#Poor Sam!!! at least he’s not evil (yet) but he’s all sad and weak

[drawingdreamsmp]

/RP

What happened to Sam is really interesting and can tell us a lot about the egg! For anyone who didn’t catch the streams, here’s a short recap of the last like 2 days:

BadBoyHalo and Antfrost held a meeting with Puffy and Sam. Sam was and always has been extremely anti-egg. Despite numerous attempts, it’s clear to Bad that convincing him to like the egg isn’t gonna work.

Bad pretends to change his mind and offers a hug to Sam to patch up their friendship, luring him onto a block that drops into an obsidian cage directly above the egg without a means of escape.

Sam shoots at Bad and Ant briefly and demands to be set free before saying his head hurts, going silent, and logging out.

Puffy goes down to see if she could get him out and yells at the other two before they threaten and try to kill her. She escapes to the holy land and they seem averse to going on it (unclear why as it was fine before)

Today, Puffy decides she’ll free Sam while the others aren’t on. Tommy tags along after he notices “Sam Nook” has gone missing and didn’t work on the hotel

Meanwhile, Sam logs on and starts typing things like “get me out, please, help me” before joining the voice chat. His voice is very quiet and he seems very dazed.

Puffy and Tommy let him out and have him put on a hazmat suit; he also doesn’t look any different (his crown has a red jewel but it’s always been like that). Sam says the Egg made him give it his items and they disappeared. His skin also started coming off (gross) and he ate it (gross) because he was starving to death.

He then started repeatedly asking to go home in a very sad voice (man sounded like a kicked puppy). They briefly make a pit stop at Church Prime and it doesn’t have any effect. After more asking, they start bringing him home

He’s still very dazed, accidentally walking into lava, walking awkwardly, almost drowning, calling things by the wrong names, etc. He’s happy when they’re finally home

In his house they find an old gift from Hannah (A rose) which Sam is happy to take. They find a seedling of the blood vines in Sam’s house; it hasn’t grown at all yet

Puffy and Tommy are wary of it but Sam says it’s fine and it can stay. He now thinks the egg is okay, the complete opposite of his views for the last weeks which completely freaks the other two out

He goes into his basement to see Fran and tunnels in the wall next to her before closing it up. Tommy gives him some of his rotten flesh back (eww) and they leave him. Sam ends stream (Sam Nook is back at the construction site but appears to be a different being)

This teaches us a few things. The first is just a reaffirmation that the Egg can overcome almost anyone’s resistance. Sam from the very beginning has completely hated the egg. He’s been trying to get it destroyed for as long as it’s been around, alarmed by the bloodvines takeover. He only spent one night by it and it not only convinced him to give up all of his items but made him think it wasn’t a problem. Sam was probably the biggest threat to its continued growth and now he’ll stay out of its way.

The second implication is a lot more worrying. Sam said when he was locked in the egg he ran out of food, it started making him drop his items on the ground, they started disappearing, then his skin started falling off, and then he started eating it. First off, kinda fucked up lmao. Now, we already know the egg likes rotten flesh, Ant has been seen offering it to the egg on numerous occasions, but we also know it can consume people. Bad and Ant were planning on letting it consume Tommy.

With what Sam went through, it seems like the Egg might have been eating away at him. Him running out of food over the 14 hours of being trapped isn’t too suspicious, but the fact that his SKIN started FALLING OFF???? Does that seem like a normal thing to you? I hope not. And the entire time after he was let out, Sam was confused and lethargic. He wasn’t running and could barely swim. It seems like whatever the egg did drained him of his energy physically and mentally.

I think the Egg’s goal was mainly keeping Sam out of the way much like Bad described it. By either converting him to a follower or making him incapable of stopping its progression,it’s goal is accomplished. It’s eliminated it’s biggest threat.

Any thoughts? I just love the whole egg arc it’s so fun :)

[dotthings]

SPN 14.20 HOLY F*CKING I AM BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS HERE THAT WAS A GOOD. And a great set-up for S15.

*SNAPS FINGERS*

Let me try for some coherency. I scribbled watching notes.

Cas. :( Well I am not a bit surprise he’s not own with this. I don’t see how else he’s supposed to feel. Or how else Dean would feel. Or how Sam would feel. Sorry if TFW is so inexplicable to some people but they’re all making perfect sense to me. It’s sad but they make sense.

That Dean and Cas argument with Sam in the middle like :0 :| poor Sam, poor poor Sam, imagine having to watch all this intense Dean and Cas, he hates it when they bicker, and this is a real argument. 

“I know how much he meant to you. He meant a lot to me. But that isn’t Jack any more.” So there it is, the truth beneath Dean’s walls he put up. None of this is because Dean is cold or uncaring. He is, however, still very angry and still (thinks) that he has to kill Jack. The place Dean lands with Jack in this ep also doesn’t surprise me because I been knew and that makes sense too but it also makes sense that right up the line, he’d think he has to kill Jack and follow that anger. This is an extraordinary situation in fact. Even though TFW have been faced with not-versions of themselves before, they’ve never killed another family member while in that state. And I think Jack’s escalating danger levels in this ep pretty much vindicates why someone might think he has to be killed...even though Jack isn’t evil or malicious still (more on that in a moment).

“Nerds.” “Takes one to know one.”

I was just talking about this about Dean. About his facades and how he used to mock nerds and geeks--still does even now--but is actually the biggest geek and I love that Sam calls him on his nerd qualities. His nerd traits. WHAT HAVE I BEEN SAYING.

So nobody at all can lie any more and the world, as a result, starts tearing apart at the seams. Look SPN, when I said I wanted more emotional honesty...lololol that’s not what I meant. Some lies are necessary.

Oh my god it’s God. Hi, Chuck. (I was spoiled for this, it was still really fun when Chuck just popped up in the alley).

“Jack. He’s a problem.” NO REALLY I HADN’T NOTICED YOU DON’T SAY

Cas was going to see about the cage in Hell. Was he thinking he could put Jack in it?? Was that his alternative to just killing him? 

Jack visiting his grandmother and she calling Jack out on the fact that he lied to them. Oh snap, Jack. You’re sick of all the lies but you told one (for a kindness). Some lies are necessary. You lied to people too.

This episode has some realness here about what holds society together and different types of honesty. Lying is wrong...except 100% blunt honestly all the time would be a complete disaster and there are some lies we need to tell for the sake of kindness, for community, for forgiveness, or it all will fall apart. Which lies are too far and which are necessary. Can a lie hurt but also be for a kindness and be necessary? SPN has had its main characters lie for years. They lie with credit card scams so they can pay for gas and food and lodging. They lie about who they’re secretly working with behind each other’s backs. All of Team Free Will has lied to each other. Kept things from each other. It doesn’t go well for them. Yet here’s an ep showing that some types of lies are necessary as part of the fabric of society.

Dean is sooooo done with God’s bullshit I am laughing. This is also really subversive because yes we love Chuck and his guitar. Chuck singing Fare-thee-Well. Chuck as a likeable (if irresponsible deadbeat dad) figure on SPN. But how benevolent is he actually? And they don’t have time for a song right now, they just don’t.

Team Free Will are still speaking to each other after Cas stormed out. That’s a good sign!

“I built the sandbox. You play in it...but when things get really bad that’s when I step in.”

Uh...kinda. Sometimes, Chuck. Yes he’s intervened a few times. He put Sam and Dean on the airplane. He put Cas back together more than once. He stepped up when he needed do about Amara at the end of S11. So maybe a C+ on actually being there in a pinch.

“Jack is apocalyptic.” Which--self-evident right there in the ep, thanks, Chuck. Oh and can we stop pretending Jack isn’t incredibly dangerous at least? Oh he’s not just dangerous he is world-endingly dangerous. Note I rooted for Jack to be okay, and want him to be saved, but the situation is what it is right now.

It made a lot of sense to spec based on the ep title Chuck was going to show up to intervene and stop TFW from having to kill Jack, and I’m sure with a reference that blatant in that title, Dabb knew that would be the assumption. It made sense. The overturning of that is interesting here. Chuck didn’t show up and didn’t show up and when he finally does it’s to hand them the weapon to destroy Jack. Which at this point in the ep I’m still wondering--but it could be a test. Let’s see what happens.

Oh. Whoever shoots the gun, what happens to the target, happens to them. Aaaand we’re back to Dean with a self-sacrificing plan.

Damn Cas is so damn salty still about the Dean-in-the-box plan I love it. He hates that plan. Now he’s extra special plus cranky because he’s looking now at losing Jack and losing Dean simultaneously. I’ve talked a lot in my posts about Cas’s big love for both Jack and Dean. This is diabolical. Cas could lose them both with one gunshot. Of course he doesn’t want his son to die...but he doesn’t want Dean to die. Save Jack...means saving Dean too. 

I really loved this Sam and Dean scene and while Cas doesn’t get to verbalize what’s going on in his head, Sam certainly gets to vocalize what Sam’s thinking. “I’m the one who brought him back. He burned his soul off to save you and me. You want me to say I’m okay with losing you and losing him all at once. I can’t do that. I’ve already lost too much.” MIC DROP SAM WINCHESTER.

“I don’t feel anything.” There’s the crux of the Jack Problem. He intellectually understands what’s “good” and what’s “bad” but he doesn’t, in his own words, feel it. He’s the most powerful being on the planet and he’s completely hollow inside, lacking true empathy, lacking instincts, strong attachments, an innate sense of right and wrong. That’s...really terrifying. It’s really not at all hateful to Jack to comprehend how scary that combination is. “I want to love you back, it’s just I can’t.” 

This is. Damn. We saw AU Cas in ep 300, what happens when Cas never learned to access his emotions. As an angel, our Cas was taught that emotions were bad, they were a weakness. He was taught not to heed them. To control them. To never be led by his heart or his feelings. But instead of heeding that, Cas led with his whole heart, he often drowned in his own emotions, overwhelmed by them. He has intense attachments and pain and loneliness and fear and even moments of peace and joy. He feels it all. He’s the most feeling angel to ever feel, and how painfully on point is it that his son is now...emotionless.

“You’re my favorite show.” Wow it got super meta in here, Chuck.

“Why does it always have to be on us,” wonders the tormented characters. “Because you’re my guys!” gushes the enthusiastic Winchester fan, God.

I feel so called out right now. I do. While I am certainly in the camp that feels that too much torture porn angst without hope is a weaker story, like many fans, there is a certain catharsis and satisfaction in watching our favorite characters suffer and triumph and keep on going and not let the suffering defeat them.

In this ep Dabb is taking that idea and expanding it out to a walking talking metaphor, embodied in Chuck, who turns out to be a toxic wielder of suffering for his own amusement. Tying to Jack’s lack of emotions, Chuck seems okay with others suffering. It’s not that he lacks feelings, because he gets something from watching these “characters” suffer, but he’s lacking in empathy because he doesn’t seem to care that they’re suffering and in the world of SPN these are not characters, these are real people he’s jerking around making them dance to his angst-buttons for his own enjoyment.

Cas still is clinging on to hope that Jack can be fixed and my heart hurts for him. At this point, I’m still hoping Jack can be...but it’s not looking good.

Jack kneeling in front of Dean to be killed. Because while he’s dangerous, no he’s not evil or malicious. “I understand. You were right all along. I am a monster.” This is just...really sad. I’m sad.

Oh, SPN, you tried so hard, but I never thought Dean would be able to pull that trigger. Also the tragedy of Dean--he didn’t hesitate because Dean had a sudden revelation he wants to live so he’s not going to seppuku the problem after all. No, it’s because he just couldn’t do it to Jack in the end, to his son, who had earned his love and his trust after a rough start. Dean understands that this Jack isn’t the Jack he recently knew and Dean also understands how far gone Jack is and how dangerous. Yet he still can’t do it. This makes perfect sense to me. I could also see how he might have pulled that trigger (and that would have been horrible and it would have hurt Dean so much...and I don’t just mean because of the magic ricochet of that gun...it would be too much. And...it looks like this ep agrees with me on a textual and meta-textual level. Uh-huh.)

"This isn’t how this story is supposed to end.” Chuck, our author, isn’t enjoying the fact that his characters are doing things he didn’t plan on and didn’t intend (which happens during the creative process).

“Pull the trigger and I’ll bring her back,” Chuck offers. “No.” says Dean. “My mom is my hero and I will miss her every day of my life but she wouldn’t want this.”

And then Sam goes OFF. “over and over and over again...losing people we love.”

“This isn’t just a story. This is our lives.”

I am LOVING THIS. I actually clapped my hands with meta-ish glee. 

THE CHARACTERS ARE REBELLING AGAINST SPN’S OWN RELIANCE ON MISERY PORN AND I AM LIVING.

This is so self-critical. On a story/character level, this is amazing for Sam and Dean, who are defying fate, refusing yet again to be jerked around by a cosmic puppetmaster. Sam goes as far as defying the idea that they don’t deserve to be happy. Not in so many words. But he is flipping off the concept that all they are good for is suffering AND I AM SO PROUD and I think Dean gets it too but oh my poor Dean was just willing to commit seppuku and while Dean is rejecting being puppetted around, not for anyone, not even to save Mary, I don’t know if he’s at the place where he sees it how Sam does--that screw you, I don’t deserve to suffer like this open defiance. 

So Sam shoots God. lololol for a hot second there I thought Sam was going to kill God and welp that would have been a plot twist but no, just a flesh wound so Sam is wounded too.

Chuck’s not thrilled his favorite human pets aren’t playing along for his amusement.

“Story’s over. Welcome to the end.”

LIGHTS OUT.

Well. God was the big bad all along. GOD WAS THE BIGGEST BAD OF SPN ALL ALONG.

I was hoping Jack wouldn’t have to die. At least none of his dads had to kill him and the set-up with Jack landing in The Empty seems like he’s not gone forever. WHAT DID BILLIE MEAN “WE HAVE TO TALK.” About what. What is going on.

WHAT IS HAPPENING

IS THAT LA LLARONA

THAT’S BLOODY FREAKIN’ MARY

HOLY CRAP THE SOULS OF THEIR EARLIEST CASES ARE RISING FROM HELL

ALL THE SOULS ARE RISING FROM HELL

WE ALL SPECCED HEAVEN WOULD BREAK AND THE SOULS IN HEAVEN WOULD GET LOSE AND INSTEAD IT WAS ALL THE SOULS FROM HELL THIS IS AWESOME

SAM AND DEAN AND CAS!! TEAM FREE WILL ARE BACK TO BACK TOGETHER IN THE DARKNESS SURROUNDED BY ZOMBIES I WISHED FOR A MOMENT LIKE THIS FOR YEARS. TEAM FREE F*CKING WILL. ALSO A FINALE THAT HAD ALL THREE OF THEM UNITED. THANK DABB.

[another-mexico-oc]

HETALIA AND COUNTRYHUMANS: Pros and Cons

Hi! Before I start PLEASE DON´T MAKE A “WHICH ONE IS THE BEST” WAR, I personally enjoy both fandoms, and both have their good things, as well as their bad things. Also, this is not a “Who did it first” thing, because let´s be honest, national personifications are not a contemporary idea, they have been for several years, there we have Uncle Sam (U.S.A), Marianne (France), John Bull (U.K.), etc. 

So, without further more, let´s go with the analysis:

HETALIA: 

Pros: 

Being the work of a single author, the characters have an established design and personality.

The author, Himaruya Hidekaz, could have gone down a conventional path while writing the story of the manga, particulary during World War events, depicting some characters as the villains, and therefore, the others as the heroes who have to defeat them. But fortunately, he didn´t. Unlike some war movies and other media, where they try to portray some countries as the good guys who had to defeat the evil enemies, Hetalia is written as if it was only the rivalry of two groups, which give me the next point...

In Hetalia, no character tries to be portrayed as if it was the best or the worst country. Himaruya designs his characters based on both, good and bad stereotypes of the country. Everyone has their good qualities, as well as their own flaws. Personally, it´s hard to choose a favorite character, everyone is likeable and no one feels like a Mary Sue.

The country characters have no power over their bosses (presidents, kings, prime ministers, etc.). This is a way for Himaruya to justify some terrible events that occurred during History. The countries have to follow orders, or are influenced by the boss they have at the moment. Although sometimes it is show that countries can share opinions and discuss with their bosses. If they have something on their minds or want to do something, they have to consult it with their boss first, to get their approval. And sometimes they are even UNAWARE of their bosses choices!

Cons: 

Even if Himaruya tries his best to give every character a likeable personality based on the country stereotypes... he has also made some mistakes and inaccuracies. This caused hard consequences, like the government of Korea banning the anime and the manga, all because of the country representation, not to mention the rivalry between Korea and Japan. Also, some countries personality doesn´t seem to be accurate. For example, many people agree that, though Finland and Sweden characters are likeable, the author have switched their personalities.

You can find some historic inaccuracies in the manga and the anime, so don´t try to rely totally on Hetalia to pass your next history exam. For example, I heard many polish people complain about one episode, which takes place during Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The Poland character was depicted as weak, who gives up quickly and depends on Lithuania to win the battle. 

Giving all this information, Hetalia is not for everyone. Not all people are big fans of humor involving stereotypes or terrible events like war. Yeah, war is awful, but I think Hetalia partially mocks how useless war is. And there always will be the person who will say: “No! Not everyone in my country is like that! This does not represent me!” I´m mexican, and even if I don´t drink tequila or say common mexican phrases like “Wey, que pedo!” I can still laugh of my own country stereotypes (of course, those I don´t consider racist or denigrating). Talking about Mexico...

The lack of Latin and African countries, as well female characters. Yes, at first the Hetalia focus were the Axis and the Allies, the main countries who got involved in WW2, but then Himaruya started to introduce other nations, even the micronations! And yet we don´t have enough latinos or africans. In part I can understand why. For what friends who have visited Japan have told me, and for what I have seen on the internet, japanese people are still very unfamiliar with the latin culture. It´s a little sad, because, for example, my country has a very interesting story with other countries. And about the female characters, yes, we have Nyotalia, which is practically an AU where the characters are gender-bent, having the majority of them being girls, but in the normal Hetalia universe, we have more men than women. Himaruya had shared sketches of Portugal, Korea and Poland, who originally were going to be girls, but apparently he changed his mind and decided they were going to be guys. I don´t know how he chooses a character gender, but I think he should not be afraid adding more female characters, seeing some of the already existing are pretty badass. 

COUNTRYHUMANS: 

Pros: 

Apparently Countryhumans is free from copyright, so anyone can have their own depiction of their country, and can establish their own personalities and design... 

(Which is not very complicated, because the countryhumans designs consist in the country flag as their skin color, they usually don´t have hair and their eyes are completely white, so you just have to add the clothing).

The countries you don´t find in Hetalia can be found here! I love to see Mexico and all Latin America in this fandom, their personalities and their interactions between them and other countries.

The fandom from all the world can share more accurate historic events, as they have more knowledge of the history of their countries and what actually happen in those places.

Therefore, the personalities of the countries can be a little more accurate.

Countryhumans can be depicted as both, women or men. 

In conclusion, as you are free of copyright, if you are not happy with the representation of your country, you can design your own depiction and we all are content, right?

Cons: 

What can be a pro can also be a con. As Countryhumans has no what we can consider canon characters of all the OCs, we cannot decide which of the designs will be the most accurate or the most representative, as everyone has their own favorite depiction. And yes, there can be a lot of Mary Sues in the fandom. (There Mary Sues in the Hetalia fandom too, but those are created by the fans, not by Himaruya)

Oh no, here I come with the controversial issues... Remember what I said in Hetalia, that Himaruya tries to not to classify the countries as heroes or villains? Well, the Countryhumans has this problem... sometimes. For example, I have read fanfictions, and watched fanarts, in which Mexico is depicted as the poor victim of the evil U.S.A. who wants to control everyone, and also the mean Spain who slaved him for years. I am not saying U.S.A or Spain have never done something wrong, but as a Mexican I can tell that Mexico has also made mistakes in the past, and it´s not the poor victim some authors describe. 

Also, in Countryhumans, the way the authors justify the horrible events of the past, is separating the present country from their former one, and then we have: Nazi Germany and Soviet Rusia, who are completely different people from the Germany and Rusia of today. That´s not the problem, actually is a good way to justify the history of the country. The problem is how authors can represent this two polemic figures...

Therefore, Countryhumans is not for everyone either. There are still people who are very sensitive with the Nazism or the Soviet Union era, and watching this two depicted as “cute” or “cool”... can be creepy. Like I said before, in Hetalia at least they try to avoid political and social themes (the american dub and the dark Hetalia is another theme, the last one was created by the fandom itself), so Germany is never referred as a nazi, nor Russia is ever called Soviet, and both had to follow orders of their leaders orders, even if they didn´t want to, and the countries don´t have to represent the boss ideology.

In conclusion, both have good and bad qualities. Yes, both can have a toxic fandom, but they also have people who are interested in history and like to see how these countries can forget the past and live in harmony together. 

Hetalia satirizes history and mocks war and stereotypes, while the fandom and Countryhumans do the same, but also can explore the things Hetalia doesn´t, like other countries, dark history or other themes. 

In both cases, we can tell the World History is very complex, that is hard to be 100% accurate when you try to explain it with anthropomorphized countries. However, is more enjoyable to learn about other countries, their history and the culture through Hetalia and Countryhumans than a textbook. Even when you have watched both of these, reading a textbook is no longer boring. So, if you are an Hetalia fan or a Countryhuman fan, or both, enjoy your fandom and try to avoid the toxic part :)

[go-diane-winchester]

Why Screenrant is a joke.

Dollface sent me this.  It was mindboggling how much Sara Schmidt sounds like a quintessential heller.  Everything she pointed at as proof of canon destiel, is fecal droppings found on Tumblr. 

10.  Uriel stating to Dean:  "He has this weakness. He likes you,"

There is so much wrong with this.  You could mean Dean, the Winchester brothers or mostly humankind collectively.  But no, the guy with no sex drive wants to bang Dean.    

9.  Meg calling Dean, Cas's first boyfriend.

The fact that Meg is a demon seems to be lost to this idiot.  Oh, but the demon said something that you like, so she must be right.  Sarcasm is lost on these fools.  And yet they will say the same thing about us critiquing Misha's humor. 

8.  Mistletoe

That's right, Cas and Dean shared a moment under the mistletoe! Did you miss it? While Bieber wasn't really playing in the background, some mistletoe could definitely be sighted hanging above the cuties during season eight's eighth episode, ''Hunteri Heroici''.

The episode features some of Cas's most adorable moments, from trying to be a detective and sniffing a body in the process to staying in the hotel with the brothers, saying another great line: "I'll watch over you." No, it's not a huge 'ship spoiler on its own, but within the context of all the other great one-liners it seems pretty romantic. Or stalkery. However you view it.

Those are the exact words.  Can you say fine tooth comb?  The funny thing is that she does give us an opportunity to pick a view and yes, I do view it as stalkery, because that is what Dean calls its.  He says its creepy and rapey.  Even if we take it as is, it proves Cas likes Dean and does not denote mutual attraction.  

7.  Hugging

''Fans of Dean Winchester know that he might have a reputation with the ladies but he sure isn't what you'd call a "hugger." Yet he seems to be falling into Castiel's arms quite often--and with much more gusto than he hugs his little brother, Sammy.It's not that Sam and Dean never hug; they two share many heartfelt brotherly moments on the show. But Dean seems rather eager to leap into Cas's arms as opposed to the reluctant, awkward back-patting that he exchanges with his own flesh and blood. We get it, Dean. We like hugging the people we're sweet on, too.''

Talk about subjective.  More gusto?  According to who, heller?  He is a hugger.  He hugs lots of people.  Jessica, his parents, Charlie, Jack.  But hold the phone when he hugs Dean.  SMH. 

6.  The profound bond

This is the same quote revisited plenty of times.  This is because hellers don't understand the character of the character they stan.  He doesn't speak ordinary English.  Cas is more Dean's friend than Sam.  That is what profound bond means.  Even if we take it as is, it proves Cas likes Dean and does not denote mutual attraction.  

5.  Dean was able to break to Naomi's brainwashing by saying ''I need you".  Naomi also said that she knew he wanted to "return to him," which sounds like she's alluding to a romantic relationship.

That bit I cannot get.  Cas is so useless to Team Free Will that you can write the last five seasons of SPN without him.  But Dean needs him, why?  Maybe Dean meant ''I need you to not kill me'', despite the fact that it turns on the hellers.  Of course, Sara Schmidt chooses to forget that Jensen scraped the ''I love you'' line.  Sorry hellers, Jensen does not want destiel to be canon. 

4.  I cant summaries this delusion in one line.  There is just too much stupid.

Speaking of that phrase, how many pairings are revealed when one character utters, "I need you," to the other? It's a classic line that's meant to convey more than one need, to say the least, and Dean and Cas tend to state it to one another over and over again to the point where it's a favorite fan quote used most often to support the unofficial couple.

What makes this line even more revealing is Dean's famous disdain for the words, or touchy-feely words in general, as he's repeatedly told his brother throughout the series. Naturally we still get plenty of those brotherly moments, but Dean seems to not mind having those saccharine sweet sentiments with Cas as much and has said this line multiple times.

3.  Balthazar tells Dean, "You have me confused with the other angel. You know, the one in the dirty trench coat who's in love with you."

Balthazar is a jerk.  Taking him seriously, is the dumbest thing anyone one would do.  Even if we take his words as is, it proves Cas likes Dean and does not denote mutual attraction.  

2.  The beard stroke" in Purgatory together

Yes, lets reach right into our arse to look for proof, shall we?  This twat reach right into season 8.  Poor thing.  His clean shaven friend grew a beard and he was amused.  It must mean Dean wants to boink him. 

1.  Dean keeping Cas's trench coat after he died.   

In her over-reaching, she dug up parallels from Ennis and Jack in Brokeback Mountain and how Ennis kept Jack's coat after he died.  Typical heller behavior.  Madame Heller forgets that Jensen laughed at the stupidity of it.  Even Misha laughed because Jensen brought it up right in front of his face.  So he had to agree but behind Jensen's back, Misha called Dean a pervert who was doing things with the coat.  But don't you bother your teeny, tiny, itty, bitty little head with facts.  Stick to your metaphor and parallel if it makes you smile. 

I asked myself if Misha was networking again.  And how come Screenrant writes such questionable material.  I scrolled to the end of the page and found this. 

Click on Write for Us, and fill in the form.  If you are a good writer, you get your drivel published and you get paid.  That is why there is so much heller delusion on Screenrant.  They have absolutely no journalistic credibility because who the heck is fact checking?  No one.  Does Screenrant care?  No.  They just look for traffic.  That is why its called Screenrant and not TVInquirer or something like that.  They don't care how they get views etc.  As long as they get it.  The sad thing is that TPTB on SPN will read the article and think that its the voice of all the fans of SPN.  So lets do something about it, shall we? 

Go forth people, and flood Screenrant with requests to write.  And write the truth.  Its the only way to level the playing field, because these hellers are extremely underhanded.  Their hope may be to bully Jensen into making destiel canon.  Write about the death threats.  Write about Misha's mugging.  Write about the Travis Aaron Wade scandal.  Write about what acceptable shipper behavior is.  Write about how you don't want to see the forcing of a ship, that will make the leads uncomfortable.  Write about mental illness and how, coaxing a suicidal person like Jared to kill himself, is downright evil.  Speak up for Jared, because these people trash his reputation.  Speak up about Nolacon.  Speak up about Jensen's homophobia and his aunt.  Speak about the academic work that revolves around Jensen's homophobia.  Speak up about the entitled hellers who destroyed SPN's reputation with queer baiting accusations.  And earn a buck while you do it.  I am going to do that too.  And I will do it for free.     

https://screenrant.com/supernatural-dean-castiel-destiel-moments/

[arlingtonpark]

SNK 113 Review

Sad! Edition

Arlingtonpark presents: SNK 113, a play in three acts.

Act I

Act II

Act III

GIVE ME A BREAK, OKAY? THIS CHAPTER DIDN’T GIVE ME MUCH TO WORK WITH!

This was a more leisurly outing for this arc compared to the previous string of chapters. We get some insight into Zeke’s plan (but not a full elaboration), Levi makes a monkey out of him, and the EFC arrives in Shighanshina. That’s it.

Ironically, this was one of the more action packed chapters, yet it’s not as thrilling as, say, SNK 112, which was mostly our main trio sitting at a table.

Our heroes, sans Eren, have been mostly helpless in the face of Zeke and the EFC’s machinations, and Isayama has pressed this to good, suspense-inducing, effect.

We still don’t know much about Zeke, and why Eren is acting like he is now is still not completely understood. The opposition is opaque and they’ve been on a real winning streak so far. Just like how reports of a serial killer in your neighborhood can put you on edge, our heroes are put on edge by…just everything that’s happened so far, and we feel that gnawing fear by extension.

But now might be a turning point.

For the first time, Zeke/Eren (Zeren?)’s plan has hit a real snag. Now, now things will really start to get interesting. Pieck and Galliard did escape and participate in the Liberio fight, and Gabi and Falco are unexpectedly here on Paradis, but those were hardly setbacks. Detours maybe, but they didn’t threaten arrival at the final destination.

This is different. The plan was to rendezvous at Shighanshina and that’s just not going to happen now. Levi is dragging Zeke around like a monkey on a leash and Eren is none the wiser. And there’s no way for him to know that.

It’s not like they can communicate telepathically. unlike Hange and Levi When the time comes to meet up, Zeke isn’t going to be there. From Eren’s perspective, Zeke may as well have disappeared off the face of the Earth.

The plan apparently was to provoke an attack on Paradis by a coalition of the world’s forces. But this plan also apparently hinges on being able to use the Wall Titans to repel this attack. But that’s out the window too now. Zeren’s plan is in danger of catastrophic failure and at the worst possible time.

The enemy is already here. Pieck is on Paradis, no doubt gathering intelligence. It’s good that Zeke is subdued, but that creates a power vacuum and there’s no one around to fill it.

The legitimate government is facing a legitimacy crisis.

The EFC will be in damage control mode now that their plan is in danger of falling through.

And oh yeah, Marley has already infiltrated the island.

Paradis can easily devolve into chaos, now. Pixis’ government is a leader without much of a following; Eren has popular support. The EFC has a following but their leaders will soon be scrambling to regain control of the situation. And all Marley cares about is killing everyone.

And this raises a very intriguing question: How will Eren react to this?

Like I said, things have mostly gone smoothly for him. Yes, Eren’s had this stone cold demeanor, even in the middle of his fight in Liberio, but really he’s been coasting so far. Things have done nothing but go his way. Now it suddenly isn’t. So how does he react to that?

If SNK 112 is any indication, he won’t handle things well. Eren lost his cool at a backhanded swipe by Armin. And I’m not gonna lie, if that was all I had ever seen of Eren, I would have said he was weak.

Sad, even.

When it comes to Eren, Isayama will probably go the classic shonen villain route. Think Frieza or Cell from DBZ. Calm and cool, but only when they’re in control. Once they lose control, they lose their cool and reveal themselves as the wild animals they always were.

This will probably play into his freedom complex. Eren wanted to free humanity from the titans so they could explore the outside world. He framed it in terms of control. Freedom=control is the equation here.

Not being in control, to him, means not being free, so when he realizes he’s not in control anymore, he’s going to go apeshit.

Like the Trumpian figure that he is, Eren will probably resort to dominance rituals to sooth his own ego.

Floch had better watch out. When the guy at the top is a dominance obsessed lunatic, it doesn’t matter how high up the food chain you are. If you’re not at the top, you’re at the bottom. If my Eren=Trump framework is correct, Eren is going to abuse that to hell and back. He’s going to subject Floch and co. to all manner of degradations.

I honestly wouldn’t mind that, if it’s not extreme. Floch would deserve it.

Where do I even start with Floch?

In the past, I’ve compared the story of SNK to the current political landscape in the US. I don’t think this is intentional, to be clear; it’s just a very amusing parallel.

As leader of the Yeagerists, Floch roughly corresponds to Mark Meadows, the leader of the House Freedom Caucus. The HFC is a band of extremist, Trump-aligned, Republican politicians who openly rebel against their leadership. Meadows is the group’s current chairman.

Floch and Meadows share one overridingly important similarity: neither of them can create; they can only destroy.

John Boehner (pronounced “baner.” Seriously.) was leader of the House Republicans, until he was shit-canned because the Freedom Caucus didn’t like him. Here’s how he described their mindset:

“They can’t tell you what they’re for. They can tell you everything they’re against. They’re anarchists. They want total chaos. Tear it all down and start over. That’s where their mindset is.”

That’s basically Floch. He wants to Make Eldia Great Again and he thinks the Wall Titans have a role to play in that, but does he have a plan beyond that? Almost certainly not! That would require building something up, and that is beyond his feeble abilities. He thinks Hange is soft and opposes that. He thinks the military is old fashioned and opposes that.

Is there anything concrete that he supports? He supports using the Wall Titans and he supports Eren’s leadership, but his “game plan” is basically:

Use Wall Titans.

???

ELDIA IS GREAT AGAIN!!1

That’s hardly a plan.

All Floch and his team have accomplished is create chaos and dysfunction.

That’s it.

They instigated a social uprising, decapitated the government, and now? They’re just running around trying to find Zeke. (Even though Zeke and Eren already have a rendezvous point worked out.)

All Floch is good for is blowing stuff up and shitting over everything. But in the words of the great Sam Rayburn:

“Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one.”

Floch is no carpenter. Floch is a coward. This pitifully small boy. This absolute failson. It’s no surprise at all he’s where he’s at.

Floch talks big now, but that’s only because he’s riding high now. I bet he’s the type of person who buckles under even minimal pressure. You all saw how he was during the Shighanshina battle. Everyone kept their composure even as Zeke’s rocks were closing in on them. Except him. He was the first to crack.

My sense is that Floch is not a constitutionally strong person, and he knows it. And he thinks he’s a coward, so we know he doesn’t think well of himself.

That’s the key. That’s why he is so devoted to Eldia.

He can’t feel pride in himself qua himself, so he has to feel pride in himself qua an Eldian. His logic is that if Eldians are strong then he is strong by proxy because he is one of them.

It’s the same thing with Trump supporters. Trump’s base supports him because Trump wants to maintain the racial hierarchy that benefits white people. And Trump’s base supports that because a lot of them are poor, white people. Because even though they don’t have a lot going for them, “at least I’m not black.” There’s little in their lives to be proud of, so they take pride in their race to feel better about themselves.

It’s like the evil version of gay pride.

Gay people take pride in their homosexuality because it’s a form of psychic preservation. They are denigrated for this one aspect of themselves, so they emphasize pride in that aspect to counter the stigma. It’s a way of preserving their sense of self-worth.

People like Floch take pride in their race because they have no self-worth to preserve. They’re empty and sad. Their race is one of the only things they have going for them. So they fight for Eldian greatness because a restored Empire will make them feel all big and strong.

It is utterly pathetic.

That’s one thing Floch and Eren have in common. They’re both sad. From Eren’s sad enslavement to the vague notion of freedom, to Floch’s sad belief that if Eldia is made “great” he’ll be made great in turn. It’s sadness all the way down.

The exemplar of that in this chapter is when Floch confronts Shadis.

It’s hilarious how Shadis calls Floch out on being a sad pissant and Floch tries to prove him wrong, only to prove him right in the process.

Not only does Floch miss, he’s stupid enough to say so out loud. He even explains what he was trying for.

Duuuude!

Just play it off as a warning shot! You’re trying to put up a tough guy front. Don’t admit to having failed spectacularly.

He would have been better off doing that anyway. Hitting Shadis in the foot just for mouthing off also would have proven him right. If you feel the need to shoot someone for mouthing off to you, then yeah, you are, in fact, a sad pissant.

But if it was just a warning shot to the ground around him, then that still would have been excessive, but it wouldn’t make you look insecure as hell.

To quote Game of Thrones:

“We’ve had vicious kings, and we’ve had idiot kings, but I don’t think we’ve ever been cursed with a vicious, idiot king!”

He’s not just vicious. He’s not just an idiot. He’s not even just a vicious idiot. He’s a vicious idiot with power. God help them.

But this idea of insecurity being the root cause of nationalist behavior raises an important question: why are the denizens of Paradis also on board with this nationalist program?

Well, nationalism runs on tribalism, so the people need to care about their Eldianism. Their being Eldians.

And going by that…it might actually be the Survey Corps’ fault.

At the start of the series, the Walldians were apathetic about the outside world. But thanks to the (not unjustified) efforts of the Survey Corps, the Walldians started to care.

Rod’s titan was over twice as big as the Colossal Titan; it loomed over Orvud like a kid looms over a toy cityscape playset. A lot of parallels were made in that sequence to the original Colossal Titan attack. In hindsight, Isayama, in his typically blunt style, was probably motivated by more than a need for a stylistic flourish. He probably did it to impress on the reader what he intended the Walldians to take away from the same event: From their perspective, this was another Shighanshina.

But the ending was different this time.

This was bigger than the first attack. Much bigger. Thousands upon thousands of people died in the first attack and its aftermath. Literally no one died the second time. Rod’s titan was subdued without incident. Awesome, but it also had the effect of inspiring nationalistic pride in the people.

Historia’s plan, very explicitly, was to exploit these nationalist feelings to the Survey Corps’ advantage. Stopping a second Shighanshina created a sense of communal unity among the Walldians. The plan was to encourage and then use those feelings to “stabilize the situation” as Historia herself put it.

And it worked, only it worked too well. Now those nationalist feelings have carried over to the Marley conflict to deleterious effect.

And then there’s the Wall Maria operation. That was described by the narrator like this:

“The area within Wall Maria represented one third of the land humanity had left. When the territory was lost five years ago, the loss of human life and property was massive. And, as those who remained inside the two walls quickly realized, those losses were only the beginning. It seemed wrong for us to continue living. Whether humanity could survive another day was out of human hands. Everything was now up to the titans. Because humanity had no way of defeating them. But, that day, one boy gripped the dagger in his heart and used it to kill a titan, stomping its massive head into the  ground. How did the humans who saw that sight feel? Some were filled with pride. Some were filled with hope. Some were filled with rage. But all of them screamed. Now, if Wall Maria is taken back, what scream will fill humanity’s hearts?”

The term for the “scream” the narrator is describing here is “nationalistic fervor.” The Wall Maria operation inspired further feelings of nationalism in the people. And again, those feelings have carried over.

This is a case study in unintended consequences. They wanted humanity to fight, now humanity is fighting and it’s backfiring spectacularly. The people are out for blood. Only this time the blood doesn’t evaporate without a trace.

It’s very revealing how Floch acts towards Shadis compared to Hange.

Hange didn’t have a very high opinion of Shadis the last time we saw them in a room together, but they still stood up for him. Even when they’re pissed at someone, they still don’t lose sight of the humanity of that someone.

Floch also has a low opinion of Shadis. He ordered him beaten for no reason. Because Floch is a sad, maladjusted, man-child. He sees the world in black and white terms. If you support him, you’re golden. If you don’t, you’re not even human.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Floch actually gets off on abusing whatever power he has over people. Being powerful is a high he doesn’t get to experience often, so don’t be surprised of he savors the exercising of it.

So I’ve noticed that the Survey Corps is still training recruits to fight titans. Who don’t exist anymore.

Ooookay.

Where is Isayama going with this?

Floch cites the stagnation in Survey Corps tactics as a reason why Eldia isn’t great. Isayama isn’t trying to both-sides this debate is he?

Floch is an asshole and his movement is repugnant. He’s a right-wing fucking nationalist. But it seems Isayama is trying to send the message that he’s not wrong.

What is it with this series and this schizophrenic approach to right-wing nationalism? The story has condemned it in certain moments, but when it comes to condemning the actual leaders of this movement, Isayama equivocates.

Floch is an asshole, BUT he’s actually right because the Survey Corps really is backwards thinking and in need of new leadership.

Eren is an asshole, BUT he’s actually right because the rumbling *is* necessary to protect Paradis and everyone else was just slow to accept this.

This isn’t just a case of the villains having a point. The key in situations like that is to show they have a point, but that their methods are obscene. Important to that is showing an actual alternative to those methods. Putting forth an alternative is important because it doesn’t matter how horrific Eren or Floch’s actions are, if it’s the only way to proceed then the argument can be made they are doing the right thing.

When the villain has a point, they have correctly identified a problem, but have incorrectly identified the solution.

With Eren and co. the story doesn’t just depict them as having correctly identified the problem. Their proposed solution is depicted as being at least somewhat correct too.

That’s a problem because it means Isayama is granting undue legitimacy to a repugnant, real world ideology.

Them being assholes should be a feature, not a bug. The bug being that they have a point. But the way Isayama has set things up, it’s that them having a point is the feature and their jackassery is the bug.

It all amounts to the story criticizing the nonessential aspects of this movement while leaving the substantive aspects intact.

At this point we’ll all need gas masks real soon because the smoke just keeps piling up.

The last thing of note is Zeke. Apparently he doesn’t get off on pain and suffering. Who knew.

We are apparently going to finally get a peak (you know it’s only going to be a peak) at his backstory and mindset next chapter.

Zeke worrying about his glasses, which belonged to what seems to have been a childhood friend of his, is obviously supposed to signal that Zeke can in fact empathize with people.

I am…warily looking forward to this. The ending blurb teases that he does in fact have a reason for what he’s doing. What I hope Isayama will do, because I think it would be a cool twist, is reveal that Zeke’s motives and plan is merely internally logical, but from an outside perspective, his plan is still totally batshit insane and maybe even nonsensical.

Because that’s how it is with people. People are rational actors, but all that means is that they respond to incentives and harms as they themselves weigh them in accordance with their own internal value system.

In other words, people act in a way that is always internally logical but not always truly logical. The prisoner’s dilemma is a classic example of this. Everyone acts rationally and because of that everyone loses.

How interesting would it be if Zeke’s motives only make sense to him, but are still, in a way, understandable?

The next chapter will end the second volume of this arc. Based on past chapters in a similar position, it will probably end on some event that rapidly escalates the conflict. My guess is that it’ll end on Marley launching its attack on Paradis.

SNK 114 awaits.

[missjackil]

SPN Over The Seasons.

Since the pilot, Ive noticed a pattern emerge. The pilot was different from every season to follow. Very heavy on the folklore monster hunts, brothers bickering, bromancing, meeting other recurring characters, first time disquising as feds and so forth, but this was all the story and character development stage. Any first season of any show, follows a similar pattern and even if you think it should stay that way, it never really does. After S1, Supernatural began a pattern of 2s.  S2 and 3 were almost identical in how the stories unfolded, how the brothers interracted and what kind of monsters they hunted. They introduced a home base by exchanging a local library for Bobby’s house. They dont have to spend all their time between cases in the Impala or in crappy motel rooms, and they have a place to study at their convenience. S2 also shows us that the show has a very unserious, goofy side. Tale Tales and Mystery Spot (though Mystery Spot was very sad after the first half) S2 introduced the fact that the boys are not immune to having life ruining events happen to them. Dad sells his soul for Dean, Sam gets possessed by Meg, Sam has to kill his love interest, Dean sells his soul for his brother’s life, we learn that death doesnt mean forever and the Winchesters CAN die but asks the question of “is anyone REALLY ever the same after they come back from the dead?” And now that we have established that Hell exists, and the will of God exists, is Dean actually going to Hell?  (intro now to the next set of 2)

Season 4 and 5 were now completely different than seasons before it. Shit starts to get real. First we learn, yes, Hell is a real place and the Winchesters arent immune to that either. We learn time travel is possible, Angels are real and are dicks, God is real, Lucifer is real, and there is a REAL reason why Sam and Dean do what they do. They are part of The Big Picture, the great war between Good and Evil, Destined from the beginning ti fight this battle, between the Archangels and bring on the Appocolypse. We learn Sam, though having strong morals, can be lead to do the unthinable, drink demon blood to supposedly to get revenge on Lilith for sending Dean to Hell, but mostly to show he loses control when Dean is gone that leads to some horrible decisions. Which paralleled Dean losing it when Sam died. We get a recurring Angel and a recurring Demon and we re reminded in the end that not only are the Winchesters willing to do anything to save each other, theyre willing to do anything to save the world, and Sam voluntarily throws himself into Hell to save the world he thinks he ruined. At the end of S5, it leads into S6 with Dean trying to have a life with a woman and kid, and Sam being “different” intro to the next set of 2s. Seasons 6 and 7 are again, different than other seasons. Sam has no soul for half the season, so we learn that sometimes Winchester afflictions might be bad, and also last a while. Dean has a family at home that he willingly leaves to hunt, confirming what Dean always believed, that he cant have a life outside of hunting. We have Bobby who has done more than enough to prove he is family to the boys, and that family really doesnt end with blood, and the Campbells who prove it doesnt start there either.  S6 and 7 also had more humor than previous seasons yet adding some real darkness in Sam’s hallucinations and subequent insanity. We also learn that monsters, though deadly can sometimes be kinda comical (leviathans) and big monsters are (can appear) human... Dragons, Eve, Pheonix Alpha Vamps and so on.  We  lose Bobby in S7 and the boys are back to no home base and staying in random cabins bobby and ruffus had set aside, and very limited lore books to go by. But we also learn that the Word of God is a thing, and there are more Pophets than Chuck .. this leads into Seasons 8 and 9. Seasons 8 and 9 are much different than the seasons before (see the pattern now?) We first learn that though the brothers have this deep abiding twisted codependent love for each other, they are not immune to lying, betraying, and dismissing the others feelings. They fight, they seperate, they lose trust.  Both have come to the point of being martycidal (aka suicidal Winchester style) because they believe their brother doesnt need, love, nor trust him anymore. Sam seems to talk Dean off this ledge in Trial and Error, by affirming in him that hes a genious, the best hunter ever, and he wants to take him to the light at the end of this tunnle (I still llove you man!) Sams is more emotional because he’s made so weak and sick through the trials and just lost people he cared about “because of him” but Dean talks him off that ledge by assuring him, in the most heart wrenching way possible, that he (Sam) is the absolute foremost important thing to him in the world and always will be. We also aquire the Bunker, now the boys have a nice comfy home base they can call home and sleep in warm beds when not on hunts. Season 9 shows Dean making some poor (though) necessary decisions when hes seperated from Sam. First one is when Sam is dying and he tricks Sam into letting an angel  possess him, and when that goes sideways and they seperate again, Dean accepts the MoC without much question, which proves to be a bad idea. What we learn from these 2 seasons, is that the Winchesters should never be seperated... period, What leads into then next 2, is the MoC AND that secondary characters get their own storylines (bleh) S10 and 11 are different from other seasons. The boys learn that they can “trust” natural enemies (witches and demons) if it suits their needs. Sam learns that sometimes its ok, and necessary to discount a persons wishes unless you are ok with them dying or becoming who they are not, or the safety of the world is in the ballance. Yes folks... respect another persons choices, but only if you are prepared to give up on them if it will destroy them or others..The bros dont seperate anymore though they fight pretty much all through S10 in one way or another. And Sam is willing to go against Deans wishes to leave the MoC alone because something bad will happen, and Sam goes behind his back anyway because he needs his brother and wont live without him (parallel S9 and Gadreel)  On the other side, Crowley, Cas, and Rowena all get their own storylines, and it sucks...IMO anyway, if the focus isnt on Sam and Dean it shouldnt be in the show (sorry I had to) but this carries into S12 and I hope it finishes there. S11 has the guys getting along very well all season, enough fighting for crying out loud. But we arent lead into the next 2 seasons, 12 and 13 till the end. The BMoL pop up and Mom is back.

So, needless to say now, that we can say S12 is different, or wonky from the other seasons, we cant deny a patern that has been used since the beginning. Things in this season will lead into S13, which hopefully means there wont be any end in site till at least 15. If the pattern continues.