Moar thoughts/insights from LKH

[elisi]

1. There has been a fair bit of... consternation regarding the fact that River used up all of her regenerations to save the Doctor.

Now, having thought about it, I’m afraid this was the only way of doing it, because otherwise... Otherwise death would stop having any kind of meaning for the two of them. If River can use regeneration energy to bring the Doctor back from final death, then what would stop her from doing it on the beach? Or in the Library?

The fact that the price for bringing someone back to life is so enormous ensures that the deaths we have seen (the Doctor’s on the beach, River’s in the Library) are final. And in a ‘verse like this, where all kinds of things are constantly shifting and ‘reversing the poliarity of the neutron flow’ can magically sort stuff out, some things need to be unalterable.

So - it’s not about a woman sacrificing everything for her man, but about ensuring that this fix-it will only work *once*!


2. It only recently struck me that Mels, talking about how the Titanic sank 'because the Doctor didn't save it' and how Hitler rose to power 'because the Doctor didn't stop him' was actually also talking about herself. How could the Doctor be ~good~ when he didn’t save her? (Plus, of course, he was late for Amy - twice...)

Interestingly this adds revenge to her motives, and means that she’s not just a dummy - she knows what she’s doing. And I think she uses the ‘psychopath’ label as a way of hiding, to be honest. The Doctor knows who she is and what’s she been trained for, and she doesn’t want to reveal anything about herself, or the terrified child she once was (and still is, inside).

But then comes the ending, and... here, let me show you:



Layer the first: River realises, that - unlike what she’s been told - the Doctor is... just a man. I don’t think it’s an accident that these two scenes mirror each other so perfectly. We have someone hostile (someone who’s hurt (or tried to hurt) the person in question) and all the hurt one can do is beg for help.

- The strange astronaut that killed the Doctor turns out to be a lost child.

- The allpowerful Doctor - who can make an army turn at the mention of his name - turns out to be just a man, as helpless and desperate as Melody once was.

And I think this cuts right to the heart of their relationship. To quote the podcast for ‘Forest of the Dead’, when they’re talking about the scene where River whispers the Doctor’s name in his ear:

Moffat: And I have to say, David, I think your performance in this is astonishing. There are two bits that are brilliant. It’s this, where you’re just flung back to being a man – you’re just an ordinary bloke for a minute – and this bit here where you shoulder the Doctor again… There we are, the mask back on!
RTD: You see how much the Doctor is-
Moffat: -is surface
RTD: -a pose

Melody/River knows that despite all her cleverness and brilliance, she's really very lost and unsure - and then she discovgers that he is no different... I think this is a great part of why she brings him back, and the reason she treats him the way she does in their relationship. It’s not just that they’re equals in skill and ability etc, it’s that the reason she falls for him is not the fact that he’s amazing - it’s the fact that he’s ordinary. She’s not swept away by the mysterious alien in his impossible spaceship, she is won over by the man begging for help when he can’t even stand.

In many ways they both wear masks - ‘The Doctor’ and ‘River Song’ are chosen names, identities they put on, larger than life characters both brilliant and enigmatic.

But underneath that... they are just a man and a woman. And that? Is what makes them amazing.

Layer the second: It only struck me when I put it all together, but in both instances the answer is the same - the little girl is Melody [who is Mels] who is River... Plus, in both cases, the answer is: ‘You are going to be of infinite importance to me - but I can’t tell you that’. (I am your child from the future/you are my wife from the future...)

Questions - and answers (not given), the way time streams collide and one mishap will make everyone go under. (I’m not really going anywhere with all this, it’s all just very shiny and awesome and clever and I love it.)

~~~

The rest of this belongs 100% to Promethia - I presume she won’t mind me sharing her awesome insights. Because oh, questions:

TESELECTA AMY:
The Silence is not a species. It is a religious order, or movement. Their core belief is that silence will fall when the question is asked.
DOCTOR:
What question?
TESELECTA AMY:
The first question. The oldest question in the universe, hidden in plain sight.
DOCTOR:
Yes, but what is the question?

Now look at this:

SILENCE:
You are Amelia Pond.
AMY:
You're ugly, has anyone mentioned that to you?
SILENCE:
We do you honour. You will bring the Silence. But your part will soon be over.

Me thinks that Amy will be the one to ask the Question...

And a final thought: Melody/River is rapidly becoming the Girl Who Searched:

"I have the strangest feeling she's going to find us . . ."
"Took me years to find you two--I'm so glad I did."
"Find River Song."
"To be perfectly honest, professor, I'm looking for a good man."

This is a beautiful contrast to her parents (The Girl and Boy Who Waited), and also something to cheer those who think her narrative has been overtaken by the Doctor. He doesn’t say ‘You are River’ he says ‘Find her’. Who River Song is, is up to River to decide.



(Now as for Night Terrors then I was looking forward to a nice, uncomplicated Monster of the Week kind of episode, where I could just sit back and enjoy and let the meta rest for a week. Ha! It was ALL metaphor. ALL OF IT. Which was lovely, but I’ll need a little while to sort through my thoughts. I mean - it was also DELIGHTFUL and FULL OF ELEVENTY and I very much enjoyed that too. But it’s the meta which is eating my head... Plus, I'm horribly behind on so much!)

Comments

[owlboy]

I thought that River giving up her regenerations was more about ensuring her own future happiness than making a sacrifice for a dude. You don't really do that for a guy you just met, especially when he's dead BECAUSE OF YOU. I also think she does it in part for her parents, when she sees how much they love him and out of guilt for totally betraying them like that. But yeah, if she didn't use them all then people would be asking why she couldn't just save the doctor at the beach, etc.

And I loved that Melody refuses to see the Doctor as the magical man who can fix everything, like Amy does, even as a kid. She is cynical and mocking of Amy's obsession with him and when she meets him, she defeats him all to easily and sees him broken down and helpless. I think her view of him as 'just a man' is why she is able to manage him, whereas Amy, who expects him to fix everything, just seems to face continual frustration and disappointment [although she seems to be growing out of that... her history with him means she can never manage him like River does.]

I think when the Silence said "your part will soon be over..." they were referring to Amy giving birth, though.

And THE GIRL WHO SEARCHED. YES. The Doctor gives her a little push with the diary and what not but then leaves her to decide what to do with it all. River gets a hint of her future but has to figure out how to get there herself. I think she has more agency than the Doctor here, who has pretty much just been subject to the roller-coaster that is River blasting in and out of his life.

The more I think about LKH the more it seems to perfectly fit with her previous characterization, even if she was off the wall in that episode. I can see how the older River grew out of the younger crazy one, it makes sense.

This whole post is what I have been thinking and you put it all into wonderful words. <3

[elisi]

I thought that River giving up her regenerations was more about ensuring her own future happiness than making a sacrifice for a dude.
Oh absolutely! (I said so in my previous meta so I didn't feel like repeating myself...)

But yeah, if she didn't use them all then people would be asking why she couldn't just save the doctor at the beach, etc.
I really need to re-watch the first episodes. (It also occurred to me, that maybe the Doctor put blanks in her gun, so she couldn't shoot the astronaut, and that's where the 'Of course not...' came from, what with the way he 'doctored' the guns prior to their showdown when she was Mels.)

And I loved that Melody refuses to see the Doctor as the magical man who can fix everything, like Amy does, even as a kid.
*nods* Obviously this is partly just her conditioning, but that critical nature is v. good, and - I think - something that must have rubbed off on Amy a lot. (Not that Amy needed the help, but to have the support and belief from a good friend must have been important - and then that friend was *critical*...)

I think her view of him as 'just a man' is why she is able to manage him, whereas Amy, who expects him to fix everything, just seems to face continual frustration and disappointment [although she seems to be growing out of that... her history with him means she can never manage him like River does.]
*nods* Plus, the Doctor will always have Amy as a 7 year old in his mind, whereas River 'is always a woman'. (And now THERE is a good song...)

I think when the Silence said "your part will soon be over..." they were referring to Amy giving birth, though.
Could be... But how will River bring about the Silence? (I'm not expecting you to answer, I'm just trying to work stuff out with too few puzzle pieces.)

And THE GIRL WHO SEARCHED. YES. The Doctor gives her a little push with the diary and what not but then leaves her to decide what to do with it all. River gets a hint of her future but has to figure out how to get there herself. I think she has more agency than the Doctor here, who has pretty much just been subject to the roller-coaster that is River blasting in and out of his life.
*nods a lot*

The more I think about LKH the more it seems to perfectly fit with her previous characterization, even if she was off the wall in that episode. I can see how the older River grew out of the younger crazy one, it makes sense.
Oh yes. To be honest, considering her childhood, it's amazing she wasn't MORE crazy...

This whole post is what I have been thinking and you put it all into wonderful words. <3
Yay! <3

[owlboy]

>>It also occurred to me, that maybe the Doctor put blanks in her gun, so she couldn't shoot the astronaut

Ooh that is genius. Of course he would do that.

[promethia_tenk]

(It also occurred to me, that maybe the Doctor put blanks in her gun, so she couldn't shoot the astronaut, and that's where the 'Of course not...' came from, what with the way he 'doctored' the guns prior to their showdown when she was Mels.)
=D If we never find out, this is my cannon.

Could be... But how will River bring about the Silence? (I'm not expecting you to answer, I'm just trying to work stuff out with too few puzzle pieces.)
She could ask the question, I suppose. She and Amy do end up sharing symbolic duties back and forth a lot. Like in The Big Bang, they *both* helped sacrifice the Doctor and bring him back.

[masakochan.livejournal.com]

The Doctor gives her a little push with the diary and what not but then leaves her to decide what to do with it all.

YES. Exactly. I almost want to quote this when I see people saying that it's just evidence of the Moffat taking agency away from River. I mean, she could have decided to do something else entirely for what we know. But this just leads to her actively choosing to go after the Doctor through means of archeology.

[promethia_tenk]

And I loved that Melody refuses to see the Doctor as the magical man who can fix everything, like Amy does, even as a kid. She is cynical and mocking of Amy's obsession with him and when she meets him, she defeats him all to easily and sees him broken down and helpless. I think her view of him as 'just a man' is why she is able to manage him, whereas Amy, who expects him to fix everything, just seems to face continual frustration and disappointment [although she seems to be growing out of that... her history with him means she can never manage him like River does.]

Ooo, yes, that! Well said.

[bendingwind.livejournal.com]

Melody/River is rapidly becoming the Girl Who Searched

Hm. Hmmm.

[elisi]

Or, more precisely, The Girl Who Says 'Oi! You! Here! Now!'

;)

[bendingwind.livejournal.com]

I'm still struggling a lot with River's characterization, but things like this and the list of fics that I wrote that then turned up almost exactly on screen are comforting me. :3

spoilery comments about Night Terrors

[devohoneybee.livejournal.com]

Your reviews are gorgeous. I almost suspect you CREATE meaning in them that didn't exist in the text before you spoke it, but once you did, it was there all along. Timey wimey reviewing! *grin*

You've taught me to see parallels, also. In the most recent episode, I see these:

The Doctor answers a child's prayer. Amy praying to Santa Claus, George asking to be saved.

In both cases, what the child fears is real. There's a scary house with an indeterminate number of rooms. There's even a scary, growly dog/man pair.

Parallels with other eps: a child who appears human but isn't. And how that is not necessarily a sinister thing (the lovely ambiguity of Gangers in the various eps as real boys and girls versus tools of the enemy). "Monsters are real" but they aren't always the ones you thought they were. or "Monsters are real" but they aren't always monsters, after all. And in so many instances (Amy rebooting the universe, George's father going to him with love), the day is lost or saved by what you imagine and feel.

Also, "monsters are real" -- The Doctor reassuring himself, after the "war" episodes, that he is not one of them?

Not sure what it all MEANS but those things popped out at me.

Re: spoilery comments about Night Terrors

[elisi]

Your reviews are gorgeous. I almost suspect you CREATE meaning in them that didn't exist in the text before you spoke it, but once you did, it was there all along. Timey wimey reviewing! *grin*
*laughs* Well that's a fabulous comment! (And a very nice way of saying that I have a tendency to over-analyse everything!)

You've taught me to see parallels, also. In the most recent episode, I see these:
*nods along to everything* This is the thing with shows like this. If the story suddenly takes a sharp left and ignores the arc, then it's because there's metaphors to be brought up! And I'll try to get there with my review. Although it might be a day or two...

[me-llamo-nic.livejournal.com]

1. Yes, it's all fine within the context of the narrative. ... Should I say more or would I just be repeating myslef?

2. How could the Doctor be ~good~ when he didn’t save her?

Well spotted.

and she doesn’t want to reveal anything about herself, or the terrified child she once was (and still is, inside).

I like this as well. It's a bit like Jennifer Lucas from 'The Rebel Flesh', isn't it? "The little girl got strong." The difference being, we know River goes further than the sort of childish version of strong, the show of it that Mels and Jennifer are putting on. River goes on to find her own genuine strength. Which is why I love all the older versions of River so much.

The strange astronaut that killed the Doctor turns out to be a lost child.

I'm still on the fence about whether or not it's really her in there. It seems too obvious. But then again, Moffat has been taking a very "hidden in plain sight" approach to this season, probably to stay a step ahead of the people who are trying to guess the twists by giving them the obvious thing instead.

To quote the podcast for ‘Forest of the Dead’

Hang on. What? There's an official Doctor Who podcast? Why am I just learning this? Do they still do it? Are the old episodes archived anywhere?

Me thinks that Amy will be the one to ask the Question...

Either her, or Fenchurch pops in out of nowhere (crazy plural sectors), asks the question, and then flies away.

As for 'Night Terrors'...I think I'm getting spoiled by this serialized arc stuff. Any other season, I'd probably have said this was a brilliant spooky episode. This season it's just, "Yeah, but what about all the arc stuff?" I had the same problem with 'Curse of the Black Spot'. (As I understand it, CotBS and NT were actually swapped around...which further demonstrates that, though they may be good on their own, they are completely self-contained.)

As such, I'm very interested to hear how it was all metaphor. Maybe that will make it more interesting for me.

[devohoneybee.livejournal.com]

The problem of memory comes in if child River is the one who kills him at the lake -- wouldn't she remember that later? She seems genuinely as shocked as everyone else when he dies. There IS a hand-wavy line about not remembering much of her childhood, but... is it that easy?

[elisi]

I've wondered a LOT about this too, and it might be future!River in the suit, taking Melody's place? (Really it's all VERY difficult to work out, and my head is beginning to flat refuse...)

[elisi]

1. Yes, it's all fine within the context of the narrative. ... Should I say more or would I just be repeating myslef?
I hear your thoughts loud and clear! :)

I like this as well. It's a bit like Jennifer Lucas from 'The Rebel Flesh', isn't it? "The little girl got strong." The difference being, we know River goes further than the sort of childish version of strong, the show of it that Mels and Jennifer are putting on. River goes on to find her own genuine strength. Which is why I love all the older versions of River so much.
Oh I'd not thought of that parallel, but yes. (Love those Ganger episodes just for all the stuff about monsters and how they're self-created.)

I'm still on the fence about whether or not it's really her in there. It seems too obvious. But then again, Moffat has been taking a very "hidden in plain sight" approach to this season, probably to stay a step ahead of the people who are trying to guess the twists by giving them the obvious thing instead.
Well I'm not saying that it's actually *her* on the beach, but it's the conclusion Amy leaps to - it was more the dissonance between 'Impossible killer' and 'frightened child' that I wanted to get across. ('Unarmed man who can't drive...')

Hang on. What? There's an official Doctor Who podcast? Why am I just learning this? Do they still do it? Are the old episodes archived anywhere?
I... am not entirely sure where to get hold of them. I mean, I think they put them up on the website, but I'm useless at keeping up. I have SitL/FotD and Time of Angels which I could send you?

Either her, or Fenchurch pops in out of nowhere (crazy plural sectors), asks the question, and then flies away.
Well, never say never...

As for 'Night Terrors'...I think I'm getting spoiled by this serialized arc stuff. Any other season, I'd probably have said this was a brilliant spooky episode. This season it's just, "Yeah, but what about all the arc stuff?" I had the same problem with 'Curse of the Black Spot'. (As I understand it, CotBS and NT were actually swapped around...which further demonstrates that, though they may be good on their own, they are completely self-contained.)
Ah, but they're both GIANT METAPHORS for all the arc-y stuff. Srsly, it's kinda ridiculous... ;)

[me-llamo-nic.livejournal.com]

I have SitL/FotD and Time of Angels which I could send you?

After a fair bit of nosing around the internet, I've found podcast commentaries for Series 2, 3, 4, and the Specials, but I haven't been able to find series 5.

You mentioned having 'Time of Angels'...?

[independence1776]

1. Yeah, after thinking about it for more than a couple of minutes, that reason is obvious. And I truly think she didn't mean to give up all of them, just a few to save the man her parents love and that she's just starting to love. (The look on her face after she finds out who River is.)

2. In many ways they both wear masks - ‘The Doctor’ and ‘River Song’ are chosen names, identities they put on, larger than life characters both brilliant and enigmatic.
But underneath that... they are just a man and a woman. And that? Is what makes them amazing.

I think that's why they banter so much. They know and see under the other's mask. (And River never cuts too deep. The Doctor hurts her by not knowing enough.) Which makes her the perfect person to deliver the lecture/explanation/what are you becoming speech? in AGMGTW. She's the only person he'll listen to.

Night Terrors: I look forward to your exploration of the metaphor. Because I like the first half of the episode, but I have a major problem with how it turned out. Anxiety disorders don't work like that.

[elisi]

Yeah, after thinking about it for more than a couple of minutes, that reason is obvious.
:)

And I truly think she didn't mean to give up all of them, just a few to save the man her parents love and that she's just starting to love. (The look on her face after she finds out who River is.)
*nods* (Plus it's entirely possible that the Doctor lies when he tells her that she's used them all up... Although I suspect not.)

I think that's why they banter so much. They know and see under the other's mask. (And River never cuts too deep. The Doctor hurts her by not knowing enough.) Which makes her the perfect person to deliver the lecture/explanation/what are you becoming speech? in AGMGTW. She's the only person he'll listen to.
This. Very much. And it's also why they'll ask everything and more besides of each other...

Night Terrors: I look forward to your exploration of the metaphor. Because I like the first half of the episode, but I have a major problem with how it turned out. Anxiety disorders don't work like that.
I think you'd like this review. :) ETA: The episode is not about anxiety disorders. Like, at all. Much like Let's Kill Hitler wasn't about Hitler.

[independence1776]

Thank you for the link, but I honestly believe this'll come down to individual interpretation. I, too, suffer from an anxiety disorder-- and I took the complete opposite meaning from it. I lost all ability to identify with George when we found out he's an alien. Because that means that his behavior is related to his alienness, not being a kid with a similar problem. Anyway, I don't want to rehash my review here (it's hard enough admitting in a public space what I said above), so if you want to read it, it's here.

[sensiblecat.livejournal.com]

Well, I spotted that yet again, a note summons the Doctor (as in TDW and TIA). A bad, scary man was locked in a cupboard in LKH but we know that didn't ultimately solve the problem. There was a child, vulnerable and afraid, who eventually found the resources within him/her self to diffuse the whole situation. There was a reflection of the TARDIS.

All that just off the top of my head. I love the way that so much, even in the self-contained episodes, enriches the larger whole.

[elisi]

All that just off the top of my head. I love the way that so much, even in the self-contained episodes, enriches the larger whole.
IKR? It's like a little breather, whilst examining all the ideas in a different way...

[promethia_tenk]

Meta, meta, meta *claps*

Interestingly this adds revenge to her motives, and means that she’s not just a dummy - she knows what she’s doing. And I think she uses the ‘psychopath’ label as a way of hiding, to be honest. The Doctor knows who she is and what’s she been trained for, and she doesn’t want to reveal anything about herself, or the terrified child she once was (and still is, inside).

IDK, I'm not going to disagree with this (people are complicated, with the layers and stuff), but there are two things keeping me from necessarily agreeing:

1) I want to know what was going on with the girl in the spacesuit--what actually they did to her and told her and why she ran/hid from the Doctor and Co. not once but twice. Not that she can't be afraid of him and hide from him and still blame him for not rescuing her anyway, but I do want to know what was going on there because it's strange. Plus, we saw what long-term exposure to the Silence aliens did to Renfrew--all disconnected and confused with that simple goal of "the child must be cared for." Probably her head's stronger than his, but however long he's been surrounded by them, she was too, and probably longer, and adult River in those episodes seems to have a very hazy memory at best of what happened to her back then.

2) I think she routinely shows more malice as River than she ever did in this episode, tbh. Here she acts like someone who can't quite attach meaning to anything, and whether they did that to her directly or whether she did it to herself in response to everything that happened to her hardly matters: it's decidedly unhealthy--moreso, I think, than if she'd been angry and lashing out at things. If she was angry and lashing out at things and looking to be destructive we know she could have done so much worse, but instead it's more like she just doesn't care--which is a perfect contrast to "look at you--you still care!" But, no, she treats killing the Doctor like a game, but she still does it quickly and cleanly and then bounces off to do other things rather than staying to savor her revenge (she may delight in outsmarting him, but she's not there to see him suffer). And she may have had a compulsion to seek out her parents, and yet after finding them and living alongside them for years she seems in no way concerned about them dying just a few yards away. "Psychopath" may not be the correct technical term, and yes, I think she's definitely brandishing it around as a disguise, but she is badly broken.

It only struck me when I put it all together, but in both instances the answer is the same - the little girl is Melody [who is Mels] who is River... Plus, in both cases, the answer is: ‘You are going to be of infinite importance to me - but I can’t tell you that’. (I am your child from the future/you are my wife from the future...)
Niiice.

The rest of this belongs 100% to Promethia - I presume she won’t mind me sharing
Of course not--thanks for saving me the effort of posting it myself!

Now as for Night Terrors then I was looking forward to a nice, uncomplicated Monster of the Week kind of episode, where I could just sit back and enjoy and let the meta rest for a week. Ha! It was ALL metaphor. ALL OF IT.
Moff is out to get you *nods*

[elisi]

Meta, meta, meta *claps*
I'm DROWNING!

IDK, I'm not going to disagree with this (people are complicated, with the layers and stuff), but there are two things keeping me from necessarily agreeing:
Oh please disagree, it's all a work in progress and there's so many different ways in which to view this.

I want to know what was going on with the girl in the spacesuit--what actually they did to her and told her and why she ran/hid from the Doctor and Co. not once but twice.
THIS! It's ridiculously frustrating, because it doesn't make sense - why keep her in it, why was she in that empty house (making calls) - why, why, why? And it's entirely possible that it's future!River in the spacesuit on the beach...

I think she routinely shows more malice as River than she ever did in this episode, tbh. Here she acts like someone who can't quite attach meaning to anything, and whether they did that to her directly or whether she did it to herself in response to everything that happened to her hardly matters: it's decidedly unhealthy--moreso, I think, than if she'd been angry and lashing out at things.
Very good point. Although viewed through the lens of 'the Doctor is a hero/villain' then it could be that if she thinks *he* doesn't care... Well, why should anyone? [disclaimer: This thought is still under construction. *g*] OH! The Doctor running from the Scism, having seen that everything dies, and what's the point... Hm. ('Everyone knows that everyone dies...' It's that defiance that makes him stand out. The refusal to give up. 'Don't run when you're scared.')

"Psychopath" may not be the correct technical term, and yes, I think she's definitely brandishing it around as a disguise, but she is badly broken.
Oh very very much so.

Niiice
We're in a hall of mirrors...

Of course not--thanks for saving me the effort of posting it myself!
Well copying and pasting are no effort! So thank you! :)

Moff is out to get you *nods*
*worries*

[honeynoir.livejournal.com]

So - it’s not about a woman sacrificing everything for her man, but about ensuring that this fix-it will only work *once*! I admit this was another part I was, uh, concerned about, but this makes so much sense! <3!

Melody/River knows that despite all her cleverness and brilliance, she's really very lost and unsure - and then she discovgers that he is no different... I think this is a great part of why she brings him back, and the reason she treats him the way she does in their relationship. It’s not just that they’re equals in skill and ability etc, it’s that the reason she falls for him is not the fact that he’s amazing - it’s the fact that he’s ordinary. She’s not swept away by the mysterious alien in his impossible spaceship, she is won over by the man begging for help when he can’t even stand.

In many ways they both wear masks - ‘The Doctor’ and ‘River Song’ are chosen names, identities they put on, larger than life characters both brilliant and enigmatic.

This is entirely perfect. On one hand, I totally ship The Doctor/River, and on the other, I totally ship ordinary man/ordinary woman, and I have been ever since SitL. Also the “You whispered my name” part just became even more -- I don’t know more of what, exactly, but more. And I love it.

[elisi]

I admit this was another part I was, uh, concerned about, but this makes so much sense! <3!
:) (Happy to help!)

This is entirely perfect. On one hand, I totally ship The Doctor/River, and on the other, I totally ship ordinary man/ordinary woman, and I have been ever since SitL.
*nods* I love them as BAMFs, but it's because they see through each other and let each other in - allow themselves to be vulnerable. That is like... my major, overriding kink of all times.

Also the “You whispered my name” part just became even more -- I don’t know more of what, exactly, but more. And I love it.
EVERYTHING is like that. With every reveal, what came before becomes more. It's like magic. Just look at the significance this has now taken on:



*heartbreaks*