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bloodied-serpent · 10 months

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i hope you know you are driving me & my friends up the walls (in the best way) with your comments on our gifsets about emhyr and cahir. you get them, truly.

tell me more pls 👀

Thank you, I'm so happy to torture you with my tags.

I do want to give major credit to both actors, because the physicality in their scenes is *phenomenal* visual storytelling. The delivery of their lines, from their body language to the tone of voice and the microexpressions, has so much nuance that it creates a really compelling dynamic between the two of them. In every interaction between the two of them, there is purpose behind everything, and it elevates the scenes.

In terms of the characters themselves, vengeance is an ouroboros, and I think this shows in how both of them navigate the world.

What fascinates me about Emhyr is how he weaves the illusion of the White Flame- this untouchable leader who is not only certain in his plan, not just guaranteed to succeed, but he acts like he's already won. His posturing is so cleverly constructed to manipulate the person(s) in front of him. We see this in how he interacts with the dwarf bladesmith, sharing drinks but reminding her of the fact they are not, can not, and will not *ever* be the same. The dwarf says as much, blatantly stating he'd kill her if the sword was faulty. And he doesn't shy away from the admission. He leans into it, cultivates that quiet fear that makes people obey. We never see Emhyr without a signifier of his position. He welcomes Cahir back in armour, as the army leader. He wakes Cahir in elaborate dress, as the emperor. Emhyr is always performing, even when he is alone, and that is his tragedy. He only ever dares hesitate when he is alone, but even as he burns the remnants of his old life, he is not allowed to be himself. He is not permitted to be Emhyr. Emhyr is the ashes of a portrait he threw in that brazier. He is the White Flame, because *that* is who will get him what he wants.

And the show emphasises how everything around Emhyr is cyclical. He condemned Fringilla to unending wine, letting her poison herself just as she poisoned his trust. He drinks with his weapon crafter, in moderation and in good spirits. He banished Cahir to the border, where he had to fight tooth and nail for his life, because he sought to cut Emhyr away from his goal. He asks Cahir to kill the only friend he has, knowing Cahir forgets the word "no" around him.

Cahir, on the other hand, is grappling with his sense of self. The only constant in his life is his king, and his king has no mercy for Cahir. Cahir cannot see choice past yearning for Emhyr, because all he has known is loyalty to him. And this hesitation, this doubt, it's apparent. And Emhyr does not hesitate to exploit it. He understands, I feel, on a fundamental level, that Emhyr understands the fact Cahir treads a fine line between his loss of self and finding one that doesn't need a king. Everything Emhyr does, from rousing Emhyr and using the advantage of his still-hazy mind to feed him crumbs enough to satisfy the ache in his heart before he asks the impossible. Something Cahir is more than willing to do, because it's for Emhyr. And this is validated- brilliantly portrayed- by how Emhyr uses language to alienate Cahir from the Others, effectively telling him things like "do it for us" because he KNOWS how desperate Cahir is for there to be an "us"

And I don't necessarily mean a romantic or sexual us here, it's more that Cahir at his core has a need to belong. So what does Emhyr do? "I wanted to welcome you back myself." Entering his room, throwing him his trousers and sitting with him, shoulder to shoulder, looking him in the eye, and telling him what he wants to hear, all the while affirming his standing as the arbiter of life itself. "Fringilla is dead. You are here," he says, meaning "You are here because I have permitted you to be."

Cahir shatters the mirror, whereas Emhyr burns the portrait. One has potential for introspection. The other is a cut link. We see how killing the elf affects Cahir, how he crumbles inward from the act. There is no one to catch him, and he doesn't recognise who he sees in the mirror, but he's not able to let go. And who would? When you have that security, that fragile peace where all you need to do is obey and you'll be rewarded, why step out of line? He tried it, and it almost got him killed. That is what makes this riveting. Cahir is painfully aware of the danger his doubt brings. And he still voices it anyway, sat side by side with the White Flame, he asks "How do you know when someone's a good leader" but he means "How do I know you're what's best for me?" And Emhyr deflects, using Cahir's need against him to placate him.

Emhyr communicates his inner world beautifully - he lays out expectations rather directly, like when he told Cahir "You did as I asked without hesitation." Hesitation is crucial to Emhyr's character, because it is his weak spot. He clutches the portrait of baby Ciri in his arms as he walks away, carrying only his agenda into the future. He buries anything that will not further his obsession, letting it suffocate and rot, instead of killing it outright, because he fears its ghost too much.

Cahir's woe is intelligence, in that he is aware of it all. He's aware of his need, of his desperation, but he's too afraid to break the cycle. The gravitational pull of Emhyr's influence keeps him in this unending loop of doubt and breakdowns and having his faith affirmed, and he's not allowed to change, because if he regains his sense of self, he will no longer be a malleable asset. Cahir can't seem to fix himself up, which shows in how he has looked throughout the season. Hair and clothes unkempt and rough, the most he managed was washing his face. Compare that with the jewellery and velvet Emhyr wore to wake him, and you get two very different worlds that mirror each other. Emhyr is scared to be himself, Cahir is scared of not being who Emhyr wants him to be.

#thank you for giving me a chance to infodump on them #I've hyperfixated so so badly #the witcher #emhyr #cahir

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therealvikingstrash · 1 year

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Hvitserk and "I do not see, I do not hear"

I want to note that this might make some people sad. It made me sad noticing it. You've been warned. This is just my assumption and in no way canon, so if you disagree with me, that's fine. (meta below the cut)

When I made this gifset (tw flashing gif) the other day, I noticed something that Hvitserk did and remembered that he had done it before. In season 5 episode 10, we see Hvitserk tightly close his eyes and scream the moment he was sure Ubbe was about to strike him with his sword.

Then we see him do the same thing in season 6 episode 6 again, when he assumes- in his delirious state- that he was about to kill Ivar (who turned out to be Lagertha but that's not important).

It's the same expression, the same defense mechanism- probably emotionally.

Anyway, I think Hvitserk closed his eyes that first time because he was afraid. Not of dying because we see him fight and ready to die many times and he doesn't do it then, but at the mere prospect of seeing Ubbe kill him. Of perhaps noticing something like enjoyment or heavy regret in his brothers eyes. He didn't want to see his brother like that, not Ubbe who was a constant in his life and whose love he never had to question and whose decisions left no room for doubt ever since they were little. He also screamed as loud as he could to tune the sounds surrounding him out, possibly even whatever Ubbe might say/shout. If his last words to Hvitserk were unkind, he didn't want to know.

And the second time he does it, it's not exactly a different reason even though it's under different circumstances. When he assumes he is about to stab Ivar, he also closes his eyes to block out what he's doing, because I'm convinced he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he saw the look of betrayal on Ivar's face and he's again screaming to not have to hear anything that came from Ivar- no sounds of distress or begging to stop would reach him if he just screamed loud enough.

He was so afraid what kind of truth would unravel in either moment, that he rather not see or hear any of it. And my best guess is, that that stems from the moment he witnessed Ivar killing Sigurd. He remembers that Ivar regretted killing their brother, but also how angry Ivar had been while throwing the ax. And he remembers seeing Sigurd die.

Many people interpret Hvitserk sitting there and watching as passive or uncaring, but I think he was in shock and couldn't believe this actually happened. We did see him cast an angry look at Ivar later, so it wasn't like he was unfazed or felt nothing about his death, he was just taking longer to react.

I'm sure he carried all those thoughts and feelings with him, which led to his decision that he doesn't want to either see a brother of his killing another or how one of his brothers dies- especially not at his own hand.

If you made it thise far, there are tissues near the exit, feel free to grab some on your way out.

#vikings #hvitserk #hvitserk ragnarsson #ubbe #ivar #sigurd #vtrash meta #vtrash gifs #vikings meta #vikings HC #flashing gif

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canary3d-obsessed · 3 years

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Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Episode 15

(Masterpost)(Other Canary Content)

Warning: Spoilers for all 50 episodes!

This rewatch is going to fit into a single post, because a third of the episode is just crying and yelling on a very slow boat. If you want to learn the Chinese words for “Mother” and “Father” this is your episode.

Captain Blowhard

Clan Leader Yao shows up, having barely survived the massacre of his clan, along with two disciples who aren't too excited about their unwilling promotion to top targets. Jiang Cheng tells his dad that the Wens are systematically exterminating the smaller clans, and have said anyone who helps the survivors is going to be punished.

Jiang Fengmian tells Yao that the Jiang Clan will protect him. Which is why Wei Wuxian is responsible for the massacre of the Jiang Clan.

Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian both think that taking Yao to the Jin clan is the best way to keep him safe. Wei Wuxian was wrong to help the heirs of the powerfullest richest clans, but sure, let's save this asshole.

Road Tripping

The boys go down to the dock to send Jiang Yanli and Jiang Fengmian off, saying a formal goodbye with a bunch of disciples and showing off how extremely good they look in these close-fitted, simply cut robes with cool belts.

Yu Ziyuan comes down to say goodbye to Yanli and give her some medicine, covering by saying it's for Jiang Fengmian, because being sick is bad for marriage prospects, probably.

Later the boys will mention their hope that YZY will be mollified by the time JFM returns, which means this possibly isn't the usual state of their relationship. The dislike and jealousy seem to be constant, but perhaps being openly at war with each other is not.

(more after the cut!)

Club Ruohan

At Club Ruohan, Wen Ruohan is tired of sitting on his big uncomfortable throne so he's sitting on the floor next to it, instead. He's suffering the embarrassing problem of black smoke leakage, and needs Wen Qing to give him acupuncture to fix it, but she's not around. Wen Ruohan has an awful lot of trouble containing resentful energy, possibly because he is controlling a bunch of zombies 24x7 instead of letting them take a break. Wei Wuxian is mostly able to control it--except when he, you know, totally isn't--without ever needing an attractive acupuncturist to give him a poke.

WRH learns from Wen Chao that Wei Wuxian 1. killed a boss-level monster on nightmare level difficulty without his sword 2. took whatever thing had been suppressing the nightmare monster for the previous really long time. WRH wants whatever it is.

Boys in Charge

When the boys get back to Lotus Pier, Jiang Cheng doesn't understand why they couldn't all go to the Lins together, and Wei Wuxian explains it to him. Wei Wuxian is the one seeing the big picture, and he wants to plan how to handle the Wen forces when they, inevitably, arrive.

Jiang Cheng would rather talk big than actually plan, showing how--at this age--his anger management problem is an issue on a strategic level, not just a personal one. As a clan leader he will eventually master this aspect, for the most part, and learn to keep a cool head in regard to martial matters, while continuing to feed his interpersonal rage problem.

The brothers supervise the archery practice of the Jiang disciples, having their last nice time together, and still without a plan. Wei Wuxian is bored and calls practice early so he can go be bored on the porch or in his room, since he isn't allowed out. In fact he's so bored by lockdown that he starts an irreverent niche blog.

(he’s kidding! keep your mask on, don’t go to wine houses)

Knowing that the Wen Clan is gunning for enemy cultivators, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng send the whole group of disciples, including children, outside the compound walls to retrieve their kites. This is what happens when you don't have a plan.

Wen the Levee Breaks

Wen Chao’s girlfriend Wang Lingjiao finds a kite with a hole in it and uses it as a pretext to snatch up the youngest disciple.

The other disciples come running back and tell WWX and JC what happened. Wei Wuxian calmly gets all of the information from them and starts figuring out what to do, while Jiang Cheng freaks out.

Jiang Cheng is a good fighter, and matures into an excellent one after a core upgrade and war experience. But Wei Wuxian is a born battle leader, developing strategies on the fly and staying cool under pressure.

Madame Yu is as brave as a barrel full of bears and Yinzhu and Jinzhu chase lions down the stairs

Yu Ziyuan and the murder twins show up and all of the disciples line up behind them, relieved to have someone scary in charge.. Yu Ziyuan is also a natural leader and an awesome fighter, but her judgement is terrible, as we're about to discover.

Bitchfest

Wang Lingjiao strolls in to the main hall and has the nerve to comment on the interior decorating, because it doesn't have enough rough-hewn black rock and lava pits, apparently.

She shows them all the kite and says that because it looks (kind of) like the sun, using it for target practice is an attack on the Wen Clan. Bitch, everything your clan wears and uses has fire on it and is red. The sun is not your emblem, no matter what the text says. This kite situation is presumably where the anti-Wen campaign gets its name of "Sunshot," however, which sounds pretty cool.

Wang Lingjiao moves along to her main point, which is that Wei Wuxian needs his ass kicked, and she'd like Yu Ziyuan to do the kicking. To goad her, she starts talking about the rumors about Wei Wuxian's parentage.

Let it Whip

So let it whip (let's whip it, baby) Get a grip (let's whip it baby) Well, what's your trip? (Oh no)

Yu Ziyuan takes the bait, and proceeds to whip the shit out of her strongest battle asset, in a sequence that's either horrifying or completely fucking awesome, depending on how you feel about whump.

There are a lot of bad effects in this show and a lot of questionable fighting, but any time Zidian flies, I am HERE for it. I gave this beatdown its own gifset over here.

Jiang Cheng is devastated and tries again and again to protect Wei Wuxian, but his mother and her lieutenants keep moving him out of the way so the beating can continue.

Yu Ziyuan hits Wei Wuxian at least 5 times, until he is totally unable to get up off the floor. Wang Lingjiao has succeeded in eliminating him as a threat for the moment.

Gotta Hand It To You

Wang Lingjiao isn't satisfied with the brutal whipping, however; she wants his right hand as a trophy, and for him to be unable to recover. Yu Ziyuan tells Jinzhu and Yinzhu to close the doors because some blood is going to fly.

I'd like to think this is when Yu Ziyuan decides to kill the Wens, rather than maiming WWX, but I'm not certain. Because she doesn't start attacking until after Wang Lingjiao says the Wens are taking Lotus Pier, and tells her to discipline Jiang Cheng. So maybe she is okay with taking WWX’s hand, but draws the line at giving up her house.

Through all of this, Wei Wuxian doesn't once protest, even when he thinks they're getting ready to take his hand off. He'll do whatever it takes to make peace. THIS is the core of his heroism; he will sacrifice anything to do what he thinks is right. He's not "playing the hero;" not doing this for fame or kudos, but for a clear conscience.

It’s a Murder Party

Wang Lingjiao explains the new Wen World order, and Yu Ziyuan smacks her to the floor and then takes out all 8 of the Wen soldiers in one elegant move.

Can we talk about how incredibly effective a fighter Yu Ziyuan is, without a sword? With her first-class spiritual tool as her only weapon? Nobody is telling her she needs to carry a sword. She shows she can use one, after she gives Zidian to Jiang Cheng, but she's absolutely devastating without one.

Having defied Wang Lingjiao, Yu Ziyuan...doesn't kill her. She chokes her, slaps her and yells at her. Then she insults her clan and sticks her FOOT on her FACE.

She sics the murder twins on the guards in the room, and they shank all of them at super speed while the boys watch with alarm.

Then she has them sloooowly advance on Wang Lingjiao, giving her plenty of time to holler for Wen Zhuliu before they can kill her.

Het Heat

Wen Zhuliu comes flying in, literally, kicking both murder twins across the room at the same time. This is followed by Core-Melting Hand x Violet Spider suddenly becoming the most shippable M/F couple in this thing, because wow, they have some serious chemistry.

I never saw a pretty girl look so tough

Actor Feng Mingjing continues to do an awful lot with almost no lines, in his portrayal of Wen Zhuliu. WZL politely apologizes to Yu Ziyuan. Is he offering to withdraw, or is he just being polite before getting down to the killy bit? Either way, Yu Ziyuan is ready to rumble, and doesn't even consider de-escalating.

You know who was able to rein in his temper, after fighting with this same extremely dangerous dude, and therefore lived to fight another day? Fucking Nie Mingjue, that's who, who has a generational CURSE making him angry. While Yu Ziyuan, is like, "fuck the safety of my clan, this is Wei Wuxian's fault anyway" and throws down.

Wen Zhuliu and Yu Ziyuan proceed to have an epic, sexy fight, where he catches her whip and she dodges his attempt to feel up her core.

He's a magic man, mama, he's got the magic hands.

Wei Wuxian, still incapacitated, tells Jiang Cheng to stop Wang Lingjiao from calling for help, but JC gets distracted by the threat to his mom, and goes to engage with Wen Zhuliu.

Jiang Cheng takes a horrifying smack in the chest, which injures him and takes him out, while Wang Lingjiao sends the signal that seals the fate of Lotus Pier.

It’s All Over Except for the Crying

Yu Ziyuan immediately sees that she's lost the battle, and has the murder twins divert Wen Zhuliu while she brings the two boys to the pier.

She verifies that Jiang Cheng's core is still intact, showing the viewers, for future reference, that it's possible to tell by touch if someone's core is missing, although a casual touch won't do it.

Then she re-codes the Zidian so that it recognizes Jiang Cheng and puts it on his wrist. She follows this with a display of maternal affection for Jiang Cheng unlike anything we've seen so far, which super fails to reassure him.

She follows this up with screaming at Wei Wuxian and telling him how much she hates him, and blaming him for the multiple shitty choices she just made..

With a heart full of rage, she reminds him that his worth lies in what he can do for more important people.

She binds the boys with Zidian and then sends the boat on its way....

...with a frickin' TALISMAN, holeee shit. As toxic as she is for Wei Wuxian, there is a direct line from her cultivation skills to his.

Dad To The Rescue...sort of

The last third of the episode is basically yelling and crying punctuated by a couple of interactions out on the water. The extreme emotions go on for long enough that I eventually stop feeling bad for the characters and start feeling bad for the actors, who had to maintain this level of feeling for probably days of shooting.

The boys eventually meet up with Jiang Fengmian and Jiang Yanli. JFM discovers that Zidian responds to his control, which tells him something is very, very wrong, since it probably knows how his wife feels about him.

This thing isn’t biting me; your mom is in serious trouble.

Here Jiang Fengmian decides to do the heroic, totally futile thing, which is exactly his style. He tosses Jiang Yanli in with the boys and takes his leave so he can go die with his wife while the children survive.

He has to know that Yu Ziyuan is the stronger fighter of the two of them, and that he's not going back to rescue her. He's just going to stand with her and die together, which is the most romantic thing you can do in a C-drama, after all.

How Much Do You Owe the Jiang Clan?

Jiang Fengmian tells his two children not to cry, making them and the viewer cry extra hard. (specially ouchy gifset here).

Then he turns to Wei Wuxian and, with a heart full of tenderness, reminds him that his worth lies in what he can do for more important people.

Next episode: Is going to be even more horrible!

Soundtrack: 1. When The Levee Breaks, Led Zeppelin 2. The Tale of Custard the Dragon (poem) by Ogden Nash 3. Let it Whip by the Dazz Band 4. U Got the Look by Prince & Sheena Easton 5. Magic Man by Heart

#fytheuntamed #the untamed #the untamed gifs #the untamed meta #yi ziyuan #restless rewatch the untamed #canary3d-original #my gifs #the untamed spoilers #tw: crying #omg this episode

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septembersghost · 3 years

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#he predicted his own ending too but let's NOT go there i've been feral enough today -> probably a good idea. setting aside the fact all the examples in the gifset show dean using common sense and good instincts and grounded morality to reach a logical, right conclusion and not gifts of prophecy, even if he had those i don't think he could have predicted the terrible, disrespectful ending he got 🤷 and don't get me wrong, your tags are great as usual but his ending bit ruined the whole thing.

it's...a metaphor. like comparing him to Antigone with "who can grow me a new brother," for Cassandra, "Those whom the gods love die young," it's literary allusion. I love comparing him and his thematic elements to classic works and other characters because the reflections and the way stories knit together is fascinating and valuable to me. no one's saying he literally has the gift of prophecy, it's the way he was positioned within the narrative to often make the right calls and intuit exactly what was happening in a situation, his instinct and empathy were guides, and yet often he was not heeded - or was even met with derision - and then, when proven right, was typically the one carrying the heftiest guilt and consequences.

regarding the ending - how many times did he say he was going to die bloody? how many times did he say he would go down swinging? it is a constant theme.

the most obvious example of this now for many reasons is in 8x14 (Trial and Error, which D*bb wrote himself):

"You see a light at the end of this ugly-ass tunnel. I don't. But I tell you what I do know – it's that I'm gonna die with a gun in my hand. 'Cause that's what I have waiting for me – that's all I have waiting for me. I want you to get out. I want you to have a life – become a man of Letters, whatever. You, with a wife and kids and – and – and grandkids, living till you're fat and bald and chugging Viagra – that is my perfect ending, and it's the only one that I'm gonna get."

and there's also the one in 10x07:

"I'm past saving. I know how my story ends - at the edge of a blade or barrel of a gun."

10x13:

"I'm gonna fight it, till I can't fight it anymore. And when all is said and done, I'll go down swinging."

we can go earlier, this is 4x12:

"I hope I die before I get old. Whole thing seems brutal, don't it?"

4x15, to Tessa, a representation of Death, when he's struggling with how to process the fact that he was brought back:

"After our little, uh, experience...for that whole year, I felt like I had this...hole in my gut...like I was missing something. I didn't know what. Do you know what it was? It was you. The pain of losing my father and Sammy. I just...I wish I had gone with you for good."

from one of my eternally favorite episodes, so it hurts to reference it, but is also unavoidable, 1x12:

Dean: "Look, Sammy, what can I say, man, it's a dangerous gig. I drew the short straw. That's it, end of story."

Sam: "Don't talk like that, alright? We still have options."

Dean: "What options? Yeah, burial or cremation. And I know it's not easy. But I'm gonna die. And you can't stop it."

you can't divorce ongoing thematic text from eventual outcome, unintended or otherwise, and that's why I mentioned it. if I listed all of them this would be bullet points from every single season, he continually stated things like this and believed it was the best ending he could ask to have waiting for him, he grappled with that and even the impulse of it for many reasons - proving it right doesn't mean that should have been true (you know I hate loathe despise and abominate the way the ending was done), but it does have a profound shockwave impact on the entire narrative when we are consistently presented with those moments and are aware where the road ends.

#i personally don't know if dbb thought he was being Super Deep and Meaningful in proving all of this right #or if it was intentional sadism and punishment #or if it was just ugly writing #or all of the above on some level #but it's undeniable #anonymous #letterbox #spn for ts #dean feelings

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msommers · 2 years

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💪🤝✌️👉for jorina!

thank you!!! // character touch/gestures meme

💪 - would your character be more likely to scoop someone up in their arms, or be the one getting scooped?

for sure leans more towards being the one to get scooped up because of her size and being more of a dexterous person. she probably Could manage to hold somebody up for a little while but it would depend on their size and how long the trip is tbh.

🤝 - how comfortable is your character with the 'professional' type of touching/gestures? (i.e. handshakes, having a card handy, small talk, etc)

she's comfortable with handshakes, introductions and discussing the job (a recent report, the latest or upcoming scouting mission, the state of the inquisition or its current goal, etc etc), but she Dreads small talk. a lot of people will default to trying to bring up random subjects because they assume talking about the work for too long will get boring or taxing, but jorina would happily talk for hours about it instead of engage in awkward small talk with somebody trying to navigate their way to what they'd consider common ground with a city elf. (some people aren't bad, but you just know there are plenty of people who think that she's essentially lived in another world and they can't relate on any topic bc people in thedas are just Like That with elves.)

✌️ - are there any gestures or touches that your character shares with a friend/team/loved one that are a type of code between them?

i imagine that she and the other scouts all have a series of gestures and shorthand that they learned to communicate with each other in the field, outside of that i think she'd have developed something small with aleksi that signals to him that she'd like for him to use those quick-thinking and charisma skills of his to come up with some excuse on the spot for them both to leave a social interaction because she's sick of it or starting to run low on that reserve all introverts have when it comes to being social. not entirely sure what it would be, probably something that aleksi picked up on that she does naturally and then it became a Thing when he brought it up. maybe something as simple as jorina crossing her arms and starting to tap on an elbow, nothing odd to most and glaringly obvious to aleksi who knows her the best.

👉 - does your character gesture to draw someone's attention to other people/things? are they likely to notice if they get pointed at? if they don't point, what's another gesture they might use?

usually indicates direction with a nod or by describing it out loud, though she’ll point with a finger if somebody can’t follow those simple gestures. could make a compilation gifset of all the times she's pointed in a direction while holding a rolled up map or one of her arrows. jorina's on that Constant Vigilance life, she's going to notice 9/10 times that she's being pointed at.

#ch: scout jorina #entirely blanked on my drafts but we got here bois aksfnklnh #the image of jorina trying to carry aleksi or any other inquisition member is now killing me thanks i love it #local 5'4'' dex based rogue trying to carry her tall as fuck coworkers

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eveningspirit · 3 years

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It’s the little things

Consistency in portrayal of mental health issues (or any type of illnesses or injuries) is quite rare on tv. Unless, of course the show is specifically about mental illness, then they tend to go overboard with something I call “trauma porn” (I mean… There’s a show I won’t mention by name, that I don’t actually watch, but judging by the gifsets I see on my dash… anyway). I have specific needs and interests, therefore I keep hoping to find a middle ground between "mentioning once and forgetting" and said “trauma porn”.

Now, with FBI Most Wanted, I think they are leaning more to the “forgetting” category, although… Not quite. And that’s what keeps me interested. I mean, they consistently put those “little things” in almost every episode. It’s things you have to know to look for, to even notice them, but, on the other hand, this is how a lot of invisible disabilities manifest. If you don’t know someone is struggling – you don’t notice those things.

A brief introduction in case someone who doesn’t watch the show reads this (why would you though… I mean, thank you :). Kenny Crosby is (a supporting character on the show, because the show is really about The Boss, Jess LaCroix, no I’m not upset about this, at all) a veteran of Afghan war and he struggles with PTSD (ETA: the show calls it PTSS, and having read more about it, I might use that term too). In the first episode he briefly loses control of his anger and I gotta say I absolutely loved how it was addressed within the show narrative. Boss gives him a pep-talk in which he clearly states that this is not acceptable. He says that if Kenny needs “a refresher course in anger management it can be arranged”, and that “he’s counting on him”. It goes both ways, if Kenny needs anything, he should let the boss know. So, clear lines are drawn and support is offered, but no coddling and no enabling.

And that’s how it should be treated in a work environment, especially as high-risk environment as law enforcement. If you can’t handle it, sorry, but change the job. It would be so unrealistic to just let him beat up people, because he’s had it tough, amirite?

So, yeah, Kenny can handle it, but it doesn’t mean his condition is not affecting him at all, and he’s miraculously all well, because boss told him to “stay on top of it”.

Kenny’s condition is explicitly mentioned and named in the fifth episode of the first season, which deals with a fugitive who also is a war veteran suffering from PTSS. Within the episode Kenny says that he took antidepressants when he returned from Afghanistan (it is indirectly implied that he may have abused them for a moment) he mentions participating in support group meetings and he explicitly says “I struggle with PTSS, and guilt for making it back while some of my buddies didn’t”. He also gives a speech about what it was like to live with the constant threat of getting killed and how that affected him. And, when he looses his temper, because he does, boss reiterates that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated.

I have a bit of a problem with the fact that this episode is the only moment when Kenny’s issues are mentioned by name. However, in one of the latter episodes of the first season, he volunteers to talk to the victims of crime, because “he can do trauma”. In the same episode he’s also the first to notice his colleague’s, Hana’s, discomfort and it’s later revealed that she had a stalker and developed an anxiety disorder as a result (btw, her anxiety is never mentioned before or after, or even hinted at, but that’s another kettle of fish).

Kenny’s issues do not disappear completely, although other than what I talked about above, the rest is all in the subtext. In little things, that you have to know about, to even connect them to him having post-traumatic stress. For example, Hana again, notices at some point that his hands are sweaty. Excessive sweating is a stress response and common in anxiety disorders. There is also a very brief moment (seriously, 3 seconds), when boss distracts him from looking at an especially gruesome crime victim. He definitely doesn’t act that protective towards other team members.

In the second season, we see Kenny playing with some sort of fidget toy (@evansdiaz was cool enough to make a gifset of those moments for me :), thanks again, and also... where are you?). Toys like this are promoted for autistic kids, but they can help anyone destress, concentrate and deal with sensory issues. It’s also something an average viewer may not know about, but if you use those? I guess you’d notice. It’s a nice touch, but very subtle.

There are two more subtle hints. After Hana gets shot, Kenny goes to get her pain pills (and breakfast) and ends up forgetting the pills at the store. In one other episode he gets Barnes coffee, but forgets to put sugar in it. Seems so irrelevant, right? Except, memory issues can be weird when you’re dealing with trauma. Oh, he’s also the only one who writes down notes all the time, about details of the cases. Like an external memory drive…

And then, there are the latest two episodes. I kind of thought it would lead to something bigger, but it obviously doesn’t (the show is not about that). Nevertheless, those were really good episodes regarding Kenny’s characterization and consistency with the portrayal of his mental state.

In 2x09, there is a moment where Kenny and his partner, Ortiz, are in pursuit of a suspect. It’s a chase, so there’s a lot of excitement, arousal. And frustration, because eventually they lose the guy. After that, we get a scene where the team is discussing the case and they are all calm and methodical, including Ortiz. Enter Kenny and he’s high-strung, his movements and speech fast, pressured. A while after, there’s another similar scene. It’s not much. Just a little trouble with emotional regulation. But the contrast between Kenny and the other people in the team is quite clear. And it’s not just acting, camera work on Kenny is different, more shaky, than on the others. What? It’s weird that I notice such things? It’s called hyperfixation for a reason.

And finally, this weeks episode, 2x10. It was focused on Kenny – the case started with his army buddy getting mugged. We did have some nice moments here. Like, the fact that he did not sit down for half an episode, that is until he learned his friend was gonna be okay. What I loved the most, though, was how the boss – Jess – handled Kenny and also the obvious concern that Hana tried not to show. I just love it when my fave’s friends are worried about them. *shrug*.

So, the boss first, because I have to appreciate everything he did. It was just beautiful.

First it’s the offer for Kenny to take some time off, and when Kenny adamantly states he doesn’t need time, Jess accepts it with a simple “okay” and gets to work. Then reinforces it by stating, “He’s your friend, I got your back.”

Jess is a leader. He knows his people, and that means he also knows how they interact with each other. There’s a new guy in the team, Ortiz, and while he paired Ortiz with Kenny over the last two episodes, in this episode he doesn’t. But he doesn’t hover either. At first Kenny is paired up with Barnes and only after his outburst, he’s with the boss.

The outburst was just awesomely dealt with, btw. The team is kind of walking on eggshells around Kenny here. Especially Hana and I’ll get to it, but Ortiz? He doesn’t know he should not piss off the beast. But when he says something that upsets Kenny, the boss steps in right away. It’s just a slight rise of his voice, but that’s enough to remind Kenny to keep himself in check (compare it to last season’s “I don’t want to keep having to yank your chain!” and I was like… is this growth? *heart!eyes*).

And then there’s the conversation at the end that I absolutely loved. Kenny’s friend is okay and it all happened because he messed up, and then he asked Kenny to keep the details of the case a secret from his wife. Something Kenny doesn’t quite agree with. Jess tells him that if that’s how the friend wants to handle it, he should respect it. It’s sort of a callback to how Jess respected Kenny wanting to stay with the case. I just love this approach for reasons, okay? Love it.

Considering the kind of leader Jess is, I can even forgive the show finishing Kenny’s episode with Jess’s love life. Oh, well…

Then, there’s Hana. So far I wasn’t sure how Hana feels about Kenny. She’s constantly teasing him and while it seems friendly, there’s an edge to it. Well, this episode made it clear to me, that she actually cares about him. It was even before the case, in a way she talked to Zadie, about Zadie’s relationship with Kenny. Hana noticed that Kenny is “catching feelings” while Zadie treats it like a fling. And even though Hana and Zadie are friends, it’s Kenny’s feelings Hana worries about. (btw, of course Kenny and Zadie are not going to last, but that’s a different thing).

During the case, Hana is utilizing her skills to find the clues (like she always does) and she discovers one. It’s my favorite moment of the episode – it’s just after Kenny’s confrontation with Ortiz and he’s already upset. Then she finds something that might upset him more. She’s reluctant to share it, she checks with the boss, whether she really should – there’s no words exchanged it’s just in facial expressions – and Jess is confident that Kenny can handle this. I’m not saying Hana doesn’t quite trust Kenny here, but… yeah, she doesn’t have as much faith in him as Jess does. But she has faith in Jess, so. It’s an overall great interaction between the three of them.

I’m kind of sad we didn’t get anything from Barnes regarding Kenny’s mental state, but then, they aren’t really close I guess?

Okay. It turned out long, huh? I kind of want to stop hyperfixating on Kenny Crosby, but, um… not yet? Oh, well. In his case, there’s at least a bit more canon to my headcanon, compared to, for example Alex Manes, whose PTSD is only hinted at with his deep breathing and an offhand twitter comment by a showrunner, which was later twitter-debunked. Or Judd Ryder, who got completely fixed three episodes after going to therapy once. Or even TK Strand, whose depression was never confirmed on-screen and his addiction doesn’t seem to bother him (probably until plot demands that it does, in some future overly dramatic episode).

So. Yeah. I guess I’ll stay on it a little longer.

Thank you for reading. :)

#kenny crosby #fbi most wanted #jess lacroix #hana gibson #warning: it's long ;)#i kind of wasn't going to post it...#but then i decided i will...#(well it goes to q #because i'm anxious ;)#pffff #es metas

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fymagnificentwomcn · 4 years

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Hello, we all liked Handan here. I suppose Halime turned out to be simply the more interesting character for more people & it’s not surprising because she seems more to be the type to gather bigger fanbases, while I suppose in real life most people would prefer to be friends with Handan. I have to say I actually liked how they bounced each off, and how Handan was the sinnammon roll to Halime’s cinnamon roll as our dearly missed Ksenia showed in gifset here.

Handan truly just wanted her son to be safe and sound first and foremost. Of course, she enjoyed being Valide and wanted to enjoy privileges connected with her new station, but you could see Ahmed was most important for her, she truly just wanted to be loved and have her family safe and sound.

However, you could also see that she pretty much had anxiety problems & was usually reacting to stuff very emotionally, more so than even other “emotional” women on show.

I think her gentler constitution made living in this system a constant stress and frustration for her, she couldn’t adapt.

And it’s actually interesting to see this sort of woman on show – I cannot believe each and everyone of these women functioned pretty normally… like Mahidevran could be emotional for example but she still managed pretty well.

Handan didn’t get much in life – she wasn’t important to Mehmed, she was sidelined by both Safiye and Halime, and while she was lucky to have a son, it was clearly also very stressful for her as she stated multiple times how hard it was to be a mother in that palace; the whole situation truly gave her more anxiety than thinking about any ambitions. Her son wasn’t the eldest and Mahmud was very popular, and after Mahmud’s death she was scared Mehmed III might kill Ahmed.

Dervis’ love was truly the only thing she had left after Ahmed distanced himself from her.

And she was not only grieving Derviş, but scared that Ahmed might reject her even more when he learns about their forbidden love.

Even look at Ahmed’s reaction to what Dilruba told him – he immediately went “so my mum had to help me with killing my father!!!!!” and we know she didn’t & didn’t even know Derviş’ secret until after Ahmed’s accession to throne.

Ahmed was truly the only thing that kept Handan standing in that palace for all these years.

Kösem, who was back then a raising star with padisah’s love and high position for favourite/gözde, just completely didn’t understand her mother-in-law (I mentioned it a bit in post here).

It was only later that she understood Handan, even despite the fact that she was stronger person and far more powerful. It’s that while they were different people in various aspects, Kösem and Handan also had some similarities, which shows how multi-faceted Nurgül!Kösem was.

I’m actually happy they kinda subverted our expectations in MYK S2 & didn’t pull standard MY/K melodrama with Kösem&Kemankeş despite all the stressing about how Haci was worried she might end up like Handan & Kösem going on how she wouldn’t survivie Kemankeş’ death multiple times & being all stressed out and worried when something could be happening to him (they couldn’t have her commit suicide of course, but they could go with some spiritual death or final breaking point, for which nota bene Ibrahim’s death served better, it would have been even too early) & instead she saved her man from her sons’ wrath two times because yes she’s more powerful than Handan & is lucky to have more options than to watch and cry, feeling powerless ☹ It was truly something fresh and while it was totally historically false because truly Kemankeş got executed then and it’s hard to imagine any other scenario, especially since in the show he later walked everywhere with Kösem and lived in palace (so let’s be real it wasn’t a secret he survived later on show-wise) but I don’t mind it here. Much better than another teary melodrama with woman being powerless and just having to watch her loved one die.

Putting history aside, it was also meaningful ending for them from narrative perspective – they used the trope of forbidden lovers dying together and thus being finally able to be together in death – making Kösem lose will to live after seeing dead Kemankes & stop fighting for her life even once they stopped holding her thinking she was dead was a new twist on the formula (and to answer one of my recent asks - I love K&K, they are my OTP for MYK and IMO the most epic and well-written love story of the show 😊, but I will elaborate later, since you all know I usually try to wrtie exhaustive answers and as such can be slow in replying, as the asker of this question on Handan may surely ascertain lmao)

And maybe some bit of trivia about historical Handan, who actually wasn’t such an innocent angel (and frankly, she wasn’t one in the show as well, even though she wasn’t as cruel as some people around her, like Safiye or Halime, and it was mentioned she and Safiye had some understanding when the Mahmud matter was happening). There are some indications that Handan helped Safiye against Halime to remove Prince Mahmud. Quotes under the cut are taken from Günhan Borekçi’s Factions and Favourites at the Court of Sultan Ahmed I and his Immediate Predecessors.

Against this backdrop, Halime Sultan tried to persuade her husband to single out their eldest son Mahmud as his heir and send him to a province, just as Mahmud himself had wished. Clearly, the favorite concubine and her son had their supporters among the viziers and soldiers. Meanwhile, Handan Sultan, as the mother of the only other viable candidate for the throne, must have been alarmed by Halime’s actions and would have sided with Queen Mother Safiye Sultan in order to protect her own son, Prince Ahmed, if not to promote him for the throne instead of his elder brother. Handan may well have been the source of the rumor about Prince Mahmud’s infertility, since she had every reason to undermine him before the sultan decided on a successor. Mehmed III’s response to these machinations remains unclear.

And:

It was indeed a clash between Safiye Sultan and Halime Sultan that led to execution of Prince Mahmud, but this conflict also drew in Halime’s rival Handan Sultan, the mother of Prince Ahmed. Furthermore, it occurred in the absence of Gazanfer Agha, the powerful chief eunuch of the palace. The conflict among the three royal women was not unrelated to the soldiery revolts described earlier.

And:

Indeed, the English ambassador Lello and the Venetian bailo Contarini both indicate that Safiye Sultan was the mastermind behind the execution of Prince Mahmud, a solution which she apparently put forward in order not only to relieve the sultan of deposition anxiety but also to eliminate Halime Sultan, ofwhom she was reportedly “very jealous” (read threatened). According to Contarini, the queen mother had the open support of Handan Sultan in this scheme.

Gazanfer Agha’s execution not only altered the balance of power at the rebellion-weary imperial center but also changed the factional equation within the royal family. In the absence of Gazanfer Agha’s balancing authority, the rivalry between the party of Safiye Sultan and Handan Sultan, and that of Halime Sultan, spun out of control, resulting in the execution of the eldest prince of the dynastic family in mid-June 1603.

- Joanna

#magnificent century kosem #muhtesem yuzyil kosem #handan sultan #kosem sultan #muhteşem yüzyıl kösem #answered #mods opinions #reposting as I promised #I see that it might take a long time for tumblr to be fully okay again #(like it ever was tho lol)#so time to be back anyway :).

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thehollowprince · 4 years

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“they treat Scott anchoring in Allison as sexual obsession“ Scott IS sexually obsessed with Allison, though. So much that he repeatedly assaulted Jackson and Isaac out of jealousy. Even Posey himself admitted that Scott abused Isaac because he’s jealous and bitter that Isaac was trying to steal “his” girl (it’s the same interview in which Posey calls Kira “a good distraction for Scott”)

Guess who's back, back again. Nonnie's back, please make a friend.

All joking aside, this ask again forces me to ask the same question I ask in almost every fandom I'm in, but never really get an answer to.

Have you actually watched the show?

I don't mean seeing out-of-context clips in YouTube, or fanvids that focus more on Stiles, or metas and gifsets you found on Tumblr, I mean have you actually say down and watched this show? Did you sit down and get ticked off when they went to commercial because you wanted to see what happened next? Because every time you come to my inbox, I'm struck by the thought that you haven't.

If you had watched the show, you'd know that Scott wasn't "sexually obsessed" with Allison. He was a teenage boy with his first real girlfriend, so he wanted to spend time with her (go figure). If you had watched the show, you'd know that the constant werewolf shenanigans interfered with their relationship and not the other way around.

If you had actually watched the show, you'd know that it was Allison, not Scott, who first brought up the suggestion of sex.

Of course, if you had actually watched the show, we wouldn't be here, now would we?

But this does bring us to an interesting topic. Why do you only label Scott as "sexually obsessed"? (We know why, but let's lay it out.) As I stated above and as shown on the show, it was Allison who initiated the topic of sex in their relationship. First the instance at the bowling alley ("Think about me.... naked) and then her sneaking a condom out of her aunt's bag. I feel like I'm going to say this a lot, but if you'd actually watched the show, you'd have seen that Scott was just as surprised by the latter as Chris and Kate. The impression that those scenes give was that Scott, a sixteen-year-old boy, had not thought about any of that in regards to their relationship. And then in the second season, we have Allison being just as enthusiastic regarding their sex life as Scott.

Even if we broaden our view a little and look at the various other relationships on this show, none of them are labeled as "sexually obsessed". Certainly not Stiles' borderline obsession with Lydia, or Lydia's relationship with Aiden. Not Stiles and Malia, not Allison and Isaac, not Derek and Braeden (no surprise there), not Ethan and Danny, and not Liam and Hayden. No, it's only ever when Scott's in a relationship, be that Allison or Kira or Malia, even then it's only Scott that's condemned and criticized.

Now why is that, do you think? It certainly can't be because of a racist trope that fandom latched onto as an excuse to hate him, right? (Insert sarcasm here)

As for your claims about Scott assaulting Isaac and Jackson, well I've already made my opinion on that scene with Isaac in 3B perfectly clear. Maybe you've forgotten, but I point blank said I didn't like it and that it was the most OOC that Scott ever was in this show, played off as a joke by the narrative itself. It was also somewhat explained by the narrative as a consequence of Scott, Allison and Stiles waking up the Nemeton. All three of them faced hardships immediately after that, from Scott's inability to control his wolf to Allison's hallucinations of Kate to Stiles' waking nightmares. But you don't want to hear that so we'll move right on to Jackson.

Context is everything. Coincidentally, context is the one thing that seems to elude you.

If you'd actually watched the show, you would know that in the episode Lunatic, when Scott almost attacked Jackson, that it was after Jackson had continously harassed him and taunted him and purposefully stated to use Allison as a way to get what he wanted (the Bite). You would also know that Scott was stopped before he could even get close to Jackson. Or were your referring to that scene where Scott got Jackson to ask out Allison to the dance as a way to protect her? Because like with Scott shoving Isaac, its out-of-character for him to do that, but given how Jackson treated Scott (and literally everyone else), it's a lot more understandable. Or were you referring to their tussle in season two where Scott jumped in to defend Allison from "Jackson"? Because, if you'd watched the show, you'd remember that Jackson was under the control of Matt, who was obsessed with Allison. (Funny how he's never brought up in the conversation about "sexually obsessed" characters, innit?) It's quite literally astonishing how many hoops you (and others) demand Scott jump through to "prove himself". And it doesn't matter what he does manage to do, because the bar is raised so that he can never reach it. Scott McCall could be a literal saint, the reincarnation of the Buddha, never harming a single person ever and you all would claim he's boring (which you have), but if he ever hits anyone or uses his werewolf powers to defend either himself of others, he's actually the real Villain™.

This condemnation never extends to characters like Derek, who frequently assaulted teenagers (Scott, Stiles, Isaac, Erica, Jackson). In fact, the fandom praised Derek for those things, pulling out their uwu metas about his had childhood and how it absolved him of any responsibility for how he attacked or took advantage of Scott or Jackson and then his pack. The mental gymnastics done to praise a character for the very thing you condemn another for (despite the circumstances being totally different in both cases) is quite frankly astounding. If it were an Olympic event, you'd win gold for sure.

In all seriousness, though, if you would actually watch the show, all of these questions and accusations would be answered.

#ask and ye shall recieve #anon #scott mccall defense squad #teen wolf fandom problems

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dylansfm · 4 years

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〔 ZOEY DEUTCH, 22, CISFEMALE, ODIKINESIS 〕╰ _DYLAN O’SHEA _ just came over half - blood hill . you know , the child of ARES who was claimed 3 years ago ? i've heard chiron say that pronoun is COURAGEOUS & INDEPENDENT , but if you ask the aphrodite kids , they'd say they're COMBATIVE & SPITEFUL . i'd say they remind me of drinking whiskey, broken glass, the glow of a flame, bruised knees, split lips & basking in the feeling of victory, especially since they're AGAINST THE NEW CABINS. ( ✎ tobi , 20 , she/her , mst . )

hello everyone ! i’m tobi, 20 years old, and this intro post is really late but here it is ! i haven’t rp’ed in forever so i’m probably going to be a bit rusty, but i’m excited. you can find some quick wanted connections at the bottom of this. i’ll reblog some wc gifsets and try to write up a proper post later. if you want to plot, like this post and i’ll message you, or you can get me on discord logan lerman's side bitch#7115 !

name: dylan alexandra o’shea

nicknames: her mom calls her dyl pickle, call her that if you dare

birth date: january 2nd

gender: cis female

pronouns: she/her

ethnicity: kinda obvious i think

nationality: american

hometown: memphis, tennessee

demigod abilities: odikinesis –– the ability to arouse feelings of anger, hatred and bloodlust in others

cabin number & godly parent: cabin five, ares

edie o’shea is your average southern belle. little rich girl, ex-beauty queen, ex-cheerleader, known around the neighbourhood for her beauty and being the definition of southern hospitality. but when she was 18, she went through her rebellious, punk, 90s grunge phase ( or at least, as grungy as you can get in the deep south ). and it was during this phase that she had her fateful encounter with ares. they met at a bar –– or was it a club ? concert ? she can’t even remember anymore –– and he introduced himself, didn’t even bother to hide his name. edie assumed it was a nickname or a joke.

they had a brief, intense, torrid love affair for a few months before edie became pregnant. ares gave a quick explanation of his situation ( edie was so infuriated nothing he said even registered ) and he split, leaving edie with dylan as a goodbye gift. edie quickly went back home, got back into her parents’ good graces, and tried to forget ares and get her life back together for her little girl.

dylan’s grandparents are similar to emily and richard gilmore from gilmore girls –– they’re snobby, controlling, and a bit too invested in their granddaughter’s raising. dylan loves them both, but her complete lack of care towards social status and reputation is a constant battle.

dylan o’shea is very much the opposite of your average southern belle. seemed to have inherited both her mother and father’s wild ways, going against all of her mother’s attempts to tame her. she’s aggressive, coarse, and tactless. she’s attended and been expelled from damn near every school in the city, gotten into more fights than she can count, been arrested enough times that she knows quite a few officers by name. she’s been uncontrollable from day one, a hurricane that constantly leaves destruction in her wake.

her mother never intended to send dylan to camp half blood, she thought dylan was bound to get herself killed if she was left by herself. but dylan’s demigod ability, odikinesis, began to manifest when she turned 14. she had always had a penchant for getting into trouble, but it seemed like she was constantly being provoked into fights. her family never believed her when she said that she wasn’t doing anything, that people always came at her. they figured it was her nature, per the course as a child of the god of war.

the day things went to utter shit –– she doesn’t remember much of what happened now. it was over something stupid, a guy saying a stupid, shitty comment that shouldn’t have made her as angry as it did. next thing she remembers she’s face down on the ground, held down by 3 police officers and thrashing around like a wild animal. she’s told she beat him near to death ( or maybe –– ? she never asked, never really wanted to know ) and she lands in juvie. it was run down, under supervised and overcrowded, and her powers only grew stronger with time. a year of fighting ( both inmates and guards ), getting sent to isolation, and doing it over and over again finally broke her. abruptly, the fights stopped, and like a switch, instead of constant anger, she felt nothing at all.

her mother saw her state and knew both that something was wrong, and that she wasn’t the one who would be able to fix it. for the first time, she swallowed her pride and prayed to ares to guidance, help, anything. dylan was released soon after, something about early release for good behaviour ( ha ! ) and she immediately goes on the long drive to camp half blood. only when they get there does she learn that she was being haunted by a ker ( female spirits who personify violent death ), which was drawn to her ability and underlying power. she arrived at chb when she was 15, and has been there ever since.

some quick facts about dylan !

she has a thick southern accent and possibly the smoothest voice you’ve ever heard –– expect more than a few y’all’s here and there, though i’ll try not to be too obnoxious

she likes using nicknames –– lamb, pumpkin, june bug, the works –– just to be condescending

she’s quick to insult and even quicker to anger, but not necessarily unfriendly. she genuinely doesn’t mean any harm –– most of the time

she has a awful temper. as in, had-to-take-anger-management-classes awful. it genuinely takes a toll on her and she constantly struggles to keep her rage in check. she’s had enough years of learning that on a good day, she’s fine. on a bad day –– whew.

her inspirations incl: jessica jones ( jessica jones ), katarina stratford ( 10 things i hate about you ), reyna avila ramirez-arellano ( the heroes of olympus ), clarisse la rue ( percy jackson & the olympians )

despite how she comes across at first ( idiot jock ) she’s generally very intelligent. she especially likes history

she’s very flighty, her mind never stays on one thing and she’s constantly doing, forgetting about that, starting that, dropping that and –– you get the point. talking to her can be a bit daunting because she’s constantly changing the subject on you

the only time she’s really focused is when she mid-battle, on a quest, or thinking about strategy ( she’s a bit of a stereotype, she already knows )

from her time in juvie she’s learned quite a few –– skills. how to pick a lock and how to sneak contraband being the most relevant ( less relevant: how to turn a battery into a lighter & make booze using just bread, sugar, and fruit juice ). she’s managed to get some contacts whenever she’s permitted to leave camp for a quest, so she always has a decent supply ( weed only, she used to run with bad crowds, seen the damage the other stuff can do )

after her experience with the ker, she’s has a genuinely, almost debilitating fear of spirits and hauntings specifically. it’s a trait about herself that pisses her off to no end, and she’d die before letting anyone find out about it.

& now for the ·。ﾟ𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼 ! as i said above, i’ll write a proper post when i’m a little less tired

platonic

rivals –– friend version ! dylan is quite possibly the most competitive person on earth, it’s in her genetics. she thinks of everything as a competition and she always has to win. however, a victory is only sweet when it’s against a true adversary. she spends a lot of time with this person and she’s convinced herself that it’s so that she can eventually prove she’s their superior, but she actually just likes being around them.

( bonus points –– sparring partners no rules sorta deal, out in the woods, scratches from twigs, bloodied rocks, anything to let some of her aggression out )

opposites attract –– this person is different from her in almost every way ( grumpy, combative, wild vs friendly, sweet, caring, etc ) and by all accounts should provoke her ire and contempt. yet somehow, she instead genuinely care about this person and their wellbeing ( and it makes her sick to her stomach ).

romantic

crush –– oh it’s just so pathetic. dylan prides herself on being untouchable, with a dark black hole where her heart should be. however, this person is a very unwanted reminder that she is, in fact, a real person with emotions and feels and ugh. she’s carried a torch for this person from the day she met them, and she’s been unable to rid herself of these feelings despite her best attempts. this person definitely doesn’t know ( she tries to convince herself of this ) and she plans to ignore the nervousness, unconscious smiles and, ugh, butterflies until the day she –– dies, i guess.

antagonistic

rivals –– enemy version ! dylan is probably the most competitive person on earth, which also makes her one of the sorest losers you’ll ever meet. she hates losing, and she finds it difficult to keep that sentiment to herself. for whatever reason dylan doesn’t respect this person, and therefore can’t handle losing to them as graciously as she might otherwise. despite her temper she’s usually not the type to hold a grudge ( more the fight and forgive type ) but her hatred of this person is a giant mental block.

#˙・゜◤ 𝔻𝕐𝕃𝔸ℕ – 「 the grace of the 𝓰𝓸𝓭𝓼 comes by 𝓿𝓲𝓸𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓬𝓮. 」#ambrosia:intro

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luffys · 4 years

Photo

“Alright people. Let’s start at the beginning one last time.” - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

I decided to do a best buds appreciation to bring in the new year (even if it’s a bit late)! thank you to everyone i follow for lighting up my dash with your originality! thank you for everyone following me and supporting me with whatever tickles my fancy at that moment! thank you for those of you have stuck with me even after @hauntedthief was terminated. i love all you guys and wish you all the best in the new year. (messages for my buds below are in no particular order)

@stormbreaker

roh you absolute dipshit! i have to start off by saying thanks for being the best twin i could ask for. your edits and gifs are stunning and so original, even if i’m only in half of the fandoms you enjoy. thanks for getting narnianet off the ground with me. i know you're not as much of a narnia fan as i am but that meant a lot that you did! thank you for being such a great sister. thank you for pretty much anything and everything. i can’t really think of what else to say that i haven’t already said in person so thanks for being you, you weirdo.

@wonderwomans

alrighty then kesh, my bud, my fellow canadian. thank you for lighting up my dash with all your insane and beautiful edits. the vibrancy and originality you bring to my dash is heartwarming. also, who knew we’d share so many interests? thank you for continuing to fuel my soukoku love. thank you for all the tidbits and fic ideas you share with me that never fail to tear at my soul. your song additions are perfect and so fitting. thank you for getting me into haikyuu!!! and kny! your recommendations are always A+ so keep them coming! thank you for appreciating our favourite fire guy, ace, with me and theorizing everything we can when a new chapter comes out for whatever manga we’re reading! thank you for letting me complain about work to you! thank you to your anime/manga sideblog @oikawas which is fan-freaking-tastic! all in all, thank you for being such a fantastic friend!

@calormen

dorian, my favourite artist! thank you so much for all your kind words and art work that you post. your art is so original and makes my dash so beautiful to see. thank you for your fight for diversity, for pushing and pushing, in fandoms despite the horrible anons you get. thank you for creating a space for all diverse fans to be welcomed into. thank you for narnianexus and further up and further in! thank you for the art you make for me. thank you for your encouragement in regards to the Gentle Witch. thank you for your contribution into making narnianet succeed for how long it has! thank you for @oldnarnia and blessing us with your rewrites and found family aus. thank you for @narniagiftexchange which is so much fun! you have no idea how much courage you’ve given me to speak out more so thank you for YOUR courage!

@danvers-carols

charl, you wonderful human being! despite 2019 being a hard year on you, your strength and resilience is awe-inspiring. i’m so glad to have made a friend like you and your contribution to ALL the fandoms you’re in is amazing! i’m so glad you ended up enjoying bnha! your encouraging words never fail to bring a smile to my face! thank you for being one of the first to join narnianetwork and making it such a blast to run. thank you for @historyofnarnia! thank you for all your edits and posts and headcanons. thank you for elena who is a phenomenal OC who i adore seeing more of each time you post. thank you for your kindness! thank you for being so great!

@alwaysinnarnia

zebra, my spectacular friend! you’ve been such a constant in the narnia fandom for me since the beginning. you’ve helped with getting narnianet to where it is and i can never thank you enough for that. i could never have asked for such a wonderful king edmund and i am forever grateful for the day you decided to apply. your gifsets are so good that i am in a state of constant joy when i see them on my dash. your writing is fantastic and your supernatural crossover was wonderful to see. thank you for narnianet. thank you for all the encouraging words both in your tags and in chats. thank you for the originality you bring. thank you for being such a kind human being.

@bilbos

emerson, you beautiful soul! taking on the role of queen lucy in narnianet was no easy feat but i am in awe of how gracefully and confidently you took to your new spot. you’re truly one of the nicest people i’ve had the joy of meeting through tumblr and i am so grateful for that day you decided to join narnianet. thank you for making narnianet go further than it has. thank you for your drive in getting it up back off it’s feet for the new year. thank you for your edits and fandom family. thank you for making my dash so new and refreshing each day. thank you for the colour you bring to my dash. thank you so so much for being the amazing friend you are!

@quecksilvereyes

ah larissa! even though we never actually talked until last year, despite both of us being in the narnia fandom for so long, getting to know you has been such a blast. i would never have believed that i’d be able to call such a talented creator my friend. i got to know you first and foremost as queen susan in narnianexus and i was in awe by the confidence you exude. your words tear at my heart and your edits make me smile. thank you for reaching out. thank you for nexus. thank you for giving me a chance to create and expand my own OC for nexus. the Gentle Witch will forever stay with me and i never would have been able to think up such a wonderful character without your encouragement. thank you for @narniagiftexchange which i will always participate in when i can. thank you for our angry/unforgiving!susan discussions. thank you for being a wonderful friend.

thanks to everyone in @narnianetwork who have made it such a hit!

thank you to my friends/mutuals (in no particular order): @professorkirke, @wondcrwomans, @jillpcle, @rapunzles, @lucypcvensie, @quietlykeen/@iwasntalways, @telmarines, @lighofthewest, @aleksanderblake, @ohmisscornelia, and @luxaofhesperides!

#userroh #userkesh #userdorian #usercharl #userzebra #useremerson #quecksilvereyes #bestbuds2020 #mine #mohgif #mohmuses #t. text #t. gif #i had this sitting in my drafts for like a week

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allofthefeelings · 4 years

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I saw the tags on that Black Canary gifset you reblogged and I was actually the opposite! I went in expecting to love Canary but walked out wanting Huntress to shoot me with her crossbow 😳 I’d love to hear your thoughts on the movie too!!!

Oh, don’t get me wrong, Huntress was excellent (and anyone who said she wasn’t hot is telling on themselves something fierce), and your choice is excellent.

The movie was basically if they took my favorite character archetypes and split them among a bunch of characters. I just thought I knew what my deepest id desire is, but despite canon giving us TWO characters with deep trauma who went on to become child vigilantes, it turns out that sometimes the heart just wants what that wants and while it’s OFTEN murderbabies sometimes it’s a good person stuck in a terrible situation who does what she can to undermine it from within rather than tearing the whole system down until she’s in a position where she thinks she can actually effect change like that.

I think it was a really good movie that I enjoyed immensely but I was not quite the target audience for, in a way that has left me feeling like I don’t have a real way to talk about it well.

I’ll put more under a cut.

I really enjoyed the movie. I laughed out loud more than I have in ages, including at straight-up comedies, and the characters were generally really well-acted; they all felt lived in. Even when we didn’t get a lot to go on each of them were easily empathize-able, and I like seeing a movie where I can just unambiguously want the protagonists to win.

That said, I had a few moments where I felt like I was in that weird in-between space where I knew there were references I was missing but I didn’t know what they were. I think they would have been fine for anyone with no knowledge and delightful treats for people with LOTS of knowledge, but they did leave me a little unsettled as a viewer- like I was just slightly distanced from the story, because I knew just enough to realize how much I didn’t know.

When that’s my biggest criticism, it’s a very good sign.

I thought they built an exceptional world. I love that the dark underbelly of Gotham didn’t keep the movie from being bright and sunny. I love that this is a world where the presence of supervillains, superheroes, and vigilantes doesn’t stop everything; people are living in it. I love that they let Harley be smart and I love that she had a confetti gun- a weapon I wish to see in every movie in the future, please, whether or not Harley is in it- and I love how heavily the drama over her egg sandwich was weighted by the narrative, because yes, when everything is the worst sometimes the egg sandwich IS the most important part.

This is the first movie I’ve seen where rather than “Why do they have an abandoned amusement park?” I was like “Yes, this seems like a place that would support at least five abandoned amusement parks, and it makes sense to specify which abandoned amusement park would be most centrally located.“

I really liked Harley’s narration, and the way the voiceover and animations enabled them to play with narrative. I have a soft spot for stories that know how to manipulate narrative while still being clear, and even more of one for stories that are interrogating what narrative means. By having Harley’s narration and playing with the audience’s knowledge at various times in the movie, I felt like it was also a pretty strong metacommentary on the audience’s understanding of Harley to this point: like so much of Gotham, we’ve only seen her as a side character in Joker’s story, and this re-framing not only lets her be the protagonist without losing anything but also forces the viewer to recontextualize everything we’ve seen so far.

That said, while this makes the rationale for making the story Harley-focused not just logical but productive for the DCEU as a whole as well as for this movie in particular, I wanted to see more of the BoP themselves. Harley is a great character but she’s a lot, constantly- that’s her whole point!- and I both wanted more of the BoP because they were interesting and because I think Harley works best as a counterpoint to the more grounded world of the rest of them. I think the movie recognized and was utilizing that, but I would have liked to see it leaned in to even more; the contrast and their choice to work together despite that was strong but could have been even stronger.

Specifically, I feel like I got just enough of Dinah, Helena, and Renee’s backstories and current situations to whet my appetite and make me excited to see more from them, but not quite enough that I wasn’t filling in pieces myself. Which is fun, as a general rule- that’s what fandom is FOR- but this ties back to my big concern: when I know there’s so much background for them out there, I don’t want to fill in my pieces because I know I could be contradicting the Truth (I know any medium with multiple creators doesn’t have one real Truth but you know what I mean), and that leaves me kind of unsure where to go with this? Like, I’m not sure how to engage fannishly without saying “fuck canon” (which I am not terribly good at doing- I mean, I‘m great at it once I know intent but before that I’m in a constant state of “i need more knowledge to decide!”) or without doing a deep-dive of research, which I don’t currently have time to do. And while they absolutely needed every scene they had to establish where Harley was and how far she fell to achieve the rest of the movie- I think it was smart filmmaking- I wish that some of that time had gone to the other women, so I didn’t feel like I was grasping in the dark without a flashlight.

So I guess basically this is a very long way of saying that the movie was fun, I look forward to watching it again and getting even more out of it, but I feel like I am just slightly off from the intended audience in ways that makes it hard for me to engage smartly, and my best bet is to read what other people think instead. Does that make sense?

#allofthereplies #Anonymous #Birds of Prey #meta #I guess?#this is a very long post to explain why I don't feel qualified to talk about this movie #which is ironic but also kind of par for the course #I CAN'T BELIEVE I WROTE THIS WHOLE POST AND DIDN'T TALK MORE ABOUT HOW DINAH LANCE IS THE BEST #BUT SHE IS #FOR THE RECORD #THIS IS JUST TOO LONG

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starkndustries · 3 years

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I really love what supernatural meant to me. Was it ever the perfect show? No. Did it make me frustrated quite a lot? Yes. But man I have such good memories of that show. It helped me sleep at night when nothing else would (crazy, yes, but I have terrible insomnia and something familiar like supernatural always allowed my mind to shut up and allow me to sleep). I have extremely fond memories of waking up super early before school and secretly watching the new episode from the night before because my parents used to not let me watch the show (they were super religious and thought the show was bad for me for a while there). I literally NEVER missed an episode live after I WAS allowed to watch it (I have such vivid memories of the time I got my wisdom teeth taken out and told my mom like fifty times she needed to wake me up if I was sleeping so that I wouldn’t miss the episode. I’m not kidding). I live-blogged my little heart out and reblogged gifsets of the same scene like twenty different times. I had so many theories and read so much fanfiction that my brain was in a constant state of “supernatural is my favourite show ever and that’s never gonna change”.

You know, it did change. And I even stopped watching the show. But I never got over how much I felt for the characters. I never got over how much I loved the old seasons. I never got over that feeling it gave me when I rewatched the show or when I talked to someone who was just getting into the show. I still followed the actors and their personal lives. I still followed people who kept me updated on what was happening. I still loved it from a distance for how it made me feel.

It was never the perfect show and despite the fact I don’t think it should have lasted 15 seasons (says me whose seen every single fucking season of law & order: svu and hopes it never ends) this show will always be with me and will always give me good memories and is something I can look back in fondly, knowing there was good and bad and cherishing the way it made me feel. If I have kids someday and they’re into weird supernatural shit like I am I hope we can watch the show together and it’ll bring many good memories to them as it did to me. I don’t know why I’m saying all this now but the show is ending on Thursday. And it’s persisted for 15 years, whether we liked it or not, through so many different time slot changes, when we were sure the network was planning to cancel it or that castiel and dean would NEVER become what we wanted them to become. This is it. Whatever the finale has to offer us, this is what we get. And I hope we can all continue to love and cherish what the show stood for and remember how much it meant to us for years to come.

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robertdowneyjjr · 4 years

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I’m sorry if this is a bother but I’ve followed you awhile & u seem great. I work with victims of violent crimes (sexual assaults, human trafficking, intimate partner assaults as we call them and families of homicide victims) usually I am okay and deal well but with everything happening in the States which I’ve been watching unfold I’m just feeling so much stress at the end of work I’m feeling in a constant state of anxiety. This may seem dumb with what’s going on but the way ....

Part two...I’ve always relaxed when things are getting to me is RDJ twitter fans with pics or just interacting. Just cheers me up and sometimes these past few days I’ve really needed it just a few minutes here or there but I see a lot of hate about if he’s commenting enough or donating enough and then I’m stressed again because seeing hate stresses me out even more. Do you have any suggestions on how to deal or even friendly ppl I can follow. I don’t know a lot and the..

Ones I do have had some hate on them so I’m at a lost every time I look him up for a pick me up I’m anxious now. I just need something good for a few minutes after work and watching the news. I love helping victims of crime but sometimes it does get hard and I need a time out of you know what I mean. Any help or advice is appreciated

hey there! nothing about this is dumb, especially when it’s concerning your mental health and wanting to find things to de-stress and stave off your anxiety.

to be completely honest, i haven’t been as involved with social media and stan twitter/fandom in general for the last month or so, and even during the days when i’m more active i only really follow under 100 people on twitter and tumblr. i’ve seen the posts you’re talking about, with fans criticizing celebs, including robert, for not speaking out about the injustices that the black community and other poc constantly experiencing, especially in america. and while i understand where they’re coming from i also get that it’s hard for other fans to see these comments.

right now, most information exchange is happening through social media, so fact of the matter is fandom accounts aren’t going to be focused on posting about their faves -- and those who do, without acknowledging current events, will get criticized. so i think if you’re looking for a way to disconnect and not engage with these sorts of posts after you’ve had a long and stressful day at work, the best thing you can do for yourself is to just stay away from social media for the time being. i totally understand that you want to be able to talk to others with similar interests, but with the focus of current events, i don’t think you’d be able to have those sorts of conversations right now. for example -- pictures of robert going bike riding surfaced a month ago and stan twitter went wild. yesterday, similar pictures of him came out but barely anyone said anything because there are more urgent matters at hand. it’s just not something people will be talking about because of the state of the world right now.

honestly, the internet can be a very toxic place, and with how things are right now, it would be harder to avoid posts that may make you anxious or upset. so the best thing you can do for yourself is to just remove yourself from the situation and unplug, find ways to relax offline. if rdj is what makes you happy and de-stress, then pop in one of his movies to unwind. watch youtube videos of him. read his old interviews. there are plenty of ways to be a fan right now without going online.

if you’re looking for accounts to follow that aren’t as outspoken about current events, then the better option would be to follow the more generic updates accounts. on twitter i’d suggest rdjfrance and luvrobertdowney for the latest pics and videos. on tumblr, @dailyrdj and @rdjnews have a bunch of gifsets queued.

hope this helps, and take care of yourself 💗

#anonymous #ask

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dogbearinggifts · 5 years

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got any particular thoughts about Diego?

You know how in some genres (fantasy and fairy tales, most often) there’ll be a family where the older of two sons is showered in parental favor while the younger is told he isn’t good enough, and then the younger son goes on an epic journey of self-discovery where he proves his worth again and again? And you know how that younger son is always pretty well-adjusted, all things considered, never takes his family’s lack of favor personally, and doesn’t resent his older brother even though he has every reason to?

Diego is what you get when that trope is handled realistically.

It’s established pretty clearly that Sir Reginald favored Luther over all the other siblings. There’s a couple gifsets floating around that display Reginald’s own thoughts on each sibling (taken from the comics, but they’re still relevant within the show’s continuity), and Luther is the only one he said anything positive about. Diego he called “a spoiled brat” before pontificating about how his power was next to useless (although in the comics, Diego has the power to hold his breath indefinitely, so Netflix!Diego’s power is a bit more useful). I don’t remember if it’s implied or stated somewhere, but Reginald actually purposely drew unfavorable comparisons between Diego and Luther in hopes of giving the kid an inferiority complex and therefore compelling him to push himself further and further.

We learn very quickly that Reginald’s plan worked too well. Diego is not a kind, well-adjusted man who managed to rise above his terrible upbringing. He takes cheap shots at his siblings whenever possible, picks fights with Luther, and holds himself at an emotional distance. He throws knives at his siblings to intimidate them or get them to comply, allows Luther to go on a wild goose chase instead of telling him he was at a fight the night Reginald died, and allows his thirst for revenge to blind him to the fact his family needs him and that the person he’s avenging wouldn’t have wanted him to kill anyone in her name.

But it’s more complicated than that. He body-shames Luther and heaps verbal abuse on him, but it’s clear that he’s trying to get Luther to recognize that he was abused and that the things Reginald did to him were wrong. He slaps Klaus upside the head and yells at him for crying, but we know Diego is worried sick about him and wants to know why the fuck his brother is sobbing in a VFW and claiming veteran status. His shitty behavior comes from a place of good intentions, and while that doesn’t make his behavior okay, it does put them in a different light.

Personally, I think his well-intentioned verbal abuse (not the cheap shots he takes at Allison and Vanya, but what he gives to Luther and Klaus) is a result of how Reginald treated him. Reginald raised him to have an inferiority complex, making it clear he wasn’t as good as Luther and that his own personal failings kept him from being Number One. Diego would have been the frequent target of verbal abuse, of constant low blows meant to tear him down as a person with the ostensible goal of encouraging him to build himself back up, and build himself up stronger and better than ever before. While it’s clear Diego hated Reginald for this treatment, I don’t think he ever learned any better. He learned that berating someone is how you get them to do what you want them to do, how you push them to be better than they are, and he’s never unlearned that. He’s probably had opportunities to unlearn it, but he hasn’t, because he’s still angry.

I’d call Diego a diamond in the rough. He cares for Klaus and desperately wants to see him get and stay sober, and he spends much of the series trying to get Luther to see that Reginald’s parenting was fucked up. He loves his mom and seems to have treated Eudora well, despite their many fights. But diamonds in the rough can still have sharp edges that hurt those who get too close.

#the umbrella academy #umbrella academy #tua #diego hargreeves #diego meta #answered #anon

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soberqueerinthewild · 5 years

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The sneak peek from 1x11 and lots of amazing gifsets sent my brain down the rabbit hole of thinking about Michael and Max’s sibling relationship, which I think is one of the most interesting on the show. It’s layered and complex and there is so much to dissect.

***

We are shown right from the pilot that Max and Michael have animosity towards each other. They each lash out physically within the first two episodes, and Isobel hints at “ugly history” spoiling a previous closeness. We come to learn that the crux of their relationship falling apart, like so many things in this show, occurred on the night 10 years ago when Rosa was killed. Max explains, “We stopped hanging out entirely. We reminded each other of the worst thing we ever did.” That explains on a surface level why they aren’t close, but not the anger and resentment they seem to have for each other.

On Max’s side, like so many of his feelings, the anger and resentment stems from his gigantic guilt complex. He sees himself as the defacto leader and protector of the pod squad (you made the rules our entire lives; everything I’ve ever done has been to protect Isobel and you). But on that night when Rosa died, he failed in his perceived duties. He was focused on his own future (wanting to travel, be a writer, pursue Liz) and he didn’t pay attention to Isobel’s mental state and blackouts, and in his mind, his failure to protect Isobel, led to this tragedy that impacted so many people he loved, Isobel and Liz, yes, but also Michael. Michael gave up his future that night, and Max can’t look at him, without seeing that grinning kid with the full ride to UNM who died that night too.

But along with the guilt, he also feels frustrated. Because yes, they both gave up the futures they wanted (and the people they wanted to be with) but that didn’t mean Michael had to waste his potential and his life entirely. In his view, he and Michael were handed the same set of awful circumstances, and while it’s not the life he wanted, he chose public service. He helps people because, as he tells Liz, it helps him sleep at night. It’s his penance. Michael on the other hand, spends his time getting drunk, speeding, and constantly getting arrested. This is what he means when he says “You’ve never done anything for anyone” (And of course that’s not true- Max knows that Michael martyrs himself for him and Isobel whenever needed, but Max is defensive and rageful in that moment). Max thinks Michael’s given up, turned his back on the world and humanity (I don’t think Michael likes the world enough to bother changing it). He doesn’t understand why Michael wouldn’t choose the same self-sacrificing penance that he has. If Michael had made something of his life, maybe that would be one less thing Max has to feel guilty for.

But Max is blinded by his guilt and his privilege. Max may think that they are two people experiencing the same trauma and taking two different paths, but Michael and Max’s experiences are not the same. Michael does not have a stable home and parents who are pillars of the community to fall back on when his world falls apart. They both have to stay in Roswell, but Roswell has been good to Max. It hasn’t been good to Michael. Michael’s been dealt abuse at the hands of his foster families throughout the years, from Jesse Manes that same night, and the trauma related to covering up two murders to protect his siblings. Trauma compounds. And now, because Max can’t stand to look at him and Izzy is too fragile to lean on, and Alex has left, Michael has lost the only sources of stability or happiness he’s managed to find in his life. It only makes sense that he tries to stop caring about anything.

That brings us to Michael’s animosity towards Max, which stems from that constant theme in his life: abandonment. Michael is always the one left behind. When Max tells Liz that he and Michael stopped hanging out because they reminded each other of that night, he says it like it was a mutual decision, but was it? Or from Michael’s perspective did Max just walk away from him, blame him, leave him, just like everyone else.

But through the anger and resentment, they just can’t stop caring about each other. They might both deny it (Max and I were never meant to be friends; You are not my friend, you are not my family) but they are brothers and they love each other fiercely. Michael won’t let Max disappear from his life. He’ll keep getting arrested, ending up in the drunk tank, so Max is forced to see him and Michael can check up on Max. And Max can’t help himself from nagging Michael to try to improve his life (all those self righteous lectures). Even after Max punches Michael in the face, Michael still comes to Max’s aid to stop him from killing Wyatt Long. Max still calls Michael right before he causes the blackout when he needs help. They keep lashing out (what if it had been Alex Manes) and coming back together (We only have each other). Through everything the only thing that gets Max out of bed is how much he loves Michael and Isobel. He can’t give up on them ever. Michael could never let Max watch Isobel die alone.

And now that most of the secrets are out, Max and Michael are finally, baby step by baby step, starting to rebuild their relationship. On their trip to Texas, a little bit of Max’s guilt lifts seeing a glimpse of the old Michael; Michael using his brain to work on the cure for Isobel, smiling, dancing, and having fun with Liz and Maria. And Michael maybe feels a little less abandoned, now that Max is asking for his help, putting trust in him, and relying on him. Their exchange of arm/back slaps in the bar in Texas warmed my cold, cold heart.

I cannot wait to see what’s in store for them next episode, stuck in a bunker and forced to talk.

#roswell new mexico #michael guerin #max evans #meta commentary #my posts #clearly i have a lot of feelings #pod squad #i love dysfunctional siblings #roswell new mexico meta #my meta #soberqueerinthewild meta #soberqueerinthewild

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