#I think the brothers tragedy is just as much of a tragedy of parallel lines as is pre-resurrection wangxian.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Parallel Lines and Brothers.

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[iguessmyfishisgay]

Okay here's a little updated post about my thoughts on Chester and Norris vs Jon and Martin.

They're absolutely connected in some way. There's plenty of reason to think so. Getting the "some of him" statement (case? is that what they're called now?) after the tragedy of Jon and Martin not knowing how much of Jon would be left if they banished the entities? That's too obvious to ignore. And the glitchy names in the credits too is a good reason to think it's Jon and Martin's voices, not just Jonny and Alex's.

But I think we're forgetting that Protocol can be listened to standalone from TMA. Any connections between the voices in the computer and other characters are not going to be a big thing, lest it become confusing for new listeners. So perhaps they're a version of jmart, but I don't think they're *our* jmart, similarly to the parallels between Alice and Tim. Come on, an office flirt who copes with jokes and has a younger brother they absolutely adore? Yeah Alice and Tim parallels are going *hard*

If the third voice is Jonah we won't know for a while because it's not Ben voicing it, so it won't be Elias's voice.

I'd also like to put forward the idea that maybe this universe doesn't have the entities as we think of them? Clearly these cases have been happening well before Chester and Norris showed up, which is presumably when the fears would have been pushed to this reality if that's what happened. What this could mean exactly I'm not sure. Maybe they're even more amalgamous than before, lines blurred more than the previous fears or maybe no lines at all. The filing system seems to reflect that fact, imo. There's so many different ways you can categorize things, it's basically futile. Gwen and Alice's argument over Zombies or Reanimation is a perfect example. Zombies WOULD have been fine. Because zombies are just reanimated dead people. Maybe the verbage of "reanimation; partial" is more specific, but zombies is by no means incorrect.

I totally started rambling on a completely unrelated topic but yeah, here's my thoughts for ya.

[comradekatara]

in what interesting ways do you think would Zuko, Azula and their dynamic be different if she were the older sister and he the younger brother? (in watching as a kid with less reading comp skills than now, i actually thought this was the case lol)

yeah i think a lot of people assume azula is the elder sibling due to her competence and also the way she presents herself/performs femininity. she definitely seems more mature than fourteen, which in itself is a horrific tragedy when you actually figure out what those implications really mean for her. i think it really depends on whether or not azula would be the heir were she the elder sibling. like the line of ascension is obviously linear, but also, historically, have there been female firelords?? i think izumi is the first (and obviously the way ozai gives azula the title as a pathetic compensation for basically discarding her doesn't count, since he's effectively rendered the position meaningless by the time he crowns himself phoenix king). so that would really be the major factor in terms of swapping birth order. i think it just narratively makes far more sense for zuko to be the heir, because assuming the throne thus feels like a tangible goal for him even as he is banished. and perhaps he would still be the heir even if he was younger just by virtue of being the only son. but in terms of their dynamic itself, i don't think much would change. their relationship is very gendered more so than it is influenced by their respective ages. although, i will say, perhaps if azula were the older sibling and zuko the younger sibling, more people would realize that besides the obvious older brother / younger sister parallel, zuko parallels katara and azula parallels sokka first and foremost.

[istumpysk]

Okay, given that you think the show switched around a lot of endings (very valid, to be honest), how likely do you think it is that they gave Tommen Tyrion's ending?

The gargoyles watched him ascend. Their eyes glowed red as hot coals in a brazier. Perhaps once they had been lions, but now they were twisted and grotesque. - Bran IV, AGOT

Stone and shattered gargoyles lay strewn across the yard. They fell just where I did, Bran thought when he saw them. Some of the gargoyles had broken into so many pieces it made him wonder how he was alive at all. - Bran VII, ACOK

Tyrion Lannister was sitting on the ledge above the door to the Great Hall, looking for all the world like a gargoyle. - Jon I, AGOT

Motionless as a gargoyle, Tyrion Lannister hunched on one knee atop a merlon. - Tyrion XIII, ACOK

I am by no means certain about Tyrion's endgame but I just came across these quotes while rereading ACOK and I am intrigued. What do you think?

I completely agree with your observation that George has intentionally connected Tyrion to the gargoyles.

"Yes. The gods have been kind to you, Sansa. You are a lovely girl. It seems almost obscene to squander such sweet innocence on that gargoyle." "What gargoyle?" Sansa did not understand. - Sansa III, ASOS

But I'm not sure what the takeaway is.

It seems quite probable that Tommen will throw himself from a window in Maegor's Holdfast.

There's the historical parallel:

Yet all these were as naught against the tragedy that descended on the court and king. On the twenty-second day of the ninth moon of 133 AC, Jaehaera of House Targaryen, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and the last surviving child of King Aegon II, perished at the age of ten. The little queen died just as her mother, Queen Helaena, had, throwing herself from a window in Maegor's Holdfast onto the iron spikes that lined the dry moat below. Impaled through breast and belly, she twisted in agony for half an hour before she could be lifted free, whereupon she passed from this life at once. - Fire & Blood

Plus, throughout A Feast For Crows, George consistently emphasizes the iron spikes whenever Cersei is on the drawbridge:

She paused upon the drawbridge that spanned the dry moat, gazing down at the spikes below. - Cersei I, AFFC

x

She left him on the drawbridge that spanned the dry moat with its bed of iron spikes and entered Maegor's Holdfast alone. - Cersei V, AFFC

x

"Should Ser Loras fall, Your Grace will need to find another worthy for the Kingsguard," Lord Qyburn said as they crossed over the spiked moat that girded Maegor's Holdfast. - Cersei VII, AFFC

Lastly, in the epilogue, Kevan Lannister remarks about the iron spikes, then the text quickly transitions to the lack of available Kingsguard to watch over Tommen:

The dry moat surrounding Maegor's Holdfast was three feet deep in snow, the iron spikes that lined it glistening with frost. The only way in or out of Maegor's was across the drawbridge that spanned that moat. A knight of the Kingsguard was always posted at its far end. Tonight the duty had fallen to Ser Meryn Trant. With Balon Swann hunting the rogue knight Darkstar down in Dorne, Loras Tyrell gravely wounded on Dragonstone, and Jaime vanished in the riverlands, only four of the White Swords remained in King's Landing, and Ser Kevan had thrown Osmund Kettleblack (and his brother Osfryd) into the dungeon within hours of Cersei's confessing that she had taken both men as lovers. That left only Trant, the feeble Boros Blount, and Qyburn's mute monster Robert Strong to protect the young king and royal family. - Epilogue, ADWD

It's not a lot, but it's enough for me. Lol

As much as I'd love for it to be Tyrion, Tommen feels like the safer bet. :)

[needle-noggins]

Playing catch-up on Vol. 8 so I can be fully immersed in The Pain(tm) next week. Nothing terribly deep rn but I have some plant twins thoughts.

I can't help but think about how Knives and Vash are both being pushed beyond their limits, to growing black hair, by each other. It's the thing that Knives hates and blames humans for, but he's doing it to himself in the end. And his followers, explicitly Elendira and Dr. Conrad, are waiting it out while toeing the line.

And I think this conversation is a bit of a turning point for Vash, as he sticks up to Knives a bit more than we've seen, stands his ground, and doesn't crumble into a heap of self-pity quite as much. He's trying so hard, especially now that he has people who genuinely and deeply love him (Wolfwood, Meryl) who inspire him to fight harder. He's had some time to reflect on Knives' abuse and he's trying to call him out on it. Of course, our favorite hypocrite won't listen (do they ever?), but it's important that Vash tries.

I've said it before but this panel of Vash standing up to Knives really struck me, even on my first read-through several months ago at breakneck speed. Vash is trying SO HARD to talk some sense into Knives. He's assuming Knives might have some empathy for his brother, that he might listen.

It doesn't work, and it's heartbreaking to realize that it never will. Been there, Vash. You tried, and so valiantly.

When you boil it down to just Knives and Vash, Trigun really is a tragedy.

Oh yeah, and this is in parallel to Wolfwood's conversation with Chapel. (Is it weird that I see Chapel as a fucked-up father figure for Wolfwood? Is that valid?) Obviously Wolfwood is exercising some of Vash's empathy, trying to avoid killing innocent people (which sucks because Chapel goes and kills them right after, trying to show him there's no point to it, the people will die anyway). Chapel is trying to show Wolfwood that he will always be an agent of the Eye of Michael, it's something he can't change, can't escape - he was made to kill.

Wolfwood doesn't argue back. He can't. He's still struggling with his past.

This same volume shows us Wolfwood as a child in the orphanage, caring for a baby. He knows he wasn't always a monster. He knows the Eye made him that way, and of course Chapel is using some good ol' cult tactics to try to keep him reeled in.

Free will vs Determinism.

Blank Ticket vs Made for Murder. Vash vs. Knives. Hope vs. Despair.

That's it, that's the whole manga.

[parasitoidism]

sending you walter after u sent me jonathan #dialectics

waoh its like cause like law and chaos are the same woawwwwwwwww

favorite thing about them

I do really like that he's such a little asshole sometimes like he just talks shit about people and demons right in front of them its really funny LOL but aside from that I just really like how .. clear his line of thinking is? Like it just makes so much fucking sense exactly how his life experiences and the structure of mikado's society led him from point a to point b in the course of the story because its like soooo fucked up. And it's just like this thing with him and jonathan where it's like he IS being manipulated and the .. conclusion he reaches is really not sound but the way Jonathan just can't understand that he's not just being corrupted by a demon and actually has reasons for feeling the way he does which like in turn drives them apart even more is like ooh its so good

least favorite thing about them

Oh walter i understand where your feelings are coming from but trying to create a world where the strongest survive isn't very based of you

favorite line

I have been thinking about the way he brings up Issachar to Flynn a lot recently and I think it's like... It is ultimately manipulative right. Like he is at the end of the day bringing up Flynn's dead friend whenever he's trying to get Flynn on his side like yeah he's using that tragedy to appeal to his emotions and especially in the YPR scene he's just flat out saying "If my worldview is fulfilled, what happened to Issachar will never happen to anyone else". But I don't think it's just like "Oh I'm just going to say whatever I have to in order to get this guy on my side" I think he really does believe it like he always has this sense of camaraderie with Flynn because they're both casualries throughout the whole game and I think he probably saw himself in Issachar in his last moments which is why this one at shen duque has been sticking with me because he's directly repeating Issachar's last words about "changing this rotten world". Like I think that did genuinely affect him and him invoking Issachar and his fate the way he does is his way of being like, his way of trying to get Flynn to understand what he believes to be true, that his world will never result in that kind of injustice again. IN MY CUTE LITTLE OPINION AS THEY SAY

brOTP

I THINK HE AND ISABEAU SHOULD HANG OUT MORE for the parallels bro the parallels does anyone else see the parallels Walter and Isabeau both have the thing of like being raised with a singular expectation for what the rest of their lives will look like (fisher for walter monk/monastery work for isabeau) and then being chosen as samurai instead like I think IDK i just think. i think about things sometimes.

OTP

Jonathan and Walter are really good like notice how although they do get along with and respect each other they can never fundamentally understand each other. notice how it was always fated to end before it could even begin

nOTP

uhhh Idk. I can't really think of any ships that I hate in smtiv because nobody really gives af about this game like that it's just me and my mind palace and like a few other people's mind palaces

random headcanon

Second oldest child with an older sister and 2 younger brothers idk when this popped into my head but it just did one day and now it's just like. i believe it.

unpopular opinion

People focus on the Hoy thing but that's just like a way that all the casualries talk in this game like Hope also says it a lot but I think the funniest thing about the way he talks is that he says shit like HELLS BELLS all the time like he's an old woman

song i associate with them

I DONT HAAVE ONE again like theres only a few characters I have Songs For

favorite picture of them

I only read like 2 chapters of it but the artist of demonic gene draws him very cutely

[littencloud9]

anyway. that was so fucking good so as usual have my post watch thoughts:

vanitas - i am putting him in a fucking blender and then giving him a big hug. give this guy a BREAK. there is something so wrong with him and i love it. him and noé are so incredibly well-done. pure opposites and they clash but it works. him and mikhail devastated me. he is so insanely kind and you dont expect it bc he keeps shoving people away?? and hes so snarky but hes doing everything to save others??? sacrificing his body to countless experiments as a child so that other children wouldnt suffer the same, saving the vampires with the book even as it chips away at the humanity he struggles to keep, being a DOCTOR. im gonna throw something

noé - i’m in love with him. that’s it. jk but he is AMAZING and his love for domi makes me wanna cry and also him and murr are so funny and when he said he’ll never set vanitas free, something in me revived. i love that his first instinct is always to protect, whether it’s by his own body or by inflicting violence. he is just so sweet and has a big big heart and i think im gonna go cry actually

jeanne - JEANNE!!! I LOVE HER SO MUCH. her arc with chloé was WONDERFUL and she’s the cutest and coolest ever. im putting her in my pocket and patting her adoringly. she’s so fiercely loyal to her duty but when it comes to people she cares about she struggles because her heart is so big and i am JUST. I LOVE JEANNE

dominique - I ALSO LOVE DOMI. HOLY SHIT shes probably my favourite as of now. i didnt have much of an impression of her in s1 (tho she was so cool) but s2 hit me like a truck. i love that we got her pov of the whole thing with louis! doomed siblings haha my weakness. the scene of her holding back her younger self and louis just watching WAS SO INCREDIBLE. domi looking into her most vulnerable self and being forced to confront her past MMMM. her as a child chopping her hair off after louis died like WOW that murdered me. her saying she hates herself but fighting to stay alive anyway. AND HER AND THE SICK ASS ICE POWERS. AND JEANNE SAYING SHES BEAUTIFUL. and her with the line about protecting others or something. BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY DOMI IS A KNIGHT! AHHHH GOD I LOVE HER

mikhail - this kid both freaks me out and makes me miserable. as a child screaming help me big brother while he was being dragged away, and then when the book was eating him alive and he was screaming at vanitas to help him again. that killed me. and him doing everything because he wants to bring back their family. being stuck in the past and begging for vanitas to return with him IM GONNA THROW UP

chloé and jean-jacques - they aren’t my favourites but their arc was wonderful!! oh the tragedy of being childhood best friends in this show. i love that they found each other when it was needed. i love that they did everything to protect each other. i love that they saved each other. i love that both their true names have something to do with flowers, the same as the place where they first met (unless i’m remembering things wrong do not come at me it’s been a While skfhekfb)

vanoé thoughts - because vanoé is what i came for. i was Not disappointed. thejr dynamic is so silly and fun but also devastating. their designs being parallels, being Meant To Be, is great. vanitas having to hypnotise himself to kill noé, yet being unable to do it even with a KNIFE TO HIS THROAT. and noé also holding back, despite knowing that he is completely capable of killing vanitas too. and the rain and everything and ohhhh my god i will die. and vanitas leaning on noé in s1 and noé leaning on vanitas in s2 HECK YEAH. AND THE SUN RISE IN S1 WHEN NOÉ PROMISED TO STAY BY VANITAS’ SIDE. AND THE SUN RISE IN S2 WHEN THEY MADE UP. AND VANITAS TOOK NOÉ’S HAND! AND ACCEPTED HIM INTO HIS LIFE! after hiding everything about himself from noé, and now letting him see just a piece of him. and them arguing like an old married couple but also instinctively protecting each other. these damn gays

domijeanne - when do they kiss. like for Real. man i love that they hold such high admiration for each other and they support each other so much. and domi who harbours so much self-hatred and compares herself with jeanne, but jeanne just sees her as strong and beautiful and incredible. i love that they’re genuinely friends and always go to each other and ALSO LETS NOT FORGET THE DANCING SCENE! and also jeanne the hellfire witch and domi with the ice powers LIKE! INCREDIBLE SHOW STOPPING. pretty please i need them to kiss

overall - love the op and ed so much. love the colours and vibrancy and how during the last fight it was all grey and dull and ugh. studio bones KNOWS how to do symbolism with these damn colours. incredible and devastating writing and im definitely gonna go read the manga. drop dead gorgeous art style like all of these characters are BEAUTIFUL. a perfect mix of silly and pure horror and genuine love (both platonic and romantic and maybe some of these characters are trauma bonded but they come together anyway and that is just great) and tragedy. i love vnc. the bsd-mtp-vnc pipeline so real. they are all incredible shows but i think vnc has my favourite storyline out of them all so far. thanks if u read til here LMAO 🫶🫡

[beaulesbian]

some thoughts about time and march days in stranger things s4 vol. 1  - long post

firstly,

i still think the date on the camera being will’s birthday was on purpose

(the camera with the date appeared twice for like 3 seconds, i doubt they would miss that importance of that day, and left it on display for this long without knowing, even after editing).

and even if duffer brothers mentioned ‘apologizing’ for ‘forgetting’ it was will’s birthday, that could simply be they’re not able to tell more about it. i feel it could be something about this day/event appearing again the vol 2.

hopefully with flashbacks why everyone (read: mostly mike) was acting weird™  on that day. 👀

(will we get more parallels about how this was a special day for will vs a special day for el?) 

if i remember correctly from rewatching the series, i can’t recall anyone else’s birthday was being brought up as this much important reminder to the audience, with the whole speech joyce gave to will in s2, and they would suddenly ‘forgot’ about it now.

(this is mostly my take on it, bc i’ve seen too many posts being upset about it, and taking duffer brothers words as guarantee they forgot, when technically the whole season isn’t out yet, and it could be potential spoiler so something later on. so its best not to take the interviews/hype too seriously.)

secondly,

it’s interesting how much this season speaks about time. going back in time, being stuck in time, etc. the clock that appears as the vision of vecna’s victims, the date upside down is stuck on being the day will went missing (6th of november, 1983), and so on.

as well as El opening the 1st episode with voiceover of the letter to mike, mentioning how time flies, and how its funny how it slows down or speeds down, depending on emotions.

so we know this show is happening the week around 21march

another thing i noticed about a different march day, was in the newspapers about the creel house - a part that robin didnt read out loud (and i cant remember if anyone else said it out loud later in the show):

and the newspaper being published on 26th of march 1959

which coincidentally is the week s4 is taking place in march.

which made me wonder about vecna and some villain type of characteristics,

Vecna (it’s in 5e, but still could be relatable to the story), god of evil secrets, neutral evil, knowledge, hand with eye in the palm.

and while just looking about game structure and story line (about villains), this caught my attention

- anniversary of important event (the creel house tragedy)

- athletic event (the basketball game - it all began on that night  (while hellfire club were playing dnd about defeating vecna - and the 1st out of 2 last dice rolls - the one that failed - fell on number 11 👀 (the second roll being nat20, a critical hit... 👀) )

- birthday of an important NPC - could be will 👀 👀

it could be a series of events leading up to something big, similar to 25th march, just like in the past? - repeating of history, sort o thing. turning back the clock.

i dont know exactly where im going with this time theory/thoughts, but im curious if i will be pleasantly surprised if something like this connects in s4 vol. 2 or not.

either way, what im trying to say - Will is still very much important to the upside down plot, at least, i choose to hope its true. even though it feels like hes still being sidelined, i hope we will get to see him being the main focus again, and i cant wait to see how its all gonna go down once hes in hawkins again.

[raayllum]

What are your biggest predictions for season 5 and onwards? Plus, I love your page and have been a follower from the start!

Aww thank you so much!! It has been a very long, enjoyable journey together then! (5 years and counting <3) I always love seeing you in my notes and ask box, so thank you so much for sending this in!

See what makes TDP tricky is that they love to store things in earlier seasons that may come back like, the next season, or may only come back literally seasons later, and it's hard to tell when that'll happen. Right now I'm hoping that we can some development on the possession plot line and Aaravos' release in S5, and while I do think it's more likely Aaravos will get out in S5 still, I could see the merit in pushing that and the possession stuff into S6 for thematic stuff (destiny and stars and all that).

So I'll break it down into S5 specific plot lines / stuff maybe, versus just general S5-S6 predictions in general? AKA things that have leeway for mileage or impact to carry over for later

S5:

S5 specific episode outline estimates

Janai losing her kingdom either to her brother or to dark forces (monsters, Aaravos, etc). Mostly because of Karim's short story, Kim'Dael entering in S5 and presumably being interwoven

Terry having some doubts and Claudia becoming more desperate

More answers on where and what was happening to Rayla while she was gone, although not everything (like reserving her backstory with Stella for book 6 stars, maybe)

Viren and Claudia splintering off, with Viren and Soren beginning to not like, reconcile, but they'll be working together to try and bring Claudia home

Rayla and Callum patching things up further, with Rayla hopefully making some head way on her self worth / leaving vs staying arc (but I could see that being in S6 too, especially if her parents are getting out this season)

Soren continuing to step into a primary protector position for Ezran

Rayllum getting to have some more big talks

Zym and/or Callum destroying the pirate ship with lightning, as depicted in the 2nd promo picture

Rayla looking into how to free her fam from the coins (and possibly doing so), even if I think it'll take a big sacrifice of some kind (either needing Viren's staff and a dark magic spell, or something else we haven't quite seen before)

Aaravos gets out for his hot girl summer

Theme wise: more light-dark, drowning-water-shame motif(s), Rayla becoming more like Runaan (derogatory) and Claudia and Callum becoming more like Viren (happily & derogatory), Viren continues to parallel Callum and Soren (affectionate)

S5 / S6

Callum's being re-possessed for a second / final time and Rayla breaking him free of it

Callum connecting to the moon arcanum and/or essence of magic

Ezran tying to rally the other human kingdoms to help fight against Aaravos, either as a preventative measure before he's out, or once he is released, bringing in the new rulers of the Pentarchy as well as old ones like Ahling and Aanya

We Finally learn what the freaking cube is used for (and CHET accordingly in some manner, whether it's to free Aaravos or some kind of power-up tradeoff or whatever) so my suffering can end

Proper Leola lore drop / Aaravos (+ Orphan Queen?) backstory

Callum playing into Aaravos' hands regardless of what he does to try and stop it (bc we love a Greek Tragedy king)

Most of the other specific S5 predictions I have (Rayllum going on a solo trip to the Sunfire elves + Callum doing startouch research; Claudia's hair going nearly full white; crimson orchids relating to Janai and Amaya) are either things that have already confirmed or we'll simply just have to flat out wait and see.

Like S5 could do a lot of interesting things if certain stuff is shuffled, i.e. moon fam getting out but not quite Aaravos could work (esp given Runaan's lotus is underwater, etc) leaving more stuff for S6 - or they could all get out, and it'd still work; if the possession plot line doesn't come back in S5 (or at least not to the point of being resolved, it could easily be a cliffhanger type of thing) and we learn Rayla did kill someone during the timeskip (hence her change in attitude) or she kills someone now, thus setting up that she could very well take Callum up on his request in S6? I think it'd all really, really work. Just depends on how much setup and pay off and dread / dramatic irony they wanna do with things before we get resolutions or to next stages, the ordering of stuff, etc.

Either way it's going to be an absolutely wild ride and I cannot wait to cry

[julietasgf]

Your long answers are not annoying. They make me happy 🥺 also I will be answering you today because I have free hours 😚

I saw that post of "damned by the name" and I agree the line hits hard. That makes me wonder what the choice of Sejanus' name must have been like. It may be a family thing (My grandfather was named that...) or I can see Strabo making a conscious choice because the Roman Sejanus ascends socially, was a prominent general and possessed traits he prized such as ambition and perhaps before our baby boy was born Strabo was ready for Vesta to give birth to a fearsome reflection of himself. Ah I digress

I'm on a discord where they usually make the recurring joke that the movie is President Snow's propaganda and honestly I'll start to consider it canon because leaving out the Plinth precisely was getting rid of the worst crimes Coriolanus committed.

He really took it upon himself to ruin that family and on top of that his conflict with them says too much about who he is as a person. And yes please, Sandwich scene haters club, it was horrible and obviously Snow propaganda.

A lot of people think Coriolanus is too smart but they forget he's too dumb too 😭😭, it was hilarious to me when he thought that, I was like jesus christ my brother in law you yourself went to get Sejanus out of the arena he got himself into to honor MARCUS HIS D2 CLASSMATE AND HIS HOME TRADITIONS and you're really surprised his loyalty was there? 🙄🙄

Watching Snow freak out with jealousy because his picture isn't there is my favorite hobby 🤗

I get it too and love that they explored Sejanus and Coriolanus' relationship more BUT I STILL SUFFER BC WE COULD HAVE MORE SCENES TO TRASMIT THE INCREDIBLE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MARCUS AND SEJANUS UGH!!!! 🥺

Release the 4 hour cut!!!! And it better have scenes of the Plinths and Marcus 😤😤😤😤😤

Please tell me about those parallels with Katniss and Peeta, I need to freak out about them too.

By the way I hadn't thought of it like that, Marcus embodying the best and most characteristic qualities of the districts and Coriolanus embodying the ideals of the Capitol and how they both relate to Sejanus who lives trapped between these two worlds *I scream into a pillow*

I need one day to talk about Strabo buying (directly or indirectly as you see it) Marcus just to teach Sejanus a lesson because I think a normal amount about what HAPPENED AT THE PLINTH HOUSE WHEN SEJANUS HEARS ABOUT IT.

*I pull out my wallet* I join the cause. Please Suzanne.

I know she knows, she probably wrote a whole backstory for Marcus that's in some notebook and she should share it with us

YESSSSSSS, YESSSSS EXACTLY BUDDIE UWU

You described perfectly how horrible the zoo scene was from Marcus' perspective, and that interpretation of why he decided not to talk to Sejanus or ask for his help seems very fitting to me, it's canon I swore it

Damn i'ts true, THEY ARE A REVERSAL OF LG AND SNOW AND YES PLEASE EVERY TIME I THINK OF MARCUS HOPING TO END UP LIKE THAT, I LOSE MY HEAD AND MY HEART BREAKS.

The THG characters are special and cool but for some reason I became a little more obsessed with the TBOSAS characters. Is it the tragedy and lack of hope? Who knows

Brazil 🤝 Mexico

Warn every time a colonizer speaks

Also thank you, thank you

I adore that every song I have recommended you have liked and that you can also see THE VISION that is the reasons why I think that song is so Sejanus, like YES buddie understand me

I guess I could recommend songs in English but it's more fun to recommend songs in Spanish just because yes even if I have few in my playlist of Sejanus - Snowjanus etc HAHAHAHAHA

With that I love that Coriolanus loses his head for Sejanus I'll leave you:

Soda Stereo- No existes

Pd: Coriolanus if he wasn't gringo, he is very argentinian coded JUST TELLING

omg you saying this makes me so happy you don't have idea, it's so sweet 😭

yes!!! doomed by the name hits so hard because it reminded me a lot of cien años de soledad, which I've read like some months ago, and the trope of characters not being able to escape the fate that their NAMES carry is so powerful (and so common too, actually; my mom has this thought that names are more powerful than what we think, so she actually searched up mine and my sister's meaning, just to be sure). now, I personally think that sejanus' name came from before him (if I had to guess, a grandfather), but the idea of strabo searching up the meaning and being pleased with it bc of the story behind it. (also, it's heartbreaking the idea that strabo was probably excited for having a son, but he had this very specific idea of what he wanted in a son, and as the years passed by, sejanus got more and more soft, and strabo more and more disappointed, and just UGH)

PLSSSSSS they're so right 😭 you know when at elementary school in history class we usually get the more censored version of brutal historical things that happened? to me that's what the movie is. I was very annoyed at how coriolanus' character got so much better, but not because of him being better himself, but because every other single character got toned down or just straight up got worse than in the book. I mean, clemensia? lysistrata? sejanus? even tigris I feel like they toned her down a bit. the feeling I got, at least, is that coriolanus was made much more likeable than he is in the books, and not only regarding the fact that we don't have his internal monologue, but also because toning down the other good characters, he doesn't seem that bad actually. and again, removing the plinths didn't make explicit how FUCKED UP it was what he did (it rlly reminded me of the song brutus yk, "I don't want what you have, I wanna be you", and plus, the fact that in the book he mocks how sejanus calls his mother ma just to then he himself call her ma after getting her son dead is SOMETHING ELSE)

the sandwich scene is the most remarkable regarding this, because coriolanus taking the sandwich himself to the zoo (and in the movie it being HIS idea) made the purpose of the scene so different than what it was meant to be. coriolanus in the movie is almost sweet to me.

CORIOLANUS IS SO DENSE SOMETIMES 😭 it's the way he'll actually do something smart to then think the most stupid assumptions about lg or sejanus. like, are you getting just now that sejanus' loyalty is with his district and the people he left back home in D2??? coriolanus being jealous over marcus is really something I wish the fandom explored more, there's so much potential for that possessive pathetic man ☝️ especially because it doesn't matter if coriolanus thinks so high of himself, because marcus and sejanus have a conection he'll never have: they're from the same place. they shared the same culture and traditions and that's something coriolanus can really never get to compete at because he simply CAN'T and it would make him foam.

I wish we could've at least have gotten the backstory of marcus helping sejanus with his hurt finger 😭 AT LEASTTTT it wouldn't be enough but it would be something at least (even though I would kill just for the class pic of baby sejanus and baby marcus)

AAAAAA OKAY SO, I have read so many interesting threads and posts about their parallels, but my favorite one is the fact that the first time katniss met peeta was when she was a child and she was hungry, and peeta left the bread behind so she could eat it. they never talked before, and they never talked again until the games, but katniss held this memory with her. it have been so much time, but peeta was kind to her, and he was a boy she never met who was still kind and it marked her enough for her to remember him after so many years. and this DRIVES ME INSANE because it's almost the same storyline we see with sejanus and marcus, and I wonder if it was on purpose or what.

OH MY GOD, PLEASE DO TALK ABOUT IT BC I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW PPL DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT THAT MUCH. like. at a certain point, I understand some of strabo plinth's decisions, I really do, even though most of them are very much not the best. betraying your district for your family's safety and better life? I can see it. but the fact that he got a boy on the hunger games, a boy his son remembered dearly from his childhood, just to teach him a lesson was something else. when I read this, I was thinking what the fuck is wrong with that guy, because genuinely, WHY??? what exactly did he think that was going to happen after it??? if anything, it radicalized sejanus EVEN MORE. but anyway, I do also wonder what happened in that house after the reaping. oh god, poor ma, because she was probably the one trying to keep things calm.

I also do take it as canon since I saw it ☝️ specially when you stop to think that marcus was the only one to not take a sandwich. okay that sejanus says that the plinths are despised in D2, but sabyn, the other tribute from D2, took the sandwich. whatever marcus had going on inside his mind, it was very personal for him to not even react or anything.

I think you hit the nail talking about the tragedy and lack of hope. also, I rlly like that tbosas feels like a twisted fairy tale to me.

HELPP I can't stop remember when a writer on tiktok was showing their translation of the book they wrote and they referred to the european spanish and portuguese translations as EUROPEAN MEXICAN and EUROPEAN BRAZILIAN (and you know what? they were so right actually)

I love it!!! actually, thank you for sending me the songs, I love them so much and love even more connecting characters to songs <33 and I absolutely understand, especially bc I feel like most songs ppl use to associate with characters are so overused (which is not bad by itself, I love associating characters with mitski for example, but GIVE ME SOMETHING NEW, specially songs that are from singers who don't sing in english)

the song is so coriolanus and his possessive ass, and it's even more funny because marcus is literally dead, and if coriolanus saw the pic before he got sejanus killed he for sure would have a beef with a man who is DEAD. also, la polaroid sobre la silla is so so specific but SO GENIUS IN THIS SCENARIO I love you so much

I'M SCREAMING, HELP, BUT YOU'RE SO RIGHT- this is even more funny bc once I saw a video on tiktok that compared countries in latam to the districts, and the person put the capitol as argentina 😭 it would be so fun an au where every single character is from latam (why? just 'cause yes) and lgb and sejanus make fun of him bc coriolanus grew up with his grandma saying his family is more european than anything and the first time they hear him repeating stuff like that they're WHEEZING

[mqfx]

awkward perhaps to ask this on the heels of your fervent plea for chenglatan support... however. do you think xicheng COULD be interesting? like i can't see it based on what canon provides and so i don't understand the popularity of the ship, but im generally in favor of trying to explore character relations regardless... and i do think that the way it could potentially give lwj conniptions would be. funny. sorry lwj i know you've suffered

HARK! WHO DARES IMPINGE UPON MY TERRITORY IN THE MIDST OF MY BEDDYTIME ABLUTIONS........ (readies the chain lightning)

jk anon ilu mwah and since you asked nicely (and since i'm still on karma probation) let me preface this by saying what i've always said about xi/cheng, which is that Anything that could have possibly made it compelling is already done by sang/cheng but more balanced and it just makes more sense TO ME.

brother issues? lxc is a responsible older brother (though not as well-adjusted as he seems on the surface) but SC are both youngest brothers too. lost something during the war? they all did, but SC both lost brothers who were Larger Than Life both for and in comparison to themselves. sect leaders? so are SC plus their situations mirror each other's (one never wanted to be but was thrust into it. the other was destined for it but entirely unprepared to take it in that way; both came at steep costs they never expected to pay) and that's not getting into like, how they have opposite and complementary connections to grief and rage, how one is a mask to hide the other

also no offense to zewu-jun, but what exactly is he doing here. as far as i can tell, XC is mostly a ship designed to benefit jc, but how does it benefit lxc in any way? meanwhile let's look at the tragedy of nielan and how it also reflects the themes set up in the songxiao arc to be honest what's my man jc bringing to the table for lxc? more work??

ALL THAT BEING SAID. because lwj conniptions would be funny and you're talking to me the guy who's gonna make hx/yy big in the other fandom someday I WILL GIVE IT THE GOOD OL' COLLEGE TRY. it'll be hard because i am so heavily biased for SC (hence my old url) but:

maaaaaybeeeee ....... ok so it's postcanon but pre-wangxian returning from their road trip. jiang cheng is not coping well and is so very close to a qi deviation (always) and lxc is like "maybe if you listen to my binaural beats you'll calm down" because 1) jc needs to settle down a little and 2) it eases lxc's guilt about the whole nmj + jgy situation and gives him smth to think about that isn't his two dead bros chillin in a coffin. whatever so they do that and perhaps they get to talking? i'm really blanking out on who'd go first bc jc either lashes out or Doesn't Say Shit but lxc pure Dissociates just goes up in the clouds (NOT WEED) who knows. anyway maybe it starts out as a mutual pseudo-therapy session where lxc teaches jc to Chill Bro and jc teaches lxc the beauty of "don't you ever get tired of being nice? don't you just wanna go Ape Shitt?" which. idk how well it's gonna work. look at him. MAYBE we can work in the goddamn frogs into the situation. lxc calls in jc like "we're trying to grow lotuses here but--" "it's too cold. your lake bed is shit and the seeds don't like it. you don't even have frogs" and they do landscaping together. lwj comes home and finds jc dunking a bucket on tadpoles on lxc like it's frat night idk

我不知 FUCKING 道 KLDHLS I GIVE UP!!!!!!! I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS SHIP EVEN HAPPENED BUT BABY IT'S LIKE PUTTING TWO NORTH-NORTH MAGNETS TOGETHER IT'S LIKE MAKING PARALLEL LINES TOUCH I CAN'T DO IT I CAAAAAN'T IM SORRYYYYYY DO THEY EVEN TALK MUCH IN CANON?????????

(and as a side note. chenglatan canon bc, basically, i can For My Derelict Favorite my way into his heart. and poison mushroom omelet my way into his guts. please support me in my dreams <3)

in conclusion: i was brushing my teeth when i saw this ask and i spat out blood from my throat. but that is just the cadmium poisoning dw

[thedandelionthief]

one of your aftg guys for blorbo bingo !!

you get three of them because i’m insane

in order it’s neil, andrew, renee

NEIL. NEIL JOSTEN THE ONE AND ONLY. i heard they’re making a new mental illness for him in the dsm 6. this guy has been through literally every bad thing possible and yet he’s still so. himself. and i absolutely love him for it. the character development is INSANE whenever he calls the foxes his family it makes me violently sob and shake my kindle at impossible speeds. i would love to give him some hot soup. he’s also one of the funniest protagonists in any book series ever? i love characters who have 0 filter and are incredibly sarcastic and snarky (that word makes me violent but it’s the best way to describe it). whenever he insulted riko i cheered for him out loud. it’s crazy how a character with this much tragedy going on in his life that has made me cry and be more worried for a character than i ever have in my life (the countdown literally made me sick), he also has some of the funniest lines in anything i’ve read ever. he’s such a guy i love him so much and i want only the best for him in his future

andrew on the other hand IS literally the blood that courses through my veins hes my everything and i fully support every bad decision he has ever made. when i was first reading the foxhole court i was like “this guy sucks as a person” and then i got halfway through the book and realized that he’s actually like. a very caring and protective guy who just wants the best for his family and the few people he chooses to let in even though he goes about it in very unorthodox and destructive ways (such as murder. i’m talking about murder. he killed his twin brother’s mom). but even then it all makes SENSE. like he doesn’t act without reason at all and i think there’s so much depth to his character that you don’t see at first and it’s interesting how that parallels with the whole monster branding and how the other foxes see him… also his thing with promises makes me INSANE i could write a five page essay. he’s not as well. funny as neil?? so this section probably seems a bit more serious. he’s so intense all the time, but he definitely does have his funny moments, usually with some really good sarcasm which once again i love more than anything. overall his methods must have rubbed off on me because i was fully prepared to kill everyone who has ever hurt him after finishing the series

and renee!!!! <3 she was originally my favorite character and then i fell down a rabbit hole of andrew minyard insanity. but i still love her SO MUCH. i think it’s really cool to see a christian character who is seen as calm and wise who is ALSO extremely skilled with knives and not afraid to hold her ground. the fact that nora makes a point of showing how her faith doesn’t take away from her strength but instead adds to it is. mwah chefs kiss. also she’s been through so much and still came out of it such a kind person. and she talks about how she CHOOSES to be a kind person. it isn’t something easy, she doesn’t just wake up every day and love her life because with everything going on around her and in her past that would be so difficult. but she chooses to try and be a good person even though she doesn’t believe that she is one. she’s just so important to me i love her and i need to give her a hug

if you read all that i’m sorry

[sleepless-in-starbucks]

actually here are the assorted reasons i think movie mike is either an afton or an emily . spoilers for FNAF movie to follow reader beware

in favour of afton: -ik different medias different canons but . games -there are clear parallels between mike and vanessa; most obvious is the 'that's two things' gag, but there's also the "he really messed you up, didn't he?" line; mike says this to vanessa, but it applies to both of them- after all, mike's entire life has never been the same since william took garrett. this suggests a connection between them such as... idk... siblinghood perhaps? -just lookin at the schmidts, mike's siblings follow the afton patterning; mike the older brother, garrett the younger brother of tragedy, and abby who people have already been making baby parallels to -i try not to place too much weight on easter eggs for plot/lore things, but the armchair set up in mike's house and the mirror in the security office do make notable sister location references that connect back to michael afton

in favour of emily: -mike's efforts to do whatever it takes to find/save garrett mirror henry emily in the games, and his efforts to avenge his daughter (this also opens up the possibility of garrett being the puppet, which would kinda be a neat take if the movies wanted to do smth different than the games' puppet story) -it would explain why william took garrett, better than 'he was just looking to do some nebraskian wilderness kidnap murdering' -mike's dad doesnt exactly have a Distinctive look so it could jus be a coincidence, but there's something to be said to the similarity of him to the background mechanic in the training video -completely flipping which half of the fazbear founders children movie michael is would Very Much be a scott cawthon move

in favour of not-schmidt: -the movie is deliberately vague about what happened to mike's dad- they tell us his mom died, but all mike has to say about dad is that he couldn't deal with it. this is a classic film trope of 'making it look like we meaningfully addressed a topic while really leaving the door wide open to do something sneaky with it' -i simply refuse to believe fnaf movie, from the series of Lore Is Our One Job And By Gods Do We Fuck It Up, would really make the main character completely unrelated to everything outside of an accidental child murdering overlap

[wkandaforever]

but now for my actual question: what do you think about the notion that all of namor’s interactions with shuri were planned/strategic and there wasn’t really anything special with their dynamic? also, if nakia’s infiltration went differently or didn’t happen at all, do you think namor and shuri would have been able to come to a consensus over riri? what would a talokan and wakanda partnership even look like?

for the record i also love how interested you are in talokan because same!!! what i would do for someone to write something centered on them and their day to day lives, what politics look down there, their military, their technology, and so forth.

oh god. oh my god. be steady my heart. okay i will try to organise my thoughts and attempt to answer this coherently

honestly, i don't disagree with you about namor's interactions being strategic/planned. i think being vulnerable with shuri was his strategy. even if you don't see their interactions as romantic, i still think they are literal mirror images of each other, and that fact in and of itself makes their dynamic so interesting and complex

you see, namor's primary motive is the protection of his people. he was living peacefully and quietly with his kingdom all these years, and only revealed himself when his people were under attack, because their resources were exposed. now namor is the kind of king who'll do anything to save his people, be it expose themselves to the surface people, attack and kill the surface people, or even form an alliance with the most powerful nation on the planet to defend his people and resources from the surface people

now there were so many ways he could've gone about forming the alliance. why kidnap shuri? why introduce her very closely to the people he's trying to protect, putting their safety on the line? why not take the easy route and form an alliance with queen ramonda, the current ruler of wakanda, when she literally comes to him personally, and alone, and asks him what he would like in return for her daughter? why does he reply with "nothing"? why lose that perfect opportunity? why go through so much hard work to get shuri, and only shuri, on his side? i think it's because he recognises something in her that all this time he only saw in himself. i think he feels a spiritual connection to her right there on the beach (which parallels so well with the whole science v/s tradition/spirituality theme going on in this movie) that allows him to trust her and open up to her later on. sure, maybe he planned the whole thing, he's a really smart guy after all, didn't manage to stay hidden for half a millennium if he wasn't a planner. but the fact that he chose to plan it this way...

with regards to nakia's infiltration... see the whole situation was so tragic. it's just one tragedy after another. i can't say namor is wrong for wanting an alliance to protect his kingdom and is doing everything he can to get it, and wages war when he fails to protect one of his people. i can't say queen ramonda is wrong for wanting her kidnapped daughter back when she's already lost so much. i can't say okoye was wrong for wanting to help shuri get outta her lab and and distract herself from her brother's loss, but lost shuri in the process. i can't even say shuri was wrong for not building the synthetic heart-shaped herb on time to save her brother. but they all blame themselves don't they? sometimes in life we try so hard, give our everything, but it's just not good enough. we're not good enough. but there are external forces at play, a grander plan that we aren't even aware of. we just have to try our best and trust the process. namor had to trust shuri, to give shuri his mother's bracelet, and shuri had to keep trying after countless failures to learn that the key to her becoming black panther is that very gift given to her through so much trust, and she had to fight namor to learn what it feels like for your vengeance to consume you, and then to give it up. i think all of this, the grief the loss the pain, it was all meant to happen, in one way or another, because the challenges they faced made them who they are. if things went differently... i still think they'd be tragic but in a different way. i don't think easy resolutions exist to complex problems

and to your last question "what would a talokan and partnership even look like?" yeah. wow. i don't know. i would like to know, though. both nations protect their land and their people fiercely. queen ramonda challenges the UN when they're under attack at the beginning of the movie, declaring that just because they don't attack first, doesn't mean that they aren't capable. that if they're provoked or threatened again, it would mean war. and we all know who would win if wakanda launches war against the world. i think namor's beliefs about his land and people are very similar. and alliance between wakanda and talokan, the two most powerful nations in the world? france and america would be quaking in their seats just Thinking about it. and shuri has offered an alliance to namor, technically they are on the same side now. i'm excited to see what they're capable of together

[lucere-aeresta]

Gay Sherlock Holmes Pastiches Review - The Adventure of the Colonial Boy

My vedict: 5 stars.

Ok objectively it should be 4 but half more star for the cool Chinese woman character and another half for a certain plot that is very healing for me.

I really like this book! This is written by the same author as the last one I reviewed: A Dream To Build A Kiss On. But this one is much better imo. The story is better and the writing is more sophisticated. The struggle of Watson after witness his brother's tragedy is very touching, and how they both overcome their fear and doubt about love to be with each other is very encouraging. I love it a lot.

The mystery/case aspect of this one is alright - not super engaging but interesting enough to keep me reading instead of skimming through. And the awesome Chinese woman character! A big thumbs up!

This book makes me think about mystery and romance and how they could fit into each other. I said objectively it is 4 stars because I feel the mystery and the romance are somehow segregated. Yes there are some plots their conflict against the enemies bring their relationship deeper, but generally speaking the case itself and their relationship development are two parallel lines, and even sort of distracting to each other. When I read about the mystery and suddenly one character starts to think about their love, or when they are being affectionate but then have to be back on track to solve the case, it is just confusing and kind of pulls me out of the reading a bit. It disturbs the flow.

That being said, I know it is very hard to integrate these two aspects well enough. I have read very few romance/mystery novels, and for now, I haven't seen any that I can say is well done. One aspect is always weaker than another, or they somehow get mixed up in a very weird confusing way. Mystery and romance might be mutually exclusive imo, unless the mystery involves one of the characters who are in the relationship. But maybe I just read so few fictional works that I haven't seen enough.

But to be fair, I barely see any romance that interests me at all other than ships in fandom...oh well lol this is getting subjective.

So this book, even though is not perfectly done, I can see the effort of the writer to bring these two aspects together and it is enjoyable. I appreciate it.

-------------It is the end of the book review. More personal thoughts below, and be aware of spoilers----------------

One specific plot in this book is so healing for me that I have to give it more stars.

In this story Watson's brother Henry died because he was found out to be gay and was disowned by his father, and got through a lot of rough times because of his sexual orientation, which eventually leads to his tragic ending. John has his pocket watch, and it becomes a warning of the danger of being in gay relationships. Whenever he desires Sherlock he sees the watch and reminds himself not to do anything foolish. The watch is the solidification of his fear of being with a man.

I read a very long fanfic more than a decade ago, which has haunted me for years, and still lingers in the back of my mind. It is very homophobic and the main character has some really fucked up internalized homophobia, and he has something to remind himself not being gay just like Watson's watch in this book. Whenever he wants to be with a man he will look at the thing and suppress his desire. He is not merely fearing for being gay, but also reassures himself that being gay is wrong and it is moral to suppress his feelings.

This particular trope plagued me at first, then I turned it into a running joke among my friends, but it resonates with my personal experience of fearing being the sexual minority, so I never fully recovered from it.

But in Colonial Boy, John chooses to be brave and be with Sherlock, and later on, he gives the watch away to save Sherlock's life. Then he takes Sherlock to his brother's grave and they make the pledge of marriage to each other, Henry's spirit being their witness. He breaks the curse attached to the watch and leaves the fear and doubt behind. At the moment, I feel the same--the lingering effect of that particular plot now is easing away bit by bit. I feel refreshed and braver. Maybe these stories can help me heal, if not all the wounds from real life, at least the doubt left over by my encounters with those hurtful fanfictions and toxic people. Stories like this give me hope--it is not the first one, and definitely will not be the last one.

[according-to-the-laura]

StackedNatural Day 182: 6x21, 6x22, 9x23, 10x23

StackedNatural Masterpost: [x]

May 20, 2022

6x21: Let It Bleed

Written by: Sera Gamble

Directed by: John F. Showalter

Original air date: May 20, 2011

Plot Synopsis:

Dean's worst nightmare comes true when a demon kidnaps Ben and Lisa in order to get to him. The brothers are forced to join forces with an unlikely ally to free them.

Features:

H.P. Lovecraft, Crowley kidnapping Ben and Lisa, torturing a bunch of demons to death, Balthazar confronting Cas, Bobby’s monster ex-girlfriend, Lisa getting possessed, Dean taking John’s parenting style, wiping Lisa and Ben’s memories.

My Thoughts:

This is an episode made for the Deangirls and I’m here for it. All I need is for my favourite guy to get absolutely brutally emotionally wrecked for 40 minutes and I’m happy. 

I didn’t realize how early it was in the show that all the writers collectively agreed that it was fine to Dean to torture a bunch of demons even though there’s a whole damn episode on how it’ll cause irreparable damage to his psyche and his soul. So that part is no good for me. However, the star-crossed-lovers aspects of them fighting on different sides but Cas still appearing in time to save his life and heal Lisa is extremely delicious. Both of them care about each other so much, but not enough to abandon their own side. That’s the stuff of tragedy. 

I would also like to point out a delightful parallel in Cas saying “you’re just a man. I’m an angel,” to Dean in TMWWBK and Ellie telling Bobby “You’re just a man” after they’d been talking about their explicitly romantic relationship. 

I love the scene where Dean goes to say goodbye to Ben and Lisa. It’s absolutely gorgeous writing to have Dean ostensibly apologizing about losing control and hitting them in a car accident after he’s just slapped Ben and forced him into a hunter role that he wasn’t prepared for, and after he metaphorically crashed into their lives and brought monsters and demons with him. 

Notable Lines:

“Dean, I do everything that you ask. I always come when you call, and I am your friend. Still, despite your lack of faith in me, and now your threats, I just saved you, yet again. Has anyone but your closest kin ever done more for you?”

“Thank you. I wish this changed anything.” “I know. So do I.”

“I'm Dean. I'm the guy who hit you. I just, I lost control for a minute, and I just wanted to say that I'm sorry.”

Laura’s (completely subjective) Episode Rating: 9.1

IMdB Rating: 8.6

6x22: The Man Who Knew Too Much

Written by: Eric Kripke

Directed by: Robert Singer

Original air date: May 20, 2011

Plot Synopsis:

The wall comes down in Sam's head and all hell breaks loose. Dean and Bobby are, for once, at a total loss on how to help him and are forced to stand by and do nothing while Sam breaks. The battle for heaven comes to a head.

Features:

Sam’s amnesia, Cas breaking Sam’s wall, Sam running around through his own memories, confronting the soulless version of yourself, Cas renegotiating the terms of the deal, the part of Sam that remembers Hell, killing Balthazar, demons flipping the Impala, Crowley leaving Cas for Raphael, Cas atomizing Raphael, Sam stabbing Cas in the back, 

My Thoughts:

I really like the format of the first part of this episode. It does feel really epic, really interesting, and definitively finale-worthy. I love seeing Sam have to make the conscious decision to reintegrate the parts of himself that he’s scared of. Also, El Sol in the background of the bar where he meets Robin - he’s trapped in a false reality. The first 10 minutes or so really reminded me of Born Under a Bad Sign, when Sam was possessed by Meg and she faked amnesia after a killing spree. 

It’s a little wild how attached I was to Balthazar when I first got in to Supernatural, how sad I was when he died, versus how often I remember him as a character these days. I guess that’s the price of a show running for 15 years. Regardless, his death was very great. I love it lighting up the whole building. 

In retrospect, I think I really like season 6? Which is not something I would have considered possible when starting this project. Even though I do think it struggles with the narrative compared to seasons 4 and 5, it’s wildly well-maintained compared to seasons 9 and 10, and the coming together of the civil war and the purgatory plotlines is well done. 

Robert Singer’s terrible zooms did ruin that last beat of the episode, though. 

Notable Lines:

“Now, what's the matter, Raphael? Somebody clip your wings?”

“Listen, I know there's a lot of bad water under the bridge, but we were family once. I'd have died for you. I almost did a few times. So if that means anything to you... Please. I've lost Lisa, I've lost Ben, and now I've lost Sam. Don't make me lose you too.”

“'m not an angel anymore. I'm your new God. A better one. So you will bow down and profess your love unto me, your Lord. Or I shall destroy you.”

Laura’s (completely subjective) Episode Rating: 9.1

IMdB Rating: 9.0

9x23: Do You Believe in Miracles?

Written by: Jeremy Carver

Directed by: Thomas J. Wright

Original air date: May 20, 2014

Plot Synopsis:

The influence of the mark on Dean reaches new heights, as Metatron begins to reveal himself to humanity.

Features:

Metatron going viral, Crowley desperately trying to seduce Dean, heaven’s playground, the love of the masses, Gadreel’s suicide, broadcasting your villain monologue, howling at the moon.

My Thoughts:

As an episode I guess this one is relatively fine? The only parts that I really get excited about are Cas draping himself in the flag of Heaven and the very last scene. 

Gadreel sacrificing himself to save Cas and Heaven is objectively the perfect way for his character progression to end, but unfortunately the writing of his character and the actor playing him fail to make me care about him so it didn’t have the impact that it wanted to have. 

I wish the battle where Dean was killed by Metatron was a bit more epic - maybe it doesn’t hit as hard when I’m also taking notes on my laptop while watching it. At the very least, Dean looks good covered in blood and in pinky-red lighting, so that’s a win. 

The last scene is great for Drowley lovers, although the silhouette of him standing in the door with his long coat does initially make it ambiguous whether it’s Cas or Crowley watching over his dead body. I do remember absolutely losing my mind at the black eyes when this episode first aired - it’s a shame they do so little with Demon Dean in season 10, because in retrospect it just doesn’t excite me the way that it should. 

Notable Lines:

You never get tired of the rat race? Never get the urge to just...bugger off and howl at the moon? Never ask yourself, ‘is this it? Is this all there is?’”

“To save Dean Winchester. That was your goal, right? I mean, you draped yourself in the flag of heaven, but ultimately, it was all about saving one human, right?”

“Open your eyes, Dean. See what I see. Feel what I feel. And let's go take a howl at that moon.”

Laura’s (completely subjective) Episode Rating: 6.2

IMdB Rating: 9.3

10x23: Brother's Keeper

Written by: Jeremy Carver

Directed by: Phil Sgriccia

Original air date: May 20, 2015

Plot Synopsis:

Dean comes to a stunning decision that will alter his life -- as well as Sam's; Rowena and Crowley face off, putting Castiel in the middle.

Features:

The Fan Fiction version of Carry on Wayward Son, less-than-functional alcoholism, wildly unnecessary misogyny, Dean seeing Cas in a motel bathroom mirror, summoning Death, the chain of the Mark of Cain, Oskar the immortal Polish boy, killing Death, rabid Cas, removing the Mark and releasing the Darkness.

My Thoughts:

This is the episode that made me so annoyed I gave up on Supernatural (I thought) forever in 2015!

At the time the thing that annoyed me the most was killing Death, a character that I loved, in service of the same emotional plot they’d used over and over at that point. @meg3point0 and I actually started yelling and swearing at the TV when we watched it when it first aired. 

I do like a few scenes quite a lot - particularly the scene where Dean destroys the motel room after seeing Cas and Rudy in the mirror as the completely immoral and unforgivable things he’d done under the influence of the Mark. I thought Crowley’s confrontation with Rowena and monologue about how she was incapable of loving him was quite good, Mark Sheppard is great at that sort of scene. 

There are two major pacing issues in this episode, and that’s with Oskar and the darkness. We met Oskar in one previous episode very briefly and with no connection to Rowena, so there’s no inherent emotion in her sacrifice of him for her own freedom. Ruthie acts the scene magnificently, of course, but in terms of the writing his death just doesn’t matter to me. The Darkness has the same problem; its very first mention is in this episode moments before it becomes the new Big Bad. Generally I like Carver, but that’s a pretty big error as showrunner; you’d think he would have learned from Sera Gamble’s mistakes with the leviathans’ introduction. It needed to be alluded to earlier to be a compelling villain - maybe if it had been, I would have watched season 11 long enough to make it to Baby and been hooked back in to the show permanently. 

Also, there’s a lot of really unnecessary misogyny that I didn’t care for. I get that they’re trying to show the effect of the Mark on Dean, but it would have been just as effective as showing him with a general contempt for humanity as a whole without calling a dead teenager a whore. Plus so much of what made the Mark interesting is how he convinced himself he was doing the right thing and what made him angry enough for it to take over so often being people he cared about getting hurt. When the scene with the dead girl started and he clenched his fist I thought he was pissed she’d been killed, but instead he was just gross. 

And then, after having watched all of season 11 and Amara’s obsession with Dean, Dean wasn’t even the one who released her - Sam and Cas and Rowena were. There could have been some great parallels to Ruby if she’d been obsessed with Sam, and I think we all would have one if she’d been into Rowena. 

Notable Lines:

“Everyone loves something.”

“Before there was light, before there was God and the archangels, there wasn't nothing. There was the Darkness.”

“All my long life, I wondered what I'd done to deserve a mother who refused to show love. [...] Then one day, epiphany struck. My mother was incapable of loving anything. For the first time in hundreds of years, I felt free. And then you showed up in my dungeon, we communed, and I began to realize you weren't incapable of love. You're incapable of loving me.”

Laura’s (completely subjective) Episode Rating: 5.6

IMdB Rating: 9.1

In Conclusion: One episode remains…..

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