shhhhh, I don’t care… (except when I do)

CLARKE GRIFFIN & BELLAMY BLAKE

For six years, he made them vitally central to the story. In a story that grew increasingly more symbolic of an epic, he made their dynamic thematically essential as nomon & nontu, the mother and father of this new age of humanity. He made them transcendent without the need for nonsensical, retconning sci-fi. He made the story dependent upon the success of their partnership. He gave them depth. He gave them nuance. He gave them structure. He inched them closer together in planned, measured increments. He suffused within their development, widely-recognizable romantic tropes and countless parallels to established couples. They grew. They fell. They broke. They rebuilt. He made them strong. He gave them evolution.

This was the norm for every season, without fail, consistent for six years.

That is a lot of effort and screentime to expend on alleged carrot-dangling meant for only one subset of shippers. If his ambition was the same with the CLs utilizing the same method, he put in considerably, ludicrously, less work to keep them on the hook than he did for our viewership. They had posthumous, blink-and-you’ll-miss-them namedrops and likenesses. Before S7, we were bestowed with the dignity of a cardinal love story constructed with care.

six years pass.

then in s5 there would be Tension(TM) after their long separation, thinking the other was dead, they’re different people now, in different relationships with different priorities. cue ANGST, and slowly learning each other again. they find they’d still do anything for each other. become friends again but with a new kind of tension simmering beneath their bond. they’re different, and so they fit together differently now. not in a bad way... just different. more friction. more fire.

which would culminate with almost kisses, confessions to other people, other people calling them out, the just-missing-each-other moments... which would take us through early s5, and then they DO get together near the end of that season. we rejoice. kisses, a hot steamy scene because damn it it’s what i deserve. but then a disaster happens on their watch, and they think it’s because of them. because they were distracted, because of each other.

and they decide maybe they don’t work, that being happy together leads to their people suffering. and they mutually agree (ANGSTILY) to split ways.

then season 6 is about the SEXUAL TENSION(TM) of exes. the fact that you know what they feel like what they taste like how they sound in bed, and that’s a knowledge you share every time you meet eyes. it hangs in every moment of every otherwise business-like interaction. them having weak moments where they end up touching too long, or getting drunk and kissing and then apologizing the next morning. getting jealous. the push and pull and torture of wanting each other so badly but thinking they can’t have it. that they have to keep themselves away from distractions, including their love for each other. that they’ve agreed to do that because the thing that has bonded them together from the very beginning was their love for their people.

then in the final few episodes it would be them forced to work closely together, managing a crisis. stuck in close quarters with no way out, they’d be successful only because they were together, putting their minds together while also enjoying each other’s company. it’d be about realizing they’re not weaker together-- just like before they were separated, they’re so much stronger as a duo. and they get together, PERIODT.

The 100 | Alternate Ending

As Clarke rounded the corner the muffled laughter and chatter became louder. They were there on the beach, building structures and gathering food, just like back in the Dropship days.

Her face fell. She should feel happy that they’d decided to stay for her, but she didn’t. She knew they’d inevitably come to regret that decision. They could have had a life of peace and instead had chosen to live out their mortal lives with her. She was willing to bear it so they didn’t have to and now they were here, wanting to bear it with her. She didn’t want that life. For them or for her.

The soft hum of an engine sounded from behind. Clarke turned away from her friends and watched as the rover emerged from the trees.

Her mouth opened in surprise as she took a few small steps forward. Could it be?

The rover door opened and his familiar silhouette jumped out. He had a backpack over his shoulder and a rifle attached to his belt. He must have been out foraging.

She ran, her legs moving as fast as they could through the sand. Her vision tunnelled so she could see him and only him. Before Bellamy knew what was happening, Clarke’s arms were wrapped around him.

She hugged him tight, taking in his smell, that familiar scent that she knew as well as anything. She pulled away and looked at him to make sure he was real. She didn’t understand how he was here. How was this possible? After what she’d done?

It was him. She was sure of that.

And she knew he’d forgive her as he always did. They’d continue forgiving each other time and time again until the end. That was the life she wanted. That was the life she’d choose.

(2) + their emotional baggage (CLARKE FEELING LIKE EVERYONE WHO LOVES HER DIES WAS NEVER EXPLORED ENOUGH FOR HOW FREQUENTLY THEY CALLED HER THE COMMANDER OF DEATH). ur absolutely right that they lost all depth from s5 onwards & the writers just kept repeating the same buzzwords in every scene bc they didn't care to develop them anymore. i’ve never seen a show waste chemistry and fan devotion like that in my life, jason really thought he did something by tanking his own show out of spite l m a o

oh my god anon YOU GET IT. jason’s an idiot we been knew so let’s put that aside as well as the entirety of s5-7 and focus on the beauty of bellarke’s heyday??? YESSS i just LOVED the fact that in their prime it was like, very clear that they had this deep affection for the other, and they didn’t try to hide it from each other either for ~drama. no. they both knew, and they fought SO fiercely to protect each other, to stay together. for a chance at life by the other’s side. and that was what was tragic. it wasn’t “will they won’t they”, it was “they were, but there just wasn’t time.” like that was their whole arc in season 4

If it had been up to j*son we might have had to deal with Clarke admitting she just now realized she liked Bellamy two seconds into final episode of s7. Or Bellamy only wanting to be with Clarke once e*ho died like PLS.

After killing Cadogan, Clarke takes the test.

She fails, too angry and vengeful after all that has happened.

Once out, she finds the war, and convinces both sides to stand down. Eventually, they both agree, and the infinity loop is broken.

She awakes on the Ark, facing an infinity symbol - she has passed her test, finally, to prove that she is no longer a threat. Her prison sentence - her test - is over. She has passed. She is free.

Clarke finds Bellamy on the Ark. He has passed his test too. She’s not sure what his test was, or what he’s seen, but the look in his eyes tells her the same. 

He found her as she found him. 

The head and the heart. Together.

Bellamy: what happened in the dream?

Clarke: I dreamt I shot you. That I lived the rest of my life without you. It felt so real...

Bellamy: *chuckles* Well, now we KNOW it was just a dream.

Clarke: *raises eyebrow* Because I shot you?

Bellamy: No, I can definitely see you doing that.

Clarke: *rolls eyes* Then why?

Bellamy: *smirks* Because in what universe would you ever choose to live the rest of your life without me?