#and i feel like if s8 happened they could have had an even bigger conversation

[andthesunwillalwaysshine]

FUCK IF THE TOUCHED SPEECH MADE MY HEART COMBUST THEN WHAT DID THE END OF DAYS ONE DO ???? such a perfect whole scene with the comedic greeting to the awkwardness to buffy basically calling him an idiot in 3 different ways (and using one of his made up words back at him) and then actually being real with spike and telling him their moment wasn’t just nothing but meaningful to her to spike telling her it was the best night of his life (twice he says this) and how he finally felt close to someone (and to her) and he is terrified (because he has loved her for so long and is used to it going nowhere and doesn’t want to push her after what he did) to buffy reassuring him he doesn’t have to be terrified to them actually starting the first real convo about THEM 

this scene is full of love but it rips my heart out and it is so angsty still because with the big battle incoming neither one of them knows who will end up alive after this (if they win) and if they will be both be alive after this  AND BUFFY’S FACE IN THE END (AND WHILE LISTENING TO SPIKE AND HER SOFT ’’SPIKE’’ WHEN SPIKE SAYS HE CAN’T DO THIS BEFORE OPENING UP TO HER)

[belleandkurtbastian]

General rewatch thoughts on Shameless (US) 10x03 - “Which America?” (just the prison scenes)

1

Mickey cracking his knuckles. You know what, Ian? I’m going to give this one to you. At least your fucking annoying flossing noises were productive.

“Your side of the cell” - ... which side of the cell is that supposed to be, anyway? I’m so confused by the supposed geographometry of this cell-splitting.

2

“The rumour” is that they’re trying to kick out the non-violent offenders? That counts as a rumour? Everyone under the sun knows that’s how they choose who to give parole hearings to.

“What’s your deal on the outside”... Look, while this is all reasonable advice... They’re also kind of talking like Ian and Mickey met IN PRISON, and not like Mickey WENT BACK TO PRISON for Ian. They absolutely need to have this talk, but it feels like they’re missing the point a little too.

“My sentence was supposed to be 3-5 years”... No... I WATCHED S8 and 9a... There was talk of 10-20 without a plea, 5-10 with a guilty plea, and 2 with an insanity plea. Where the fuck did 3-5 come from? Quote from 09x06 “Face It, You’re Gorgeous”: “I’m about to spend the next two years of my life in fight-or-flight mode.”

3

“You free at the moment?” - Okay, relatable. Ask a really stupid obvious question as the ice-breaker.

“Long distance, or no distance, marriage, kids, retirement?” Also relatable - turn this conversation from being about the immediate future into... everything. Just gotta escalate it all the way up there.

“You’re out there, you’re gonna be fucking other people, so will I.” Mickey is TRYING to get Ian to move on here. Mickey is trying NOT to want Ian to stay there with him... but then...

“It’d be one thing if you felt differently about leaving [...] if there was a part of you that felt maybe you owed it to me” Lemme translate this one for those of us not fluent in Mickeyese: “I’m gonna miss you when you’re gone and I’m scared that when you’re out there, you’re gonna leave me here to rot [again].”

This is such a WEIRD argument for Gallavich to be having... Because this entire story is just a back-and-forth of them both being selfless... And the realisation that they can’t BOTH be selfless all the time. Heck, this is basically the only time we see Ian being selfless towards Mickey... And I kinda dig it, because this is Ian thinking about them, in the way he used to back in S1-3.

4

Ian looking for advice... You know what? Thank God Lip didn’t answer because while he would have been RIGHT in saying that Ian shouldn’t throw his parole hearing, if Ian HADN’T tried to blow his chances, he and Mickey would never have actually had the chance to see eye-to-eye on this.

“Congrats, you’re an uncle” “I already was”... You know what, I don’t think this is on Mickey. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard Ian MENTION Frannie.

5

Mickey seeking advice from Nazi friends of his DAD?! Yeah, this is in no way a fucked-up situation.

“Yeah, unfortunately” - you know, I REALLY do want to see Mickey reacting to his father’s death at some point. If we get an S11, I hope that’s a thing that happens. It will be heart-wrenching, but I don’t think that space was explored NEARLY enough with Monica, and Terry has 1000 times more fucked up feeling baked in...

“It’s about my partner, Ian” - you know, I liked him calling Ian his “lover” and “boyfriend” and “family” in S5... But “partner” is always the one that gets me the most, and I’m not sure why.

“Business or pleasure” - I don’t think Mickey has a strong distinction between the two. I mean, all his business was either with Ian, or with his family... Still, the question was obvious.

“You had the talk, right?” ... You know, Ian and Mickey are clueless gays both in prison AND out, and I love it... I also love that “the talk” is a thing. It’s so ridiculous, and given that this episode seems to have like 12 D-plots and no A-plot, that just works.

“Let her go” - Not for nothing or nothing, but Mickey could probably have used that advice before coming back from Mexico to get himself thrown in jail with his ex-boyfriend.

“He’s gonna wind up resenting you and hating you” - for the record, Mickey, this would also have happened if he’d actually made it to Mexico with you in 7x11.

6

He’s actually gonna do it. Also, for a show that’s COMPLETELY unconcerned about continuity, I am AMAZED they remembered that Ian and Mickey lost their shiv last week.

And here comes selfless!Mickey, which is just... Mickey.

“You don’t belong in here, Gallagher”. NOR DO YOU MICKEY. You got sent to jail the first time on an unprovable attempted murder charge, while the supposed victim was CHASING YOU WITH A GUN just before you were arrested... Everything after that is kinda negated by the first stint being unwarranted.

“I’ll get out soon.” You know, I completely do not doubt this, and not just because we know he does from spoilers and stuff, but because see above ^.

“I love you.” *sad smile* “I know. I love you too.” It doesn’t get fucking old. It’s been 4½ seasons since Mickey first said it... But also: I can’t help but parallel this to Svetlana and Mickey’s exchange in 4x12. S: “You love him?” M: “I don’t know. Maybe.” Because Mickey wasn’t lying then. He couldn’t really untangle his feelings, and he was so uncertain... But now he is SURE of himself and of their relationship, and he KNOWS that Ian LOVES HIM, which is possibly even bigger than the fact that he knows HE loves IAN.

7

Fucking Mickey feels guilty for pushing Ian into trying to throw his parole... and is making it up to him. MICKEY MILKOVICH’S LOVE LANGUAGE IS ACTS OF SERVICE.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

8x15: Worth - Re-Watch

This episode focuses on Eugene and him making bullets for Negan. This is when Daryl and Rosita try to go get him, but that doesn’t go so well. I’ll also talk about Aaron and Oceanside, and this is where Negan kills Simon. This is also where Negan reveals that he knows Dwight is the traitor and takes him prisoner.

So, first we have this scene where Michonne is lying on her bed, in the exact same pose as in 5x15 with Noah’s T-shirt. I told myself I was gonna pay attention to this and figure out what the connection was. And then I totally, um, forgot. Lol. The only connection I’m seeing is that (due to the turnip and all the other stuff) this may foreshadow Michonne going to search for Rick, right? Well, right after she lays on the bed this way in 5x15, she and Rosita go outside of Alexandria to search for Sasha. So maybe that foreshadowed the same thing? I’m not sure. We may not entirely understand this until we see more Rick/helicopter stuff play out.  

For the Eugene stuff, it’s all pretty interesting, but I don’t have to say too much about it, because it just points to what I keep saying about him. Up through this episode, he’s still determined to help Negan bring Rick and co under control. 

Here, Rosita and Daryl sort of kidnap him and Rosita gets in his face, telling him TF won’t kill him, but she’s pissed at his betrayal, and they’ll force him to do something meaningful with his “pathetic life.”

That really gets to Eugene and he decides here that he’ll sabotage the guns, which ultimately helps TF win the final battle against Negan. So, this probably foreshadows him doing this again against the helicopter people. Sabotaging the guns so they backfire probably foreshadows him doing something much bigger to help TF win against the helicopter group.

And of course we have the part where he hides in the ashes and then pops up from them after Daryl and Rosita run by. That definitely screams phoenix/Beth/probably helicopter group.

I could say more about specific symbols and interesting sequences (including cars, walkers, serious references, etc) but most of them ultimately just point to what I’ve already said. (Or, I don’t know what they mean, but would just say they point toward something in the future with the helicopter group.)

Let’s talk about Aaron and Oceanside. They spread his whole Oceanside thing over like six episodes, so it feels really random and disjointed. After watching the whole thing and putting it together, well, it still doesn’t make a lot of sense for S8. It’s another one of those story lines that really doesn’t go anywhere. But, after looking at the whole sequence, I have a better idea of what it means.

So, it starts with Aaron and Enid going to Oceanside, several episodes past. The basic gist is that I do think the two of them represent Beth and Daryl, with Aaron representing Beth and Enid representing Daryl. I don’t have to explain to you why Aaron might be a Beth proxy here (he often is). As for Enid, keep in mind that she lost Carl, her soul mate, this season, much as Daryl lost Beth. And Carl often = Beth, so it works.

So, they first go to the distillery to get alcohol to take to Oceanside and bribe them. I have two possible ways to interpret this sequence. They really end pretty much the same way. The difference is in the beginning part.

So, maybe them going to the distillery represents Beth and Daryl’s arc in S4. It’s just a very subtle nod to the moonshine shack. The other interpretation is that this represents something that will happen in a future season that has to do with alcohol, and the moonshine shack foreshadowed THAT.

So, then there was the whole sequence, which made very little sense, about them sitting in their car in the dark and the Oceansiders show up and Enid shoots Natania. I thought that perhaps this COULD represent Beth getting shot (Enid is quite distraught about it) but admittedly that’s a bit weak. More likely, it represents some future arc we can’t guess at, yet.

Enid and Aaron are taken prisoner at Oceanside, but Cyndie says she isn’t willing to kill them and just basically tells them to get out. She’s definitely not willing to help in the war against Negan.

This was the first part that confirmed for me that this was Beth/Daryl thing. Cyndie tells her people to un-handcuff them and Enid gets scared that Cyndie might be intending to execute them. She says, “You’re taking us to the beach?” Which is weird because no one said anything about the beach. At all. But it hearkens back to Abraham’s “battlefield to beach” line, which is definitely a Bethyl thing.

(On that subject—don’t you love when I interrupt my own interruptions, lol—Eugene also had a line about Alpha to Omega. It just made me realize that all the Alpha to Omega references, including Paula’s in S6,  probably point to the final battle with the helicopter people. Omega means the end so it probably all points the final, big battle of the series, which I think will be against them. But anyway.)

So then Enid and Aaron end up outside of Oceanside and he tells her to return to Maggie and he’ll stay and try to change Cyndie’s mind. This is the next part that really caught my attention. We have the hug that is reminiscent of the Bethyl hug, even if it’s from the front rather than the back. (That sounds twisted, lol.)

But we also have some more interesting dialogue here. He tells her that she specifically needs to tell Maggie not to come rescue him, which seems purposeful to me. Some future arc involving Beth, Daryl, and Maggie. Then he starts saying things like, “It’ll be okay. I’ll be okay. No matter what, I’ll be okay.” (More Beth proxiness.) And then Enid says, “Promise me I’ll see you again.” And they hug.

So again, two possibilities. This might represent Beth and Daryl separating in S5. Even though that wasn’t intentional and Enid and Aaron’s is, it might represent that Beth (Aaron) lived and Daryl will see her again. Not to mention, if you remember, Aaron spends the next little while alone out in the woods, away from TF, and there’s a lot of water involved.

The other option is that this entire thing represents something we haven’t seen yet. After they reunite and come back together, at some point in the war, they’ll have to go to different places to handle different things, and they’ll have a conversation similar to this. Which would be really sweet and romantic. And again, this seems to be tied to the whole idea of Daryl drowning on the beach that @angelthefirst1​ talked about.

So then, as I said, Aaron spends a lot of time outside Oceanside. First, he starts to pass out because he’s had no food or water. Cyndie, Rachel, and Beatriz find him, but basically just step over and ignore him. Beatriz tells him to find himself some water. (Beth and helicopter group anyone?)

Then it starts raining, which really mirrors what happens in 5x10, and that was probably a foreshadow of the same thing.

He then gets really water-logged, fights walkers, passes out. When he awakens again (this is in 8x15) the Oceanside women are standing around him. He speaks to them and finally convinces them to help against Negan.

They then show up at the end of the war in 8x16 and throw Molotov cocktails at the Saviors. And there are some interesting things in that scene (Gracie is a baby and is crying throughout it; Tara wants to stay behind to slow down the Saviors because she’s afraid they’ll hear the baby crying. That all feels really symbolic to me.) But overall, while they helped Tara’s group, Oceanside’s contribution to the war was really minimal.

Which means it foreshadows something. (Setting bottles of alcohol on fire and using them is bombs definitely smacks of the moonshine shack.)

So, after Enid and Aaron split up, the two ways I was interpreting the sequence kind of meld into one. It basically just foreshadows Beth talking some group of people into coming to help in the bigger war, and they will. In fact, we’ve talked about whether Beth is with Stefanie’s group, and whether they’re part of the helicopter people, or part of the Commonwealth, or neither. 

And there’s no way to know how it will all play out. But I was thinking that if the Saviors represent the helicopter group in a future war, this suggests Beth talking a different, smaller group into coming to help. Which is something many of us have theorized for a long time.

That’s it for today. I’ll go over 8x16 tomorrow. Stay tuned! ;D 

[nyangibun]

GoT S08E03 Thoughts

The fuck??? 

I actually have no idea how to feel about this episode or what was really even happening because jfc, the lighting was so dark and everything was moving so fast. At one point, I was wondering who the f I was even watching. 

I feel with retrospect, I’ll have a lot more to say, but as these posts are my immediate thoughts, here we go. 

We got another shot of Alys Karstark for apparently no reason. It’s weird that we were introduced to her in S7 so we know what she looks like and we keep seeing her in S8 without any payoff. Most characters we recognise that appear on screen serve a purpose. Ned Umber showed up because he needed to die for the Night King’s Cool Abstract Art. But seriously, I know non-Jonsa’s think the kidnap plot is ‘delusional’ but tell me, what purpose does Alys serve? Maybe it’s not a kidnap plot but I believe there will be some kind of mistaken identity or switch. I don’t know. I really don’t know why else she would keep reappearing in every episode thus far -- not to mention Sophie Turner’s behind-the-scenes photo where she is wearing a similar dress to what Alys was wearing in Ep 1.

I have a gripe with this episode (amongst others). Why the hell is Ghost out there? Why is he running with Jorah and the Dothrakis? Even if he is going to fight in this battle, it doesn’t make sense he’d choose to do so alongside people he doesn’t even know. Also, we didn’t get a death scene so is he alive? Did they seriously CGI Ghost in 2 episodes to do absolutely fuck all and then die? I will riot in the streets, D&D. 

Speaking of the Dothraki, what was the damn point of them? They literally died in 0.5 seconds. That was it. I know people had to die and hordes of ‘em but it felt like a complete waste of the Dothraki plotline. Also, didn’t Dani take all of the fighting men to Westeros to fight in her damn war? So now the entire Dothraki civilisation is basically massacred and there’s only the women and children left? Like damn, talk about a bad time. The Dothraki randomly charging like that was dumb AF as well. Why would you charge into an army that you know is 3-4 times the size of yours? I’m no battle strategist but I feel like that was a dumb idea.  

In terms of the battle, I really don’t know what to say. There were cool moments (ie. Arya being a badass and killing wights left and right) and then there were just wtf moments. My issue with the battle sequence was mostly just the sensory overload. There was so much going on everywhere at the same time and it was hard to keep track of what was actually going on. I also felt a little underwhelmed by the usefulness of the dragons. I suppose it was to say that the dragons can be defeated and are not the tide-changing weapons they have been in the past, which doesn’t bode well for them in the future. Btw, did Rhaegal die? Like... he fell out of the sky? And then disappeared? Are we down to just Drogon? 

And now, a moment of silence for our fallen brethren: Edd (thank you for saving Sam), Lyanna (my badass child, thank you for so cooly killing that giant), Beric (thank you for saving Arya) and Theon (wtf Bran?! you really knew our boy was gonna die and you were all ‘you’re a good man’ and then that’s it?!). 

Okay, that’s not fair. I guess Bran saying that to Theon allowed him to reach full circle with his redemption arc. He has fully atoned for his sins against House Stark. But I still think his death was bullshit. Although I loved the moment between Bran and Theon when Bran tells him that all of his decisions had led him here: home. That was definitely what Theon needed to hear and I am glad he got that before he died.

I just want to talk about Jonerice. The scene before the battle starts, they are standing overlooking the battlegrounds together, but there is a considerable amount of distance between them physically. The framing is definitely still pitting them at odds with each other since last episode’s reveal. And their conversation is also heavy with tension. It’s a good reminder that Dance of Dragons 2.0 is very much still on the table despite them working together in this episode, though that isn’t going to last long.

Jorah’s unwavering love and loyalty to Dani serves as the perfect foil to Jonerice’s weak and unconvincing romance. Time and time again, he has proven the depth of his feelings for Dani and it is him that comes to her rescue, not Jon (though ofc Jon has bigger fish to fry). And despite her not reciprocating her feelings for him, Jorah is someone she cared about and I think his death will be something she holds against the North. What I mean by that is she will think that because she has fought for the North and lost half of her army and someone she loves, they must bend the knee or else. I mean I get where she’s coming from 100%. Dani risked a lot to fight, whether her reason was altruistic or not, she has. But the problem is the North can’t afford to fight in her war with Cersei. And yes, she fought for them but they have also been through hell serving foreign rulers. This is going to be a huge point of conflict going forward but we already knew that. Now there’s just this added element. 

Also, wait... Both Lyanna and Jorah are dead. What happens to House Mormont now? Is there even another Mormont left? 

I know there weren’t any Jon x Sansa interactions and that sucks, I admit, but it’s also okay. I was happy with Tyrion and Sansa’s interactions there. Sansa has effectively said goodbye to all of her potential suitors. When Tyrion says ‘maybe they should’ve stayed married’ and Sansa responds with ‘it wouldn’t work between us; we have divided loyalties’, that ends all of the speculations that Tyrion and Sansa would re-marry or legitimize their marriage. And Sansa’s right. After the battle is over, the politics begin and their loyalties are divided. Tyrion is loyal to Dani who wants the Iron Throne and the Seven Kingdoms, and Sansa is loyal to House Stark and Northern Independence. Like I said, this is going to be a huge focus in the upcoming episodes for all of the characters. They came together despite differences to fight for the living but now they will have to choose sides on the future of the living. Tyrion and Sansa will be on opposite sides but I do maintain that Tyrion will eventually lose faith in Dani and betray her. 

In any case, Sansa basically points out that in order for a marriage to work, their loyalties and thus their goals for the future would have to be the same. Now, whose loyalties and goals coincide with Sansa’s? Jon. They are both loyal to House Stark first and foremost and then to the North. At this point, let’s be honest, there are no more eligible bachelors that we know of in Westeros. I mean technically, there’s Jaime, but as if that would happen with all of the Braime scenes this season and the lack of any interaction between Sansa and Jaime. I also don’t think Jaime will survive the season. I hope he does but I just don’t have a lot of faith he will. Redemption arcs and all that. Jon still remains her most viable option to further the House Stark line. Unless everyone dies in the end, succession is an important aspect of the story. 

I also remember someone mentioning that Tyrion could be a possible reason why Sansa gets kidnapped, as in he’ll betray her to save his skin when Bronn comes to kill him. I don’t know how much I believe this tbh but he does say that Sansa underestimates the lengths he’ll go to in order to avoid being apart of the Army of the Dead. While he is talking presently and maybe only about dying and becoming one of them, he might mean death itself. Take what you will. I’m not sure how much I believe in this theory. 

As for Arya, well, what is there to say? She is the best and I love her. I really didn’t expect it at the start of this episode she’d be the one to kill the Night King but after Melissandre’s comment to her, it was pretty obvious. I don’t really have anything to say about that just that I love her and want to protect her. I also like Melissandre a lot and Beric and hers are the only deaths in this episode that gave me a sense of closure. Their story had come to an end and it made sense. For everyone else, I am still very wtf about it. 

Anyway, so let’s do a head count of the survivors: all the Starks (Jon, Arya, Bran, Sansa), Tormund, Brienne, Jaime, Sam, The Hound, Dani, Drogon, Missandei, Tyrion, Varys, Gendry, Davos... 

People I have no idea if they survived: Podrick? Gilly and lil Sam? Ghost? Rhaegal? Grey Worm? Alys? 

Am I missing anyone? 

[storiesbeyondthestars]

I don't want to trivialize people actually suffering from the illness but s8 honestly feels like PTSD to me. I have never been this emotional over a show let alone this emotionally broken. But Voltron has been almost like a coping tool and it feels like s8 destroyed the one happy spot in my life.

Yeah not ptsd, but those characters meant a lot to a lot of people. Like, the size of the VLD fandom was insane to the point where now people claim aspects of it are dying, but I still see a bunch of new fanart and fics every single day and talk to people who do still love it. That’s the ‘dead’ version of it. It was wild before.

A lot of people saw themselves in the characters, because they were initially so well done. And no one was ready for how bad S8 was going to be. How could we be? The ending of S6 was amazing and heart-wrenching. From Keith and SHiro’s battle, to Lotor’s fall (since it really seemed like there was going to be redemption and stuff for him since both Allura and Keith didn’t want to leave him behind at first before Keith sided with the majority), to the sacrifice of the castle, to bringing Shiro back. S4 & 5 were boring and forgetful with a few good character moments and beats, but when it got rolling, S6 was amazing. 

Early S7 had good moments to it. There still seemed to be some potential there. The second half of S7 was...bad. Like it had its moments and all but even then, there was no way we could have seen S8 coming with how badly it butchered characters. Not to mention we know for a fact that it was edited very, very late in the game. As late as it could be. And I’m still confused about what happened with Lotor because the VAs for him and Allura were implying that he’d be a bigger thing and that Allura and Lance’s thing wasn’t supposed to last (I’m still convinced that those two klance conversations were supposed to frame Lance and Allura’s relationship. Lance being sad there was supposed to be because of a breakup.) 

Anyway, I’ve ranted and gone on about all of this a billion times over. S8 sucked hard to the point where VLD went from purposefully being promoted as an LGBT+ show to needing trigger warnings. It was spiteful.

With how big the fandom was, and how high the general reviews were, Netflix had a potential cashcow on their hands, but then it crashed and burned hard. So it’s understandable to be a bit upset looking back at it. 

I’m not so much upset as I am incredulous. I still have no idea how you fall out of touch with your fanbase so much while still interacting with them, but they sure as fuck did it.

[spiftynifty]

TeeVee Podcast’s Voltron s8 review

I’ve been waiting eagerly for TeeVee’s review of s8. If you recall, their s7 review was what gave us the man getting choked up about Shiro’s relationship. 

The link to the podcast is here but if you’d prefer a sort of transcript, here are some of the highlights for me. I didn’t always catch who was speaking but I wrote down initials where I could. S=Shanon, A=Antony, M=Moises, C=Chip D=Dan. The panel is divided on their feelings on the season. 2 of them seem to have hated it, one liked it, one thought it was fine, and one feels mixed about it. Anyway here we go, some great quotes ahead. 

Under the readmore cuz it’s long. 

S: "After 7 seasons of a show that was going to be one of the animated series of the decade, they not only did not stick the landing, they fell on their butts, rolled off the mat, off the lines, into the judge's table and their leotard popped open"

"A lot of the plot was callbacks to things from seasons ago that we really probably didn't need to see again." "I wasn't entirely sure that they weren't gaslighting me."

Man Shannon is calling out some great points. She's calling out the dropped druid plot thread, and wondering what the point was of showing Lotor's past when he's dead, and nothing can change in his present and his redemption can't really happen.

A: "endings are hard. I was disappointed with this season [...] it was let down by poor plotting and that final battle made me throw my hands up in despair most of the time. But I have enormous sympathy for the EPs. Maintaining a longform episodic story is hard. And to pull off an ending that satisfies even MOST of the audience is harder yet. and let's not forget they were always upfront that vt always had 'editorial interference' from up top. Toys, the fact that it's aimed at children, corp resistance to some of the more modern social issues that they've tried to tackle. THAT SAID, we don't know what happened on this production, who had the final say, what they argued over. and I say this cuz a lot of the fandom drama over it assumes a LOT over how media and entertainment like this is made that simple ARE. NOT. TRUE. Some of the stuff I've read has been ABSURDLY offbase, like that there were different writers rather than just 1 the whole way through which ignores how TV is made. And if you think these writers just go off and write a script without talking to anyone first and then they come back with something that must be filmed without any changes, THAT'S NOT HOW ANY OF THIS WORKS. [..]we don't know who made these decisions. The studio isn't always the bad guy. Sometimes they rescue things that would otherwise have been a horrible mess. And unless you were IN THE ROOM, you don't know, and neither do any of us. So let's all bear that in mind. [...]You can't lay the blame OR credit on any one person. For any of this." 

They're laughing & making so much fun of the final 3 episodes and how baffling they were. 

"Don't even get me started on Voltron merging with Atlas [and the crew disappearing] that was a bad, bad idea." 

"But that was the ONE time Shiro was back with the team!"

a couple dudes are relatively ok with the Allura death because we've never seen a WOC heroically sacrifice herself for the universe and usually it's the Shiro hero character D: They also point out that technically she wasn't fridged so.. yay?

Antony and Shannon vehemently disagree. 

A: "My problem with that ending was more just that it was... not. good." he makes a comparison to RotJ where Vader still dies and it's his SON, who lives, who 'redeems' him. "This was none of those things. It felt like a terrible lesson. You can be so evil that you kill literally billions of people for 10k yrs but if you say sorry just before you're about to be executed it's alright, dw about it, we'll put the universe back to rights. NO, that's a terrible lesson!!"

S:"They had the LIONS. That's my problem. Throughout this series we've had stakes going up but there has always been a trading of ideas, what can we do, what can we figure out, up to the point where they wind up sacrificing the castle, but they go through steps before that 'is there anything else we can do’. And here, there's not even... she didn't even get to say goodbye to Coran! This is the one character, WOC, and she has sacrificed throughout this entire series. She lost her planet. She lost the last connection she had to her father in the AI. She kept LOSING things over and over to the point where she sacrifices her crown to help Shiro. and the thanks she gets is that she has to turn around and say nope I've got to away and fix all of this and apparently never see you all again. It really, REALLY REALLY bothered me. All of my friends who have CHILDREN who watch this show, universally the kids were upset and angry and tearful and HATED that outcome. This did not feel like a triumph. Having to lose Allura like that robbed any kind of triumph in the success of saving all the universes. And I think that's one of the reasons that this last part of the season sits so poorly with me. I feel like it should have ended in a triumphant way. even if it meant losing a couple of the team members or the lions. Of course that takes away the toy aspect which is why that's not an option. We already had several tragedy arcs in this series. Zarkon, Honerva, and Lotor had tragedy arcs. Why does Allura have to have one too? We've had enough." 

Antony & Shanon KILLIN IT on this podcast y'all.

C: "This series relies so much on 'oh wait, there's a new upgrade', 'oh wait, there's this new thing'" A: "Well that was the entire final battle." C: "So there's this handwavy Allura has to sacrifice herself. The heavy lifting wasn't done to make this an earned moment."

S: "I do think, whether it was at the direction of DW or WEP (Vld IP), without those little epilogue cards, there is the potential opening that Allura might be able to return.[..]It was open to interpretation."

One guy likes the Shiro ending for the surprising progress aspect, even though he's not thrilled about how it was put together. also he isn't convinced the epilogue wasn't planned. He likes a lot of s8 but all the stuff he likes is tied to stuff that he really didn't like.

S:"The shiro card is the other reason that I think those things were shoved in. For me, that turns Shiro's entire character into a token when he wasn't before. When they introduced his sexuality, it was done BEAUTIFULLY. There was this conversation with his significant other a mature relationship that ran into its problems and therefore couldn't happen anymore. Adam could've been Adele, and nothing would have changed about that conversation. It was not the defining characteristic of Shiro. It was just something else about him."

S: "And then s8 happens and Shiro is divided from everybody on the team. There are so few interactions of any kind that aren't just barking orders. or making plans. Keith is the prime example. Their friendship had been a backbone of this series and suddenly they can't even stand more than feet 5ft from each other. 

A: “It’s barely evident, yeah.”

M:”And the same with the rest of the main cast. And if they had set that up at the end of s7, that he’s going to go into the background a bit, it wouldn’t have felt as weird.

S: “And they didn’t! S7 was miraculous in the fact that even though he’s no longer in a lion, he’s still got a vital part to play in the series. And s8 erased that. It pretty much neutered him! And the kind of message is once you've revealed this character to be gay, we've gotta keep him out of the way. And if they had not put those end cards in, again the fact that he's a gay man is just the fact that he's a gay man and it's not any bigger or smaller aspect of his character, but they did not EARN him marrying random bridge crew member #3."

A: "and RETIRING! A man who LEFT adam because he felt he had to go and fight."

A: "He left the guy he loved before because of his devotion to"

S:"To fighting to making things right"

A:”To being a soldier and doing the right thing.”

C:”Isn’t the whole point then that he achieves that?”

M:”The fighting’s over and he can leave that behind and he can actually be happy.”

S: “He wouldn’t’ve. I don’t see it.”

M: “I violently disagree.”

C: “I think it was a nice endcap for his character."

Moises also likes this because it’s not a BYG scenario and he gets retired. Shannon is extremely exasperated by these takes. 

S:”For me, it’s like Tangled. You go through Rapunzel and Flynn, going through their adventures, getting closer, getting to know each other, they save each other, things like that. And then she’s reunited with her parents and then we get and endcap that says ‘for political reasons her parents decided they needed to marry her off to the prince in the next county, sorry’. That would’ve had people RIOTING. Thats not how you do a story with characters that people care about. And to shove shiro off onto this random character that we--his name is never spoken!”

A:”No he had like 3 lines in the entire season.”

S:”He had 3 line sin the season, you don’t know his name unless you watched the subtitles, and in the audio narration for the visually impaired, they called him Adam in the endcap. They called him Adam! They fixed that now. It feels like a hugely clumsy attempt to grab the woke points for a character that didn’t need them.”

Moises then talks a little about Shiro and Keith and how he and Shannon both thought there was something there, and still do, but they can’t know what happened behind the scenes and to theorize on the intent of that relationship is “conspiracy theory land” and trying to decide what the writers were prevented from doing is like “reading tea leaves and chicken bones”. He references people extracting things from his own writing. 

M: “As much as I wanted to see that relationship flower and flourish, the fact that it didn’t, look, it’s one of a million times that’s happened for me, with fiction, where things didnt turn out the way I wanted to see them.”

S:”I’m talking about 2 different things, as far as Shiro’s character, vs shipping  issues. I feel Shiro’s character was done a disservice that if they were going to end him in a relationship with another man, they didn’t earn it by throwing that little endcap on.”

M:”Yeah, they could have brought back one less robeast or something.”

S:”The other thing is, I think there is enough out there as far as interviews with JDS and LM to show that at the very least I think they meant to leave it openended. Again  if you take out that endcap, the last shot includes a shot of just Shiro and Keith, together, same screen, looking up as the lions go away, without saying anything further. I know I pie in the sky hoped that they were gonna kiss this season when we did our s7 recap and yes that was the shipper in me talking. I truly did not expect that they would be able to go that far. What I did not expect was for them to tear it down. And I feel like that’s what they did. Between the complete absence of interactions in s8, and then throwing that epilogue in there.”

Dan doesn’t understand how that could be because he sees no reason for them to do that. Shannon patiently explains about DW’s history with LGBT characters but Dan insists that the creators told the story the way they wanted to and he’s fine with Shiro getting a marriage even if it’s a character they don’t know. 

Overall the panelists love the show still, and in most cases prefer to consider it in the realm of s1-6 with a weak final double season (7&8) or that the show ends after s7. They would all love to know how long the NDAs last, a making of perhaps, to know what the heck happened and what changed along the way. Big mood my dudes. Big mood.

[headspacedad]

(1/2) this is a symptom of bigger problems (shiro's isolation+show's mistreatment of kuron+underdeveloped relationships/lack of bonding moments) but i can't get over shiro and lance having a great set up to talk to each other/talk about kuron in s7 and it didn't happen. lance feeling guilty and crying over shiro? kuron confiding in lance? shiro calling out to lance in the astral plane? that seemed like build up for SOMETHING to happen but nothing really came from it

(2/2) i guess shiro and lance talking about what happened means lance would have to bring up kuron reaching out to him thus humanizing kuron and we can't have that since kuron has been brushed off as an 'evil' clone so shiro and lance can't ever talk about it... is that why they don't talk about it? or is this another case of 'we didn't have enough time'? i want to hope the conversation i was expecting in s7 between these two happens in s8 but idk i doubt it            

I think one of the most grating things, for me at least, as a viewer and as a writer, is the amount of opportunities the story had - and how many they simply threw away through apparent ignorance.  It wasn’t like that in the first two seasons and that’s one of the main reasons I let myself get hooked along for the ride as audience.  If something was brought up, even a small something, in an episode, chances were very high that it would show up again later on down the road as tied to things.  Even Coran quipping about the Weblum and then us later having an adventure inside a Weblum was delightful to me because it showed such attention to detail and a universe that tied together and made sense and it was just - fun.  It was so much fun watching how casual strands later turned into solid ropes of story st they went.  You can trace back through my posts and see how much faith that gave me in a coherent story and how often I urged patience ‘just because something didn’t make sense at the time, the story would give us the answers later’.  (oh hell, look at how much faith I had that we’d see Shiro use the Black Bayard as his own for as long as I did simply because I thought it was such a basic ass story principle being used).  I had faith in a coherent story and writers who actually knew how to - you know, write.

Lance and Shiro had so much build up to a really wonderful friendship/mentorship/support team.  Right from the get-go with Lance’s ‘that guy’s my hero’ and the way the story paused on the handshake between them.  The way Lance lit up when Shiro called him ‘sharp-shooter’ - and the fact Shiro called him that in the first place.  Shiro’s reaching out to Lance on the astral plane and Kuron reaching out to Lance as he started to doubt himself.  There were so many little moments that, in an actual story, would have led into a great and satisfying kind of friendship and comradeship.  Lance was an amazing right hand man to Kuron, on the ball and ready with the rest of the team in the Holt swap before Kuron could even ask.  And Lance’s heartbreak at missing Shiro’s cry for help on the astral plane was emotionally fulfilling and leading for the audience.  And then - nothing.  Like the rest of the ‘team’ any bonding moments led nowhere and never added up to anything greater.  We already knew the EPs didn’t care about Shiro’s story progress and actively thwart any he might have but its not as if Lance is being much better used either.  Lance is being under used, under developed and in season seven he got reduced to humor comedy for half the season.  Any progress he’s made in character development or growth has pretty much been wiped so that he’s almost right back to square one.  And frankly, the story didn’t give him much character development to start with.

It is not a matter of the EPs and story tellers not having enough time.  They have had eight seasons (or six if you count it that way).  That is more than enough time, as a writer, to develop all kinds of characterization and character growth.  And include plot.  AND include sub-plots. And yes, even do stupid episodes for silliness and every single Voltron transformation sequence and then have room left over.  Look at how much was packed into seasons one and two.  Those weren’t perfect seasons but they were tightly written, included a great deal, managed to stay consistent and fun AND pulled off team bonding, positive messages (for the most part) and give each of the characters episodes to shine and grow and move forward in.  And imagine what it would have been like if the team had six more seasons just like and what the story could have done with it.  And instead we got - whatever the hell it was we got.  Ups and down in seasons three through six that ended up leaving us basically where we’d started and a season seven that chucked it all out the window and started everything from scratch in an entire different universe with characters that didn’t even sound like themselves anymore (and we know why but that doesn’t make the breaking of the story any less).

Lance should be a matured, developed character that’s grown and moved on to new strengths and challenges by now.  Shiro and Lance should be a bonded, emotionally comfortable team by now - along with the rest of Team Voltron.  Instead we’ve got the same Lance we had at the end of season two for the most part and Shiro -

well, Shiro’s not allowed to have any friend’s that aren’t Keith.  Or any bonds that aren’t Keith either.  Not even with his own lion much less another human being.  Step stools don’t get friends.

So yes, Shiro and Lance did have every reason and opportunity and chance and plot moment needed to become some kind of meshed team, with Shiro learning to trust others with his vulnerabilities and Lance growing into maturity and yeah - even them discussing Kuron and, in an actually well written world, giving both themselves and the audience some kind of healing and conclusion to what happened to Kuron.  The writing had it all there. Time and time again.  And time and time again the writing completely failed to pick up what was in front of it.  And I want to emphasis how easy it would have been to utilize any of those moments and how little time and new content it would have taken.  Why was there no group hug at the end of episode one in season seven?  Shiro just came back from the dead and his team just stands around smiling.  They might as well have been golf clapping.  How easy, if the team had hugged him, would it have been for Lance to blubber something on his shoulder and for Shiro to tell him that he knew and it was all right? Instead of the ‘being dead/evil clone’ line from Shiro to Lance how hard would it have been to replace that single line with something more along the lines of ‘while I was in the lion worrying about you guys and trying to be strong enough to reach you’?  Why not give Shiro a stint in Red with Lance on the way home and give them two minutes to talk about Kuron?  We had room for an entire game show episode.  We had room for two episodes that didn’t even feature the paladins.  It wouldn’t have taken large changes to fix these very basic problems (the story line problems themselves would have taken more but the lack of bonding and humanity with the characters themselves only needed small, regular moments, a minute or two of screen time a piece, a change of dialogue, to fix).

And I think that’s, to me, one of the most frustrating things about this entire debacle.  That the story was right there, right at the tips of our fingers and everyone could feel and almost hear it.  We all know how the story should have felt, all the pieces were available for a satisfying and enjoyable story.  We weren’t asking for the Iliad.  We just wanted a story we could relax and enjoy.  Everything was in place for exactly that -

and then half of those pieces were ignored and the other half were worked into shapes they didn’t fit and we got -

well, we got the schlock we got.  And that’s what makes it so hard to swallow down and toss over our shoulder and move on from.  But for a few people, we would have had the story we all knew was right there to enjoy.  Is it any wonder the discussion about it all isn’t dying down?

[alicesloane13]

Thoughts on GoT S8 E2?

Death. Lots of it!

Serious answer… let’s see:

First off this is more theories for the next few episodes bc I think it’s all going to overlap. I didn’t watch the books. I’ve only watched the early seasons more than once. (Bad fan I know). So, most of my thoughts are very very loosely researched or not at all. A lot of them are just crack

S8.02

One thing I’m trying to consider is that there are a LOT of unresolved things happening and NOT a lot of time to wrap everything up. They’ve said that they’ve filmed multiple endings and I’m afraid that different loose ends will tie up with different endings, so… bummer :/ Maybe they’ll release them later (I mean… more $$$ for them right?)

- Tyrion is going to do something that might hurt the greater good on behalf of Cersei. Their last conversation he was very emotional and obviously still very fucked up feeling and guilty about Marcella and Tommen. Now that he’s found out she’s pregnant. He got a very strange look on his face, they cut the scene short, and he was very gruff and short about his answers to everyone. He’s been a little… distracted and absent-minded sense then. Possibly more guilt and debating on which choice is really the right thing to do.

- Dany is really going to show she’s losing her shit. It’s been a long time coming, and that look she gave Jon when he told her… Everyone has been calling or teasing/saying that Cersei is “The Mad Queen”. Which, I mean… she’s not the sanest at the moment BUT I think Dany is going to be that one to officially get that title.

- Melisandra (who I’m not a fan of from way back) is definitely up to something. That conversation she had with Varys was pointed somewhere. I feel like her whole “we’re both going to die here” was just a vague we’re both here for the long haul and not that their fates/deaths are in any way tied together

- Ser Davos is never going to see his wife–that I didn’t even–remember him having (she’s been mentioned twice?). Well, he might see her, but we won’t. I hope for his sake! He’s on my please try not to die list. All the shit he’s been through and not going home, I’m starting to see him almost like Odysseys/Ulysses trope

- Samwell (also a fave) has always wanted to be a wizard right? I think he definitely is and/or has magic to some degree. He’s kind of blundered through a lot of things successfully. He saved Gilly, killed a white walker, the other early white walkers just flat out ignored his presence, cured Jorah, people tend to listen to him and take his advice A LOT even though he doesn’t particularly seem like the type of person you’d take advice from. I love the idea that this is just all his own skills, but he wants to be magical so much that I think it would be sweet.

- Here’s where it turns to crack. I was doing a bit of research on the stuff that Maggy the Frog told Cersei. I looked at both show and books stuff. Book Maggy the Frog had a family tree. Some rando on it who we know nothing about other than he was sent with other people when Tywin this guy was among them (in the books). His name is Samwell. Now I know obviously the Tarly’s most likely are not any lineage coming from her. Sam’s dad even boasts about killing her. BUT Samewll also looks nothing like his family. Name kids after relatives is a pretty typical thing here.

So, if you were Randyll Taryly and this kid you have in your house you’re pretending (for whatever reason) starts showing possible magical traits… you might be so anti-magic that you’d go off and try and eradicate that lineage just out of fear it might come out or something? Idk

- People are theorizing that this entire thing is Sam recording the history and telling this story. I would much rather it be Gilly telling little Sam and having picked up where he left off. Because I love her and how cool would it be from her starting point to evolve into that? She’s already shown herself to be useful and her reading is nearly perfect now.

- Crack theory: Arya is dead and the faceless man is working in her stead. Very unlikely. Doesn’t quite make sense. Why would he kill her and then go off and move through her life? Beats me. The Waif wouldn’t make sense either. But that would fuck me up lol and could explain why Nymeria “knew” her, but didn’t “KNOW” her. He also knows about her list and who is on it etc. He also still owes her a kill. Their bargain was that she took his name off her list, not that it canceled out that kill. Lots of more logical theories out there about this already being taken care of between him, the waif, and Arya.

- Ser Brienne is Azor Ahai (reincarnated?) or the prince(s) that was promised if they’re not the same. I’m not going into details on this one or we’ll be here all day. Message me if you want more?

- Unlikely, but maybe since Jon died the Night King will have some influence/power over him

- Popular theory: the Night King is going to reanimate the dead Starks. Eh, even if that happens it won’t really be “our” Starks. How many of their bodies actually made it back to Winterfell? I do think they’re coming back in some way or another. Most likely this way. (also in the books the catacombs are bigger than all over Winterfell and I guess there’s a theory there might be dragon eggs in there idk)

However, I have another theory. That makes absolutely no sense. Ever since Melisandra kind of lost her faith/way she keeps disappearing and returning. Which she’s not a MC so that makes sense. But she’s been getting more and more confident. Then the convo with Varys… my guess is she’s been out researching and/or recruiting (I vaguely remember someone saying she went rogue after Stannis).

We know she brought Jon back from the dead, and that other people have been able to do this. I would love for her to come back and revive the dead Starks so the Night King couldn’t have a hold on them as easily. They’d still be creepy af and all, but at least not a weapon from the inside.

My other theory about her is that… Okay, Ned had Ice. Lightbringer had a lot of fire connected to it. Let’s just talk about Ice first. It was melted down and made into two swords. Brienne has Oathkeeper. Jamie has Widow’s Wail.

(Which how poetic is that that both halves of the swords involved in Brienne’s knighting were Ned’s sword. Also, Ned who always encouraged Arya to follow unconventional hobbies would totally be down with knighting Brienne I think).

So, Ice is with two people who are gonna be pretty damn important to this fight. Everyone has been going on about the dragons now being fire and ice. What if instead, it’s weapons. I don’t know who would wield them. Jon seems pretty attached to his sword. Arya likes her spear and daggers. Idk.

BUT she’s leaving to go to Volantis in the middle of all this. If you look up the history of Valyria you can see there’s a connection between them. Ned’s sword was made by a Valyrian blacksmith? I read that in one spot, dunno about accuracy.

It would make sense that if anyone would be smithing a weapon it would be Gendry. But he also feels a bit more important than merely making weapons at this point. Maybe there was more involved with crafting it. Tools involved, additional material, she’s off to find some blacksmith that was related to the original one. She brings back some fire weapon… and then we have 3-4 (if they make two like ice) swords that are fire and ice. Maybe Gendry could be someone who wields it bc as Tormund mentions that hammer is kinda big and kinda slow. He’s going to need something quick and easily maneuverable for this battle.

- my FAVORITE and most UNLIKELY theory…enough big people survive. Dany does become full-on Mad Queen demanding everyone bend the knee or get fried. She’s out of control. There are very few people who could take her by surprise and not bat an eye. I think she’s wary of Sansa, so that rules her out (that would be cool too though). I think Arya could pull it off, bc ofc! BUT it would be very poetic and create a beautiful parallel if Cersei kills her and becomes… Queen Slayer. It might not fully redeem her, but she’d definitely get some points.

I think that’s all I got. Please Please Please let me know what you think, or ask questions, or give me your own thoughts, etc. I know most of this is crack, but I was kinda trying to think of the most outlandish things.

[daughter-of-pens]

Fancanon #1.4 - SPN - The Daughter Figure

Krissy comes to live with the boys after Victor died in S8.E18. The other two kids in her hunting crew had relatives come and claim them, apparently having been looking for them since the parents' deaths. Krissy had no other relatives to claim her and rather than guilt her friends into staying in the hunting life with her, she told them to "go be normal, at least for a little while." Krissy was prepared to be a solo backpacking hunter until Dean opened the door to Baby and said "what're you waiting for? Get in." She asked where they were going. He said "home."

She was their back up at the bunker while Sam, Dean, and Charlie were dealing with Crowley and rescuing Kevin. She and Charlie split up to play counselor to the brothers when they started fighting over the trials.

Tangent: Canonically, Dean is the one with the bigger connection to both of them, which is another thing that grinds my gears about this show. Dean is obviously the main character, who gets the special bond to everyone they meet. So annoying. Sam was the one who answered her call, who helped her first, but Dean is the one who becomes her 'big bro?' Oy vey. Why do the writers hate Sam? (Yes I am a Samgirl, but it doesn't take a bias to peep that the writing is slanted more plentiful and favorably towards Dean. But I digress.)

During mediation, Charlie takes Dean and Krissy takes Sam. Krissy sees a lot of her dad in Sam. "Around 12, I lost count of how many times I had stapled, burned, and stitched my dad back together just so he could go out there and break himself down again fighting more monsters." She never had the guts to ask him, so she asks Sam, "Is it really worth it?"

Sam pauses. "Look, the things I've done...Yes. It's worth it."

This conversation is the beginning of a parental bond between Sam and Krissy.

In Season 9, Charlie and Kevin are on the road together, so Krissy is the only one home with Sam and Dean. She finds out the Gadreel secret after seeing from the balcony of the bunker, Sam's voice change while Dean was talking to him at the table, then watching Dean argue with him before his voice went back to normal and Dean pretended they weren't just arguing.

She promises Dean she won't tell Sam about the angel possessing him and thanks Dean for making the choice for him because even though she knows he would be pissed, she didn't want to lose him either. And she is the one who spies on Samdreel when he meets with Metatron in that big parking lot. She can't get close enough to know what they're talking about (let’s say rooftops and binoculars are her thing), but she can tell Dean doesn't know about it.

There's no way to confront Gadreel without alerting Sam, so she tries to talk to Dean about not trusting Gadreel. At this point, Dean still trusts him, so he tells Krissy not to worry. Then Krissy describes the old man he was meeting with and Dean's face changes. He confronts Gadreel and Gadreel has the perfect excuse, something about a long con in catching Metatron and getting him to reopen the gates of heaven for all the angels. Dean buys it, Krissy doesn't. Krissy continues to watch him.

When Gadreel goes to kill Kevin, Krissy stops it!

They fight and Samdreel injures her almost fatally before running away. Dean finds the mess and does the tending to injured Kevin and Krissy.

Gadreel takes Sam's vessel to the bar where his other vessel is, possesses that other one and he and Metatron leave Sam unconscious behind the bar. Sam wakes up, looks horrified by the blood on his hands, and calls Dean. Charlie (having returned home to make up with Kevin that same night post-attack) drives over to pick him up and half explains what happened on the way to the hospital, where Dean explains the rest outside.

The gang, except Krissy, deal with the Metatron business for the rest of the season.

In between dealing with old Metty, Sam visits unconscious Krissy in the hospital, ripped apart by guilt for hurting her.

Dean's assurances that "it wasn't really you and she knows that" just make him angrier at Dean because the truth is, it was him and it was Dean's fault that it was him. Rather than being upset that Dean saved his life because he didn't want to be alone (as it is written in canon), Sam can be thankful to be alive because they have a family to live for and even say to him something like "you’re right. I was tempted to leave it all behind. I was just so tired of all of it. But had I been conscious...I would have said yes.” He can feel that way AND STILL be angry that Dean let him go on being controlled by an angel. 

He argues that if he had known about his possession, he could've tried to fight for control or bind Gadreel or send him into another body way sooner, like before he got recruited by Metatron and tried to hurt Kevin and successfully hurt Krissy the most.

So Dean's in hot water with Sam not for loving him too much to let him go or "selfishly" not wanting to be the only one left alive in his whole family (which is more depressing than malicious), but because he put the family in danger and patronized Sam by leaving him in the dark about what was going on with him; lying to his face when Sam told him he had been feeling off, losing time, and forgetting things. Dean let him think he was losing his mind because he didn't trust Sam to take care of himself.

And this is a much better display of Dean being too controlling in a negative way rather than just him saving Sam's life because that honestly made Sam come off as ungrateful/pseudo suicidal and/or like he looked down on his brother for wanting him around and being afraid of loneliness, which cast more sympathy over Dean even though he wronged Sam.

Tangent: That's another thing I don't like about the writing. Even when Dean "messes up" Sam ends up looking bad or worse than him most of the time. Dean’s always got a good reason and Sam 9.5 times out of 10 just comes off like a nag. But anyways.

Moving on!

................

[elizabethrobertajones]

Ok so if all four of them are gonna be in a *cowboy themed* motel in 13x6 they're gonna have to split up 2 and 2 right??? So I'm really gonna need Dean and Cas to share a room and then have a convo that's reverse of the "Talk to me" one in S8 where instead they talk about how they both did feel suicidal but how they've both overcome it. ~For reasons unknown~

That would be great mirroring, and it’s always good to compare the fun episodes where things seem back to normal to 8x08… However… Sorry, but this is a bummer reply, I’m just not good with leaving off things like this :P

I sort of feel though that neither Dean or Cas got to completely overcome things in their respective paths through dark other worlds… Cas said he’d just keep fighting and even if the standing up was an important part, he acknowledged he was going back with a sense of hopelessness that he’d get what he truly wants - and that’s just how it was in the Empty, while it sounds like he may have forgotten the experience so it’s for now a metaphorical state he passed through and we got to see it vocalised and it probably means roughly where he’s up to. But the despair of resolution, the fact need/want has been called out for US to know it’s a major theme but Cas of course hasn’t actually talked face to face with any Winchester, let alone Dean, to resolve need/want, which is the core of his depression, thematically… He’s come back with levelled up determination and a will to live, which is great, but there’s so much work to do before he feels happy even if he DOES remember the Empty. I’ve written ridiculously long things tracking his arc so I’ll just say that this was a great step forwards for him but in no way actually resolving anything. 

For Dean as well, Billie sent him back but it was with the ��work to do” order/motivation that’s made Dean and Sam power through a lot of their worst times, and like how in the Empty nothing new was actually said about Cas, it just brought everything up that was troubling him so we’d get a sample of how he feels, that was just repeating the theme for Dean that he started this season on - that at best he’s going to feel like a guy doing his job, because someone more important than him told him he had to and he can’t stop now. 

Billie’s words are the sort of advice he got in season 7 after Cas (and then Bobby) died, from Bobby, Frank and Eliot Ness, all of which was a variation of the same sort of nihilism about doing the job because it’s the job and you’re the one who does it. I’m in most agreement with the meta I’ve seen that Dean didn’t go into that whole mess looking for a reason to die, he just was in that state Bobby described: 

BOBBY:I want to talk about your new party line.

DEAN:Party? What are you talking about? I don’t even vote.

BOBBY:“The world’s a suicide case. We save it, it just steals more pills”?

DEAN:Bobby, I’m here, okay? I’m on the case. What’s the problem?

BOBBY:I’ve seen a lot of hunters live and die. You’re starting to talk like one of the dead ones, Dean.

DEAN:No, I’m talking the way a person talks when they’ve had it, when they can’t figure out why they used to think all this mattered.

I’m picking on this conversation because it’s the most detailed but also because it’s the one Dean has WITH Bobby so in no way shape or form can it be about Dean losing Bobby, except that of course this episode gave Dean and Sam both a private conversation with Bobby about where they were at, so we could have a good last moment with him each, and also to gauge how they’d react to his death (Dean with this massive depression caused by losing Cas and his betrayal to pile on top of) and Bobby’s last advice apply after as well. His advice being:

BOBBY:Come on, now. You tried to hang it up and be a person with Lisa and Ben. And now here you are with a mean old coot and a van full of guns. That ain’t person behavior, son. You’re a hunter, meaning you’re whatever the job you’re doing today. Now, you get a case of the Anne Sextons, something’s gonna come up behind you and rip your fool head off. Now, you find your reasons to get back in the game. I don’t care if it’s love or spite or a ten-dollar bet. I’ve been to enough funerals. I mean it. You die before me, and I’ll kill you.

Cheery. 

But this is essentially what Billie does for Dean. She reads him, sees he wants to die, and he tells her that he doesn’t matter, so she reassures him that he has a job, that he is important, that he’s in this cosmic position of responsibility. It would almost be encouraging, to know you’re not meant to die that day, that there is a reason for you to be alive. But not for Dean in the state he was in then.

Cas coming back is GREAT and of course it’s going to make Dean wildly happy. But he’s been feeling this way about the job a long, long time in ways that aren’t to do with Cas at all but is just his underlying major trauma that you can see coming from a hundred miles off in season 1:

from 2x09:

DEANI’m tired, Sam. I’m tired of this job, this life … this weight on my shoulders, man. I’m tired of it.

[…]

DEANI just think we should take a break from all this. Why do we gotta get stuck with all the responsibility, you know? Why can’t we live life a little bit?

Or this speech from 2x20 I contractually have to quote at least once a month as a card-carrying Dean!girl:

DEAN All of them. Everyone that you saved, everyone Sammy and I saved. They’re all dead. And there’s this woman, that’s haunting me. I don’t know why. I don’t know what the connection is, not yet anyway. It’s like my old life is, is coming after me or something. Like it like it doesn’t want me to be happy. Course I know what you’d say. Well, not the you that played softball but… “So go hunt the Djinn. He put you here, it can put you back. Your happiness for all those people’s lives, no contest. Right?” But why? Why is it my job to save these people? Why do I have to be some kind of hero? What about us, huh? What, Mom’s not supposed to live her life, Sammy’s not supposed to get married? Why do we have to sacrifice everything, Dad? It’s… Yeah…

(And, side note, it really annoys me when people make 2x20 about brotherly wuv, platonically or not, because THAT is why Dean decided to go un-wish this life, not because of anything to do with AU Sam, who he still trusted he could find his Sam in >.> I’ll just keep repeating this until I stop stumbling over the idea… :P)

He’s had similar smaller moments like this but season 2, 7 and now 13 are his grief seasons, so I’m most interested in these parallels. Like, just in general. Specifically in season 2 because he was dealing with John’s order to save Sam or kill him, which of course is a dynamic that Jack could horrifyingly repeat for him if Dean gets attached to a kid with the same horrifying destiny. Specifically in season 7 Dean was dealing with losing Cas and it immediately struck him to the core, that even while Cas was still Godstiel he was having mirrors with his season 2 self after losing John:

DEANSounds good. You got any leads on where the demon is? Making heads or tails of any of Dad’s research? Because I sure ain’t. But you know, if we do finally find it - oh. No, wait, like you said. The Colt’s gone. But I’m sure you’ve figured out another way to kill it. We’ve got nothing, Sam. Nothing, okay? So you know the only thing I can do? Is I can work on the car.

[… five years elapse]

SAM: So, what? Try to talk to him again?

DEAN: Sam.

SAM: Dean, all we can do is talk to the guy.

DEAN: He’s not a guy. He’s God. And he’s pissed. And when God gets righteous, you get the hell out of the way; haven’t you read the Bible?

SAM: I guess…

DEAN: Cas is never coming back. He’s lied to us, he used us, he cracked your gourd like it was nothing. No more talk; we have spent enough on him.

SAM: Okay.

DEAN: Hand me that socket wrench.

Dean didn’t lose the car this time, just had Miriam deface it with “Bitch” on the window and the car was washed and shiny in a couple of episodes. But it’s metaphorically a similar process and I guess all they had time for when 13x01 was about taking time in a very different way, by giving Dean like 10 minutes at the end of the episode all about how he was grieving Cas. 

Anyway, I think there’s a lot of thematic overlap in what it means for Dean right now, with Billie’s reminder of his position on the cosmic ladder, to John’s order about Sam, to Dean’s responsibility to deal with Cas and the Leviathans, which eventually crystallises into his mission to kill Dick - and though Dick kills Bobby, finding out who is the head leviathan in 7x09 really just seals the deal of who Dean needs to personally kill to deal with everything, and the Bobby thing was just an extra motivation to fall into a revenge mindset, but it also about what happened with Cas (and when Cas comes back, he has to help kill Dick for the same reason it all happened to him and he was connected to it and responsible). 

We really haven’t seen anything yet, but I think getting Cas back is a temporary fix at least to a bigger issue, which is Dean’s burden of the world, which Chuck lumped on him in 11x23 and made me very, very excited that Dean’s duty to save everyone was hopefully going to get some microscopic treatment and maybe one day some sort of resolution. I don’t think Billie’s comment was a pick me up, and it reminds me of how Cas started picking on Dean on Heaven’s behalf in 4x01 - telling him they had work for him. In 4x02 Dean complains a lot about how he hates being singled out and it’s absolutely horrifying that he was saved for unknown reasons. And those reasons turned out to be being Michael’s vessel and one of the 2 grenade pins needed to be pulled on the planet being destroyed.

(Which we have some handy visuals for and reminders of in the AU world right now :P) 

I’d hope in the long run Chuck’s orders end up being destroyed as much as John’s were, because the parallel is 1 to 1 except bigger scale, and Chuck telling Dean the world has him to protect it literally in God’s own place is an absolutely horrifying unfair burden than broke him in season 5 and can be directly equated to how season 2 broke him when Sam, who was basically his whole world at the time, was lumped on him with the same burden. In the mean time, Billie’s adding to the weight on Dean, although long run she’s neutral, commenting on it rather than ordering, and seems to have some confidence that he has a purpose and will fulfil it, I can see Dean struggling with it in just the same way he took Cas’s comments in 4x01. 

So even if he seems happy to get Cas back, the root problem of his depression, his sense of being worthless, is still truly about how he defines himself as a hunter and the guy who is supposed to save everyone - who will trade himself for a house of random ghosts he feels he LET DOWN by not investigating well enough sooner. Because he has sole responsibility to fix the planet.

The job is killing Dean literally and metaphorically, and the grief of losing all his loved ones as they do it is just an additional awful, awful part of it. Not getting Cas back immediately thanks to Chuck in 13x01 just confirmed how alone Dean is in the world to him, and he directly mentioned the line from 11x23 when reaching out to Chuck… Getting Cas back and Cas returning seemingly on his own steam is going to be a nice turning point, and good for uplifting Dean, but the core problem remains and since 11x23 I’ve been pretty certain that Dean’s endgame is NOT to be a hunter… Billie also now makes me think he has some purpose to fulfil, and ideally, fulfilling it would let him finally get off the cosmic ladder and be who he wants to be without obligation. 

About all I can really speculate about that hopeful endgame would be that Sam seems to be lumped in with Dean on this, but Cas is literally outside the system based on how he got himself back from the Empty without Chuck’s interference, OR except for in thematic “rewards” or dramatic irony from just missing him really hard, Dean didn’t actually bring him back by DOING anything, and Jack, who is also outside the system in some ways, did instead. But that’s all a huge mess right now :P Need more data. 

So anyway, to go back to Dean and Cas next episode? I think they will have a lot to talk about but it has to be immediate character stuff about their actions and desires. They are both really good for each other and going through very similar emotional territory so I hope they get honest and tell each other how they’re doing, but I don’t think they’ll be talking about overcoming anything. I think if it does mirror 8x08 it MAY be a reversal that Dean admits how bad he was doing without Cas, and Cas is still too uncertain about what happened to him or with a link to make it directly about Dean to reciprocate the sentiment… For all the good communication lately I’m not entirely sure if Dean and Cas can absolutely knock down all the walls. 

And I seriously fear dramatic interruptions to their reconciliation just because of the extremely vague episode descriptions we have after 13x06, which seem to  be concealing exactly what happens in that episode… I’m really expecting silly cowboys for like the middle half of the episode, with the first quarter for reconciliation and getting onto the job, and the last quarter or five minutes for shit to completely hit the fan in some way, probably about Jack, and probably involving Cas since he’s specifically not mentioned in the episode descriptions *even though they just got him back*. 

I’m not worried or wanky about this, I’m just bracing myself for the next round of drama and what its subject will be. If Cas is fine and hanging out with the Winchesters still for 2 episodes and it was redacted spoilers for the sake of 13x05′s last 5 minutes that’s awesome :P But it sounds like time to brace yourself not to expect everything to be fluffy or resolved, either with plot stuff, or emotional arcs. We’re only 5 episodes in so the drama needs to keep on happening, and there’s no way Dean and Cas can or should overcome their arcs about their depression when it’s been set up so interestingly, just because they’re hanging out again.

But it WILL make them feel a lot better in the short term. :D I’m really excited for what they WILL say to each other, I just feel like in some ways we’re really starting to put the cart before the horse on identifying what stories are being told and what moments are being offered to tell them, and assuming the stories are over just because something really dramatic happened. I’m seeing it a lot with all sorts of thematic threads, that just because they’re becoming obvious or surface level or have had a really dramatic moment all about them, they’re being wrapped up as we speak. Instead I think it’s got to all be set up for the rest of the season, where this is all important stuff to know, but the real work hasn’t even begun yet :P

[occupyvenus]

JxD smells of fanservice to me. I mean, OOC character who *nudges nudges wink* screams it. If it was meant to be for bigger reasons we wouldn't be getting things this way

Same. I don’t even care if they are really going for a romance anymore. I’m not particularly keen on it, but if they could only do it well. It feels rushed and forced, they obviously didn’t put much thought or heart into it. If it is supposed to be the grand love story of GoT, they didn’t put any effort in to make it worthy of that title. But then s7 simultaneously feels like filler and throwing too many plot points at us at once. I’ve said it before, the pacing this season is weird and unless they really turn it around in the last three episodes, or use it to set the stage for an amazing s8, I’m not sure reducing the numbers of episodes was a good idea. It feels like they’re simply working off a check-list of what has to happen, without building any suspense to those moments. 

@iqqsgonnabeokay I wanted to respond to your reblog, but since I was already working on this ask, I’m just going to tag you here. (-: That scene annoyed me to no ends, you can’t even imagine. 

Spoilers for episode 4 under the cut. IF YOU ARE ON MOBILE AND THE “READ MORE” DOESN’T WORK, CLOSE YOUR EYES AND KEEP SCROLLING A LITTLE BIT. 

It was already bothering me in the last episode. We go from Jon and Danielle fighting and her accusing him of being in open rebellion (it’s not like they were close to coming to any kind of agreement before Varys interrupted) to them having a private, somewhat intimate conversation in the next scene they have together, where they kind of end with the note of we are not so different you and I, let’s agree to disagree but work together anyway. I know that wing-man Tyrion talked to both of them, but that was a drastic shift in tone for them being face-to-face.

We never see them growing closer through their own interactions. We never see them understanding the other or starting to respect the other through how they act around each other, their relationship primarily progresses through what other people tell them. 

When did Danielle start to respect Jon’s opinion to such a degree, where she would ask him about advice? That would have been an issue that could have been discussed with another character. Dany talking about her perception of Jon to somebody, not the other way around, someone telling her what they think of him. Hell, they could have put that at the end of their Missandei x Greyworm conversation, would have taken them a minute of screen-time, giving some proper depth to what follows both in the cave and on the beach.

Missandei asking her “Lord Snow, he still refuses to bend the knee?” with a kinda suspicious, worried tone. Danielle could have replied with something like “Yes … though I have to admit it does take courage to deny the Mother of Dragons.” Both of them giving each other *that look*. Danielle taking a deep breath. “He is doing what he thinks is best for his people.” Looking at jon, unsuspectingly waiting on the beach “He will soon understand that what I want is for the best of his people.” Showing that she has softened on her “breaking faith with House Targaryen” stance. Showing that while she thinks he’s wrong, she has come to appreciate his good qualities and at least understands where he is coming from. She has gained some insights into his character and articulates them to herself, her best friend and the audience.

We never see Danielle do anything that makes Jon realize that she indeed has a good heart neither. What about her, that she did in front of him, that he witnessed, lead him to that conclusion? She didn’t leave an especially lovable impression in their first meeting, she then keeps him on Dragonstone against his will. Yes, she allows him to mine for the dragonglass, a few points for that. I suppose the cave-scene built some kind of “personal” connection, but Jon is the one carrying the “we are all in this together” banner, Danielle persists on him bending the knee. She didn’t do anything to prove to Jon that she has a good heart. He only “knows” that because other people told him about it. Seriously, allowing him to mine some fucking dragonglass shouldn’t make up for all the unappealing characteristics she displayed in front of him. It makes no sense for them be so comfortable around each other, but all of a sudden Jon is all touchy-feely and drags her through a cave. Nothing we saw explained that development. 

If D&D had some balls to cause engaging conflict and tension, Jon should have replied with “My pride? We are facing certain death and you will only help us if I proclaim you queen against my people’s wishes. Do I care more about my pride or their survival? You should ask yourself that question“. Would have been some food for thought for Danielle, we could see how Jon’s actions influence her and them overcoming this obstacle for their potential relationship in the end would have been way more satisfying. Instead we get a Jon Snow who looks like a wet puppy someone forget in the rain. He went from a man with convictions he believes in and stands up for in ep3 to “i would … but my bannerman though… like THEY wouldn’t like it… so … /: in ep4. You are thinking with your dick, Jonny. Please, just don’t be thinking with your dick. Don’t let me down like that.

Jon and Davos talking about Danielle, really properly talking about it, not this unbelievingly stupid “what do you think about ~her~?” …  “well, you’ve been staring at her” *wink* *wink* that basically means nothing but: HEY AUDIENCE! JON STARED AT HER! YOU DIDN’T SEE IT, BUT IT TOTALLY HAPPENED! DAVOS TALKS ABOUT IT! AUDIENCE! ARE YOU LISTENING? THESE TWO ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ATTRACTED TO EACH OTHER! DAVOS SAID SO! IN CASE YOU DIDN’T NOTICE BECAUSE WE’VE DONE A SHIT JOB AT DEVELOPING THIS RELATIONSHIP AND SHOWING IT TO YOU THROUGH VISUALS! SHOW, DON’T, TELL YOU SAY? EXPOSITION-DAVOS, I SAY! This is the most lazy, unoriginal, disconnecting way of pushing a romantic plot and I can’t even begin to explain how much I hate it. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.

But them having a real conversation about Danielle, Jon admitting that she wouldn’t be bad ruler, maybe saying something a la “does it really matter if I’m King or Warden of the North once the Wall falls? She won’t help us unless I bend the knee.” Davos nodding with an exhausted look on his face “That’s true.”  Jon doing some nervous movements, tapping his foot, pounding on the stone-handrail(?), before saying “she has a good heart.” Davos giving him an amused look before saying “is that what you’ve been staring at, her “good heart?”. Just give us some fucking emotional build-up to this, don’t just throw it in our face, because you couldn’t come up with a better way to convey this to the audience. Show us Jon staring at Daniella, show us Davos noticing it. Show that Jon is still conflicted, he is duty-bound to serve his people after all, but has softened his stance after getting to know Dany (ON SCREEN!) and that he has come to admire and like her somewhat. 

It’s no secret that I believe in Jonsa being endgame. I still do, because I agree that the way it looks, D&D just wrote the Jon x Danielle stuff in there for fanservice or to get a sexscene with Kit and Emilia. You are completely right, if this was supposed to last, they would have at least tried to get us emotionally invested in it. Together with Mels “Ice and Fire”-comment this entire thing looks like a major red herring. They will fuck once, maybe twice, before r+l=j comes out and targbowl happens. I’m pretty sure, that if they were supposed to end up together, they would have fought for longer than 5 seconds. They want to throw us of the rail and they are doing a shitty job at it. And I’m not happy about it. 

This isn’t really about what I ship, want to or think will happen / be endgame, anyway. If jon€rys is supposed to happen there is nothing I could do about it, after all. Even if I’m wrong about Jonsa (unlikely. Jonsa is endgame), there’s no reason to serve us this bland, unimaginative, rushed love story. I’ll admit that Jon and Danielle have potential, if not for a happily ever after, at least for a passionate tragic love story. I would gladly admit it if D&D are building a strong case for them, but until now, that was just shitty, lazy, sloppy 0815 screenwriting. It’s wasted potential. Even for GoT standards. It’s on-par with “Dorne”. It’s mediocre screenwriting. 

[cstesttaken]

HTC 'Ocean Note' Likely to Launch as HTC U Ultra, Headphone Jack Ditched

Information said to be from an unverified source, the U Ultra will feature a 6″ display, but no 3.5mm headphone jack. Providing just a USB Type-C port, HTC is following in the footsteps of courageous companies such as Apple, Moto, and LeEco. Considering HTC used to be known for taking audio on smartphones quite seriously, the expulsion of the headphone jack is quite ironic.

We’ll likely hear everything we need to know on January 12 when HTC hosts their event. In the meantime, let’s hear your thoughts on this 3.5mm jack situation. Is HTC making a really bad move with its removal?

Via: @OnLeaks

Honestly, right now a headphone jack is a luxury rather than a necessity for me. 95% of the time I listen to music off my phone it’s in my truck or with bluetooth headphones. I only use my headphones at work when I want to watch or hear something off my phone and don’t want people around me to hear. But if ditching it is all for the sake of “thinness,” it is so stupid since I would rather have a thicker phone with a ginormous battery than the thinnest phone possible.

jshep23

I hope that HTC KEEPS the Headphone Jack. They should not let what Apple and the FALSE future hinder their sound performance.

Marc Perrusquia

Hopefully this is finally a 6″ flagship, was hoping with the name “ultra” they would make it a 6.44″ display but at those point even a 6″ screen will make me happy.

Mike Menlo

I definitely think so. I use it all the time. HTC10, it has good sound – for a phone. High-end headphones, though, sound like a real stereo sounds. I know many ear bud makers are going Bluetooth, but I still prefer the plug.

Shadowstare

I love HTC. I’m a HTC Defender and Supporter. But there is no way hell I want a 6 inch phone with or one without a headphone jack. Nope nope Nope. I hope there’s a market for it for HTC’s sake. But I ain’t it.

Odellpi

For me the loss of the 3.5 jack is not a big deal for me. I do everything Bluetooth. To lose the jack means slimmer phone. Just my opinion.

The Dude

The only way losing the headphone jack makes any sense is if it translates to a bigger battery and longer life on said battery.

TylerCameron

If I could get a remake of the 1520 or N6 running Nougat, I’d be in heaven.

Marc Perrusquia

I’ve gone through most of the Flagships since the Nexus 6 was released and the screens were just too small. So dug my Nexus 6 out, installed Pure Nexus, which is running 7.1.1 Nougat, the latest security build, and have ElementalX installed. So I have my super high brightness mod which forces the AMOLED display to overpower to 500 nitts, have the 805 overclocked to 3ghz, and have the speakers boosted a bit. It’s not quite as fast as my HTC 10, but it’s faster than my S7 Edge was stock, and almost as fast as my 6p on Pure Nexus with the same mods. Only problem is with all these mods the battery dies pretty fast, but the Nexus 6 is still a hell of a phone.

Sporttster

Won’t be buying any phones without a headphone jack…..

Anoneyemou5e

How will this work with NextRadio, where you have to use the headphones as an antenna? Or that little click button adaptor that gives your phone an extra button for custom actions? (Seriously, I thought it was cool at 1st, bought 2, used one for about an hour….) But the NextRadio app does seem to be gaining steam. So that part of the question I’m serious about

John

They should strive to the most courageous and remove the phone itself.

atc-tech

Yes, they are making a bad move. It can’t possibly save enough room inside the case and engineering effort to take it out. There does not appear to be any reason at all to do it. Apple did it so they can sell more AirPods and lighting to 3.5mm connectors. Anyone who doesn’t understand that is a fool. So, why are other manufacturers following this lame trend!?

What is in it for HTC if we have to go choose from the 1,000 available adapters for USB-C to 3.5mm? Or if we buy 1 of 1000000 available bluetooth headphones (which we obviously don’t want, since we’re using 3.5mm jacks still). Apple people will buy Airpods because the guy at the Apple store told them that they work best with their iPhone. Android doesn’t work that.

Android works like this: If you SOMEHOW manage to convince the guy at the Verizon or ATT store that you’re NOT going to get the iphone 7, then they’ll just toss your “piece of crap” android phone box at you and tell you good luck with it. They might show you the 2 different cases they have in stock for it… just because they get a cut of accessory sales (probably 10%).

They probably won’t even KNOW if the phone has a 3.5mm jack or not. They’ve most likely never seen one out of the box longer than it takes to activate it and throw it out the door.

So, what is the point? Why take away the 3.5mm jack when people are going to use it? Premium headphone manufacturers aren’t making all USB-C headphones with no 3.5mm jacks. So, when Grado, Sennheiser, and whoever else all start selling USB-C headphones in lieu of 3.5mm, then you can take it out of phones. Until then, why are you doing it? To be like Apple/iPhone? That’s just stupid. I just don’t get it.

Suicide_Note

So long, headphone jack. Time for people to embrace wireless headphones.

Marc Perrusquia

Wireless headphones will never match a good wired set.

YuCMi

Does HTC want to remain irrelevant that badly?

VAVAMk_2

DanG

Orion

Tyler Durden

TriguyRN

It’s going to be unusable if they don’t shrink the bezels. Even the Nexus 6 is huge with its super small bezels.

Marc Perrusquia

You must have tiny hands. The Nexus 6 is too small, my Z Ultra with a 6.44″ and bezels way bigger than HTC’s was the perfect size. I’ve been using all these tiny 5-5.7″ flagships ever since. The Z Ultra ruined me.

sc0rch3d

will this be a preview of the pixel 2? if G is really serious about hardware, i don’t think it would jump mfg every year. on top of that, could HTC develop 2 separate flagship phones?

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

I doubt this is a flagship – It’s too early in the year. I think it’s a new line altogether probably replacing the Desire line…but I don’t really know anything.

BobButtons

To me, I’m still not understanding the benefits of ditching the headphone jack. I see it as placing a huge object in the middle of the road without explanation. When people question the person on it, they say “Well, it’s no big deal. There are multiple ways to drive around it.” All I think is, so? That doesn’t help at all explain the benefits of it happening in the first place. I’m not saying there aren’t any and I’d probably adapt and deal without it, but so far all explanations for dropping it are describing ways to overcome the obstacle, not explain why the obstacle needs to exist.

sc0rch3d

there’s got to be an accessory agenda. we would be ignorant to think (at least once) there’s a back room conversation between OEM’s and accessory makers like “ok dude, you should totally ditch the headphone jack and push my wireless headphones. I’ll give you 10% of my profits.”

ChrisI

wouldn’t doubt it for a second.

That makes sense for Apple since they use a proprietary Lightning cable/jack that every accessory OEM has to pay license fees for. It doesn’t make sense for USB-C devices where OEMs see no such benefit other than the exponentially smaller subset of people who buy their specific overpriced USB-C headphones/adapters. Because it makes no sense to buy their branded headphones/adapters, when there are other comparable ones out there that offer a much better value.

sc0rch3d

I agree, but it can be marketed. If HTC puts Steph Curry or Lebron holding the phone wearing Bose or Beats headphones….

RIP_HTC_Moto_LG_SONY

HTC should just go bankrupt and stop its Apple-mocking struggles.

Xappleuser

Sorry that you feel that way. I currently have an Moto x pure. Great phone. Everybody has their own opinions I guess. Never did like the OS software. But that’s just me. Glad you like iPhones.

Mike Menlo

I’ve had the three latest top HTC phones, and loved them. Solid, reliable, flexible … Had a couple two years and battery had no noticeable decrease in performance … Good speakers, straight-forward interface, awesome (large print-worthy) cameras – and I’m very hard to please, there. Still offering steel-bodied phones, water resistant – and they don’t “own” you, make you buy your apps from them, limit your control over phone features/services …

Sarachall

Guest

headphone jack doing the floppy disc in the trash heap of history

Collin James

The floppy disk was replaced with something better, though. This is just taking away something that is still relevant.

tnt

In a year or two having a headphone jack will be a marketing point. Whoever keeps it will advertise themselves as having the courage to keep it. Then maybe the trend will shift back… That’s my hope anyway!

That, or there will be some revolution in wireless / bluetooth technology that truly makes having the jack obsolete; as opposed to now, when dropping the jack is change just for the sake of change.

Armaced

I don’t think so, unfortunately. I suspect headphone jacks will be similar to removable batteries, expandable SD card slots, and physical keyboards. Most people don’t care, some people don’t want them, and some people insist on them. Slowly, the people that insist on them will tire of denying themselves the best phones based on one or two litmus features, which will slowly remove the demand until everyone just accepts the feature as no-longer obtainable.

Personally, I would give up all of those features for a physical hang-up (End) button. Luckily, my Galaxy S7 does pretty well with the accessibility feature that makes the power button an End button, since it also has a physical home button to wake up the phone when I am on a call. I suspect that will be gone in the S8 and my dream will be dead again.

hkklife

Agreed, just like how the trend was in 2015 and 2014 to remove microSD slots. LG did away with microSD AND removable battery for the G2 and brought them both back with a flourish with the G3. Samsung ditched microSD for the GS6 and Note 5 and brought it back for the GS7. Moto dropped microSD for the Moto X 2013 and 2014 then brought it back, first on the low-end devices and then for good in 2015 across the lineup.

I wouldn’t sweat HTC removing the headphone jack because HTC themselves will be removed from the marketplace in a year or so! I am glad to see them finally releasing a phone with a man-sized sceen. They’ve been totally quiet in that realm since the One Max several years ago.

Dumping removable batteries is nothing more than forced obsolescence, just like dumping microSD slots is pushing cloud storage agendas and tiered data plans. Dumping 3.5mm jacks is a ploy to sell new accessories and, more importantly, lock down all of the content and remove the last vestige of the analog ecosystem that cannot be DRM’d.

Ironic enough, the G2 is still considered their best phone. Maybe they should remove both for the G6.

Marc Perrusquia

Marc Perrusquia

They didn’t really get rid of them with the G2 the Optimus G before it didn’t have them, and the South Korean version of the G2 had a removable 2600 mAh battery, micro SD, and a TV antenna.

Daistaar

What is this, MicroSD Cards? lol

But on another note: I hope they have a good marketing this year. It was sad to see the HTC 10 being forgotten by almost everyone. I think it was a great phone.

With companies ditching the headphone jack, I have a bad feeling about the next Pixel.

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

Part of the rumor was that there would be 2 other phones launched at this event? Or maybe I misread. I don’t keep up with Rumors as much as I used to. But I’m intrigued if this is something brand new like the “leaked” video showed.

Cael

“In the meantime, let’s hear your thoughts on this 3.5mm jack situation. Is HTC making a really bad move with its removal?”

The Bolt didn’t have a headphone jack so not really a surprise.

Source

http://www.droid-life.com/2017/01/03/htc-u-ultra/

[twdmusicboxmystery]

TWD 10x05: What It Always Is - First Thoughts

I originally started writing a ginormous post and the realized that I would need to break it into two: first thoughts and details. The bigger one, of course, will be Details, and I’ll post that on Tuesday. Today, I’m just going to give a few thoughts on broader arcs and, of course, the Donnie stuff.

***As always, spoilers abound below for 10x05. Don’t read until you’ve watched!!!***

There were five major sections here: the opening sequence with Kelly, Negan/Brandon, Aaron/Gamma/Alpha, Ezekiel, and Magna/Connie/Daryl.

Kelly/Opening Sequence:

The opening sequence with Kelly definitely has some TD symbolism in it, which I’ll get into more tomorrow. I was right that Kelly didn’t die here, but I do think this foreshadows something bigger down the road.

There’s all the Beth-ish symbolism, which suggests it may foreshadow something to do with Beth, or be a parallel to Beth in some way. But there’s also missing stuff that we didn’t see. I had to watch it more than once to catch this, but in the opening sequence, we see Kelly sit down against a boulder, and a walker reaches out for her.

When Daryl, Magna, and Connie find her, she’s sitting against a tree, and we don’t know what actually happened with that walker. The assumption is that she fought it off and kept running, falling down by the tree a little ways away. But still, there’s stuff there we didn’t actually witness, which I think is significant. I still think the walker reaching for her foreshadows her being taken by the Whisperers in some form.

Negan/Brandon:

So in terms of the arc, this definitely leads to Negan going to the Whisperers camp. That follows the CBs, and we figured this would happen. As I’ve said many times, I’m glad to see this because I think something about Negan’s arc here will lead to Beth.

The first thing we saw was Negan near some water. Brandon obviously idolizes Negan and keeps trying to be the perfect Savior to impress him. I think at least part of this, where Negan is concerned, had to do with him realizing he doesn’t want that way of life anymore. He likes TF’s way of life better. In the CBs, he goes to the Whisperers camp to prove his loyalty to Rick, and it seems to me like they’re doing something similar in the show. After Brandon kills Milo—who I think reminded Negan of Carl—he decides he wants to go back, but knows he won’t be welcome unless he proves his loyalty. So he’s off to the Whisperer camp.

And how about the school bus? It’s mostly GREEN with red and blue stripes on it.

They honestly focused way more on the kid, Milo, than on the Mom, Amelia. I had to sit and think about the bus symbol for a bit, though. I kind of realized that I don’t have a specific meaning for the bus. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done several theories on school buses (X) and I know it’s related to Beth’s arc, or at least the death fake out arcs. But what does it specifically stand for? I’m not sure. Looking at how it’s functioned, this is what I came up with.

I thought it might stand for something that SHOULD have saved people, but didn’t. In 4a, lots of people left the prison on the bus when it went down. It was their escape plan. But they all died anyway. Similarly, in 5x05, Abraham and co were on the short bus, which should have carried them a ways safely, but it crashed.

You could also argue that someone who was SUPPOSED to die on the bus, didn’t. In S4, that would have been Glenn. Maggie left him on the bus and thought he was on it, but he got off and she didn’t realize. Similarly, as bad as the crash in 5x05 was, it’s kind of amazing no one died or even sustained serious injuries.

So what about this scene with Negan? I’m not sure. He saved Amelia and Milo, which means they should have lived. But Brandon killed them, and they died. So if anything, it’s kind of the opposite of what we’ve seen elsewhere. So I’m not entirely sure what to make of this yet. I know I say this a lot, but it will probably make more sense when we understand more of where Negan’s arc is going.

I’m wondering if he’ll somehow rescue Beth or some other kids from some kind of situation represented by the bus. He also made a big deal about how he would never kill a kid. That was partly to make him a foil to Brandon, who was obviously mildly homicidal. But I also think that’s a foreshadowing that we’ll see him protecting kids at some point in the future. We’ve already seen him save/protect Judith. I’ll we’ll see it again with either her or others So, I’ll keep an eye on this moving forward.

Aaron/Gamma/Alpha:

This actually starts with Aaron. He’s practicing his weaponry on a bridge, which is kind of interesting. He doesn’t fall off of it, so it’s not exactly foreshadowing a death fake out for him. But I think he’ll be taken from the community (represented by the bridge) in some way. At this part, we also saw a spiders web near him. (Yes, I know this pic is super blurry. I couldn’t get a decent shot of the spiders web. It went by too fast. The blur at the top left is the spider.)

I think I mentioned this before, but the spider is symbol for Alpha. Siddiq hallucinated a spider synonymously with reliving the be-headings in 10x01. He saw the spider and then saw Alpha in the barn with the machete. Since then, I’ve noticed spiders or spider’s webs several times just before something happened with the Whisperers.

So here, I would have said that Aaron would end up with the Whisperers at some point. Like, maybe this represented that they’d take him from his community. Well, we got confirmation before the end of the episode that at least Alpha wants to do this. She tells Gamma that Aaron might be useful. So I’ve said that I think some people will be taken captive and/or taken somewhere by Alpha. I’m mostly focused on Connie for that, which I’ll talk more about in a minute, but I’ve toyed with the idea of Aaron being involved. Mostly because Rick gave him Gracie in S8, which I think a foreshadow of something else.

Yeah, I think it’s safe to say he’ll be involved somehow. But I think all the associations are important here. Let’s talk about Gamma poisoning the water.

I said that the satellite falling represented Wormwood, which poisons all the water. So after it fell, the water would start being poisoned. And what do you know? Only a few episodes later, Gamma is trying to poison the water.

I honestly don’t know if this is the endgame for the “bad water” symbolism. Maybe, but it seems like kind of small potatoes, so it may only be one small portion of the symbolism. Or it may foreshadow something much bigger down the road.

But in terms of associations, we had Aaron seeing the poisoning happening, and then approach Gamma when she got hurt. That feels like a foreshadow of a much bigger arc for him that has to do with the poisoned water and the Whisperers.

Also, despite what she says, Gamma seems to be having some trouble processing her sister’s death. She’s having an almost Siddiq-like PTSD reaction to it now, which is how she hurt her hand to begin with.

In the Whisperer camp, we learn that they’re damning up the creek and trying to poison the water in order to crush TF. Again, I’m not convinced this is the endgame of the bad water stuff, but it’s interesting, and will definitely play into it.

Ezekiel:

Yeah, he has thyroid cancer. So all the theories about him being sick were true. But so was what we said: if he has cancer, maybe it can be treated with radiation. Guess what, guys? There’s basically not an easier cancer to treat than thyroid cancer. As they said in the episode, it has a 98% survival rate in our world. And that’s important. If they were just going to do a tragic death for him, because TF no longer has the medical resources in the apocalypse that they would have had in the old world, they wouldn’t be so heavily emphasizing that this type of cancer used to be survivable.

There are two major treatments for this type of cancer. Removal of the lump, and radiation. That’s pretty much it. And I’m sure most of you saw the spoilers this past week that TWD was filming in downtown Atlanta again, including filming people with white lab coats that looked a lot like doctors and even walkers wearing police uniforms. (Grady anyone?) So whether it’s actually Grady or just something very similar to them, I think our theories about Zeke’s cancer being treated with radiation are right on track.

Daryl/Connie/Magna:

Yeah, Magna is definitely spiraling. They had an interesting conversation between her and Yumiko. It sounds like Magna was in prison for killing someone who killed her cousin. Yumiko thought she didn’t actually do it, but Magna admitted that she did. Yeah, that’s kind of a problem. I’m sure the guy who killed her cousin deserved it, but it also shows that she’s willing to go vigilante if she feels she’s being treated unfairly, as also evidenced by her stealing supplies. So it will be interesting to see how this progresses, but I have a feeling we’re headed for catastrophe.

Next, on the Donnie stuff (or lack thereof). I’ve already addressed this somewhat, but I’ll say what I’ve already told my group and my fellow theorists.

I’m usually prepared for what small potatoes the Donnie or Caryl stuff is compared to what a big deal the shippers make about it. But this seemed more ridiculous to me than most other instances. Like, there was really, REALLY nothing there.

The scene everyone freaked out about where he told her the Merle story and clasped her hand? The thing I didn’t connect is that they weren’t even alone at that point. Magna was out with them, which the spoilers mentioned, but I just didn’t internalize it. So while Daryl is telling Connie that story, Magna is standing like ten feet away. She’s just not in the shot. (Okay, probably more than ten feet, but you get my meaning.)

There was definitely some Beth symbolism in there, which I’ll go over tomorrow. But I think something this clip is trying to show is how much more effectively Daryl interacts with people now. I noticed this and started thinking about it last week with Lydia. He’s been more touchy with everyone—Lydia, Michonne, Carol, of course—and obviously he’s not in love with all of them (which shows, by extension, that he’s not in love with any of them). While there’s obviously some huge symbolism and Beth vibes in this scene, I also feel like there are literal/plot take always here. Beth taught Daryl how to interact with people. Not only through touch but through sharing personal stories. There is a moment in this scene where Connie is upset and blaming herself and you see Daryl think about it for a minute before following her and launching into his story. I feel like he might have been thinking about Beth in that moment and how him telling her a story about Merle not only helped them connect but helped her feel better about her situation and stop blaming herself, so he did the same with Connie. And it worked. I also think it hearkens back to what Norman and the writers always say about Daryl’s feelings for Beth: that he didn’t understand them. By extension, he wouldn’t have had the first idea how to express them. I think this is the way they’re showing his emotional growth. So when Beth returns, he WILL recognize his own feelings and WILL be able to express them.

One more thing? Remember that every long term, soul mate couple we’ve seen on the show has done the intertwined fingers. The camera focused on him clasping Connie’s hand and they specifically DIDN’T intertwine their fingers. That’s as big and purposeful a statement as anything. This was their chance to foreshadow romance, and they very purposefully didn’t do it.

This is becoming a very close friendship, and I thought this scene was very sweet. It’s a healthy relationship—much like the one he has with Michonne, and far healthier than the one he has with Carol—but this scene specifically told us that’s it’s not heading in the romance direction. If it were, we would have seen a different kind of hand hold.

Then there’s the end scene. Connie apologizes to Daryl for asking him to lie for Magna (about her stealing the supplies). He shrugs it off and says, “Family, right?” She smiles and then points to him and then herself (You and me) and makes the sign for family as well. Then Daryl smiles. 

So it’s cute and sweet. But I think it’s important because, now that she’s said that, I think we all know Daryl would do anything for her. Just like Carol or Michonne or Aaron or anyone else, if something happens to her, or to anyone she cares about (such as Magna’s group) you know he’ll be right there to help. So they’re setting this up pretty much exactly as I thought they would.

(Notice that she doesn’t say, you and me, lovers! 😆) Also, Daryl leaves at the end. So once again he’ll be at Alexandria and she’ll be at Hilltop. Yeah, that’s what people who are in love and want to spend their lives together act. Okay, I’ll stop with the sarcasm.

My point is that this puts them squarely in the friend zone. This is what I mentioned the other day when I said the writers pretty much confirm this to be a familial, rather than romantic bond. I still think it’s possible that Connie harbors some feelings for Daryl, but this, combined with the lack of entwined fingers, means it will never be more than friendship.

I also want to point out that this entire conversation happened right next to Daryl’s motorcycle, which might be a foreshadow of something.  😉 (My theory about him and Carol leaving together on the motorcycle to find Connie.)

Okay, I’ll stop there for today. Details tomorrow!