#arrow rewatch 2018

[legobiwan]

out of nowhere ask but i'm currently reading macbeth and i wanted to ask what your favorite productions/adaptations of the play are? (i've watched the 2021 movie with denzel washington already but i heard it cut a lot of content so i'd like to find some more adaptations. currently have my eye on the 2018 rsc production with christopher eccleston but there seem to be mixed reviews of that)

Ooooh great question! Recs below :)

Royal Shakespeare Company (1979) It's an incredibly spartan production in terms of the set, but when you have Ian McKellen and Judi Dench playing the leads, you really don't need fancy backgrounds. This one's my personal favorite filmed production (but YMMV) and as a bonus, The Senate himself, Ian McDiarmid plays both the Porter and Ross.

Throne of Blood (蜘蛛巣城) (1957) An adaptation of Macbeth directed by Kurosawa starring Toshiro Mifune as Taketoki Washizu, set in feudal Japan. I feel like a fair amount of the cinematography in the Denzel Washington adaptation (which I have mixed feelings about) harkens back to this film.

Slings and Arrows, Season 2 I love this show and honestly, it's been way too long since I've rewatched it. The basic premise is that it follows the shenanigans of a Canadian Shakespearean theater company, each season using the production of one play as the backdrop to the day-to-day drama of an arts nonprofit (If you've ever worked in an arts nonprofit, you will cackle). Anyway, Season 2 is based around their production of Macbeth and we do get a fair amount of scenes of the play during course of the show. (Season 1 is based around Hamlet and Season 3 Lear). The show stars Paul Gross and is just absolutely delightful in the way it weaves the plays into the storylines. (You should be able to find it on YouTube).

[aprillikesthings]

oh god oh god

HEY GUESS WHAT I'm down to the last two episodes of She-Ra in my rewatch

On a related note, should you desire to read them all starting from s1ep1 for some godforsaken reason, here's the link. Please be amused at my claims that I would not do this for every episode and my repeated attempts to cut back on how much I copy/paste dialogue and/or explain the entire plot instead of just making jokes and commentary

If, somehow, you are New Here, I've been rewatching all of the 2018 She-Ra, ostensibly for fic-writing reasons as I had forgotten huge quantities of the plot. I have since become deeply obsessed, as one does.

I make a lot of adult jokes, random asides, references to other things, commentary, and a lot of cursing and crying. I love Catradora and I love Catra especially and have a tendency to add a screenshot every time they so much as look at each other. It seems silly to warn for spoilers at this point, but yeah, this is a RE-watch. It's just that I forgot a lot of it because I watched it the first time as it was coming out (pun intended). The shit I did remember is so fucking random tho lol

The last time I tried to do a two-parter in one post the number of times I had to reblog it because tumblr only allows 30 images per post got real stupid, so while I do still assume I will have to reblog multiple times per episode, I'm doing each episode separately.

HERE WE GOOOOO

s5 ep12 Heart (pt 1)

jfc i'm full of adrenaline lol

Also I have a beer, it's a citrus IPA because I live in Portland and it's required by law

(not really I just genuinely like them. that and IPA's that taste like gnawing on a douglas fir. also fruit sours.)

LOL I was so anxious I looked away from this post and consumed most of my beer this is gonna be hilarious

ALSO my goal is to finish these two episodes before the Easter Vigil service tomorrow night at 8pm

Theoretically I should be able to watch two episodes of TV in a day and a half, right? AHAHA

Bow should play Wonderwall

she always looks so soft with her hair down

but also having that thing just floating in front of your chest like that has gotta feel weird

ON A RELATED NOTE I know I made the joke in the last episode about how many people have the failsafe as a tattoo but the PROBLEM is that now I literally LIVE with a tattoo artist whose work I like--I already have two tattoos they've done, here and here, and the temptation is extremely high?? but I don't have any other obvious fandom-related tattoos (unless you count the title of a Björk song) so it feels weird to start with this one???? Like I don't have any LoTR or BBC Sherlock or SU or K/DA tattoos (to list off a bunch of fandoms I was devastatingly obsessed with at the time) so getting one for THIS fandom feels kinda weird. But like, also, if I got it kinda small on one wrist it would look kinda cool and be a nice loud DID U KNOW I'M GAY kinda thing. Gyahhh.

She's struggling to do She-Ra, and I'm sitting here YELLING because IT'S BECAUSE CATRA LEFT and UGH I want to murder Shadow Weaver

(eyyyy I won't have to, ha ha oh god)

Oh she manages to transform anyway. Without making any noise or glowing lights, just pop, She-Ra

awwww but also lol

related aside but like, every culture that figured out bows and arrows invented at least one kind of string instrument. Literally archers just fidgeting with their bows and going "oh this makes a nice sound, what if I put more strings on this thing." So many different places and cultures invented things like a guitar or like a harp or like a violin. But also I want to know who the FUCK figured out the hurdy-gurdy??? oh my god I just looked up the hurdy-gurdy and I'm cracking up because one of the earliest depictions of it is from the 1100's, in the Santiago de Compostela cathedral. A place I have been. Because I did the Camino last year.

oh right plot

I would like to take a moment and be grateful for the people who put together the transcripts on the fandom wiki for saving me typing up long bits of lore-heavy dialogue

She-Ra: "Prime is getting closer every day to figuring out how to access the Heart of Etheria. If he succeeds, he can use it to destroy worlds, galaxies, maybe even the entire universe. The Failsafe is our only chance at stopping him."

"His hold over them grows stronger every day they're chipped. If we don't free them now, we might lose them forever. Prime holds every advantage in this fight. He'll be ready for us. But we have a plan. Entrapta?" Entrapta: "I finally succeeded in cracking Prime's signal pattern. If I get access to his Spire network, I can use it to broadcast a jamming frequency that will disable all of the chips on Etheria, freeing everyone at once!" She-Ra: I need you all to get Entrapta to the Spire and keep Prime's forces distracted while she jams the signal."

"We're going to make sure that Prime can never hurt anyone ever again. We're ending this today. For good."

oh lord so Shadow Weaver is still there, sulking and looking away, and she looks over at her and starts almost losing She-Ra and being Adora again

have I mentioned how much I hate Shadow Weaver >:(

Adora goes outside...and looks around. I know who she's looking for. *sobs into a pillow*

NO. she's LOOKING for her GIRLFRIEND

I made that joke and then Glimmer literally says "Any sign of Catra?" I have to remember that at this point in the story literally everyone knows how in love they both are. Except them. Of course.

Adora: "She's not coming back." ;_;

Adora: I mean you don't have to come with me this could be dangerous Bow: the fuck are you talking about of course we're going

And she turns into She-Ra again, roll intro

Okay so they go to the Crystal Castle thing where Light Hope was

it doesn't look so good

but also that's creepy

anyway they tell the hologram (not Light Hope, the other one) that they're looking for the Heart of Etheria and that they're Friends of Mara. She-Ra gets scanned and then a door opens into a passageway. Bow and Glimmer take her hands and they walk into the hall but:

she's still looking for someone

I have to deal with another episode and change of her looking for Catra ghghggh this hurts meeeee

OH SO OF COURSE they literally switch to showing us Catra

bahaha okay so she sits up and looks behind her kind of sadly, and Melog just skids to a stop so hard they throw Catra off

And Melog looks at Catra like she's fucking nuts. Catra's like, wtf is wrong with you??? and Melog looks back like BITCH WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU??? Catra what did you think was going to happen when you got a therapy animal that can literally read your moods. Melog knows you're being a dumbass and has NO reason to pretend to believe your surface "I don't give a shit" act!!

Melog does airplane ears at that. And then just pounces Catra.

Time for pressure! Just like a real therapy animal. Big weighted blanket!

oh shit I forgot about this bit

Catra just immediately starts crying.

Catra: "You saw what happened! Adora chose Shadow Weaver, okay? Not me!"

*sobs into hands* you useless fucking dumbass that is your abysmally low self-esteem talking literally every living semi-sentient thing in the galaxy knows Adora's in love with you EXCEPT YOU

I can get frustrated with AU fics where these two both pull this "but what if she doesn't like me back" thing for ages while everyone around them is face-palming in frustration, but like. You have to admit. It's accurate to canon.

(It's also accurate to lesbians in general, lbh. Either fucking on the first date or doing the "but what if she's not into me" thing for months-to-years. Sometimes both, including in some of the fics I've written, heyooooo.)

Melog purrs and licks her face. A clone approaches and they both go invisible and then follow it.

MEANWHILE

the rest of the rebellion is attacking Horde Prime's ship thing

Wrong Hordak helps Entrapta get into the spire. The whole point of this fight (which I didn't bother screenshotting lol) is to give Entrapta time to disconnect everyone's chips from Horde Prime.

Lol once inside Entrapta does another one of those "holy shit this stuff looks so cool...OMG FOCUS" things

Back at the Crystal Castle Glimmers like "omg are you scared" and She-Ra says "No, I just hope this works." Liar.

Bow: "It'll be okay. And when we get back, it'll be a whole new world."

this poor girl. she's so heartbroken.

(meanwhile the plot of my fic-in-progress is literally them breaking up. (not forever.) but it's hilarious of me to get SO UPSET over this scene when I'm going to force them to repeat it. like it's a mutual decision in my fic but it doesn't make it hurt any less.)

PFFT I unpaused it, and IMMEDIATELY:

I just said OH SHIT out loud lol

oh god I saw someone talking about this in a youtube video right around when I started my rewatch

It's a hologram, she's not actually there. And Catra goes through multiple other ages, including her kid self, being chipped on Horde Prime's ship, when they were Horde cadets, etc; before going back to looking like she does now.

Adora's sharp little gasp of shock here

Adora goes to touch Catra's hand and the hologram disappears

(good lord she's beautiful here)

And I think I agree with the youtube video: Adora knew she was upset about Catra running off, but this is the moment she specifically realizes she's in love, and it breaks her heart into tiny pieces.

(Hah, I actually say a very similar thing in part of my fic that they mention in the video--that previous to this, she refused to let herself want this or even think about it. "I didn't even realize this was something I could want.")

BUT ALSO so like is this a remnant of Light Hope's programming that tortured them with childhood flashbacks in season one (in order to drive them apart) or what

LOL NO

I know I made this joke before but I'm suing Nate for emotional damages

She-Ra: "We need to be careful. It looks like this place can still project memories."

oof

A still-invisible Catra follows the clone to where Horde Prime's ship is and is visibly terrified and shaking. A clone who might be Hordak turns around with that white in his eyes that means Prime is using him to see, and Catra just tries to be quiet and not move but she's obviously triggered, and I mean that in the literal PTSD sense.

Horde Prime (via Hordak?): "My brothers. The time has come at last. No longer shall She-Ra stand in my way."

oh okay so Horde Prime's actual ship is still in space (just orbiting Etheria I assume) and the planet-side thing is him speaking through one of the clones via the hive mind.

"Begin the acquisition process!"

are they just gonna straight-up drill into it?

apparently yes

the whole area lights up with that sickening green light, including all the lines that characters kept noticing on the ground that looked like some combo of circuit boards and First Ones' writing.

meanwhile, Adora keeps slipping out of being She-Ra for split seconds and is clearly stressing The Fuck Out and possibly walking in the wrong direction in her distress, only to walk into another memory/hologram.

And I've predictably hit the image limit, but 13:30 to go which is better than last night pfft okay gonna reblog

[emsee22]

Clear

Jim says in season 1x5, when he has a period of mental clarity during his infection, "I'm clear now."

Burnt bodies - The burnout, Morgan is clearing walkers and putting them to rest.

Away With You - Probably just a warning to people who come across Morgan's town

Giant Green Bush Cricket- grasshopper is visible on the wall by the burnout location when Rick, Michonne, and Carl walk by it. There is also a green cricket at the beginning of Beth and Daryl's segment in Inmates.

Green/red/orange route - These routes often get associated with the map to Terminus, but those routes are red, green, and blue. The arrows in Morgan's town are red, green and orange. Maybe there is blue too and I have to rewatch it.

No guilt, you know that - Morgan tells Carl to never say sorry around the end of the episode. This is paint on the wall that you can't read well until Morgan tells Carl to never say sorry.

Just Listen - I think this graffiti is just Morgan asking people who come across his town to listen to the warnings

Turn Around And Live - another warning to people who come across his town

Clear written on the cars

Green/red/orange ladders - Coordinates with the whole Green/Red/Orange arrows/routes.

Same Ending

Pigeons in bird cage - I wrote this because Beth is associated with bird cages, however I think Morgan just uses these to distract the walkers, so I don't think it is significant to TD. He uses rats in a similar way.

Only 1

Not Shitting You / Told You (axe through curtain booby trap) - I think this is just another threat to those who enter unwelcome to Morgan's town

The Shrapnel

The Bad Meat - allusion to cannibals at Terminus, or allusion to the oncoming illness that TF endures at the prison beginning season 4; allusion to Termites eating Bob's leg, tainted meat.

Her Ankle Twist - I know we often connect this to Beth, but she did not twist her ankle, she stepped in a bear trap.

You Know What Now - I get it now?

You only get ten

Sick after blood cover - I am thinking this has to do with the illness at the prison, considering one of the identifying aspects of the illness was blood coming out of the mouth and eyes. It can possibly be referring to something else.

Zach Turned - We know based on how Morgan retells what happened to Duane, that "turning" means a lot of things. When Morgan is describing Duane, he says Duane Turned away from Jenny because he couldn't bring himself to kill his mom. Zach was Beth's boyfriend who turned his back to get the shelf off Bob, and in doing so, a walker grabbed his foot and bit him. Zach gets eaten and the helicopter falls onto him at the Big Spot. Also could imply turning into a walker.

Eugene Turned - I think this is referencing both Eugene lying about the cure, causing GREATM to turn on D.C. I also think this references Eugene's double crossing route regarding the Saviors in later seasons.

stopping IBBEN / IBBEN lived - Most likely referencing a character in the Persian Letters, all of which can be read here. I only read the two letters penned by Ibben. https://www.bartleby.com/lit-hub/persian-letters/ ; I found other reference to Ibben as a port city in Game of Thrones, as well as some gnome character in World of Warcraft, but idk if that is part of the game, or a character someone made.

Firefight on Aberdeen - There were so many firefights in TWD, I am not sure what this means, but the etymology of Aberdeen is mouth of the river Don. There is also a neighborhood in Georgia called Aberdeen, about an hour outside Atlanta, located on Flat Creek and Northlake Drive. The closest place to the neighborhood of Aberdeen, GA, is Herschel's Farm. However, there is an Aberdeen St in Atlanta, but it just has a few residential homes. It's located about 10 minutes from Grady Memorial Hospital. This might also be coincidental, but Melissa and Norman were filming in 2018 for Ride in Aberdeen, Scotland https://www.amc.com/blogs/normans-ride-through-scotland-with-melissa-mcbride-is-full-of-surprises--1006145

The arrow wound, the knife wound - I am not sure specifically what this is referencing, but it most likely has to involve Daryl due to the arrows. I am thinking it references the walker Daryl pins with a few arrows outside the moonshine shack, and Beth then stabs it in the head with a knife.

RILEY SHOAL - This is a fishing spot in Putnam County, GA (most likely, but there is also a Riley Shoal in South Australia). I am fairly certain Eastman lived by a topographical feature that bares similarity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoal#:~:text=Shoals%20are%20also%20known%20as,to%20as%20a%20shoal%20complex.

List 1: Green shirt; IBBEN; the campers near the burnout; The happy one in the forest; Every dead rat; B..Ked Zach? - I can't make out the words at the end, but it looks like 1 or 2 words and then Zach. I believe Eastman is the happy one in the forest. The burnout I think was the place where Morgan was burning the corpses. Every dead rat could both be referencing how Morgan lured walkers with rats, but also what Lizzie was doing to the rats in season 4.

You Listen

Don't Lie You Know

The door knob, you had the knife, you had the gun - I simply think this has to do with Morgan being unable to put Jenny down in season 1. They focused a bit on how Jenny Turned the handle on the door to the hideout. I also think Jenny Turned on Morgan's walls have a double meaning. Jenny Turned into a walker, and Jenny Turned the doorknob.

The cellar - Morgan was in the cellar when Jenny got in and killed Duane

Two pieces, use pieces to calc risk

Here's here vs Here's Not Here - "There's something I realized just lately, that all life is precious, but that is not about killing or not killing. It's about... what you do with the time that you have. And the... the people that you have, ya know?" Morgan to Eastman when burying Grace in the walking dead. Eastman pulled Morgan back from essentially the dead. Morgan was just surviving, but not living. I think this calls back to Beth and Daryl in Still. Beth says things to Daryl like "Killing them is not supposed to be fun," and how he needs to be who he is, not who he was. Also to put away places like the moonshine shack (that remind him of his past), or else it kills you. Then she points to her heart and says "here." It kills you inside. Beth also bares similarity to Eastman in that she cared about treating the biters like the people they were once (funeral home, covering up the Rich Bitch, etc).

Sometimes interrupt with the start

Tech use, KIA's on ADC, NO (underlined) KIA's on BEF. 10 sec, go. No KIA's on BEF No KIA's on BEF, NO KIA's on BEF!!! - I'm going to take a total TD guess on this. Killed in action on aide-de-camp (Dawn). Beth not killed in action. 10 second window to get to the body before the hoard makes it difficult. Aide-de-camp is an assistant to someone high-ranking, which if Dawn was working for the CRM, it would make sense. There's lots of other things ADC could stand for in military terms.

No more Cypress

How many days or how much time? - I think this can be alluding to a lot. How far behind Morgan is from caching up to Rick? How long TF was separated after the prison? How much time since Atlanta? How much time till a bite victim turns?

We pull up on detection

Higher Ground - In Alone 4x13, Sasha mention several times that what she and Bob need to do is find some higher ground to start their own kind of sanctuary in.

It doen't matter - In Still, Beth asks Daryl to help her cover up the Rich Bitch walker, and his response is "it don't matter, she's dead." The chalk excludes the "s" in doesn't.

We weren't supposed to be there

Sixteen hours in, Nineteen on the floor

Use Green Route!!! - I wonder if this can just be a note to Morgan's self on which routes in her town are not booby trapped. I am going to be looking more closely at the Terminus map and the interstate signs TF is following to figure out which characters are on what route.

Sinch Nose - Alar cinch sutures are a type of stitch to control lateralization of the nose.

Jenny Turned - she turned into a walker, and she turned the doorknob

ABBeY turned - There is no character named Abby/Abigail in the walking dead. In Fear the Walking Dead, there is a yacht called The Abigail that served as a primary location until it was taken by the Mexican border patrol and overrun by walkers. I can also read this as meaning an abbey, which is a building occupied by monks/nuns (TWDDD) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--kREnf2VHY . That could just be coincidental, or they have been planning for the spinoff for a very long time.

Duane Turned - Duane Turned away from killing Jenny, and thus turned into a walker

Pretend, cut it - The only thing I can think of here is the Grady scene where Dr. Edwards turns on the deep vein thrombosis machine that Joan refuses to have after she is bit, and then proceeds to cut off her arm. There's this whole scene where he tells Beth he is bored and that he wants to do research. Then he feeds her guinea pig. I think Edwards was possibly experimenting with cures on the wards. I learned the name of the machine from @twdmusicboxmystery video on the cure theory. This machine prevents blood clots, so why would Edwards turn this on for a person who is bleeding out about to have her arm cut off?

Blood Cover

Warn options or not

In bad case/HARDCORE

Green Route!!

Cypress Street handoff

Every one turns - I think this just goes to show Morgan's lack of trust. There are so many different meanings to turning.

Abibel - I am still uncertain the meaning of this phrase, but it is also written under the chalk drawing of the smiling sun in season 4

Full sweep - just a self reminder for Morgan

Weekly trap integ, wires, ropes, gun, ammo, knife, 15 spikes, gurney, REPAINT - another self reminder for Morgan

Transport sweet harvest

Burying her, burying him - I think this is literally referencing Duane and Jenny, who Morgan goes back to lay to rest in a later season of Fear the Walking Dead.

Transport BEF, transport the harvest - We used to theorize that How the Harvest Gets Home 5x16 would be Beth returning with Morgan, and that Beth was the harvest. But here, BEF is transported as an individual thing. It's almost like Morgan first transported BEF somewhere else, and then the harvest. The harvest was written on the trucks in 5x16 and that is when Morgan finally reunited with Rick.

Just gets worse

You won't tell them what you saw There is another graffiti on the fence that says something and ends with "asshole" that I couldn't quite make out. This is not a complete theory, and just a list of interesting things I saw in the episode. Please comment your thoughts.

[artreider]

Arrow Rewatch S4E19

The funeral flashbacks are rough.

Tommy and Laurel reunited in the afterlife.

How do you miss your own friends funeral Oliver?

Oliver feels such guilt for her death.

And there is wannabe black canary skulking around the hospital.

Oliver trying to ease Diggles guilt though Im sure he blames him partially.

Called for the team indeed and Felicity is a member always.

Oliver trying to not get Quentin's hopes up because he knows the pain the Lance family has endured.

If i was an actor there are a few things I couldnt do like laying on a cold slab in a fake morgue or laying in a coffin.

Felicity/Diggle scene is hard.

Wannabe black canary strikes again.

Poor Quentin, he just wants his daughter back.

Arrow team blaming themselves for Laurel's death. 😭

I love this Olicity scene.

Dig is unraveling. 😭

Nyssa worrying about Quentin and making sure Oliver is okay is just one reason I love her.

Oliver trying to help Quentin, such love.

Another great Felicity/Diggle scene.

Not this time Dinah.

Um behind the preacher before Oliver speaks is a gravestone with the last name Clayton. With a first name ending with m. Is it one of Samantha's relatives maybe a father pr grandfather named William who she named her son after?

Wonderful speech Oliver.

I feel like these flashbacks are kind of pointless.

Great Olicity pep talk speech.

[moviemunchies]

I recently saw the 2010 Robin Hood movie again. And I had some thoughts.

[And they were thoughts other than “Oh thank goodness I’m not watching the 2018 one.]

Alright obligatory aside when talking about this movie: we have to talk about Nottingham. There was a time when in every discussion of the movie, Nottingham would come up, or someone in the comments would say that he or she wished we got to see Nottingham instead of this movie. 

The story goes like this: working its way through development hell was a script titled “Nottingham” which was a different take on the Robin Hood story from the point of view of the Sheriff of Nottingham, the traditional antagonist of the stories. The main gist of it was that it was CSI: Medieval England, with the Sheriff investigating a series of murders and trying to catch the killer. I’ve seen conflicting stories over how this would have gone down–if Robin Hood was going to be the killer, or be framed for the murders. But either way, it would be a reversal of the usual format, with the Sheriff as the hero, and Robin Hood as being an antagonistic force.

When Ridley Scott signed on to do a Robin Hood movie, he discarded all of that to make this movie. Naturally, a lot of people got upset about it. And that’s fair, but it’s been over a decade since this movie came out, so I’ve kind of stopped caring about Nottingham in that time. Good movies don’t get made sometimes. It happens. We move on with our lives. So please, please don’t make the “I wish this had been Nottingham instead!” comment. I don’t care. Get over it.

So! Moving on!

Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood tells the story of Robin Longstride, an English archer fighting with Richard’s army on the way back home from the Crusades. When King Richard dies in battle, Robin and his companions make it back to England before the rest of the army by pretending to be knights–but Robin ends up involved in a quest of his own, and the group soon get wrapped up in a plot by the King of France to take England from the weak King John.

Alright this movie has too much going on, because it’s trying to be both a Robin Hood movie and a historical epic concerning real events. I don’t mind it that much–I like tying the Robin Hood legend to real-life occurrences, but it gets to a truly absurd amount of content. Not only is this an origin story for the outlaw and his Merry Men, it covers the death of King Richard I, Marion’s story, an invasion attempt by France, Robin’s own traumatic childhood, and the precursor to the Magna Carta all in one story. I’m not even against the movie trying this, but there’s not enough time here to properly address them all. Some storylines get clearly shafted (that’s not meant to be an arrow pune), like the orphans in the woods of Nottingham suddenly helping our heroes at the end of the story when they were just being a nuisance up until that point. Or the crazy coincidence that Robin’s dad just happens to have been Locksley’s comrade in making a document protecting people’s rights.

I get excited about including history in historical fiction like this! Usually Robin Hood only has the monarchs, and vague references to the Crusades, and that’s it. Having Eleanor of Aquitaine and William Marshal as actual characters is a nice touch, at least in my eyes. But including all of these elements means we take time away from some parts that NEED to be developed more. Perhaps the Director’s Cut is better in this regard?

The character development that we do get is nice though. I remember thinking that Robin and Marion’s setup in this movie is unusual for a retelling, and rewatching it still is, but it also makes a really interesting dynamic that I like. I’m sure fans of “fake marriage” types of stories would eat this up. 

And Marion is a fascinating character! She’s been running her household for years waiting for her husband Sir Loxley to return, a man she doesn’t really know that well but is relying on to make this all okay, and the scene in which she finds out that he’s not coming is…. Really good. It’s a very good bit of Cate Blanchett showing off how to display strong emotions without speaking.

There is this weird bit of camerawork before it though in which it zooms in on her face, and that’s not necessary. We get it. There are a couple of other bits like this throughout the film that I didn’t get, but overall camerawork is pretty good.

Another thing that I think I really appreciate about this movie is that it doesn’t worship King Richard of England. Many adaptations of the Robin Hood stories idealize that the problems of England are just that this one douchebag, John, is in charge, and if Richard came back then it’d all be swell. This movie has scenes in which John points out that part of the reason his tax policies are in place are because Richard bankrupted the country for his wars (which everyone loved him for), and he’s RIGHT. Robin calls out Richard to his face for the cruelty of the Massacre in Acre (real thing that happened), though he’s put in stocks for it.

The Sheriff was wasted in this movie though. Matthew McFayden does good with what he has, but what he has isn’t that much.

But what’s really nice is that the final duel is settled with archery. I’d have preferred more archery in the movie, but Robin does make some good shots–unlike some movies, where he just does a couple for drama, and most of the deciding battles are concluded with a sword fight. This is Robin Hood guys! Make sure it ends with an arrow!

I do not know if this movie was really intended for sequels. Everyone acts like it is, and Russell Crowe was ready to do it, and there are enough dangling threads to do so. But I also see this as an origin story for a movie for a story you already know the main beats of. It didn’t get a sequel, but you know the gist of what happens next anyway, so it’s not too big of a problem. I am curious to know how that would have gone, but it’s not exactly a heartbreak.

I liked this movie. I know a lot of people hated it when it came out, but I thought it was fine. It hits a nice spot for me, being a fun historical fiction piece that actually uses the historical setting to tell the story rather than as slight flavoring like a lot of Robin Hood stories. But it isn’t a truly great movie because it doesn’t have time to deal with every element that it introduces.

[whateverthedragonswant]

15x20 - it took me two months but I think I finally get it

Edit 2/16/22: This theory has been unfortunately debunked due to the recent explanations/discussions by both Jensen and Jared about 15x20

I’ve been thinking a lot since yesterday since Jared’s VF interview popped up. I ended up rewatching 13x21 and 13x22, and once again, Dabb’s writing style made sense with the story they were telling and the framing they were showing, but something wasn’t sitting right. I wracked my brains and it finally hit me. I just need to get this out, throw these thoughts out into the void, so please don’t mind me.

This legitimately took me on a ride so of course it’s super long. Like novel length long.

Below there be spoilers for The Originals, GoT & of course SPN:

The Supernatural series finale - here’s what we already know:

Wayward Sisters was not picked up by the CW in 2018

These are the shows the CW chose to go with/ordered/picked up in 2018 instead of Wayward Sisters: Legacies [spinoff of a spinoff], Charmed [reboot], Roswell New Mexico [reboot], In the Dark [from Ben Stiller’s production company] & All-American [from Greg Berlanti’s production company]; Legacies is from Julie Plec (Vampire Diaries/Originals); Charmed is from Jennie Snyder-Urman (Jane the Virgin) & Brad Silberling (Jane the Virgin) is involved; Roswell New Mexico is from Julie Plec; In the Dark is from Ben Stiller; All-American is from Greg Berlanti (Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, Supergirl, Batwoman)

The Originals ending had high ratings - both brothers go out in a blaze of glory, there is a hint of romance but ultimately, it’s about the brothers and the family (as it should have been tbf) - this is what the CW saw when they got such high ratings for that finale

We know how successful The Vampire Diaries, the Originals, Jane the Virgin, Charmed (on its original run on the WB), and the DC show-verse have been for the CW & Ben Stiller is Ben Stiller = one spinoff making it through, two new content shows, and two reboots ordered

Dabb & Berens react to Wayward Sisters not being picked up, Dabb almost as if he expected it possibly (or at least that’s how I read it) & Berens is a little more candid; Kim, Briana & Kat tweet reactions to Dabb’s tweet (x) -- Dabb, the co-showrunner (Singer was the other) from seasons 12-15 & Berens, the writer of such episodes like 15x09 & 15x18

Jensen states 15x19 will feel like the season finale & 15x20 will feel like the series finale and Misha nods in agreement - this panel takes place while J2 is quarantining to shoot the last two episodes I believe he says  (2:51 - x)

Two things Jensen says in the video link above: 1) “I will say and I don’t think this is any secret but that there have been some adjustments made from the scripts that we were going to shoot in March to the scripts that we’re shooting now” (3:04) & 2) “Eventually once it all comes out, we can probably share what those adjustments were but it’s, you know, we’ve had to accommodate a pandemic. So, it’s unfortunate but I still think it’s gonna hit a home run, I hope, and then, you know, we’ll see.” (3:18) -- basically paraphrasing (or how I interpreted it): “some things have changed due to COVID, I’m sure we’ll be able to talk about what changed to explain, but please remember COVID, I hope it’s still resonates with the audience but we’ll see”

Dabb joked at Comic Con 2019: “If you thought Game of Thrones was bad, just wait” (x)

Mark Pedowitz talks about SPN ending with season 15 & about possible spin-offs - “I’ve been involved in two spin-offs that did not connect. We have had no further discussions with [Supernatural EP]Bobby Singer. We have had no further discussions whatsoever in terms of Supernatural spin-offs. I tend to believe, at this point, [that] the show’s essence and blood is Jared and Jensen.” (x)

Dabb gives an interview to Syfy Wire before the last 7 episodes start airing (x)

Brad Buckner talks about why the spinoff attempts haven’t worked out, chalking it up the magic SPN is that has to do with J2, then adding Misha, then adding Alex/Jack: “You know, they keep talking potentially doing a spinoff. I think part of the reason that some of the spinoff attempts haven't succeeded, even the ones that never got shot, but just never got off the ground is that this show just struck gold. The boys, and then Misha [Collins], added Misha, worked out tremendously. Adding Jack. That just almost never happens. You screw with the tried-and-true formula and there really is no formula for the show. That's what the odd thing is. It's not CSI.” (x) - basically paraphrasing: “we know how important the dynamic is between the brothers, then with Cas & then Jack added in, we know & we can’t replicate it in other projects”

Jensen tells EW: "I read through the original draft [of the finale] when it first came out just as a fan, because I was like, 'How did they put it together?' I knew the end result but I didn't know how exactly they were going to get there, so I quickly read through the script. That was back in early March. And then I put it down. Then COVID hit and we all went on break and I was like, okay well I assume it's going to change so I'll just wait until the new draft comes out. To be honest, it didn't really change. How we got there involved a little bit of changing but we still get to the same place." Dabb also says: “We did a rewrite once we knew what our COVID rules were going to be for episodes 19 and 20, and it changed some things, it did. Particularly in episode 20, there were things planned that just aren't feasible anymore.What it did not change was the story or the emotions, or anything else. It changed some of the set dressing, it changed some of the circumstances, but it didn't change where we were going or, honestly, in a large way, how we got there. So, in that way, I feel very lucky." (x)

Dabb says to EW: "Everything is pretty mythology-focused up until the finale. [The finale] is a little bit more of an old-school episode. It seemed like a lot to land all of our myth and a satisfying farewell. Doing it all in 42 minutes would have been really difficult. So, better for us to treat it almost like a two-parter, where a lot of the myth stuff, not all of it, but a lot it gets dealt with in episode 19 and then 20 can focus more on the characters and their journeys. We wanted it to, in some ways, hearken back to where the show began, which was two guys on the road saving people, hunting things. When we were going to shoot the episodes, I did a final re-read and made some final tweaks. Jared [Padalecki] weighed in and Jensen [Ackles] weighed in, and [co-showrunner] Bob Singer. We just wanted to really make sure it was landing the right way. We believe it feels like a fitting end to the show. We're happy with it and the hope is that the fans will be too." (x)

Jensen gives an interview to Glamour (x)

Jensen does Michael Rosenbaum’s podcast: “The ship has already sailed on this being the last season. Jared’s already got another show lined up, and I’ve got a few stokers in the fire. So we’re gonna knock this out and try to do it justice. I’ve always thought that there’s a possibility of, you know five years down the road, getting the call saying ‘Hey let’s do a little short order action for a streaming network’ and bringing it back for six episodes…and I do feel like this isn’t the long goodbye right now. I feel like this is, let’s hang this in the closet for now, and we’ll dust her off down the road a bit.” (x) (x)

Sam & Dean ending confirmed (x) (x)

Walker is very heavily promoted during the last few episodes of SPN and the finale

Misha after the finale aired: “There was supposed to be a different ending originally that COVID restrictions made impossible to shoot”, “But it involved bringing back lots and lots of cast members from over the years”, “I don’t think we’re supposed to talk about what that ending was gonna be”, “So in the original iteration of the ending, Cas hadn’t gone to rebuild Heaven. He had had a...there was a different conclusion for him” (x) 

Plots are dropped like this one that the GA caught from 15x15 (x)

Dabb before the finale aired  (x) - basically paraphrased: “nothing has changed, we’re still going to the same conclusion”

Dabb tweets out a thank you the day the finale is airing (x)

Dabb after the finale (x) - basically paraphrased: “nothing had changed, we were always going to that conclusion”

Variety after the finale aired, echoing the 30%, how they viewed the ending as well as Cas’ & Jack’s sacrifices (x)

the day the finale was airing, Kripke shared his original pitch notes & promises fans that they’ll love the ending because what he would have written would have been much darker - "I knew that we were closing this chapter and opening a new one. It felt like it was the right time to take a step back and focus on new projects, but still, keep my grubby little mitts in the show." (x) "I had a long talk with Jensen [Ackles] about it and I had a long talk with [co-showrunners] Andrew [Dabb] and Bob [Singer] about it and I think it's the best possible ending for the show. It was interesting, they pitched it to me and I went off to think about it for a couple days, and admittedly, me being me, I spent some time thinking, 'Okay, is there any other ending I would pitch back that I think is better?' And I spent a couple days trying to chase down a couple avenues and couldn't come up with anything better. So I went back and I was like, 'Guys I think it's the right one.' There's some substance to it but there's something emotional, I think there's a positive energy around it." (x)

funnily enough, on an unrelated note but sort of related showing how the CW operates with backdoor pilots/spinoffs & how differently certain creatives are treated over there as well as what they consider will generate more $ (the backdoor pilot had high ratings) - the Arrow spinoff, Green Arrow & The Canaries was not picked up but they considered moving it to HBO Max before scrapping it altogether, which took them forever to decide (x) (x)

Jared loves the finale, thinks it’s the right ending

Jensen has not said a word about the finale or Dean’s ending since it aired (except that one instagram pic we all know about)

Misha loved Cas’ ending in that it was right for the character, sacrificing himself nobly and that his words led to the boys & Jack saving the world

I know there’s many more things I didn’t include in this list like: Samantha Ferris confirming that pre-COVID & post-COVID they were not asked to come back, that Jensen initially didn’t like the ending when it was pitched to him & Jared (though as of this moment, he has not said explicitly what he didn’t like about it), that Jared’s VF interview just came out where he stated he thought Sam had the right ending, Dabb has not said a word, Singer has also not said a word (that I know of anyway), the CW has not said a word (again, not that I know of), Jim Michaels is an ass, so is Adam Williams, Misha posted a video to try to stop the conspiracy theory about the spanish dubbing of 15x18 & attributed it to a rogue translator, he then apologized and listened to fans since he realized fans were upset about way more than that particular piece of it, and everyone else has stayed virtually silent about the finale and what happened.

I do want to mention this: 

Jensen said up above that they could probably talk about what the changes were -> Misha says he doesn’t think they’re supposed to talk about it & Jensen has not said a word since the finale aired

Jared & Misha have talked openly about liking their endings for their characters & Jensen has not said a word other than previously stating that he expects there might possibly be a limited series run or reboot a few years down the line 

No one involved with the show, past or present, has said anything resembling negative or critical (or really, at this point, logical) in any way, shape or form about the finale

Pedowitz & the network have not said a word (that I’m aware of)

So, before this post, I personally would have loved to find out:

why they thought Dean dying that way was a good ending & a true one for the character -- from a rando bad guy & on a milk run hunt

why they thought Sam would want to honor Dean by living a miserable and depressed life in a way that he thinks (note that Dean never said) would make Dean happy but obviously not himself

why they thought the line “Cas helped” & Dean’s little smile would be enough to close out the Castiel part of the Dean arc (despite Misha not being there due to COVID restrictions) if they were focusing on closing up the emotional aspect of the boys’ journey

why they thought Jack rebuilding Heaven before Dean got there & it’s implied he got Cas out of the Empty would be enough to close out the Jack-being-their-kid arc (despite Alex not being there due to COVID restrictions) if they were focusing on closing up the emotional aspect of the boys’ journey 

why they dropped Eileen and Sam’s acknowledgement of her existence never mind the importance she had in his life if they were focusing on closing up the emotional aspect of the boys’ journey

why they thought Lucifer mentioning Chuck had sprung him from the Empty in 15x19 would be enough to close out The Empty arc (despite COVID restrictions) if they were focusing on closing up the lore aspect of the boys’ journey

why they thought that Chuck was the ultimate Big Bad when they mentioned back in season 13 that Chuck and Amara did not have power over the Empty, then in the same season proceeded to show The Empty overtaking Heaven, then Death’s Library in 15x17 while killing reapers left and right, then “you made it loud” in 15x18 after Jack explodes but The Empty is still powerful enough to be summoned to take Billie and Castiel later in the same episode

why a random monster would be the one to take out Dean Winchester when he has taken on God, Lucifer, archangels, angels, demons, the King of Hell, a 300 year old witch, werewolves, Alphas, vampires, witches, ghosts, & many other monsters - when he has taken out vampire nests on his own (think season 6, despite the vampire blood in his system at the time), the Stine family & their mansion full of guards (despite having the MOC on his arm, it didn’t make him more powerful or a better fighter, it only made him more bloodthirsty and more enraged, increasing the desire to kill)

why Sam would not call for help when Dean was hurt and then confirms he’s dying - did they not bring their phones in with them?

why they thought Dean’s injury would be fatal when it clearly wasn’t 

why they thought Dean shouldn’t die to protect his brother or the kids or even a cow in that barn but to a senseless movement (I do sideye that a vampmime unable to speak was the one to kill Dean who infamously hasn’t been able to speak on other certain matters rather than Jenny herself)

why they brought back Eileen into the narrative if her presence was not going to have some lasting impact on Sam’s journey - how did it affect his growth or his character, influence his actions? Does he decide to fight harder to get her back along with everyone else? What does his experience Does he feel better for having known her? Did he leave the life to not only honor Dean but Eileen as well since maybe she never came back? Does he ever use ASL again after learning it from her?

why they decided to make Sam and Eileen’s relationship romantic that late in the story if there was not going to be any follow through

why Sam stuck to texting Eileen as they sped towards her home if Billie Chuck was Thanos snapping people - why did he not call her since it was so urgent?

why they decided to have Castiel confess his love to Dean - outside of The Empty part of this arc, why have his confession be the factor that summons The Empty, that his “just saying it” would be what makes him happiest enough when he was already saving Dean and sacrificing himself for him?

why they decided to bring Jack back, have him excommunicated from the family be Dean in dialogue, never have the conflict between them resolved by Dean assuring him he is indeed family, when he’s said he is family before & that Jack is their kid, if they were focusing on closing up the boys’ emotional journey

why they never showed Dean & Sam discussing Cas’ confession or the words he said to Dean about himself if they were focusing on closing up the boys’ emotional journey

why Dean & Sam never discussed Eileen again after 15x18 when we were given the approval talks from Dean to Sam in 15x07 & 15x08 if they were focusing on closing up the boys’ emotional journey

why Dean & Sam don’t ask Jack to bring back the people they’ve lost, to eradicate the monsters from the world, or to even help Kevin if they were focusing on closing up the boys’ lore and emotional journeys

why they showed the crossroads demon taking the girl away in 15x15

why they never had Sam or Dean talking to Jody or Claire ever again if they were focusing on closing up the boys’ emotional journey

why they never had Dean asking where anyone else was like Ellen or Jo when seeing the Road House in Heaven if they were focusing on closing up the boys’ emotional journey

why they never had Sam asking “wait, this is Heaven?” since he never knew about the changes Jack & Cas made when seeing Dean again if they were focusing on closing up the boys’ narrative soundly

why Dabb tweeted out his thank you’s hours before the finale aired but not right before it did, while it was airing, or right after

why Kripke tweeted the day of the finale’s airing that fans would love this ending since his would have been darker

why Jensen thought they would be able to talk about the changes COVID forced them to make after the finale aired

why Misha says after the finale aired that they’re not really supposed to talk about it

why Jared thinks this is a sound ending to his character’s journey

why Jared thinks that Sam was honoring what Dean would have wanted by not settling down with someone in the life when both boys have mentioned quite a few times in dialogue, for themselves and each other

why Kripke/Singer/Dabb thinks this was a fitting ending for the boys’ journey

why the 30% think this is a true ending despite the obvious plot holes, the dropped character development, and the ending not making sense to the narrative/story they’ve been telling the last few years

why if Chuck is a stand-in for the network and Dabb knew the ending they would have to give due to network demands, did he not only write the ending this way but also talk about it in multiple interviews saying they were always moving towards this ending, it’s always been about the brothers, and this is a true ending

why they had Dean question his ending at all if that is his true ending

why Jensen thought Dean’s ending had changed from going out in a blaze of glory to something else

why Jared said before he & Jensen knew what the ending would be that he thought Sam should “keep fighting”

why they strongly hinted at a leader arc for Sam the last few seasons

why they strongly hinted at Dean being strongly affected by Cas’ death/absence starting with season 13

why Jensen, Misha, and other cast members were instructed to “eye fuck”

why they chose to keep the ending ambiguous for both boys if they were focusing on closing up the boys’ lore and emotional journeys and making it a finality as Dabb said

why people are surprised that some fans are still upset to this day over the finale/ending and how bad it was considering the show ran for 15 years and had a very loyal fan base that the show not only knew existed but interacted & engaged with for many of those years

why no one other than Jared & Kripke that was officially involved with the show is talking about it 

why Jensen still has not said a word about the finale if he thought fans were going to love it after having Kripke tell him the same thing (I suspect because he knows no matter what he says, agreement or disagreement, it will make some people pissed off so he stays quiet, he said all he needed to before the finale aired, and he’s moving on - at least that’s my take on it anyways) 

why the network has not said a word despite the reactions after the finale aired & the ensuing movements/trends

why they aimed to only please 30% of their known audience, why that number was not a little higher

why the big secret of everything that was changed, why Cas’ ending changed, who was meant to be in the finale & how it was supposed to end if the show is over & has finality, that the boys’ lore and emotional journeys are concluded & it was a true ending

why the silence? even D&D have spoken on the GoT ending by now, it’s only been a couple of months since the airing of the SPN finale but fans’ passionate responses and dislike of that finale does not show any sign of dying out or slowing down - so why the silence?

why (again) that ending? that true ending where both boys’ character & story development are dropped? where important characters are missing? where some points of the plot have not been closed, if they were focusing on closing out the boys’ lore & emotional journeys? if again it’s a true ending & there is finality? 

I had so many questions and I had a pretty good idea what the answer was to most of them (as you guys do, too, I’m sure) but until someone comes out and says this happened because of this, this, and this, we won’t ever really know.

Until I saw something that I just cannot get out of my head and totally turned every thought I had about Dabb, the show, the network, Jared’s comments, Dean’s ending -- all of it right on its head.

COVID: We all know that COVID has been to blame for what happened, why certain characters weren’t in the finale. Welp, here’s what I think about that:

I suspect that COVID did affect the ending but not in the way you’re thinking. Not to discount the new restrictions which did prevent certain cast members from being able to film but it also affected the production in other ways as well.

Let’s pretend COVID hadn’t happened at all (God don’t we all wish). What would be different? The finale would have been shot as intended, it would have aired in May (I think), and live cons & panels would still be going on. Cast members wouldn’t have had to quarantine for 2 weeks prior to shooting, no adjustments would have needed to be made to the scripts at all, and Walker would have remained on its natural trajectory.

But as we know, COVID did happen. The world shut down, all productions were put on pause as well as all other businesses and occupations. That means anything that wasn’t shot for these productions or was in the middle of production would be affected. Some things that were already shot were affected in the post-production phase (take The Walking Dead season 10 finale for example) and got delayed. The movie release dates kept getting pushed back, some films had no choice but to move their releases to streaming networks just in order to survive. We know that COVID has hit everyone financially, individually, their families, their jobs, and their businesses, not just big corporations and production studios. In that video link above, Jensen is asked about the brewery during COVID and he even mentions that thankfully, they had just gotten canning machines right before COVID hit. 

From a production aspect, we know how COVID affected it. But for SPN and then Walker, it hit especially hard. They now had these factors to contend with:

Jared had a new show he was moving onto (I’m not sure if January 2021 was the initial premiere date they had shot for but I’m sure production must have gotten pushed back)

Jensen was joining The Boys (not sure when this decision was made, I know he announced it in August 2020, but not sure how long the talks were before then)

Filming resumed (but with restrictions) in August 2020, with J2 doing the mandatory 2 week quarantine (video link above)

Production on other CW shows (& all shows, lbr) were slowly coming back but premiere dates for new seasons were being pushed back so they could get the actual productions done - think season 3 of Legacies which is supposed to air this month

No one knew how long COVID would be around or if there would be a vaccine soon that would be available to the public

Actors still had to be paid for the 2 week quarantine (as one would expect)

Since there is no real new content to speak of, not many people are tuning in - a lot of people heavily relied on streaming services while the world was on pause

The 100, another fan favorite show on the CW, was ending its 7 year run at the end of September (I’m sure the network knew by this point what JRoth’s planned ending would be and what would happen in that episode before it & that they might lose some viewers for that show) - and funnily enough that Jared’s new costar had been a part of

new seasons of Flash, Legends Of Tomorrow & Supergirl have not come back yet since their productions were delayed; Arrow is no longer on the table or even the spinoff (link above)

Ruby Rose had announced in May 2020 that she was not returning to Batwoman, meaning the role had to be recast or the story had to be rebooted (they chose to do the latter)

SPN, one of their fan favorite shows & an OG crossover from the WB (last of a dying breed so to speak), is ending after a successful 15 year run - though one of the stars is staying with the network and headlining one of their new shows

due to the change in demand as a result of the pandemic, other networks are now moving into the streaming game as survival (think Discovery +, NBC, CBS, etc - tho tbf the battle for content was already going this way thanks to AppleTV & Disney+, but don’t be surprised when more mainstream networks start changing to this, expecting you to pay for monthly access to their content outside of your cable bill)

A lot of people talk about the CW using the downtime during the pandemic to look at SPN’s actual ending and going “nope, get rid of the gay, Dean has to die, play ‘Carry On My Wayward Son’, twice, got me?” I’m not saying they’re wrong (I actually think the network did interfere with some of these) but some of these other factors definitely contributed to what the hell happened with that finale and why it feels so different compared to season 15, the last few seasons, even 15x19 itself. Especially when we see Dabb’s writing style for the last 12 years, and Singer’s visual style when he directs. Not to mention they were the showrunners since season 12 and where they took the show in that time frame.

If Walker was always set to premiere in January 2021 (or let’s say earlier, like for the Fall 2020 lineup), had COVID not happened, they would have had time to promote the show like normal and do their usual PR, production would have resumed like normal, none of their other shows would have delayed productions either, and their dates and numbers wouldn’t be skewed in any way. There would be no pressure of Jensen or any of the other talent moving onto other projects/studios/networks/production companies that have their own production issues due to COVID (again, I don’t know when The Boys decision was made but I’m sure it wasn’t a discussion that suddenly happened the day before Jensen announced it). The guys did interviews still from home but that’s not the same as doing a press junket or attending a premiere or getting out in the public eye to promote, promote, promote (though the cast did do this before season 15 aired but due to COVID, the length of time that delayed production, they could not do this for the last block of episodes when they returned & keep fresh in viewer’s minds like maybe they would have been able to pre-COVID, watch they won’t be able to for any of their returning shows either).

Now seeing it through that lens, how can they fix this? How can they make sure to get a guaranteed viewership that they haven’t had time to go and promote for? Social media/the internet is a given and would have been used regardless of COVID but now they also don’t have the cons the guys go out and usually do, they can’t connect with viewers that way either (though the guys did do panels, M & G’s from home). They don’t have anything else on the docket really that they can use as a vehicle to get Walker and any other new shows ramping up in the promotion department to get viewers away from streaming services (that aren’t theirs) & other networks, to keep them watching not only what will be coming back on the air (eventually) but also any new content they are trying to put in front of you.

So we get this for SPN’s series ending:

What does this achieve (what it puts into the heads of the viewers):

A strong relationship between brothers is being viewed

While Dean is having the emotional death monologue, we get to see Jared’s acting shining through as much as Jensen’s

“Let me look at you” “There he is” “My baby brother” “I’m so proud of you, Sam” “I’ve always looked up to you” “It was always been you and me. It’s always been you and me” (x)

They talk about the pilot episode where Dean goes to get Sam from school, Sam mentions the Woman In White from that episode, they talk about John and how Sam stood up to him circa what the dynamic was between John and Sam in the first season - notice how Dean mentions “I don’t know you did that” which brings his dynamic with both John & Sam circa back to the 1st season - the pilot started Sam-centric - they use dialogue from the 1st season: “I don’t want to do this alone” “Yes, you can” “Well, I don’t want to”

Sam is about to deal with the death of the other main character in his life & it will affect how his life continues - “Hey, I’m not leaving you. I will be with you right here. Every day. Every day you’re out there and living and you’re fighting. You always keep fighting. You hear me? I’ll always be there. I’ll be there every step. I love you so much. My baby brother.”

After this, we get Dean’s hunter funeral, Sam shutting down the bunker, leaving, & we see the life montage Sam has before he ultimately dies and joins Dean in Heaven. Interspersed with it is the conversation Dean has with Bobby once he gets to Heaven and then his 40 year drive. And what plays during Sam’s life montage? “Carry On My Wayward Son”, the theme for SPN itself.

It has become a Sam-centric episode again featuring a little Dean, just like the pilot.

Bonus:

Now that it aired and the show is over, almost two months down the road, what do we see in the first official promos from Walker? What do we already know about the show before it’s even premiered?:

Walker has lost his wife because he “didn’t protect her” - he’s left behind

He still sees his wife (we know Gen will most likely be in flashbacks outside of the premiere episode) - she’s still with him

“You’re chasing ghosts! She is gone and there is nothing you can do about it.” (x) - title of this promo “Moving On” & title cards “Moving on takes letting go” interspersed with Cordell talking about him missing his wife & shots of his wife - this was promo premiered 12/16/20 

Another brother relationship

his brother is grabbing him like he & Dean used to do to each other, they are having a broment

the series is about Cordell Walker, he’s the center of the story, played by Jared

See anything similar to the list above? 

Now compare the promo that premiered last week to the December promo linked above (x) - has a completely different feel to it, doesn’t it? His wife & loss are barely mentioned

Why the difference? One, because they knew SPN viewers (regardless of the backlash from the finale) were still feeling the loss of that show due to how they saw fans reacted to the announcement of season 15 being their last, they did not have any heavy hitters airing at that moment plus the holidays, they knew viewers are inside due to the cold & COVID which was rising again, they knew viewers would be watching more cable programming due to the holidays (think Hallmark Christmas movies, Freeform, etc) & the backlash for the show from some of the viewership (30% isn’t enough, no matter what that 30% itself tries to tell you) that they needed to regain to get Walker to hit the ground running. 

One part of Dean’s death I’d like to focus on are these lines & this one factor:

“I’m fading pretty quick. There’s some things I need for you to hear so come here.” - he’s not fading, he has time for a monologue

“Oh man, I did not think this would be the day. But it is. It is and...that’s okay.”

“I need you to... I need you to promise me. I need you to tell me that it’s okay. I need you to tell me that it’s okay. Look at me. Look at me. I need, I need... I need you to tell me that it’s okay. You tell me that it’s okay.” “Dean...it’s okay. You can go now.”

Dean’s theme does not start until after Dean says “that’s okay” - it gets close plenty of times in the beginning of the scene but never actually starts until after that line

Remember Dabb joked “If you thought Game of Thrones was bad, just wait”? (link above) We know that Misha and Jensen have watched GoT. The show itself has made quite a few GoT references. And what happened in the series finale of GoT? This scene (x)

If you watched GoT, remember how out of place this part felt? How the dialogue didn’t seem to match what the hell had happened? How Jon seemed to be defending Dany’s actions when his character would never have done so before that moment? How Tyrion says this line above? 

They were breaking the fourth wall, enacting Tyrion as the writers’ mouthpiece and Jon as the audience’s mouthpiece. Because they knew fans of Dany (namely the GA) would be shocked at what Dany had one, and what was still to come. Bryan Cogman confirms what the aim of the show was, to make people think (x) & that the writers were going to challenge the audience for rooting Dany on before this, as confirmed by Kit Harington (x).

You know what other show is infamous for breaking the fourth wall sometimes?

So now look at those lines again, look at how Dean’s theme starts up, look at the scene (linked above) and notice Dean looking away from Sam, behind the camera at 3:12. Singer is directing the episode, the editors left it in, and this aired. Now notice what he says as he does this: “Oh man, I did not think this would be the day. But it is.” - then what does he do, he goes back to talking to Sam, but looking down. “It is and...that’s okay.” Then we see Sam’s face again.

This them breaking the fourth wall (why else is Dean looking in that direction during his death scene? How does that add emotionally to the scene or help tell the story? No other characters or events are back there).

This is the writers saying to you: “We didn’t think it would end like this. But it’s happening and it is what it is, we’re going to do it.” Maybe they planned for Dean to die all along (I still don’t think they did but I don’t know that definitively, other than what the show’s story told us) but they didn’t plan for it to go like this.

Then Dean says this after we see Sam’s face: ““I need you to... I need you to promise me. I need you to tell me that it’s okay. I need you to tell me that it’s okay. Look at me. Look at me. I need, I need... I need you to tell me that it’s okay. You tell me that it’s okay.” - this is Dean talking to the writers

The writers back to Dean: “Dean...it’s okay. You can go now.”

This is why the forehead touch. This is why the hands shots. This is why Sam is that emotional (besides losing his brother). This is why Dean has that little smile before he covers Sam’s hand with his. This is why Dean’s theme doesn’t start until after what the writers say to the audience, the “that’s okay” because after that was their goodbye to Dean.

“Goodbye, Sam”  

Now think, if Dean was your character that you wrote for and you truly loved him (or even say if he was real and right there in front of you), how would you send him off if you and he could talk directly? What would be the truest thing you could do for him? If you couldn’t let him live or give him anything he wanted or deserved in the end? 

Baby is there, Baby makes him happy. He has the Road House. He gets to see Bobby again. His parents are happy and live down the road. Jack rebuilt Heaven for him. “Cas helped” implying that Cas is out of The Empty. They chose to purposely play Kansas’ version of the theme here and have Dean say “I love this song” right after the lyric “There will be peace when you are done” (this may not have happened while they shot it, but they purposely edited it this way).

The hunter funeral shot isn’t just meant to be a transition to Heaven or even a transition to POV shot. It’s also indicating that something is shifting here. We know how long it takes them to burn bodies in the show (see Mary’s and Cas’ funerals for reference) - look at how it becomes an overhead shot and how quickfully (and almost artfully if that’s the right word) the flames engulf Dean’s body. Then we get a sort of white fade if you will. 

Then: “Well, at least I made it to Heaven.”

And who did they choose to greet him in Heaven? 

Who was named after Robert Singer as we know. And who directed the episode? That’s right, this guy. And how long has Singer been with the show? Since the beginning. 

“Yep.” “What memory is this?” “It ain’t you, idjit.” “Yeah it is, ‘cause last I heard you were in Heaven’s lockup.” “I was. Now I’m not. That kid of yours, before he went wherever, he made some changes here. Busted my ass out. And then he, well...he set some things right. Tore down all the walls up here. Heaven just ain’t reliving your golden oldies anymore. It’s what it always should’ve been. Everyone happy. Everyone together.” “It ain’t just Heaven, Dean. It’s the Heaven you deserve.” - look at this dialogue, this is once again the writers/Singer talking to Dean directly 

And who’s that in the shot in the background during the pie festival scene in the beginning of the episode?

Singer himself (x). These scenes parallel. Dean is having his favorite dessert: pie. Instead of Bobby handing it to him, it’s Sam. They sit on a bench outside of a restaurant (it looks like?) They included Singer in this shot for a reason, behind Dean to his left. Then in Heaven we have Bobby handing Dean one of his favorite drinks: beer. They’re sitting in chairs outside of Harvelle’s roadhouse. You know what else parallels?:

“I just... I think about Cas, you know? Jack... If they could be here.” “Yeah. Yeah, I know, I think about ‘em, too. You know what, that pain’s not gonna go away. Right? But if we don’t keep living, then all that sacrifice is gonna be for nothing. So quit being a freaking Eeyore, alright? Get into this.” “Yeah, you’re right.” *Dean has Sam smushing pie into his face*

“So Jack did all that?” “Well, Cas helped.” *cue Dean’s little smile*

The pie in the face moment isn’t just meant to be comedic. Not with Singer still in the shot. Not right after they talk about Jack & Cas. On the surface, it is: “I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time” & then Dean takes the fork and gets some pie off his face to eat it, Singer laughing in the background. But notice how Singer walks out of the shot right after and they show this on camera. Singer could have been an extra, he could have been some random guy saying some random line behind them or interacting with them in some way, maybe handing Dean the pie for instance, or someone who accidentally knocks into them for more comedic moments. But instead they kept him in the shot, watching the boys, but staying his distance.

And whose name is on the pie truck at the pie festival? Dabb’s. His name isn’t there just to be there before the end of the show like we’ve seen all along with other names.  

And note the dialogue in the beginning of the pie scene, when Dean & Sam arrive:

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” “Oh, I don’t have a choice. This is my destiny.” And what does the camera pan to? The pie festival with Dabb’s truck in the background.

Dean has two different reactions to the mention of Cas & Jack, and why? Because Heaven was the Heaven that Dean deserved. Where everyone was together and happy. Singer was in the Heaven shot, too, but as Bobby Singer. Heaven is where they were able to speak candidly with Dean after his death. Where they could let Dean be Dean. Where Dean could get the ending he deserved which was everyone together and happy with Cas and Jack somewhere out there in the same Heaven, his mom and dad down the road, and his Baby there to drive anytime he wants, complete with beer.

“It’s a new big world out there. You’ll see.” “Oh wow. This tastes like the first drink I ever shared with my dad.” “Quality stuff?” “No, it’s crap.” *they both chuckle* “But it was fantastic.” “Just like this.” “It’s almost perfect.” “He’ll be along.” - who is the one member of Dean’s family, including Cas & Jack, who the writers haven’t been able to give Dean in his perfect Heaven yet? Sam

“So I guess the question is, what are you gonna do now, Dean?” “I think I’ll go for a drive” “Have fun.” - notice Bobby’s fond smile as he watches Dean approach Baby with a big grin - and once again, Bobby is in the background, watching

Then what comes after Dean starts driving & Kansas’ song is done playing?

Neoni’s cover of “Carry On My Wayward Son” starts playing after Dean tells Sam: “You can go now” (3:28 - x) - and what does Sam do? He smiles and looks down at Original Dean’s watch that he’s wearing & again we get the hands shot - this scene was meant to parallel Dean’s death scene - Dean being present in the form of his nephew who shares the same name, who tells him he can go now & watches Sam die, the cover song being Sam’s version of that song so to speak, and notice the zoom out shot as Sam dies - what do we see? The infamous mantle with the infamous Winchester-only photographs that then fades over to Dean arriving on the bridge in Heaven. Sam is being released from the narrative to go to Dean’s heaven and we know he’s Dean’s Sam again because of the callback costume to season 1. 

The Sam that mourned Dean during that whole montage of his life was only partly Sam the character we’ve come to know and love for 15 years. It was also the CW’s Sam. Not just the Sam the writers loved. Once he moves into Dean’s Heaven, he belongs solely to the writers again, so to speak.

“Hey, Sammy.” “Dean.” And then the hug, the looking over the bridge, the zoom out (showing the big world Bobby talked about that the boys are literally facing), and the credits. And what plays in the background? Dean’s theme, by guitar. And what credits do they show before the crew shot? Andrew Dabb & Robert Singer

This is why the cover version is played right after Kansas’ version. This is why Dean 2.0 looks like someone who could be on Legacies or one of those shows. This is why the Winchester-only mantle. This is why Blurry Wife. This is why “very, very purposely ambiguously”. This is why “you’ll love the ending, mine would have been so much darker!” This is why “it’s a true ending.” This is why “If you thought Game of Thrones was bad, just wait.” This is why “Supernatural will never get the credit it deserves. Most people who are looking at it from the outside are going to focus on why it ran fifteen seasons, and ignore why it lasted so long.” This is why Jared is happy with his ending and why Misha is satisfied with his. This is why the vampmimes, the rando Jenny callback, the milk run hunt death, that Cas & Jack weren’t in it more than a couple of mentions, why Dean never talked about what Cas confessed or responded to it in any way, shape or form. It was all about Walker.

Had Jensen been cast as Walker instead, you almost have to wonder if it would have been Sam impaled on the rusty nail, a shirtless shot for Jensen, and a Dean-centric ending while Sam waited for him up in Heaven. Everything else would have remained the same, though. The network would still use it.

15x20 was not a bibro episode (or Wincest engame or a pure brothers ending circa season 1-5). 15x20 was a vehicle, almost a backdoor pilot if you will (though not technically) for the new show. There’s a reason why they kept explaining that 15x19 would wrap up the lore/the season and 15x20 would wrap up the boys’ journey/emotional arcs/wrap up the finale, why it would be a 2-parter and it would feel different. Why it didn’t sit right with Jensen. Why Jared sounds like hes parroting what CW execs would be saying about the finale & Sam and Dean. Why Dabb hasn’t said a word since the finale aired. This is why “take it or leave it”. This is how COVID affected this show (I’m not saying it’s only this, they did start the Chuck/network arc earlier than COVID after all). And you know what Dabb & Co’s response was?

But even more so this:

Jack becoming God. That is why Alex mirrors some of Rob’s movements from Rob’s performance as Chuck, not just to indicate he is now God. Not only could Jack (aka the writers) break Cas out of the Empty, he completely remade Heaven so Dean and Sam could be safe in the end, given the ending they deserved, where everyone was together and happy. How it always should have been.

15x19 was the best finale they could give us and they tried their hardest. You know why?

Jack becomes God who doesn’t insert himself in the story anymore - his “I’ll be in everything” monologue: “What do we call you?” “Who cares what we call him? Look, all that matters is he got us back on line” “Dean, I”m not coming back home. In a way I’m already there” - “What if we wanna see you? Have a beer or whatever?” “I’m around” (when I first heard this line I thought it was an odd line for Sam to say but now it makes total sense) - “I’ll be in every drop of falling rain, every speck of dust that the wind blows, and in the sand, and in the rocks, and in the sea” “This is a hell of a time to bail. You have a lot of people counting on you. They’re gonna have a lot of questions that need answers” “And those answers will be in each of them. Maybe not today, but someday” “They just need to know that I’m a part of them and to trust in that” “I won’t be hands on. Chuck put himself in the story. That was his mistake.” (notice after this line Jack talks about how he’s learned from everyone and when he mentions Cas’ name, they show a shot of the brothers - that is who is missing from this family moment) - notice when Jack talks about people being their best, they can be that Jack looks to Dean and the camera focuses on Dean’s reaction - “Well, I’m really as close as this” *puts hand over heart* - then Jack disappears, we see Sam’s & Dean’s reactions & then the next shot is beers in the boys’ hands (x)

Lucifer is broken out of the Empty by Chuck to indicate that the Empty could be broken into

We find out what happened to Adam

We get a new Death for a few minutes named Billie Betty and Death is killed with no new Death

Chuck gets his ending - through Lucifer and Michael themselves

All humans were restored in the end (& had COVID not happened, we would have seen familiar faces return as well)

Dean never got to respond to Cas’ confession one way or the other but we see him tell Chuck to bring him back and get the whole Lucifer scene - think they could have had Lucifer get in another way or call Sam since he lost Eileen but no they chose Dean for this, to show Dean running up the stairs - because while they couldn’t have Dean respond, they could show this, and Eileen? It was never going to happen because the CW didn’t want any romance in the end for Sam (and that’s why Blurry Wife btw) - this is also why Sam & Dean don’t ask Jack to bring anyone back

Dean reaches the end of his emotional arc as far as he himself goes by the end of the episode with “That’s not who I am”

Dean and Sam get a goodbye with Jack

The intials on the table with Cas’ & Jack’s name added

The brothers shot on the table in the end where Sam looks sad and Dean claps him on the shoulder before they stand and leave

Dean and Sam driving down the road in the Impala (open ending that doesn’t end in death)

the song being played “Running On Empty” - everyone thought that meant Cas or The Empty somehow but look at the lyrics (x)

15x19 was their finale and they weren’t able to give us more than that (except for releasing Dean & Sam from the narrative & having them back in the same place as their family and loved ones)

You know what cements all of this?

Where Jared & Jensen are looking right into the camera and thank us (the audience) & the zoom out to show the crew on the bridge, then the thank you message to all of the fans. They purposely broke the fourth wall to show you this (even though it happened after the fade out from the shot of Sam hugging Dean). This also explains why they kept Jared and Jensen in costume, and why they literally shoot from the same stretch of bridge they just ended the scene on, why the zoom out shot is similar but this time it’s facing the cast and crew. The show (the world) is now behind them but they want you to know how much they appreciated your support this whole time.

“We felt you guys here with us all the time.”

And who is on Jensen’s left? Singer

And who is on Jared’s right? Jim

Though this isn’t a shot for the show per se and it’s not a blocked scene, it’s not telling the SPN story anymore or any story really, they purposely chose to craft this shot this way, to have Jensen and Jared walk out of frame to lead to this shot, and zoom out this way

And then what do we hear? “And cut” and it cuts to black - why was this line added? why does the ending shot for the crew mirror for Sam & Dean’s ending shot? because this is breaking the 4th wall for the episode & they’re showing you that

And what were we left with for the actual episode?

the episode focused on the brother relationship

Sam not having any visible love interest/wife that is in one scene, in the distance, indistinguishable but we are able to see she’s brunette (brunette like Gen & Shoshannah)

Dean out of the way & driving in Heaven - leaving for Sam to be the focus the rest of the episode (though they keep Dean’s presence through Sam’s son & the impala scene), only when he dies do we see Dean stop the car and wait for him

And again what does all of this remind us of based on the promos we’ve seen so far?

It’s unfuckingcanny.

This was never about pleasing the 30%, not for the writers and the show. This was never about pleasing original fans of the show (from earlier seasons) or a certain section of the fans. It was always about viewership, about gaining ratings & making sure their new show that Jared was cast in did well, that a smooth transition happened. 

This is why Dean’s character and story development went out the window. Why Sam’s did. Why no Cas, no Jack, no Eileen. Why Cas and Jack are barely mentioned and why Eileen is never mentioned again. Saileen and Destiel were too heavily paralleled all of season 15. Think, if one had happened as endgame (say Sam signing back to Blurry Wife or Dean hears “Hello, Dean” in Heaven since Shoshannah and Misha couldn’t be on set), even the GA (that goddamn 30%) would have went: wait, huh? But the network couldn’t erase Cas from the narrative like Eileen. Misha had been a regular, Cas’ role was essential to the show by the end of it, to the boys’ arcs, he was too important to the story. Plus they saw what happened when the show tried to kill Cas off in season 7. This is why the market research in 2016. This is why Jim Beaver intimated that we should have been happy with what we were able to get. He wasn’t being an ass or unsympathetic, he was just being blunt and stating facts. This is why we got the character montage at the end of 15x19 and no big series recap with “Carry On My Wayward Son” at the beginning of 15x20 which was essential to every season premiere episode, every season finale episode, and mid season-premiere episode of this show. The show wasn’t theirs anymore by that point, not really. This is why the cast & crew aren’t supposed to talk about what the original planned ending was. This is why:

Holy hell, it has taken me almost two months to try to make some sense of this whole goddman shitshow and why they ended Dean’s story like that as well as Cas’, Jack’s, Eileen’s, and Sam’s. We knew there was network interference (and this post doesn’t take away from the fact that the network has been interfering long before 15x19, long before COVID even) but this is...wow. It all makes so much more sense, at least to me. Who knew that it would take me going back to GoT, rewatching SPN episodes so many damn times, trying to see exactly what they were showing through framing, music cues, the performances, the narrative itself about Dean and Cas as well as Sam and Eileen and the found family narrative and Dean wanting a different ending and the whole leader!Sam thing and why it was all dropped...to finally get to this point. Wow.

Dabb, I am so sorry. I sincerely apologize. I have been so incredibly angry with you and Singer but now, I get it, especially after seeing what happened with Wayward Sisters and how the nerwork operates with other shows. I felt so much pain watching Dean’s death happen, with that dialogue, but I can’t imagine how painful it also must have been for those who wrote the character, who loved him and knew him the way you guys did, the way Jensen did, to have to do it that way. Especially, “Dean...it’s okay. You can go now.” I am so, so sorry. I feel like I should have seen this from the beginning but I didn’t. Ngl, I couldn’t watch that scene before this past week and I still can’t watch it, but now for a completely different reason. I have a pit in the bottom of my stomach just thinking about it.

Like Chuck said: “A headstone with the name: Winchester” - they were set on a death happening. Because what could have happened (and did sometimes though it didn’t take) during Kripke’s era? One of the boys dying. It makes me sick honestly. The CW execs saw GoT, too, but they took something else entirely different from it.

If nothing else, at least I can make some semblance of peace with this now for myself. With the show, the writers, even Jared’s remarks (though tbh I was never mad at him for those, that’s pure PR and parroting/towing the company line). I totally get why this show needs to succeed from Jared’s vantage point and for his sake alone (as well as Gen and their family’s), I hope it does (it makes me sick to say it but I only do so for Jared) or there’s another better project he can land and still be close to his family. Out of all of the main cast for SPN, he talked the most about missing them. So, either way, I only hope the best for him on that front. 

The CW on the other hand:

tldr; I’m tired and Dean, Sam, Cas, Jack, Eileen, and the whole show were done so fucking dirty - fuck that network

[eyrieofsynapses]

First Thoughts on YJ S4 Panel

WARNING: SPOILERS for the DC Fandome YJ S4 panel!

Okay, before I start chattering away, can I just saw how much I love this title poster? Because I love it. LOOK AT IT. LOOK AT HOW BADASS IT IS. 

Warning: this first bit is a teeny bit ranty, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t genuinely love the panel. It was really fun, but I have a few gripes with the amount of information we got. If you wanna cut straight to the cheery bits, check under the cut.

So... uh. I’m not gonna say I’m disappointed? Because I’m not, this was good, we got info, it was nice to see the voice actors. But I’m... underwhelmed. I definitely wasn’t expecting a lot but this was still, mm, not as much as I thought we’d get. No poster, no previews of character designs, not a peep as to when we’re getting the new season, nothing on where it’ll be streaming, nothing as to new characters, nothing as to who’s going to be the villain, and the Q&A session was maaaayyybe 3 minutes long. Oof, guys. Thought you said you’d leave us with something that’d leave us “more than just ‘whelmed.’” 

Essentially all we got was the title, and a few snippets of information regarding what the current status of the Team and its characters is. They didn’t really get the chance to talk to us at all about the actual season, either- I think Brandon spoke maaaybe three or four times? He got the title reveal, but, well, we knew that already, not that it’s their fault, but still. I love hearing the voice actors chat about their experiences and we got none of that, so that was disappointing. I’m wondering if there wasn’t some material cut, actually, because I distinctly recall seeing a clip on Twitter with Phil Lamarr talking about what it was like returning to the show, and it wasn’t in this. So what’s the deal, DC? Short-changing us on YJ again? When are we gonna get some actual news? 

There is the little problem that their big reveal of the title was spoiled, oh, maybe three or four months ago, and that isn’t their fault, but it does make that revelation more of an “okay, well, glad that’s confirmed” rather than an “OH MY GODS IT’S PHANTOMS WHAAAAAAAT” like I think they were hoping. Still, that’s definitely exciting to hear, and the new title poster looks cool. 

I got a “WHAT!!!” moment maaayybe three times, which is significantly less than I thought I would. There just wasn’t that much new info. But I think that’s less of a Grandon/production team problem and more of a world state and DC problem. I’m not annoyed at them, I’m annoyed at DC and at the pandemic, because I’m willing to bet their snippet was cut short by DC and what information they could’ve revealed just isn’t ready yet because of current events. Probably we would’ve gotten character designs if it weren’t for that.

As for the audio play, it was pretty good. They were definitely struggling what with having a distinct lack of people to pull from for a voice cast, but made some tongue-in-cheek references to it to take off the edge. I don’t think I realized just how many people voice for YJ until now... or how many characters each actor does. It’s a bit janky, and weird what with the arguing over who’s narrating the story (why, are they telling us the story, or are they telling it to someone else? Are you breaking the fourth wall, are you not? Make yourselves clear) but I’m blaming that on the fact that they’re more used to scripts than they are audio plays. These are different mediums, so there’s an inherent gap there; this probably would’ve gone better as an actual episode. 

So, FIRST watch-through, here’s my HAPPY cheery thoughts and reactions, in no particular order! I might do a second one later, we’ll see. (Under the cut, because it’s long.)

Return of Bowhunter Security! 

Clipboard makes a comeback!

The Supermartian marriage has taken place and they’re making reference to taking a long journey with Conner, M’gann, Bioship, Gar and J’onn. So... Mars? Do we finally get to see Mars?  

Forager gets to be sassy! And a hilarious narrator! Which, c’mon, it’s Jason Spisak, honestly, I don’t know what I expected.

Ahahah, Jason makes the most delightful faces when he’s voicing Forager. (And a few flubs, but he’s good at covering them.) We all miss Wally, but man, he does a good job with this character. Also, hey, that’s how he does the clicks!

Rocket! Even though she had a relatively minimal presence, sigh. I’m hoping they build her character more this time, she always get short-changed. 

ARTEMIS IS LEADING THE TEAM, repeat, ARTEMIS IS LEADING THE TEAM!!! YES!!! 

And she also makes a reference at some point to being in this fight for ten years, which, HMM, do I hear a reference point for our time jump? They started back in 2010, so this implies that the season’s caught up to 2020. So... season one was 2010, season two was 2016, season three was... 2018, I think? So does this make the next time jump two years too, or am I off? It also takes place on February 23rd. Eh, either way, it’s absolutely not as long as a lot of people were fearing- heck, I’m thinking this might be the shortest jump yet. Yay!

I’m not sure if the Snapper Carr dialogue is cringy or hilarious. I’m going with hilarious because I’m betting this would’ve been great if it were animated. It definitely loses something without the animation. 

Is... is Crispin Freeman playing four characters? Five? Will, Roy, Jim, Captain Boomerang... I think I’m missing someone, I’m gonna have to go back and rewatch this later, but wow. He switches between them so fluidly, too, that’s impressive.

Forget Freeman for a hot second, Nolan North, what are you doing, dude? Conner, Clayface, Mallah, at least one or two others, with a LOT of animal noises included... wow, okay. I definitely didn’t realize how many of these guys do two or three characters. 

Phil Lamarr doing Brick, Black Manta and Kaldur all at once is definitely impressive. I’m gonna take a guess and say he likes doing Brick best. He seems to get a little grin sometimes when he’s playing the character.

Ahhh, Danica McKellar definitely likes playing Terrence Terror. Don’t ask me why, I’m just getting that feeling watching her. Villains are fun to play.

...Wolf? Where’s Wolf? Uhh, guys? Where’s our fluffy doggo? Don’t tell anyone but I’m scared. 

Oooookay, that was unexpectedly gruesome. Dehydrating a man into sand? I mean, okay, it’s Clayface, but we didn’t know that till later. Eeeewww. Y’all, ik you’re going more dark, but that wasn’t an image anyone needed.

Jokes about Dadbod!Will are... hhh, cringy or funny, cringy or funny... I’m going sorta funny for now. Not enough to make me laugh, but enough to make me smile. 

Okay, Will’s definitely still hilarious. Literally that entire scenario with Captain Boomerang was amazing, and only made better by the fact that it was entirely Crispin Freeman. The “are you the Green Arrow fanclub president or something?” “...you have no idea” moment, the “boomerangs are better and Batman said so!” “...okay, FINE,” FLINGING CLIPBOARD, Boomerang teasing Will for his dadbod and Will answering with a wicked uppercut... ah, man. This is 100% Roy/Will Harper and I am here for it. 

I can see some people disliking this humor, but personally, I’m gonna just sit back and enjoy it. YJ has some quirky humor, but honestly, if you’re part of the fandom and you don’t like it, why are you even here?

Huh, Raquel’s a vegan and nobody’s making jokes about vegan burgers? Nice!

Oh, my gods, Forager deciding that Lian and Amistad playing with the food is an educational activity is AMAZING, 100% in character, and something I really, really want to see. 

(Fanartists? Fanartists, pleeeeaaasse?)

Will and Artemis ribbing each other will never get old.

...wait. Hang on. Is Will the comedic relief character now along with Forager? Is this a thing? I guess it is. If you’d asked me who out of the original Team would replace Wally as the comedic relief back when I had finished the second season, I would not have thought of him first, but I think I’m good with this. It’s definitely in character to his comic version. 

Ahh, Conner and M’gann’s relationship is still... interesting. Still not sure how to feel on this one. But hey, they’re married (?) now? Uh... nice? 

Nightwing’s off on some mysterious mission, hmm? I’m assuming that’s because of Jesse McCartney not being there, but I think I’m gonna headcanon that there are Other reasons for this. 

Yay, Clayface getting redemption! I love this in the Rebirth Batman: Detective Comics, so I’m 100% down for seeing it here. 

Tim did that for Clayface! Sweet! Not a plot thread I expected to go anywhere from that one season three episode, but one I am very happy to see used. 

...more secrets. Uhh, M’gann keeping secrets from Conner is... icky... again... but granted, keeping them because of confidentiality agreements is, well, a better excuse than she’s had in the past. Still, this is getting old.

Huh, so Waller will let out the Team’s secrets if they tell anyone about Belle Reve. I think this was already covered in the third season, but maybe not so explicitly. The reactions... hmm. Of course Conner’s okay with letting out all their secrets (and M’gann’s willing to... go along with that? ...okay...?), but the others, maybe not so much? Hmm. I wonder what Dick would have to say about that one. He definitely has something to lose. Not sure about Kaldur or Artemis, though. 

Jason did NOT get to make any Wally references. That makes me even sadder than if he did make one that made all of us cry. C’mon, guys. Let him have his references. 

I’m always a little meh on M’gann, but hey, M’gann gets to be a 100% certified badass! Saving Clayface AND taking down a ton of baddies with telekinesis, yay!

Oh, my gods. LOOPHOLES. WHAT IS WITH THIS TEAM AND LOOPHOLES. I love them so much.

The Team signing on as Bowhunter Security- oh my gods, all of the Team in fucking Bowhunter Security uniforms- oh my gods, so very in-character, so very true to YJ, so absolutely goddamn hilarious, I wanna hug whoever came up with that. That is the BEST mental image and it is a CRIME that they didn’t animate that. 

And, of course, Kaldur just immediately goes along with it. The Team’s corrupted him fully now. I mean, we knew that, but he’s done now. 

Black Manta attempting to roast Kaldur for his security uniform and Kaldur roasting him back 100 times worse is wonderful. “I wear my dignity on the inside, Father. Where do you wear yours?” KALLIE I LOVE YOU 

Ooooo, Artemis is inviting Roy to the Team? This should be interesting. He’s definitely not totally stable, but it seems to me that Artemis should be able to more or less keep him in check. Hopefully. She had to deal with Wally for five years, surely she can keep Roy in check?

...hmm. We’re all thinking there’s gonna be a Red Hood arc... Roy’s joining the team... Roy and Jason did have that run as the Outlaws in the comics with Kory... and this version of Roy has the sort of temper and attitude that I can just see Jason possibly getting along well with... hmmmmmmmm... 

Hah, villain shenanigans. Having Task Force X argue all the time is in character and admittedly sort of funny, especially as Black Manta’s sort of pulling a Kaldur and playing the absolutely exasperated denmother. I dislike BM thanks to him being a Baddie and all, but watching (listening to?) him struggle to contain them is enjoyable if only because I like watching him suffer. 

Ahh, watching the VAs is fun. It’s definitely nice to see that little view behind the camera. There’s the little smiles, the tiny grimaces at the icky bits, the responses to various bits, the way their demeanor changes with each character, everyone egging Nolan on when he’s yelling for Clayface being disintegrated... I’m sad we didn’t get to see them chat, but watching them interact while they work is fun. Pity Jason and Stephanie didn’t really have any interactions, though, I bet watching them work together would’ve been fun. Ah well. Still fun overall.

There’s a lot of variation in where they are/what setups they have. Some of them seem to have proper studios, some of them don’t but they have mics, Danica’s on the lower bunk of her son’s room with what I’m betting are several sheets hung behind her, and then... well, then there’s poor Stephanie with earbuds and what I’m betting is her phone at her friend’s house XD Also, Greg’s library is really awesome, can I steal it please?

Green title card... I know people have been positing this for a while, but Lazarus Pit? Also, the thing people haven’t talked about: Mars?! Is this a nod to the Martians, since M’gann, Conner, Gar and J’onn seem to be going there? 

Lots of speculation regarding Phantoms, but that’s been going around for a while, so *shrug* I’m not gonna spend any time on that for now.

Someone’s gonna have to write this out, methinks, for further examination. We’ll see if I get around to doing that or not before Fandome ends. I’m betting someone will record it and post it on YouTube, but a written-out version of the script would be useful. If I do, I’ll probably post it, so keep an eye out. 

So... season 3.9, episode 1? Hmm. Does this come directly prior to the fourth season? I kinda wanna say it does.

I have more thoughts, but I think I need to do a rewatch first, maybe in a little bit. Anyway... not what I was expecting, I sincerely miss Dick and Wally, but lots of funny jokes all the same, and lots of interesting information on the fourth season even if it’s nowhere near the amount we wanted. I might be underwhelmed but I’m certainly not disappointed. 

[burninghoneyatdusk]

Tag Game

Tagged by @ninappon, @together-is-my-favourite-place & @carrieeve. Thanks loves! 💛

Name/nickname: sam

Gender: female

Star sign: capricorn

Height: 5’8”

Birthday: Jan 16th

Favorite bands/artist: Taylor Swift, Andrew McMahon (all band iterations), Lewis Capaldi, Hozier, Lorde, Vance Joy, Novo Amor, Lord Huron, and just a ton of country singers

Song stuck in my head:

Last movie: It’s a Wonderful Life

Last show: arrow. I’m on s8 of my ill-advised rewatch

When did I create this blog: 2018, but made my main blog in 2011.

How it’s going: Besides the coup attempt by domestic terrorists last week? Fine I guess.

What I post: Multifandom - you can check out my tags here. But obviously a lot of t100 & t100 fanfic.

Aesthetic: dark academia I guess?

Last thing I googled: inauguration day. lol

Other blogs: my main is @copper-dawn but it’s hardly active. I also run @t100fic-for-blm & help out with @wreck-jroth-club. @chroniker-diaries & @indigo-mornings are both inspo side blogs for two original works I’ll hopefully write someday, but they’re mostly inactive since I now stick to pinterest for those things.

Following: way over 1k since I’ve had my main blog for nearly a decade lmao. I follow both fandom blogs and a bunch of aesthetic ones too.

Followers: this feels like a breach of tumblr etiquette to even ask.

Average sleep: Usually not more than 6 hours, I’m shit at sleeping.

Lucky number: I don’t have one but when I was 8 I told my older sister my new lucky number was 69 and didn’t understand why she found that so funny.

Instruments: I played clarinet from age 9-13 and dabbled in guitar, but am not musically talented outside of making a playlist.

What I’m wearing: an old gray & green flannel I stole from my brother and leggings

Dream job: writer, but also my best friend and I want to live in Ireland and open a bar/coffee shop/bookstore, so that would be rad

Favourite animal noise: silence. JK my cat makes a cute little sound of distress when he chases the toy mouse I throw.

Random: I’m hella excited to be participating in @bellarkebigbang this year 🥳

Favourite song: Ooof I could never pick one but let’s just say both albums folklore and evermore since they both saved my 2020

Last book: If we’re not counting fic then technically Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare. However, I just read this original fic by @valkyrhys on ao3. Heed the tags, but it’s incredible - 11/10 recommend.

Top 3 fictional universes I’d like to live in: Grishaverse, Shadowhunters & maybe Hart of Dixie? Definitely Narnia when I was a kid though.

Tagging/saying hi, but no pressure: @animmortalist | @stealing-jasons-job | @sparklyfairymira | @poppykru | @franklyineedcoffee | @she-who-the-river-could-not-hold | @the-most-beautiful-broom | @eyessharpweaponshot | @icantloseyou-too | @pawprinterfanfic | @helloeurydice | @hopskipaway | @nakey-cats-take-bathsss | @elora-lane

[untapanimedraw]

Ok, lets talk the Winter 2021 anime season

Dear god, there are so many shows airing. A ton of sequels, and a decent amount of new shows. I think I’ll actually break down what I’m interested in watching into two parts, sequels and new. Lets get started. 

Watching:

Sequels 

Jujutsu Kaisen - This is technically a continuation rather than a sequel, but the spirit is the same. This was my choice for favorite anime of the season fall 2020 so this continuation has me pretty hyped. 

Black Clover - Still continuing. The manga had a 6 month time skip and the anime did some anime only stories with the author’s direction to cover that time period and now it’s caught up to that time skip. Shit is about to go down and I am stoked. 

Attack On Titan: Final Season - So this started airing in December which makes for a strange airing schedule, but it’s technically continuing from the fall season into the winter season. Anyway, it is fucking fantastic and this week’s episode left us on a major cliff-hanger for 2 weeks. 

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime S2P1 - Ok, so first... HOLY FUCK I’M SO EXCITED FOR THIS SEASON, IT’S GOING TO BE AMAZING. Second, yes this is part 1. Thanks to covid there are some longer running seasons that are being split up to accommodate the production schedule. So this part 1 is airing in winter, then in the spring the 4-koma comedy re-telling is airing, and then in summer part 2 of this season 2 will air. it’s annoying, but 3 continuous season of slime is a welcome thing. 

Re:Zero S2P2 - Alright, so this is the second half of summer 2020′s season 2 part 1. I have high expectations considering what we’ve already been given. 

Dr. Stone: Stone Wars (S2) - HOLY FUCK I’M SO FUCKING EXCITED FOR THIS SHOW, I LOVED THE FIRST SEASON AND AM READING THE MANGA AND OMG I CANNOT WAIT FOR MORE.

The Promised Neverland S2 - More of the promised neverland. I’ve heard that this season will go even harder than the first season and Emma will prove even more why she’s best girl, so bring it on. 

The Quintessential Quintuplets S2 - A second season of a decent harem show? Bring it on. 

Log Horizon S3 - So I didn’t watch this when the first 2 seasons aired years ago, 6 I think actually. That said it’s always been on my PTW list and when I heard season 3 was going to air I decided that now was the time to catch up; and wow am I glad I did. I binged the first 2 seasons over the last 3 weeks and I am so fucking invested now. I cannot wait for this next season. 

Higurashi GOU - this is continuing from last season and I’ll keep watching it, though I’m still not quite sure how to evaluate it. 

Yuru Camp S2 - WOOHOO!!!!! This was the chillest of chill shows that aired winter 2018 and I absolutely loved it. I’m so excited for this next season for more camping and adorable girls being chill. 

World Trigger S2 - So I was under the impression that there were already 2 seasons of this show, I watched most of it I think but it’s been so long I don’t really remember much. But this is being called season 2... so either this is retconning the previous season 2 or that was really just 1 big season despite the notation on some websites. Also a S3 has already been announced so I need to hurry up and rewatch this before the new season airs. But with 73 episodes that might take a bit of time. 

Armor Shop for Ladies and Gentlemen S2 - This is a sequel to the short anime of the same name. If you like it, you like it. 

New

Cells at Work S2 - Ok, technically this is a sequel, but I’m including it here because of something cool that’s happening with the next title. 

Cells at Work: Black - Why yes, this is a different Cells at Work title. This is based on the spin-off manga of the same title that gender swaps the cells from the main series and covers their work inside an extremely unhealthy body. This is going to be a grittier, bloodier, and bleaker show than the main one and in a fun airing scheduling event, they will be airing back to back. I’m quite excited for the both of these. 

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation - OMG I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS IS GETTING AN ADAPTATION! SADLY IT’S A SPLIT COUR SO THIS IS THE FIRST HALF OF SEASON 1 AND THE SECOND HALF WILL AIR LATER PROBABLY IN THE SUMMER. BUT THAT’S OK BECAUSE EVERYTHING I HAVE SEEN ABOUT THIS SO FAR TELLS ME THIS WILL BE A PRETTY DAMN FAITHFUL ADAPTATION AND IT IS GOING TO BE FANTASTIC. 

Horimiya - I’ve heard many good things about this romance show and am looking forward to it. 

Redo of Healer - Ok, here we go. This is going to be the outrage anime of the season. That is, if it is actually watched by people. It’s also getting 3 different levels of censoring so uh, I’ll have to check for the proper versions when it airs. 

So I’m a Spider, So What? - Ok, so funny story. I’d been hearing about this manga for a while so I decided to dive into it a few months back. As I read it, I thought it was pretty funny but I wondered if the anime adaptation would be great for a comedy manga about a reincarnated girl into a spider’s body. Then about 3 weeks ago, I realized I was reading the comedy spin-off instead of the main story. That said I’m still quite excited to see this adapted and I’ll get the manga after then anime is done. 

The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter - Hella ecchi, actually pretty fun manga. I’m looking forward to this adaptation. 

Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies moved to a started town - Hopefully this will be as fun as the manga was. Here’s a better synopsis than the Livechart one - Lloyd is the weakest person in his remote village but his dream is to become a soldier in the big city. So he moves to the city and strives to make his dream come true. However in a twist, it turns out that the remote village Lloyd came from is the retirement town for all the world’s strongest heroes and they are all massively overpowered, so when he gets to the city he’s stupidly OP but it doesn’t quite click for him. Shenanigans ensue. It’s fun and I’m looking forward to this adaptation. 

Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki - This is supposed to be not quite as good a romance as Horimiya this season, but still decent. If that is the comedy romance this is the drama romance show and hopefully it’ll be good. 

Kemono Jihen - Mystery, supernatural, Yokai. I’m intrigued in this show and hope it’s decent. 

Otherside Picnic - Shoujo Ai, Sci-Fi, I’m sold. 

Hortensia SAGA - This is based on a game, but I’ve heard that the story and scope are actually quite good and the PV actually looks quite good so I’m definitely gonna check this one out. 

SK8 the Infinity - Ok, so my first impression of this was nah, I’ll pass. But then I saw the PV and saw it was being animated by BONES and my impression changed to Ok I have to at least give it a couple episodes. 

2.43 Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team - So this is supposed to be Haikyuu except lots more drama and less gameplay. It will really have to pull me in in order to get me to not think boring Haikyuu when I watch it. I’ll give it a couple episodes. 

Dr. Ramune -Mysterious Disease Specialist- - Doctor heals people from Yokai or something like that. The tags look interesting as do the character designs. I’ll check it out.

Back Arrow - Fantasy setting but BOOM... Mecha! That premise at least demands a couple episodes of my attention. 

Heaven’s Design Team - Here’s my chill comedy SOL show of the season. The premise is Heaven has a design team that creates/created all the animals. I’m very excited to see the shenanigans. 

Gekidol - Idols and stage acting. After watching the new Love Live last season I’m in the mood for some idol stuff. But most interesting to me is the next show on this list. 

Alice in Deadly School - It’s not currently known whether this will be a full series or an OVA or some other thing, but this is an anime of the stage play that is being put on in Gekidol. The same VAs in Gekidol that play the characters in this play are voicing the characters for this anime production. And I just think this whole setup is neat and am very interested to see it play out (pun fully intended). 

Idoly Pride - This seems to be a more straight-forward idol show which I’m going to check out. 

Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san - Girl doesn’t quite cut it to do the thing she and her friend came to do, but she found that she can cook so uses her cooking for support her friends. SOL, lets go. 

Wave!! Surfing Yappe!! - Surfing show, the animation will make or break this show so we will see how it turns out. 

Wow, that is a lot of shows, lets add them up. 

13 sequels and continuations

22 new shows

35 total. I kinda hope some of these suck cause HOT DAMN, that’s a lot of shows. 

[allimariexf]

So I was at C2E2 last weekend, and I had the most amazing time, and ever since I got back I’ve been trying and failing to post about it. (Well, okay, I thought I was going to be posting during the con - HA HA HA NOPE. Turns out I cannot divide my attention like that.)

Anyway, I have been struggling because I don't even know where to start. And all my feelings about it get all intertwined with the ending of Arrow, and I have no fucking clue where to start as far as that goes, and just...there’s just so much I want to say. But to start out I want to talk a little about my fandom friends.

I started watching Arrow in the summer of 2015, I was content to enjoy it by myself...until 6x23 aired and my utter rage and sadness drove me to find other people to commiserate with. At that point, I started following anyone who tagged Olicity (and basically every account they reblogged), and soon I was following about 500 people, and I had found an “active” corner of the fandom. At that point, I just started joining in on conversations (and learning how to tumblr at the same time), hoping that people would notice me...and eventually, some did. 

I am so, so thankful for those people here who started including me in conversations, reblogging and responding to my posts...without them I probably would have eventually gone back to my lonely corner (making increasingly specific Olicity playlists on Youtube!) 😂 (I can’t remember who everyone was, but I distinctly remember being involved in the Arrow Rewatch 2018, and my resulting conversations with @hope-for-olicity @babblingblondegenius @blondeeoneexox and @jules85 I love you all and thank you so much for being my first Olicity fandom friends 💗

After that I just started sharing my opinions, loudly, and through that I made so many more great friends. And though we didn’t always agree on Arrow (and none of us were ever in full agreement, which is how it should be), we respected and loved each other and just had a fucking good time. 

When season 7 started, we commiserated over The Hair and started Hairwatch2k19. Those were good times. (I’ll never forget my masterpiece from those days: You are not alone. 

And I wrote fic and y’all read it and commented and made me so happy, and I made friends with some of my favorite authors ( @smoaking-greenarrow​ and @it-was-a-red-heeler​ immediately come to mind).

And we wrote and reblogged each other’s metas and took part in some of the best Arrow/Olicity conversations ever, and even though season 7 sucked (on the whole), you all made it bearable. 

In December 2018 I went to HVFF in San Jose where I got to finally meet @hope-for-olicity​ in person, and also had the absolute pleasure of meeting @vaelisamaza​ and @missyriver​ and @bowsmoakandarrow​

And at that con I also got to take a few selfies with some faves, including Caity Lotz and David Ramsey:

And then I started the @olicity-fanwork-exchange and ran it with some of my best fandom friends including @1-crazy-dreamer and @lucyyh and @msbeccieboo​ and @faegal04​ and @puck038​ and I hope we do it again someday, because I will never forget the absolute outpouring of love and respect and inspiration for each other’s fandom works on that day.

And I wanted to have better conversations with my Olicity loves, so I started the Olicity Discord server and from there so many of you have become such. good. friends. The friends who have listened to me go through possibly the hardest year of my life, who have been there for me and supported me and I honestly have no words, you guys. You know who you are and I love you.

And then came the announcement that Arrow was ending after a 10 episode season 8 (one year ago today! 😭) and our hearts broke and we on Discord held onto each other tight. 

And shortly thereafter Emily announced she wasn’t going to be in season 8 and we all died...but we were there to pick up the pieces of each others’ hearts, and somehow we made it through season 8. Together. 

And then I had the opportunity to go to the 7x22 Olicity cabin filming - Emily’s last day. And those of you on Discord lived it with me via live chat, and we learned before anyone else in the fandom that the Monitor was coming to the Olicity cabin (not a great spoiler, but still...we knew first! 😭). 

And I got to go on set, and see a scene be filmed, and I got to talk with so many people - actors and crew - and I ate a piece of Emily’s goodbye cake, and so many other things...one of the best days of my life, forever. 

With Stephen:

The cake:

And while everything on Arrow has been winding down, we have stayed active - participating in Fandom activities centered around fic - the Tropetastic Awards, and fic challenges hosted by @olicitytropes​ and @olicitysecretsanta​, and the Weekly Episode Rewatches we host on the Discord server...and there’s still so much to come. 

So while in many ways C2E2 felt like an ending (which I am still struggling with, obviously), it was really just a continuation of the great friendships and love of Olicity that has been ongoing for years. And there’s no reason at all that it has to end.

Those of you who were with me this weekend: @stephswims​ @theasianerd​ @puck038​ @it-was-a-red-heeler​ @chrissykins-for-the-win​ @hope-for-olicity​ (and @crys4728​ though I missed you!! 😭) THANK YOU FOR CHICAGO. I LOVE YOU ALL!

[thesmilingfish]

MAY 4

It’s Monday so it should be chore day but my cousin was working in the yard all weekend so today she’s doing her laundry and it’s throwing me off. I did collect and take out the trash, so that was good. I dusted some stuff that was high up and cleaned out a small closet. I took my plant, Audrey, outside so she could enjoy the spring and summer. (She’ll be back in when the weather turns cold.) She’s got some kind of funky fungus on her that she had a couple of years ago so I made a solution of water, oil and dish soap and dipped cotton balls in it, then gently wiped down every leaf and stem. Hopefully I got it all without letting much if any drop into the soil. I’ve had her for like 20 years so kind of protective of her.

I was finally able to order supplies from USPS so any of the international requests for the ID4 patches will go out as soon as they arrive. (Should be this week.) We’re supposed to see a spike in cases so my cousin is adamant that we stay home. (This doesn’t count the 3 or 4 trips she and her husband made to Lowes this weekend, however.)

I did take Teddy, the dog, for a drive. I needed to start my car and drive it so the battery doesn’t die and I didn’t want to drive around Lake Herman Road alone. Teddy is doing better. He’s eating again and after giving him some pumpkin he’s started to poop more regularly again. I think he just didn’t like the diet canned food and with his troubled tummy it didn’t do well being empty. We’ve started giving him half of his acid reducer pill again so fingers crossed all is well.

While I ate lunch I watched Rogue One (2016) because it’s May the Fourth! (Also kinda ties in with my Hannibal watch-a-rama via Mads. Actually kinda ties in with my Doom Patrol marathon via Tudyk. Huh.)

Hannibal (2013) - Today I watched episodes 3 & 4 from season 1. It’s such a heavy show that I don’t think I can or should watch more than 2 episodes a night. I think I’m going to have to alternate it with another show. Now I just have to figure out which one.

Below the cut are the shows I have that I need to watch.

The Almighty Johnsons (2011) - Season 1, 10 episodes

Angel (2004) - Season 5, 22 episodes

Birds of Prey (2002) - 13 episodes

The Blue and the Gray (1982) - 3-part mini-series

Chuck (2007-2012), Seasons 1-5, 91 episodes

Clocking Off (2000) - Season 1, 10 episodes

Colditz (1972) - Seasons 1-2, 28 episodes

Colditz (2005) - 2-part mini-series

Con-Man (2015) - Season 1, 13 episodes

Dollhouse (2009) - Season 1, 13 episodes

Emerald Point, N.A.S. (1983) - 22 episodes

Evergreen (1985) - 3-part mini-series

Fringe (2008-2013) - Season 1-5, 100 episodes

The Handmaid’s Tale (2017) - Season 1, 10 episodes

Hannibal (2013-2015) - Seasons 1-3, 39 episodes

Heroes (2006) - Season 1, 23 episodes

In the Flesh (2014) - Season 2, 6 episodes

The IT Crowd (2006-2008) - Seasons 1-3, 18 episodes

Mad Men (2007) - Season 1, 13 episodes

Metal Hurlant Chronicles (2012) - 12 episodes

The Musketeers (2014-2016) - Seasons 1-3, 30 episodes

Sanditon (2019) - 8 episodes

Sex Traffic (2004) - 2-part mini-series

Shameless UK (2004) - Seasons 1-2, 17 episodes

Slings and Arrows (2006) - Season 3, 6 episodes

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011) - 6 episodes

Star Trek: Discovery (2017) - Season 1, 15 episodes

Titans (2018-2019) - Seasons 1-2, 24 episodes

I did watch one episode of Birds of Prey & Metal Hurlant Chronicles - both the ones that Joe Flanigan is in. Surprise! I watched the first two or three seasons of Chuck, but after my Mom passed away I never watched it again. I figured I should watch it all over again if I’m going to. Should I? How are the last couple of seasons? The same goes for Fringe - I’ve seen most of it but it kinds of needs to be a big watch I think because it’s kinda epic and I can’t remember what I haven’t seen but I know I haven’t seen the end. I’ve seen some of The Musketeers and STD but not all of it so again with the whole rewatch thing. I watched the first two seasons of Slings and Arrows, but the third season came out not long after my Mom died and knowing what it was about I couldn’t do it at the time. Then time just got away from me. I was watching In the Flesh with a friend but she moved and I kept waiting to watch it with her but now I just kinda want to watch it.

[nerdybirdboy]

DC Stuff I’ve Watched

Live Action Films

Superman (1978)

Superman II (1981)

Superman III (1983)

Superman IV (1987)

Batman Begins (2005)

Constantine (2005)

The Dark Knight (2008)

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Man of Steel (2013)

Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Suicide Squad (2016)

Justice League (2017)

Shazam! (2019)

Animated Films

Superman: Doomsday (2007)

Green Lantern: First Flight (2009)

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009)

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010)

Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)

Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam (2010)

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths

Batman: Year One (2011)

Superman vs. The Elite (2012)

Superman: Unbound (2013)

Justice League Dark (2017)

Constantine: City of Demons (2018)

Reign of the Supermen (2019)

Live Action TV Series

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993-97)

Smallville (S1-4) (currently rewatching)

Arrow (half S1)

The Flash (S1)

Gotham (S1)

Constantine (2014-15)

Legends of Tomorrow (S1-2)

Lucifer (S1-3)

Titans (S1, patiently waiting on S2 to come to Netflix)

Animated TV Series

Batman: The Animated Series (1992-95)

Superman: The Animated Series (1996-2000)

The New Batman Adventures (1997-99)

Justice League (2001-04)

Teen Titans (a few episode here and there)

Justice League Unlimited (2004-06)

The Batman (2004-08)

Young Justice (2010-18 + 2019)

[planetoban]

Savin’s Answers from Twitter, Part 5!

Pretty much done with the backlog; this post covers tweets from November 2018 through May 2019

As always, tweets are in order from most to least recent, and answers may not 100% true/canon since things are bound to change during production of the sequel. Text is unedited save for formatting; in a few places I added [comments] for context.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Also: If you’re going to ask Savin something, please be respectful and appropriate. He’s a person just like you and me.

-

@NekoItoi: Will the bluray be released for Region A or solely region B? As I really want to finally own Oban in hd

@EiffelSavin: The bluray will be crowdfunded and region free

(x)

@Helloworld1012: Maybe U could get a adventures of young Aikka series funded

@EiffelSavin: Actually we're developping both a sequel and a spinof, which would reveal a lot about Aikka's past...

(x)

[talking about rick]

@Antarasis: Pretty metalhead.  👍 And losing your ability to pursue your #1 passion is such a heavy hitting topic. Was interesting to see a character confronted with it. Especially to see an admirable character give in to anger because of helplessness and make him act unpleasant/unlikable.

@EiffelSavin: I agree. Characters that are not just plain black and white are very interresting to follow.

(x)

@Helloworld1012: out of curiosity, Do U [Savin and Thomas] prefer the Eva & Jordan romantic pairing and prefer that Eva & Jordan be a couple or the Eva & Aikka romantic  pairing & prefer that Eva & Aikka become a couple? I heard from a discord chat that U both have different views in

‏@Helloworld1012: who Eva should end up with. And do Romantically pair Eva with one of them.

@EiffelSavin: I don't remember disagreeing with Thomas over this and would rather leave the choice to the audience - both relationships are important ! This being said, the question of who Eva likes most may resurface in the sequel, if we get to make it...

(x)

@Xanidos43: is it still possible to get the newsletter? i would love to support and buy the blu ray upon release.

@EiffelSavin: There will be more newsletters to come. For now just register on the bluray page of the http://obanstarracers.com  website

(x)

@Helloworld1012: Hey I’ve noticed for quite a while, that Aikka and Eva in the concept art physically look to be about the same age, please give us this one hint. Is the fact that Eva and Aikka look physically the same age in the concept art have something to do with the plot or OSR

@Helloworld1012: 2? Or is it just because you and @Thomasintokyo just wanted to show what Eva and Aikka could possible look like when their older?

@EiffelSavin: One possible direction for the sequel is for it to take place a few years after the original show. Hence the concept art. But this is still under discussion and would also depend on who finances the series

(x)

@Antarasis: Can we have a show about poor Muir, haha? Oh god, if I'd have the time I'd so make a parody show about Muir. There should be Muirs in Skyrim instead of mudcrabs. And Muir should get a skin in FightCrab. x'D Aaah, the potential of Muir. Please don't commit suizide, little crab.

@EiffelSavin: I could easily imagine a series about the adventures of "young muir"(!) Not sure we could get it funded though ☺️

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@AldrenMcneal: Hi there! i recently watched an Oban Star Racers video and found out a potential sequel was in the works. i found your twitter and realized it was announced back in 2017. How much progress have you made since then? Do you have the story planned out? Thanks!‏

@EiffelSavin: The story is planned out but we need investors - and time as well, since we're all involved in other projects too. Hopefully a successful bluray release we'll help refocuss everyone's energy

(x)

@Bfahome: I heard rumors in the past that there's a "full" version of Oban's English opening, "Never Say Never".  Are those rumors true and, if so, who would be the ones to have it?  Would it even exist still?

@EiffelSavin: I'm not sure about this. I think the only version I ever heard was the opening version. For your info our US partners felt very strongly about using that song.  I gave my OK because it was pretty catchy, even though the op credits were created to match Yoko Kanno's title song.

(x)

@EiffelSavin: Thanks a lot to the 1000+ #obanstarracers fans who took the time to answer our little survey. Here's what you answered to one of the first question asked. Among the alien racers, it seems Spirit made quite an impression #animation #anime #surveys #jetix #nhkbs #toowam

@MattGiusti: The lack of Sul on this list is very sad.

@EiffelSavin;: Sul came right after and would certainly have fared better if the question was who's your favorite alien character. Bear in mind that the list of choices here included some of the main characters of the show, like Jordan and Aikka and that one could only give a single answer.

@rhodanum: I'm quite surprised at how high Spirit ranked (higher than Stan, Don and Maya!) and that Jordan ranked higher than Aikka. The latter is especially surprising, given the gigantic number of fanworks (fanart, fanfic) featuring Aikka or Aikka x Eva, compared to Jordan or Jordan x Eva

@EiffelSavin: Aikka ranked first in some territories but overall Jordan came first - among the voters at least. I would be interesting to see if female and male voters voted equally - or predominantly - for one or the other...

(x) (x)

@GabrielAubry2: What happened to Prince Aikka after he returns to Nourasia? Won’t the Crogs on the planet be angry at what he did on Oban?

@EiffelSavin: Good question indeed but bear in mind their leader crashed on Oban and that there were fierce rivalries between the rest of chiefs. This must have slowed them somehow. Plus there's a new Avatar! 🙂

(x)

@RakkuBoi: ust took the survey. It's probably asking for too much but one idea I expressed was the possibility of including autographes. Maybe on the art cards that might be included? Your's or @Thomasintokyo would be AMAZING.

@EiffelSavin: Point noted 😉

(x)

@kueekueeng: from a fan who's been waiting for years, is "The 2 Queens"  movie ever going to be released?‏

@EiffelSavin: Finding funding on the French market as proven more difficult than anticipated but we haven't given up and have also started working on an animated series adaptation, possibly with a more "radical" artistic direction. More news hopefully soon...

(x)

@SonicMrgame2017: Which program you guys used for animation?

@EiffelSavin: Here are the programs the team used for the animation: Pencils (well sharpened), large and thin Erasers, and most important: thousands and thousands of sheets of Paper 😉

@SonicMrgame2017: Yeah, but, the animation was done in cels or you guys used some kind of digital ink? PD: Respects!!!! I love handrawn animation

@EiffelSavin: Oban used digital paint and compositing. When we produced the series it was the very last days of painted cells in Japan, where it lasted longer than in other countries. I think the last series that used painted cells was "Sazae-san". 🙂

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@quantum_cuboid: QUESTION. Can you give us any insight as to which characters will make a return in the OSR sequel? There were many good characters, and a few that make me wonder whatever happened to them!

@EiffelSavin: I'll give you one: Eva (!) 😉 For the rest I prefer to keep quiet for now but feel free to make suggestions ☺️

(x)

[note: this thread is originally in French and I used Google Translate]

@supalinocelosu: So it was the authors directly who led the # ObanStarRacers

@ EiffelSavin: I think that should be the norm but apparently no ... I was also present during the English dubbing in Vancouver. But this time there was a director of English voices. I was commenting but not directly the direction of US actors

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@theinmaskedboy: Could you clarify a doubt sir? 1) What happened with him when he arrived on the earth, because at the end of the galactic race he did not mention again .. 2) There are some loose ends in history, like the crow .. Was he eliminated from the race? or just leave?

@EiffelSavin: Spirit did not make it to the final 3 so he was eliminated & returned to his home planet. Regarding Rick, his job was done so he went back home too. We had crazy plans of making a sequel with him starring as a private PI (!)  Who knows we may reuse that in 1 form or another

(x)

@Taibhse_Designs: Now this is a beauty to see, any concept art for the whizzing arrow or other paint job ideas other than the bunny exist that never made it to print?

@EiffelSavin: yes. We did more than 10 paint job tests before going for the actual ones :) That certainly could be something for the new art book.

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@Taibhse_Designs: I have the original DVDs still in good condition with the cardboard sleeve, I atleast rewatch the entire series once a year and would love a Blu-ray version. Would love to see some stats on the ships like actual scale, measurements, or official heights of the characters.Taibhse Designs added,

@EiffelSavin: That could be a cool extra actually, or something to add to a new art book. If you join the Oban Bluray Project newsletter on http://obanstarracers.com  we'll soon ask you about the type of features and goodies you'd like to have.

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@TheRealZentron: The 1080p 4:3 version is the most crisp out of the three, but I like the cinematic scope of the 16:9, I just wish it was as crisp! Still, can't wait until the Blu-Ray comes out, hopefully it will be available to and playable in the UK!

@EiffelSavin: The bluray will be, for the first time, in the original rate of 24f/s and will be zone free‏

@TheRealZentron: That's great to hear Savin, thanks for the info! I'll sure to place my order once available, it'll sure be good watching OSR HD on my 70" 4K TV! Will the set also include the original Molly Star-Racer trailer in HD or the regular SD?

@EiffelSavin: I'm working on this. The pb is to get the rights to the music. In all cases it will be sd as it was produced that way but we'll try to upscale it in the best possible way from the best source available.

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[Original question deleted]

@EiffelSavin: That was my notes, yes: Maya cut off from her family because of her choice to become a racer with Don, and Don having old parents that died early. Thus no grand parents for Eve to turn 2. But since we never go beyond that in the story, U can make up your own idea on backstory 🙂

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@LovesOban: Please tell me because I’ve been obsessing over this, but even though he wouldn’t be as skilled as Aikka, Cannan or a Nourasian knight in martial arts, & Even though in 2082 DW isn’t the most athletic & even though DW is more brains than brawn & doesn’t have brute strength, in

@EiffelSavin: Don Wei is not a "big man" but he's determined and has grown quite tough, at least since Maya's death. Do you remember the first time he meets Rick and his biker buddies in the middle of the desert?  He stands up to them pretty well, doesn't he?

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@HG_Alsmyr: are you going to have Thomas Romain join you for the Ōban sequel by chance?

@EiffelSavin: Yes. We've already started to collaborate on the sequel and spinoff projects. Working together again was very touching actually 🙂

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[thinkolicity]

Processing Arrow s7 finale the next day.

Last night I wrote a post right after Arrow ended and re-reading it now, after a good night morning of sleep, rewatching the damn thing, reading around here, and listening to the Watchover podcast - which is basically therapy - I realize how pissed and greedy I sounded lol. Listen, I was so busy whining and wailing that I missed the dialogue between Felicity and The Monitor and I misinterpreted the scene.

Silly me was high on the feels and when things don’t get my way I flip...I’m just human after all.

I think the juice we can squeeze out of that post is that obviously, I want happy endings for everyone. The thing that still irks me is the 20 years apart, let’s be honest here; being the Olicity/Oliver Queen whore that I am, I just kept repeating “They all deserved better”. Both Felicity and Oliver - especially Oliver - sacrificed so much these past years, they went though various stages of hell, it’s fitting that I want them to be happy in the end raising a family together. The flashforwards were depressing as hell, mostly. Not what the Queen family deserved imo.

This is where me (half) clinging to the “Crossover Fix It” theory comes out to play. It’s what we do right? To protect ourselves we make up excuses, and scenarios just to accept a situation for what it is now because obviously everything’s fucked-up ...just to get better later. Uhm..being more myself now, I don’t think the crossover is gonna fix shit and this is why last night’s season finale was so bittersweetly (?) perfect. You can’t erease a finale like that, it was a masterpiece. This is how Arrow is, it’s a hero story and hero stories are not fluffy perfect. I can’t expect a pure fanfiction outcome from a show like Arrow and I just have to accept that. 

Now, season 8? I’m gonna watch it live, I got no freaking clue what they’re gonna do with it buttttt...if Satan’s butthole crossover presents the possibility of spawning a new timeline, oh my god I’m all for it. In the original timeline my OTP is happily together forever cruising the multiverse and in the new/au one I get my fluffy unicorns and rainbows, be it Oliver and Felicity returning on our Earth in 2040-something (cuz sorry Monitor dude..I don’t believe your no return scenario) or back safe and sound in alternate 2018 or after Mia’s birth idk, whatever, yes gimme.

Whatever the outcome my OTP is happy and I’m happy. That was the goal and we achieved it. OTP bliss.

[artreider]

Arrow Rewatch S4E23

Brave of you Curtis.

No need to be rude reminding Oliver of the break of Dhark.

Dont you dare go toward The Smoaks that is Olivers family.

Why didnt they bring Donna to their lair with them?

Also they need to do a lot of remodels to the loft.

Oliver knows not to tell Felicity how to do her job.

Thea and Felicity holding on to the hope for team arrow.

Quentin take Donna and run.

So sad saying goodbye to their families.

The last time she is baby Sara.

Listen to your daughter Dhark.

Destroy the damn idol.

Poor Argus team.

Damn people attacking the bunker.

Gotta love the arrow fight sequences.

Saving her again doesnt take back all the bad you did Malcolm.

Kickass Felicity.

If it was the end would Olicity wind up in each others arms as they say goodbye.

Great speech Oliver.

Wont the nuke still explode when it lands.

Poor Tiana and Oliver.

If that was the same idol dhark uses how come Oliver didnt destroy it then.

Yea Damien you are powerless when hope is involved.

Former member versus former heir to the demon.

Put him put of his misery Felicity.

Felicity has such faith in the men she's loved.

Haha Quentin has grown so much. He and Oliver have come so far.

Justified kill Oliver.

Slade and Malcolm are different than you or Ras Dhark.

Poor Quentin.

Oliver will never fault you for leaving Thea, he only wants your happiness.

OTA, the original ganstas.

Lyla wouldnt fault you Dig, she understands you completely.

Four lives Oliver has lost on the island.

You shouldve destoyed it Waller.

Oliver always keeps his promises.

Olicity can never leave each others orbit. Both visiting Laurel and returning to the lair. Always great pep talks Felicity.

You deserve this Mayor Queen.

Im confused once again about why Donna and Quentin split up.

The last look at baby Sara before she becomes JJ.

Thea looks so lost :(

Poor Diggle family.

Olicity fighting together always. She'll always stand by her man, relationship or not.

[malisonquill]

Apparently I'm not the only one who rewatched Gravity Falls while also playing God of War, and I'm beyond happy to find out this :D Your art is awsome, and I'm so curious about your Gravity Falls God of War AU! But I don't know how to even start, what's the story about? I mean, how does it work with Stan being Kratos and Dipper and Mabel being in Atreus' place? And where's even Ford in all of this? XD

@guardianoflightanddarkness Thank you! :D Glad I wasn’t the only one either. I had a bit of an idea for how the story would work. I’m not sure on who all the characters equate to but I know a fair few. Below is basically the entire story as it is right now. Might change/ add things later. Hope this below will answer your questions but feel free to ask more!

Major Spoilers for both the God of War Series and Gravity Falls Below!

So to understand what’s going on in the God of War 2018 part of the story, I gotta start at the beginning.

Obviously it all starts in Greece.

Stan’s dad/ Filbrick takes the role of Zeus, and I think Stan’s mum is a Jotnar Giant like Fey who moved to Greece, possibly to avoid Odin (or whoever his equivelent is, maaayyyybe Bill im not sure) but she keeps this a secret from everyone. She and Filbrick have Shermy, Stan and Ford with Filbrick just thinking she’s a mortal. Ford is born with both his 6 fingers and birthmarks (which look like Krato’s tattoos). Stan’s Mum raises the kids with Filbrick keeping an eye on them, and when he notices Ford’s smarts in his early teens, he takes him to Olympus. There Ford learns of his God-like nature and learns his powers. He studies all the magical things of the Greek world, starting on a journey to become a God of knowledge. 

Stan meanwhile is outraged and furious that his father, who his mother confesses to be the king of Greek Gods, has taken his brother. He then leaves his home for a number of years, training to fight and to find a way to Olympus, along the way getting tattoos in honour of his brother. 

After several years when Stan finally gets to Olympus to find his father, he discovers that Ford has left to go gain knowledge of magical things and Gods of other lands. Stan demands to know where Ford is, but Filbrick will only tell him if Stan proves himself, and that’s how Stan gets the blades of Chaos and takes on duties as God of War for about a decade or so. 

During his time as God of War, he goes back to his home, only to find his mother and Shermie are gone without a trace. This helps fuel his fire of hate to make him more like younger Kratos. 

Eventually Stan confronts his father, saying he has done so many deeds that he must have proven himself worthy by now and demands to know where Ford is. His father states that he doesn’t actually know. Ford went off without ever saying exactly where he was going. Filbrick was leading Stan along this whole time to use him as a puppet. Stan gets mad and fights with his father, but he doesn’t win and is sent to the underworld.

It’s at this point where the story of the original God of War games comes into play, where Stan goes on a rage filled journey of revenge, eventually gets the Titans and defeats his father and destroys the Greek pantheon. 

So with the pantheon destroyed, and no sign of Ford, Shermie, or his Mother in Greece, he travels to other cultures to find them. I think maybe along his journey his mother left Stan a clue that sends him to Midgard and the domain of Norse mythology. 

There Stan would find Shermie and his kid (Stan’s Nephew). Stan gets to know him as he grows and becomes a bit gentler. Stan makes a home near to Shermie’s but tends to keep his distance. 

Stan is happy when Dipper and Mabel are born and takes a shine to them. But around this time, their parents (who are part giant remember) are killed by Odin’s Gods as they thought the parents could lead them to Jotunhiem. So Shermie raises Dipper and Mabel. 

12 years pass, and then Shermie dies (for the same reason Fey does in the game) and so Stan takes over caring for the Twin’s in Shermie’s cabin (which looks like the Mystery Shack). 

(Hey now we’re finally at the start of the game!! xD)

So like the game, Shermie marks trees for his burial which leads to Baldur(’s GF equivalent) mistaking Stan for a giant aka for Shermie. They fight, and so Stan decides he and the twins must leave and go on the journey to deliver Shermie’s ashes to the highest peak in all the realms. 

Atreus’ roles are split between Mabel and Dipper. Mabel has Atreus’ bow and arrows and Dipper has the knowledge of Ciphers and languages, as well as a sword cause, he has to help in combat too. Maybe they have different summons and elemental attacks too. Like Mabel has light and Dipper has electricity. I think both have the ability to talk to animals too. 

Stan also inherits Shermie’s axe. 

So the story is fairly similar to the game, except Stan is maybe a bit more gentle at the start than Kratos? But he still changes from ‘grumpy old man’ to ‘gentle and cares a lot about the kids’. 

 Brok and Sindri are replaced by Fiddleford McGucket and his son. So their arc is about a father and son coming back together and caring for each other. I thought they’d be a good replacement.

And then finally, we have Ford. And who is he in this AU? 

He’s Mimir. 

Stan and the twins find him at the top of the Midguard mountain stuck in the tree. Stan and Ford have a verbal fight. Stan is mad at Ford for leaving him in Greece and going off wondering the world without even caring about his brother or the fact he never tried to find him, when Stan spent so much time trying to find Ford. And of course Ford is mad that Stan destroyed the Greek pantheon and their father. 

The kids calm them down a bit, and tell Ford why they’re there. Ford informs them that the highest peak is actually in Jotunheim and to get there, they need Ford out of the tree. So instead of decapitation, they go find a spell or item, maybe in one of the other realms that frees Ford. 

So then the four of them are on their journey to get to Jotunheim. Stan and Ford are mad at each other, but through their journey and through the kids, they grow closer, mend their bonds a bit. 

Eventually they get to Jotunheim. It’s there they find the carvings that reveal that Stan and Ford’s mum was actually a Giant, and Shermie inherited her abilities, knowing about what would happen and leaving markings and clues to guide his family and bring them all together. The kids find out they’re also part giant, and that’s where their abilities come from. 

So in the end, the four of them are united together, spread Shermie’s ashes at the same place where his mother’s were spread, and they return home. 

Just in time for an accelerated Fimblewinter to signal the oncoming Ragnorok/Weirdmageden. :)

And that’s pretty much all I have so far. I don’t know where to put Soos, or Wendy. Maybe Soos is Jormungandur??? Maybe Wendy could be Freya with her Dad as Baldur? and their beef is about a ruined father-daughter relationship that mirrors Stan and his dad in some way? Maybe if Bill = Odin then Gideon is Thor? im not sure, would love to hear others thoughts. :D 

and sorry this was so long :P