#i don't even watch legacies but i've been thinking about this parallel

[james-stark-the-writer]

terrible news, i tried to watch the Friendly Space Ninja Riverdale finale video again and i think i've pinpointed my problem with his videos, specifically the Riverdale ones but also just his general approach to media criticism, it's just the terrible wave of "objective criticism" we had on youtube with shitheads like Mauler but framed as just a more subjective opinion and it tries to pretend like that makes it any better, which it doesn't, like it really doesn't, because the underlying assumption that there is only one way to tell any type of story is just such a terrible thing for art but also he just fundamentally doesn't understand what type of art Riverdale is and there's just such a sheer lack of even attempting to treat it as a serious piece of art because the assumption is already that because popular consensus is that it sucks (the critical consensus has actually been consistently fucking great, you could just go look at the Rotten Tomatoes scores or even check out the legacy section on Riverdale's Wikipedia page), that means it automatically is trash, it never gets the opportunity to fight for itself because it's never given the chance to be thought of as a piece of art. it's an insistence that writing is the only way to analyze an audio-visual medium and like sure, writing doesn't "age" the same way other elements might, but audiences do age and change and evolve, media criticism does too, there's a reason people appreciate the Star Wars prequels more now than they ever did at release because we understand different ways of appreciating art now beyond the base insistence that conventionally "good" writing is the only thing to aim for (the prequels are actually well written but let's not get into THAT rn), that doesn't make the prequels "bad," it just means the prequels are different. i find the whole good/bad paradigm pretty suffocating in the first place but this is just so exhausting and i cannot believe that I've just managed to articulate it bc it seems shockingly obvious in retrospect.

also the video in question is just like factually wrong multiple times, he flat out admits he skips a lot of the season but then complains that the season doesn't make sense when he's jumping in at a random point, he complains that the previous seasons are meaningless but it's like has he forgotten that the audience doesn't forget stuff even if the characters have (and they even get their memories back in a thematically important and resonant moment the defines who the characters want to be so it's not really even entirely sound criticism) and that the show is intentionally trying to do interesting parallels and reversals of the stuff we've seen before, it's like commenting on itself because season 7 is a nostalgic look back at what the comics have been and what the show started from, and about the nostalgic feelings of that time and their appeal contrasted with the brutal truths of the reality of the situation, like this is just basic art criticism, i'm not even like trying to defend the season, like i don't even like season 7 that much, i think it's one of the more boring seasons and it ranks towards the middle for me, but like this is not like deep criticism where you're thinking and analyzing a lot, this is just seeing what the plot of the episodes is and what they're trying to communicate, it's just really irritating how fucking exhausting the objective criticism shit is but it's actually even more grating when you don't pretend to be superior about it because it makes it seem like you're not even bold enough to stand by your opinions and actually embrace the implication present in the shit you are saying, like it's just cowardice, honestly. but anyway, glad i figured it out, because it was honestly irritating me that i couldn't articulate why i didn't like those videos beyond just them being wrong about Riverdale on like a factual level and him just not understanding what it's trying to say as a piece of art.

the point of this isn't to say that i think he's making these arguments in bad faith or anything, i do think these are genuinely opinions he holds, and they are valid opinions for him to hold, i'm not saying they're invalid, you can prefer one aspect of a piece of media over other aspects because it's more important to you, that's okay, i'm just saying they're misinformed takes and generally display a shocking lack of imagination and respect for art and no desire to broaden his horizons.

anyway, if you actually want to understand the appeal of Riverdale, go through the Riverdale tag on my blog for my own analysis (but here's somewhere to get started), or if you want videos, the Super Eyepatchwolf video is pretty good, i still disagree with it a lot but at least the man tries to understand why people like the show and he even gets some part of the appeal, and we are going to get 4 5-hour videos from Lily Simpson over the next few months so i'm looking forward to those, bc Lily generally tends to at least understand the appeal of the stuff she talks about, and the title of the first video ("the captivating madness of Riverdale" [though i don't love the use of "madness"]) is already enough to make me feel like somebody kinda gets it and hopefully it'll be more coherent actual art analysis.

[squeamishnerd]

I'm Kinda New to Simblr

Lately, I've seen a lot of people who are new to Simblr presenting themselves. I'm not new to Tumblr, I joined in 2019, I think, but I was only lurking and not on the Sims part of Tumblr at all. I didn't start to post my Sims stories until September 2023. At the time it was only to archive the stories that I posted on Twitter.

Now I've been here for a while, and I know that there's a Sims community here, but I don't feel like I'm a part of it, and I want to become a part of it but I don't know how.

Wall of text (not kidding 😅 I can't keep things short) below the "keep reading" cut.

TL;WR: I'm Kats, I play The Sims and I post two Sims stories, which can be found in this master post. I also build and renovate.

Presentation starts further down, you can skip this part if you only want to read the presentation

So, the thing is that I don't have time to read more Sims stories than the ones I already read (several on Twitter, two here), and most simmers here seem to post stories, so therefore I don't interact with people that much, and with the way the comment section works here (for example that comments aren't nested and there isn't even a function to click 'like' on comments) it makes it more difficult to interact with people, at least for me. That's why I don't know how to become a part of the Sims community here.

The thing I feel like my feed lacks the most is pictures of Sims pets. Doesn't matter if it's CAS or live mode, I just want to see more pixel pets 😊 Recommendations are welcome. Don't feel like you have to follow me back if you recommend yourself and I start to follow you.

So, anyway, I thought I could present myself and my Sims stories, in case anyone's interested 🙂

Presentation starts here, if you want to skip the stuff above

Hi, I'm Kats! I started to play The Sims in 2000, and while I mostly play The Sims 4 nowadays I still play The Sims 1 from time to time. I haven't shared any of my The Sims 1 gameplay here (Maybe I should do that?), but I've done so on other social media. I also used to play The Sims 2.

I'm in my 30s and I live in Northern Europe. I have a partner and a cat. I'm a biotechnician and a certified sex educator, but I currently don't work in either of those fields. In my free time I like to play The Sims (obviously 😆), watch TV series, hang out with friends, play board games, take walks in the forest, go on hikes, and travel.

I post two Sims stories on social media. Neither of them are legacies, they're just stories, you get to follow the characters at a very slow pace throughout their lives (I'll probably end the stories when the characters are in their 40s, they're currently in their 20s). The two stories take place in parallel universes, but if you're interested in reading you don't need to read both stories to follow along, even though there are sometimes references to the other universe.

The master post for the stories can be found here. It's also pinned to my profile. My other social media can be found in my Linktree.

The story that I started to post first is called The Brights

This story currently focuses on university students, it has some sci-fi themes with sentient bots, such as servos (called "simoid bots" or just "bots" in the story), utilibots, and robots. The main character is Beren Bright, who grew up in a small, isolated village. He was homeschooled until he was 16, and then went to a regular high school. When he turned 20 he cut all ties with his biological family and all of his friends, changed his surname (to Bright), moved away, and started to study physics at university.

The other story is called The Original Ahriman

I myself think it's a bit of a silly name for a story, but it was the best I could come up with, and it makes sense from the 4th chapter. This story is about a chaotic, evil, mischievous, and very powerful spellcaster, who is trying hard to abide by the rules of society, in a society that doesn't even have very strict laws and rules to begin with. They mysteriously spawned in The Magic Realm as a toddler and was raised by the three Sages.

In both stories I include a lot of pre-made sims, and original characters are introduced little by little, so it should be relatively easy to get to know my OCs.

The things I've seen others say, and also are things I strive for, when it comes to what my stories include over all, are characters with diverse personalities, lots of foreshadowing, jokes sprinkled everywhere, both wholesomeness and drama, funny intentional tropes, and, especially, detailed worldbuilding. I LOVE worldbuilding!

I've noticed that readers on twitter think that I plan everything for my stories, but I both plan things or go with the flow, I let my sims decide more than it seems, and I often let them change my plans because they have a tendency to do very fitting things that I didn't even think of myself. Either way, I always make sure that whatever I include works with the worldbuilding.

I didn't use mods for the first 28 chapters of The Brights and the first 14 chapters of The Original Ahriman. I do use mods today, but only the pose player and bug fixes. Even though I use mods I'll always have the back of those who don't, no matter the reason, because it's really silly how some people (especially on Twitter) act towards simmers who don't use mods. Let people play their game however they want. I'm also WCIF friendly.

I've also created two machinimas, they're part of the stories, so they contain spoilers for chapter 14 and 29, respectively, of The Brights. But if you're interested and don't mind spoilers, or just don't plan to read my stories at all, you can find them here and here 😊 Watch them with sound turned on.

Btw, this thing with being a certified sex educator kinda led to including quite a bit of woohoo education in my stories. At the beginning I was planning to not do this, but it just kinda happened 🤷🏼

I also build and renovate, but I only post builds on Twitter and Bluesky, but here's one of them, a winter themed cottage in the woods, you can find it on the gallery.

And here's a renovation of Elixirs and Brews, which can also be found on the gallery.

I think that's all I wanted to say. Ended up being a lot though 😅

Questions are welcome 😊

[destiel-wings]

I've gathered some of my thoughts about The Winchesters season finale and here's why i think it gave me some peace

(yes, this does contain a destiel interpretation, too 💚💙)

Did i want to see Cas in it? Yes.

Was i disappointed that he wasn't? Actually, no (more on that later).

But I loved it. I was so stunned as I saw it and I felt like somehow it healed some of the wounds from the spn finale... but i couldn't quite understand why.

Here's why.

We basically watched Supernatural. Jensen reopened the finale and went further with it. What we saw in The Winchesters felt like a continuation of 15x20, even if it technically happened in between the last two scenes of the finale. But we got Bobby, we got Jack. They all actually talked, in a way that felt alive and real. Jack broke his rule of no interfering, showing that he still cared for Dean (just like he had broken his own rule off screen by saving Cas from the Empty). The Winchesters wasn't a prequel, but a sequel.

Dean got his own story, got to make something for himself (instead of just waiting for Sam on a bridge), and it's something that he wanted to do. He went back to look for hope and love, for a version of his parents where they could have a real chance.

We learn love (or we don't) and how to be in a happy relationship as kids by watching our parents, and Dean was doomed that way. He never had that example, to learn how to build a relationship and let himself be loved. He never learned that. So when he gets to heaven and he has the chance, before getting on that bridge, before meeting up with his family, with Sam... and yes, with Cas (even if we haven't seen him yet), he just needs a freaking minute. He needs a little time to himself. To reconnect. To understand. To reflect on love and what it means to love and be loved.

So he does what any fond child would do... he looks up at his parents. Only his parents that are right there in heaven didn't exactly have a happy ending (or even a happy middle), so he explores further, searching for a chance, a hope, a version of his own legacy where love was possible. Because if his parents can make it... so can he.

And we see all that through his own lenses (the weird use of the camera lenses with all those flares and glow resembles the aura of Dean's drive in heaven, thinking about it in retrospect).

screencaps of the glowy amber look and those camera flares, there's probably better examples but these are some of the best ones i could find

Dean's mission might have been the Akrida, but the reason he went looking, the real quest he was after, was hope. Hope for a happy ending. Hope for love, where said love was doomed from the start.

And it's not surprising that there were destiel parallels everywhere, because that was Dean's POV, and he's processing his own feelings. Which is something he needs to do before he sees Cas again.

And personally, I think Dean loves Cas back and he knew that before dying, but still, that doesn't mean that he's not afraid of messing it up. That he knows how to approach him, or face Cas, after all that's happened.

He may not even be doing all of this thinking consciously, but the Castiel subtext we've seen in The Winchesters, from a narrative POV, is Dean's.

We're seeing the parallels because he's seeing them, making them, it's his way of processing. Of seeing what he and Cas had, and what they could have. Looking for hope.

And, as he himself said before leaving again... i think he found it.

So i don't know how things are going to go on from here. I can't imagine how we could have Dean in a season two. I've been saying all along that The Winchesters might open the story for a SPN revival/s16, and i think it is perfectly possible that this might happen here.

The Winchesters might not have Dean anymore, becoming its own show (but still having lots of references and guest stars from Supernatural) and *as Jensen loves to say* when we get the revival, there will be the space to address Castiel's confession and give his character the importance that it needs.

It wouldn't have made sense to see Cas here in a little cameo, it wouldn't have been enough. But what we saw here, was the confirmation of Jensen reopening the finale, and his willingness to bring Dean back (as he's always stated), for whatever more he's allowed to do.

I love the way they handled it, we still got peace and hope (even if there were to be no s2), and i feel like we're all more confident that the bridge scene is not an ending, but a beginning of something more. Dean has said he's gonna go look for his family. That's not just Sam.

Of course he's gonna see Cas too. But i don't think any of us would've been satisfied to see him pop up randomly for a couple of minutes in TW, with little to no mention of what happened between them.

Also, i want to point out that this was supposed to be the midseason finale but they had to adapt it when they found out they didn't get a full season, we could've had much more (like more narrating voices as Jensen had teased) or even seeing more of Dean, instead of just seeing him in the pilot and the season finale. They even asked Misha to be there (and he refused for scheduling conflicts since he was busy filming Gotham Knights *but said he's absolutely willing to appear later*).

So i think there's still so much story to tell here and i am absolutely hopeful and trust that we will love it.

I think they did an amazing job in 13 episodes, and I can't wait to see what's next 💖

[physics-of-one-piece]

Sorry, rant incoming

What are your thoughts on Doflamingo returning to the story? Do you think he will just be kept in Impel Down forever or will he actually get out for whatever reason and be part of the final battle?

I've been thinking over what I think is likely to happen, and the fact that he's still alive, even though 15+ people kept talking about how they wanted to kill him in Dressrosa, makes me think there is still something that he needs to do in the story. His potentially knowing of Imu's existence, but then never actually becoming part of the current plot would feel like a waste. Generally, people seem to think if he's coming back it's going to be with Cross Guild. Personally, I think it is likely that he will die if he does actually come back in the story because otherwise, we'd just be sending him to prison twice lmao??? Also, Oda has said he doesn't really like having sad endings where a character dies since the banquet afterwards would not be cheerful, but if it's a villain like Doflamingo I don't think that would make any of the protagonists feel too sad.

The most interesting route for me would be if he pulled a Crocodile and ended up helping the Straw Hats or probably even less likely, Law. It would feel repetitive seeing him fight them again, and now that he lost his kingdom, his family is in jail, and the emperor he was betting on to cause chaos in the world has been defeated, the only players left on the board are pretty much pirates or the World Government. I suspect it would probably bruise his ego if the people who cost him everything were defeated anyway by the Celestial Dragons because then all his losses happened for nothing. I doubt he would ever do anything out of the goodness of his heart, but just as a final middle finger to the Celestial Dragons.

Also, the idea of him sacrificing himself for Law purely as a manipulative move is kinda funny to me because it parallels Cora-san's sacrifice and now makes Law's grudge against him 100% more complicated. Like as a final "good luck moving on now," to Law before exploding in front of him. And if he still harbours any sliver of affection for Rocinante, making sure Law survives would be keeping his legacy alive. (this is 100% just what I think would be cool, but I doubt it would happen at all. Also if he ever takes off his glasses and we see his eyes, it would probably be right before he died. I imagine that would be a pretty badass scene too).

sorry for rambling, I've just been having thoughts about this nightmare of a man

Hi, anon!

He is definitely getting out of Impel Down, hopefully as a part of the Cross Guild (poor Buggy). I'm excited for it!

Ah, see dear anon, you should not think of like "roles" for characters. That's how you fall into the "kill him off after his role is done" trap. Which isn't really fun. Oda understands this and I was delighted by him not killing off his villains. There is still that "weapon" Doflamingo talks about, but he also implies that "power rots with time" so he could suspect the weapon isn't able to be used anymore? Who knows...

Oh, okay, my Obito Dying For Naruto PTSD has been activated with you mentioning the idea of Doflamingo dying for Law + exploding in front of him???

That is strangely too much like Obito's Death Scene (I'm not yelling at you or arguing or anything, I just have genuine PTSD from that and I avoid it like the plague just thinking about it makes my head hurt) That shit has traumatised me. I don't even want to think of having to experience that twice, I have trust issues and Kishimoto is the reason for all of them, I regret watching & reading Naruto sooo much. Oda has PLEASANTLY SURPRISED me time and time again bcs my expectations were below zero regarding like being nice to characters? He lets them suffer. But he doesn't kill them. And that's the sign of a great writer. Hopefully, highly doubtful Oda kills off any Warlords. He values his creations - his characters - a lot, at least that's my take on him as a writer. The only big deaths we had were of the good guys, Ace & Rosinante.

My only comfort is that Doflamingo values his life WAAAAAAAAAAAY too much to ever help Law. He & Law are done with being buddy-buddy, hey I got your back. Haha. No. Do I like thinking about them having each other's back? Yes. Will it happen based on their personalities, history & relationship? Nope. Not ever. They might fight together against the WG, but no way will they be JUMPING in front of an attack for each other. Like... Never gonna happen. Not even for a "fuck you, I get the last laugh" type of thing. They would be sassing each other like "what, you didn't hit him yet?" "How did you not dodge that, that's so easy to dodge." type of stuff

They. Are. Very much. Alike.

Law has accepted this and confirmed it. He might not be as BAD as Doffy, but Law genuinely didn't give a damn about Dressrosa. He just wanted to take Doflamingo down, not save Dressrosa, saving Dressrosa was a consequence of taking Doflamingo down. Think of it that if Law wouldn't do an action bcs of Doflamingo, then Doflamingo the same way wouldn't do an action bcs of Law.

They. Loathe. Each. Other.

Doflamingo wouldn't even die for Rosinante. He expected Law to die for him. In Doflamingo's mind, he has had his brother "stolen" from him by Law. Idk how to put it, but idk how else to word it. Rosinante loved Law enough to die for him.

Rosinante didn't love Doflamingo enough to die for Doflamingo - his actual brother. (And of course Rosinante should not, but that's not how Doflamingo is thinking)

Rosinante saw his kid older brother in kid Law and he, now as an adult, could do sth about it when he couldn't as an 8-year-old for Doflamingo.

Doflamingo, a Celestial Dragon, would not die for Law. It's out of character for him. I mean, we see warlords going around freely out of Impel Down, and if you think Luffy would put them back in prison, I think you're wrong. There's not gonna BE a World Government after the Straw Hats go to Mariejois. You think the marines will be able to catch Doflamingo, who can FLY all across the sea? The first time he gets out, he gets out for good. He'll either keep himself away or join the Cross Guild and then partake in the war - maybe.

Doflamingo's always been non-direct agression with the Celestial Dragons. He wants to fuck up everything they rule over so they have nothing to rule over. A clean slate. He's gonna let Luffy handle Mariejois. No way is he going against some of the monster freak thingies. He knows his own limits.

Nobody is getting Doflamingo back to Impel Down a second time. Once he gets out, he's OUT. Idk Law's current status in the manga and am caught up completely with the anime and honestly it's questionable if Law will even partake in the Mariejois War after the loss of his crew. Then again, Law is a one-man army, so who knows. Idk why he'd want to get into that mess, though? He'd want to go after Blackbeard or sth.

If Doflamingo ever does do anything for Law, it would be going after Blackbeard. Because nobody gets to kill Law except Doflamingo himself. Law is Doflamingo's ex-subordinate, Doflamingo's failed Corazón, Doflamingo's responsibility.

Funnily, that's a sibling-like thing of Doflamingo to do. The siblings beat each other up at home but someone messes with their little sibling outside - hell hath no fury like the older sibling about to fckn throw you into the ground and murder you.

I think he can take Blackbeard if it's 1 vs 1. Idk, I just think swordsmen with no DF are a better match for Blackbeard. But yeh, if Doflamingo does anything "nice" for Law... It will be either to attack Blackbeard (indirectly or directly.

None of that dying stuff.

Doflamingo is a Celestial Dragon. His life to him is worth ten billion times more than Law's, and more than getting a "one up" on Law and then dying? Not Doflamingo's style. Doflamingo's true middle finger to the Celestial Dragons is destroying them. Not doing sth small. He's "go big or stay home" kinda guy. He will be happy when all the Celestial Dragons in Mariejois are dead and I think that genuinely WILL happen.

I just want Doffy out of Impel Down already. I. Am. Fucking. BORED. WANO WAS BORING TO ME. I WAS YAWNING for Luffy vs Kaido. It only got fun for G5. (Thankfully Egghead is fun!)

Doflamingo spoiled me. 😌

Serious talk, I was pissed we didn't get to see his eyes after he was knocked out. For Oda, from what I saw of him doing an SBS where Doffy takes off his sunglasses only to reveal another pair 🤣 I think Oda just is saying that his sunglasses are meant to represent his eyes.

Very nice ask, anon! Thank you for sending it! We love this nightmare of a man!

[imminent-danger-came]

Hi there! So, I don't know if you’re in the mood to have your brain chemistry altered by the silly little lego show once more, or if you’ve just already done this, but I have a suggestion. Try watching the S4 special (specifically A Lifetime of Mistakes) for the millionth time, and then take that knowledge, along with the Wukong-Macaque/MK-Mei Hero and Warrior parallels we’ve been getting, and THEN go rewatch S1E6 AKA The Great Wall Race. Specifically through that particular lens.  

And just… enjoy watching the decisions they, especially MK, make during a situation where an immortality-granting object is on the line. Have no major thoughts about how this is the first real fight we see Mei and MK have. Experience absolutely zero strong emotions as you watch MK’s pursuit of that object lead to him destroying things that both of them love. Just… have a lovely, peaceful rewatch. 

But seriously, if you’re in the mood to let the silly little monkey show do its silly little monkey show thing, try rewatching that episode because it legitimately ruined my night. 

Like… it’s not a perfect, one-to-one comparison. There’s a lot of differences, both nuanced and obvious, that differentiate the two situations. 

But there’s something there and it’s been driving me insane, so feel free to come join me on the precipice of madness if you want.

*GRABS YOU*

I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS FOR DAYS. ANON, YOU GET ME IN A WAY THAT NO ONE ELSE DOES, WE ARE TOGETHER IN ARMS.

But anyways *puts on sunglasses* I always have zero emotions when it comes to the lego show. Me? Completely calm and collected. I totally didn't have a breakdown while rewatching 1x06 to write this post.

But, just to meander on by the precipice of madness...

Mei: "*gasp* My bike! What is wrong with you! I thought you were my friend!" MK: "Okay! I did bad! I just- I really wanted that peach and I guess I got carried away! You know how much I love stone fruit. *sigh* I was never gonna win though—you're the racer, not me. I'm sorry." Mei: "Yeah I know—just, don't be dumb next time, okay?" MK: "All I can do is try!"

(1x06 The Great Wall Race)

-

Even without the added context of s4, it's easy to put together that the whole reason MK wants the peach to begin with is to become more like Monkey King. Case in point, 1x09:

MK: "I just wanted to be good enough..."

"...like you."

(1x09 Macaque)

-

MK in seasons 1-2 is pushed by his motivation to live up to Monkey King's legacy—to become stronger. He wants to have the power to protect and help his friends, but this often causes more trouble than it fixes (1x01, 1x02, 1x06, 1x09, 2x03, 2x06, 2x10).

And so, MK reaching for immortality and wanting to be "good enough", instead harming the relationships he's trying to help?

Macaque: "No that's YOU! You're the one always running off! Looking for more power, more sources of immortality—you're the one who wouldn't quit while were were ahead! Not the great sage, he's got to drag EVERYONE else into his mess!"

-

MK: "Why didn't he just stop, right here? He was already so much stronger than anyone ever needed to be!" Macaque: "Wukong didn't think so. He always felt he had to be stronger—more immortal."

-

Sun Wukong: "I just wanted to protect the people I cared about—to be strong enough. I lost sight of why I was doing any of it."

-

It's like history is repeating itself.

Which, this all obviously has a strong connection to 1x06, but it also is a strong connection to 2x06:

MK: "It means I need to be stronger! Be so powerful, that it'd be certain defeat to fight me!" Sandy: "Maybe you need a break little man, just kick back for a bit." MK: "Uh, did Monkey King ever take breaks?"

(2x06 Game On)

-

Which,

Sun Wukong: "Daw, don't be like that! Eat some fruit, soak up the sun—that's why I've been training so hard! Macaque: "What, so you can be the strongest?" Sun Wukong: "No! Well...maybe a little bit—but that's not the point! It's so that we don't have to worry about anything or anyone ever again! Just live a lazy life sittin' in the sun and eatin' fruit, and doing whatever we want!"

(4x11 A Lifetime of Mistakes)

-

Did Monkey King ever take breaks?—well, he did. It's here we start to see both the similarities and the differences between SWK and MK. AND IT DRIVES ME INSANE. They both reach after power in paranoia. They both try to protect the people they care about (and sometimes they do that through lying/leaving). They both want things to stay the same. Yet, SWK is arrogant where MK is self conscious. SWK goes off alone where MK tries to do it together. SWK can't plan for shit where MK is the designated plan man.

Sun Wukong VS MK and Monkey King VS Monkey Kid. How are they similar and how are they different?

And then if you throw Wukong-Macaque/MK-Mei Hero and Warrior parallels into all of it?

Peng: "The six-eared Macaque fighting side by side with his own replacements! Is there anything Wukong could do that would break his hold over you?" (4x13 Rip and Tear)

Is there anything MK could do that would turn Mei against him? I feel that it's SO telling that Mei wasn't included in this conversation:

Yellow Tusk: "I know full well what would happen should Azure fail. But- but he is my brother. I owe him my life." Sandy: "We get it! I'd do anything to help my friends. But at the cost of the world?" Pigsy: "I'm sorry pal, but NOTHING worth that price!"

(4x14 Better Than We Found It)

-

And here's why Mei is going to be the one to calm MK down like MK calmed her down during 3x10—

[tinysnailtales]

Thoughts from reading Yona of the Dawn Ch. 2

It's interesting how Hak views Soo-Won and Yona as an inevitability. He also sets himself aside for the two of them. And his phrasing: ""I've been watching them for a long time" – he positions himself as an outsider.

"I want them to be happy together."

But oh! does he look sad. He does not consider his own happiness or desires. He doesn't allow himself to. And part of that comes from duty and part of it comes from his genuine affection for Yona and Soo-Won.

And maybe...like Yona, he puts the happiness of the one he loves above himself.

Part of the conversation on selfish/selfless love: is it selfless to put the happiness of your loved ones above all? Or is it selfish because it puts your wants above all (if what you want most is for them to be happy) + because you do a disservice to them by hiding your own feelings?

But that "I want them to be happy together" over King Il's blood dripping from Soo-Won's sword– oh, it is so good.

Soo-Won literally slicing through his bonds to Hak and Yona (and King Il). Or at least trying. And while Yona is obviously not happy, though Soo-Won accomplished his goal, he's not happy either. (Sorry Hak, you don't get your wish).

We get Soo-Won vs. Yona, with the legacy of King Il between/hanging over them.

Also enter the phase of determined Soo-Won and wide-eyed, shocked Yona.

"What are you saying? Y...you're not...someone who'd do that..." "You have no idea." – Soo-Won calls out and emphasizes Yona's ignorance, shatters her world and point-of-view. All that mattered to her was Soo-Won and he says she didn't even know him. And after taking King Il's life, he leaves her with what must feel like nothing (she has Hak, but not here, and I don't think she realizes his importance to her yet).

"Why...? My father...cared about you so much, ever since you were little..." "That's true. And I loved King Il very much." Soo-Won not only shatters Yona's world, but complicates it. Shows her how things are not what they seem and not straight forward. Life and feelings are messy and tangled. Soo-Won loves King Il but still killed him. And love was what Yona thought she understood.

"People called him a coward and said he feared battle because he was kind. However...that wasn't the truth. Not a shred of it was true." – again, the parallels between King Il and Soo-Won: "You have no idea [who I really am]" + everyone's perception of King Il "wasn't the truth." Soo-Won believes what both he and King Il presented to others is not who they were/are underneath. That their kindness and smiles acted as masks. But that is just what he believes. I think he's lying to himself in saying that there's no truth in how they acted and were perceived by others.

"The throne is not what matters to me. I'll continue to fight on the front lines...to defend my brother and our people" – Soo-Won's version of history, like Yona's belief that her uncle died in an accident, seems biased and like it contains some false information. There's more to the story here. But Yu-Hon's assertion that defending the people matters more than the throne speaks to Yona and her future.

Yona cannot believe that someone she loves would do something like this. How can the Soo-Won who gave her the hairpin and the one who killed her father be the same person?

Again– Soo-Won shows her how things are not what they seem and not straight forward. Life and feelings are messy and tangled.

Her understanding of the world will have to be made anew.

"Why did you come here, Princess Yona?"

"I wanted to tell him...that I'd never be able to give up on you. I wanted...to tell my father..." – Soo-Won is shocked by Yona's dedication to him and her quiet strength and determination.

The contrast in their reasons for going to King Il hits hard. It's almost an act of violence vs. an act of protection, an act of revenge vs. an act of love.

The contrasting shades of Soo-Won–and he switches between them all so quickly. Who is he really on the inside?

"This is for the good of the kingdom" – words hanging over Yona. I know he means her death, but I think Yona + her life moving forward is really what is for the good of the kingdom.

"Did he hate me? For so long...ever since I was little...Soo-Won has been all that mattered to me. I never...asked for very much. Just seeing him smile would have made me happy." Aww, Yona. This goes back to my thoughts on Yona + selfless/selfish love and Soo-Won being the light of her existence. I don't know if Yona could imagine a larger existence, and Soo-Won was her guiding light. Now she doesn't have that and he told her she never did. And kind of like Hak, she was fine relegating herself as an observer–just someone who got to see Soo-Won's happiness, with him placed above her and her own desires. But did she allow herself to have any desires beyond Soo-Won? Could she conceive of any?

But after this reaffirmation of Soo-Won = Yona's world, we get Hak in an epic entrance. Yay Hak! Thank you for recognizing something fishy was happening (finally!).

"I'm so sorry to have left your side, princess."

Hak's entrance kind of reframes things– maybe she didn't realize it, but Yona's world has more to it than just Soo-Won (and her father). There's Hak too.

It also reframes Soo-Won vs. Yona to Soo-Won vs. Hak (and Soo-Won vs. Hak and Yona).

Poor Yona is so shattered and shaken, she even doubts Hak: "Hak...are you on my side?" She feels completely abandoned and alone. But Hak will show her otherwise.

"His majesty told me to protect you. No matter what happens...you have my devotion and my obedience" – but interestingly, Hak frames his devotion to Yona as devotion to the King. As something born out of duty rather than personal feelings.

At first, Hak can't even believe Soo-Won's actions. His view of Soo-Won is shattered just like Yona's was. "Did you want power so badly? No...it's not power that interests you" – Hak knows Soo-Won. Or at least he thinks he does. They have (or had) a deep bond. That's why Soo-Won killing King Il is so unfathomable.

Hak also displays his loyalty to King Il here. And his strength in battle.

"This country...has no need for a timid king" – what makes a good king? A question for the story to examine.

Where will Soo-Won go from here? He accomplished his goal of revenge, what next? What kind of king will he be?

Yona can only watch in despair as we get Soo-Won vs. Hak, two people she loves going up against each other. With her caught in the middle. And it is painful for her to see Hak injure Soo-Won. After everything, she doesn't want Soo-Won hurt. She is frozen and broken.

"Was the man I knew...just a facade?" "The man you knew...never existed" – another idea to be explored/a question posed for the story overall.

"I thought I could entrust her highness to you" – the biggest betrayal for Hak.

"The man you knew never existed. If anyone gets in my way...I will destroy them. No matter who it is." – Soo-Won re-centers himself on his goals and insists that Hak and Yona don't matter to him, that he's willing to sacrifice them. Keep lying to yourself, Soo-Won.

"I don't want to hear this. I don't want to hear anymore." – Yona shuts down completely. She cannot take anymore. It's too much.

There is a pain and brokenness in Soo-Won's expression, despite what he says. But this is the path he has chosen, and he is determined to stick to it. At least for the moment.

Just aww (and oh) what a moment! Hak!!

"Where will we go? I...during the party...my father was crying from joy. But I never got to thank him for anything" – Yona feels guilty for how she treated her father and regret and shame for not cherishing him more.

And I think she feels unworthy of Hak and Min-Su's protection and more so their willingness to die for her.

"We'll go anywhere we have to...to keep you alive. That's how we can honor his majesty's memory" – what a wonderful line of comfort (+ hug!) from Hak. It's like he knew the exact right thing to say.

And embracing her, I think he shows how his devotion from a place of duty is all for show– he deeply cares for Yona.

[bifairywife]

no one touch me i am in inconsolable pain about the possibility that i have netflix writer potential (derogatory)

context and lil list under cut:

(tldr: i finished fate the winx saga and it has a few parallels to some of MY changes for a personal reboot)

SO HERE'S THE THING

I just finished fate the winx saga and my GOD. It's not completely horrible but it has a couple of moments that i just do NOT like 😭😭😭 (overall I'd give the whole viewing experience a 5.7 out of 10)

For majority of the first season i kinda just went through it and i was more invested on the second season cause my fave (flora) is there AND for my floriven crumbs which isn't even crumbs??!!?!? it's an in your face bread slap oh my god

Netflix is just,,,,, so weird. This is an entirely different plot with different characters. Like the only thing they really kept are the NAMES (and some of the power set). Netflix could have just,,,, I don't know,,,, MADE IT UP AS AN ORIGINAL ANGSTY NETFLIX FAIRY SHOW

It really would have worked

Like,,,,,, i watched that show with full faith on the reviews i saw that it DEFINITELY isn't like the cartoon. At. All. It's so ironic seeing "in association with rainbow" in RED and in shots with that angsty grim ass filter that us sucking out any grain of vibrant color

They really just used winx club as click bait for more views istg 😭😭😭😭

I could have just NOT watched the show ik ik ik, but I don't mind watching "trashy" stuff. I don't think it was complete trash tbh, it has some trashy moments and dialogue but it's not total garbage. I just think it really would be better if the show didn't tie itself to a source material they had zero interest in giving justice 😤

Anyways here's a list of my parallels with the show:

bloom and aisha sharing a dorm room

bloom and aisha being besties

flora and stella sharing a dorm room

stella and sky knowing each other before school (BUT ARE NOT EXES IN MY REBOOT OH LAWRD)

FLORA AND RIVEN ROMANCE

Which,,,,,, now that i ranted and listed it all down,,,,, isn't such a bad thing these are pretty basic stuff tbh. Like,,,,,, I've checked my notes and compared the dates,,,,, I've thought of most of these first before the second season was released and i can lowkey live with it ig 🧍 cause i mean:

I have a vision for bloom and aisha roomies idea

There's something about fire and water friendship type of thing

And i actually have plans of making flora and stella become friends and not just dorm roomies 😭😭😭

Royal and royal friendship trope which i think is really neat (I'm surprised they didn't make sky a prince in the fate?? He's a legacy kid there cause of his dad but no royal status)

I've been very vocal about floriven tbh. I published one fic about them for my reboot and a WIP modern au too hajshahsha

ANYWAYS I DON'T KNOW MY POINT NO MO I'M JUST A LIL SALTY AND NEEDED TO VENT 🗣️🗣️🗣️

[bosesmikas]

Rilaya/Hizzie parallels

[verobatto]

Destiel Chronicles

Vol. LXXXVIII

It was a love story from the very beginning.

The Empty is Coming (Part. II)

(12x18)

Hello dears! How are you feeling for tonight's episode? I'm not ready...

Okay, i had to make a whole meta for this episode for the huge symbolism related to Sacrifice and the Empty.

Castiel walking on the Empty, a prelude...

When episode 12x18 starts, we have another dar forest, representing the Empty, and a young guy named Jorred walking on it...

If you pay attention, he wears a brown coat, blue pants. Is a blatant Cas' mirror, and the obscurity surrounding him, symbolizes the Empty.

Jorred gets trapped and then dies.

Where's Cas? Is reaching a high level of worrisome

Dean tries to call Cas but... He can't. So, all theses days he didn't have news about the angel and he is reaching high levels of worrisome.

I wrote an entire meta about this episode time ago, I don't want to be repetitive, so i will be quoting here things I already put in that meta. You can find the analysis here.

DEAN: Come on. Cas, it's me. I've been trying to get ahold of you for days. I don't know what's going on, but we got a line on Dagon...And we got our asses handed to us, even with the Colt. So...Could really use the backup. Call me back.

Dean is mad at Cas, first because he is pointing at he have been days trying to get ahold of him (remember Dean praying to him every night in Purgatory?) and then he is mad because he doesn't know what's going on with Cas. So basically, he is mad because Cas is not calling. Is not giving living signals.

SAM: So no luck with Cas, huh?

DEAN: Yeah, still AWOL.

SAM: All right, so let's find him.

DEAN: I've been trying, Sam. The GPS on his phone is turned off, and there's nothing in the system about some weird guy in a trench coat getting arrested or turning up dead.

This is the thing here, he reveals another details of why he is mad and worried, because Cas turn his GPS off! That means that maybe he doesn't want th to find him. And then, Dean is saying HE SEARCHED FOR HIM IN HOSPITALS AND POLICE INFO LIKE? Yeah... A little kind of desperate.

And if you pay attention bro the pic, you wikl find how worried is Sam watching his brother in that shape.

SAM: Right. Dean, it's Cas. I mean, this isn't the first time he's dropped off the map, you know? And whatever's happening, he'll be fine. He always is.

DEAN: Yeah.

This scene is very rich in body language. Also Sam assuming Cas will always be fine, is like settling the idea that something could take them by surprise anytime about the angel.

But watch Dean here while Sam tries to comfort his brother...

I will quote here what I wrote in my meta about this episode:

"Priceless... Avoiding Sam's eyes, looking to a side, dimples of discontent, that sniffing is like... He is so mad... He just can't stand it. Can't stand CAS not answering his phone calls, not being there for weeks. Not knowing if he is dead or alive. Makes feel so uneasy, he can't control what he is feeling... He is mad, but worried at the same time."

How do I fill this emptiness?

Not being able to have any hint of Cas, and feeling he was being rejected by him, the unrequited love idea hits Dean again.

Is big, cold, hole inside of him, and it needs to be filled immediately. And what Dean does, which will be the last time he does it? He hooks up with random waitress. Why? Well. I will quote here again my insights from the other meta.

"... and I know the fandom had pointed the "Castiel coded coat" this waitress is wearing... Like... "YEAH I'M JUST AN ASSHOLE FOR BEING IN LOVE WITH MY BEST MALE FRIEND WHO WILL NEVER LOVE ME BACK, HE ABANDONED ME AND DOESN'T' GIVE A FUCK IF I'M WORRIED OR NOT. LET'S JUST HOOK UP WITH RANDOM WAITRESS HERE AND HEY! THAT COAT REMINDS ME TO CAS DAMN!"

I want to add the waitress is not just dressed with the coat but with a pink dress too. The pink color will be very called in the incoming seasons. Is a symbolism of happiness. Related to Castiel's deal with the Empty made in season 14, and the ultimate Sacrifice for love and Castiel's love confession in season 15. But in this case, it talks about Dean. Dean's happiness is Cas and viceversa.

Another thing Dean did in this episode to fill the emptiness of his Unrequited Love was eating too much. As he always does. It maybe wouldn't caught our attention if Sam wouldn't watched him with disgust and scolding face.

Sheriff Barret Bishop and the Black Bill legend. (Cas and Empty mirrors)

Look how Sam describes the legend of Black Bill at first:

SAM: And when the fun was over, the satyr would, "feast upon the flesh of his victims until his belly was full to bursting with their moist, slippery meat."

I find this very interesting, because he talks about a party, something they celebrate (an orgy) that could be related with lust, the thing that will taken as a forbidden feelings in Castiel's POV in episode 14x15. And the punishment is became the monster's food. But but, is not the first time we see a monster feeding of people or energy in legends. In episode 14x17, the one that gave me the spec about Dean rescuing Castiel from the Empty, they talk too about this legend and how the mosntrrs feed from his prays. So, is this the Empty's story then? Is he feeding with energy from dead angels and dead demons? Hahaha just a few days and we will know.

Then, Castiel's mirror trying to do his best to change things, but by himself.

Sheriff Bishop: Moloch used his power to make us rich. After my father died in '97, I put a stop to all of that. Look, I couldn't...I never killed anybody. I just wanted to help people to make up for all the bad we've done. I wanted... To leave a legacy. - I kept him locked up. Hoped he'd starve to death.

Okay, this is kind of the idea of what Chuck did with the Empty. The thing is... The monster scapes.

And then we have the Sheriff saying "It was on him"

Sheriff Bishop: You should go.

SAM: No, sheriff, uh, we can help clean up.

Sheriff Bishop: No. This...I'll take care of it. It's on me. This? This is my legacy.

Again a Cas mirror doing the dirty work. It's on me. Is the same thought in Castiel's mind, and we will see it in the next episode.

Winchester's legacy:

SAM: But the people we saved, they're our legacy. And they'll remember us and then I guess...We'll eventually fade away, too. That's fine, because we left the world better than we found it, you know.

DEAN: I wonder what's gonna happen to this place. After we're gone, you think some hunter'll move in, keep fightin' the fight?

SAM: Yeah, I hope so.

DEAN: Yeah. Me, too.

Dean gets out his knife from his pocket.

SAM: What are you doin'?

DEAN: Leaving our mark. Here.

This is a parallel to 15x19, the fake bro ending. The dialogue is also a representation of THE FAMILY BUSINESS.

But you know what they did in 15x19, they carved Cas and Jack names too.

And you know what happened in episode 12x19: THE MIXTAPE OR THE WAY DEAN USED TO EXPRESS HIS ROMANTIC FEELINGS FOR CAS. So, this is another clue for us to think Cas will come back after bro only ending to hear Dean's true love confession. (I'm talking about tonight's episode.)

To Conclude:

More than another foreshadow of the Empty and Castiel's dead, we had once more Dean Winchester's unrequited love inner fight.

This is another proof Dean feels the same way as Castiel. He really feels his love is Unrequited and he will never be able to have Cas in the way he wants.

Even with Castiel's speech in the barn in 12x10, giving Dean some hopes and gifting him with the Mixtape, as a representan of his romantic love for him, Dean is facing now that maybe that confession was totally platonic. And it hurst him. That's why he behaves by trying to fill that empty with sex and food.

But it won't go away until both men complete their love circle.

Hope you like this, see you in the next one!

Tagging @magnificent-winged-beast @emblue-sparks @weird-dorky-little-d @michyribeiro @legendary-destiel @a-bit-of-influence @thatwitchydestielfan @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @lykanyouko @evvvissticante @savannadarkbaby @dea-stiel @poorreputation @bre95611 @thewolfathedoor @charlottemanchmal @neii3n @deathswaywardson @followyourenergy @dean-is-bi-till-i-die @hekatelilith-blog @avidbkwrm @anarchiana @dickpuncher365 @vampyrosa @authorsararayne @mybonsai1976 @love-neve-dies @dustythewind @wayward-winchester67 @angelwithashotgunandtrenchcoat @trashblackrainbow @deeutdutdutdoh @destiel-shipper-11 @larrem88 @charmedbycastiel @ran-savant @little-crazy-misha-minion @samoosetheshipper

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts @mishtho @dancingtuesdaymorning @nerditoutwithbooks @mikennacac73 @justmeand-myinsight @idontwantpeopletoknowmyname @teddybeardoctor @pepevons @helevetica @isthisdestiel @dizzypinwheel @jawnlockwinchester @horsez2 @qanelyytha

@destielle @agusvedder @spnsmile @shippsblog @robot-feels @superlock-in-the-tardis @superduckbatrebel @2musiclover2 @madronasky @anon-non2 @cea1996

If you want to be added or removed from this list, just let me know.

If you want to read my previous metas, here you have the links.

LXXV, LXXVI, LXXVII, LXXVIII, LXXIX, LXXX, LXXXI, LXXXII, LXXXIII, LXXXIV, LXXXV, LXXXVI, LXXXVII.

Buenos Aires, November 14th 2020, 10:30 PM

[watching-pictures-move]

Viddying the Nasties #41 | Zombie Lake (Rollin, 1981)

Jean Rollin's Zombie Lake is about a lake full of zombies. The end. Okay, that's not all. During World War II, a German army unit was killed by the French resistance and had their bodies dumped in a lake. (Full disclosure: having grown up watching movies like The Guns of Navarone and Where Eagles Dare thanks to my dad, I have an almost Pavlovian positive reaction to World War II stuff in movies. Get some guys in era-appropriate uniforms, fire off a few rounds, a couple of explosions and there's a non-zero chance I'm doing some serious internal hooting and hollering.) Several years later, they've risen from their watery graves and are now exacting bloody vengeance on the locals. Of course, it turns out one of them, the only sympathetic one of the bunch, fathered a child with a local woman, which certainly complicates things. A mayor, played by Jess Franco regular Howard Vernon, takes Murray Hamilton's character in Jaws as a model and tries to brush off the situation, but eventually the problem becomes too big to ignore.

From my experience, this tends to be called one of Rollin's worst movies, and from the plot description, it doesn't sound much like a typical Rollin joint. Indeed, Rollin was brought in to direct after Franco left the movie early on. Yet the incongruity of his style to the material played a big role in my enjoyment. Rollin's direction tends to be characterized by a delicate, low key sensuality, which is a natural fit for movies about sexy vampires in the nude, but an ungainly one for lumbering, decaying zombies, but that dissonance adds to the tension. These zombies simply don't belong here, and clash heavily with the earthy textures and overcast skies of the French countryside, which I think parallels the narrative in how the French locals are trying to bury the past yet are beholden to the legacy of the Second World War. It's not an especially forceful dynamic, as Rollin isn't an especially forceful director, but there's enough here for the movie to have carried a bit of dread and even excuse the uselessness of the Vernon character. (I've liked Vernon elsewhere but suspect he might have gelled less to Rollin's direction than Franco's. Would the movie have been better with a Rollin regular in the role? Get Brigitte Lahaie as the mayor, and there's a non-zero chance I'm doing some serious internal hooting and hollering.) And with the one sympathetic zombie and his relationship to his child, this also anticipates The Living Dead Girl and its poignancy about the undead condition. This isn't quite as effective as it doesn't have any performances as good as Francoise Blanchard and Marina Pierro in the other movie, but with Antonio Mayans, another Franco regular, as a zombie, you do get some actual acting in these parts.

Of course, one must note that this isn't terribly effective as a traditional zombie movie, mostly because the zombies wear Namekian green makeup and Rollin has no great enthusiasm for splatter. And fans of Rollin's elegant delivery of the prurient elements in his other movies might be disappointed at the perfunctory nude scenes here, with the Jaws-inspired opening scene and the introduction of a female basketball team who decide to go skinny-dipping. I am shamefully easy to please and could look past these shortcomings. Now if one is interested in seeing what Franco's original vision for the movie might have looked like, Oasis of the Zombies might merit a gander. It takes its Nazi zombies and transplants them to North Africa, throwing in a plot about buried treasure. (A key to grasping their different flavours is through the use of music. Rollin's scoring feels wistful and familiar while Franco's emphasizes the exotic, which reflects the milieus and atmosphere of their respective movies.) I understand for years that it's been one of Franco's most easily available movies, and also considered one of his worst, but truth be told I enjoyed it as well. Zombie Lake is a better movie in most conventional ways, but Oasis, thanks to Franco's comparative disinterest in the plot and characters, periodically locks into a somnambulist, medicated wavelength and gets great mileage out of its setting. I watched it while contemplating and deciding against a nap, which is probably the right state of mind to enjoy the movie. (Franco left Zombie Lake after fighting with producers, and I'm curious as to what his grounds for leaving were. At a glance there's no great gulf in artistry or compromise between the two films, but it's possible Franco's working methods might have been more easily accepted than Rollin's.) I should note that it has even sorrier looking zombies and its style is less fluid than most of the others I've seen from Franco, but if you can bask in the desert atmosphere and try not to worry too much about all its shortcomings, you might get some enjoyment out of it.

[littlehollyleaf]

Hey holly, i just found you in the Lokius tag! I follow you since s9 or 10 SPN Destiel meta era! :'D honestly i didnt even care about Loki prior to this series but i got attached to Loki/ Mobius immediatly! They do remind me of deancas even tho i see the show setting up sylvie and loki (imo with a simmilar dynamic to Mobius/Loki)

Hiiiii anon!

Honestly don't know how I ended up here I've avoided obsessing and analysing Loki for SO.LONG. And have never been much into the mcu tbh (like, I rewatched the original Avengers recently - cos, Loki - and I'm STILL as wildly indifferent to Coulson as I was the first time I watched, when I didn't even remember his name and was utterly '...huh?' and *shrug* about his death and very bemused that everyone was so galvanised by it) - AND YET HERE WE ARE :P

Can't promise any meta of the level of s09/s10 spn I'm afraid - I peaked in my tv analysis there I think and am just too old and don't have the time for such in depth study any more. But nice to be remembered xx There are worse legacies to have than being a known spn/deancas meta writer :)

And YAH! The lokius/deancas parallels are actually DRIVING ME CRAZY OMG.

Like, I was prepared for the TVA and time travel stuff to remind me of Dr Who and the Time Lords. I was NOT PREPARED for the TVA to mimic spn Heaven and Mobius to subsequently feel so much like Castiel - aaah! ...but I suppose it's all kinda in the same ballpark, really - arrogant, superior, cult-like higher power and the (formerly) loyal member who ends up going rogue... plus themes of identity and destiny vs. free will. It's all my jam, from Dr Who to spn to Good Omens (and The Umbrella Academy too). Once mcu added the TVA to their mythology it was a foregone conclusion (MY 'destiny' if you will :p) that I would be sucked in...

ANYWAY. Thanks for dropping by anon, welcome to my new madness :)

(currently hoping the show ISN'T setting up a romantic Loki/Sylvie atm tho... I'm not against the pairing in principle, and if the show does it well I'm open to enjoying it, as I said in answer to a previous ask about the topic... but in the last couple of days I've suddenly fallen EXTRA HARD for lokius and am starting to really dig the platonic thing Loki and Sylvie have, so, those are v much my preferred dynamics now! ...but we'll see!)

[buddha-in-disguise]

I'm not going to review the season finale in quite the same way as I've usually written something afterwards. I'm ultra tired due to distinct lack of sleep. So it is more truncated than I'd intended. Also unedited so advance apologies if something makes no sense or is misspelled etc.

The episode was facing the challenge of not only being edited after COVID-19 shut down production, but what was intended to be the penultimate episode became the finale. So I'm trying to take that into consideration.

First part in Kara's loft. It was choppy. Don't get me wrong, I had nothing against the humour, or the scenes in general. Although they missed the glaring opportunity to place a "flew here on a bus," moment! It felt pretty disappointing they didn't recognise what has become an iconic line within the SG fandom, and made it even more iconic.

Before the bus though, back at the loft, considering that Lena had literally only just arrived at Kara's, with all that entails, it felt completely out of place for that context. Did it have been overwhelming heavy at that point? Absolutely not. But it was too close to slapstick at times for me and internally I was cringing. I admit, I'm not sure where they could've put it in, but perhaps if they'd just lowered it a fraction, made it a little more subtle a couple of times, it would've helped for me.

Some of the dialogue (especially early on) was also all over the place for me. It did get better as the episode wore on, but I wonder how much was the need to redo parts of the episode because of COVID-19? Unless they think to put an episode as intended in a future season DVD (perhaps S6 DVD), or someone gives us full details via an interview we will probably never know.

Which brought me to one piece of dialogue that I wish they'd not put in at all!

In 5.18, as I've spoken about a lot on Twitter especially, the way Lex screams into Lena's face, and Lena's flinch, and how that had been me 20 odd years ago. They then had the line as Lena talks to Kara; "Go ahead. Scream at me if you have to, I know I deserve it."

I know for many, they'd just see it as a line to use, but .... for many of us who have suffered abuse, who recognised (& in some instances were triggered) by last weeks episode, to not have acknowledged why that line was so problematic is worrying. It heavily suggests they're not going to address Lena's trauma and abuse because they really don't understand it (& again, if anyone believes she didn't suffer trauma and abuse, but accept others in SG do, go away with your bias from my page), but considering they haven't addressed much of Kara's trauma, particularly watching Argo destroyed again, being stuck for months during Crisis like they were, etc - then I guess it isn't a surprise.

But it is uncomfortable as hell to watch a line like that glossed over.

Overall though, I did enjoy the episode. Once that 1st half was over, especially (baring a few moments, including watching Alex do her badass Mission Impossible meet Cirque du Soleil moment because that was awesome) it felt much more like SG of previous seasons. So that was great.

Watching Lena as she watched Alex and Kara hug behind her was so emotional. Watching siblings love unconditionally. Something she thought she had with Lex, only to realise he hadn't changed at all. Lena didn't need to say anything, as once again Katie's acting brought all the emotion Lena was feeling to the fore.

Having Lena and Alex mirror they choice of words in regards Kara was pretty iconic. Then having Alex whisper, "Jinx." really made it work.

Seeing Dreamer in her element, including some great lines again. "I can't believe you left to fight Earth, Wind & Fire without us." "Guess they didn't take the bait? Maybe you should've been meaner?" As they begin the fight with J'onn, M'gann Alex and Dreamer - Alex to Dreamer: "You ready?" Dreamer. "Nope." Alex. "Me neither." Dreamer at her best imo.

Kelly going all, damn my girlfriend is hot & I want sex right now despite the circumstances was pretty cute and funny.

The Kara and Lena monologues being in unison. Now that was pretty amazing and one of the best parts of the whole episode imo.. But again, you feel as if they're matching Lena and Kara together with those scenes as a couple.

Lena not only protecting Kara, but stopped Andrea from going down a dark path as Acrata. Was also great.

Last frame of Lillian. Does it turn out she is the head of Leviathan? Because again they laid out more than once the leader was a woman. It has been noted several times now in different episodes. I was hoping Lena's biological mother, considering she knew of the legend of Acrata, but it is now looking more likely this reincarnation of Lillian is who it is, unless it is a character we've not been introduced to, but I highly doubt that.

The 2nd half of the episode was what we missed so much this season. In fact aspects throughout the episode were missing for too much this season.

This includes the women being the focal point of it. Brainy though absolutely rightly taking a strong subplot to what else was going on. J'onn ably supported by M'gann. M'gann who managed to advise Nia on embracing her dreams and not trying to avoid part of them. Dansen actually working together and both being badass in their own way (after all, this is something I've advocated for much of the season, & while fantastic to see, it never should've taken this long. Now where have we heard that before?)

But we still have glaring unanswered questions that I can't imagine would've been answered in 5.20.

Every indication since 5.17 is Kelly knows Kara is Supergirl. Yet we don't know for certain, because they've failed to show us how or when. I've said before, considering every other person who knows Kara is Supergirl, we had them tripping over themselves to explain to the audience how it happened. I'm pretty annoyed that we as the audience don't get given the same courtesy with Kelly. This is why so many of us feel short changed on some characters this season. The really aggravating thing is would only take a few lines to clear it up!

Now onto Alex. This ties in with J'onn. Where are they getting the money to survive? Did J'onn manage to accumulate enough over all the years he was on Earth to finance everything & pay Alex a wage? No clue.

Also, are Kelly & Alex living together? Or do they have keys to each others apartments? Yes, Kelly was at Alex's in 5.17 so the answer is pretty much yes, but nothing has been said! We knew more about Brainy & Nia's living arrangements from 5a than we do Kelly & Alex.

Kara's trauma. Lena's abuse & trauma. See above.

Lastly, the one most I know want (except a few vocally against), leaning towards Supercorp becoming canon. Again for another season, we end up with the, 'Maybe they'll do it next season.' being said. Particularly as in 5a they really went all out on Supercorp parallels to Clois and at times Dansen, plus even a little on Brainia. But unless something pretty fundamental changes behind the scenes, they're going to recognise what their biggest draw is, keep baiting but never fully go into it. And that is what I fear the most. When you've got media, even non-Supergirl fans saying it, but the show refusing to acknowledge it - that could be their legacy, and it will not look good or have a lot of fans look back kindly on them for it.

The 4 seasons it took for Lena to find out Kara was Supergirl was, in the end, terribly executed. This waxing and waning as well of; is Lena good or bad? Will she follow in the Luthor footsteps?

She is flawed. She's made some pretty awful mistakes. But now they're said she is good. She isn't evil or a villain. So now that line they've drawn needs to stay there! No more ambiguity on her character being a villain.

But you know what's not good? Feeling you can't trust the show to draw a line under that aspect of the character. That doesn't mean you have to have any one of them not be flawed, or to even cross some lines (they've all done it at some point, some moreso than others, but not one character is innocent).

When the show is now generating that level of mistrust on how they could handle future events, that is a problem.

Season 5 overall (particularly 5b) was absolutely horrendously bad. It had some moments of sheer brilliance (either individual scenes, or some episodes), but the rest was just flat out awful. Irrelevant. Messy. No cohesion. 5b became too much of the Lex Luthor show. Certain character additions were vastly unpopular and definitely caused down turns in viewer numbers (& again, from far more than a section of fandom). As did keeping Lena away from everyone for so long.

To sum up. Season 5 was a disaster.

Season 6 needs to have considerably different direction to even try & pull back some viewers (if they can at all). Distrust is rife.

The worst is no-one in the cast deserved this, especially as they're so talented. Some of the performances, even with how poor much of the season was, have been magnificent. But as the saying goes, you can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear.

I've never been so relieved a season is finally over. We'll watch our favourite episodes for sure, of which there aren't many, but a full rewatch of the season we normally do will not be happening. Some episodes were better off consigned to the trash.