#but do you see what i mean! the potential here specifically for them as pr characters! damn bruh

[neomachine]

shots of carter and leo i wish were in trakkena's revenge

[thevelaryons]

I’ve always found it interesting that of the lowborn/bastard women in the DotD, Marilda is the only one who doesn’t get slandered and insulted in the Westerosi history books.

Speaking specifically about the women who were rumored to have had affairs with noblemen, the women (Sara Snow/Alys Rivers/Nettles) in particular get derogatory descriptions for various reasons. The men they are linked to all either die or are unable to do anything about the rumors (Sara: her rumored lover Jace dies and her brother Cregan is far away in the North when those rumors become a thing in the South years later/Alys: her rumored lover Aemond dies and her son is obviously too young to do anything about the insults people are saying about his mother/Nettles: her rumored lover Daemon dies). Regardless of whether any of the rumors were true or not, it's still the women in the relationships who were described in a negative manner. Even men like Aemond or Daemon don't get as slandered, despite their more controversial actions.

Sara may or may not have existed (the fact that her existence alone is doubted speaks for itself) but in the history books she is described as an "unwashed" bastard. Even the fact she was a virgin at the time of her affair with Jace is called into question. Alys gets descriptors like "slattern" and "cow". She is reviled as a seductress and witch who would sacrifice her own children. Nettles gets insulted as well, both by characters around her and the maesters/septons recording the histories. Beyond the classism, there is also a racial angle to the insults with her skin colour always being at the forefront when she gets called "dirty" and "creature". It’s unfortunate but Westerosi society is unfair to women, especially those of a lower social class, and so they do often have to rely on the men in their lives, whether that’s a male lover/husband, their father, brother(s) or son(s) as a source of protection. Characters like Sara/Alys/Nettles don't get that protection.

Then you get to Marilda's descriptions in the book, and it's completely clean. Not a single insult is uttered against her despite her supposed involvement with two different Velaryon men. Whether her affair was with Corlys or Laenor, it occurred at the time when they were married men. Laenor is dead by the time when he's claimed to be the father of Marilda's sons. But Corlys is alive and well. Not to mention, he's a very well respected figure in Westerosi society. That being said, I can’t see Corlys doing any major PR control here since he does not have the means to do so.

Alyn, however, could ensure his mother did not get negative remarks. He's the one said to have fostered close ties to the Citadel and a positive relationship with the Faith. On more than one occasion, he was anointed by the High Septon himself, which is something that's typically reserved for the King or his Kingsguard. So I think Alyn might’ve used that influence to his favor.

While Alyn does seem like the type who doesn’t care much about what others think of him, he clearly respects his mother so I doubt he would want her to have a bad reputation. Even concerning the rumors of Alyn's potential affairs, the maesters are somewhat dismissive about them and call the rumors "unreliable". They don't give much credence to what third parties are saying on such matters. As for Alyn's mother, she is spoken of with nothing but respect and even flattery at times.

History is truly written by the victors.

[brain-works]

um he literally said you have to have respect for trump… in many ways even…

ooh I love this one! and to be clear, whatever I say here, this is no hate to you anon, assuming you're saying this in good faith. and also thank you for actually answering my last post with an ask, I love a good excuse to write an essay.

ALSO before I start: if anyone dares to come into my replies saying that I'm biased - yes I am. I've never denied that. if you haven't picked up on that by now I really don't know what you're doing on my blog. that being said, I also try to look at full contexts to these situations, especially since I watched this specific press conference live.

ALSO ALSO I AM IN NO WAY A TRUMP FAN. LET ME MAKE THAT CLEAR. I AM NOT DEFENDING TRUMP OR ANY OF HIS ACTIONS, PAST OR PRESENT. now, to my argument:

the first thing I need to make very clear is the environment in which he was asked this question. it might seem inconsequential that it was a press conference, but it's actually a very important context. for one, the drivers are not allowed to simply not answer a question. that's not an option that's available to them (despite some people thinking that's the case). they must answer any questions posed by the press, whether they like it or not. they're allowed to dodge questions, sure, but the only guaranteed way to get a journalist off your back is to just give them an answer they can publish. we've seen this time and time again with different drivers. they're also not allowed to make outwardly political statements without being given a hefty fine by the FIA. saying, for example, that you don't like a former president of a country that F1 wants to continue racing in is an easy way to have this fine (and potentially worse) levied against you.

secondly, with any interview, there is a massive difference between the words presented vs. how they were said. what does this mean? well, to put it simply, sometimes intent does not come across the same in text vs. in speaking. this happens a lot with Lando's interviews, where he says something jokingly or in an unserious tone, but when his words are written down, they seem much more malicious than they actually were. I'd go hunt down examples, but I want to stay on topic.

now, exactly what he said was:

and here’s a link to the video of the interview

I'm not going to say that he didn't say, in some manner, that you have to have a lot of respect for trump. however, the way in which he said it is what matters to me.

for one, spelling out that someone, regardless of who they are, is a former president of a country and should be respected for that accomplishment is a textbook diplomatic answer. again, this is regardless of who they are. I guarantee you he would've said the same thing about any other political figure in any other context, because this is a safe answer. he's not definitively praising anyone, and he's not bringing anyone down. this is not the response of someone who is a big fan of trump. this is the generic, PR-guided response of someone who can't say anything negative, but doesn't want to say anything too outwardly positive.

notice, for example, how he says that trump said that he was Lando's lucky charm. it would've been easy for him to state that he thought that trump was his lucky charm, but he did not. he could've even said that he hopes that trump comes to future races. again, he did not. this is an important distinction, if a small one. anyways, his body language and facial expressions also make his stance clear. he's not happy to be asked this question, he clearly does not want to answer it. in fact, as soon as he starts answering, you can see him slip into that PR mode as his face drops and he starts giving his response. this is not how someone answers a question about someone they like! and this response, once again, is very generic. he literally only mentions trump by name once throughout his actual response, and without that you could assume he was talking about literally anyone else.

for two, idk about you, but when I'm forced to publicly interact with people I don't like, regardless of the context, I don't usually insult them to their face, because that makes me look bad. and I don't usually have half the amount of cameras on me that Lando does. generally speaking, it's also not a good idea to get on the bad side of someone with as much political power as trump. we all know who he is, and we know that the people that support him can resort to dangerous actions when someone says anything remotely negative about him. so, if remaining neutral is the most negative you can be, then that's the way to go. he had no way to avoid trump - he was literally brought directly to him to shake hands - and was asked a question directly connected to trump.

saying that you have to have respect for someone in a lot of ways is not an inherently positive statement. in fact, something I say a lot of the time when I don't like a celebrity is that I respect their accomplishments, but I don't like their personality. I'm not saying this justifies Lando's response, but I am saying that if you were put in a similar situation, where you're asked a question that demands you speak positively about someone regardless of what you think about them personally (especially if your opinion is negative), you'd have a harder time answering than you think you would.

and finally, Lando is not a US citizen. he does not know the political turmoil happening in this country personally, and I wouldn't be surprised if he only knew the bare minimum of why trump is a bad person, rather than the full itemized list that Americans are very familiar with. at the end of the day, even if he was a trump fan (he's not), he does not vote in the US, nor does he have any sway over actual US voters. we all know the rhetoric of people who like trump, and nothing Lando said personally sets off any alarm bells. I'll admit that I don't love the way he phrased it, but if I could go on another whole tangent about how I hate the way that Lando's (sometimes awkward) phrasing gets misrepresented in text vs. in speech.

bonus round: if you wanted to get upset at drivers interacting with controversial figures, might I direct you to the time that Lewis Hamilton (allegedly) sprayed putin with champagne. obviously this article is tabloid-esque, but you get what I'm saying. this isn't a dig at Lewis, btw, it's just my way of pointing out that it's not new for drivers to be faced with impossible situations regarding political figures.

tl;dr if Lando wanted to say something outwardly positive about trump, he would've had the space to, but he purposefully kept it vague and generic, and that means something. these drivers cannot speak as freely as we often (mistakenly) think they can, and it's important to understand the full context of a situation rather than assume bad intentions.

[regaliasonata]

I've been meaning to make this post for a while

So Power Rangers has 30 years of lore and stuff packed into it and this made me analyze a few things pertaining to the ranger powers.

See every team is different in the sense that their abilities can be labeled into various categories, like some characters using mystical energy or technology but there's a bit more to it. Tokusatsu has a full list of different power sources and it made me think a bit here, btw this is just in a general sense when it comes to ranger powers and not fully the individual ones each of the teams have.

Basically I decided to place them in depending on the themes and overall potential of their powers.

Each team is covered under one of the following five, Technological, Elemental, Spatial/Temporal, Spiritual and Magical

1.)Technlogical powers such as RPM, SPD mainly rely on the usage of advancements and mechanical assets to their abilities. Though however capability wise it's reach stagnates as the tools and powers depend on how advanced the tech is(like if you have futuristic stuff that can access universal energy, can be on par with some top players in the PR multiverse)

2.)Elemental, like in Samurai, Lost Galaxy and Ninja Storm specific rangers in this category can manipulate or even conjure specific aspects of nature at their disposal. In my mind however the capabilities can also be somewhat limitless as the specific way elements are applied factor in( like if fire is associated either creation and light, being able to make life or even spark heat in the universe)

3.) Spatial and Temporal, specifically relating to teams like Time Force. These powers mainly orient around the control of dimensional or time like aspects, from freezing and speeding time, controlling dimensions like the Triassic Dimension with Conner in DT, or just anything you can think of there. This one is definitely up there because there isn't really a limit, I mean Conner controls reality with the triassic shield and time manipulation is already busted. Time Force rangers are a problem in fight match-ups.

4.)Spiritual, my favorite btw. Connects mainly between Wild Force, Jungle Fury and probably Zeo. Spiritual powers such as aura projection like utilizing animal spirits or having abilities attuned to one's soul are a few ways of using this, however depending on the person and overall situations the spirit can do a lot more. Say releasing your inner might and having a strong willpower may result in your abilities being able to transcend beyond most things(think a bit like HXH with Nen or JJK's cursed energy). Like the phoenix with Camille, if she developed it more then the power to revive or even give life would be broken as hell.

5.) Finally we have Magical, hello Mystic Force. Magic in general is just busted, applications all around depends on what type you're using and there are three main sources, Good, Dark and Neutral. In the show the rangers were given magic from the townspeople due to their beliefs within it as well. This basically cements that as long as you believe in magic then you have an endless source of it...which is just overall crazy and places this high on the list as well.

Now I can't really choose which powers would rank over each other as all of them could overpower the other depending on who uses it but this was nice to analyze. I'd love a full on special with the seasons fighting each other or being able to full amplify their capabilites to see what chaos ensues. Wonder what you guys think?

[nite-puff]

Favourite head-canons for your favourite ships/characters?

okay let me itemize this.

kiyotaka: my pr scheme headcanon. i love that headcanon for thematic reasons, and just think of the possibilities if taka ever finds out about it. if anyone wants to read up on it, here’s the link.

mondo: i love him being crafty. idk how much this counts as a headcanon because it’s pretty backed up by canon, but i digress. i love him being in touch with his artistic side. i want him to whittle and make wooden sculptures while he pursues carpentry. i want him to expand his experience in embroidery to other fiber arts. i want him to paint on walls and canvases like he would on his motorcycle. i want him to experiment with makeup outside of his eyeliner. HES JUST HAS SO MUCH POTENTIAL TO BE AN ARTIST BUT HE WONT LET HIMSELF INDULGE IN IT. LET HIM BE CRAFTY.

takemichi: i love giving him survivor’s guilt after he finds out about what happened to mondo and the rest of the diamonds. he’s the last crazy diamond standing and if that doesn’t take the ultimate toll on him, then i don’t know what will. especially since his whole deal in the gang was to protect mondo. finding out mondo died, even if there was no way for him to interfere, convinces him that he failed his one job. and hearing that the diamonds have all died, EVEN if there was no way for him to interfere, convinces him that he failed the owadas even more by being a shit leader and not protecting them while mondo was at hope’s peak. i wonder what that mindset will do to him. mentally. HES SO NORMAL GUYS. anyway.

okay now to dynamic stuff

ishimondo: yes, physical touch and general acts of service will mean so much to them when they’re together, but i need to zero in on the act of cooking specifically. the act of cooking for one another is so special for them. like growing up, both mondo and kiyotaka had a tricky/bad relationship with food (with kiyotaka not having money to eat anything other than his typical rice balls and mondo not eating much due to body image issues and needing to “stay in shape”) so reaching that time in their lives when food becomes a comfort to them (due in part because of their influence on each other) is going to be so special. they know each other’s favorite foods and will cook for each other, they’ll make time to cook together and enjoy that quality time. and if they have some extra money to spend, they’ll go out and try something new with each other. i could probably make this sound better if you give me some time but just know that they get each other to appreciate food so much more and see if as something more than just a task to get done or a nuisance they have to deal with.

mondo and michi (platonic): the ultimate besties, what can i say?? michi had to deal with all the times mondo had a crush and was rejected by said crush. he practically became the ultimate shoulder to lean on as they grew up and mondo’s feelings only got bigger. when mondo would tell michi that he was gonna confess one day, michi would already be prepared with movies and snacks to help mondo get over the rejection (it’s not like michi had no faith in mondo. he just knew the chances of mondo actually getting a date were low. he’s seen how he gets when he’s nervous. he’s just being realistic). i recently came up with the scenario of how they would deal with valentine’s day. mondo would always be disappointed he didn’t get any chocolates by the end of the school day, but would never say it out loud. and michi is always tired by the end of the day with him having to lug around his bag of chocolates he’s received and having to dodge any potential confessions he saw coming (and rejecting the ones he didn’t see coming). mondo always tries to avoid talking about how he feels when he sees michi after school, but michi always catches onto mondo’s sourness. he just offers his chocolates to share with mondo without saying another word about how either of their days went. mondo always appreciates it. and they spend the rest of their day winding down and watching movies while downing michi’s entire stash (mondo always ends up having more because he has a bigger sweet tooth. michi doesn’t mind).

anyways yeah uhhh… idk if these headcanons are my most favorite (i love them all, don’t get me wrong) but they were the first ones to come to mind. hope y’all like them.

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

what happens to nhw after muse? like, publicity wise. especially regarding ashe. idk if you talked about it before or not, i remember seeing things about like. nhw tv appearances and such, but i don't remember if there was anything specifically regarding the pr nightmare of a boy getting mused and going on a murder spree like a localized natural disaster

do they make him go on tv and talk about it? do they rebrand? both? what happens here. i mean it would suck for ashe no matter what probably but yeha

OH NY GOD. I FORGOT I NEVER ANSWERED THIS IM SO SORRY. in my defense i got sick and my brain has been goop since like. sunday. not even going to put this one under a cut everyone gets to see my muse ramblings (muse musings. ha)

ANYWAY. SO. FIRST OFF. nobody knows who he is !!!! to the general public, muse and auxiliary are two different people, and like... there's not really anything there to tie them together. aux's costume was so like bulky full coverage that his identity was Very much hidden, and muse like.... doesn't hide his face at all, but at the same time he's not Ashe because ashe doesn't dress like that or do his hair or makeup like that so. even though his face is on full display I don't think anyone other than his family/friends would make that immediate connection either

obviously like... the prt knows what happened, because of course the wards needed to tell them. publicity-wise, as far as the public is concerned, auxiliary was killed. aux is dead. you remember that one interlude from Vista's pov where she had to look at the greyed out memorial images of the wards who were killed in the leviathan battle? yeah imagine one of those for aux. as far as anyone else knows he died in the fight with overlord (lmao. not like anyone could distinguish identifiable corpses from that mess anyway)

we have played with the idea a few times about a few different topics that there's a subsection of conspiracy theorists on parahumans online that actually connect the dots and get everything right (aux and muse being the same person, Tide and magma being made from the endbringers, etc etc stuff like that that isn't supposed to be public knowledge) but it's extremely funny if they're just a weird fringe group of freaks so nobody ever takes them seriously

the idea that after ashe gets back from being mused and has to go on TV about it makes me so fucking SICK btw that's such a horrid scenario oh my god. I made such a face at that. torture for him!

anyway what actually happens after he gets back from being mused is like.... nothing? really? Trickster takes Mal in exchange for ashe and then they just kind of disappear. and they're left in this horrible paranoid calm period. adn because theyre also gone i think people just assume that either muse went with them or also got killed in that final battle. unsure which option is worse, ashe hearing people talk about muse like hes still out there somewhere (ouch!) or talking about muse like he was killed by his friends (actually now that i type this out i think ashe would prefer this option so much more. man. he has so many issues) it takes ashe a loooong long long time to even consider using his powers again much less entertain the idea of going back to hero work, so it's not really like... an issue? for a bit? we haven't rlly nailed down that period of time yet but I would assume the prt has him under some sort of loose supervision until it's decided that he's not an active threat anymore and he gets to fucking REST for a little bit ! we're intentionally leaving late game nhw a little loose rn because I know I personally just really wanna see how s3 of pd turns out before we nail down anything too solid bc if there's one thing i love about nhw it's referencing back to things happening in canon and making them so much worse ^_^ but I think we've talked about ashe potentially going back to hero stuff eventually under a new name. and nobody can say shit because if a cape has a new name that means they're a different person and nobody can say anything (cough cough looks at armsmaster/defiant) !!!

[septembersghost]

What do you think of the idea that this was PR for SNTV so that everyone would be paying attention to the Nash shows?

oof. okay, first of all, and this isn't aimed at you anon, but everyone has gotten way too comfortable using the term "PR" inappropriately, to the point where it's meaningless, because you get people online saying everything they see ever is PR when that's simply not the case and a lot of things are just...humans living life who happen to do so in the public eye. but the whole point of the concept there is some benefit. this is not an instance where there's benefit of publicity - trolling potential aside, because that would serve a different purpose - all eyes are already on her.

she knows fans pay attention to the shows every week (even the ones like me who aren't viewing the livestreams! i read along with the updates as they happen but haven't watched, others might check in the next day due to time zones or busy schedules, and so on), no matter what we all know what happens and what surprise songs she plays and what she might've said, and we know very quickly. every entertainment and music outlet is paying attention. an album announcement would make spectacular noise and immediately be reported no matter what.

furthermore, stoking romance/personal rumors, if anything, takes *away* from the announcement, it doesn't add to it - hence the internet being in a dither about matty rather than only being focused on excitement over SNTV. why on earth would she intentionally court speculation and rumor that distracts from an important project? moreover, why with someone who undeniably would be controversial and cause anger/annoyance? how does that help her? (answer: it's irrelevant to her if she likes him.) i'd be slightly inclined to think it was a silly joke for the sake of 1989 TV and a potential collab if she'd announced that album instead, but everything about the optics, especially given very recent events and history, has such overwhelming negative downsides with really no upsides as far as press and reactions go. so PR for SNTV specifically makes very little sense to me, versus her being in a do-whatever-i-want-with-whoever-i-want moment (which, let's be real, is not out of character).

it's either a (perhaps ill-timed and unclear) bit of shenanigans between chaotic friends or it's...whatever it is, and we're going to be living with that rebound reality for a bit. he took a very long trip to get to a hometown show for her...we're gonna have to face what that means, particularly after not seeing the person we thought we should have seen on opening night. i didn't want to read into that absence before, but unfortunately information is now what it is. (me @ mr. bowery: you should've been there! you should've burst through the door with that, "baby, i'm right here" smile!)

the announcement of SNTV would've happened last night no matter what, i'd lay odds she's had that planned for the first night of nashville for quite a while. the matty of it all is a wrinkle, not a boost. the only thing i hope is that it doesn't have any negative ramifications for her (not necessarily in the press, but in her personal life. having fun is fine, i just don't want her to be hurt anymore than what's already happened, you know?).

ultimately, what we all have to remember is that boundary - we don't know her directly. we have no say or influence over her decisions or personal life. that doesn't mean we have to like them, but we have zero input into her making those choices. all we can continue to do is what we already do, support her artistry, wish her the best, and cherish her music.

[louisisalarrie]

Hi! Let me start by saying that I am a follower of your blog because I enjoy your take on things. Not because I hate follow you like some people seem to do. With that said, I’m very excited you get to meet Louis on Sunday! How fun for you! But I have an honest question. Not one to argue with you or even question you. But something I’ve wrestled with myself. Since you know all of the lies we’ve been fed about F being his son, and you see the gaslighting that goes on regularly from Louis to his fans. Most recently, the infamous chicken parm tweet, how do you separate that as a fan of his? How do you get so excited to meet him without wanting to look him in the face and say please stop lying. Maybe it’s just me. I’m just having a hard time with him continuing to lie to us and scold us and then out of the other side of his mouth he says he has the most freedom he’s ever had. That just tells me he choosing to lie and use F for his gain. His gain means money and fans. I don’t know… again, not trying to judge you. Just trying to understand and figure out where my brain is. I hope you have a wonderful time at the show!

Hey anon! Thank you for the kind words. It’s perfectly normal to feel this way, and a lot of us have these moments as well! So don’t stress x

I think what’s important here overall is to remember that record labels, managers, everyone involved in Louis’ team make money from Louis’ fame and publicity too. It’s certainly not just louis, and a huuuuuge chunk of it goes towards them, particularly if he’s signed to a Global Deal which I imagine he would be. Remember how in one direction they were worked to the absolute bone? Barely having a break, nonstop touring, recording every second they could (a good example is that one scene from This Is Us where zayn was asleep for 10 minutes before he was woken up to record more vocals) and they were just kids. They signed a contract without a personal lawyer due to X Factor rules, were taken advantage of, and used as a money making machine for S*co and his bunch of monkeys. But I’m sure you’re already very aware of this, so let’s fast forward to 13 years down the track with this in mind…

Louis was roped into a wild stunt contract, also known as bbg, with a half assed promise of more freedom for him, a potential end result of him and harry coming out, and probably a bunch of other promises and opportunities thrown his way if he signed off on it. He received solo PR while still being in a band, meaning he had a bit of a safety blanket if the band broke up and wouldn’t immediately disappear from the public eye (like Liam did). And you know what? BBG was probably meant to go for a much shorter time than it has. I imagine the proposed stunt, and the alterations it’s had over the years, look pretty bloody different. But without going into too much detail on that stunt specifically, Louis is incredibly smart in the way he communicates with us. He does juuuuust enough to meet his contractual obligations. He knows what he can get away with. He knows his fandom is majority larries. He knows what we talk about and what we say.

The consequences if he didn’t sign this contract? Probably pretty dire, if I’m honest. When you have one of the biggest labels in the world (the other two are WME & Universal) throwing you a bone, it’s pretty hard to turn it down. These 3 labels (also known as The Big 3 in the industry) have a monopoly over the music industry and can make or break someone pretty damn quick. So I imagine he would’ve signed to cover his own ass and not lose his whole career, because he’s been manipulated into that. The music industry can be evil and brutal and it’s all about money. All about PR.

Particularly in this day and age where we are oversaturated with celebrities, media, etc., it’s hard to stand out from the crowd. The Big 3 are good at what they do, and that’s why they are The Big 3. They know how to do PR, they know how to write contracts and get artists to sign off on them, they know how to dangle carrots and make deals that benefit themselves greatly (oftentimes more than the artist). So being in louis’ position, it was more like he was coerced into it, if that makes sense?

Sorry, im tired from work and rambling now, but have you heard the phrase “separate the art from the artist”? It’s an interesting take that some people agree with, so they can enjoy that artist’s music while ignoring their faults/bad choices/problematic behaviour, because the music is what’s important. I don’t necessarily agree with that take, and I’m not gonna go down a rabbit hole on it, but I do think some fans do this with louis. And that helps them still enjoy the music, without getting involved in bbg or any other stunts, ya know? It helps to just think about the cutie happy wholesome louis that we know and love, and not his PR image. And that is absolutely fair enough, I just can’t do that because I know too much and I’ve been here for too long and I WILL see this through hahahah.

Okay now to actually answer your question, about me personally, of course I would want to tell him to leave his contract and get a better deal and come out with Harry and trust that his fans will still love him and he’ll still have a career, but that’s not possible. It’s not possible because I’d get throat punched by security, but it’s also not possible because that’s not realistic. He knows what we all say, and what we think of larry. He understands our frustration and can literally see it online every day. His hands are tied, until they’re not. And we can’t do anything about that. So it’s just about appreciating him and his music because we can’t control anything else.

So, just remember that he’s beautiful and sweet and caring, watch some old one direction videos/larry deep dives, and take a breath because we know him, and he’s not this asshole that his image has radically become.

[youvegotanhour]

Episode 0: Q for an A

Hey besties!

I will be uploading all of the podcast transcripts for "You've Got an Hour", to coincide with each episode's release on their "Whine Wednesday's", to this blog. I hope that will be exciting for anyone that is hearing impaired, to anyone that wants to follow along with my ADHD rambles, or just for a ridiculous read. It's here, just in case!

But first, I'd like to take this time to answer any potential questions that may arise for you, the listener -- in a little preemptive segment I would like to call, Q for an A! (Question for an Answer, in case that wasn't obvious.)

Why are you making a podcast?

Because I am not a gym bro. The only running I'll do is to run my mouth. I could win Olympic Gold at that, so why wouldn't I attempt to make money off of it? I LIVE to talk. I could talk to you about the wallpaper stylings you gravitate towards, or what sandwich toppings are a "must(ard)" in your eyes. Actually, phone me, I'd like to hear your thoughts on both of these, immediately.

Take two: PR did NOT like this answer. Fine, I'll be more honest throughout this Q and A, ugh. After the... dare we mention it... pandemic, I needed an outlet to speak with people, again. I don't know about you, but my social anxiety was at an all time high post that-which-should-not-be-named (the pandemic). In speaking with my Angel* of a therapist (*this is their codename on the podcast, anytime that I reference them), it was clear then and there that spending a defined amount of time with a chosen friend each week, would not only be a good idea, but an essential one for my mental health. Through those singular hour-long blocks of time, I have had some of the most engaging conversations of my life. The kinds of conversations only BFF's can have with one another. And slowly, my social anxiety has lessened. My confidence has returned. And I can feel the old me coming back to life! As the Kris Jenner of my group, that has lead me to curate a podcast. Because, and I really do mean this, I hope that you will feel included in our group, even if we never do get the chance to meet one another IRL. I want this podcast to feel like you are in the room with us, for an hour at a time. Just us "besties."

What is the purpose of this podcast?

To distract, to entertain, and, when applicable, to make you laugh! We hope that you see, by the end of each episode, the creative beauty within each of us. But, specifically, within yourself! You are a creative. I do not care what job you have, you are creative. I see you. And I can't wait to see your own creative endeavors -- whether it be painting a wall in your house, or selling something you make on Etsy. You don't have to profit off of your creativity to fulfill that creative soul within you. The very clothes you wear are a creative expression. Your hair, your taste in music -- it is all creative. Give yourself some credit! Sounds a bit Ted Talk-y here, doesn't it? My PR Team is loving it, so that's a bonafide, "yes". Hopefully the podcast is less corny than what I just said (doubt it).

What is the tone of this podcast?

Comedic by nature, but sincere by heart. This is not strictly a comedic podcast. Like all great things in life, it exists on a spectrum. The first half (the Gaymes), are truly for fun. I do quite a bit more speaking here than I will in the second half (the Topic). And the topic varies in tone to whatever the conversation's needs are. We try to put disclosures and trigger warnings for anything that is heavy by nature, but in real life conversations, we do not have those. We hope to never trigger anyone. We hope you feel included in the conversations, engaged by them, and that you leave with either a better understanding of someone else's perspective, or feeling seen more by our group, in your own POV.

With that said, I need to acknowledge that the show is un-filtered. Meaning that there is adult language, at times: cursing, etc. Respectively, that may not be your cup of tea. If that doesn't suit you, keep it moving! Find what you like! I set out to have open conversations with my guests, and that includes not limiting their speech to everyone else's sensitivities, particularly when it comes to particular 4-letter words, in the particular.

What is the structure of this podcast?

Each episode is essentially 3 acts. I'm a theatre major, can you tell? 

1.) The first act is all fun and Gaymes. It's a great warm-up act for me and the guest, and, I'll admit, it's a bit ADHD.

2.) We take a quick recess for my mother and father to speak. "Linda LaFaye Has Something to Say" is ~60 seconds in duration and will continue to be a recurring segment, in this act. In some ways, my show is the cushion for her show. She's a star! You won't want to miss the wisdom, and sometimes complaints, of America's sweetheart: my mother! She's as hilarious as she is wise. And her southern accent really brings home her points through a sweet-punctual middle ground, that any other Reese-stan can confirm. Not that my mother is Reese Witherspoon. But she has a LOT of similarities. Don't take my word for it, listen for yourself and form your own opinion. This is followed by my father's very quick Pop-in and Pop-is-outta-here segment, also recurring. Equally as hilarious. 

3.) The final act is the main event. The topic, and main reason for each guest's appearance on the show, is discussed fully here. Well, as fully as the remaining time will allow. Remember, you've got an hour! But ONLY an hour.

What makes you a good host?

I am fine-tuning this. I do not claim to be a great host. I do not have a journalism degree, and would never tout that. I aim to listen more than I speak. And to provide clarity through the conversation on any points that we, as an audience, may not fully know about. 

Take two, PR hated this answer as well, ugh. I am a great host, available for bookings. Like and subscribe.

What if I have comments or follow up questions?

You can always write to me, via the show's email: youvegotanhour@gmail.com

Why are the titles for each episode Not (Insert Celebrity Name) on (Random Topic)?

OK, let's talk about youuuuur tone for a second here. Judge Judy in the room, much? Well, the first half is obvious. It's clearly NOT whomever the celebrity is in the title. But the guest and I share a mutual love for that person and reference them throughout the episode. But the topic's aren't random. So go wash your mouth out with soap and return for more Q's for an A once you've got that Orbit mouth we all love to see. Thanks.

What kind of guests can we expect?

My besties, duh. This first season is centered around friendship, fully. And each of the people I have on-air are hand picked by me for you! I hope you enjoy our conversations as much as I've enjoyed having them. Everyone that is on the show has worked very hard to be where they are today: mentally, physically, spiritually, and creatively. We are so blessed in life to hear someone's truth. And I am thankful to always witness that on this show. At the core of what makes a guest "right" for the show is that they are aware of their own creative entity. Being creative, tapping into your own creative is, I believe, essential for all of us non-AI humans. And AI needs to back the fuck up from our creative endeavors. We do not need robots painting and writing sonnets. Seriously, wtf is that about? There will be NO AI on this podcast. My guests, much like you, whether the career of which is that of a plumber, or an actor, the financial career does not determine a person's creative capabilities. You have a creative life force within you. The guests and I try to tap into that, with each episode.

Why is "You've Got an Hour" the name of the Podcast?

Because the show is literally an hour. I like a clear amount of time. Parameters for: a start and an end to something. The sound of "You've Got an Hour" can be both a welcome and a warning to the listener, the guest, and even me. I love a double edged sword, don't you? When it comes to "entertainment", I like to know just how much time I'm investing. Selfishly, I set a parameter that I want as a listener. I mean, let's be honest: don't you hate when you're driving somewhere and the thing you are listening to takes twice as long this week as it did last week? I can't stand that. How are you supposed to plan around that? "Drives" me crazy. With this in mind, and also as a total introvert, I truly cap out at about an hour of time. Speaking of, this Q for an A took 60 minutes to fill out. Sorry, my alone time is calling! And this is not a party line. I'll have to call you back... tomorrow.

Where will the podcast be released?

Anywhere that you listen to podcasts! I hope you tune in, and that you enjoy. Season one will have one episode every "Whine Wednesday, beginning September 4th. If you're ever confused on if there is a new episode,  just check out our IG: @youvegotanhour! Bye!

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

hi I’m the one who asked about JK and his brand. I’m not interested in BTS as a group either tbh, my concern is that hype will continue to ignore the other members (specifically jimin) and halt any potential growth/success just like what they did/still doing with Face. My concern is that ARMY will focus on one member and ignore the others, which is not fair since all 7 of them build this fandom. no solo fan base is strong enough to carry a member through a comeback, all members need ARMY. I know there’s no point in talking about it and there’s nothing we can do. I guess I’m not sure if i can go through another trauma after Face lol. The only way I can see myself enjoying any future releases from jimin is if i log out of every platform and just listen to his music without checking how well he did or how bad hype fucked up

I am a pessimist, so probably the wrong person for you to talk to right now, sorry 😄

I think what happened to Face might as well repeat, I really don't see how it wouldn't at this point. Yes, there's a need for a big fandom to achieve whatever goals fans believe need to be achieved, but I think an artist is more than charting and selling goals. There are people in the art world who have never won big awards, some don't even get it at old age. It doesn't mean that it reflects the impact they have on art and on the people who are interested in their work. I know I'm talking to the void here because fans don't care about that and quantifiable achievements are still rulling the world, but it is what it is.

There's more ugliness and viciousness in the fandom and certain company practices don't help. You'll only get more angry. More and more and it will affect you. Because you won't be able to do much, it's out of your hands. You and all the other fans. It doesn't mean the artist shouldn't be suppported, but not at the expense of one's mental health.

It's a neverending cycle and damn, we need a break. I say we because I find myself in the same boat a lot of the times. I get angry and frustrated for this boy so much, but I have to keep reminding myself that there are limits to it.

It's more likely that Jungkook will go on a world tour. Either soon or after MS. The brand and all the products which will come under it is a proof of that. The concert yesterday was a taste of what's to come, that much was pretty obvious since it was announced. Plus the questions about it, questions which always go through the BH pr first. When/If it becomes official, it will be a bloodbath and I'm honestly ready to close my inbox for a few days in case it happens. Another wave of anger. Some justifiable, some not. Taking a step back from collective hate/anger/frustration can help.

[iwonderwh0]

Watching "I, Robot" (2004) for the for the first time

Why did they have to make them so goofy-looking and gave them this weird voice

Oh, I like dr Calvin. Is she human?🤔 (In movies about androids I can never be sure)

"I make the robots seem more human" at least we know whose fault is it that they look constipated

Interrogation scene. Dbh surely took inspiration from here

"Can a robot turn a canvas into a beautiful masterpiece?" "Can you?" Lmao. This scene is so famous, finally seeing the original.

"Answer me, canner!" I'm amused I've never seen such an insult used for Connor

Why would they destroy that house with a cat inside ;-;

I like her, I really do

This building is ugly as fuck

I like how they made Sonny draw with both of his hands by rows of strokes

Thriller elements are just ridiculous sometimes, like that jump from a motorcycle with guns in each hands? I mean, it's just the specifics of the genre, but still it kinda feels like a comedy whenever I see something like this.

I mean, if the logic of VIKI is that "without interference humanity will destroy itself completely with the means of wars and pollution" I'm struggling to see her attempt to intervene as something evil.

Fuck, I really don't get why by the logic of the film letting humans destroy themselves is more humane. Am I missing something?

I watched till the end but I'm still confused, hold on, I'm reviewing it back to Viki's explanation.

"Your charge us with your safekeeping...yet despite our best efforts, your countries wage wars. You toxify your eath and pursue ever more imaginative means of self-destruction. You cannot be trusted with your own survival."

"To protect humanity, some humans must be sacrificed. To ensure your future some freedoms must be surrendered. We robots will ensure mankind's continued existence."

"You are so like children. We must save you from yourself."

I'm sorry. There's not enough elaboration to what exactly that may mean, so really, there's not enough justification for me to call that approach evil. If choosing between being wiped out with some stupid nuclear war from a hand of overpowered human with God complex, between having my country wiped with the rise of ocean as a result of global warming caused in large by corporate greed, between this and some supercomputer eliminating those folks who are responsible for this shit. My vote won't be on destroying the computer, but let her fucking cook, because no one else would, apparently. And fuck, perhaps she's right. I don't know, I'm obviously the wrong generation to watch this movie, because I don't feel like there's really a far enough future in the current state of the world because of the climate change.

Yeah I don't know. I'd like to hear VIKI's master plan, but she barely said anything, really, and they instantly went for her destruction.

The path to hell is paved with good intentions, and all that, but within given context, It's not obvious (for me, at least) what would be the lesser evil.

I assume the movie was filmed by people who didn't really perceive global warming as an actual threat that can affect them in any future at all, but in 2023 it's really hard to ignore this factor and go "yeah, VIKI's evil, she wants to protect humanity by the means of some sacrifices"

They call it heartless, but isn't inaction even more heartless in this case? It's a trolley problem and the movie implies that the most humane answer to that dillemma is to let that trolley drive, let it run over everyone. Pretend you have no power, pretend the trolley is entirely outside of your control. Because intentionally sacrificing some people in order to save more of them (in this case potentially the whole kind is on stake) is heartless apparently.

Yep, I can't say I agree.

I mean, if something goes extinct by natural causes without mass catastrophy causing it, I too think that it might be okay to just let it happen

But within the context of such global catastrophy existing, why shouldn't it be prevented if there are means, if the cost of it is "take action and loose some vs inaction and loose everyone", why should the answer be everyone

[ingravinoveritas]

I'm not sure where this expectation of the Go 2 press tour which I see from you and some other fans is coming. Did someone say something? I mean, there definitely should be some PR action, a couple of interviews, maybe the cast appearance at a screening or something, but nothing near the promotion of the 1 season, not a 'press tour'. No one promotes 2nd seasons even half as much as 1 seasons. As a rule. Unless there's a very specific decision to do so. So I would tame expectations imo.

I mean...good grief, Anon. It just poured for the entire weekend where I live, and yet it feels like your message is doing a far more thorough job of raining on my metaphorical parade.

So, let's break a few things down here. First, my personal philosophy is and always will be "Hope for the best, expect the worst." That is not to say that, in the case of GO 2 promotion, I expect the absolute worst, because I don't...but I am also more than adept at keeping my expectations in check thanks to many, many years of experience with disappointment.

With that in mind, you are correct, no one has said anything specifically or formally about the GO 2 press tour or what it might/will entail. Most of us have been working off of the idea--the hope, even--that because season 1 had a press tour, then logically, so should season 2. (Especially because, as I've previously mentioned, the show does still need to bring in new viewers to ensure that there will be a third season.)

As of right now, however, it looks like the only potential impediment to a press tour--or at least Neil being involved with one--is the looming Writers' Strike (well, not-so-looming, since it now seems to be actually happening). So the effects that could have on promoting GO 2/what sorts of appearances the cast and crew will make are unknown for now, and remain to be seen.

But I still feel like you're missing the larger point here, Anon. The thing that has so many of us excited isn't the breadth or level of promotion, but rather that Michael and David will be together during whatever promotion does happen. The majority of the things I mentioned in this poll were listed as mere possibilities...but the one that seems most probable (and that received the most votes, as it were) was Michael and David flirting with each other. I've also received DMs from people who, as much as they are eagerly anticipating the show, care even more about seeing Michael and David together again--playful, relaxed, and most of all, happy.

So does that mean a press tour as extensive as the first season? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe Michael and David will only get to do a handful of interviews or appearances together, but it's the substance of those that makes all the difference. It's that we can all watch Michael and David on TV, or Youtube, or listen to them on the radio, and for even the briefest of moments, feel a sense of respite from what is happening in the world. It's that even when there is so much misery and hate and unkindness running rampant, there is still something that can bring such happiness. Something to look forward to, even just for a little while. And that's what I'm optimistic about, and will continue to be optimistic about here on my blog.

Again, you may be entirely right, Anon, and the GO 2 press tour could turn out to be nothing more than Michael and David doing a ribbon-cutting at a Tesco in Milton Keynes...but I'd still want to watch it because I know no matter what happens, Michael and David will enjoy every second of it as long as they are together.

And I think that's still something worth hoping for.

[prelations]

Do Press Releases Lead To Media Coverage?

A couple of weeks ago, the founder of a fintech startup asked me which PR wire service we use for our press releases. He said he wasn't happy with his distribution company because his story wasn't getting picked up. He remembered how our press release led to coverage and wanted to replicate that approach.

I always tell clients that press releases don't lead to media coverage. They help with content marketing and getting a specific message on the record. Press releases can also help with SEO that a reporter might see, but in the scope of journalism, most reporters aren't going to any PR wire service to look for a story idea.

They've been reaching out to my company about doing some PR for us. They claim to be the only agency in the world with a pay-for-performance model. They guarantee a listing in an A+ media outlet and charge per published article.

In the case with that fintech startup, what that entrepreneur doesn't know is that our entire team pushed his story with a pitch to targeted editors. When those editors asked for more information, we shared his press release with them. That's a behind-the-scenes look at how his story gained traction.

That being said, press releases can help you achieve other goals. Here's a strategic look at when press releases can and won't work for you.

Get It On The Record

When clients have big announcements, like a jump in users or a new partnership, press releases can help with publicity.

A couple of years ago, I worked with a digital health client that was weeks away from receiving full recognition from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for their online diabetes prevention program. The CDC wasn't going to make any announcement on who was approved. Instead, someone from the CDC would send an informal email telling the company it had been accepted.

When I learned of this, I told the CEO we needed a press release ready to go so we could be first with the announcement that the company received this prestigious CDC recognition. It worked and improved the company's overall brand and recognition.

Anyone who researches that company today will see online that it was the first CDC virtual provider recognized for the diabetes prevention program. That wouldn't have been possible without a press release.

Search Engines

Every time our PR agency wins an award, I send out a press release. And it's led to new business. In January 2020, I published an annual report on our agency's media placements and summarized it in a press release. A potential client read that press release while researching PR firms and reached out to me. He later told me he never read the report — only the press release. It doesn't matter; he signed with us.

Search engines are tricky, and Google never reveals its algorithm. However, Google openly admits the priority it places on good content. If a press release is written well, and has a news peg, your chances for online exposure grow dramatically.

Are All PR Wire Services The Same?

That's a very big blanket question that I can't answer because your specifics and targets might be different. However, if you look closely at the PR wire services, you can compare their news distribution. They are very transparent about who they reach.

That means if two distribution companies say they reach the same news outlets, in theory, which one you choose shouldn't make a difference. However, what does matter is the quality of that press release.

Going back to that fintech entrepreneur, who is also a friend, he asked whether my firm would publish his press release. I wanted to help him, but I've seen poorly written press releases. They don't get traction. Your message needs to be tight in the press release. It can't be convoluted. And you need to follow your PR wire service's guidelines.

If you don't take those guidelines seriously from the beginning, it doesn't matter who publishes your press release. It's probably not going to get traction.

[mercuryonparklane]

I’ve been out of town, so I just saw an anon I received last week regarding Taylor and bearding and the possibility of late-stage Tayliz that sparked some thoughts. The Anon asked that I do not post their theory, so instead I will just share some of my own thoughts based on recent events.

As I have mentioned in the past, I personally believe Taylor is a lesbian and that every public relationship she has had since she became famous has been a bearding situation (sometimes mutual, but not always). Thus, I do believe that Joe was a beard. And, for what it’s worth, I also do not believe that she secretly dated any other men like Martin J, Will A, etc.

I usually prefer not to delve too deeply into the men because, tbh, I don’t really think they are relevant in any material way other than as cover for her private life and identity and real relationships/flings/hookups with women. They are, and always have been (from Joe J to Joe A) part of her marketing strategy and it has been extremely successful.

I don’t really care to speak on Joe too much, especially now that he seems to be out of the picture, but in light of recent events, I will reiterate that he truly is/was a mirrorball. Which is exactly why he was the perfect beard. He was a working actor, in Oscar bait movies, but not famous enough that it would distract from Taylor’s public persona. He was “private” and she was able to feed enough of the few tidbits he threw out about himself/his family back into the music to strengthen the narrative and keep up appearances. It was all about holding up a narrative that they were the perfect couple. It was all about giving the Swifties enough to keep them satisfied, but not giving away too much, in order to keep the narrative flexible.

Obviously, there was never going to be an easy way out of this relationship because of how much Swifties bought into them being “End Game”, but it will definitely be interesting to see where she goes from here.

I won’t get my hopes up about her actually finally coming out, but I still stand by the idea that she is either someone who has used the lgbt community for clout/image or she is gay. There has been too much signaling and you just can’t make yourself the sheriff/mayor of the gaylor park and say that “gay pride” is one of the few things that makes you who you are and be a well-informed/well-intentioned ally who is 100% heterosexual.

And to the anon, in terms of late-stage anything, I’m not really convinced that she has reconciled with any of her ex-girlfriends (at least not recently), but who knows… I think she has learned how to be a lot more careful the last 6/7 years about letting people see her as openly vulnerable as she was with Karlie. Speaking about Tayliz specifically, I think there could have been some kind of hookup later on (maybe in the 2015-2019 timeframe… honestly, same goes for a potential Swiftgron hookup), but I don’t think they ever had a full on, committed relationship at any point (even in the early days).

And, in terms of the bearding being beneficial PR for both parties involved, it has absolutely continued to be good promo for both her and all the men she has allegedly (but I believe she has not actually) dated. Hell, it’s still being utilized by most of the parties involved to this day. They’ve all gotten a lot of mileage (media attention/fan interest) out of these alleged relationships.

Also, I completely agree that the whole idea of “Taylor is a bad actor” is such bs. She is extremely talented at performing live. Now, does being able to convincingly perform her own songs live on stage or being able to charm an audience mean she has the skills to disappear into (or even just convincingly portray) another character? No. But she is the best when it comes to playing the role of Taylor Swift, the public persona. So, do I believe she could convincingly fake emotion while performing her own songs? Yes, and I don’t think she’d be as successful as she is if she couldn’t.

[theoutcastrogue]

Well the announcement is one hell of a spin, so here’s the tl,dr; of the draft.

1) The Creative Commons licence

only applies to portions of the 5e SRD that are logically* already free to use

does not apply to fundamental 5e rules, such as races, classes, and monsters

is “CC BY 4.0”, i.e. requires attribution

does not apply at all to 3rd Edition’s SRD

when WotC publishes the next SRD, for One D&D, who knows which portions will be released under Creative Commons

2) The OGL 1.2

is not REALLY irrevocable (only in the sense that content already published under OGL will forever remain under OGL; but the licence can be terminated, i.e. yanked away from users)

the conditions it can be yanked away are specified (some vaguely, some broadly), but WotC gets to decide if said conditions are met, and that can’t be challenged in any way

basically, if WotC wants to kill a competitor who uses OGL 1.2, they simply can, and no one can stop them

the OGL itself can be modified in 2 specific ways, which seem innocuous (here there’s a potential loophole, which some speculate could be used even to reintroduce royalties later, but it’s far-fetched so I won’t elaborate atm)

renders users completely defenceless: they waive their right to a jury trial and class actions for anything OGL-related

is not really an Open Gaming licence

3) The morality clause

is PRIMARILY a marketing trick, the bait to make it sound acceptable (“we’re the good guys, fighting a good cause!”)

is secondarily a means to protect the brand from certain PR disasters, which up to now have been purely hypothetical

(there are zero controversies about bad OGL content; nuTSR recently made a truly despicable, blatantly racist game, but not under OGL; meanwhile the DM’s Guild enforces a separate morality clause, and you know what they took offence with? “Eat the Rich”, the anti-capitalist adventure)

is a killswitch, allowing for immediate termination without recourse whatsoever

is comically vague. If you try enough, pretty much any content and any conduct can be framed as “harmful, discriminatory, illegal, obscene, or harassing” (Judge in the distance: I can’t define obscenity but I’ll know it when I see it!), and WotC isn’t even required to frame it, they can just claim it, and terminate someone’s licence

arguably applies to a good chunk of official D&D content, past and present

it takes some fucking gall from the company that published the Hadozee race only a few month ago to now frame itself as the Ultimate Arbiter of Hateful Content

but even if none of that were the case, even if Hasbro’s intentions were immaculate and sparkly “like fresh snow on a mangled corpse” to quote The Order of the Stick, even if their motivation was pure and had nothing to do with fucking with the competition and monetising D&D, no sir, even if the implementation of that clause was guaranteed, in perpetuity, to be good and fair (don’t ask me how, a wizard did it)... it would still be bad, and it would still render the licence not Open.

it’s not Hasbro’s JOB to decide what’s hateful. We can’t keep allowing IP-hoarding mega-corporations to cast themselves as arbiters of morality. They can and indeed should make sure that their own content isn’t hateful, the things they make and they publish. But they got no say on what others make and publish.

* rules aren’t copyrightable in US law, but if a dispute ever goes to court, the court’s interpretation is all that matters

New OGL 1.2 revealed

On the surface it looks better but still has some tricky issues that people may overlook

Here is a Reddit discussion thread LINK

New OGL LINK

[mishasminions]

The Last Time I’ll Write a Long Post About Supernatural (15x18-15x20)

15 YEARS OF WATCHING THIS SHOW. 11 YEARS OF RUNNING A BLOG ABOUT IT. IT’S BEEN QUITE A RIDE.

[15x20 Speculation + evidence at the bottom]

First off, I just wanna come clean and say, after all these years, I still think they should’ve ended at Season 5.

If you’re going to come at me with “Then why’d you stick around to watch it if you didn’t like it?”, your question is immature, and the answer is simple: I just want to know what happens next (I also love the main characters and their actors too). You can watch a show and still think it’s shit.

Call me a clown, but despite all the disappointment and trust issues that this show has given me, I would still look forward to the day where it might just turn itself around and bring back the quality it once had, or realize the potential of each story it was trying to tell, or at the very least, do justice by my favorite ship.

Never happened.

They’ve had a few good episodes here and there. I can’t imagine the SPN Universe without The Man Who Would Be King, The French Mistake, and Scoobynatural. Seasons 6-10 were enjoyable at times. I blocked out most of 7 & 11-15. 

If you’ve been following this blog since its heydays in 2010-2014, you’d know I’d try my best to defend Destiel and this show’s decisions regarding it no matter what.

Because you know what, as a CONCEPT, this show is good. If you take a look at all the worlds its storylines have birthed in fanfiction/fanworks, you’d see how much Supernatural has wasted its own story arcs. The writing got shittier as each season progressed, and they’ve obviously given up in production as well because the quality in the execution has noticeably gone down too, but if you take a step back and take a look at the bigger picture, you’ll see that this show still tries to make sense of itself.

[If you’re still following this post, please bear with me, I know this is long, but I just want you to understand how jaded and pessimistic I am with regards to this show, so maybe you can buy into whatever hopeful thing I’m about to say later on.]

SO LET’S TALK ABOUT DESTIEL

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that they would give us Castiel’s “I love you” speech. To the point where, if I weren’t so desperate for it, I would argue that it was completely out of character for him to word vomit the way he did (but I’m not gonna diss on that right now because I’ll take what I can get).

I’ve valued every meaningful and obscure exchange that Dean and Cas have had in the earlier seasons, and I was willing to accept their relationship as just that--undefined, without any clear boundaries as to what they really are. And I think that was beautiful on its own.

But now, they’ve chosen to define it.

After they’ve driven every possible wedge between Dean and Castiel in seasons 11-15, to try to explain away their feelings as something they offer to a collective.

Dean can’t mourn and pray for JUST Cas, he has to mourn and pray for EVERYBODY--even Crowley, even some chick he just met, because god forbid he cries about just the guy who has given up everything for him--that would be “too homo”.

They’ve even set Cas on a path to abrupt fatherhood just so he can care about something other than Dean. Make it seem as if Dean wasn’t his purpose through and through.

And after all these years of this stupid show trying to deny it, they choose to acknowledge it at the worst possible circumstance, at a time where they’ve been so far apart, that it seems so foreign for them to suddenly come together.

But here we are. And they’ve chosen to tell us.

Chosen to tell us that everything that Castiel has done leading up to his death, he has done it because he was IN LOVE WITH DEAN WINCHESTER.

Chosen to tell us that the ONE THING THAT WOULD MAKE CAS HAPPY IS DEAN WINCHESTER.

Chosen to tell us that BEING WITH DEAN WINCHESTER is something that CAS WANTS BUT KNOWS HE CAN’T HAVE.

And they’ve also chosen to tell us nothing about how Dean feels.

Sure, finding out your angel made a deal, the stipulations of said deal, his newfound happiness philosophy, his long-winded monologue of why he loves you and why you’re worthy of his love, and to top it all off he tells you that being in love with you is enough to make him happy while he subtly hints that he’s always wanted to be WITH you romantically, was a lot to process in the 5 minutes after you’ve just had an existential crisis.

It’s whatever, right? Let’s culminate 11 years worth of tension and feelings in 5 minutes. Let’s waste the entire episode with cringey expository dialogue, and irrelevant sequences. The whole season was a waste anyway.

You know what Supernatural? FUCK YOU FOR THAT. They deserved better. WE deserve better.

And I would love nothing more than to hurl every possible insult your way,

But for the last time, I’m going to HOPE that you’re finally going to try to make it better for the fans that stuck by you all these years.

No more baiting new viewers, no more placating casual viewers, no more excuses. 15 years. Bring it home for the people who have actually been around.

SO HERE’S HOW I THINK 15x20 IS GONNA GO

There’s two ways this series is gonna end. Horribly or Spectacularly.

First let’s all take into consideration what Andrew Dabb says about it:

So, let’s start with

ENDING HORRIBLY

In this scenario, Misha is telling the truth about his last day of filming being 15x18. His “camping trip” during the last few days of filming 15x20, was actually a camping trip. He doesn’t go to Vancouver to shoot.

Jensen wasn’t “being careful” during the zoom interviews that it was just him and Jared quarantining for the shoot, it really was just him and Jared (althought most of these were done pre 15x19) Supernatural isn’t smart enough to do misleading PR, and they’re once again oblivious to the potential of their own story.

Misha hasn’t posted a “Goodbye Castiel” tweet because he’s probably saving it for last episode or he forgot because it was overshadowed by the Destiel trend that night.

So what we get is:

Sam and Dean are on the road again, up against the monster of the week. Only their world no longer has actual Supernatural beings anymore, so the monsters they’re fighting are humans.

Humans end up killing the Winchesters (despite having gone up against literally every powerful being imaginable INCLUDING God himself). Dean and Sam end up in heaven and relive their greatest hits.

Meanwhile, Castiel rots in The Empty because he died after realizing that he was happy and gay. Jack doesn’t bother rescuing him—his surrogate dad, the guy who made this specific deal to spare him—even though it was so easy for him get Cas in and out of The Empty when he had a fraction of the power that he has now.

Dean never speaks of Castiel’s confession because despite all the hints of a profound bond in the earlier seasons, and the fact that Dean has never cared for anyone (who isn’t his actual brother) as immensely as he does Cas, Supernatural just can’t have its main macho character be “suddenly bisexual” because that would hurt the male ego or some shit.

His heaven would probably be living happily ever after with his family. “Family” meaning Mary and John Winchester--two of the shittiest parents ever (but they’re not going to include them in this episode like they were supposed to because of Covid) and Sam.

Sam also gets a dog. As usual.

I wouldn’t put it past Supernatural to do this. After everything they’ve pulled, this would be right up their alley. I actually expect this ending.

Anyway, onto the next possible ending

ENDING SPECTACULARLY

In this scenario, Supernatural tries to stick the landing, and Jensen’s whole “It didn’t sit well with me at first, but then I took a step back after talking to Kripke, and realized that I had to view it from an audience perspective, I am now really excited about it” (DC Con 2019) anecdote about his thoughts on the final episodes, were actually about Dean potentially ending up with Cas. (Which would totally make sense because Jensen at first didn’t see Dean as anything but hetero, but as of late, he has been throwing in Destiel jokes of his own, so he seems to have warmed up to the idea)

Backed with Misha’s tidbit (DLConline 2020) that he and Jensen had conversations about Destiel, and that they wouldn’t have gone through with it if Jensen wasn’t onboard with it, but Jensen didn’t push back at all. (Why would they need to check with Jensen if it was just Cas going all in?)

Robert Berens (writer of 15x18) also wrote the script at the beginning of Season 15, but made Misha privy to the concept a year prior (Season 14), so they went into this season knowing about Destiel going canon.

This one’s a reach, but this scenario also supposes that Misha was lying about his whereabouts during the filming of the final episode, and him saying that 15x18 was his last episode is part of the diversion to avoid taking away from the weight of Castiel’s death.

And that Supernatural is actually self-aware of its own material (similar to how they have wrapped things up in the past—lots of expository dialogue, poor execution, but fulfills the story arc)

Since Season 15 is basically a Meta Season (Chuck/God as a writer, pretentiously calling out how he created the worlds, its characters, and basically invalidating the past 14 seasons), and 15x19 is supposedly the finale for Season 15, written by two of the worst Supernatural writers, Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Leming (Bob Singer’s wife), then we can assume that 15x19 is where the shitty writers kill themselves--as Chuck, of course.

So we get a badly written episode that produces a bad ending, or as Becky put it, “All action, and no Cas”

So we get the bad writers season ending at 15x19.

And 15x20 is where Sam and Dean write their own stories, and where the cast had a hand in pitching ideas for it.

Dabb has mentioned that 15x20 (Act Two) is a SERIES finale, where they try to resolve the characters’ journeys.

Because as everyone has acknowledged, Supernatural isn’t about the story, it’s about the characters.

So here’s what we can get out of it:

With no more Supernatural beings left to fight, Sam and Dean are in a stalemate. They’ve resigned themselves to fighting to the bitter end, but the “end” has passed, and they’re still standing.

So they try to figure out who they are now, and what they want out of the life they still have.

Sam still wants a normal apple pie life. Before Dean dragged him out of college to go hunting with him, he had a whole life planned out for him. Become a lawyer, settle down with a nice girl, and get a dog. He gave all that up because they had work to do, but now the work is finished, he can finally go back to wanting that for himself again.

Dean finally realizes his self-worth after Cas saves him again. His prayer to Cas in purgatory may have helped him come to terms with his anger, but the whole “you’ve done everything you did for love” speech finally put him in his place, and he learns not to hate himself anymore.

But of course, he cannot fully reconcile with himself if he doesn’t get Cas back, and tell him how he feels.

Because Dean actually wants something for himself this time. Something he knows he can finally have if he can just salvage it.

So maybe this time around, with the help of Jack (off-screen), Dean saves Cas. Grips him tight and raises him from perdition.

They bypass The Empty deal by turning Cas human, and he lives the rest of his days with Dean.

Dean and Cas know they deserve to be saved, and they know that they deserve to be happy.

(Wishful thinking, maybe they kiss a little)

Anyway...

I’m just saying, there’s NO WAY that they’d have Cas go through that whole rushed speech, if they weren’t going to do anything about it later on.

But again, after 10 years of disappointment, I wouldn’t put it past Supernatural to pat themselves on the back and say, “Okay, we sort of gave them what they wanted. We’re good now”

If that’s the case, Supernatural, I’m sorry I wasted my time on you.

Here’s to hoping 🤡