#it's especially tiring when a character is remorseful and/or going through redemption already

[amemixfan]

You know, I kind of slept on it, and I am now not as stressed as I was yesterday. I’ve been really, really stressed and on the brink of a mental breakdown for these past few days, so I haven’t had time to really digest SE. Now that my stress is over, for better or worse, I can think this through calmly.

And I am going to recant some statements. First of all:

Sweet Enchantments should not continue.

While I did like the game and the characters (minus Runa), I am now at that point where I can’t continue to support this thing. There are too many problems with SE that I fear will be just swept under the rug.

I mean, there are racist undertones in this story. The most diverse book in Lovestruck in terms of having POC characters is a book about criminals. The one character that is implied to not be a criminal because she can go home is white. I feel like this might not have been intentional, want to believe that Lovestruck didn’t play the stereotype on purpose, but it’s still tone deaf to a real problem. Kind of like in Sky Country (is that what it’s called?) where a character pulls a gun on the MC who could potentially be POC and is given the choice of talking back. It’s tonedeaf and it should have been given more consideration.

Asides from this, Lucien’s CGs were not colored properly. His sprite’s skin color does not match his CG skin color. He’s a pilot character that’s trying to persuade players to support the game. Lovestruck should have given more thought to his CGs and paid more attention to something as important as skin color. The fact that they didn’t says a lot about the game they’re trying to push.

Finally, Runa’s character is terrifying. Runa forced a girl to be with her romantically with her magic. She stripped her of her consent and took away her ability to say no. The fact that the game glosses over it, that Runa is supposed to be sympathized with, is disgusting. She still has not realized that she did something bad. The game is intent on sweeping it under the rug and you fucking can’t forgive something like that- especially not when the criminal doesn’t care about what she did. This pushes the stereotype of LGBT+ women being predators and is unrepentant.

Plus, Kamila, a potential victim of sexual assault, was even made into a villain that did the same to MC. She was made from a victim to an abuser and this is glossed over too. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I hate Kamila as well. She suffered from Runa but then made MC suffer the same thing to get back at her. This is disgusting and continues the cycle of abuse. Being a victim doesn’t absolve you from victimizing others because you are then turning yourself into an abuser, but the fact that the game did this and then went on to try and play MC as the victim while disregarding the same abuse that Kamila underwent- It is just vile. MC is sympathized for the charmed kiss Kamila gets out of her while Kamila is still villified for charming her and Runa is somehow pitied. The game really does not try to address anything that she did.

Runa’s apology was half assed and we all know it. She didn’t see the error of what she did, she tells MC casually what she did to Kamila, and refuses to apologize until she has to. And the game somehow makes this apology into her redemption when you can’t apologize for something like this.

Really, from all the implications in this game, I worry for the future of it. Lovestruck is not addressing some key problems with it and is really, really trying to sell some scary tropes. While I like SE and Lucien, I don’t want it to continue. If Lovestruck is this tonedeaf already, imagine what they will do to the remaining characters. This has red flags all over it.

So, while I did like the art for SE, the story, and Lucien, I cannot support SE anymore. I know I said differently in the past, but I’ve had time to sleep on it and reconsider.

Do not fight me on this. Do not send me hatemail on this. Do not attack me for this. I’m tired and stressed and still teetering on the edge of that mental breakdown. Please just, if you disagree, leave well enough alone.

And do not come to me and talk to me about a double standard. Runa potentially raped someone and felt no remorse. She never saw how her actions were bad and half assed an apology. She is in no way close to Helena or Renzei. Helena was abused and did horrific things because her abuser was manipulating her and using her trauma against her. She is not absolved from her actions, but she has seen the error in her ways and is trying hard to redeem herself. Renzei seduced his victims and murdered them but he saw the error in his own actions. He did this for his family yet he admits that he wouldn’t have felt able to be with his family for the things he’s done. He seduced his victims and punished himself for it by tattooing his body count so that he would never forget what he did, and he refused to sleep with MC for portions of his new season because he was disgusted at the fact that he had ever used his body as a weapon. He is also repentant and is on his way to recovery. This is not the same thing as a character who brushes her actions off.

So, anyway, that’s my thoughts on this.

I recant my old statements, and I no longer wish to see this story continue. I’ve had time to think now, and have forgotten probably some other big problems with the game, and I was wrong. Forgive me for my old words.

And, please, do not attack me for this. Lord knows I’m stressed enough as it is.

[eisforeidolon]

Episode: Exodus

What is there to say about this episode, really?  It could have been worse?  At least we got a brother hug out of it?  Oh, look, it’s that part of the season where all the places the arc plot failed get desperately glossed over with even more flimflam?   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Yeah, I did appreciate the hug and how Sam and Dean had to look away from each other's eyes after and move on to deal with the crap they were still in the middle of.  Of course Dean figures it's all good if Sam is alive, even if he comes with such fugly baggage.  So there was that good moment. Although it was right after Sam set a timer on his phone for twenty one hours.  Which was a rough estimate, not a definitive timeline.  Given by Lucifer.  You know, Lucifer.  Sigh.

The main problem this episode had was that it really desperately wanted to show a conflict for Jack between everyone else and Lucifer trying to win him over.  Even if you take out the part where earlier this season Jack said he didn't actually feel anything in favor of him now having flashbacks o' guilt?  Which has its own issues in terms of the writers going for innately good woobie Jack instead of anything with more nuance?  Everyone in this episode acted as if Lucifer had pulled some kind of angel mojo off-screen to keep them from speaking against him. 

Dean just keeps yelling for Lucifer to shut up – without actually giving Jack any reason for the hostility.  Sam basically avoids the whole situation, as does Gabriel.  Castiel stands RIGHT THERE like a goddamn piece of furniture while Lucifer spews out his same old tired oh-poor-misunderstood-me spiel.  They don't have to engage with the bullshit claims about Lucifer corrupting humanity he’s whining about, just say all the shit he personally did!  Creating demons from twisting human souls.  Torturing Sam for keeping him from his plans to destroy the world.  Lying - including to, notably, Jack's mother.  There is no real conflict here and you can't make a believable one happen by just having everyone go suspiciously mute for reasons, ffs!

Also, remember all that nonsense in season eleven about how Lucifer turning against God wasn't entirely his fault, it was because he had the Mark of Cain?  Remember how we had the Winchesters bizarrely advocate for his ass to make God apologize to him for being such a meaniehead?  Except, oh, whoops, when they have their big talk, Gabriel is back to saying that it actually was all Lucifer's fault again.  Without any mention of the Mark's influence from him or in any of Lucifer's pity party speeches.  LOL!canon.  

Then we have the usual crap with Mary, the woman who is desperate to bond with anyone … who isn't blood related to her.  The Winchesters were worried all season about saving Mary, desperate enough to risk tearing the fabric of the universe – for reasons!  Despite how many other characters they had much closer actual good relationships to they've let go.  Here, they finally find Mary - who blithely (and rather insensitivity, considering Sam just died) goes on about how she totally understands how they went to so much trouble! Buuuut, fuck off home boys I will always find somebody I care about more than you!  That whole big, cathartic hug and resolve to have a real relationship with each other?  Oh, look, the writers turned that clock right back just to give us more bullshit shallow soap drama of the Winchesters being super invested in a Mary who clearly does not actually give a single fuck about them and isn't shy about letting that show.  I mean, if I felt like the writers were doing this on purpose, intending for us to feel like Mary is just a deeply shitty person at her core, at least that would be something.  Instead they keep trying to insist there's a relationship here both ends care about but, oops, ~*somehow*~ abandonment drama keeps happening!  I honestly don't know why I'm supposed to find Mary any less contemptuous than Samuel Campbell.  Seriously, why?  I question whether she would literally adopt Lucifer before she would be considerate of Sam and Dean's feelings at this point.  I don't get why they, or I, should care about her given the givens.  AT ALL, let alone to the point of risking reality - or are we forgetting about that whole warning thing from Billie completely?  Which is not even to mention the way Mary basically laughs at Dean's concern Jack could go dark side.  Oh yeah, the woman who spent last season being duped by the BMOL and schtupping Ketch obviously has superior judgment about things like that!  Not to mention the irony of her saying of course Jack will be interested, Lucifer's his father, no harm can come of that!  Or are we not supposed to draw a parallel between how much Sam and Dean risked this season in the name of their likewise shit mother for no more substantial connection?  

At this point I honestly wonder, does Singer or somebody else on staff have an unholy fuckton of mommy issues?  First there was that whole horrible tumor of a plotline with Crowley and Rowena and now this nonsense.   Oh, but look, Mary's soooo cool, she's such a “badass” fighter and keeps punching Lucifer in the face, LOL!  That totally makes up for it!  In short - fuck you, SPN writers, for once again making alive!Mary less of an understandable three-dimensional character than she was when she was dead.  

After the reunionating, we waste some time with some random Apocaworld NPCs.  Remember how Michael was supposedly amassing his forces at a weak point between realities and was going to break through and attack the regular world at any time?  On top of the whole rift spell thing?  Time sensitive, nah, the good guys are going to sit here waffling back and forth for a while with some nobodies and a replacement goldfish Bobby about whether they should stay in their burned out world.  Who cares?  I don't.  It’s especially comical following as it does after the previous week’s OMG NO TIME!!! malarkey.  Also feel pretty awkward about the celebration at the end, these people are either strangers or strangers wearing the faces of dead friends that they've just randomly invited into their supposedly secure bunker of magical artifacts.  Acting like being all blasé about it is not kinda creepy is ... really very creepy.

In terms of the whole Charlie and Ketch on a mission side plot, I think the writers were desperately trying to create some kind of meaningful parallel between regular Cas and Indiana Jones cartoon villian reject AU!Cas.  With them both doing the angel interrogation thing and the line about being the same, or whatever?  Like, if they can just desperately imply AU!Cas is actually badass then therefore vicariously...  Even still, I actually minded this ridiculous IHAVEANACCENTSOI'MADIFFERENTCHARACTER!Cas less than the previous ones?  Putting aside the part where it’s complete nonsense that he’s the only familiar angel with the same damn vessel, somehow, for reasons?  I could actually see a clueless alternate universe Cas trying to figure out how to be intimidating to humans and ending up doing a bad adventure film Nazi impression. 

Bad accent shenanigans and faux depth attempts aside, I did enjoy the rescue scene.  Not!Charlie's reaction to being hugged by a giant stranger and Ketch's look and quip at Dean particularly. While I think they missed a bit of an opportunity to make a direct Satan at the wheel joke when they had Lucifer drive the bus, I found it amusing for that nonetheless.  I also actually did like the scene between Sam and Jack and Lucifer there as they’re leaving.  Putting aside the general thrust of the episode's story and exactly why Jack figured he'd be able to pop off and kill Michael in five minutes or so, it was pretty apt to have Lucifer talk to him about thinking you're doing the right thing and having the right thing go wrong.  Of course Lucifer knows all about that - back when he was actually scary, it was how he manipulated everyone.  It's almost out of place for how much sense it makes here for him to sway Jack with that reasoning.  I also actually liked that Rowena had managed to find a way to bolster the spell and keep it open just that much longer.

Not so much in favor of how, of course, Michael shows up at the very last second.  Or how Gabriel offers to sacrifice himself by fighting more powerful AU!Michael with … basically zero grace power.  It made no sense at all, made his resurrection to ruin his redemption arc just to give him a different one even more essentially pointless, and literally the only reason Jack didn't stay behind as the most powerful member of their party to guard their retreat was scripted contrivance.  More specifically, to have Sam ditch Lucifer so Lucifer will team up with Michael and maybe to Jack be all upset?  Which, again, if it happens can only happen because no one was actually willing to tell him exactly why everyone knows his father is a dick. BECAUSE REASONS!  So much eye-rolling, so little time.

I mean, it's not like Michael wasn't already planning to come through elsewhere anyway.  It's not like they didn't already try ditching Lucifer in Apocaworld once already and saw how permanent of a solution that WASN'T (including how it gave Michael an extra source of archangel grace).  It's not like Lucifer is capable of ever figuring out redemption involves real remorse and might actually turn good so there was some real dilemma for him here beyond having to team up with someone he hates.  I guess there were actually some people that were all pissed off at Sam on Lucifer's behalf but that's incredibly gullible and weird, tbh.  Like, there are people who actually bought all that crocodile tears sad face self pity bullshit? Just … wow.

Anyway, maybe this dumb idea of an ending will have some non-contrived point that comes up in the finale episode that I haven't got to yet, but I seriously doubt it.  

[angelfireeast]

All the people who been saying send Killer Frost to Legends because they are tired of her on the Flash how about no? How about never? How about keep Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost far away from Jax as humanly possible? Yeah I think we should keep her as far as Jefferson Jackson as humanly possible.

Just think of what elitist, privileged, entitled, bitch Caitlin was to Jax when she was ‘good heroic’ Caitlin Snow under the guise of trying to help Martin. Her prejudge trumped her reasoning as medical doctor. It blinded her good sense to see what’s happening right in front of her with Barry treated like crap. Now let's think of what Caitlin Snow has done this season to her closest friends & loved ones trying to help? Oh yeah, refused to help save Barry & Iris two different unless begged and pleaded and betrayed them by keeping the stone for months. Giving the team an half assed apology while giving Julian the proper apology. Now let’s think of what Killer Frost has done and what she shown herself to truly be. Well, she betrayed everyone for Savitar instantly without hesitation, working with him to kill Iris, stabbed Barry, tried to murder him with killer kiss, tried to use the same move on Julian, attacked her closest friends, attacked and hurt people, the big stuff - froze Cisco’s hands off in 2024 future & isn’t sorry, enjoys Barry, Cisco, Julian and Wally’s pain in 2024, happy Iris is dead and has zero remorse or feeling for anyone or anything.

People want to ship her off to the Waverider? Excuse me? So she can go play queen bitch trying for redemption arc around Jax? No thanks. One of the kindness, bravest, heroes and my personal favorite after Cisco Ramon? He shouldn’t have to put up “good” Caitlin let any version of Killer Frost. Especially given all we know now about Killer Frost now. Jax deals with enough racism, bigotry and BS in general without adding one “the heroes” turn bad needing a redemption story who treated him like dirt. One the of “heroes” who’s every word to him as she treated him like garbage turned her into the world’s biggest hypnotic once she had the chance to be superhero herself. In case you tell I haven’t forgiven Caitlin for her treatment of Jax in Fury of the Firestorm. I don’t feel the episode dealt with properly. I didn’t have Barry calling her out on her awful behavior. She only half got why she was wrong and Jax forgave her easily. That episode along with how she treat King Snark’s wife should have the making of darkside not something brushed aside. It has been brushed aside which makes more peed off about it. Plus Jax is one of my favorite characters in DCtv verse so I’m protective of him.

I follow a lot of great people on tumblr who keep saying ‘ship her off to Legends’ because they don’t want Caitlin on the Flash anymore but they don’t want to see another woman fridged. I get that. If that’s how she treats the people she loves the most - if that’s how she treats Cisco - she freezes his hands off - I don’t want to see how she’ll treat someone she already looked down her nose at as Caitlin Snow. You know where actual interesting place Killer Frost could go to be bad guy? Arrow. Black Canary and Killer Frost had little interesting stuff going on in the comics and you know if Black Siren is the bad guy for season six Killer Frost might make for fun partner in crime. Two bad girls giving it their all might be more interesting than putting men of color through pain for redemption story for Killer Frost. If it was Ronnie as Firestorm on Legends then yeah that would be the place for Killer Frost but Ronnie’s not there Jax is. So how about we don’t put such an awful person near Jax? Consisting how awful she was to him when she was good and how ugly she is when she bad.