#(once i watch. proper meta is coming. this is both a promise and a threat)

[sparring-spirals]

okay. i mean this with the utmost affection. but. while imogen and laudna telling each other "im you're anchor. you're my tether" as reassurance about going "dark" or giving into the lure of power is very meaningful and important. it also kind of struck me like. hey wait one of you anchoring the other. fine. possibly-functional. but doesnt BOTH of you tethering to each other risk creation of a spinning centrifugal blur whirling down the road to power.

and like yes yes this isnt an original thought and the proper terminology for this is probably like "dual corruption arc" or in CR "i broke the world for you" yes but. i wanted to share the specific imagery my brain provided for this train of thought, which is roughly:

like. thanks. brain. i guess.

bonus thought that popped up when drawing this:

[ouyangzizhensdad]

I'm reading through some of your meta and in the one about WWX possibly weaponizing MXY being gay you mention how MXY being a molester was fabricated. I agree with this but I always thought that this was a personal headcanon and didn't realize that it was supported by canon. If you're up to it, please may you point me to where it might say this?

Hi anon, 

I’m sad to report that there isn’t a scene where JGY admits before a jury that yes, it was I, I fabricated the claims against Mo Xuanyu, who was a hapless victim all along! which would be convenient for winning arguments quickly and easily. But, I promise you, so long as we read between the lines, it is undeniable that we are meant to understand by the end of the novel that the accusations leveled against Mo Xuanyu were baseless and that he was another victim of JGY’s (and NHS’s!) machinations.

Beyond a purely thematic reading of the novel, which would  therefore highlight  that the theme around how public opinion is willing to believe accusations and condemn without material or sensible proof (particularly so when it comes to people who do not hold a lot of power within society, those who are the Other) is one that is repeated across many characters, the narrative reveal of JGY’s true personality and actions indicates that the accusations against MXY were just  another ploy of JGY’s. 

At the very beginning of the novel, when WWX looks through Mo Xuanyu’s things, he’s able to piece out together that Mo Xuanyu’s “lunacy” seemed rooted in a deep and paranoiac fear of.... something. MXY didn’t just get thrown out of the Sect in disgrace--something clearly happened to him, or he clearly witnessed something that scared him out of his senses. 

“after he returned, he seemed to have gone completely mad—although no one could tell what kind of shock he’d suffered. He had good days and bad ones. It was as if he had been scared witless.” [Chapter 1]

Further into the novel, it is revealed that MXY didn’t actually harass his “peers” but actually only one person: Jin Guangyao. Right after this reveal, we also learn that MXY used to treat JGY with the utmost respect and deference. While Jin Ling seems to misunderstand this past deification of JGY as a side-effect of MXY’s presumed feelings for him, as readers we can see how it actually raises doubts into the claims leveraged against MXY, as it would then seem very out of character for MXY to disrespect JGY by harassing him (especially if one considers that the risks of harassing his powerful half-brother definitely would not outweigh the benefits....).

“Don’t listen to [JGY],” said Wei Wuxian. “Let me tell you—when you grow older, you’ll find out that there are more and more people you want to beat up, but you’ll have to force yourself to get along with them nicely. So, since you’re still young, go beat up all the people you want. At such an age, if you don’t have a few proper fights, your life won’t be complete.”

Jin Ling’s face betrayed faint yearning, yet he still sounded contemptuous, “What are you talking about? Shushu’s advice is for my own good.”

After he spoke, he suddenly remembered that the past Mo Xuanyu had always regarded Jin Guangyao as a deity. He definitely would not have disagreed with Jin Guangyao in any way. Yet, now he was saying not to listen to him. Was it that he really did not hold any improper thoughts toward Jin Guangyao anymore?

(we also learn that Zewu-jun never knew about what supposedly happened, or even who MXY was, which again.....fishy.... JGY what are you hiding...... not mentioning someone harassed you to your bff is one thing, but not introducing him to your half-bro?.... )

Then! Almost right after we learn all this new information, it is also revealed through WWX’s paperman adventures and NMJ’s adventures that JGY is not who he has presented himself to be: he is a master manipulator, who has lied and continues to lie to preserve his position and to eliminate people he perceives as threatening the place he carved for himself in sweat and tears and blood. 

At this point, the deal is pretty much sealed: we have an unreliable witness in the man we now know to be able to do incredibly scary and cruel things (a knowledge that will only be reinforced by the end of the novel once NHS’ plan is completed). What actually happened, how MXY went from someone who deified JGY to someone who would need to be sent away in disgrace and scared into silence and compliance, all this is not told to us by the novel. It is possible that JGY might have seen MXY as a potential accomplice to his deeds (like he did his other half-brother, XY) (EDIT: I DREAMED UP THAT XY was one of JGS’s bastard children, please disregard it), or that he might have seen MXY as a potential threat to his position because of they shared a father--honestly, I can see many possibilities here! 

Also, it is important to consider that even the claim of MXY’s “lunacy”  is pretty fraught and ambiguous. The novel ends up setting up the idea that MXY’s erratic behaviour was related to him being scared (as we see in the and frustrated at the injustice he received at the hands of both the Jin Sect and his family (for example, this piece of shino meta)

Finally, it’s a good time to remember that even MXY’s sacrifice was not a decision he made on his own: he was once again the victim of a mastermind with much more power and influence than he could ever dream to have. After all, the novel takes pain to explain to us that NHS’s schemes for revenge depended on MXY sacrificing himself (passage under the cut because this post is getting long!)

“Nie-zongzhu,” Wei Wuxian asked again. “I heard that you often travel between the Gusu Lan sect and the Lanling Jin sect, am I right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then did you really not recognize Mo Xuanyu?”

“Ah?” Nie Huaisang’s face twitched slightly. 

“I remember that the first time I met you after my soul had been offered into his body, you acted as if you did not recognize me, and even asked Hanguang-jun who I was. Mo Xuanyu was then entangled anyhow with Jin Guangyao during that time* and was able to access even his secret collections, and you often went to find Jin-zongzhu to complain. Even if you and Mo Xuanyu were not familiar with each other, did you really not see him before at all?”

Nie Huaisang scratched his head, saying, “Wei-xiong, Jinlintai is so huge, I can’t possibly recognize everyone, even if I’ve seen them, I can’t remember. Moreover…” 

Looking rather awkward, he continued, “You know about Mo Xuanyu’s identity back then, it’s slightly…...the Lanling Jin sect had tried their best to hide it, so it wouldn’t have been surprising if I had never met him before. Even Xichen-ge may not have met him before.”

“Oh, that’s true. Zewu-jun did not know who Mo Xuanyu was either.”

“Right! And what I don’t understand is, even if I had seen Mo Xuanyu before, why would I pretend not to recognize him? Was there such a need?”

Wei Wuxian laughed and replied, “Nothing much, I just thought it strange and was casually asking. 

However, he thought, He was simply trying to see whether the ‘Mo Xuanyu’ he met was the real one.

For someone who was said to have been cowardly and weak, where would have Mo Xuanyu gotten the courage to sacrifice himself and offer his soul?

And as for Chifeng-zun’s left hand, why was it discarded? It could not be that Jin Guangyao would accidentally lose it.

Moreover, why was it that it happened to appear right at the Mo family residence, just when Wei Wuxian had been reincarnated, but not somewhere else? 

If Chifeng-zun’s body had been buried by the QingheNie sect, would Nie Huaisang, who had always respected his older brother, not notice that his body had disappeared all these years?

Wei Wuxian was inclined to believe an alternative situation. 

[...]

As such, [NHS] thought of another person; Mo Xuanyu, who had just been kicked out of the Golden Pavilion. 

Perhaps in order to let Mo Xuanyu listen to him, Nie Huaisang had already spoken to him before and heard from an upset and anguished Mo Xuanyu that he had seen one of Jin Guangyao’s scrolls of forbidden spells recording a certain ancient demonic spell. He then took advantage of the Mo Xuanyu, who was then humiliated and bullied by his clan, to persuade him to perform the spell as revenge**. 

And which fierce corpse would he summon?

Naturally, he would summon the Yiling Patriarch.

Unable to bear the days of humiliation any longer, Mo Xuanyu finally drew the array, and Nie Huaisang also took the chance to throw out the hot potato that was burning his hand: ChiFeng-Zun’s left arm.

From there on, his plan had begun and he no longer had to spend his own time and energy to find Nie Mingjue’s remaining body, leaving the dangerous and troublesome job to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. All he had to do was watch their actions closely. [Chapter 109]

*I changed the translation here, which originally said that “Mo Xuanyu was harassing Jin Guangyao” since I find (at least with my limited linguistic skills lmao) that the original is much more ambivalent. The clause is  莫玄羽当年好歹也纠缠过金光瑶, and the use of  好歹 signals to me toward ambivalence, which is further compounded by the fact that the verb  纠缠 does not necessarily translate to harassment. So I doubt that the original intent was to suggest that WWX was saying to NHS: shouldn’t you have known the dude who was harassing JGY? Anyone who knows Chinese more than I do is free to come and correct me if I am completely wrong in my assessment.

**Okay I changed the translation here again because the translation I was working with made it seem as if MXY was motivated by shame? but the original Chinese says  他便怂恿当时饱受族人欺辱的莫玄羽 which to me clearly points to his treatment by the Mo family/clan and to the fact that it was something being done unto him, not a state of mind he had. 

[momtaku]

With leaks out I’m eager to move the conversation away from fandom woes and back to the story, but before I do that I wanted to thank everyone for their messages. I received quite a few in the last 24 hours that I want to acknowledge but to spare everyone’s dashes I’ll answer them together below the cut. If you sent me an  anon in the last day or so, please click the read more.

It’s rare for me to respond to an anon like that. When I do it, it’s usually because it hits on something I’m feeling. In this case it was frustration at my inability to reach across the fandom fence to those who see the story differently. I want to assure everyone that the hate anons themselves don’t bother me. When I reply to one it’s usually because it’s a leaping off point for something else that’s been on my mind. 

So thanks for putting up with it. I don’t necessarily need the support because I know it’s always there, but it’s nice seeing it.

June 3rd 2020 It's hilarious how these pathetic haters don't even dare to come off anon because they already know they'll be roasted 😂

Honestly? I always feel sort of icky after I roast someone. A dear friend once told me that I needed to measure how hard I throw my stones and I’ve never forgotten that. This is my blog so I control the conversations. I’m potentially broadcasting those conversations to thousands of people. I’m in the power position here. Bullies are cowards so standing up to them in any form usually sends them running. I want them to leave me alone, true, but I also don’t want to needlessly aggravate whatever underlying condition is fueling their rage. It’s a hard thing to balance. I know it’s entertaining to watch an anon get roasted, and I’m not above that I guess, but a measure of guilt sets in after I do. 

June 3rd 2020, 9:03:55 You still allow and participate in bullying those that support Eren’s genocide and baby daddy-ness, and the other dark themes.

Rolls eyes. I write a sensible and respectful reply and this is what I get back? Classy.  

June 3rd 2020 Some of these anons defending Eren/yeagerists/genocide don't even look like real and proper Eren fans, since even a fan can be objective about it (no offense). It has me facepalming, since I'm an Eren fan myself (tied with Armin for favorite), but this can make us look bad. Genocide will never be justifiable, and while I don't think he's really going for that, I do know Isayama promised he'd be more "self-focused" compared to Armin's more "globalism" mindset, and it's been showing in other ways. In fact, I'm actually rooting for Armin and co (but especially Armin in particular, though) to stop Eren somehow, even if I do also want them to somehow save him.

I think it must be hard to be an Eren fan right now since the Eren fandom is so diverse and polarized. There are Eren fans who see him as a hero and support his genocide plan, there are new Eren fans who only became interested in him once he became villain, there are fans who've always loved Eren but are now heartbroken by his behavior, and then there are Eren fans who believe his plan doesn’t include genocide at all. There’s very little commonality among those groups except they all love Eren and they are all “proper fans.” 

I hear your frustration though. Every fandom has fringe groups who make the most noise and are an embarrassment to the rest of the community. I think that’s the case here

June 3rd 2020 You’re literally participating in the bullying of a Youtuber who made the “106 reasons to ship Eren and Historia.” You’re friends with bullies as well. You’re disrespectful and disgusting.

Please define bullying for me because if privately disagreeing with something  on my private twitter is bullying then I think we’re all in trouble. Are you a bully for calling me “disrespectful and disgusting” or is that allowed? 🤔 

Regarding the actual tweet, I responded to the statement that Eren should be with Historia because she looks like both his and Zeke’s mothers by calling it warped logic. Not my finest moment perhaps but that statement made my skin crawl.

June 3rd 2020, 9:24:36 pm Lol, wait. Are people actually mad at you for giving your opinions on a fictional story? Man, some people are really fickle. I hate Levi and think he's actually pretty boring, since he only has one emotion and is basically infallible, and that's just my opinion, but people in this fandom have legit told me to kill myself ... for not liking their fictional prince. People need to calm down. XD

Shocking, I know 😂 

I guess i should be happy that while I get plenty of hate anons, I haven’t received any I would consider a death threat and only a tiny handful that have felt truly threatening.

June 3rd 2020 So hi i just want you to know that i've been following you for a long while, i don't always agree with your opinions and analysis and i know i don't have to. But i respect it and i enjoy reading it anyway because it's part of the fandom experience for me, you know? If everyone have the same opinions it'd be boring. In fact my fave is Eren and i understand if you feel disappointed towards him, it's totally valid. I don't really care as long as no one's going around cursing him for no reason.

^^Fandom done right! Thank you for this ❤️ 

June 4th 2020 That anon who called you a "fanpol" clearly has no idea of what the word means. You're one of the most nuanced and respectful people I know in this fandom and you never really forced your opinions on others, so these anons are trying REALLY hard to find something to get offended. Nonetheless, I'm glad I found your blog, you have one of the best meta I've seen in this fandom. Have a nice day!

I had to google “fanpol” when I got this message because I wasn’t entirely sure what they meant. I know I don’t do things like attack, repress or censor others, but I also know that there is plenty of legitimate frustration over blogs that are viewed as influential, and especially for meta blogs.  Meta writers can be mistaken as authorities. People who feel differently can feel isolated and marginalized by that. Because of my length of time in the fandom and my way of speaking, I am aware that my words have weight and can influence fandom ideas. I understand how that’s a problem for some people. This is one of those things I’ve done soul searching on but I’ve come up blank as to what to do about it.  But thank you for this anon. This was a lovely message to wake up with.  I hope your day is amazing as well 

[amwritingmeta]

The Players on the Board

Dean - will make a choice, hopefully it’s a rational one tied to his faith in deserving a future… but…

Cas - may be forced into one helluva position… but…

Sam - will most likely get a chance to confront Lucifer once and for all… but…

Jack - will most likely end the season going dark side… but…

AU!Michael - will most likely carry the torch of Big Bad into S14… but…

Rowena - will be instrumental and, most likely, fully powered again… but…

Lucifer - will most likely die

Billie - keeps her hands clean and refuses to get involved… but…

Ketch - may die (for Mary)

Mary - will live, I do believe, at least I hope so. I don’t think her journey’s over… but…

Bobby and the Sunshine Gang - I think they may stick around until we’re a few episodes into next season… but I honestly don’t know. It all depends on how they handle the AU arc. It feels like a dual season that will carry on into the next, unless they make Jack the Big Bad, but I can’t see that happening without Cas going with him and I can’t see Cas going with Jack looking at where the narrative has positioned all the players so… yeah… it’s all very curious… and all very much spec! 

Honestly, this post is mostly me rambling and should probably possibly not be taken too seriously. I’ll be so curious to see if I land even in the ballpark. I’m much more happy if I land in the ballpark emotionally with the characters, rather than plot wise, because the plot has a billion possibilities in it! 

Truth be told, I wrote this wanting to stay up and watch the episode live, but after a week in Rome and a day of work I’m crashing now. Be back bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow. So sorry about the quiet during JiB! I’ll post about that tomorrow!! You’re all awesome and ILY. Niiiiight. See you on the other side. Don’t read my ramblings. I’m just saving them for posterity! 

Let’s Talk Scenarios 

1. Jack Goes Dark Side

Why would he go dark side, when we’ve been shown, all season, how he’s been afraid of this side of himself, how he’s fought to reject it, struggled with what it says about him and what it means that his father is the Devil, and we’ve seen him strive to embrace humanity at every turn? 

I mean, to my mind he even fought off this side to himself as an infant, rejecting it unequivocally from the womb and choosing Cas as his protector while burning Dagon to a crisp. Dagon - the demon who embodied the protector chosen for him and sent by his father to corrupt him into spreading suffering across the world. This tells us that Jack’s goodness is the prevalent side.

So, why would he go dark side?

Firstly, let me comment on the “but” in the scenario. (I shan’t make dirty jokes I shan’t)

I always thought that Jack was bound to go dark side at some point because that felt like such a given, right? We’ve all thought that. He has Heaven, Humanity and Hell inside of him, and it’s most likely crucial for him to explore all three sides before he’s able to find the inner balance necessary for him to bring balance everywhere else. 

But… in 13x14 Meredith Glynn pitted Jack against Zachariah’s masterful brain twisting ways and Jack saw right through him. My theory was always that he would be corrupted by outside influences, because it has felt like a recurring theme and would tie in with the nature/nurture commentary as well, and Meredith’s use of Isaiah spoke to me of how, perhaps, Jack wasn’t destined for this type of corruption after all. 

He withstood it and came out stronger for it, escaping with Mary and ending up saving lives. Of course, he also finished the episode dressing himself in the lessons he’d been taught by his ultimate father figures - Dean and Sam - coming to the wrongful conclusion that it’s on him to kill Michael.

Using his powers the way Cas is using them now, as a weapon, has a wholly bad connotation to it.

Mary’s comments in 13x22 made me pause as well.

Mary: Jack isn’t going to the dark side. He’ll see Lucifer’s true nature. And he’ll see it through his own eyes - not yours.

God damn it I could meta this moment into infinity with the let go of your need for control, Dean, or shit will happen. 

And here’s the shitty thing that could very well happen: Dean killing Lucifer for Sam. 

They’ve foreshadowed it, especially with Dean’s prolonged look at Lucifer before walking through the rift in 13x20. And now Lucifer has a hold over Sam by saving Sam’s life. And Dean sees Lucifer as a threat to Jack, which means a threat to everything, and now Lucifer is on cahoots with Michael… yeah, bad shit all around.

If Dean kills Lucifer out of need for control, then it’s possible he’ll lose any control he might’ve had over Jack, any influence whatsoever, and the fact that he robs Jack of the chance to see Lucifer through his own eyes - not through Dean’s - might bring about one hell of a narrative punishment. Dean is Jack’s foremost father figure. Not Sam, nor Cas. Sam is the supportive uncle and Cas has been too absent to actually teach lessons. Jack takes after Dean’s shown behaviour and most of Dean’s shown behaviour has been grief-laden toxic masculinity. 

He’s let that go now, but has Jack really had a chance to see it? Not yet. And being included and accepted by Dean this late in the game, and possibly having such a huge choice taken from him when it comes to getting to know his father and make up his own mind about him and what role he should play in his life, it’s possible this would serve to cause an emotional reaction in Jack so great that he begins to reject his humanity and embrace his darker side, simply in order to learn who he truly is and find some other way into that choice.

I don’t know, though. I doubt they’d want to make Jack the new Big Bad, because the Big Bad shouldn’t make people cry and tear their hair that they’re doing bad things. The season Big Bad should pose a real threat and we should want to watch them go down in flames - which can then be flipped, as it was with Amara. Anyway, Jack going dark side would probably not last longer than the dark arcs Cas (Godstiel) or Dean (Deanmon), or they’ll make it a reflection of Sam’s exploration of his powers, but in that case it would make more sense to keep Jack with TFW and have him be a gun under the table.

If he goes proper dark and takes off, I’m unsure if that arc could last more than a handful of episodes (though anything’s possible) and we also have a Dark Horse in this new version of Dean on the horizon and I wonder if they’d want to pile it all on.

2. Cas - the Weapon or the Shield 

I mean, he is both - they all are - but there’s a predominant leaning towards the weapon lately, when all season he’s been describing himself as the shield.

How many times has he said that he promised Kelly to protect her son? (many many times)

That could be as the weapon, but protection, to me, sounds more like the wall standing between you and the bullet. He didn’t start dressing himself as the weapon, not properly, until after Jack went into the AU. And now we’ve landed in the blue glow of his angel eyes being associated with pain, torture and suffering. 

This is possibly a fantastic foreshadowing for Dean’s eyes glowing blue with angel grace at the end of the episode (because at JiB Jensen spoiled the fact that the image of this other version of Dean will most likely be the final one when he told us that he hasn’t actually played this other version yet)

Now, I’ve written a meta post on 13x19 that has to do with Cas and Choice.

Is it plausible that a situation arises where Cas says he can’t stay and Dean steps in with his words going Hell to the Yes, you Can and you Will, dumbass.

Yeah, it’s plausible. 

It seems imperative that Cas stops with the glow-y eyes already, or I fear he’ll start losing himself. It’s also quite beautiful in the sense that he clearly can’t see any other way of existing than this, because how can he rid himself of his grace when Heaven is failing? So it’s almost as if he’s resigned himself to the role he once assigned himself at this point - that of the weapon and believing it’s his only purpose. It’s made a point of in dialogue between him and torture!Cas in the AU, when Cas agrees that they’re the same. *screaming ghost face emoji* 

YOU ARE NOT THE SAME AT ALL, CASTIEL!!

And he doesn’t look like he fully agrees, he doesn’t look accepting of this fact - he looks conflicted once he’s stabbed this alternate version of himself. So where does that leave his arc in the finale? What does he need as we push forward? Where’s he at, you might ask?

Well, he needs perspective. He needs to understand he’s wanted for something other than his powers. He needs a way to tap fully into that humanity that’s just beneath the surface now… But this might be something they want to use and build on for S14, you know? Use how Cas’ inner conflict grows bigger and bigger until he’s forced to make a choice for himself. 

Heaven will need to be saved for him to actually make that choice, of course, because there’s no way in Heaven or on Earth that Cas will become human if it threatens humanity. And humanity is under threat from Heaven failing and Cas’ grace is one of a few batteries powering it and yes, I do believe this to be true, even if I’m not 100% sure I trust Naomi’s reformation.

There’s also the aspect of how Dean needs to use his goddamn words already. And since we got the codependency focus in the beauty of 13x21 I also do believe there’s a good chance we’ll get a Dean and Cas focused scene in this one. So will Cas finally begin to feel wants through Dean telling him that he is, and I mean properly expressing it, not in a “you’re our brother” way, but haltingly telling Cas what losing him actually did to him, or some such thing. 

I’m very curious and hopeful that we’ll get something like this, BUT judging by the promo, Dean makes a TFW speech of facing whatever comes together, which, hey, I’ll take it, but it’s not the same. It’s not the release Dean needs. (and we need) :P

And then we have Dean’s attitude in that promo, with Dean wanting and believing that they can have a future… *goose bumps* *goose bumps all over* Because that’s the final fucking stage, guys. He’s not just cusping anymore. It’s quite possible he’s standing on that peak and is about to race down it and spread his arms and scream FREEEEEEDOOOOOOOOM.

I mean, there will still be road blocks and obstacles and internal battles to fight. Just not the same ones we’ve been watching for 13 seasons. Shift in dynamics. Balls out. All the way. Yes please and thank you.

3. Dean Making a Choice

So, I’ve written a bit about this already and said that my greatest hope for Dean with whatever situation he’s about to face is that he steps into it not frantic and desperate to save everyone else, but calm and trusting that everything will be alright in the end, because he has faith and because he now wants a future, and he can’t believe that he would be put in this situation to turn out the lights, he feels in his bones that it’s to switch them on. 

He’s not facing down this threat in order to go out in a blaze of glory - he’s facing it to ensure he has a future to come back to.

That’s my biggest hope for him, so the fact that we now have a scene where he’s expressing hope for the future is pretty… yeah. It’s pretty as fuck.

I mean, hope for the future is a huge, huge bold sign that Dean is beginning to find self-worth. Do you know what that means for the shift in dynamics? Do you know what this means for the love story? *can’t sit still in my chair* I’ll talk more about this in another few paragraphs (or many more) (I don’t know) (fingers decide)

I would love for Dean to say yes to Michael, but the thing is… it’s so EARLY. We’re at the possible probable midpoint of a dual seasonal arc.

Well, what does Dean need? Truly?

a) He needs to let go of his need for control. Now, honestly, if we do get Dean saying yes to Michael, and Michael is in the guise of young John (since Matt Cohen is rumoured to be guest starring), then we get Dean granting admittance to one of the most formidable representatives of toxic masculinity that we’ve ever had on the show, and he looks like the YOUNG version of Dean’s father, the uncorrupted, loving, whole man who was supposed to raise Dean, rather than the broken and haunted drunk that ended up doing such a poor job of it for the most part, then imagine THAT visual manifestation of how Dean has moved on from the toxic masculinity ideal and is now embracing the truth of his father’s individuality.

Like DAMN. 

But that’s detail spec and one should never really do that. (oh well fuck it) (it’d just be a cool moment)

Letting go of his need for control peters into everything and affects the codependency positively. In 13x22 this has been set up, with Sam stepping up to the plate, speaking over Dean and taking charge, and Dean pretty much being ok with it. He’s allowing Sam to grow the fuck up. It’s beautiful!! 

b) He needs to speak the fuck up after a season of half-truths, stumbling on his words or keeping things completely unspoken. I mean, that’s what we all think. Right? Right. And what needs to happen before he can use his words? He needs to feel trust - in himself. And what shows that he’s beginning to trust in himself? The fact that he’s looking to the goddamn future, that’s what!

He’s not expecting to die. He doesn’t want to die. He thinks he deserves a damn BEACH HOLIDAY. *screams victory into the void* *it echoes forever*

How does he need to use his words? Well. I think he’s showing Sam that he trusts him to have his back, and to take care of himself, but it’s possible the codependency needs him to verbalise this.

However, we have the setup in 13x21 that dealt with Sam’s death and Dean’s reaction to it. Which was to reluctantly make the tactical decision to listen to Cas that it was too late to save Sam and they had to keep going in order to save the other people in their care and get to Jack and Mary, fulfil the mission…

So where might he need to use his words…

Okay, before I get into Destiel, because as much as I kind of don’t want to even speculate, I have some speculation after going through all these notes today, but before that, let’s talk about Sam.

4. Sam and Lucifer and stuff

Is Sam meant to kill Lucifer? Well, revenge is a savage beast that leaves no satisfaction, and we have a visual narrative underlining of that through Gabriel’s fallen expression after he’s assured Sam he feels awesome having killed everyone on his list. The revenge quest of 13x20 is stupid. That’s the whole point of that narrative - to point out the stupidity and futility of indulging in that feeling of more wrongs somehow righting a wrong done to you. 

You can’t heal your wounds by inflicting wounds or a killing blow - you heal your wounds by letting go of all that anger and hatred and moving on from it. Forgiveness and understanding is a balm for the soul.

Would Sam take a shot at Lucifer if given the chance, though? Yes, he would. So… It’s possible this chance presents itself in the finale, and if Lucifer does die… that’s another archangel gone. Stakes continuously raised for how exactly to save Heaven, eh?

If Sam does get a chance to kill Lucifer, I almost wish he’ll step down. That he’ll realise that he is in control of the situation, of himself, of his own choices, and he doesn’t have to fear himself and what he’s capable of anymore. He won’t lose control. He’s all grown up now - he doesn’t need his father figure to guide him. He needs to let go of Dean. (I mean, obviously he’ll need to save Dean from whatever the fuck is headed his way but you know) (symbolically Sam needs to push Dean away and dare strike out on his own)

Sam should lead.

And the fact that the bunker is now full of seasoned hunters/soldiers is a fantastic position to put him in, wholly enabling the born leader that he truly is. And, by the by, when I say lead I don’t mean burst through doors with a weapon, I mean he should be at the hub of communication, he should be in the bunker running logistics and doing research, he should fucking MoL, shouldn’t he? 

Yes. He. Should.

And perhaps now, being put in this position, the lights will start flicking on in that stubborn head of his and he’ll begin to see what the bunker could be, what it was always meant to be. God, it’d be so gorgeous. I want him to hunt down more legacies, damnit!! Build a network, create a MoL chapter that can do things the way things were always meant to be done.

Come on, Sammy!

5. Billie and the Cosmics

Cosmic consequences, cosmic fate and something else cosmic, or several other things cosmic this season. The word “cosmic” has come up on more than one occasion and, usually, it seems linked to Billie. Well, the cosmic fate was linked to the love spell, which is linked to Rowena, and now Rowena and Billie have been in the same room.

Anyway.

What if it isn’t Michael. What if Lucifer and AU!Michael’s tampering with the fabric of the universe causes rifts to open and something truly, truly bad to come through, the way that was foreshadowed in 13x17? But then again, what exactly did Billie mean when she told Dean “See you again soon”?

I have no fucking clue. GAH. 

6. The Greatest Love Story Ever Told

I’m not expecting any payout in the finale on all the foreshadowing and plants they’ve given us throughout the season, let me make that perfectly clears, my dears.

But here’s the thing.

They are separating these men again. We know they are. They’ve told us this is happening. Dean is going to not be Dean and, looking at where we’re at narratively, it’s going to leave Cas pretty much as devastated as it left Dean, with the exception that Cas will not deal with dead!Dean, he’ll deal with possessed!Dean.

Well, presumably anyway.

See, I wouldn’t even consider this if it weren’t for Dean’s position in his progression, which was made clear to us in the promo for 13x23 by how he wants a future for himself, how he’s come so far as to plan what he’d do with it, if they could actually change things and get rid of all the bad in the world through Jack.

Which I doubt they will. Because that’s Utopia. And I don’t think Jack is here to bring that type of balance. But he WILL bring back the balance of the first seasons. At least how I see it. The monsters deserve a chance too. I don’t think you can just eradicate whole species and think this promotes balance. But working together, working proactively - yeah, that’d work. And having teams of hunters working together with MoL chapters would also mean that some people could take a vacation and know that everything’s under fucking control. It’s not all on them all the time.

So, point —>

Dean sees a future for himself. He’s in a position where I can actually, emotionally, see him think “fuck this”, and kissing Cas, because what Dean’s needed, more than anything, is to believe himself worthy of Cas’ love and affections, and Dean is pretty much there now, or so the promo says. 

And, the thing is, Cas is in a place where he more or less needs emotional intervention. Because he’s in Heavenly soldier default angel mode and he’s not drinking the beers and he’s not a part of the trio the way he should be. Because he’s removed from them, even after everything, and he is allowing himself to be, not understanding how to break through. 

We’ve kept being shown him frowning at Dean’s innuendo. The only innuendo we’ve gotten from Cas is that “epically” and even that could’ve been meant as something innocent enough. Cas isn’t quite there to make the move himself. But Dean…

Yeah, it would be intriguing af if they give us a kiss or even more this episode, because it pushes the shift in dynamics to the forefront and lets the GA know what’s what. It also gives a fresh tinge to the separation, because they’ll be struggling to get back to each other from two sides. They’ll be lovers pointedly wanting to reunite. It’ll be new to watch and will lend completely new subtext and it would be so gorgeous. 

If they have them come together in a passionate tangle of limbs without actually resolving anything between them before Dean says yes/is possessed/whatever he’s about to do/is about to happen to him, then we get the love story smacked in the face of the GA, while the tension remains because there’s still been no actual declarations (and you know you gotta have those)…

But yeah. If they’re going for another five seasons I’m not sure. Might be I’ll end up having to film myself eating an over-priced and highly delectable hat here, people. :P

I do not expect Destiel to become text in the finale. It just makes a tiny speck of sense that it could. Either way, there’s been a hella lot of fun subtext to read into this season! *aw yiss*

[frivoloussuits]

Suits: What Comes Next?

What can Suits do next, in 7b and 8a and beyond? It’s a question I’ve been thinking about for a while, and while I’ve explored it in fic I think it’s about time I do a proper meta post. Strap in for lots of weird predictions about how Suits can go on, and what the potential pitfalls of each route are.

TLDR: Suits is probably but not definitely doomed. Their safest option, in my opinion, is to decisively break up Donna and Harvey in 7b, give Harvey an absolutely awful time through 8a (maybe 7b and 8b too?), and double down on another ship entirely. This is not their only option; Darvey is still on the table.

Word count: ~3K

Question 1: How can they handle Mike and Rachel’s departure?

First things first, now that Mike’s leaving, the powers that be are losing the core relationship of the show. Assuming the reason Mike’s leaving is that he and Rachel got a better job/life opportunity elsewhere (as opposed to, say, the two of them get killed off), there are two options here:

1.) Brush over Mike and Rachel’s departure as a happy, happy event for everyone involved. The remaining characters move on with their lives with minimal angst. Maybe a new sidekick (Alex? Donna? Louis? someone else new?) fills the Mike-sized hole in Harvey’s plot lines.

Pros: Patrick J. Adams described Suits as a fundamentally “aspirational” show. In his opinion the show can approach darkness, it cannot dwell there. This would allow the show to carry on with its typical plot lines without angst.

Cons: This may feel out of sync with the previous seasons. If everyone can pick up and move on without Mike in a heartbeat, then why were they so dedicated to keeping him around and protecting him for all this time? Also, now that two more members of the original core cast are leaving, Suits is at risk of having too few meaningful plots. Glossing over Mike’s departure would mean dropping a major source of potential drama.

2.) Dwell on the implications of Mike and Rachel’s departure. Harvey’s abandonment issues might come back to the forefront.

Pros: Drama. Tension. Sensible, in-character consequences over the loss of the Mike-Harvey relationship.

Cons: If the show dwells on Rachel and Mike’s departure, so will the audience. And if the audience is upset about the departure, they might end up alienated, sick of the reminders of what’s now missing. Also, as mentioned above, this show doesn’t like serious angst; it might be hard to strike the right tone.

Question 2: How to end 7b?

Patrick J. Adams has strongly hinted that the finale of 7b will include the Machel wedding. 7b is also intended to serve as a backdoor pilot for Jessica’s spin-off show. That’s all well and good, but what happens to our core remaining characters, Donna, Louis, and Harvey?

Suits knows the benefits of ending on a cliffhanger (or some sort of tantalizing promise of new conflict), they've done it every season except maybe 6. I think they have to do this again. Because they’ve now lost half their main cast, they’ll probably try to hook people more than ever and give them an incredibly compelling reason to tune back in. What sort of cliffhanger they might use depends on the answer to . . .

Question 3: What’s the driving tension of Season 8a?

(8b’s also important, of course, but I think it’ll be the ending of the series. And since I don’t have a great intuition for how this show can end without Mike, I won’t make detailed predictions. All I’ll say is that I think at least 2 out of 3, if not all 3, of the Donna-Louis-Harvey group will be happily and stably in love, and I think all three will achieve some level of personal growth. I predict that they’ll all be happy with their careers and that the firm will be doing well. Either that or the firm crashes, in which case Harvey probably throws up his hands and moves out of New York, lol.)

Okay, so fandom loves fluffy slice-of-life stories that don’t have conflict, but mainstream TV shows? Not so much. There ought to be a driving conflict that makes 8a run. I think Suits can have three major types of tension:

External Tension: A mostly-new set of characters invades and raises hell. Examples include the Danbury plot of 6a, the investment banking plot of 4a, and the failed Darby merger from 3.

Pros of external tension: So many options for drama.

Cons of external tension: Meh. Suits has done this a lot already, and how do you top the stakes of Danbury? What new threat can outside characters present that we haven’t already seen? If it’s just that “the firm’s in jeopardy again,” I think a lot of viewers will yawn, but the obvious ways of raising the stakes (disgruntled ex-client attempts murder, someone ends up in the hospital for multiple episodes, Louis makes good on the Daniel Hardman death threat, etc.) would potentially be too angsty and out of place.

Another potential issue is that the end of 7b would ideally introduce this new bunch of external troublemakers, and if 7b’s finale is already packed with the Machel wedding and Jessica’s pilot plots then that’ll be tough.

Old-Conflict-Resurfaces Tension: Oooh, this one could be fun. A decent way for Suits to go out (assuming Season 8 is the end) is to do a fabulous villain team-up. Maybe Daniel Hardman’s working with Travis Tanner, who’s being paid off by Charles Forstman, and so on. More broadly, if Suits can reach into its established rogues gallery and present some old threats as more menacing than ever and weave a credible yet surprising legal plot, that might be a way to go.

Pros: Lots of options for drama, though less than above. Potentially cleaner and more elegant, since Suits doesn’t need to introduce bunches of new settings and characters. If done well, it could viewers guessing all throughout, rethinking old episodes and searching their memories for clues to unravel every new mystery. All in all this could feel like a very fitting end for the show.

Cons: This may be very hard to pull off. It can tip one way and become boring, or the other and become absurd.

Internal Tension: My personal favorite. Something changes among our central trio, and they then generate a driving plot of their own free will.

Pros: Elegant. Minimal set-up (well, no, but the setup is all the character dynamics we’ve learned so well over the past seven seasons). A great way to propel meaningful character change and wrap up the central arcs. I think audiences will care about this tension more than any other kind, because it’s all about Donna, Harvey and Louis, and those central characters are what the general audience cares about most.

Cons: We’ve already seen a lot of Donna, Harvey and Louis. We’ve seen how they react in stressful situations. Pushing them to new limits is hard, there are few events that can still do it. The powers that be would have to be pretty damn careful to keep everyone in-character without just rehashing dramas we’ve already seen.

Question 4: Who is Samantha Wheeler?

For those who don’t know, Katherine Heigl is joining the main cast of Suits for Season 8. She’s playing Samantha Wheeler, a “talented new partner at Pearson Specter Litt who challenges the status quo and will either become the firm’s greatest ally or most powerful enemy.”

It’s possible that Samantha will come crashing in and become the one-woman generator of an “external tension” that drives Season 8a. I’m hard-pressed to come up with what’s so special about this character that she can cause such big waves, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

Pros: New drama. New relationship dynamics. If she’s connected via backstory to one or more of the main characters (and she probably should be, otherwise the audience is at risk of just not caring about her), that could cause drama amidst the Donna-Louis-Harvey group. Also! She might provide new romance opportunities, and god knows Suits likes its love stories. If Darvey and Louis/Sheila are both definitively together by the end of 7, I think Samantha is even more likely to have a love interest.

Cons: Things are already changing a lot from 7 to 8. The audience is at risk of 1.) being confused, 2.) being bored because they’ve already seen too much like this, 3.) feeling alienated because this isn’t what they signed up for, and/or 4.) just not caring. Adding a brand-new main character may exacerbate these issues.

Question 5: WHAT HAPPENS TO DARVEY?!?!?!

The powers that be wrote themselves into an interesting corner with the 7a kiss. The Darvey tension’s been simmering for ages, but it’s finally been pushed so far that Donna and Harvey have to confront it. If the Darvey will-they-won’t-they dance isn’t finished by the end of 7, I think audiences will revolt.

The writers are devoting serious attention to the fallout the kiss; the consequences will propel plenty of 7b drama, and I won’t be surprised if Donna and Harvey spend 5.99 out of 6 episodes feuding. That said, by the time the season is over, the Darvey plot should be decided one way or the other to avoid the aforementioned audience revolt. Working under that assumption, there are two options . . .

1.) Darvey gets together in 7b.

I’m going to quote another Aaron (the namesake of Rick Sorkin?) discussing the long-time workplace romance of another fictional Donna: “They are in a tough spot . . . because she works for him. Besides, sexual and romantic tension is, to me, much more fun than taking the tension away by having the sex and romance.” And while I can’t find the article at the moment, I’ve seen a related quote from Sarah Rafferty, where she said that she hoped Darvey would happen in the very last episodes of the show, if it happened at all.

Why might they say this? Because hardcore Darvey shippers may be thrilled to watch an entire Season 8 of canon Darvey, but I think more casual viewers will lose interest. The unspoken will-they-won’t-they tension has captivated viewers for years, and once that’s gone so is one of Suits’ biggest hooks. If the powers that be still want the Donna-Harvey relationship to draw people in, they’d better cook up something really special to replace the sexual and romantic tension.

Donna and Harvey have prepared for this relationship for so long that a lot of the typical sources in television love stories (one of them is jealous, one of them cheats, they miscommunicate, they aren’t familiar with each others’ priorities) would make little sense; they should be past that by now. If there’s any relationship conflict, that would have to be written quite carefully.

Another option is to let Donna and Harvey be happy together and throw conflict at them from the outside-- maybe someone else comes and tries to break them up, or threaten them professionally, and maybe they close ranks and become a wonderful battle couple.

(Personal note: If Darvey gets together, I’d like to see canon unquestionably establish Donna as Harvey’s equal in 7b and 8. I want to see them contributing equally to their relationship. I want to be convinced that they’ll both be happy in the long term, that this isn’t a relationship where Donna sacrifices for Harvey but has to grovel for his support in return, and I think they’re not there yet. Harvey really isn’t there yet. Getting there could generate plot.)

So these are some options for how canon can keep viewers invested through S8, but . . . I bet they won’t be as compelling for the general audience as the 7-season mating dance.

2.) Darvey gets smashed to hell in 7b.

I know I’m the only one, but I think this is still a real possibility!

At this point, Suits is running into two issues. One, it feels overall predictable and unsurprising. Two, it feels like it’s pushing its characters out of character in order to manufacture surprises (see: Harvey’s sudden infatuation with Paula, rule-obsessed Sheila’s sudden willingness to cheat on her fiance). If they can thwart viewer expectations on one of the biggest questions-- will Darvey happen?-- while remaining true to their characters, that could be pretty damn cool.

It’s also a reasonable option, in my opinion. It could generate plenty of plot for Donna and Harvey in 8a, since they might completely burn their bridges in 7b and have to rebuild from scratch, and it also leaves room for a different central romance!

So there’s this ship that nobody talks about. It’s a m/f ship, which means it’s more likely to be canon on this sadly heteronormative show than, say, Marvey. The characters have had compelling plots and interactions from Season 1. They’ve laughed together. They’ve survived drama. They respect, care about and understand each other. They have the same interests and hobbies. They have hilariously sexual conversations. They have literally said “I love you.”

I’m talking about Louis and Donna.

Yes, I’m serious, and so was Sarah Rafferty when she claimed Donna needs someone more emotionally open than Harvey to be her “life partner,” and so was Rick Hoffman when he said, “I just don’t understand how Louis could not be attracted to a woman like Donna.”

Pros of Lonna: Surprises! Drama! I can see this being the internal tension that drives 8a, and hell, I can’t imagine a better cliffhanger for season 7′s finale than a Lonna moment. This wouldn’t be radically out of character-- I’ve been checking, and there’s a surprisingly large amount of foundational material for this ship-- yet it’d massively upset audience expectations and also the existing relationship dynamics between Donna, Louis, and Harvey.

No, I’m not forgetting Harvey. Maybe he doesn’t want Donna himself, but seeing Louis end up with her would upturn everything he thought he knew about the world. Given that Mike’s also leaving and that he might still be dealing with Paula-related guilt, this plot twist would send Harvey reeling, especially if he and Donna are still working out the fallout from the kiss. If he lashes out and screws up his professional life too, then that can generate legal plots as well as personal drama.

Long story short, Lonna is potentially a massive plot generator.

Cons: The big downside of Lonna is that (besides Rick Hoffman and Sarah Rafferty who have been discussing it at least since Season 2) practically nobody ships it. Louis is so often treated as fodder for jokes, it’s possible that audiences just wouldn’t take it seriously. Also, a lot of Darvey shippers would be furious and heartbroken.

Question 6: What’s my ideal season 7 finale?

Okay, I know nobody is actually asking this, but I want to tell you!

Mike and Rachel dance peacefully at their wedding reception, safe in a happy bubble, oblivious to the world burning down around them. Jessica’s in the Plaza lobby, threatening some poor sucker over the phone in a desperate bid to save her political career. Harvey’s locked in the bathroom, fighting off a panic attack and failing, wondering whether he’s sick because of Paula, or because of Mike, or because Donna’s not speaking to him anymore . . .

Meanwhile, Louis and Donna share a sweet, intimate conversation on a hotel balcony that leads to a sweet, intimate kiss-- only to have Donna pull back, gasping as though she’s been burned.

SUITS RETURNS IN FALL 2018.

(I don’t know about you guys, but I would so tune in for that Season 8.)

[rxbbstarks]

jonsa / war of the roses meta