Heartstopper — Tao & Elle "Then the third kiss was, like, amazing."

i'm about to get mauled ALIVE for saying this but here goes:

i think m'leven's relationship should be based on a mutually requited crush. both the implications it would have on their personal development as characters and the message it would send to the audience would be substantially more impactful, healthy, and progressive than if they only dated out of obligation. in fact, the thematic message of their relationship SIMPLY DOESN'T MAKE SENSE without a foundation of genuine romantic attraction.

still with me??? okay, good.

when shows deal with romance they tend to fall into the categories of either having pretty much every character shipped with every other character at some point, or of having the endgame ships be the most obviously pushed from the start. byler has definitely been built up from the start, but the majority of the show's audience didn't consider it as an option for canon until s4, when they started making it blatant. hell, a lot of people didn't even realize WILL was queer until s3 (again, when the show started to place heavy emphasis on it), and even then a lot of people thought he might be ace rather than gay.

mike and el, on the other hand, were practically the show's flagship couple for the first 2 seasons at least. it wasn't until s3 that their popularity started to dip and their relationship began to receive a lot more criticism. which makes sense, considering they hadn't actually been IN said relationship in the previous seasons. they had a couple of romantic interactions, sure, but we didn't see how they would interact *as a couple*. people obviously couldn't predict how their dynamic would actually pan out!!! that isn't to say that the negative aspects of their relationship were a bait-and switch, though: red flags were visible since at least s2, but they were far from being the focal point and a lot of shippers interpreted them as being cute (like el's jealousy over max).

having a show acknowledge the fact that the first person you get a crush on (because correct me if i'm wrong, but i'm pretty sure they're canonically each other's first crush???) isn't necessarily your ~soulmate~ is a great thing. even better when they go a step further, and play with the concept!!! the text of stranger things doesn't actually push m'leven as a paragon of romantic love. if you listen to what the other characters say about their (romantic) relationship, their opinions are entirely neutral/negative???

lucas teases mike about his crush in s1, but calls him hopeless in s3. hopper is out of line with how agressively he acts about their relationship, but the resolution of that character arc for him is about him acknowledging that he's been overbearing and accepting that he needs to let el grow up, and NOT some hammy realization that "what they have is true love, i was wrong to interfere!!!" max thinks their clinginess is sweet at first in s3, but she isn't very close with either of them. once she and el start to bond AND SHE LEARNS THAT EL HAS NO EXPERIENCE WITH ROMANTIC ATTRACTION OUTSIDE OF MIKE she encourages el to assert her own self-worth and dump him. [which... actually mirrors the progression of opinions in a lot of audience members??? 🤔🤔]

and those are just a few examples!!! i won't go on an exhaustive list, because honestly we'd be here all day.

furthermore, m'leven's steady downward trajectory is not the only instance of the show basically dunking on the trite expectation that a character's first love interest is automatically their happily-ever-after, AND the recurring motif that any relationships a character explores before their endgame ship are wrong because the alternate love interest is Bad.

dustin has his first crush (onscreen, anyway) on max in s2, but ends the season happy despite his sadness over rejection and later gets together with a girl who's basically his perfect match. in s3, robin confides to steve about how she was so far gone for tammy that she would cry into her pillow. in s4 she's able to laugh over just how bad her singing is without denying it, and is tentatively flirting with vickie. joyce was genuinely really happy with bob, but after having time to heal from the tragedy of what happened to him she's ready to move on with hopper.

again, not an exhaustive list. why??? because outside of m'leven, the only relationships where the characters ARE each other's first love interest are: lumax, whose entire arc together is about growing up as a couple (you know, the exact arc m'leven shippers pin on mike and el, as if it would make sense for 2 couples to have the same format and message...); stancy, which is only one prong of Love Triangle Hell and the controversy around it speaks for itself; and TED AND KAREN. WHO ARE POINTED OUT EXPLICITLY BY THE TEXT OF THE SHOW IN S1 NO LESS, TO BE AN EXAMPLE OF A WORST TIMELINE FUTURE THAT CHARACTERS DO NOT WANT TO REPEAT.

but if you're reading this, you already know all of that.

the point i'm trying to make is that stranger things shows a consistent palette of themes across all the relationships it portrays. i've obviously been going over the romantic ones, but this applies at least as much to the plationic bonds as well. those themes are of GROWING AND MATURING, of SHIFTING DYNAMICS, and of BECOMING SECURE IN YOUR PERSONAL INDEPENDENCE.

i'm sorry but to present a pair of characters with apparent mutual feelings; to elaborate on how dysfunctional their relationship is; and to ultimately reveal to the audience that actually they were both just confused, they never had feelings for one another in the first place and that's why their relationship didn't work out; sends an extremely mediocre message, to put it nicely. all the characters learn from that lived experience is "don't date people you don't have feelings for, and if you were unsure about how real those feelings were... get good???" meanwhile, all the audience learns from that VIEWED experience is "if the relationship doesn't work, it's because the people involved don't like each other enough." if byler goes on to be canon and is immediately much healthier, that only enforces that shitty message. in that situation the only reason THEIR relationship works while mike and el's didn't is that they actually have feelings for one another!!!

from a show which has explored complex arcs and messages with *LITERALLY EVERY OTHER RELATIONSHIP* they touch on, this would be beyond disappointing. particularly as the central message for the arc of 2 of the mainest main characters in the whole show!!!

on the other hand, to present a pair of young characters at the start of the show and flag them as having an obvious mutual crush; to allow them to explore that crush as a serious prospect; to have them realize that their relationship is dysfunctional; and to have them move on as friends; sends???

a great???

fucking???

message???

they both get to progress and move on as more enriched people than they would have been without their time in a relationship, and that is fucking wonderful.

el has a deeper understanding of romantic interactions based on actual lived experience and not just TV shows. she's able to develop into her fledgeling sense of identity more securely with the knowledge that relationships can change, and that's okay. not everything has to be forever.

mike understands how to process and manage his own feelings much better, and is equipped with a firsthand understanding of how a relationship can become emotionally dysfunctional without proper communication, making him ready to enter a new, healthier relationship. he has displayed the same overprotective behaviours towards will as he has to el, but he's begun to learn how to manage them so that he doesn't stifle his partner. after previously failing to communicate his feelings to both el and will in s3 when he fought with them, he's been making a deliberate point of doing so in s4. this didn't work with el when he tried to open up about his own experience with bullying, but it DID work with will when he admitted to his failings in balancing relationships.

are either of them finished in their personal arcs??? no, of course not!!! they're not even fifteen!!! but they have both grown as people, not in spite of their romantic relationship, but BECAUSE of it. you don't change as you grow up, so much as you start to understand yourself better. but self-discovery and subsequent self-acceptance CANNOT come without self-explaration.

it's okay to try things out, and it's okay if they don't end up being right for you.

meanwhile, the broader message about relationships that this imparts on the audience is an extremely important one. one which gets overlooked continually by storytellers in every industry. one which the show itself has brushed on, but not explored in depth.

one which fandom, in particular, likes to ignore.

ATTRACTION ≠ COMPATIBILITY

(...and that's okay!!!)

Here's MY thoughts on the love island the game's seasons, for no reason other than I want to:

Also because the majority of the people following me are here for OM! & I want to drag more people down into the litg hell with me :)

Season 1: why is everyone so bitchy for no reason????? Talia & Jake are okay but other than that it's meh... don't really like the art style either

Season 2: Immaculate. Chef's kiss. They hit a high they never reached again. Somehow managed to balance the drama & the found family aspect and created a dynamic where you can actually believe everyone is friends and having fun even if sometimes they try to kill each other. Characters are flawed but generally decent people who are allowed to grow throughout the season. You get the option to make MC a bi gym-bro who can devour an entire cake in one sitting and bench press her partner. There's a reason this got two sequels.

Season 3: It's fine ig. Short and kind of boring. Nothing much happens. AJ is so cute though she almost makes up for it.

Season 4: Honestly a close 2nd favourite. We get a lot of character backstory and like s2 it touches on some serious issues. The season with some of the funniest moments/lines of dialogue - multiple moments where I just laughed out loud. I'm still only half way through it but the "villain" is just straight up mean for no reason and doesn't get any character development like the characters in S2 but makes up for it by having some of the funniest interactions with other characters and I was so sad to see her go. Also the season where I desperately wish MC was allowed to be in an open relationship till the very end and finish off the season in a polycule with every other islander who was in the love "triangle"s of the the season because this was the hardest season to pick a LI - Najuma is just all around amazing, Bruno is sweet & funny, Tom is so pathetic* MC & Thabi's friendship is also the best thing? It's great seeing a platonic relationship that is as loving (if not more so) than the romantic relationships. It's literally:

Season 5: Psychological horror. The producers said 'hey wouldn't it be funny if we torture this woman on national tv' and then committed to the bit. My memories are hazy because even though I only played it earlier this year it upset me so much I did my best to block most of it out but also I'm 100% sure there was actual galighting happening. Don't know why MC stuck around till the end because all she's gonna be able to use the money for is to pay for her therapy. Anyway I think MC should have been allowed to brutally murder everyone, she deserved it <3

Season 6: I liked the concept but I think they should have utilised it more. I'm still right at the very beginning (around ep 9) and I KNOW the general consensus from everyone who has reached the last eps seems to be that Amelia sucks MAJOR ass. But look, this is the first time a game has given me a MC with a canon family member who is also part of the game so in my opinion Amelia could commit war crimes and she's still be the most precious little uwu ever because I'm activating MC's insanely overprotective oblivious to all faults ""big"" sister mode

Edit:

*I just played more of S4 and holy shit someone needs to get this man away from his parents and also maybe get him some therapy jfc

Edit 2:

** youcef, mc & valentina helping tom figure out he likes flowers and pink and tie-dye clothes and makeup and being complimented and called pretty and getting hugs is getting to me okay his parents better watch the show and see their adult son finally discovering himself and what he likes instead of what they think he should like and finally being able to let loose and have fun without worrying about what others think of him and finally being happy and they better get some sense knocked into them OR he should go to therapy and realise that no matter how much he loves his parents their love and regard being so conditional to the point that he's hidden his entire personality and is now so extremely self-conscious of it whenever it does manage to peak out, that he nearly cries on national tv after a practical stranger compliments those hidden bits is not good. Also the man has some of the most insane repressed queer vibes???? What do you mean he sees a canon nonbinary person wearing a floppy hat and is reminded of the floppy hat he loved as a child that his father threw away and replaced with a baseball cap and then when he "lost" the baseball cap his father bought him the exact same one again

Edit 3:

*** i was 100% sure i was going to get mc to stick with najuma (dorky mischevious goth who is so so bad at flirting hello!!!?) but i got caught by "sad & shy with serious self-worth issues hidden badly behind an overconfident exterior (who blushes & gets flustered easily because he so rarely receives genuine praise/compliments) experiences postive regard for the first time and loses his shit" for the third fucking time

Edit 4:

Okay but why does Dylan get (rightfully) called out by everyone in S4 for all the bullshit he does to MC from blatantly lying to her to not listening when she says "No" But in S5 when Suresh (admittedly, more subtly) pulls off the same shit no one says anything, even MC's "friends" don't believe her.

In S2 when Luke/Henrik gets a little too forceful after MC says no, he gets called out by MC's partner and immediately apologises

In S4 when Dylan does the whole "stop pretending you don't want me" routine after MC rejects him multiple times, the rest of the islanders band together and basically chase him off the island

In S5 when Suresh pulls literally the same thing from the very first episode itself but none of the other islanders believe MC, and Suresh keeps getting to do this until almost the very end while also managing to constantly play hot & cold with MC and chase away all of MCs other romantic interests

I've seen a lot of Aziraphale hate after the S2 finale -- furious that he chose Heaven over Crowley -- which is TERRIBLY ANNOYING because a lot of people seem to miss the events that led up to the tragic finalé.

Because, let's get one thing straight: Aziraphale was only excited to go to Heaven upon knowing he could be with Crowley there.

Aziraphale literally outright rejects the Megatron's request almost immediately. He didn't want to go to heaven. He loved Earth. He has come to enjoy the delights that our world offers. "Where will I get my coffee?" perfectly exemplified that Aziraphale has grown attached to our world and the life, the home he and Crowley had built for themselves. It is only when the Metatron brought up the idea that Crowley and him could be angels together that Aziraphale accepts the offer.

And let's not forget that, the scene before that, Aziraphale was THREATENED to be erased from the Book of Life by Michael. Metatron came in like a saving grace and presented him with an opportunity to escape that threat, to possibly change things, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, have Crowley with him safely as well.

Did people not see how DESPERATE Aziraphale was to make Crowley come with him? He literally breaks down as he says "I need you." Because HE DOES NEED CROWLEY. He literally reconsiders his decision after Crowley's rejection. Crowley wouldn't be with him anymore. And, he is the one he wants to bring with him to Heaven, more than any book or object in his life. Their home isn't the earthly life they built --- it's each other. And in Aziraphale's eyes, Heaven will only be home if Crowley's with him.

Lastly, Aziraphale is literally an angel at heart. He still likes to do good deeds despite not having to. He likes telling about these deeds to other people, particularly Crowley after they retired from their respective divisions. More importantly, Aziraphale is a believer in the fundamental good in all people and beings. Which is not naivety. I think after the Apocalypse incident, Aziraphale isn't limited anymore by duty to see things as black and white anymore. But, of course, he still believes in doing good. And I think most importantly, he still believes that Heaven should represent what it ought to.

That's where his similarities end with Crowley. While Crowley is too disillusioned with the system to think of the possibility of change, Aziraphale isn't. And as someone who also saw the errors in the system, Aziraphale was hoping Crowley would be happy to help him change that. This time, he wouldn't live in fear of falling as a demon again. This time, Crowley's suggestions wouldn't be a cause for worry. Aziraphale will always welcome them as his second-in-command. And most importantly, the threat of the Book of Life will be kept far from both of them. Which goes to show that Aziraphale wasn't wrong to choose Heaven. And sorry, but I don't think he deserves to do an apology dance either.

Honestly, I get why people don't see Aziraphale's side that much. The first time I watched S2E6, I was slightly hoping Aziraphale would change his mind and miraculously appear in Crowley's car. Nevertheless, hating on Aziraphale just shows how much of the ending's nuance flew over these people's head. Did the ending hurt? Like hell, of course. But, would I want it to end in any other way? Fuck no. Let these two idiots pine for one another. Let longing break their masks and allow their characters and their relationship to mature and develop. I'm sure that whatever Neil has for us in S3 will make all the angst ever so worth it

season 7 episode 10 "Fear No Mort" (MAJOR SPOILERS)

there is so much to unpack in this episode, i am sitting here struck almost speechless by it, honestly. this episode made me feel so many things and i'm emotional lmao, there's no way all my thoughts are getting into this one post.

morty's big fear being losing rick in any capacity: rick dying, rick replacing him, rick moving on from him/the family and leaving him behind. like we knew this, but seeing it portrayed in this way really got me. and though he's afraid of losing rick, he's also afraid of how much he relies on him.

also, we see rick using anti-aging serum to stay alive as morty ages within morty's fear-simulation, which means morty is afraid of rick dying and keeping himself alive synthetically. loving all these complex emotions in morty.

this episode kept making me think of season 1 episode 4 "m. night shaym-aliens!). a lottt of season 7 episodes had callbacks which i really enjoyed personally!

getting to see rick and diane actually interact with each other for the first time ever (though it is morty's fear-brain idea of them) was very interesting. but we can't be sure that's how diane really was since morty didn't actually know her (only second through whatever he's been told), still interesting though.

rick's character development this season (and honestly throughout all the seasons) has been absolutely amazing to watch. we really saw it when he didn't follow morty down into the hole and trusted him to handle it while standing back to watch over him, when he actually hugged morty back, and especially when he didn't go back into the hole when morty said diane was in there. rick really is starting to heal and move on.

"You just look real sad, which I'm afraid of. You know, of being responsible for your sadness." when morty said this, oh my god MY HEART. i feel like that line held so much more meaning, too, because he knows how intense rick's emotions can get and what he's capable of, and morty would never want to be the cause of that.

"I'm afraid that if I jumped into a hole, you wouldn't even jump in after me." HE WOULD, MORTY, HE HAS! (s2,e1 'a rickle in time')

season 7 as a whole really fed the fanbase, with the evil morty, rick prime, and diane storylines. i was nervous about how this season was going to go, and i'm so happy with the end result! god, so fucking good. i am so excited to see what happens in season 8 and what they do with all these new developments we've seen in both rick and morty.

god, i just love this fucking show so MUCH!

for a long time i couldn't settle on a precise timeline of when exactly do dirk and todd each fall in love and then realize the feelings, and what do they do about it, and now i think some things have finally clicked into place

for dirk, it's the instant he meets him. it's a nebulous feeling then, somewhere between boundless excitement about a new friendship and a giddy crush, too large and joyous to be fully examined and understood; it simply is, and it's fuck-off happy.

throughout the next few days, he gets pangs, deep and fluttering and breath-catching pangs, when todd agrees, helps out, acts brave, accepts, when todd chooses him, despite everything; but it doesn't fully settle until that day in the woods. they're so close, having actually great time, side by side; they nearly die together; todd's hands are soft on his face — and it washes over him, crystal clear, decisive, as he sees this man stand before him in full light, open and honest and ugly and trusting and raw, the truth simply reveals itself to dirk: "i am in love with this man. i love him."

but still, it's more of a friendship to him at that point; having a friend is so new, incredible, mind-blowing, and todd's platonic affection is so dizzyingly tangible, and "i am your friend" is everything dirk could have ever wanted in his entire life. he is perfectly, absolutely happy, and honestly doesn't wish for anything else.

then he's alone; he's alone for quite a while, and he begins to want. he fantasizes about what he can't have, and since he can't have anything, he thinks about everything — his desires reach further, encompass more; the dreams grow more frequent, more tender, closer. "he's perfect" with a hopeless, breathy, utterly-in-love edge to it.

and finally they meet, and god, the want does not go away. s1 is a crush developing into a bright, sure love, and s2 is love developing into a lovesickness; s2 is when dirk pines. he casts yearning looks after todd; can't help but think, forlornly, unthankfully, "oh, but what if he kissed me. what if he kissed me. oh, please, please"; reaches out to catch todd's hand and never does; puts space between them, bristle and brittle and too-close-to-something; hopeless. he gets awfully drunk, professes undying love, makes out with todd harder than he ever did in his whole life, and in the morning pushes it all away and under the rug; it was all magic, wasn't real, didn't count — not in the way dirk wanted it to count. and then altogether too many awful things happen, and he mostly worries about that.

when todd is back by his side, it is such awesome undescribable joy, there's no space for anything else; they're alive, alive, alive! and they scramble to stay alive quite a bit, after that. when dust and horror and otherworld strings settle, it's neither peaceful acceptance nor painful longing; dirk is happy, warmly fully brightly soaringly happy, and also hopeful. he wants some things for himself. he's not fully sure how to go about that, but he does, and he will.

***

for todd, there’s not a certain moment of falling; it's all a mess, frankly, a whirlwind, an ugly mix of apprehension and annoyance and hatred and trust and excitement and lies and truth; it's too much to think about. he doesn't have a perfect understanding, or a good label, but he does have a ratty t-shirt, a dry mouth and a swoopy stomach, determination, and some earnest words. "i'm here because i'm your friend," — whatever it might mean between them. it means everything.

then it's even worse of a mess, despair, sleepless nights, running, chasing, some shapeless feeling haunting him, some vague suspicion rising in his stomach, restless, a romance growing and snapping, settling into a soft "lets not talk about it", some vague suspicion tensing in his chest and lungs, something, almost; and then, somewhere inbetween seeing dirk in the middle of some fucking field and losing his mind with delirious glee so badly he just screams, and making an indignant face at the question of "you blew up life for this?" (what, like he wasn't meant to? like there ever was another option? like there's any life worth living that isn't this?) — somewhere inbetween that, it becomes, suddenly and fully, so very clear. he is in love.

it's a simple feeling, one he doesn't examine, because there's not much to examine; it's bright as day, calm, steady, existing. he doesn't feel guilty about it, or conflicted, or pained: frankly, he's got more important things to worry about. he folds his hands around dirk like a hurt bird, gentle, careful, gives him space but coaxes him out, confronts but comforts him, plays their little jokes and gives their grand speeches, stays just behind and dashes forward, saves him, saves him, saves him, with all he's got. he speaks his mind for dirk, honest (almost; to the plea of "why, why, why—", "this is all for amanda" is a good lie, an almost-truth, stable, a reasonable choice). he does, with all his heart, the right thing.

even when they kiss, he almost doesn't feel guilty — if he scrunches his eyes real hard, he can nearly convince himself that it's all magic's fault, that things happen, that dirk has (should have) probably forgotten, that it's alright; that he shouldn't bother his best friend with all these weird feelings when dirk's mentally struggling and that he won't, that it's okay, really. soon enough, he's got much worse things to worry about; and much worse things to actually feel shameful over.

when dirk swoops back to save his life, radiant, this gets maybe a little bit harder to control. it's still devotion, steeled, forged, but maybe a little more fervent, with grasping touches and unchecked decisions and unfiltered words; affection spills out of him, unbound, bold, feverish, when he looks dirk in the eyes. it's unclear whether dirk sees it or not; it doesn't matter at all.

they emerge utterly victorious. they celebrate, and hold each other, and todd doesn’t have the space anymore to pretend that he would choose anyone, anytime, over dirk. the future before them is unpredictable but so hopeful, so promising, and he feels alright, truly, actually alright; and his inhibitions feel maybe a little bit cracked under the exultant weight of everything, and especially dirk's hand. he'll figure it out, he guesses. honesty is the game.

and i don't know yet what'll happen in my version of s3, but that’s for Sure the season where they confess and get together, though not without drama, obviously — a lot of drama, as is due.

Sylki Rewrite

(Note: Although I don’t like Sylki, I don’t have a problem with anyone who ships them.) Warning: Internalized Homophobia Mention

Two weeks ago, I binged the Loki series. To put it shortly, I loved it! Loki has one of the best character development I’ve ever seen. He moved past his insecurities and realized what he truly wanted- to be loved and seen. The time aspect was easy to digest and didn’t complicate or overinflate the concept too much. I loved the new characters, especially Mobius and O.B. Mobius and Loki’s chemistry was amazing and so natural, which makes sense since Mobius was his first friend. O.B. was lovable and so nerdy. I hope they both return to future projects. Though I didn’t connect with her as much, B-15 was a good addition, and would be happy to see her return. When it comes to Sylvie, I'm mixed with her. She’s well-written for the most part, but I didn’t like the Sylki romance in S1, and her attitude got irritating in S2 (I'll most likely write a separate post on it). Alongside thinking Loki being attracted to a version of himself is weird, their romance felt rushed and unnatural. I couldn’t really see Loki being attracted to/like/in love with someone that quickly and Sylvie looked like she barely tolerated him, even in the second season. Honestly, I think this romance was pushed by Disney instead of the writers, mainly because there was a moment in Episode 4 where Mobius rants about how strange the attraction was. I’d like to think that was the writers calling out Disney for how weird this idea was. I would’ve liked it more if Loki and Sylvie had a sibling-like relationship. I would’ve written it where Loki feels protective of Sylvie because he sees a bit of himself in her such as his anger, loneliness, and wish to belong somewhere. But, he also respects her because she lived alone and in survival mode, teaching herself how to use magic and escape death. In turn, Sylvie sort of resents Loki, especially when he mentions his relationship with Frigga, since he lived in Asgard and had a family while she lived alone and in fear. I would have a scene where Sylvie lashes out at him (maybe when he accidentally breaks the Tempad), calling him a fool for taking his family’s love for granted. On the other hand, Loki snapped and said how she had the chance to be her true self while Loki lived under Thor’s shadow and Asgard’s expectations. Maybe go as far as to mention how he felt he had to hide his bisexuality and genderfluidity out of fear of not being accepted. By the end of the argument, both realize how their pain does not absolve others and that there is good and bad in their lives. Other than the kiss scene, the scene with Loki trying to stop Sylvie from killing He Who Remains was great. 

I was so glad S2 left the ship behind. It was one of the reasons why I think S2 is a big improvement. I can’t really describe their relationship since there are moments when they get along but there are others when Sylvie is really standoffish and doesn't seem to like Loki. Maybe the closest description would be bickering siblings, which is close to what I wanted.

Did anyone else get nervous that there would be a Sylki kiss in the S2 finale? I was, especially when he was trying to stop her from killing HWR again. If they did, it would've messed with my enjoyment since there was no indication in previous episodes that they were continuing the romance. Thankfully, they didn't and the finale was perfect, even if it broke my heart that Loki will live alone for as long as he's alive. I wanted him to be happy with everyone.

Hi Steph, lots of love from Germany! 🩵💙🧡 In your reply to the switch theory you wrote that you think switching will come up later in s3 (instead of having happened at the end of s2. and I totally agree with that, the seasons theme was love, pining and miscommunication, that had to culminate in something 😂)

But yeah, my theory is that Aziraphale and Crowley will join/celestial-marry/ "merge/fuse"(??) in some way and become very powerful that way. (Although if they fuse probably not permanently) Because

a) they're crazy strong together

b)when discorporated in s1e5 Aziraphale says sth like "I wish I could inhabit your body, but we'd probably burst into flames" and I don't think that was a set-up for the switch in s1e6, because I think they didnt actually swap bodies just made theyre own body look like the other (I think?) Azzi's physical body couldn't withstand hellfire, right? So that's not happened yet.

c) didn't you write they started out as one character in the book writing process? And in an interview for s2 David Tennant said that usually Michael Sheen and him would compete for the same part and now they're playing the same character split into two.

...Thanks for coming to my ted talk. 😂 What do you think? Wishing you a very lovely evening! I really love reading your blog! It's so... cosy on here. AZ Fell's Bookshop vibes 💛🩵💙🧡

(Referencing this post)

Hey Lovely!

Firstly I'm SO happy you enjoy my blog! :) That's high praise to be compared to Azzie's Bookshop, oh GOSHLES!! Thank you so much!! I'm having a blast being in this fandom, feels like the heyday of BBC Sherlock, hahahh. I'm hoping this blog turns into another "light" success and people just come here to feel "at home" you know? LOL.

Secondly, yeah, having another think on the Switch Theory, now that it's been a couple months and more of my own theories have formed about S2, I lean more on the "not a fan" side of it. For me it's the erasure of the emotional impact and the IMPORTANCE of their miscommunication that The Final Fifteen gave us, and honestly, there's too many loose threads that just... can't work with that theory. After sitting on it for some time, the big one for me is that Crowley-in-the-car-getting-upset-at-the-music at the end makes NO SENSE if it was A-As-C; No one would be watching him, why continue the act? And Aziraphale's gentle touch-and-cry reaction to the kiss makes NO SENSE if it was C-As-A. I dunno. I can totally see why people support the Theory, but it's not for me. I'm a creature of "I need things to make sense" and too much DOESN'T make sense with it, is all.

And you're right, S2's theme WAS about showing us the development of their relationship, how important they are together, so that the end of E6 would DEVASTATE US, having us wanting more than ever for them to get back together. It was meant to show how truly made for each other they are, just they're two idiots sharing a single braincell and that braincell is emotionally dumb lol.

That all said, I have a similar thought as yours that I've been hemming-and-hawing about for a couple weeks after rereading my own theories to possibly clean them up a bit. While I DON'T think they will "merge" into one being, I DO think that they will combine their powers together in the penultimate episode to "win" (I say penultimate because I have hopes that the final ep will be them moving in together, but I know realistically, a climax can't happen an hour before the end in a story LOL).

BUT I also like your theory as well, because story-wise, the hints have ALREADY been dropped for it since S1, as you mentioned in your points A and B. There was no need for a switch, and I DON'T think it will happen again. BUT the purpose of the switch was to show that Crowley and Azzie's powers are COMPATIBLE. THAT is what's important here, and it sets up their Together Miracle in S2. And if we're going on the idea that in S3 they'll finally be in-sync and that they only get MORE powerful the more comfortable and "on-the-same-page" they get, well, yeah, I think Heaven and Hell will be wise to leave them be.

As for your point C, yes I did mention that, I BELIEVE in my BIG roundup meta for S4, but it might also be in my 'Crowley’s Past: Was Crowley Archangel Camael?' meta, since I recall doing a LOT of research for that, including trawling through Neil's blog for quotes. But yes, I actually recently saw the gifset with that interview, I think it's in my queue LOL. Neil did confirm ages ago, way back in S1 that early drafts of the book did have them as one character, which is why I think it's MORE likely that their powers are going to be combined instead.

Either way, I think the ONLY theory I absolutely am 100% against is the "they're going to become human" one, because I hate that the condition to their love must be "to love like a human they must be human" and that's just... UGH not on for me. I remain hopeful that that's not the route that their gonna go, since Gabe and Beez didn't become human, and it was a CLEAR mirror for the AziraCrow relationship (a foreshadowing of sorts).

And because I'm thinking of it right now and don't want to forget to write it somewhere, another thing that CONSTANTLY brought up is Alpha Centauri; I hope that they honeymoon there at the end of S3, it'll be a nice payoff for its constant referencing, LOL. And they can't do that if they're human LOL. I want them to spend the next 6000 years and beyond together <3

Thank you again so much for your ask!! Sorry I took a bit to reply, just got home from a road trip and I finally had a bit of free time to reply <3

td 2023 s2 ep1 spoilers below the cut

(okay so I have not finished s1 but I know the general gist of what happens through mutuals posts and just the td tag lmaoo. maybe later I will actually sit down and watch the whole thing, but that time is not now.)

moving onto my thoughts of s2...

AHHHHHHHH idk how else to explain it but I absolutely LOVED the episode, and honestly I have a feeling I'll love this season, simply bc everyone is so great!!

heck even ripper and chase were tolerable, like, there weren't any fart jokes or anything, it was great!

MKULIA SWEEP???? HELL FREAKING YEAH idc if it's a friendship/alliance, I'm living in my world where they're toxic yuri

Caleb getting some much-needed character development??? I'm SO here for it, and the stuff mentioned during the episode def fits the kinda vibe I have going for him, so that's even better!! (potential caleb & emma friendship??? they can bond over kittens and of caleb being emotionally mature)

also his reactions to the team choosing was gold, I can't wait to see what A-Game he's gonna bring. I'm hoping he doesn't become a version of justin--I just want him to want to be a useful teammate and person for his team/friends/competitors and want to win as well. no overly crazy 'tda justin' villanry pls?? (I mean, I won't be averse to it if it does end up happening, but it'd be cool if things changed up this time around)

CHEMMA BROKE UP THANK FRICKING GOD, our prayers have been answered!! please please PLEASE have them stay broken up

raj & wayne on the same team again!! I was not expecting that tbh, but I'm curious to see where this goes

rajbow is so adorable, like bowie not even letting chris finish before he immediately picks raj first for his team is so 🥹

ngl chase is still a dumbass but now that chemma is out of the way, I mean it affectionately, I can't bring myself to hate any of the characters and that trend isn't going to stop here. that moment when he ran at granny hatchet and bowie was like "I don't believe it, I think he's gonna make it" like that scene was insane

damien is amazing as always, no words need to be said. manifesting a final two involving him

NICHELLE. FUCKING NICHELLE. GOD I CANNOT ARTICULATE HOW MUCH I ADORE HER HERE!! saving the best for last goddammit, I love her so so so so much, omfg the way she slayed the challenge, pls I'm so hyped for her character development this season, I can't wait for the other contestants to eat their words abt her

axel trying to 'be nice' ("i'm a work in progress" yes you are but you're doing amazing) but acting like an ass to ripper is something I live for. "I'm not following you, we're running in the same direction!" LMAOOOO

the fact that priya doesn't hold any resentment toward her parents still irks me, but I still love her character and I'm excited to see what's in store for her

GRANNY HATCHET SLAYED, 'NUFF SAID

I'm still hoping for some axelle content, but I'm more than happy with the mkulia servings we got

I'm lowkey interested in scary girl's change of character. I feel like this wont be the last we see of her--will she be like an amy and swim back to the island to enact revenge? or will she be like ezekiel and live on the island in secret? or will she be a secret third thing? I sure as heck don't know but I can't wait to find out!! her parting words def seem ominous enough to imply something

speaking of, scary girl's change of character and when she talked abt how she became "normal" everyone's reactions were sending me lmaooo

bowie going "you're never right" to chase but is the one to choose chase on his team, like yes dude frrr that frenemy whiplash was wack lmaoo I love it

same with bowie choosing julia, like yes we love to see two manipulative competitive strategists banding together

on a different note, I wonder what will come of bowie and emma's friendship from s1 and how that broke apart. maybe they could rekindle it in s2? hmmm

zee and their suitcase of sodas 😭

"she's an animal" OKAY MK TONE IT DOWN (pls don't, actually pls continue doing it) YOU'RE NOT HELPING MY MKULIA CASE HERE

millie being priya's first pick >>>

"what strategy? you just stop and run, it's not rocket surgery" 😭 I used to dislike ripper, but if he continues on like this, that opinion will def change. it's only been the first episode and I already don't dislike him anymore so-

MORE MKULIA P L E A S E IM HOPING

chris is still 'tdi chris' aka the b e s t chris imo, and I'm here for it!! also chef and chris's dynamic is still spot-on

in conclusion, im so very excited for what this season will bring!! in case you didn't realize, I LOVED the first episode!

dropping some thoughts about vida here

i started watching this show for melissa barrera and i absolutely enjoyed it and have rewatched some episodes bc it's very entertaining

s3 felt kind of different, it was almost like the sisters switched roles at some points

i might be reading too much into it, but in the first few eps as emma and nico's relationship was going well i would look at emma's face and be like she's happy but she's still waiting for the other shoe to drop, and of course it did. and i was so sad to see her clam up again and fall back into her whole "vulnerability = weakness" thing. for a few episodes she just looked so dead inside like she was seriously depressed and triggered with everything going on, like nico's secret wife and her awful dad making himself known

i love lyn so much but i need her to be single. i'm so glad she finally realized where her true priorities lie and that she needs to work on turning into a chameleon with the men in her life but i just hate that it happened in the last like 20 minutes of the series finale

side note but i was not expecting lyn to get so into religion for a hot minute. i mean i understand that it was her yet again molding herself to the people in her life, so i think she snapped out of it once her father showed his true colors but still like it was so jarring. god the man gave me such awful vibes and the last scene of him and emma after she confronted him was legitimately hard to watch

the sisters spent so much time apart and on different pages this season it made me sad :( i completely understand why but i do miss the moments in the first episode or in earlier seasons when they were sisterly and messing with each other

i love that mari had some more time this season to build herself up a little more and yes this is cruel to say but her dad dying is a blessing ! now she can finally look after herself and find people who appreciate what she does. honestly that man pretty much killed himself after he kicked out the only child who actually took care of him. ladies ask not what u can do for machismo but what machismo can do for u

speaking of this family i can't STAND johnny oh my GOD get off my screen and get away from the women in ur life all u do is hurt them

god i wish this new generation of shows had longer seasons. a 6 episode season is nowhere near enough to develop the characters and storylines better (even tho this season the episodes weren't all 30 min like s1 and s2). i was like holy shit things are happening so fast it's one terrible thing after the other but of course they are, they only have like 5 hours to tell the story!!

i'm really fond of this show and how witty it is, its integration of mexican and american and mexican-american cultures, the spanglish, the butch rep!! everything

actually one of my favorite moments this season was when lyn was talking to that european dude at her bf's mom's bday party (fuck her bf and his mom by the way holy shit he was such a weirdo) and she was talking about how difficult it is to be perceived as mexican by gringos while still not being mexican enough for mexicans. when she said she couldn't even hold a conversation in english or spanish i was like u read my mind. i'm literally incoherent. anyway it really resonated with me as an immigrant and i think it's such an important conversation to have!!

anyway emma and lyn repaired their relationship and their bigoted father is rotting in hell and they keep the bar and eddy's back too and everything is going better than ever, they told me so themselves <3

Thoughts on 1x12-1x22! Tbh I'm happy to be done with S1 while I liked the nostalgia, I have some gripes with this season and IMO it's really not one my favorites in the overall series (I know that's controversial). The mythology was great and I loved the magical macguffins but it's just so dramatic all the time I felt. My memory of this season is terrible and I had forgotten a lot of movement in the plot so sometimes I felt like I was watching something new. S2 will probably be easier for me to get through. More under the cut and remember these are all my opinion and I am not here to argue about them :)

Yeah I completely forgot it was Anna who turned Logan and her dumb henchmen. Will miss her, she knew how to use minions to not get her hands dirty.

I really felt bad for Jeremy. His relationship with Anna was cute but tragic and then he has to deal with his sister lying to him all the time. Then giving him sad eyes to please forgive her she was just protecting him *rolls eyes* he should have gotten the chance to kill Damon at least once.

I love how uneasy Uncle John makes Damon. He's the only one who is unmoved by his attempts at charm and you can see how much it annoys Damon that he knows EVERYTHING. I also appreciate that John doesn't care that everyone hates him. Just a man on a mission.

It was jarring how long Bonnie was gone but could not help but clap at how she was like 'fuck y'all' when she returned after what happened to Grams. I did not remember this and was very pleased with the development! I also forgot the awful wig they gave her when she returned (thankfully it looked much better in the finale) Kat should have sued.

I swear there was a founding-family-mystic-falls-event every single episode in the second half of the season and that plot device has really started to run it's course for me. Unfortunately I've got at least two more seasons of it I think *deep sigh*

My god do I hate Matt and Caroline, I hate the way they frame EVERYTHING with Caroline having to be ‘notElena’ with him. I especially got annoyed in 1x14 when she had to keep giving him “speeches” to apologize for BEING HERSELF. Especially apologizing for the hand holding like Matt doesn’t constantly make her feel inadequate next to Elena. Matt telling Caroline he just needed to be alone after they found Vicki's body and then when he sees Elena he hugs her is just cruel.

The overall treatment of Caroline this season was honestly the worst part for me. The fact that they have her say "I'm a terrible awful person but I'm working on it" ?? In what context is Caroline an awful person especially on a show where characters are literal serial killers. This is exactly where the "Caroline was annoying in S1 but got better" nonsense comes from. When really she was just a 17 year old girl with a type A personality. This is probably the biggest reason I struggled watching this season. It just all felt very deliberate in the way it was written, to make the viewer think Caroline is annoying.

Stefan was better in the second half of the season but it was so LOL that the moment he started being a little fun Elena was like "what's wrong with you" HA! Of course something was wrong and kudos to Paul because the Stefan-blood-addiction storyline was really well done . I always liked how it was played as an addiction (and even better in S6 when they confirm it was a genetic thing with Lily as addiction is usually genetic). I have seen most of those scenes tons of times but watching them in succession again made me appreciate it again.

I truly don't like Damon :-/ his only purpose for me currently is he makes me laugh. I can't stand how he acts like he knows everything and is orchestrating everything when really he's kind of a moron and extremely impulsive. Genuinely what was his plan killing John and throwing him off the roof at the 8th straight founding family function? I wish Bonnie had kept her energy from 1x22 and killed him.

This is probably just bias and age but I don't care about the triangle at all. It's just kinda there doesn't move me. Stefan and Elena are very serious all the time (there is so much hugging). Then there's Damon and Elena who just eye-thing each other in every scene they share. Though I will say her wishy-washiness made it easier to believe she actually kissed Damon.

Katherine's reveal is still one of the best moments of the series (best part of season by far!) It was so funny watching the scene too knowing it's Katherine and how she just looked all moody as Damon gives her all the details she needs with zero strain on her part. Then when she says to Aunt Jenna "I don't want to talk about it" like a moody teenager LMFAO. I love her.

Lines that made me laugh:

Damon: Let's not kill anyone tonight. Your words. Just pointing that out. (ah the good ol' days when I enjoyed the Damon/Alaric friendship)

Stefan: You mean we did all that dancing for nothing (I know I keep saying he’s too serious but he is funny in a self-deprecating way)

hi youuu! :)

first, english is not my first language so sorry for possible mistakes! and second, I just wanted to say that I love porcelain and shark so much!! stewy being a dad was definitely a thing <333 and i'm really excited and really looking forward to new things from reader roy who is now a hosseini (we love that!!!). maybe getting pregnant again? and maybe part of the family judging her for that? (that sounds terrible but im sure logan or shiv would do that lol) or more about her kids or her and stewy just being a cute couple I DON'T KNOW just more content stewy would already make this person - me!!! - happier 😭

and i was also a little curious about stewy's drug habits lol like there was roman joking but how does the reader actually deal with it? I know it sounds like a lot but I noticed you like details and just trying not to make my request a little vague? hahah and YESSS my Succession Sunday was a Succession Monday morning because when I went to sleep there was nothing and when I woke up there was new content so I imagine it's the time zone too hahah but I'm not complaining! (and I'm not the anon who talked about this, I'm just being nosy 🤭)

and just one more thing that's just me being curious IS THE LAST ONE HAHAHAH reader and stewy have an age difference right? I imagine he's the same age as kendall because they went to college together and she's the youngest child.. and anyway it's not important hahah, it's just me thinking.

it got big but I hope to make up for it by wishing you a great day lmao 💕 💕

Hey lovely Nonnie!!!

I'm so, so, so, so glad you enjoyed that piece! It makes me so happy, I was a bit anxious to post it honestly so thank you! Also don't apologise about that, English is an awful language that isn't easy (I grew up in a house with other languages being spoken). You worded everything perfectly and don't owe anyone "perfect english".

Okay my responses feel borderline headcannony/ thoughty so I'll bullet point them, I hope that's okay!

Roy reader will definitely get pregnant again in the future! I just wanted her and Stewy to have a bit of a break before another young child 😂

In the 80th, Jonathan is 3 (closer to 4) and Tillie is around 1. Porce and Stewy definitely read child development books and decided they wanted to try spacing it out so there was at least a couple of years between each child. They didn't want big or small gaps between the children.

The original Nonnie that sent in the prompts had a couple about the relationship between Porce and Shiv being tense and I 100% agree with that. Fanfiction is fanfiction and I completely support people writing characters how they want/out of character but I personally try to write the Roys as realistically as possible to the Canon. I cannot imagine Shiv liking or having a good relationship with a younger sister. She already feels threatened by her brothers but she'd feel more threatened by another woman in the picture and especially one that is younger and has the moniker of the youngest daughter. Especially in Logan's eyes. I do think Shiv would like what she views as protection by having someone in the picture who is weaker to the men and she can join them on calling Porce that. We also see that Shiv embraces masculinity in a way to play in the patriarchy to try and be taken more seriously and advance herself (her manner of speaking especially to other women, the pantsuits, the switch from S1 to S2 onwards in fashion etc.) So Shiv without a doubt would look down on Porce for what she thinks is embracing feminity by marriage, motherhood etc. So Shiv would definitely look down on her for getting pregnant again and not like the attention it gets Porce and Stewy.

I don't know think I got too into it in the 80th or if it's more in some of the drafts I have atm. But I think Logan would fall into that type of abusive patriarch that the abuse still comes through with his grandkids but is better with them than he is with his children. Which I imagine conflicts the Roy siblings a bit as well.

Also, after what's revealed in the series finale about Sophie and Iverson, I imagine that it's something that was a big deal and then became something that was somewhat unspoken but known by all in the family, I feel like Shiv's response confirmed that as well. So I imagine there would be an awkward dynamic around Logan somewhat favouring Porce's children a bit just because they're biological. I think he'd be somewhat glad about those pregnancies as they're more "heirs" and carrying the bloodline. Plus with him being a misogynist he probably thinks that it's her way of contributing/carrying out duties or whatever thinly veiled excuse of misogyny he wants to spout. But I do think he has some issues with them being Hosseinis instead of Roys, especially as things go on because of who Stewy is and what he's doing.

There will be more fluffy Stewy content! I PROMISE! I live for the fluff haha!

There might also eventually be some angst, the original nonnie did send some stuff in about the proxy battle but I do have some thoughts around Shiv's wedding/the bear hug and Austerlitz. So... 👀

HAHAHA! I'm sorry but when you said that you noticed I like details I started laughing because I felt so seen 😂 You're not wrong. I do love details!

When Roman did the body gesture and Porce said he was a bad role model I personally imagined that was somewhat aimed at Kendall. Like he was comparing himself in an "Well I'm a better role model/uncle!" Kind of way but it can definitely be read as a jab at Stewy or Kendall or both of them.

I felt like based after 4 seasons of the Roys and how they treat him even when he's sober, they would definitely make comments like the ones Roman made in the bathroom even if Stewy was clean. I kind of would like to think that Stewy doesn't use cocaine after being married and having children. But if he does (which is probably likely) I imagine he'd use responsibly, small doses, never at home/in front of or around the children. I feel like that's more realistic? But I'm not sure. I don't want to write it super casually when cocaine use is a serious topic and a lot of awful stuff happens because of that, addiction in the show and more importantly reality. I'm more than happy to hear peoples thoughts on it, it's probably something I won't honestly address too much or go into detail of at this stage? But I'm probably leaning towards writing that Stewy's sober now in that regard.

But IF he does still use, I imagine it's that it's not often, it's just "for business" occasionally and that it follows the rules of small doses, never in front of or around the children. It happens very rarely. They have that as guidelines and I imagine that and lots of reassurances/Stewy following through on that would help ease her anxiety a little bit. It's basically Canon that Porce and Stewy are relationship communication Champs.

Yes they do have an age difference.

Do I know what the age difference is? Nope 😂

We never really find out anything about the characters ages except that Logan is 80 at the start and that Kendall is 40 in S3. The shows timeline is also intentionally vague, I think Jesse Armstrong just said that he imagines it taking place over a couple of years. But it's safe to assume that Stewy would also have been 40 in S3 as they went to Buckley and Harvard together. We don't know the age gap between the younger three siblings over plus there's heaps of debate over the birth order of Roman and Shiv and the twin hints. So I can't comment on what the difference is but I do like the twin theory and I feel like (despite Sarah Snook being a lot younger than the others) it's like a 3-5 year age gap between Kendall and Shiv and Roman. So I imagine Stewy and Porce have a 5-7 year age gap at the most? As you can tell, I didn't really think about the logistics 😂 it's probably not a factor I'll go into anyway. But it was interesting to think about the math and decisions about the Canon Roys!

Haha! Welcome to the world of Succession Mondays! I hope it was a good morning read haha! But yes, timezones are very, very, very weird and you're always welcome to be nosey!

But these will definitely be included in some of the pieces coming out! I hope you enjoyed them and you're always welcome to send in requests, questions or thoughts! It wasn't too big at all btw! Thank you so much for reaching out Nonnie! Especially with such thoughtful and engaging questions Nonnie! I hope you have a lovely week and a great Succession Sunday/Monday 💗

Ok Criminal Minds anon here... it's been a while (I've gotten into and out of CM in the last year bur I've continued watching and there's a few developments in the show that I'm curious about lmao)

1) how are you doing, it's been a while since I've visited your profile and I've missed it lol (I saw your Loki OC and am now considering watching the show so that I can understand stuff)

2) Spencer Reid is baby and I love him more than anything now

3) What was Amelia's relationship with Elle like? How did she react to the circumstances leading to her leaving the BAU??

4) I love the episode where that kid comes up to Spencer about the investigation of those murders in DC (I think the episode is called Sex Birth Death?)- how would Amelia fit into that, it's a very Spencer heavy episode- will it lead to any developments in their friendship/relationship?

5) Spencer is so cute with his "Physics magic"!! Does he regularly show off this stuff to Amelia like he was showing Penelope and JJ??

6) Emily Prentiss is amazing and i love her and I'm so happy to see that Amelia and her seem to be like besties

7) I saw the edit you made for the barn story with Amelia... very interesting and I'm honestly a lil scared for her lmao. Anything you can tell me about it???

Anyway, this is long enough of an ask, I'm watching s2 of CM rn and I might end up popping in and out of your inbox at random times about the show, if that's OK:)

Anyway, have a nice day!!

Ok Criminal Minds anon here... it's been a while (I've gotten into and out of CM in the last year bur I've continued watching and there's a few developments in the show that I'm curious about lmao)

welcome back!!! i've missed you!

1) how are you doing, it's been a while since I've visited your profile and I've missed it lol (I saw your Loki OC and am now considering watching the show so that I can understand stuff)

I’ve been busy! Super stressed ngl, and probably will be until next year lol. Ahhh, i’m so glad you like Freya! Honestly the show could do with some improvements lol, but bot fic will fix those💅🏼

2) Spencer Reid is baby and I love him more than anything now

He’s actually MY baby🤚🏻

3) What was Amelia's relationship with Elle like? How did she react to the circumstances leading to her leaving the BAU??

Okay idk how far into RITA you are, but their relationship is good! They’re definitely colleagues nor friends, but they care for eachother, if she’d stuck around they’d be besties. Amelia is STRESSED when she leaves, she hates change.

4) I love the episode where that kid comes up to Spencer about the investigation of those murders in DC (I think the episode is called Sex Birth Death?)- how would Amelia fit into that, it's a very Spencer heavy episode- will it lead to any developments in their friendship/relationship?

ooooo I haven’t watched that ep in SO LONG, but I actually didn’t write it for Amelia, so uh yeah, no developments.

5) Spencer is so cute with his "Physics magic"!! Does he regularly show off this stuff to Amelia like he was showing Penelope and JJ??

Yes!!!! Amelia finds it so cool. theres a scene in RITA dint worry

6) Emily Prentiss is amazing and i love her and I'm so happy to see that Amelia and her seem to be like besties

Emily is an icon. I adore her.

7) I saw the edit you made for the barn story with Amelia... very interesting and I'm honestly a lil scared for her lmao. Anything you can tell me about it???

Ooo, see I mainly made that as an AU, but like it’s something i’m definitely thinking about adding into the fic, it’s pretty similar to Spence’s barn story to lol…

Anyway, this is long enough of an ask, I'm watching s2 of CM rn and I might end up popping in and out of your inbox at random times about the show, if that's OK:)

Anyway, have a nice day!

Please do keep popping in I love it!!! Really excited to see how you feel about certain things and how I then make them fit around Lia in RITA

alice in borderland s2 thoughts

just finished s2 so immediate reaction thoughts. i've only watched the netflix series but i do know some manga details from their wiki pages. spoilers obviously

ann and kuina are so gay for each other. we deserved more of them

no seriously like the queen of clubs game?? deserved full coverage of seeing ann and kuina team up and knock everyone out

half of the people that got injured in ep 7 should have realistically bled out and died by the time arisu cleared the queen of hearts

as much as i'm happy ann returned to the real world, it makes no sense. they already showed her dead in the borderlands, meaning she wouldn't have been able to make a choice to stay in borderlands vs return meaning she shouldn't have woken up in the real world

akane and aguni - their scenes together were actually really touching. i didn't expect to like them as much as i did. the way i see it (and taking a quick look around how most people on tumblr see it, although the same can't be said for certain other social media platforms) it's very much a paternal relationship for aguni. for akane, it's ultimately familial but she's got a past of using her body (heavily hinted coercion) and is applying it here to a relationship she genuinely cares about and is mistaking it for romantic/sexual interest

aguni really got developed and humanized this season. half of it was akane, half of it was all the flashbacks/hallucinations with the hatter (aguni is totally gay for the hatter)

akane has a will of steel. girlie really dragged herself around while hugely injured twice. also the scene where aguni reaches out for her when she crawls to him and they both deny citizenship was really sweet

i liked the development in arisu and usagi's relationship. it felt natural and went at a realistic pace imo. i fully admit i squealed during the hot spring scene

i kind of wanted to see chishiya and kuina reunite in the borderlands. i know in the manga chishiya didn't care about kuina at all but in the series it seemed like chishiya did care a little. and kuina definitely cared about him. (tbh i headcanon them as MLM WLW solidarity)

speaking of differences from the manga, i think not including dodo was a missed opportunity. i read about him in between watching ep 6 and ep 7 and thinking of what we could have had with found family aguni-akane-dodo makes me kinda sad

still talking about the manga, i don't think the series relayed the idea of citizens and the current king/queen/jacks being the "victors" of former stages of games well enough. maybe at least one flashback showing kyuma, mira, king of diamonds dude, and king of spades dude all talking to each other about beating their face card games

honestly if netflix really wants to do a cash grab, they can do a prequel series following kyuma, mira, etc first arriving to borderland and how they cleared all their games. i'd watch it lol

seeing kuina reunite with her parents (both of them!) in the hospital was a tearjerker. no other notes there, just full on tugging at the heartstrings

last, but i have to say it - the queen of spades makes me feel some type of way

Unpopular opinions: Byler edition

First of all, I want to clarify that I ship Byler (I love them), but that doesn't mean that I dislike Mileven (cause I love them too). Me shipping Byler is just me seeing the potential in their relationship and, since I'm a queer person, I do tend to like queer ships more than cishet ships.

That being said, I wanna share some of my byler "unpopular" opinions (I don't really know if they are unpopular, but I haven't seen many people talk about these things) because why not.

Bashing Mileven

I really dislike people bashing Mileven in the name of Byler.

You don't have to like Mileven, everyone is entitled to have their own opinions about ships or fictional couples, but I really wish we could just respect that some people like Mileven, and they have more than valid reasons to do so, just like the people who ship Byler.

I agree that Mileven has been sort of falling apart since the 3rd season and that, as a romantic couple or even as just friends, they have a million things to work on. But some people criticize them so much in order to show that "byler is better" that I'm like ??? did you guys watch the show???

of fucking course they have a million things to work on. Mike is a kid/teenager; Eleven is also a kid/teenager and, on top of that, is a kid who grew up in a fucking lab. She lacks a lot of social abilities, maturity, effective and healthy ways to express her feelings, a long etc.

Both of them have been through some pretty traumatic shit. They didn't (and still don't) have the privilege to develop as human beings in the same way that other kids/teenagers would.

For me, that is a fundamental part of why I find their relationship (as friends and as a couple) so interesting. They are not meant to have a normal coming-of-age narrative. Holding them (both as individuals and in their relationship) to a "normal coming-of-age story" standard will inevitably lead you to find their story unsatisfying.

But anyways, I don't want to go into a deep analysis of their relationship rn. My point is that you can't really compare Mike and Eleven's relationship and Mike and Will's relationship with the goal of saying that one is "better" than the other.

They are both very unique and special relationships. And besides, you don't need to prove that one is better or worse than the other to ship them, nor to make their relationship seem more "valid". They are both valid. There are beautiful scenes and beautiful writing of both relationships. And there pros and cons to both of them.

Let's just ship and let people ship and let everyone be happy with whatever they decide to ship

Mike always loved Will, he never loved Eleven

This is kinda connected with the previous opinion. Again, I respect that some people think that Mike always had romantic feelings for Will and he was just projecting those feelings into Eleven, or "using" her as an outlet for his feelings.

But that doesn't mean I agree with that take.

Unless the show confirms or denies how Mike always felt about Will and/or Eleven ever since he was a kid, we can only speculate. Personally, I don't think Mike always had romantic feelings for Will. I don't think he had romantic feelings for Will during s1 or s2.

I do think he always had a more close and more intimate friendship with him than with their other friends. I mean, that's canon, it's made very clear in the series. And I think that their close friendship kinda served as solid ground for other feelings to develop in time.

I also think that Mike did have romantic feelings for Eleven (or some sort of romantic feelings at least). There are a lot of reasons why I think this, and honestly, I could talk for hours about their relationship because there are so many interesting aspects to it but that's another post.

One of the main reasons why I think this is because I really like the idea of a bisexual Mike exploring his feelings, his sexuality, growing, and understanding himself better. I think the many many parallels between Mileven and Byler in the show are meant to represent this somehow. Feelings, sexuality, and relationships are very complicated things, very fluid, and always changing. I think that going the path of "Mike realizes he never had romantic feelings or never felt romantic attraction towards Eleven because his true romantic feelings were always towards Will" kind of erases the complexity that is growing and exploring your feelings and your sexuality. It feels very flat to me, somehow.

Another main reason is that I dislike the idea that Mike always had to have romantic feelings towards Will for those romantic feelings to be valid. His romantic feelings or his attraction towards Will are just as valid, even if he didn't feel that way when they were kids.

Bisexual Mike erasure and polyamorous Mike erasure

Again, this is related to the previous one. I personally don't think that Mike is gay, I think he is bi. Why? because we already have two gay characters (Will is practically a canon gay character, and Robin is a lesbian) and I would love to have bisexual representation.

Also, erasing all his feelings and romantic relationship with El in order to say he is gay and just "confused" feels a tiny bit like bi-erasure or even biphobia.

Let him explore his feelings and his sexuality without having to be either gay or straight.

The polyamorous thing is a little more complicated because I don´t mean to say that he should date both Eleven and Will. But I do think that is completely possible that he had (or has) romantic feelings for both of them at the same time. The idea that he can only have romantic feelings for one of them at a time is definitely polyamorous erasure.

(I think that he has been definitely growing out of his romantic feelings for El during s3-s4 and more into his romantic feelings for Will, but he can be polyamorous nonetheless<3)

I was turned off from the hype of Brigerton early on (idk I wasn't feeling it) but I've been seeing gif sets of Kate and Anthony and I'm kind of obsessed. Would I need to watch season 1 for me to get it or can i skip right into season 2 for the kathony canon content?

Ohmygod hello! I'm so flattered you regard my opinion highly enough to ask me about this! Honestly you're so valid and I'm SO happy that Kathony is drawing in people who were never interested in Bridgerton before S2 dropped. More under the cut because as always this got LONG: 

Okay so this is tricky and really depends what you're into as a romance fan? S1 is about Simon and Daphne and they are a fake dating trope which was really fun and wholesome to watch! S2 is of course Kate and Anthony and they are PEAK Enemies to Lovers and are very HOT. While the romances each season are stand alone - S1 does have a storyline for Anthony which acts as a prequel for his story in S2 I'll talk more about later in this post. 

Honestly as much as I adore Kathony but their season was all over the place as a cohesive story - at times it felt like I was watching two different shows because there was an annoying plotline that didn't connect to the main story and romance AT ALL. (Honestly I always skip their scenes on my rewatch feel free to do the same).

It was shit as an adaptation which is why I'm currently an S2 hater like I love the Kathony of it all but the rest of the season can get fucked - and its mainly because I'm a huge fan of their book. So I would recommend just watching S2 and then reading their book for more of their scenes together - for all her flaws Julia Quinn really FED US with the Kathony content. Also Kate's family is featured more and they are so wholesome! Kate even gets a fully fleshed out backstory (minor spoiler but we were robbed of that in the show) My friend did that and she said the book after watching S2 first felt like a comfort cos you got more scenes. Whereas a book reader, we felt robbed of a lot of pivotal book scenes.

If you have the time and are up for it, I would definitely recommend watching S1 because it was a solid adaptation of Book 1 and Anthony's arc in it is so compelling - yes he was a dick and everyone thought he was annoying af (not me though I've always loved my hot mentally ill eldest sibling clown) but really it's a shield to protect himself from his past trauma - no spoilers but it gets covered in S2! So to see his development from S1 to S2 is very satisfying if you want the whole picture.

Simon and Daphne are cute until their main conflict which was pretty fucked up and going to try to keep it vague but spoilers for S1EP6 at timestamps 47:15 to 49:40 there's a sex scene that turns into an assault at 48:50 and it just soured the rest of the series for me because the perpetrator never atones for their actions. If that's a trigger for you I would suggest just skip that scene all together and come up with a conflict of your own for the couple lmao.

Other than the SA, it was a pretty solid first season, a good introduction to the main family and characters and a cohesive story, the side plots actually worked and the main characters were actually connected to most of them so it didn't feel as disconnected.

Storytelling aspect aside, I will say Kathony is the superior couple just because Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey have INSANE CHEMISTRY and that's what you're seeing in the gifs so I'm not surprised you're hooked! And honestly ignoring the issues I had with the season itself, all their scenes are HOT and amazing and I love these two fucked up clowns in love so much.

Do let me know if you end up watching it and what you think of the show! Honestly if you would just prefer reading, then I recommend just reading the books only (Kathony's book is Book 2 named The Viscount Who Loved Me) I wouldn't bother with the show (it's slowly becoming my new PJO movies/ATLA live action)