#Charlie you cannot tell me your character is a fish man and not expect me (or the rest of the fandom it seems) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

legacysam · 3 years

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"#*erases a rant about fandom cas characterization bc god who has the energy*" me. i have the energy. give me the rant.

*cracks knuckles* okay let’s see if any of these particular intellectual muscles still work.

I am always pro-cas-being-canonically-dickish posts (even if they are misleading one way or another, more on that later) because dear GOD this fandom loves to infantalize the man. He’s a “baby in a trenchcoat.” He’s dumb about pop culture and clueless about human things isn’t it adorable? SHUT UP!!!! And pls especially shut up if you’re using his ignorance as a way of making another character look cool or smart by comparison. “it’s a shortened version of my name” was 100% Cas fucking with Dean because he is a dick sometimes! and it’s great! Also: Cas’s indifference to pop culture isn’t a weakness just because pop culture knowledge is a major currency on tumblr!!! It’s indicative of the fact that he’s got much bigger and more important things on his mind. (Also. listen. This trait was canonically erased by Metatron and it was literally the only good thing that fucking character ever did so can we please as a fandom just acknowledge that little slice of canon? pls?)

(Can I also just say.....fish out of water stories are only good when they are on the side of the fish and not just using the fish to make jokes. Just. as a note on the trope in general but specifically re: every time this shows up in fanfic with Cas or any other similar character. Thor comes to mind.)

Anyway Cas isn’t a child, he’s ANCIENT and TIRED and CONFLICTED about major moral issues, which is FASCINATING for an angel character and forces us as an audience to consider more deeply the actual differences between heaven and hell, good and evil, destiny and free will. Is this how we expect an angel to behave? What does this tell us about Heaven? If Cas is an aberration, what does that tell us about Heaven and goodness and God? So his expressions of anger and frustration and his impatience with or indifference to human courtesies are a really great part of his character and people should appreciate them more (and not just when it’s funny!)

(Sidenote bc I always think about this when I think about fandom and Cas, the reductive fandom approach to “””crazy!cas””” (what a fun way of saying “deeply affected by horrible trauma and guilt and trying to repress it so he can function.” thanks for that fandom) as comic relief or a woobified victim is. hm. bad. That’s all I’ll say about that one.)

{ANOTHER sidenote, this one for fan artists in particular but fan writers definitely aren’t free from sin: Cas isn’t pale or short and he isn’t a fuckin twink pls stop projecting weird m/f stereotypes onto your queer ships pls and thank}

ANYWAY about these screenshots specifically: Listen I love this post but the context of these scenes is SO MUCH MORE INTERESTING than Cas being a dick to Sam. They aren’t really about Sam at all, actually. “Don’t ask stupid questions” is such a painful fucking response to Sam asking if he’s okay, because he’s clearly not okay--he’s still struggling with the knowledge that God has given up and abandoned them--but he can’t be vulnerable about it. So he redirects to ask what Sam needs from him because that’s what he does, it’s what he is, he’s a tool. He’s a solution to problems (except his own). And his unwillingness to confront his pain (while also not being able to hide it) isn’t really about his relationship with Sam, it’s about his relationship with God and with himself and his own failures. The visibility of that struggle while he continues to try to help in this episode is just really fucking moving, okay?

Also there’s absolutely nothing hostile about “Sam, of course, is an abomination” in context. Like. Not a damn thing. There’s a task that needs to be performed by a “servant of heaven,” and Cas is explaining why none of the three of them qualify, and we know he feels shame about the fact that HE doesn’t qualify by how he reacts later, calling himself a poor example of an angel. He’s as much an abomination as Sam is in this moment.

Actually you know what? Literally everything in these screenshots that gets interpreted as “Cas hates Sam” is 100% actually Cas hating himself. He hates Sam’s voice while he’s stuck using a human voice himself to communicate, through technology he’s hostile to because it’s limiting compared to angelic communication. He rejects Sam’s compassion because he doesn’t want to talk about his own weakness. He calls Sam an abomination in the same breath that he acknowledges that he isn’t a servant of heaven anymore, and with much less anger than when he later calls himself a poor example of an angel. He sees himself in Sam but he hates himself too much to use that as a point of connection and pushes away from it instead. (I’m not going to go on a shipper detour here but sastiel shippers....you know)

So Cas is angry and complicated and self-hating and yeah, it’s funny, but if you don’t respect those feelings and their complexity, maybe don’t try to write Cas or write about him. Maybe if you only like Cas when he’s making you laugh you don’t actually like Cas.

And this isn’t to be like...”writing fluffy shippy fic with Cas being sweet is bad” or whatever. That fills a need for some people, I get it. I’ve written fic where he’s sweet! There’s a difference between someone lovingly wrapping a character in a blanket and going “nice things will happen for you now” versus using that character for a reductive joke.

There’s also a difference between people who are actually carefully writing fic and people who are, yknow, tagging posts or circulating meme-like gifsets with this kind of commentary. Which, bc I don’t read fic as often anymore, tends to be the most common way anything like analysis of Cas reaches me. I do NOT recommend this method of engaging with fandom because it’s really the worst, unfunniest, most simplistic takes that get repeated over and over again (I would pay money to never see anyone call Sam “moose” or “sammy” again dear lord), and it obscures the actually really good work some folks are doing when they write these characters.

tl;dr 1. Cas is not a child and he is not stupid. 2. Cas doesn’t hate Sam but he DOES project onto him and it’s fascinating. 3. fandom wants to be transformative but bc of meme culture and the way tumblr works it can be painfully reductive and it’s exhausting

ps nb I haven’t watched a single episode since they killed Charlie off and I don’t know much about what happened after that lol. so don’t come at me “well actuallying” bc honestly I don’t care and bc canon has been a dumpster fire for years and all extended analysis of it including my own is really nonsense just by virtue of the source material being nonsense.

pps the showrunners are ABSOLUTELY complicit in this but I can’t. I just cannot get into that. I am too tired.

#i just spent an hour and a half thinking deeply about supernatural you bastard #jk ilu #apparently i still had feelings about this jfc #ALSO (i know shut up mel nobody asked) 99 problems would be one of the best episodes #if they didn't seem to write it specfically for dean to make 'wh*re' jokes #cabalakh #@ everyone who followed me after i stopped watching spn.....#i am so sorry #supernatural #fandom critical #castiel

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salfordelim · 4 years

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Neil’s Reflection

This Sunday we will be looking at the second half of the first chapter in Acts 1:12-26. Luke begins to tell the story of how the earliest church navigated really strange times, when they were led from one adventure into another by the Spirit.

But he begins this story by explaining how they found another apostle who would be able to take Judas’ reflecting on the consequence of Judas explaining how the leadership question dealt with that. Luke’s story begins by reminding the reader of the failure of one of those who was called by Jesus. Maybe a strange way to begin a story.

This is an imagined email from the editor to Luke and Luke’s response:

The Book of Acts – First Draft

From: [email protected] To: [email protected]

2:37 PM (2 hours ago)

Dear Luke

Thanks for the chance to see your first draft of this second installment in the story of Jesus. We still think it’s a great way of giving people a chance to see the impact Jesus had and it’s an exciting story. I think it’ll be great and we expect that people will be reading this for thousands of years. We think it’ll be a best-seller.

So, taking that into account do you mind if I raise a few problems we have with the way you have begun the story?

In particular, it’s the way you choose to remind people about the problems you had with Judas.I mean it’s fine – it’s just not very encouraging. We feel our readers would want something more encouraging, something that is a bit more upbeat, less … I don’t know how to put it, really … honest I guess.

I mean I know that what happened with Judas was traumatic, tragic even. But I don’t think people want to be reminded of things like that. We know it happened, but do we need to air our dirty linen in public? I don’t think so.

As I see it at this stage, there are two basic problems with what you have written:

1. People want strong leaders. They don’t want to be reminded that leaders fail, that they are the same as us, that they go wrong as much as any of us do. They want to believe that they are so very different that they never face the same temptations. They want them to be perfect, they need them to be perfect.

So could you put more of a heroic spin on your stories?

2. I’m really unhappy about how you describe the selection of Matthias as the 12th man. To be honest, it makes it seem like the rest of them have no succession plan at all. I know that it needed to be someone who’d been with Jesus, but a ballot? Come on, it makes them look weak, uncertain, dependent. Could they not have interviewed people and done some psychometric test to see who would be most suited. (I can’t feel that had Jesus used a StrengthsFinder test or something else he would have weeded Judas out much earlier.)

In brief, I don’t think you are telling this story the best way. It’s giving the impression that the early church was built around people with flaws, people who struggled, people like us. That’s no way to begin a great story!

I look forward to hearing back from you with proposed changes.

RE: The Book of Acts – First Draft

From: [email protected] To: [email protected]

3:37 PM (1 hour ago)

Thanks for your email and the comments. You are right. It’s no way to start such an exhilarating story. And we might need heroes. The problem was, there weren’t any – not really.

It was just us.

And God… that was the difference!

The story stands.

Luke

Interview

You might be aware that this week the BBC launched a series of education programmes for children at home, BBC Bitesize. One of the people really involved in getting all this off the ground is Jo Wozencroft. I had chance to interview her a couple of weeks ago about what life is like for her at the moment. I hope you enjoy watching it.

News

1. Sunday Gathering

The link to this Sunday’s Gathering is here:

Join our Sunday Zoom meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/836810848 Meeting ID: 836 810 848

This will be the same link we will use up to 10 May.

We are going to be working our way through the Book of Acts. These are great ways of getting an overview of the whole book:

2. Inviting Others

During these strange days, we want to stay growing as church. You might have friends and family who might be interested in staying in touch with us as a church. Ask them to fill out the form on our church website and we will add them to our mailing list.

This may be an easy time to invite friends and family to our Gatherings, after all they can be with us from the safety of their own homes. You have nothing to lose, they have a lot to gain!

3. Home Groups

On Thursday evenings from 7.45-9.00 we have three small ‘home’ groups that meet. If you haven’t been part of a group in the past but would like to explore it, you will be very welcome to come along.

The groups are continuing The Prayer Course, so before you come along, make sure you have watched the 7th session. It’s all about listening to God.

Join our Home Group Zoom meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/998857193?pwd=Ni9ZY2pSSWdQcWRvellMWXJYbG5rZz09 Meeting ID: 998 857 193 Password: 820084

4. Friday Prayer Group

The Prayer group continue to meet on Friday mornings. Corinne sends a text around to people with prayer requests so that people can pray at the same time. If you would like to be part of that, contact Corinne directly or Neil.

5. Giving

Thanks for all of you who give to the church as part of your worship. One of the changes that has happened since we can’t meet together is that those of you who used to give to the church on Sunday mornings in the baskets haven’t been able to give. So, this is what you can do:

You can send us a cheque. Make them payable to Salford Elim Church and send them to Bev Walsh, 47 Moorfield Road, Salford, M6 7EY.

You can save it all up and give it to us when you can.

OR ‘Ta da!’ there is another way: You can use your smartphone.

Elim have joined up with Givt, the company that created this solution. First, download the Givt app. Now you can give in the same way you would if you gave cash on Sundays. This is what you need to do:

Open the app.

Choose the amount you want to give.

Choose the third option, give from the List.

Enter the name of the church in the search bar.

Tap ‘give’ at the bottom of your screen.

Finally, press Next to complete the donation. (There is also an option to use the QR code – if you know what that means!)

If you want more information about any of this, do get in touch with Bev Walsh or Neil.

6. You’re not alone

If you need prayer, or to talk, don’t hesitate to contact folks in your WhatsApp group, or Neil – his number is 07771 558058.

Prayers we prayed on Sunday

It was really touching to see all the prayers that were shared on Sunday. We wrote them as we listened to this song.

eople asked if we could let you see them again. You will probably want to say ‘Amen’ to many of the comments, and some you may want to hear as a word of the Lord to you.

Here they are:

Morag Peacock: ‘Can a nation be changed? Show yourself to everyone. Revival – that’s my prayer.’

Emmanuel & Jumi: Yahweh The All Sufficient One

Jill Reynolds: Feel God is making us into pearls – the product of irritation and frustration which is somehow something beautiful. God is going to bring out the ‘worst’ in us, things that we’ve accepted as part of our character, in order to break its power over us. Prov 10:11

Jay and Martha: A prayer for safety – for many of us, we are much safer in our homes currently, but pray for those whose homes aren’t safe. Those in abusive situations, those are stuck with family members who they cannot be themselves safely around, those vulnerable to this illness that are living with key workers who are exposed. May God provide protection.

Emmanuel & Jumi: Be still and know that I am God

Constantin Zabo: I think God is telling us to pay attention to the times and the events around us. And you have to know everything has changed

Helen & Betty: To be open to the Spirit and to be willing to receive the courage and strength to respond.

Hannah Maylor: Good things are coming!

Nev & Lorna Plura: As we go out fill us with your Spirit. I can do nothing without You Lord.

Ian Peacock: I echo Morag’s prayer but also would ask God what he wants us to change as a result of this time. I don’t want us to lose what he is asking of us. Not just us as Christian but for us a society; the principle and gift of Sabbath rest, the refocus on community and relationship above work and money, the relief for the creation God asked us steward…..

Janet Downs: to step out in faith-filled with courage

Nicole Seddon: I pray for peace and that my children/ family (and populace) will feel safe and secure

Jill Reynolds: Also feel that God is moving the boundary stones – the border between races, the border between nations, the borders between ‘I can’ and ‘I can’t’, the people we choose to associate with and those we shun. He is expanding our territory.

Yvonne Simms: to trust Him and be obedient to His calling for me

Adam, Emily & Evelyn: a prayer for peace in the unknown

Steve & Claire: That this enforced “Pause” in life for so many, is an opportunity re-calibrate life and see what is important

Esther Tregilgas: Thank you God that you are in control and have the victory, we can put our trust in you.

Phil Lockett: come Holy Spirit make us bold that we may dare to share the good news and the love of the Lord Jesus Christ

Charlie and Kate Blundell: Go and fish. The seas are all now stirred up, the fish are ready to be caught. Go and fish; they are ready now, but will return to complacency when the waters settle.

Ann Salter: I am reminded constantly that God is a very present help in trouble he is not distant but here with us although this is new to us it’s not new to him who knows the end from the beginning

Gill Oldham: as I have been listening, I was reminded of the report of the spies who went to look at what was there when God was leading them to the promised land-a land flowing with milk & honey-but they didn’t all see the good things, some only saw the giants, but there were also good things there to focus on

Jo Wozencroft: That people will find community and friendship even amongst the isolation. That in the wake of a period of overwhelming division that we find a unity in this.

Jill Reynolds: This will be a time when we set up a memorial – like the children of Israel crossing the Jordan river in Joshua 4 – we will look back on this time and marvel at how far God’s brought us.

Julius Oluseli: It feels , it is a time of Life , we all NEED TO LOOK INWARDS. What is the spirit saying ….

Emmanuel & Jumi: I pray that we will remain Christ-focused and not be distracted by what is happening around us. Amen

Sunita Bih: In my quiet time this morning, I was reading from Luke 24 (road to Emmaus)…one thing that God imprinted on my heart is He is concerned of the physical ails but more our spiritual health-His death and resurrection did more that “restore the nation of Israel” as the disciples had hoped, He made away for us to be reconciled to the Father, for death to self and sin and defeat of the enemy. again in today’s reading, they ask about restoration of Israel and Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God, about being His witnesses…hmmm. our “spiritual health” is more important than our ‘physical health’

Jill Reynolds: Thank you God that we are planted in our society for such a time as this! AMEN!

Constantin Zabo: He wants us to live in the changes of this new time close to him and following his direction. All hearts are ready to receive the good news of Jesus. We have to preach it.

Emmanuel & Jumi: I pray we will remember to appreciate the precious gift of time

Clare and Julian Gittings: that we will be the hands and feet of Jesus in a broken world

Fay Lowe: Someone asked on a programme last night “is the NHS the new religion in Britain, offering hope where the church has failed” I got the question, but it felt so so wrong, the church has a huge potential to bring God’s kingdom on earth. We need to listen for God’s guidance on how best to do this for our community.

MuNatsi’s iPhone: May the Lord make us instruments of His Peace in this time of uncertainty and be the hope that we all need.

#Salford #Elim #Church

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