In relation to my project I have to know more about Xena since there’s (probably) some parallels between Xena and Lexa. Which episodes should I watch/which are considered “important” episodes within the Xena fandom? Help. I don’t know where to begin (other than just watch it from the beginning of course).
Lexa also had Titus read out a public decree in the marketplace “Citizens of Polis: Lexa kom Trikru, Commander of the Blood and Heda of the Thirteen Clans, would like to announce that she did the sex with Clarke kom Skaikru. It was the best ever. After they each orgasmed 42 times in the space of an hour, Heda took a nap. Then they went again.”
He had to squint to read the tiny print: “PS Heda is not a bottom.”
We really need a copy of this ‘decree’ – just for posterity, of course.
Perhaps Clarke sent out her own decree to Skaikru?
With a PS: Heda is SO a bottom.
And thus, the decree wars were began.
I know it’s a bit of a salty joke going round right now, but other than Abby’s asinine ‘I know’ – there is a reasonable excuse why Niylah would be so intimate with Clarke about Lexa:
They talked about it before sex.
Much of the ark has been destroyed, it’s chaotic, everyone is tired, feeling more hopeless than ever. Niylah sees Clarke upset, not knowing what to do, takes her away, offers her a shoulder to cry on – and that’s when it happens, it all spills out, the last few weeks, everything they’ve gone through – it’s like a rushing flood that won’t stop. Niylah is probably one of the most observant and understanding characters we’ve ever come across in this universe (well, she’s written that way) and she takes the initiative to comfort Clarke however she can. Their post-coital conversation is a reflection of it. Niylah doesn’t refer to Lexa as ‘The Commander,’ because Clarke didn’t. Niylah knows because she paid attention to Clarke – and Clarke shows her gratitude with shared gentleness and a plea for Niylah to stay.
The scene was nothing but the aftermath of a need for comfort. Is it questionable for Clarke to take up with someone so soon after Lexa’s death? I don’t know. Never been in that situation, but I don’t think this was anything but a physical outlet for so much heartache and hopelessness. Some people do deal with grief in such ways – they want to feel anything but.
Does it mean they had to have this scene? Couldn’t they have shown Clarke, alone in her room, without the implication of having been with Niylah? Of course – but it’s clear *someone* thought this represented Clarke in some way – that she would take physical release with a near-stranger to deal with her heartache. I can’t say it isn’t unrealistic, but if we look at it from the lens of the straight male writer trying to present a bisexual female character’s inner turmoil being dealt with in this manner (vs. going out and murdering an innocent group of people, say) – we have our usual representation problem, but not necessarily a problem in character development.
Honestly, of all the things to complain about in this episode, I think the part where Clarke – who is being written like she doesn’t know how to read anyone anymore – tries to comfort Bellamy by saying Octavia will come around ‘and see how special you are.’ What?
Octavia’s anger is valid (not necessarily the actions that result from it, though). Lincoln was shot dead for no reason and Bellamy stood by (something this episode rather grotesquely reminds us of). Bellamy murdered innocent people. Clarke should know better. She lost a lover due to his participation in genocide, too. Clarke never calls Bellamy on this. There is much in the narrative this season that suggests Bellamy might finally get what is coming to him (or offer him a moment of ‘heroic’ sacrifice) – but this scene defeats me and is an uncomfortable echo of the scene in Hakeldama where he gaslit her, blamed her for everything, for his own faults and then cuffed her to take her to Pike (who might have killed her). She was meek and submissive to him in that scene (albeit trying to manipulate a dangerous man) and they’ve been writing her as no challenge to Bellamy ever since.
Clarke will not challenge Bellamy over his behaviour or his actions. This is a Problem. If they’re doing it to ease the way for a future romance in series 5, it will be over Clarke’s broken and defeated persona that no longer fights back but waits, as she more or less did here, for Bellamy to deliver his ‘hero shot’ – because…he’s ‘special.’
Also: why was Clarke on that trip and not Monty? You know, useful Monty who can actually help Raven? Maybe some other science-y engineers we don’t know about? People who might be able to assess whether Becca’s 12 level (isn’t it?) lab might be suitable as a shelter? I don’t know…the whole let’s take this shiny old rocket in space to make Night blood is so convoluted…Becca’s lab clearly had (artificial) gravity, so…what was so special about making the stuff in space? When you’re on a space station you are in a ‘freefall’ not a zero-g environment. Could it be done underwater, in a tank? It’s just an insane story development and, yes I went off on another tangent.
After an early morning discussion with @femininenachos about how Clarke has more chemistry with a drawing than she ever will with Bawbag Blake….I present Clawing (portmanteau courtesy of Nachos)
Can you believe Clarke has more chemistry with a drawing on a wall than with Blorp? Wow. Amaze.
I’m waiting for the memes about how sad Sleeping Picture!Lexa can’t see Clarke’s boobs or Sleeping Picture!Lexa being confused over those strange noises in Clarke’s room.
Or the angsty ones where Sad Sleeping Picture!Lexa listens to Clarke call out her name, hears her cry, hears her moan – and can do nothing but pretend she’s in a Sondheim musical about Artist!Clarke feeling lost and unable to make Art now that Lexa is gone (Sunday in the Ark with Clarke?). She’s sings sad, but brilliantly rhymed songs about how lonely it is on the wall, not even in colour, not even finished, how she longs to open her eyes and see the world again how life is so diminished and –
I may have gone overboard with this head canon. Excuse me.
OK anonymous stranger on the internet super qualified to judge writing quality. Do I believe it? Let me tell you something…if they kidnapped us, put us both in a room, told us to write something to save our lives, and that they were going to shoot the worst writer of the two I promise you that by the end of the day I’d have convinced them to shoot him not just once, but twice.
😃You are amazing, i love your work.
Don’t tell them how a Xena fan fiction writer (Melissa Good) actually wrote for the show (some Xena ff writers went on to be published professionally).
In fact, fan fiction writers do go professional (some already are, they just don’t want you to know it).
Oh, definitely NEVER bring up that some Clexa fan fiction receives more views (individually and collectively) than most books on the bestseller lists are able to sell hard or digital copies (3,000 – 9,000 copies is all it takes to get on a bestseller list). It’s arguable more people have read more fan fiction than have actually watched the series (16 – 13 episodes a season and how much fan fiction is there?).
If you want to be successful in Hollywood, you could probably spend years sucking up to enough people to get a job, without much in the way of qualification, either (I’ve never seen a showrunner with so little reported experience), or you could learn your craft, build up a following and, if you desire, seek professional representation.
The work that goes into producing 200k page fan fiction is no different than what JK Rowling put in or what Stephen King puts in or anyone else, for that matter.
There is so much fan fiction in this world, right now, if you could publish each one (and I’m not saying you should) in a hard format, you could probably fill a few libraries a few times over – all over the world.
For some, fan fiction is a serious form of literature and deserves respect, certainly the writers do. There used to be a time when it was extremely difficult to publish fan fiction anywhere. But fans have fought for and studios and copyright holders have recognised that fan works are serious business (they are also free advertising) and nothing to scoff at.
It is important, too, to understand that fan fiction is, basically, punk. It is rebellion. It has helped queer people and POC find their voice and find community and respect. It has helped create positive representations of minorities where so little exists in ‘professional’ media.
I do realise the anon is just trolling Clexas, looking for a response – and really, they don’t deserve it – but fan fiction is always worth talking about and any opportunity is a good one.
Chapter Two – Daedalus in the Labyrinth is now up.
A visit to the past with a little history of ‘the flame’ and what might be at stake.
Her mother’s gentle fingers are rubbing the sticky liquid into the
crook of her arm. She knows what comes next, knows she won’t really
feel it.
She wants to talk to Jake, tell him she’s met Clarke
already. Tell him how beautiful his daughter is, how strong and wise and
how in love with her she is.
Summary courtesy of @gramjams: ‘Clarke is an evil temptress.’
*
So this chapter got so fucking huge that I decided to split it into two, with the second part to follow very shortly (and I mean that genuinely; it’s not going to be another two months’ wait!) I hope you guys enjoy it…
This chapter made me gayer @femininenachos. Ontari should have her own ‘smut shaming’ section on the next podcast….she gives me life!
This may be my most favourite chapter yet: I laughed, I gasped, I cold showered….it’s just perfect. Bravo Nachos x
The Doctor Is Out 