Seven stages
This is not the story but a therapy session because I feel cheated and there are things I need to get off my chest before launching into the story proper, so bear with me please? Also sorry if I state the obvious.
I'm writing a one shot and it will be the next chapter so don't feel like you have to read this first, it's more to help me so I can continue with my other stories without feeling like there's no point because of the ending of Skins Fire. It might be of interest, it might be incoherent ramblings.
There were a lot of positives from Skins Fire. As a piece of drama I thought it was really high quality, both in terms of the script and the acting, Kaya, Kat but especially Lily were outstanding. It was beautifully shot and even the ending Naomily scenes, although not the outcome we wanted, were beautifully poignant.
The beauty of Naomily in gen 2 was that as well as being lesbians they were depicted as a couple, they were part of a group of friends, they weren't perfect, they had ups and downs like anyone, but the strength of their love got them through in the end. That came across really well in Fire, maybe even more so because now they were clearly both very comfortable with their sexuality and they were living apart.
The brief scenes Naomily featured in confirmed a lot of what I love about them - their sweetness when they were giggling and taking the piss out of Effy and Jake at the dinner party, the silly faces, the massive sexual chemistry as evidenced by the vocal off screen sex scene, how Naomi was so proud of Emily when she was looking at her photos, the whole airport scene and don't even get me started on Naomi's mouthed 'thank you' to Effy as Emily sobbed in her lap. But more on that in the story proper.
In some ways I also thought it was fitting that Naomi was shown as the strong one, the protector of Emily, the one who was vocal about how they were Naomi and Emily, nothing else matters because they love each other. During S3&4 it was Emily who was sure right until S4Ep8 when Naomi confessed she'd always known Emily was the love of her life too.
All of these things are why we fell in love with the characters, why they mean so much to a lot of people and are common themes in a lot of the fanfic stories. For me, their story and the way it unfolded resonated a lot especially how meeting someone you just know you're meant to be with can often give you the strength needed to admit you're gay, even if it is a bumpy or scary ride at first.
Which is why the ending was so upsetting and generated such feeling - we knew it wasn't just about Naomi dying, Emily is never going to be the same again either, just as Naomi feared on the roof.
I've watched it a few [ok lots] more times and after my outrage/ upset had dissipated I realised what really, really bugged me wasn't the ending as such, devastating as it was. It was the fact that this deserved to be a whole Naomily story. Tearing them apart had the biggest impact in Skins Fire, so the fact it was done as a side story, didn't do it or these iconic characters the justice they deserved.
Then I started to think about why skins did it this way and a few thoughts occurred to me. One I cynically think they knew the ratings would be a lot higher if they could bill it as Effy's story but shoe in Naomily. Don't get me wrong, I love Effy, but insider trading, topical as it is, isn't exactly thrilling is it? It's no coincidence this is the last series, ratings fell steadily after S4, and they clearly know gen 2 characters were the most popular as two of the stories feature four of them.
Also, if it was a Naomily episode in its own right, there would be difficulty in getting some of the important cast back. For instance, there's no way Gina wouldn't be there – but I doubt Olivia Coleman would return given how successful she is.
I also wondered about Lily and Kat's feelings about the characters, I think they're both really proud to have been associated with skins, but to them it's in the past. In some of the interviews, both post s4-8 and pre fire, they seem to be a bit puzzled at how much people love and are devoted to Naomily and how this sometimes translates to reactions to them as people. Kat was really quick to say she found it odd when people told her or Lily they loved them, because people didn't know them and they are nothing like Emily and Naomi in real life. They also suggested that they thought their acting in S3&4 was appalling, so this was a much better showcase for them. Kat describes herself primarily as a photographer these days and Lily has appeared in other things so I can understand as actors how something more meaty and a chance to final close the door on characters who'd become a phenomenon in their own right might be appealing, especially if you don't want to lose out on work because everyone thinks of you as Naomi or Emily from skins years after it finished.
Then I got to thinking about the range of stories on the FF website. Although there are some that offer alternative versions of particular skins episodes, the vast majority are AU and yes they use scenes or snippets of dialogue from S3&4, but they take on a life of their own. The possibilities are endless and therefore it's more the essence of Naomi or Emily that is depicted rather than a faithful resemblance to what happens to them in the series. As long as they feel like the characters we know and love, anything can happen to them and we find it believable. This is also true of the other gen 2 characters, for example I often have Naomi and Effy as flat mates or best friends and that was way before Fire just because it felt right to me. How many Keffy stories exist? That was never something that featured in the series but people write about it as a development because they enjoy writing the dynamic.
There has been a lot of criticism of "delusional, crazy skins fans" and maybe some of the reaction was extreme, but I'm going to take Skins Fire for what it was - one of the possible endings Naomily could have, but someone else's story no different to the wide variety found all over this site. The fact it was the "official tv one" is irrelevant - look at how many variations there were after the end of S4, it didn't stop people writing different paths for the pair of them, so nor should this.
So I'm writing a one shot that will be posted here as chapter 2, based on what happens after Emily finds out and then post hospital scenes, because I do think it was skimmed over in the episode, when much more should have been made of them as key characters not as a side story.
Thanks for listening if you still are, maybe you agree or maybe not. But either way thank you Skins for showing us where brunette Naomily ended up and it was pretty amazing, but you'll have to excuse me after this as I need to get back to my stories where there's a blonde and a redhead with a world of possibilities ahead of them.
If that makes me delusional, so be it.
