#wish i had more time to fix/understand the head angle but at least im trying new things u_u

[caiabresebun]

happy birthday baby boy

[slidewhistlebj]

TUA Season 2 is finally here! I think it was a really cool season with some really awesome potential, but there are some parts that I think really didn’t work and this is how i think they should have been fixed

(Spoilers for Season 2 of the Umbrella Academy. Obviously)

i think landing the siblings in different years was amazing, they got time to explore themselves and we could see their personalities through what they did

On the other hand, they didnt devote enough time to those storylines so it never felt like they had a solid purpose (for most of the siblings), it was more to show “time has passed”

How did Luther end up boxing under a gangster? How is he adjusting to no dad, no academy?? He was alone on the moon, He was left behind by his siblings in the academy, now he is alone and in a whole other *time* like i wanna hear about that!

Klaus has mansion and a cult and had a girlfriend benefactor lady?? Like: lets get into that! if the show wants humor that can be amazing

but it can also be really interesting and deep for exploring klaus’s need for both personal space (physically and somewhat emotionally) yet also his need for positive attention from whoever will give it to him!

More on that alone now track: the opening scene with their fighting was built to get us hyped

it fucking worked, that shit was amazing

but along with wishing that we saw more of their individual stories, i wish some of their growth had been gradual

like Klaus should have been showing off ghost stuff with his cult which is part of why they follow him which would set up his new ability to summon and conjure multiple ghosts at a time

instead of it being a throw away scene at the end where he gets caught

or Diego could have been shown in his ‘alone in dallas’ storyline to be trying to escape multiple times from the asylum and in that, figuring out his ability to start affecting other peoples shots at him, etc

Stuff like that would have been a great way to both dive into the characters *and* ramp up their abilities

Moving onto The Commission who i absolutely love so so much 

Hell yeah u funky lil time-space assassins

I think that the Handler should have stayed dead

her return to the show while awesome (because she is played so well by her actress) continues this problem for the show of seemingly running in place where things dont have consequences like they should

I also think her return made a very campy feel to certain parts which is fine, the story should have fun! but it doesnt fit with the vibe very well with the other more serious plots

Imagine a storyline where the Handler is replaced by Carmichael, a competent replacement with no close personal relationship to Five

A head to head show down throughout the season of Five trying to outthink and outwit Carmichael and Commission Agents to get a briefcase 

The misdirects! 

The drama! 

The action sequences and reveals!

More Screen Time for the Cool Ass Talking Fish 2k20!

All of which culminates in the board of directors scene but now with real weight behind it for the audience because we have been watching these two face off with one another for a season of build up

LET FIVE EAT THE FISH!

Giving that scene to the handler was the worst part of the whole season, u cant change my mind bros

This would also open up Lila to be more of her own person

Her storyline would change without the Handler there so that instead of being actively manipulated by the Handler, she has gone rogue from the commission to kill Five for her parents deaths due to previous planning and programming from her mother

(its only been 14 days for Five, a very normal turn around for him to desert, have the Handler tell Lila her version of the story, get killed, and have Lila get ready to take him down)

its generally the same plot, but Lila is more in the drivers seat

Going from tagging along with Diego in the hopes that Five returns for him to questioning some of her commitment to her mission as she spending time with them, etc

it could culminate in a reveal of her mother to Five and Diego and then a redemption where she helps them get a case from Carmichael in someway, looping her into the main plot in an important way with generally the same story

but skipping the pretty basic “obviously evil character is obviously evil but hero doesn't see it” trope that they fell into

I think that Luther’s arc in this season was awesome 10/10 gold standard

he was still him, but this storyline showcases the softer side of his loyalty and lets him grow from season 1 mistakes which is everything I hoped for

Comforting Vanya? Check

Being there for Five? Check

Being a voice of reason but still being a dumbass? Cheeeeeck

Diegos arc this season fell flat for me which was hard because he was such a main part of the plot 

This whole season had a build-up trying to break down Diego’s need to be a hero (which they turned to a fucking 11 from last season?? he was not *this* intense last season, im not quite sure why they made the switch), telling him that he isnt / cant be the hero

I assumed this was leading to Diego having a big moment or sacrifice that proved that hero or not, he cares and the effort that he puts into all of these different things matters

But it just didnt??

He didnt stop the president from being assassinated, he didnt save vanya, at the farm he got trapped under a tractor

it just felt like the point was “haha see he isnt a hero”

which,,,,,,okay? What the point of that??

His involvement with the Commision was weird too, i didnt care for him being a part of that storyline very much, it just didnt add anything

Allison’s arc was just on the edge of greatness for me

it was an awesome choice to put in her in a position where she wasnt treated equally and show exactly what kind of person she is by how she fights back

her not using her rumors also seems very genuine and character based here like: 10/10 character motivations and work

My one complaint, like with just about all the partners in this season, is that she fell in love with a man and just had to leave him 

which makes sense and they talk about it but like: she loves him, its hard to picture someone as loving and loyal as Allison just leaving her husband behind forever 

Klaus’s arc just needed more *time*

He is a hella deep character but all of his story lines needed more time to be able to address that complexity 

Show us more of the cult and his ghost powers being used there to trick and amaze and how he has been handling being cut off from the family again

I,,,,,,I understand,,,dave’s storyline

I get the time period

but fuck

that just hurts

I think Klaus not trying to rekindle his relationship with a younger Dave, but trying to protect him from the war was an amazing angle and it needed more time to get the full punch of klaus pulling out all the stops to save him but failing to really land it

Five

My Son

My Trash Boy

I feel like his job as ‘leader of the stop the apocalypse’ movement is good but that was his whole story this time around

He should have gotten more to play off of with the Commission (*cough cough* Carmichael) in his fight to get a briefcase instead of what felt like 10 hours of Five trying to herd his siblings and them just fucking up in someway or another

Five and Older Five was a cool dynamic and im glad they brought him in but again, it just felt like another long storyline attempt that didnt have a purpose as they ended the scene without the case or anything new

Ben’s arc was,,,,,strange

I love Ben and i think his interplay with Klaus is really cool!

But the writers made him fall in love which someone so they could give him a reason to want to possess Klaus which i feel like didnt need to happen

The possession was a good part of the season and could have been taken to some awesome places

It was rough and the ‘consent’ wasnt run entirely well but i think the possession is supposed to be on the line and not quite black and white 

its Ben asking to take control of Klaus! That can be conflict! Thats good stuff right there! Ben is selfish! so is Klaus! thats a cool story to get into between them and see how they try to work it out

Ben wanting to connect with his other siblings after the small taste of being corporeal that he got and pushing Klaus for more and more of that freedom into possession territory would be A+ shit

and Finally: Vanya!

I think most amnesia plots are lazy and just a way to stall progress and reset a character so you can run a very similar plot again but this one seemed to genuinely grow Vanya’s character, even when she remembered 

She definitely has more personality in this season

And while shes quiet, thats just who she is, she isnt as afraid to take space and speak up which is awesome!

And this stays when she gets her memory back which is very good, i dont want to see backsliding for no reason! Give me growth!

I have two complaints about her storyline though

 First Sissy and Harlan

I love both of them and I think they are really cool characters!

Theyre pretty similar to vanya season 1, taking whatever is thrown at them which places Vanya in a more assertive position where she wants to protect them which i loved!

but their ending doesn't sit entirely right with me, just like Raymonds

These characters are in love and they all just leave each other so that the siblings can have a clean, no characters permanently added slate for the next season

it just makes me tired and i really want season 3 to have little to no romance if the only way the show can go about it is to do a love interest per season

My second problem gets its own section because it is the culmination of everything else i have said 

episode ten

Vanya is strong af so any writer that wants big final fight needs to very carefully weigh out how to give each sibling their appropriately sized struggle so they get equal ability to contribute

Instead of doing that though, they did my least favorite trope: Evil Character secretly can do everything the heros can but better and without a problem or ***training***

It meant that they could do whatever they wanted with throwing commission agents at them because Luther, Allison, and Klaus were completely added on just to react to things

Five sort of got to do some fighting (<3 thats my lil geriatric 13 year old) but it was minor, he was mainly there to very obviously turn back time when the big bad shoot out happened

Diego got the most to do out of the siblings and it was suddenly knowing a new ability and doing it a little bit

I dont want a final fight to be trying to woo a bad guy to the good side because theyre too strong to fight 

I want there to be stakes and drama as the siblings show off exactly what the season was all about, what they learned, how they grew together and apart, etc and to take down the big bad which could have very easily been the united front of the Commission instead of 18% Vanya, 15% Harlan, 30% Lila and the Handler, 20% the Swede(s), etc

Lila’s turn to good could have been to help them sneak attack the commission, maybe in their base so as to shrink the fighting to manageable bites for each character?

That would have allowed five’s killing of the board to draw the fighting to a close, a hard decision for him as he is trying to move away from killing but does so to save his family, always to save his family :’( 

Luther could protect his siblings from hits like they showed at the beginning in a way that mirrors how he has been doing that emotionally all season

etc etc etc for all of the siblings so that they each get to show off and have their moment in the spotlight as heros

I loved the season even though i just ranted for like 3 pages, and it has some of the best one liners and line readings ever (”Thats where you come in Five” “Nope. No it isnt”) I just wish that some parts of it had been given some more thought / care so they could really show of the amazing cast, effects, sets, etc without writing in the way

[claudiafernandez96]

the pickup || claudia & jude

Discord thread featuring: claudia & @judetaylorhq

When: early morning Feb 27, 2020

Mentions: @cilliankelly

Description: jude surprised claudia by picking her up from work. claudia and jude make up. 

TW: addiciton

Claudia.

Claudia took her time to get out of work. She even offered to stay and close. She had found that working and painting were the only two things that keep her stay distracted from using anything. She still had the itch, of course, and part of her believed that another relapse was just around the corner. BUT There was another small part of her that actually believed she was going to get better this time. Claudia put her winter coat on and headed out the front doors to hail a cab. She stopped before she could get to the curb when she saw Jude standing at the edge of the curb. She gasped because she was genuinely surprised to see him. “What the hell, Jude?”

𝑗𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑟.

Jude had never really been a patient guy, when he wanted something done he was a go and do it himself kind of guy. He didn't like to wait around and hope for things, hope had always been dangerous for him, he'd rather just know, and get things done, then have to wait. This situation with Claudia wasn't any different. He'd been thinking about her constantly, thinking about how much he missed being her friend, after all, that was why he had fallen in love with her in the first place, she was his friend, she meant a lot to him, she was important, that was a big part of why he felt so impacted by her all the time. When he felt betrayed by her, it only showed how important she was to him. He'd screwed up too though, he knew that, and after days of thinking it over, he knew it was time to fix things. To support her the way he kept saying he'd always wanted to, now that she was actually willing to accept some kind of help. He'd parked his truck and climbed out, waiting for her with his arms crossed over his chest and letting out a sigh when she confronted him, "Come on...I'm taking you home." He spoke firmly, holding out a hand to her.

Claudia.

There were a lot of things going through Claudia’s mind at she stared at Jude’s hand. Part of her wanted to scream, cry, and just run away. She wanted to just forget that he ever existed. It’d be easier that way, right? But it seemed like that wasn’t going to be possible. There was too much history between them. They’d been through so much together, that leaving each other now for good didn’t seem like something that was even possible. Clearly. There was also another part of Claudia that wanted to just pull him into a big bear hug and cry into his shoulder. He was always so good at that — Just holding her and letting her cry. She’d been doing a lot of crying lately, and having Jude around to comfort her was actually something that she thought she needed at this point. Claudia’s green eyes stared blankly at his hand for a few moments until she finally decided to take his hand and get into the car. She’s already regretted this decision, but part of her really did want to hear what Jude had to say. She just knew she had to keep her guard up, and she knew Jude might have been doing that exact same thing too.

𝑗𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑟.

Jude was surprised when Claudia took his head, she was stubborn, it was something he often admired about her, but he was glad when she did, they'd already taken a big step towards fixing things but her even getting into his truck and he helped her in before he climbed into his side and started it up. He'd pulled away from the curb before he spoke, formulating and reformulating his thoughts over and over again until he finally spat out the words. "Fuck, Claudia. How'd we get here?" He spoke quietly, calming, unable to glance over at her, afraid he'd lose it if he did. "I mean, fuck. You know how important you are to me...you have to know that."

Claudia.

Claudia pressed her forehead to the cold glass window like she was in a dramatic 2000s music video. She heard him get into the car, but didn’t make eye contact - she just kept her eyes on the passing city. She waited for what seemed like several minutes, which, in reality was probably only a few brief moments. The artist wasn’t expecting him to be so blunt right off the bat like that. She took a deep breath and turned towards her ex. She had been in the passenger seat of this car, looking at him from the angle countless times. This felt so different. He was right - how the fuck did they get here? “I thought I did, Jude.” She glanced at his side profile. Claudia honestly couldn’t even remember half the things she was mad at him about before. “I just...I don’t even know anymore. All I know is that im pissed off.” She confessed, switching her gaze back towards the window.

𝑗𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑟.

Jude nodded, he was pissed off too, but for different reasons he was sure, still, angry wasn't a new emotion for them, they both seemed to thrive off angry, righteous or otherwise. "I'm pissed off too." He spoke argumentatively, shaking his head as he drove, "I'm pissed off about...everything. I'm pissed off that I still give a fuck about you, I'm pissed off that you never took my help, I'm pissed off that you still...fucking..have a hold on me. I'm pissed that you lied to me." He groaned, he hadn't wanted to be combative for this conversation, but he had a lot to say apparently. "I just...there's nothing I want to see more than you better, but...fuck I'm angry, Claudia."

Claudia.

Claudia shifted her gaze to the road in front of them. She felt her chest tighten when Jude told her the way that he felt. She knew all of this, but it somehow still hurt like she was hearing this all for the first time. She knew she fucked up. She knew she’d hurt him more than she ever had before. She was surprised that he was still even entertaining the mere idea of Claudia’s presence. But when he told her that she somehow still had a hold on him, it started to make a little bit more sense. “Then what do you want from Jude? I’m sorry I lied to you. I’m sorry I said a lot of hurtful shit when I was mad, but I genuinely don’t know what else you could possibly want from me. I thought you wanted me to leave you alone so I did.” She then turned to look at his side profile again. “But then you show up here and have me confused as fuck.” She raised her voice a little so that she was stern, but she wasn’t exactly yelling at him either. Even though she wanted to.

𝑗𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑟.

Jude sighed, his eyes still on the road, unable to glance at her and risk losing it completely, he'd always said that being around Claudia clouded his judgment, and that still held true. He was at risk of forgetting all the reasons he was upset and melting into her eyes if he looked at her now, before he'd managed to say everything he needed to say. "I just want my friend back." He spoke gently, "Before I fucked it up, before I got insecure about you and Cillian. I feel like shit about not being here for you, you deserved better than that, Claudia. You deserved more, and I let you down. But you....you know why...why it's so hard for me to...watch you do this over and over again."

Claudia.

Claudia knew that she would always love Jude. She never stopped loving him, even when they broke up. Part of her didn't want to keep Jude around to watch her inevitable downfall again. Or at least that downfall that she assumed was going to be inevitable. She knew that that was a bad way to go into recovery...but she'd been here before. They've been here before. Jude more so than Claudia with his mom. She loved Jude, so did she really want to bring him into this? She should just let him go, right? So that he could live happily ever after with the person whom she used to consider one of her best friends. There was another part of Claudia that desperately needed Jude to get through this though. She knew for a fact that there was no way she was staying clean with Jude by her side. Claudia watched his side profile as he spoke, wishing he'd turn to her so that she could read the emotion on his face. "I know...I'm sorry. I understand...I understand why you said what you said. I don't know why I would expect you to expect anything else from me. I'm sorry."

𝑗𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑟.

"I expect things from you because I want better from you, Claudia." He sighed, "Fuck, Claude." He was trying to keep it together, but everything about this made him want to fall apart, but more than anything he wanted to fix it. He hadn't been lying when he said they needed her, maybe he'd just mistaken the context at the time. They did need her in their lives, she was like family to them. She was their best friend, and losing her had felt like something was missing. "How do I tell you I love you without giving you part of me that you might fuck over again?" He finally did glance at her, "Because I do, and maybe not in the way you want me to, maybe not in the way you need me to, but fuck Claudia...if I lose you again i'm going to go insane."

Claudia.

It didn't take Claudia a long time to start crying as soon as their eyes met. She felt heavy tears slide down her cheeks almost instantly. That hurt. It hurt like hell to know that Claudia had made him feel this way. She had done this to him. She had spent so long blaming Jude for something that he was doing just to protect himself from her. "I'm sorry...Jude, I miss y-you like hell. I'm so sorry that I did this to you...All you've ever done is protect me and care about me, and I have had a really shit way of showing you how much I c-car...well, love you." He deserved so much better than her. "And I'm sorry for blaming you for this when it was my own fucking fault."

𝑗𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑟.

Jude sighed, "No...that's just it. It's not all your fault. We all fucked up, because we're all fucked up. When we get upset we fuck up each other and I'm tired of that, you know? Like, why is it that we do that?" He sighed, Cillian and himself had somehow figured out how to work past that, they loved each other and managed to actually talk through things now, not like before, surely there had to be a way to do that with Claudia, to get past bullshit and to the heart of the matter. "I left you when you needed me most. I just thought if we weren't sleeping together you'd leave me. You'd leave us, and I was scared of that, and I let you believe something that wasn't true and fuck if that wasn't shitty of me. But I'm sorry, fuck I'm so sorry. I'll do better for you next time, Claudia, I swear."

Claudia.

This moment almost didn't seem real. It almost seemed like a vivid dream. She never thought that her and Jude would have this conversation. Claudia nodded her head slowly. "I don't want to fuck you up anymore. It's exhausting." Jude was right. Claudia did need him. Claudia didn't have a dad to call to when she needed help fixing the clogged sink, or how to do your taxes. Jude protected her and loved her the way that family would. He stuck by her the way that family would love each other unconditionally, even through all of their bullshit. "I'll do better too, Jude. I promise." She told him, wiping the thick tears that were ruining her makeup away. "And I won't leave you, okay? N-not again."

𝑗𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑟.

Jude let out a breath, feeling a sense of relief as he listened to Claudia speak, somehow knowing they'd be okay, at least they were talking, and that meant they could get through this together. "Fuck." He spoke quietly, reaching over and taking her hand, giving it a squeeze, "I want to be here for you. Even if we all fuck up again, I just want us to be here, together. We need each other. You know? He misses you like hell, and fuck I miss you too. You get us. We might be the only people in the world who understand each other." He pulled up outside her apartment and turned to her, "You deserve the best, you know that? I know I've not made you feel that, but I mean it. You deserve to be happy and get better and just..fuck...don't look at me like that." He laughed quietly, "You'll make my head foggy..."

Claudia.

Claudia finally smiled softly at him when she told him that she'd make his head all foggy. She squeezed his hand tightly and manage to let out a tiny laugh. She leaned over the center console once they were safely pulled over to the side of the road for a big hug, one she had been needing for a very long time now. She actually felt confident that she'd be able to get through recovery with Cillian and Jude by her side. Like they gave her some kind of super power or something. "I missed you both, too." She said into his shoulder, still holding onto him tightly for a long awaited embrace. "So much." Her heart suddenly felt full for the first time in a really long time.

𝑗𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑟.

Jude nodded, smiling again when she did and pulling her close, hugging her tight and burying his face into her neck, "I mean it, I don't want to fight again." He whispered, finally pulling back a little misty eyed, "Fuck, we missed you too. We haven't done anything reckless sin god knows how long and honestly I think Cillian's starting to die inside." He teased, sure they'd actually been enjoying domestication but having Claudia around really did make them both happy, she brought a lightness to them that they sometimes missed with how intense their relationship could be. "Don't be a stranger, okay? If you need anything, lean on me. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere ever again." He promised, pulling back and pushing his door open, "Come on, let me walk you to your door."