#the dudebros only see him in a meta sense
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Ppl still be calling Sasuke abusive, it’s crazy to me-
#I will defend him for the rest of my life I’ll be old in a senior citizens building still on tumblr writing long essays about him#sorry he’s so awesome#how does anyone read or watch the entire series and come out thinking that#🧍🏾♀️…#his character is all about love bro#literally the only ppl who get his character are sasuke fans and like about half of sns fans (most of them mischaracterize the shit out of#both of them to hell so that’s why I say at least half lmfao)#the dudebros only see him in a meta sense#Sakura fans act like it’s his fault that she’s miserable and still sucks when she was the one who forced herself on him and he just gave in#because he’d already felt guilty about what happened before and the story (idk why kishimoto did that shit because it made no sense for his#character) had his ass feeling bad about what he did when he was always right from the very beginning#gaslighting a genocide survivor is crazy#a lot of sns fans do this as well so again that’s why I said HALF lmfao#it’s so ugly bro#there’s sm more but I don’t want to talk about it rn it just annoys me sm#rambling
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And now for something a little different ...
I was thinking about my favorite shows, and I noticed a particular trope that connects them. I want to talk about it, because I think it's interesting, though I might be the only one. However, if you believe Game of Thrones was nothing but a misogynistic dudebro power fantasy and/or you think that Teen Wolf was nothing but shirtless young men and dub step, there is nothing in this post for you. To be fair, I have reservations about the writing of both shows, especially in the later seasons, but I also think a lot of the writing was deliberate, considered and worth examining.
I want to talk about The Good Man. (I use the male noun because I seldom, if ever, see this applied to female characters. That's another meta entirely.)
Eddard Stark is presented in the show as a good person. He is respected by his family, his peers, his vassals, and even his enemies. While he does make some serious mistakes (things would have gone differently if he had decided to investigate the deserter's claims in the first episode rather than simply dismissing them in a rush to execution), few viewers have claimed that good people must be without flaw. He has principles to which he is devoted, such as loyalty to his country and personal responsibility for those with power, e.g. "He who passes the sentence should swing the sword." He has compassion even for individuals like Joffrey.
Scott McCall is presented in his show as a good person. He is respected by his family, his peer, and even his enemies. While he does make some serious mistakes (things would have gone differently if he had refused to go with Stiles during Wolf Moon), few viewers have claimed that good people must be without flaw. He has principles to which he is devoted, such as the right for everyone to have a life and personal responsibility for those with power, e.g. "And you know this thing's gonna get out of control. That makes me responsible." He has compassion even for individuals like Peter Hale.
So why does Ned Stark die and Scott McCall survive? Of course, they appear in different stories existing in different genres, and Westeros is a little more brutal than twenty-first century Northern California, but I propose that there is a specific test that both narratives make of their Good Men, which Ned fails and Scott passes.
In Game of Thrones, this test occurs in The Kingsroad (1x02) and in Teen Wolf, this test occurs in Abomination (2x04).
We don't get to see Robert's Rebellion in the show, but we do get to hear a lot about it. Robert rides all the way to Winterfell because he is absolutely sure that the one person he can trust to help him hold his kingdom together is Ned. Ned doesn't want to leave Winterfell, but he is torn by his sense of responsibility to the kingdom and his personal loyalty to Robert. It's the suspicion of Jon Arryn's murder that pushes Ned into taking the position of Hand. Ned will discover the truth and if it is, bring the murdered to the King's Justice.
By the end of The Kingsroad, Ned should understand that there is no King's Justice, not anymore. The marriage between Robert and Cersei is a sham, Cersei is vindictive and cruel, Joffery a spoiled brat, but, most importantly, Robert is not the same friend he was twenty years ago. The death of Lady is an injustice, agreed to by Robert simply to buy himself some peace and quiet. The death of Micah is a greater injustice, one that doesn't even have a degree of dignity of being the result of a direct order. The Hound cut the butcher's boy down like he was chopping wood.
But Ned does nothing with this new knowledge. He sees the corruption and clings to his principles -- his responsibility to the realm and his personal loyalty -- that stand opposed to it, while not adjusting his behavior or expectations accordingly. This is the first time, but it's not the last: the realm's financial status, the useless tournament, the sending of assassins against Daenerys, Robert's gross behavior, etc. He will keep believing that the realm is worth defending as if it were twenty years ago and that his friend is still the same regardless of any experience to the contrary, and Ned will die for his refusal to change.
Note, I don't blame Ned for being tricked by Littlefinger, a childhood friend of his wife's, because I don't blame people for being deceived by liars, but there was plenty of evidence from which Ned could have learned he had to alter how he manifested his principles.
Which is why Scott survived and Ned didn't. Up until the end of Abomination, Scott keeps trying to work with Derek while maintaining his principles, which includes independence and saving lives. Yet, even after Stiles heroically held a paralyzed Derek in a pool for hours, even after Scott arrived and drove away the kanima, Derek demonstrates he is still deeply mistrustful of everyone (including himself), Derek demonstrates that lethal force is his go-to strategy ("When I find it, I'm going to kill it"), and that he is blinded by his hatred for the Argents. Note: I don't think there's anything wrong with Derek hating the Argents but there is a problem when he won't look past that anger for the greater good. If Derek had been willing to work with the Argents, it might have scuttled Gerard's plans. Then, Scott gets up close and personal with Gerard, which is painful and scary, but it does gives Scott something he can use against Gerard.
And here is the point: he doesn't share this with Derek, when he's tried to work with Derek in the past. Instead, he pretends to work with Gerard by infiltrating Derek's pack in order to be in a position where he can use the cancer against Gerard. Scott's principles still remains; he wants to resolve the conflict with as little death as possible. However, he changes how that principle manifests in his actions when it is clear that his previous method -- working openly and honestly with Derek -- not only isn't working, but it can't work.
To summarize, principles, the hallmarks of the Good Man, only work if they are used to guide the good person's reactions to the situation at hand. They don't work if they determine the good person's reactions. Ned's principles were set twenty years ago and remained static. Scott was willing to change how he achieved his desired result if his previous attempts weren't working. (As a digression, this is a rebuttal of Peter's insincere "shades of gray" criticism of Scott.) The comparison isn't flawless by any means, but I do think it's enlightening.
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i resent very much that i am writing twd meta this late in the year of our lord two-thousand-twenty-two after my long journey to distance myself from it, but the words are rattling around in my mind grapes, and because i am incapable of keeping things to myself, how about one more go for old time’s sake?
i think the main thing that i want to say to y’all is that we didn’t imagine it
obviously caryl has had chemistry from the very first scene they had together, but even these past few years, where we’ve dissected and meta’d every second of their screentime together under kang’s watch to death, and been like “here’s how bernie can still win!” we weren’t being delusional. the romantic beats were all there. the narrative was set up that way. she was wearing a ring in that dream sequence. he brought her a cherokee rose on a tray. they longed for each other, and planned to run away together, and it was never once foolish of us to believe otherwise, bc the only reason it didn’t happen is bc the narrative got eaten by amc’s desire to beat the shit out of twd for every drop of money it could possibly give them, and in the process they contracted Chris Charter Syndrome, which is unfortunately fatal
for those unfamiliar (tho with this group there’s probably enough crossover that i don’t rly need to explain), chris carter, the creator of the x-files, is notoriously dense af about how much of his show’s popularity is driven by his ~amazing lore~ vs the audience’s desire to have mulder and scully fuck
every conversation with him, to this day, goes p much like this:
[chris carter: people love the x-files for the mystery and intrigue and they don’t want resolved sexual tension, they want to watch our mains constantly will-they/won’t-they while battling government conspiracies until the end of time
the audience: we would watch one hundred billion hours of mulder and scully searching for bigfoot but comically missing him every time bc they get distracted by fucking each other, we could not care less about your plot. your plot doesn’t even make sense
chris carter: they just can’t wait to see what twists happen next
the audience: we are tired of the twists, and we want them to bone. in fact, here are graphs and studies and stats that all say that we would be much happier if you would just give us mulder and scully fighting silly monsters and stop trying to be gritty and dark with your plots that even you admit you don’t understand
chris carter: i am very good at my job
the audience: you are not good at your job]
rinse and repeat
if this sounds like gimple, that’s bc he has the worst case of CCS i’ve seen in a long time, and it’s unfortunate bc it’s contagious, and those who are especially susceptible are misogynistic money-hungry dudebro companies who think that what people want are GRIT and BLOOD and MAN PAIN, even when their statistics consistently tell them that they are wrong. a key component of CCS is an undeserved inflation of one’s ego and the inability to recognize the fact that one is making an ass out of oneself, which is why the past 84 years have looked like this:
[gimple: man, people love my negan and rick man-pain arc
the audience: no we don’t
gimple: i know what the ladies want, they want jerk-off contests between mediocre men while i kill off all their faves
the audience: no we don’t
amc: hmmm, while i’m picking up what you’re laying down, gimple, let’s see what this other showrunner can do for a minute
kang: people want stories about people. they want to see the seeds of character development that were planted at the very beginning bloom. they want to see the characters with chemistry go down on one another
the audience: yes, this, this is what we want
amc: interesting concept
amc: however
amc: that sounds suspiciously like conflict/resolution, and if things are neatly resolved then we can’t make money out of it anymore. i know that all the statistics say that caryl is our top ship, and that we should get them together, and let them have a concluded, peaceful ending
amc: BUT
amc: let’s instead launch a spin-off with one (1) of the duo (the male, obviously), and then let’s leave their storyline ambiguous bc that way they’ll follow us to the shitty spin-off, but also anyone who just has the hots for daryl/norman reedus will also watch bc he’s still an Eligible Bachelor ;)
amc: this is a good idea that will make us lots of money
the audience: no it will not
amc: gimple, we need your wisdom again, btw, the people miss you
the audience: no we do not
gimple: who’s ready for some GRIT AND BLOOD AND MORE MAN PAIN?!?!?!
the audience: for the love of god]
it’s stupid and exhausting, and i have Mad Respect for those of you who have been putting so much effort into making sure our voices have been heard. ( @my-mt-heart , @gunmetal-ring , @lighteneverything to name just a few) plz know that your voice WAS heard, and i fully believe that you DID make an impact. it’s just that, when push comes to shove (i.e. when you’re dealing with misogynistic rich white men), CCS is one helluva disease
and it’s sad! it’s very very sad! i’ve been spending my time away over in the “our flag means death” universe, and y’all, it has been WILD. all of the interactions with the show’s creator and the cast have been “oh you enjoyed that? we’ll be sure to keep that in mind so that we can cultivate a show that you will love, bc it makes more sense to listen to our viewers than to ourselves sometimes, bc they’re the ones who keep us from driving ourselves directly into a ditch! thank you for your feedback, we appreciate and love you!”
like??????
but see, that’s the difference between creators who are in it for the story vs. creators who are in it for the money. if you are solely money-driven you’re never going to be able to dedicate yourself to the narrative, bc narratives have concrete endings. they require you to not always be looking for that next spin-off, or to not sacrifice a character’s integrity to fit it inside of a bad plotline. they are shows like the good place, that had an ending in mind from the start. they are shows like ofmd or what we do in the shadows, where the audience’s opinion gets listened to. even supernatural (mother fucking supernatural, you guys!!!) catered to its biggest fanbase better than twd did. it might have been clown shoes, but destiel’s last-minute confession was at least explicitly romantic. amc was too cowardly to give us even that, bc it might “jeopardize” their spin-off
what we can take solace in, tho, is the fact that they are in the end stages of CCS. they think they’ve given enough to string caryl fans along over to the spin-off era of twd, but they haven’t. they’re going to crash and burn, and go out the way of GoT, in that everyone is going to be like “wow that was... let’s just not talk about that one, huh?” and it will be satisfying to watch them fizzle out into nothing when they get hit with the grim reality that they should have gotten their heads out of their asses and listened to their fans who told them that, yes, your “hot male lead” needs that middle-age grey-haired woman you cast to the side so carelessly, and that fact doesn’t change just bc you can’t fathom people caring about a woman over the age of 25
whatever. it is what it is. what matters most here is what i said up top, which is that we didn’t imagine it. we did not waste our time. we were not stupid. we had these beautiful characters laid out before us, and a storyline that supported them, and we took it and ran with it in the right direction. it’s not our fault that the narrative didn’t follow
our retribution will be the fact that now it’s our turn not to follow. instead, we can finally rest, not having to worry about the future, bc who fucking gives a shit about their dumb taunts, trying to get us to watch the spin-off for the “possibility” of caryl way down the line? we’re over it. we’re not chasing anymore carrots. we’re happy here in our caryl sandbox, with our li’l aus and headcanons and fix-its, and we don’t have to fucking discourse at each other every week anymore. we can come and go with a lightness we haven’t felt maybe fucking ever, bc it’s over now. it’s not in their hands anymore, it’s in ours
it was real. the feelings we felt, the relationships that were made between us, they were real. and it will all continue to be real in whatever way we decide to keep it. we can and should grieve what could have/should have been, and we can and should be mad, because there’s no question, we were wronged, but let’s not stay in that negativity place forever. let’s not forget why we all were drawn here to begin with, and let’s not forget what we’ve gained from each other
it wasn’t “just a tv show.” it was, and is, a community that has influenced lives to the point of changing their entire trajectory. i have written over one million (1,000,000+) words of caryl fic, and bc of that i have been able to self-publish my own book, and get into freelance writing. bc of caryl, i have been able to ghostwrite and collaborate with published authors, and am on my way to making my actual day job being writing, which is something i’ve wanted since i was itty bitty. bc of caryl, i have traveled the world. bc of caryl, i have made relationships and connections that have, quite literally, changed my entire life. amc can’t take any of that away from me. it can’t take any of that away from YOU
so yeah, shit sucks, but hey, i got something for you:
we are fine, fam, or we will be, once we’ve had a chance to lick our wounds, because we are the holders of the narrative now. caryl is OURS, finally
so, when you’re feeling up to it, come join me in the sandbox, and let’s have some fun
stay hype, stan each other, bc twd is in its grave, but caryl is forever,
-diz
p.s. felt weird not having a 30 rock reference in here anywhere so:
k bye 4 real
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Ugh, I had to see a disgusting comment on Twitter from someone saying that he wants to "see Aerith's death FF16 style or otherwise the story will collapse" or something like that. Like, I know Twitter has trashy people like him all the time, but his comment was just the worst. Why does everything in FF7R have to hinge around Aerith's death??? I understand the themes that scene from the original game was conveying, but still!! FF7R doesn't have to follow that scene! I want Aerith to live so she can get a happy ending AND to spite losers who hate her, like that one guy on Twitter who made that disgusting comment about her.
It’s definitely not the first time I’ve seen weirdos like that. When they describe it, it sounds like they like torture porn or something, it’s very strange. Wanting to see her die in a gruesome way so they could be satisfied just straight up makes them sexist, plain and simple. If you hate Aerith and/or want her to be brutally murdered, I’m sorry but you’re just a misogynist.
Her death isn’t the thing that makes the game special imo, it is a stand out feature because it was so revolutionary, but this is a new generation of gaming, doing the exact same thing as they did in 1997 will achieve nothing. FFVII’s original story is already complete and available for you to play if you have the game on PS1, or if you have $15 and have a PS4/PS5. It’s basically perfect in its own right, and making Rebirth and the R series in general doesn’t take away the fact that it’s still there and exists. FFVIIR is going for something new, and it is especially going for something new regarding Aerith. The developers have spoken through her, she is the most important character in Remake, and she knows the future; everything points to her fate being different. Everything in Remake points to things being different, and the Rebirth trailer reminds us of that too. Doing something new for a new generation makes sense.
I also want Aerith to be happy and have a happy ending. She didn’t want to die, and it’s clear that she wants to be with her friends because she is lonely after her death*. Having a character rewrite her fate and say “no!! I get to choose my destiny!” is powerful and moving. She gets to make the choice in wanting to live, going against a pre-ordained path and even going against the beliefs of many players, meaning that her taking back agency is powerful even in a meta sense.
I think Aerith having this sort of development is absolutely fitting for her character. It’s so her. It’s so Aerith. And quite simply, that makes the dudebros mad. They hate to see a female character being autonomous and independent, especially Aerith, who subverted expectations in 1997 with her feminism. Her living will basically be a “fuck you” to them, because she’s going to subvert expectations again, and be amazing while doing it.
*: The original Advent Children script for the end credits said that although she was smiling at Cloud, she looked sad (or lonely, I can’t remember that clearly). And no, just because Zack is dead, it doesn’t mean she wants to be with him. She isn’t shown interacting with him outside of Advent Children in the Lifestream (who was there to help out Cloud), in Case of the Lifestream: White, she calls Cloud her lover (a very canon book unlike the next mentioned one), and in Maiden of The Planet, where she actually does have an interaction with Zack, she rejects him. But that one’s not canon apparently, so they basically have nothing to suggest that they would be together in the Lifestream. Case in point, Aerith is better off alive with her friends and her lover. I don’t care if Zack lives or dies again to be honest, but it’d actually be nice if he lives so he can be with Cloud. (Hmm, interesting how Zack living never bothers the dudebros and only makes them overjoyed that a character goes against their fate, isn’t it? 🤔)
#I just can’t help but write an essay from one single ask lmao#I love Aerith so much that’s why#final fantasy#aerith#ask#anon
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I love your metas and everything you write about csi. You're amazing
I was re watching csi and I always loved the relationship of Catherine and Sara, I mean they were the only women on the show and I think they'd deserved more screen time and more scenes together. What do you think they talked when Catherine took Sara for a beer in the end of 'crash and burn' ? Do you think Sara cried in front of Cath? Do you think they somehow bond? I really liked to know your thoughts on this.
hi, anon!
thank you for your kind words! i’m so glad you enjoy my stuff. ❤
so i don't think sara cries in front of catherine because, honestly, she never cares enough about hank to cry over him.
she's more humiliated that he duped her than sad about losing him, tbh; she isn't heartbroken because she never actually loves him.
rather, i think what happens is that they have the traditional breakup “postgame” discussion, during the course of which sara expresses some embarrassment that hank could have this whole other life she didn't even know about (“some csi i am, huh? i missed all the clues”), and catherine reassures her that the reason she was blind to what he was doing isn't because she was stupid but because she was trusting (“that's how it was for me with ed. i can tell you firsthand: when you don't cheat, you don't suspect”).
still, sara is concerned that maybe there's something wrong with her, because she was perfectly contented having this very “arm's length” relationship with hank, practically enabling his behavior (“i mean, there were warning signs, and i ignored them all. i made it so easy for him because i was fine with the way things were, with us only seeing each other a few times a week—if that—and always at my place, never really committing to anything, you know? i guess i liked that things never got any more serious, no matter how long we were together. isn't that fucked up? after a whole year. who's like that?”).
at this point, catherine can tell that the conversation is taking a turn toward the serious—not in the sense that sara is all that upset over hank but in the sense that she's upset with herself and questioning all of her life's choices—so she offers her best consolation, telling sara that if she was okay keeping things so casual with hank, it must’ve been because her heart wasn’t ever really in it.
"when it's someone you actually care about, you'll want more—you'll want to share your life," catherine offers, shrugging.
sara, glassy-eyed, nods, "yeah," not thinking of hank at all anymore.
if she ever was.
to lighten the mood, catherine is like, “hank was a jerk. lots of guys are. but they are good for one thing,” and gestures to some dudebros sitting at the other end of the bar, whom she then (masterfully) flirts with in order to get them to buy her and sara some drinks.
they end up playing pool with said dudebros, an activity that sara is kind of hilariously awful at, which is something that catherine (teasingly) gives her a hard time about, because “shouldn't a physics major be better at this game?”
they end up staying at the bar through till happy hour, getting buzzed but not super drunk. the dudebros they're hanging out with try to pick them up, but they decline, saying they have to work that night.
all in all, things end on a brighter note than they began on, sara cheered (for the moment at least).
when catherine drops her off back at the crime lab so she can pick up her car and go home, she leans her head out the door after her and calls out, "hey, sara?"
when sara turns and looks.
catherine considers saying something about how if she’s ever with a guy who’s really worth it, then he’ll want to share her life, too, but, honestly, catherine isn’t sure she’s in a position to make those kinds of promises, given her own track record, or even if she really believes in that sort of thing herself, so she settles on a benediction she feels more certain of.
“you’ll be okay.”
i don’t think they probably ever go out together again after that night or that they even start to regularly disclose to each other about their personal lives or anything (and particularly not as eventually sara starts dating grissom in secret), but i do think that that one experience they have together is an important first step in their relationship beginning to improve.
it marks the first time that catherine really thinks about sara as anything other than an entitled, obnoxious kid, realizing that she has this whole inner life that she’d previously not bothered to consider, and that sara experiences catherine’s compassionate side, getting some mentorship from her (albeit not of the professional variety).
thanks for the question! please feel welcome to send another any time.
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Hello! I love your blog and your metas and I’ve been seeing so much hate towards anidala recently. I’ve seen that George Lucas did a comment while filming ROTS about possession and how the Jedis can’t have attachment because they became greedy and possessive over the people they love. Then I watch clone wars and the scene with Clothis and the argument between anakin and padme left an extremely bad taste in my mout. Do you think George like anidala in the end?
Hello! Thank you!!!<3<3
Honestly, I don’t think George expressed himself well with that one. this particular view on love makes no sense, if you think about it. If only possessive, greedy love wasn’t allowed than how come the Jedi couldn’t have familial bonds? Why did they have to be separated from their family at infancy? Is the love a mother/father and child feel for one another is inherently selfish and greedy? Is the love 9 years old Anakin had for his mother somehow…wrong? Is a mother worrying about her child who was took by completely strangers… possessive? I don’t believe that. I don’t believe that at all.
I know some fans love to use his words to support the idea the jedi were allow to love whoever they wanted (and that ONLY Anakin couldn’t love people because his love was always selfish) but they forget a little piece of canon called Episode I and Episode II. Anakin wasn’t welcomed at the Order because he was too old (and by that they meant too attached to his mother). And later he wasn’t allowed to visit her because it was against rules.
Anakin’s inability to maintain a healthy, normal relationship with his biological family is a huge plot point for the franchised. And if only Anakin wasn’t allowed to love his family because even when he was 9 he was already possessive and greedy then how come no other jedi kept their families around? Where is mama Kenobi if she was allowed to love and be loved by her baby boy?
Here’s the thing, you can’t have your cake and it too. the Jedi either forbade all familial relationships or they allowed but no one wanted to be around theirs except Anakin. OR George didn’t explain the jedi rules on love very well. Considering the whole the jedi can fuck but not marry/love, I’d say this is one those issues he didn’t it as through as he should.
Either way, the lore quite clear. In fact, I’d say they did quite a decent job filling the roles George left and even humanizing the Order’s rules on family and love.
As for the Clovis arc, that whole thing is an abomination that reeks of sexism. Padmé and her abuse are reduced to plot devices to show the audience how unhinged Anakin was. Awesome *_____*
Anyway, to anser your question, YES, I do believe George loved Anidala.
I wanted to write a love story in a style that was extremely old-fashioned, and frankly I didn’t know if I was going to pull it off. In many ways this was much more like a movie that from the 1930s than any of the others had been, with a slightly over-the-top, poetic style-and they just don’t do that in movies anymore. I was very happy with the way it turned out in the script and in the performances, but I knew people might not buy it. – George Lucas
Anakin & Padmé’s ultra-romantic, old-fashioned romance is everything George wanted. Their romance was a conscious decision, not a happy accident. He wanted them dramatic AF, and I don’t think he would have done that if didn’t want to show how Anakin and Padmé loved each other. If he didn’t like or care for the couple Episode II e III would’ve been a very different story. It would probably be like that dudebro fantasy where Anakin turns to vader because Padmé cheats on him and then kills her as ‘punishment’.
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What are your thoughts on Chuck? Do you think he’s a good villain?
Yes and No.
He had the potential to be an absolutely fantastic villain. I loved the meta madness of the whole thing. The concept of the writer of the story being the final villain, the fact that by making Chuck the bad guy they have managed to tie in moments from basically the entire series which seems intentional but was totally a happy accident (like the very episode the introduced Chuck being called “the monster at the end of this book”) Just *chefs kiss* perfection.
Supernatural has always had this way of being this amazing, awe inspiring, beautifully poetic story, by complete and total accident.
All the best things about Supernatural were NOT intentional.
I seriously mean that. Whenever the writers actually TRY to be clever they fucking fail miserably and the writing shows that. The finale is proof that by trying to be clever by “going full circle” and “taking it back to the start” they basically destroyed everything they had built like children having a tantrum and smashing their sand castles.
The unintentional things are masterpieces
Dean going to Hell and the introduction of angels
Castiel in general sticking around past 3 episodes (and becoming the greatest character in pop culture history and no I don’t take criticism on this stance).
Chuck being seen as God by the fandom long before the writers ever deciding that he was (and then rolling with it because it was a popular fan theory).
Destiel. Just. Destiel. (It IS the greatest love story ever told and no I don’t take criticism on this stance either)
Dean’s repression and multi layers of personality and character growth (a lot due to Jensen being a fucking spectacular actor and not as a result of the writers many of whome have constantly fought against Dean’s growth and tried to force him back into that dudebro womaniser macho toxic masculine role even though that hasn’t fit Dean since Season 1)
Sam’s traumatic recovery from Lucifer that crops up every now and again which is purely thanks to Jareds acting and nothing to do with scripts because the writers never bother to remember the trauma Sam has gone through at Lucifers hands.
Whereas the things that they keep bringing back over and over again constantly fail to impress:
The brothers rehashed arguments season after season
One brother dies, the other mourns, makes a deal, things go bad, another brother dies, on and on and on in a constant viscious circle of mysery that stopped being interesting in season 5 (and thats being generous)
Lucifer. Just. Lucifer in general passed season 5. Fucking hell he should have stayed gone after Hallucifer in Season 7
Anything written by Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross Leming
The British Men of Letters - what the FUCK was that?
The general need to include pointless brother only MOTW episodes therefore wasting half a season EVERY season and making up more and more lame excuses which make no sense for why Castiel isn’t with them when everyone knows that Castiel’s presence makes the episodes better.
Anyway, when I say yes and no about Chuck, I mean that I LOVE the potential the Chuck/God being the villain brings. I loved the deeper concepts that WE as FANS came up with once that plot twist was revealed. I still fawn over meta written about the implications of Chuck as the writer being the villain and the characters having to literally break free of their own story in order to gain true character freedom away from the confines of a show constantly held back by conflicting writer choices, a homophobic asshole network, and too many people like Bob Singer lurking around set all the time like a bad penny.
But the actual Chuck as a villain in the actual canon plot of the show? Lame. Lame and too much missed potential.
Chuck’s whole point as a villain was that he was trapping the characters in a story not of their own free will. They were manipulated by him like puppets right? Even if you interpret it as him standing back and only occassionally nudging them in the direction of his story rather than full on puppeteering, the point is that as the villain of the story, he should have been defeated. The problem with Supernatural’s final season and in particular it’s final episode, is that he wasn’t.
If Supernatural had ended with the brothers truly defeating Chuck, and therefore truly breaking free from his story and getting the endings they deserved, with the people they loved, then looking back now, I would consider the whole narrative of season 15 and consider Chuck a fantastic villain, because had the brothers actually broken free, we would have seen just how high the stakes were. We would have understood how badly Chuck had destroyed the potential happiness the brothers COULD have had. It would have been phenomenal for the show to go out on a bang where the final defeat of Chuck meant we as an audience could have seen just what the brothers had missed out on for all the years they were nothing more but his characters. By given us an ending the brothers actually deserved, to see them free with their loved ones, their found family, happy and alive and just getting to LIVE, then the impact of Chuck’s villainy would have been so much more powerful.
But Chuck won, not because he was a good villain, or more powerful than any other villain and able to overpower the brothers, but because the brothers once supposedly free, did exactly what they would have done in Chuck’s narrative, therefore rendering any high stakes or power Chuck supposedly had totally pointless. The finale episode told us as the audience that “the brothers were always going to follow Chuck’s script, even WITH their own free will”. Which begs the question; did Chuck have any power at all? Or would those stupid codependent idiotic Winchesters have gone and done exactly what he wanted all along anyway? Not only did the finale render Chuck pointless, it rendered the entire narrative of the show to that point pointless. It rendered the whole message of Supernatural completely irrelevant.
So do I think Chuck was a good villain? Yes and No. Yes, because of what could have been, and No, because of what unfortunately was.
#supernatural#chuck shirley#anti spn finale#fuck spn#spn finale wank#spn critical#asks#anon#Anonymous
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I read that Sansa *should* not end up with Jon because she lost Lady and her Stark identity, and ending up with Jon (the "most" Stark) will "reclaim" her Starkness. So Aegon makes more sense since Sansa will "lose" her Stark identity with him (wait ... hasn't she lost it already?!) And Sansa at the end will (*should*) have "very little to do with other Starks", because she is no longer one. Wth. What does Sansa ending up with anyone has to do with her losing/gaining "Starkness"? I am lost.
By no means can I know what is on other people’s minds, but if I would take I guess, I assume that the reason why that person argued that is because a great deal of Jonsa metas go in-depth about how a romance and marriage with Jon enriches Sansa's arc of reclaiming her autonomy and identity as a Stark. How both her political and romantic plot-lines are deeply intertwined with one and another and how that makes Jon the only viable love interest for Sansa.
Those who don’t like Sansa obviously wouldn’t like that. Because if that is true, then where would that leave their favorite character? In their minds, only their faves deserve to be the ruler of the North and/or a love interest like Jon. That’s why they want Sansa to have “very little to do with other Starks”. Deep down they know there is a chance Sansa ends up as (on of the) ruler(s) in the North and marries Jon. And what is the best way to keep Sansa away? By shipping her with characters who would “keep” her in the South.
The obvious Sansa “couples” are S@nsan and S@nrion, and sometimes, as you mentioned, with Aegon. I understand why S@nsan and S@nrion shippers have some “hope” because the story between them and Sansa isn’t over, it’s very likely they will meet her again, but Aegon? The probability that they will meet is slim to none. Their stories are radically different from one another. The story of Aegon is very much tied to the Martells and the Crownlands whereas Sansa’s story is about going North and, like I said earlier, reclaiming her autonomy and identity as a Stark. I can see why some people might consider this because of the Ashford Theory and the strong Targaryen imagery in Sansa’s chapters.
However, those hints could equally hint to a romance and marriage with Jon. After all, R+L=J has been practically confirmed. And then some want Sansa with Aegon because that would mean she would die along with him. Often times it is the ASOIAF dudebros on Westeros(.)org and Reddit who hate Sansa that theorize this. Personally, I loathe the idea of Aegonsa. I don’t want to go in too deep into why I dislike this ship because if I did this then post would be humongous. This post is already so long lol. So if you are interested in why I dislike Aegonsa please send me another ask, anon, and then I will go in-depth.
And then we have the age old sexists, who believe that once a Westerosi noble woman marries she is cast aside by her family and automatically loses her identity. That is not how it works in Westeros. It just doesn’t. When both Catelyn and Cersei married into the Stark and Royal family they didn’t lose identities. Westeros very much sees them as a Lannister and a Tully. And in their cases there were basically “marrying up”. They still didn’t lose their Tulliness and Lannisterness (are these even words lol). Both Catelyn and Cersei take pride in their families. Furthermore if Sansa did, hypothetically, marry into a Southern noble family like these people want, that still doesn’t mean Jon or Bran (whoever rules the North in this scenario) will ignore her. They would support her of course, because a) they love her and b) it’s. a. marriage. alliance. both parties are supposed to benefit from the engagement. That makes the chance for either of them to abandon Sansa virtually impossible. Just like always Sansa antis prove just how little they understand these character and the feudalistic society they live in.
#Anonymous#Sansa Stark#Jonsa#Anti Sansan#Anti Sanrion#Anti Aegonsa#sorry for the very long post anon lol
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@maddie-grove replied to your post “So, I feel like I like Robb Stark, a lot. I thought he was a super...”
That’s the innovation!
@arthurwilde replied to your post “So, I feel like I like Robb Stark, a lot. I thought he was a super...”
focusing on cat instead of robb is one of the most important things the books did!!
Yes, but not only because of who gets to say things, but also what is being said.
People really latch on to this idea of the independent kingdom of the North, because Robb strikes a really dashing (and sympathetic, in the sense that he’s trying to live up to his family expectations) figure.
But the independent northern kingdom is really a white elephant?
Like, people should ask themselves WHY are we seeing this story unfold from the POV of the mother who cares more about human survival than independence?
And people should ask themselves WHY the choice to become an independent northern kingdom just *happened* upon Robb, with no philosophical argument to convince the reader that it is actually a cause worth fighting and dying for?
People should ask themselves WHY Martin stuck the scene at Tristifer’s grave in right before the Red Wedding.
People should ask themselves WHY we’re not following Robb and his generals as they hatch strategy (if they did at all...) and tactics, why we hear more from the common people whose quality of life has nothing to do with which side is winning, why other factions are pulled in to the story who have no stake in Robb’s “cause” (if it’s even his), and why there’s so much in the story about the need to come together against the common enemy.
It’s totally fine if Jo Reader would have told that Robb-Stark-Hero-Of-The-Independent-Northern-Cause story in GRRM’s place, that’s why we have fanfiction, but it’s not the story GRRM is telling, and it’s all intentional.
Sometimes (even with the smart meta writing BNF contingent, so not just easily dismissable knuckleheads dudebros) it feels like people think GRRM chose Catelyn as the POV by accident or for reasons of mere quota. But the substance off her story has every bit as much to contribute as any other POV character? POV’s are not infallible, but they do contribute something of worth.
Like, when Cat says stuff like “Why not peace?” and “Fight for the living, not the dead” -- are these supposed to be just utterances into the void? Mere color in the overall tapestry? Or are they supposed to have resonance above and beyond utterances of characters not chosen as POVs have?
(And the kicker is giving her that place doesn’t make Robb any less sympathetic or a cutie patootie, just not the righteous warrior king people want him to be ...)
#maddie-grove#replies#arthurwilde#books: asoiaf#catelyn tully stark#robb stark#idk I don't geetgjkjghei#aslkgjrw
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it's easy, the 'mad queen, dangerous' didn't start 26 years ago because in that moment, this sentence 'No one ever looked for a girl. It was a prince that was promised, not a princess. Rhaegar, I thought...The error crept in from the translation. Dragons are neither male nor female, but now one and now the other, as changeable as flame.' didn't exist, after this and after adwd dudebros started to panic because Dany was being called azor ahai reborn and she had a ruling arc
You..Oh my god Nonny..that makes a lot of sense?!?
Its this timeline isn’t it? ASOS also ended in Daenerys seeing that Astopor has fallen and the high after the liberation of Slaves from there , so the idea of Daenerys being a “bad ruler, mad ruler, narcissistic dimwit” should have started a lot sooner right? But AFFC and ADWD which kicked it off right? That would be 2005 and 2011 and Game of Thrones starting its anti-women-who-are-complex-and-don’t service man’s narrative style story somewhere around 2014 in high gear.
To this day i see pretty much every BNF in this fandom i know keep on insisting Jon is Azor Ahai or how he would share the meta space with Daenerys even though after thinking on this on my own for some years i just cannot see any solid evidence of him being one. People say but “Melisandre saw Snow when she asked about Azor Ahai from Rh’llor?” ....But this women also said point black she saw Stannis too , fighting White Walkers no less since ASOS too when asking about Azor Ahai as well.
You see a king. You are both wrong. He is the Lord's chosen, the warrior of fire. I have seen him leading the fight against the dark, I have seen it in the flames. The flames do not lie, else you would not be here. It is written in prophecy as well. When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone. The bleeding star has come and gone, and Dragonstone is the place of smoke and salt. Stannis Baratheon is Azor Ahai reborn!" Her red eyes blazed like twin fires, and seemed to stare deep into his soul. "
This is why she risked everything and came all the way from East to help him. Clearly the power be on above is just throwing her visions to make her move where It wants to and not answering her questions specifically. This randomness of Its acts can also be seen on Beric resurrection and Stoneheart reanimation too.
We all know she is wrong. She has be literally prophesied to be wrong since ACOK, so obviously its not a reliable info. Jon is not reborn under a bleeding star nor has birthed dragon out of stones. Dany has. But the more this fandom denies it or make her share her meta space with anyone else the more rank ugly it looks to me.
In this ripe environment GRRM chooses to confirm her being Azor Ahai combined with a very nuanced and complex political arc for her being dropped and also GoT being the massive success .
Daenerys bashing was inevitable. However much we hate that fact. From so called feminists, to critics tooting their own biased toot, anyone who could form a Purity culture masking as Conservative-Hays Code confirming morality opinion on internet would obviously have Daenerys hating hate boner. Which post 2005 is are plenty out there. Since Daenerys became something we only reserved for male characters and had an arc which refuses to self insert gratify ( because being a conqueror is not shits and games and especially slavery dismantling) she would have a lot detractors.
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Honestly, it feels like they came up with the idea of Subject X to extend the story of the Radiant Garden crew because otherwise KH3 would be the perfect place to end their story. She wasn't just a test subject, she was apparently a central figure in the experiments. When she inevitably returns in KH4 she'll drag Ansem, the apprentices, and the boys back into relevance even if they have no other reason to get involved
I suspect you’re right regarding the future. I am sure that she’ll be vital to KH4, and she’ll be heavily involved in Lea and Isa’s story in the future. She’s involved in a large human experimentation plot, and Lea and Isa also having that backstory would be seen as redundant.
None of this will be directed at you anon, just my general opinion on the current state of the story and characters.I’m going to rant a bit about the direction things seem to be going to get it off my chest. Basically, I resent how she took Saix’s backstory and derailed his entire character arc. And I don’t think any of them even needed her to have a role in the future of the story. Ansem the Wise still has a ton of potential. Lea is a full-fledged Keyblade wielder, and Isa could easily be one too. Whatever experiments she was involved in are going to be poorly retconned into the Xehanort Saga and will probably overwrite the mind control experiments that were originally mentioned. “Plot twist: There were no mind control experiments! It was really about learning the secrets of time-travel!” I’m not really excited to learn more, to be honest.
I didn’t play Union X. I tried to, but I didn’t like the gameplay. I have read the story summary online and watched Back Cover. But I have no attachment to Skuld or any of the other original characters from that game. I didn’t play KH3 to learn about them. I don’t care about them. I wanted closure on the characters from this arc. The arc that’s been building up over the last decade. I was attached to Lea and Isa and all the others. And to have it suddenly be all about this new girl and Keyblade wielders of yore out of nowhere…well, it felt like a slap in the face as a long-time fan.
As for Isa’s character: If KH3 is the precedent for how he is to be portrayed going forward, I’m not very excited for the future. It doesn’t sound like Nomura is either.
–There are several Organisation members whose original names are still unknown. Will we have a chance to learn them someday, or to find out about the scar on Isa’s face?
Nomura: If there is a sequel, then that chance may come. But in my heart right now my desire is a blank page.
To be honest, I don’t even know how much blame I can attribute to Nomura personally. I know he wanted to make BBS Volume 2 and was very disappointed it was cancelled. I highly doubt he’s happy with the many, many revisions to the story after it got canned. I suspect his lack of interest in explaining Isa’s scar is due to the fact that he already had a great story all planned out and it was not able to be realized due to factors outside of his control. The Foreteller arc is an opportunity to step away from the butchered Xehanort Saga plot and start over with a blank slate. Just like Verum Rex seems like his attempt at restarting the butchered Versus XIII project with a blank slate.That’s my personal opinion. If it’s true, I can hardly blame him.
As for Lea and Isa’s relationship, here is my honest take: KH3 took a very close and emotionally intimate former relationship between two boys (to me it even seemed romantic in nature) and made it into a caricature of a “dudebro” relationship. And like clockwork, it was all about a girl now. If I’m being perfectly honest, it felt like whoever was writing the Lea/Isa scenes was thinking “no homo, no homo” the entire time. Like they were terrified to depict even the slightest bit of genuine intimacy between these two male characters. I mean really, howcliché to attribute all of Saix’s villainy and the breakdown of his closest friendship… to a single girl that he barely knew. Completely deflecting away from the relationship they had with each other. A relationship history that spanned multiple games now revolves around a character who was never even mentioned before, let alone seen on-screen.
By his own description, he was not close to this girl. He spoke a handful of times to an imprisoned, traumatized amnesiac girl, in hushed whispers. He couldn’t have known her that well. She had amnesia. Did he even know her name? Did SHE even know her name? Didn’t sound like it based on the reports. He said they spoke in the shadows and it was too dim to make out her features. Did he know what she looked like? Again, this was not a childhood friend or anything. After a while, he wasn’t sure if she even existed. I seriously could not wrap my head around how ridiculous this whole concept was. It felt like a joke.
In 358/2 Days, Axel spent the entire game angsting over the loss of his close relationship with Isa. In KH3D, the first thing he does is look for him, and he’s very visibly upset when he finds out he’s still with Organization XIII. Then in KH3, he doesn’t mention him at all. It’s only Roxas this, Roxas that. Lea only remembers Isa exists when he randomly shows up in Twilight Town. I’m like, where did THIS come from? I was laughing hysterically when Saix asked for ice cream. It was the most out-of-character thing I’d ever seen. Axel didn’t even seem phased by him being so friendly all of a sudden, which was also very strange. I would have expected a stronger reaction, but he seemed more annoyed by his presence than anything. Even his promise to bring him home felt more like an afterthought than a priority. “I going to get my precious ROXAS back! Oh, well, I guess I’ll bring you back too, Isa. I mean, as long as you’re here…why not?”
Lea: Would you get lost? I’ll clobber you tomorrow.
Saix: Hmph. I expect no less.
I really disliked how Saix’s personality was portrayed in KH3. In my opinion, Isa’s entire redemption hinged on the fact that he was Xehanort’d. Saix was THE main villain in 358/2 Days. He was basically Xemnas-lite, only far more of an active presence than Xemnas himself was in that game. He was constantly antagonizing Roxas, Xion and Axel. By writing the story so that he was in control of himself the whole time, it sent the message that Saix’s personality is Isa’s true personality as well. And I just don’t think that works. At all. It’s inconsistent with the story, and it’s honestly insulting to Isa’s character. There was SO much evidence that Isa was not in control of himself prior to KH3.
It also left a very poor taste in my mouth because Isa was implied to be an innocent victim of cruel human experimentation, who was being controlled like a puppet by an evil madman. That is horrific abuse to a 15 year-old child. And the heartwarming resolution to his story is watching his best friend “clobber” him? Really? All he needs is someone to beat some sense into him? And keep in mind, this is supposed to be a battle to bring about the apocalypse. Why does the dialogue sound more like a pissing contest between two high school boys that are planning to have a fistfight in the parking lot after school?
Saix: I was jealous.
Lea: You admit it.
Saix: Well, if I make it back…you won’t get it out of me a second time.
Isa doesn’t even get a good redemption scene. He isn’t allowed to show any emotion whatsoever. He actually berates Lea for showing emotion…FOR HIM. And what’s Lea’s opinion after Isa is defeated? He’s disgusted that he LET Xehanort “reduce him to this.” It’d be like if Ven or Aqua were disgusted at Terra for having the audacity to get possessed. But no, apparently Saix was just putting on an “act” the whole time. All of his sociopathy was just an act of macho bravado to hide his jealousy and wounded ego. Sheesh, that’s supposed to make him more sympathetic? And he’s STILL a jerk even when he apologizes. There really was no way to make Saix into a “redeemed good guy”. I mean, he was a Xehanort clone, for Christ’s sake. As far as I’m concerned, the X-shaped scar never getting explained is just symbolic of the fact that the real Isa is still dead.
If it had just been shown that he was a victim of mind control, he wouldn’t have even NEEDED a redemption. He’d just… go back to being Isa, who was always good in the first place. I mean, you don’t need to redeem Xemnas to redeem Terra. Sure, it’s his body, but how stupid would it have been to have Xemnas give a half-hearted apology, then go back home with Aqua and Ven? The story could call him “Terra” all they want. But that’s still not Terra; that’s Xehanort. No, they actually needed to bring Terra back to have a truly happy ending for the trio.
That’s how I feel about Isa. KH3 can call him “Isa” all they want, but all I saw was a watered-down, slightly less douchey version of Saix masquerading as Isa. I wont go into too much detail right now because I have a huge meta almost finished (I hope to have it posted soon) analyzing Isa’s weapons and how they paint a very detailed picture of his (original) personality. And by every indication…Isa’s personality was very feminine, empathetic, and emotional. He’s basically the archetypal Yin; the Moon goddess. And that’s definitely closer to how I interpreted his personality based on BbS. I can’t see him saying ANY of the dialogue he had in KH3.
#anti-kh3#kh3 spoilers#kh meta#kingdom hearts meta#kh axel#kh saix#kh isa#kh lea#kh leaisa#kh akusai#akusai#leaisa
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Z. Ramble, on!
im gonna talk about how much i love luke skywalker–which is very very much–and why tlj is not only an IC character arc for him but one that makes him 100% more important to me
y’all of course, will likely have your own interpretations of him and that’s a-okay. but i’ve got about 20 years invested in mine and i am incredibly stubborn so any THAT’S NOT HIS CHARACTER!!! comments or reblogs might not be engaged with. that in mind, let’s roll.
to tosche station!
a lot of feelings about luke skywalker, as told by gizka
here’s some things i understand about luke from the original trilogy:
he doesn’t think things through. he’s curious and impulsive. his curiosity is one of my favorite things about him. since he’s the entrypoint character for the audience, we learn things with luke. we get excited with luke, we get angry with luke. luke’s curiosity does some meta work in letting the audience get immersed in the universe. he bugs owen. he bugs ben. he bugs han and chewie and is a walking bioware protag wanting fetch quests. what’s this laser sword? can i look down its handle?
his curiosity & impulsiveness are what save the Jedi. put on a visor and wave a laser around? sounds fun. go to a swamp planet in the middle of a war? okay. whatever this blue ghost-man has to say. the jedi, i think, lost curiosity– they lost the ability to critically reflect, to want to learn. they haven’t grown, even as the galaxy has grown around them (alluded quite a bit in EU content like KOTOR and also in canon with RotS). in the OT, we get two jedi: old ben kenobi, an exile who is referred to as a great general but is one of the most static characters in the series. throughout the series, he is moved into action by his surroundings or circumstances. he doesn’t seek luke out for training– the kid passes out on his yard. he straight up phased out of the adventure by ep 4. & then we get luke, this scrappy desert farm kid, and through his POV the jedi get to go from relics to something incredibly cool to be discovered– luke’s not the last of the old, but the first of the new. he’s dynamic and a catalyst and he charges through the story like a drunk bull
luke always wants to learn, but is frustrated by learning. we see how he’s quick to get angry or to quit, especially in ESB when dealing with yoda, that little hobgoblin. part of that is the impulsiveness & overeagerness– he wants to jump in and do things but doesn’t have the patience. this fits that “gifted child, struggling adult” trope. it’s Important that he doesn’t complete Jedi training his first try, that it doesn’t come easily to him.
luke is often isolated from what’s actually happening. after a new hope, he’s the Hero of Another Story in his own trilogy. his role, tactically speaking, on endor isn’t necessary (remember that he didn’t go in with the intention to stop the emperor). it’s personal. it’s family matters. it’s impulsive as hell despite his newfound Jedi Chill. luke’s arc is purposefully set up to be a sidestep away from the grand battle of good vs. evil during RotJ–that’s leia’s arena (& i could talk a lot about leia, too. another day, another post there). after ben’s death, all of his journeys are solo journeys: he’s a student without a teacher
so he is, in a lot of ways, alone even when surrounded by his friends. he’s the only one trying to understand the Force. he’s the only one trying to understand Darth Vader. he’s the only one who actively confronts the Dark Side (and the only one who sees the Dark Side in himself). he hosts his father’s funeral by himself. and, at the end of the trilogy, he’s the only one that sees the ghosts
here’s what i understand about luke between the OT and ST:
he wasn’t a good teacher. how could he be? historically in GFFA, heroes don’t make great teachers– obi wan certainly wasn’t. or qui gon. or yoda or mace. remember how yoda made himself straight up die to get out of answering luke’s questions? i do. luke’s 0 for 2 in dissolving mentors.
in fact, i’ll wait for someone to mention a jedi master who was a responsible, positive mentor for their student without things going to hell in a handbasket. the skywalker mentorship program is a domino line of dudebro fuckery
so we have someone who didn’t get good training, didn’t have a consistent teacher of his own, but has an intense curiosity about the force and an inherited legacy he’s decided to run with. he doesn’t have children of his own & leia’s too busy being the Big Good and having a full-time job with benefits to sign up for jedi daycamp (& coming back to that leia post i might write one day, why the fuck would she want to do jedi training. jedi training has super fucked up her life!). but his nephew, ben’s namesake, shows force sensitivity. for the first time, luke’s not the only person who can carry on the traditions he never really got to learn in the first place. potentially, he has someone who can share his curiosity with
but luke’s not a good teacher. his curiosity comes with impulsiveness. and so he fails his first try at it, in a way that mirrors his first try at being a jedi. only this time he’s not just hurting himself in the cave – he hurts ben. and leia. and han. he knows it, too.
so he leaves. because he doesn’t know what to do. because, for the first time he’s experienced it, the force is frightening and no one’s prepared him for this side of it. he exiles himself, because his journey has been one of exile ever since dagobah. he’s on his own, because who can he talk to? where is the handbook for So You Scared Your Apprentice To the DarkSide? it’s in a fucking tree somewhere a billion light years away that yoda lights on fucking fire, thanks yoda
luke is the first of the new, but being new means not having experience to draw on. it’s Telling that, in his exile, he is looking for answers from the ancient order. because luke’s still a student, still learning, too
so, let’s talk TLJ:
let’s say you really fucked up an exam. it was the most important exam of your life. and you straight up fucked it. F-. suspension. your photo’s hanging up on a wall of shame somewhere
now imagine some kid shows up to your depression den, uninvited, and demands that you tutor them in the exact same material you fucked up in previously. by the way, she’s sent by the sister you irreversibly hurt, apparently galactic freedom depends on it, and she’s learning Force Shit from that nephew you almost killed in a Panic.
it’s pretty understandable that you’d want to do one of two things: A. tell her no don’t do it, and/or B. maybe see what you can figure out from some old textbooks
except the textbooks suck because they were written by even more shitty teachers. this is the book your professor wrote and made you buy with no resale value. it hasn’t been revised or updated. this is first edition knowledge in a thirteenth edition galaxy. you, and this kid, and your nephew, are all on your own. you have no idea how to fix this shit. people have possibly died because of it. more people might die if you keep trying without knowing all there is to know about the force– what it can do, how it can manifest in people. the very thing that has been your strength your whole life (curiosity, a sense of adventure!, raw talent) is getting people killed
also yoda set the fucking books on fire
all three of the candidates for the title of the last jedi (luke, ben, rey) expect a legacy to inherit, a place in a more meaningful universe. they’re all, ultimately, disappointed. how they react to this disappointment is important: ben wants to burn it down. rey wants to fight for something new.
luke faces it. he apologizes to ben and leia. he fights for the Big Good in what is once again, a solo fight. that is personal. that is about family.
luke, unlike the jedi before him, learns how to be a teacher. he dies alone for it.
fuck anyone who says this version of luke is inferior, weaker, or OOC. i don’t want my heroes to get everything right on the first try– because no one does.
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would you please go on an excessive rant about kawoshin? i got a pack of popcorn to microwave i got time
Alright, there’s a whole variety of topics to address here. I think I’ll just make a long bulletpoint list. I’m trying to be reasonable in my saltiness but I’ve lost my patience with the anti-kawoshin stuff. Though if I’m wrong about anything I say on a technical level, I apologize.
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I’m not surprised by the presence of dudebro fans per se. I’ve never been in a fandom with some level of mass appeal where they didn’t appear. What I’m baffled by is that they don’t just hate Eva considering that, for all the debate around whether ep24 was gay, it’ certainly something they would find gay for two guys to do and the mental gymnastics to no homo kawoshin are way more convoluted. I guess I’m becoming tired of this type of person. And of the fact that every meta community requires one to never say the word ‘gay’ even once, or everything else will be instantly dismissed. Eva is where I officially lost it regarding this topic because it’s so very obviously gay that denying it sounds like straight-up satire. But what do I know, they’re the Serious Fans and I’m just some delusional fangirl, I guess. Let them keep being smug, because clearly, “realism” is acting like lgbt people don’t exist, they got us, it was all a conspiracy to fuck with them.
What is up with the wiki’s editing? Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for the work that went into compiling all the information but the ep24 first draft’s wiki page? The exaggerated emphasis placed on it being ‘Just a draft that was rejected!!!!’ And the added commentary on how a lot of draft materials are ‘ABSOLUTELY NOT ANNO’S AUTHORIAL INTENT’ which begins to diverge from the article’s topic itself. They went as far as bolding the phrase. All of this, after explaining that Satsukawa’s drafts are written based on a general outline Anno gives him... Question of the day: what outline did Anno give Satsukawa that led to him writing that draft? The 1-2 episodes’ worth of homoeroticism, you know. Not to mention the actual ep24, the one that was okayed by Anno, which is still, frankly, really gay. Truly, whoever edited that article was the shining star of intellect. Congratulations!
And, about the quest to prove Shinji’s straight, I find it intriguing that every. single. person. brings up the fact that he jacked off to comatose Asuka. Because any normal display of being attracted to women or any of his erotic mental imagery couldn’t have done, you had to pick that as the typical behaviour to represent straight people. Interesting. I don’t understand their rituals, unfortunately. I figure they just wank to unconscious people on the regular since they love talking about it so much.
Meanwhile bisexual people let out a soft sigh at this whole discussion.
My favourite phenomenon, and the one I was originally going to complain about, is the group of people who took the step of admitting kawoshin is canon, but because they’re sore losers they’re trying to demonstrate how it’s unhealthy. I don’t like having to say all of this because some of the analysts on board with this, I actually like a fair amount. But sorry, if it’s a stupid idea, then it’s a stupid fucking idea and I can’t act like it’s not. So, apparently, Kaworu=bad because he’s too idealized and conforms too perfectly with what Shinji wants, and that’s impossible for human beings so that’s — allegedly — why he turns out to be an angel and has to die. I think the second half of this interpretation has elements that make sense. Maybe. In that I agree that having to kill Kaworu was relevant to the plot and Shinji’s character development (‘unraveling’ might be a more accurate word...). But it’s not because there was any problem with kawoshin as a relationship; it’s because Shinji has to learn not to rely on outside factors for self-worth. That doesn’t say anything about how good those outside factors are for him in themselves, just that he has a tendency of making his own value depend on them whether they’re healthy things or not. Declaring Kaworu to be a negative influence because he’s ‘not a Real Person’ is akin to saying Shinji would be better off hanging out with the ‘Real People’ in his life. The choices for healthy bonds are then: 1) Misato, who has issues with drinking and sex and has made moves on Shinji while being twice his age 2) Rei, who is debatably even a single entity and is a clone of Shinji’s mother that he occasionally sees as a substitute for her 3) Asuka, who continuously talks shit to him, beats him up, expects him to fulfill her desires for precocious sexual maturity and is completely insensitive to anything bad happening to him, including the time he almost died 4) Gendo. I’m being harsh. I appreciate all of these characters and it’s independently from their individual complexity that I observe how they keep trying to dump their own issues on Shinji. I don’t know if it’s about gender. I’m never quite sure.
I can’t say much about the Netflix dub that hasn’t been said already. For one thing, changing ‘love’ to ‘like’ makes no sense in terms of the plot. For another, I agree that phrasing means little to nothing with the visuals on screen. But, just to add something to it, the next time I see someone piggybacking on this discourse to express their “sympathy for how the translators are being treated”, I want them to know that it’s really transparent. Also that anyone from the staff could have said “I did this because it’s my job but I don’t think it was a good choice to translate it like that” at any point. But, for all I know, maybe Netflix is some kind of corporate dictatorship where you can’t express mild disagreement with your colleague’s work or you get instantly fired. I don’t quite care what emotional state translators are in because of the backlash. With this attitude, we’d be obligated to suck it up with any divisive higher decision, lest we hurt someone’s feelings by disliking it. It would have been so easy to keep the phrase in. Absolutely no effort. This was done, I believe, intentionally to pander to dudebros because a lot of people involved probably had no clear understanding of what Eva is and which people it attracts, so they went with ‘eh, it’s probably the average mecha fans’. Companies like this want you to sit back and stay comfortable and amoebic, never being exposed to anything that pokes at your sensitivities — so lgbt content needs to be in a segregated place, available for The Gays while everyone else can peacefully avoid it. And we’ll all be content and appeased and really fucking dopamine-hooked on online streaming. It’s gonna be really, really funny when everyone finds out Eva is centered around subversion with or without the homosexual undertones.
To make it clear, I have no way of knowing what goes on in Anno’s head and I would never blame him for anything considering he created kawoshin and Eva as a whole, things that had a positive effect on me. It needs to be said though; are we sure that and only that which he says publicly is an accurate canon fact about the show? Do we really think his public statements don’t go through any filters, especially when it’s about topics like homosexuality? He already got so many death threats over the tv ending that he got pissed and made EoE. Can you imagine what would happen if he declared kawoshin to be canon? Just ponder on this before taking it for granted that him not saying there was a romantic relationship between them means there wasn’t.
Tangentially related; Anno’s “it wasn’t carnal” as well as the draft rejection seems more related to how the ep24 draft would have, according to the staff, looked like borderline porn. I think our perspective on how far Eva goes is a bit skewed by the clusterfuck in EoE. None of the kids really had carnal desires in the original series — no, not even Asuka, she thought she did because of her issues but it’s fairly clear from her introspection and breakdown that she likes only the idea of being physically intimate but is kind of disgusted by the reality of it (washing her mouth after just kissing Shinji), as people normally are at fourteen. I take Anno’s statement more as “Shinji wasn’t blushing because he was turned on”, not that he didn’t like Kaworu romantically.
I find a lot of discussion around representation formulaic and word salad-ish. The same niche terms with no distinct meaning thrown together in random combinations. But I think I understand it somewhat now, to a small degree. I was so happy about kawoshin. I was genuinely so, so happy. Granted, my expectations for canon lgbt are so low they’re approaching the Earth’s core, but this ship gives me so many positive feelings that I don’t want it taken away from me. I don’t have it in me to engage in anyone’s intricate debates on whether it’s canon or not and I have absolutely no time or care for straight fans’ gaslighting on the issue.
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Kind of a weird curiosity. But I remembers years ago when there was talk over what it'd be like if Allen had been a girl instead (I even read a girl!Allen fic about her time with Cross. It was surprisngly good. Probably because it had no shipping =p). For some reason I just start thinking about that topic again and I wonder how Allen and Lavi's dynamic would be? For the most part I don't see most of Allen's dynamics changing at all (except more (more) fanboys. Lol). But then I remembered Lavi -
2 and I think it's been pointed out Lavi treats females a bit differently. He doesn't seem to prank or tease them as much as the males (not that he's the perfect gentleman either. Komui Talks makes me wonder how innocent he actually is XD). Nor give them nicknames. With this is mind I wonder if Lavi would still act the exact same (chaotic prankster. Touchy feely physically. Retaliating over rough housing) or if he'd tone some things down but do other things more (maybe try to be more like a -
3 big brother initially if he kinda of bases off from Lenalee and Komui, w/o the complex, to get closer to a female Allen?). Lol, Idk. This is kind of more of a Lavi meta question since it's been stated Allen's relationship is utterly crucial to Lavi's character. Again, I'd be curious if a dynamic w/girl Allen would be slightly different or the exact same (in a you're an exception. And people bop him more because 'stop picking on a sweet girl' while Allen cackles menacingly from behind).
Oh my this is... interesting to think about.
I think it’s fair to start with... the fact that Allen was originally a girl. Or more- when Hoshino pinched the idea to Shounen Jump she made a one shot with a main character called Robin. Here you can find it. And Robin... was an akuma. A girl in a boy’s body. Long story short, you can read the one shot if you hadn’t yet - but ye that was originally the character we were going with.It’s to argue that it would make a point for Robin planned as a transwoman in those instances.
According to the Gray Arc however, when the series became serialized, her editors were against the idea, because “No one would care if a girl would be crying”. That’s litterally word for word the reasoning. So Hoshino had to scrap it.
and she mentions quickly that it was one of the reasons she had no idea what to do with Allen to start with. He kinda started with him being a revamp of her character. (What I admire a lot with Hoshino is how much Her Vision can be affected by little things? Like how Lenalee became an entiere different person in her head the moment her editors forced her to have her with long hair.)
There’s also the elephant in the room that considering the timeperiod it was originally written. DGM was originally published with some big name shounen, Shounen Jump had some control over some choices, would react to fan backlashes (Lenalee being forced to have her hair long again is among those btw) ect... I mean like I think people may take for granted that for instance, the Alma arc was a complete anomaly when it came out in 2009/2010. That it had like. Major effects on fanbases. I’ve seen so much dudebros yell at this arc while i was thriving my friend. And tbh before the Alma arc DGM was often lurped in the “basic Shounen” category. A lot of people argued about the tropes it had to follow or not, and if this sort of things had any impact on the writting of the manga earlier? I can see how things wouldn’t go smoothly.(The Alma arc rooted out all the bad dudebros i’ve known of though. I don’t even care what people’s reaction nowadays are to it, to me back then, from the experience i got from fandom, it was revolutionary when it came out.)
I’ve stired away sorry, but Lenalee also works better, bc I know Hoshino fought for the Alma’s arc and that her editors didn’t agree with the direction she was taking. But if you read some of the interviews of the Grey Arc specifically, you see that Hoshino was constantly told how to rewrite Lenalee to fit a male audience sort of. Her editor pushed her to have long hair bc “that’s the kind of idol he found cute”, there was a complete backlash when Hoshino managed to cut her hair, the fans supported the editors, Hoshino talks all about it with such a bummer because “her Lenalee” had short hair. (also during that specific interview her editor calls her a moron. Later on she got called very annoying for sassing her editors after they called her dumb when she had a writter block writting the 14th song, and she sassed them asking for help going “since you’re far more intelligent than me-”. And the editor failled hard, Hoshino didn’t even use his writting, and the editor insulted her for being bossy. Needless to say I’ve since then been filled with anger with how the early days of DGM must have been hard on Hoshino).
I’m forced to make this preface because I truly think it would have affected Allen’s writting had he been a woman.
If i’m optimistic i would like to think that nothing much would change because Allen’s writting kinda transend genders. But If i’m realistic i know it wouldn’t have happened.
As for Lavi specifically (wouh 7 paragraphs in and i’m finally touching the point of this post) the thing is that he also has a soft spot for women. (I mean i personally would argue he describes Dug as “cute” far too much in his novel to be 100% straight but he at least show his attraction to women more easily in the manga).
And ye he does tend to treat the women differently but he also doesn’t... have a lot of women to be around to. I mean Lenalee whom he respects (and can be worried Komui will kill him if he tries anything), Miranda that he kinda met at the wrong time? He was always so overly serious around her because he was griefing and we didn’t see him with her at all since he got better. Aside then from his occasional crushes, that he does let himself feel, he didn’t really have an opportunity to spend more time with those women.
My point is just that the women he had met don’t help us set up a patern about how he treats them more casually: in term of pranks for exemple. Like in the day-by-day, we only have Lenalee and Miranda, and pranking Lenalee would be really putting a target on him to be murdered by Komui, while I would argue that Miranda’s anxiety (and the circumstances in which Lavi met her) would make him go softer on her. It doesn’t mean we know for sure he wouldn’t tease a woman in his peer surrounding in others circumstances.
I would love to think he would make an exception for Allen if only because of the timing: He was still handling Dug’s recent death and I think even if Allen was a woman the parallelisms would be there for him to be bitter.
I want to think that because of that Lavi would still have teased Allen normally like he teases guys. But it’s not impossible that he would have treated Allen differently.
I think eventually like... If Lavi recognizes his soft spot for women (that it is with his strikes and whatever) he might actually be more ready to keep a guard up around them? Like I personally think he has a major soft spot for Lenalee but it took eventually Allen shaking everything up for him to acknowledge this soft spot. That he would have otherwise just protected himself against.
That, the reason our Allen was so effective was that Lavi really, really didn’t expect anything like that. and I think expectations would have been his doom, and I am inclined to think if allen had been a woman, he would have had some expecations.
Regardless: The major plot points that changed Lavi’s mind on Allen were emotionally driven and would still have had the same impact had Allen be a girl, i’m convinced of that.
So it’s only on how he would treat that Allen more casually. And tbh... considering how vicious Allen can be, I feel like if Lavi treated her “more softly”, Allen’s reactions would probably have ended up with Lavi going “nevermind she’s a prick” and tease her just like he teases our Allen. I mean just taking the Vampire’s arc, with a whole joke about when Allen got bitten and that Lavi was lowkey scared because of that that Allen would turn into a vampire- in the term of, Allen being a danger to him. And Allen therefore sassing him because Lavi was being a moron. I don’t see how the gender would have changed anything, and if Lavi did treat Allen softly “as a girl”, I think this sort of things would have stopped him dead in his track as in “ye no she’s a PRINK where is my sharpy i’m gonna draw on her face.”
But that’s wishful thinking. I honestly don’t know and I think a lot of this post is more how i’m tryng to reason it.
I’m sure more people would be more able to pinpoint exactly the characters and how it would work. I think i can’t ignore what went down backstage in term of the women’s writtings so i cannot help but let it affect how I would see the manga as written by Hoshino be affected by it. But also perhaps if Hoshino had managed to keep her female main character, she could have gone more “fuck you” to her editors and manage to flesh her out to a point where half of what i’m worrying about wouldn’t even matter.
If we divorce the story from the backstage stuff, perhaps there would be a complete different take to have - and it’s cool if people get to explore it. I am just... not the one placed for that.
I used to be good at transformative media, like headcanons and fics, and let those a little take over, but I got kinda insecure of my interpretations so i started to rely on canon a lot more. I already get insecure when I push my interpretations of canon too far. So something that really get me out of my comfort zone is not where you’d find the best answers about that, i’m sorry.
But hey i hope this ask made sense? If not for the second half, at least for the half where I mention the backstages issues.
Take care!
#ichafantalks dgm#idk if it shows that under my very long posts i'm actually totally and completely insecure about the way I interpret media#that's... kinda why I keep repeating that I don't want to let my bias influence my posts#because i'm terrified to do so#I htink also part of the reason i ramble so much is that i'm insecure my thought process doesn't make sense otherwise#and it's only when i have canon to back me up to start with#with fanon i'm... terrified i'm just going to say something widely inaccurate#which is stupid i know fanon is for people to explore everything they want#and i love fanon stuff I just somewhat hold myself to others standarts#probably the fact I associate it more to my teen years or had bad experience and all#but that's a therapy for another day#for now that's all i can give on that topic kjdhfkdj#take care!#Anonymous#ichareply
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Why do you think Allurance is gonna be end game? I'm just curious.
Though you would better ask an Allurance shipper, I’m sure they have all the screenshots and meta ^^” I suppose I may at least try to explain why I keep saying I’m 100% sure they’re endgame. And as usual, I’m sorry in advance for any mistakes as I’m not a native English speaker, and for this big mess of a post, if I try to make a better structured one I’d never finish it...
So, short answer is: tropes? When you get used to see movies/shows/cartoons and reading books, you can tell? Idk but it just seems very obvious to me. And I’m saying that when I’ve thought from day 1 that Allura deserved better, so I’m pretty sure I’m objective enough here, and well at least now I’m more okay with it because the development I knew they were going to give to Lance was actually - waaaay - better brought than most stories with the same kind of situation (awesome girl ending up with the straight big flirt ‘loser’ kinda situation). But I’m digressing.
So like, when this happen with a boy and a girl at the second of their meeting:
usually you can bet they’re endgame. It’s a common trope (literally called “Falling into his Arms” it was so ridiculously an obvious “hey look, these are the two straits you should be rooting for”, I rolled my eyes super hard at that, good thing Allura is not the passive kind of princess, her next reactions were fun).
I’m pretty sure you could check a lot of the common straight pairings love tropes for those two. The biggest one being The Lady and her Knight.
They are also colour coded in their paladin armour. Red and Blue are the rivals (no offence to KL shippers, even if in this case it was a mostly one-sided rivalery), but Blue and Pink, that's a hint especially in a cartoon, it's the most obvious you can come with for children because of our societies gender roles to tell them 'this is a boy this is a girl and they're gonna get married', I guess?
Lance’s character development began after he became Red’s pilot, but it was especially increasing in parallel to Allura and Lotor’s relationship: he is Allura’s love interest and his acting all jealous was something you found regularly in stories too, and then realizing in s6 that the reason she could never take him seriously was his own fault - as he wasn’t respectful to her, was even basically sexually harassing her - and from there on it was very obvious he is to become a more serious and responsible person, the kind of person she could be interested in ; it was all done on purpose presenting their relationship as a slow burn (there is a lot of slow burn pay off in this series imo, which what Josh Hamilton was talking about, and it’s not just about romantic relationships).
Also the fact that she didn’t seem to find it repulsive and ridiculous when the mice told her that he was in love with her, is a big good point for him: she would not have reacted with just a bit of surprise and a smile before, she got the time to become at least friend with him since they met, and she could see that he wasn’t just some rude idiot, that he was smarter than he seemed and that he had potential not just of greatness (which he already proved as a paladin) but also of nobility of heart, by sacrificing himself for her in 6x01 and by having his bayard turn into the same Altean sword King Alfor was using, very symbolic:
(also side note, Lance was the only one to get a glimps of ghost Alfor without counting Allura, when the ship and his IA got infected that time in s1).
His love and the importance he accords to his big family is something I can see playing a role in the development of their relationship too. Not only as making Allura feel welcome with them on Earth maybe, but also to show that he would make a good consort, one who would have the same sense of responsability and care toward a whole people, something the last Altean will need from Allura and anyone she would choose to share her life with. The ruler of a people (Allura) would need someone who seeks stability (Lance the family guy) rather than someone who wants adventures (or universe domination).
Which also brings the fact that the way Lotor treated Allura, then the way he treated the other Altean, was, is and will be opposed to how Lance is with her, classic love triangle (hey kinda like how they opposed Adam’s reaction to Shiro’s choice, to Keith’s unconditional love for him...).
And talking about Sheith, Allurance is also the only other relationship that has symbolic and or meaningful/deep moments at least once per season if not more (again, lots of tropes in those scenes).
I've seen people calling Lance "the rebound" which I find super weird, I personally see Lotor being the bad experience, but experience nonetheless, she’ll know better now than to give her heart to the first charming dude I suppose, and Lance the better choice now that he realized the difference between a crush and real love and that women deserve to be treated respectfully, and not just as sexy things, and that he could at least offer sincere and unconditional support if he really loves her.
I’m sure there are other things we could add, really there must be some good long meta out there, I’m just gonna finish here by saying that Voltron is indeed a cartoon about a group of hero forming a giant robot to defend the universe, but their relationships (all kind, friendship, family and romantic) all play a big role in their development - especially because they are young people. Which then plays a big role in their confidence about their abilities, their will to fight for what they believe in and what they want to protect, their bond with their lions and Voltron’s strength itself. It’s also a cartoon for teens rather than little children (like idk, Pokémon), so I do believe that at least one main pairing will be explicitely canon endgame, and the most logical would be the straight obvious one Allurance (and if they have the guts to defy the dudebro fanboys, at least subtily, Sheith). It would be appropriate to finish such a story with a hopeful joyous note, with super friendships between not just the paladins but also different species accross the universe, families reunited, and new families being formed.
#Allurance#Voltron#Sheith#vld allura#voltron legendary defender#vld meta#vld lance#my opinion#I hope that you'll see this anon and that it satisfy your curiosity?#and yes couldn't help adding some sheith heh#probably unpopular opinion about lance#ah also some#spoilers#about season 7#ok hope I didn't do too many English mistakes#sorry about that but if I keep trying to correct myself I'll never post anything#also just passing by even tho I have tons of stuff I wanna post aaah#(and tumblr really is annoying with pics I can't post some stuff wtf)#long post
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Dream on little broomstick cowboy...
12x11 - 13x16: Scooby Doo and the Real Dean
THEN: last season we had a PR / marketing heavy “fun” episode that turned into anything but, it was a total exposition of Real Dean, who he really is underneath, at his core, without all his childhood hang ups having moulded him into the repressed Dean we know so well who pretends not to like Dr Sexy, Oprah, pop music etc. This episode showed many things eg. that he is deep down a totally soft sweetheart (duh), is actually extremely lighthearted and his first instinct is to be kind to others and see the good in them. But also specific little things like he not only knows but loves Dory, he fanboys over his Angel best friend and importantly is still an innately on point hunter.
Bonus: the fact that before he even got whammied he “had the hots for Larry as soon as you walked in here” and was pretty desperate to ride him when he thought Sam would never find out...
Ie. there is a helluvalot more to him than the Performing!Dean he exudes and yes we have seen bits here and there (Dr Sexy etc) but many people still forget these snippets and watch the show on such a surface level they don’t see this, plus there is a lot we haven’t seen because he hides it and importantly, he hides a lot from Sam.
This episode gave us a really deep look at Dean, who he truly is at his core and beyond his life experience and who he could have been given different circumstances (and wow, isn’t that all conveniently also what an AU does and is the entire point of AU’s existing in fiction, but I digress).
The episode during which we got this moment:
Now: this season’s “fun episode” gives us Dean fanboying over his schoolboy crush Daphne in the promo, just as 12x11 showed us Elka slapping Dean in the face after a supposed sexual encounter (which either never actually happened or was just like it hadn’t happened as per Dean’s own words).
=> Misdirection and surface level PR / marketing focus versus the very real and deep message beneath.
Let’s also remember that this time last year they must have been writing / known for sure that they were doing the Scooby episode this season as they did the voiceovers for it early on as they mentioned it at the end of the season.
This isn’t accidental.
So, Elka who in the PR was marketed as a surface level dudebro haha he got slapped “Epic Night!” sexual encounter for Dean:
Then who actually when we watched the episode was our exposition that Dean, having gotten away from Sam and gone somewhere he didn’t think Sam would find him and Sam would never find out about... had fun, drank some tequilas, flirted with the bartender and then rode Larry like a pro...
And then, when Sam did find out about it, Dean was embarrassed until he put aside the facade, because there was no way to hide it anymore, the secret was out! So? HE OWNED IT:
Sam: I can't believe you rode Larry.
Dean: Hey, I was awesome on that bull. I was like a god.
While Sam says Dean seemed happy when he wasn’t repressed and Dean explains that unfortunately what they DO also got lost and thus emphasising again that due to his sense of duty to helping others it was and still is worth it to repress himself, his wants, desires and needs, to hunt things and save people. Putting others first except in those small moments of respite such as riding Larry when he thinks no-one will find out.
URGH DEAN.
Versus now, Daphne being billed as the exact same type of marketing based surface level love interest for Dean:
*so... insert shocked face here when this ends up going nowhere just as Elka didn’t and actually shows us way more important things in other ways about Dean*
So basically, I wouldn’t be surprised if over the space of the episode we do have a pretty big Dean focus, learn more about Real Dean, more blatantly exposing the meta reading we have seen for a long time but the GA need to become more aware of.
Surface Level Repressed Performing!Dean is not Real Dean.
This repeated reference to Dean’s childhood through Scooby Doo, calling back to the previous Real Dean episode, which fit perfectly with his story, the man behind the mask (him) and fighting the Supernatural etc.
It all just FITS.
Perhaps this episode will give us a turning point or just be a part of his general evolution, especially ramped up since Mary’ return. This reference to his childhood heroes and the necessary escapism from his upbringing, to expose just how far he’s now come...
1. being the hero himself
2. not needing to escape his life but embrace it
3. not needing to hide who he really is beneath a mask, letting go of Performing!Dean and allowing Real Dean to take his place
That’s what would make most sense given the themes so far in Dabb era about circling around to the start, heavily referencing his childhood through Mary herself and all the John symbolism this season re: fathers, all the mask symbolism so far this season, the fact that this is clearly Dean’s endgame, to finally let go of the mask of repression and let these things out, to embrace them, to accept them and to like himself for who he really is instead of self loathing and repressing it behind this facade.
A facade that many people have seen since the pilot but which needs to be torn down so it’s clearer to the GA, dare I say even grenade launchered down ;)
The only thing is this episode is not being written by SPN but Scooby writers from what I understand, so perhaps this is asking too much, but let’s see, I still have, though not sky high, relatively high hopes for some meaning behind this episode, it’s all too perfect an opportunity missed and especially given this link to the earlier deep Dean episode... it’s just such an opportunity to dig further into Dean’s personal growth and references to his childhood and how that has affected him as a man that has been so central this and last season with a real life childhood fantasy literally playing out.
I’m excited :)
#supernatural#dean winchester#dean sublimation winchester#dean emancipation winchester#endgame positive#spn 13x16#spn 13x16 speculation#tinks speculation v canon#performing!dean
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