#the point is that throughout this ED they’ve been dancing together but at the same time not
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「New frame」 Yamanashi Kazuya & Takise Kyou
『Opus.COLORs』 ED (x) {1 2 3 4}
#Opus.COLORs#Opus Colors#Yamanashi Kazuya#Takise Kyo#Takise Kyou#Kyou x Kazuya#KazuKyou#oh gosh this looks so bad when they’re not in sync lol#anyway!#the point is that throughout this ED they’ve been dancing together but at the same time not#Jen Gifs#Source
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Rictor and Shatterstar’s status quo has come out of such a long game of telephone that it’s interesting to try and consider what different readings could make of them.
Focusing on Rictor: the word-of-god on his sexuality has been PAD, who cares so little about characters outside of the og X-Factor and forces his own pet plots so unilaterally into continuity that you can basically ignore anything he says. As everyone and their dog ignored his Shatterstar and Rahne characterizations.
That leaves him in an interesting area where he’s been word-of-god-ed as ‘idk probably homosexual’ by a man who notably is a piece of shit and doesn’t care about previous writers’ work. There is space for later comic writers to try and rationalize his work on Rictor the way that, I regret to say, Howard and Williams did successfully rehabilitate Shatterstar. Now IMO the XFI Rictor is a good, interesting characterization and that’s mostly by accident of PAD’s snarky male archetype (‘snarketype’) mapping on to some parts of Rictor that had already been established. That doesn’t mean we should take that book as law, though.
From the start: Rictor is defined by anxiety/negativity/self-hatred/clear trauma/undefined mental illness and an instinct for leadership. Simonson writes him as a big brother type, acting as a leader for the new half of the New Mutants while Sam and Dani lead the ogs. He’s not without his deadpan humour, but he’s not particularly snarky the way that Boom-Boom is. His biggest role in New Mutants is in the Rahne-Rictor-Tabs love triangle, where Tabitha comes to like him as a sensible, sensitive non-threatening guy and Rahne looks to him as a comforting protector-type. Rictor ends up with Rahne in an off-panel twist.
That is to say: Rictor’s most important relationships are with girls throughout his first phase. In fact, he doesn’t have any unique dynamic with a guy…at all…until Liefeld decides that Stryfe killed his father. Then nothing after that. He’s an emotional character who reads as a big-brother type and meshes well with the two female characters from rough families who want some stability in their lives. The actual romance between him and Rahne is hampered by the time crunch, but it seems like he’s drawn to her as someone he can protect. For the same reason, he doesn’t pick up on Tabs’ affections because he thinks of her as independent—even his protector. In other words, we have Rictor dating a naive redhead with an extremist worldview who imprints on him, for whom he chooses to leave the team at some point.
Liefield and/then Nicieza’s Rictor takes a bit of a turn from Simonson’s into more macho territory. His emotionality and tendency to bail manifests as anger rather than fear, getting prickly about small-scale things while staying a sensible team-oriented type. In a few critical panels, he’s a tertiary leader when Sam/Terry/the adults aren’t around and he’s usually one to jeep the team together. This Rictor is still fond of Rahne, though they’ve broken up, and he’s pursuing Tabitha now that she no longer has feelings for him. This comes out of nowhere and is as literally forced as it is awkward—one rejection from Boomer and they never speak of it again. Why does Rictor turn to her now, other than that Rahne’s gone? Unclear. Nicieza also writes Rictor as a bit of a ladies’ man, flirting with one of the New Warriors (Namora…?) and dancing with the club girls. That’s a trait that jars with Simonson’s nervous teen, but it’s not inconceivable. Rictor’s only relationships are ambiguously romantic friendships with two girls, why wouldn’t he be comfortable chatting them up with no strings attached?
The game of Telephone starts here. Niecieza realizes that he’s not doing anything ongoing with Rictor or Shatterstar, so he quickly pairs them up for an issue or two to finish Rictor’s arc about Stryfe/Cable and then start an arc for Shatterstar. Sticking to Simonson’s characterization, he has Rictor act as an older brother figure while adding Nicieza-style snark Nicieza happens to play with the idea of Shatterstar’s alien appearance on a city street right before his book gets handed over to Loeb. So History is made.
At this point, Rictor and Rahne have a fond relationship that drifted apart, Rictor and Tabs have an awkward intense friendship that got wrecked by Rictor’s inexplicable advances in an apparent desperate play to thwart Sam, Rictor has started to mentor Shatterstar just like he did with Rahne. Rictor’s as volatile as always, but he flips to anger over anxiety.
Then Loeb picks up the book. He reads Nicieza’s last issue and thinks it’s kinda gay, and he’s also got a new agenda that doesn’t mesh with Nicieza’s slice-of-life book. He quickly writes Rictor out with some heavy closet-coding and writes a gay arc for Shatterstar, bringing Rictor back in the position of a love interest. I truly don’t think Loeb thought about Rictor for more than five minutes. Rictor’s sexuality is viewed entirely through the lens of Shatterstar’s crush; it’s not really relevant whether he returns Shatterstar’s feelings, it’s only relevant that Shatterstar loses him and gets him back as the bookends to his arc. Rictor inhabits the same reliable-but-independent space in Loeb’s writing as Nicieza’s, less emotionally torn than in Simonson’s.
Aside: Age of Apocalypse happens somewhere here and Rictor is an evil Grand Vizier with no apparent personality traits. Oh well!
Moore then comes onboard at another critical transitional time and writes the two least-developed characters out of the book. Oops, that’s Rictor and Shatterstar! They’re written out together and so the characters canonically leave together—thus tying their fates to one another. Rictor now is at the point where he’s left the team, all his friends and connections, on his own hero’s quest and he brings along one devoted companion. I’m sure that Moore and Loeb don’t remember Rahne and barely remember he was involved with Tabitha. Rictor and Shatterstar are bound together by fate as the two minor characters. When they go on their big Mexican vacation, it’s easy to read Rictor as a young straight guy with a good heart and sympathy for the outcast. It’s also not hard to read him as a kid who dated one naive teammate who looked up to him and is now close to another, a bisexual teenager who had an inkling at the start of Loeb’s run and has finally accepted it.
Then, the two guys remain off-panel except for that one Shatterstar VS Domino fight (Moore) in which Rictor plays damsel to Shatterstar—again, Shatterstar’s feelings are in focus while Rictor’s are ambiguous.
The nail in the coffin comes with the one the only 1999 Annual, where Nicieza comes back and…doubles down on Loeb(+Moore)’s subtext. Rather than sticking to his own macho flirt take on the character, Niecieza implies that the two are sleeping together and has Rictor exchange the more domestic lines in their banter. Where Rictor was a plausibly deniable straight crush for poor Shatterstar in the past, Nicieza writes them as steady partners in the space of a few panels. Rictor is gay or bisexual when we enter the great drought of the aughts (only seven years but well. That’s too many).
XFI then comes along and resets the status quo. Liefeld’s godawful miniseries had broken up the happy couple without giving a mention to Ric, so David creates his own version that continues Simonson’s emotionally harrowed (is that a correct usage?) Rictor with some of Nicieza’s sense of humour. This version is tied to the team by his friendships with Terry and Rahne, continuing the trend of Rictor being closest to women. His early XFI arc is being the accidental hero, and of course that’s represented by saving the girl. He’s got ambiguously romantic scenes with Terry, Monet, and one or two anonymous women, though there’s never any hint at an actual Theresa/Rictor plot.
Instead, XFI keeps its options open and leans into the idea of bisexuality. Madrox comments on Rictor’s looks and his relationship with Shatterstar, Quicksilver’s manipulation of Rictor is coded as seduction, while Rahne remains Rictor’s most important connection on the team. Rahne and Rictor’s relationship is in-focus from the start with their…moment?…at Rictor’s suicide attempt. Their feelings for one another keep them grounded. At the same time, PAD’s misogynist fucking pea brain means he’s decided to write Rahne as a destructive or cursed entity. Because of that, her involvement with Rictor is literally harmful to him. When they sleep together, her claws rip up Rictor’s back. His romance with Rahne is as much a part of his self-harm as jumping off a building or refusing to eat. Rahne was Rictor’s most definitive romantic relationship for a while, and XFI rewrites it as a stagnant union between two people desperate for affection and reassurance.
Taking the whole history of Rictor as the cohesive canon it definitively isn’t, this explains Rictor’s random jump on Tabitha. When he’s unsettled, threatened, or bummed, Rictor will do whatever drastic thing comes to mind to try and salvage the situation. Afraid? Die. Girlfriend and close friend missing? Leave. Afraid of your boss? Leave. Afraid your boss will know you’re gay? Leave. Gf on a different team and close friend now dating someone and drifting away from you? Hit on her. Suicidal again? Sleep with a friend even though it’s literally painful. Rictor acts like a big brother to Rahne more than a boyfriend, their relationship starts from nowhere and ends anticlimactically. By turning Rictor’s main f/m relationship toxic and presenting no alternatives, XFI is the first comic to make ‘gay’ the definitive read on this character. Subsequent stories don’t do anything to complicate this. Is it because writers agree with this interpretation or because they’re cowards? Up for debate.
In any case, I wonder what would happen if someone tried to revisit Rictor’s relationships with women. But imagine that. I don’t think anyone at editorial even remembers he and Tabitha are friends
#kelsey liveblogs comics#I am a gay julio Esteban ‘Rictor’ richter truther and because I am a truther I would like to see convincing bisexual rictor arguments#so I can buttress my interpretation against them.#it IS more interesting to consider Rictor as a woman’s man in his friendships. tabs. rahne. terry.#and how that interacts with shatterstar’s pretty-boy presentation#truly ric is a ‘women and femmes’ kind of guy (this is a joke. this is a joke.)
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If Glee did a Taylor Swift Tribute Episode...
Just my opinions, feel free to add on to them. I know I have some fellow gleek swifties following me. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Obviously they have to do some of the hits but I think some people would have some out of the box picks.
*This post assumes all Taylor songs are available to choose from as of May 14th 2021 but focuses on Taylor’s first 6 albums (if you want more glee and Taylor I have fics with that; LOVER and FOLKLORE) and takes liberties with where this episode’s placement is in terms of canon. But since it’s all made up anyway who cares (but Blaine’s involved so I guess season 3 idk).*
Okay, trying to do a full plot here (completely inspired by @kurtdeservesbetter head canon posts. I hope this lives up to her fabulous posts). This will be my version of glee so everyone gets solos and Rachel can’t hog the spotlight. Also, this is about to be super long (both post wise and episode wise).
Let’s open the first episode with
...Ready For It because the New Directions are in their reputation era. Santana does the opening cough centerstage. Everyone in black and/or camo green outfits (can you just see Kurt in a dark green bedazzled snake jacket, Santana in a black leather dress, and Tina digging out some goth clothes for people to borrow?), snakes everywhere, but probably no Karyn (she just wouldn’t fit on the auditorium stage). Santana takes the first verse but we have Blaine step up for verse 2. (I just love their friendship in the Michael tribute, cute little badasses are BACK. Also him singing “Burton to this Taylor” is such a Klaine thing to do).
Everyone is still dressed in their rep outfits but we’re in the choir room now. Mr. Schue is talking about why Taylor had to disappear and clap back with rep, how rough the industry is for women and tries to uplift the ladies in the room and encourage them to not silence their voices (cue snarky comment from Santana about Rachel needing to be silent).
Then, Mr. Schue goes on about how you can only understand how Taylor got to her rep era by studying her earlier music. So we have a performance of Tim McGraw. Simple, front of the choir room performance, maybe Puck does guitar, and sitting on stools.
Everyone is surprised to find out how pumped Sam is for this assignment but he is all over it. “It's about time we did some country in this room.” Cue Sam and Quinn at her locker talking about their ‘date’ last night, Sam’s all cute and teasing and Quinn is not into it. She tells him it was fun but she was wrong, they shouldn’t do this again. In turn, he does a wonderful performance of Bye Bye Baby. He thought it was more but clearly he’s “a part of her past.”
Then, we’re in the empty choir room. Tina and Mike are there. (I love their cutesy duets) They sing Everything Has Changed and it’s utterly adorable. Can’t you hear Mike asking Tina if she’s “good to go” like Ed does? And while we’re on the subject of cute duets and RED, we flash to the courtyard to see Santana and Brittany. They turn Stay Stay Stay into a duet. “I’ve been loving you for quite some time,” “before you I only dated self-indulgent takers who took all their problems out on me,” “no one else is gonna love me when I’m mad, mad, mad,” and “it’s occurring to me that I’d like to hang out with you for my whole life” it’s perfect for them. Adorable ladies kisses are had.
Let’s toss in some boy drama for fun. Idk shit about football but somehow Puck is praised by their coach over Finn, which gets him all pissy, and Puck’s upset and jealous because Finn is back with Quinn now (this is why Quinn shut Sam now earlier, she changed her mind). Can we say duet of Bad Blood? “So if you’re coming my way...just don’t.”
After their dramatics, we have a Brittany solo in the choir room. It’s after school at this point (or whenever glee club is). Brittany does You’ll Always Find You Way Back Home.
When she finishes Mr. Schue tries to explain that it’s a Hannah Montana song. Britt injects that it’s confusing how she’s really Miley Cryus “like how can you be two people at once?”. Before Mr. Schue can continue, Kurt pipes up “you never specified that the songs had to be sung by Taylor Swift, just that they were her songs.” Mercedes adds, “yeah, Mr. Schue, Taylor wrote that song.” Mr. Schue concedes that he has once again been outwitted by Kurtcedes. The friends do their little hand shake thing.
With a sigh, Mr. Schue asks Mike if he’s ready to go and Mike asks to take things to the auditorium for some dancing room. Everyone’s on stage with him and it’s kind of a group number but Mike is the focus. It’s Shake It Off. All inspired by the music video. He’s tried to fit in elsewhere (i.e. football, with the smart kids, etc..) but he’s really himself in glee when he’s dancing.
Part 2 of Taylor Tribute Episodes
We begin with an ALL GIRL NUMBER of A Place In This World. Just because.
Glee is dismissed and we zoom in on Artie. He’s watching Tina with Mike and Brittany with Santana. Both Tina and Britt have broken his heart by this point. So, he’s rolling down the halls singing A Perfectly Good Heart. While Artie’s soloing, we cut to Rachel watching Finn and Quinn chatting. Artie’s song playing over this scene. Rachel is feeling similar to him at the moment.
She’s pretty sure Finn dumped her to be with Quinn again even though Kurt and Blaine told her they saw Quinn and Sam at the movies last night together making out in the back row. Fine, if that’s how he’s going to be, she doesn’t need him anyway. Cue Mr. Perfectly Fine. Uber dramatic solo performance walking around McKinley’s halls watching Finn and Quinn together ending in the auditorium alone. (see what I did there, both broken hearted peeps singing a song with Perfectly in it (this was not at all planned, actually, happy accident))
After some good old heartbreak, we have Kurt and Blaine on screen. Blaine walks into the auditorium to see Kurt sitting on the edge of the stage. “What’s all the fuss?” he asks from the door. Kurt had texted him “EMERGENCY.” The band starts to play and Kurt just starts singing, Enchanted. It’s time to profess their love for each other, just like they sing Perfect together in the car, this duet needs no audience. Blaine catches up and sings while walking towards his boyfriend. It’s very reminiscent of past New Directions competitions where they come in from the back and make their way to the stage. “Wondering if you knew I was enchanted to meet you?” Kurt and Blaine both know the answer to that question now but just a few months ago they were both wondering that exact thing.
They kiss before we cut to Kurt and Blaine walking hand in hand into the choir room where everyone else is already. Mr. Schue is praising the performances thus far and of course asks Rachel if she’s ready to solo (some practice for her completion solo). This causes an uproar from Mercedes and Santana. Another classic argument of how she gets too many solos. Mr. Schue tries to shut them both down but Santana tells Rachel to watch her back, and we get three very different reactions to this.
All three girls storm out.
First, we visit Mercedes alone in the courtyard. This solo is all about being hurt over this great thing in her life (glee) and her being denied happiness within that club. Thus, Cold As You. (mostly to indulge myself because she’d blow us away with this song).
Next, Rachel in the auditorium. A huge bridge on stage (very Speak Now Tour of her), belting out Better Than Revenge. Santana’s dropped the last straw (the humiliation, name calling, Finn at one point and now solos,) it’s too much this time.
And finally, Santana walking around McKinley, showing us flashes of Rachel ‘outshining’ her and the rest of glee and Mr. Schue being unfair, while singing Look What You Made Me Do.
Tina walks out at the same time as Rachel, Mercedes, and Santana but no one seems to put two and two together. She feels just as underutilized as the latter two do. She ends up in an empty classroom and sings The Outside. “Nobody ever lets me in” and “on the outside looking in.”
Once the 3, err 4, divas have left the room, Finn sticks up for Rachel. Quinn, of course, has something to say about this along the lines of “you always defend her.” Finn, intimated by her ‘scary Quinn’ fumbles and blurts “because she’s my girlfriend” WHICH IS NOT TRUE AT THIS POINT. Quinn dumps him on the spot, cuts quickly to Blaine and Kurt sharing some ‘oh my god, can you believe this’ expressions, and vanishes from the room.
By this point, Rachel is long gone from the auditorium but the bridge is still there.
Here’s where we go way off script but imagine, Quinn has decided to just quit boys. They’ve all failed her anyway, she’s better off being alone. She walks up the bridge and thinks to herself “god Rachel’s so dramatic, where did this thing even come from” before it hits her “fuck, I’m as bad as Finn. I want her.” Then, she starts singing Clean to herself in the auditorium, likely tearing up throughout and ending with a good cry. (Because Dianna would DELIVER with Clean.)
While Quinn is having a sexuality crisis, the rest of glee is still happening. They’re discussing upcoming competition and debating solos and songs.
Kurt’s all: “Mr. Schue, if I may” and performs a lovely rendition of Call It What You Want. Those opening lines are too good. “My castle (ie McKinley) crumbled overnight, brought a knife to a gun fight (ie couldn’t fight off Dave Karofsky), “I’m doing better than I ever was ‘cause my baby’s fit like a daydream,” and “at least I did one thing right.” When he’s done, Blaine’s a mess in the back of the choir room, and Mr. Schue says: “not really what we’re looking for but very nice, Kurt” however, Kurt’s too busy sitting beside Blaine teasing him about blushing.
Then, the missing girls return to the room having sung out their emotions. Quinn, having realized her feelings for Rachel, ends up soloing You Belong With Me to the New Directions in the choir room. Odd looks all around, no one knows what’s up with her and why does she keep glancing at Rachel? (Faberry just fit so well I had to add it, don’t know if I’m a shipper or not but it’s here now) (also thanks to @spicygemini for pointing out the obvious “Quinn would have ate YBWY”).
Mr. Schue wants to move the group to the audition to perform their final number of the Taylor Swift tribute well but Tina asks to sing first. He’s surprised but allows it, taking a seat with the rest of the New Directions.
Tina sings Beautiful Ghosts. “Watch from the dark, wait for my life to start” because New Directions is refusing to use her talents AGAIN. She’s singing this to Rachel and the girls who were in the Treble Tones. Because she absolutely SMASHES this number, the glee kids agree she gets solo for their next competition (and they deliver on that promise).
To conclude Part 2 of the Taylor tribute episode, we have a group performance of Long Live. “One day we will be remembered”, “all the years we stood there on the sidelines wishing for right now”, “for a moment a band of thrives in ripped up jeans got to rule the world” ie wining completions, “when they look at the pictures please tell them my name...”
#this took so long please enjoy it#Taylor tribute glee episode#glee head canon#gleek swifie#glee#taylor swift
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Farmer Lan’s Rewatch Guide to The Untamed - Episode 2
SPOILER CAUTION APPLIES.
Alright buds we are going to get right into it - no time to waste!
[WWX hangs out by a river/well with XPG (Little Apple aka Xiao Ping Guo aka XPG from now on), cultivator scene with the demon compass argument happens (cute), A-Yan gives WWX an apple and she’s clearly not mentally all there, mountain top A-Yan dance scene with her mom disclosing her tragic story and father’s death to WWX.]
Differences from the novel:
There’s some minor choronological and setting differences between here and Chapter 6. A-Yan was not the person who gave WWX the apple, it was a random girl. There were two separate scenes with cultivators trying to use the compass in the novel, but it was condensed into one in the drama.
WWX bumps into A-Yan in the town at the foot of DFS and hears of her story from townspeople. A-Yan’s story is essentially the same in both versions, but the novel also includes an additional story about how a slovenly/good-for-nothing oaf became seemingly wealthy and suddenly wanted to get married and settle down, except he died on the night of the wedding. This would later be used by WWX to further support his narrative of what’s behind the ‘soulless people’ cases when he explains it to the Gusu disciples.
[Cut to WWX in a forest, A WILD JIN LING APPEARS! Man, I forgot what a little shit he was when he first arrived <3. WWX and JL runs into each other, except JL thinks he is MXY, banter ensues, WWX traps JL with his paper man and drops that awful YOUR MOM line to JL.
Banter continues until JC brings his posse and incredibly sharp jawline to the scene. Seriously, damn. Things are about to get physical before LWJ arrives. Shade is thrown between JC and Gusu & Co., JC literally looks like he is in pain and why oh why does nothing ever work out for him as his subordinate reports that all the spirit nets have been destroyed. JC decides against picking a fight and tells JL he better BRING HIS A GAME TO THE HUNT before dismissing him. LWJ dismisses the rest of the disciples and walks away, leaving WWX alone. Cut to WWX remembering JC + JYL by the river and then he overhears JL’s true parentage and feels baaaaaaad man.]
In the novel, there is further discussion of the LLJ sect and especially JGS in Chapter 7. Seeing JL’s reaction to him as MXY, WWX then correctly deduces that MXY is actually the illegitimate son of none other than JGS, who was known for his philandering ways.
It was also clarified in the novel that locked within the ‘paper man’ WWX sic-ed on JL was the ghost of a man who had died from gluttony, hence why JL could not get up. He was basically being sat on by a really fat man.
A bigger deal is made in the novel of how LWJ is someone who “appears where there is trouble” – JL says this to him in a sarcastic way, but it’s a common theme that runs throughout the novel, that although he can be considered an extremely prominent figure, he takes the time to help or show up no matter how ‘low level’ the situation is. It’s a sign of his strong moral character that nothing is too beneath his attention.
The situation of the night hunt itself is also explained a little bit more in detail – JL is turning sixteen this year, and this night hunt at DFS is basically a debutante ball for him as you have to be past a certain age to participate in hunts. So, in order to make sure he claims the top prize, JC made sure to come with him and also set up the spirit nets. Aww, they ruined his present!
Fun fact: JC very nearly came to blows with LWJ in the novel but chose not to do so because a) he had to consider sect relations between Gusu and Yunmeng and b) he wasn’t sure he would win since they’ve never fought before. HA.
[Gusu disciples run into old man grave caretaker, these are Wen graves! He asks them to go visit the Tiannu Temple and they move on before he can tell them that the goddess statue moooves. Spoopy. WWX also happens upon the Wen graves. Scene between him and WQ and he realizes it’s the statue stirring shit and JL is about to step in the shit that has been stirred.
Scene in the temple with Gusu disciples and JL, shit starts going down, WWX and Gusu disciples gather outside. Gusu disciples realize they ran out of flares and WWX is all like haha prepare to be punished! WWX clarifies the difference between soul-eaters and the goddess status, links it to the ongoing issues with A-Yan. LJY calls him out – he’s only pretending to be CRAZY! ]
There’s no old grave caretaker in the novel and there’s no Wen graves scene. There are ancient tombs around the area that the Gusu disciples explored, but it was only mentioned in passing as part of the larger conversation around what exactly was plaguing the mountain. What happens in the novel is – WWX encounters a spirit dressed in fancy burial clothes, realizes something is wrong because that kind of spirit (the spirit of a corpse) should not be on DFS, puts two and two together and goes off to find JL.
The scenario of WWX explaining what exactly ‘it’ is to the Gusu disciples closely follows that of the novel, except he also adds the explanation around the slovenly oaf’s story. Basically, oaf prays to the goddess statue to be wealthy, the goddess granted him his wish but took away his soul on the night of the marriage. Hence why WWX encountered the wealthy corpse spirit - essentially the goddess split open his grave and gave the oaf the funeral/afterlife offerings that were buried within it, displacing the spirit in the process.
Also the goddess statue ate some humans in the novel but this was probably too graphic for the drama lol.
[JL shows up with the statue hot on his heels, WWX is like but wait we sealed the statue off before! WWX then builds and plays a makeshift bamboo flute. LJY changes his mind – MXY is still crazy after all, and on top of that he’s also a garbage flute player, ha. WN shows up and WWX is all ???, illusion is revealed, WWX posits whoever did this wanted lure out WN, a mysterious man in black scuttles off in the background.
Men rush WN, WN is like, uhm, y’all ain’t shit. WWX then plays WangXian to suppress WN’s rage, draws him towards himself and then we have THE REUNION – eyes meet, lovey-dovey wrist-gripping scene ensues.]
Interestingly, the drama shows JL being thrown to the ground and trying to scurry away/flinching as the statue advanced on him. In the novel, he actually stood right within reach and thought, “If I can’t kill her right here and now, I’ll die – but so what?!” Basically, he was 100% ready to kill the statue or die trying before WN showed up.
In the drama, we weren’t specifically clued in to the fact that WN is currently unconscious due to the nails in his head. In the novel, WWX realizes this instantly because Wen Ning was not capable of sentient thought and had to rely on WWX’s orders.
The drama hints that the whole thing was staged by the mysterious man in black caught scampering away – in the novel, this is not the case. There was no other person ‘operating behind the scenes’, this whole incident with the statue was not an illusion.
The reunion scene is as it happens in the novel, gripping of wrists and all. Ha. I love you directors.
[WWX is outed as the person who summoned WN and JC is like well well well, Shady’s back. LWJ tries to protect WWX, WWX tries to run away but gets whipped and decides to play crazy as JC wonders why Zidian didn’t work.
WWX appears to faint and wishes to go back to the time to 16 years ago, when he was at Lotus Pier and we start our flashback arc. Cute scene where he gets a sugar rabbit (HA I see you) for JYL. They decide to rest in a tavern. JC bickers with WWX and grouses that JYL and JFM always defends him and is reminded that being free-spirited is considered a virtue by the YMJ sect.]
The confrontation between JC, WWX and LWJ follows the novel partly (the whipping, the face-off between JC and LWJ), but the novel goes into more detail.
For one, LJY is like, ‘wait didn’t YOU kill WWX? Why are you saying he’s back?’ to JC in the drama. In the novel, no one claims that JC was the one who killed WWX in the novel – only that he was present at the battle at Nightless City along with the Yunmeng Jiang sect.
Also, in the novel, someone in JC’s sect basically tells says that there’s no way MXY is WWX because WWX would have chosen someone cooler. WWX was flirtatious with girls and a good-looking dude and MXY is a gay lunatic riding a donkey. And also, his flute skills are so, so subpar compared to WWX. Ha. WWX secretly grouses that he would kneel to anyone who’s able to play a nice melody on a dollar-store flute after not having practiced for 13 years. Touché.
In an attempt to get both JC and LWJ off his case, WWX tries to disgust the both of them by going, “JC is NOT my type but you know who is my type? LWJ uwu he’s so attractive” but it totally fails because LWJ does not take the bait. Instead, he says “Well then, I’m taking this man back to the Lan sect with me.” And that’s the end of Chapter 10. See comments on the flashback/timeskip in the summary section below.
The last conversation JC and JYL shares is very interesting. It’s not in the novel, but it really plays into the narrative that “WWX embodies more of Yunmeng Jiang’s values than JC even though he is not a Jiang”, which is also a theme in the novel and kind of a sticking point for JC obviously. One can say that JC takes after his mom, and WWX takes more after JFM.
Overall Thoughts
This is where the divergence from the novel plot line begins to get a little more serious. The novel employs a series of flashbacks scattered throughout the book whereas the drama is essentially one long flashback from Episode 2 through Episode 33. It obviously makes more narrative sense to arrange it that way in a drama series in order to make it less confusing, especially since they’re using the same actors for past and present WWX/LWJ, but just keep that in mind.
With that said, I will stop at Chapter 10 for the purpose of comparing it to Episode 2. Chapter 11 and 12 have essentially both been removed from the drama besides for the cold springs scene, which was also modified. I will discuss these two chapters when we get to Episode 33 (wow, will we ever get there??). Episode 3 picks up at Chapter 13, which is the beginning of the Gusu arc. Chapters will start jumping around (in the novel, the Gusu arc is only Chapters 13-18, and then the Wen Sect/Tortoise of Slaughter is a separate flashback from Chapters 51-59) so I am going to try my best to match them up lol.
Ending the summary on another cute note, in the novel LWJ’s presence is often described as being accompanied by the light scent of sandalwood, which is what WWX smelled before bumping into him in the novel.
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losers getting married
Reddie
out of the losers, richie and eddie get married first.
it’s not a surprise, considering they’ve been together since sophomore year.
richie has been saying he’s going to marry eddie for years and eventually eddie starts saying it too.
it’s how it happens that’s a shock, even though it’s in the most richie and eddie way possible.
when they’re in college, they all decide to drive down to vegas for ben’s 21st birthday as he’s the youngest.
they all get piss drunk and that’s when reddie decides to get married.
both of them eye up the chapel when they walk past but eddie is the one who actually ‘proposes’.
“hey richie. let’s get married.” “fuck yeah eds!”
they pull all the others into the chapel and quickly set up their ceremony.
the losers are a bit shocked but go along with it, partly because of the alcohol and partly because richie and eddie are stubborn shits and will do it with or without them there.
they decide that stan and bev will be richie’s groomsmen and mike and ben will be eddie’s.
bill gets to chuck roses onto the floor as richie walks down the aisle.
their vows are a bit of a disaster. richie drunkenly cries in the middle of a metaphor comparing eddie to a bowl of spaghetti and eddie attempts to make your mom jokes.
they finally get through them though and they are married by an elvis impersonator.
he also offers to sing the song for their first dance, as long as it’s by elvis. he expects them to choose ‘can’t help falling in love’. they end up dancing to ‘hound dog’
richie’s wearing a hawaiian print button up and converse and eddie’s wearing a blazer and a tie that somehow ends up ties around his head.
when they wake up the next morning, both are surprisingly relaxed when they find out. they knew it would happen eventually.
they do end up buying new rings. they get matching gold ones with r + e engraved on the inside.
they look exactly the same, and they constantly mix the rings up.
on their fifteenth anniversary, they decide to renew their vows.
they choose to have a big ceremony this time, with their children involved.
this time around, they have full suits and they actually have prepared vows.
they still have their first dance to hound dog though.
they both agree that both times were perfect.
Benverly
ben and bev get together in their senior year of high school and have a fairly serious relationship throughout college.
they don’t get married straight after they graduate college, instead waiting until they have jobs to start discussing it.
at 28, they finally decide it’s the right time. ben has landed a job at an architecture firm after an internship and bev is working under a fashion designer.
even though they discuss it, ben wants to surprise her when he actually proposes.
he proposes on the 4th of july, during the firework display. it’s beautiful.
they have don’t have a very long engagement, only waiting eight months to tie the knot.
ben mostly lets bev plan it, although he steps in when things get wild.
(we are not serving weed brownies, bev!)
beverly makes her own dress and it’s truly beautiful.
it’s sleeveless and an almost golden off white color, with a lace back. she wears her hair down with some daisies weaves in.
ben wears a suit with a yellow tie.
bev has richie as her best man as well as stan and her friend kay as the rest of her wedding party.
ben has mike as his best man as well as bill and eddie serving as groomsmen.
they have mike and stan’s dog as the ring bearer and bev’s niece as the flower girl.
richie takes bev to a strip club for her bachelorette party although stan intervenes before things get too wild.
ben has a lowkey bachelor party at a fancy restaurant and then a broadway show, because he loves musicals.
the actual wedding is perfect and they have their first dance to ‘can’t take my eyes off of you’
Stanlon
stan and mike get together during their first year of college.
they have a very stable and loving relationship all the way through.
when they graduate mike brings up marriage.
stan says he doesn’t want to get married. his parents had a strained relationship and he always got the feeling that they were never really in love.
mike is hurt by this, because he always imagined he’d get married. before they died, his parents had been deeply in love and he always wished for a relationship like that.
they have their first major fight after that discussion and stan goes to stay with eddie and richie for a few days.
it’s not a break up by any means but stan still feels unsure about their strong relationship for the first time.
most of all, he just misses mike. it leads to him doing a lot of thinking and realizing that he wants to spend the rest of his life with him.
he goes back home and they have several long talks.
they decide that they’re not completely tabling the idea of marriage and if they both feel ready at some point, they’ll do it.
some point occurs at ben and bev’s wedding. stan can’t help but take in the beauty of the ceremony and the couple’s happiness. he realizes he wants that for him and mike.
he decides to propose around two months later and finally works up the courage to actually ask mike three months after he decides.
there’s a part of him that’s terrified mike will have changed his mind about marriage and that he’ll say no, but he knows he has to at least ask.
he takes mike to the old farm where they spent their teenage days slowly falling for each other, but not knowing it.
he proposes at sunset. he has a whole speech planned, but he ends up just speaking from the heart instead.
mike is well and truly shocked but he says yes, because it’s everything he’s wanted for ages.
they have a long engagement as stan takes forever to plan everything to perfection.
almost two years after ben and bev, they finally get married at the farm.
they have the ceremony at night and they both wear matching tuxes.
they put lights up around the trees and give the guests candles to hold. it’s absolutely stunning.
they have similar wedding parties to ben and bev’s wedding, with richie being stan’s best man and ben being mike’s.
they have the reception in a large tent outside. their first dance is to hey ya! by outkast. it’s stan’s guilty pleasure and one of mike’s favorite songs.
instead of a traditional wedding cake, they have guests bake small cakes and then have a small competition for the best cake.
richie gets upset when his (inappropriate) cake doesn’t win, although he quickly shuts up when eddie assures him he secretly had the best.
stan gets drunk at the reception and spends the night telling mike how much he loves him and how glad he is that they did this.
mike falls in love with him just a little bit more, even though he didn’t think that was possible.
Bill + Audra
bill is the last one to get married.
he has a string of relationships in his 20s that never really work out and he starts to think that maybe he’s just not destined for marriage.
he throws himself into his work as an author and screenplay writer.
that’s when he meets audra phillips.
he’s at the coffee shop where he always writes when he first meets her.
she’s a new barista there and she gives him a sweet smile when he walks in.
throughout the next two weeks they slowly start to talk and bill finds himself developing feelings.
after some prompting from his friends, he decides to ask her out.
before she says yes, she reveals that she’s fresh out of rehab.
bill doesn’t care, he finds her perfect no matter what.
after there first date, they develop somewhat of a whirlwind romance.
he wants to propose to her a month after they start dating but the losers manage to talk him out of it.
they manage to hold him off for around five months.
he proposes on their six month anniversary.
she accepts of course, because she’s as far gone for bill as he is for her.
they get married on their one year anniversary in an intimate ceremony on the beach.
bill can’t quite believe his luck as she walks down the aisle, in a beautiful short sleeve dress.
he finds himself tearing up and he doesn’t think he’s ever felt so intensely happy before.
if you’d told him a year and a half ago he’d be here today he would have laughed in your face but here he is, marrying the love of his life.
he stutters a bit during his vows but audra just gives his hands a comforting squeeze, smiling sweetly.
they honeymoon in england, audra’s home country.
bill constantly uses the word wife and smiles every time he says it.
#this bitch long#reddie#stanlon#benverly#baudra#richie tozier#eddie kaspbrak#stanley uris#mike hanlon#beverly marsh#ben hanscom#bill denbrough#audra denbrough#audra phillips#headcanons#indigo writes
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The formula of the modern cartoon
WARNING: LONG POST AHEAD!
All shows have some kind of formula. Some, like Phineas and Ferb, make it more obvious than others. But they all have one. I'll use Star vs the Forces of Evil as an example for this post because it seems to have all the elements I will talk about.
First, you have your pilot episode (Star Comes to Earth). This is the introduction to your characters and your world. Usually, the pilot takes place on the occasion of a big change in the protagonist's life. This is different from 2000's cartoons, which are mostly all slice of life and will usually premiere on just a normal day in the life of the characters.
Next, you have season 1a (Party with a Pony thru Sleep Spells). These episodes are mainly slice of life, with low stakes, minor villains, and simple plots. They serve the purpose of introducing more of the characters and the world that the show will take place in, as well as getting you invested in the show. There might be one or two episodes where the stakes are very high (Mewberty), but all in all, this will be a glimpse at day-to-day life in this universe.
Then you have the mid-season finale (Blood Moon Ball and Fortune Cookies). This episode will introduce the main conflict of the series. In this case, BMB introduced the main romantic conflict, while FC introduced the main villain. The protagonists will come out mostly unscathed, but the villain will not be dead. They will merely bide their time until the season finale, which I will explain in a minute.
Next, you have season 1b (Freeze Day thru Interdimensional Field Trip). Again, the stakes will be relatively low, but this is when things can begin to have consequences. Characters might reference the events of previous episodes, they might meet up with old friends (or enemies), and there might be some lasting effects from the mid-season finale. There will also be some lead-up to the season finale (i.e. Buff Frog getting fired in Mewnipendance Day).
Next we have the pre-finale episode (Marco Grows a Beard). Usually, this one starts out as a normal episode, but it will throw in a twist ending that leads into the finale. In this case, that twist ending was Ludo getting fired.
Now we're finally at the finale. In the finale, there will likely be new (usually temporary) alliances; the protagonist will team up with someone (often their original enemy) to take down a common foe (the villain who first showed up in the mid-season finale). In this case, Ludo and Buff Frog both attempted to team up with Star against Toffee. Any main conflict introduced in the midseason finale is going to be addressed again here. In this case, this episode addressed both the battle against Toffee AND Star's love for Marco.
The second season will premiere with an episode dealing with the aftermath of the finale (Ludo in the Wild) and introducing the new normal (My New Wand!) The new normal will be pretty similar to the old normal for our protagonists, with a few minor changes that make everything more complicated. The antagonist, though, will be dealt a major setback that they will have to work past.
It will take the antagonist at least half the season to get back in the game, leaving the show with enough time to do a few more "normal" episodes (Mr. Candle Cares thru Page Turner). This time, more and more actions will have consequences, and several subplots will begin or continue. (Star vs seems to alternate between the romantic stuff and the villains lurking just beneath the surface, so these plot points include Marco and Jackie's friendship blossoming, Tom trying to make up for whatever caused his breakup with Star, Star learning more about her family history, Ludo fighting his way through the wilderness and amassing a new army, and hints of Toffee's return.) There will also be continuations of minor subplots from season 1, including: Marco's rivalry with Jeremy, Britney's rivalry with Star, Marco teaching Star about earth life, Glossaryck teaching Star more about magic, Janna harassing Marco, etc. Enemies will become friends. Friends will become enemies. The protagonists will mature a little more. Life will continue to happen.
Next, there will be the pre-mid-season 2 finale (Naysaya). I've already talked about the pre-finale episode, so please refer to that description. This time, though, the stakes are higher, and the solution will be harder to implement.
Then there is the mid-season 2 finale (Bon Bon the Birthday Clown). This is where they will make a major change that will take the rest of season 2 to fix (i.e. Ludo stealing Glossaryck and the book of spells). This change will likely be a direct result of the next big move by the antagonist.
Season 2b (Raid the Cave thru Collateral Damage) will look similar to seasons 1 and 2a on the surface, but something will feel different (as a result of the aforementioned big change.) It's clear by now that things will never be quite the same again as they were at the beginning.
Then there will be the season 2 pre-finale (Just Friends) and finale (Face the Music and Starcrushed). The stakes will be even higher than they've ever been, and someone (usually the protagonist) will have to make a very hard choice under a dwindling time frame with very limited information. This will be the beginning of a drastic change in the show (in Star's case, it was moving the main setting of the show to Mewni.)
Any future seasons will probably follow a very similar formula. The premiere will see the aftermath of the previous season's finale, as well as giving us more information about what was going on. The villain of the season will rise up early, strike in the mid-season finale, gain power throughout the season, and lay down a crushing blow in the season finale. The rest of the episodes will be reflective of the new status quo. Other subplots will come and go as the writers dictate.
In season 3's case, The Battle For Mewni (which could have easily been the series finale) was the premiere that nicely wrapped up Toffee's (and Ludo's) storylines. Meteora was the main villain. She rose up early in season 3 (Princess Turdina), struck in the midseason finale (Monster Bash), grew in power for a few episodes pre-finale (Skooled! and Tough Love), and delivered her final blow in the finale (Divide and Conquer). They also kept the other major plot going by having Star and Tom rekindle their relationship (starting in Club Snubbed) while still giving hints that Star was pining for Marco (culminating in Booth Buddies).
In season 4's case, the premiere (Butterfly Follies and Escape From the Pie Folk) and the post-premiere (Moon Remembers) dealt with the aftermath of the season 3 finale. Mina and the MHC were the villains. Mina rose up early (Down by the River), they were shown at work in both subplots of Junkin' Janna (Mina by stealing the boot from Janna and Tom, the MHC by wasting Eclipsa and Star's time), the MHC struck in Cornonation, and it all came together in the series pre-finale (Gone Baby Gone) and the finale (Sad Teen Hotline thru Cleaved).
Other things of note as the series progresses:
Finales and premieres are often multiple part episodes, and the chances of this get higher as the series goes on. For example, Storm the Castle directly led into Ludo in the Wild and indirectly led into My New Wand! Bon Bon the Birthday Clown indirectly led into Raid the Cave. Just Friends indirectly led into Face the Music, which itself indirectly led into Starcrushed, which directly led into The Battle For Mewni. Then each episode in The Battle For Mewni, while telling a different chapter of the story, picked up where the last one left off. Tough Love, Divide, Conquer, Butterfly Follies, Escape From the Pie Folk and Moon Remembers all tell one continuous story. And Sad Teen Hotline thru Cleaved also tell one continuous story.
The stakes get progressively higher as we learn more about the world. In Blood Moon Ball, all Marco did was ruin Star's night at the dance. In Storm the Castle, Toffee nearly killed Marco. In Bon Bon the Birthday Clown, Ludo kidnapped Glossaryck and stole Star's family history, and nearly killed Star, Marco, Jackie and Janna in the process. In The Battle For Mewni, Ludofee actually took over Mewni for a short time and ruled with an iron fist (or in his case, a wand hand), and he levitato-ed anyone who stood in his way. In Divide and Conquer, Meteora went on a rampage, destroying Mewni and sucking everyone's souls. And in the series finale, Mina tried to kill all the monsters in Mewni, as well as Star, Marco, Moon, River, and Eclipsa.
The tone gradually becomes darker as the characters mature. Season 1 Star was cute, naive, and goofy, while season 4 Star was serious, smarter and focused. Season 1 Star didn't take Ludo all that seriously, while season 4 Star worked tirelessly to defend monsters from the likes of Mina and the Magic High Commission.
Slice of life episodes, as well as special occasion episodes, can be inserted anywhere. Occasionally there will be a break episode in the later seasons (i.e. Stump Day and Holiday Spellcial). This episode will often feel out of place.
A villain who appeared in season 1 (whether that is the original villain or the one who became a threat in the midseason finale) will continue to be present throughout the series. Their plot may go in a different direction, but they will still be there. (In this case, that villain is Ludo.)
What I say in this post isn't just true of Star vs the Forces of Evil. It's true of many cartoons these days. Some other examples with a similar structure include Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, Milo Murphy's Law, and Adventure Time, among others.
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Night of the Ghouls
Night of the Ghouls is a film with a troubled history. It was intended as the sequel to Bride of the Monster, and it includes some familiar faces such as Paul Marco as Officer Kelton and Tor Johnson returning as Lobo. Apparently Ed Wood shot it and sent it to be developed, but the people at the lab (perhaps wisely) wouldn’t let him pick it up until he’d paid for it in full. He couldn’t afford that, so it just sat there accruing late fees until producer Wade Williams came across it and decided to release it on video in 1984. I don’t know why, but it seems oddly fitting that a lost Ed Wood movie should be rescued by a guy who is almost, but not quite, Deadpool.
Lieutenant Bradford is forced to cancel a date so he can investigate renewed weird goings-on at the Old House on Willows Lake. Somebody seems to have rebuilt the place after lightning burned it down and destroyed Dr. Vornoff’s monsters, and the new old house is haunted by two ghosts; a woman a torn white gown, and another in a crown and black veil. When Bradford arrives, he meets Dr. Acula (subtle), psychic for hire. If you’ve lost a loved one, he’ll get you back in touch – for a price, of course! Bradford thinks it smells like a con, and he’s right… mostly. Not all of Acula’s ghosts are fake, and they’re not happy about being used for a scheme, either!
While all this goes on indoors, outside Officer Kelton is cowering in his car and shooting at ghosts. I think this is supposed to be comic relief, but it is neither.
Night of the Ghouls gets off to a pretty slow start. It begins with a series of confusing events involving an elderly couple’s ghostly encounter and the beginning of the police investigation into it. Bradford and the chief have one of those uniquely Ed Wood conversations in which there are a lot of words but very little information actually reaches the audience. Once Bradford, still in his tuxedo, heads out to the New Old House, things pick up quite nicely.
I’m not entirely sure how this works, because stuff goes on happening very slowly. The stupid séance Acula holds in his basement lasts forever. Bradford sneaks off to look around the house and finds nothing of any importance, while Kelton tries desperately to summon help and nobody at the police station believes him. The direction remains quite dull, mostly just static shots of people talking to each other. It ought to be boring, but it’s not.
Partly this is because each scene is full of little events that are actually pretty funny. The séance in particular is a real hoot, with a trumpet floating in the air and a guy in a bedsheet dancing around to bizarre sound effects. The living people sit down the left side of the table, across from a line of skeletons in wigs that are never explained. Bradford opens a door and finds a mysterious woman who smiles creepily and beckons to him – he flees, and we never find out what that was all about, either.
Mostly, however, what saves the movie is the fact that there is a story going on, and once it gets started it’s a very straightforward one. Acula is presenting himself as a psychic in a haunted house. We quickly learn that he’s actually a shyster and the ‘white lady’ is his girlfriend Sheila in a gown and makeup. The ghost of a woman’s husband appears, advising her to re-marry – her new boyfriend, who wants her money, has paid Acula to make it happen. We know who the good guys are and why, and we know who the bad guys are and why, and we’re eager to see how it all plays out.
The ending is a surprise, but unusually for an Ed Wood movie you don’t see it coming. I had noticed that the ‘black lady’, the ghost in the crown and veil, had never been mentioned by Acula – Kelton shoots at her with no effect, and Sheila is afraid of her. All the signs point to her being a real ghost who isn’t happy with people intruding on her eternal unrest. Surely Acula is going to end up like the inevitable kissing teenagers at the beginning of the film, strangled and left in the woods.
But that’s not what happens. The ghosts of the people Acula has been pretending to summon appear instead, and lock him in a coffin to suffocate in revenge for him using their names to bilk their living relatives! And you know what? It works.
In The Screaming Skull, Marion’s ghost appearing at the end came out of nowhere, and while it was nice to see her speak for herself, we’re kind of expecting it to be just another trick. So far, all the ghostliness in this movie has been fake, so why should a real ghost suddenly intrude? In Night of the Ghouls, we have seen a real ghost, one who is obviously different from Acula’s fake ones, so the vengeful spirits at the end aren’t completely out of left field. And like Marion, these ghosts have a reason to be angry at their target. They’ve been used, the living have suffered, and they’re mad about it. It’s also nicely ironic that Acula, who doesn’t actually believe in ghosts, is killed by them.
Which is not to say that the ‘black lady’ doesn’t get her moment, too. If she never did anything in the end, I’d have been annoyed, but she gets to take care of Sheila. Having spent half the film terrified of ghosts, Sheila ends up becoming one. It’s not quite as satisfying as Acula’s death but it still works pretty well.
There’s other surprisingly good stuff going on here, too. For an Ed Wood movie, Night of the Ghouls makes some admirable attempts at continuity. The story doesn’t really have anything to do with Bride of the Monster, but it clearly positions itself in the same world a few years later. They account for the fact that the house burned down in Bride of the Monster by explaining that Acula had it rebuilt, and half of Lobo’s face is scarred from that fire. Bradford spends so much time thinking about his prior investigation and comparing what he sees now to what he saw then, we almost forget he wasn’t actually in the previous movie. The reason Acula set up shop where he did is because the thing with Dr. Vornoff and his monsters means the location comes with pre-existing spoop.
The effects are not good, but there’s nothing nearly as pathetic as the lifeless rubber octopus from Bride of the Monster, and in a way the badness works to the movie’s advantage. The floating instruments and sheet-clad specters in Acula’s séance are supposed to look fake, because they are. The two ghosts, the black and white ladies, actually look kind of spooky, but we cannot tell until we’re told which of them is real and which is fake, so that’s a nice way of keeping us hanging. The ‘storm’ effects are standard for the period.
Honestly, the worst thing in Night of the Ghouls isn’t any of the usual Ed Wood suspects. The actors are pretty bad but the only obnoxiously terrible one is Paul Marco as Kelton. There’s nothing to compare to the bizarre scene with the captain and his bird from Bride of the Monster or the pie pan saucers from Plan Nine from Outer Space. Once we’re through the opening scene, the dialogue is mostly free of blinding idiocy. No, the worst thing in Night of the Ghouls is the narrator.
We’ve been through a number of movies together that have a deep and portentous fifties man voice trying to clarify (or, in the case of Beast of Yucca Flats, obfuscate) the events. Night of the Ghouls goes a step further and actually introduces us to the man telling the story, and he, too, is a familiar face – it’s Criswell!
You’ve met Criswell if you’ve ever seen Plan 9 from Outer Space, which opened with him sitting at a desk giving a rambling speech about how future events like these will affect you in the future (Joel sent this up with the ‘KTLA Predicts!’ sketch in War of the Colossal Beast). Night of the Ghouls is the same idea, but even more so. Criswell is introduced not behind a table, but sitting up from lying in a coffin, and his nonsensical speech goes on in intermittent voiceovers throughout the movie. It’s not quite as incoherent as The Beast of Yucca Flats but at times it comes damned close. Elsewhere we get Bradford’s inner monologue, which is another step up the relevance scale… but still not quite there.
Ed Wood made several movies about how crime doesn’t pay, and Night of the Ghouls can definitely be considered one of those. It is also, however, a film about respect, not just for the living but for the dead. Acula does not respect the living, as he tells them lies and cheats them of their money. He also does not respect the dead, putting words in their mouths and using them as tools in his scheme. At the end, both groups are closing in on him. He believes he has outwitted the living, the policemen and his victims, but at the last moment it is the dead who take their bloody revenge.
I had a pretty good time watching Night of the Ghouls. Each of Ed Wood’s movies is rather charming in its own idiosyncratic way, but this is the one that probably comes closest to being good. It doesn’t quite make it, of course, but the effects are as good as they need to be and the story mostly makes sense, and for an Ed Wood film that’s high praise. As a bonus, it’s the rare sequel that you can understand without having had to see the original first!
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Symphogear XV Episode 02
I swear here that I will never break.
Symphogear is back and BOI. This episode was heavy, this episode was very heavy. I had to take a 2 hours break after I watched the episode of how heavy it ended. This just proves that XV isn’t here to play and this season will probably be the best season ever (I hope I’m not wrong on this).
So starting off, OPENING AND ENDING!
I thought symphogear would never be able to top Synchrogazer, and until AXZ I was right. But then XV came and BOOM! This opening is so good, not just the song but the actual opening animation was amazing as well. They’ve done such a good job with it, I’m legitimately impressed. And Metanoia, oof what a great song. The first time I heard the song, when they released the short PV on Nana’s channel, I was scared, though I had loved the song, I had no idea of how they would make a good OP with the song, and I was even more concerned with how they would use it as the final attack in the season finale, but now after seeing the actual OP I’ve thrown all my fears away because now I’m sure they can deliver it.
The ED, on the other hand, wasn’t as successful with me. The visuals are awesome, I dare to say it's the best ending visually, but the song... The song is so meh, I was really disappointed by it. But we got this beautiful shot at the end so I’m not as mad as I would normally be.
Now to the episode itself. They used the same formula from next week with having the episode set on the present but with a flashback section in the middle. I like this format, but this one is very dangerous because it can get boring very fast, I hope they use it well from here on now.
I was a little throw off when they showed that adorable moment focused on Chirs and her normal daily life. Don’t get me wrong, I did like everything that was shown there, especially the picture Chirs keeps from her birthday party with the girls (I hope we get to see it sometime in a flashback), and as weird as gloves are as a present I do like that interaction between her, Hibiki and Miku on their way to school.
The thing that gets me off is that watching this first part I felt like we were going heads in into a Chirs episode, but then a few minutes later we see that no, the focus on this episode is Tsubasa, which on itself is not a problem, but the show had set up something with Chris coming up and I was very interested in seeing that since AXZ left me with a little bit of a bitter aftertaste when regarding to Chirs.
Even though that was a little problem I had I still enjoyed Tsubasa’s story from this episode, but before going there let’s focus on the flashback fight for a moment.
Kirka and Shirabe‘s fight was pretty awesome. I know working together as one is their thing and it has been their thing since the first time they appeared in G, but in this season they’re doing it to perfection. From the ice skating moment from the last episode to their dance move as a couple on this one everything has been done amazingly and the final result is great, and I hope they keep doing this and making it better and better as the season goes on.
But sadly things can’t be always perfect and this flashback gave me two problems.
Now, I admit, complaining about this is symphogear is kinda useless at this point but... the sexualization they’re doing to young girls here’s is just way too awkward to me. Not to say that sexualization in general is fine, but still, it really bothered me.
Like, if this whole pole dance transformation was with any of the older girls, it wouldn’t make it fine per se, but it would at least be less uncomfortable to watch. Like, Kirika’s what? 15? 16? This is so wrong.
Then there’s the Alchemist, I believe her name is Elisa or something, I like her concept and using different tails as weapons is quite interesting, but I know that every time we see her power in action we gonna see her butt and even if she’s not a teenager she still looks like a kid and is quite disturbing to look at.
And again, I know that bringing this up doesn’t have a lot of purpose, and this is stuff Symphogear has been doing for 7 years, and maybe they’ve done worse in the past and I’m just not remembering it (I do have a terrible memory, everyone knows this), but it really bothered me as I was watching, especially Kirika’s transformation.
Thankfully that was the only low point from the episode and everything else was top tier.
SO, first few questions, is Maria now Tsubasa’s bodyguard? Or is she another manager like Ogawa? Or is she there just because she wants to see her girlfriend? Regardless, she looks amazing in that suit and I hope we see her more in that outfit.
With that out of the way, do yall allow me to scream? BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT I’M GONNA DO SINCE THE BIG DUO LIVE PERFORMANCE TRADITION IS BACK!!!!!!!!!!
I had lost my hopes for symphogear ever doing this again seeing that AXZ lacked a performance and episode 1 of XV was just battle, BUT THEY GAVE US ANOTHER PERFORMANCE AND I JUST WANNA SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!
Now, Angelic Remnant isn’t my favorite song from these lives, this spot is still owned by Seiten Galaxy Cross, but this sure is the best live scene the show has ever put out for us in its entire run. The camera work makes it hard to take a good screenshot from Maria and Tsubasa together to illustrate this post? Yes, but still, that was amazing, a true work of art.
Cooling off from the excitement a little bit I wanna put a light on something Maria thought right after the performance ended that got me very curious.
She says that the performance they just did was “like the miracle the song of my homeland caused that day“. Now correct me if I’m wrong but I’m pretty sure all we know from Maria’s past is just from the point in which she and Serena got to the orphanage. We know they’re Ukrainians but that’s just because one of the writers revealed that on a tweet in Serena’s birthday, right? This has never been mentioned on the show.
So are we gonna get more background information on Maria and maybe Shirabe and Kirika as well?? We already got some hints on AXZ about Shirabe origins so... is this what we’re gonna get to build more development for the ex-FIS girls this season? Uhhhhh I’m excited!
Now it has come the time to talk about what made this episode SO HEAVY.
The alchemists' attack to Tsubasa’s concert was a low move, and I don’t say this as a bad thing, I say this because it was really low to make her revive the same terror she lived when Kanade died. THIS IS CRUEL, IT HURTS MY HEART, and I love that they’re doing this because I’m assuming they’ll make great things from opening this wound again.
And thank God for the production this season being so damn good and for Nana being amazing at her job because we can feel Tsubasa getting more lost in despair each time the camera focus on her and is so heartbreaking but the animation is so fluid and make things so beautiful, THERE’S SO MANY EMOTIONS GOING ON.
Now to the other alchemist that was shown in this episode. When I first saw the concept images I had in mind that the pink furry girl would be my favorite alongside the cutie honey looking girl, but after seeing her in action I absolutely love to despise her.
She was a pretty good villain in this episode, and she has done a thing that I think we’ve never seen in this show so far. If I remember things correctly, all human deaths so far (not including villains) were caused solely either by noise or magic and even if people were controlling those things we’ve never seen another human directly killing anyone using their own hands before. I think Maria attacked some US officers in G but she didn’t kill them, right?
And as much as I’m pretty used to seeing horrible deaths happening in fiction and most of them don’t phase me anymore, this one got me to flinch. I’m used to people turning into dust and disappearing in this series, not to have an innocent body being pierced right in the chest. That was fucking heavy, especially with everything else that was going on in this fight.
Now murders aside, I’m quite interested in what this new alchemic power is that apparently is invading a “seal”. This is probably what gonna force a gear update in the middle of the season, which if you checked my other symphogear reviews you know, that I don’t like, but this one piqued my interest and I think for the first time I’m excited about a new power-up that isn’t the X-Dive.
We had the post-credits scene with that relic recovered from the coffin again, and I’m even more thirsty for information on this thing. I don’t need an info dump, but they could keep releasing bits of information of what the relic is in scenes like this throughout the season till we reach the point in which it will become more relevant and I’d definitely love to see it being done.
And this was episode 2 of XV. This one was a huge step up if compared with last week’s episode. I’m just as broken as Tsubasa is right now, this is how good this episode was. Now I’m gonna go to bed because I need another break after revisiting all of this. See you guys tomorrow~
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ARC V Anniversary Day 12
Disccusion prompt: Favorite ships?
ARC V has really made me ship a lot of things, be it with or without taking canon into account just because of the potential, so buckle up ‘cause this is gonna be long. I kept it to a top 10 or otherwise I’d be here all day. Honorable mentions to prodigy and whistle, as they barely didn’t make it.
(PD this is a reupload because I realised the post wasn’t showing up properly, so if you’ve seen it before already I apologize)
With that out of the way, let’s go!
10. Natureshipping
I love many of the bgirl/bgirl ships so naturally I’d love all of them being together… Not only for the awesome aesthetic though, I also think their personalities would fit so nicely with each other and they’d like having the chance to meet and talk about everything they’ve gone through; I have so many fluffy headcanons for them and I really just wanna see them bonding and being happy together!
09. Frypanshipping
Probably the oddest ship in this list, I sure as hell didn’t expect to like them so much, but Crow really helped in making Shingo become a better person, and poor Shingo clutching onto his card post BB-arc the entire time made me so emotional. You could tell they had a good relationship and were very happy to be fighting together after that, they’re so cute.
08. Wingshipping
Look at these two precious babs… On a visual level they both have some of my favorite designs in all of ARC V and they’re both counterparts, so I was bound to at the very least consider pairing them up, but when they actually had a rather peaceful meeting in canon all things considered, and immediately valued each other? When you take into account all the possible fluff and angst you could make with setting these two into any scenario? I was soo sold. And they both share the egao philosophy, they’d definitely get along… It’s just fun to think about ideas with them.
07. Janushipping
I have a weak spot for Fusion/XYZ ships because I think there’s so much room for growth and forgiveness if done right, and while I didn’t expect Dennis and Ruri to actually have some backstory together, this relationship has all I could wish for both of their characters. It adds personal conflict to their stories (especially on Ruri’s side, something that isn’t about being related to Shun or Yuto) and leaves room for Dennis to be able to apologize and improve himself after the war; not to mention their aesthetics mesh beautifully together. It’s so easy to picture them awkwardly falling back into an acquaintanceship and figuring out together where to go from there.
06. Fruitshipping
aka the ‘these two care so fucking much for each other, I don’t know how you can watch arc v and at the very least not appreciate their relationship’ ship.
I don’t know what to say that hasn’t been said about them already, honestly. I was admittedly… Reticent, let’s say, to ship this at first, because the relationships between the protagonist and lead girl in YGO shows tend to be lackluster at best for me, but they built each other up as equals from day one and have a genuinely heartwarming friendship, where they know they can lean on each other for support no matter what. They’re one of the most important people for the other and you can feel that throughout the entire show. To this day they hold the honour of being the only protag/main girl ship I can stand romantically.
Though… since they’re so well-executed in canon, I don’t feel the need to seek fanworks of them because there’s no real conflict in their relationship, if that makes sense, haha.
05. Mysteryshipping
This is sort of to be expected as I enjoy all the relationships between this trio separately (even if Yuto/Yuzu’s was short-lived); this shot in the 2nd ED is what got me to even become interested in the OT3 potential, though it was after I finished the show. Yuzu had clearly been having a period of self-doubt in S1 because of the Yuto situation, and thanks to episodes 36-37 we got a wonderful showcase of how well Yuto and Yuya would have clicked, so if Yuzu happened to explain her problem to either of them and caused them to meet in not-so-tragic circumstancies… You can only dream of the possibilities. And thanks to their bonds being established early on, you can expand on them during or post canon events, both in a positive and negative light. We’ve seen teamwork and discussions between all of them already; it’s fun to try to translate that dynamic into a three-way interaction (cranky but overly protective Yuto being dragged around by his two enthusiastic Standard S/Os who also happen to love each other very much, for one).
04. Musicboxshipping
Gosh, these two are just so cute together. Sora was heavily influenced by both Yuya and Yuzu, but you can tell their relationship is really important by the way they both act with each other, especially during the Synchro Arc. Sora taught Yuzu how to Fusion Summon and thanks to that Yuzu was able to become stronger; but Sora also was able to form a solid connection with her and basically made his first true friend in all of his life. They support each other and care about each other so much that even after they know of Sora’s true colours, Yuzu still has blind faith in him, and Sora returns that feeling by saving her from her Duel crash and even being unable to carry the mission Academia gave him because he treasured their friendship that much. Their little master/apprentice moments are adorable and really give off the fluffy energy these two have around each other; and of course Sora’s Mad Chimera and Yuzu’s Bloom Prima dancing together was beautiful too! That was such a lovely scene that made me really appreciate the trust they have in each other.
03. Swiftshipping
I shipped them together from the moment I learned both of them had been kidnapped, and I was really happy when I saw that their designs fit well with each other’s color scheme. They’re both very caring for people they hold close and since there was no indication of the opposite, for the longest time I assumed they were in a cell together. Imagining both of them trying to comfort and support each other through their predicament got me really invested in their possible relationship, and even if it didn’t turn out like I’d hoped in the end, I still had a solid grasp on their personalities by that time, and I couldn’t let go of all the AUs and concepting I’d made for them. It should be said that I have a really weak spot for f/f ships, and this one hit many of my favorite tropes (stuck in same bad situation where they both would try to be strong for each other’s sake, different growing-up backgrounds; to name a few) so my investment only went up from there. I love them so much.
02. Triggershipping
I didn’t expect them to interact much, much less positively, and much less for them to grow to care for each other so much in a short span of time. They have such a friendly and beautiful relationship; Yugo hugging Yuzu because he thought she was Rin and poor Yuzu becoming a blushing mess was a sure way to make me interested from the get go in them, haha. And it only got better from there! Even though she was a complete stranger to him, Yugo still tried to comfort Yuzu to the best of his abilities and looked out for her, fully trusting everything she said, even if to someone else it would’ve sounded like a crazy story. And you can tell Yuzu grows very comfortable with being around Yugo; their small scene with the domestic bantering and her pulling out her fan says that much, as she only uses it with people she really cares for. Whenever they’re on screen together you know you’re gonna be in for a good time, their interactions are always funny and heartwarming.
Yugo saying that Yuzu will always live on his heart in a similar manner to what Yuri said of Rin made me realise how much she really meant to him, and both of them cheering for each other in their Friendship Cup duels was adorable. But if you put their situation into context their relationship is… really sad, as Yugo has lost Rin and Yuzu is all by herself in an unknown dimension. They have that perfect mix of fluff and angst to work with that I love in ships. I adore their relationship; even if it was born out of less than desirable circumstancies, they made it work and learned to appreciate and love each other. It’s always a source of inspiration for me!
(And Yugo’s lack of knowledge of what personal space is just made it even easier to ship them)
01. Counterpartshipping
ARC V has always had the uncanny ability of making me consider ships in the span of a single episode because of the wonderful character interactions. But these two… These two really take the cake. I’m not exaggerating when I say the relationship and development between them has made me cry.
Anyone who has heard me talk about YGO may know how much I like them. As I mentioned in a previous post where I talked about my favorite characters, I hadn’t expected to enjoy Yuto’s character so much, and much less this ship. Yuto remains a latent force of encouragement for Yuya during the entire show; as Reiji beautifully points out on his duel with Yuya after the Battle Royale fiasco, Yuya’s immediate connection with Yuto thanks to their shared ideology was the bond that allowed him to perform a XYZ Summon. His concern for Yuto in episode 37 was so palpable that it hurt; Yuto went from being some random shady dude who was beating up his friend Sora to a kind damaged person who believed in Yuya’s potential to make people happy in a way that he no longer could. It’s really interesting for me to analyse how deeply they affected each other in a short span of time. We’d seen that Yuto was a very protective person thanks to his interactions with Yuzu, so when he said that he didn’t want to hurt anyone else and ended up protecting Yuya at the cost of his own life… It drove the point home, Yuto really saw Yuya as someone worth protecting and that made it so much more painful.
Yuya also later on refers to their dialogue as a vow/promise, despite the fact that Yuto never said so, which really shows just how much thought he put into his words; to the point where those very words managed to snap him out of Berserk Mode when he was about to fight Sora. It really moved me, and the soul-crushing sensation I felt then stayed fresh in my mind right until the final season, which made me fall in love with them even more. They argued, they had fallouts, but their undying trust for each other still rose through all the problems. Yuto trusted Yuya so much that he essentially told him he was okay with falling to darkness because he knew Yuya would be okay and he’d still believe in him no matter what; that moment nearly made me actually tear up because it shows how much they’d helped each other grow.
They’re hands down one of the, if not my most favorite ship in all of the YGO series, and they’ve spurred my creativity so much. I love making AUs or analysing their interactions. They made me interested in creating content for other people to enjoy after I’d hit a stalemate 5 months ago, I’ll just never be able to express how much I love them and how grateful I am that they got to meet.
#arcvanniversary#ygo arc v#arc v#yugioh arc v#long post#you can tell these get longer as the list goes on because i have so many feelings and tbh im not sorry i love all the relationships
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Kevin emerges from the cloud of dust acting as if nothing happened. He’s acting all nice and even gets right into Eddy’s face.
“Sorry, about that,” Wow... okay, it’s a little unnerving to see the kids beat up Jonny. They’re half disappointed that they didn’t beat up the Eds after that whole journey. Did they beat up Jonny just so they could get on the Eds good side?
The Eds, mostly Edd and Eddy, don’t buy this act. The kids think that the Eds don’t notice things. They’re still taking advantage of them. It’s obvious that they don’t know them.
It also disturbs me how Rolf appears smiling so evilly out from that dust cloud. Big Picture Show did not pay attention to his true character. Rolf is meant to break up fights, not take part.
“Say, let’s go to my place...”
“JAWBREAKERS ARE ON ME!”
Did the Eds just hear that right?!
The kids have finally accepted them as friends?
Also, is this the only time jawbreakers ever come up in the film? The candy store was seen so it was a nod to the famous candy.
Each Ed has a different reaction.
I think Ed’s reaction is has to be my favorite. He has always wanted everyone to get along. Even though we don’t see it, he feels like the outsider. He hates the tension throughout the cul-de-sac. Knowing that there is nothing he can do, Ed has just learned to live with it.
Also Ed is happy as he had a hand in defeating Eddy’s Brother showing his true colors to the kids. The kids will slowly start to understand him which is what he always wanted.
Edd nearly faints. He didn’t see this coming. Edd is overwhelmed and happy that they don’t have to live through their days with constant hate floating over their shoulders.
But, the miracle in being accepted into the kids friendship isn’t the case. Edd has stated how he dislikes the kids, calling them shallow at times. Edd is happy that he and his friends have a new beginning. They’re going to start over finally having an understanding of one another. And the kids will no longer get in the way.
As for Eddy it’s never stated whether he is excitedly salivating over the win or that they can get jawbreakers for free now. Still he is happy. The kids saw through his true colors and are accepting him. That’s what he’s always wanted.
Okay, here comes my absolute favorite hug!
AUGH! SO PRECIOUS!!!
Edd finally returns a hug to Ed. He does it without any hesitation or eternally having to prepare himself to hug his friend.
If we got to see the confession scene, we would have gotten to see how Ed really feels around his friends. Ed’s confession mainly changed Edd’s perspective because he has been the one to mainly take advantage of Ed’s wisdom. This is seen during the spelling bee where Edd gloats that he doesn’t think that Ed could win over him.
I also believe that Edd gets over his germophobia all together. Seeing that the mud never did a thing to him he understands that he doesn’t have to fear germs constantly.
Eddy only turns to look at Ed and Edd’s precious moment for a second before turning back to the kids. He is still more fixated on the jawbreakers.
Although Eddy is very excited, I think he is caught up in the moment. He got his wish to finally be accepted, but I think after a while he may grow suspicious. He grew suspicious in Pick an Ed because kindness always came in a rare patch for Eddy. It’s going to take a lot of time for Eddy to get used to the kids new behavior.
But, still he is happy for he and his friends. They have just gone through a life changing journey that had brought them new hope for the future.
Aw, look, Ed is overwhelmed with joy. Edd is even crying with joy.
He doesn’t want people to hate him. His parents don’t give him the love he deserves. If the kids are being true then they will try to understand who each Ed is.
I like this brief moment where Edd and Eddy meet eyes. Why were they going to do before the kids picked them up?
“We did it, Double Dee! Everyone loves us! We’re finally in, baby!”
Sidenote: Although that brief moment where Edd clings to Kevin’s wrist is cute I’m denying that it is a KevEdd moment.
I LOVE THAT EDD DANCE! I could watch his victory dance for hours!
Eddy pulls Edd so close to him that it briefly looks as if he is going to kiss him.
Did Eddy just call Edd, ‘baby’?
Edd did refer to Eddy as ‘baby’ in Know it All Ed.
Again, Eddy only addresses Edd. Why do the writers leave Ed out. Ed is a very important hero in this gang of characters. He confessed to his friends that he hates being left out so why are they still doing this to him?
Eddy does have a more emotional attachment with Edd. They have been through thick and thin.
Edd, are you looking at us?
Absolutely precious!
It’s so cute how Ed hugs Eddy. He never got to give him a hug and feels that Eddy needs one. And Eddy accepts it. He doesn’t necessarily push him away, but he accepts it.
Eddy’s opinions about physical affection are changing because at the same time this happens, Edd touches Eddy on his shoulder. Eddy says nothing about either thing. He’s just happy to be living in this moment.
So, I’d like to analyze who the Eds are picked up by.
Rolf picks up Eddy, Honestly I thought Kevin would have picked up Eddy as they’ve become a lot closer in a few short minutes. Rolf has been implied to think Eddy that he thinks he is a load throughout the whole series. He is owing it to him by being the one to carry him. And I am glad that the kids do this. I know Eddy’s leg must be hurting. Heck, his whole body must hurt from being tossed around.
Kevin picks up Edd, The only reason why the writers have Kevin pick up Edd is one last shot for KevEdd moment.
Honestly I don’t understand how KevEdd is more popular then EddEddy. Where is the romance in their relationship? Kevin has threatened Edd on a plethora of occasions. Edd and Eddy understand one another and have had a possible blooming romance over the series.
And last, but not least, Sarah and Nazz carry Ed.
Nazz has barely ever interacted with Ed. But now, post movie I think the kids are going to make time to get to know Ed.
Has Ed and Nazz ever been shipped together?
I like this pairing because Ed’s mind is starting to grow and he is beginning to understand the world. He is starting comprehend different aspects of the world. Mainly because, he separates himself from Edd and Eddy once in a while.
Nazz has always had a soft spot for Ed. She has given him a chance. Out of all the characters she has never made for of him and has been entertained by his quirks. She has looked into disabilities and learns to understand what Ed’s world is like.
I can see a blossoming friendship between them.
The moment also reflects how Nazz is physically strong. The only characters who have ever lifted Ed are Rolf, Sarah, Eddy and I think the Kankers. We have never gotten much insight on Nazz’s physique, but it says a lot in this one moment. Nazz is seen to do a lot of work outs in her house.
“And it only took 130 episodes, 4 specials, and a movie, Eddy,” Edd points out, breaking the fourth wall.
I wonder if this is just a fourth wall break or if Edd is trying to come across to Eddy on how long the kids wouldn’t accept them for. Edd has always tried to make Eddy understand the kids actions. Edd has never trusted the kids and may think that this is all a suspicious act right now.
#ed edd n eddy#eene#ed edd n eddy big picture show#EddEddy#EdEdd#EdEddy#Kevin#Rolf#Nazz#Sarah#Jimmy#Jonny#Eddy's Brother#character analysis#eene analysis#KevEdd#fourth wall break#Know it all Ed#kankers sisters#cul de sac kids
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Promised Land
Request: if you're still taking Narnia requests, can I get an Edmund x reader where people call her "the best archer in Narnia" and Edmund realizes he has feelings for her and he tells Lucy "I have to tell the best archer in Narnia that I'm in love with her" and it's just cute and fluffy haha I just love Edmund
This oneshot is so disgustingly late. I’m terrible.
Peter Pevensie liked Y/N. She was nearing twenty-one, so she wasn’t the same age as sixteen year old Lucy, but the two girls got along well. Y/N was the only one who would spar with Lucy during training, when Narnia wasn’t waging war with another country. She would make an effort to be friends with Susan, helped Peter with diplomatic papers, and would hunt with Edmund.
It really didn’t hurt that Y/N fit in well to the family dynamic the Pevensies had.
Susan Pevensie had never hated Y/N, but she’d never really liked her. Now that she’d had to replace archery with courtly matters, people stopped calling her the best archer of Narnia - apparently Y/N got that title now.
It was incredibly bad form to feel petty about this, but Susan was irritated. Her feathers were ruffled (as Peter would say). Sometimes being Queen didn’t matter. She wanted it all in a world where she could actually have everything she’d ever wanted.
Beyond that, though . . . Y/N was alright. She was nice. She had dazzling eyes, uniquely so, and she was all sharp angles and high cheekbones. Probably would have looked ugly if she was any other girl, but Y/N just elegant. At least Susan could discuss the latest fashions with her, so. That was something.
Lucy Pevensie really liked Y/N. She was the big sister that Lucy had always wanted. Susan was busy being a Queen. Apparently that entailed manipulating politics, maintaining foreign relations, and when the elder female Pevensie wasn’t doing that, she was going to balls and high tea with other court ladies. Y/N would spend time with Lucy, though, so Lucy liked her quite a lot.
They’d grown close in the years that the Pevensies had had to rule Narnia.
Edmund Pevensie was in love with Y/N Y/L/N, the best archer in Narnia.
“You’ll have to tell her at some point,” Susan grumped to Edmund. He was with Peter and Susan in a room (of sorts) they’d turned into their castle headquarters.
Edmund shook his head. “I don’t have feelings for her, Su.” That was a complete lie. But nobody needed to know that. “Aren’t we getting distracted, anyway? Telmar forces have been prodding at our border. We need to handle this before they decide to plan an invasion.”
Peter looked at him. “Even if you don’t have feelings for Y/N, I think she has feelings for you, Ed. Eventually it has to come up.”
There was a knock at the door - Lucy burst in seconds later. “I’ve got a letter from Calormen,” she announced. She waved the cream-colored, thick letter over her head. It had been opened, from what the other three could see. “King Doire and Queen Eara accepted our invitation for the masked ball next month. They want to bring their children with them. And half their court, practically.”
Susan and Peter simultaneously groaned. “I was rather hoping they wouldn’t be able to accept,” Peter murmured.
He gestured for Lucy to shut the door. Nobody was supposed to hear anything that was said in here, even if all they were discussing was a masquerade.
King Doire and Queen Eara had three children. Dafydd was the oldest at twenty-five, and the Crown Prince. Princess Maisie was nineteen and the kind of girl who talked a lot about politics and horse-riding. Prince Rhett was thirteen and the youngest. He was more reserved and inclined towards building things, from what the Pevensies had gleaned.
“Well, they’ve accepted,” Susan said with a resigned sigh. “We’ll need to alert the kitchens, and have the rest of the servants begin making preparations for our guests. Peter, have Tumnus see if a few druids can’t sculpt something nice in honor of Doire and Eara.”
In two weeks, Cair Paravel underwent a massive change. Armfuls of decorations were made every day: fairy-lights to string and wind down along the stone columns; drapery as light as feathers was made to be wound along the tables and looked like roses; paintings of nature and magical-realism were hung strategically around the castle.
The kitchen had been alerted of the other royal family’s dietary needs and were preparing a two-week menu catered to suit both their needs/wants and those of the Pevensies’. Some of the best musicians were being brought in a week early so that they could put together a long, soft musical background for the banquet and for post-dinner dancing. There were lute players, harp and cello players, a duduk musician - just about every instrument player imaginable was brought in to compose songs and practice old ones to put into the perfect arrangement.
Peter could think of nothing else. Half his attention went to preparing for the royal guests coming, and the other was spent dealing with skirmishes along Narnia’s borders, hearing complaints from peasant regions, and navigating politics (which were now mainly involved trying to form an alliance with Telmar, discussing environmental laws within the court, and being involved with representational duties).
Not to mention training every day, of course.
Lucy peered at Edmund. They were training in the courtyard - Lucy with her new sword-cane, Edmund with his sword. He’d named it Morgenstern (claiming that the name meant ‘Morning Star’, and it was personal choice, anyway).
“So when are you going to tell her?” Lucy asked. She’d named her sword-cane Onyx, and it was starting to become like an extension of her hand. The learning was slow-going. There was an opportunity to side-step and go in for a pulled stab. She took it.
“Tell who what?” Edmund asked guarded. He parried her attack and swung her arm up. “You’re not talking about Y/N again, are you?” The courtyard had people littered throughout it, practicing and talking and laughing. Edmund was careful to keep Lucy in their training circle. Morgenstern had been with him for a few years now, and sometimes it was like the sword was alive in his hand; automatically, habitually, he twisted around his arm so that Lucy’s sword-cane was behind her back. Morgenstern’s blade-tip was pointed at her throat. “I win, again. You’re slow, sister-mine.”
Lucy stuck out her tongue. “I was distracted.” Her hands went up to pull her ginger hair into a fresh bun. “And yes, I was. She’s here, too, you know. Getting in some archery practice.”
Edmund gave her a sharp look. “What do I care? I know she practices here every day. We’re friends.” Of course it mattered. Mainly because Y/N was his honest-to-Aslan best friend now, and he’d spent the entirety of their three year friendship wanting and obsessing over someone he couldn’t have.
Y/N was apparently too hung up on Eatymon Hunter to ever love Ed the way her loved her.
“Maybe you should go talk to her anyway. Looks like she could use help; she’s been looking over here for the past hour.” Lucy wasn’t actually sure if that was true, but she’d just caught Y/N looking over in Ed’s general direction, before realizing Lucy had seen her and turned away, blushing.
“Fine. Maybe I will.” But Edmund didn’t move, too busy drinking water now out of his water-skin.
There was an actual masked ball the night that the Calormen royalty came to Narnia. It was also the night that Crown Prince Dafydd decided to ask Y/N to a dance.
“My lady, they mentioned they had a family friend here, but the mentions in a letter from High Kind Peter did not do you justice,” he told you.
You could feel yourself flaring up. “I’m sure he was accurate, my prince,” you replied, curtesying.
“No, indeed. You are fairer then starlight.” Dafydd offered his hand to you; you took it graciously. He was broad-shouldered with a square jaw and curling black hair. Not necessarily your type, but close enough.
“You flatter me, Prince Dafydd. Tell me, do you tell every pretty woman you see that very line?”
While he might not be your type, he was a very good substitute for someone like Edmund. At least Dafydd was more forward, and openly flattering.
He chuckled. “No, just once tonight. Are you from Narnia, Lady Y/N?”
While you weren’t technically a Lady, you decided not to correct Dafydd. For once it was kind of refreshing to experience the sort of attention that noble ladies received. You actually commanded part of the Narnian army. As a result, you were revered for your military prowess . . . and not much else. Being a rising commander so young meant you’d never really had the option - or the time - to find a suitor.
“I consider myself a Narnian, though I am originally from Archenland; hence the slight accent. My father was a merchant who eventually decided to take up residency here. He and my mother travelled a lot, and this was the safest country to have a child in. They’ve stayed here every since.”
Dafydd seemed genuinely interested. “And what about your mother? What does she do?”
“She found work as a seamstress, and then as a clothes-maker. She’s employed constantly by noblemen and noble ladies.” You weren’t particularly embarrassed that your parents weren’t from the court, nor were they royal. They were good, honest people. Everybody and their profession was valued in Narnia since the Kings and Queens had been crowned.
“Yet here you are in the court . . .” Dafydd looked at you, his question hanging in the air and unasked.
“I command a fleet of Narnia’s army.” You smirked at the impressed look on his face, at the other cocktail of emotions he was hiding relatively well. It was always satisfying to brag subtly about your accomplishments to royalty, especially when you knew they doubted you some.
“I have to tell the best archer in Narnia that I'm in love with her,” Edmund snapped to Peter. He'd been somewhat moody all day, and now he felt pushed over some arbitrary line having to see Y/N dancing with Prince Dafydd.
Peter laughed. They’d just finished dancing, and were now observing the ball near the refreshments table. There were fire-eaters outside, as well as little jousting rings, and darts and cards inside for those who were inclined towards sitting-down. “About time, brother. You’ve only been pining for, what, five years?”
Edmund scowled at his brother. “Have not. Only three - ” and then he watched Peter chortle.
“So you admit, finally, you’ve spent years with feelings for her. Good. I was about say that we should form a marriage alliance with Calormen.” By then, the song had ended, and Prince Dafydd had broken away from Y/N. It seemed as if he was going to fetch them both drinks. “Now’s your chance, Ed.” Peter wanted to be encouraging, but Aslan knew his younger brother would need a lot of prodding before he was actually emotionally vulnerable with someone.
As it turned out, the dark-haired Pevensie didn’t need to be told twice. Edmund strode off towards Y/N.
You were half-way to a chair - your feet were positively aching - when you felt a hand on your shoulder. Grinning, you turned around while saying, “That was quite fast, Prince Da - oh! Ed. Hello. Didn’t expect you to show up with a mask.” You were only joking. He took these events more seriously then you did.
“Listen, Y/N, I’ve got - I mean, well - could we go to a balcony for a moment? I’d like a moment alone with you.” Edmund ran a hand through his tousled hair. There was color in his pale face, and his lips seemed fuller, oddly enough, from having been worried. You hated yourself for noticing. He wasn’t yours to want or love, and that seemed like somebody who was in love with him would notice. And you weren’t in love with him (you were, actually, but that had to be ignored).
You nodded carefully, tugging absently on a string of your hair, curled to perfection. Ed’s eyes were dark, like the sky when it was plunged into nighttime. All the lights reflected there made his look like galaxies, and the emotion behind them was contained and emotional; it was a bit painful for you to behold. You took his hand and let him lead you out.
As far as you were concerned, Prince Dafydd had been completely forgotten.
#edmund pevensie#reader x character#reader insert#the lion the witch and the wardrobe#golden age#narnia#peter pevensie#edmund x reader#voyage of the dawn treader#prince caspian#oneshot#narnia oneshot#edmund pevensie oneshot#cecily writes
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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 29th September 2019
Revie Wing the chart s
Top 10
For a fifth consecutive week, we have Ed Sheeran taking the top spot with “Take Me Back to London” featuring Stormzy and remixed by Sir Spyro, Aitch and Jaykae. It’s not a bad song but I feel only lack of competition is keeping this at the top. If the #1 wasn’t a spoiler, nothing really happened this week, it wasn’t very busy and we have like two new arrivals so apologies if this is short.
Aitch reaches the runner-up spot once again with “Taste (Make it Shake)”, up one spot this week, and to be honest I’m doubting this song’s #1 potential but time will tell.
“Higher Love” by Kygo and the late Whitney Houston is also up one spot to number-three this week.
Up one space as well this week is AJ Tracey at number-four with the surprisingly long-running hit “Ladbroke Grove”.
Arguably the biggest story here is the new Top 10 entry, “Ride It” by Regard, becoming Regard’s first ever top 10 and top five hit in the UK as it is up six positions to number-five. It’s also Jay Sean’s first top 10 hit since 2010’s wonderfully dated “2012 (It Ain’t the End)” with Nicki Minaj, and first top five since the magical “Down” featuring Lil Wayne hit #3 in 2009. It’s his fifth Top 10 and third top five overall.
Sorry by joel corry is at #6 again it has been at #6 for like 70 weeks who cares
Our second new top 10 entry is by Tones and I with the underwhelming and honestly pretty uninteresting “Dance Monkey”, up seven to #7, but regardless it’s Tones and I’s first ever UK Top 10 hit and that’s a pretty cool feat in the first place. I can see this reaching even further heights though, even if I’m not a fan of the song.
Unfortunately down a spot and seemingly on its way out from now on is Dominic Fike with “3 Nights” at number-eight.
Also down a singular position from last week is “Circles” by Post Malone at number-nine.
Finally, not moving from last week yet still rounding off the top 10 is “Strike a Pose” by Young T & Bugsey and Aitch.
Climbers
Like I said when talking about “Take Me Back to London”, this isn’t a particularly exciting week, but we do have a few notable enough climbers and fallers to talk about. Our first climber is “Professor X” by Dave from Drake’s Top Boy soundtrack off of the debut, moving up five spaces to #19, becoming his ninth top 20 hit on the chart, but I doubt it’ll go any further as it really is nothing special especially compared to pretty much everything else he’s made. Also increasing off of the debut is “Wiley Flow” by Stormzy, up a whopping 15 spots to #22 despite being similarly disappointing. In fact, all of our notable climbers here are hip-hop, as “Lalala” by Y2K and bbno$ is also up eight spaces to #32, a new peak for the track, and that’s all we have.
Fallers
If we had a teaspoon full of climbers... we have a teaspoon full of fallers – there is the exact same amount of songs for each section. The most notable drop is indisputably the fall for Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey’s “Don’t Call Me Angel”, flopping 10 spaces from its debut at #2, now at #12, which I expected to be the case but I honestly don’t see this having a comeback or rebound anytime soon even if I like the song quite a lot. Other notable drops here include the hilariously incompetent “Nookie” by D-Block Europe featuring Lil Baby down 12 spaces off of the debut to #28, which is especially embarrassing as this was attached to an album that was released this last week. Finally, Stormzy’s odd choice of releasing a single barely more than a week after the last means “Sounds of the Skeng” has its promo push put to the side for “Wiley Flow”, as the former song si down nine spaces to #40, barely clinging onto the chart.
Dropouts & Returning Entries
The dumb UK chart rule about how one artist must have only three of their highest-performing songs charting at a time strikes again on the same album that it struck last week, but not with a back-and-forth replacement like as with Lewis Capaldi a couple weeks back instead. No, here, “Take What You Want” by Post Malone featuring Travis Scott and Ozzy Osbourne dropped out and was replaced with “Sunflower” with Swae Lee... from the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack, meaning a great song got replaced with another great song, albeit here it’s a co-lead song from a soundtrack with various artists, so this UK chart rule really shows how nonsensical it is briefly here. Otherwise, we have three drop-outs to accommodate for the new and returning arrivals here: “Mad Love” by Mabel dropping out from #21 thanks to what I can only assume are streaming cuts after peaking lower (At #8) than I thought it would – although that isn’t the last we see of Mabel this week, “Castles” by Freya Ridings seemingly also suffering streaming cuts with its abrupt drop from #29 and “Ritual” by Tiesto, Jonas Blue and Rita Ora dropping from #36 because nobody really cared about the song there anyway. Returning entries in the Top 40 are twofold and not just “Sunflower”, with “Location” by Dave featuring Burna Boy also making a shock return to #39. I don’t know why and to be transparent I don’t really care (By Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber) so let’s get onto the new arrivals.
NEW ARRIVALS
#37 – “God is a Dancer” – Tiesto and Mabel
Produced by Tiesto and Josh Wilkinson – Peaked at #15 in Scotland
Tiesto exists. You’ve known Tiesto as he’s been here for quite a while at this point, and if you don’t know the name, you know a Tiesto song. He did one with Post Malone last year called “Jackie Chan”, and he got married just a few weeks ago on September 23rd to Annika Backes in the Utah Desert, that was a headline. Oh, and he’s also knighted! That’s something I didn’t expect. Mabel, you should also know, she’s Neneh Cherry’s daughter and an impressive pop singer in her own right. They’ve got a new house-pop single together as you’d expect, and it’s Tiesto’s 14th UK Top 40 hit, as well as Mabel’s seventh... and it’s listenable. Personally, Mabel’s vocals are way too Auto-Tuned here as she is a naturally talented singer and I don’t feel like the distortion adds anything here other than making an already obviously inorganic song even more robotic. The thudding kick drum placed with the cute synth bass that I actually quite like and cheap fake finger-snaps sound pretty disjointed despite there being some genuine groove in the production, and it’s mostly wasted potential, hurt by the non-existent lyrics but honestly it’s probably for the best that it’s a dance song, even if her “ay” inflections are pretty annoying. The background vocals in the final chorus sound pretty great but they’re drowned out by the monotonous beat and honestly, all two minutes and 48 seconds go into one ear and right into the other, until the noticeably abrupt outro. This could be better but it has nothing worth speaking about as it is – the bassline is good so maybe add some more bombastic synths over it and get Mabel to belt or at least enunciate. As for now, though, I don’t think I’ll be exchanging my rhythm for God when it comes to dancers in the foreseeable future. Sorry.
#23 – “Good as Hell” – Lizzo
Produced by Ricky Reed – Peaked at #41 in the US and #12 in Scotland
Now, this song isn’t all that great by any means and far from my favourite from Lizzo, but it is miles ahead of whatever “God is a Dancer” was, although to be fair, the two new arrivals aren’t really comparable as Tiesto and Mabel try for a funky dance-pop club hit while this is a no-holds-barred R&B and soul anthem with feisty vocals from Lizzo. This song is actually from her first major-label release, the overlooked EP Coconut Oil which featured a lot of great R&B tracks, including production from a guy called Christian Rich, whose prolific credits now seem like he is a pop songwriter creating songs for female pop stars but at the time he was producing most of the beats on Earl Sweatshirt’s Doris, which seems like a stark contrast of mood, although this song, originally recorded and released in 2016, just a year before her biggest US hit, “Truth Hurts”, was produced by her main man Ricky Reed. This track is her third UK Top 40 hit after “Juice” and “Truth Hurts”, and I’m not surprised to see that its #23 debut makes it her highest-charting song ever in the UK and I can see this taking off. It’s already being used in several advertisements so that’s got to only be a good thing. Speaking of good things, this song is pretty excellent. That piano riff sounds vintage and crisp, with bouncy 808s backing Lizzo’s sassy sing-rapping as a perfect build-up, especially in that great pre-chorus, before the bombastic release of horns and the powerhouse of a vocalist that Lizzo is throughout the entire track, as well as a choir of... several multi-tracked Lizzos from what I can tell. It isn’t as clunky lyrically or compositionally as “Truth Hurts” yet has a similar mixing issue, as it does feel a tad less dynamic than it could be, as with much of Ricky Reed productions, which usually suffer from over-compression (This one in particular feels like the last vocal track is cut short at the outro, meaning it has a really abrupt and momentum-killing outro that just sounds jarring, especially as the crisp static effect continues afterwards), but nothing is blatantly clipping here so it’s not that much of a problem. Even with everything I have to say about it, I do prefer “Juice”, “Tempo” with Missy Elliott and even deep cuts from Cuz I Love You like “Crybaby” and even “Exactly How I Feel” featuring Gucci Mane – seriously, check that one out, it’s great. Regardless, this is a pretty good song and I’m glad it debuted so high.
Conclusion
This should be evident. Lizzo takes Best of the Week home with “God as Hell”, while Mabel and Tiesto take Worst of the Week with “Good is a Dancer”, which isn’t precisely bad per se, but it just really could have been much better and less generic. Follow me on Twitter @cactusinthebank for more musical ramblings and I’ll see you next week.
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tell us why perfect by ed sheeran is about phan
perfect is easily one of the most romantic ballads since thinking out loud and ed has even said that he views it an outperformance in comparison to thinking out loud, which is interesting in this context considering how relevant thinking out loud is to everyone who remembers what happened at the 2015 brit awards. it was quite an iconic moment and it’s something people still talk about, so it’s especially intriguing that the song perfect is directly connected to it and treated as somewhat of a sequel
it also happens to describe dan and phil’s history together from past to present very accurately
honestly, i don’t listen to ed sheeran’s music regularly and although the lyrics aren’t the deepest or the most unconventional, i’ve been itching to write down some thoughts
[listen to the song here to set the mood]
[Verse 1]
I found a love for me
Darling, just dive right in and follow my lead
Well, I found a girl, beautiful and sweet
Oh, I never knew you were the someone waiting for me
we’ll start right off with the first four lines in verse 1, which i believe are being sung from phil’s perspective (however, the perspectives are subjective and can change throughout the song) these lyrics mirror the start of dan and phil’s relationship. phil was generally more mature when him and dan first started talking, age wise and experience wise. phil could’ve technically been considered an adult while dan was still very young and inexperienced, hence why “Darling, just dive right in and follow my lead” is so fitting here. dan and phil were both very quick to love and didn’t think so much about the consequences of their decision to trust each other so quickly. phil quite literally invited dan to dive right in and follow his lead, professionally and personally. the last line can be used to describe just how unexpected it must’ve been for phil when dan came along. early on, dan’s main priority was waiting. waiting for phil’s responses on twitter. waiting for phil’s dm’s. waiting for phil’s texts. waiting for those 5 hour skype calls with phil. waiting to meet phil. only until later on did phil realize that dan was the someone for him
‘Cause we were just kids when we fell in love
Not knowing what it was
I will not give you up this time
But darling, just kiss me slow, your heart is all I own
And in your eyes, you’re holding mine
in the second half of verse 1, the first two lines once again touch on dan and phil’s maturity levels when they first met, referring to them as kids. they behaved as kids would, acting silly and goofy with each other and relishing in each other’s youth, savoring the honeymoon stage as much as they could. but with being a kid comes immaturity, and that side of them showed through some of their reckless behavior. they treaded on thin ice while not knowing what was beneath it as boundaries or limits really didn’t exist for them in the early days of their relationship
[Chorus]
Baby, I’m dancing in the dark with you between my arms
Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song
When you said you looked a mess, I whispered underneath my breath
But you heard it, darling, you look perfect tonight
this is where the tenses change and the song switches its focus on what is happening in the present, unlike the two verses in the song which seem to be reminiscing on the early days of a relationship. the first two lines of the chorus describe the bond that dan and phil have now and the moments that they share together. dancing in the dark in each other’s arms and listening to their favorite song implies that it could be a song that holds a special meaning for both of them specifically or a song that they are both able to connect to and enjoy together as best friends/lovers/etc because it reminds them of each other. the plural pronoun choice in that second line is accurate considering dan and phil share pretty much everything
[Verse 2]
Well I found a woman, stronger than anyone I know
She shares my dreams, I hope that someday I’ll share her home
I found a love, to carry more than just my secrets
To carry love, to carry children of our own
the second line in this verse is probably the most important lines because the song directs its focus away from the present and jumps directly backwards into the past, treating the chorus almost like it was was a mere glimpse into the future. dan and phil quite literally shared each other’s dreams back in 2009, phil was a youtuber and dan was an aspiring one. and although they had no idea whether or not youtube would’ve become as massive of a platform as it is now, dan and phil still shared a lot of goals and also supported each other’s individual goals that the other might not have shared with them. so yes, technically they were still sharing each other’s dreams merely through mutual support regardless of whether or not both of them had those same exact dreams in mind. “I hope that someday I’ll share her home” is such a meaningful lyric because dan and phil never had any idea that they would’ve ever had the opportunity to move in with each other and change millions of people’s lives together. all they could hold onto at the time was hope. but that hope was so worth holding onto because now they’ve been sharing each other’s home for over 7 years, literally and metaphorically
the last two lines are pretty self explanatory. dan and phil know more about each other than anyone else does and some of the things that they feel comfortable sharing with each other are things that they wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing with anyone else. aside from secrets, they carry each other’s love, and even though they can’t literally “carry children,” they have created a family together. the meaning of family in this context is subjective, whether you want to consider it a family solely between the two of them or the family that they’ve made with their audience
We are still kids, but we’re so in love
Fighting against all odds
I know we’ll be alright this time
Darling, just hold my hand
Be my girl, I’ll be your man
I see my future in your eyes
once again there’s another tense shift. the lyrics are insinuating that the present relationship still has much room for growth but has remained very genuine, which is also true in dan and phil’s case because they are visibly growing with each day that passes. they are growing professionally and personally and the amount of that growth, even just recently, has been astronomical. they see their futures intertwined and they truly are so in love
as for that second line, read it and really let it sink in… “Fighting against all odds.” if dan and phil have done anything in their goddamn lives, it’s fighting all goddamn odds. the odds of phil’s replies to dan on twitter leading to dm’s, the odds of those dm’s leading to 5 hour skype calls, the odds of those skype calls eventually leading dan to buy a train ticket to piccadilly station and actually meet up with this man whom he had met online, the odds of them taking the biggest risk of their professional lives and moving in together in the heart of london so they could pursue a radio show that they had no idea would either pay off or go down in flames, the odds of them actually creating this life together, helping each other through their sudden rise to fame? the odds of them actually having the opportunity to create such a unique community and change people’s lives for the better? what dan and phil have is not what society would deem conventional, but they have beat every normative agenda out there and have literally defied all odds. there were so many potential setbacks… there were so many things that could’ve gone wrong… but they didn’t.
[Chorus 2]
Baby, I’m dancing in the dark, with you between my arms
Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song
When I saw you in that dress, looking so beautiful
I don’t deserve this, darling, you look perfect tonight
[Chorus 3]
Baby, I’m dancing in the dark, with you between my arms
Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song
I have faith in what I see
Now I know I have met an angel in person
And she looks perfect
I don’t deserve this
You look perfect tonight
these last two choruses are very similar to chorus 1 with a few minor lyrical changes
chorus 3 is a lot more confident and hopeful of the future, much like dan and phil seem to be at this current point in time. the view that they have of their future seems to be filled with such good things, like moving and adopting a dog and whatever other “life things” they might have in mind. but i think the most important thing to consider here is that their futures are so tightly bound to each other, and they have nothing but tremendous faith in each other. whatever their futures may hold, it holds them together
now end this analysis with a visual of dan and phil curled up together in phil’s bed, reminiscing on how all of this happened and just how lucky they are to have ended up in this current moment with each other
i’m not saying anything but… perfect is the perfect song for them
#i wanna cry sorry this is so long i should've put it under read more#oh well here are some Thoughts#i'm very tired and this was kind of rushed so sorry if that shows#answers
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Why the heck hasn’t Bellarke gotten together yet, a Meta.
So here’s a meta I never thought I would write, cause everyone is always so caught up on the “behind the scenes” (aka jason, eliza, etc interviews)that they miss what the show is saying (screaming)
And to prove I’m not crazy, here is the reason why i’m writing this in the first place:
So there you go, @ivthegreatest, as promised this meta is for you (i LOVE YOU for questioning this).
So without further ado, let’s discuss Bellarke’s development and their obstacles.
I love Season 1, it’s no secret. One of the (many) reasons why is because I think its arcs are very well organized and built. That being said, on season 1 we can divide bellarke’s arcs in groups of 3-4 episodes.
1x01-1x03: The Clichés
(1x01)
(1x02)
(1x03)
It starts like this: Belamy and Clarke antagonize each other from their very first scene.
As their initial roles had them, Clarke was the hero/princess and Bellamy was the villain/rebel. As much as there’s always been some intense level of attraction between them (also ever since the first scene?!), their ideals alone set them miles apart.
Clarke thought Bellamy was a first class douche and Bellamy saw her as a representation of all the priviledged people on the ark. Each one of them had their own agendas: Clarke just wanted everyone to survive while Bellamy wanted to make sure the arkers wouldn’t make it down to Earth (+ he wanted to protect O).
The show sets Bellamy as “the bad guy”, the one who starts rebelions, the one who tries to create anarchy while making sure he’s in power. And Clarke was “the good guy”, seaching for food, protecting the moste fragile ones etc. They would never get together as they were ,in fact, enemies.
It all escalated on 1x02, where Bellamy (on the most “Bellamy you played yourself” moment in history) threatened to cut off her hand because she was getting in the way of his plans. But, on the same episode, when Bellamy – the supposed bad guy- had a chance to get rid of his problem– he doesn’t. That’s when the audience realizes there’s something there (with bellamy, with bellarke). Clarke doesn’t make the same realization necessarily (she must see something, but this is for another meta).
On 1x03 we end this arc as Bellamy and Clarke see they MIGHT be wrong about each other - as Bellamy sees Clarke killing atom.
Clear as heck, Bellamy changes the way he sees Clarke, he realizes the “princess” is very capable of making tough choices. Less obvious, but even more canon, Clarke sees Bellamy differently too, she knows now he’s not a murderer (” I saw you in the woods with Atom. I know you're not a killer “ 1x04 ).They weren’t friends at all, but they saw something in each other that other characters didn’t see.
And,... there was a catch already. While Bellamy and Clarke were on this antagonistic cycle, Clarke was already getting involved “prince charming”. Someone who (supposedly) shared her views on keeping peace, someone who was against that anarchy mess, someone with hero hair and a flashing smile. Yeah, Finn.
But well, as 1x03 prelude-ed it, all roles were about to change drastically and everyone would find out they were wrong about...everything. Which bring us to the next arc:
1x04-1x07: The Switch
(1x04)
1x04 pinpoints the moment Bellamy and Clarke begin to lead together. After getting to know each other better (1x01-1x03) – but not enough for them to even be friends, they find something in common: Charlotte.
And because of the whole mess she created by killing Wells (RIP bb) and accidentally framing Murphy for it, throughout the whole episode, Bellamy’s and Clarke’s leading styles clash and it was a mess.
That is until they realize they are both wrong, they lose Charlotte, they don’t know what to do with Murphy and then Bellamy finally accepts that they can’t leave in anarchy anymore. Clarke accepts that she can’t lead of her own, “We make the rules” and all that shiz. And bellarke become co leaders, what a beautiful thing.
BUT, on the same episode- Clarke and Finn finally get together. So, whatever it was that MIGHT have happened between Bellarke now that they’ve reached a middle ground (?))............. well, there’s a Finn in the way now. Sorry, folks.
(the writers know what they are doing im telling you).
But... but 1x04 is also the episode Raven comes down to earth.....hum. (more on that later).
(1x05)
(1x06)
1x05-1x06 follow 1x04’s lead. Bellamy and Clarke aren’t exactly friends, but they compromise. Bellamy is still somewhat of a “bad guy” (bad boy?), Clarke is the moral compass, and they fight a lot. Bellamy still has his agenda, Clarke still calls him on it (“That's why you took the wristbands. Needed everyone to think we're dead” -1x05 / “Yeah, he knows. Now has to live with it.” 1x06– Clarke after the deaths of the Culling). But they are understanding each other better step by step.
And what is interesting here is that the writers created this movement of Bellamy and Clarke getting closer and closer while Finn and Clarke got further away from each other.
On the first arc, episodes 1x02-1x03, when Bellamy and Clarke were the most apart, Clarke and Finn got closer and the writers were selling him as her obvious romantic interest with all the flirting and the smiles and the presents.
But on 1x04, as Bellamy and Clarke become leaders, Finn and Clarke get together for the first time only so the writers can show it was a farse (Raven). When 1x05 starts, Bellamy and Clarke just agreed to... agree, they are on their way of becoming closer- and Flarke is about to do the opposite.
That’s why 1x04-1x06 was an uncertain period for Bellarke as it was for Flarke.
For Bellarke, Bellamy and Clarke had this partnership where they would have a real conversation in one moment (“you’re not a murderer” 1x05/” Can you wish on this kind of shooting star?” 1x06) and fight on the next (see the quotes up there). For Flarke, Finn and Clarke were just dancing around each other, but Raven was his girlfriend and she loved him. Clarke was pissed at Finn, she wanted to stay away from him, but she had feelings for him, and they just wouldn’t have a definite conversation about the matter.
Which bring us to 1x07:
1x07 changed everything.
I know everyone loves 1x08 (so do I), but man, 1x07 is the reason everything happened the way it did.
Thing is, on 1x07 the writers threw grey all over the place. Sure, they were already playing with the ideal of people being morally grey since forever, but 1x07 was the real deal. Bellamy and Clarke connected like HECK….. and over torturing a person. (Only my otp would.)
And this is not something they can go back from. Clarke stained herself, and she didn’t know what to do with it. But there came Bellamy to tell her something he’d been telling himself for awhile: “Who we are and who we need to be to survive are very different things.”.
(something that rang so freaking deeply in her, she’d repeat it again: “ The things that we've done to survive, they don't define us.” 2x08)
Now, they have more in common than they had before. More than that, it’s like they are accepting that, crazy as it might be, they understand each other.
So, to me, it’s no coincidence that right before that Bellarke scene Clarke lets Finn go for good. Rewatch if any of you might, on 1x07 Clarke just tells him to be with Raven, and she walks away from him (and even though Clarke would still have feelings for Finn - that was the end of their romantic relationship for good.).
....... she walks away....from Finn....... and then that scene with Bellamy happens outside the dropship.
Smart writers.
Now Iv is probably reading this and saying “see?!?!? You’re just proving my point, THEY COULD HAVE GOTTEN TOGETHER AT LEAST ONCE AFTER THAT”
Okay, okay, I know what you mean because here is the MOST FLIRTY ARC OF THIS ENTIRE SHOW i’m not gonna even describe me i’ll just leave the pics here:
1x08-1x10: The Bellamy and Clarke FEEL THINGS
(1x08)
(1x09)
(1x10)
Do I need to talk about it?
1x08-1x10 was epic, it was feels all over the place, it was Clarke and Bellamy bonding and pouring their hearts for each other, forgiving each other, accepting each other; It was flirting at inappropriate times, having deep conversations, trusting each other and making Finn annoyed and jealous. It was a freaking magical time.
I personally believe that only after this arc Bellamy and Clarke were close enough for their characters to “hook up” in some way and for it not to be OOC.
But, we only had 2 problems: 1- They were just getting closer. 1x07-1x10 happened in the span of days, they were beginning to truly be friends or something, so I think they would need more time.Plus, Clarke was hurting over Finn.
2- If there was anything to happen, before it could, they were separated.
The writers must have realized what Iv has (why wouldn’t bellamy and clarke hook up now??) because those two were separated all the time after this arc. They had the total amout of (*SPOILER NUMBER FOR IV*) separations, it’s ridiculous.
So here we go:
1x11-1x13: The Kidnapping Fest
(1x11)
Clarke and Bellamy were on their awesome co-leader, bickering mode. But Clarke and Finn are taken in the middle of 1x11, try to run away and failed.
(1x12)
Clarke and Finn manage to come back only at the end of 1x12, but then chaos had already started as they knew the grounders were coming (so yeah no time for anything else- only for dramatic co-speeches because Bellamy and Clarke will always have time to be Drama King and Queen).
(1x13)
On 1x13, they did their co-leadership thing, heart eyes and all, but they had a war to prepare to. And then, they were separated. Again.
Which actually bring us to Season 2.
( Season 2 isn’t as well structured as season 1. So I’m not gonna talk about season 2 arcs, but episodes)
As everyone well know, Bellarke was freaking separated up until episode 2x05.
(Sigh)
But right at the very moment they reunited, they found an obstacle already. (these writers are out to get us)
“Where’s Finn?” , Clarke asks Bellamy right away.
Well, Finn, Finn was killing people because he loved Clarke
(bc i’m extra and the writers are sneaky:
)
Make no mistake, this shiz is heavy. Clarke doesn’t deal well with blood on her hands, she hates it. Now she sees Finn, Spacewalker, supposedly the guy who loves peace and sunshine, killing 18 people in cold blood because of her.
( Is anyone really surprised the next theme of the season was “love is weakness” or-? )
So, from the moment Bellamy and Clarke reunited until they were separated again (2x09), all this was over Clarke’s head.
And things just kept piling up: Bellamy and Clarke reunited, they found Finn killed 18 grounders, the grounders now want Finn to die a very painful death to pay for his crime, huge tension fly between Arkers and Grounders -who were supposed to be allies as their people were stuck in Mt Weather. Finn surrenders himself, Clarke KILLS Finn, it haunts her like heck, L.exa s gets in her head that they are both leaders that need to “do what needs to be done” for their people – and that love is weakness.
But this was not only a huge emotional ride that happened in a short period. This shaped the way Clarke allowed herself to feel for Bellamy.
How? Let’s re- analyze things.
It sure seems that ~something~ changed about her feelings for Bellamy on the time they were away from each other. They went from walking side by side on 1x13:
or even this
To this:
It’s a freaking huge leap.
Not to mention all the times between 2x01-2x05 when it was pretty obvious she had been missing Bellamy, worrying about him AND equating him with Finn:
(”Finn and Bellamy?”)
(”Not all of us”)
(” Finn and Bellamy?”)
When we get to 2x05, we can’t even tell for sure what Clarke’s feeling (I don’t think Clarke knew) , but ,my friends, it’s deep. But then when she finally finds Bellamy again – Finn is in trouble, and he killed for her, and he created tension between grounders/skypeople and he died at her own hands.
Finn, the guy she had feelings for. ( also had feelings for). The first member of the “ Finn and Bellamy???” duo.
And that’s when we realize this “duo” is no coincidence at all.
Her feelings for Bellamy are SO (VERY FREAKING MUCH) related to this season 2 plot that one of the first things she said to him on 2x09 was “I can’t lose you too” (remembering Finn). Right after we saw L.xa convincing Clarke that “love is weakness” and that leaders had to forget about the matters of the heart to take care of their people. Then Clarke let go of Finn (“Love is weakness”), then she let go of Bellamy too (“I was being weak”).
.
Which lead them to be separated, again.
And this time, it was not only the physical separation that set them apart and didn’t allow their relationship to reach a new level.
Now Clarke got this new belief that would only be over by the end of season 3 probably (that is, if it is over). Now Clarke puts her people first, forget about liabilities and love if they are an inconvenience.
(which is an interesting way to watch s03 if any of you might. )
Of course, that her love for Bellamy is a freaking bastard and it doesn’t exactly allow her to do that-
(oh Clarke, you try, I’ll give you that)
-But truth be told, this plot is also one of the huge reasons why they aren’t together (yet).
Clarke would later be haunted by other decisions she made on season 2B, which also separated her from Bellamy, and other separations (literal and metaphorical) came between them, but this is one arc is one of their most important obstacles.
Phew, since Iv hasn’t watched past 2x12 and this is long already, consider this meta a “part 1” of why the heck Bellarke didn’t get together yet.
However, for anyone (including you, Iv) that watches past 2x16 I’m pretty sure there are so many obstacles there we don’t even need to discuss it.
But we’ll see about that later.
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