#sorry for all this lol this discourse Really drives me up the wall and i hate to see all the bad takes gain in popularity

[joligarcon]

i think that a lot of the discourse re: pronouns ("it's bad to ask for someone's pronouns but it's also bad to use they/them as a default" and so on) comes from an insecurity that binary trans people who are gender-conforming (by this i mean binary trans women who have a very feminine gender presentation and binary trans men with a very masculine one) in that they think if someone asks what their pronouns are, even in good faith, it means theyre not "passing" and that its just a polite version of the ol "are you a boy or a girl" and i totally see where these people are coming from because i feel this insecurity too but my honest opinion, and im sorry if this harsh, is that we need to get over ourselves and understand that many people ask us that question in genuine good faith, or default to they/them, simply because they know better than to assume what our gender is based on our appearance lol. hot take but ive been working on alleviating my dysphoria in ways that dont involve upholding the gender binary or cisnormative ideas such as the one according to which a persons gender always correlates to their gender presentation 100% of the time, and i think yall should too lol. it baffles me to see posts from other trans people, with hundreds of other trans people in the notes agreeing with the op, saying that if someone chooses to be very feminine its because theyre "clearly trying to communicate that theyre a girl" like where the fuck did we go wrong as a community that weve ended up upholding the very gender essentialist bullshit ideas weve been trying to combat for ages. no im not going to address every single nuance of this topic right now because this post is already super long and convulated as hell im sorry please dont yell at me. but one thing i will say is if youre going to ask about peoples pronouns dont just single out the one person whose gender is ambiguous to you because that feels shady and not unlike the "are you a boy or a girl" shit i mentioned earlier

[lemonhemlock]

also sorry to ship discourse on your account, please protect your peace and no one get mad at miss lemon for this!!! all opinions my own!!! but addressing prev anon: the difference is helaemond was always disliked by TG as a whole, but early on they didn’t really push helaegon b/c of how aegon was done in s1. so the argument against helaemond was it would give TB “propaganda” b/c it makes TG hypocrites (as if coveting your sister is assigned to one color team). but as this new, whitewashed concept of hotd!aegon began to gain popularity, helaegon became more popular as a “correct” ship b/c it’s canon. like you said, neither of these ships get much air time. there is no development or characterization given to these dynamics. but people liked both helaena and aemond as characters and thought that would be interesting to explore, so the ship seemed popular to the very intense TG stans. the “problem” is most helaemond shippers also love helaegon, but mono helaegon shippers tend to hate helaemond and view that as a ship war. so anon is right and wrong; the helaemond vs helaegon aspect is more recent, but helaemond has always been public enemy #1

to end on a normal note, i thought it was very sweet both phia and ewan seemed excited people liked helaemond! it’s always kind of a gamble when actors find out about noncanon ships but they both spoke about it kindly and it came across like they were glad the audience picked up on some choices. i loved the interviews with all 3 of them, they all worked so well together and it was fun to see their different interactions!

thank you for your kind message, anon! 🙏 it seems like we're just going to have to live with this animosity for the rest of the show's duration, aren't we? 🙂‍↕️ i definitely remember the discourse and the factionalism

and i think you kind of nailed it because there are certainly enough helaemonds that DO like aegon too (i = one among many, he's my no1 boy forever), but mono helaegon shippers started to branch out against helaemonds because of the ridiculous tb propaganda argument. and they didn't even do it bc they disliked the character of aemond or thought he was not fit for helaena, but bc they were either pissy or had some notions in their heads about "hypocrisy" (LOL) or moral purity in regards to helaena. well how do they like them apples now?? 😂 after the writers spent so many episodes hammering on the concept on green hypocrisy (justified or not)

also agree on the ewan-phia reactions! i hope some scenes of them survived and we can enjoy the subtextual helaemondism they intentionally infused. i'm lowkey amused at how all the actors seem to have no problem with wacky targcest combinations bc they understand it's all FICTION and meant for ENTERTAINMENT, not for a sunday sermon at the church of righteous fandom

that being said, both ships will survive and be FINE. the fandom has enough resources to play with and create their own content, even if the three of them never interact again. i like BOTH and i stan BOTH, even if aemond's writing has been really frustrating for me this season. it must have been his turn or something, since last season aegon's writing was driving me up the wall and s2 has been much better in that regard. maybe in s3 we'll get more balanced writing for both of them at the same time 🍏

[gubler-garbage]

Dude you don’t know how cathartic it is to read your thoughts on the shipping culture in always sunny. Whenever I get into a piece of media for the first time my go-to move to get content about it is to go on tumblr, and when I did that for iasip I genuinely thought I was going crazy. Seeing the sheer amount of shipping posts made in complete sincerity made me wonder if I was missing something? So I suspended my disbelief thinking maybe some crazy shit happened in the seasons I hadn’t seen yet, but lo and behold that’s not the case lmao. Also this is a way smaller thing to complain about but the fandom’s intense focus on Mac and Dennis (on tumblr at least) makes it so there’s way less content for Charlie (that’s how it feels to me, but maybe I’m wrong) which bums me out. Anyway, sorry for the long ask, I just wanted you to know that someone did read your long post and appreciated it a lot.

thanks you so much!! It's been really lovely hearing from y'all. I don't want to come off too critical of the fandom because generally speaking and having been on this garbage site for almost 10 years, the people in this fandom are kind and respectful towards each other with very little vicious or angry discourse and even if I don't agree with quite a few takes, I do enjoy reading what everyone thinks because a lot of y'all have really thoughtful critiques of the show and its creators. It's really just the really hardcore shippy side of the fandom that puts me off a bit. I don't have any problem with shipping or anything, macden is a ton of toxic fun but I definitely agree with you that the way people talk about them as if its not just a ship but a foregone canon conclusion is quite strange honestly. Like I think it would be a really interesting direction for the show but the way people talk about them seems like a incredible reach and a recipe for intense disappointment. I feel like its a more common thing now that people aren't just content with shipping something, they need it to be canon. There is no such thing as a "correct" interpretation of art, interpretations can be ill informed, ignorant etc but it isn't "wrong" and trying to impose your interpretation on others is really just obnoxious. Imo half the fun of shipping is exploring the dynamics of characters that would never be addressed in the show or expanding on different plots or characters that you think are interesting but never really made it to being a large part of the show or movie or whatever. I just personally don't understand this attachment to something being made explicitly canon (but obviously when I say that I'm not referring to queerbaiting and the like from shows like supernatural, I definitely understand where people are coming from with that, like I was a Richonne stan in twd fandom lol). I have seen people try and make the "queerbaiting" argument for sunny and that one really gets me goin like absolutely livid like some of you really love to try and co-opt serious issues of representation for your dumbass shipping discourse, it drives me up a god damn wall. It's really transparent when there is so so (cannot be over expressed) so god damn much to criticise about sunny but (and of course this is only my personal opinion but I feel like it's a pretty solid consensus) the way Mac's sexuality and coming out was treated (in the latter half of the show once the decision was actually made to take that path with his character) was with the utmost reverence and respect that it deserved. Of all the misteps made by sunny Mac's coming out and acceptance is absolutely not one of them. Personally I feel Mac is one of the most important pieces of representation currently on tv and the idea that out of the incredibly long list of criticisms for the show some of the fandom have decided "queer-baiting" is the primary issue is unbelievable to me. Like first of all the fundamental misunderstanding of what the term even means is endlessly frustrating but also reeks of that Community meme "I can excuse racism but I draw the line at my gay ship not being canon". It's petty and childish and devalues all of the very important discussion to be had surrounding representations of queer characters.

I'm so sorry, I got so off track on this one gang. One last thing I really have absolutely no problem with the popularity of macden, they're a real fun ship and people are free to post whatever they please. Personally I love my sweet baby rat boy charlie and wanted to see more of him so I jumped headfirst into that brainrot and made the content myself lol.

Just really wanna reiterate cos I feel like I might come off a bit aggressive in this, I love you macdens y'all are making super cool content and amazing art and if that's the direction the show ends up going I'll be more than happy! All fandoms have some bad takes goin on, thats half the fun lol.

[pinkysfaultorbrainsfault]

animaniacs - s1e60: the cranial crusader

sorry this one’s late! i went out tonight. it was nice. uvu

episode summary: after realising that the superhero they apparently live with has just one guy left to take down, the mice don capes and masks in the hope that getting there first will gain them noteriety.

the rundown:

we open on a shot of Mouse Car.

according to the narration it’s an opossum car, actually. never mind! rodents are of course interchangeable. opossum car is owned by the caped opossum, who seems to be doing some cool shit with it.

yeet.

thankfully, despite his track record with dangerous driving, the caped opossum makes it home safely, it seems.

good for him.

“chalk up another caped opossum law enforcement victory, alphonse.” obviously, yes, he’s supposed to be batman, but he’s less batman and more a man who’s been smoking 70 a day for longer than i have been alive.

good thing alphonse doesn’t seem to mind! if we’re going full batman here he probably raised the dude, so i can only assume his chainsmoking habits were encouraged.

“astounding, sir. remote?

“thanks.”

as the caped oppossum trundles off to “see if he’s made the eleven o clock news”-- oh? is that a grumpy boy we see in the background?

oh, that is an extra grumpy boy, today. something about superheroes must piss him off. either that, or AKOM got hold of this one.

brain pauses his seething temporarily to devote his attention to pinky, who is narfing quite happily to himself.

“what spectacular adventure awaits the caped opossum in his next issue?”

“grow up, pinky.”

the boys are fighting ):

brain’s in a bad mood today, apparently. as the two of them bicker over whether the opossum is a “crime fighting genius” (pinky) or “a self obsessed, nocturnal loon with a dreadful fashion sense” (brain) the aforementioned object of their discourse is watching the news.

it’s captivating enough for the mice to stop mid-callout post, anyway. i’m so sorry this is the only frame i could get of pinky. flashdance.

“tonight, the caped opossum’s calling card was found again, making a near perfect record for the masked marsupial.”

“except for!” oh god it’s this horrifying lady again. “arch fiend johnny badnote.”

(me: what would you do if i changed my name to johnny badnote? my boyfriend: scream.)

“that cursed johnny badnote! he’s the only thing standing between me and true superhero fame.”

and then he starts to cry and has to be taken away by alphonse.

to that, brain makes a funny face. i’m not sure why.

“are you pondering what i’m pondering?”

“i think so, brain, but i can’t memorise a whole opera in yiddish.”

okay.

as brain picks the lock on their cage-- actually, as brain does that i need to tell you that for some reason there are horrifying squelching noises at this part. i have no idea why. it’s like there’s a portal in there leading to a pasta bake. be thankful you can’t hear them from here. it’s incredibly visceral.

but anyway, no, as he squishes around in there, he explains to pinky that he shall “become a costumed, crime fighting hero, and thwart johnny badnote, overshadowing the caped opossum.” and then he’ll be so famous he’ll be elected, like, world president or something, immediately.

worked for batman. so anyway they go off and do that i guess.

TAADAAAAAA.

MOUSE IN SHORTS. MOUSE IN SHORTS. pinky actually looks sick as hell. i love it. i’m sure i went to class dressed like this once or twice. what an icon! hell yeah! the pink wonder is ready for action!!!

brain has put an awful lot of effort into padding out his muscles, and none at all into wearing any trousers.

hm.

undeterred by the possibility of Embarrassing Slip, the Cranial Crusader (which is his new name now) (better than the john, i guess) shows off his own calling card, which is basically just art theft.

not particularly original. still, they have shit to do, so they go off and steal mr opossum’s car.

which is a crime in itself, but they’re not going to let that stop them.

somehow, brain magically knows where johnny badnote’s hideout is. how? i can’t say. maybe he left his details at the Secret Club For People Named John B that they both go to.

“too bad we can’t use the power possum’s prehensile tail hook to lower ourselves down.” says pinky, who is in the middle of drawing The Caped Crusader Comic Book.

“why, who says we can’t?”

so they do.

good thing there’s no danger in dangling precariously over the edge of a cliff like that.

ah! wait, no, the train says you can’t. sorry, brain.

oof.

the mice are fine, don’t worry. pinky is immune to damage and brain had an albinistic edition of the yellow pages to break his fall.

look at his FEETS.

but that aside. the mice are undeterred, and pinky suggests they use the “power sniffer” to sniff out johnny badnote’s lair, and pushes a bunch of buttons to make that happen.

“you seem to know much of the crimefighter business, pinky.”

“i learnt everything from comic books.”

et voila! the power sniffer!

seems to be in working order. “egad!” yells pinky, “it must really smell something stinky!” before immediately crashing into the wall.

lol.

conclusion:

so it... doesn’t actually take them that long to identify that they’ve crashed right into johnny badnote’s lair.

regular bard, this dude. brain mentions that “thwarting the arch-twerp johnny badnote should be child’s play,”

before they get squoshed by a piano. hee hee.

“if that’s not a song cue,” says the adult progeny of the snow and heat misers, “my name isn’t johnny badnote!” and his name is johnny badnote, so you can tell it’s-- it’s the-- never mind.

he cradles the mice so gently in his palm, and tells them enthusiatically that he’s going to blow up the world.

OH I’M JOHNNY BADNOTE ARCHFIEND FELON SLIME

THE PUBLIC DIDN’T LIKE MY SONGS AND SO I TURNED TO CRIME

i love this bastard. he ties the mice to this giant egg.

“when my metronome yanks out your firing pin, my music box egg grenade will play lovely music for a few, precious, seconds, before kaboom! it gives me your last downbeat!”

“you call that a diabolical plan?” says brain, who is pictured near the bottom there. he’s the tiny white blob.

“oh, there’s more. when i hear that downbeat, i’ll play my missile launching pipe organ and blow up the wooooorld!”

man, i love this guy! why doesn’t he come back? i want him in every episode of the reboot.

“is that diabolical enough?”

“yes.”

but! as johnny badnote prepares himself to play the Johnny Bad Notes, he, uh.

he forgets they’re mice, and they can just... wriggle out.

with a triumphant “narf”, pinky rescues his beloved comic book,

and manages to yeet the grenade in the process.

oops.

still, never mind. nothing bad could come of that. brain leaves his Art Theft Calling Card.

“pinky, let’s get out of here.”

“hey, what’s keeping that downbeat?”

well, job done, i suppose. satisfied, the mice head back to the... possum cave? i guess?

but oh wait, what’s this?

you have got to be kidding me.

still, the imperceptively convenient inkblots do their job, and the mice get the bad news a little later, from the weird, weird looking woman from earlier.

“in other news tonight, johnny badnote was finally captured by a masterful crime fighter and great hero--”

“the caped oppossum.”

well.

that’s... that, i guess.

brain turns off the tv. his facial features seem to have shrunk in righteous rage.

brain: 3 ½ pinky: 5 ½ outside influence: 7

“minature crimefighters??? i’ve got to get out more.”

[shirtlesssammy]

15x07: Last Call

Then:

In case you forgot, Dean and Cas are  f i g h t i n g. 

Now:

Texhoma, Texas

It’s bar time at a lonely little dive bar and two friends are stumbling to their car. Well, one is helping the other. Sally needs to vomit and runs to the bushes. Her friend, Angela, gets in the car instead of holding her hair back. I’m side eyeing your level of friendship here, ladies. Sally turns around from her puke-athon to find Angela and car gone. 

Cut to Angela tied to a chair in a basement. There’s a line slowly draining blood from her arm --and a monster feeding on it behind a door!

At the bunker, Dean continues his nihilistic spiral by drinking all the beer in his room and surfing the internet for cases. He finds one!

Cut to Dean wandering into the kitchen where a very cozy Sam and Eileen are making all the breakfasts. 

Dean knows when he’s a third wheel and decides to check out the case on his own. Sam and Eileen are living their best lives. He doesn’t want to get in the way.

Dean arrives at the Texhoma sheriff’s office and meets Sheriff Dillon. He asks about the disappearance of Angela. The sheriff isn’t convinced she’s gone. Her car went with her. He suggests that maybe she ran away to LA. Kids do that. They usually return within the week. He boasts that he stayed for a month. 

Ok, I can’t recap this with a straight (*wink*) face anymore. WHAT THE WHAT was happening here? There is SO much staring and awkwardness. I loved it but also wanted to hide under a rock. 

In any event, the sheriff admits that Angela’s friend has issues that usually keeps her at Swayze’s Bar 24/7. Before Dean can head out though, the sheriff tells Dean that he could go to LA and look for Angela. He could give showbiz a try himself. Cue camera zoom and, “You’ve got the look.” 

Dean    is    confused. 

That night Dean arrives at Swayze’s Bar. Dancing, drinking, and live music greet him. Also, a flirty waitress asks for his phone. This is a No Phones Allowed bar (guns are ok #AmericaYouAreTheWorst  -and what’s even worse? As an American, I didn’t think twice about this line until international fans vomited on Twitter. Sigh.) Dean, who’s currently on a case, just drops it in the basket. I guess he won’t be calling Sam if he needs anything. He asks about the friend, Sally. The waitress, Lorna, hasn’t seen her yet. She does slap Dean’s ass as she walks away though. Sigh. <Insert discourse on all the times Dean’s been sexually assaulted and harassed throughout the years.> He turns around to watch the waitress walk away when he notices the lead singer of the band. 

“Lee Webb.”

They’re old friends and ecstatic to see each other. Lee owns the bar. I wonder if they watched Swayze movies together in their youth?

Back at the bunker, things are snoozeville in Research Land. Eileen suggests they stop to do something fun. ooooOOOOOooooo. Sultry looks and awkward glances ensue. Sam takes her hand, she looks expectantly towards him, he leans forward, and...CAS INTERRUPTS! Bless the angel and his timing. Sam deserves it after 12 years of doing it to Cas and Dean. Cas and Eileen meet. Yay! 

*Classic SPN Dialog Alert*

Cas: I thought your were…

Eileen: Dead? Yeah, I got...better. 

Then Cas asks the important question in life: “Where’s Dean?” Lol, you two are divorced, remember? Anyway, Cas comes with ideas. He thinks that Sam and God are connected through their wound. 

At the bar, Dean tells Lee that John died 13 years ago. Damn, when you put it like that, it’s overwhelming to think about how much of their lives we’ve watched. Lee’s sorry to hear it. They toast to his memory. They talk about the last time they saw each other. (A cult thing in Arizona.) Lee did one more case and hung up his hunter spurs. Dean asks if he regrets walking away. Nope. 

At the bunker, Cas is going to probe Sam. Well, his wound really. Cas does his angel magic and that leads to Sam getting tossed against the wall. Ooops. 

Cas calls and leaves a message with Dean (on all his many, many phones it seems.) Cas growling directly into the phone is all kinds of wonderful. 

Dean’s busy reminiscing about orgies Lee and him had with triples. Yeah, they split triplets up “fair and square.” Um? <Insert lady doing complicated math gif here>

Cut to Sergei. Remember him? He sold Cas “archangel” grace back in the day. Cas needs his help. Cas goes all BAMF on him and we collectively swoon. Cas also makes another phone call. 

For Hand Porn Science:

At the bar, Dean tells Lee all about Ghost Sickness (ah, that very funny episode, until it wasn’t. Andrew Dabb’s first episode. Lilith makes an appearance.) Lee asks about his current case. Dean shows him a picture of Angela. Lorna sees it and is surprised Lee doesn’t recognize her. She’s in the bar all the time. WHERPS. Someone’s a lying liar. Anyway, the conversation moves on and Lee tells Dean he could have this life. (*crying Rocky’s Bar noise*) Dean wants to know who’ll kill the bad guys? “You deserve a break, bro.” Ok, fair. 

Lee then gets the band to play “Good Ol’ Boys” AND convinces Dean to join him on stage. Dean takes another shot and joins his friend. Dean’s on stage, but HE IS FREAKED OUT. Poor boy. He starts singing though. 

And he can sing?? Ok. I will accept. Because I have to. Why would he pretend to not be able to sing for all these years? I mean, I guess, why does Dean pretend to be something he’s not is the main question we have about this poor soul in general. 

A fight breaks out in the back - Blondie’s getting harassed. “Road house rules?” Dean asks, invoking our lord and savior, Swayze. Hell yeah. Dean and Lee make quick work of the bullies and Dean discovers that Blondie’s actually Sally Anderson, the best friend of the girl who disappeared. 

Cas lets Sergei into the bunker. Sergei is positively ENAMORED by the bunker and all the delightful treasures within. Cool your jets, man! “You’re here for a reason,” Cas growls. 

“Aren’t we all?” Sergei replies, and my eyebrows go WAY UP high in the air because that is some straight up authorial intent nonsense. They head in to the infirmary and Sergei uses a crystal to scan Sam like it’s a medical tricorder. Sam’s dying, according to Sergei. 

Sally spills the details, including the disappearance of the car. “You can’t rapture a car,” Lee protests. 

“It was a good car,” Sally tells him and I am definitely not now thinking about the Impala getting sucked up to her eternal rest in Heaven. Nope. Not thinking about that at all. 

Instead of Heaven, Lee suggests that the car may have gotten dumped in the lake. Lorna, who is probably a TRUE CRIME enthusiast, suggests the scrapyard, though. Dean marks that as his first stop. 

Sergei delivers some truth about Sam’s wound. It’s a soul-deep wound and connects his soul to something that wanders the world. When Castiel probed it, Sam’s soul was squeezed out of his body. Please be like me, and envision Sam’s soul as the toothpaste in a half used toothpaste tube squeezed by Castiel’s fist. If Sam’s soul wanders too far, he dies. Or, as in my analogy, the toothpaste tube of the soul explodes. Soul toothpaste everywhere!

In the junkyard, Dean discovers the victim’s car and more appallingly, her body hidden in the trunk. A gun is cocked behind him. It’s Lee! He knocks Dean out cold. 

Sergei smears a potion on Sam’s wound. Sam begins to thrash violently while Sergei chortles to Cas about deliberately hastening his death with his “cure.” Wherps. Shockingly, trusting the villain who cheerfully harmed Jack has backfired! Sam flashes on Chuck’s conversation with Amara - particularly on all the bits where they discuss Chuck’s current weakened state. While Sam flashes, Eileen drives Sergei into the wall and chokes off his airway. FANS SELF. 

Sergei demands the “Key to Death” in exchange for saving Sam’s life. It’s a key with a skeleton handle which can open the door to Death’s library. OKAY GUYS THIS IS NOT A DRILL I am very excited! First: a trip to the library! Second: it’s a SKELETON key, pardon me while I savor this pun with all I’m worth. Please, please can we visit Billie with a magic key? PLEASE????

Um. Anyway. Castiel isn’t taking any of Sergei’s bullshit. He pulls out his phone and shows a photo of Sergei’s niece, under surveillance by Bobby. At Castiel’s order, Bobby will kill her. This takes all the wind out of Sergei’s sails. 

Cut to Sergei chanting over Sam just before Sam wakes up, mostly intact. “We good?” Sergei asks. Sure! BFFs. 

Dean wakes up tied to a chair in a basement with an IV in his arm. “You awake, Buddy?” Lee asks, and isn’t that just an improper endearment to use at this time? Lee heads downstairs to deliver his villain monologue to Dean’s face. No sense in killing him while Dean was knocked out, right?!

Lee reveals that he had a very bad hunt that caused him to despair ever winning against the evil in the world. When he did his last hunt in this town, he found the monster who is now locked up in the cage in the bar’s basement. “As long as you feed it, it gives you money. It gives you health. It gives you anything you dreamed of.” Lee feels that the world owes him for his many monster kills from his younger days. The world isn’t divided into good or bad, nor does it care for anybody’s moral high ground. “But I do,” Dean says, and it’s like a rallying cry for our poor hot-dog-pantsed hero.

Lee releases the blood and it begins to travel up towards the monster’s cage. “Dean Winchester, the righter of wrongs. You’re gonna keep digging. You’re gonna figure me out.” Lee pats him on the shoulder one more time, bro-like, and heads up the stairs again. 

Dean sizes up the situation, rocks the chair and shatters it on the floor like he’s made out of granite, and pulls out the needle. It’s monster fightin’ time! 

Upstairs, Lee hears the commotion. It’s basically a lot of loud snarling and banging. Just a typical Friday night for Dean Winchester, amirite? Footsteps climb the stairs…and the monster’s head is thrown through the doorway.

They engage in a good ol’ fashioned shootout before confronting each other face-to-face. “I am you,” Lee tells Dean. But he’s a version that realized the world was broken and bought into it. 

“Then you fix it,” Dean insists. “You don’t walk away. You fight for it.” And, as it turns out, they fight for justice, I guess. They fight and Dean skewers Lee with a broken pool cue. 

“I’m glad it was you,” Lee says about his death which is twenty flavors of fucked up. Look, I know there’s all this meta about how this is Dean’s unrealistic fantasy and it shows him his true calling isn’t tending bar. That is all ABSOLUTELY accurate. But GUYS this also reads like another lesson from Chuck to poke Dean back into hunting and eventual fratricide again. Hot dog pants don’t kill people (EVEN THOUGH they straight up murdered fandom a few weeks ago). What parts of these episodes are meant to be Chuck and what are meant to be “free will”? I have no idea and I’ve never been more in love with this show!

!!!

Um. Anyway. 

Dean returns to the bunker. Castiel, just striding innocently through the war room, is ASSAULTED by Dean’s surprise presence. “Dean,” he says, so very softly. GAAAAAH. 

Dean asks after Sam. Castiel delivers the good news and can NOT maintain eye contact. WHEN WILL MY SUFFERING END? Castiel strides away and Dean follows him to check on Sam. 

Sam, bless this poor clueless bean, is ecstatic with his new knowledge from his near-death visions. He realizes he saw Chuck’s memories, and knows he is weak now. Sam’s ready to take the Team Free Will monster truck and just rollllll it right over Chuck. Easy peasy! 

________________________________

Gimme a Bro-Quote, Bro:

Duke? Like put up your dukes?!

I need a break and so do you. Why don’t we do something fun?

Livin’ the dream!

Can’t just keep lip syncing Eye of the Tiger while no one’s watching

You can’t rapture a car

Best friends don’t just leave without saying goodbye

I like this you, Castiel. It’s very…Russian

Good or bad. The world doesn’t care. No one cares, Dean.

________________________________

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[allondonboy]

you're my best friend so I would say I know a fair bit about u but I wanna know more, so have some asks: 3,12,14 (go on tell me what our apartment would look like lol), 16 (this could create discourse just fyi lmao),36,41,51, and 99

thank u for the questions friendo

3. what random objects do you use to bookmark your books?

so actually, none. i used to use proper bookmarks but i didn’t like how they’d make some of the pages bumpy/get crushed when i was transporting the book, then when i tried i think receipts?? bc that’s what my grandma did, the ink started rubbing off on the pages and it stressed me out so now i just memorise the page number/flick through the book to work out where i was

12. what’s your favourite planet?

ooh. hm. i think saturn bc rings!!!!!! but also jupiter bc the spot. and mars looks gorgeous from all the photos. i’ve always loved the idea of neptune just because of the name. but saturn most of all maybe. also saturn in holst’s planets is brutally fun

14. if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like?

many books. and bean bags to sit on while reading said books. tall bookcases with a sliding ladder that goes around the room like in one of those huge libraries. a kitchen not too disimilar to your parents’ actually (i really really like their kitchen) but with gas hobs bc electric hobs stress me out sorry, where the kitchen is big enough for dramatic singing (in socks so we slide around the floors) while cooking. an under the stairs cupboard turned den/reading cubby hole with a cat safe rocking chair. and so many cats! with like one of those runs for cats that goes around the tops of the walls so they can be high up and hang and inevitably fall off (and then pretend they didn’t). A BALL PIT. A HELTER-SKELTER. but the flat would still have all the eaves in the ceiling etc. and low ceilings and that really lovely old english cottage feel to it. a little balcony garden that gets the sun in the afternoon, with like reclining chairs for more reading. ooh a room like the room i stayed in at yours with the long beds (oh my gosh so comfy) with the tv. i feel like we’d end up with walls of photos and a handful of pride flags everywhere, surrounded by fairy lights. ooh it would be really cool to have a wall for like tickets for where we’ve travelled although you’d easily have more than me bc you’ve actually gone to places and all my tickets are like returns to london lol. also can we appreciate how clean our place would be?! please can we live together i’ll move to germany

16. what’s your favourite pasta dish?

lasagne. either traditional beef lasagne or the wild mushroom one that college did this term because that was incredible. or aubergine lasagne. idk what it is about lasagne but wow. goats cheese and spinach ravioli comes a close second, as long as it’s in tomato sauce and/or pesto, with enough pepper and sufficient parmesan

36. which band’s sound would fit your mood right now?

(mate. you know how i am with music.)

probably imagine dragons, but like evolve-time imagine dragons. 9 times out of 10 they always fit my mood tbh. smoke and mirrors used to be my revision music, then was my angry music, and evolve has very much been my music for this year. still not 100 % on their most recent album but i think i just need to listen to it more

or actually lifehouse, thinking about it. i need to relisten to their music too

41. what’s the last book you remember really, really loving?

Undivided: Coming Out, Becoming Whole, and Living Free from Shame, by Vicky Beeching

she’s a very well-known gay Christian songwriter-turned-activist (she had to stop writing/performing after coming out bc the world is shitty and very homophobic) and it’s her sort of autobiography and completely destroyed me in the best way when i read it back around christmas and i’m rereading it for the third time now and i still love it and i resonate so so much with it and she’s extraordinary

51. think of a person. what song do you associate with them?

you, and in a getaway car because it was your url when i properly discovered taylor swift and i think around the same time when i visited you last summer and we did a lot of driving in your car

99. list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them.

black tie - grace petrie

who am i - casting crowns

believer - imagine dragons

twenty-six summers - vicky beeching

glow - east of eli

everything - lifehouse

(...and now i’m off to make a playlist)

[henry-hart]

question time

I’m making my own post too bc I know it’s gonna get long. lolol

First off, thank you Lou for tagging me. :))))) You tagged most of my friends in your post, so I just have a few people to tag lol @sleepylilsnowflake @sunbeameyes (take your time Nikki <3) @shonashee @writing-excuses ***you all aren’t required to do this. just, if you want to :)))

I. Nickname?

(Fun fact: Em is my actual first name--like, it’s not a nickname or short for Emily or Emma. Just Em) my nicknames are all longer than my actual name, and I have a lot, but the ones my fam uses the most are Emmers, Ems, and Emmy.

II. Gender?

Female

III. Star sign?

Pisces

IV. Height?

I think I’m like 5′3″??? I’m not sure. It’s been awhile since I’ve been to the doctor or measured myself alkjslkjslk

V. Favorite feature?

Uhhhhh myyyyy.....ears? I guess??? Is that lame??? lolol They’re just small and I pierced them so many times, so my earrings look cool. I don’t know. I don’t really find any of my features good ashkjskajk

VI. Favorite color?

Yellow! It makes me happy!

VII. Favorite animal?

I have the hardest time answering this hhhhhh I love all animals, but I guess....it’s gonna have to beeeeeee......tigers? I love that they like to swim despite being in the feline fam, and they’re so beautiful. Sorry to all the other animals. I love you all equally.

VIII. Average hours spent sleeping?

lol wut is sleep???? Just kidding kind of. Well, it depends on the kind of day I’m having. I mean, I just woke up an hour ago, and it’s three in the afternoon ajskjsklj. So, sometimes it’s a classic 10+ hour depression nap, or it’s the “I can run on three hours of sleep no problem.” Hardly ever do I sleep a healthy 8 hours. :(

IX. Dogs or cats?

ugh another “choose an animal” question. I can’t. I love dogs and cats, and I have both.

X. Number of blankets you sleep with?

In the summer, just one so I don’t die of heat exhaustion, but in the winter, I use two.

XI. What’s your dream trip?

Honestly, I’d love to plan a trip to hit every continent (apart from Antarctica bc no) and just see all the major countries and cities and just experience all the cultures of the world. Places I’d look most forward to on that trip would be Australia, Spain, annnddd the Scandinavian countries as well as Iceland (unless that’s considered Scandinavian???) :)

XIV. How many followers do you have?

On this blog, I think I have 80? I’m not sure. I’m surprised I even have that many a;kljskljs Thank you all!

XV. How many pets do you have?

A cat, a dog, two fish, and a turtle--so five. 

XVI. Best places to visit in your town or country?

My town is sh*t, so there’s nothing “best” about it. As far as my country goes, I mean, where do you start? I’ve never been to most of these places, but probs the ever classic New York, Cali, Florida (I have been to FL, but not deep in the panhandle). I mean, they’re not really “talked about,” but I’d love to see Oregon and Washington.

XVII. Favorite ice cream flavor?

I’m in the 2% of people who actually like strawberry alkjslksj

XIX. Favorite study locations?

When I was in college, my dorm was on a little campus lake, so I’d take my studies out there bc it was really calming. I didn’t usually study in the library bc I couldn’t take the heavy feeling of desperation and stress and anxiety coming from everyone else in there.

XX. Favorite book series?

Uuuuuuuhhhhhhh this is a really hard question bc I’m ALWAYS reading. Hmmmmm maybe HP bc it’s one of the first series I completed??? 

(I don’t know if I was supposed to answer those questions, but here’s the second set lolol)

1. Favorite band/music group?

I am not good at making decisions like this. Maybe The Doors? Gotta love that classic psychedelic rock. RIP Jim Morrison. 

2. Favorite subject in school? 

I always loved English (duh lol) and science--esp biology.

3. Fruits or veggies?

Both! I don’t eat meat lolol 

4. What’s an inside joke you have?

God, I wish I was cool enough to have all these cool insiders with friends, but I just don’t. My lil bro and I have a lot tho. Like, we’ll watch funny videos or play the same video game or watch the same tv show, so we can crack jokes about that stuff that makes everyone else go “???” Also, he and I are big on vines, so we make about 50 incredibly well-placed vine references every day. lolol (he’s my little buddy--I say little, but he’s 16 alkjljslksj)

5. Ever been to Disney?

No. >:( I’ve never been able to afford it, but ONE day.

6. Do you like rollercoasters? 

I’ve only ever been on minor ones, but I enjoyed those, so maybe I’d like the major ones? 

7. Favorite movie?

One of the first movies I remember watching was Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and that’s a classic. It’s def one of my faves. I also watched The Labyrinth a lot as a kid. I JUST REMEMBERED CORALINE IS A THING, AND I LOVE THAT MOVIE. SO CORALINE IS MY FAVE.

8. What’s your dream job?

Something that categorizes as philanthropic. I just want to be able to help and talk to people all over the world. :)))) (also, if any of my young followers are stressed about not having it figured out, I’m 22 and have no idea what I’m doing. It’s okay.)

9. What’s something you wish you were good at?

Art or dancing. Ah, to have been one of those art students in college. 

10. What do you listen to during long car rides?

I make me some rad af car ride playlists skljakljskl I have ones for summer car rides, ones for night car rides, ones for driving in the rain--I’ve got it all. lolol

11. Favorite warm drink?

I don’t usually drink warm drinks, but I occasionally have tea. 

Now for Lou’s questions ;)

1) Favorite video game?

I play a LOT of video games, but one of the first I ever played was Super Mario on the Nintendo 64, so probs that. I also like Halo and Skyrim a lot. 

2) What is one album you’d recommend? 

The 1975 - The 1975 (it’s a self-titled album)

3) What type of weather do you like most?

I’d like to say warm, sunny weather bc I like it in theory--the feeling of the sun on your skin, light hair, dark skin, being outside, etc.--but it’s just not realistic. The rain is more likely bc I get inspired to write and I have an excuse to stay inside akjslksj

4) What mood are you currently in?

A very “blah” mood. There’s so much I want to get done, but I have NO motivation.

5) Favorite comfort food?

This is gonna be really lame, but it’s cereal. When I was in college, I could only afford cereal, and after going sometimes days without eating, to have that bowl of cereal was just a godsend. :)

6) What is one of your main hobbies? 

READING! I have a literal wall of books in my room. I’ve been avidly reading since I was about eight years old. 

7) Your opinion on the pineapple on pizza discourse?

Don’t like it. At all. That tangy fruit taste mixed with cheese and red sauce? No. 

8) Someone you really look up to.

My mommy. <3333 She’s an incredible woman, and she just embodies everything that feels motherly. Most of my friends call her mom bc that’s what she is, through and through. I aspire to be like her in life because she’s just so full of love and comfort and warmth. I love her so much. (I’m crying now thinking about her alkjlksjslk)

9) A joke that makes you laugh.

It’s silly, but my little sister read it off a Laffy Taffy, and I lost it. “What kind of music are balloons afraid of? Pop music.” aklsjlskj same

10) How was/is your day?

Eh. I haven’t been awake for most of it, so I don’t really know alkjlksjs;l

Here are my questions!!! And, for the people I tagged, feel free to answer whichever set of questions you’d like! You can answer all, some, none--whatever you’d like!

1- What’s your comfort TV show/movie?

2- Favorite word and least favorite word?

3- Something (or someone) that makes you happy. :))

4- Biggest fear? (it can be a silly fear if you’d like)

5- What was the last thing that made you really laugh. What made you really cry?

6- Do you prefer the country or the city?

7- Which HP house are you in?

8- One word you’d say describes you best. 

9- Cringiest thing you’ve ever done.

10- How long have you known your oldest friend? (by oldest I mean years you’ve known them not how old they are akdljlkjs)

Enjoy!

[therevengerists]

Kathy Griffin apologized, but she still got what she wanted.

We're all talking about her. This is what people who manipulate media do. For further case study, go re-analyze Trump's entire campaign and presidency, re:his handling of and treatment by the media. Because shit works. Please note: I am not trying to say Kathy Griffin's "performance art" was some real statement about Trump's own sensationalism. For some of the following reasons: 1. No matter which way you slice it, it's not a smart "piece". It's ridiculous rich bubbled liberals with some modicum of attention saying "hur-hur fuck Trump.” 2. It's clueless. Divisiveness is so high, at a time when racial tensions literally have been getting people killed…. like last Friday. It’s on a scale that starts at ‘unhelpful’ up to and including ‘societally damaging’. 3. It's COUNTERproductive. It not only gives ammo to right-wing nutjobs (who, despite any number of posts by liberals ALSO angry at Kathy Griffin, will see this is an entire liberal monoculture out to get them), but it also undercuts those of us advocating a peaceful, civil, equal, democratic America. Way to further the message that ours is the more sane, stable, rational approach to governance. 4. ISIS loves that shit. ANY group manipulating forms of mass media & therefore people towards a perpetually warlike state benefits from this type of fucking farce. It perpetuates a cycle of numerous war-mongering, power-mad, atavistic groups of violence-obsessed bastards the world over. Ahem. 5. Fuck off, Kathy Griffin. Nobody liked you ever because you are the kind of person who would think to do a thing like this. Like your privileged unfunny undeserving ass has ever faced the sort of threats that actual targeted, vulnerable groups in America do under Trump’s hateful, bigoted policies. Seriously fuck off. By that I meant to say, it’s both the wrong message AND wrong messenger. Is there ever a realm where violent sadistic imagery is preferable to salient rational discourse or at worst, insightful satire? No. Never. But if I have to see it, and Jesus knows we WILL be subjected to such shit at some point, do we HAVE to have it paired with Kathy fucking Griffin? Seriously. There is nothing even approaching a point anywhere in the vicinity of her... "artbleaarchh (sorry, I tried to type "art" but vomited so hard that I typed what I vomited at the same time). If I’m incredibly generous and assume she and her photographer friend were at any point going for anything more coherent than “glurpaderpadonkadoo!”, then whatever it was supposed to be definitely did not land. You know what does land? Critics who look at it and wonder aloud ”what is more devastating about this, the decapitated Trump head or Kathy fucking Griffin?". Poignant observations aside, this is exactly the sort of victimhood complex narrative Trump was begging for. No two ways about it. Thank you Kathy Griffin, for literally being the bloodthirsty rabid liberal stereotype that the Right dreamt up & has been selling their base for years. May I suggest for your next act sacrificing a child on top of a pizza? Fuck you very much, Kathy Griffin, who has gotten many of us to type your name repeatedly while you post an apology video with undoubtedly your most hits ever. Because as fucks would have it, apparently Kathy fucking Griffin figured out how stupid humans are in one key, fundamental area: If you yell "hey everyone, look at me!" a bunch of us idiots all look in unison. The more horrible it is, the more that will flock-I mean, look. This is why ISIS is ISIS, and not a two-bit one-camel operation. But their heads were real, and they have a message to sell. That's about the only substantive difference between Kathy Griffin & ISIS. They're real monsters and she just plays pretend for a camera. They both were some nobodies until outrageously vile acts propelled them to social media fame. Both see violence as tool to manipulate. Both know that when it comes to being famous, being hated is as good as being loved. You can't spell ‘infamous’ without famous. People who do this are utilizing the innate emotional drivers in humans for a desired, or corralled, response. Anger, disgust, fear, hate… Some of the strongest flaring emotions can drive entire groups to act in increasingly irrational, fucked up, even evil ways. "Give in to our demands or this person dies." "We need more funding for bombs to stop scary bad guys" "Only I can protect you from great evil" "The Great Satan wants us all dead" "they want to defile our Holy Land" "their entire ideology is a cancer" "our way of life is threatened" "Invaders are coming to destroy us" "they will rape our daughters" "trans women in bathrooms" "different=filthy" "hate the OTHER" "our team their team our team their team” "Protect our purity" “our country needs to come first" "he looked like a demon bulking up" "you know who (((they))) are" "they're coming to take my guns" “they they they them them them” "if you follow another faith you are evil" "if you follow no faith you are evil" "if you follow any faith you are evil" "My side's never wrong" “the other side are all morons with mental disorders” “those people aren’t even human” "What you never knew that was in your pantry… might kill you" "serial killer loose" "new designer drug" “another mass shooting" "kids are calling it the knockout game" “riots fires arson violence rape murder thugs” "tonight at 11" "somebody please think of the children!" "Stock up on canned goods" "Buy a gun" "invest in gold" "don't talk to strangers" "take off your shoes and put them into the plastic bin, please" "if you see something say something" "We are under attack" "Raping our country" “Taking our jobs" "our traditions" "drugs and crime" "Build a wall! Build a wall! Build a wall" "I will be the single greatest jobs president of all time! A law and order president! I will BAN THEM. VOTE FOR ME I WILL MAKE YOU GREAT" "Hey everyone lookit me! I have da prezdent's head but not really hur-de-hur lol now talk about ME, Kathy Griffin, for once! Yaay!!" …and we did. Because that's how it works. It's a really old, really solid con. That's how ISIS became ISIS. How the Military Industrial Complex keeps getting subsidized to make weapons of mass destruction. How Wall Street justified being bailed out. It’s why hate crimes happen. It’s why we’re militarizing the police and handing over our privacy. It's how a profit-motivated media gets ratings, it's how shock jocks get an audience, how lame nobodies stay relevant, and how Trump tricked y'all. They do it, and will continue to do it, because it fucking works, children.

[jaymebyers1971]

Public Discourse and Conversation

So I have a childhood friend (well I was closer with his younger sister who was a year behind us) who runs an organization called Less Government.org.  He is of course an arch-conservative. I disagree with a lot of what he supports.  But I do agree with some.  And I enjoy, at times, interacting on his thread.  And because I don’t wear blinders and I am not close minded, I am more than willing to listen to opposing views.  But the following exchange has me somewhat frustrated.  Is this really what discourse and debate has come to in this country among presumably somewhat intelligent and educated people?  It’s disappointing and honestly somewhat scary.  It’s scary because of what it portends for the future if this trend continues.  I know I am not crazy.  I know I showed no hate in my responses.  I know that I was not arrogant or condescending.  I know that my initial comment was thoughtful and reasoned as were all of my responses. The responses I got, the reactions, and the accusations make no rational sense. The blindness, the rationalizations and justifications that these two women display in their willingness to block out anything that doesn’t agree with them is stunning.  And staggeringly disturbing.  And the saddest part is they miss the fact that I am actually supportive of the issue being discussed.  

Am I crazy to feel that a point should be able to stand on its own without name-calling or fact-twisting? Am I wrong to feel that being inflammatory, accusatory or negative simply detracts from your point, making people feel like you are trying to distract them from the fact that the point is not valid or supportable – even if it actually is? Is it wrong to be scared about this sickening trend in our public discourse?

"Trump's immigration ban is unconstituional."

"Actually, it isn't. But while we're here - where in the Constitution is the federal government expressly empowered to create Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid or the Departments of Education or Energy or the Environmental Protection Agency?"

"........Racist."

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Cassedy Stien they don't get it!

 Like · Reply · 1 · 5 hrs

Cassedy Stien I just wrote this on a drone's wall. You liberals want to break our laws and let everyone into our country then you take them in, house them, buy their drugs and get their diseases. You American haters want socialism because you want your freebies like Anthony. He wants to get his teeth fixed so bring down America, open up the flood gates, destroy our constitutional rights and have a ONE WORLD GOVT where NO ONE HAS RIGHTS but we all get to be fed in the food lines, get our free shots and healthcare and be cradled from BIRTH TO DEATH! No thank you!

Like · Reply · 1 · 5 hrs

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 James Byers I don't paint all conservatives with the same brush. I am neither naive enough, arrogant enough, condescending enough or for that matter stupid enough to do so. I do not and never have used the words Republican, conservative, or even "tea party" as pejoratives. I do not assume that all conservatives (of any flavor) are stupid, ignorant or naive. I am a proud Democrat, a moderate but yes still a liberal. And painting me with the same brush as the far left is as self-defeating for your side as my side painting all conservatives with the same brush I (or we) apply to the alt-right. You want to change someone’s mind, you want them to listen to your arguments, then present those arguments with factual support and do so in a way that does not make you look like or come across as a deluded psycho, out of touch with reality, operating in a world of blinders and simply spewing one more rant. I have never felt marginalized by anything Seton Motley himself has posted and I can't think of a single post of his I was not able to fact check his claims and find them valid - even when I disagreed with him. I cannot say the same for many of the people who comment on his posts. I am someone who wants to be convinced by legitimate arguments. Rants will not do it. And I am sick and tired of narrow minded people unable to engage in reasoned discussion without trashing their opponents. I am thoroughly sick of being opposed by people who use the words Democrat or Liberal as pejoratives and who refuse to understand that neither party nor side is monolithic. Both represent a wide range of thoughts, beliefs opinions and ideas. We work best when we work to build on our common ground not work to drive the wedge and schism deeper and wider. (That being said, Cassedy Stien, I love your Dumbass post above - pointed and accurate.)

Like · Reply · 2 hrs

Cassedy Stien James Byers Guess what the thread started with? Name calling and f bombs so whatever you say. Good luck with that. Most of these idiots are hopeless. Just like George Washington during the revolutionary war. 1/3 joined the British, 1/3 did nothing and our greatest 1/3 fought and gave their lives, homes and families for our freedoms.

Like · Reply · 1 · 2 hrs

James Byers Cassedy Stien Can you please give me your sources for your 1/3 quotes. I don't like numbers without facts behind them. As someone who grew up the son of a professional historian, an assistant director of the National Archives who specialized in American History I find your numbers somewhat questionable.

Like · Reply · 1 · 2 hrs

James Byers Cassedy Stien And furthermore I am sure you have heard the saying two wrongs don't make a right. It doesn't matter what the "other" side lowers themselves to, don't ever go down in the gutter to play - you've already lost once you have.

Like · Reply · 2 hrs

James Byers Cassedy Stien Also for the record I am a combat veteran who did put his life on the line for this country. Still a liberal.

Like · Reply · 2 hrs

Helen Jeck Cassedy Stien So we know James is a liberal but keeps quiet so he can think he is so thoughtful. Your name calling gave you away immediately....that is all you had to do....

Helen Jeck James Byers Most of us stopped listening when you showed your hate.

 Cassedy Stien James thanks for ur service! Bye who's side were u fighting for? Our constitutional republic or for NWO??? Just curious?

Cassedy Stien Btw sorry iPhone auto correct

Cassedy Stien Btw save ur little condescending speech for someone who cares!! Lol

 James Byers Helen Jeck How in God's name is pointing out that name calling simply turns people off and therefore defeats the purpose of convincing them of your point in any way hate? How is asking for factual support of a point in anyway showing hate? How is the fact that I told Ms. Stein that I liked her Dumbass pic/post? Which obviously shows that I do in fact support this executive order and believe it is legal. How is the fact that I have posted multiple times in this comment tread and respond to and post multiple times in many of Seton Motley's posts in any way indicative of me choosing to be or actually being quiet? I think dear lady that you and I have different definitions of hate and quiet.

Helen Jeck James Byers Never allow myself to have a REAL conversation with anyone who is childish....get it.

James Byers So when someone in an intelligent and reasoned manner challenges your preconceived worldview they are childish? That's amusing to say the least. I am very open to listening to the other side. I have voted and supported both Republicans and Democrats. Disagreeing with someone does not make me right or they wrong - it simply means we have a difference of opinion. It also doesn't make them or I childish, hateful, ignorant, stupid, and condescending or any number of adjectives that get thrown around by both sides these days. And rants and name calling should never be necessary to make a point. A good point will always stand on its own merits and facts. You should try it sometime - it's very refreshing. And it is also the practice of the person Seton Motley whose thread you are commenting on.