#the previously on world building and lore are much improved this season

[themanicgalaxy]

SPN 2X2 Everybody Loves a Clown

Ok the new previously on with rock music? and it’s different every time? that fucking SLAPS

AND IT’S PUT TOGETHER SO WELL IT’S LIKE AN FMV 

also I’m technically an hour late, but till I go by the rule that If i don’t go to sleep it’s not tomorrow so Happy Birthday Dean!!

oh no please not a fucking clown episode I’m begging you

aaaaand the kid sees clowns that aren’t there that’s...great

OH NO WHY IS IT FOLLOWING HER HOME

Really does set in the “don’t go anywhere, hunker down and nothing will kill you”

more poignant for corona than I ever thought

oh fUCK It’S IN HER BACKYARD

NO DON’T GO TOWARDS IT

WHY ARE YOU LETTING IT IN THE HOUSE

oh is this a hunter’s funeral for john? the burning of the body and all that?

I appreciate the attention to detail in having them still keep the scars from episode one of this season

“did he say anything” “no” I am begging you both to communicate for christ’s sake

one week later

ah is this the mechanic montage? to get the impala back in shape

Sam: Dean you had an out of body experience, are you ok?

Dean: *aggressively works on his car*

the idea of hyper fixating on the only thing you can fix(car) vs the things you can’t(demon, can’t kill it, etc) yeah ok that fits

the ROADHOUSE?? ROADHOUSEEEEE???

god please oh please don’t kill the female characters I’ve heard they’re cool

Dean: tries to say something vaguely patronizing about rifle technique

Jo: PUNCHES HIM IN THE FACE

oh i love her already

ELLEN!! damn she’s fun

how does....Ellen know Dean and John were close

What the hell happened when Sam left I need to know

Dean is really just gonna be...standoffish...to literally any woman in authority

This guy(mullet guy? Ash?) just knows...so much shit?

I love the roadhouse oh my god home base makes me happy

and Ash  just knows really fancy shit, calculates to the hour how long it was gonna take?? YE E MORE WORLD TIME

Dean please stop hitting on jo it feels weird for some reason

ah so it feels weird for him too ok

hahahaha she just lays out his entire schtick and calls it stupid

and Sam’s scared of clowns AHAHAHA

so we have Dean scared of flying and Sam with clowns, that’s perfect

“what dad would have wanted us to do” -Sam Ah so sam does end up being more sympathetic

“don’t be afraid of clowns” clowns are objectively terrifying sir what are you talking about

oh that FUCKING SHOT WHEN THE CLOWN SMILES AND THE MUSIC GOT ME OH MY GOD

Dean’s reaction to when Sam said something vaguely dirty/more like him is priceless 

And Dean gets himself in trouble with two circus performers, one blind and one short? idk

Sam just likes watching his brother suffer

freakshow to asylum is a...weird take to have

Sam saying he doesn’t want to go to school feels....just

ah and Dean checks up on that statement

What the hell is the “Dad would have wanted”

and Dean “I don’t have a problem with that?” god please communicate a little better

Sam gets scared by a skeleton

“we’re writing a book about ghosts” there has to be a better option here Dean

i mean maybe, that’s not terrible it’s just kinda a weird excuse

maybe he got the sense that it wouldn’t go to well

The kid just...takes the clown in

and is...hypnotized

god that’s creepy

hey...you guys...if you wanna know why Ellen and John had a thing or not....you can ask

Dean: I’ll repress my feelings and maybe they’ll go away

Sam: no that’s not how this works

nice lighting in the scene they finally decide to yell it out

Dean’s got a point, picking until dead or dying to make it right is too little too late

ah...like John...underlying issues? perhaps?

at least they’re....talking and smiling....with each other.

ah the blind guy, he was weirdly clairvoyant about things

plus the fact that he’s the most likely to have brass knives either as a enemies close or a “force my foes to talk to me” thing is pretty nifty too

HELLA cool lighting shot of Dean in the fun house that makes me happy

OH brass organ pipes THAT’S A NICE TOUCH I LIKE THAT

THE TRICK WITH THE SMOKE TO SEE THE SPECTER? THAT’S ALSO COOL

lmao no one has mentioned Jess in...so long I just realized

Jo and Dean are sweet, the “wrong place wrong time,” Dean not going so hard, fuck it they’re fun whatever they are right now

ASH IS BACK! 

he’s an MIT guy that’s so fun

and He’s protective of his keyboard and laptop :) 

and “Ash give us a call”

Ellen: Hey if you need a place to stay

ISDAFHSPFI SUPPORT STRUCTURE! FINALLY!! YAYAYAYAY

that early seasons Sam haircut makes him look so young fdfahsofish

“I’m not ok, It’s too little too late” DFAIPSHFS SAM

“I’m not ok and neither are you” hurts me why must you hurt me

AH HERE’S THE SCENE WHERE DEAN JUST TRIES TO KILL THE CARS

and in true Dean Winchester fashion, he’s angry, refuses to let himself cry, and stares vaguely till the emotions go away

boy oh BOY wrap up time:

1. Ok Ellen, Jo, Ash and the Roadhouse, giving bits to the hunter world, adding incredibly compelling characters, holy fuck I AM HERE FOR IT. Like obviously I knew the Roadhouse was a Thing, but I didn’t expect how much I’d love it in concept as well as practice. I love Ellen and Jo, and that they’re gonna come back, I love Ash, just SO GOOD all around

2. the clown lore? The mystery was much better done this time around, there were cool lore elements(and misdirection) AND there were interesting ways to solve the problems(the brass pipes, the smoke, etc). The mystery aspect of this show is really coming into it I’m so excited.

3. Ok so obviously Sam and Dean are grieving in the not grieving ways they’re prone, but I think I can now kinda put something together. Just because we understand John’s motives, that doesn’t excuse his actions. And his actions are that he was a bad father, and it’s a bit too little too late. Especially taking into account the later seasons and how much it seems to have fucked up Dean specifically. I think we understand where he comes from, but he’s not supposed to be the Hero, nor is he, at all. One good action does not redeem a man. Which is funny, because this would generally make him a hero-type in a lot of similar media(notably pirates of the Caribbean, which is what I’m quoting) I feel like everything before and after that moment undo it. Let’s stick with grey for now, that seems safe.

4. I’m very excited to see where these characters go. Although it’s also funny to me that I forgot Jess existed because damn did they not mention her at all

aight till next week and the end of the semester

[hibiscusangel15]

Wondering What to Watch After Steven Universe?

Want more stories about kids with magical destinies? Try Tangled: The Series (or Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, as it’s known in later seasons) or Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Tangled: The Series is honestly an excellent sequel to the movie. It builds on previously established lore (the Sundrop flower, mostly) to create a more thoroughly-realized world of magic and Rapunzel’s own journey of self-discovery outside her tower as she adjusts to being Princess.

Also, the sweeping camerawork for this 2-D animated series is beyond perfection. I mean, just look at this:

You do have to watch the actual movie Tangled and a short movie called Tangled Before Ever After before watching this series, though. That short movie introduces a few characters (one a major player) in the series to come. And it also explains why Rapunzel’s hair is long and blonde again lol.

Honestly, Avatar: The Last Airbender needs no introduction. It is the quintessential action/adventure cartoon.

If you haven’t watched it already and you adore great action/adventure shows with gorgeous animation, then you really should get on this.

Miss the wacky family beachside adventures from the earlier seasons? Watch Bob’s Burgers. For an adult-oriented comedy, it’s got a lot of heart, and you can’t help loving the Belcher family no matter what zany things they get themselves into. The first couple of seasons are little edgier with its humor, but overall, it’s a pretty fun, wholesome show.

Want a cartoon about a kid uncovering a weird, magical world? Try The Owl House, Hilda, or Bee and Puppycat.

To be fair, The Owl House more of a mash-up of Gravity Falls and Star vs. the Forces of Evil. It even has Alex Hirsch on as a voice actor voicing this cute, little dude:

Speaking of which, if you haven’t seen Gravity Falls yet, now would be a great time to do so! If uncovering mysteries and delving into strange lore is your thing, then you’ll love this cartoon.

Hilda is a Netflix Original series that’s super cute and wholesome. It’s fairly low stakes compared to the other cartoons on this list, as it’s more a chill magical slice-of-life cartoon.

Bee and Puppycat is another weird cartoon that’s more slice-of-life-like than the others on this list. I really like the color palates on this show, and it feels really dream-like to watch.

Want a cartoon about a kid with strange powers coming into their own? Try Epithet Erased or WordGirl!

Epithet Erased is a cartoon by the Youtuber JelloApocalypse (the guy who makes the “So This Is Basically...” videos), and it’s honestly fantastic. It has a lot of great humor, unique use of powers (called Epithets), and lovable, dorky characters. It’s free to watch on his Youtube channel, so give it a watch when you have the time!

WordGirl is a PBS Kids cartoon (ik, just hear me out) that’s honestly much funnier than it has a right to be (mostly due to the voice actors’ great improv). It’s been one of my favorites for a long time (and in fact one of the main reasons why I first created a Tumblr lol).

The characters all have big names attached to them (Tom Kenny as Doctor Two-Brains, Patton Oswalt as Tobey McCallister, Chris Parnell as The Narrator, Amy Sedaris as Ms. Davis/Rhyme, Grey DeLisle as Lady Redundant Woman, Cree Summer as Granny May, Fred Stoller as Chuck the Evil Sandwich-Making Guy, etc.).

It’s just a fun show even if it’s meant for younger audiences. Please give it a watch if you can.

[rpmemesbyarat]

RP meme from "Chapter One: A World of Darkness" in Changeling: The Dreaming (20th anniversary edition)

Dreamers are taught that they won’t amount to much, that their creativity is a pale imitation of what came before.

Well-meaning, or envious, parents and friends consistently suppress talent in their loved ones, secure in the knowledge that they’re saving them from a huge mistake.

Repeated altercations eviscerate creativity until all that remains is overwhelming self-doubt and insecurity.

Every day is a struggle.

It’s not that they don’t care, they are just unable to grasp circumstances beyond their own social circle.

It’s not that they don’t care, they are just unable to grasp circumstances beyond their own social circle.

Old legends define a changeling as the offspring of mortals and faeries, or a faerie child switched out for a human one.

Ancient curses affect entire landscapes, monsters hide in withered forests, roads made of stardust allows travelers to visit vistas hidden among clouds, and ancient dragons and bygone beasts still roam the skies.

In order to survive this onslaught on their very essence, the fae turned to an ancient ritual which locked their immortal souls in human bodies.

The child talking to her teddy is, in fact, discussing courtly politics with her chimerical bear companion.

The most common means of learning about the past, then, is through the traditional art of storytelling.

Despite the thrill and excitement of hearing legends brought to life by storytellers, academic history is an extremely important factor in the pursuit of lost faerie knowledge, turning myth into truth.

Ancient texts are written in several, often pictographic, faerie languages, and quite often the words seemingly come alive, constantly realigning, rotating, and shifting locations to avoid being decoded.

Even when enough common denominators exist for a decent decoding, the end results often cause further questions, rather than providing answers.

Events become history. History becomes legends. Legends become myths, and myths are forgotten.

Religions told mortals to worship new gods and to turn away from old traditions and rules.

As scientific methods began to explain what mortals previously considered magic, the common folk took to the church’s teachings, foreswearing their old ways in exchange for salvation and a steadfast faith on which to cling in the darkest days.

On July 20, 1969, humanity witnessed the moon landing live on television, and all of the hope, fear, and wonder of the previous decade burst forth.

Mortal witnesses describe friends or family collapsing for a brief moment, then rising, confused for a short time, but brimming with confidence and an aura of regal quality.

However, no matter the chosen human body, they all belonged to someone wealthy and influential, or were members of highly-valued and powerful families in society.

Despite conflicts, both parties openly declared their intent to find peaceful solutions, regardless of acts of violence intended to derail such hopes.

However, this decree didn’t prevent individual members of the houses to cast their allegiance with the side for which they felt an affinity.

The time for discussions ended with blood on the walls, and only war remained.

Theirs was a passionate, whirlwind romance, but one that ended in tragedy.

Without warning, the sky seemingly ripped open and, to those with faerie sight, a red sun appeared, bathing the world in a sinister scarlet light reminiscent of blood.

Behold! Your true king returns!

Better a nightmare than dreamless sleep

Nonetheless, the nobility is not immune to the changes in the world.

No matter how well hidden, however, the child’s true nature marks her as different.

It may start small, with a mortal witnessing strange occurrences no one else sees.

Those that are found are the lucky ones.

The term fosterage comes from the medieval practice, where nobles would take on the children of another family to cement alliances or to build connections between noble children for the next generation.

She will take the lessons from her mentor forward, spending the rest of her days honing what she has learned.

Banality seeks to explain away the fantastic and categorize, empiricize, contain, and render mundane anything outside of the scope of accepted mortal understanding.

This process doesn’t happen all at once.

Many legends and epic stories came from the search for extended life, with outcomes ranging from sad hilarity to outright horror.

Legends speak about treasures that can extend youth or grant immortality once more, like the fabled Fountain of Youth, but so far none have been recovered.

The adventure might be worth it, though.

It is a place woven into the fabric of the mortal world, hidden behind and without, though its magic and influence can affect the physical world and those that live in it.

The land responds to the thoughts and deeds of the creatures that live there and adapts to their every whim.

The shifting landscape is so unpredictable as to throw off any seasoned traveler.

Only a few trods lead to this wholly unpredictable and constantly-shifting landscape.

The space is influenced by the strong dreams of mortals and the expression of powerful mortal feelings and creativity.

They held nothing but hatred and contempt for one another.

History has taught them through many a hard-earned lesson that they are able to accomplish these tasks much more effectively when they work together than when they’re at each other’s throats.

The pageantry and rituals serve as thread that runs through the ages, tying the generations together.

Their customs and lore serve as the glue that binds each individual to one another.

Everyone, from the lofty noble on his throne to the lowly chambermaid, has their duties in a well-organized society.

Without everyone working together, doing what’s expected of them, society would not be able to support itself.

Even a lifetime of tragedy and loss has its own poignancy.

The act of creation holds an inherent beauty.

Each new work of art, new performance, and new thought is a unique manifestation of creativity undreamed of in the world before.

Beauty must be preserved because it is the basis for all life.

Society cannot operate effectively without an inherent fairness.

A favor is always paid back with a reciprocating favor.

An object or service given is returned with something of equal value.

Loyalty deserves fidelity, and acrimony deserves hatred.

The self comes from within. It is the basis of being, granting the ability to reason, to question, to strive for improvement.

To know oneself is to make life worth living.

Identity requires freedom — the freedom to buck trends, to say no, and to try new things.

The only things that remain eternally unchanged are those that are dead.

The alternative is nothing but stasis.

Even at its most benign, stagnation leaves people woefully unprepared when everything they know eventually gets upended.

Once outside rewards are involved, whether tangible or simply accolades, the concept of honor twists people, making them do monstrous things.

Honor is nothing more than an ugly little lie told by tyrants designed to keep their slaves docile and obedient.

No one can follow his dream when an overlord is standing above him, micromanaging his life.

Everyone has responsibilities, but if given the freedom to be themselves, people will find ways to do the necessary things in their own way that doesn’t prevent them from doing the things that make life worth living.

Pranks were played, sometimes in jest and at other times scathing, at the expense of those in power.

A merry time was had by all while allowing the disenfranchised a chance to air grievances and have an outlet for their frustrations.

Their only goal is to force a response from those capable of alleviating some of the suffering.

To fit in as part of the mundane world they became traveling circuses, freak shows, or other transient groups.

Those of higher rank are respected by those of lower rank and are also expected to meet their obligations to the less fortunate.

Many nobles see their main business to be that of gaining — or retaining — power.

Alliances may shift between the nobles and circumstances may change, but all try to expand their holdings and rise higher up the social ladder.

Something has to give.

A noble expects obedience from his vassals and respect from all others. In return, the noble respects those superior to him.

Whether they like it or not, the nobility has had to concede that modern ideas of democracy and popular rule are realities now.

Still, most nobles rule through force, cunning, personal magnetism, and custom.

They must never reveal their true natures to humanity.

Some battles are fought to first blood.

[aceandart]

Hey! I read your recent post and it read differently to a lot of posts under the destiel tag as of now. Personally, I’ve seen the first 5 seasons (watched it about 5 yrs ago), but haven’t been caught up to date on any of the recent stuff other than the Destiel apocalypse that’s happening right now. Could you explain the following?

“...mostly being this show is a misogynistic racist homophobic consent issue-ridden pile of bad writing “.

I was contemplating returning to the show and tuning in for the missing seasons, but what you said about it has now placed me on the fence. Could you elaborate and advise?

Thank you so much! I appreciate seeing an honest post that doesn’t sugar-coat or overlook bad writing/negative characteristics of a show!! :)

[re this]

Hi!

Well, I feel like the finale probably took care of any fence-sitting you were doing (and sorry I couldn't reply sooner), but actually my answer wasn't going to change even if the finale was okay (good, imo, was always a stretch): No, I personally would not recommend watching this show. and while my answer is mostly because of the things I am going to list to answer the rest of this question, I was also going to say - you dropped the show in s5 and that was five years ago? Whatever caused you to drop it in the first place, it probably got a lot worse. (It literally doesn't even matter what your major grievance was, they have since doubled, tripled down in terms of how bad it was.) Trying to marathon through ten seasons (20-23 episodes long each) is hard; trying to marathon through all of that to get something without a satisfactory ending is a lot of emotional labor for no payout. It's not just that this is a bad show (though it really, really is, on every level); it's that you have already tried it, you tried arguably the better seasons of it, and you still didn't want to stick to it. By the nature of how tumblr works, it can make anything look so much better than it is, just because in general the people you see hyping it up *like* the product, have decided to devote their fandom time to it, are highlighting the choicest parts of it. spn was always about the potential around the edges, the story fans made of it; the actual product was always secondary to the could have, should have beens, and this gets truer the later into the show you get. I'm not saying there weren't some great episodes, some great scenes, and even some great mini-arcs, but it was a drop in the bucket to everything else. and I'm positing this answer on the idea that you are asking because you want to watch the show, and not because you want to use the show as a supplemental for your fandom experience, but if it is the latter, I'll just say I'm currently heavily involved in reading fanfic for a fandom I've never actually watched a whole episode for, and while I'm probably missing some context I'm still highly enjoying it. fandom, honestly, so often becomes so much more than the bones we build it on. and if you want a little more, catch some "greatest hits" videos or catch up on just some of the “must-see” episodes and save yourself from having to watch all the moments in-between, because there are a lot more of them than the good parts. very few shows improve as they age out, and before the nov 5th resurgence if you weren't already following spn blogs, likely the main spn meme you were coming across was the annual 'salt and burn this dead horse' that went out after each season renewal. the tl;dr answer is really, it's not worth it. (to be honest, at the end of the day, despite the sheer amount of time, energy, and words I've put into this fandom over the years, and I put in a lot, I didn't actually like the majority of the show. so, you know, grain of salt on my opinion. then again, you left it seasons before I did.) That said, buckle up, cause now I'm gonna tell you why:

Literally, The Shitty Writing

I feel like the finale speaks for this point by itself, but before I get into all the "problematic" bad writing spn does, I want to talk about the fact that the writers are also just fundamentally bad at the craft of writing.

continuity errors. they’d change their lore/creature ability to fit their plot. (the reapers esp got the end of that bad stick.)  the characters will often forget (monster-slaying) solutions that worked before (holy wood, yarrow, christo, creative approaches like exorcisms on recording, spells to remove angels from their vessels, bullet with a devil’s trap, etc).  the writers forgot their own timeline more than once. the random retcons they'd do. sometimes it would also lead to plot holes.

which, speaking of, they had plenty of

there's also things that don't count as plot holes but are very large missed opportunities (ex: Dean spends a year in Purgatory and no one recognizes him? he doesn't bring up his daughter?)

I don't even know what this one would fall under, but if a character wasn't right in front of them, they would forget that character's existence. not just Adam (though that was a big one), but there were so many secondary characters that even in places it would make sense to mention them, much less bring them around, they didn't. or because they would not expand their main character list, characters who should have been around a lot more than they were (*cough* Cas, but that's an easy one, I'm also talking about characters like Kevin) would have these huge gaps between episodes that didn't make sense

they don't really have character development. this isn't to say the brothers don't change, they do, but at the same time the characters face the exact same (internal) arguments over and over again, never resolving or growing from them; they just have more examples when they think about them and it gets worse and more unhealthy because of the new weight added to it. the problem with their brothers only format, and the problem with their biphobia but more on that later, is that Dean wasn't actually allowed to grow out of his John Winchester's son role, to let himself be comfortable (and dare to be happy) with himself because that meant changing the story into something they didn't like and/or didn't know how to do. at the same time, allowing Sam to grow meant breaking the Brothers Only format, because as the show stated multiple times, Sam's happy ending did not involve hunting.

and with that, they sometimes flattened the characters so badly they became caricatures more than anything else.  hell there's a whole season where Dean goes evil, and people had a hard time realizing it, which was not because it was a subtle slow descent but because shitty pacing, uneven (and contradictory) episodes, previous actions that weren't written as being evil but were the the exact same thing as when he was evil that were supposed to be "signs", and how they chose to represent that evil meant it was really hard to figure out that was what they were doing and not just writing Dean as more of an asshole than they previously were.  (he's not evil, he's just a prick.) and I don't mean I had trouble telling, I mean fandom as a whole had major arguments about it, much less the general viewing public.

the series finale put a definite end to the idea they would follow through on even one of their main series themes (family don't end in blood, free will vs destiny, always keep fighting, etc), but this was something they would build up to addressing and then just anti-climatically let fizzle out in multiple seasons. character and relationship themes (not just destiel but the brothers co/counter-dependency, the importance of found family, Dean's growth from Daddy's Blunt Little Instrument and Sam's acceptance that he deserves better/agency in his own life, etc) would be built and broken down in an effort to drag the question out into another season. it wasn't two steps forward, one step back, it was a reboot.

their filler vs arc episode ratios: there's nothing wrong with the Monster of the Week format as a stylistic choice, but this show

a) would kill its own plot momentum to focus on MotW episodes. [part of this is the general spn problem they created of constantly trying to one-up their season's Big Bad, which I understand but also means one episode they are going against The Most Powerful Being in Existence (for the Fifth Time) and then rather than focus on that world-ending threat, they hunt vampires for like six episodes straight. they had a very bad balance where rather than continuously weave the larger arc into the season, or at least build characters and relationships, they'd jam it all around the season premiere, finale, and mid-season finale/premiere episodes, and then all the rest was just, bullshit cases where nothing got resolved or had a lesson stick around for the next episode, making them very skippable. also more on this under the homophobia section]

b) the filler episodes contradicted themselves and the main plot all the time.

c) sometimes they focused so much on making the b-plot a mirror they forgot to write a coherent a-plot. also: sometimes they focused so much on making the b-plot a mirror they forgot to write a coherent b-plot. 

I cringed my way through more than one episode of dialogue

the recycled plots

more on this in the next sections, but either they didn't notice, actively didn't care, or purposefully chose to overtly and subtly imply or state a bunch of really fucked up things, and then never address them at all

speaking of never addressing anything, I realize this is a fandom vs canon battle in general, but so many things get swept under the rug as they move on to the next issue (ex: Dean put an angel in Sam's body to "heal him", violating his consent and exasperating his issue with telling what reality is - a huge issue from previous season - and once the Mark of Cain story really took over the subject gets dropped.) 

death is so cheap on this show. and I don't just mean that the revolving doorway of resurrections means it's hard to get worked up about a death because (as long as the character was a white man and especially the brothers) there was a high chance they'd be back, and I don't just mean that their Murder Is the First, Last, and Best Solution to Any Issue, Ever means the faceless and not so faceless hoards of villains, monsters, and humans who get caught up in it are just hand waved as one of those things (they have ways of saving vessels and the later into the show the less likely they are to even try), but that there was no point in investing in (esp non-white, male) secondary characters because chances were they'd be dead pretty fast.  I'm honestly shocked characters like Jody (who actually at one point was in the middle of being killed off on-screen and then we didn't see her for eight episodes, so we assumed she was dead) made it until the end.

(speaking of dead characters though, what was with the habit of bringing them back constantly? just don't kill them in the first place! create new ones and let those ones stick around instead!)

when they can't use death as their solution, the other answer the writers fall back on is Deus Ex Machina

buckleming were a writing duo who had their own bingo cards that included things like shitty pacing, OOC-ness, flat one-liners, etc, and the question wasn't if you'd get bingo, it was a question of how often you got it during their episodes. at some point throughout the show, it became hard to tell what was a buckleming episode and what was just another episode in the season.  aka the writing quality went WAY DOWN as a whole

you know the tv trope Idiot Ball? or Idiot Plot?  spn should have it's own page for both. 

they constantly break viewer's trust, which is the basic tenet of what not to do when it comes to telling a story. (again, not just destiel, though the queerbaiting is a major part of it because it happened all the time to avoid actually answering that question.) when a writer violates their character's or story's core identity for a 'twist', it needs to have been carefully built so that it's a surprise to the viewer, not a betrayal. (you may not have seen it coming, but when you look back you can see the groundwork.) these writers, every time, chose the "shocking" choice regardless of how much they need to break canon or character to do so. their twists are either obvious, and/or they don't make sense with the rest of their story/lore of the show, and the viewer is left feeling stupid for believing they have more respect for the audience/characters than they do.

I realize this is pretty subjective, but huge swaths of it are just boring. fandom made the experience of watching it interesting, not the show itself.

and yet, for all of that, the quality of writing (while painful to have to sit through) was not the worst thing about it.

(note for the following: I stopped watching after s11, but I'm sure some if not all of these are still relevant until the very end)

Misogyny and Consent Issues: Is There a Limit? Signs Point to No

there is honestly so much under this topic I don't even know where to start. i'm going to focus on patterns rather than specific incidences, because otherwise I'll be writing this for a week, but just know I can easily provide examples of all of these because this is literally what I spent years writing meta on.

female characters were more likely to die quicker/earlier (esp vs other other male characters with similar reoccurring roles/characterizations), stay dead, and die often at the hands of their loved ones and/or in Stranger Danger situations. they died for man!pain. they died for fodder. they died as a sacrifice. they were turned into love interests (whether that was their original role or not) and then killed. they were put in mortal danger and then not given resolution for several episodes (Schrödinger's death.) they died in ways we've seen male characters survive. their deaths - the violence enacted on them - was constantly, consistently sexualized, and the camera lingered.

when it came to villains the show would go out of its way to kill the female one first, or act like she's the more pressing issue so that the male character could hang around longer (and honestly by male character I often mean specifically Crowley and the season's female villain. not only that but they'd often break canon to kill off a female character, and break canon to save Crowley/a male character)

when you compare the treatment of reoccurring female characters vs male characters who occupied either similar roles or characterizations, female characters were often punished and/or treated poorly for the same attitude and/or actions of their compared male character, who often got not just a (free) pass, but more screen time, dialogue, and development

they have more than once used the story line of underage girl seducing a grown man. (it was a whole season arc even.) this is esp galling when you find out about crew member Jim Michaels, who sexually harassed and assaulted (minor) fans

(btw, not the only crew/cast member to do so! and still be invited to cons!)

Dean Winchester (who is narratively treated as the moral judgement for the show) has blamed more than one rape victim for their assault/trauma. they often get abused (or outright killed) for stopping their abuser. 

Dean is ok with flirting with/leering at barely legal teenage girls. already sketchy when he's 26, really gross when he's in his mid/late thirties 

speaking of Dean. based on past personal experience I'm going to say up front people do not like me saying this, but that doesn't mean what I'm saying is wrong or even based on interpretations: Dean has more than one relationship that if it isn't rape, falls under extreme dubious consent.

there's actually a lot of rape (or "extreme dubious consent") and assault/molestation, both shown and mentioned: Cas and April, the cases were men take away free will and then have sex with the women (Ben Edlund was one of the better writers of series and even he did this a couple of times), Crowley orgy (and demon sex in general), random women in some episodes, Sam and meta!Gen, Becky and Sam, Sam and Lucifer, Dean and Alastair, several monsters (like the siren) and their victims, male characters secretly watching female characters undress/be naked, and so on. Dean was often attacked sexually by men, Sam by women. most of this is never addressed, never treated like what it is, and/or is made into a joke

and there's even more rape jokes beyond that, sub-sections: prison, vessels/demons, angel possession, sex work, childhood abuse, monster of the week, sexuality, etc.  huge chunks if not whole episodes were devoted to making what amounted to a rape joke. 

often ignored non-sexual consent (esp Dean’s actions, including a lot of mind-wiping and violations of body autonomy)

everything about Sam and body autonomy - he is frequently violated (multiple characters have possessed him; he is fed demon blood); how he feels unclean, how he feels disconnected from his own body, how he often is forced to act outside of his control and then blamed for those decisions

actually, Cas goes through that a lot too; he is trained, brainwashed, and forced to do things without his consent, and goes through major depressive episodes because of it

this show has a pattern of girls who are kidnapped, (sexually abused), raised in isolation, and expected to develop some perfect moral compass of acceptable behavior and were then killed off when they didn't. meanwhile, male characters get fourth, fifth chances.

female characters (and I'm talking about ones with speaking roles, who play an actual part in the plot, who are sometimes in multiple episodes) are more likely to be unnamed or given no last name

are you a Mother on spn (as in, that's your role)? you're either fridged for man!pain or abusive or both

it rarely could pass the bechdel test (including in s9 don't believe those fandom lies), and that's including episodes that focused on female characters. if the test included that the characters have to be named, that (small) number probably gets cut in half. if that test included both women are alive at the end...  

female monsters prove they deserve to live by killing off their family to prove they're the "good kind"  (this is not necessary for male monster characters)

female characters are not allowed to get vengeance

they took the Virgin vs Whore dynamic (and that that's all women are), and devoted a whole episode to it, but in general it underlines of ton of interactions, esp with regards to Dean and women.  {I actually never got around to writing it, but women tended to fall into four main classifications on this show, though overlap definitely allowed: Victim [sub-categories: Fodder, (Dean) Mirror, Mother], Love Interest, Sex Object, and Villain/Obstacle. very few female characters were either allowed to outgrow their category or didn't start in one.} 

we see the male characters assault female characters but it's okay because [insert supernatural reason here], ignoring that whatever explanations for why it's being allowed, we are still visually being shown this violence against women, and often from our "heroes"  (the women are then tossed away from the narrative after the violence and again, their aftermath gets regulated to off-screen who cares)

female characters were only allowed to be "so badass"; female hunters often fought female monsters or they lost/got regulated to the sidelines in battles. this gets even more contrasted as a male character/hunter will often do a nod about how "badass" she is, even as she is very easily beaten.

 the whorepobia of this show

had a tendency to strip female characters down to their underwear/make them nude before torturing them, and then adding sexualized torture on top of that

outside of actor injuries affecting this (like one of them broke his arm so he had a sling for a few episodes), female characters are often more likely to visually carry the bruises/violence of violent incidences much longer than male characters

gratuitous filming shots of breasts, asses

the use of the words: bitch, skank, whore, slut; the play on words they do so they can say "pussy"  

taking female myths/figures and reducing them to a cheap, sexist storyline (Amazons, Artemis, Lilith, Eve, witches - who are only allowed to live/be "good" if they're men, and are otherwise in league with demons/are evil and lose)

they often kept a character but switched out her actress; helps with the disposable feeling

how they treat women's ages (ex: Jody is not allowed to be a love interest to Sam because she's older than him/calling Dean 'kiddo'. ex: Rowena is played by a woman fifteen years younger than Crowley's actor. ex: Amara being one of the oldest things in existence but still having to age her way up.)

their treatment of teenage girls, ranging from how they sexualized them to expecting them to save themselves to treating them like they are grown adults and not children to the way they kept killing the ones who posted selfies to the fact the pr more than once used the tag "teenage girls - the scariest thing ever" for Claire's episodes 

actions and lasting legacies by female characters often got erased or passed on to male characters instead

it's a time honored tradition to treat certain monsters as metaphors for things. specifically for spn, they often use werewolves and vampires for sexual assault. (not the first to do so, not the last to do so.) however, that part of it gets textually glossed over, or treated as a joke, more often than not

and for all the patterns I talk about above, there's plenty of other one-off examples of misogyny/sexism or consent issues/rape culture this show did. like that time a grown man sniffed the bra of a dead teenage girl. not for any reason, just because it was there and that's what dudes do, apparently.

Racism: All the Flavors(+ Bonus Sexism)

when you compare the treatment of reoccurring white characters vs characters of color who occupied either similar roles or characterizations, characters of color were often punished and/or treated poorly for the same attitude and/or actions of their compared white character, who often got not just a (free) pass, but more screen time, dialogue, and development. 

usually Black men but in general men of color: 

a) got humiliated (often using feminization or infantilization) before their death  

b) had a more violent death; had a death that visually echoed racism (lynching, shot in the back, etc)

c) often used (racialized) rhetoric that in the real world is used against them

d) often filmed in ways to highlight their physicality, to portray them animalistically, to dehumanize them

e) even when victims, will add context to make them partially responsible for their death

characters of color were the villains or antagonists, very rarely "good guys"

this was a very white show, and while I'm speaking about speaking roles, reoccurring characters, and characters who get their own arcs, I'm also talking about background characters

using lore from groups they should not have and/or turned creatures into racist caricatures

having white actors play characters they shouldn't have

heavily depended on stereotypes for their characters of color

the treatment (esp narrative empathy level) of white angels vs angels of color.  again, screen time and character development differences between the two

a summary of (East) Asian woman on this show: fetishized porn/sexualized, “tiger mom”, Yoko Ono/The Girlfriend, monster. they were often silent or had no dialogue. microaggressions (usually spoken by Dean) were leveled at them.

antisemitism (styne issue, erasure of the Judah Initiative, Lilith, the golem)

like the sexism, just had random racist lines or visuals throughout the show (and sometimes those came in the absence of who should be there); some groups literally did not have enough characters to make a pattern, which is why this section looks a lot shorter than it really is

like for ex, I'm trying to stick with patterns but seriously, they put a Black woman in a dog collar and said her white boyfriend was her master/that she belonged to him

the ignorance of how white privilege worked to make them palatable

the replacement and/or elevation of a white character over a character of color (Lisa over Cassie, Bobby over Missouri, Charlie over Kevin in terms of how they were treated under Found Family, etc) 

how they treated non-Christian Gods: easily killed, evil, weak. they often repackaged them into a Christian framework and made them lesser than.

Bi/Homophobia, Queerbaiting, and Using Fans

they butchered Charlie.  they killed her, they killed her in a way that involved leaving behind plot, characters, and logic to do so, they killed her and used the violence of it for "shock," they butchered her and stuck her in a bathtub.  the guy who wrote Charlie in every other episode (Robbie Thompson, one of the better writers of the show) didn't write her last episode (assumption: because he wouldn't) and then he arguably left the show over her death. at one of the cons (comic-con?) the cast literally turned their backs when a fan questioned Carver (the showrunner) about what he did because they wanted no part of it. there was a mass exodus of fandom after they killed her (and another portion actually hung around because they got destiel queerbaited to stick out the rest of the season, and then they left.) she was un-apologetically queer, she was found family, she was widely popular, and they killed her for no reason at all. they didn't just Bury The Gay (their only reoccurring one), they salted and burnt the ground

they spent over a decade queerbaiting Destiel. they built queerbaiting destiel into the structure of the show: season opening/first couple of episodes whetted the appetite, which they then backed away from (usually removing Cas from Dean's physical area) and around this time they'd usually have some kind of heterosexual love interest, then mid-season they'd have some room to be together and share feelings, Cas would again disappear but this time they'd have some bi!Dean thrown in to keep you going, a few episodes before the end they'd have a major connection moment (I need you, I love you), and then the season would end with something to keep destiel fans occupied with during summer. it was never a trajectory, it was a cycle; just enough for plausible deniability but more than enough for fans to believe in. they had whole seasons where the b-plot were mirrors for destiel. they tried to sell DVDs by promising destiel cut scenes. they'd remove Cas from huge chunks of episodes just because they didn't want destiel interacting in the same physical space. they filmed them (I'm talking camera angles, physical positioning, etc) romantically.  (and sometimes, someone on crew/the network would accidentally reveal how not-fucking-happening destiel would be, and then backtrack when they realized fandom’s uproar.) 

a) Dean was only allowed to care so much for Cas, the narrative would only give him so much room to mourn/miss him. (Sam too.) it's beyond my general complaint that the writers/bros lose all interest in a character if they are not right in front of them (if they even cared when they were), but specifically they will spend episodes talking about how Cas is family, how much they care, and then because Dean and Cas cannot share the screen they come up with asinine reasons to remove Cas, which means Dean/the bros do not help him on his issues, and he is cast adrift until they need him, a push/pull of show vs tell with contradictory answers but made a lot of Cas/Destiel fans argue Cas deserved better.  

b) they also devoted seasons to the (subtextual) love triangle of Dean/Cas/Crowley. (I wish I was fucking kidding)

c) "you construct intricate rituals which allow you to touch the skin of other men": the way they use violence to supplement affection (which is actually a larger pattern with Dean and his loved ones in general, but specifically the show is willing to show - multiple times - Dean and Cas being violent (often with an arguably sexualized filming to it) in conjunction with or as replacement for expressing their care.)  other side of this: hugging/physical affection outside of the shoulder/hand thing is reserved for escaping or coming back from death, if then (and it took seasons and a few deaths to even get that.) 

d) "buddy"  

that time Dean was allowed to be textually attracted to his mother and a literal dog (who was visually made to be very clearly a girl dog), but his attraction to men always stays subtextual and/or treated as a joke

they spent the whole show queerbaiting bi!Dean. aside comments, checking out other guys, getting flustered by men he finds attractive, metaphors, mirror characters, the heterosexual overcompensation [which is different from but comes from a similar place of the macho compensation to counteract how he gets sexualized/feminized], everything with Cas and how they play that relationship romantically and with sexual attraction, the character development that led to his relaxation of his macho compensation coinciding with increasing subtextual readings of his bisexuality (and domesticity), the inspiration for his name/character is bi, his relationship to Charlie and the pattern of fictive kinship, etc etc.  

why are angels straight???? why do they have gender???? (why are they interested in sex???)  minus the queerbaiting of destiel, they spent a lot of seasons pushing Cas into a heterosexual box. other angels were often pushed into heterosexual boxes too. (or left in subtext and then killed.) closest we got to playing with gender was Raphael and maybe Hannah, and at least with Raphael it was not without its issues. (also: both dead.)

random transphobic lines

homosexuality was often treated like a joke/punchline. queer characters/scenes were often treated like a joke/punchline.

outside of Charlie, queer characters were small, two-bit roles, extremely rare, and often killed

how they treated and showcased fandom space and esp queer fans in-show (much less how they treated them in real life), comes from a deeply sexist and homophobic place 

The Show Was 328 Episodes Long And the thing is, these are the four big categories, but it's not like this is it. The show flip-flops on calling John an abusive parent/that the bros are childhood abuse survivors. The show doesn't even really call out when Dean is being abusive to Sam, and the way they always, always go back to the Brothers Only format means they are often ignoring or straight-up forgetting the unhealthy aspects of their relationship. The show ignores how their trauma builds (and all the things that happen because of it), disconnecting the current issues with the ones that came before. The way they flip flop on monster morality and never address what the winchester bros do to people who happen to be monsters but aren't evil (or definitely aren't as evil as they are).  How violence is always the answer. How the "saving people'' part of hunting got dropped the later the show goes on, and red shirt vessels/hosts die in droves. Depending on how you view it, the way they treat alcoholism and addiction. The ableism. The line between the narrative's opinion on acceptable violence and not is inconsistent and dependent on how much they like the character doing the violence vs who the violence is being done to. Etc.

(The above lists are definitely missing stuff. I haven't done anything in this fandom in like four years, I've forgotten a lot.) I'm not saying people didn't enjoy this show. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy (parts of) this show. I'm saying whether you are basing it on things like writing craft or things like 'social justice issues', this show is bad. It is of poor quality. I really don't know how to explain the hold it has on people, how a show can be charismatic, how fandom was able to squeeze so much out of so little, but that's probably what's got you attracted into the idea of watching it again. If you're thinking of watching it because you want a coherent, well done story, look elsewhere. The finale was the literal last straw, not the only one. 

[bluegrasshole]

do all the get to know your author questions bc they're all good and i can't pick

ko…. you need to work on your decisiveness (but thank you)

1) is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason?

i mean.. not really. i had decided not to write any more fanfiction to focus on an original story i started but then… i wanted to get used to the setting, work through some personal stuff… kind of warm myself up while still writing the other one… so i’m writing a nurseydex lighthouse story like i said i would

2) what work of yours, if any, are you the most embarrassed about existing?

my entire fanfiction.net account is bad. so so so bad. and surprisingly recent. also i HATE my early zimbits stuff, but of course one of them is like my second most popular piece so i can’t delete it. like really hate. and it’s frustrating because i have good stuff from that time period, so i don’t even fucking know what was going through my mind.

3) what order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?

chronological but i tend to go back and add things obsessively. i like getting the skeleton down first just to get the basic plot and know where i’m going, then i go back to add in details – the meat of the skeleton if you will… and you know i like details

4) favorite character you’ve written

any dex is my favourite, but also specifically jack from samwell gentlemen’s hockey because he cracks me up, and i really loved writing parvati in that one parvender piece. 

5) character you were most surprised to end up writing

camilla? in strange lovers i didn’t even know i was writing camilla until i realized like 3k in that my character who i’d named millie and was blonde was in fact… camilla. she snuck up on me

6) something you would go back and change in your writing that it’s too late/complicated to change now

oh… i do go back and fix things often (in strange lovers i went back to rewrite parts of ransom’s character and his role months after i originally posted it because i realized i had written some pretty shitty stuff regarding black men) but, meh, row upon row is always one i’d like… want to go back and fix, especially the rushed ending, but i can’t go back and change it now because it’s been read by too many people…

7) when asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

super embarrassed. only my best friend knows because she’s also a writer but i still don’t feel super comfortable talking to her about it. we’re getting there with each other. she doesn’t write fanfiction ya feel though i think she’s read some

8) favorite genre to write

lmao idk i like writing comedy but plot is hard so i don’t often do it. character studies i guess, AUs, angst

9) what, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

music, and listening to people tell stories about themselves or others, just being around people is inspiring to me. i recently went to a show that was a mix of folk music and storytelling about prince edward island? and it was incredible i left there feeling so invigorated

10) write in silence or with background noise? with people or alone?

i do most of my writing in a café a minute from my apartment, with or without music depending on if my wireless headphones are dead or not, always w a blended matcha latté

11) what aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started writing?

oh man. i mean since i started writing in like, 2010? i mean, everything, obviously. but since 2015 – christ. still everything? well, definitely verb tenses/points of view/epithets/general structure and technique, definitely better at rhythm though that took some serious work and a couple stories focussed solely on rhythm and flow. i think i’m much better at nuance now – weaving different themes together to make at least a semi-coherent story… and general prose, i think. finding a balance between minimalism and appropriate imagery. i’m more comfortable playing around with grammar then i used to be. idk, i think my voice has just overall developed into something clearer and distinct from others.

12) your weaknesses as an author

plot and dialogue-heavy scenes. i like writing dialogue and i think the lines themselves are good usually, i just have a hard time, like finding the balance between dialogue, dialogue that has to accomplish something, and prose. and writing a neat point-a-to-point-b plot is a losing battle

13) your strengths as an author

i’ve been told setting, and i think that’s about right. i get obsessive about crafting like, a complete world where it feels like there are things that happen outside of the plot and the main characters. building fucking lore into the setting is the most fun for me. i think the details make the story.

14) do you make playlists for your current wips?

heeeelll yeah

15) why did you start writing?

idk i spent a lot of time on the internet and all the quote unquote cool kids were doing it. i was in a RP where we were all pretty close friends (still follow them on all social media including fb) and we just like, wrote each other fic. i was pretty good at writing before then (for a kid) and even was runner-up for a national award or something in grade six? i barely remember what it was for but i do remember the piece was called “autumn’s opus” and it was comparing the seasons to an orchestra or a piece of music idk. it was pretty killer for an 11-yr-old if i do say so myself

16) are there any characters who haunt you?

oh i don’t know about haunt but i do get sad about jack and kent all the time

17) if you could give your fledgling author self any advice, what would it be?

read your dialogue out loud to see if it sounds natural (it probably doesn’t) and put dooooown the epithets. it’s lazy writing and you don’t need them. and reread reread reread reread. in different fonts, different colours, on differents days, out loud, by different people… reread!!

18) were there any works you read that affected you so much that it influenced your writing style? what were they?

absolutely anything by fluorescentgrey but especially her historical AUs, familiar’s character designs and rawness, waspabi’s dialogue and humour, montparnasse’s prose and tenderness, misandrywitch’s everything, and this piece which inspired a tattoo and pushed me to start experimenting with my own writing a couple years ago… among many others

19) when it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?

oh i usually just give up halfway through that’s how

20) do you write in long sit-down sessions or in little spurts?

usually i go to the café and sit for like 5 hours and if i get a few hundred words out of that i’m happy

21) what do you think when you read over your older work?

ugh it’s so bad and shitty and i hate it all

22) are there any subjects that make you uncomfortable to write?

well, yeah. i don’t like writing about religion so i just… don’t, much. strange lovers had the most religion of anything i’ve ever written. and i’m cautious about writing about race though i’ve done it a few times… i don’t super like writing traditional coming-out stories because i just don’t care all that much so i’ll usually twist them around somehow if they’re necessary. 

23) any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?

all of my life experiences inform my writing. that’s not me being facetious i just mean that i really like listening to people tell stories and telling stories myself and gossiping etc that i think it’s clear that i prioritize that in my writing

24) have you ever become an expert on something you previously knew nothing about, in order to better a scene or a story?

ah yes coal mining in 20th century nova scotia lmao

25) copy/paste a few sentences or a short paragraph that you’re particularly proud of

the very first paragraph from my nurseydex wip: 

There are days where you think you could lose yourself in the fog and there are days where you wouldn’t mind. When you wake and it’s there eating the world up, surrounding it all like a living thing, voracious, and it’s even hungrier at night, and the only thing that reminds you you belong to the earth and are tied to it like the oldest and most solid daybeacon in the harbour is the horn, loud and long and haunting and filling. And the light. The light, the light, always the light.

[entergamingxp]

The No Man’s Sky star system that offers normality to those who need it most • Eurogamer.net

As I warp into the system known as The Heart of Unity, it doesn’t seem as if anything special is happening. Five planets and a handful of moons slowly orbit a sun that casts an aquamarine light into the void between. My stellar guides have already entered the orbit of Terra1, a green and blue sphere that, from my vantage amid an asteroid belt, looks pretty Earthlike.

I’ve been invited to tour one tiny portion of No Man’s Sky’s infinite, procedurally-generated universe, where a community project a year in the making flung its doors wide open in a sudden gesture of goodwill. UNity1 is the brainchild of several disparate factions and communities. It originally planned to provide an in-game, faction-neutral meeting ground for politicking, ambassadorial discussions and the arbitration of disagreements. They chose a planet, spent months erecting infrastructure, and looped in the leaders of some of the playerbase’s largest civilisations, such as The United Federation of Traders and Galactic Hub, in anticipation of a big public reveal.

Then the coronavirus pandemic changed everyone’s lives. “In three weeks I met thousands at work, screened countless people and in walking outside the scarcity of human interaction was almost creepy,” says Lillihop. She runs the NMSCafé Discord server and has coordinated much of the planning on UNity1. Outside of No Man’s Sky, she works at a reception at a hospital. “There’s anger and fear, loneliness and loss, and that’s not even the day-to-day.”

Lillihop spoke with friends and peers about what they could offer members of their communities. All of them knew someone who had lost their job or struggled with working from home. Others spoke about being separated from family or friends, as cities, then entire states and countries enacted shelter-in-place orders. They felt like they needed to do something big.

Unity1 member Nirwana dedicated a build known colloquially as the Glitch Museum and pavilion. One of the most impressive pieces of architecture in the system, it will be used as an embassy for future delegates of other factions.

Terra1 isn’t the first planet she and friend DG_Squared planned for my tour. We began with Foundation, a planet in an entirely different system called The Dawn of Unity. It’s a relic of that initial plan: a year-long celebration of the player-created Unification Day to allow builders, explorers, wiki curators, and everyone else a space to express their passion together. We land, appropriately, at a small café built on a hill overlooking a small pond, where I’m allowed to get my bearings while my guides discuss routes. Travelling quickly around the planet means zipping into the thin upper atmosphere of Foundation before arcing back down. I’m shown personalised bases, art projects and edifices to the idea of intergalactic companionship. They’re empty now, and Foundation won’t host any more builds. UNity1’s members raised stakes two weeks ago and immediately began work on preparing The Heart of Unity for the public at large.

“We talked and decided that’s the gift,” Lillihop says. “We wanted it to be from the whole community, and we wanted it to mean something. This is where the unity comes through, in a very human way.”

Back on Terra1, I boost out on my own towards one of the several base markers filling the horizon of my HUD. The seaside cabin I find there is humble compared to the extensive bunkers and soaring temples I’ve seen previously. There are wide windows set into the wooden walls and floors, providing a clear look at both the docks and ocean below. This is AMandy226’s new home, and like an increasing number of players, she found UNity1 when she needed it most.

AMandy226’s seaside base reminds her of the Northern California coast where she lives. She hopes to learn from the accomplished builders in Unity1 and continue to improve her new home away from home.

She started actively playing No Man’s Sky in December, transitioning from a long affair with the free-to-play MMO World of Tanks. The exploration and discovery aspects immediately appealed to her, but those first steps in the universe were rough going. Like many fledgling Travellers, she went online in search of aid and eventually discovered the No Man’s Sky Amino. This networking app might not sling around Twitter or Discord-sized weight, but the official community does boast over 42,000 members.

She fell into conversation with a more seasoned player who goes by the moniker Governor Tarkin. He helped her figure out the basics and begin working her way through the game’s core story missions. She admits being somewhat nonplussed at the response from Tarkin and others.

“Most of my past groups were in PvP games, so talk centred on being good at the game, or winning, or how much better you are than someone else,” AMandy226 says. “A lot of that conversation isn’t very positive.”

Somewhere amid their conversations, Tarkin asked if she had heard of Unity1. He explained she could play how she wanted while always having neighbours relatively close by; no stipulations, just a promise to “not be a jerk”. She was intrigued and agreed to come check it out.

Standing on the docks of that base, constructed of the most basic materials, I remember AMandy226 told me she and her family live near the coast of Northern California. She is a public school teacher, currently earning a degree so she can teach special education classes. California was one of the first states to enact social distancing measures and order non-essential businesses to close, along with public schools. Before the pandemic, she and her family enjoyed taking frequent walks amid the forests and beaches in her area. This digital home, a sanctuary on one planet among countless others, reflects that love and appreciation.

“It’s a community oriented thing for me – a place to let go and do what I want,” AMandy226 says. “I’ve noticed other games aren’t very community oriented and they even look down on newer players. UNity1 is the exact opposite of all that.”

The Inominus Legion’s fortress sits atop a massive flat-topped mountain on the aptly hellish planet of Hades1. The legion is the largest faction to build a permanent base inside Unity1, so far.

Her fellow Travellers in The Heart of Unity are an eclectic bunch, counting popular YouTube builders, podcasters, and lore hounds among their number. But AMandy226 has taken up with the Indominus Legion on the nearby desert planet of Hades1. I find it difficult to square the warm-voiced social butterfly with a group whose base looks straight out of Warhammer 40,000, with every surface dyed either black or red, but she likes the alternative playstyle they offer. While the warmongering commandos may not publicly admit it, their newest conscript describes them as “a really great bunch of guys”. Perhaps more importantly, it’s offered her structure and camaraderie during a time punctuated by isolation.

“Often, when I go to work, I’m by myself. I don’t get to see a lot of my coworkers,” AMandy226 says. “Right now, with all this going on we need an outlet for continuing to talk with people. A lot of the time, it’s not even about No Man’s Sky. We talk about our families or what’s going on in our neighbourhood while you’re playing.”

AMandy226 says the UNity1 base has become her home, and she looks forward to logging in to see how things have changed while she is away. No Man’s Sky’s multiplayer technology limits synchronous play for groups larger than four, but members can still see progress marked in what you construct. As my tour guides lead me around, they remark with wonder and pride at how certain projects are progressing. Their hopes of Unity1 becoming a place of expression and connection seem to be paying off.

“With all of these stresses in life, NMS has become my release for everything,” AMandy226 says. “I am a very social person, so for me to not be able to socialise every day or go to work… But now I can’t wait for my husband to go to work so I can jump in the game, play with my friends, and see what cool builds they’re working on. I don’t see myself ever leaving.”

Governor Tarkin is exceedingly polite for someone styled after an Imperial Grand Moff. The self-described Star Wars fan has been involved in the UNity1 project since the beginning, and now acts as chauffeur for new players, acclimating more every day to life in The Heart. Most receive a care package, of sorts, in the form of basic elements gathered from Tarkin’s regional mining operations.

“I think of it as somebody that’s down on their luck in real life – they’re just unable to get somewhere,” Tarkin says. “It’s like when a community comes together to help provide you with the supplies that you need to be able to get along, to function, to help you find a place to live, your groceries, you know? We help you deal with your little slice of life right there in No Man’s Sky and the UNity1 hub.”

Tarkin works construction in Alabama, and his job is considered essential by the state. He feels fortunate that precaution and early action from local leaders have so far mitigated the spread of the coronavirus. He also knows the work he does in the game is considered by many to be just as essential.

“If you need a place to escape from issues you may have outside of the game, we’re here for you, we got a spot for you,” Tarkin says. “You know, this could be the new norm for a while. So being able to get together and do things somewhere where you have more control over how your life plays out can really help.”

Lillihop dedicated a tiny island to the parts of her hometown she misses the most: a taco truck, a nearby dock that was lost to a storm, and a large cross that illuminates the Fayetteville sky at night.

The Island of Fayetteville is near the end of my tour through The Heart of Unity. Lillihop doesn’t think her work compares to the citadels and monuments, labyrinths and spires elsewhere in the system. It’s small enough that one of us has to park our ships elsewhere and swim across. There’s a single tree, a cross lit up in lights, a futuristic food truck, and a dock extending into the waters. This is a version of home Lillihop brought into UNity1, reminding her of places and landmarks from a city in lockdown.

She, DG_Squared, and the other caretakers of UNity1 have asked everyone who joins their community to do something similar: bring a part of the real world you miss into No Man’s Sky, and share it with others. So far everyone has settled close, but I’m told 250 planets within the region of Weylan’s Quadrant are ready for new Travellers. My home state of Texas is under construction, and, true to form, it encompasses an entire planet on its own.

Connecting with other players in No Man’s Sky was originally meant to be a profound moment, even as developer Hello Games added group content and a multiplayer hub. But those in UNity1 are looking for something more mundane, and yet more essential. “It’s almost like a second job. So that, in a way, kind of makes me feel like it’s still business as usual,” says Tarkin. “You know, like, we could still have the normalcy that we’re looking for when it comes to the game.”

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/04/the-no-mans-sky-star-system-that-offers-normality-to-those-who-need-it-most-%e2%80%a2-eurogamer-net/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-no-mans-sky-star-system-that-offers-normality-to-those-who-need-it-most-%25e2%2580%25a2-eurogamer-net