#if not with a themed episode of their favorite show

[captaincrusher]

A thought on a queer Star Trek timeline

Watching Star Trek from the original series to modern times is to fast forward through the evolution of queer rights through the 20th and early 21st century.

In the original series queerness must be imagined in the close relationship between Kirk and Spock. We can only see ourselves in what we hope and dream about for the future. We get Amok Time.

In the 80's queer people start to materialize in the background. TNG takes tentative steps towards telling our stories, still cloaked in the allegory. We get Outcast.

In the 90's Ds9 gives us Rejoined. Still cloaked in allegory, but the lines get sharper, the mist starts to lift. A character has a monologue about how two people that love each other should be able to be together. Hidden winks has turned into words.

Voyager, while a good show in other respects, does not give us a single crumb of queerness. Aside from the relationships we ourselves imagine.

In the 2000's we are on the cusp of actually having queer people on screen. Enterprise tries to tell stories of gender (Cogenitor) and the AIDS crisis (Stigma), two episodes that are still filtered through a limited understanding of both. When Enterprise ends in 2005 and this Star Trek era ends with it, queer representation in film and tv is still scarce.

The AOS era instead is where queer people, for the first time, stepped out of subtext. Sulu is married to a man - a nod to George Takei, the original series actor. Star Trek Beyond comes out in 2016, the year after same sex marriage is legalized in the US.

It isn't until 2017 that a Star Trek show officially, without subtext or allegory, gets queer characters, when Paul Stamets and Hugh Culber are married on Discovery. Discovery also adds further queer characters down the line, finally saying that yes - queer humans do exist in the future.

I know you all will have opinions on what is queer or not. But when tracking the evolution of queer representation it's important to separate subtext from text and to separate when something is allegoric verses not.

I interpret Jadzia Dax as queer - but she is not human. She is an alien wrapped inside a gender non confirming shroud of gray areas. That is the strength of her character - that it allows the writers to explore themes that otherwise would have been taboo. But the fact that they could only pursue queer storylines with non human characters tells you something about the times.

it really feels like Star Trek was late to the party with queer representation. I think there's multiple reasons for that. One is that when Enterprise was created, it still carried the legacy of shows created in the 80's and 90's. Enterprise itself is also literally a prequel - there seemed to be little desire to be bold and innovative.

Timing is I think the main reason why Star Trek trailed behind. Between Enterprise ending in 2005 and Star Trek Discovery starting in 2017 there's a whole era of representation. If Enterprise had dared make an actual queer character, like Malcolm Reed, it would have been just ahead of the wave of representation that started popping up in the late 00's - but instead it closed on a similar note as DS9 did 10 years earlier.

Feel free to add your favorite queer episodes. There are some "official" queer episodes - but there's a bunch more that meant a lot for us as queer people, for one reason or another.

[deezee112]

The worst ending 2 : A Laugh Too Far

The worst ending 1 | The worst ending 3

Yandere!Ace Trappola x GN!Reader

A/N : Hello! Thank you for sticking with this second installment of the series! I'd like to say that this episode is a little better for me, but it's still a little bit too much 😔 But I will try my best at the end of the next chapter. Enjoy reading this chapter!!

Warning : This story contains themes of emotional dependency , psychological strain , accidental death , and overwhelming guilt. , A soft yandere.

Tags :

@iris-arcadia

If you want me to tag you please tell me.

You tilted your head, considering the name carefully. The doll before you blinked its sharp amber eyes, a mischievous glint already visible in its eerily lifelike expression. Something about him seemed playful yet challenging a troublemaker waiting to be unleashed.

“ I’ll name you Ace ” you said finally, a small smirk tugging at your lips.

The doll smiled back, wide and crooked, as if approving of you choice.

From the beginning, Ace was different. Where other children or dolls, as you reminded you self in the early days might show tentative affection or shy obedience, Ace was bold and irreverent.

“ Why do I have to learn math? ” he whined one afternoon, slumping against the couch with exaggerated dramatics.

“ Because it’s important ” You replied, your voice firm but tinged with weariness.

“ Important for what? I’m not planning on becoming an accountant ” he shot back, grinning cheekily.

You pinched the bridge of your nose. “ You’re going to drive me insane, Ace. ”

“ That’s the goal ” he said, leaning closer with a sly smile.

Despite his antics, you couldn’t help but feel a grudging affection for the boy. Beneath his teasing exterior, Ace had a charm that was hard to ignore. He was quick witted and curious, always testing boundaries but never pushing too far at least, not at first.

But as Ace grew, so did his confidence. He loved pushing you buttons, watching you react with exasperation or an occasional smirk.

“ You love me. ” he’d declare smugly after one of their verbal sparring matches.

“ Don’t flatter yourself. ” your reply, rolling you eyes.

But deep down, you know he was right.

You relationship was a constant tug of war between irritation and affection. Ace’s teasing could be relentless, but it was always accompanied by a boyish grin that made it impossible for you to stay mad for long.

“ You're so annoying. ” you said one evening as he stood behind you while you cooked.

“ Annoying? I prefer ‘charming’ ” he quipped, snatching a piece of carrot from the cutting board.

“ You’re lucky I don’t chase you out of this kitchen. ”

“ You wouldn’t do that. ” he said confidently. “ You’d miss me too much. ”

You shot him a glare, but there was no malice behind it. Ace was infuriating, yes, but he had become an integral part of your life.

As Ace grew older, his teasing took on a sharper edge. He still smiled and laughed, but there was an intensity in his eyes that hadn’t been there before a possessiveness that made you uneasy.

One evening, as you sat on the couch watching a movie, Ace suddenly turned to you.

“ Why do you work so much? ” he asked, his tone unusually serious.

You blinked, caught off guard. “ Because I have to. That’s what adults do. ”

“ But you’re always tired. ” he said, his voice soft but insistent. “ You should spend more time with me instead! ”

You chuckled, ruffling his hair. “ You’re clingy, you know that? ”

His expression darkened slightly, but he quickly masked it with a grin. “ Only because you’re my favorite person. ”

It was an ordinary day, one filled with the usual back-and-forth banter between you and Ace. You was preparing dinner , humming softly to youself , while Ace lounged at the kitchen table , spinning a knife absentmindedly between his fingers a habit that always made you nervous.

“ Ace, put that down before you hurt yourself. ” you said without looking up.

“ I’m not a kid anymore, y/n.” he replied, his tone teasing but laced with something heavier.

“ You’ll always be a kid to me. ” you retorted, glancing at him with a smirk.

He grinned, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes something vulnerable, almost desperate.

“ Do you mean that? ” he asked quietly.

“ Mean what? ”

“ That I’ll always be your kid.. ”

His smile faltered, and for a moment, he looked like a child again uncertain and scared. But the moment passed quickly, and he leaned back in his chair, his usual cocky grin returning.

You paused, you hands stilling as you turned to face him fully. “ Of course, Ace. You’ll always be my little troublemaker. ”

“ Good... ” he said.

It happened so quickly that you barely had time to process it. One moment, you was teasing Ace about his messy handwriting as they sat together at the table. The next, he was holding the knife again, flipping it between his fingers like a dangerous game.

“ Ace, stop it. ” you said, you voice sharper than usual.

“ calm down, I’ve got this ” he replied, laughing.

But in his attempt to show off, the knife slipped from his hand, spinning through the air. You didn’t think you just reacted, lunging forward to catch it before it hit the ground.

You caught the blade, but not by the handle.

The sharp edge sliced through you palm, and you gasped in pain, dropping it immediately. Blood pooled in you hand, dripping onto the floor.

“ y/n! ” Ace’s voice was high-pitched with panic as he rushed to you side.

“ I’m fine.. ” you said through gritted teeth, though you face was pale.

“ No, you’re not! ” he said, his voice trembling. He grabbed a dish towel and pressed it against your hand, his movements frantic.

But in his panic, he didn’t notice the chair leg behind him. As he tried to steady you , he tripped , pulling you down with him.

Her head struck the corner of the table with a sickening crack.

“ y/n..? ” Ace’s voice was shaky as he knelt beside you. “ Hey, wake up. This isn’t funny! ”

You eyes fluttered open, but you gaze was unfocused. Blood trickled down the side of you face, staining you hair and pooling on the floor.

“ Ace.. ” you whispered, you voice weak.

“ I’m here. ” he said quickly, his hands shaking as he cradled you head. “ You’re gonna be okay. I’ll call for help. Just—just stay with me.. ”

You gave him a faint smile, you fingers brushing against his cheek. “ You’re such a troublemaker. ”

“ Stop talking like that! ” he shouted, his voice breaking. “ You’re gonna be fine! You have to be fine! ”

Your hand fell limp, and Ace’s breath hitched. “ No. No, no, no, no! ”

Tears streamed down his face as he clutched you close, rocking back and forth. “ I didn’t mean it! ” he sobbed. “ I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just wanted you to notice me. To love me. ”

You didn’t respond. you chest no longer rose and fell.

“ y/n… ” His voice cracked as he buried his face in you shoulder. “ I’m sorry. Please come back. Please… ”

Ace sat alone in the dimly lit kitchen, you blood still staining the floor. The knife lay where it had fallen, mocking him with its cold, unfeeling presence.

“ I didn’t mean it.. ” he whispered to himself, over and over, as if the words could undo what had happened.

But no matter how many times he said it, you wasn’t coming back.

He looked down at you hands, trembling and stained with you blood. “ You were the only one who cared.. ” he murmured, his voice hollow. “ The only one who put up with me. And I…I ruined it. ”

Ace never left the house after that day. He couldn’t bear to face the world without you, the person who had been his anchor, his guide, his everything.

The laughter , the teasing , the arguments they were all gone. And in their place was a crushing silence that Ace couldn’t escape.

“ You were right... ” he said one day, his voice echoing in the empty room. “ I am annoying. ”

He laughed bitterly, tears streaming down his face.

[black-salt-cage]

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it, and welcome to black-salt-cage's 25 Days of Stimmas stimboard prompt game event!

I decided to host my own stimboard event for the best time of the year, and I'd be so happy if you joined me. Though if you're not partial to making stimboards, don't let that stop you! Make moodboards, icons, you name it!

All days are under the cut. If you wish to participate, I'd really appreciate a reblog. If you do decide to, please consider using the #black-salt-cage tags or #25DaysofStimmas tag!

Have a holly jolly Christmas!

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Day 1: Naughty VS Nice Day 2: Christmas trees / ornaments Day 3: Snow day activities Day 4: Favorite Christmas outfit / skin / look for any character Day 5: The present you're hoping for most Day 6: Candy canes VS Gingerbread Day 7: Favorite Christmas episode for any show Day 8: Ice skating Day 9: Reindeer VS Elves Day 10: Hot drinks Day 11: Favorite toy Day 12: Presents / gifts Day 13: Favorite Christmas dessert / treat Day 14: Ugly sweaters VS Christmas pajamas Day 15: Favorite holiday event / tradition Day 16: Snow / snowflakes Day 17: Outdoor Christmas decorations Day 18: Favorite Christmas song / carol Day 19: Winter fashion Day 20: Home for the holidays VS Holiday traveling Day 21: Santa Claus VS Krampus Day 22: Favorite Christmas themed character Day 23: Surprise a friend with a stimboard based off them, their blog, or something they love to spread the Christmas cheer! Day 24: Favorite Christmas movie Day 25: Christmas feast

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[toweringclam]

It's a problem of the climate it exists in more than the scene itself, IMO. As far as a scene like that goes, it's basically as good as it can be. However, it fits into a real and unfortunate trend in the industry where a lot of manga and anime will have a SA scene in the first episode. Most of them have the girl being rescued by a male character, are shot as fanservice, and are never really referenced again. Dandadan breaks all those trends and more by having Momo rescue herself, the camera not leering at her body, and violence against (and the wrath of) women being a major recurring theme of the series.

But it still has that scene, and a lot of people won't be willing to look past it. It's like how Bayonetta didn't really get a fair shake from critics until the video industry moved away from treating overly sexualized women as a default. Bayonetta 1 and 2 are some of my favorite games of all time and literally changed my life, and Dandadan is my absolute favorite anime in years. This is not a criticism of the show itself, rather the industry surrounding it.

The virtue signaling around Dandadan isn't just annoying as hell, it's also really weird.

Like, is this your first day on earth encountering manga and anime?

You just now decided to notice that it can get real weird? What, it entered your periphery because it's trending and popular (deservedly so) so now you wanna look good for pointing out the teenagers in underwear? Jumping on a bandwagon?

The underwear isn't even framed in a sexual way; and it happens to the ladies a total of twice in the manga (as of chapter 130+) and the rest falls on poor Okarun and sometimes Jiji.

The first episode is meant to stir up discomfort and fear; the tension eases when Okarun manifests through Momo's cell phone, then the catharsis of Momo unlocking her powers and unloading whoopass on the Serpos.

The second time is Momo's practical approach to a fight for their lives. The moment the relief passes between Momo and Okarun that they won and survived, most of the detail in how they're drawn fades out to become caricatures that comically sprint through the school screaming in embarrassment.

Show me one canon image of Momo, Aira, Vamola or Prez posing suggestively (they only stance for combat and aura, prove me wrong) and I'll consider the conversation.

Otherwise, please shut up.

[flying-ham]

criminal that there’s no new years episode of it’s always sunny

[actuallyjustabiscuit]

PART EIGHT

Listen. Listen. Listen.

I will go over everything between Kinger and Pomni’s convo in Hell in a more in depth analysis, amongst other significant things that happen in the episode.

But before all that, these are the last little bits that I just wanted to mention.

Again, lighting is hella (lol) dark, but I’m in love with this extreme wide shot view of Kinger and Pomni staring into the hallway of the damned because it’s very similar to this shot with Pomni and Gummigoo in ep 2 when they were stuck under the map👇🏽

Both scenes make the characters look so small.

And, incidentally, both locations happen to be “underground”!

These are quite literally the low points of the episodes, and in both instances the characters experiencing emotional turmoil are able to resurface with newfound hope from the help of a friend.

It really drives home Kinger’s point about how their current existence may seem pointless, but having people who care about you can mean a lot.

These characters are trapped in this massive virtual world with so little control over their lives, yet they can still find comfort in each other.

We know this is physically painful for Pomni.

We know because she tells us right at the beginning.

Anyone who has ever held their breath for a long time, either while swimming underwater, avoiding noxious fumes, or just for kicks, understand that when your body is screaming to take a much needed breath your brain is instilled with the fear of suffocation if you continue to deprive yourself of oxygen. Ya know that thing people normally need to live.

However, we also know that, because the player’s digital bodies aren’t real, that fear is now rendered unwarranted. Pomni has been told that she should have no fear of death if she doesn’t take a breath, yet she still feels it, because she is still afraid of it.

Now of course this is much easier said than done, but it is what ultimately helps Pomni in the end. And it’s done almost accidentally because just as Pomni is beginning to feel the fear of suffocating…Kinger starts to glow, and as a result creates a sort of distraction for her to make it through the hallway. She is no longer thinking about how she should be afraid of dying. Kinger, just by walking through "hell" with her, helped her become a little braver.

It’s not only visually beautiful, it’s also thematically heartwarming.

This overhead shot of Pomni approaching Ragatha is so funny to me cuz it feels so unnecessary.

We already know she smol, the angle here is almost rubbing it in!

Look at this loser. Absolutely enamored with this girl finally giving her positive attention.

Meanwhile Jax’s literally stuck in the background watching this sapphic saccharine scene playing out against his will thinking

[whitesunlars]

if we get a happy ending next tuesday lovely runner will have become my favorite kdrama

[carefulfears]

the biggest thing about elegy is that it takes all of that unspoken isolation of this arc, and it slowly lets the audience in. the first thing that mulder says about the apparitions, is that they seem to be an "omen." an impending prophecy. and carefully, throughout the episode, both the audience and scully are waiting to see, not who the killer is, but what is being foretold. when they're going over records, and scully's nose starts bleeding, it's the one thing that they can't ignore. she wasn't even there in the previous episode. she was in the hospital. alone. they don't talk about it. she's "fine." she has "always been the strong one." just like in irresistible, years earlier, she does not want him to know how much she is struggling. but she doesn't have any control. it is dripping out of her. the sound of his voice when he says "oh, scully." and how quickly she responds "it's okay. i'm fine."

it's that kind of childlike grimace in him, the same man who flinches away from dead bodies and stares at the ground before his father. and she's so fast to try to restore order. it's okay. i'm fine. don't worry, i'll clean it up. i'll make it go away. when she disappears into the bathroom and sees an apparition there herself...i think she decides to go to the hospital because she just needs space, honestly. she's scared. he offers to drive her, to go with her, twice. asks, "you sure?" and she says, twice, "i'm fine."

elegy builds to two separate climaxes: the first, when mulder comes to scully's apartment. but before that, we see scully in karen kosseff's office, the same therapist that she had gone to in irresistible, and presumably has kept a relationship with in the years since. she tells karen that she's been diagnosed with inoperable untreatable cancer, and when karen asks, "you've kept working?" she answers, "yes. it's been important to me."

she's taken aback when karen asks why, is surprised at the question, and tells her "agent mulder has been concerned. he's been supportive, through this time."

KOSSEFF: Do you feel that you owe it to him to continue working?

SCULLY: (quickly) No. (pauses) I guess I never realized how much I rely on him before this...his passion...he's been a great source of strength that I've drawn on.

KOSSEFF: What happened last night, Dana?

SCULLY: I saw something. I, I don't know what to trust. If I saw it because of the stress, because the image had been suggested to me or if it was a suggestion of my own fears.

KOSSEFF: Your fear of failing him?

SCULLY: (exhales emotionally) Maybe.

this is such a rare admission from scully. first of all, she's being confronted. this is not normal. it is not normal to work to your death. it's like bill tells her, a couple of episodes later, "what are you doing at work, getting knocked down, beaten up? what are you trying to prove?"

(she hadn't even told bill about her cancer. she'd been sick for months. she thought she was going to die in memento mori, she knows she's going to die sooner than later. and she instructed her mom not to tell her brother. from the moment that mulder said "i refuse to believe that," it really was only going to go one way.)

she's being confronted. why are you working? (for mulder). do you feel you owe him? (no, i need him).

she's really alone. she's sick. like, she's really sick. she spent the last case in the hospital. she's having a hard time keeping up. she's thinning, and bleeding, and struggling. but there she goes, every day, at every hour. monster chasing. telling him she's fine.

(so much conflict comes from the way that mulder's ignorance perfectly enables scully's repression)

when he shows up, late, at her apartment, he comes in a mile-a-minute, about how he needs her "help" on the case, before asking her what her doctor said. (her answer, of course, being, "i'm fine.")

he tells her that everyone who has seen an apparition, was dying. every person who reported a premonition, was near death themselves.

SCULLY: Harold Spuller is dying too?

MULDER: Well, that's what I need your medical opinion on.

SCULLY: Well, what if he isn't?

MULDER: I would be very surprised. What is a death omen if not a vision of our own mortality? And who among us would most likely be able to see the dead? 

this is one of the most hauntingly isolating moments of the series...he has just told her that she is going to die. and he doesn't know, that that's what he said. she is forced to process it, completely by herself. and she doesn't believe in ghosts, or "premonitions," but she knows that he is right. (when is he not?)

("maybe harold is sicker than we thought he was.")

the second moment that this episode builds to, is the final confrontation between mulder and scully. after the murder is solved. after harold dies.

SCULLY: I saw something, Mulder.

MULDER: What?

SCULLY: The fourth victim. I saw her in the bathroom before you came to tell me.

MULDER: Why didn't you tell me?

SCULLY: Because I didn't want to believe it. Because I don't want to believe it.

MULDER: Is that why you came down here, to prove that it wasn't true?

SCULLY: No, I came down here because you asked me to.

MULDER: Why can't you be honest with me?

SCULLY: (defensively) What do you want me to say? That you're right, that, that I believe it even if I don't? I mean, is that what you want?

MULDER: Is that what you think I want to hear?

SCULLY: (softly) No.

they come really...close here? to talking about it? she almost baits him several times this season. she spends so much of this arc thinking...maybe, this will be it. maybe if she fucks off on assignment, gets a tattoo with another man, he'll say it. maybe if she calls him out for never celebrating her birthday, he'll acknowledge why this is the year he did. maybe if they spend a friday night with a bottle of wine, they'll talk. maybe if she tells him, those things you believe are death omens? i saw it. he'll know.

i can't remember which one of you said that all of their arguments are just how to love each other. she doesn't want to believe. but she's there, because he has asked her to be. even in all of their repressed denial, there is no escaping what's happening. it hangs over both of them.

i love the moments in this arc where she just snaps. in this scene when she says, what do you want from me? do you want me to just believe you? and her quiet resignation, when he makes her answer her own question. no. she knows that's not what he wants.

MULDER: (his voice softens) I know what you're afraid of. I'm afraid of the same thing.

SCULLY: The doctor said I was fine.

MULDER: I hope that's the truth.

SCULLY: (whispers) I'm going home.

"i know what you're afraid of. i'm afraid of the same thing."

except, no, he doesn't. and no, they are not.

but she knows what he's afraid of, just as her therapist had known what she's afraid of ("your fear of failing him?") and so she dodges his admittance with reassurance. she's fine.

that last scene, when she goes out and cries in her car, and she sees harold's ghost in the backseat. she is so alone. she's working on her deathbed. they don't talk about it. she's afraid, and she's not fine, and she is going to "fail" him because she cannot keep herself alive for him, and she can't avoid it. it's in the backseat. it's in the bathroom mirror. it's bleeding out of her.

[llilli64]

My sister fullfilled my whim and made me a bluey duck cake that looks like giorno for my bday!!✧⁠\⁠(⁠>⁠o⁠<⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠✧

[123countwithme]

Imagination Movers anyone?

[sheriffofmagic]

HARVEY GUILLEN FROM WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS WAS ON UM ACTUALLY

WASNT HE ADORABLE? i think dropout should keep putting him in situations

[itwoodbeprefect]

i don't have a point here except ???, but i realized today that starsky & hutch episode the psychic a) was written by micheal mann of (among many other things) classic crime thriller heat fame, and b) contains a baffling amount of (references to) crossdressing. it's one of the two episodes that opens with starsky and hutch chasing a guy in a dress (which gives us the "well i don't know, you('d) look rather nice in basic black and pearls" starsky-to-hutch line), later on they interrupt a robbery being committed by ANOTHER guy in a dress (and grey wig, posing as an old lady - presumably with the intent to disguise his identity rather than express some part of it, but who knows), and THEN they meet a hot lady mechanic who among many fast lines says to starsky "i'm really a basketball player in drag. whatever turns you on, honey" (interestingly timely, considering starsky's earlier comment about hutch). and finally, not entirely related but also not unrelated, there's these people at a laundromat hutch hits up on his mad phone chase at the end of the episode:

so yeah. ???.

[princess-earthquake-the-third]

I think I'm going to become a Disney adult but like with ojamajo doremi.

[imminent-danger-came]

Unhinged Anon again, and thank you for the meme! I love that you went through the extra effort to add Macaque's jacked-up eye lol.  

But also, your response has me straying ever closer to the brink of insanity, because now I can’t stop thinking about how MK and Macaque in S2E7 kind of parallel Azure and MK in S4E13-14.

It’s not a perfect parallel, of course, but… 

A character who really, really wants to be a hero and help others ends up isolating themself from the people who care about them most and hurting/endangering those dearest to them, as well as the world in general, as they pursue more power (MK in S2E6-7, Azure in S4E12-14). A ‘hero’ who doesn’t realize their slowly becoming someone that, if they were to look at themselves from the outside, they would never call a hero. 

Another character, who is technically their enemy but doesn't really want the ‘hero’ to go down a self-destructive path and sees their genuine desire to do good, throwing every ounce of flawed reasoning and self reassurance the ‘hero’ has ever tried to use right back in their face. Pointing out every hypocrisy, every step taken towards becoming something, everything, the ‘hero’ doesn’t want to be. 

A ‘hero’ getting a reality check in the form of an ass beating from someone significantly stronger than them while said stronger being points out the mistakes the ‘hero’ doesn't realize they’re making. And this ass beating happens while the ‘hero’ is completely separated from their friends, alone with nobody but their enemy. *slowly rotates “It’s scary being alone” around in my head*

“In the darkness, the Warrior was forgotten by the Hero''. All of the isolating MK does in S2E6-7, unintentionally leaving his friends alone and vulnerable to the kidnapping vs S4E13 Azure nearly hitting Yellowtusk with the scroll while attacking MK and SWK. Bonus points for the snack area MK goes to having much better lighting and being above the theater where he leaves his friends, and Azure being well lit from his place high in the sky while Yellowtusk is on the ground and shaded by the forest. Bonus bonus points for an ‘enemy’ being the one to save the ‘hero’s friends, not the ‘hero’ himself. Macaque’s the one that broke the lamp and Tang had to shield Yellowtusk from Azure’s barrage. 

And don't even get me started on how Wukong fits into all this.

Anyways, something something “The second the hero got real power, he couldn’t care less about his friends. That’s you bud” something something “Come on, Unkie Lion. You’re the big hero, right? Then prove it” something something the parallels between MK and Macaque are driving me insane, and I’m starting to realize that Shadow Play might be my favorite S2 episode. Anyways, hope you’re having a wonderful day! *waves from the precipice of madness*

DELICIOUS ANALYSIS THANK YOU UNHINGED ANON. Always a pleasure to see you here in my ask box!

So with Tang being the one to save Yellowtusk in 4x13 and Macaque being the one to save Mei, Pigsy, and Tang in 2x07, there's also the Lady Bone Demon being the one to save Macaque from death—rather than Wukong, whose whole motivation for power was to protect the people he cares about. The delicious irony.

We can even take this another step further and point to the Embrace Your Destiny special, where Wukong leaves MK and then gets possessed. Possessed Wukong then hurts MK and Macaque is the one who has to save him. Look at this parallel here for more fun!

[lou-syd]

Watched Wonder Egg Priority over two years late in typical me fashion and went into it blind so imagine my surprise...

That was real bad in ways that I'd have to make a whole separate post for but anyway this is my daughter

[mybrainproblems]

i just think that we should recognize that outside of the nepotism hires, pretty much every writer on spn was at worst competent and that occasionally some of them even reached for the transcendental. (and honestly even the nepotism hires had some flashes of brilliance tho mostly on a dialogue or scene basis rather than episode or plot basis.)

at least for me, the points where spn memorably has egg on its face and is at its worst is when it's being racist or sexist. like i can suspend disbelief on the occasional plot hole or jump, moments where characters are a bit ooc to move the plot along. but the unforgivable stuff to me are episodes like there will be blood or man's best friend with benefits or the bad place. the treatment of characters like bela and jo in early seasons, the way it waffles on monsters and whether they are universally evil. the way spn frames hunters positively in light of american exceptionalism and libertarianism.

like just. idk. saying spn is poorly written and only the fans get it just feels weird. i believe in death of the author, i believe in the power of transformative fiction... but whether you're writing meta or fic or shitposts, you're still playing in someone else's sandbox. and if it was a crappy sandbox, you wouldn't enjoy playing in it. (not to mention the lack of media literacy where ppl call every single callback just reusing plot lines rather than them being, yanno, narrative parallels.) there are absolutely points where they were reusing and retreading things and it tended to be with beloved characters like crowley where they kinda dead-ended but wanted to keep him around as a more central character without having much for him to do.

there are absolutely points where there is bad writing or they reach for something that is more complex than a cw show is really allowed to be without losing its core audience and then they can't follow through. but all in all? there's a hell of a lot more good than bad.