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raayllum · 10 months

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In regards to the post about people occasionally misunderstanding Callum and Viren's flaws, what have you seen people do with there characters that stood out to you as wrong? I only ask cause I'm very much a pantser of stories and write based of what vibes, so I want to know what kind of things to look out for.

Disclaimer: I am by no means an expert but I have been writing/analyzing for a long time, and now in a somewhat professional capacity, so here's just how I personally think of it / what I've personally seen in fandom. I also don't think pantsers are more inclined (from the writing friends I know, they tend to be more intuition based, which can serve you very very well) even if I am definitely a planner.

With all that out of the way, it basically boils down to ignoring all of Viren's virtues / good intentions, and modifying or ignoring Callum's vices and 'bad' intentions i.e. assuming that Viren's motivations are nothing more than being power hungry and selfish, and that Callum's motivations are always pure and good.

One of the things that I think that's really elevated my writing and analysis is digging my heels into like, examining things from a pyschological basis. What this means is looking not only at how a character's flaws or strengths manifest, but figuring out why and where they're stemming from. This is important for like, you can only write a character if you understand where they're coming from, as this process forms the basis for knowing character motivation (and therefore justification).

Because yes, Viren is power hungry and selfish, and we see in 4x02 he kind of knows that, but he's not admitting that or thinking that way for the bulk of the series. That may be how other characters / the audience sees his actions, but how does he see his actions? Understanding how a character can justify/rationalize things to themselves is important if you want to portray them as well rounded. Viren can say something contradictory like "We must be ready to sacrifice, even the things we love" about his family and "I have always been ready to do anything to protect my family, however dangerous, however vile" and have them both be simultaneously true, because most people — or at least, compelling characters — have contradictory notions or conflicts, and it's the war between opposing wants and desires that causes their internal arcs to well, happen.

Same thing for Callum. He doesn't mean to be a jerk to Ezran in either the beginning or ending of S1, we already know how much his little brother means to him and how nurturing he is, usually. But loving someone deeply isn't the same thing as always treating them kindly, as I'm sure most of us know. So Callum blows up, immediately regretting it in 1x02, and remaining far more of a jerk about it in 1x09 until he apologizes. If the takeaway is just that one of Callum's flaws is his temper, that's all well and good (and it very much is) but it fails to consider when and why his temper comes out. (Which, if you're interested on something more in depth, meta on that here.)

For example, for me, a lot (if not the bulk) of Callum's characterization comes back to a Core of wanting to protect/help his loved ones. Which sounds vague, but that's why the specificities are what matters. Callum's temper tends to come out, specifically, when he's frustrated that he can't do anything to help someone he loves, and he either lashes out at the person getting in his way or someone who is (unintentionally) reminding him of that helplessness. Callum's curiosity / ambitious pursuit of magic is also, to me, tied to that same core. He wants magic because he wants agency, and he wants agency because he wants to be helpful / useful.

If you understand why a character is doing something, it leads to being to extrapolate and place them in different / more intense scenarios, but still retain that main core.

For example, Claudia's primary core is to keep her family together. That's not a main motivation in S1, but it's shown in the way she takes care of her family (being Viren's listening ear and trusted with the more important task; trying to cheer up Soren and giving him hot brown morning potion) in ways that they don't really do for her (Soren goes along and helps out with her plans, but there's never an instance of him taking care of her in the same way, even if we still see that he cares and wants to protect her, i.e. doesn't tell her the truth about Viren). Then in S2 it becomes clear that Claudia's main motivation is to keep her family together, and that Core Want stays true even in increasingly insane or worrisome circumstances (S3, S4, S5) as well as explaining some of her more contradictory behaviour. Of course she's going to believe Viren over Soren with the gaslighting the second she's given an option to, because believing her father lets her keep them all together, and believing her brother means losing Viren.

Which is to say, maybe, that most of the mages we've seen in show (with the exception of Lujanne, perhaps, who's built a life among literal solitary ruins for the express purpose of leaving them as ruins) have a Fixer tendency. Magic allows them to fix the issues they see in the world - that's why they chase it.

Viren believes he has to fix the issue of an empty throne and the knife held at humanity's throat, and he's uniquely suited to know how to fix it (hence why he should be king); Claudia leans on her preparedness and perfectionist tendencies because if she's good enough, nothing bad ever has to happen to her family again, right? She can keep them together, she can fix this; Karim wants to fix the issue of humans and losing their way of life, "I will banish that darkness [...] We will be whole again"; and Callum wants to fix issues for his family (the assassination, the fake coup, Rayla's binding, Rayla's family, etc); "And he's my father. It's my duty to help him".

But what fixing looks like, of course, is also a matter of perspective, and that's where you get variety.

But if you look at Viren's desire to fix things - in his case, to ward off weakness - you can understand the through line of his actions. He wants to fix the danger they're in of killing Avizandum and leaving an heir; his desire for more power and knowledge (tools he can use to create solutions and thereby inflate his self importance) tempt him away from killing Zym; he holds onto the egg so that elves and dragons can't 'use it' the way he would. "An empty throne is a beacon of weakness" "[A child king] will make weak choices!" And Viren is man of strength; a man who can get a grip and compartmentalize and repress and do whatever needs to be done to protect humanity. To fix the magical inequality and banish the Xadian threat.

Whereas when you look at our non-mage characters, they tend to have different cores. Rayla and Soren are clear cut Protectors, for better or for worse. Ezran and Janai both continually seek Change and healing. And often times these goals can go hand in hand! Wanting to protect someone can be a Fixer urge (Claudia, Viren, Callum); wanting to fix your mistakes by Protecting someone can also work (3x09 with Soren; Rayla with Zym). But that could be a whole dissection/analysis for another day.

Back to Callum and Viren.

I think sometimes stripping them down to more monstrous or angelic forms comes from people thinking only one thing can motivate a character at a time, even though we as humans obviously have multiple motivations or responses at a time, particularly for villainous characters.

Viren can turn back to help the Queens of Duren because he feels guilty (this was his plan), he wants to help and knows he can make a difference, and because he wants to feel like a hero. Callum can be accepting Rayla unconditionally and be hurt about it and still trying to protect himself a bit in 4x09 by saying "I know" while not going after her; the same action can be growth and regression simultaneously.

When you write a character, you have to approach them from an interior to exterior process - the old phrase "everyone is a hero in their own mind" is certainly true, or rather, "everyone justifies their actions some way or another" - which is largely the opposite of how you view a character as an audience member. Not that the two can't be conflated or overlap, they certainly do (and you do want to be aware of how your characters may or may not come off to well, your audience) but it is a different kind of process.

For example, for Viren, he genuinely believes that what he's doing is what's best for humanity > his own gain. And while he's clearly lying and doing a lot of things out of self importance / convenience, the fact that he Believes the lie means that the lie doesn't really matter, internally, because it's something he either dismisses or doesn't think about at all. And Viren does have admirable traits: loyalty (and I would say most people have conditional loyalty anyway), cleverness/intelligence, ambition, hardworking, globally minded, etc. But a lot of this stems from Wanting To Be Special/Important (his core, arguably, and one I think a lot of people would relate to) and when that doesn't often pan out, he crumbles. Him having an inflated sense of self importance means that he's used to thinking he probably knows better than other people (and gets very frustrated when they don't listen and/or agree with him) and thinking you know better than other people also bodes very well with, if taken to extremes, blatantly dehumanizing them (omg dark magic ideology hi!). He presents as being confident and smooth and knowledgeable, but every time we see him alone/internal he's almost always a hot mess or wracked with guilt/doubt, and he's not very good at adapting to shit, like at all, even if he's great at being cruel/brutal and pragmatic. He's also often times awkward when presented with openly joking/teasing affection, is a guy who waves to little kids, makes dorky jokes with his best friend, and genuinely loved (loves?) his kids once upon a time.

For Callum, a lot of his traits are a double edged sword as well. His attention to detail is born from his curious and observant nature. This allows him to be incredibly nurturing and considerate, but also lets him go for the jugular and what would hurt the most in a fight when his temper gets going. He wants to make his loved ones lives better/easier, but this can sometimes be at the expense of what they need or being overprotective. This can sometimes tie a bit into Viren's own "I know better than you" even if Callum doesn't usually go that far, as he has more self awareness. He has a strong sense of right and wrong but is willing to bend without defense if he thinks the ends justify the means (i.e. never defending his dark magic use, and unlike Claudia, believing/knowing that dark magic is wrong - whereas she doesn't think anything of the sort - but using it and being tempted by it anyway, even if he rejects it in 2x08). His determination is great but can lead to him being obsessive, even if he's also good at knowing his limits / when to yield and fold on things, and will often fold first. While this is great in his relationships and doing relationship repair, it's not so good for his goal setting, as it means he can have a defeatist attitude and then grow frustrated when that "I can't do the thing I want to do / do anything" comes in full swing. This makes him lash out because he hates feeling helpless, particularly when it comes to the people he loves, and all of that circles back to what I've said above, in that he loves his self proclaimed "inner circle" more than "anyone or anything". Just cause he's sweet and goofy and caring doesn't mean he doesn't have teeth (a temper, a ruthless side, etc).

TLDR; characters contain multitudes in their internal psychology and if you can figure out what a character's psychological core is, you'll have a much larger but more cohesive range to write from, emotion / action(s) wise. Feel free to give your happier, more sunshiney characters an edge / claws and fangs (just because someone is nice doesn't mean they're good; external presented attitude is not everything and certainly not necessarily morality) and your edgier, evil characters some redeeming and/or admirable qualities.

#tdp viren #tdp callum #characterization #thanks for asking #pedanticseal #writing advice #tdp claudia #requests #analysis series #analysis #this got so long i'm sorry #did this make sense? hopefully the bulk of it makes sense #that said u (or anyone else) feel free to ask for expansion and/or clarification on anything #callum #viren

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irrolyphant · 11 months

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JUSTIFIED — 4x02 Where’s Waldo?

JustifiedFX: The search for Waldo Truth leads Raylan to his family home. Stream all episodes of #JustifiedFX on Hulu.

#justified #s4e02 where’s waldo?#timothy olyphant #jacob pitts #nick searcy #raylan givens #[.]#[video]

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1x20 · 2 years

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What don't you like about Carver's Cas?

so i'm assuming this is in relation to the 5x03 gifset i reblogged and thus i will explain my opinions regarding early seasons cas and not carver era cas sldjkfdsf

cas as a character in kripke era is a MESS. if you try to keep track of it between episodes you'll get whiplash. in 4x02 he threatens dean and shows no remorse for it, and then as soon as we see him in 4x07 he's clearly already having doubts. and NOTHING happened in between

the thing that makes cas's character read so well in s4 is that misha gave a genuinely strong and memorable performance. he's so different from any other character on that show that he READS as coherent but he isn't.

however, one thing cas is consistently in s4 is distinctly Other. he's very much a cosmic force -- in abilities, in strength, and in autism.

now this is obviously an issue in s5 because we can't give our protagonist(s) a sidekick who can do basically anything. STILL though, even though his powers are already limited in 5x01 and 5x02 (mostly 5x02), he's still very Other in behavior. he's demanding, he's threatening, he's mysterious, he's powerful.

in 5x03, however...

5x03 is divided in the sam section, which is about sam trying to live a normal life and being unable to -- and dean's section is about trying to find a new partner in life that isn't sam, notably cas.

BUT. but. as noted by @autisticandroids multiple times, cas gets wifified in later seasons (not so coincidentally starting season 8 but we’re not talking about that). and i think 5x03 is kind of a microcosm for that phenomenon -- it didn’t start the trend, but it kinda foreshadowed it.

5x03 is notably the first episode to REALLY play cas’s naivety for comedy. cas is the comic relief in 5x03: he’s no longer demanding, threatening, mysterious, powerful. he’s a bumbling idiot who doesn’t understand the world and Needs Dean To Teach Him (About Hunting And Sex).

haha he’s telling the sheriff angels are fighting across the globe isn’t that funny and weird? isn’t that stupid? he hasn’t had sex before, isn’t that funny? that he’s nervous around sexy women unlike dean (who’s a Real Man).

and the thing is -- this is a narratively necessary decision. cas HAS to be made into a non-threatening, blank-slate, almost childlike role because otherwise how would they justify dean taking him to a brothel? how would they justify dean hanging out with him? it would, almost INHERENTLY, have to become more romantic/sexual if they acknowledged that cas had like, personality and agency in this episode.

this is because supernatural is a bodice ripper (for men): it is, in many ways, an exercise in “what would happen if you were dominated by powers stronger than you -- would this be freeing?”

cas in s4 is VERY much a Power Stronger Than Dean. oh sure dean manages to convince him to rebel, but even in that act, cas is highlighted as being stronger (the punch that hurts dean’s hand but not cas’s face in 4x22).

BUT in matters of sex especially -- and hunting because this is what supernatural very much ties its masculinity to -- cas cannot be Stronger Than Dean. this would highlight how much dean is the subject of this show, but in situations he’s Subjected to.

dean has to be the instigator if they’re put on equal footing because it protects the fiction of the show. and so, cas cannot be Stronger, demanding, threatening, mysterious, powerful. cas is funny, and naive, and has to submit for dean’s authority -- and he has to be mocked for it.

tl;dr JEREMY CARVER PAY FOR YOUR CAS CRIMES!!!!!!!!

(for more and better posts on this subject see: 1 2 3 4 5 6)

#ice.txt #*castiel #spn

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indelibleevidence · 1 year

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Apparently I didn't do this the first time round (what was wrong with me?), so here are my 4x02 thoughts:

Really cool puzzles in this episode - both the magnetite map and the ATM have such great solutions. I wonder who came up with the creepy facial recognition gas-ATM.

I get why Patterson was so pissed at Boston to begin with this time around (the whole 'I coded a backdoor into Wizardville so I could snoop on people's phones' thing was a massive betrayal of trust, even if he then apologised and helped the team arrest his terrorist boyfriend), but why was Boston so mean to Kurt? 'You got one, Limpy!' I'd love to see you survive a gut shot, Boston (and let's be realistic, if they hadn't stopped the show at season 4.5, he probably would have gotten one, because gut shots are Blindspot's favourite injury - Mayfair, Jane, Roman, Patterson, Kurt, Keaton, Weitz...).

I've said it before and I'll say it again - as much as I love both Rich and Boston, the comedy gay couple/sassy gay friend trope makes me facepalm. I just don't get the sense in this episode that these men are attracted to each other, despite Rich's cooing. They have sibling chemistry, not ex-lovers who are still pining for each other, and they remind me of children squabbling over who gets the first cookie. 🙄 At least 4x08 goes a little way towards fixing that (until Rich ruins it by being a total asshole).

Remi's face when Sokolov describes the FBI as hamstrung by bureaucracy and ego is just awesome. She's like, 'Yep, this guy gets it.'

And again, the FBI's 'shoot first, ask questions later' policy comes back to bite them, because if Sokolov had lived, no 4x08... 🤷‍♀️ But also, I have no idea how they would have written it into the show, so...

The Remi and Roman scenes just made me so sad, because Remi is completely alone, talking to her brother who isn't there, trying to justify herself and her convictions (which we see at the start of 4x03, she isn't that sure of. 'Of course I can kill my husband...but not right now, that wouldn't be the right time.'

They really could have used the 'Zapata was on the plane, but not really' plot thread to make everyone cry, but they didn't bother. I wonder if they filmed a scene or two that were cut for length. I'll forever be sad that we never got any deleted scenes for seasons 4 or 5. 😭

Sometimes Blindspot is as subtle as a brick to the face with its cases and subplot parallels, but they did a great job with this episode. Sokolov being able to convince agents from multiple agencies to hand over documents, because there's no inter-agency cooperation, goes nicely with Keaton's complete lack of inter-agency cooperation re: Zapata (and why does it need to be kept so super secret that even a team working to take HCI Global down can't be read in, Keaton?). And Madeline's gleeful confession that she killed her husband pairs really well with Remi mixing up a little gift for Kurt at the end of the episode.

Audrey did so well with her 'I hate this undercover assignment' scene. Poor Tasha. Even though I don't see why Reade couldn't know, I do feel awful for her.

Madeline has such potential to be a great villain, but they just didn't bother to go anywhere meaningful with her. Helios was pretty masterful as a plan, but her underlying motives with her father are tissue-paper thin. :/ It makes all of the Helios arc feel kind of pointless, in retrospect. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio does a great job, but after Shepherd and Roman, Madeline is just meh. Plus Remi just steals the show with her plotting and scheming.

Remi turning an argument around on Kurt again is so much fun to watch, and especially the way she course-corrects with the giant eyes and 'I just want to help people, just like you' stuff. Makes me think of the Jane-as-Goth!Remi episode, where she's just overly bitchy. 😁

Brb, squeeing over every moment of Remi now! Especially her knowing that he'll be first through the door to save her, even though she doesn't remember anything about being in the field with him from being Jane.

#blindspot #blindspot rewatch 2023 #blindspot 4x02

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electricbluebutterflies · 7 months

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Kabby + laughing during sex

Haven't done 4x01/4x02 grayspace in AGES and this is fun. Vaguely PG13-ish and also on ao3.

They waited twenty-odd years for this.

Abby is not disappointed by any means, let her make that opinion very clear. Surprised, slightly, but not-

Of course the sex is good. Given their past dynamics, she’s known it would be since the first time she ever thought about it. The comfort level, on the other hand, is much better than her expectations.

Blame it on the fact that in this world they’re in now, no one else gets her on that level. Marcus is the last person left who got an up-close view of every major thing she’s ever done whether it made logical sense or not, a constant recurring presence in her life even before respective career paths made them each other’s problem on a more structured and formal level, and on some level that’s always been reassuring. No matter what else happened, she knew he’d always be there in the background questioning her judgement and saying things she’s sure sounded a little more tactful in his mind and-

They changed, a few months ago. Everything changed and somehow nothing changed.

She’s known this would happen, in some form, for most of her life. She can’t say for certain that he was the first person she noticed that way, back when she was very young and thoughts about how two people could enjoy each other were new to her, but the timing was close and that became another constant in her life, even once he became difficult, even when she was married and… the occasional daydream about someone else does not count as infidelity, let her justify that, the fact that she wouldn’t have done anything under those circumstances does not-

Everything changed. Again and again. Somehow, she thinks, somehow it was always meant to lead to this.

There’s something decidedly comforting about having a body next to her that she has known in other contexts. Her daydreams may not have become reality until an hour ago, but she’d had more than enough valid reasons to see different parts of his skin over the years and especially these past few months, different injuries to tend and an understanding that she would be respectful and-

So was he, she reminds herself. So was he, those weeks when movement was uncomfortable for her. No delusions about protecting her modesty, but nothing beyond what could be explained by circumstances either, nothing inappropriate or-

Things change. People change. Will that ever feel normal, or will she always be distracted by that past?

She shifts position to look at him now, to run her fingers over his skin and map what she knows. She’s tended every new scar except for one, and it was just as well she wasn’t in proximity when that seemed like a good idea, and-

“What are you thinking right now?”

So many things, she would say if she wanted to talk. Something about cosmic inevitability, how long she’s waited and how certain she was of the ending but never the details, something-

Instead of any of that, instead of anything too intense for their current condition, Abby laughs. The body does what will, and-

“I didn’t think we’d happen like this.”

Marcus gives her one of those looks, in a past life a warning sign that he was about to say something intended to set her off and make her the bad person but in this one… she’s not as sure of him as she used to be, and the unpredictability has had positive results but at the same time-

“That was… decidedly less aggressive than-“

“I’m too tired for aggressive right now. Maybe later, but-“

“That wasn’t a complaint.”

She’s known, on some subconscious instinctive level, that the daydreams have been some kind of mutual for… as long as she’s had them if not longer, probably. The absolute inevitability of it all, so comforting and overwhelming at once, all of their eras and evolutions and this is the one where they finally-

“You sure about that?”

He doesn’t respond immediately, and there’s something warm about it, the averted eye contact and the mutual shock and they have both had a long few weeks and maybe-

“Aggressive will be fun. So was whatever that was.”

No wonder his various entanglements have never lasted long, she’s tempted to say. No sense of what’s appropriate in aftermath, absolutely no-

Maybe it’s different because it’s her, because she actually means something, because she suspects she’s the only person who ever has. She would never go as far as to assume unrequited love – there’s a nice ten or fifteen year stretch in there where she knew damn well he did not have that emotional depth, and its recent redevelopment is still weird – but something adjacent to it maybe, some kind of guiding light, some kind of-

“Fun,” she repeats, and such a small word shouldn’t taste bitter. “Is that all we are?”

“Too early to call.”

“Wrong answer.” She shifts position so he can see more of her, how good she looks in this state and… she hasn’t had to think about how she might be seen in nearly two years, and before that her marriage was always so easy like this new dynamic will never be, if they are something it won’t calm either of them any further and-

But they have to be something, she thinks. She’s never wanted casual from anyone. To be minimized like that would be-

“For once can you just… not immediately compartmentalize?”

“Who are you and what did you do with my lifelong nemesis,” she laughs, leaning in to take a kiss. “Those words just sound wrong in your voice.”

“I’m trying. Mostly for you.”

She never asked for that. They’ve had that fight, repeatedly, in the past few months the only reason they’ve gone at each other, and… somewhere along the line she accepted that while she’d more or less ended up with slightly more blame for his attempts at becoming an actually decent person than any of the abundance of other contributing factors to that midlife crisis, she wasn’t the goal of it. How their dynamic has developed in that time has been real and without ulterior motives, and that’s so damn strange coming from him but still-

As much as it still feels just a little wrong to admit it, she trusts him. Even when they were at their worst, she still did, but more so now, more so-

“I’m not your morality pet,” she murmurs. “Don’t forget that.”

“You’re not,” he replies, getting an arm around her back and pulling her a little closer. “You’re much more…”

They don’t talk for a while. They’re better that way.

#ebf writes fic #kabby #queue

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theheightofdishonor · 1 year

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this was not on the agenda but let's analyze some of the dialogue in 4x03 real fast

Stiles: Dude, what is going on with you? Scott: I don't know. I'm having a really off day. Stiles: Off day? You were dying out there! I feel actual physical pain watching you. Scott: I didn't see you make any shots. Stiles: Yes, that is because I'm terrible, though, Scott. You... You are the Alpha. Scott: Not on the field. I'm a human on the field. Stiles: Well, human you is kind of sucking at the moment. So do you think there is any way you can use just like a little tiny bit of wolf power? Scott: It's cheating. Stiles: I know it is! It's just I hate seeing this little freshman come in and steal all your glory after you worked your tushie off. I hate it. Scott: He's not going to steal all the glory. ----- Stiles: We still don't know if he's a werewolf, too. And if he is, he'd just be cheating. And we'd just be cheating the cheater. Scott: But he's not. I'd know. I'd be able to catch a scent or something. Stiles: Maybe you need to get closer. Scott: I think I'm about to get my chance.

So this takes place during the lacrosse tryouts. First thing to note, is it me or is Stiles playing devil's advocate more than usual? It might just be because Scott's listening to him more than usual but Stiles seems unusually persistent

Anyways, that first bit caught my attention because i'm always hyperaware when regarding the human/monster theme in teen wolf. Scott's firmly continues to maintain the boundary between his werewolf and human sides while Stiles vagues around the idea of "true alpha has to mean infallible" that later plays such a huge role in their s5 fight. It's interesting that he's telling Scott that it's unsightly for the Alpha to lose here and then pivots literally minutes later into assuring him that "[he's] still only human". Stiles is ever so quick to turn to whatever will benefit him in the moment.

Like, really look at that first exchange for a second. First Stiles tries concern which Scott brushes off. Then Stiles becomes more overtly critical but it's aggressive enough that Scott takes a shot back at him to which Stiles immediately tries to pacify him via self-depreciation/flattery. And when Scott rejects that, he tries to compromise- you don't have to go all out alpha werewolf, just a little bit's enough-and when it fails, changes to a commiserating sympathy, which with a little bit of well-timed remarks by Finstock, surprisingly does somewhat work. And Stiles immediately capitalizes when he feels Scott wavering by justifying the behavior and then re-framing it via 'if you just get close to scent him, it's not reallyyy using your powers, right'.

Scott's what is most interesting about this exchange though. Their entire conversation has a practiced air to it, as if Stiles suggesting things that Scott shoots down is a common enough occurance that Scott doesn't even need to really think about his responses, which is probably true. The convo actually reminded me a little of their first conversation in 1x01 when Stiles and Scott goes off in search for Laura's body and Scott's protesting even as he follows. The difference is that since their power dynamics have shifted (at first with Scott becoming a werewolf and then again when he becomes a True Alpha), Scott's been far less likely to grudgingly go along with Stile's schemes but he does so here, despite being against it.

This is where I dip into speculation but I think that the reason Scott's behaving so unusually is because the events of 3b-caught unawares by the nogitsune, aiden's death,allison bleeding out in his arms,isaac leaving- has made Scott less sure of his own judgement coming into s4 becuse he actually does something similar to this in 4x02 too where when Stiles initially suggests lying to Derek, Scott firmly rejects it but when the opportunity arises, he hesitates and then ends up lying to him in a move that even Stiles is surprised by. (the camera intentionally pans to stiles side eying scott and i can't help but wonder if that has anything to do with how persistent he is here)

#not me writing literally everything except the meta that im watching this season for #which tbf ive never been able to restrain myself from a tangent in my life so idk what we expected #teen wolf meta #well you can call it meta i call it my ability to tie literally everything in teen wolf to s5 #teen wolf #brotp: you're still only human #lowkey i always forget that this eps where that quote is from #because in the og meta i miscited it as being from 4x01 #which is also the reason that my internal timeline of early s4 is so distorted #because i keep thinking that this whole thing happens in the first ep when it actually takes place in ep 3 #scott mccall #stiles stilinski #turns out writing this actually tired me out lmao so yall will see the next one in a couple days #i didn't reread this imo

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marley-manson · 2 years

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@elakki said in response to this post: Would you consider hawkeye telling BJ in 4x02 that he’s “closer to these people than i’ve ever been to anybody else in my life, or ever expect to” one of those missteps? I found that line super jarring coming from hawkeye, even tho i appreciated the sentiment as a shipper lol

ooh good question, that’s a tough one lol. I did actually think about Hawkeye’s speech in Chief Surgeon Who about how they’re all probably closer to each other than anyone else except their families when writing that, but I forgot that bit in WtK.

And like... lol it feels pretty damn nitpicky to criticize it, but honestly yeah if I was writing it I’d def at least phrase it a little differently. I don’t mind the Chief Surgeon Who line because Hawkeye says their closeness is a result of the “cruddy situation” and is just heartfeltly acknowledging it, whereas in Welcome to Korea the line is “Crazy thing is, hell though it is, I think I feel closer to the people in this hospital... than I've ever been to anybody else in my life... or ever expect to.”

Which frames their closeness as more of a silver lining of hell and even arguably a bit of a selling point lol, like sure the war sucks but I made the best relationships of my life here soooo. So I guess yeah I’d say it’s a misstep in that vein, but like, tbf it’s pretty minor all things considered. And in a sitcom about a bunch of friends in hell it’s probably a pretty tricky line not to cross, to celebrate those friendships while never incidentally referring to them as a ‘well at least we got this out of the war’ kinda thing. The fact that the show doesn’t do it more often and more directly is legit pretty impressive imo.

Honestly I’m not even sure where that line necessarily falls, like it’s kind of hard phrasing all this lol. I mean it’s true and fair and realistic that the friendships are a positive aspect of their being there, but imo they shouldn’t be something that justifies it or makes it feel worth it or that they’d value more than going home or that gives them mixed feelings about the war ending or something that makes them miss the war afterwards. It’s like, BJ missing Hawkeye and going to Maine? I’m cool with that. BJ thinking that he’s glad he got drafted because it brought him and Hawkeye together? Too far for me, at least if it’s meant to be positive or heartwarming or romantic or whatever. The 4077 getting super close in large part because of trauma bonding and trying to find ways to keep sane in the middle of horror? Great! The 4077 getting super close framed as a way the war enriched their lives? Not so great! Like, I know it’s basically the same sentiment, but it’s just about what aspect the narrative (of the show or fanfic or w/e) chooses to emphasize, I guess, for me.

But also I guess this is why I personally like to read negative stuff into the show’s relationships sometimes too lol, especially the later seasons when defying the army is less of a bonding activity. That’s just a me thing, not something I think everyone should do ofc.

And to that line in WtK’s credit (and a few others, like Hawkeye’s “there’s nothing here I’m gonna miss except you” in GFA) they are always pretty consistent about emphasizing how much being there sucks while acknowledging the friendships, so at least that’s something they never lose sight of and tend to add in juxtaposition.

ALSO all that aside I agree with you that it’s kind of a jarring line lol, imo it’s a very exaggerated statement. I mean he’s closer to them than his dad? Than he was with Carlye? But considering Trapper just vanished on him and Henry died I guess it’s a pretty understandable exaggeration. Plus I do kind of think/headcanon that Hawkeye has a tendency to overemphasize his immediate feelings with hyperbole. Like it’s what I thought when he told Carlye that everyone since her has been a pale imitation eg lol, like I truly don't think he's been sadly pining ever since and comparing everyone else he dates to her, but I think it feels that way when he's right in front of her again. And same when he’s reflecting on his war friendships after losing the two closest, maybe.

Like idt that’s necessarily a strong interpretatation of the text lol but as a headcanon it helps it work for me.

#marley on mash #mash gen #hawkeye mash #now if i ever write the hawk/trap post-war thing i wanna include something like... the two of them dealing with war trauma issues #and thinking about how much better it would've been if they'd met at a boston gay bar instead #ideas ideas #also i'm sorry i can't be concise lol this is way longer than it needed to be #i answer the question then i just navelgaze for a while

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andyjohnsonstuff · 8 months

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I just watched Justified 4x02 "Where's Waldo?"

#Justified #trakt

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norahastuff · 2 years

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Just a minor detail from 4x02 that always gets me, and it’s about the return of this guy:

When Sam sees him, he calls him “Henriksen.” Sam never really had any personal connection to Henriksen. To him, the ghost of Henriksen represents his failure. Like Ruby said, If they’d just sacrificed Nancy, Henriksen and all those other people in that police station would have survived, but Sam let Dean talk him out of it. He didn’t make the hard choice and all those people suffered for it. It’s just more fuel for Sam’s ‘ends justify the means/trust Ruby’ arc and leads him further down that dark path.

Dean, on the other hand, he calls him Victor. He has an emotional reaction to seeing him, because Dean had actually bonded with him. At the end, Dean saw Victor as a kindred spirit and someone he liked and respected.

Sam apologises for letting him die, but it’s pretty clear that Sam, although he feels incredibly guilty about how everything went down, he’s just apologising to yet another victim he could not save.

Dean, on the other hand, his apology to Victor is so personal, and so emotionally wrought, because he’s apologising to Victor. This person he actually kind of cared about, someone who could maybe have been a friend.

It’s also notable that during his encounter with Dean, Victor describes the torture they all went through at Lilith’s hands, how she peeled off Nancy’s skin and made them watch. Dean’s very troubled by this, he can’t bear to hear it. At first, it seems like it’s just because, y’know, graphic descriptions of torture aren’t exactly fun to listen to, but when you remember that Dean has just come back from hell, and the things he did, the souls he tortured when he was down there, it just hits that much harder, especially when Victor finishes up the guilt trip by echoing exactly what Dean’s been thinking ever since Cas pulled him out of hell:

“Tell me how it's fair. You get saved from Hell – I die. Why do you deserve another chance, Dean?”

Also of note, Meg asking Dean “You think you’re some kind of hero?” and Dean very resolutely (and also very sadly because oh Dean...) saying “No. I don’t.”

All of Dean’s hell trauma and self-loathing is weighing on him so heavily throughout this episode, and it just makes Cas’ reminder at the end of episode that he can throw Dean back in hell anytime he chooses to, that much more menacing, because as much as Dean doesn’t believe he deserved to be saved, he still absolutely cannot bear the thought of going back to hell.

He knows what he’ll do when he gets back there. He broke once, and he definitely believes he would do it again. He doesn’t see himself as hero anymore.

I mean, if he ever really did, but that’s a whole other conversation.

Also, just as a sidenote, Castiel saying he can throw Dean back in hell is very scary and I love that extra touch of Dean waking up and not quite knowing if that encounter actually happened, or if Cas was just visiting him in a dream – adds that touch of unreality that makes angels seem that much more powerful and unfathomable – but it’s also a completely empty threat. Cas absolutely does not have the authority to throw Dean back into hell.

It also pretty much is the one and only time he’s ever really threatening towards Dean. By the very next episode, you can see him start to sympathise with Dean and start to develop this connection that he doesn’t quite understand just yet. S4 is my favourite season for a lot of reasons, but especially because of Cas’ journey towards doubt and rebellion, and both Misha and the writing throughout the season do such a phenomenal job of exploring all the stages of that arc.

#victor henriksen #spn meta #4x02 #my spn thoughts #spn rewatch

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princeescaluswords · 3 years

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Wild that racist fandom simultaneously wants to portray the Hales as the elite, superior, "pure blooded" born werewolves who have a divine right to rule the territory and they're so much more knowledgeable and wise and stronger and richer, a powerful noble lineage the show "should" center on..... yet also, they are an allegory for a marginalized people + Scott is a "colonizer" and "interloper" of werewolf culture even though Peter forced him into it. A brown Latino, working class teen is somehow the oppressor of this wealthy, ancient (white) family

Here’s the thing. Canonically, there was very little difference between born wolves and bitten wolves. The only thing they came out and said was that born wolves have an easier time controlling themselves. Noshiko said it in The Fox and the Wolf (3x20) and De-aged Derek said it in 117 (4x02). Three was also a cut scene in Fireflies (3x03) where Derek said that Boyd was more dangerous because Cora might be able to control herself better..

There is seemingly little status difference between Born and Bitten wolves. Peter never included Scott being Bitten in his litany of superiority. We never learn anything about the Alpha Pack’s status. We never learned anything about the Primal’s status. The three wolves from the Ito Pack we know about were two Born wolves taken in by Satomi. Satomi and Talia were friends, who had tea together. Derek and Deaton spoke of Satomi with reverence.

Of course, Derek didn’t know if he could train a Bitten wolf, but there was no implication that it was because Bitten wolves were inferior. And there was the lie -- cribbed from Hollywood werewolf lore -- that a Bitten Wolf could be cured by killing the one who bit you. And yes, it was a lie manipulated by Derek, who was oh-so-knowledgeable until he happened to remember something (which later turned out to be completely false) that would require Scott to do exactly what Derek wanted him to do.

Then where does the idea that these Born Wolves, superior in every way, are oppressed by a Bitten Wolf who won’t submit come from? Or to put it another way, where do they get the idea that the clearly master race can be oppressed by degenerate lower races.

For those who may miss the subtlety, I’m drawing a direct line from fandom’s obsession with born wolves to eugenics-based nonsense and Nazi racial-superiority politics. For those of you who haven’t read your history recently, Hitler’s entire rise to power was based on this type of oppression fantasy: that the superior Aryan race was being deprived of their proper position by filthy Jews and Roma and Poles and black people.

How many times have you seen the argument that Scott ‘took’ the legacy of the Hales from them? Even this morning, I read this story-- untagged, of course:

He looked down at Scott who was still out cold on the floor. He didn’t feel any remorse in removing the Alpha spark from his former best friend. It had been what was right. Scott was no True Alpha, he wasn’t an Alpha at all, he lacked the Alpha material, and was too unconcerned with his pack and the town. Too much into his own pleasures and whims. Talia had been right when she’d told Derek that Stiles had been his Alpha. He was going to enjoy giving that responsibility to someone who was both experienced and had the heart and mind for it. Well to sometwo.

You see that? Stiles has made the determination that Scott is not worthy of the alpha power and takes it from him. You see, the people he believes are worthy are Talia and Derek. The born wolves have the right to rule, the right to rise, no matter what they do or don’t do, and that means they have the authority to take from those who are lesser then they are.

It’s so eerie often parts of the fandom justify hatred of Scott and hurting, enslaving, killing Scott and use the same language and motivations of the seizure of the Sudetenland. They describe Scott as sexually voracious, stupid, uneducated, and unworthy.

It’s eerie, but not unprecedented. This is an old ghost applied to a trivial purpose, but still possessing the same disgusting allure.

#teen wolf racism #fandom racism #cw nazis #scott mccall #scott mccall defense squad #russianspacegeckosexparty

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ginjointsintheworld · 2 years

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Hey,

I hope for Leyla's sake and our viewing experience, the staff do not find out about the donation especially if she's going to continue working in the ED.

I also think Casey's words about Lauren undermining all Leyla's achieved for herself and Lauren losing his respect and potentially losing that of the staff is to make Lauren realise the consequences of her actions and force her to tell Leyla herself.

Up until then, I suppose she had not thought of the effect of it at all. Now that she knows how this affects Leyla, I believe she's going to tell her. The guilt is heavy on her now, I mean look at pictures from the coming episode.

it's kind of.... i don't know what the right word is, irritating? to me to even have to consider that potential when first of all it took casey 2 months to even put thought into why they have a 5th resident and if it wasn't for lauren's over the top reaction, he probably wouldn't have. but also, yes, like you mentioned i selfishly want to see minimal blow back on leyla from this especially because it feels like it would mostly be to drag up doubt in leyla being deserving of the spot when i feel like narratively it's been established that she does.

i think lauren knew that leyla wouldn't approve of what she did and her reaction to leyla's speech in 4x02 definitely clued her into how leyla feels about earning her spot if lauren didn't know before. but she was able to compartmentalize and reason to herself that she was balancing the scales that were unfairly tipped against leyla and seeing leyla thrive was further confirmation of it. despite all of that though, voicing what she did out loud and seeing casey's reaction was definitely a reality check that no matter what she's been telling herself and even if it on some level are good points, it was still wrong and not enough to justify keeping what she's done from leyla. the loss of respect from casey and potential the staff are additional weight to that. and you know i've been banging the drum since day 1 that hopefully lauren will eventually fess up and tell leyla the truth before someone else does.

from what i saw of the pictures, they looked to be in action shots so i personally thought the concern and stress on her face were for the patient and battle with ICE. but that aside, she's 100% finding the guilt harder and harder to carry.

#anon #asks

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lemoncupcake · 3 years

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beth and rio: is it cheating? a (weak) analysis by yours truly

so, a couple of months ago i was thinking about how in fiction cheating is basically always justified and decided to send a message to megan @foxmagpie asking for her opinion on whether or not beth and rio hooking up in 2x04 and 2x09 counted as cheating on beth’s part, which she still hasn’t answered :( (i mean, i’m being a brat, but i totally get it, i can’t imagine answering as many asks as you do, on top of like having a life lol)

today i was watching some youtube videos about the nuclear revenge and surviving divorce reddit forums, which reminded me of this topic again. and now i’m procrastinating doing my uni work while waiting for class to start, so i thought, why not write about my thoughts on the subject?? and if megan or anyone else also wants to add theirs too, even better!!

so, yeah, this is a long-winded way to say that under the cut you’ll find my thoughts on if beth was cheating on dean when she had sex with rio in 2x04, 2x09 and 4x06.

a warning: i did not rewatch anything to write this. i’m just typing this out while i wait for class to start with no preparation whatsoever. so, if i forget something, i’m sorry. feel free to tell me what i forgot and why you think it changes things (or doesn’t) :)

my hypothesis: 4x06 was cheating, but 2x04 and 2x09 were not

my supporting evidence for 2x04:

in 1x04, beth says she should “get on that”, with “that” being the fact that she’s still dean’s wife, which imo can be read pretty much exclusively as her wanting to get a divorce aka the relationship is over and therefore she can not cheat on him. if she’d hooked up with rio directly after this, it wouldn’t be cheating.

of course, directly after that dean lies to her about having cancer, so they don’t end up getting divorced. however, they’re still sleeping in separate bedrooms and i don’t think any scene indicates that beth still has any romantic interest in him, so imo they’re still not together, only co-habitating

by 1x09, they were still sleeping in separate bedrooms, but beth has clearly softened towards him and is starting to forgive him, as is made clear by her conversation with annie

in 1x10, dean asks beth to choose whether they’re still together and are going to celebrate their anniversary or not. she chooses to celebrate, ergo they are together

after that, dean gets into a car accident while ogling a jogger and beth finds out he doesn’t actually have cancer from his er doctor. imo, at that point, beth thought the relationship was over

however, after that rio shoots dean and beth feels responsible for it. she doesn’t seem happy that he’s survived in the hospital scene, but she does the most for him during his recovery. dean is sleeping in a hospital-like bed in the middle of their living room, though, so they’re still not sharing a room. you could make the point that it seems like medical necessity and doesn’t have anything to do with their relationship status but i think that if they were together, the bed would be in their bedroom bc they seem to have the space for it, so it being in the living room is telling.

in 2x02, we get a shot of beth in her bed alone in the middle of the night, so still not sharing a bedroom then.

i don’t think we get any relevant info about their sleeping situation in 2x03 and 2x04. in 2x05, obviously, we have that iconic scene of her in the bedroom alone, but i don’t think it necessarily means they’re not sleeping together, dean could have just gotten up before her. i think it’s very unlikely, though, considering how inept a father and husband he is, that he’d purposefully wake up before his wife to take care of breakfast, especially since he then goes in to bother her about it anyways, but it’s not impossible. personally, though, i do believe that at this point they haven’t shared a bedroom at all since beth first kicked him out of the house in 1x01.

going back to 2x04 itself, beth finds out dean has made bad financial decisions again and then steps up to take care of things. when she succeeds, she and dean go out to dinner together, but imo it’s a business dinner. she begins talking about boland motors right away. if i’m being honest, with the way she reacted to his praise at first, i think dean could have managed to turn it around to becoming a real date, but he fucked it up. it seems to me like beth just let him talk and make bad decisions about what she wanted to drink and eat during the rest of the meal before arranging for them to go to the bar where she’d met with rio earlier in the episode. i don’t think she saw it as a date, but i do think dean did. he clearly had no idea during the other scenes that he’d ruined his chances during the first 5 minutes.

in conclusion: i think they weren’t together in 2x04. dean might’ve thought they were on a date, but beth certainly didn’t. i don’t think we have any of them explicitly say it was one, just that they were going out to dinner. dates are only dates if both people know they’re on a date, so i don’t think it was one. if they weren’t on a date at that moment, then they still weren’t together (based on all the other evidence), so i don’t consider it cheating on beth’s part to hook up with rio at the bar.

now my supporting evidence for 2x09:

dean took the kids and left. his condition for coming back was basically for beth to break up with rio.

it’s clear that when he did come back, they (mostly) reverted back to what had been their status quo during their relationship before s1 started, so i assume that means they are together once he comes back.

the condition for dean coming back was that beth give up crime/rio. when she was having sex with rio she hadn’t yet done that and dean hadn’t come back. ergo, she and dean were not together and therefore she wasn’t cheating.

now my supporing evidence for 4x06:

it’s pretty clear in 3x01 that beth and dean went back to their previous roles after beth thought she killed rio in 2x13.

she has sex with dean on-screen in 3x03 and tries to seduce him again in 3x07 (? not 100% sure, but around that time).

in 3x11/4x01, she and dean are starting a new family business together. yes, she’s lying to dean about rio’s involvement, but that is neither here nor there. she doesn’t actually seem particularly happy about rio’s involvement and the fact that she calls dean an idiot doesn’t take away from the fact that to him she’s taking a new chance on him.

in 4x02, dean snuggles her, so they’re clearly still sleeping in the same bed (this shift initially happens during the s2-s3 time jump).

in 4x05, she gets dean out of jail.

in 4x06, i’m pretty sure we see dean in the bedroom again and then after hooking up with rio she tells him what’s going on with the secret service (which, imo, is a very stupid idea but especially so bc they did it within earshot of the kids)

based on this, i think beth and dean are together in 4x06. therefore, her having sex with rio this time around is cheating.

now, onto the most important part: do i care?

i mean, the whole reason i was thinking about this so much was because of it’s relation to how much tv/movies/books glamorise cheating. it’s ok because the significant other is a cheater too, because they’re an asshole, because they’re just plain boring and it’s clear that the character cheating is actually in love with the character they’re cheating with, so poor significant other but what could you expect? which, you know, sucks. i mean, i remember how much rory cheating on her boyfriend in a year in the life (among other things, they did her no favours in the revival) made me dislike her. i mean, she forgot the poor guy even existed!! but, you know what, i’m gonna side with the media on this one. hypocritical of me, i know, but i just hate dean that much. i hope beth divorces him soon and in the mean time i’m glad he got cheated on because he deserves it :)

#tv: good girls #ch: elizabeth irene boland #ch: dean boland #d: beth + dean #d: beth + dean + rio #txt #*p #nbc good girls #good girls nbc #whats even is this??#not a thing that makes sense that's for sure lol #enjoy :)

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hakka84 · 2 years

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Looking back... how irritating is episode 4x02. To justify Gibbs' involvement (and eventual return) they made Tony look like an incompetent idiot during the whole episode.

But the nail in the coffin is the final scene. I mean, for the viewer it’s a funny scene: characters return to work to discover their old (beloved) boss has decided to get himself reinstated.

But on a personal side? Shitty. I mean, McGee gets demoted - fine, but it’s likely his contribution to the team didn’t much change with the promotion - and agent Lee suddenly isn’t part of the team anymore, while Ziva keeps his position. But what about Tony. He’s been trying to handle a very dominant personality like Gibbs who, upon returning as temporary agent, imposed himself despite being Tony the boss, immediately taking over and either giving orders or not allowing Tony any moment to do what is his (new) job of team leader. In a few instances Tony - if he weren’t the submissive good trained loyal dog he is - should’ve told Gibbs to kiss his ass, frankly (and we know that Tony didn’t because, fundamentally, being Gibbs second comes natural to him so it was like finally get out of the stiff new suit to get into the comfortable sweats. He’s been very patient if you ask me.

The case is closed and all evidence points to Gibbs leaving again. And it’s possibly distressing for all the characters: Tony might’ve liked to get back to be Gibbs second, even if for few days (we don’t know, canon doesn’t show nor tell), while it’s clear the rest of the team liked Gibbs return very much (and boy, if I were in Tony’s shoes I would feel very depressed about that thought).

Then comes morning, another work day, you’re in a good mood, you arrive at your office... to discover that you’ve been demoted. Without even a courtesy call. Just like that. Like you’re replaceable, like you’re a piece of furniture that you move around where it suits better. And your friends, your team mates, are enthusiast. You are replaceable.

Man, how depressing. So yes, comedy speaking, the final scene is funny. But if you look a bit deeper into it...

#hakka watches ncis #tony di nozzo #hakka watches tv shows #ncis

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botanicallyinclinednerd · 3 years

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Gwen and Morgana moments and interactions in seasons 4 and 5:

4x02: Morgana tells Agravaine she would rather "drown in my own blood" than see Gwen sit on "her" throne. Morgana decides that they must make sure that will never happen by not letting Gwen "see another dawn" (murder her)

4x02: Morgana uses her magic to knock Gwen and her guards unconscious, leaving them for the dorocha. Morgana smiles slightly but it quickly fades as she looks at Gwen unconscious. Its hard to say how she feels, it is up to interpretation.

4x09: Morgana is angry at the idea of Gwen becoming Queen and refers to her as "that woman" not as Gwen.

4x09: Morgana resurrects Lancelot in order to destroy Gwen and Arthur’s relationship.

4x09: Morgana describes Gwen to shade Lancelot as "honest and straightforward and a simple soul"

4x09: it is unclear whether Morgana wanted banishment or execution for Gwen. Based on Agravaine pushing Arthur for execution, she probably wanted her dead, not banished.

4x11: Morgana is angry when she learns that Gwen is the one that over heard them.

4x11: When Morgana catches up with Gwen, Morgana is like a predator playing with her prey. Gwen is defiant and upset. Morgana brings up the fact they were friends once. Morgana also claims to want to help and points Gwen in the direction of Camelot (which truly was the way to Camelot). Gwen asks if Morgana really thought Gwen would ever trust her again. Morgana lets Gwen run before knocking her unconscious with her magic.

4x11: Morgana turns Gwen into a deer to be killed by Arthur. This is very sadistic but at the same time if Morgana was so determined to prevent Gwen from becoming Queen, why doesn't she kill her then and there? Is it it overconfidence? Or does she still care very very very deep down the tiniest bit about Gwen? I wish I knew.

4x13: Gwen tracks down Morgana and fights her. She asks what she did to make Morgana hate her so much and Morgana answers: "Its not what you did. Its what you're destined to do. And I'm sorry Gwen, but I can never let that happen." Morgana was about to kill Gwen and would have had Merlin not arrived in time to stop her

5x04: Old woman Morgana convinces Gwen that Mithian and she were just out for a midnight stroll. They part ways with Gwen slightly suspicious but unaware of Morgana.

5x06: Morgana waits for Gwen to ride away a ways before ripping her from her horse

5x06: Morgana offers Gwen water after she collapses from exhaustion. Gwen rejects it because she doesn't want anything from Morgana. Morgana bounces between playfully sadistic and stoney before ultimately pouring the water out in front of Gwen

5x06: Morgana locks Gwen in the tower with the mandrakes.

5x06: Morgana seems amused and pleased to see Gwen frightened on the floor of the room when she goes to let her down for dinner

5x06: Morgana serving Gwen food, gently insisting she eat "You're fading away" (oh son of a bitch. In more ways than one)

5x06: Gwen being strong and defiant "I dont know what cruel trick you're playing, but I will not be broken by you." Morgana denies it saying she thought the dinner would be nice, a break from the loneliness of that room, all alone. Morgana lists the plus sides to Gwen’s imprisonment and Gwen asks "you expect me to be grateful?" Morgana shares her experience of being shackled in a pit for two years and from Gwen’s reaction realizes she didn't know. Gwen looks sympathetic towards Morgana for the first time since season 3.

5x06: Gwen terrified of Morgana and seemingly convinced that she was another hallucination until Morgana touched her. Gwen pulled away and continued backing away from Morgana who is amused the whole time and is talking to her.

5x06: "Anything you want you can have. I'll give it to you" Gwen, in a broken voice, terrified, "Why are you doing this?" Morgana: "Because we're friends" Gwen wants to know what Morgana is trying to do to her and Morgana says "I'm helping you. I'm looking after you" and the way she says it, with an amused gently laughing quality to it. Gwen exclaims that she wants nothing from Morgana and Morgana smiles at this answer and leaves, telling her to let her know if she changed her mind.

5x06: Morgana telling Gwen everything is alright and Gwen hugging her and Morgana hugging her back. "My darling, it was wrong to make you suffer" Morgana justifying it. "It was necessary. Gwen you're not alone now" (no Morgana, you mean you're not alone now. You brain washed your best friend who you tried to kill several times in the past into being your friend again)

5x06: "you need never be alone again. I'm the only one you can trust. I’m all you have left in the world. The others taunt you. Hate you."

5x06: Gwen is smiling and seems so willing, so eager for kindness. You takes Morgana’s hand and follows but something in Morgana’s expression stops Gwen. Her smile falls. She pulls her hand away and says no. Morgana’s smile vanishes and Gwen backs away "Whatever twisted game you're playing, I want no part in it. I would rather stay here and die."

5x06: Gwen sneaks out of the castle and embraces Morgana. "Do you understand now who you can trust?" "Its you, Morgana. It's only ever been you." And Gwen truly means that.

5x07: the plotting in the woods, reports of the original plan failing and new plans taking place.

5x07: meeting in the town and Morgana passing Gwen the poison.

5x08: Gwen is upset at hearing what Morgana went through during her two years of captivity. Gwen is seen crying. When she sees Morgana again in the forest she gives her a hug

5x08: Morgana requests that Gwen makes sure that "the Sarrum's last moments are filled with agony" and Gwen readily agrees "It will be my pleasure" reassuring smile and moment shared in the woods.

5x09: Gwen bringing Morgana the collection levy plans. Morgana praises her and Gwen asks what else she can do to further their cause

5x09: According to the Dochraid, Gwen's body is simply the vessel of Morgana’s will and once she had served her purpose she would be cast away.

Part One Part Two

#merlin #bbc merlin #guinevere pendragon #morgana pendragon #character dynamics #liv talks merlin #i really hate the gwen and morgana parts of the dark tower they upset me a lot so this is my first time rewatching them #its was just as upsetting and awful as i expected it to be #the dark tower #it bothers me so much because Morgana is literally gaslighting her/ Stockholm syndroming her/ brain washing her #and it reads like a manipulative abusive relationship and it deals me physcic damage. literally drains me.#'im the only one you can trust' im not the only one that sees the abusive manipulation here right? the flags are flying for others too righ

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