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amerie-wadia · 1 year

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meg’s obx s3 thoughts (don’t read if you enjoy jiara or don’t want to read spoilers)

overall thoughts:

plot—i’ve said it once and i’ll say it again, i do not care about the gold plot. i like obx for the fun and goofy summer teen vibes with some messy romance and that silliness that we haven’t really seen since season 1 despite tiny one or two line teases of it every so often. i don’t care about the gold and i don’t think anybody should be that rich to have that gold and seeing the kids at the end with all that money just felt SO weird in like a fanfiction i wrote at 13 sort of way. secondly, too much adults this season. yeah i’m an adult and i usually enjoy a good adult pov in a teen show but these adults are off the rails so it’s not like a splash of maturity and groundedness it’s just straight up murder and child ab*se. the only good adults on this show are the heyward parents and we barely got to see them but i’ll give the writers what we did see was so warm and inviting and felt like the only safe space of this entire series. finally, although there’s so much to touch on, the poguelandia bit really broke my suspension of disbelief bc where was the body hair and grease and sunburn?? i know this show is written purely to be a male fantasy but let’s be real.

characters:

pope—number one character third season ina row!! he was amazing and is always amazing. it hurt seeing how pope was hurting because of his breakup with kie but i’m glad they didn’t brush it all over and pretend it was nothing to him the way they wrote it for kie. it also felt realistically in character for the academic burnout and perfectionism to spiral when pope got back and temporarily drops out of school, but i’m so happy that it quickly got resolved of course with the help of popes loving support system. slay baby!!

sarah—babygirl was a standout to me this season. i enjoyed her in s1 and was extremely bored of her in s2 but she came right back around and basically took all the screen time and did not disappoint. i mean, she did cheat on john b and that’s icky but i’m not saying she’s a good person her character was just really fun to watch if that makes sense. i’m still waiting for us to learn ANYTHING about sarah (or kie or any woman on this damn boat show) because right now sarah cameron is just an enigma and not much a human person. but madelyn can act!!

kie—well, i really enjoyed kie in season 1 and i kind of felt meh in s2 and this season i’m just not able to enjoy her character anymore. the rich girl who wants to be edgy thing is getting old and like yeah i get feeling connected to your friends but babes being a “pogue” (i cringe every time i hear it especially at this point in the show) is about growing up with all the cards stacked against you and being a poor kid on a super rich touristy island and like yeah the “kook” kids are rich assholes but kie needs to stop getting so heated when people call her a kook because she is. anyway. i’m sorry but kie is just such a missed opportunity because the writers refuse to give her any sort of dimension besides being a not-like-other-girls girl and literally all of her scenes were either being an unhinged 16 year old trying to go dangerously flee to south or central america or jiara or with rafe cameron and i just couldn’t enjoy any of her scenes. i’ve given up on obx writing even one decent female character.

jj—i can’t stand him anymore. i know, i know, he’s the boy of the moment but at this point he’s gained zero character development and all the other characters are off the rails so he feels so much less banana pants as he did the first season. and again, with no time for goofy silliness his character just faded into the background for me. i would’ve loved to see literally anything in the way of character growth, like he could’ve have a good going back to school ark alongside pope or maybe gotten at job at heywards or anything but all of his scenes were either jb side kick or jiara and his actual character just fell flat for me.

cleo—i want a flushed out female character SO badly!!!!!!!! i can’t wait for fanfic writers to give her some personality of her own because she and pope have fabulous chemistry and i’m rooting for them but i barely know who she is.

john b—he got absolutely played this season. he’s grown on me a lot since season 1 but then he started to beat topper into oblivion and it really brought me right back to not liking this kid. i mean get that he’d just seen his dad murder people and that’s super traumatic but like this show is already enough toxic masculinity and i just need him to find a different way to express himself. i know obx writers are not at all concerned with being socially progressive or conscious in any way shape or form but watching this show as an adult woman is just ~shakes head~

relationships:

sarah and john b—are they married? lmao i don’t remember this at all. the wiki page says not legally so i don’t even know but that seems on brand for the level of chaos that is this show. i feel like they’ve reached a point where they don’t need to be together. like, i’m sorry but if sarah or john b were my friends i’d give them the advice to break up. like jb she cheated on you with an ex at the very first fight. and sarah, please just get with a guy who’s stable and kind and not physically or verbally violent with you or anyone else. plus the chemistry was all off this season so even in their good moments it just felt like a sinking ship to me.

jj and kie—if you follow my blog you know my take on this ship. i tried to go in open minded but the writing was so poor that it didn’t feel natural at all. the thing that really got to me was the “jayj” nickname. i know it was all fanservice and the nickname is popular in the fandom but kie nor anybody else has EVER called him that prior to this season and it just felt so forced and weird. like she’s always called him jj and that’s already a nickname. whatever. i also wonder what actual jiara shippers think because i thought any natural chemistry was crushed with how awful the writing was. don’t get me started on the entire weird dynamic with jj breaking her out and driving her around on his dirt bike in a high speed chase without a helmet on.

pope and cleo—fantastic natural chemistry and probably the most likeable couple this season imo. i wish cleo was flushed out and had her own characterization and layers because they have a lot of potential. they’re fanfic-trope heavy as well but with tropes i like so i’ll allow it. cleo getting along with popes family was so cute to watch and the way she and popes dad joked around was so natural and sweet.

final thoughts:

this was pretty negative and yeah i didn’t know if i was going to even watch the new season because it feeling kind of bored and meh after s2, but i needed something lighthearted to watch and i wanted to see where they were going to go with the story, especially for pope because he really is one of my favorite characters atm. regardless, at this point i don’t know if i’m gonna stick around for the next season or not. it’s really hard to watch a show that is as strong of a male fantasy as this one. like there are no fleshed out female characters, no queer characters, and it’s so hard to relate to what any of these characters are going through because they’re living on deserted islands with shaved legs and bumping off of yachts to and from central and south america to go fight mob bosses and find an ancient city that was so easy to find i was shed of my suspension of disbelief. last thought, the dynamite scene was so wtf because why’d he bring it (1) and (2) for that much money people could just absolutely mine that mountain, so it’s absolutely not “giving up the gold for his son” kind of redemption arc that isn’t possible for his character after all big john has done.

those are my thoughts. argue with me if you want but if you follow my blog you likely agree with some of these takes.

#meg watches obx s3 #obx spoilers #might go back and delete this but needed to get my thoughts out bc nobody in my life watches this show and i need to vent on the web #so many typos but it’s the middle of the night and im on my phone whatever #meg shut up

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steveyockey · 3 years

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Regarding how Supernatural sees and literally portrays its own fans: there are the cringy loser man (who also turn out to be gay which is of course even worse), the straight fetishizing women and the delusional queer fangirls. What I don't understand: where are the fans that Supernatural actually wants? The 'real' fans, the actual target group, so I suppose cool straight dude bros? They're never shown as fans of the show! Because how Supernatural portrays is, it's actually cringe to like Supernatural at all which is funnily just the show shitting on itself (and also true). Or what do you think?

I mean I think you hit the nail on the head, it’s cringe to like supernatural! specifically it’s cringe to like supernatural with a passion, which is funny because like, kripke’s original pitch mentions buffy, the x-files, star wars, properties with active fan communities who rooted for pairings and continue to write fic. it feels like those fans come with the territory! it’s genre fiction! but of course supernatural also came up at the perfect time for its writers to have a better awareness of their fan communities than most of the stuff that came before them, and, what’s more is they chose to do that. becky, demian, and barnes are all names of forum mods from back in the day. they’re mean-spirited caricatures, but they are also currency! in-text acknowledgment! that’s a powerful drug. how mad can you be that you’re getting made fun of for having no life outside a silly tv show that thinks you’re a loser when you’re now a character in that tv show!

it’s difficult to source who supernatural was technically supposed to be for, there’s no actual quote of kripke naming teenage white boys as his target audience, but I did dig up this bad boy from 2009 that suggests dawn ostroff (the cw’s president at the time) was not happy the property pitched as being for males ages 13-25 was instead attracting women 14-45. I mean, we know the first two seasons of supernatural were “the DVDs most requested by armed forces personnel in iraq and afghanistan,” so clearly on some level the “intended audience” was being reached, but it seems at least the perception on the inside was those poor boys were getting massively outflanked by women. there’s a couple levels to this. first of all, the show premiered on the wb. it’s not to say the network couldn’t attempt to attract new viewers (and this was probably part of the intent of the show), but teen soaps were in its dna. they had no way to STOP the women already tuning in for gilmore girls from keeping the tv on another hour. second, though the show is purportedly “about” topics that read as exclusive to men (cars, rock, violence), there’s an obvious appeal to people attracted to men in its casting choices and the way its shot. like jensen didn’t do that fucking titantic necklace ad because he’s the epitome of masculinity, he did it because he was an androgynous dicaprio-type cutie! sure, his look may have been aspirational to teenage boys wanting that same type of attention, but again, there’s no way to prevent women from getting it directly from the source! and for all the show claims to tell us about the single man tear stoicism of it all, dean cries like a little bitch. because he’s not the action hero, not at first! he’s a scared kid who was forced to grow up. and sam’s fucking dean from gilmore girls! he’s got the bangs and the goofy smile! these aren’t the guys the women watching wanted protecting them, they were guys they wanted to provide comfort. and the camera plays into it! as our good friend sheila o’malley puts it, jensen and jared “are objectified in a way usually reserved for female stars.” you can discuss this in terms of a male objectification fantasy, there’s a wonderful post out there equating the compromising positions sam and dean find themselves in on hunts to a sort of bodice-ripper erotic thrill in being taken control of, but that only provides more space for the comfort fantasy. and this is nothing to say of just being interested in the genre! that the attention of female fans is devalued and assumed to have less complexity than the relationship men have to their beloved works. which is CRAZY because lgbt fans and women in fandom are the entire reason supernatural even made it this far! yes, there are swaths of “regular” people at home who watched supernatural in a non-obsessive way, but they weren’t the reason the show saw a 27 percent increase in its audience over the ninth season. that’s passionate fans, and fan communities encouraging passionate fans of other things to join them. supernatural might not have explicitly wanted these fans, but they are the reason for its success at almost any stage of the show’s airing and, while they may have been creating fanwork outside the bounds of the text, their reasons for coming to the show were not invented. what gets me riled up about “fan fiction” is I enjoy 99% of it, the one thing I can’t stand being the suggestion that what the fans are doing is based on a reading of the show the text itself doesn’t support. the text supports it because YOU put it there! just like you put everything else there that already made the show appeal to people outside the “target” audience! all of which is to say. I don’t know who the fuck supernatural was meant for. I don’t really care except in the moments it illuminates something within the text for me or when this idea is wielded effectively in the “ring ring! eric!” type jabs on here. because the show had the audience it had! it didn’t have any other! it took all that fucking con money and continues to do so, I don’t think there’s any better metric than cold hard cash.

#honestlyhaunted #every day i say i will not do fandom studies. and then i do fandom studies. well #spn #answered #rereading this sheila piece before i post it and like wow. this woman makes me feel deeply normal #i understand i am ignoring something here and i am choosing to ignore it so if you send me an ask like 'also this' well. i'll ignore that

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avelera · 3 years

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Part 2 of Let’s All Drag Joss Whedon (Finally) - Joss Whedon Doesn’t Accept the Premise (And that’s why he struggles with modern superhero franchises)

Part 1 - “Break the Cutie” aka Whedon’s just writing his fetish over and over and people are just beginning to figure that out

So apparently, Joss Whedon’s take on “The Justice League” was so horrible even WB’s own execs despised it, and we get some hints as to what they hated from the Vanity Fair article, “The robber on the rooftop—so goofy and awful. The Russian family—so useless and pointless. Everyone knew it. It was so awkward because nobody wanted to admit what a piece of shit it was.”

Now, I have a theory as to what went wrong here, and it’s the same thing that went wrong (for me) with Steve Rogers’ plot line in Age of Ultron, and looking back, in Avengers 1. It goes beyond Whedon just not wanting to continue any other creator’s stories (a gripe for another day) into the fact that AoU and even Avengers 1 feel a bit like, well, the movies that people in the Marvel Universe make about the Avengers. Not events that happened to the actual Avengers as seen in their own films.

It’s because when it’s not his own world, Joss Whedon just doesn’t accept the premise of other people’s fantastical worlds.

What do I mean by “accept the premise”? Another phrase could be “suspend disbelief” or “take it seriously” but what it translates to is being willing to accept even a ludicrous scenario as fact and go from there as a writer, arguably the foundations of writing speculative fiction. I can write for you a heart-wrenching story about a clown who is supernaturally stuck in his clown-car if I just accept the premise enough, because once the silliness of the premise is accepted, we can acknowledge it and move on to the seriousness of the character’s suffering and continue from there. Any ludicrous premise can be played straight if you accept the premise.

Young nerds may not remember, but for all the scattered success of late 90′s/early 00′s sci-fi/fantasy/superhero films there were ten times as many ridiculous failures that all felt like they were self-conscious to even be alive much less daring to subject you to a story about wizards or superheroes for goodness sake. It felt as if the creators themselves were embarrassed to be there. This all changed when films like Lord of the Rings, The Dark Knight, and Iron Man 1 stopped cringing away from the fantasy elements and accepted the premise that fantastical things are happening, that there are heroes in rocket suits and bat costumes saving the world and ok, now that we’ve acknowledged this is a departure from normal reality, we can actually deal seriously with the things happening in these world.

Superhero franchises like Marvel haven’t looked back from this decision! Yes our heroes are in costumes, but Captain America isn’t just a boy scout in spandex, he’s a man who suffered and lost more than most people can comprehend in the course of being frozen in ice for 75 years, and in films like “Winter Soldier” we’re going to deal with that immense suffering, the scars it leaves, and what happens when he discovers his best friend has suffered a fate worse than even he has.

Whedon didn’t want to accept Winter Soldier in AoU. Actually, he didn’t want to accept any of the individual character films in his story, he just picks up right off from Avengers 1 with a few scant nods to the intervening canon. In fact, he outright said he wanted the MCU to be loosely connected one-offs where creators like him could all do their own thing without paying attention to each other.

To me it seems obvious that this was in part because Whedon couldn’t accept Winter Soldier (and, IMO, was jealous of it). He couldn’t accept Cap/Steve Rogers being more than a punchline. He’s always making him into this golden retriever, boy scout, whatever. Tony Stark, for all that he gets better treatment as the “cool”, quippy guy of a Joss Whedon story, also has most of his trauma and PTSD dealt with in his own individual films tossed out the window in favor of him, yeah I’m gonna say it, basically bullying everyone with how smart he is the whole film and generally being obnoxious and unbearable.

The only place serious emotion is allowed to live in a Whedon story set in someone else’s world is when he gets to play out his “Nerd Guy and Battered Strong Female Character” love story, which for Avengers he twisted Nat and Bruce Banner into performing for his fetishistic pleasure. A story that made no objective sense for the characters, that at least Scarlett Johansson protested as not making sense for her character (and she was right) and which required absolutely tortured logic for some of the other characters, like Hawkeye suddenly having a family that was never alluded to previously in order to derail the burgeoning (and actor promoted!) love-story between Hawkeye and Black Widow.

Not that I’m bitter or anything.

My point is, I’m not surprised that given modern superhero films are built on accepting the premise of a superhero world where people where spandex but also feel really bad emotions that we’ve gotta take seriously for the story to work, that Whedon’s 90′s comic book era quippy detachment from all this “silly comic stuff” just doesn’t work. It’s great for the occasional humorous scene but it can’t carry a franchise and it clashes with other creators who are taking the characters, premise, and world seriously.

So while everyone is waking up, shocked, to this realization that Titan of Nerd Culture Joss Whedon can’t carry a modern superhero franchise that takes itself seriously, I admit, I’m kind of sitting here going, “You just figured that out??”

#joss whedon #joss whedon critical #mcu meta

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ranma-rewatch · 4 years

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Episode 1-The Strange Stranger from China/Enter Ranma

Alright, time to really start this thing off with the first episode, “The Strange Stranger from China”. I...don’t remember that being the name of the episode, but it has been about a decade since I last saw the series.

I feel like I remember what happens in this episode pretty well, it should just be an introduction to (some) of the main cast and kick of the dynamic between the two leads, but I could be wrong. Let’s see after the break, once I have rewatched the episode!

Okay first things first, the Opening. Musically, this song has always sat in a weird spot for me. It’s really freaking catchy and memorable, but it’s also kind of annoying? Like, there is a fine line between a great ear worm and a song you actually want out of your head, and “Don’t Make Me Wild Like You” by Etsuki Nishio is like right on that line. There are parts of it I think are adorably entertaining, like the whistle, and other parts where I kind of cringe. It’s not my favorite opening song of the series, but it’s not bad either.

Visually, it is Okay with a capital O. There is a reason Mother’s Basement has never done a feature on it. It is mostly just the cast running in place over pastel backgrounds, and some of them have the coloring that’s very different from what would end up being used later on once they appeared. That said, I have to give infinite props to Akane’s little snapping dance, because it is freaking adorable and I love ever frame of it.

Also, the title. What I said it was earlier, “The Strange Stranger from China”, was what Hulu has it listed as, and from what I can tell that was what it was listed as on DVD. From what I can tell from my expert translator, Mr. Google Translate, it’s kind of similar to the Japanese title, which says it is “He's from China!! A little weird!!”. But in the episode, the dub says the episode is “Here’s Ranma” which is what I remember it being. So...yeah. Apparently at some point they wanted to retcon the english title of the episode, but never changed the dub track to match.

So, what’s the episode about? Hell, what is this show even about? Well, the episode starts with a feminine person with red hair fighting a panda in the street, arguing about being betrothed to someone against their will, while onlookers watch in confusion. Then the panda knocks them out, and carries them away. Cut to the Tendo family estate, where Soun Tendo has received news that Ranma Saotome and his father Genma will soon be coming, and gathers his three daughters to explain the situation.

You see, in addition to being fairly well off in general, Soun is the owner of a dojo for the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, and his best friend and fellow practitioner of the same art, Genma, made an agreement years ago to bind their families in marriage. Thus, Ranma will marry one of Soun’s three daughters. From oldest to youngest, they’re Kasumi, Nabiki, and Akane, who is the only one of the three to practice martial arts herself. When Soun reveals he has never met Ranma and has no idea what he’s like, his daughters are kind of pissed that their dad promised one of them would have to marry him, which is pretty fair.

Instead of the middle-aged man and teenage boy they expected, the red-head from before is dragged in by the panda, and they explain they are Ranma Saotome, to everyone’s confusion. Based on their body, everyone assumes Ranma is a girl, and Ranma and Akane actually become fast friends, sparring in the dojo. But after Akane has a surprise bathroom encounter with a very masculine Ranma that involves him seeing her naked, and vice versa, they learn the truth.

See, Ranma and his dad were in China training when they visited Jusenkyo, a seeming hot spring tourist trap, only to each fall in a different spring while practicing fighting there. Turns out all the water there is cursed because things kept drowning in the springs a long time ago. Now they’re both cursed. They each transform when cold water is poured on their heads, into a feminine body for Ranma and a panda’s body for Genma, and turned back with hot water.

Once that’s all out in the open, everyone except Ranma and Akane thinks that, since Akane doesn’t like guys, she would be the perfect fiance for Ranma since he is ‘half girl’. Akane is still upset with Ranma, both because she has a lot of issues with men and feels betrayed that Ranma never said he was really a guy, and also because he saw her naked. Ranma claims it isn’t a problem because he can look at himself anytime and he’s more stacked, and the dynamic of Akane hitting Ranma for the asshole-ish things he says is born.

So, lots of stuff to talk about for an analysis. I think I’ll go with a compliment sandwich, bundling up what was rough for me around what I liked or thought was particularly interesting. To start with, aside from a few places where there was clear corner-cutting of reusing animation and kind of needless flashbacks, I liked the animation. The original mangka, Rumiko Takahashi, has really great character designs, and I love seeing her personal art style brought to life by the animation of Studio DEEN, a group I am not super used to complimenting.

In terms of plot, I think it’s a pretty strong opener. It introduces a lot of the main cast, even if some of them are depicted fairly broadly and not shown as the characters they’d one day become. This might sound odd, but I also really appreciate how female nudity is handled. Maybe it’s just because, if anything, the way most anime handle ‘fanservice’ has just gotten more and more over-the-top as the years go by, but the way Ranma 1/2 handled it feels like a breath of breath air.

See, in most modern anime, full blown nudity of either sex is never shown. Instead, feminine characters’ bodies are incredibly sexualized, with lots of emphasis put on the breasts and other body parts, without ever giving the full game away. By contrast, this episode contained several example of the feminine form shown completely nude, but it wasn’t treated like some mind-blowingly sexy thing, it was just kinda shown without much fanfare. I’ve currently watching the original Mobile Suit Gundam, which came out around the same time, and it actually does the same thing a few times. It feels more similar to how nudity is treated in, say, paintings or sculpture, more tasteful, and I just kind of think it’s neat.

What is definitely less neat...is the music. If I had to throw out right away my biggest gripe with the show, it is the OST. Not all of it, there are a few bits near the end of the episode that are actually really good, they’re the kind of music I remember being in the show. But the more silly, goofy tracks more common in the first half of the episode really don’t work for me. They remind me of the generic ‘Silly Person’ theme songs from the Ace Attorney games, and maybe it’s just me, but those kind of background music always take me out of the experience and grate on my nerves. That’s actually my only big issue so far, but it did make both times watching this episode genuinely hard to get through at points, it annoys me that much.

Now, I will say right now that I will be referring to Ranma using male pronouns regardless of whether he’s in his cursed form or not, and I won’t call him a ‘girl’ or a ‘woman’. If you didn’t know, sex and gender are not actually the same thing, so even if his physical sex is changed to fit someone who would be Assigned Female at Birth, his internal gender doesn’t change. No matter how Ranma looks, he thinks of himself as a man.

Corollary to that, it was this time going through this episode that I realized something that I’d never thought of before: Ranma’s experience in this episode, and in some ways throughout the series, is actually a lot like that of a transgender man’s. Ranma shows up at the Tendo’s estate and they all see him as a girl because of how he looks, only for him to reveal his actual gender. When he’s hanging out with Akane, and she thinks he is actually a girl, and they’re getting along, there’s a part where she tells Ranma that she’s so happy he turned out not to be a boy, and you can see Ranma’s facial expression, he doesn’t want to hear that. Clearly, yes, you can read that as Ranma wincing at the fact that she’s in for a rude awakening later on, but it also gives off the same kind of vibes closeted trans people experience when they’re misgendered by people they know.

In fact, when you think about how his curse really affects Ranma, when he’s in his cursed form, he effectively is a trans man. He still identifies as a guy, but his body has been changed so that it no longer represents who he sees himself as inside. It just felt like an interesting real life parallel in this episode, and I’m interested to see if I feel it shows up more later on. But for now, let’s move on to character spotlight.

For the first spotlight, I thought I should center on the titular Ranma Saotome. Obviously this won’t be the only time I focus on him, he’ll get more spotlight pieces as the series develops, so right now I’ll try to focus on the Ranma we see in just this one episode.

To start with, who plays him? Well, that’s a funny story, actually. Not only does Ranma, due to his curse, have different voice actors in each language for his cursed and non-cursed forms, but in the English Dub they recast his masculine body’s voice actor after three seasons. I’ll talk about that voice actor, Richard Ian Cox, once we get to when he actually becomes Ranma’s voice actor, so let’s start with the masculine form’s VA’s.

Now, the Ranma I first met when I was a teenager was Sarah Strange, a Canadian Voice Actress who is not known for much else. Her Ranma has mostly been the one I think of in my head when I think of the character. A little nasaly, her take on the character is very average joe, very ordinary high schooler. There’s some brashness to it, sure, but it’s actually kind of a subdued version of Ranma. Looking at it now, I actually feel like both of Ranma’s masculine form’s voice actors don’t quite fit the character, but for opposite reasons. Sarah Strange’s voice is so normal sounding that it dampens the more extreme parts of his character, Ranma at his most arrogant and egotistical. Like I said, I’ll cover Richard Ian Cox when he takes over the role, but I’ll say in brief here that his version of Ranma is the polar opposite, too over-the-top and aggressive.

In contrast, his original Japanese voice actor, Kappei Yamaguchi, feels a lot better to me, at least so far. Again, this is basically my first time seeing the series subbed, so I’ve only heard him for one episode as opposed to the 3 seasons I had with Sarah Strange. Still, Kappei’s take on Ranma is just as normal sounding as Sarah’s, but I felt like I could already hear a little more of the more emotional side of the character I felt Sarah never quite managed to capture properly.

As for Ranma’s cursed form, I was kind of confused, because the voice I was hearing in the episode wasn’t the one I remembered. For a while, I thought she must have just grown into the role over time, but it turns out that is not the case. For the first six episodes of the show, he was played by Brigitta Dau, who was then replaced with Venus Terzo. Now, I did not know this until literally right now, as I am typing this, so I feel like I don’t actually have much to say about Brigitta. Her performance felt a little off to me, but not bad. Venus, though, really owns the role once she takes over. Her performance as red-headed Ranma has always felt perfect for me, selling the idea that this is a teenage guy in a feminine body, and she’s really good at selling Ranma at his most dickish.

In Japanese, this form of Ranma is played by Megumi Hayashibara. Now, I would never ever say she did a bad job, but from what I saw of her in this episode, I don’t know how much I actually like her as Ranma. Maybe it’s just the pitch of her voice, but she doesn’t sound quite to me like a guy in a feminine body, but just like a very emotional teenage girl. Of course, I do not speak Japanese and it’s a lot harder to really judge acting in a language you don’t understand, so I could be spouting utter nonsense, but that’s my thoughts on her as of this episode.

In terms of Ranma’s character, they don’t really give much away with this first episode. We know he’s a good fighter, has a difficult relationship with his father, doesn’t like his curse and wants to get rid of it, and has enough stubbornness to butt heads with Akane and stand his ground. I also felt like they did a good job telegraphing Ranma’s general fighting style during his sparring match with Akane. He spent the entire time dodging her attacks with incredible ease, which emphasizes his speed. Generally speaking, I’d describe Ranma as a very agile, thinking-on-his feet kind of fighter, but that’s something we’ll see more of in later episodes. I was going to do a big thing about his personality, but I feel like anything more than what I’ve said hasn’t really borne out in what we have, so I’ll wait for another time to do that.

Like I said in my Introduction post, I will be ranking each episode as they appear, and as this is the only one I’ve seen in the rewatch, it is both the best one and the worst one so far. The real question is how it will stand up next time, when I’ll be able to compare it to the second episode, “School is No Place for Horsing Around”. See you then!

#episode 1 #here's ranma #the strange stranger from china #ranma 1/2 #ranma saotome #akane tendo #lgbtq #anime analysis #anime rewatch

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babyboy-bangtan · 4 years

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The Moments In Between Chapter 1

As you become close friends with BTS, you begin to realize that the feelings you have for them are slowly turning into something you're not ready to deal with. Unbeknownst to you, the same is happening to them.

✦ Pairing: Sub!BTS/Female Reader ✦ Word Count: 1.5K ✦ Rating: M ✦ Warnings: None. ✦ A/N: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of my imagination or used in a fictitious manner. This is the second part of a series. To read the first part, visit the link below. Read on AO3 / Part One: By Chance

Prelude

Becoming friends with you has been one of the easiest things Junkook has ever done— especially considering how long he spent thinking it would never be possible. Going from being your fan to actually becoming close to you was definitely not something he expected, but after you met him and the others for the first time, it took very little time to simply make sense to be your friend. He stopped seeing you as an unreachable, flawless figure and began to get to know you as a human being instead, and he is so grateful for having the chance to do that. You're becoming special to him, in more ways than one— but he isn't willing to think about that for now. He's just so happy to have someone like you in his life, someone who listens to him and makes him feel so nice inside.

As for the rest of them, they all have their own personal experiences with you. At first you'd only text with Jimin and Jungkook, but slowly the rest of them started to be included in conversations, and then one thing led to another and you ended up being added to a group chat, as well as having private conversations almost all of them.

It didn't take long for Jimin to realize how much fun you have when making him get flustered. That actually comes from the fact that he does his best to try and get a reaction from you, and whenever he does your response is always something bold and he gets embarrassed immediately. It doesn't stop him from trying over and over again, because if there's one thing he knows is that he loves the thrill of waiting for anything you might say whenever he sends you a message, a selfie or a video of himself being— or trying to be— charming. However, he figured out early on that you have a weakness, and that's him— well, any of them, really— being cute. If he whines, pouts, or even sends you pictures with a cute filter on he knows you'll basically short-circuit and he'll be able count it as a victory for himself. Jimin knows very well that he likes you, that he's deeply attracted to you, but he's known that ever since he saw your picture for the first time months ago. He also knows there's nothing he can do about it except having a little fun and then returning to the real world where he remembers you're just their friend, and that's all you can ever be.

When it comes to Hoseok, he's simply delighted to be friends with you. You are lovely and have an incredibly playful personality that you only let your closest friends fully experience, and thankfully that includes all of them now. His favorite thing is how fast he can make you laugh with his silly voices or theatrics, and how much you love to join in when he feels like being goofy in front of you and the others. Sometimes they see it as cringe-worthy, but of all the times you've been with them there hasn't been a single one when you haven't joined him on the fun whenever he played around. He's laughed with you so many times that it's not possible to count them— and you also are affectionate with him in ways that you haven't quite reached with the rest. He's often the first one you hug and the only one you hug randomly— much to Jimin and Jungkook's dismay— and sometimes it takes you a while to let go of him. Hoseok doesn't mind it at all— he loves being affectionate.

Taehyung knew early on that he wanted to be friends with you. Before you met, he'd seen only a couple of your movies and the only things he knew about you were that you were beautiful— because he has a pair of working eyes— and that you were nice— because Jungkook said it so often that it was impossible to not accept it as the truth. When they all met you for the first time, Taehyung immediately had a good feeling about you. You were incredibly open and kind, even going as far as telling him a story your own SNL debut he later found out wasn't even known by the public— and on the day of the episode you got them the most beautiful flower arrangement he'd ever seen. Jungkook kept one of every flower pressed inside a book along with the card you made them, but Taehyung took one for himself as well. He keeps it as a reminder of when you'd made them feel all accepted, because that was all he needed to welcome you into their life with open arms. Also, the fact that you've always said yes to him cuddling you when he falls asleep might have a little something to do with it.

To Namjoon, you were little more than Jungkook's object of affection for quite some time. He had seen one of your movies before Jungkook knew you existed, but even though he really liked it he didn't really go and search for more information about it— like who the actors were. It was just a movie he enjoyed. When Jungkook started talking about you and sharing things about you, Namjoon thought it was adorable. When all of them had a movie night where they watched one of your movies on Netflix, Namjoon finally realized that Jungkook was absolutely right in saying you were pretty, and that you were even more of a good actress than he remembered. That night had been slightly awkward— there were several sex scenes and you walked around in your underwear very often— but after they were done Namjoon found himself realizing he wouldn't mind if they ever got to meet you, and this time it wasn't just because he knew it would make Jungkook and Jimin happy. And when they did, you definitely shattered any expectations he might have had and made him see why Jungkook had liked you so much in the first place. You were warm, kind, sweet, funny and had such a casual confidence about yourself that he couldn't help but understand why he had developed a crush on you. And then, once you became friends, he realized you weren't all those things only— you were also insightful and smart, and every time he got to have a conversation with you he enjoyed it tremendously.

Jin is a special case, and he knows it. He's constantly torn between knowing very well he wants to be your friend because you're amazing and you actually have a lot similar interests, and feeling incredibly guilty over having done that years ago to a scene you were the protagonist of. Part of him wishes he could just tell you 'hey, I'm so sorry but I masturbated to you choking a guy like a thousand times when I was young, can we be friends now?' but he knows you'll think he's a pervert and you might even decide to not talk to any of them again, and they'll all probably kill him for it. He still talks to you— it's simply too hard to resist when you're so nice to him or when you tell him things like how contagious and amazing his laugh is— but he can't help but wonder what things would be like if he had jerked off to porn like a normal person years ago instead; maybe then you'd be even closer than you are now. It's too bad there's nothing he can do about it now.

Finally, Yoongi. Yoongi's feelings about you are so complex they are borderline incomprehensible. None of the others know about his internal battle over the way he feels about you being their friend, even though they do know he's the one you interact with the least. He's the only one you don't text with privately, the one you hug for the shortest amount of time and sadly, the one you talk to the least. He can't honestly blame it on the language barrier even though he usually tries— you find ways to talk to the rest of them without a problem— because he knows the blame lies on him. He simply finds himself not knowing how to act around you way too often; he can't be like Jungkook who is sweet to you or Jimin who is a flirt, or like Hoseok who is constantly hugging you or Taehyung who keeps asking you for cuddles whenever he wants to nap and you're around like it's not a big deal— how on earth can he ask that so nonchalantly?— or like Jin who, even though he can't speak English that well, somehow finds new ways to tell you his dad jokes and makes you laugh every time. And he sure as hell can't be like Namjoon, who has long, profound talks with you— even though so many of the things you've shared with them feel like it's you holding a mirror to his own mind. It's too much for him to handle; it's not that he doesn't want to let you in his life the same way the rest of them have already, it's just that he doesn't know how to.

Even though their feelings for you come in all shapes and sizes, the one thing they all agree on and know for a fact is that they want you to be in their life— and they hope you stay in it for a long time.

Part 2 is here! This is an introduction that covers a moment where the reader’s friendship with the boys has developed quite a bit, but in the following chapters we’ll be looking at how that happened exactly :)

Comments, reblogs, asks, anything you want is more than welcomed! Thank you all for reading!

#sub!bts #sub!idol #bts x reader #jeon jungkook x reader #park jimin x reader #kim taehyung x reader #kim seokjin x reader #kim namjoon x reader #jung hoseok x reader #min yoongi x reader

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mitamicah · 4 years

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Wanna learn something about me - well here’s a few of my favourite characters and what they say about me

Some of my favourite characters are Nico di Angelo (PJU), Percy Jackson (PJU), Alex Fierro (PJU/Magnus Chase), Magnus Chase (PJU/Magnus Chase), Kell aka ‘The Path of Thousand Stars’ (Spellslinger), Castiel (Supernatural) and Jack Kline (Supernatural), Jack Frost (RoTG), Barley Lightfoot (Onward).... Probably many, many more I cannot remember. So�� what do they all say about me:

Nico is my dark, sad child and I will protect him at all cost. He is all dark facade but a marshmallow inside and just too precious for this world. I can relate strongly to his fashion sense (black never goes out of style) and I probably too am a much bigger softie than I let on.

In kind of a similar vein we have Jack Frost. There’s something about Jack’s insecurities and hopes and dreams that is so appealing to me and has been from the very start; It may have something to do with my identity as a female Asperger/Autisic. In a world not geared to have me in it I am used to putting up a social mask for people to see not showing my struggles. While this works most of the time, like Jack I can find my world come crashing down if I am not careful taking care of myself. A side note unrelated to everything; I have always loved the name Jack :’D

Castiel and Jack (yes, another Jack) are such uniquely naive and good-hearted characters. They’ll stay by your side till the end and back - and gosh they are honest and so goofy in their honesty. At the same time both of them have the capability to be fierce, strong willed and scarily badass when somebody threatens their friends. As a hufflepuff valuing honesty, hardwork and kindness over everything else I relate to these two very much. Also especially Jack’s almost stupidly trust and awkward conversation skills hits close to home.

Percy, Magnus and Kell I love for their quirky sense of humour and their sassy nature. Deep under all my hufflepuff fluff I may have a sassy side, who knows. Not only are a good bunch of my own characters sassy bastards then there’s these three. I relate more strongly to Magnus the healer who acts tough but is really a softie and a nonfighter - that me. Kell is kind of like Magnus in the sense that he is so sassy and snarky yet he is actually not that good a magician/fighter. I can relate to being quite awkward and incapable of things physically especially motorical.

Next we have Alex Fierro, the badass genderfluid shapeshifter and Magnus’ significant other. I love her (I will be using she/her pronounces in this post since she is described to be mostly female but with male days I am sorry in advance if this is considered rude it is not my intention) wit and her way of interacting with the world and her gosh darn green hair! I have wanted green hair myself so badly but the one time I tried it turned blue after half a day. I also enjoy that the is LGBT and proud and how she is the first genderfluid character I ever read about and I love learning more about the community myself being asexual.

(I couldn’t find a gif here please accept my silly little drawing of Alex from last year :’D)

Barley is my newest favourite. As a older sibling I relate to him so much it almost hurts. I love how enthuthiast he is not only about his hobbies and passions but also as a brother to Ian. I may be projecting but I see a lot of myself and my sister’s relationship mirrored in the brothers; I am the older, chubbier, more introverted yet often loud (in the right settings), passionate about my hobbies and feel supportive about my sister maybe to a fault - my sister on the other hand wants to be more sociable, orderly and has a tendency to cringe about both me and my mother’s actions in public calling us embarrasments (I seldom was allowed to hang out with her and her friends when they were over because of this). Also again I love Barley’s sense of style. Oh and I snack a lot - my favourite snack is probably liquorice.

So yeah that’s my list; hope you enjoyed it ^V^

#the best way of talking about myself is basically through my favourite characters #this is part of my 'about me' page but I thought you'd like to see it on its own as well #I hope you found it useful and interesting #personal things #inspirations #favourite characters

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fandomwritingsgalore · 6 years

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Heads Up for a Fairytale (Chris Evans x Reader)

Pairing: Chris Evans x Female!Reader

Warnings: Cavity inducing fluff, slight cursing, bit more angst in this chapter

Part: 3/??, Read more here

Description: Reader and her friend take a trip to Walt Disney World and happen to run into one Chris Evans while waiting in line to board Space Mountain. To pass the time you decide to play the game “Head’s Up.” From pop culture references, flirty looks and Chris being his silly flirty self, you never thought waiting in a line could be so much fun. But the Disney magic has to end eventually…doesn’t it?

Author’s Note: This chapter tends to lean a little more heartwarming than previous, but I want reader and Chris to explore their connection. But, also Star Lord is a favorite of mine so I had to play with his character. Y/N = Your Name, Y/F/N = Your Friend’s Name

Word Count: 5.9k

“So what did he say when you told him?” Y/F/N and you were browsing the mug wall in Mickeys of Hollywood while Chris took a phone call outside the store. Fantasmic was in two hours and you were killing time until the show.

You set down a coffee mug with an intricate Ariel sketching you’d been holding and side eyed her. “It wasn’t so much what he said, but how he said it. This is going to be so much more difficult than I planned. He’s just so,” you paused searching for the right word to describe the pull you felt for him, “so magnetic.” You shook your head to clear it. “That’s cliche, right?”

You chuckled and reached for the red and blue patterned Mushu mug within your grasp that you’d been eyeing all day to give your hands something to fiddle with.

Y/F/N shrugged as she scanned the wall, “Probably, but he does have a certain magnetism about him. It’s part of what makes him a great actor, I guess. And the fact that he comes off very genuine. He’s willing to do the whole friendship test thing, though?”

“Friendship trial. And yes. Although, he seemed a bit disappointed when I pitched it.”

“Well, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say he probably hasn’t heard the word ‘no’ from women to often.” She laughed looking over at you. “It’s just you who’s crazy enough to make him work for it.”

You blushed and hurriedly turned to another section of the wall. “It’s not like that. I just don’t want to rush things.”

“Why though?” she prodded you, knowing all to well you were trying to hide the truth again.

You sighed and absentmindedly ran your hands along the row of mugs. “I know I’ve just met him but, I- I have this feeling, crazy as it is, or as I may be, that this could be something great. But, if I’m just a fling or a-” you shuddered at the thought, “or, God forbid, a pity distraction that he’ll forget about once he’s back in Hollywood, then I don’t want to get attached.” You swallowed the lump that grew in your throat while you spoke. “It’ll only hurt more when he leaves.” You took a deep cleansing breath. It was quite freeing finally telling her your real worries about this madness.

Y/F/N touched your shoulder softly and gave a sympathetic smile. “I saw the way he looked at you this morning, you’re not a fling and you are no one’s distraction. I think the fact that he’s willing to do things your way means he genuinely cares about you. Plus, it’s good to put him through his paces a little. Makes sure that Boston boy knows you’re not someone to mess with.” She smirked and went look through the trading pin racks.

You smiled at her words and followed along. She always knew how to ease your fears. You didn’t know what you’d do without her. “Oh, I think he’s already seen I can handle my own, but he doesn’t make it easy. I about turned into a puddle at his feet earlier.” You laughed and hugged the Mushu cup closer in embarrassment at the memory.

She grinned devilishly, “It’s definitely going to be fun to see you try to hold back from him all week. You’ve wanted to jump his bones for years.”

 You swatted her arm as you tried and failed to hide your grin.

“It’s true!” She said loudly, “You don’t expect me to believe you’ll be able to hold out from taking full advantage of that superhero body, do you? I give it three days, tops.”

“Stop it!” You shushed her while trying to hold back laughter. “I don’t know why I’m friends with you sometimes.”

“Because you love me.” You stuck your tongue out at her and she giggled, “And he did say he does all his own fingering…”

Your mouth dropped, “Oh my God, I can’t with you!” You ducked your head in embarrassment as you started walking to the t-shirts on the other side of the store to get away from her teasing.

“And that he could do it all day!” she shouted after you. A few heads turned towards her as you walked past.

“Done!” You yelled back.

“Done with what?”

You turned to see a charmingly confused Chris sliding his phone into his pocket by the side doorway.

You blushed, “Done shopping, I meant.”

He smiled and motioned to the mug in your hand, “You going to buy that or are you trying to make a quick getaway?”

“Quick getaway, but apparently I’m not quick enough.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that, you stole my heart pretty quickly,” his eyes widened in amusement and his mouth opened in a ta-da grin. That was possibly the cheesiest line you’d ever heard, but coming from him it was a little endearing.

“Wowww,” you drew out with a disbelieving laugh, “Proud of that one are you?”

“I’d say so, yeah,” he beamed, clearly pleased with himself.

You patted his bicep with a sympathetic nod, “Don’t quit your day job, sweetie.”

He threw his head back as though wounded and grabbed his chest in mock hurt, “Ouch, what a way to cut a man, Y/N.”

“You’ll live,” you chuckled as you made your way to the register. You asked the cast member to send the mug back to the hotel for pick up tomorrow and as she went wrap it, Chris leaned his tall frame against the counter next to you.

“And I thought you said no cute couple names. So eager to break the rules already, babe?” he taunted with a dark glint in his eyes. You gulped at the intensity of his gaze. He wasn’t touching you, but if you moved a few centimeters to the left you would be pressed flush against him. If he’d only move a little closer…

Suddenly, the realization of his precise placement hit you. He was respecting the rules of the friendship trial, but making it clear you could break them any time you wanted. The idea was more than tempting. Your knees got weak at the memory of his words from earlier, ’you don’t have to kiss to be intimate.’ Jesus, the way he could go from a goofy meatball one minute to a fucking sex god the next was frustrating as hell.

 Before you could respond, the worker returned and you finished paying. Chris coughed and pushed off the counter, tugging his hat down to hide his face. He was still centimeters away, but he made no move to close the distance. You thanked the cast member and accepted the receipt before turning the opposite direction of Chris to find Y/F/N. You thought back to your earlier worries and quickly got control of your hormones. The friendship trial was a good idea.

You spotted her still checking out the pins and started weaving through the racks towards her.

“So, what’s our next stop?” Chris asked, following behind you.

“We could go grab a bite to eat?” You suggested reaching Y/F/N.

She shrugged with a frown, “I’m still kind of full from lunch right now. What about Star Lord and Baby Groot? We haven’t met them or any of the Star Wars characters yet. And Quill was your number one meet on this trip during planning.” She hid her smirk as you started walking out of the store and into the busy street.

You spluttered as Chris raised an eyebrow appraisingly, “I was- he was not- for Baby Groot not-Captain America s’my favorite.” You clamped your mouth shut and felt your cheeks blazing red, and not from the sun.

He chuckled quietly as you made your way past the Chinese Theater.

“Aw I’m going to miss Great Movie Ride,” you lamented, effectively changing the subject.

“Yeah, it was a classic, if a little outdated.” He looked wistfully at the tall red pillars that flanked the entrance to the now closed ride.

“Indiana Jones was my favorite set on it.”

“Mine too!” He said excitedly. “Snakes. Why’d it have to be snakes?” He quoted, dropping his voice into a gruff scratchy tone that did oddly sound like Harrison Ford.

“Fortune and glory, kid. Fortune and glory.” You quoted back doing your own best Indy impression, which only made him laugh harder.

“It’s not the years, honey. It’s the mileage.” And although he affectionately chucked you on the chin, you had to admit that line sent shivers down your spine with the way he drawled out the words.

The moment was quickly squashed as he pointed dramatically at a random trashcan and shouted, “That belongs in a museum!”

“You guys are such nerds,” Y/F/N sighed, rolling her eyes. She gripped her bag and skipped down the steps of Animation Courtyard.

“You there! Halt!” a robotic voice shouted from behind you. Your heart pounded as you froze in fear wondering what the hell you all did to be shouted at. Chris had both his hands up in surrender near his face and you met his eyes in worry before he peeked over his shoulder.

He let out a loud laugh of relief and dropped his hands. You hesitated for a second before quickly turning your head to see why he was no longer in defense mode.

The sight that met your eyes had you internally cringing in embarrassment at the fact that you very much thought you were about to be banned from Disney World forever. The only thing you were in danger of though was pissing off the first order.

Two stormtroopers were your assailants.

“Don’t be alarmed!” one said as they neared you. They wore the full white and black stormtrooper armor along with the voice masking modulator.

“Too late for that dude,” Y/F/N said, taking a step back nervously.

“Careful citizen, there are resistance fighters in the area,” one walked up extremely close to Chris and eyed him up and down.

A crowd was beginning to form as they watched the troopers. It wasn’t like they were hard to miss. You saw Chris reflexively tense and his chest began to rise and fall rapidly at the close proximity of both the stormtrooper and the encroaching crowd. He glanced at you with a complete look of helplessness. You felt a sudden surge of protectiveness flood through your body. You knew his fear was more from the crowd than the cast member, but you had to get him out of there. You glanced around to Y/F/N as an idea struck.

She was watching the interaction and frowned as she saw Chris’s impending anxiety attack. She looked to you for guidance as you motioned your head from her to Chris and over to the entrance of The Little Mermaid show, aka ‘get Chris and get him out of here.’ She nodded in understanding.

“The resistance is closer than you think,” you said fiercely, playing along so the attention would shift to you so Chris and Y/F/N could move a little more out of sight of the crowd. The trooper turned to you and moved into your personal space. They towered over you, but up close they weren’t very intimidating. This could be fun.

“Let me see your identification,” the robotic voice commanded.

“Best damn pilot in the galaxy ring any bells?” You cocked an eyebrow and crossed your arms smoothly. The crowd whooped at the reference and you saw Y/F/N and Chris slip safely into the shade of the building.

The trooper stepped back in shock as he tapped his friend on the shoulder and pointed at you, “Captain Phasma will hear about this.” They were very good at conveying emotions even though their faces were covered.

“Be sure to tell her Finn says hello,” you smiled knowingly. A small girl in a Rey costume clapped and gave a loud “ohh.”

“The first order will be victorious!”

“Never tell me the odds.” The small crowd cheered as you stared down the duo. The surge of adrenaline in you veins was intoxicating as you faced down the first order.

As they began to move away to continue their patrol, the Stormtrooper who originally confronted Chris pointed his index and middle finger first at his eyes and then towards you as he said, “I’m watching you.”

You tilted your chin defiantly, “Your eyes can deceive you. Don’t trust them.”

The crowd began to disperse as you watched them interact with the small Rey from earlier who was shooting daggers with a venomous glare their way. You grinned and turned to find Chris and Hayleigh walking back towards you.

“That was awesome!” she squealed grabbing your upper arms and shaking you in excitement. You giggled at her overzealousness. You felt Chris’s eyes on you and the familiar blush started rising on your neck. “I’ve never seen you like that before. The way you just stood up to them as they came at Chris. You were incredible!”

  “We should probably hurry before the Star Lord meet closes,” you mumbled sheepishly shrugging off her compliments in embarrassment.

You resumed the walk down Pixar Place towards the “One Man’s Dream” building where the Star-Lord and Baby Groot meet and greet were held and as you finally reached the building Y/F/N wandered off to check out the displays further in.

You and Chris fell into step and slowly took in the exhibit. Standing in front of an old sketch of the Disneyland castle in California, you could feel the warmth from Chris’ tall frame next to you even though you weren’t touching him. You turned slightly to see him examining the artwork with a small frown on his forehead from concentration. You watched him fondly as he mouthed the words while reading the plaque next to the picture.

You smiled. You liked it when he was close. It felt comforting in a way that was hard to describe. For all the puppy like energy and flirty remarks you knew he had in him, he also possessed a very calming presence that was nice to have nearby.

“You know, I’ve always thought Steve Rogers has some Indiana Jones tendencies,” you mused, interrupting his train of thought. He raised his eyebrows questioningly as you began to ramble your reasoning, “Well, both fight for the little guys. Both put theirselves in unnecessary dangers. And they’re both good men who don’t hesitate to fight for what’s right when the time comes. Growing up watching Indiana Jones is why I think I immediately loved Steve Rogers so much. They’re a lot alike.”

“…And both hate Nazis.” Chris bit his plump bottom lip as he thought over the theory before nodding in agreement, “I’ve never thought about Cap that way, but you’re right. That’s so cool. I love how passionate you are about things like that. It’s really beautiful.”

“Wow, uh, thanks,” you said stunned. “That’s the first time anyone’s ever told me something like that.” You ducked your head in embarrassment.

He nudged your shoulder as you continued walking “You deserve to hear it.” He eyed you over with a calculating look, “Because it’s true. You’re a very honest person who says what’s on your mind. I try to be like that but, with my job…” He trailed off lost in thought and sighed. He nervously tugged his hat again, “Most people are always pretending to be someone they’re not to impress others. It’s hard to know when someone is being genuine with me because of my job. It’s refreshing to meet someone who isn’t afraid to let others see their truth.”

“Trust me, I sometimes wish my mouth would listen to my brain before blurting out whatever passes through it. I’m usually more truthful when I’m nervous, or tipsy.” You giggled as he let out a loud laugh.

“Thanks for that earlier,” Chris whispered quietly enough for only you to hear, passing through a group. You looked over to him in confusion. His long fingers grazed your arm affectionately, “I know you stood up to that Stormtrooper for me. To let me get away from the crowd. And I’m grateful you did.” He clasped your hand tightly trying to convey the words he couldn’t say. “You’re very brave.”

“I’m not brave,” You scoffed, shrugging off his words. He was probably just being nice. “You. You’re brave. You have criticism and hate thrown at you on a daily basis from complete strangers who feel they have a right to your life and still stay kind and down to earth and do what you do. That’s bravery.”

He shook his head turning to fully stare at you. His eyes seemed to have a sadness to them in this moment that you’d never seen in them before, “Being brave isn’t just about the face you show to the world, you know. Someone who saves the world isn’t any braver than a kid who choses to enter a talent show that they think they’ll lose or asking the person you like out for the first time. Bravery is about choosing to do the thing you fear. No matter how small. Being brave is living.”

You cast your eyes down, intimated by the intensity in his gaze. You’d never thought of it that way. You supposed when you grow up thinking that bravery is something reserved for superheroes and firefighters you forget that the small things make us brave, too. Even you. Without letting you talk yourself out of it, you looped your arm through Chris’. He looked down in shock, but didn’t pull away.   

“Just trying to be a little braver,” you said with a small smile. His eyes sparkled and he mirrored your smile as he tucked your hand into the crook of his arm and placed his other hand over it.

You continued through the exhibit until you reached the entrance for the meet and greet. The room was designed to look like space. The walls had moving galaxies projected onto them that looked like you were entering from the outside of a spaceship to the inside. The floor had silver arrows doing weird zigzags to direct people the way the line was supposed to flow. Y/F/N waved you over near the front and you both hurriedly made your way over to her, apologizing to the others you had to squeeze through.

“You know, today, I feel like Indiana Jones.” He said holding his hands up into the shape of a heart with a cheesy smile. “Because you are the treasure I’m looking for.”

“How many of those do you have?” You laughed.

“Follow me,” the cast member said motioning to your group.

“I guess you’re going to have to find out,” he winked as you made your way into what looked like a spaceship’s workshop. You were all ushered into the corner of the room to wait your turn behind two families.

“Thanks for holding our spot,” you quickly whispered to Y/F/N.

 “You’re lucky you showed up when you did or else I was going to get Quill all to myself,” she grinned.

As one family finished up and the next moved forward, you gasped. Baby Groot was quite possibly the cutest thing you had ever seen in your life. And, you had to admit, Star Lord wasn’t bad himself.

“You know if this thing doesn’t work out with Chris, Star Lord seems like a good alternative,” Y/F/N whispered, echoing your thoughts. You heard Chris huff in annoyance behind you both.

“You can put your bags down here,” the attendant motioned over to the wall on the left. Y/F/N and you hurriedly took off your bags and set them down on the floor. She adjusted her ears as you turned around to see Star Lord walking over.

“Well, hey there!” His loud voice singsonged. He held out his arms for a hug, which you eagerly obliged to. He wrapped you in his leather clad embrace in a tight bear hug that made you giggle. He even smelled good. He slung an arm around your waist and walked you over to the work station where Baby Groot was standing. He jokingly made a ‘stay’ motion with both hands before returning for Y/F/N. You beamed. You could already tell this was going to be a great character interaction.

You noticed Chris had followed and was not so subtly glaring after the actor with his arms tightly crossed. He wasn’t jealous, was he? You nudged his side playfully, “Be cool, Evans.” He glanced down at you with a frown. “He’s not Hemsworth, remember.” You gave a teasing smile.

He took another moment to pout before giving in and chuckling. “Hemsworth is much prettier,” he stated as Y/F/N and Star Lord made their way over, chatting amicably.

“I am Groot!” You heard a tiny voice on the left say, and Chris and you both turned to stare down at Baby Groot, who looked extremely life like.

“Hi Groot!” You said excitedly, “How are you?”

“I am Groot. I am Groot!” the little tree said with a smile moving his small head back and forth in a conversational manner.

“Ah, do you speak tree, too?” Star Lord asked you, coming up beside you.

“Only a few phrases,” you joked.

“I would have though those large ears on your heads would be translators.” He pointed to you and Y/F/N’s Mickey ears.

You laughed and reached up to touch the Captain America ears. “No these just help me track superheroes,” you said as Chris chuckled.

“So that must be how you found me!” Star Lord said with a smug smile. “Either that or Rocket’s been messing with the ship’s navigation again. Because I am way to good to be caught.”

“I am Groot!” Groot shouted in a offended voice.

“I don’t want to hear it Groot, you know Rocket’s taken the ship apart for less,” he fussed back at the tiny tree.

You beamed. This guy was fantastic!

“By the way,” Peter said suddenly, clapping a hand on Chris’s shoulder, startling him, “has anyone ever told you, you look like a buddy of mine who goes by the name of Captain America?”

Your eyes widened in surprise as Chris exploded in laughter. He gripped Peter’s shoulder leaning into him and grabbed at his chest as though this was the funniest joke he’d ever heard. You saw the cast members giggling knowingly in your direction as they watched the interaction while the photographer snapped away with pic after pic. Your mouth matched Y/F/N’s amused grin as your eyes flicked back and forth between the two of them waiting to see what Chris would do.

“You know, I have heard that a time or two. He and I are really close though, you could almost say we’re the same person,” Chris wiped a tear from his eye, “but he’s totally more handsome than me.”

Peter narrowed his eyes appraisingly before clasping Chris on both arms and squeezing his biceps as though sizing him up. He was Chris’s height, which made the situation that much funnier.

He nodded his head in agreement, “Yeah, you’re definitely smaller.”

You snorted and quickly covered your mouth as Chris stuck his tongue out at you. You lifted your hands in a ‘it was funny, what do you want me to do’ manner.

“Hopefully not where it counts, am I right,” Peter nudged you suggestively.

Oh my God. Did he just? Your brain short circuited for a hot second before you leaned on Y/F/N in support as you both doubled over, unable to hold back your roaring laughter. This was now officially the best character interaction you’d ever had. This actor is definitely channeling his inner Chris Pratt and you were living for it. Chris’s jaw dropped in amused outrage.

“That’s cold!” He shook his head with a huff. “And here I thought we were friends Quill!” He crossed his well defined arms with a pointed look in your direction, “I’ll have you know, there’s nothing about me that’s small, muscles or otherwise.”

“That’s what they all say,” Peter loudly whispered in you and Y/F/N’s direction.

“I am Groot!” Groot pronounced.

“Yes, you’re right Groot, I’m being mean.” He gave a sorrowful nod to Chris, “I’m sorry Cap clone. You’re the perfect super soldier size just the way you are. But if you do see the real Stevie can you ask him if I can still be an Avenger? I even have a few mixtapes all ready for our battle intro. Although I’m torn between Danger Zone and Eye of the Tiger.”

You smiled, “But Fight For Your Right would make an epic montage.”

He nodded enthusiastically, “Oh, that is going on the list!” He motioned to the cast members, “Please write Fight For Your Right down for Gamora to add to my music rectangle. But don’t let Drax know, or else he’ll want to add those wailing gorilla sounds again he called galaxy instrumentals.”

“I am Groot,” Groot said sadly and Peter shuddered.

“Yeah, they were pretty bad.” He clapped his hands and beamed, “So I guess you guys want a photo with the one and only Star Lord?”

“Yes, please!” Y/F/N said excitedly.

She rushed to stand under his right arm as you moved over to his left. You all shifted so Groot would be in the shot. He smiled as Chris’s hand slid across your back to your hip where he lightly held onto you. You could feel its weight and were suddenly struck by just how large his hands were on your body. You forced yourself to breath and give a relaxed smile for the camera as a clicking sound went off a few times.

“Oh, could we do one where we’re ‘in love’ with you while Chris crosses his arms pouting?” You recalled a similar convention photo like this with Chris and Sebastian and always thought it was cute. Considering the interaction you’d had with Star Lord, you thought it would be a fun photo.

“Absolutely!” Peter enthused as Chris chuckled but got willingly into position for the photo.

Y/F/N and you both lightly grabbed onto Peter’s jacket in over exaggerated awe as he cocked an eyebrow with a smug smile in Chris’s direction.

“Thank you so much,” you gushed.

“Aww, anything for my fans,” Peter said giving you another tight bear hug, before doing the same to Y/F/N as you and Chris walked over to scan your magic bands to claim the photos.

“You guys were really cute,” the cast member held out the scanner. “Thank you for coming!”

Peter saluted as you waved goodbye and made your way into the makeshift Guardians of the Galaxy gift shop that was set up outside the exit.

“That. Was. Amazing!” You squealed grabbing Chris’s bicep in excitement. “By far my favorite character meet ever!”

“He was so freaking hot,” Y/F/N all but moaned trying to peek back into the room before you pulled her unwillingly away.

“He was alright,” Chris muttered clearly annoyed.

“Don’t be jealous, Evans, it doesn’t suit you,” she teased as you started back through the exhibit hall.

“I am not jealous.” Chris pouted angrily, but you could see a faint redness cover his ears. You smirked. He was totally jealous and it was adorable.

You checked the time on your phone and gasped. “Oh shit, we have to go guys. The show is going to start in 45 minutes. We need to make sure we get good seats.”

You quickly made your way towards the entrance for the long walk to Fantasmic. It seemed the rest of the park was heading there, too. The crowd pressed the three of you together as you got closer in a semi-shuffle. Out of habit, you reflexively grabbed Y/F/N and Chris’s hands so no one would get separated in the onslaught of humanity. He raised an eyebrow amused at your parental move. 

“Sorry, I just didn’t want you to disappear,” you laughed nervously.

He shifted his hand to lace his fingers in yours and rubbed small circles on the back of your hand with the pad of his thumb, “Never.”

You made your way into the arena and your breath caught as you stared at the tall cliffs and lights where the show would take place. It was stunning and it wasn’t even lit up yet. Everyone was ushered to the mid left of the stadium style seating and in a row about half way up the bottom of the section. Y/F/N dropped your hand as you all sat down. Chris unlaced your fingers in a silent ‘this isn’t part of the rules’ gesture. You sighed and pulled away but could still feel the ghost of his thumb on the back of your hand. You missed its warmth.

As though the Disney overlords heard your plea, a cast member called out to your section, “Would everyone please stand up and move to the left. Please move down to the end of the row and fill all available space.”

As one, everyone scooted over as much as possible until your thighs and the upper half of your body was pressed tightly between your best friend and Chris freaking Evans.

You leaned forward from your cramped position to see if there was a bit of room by Chris for him to move over a little. There was a person size gap on Chris’s right that his neighbor hadn’t filled, but he’d purposely gotten as close as physically possible. You could already hear his excuse, ‘they said all the way to the left’ and blushed. He wanted to be close to you.

You sat back as giddiness threatened to overtake your senses. He had to though, you logically argued with yourself. They specifically said ‘fill all available space,’ that’s all there is to it. It would be very rude of you to have him move over to take up more space when that could very well be needed by other people. It was the right thing to do. Totally not self-serving in the least…

You noticed Y/F/N scoot a few more centimeters over into the tiny empty space she’d left herself to give you more room. She motioned with her head that you could stretch out a bit more if you wanted, but you gave a curt shake of your head ‘no.’ She looked down to where you were pressed against Chris’s side and gave a cheshire cat worthy grin before turning back to the stage as the lights dimmed and the show started.

...

“So, where should we meet up tomorrow morning?” Chris asked, munching on a pretzel as you all sat on the ground eating your snacks in front of the Chinese theater, waiting for the crowds to ease up after Fantasmic. The show was just as incredible as you remembered.

“We have a breakfast reservation at Chef Mickey’s at 8:30 a.m., if you’d like to come?” You ventured hopefully, swallowing a large gulp of your drink. “I’m sure it’s ok if we add one person to the reservation.”

“That’ll work. Plus, then I can get the rundown on what the plans for the week are,” he said taking another bite.

“When are your meetings?” Y/F/N asked from his other side. “This way we can try to plan around them.” She dusted the churro sugar off of her hands as Chris chewed slowly contemplating his answer.

“Uh, well, they’re, uh,” his fingers fidgeted with the paper his pretzel was wrapped in. “They’re mostly early morning, like before 6 a.m., timezones and stuff you know, and they, uh, shouldn’t last more than a half hour.”

Your face scrunched up in confusion, “Why would they make you stay for half hour meetings? That seems kind of inconvenient and unnecessary.”

He shrugged, “Dunno. I just go where Marvel tells me.”

“Oh Marvel, huh?” Y/F/N questioned mischievously. “Anything to do with Infinity War, perhaps?”

“Now you know if I tell you, I’ll have to kill you,” he sneakily looked around, “they have snipers everywhere.”

“I’ll take that as a yes, then,” she said, smiling smugly. “But we should probably leave. We have an early morning tomorrow and it’s getting late.”

You nodded in agreement. It was late. But after the show, you’d gotten a bite to eat and had a good time chatting as the park died down. It was nice.

You all stood and threw the trash. You looked around at all of the lit neon signs. “Disney parks at closing are always so nostalgic, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, they have this vibe of leaving and coming home at the same time, like-” Chris mused as you strolled under the bright signs.

“Like, they’ll always be here to welcome you back,” you finished knowing how he felt.

“Exactly,” he smiled.

You walked through the closed turnstiles and bid the cast members good night.

“You guys staying at Grand Floridian, too?” Chris asked as you approached the bus board to find your number. 

Y/F/N and you burst out laughing as you started walking again.

“What?” Chris asked bemused.

“We’re at Port Orleans Riverside, which was enough of a splurge,” you laughed. “Not everyone has superhero dollars, ya know.” You joked as Chris looked down embarrassed.

“I didn’t mean-“

“I know,” you smiled saving him from further humiliation. “Grand Floridian is a bucket list goal, but not one I’ll be pursuing anytime soon.”

He nodded appraisingly, “I’d like to know what else is on your bucket list.”

“You were one,” Y/F/N mumbled quietly, as you elbowed her in the side. She groaned and rubbed the spot glaring back. You hoped Chris hadn’t heard her, but he didn’t even try to hide his beaming smile as your resort bus pulled up.

“The bus AC calls me like a siren song and I must go to her,” Y/F/N called over her shoulder with a wave. “Later Chris!”

Chris and you laughed.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow morning then,” he said walking you to the door.

“Tomorrow,” you echoed, not wanting the first day to end.

Chris moved forward to run his fingers down your face before catching himself and pulling back with a sad smile, “Goodbye Y/N.”

“Bye Chris.”

You made your way down the relatively empty bus as it began to move. You sat in the seat across from Y/F/N and stretched out for the ride back to the resort as your phone dinged. You tiredly pulled it out to see a text from Chris. As you read his message, you couldn’t wipe the smile from your face.

I’m glad I’m on your list…

Taglist: @lostxsea @nerdgirljen @tessvillegas @timelesstay @tootie-rocking-everywhere @jim-im-a-doctor-not-a-physicist @all1e23 @lilyleely @guera31 @hista-girl @i-regret-this-already @memyselfandandrea @daphne-fandom-writing @brendas94 @woodworthti666 @patzammit @motherofsnabiesandallthingsslimy @cryingbecausesebastianstan @c-a-v-a-l-r-y @chmedic @tuliptx @be-amaziing @hazie-rey @hiimana @zuni21798 @ohdamnerons @regalmaze @daddys-little-princess67 @bohemianunicorn @orangebriefnoel

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13x12 - Episode Review - What is Fifth Base Anyway?

So the people at Google must have been confused when they discovered the number of searches for “fifth base” drastically went up overnight… Steve Yokey you cheeky bugger I love you! (Show of hands everyone who did this? Go on, admit it!)

This episode was really good. One of the stronger ones of an already very strong bunch as season 13 continues to exceed in quality. It had jokes, it had deep emotional revelations, it had Cas once again using his SuperPower of sassing the fuck out of things to get what he wants. Yeah it was pretty awesome! So let’s delve into the main points.

The Red Herring Love Spell

We were all expecting this to be an episode similar to 12x11 based on how it was marketed to us. Dean is under a love spell! It’s up to Sam and Rowena to save him! That seemed to be the gist of the PR team’s focus. As ever, PR is not Showrunning and this turned out to be one giant red herring.

The love spell lasted all of five minutes. So why bother? WHY was a love spell even PART of this plot?! Seriously? Someone tell me how this episode couldn’t have followed the EXACT same narrative with the sisters using some other spell to force people to do things for them? The fact is, that love spell was pointless for the plot but excellent for getting people thinking about LOVE. Specifically, Dean Winchester and LOVE, or at least, what love should be, and what it most definitely is not.

Aside from the fact that the clunky music whenever the love spell was invoked made me cringe, I thoroughly enjoyed how innocent it all seemed. Dean got to play Prince Charming to the princess and provide her with a gift of her choosing. I think it says something about Dean that the love spell encouraged this fairy tale vibe specifically for him, when for Dale at the start it was all about him playing protector and hero through violence and theft. I just thought it was an interesting statement about Dean’s wishes and desires compared to other men. Though I gotta admit, the gift giving, goofiness and oh I dunno, protecting his lover from a gun? It all seemed rather familiar to me… Hmmm…

I mean who else has Dean previously entrusted with powerful one off weapons?

Who else has Dean had to recently protect from a pointed gun much to his own horror rather than the recipient who is unlikely to be harmed by a regular gun anyway?

Who else makes Dean goofy and pull these silly delighted faces?

*looks into the camera like on the Office*

Yeah, but see these are not really examples of true love, even though they are all things done with Cas. What IS true love in season 13 is something that subtextually KEEPs getting referred to in EVERY EPISODE. That in 13x01 – 13x05 Dean was deeply lost in grief. Deeply mourning over the loss of Cas – someone who he is truly in love with. Love makes you do crazy things? Yeah, and as Billy said in 13x05 (Yokey’s last episode FYI) Dean wanted to die. Cas’s death had brought him to that level. The fact that now it is SAM who is feeling low, feeling powerless because of the loss of Mary and Jack, and Dean is able to remain focussed and have HOPE that they will save them, continues to be astonishingly hypocritical of Dean given where he was when Cas was dead. But it does keep drawing our attention to that fact, and for that I love it.

Bonus point for “I think you may be right, I think its time we go ahead and call Cas…” … “I’m in love” because Yokey could have written Sam saying ANYTHING at that point but he chose to remind the audience about Cas at that exact moment… as Dean announces he is in love, because the two are connected (and because it then wouldn’t be that much of a stretch to assume that Sam’s initial reaction is “Oh… so you finally admit it?”)

(FYI this crappy gif is my own. Don’t judge. It’s the first I’ve ever made.)

Sam’s mild amusement here just fits the “oh so you finally admit it? We can call Cas and start the wedding preparations?” interpretation and NO ONE can stop me seeing it that way! :D

Bonus Point two for the mentions of “Soulmates” (which relate to Angels in the show) and “Cosmic” (which again, tends to relate to angels and Cas).

Bonus point three that this is an episodes marketed as Dean being in love! LOOK AT ALL THIS HETEROSEXUALITY! It seems to scream at our general audiences, and yet, as always in SPN, if the GA are seeking heterosexuality, they are to be disappointed. They got a 5 minute mini love spell plot and Dean once again is without even a hint of an actual true female romantic partner. Nope, sorry heteros seeking a woman for Dean. You won’t find that here!

Basically, it’s not too much of a stretch to interpret this entire love spell mini plot as exposition for the TRUTH regarding Dean and “true love”. Because we all know it. It’s right there in the subtext. I just wish they’d make it text already.

Review continues under the cut as per usual...

Addressing Long unspoken Trauma – FINALLY

Officially my favourite part of the episode (unofficially my second fave part after “fifth base”), the conversations between Sam and Rowena about their trauma at the hands of Lucifer had me welling up. This is the first time in SPN history that Sam has actually opened up to ANYONE about his Lucifer trauma. Read that again. Be amazed that it has taken this long. Send Dabb and Yokey a fruit basket for this.

One thing season 13 has been excellent at doing, is making things textual that were previously only implied. This seems to be a continued trend following on from the reveal in 12x22 that Dean is effectively Sam’s parent (A fact meta writers have been talking about for YEARS.)

I don’t really have much to say about it actually, because it’s all just THERE in the text. It has left me kind of speechless.

SAM: Its not gonna change anything, you’re still gonna feel helpless. What Lucifer did to you…

ROWENA: I told you I don’t… before he crushed my skull, Lucifer showed me his face. His true face. I’m scared Sam. All the time.

SAM: I’ve seen it too. What he really looks like behind… behind whatever vessel… yeah it still keeps me up at night.

ROWENA: How do you deal with it?

SAM: I guess I don’t deal with it, not really. I mean I…Ive pushed it down, and the world kept almost ending and so I keep pushing it down and I dunno… I don’t really talk about it, not even with Dean, I mean I could… he would listen but, it’s not something I really know how to share.

…..

SAM: Even if you do get the book, and even if you get your power back. It won’t matter. You won’t ever be able to change what happened, you won’t be able to change how helpless you felt, or how helpless you feel. You’re still gonna get scared. That feeling, that feeling never goes away.

ROWENA: Never?

SAM: Never.

…

Honestly it’s perfect. Yokey has decided that enough is enough. We need to discuss this. We need to talk about the fact that our main characters have a shit load of trauma. It’s about GODDAMN TIME.

(x)

I just want to scream about the shots for a second though because god bless Amanda Tapping for being so excellent at capturing emotions. I am starting to think she is one of the best directors for it. The intimate long close ups on the actors faces as they open about this stuff, it just works. The soft music in the back ground pulls no focus away from the gravity of Sam’s words. It’s intense, and harrowing and kudos to Jared here because I think he must have been ITCHING for a moment like this for Sam for YEARS (and for god sake someone ask him about this scene at a con instead of more bloody prank questions PLEASE.)

I also love that it’s Rowena who Sam opens up to about this stuff, because she has that in common with him. I know that it can be argued that Cas has also experienced trauma at the hands of Lucifer, but since Cas is an angel it’s not the same. I doubt Lucifer’s true face would affect Cas, since Cas is already an angel with the ability to see and cope with seeing things that human minds struggle to comprehend.

I think Rowena and Sam is our new Dean and Crowley. They are enemies, but they have a mutual respect for one another and I see this as a really good thing both for Sam and Rowena. Because Crowley was changed thanks to his bond with Dean (love for Dean), he was able to find redemption in that. Rowena could also now find redemption, especially considering her newly powered up status. For Sam I think it was a smart choice to give Rowena the pages at the end. It wasn’t just about the bond they formed over shared trauma, it was Sam knowing that Rowena is right, that Lucifer will always find a way back, and Sam knows that eventually he will have to face him again, and he needs all the help and power he can get, so a powered up Rowena is a powerful ally to have against the creature that tortured and broke both their spirits.

Am I shipping them? No, not really. I still think Rowena is a villain. I never shipped Drowley, though I acknowledge it’s existence in the show as basically a hairsbreadth away from canon. (it’s technically just as close to canon if not more so than Destiel and strongly implied that they hooked up in various episodes). But if the show did go there with Sam and Rowena I wouldn’t mind it as such. I just don’t think it would be endgame. But sure, it could work for a while. I see them more like frenemies with mutual interests. Besides, I’m a Saileen girl all the way and will continue to hope for Eileen’s resurrection this season.

Narrative Mirrors – Witches and Winchesters

Ah narrative mirrors, don’t we love them? I especially love them when they highlight the Winchester family dynamics and just how screwed up they all are. Our witchy sisters fall extremely easily into this category. Jamie and Jenny or “J2” as I now plan to call them (I see what you did there Yokey). So J2 are motivated to do whatever it takes to bring back mum. Whatever it takes even though they are hardly competent witches and only seem to have one spell mastered – the love spell. The older sister uses her charm to encourage the victims to do whatever they wish for, whilst the younger sister is the smarter of the two, more skilled in magic (I wonder who they are supposed to represent?)

They have one purpose, and will stop at nothing until that purpose is fulfilled:

JAMIE: I’m sorry, I know I’m the big sister and I’m supposed to be the strong one or whatever.

JENNY: Yeah?

JAMIE: I just really miss her.

JENNY: I do too.

JAMIE: I know, and I like, really believe in us

JENNY: Jamie, I just want her back so bad

JAMIE: And we’re going to get her back, even if we have to cast every spell in this book and curse the souls of like a million people to make it happen.

Doesn’t this sound rather familiar? Like from 13x09:

DEAN: You were right, about mom you were right, this whole time we should have been looking for her

SAM: I was just hoping, I didn’t know. And anyway it doesn’t matter, now that we do know.

DEAN: We find her, no matter what it takes.

Which always made me kinda uncomfortable. There is a reason that Billy didn’t want Dean knowing their mum was still alive. Because Billy knows that the Winchesters would break the Universe to bring her back. “House of Cards” she called it. What’s the betting that thanks to Sam and Dean this “house of cards” is going to come tumbling down just as Billy predicted? Because I would put money on it.

At the end of the episode, we realise that Sam and Dean are in exactly the same place as J2. Jamie – the older sister, trying to support and reassure her younger sister, the one who “wants mom back so badly”. Jamie, unlike her sister, is totally focused on completing their task, whereas Jenny has her doubts. Just like Sam and Dean. We know that Dean is back to “We’ll figure it out” and “you and me” even though Sam is NOT on board with this, but like Jenny, Sam will follow Dean into a hornets nest if it means doing what they set out to do and save mum.

The girls mum came back wrong though, a zombie. When Mary was first resurrected she certainly wasn’t what the boys expected either, and now she is lost again, whose to say just what state she will be in when she is finally freed? Perhaps the message for the boys here is to actually let her go? As in, let go of the memory of Mary that they had sat on a pedestal (Dean in particular) and start to accept the woman their mother actually is, and let her do her thing, because otherwise it may kill them all.

And isn’t this moment just a perfect visual representation of the toxic co-dependency that is the Winchester brothers? Stab stab stab. One of them even has a hammer… LOL.

(Yup its another one of my crappy gifs.)

The Sassiest Angel in the Garrison

Oh Cas, I have missed your beautiful face…

(x)

(Dipper agrees with me)

Now I think everyone knows by now that I hate Lucifer. As in, I find the character extremely irritating and just want him off our screens dead and buried, and that Mark P can go annoy some other shows audience. The ONLY thing that makes watching Lucifer remotely bearable for me, is Castiel - wonderful, perfect, funny, grumpy, brilliant Castiel, sassing the fuck out of him. Bearing in mind all their scenes but one took place behind bars, I was as always captivated by Cas and the brilliant genius he is.

So far in season 13, Castiel hasn’t actually spent much time using his powers, his grace, to actually get anything done. What he has done, is be incredibly smart and used that tactician brain of his to talk himself out of any situation. Everything Castiel does has a purpose. He is generally a creature of few words (except when it comes to Dean) and therefore, whenever he does speak, it is usually with a great deal of thought. (There was a brilliant meta on the word “assbutt” and how it is the worst insult he could possibly throw at Lucifer and yet everyone still ridicules him for it. Don’t knock the word assbutt. Cas knew exactly what he was doing!)

And so Cas isn’t just being a sassy little bitch in this episode. He’s being a sassy little bitch with purpose. Lucifer may be powered down, but he still has power. Cas knows this. Cas knows that the best way to get Lucifer activating what little power he has is to make him angry. So what does Cas do? He sass’s him, over and over. Pissing him off until eventually, it works.

“Turns out rage is a good motivator”

Such a badass. Bye bye little Dipper.

This is why you should never underestimate Castiel. He will always get the better of you. He will always come out on top in the end.

“This is me, learning from my mistakes” he says whilst stabbing Lucifer at the end of the episode. I thoroughly enjoyed that moment of course, even if we know already it doesn’t stick. Since Lucifer is alive next episode. *sigh*.

Lucifer has been continuously hinting all episode that he want’s Cas’s grace. It seems possible due to pics from next week, that he may actually get what he seeks.

Cas has blood on his collar, which he doesn’t have at the end of 13x12. So is Cas about to become human again? Or at least graceless? It’s possible. @tinkdw wrote this post about it (yes I stole her screencap). We were discussing this in our group chat yesterday and thanks to the themes that would come from another human!Cas story I can certainly get behind it, even if I hate the idea that it isn’t his choice yet again. This time, having Lucifer steal his grace seems worse than the first time. But as I mentioned above, Castiel has already shown several times this season that his grace is in no way where his strengths lie. I just hope that it is still his choice in the end to give it up, or not regain it, however that story may pan out.

But yeah maybe prepare ourselves for a human Cas whose grace was stolen by Lucifer plot? I mean if it doesn’t happen great, but if it does... don’t say we didn’t warn ya okay? I know how sensitive we all get about Cas stuff - this is literally the first any of us had thought of this. Besides, he’ll still be amazing even if Lucifer does take his grace, He’ll get in a few more stabs before the end. No doubt.

Other Awesome Stuff

The “fifth base” scene. Yeah this was certainly risqué of Yokey. I was screaming about this to Tink in the chatty bubbles, trust a gay writer to throw in a gay joke aimed at our currently in the closet bisexual lead character and have him act all awkward like he doesn’t know what it is… *glances at Sam* What? Nope, I’ve never… There’s NO SUCH THING AS FIFTH BASE. Sure Jan. Just as I scoff at the idea of Dean not knowing basic French, the idea that Dean DOESN’T know what fifth base is, is absurd. These are purposely input into this episode to raise our eyebrows and DOUBT them.

Baring in mind the way Rowena asks that question “Did THEY get to fifth base?” not “Did YOU get to fifth base” strongly implies actually that Rowena was asking if Dean was pegged. Let’s get that clear. Once again, we have a bottom!dean joke in the subtext of the show. (At some point we need to round up EVERY reference to Dean’s ass and compare it to the other characters just to make this point.)

Oh gosh I haven’t even got to “What’s by is by” yet. The top result in google for this supposed saying is a destiel fanfic written as coda for this episode. There is NOTHING else. It doesn’t exist. What is Yokey playing at exactly? Bygones be bygones maybe? But she had to say it like that? After a reference to anal? To DEAN? Yeah I know everyone is probably already yelling about this on tumblr but still. This is a very huge WTF from me to Yokey that he would ever think we WOULDN’T pick up on this. He did it on purpose. It has a reason, just like everything else. The reason being “Dean is Bi”.

......

(x)

The final scene with Rowena is spectacular. It’s also oddly erotic but maybe that’s just me. Rowena is finally unbound, powerful, free, and probably quite deadly. Here’s hoping she raises a hell of a storm. I have always loved Rowena’s character so for me this idea of her being “unbound” and basically immortal is really interesting. I just hope this paves the way to her helping the Winchesters defeat the big bads to come. Because I see her becoming more of an ally as time goes by. I hope she continues to have a big part to play in the story, and after this final scene I am practically sure she will.

....

Castiel speaking about Jack like he’s a proud parent gives me life. He truly loves the kid. It’s beautiful.

....

Why does Lucifer attract so many dick jokes nowadays? I’m actually almost getting tired of them. For shits and giggles I’m gonna accept it at face value that Lucifer, unlike Crowley, is not well endowed. It makes sense. The tantrums, the violence. Little man syndrome. Pfft.

I’m also going to take it at face value that Cas is most likely huge. Yeah, that smirk is telling.

We all know he’s a big boy. ;-)

....

Hats off to Brenda. The biggest star of the episode. Never failed to make me laugh every time I watched.

You go Brenda. You were awesome.

Overall

Solid episode with lots of great moments. Now all I need is Cas to find the boys and get really pissy with them when he realises they didn’t ONCE figure out that Colonel Sanders was impersonating him. I mean sure, Dean has super low self esteem and was clearly grumpy with Cas at the start of the episode for only really checking in with Sam, not coming home after taking off, clearly CHOOSING the road over being at home with HIM... But that doesn’t excuse him being blind to Asmodeus’s impersonation. Bring on next week. I hope Dean grovels.

#supernatural #episode review #13x12 #destiel #spn meta #spn speculation #dean is bi #castiel #dean winchester #sam winchester #rowena #lucifer #season 13 #spn spoilers #my reviews #my meta

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infernallewords · 7 years

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Stereotypes

I’m sick of them. I’m sick to death of them. If I see one more show, movie, or book with a stereotype of a minority in it, I will scream and pretend that piece of garbage doesn’t exist. If you have to add a commonly used adjective to your minority to describe it (one you’ve seen used previously), you are writing a stereotype. I have dropped show after show after show because of this. At this point I just watch silly videos online, because almost every show has this, with the exception of The Flash, because that show is apparently being written by people who actually interact with minorities. The story line may be a little hackneyed, but the minority characters are gold. And people need to take a page from its book, because fucking hell it’s beautiful.

If I can watch a movie/show or read a book with a minority, and predict exactly how they will behave, that thing will be dead to me.

Example: I was so excited to read a Christopher Moore book. Super excited. I’d heard so many good things about Lamb. Everybody I knew loved it. Well, I wanted to read a horror story, and he had written a horror comedy called A Dirty Job. This book was set in San Fran’s Chinatown district. The main character, a white male, was written with some depth (goofy, beta male stupidity, but some depth). His lesbian sister was written as just that. Her entire story line revolved around her being a lesbian. Not her as a person, but just her as a lesbian. Okay, I said, and continued on. His Chinese landlady spoke in broken English, stole his many pets to eat them, and screamed in Cantonese at him. His female Russian neighbor constantly talked about fighting bears. The one black guy in the book, who could also sense the dead, always dressed like a pimp, is called “Minty Fresh”, and pretends to be gay to lure in gay men to buy all his Cher albums. Also, the main character is constantly “talking black” to him. He’s also super physically strong. His creepy fellow shop keeper is constantly searching for “desperate Filipina girls” on dating websites and fetisizes them. There’s some ugly “trans humor” attached to it that makes me cringe. And the women are all fuckpuppets. One of the female souls gets attached to her breast implants.

Do you see the problem here? I will never read another fucking book by this author, because the method by which he wrote his minority characters was stunningly bad. Not all black men have to be big, burly pimps dressed in pimp suits. Not all Asian people “eat dog”. I guess he was trying to throw you off the scent with the Russian lady and “wrestling bears”, but fuck man, you don’t make something better by doubling down on it. And if you’re trying to comment on stereotypes, you have to subvert them in a well-written way. This author does not do that in the least. All he needed was the sexed up, saucy Latina character with her big hips and “feisty attitude”. Thank god there was no “sassy Black woman”, or the many, many stereotypes depicting Black women as either whores, mammies, or non-sexed magical characters for the main character’s benefit (though Minty did come off as a bit of a magical negro character to help guide the story line). Also, if the main character hadn’t been portrayed as a “beta male”, I’m sure there would have been some white savior complex a la every main white male character Hollywood throws in with a bunch of minority characters.

“Oh, stop talking down about white people! That’s just racist!”

Well, I am talking about minority stereotypes and the inherent racism therein, so it makes sense to talk about the opposite problem, y’know? You can’t improve upon a problem without talking about the problem. Also, stop getting cringey when somebody talks about white characters and their juxtaposition with minority characters in pieces of entertainment. The troupes are already proven and they are well-worn. Besides, I’m talking about representation, and it matters. White characters get amazing representation with depth, personality, romance, wants, goals, dreams, and hopes for their future. All I want is to see is that with minority characters, which rarely happens unless it’s written by a minority. And then if it’s a movie, expect a slave narrative, which I pretty much will not watch (#nomoreslavenarratives).

Example: While I did enjoy the movie Logan (went to the theatre and everything), its WSC was off the scales. I still enjoyed it, but why? And if anybody rolls their eyes at me mentioning this, just take a look at the way Hollywood furthers this standard. Avatar, The Help, The Blind Side, The Last Samurai, Dangerous Minds, etc. Hell, martial arts films made by Hollywood have a straight up complex when it comes to the Asian master who teaches the non-Asian to fight and be the best there ever was. I can direct you to Iron Fist, the Netflix show that does this, but everybody says, “Hey man, that was the original story!” Okay, but that’s actually not better. The fact that this has been going on forever doesn’t make it excusable. The movie Man of Tai Chi doesn’t exactly endear me to the concept, either. And I won’t even go into everything wrong with that horrific Dragonball movie.

And so you know I’m not pulling this out of my ass.

http://feministfilm.tumblr.com/post/6608112156/a-brief-list-and-analysis-of-white-savior-films

All I’m saying is this: I just want to see some realistic depictions of minorities in Hollywood and beyond. I’m sick of the stereotypes. I’m sick of being super excited to watch or read something, only to be hit over the head with stereotypes anytime a minority is introduced. And I’m also sick of people refusing to even write minorities in lead parts, because they don’t want to offend or have “tokens”. As Tim Burton put it, “Nowadays, people are talking about it [diversity] more ... things either call for things, or they don’t. I remember back when I was a child watching The Brady Bunch and they started to get all politically correct. Like, OK, let’s have an Asian child and a black. I used to get more offended by that than just… I grew up watching blaxploitation movies, right? And I said, that’s great. I didn’t go like, OK, there should be more white people in these movies.”

First of all, lol. This is why I haven’t watched a Tim Burton film since he fucked up Sweeney Todd. Second, “a black”? Blaxploitation films? Oh man. Third, minorities aren’t just people you sprinkle in stories for the sake of diversity. If you have a diverse group of friends, they aren’t there just because you “sprinkled them in”. You have them because you like them and what they bring to the table as human beings. You have friends from different backgrounds, because you have things in common. It’s those commonalities that cause you to come together and experience life. Why people who write these scripts and screenplays and books seem to completely forget the real people they know in real life when they put pen to paper is beyond me. If you have black friends, are they are sexless mammies who are magical negroes that merely exist in your life to further your story? Are they all thieves or pimps or gangstas who have at some point involved themselves in criminal activity? Do the young black women you know all resort to drugs or having a bunch of kids for child support or welfare? Are they turning tricks? Are the guys all players who fuck women and leave them with kids? Are the black women in your life all neck-swiveling Shaniquas who wag their fingers and eat fried chicken and talk about “oh no you didn’t!”

I certainly hope none of the people I know who write would try to shove me in any of those boxes, because I don’t fit in any of them. I’m childless, in a long term relationshipand have hopes and dreams and a love of creativity, writing, and books. I also have mental illnesses that affect my ability to be social and end up staying at home all day trying to parse my own reality while struggling with existential dread and nihilism. I have the type of personality that would never be attributed to a black woman in many scenarios. I’m not strong and independent--I’m a sad, depressed girl with anxiety issues who spends her time fumbling through life while trying to be successful and artistic. That black girl never gets written, and it’s a shame. That Korean/Chinese/Filipino/Indonesian girl never gets written. That Latina girl never gets written. That Indian girl never gets written. Same with minority guys. That guy, as a minority, never gets written, and I know so many going through the same ups and downs as me.

Minority characters are fucking human. When I see us get written as humans in a movie or show or book, I inhale it and support it with all my might. I will stan for these things. I get excited about them. I tell everybody about any piece of entertainment that does this and does it right. And if you don’t know how to do it (I’m looking at you, again, Hollywood), then just write a character and make them a minority second. Again, take a page from The Flash, who does this marvelously. They wrote people first, and minorities second. Did they have some slip ups (the absent mother who becomes a drug addict arc for Iris West), yes. And it was stupid. Did they make up with it with Iris’s brother in a way when they introduced Kid Flash? Absolutely, and his character is awesome. He was a little hotheaded at the beginning, but when they found his voice and disposed of certain stereotypical aspect (illegal drag racing), it was much better. And really? Even the drag racing played into him becoming Kid Flash due to his motivation for speed. Even the mild stereotypes made some sense. He’s a college student now with a job and a loving family, and that makes me so happy. Why can’t more shows and movies do this? Why is this so hard? Joe West is a hard-working detective in the show and a black father who supports his kids. He doesn’t have some edgy past with drugs and other crap. He’s just ... amazing. Why is that so hard?

Why is this so hard to comprehend? I’m not complaining to be controversial or aggressive or mean or hateful (though many will obviously see that, regardless of how politely I structure my argument simply because I am mentioning race). I’m complaining about it because I am none of these stereotypes, nobody I know or love are these stereotypes, and nobody I’m around are purely and only these stereotypes. Whether or not you choose to believe that “stereotypes come from somewhere”, those same stereotypes can be found in any group of people. So why are they only attributed to some and not others? Or, if they are attributed to others, why do those others get to redeem themselves while the minorities who have these stereotypes don’t? That’s where my frustration lies.

#stereotypes #Hollywood just doesn't get it #why I hate most entertainment #writing #mini rant about stereotypes and minorities

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