so in 3x07 I always saw it as Lexa pulling Clarke towards the bed, and then further pulling her down on top of her. Am I seeing it wrong? I guess that's why I always wondered why everyone saw Lexa as such a "bottom." While she does seem rather submissive, she seemed quite willing to initiate. Would love to know what you think??
You’re not wrong at all. She puts her hand behind Clarke’s neck and yes, she does pull her down on top of her.
(x) And yes, Lexa seems “submissive” during the love scene, and she is such an emotional mess throughout the whole thing that it’s easy to label her as a bottom. Not to mention that Clarke is a fucking top (I’m not really that into the top/bottom thing but Clarke Griffin is a top.)
That said… I think many people tend to forget the context of that scene? It’s after the betrayal. Lexa betrayed Clarke. But more than the political betrayal, she hurt Clarke. She hurt her horribly and she knows: she knows so much of Clarke’s pain is because of what she did. So indeed, she does everything she can to make amends. But, and this is so important to me, she never asks Clarke to forgive her. She knows she has no right to ask for that. After what she did, she doesn’t think it’s her right to ask Clarke for anything. Not for forgiveness, least of all for Clarke to love her back. How doesn’t she see that Clarke is in love with her? Easy, she doesn’t think she deserves that love. Of course hope dies last, so a part of her can’t help but wish for Clarke to reciprocate, but honestly, I’ve never seen their interactions in Polis as Lexa trying to win Clarke’s heart back. Her most “selfish” request was asking Clarke to stay in Polis during 3.07, and even then, I have no doubt she was asking that simply because she loves being with Clarke, even if in the most innocent way. I don’t think she wanted more time to increase her chances of getting Clarke to love her back. As I said, she thinks she destroyed her chance.
Anyway, why the digression, you ask? Because all that heavily plays into Lexa’s behavior during the love scene. Right from the start. (x)
She is completely and utterly taken aback by Clarke’s kiss! She was saying goodbye to her, she wasn’t expecting Clarke to kiss her, she wasn’t expecting Clarke to want to kiss her. And indeed, when Clarke dives back into the kiss, Lexa doesn’t reply immediately. Apart from the shock, she probably wonders what that kiss meant. If it was just in the heat of the moment, if Clarke wants to stop, if she regrets it. But then Clarke kisses her again, she makes it very clear that she wants what is happening, and after another second of hesitation, look at the switch in Lexa’s body language.
She doesn’t just respond to Clarke, she pulls her in and then pushes against her. And even beyond that, if you notice she actually initiates every kiss, she’s the farthest thing from submissive. Now that she knows she can, she physically gives vent to her repressed feelings. You literally see her hunger for Clarke because her mouth and her hands and her entire body chase after Clarke. Again and again. Clarke actually does little apart from untying Lexa’s shirt. And this is the first perfect example of how layered Lexa is, even when it comes to sex. She takes control of the kiss, but at the same time lets Clarke do what she wants with her. Like Lexa put it when she was talking about Costia, she is Clarke’s. She won’t take any more than Clarke is willing to give but she won’t do it passively. Just look at how she turns the tables after Clarke’s first kiss. Lexa is far from submissive.
There is another moment when she becomes hesitant again, though.
The shot makes it a little hard to see, but look at Lexa’s face. She was lost in the kiss merely seconds ago, but the moment Clarke puts distance between them, Lexa immediately opens her eyes and searches Clarke’s face. She doesn’t try to kiss her again, she doesn’t try to get closer. She just follows Clarke’s lead. Why? Because she’s a bottom? No, I don’t think so. I think it goes back to what I said earlier. Lexa only takes what she gets from Clarke and doesn’t ask for more because after what she did to Clarke, to her it’s unbelievable enough that Clarke wants her back. And precisely because she struggles to believe it, she isn’t sure to what extent Clarke wants her. So she stops when it seems that Clarke is stopping (when lol, she was actually just leading Lexa to the bed) and waits to see what Clarke wants. Does this make her a huge bottom? I think it simply makes her incredibly thoughtful and respectful of Clarke and her boundaries. (x)
Even after she sat on the bed, she instinctively leans towards Clarke again, but she doesn’t go forward. She waits. With love and wonder and hunger in her eyes, she waits to make sure that Clarke has no doubt or regret or that she simply doesn’t want to stop, that Clarke wants this as much as she does (ps I find it so freaking cute that Clarke nods at her at the same time, like she’s asking “You want to?” to Lexa). And once she is sure, Lexa doesn’t hesitate anymore and she pulls Clarke on top of her.
So in the end… I think it depends on the circumstances. She is more than ready to take the initiative but she’s also willing to give up control. To me it’s a little more layered than just her being a top/bottom. One thing i have no doubt about though, is that this lady absolutely w o r s h i p s Clarke in bed :)
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