tellhulla

[tellhulla]

there's a jewish story about a rich man who goes to his rabbi to ask him about building an orphanage, and the rabbi is like "yeah duh go for it!!" and then later the rich guy comes back and is like "actually I've decided not to... I was just doing it for my own image and not coz I cared about orphans" and the rabbi was like "bitch the orphans don't care why you're building the orphanage!!!" and sometimes I wish I could say that to lefties who haven't unpacked their christian upbringing. sometimes motives don't matter!! who give a fuck why a politician wants to do a good thing? bitch the orphans don't!!

[tellhulla]

too many people prayed for the world to NOT end in 2012 and god panicked and started pulling out rough drafts. bonus years. side quests and horror stories. he dug up his flop era and started posting it for all to see. you fangirled too hard and now earth is running ten seasons past a perfectly written ending using unlikeable background characters and resurrecting terrible plot lines. congratulations you’ve supernatural’d the earth.

[tellhulla]

You get it!

my most controversial downton abbey opinion is that if you wanted thomas to stay butler at downton then you have a fundamental misunderstanding of his character

[tellhulla]

I know I'm far from the first person to complain about how badly they handled the aftermath of Thomas' suicide attempt but by god they really did fuck that up huh

Mr. Carson announcing the flu lie to everyone and saying that Anna and Phyllis were going to look after him, but Anna and Phyllis were both down there with everyone else. Literally everyone who knew about it was down there for supper. Mere hours after he tried to kill himself and they're already leaving him alone?? Hello??

When Mary and George come to visit him I think it's only supposed to be the next day or so, but he's sitting up and reading and looking mostly fine?? After going through severe blood loss?? And he's been left alone again??

Anna telling Thomas to think about what brought him so low. Girl. Girl what kind of thing is that to say to someone who just attempted suicide?!! I adore Anna to pieces, she is one of my favorite characters, but this is about the only time in the whole series that I got mad at her. Girl I'm pretty sure he fucking knows what brought him so low and that he has been thinking of nothing but that for many months. Honestly. Then walking around with that (fake as fuck) smile, being all "oh yes that was a foolish thing I did wasn't it" BRO. Everyone vaguely making it out like his depression was his own fault and he just goes along with it??? Like okay a lot of his problems he does bring on himself but NOT FUCKING THIS!!!

And the plotline itself was so short?? Granted I don't know how much time passed between ep. 8 and the Christmas special but by the CS he seems completely fine?! What the hell. They spent seven episodes building up his depression to the breaking point and then there's just nothing afterwards. I've read so much fanfic that expands on this properly that I forgot how very little time the show actually gave it. I know it's not the Thomas show and they have like 20 characters' plots to wrap up but come on!!

[tellhulla]

I always hated that plotline because it needed more time to breathe and expand. The aftermath was so frustrating to watch, but at the same time... what we were shown was a bit... realistic (?)

People at the Abbey "know" Thomas, but for the most part they don't really know or care all that much about him (I know there are exceptions but still, even they only "feel sorry for him" or don't mind him).

So the aftermath of his suicide attempt, where everybody was saying what they were thinking out loud- mainly wondering what could possibly bring someone so low and how it's important to focus on the things he (the suicidal person) could change to maybe make his life easier- is something that 100% happens. The question of "why would you do this?" And "focus on the bright side!" And "think of how you can change this" are some of the things people say when they don't know the person very well (and sometimes even when they do, people just don't know what to say).

And since Thomas was depressed, agreeing and blaming himself for the entirety of his circumstances is natural. Especially since that thought has been reinforced over and over by different people. But, just because he agreed with it didn't make it true. And I honestly think the only reason fans thought we as the audience were meant to take it as "The Intended Truth" was because the show was ending. Because Jessica Fellowes said something along the lines of "staying at downton was as good as Thomas can get" and implied that he should be grateful for being allowed to stay.

That didn't change the fact that it felt like an incomplete storyline... because it was an incomplete storyline. Since it ended before Thomas actually resolved or actually moved past his depression in any way.

The movies continue the storyline (to an extent), by showing how still he wasn't fully settled (Mary demoting him) or fulfilled (he still wants romance and a romantic partner like everybody else) at the Abbey, even with people who are a bit nicer to him. And by giving him a real chance to be fulfilled somewhere else with someone new.

But still. Watching the last episode of the show will always give me hives. I can't bring myself to watch it fully because it feels wrong.

(in response to this post)

You're absolutely right with all of this; I tend to forget that we the audience understand Thomas's life and problems far better than the characters do. They don't truly know him and they don't understand at all what he's going through, and a lot of them don't want to. The closest thing he has is Baxter but he keeps her at arms length and I doubt he ever truly confides in her or anything (it strikes me as so incredibly sad that he says he has laid down roots at Downton when he doesn't actually have any friends). And of course this was 1925, they didn't have the sort of resources or knowledge about mental health that we do now, so yeah all added together it was pretty realistic. But they still could have written it so much better 😭

[tellhulla]

op’s deactivated but they perfectly worded my thoughts on a fandom interpretation I really dislike so I need to share

and their tags were “no one is obsessed with making bookmand unloveable like this and we all know why dont we” <- also true

[tellhulla]

Seeing little snippets of Thomas enjoying himself upstairs in the new Downton movie makes me so happy, but I also can't help but laugh (or rather giggle) at the irony of it all.

I mean, there was Thomas, all jealous when Gwen came back to Downton, married and with a better position in life, fully aware that something like that was never in the cards for him. He was also bitter about Tom bettering his social status by marrying Sybil.

And now here he is. Not only has he gone from being alone, and believing that he would always be alone, to having a relationship, but he snagged himself a movie star and is now living the high life, travelling the world.

Putting the marriage aspect / having to keep the relationship secret aside, he has also moved up in the world through romance and that thought is just so funny to me. Who would have thought that that would ever be possible? Certainly not Thomas. :D

Also: I remember how pissed Thomas was (quite understandably so) at Gwen for hiding that she had been a servant and I'm glad to see that he is much more graceful about it (judging by the pictures of him sitting downstairs with the others). Oh, the character growth. 😄

[tellhulla]

The fact that Armand makes Daniel’s drinks perfectly to the point that Daniel has it listed in his notes about him as suspicious makes me feral because at first it seems like he just read his mind UNTIL you realize it’s because he probably knows Daniel’s drink order by heart and made it for him all those years ago

[tellhulla]

would love to know what the stage direction was that lead to this facial expression

[tellhulla]

Thomas Barrow turning into a nervous puppy dog when his bf talks to him in front of everyone is sending meeee

[tellhulla]

I spent hours creating a cover for my fictional Dexmas book which is currently a WIP over on AO3

[tellhulla]

“How could Louis and Lestat ever forgive Armand for killing Claudia?”

With all due respect: My sibling in Christ, do you have any idea how many lives Armand has ruined?  And I mean vampire lives, not even touching the human lives.  Even the villain of the final trilogy, most of whose fledglings were kidnapped and brainwashed by Armand to be part of his cult, knew that if he wanted vengeance, he’d have to get in a very, very long line.  Armand is notorious for killing any weaker vampire who comes into his territory because if you don’t, there’s too much competition for prey.  Also, young vampires tend to be chaotic and power-trippy and just as territorial.  Louis and Claudia were pretty damn lucky they weren’t killed as soon as they entered Paris tbh.  I go back and forth on whether Claudia was marked for death whether Armand fell for Louis or not, whether Louis chose Armand or not.  If nothing else, she was a vampire in the body of a 5-year-old.  She couldn’t survive on her own.  Vampires like that are usually killed, no questions, so they don’t suffer or become a burden to anyone else.

Armand is not the only vampire who does this, he’s just really fucking consistent with it and figures he’s going to hell anyway, so he doesn’t hesitate for the sake of conscience.  And again, that’s not getting into how many he forced into his cult back in the day.

But also Lestat never blamed him to begin with.  Louis did, but he didn’t forgive Armand until after Armand made some significant changes.  And he learned this is just kind of the reality of vampires.  Vampires are territorial and killers by nature.  Anyone under 100 years old stumbling into a new city with old vampires already there will probably be culled.  This is one reason Armand refused to make Daniel a vampire for so long.

So the way Lestat sees it, and the way Louis comes to see it (especially as he benefits from Armand protecting him in this way in later books), they let Claudia into an enclosure with a “jungle wildcat among revenants.”  To them, Armand wasn’t malicious so much as they were negligent.  Not saying it’s right, just saying this is how they think of it.

I’d say they also understood that Armand was still in his “recovering from being brainwashed into believing he must be evil in order to serve God” phase, but really, Armand doesn’t stop killing trespassing fledglings until the vampires have some other form of government to control the chaos.  Even after he passes from Lawful Evil to Lawful Neutral.

(Side note: you couldn’t make an alignment chart with AR vampires because the entire top row would be empty.)

[tellhulla]

Lestat on his third night as a vampire: oh my god look at that rat, look at his little toes.

[tellhulla]

Mary is going DOWN. That blonde trollop, whoever she is, literally kicks her in the arse and out to the street, for all and sundry to witness. She’s publicly shamed and the old guard’s probably celebrating the fact. Because she’s DIVORCED.

Thomas is going UP. Quite literally: Lady Mary wants Mr Barrow to join her upstairs. He (finally) gets publicly acknowledged, and the old guard is having the absolute vapours. Because he’s a pal of Mr Dexter’s MARRIED.

They’ve always been two sides of the same coin. The parallels and counterpoints are beautiful, really. Especially considering that this is conservative, reactionary poshotopia we’re talking about.

[tellhulla]

🎬 New 🎬 Downton abbey : The Grand Finale TEASER

I found this one and it’s the first real look at our boy Thomas so thought I would share !

Here’s the link to it below !

[tellhulla]

love armand betraying the theatre for louis and then immediately betraying louis to the theatre and then following this up by betraying the theatre for louis one more time. truly betrayalmaxxing. clocking in his hours at the dissapointing people's faith factory

[tellhulla]

Look

Either Angel and Angelus are the same person

Or Spike (Season 7 and on) isn't Spike (pre-series-season 6).

Angel doesn't get to be separate from Angelus just because he decided to give his soulless side a new name. And if he does, then it applies to ALL souled vampires, regardless of whether they call themselves a different name.

Or maybe, just maybe, having the memories, personality, and experiences of the person you were before you were turned means you're (gasp) that person. Just that you give less fucks than you did before.

Evidence for this: Jesse, Harmony, Darla, Drusilla, Spike, Xander, Willow

The only vampire who presents as completely different when he's soulless is Angel. And even still, this is ONLY true if you ignore everything he was canonically up to until he found a new obsession (Buffy).

What was he doing before then?

Killing people and trying to get Darla to take him back (he drew the line at a baby, but scoundrels and thieves were A-OK)

Letting a demon consume a hotel full of people who hurt his feelings

Isolating himself from people and being a self-centered prick (instead of doing, you know, any good)

Letting a dude die so he could eat.

Eventually eating rats, which he would then claim he did for 100 years (also known as lying)

And when he IS finally dangled a prize in the form of a 15-year-old lollipop sucking prize with special powers, he decides to stalk, creep, and neg her for months before taking her virginity while always reinforcing their age difference and positioning himself as someone who knows better.

But sure, Angel and Angelus are totally separate characters. Uh huh. If anything, the use of "Angelus" for soulless Angel is a nice, tidy way for Angel to absolve himself of his soulless actions. "It wasn't me, it was someone else! Why am I on a journey for redemption? No clue. 'Cause I didn't do anything wrong."

You know who didn't do that? Spike.