#but seriously i think everyone should read this series just because of how relevant it is

[metalandmagi]

So for anyone who is in the absolutely microscopic Scythe fandom, please read Gleanings if you haven't already. There's a scythe in there who's into pet play, and if I had to read about him, so do all of you. I'm not even half way through, but I'm assuming it gets even more unhinged from here.

#arc of a scythe #scythe #the toll #thunderhead #neal shusterman #i'm not really involved with his other books but i've been hearing some shady stuff about neal lately #so use the library or something if you don't want to support him directly #but seriously i think everyone should read this series just because of how relevant it is

[gffa]

As time goes on and Disney canon gets messier and messier, I have come to the position of "Lucas views/canon >>>> Disney movies/TV series > Disney supplementary canon" as to what I hold as my own view of Star Wars and how I reconcile things. Sometimes you just can't reconcile things between them and I think for me to try is a fruitless path, because I'd never be satisfied by it.  That's why I think viewing these things as different continuities is really the best way forward--when Disney diverges from Lucas' views, well, that's what is true for Disney's canon/continuity, but it doesn't affect Lucas' canon/continuity/views, they both exist at the same time and one cannot change the other. For the attachment thing specifically, I mostly get along by pointing out on my blog that it's not what Lucas put into his movies, it's not what the Jedi say in TCW, and then I just have to move on after that.  I love many things about Disney canon, but sometimes I disagree with it and that's just where I have to leave it!  I can talk about it on my blog, I can give examples, I can write/encourage others to write the kind of fic that I want, but I also just have to be okay with understanding that sometimes Disney canon doesn't get something right or that they want to change something, but that's only true for that continuity, it doesn't change the one I care about as my foundation (Lucas' continuity). Same for the celibacy thing--is it true for Disney's continuity?  Sure.  It's true that those characters said what they said.  But what does that even mean?  It doesn't mean I suddenly have to accept it, I can just say, "This conflicts with Lucas' statements, so I'm going to ignore it on my own level." or I can say, "It's not part of Lucas' canon, so it's not relevant to this discussion." if we're talking about Lucas' canon or I can say, "It's part of Disney's canon, they get to say what goes into their canon, but I get to say what goes into my fan creations and that thing in particular is getting tossed out the window." So ultimately how I reconcile it is that the context depends on the discussion we're having, whether it's relevant to that particular discussion or not (if we're discussing Disney's continuity, it's relevant, if we're discussing Lucas' continuity, it's not relevant, if we're discussing my bigger picture on the narrative themes of the Jedi, I get to personally say it's not relevant to me, everyone else gets to make that same choice for themselves and decide what they want). When I read or watch Disney era stuff, basically I just go, "Yeah, that's not what Lucas said, so I'm throwing that part out, but I'll happily enjoy the rest of the story!" For me, Lucas' continuity always takes precedence, because I'm not writing official Disney content.  I'm writing posts on my blog and while I do strive to be objective and accurate when talking about Disney canon, I'm also okay with operating in a mixture of different continuities + my own personal "canon" of what I accept/don't accept. By the way, this is setting aside the huge thorny deliberately unsolvable question of the reliability/need for 100% coherency within Disney's continuity, like, seriously, I think everyone should let that dream go, it is not going to always be reconcilable, like we cannot reconcile the Kanan comics with the The Bad Batch to 100%, we just gotta live with that, and I think Lucasfilm operates on that understanding, no matter what else they said.  Anything about how books/novels/comics are on the same level as the TV shows is an absolute lie. It's also setting aside that Lucasfilm has operated on the, "This is what this character said, they may not be a reliable narrator." idea for awhile now too, like when Rael says that Jedi are supposed to be celibate, that's what that character is saying, it's not necessarily written in the narrative stone as undeniably true.  (I do think that Disney's Jedi are meant to be celibate, but since we're going with this example, I'm using it to show how I operate within the continuity, if that makes sense!) That's my general philosophy about these things anyway!  And I think it's important to ask, what's the point of what any of us want to do here anyway?  Why are we having any given conversation?  Is it just to have fun?  Is it to analyze themes, parallels, or contradictions within various source materials?  That determines so much of what and how we reconcile things.  If I'm just being silly on the internet, I don't give a shit what Disney says, you know?  If I'm examining a Disney novel, okay, I give a shit what Disney says, but it doesn't have to change my bigger views of the Jedi, I might reject it but I might also like it better and adopt it in. At the end of the day, do what makes you happiest, there's no punishment or reward for breaking/following any "rules", only what satisfaction you personally derive from it!  It makes me happy to prioritize Lucas canon, so that's what I do.  If someone is happier prioritizing Legends or Disney canon or a mix of all three, they should do that!  We can recognize when we're talking different continuities with each other and that should be fine.  Each of us gets to choose what we do/don't reconcile with everything else.

#lumi.txt #meta

[kastelpls]

steam visual novel fest sale recs

i like visual novels and there's a vn fest going on, so here's a thread on titles i like:

ELIZA

https://store.steampowered.com/app/716500/Eliza

i recently finished this title and while the topic is certainly relevant, what drew me more was how it depicted the traumas of tech startup culture. whether intentional or not, the dreams and aspirations of tech workers to solve problems become tainted by capital and hubris.

the protagonist is jaded as fuck because she's seen her creation take over the world. but she's not as melodramatic as dr frankenstein; she is still gauging how things are going. her alienated view on the world around is intoxicating and i really found the pov very charming.

the experience of playing this game made me feel like i've returned to my unpaid internship days for better or for worse. it's a story that will forever remain relevant until silicon valley and the tech industry as we know it are over. wonderful title.

SeaBed

https://store.steampowered.com/app/583090/SeaBed/

i have personal stakes in seabed since i'm one of the two non-translators credited to bringing this yuri vn overseas. my bias aside, i think this is one of the most unique video games of all time.

you follow a bunch of adults aimlessly wandering around as the world around them reflects their mental states. things just happen, but everyone takes it in the most matter-of-fact fashion. the writing is intentionally tedious at times because it is in love with the mundane. it's a story all about grief, but it is also about how to approach the ebb and flow of life.

as a friend once said, "it's a mystery where the characters don't realize they're in one." or as i like to put it, "a mystery in search of a mystery".

Christmas Tina

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1049100/_/

set in the notorious bubble era of japan, this may look like a romantic encounter between a chinese dude and a japanese girl at first glance. however, it drops that premise by having them squabble forever and not learn each other's languages.

the game is instead about minorities struggling to survive. the chinese guy left china for various reasons and wanted to make a name for himself while the japanese girl got into a car accident with a person engaged in the sex trade because she was looking for money to pay for her sister's surgery. later on, you'll read about different chinese members, a woman raised by a chinese-japanese couple, and other interesting people that make up japan today.

if there is a game i like to credit for inspiring my interest into connecting with my traumatic chinese history again in my own writing, it's this title. there's a section that surprised me because it was, after all, a title mainly developed in china and it's still very recent history. but i'm glad the developers took the risk and it's an impressive episode.

i'd seriously recommend this game if you haven't tried it. it's seriously a sleeper hit.

Chuusotsu

https://store.steampowered.com/app/630870/Chuusotsu_1st_Graduation_Time_After_Time/

the first of an ongoing series, chuusotsu 1st is about a bunch of middle school graduates who can't graduate into high school for various reasons. stories about their traumas are interlinked with the chaos of japanese social media.

likewise, it's also about trying things that they are scared to try. the protagonist is an anxious girl who wants to do art, but she keeps failing at socializing. she's cute.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1158850/The_Great_Ace_Attorney_Chronicles/

since this was featured in the festival, i might as well give it a shout. this is more an adventure game in the Ace Attorney series, but i consider it to be the best game and everyone should play it.

it explores a historical period dear to my heart: the era of meiji japan and victorian england. here are two imperialist nationstates, but the latter is stronger than the former and is secretly dictating how japan should behave.

not only does the game explore this colonial dynamic but it also looks into how racism functions in the british justice system. any pretense of democracy and fairness is ultimately failed when the british jury sees the protagonist and calls him an ape.

i credit the final chapter for changing my dissertation thesis when i was still doing my masters. if i ever do a phd, i'm going to continue studying the history of international students and what it reflects about us as a humanity.

Return to Shironagasu Island

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1156990/Return_to_Shironagasu_Island/

a surprise doujin hit in japan, this visual novel written by an ex-mystery writer is very old-school to a fault. you are exploring one of those MURDER ISLANDS and there's orthodox mystery tricks, but it's well-executed.

the main star is neneko who's a little cringe beast. she's cute.

games i've heard are good but haven't played yet

Bustafellows

Taisho x Alice

The Flowers series

Symphonic Rain

Tangle Tower

Fatal Twelve

Furikake Spacy

A Year of Springs

Narcissu 10th Anniversary Project

2064: Read Only Memories

Analogue: A Hate Story

if you are looking for more recommendations on steam, i have a curation page.

#visual novel #steam visual novel fest #game recommendations

[galacticvampire]

As an Asian and a major fan of the Jedi, I just wanna slap Lesyle Headland in the face. I'm so tired of ignorant Westerners (aka faux white feminists) like her and Kathleen Kennedy shitting on the Jedi. They're basically insulting and looking down on my people and their culture. I wish Kathleen Kennedy got fired. I wish that SOMEONE could hire an Asian person to direct the Acolyte instead of a white Western woman like Lesyle Headland. She should just go back to making a 3rd season of Russian Doll or whatever. Why is it SO HARD for Disney to hire Asian people to be in charge of a Star Wars series or movie???

The anti-jedi rethoric is very annoying and it upsets me that lucasfilm doesn't try (i might be wrong about them not trying but alas) to at least direct creators working for canon material to stick to GLs original meaning without the very prominent legends bias we know older fans have. You and everyone to whom this characterization is important (I'm one of them!) has every right to be upset about the things she said, but I just want to point out a few things:

We don't know how Acolyte is going to turn out. The statement is worrying but we've seen actors/directors say things in interviews that just don't reflect on what we actually get. (Favreou does this all the time) I say we wait. I'm not an optimistic but I think we can hold off saying it will DEFINITELY be awful until it actually comes out.

Again, it's very upsetting having yet another show trying to be "jedi critical" but I can't help but notice that Filoni, Favreou and multiple other writers have been doing it for years and everyone still watches and reads everything they put out. Not many people seriously call for them being fired. The fact that I've seen way more anger and aggressiveness towards Lesyle is... telling. Go all the way on the critiques of the material when the show comes out (I will) but don't be blind to the fact that she is one of the first openly queer women leading a prominent Disney production. There will be fans being awful to the show just because of it + Amandla's race and gender. Sometimes will be hard to tell which kind of anger someone is expressing but I'll highlight that is NEVER productive to side with bigots, even when you're rightfully angry for different reasons than them.

Which leads to my next point: we should be (I know we already are, just to remember the focus) advocating for diversity on the writing room. That's the space we have to a big cast of opinions and perspectives in the same project, while we only have one director/a few producers. And I think it's important to acknowledge that in that department they've already have gone really far just in the last couple years. We have Debora Chow. Diego Luna was producing Andor. Regardless of the end result, Lesley is an openly queer woman. EVERY SINGLE LEAD BESIDES EWAN IS A POC. This was unimaginable ten years ago. This is just a reminder to not let yourself fall in despair, we're getting there.

Kathleen Kennedy is incredible at her job. I'm not discussing her opinions because they aren't that relevant: she doesn't make any creative decisions. She makes executive and strategic ones, and Star Wars has put out more content under her administration than ever. She is one of the reasons it's so diverse now. Push for her to do better, to hire people who have a vision that aligns with what star wars is meant to be, but calling for her being fired is echoing the dudebros who blame her for every detail that aren't even under her control.

None of this erases the underlying racism in the refusal to understand Jedi culture, you (we) are rightfully angry, specially if Acolyte turns out to be exactly how she said it will. I just think there are more effective ways we can have this conversation and pressure Lucasfilm to do better than boycotting a show we don't even know if is really problematic yet, lest they decide it's easier to stick to the "standard" white straight male pov because it cuts off both the "wokenism" complaints and the ones that what they're doing isn't the right kind of diversity. (see also: target)

#like im all in for calling out what Lesley said #but I've seen every single note on that post simce im op #and I'm gonna say that the aggressiveness is disproportionate #specially because filoni has said and done much worse #star wars is an angry fandom by definition #sometimes is important to remember that a lot of the fandom will be angry for a very different and worse reason (star wars is woke now!!) #and I really don't want to help Those Guys #sorry about this being long but I've been noticing this since that post blew up #important reminder that this is simply me trying to be realistic and pointing out how i believe it's the healthy way to interact with this #byt like if you want to be super pissed about it have it your way i just felt the need to point this out since it was directly sent to me

[centrally-unplanned]

I do think comparisons between Iraq & Ukraine are pretty silly tbf. There are comparisons to be made, and the US invasion of Iraq was monstrous, but they are different wars, bad for different reasons. Ill take it from the perspective of “challenging the international order”, the idea that Iraq is just as much of a challenge to the “don’t invade countries” liberal order that Ukraine is, and it happened first to boot, so that order is dead already anyway.

This idea both removes context and misunderstands the ‘order’. Saddam in 2003 was absolutely a pariah state, second only to North Korea but without any powerful backers. The 1991 Gulf War against Iraq was a joint partnership by both the US *and the USSR* amoung many many other partners, they had NO friends. In the intervening years his regime probably killed over 200,000 people in repressions & ethnic cleansing campaigns, particularly against Kurds. The country was heavily sanctioned, isolated, and loathed - many did think in 1991 Saddam should have been removed. These reasons are all part of why Iraq was invaded in 2003 to begin with, it was the acceptable target and a task leftover from the ‘weaker’ era of the 90′s. In late 2002 the UN Security Council voted unanimously in resolution 1441 that Iraq was in violation of its ceasefire agreements relating to the development of WMD’s and issued it a series of ultimatums. Russia & China voted for this resolution. The world agreed Iraq was a problem - for a lot of wrong reasons btw, but its what they thought - they just disagreed on how to deal with it.

All of this is to say that while international governments objected to the Iraq war, no one, like, really objected. Seriously, you may have wished they did, and of course there were some behind the scenes little projects scrapped here or there, but no one sanctioned the US or it allies over anything, no one backed Saddam, no one pulled out of NATO or anything like that. The US Coalition of the Willing - worst possible name ever btw like jesus christ read any book, Bush -  was 49 countries, including the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Italy, Spain, and hey, Ukraine! France threw a huge fuss and then we all invaded Libya together not even a decade later. No one cared! Many opposed it, the majority of countries opposed it. But that is very different from caring enough to do anything about it.

(People sometimes have the very funny idea that if the US invaded like Canada that the response would have been the same, like we are just too strong everyone would bow down! People would just grumble and move on. That is extremely not true, the US invading Canada would be a political revolution. The fact that it was Iraq is very relevant to how tepid the response was)  

Now two objections are gonna come up here. First, “But the UN!” The UN condemned the war! Well, no, it didn’t, it couldn’t because the US has veto power, but Kofi Annan said that it did in a speech. But, and this is very very important - the UN is virtually irrelevant. The UN was *never* a lynchpin of the international order, it never did fuck all. During the entire Cold War it was just a dueling ground for US/USSR vetos, it never seriously guided policy. I’m exaggerating a bit for effect here, it helped build norms and it was a diplomatic staging ground, it has peacekeepers and aid budgets, sure. But the UN is overall a failure, government has stayed national, the US and to a lesser extent Europe have always been the absolute foundation of the modern liberal order - and half of them fought in Iraq. 

Btw the reason you *think* the UN is part of the international order is that you grew up in the 90′s/2000′s - after the fall of the USSR there was this “UN Moment” where we thought liberalism would be triumphant and a new international system could be built. This led to projects like the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia, the 1991 UN full occupation via peacekeepers of the country to build a new, liberal government to replace the Vietnamese puppet regime previously ruling the place. It completely failed in every way, Cambodia is a dictatorship today. All of these projects failed, the Rwandan Genocide happened under the nose of the UN, Saudi Arabia sat on their Human Rights Council, they failed because the UN is structurally a joke and cannot succeed. But in the 90′s there was a zeitgeist of the UN As The Future, and you think that was an already-achieved dream as opposed to a branding exercise that was scrapped but you had already stopped attending Model UN conferences at that point and didn’t get the memo where all the cool kids pivoted to NatSec Council Crisis Committees so they could do actual politics.

The second is ‘but morally, it was wrong, it set the tone!’ and I, look that's sweet, really, but I can’t bring to myself to care. The International Order is not morality. Maybe it should be, you know fine it totally should be, but it isnt, and it never has been. The liberal international order is an order built by states for states - liberal, democratic states. It is whatever they say it is. Now, if what they are saying it is radically changes, even if its the same states, then its totally fair to point out that it radically changed and its a new order now. But *being hypocrites* is not a change, god is it not a change. Just look at the list of military operations by the US during the Cold War, its fucking endless. If the Vietnam War and the Sandinistas and the Suez Crisis and the Sudan Bombings and the Somalia interventions didn’t doom the world order, Iraq wasn’t going to. 

Because the order has *never ever* been no war. Its been no wars for territorial conquest, no wars against democratic liberal states. And whatever other sins the US has committed, during the Cold War we did not wage war for territorial expansion. Once the empires of Europe collapsed they got on that boat too, and it has stuck. The reason that the governments of Europe, despite loathing the Iraq war, just moved on, is that they knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the US was not going to annex Iraq, or genocide ethnicities, or anything like that. We would set up a government that was democratic, liberal, and leave. Or ya know try and fall flat on our faces, but same difference. With financial interests locked in and military bases and yadda yadda sure sure, but we always did that, France does that too. That’s the Order. 

Funnily enough, the Iraq war *was* an attempt to change the liberal order - to make it MORE itself, more liberal, more democratic. Rumsfeld and co envisioned wars after Iraq, a world where state by state democracy would be imposed, and no more would liberalism be held back by tepid penny-pinchers and peaceniks. No more genocide, no more autocracy (unless you had nukes or were named Saudi Arabia ofc!), a creeping wave of democracy doing to the rest of the world what had so, so successfully been done to the former USSR. That dream is buried in blood and sand in Iraq - and with its death the liberal order was reinforced, the Iraq war proved the *strength* of the current international order, that it existed the way it did for a reason.

Russia’s war in Ukraine began as the opposite of that in every way. Russia after 2014 was itself a form of pariah state, aggressively nationalistic, autocratic, anti-western. It openly mocks and denigrates the western international order as hypocritical nonsense. Maybe Russia is right (it isn’t) but who cares, it still opposes it, that is what *makes* it a challenge, Russia explicitly *states* that it is. The war is not only for territory, but to send a message to other states on Russia’s border that the international order doesn’t apply to them, in Russia’s land wars of conquest are good to go. In almost every way it is the opposite of Iraq.

But as irony demands, as their shockingly-pathetic army flounders from defeat to defeat, as the Russian people flee the country in droves, as nearly every ally abandons them, the outcome might be the same as in Iraq. I can’t think of a more resounding reinforcement of the power of the liberal international order than the global military apparatus of that order uniting to defeat one of their strongest opponents in the field of battle. Bush’s liberalism is dead, but Biden’s might be ascendant. 

Assuming we all don’t get nuked of course.

#russia-ukraine war

[phoenixglacier]

I’m just rambling, okay? There’s no point to this rant. You have been warned.

The thing about being a comics fan (been in DC comics for about six months now) is that unlike any other fandom I have been in, there is no One True Canon as far as I can tell.

No, seriously. Unless you were born in the last few years, your canon has been recooked into so many different recipes by writers and artists and editors who all probably violently disagree with each other. When I started reading and needed to log all of my comics to get some semblance of a reference sheet, I used to include the credits and highlight the names of writers and artists that did really well. And the flipside, you know. My own personal blacklist.

Starting out as primarily a Tim fan and a Damian fan simultaneously means I got used real fast to reading comics that sucked bad for one character but also mind-blowingly nailed it on another. What is a comics reader to do? You know, I come from certain fandoms where the canon was nailed down, and every undoing of it was deliberate, and I do do that. My 232+ epilogue of Percy Jackson isn’t public, but you better bet I combed through the canon with the same devotion that I highlighted every printed line I was going to change. But I’ve come out of comics a desensitized reader. Do I get the urge to edit and redraw every panel of Nightwing 2016 Issue 43 to undo all the truly desperate and honestly failing attempts to portray Roy as stupid (it doesn’t even work because he’s so smart he gives like 90% of the exposition in this chapter and always has an eye on the small child out of fatherly instinct) and to remove Cheshire (because what was even the point of her in this chapter? And if she wasn’t plot-relevant then why would you include her terrible characterisation for the sake of it) but keep a large chunk of the overall premise to preserve what I think was reasonable (if slightly nuked) characterisation of Damian being all huffy that he tsundered some time with Dick only to have Dick’s friend come in and he’s adorably and understandably jealous and yet he succeeds at telling Dick that he wants to spend more time with him at the end and then he and Roy bond over being slave-driven by Dick for the rest of the night… Where was I? Oh. Right. So, I mean, yeah. I do.

This is my way of interacting with media. Sure, I’d like it to be perfect and not have Fabian Nicieza nuke Damian in an attempt to make Tim and Dick more justified (based solely off of Nightwing 1996 #138 of the Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul series and honestly I should give him more credit because Damian specifically has a long blacklist and the only reason why I’m this harsh on him is because he wrote Dick and Tim beautifully and a few little tweaks would make me frame this chapter). But there’s a space for me to work with, as a writer.

So, okay. Flash writers are dedicated to the whole Flash cast and brought them back in canon, which is so important and useful honestly. I give the Flash family a big star sticker, formally adopt Wallace and Avery into the family, and set to work giving them daily lives. Everything’s great! (Jai. And his chronic pain. Is so important to me because it draws on my own experiences. I won’t go into it here and you’ll never get to see it unless…)

I timelines ages in the fandoms where it matters. It doesn’t matter in DC. It can’t. Dick has been alive for 84 years + pre-Robin, and he’s like twenty-something. Hitting thirty for the lols. You don’t age until you do. You know how you enter college and everyone graduates at different times depending on the density courses you take? Just me? Anyway that’s how ages work in DC and it’s not concrete and just don’t think about it.

#dc comics #phoenixgacier's words #phoenixglacier writes #I'm not going to tag everyone because nobody wants that so we'll just tag a few #batfam #flashfam #phoenixglacier & sparklyicecube's DC True Earth #stay tuned for more unsolicited rants

[rei-caldombra]

Spy x Family Season 2 Review - Fall 2023 Anime

So, we got the next section of Spy X Family this season. I watched it and enjoyed it. But I want more from this series. I really want more changes to the status quo. 36 is a lot of episodes. And there has been little major development that has happened in that time. I feel there is a lot of potential that is not being got at. A lot of it is genuinely funny and sweet. But there is a lot of is that is extremely forgettable. One thing that I want to make very clear is that I don't think anything in Spy x Fam is bad in any way. It is all at least good. I just want more from it. I like the fun antics and slice of life elements as well as the spy/assassin elements. But I don't like how most of the time the spy/assassin stuff is played for jokes for the majority of it. Yor's arc in this season is one of the best parts of the series so far. We got to see Yor's job taken mostly seriously and have it actually resonate with her emotions. I love this. She finally got proper focus and good characterization, though it should not have taken this long. But it still irks at me a little because it ends with the status quo of Yor being an assassin and hiding it staying the same. In the last episode we get another episode of Loid and Bond bonding. Which I liked. It was fun and had a cool situation. But again, it too kept the status quo of Loid not knowing Bond can read minds. There are moments where I feel it has the perfect chance to shake things up, but those chances are never taken.

I still quite like Spy X Family but I can't say my passion for it has not waned over time. Yor's arc did help with my main issue of her being largely unexplored despite being one of the three main characters. There is great value in this season from that. But outside of that this season is mostly the same Spy x Fam it always has been. At the end of this season, we are still in the same place we ended last season. And while that is not bad, it's not exciting. I think this show has so much potential to be exciting and dramatic. I understand that this is meant to be largely a fluffy show. And that's fine. But I really feel like this series can hit that perfect sweet spot and truly do everything if it didn't stick itself in a box. Maybe it will happen down the line, but how much longer do we need to wait for that? I am worried about other people, and I will get bored of it before it finally decides to go all in on these things. On this note, I would like to point at the My Anime List scores this time, as I happened to look at them both while preparing for this and would like to discuss it. It can be debated how valid MAL's scores are as a metric for quality, but that is not relevant here. I am simply looking at the scoring trend for Spy X Family on the website. Season 1 has an 8.56, Season 1 Part 2 has an 8.28, and Season 2 has an 8.09. There is a consistent decrease in score over each subsequent part. In my opinion, the general quality of Spy x Family has not decreased and can be considered very consistent. And to my knowledge a lot of people think this way too. To me the most likely conclusion is that people think it's getting stale. Even something good can lose its luster if you get too much of it. It definitely seems like I'm not the only one that the status quo is getting stale.

Maybe we will get the story beats I want eventually, but unless the story goes on for ridiculously long, a bunch of them may have to come at once for that to come to fruition. Which I definitely don't want. I like the focus on the family dynamic and want to see that organically evolve as everyone learns more about each other over time. For example- I want at least Loid to find out Bond is psychic. Then life continues with that change, Loid using that information to his benefit. Then later I want one of Loid or Yor to find out the other's identity before the other. Then life continues with that change shaking up their dynamic. Then something else happens and so on. I do want fun slice of life moments and goofy antics, but I want them in between dramatic moments so that we can see this family grow and react. I don't want all of this to just come at the end so they can stop a big baddie, or them to not happen at all.

I can greatly enjoy series that go all on particular aspects like comedy, drama wholesomeness etc. rather than being well rounded. But for me the perfect series is one that excels at all of those (example being March Comes in like a Lion). I really feel Spy X Family is capable of being one of my absolute favorites. But it’s meandering. That is not fundamentally bad. I like what the show is doing most of the time. I enjoy the comedy, action and sweet moments. I also really like the crumbs of more serious story and drama we get. But this far in I don’t want crumbs anymore, I want a full piece. What I am trying to express is that there is so much potential here that I am excited to see. But the series is not as interested in that as I am. This time they didn’t even end with a dramatic hook that attempts to get you excited for what is coming next. It ended with a good but normal beat for Spy X Family, then said “see you next time”. To me this makes the intention of the anime as of now very clear. I think more of the same is what we can expect coming next, which is disappointing. If this is not the case, then I don’t get why they would end the season on such a nonchalant note. 

Final note is to say that the OP and ED are both absolute bangers.

As of now I do plan to continue watching it. I still get some satisfaction from its silly antics and wholesome moments, though that enjoyment is waning. And I truly am invested in seeing where this story can go, but I keep getting disappointed at it passing up great opportunities. I hope that I don’t have to wait another 36 episodes of same old same old to get to the interesting bits that I would love to see. Thank you for reading!

#spy x family #anime #review #season 2 #fall 2023 #blog

[roydeezed]

Beat & Motion-Chapter Round-Up(Chapter 7)

I genuinely love this manga with all my heart. This chapter not only made me search out and start the reality show that it came from, Million Tag, but it’s also made me cry almost three times by now. Beat & Motion is such an honest and heartfelt representation of what creatives feel and go through. I really think everyone needs to check it out. I’m gonna go in-depth below the cut because my hope is that if I don’t put visible spoilers in this part, the endorsement might make someone go out and read it. So go check it out!

First of all I want to talk about Million Tag. It was a web game show put on by Jump where six teams of Mangaka and Editors were paired together and the winner received serialization in Jump. Through context clues it’s pretty easy to tell that Naoki Fujita, this manga’s author, won. I’m still watching it but what I found incredibly interesting is that the most skilled editor among those participating picked Naoki Fujita. And despite the energetic and passionate nature of the manga, he is quite, as the show describes him, melancholic. I find that to be a hilarious dichotomy. But it does make sense as now I can understand where Tatsu was coming from so much better. Another thing is that the editor picked him out because of something I’d only recognized after quite a bit of time with the manga, the expressions. The editor recognized that as his strength instantly. I know I give the Jump editors a lot of flack but that was so impressive and really representative of the skill and knowledge they bring to the table. 

Moving on, this chapter was absolutely phenomenal. It genuinely felt like the culmination of several different emotions and arcs that doing it in such a short time has me seriously impressed. Tatsu’s word’s this chapter really affected me. I just recently wrote a book. And after riding the high of finishing it and putting it out there, I was faced with the come down of nervousness and doubt that I think must be quite common in situations like this. And I was on the fence about sharing it. And then my phone notified me that a new chapter of Beat & Motion was out. I always appreciated the insights this manga offered but this chapter was scarily relevant. It ferreted out every insecurity I had and showed me the real reason I write. A yearning for understanding and communication and the act of expression itself. This manga is able to present those raw feelings so realistically. I genuinely urge anyone and everyone to read this.

I could go over each and every panel in this chapter with a fine tooth comb but I should probably be a little bit more concise with this stuff. Nabori confronting Tatsu leads him to the heart of why he makes art. It’s to be understood. In a way, that's what this whole series has been about, art as a means of communication. The characters talk to each other through their art and are at their most genuine when doing so. It’s honest communication without any of the coverup that Tatsu used to employ when he was a jaded ass. And talking about art also brings out the honesty in them. 

And what’s beautiful is that Tatsu’s genuineness has already reached Nabori, and it’s what’s coming back to him. It speaks to the nature of artist’s being inspirations to each other and gets back to the heart of why it’s important for Tatsu to have creative friends. I love Nabori and everything he says. He is a walking talking embodiment of his beliefs. He’s nervous and shy until he gets cocky and puts it all out there. Him saying to damn everything and put yourself out there is something that really resonated with me and I’m glad this chapter came out when it did. All of these sentiments culminating in a beautiful flashback of Nabori realizing that they’re not alone in their fight really sealed the deal about how special this chapter was. 

P.S. It's so hard not to include the full pages because they showcase such a wide range of emotions so beautifully. Gods! I love this manga!

#beat & motion #manga recap #manga discussion #weekly shonen jump #manga

[bellmo15-blog]

NINTENDO HAS FORGOTTEN ABOUT ZELDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone, SidonSimpNumber1111101 here bringing you another video. In this video I’m gonna explain to you in excruciating detail about how NINTENDO HAS ABOANDOND THE LEGEND OF ZELDA AND DOESN’T CARE ABOUT IT ANYMORE! But before we get into that make sure to hit that like button and please subscribe even though this is likely your first video of mine you’re watching but 0% of you people watching are actually subscribed so I need that ad revenue. Do you want me to go poor? Do you want me to be kicked out of my house and live on the street? FUCKING SUBSCRIBE ALREADY YOU DINGLEBAT!!! Also, I just want to point out that this video is sponsored by Raid Shadow Legends. Stay tuned to the middle of the video where I will randomly segway into the add.

So some of you may be watching this and have no idea what the Legend of Zelda series is. And that is an understandable thing to wonder seeing as how it’s been five months since the last game which is too long for a series to go without a new game so let me give you some history. You see, our story actually begins well before the Nintendo Entertainment System was even a thing. When Shigeru Miyamoto was a child of around 10 or so years I think while out exploring he found a cave but knew that he…

“Dude, just skip this whole part. Seriously.”

Wha… Who the Hell are you!?

“Oh, you know. BellmoTheGreat. The guy who runs this page? The guy who’s house you’ve broken into just to make this video? The video that you, ignoring the overly long intro, thought to start the video proper by giving people an overly long history lesion about how the Zelda series was even created while also ignoring the fact that most people watching this will likely be Zelda fans who already know the series history?”

But…. It’s important to the topic of the video!?

“How is going into overly long detail about a history that most people know already anyway relevant to the topic of how Nintendo has ‘’’forgotten’’’ Zelda? Be honest, you just want an excuse to get this video over 10 minutes for the sake of monetization.”

…… Okay, well maybe the people DO know the history. In that case, let’s skip to the important part of this video. Our sponsor! Raid Shadow Legends is a free to play mobile…

“No dude, don’t do this either!”

What!? Don’t get sponsors!?!? Do you WANT me to go hungry!?!?

“No, I mean DON’T put the ad for your sponsor in the middle of your video! This is something that literally every Youtuber has been doing recently and it’s really annoying when it happens because not only does it interrupt the video randomly but everyone always skips it anyway! I know this because any time you people put an ad in the middle of your video’s I can literally see where the add ends thanks to the ‘most replayed’ part of the video tab where everyone always skips two.”

Well then mister ‘I don’t even have a 100,000 subscribers on my channel’ where SHOULD I put my ads?

“Oh, I don’t know. How about at THE END of a video!? Where it won’t feel like it interrupts anything?”

You know, that is actually smart advice. So I’ll ignore it come next video.

“*Sigh.*”

Anyway, the reason Nintendo has forgotten about one of their greatest video game franchises is because IT’S BEEN FIVE MONTHS MAN!!! THAT’S TWO LONG TO GO WITHOUTH A NEW GAME!!! Does Nintendo just not care anymore!?!? Has Nintendo just forgotten about its most important franchise!?!? The Switch barley has any Zelda representation on it at all! We need a new game! We need a new ANYTHING! WE NEED A NEW…

“Stop! Okay just… stop!”

Oh what now!?!?

“Nintendo ‘doesn’t care for the Zelda series anymore?’ Mate, do you even read your scripts? Or did you just take the easy way out and use ChatBotGT to write this because you have such little confidence in yourself in regards to your writing?”

Yes I do read my own scripts that I write! I’m reading it right now as I’m recording this! And it’s true! Nintnedo DOES NOT care for Zelda anymore.

“………… Hey, you know how you tried to start this video of with a pointless history lesion?”

What? Why are you…

“March 3rd 2017. The Nintendo Switch launches and one of the launch titles is Zelda Breath of the Wild. A game that was announced back in 2013 well before anyone even knew about the Nintendo Switch and was one of the most anticipated games for the Wii U. And while the Wii U version did get released nearly everyone who got a Switch also got the Switch version of Breath of the Wild even if they already had a Wii U. I know this is true because I was one of those people. It then goes on to be one of the best selling games in the series and would get DLC later on in the year for both versions.

The following year not only does Hyrule Warriors get re-released on the Nintendo Switch but it is arguably the best way to play the game because it has all of the DLC content that was added to prior releases as well as the gameplay additions that were added on the Legends release such as character switching and the My Fairy system. And let’s not forget how Mario Kart 8 Deluxe got updated to add in a new costume for Link of his Breath of the Wild design along with the Master Cycle Zero from the BotW DLC. Or Super Smash Bros Ultimate also coming out that year which not only featured Breath of the Wild Link but also Link Between Worlds Zelda, Ocarina of Time Gannondorf, both Young Link and Toon Link along with returning Zelda Themed stages from Twilight Princess, Wind Waker, Spirit Tracks and the new Shieka Tower and pair that with Ultimate's new Spirit System and you got a Smash game that represents nearly everything Zelda related! Or how about Nintendo Switch Online adding in Nintendo Entertainment System games and one of those games that was bundled with its launch was the very first Legend of Zelda game with Adventure of Link eventually being added later?

2019, Nintendo does another Zelda crossover between them and Crypt of the Necrodancer in the form of Cadence of Hyrule. SNES games are added to NSO and guess what one of the first games that got added was? That’s right, Zelda Link to the Past! Oh and also the remake of Link’s Awakening was both announced and released this year along with the then un-named sequel to Breath of the Wild also being announced at E3!

2020! Not only does Hyrule Warriors get a sequel with Age of Calamity, but it also serves as a prequel to the events of Breath of the Wild. And then there’s Nintendo 64 games being added to Nintendo Switch Online via the expansion. For as much shit as this service gets it did also come with Ocarina of Time as one of the first games along with Majora’s Mask also being added later.

Then 2021 comes and Skyward Sword is announced to be getting a Switch Port. Controversial as this game might be it is still an important part of the Zelda series and still a game many hold close to there hearts. Also, Age of Calamity gets DLC. Towards the end of the year Nintendo releases a Zelda Game and Watch similar to the Mario one released the prior year which came with Zelda 1, 2, the original Link’s Awakening and a Zelda skin version of the Game and Watch classic Wack and Mole.

Yes, 2022 was mostly a silent year but when 2023 rolled around not only did we get Minish Cap re-released via the Gameboy Advanced feature of NSO but Tears of the Kingdom finally releases in May! Oh, and also Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages are added to NSO as well. 2 months ago! In July! In fact, the Nintendo Switch has had SO MUCH Zelda in the past six years of it’s life that it’s amazing you can title this video ‘Nintendo has forgotten about Zelda’ with a straight face. Even if you don’t want to count everything in between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom because they were either spin offs, remakes or re-releases you still had so much Zelda to hold you over in the past half decade! Compare that to a franchise like the Mother series where only the second game was ever released internationally under the name of just Earthbound on the SNES in the 90’s, Mother 3 never getting an official release outside Japan despite Nintendo being aware of the fact that people want the game to officially be released and the only official Mother related things we have gotten since then are the first game finally getting localized in 2015 and released on the Wii U eShop titled Earthbound Beginnings along with the expected re-released of Earthbound on NSO. Or how about Startropics where the last game was released in 1994? That franchise is two years older than me! So tell me, with all that considered, how has Nintendo ‘forgotten’ about Zelda friend?”

… Umm… Well… Okay, if your going to be like that then I’ll just say they have forgotten about another Nintendo franchsie like Splatoon!

“*Sigh.* One year! It’s been one year since Splatoon 3 released and it’s still being regularly updated with new stuff and has players still playing it. Hell, we JUST got a trailer for the Side Order DLC recently so can you really say Splatoon is ‘forgotten?’”

Okay then… Pikmin!

“Not only has Pikmin 4 been released this year but you can get every single prior Pikmin game on Switch as well! The Switch is literally the best way to play this series since it’s all there minus Hey Pikmin.”

Umm… Err… F-Zero! Yeah I could totally make a video on F-Zero!

“Okay, ignoring the fact that it took 20 years for a new entry in this series to even come out Nintendo said that they HAD wanted to make a new F-Zero game for years but they just couldn’t think of a good enough gimmick to justify making a new game.”

……… Pokemon?

“*Sigh.* Just get out of my house! Please!”

#Zelda #Joke

[shihalyfie]

Happy August 1! You should watch Appmon.

If you’re following me (a very Adventure and 02-centric blog), you’ve probably already seen Adventure and 02, but you might not have seen Appmon, and since it’s such a lovely and important day today, I thought I should take the moment to try and rectify that as much as possible (especially since it’s streaming on Crunchyroll in several countries, too).

Why Appmon in particular? Well, thinking about it and my own position as an Adventure/02 blog, I personally believe that Appmon is one of the Digimon entries that most captures the spirit of what attracted people to classic Digimon (Adventure through Frontier) without actually being an outright rehash. I think Appmon’s critical acclaim has become well-known among members of this fanbase, but there aren’t a lot of things that thoroughly unpack why Appmon gets all of that critical acclaim and is so well-liked by classic Digimon fans. So I decided to write one!

One of the biggest things that works against recommending Appmon to others is how it looks very “immature”, or in other words, the bright sparkly colors and extensive use of catchphrases makes it come off as a kids’ show with an low-aged target audience and existing primarily to be goofy more than anything else. Personally, I’m still not fond of the idea that “dark” and “mature” should be considered synonymous (as someone who has a lot of prejudice against media that tries to be dark and edgy but actually has no substance), but nevertheless, Appmon is probably the single most deceptive series in this franchise. If you’re familiar with kids’ shows, you’re probably aware that it’s quite common for them to start off lighthearted and escalate as they get further in, but I cannot emphasize enough that Appmon is probably one of the most extreme about this, and heavily urge everyone reading this to not judge a book by its cover.

The following will be a spoiler-free breakdown of why I heavily recommend this series to anyone who hasn’t seen it already.

Ridiculous amount of depth, yet easy to understand

Appmon doesn’t really come off as a subtle series, with all the catchphrases flying everywhere and things being in-your-face, so it’s very easy to mistake it for a very unsubtle series that doesn’t have a lot of depth -- but in actuality, it has an incredible amount of attention to detail and a lot of underlying things that aren’t immediately obvious, and it’s perhaps impressive that it manages to juggle having both an in-your-face narrative that can be enjoyed at face value and underlying things in its narrative that can get you thinking for a really long time if you so choose.

The theme of “apps” isn’t just the writers trying to pick a common modern tech topic to look fashionable and hip! The series actually does a lot to seriously discuss real-life issues and topics going on in modern AI and technology development, and, more importantly, discusses this in the context of how this is currently relevant even to the average person right now, and how we may have to start seriously thinking about these issues in relation to our daily life. Some of the topics it brings up prominently within the series:

Technological singularity

Internet of things (IoT)

Clarke’s third law

Algorithmic bias and its impact on popularity

Corporate data mining and surveillance disguised as fun social activities

Volatility and competition in the modern app market

The tendency for high-level tech engineers to avoid “smart” technology and go old-school because they’re freaked out by the aforementioned surveillance and IoT

Social media bandwagoning

The Chinese room problem/the Turing test

...and more! And it explains all of this in ways more intuitive and fun than your average university textbook. Who would’ve thought.

This is, of course, a kids’ show, but I would seriously even recommend this series with no restraint to adults who are interested in a crash course on modern tech industry issues and what we’re going to have to consider in the coming years. I mean, how many kids’ shows are capable of making a narrative that so scathingly calls out the prevalence of modern corporate surveillance and yet delivers it in a format that’s also ridiculously fun? The series is indeed easy to understand, and that’s actually quite the accomplishment given that these are some topics known for being infamously obtuse! In fact, I personally think it’s very important to appreciate its concept of “fun” and being playful with its audience (good humor is hard to write, too!), and I find the fact it pulls this duality off to be even more phenomenal.

The take on the topic is also surprisingly nuanced, too -- instead of portraying technology as the source of all evil that’ll be responsible for our doom, it instead discusses the pros and cons of its impact on life, how it’s currently so deeply entwined with our lives that it’s not something you can just deny or chuck out the window, and how there are many ways it enriches our lives. It’s a take on it that’s close to reality and our modern world: if this is the way things are going to go, what should we consider, what’s the best way to approach this, and what should we anticipate going forward?

And if you think that being “easy to understand” and having a lot of goofy catchphrases means that the narrative never escalates that much nor gets all that tense or dramatic, boy, you have absolutely no idea. Again, not to say that I personally equate “dark” with “good”, but, well...without spoiling too much, if you’re still thinking that this is too much of a “goofy lighthearted series” to ever get serious, guess what happens with one of the party members in the finale!

Good character writing

Character writing is a standby in Digimon, but when we say “good character writing”, what do we mean by good character writing? This blog itself has already gone into detail about how even Adventure and 02 have different approaches to character writing, based on Adventure’s “self-awareness” approach versus 02′s “interpersonal relationships” approach, and how neither series actually quantifies “character development” by “how much each character changed”. Still, regardless of what your personal bar for character development is, Appmon inherits the classic Digimon approach of going in-depth into its characters’ mentalities, poking closely into their motivations, fears, insecurities, goals, and feelings.

Appmon’s approach to characters strikes a balance between the Adventure and 02 models in that it has a strong group dynamic of characters playing off each other, but also still devotes time to “character focus” episodes that allow you to understand each character deeply on an individual level (and has a surprisingly close to even amount of coverage of said characters). Moreover, even in a different form, the “partner” relationship between the Appli Drivers and their Buddy Appmon remains the same as the traditional relationship between a human and their Digimon partner, with all the bantering and mutual heart-to-hearts that come with it. The partnership relationship portrayed lies somewhere between Adventure and 02′s “literally part of your psyche” and Tamers having them be separate entities entirely; they’re not portrayed as mentally linked per se, but each Buddy Appmon has a certain “purpose” that pairs alongside each Appli Driver’s strongest desire or goal -- for instance, Haru is a thoughtful type who tries his best to understand others, and Gatchmon’s specialty function is research.

Beyond the individual characters having depth and the group having a strong dynamic, a lot of attention is paid to fleshing the world they live in; through the use of recurring characters and locations, the series gives you a strong sense of what Haru and his friends’ lives are like in Fujimizaka and the surrounding area, and what it is exactly they’re working to protect. It also helps bring the story close to home, because of how the hard sci-fi story integrates with what’s familiar in reality.

Strong use of themes in narrative

It would be one thing if the series touching on some pretty deep topics made it into a sort of “heavily cerebral” narrative that asks a lot of so-called tough questions, but were so focused on being smart and pulling one over you that it doesn’t have any take-home messages or anything meaningful to say. (Because there are definitely a lot of those stories that are so busy trying to say “life is harder than it seems” that there’s not much actual message to be had in it.) But that’s not the case with Appmon, and on top of having more pragmatic things to discuss about the world right now, there’s also a lot of heart in it, too.

There’s actually a lot you can get from it, but the most prominent theme of the series is “the importance of making choices out of kindness”. “Kindness” in this case doesn’t just mean playing nice with everyone, but rather “kindness” and actively choosing to consider the importance of feelings, the human heart, and the ability to make those choices in the first place in the midst of a world that is actively trying to get rid of those things. In a world that’s becoming progressively more intertwined with efficiency, organization, and reducing people to pawns and statistics, what does it mean to still have kindness towards others? (And, as you can guess, this is why the choice to have Haru be an unconventional protagonist who acts out of kindness instead of impulsiveness ends up being very important to this narrative.)

Despite the series being the closest to a true “hard sci-fi” narrative among all of the Digimon anime series released to date, this is still a very humanistic narrative that goes deeply into emotions and relationships, and it is very much one that invites you to think harder about these topics. In fact, true to its creed about kindness, the series itself comes off as very kind in its delivery -- even despite all the very high-level topics it covers, it never comes off as pretentious or needlessly edgy.

Generally good pacing and execution

In general, I personally weigh all of the above factors over the question of whether a narrative has execution issues like pacing or whatnot, but, incredibly, on top of all of the above, Appmon is extremely well-paced, well-executed, and is very tightly packed as a narrative -- other than a recap episode at episode 26 made to accommodate a real-life timeslot change (which is now completely skippable since the series is complete and available for marathon), there is no part of the narrative that can be considered to be stalling or not plot/character-important in some way, and in fact you could say the narrative keeps accelerating and doesn’t stop (no major pacing issues!).

I am obviously not going to claim that this series is perfect (as I say very often, there’s no such thing as a perfect series), and I’m sure there are many out there who have different personal tastes from mine to the extent that they didn’t end up as interested in this series as I do, but even when I try to remove a lot of my personal sentiments from the equation, Appmon is an incredibly “well-rounded” series, which is pretty remarkable in a franchise where a lot of its entries have infamously been “biased” in one way or another, and it’s hard to say there’s too many factors you would call a glaring miss or a slip-up. This is a series that covers a pretty ridiculous amount of ground in its 52-episode runtime.

It’s also obvious that the narrative was properly planned out in advance, because on top of the core narrative and subplots being very well organized and properly resolved, the amount of foreshadowing and the delicate plays of red herrings and just-enough-to-make-you-suspicious-but-not-enough-to-make-you-sure are handled extremely well (plus, if you decide to watch it a second time, you’ll notice tons of things that you wouldn’t have noticed in a first watch). It’s the kind of story organization that feels very “satisfying” in that sense -- and for even that alone, it becomes very well worth your time.

#digimon #appmon #digimon universe appli monsters #digimon universe app monsters #shihameta

[tricktster]

the twilight series suddenly makes 100% more sense if you read them under a specific premise that, i contend, is heavily supported by the text:

Much like Amy’s diary in Gone Girl, the books in the Twilight Saga are verbatim reproductions of in-universe diary entries carefully and deliberately created and curated by badass unreliable narrator Bella Swan as a means to achieve immortality.

Prerequisite assumptions:

1) Bella actively and persistently wants to become a vampire, both diagetically and (I contend) non-diagetically. The average vampire novel format often fails to capture realistic human behavior in one highly specific area: the protagonists are frequently mortals who grapple with the choice of whether to become a vampire. This is stupid, because being a vampire would obviously be dope as hell; particularly in the Twilight Universe, where vampires are not required to take a human life to survive, and indeed, have the capacity to live full and rewarding lives while integrated* into the human community.

(*integrated-ish; see Assumption 6)

2. There are too many coincidences for Bella to have encountered the Cullens by sheer chance, only to be the ONE person that Edward can’t live without (due largely to the novelty factor of not being able to read her ding-dang thoughts.)

3. Diagetically, the Volturi don’t even know Bella’s psyonic gifts until New Moon, but we also know that the Volturi scour the globe for recruits to enlist into the protection of their governing body.

4. Nobody wants to be a voiceless cog in a bureaucracy.

5. Nobody, and especially nobody in high school, wants to be a high school student forever.

6. Vampires in twilight are, as a group, cartoonishly terrible at disguising their true nature.

7. Forks is a backwater town approximately 3.5 hours away from the biotech hub of Seattle.

7. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney can eat my farts and they deserve to be preserved in this snapshot of an innocent author’s mind slowly unraveling.

Proposed timeline:

In 1993, there is a key system meltdown at a improvised biohacking startup in Seattle, rendering all innovative genetic modification experiments into a puddle of brown sludge that nobody can figure out how to dispose of per Federal regs, since they don’t even know what it is.

The broke founder of the startup, who for the purposes of this timeline I will call Jeff Bezos because that’s who it was, eventually grows tired of all the discussion about what to do, and just pops it in a barrel, drives a few hours out of town, and dumps it in a pond.

Bella Swan, a small child, is hanging out at a park with her family friend Jacob Black (and a ton of his friends) when they all decide to wade in a slightly murky pond. Thereafter, they are transformed.

Bella grows up as a normal, highly powerful mutant with a +20 to deception checks and wisdom saves. She lives in Arizona, but up until 2002, summers in Forks. While in Forks, she picks up on the local lore about a family of vampires who don’t eat people.

Because Forks (population: 17 + Charlie’s mustache) is boring, Bella bones up on the only interesting thing about it, i.e. Vampire Hometown baybeeeee.

In 2000, George W. Bush gets elected president, and his evangelical politics and general bumbling ineptitude informs Bella’s opinions on authoritative governmental entities.

In 2001, the Cullens make their intention to move back to Forks known, but they take a while because they need to pack all their stupid graduation hats and volvos, etc.

Later in 2001, a psychic Volturi scout rolls through Forks to ensure that nobody within living memory recalls the Cullens, and notices an anomaly in the psychic field.

The scout goes to confront Bella about joining the Volturi, and Bella immediately clocks him as a vampire, because vampires in the Twilight Universe fucking suck at looking/acting human. This leaves the scout in a bind: she’s too valuable to kill, but she’s a pre-teen, and therefore too young to be transformed per Volturi authority.

The scout warns her he’ll have to kill her if she discusses the existence of vampires with any human. He then tells her he’ll be back in five years, and begins to sweet talk her on how good life will be when she’s a vampire, beautiful, immortal, powerful, etc. Bella asks if she has to kill, and dude says “nah, actually there’s a bunch of vegetarian vampires who are moving back here soon. Fucking nerds, but otherwise they’re doing well.” Bella is all about becoming a vampire, because Bella is a rational actor.

Bella moves to Arizona, and as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are unjustifiedly initiated, she recognizes that while she DOES want to be a vampire, she does NOT want to be a foot soldier in any war that she can’t support. She needs a plan.

In 2004, Bella is watching her step-dad’s minor league baseball game when it occurs to her. On her own, she’s a target for the Volturi, but if she had some people to watch her back, she might be okay. Of course, nobody fucks with the Volturi on behalf of some rando human. She’ll need to con her way into a coven who’ll have her back and also give her that +10 to constitution via vampiric transformation, which she desperately wants because she’s a rational actor. And where are the non-volturi vampires that might have her back? Fucking Forks.

Bella moves to Forks in 2004, and upon seeing the Cullens, she immediately clocks them as vampires even though they left their “we’re all vampires” booty shorts at home, because, as previously discussed, vampires in the Twilight Universe fucking suck at looking/acting human.

Bella notes that all the vampires but one are paired off in heterosexual bliss, and takes note of the straggler as a potential vehicle to vampyrdom.

Bella figures out that Eddie can read everyone’s mind but hers, because Edward Cullen fucking sucks at looking/acting like a human who can’t read minds. Bella further observes that Eddie has a huge undead boner for her.

She’s found her mark. Now she just needs to convince him that she’s better off as part of the coven than on her own. Problem: Eddie’s a self-pitying insufferably guilt-striken perpetual adolescent who keeps himself busy by feeling sorry for himself because he’s a vampire, angst angst angst etc etc. Also, I think he’s Catholic, so add some more guilt in. She’ll have to win him over by convincing him that they’re destined to be soulmates.

What does a vampire used to having complete insight into everyone’s mind but his crush’s want? A method to know what she really thinks of him. Bella begins writing a “diary” knowing that there’s no way in hell Eddie won’t sneak in and read it. So she Gone Girls it, and begins to lay a trap to lure him in. That first diary? Twilight.

This was just in the movie but a stoner chases her around with a worm on a stick. Nothing to do with this theory, I just like that part of the movie. Where’s my spinoff about that guy?

Eddie won’t give Bella what she wants (eternal life) by the end of book 1, even though she asks him to EXTREMELY POLITELY. Time to hit the diary with some more promises of undying love.

Bella reconnects with her old friend Jacob and the rest of the Mutated By Jeff Bezos Boys. Alas, they cannot turn her into a physically powerful sexy immortal with a bite, so she’s still stuck with plan A) win over a whole family of vampires with big Mormon energy. It’s the long con.

Edward’s angst abruptly takes a swing towards terminal. He’s absolutely your classic sadboy, perhaps because Bella now has one (1) friend that he knows about.

When Eddie begins to drift away on account of Angst, Bella conjurs up a secondary love interest who, coincidentally, is ALSO a sexy supernatural entity, and is much less coincidentally just Jacob.

We should establish here that Edward is like a 107 year old white dude and so even though Diary!Bella pretends not to see it, Metatextual Frame Story!Bella knows that dude is super racist.

Jacob Black is three things: 1. Like Bella, a mutant (although one with shapeshifting abilities), 2.one of Bella’s oldest and most trusted confidants, and 3. down to clown on an elderly teenage vampire who keeps stereotyping him. Sure, says Jacob, I’ll take the form of a werewolf. He seriously thinks we’re all just beastmen, huh? Hey look at me now, I’m Regis Philbin because this is 2005 and Who Wants to be a Millionaire is still sort of relevant. Sick.

Edward does not like that Bella has one (1) other friend. Bella and Jacob plot to use this to their advantage and lure Edward back on the wings of jealousy.

Eddie gets himself into trouble on account of Angst and poor communication, so Bella has to go rescue him from himself/the Volturi.

Aro finally meets her and gets to test her powers, which impress him. Now she’s back on the fucking radar.

I forget everything that happens in Eclipse, so i have chosen to omit that part.

Eventually she extracts a quid pro quo from Eddie; i’ll marry you if you turn me into a dracula.

We don’t really call ourselves that, Wet Blanket Cullen replies, entirely earnestly.

Bella gets married at 18 in 2006, and Eddie starts to backtrack his promise about changing her. This won’t stand.

Well, look, he’s an elderly guilty catholic/mormon teen who probably still uses super racist terms, but she’s stuck on honeymoon island, he has certain angles that work for him, and seriously what are they gonna do but fuck? Bella’s alternative is listening to her “husband” drone on about his interests, which are almost certainly Car, How Do I Post a Minion Picture on Facebook, and Licorice Used To Be a Lot Cheaper in the Good Old Days.

Whoops a fetus.

Bella recognizes that she’s GOT to have this baby: time’s running out, and Bella knows that at least two of the Vamps in her coven will cut ties if she terminates or otherwise fails to carry this baby to term because of the conservative religious subtext. She’s going to have to stick it out for 9 months, even though it’s a risky call.

Bella gets what she wants after giving birth. “My time as a human is over, but I've never felt more alive. I was born to be a vampire.” That’s a direct quote. Except now she’s got a (pretty cute and easy) baby that she desperately wants to protect from Turning Into A Vaguely Religious Cullen Dressed Head To Toe In Cream Colored Wool.

Bella decides to fake her own death and escape with the kid and Jake so they can form i guess a detective agency. Bella will get “killed” by the Volturi, move to Sydney, and open up shop, and Jake will take the kid after her a few months later.

They’re gonna need a reason why Jake gets the kid though, and there’s only one reason to do anything amongst the Cullens: a heterosexual love interest with a super problematic age gap.

Jesus, Jake sighs, is Eddie really going to believe I’m in romantic love with your actual infant? Does he really think that little of me?

Yup.

Bella tries to draw the Volturi’s attention.

Works too well.

The Cullens call up all their vague acquaintances, who are at least kind of fun. Particularly that one dude who keeps getting angry about British conduct during the American Revolution.

Well, fuck, now the Volturi are bringing an army to fight their ragtag army of Vampires Who Are Cool And Interesting Enough That We Can Safely Presume They Are All Definitely Gay. Bella can’t let those guys die, they’re the first actually compelling vampires she’s ever talked to.

Bella saves the day because she’s OP.

All the Cool Vamps start packing up to leave and Bellz almost goes with them, but the Cullens would just keep sending missionaries after her if they knew.

Bella finishes her fourth journal with the vague warning that the Volturi are still out there somewhere and they miiiight just try and get her.

Two days later, she stages a scuffle and gets the fork out of Fucks. Her journals are the only clue.

Sirius Black and baby nessie follow once edward has stopped sobbing into his cream colored sweater and moved on to Extended Power Pouting.

Bella recruits her own army of fledglings.

Bella stages a coup against the Volturi and succeeds.

Bella sits on the iron throne with a hot lady vampire on each knee and they all kiss and stuff.

Nessie I guess forms a post punk band?

Edward dies from aspiration of a brussel sprout that he ate because he just wanted to feel something.

Charlie and Billy get married.

Charlie’s mustache develops a cult instagram following, providing them with a modest retirement income.

Jacob shapeshifts into Bill Murray and is always crashing weddings.

Bella’s stepdad is off in the B plot this whole time winning the world series with the help of a kooky angel.

There. Fixed. My soul is at rest.

[blushing-titan]

My thoughts on ch. 139

Some of you may be familiar with my previous writings - I usually try to stay as collected as possible, but today's post will be different. Ever since the chapter came out, I've been reblogging a lot of rants and memes about it. Those of you who follow my blog (thank you so much, really happy to have you here! ❤) know that I didn't really enjoy this ending. I want to elaborate more on that in this post - my only advice is to buckle up, because today we may get a bit heated (I apologize in advance for the sassy approach - I usually try to stray away from that, but guess today's post is more of a stream of conciousness/rant) :'D

1. Ymir

Starting up with one of the most controversial things about this chapter. Up to this point, I felt really bad for Ymir. Her life was terrible - she was a young girl, who was enslaved and abused by king Shitz Fritz. After she was forced to run away from his hounds, she acquired the power of titans and used it to help the king's cause. For that, she was awarded with the king's seed (🤢), and eventually became a mother of three girls. Through her entire life, she was treated as a slave and a lesser-being by the king - she also died while protecting him, and her daughters were forced to eat her remains after that (🤢🤢).

It felt so tragic to see her 2000 years later, still walking blindly in the paths. It wasn't enough that she was hurt so badly when she was still alive - she remained enslaved to the abusive king even after she died. I was rooting for her to finally be freed from this nightmare - hence I was so happy when ch. 122 came out and we got this scene:

I was genuinely emotional when I saw her reaction. Finally, someone expressed some authentic care for her and tried to snap her out of this blind state. She would finally think about what she wants and try to free herself from the paths because, as Eren said, she was never a slave or a goddess - just a regular person. It's just like she finally let out all the pain that she's been suppressing for all these years.

Yeah...except, as it turns out, her awakening here changes nothing. She doesn't come to any conclusions, like, perhaps, that she doesn’t want to let herself be hurt and mistreated any longer...or that she should fight for herself, try to change her fate - because, after all, her life belongs to her - not anyone else.

Nothing like this happens. Why? Because, as it turns out, she's in love with king Fritz and needs to be proven by Mikasa that she can break this bond first.

....

💀💀💀💀

Excuse me, but...what?

Okay, first and foremost...am I supposed to believe that, during these 2000 years, no one else has gone against their unhealthy affection to someone toxic and unworthy of their love? No one? 🤡 Come on, we even saw that happen in the manga. What about Historia, who thought that her own mother hitting her was a sign of love? Who wanted to believe that her father was good, despite wanting to turn her into a titan? Where was Ymir when Historia stood up for herself against her father's wishes? Or when she flew up to him and delivered the final blow against him?

On top of that...what a disappointing conclusion to Ymir's story. I hoped that she would take her fate into her own hands, and - for example - be reborn and experience life as a free person, surrounded by people who actually care about her. Free herself from paths and destroy it - not because someone shows her that she can indeed detach herself from it, but simply because she wants to.

Instead, 80% of the world population is gone, because she needed to see that Mikasa is able to "free" herself from Eren in order to do the same.

🤡🤡🤡

2. Abandoned plotlines and plot-holes

Mikasa being a Hizuru princess? Never heard of that. Hallucigenia's fate? Who cares. Eren directing Dina's titan in Carla's direction in order to save Berthold? Nah, who would want any more info on that - guess he just couldn't direct her anywhere else. The Ackerman's headaches? Pfff. The fact that Mikasa shouldn't be affected by the memory altering, but somehow still is in the ending? "I guess she just forgot that she should be immune to this". Why was Historia's pregnancy implied as relevant if it wasn't in the end? So many precious panels wasted on that, when they could be used to help solve some other "unanswered questions" instead. Ehhh...🤷

3. Blatant character assassination

There, I'm saying it once again. I have no idea what happened in this chapter but the characters are off. What about Eren - the one who has always believed that freedom was his birthright, and has been fighting and moving forward for his goals? Yeah, turns out he has no idea why he was doing all of that. 

Remember Kenny's quote - everyone is a slave to something? I thought that this implication was pretty poetic in context of Eren's character. Through all his life, he sought freedom, but ironically, he was a slave to that dream...

...turns out it may have been a bit too poetic for this story because Eren is a slave to destiny. Literally - he's going on auto-pilot in order to reach that one moment in which Mikasa beheads him, so Ymir can watch and understand that she can do the same.

Nice joke...except not. Here go our main character's motivations 🗑

He casually commits unjustifiable crimes against humanity - not because he wants to be free or because he found the world beyond the walls disappointing, (...as we were led to believe). He did that because he doesn't know why - and then, he cries that he doesn't want Mikasa to ever find another guy.

:'))

Turns out Eren was somehow always in love with her too...? Yeah, weird way of showing it. Or should I say - not showing it at all.

If you read my previous writings, you know that I'm not very fond of Eremika. The way I interpreted it while reading the story: it was unhealthy, suffocating and one-sided. I hoped for Mikasa to move on and start thinking about herself for once.

Right, what about Mikasa? Has she finally moved on? Is she content with her life? Are her dreams coming true? What's her daily life after all this? Sadly, I don't have the answers. The thing we are shown instead, is how she's sitting next to Eren's grave and, once again, thanking him for wraping the scarf around her. The only thing that implies that she may be somehow still seeing other people is one bubble of text. After all 139 chapters of hoping for her character developement, that's it.

Keep in mind that all other characters are shown together - with their spouses, families and friends - yet Mikasa is still separated and alone. That's right - after she disappears with Eren's head, she's not shown with anyone else until the end of the manga.

While we're on the topic of others, too...do I have to talk about the scenes in which everyone shows some level of gratitude to Eren...for wiping 80% humanity for them? Because I have no words for this.

One last note: I found the humor to be slightly out of place, too. Seriously, after all these terrible events, with so many unanswered questions and character developement of these two...Reiner is still weirdly simping for (now married) Historia and Jean is called a horse face :') Idk, but it feels somehow surreal after everything that's happened.

4. Conclusion

What else can I say...the final chapter disappointed me and I'm pretty sad about it. I'm happy for the people who liked it, but also can't help but feel like it was very far from perfect. I've been following SnK ever since 2013 and it's a bittersweet moment for me. The series had a lot of amazing moments that I'll definitely remember forever. Meanwhile, I would like to read some of the author's thoughts about the way he chose to end the story - perhaps it would clear some confusion (...although I can't help the fact that my first opinion is already formed).

Thank you very much for reading my thoughts - as always, it means a lot to me! ❤ The images used in this post are obviously not mine!

#snk 139 #aot 139 #snk spoilers #snk manga spoilers #snk ending #anti eremika #eren jeager #mikasa ackerman #ymir fritz #historia reiss #snk meta

[antiloreolympus]

5 Anti LO Asks

1, Another Greek here -

Now, my experience could be different from other Greeks, but from what I've seen and experienced the Gods that are still relevant and important to Greek culture are definitely Demeter, Apollo, Artemis, Dionysus, and Athena. Not that the other Gods are not relevant, just that these five in particular pop up the most and also have official name days in our Christian Orthodox calendars.

This is what bugs me (among other things) about Lore Olympus. Here, Smythe has taken Apollo, Demeter, and Artemis and ripped their whole identities in order to tell this strange story of how Persephone (or more like Perfect-phone) was abused and wronged by everyone around her - except Hades. Which, as mentioned a few times by anons, was actually the only one who wronged her in the myths! Other than Zeus of course but - that guy wrongs everyone lol.

Now, I understand that Smythe has every right to create a story about our myths. She can change whatever she wants - they are not under copyright. However - It's just the principle behind it. I wouldn't take Gods that are important to, let's say, Indian culture and turn them into villains just to make one of their other Gods look perfect? This is ridiculous. 

2. As a random point, why is Demeter green and purple? Demeter's colors are gold and red. Gold for the wheat, and red for the poppy flowers that grew all over her fields. Shouldn't she be Hera's colors technically? And Hera should have Demeter's colors - purple and green, because of the peacock.

I don't know, the color choices just seem strange to me.  

3. From reading all the messages here I've been imaging my own version of Hades & Persephone where she still gets kidnapped and the story alternates between her and Demeter and what they go through

4. Let it never be said that I’m a cynic, mainly because I rarely point out or critique a person’s art style due to the “subjective” nature of art in general. But the moment I saw the visual for the courthouse in EP. 173, I was absolutely aghast. A lack of tall columns, no decorative details or mythical elements, seemingly no Greek influences whatsoever. Seriously, the editors/RS could’ve had a blast with creating an entire Olympus-style courthouse! Instead we get a sleek glass building that’s painted a regular blue color and appears as though it were copypasted from a 3D modeling website. I’m not sure why it bothers me so much. It's almost like RS keeps staring at the rich, ancient coding of Greek culture and thinks “nah, not enough Americana” and continues bolting stars and stripes onto every orifice of the series’ visuals. I can understand the need for the story to be “modernized” by plot standards, but it's practically dripping with western overtones at this point: the capitalist nature of the Underworld, the classic 50s pinup appearance of every female character, the New York-inspired buildings of all the realms...

5. I’ve noticed on the Lore Olympus Reddit page that a lot of the comic’s fans continue to seem dissatisfied with the recent chapters as a whole -- and with good reason. The excuses seen most often for the story’s mediocre “cliffhangers” and long-winded expositions is that RS is “dragging out the story for the upcoming animated series” or that the Webtoons organization has forced her in a corner when planning the structure of her episodes. If you believe that it was all Webtoons doing for the current stagnation (which I don’t believe), RS should’ve caught onto this a while ago and written her chapters accordingly to fit the new model, but she continues producing these redundant tactics anyway. This setup was most egregious during the flashbacks of Minthe and Hades’ initial meeting (EP.149-150); the recollections only appear for a couple chapters, but this storyline took two weeks to conclude during the period of weekly updates. The same thing happened in the arc before the current trial plotline, where we spent a good nineteen chapters (nineteen weeks) mucking around the Underworld before anything remotely about Persephone’s trial is even alluded to. Granted, those chapters did include Daphne's hibernation, the confrontation with Leto, and the reveal of Psyche’s identity -- but it was also during that time where many LO fans were still wondering “so...when is Persephone going to be prosecuted?” or “is Apollo going to be punished at all?” Many webcomics with a similar amount of panels to LO are able to produce much more satisfying content because it's creators have the ability to purposefully plan which plot points will be disclosed within that certain episode. Not in Lore Olympus, however! Get ready for long stretches of nothing and a plethora of middle school-level philosophies that will keep you at the...sorta edge of your seat.

#anti lo #anti lore olympus #lore olympus critical #lo critical

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About "Hunting Palismans" From The Owl House

Salutations, random people on the internet who certainly won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

Today, I present to you reason #4,693 for why The Owl House is the best thing at the moment: It's the perfect balance of serialized storytelling with an episodic format. The story always moves forward with an exact order for how episodes should be watched, but each episode still functions as its own standalone tale. Having prior knowledge of what happened before adds more to the experience, but you can still watch whatever you want and still have an enjoyable time. Take "Hunting Palismans," for example. It adds so much more to the overarching narrative while slightly continuing other threads. But it's still something you can watch as is without remembering the past or wondering about the future.

However, to properly explain how requires spoilers. I wasn't kidding when I say that this episode adds so much, so you're going to want to be wary of that when you continue reading.

With that said, let's review, shall we?

WHAT I LIKED

Coven Heads Meeting: We already saw these fellow schmucks in the trailer, but that doesn't take away how cool they are! It's not explicitly stated which head belongs to which coven, but you can already tell who goes where just from their designs alone. And I love that. I love that just by showing us some excellent character designs, anybody with half a brain can already figure out the particular type of magic each Coven Head specializes in. It's a perfect example of the show-don't-tell level of storytelling that is always at its best through animation, and I'm all for it because of it.

What the Day of Unity is: Several fans, myself included, have already speculated that the Day of Unity was that Emperor Belos planned to combine the human world with the Boiling Isles and rule it all with an iron fist. That being said, figuring it out is one thing, but being told that it's true is a whole different level pants-s**ting horror that I AM NOT READY FOR! Even when it's going to happen, I can assure you that I will not be prepared to witness it ...and I am scared of when it does.

Belos Body Horror: ...Disney, I was already scared s**tless of this guy. I DO NOT NEED THIS!

That being said, seeing Belos do...whatever the f**k that was, helps explain further why he needs the magic in palismans. I always assumed because it's like fuel for a car, giving him the power he needs. Now, even though the answer is more apparent, there are still some questions to be had. Is he cursed, and the magic keeps it at bay like Eda's potions? Or did he experiment with the wrong type of magic, and the palismans keep him stable? Only the future can say for sure...and I'm also not prepared for the answers from that either.

Golden Guard is Belos’ Nephew: Gosh dangit, THE INTRO HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET, AND THIS EPISODE IS ALREADY GIVING SO MUCH!

But, yeah, the most powerful witch on the Isles is apparently Golden Boy's Grunkle Belos. That very knowledge is incredibly interesting to discuss while presenting possibilities for future narratives. I don't know about you, but I see the Golden Guard going down the path of Zuko, learning that the magic of friendship is worth much more than whatever power he gains from being Belos' nephew. And possibly earning his uncle's love seeing how he's the only family he has. It's a situation that's vastly different from Amity's because even when she defies her parents, she'll still have Edric and Emira at the end of the day. For Golden Guard, knowing that he lost a great family to wild magic, the inclination to go against Belos is a lot weaker due to him being all he has left.

Oh, and also, Belos' family getting wiped out because of wild magic. Yeah, not only does that give the best type of motivation for Belos' distaste for it, but it also explains the Golden Guard's hesitance to use it. He's inclined to so he can save his uncle, sure. It's only the fact that he knows what happens with wild magic that causes some resistance...Also, we're less than a minute in, and I'm already getting all of this from one discussion between two characters.

HOW IS THIS SHOW SO GOOD?!

Intro Changes: It's about time too. It seems weird that the crew waited to change Eda and King's designs in the intro this late in the game, but it also tells me that Amity dying her hair lavender is the last huge change this season will present. Otherwise, why change the intro at all if you were going to alter Luz, Willow, and Gus' designs anyway? It just doesn't make sense to me.

Luz Keeping the Echo Mouse as a Pet: The fact that she keeps the most important creature in the world to her as a pet...it's...it's adorable, alright? And as we established several times, I cannot hate adorable things.

Don't judge me!

Amity Staying Home: There are two plausible ways why Amity didn't go to school that day. Either she's getting punished for dying her hair or because she's trying to avoid Luz so they won't talk about the you-know-what. Either could work and seem understandable to Luz, thus explaining why she admits how "that makes sense." Although, there is something to discuss in how Luz is curious as to where Amity is. Judging from the tone of her voice, it's pretty clear that she wants to talk about the little peck on the cheek and maybe get some confirmation as to what it means. Because there is no going back from that. You can explain away saying or doing something stupid, but you cannot un-kiss a cheek. That is a point of no return, and if Amity really is avoiding Luz because of it, that means it's up to our favorite weirdo to make the first move. As for what that may entail...we'll just have to wait and see.

Frewin: We get two bits of information here for the price of one reveal here. Knowing that Frewin is a palisman is shocking enough, but the knowledge that Bump is partially blind and needs Frewin to see? That is an intriguing piece of intel that I would have never expected to get revealed. This is reason #5,279 for what makes The Owl House so good. Even when the show presents information you wouldn't guess, it's all so interesting anyways that you can't help but go along with it.

Adopting Palismans: First of all, love the fact that the Bat Queen makes a return to provide a solution to the palisman trees being rare and solving her own problem regarding the discarded palismans. It's a situation where everyone wins in a way that is so clever that I can't help but admire it.

Second, the idea of students choosing to adopt palismans instead is cute. I'd say it gives further insight into who these characters are in how they say what they want to be, but there's nothing really new added that fans couldn't figure out from the get go. But I will say that it's pretty cool to know that these characters have official staffs now. Speaking of which, if you're upset that their palismans don't match up with your headcanons...grow up.

This was a cute and smartly written scene that should not be bogged down by whiney fans who can't accept a series doing something different from what they expect.

Little Rascal: I’d take a bullet for this bird. That is all.

Luz Being Uncertain of her Future: A lot of fans offer several ideas of what the future could look like for Luz. Will she stay in the Boiling Isles? In Connecticut? Or will she go back and forth? We don't know, but one question we rarely brought up is what does Luz want? More specifically, what does she want to do? After everything Luz went through, the adventures she's gone on, and the lessons learned, what is something that Luz wants her future to be? That's an answer she doesn't really figure out, and I'm genuinely ok with that being a question that's tabled for another day. Most kids who ask that question themselves aren't always going to find an answer after a short amount of time and sometimes even need to spend their lives trying to figure it out. So having it be something Luz has to consider and probably find out in a future episode is the smarter option, as it allows time for it to simmer in her own mind and provides more insight into her character. As stated several times in this episode, she doesn't think things through, so it's nice that the writers finally allowed her some time to wonder what's next when the adventure is over.

Luz Having to Improvise Without Paper Glyphs: You want to know what my favorite Spider-Man moments are (this is relevant. Trust me). My favorite moments are when Spidey's web-shooters run out of fluid, and he's forced to improvise with that big brain of his to find a solution. That's sort of what happens with Luz in "Hunting Palismans." She didn't bring her glyphs with her (why would she), so she's forced to use the environment around her to make new ones. Plus, Luz also flexes her knowledge of the Boiling Isles by mixing her glyphs with a magical plant (which Willow certainly told her about) so that she and the Golden Guard could knock out Kikimora's dragon. It's yet another showcase of her intelligence that a lot of fans are too keen to overlook. Unfortunate to see, too, because looking at how well Luz can craft the perfect solutions by fighting smarter, not harder, is a fantastic add-on to her personality. I love characters who win through their wits rather than their raw powers, and I once again hope more people will catch onto that aspect of her too.

Golden Guard Whistling the Theme: Look, I love it when a show acknowledges its own theme song, ok? Leave me alone.

Luz and the Golden Guard: This is one of those dynamics you didn't know you wanted until you have it. And now that I have it, I DEMAND MORE!

Seriously, seeing these two interact off of each other was a ton of fun to watch. When Luz and GG are initially at each other's throats, their threats and mockery towards one another aren't out of spiteful anger between two mortal enemies. It's more like...two siblings who get on each other's nerves yet are supposed to deal with one another. It's equally adorable and hilarious, and yes, I absolutely loved that they're forced to work together in this episode because of it.

Although, while the entertainment value is fantastic, it also adds more proof of why Luz is the best character in the series. She spends one night with this guy, and that's more than what she needed to make a difference with him. I wouldn't go so far as to say that they're buddies now, but Luz definitely sowed the seeds into his redemption. He's far from willing to join her side, but he still does something he rarely does with anyone else: He told her that his name is Hunter. And this is what Luz does. Through nearly every person she meets on the Boiling Isles, she always manages to change them for the better. It'll be a while before Hunter deflects from Belos, but if Amity proves anything, Luz has a way of sneaking into people's hearts. They just need to spend more time with one another, and I can't wait to see what happens next because of it.

Kikimora Wanting to Kill Hunter: This shows a lot about who Kikimora is, but it potentially proves just how dysfunctional the Emperor's Coven can be. If Kiki proves anything, the coven must be filled with people willing to backstab and cheat their way to get on Emperor Belos' good side. Just look at Lilith. She literally cursed her own sister just to get in and received all the rewards because of it. The Emperor's Coven may be the best choice for witches to do magic, but if you're surrounded by people you can't trust, then is it really worth it?

The Guards Not Knowing Who Hunter is: This helps add to how much of a big deal it is for Hunter to reveal his name to Luz. If people can't even recognize his face, there's a chance it means that he keeps his true identity a secret except for those in his inner circle.

And the coven guards brushing off his brand is more than believable to me. They may be aware that Belos' right hand is young, but teens will be teens. Anybody with enough artistic talent can fake a brand. So it isn't too far off for those two to think Hunter was just a kid pulling a prank.

Hunter is Powerless Without his Staff: Not much to say here. It's just some more neat insight into Hunter's character that makes me wonder if even Belos' magic is real magic.

But I will say this: The fact that Hunter comes from a lineage of powerless witches, well, who's to say that isn't because of a...certain ancestor?

(*Cough* Hunter is related to Philip *Cough*)

Hunter vs Kiki: A pretty well-animated fight scene that adds potential drama to the story for the future. Now that Kikimora knows that Hunter helped Luz escape with the palismans (albeit unwillingly), she may or may not hold that over his head when the time comes. Or, at the very least, decides to keep a closer eye on him whenever he makes a slip-up.

Eda and King Getting Luz her own Palisman Wood: These last two weeks have been severely lacking in the Eda and King department, but scenes like this more than make up for it. Those two have formed such a bond with Luz to the point where they would do the impossible if it meant she would feel better. It proves just how much of a family they all are and the lengths they would go for each other. After all, weirdos have to stick together.

Little Rascal going to Hunter: Hunter is right. That was surprising.

Given how much Little Rascal stuck by Luz, I was more than positive that she would be the one he chose. So seeing Little Rascal pick Hunter instead is a much nicer twist. There could be multiple reasons why, and I'm just going to leave that to the analyzers in this fandom to decide. Especially since the answer isn't really all that important.

So, instead, I'm going to go ahead and sit in the corner as I wOrRy AbOuT tHe DaY tHaT bElOs FiNdS lItTlE rAsCal!

IT'S GONNA HAPPEN! AND I SWEAR TO ALL THAT IS HOLY, IF THE WRITERS KILL HIM, I WILL NOT BE HAPPY!

WHAT I DISLIKED

First, there's...um...

Well, there was this...

Ok, as much as I liked--No, that turned out well anyways...

…

...

...I've got nothing.

I, honest to goodness, have no complaints about "Hunting Palismans" Not even the tiniest of nitpicks I would usually ignore due to how well-executed everything else was.

It's all written fantastically to the point where it's...perfect.

IN CONCLUSION

"Hunting Palismans" is an easy A+. It introduces even more plot threads, gives insight into characters, and despite being essential to the story, it still manages to be a fun episode all on its own. And, I'd go so far as to say that it's one of the best, if not the best, episodes in the series. There's nothing bad about it, and that surprises me. I rarely find nothing bad to say about any story, even the ones I enjoy greatly. I'm sure there are some flaws that others would be more than happy to point out, but why bother hunting for the imperfections when I could accept that, for once, an episode is simply perfect.

(And that’s six hits in a row...THAT STINKER IS GOING TO HAPPEN! It hasn’t happened yet, BUT IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN! I CAN FEEL IT!)

#the owl house #the owl house season 2 #the owl house reviews #luz noceda #the golden guard #hunter the owl house #emperor belos #what i thought about

[comedicreliefonlyworkswhenfunny]

I am against the "Americanization" of fandoms.

What this applies to

Holding non American characters (and sometimes even fans) to an American moral standard. This includes

Refusing to take into account that, first things first, America is NOT the target audience, so certain tropes that would or would not pass in the west are different in Japan.

Like seriously, quite a few of the jokes are just not going to pass or hit, because they require background information that is not universal.

Assuming all American experience is standard. (This could mean watering down just how much pressure is placed on Japanese youth irl by saying that sort of thing is universal (while it is, to a degree, Japanese suicide rates are pretty fucking high because of how fast paced and work heavy some of their loads tend to be), and it's really annoying and rude when someone is trying to speak out about how heavy and harsh the standards are placed on them to succeed just for some American whose mom occasionally yells at them to do their homework dropping by to say "it's like that everywhere")

Demonizing (or wubbifying) a character using American morals, including and up to harassing fans over their interpretations or gatekeeping whether or not a character "should" get development (while you shouldn't do that fucking period, it's rude and annoying- this is specifically for the people who use American standards without acknowledging the cultural gap between them and, you know, the fucking target audience) ((Like seriously, saying "It's different in Japan" is not the end all be all excusing someone's actions, but sometimes the author didn't immediately think that maybe (insert vaguely universal thing) was that bad or that heavy of a topic before they put it into their media. If you don't want to see things like that? Pick a different series and stop harassing the fans))

Getting mad at or making fun of Japan's attempts to satirize their own culture. (A good example is Ace Attorney! To most of us, it's just a funny laugh can you imagine if courts were actually like that- guess what? Japan's are! (Not that America's are actually that much better, they just look good on paper))

Making America/American issues the center of your fan spaces

(Usually without sharing or bringing light to the issues that other countries are going through)

Your

Experiences

Are

Not

Univseral!

Seriously, very few things across America, even, are universal. Texas things the hundreds are nothing while Minnesota's like "oh it's only thirty degrees below zero"- so for fucks sake, stop assuming that all other countries work in ways similar to America.

It's good and important to share Ameican issues with your American followers, but guess what? America isn't the only country out there, and it's certainly not the only one going through bullshit. Don't pull shit like "why's no one reblogging this?" or "why should I care about what's happening in (X country)?"

Don't assume everyone lives in America.

Stop assuming everyone lives in America.

America is not and has never been the target audience for anime, and it's certainly not the only country outside of Japan that enjoys it.

Like I said above, sometimes Japan attempts to satirize its own culture. We can't tell what is and isn't meant as satire, because it's not our culture.

Social media activism can be tiring and maybe you don't have the energy to focus on things that are out of your control, but, if someone tells you about the shit they're going through, don't bring American politics up.

For the neurodivergent crowd out there thinking, "But why?" it's because a lot of social media, especially, is very heavily Americanized- sometimes to the point where people assume that everyone is American. Not to mention, it's disheartening. I'm sorry to say, but you're not actually relating to the conversation, you're often diverting the focus away from the topic at hand. Even if you mean well, America is heavily pedestaled and talked about frequently, and people from other countries are tired of America taking precedent over their own issues.

Don't divert non-American issues into American ones. Seriously. It's not your place. Please just support the original issue or move on.

Racist Bullshit

This especially goes for islanders and South Asian characters, as well as poc characters (because, yes, Japan DOES have black people)

Making "funny" racist headcanons. Not fucking cool.

Changing the canon interpretation of an explicit character of color in order to fit racist stereotypes.

Whitewashing or color draining characters. Different artistic skill sets can be hard, yes, but are you seriously going to look at someone and say "I don't feel like accurately portraying you or people that look like you, because it's difficult for me." If someone tries to correct you on your cultural depiction of a character and/or their life style, don't be an ass. (If possible, it would be nice for those that do the corrections to be polite as well, but it does get really frustrating).

Seriously, no offense guys, but, if you want to persue art, you're going to need to learn to depict different body types, skin colors, and/or ethnic features.

On that note, purposefully, willingly, or consistently inaccurately portraying people or characters of color (especially if someone in the fandom has "called you out" or specifically told you that what you're doing comes across as racist and you continue to do it). If you need help or suck at looking things up, there are references for you! Ask your followers if they have tutorials on poc (issue that you're having), whether it be bodily portrayal, facial proportions, or coloring and shading. Art is so much more fun when you can depict a wider variety, and guess what? Before you drew the same skinny, basic, white character over and over, you couldn't even draw that!

Attempting or claiming to DEPECT CULTURAL ACCURACY within a work or meta, while being completely fucking wrong. ESPECIALLY and specifically if someone calls you out, and you refuse to fix, correct, or change anything.

*little side note that the discussion revolving art is a very multilayered conversation, and it has quite a few technical potholes, which I'll bring up again farther into this post.

Fucking history

Stop demonizing or for absolute fucks sake wubbifying Japanese history because UwU Japan ♡0♡ or bringing up shit like "you know they sided with Nazis, right?" It's good to recognize poor past decisions, but literally it's not your country keep your nose out of it. And? A lot of decisions made by countries were not made by their general peoples. Even those that were, often involved heavy propaganda that made them think what they were doing was right.

Seriously, it's not your country, not your history. Unless you have some sort of higher education (but honestly even then a lot of those contain heavy bias), just don't butt in.

^^^ this also goes to all countries that are NOT Japan (specifically when people from non American countries talk about their history while in fandoms and someone wants to Amerisplain to them why "well, actually-"). When we said, "question your sources," we didn't mean "question the people who know better than you, while blindly accepting the (more than likely biased) education you were given in the past."

What this does NOT include:

Fanfiction

FANfiction

FanFICTION

FANFICTION.

Seriously, fanfiction is literally UNPAID WORK from RANDOM FANS- a lot of which who are or have started as kids. ((No, I'm not trying to excuse racist depictions of people just because they're free, please see above where I talk about learning to grow a skill and how it's possible tone bad and get good, on top of the fact that some inaccuracies are not just willful ignorance))

"Looking it up" doesn't work

"Looking it up" almost never works

Please, for fucks sake, you know that most all online search engines are heavily biased, right? Not to mention, not everything is universal across the entirety of Japan. You want to look up how the school system works in Hokkaido? Well it's different from the ones in Osaka!

Most fanfiction is meant to be an idealized version of the world. Homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, ableism, and racism are very prevalent and heavy topics that some fan authors would prefer to avoid. (Keep in mind, this is also used by some people in those minorities often because thinking about how relevant those kinds of things are is to them every day).

A lot of shit that happens in writing is purely because it's an ideal setting. I've seen a few arguments recently about how fan authors portray Japanese schools wrong- listen, I can't tell you how many random school systems I have pulled from my ass purely because (I need them to interact at these points, in these ways). Sometimes the only compliment I can think of is 'I like your shirt' or sometimes I need character A to realize that character B likes the same thing as they do, so I might ignore the fact that most all Japanese schools require uniforms, so that I can put my character in a shirt that will get someone else's attention.

Sometimes it's difficult to find information on different types of systems, and sometimes when you DO know those things, they directly rule out a plot point that needs to happen (like back on the topic of schools (from what I've seen/heard/read- which guess what? Despite being from multiple sources, might still be inaccurate!) Japanese schools don't have mandatory elective classes (outside of like gym and most of them usually learn English or another language- I've seen stuff about art classes? But the information across the board varies.), but, if I need my character to walk in and see someone completely in their element, I'm probably not going to try and gun for accuracy or make up a million and two reasons as to why this (non elective) person would possibly need something from (elective teacher) after school of all things.)

Some experiences ARE universal- or at least overlap American and Japanese norms! Like friends going to fast food places after school doesn't /sound Japanese/ or whatever, but it's not like a horrible inaccuracy to say that your characters ate at McDonald's because they were hungry. Especially when you consider that the Japanese idolization of American "culture" is also a thing.

Also I saw someone complaining about how, in December, a lot of (usually westerners) write Christmas fics! Well, not only are quite a few of those often gift fics, with it being the season if giving and all, but Japanese people do celebrate Christmas! Not as "the birth of Christ," but rather as a popularized holiday about gift giving (also pst: America isn't the only place that celebrates Christmas)

But, on that note, sometimes things like Holidays are "willfully ignorant" of what actually happens (I've made this point several times, but (also this does by no means excuse actual racism)), because, again: plot convenience! Hey what IF they celebrated Halloween by Trick or Treating? What if Easter was a thing and they got to watch their kids or younger siblings crawl around on the ground looking for tiny plastic eggs?

Fanfiction authors can put in hours of work for one or two thousand words- let alone ten thousand words, fifty thousand words, a hundred thousand words. And all of these are free. There is absolutely no (legal) way to make money off of their fanworks, but they spent hours, days, weeks, months- sometimes even years- writing. It is so unnecessary to EXPECT or REQUIRE them to spend even more hours looking up shit that, no offense, almost no one is going to notice. No one is going go care that all of my combini prices are accurate or that I wrote a fic with a Japanese map of a train station that I had to backwards search three times to find an English version that I could read.

Not everyone has the attention span or ability to spend hours of research before writing a single word. Neurodivergent people are literally a thing yall. Instead of producing the perfectly pretty accurate version of Japan that people want to happen, what ACTUALLY happens is that the writer reads and reads and reads and either never finds the information they need or they lose the motivation to write.

^^^ (This does NOT apply to indigenous or native peoples, like Pacific Islanders or tribes that exist in real life. Please make sure that you portray tribal minorities accurately. If you can't find the information you need (assuming that the content of the series is not specifically about a tribe), please just make one up (and for fucks sake, recognize that a lot of what you've been taught about tribal practices, such as shit like human sacrifices or godly worship, is actually just propaganda.)

Not to mention, it often puts a wall in front of readers who would then need to pull up their OWN information (that may or may not be biased) just in order to interact with the fic ((okay, this one has a little bit of arguability when it comes to things like measurements and currency, because Americans don't know what a meter is and no one else knows what a foot is- either way, one of yall is going to have to look up measurements if they want to get a better understanding of the fic)). However, a lot of Americans who do write using 'feet, Fahrenheit, dollars,' also write for their American followers or friends (which really could go both ways).

On a less easily arguable side, most fic readers aren't going to open up a new tab just to search everything that the author has written (re the whole deep topics, not everyone wants to read about those sorts of things, either). Not only are you making it more difficult on the writer, but you're also making it more difficult for the reader who's now wondering why you decided to add in Grandma's Katsudon recipe, and whether or not the details you have added are accurate.

Some series, themselves, ignore Japanese norms! Piercings, hair dye, and incorrectly wearing ones uniform are frowns upon in Japanese schools- sometimes up to inflicting punishment on those students because of it. However, some anime characters still have naturally or dyed blond hair some of them still have piercings or wear their uniforms wrong. Some series aren't set specifically in Japan, but rather in a vague based-off-real-life Japan that's just slightly different (like Haikyuu and all of its different prefectures). Sometimes they're based on real places, but real places that have gone through major changes (like the Hero Academia series with its quirks and shit).

Fandom is not a full time job. Please stop treating it like it is one. Most people in fandoms have to engage in other things like school or work that most definitely take precident over frantically Googling the cultural implications of dying your hair pink in Japan.

Art is also meant to be a creative freedom and is almost always a hobby, so there are a few cracks that tend to spark debate. Like I said, it is still a hobby, something that's meant to be fun (on this note!)

If trying new things and expanding your portfolio is genuinely making you upset, it's okay to take a break from it. You're not going to get it right on the first try and please, please to everyone out there critiquing artists' works, please take this into account before you post things.

I'm sorry to say, but, while it gets frustrating to see the same things done wrong over and over again, some people are genuinely trying. If it matters enough for you to point out, please offer solutions or resources that would possibly help the artist do better (honestly this could be said about a lot of online activism). I get that they should "want" to do better (and maybe they don't and your annoyance towards them is completely justified- again, as I said, if this becomes a repeated offense and they don't listen to or care about the people trying to help them, yeah you can be a bitch if it helps you feel better- just please don't assume that everyone is willfully ignorant of how hurtful/upsetting/annoying a certain way of portraying things is), but also WANTING to do better and ACTUALLY doing better are two different things.

Maybe they didn't realize what they were doing was inaccurate. Maybe they didn't have the right tutorials. Maybe they tried to look it up, but that failed them. Either way, to some- especially neurodivergent artists- just being told that their work is bad or racist or awful isn't going to make them want to search for better resources in order to be more accurate, it's just going to make them give up.

Also! In fic and in writing, no one is going to get it right on the first try. Especially at the stage where we creators ARE merely in fan spaces is a great time to "fuck around and find out", before we bring our willfully or accidentally racist shit into monetized media. Absolutely hold your fan creators to higher standards, but literally fan work has so little actual impact on popular media (and this goes for just about every debate about fan spaces), and constructive criticism as well as routine practice can mean worlds for representation in future media. NOT allowing for mistakes in micro spaces like fandoms is how you get genuinely harmful or just... bad... portrayals of minorities in popularized media that DOES have an impact on the greater public. OR you get a bunch of creators who are too afraid to walk out of their own little bubbles, because what if they get it wrong and everyone turns against them. It's better to just "stick with what they know" (hobbies are something that you are meant to get better at, even if that is a slow road- for all of my writers and artists out there, it does take time, but you will get it. To everyone else, please do speak up about things that are wrong, but don't make it all about what's wrong and please don't be rude. It's frustrating on both ends, so, if you can, please try not to escalate the situation more.)

Anyways, I'm tired of everyone holding fictional characters to American Puritanical standards, but I'm also tired of seeing every "stop Americanizing fandom" somehow loop into fanfiction and how all authors who don't make their fics as accurate as possible are actually just racist and perpetuating or enabling America's take over of the world or some shit.

Fan interpretation of published media is different than fan creation of mon monetized media. Americans dominating or monopolizing spaces meant for all fans (especially in a fandom that was never meant for them to begin with) is annoying and can be harmful sometimes. Americans writing out their own personal experience using random fictional characters (more often than not) isn't.

#just google it #better represent real life #if you tell a fic reader to ngl you're being pretty ableist and don't really have a good idea of how search engines work #also when people DO try to make culturally accurate fics often times at least one or two people will pop in and say 'actually that's wrong' #not to mention sometimes they might not even be right to begin with... #and okay once or twice it is what it is #but seriously if this keeps happening over and over most people are just going to stop writing or caring #fanfiction #fanfiction is literally free #fanfiction is free labor #adding layers upon layers of research and knowledge needed- on top of how difficult it can be to portray human emotion #it's not going to it's just going to make once starry eyed writers loss their ability to enjoy their work #and guess what #some ACTUALLY racist (or homophobic or transphobic or misogynistic) writer is going to swoop in not giving two fucks #and they're going to go on and get their work published because they don't care about accuracy

[mittensmorgul]

So for the most part, I outright reject the finale. But I do think, in light of the whole "Jimmy was supposed to be in the bar, and Dean was disappointed by that because his perfect heaven would have Cas in it" just makes me all the more convinced that the final episode was some kind of djinn dream. Like.... There's no other explanation in my opinion. If Dean's perfect heaven was supposed to have Cas, and he tragically gets faked out by Jimmy (????? Why tf would jimmy be there anyway), it just proves that it's not ACTUALLY heaven. That, along with he El Sol beer he's drinking is all the evidence I need. I think after 15x19, Dean and Sam got whammied by some monster, and are stuck in a hallucination, and that's what we're seeing. (My headcanon is that it's actually The Empty doing it, because it knows if it doesn't keep Dean and Sam occupied and spinning in circles, they'll invade the Empty to save Cas. So its trying to prevent that) :)

Hello, anon friendo! I am gonna start by offering the socially distanced version of a high five, because yeah... There is just so much to unpack here, and you provided such a succinct and all-encompassing series of statements to start from. Thank you!

*flings open array of questionable suitcases*

First off, Congrats on having rejected the finale. I know a lot of folks are still struggling with that one, for many reasons. But you have hit upon so many of the points I’ve been trying to make about the finale since it aired. I’d just like to start with some of the assumptions I’ve heard from folks about the finale that make it impossible for me to consider it fully honestly canon. Because so much about it just makes no goshdang sense... like... not at all...

One of the biggest issues I have surrounding the reception of the finale in parts of fandom is that it portrayed a “happy ending.” The show itself spent the entire final season telling us that a gravestone marked Winchester was not and never would be a happy ending (thank you Becky Rosen-- words I never thought I’d say, but honestly and most sincerely meant). Let’s break this down a bit.

Starting from the assumption that “heaven was fixed” so that characters could have true free will there, making it satisfying in any way that Dean died so young and never got to truly experience happiness during life, I would like anyone who has adopted this attitude to then explain Kansas the band. I mean... explain that in any satisfactory canon-compliant way. (hint: you can’t. it makes zero sense in canon, if heaven is truly reformed and “happy” with everyone in possession of free will.)

Which brings me to Misha’s comments about Jimmy being in the Roadhouse. Why, if heaven were truly fixed, would Jimmy ever in a bazillion years attend a party for Dean Winchester? If Heaven were truly a “happy” ending for Dean, why introduce this element of eternal tragedy and heartbreak to his heaven experience? Why taunt him with the eternal loss of Cas-- even if you don’t think he reciprocated Cas’s romantic feelings, he was canonically the best friend Dean ever had, and being forced to exist forever in a place where he had everyone else he ever cared for except for Cas? Is frankly horrific.

How the actual fuck is that a happy ending, in any sense of the word?

How is this the sort of heaven that Dean would’ve made for himself before it was “fixed?” At least in the memorex heaven, he could’ve lived in oblivious peace with Cas, even if it was always just his own memories and not ~actually Cas~. I honestly think that would’ve been happier than the abject tragedy of what we did get, and what we would’ve gotten had the original script played out.

All of this kind of makes me wonder if they ever even actually defeated Chuck. Like... it feels more like Dean got pulled into the Empty at that moment with Cas and Billie, and everything else after that point was the Empty’s endless experience of sorrow and despair we knew it subject its charges to. So that’s one potential for what could’ve actually happened. I mean, everything about the finale was sorrow and despair, you know? Dean didn’t even get to enjoy his pie at a pie festival because Sam smashed in in his face. How is any of it happy, in any way?

Because if that was actually heaven, there wasn’t actually any free will (because why tf would Kansas the band have chosen to put on that concert? why tf would Jimmy have been there, just to torment Dean with the taunt of Cas returning to him only to have that hope snatched away again? It’s cruel. It’s, in fact, a source of intense despair).

The djinn theory could also work, and I’ve read some excellent fix-it fic using that as a premise. But that doesn’t really explain what happened to Jack (and Amara, since she was in there with them) after hoovering up Chuck’s power, you know? I think the simplest explanations in canon are that Chuck actually won via the unified power of Light and Dark being transferred into Jack and effectively using him as a vessel. With Sam and Dean convinced they’d won, they effectively stopped resisting Chuck’s story for them, and using Jack’s understanding of humanity and the Winchesters specifically, Chuck finally was able to implement a version of his story that the Winchesters would just waltz into without thinking it was supernaturally influenced at all. Going bigger and bigger with monsters and cosmic troubles hadn’t worked, but going so small Sam and Dean would barely even notice the influence-- even with the incongruous reappearance of a vampire that appeared in their lives once, for like two whole minutes 15 years ago, and an unsolved case from the journal from more than 30 years ago that John had never even linked to vampires at all.

At this point, I need to mention that I’m watching 10.23 as I type this up. An episode in which we confront the Mark, along with Death, and Dean’s despair, where he learns a version of the truth (but by no means the full truth, or even accurate truth in some respects) about Chuck’s Story, Amara/The Darkness, etc. That would unfold more fully over the next five seasons. And what was the case Dean took in this episode? Vampires. LOLOL omg this show is nothing if not horrifically consistent, yes?

So because of this, I went haring off through my own blog looking for a post I made a long time ago about the symbolism of how various monsters are used on this show (because again, consistency). I got sidetracked by other posts in my monsters tag, including this from after 15.09 aired, which feels particularly awfully relevant. This was my reaction to Chuck’s Story he showed Sam in that episode, about what the future would look like should he successfully trap Chuck with a Mark, and which... yeah is basically exactly thematically consistent with what we saw in the finale, right down to a cheesy twist on vampires. Read the whole post right here, but this is the part that reached up and punched me in the face:

this is how Dean personally reacts when he loses Cas. We know how he reacts when he loses anyone else– think about what he did when Charlie died. He went on a murder rampage against the Stynes for killing her. When Mary died he broke some furniture and went full bore toward both resurrecting her and stopping Jack. But without Cas, Dean loses the will to fight. Sam has… always been different. He referenced Jess in 15.04 to remind us of how he was after she died in the pilot episode. Just like John, he picked up the revenge mission and ran with it. But for Dean, Cas is different. Without Cas… Dean gives up.

Because... Dean gave up. Sure, he and Sam weren’t overrun by vampires in the end. Chuck knew they’d never stop fighting the monsters, one way or another. The only way to get Dean to give up is something Chuck hadn’t quite figured out yet... maybe not until after 15.17, after confronting Cas in the hallway of the bunker, after absorbing Amara’s power, knowledge, and perspective on Dean.

Chuck needed Dean to give up, and honestly? Pushing Billie to clear him off the table and send him (and Cas, that pesky angel who never did what he was told) to the Empty would’ve been a direct way to deal with that... pretty much akin to having one sibling locked in a cage forever, yes?

Also, still looking through my monsters tag, I’m reminded of 14.15, and still cannot differentiate the version of Heaven in 15.20 from what was done to the people of that town. This... is not... paradise. This is actively what Dean has been insisting is the OPPOSITE of paradise since like… 4.22… No ending where Dean was a “Stepford bitch in paradise” ever had the possibility of being “happy,” at the core of things, and this “fixed” version of Heaven just doesn’t hold up to any degree of inspection. Something is seriously wrong here. https://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/183465650390/so-can-we-talk-about-this-monster-of-the-week-for

And since I was unable to find the post I wrote who knows how long ago about Monsters and how they’re symbolically used on Supernatural to represent larger themes in the episode, I’ll just attempt to sum up what Vampires have been used for. Revenge. Vampires are always, in some way connected to themes of revenge.

(and hooray, I found at least a post adjacent to the one I’ve spent the last four hours trying to find... https://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/187207052080/i-obviously-did-not-think-this-through, where I mention that shapeshifters are about revealing hidden truths (mostly about Dean since most shapeshifters are connected to Dean), zombies are about grief and the inability to move past it.)

So why... why at the end of their road is the monster that comes after them-- literally FOR REVENGE for something that had never been blamed on Sam or Dean to begin with, from season 1, directly connected to John’s revenge mission and the first time they learned about the Colt AND the first time they learned in canon that Vampires were even real... like... this feels very specifically like some kind of layers-of-meta levels of shade on them, you know? Vampires are for revenge, so what vengeance exactly is being visited upon Sam and Dean in this episode? If not Chuck’s entire story for them itself?

So yeah, 100% agree, something is incredibly rotten in the finale. And I am sick to effing death of people trying to convince us that anything about this was “good” or “happy” or “satisfying” in any way. Or even “how it was always supposed to end” with Dean dead bloody, as if the entire back half of the series hadn’t been suggesting that a true win was the subversion of all of Chuck’s story for them, and Dean finally being able to have his chosen family all alive, happy, and chilling on a beach somewhere watching the sunset. Nothing will ever convince me that the ending portrayed in 15.20 wasn’t exactly how Chuck thought he “won,” rendering it entirely irrelevant to the rest of canon, unless all of canon was ultimately the tragedy we’d been encouraged to believe would be firmly defeated in the end.

Folks, you can’t have it both ways. 

#spn 15.20 #chuck's process #if this was the 'happy' ending for dean they sure did fail big time to make it actually happy! #it makes me feel sick thinking that dean's happy heaven ending was more like an eternal pit of torment #like actively tormenting him and taunting him with the fact that cas was truly gone forever #like wow they went all the fuck out to make it clear that even in heaven #dean would never be allowed to respond to cas's declaration of love #like... it's the most hurtful and hateful thing the show could possibly have done to us #and it still fucks me up knowing there's people who think this heaven was a 'good' ending for dean #like... fuck that entirely and with extreme prejudice #i feel like i have not been emphatic enough about my absolute hatred for this episode in these tags #but sadly there are limitations to expressing the actual feelings i'm feeling in the english language #sometimes the only effective word for these feelings involves velociraptor screeching #Anonymous