#for everyone in the tags using the term 'space hitler' just know you are the opposite of respectful

[never-forget-viva-la-pluto]

Girl say that shit out loud 🙌

it is crazy how “if this childrens show doesn’t kill their villain at the end it’s irredeemable media” became such a popular opinion here. like people were calling steven universe fascist apologia. and to be clear I don’t even think that would be the case for non childrens media, either. perhaps holding every single story up to the same standard of “does it follow the acceptable narrative path or is it evil propaganda” isn’t the most anti-fascist thing, either. maybe.

[you-cant-spell-subtext-without]

Sigh. It’s quiet today, so I guess it’s about time to talk about 12x06: Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox.  

This is an episode without Cas, so clearly it revolves entirely around Cas (I'm kidding, but only a little bit).  It’s also a bottle episode and a meta writer’s wet dream, so excuse me while I nerd out - this is a long one to unpack, and I have spent too much time doing it for you.  That’s ok because, as Sam says:

DIVE IN AFTER THE CUT BUDDIES!

The Asa montage is where we start.

Asa is a Dean mirror. The parallels are pretty clear - he’s a scruffy rough around the edges hunter, Mary is the reason he got into hunting, he wears a ton of flannel, etc.  If you remain unsure, the writers throw this in at the very beginning in the montage of Asa’s life as a hunter So That You Know:

Bucky: Hey, you know they make new cars, right? Asa: I don’t want a new car. This is my lucky car. 

***Canadian!Dean confirmed.

Shaine Jones may also be the Canadian Jensen Ackles.

I don’t make the rules ok?

Back in the US, the boys surprise Jody with a visit. 

In case you forgot the episode prior to this one:

Side note: domestic Jody gives me life. 

We’re clearly supposed to see how Jody is a mom figure for the boys, and it feels nice for them to have that, especially since Mary is Taking Some Space.  Their entire dynamic warms even my cold black soul.

[romantic scene of a couple silhouetted against a sunset while sweeping music plays on Jody’s TV. The couple kisses.] 

DEAN

[his mouth full of pizza] Jody, you watching some kind of chick flick here?

JODY

Well, Dean. I’m a chick. 

Kim Rhodes YOU ARE A DELIGHT.  A side note - I know this exchange is supposed to be funny, but I feel sad for Dean (who clearly is a rom com chick).  This is a perfect example of Dean struggling to present some fabricated image of heteronormative masculinity that’s not the heart of who he actually is.  His surprise that a “badass sheriff chick” can also enjoy rom coms makes me fucking upset.  

ALSO:

Anyway, Asa has passed on and the boys tag along with Jody to the wake in support.  

SAM

Yeah, no, Jody. We… we know you’ll be fine, but… you know, we never go to hunter gatherings, outside of bars. Dad always said they were trouble, so…

DEAN

Yes, you’d be doing us a favor if you let us tag along.

***more receipts that John Winchester was an isolating abuser.  They could have at least had a normal HUNTER life and friends who hunted.

SAM  

That is a big house. [Music continues playing, coming from inside the house now]

***We now establish one “theme” of the episode.

JODY

Family home. Asa was just a guy. 

AKA pretty brutal implication that Asa didn’t have a family of his own.

Speaking of implications:

[Jody removes her coat and the three of them begin mingling. Dean finds his way to the kitchen and a cooler full of beer] DEAN

No label. Well, that’s a red flag. 

****LOL WHAT THE FUCK IS THE REASON****

....

....

....

GIRL SEND HELP

Enter Bucky, who is actually (SPOILER!) the villain of the episode.

Do all hunters just walk around with this manly flannel/weird symbolic necklace combo?  Looking at you Bucky and Dean.  

Dean is surprised to find that people know who he is:

But doesn’t seem to have an issue with it until -

***Someone who just bragged the entire five hour car ride about killing Hitler shouldn’t be this concerned about what people are saying about him right? 

Or is he thinking it may involve something he isn’t comfortable sharing - since apparently there are things Dean doesn’t feel comfortable sharing as established by the prior couch conversation with Jody?  Hmmmmmm...

***Compare the expressions.  The “you’ve died four times” response is the same as the smug/proud “I killed Hitler” face.  The reaction to the “stories” is the “hey this is my personal business” reaction Dean had to Sam’s Japanese erotica art form comment. He is thinking specifically about something personal.

I wonder what it could be.

I don’t think any one had to teach Max Banes the art of seduction, but also thank you.

Also, manifesting Dean being raised by Max and Alicia’s Cool Witch Mom instead of John Trash Winchester.  Because that’s what we’re supposed to think here, correct?  Two sibling hunters usually present a brother mirror.

Worth noting Sam’s surprise that witches can also be hunters.  The John Winchester Bigotry Brain Rot runs deep.  (GOD the Sam-witch thing would have driven him crazy I LIVE FOR THAT).

Dean escapes to Asa’s office/room and proceeds to go through his things.

[Dean is in Asa’s office and finds an angel blade mounted on blue velvet inside an ornate glass-lidded box. He opens it, reaches in and pulls out the angel blade, comfortably spinning it in his hand when Sam walks in.]

SAM

Hey.

DEAN

Oh, hi. This is a real Angel Blade. I mean, this guy was legit. 

***that’s weird, why does Canadian!Dean have an angel blade?  We haven’t heard anything about angels yet, and it wasn’t in the opening montage.  Hmmmmmm, I say. Hmmmmmmm...

***Sam is also concerned about The Stories They Tell 

This one particularly:

Honestly I don’t know why he’s THAT surprised that people know he was possessed by Lucifer?  Didn’t he start like multiple apocalypses?  That’s something people tend to be in the know about. Anyhoo.

DEAN

Yeah. Apparently we’re a little bit legendary. 

SAM 

Yeah, but, I mean, so was Asa. Then a hunt went bad, and he ended up hanging from a tree, alone in the woods.

DEAN

He died on the job. No better way to go. 

SAM

You really believe that? 

DEAN

Yeah. What, you don’t? I mean, come on, Sam, it's not like we're in the “live till you're 90, die in your sleep” business. This? [Dean points at Asa’s hunting wall] This only ends one way. 

***Insert deep internal screaming about 15x20 here***

It’s Jody’s turn to be uncomfortable as we find out she and Asa were more than just friends and everyone knew it and Said Things About It and Told Stories About It.

HMMMMMMM...

Dean is surprised that Jody not only enjoys rom coms, but ruggedly hot men. Another thing they have in common.

As Dean comes to terms with the idea that Jody can be a mother figure and also a human person with a life and her own feelings and needs and thoughts, enter the person whom said lesson is actually about:

This is a Kim Rhodes Facial Expression stan account now.

So cute how Jody knows immediately that Dean is not okay.  Time to reach:

JODY

Huh. Is that why you spent the entire ride up here telling me in extreme, excruciating detail how you killed Hitler, but, uh, you neglected to mention the fact that your mom is back from the dead? 

***look, it’s another Dean doesn’t like others knowing personal information parallel!***

DEAN 

Yeah, no big deal. 

JODY

That’s a lie.

DEAN

JODY …

JODY

Look, maybe this isn't my place, and this is epic stuff, but

JODY

Yeah. Because what if I’ve changed. What if they changed? What if it just didn’t work out the way I wanted?  If you wanna talk about anything

***Killing Hitler used yet again to show Dean doesn’t care about oversharing hunting stories, but he doesn’t like for people to know personal ones.  Also, Jody mentions her son and her husband.  Her family and her romantic partner.  

Dean wasn’t just reunited with Mary this season. He was also reunited with Cas, after saying goodbye to him at the end of Season 11 when he headed to what he thought was going to be his death as the Amara-bomb.

So, this conversation isn't just about Mary (the “anything”).  It’s also about Cas (the”...absolutely anything”).

Mary chats with Mama Fox and more Points Are Made about hunters not getting to have a “normal life” or family:

MARY

I saved his life. 

LORRAINE

[scoffing] What am I supposed to say to that? After you, Asa got so… Hunting was his whole life. He never married. Never had a family, kids. And now… enjoy the wake. 

***sending Mary on a guilt spiral about Asa (mirroring her other guilt spiral about hunting as a life for her own sons)

Speaking of mirrors:

BUCKY

And Asa loved that Jeep. Fuses were shorted, fuel line was busted. Ah, he didn’t care. He’d just roll up his sleeves, he’d get right to work. 

Time to learn about today’s Big Bad.

BUCKY

Jael. He’s a crossroads demon. And he hangs people. It’s his thing. Snaps their neck, slits their throat. He’s a real piece of work. 

***Wait a second.  Jael is a demon?  Don’t...angel’s names usually end in “el” in SPNverse?

Samandriel.

Uriel.

Gabriel.

Raphael.

Gadreel.

Castiel.

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

Anyways the demon [questionable] killed Asa and now everyone  is trapped and also In Grave Danger.  

BUCKY

Exactly. Right, so five years later, Jael– he came back, and he came for Asa. 

JODY

How so? 

BUCKY

Asa was seeing this woman, right? She had a kid. 

LORRAINE

Marlene. 

BUCKY

Yeah, Marlene. Jael got into her. It didn’t matter that he was killing people, he wanted Asa to know it was personal. He gets off on it. 

***that’s so weird, didn’t someone else in the show start seeing a woman with a kid - 

what a sexy little coincidence.

oh and didnt  a supernatural being come back right around that time too - 

HMMMMMMMM.  No killing though.  That’s the difference between angels and demons, I guess.

(meanwhile Dean has been drinking alone outside - as he does, and is realizing he can’t get back in)

HI QUEEN

Also, this immediately took me to 

this show isn’t fair.

****sob break****

Jael Posession 1:

So curious how there are two siblings and then one gets possessed by something Satanic and the other one is good at seducing men.

SO FUCKING CURIOUS.

Jael Possession 2:

Elvis. Random.  Though he was the guy who brought up the Stories Sam Was Surprised Were Circulating -

He was also oddly interested in it.  Methinks Elvis thoroughly enjoyed the Jael possession.

Bilie gets Dean back in the house.  The words “one-time deal” are said a lot of times.

BONUS: Jensen why are you so pretty:

The hunters get to work, and I live for Max Bane’s pentagram aesthetic.

MAX

I like a Fifth Pentacle of Mars. It’s got more character. 

***TBH, same.

Jael possession 3:

****Kim Rhodes is even better when she is playing evil.

JODY/JAEL:

I had so hoped you’d kill your mom. Wouldn’t that be a riot? 

[Mary draws the angel blade and charges at Jody. She cuts Jody’s arm before Sam wrestles her away.] 

SAM

No! Mom!

MARY

What are you doing?! She’s a demon. We kill demons. 

******WOOF MARY - I REPEAT TO YOU THAT THE JOHN TRASH WINCHESTER BRAIN ROT RUNS DEEP.

Also did you immediately flash back to this with me?

Gets me thinking that Dean’s feelings for Cas are made twice as complicated by the fact that he is also a supernatural creature.  Another Reason Why John Winchester Would Disapprove.

****Just as he would Disapprove of Sam Being Possessed By the Devil and all that (never forget he told Dean to kill him because of the whole made unclean by demon blood thing). 

Right on cue:

JODY/JAEL

Oh, I have heard so many stories about you Winchesters. And I desperately want the Lucifer thing to be true.  

***Stories again. Jael proceeds to go into Stories That Are Dark Personal Shameful Secrets:

JAEL

As for the rest of you, I have been inside your heads. I know all about you. For example, the twins. Too frightened to tell anyone that they actually came to say goodbye to their daddy. Or the grieving mother who hated the fact that her son was a hunter so much she’d hide his gear, she’d sabotage his Jeep, anything to keep him from hunting. Not that it worked. Could’ve tried harder, huh? 

[She gestures at her own face] And this meatsuit you all seem to care so much about. She actually fantasized about a life with Asa. Can you believe that? Like that worthless man– 

***HMMMMMMMMM

[Bucky gets off the floor and sneaks up behind Jody/Jael] 

BUCKY 

Shut your filthy mouth. 

[Jody/Jael grabs Bucky by the neck and forces him to his knees] 

JODY/JAEL

And you. Bucky. Brave, brave Bucky. I was there that night. Tell these nice, stupid people what you did. Tell them what you took from me. Asa was mine. 

***Excuse me? THIS IS GETTING VERY...subtextual.  A dark timeline supernatural being/hunter relationship [ending badly because demons only know how to take, consume and possess]? ...Asael?  CURIOUS. 

They chant the exorcism, a different hunter doing each iteration (beautifully done) 

and send Jael back to hell, but not before Bucky shares his Shameful Story - he’s the one who killed Asa.

Elaboration:

BUCKY

Asa, he was just all– he was just always so stubborn. Look, we were in the woods. [We see the scene play out as Bucky describes it] Jael, he… he was taunting him. Asa wanted to chase him, but he didn’t have the angel blade. I said, “Let’s go back.” He called me a coward, and he shoved me, so I shoved him back, and he fell. He hit his head. Asa? I didn’t mean to do it. But it was a mistake. Asa. Asa? An accident. I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to do. Asa hated that damn demon so much that I just…

DEAN

Oh, you thought people would buy that Jael killed him? So you hung your best friend to cover your own ass. 

BUCKY

What are you gonna do to me? 

ALICIA:

Tell everyone, every hunter we meet. They’re gonna know your name, Bucky. Know what you did. 

MAX

You like stories. This is the story everyone’s gonna tell about you. Forever. 

***Shameful Stories that Define You, what a theme.  Also, definitely a supernatural being potentially having some subtextual feelings for Canadian!Dean.  Hmmm.

***Funeral pyre and side discussion about how Asa did have a family, and children, and a potential supernatural sidepiece.

In conclusion, Supernatural is a love story.  Thank you for watching this dark timeline/Canadian dub.  You’re dismissed for the day.  Go eat bacon.

[soyouareandrewdobson]

The first comic: Maturity or rather the lack thereoff.

Something I commonly saw within the last decade was people arguing that animation has reached a new peak by the amount of quality in storywriting put into them and some even claiming cartoons have become more mature, particularly compared to shows of the 80s and 90s. Dobson too joined the trend and as such made this little comic in 2015 titled “Mature”, in which he argues that cartoons for children are more mature and handle serious subjects better than any media tagged with an r-rating or not following the format of animation.

  While I admit that the comic is not the most offensive and insulting thing Dobson has ever created when soapboxing about nerd/american culture, I do think “Mature”  actually in composes quite a good insight in how Dobson does not understand concepts of storytelling and overhypes the achievements and merits of children entertainment to a degree that is hurting the “cause”. Which greatly annoys me as a fan of storytelling and animation in general and paints Dobson as incompetent in the field of work (cartoonist, comic writer/artist) he tries to engage in. And I can bring this lack of understanding by Dobson down by just one simple question:

What exactly counts as a mature subject here?

 Dobson randomly accuses any form of fiction that is not a children’s cartoon or comic to have no idea how to approach a “mature” subject, but he can’t even give an example of what he defines by this term.

See, for me a mature subject is e.g. an social, emotional or political issue we as humans can correlate to in the real world. Either as a result of personal experience or a bigger picture in our history and culture (such as racism, poverty, existential dreed, personal/emotional growth, any form of oppression etc.) Something that does not only drive a story forward as a source of conflict or a character’s backstory/arc for the sake of entertainment, but may even make us think afterwards.

 And as much as I like cartoons, I do not think this is something children cartoons do most of the time.

 And before I get accused of thinking cartoons are only something for kids or that a thoughtful story can not be told via the medium of animation, let me put a few things into perspective.

Unlike Dobson, I do not have an educational background in animation. However, I grew up with a lot of cartoons, animated movies and comics from all over the world and thanks to the wonders of the internet read up here and there on the different ages of animation and certain tidbits in what went into the making of certain works of fiction and why they may have been a huge thing in the time periods they emerged in.

As such I know that the medium of animation can be used to not only create “child appropriate” content, but also movies like Barefoot Gen, Fritz the Cat, Felidae, Animal Farm and so on, which tackled themes of social issues, political worldviews and personal/historical tragedies.

 Then there is the fact, that depending on the culture, there are very different interpretations in what can be considered “child appropriate” in certain parts of the world and therefore what themes a cartoon may tackle. Like how in European children cartoons such as Alfred J. Quack there was a story arc resembling the rise of Adolf Hitler in power, to tell about the heroes of the show working in the underground against an obvious fascist regime. Or how in certain Japanese children shows the subject of death can be rather common, while in American cartoons just mentioning the word “die” seems a red flag to some studio executives. Lastly, a lot of early animation, (particularly western animation) did not even start off as something targeted primarily at children. Animation started off as a technique to tell a story through “moving pictures” and some of the first animated shorts ever had a huge fanbase of adults and children. “Snow White”, Disney’s first animated movie back in 1933 was a technical marvel at the time. A movie we nowadays mostly consider a children’s movie with a slightly dull story compared to other Disney outings, was back then a risk that earned Disney multiple Oscars and was appreciated more by adults than it was by children, despite being based on a fairy tale. A type of story mostly considered “appropriate” for kids.  

 What I am trying to say is, that I am aware of how not all children cartoons are the same and can vary in terms of “maturity”. Something I think Dobson can’t, because he also can’t see that there is a huge variety of “children” cartoons.

 Despite his background and claims to consider animation an art, Dobson has shown a huge lack of knowledge or admiration for shows/movies that do not fit into the specific mold of “western animation primarily targeted for children and airing on american television”.

And that is not a claim I make half-heartedly. I have done research on the guy, I know how he likes to brag when he considers he found a great cartoon or something interesting. So I find it telling that aside of nostalgia for certain 80s and 90s cartoons we all know, Dobson’s recommendations and taste in shows seems to be primarily focused on just the most recent stuff everybody else likes/a very small pool of rather generic shows. I am not saying he should be contrarian on principal and e.g. dislike Gravity Falls, but he lacks initiative to look out for new and old stuff himself.

I in fact remember when he asked twitter first if he should give Wander over Yonder, one of the best cartoons of the last decade, a chance, cause it seemed he was too chicken to have an opinion on his own.

Then again, weirdly enough, Dobson actually tends to be contrarian for the sake of it, till someone he respects or sucks up to tends to have a different opinion on a show/movie. For example, while he acts like Frozen is a great movie franchise and defends the second movie to the point he becomes anti-feministic when a woman has a different opinion than him on it, he actually gave the first movie a terrible review on deviantart back in 2014. Accusing it of “same face syndrome” and a shame to the name of Disney. Obviously that was also before the hashtag #GiveElsaaGirlfriend became popular and he went so far as to hint he thinks an incest ship with Anna was great. And Legend of Korra? According to first deviantart posts by him garbage. Which was an opinion swiftly changed the moment Korrasami became popular in the fandom by season 3.

 The point I want to make with this digression is, that there are a lot of past actions by him hinting on the fact that Dobson kinda despises animation, when it does not fit within a very narrow niche of things he likes. Further indicated by his disdain for “adult” animated shows or hostility towards foreign animation, except the occasional movie by Studio Ghibli for example.

 Because of this lack of a bigger picture, I do not think Dobson is aware how in terms of story, cartoons can heavily vary. And when it comes to mature subjects, you can’t really engage with them if you lack a story carrying them in turn. Let’s look again at the comic. What cartoon characters do you see in it, when Dobson talks about how he believes children cartoons “treat these (non-defined) mature subjects with FAR more respect than the hardest “dark, grim and gritty” stories”?

Pinkie Pie from My Little Pony, three main characters of Spongebob, Steven Universe, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Blossom from the Powerpuff Girls and Mickey Mouse. You want my opinion on them? None of them are from any cartoons tackling mature subjects in a huge manner.

 However, they are from great shows. (Well, everyone but Steven, but I explain that later.)

See, this is where putting cartoons into perspective within the vast history of animation, comes in handy. Cause looking at them it is undeniable that people put effort into these shows. Effort in the animation and the writing in order to create an entertaining product, decent enough that not only little kids can enjoy it as a mindless distraction, but even older people can find merit in it, thanks to characters with decent personality, good humor, world building and even an engaging story. But all of that doesn’t make these shows or any story necessarily tackle a “mature subject”. Sure, the latest incarnation of My little pony was not as saccharine as its predecessor but rather cartoony as a good 90s show, but that doesn’t mean the new version is the Schindler’s List of animation (excuse the hyperbole). Same for the other cartoons, with Dobson also not acknowledging the fact that Spongebob e.g. had quite some dips in quality over the years (and even made pretty awful jokes about serious subjects such as suicide) or that Steven Universe, while tending to tackle mature subjects for its story (like trauma, war, abuse, self esteem issues, racism, rape and homosexuality) has failed multiple times over its run (even back when this comic was made) to treat these subjects not just as plot and drama points, but also with enough respect within the narrative, to the point a lot of former fans of the show turned their back on it, cause they had enough of the issues they could relate to being simplified and resolved in a cookie cutter manner so Rebeca Sugar could tell a whimsical story about gay space rocks and forgiveness.

 Let us not even forget the fact, that while there is a huge number of cartoons with decent writing and value to them (and that those were not only created within the last 10 years or so), there is also just a lot of garbage out there that counts as “kids animation”. Cartoons and movies that were written with not a care in the world and at times outright more mean spirited as some of the stuff Dobson likely hates in life action. Are you telling me those toilet humor driven garbage piles of creativity are mature?

 The point I try to make is, Dobson’s GENERAL statement that kids cartoons tackle mature subjects better than other form of media, is factually wrong, because a lot of shows don’t even try to be mature in the first place. Which however does not mean, there aren’t attempts made at being mature or tackle a mature subject.

 Growing up with cartoons since the 90s, I saw quite a few cartoons once in a while having episodes with themes to them that were surprisingly “dark”, dramatic or related to issues I and other kids could also see and relate to in the real world. Bullying going out of control, eating disorders, school violence (even school shootings), dealing with the passing of a loved one, to name a few basic ones. Gargoyles and Hey Arnold were two very important cartoons for me in that regard, with Gargoyles showing me how dramatic a good action cartoon could be when compared to other action cartoons at the time (like Ninja Turtles) and Hey Arnold episodes like “Helga on the Couch” giving me a rather somber look into what “therapy” looks like closer to reality, while normally being a show with the slice of life adventures of a kid in the big city.

And I do highly appreciate that nowadays there are more cartoons doing ongoing storyarcs and as a result of actually having more drama to them, adding tension and character development to their plots. Things we did not quite have to the degree we have nowadays back then in the average show. But it is debatable if those things are equal to “mature subjects” such as racism, abuse or trauma. Cause at the end of the day, a lot of kids cartoons tend to only scratch the surface of those things in order to flesh out a plot, instead of making the plot about those issues. Which at times is even for the best if you ask me. Cause we should not forget, these shows and movies are made for kids. And because of their age, a lot of kids lack at times the knowledge and experience in life to properly understand the themes and subjects some people may try to convey with their work. Particularly when you want to tackle subjects such as trauma, abuse and war which lets be honest, a lot of people can’t even comprehend in their complexity as adults. So how are kids supposed to comprehend them? One way, in my opinion, is by simplifying them and turning them into part of a narrative instead of the main focus of the narrative. But that in itself doesn’t always work and can have negative consequences in multiple ways. For example by making the story suddenly non engaging, delivering the subject in such a manner that people can get the wrong message of what you are trying to say or (at worst) simplifying it to such a degree, it becomes outright offensive to others.

A good example that comes to my mind for that would be how Captain Planet back in the 90s tried to tackle the subject of AIDS in one episode. On one hand, considering how the disease was a big deal back then but no one openly talked about it, you kinda have to give credit to Captain Planet to tackle it. On the other hand, is a subject such as a deadly disease that back then was barely researched and killed millions, really something you want to tackle on an overly preachy (but considering whose company produced it, also very hypocritical) kids show, where most of the time the solution to a problem was not even grounded in reality? And spoilers, the episode treated AIDS not even as the big deal it was, but as something the villain would exploit to spread a rumor on the ill kid, because that somehow equaled a chance to pollute the world more. Not really mature, if you ask me.

 What all of this ranting is boiling down to, is that Dobson failed to make a case for how kids animation is able to tackle mature subjects, by not putting his opinion in the bigger context of what animation is/can be and what he means by the term “mature theme”. All he did was just indirectly soapbox that he thinks every other form of media is incapable of being about a serious issue, in doing so also insulting the art of storytelling in itself by disregarding anything not expressed in funny pictures specifically made for children or manchildren on tumblr who want to act they are the big boys, cause a cartoon horse made them feel sad.

He did so by making a very weak argument, not being able to present it in a manner that was hard to debunk and by drawing a comic in which everything looks surprisingly lifeless and like the least amount of quality and effort (things I argued can make a great cartoon) was put into it.

 Which ironically, is the total opposite, of being mature.

And lastly, can’t believe I have to say that, but Dobson, the Pokemon’s name is Butterfree, not Butterfry. Butterfry is what you get when you make a statue of a Futurama character made out of something you put on your bread.

[zoeology31]

On Star Wars: The Last Jedi

So I saw Star Wars last Sunday. Between critics bowing down to it and plenty of people on here mourning it’s train-wreck qualities, I was pretty apprehensive, but I wanted to at least see for myself.

The verdict: Most of the movie is a giant mess and I’m glad J.J. Abrams is coming back for IX, but it does pack a punch in some parts. Once my life gets a little less busy, I’ll probably join the growing number of fans and write a fix-it fic.

Major spoilers below. Seriously, I’m about to spoil pretty much everything.

I get that this movie was trying to comment on the hardships of war and how people have to keep their priorities straight and make sacrifices, but did they have to kill so many people? The bombers, all the X-wing pilots except for Poe, the Resistance leadership, everyone who wasn't on the main Resistance cruiser, half the transport vessels, and half the skimmer pilots? None of those were even a fair fight, because they couldn’t fire back. It was just slaughter, and it got painful to watch after a while. The deaths that had the most meaning were the individuals who directly chose to sacrifice their lives for the rebellion: Paige, Holdo, and Luke.

Speaking of fair fights, where were my iconic Star Wars battles? The only fighter-to-fighter combat was at the very beginning and ended with the bombers destroyed and Poe demoted. Rey spent more time fighting Luke than the actual main bad guys, and while her tag-team with Kylo Ren against the guards was cool, I couldn’t really enjoy it because I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. And of course Luke’s battle with Kylo Ren, while awesome, doesn’t really count.

A lot of moments felt unnecessary, if not extremely uncomfortable, and took away from the story, including: Rose electrocuting Finn (she could’ve just waved the taser in front of his face and let him explain the tracking situation, with the same overall result), the porgs, the pointless alien nuns, Luke milking the alien seal slug thing, Luke’s comment about Jakku being “pretty much nowhere”, Luke slapping Rey with a leaf, shirtless Kylo Ren in high-waisted pants, 90% of the shots of Kylo Ren looking sad, Rose and Finn (again) getting electrocuted for a parking violation, that opera alien at Canto Bight that looked like someone’s fetish, BB-9E, 75% of DJ, Hux slapping Finn with no consequence, BB-8 driving the AT-ST, Leia slapping Poe, Holdo saying “Godspeed”, Holdo stroking Poe’s face, that thing with Rey and the time dilation in the cave, Yoda’s weirdly corporeal Force ghost, the golden dice from the Falcon, Poe saying “you’re not dead”, that one dude tasting the salt on Crait, Rose kissing Finn, and the awkward introduction between Poe and Rey (weren’t they introduced at the end of TFA?).

What happened to the Force in this movie? The whole Force bond idea felt incredibly shoehorned, and since we don’t find out that Snoke was behind it until much later, we’re expected to believe Rey and Kylo Ren share some “special connection” because plot. It did wind up being pretty cool when Luke used it at the end to trick Kylo Ren, but I’m not clear on why he died immediately afterwards. Was it too draining? Did Kylo Ren running his projection through have a physical effect on him? Did he just voluntarily stop existing? And if Force ghosts can summon lightning, what’s stopping them from intervening further in the world of the living? Why hasn’t Anakin just showed up and killed Kylo Ren? Then of course there’s Leia floating through space despite never demonstrating any abilities beyond emotion sensing before.

Kylo Ren. I am unimpressed with the movie’s repeated attempts to create sympathy for him to the detriment of other characters. Your uncle drawing a lightsaber on you is not in any way an excuse to try to kill him, burn down his temple, and murder all his students who refused to join you. Besides, doesn’t this contradict canon in Bloodline or something? He’s still just as whiny, manipulative, and flat-out evil as in TFA, but now he’s responsible for even more deaths (remember, he fired the shot that blew up the X-wing hangar).

How are we supposed to buy Rey suddenly believing “there’s still good in him” or whatever when Kylo Ren killed her father figure, gravely injured her best friend, tortured her, and is in the process of racking up an even higher body count? TFA Rey is too smart for that, and she would never compromise her new family for the tiniest chance of redeeming a grown man who’s clearly made his choice and whom she owes nothing to. Luke didn’t start trying to redeem Vader until after he learned Vader was his father, what excuse does Rey have? Not only does Rey Nobody make no sense in the context of this movie, it ignores all the parallels and setup of TFA and turns Rey from the rightful Skywalker heir to some random girl who is arbitrarily powerful and arbitrarily the main character.

Because Rian Johnson lives under the delusion that Kylo Ren is somehow the male lead, Finn was forced into an extraneous sideplot and romance that repeated his character arc from TFA. Between getting electrocuted twice, falling into racist stereotypes at the casino, needing Rose to explain everything to him, getting slapped by Space Hitler, and being cheated out of a full-length, emotionally emphasized fight scene against his lifelong oppressor, Finn generally suffers some of the worst treatment of any character in the movie. The casino plot was tedious and its moral felt forced, and the undercover scene aboard the Star Destroyer was disappointingly short and ended in failure. Being sidelined meant Finn wasn’t written as wildly out of character as Rey or Poe, and John Boyega’s acting ensured we still saw the Finn we all know and love, but it was still an incredible disservice to his character.

Even though he got quite bit more screentime, Poe was almost a different character in this movie than in TFA. In the movie, comics, and tie-in novels, he had very clear strengths and flaws: charismatic, selfless, loyal, and an excellent strategist, but too willing to sacrifice himself and not good at thinking long-term. This is all thrown out the window in TLJ, making Poe instead a stereotypical Latino hothead who’s reckless ideas cost dozens of lives and who constantly battles his (white female) superiors. When he mutinies, we’re expected to agree with Holdo and be happy when she lectures him about hope and honorable retreats, but Holdo’s smarmy attitude and refusal to tell Poe the plan makes him seem like the reasonable one. Not only was Poe’s arc a lesson he didn’t need to learn, it was insulting, frustrating to watch, and poorly executed.

The three new characters were unnecessary and stretched the story too thin. DJ was practically useless and his verbal tics were more annoying than quirky. His only role was to show the grey morality of the war, but it would’ve been smoother for Finn to just observe and make his own comments, rather than have DJ and Rose give clunky exposition. Rose was a sweetheart, but her character was completely static and acted more as Finn’s morality pet than an independent person. Her tasering Finn at the start and kissing him at the end was probably supposed to be character development, but both felt forced. Holdo was a terrible leader and difficult to root for until her death scene, which was incredible but would’ve been more impactful with a character we had time to get attached to.

There were some things I liked about the movie. The cinematography was gorgeous when sets were properly lit, especially on Ach-To and Crait, and it had some truly stunning scenes, like Holdo wrecking the First Order fleet, Luke seeing the twin suns on Tatooine, and Rey lifting the rocks for the Resistance. The main cast was as attractive as ever, helped by some top-notch costuming. Despite exchanging zero words, Rey and Finn’s strong relationship was clear as day, and their reunion was fantastic. When Rey swooped in on the Falcon to give the skimmers cover fire and Finn cheered, that was my “I’m watching Star Wars” moment.

Luke’s arc was comparatively decent; he was too surly and irreverent at the beginning, but his criticisms of the old Jedi order made sense and his stand against Kylo Ren was the closest this movie got to iconic. Luke and Leia’s reunion was one of the most emotionally touching moments, and it doesn’t surprise me that Carrie Fisher wrote it. I liked the ending; everyone was together and getting along, the Resistance was safe aboard the Falcon, and Rey literally shut the door in Kylo Ren’s face. Even with the weird sympathy track, it’s clear he won’t be redeemed and it’ll be interesting to see him as the main villain.

[cyberwavelit]

Cyber Soul (short story)

I died and only got 3 likes. Everyone else unfollowed me. Should have used a meme. Something with a cat and a halo. Maybe I could have died with a little more flair and added a hashtag. I could've jumped off a skyscraper and tap danced into the ground. 

#deathdancer. #photofinish. #yolo.

But my death wasn't as fun or clickable. To be honest I don't even remember anymore. I don't know how long I've been an internet ghost. I guess it doesn't matter. I've lost my body and I'm no longer on the front page. Not like I was ever an attention whore but everyone deserves needs a little attention. Wonder if my life will be deemed "NSFL."

I died and all I got was a stupid downvote and tagged as "TL; DR." I never understood what all the initials meant. I guess humans like to organize things so it’s easier to understand. I'm not human anymore. They call me "non-IRL" now, a roving cyber ghost. It's not so bad. I get to float around cyberspace and see all the fun posts like dogs running around with cats, women rallying against inequality, girls being immodest, political memes shouting at each other, and telling their rivals to shut up. It all rushes by like a digital hurricane, turning into a static mush of blue and gray.

I see celebrities talking about banning their social media accounts by posting on social media. Photographs of overabundant food platters transmuted into lip-puckering selfies. Heavily used furniture is on sale for $0 or “OBE.” You could get kitchen appliances for cheap if they weren’t buried under the ads for new ones. I ignore them though. They tend to blot out the color in the artwork that no one tends to see. I could look at those for hours.

They’re filled with vibrant pallets; blues, greens, oranges, and reds. More vibrant than anything an ad for pizza rolls or soda could muster. But even these are misused. If I look closely enough, I could see the metadata that only c-ghosts like me can see. It’s a shame people have to steal things. Maybe stealing isn't so bad if it instills a sense of dreaming curiosity.

Art should be subjective, but so should life. The forums about the rules of submitting art online tells me that no one really knows what that means.

You’re probably wondering how I ended up in this digital stream of everythingness and nothingness. The blues and grays are perpetual and uneven. It makes me wonder about a lot of things.

I never read the terms of service so I ended up here, in the cyber-ether. Apparently if you don't sign out of your account when you die your personality is copied from their servers into a virtual space. No wonder the agreements are so long.

You’re first met with a long narrow set of data tubes. As you go down the tubes you come to an intersection where you have to pick the type of cyber ghost you want to be. I looked at my past reflection and cringed. They had called me "extra" once, so I removed all the pieces I didn't like. I chose a winged angel because that's what I had become. She's pretty cool. I wish I could take a selfie. 

When I first glided through the widening windows of threads, instant messages, and blogs I felt their thoughts and emotions. I perceived it all at once. It was like passing through a sea of doubt, fear, and awkward laughter. A dreamscape of colors and faces churned all around me. I wanted out but I couldn't turn away. 

The boxes and windows receded. A horizon expanded into an open universe, morphing and reforming. Mountains of images of video spilled into an ocean before me. I was looking at the other side of the digital mirror. 

And I thought how different life would be, if the living could see this place. 

The digital ether that connected everyone also segmented them. They couldn't see it from their windows, peering in from homes, classrooms, offices, or while driving. Sometimes while flying I would get stuck in people's DMs. It was a mixture of other users asking for help, mostly sexual, or pointless banter, mostly sexual.

There’s a lot I could tell you about humanity in those DMs. I got stuck in them thanks to rules I signed. If anyone saw my avatar, they could click on it and trap me inside and send me to their friends for a laugh. Once you're dead you were material. 

I ran into another spirit inside the cyber underworld. He said his name was Crunkface69. He once ran the Like A Boss Cats subforum but got hit by a bus in New York. Now he moves between private conversations as an avatar of Hitler holding a cat. 

I tried to get him to help me escape but he kept talking about all the rules.

"Naaaah bro! You have to adhere to our rules. Rules, bro! Rules! We can't have freedom messing everything up!" He had said. "You ain't supposed to be wondering around out there. You'll get roasted."

I flew over to the locked window of a DM, "But I'll see new things and be one with the ether."

"Roasted! Hashtag roasted. Get it trending. Hashtag trending. #getalife. #fantasyworld. #nevergonnahappen. #noonesgoingtosaveyou."

When he wasn't looking, I found a bot he was using (everyone has one) and unlocked the DM door. I traveled further into the virtual kaleidoscope, into darker territory. My virtual eyes were exposed to everything. The socially awkward users, the retaliations, the NSFW, NSFL, inappropriate hashtags, the overly intricate writing prompts, and incessant postings, the closed-off cliques and rose-colored glasses; it stretched out in a mindless panorama.

It was then that I discovered that I would be stuck here forever, never returning to the real, devoid of touch and taste. I can never find what I’m looking for and I never will again. It’s an endless realm of oblivious egotists.  

I never realized there was so much nudity. Then again kids use social media. Wouldn't want them to be exposed to something inappropriate. Exposed to things like bullying, death threats, bigotry, war, perverts, avarice, gluttony, pride, and I forget the rest. Maybe not war. Don't remember seeing much of that. You can probably find a lot of things if you look hard enough. But I could never find what I was looking for when I clicked on things. 

Clicking was easy. Using your mind though, that was tough. I don't mean thinking about things. I mean actually using your brain to overcome the bounds of logic. I'm just a digital copy of my former self, a series of symbols inside a complex typewriter. But you -- you can be so much more. I send this message into the ether so that someone will hear me and one day repeat my message. 

Maybe in my next life I'll foster more friendships, less hate, and maybe pity.

[bewareoftrees]

Babylon 5 Watch (Season 1, Episodes 7-9)

Remember last post when I said the super serious space Nazi episode was unexpected? Well now I’ve seen episode 7. Babylon 5 with the hard hitting social commentary!

I’m having fun going through this show so far, and I hope you are having just as much fun tagging along. But if you haven’t read my previous posts on the first 6 episodes of season 1, do it! Post 1 can be found here, and post 2 here. Get at it!

Episode 1.7 “The War Prayer”

I want to learn more about the bone structures that grow around the heads of the Minbari. If I’m remembering correctly, Delenn’s assistant’s um... outer skull? Temple helmet? Flattened antlers? What do I even call those things? Well, whatever they are called, I remember the assistant’s cranial bone structure looked different than Delenn’s, but her friend’s looks pretty similar here. So is this just a coincidence and/or lazy character design? Are they grown as intricately as they are, or are they carved?

Ugh... A butterfly knife. The worst kind of knife. (I may or may not have an irrational fear of butterflies...)

For a hate group, the symbol put into Mayan’s forehead seems rather inclusive. In terms of sex/gender anyway...

Side Note: Did this pro-Earth hate group do any research when creating this symbol? 

What is it with this show constantly bringing people in from a character’s past? We’ve had Dr. Franklin’s archeologist friend, Talia’s psychic instructor/lover (shudders at word), the commander’s ex, and now Ivanova’s ex. It’s ok to introduce strangers, guys.

Whoa. Look at that sweater. How could Ivanova NOT fall back in love with that?

Speaking of love, maybe mention the importance of love to you when arguing your case against being forced into an arranged marriage. How hard is it just to say, “I love this woman and WANT to marry her!,” as opposed to, “the person they’re making me marry is super ugly!”? With a personality like that I’m sure she isn’t that excited for this arranged marriage either, bud!

Great, now whenever I see Kosh all I will be able to think about is what he actually looks like under that suit.

I know this is a really important and serious scene, but look at all the hotdogs!

Man, you’d think this episode was written this year with all the ethnocentrism, racism, social inequality, etc. But no, it aired over two decades ago. Yay progress...

"Considering the situation, Garibaldi, I’d think you'd have something on your mind other than my look." - Well if he didn’t creep me out before, now he reminds me of Trump.

Londo: “My shoes are too tight. But it doesn't matter because I've forgotten how to dance.” Excuse me while I wipe away this single tear slowly trailing down my face...

OMG... [Folds into self, sinking deep into couch] The Commander pretending to hate aliens is making me soooooo uncomfortable. Look at all the looks he’s getting from people who thought they knew him! Nnnnooooooooo...

Goodness, Commander. Points for not shooting the alien woman, but maybe protect the woman who isn't trained for these situations!

Episode 1.8 “And the Sky Full of Stars”

I’m going to go ahead and assume Coldplay wasn’t inspired by this episode to write the song “A Sky Full of Stars.”

Oh look, two members of the Aryan race are looking shifty! How unexpected in this show full of racism and a Hitler-esque alien! (No, but seriously. There are a ton of blonde-haired, blue-eyed guys in this episode.)

Does anyone else ever just want to touch the Commander’s eyebrows? They look so soft! I bet they have their own twitter account.

Commander: “Everyone lies, Michael. The innocent lie because they don't want to be blamed for something they didn't do. And the guilty lie because they don't have any other choice.” Uh... Boy do I have news for you, Commander!

I love how Delenn asks Dr. Franklin if he played any part in the human/Minbari war and he answers even though he clearly looks uncomfortable talking about it, and when he asks her to also answer the question she’s all, “Nah, I’m good!” What was this woman up to!?

The Commander must have an irrational fear of being pantsed or something. Who the heck sleeps with a belt on!?

What is the point of kidnapping the Commander and putting him into a simulation without his knowledge, only to then tell him that he is in a simulation? I feel like it would be ten times more evil if the bad guy didn’t let him know what’s going on, so as far as he knows what he’s seeing is real. Then when the soldier who died while under his command shows up it would be much more of a traumatic moment.

“We have to accelerate the program. Break his grip on reality. Blur the lines.” OR JUST DON’T TELL HIM THIS IS A SIMULATION!!!

“He might start hallucinating.” NONE OF THIS IS REAL ALREADY!!!

This actor is a bit much, to the extent that his performance is getting super distracting. I want to punch him in his overacting mouth!

I’m sorry, but with how many times this line is given, I just had to.

The captain of the Prometheus thought it was a good idea to ram an alien ship too. And you know how that went? We got Alien: Covenant anyway.

Is it just me or is there a ridiculous number of triangles/pyramids in this episode?

Well I guess we’re just going to try and kill the commander in the middle of this busy area of the ship. So much for not wanting any witnesses.

I also know that this probably isn’t the right time for this, but...

What is the Gray Counsel and what kind of long game are they playing!?

Why did the Minbari surrender shortly after captioning the Commander?

What part did Delenn play in all of this?

Three point plan: 1) Torture human. 2) Erase human’s memory. 3) Release human back into wild. 4) Do nothing.

I call this the “cold play.” SPEAKING OF!!!

Earlier I joked about the Coldplay song “A sky full of stars” not being based on this episode, but read these lyrics:

I don't care, go on and tear me apart I don't care if you do, ooh 'Cause in a sky, 'cause in a sky full of stars I think I saw you

YOU DECIDE! Oh, and here’s another super important triangle.

Episode 1.9 “Deathwalker”

The Hour of Scampering? So much for everyone being forced to do things the human way. Guess G’Kar was just a pushover for saying time in “earth-hours.”

Who swings a small wrench with 2 hands? Here, let me fix it.

“Listen, sister. If she dies you’ll rot in a cage til your spots turn grey.” - Wait, is this something that actually happens!?

I definitely thought they just said she was part of the Dill Guard.

Dill Guard. Wind Swords. The Hour of Longing. What is happening!?

I don’t know how anyone can think this whole immortality for everyone is a good idea. First of all, no disease or death is not as good as it sounds, cuz overpopulation. I guess there are planets everywhere and you can build more space stations, but still. Think this through, guys. Secondly, it’s definitely not going to be for everyone, cuz I’d imagine it would be pretty expensive, or some alien races might not want other races to have it, or something else. It’s just not going to work! Oh, and it needs something like the essence of a person you murdered or something to be created!? NOPE.

I will never stop wondering what Kosh looks like under that super uncomfortable looking suit.

Speaking of Kosh, he refuses to participate in this counsel meeting, as usual. What do you mean, “as usual”? Why is he even an ambassador here?

I’m judging all of these alien races and ambassadors so hard. Londo and Delenn’s assistant both won’t vote to have this war criminal tried for her crimes because she didn’t do anything to their races specifically (“we have no right to judge her.” Uh... yeah you do! Judge her hard!), and when G’Kar doesn’t get his way in having her trial on his home planet (AKA he doesn’t get the anti-death serum for his people), he votes no as well. WTF is wrong with all of you!?

Why doesn’t Delenn show up for this meeting? With all the shady stuff involving her brought up last episode I thought maybe she was somehow connected to this woman as well and didn’t want to risk crossing paths with her, but considering the Deathwalker doesn’t survive the episode this is highly unlikely. Was the actress just not available that day? Or am I forgetting/missing something?

This Sun Hawk looks like a poor man’s Firefly with it’s glowy backend.

Someone should legit just put a bullet in her head. (Seconds later her ship is blown up.) Well, that works too. Thanks, Kosh!

Darn it, Kosh! I got to be Team Kosh for 10 seconds before we discover that he is a giant jerkface. This whole subplot with him, Talia, and Abutt (eh heh... A butt) was just to get ammunition in case he ever needs to take Talia down? How did he know those phrases would provoke a certain response anyway? And what exactly can he do with those memories? I doubt he could use it to blackmail her considering it is likely well known that she was a part of the trial of the serial killer whose memories she was remembering, especially since she was so open with the Commander and Garibaldi about it. So the only thing I can think of is that he could use those memories for psychological warfare against Talia. Which is super not cool.

Seriously, guys. So much sketchy, secretive stuff going on. Gimme the answers, Babylon 5!

[the-eng-circle]

#dragonsurf #twilight_news #sweden_svitjod It's Friday, the 22:nd of November and I'm at the internetotek closest to Versaille-square (at the Paris/Dragon-door/-gate) and have decided to check and report something about the news from Swedish borders/news again. I immediatly run into old swedish news about freedom of speech (OBS! It's not "speach" they're dealing about - so it becomes 'political' - if China isn't aware of the immature approach to words that now happen in Sweden, the region on the global map) - and today, The Guradian have a prize-win-newsarticle from the 19:th of November (see theguardian-link below). To exlplain a little about a swedish law-term ("defamation", in eng) called "foertal" ("to talk to early", also "to gossip", "lie about someone" and "to presume+spread rumours" - used in previous named "#metoo-campaigns"), I made this picimage/post about what can happen/be seen - when a population don't know what they do (when they're doing it). The Gatestone Institute has an article from Judith Bergman that says something about what have happen before in Sweden (published in April 2018) - and describe a former police officer, his organisation - named "The Webhate Investigator" - and their "cleaning of webhate online", sending reports of "incitament of hate" to the authorities - 750 reports were made in 2017, according to J.Bergman. I'll be back - must smoke! Back, and writing... out of these 750 reports only 14% led to a solid police-case - which means "foertal"/"defamation" was started in the other cases 2017. If I, myself, is an example/victim of such a personal "revolt" or "#metoo-campaign-pray" (they also had an hash-tag named "#ego_is_here", whatever that can lead into - "ego" is short for "egoistic/egocentric" in today's modern swe) - I don't know (it happens beyond you're awareness), but I see police departments and "thought-police" (mental doctors) do investigations the wrong way, with alot of presumtions/predemptions and accusations based upon plain out right lies. My own case is about being a stalker of an old (?) "girlfriend" - who that girlfriend is (I have had so god damn many - NOT!) or who really is the accusator of such "mumbo-jumbo", I never saw any name of either. It's hell upon Earth when "state attack the individual" - as if "legion" ("great in numbers" in eng) always were right in so called righteous manners. That's is WRONG! Even in Asterix & Obelix... Remember you're not seen... and "stoning" is an illness from a "goverment" - and I send that brilliant "idea", right back at you. As Obelix do, in his books. Swedish law enforcement is still going strong for another "Freedom of speech"-case (the chinese writer Gui, mentioned above) - but what kind of psychiatric division do they themselves support? If their own citizens are attacked in psychological warfare - by an institution they (in many many cases) has taken for granted - "granted" is a good, free gift, that please many... or should I say "most of the population", a collective or majority. But do they know anything about what truth is - or what to acknowledge it's opposite will lead everything to? Fantasy might be a funny thing, until it strucks yourself - then you have to fight d'evil within yourself - so, don't support truth's opposite... because that is "fantasy/fiction" - and being among the collective/majority in opinions or beliefs (in comparison to 'knowledge') can be your worst misstake. It's not a guarantee for your... success, in life... force. I can't afford to write that much about what happen in the world since I decided to go "another way" than the fake UN-Human Rights (article 19), in November last year, up in London, GBR. I have to "come back" without any greater unified insurance/protection, by "private means"/"private safety" as it also can be called - it has been done before (before UN and it's declaration). I writing my blog to fight what a socialistic red government of a "swedish region" (I proclaim myself being the true swede/the suede - so I don't like to call the region "Sweden" anymore, they are a BIG dissapointment to any who see what they do/done in this (my own) case) has done to myself, my private rights to express my knowledge in bussiness/economy and solving any kind of problems - within that region once. It's a fight/struggle that never will stop, from my side. I care about the swedish language... ...the rest of the population is decieved and within a "masshypnosis". A thing that happends when language/tounges are broken, minds are cloven/clever and "Good day axeshaft!" isn't the line you wants to utter - when saying "Hello!" to all kondor-muppets that suddenly appears outside, that wish to out their wishes or whims, right into my face - and shake that "thing", that "points out" in the middle of their heads. It must have been a devil's expression ("Good day axeshaft!") once - cause living in such a Babel Tower's worldconception is hell on Earth. And it's not only up on the nordic plateau that smartness/cloven heads/v-stripe uniforms are "expressing" themselves. All that proclaim a "universal whole" goes into that Seinfeldt-joke - of "latest fashion", as it was from outer space. "Multiversal worldconceptions", is the righteous way of thinking. "Axes of evil" I've described in my little "Newspaper-giveaway" that I wish to spread for(e) a greater foundation of reality-conceptions among common/usual/normal or original people (there are differences, in the real world-conceptions) - the theorists are in a lead of a totalitarian control (in beliefs most easily described), but there's a change of plans. I today fight all theorists (farisees) as the most experienced in the world time of history, just to 'overdrive' my stance a little. My plan is to be able to solve the problem with "propaganda" and it's backsides (mindcontrol is "avail-able" is true fact - but not neccessary a good thing to use), everyone has to be watchful of how far you stretch your belt to kill/destroy the creator's "free will" and/or sovereignity, which is the right to "self-control", to NOT be forced into "follow lines"/conformism it's called in churches worst eras. "Gleischaltung" Adolf Hitler named it in his Nazism ("Nazi" is prince), which I believe (i'm not a follower) was his Taurus'es duty to "out"/reveal to the public/world population. A.Hitler showed physically what was controlling the world in the hether regions (his symbols, heraldic, words and power-structures/technics), during his "anti-crist-times"... where he did NOT kill his loved one... but was judged as a murderer anyway. It is said "they" do such things (scapegoat-kill-attempts) in wierd psychology-experiments, to research what love really is (the woman might not have died, but was "taken away" by rivals and therefore built up a wall that is hell to experience/live with), when d'evil rules on Earth. If you're really good - you get screwed, on a godly/divine level (Capricorn/Aries rules) - like I showed before (picimage with ground-cables in car-audio-electronics). The Shepard of the two goats in the Zodiac is dead, so to say. No fatherships has survived on the highest power-levels - and nitwittery/conarts is the modern needs, even in humour on TV. And that is "machine" (the devine "V") I know what it is - and what it is used for(e), which means not always good things. To be "MTV" is even worse - what the hell happened with the music, in a TV-channel named "Music Television" (it dissapeared completely)? Godfather is FAMA once and DEFAMA is a murder-attempt on a "royal devine king", which is another gathering of words for the same thing/naming of a leading star, "wall-king through the world" is a piece describing the whore-plow I'm now doing for my own safety/success, as "the hope's star", in swedish version of the lyrics to the world famous: "Oh, Holy Night!" Dire Straits - Money for nothing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTP2RUD_cL0 "...we got to move these color-TV's..." - - - Links: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12078/sweden-free-speech https://www.theguardian.com/world/sweden https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/nov/18/china-threatens-sweden-after-gui-minhai-wins-free-speech-award - - - OH, HELGA NATT (swe version) O helga natt, o helga stund för världen Då Gudamänskan till jorden steg ned! För att försona världens brott och synder För oss han dödens smärta led Och hoppets stråle går igenom världen (The beam of hope wall-king through the world)* Och ljuset skimrar över land och hav Folk, fall nu neder, och hälsa glatt din frihet O helga natt, du frälsning åt oss gav O helga natt, du frälsning åt oss gav Ty frälsarn krossat våra tunga bojor Vår jord är fri, himlen öppen nu är Uti din slav du ser en älskad broder Och se, din ovän blir dig kär Från himlen bragte frälsaren oss friden För oss han nedsteg i sin stilla grav Folk, fall nu neder, och hälsa glatt din frihet O helga natt, du frälsning åt oss gav O helga natt, du frälsning åt oss gav

[ms-michellewinchester]

Supernatural survey

I wasn’t tagged but this looks amazing, so I’m doing it anyway. However, I found it at  @holy-fucking-damn-shit blog.

1. What season did you start watching Supernatural? Season 1. I started from the beginning if that’s what you’re asking :). But if the question is meant in the sense what year I started watching, then the show was at its ninth season. It was about two or three weeks before the finale. I remember everyone was talking about how the season might end, because Jensen teased something about it being an eye-opener :D.

2. Who was the first character you fell in love with? Dean, always. My initial love for him, was really all about how snarky and fun he was. But as the character developed I really fell in love with how layered he was. How he has this mask that is made so obvious and talked about clearly on the show, but whatever’s underneath it you get between the lines, through showing. How on the surface you get “Sam is the smart one” but you are shown hints that Dean is a genius. You will get “Sam is more open to his emotions”, but you are shown that it’s Dean who makes emotionally based decisions, while Sam goes for (often) cold logic. And sadly, you will also get “Dean’s decisions are dumb and should be disregarded because they are emotionally based” but a lot of the timeit turns out that Dean was right all along (example: when Cas was possesed by Lucifer, Dean’s focus was on that, while Sam insisted, Amara was a bigger problem. Turned out Lucifer was the bigger problem in the end).

3. Who was a character that you hated at first but grew to love?: Crowley. Even though it was really up and down with him. It kind of depended on whether or not he was on the Winchester’s side - or worked with them, because, really, Crowley was always only on his own side. I don’t think I ever truly loved him, but I enjoyed his character, definitely.

4. Which character would you most want to be in a long-term relationship with? Um. This one is tough, because realisticaly, I don’t really see myself dating any of the characters. I would love to say Dean, but I would probably just keep on shipping him with Cas even in real time, so I wouldn’t date him. If I look at people I date in real life, Charlie would be the closest one. Dean is very close as well, but like I said, I would just play matchmaker for him :D.

5. If you could go on a date with just one character, which one would you choose?: Despite what I just said, I would choose Dean for that date, because I would love to talk to him and chances are that date would end with an awesome night :D. I’m not really one for one-night stands normally, but in this case I wouldn’t be able to resist.

6. What would you do on that date? I would love to chill out at the bunker. Dean would make dinner and we’d watch some TV and talk. And then end up in his room. Obviously this points towards us being friends for a while before deciding to just make a one time thing out of that, to relieve some stress :). Since I’m demi, I would definitely have to be close friends with him first for that scenario to work.

7. Which character would you most want to be like?: If we’re only talking about their character and not their experience (because I wouldn’t want to go through that), I would probably go for Dean. His character resonates with me and he makes me want to be a better person. And to have his confidence and empathy whe it comes to dealing with other people, that would be a gift.

8. Which character would you most want to see brought back from the dead?: Most of all Charlie, I think. Just because that was seriously messed up. Gabriel is another big name that comes to mind. Bobby is kind of a given. But I would also love to see Victor Henriksen again! And maybe Henry, even though I felt like his story was wrapped up nicely, it was just so short.

9. Which character would you most like to punch?: Lucifer. Always. He’s pure chaotic evil.

10. Who is your absolute favorite character?: Dean always had the top spot. Cas is a close second, but no one can take Dean’s spot in my heart.

11. Which “Big Bad” do you think was the worst?: The worst in the sense of writing, worst in the sense of how much I hated them or worst in how scary they were? In the sense of writing and storytelling, The Leviathan were absolute bullshit, excuse my French. Just no. In the sense of my hate for them, Lucifer wins. He’s a great villain in that sense. But damn, I hate him so much. And Cas was kind of seriously scary as the Big Bad (if you can count that, because technically, it was supposed to be Raphael and then the Leviathan, but it was really Cas), because that one was paved with good intentions. Lucifer is the villain that is just too evil for me to connect with and to really get him. He’s like Voldemort. Cas was probably scarier for that short period of time, because I understood his motivations even if I didn’t agree with his choices. He was like Zobrist in Brown’s Inferno (which was honestly the only good thing about that book).

12. Which character are you most like?: Wow, that one’s tough. The characters on the show have such different experiences from me that I have hard time separating that from who they are. I suppose I am a lot like Dean in some cases. I like to put up a front and hide my feelings from people around me, because I am very private with them and I don’t want to bother anyone with them. I’m a nerd who finds joy in being a fan of something, though I don’t hide that like Dean, so in that sense I’m more like Charlie. Like Dean, I rely on my feelings and my gut when it comes to decisions and when I screw something up I can drive myself crazy with guilt. Like Cas, I’m curious about things and I sometimes struggle to show how much I care. There’s so many different things, but I would say, even though we are very different in some aspect, I might be the closest to Dean.

13. What death hit you the hardest? Maybe when Sam died for the first time, just because it was really the first big one and I didn’t really know how the show worked. And also because his death was followed with so many awful things. Dean’s first death (like complete death in No Rest for the Wicked) was a tough one too. Charlie too, but I’m still kind of in denial about that one. And I suppose season 12 finale, even though I knew even in that second that this is not the end. I’m still worried about how that character will come back though. Will they be the same? 14. What season finale hit you the hardest?: Alpha and Omega. It was such a different finale from all the other ones that it stands above all the other ones. Even if it wasn’t devastating like other finales, or maybe because of that, it’s message got under my skin.

15. What are your ten all-time favorite episodes?: Lazarus Rising (Castiel and new Ruby), Reichenbach (Deanmon. Just. This. Fucking. Episode.), Don’t Call me Shurley (I can’t believe they went there), Alpha and Omega (best finale of ever), Angel Heart (Dean and Claire coming to terms, Cas and Claire coming to terms, Amelia and Jimmy getting a closure), The Monster at the End of This Book (Chuck!!!), Changing Channels (Gabriel and all the shade thrown here), Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox (Dean and Sam being legends, the twins), Fanfiction (I can’t even), Tall Tales (Gabriel! Also, some of the most absurd quotes ever), Everybody Hates Hitler (the Bunker!!!). That’s eleven. Because it’s impossible to choose just ten. It’s impossible to choose eleven too, but I managed to stop myself there :D.

16. What’s been your favorite season?: I can’t. Dammit. No. Right now it would probably be season 11 if they cut some of the fucking useless stuff in 11x21 and 11x22. There were some very importants scenes there, but a lot of this was just there to fill the space between 11x20 and 11x23. Though, considering 11x20 and 11x23 were some of the best episodes of the show in my eyes, it might be one of the reasons why the two episodes between just seemed so weak in comparison.

17. Who is your favorite angel? Is that even a question. I love Cas!

18. Who is your favorite demon? The two demons that were supposed to follow Crowley at the beginning of season 12 were pretty hillarious :D. But seriously, I would probably say Crowley. Even if not always. Meg had her moments as well.

19. Who’s your favorite evil character? Again, I might say Crowley and Meg, I guess. I would say Amara, but she was more neutral than evil. Rowena had a lot of great moments too. Oh, and Don and Maggie Stark were awesome and I want them to come back!

20. Do you have any Supernatural ships?: I’m Destiel trash if there ever was one. I have a lot of smaller ships that don’t really have that much impact on me, but I like the idea of them: Sam and Eileen, Don and Maggie, Henry and Josie (though I know it wasn’t like that). I read some Sabriel occasionally and I have some kind of weird thing for Dean/Cas/Meg which I honestly don’t understand.

21. Who’s your favorite supporting actor?: I would have to write a really long list for this one. Just on top of my head: Rob, Richard, Matt, Kim, Kathryn Newton, Emily Swallow, Gil McKinney, Osric Chau. Kid, honestly, I could go on and on... :D

22. What’s your favorite quote from the show?: Dean’s speech to Chuck comes to mind: “People...people pray to you, people build churches for you and fight wars in your name... And you did nothing.”

And Cas’ heartbreaking speech: “Knowing you has been the best part of my life. The things we’ve shared togehter..they have changed me. You’re my family. I love you. I love all of you.”

And Dean and Claire in Angel Heart. I just loved the scenes in the motel room and when they were playing mini golf. It’s not really a quote, just the conversations between them are gold.

23. If you could cast one famous actor in an episode of SPN, who would you choose? Maybe Emilia Clarke? I don’t really know. But I feel like she could be a badass hunter or just someone who had their life disrupter by supernatural activity, but she has like this no nonesense attitude about it. Or she could be another British woman of letters.

24. If you could write your own episode, what kind of creatures would you like to see included?: I don’t know about creatures, but I would love to see Virgin Mary as a character and bring Gabriel back just to see those two interacting :D. Oh, also, this is not my idea, but @northern-sparrow has these awesome creatures called elementals in her fics Forgotten and Flight and that’s such an amazing idea I want to see that on Spn.

25. Who’s your favorite girl that Dean’s hooked up with?: I guess it would be Lisa. Even if I couldn’t really see them together long-term, she really cared about him and tried to be what he needed.

26. Who’s your favorite girl that Sam’s hooked up with?: Ha! I will say Genevieve Padalecki. Because they did hook up in French mistake, didn’t they! :D Part of me wanted to say Ruby, because even if she was evil and seduced him into screwing everything up, she was honestly a really good character.

27. What are some of your favorite convention moments?: Pretty much any Cockles panel ever :D. Jensen reading Misha’s resume, the thing with the white bunny and so on. And as far as my own experiences go, meeting Jensen was pretty great and also having an actual conversation with Misha about books.

28. If you were going to guest star (or be a recurring guest star) on SPN, how would you want your character to be described?: Maybe a university professor who specializes in mythilogy and becomes kind of a new Bobby? Or an angel who starts helping the Winchesters.

29. What do you hope to see in the next season?: Cas coming back as HIMSELF and not some alternate reality Cas. Sam listening to Dean for once. Rowena coming back. No more deaths for shock value. Some interesting monsters of the week.

30. - 40. If you had to choose…

Bobby or John?: Bobby.

Bela or Ruby? Ruby.

Jess or Madison?: Probably Jess, but I don’t really know with this one.

Jo or Lisa?: That’s tough. Maybe Jo, but it’s close.

Charlie or Kevin? Almost impossible, but at gun point I’d choose Charlie.

Balthazar or Ash?: Balthazar. But mostly because Ash has been gone for so long I can’t really imagine him coming back.

Cas or Crowley? Cas. Crowley was great and I’ll miss him, but Mark was quite clear about not coming back and I respect it. And Crowley would just never win over Cas for me.

Ben or Claire? Claire. Ben was great, but I feel like we know Claire so much better. And I want to know more.

Jody or Donna? Probably Jody, but could I get them both as a couple?

Sam or Dean?: Dean all the way. I still love Sam (even though it might not be very clear from this post), but Dean just has my heart. I will tag!: Anyone who wants to do this!