#also **SPOILERS** does anyone else think it was implied that eugene was actually killed at the end or am i silly

[mummer]

queer being as bleak and genuinely kind of mean spirited as it is... really fascinating stuff. a dialogue between "why can't you just be free?" and "you think you're actually free?" and the answer is yeah you're not. you never will be

[kaiserin-astraia]

RIP

I think I’ll just get right to the point.

I loved KH3; 75% of it, I’d say. But the issue is, the 25% I don’t like is almost deal-breaking. Let me explain why. it goes without saying but kh3 spoilers ahead. also, kairi stans, this is not for you. I’m not looking to argue with anyone, this is just my grievances with the game.

They mcfucking murdered Kairi.

I’m not even talking about her cheap, literal death. I mean, KH3 killed any possible way for her to be a well-rounded, likable, independent character. We were promised she would fight (“This time, I’ll fight”) and she even says “No, I’ll protect you” to Sora and yet she only fights once. As in, one (1) time. What the fuck was the point of having endless, timeless training if she doesn’t come out swinging?

Also, as a princess of heart, you’d think she’d be considerate, but no, she’s not. She was so wonderful with Lea/Axel, I was so hopeful that she would actually befriend others and make meaningful connections. But instead, while Sora is worrying about Riku, she shoves a paopu in his face. He’s silent, taken aback, clearly hesitant and confused, until she explains, “I just want to be apart of your life no matter what, that’s all.” That’s all. She only convinced Sora to take the paopu by saying nothing between them would change. But still, she never once asked how he felt. She never once tried. It felt like she just was so determined to get what she wanted that it didn’t matter that Riku was sitting just down the beach; it didn’t matter Sora seemed unsure of such a lofty promise.

And then, her relationship with Riku. It’s non-existant. Not only did KH3 basically kill Kairi as a character, they killed the destiny trio. She didn’t speak with Riku even once the whole game. Hell, Kairi spoke to Sora all of twice. And all of them were to be a doe-eyed “perfect” love interest for Sora.

What is even her personality? She literally has no purpose outside of being Sora’s SO. Is she… kind? Is she… sassy? She had more personality in kh2 and oof man that’s… not good. She became essentially a smiling, pretty piece of cardboard.

And then, her powers. So she’s swept away first, and yet she’s supposed to be the light that guides Sora back? She’s the force “holding Sora together”? HOW? And then both Namine and Xion seem to have this 6th sense of Kairi, and vice versa, that makes no sense – on top of the fact that it implies that they are so similar that they are essentially interchangeable. Listen, if your character can be swapped out with someone else and it’d be the same…. You have a bad character.

And then they actually killed her! Again, WHATS THE POINT OF MAKING HER STRONG & ABLE TO FIGHT IF ALL SHE DOES IS GET TAKEN HOSTAGE AND TURNED INTO A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS? LITERALLY? AND THEN LITERALLY KILLS HER. I CAN’T. I CAN’T.

I’m angry because she had so much potential. I wanted her to join Sora’s party (more than for one fight…), I wanted her to have her own motivations and goals, I wanted her to have a personality, and instead they did … this.

 This brings me to my next grievance. At the end of dream drop distance, Sora and Riku’s friendship was so solid. It was so close and so sweet. But in kh3? It’s like they purposefully watered Riku down just to make sokai a thing. Like are you fucking kidding me? They advertised Riku with Sora so much leading up to kh3, and yet you only see Riku like, less than a handful. And then, at the end, Riku sacrifices himself, again, for Sora… only for Kairi to get the credit for saving him! Because… deus ex machina, I guess?

Throughout the worlds, there was this recurring theme: acts of true love. Almost all of them require sacrificing oneself. Hercules and Meg, Anna and Elsa, Repunzel and Eugene, even Will and Elizabeth Turner. Let’s see, who has sacrificed themselves for Sora? Oh right. Riku. Kairi has never once shown this kind of love for Sora. And yet at the end, it seems like Sora has decided Kairi is this true love…? He looks into the light when he’s floating with Kairi like he gets it, but all it takes is one braincell to see that this parallel simply doesn’t work with Kairi!

I guess you could count the moment Sora shields Kairi from the incoming blow (though, why he hugged her instead of blocked the hit with the keyblade, I don’t know) and the moment Kairi shielded Sora as a heartless in KH1, but I would argue that Sora shielding Kairi is just him upholding his promise to protect her, not an act of true love or sacrifice; and Kairi was in no real danger when she protected heartless sora so it really doesn’t have the weight. These moments are nothing in comparison for what Riku has done for Sora every game since kh1. And I guess what bothers me so much is that for all my theorizing (probably another post, or I’ll just link to others’ posts about the theory), that probably is just it: they are going to sweep Riku’s sacrifices under the rug and claim that sokai is true love just for those two weak moments. It’s a slap to the face. It laughs and says, “its not that deep”. Essentially, they are saying “hey all that character development Riku and Sora got in dream drop? Don’t matter. Keep scrolling.” Its so cowardly it makes me sick.

 The only hope I have now is that all of this was purposefully misleading. The fact that Sora and Kairi didn’t even share the paopu correctly; the fact Sora seemed confused and hesitant around his connection to Kairi; Sora’s mission to bring her back & his seeming success before disappearing; the secret movie.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

7x16: Non-Sasha Details

Good morning, All! Today I’m going to talk about the non-Sasha related clues I saw in 7x16. (Disclaimer: there will still be some Sasha stuff, but it just won’t focus on the segments I talked about on Tuesday. ;D)

Dwight/Daryl/Tara:

Tara gets in Dwight’s face about Denise saying, “She had a name.” Can’t help but think how much they’re emphasizing that, and of course no one has mentioned Beth’s name since 5x09. Felt kinda on the nose. Like a reminder to us of who isn’t being mentioned. And of course Denise was a major proxy for Beth. And of course Denise, like so many others, is being mentioned in the seasons after her death. Beth, not so much. Very suspicious.

Dwight reiterates that he wasn’t aiming for Tara, which nearly gets him killed. But this is the second or third time they’ve said that in all. They’re really emphasizing it. Dwight using it as excuse makes him sound like a defensive, whiny baby. So I think it’s being emphasized for different reasons. And who else do we think was accidentally shot? Yeah, Grady. The “I wasn’t aiming for her” could apply to Beth as well.

Dwight then says to Daryl, “What I was doing, I was doing for someone else. She just got away, so now I’m here. So are you, because of her.” So just wanted to point out the callback to The Cell. Dwight said this bc Daryl said it to him at the Sanctuary, and Dwight knows Daryl will understand this. And while Dwight’s speech is obviously about Sherry, we know for Daryl it’s about Beth.

When Rosita reveals that Negan has Sasha, Jesus says, “Why didn’t you say anything? He could be our only chance to get her back.” That parallels what Daryl said about Beth in Consumed:

I only point it out because it’s the EXACT same wording. Not, “go get her,” “rescue her” or any other variation. Exact same verbiage.

At Hilltop:

I wanted to point this out, only because I missed it the first time through. It’s not TD, tho. Maggie says to Jesus, “How am I supposed to make this decision?” and she’s holding Glenn’s watch. So then that leads to her speech at the ends when Rick says she made the right one, and she gives that awesome voice over about how the decision was made a long time ago by Glenn. Just some great symmetry there. Not TD, but definitely heart-melting status. ;D

Also, just want to point out that I think Enid just became Judith’s caretaker. Not gonna theorize. Just wanted to point it out. Don’t know if it will be long term, of course, as this was finale.

Carzekiel:

A couple of things I picked up in the scene that was the sneak peek for this episode. Carol said, “Guns up,” which is exactly what Richard said in 7x13. I don’t know if that is to parallel something or just emphasize that the Kingdom is ready to fight. Just pointing it out.

What was really interesting is what one of the Kingdome-ers says when they saw the shopping carts:

“What the hell? He’s dead.”

Obviously he’s talking about Richard. They knew he’d arranged the shopping carts that way last time, which lead to Benjamin’s death. Of course this time it was Morgan, using Richard’s tactics to try and ambush the Saviors.

So a couple of things:

1. Morgan is in a similar self-destructive mode to Richard’s at this point. Unless something changes soon, this does not bode well for him. Of course the fact that he went with Carol and Ezekiel to fight may already be a step in the right direction. Rather than go back to his destructive, hermit ways, he fought with the group and is back in Alexandria now. Here’s hoping he progresses in S8, rather than continuing to retrogress.

2. The wording here is super suspicious to me. I know in the plot they mean Richard, but it still implies that someone they thought dead might not be. Coupled with all the other parallels and details in this episode…yeah, I’m seriously side-eyeing.

Sasha Stuff:

The pancake scene. First, it’s weird that a mainstream outlet thought it was a deleted scene. Obviously it wasn’t. No idea what’s up with that. I did have someone tell me they thought it was more like a second sneak peek. If that’s the case, then it wasn’t really “leaked” which means the site just messed up. Weird.

I said when discussing it before that there were blueberries, strawberries, and green melons on the plate. On second look, I don’t think they’re green melons. I think it’s a green apple. So more Apple Theory. And both the strawberries and green apples point to Sasha being a Beth proxy.

Alexandria:

The scavengers arrived on bicycles. 

I know everyone is having all kinds of fun with this at the Scavengers’ expense, but this is a very important symbol. (X, X, X,). Remember that it most often represents something to do with kidnapping, imprisonment, being taken from TF, etc. No idea what that means for the future but 1) a great indication that these people will be enemies to TF and 2) they were trying to barter for people, which means if Shiva hadn’t shown up they might have taken some of TF hostage. There’s a good chance that someone will end up a hostage to them at some point. Just saying.

Small detail: Jadis covets Alexandria. And no wonder, given the literal junk heap she lives in. But the way she looked around at the houses, telling Rick she was impressed with what he was fighting for gave me the creeps. This is not good at all.

They used red and green explosives. Once again, life and death hanging in the balance. In this case, specifically Eugene’s, though TF didn’t set them up for him. Of course they didn’t go off and no one actually died, but still.

Tamiel’s smokes a cigar. Not sure what that is about. Someone also asked me if we get a clearer shot of Tamiel’s boots here. 

I don’t know if you’d call this “clear.” It’s not a close up or anything. But you can see the lacey design on them from the post credits scene of 7x08. That should put to bed the doubt about it being Tamiel. I know there are still some theories out there that we actually saw two people in that scene. One who looked through binoculars, and a second who jumped to the ground. But Boots, at least, does appear to be Tamiel, as the spoilers said. Sorry if that’s bad news to anyone.

As they’re setting up, Rick says, “The wall’s gonna hold.” To which Rosita replies, “It’ll hold.” This is a callback to 6a. Rick said it to all the Alexandrians after Operation Lead the Walkers Away went awry because of the wolves. Back then, Rosita didn’t repeat it back to them, but she answered when he said Abraham and Sasha and Glenn would be back. “They will be back.” The thing I most want to point out about this is that it was said after Glenn was presumed dead and right before he was revealed to be alive. Just saying.

Can I rant for just a minute about Negan giving Rick a guilt trip? All villains like to twist things around and this bugged me. He told Rick he was a monster for trying to blow up Eugene, “one of his own.” No, Negan. No. Eugene made his choice, and everyone in TF would have been sad, but the second he switched sides, the decision was made. That doesn’t make Rick a monster. It does make you a manipulative douchebag, but we already knew that, didn’t we? Okay, rant over.

Also, Negan asked for the pool table. Asking for Daryl back was kind of a given. The pool table by itself is a callback to Still, where Daryl messed around with a pool table in the golf club, numerous pool tables since then (X) and of course most recently and relevant to the plot, Spencer. Spencer had all those anti-parallels to Beth’s death. Asking for Daryl and the pool table together? Yeah side-eyeing that. The only time we’ve ever seen Daryl + pool table was in Still. Just saying.

I wanted to kiss Carl here, btw. He was the first one to fire and that’s when I cheered.

It’s worth noting that Negan was truly angry about Sasha’s death. I said that before. Oh, and Walker Sasha ate Roy’s eye. No idea if that should parallel to something. Carl’s eye? Beth getting shot above the eye? Just thought I’d point it out.

There was a bit of a parallel between Rick and Michonne’s situations here. Though the results were different, both were on a high platform with a female Scavenger who attacked them and tried to push them off. (Of course Rick fell and Michonne didn’t.) Both were hurt fairly seriously as well. I only point it out to show that tptb like to parallel the arcs of romantic couples.

Jadis wants people, as I said before. She asks for 12 but Negan only grants her 10. I’m wondering if there’s any correlation there with the 12 melons? Really this was a setup for next season, as we’re not clear what’s going on yet with this. Interesting tho. What does Jadis want prisoners for? It’s not like anyone taken from TF would have come willingly or just did what she wanted.

Lots of parallels between the beginning and ending of the season here. The obvious is the lineup. But there’s more detail than that. Negan specifically goes after Carl both times, and arms are mentioned. (In 7x01, he was going to take Carl’s arm; here he told Rick he would take both of his.) In both cases, Carl wore the sheriff’s hat and Negan knocked it off.

The differences show the growth. Before, Rick melted into a sniveling mess in face of Negan’s brutality. Here, he tells him to do whatever he’s gonna do, but it won’t change that Rick will kill him. And the more obvious difference that before, Negan killed two. Here, none. Sasha died but that was by her own hand. So TF has really won a victory against Negan here by not letting him kill them or manipulate them anymore. This is why the war will begin now. Negan no longer has the ability to control them.

Rick also says, “You’re all already dead” to Negan. He means that because sooner or later he’s going to kill them, they might as well already be dead. Badass line. Also a callback to episode 2x07, Pretty Much Dead Already. That’s the episode where Sophia, you know, the girl who’s been missing forever and Daryl looked for, suddenly showed up. Just saying.

Okay, at this point, when Shiva shows up and the fighting start again, my notes look like someone yelling in caps and with exclamation points:

Shiva!

Carzekiel!

Morgan and Rick!

Daryl!

Father Gabriel!

The sad thing was that I didn’t take notes until the second time through. And yes, I was still that excited. ;D

Some details you might have missed during all the action:

1. “Phalanx Out!” Maggie says this. I noticed it because Richard said it when the Kingdom group stopped for the shopping carts. I looked it up then, but it didn’t jump out at me as anything big. It’s basically a battle formation with roots in ancient Greece. I have no idea what the significance is, other than a battle move, but they’ve used it twice in the past few episodes, so it must be significant. Plus, Richard and Maggie never knew each other and were from different communities. So plot wise, it’s unrealistic that they would use the same word to train their people. 

2. Broken Tail lights. In this scene, the camera focused for like 10 seconds on this car and all of the tail lights being broken out. I need to figure out this theme more definitely. Abraham was given a necklace by Rosita, made of a broken tail light. (Abraham = Beth proxy.) Also remember that before taking off to chase the Grady car in 5x02, Daryl broke out the tail lights of his car. So this is very much a symbol that has to do with Beth. And I’ve theorized about it before (X, X) but I’m not sure I’ve quite hit on exactly what it means.

3. The Scavengers climbed over the walls a LOT like the wolves did. I’m just gonna throw this out there. Look at these similarities. I have no idea if that was a purposeful parallel, or what it would mean if it is, but I noticed it.

4. The number 63 on a mailbox. This was very clearly focused on by the camera, but no one is entirely sure what it means. I looked into both episode 63 and comic book issue 63. Both are interesting, but one doesn’t win out over the other in my mind. This may not point to either. The CB issue is the one synonymous with 5x02/5x03. In the CB’s, it was Dale, rather than Bob, who was taken by the Hunters/Termites and his leg eaten. This issue is where they discover he is missing and think Gabriel might have had something to do with it. They then find out Gabriel’s secret about locking the church doors. I just think that’s interesting for several reasons. If this is what the 63 is pointing to, it takes us back to Terminus, which many of us think will come into play again. This is also an example of the lost shoe/foot theory (X) and then in the show, Bob was a major proxy for Beth.

Episode 63 was Remember, which was right when they first arrived in Alexandria. Honestly, this might be more what they’re going for with the number 63. Calling back to all the problems and divisions when they first arrived, vs now when they’re coming together to fight for their home. But I don’t know for sure. Any other ideas about what 63 might mean?

Oh and also, it’ s on a mailbox. Mailbox theory.

I also gotta talk about how much I was crushing on Michonne in this episode. (I tend to do that in MSFs and finales, when she manages to do some seriously badass stuff.) I totally didn’t realize the first time I watched the episode that she was talking while fighting Creepy Blond Scavanger, but she was. She said several versions of “Us! We’re the ones that live!”

It’s a cool callback to her and Rick’s convo in the prison cell. It’s awesome that she’s yelling that at Creepy Blond Scavanger, almost like a mantra. It’s even awesomer that after saying it, she finds the strength to throw Creepy Scavanger over the guard rail, thereby “saving herself.”

And remember that Us was the title of episode 4x15, which dealt with Daryl and the Claimers. And Daryl, um, “claimed” some strawberries. Just saying.

Okay, a few last things. Rick said to Michonne when he found her, “You’re alive,” which stuck out to me. Of course there was the 101 Days Without an Accident sign that most people noticed. (Go you!) Aaron gave Jerry an apple, which I missed. Dwight’s soldier is a callback to 6x08, which was rife with Beth images, dialogue, and parallels.

At first I couldn’t figure out what Daryl was looking at here:

Then I figured it out:

Not sure what the significance of it is. Almost like the Scavengers left a calling card when they went over the wall. Still feels very reminiscent of the wolves.

Finally, Maggie’s voiceover is, of course, all kinds of awesome. Totally got teary-eyed about it, especially the second time through when I could focus on it more. MOST of the words in her speech–trapped, stuck, sacrifice, lots more–jumped out at me. Of course they apply to the entire story and all of TF, not just Beth, but I couldn’t help but see them through somewhat of a TD lens.

Whew! That was a lot. Any other details I missed?

[fukette]

Other Things To Boycott Instead Of Netflix's Dear White People.

In this modern-day, digitized province of unsolicited dick pics and Trump sponsored displays of nationally demoralizing idiocy that we call the Internet, it's easy for some things to get lost in the melee. For example, I recently just got around to watching BET's New Edition biopic and gluten-free goddamn. I had always assumed that the group was just famous for giving Black America Bobby Brown, providing me a reason to stand in the wind covered baby oiled-chest to toe in silk pajamas with the shirt unbuttoned while singing Can You Stand The Rain, and providing the soundtrack to your mother's first disappointing sexual experience. But apparently shit was more real than Atlanta housewives when the sangria and cocaine run out when (SPOILER ALERT) Bobby Brown made people want to punch him and everyone went broke.

But, I digress.

Syd The Kid, of The Internet fame, recently released her solo album that is so imbued with a studiously crafted yet well-balanced atmosphere and unabashed charisma that I've relegated listens only to instances in which I need to supplement my confidence. Like, say, the next time I eat $8 pork shoulder enchiladas at Taqueria Del Sol, blow up the toilet stall like ISIS trying to ask Al Qaeda to prom, and then exit said bathroom by calmly walking past the line of waiting people not caring that they're all within the Poop Waft Danger Zone, but with all the chill and self-assuredness of Billy Dee Williams as he steals your girl the moment you step away to grab her a pineapple Bacardi and Coke.

Lastly, I just found out that we'll soon be able to listen to Prince on platforms other than the 'Participation Award' of streaming servoces, Tidal. Does this mean that I'll soon be able to put on all the car seat concerts I want while stuck in gridlock traffic on I-85? Gifting any passerby's that gawk at my pitch-perfect rendition of When Doves Cry with an unblinking, 'no CVS brand lube necessary' eye-fuck? I dunno. Maybe. Catch me on the interstate at around 5:30pm sometime and we'll find out.

Hmm, what else? Oh yeah!

Every motherfucker on the Internet missing a chromosome, but still able to access a 4Chan message board are wildin dafuq out over a 30-second teaser clip of Netflix's Dear White People.

Fuck it, maybe there's more to it than what the visuals, monologue, and every other aspect of the teaser leads me to believe there is. Perhaps I'm simply just not perceptive enough to discern the subtextual rallying cries of White Genocide® present in the clip who's message, I believe, can best be summed up with the statement "White People Who Wear Blackface: What The Fuck,Man!?!" Granted, I am genetically predispositioned to several cognitive impairing disabilities plus I'm the only person I know that genuinely enjoys eating Tapioca pudding so, it goes without saying, that my critical thinking skills are more fucked than the bathroom glory holes at a Young Republicans Retreat. That being said, the furor over a simple show would have you think that minorities are instituting outlandish policies by which White People should have to abide by under threat of White Genocide®. No one in their right mind would advocate legislation that stipulates that White People should have to compete in underground bare-knuckle boxing matches in order to qualify for Google Fiber. No person of color would mandate that White People should be taxed for every documented instance of them saying the words 'non-frap soy decaf' while placing a coffee order. It would be ludicrous to propose that anyone in possession of a playlist that features Father John Misty, The Chainsmokers, and Meghan Trainor be placed on a no-fly list and have their family members surveilled indefinitely. So maybe being quick to label a show that no one has seen and who's message you are clearly misinterpreting as hate speech against whites could be seen as deceitful at best and SO not Raven at worst.

Although, if it's just a matter of periodically feeding the beast with a steady diet of ultimately futile yet amusingly preoccupying outrage then I will indeed bid on that glass menagerie of hand-blown fuckery by providing some outrages of my own. Be sure to let me know know how trend-worthy these are because if none of them garner a significant amount of retweets from the alt-right community then, what, I'm just some reactionary fuckwit anonymously insulting strangers who disagree with me even though my own sensibilities can be best described as 'softer than Moroccan baby shit'?

How dare you even imply such a thing?

Boycott against niggas that feel comfortable commenting on the Instagram photos of women they've never met with some deeply personal shit that only serves to make people uncomfortable as fuck. (i.e. 'Glad you had fun at PCB this weekend:) BTW, your smile is just as beautiful as your mother's. Remember? You posted a pic of her 36 weeks ago. Also, I see in the background that your door is unlocked. Is that like an everyday thing or just a mulligan for today?)

Boycott against people who fail to recognize the superiority inherent in pizzas topped with pineapple and ham. I'm not saying we should base an entire eugenics program on this one trait, but I'm not NOT saying it either. You feel me?

Boycott against whoever thinks it's acceptable to use the enlarged font on their Facebook status to announce anything other than an immediate death in the family, a growing concern that you may have been shot, and a spoiler-free reaction to the newest episode of The Magicians. (It's an amazing show. Fight me.)

Boycott against push-up bras. Despite however narrow-minded and ignorantly misogynistic it sounds, THEY. ARE. LIES. Untruths coupled with ergonomic design. A 67% cotton-based fiction of mammories. Structurally sound falsehoods capable of making a man inattentively rear end the Toyota Camry in front of him thereby making him late for work and therefore obligated to listen to his sentient semen latte of a manager go on about the importance of timeliness. I swear to White Jesus, if I have to sit through just ONE more of those lectures, I'm not exactly sure of what I'll do, but I'm confident in saying that it will be a day annually commemorated both for its horror and the revelation that you indeed can kill someone just by pelting them with two day old cranberry scones.

Boycott against whatever sadist placed the volume button perilously close to the 'share' button on porn sites. I want to quiet my shame, not broadcast it like the goddamn bat signal. What person outside of Charlie Sheen's Barebacked Fuck Palace is jerking it, stops, then thinks to themselves "Wow, I sure would like to share this video of a 3-legged Bosnian GILF and the Verizon Amphitheatre full of men just waiting for their turn to penetrate her with all of my closest friends, family, and casual acquaintances." Do you want to be uninvited from future backyard BBQs and Secret Santa gift exchanges? Because that's how you get uninvited from future backyard BBQs and Secret Santa gift exchanges.

Pokemon GO. The era has since passed. The window has closed and shall forever remain closed. If your family still gathers around the fireplace Sunday evening for pleasant conversation and familial warmth then, with all due respect, fuck you. To be specific, fuck your mother. And, while we're at it, fuck your ain't shit grandmother, fuck Lil' Jessica and her bullshit Crohn's Disease, and DEFINITELY fuck Grandpa Abraham. Who just last week channeled his inner Amos and Andy by calling his waiter at IHOP 'Colored George' even though his waiter's name was actually Jackson and, judging by the fact that Abraham's Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity Pancakes had some Rooty Tooty colored balls rubbed on it like shea butter, Jackson was none too pleased about it..

Boycott against trial periods for WinZip. How come I'm the only nigga in all of human existence to be stiff-armed for the premium version at the MOMENT I try to unzip the collected Ebooks of Michael Crichton? I told them, this is what will happen when Trump gets into office, but nobody listens to me.

Boycott extra pulp, homestyle orange juice. Because it burns like chlamydia-brand battery acid if you have cavities.