#i have lots of gifset ideas brooding

[redstringraven]

#someone meta about don and raph and their non verbal communication for me (@isitdonproof, on this post)

i'll take a swing at it from the context of this moment specifically, mostly because 1) i think we can agree that all the boys communicate with each other non-verbally to varying extents AND do it differently depending on the bro-combination, and 2) if i start combing through the series for more examples, this'll devolve into a much longer post. it's already gotten long, so forgive me.

uuh, this'll also be pulling a lot from my previous enneagram discussion, but i'll do my best to be to-the-point, so you can follow along without reading my other nonsense.

i checked the episode just in case and the gifset doesn't show it, but don looks down at raph first. then raph tilts his head back to look up at him. this kiiind of disrupts the immediate concept that came to my head, but i'm gonna follow through with it anyway. disclaimer that their enneagram placements are headcanons of mine because that's of course not officially listed anywhere, feel free to disagree, etcetera.

raph's an 8; 8s are very alert to where the 'power' in the room is, because their own power/autonomy/sense of control is integral to them. they also want the truth and don't appreciate it when information is withheld "for their protection", because if they don't have all the details how can they hope to control the situation?

don is a 5; 5s are very objective and capable of responding to problems rather than reacting to them (whereas the other three tend to be reactive types). they will look at a situation and shoot straight with you whether it hurts your feelings or not.

raph and don are connected on the enneagram web, because an 8's stress number is a 5 and a 5's security number is an 8. i'm not gonna dive into that again here, just know that it means they're capable of sharing behaviors and traits; it's one of the reasons i'm not too fond of the idea that don and raph are "opposites". they're on different wavelengths, yes, but not opposing ones. and as i mentioned in don's enneagram post, i think it's the 5's ability to be objective that makes raph much more receptive to being 'called out' by don rather than leo or mikey; he knows don will be straightforward and not tap-dance around things, which is something an 8 values.

returning to the gifset, this interaction takes place a minute or so before leo's lowest moment in the series. splinter says "for months now, you have been brooding, surly, and stubborn" but it's when leo says "yeah. right." that raph and don actually pause and look up. the following exchanged glance, in my opinion, is don and raph checking with each other.

splinter is trying to get through to leo, and leo is pushing back. but he's not just pushing back, he's being outright disrespectful--he tells splinter that his lesson 'stinks' and his overall tone is aggressive. there's a power shift happening in the room.

up to this point in the season, raph's been growing increasingly hostile toward leo's change in behavior. at first he found it amusing (s4ep1), but in the prior episode, samurai tourist, he said leo was "going mental". in that same episode mikey came to leo's defense and pushed back on that statement; after that it seems raph backs off leo's case a little (through what dialogue we get). don, on the other hand, has been distant and avoidant when it comes to addressing leo and his *vague gesturing* everything.

since this moment comes after mikey's push-back, this feels to me like raph sensing an upcoming explosion from leo, but maybe pausing to think "am i judging him too harshly again by expecting the worst?". so, he looks up at don as though to silently ask "am i being a bonehead and jumping the gun, or is something about to happen?" only to find don is looking back down at him. don's not shaking his head or signalling to raph that he's wrong to have this reaction. instead, he's maybe looking to see if leo's backtalk has warranted something more than a growl or an eye roll from raph--a sign that this is something to be alarmed of.

in that glance: raph's getting from don that his intuition is correct and it's not his frustration with leo triggering again, and don is getting from raph that there's been a power-shift and something beyond an argument is about to happen.

tl;dr: yo i'mma check his vibe... --bAD VIBE--

i hope this made sense HFJKDHSJKG.

[unknown-lifeform]

A and Y 😁

A - Ships that you currently like a lot. (They don’t have to be OTPs because not everyone has OTPs.) Friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc. are allowed.

I'm really having a lot of Strifesodos thoughts lately, like I got one idea that I kinda want to write a fic about but maybe won't depending on writing juice. But yeah I'm just thinking of them. The sweet sweet post-canon Strifesodos, falling in love while hurling their respective traumas at each other. Genesis interrupting Cloud's precious brooding time with Loveless reading. The two of them visiting the Buster Sword planted in the church each for their own reasons without saying anything. It's just tasty

Also because I've been playing Witcher 3 and doing the mission to get Jaskier I'm just Geraskier <3 With game Geralt that can actually use his words sometimes <3

Y - What are your secondhand fandoms (i.e., fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)?

Mmm let me see. I'm seeing a lot of the interview with vampire show gifsets on my dash, now I did watch the movie so I'm not entirely unfamiliar but seeing the gifsets I'm just like *nods along* those gay men sure look bloodied and traumatized while they make out. Then there's F1 stuff, I genuinely understand nothing of it but I'm glad it makes my mutual happy. Also a friend has been telling me stuff of honkai star rail, I'll be honest no idea what the basic plot is but I am familiar with a few of the blorbos by now

[macgyvertape]

Shadow & Bone s2 thoughts

S1 of shadow and bone was a surprise favorite show; I’ve rewatched it a lot as something to watch when I’m cooking or wanted something familiar and comfortable.

After last season I tried reading the books; I didn’t finish Seige and Storm because I kept negatively comparing book Alina, Mal, and Darkling to their show versions. I did like the Six of Crows series but have no interest in the other books. So I’ve got a vague idea on the plot points unlike when I watched s1 

Oh I really like the map to cgi city transitions, and the wanted posters as establishing shots for storyline transitions

Sturmhond meeting the Crows like this, this is so much more fun than the book intro of him

I don’t remember seeing Jasper’s gun misfire in s1 or see gifsets of him fixing it.

Tolya and Tamar get a cool intro camera pan and theyre both really hot

Huh Darkling intro very different than the book, honestly he comes off as someone who spent a bit too much time alone by himself than menacing

How come in pirate clothes Sturmhond becomes the most baby faced of the cast

Love Alina’s stag antler embroidery dress, I’d love to wear a dress with that kind of neckline

Having one of Kaz’s plans go wrong and it not be something he accounts for, really ups the tension and makes Pekka Rollins a threat, and he’s actually more threatening than the Darkling. Wolf mask guy is just a creep, the costume kinda felt out of place

I expected the flying ship look more aerodynamic and either there’s a lot more flying ships or the show really glossed over them being repaired after being totaled because it needed characters to move around in ways they didn’t in the book

“Who do you want standing in that door when the lion gets hungry” then cut to a taxidermied lion. Lmao fun transition

This is one of the shows where I find basically all of the main cast attractive, very much including Inej in a knife fight

“All that matters is we know what’s real” with a political engagement, damn this is so much better than the YA jealousy drama of the books

OFMD AND S&B, edgy dude after his love abandons him starts cutting off the digits of the people who drove the breakup 

Rip to Matthias because the show didn’t seem to know what to do with him, I enjoy his plotline much more than s1 but its because he has such low screentime

The costume budget and workmanship is so good this show as it covers so many different styles and cultural influences

Bloody beaten up Kaz threatening as he gets his long awaited revenge is fucking incredible top moment of the season, especially because for Pekka “but for me, it was a Tuesday” he just couldn’t remember 

Genya’s really going through it this season and characters mistreating her is a more understandable and relatable evil than vague war crimes. “I should be your greatest shame!” and “ask me how I did it” she gets some great moments

Mal’s capture then causal return felt like an awkward plot point, like it shows up here because maybe it happened in the book

Huh for a major season 1 character and a global Big Bad threat the Darkling really isn’t getting much material this season, he just sits around and broods in a dark room while his underlings who wear lots of eyeshadow (to show they’re evil) do things. Like early on in the season he seemed sick but then he isn’t, then he just gives up all his action items about Grisha revolution to chase after Alina

Actually very curious about how much screentime Kaz’s dead brother gets vs the Darkling lmao

I didn’t realize at the height difference between Kaz and Inej until she hallucinated them almost hooking up. Eps 4-8 I watched playing a drinking game of take a drink for every romantic moment

The show really contrasted The Disciple and Neyar have such a good relationship compared to whatever the fuck toxic parent child relationship of Baghra and Aleksander 

Great that the Darkling and Mal can interact and bonus its in some weird fucked up way (dead peoples bones), there isn’t enough of that in fandom or canon 

The final battle has basically no tactics just people running around for cool dramatic timing, especially the Crows fighting in the frontlines

Darkling died in this show like he lived in s2, anti-climatically standing around downbad for Alina

Tbh there’s a lot of sex that could be done with gloves and clothes on 

Lmao where is Feydor he didn’t appear at all

Things I didn’t expect: David being killed off early RIP, Alina not losing her powers and faking her death to live with Mal but instead this weird non emotional breakup, and Zoya to not get more character backstory

Think it's interesting the contrast of the bee highlighted by the camera during the Darkling’s funeral as a subtle hint to the Elizaveta plotline vs the last few minutes throwing in: Jurda Parem, Nikolai’s shadow monster infection, a future war with Fjerda, Alina using shadows, all as continuation bait if it gets another season 

Verdict: enjoyable season 2, I’m so glad this season got about 15 minutes more per episode so it could cover the full Grisha trilogy in case it gets the infamous netflix s2 cancel. Still a favorite show because its  the perfect mix of drama, romance, and just enough writing cracks for fun AUs. The show covered a lot in the 8 hours with a fast moving plot that I watched over 2 days, so I’m very curious how my opinion of plot points will change with distance and reading others perspectives 

[disdaidal]

Get to know me meme

[10] favorite movies

[10] favorite tv shows

[10] favorite video games

[10] favorite female characters

[10] favorite male characters

[10] favorite actors

[10] favorite actresses

[10] favorite youtubers

[drunklander]

Drunj!Der Yells About Outlander

Thoughts on Ep. 512

Looking for a way to spend Mother’s Day? Well, we here at Outlander have the perfect idea! Celebrate with the women you love by watching us gang rape grannie!

This episode is like the perfect storm of everything that is wrong with Outlander. The cast and crew saying it’s their strongest episode yet when it’s basically artsy gang rape. The CYA trigger warnings when the story would have worked perfectly well without including yet another rape. The kool aid-drinking fans yelling at and acting holier than thou at the fans who rightfully call out the massive problem this show has with rape and assault. The fans yelling at other fans because It’S iN tHe BoOk so it has to be included. The fans yelling at other fans for wanting to follow the books but not wanting rape every 0.5 seconds. The fans yelling at other fans to fuck off if they don’t like the show. The women in the cast throwing out trigger warnings while the men are radio silent or wanting the gladiators to face the plague and fight for their own amusement. It literally has everything.

And I am tired.

I’ve been in this fandom for six years and have had quite a journey. From first discovering the show and immediately devouring the books. The honeymoon period where I could headcanon out all the problematic bits. The getting deep into the fandom nonsense. The getting out of the fandom nonsense. The judging the fandom nonsense because it’s funny and they’re all idiots. The getting sick of the fandom nonsense because it’s not even fun to judge the dummies anymore. The becoming more and more aware that it’s impossible to whistle past the problems in the books and the show. The sticking around, holding out hope things might turn around and the initial magic could be recaptured. And finally, the giving up.

The books are trash. The show is trash. There are a handful of good scenes in each which can be enjoyed on their own, but as a whole, holy shit this stuff is not good. (Seriously, I tried to do a Fiery Cross reread before the season started. I started like a year ago and am still only at Jocasta’s wedding because I just don’t care enough to actually get through it.)

Which brings us here. I am tired. I have already ranted and raged and yelled and swore and wrote far too many words about the gratuitous overuse of rape in the Outlanderverse. It fucking has its own tag for fuck’s sake.

So here’s a recap. And then I think I’m done looking at this show in detail. Not because the idiot fans insist on coming to my notes to tell me to fuck off if I don’t like the show. Not because the crew are condescending douchecanoes. Not because the author is a misogynist garbage heap. But because spending an hour of my time for a few weeks out of the year to write these things isn’t worth it. I did it for as long as I did because it took so little time. So why not? But yeah, it’s not even worth that tiny commitment anymore.

And to the people who I know will @ me about how no one was forcing me to stick around and I could have quit any time, yeah, no shit captain obvious, I know that. Fuck off already. I stuck around because I really liked the little corner of the fandom that I’d found. I made some awesome friends. Most of those friends have since quit the fandom. I’m really glad to have them in my life outside of this little corner of the internet. And it was a fun writing exercise. I don’t really like the show anymore, but I enjoyed building an argument about why I don’t like it and think it’s bad that has valid points behind it. Especially considering how blindly overly adoring a bunch of the fandom is about it. But now I think I’d rather consume Outlander content as pretty people in pretty period costumes in gifsets. Or like, on in the background but not really paying close attention. Why not quit altogether? Because to quote the great Ron Swanson (I’m halfway through a Parks rewatch and I just love that show a lot ok.), I can do what I want. And besides, there’s like a fucking library’s worth of fics that I haven’t read and have been meaning to. And I like the characters enough to want to keep reading about them in stories that are better than the canon. (Bless you fic writers, blesssss.)

So. Was this whole ramble self-indulgent and overly serious for a fucking TV show? Absofuckinglutely. But please see the aforementioned Swansonism.

Alright, fuckos. Let’s do this.

This is a Roberts brainchild, isn’t it. *checks credits* Yup. Knew it. This feels very much like a Roberts special. In that he is probs quite pleased with himself but like, it’s crap.

Yes, we ARE doing ANOTHER rape story! But look! It’s a disassociation montage! It’s the ‘60s, get it?! There are callbacks! An orange from the king in season 2! A vase from season 1! A rabbit from season 3! An amber-looking dragonfly! Jamie with the young hair spouting off book lines! ApPrEcIaTe MuH aRt! We are so good at finding new and creative ways to rape our characters! Fuck off, twatwaffle. You are the worst.

Like, does Roger feel left out at this point? He’s only been hanged. Literally everyone else has either been raped, been sexually assaulted, or been threatened with rape and/or sexual assault.

“But it’s not gratuitous! Look! They’re all so different! Jamie’s was overly graphic and he got a half a season to brood about! We manged to not show much of Fergus’ (but still showed a thrust) because he’s a child and it was just a plot device for Jamie and not actually about him! Mary’s was about Fred! Claire’s with the king was about Jamie! Jamie’s with Geneva was shot like p0rn! Marsali being threatened by the sailors was to motivate Fergus! Bree’s was about the other people in the room and Roger! Claire’s really has no purpose because she’s already been kidnapped and beaten, and that is super traumatic, and we’re gonna wrap it up with a bow by the end of the episode!”

This fucking show, guys. This fucking show.

Bonus points* for the Black character spouting off the superstitious stuff.

*By bonus points I mean this show, and the books are absolute shit on matters of race. The books especially.

The cast and crew have 100% heard everyone’s thoughts on the overuse of rape in the Outlanderverse. And their response has been to include more and more of it. We had a whole season of one character’s arc being about her rape and literally as soon as that was resolved, they gang rape another character. It really does tell you as much as you need to know about them. Lazy. Fucking. Cowards.

Kidnapping not enough trauma? Let’s add some gang rape! Gang rape not enough trauma? Let’s add visualizing that your daughter and grandchild are dead! Just like Fred died! This show really brings trauma p0rn to a whole new level.

Called the Bree and Roger shit.

This scene with the men rallying to go save Claire is like another layer of fuck you. Bree, you stay home, men, give your hero lines and let’s have a getting ready montage. Because your hero moment is what this is really all about. And your manpain about killing someone. *screams into a pillow*

The petty side of me is happy that it was Fergus and Young Ian who are with Claire when they find her and not Roger. Her two sons...

Why yes, I am judging all of the fans who like get their panties all wet over Jamie being like “It is I who kills for her.” Like “yeah go ahead and rape and beat Claire within an inch of her life if it means the big strong man gets to come in and save her and say something intense.” Fuck off and go take a hard look at yourself and what that says about you.

“Was there an Indian there?” “Nope, he wouldn’t help you because LiOnEl but somehow was able to peace out when it was in his interest. Because he is as bad as the ones who actually raped you.”

The Bree and Claire hug makes me both sad and angry. I want to hug them both and take them out of this fucking place and tell them that they’ve been done dirty and deserved fucking better from the writers.

Glad Marsali gets in on the hug. Claire’s two remaining daughters.

Claire’s “I have fucking survived” speech is like the one time she she actually talks about herself not in relation to a man. It’s about her. Claire. HOWEVER! It is epically fucked up that a woman needs to check off all the trauma she’s endured to show she’s a strong character.

So. Fucked. Up.

The fact that we’re spending time on Roger’s manpain about killing someone also really tells us a lot about the show’s feelings toward women. Yeah, killing someone is a big deal. It’s normal and expected to have feelings about it. But the juxtaposition of Claire’s speech about all of her traumas with Roger being like yeah, I killed a guy who had kidnapped, beaten and raped your mom is like, read the room, bro/writers.

The fact that the men put Claire’s rapist in her surgery, her space, her place of healing, where she is able to be most herself, makes me want to punch each and every one of them in the throat. Like seriously. Fuck each and every one of them.

Also Lionel is like cartoonishly terrible. Not that nuance has ever been this show’s strong suit. But like come the fuck on.

Marsali killing Lionel is the one thing about this episode that I didn’t hate. The men are all like “We kill for Claire! Let’s all rally in this montage and go do the manly thing of defending the woman!” Marsali is just like, yeah, that’s my Ma you fucked with. She shows some agency. She doesn’t do it in a performative way for the other men or for Claire like the guys do. She just knows this fuck needs to die, knows it’s gonna be hard for her and might damn her soul (don’t worry Marsali, all that religion crap is bullshit), and does it anyway.

Marsali’s arc has been my favorite of this whole fucking series. The one bright spot I was hanging on to all of this season especially.

Her quick scene with Jamie doesn’t bother me like Roger’s does. Because Roger is like oh no, I killed a guy! Can you forgive me? For killing a rapist? Like fuck off, bro. And Marsali is like yeah, I killed a guy. I hope I’m not damned for it, but the guy needed to die so I did it.

Also like, Richard had potential to not be cartoonishly bad. But like nope. “He reaped what he sowed, but cLeArLy I’m gonna need to escalate this further. Because manly men can’t let shit go.”

Fuck all men, tbh.

*googles how to emigrate to Themyscira*

Jamie’s speech that’s like supposed to parallel Claire’s can fuck all the way off. Giving him the last voice over just underscores how this was all about men. Not Claire. But the men. Fuuuuck everything.

Look! Everything’s fine again! Back to normal! Peaceful for a bit! With a cheesy af on the nose storm coming! So you know something bad’s coming! In case you forgot!

And Jamie got a book line. So it’s all good now.

And don’t worry about Claire, y’all. She feels safe now. Her and Jamie fucked it out.

It’s amazing, in retrospect, that I ever let this story suck me in so much.

Happy Mother’s Day! See you on the other side of the hiatus.

[robxstar]

can u please compare dickkory's bond and chemistry in tt.,ttg, dcamu, live action and in the au comics. they're both in love in all adaptation,, but i feel like their relationshionship is kinda different in every universe. also wht do you think about titans. i personally think the writers just make them friends with benefitis which really sucks they didn't even give us their famous iconic first kiss and idkw

Wew lad.  That’s a bit of a tall order there.  I shall endeavor to do my best!

Full disclaimer: I have not actually watched Titans (I just kind of live vicariously through people’s gifsets and isolated clips), and I haven’t really kept up with Teen Titans Go! so my analysis may be a bit generalized and surface level with those two.  I apologize.

DC Comics: The OG source material!  Dick and Kory’s relationship was a long-running subplot in the classic New Teen Titans run by Wolfman/Perez.  Kory was emotionally open and vivacious at a time when Dick was having growing pains about his role as Robin and being kind of broody and closed off as a result.  He tried to deny his feelings for her (because of course having been raised by Batman he was an emotionally constipated inept doofus) but eventually wound up softening up and the two started dating and being a generally adorable and loving and supportive couple.  Kory is cited as a major positive influence on his character growth and despite their occasional disagreements and issues they always wound up gravitating back towards each other.

After their breakup (and I won’t go into all the sordid details because honestly that whole thing was A Mess), they still remained very amicable and sweet and supportive to each other.  (For the most part.  We don’t talk about Certain Runs.)  Modern runs have flirted with and teased them on occasion and when the two are being written competently they’re still a pretty good pair together, though unlikely to ever be as solid as their NTT days.

2003 animated Teen Titans: The version that started it all for me, lol.  I’ve written plenty of meta gushing about this particular version of these two (just check the masterlist or the meta tag) but I’ll sum up the basics here.  And that is that they’re basically an aged-down version of their comic selves, keeping the Brooding Boy Gentle Girl dynamic and Robin’s emotionally confused How Do I Do Girls?, but perhaps with a little more emphasis on Starfire’s fish out of water tendencies and of course toning down her openly sexual nature.  So they are best friends crushing on each other from the start, fumbling around their feelings for each other like awkward dorks, but full of mutual care and concern for the otherand a strong bond of trust between them.  And they were a pretty epic Battle Couple too.

Teen Titans Go!: In keeping with the show’s cynical, sometimes twisted sense of humor, Robin and Starfire’s relationship is basically a running gag of Robin being completely besotted with Starfire and constantly scheming to get sempai to notice him, often going to extreme and awkward lengths, with mixed to nonreciprocal results.  I have conflicted feelings.  On the one hand, Robin being hysterically 110% about being In Love with Starfire is really kind of cute and I felt positively spoiled by it in the beginning.  Genuinely heartwarming moments between them when the mutual care and concern I adore about them shone through were rather scant though, and the joke got old.  Really quickly.

Later episodes hinted at more mutual affections between the two but I haven’t kept up to see if anything’s stuck, so as far as I know they’re still doing the whole running gag song and dance of never letting Robin catch a break with her.

DC animated movieverse: Algafkhsg okay it’s really all just Judas Contract because the teasing hints we were getting in the Batfilms were pretty much all about how dang thirsty Dick and Kory were for each other but MOTHER OF X’HAL I LOVE THIS VERSION.

They were basically comic DickKory at their post-hookup level of comfort with each other, which means lots of open affection, being supportive and respectful of each other, and snuggling a lot.  With the particular line-up of younger Titans that made up their team they also had a very strong Team Mom and Team Dad dynamic.  It was great.  It was quintessential DickKory, almost a perfect blend of their comic and cartoon incarnations.  I love this version of them.

Titans: I feel like Titans is trying to blend the Team Mom/Team Dad dynamic of the DCAMU version with comic DickKory’s pre-hookup awkwardness and hangups on Dick’s end, only with even more Angst.  Good grief is the boy constipated in this one.  He is so emotionally closed off and bottling everything up and releasing it in unstable ways and having no growth and he is just a mess.  And I still have no idea what they’re doing with Kory’s characterization besides making her basically a cinnamon roll.  Which is of course very Kory. :)

They seem to be a bit prickly with each other at first, but there’s undeniably an attraction, and some of the classic Kory-trying-to-open-him-up-and-get-him-to-trust-people is definitely there, as is a bit of the mutual worry and concern for each other.  He basically spends most of the time making heart eyes at her.  They just kind of seem like they’re falling into a lowkey comfort and intimacy level with each other.  I am kind of waiting for Dick to get over himself and relax into the playful dork he became as Nightwing with her.  But I think it’s still pretty undeniable that they care about each other already.

*wipes forehead*  How’d I do anon?

[why-this-kolaveri-machi]

spn 14.17 - 14.19

SPOILERS ahead.

quick impressions:

1. well that was deeply upsetting.

2. i tried to put this into words after just seeing a gifset of samndean brooding over mary’s funeral pyre the other day but after watching the performance of their grief? the lingering shots of photos and mementos? it all just leaves a sick feeling at the pit of my stomach.

2.5. LIKE. how do i even express the swelling sense of disquiet at watching their mourning of her, when for over thirty years she was held up as a symbol and a justification for all of the shitty things they did? ‘mom would’ve wanted this’ was ultimate validation--sam even hallucinated her telling him that it was ok to feel the things he did all the way back in 4.21; dean kept bringing her up as a motivation to do whatever it took to close the gates of hell in s8. when she actually came to life in s12, there was instant friction between what her sons expected her to be and what she actually was, which was a retired hunter and a young mother to two small children. she was immediately expected to provide succour and emotional support to her grown-ass sons, despite the fact that she was both younger and vastly less experienced than them. that she went on to try and find herself instead of flailing to conform to dean’s the winchesters’ impossibly high standards of her as a mother figure was fascinating, but her character path meandered from there and ended up being an emotional touchstone for the brothers, valued for just being there and being their mother, or galvanising them into action by dying/disappearing. 

3. jack does feel, and feel deeply, though? he immediately regretted killing mary by accident and went to great lengths to do the thing he’d learned from the winchesters that he ought to do: try and resurrect her. he was legit tortured by what he’d done (until the last half of 14.19 anyway), and had his own personal hallucifer voice his greatest fears and darkest doubts to him. his righteous rage in frying nick to a crisp has no doubt been reflected in samndean’s eyes multiple times. that this somehow translates into an ‘absence of morality’ is just such a specious argument.

jack centered his moral universe around sam and dean winchester, who themselves are a bundle of contradictions and extremely ethically suspect decisions. he’s only been alive for two years, and in those two years he has been repeatedly told that his instincts are dangerous, that he is one half pure evil, and that he must trust the likes of samndean and castiel to validate his actions. of course he’s easily manipulated--his sense of self is pliable enough to be non-existent. one learns and unlearns and relearns right and wrong and all of the spaces in between from the people around them. that the depletion of a human soul means you are fundamentally incapable of applying what you’ve learned to be ‘good’ or that ‘decency’ is something that you can inherit like a biological trait is just... weird.

(ok, but to counter my own point a little bit, given that god and angels and heaven and hell exist in this universe, then is it possible that ‘good’ and ‘bad’ exist outside of the ever-evolving concepts formed by human society? that there is an objective way to be ‘good’ and ‘evil’, devoid of context that’s informed by circumstance or beliefs or human frailty. hm.)

3.5. it is curious that jack seems calm, even cheery, when performing biblical acts on the instructions of dumah when he was so tortured only half an episode earlier, but perhaps he was calmed by the promise of validation by samndean. if this is what they would want, then it is Right to do. (on a doylist level, i feel like it was a way to get the very difficult pill of samndean manipulating this kid into an eternal prison down just a little bit easier.)

3.8. and finally it is those humans with ~souls who use their power over jack’s feelings and worldview to manipulate him into dying for eternity in a little box while desperately trying to justify it to themselves and everybody else. 

4. sam following dean’s lead and helping to lock up jack hurt so goddamn much to watch. but it’s perfectly understandable--he’s fully internalised why dean did the same thing to him all the way back in 4.21. it’s why he stopped the third trial in s8 after dean’s monologue. it’s why he fell to his knees, ready to be decapitated by dean if that was dean wanted in the s10 finale. it’s why he apologised for taking a break from hunting in s11. it’s bad enough when it’s hurting sam, but it’s extra agonising to watch when it’s hurting jack as well. i mean--kudos, Show, but OUCH.

4.5. sam is genuinely distressed by what he’s done, tho, but the crucial thing is he doesn’t stand up to dean as much as he needs to, and in that sense, he has utterly failed jack. not just in this ep, but from the beginning of s13 when he was firmly in jack’s corner, sure, but spent more energy defending dean’s unjustified rage towards him than anything else. 

i hope this comes to a head between them in the season finale and plays out over the final season. sam and dean haven’t truly been at ideological odds since s9--for the last few years, samndean have done things as a unit, or rather, dean exercised his power as Supreme Moral Arbiter of the Universe and sam followed without much, or any protest. if he does stand up against dean, a lot of other issues can be dealt with alongside--resurrections, the idea of permanence, and the truly elusive and enigmatic idea of informed consent.

5. i’m genuinely excited for the finale--the cliffhanger at the end of 19 was stomach-droppingly terrifying. gosh, this show is so gloriously fucking distressing.

[laystudio]

tell me your all time fave ships, like aaaaaalllll time from anything

hey there! u know this ask is pretty timely since i’m making this pairing + romance tropes gifset thing which i’m not sure i’ll be able to finish in time but lmao at least this would help me sort my shit out. hmm… but well, i don’t really have an ultimate ship™ since i jump fandoms pretty quick and in typical me fashion, i forget the pairings i ship once i leave. dare i say commitment issues? but for real tho i do have some but i don’t ship them in the same intensity as before.

but since u asked, i will try and deliver. so my ships in order of Relevance To Me At The Moment:

superbat ⏤ damn this hits the spot u have no idea. just… this big giant ball of sunshine and a dark brooding mastermind falling in love? sign me the fuck up. u know the fuck? sign me. their chemistry is undeniable i can go on and on. through love anything is possible so jot that down. i mean superman and batman invented best friends to lovers???? i rest my case.

timkon ⏤ ok i lied these two invented best friends to lovers. i mean tim and kon are soulmates at this point @dc are u seeing this!!!! they’re like superbat lite lmao i’m kidding but y’all can see a pattern here. on the one hand u have this messy bitch who loves micromanaging tf out of everything and on another u’ve got a super strong clone who gets an existential/identity crisis every two seconds. what’s not to love?

bruharvey ⏤ don’t even try me. this is my guilty pleasure and u can pry this pairing from my cold dead hands. again… with the…. best friends to lovers…. thing… ok i can try enemies to lovers and even best friends to enemies to lovers with this one. these two are such a wild ride i love it. the danger, the excitement. admittedly this is the only pairing i’ve written fanfics for but they will never see the light of day ever. no way, no how.

basically every superbat-esque ship holds a special place in my heart ⏤ midpollo, hernankirk, supergirl/batgirl, powergirl/huntress

i never actually thought this far like… those three ships are the ones i fixate on rn so anything else is kinda up in the air for me. but here are some other dc pairings i’m cool with, in no particular order: (faves are italicized)

stephcass, dickkory, clois, dicktiger, jayroy, batcat, halbarry, bluepulse, boostle, harleyivy, wondertrev, wondercheetah, olliedinah, dickwally, arrowbat or whatever, arthurmera, jason/happiness, and a bunch of other stuff that i can’t remember but yeah

*honorable mention:

somebody made me ship clex and it actually worked. but only if it’s smallville!clark and lex tho

since those are mostly dc here’s a few from other ends:

sirius/remus ⏤ 6th grade me was shookt

billyteddy ⏤ timkon 2.0 except they actually happened lmao tbh i actually shipped them before i even knew what a tim drake or a kon-el was

amyrosa ⏤ they’re bi and they’re mine now

jakeamy ⏤ bitch!!!! these two heteros i swear

nozaki/sakura ⏤ speaking of heteros, this is my ult anime pairing like….

spideypool ⏤ probs the only marvel comic i read in any sense of consistency rn is the spiderman/deadpool title

amerikate ⏤ literally what i want in life, hashtag goals hashtag mood

john legend/chrissy teigen ⏤ heteros who stay on top of That, also my actual parents

cherik ⏤ old married couple down the block

every wlw in hayley kiyoko’s music videos

this got really long but i’m pretty sure i still missed a lot anyway. so there u have it anon! all the things i care abt in one post. thanks for the ask!