the three characters are roughly equal. Sam speaks first, Matt is named first, Shiro has the bulk of screentime post-kidnapping. POV is mostly balanced between them. We’re given every reason to think them one-shot characters sacrificed to demonstrate the bad guys are really bad, and thus, our protagonist isn’t among them. So when we see the time/location stamp, we adjust and assume the story begins in earnest, here. 

Rewatch the opening ten minutes or so. Here’s how we’d categorize the characters, based on when and how they’re introduced: 

First to speak and be seen: Lance, protagonist/core POV. 

Next to speak and be seen will be secondary characters. Either sidekicks like Hunk, or contagonists (signaled by mysterious agenda and/or low-key antagonism) like Pidge and later, Keith.  

After that, antagonists like Iverson, and mentors/guides. 

Since Shiro is narratively identified as the same guy from the prologue, his return means he’s someone experienced with the monomyth’s underworld setting. That makes Shiro the guide who delivers the call to adventure. If your knowledge of story structure is relatively conventional, the combination of Shiro’s return and his positioning in the introduction-order means you could freely write him off as a plot device, existing solely to gets the hero (and the rest) involved. 

Except that’s not at all how it works out. 

profic lens: Lance as implied protagonist

For most of S1, you could watch and assume the categories I listed above, without having your expectations challenged. There’s contagonist development (Pidge’s family vs Voltron), with Lance getting some shiny moments (protecting Coran, shooting Sendak). Sidekick development for Hunk and the Balmera; again, Lance stays in the foreground: flirting with Nyma, coming up with a non-psycho way to deal with the sentries in the Balmera. One could reasonably write these off as minor arcs befitting secondary characters, and that this story’s chosen to front-load those rather than show them later.

Meanwhile, Keith only surfaces as a foil (racing the lions, getting needled), and Shiro can be seen as a placeholder leader. Given Lance’s introduction, we could expect a predictable arc: he starts as less-competent or less-valued, and by story-end he’ll be a capable, valuable, leader. In this light, Shiro represents the stasis that’ll get broken when Lance moves into true hero position.   

It wouldn’t have been hard to take this route: give Shiro a reason to stay with the rest when they infiltrate the space base, and have Lance go with Allura, instead. That would’ve put Lance at the emotional forefront, as the one she rescued. Follow that with Lance using Blue to break the station’s hull, and it’d close the circle with him rescuing Allura in turn. He’d move from core POV into main protagonist. Obvious next step is for Shiro to step down, the story would contrive for Lance to slide into place, and the remainder would focus on his growth. 

fanfic lens: Keith as expected protagonist

Let’s circle back to the fact that of our core five, Keith is introduced last. This is a sharp break with profic convention but totally in line with fanfic convention. Fanfic doesn’t need to waste time introducing and establishing a protagonist when readers already know who it is from canon. As a result, fanfic frequently delays the main character’s appearance while the story introduces the side characters who’ll be playing roles in the story.  

From this perspective, allotting time to Pidge and Hunk makes sense. Both have been greatly to moderately rewritten for this new version, so they get mini-arcs to showcase those changes. Viewers familiar with the original Voltron already have a ‘protagonist’ in their minds. They were probably confident that once that was of the way, that pre-existing protagonist would come to the forefront. 

Those viewers were expecting Keith to become a plot-driver by the end of S1, which he does, somewhat. He’s the one who discovers the druids and quintessence plot point, after all, and he does it solo. The rest work jointly, which is common for secondary characters. 

Note that once again, the obvious next step is for Shiro to step down, and the story should contrive for Keith to slide into place. Since the story’s also established a strong emotional bond between Keith and Shiro, it’s possible Shiro might stick around as a mentor. But still, if Keith’s going to claim the protagonist’s leadership position (per the source material), then Shiro’s got to vacate that slot. 

the real problem: Shiro doesn’t fit either lens

If they’d taken the profic lens, we’d have Lance in Black by now. If they’d taken the fanfic lens, we’d have Keith in Black... which we did, but now we don’t, again. For either convention, the Ulaz arc should’ve happened in S1, as another two-parter. By its conclusion, Shiro would’ve been gone completely, or at least relegated to the background as a mentor.    

But not only does Shiro never segue into that mentor-only role, he takes the lead, and holds it (and takes it back, too). And while he’s older than the rest by some amount (never fully defined, for inexplicable and frankly stupid reasons on the part of the EPs), he’s still not the seasoned adult; Coran fills that role. Shiro’s also visibly damaged inside and out, between his prosthetic and his struggles with PTSD -- and instead of returning with knowledge to impart per a guide, he returns with mostly questions and fuzzy guesses. On top of that, the narrative is quick to pit Shiro against Zarkon (although this is muddied by Keith taking on Zarkon solo, in the S1 finale).

And then in S2, Shiro provides almost all the plot movement. He remembers Ulaz, which sets off a chain of events (complicated by Zarkon, as much as that blunt-force character can complicate anything) that leads directly to the Marmora, the team’s first allies of note. The S2 finale pivots on Shiro, too; his recovery of Black’s bayard provides the last piece needed for the team to defeat Zarkon.  

Shiro’s disappearance at the end of S2 comes late, relatively speaking, but still, here we finally have a vacancy for the protagonist to fill. Except not: the lack of finality -- the disappearance, rather than death -- means there’s no closure. (For a good example of this, see Gurren Lagann, where a main character’s death-speech grants closure and thus doubles the emotional gut-punch.) That means questions linger, shadowing anyone who fills the empty spot, and those questions effectively make Shiro even more central, despite his absence. 

Any way you slice it, Shiro gets way too much noise for a secondary character. Especially if he’s meant to be a character that -- by conventional standards -- exists solely to validate, and give way to, the real protagonist’s leadership.  

This went on too long, but of course now I have thoughts on what prompted the story structure to end up like this. Another followup coming soon, stay tuned. 

[gadgetsrevv]

Pressure grows on Tottenham, while Abraham faces his biggest test yet

All you need to know about this weekend’s Premier League action, all in one place.

Jump to: Is Tammy the real deal? | Winless Watford face wounded City | Tune in to the battle of the south | The Premier League team that needs some luck | Why everyone needs to avoid Harry Kane | Good old reliable Burnley | The man with the most thankless task in football |   ESPN’s fearless predictions

THE WEEKEND’S BIG QUESTIONS

Are the Tottenham players listening to Pochettino anymore?

It’s an age-old maxim in football that, eventually, players simply stop listening to a manager if they stay at one club for too long. Jurgen Klopp always said that about his latter days at Borussia Dortmund, when his instructions simply were not getting through to his squad as they once did.

Is the same thing happening at Spurs? Mauricio Pochettino’s declaration that his players didn’t “respect the plan” in the first-half of their 2-2 Champions League draw with Olympiakos on Wednesday was worrying, and did suggest that some of the players who have been there for the duration of Pochettino’s six-year tenure have started to switch off. Perhaps that is the root cause of the slump and modest results that have spilled from the back end of last season to this.

“I can see why the manager is frustrated because he’s been here for six years now and we’re still making similar mistakes to the ones we were in his first year,” said Harry Kane after the game.

This weekend they travel to face a Leicester team who will almost certainly approach this match in a more proactive manner than they did against Manchester United last weekend: A test for sure, but a win for Spurs will, if nothing else, be good for the perception that Pochettino can still make himself heard.

Can Abraham score against a “big” team?

This will inevitably sound dismissive and even patronising to Wolves, Sheffield United and Norwich, but this weekend sees Tammy Abraham‘s biggest test as Chelsea’s No. 9. The English forward has seven goals against those three opponents, which is hugely impressive but you could easily dismiss those as merely strikes versus teams new to the Premier League or in terrible form.

On Sunday however, Abraham will come up against Liverpool and Virgil van Dijk, arguably the best team and central defender in Europe at the moment. Should he score goals against the European champions, then it won’t be as easy — impossible, even — to dismiss his feats as that of a flat-track bully.

What will Manchester City’s response to last weekend be?

Five games in, and Manchester City are five points behind Liverpool having already dropped more points than they did in the whole second half of last season. Last weekend’s defeat at Norwich could easily turn out to be a freak result, the sort of scoreline that inevitably happens in a world with human fallibility and luck. But that will only really be determined by what happens in the next few games.

They probably couldn’t have asked for a better next game, on paper at least. Watford are the visitors to the Etihad, a team without a win thus far this term, who they eviscerated in the FA Cup final and scored 11 times against in three games last season. But the Hornets have a new manager whose remit was to tighten their defence, so it will be interesting to see how City’s attack approaches that particular challenge.

If we see a repeat of the corresponding games last season, we can safely assume that Norwich was a blip. If not … then who knows what the coming months could have in store?

THE GAME YOU’RE NOT PLANNING TO WATCH … BUT SHOULD

If you’ve got room on your DVR or in your busy schedule for one match this weekend away from the title race, we’ve got you covered.

Southampton vs. Bournemouth

Sure, you’ve probably got better things to be doing on a Friday evening, but forget your friends, never mind going to see a film, cancel those drinks: Watch Southampton vs. Bournemouth instead.

Not only is this a derby (of sorts), but it’s a game between two teams who are pretty good fun to watch. Ralph Hasenhuttl has injected new life into the Saints, while the Bournemouth forward-line featuring Harry Wilson, Josh King and Callum Wilson is certain to provide something to remember.

Stay in, feet up, have some fun.

A TEAM THAT NEEDS A BIT OF LUCK

Luck is everything in sports. Get acquainted with ESPN’s Luck Index as we pick out the team most desperate for good fortune amid a difficult run. Here are the big takeaways from the 2019 edition as explained by Gab Marcotti.

Aston Villa: There’s been a sense that Aston Villa are slowly building towards a really impressive result. Their one win this season has been against Everton, but they’ve narrowly lost to Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, while on Monday they drew with West Ham.

It was always going to take a little time to integrate their new signings, but that’s happening gradually, and when they click you sense something special could happen. Or, possibly, they just need a bit of luck: Could they get that when they visit Arsenal on Sunday?

FANTASY TIPS

Kieran Darcy has some tips for the weekend action. Read his full preview here and set your team line-up!

Must-have player: Sergio Aguero (Tier 1 forward)

Aguero has scored in each of Manchester City’s first five Premier League games, and is tied for the league lead with seven goals in total. And he was rested for their Champions League win on Wednesday, so should start against bottom-of-the-table Watford on Saturday.

Worth considering: Richarlison (Tier 2 midfielder)

Everton lost 3-1 at Bournemouth last week, but Richarlison followed up his brace against Wolves with an assist, four shots and three chances created, and one of his shots hit the woodwork. Now he’ll be at home against Sheffield United.

Avoid at all costs: Harry Kane (Tier 1 forward)

Kane scored two goals and took eight shots in Tottenham’s season-opener against Aston Villa, but has scored just one goal in four league games since, and that was via a penalty kick. Worse yet, he’s only taken six shots combined in those four games, and now faces a tricky away fixture against Leicester City.

ONE THING THAT WILL DEFINITELY HAPPEN

Norwich will crash down to earth against Burnley: If we’ve learned one thing down the years, it’s that football will take a big run up and kick you in the groin, just at the point where everything seems to be going well.

So Norwich City, fresh from their exhilarating victory over Manchester City last weekend, will inevitably be brought right back down with the bumpiest of bumps against Burnley.

There’s logic to back that up too: Sean Dyche’s side are solid and Norwich still have a raft of injuries, and ultimately they probably won’t have the fine play and luck they needed to win last time out.

MAN TO WATCH

Kepa Arrizabalaga: Or perhaps this should be “man with the most thankless task in football this weekend.” Under Frank Lampard, Chelsea are yet to keep a clean sheet: A combination of their gung-ho style of play, inexperienced defenders and changing systems meaning that there’s been no consistency and no solidity in their back-line

Perhaps things will be a little less porous if N’Golo Kante returns, but against the myriad attacking talents of Liverpool, it could be a long old Sunday for nominative determinism’s favourite keeper.

OUR BOLD/RECKLESS PREDICTIONS

Southampton 2-1 Bournemouth: The Cherries blow hot and cold. We’re picking cold this weekend. Leicester City 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur: Plenty of goals but a share of the points. Manchester City 5-0 Watford: It’s the Hornets that will be stung by a wounded Man City. Burnley 1-0 Norwich City: Sean Dyche to teach Norwich a Premier League lesson. Everton 1-1 Sheffield United: This is a game Everton should win … which is why they won’t. Newcastle United 0-1 Brighton: Everyone will jump back aboard the Graham Potter hype train. West Ham 3-1 Manchester United: Every weekend there’s an upset, but don’t expect one here. Hammers to win easily. Crystal Palace 2-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Wolves will rock up to Selhurst with shades on and telling everyone to shush. Classic Europa hangover. Arsenal 3-1 Aston Villa: Three goals for a rampant Gunners front-line and a own-goal at the back for (insert any Arsenal defender here). Chelsea 2-4 Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp’s side will continue their perfect start, but jeez didn’t Chelsea’s young lads play well?

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[snarktheater]

Shadowhunters S2 — Episode 4

Today on Shadowhunters: spooky cemeteries!

Yep, we're going back to the City of Bones. And immediately, I have questions.

"What is your business here, Shadowhunter?"

Aren't Silent Brothers themselves Shadowhunters? Did you forget about that? Are you just ignoring it for the sake of not confusing an audience not familiar with mythos you didn't explain all that well, so we'll pretend they're just something unrelated? Does anybody cares?

She's here to see Jace, because we're still somehow sticking to the plot of the books, so he's locked up down here. Leading to yet more questions as Clary sees the City's other prisoners.

"They all deserve to be here."

Like Jace does? I'm pretty sure he didn't get a trial, so excuse my skepticism. Don't get me wrong, I'm not fond of Jace, but this is once again a display of a complete lack of care for ethics that makes it really hard to root for the Clave. I guess that's what happens when you're writing for teenagers and therefore have to portray "the man" as an enemy, if not the enemy.

To Jace's credit, after his obligatory "you shouldn't be here, Clary" patronizing macho nonsense, he does ask after Alec first thing. It's almost like the show remembers their relationship better than the books did.

Anyway, Clary wants to help Jace get out because she feels guilty for what happened.

"You're here because of me, if I hadn't fallen under Dot's spell—"

Um. No, you're really not the main reason, but okay, guilt makes sense, I guess. But Jace doesn't want her help.

"No matter what happens, never come near me again."

I guess I shouldn't be surprised it took so little time for Jace to be the main source of angst again now that he's back on the good side.

"There isn't a 'together' for you and me, Clary. There never can be."

You do realize she meant as friends/siblings, right?

The Institute's plot line

At the Institute, Magnus tells Alec he's going to be punished in some indeterminate fashion for his disobedience, but Alec thanks him for saving his life, which…makes it okay, I guess? Also, Alec has a whole lot of faith in Jace.

"Once his hand touches the Soul-Sword, the truth will come out, and prove that he's never been on Valentine's side."

Yeaaah. We'll see.

He also brings back up that first date he and Magnus are supposed to go on, but before they can elope, Alec's called away to yet another briefing for a demon alert.

As for Clary, she's still pissed at her mother, for…various reasons, I guess. But Jocelyn has a bombshell of her own: the Clave is reassigning her to Idris, which…wait, she's reintegrated the Clave? Why would she do that? When did she do that? She asks Clary to move to Idris with her so they get a fresh start, but before Clary can answer, that pesky demon alert calls her away as well.

"We don't have Jace, so…you're with us."

Yeah, because replacing Jace with the complete rookie is totally a reasonable choice!

To be fair, it is kind of nice to see the protagonists do…you know, their job. I still like seeing Isabelle be the science person on the team, and it's a nice touch to have Luke work with them to keep mundane police at bay, even if it does raise a few questions. Like…is this standard procedure? Do all police departments have Downworlders working there and collaborating with the Institutes?

Oh, and Alec and Clary are "widening the perimeter" to try and track down a demon. Which is much needed character development, since we're almost halfway into season 2A and they still kind of hate each other's guts for the most part. So they team up to track down the murdering demon's heat signature, which leads them to a girl who was possessed by the demon to kill that guy, leaving her amnesic.

And because this show loves its tangents, Luke argues with Jocelyn about her move to Idris, then when she tells him it's the Council's orders, he offers to come with her. She refuses, because he has too much to lose, but he insists. Cue them kissing, and me wondering if they were established to be a couple at all until now.

Meanwhile, Lydia and Isabelle are handling things at the Institute with the victim's body. There's banter about Jace, and that's the end of that. Also, Raj, the Shadowhunter who was guarding Magnus last episode and was a minor presence last season, is still around for dumb, sexist comments.

"Wow, that guy's heart is obliterated […] I've been in his shoes before, except my demon's name was Cathy." "You know, you might wanna cut back on the smartass after getting manhandled by a warlock."

Tiny problem: while everyone's distracted by the banter, a suspiciously evil smoke comes out of the body and into the Institute's vent. Random Shadowhunters get possessed and killed, and the Institute has to be put on quarantine.

"How did a demon get past the wards?" "Same way it got in without setting of [Isabelle's necklace]. It must have some advanced cloaking ability." "I didn't know demons could do that."

Well…yeah, this is apparently new and the result of Valentine's experiments. So the guy who hates demons…experimented to make stronger demons? It's already a logical stretch that he uses them at all, but you're really pushing my suspension of disbelief there, show.

Since they're dealing with a demon who feeds on negative emotions and possesses people, they…naturally decide to split up. Good idea, guys! I mean, sure, you're in pairs, but that still leaves you one on one against the demon. Also, is there only like…five people at the Institute? Seriously, it's just Lydia, the Lightwoods, Clary, and that Raj guy. Guess who's getting possessed soon?

So it's Isabelle's time to talk to Clary about her potential move to Idris, and have them dump their mommy issues on each other. Which…fair enough, but honestly, the issue here is that Clary moving to Idris isn't really a possibility that I think anyone would consider plausible. You're not fooling us, show. And this only highlights the mom talk more. I wonder where this repeated and unusual focus on Jocelyn could lead. (Disclaimer: I don't actually wonder, because I'm pretty sure I've been spoiled the end of this episode, but I digress)

Back with Lydia and Raj, and yup, Raj is possessed. Shocking, I know. Cue fight scene, with Lydia mostly getting her ass kicked until Alec comes to the rescue, and the demon escaping again.

So, how about we get another mom-daughter talk with Clary and Jocelyn? Because this is absolutely the right time and totally not an attempt to establish drama and character that should have been done before, but fuck it, we're out of time and we can't rewrite or edit the script, so this will do. Point is, Clary refuses to go to Idris with Jocelyn.

After this, Clary finds Alec, covered in blood and amnesic as well. And gee, who's inside the room but Jocelyn's freshly-killed corpse. Wow, I didn't expect that at all.

…Yeah, okay, I did. And there's a lot wrong with it, little of which has to do with killing off a character who…you know, is alive in the books. No, it's more of a problem because she spent the past few episodes being vilified. Because the wrap-up effort in this episode on her character arc is rushed and botched all over the place. Because this deprives Clary of a pretty positive female influence in her life. Because it means Jocelyn won't get to interact with her actual son in season 2B. Oh, and also, because Alec is the one who does it (albeit possessed), a character who had no real connection to her beyond the unending enmity between him and Clary. So in other words, we're putting our token gay character in a position where he's even more at odds with the audience avatar. And yes, I realize that that's as likely to turn the fans against Clary than it is to turn them against Alec, because misogyny is strong in this fandom, but that's not exactly a good thing either way.

Clary is however surprisingly cool-headed about all this.

"I have a demon to kill."

And then it's Isabelle's turn to get possessed and fight Alec and Clary. Alec doesn't manage to do much, but Clary gets the drop on Isabelle, stabbing her in the back. This causes the demon to come out, Clary kills him, and Isabelle's…fine, I guess, even though I'm pretty sure such a deep stab should have punctured a lung at least. But hey, healing runes, I guess.

Jace's plot line

Jace gets dreams about killing Clary, because the Silent Brothers give you nightmares. He wakes up to hear that Hodge is his cell neighbor, and he's basically broken by the Silent Brother treatment. This goes nowhere, but hey, more angst and drama, I guess.

And with that, we get to Jace's interrogation/trial with the Mortal Sword, and being awfully defiant for someone holding a magical tool that forces the truth out of you.

"Alec and I uses [the motto 'the descent into Hell is easy'] to remind each other that we cannot be broken."

Except…why don't you want to tell the truth? Considering you were taken by force and manipulated, it should be relatively easy. It's not like Jace has nothing at all to hide, like the demon blood (that he doesn't have, but they don't know that). But the show doesn't even bother establishing his motivations.

Instead, we get…stupidity. Like Aldertree basically teasing Jace about his relationship with Clary. How is this relevant? Aldertree also knows a suspiciously large amount of detail of Jace's childhood with Valentine, too, but I'm not really sure what this means. The trial ends with Jace unable to pledge is complete loyalty to the Clave, resulting in Jace being sentenced to life in prison. I wonder how long this will last.

The answer is: not long at all. The City of Bones gets attacked by Valentine's forces, and Valentine himself shows up, with Aldertree prisoner and the Mortal Sword. He claims he was trying to rescue Jace, but…no, he was probably here for the sword, and Jace isn't fooled either. Valentine opens Jace's cell to take him back anyway, but Hodge acts as a distraction, giving Jace an opening to recover the sword and fight his way out. For five seconds, that is, before Dot shows up and wrecks his ass. So Valentine gets the sword back, and Jace saves Aldertree, giving up the Soul-Sword in the process.

The useless Simon subplot

Raphael gets brought into the Institute to be interrogated about yet another vampire den, and yep, Aldertree's still pretty useless.

"If you want to prove your innocence, deliver Miss Belcourt to the Clave."

Because it's not like it's…you know, the Clave's own job to do that.

Of course, on the other hand, we have Raphael Santiago, so…

"You think I haven't been trying?"

Well, so far, you bullied an inexperienced teen and that's about it. So…no, I don't think you've been trying.

So Aldertree makes the very…reasonable call to use a Bond villain death trap against Raphael. He locks Raphael in a chair and uses a "concentrated UV" ray which is totally not a laser to torture Raphael.

He comes to Magnus for help afterwards, who immediately decides this is all about him and how he views Raphael as his protégé. Because Magnus is a self-centered asshole, and apparently that extends beyond his relationship with Alec.

Enter Simon, who also wants to wrap things up with the Camille search because…he has a family dinner that his mom guilt-tripped him into attending and he can't do that and look for Camille at the same time. Oh, the drama! Clearly this is equivalent to Raphael being threatened to see his whole clan burned alive! Or, um…burned undead? You get my point: Simon is a completely superfluous character here.

Well, okay, he does have his mystery box, but Raphael could have gone with Magnus instead and found the box and we'd have lost all of…nothing. The box contains Camille's grave dirt, which can be used to summon her. And they can open the box with Camille's blood, which Simon conveniently has in his vein. Thanks, plot convenience gods!

After a break with Magnus angsting about how Camille isn't pure evil and giving us the backstory of their relationship. Which involves her preventing him from committing suicide, apparently. He goes as far as to say that she's for him like Clary is for Simon, which is far from the truth, considering we saw them interact last season and it wasn't particularly nice. Besides, that's all well and good, but she's still a murderer and all.

Magnus asks Simon and Raphael to go get Catarina Loss to reinforce the trap he set for Camille. But of course, the moment they leave, he summons her on his own, because Magnus is a self-centered idiot. Also, that summoning uses a very clumsy visual effect.

No, I didn't edit this. They didn't even match the cut of Camille during the effect with her after the effect. And she doesn't look particularly surprised by the whole experiment. I mean, even if she knows what happened, are you telling me she saw it coming?

To his credit, Magnus does plan to turn her in, and starts lecturing her about how she's crossed a line, and she treats her vampire "children" poorly, and that includes Raphael, who's Magnus's spiritual son or something because he took him under his wing. Camille, decides, plays mind games with Magnus. And by that I mean she uses classic abuse strategies.

"I'm the only one you can count on to be here for you forever. You know that. That's why you love me."

So yes, we really are pushing this subplot ahead of book five, I guess. Magnus doesn't fall for it, and portals Camille to Idris in a cage. Shouldn't he at least warn them that she's incoming? Well, at least this subplot of the hunt for Camille is over, I guess. Now maybe we won't have to deal with Simon as much.

Or maybe we will, since we cut straight to him coming to the Institute to convince Clary not to leave to Idris. I guess he hasn't heard the news about Jocelyn yet. Also, he skips his family dinner for this, which means the whole thing was basically pointless. Shocking, I know.

Wrap-up

After the demon is killed at the Institute, Jace and Simon conveniently arrive…basically at the same time (with Aldertree, too). Clary breaks down over her mom's death, with Simon rushing in to comfort her, while Jace silently broods for a moment before checking in on Isabelle. And then brooding some more after Alec helps Isabelle leave.

And…yeah, I think I've pretty much listed all the issues I had with Jocelyn's death, and that's kind of the big center piece of the episode. That, and Jace's angst. I have a feeling we'll get lots of that in the future. So I'm not particularly thrilled by this episode, even if it had some nice character moments. And somehow, we're back to the plot of the books, too, which is actually surprising to me even if it probably shouldn't.

It is interesting to see the show expand on things while still managing to retain the same plot structure, and overall most of these changes are good ones. Which is why Jocelyn's death is so baffling to me, a little like how the Alec wedding plot line was in the previous season. There are clearly good ideas being used there, but then the show drops the ball. It's disappointing, and it makes me realize that, for all the creators' good will, I don't think this show would be more than mediocre, even without Cassandra Clare's text holding it down.

But hey, maybe if we get a season…four or five, we'll get beyond the plot of the books, and then we'll see if the show can stand on its own. Can you imagine? Wouldn't that be something.

[ouathinktank-metacommentary]

Oh wise tumblr... tell me if they had no plans or ideas for SQ then... hmm how to put this... WTF was that mine scene almost kiss? I mean my entire family went 'wow' and started to ship SQ from that scene. I mean the way it was cut and WTH was that then? (FYI that was some my families first f/f ship). Also remember neal when everyone thought it was going to be emma/neal or neak rooting for sq... rip good old days

Oh wow, you’re asking us thatnow, as we’re wrapping up with episode two after midseason of what could bethe very last season, which neither of us watched very closely–but do see that,from a distance, they’re still making Regina miserable because she’s obsessedwith a man and somehow it’s AS BAD as the time she lost custody of Henrywhich… huh? Anyhow.Apparently, OUaT is fully capable of killing its GLBT andfeminist following with a dose of boredom and a heavy-handed retcon of Regina,so long as Hooktrivances (see: Hook contrivances) and CraptainSwan romanceprevail? So sad where we came to, after that ‘modern fairytale’ about ‘strong female characters’, eh?

But yeah, weremember the mine scene almost-kiss. And we remember the beautiful, flourishing fandomof that era. And we remember entire S2, and that supergay grand finale. Afterwhich the SDCC happened. And the heteroenforcing writing that ensued. We alsoremember the LanaParrilla interview for AfrterEllen and the schizoid reactions that followed(which ranged from extreme exhilaration to utter manic depression), then thebacklash of haters (supporters of heteronormative ships enforced by thisracist, sexist and misogynist show) against the fans, already ostracised and bulliedfans, then a member of the Once writers’ room deciding to step in a pile ofsteaming PR messiness in the midst of incredibly abusive, inaccurate anddownright homophobically enabling (that’s a new term this week) campaign byCS/OQ shippers on the otherwise fantastic and incredibly important  LisaSteinberg article (here) in which she dared toreveal this fandom’s uglies and the range of violent toxicity in it,and… it looked as though boycott/silence campaign of Once Upon a Time was infull swing, despite a slightly ‘encouraging’ interview with Lana Parrilla forAfter Ellen? *whistles* Holy fuckin’ shit, it felt like we should hop onour Arc and sail bloody away! But no, we stayed, because…well, we likeeach other here in the meta backyard. And because Lily Sparks was stickingaround and because it’s important to call out public relations stunts ascarefully coordinated as OUaT’s tend to be, because there was some Big Brothershit (in the Orwellian sense kids, not the reality television show which isa reference to… nevermind) going on around here.

Butthat was then, and this is now. Three years later, you’d think they can’t sinkany lower with those hetero-imposed constructs, eh?. But that’sjust it, Outlaw Queen and Captain Swan are just constructs. They’re god-awfulconstructs, but that is still all they are. These constructs arenot Meant To Be or any of the other ideological entrapments that comewith the modern Western fairytale. Who knows, the end of season might be theseason when we get to see more deconstruction of the underlying problems withthose entrapments. *pauses* Okay, alright, we’re definitely not holding our breath,but we are discussing these constructed ‘pairings’ critically becauseit’s important to do so. And when the main premise of everything becomes aboutpromotion of bad media then the task of deconstruction and, more importantly,renewal (through creating more diverse and critical media) falls to the restof us. Because no, all of that does NOT mean we have to give anything more than our best and most critical mindsto a seriously flawed piece of televised entertainment. We owe it to ourselvesto keep the critique coming. Either burn this down as we demand something more,or admit defeat. But never admit defeat.

Now why bother, youmight ask? Because Henry has two mothers who both use magic and the power oftheir love for him, and their bond with each other to save worlds, rescuekidnapped children from pedophiles on deserted islands, repair obviously poorlybuilt bridges over steep ravines, save unborn children from psychotic ghosts,and other weird stuff, and that is all the essence of the Sunday night waste ofmy career known as Once Upon a Time. So why on earth would we accept this rapeculture heteronormative nonsense? Because all of this goes far beyond the otherwiseimportant (centrally so) ship known as Swan Queen. Not getting what is demandedor getting only crumbs of what is needed, isn’t good enough, but staying forsuch rewards–or, worse yet, walking off defeated, neither of those options isgood enough for this showmaking team. They deserve far louder outcries. And theliteral minded (those who ‘ship Regina with happiness’ because they have thiscreepy dehumanizing thing for an actressplaying her) deserve far less pandering. Stop playing to rampant individualismand rec’ing terrible fanfiction about poor broken Regina and her annoyingstalker. Empowerment is a complex thing. And then we say–carry on with the criticisms because we’ll neverforget. Not any of the retcons, any of the PR (or lack threreof) shit we ended up with–and not the fifth of November.

Remember,remember…

[woodface]

Supergirl S2: United we stand, divided we fall (aka Strong Together)

The past few days I've heard several people tell me that they have or are considering to stop watching Supergirl and just enjoying the gifsets that tumblr throws at them. I can't say I'm surprised, but it does sadden me at how much the show has changed. It's a shame because I know people still enjoy the characters and (most of) their relationships. I think we all know why, but it's Sunday and if you know me, I tend to ramble on Sunday. I've been meaning to give a review of the first half of the second season and now seems as good a time as any.

Now, Supergirl has been all but a perfect show. Season 1 had its flaws: the writing was wonky in places, throwing characterisation overboard to fit the plot and the pacing of the season was terrible. There was something there, however, that had many of us turning in. (More than an amazing cast.) Supergirl was a story of hope. It was a story centred around the women in the show and their journey of becoming heroes. It was a story about found family and how after losing everything, it is still possible to heal when you open your heart for the people around you. At the heart of the show were Kara, Alex and J'onn. The three people who formed the core of the show and who despite the conflict thrown at them, were always there for each other. Stronger together.

When the show changed channels, we all saw the writings on the walls. We all held our breaths as marketing didn't seem to realise what it was that made people tune in. While the second season started a little shakily, by the third episode I was appeased. The show was still there, the Danvers sisters were fighting side by side, still being each other's back up and then… 

I miss the old days where ships were a thing that happened in the background. When subtext was what had us rooted to our screens, or what we could easily ignore when we aren't interested. Romance has been the bane of this season. But Jara, I hear you say, romance was present even in season one. You're right, and it was a tad embarrassing how many men the show threw at Kara, but it also always went back to the heart of the show. Take the finale. James and Kara get their screen time, but when the action is going, when the chips were down, it was the found family that ran through everything. The show told us how much Kara cared about everyone in her own unique way. It was J'onn who walked out with Kara to defend this earth that had become his new home. It was Kara who struggled to say goodbye to Alex, and Alex who refused to give her up. Where movies and other shows would have focussed on the romance, this show put family at its heart. Romance was secondary. Kara was learning to become Kara Zor-El before anything else. Being a girlfriend was second or third. 

Much has changed since then, and nothing was more painful to me than seeing the last episode and having Kara say she always has to fight alone. She's almost desperate to have Mon-El become a superhero was so she would have someone with powers fighting at her side, conveniently forgetting that J'onn had always been there, that Alex will fly into space or jump to an alien planet to get her back. In that one sentence, the show summarised exactly what has been wrong with its second season: romance is no longer second place. It has become first place and found family is taking a backseat to everything else. 

It took them ten episodes to give us a decent moment between Kara, Alex and J'onn. You could argue that this is natural, that conflict keeps things interesting and we'll get there in the end. I have no doubt that we'll see glimpses of our found alien family, but this used to be the glue that held everything together. Stronger together has been hollowed out as Kara, Alex and J'onn are isolated in their own stories and their lines seldom cross. 

The Danvers sisters rarely get moments together, and when they do, it's generally to talk about the romance. Alex is no longer Kara's mentor. They don't hit the training mats anymore, and while they're still supportive and the actors make certain that we see their bond, the show is no longer putting it central to its story telling. 

Kara has become isolated, her actions more and more fuelled by protecting Mon-El and getting him to become the hero she thinks he should be. While this could be an interesting take, after all, it might be evidence of Kara struggling to go back to not having Clark there, this is not what it's about. It's not Kara's struggle, but it is Mon-El's. That in itself wouldn't be so bad if only Kara did have her own storyline, but she doesn't. We don't see Kara growing as a superhero, she's trampling in place and getting isolated as the show puts her in function of Mon-El. Meanwhile James is learning to be a superhero as well, which in a way removes how Winn and James would be what reminded Kara what it was like to be human. 

Now, CatCo has always grated on me so I admit that I was glad to hear Cat Grant was gone. I was hoping her removal would mean that the show would have an easier time to balance out Kara's plot. The division between the DEO and CatCo was always superficial to me and diluted storylines where it shouldn't have. Episode 3 to me is the best example at how well the lesser attention to CatCo works. Sadly, TPTB seem to enjoy juggling too many storylines at once and we're still getting too much plot crammed into one. I keep being reminded of @racethewind10's mantra: this show needs to pick character over plot. My hope was that less CatCo would help with this, but so many new characters have been added, each with their own separate storyline that it hasn't happened. Character moments are so rushed and hamfisted in its delivery, it's almost painful to watch. 

While the plot was suffering in season 1 as well, we got some amazing character moments. I'm thinking of Kara facing the robber without her powers, Alex screaming and begging at Kara to come back to her, Alex and Kara supporting J'onn as his past comes back to haunt him. There were so many strong moments that were truly moving, but season two has had very little… The few we did have were tied to Alex and her journey of self-discovery. They were delivered between Kara and Alex. 

The difference between how Kara and James were treated versus how Kara and Mon-El is treated is huge, where James was always a player in Kara's story, this isn't the case now. Never mind how the change in romance was handled. I actually could completely understand when Kara broke up with James. Her realisation that she needed to find herself first fitted well. I bought it and could actually applaud it. However, that character moment (one of the last Kara was allowed) was completely retconned when TPTB decided to throw Kara at the next available guy that crossed her path. 

How can we believe that after barely any time between her breakup, Kara who had no other character development whatsoever, can suddenly come back and be interested in Mon-El. Such is life? Perhaps, sometimes loves hits us at the most awkward moments, but the way Kara has been treating him like a little brother (or a replacement for Kal-El) to suddenly this arc where Kara is only fighting for him and can only think of Mon-El as her backup when the going gets tough… It comes out of nowhere and is completely out of character for the girl who would always turn to her found family and would live by the creed of Stronger Together. 

It's true that Kara has been isolated, however. J'onn is a bit in a world of his own and Alex has her own romance story that has been monopolising her time, and here lies the rub. I don't want to make light of the importance of Alex's character development (at least she has some). Representation matters and the message the show is sending with Alex is powerful and so much needed. I want to look beyond this for a moment, however, because this has been another key part of how the show has changed. 

Alex's romance is not a natural development within the show. We all knew Alex was gay without needing to be told, but the show runners decided to treat this as a completely new discovery. That in itself should not be a problem, but they brought in a completely new character who has no other purpose to fill than to be Alex's love interest. As a series regular, this is problematic because Maggie had no natural place within the storyline. She's a cop and has no ties to anyone else. To make this work, TPTB changed the universe of our show (I'm sure there's more it than that, but it does seem to be a part of it). Maggie knows about aliens, has been friendly towards them all her life and has a job at the NCPD handling said aliens. That's the common ground the worked into the show to have Maggie and Alex meet. 

However, in order for them to continue meeting, they had to come up with ways to have Maggie show up. So what happened is that Alex and Maggie got their own plot, separate from everyone else's. Kara would get drawn in occasionally (because you really can't separate those two completely), but for the most part, Maggie's only point of contact with anyone else is Alex. Furthermore, to have an excuse to have Maggie around, the role of the DEO has been lessened and with it, J'onn's role as well. Now imagine if the show had used Lucy or Vasquez and given a more natural progression for Alex's self-discovery, where the romance would fit right into the main plot and not water down the importance of the DEO. 

Instead Alex gets her own storylines while Kara and the others have their own. While I love seeing a different side to Alex, it means that she was effectively replaced in the main Kara storyline by either Winn (when it involves science) or James and Mon-El when it comes to fighting scenes. Alex's relationship with J'onn got watered down as she no longer was there for much of the big plots, and Alex no longer is Kara's main backup. Yes, there's been exceptions, but this is a trend where the men replace Alex as our kicking ass human hero. 

After all, James is now the human who gets to beat up bad guys and wants to make the world a better place. M'gann and Kara have had a stronger bond with J'onn than Alex does. Danvers sister moments are replaced by Alex hanging out with Maggie. While this might balance out as Alex's sexuality becomes a simple fact rather than a huge revelation, I'm not confident that we're going to return there. After all, Mon-El has been slowly taking over Alex's role when it comes to Kara. Alex was always the one with one foot in reality, evening Kara's goodness and innocence out. (Remember her threatening Lord.) Slowly the show has been pushing Mon-El to take that position because Alex is too tied up in being in love. 

Don't get me wrong, I love seeing Alex happy. I love that we got such a positive storyline on television. I love the moments when Kara gets to be supportive of Alex. I want Alex to actually think of herself for once, but that does not negate the fact that it's another part that has the glue of our show crumbling down. 

Alex's romance story has effectively removed her from the main plot where she used to be at the centre with Kara. Do you remember how many times they'd end up fighting and checking in at the middle of the fight to make sure the other is okay? We've had so little of these moments because Alex basically rarely gets to be there anymore as the side characters take up her space. 

The show has screwed itself over by bringing in too many new characters and wanting to tell too many stories at once (the latter is an old issue that's gotten worse). They've separated the main three characters from each other and have removed what was the heart of the show. It's still there, but less so and the moments that we should see are rushed or simply don't happen because a romance scene gets precedence over them now. 

Supergirl is simply not the same show anymore. Kara was a different superhero. Not only because she's a woman, but because she knew she shouldn't do this alone. Because she had her friends around her, her found family, which kept her going and saw her through. She was working through so much pain and suffering, but she managed to hold on to her kindness. 

Supergirl was a show about Kara, but they're trying to turn it into an ensemble show where the female heroes are defined by their romance stories and the men learn how to be heroes. That's not the show I signed up for. That's not the show I fell in love with. I am disappointed and saddened any time I see those pictures of all those little girls excited to meet Melissa Benoist, to meet Supergirl. I am saddened because they deserve better and so do we.